Wall Street continues to shuffle along. All three major averages started the day in the minus column, as investors weigh the latest report on private-sector employment ahead of Fridays closely watched government jobs data.

ADP and Moodys Analytics reported that private employers added 177,000 jobs in August.

Trump heads to Mexico

The Republican presidential candidate plans to speak to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto just hours before giving a major address on immigration in Phoenix, Arizona. What will Trump accomplish by talking to a politician who said theres no way Mexico will pay for a wall on the border?

Flights from Florida to Cuba

JetBlue (JBLU) today begins flights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Santa Clara, Cubathe first regularly scheduled commercial flights from the US to Cuba in half a century. Its the latest development in the normalization of relations between the two countries initiated by President Barack Obama in 2014. Whats next?

Google turns up heat on Uber

Google (GOOGL) is taking aim at Uber by reportedly expanding a carpool program powered by Waze, the navigation app it owns. Google will offer the service to Waze users in San Francisco, where Uber is based. Which company has the ride-sharing edge?

Stocks to watch

H&R Block (HRB) shares sank this morning after the tax service provider reported a wider than expected loss of $0.55 a share for its fiscal first quarter. Revenue also missed estimates. Sales fell 9% from a year ago, mainly due to the sale of its bank unit and as fewer customers signed up for its services.

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) shares fell in early trading. The cybersecurity firm reported earnings that came in line with forecasts at $0.50 a share, while revenue topped analysts estimates as sales surged 41% to $401 million in its fiscal fourth quarter. However, expenses surged and the company provided a weaker-than-expected outlook for its current quarter. The company is also buying back $500 million worth of stock.

Deutsche Bank (DB) shares are in the spotlight. The German banks CEO John Cryan denied speculation that its interested in buying smaller rival Commerzbank. The denial came after a German magazine reported that Deutsche Bank was in early merger talks with Commerzbank.

Apple (AAPL) remains in focus. Investors will be closely monitoring any developments related to the European Commissions ruling Tuesday that Apple owes Ireland $14.5 billion in taxes.
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Donald Trump has made his intention to destroy the free press clear during his campaign, but US media got a taste of Trumps plans when he told all of the traveling press covering him that they wouldnt be allowed on his trip to Mexico.

Reporters who are traveling with his campaign broke the news that the US press will not be allowed on Mexico trip:

Trump is setting a distressing precedent today. He's traveling to Mexico. His traveling press has not been invited along. We're in Phoenix.  Jill Colvin (@colvinj) August 31, 2016

The press was offered no charter for the Trump trip, and when asked if the media could charter a plane to Mexico, the Trump campaign said no:

After attempts and feasibility of charter going to Mexico. Campaign ultimately said no. https://t.co/amcGWuWLNG  Noah Gray CNN (@NoahGrayCNN) August 31, 2016

Trump is planning on holding a press conference while in Mexico, but only with Mexican media:

Trump will hold a press conference w/ Pena Nieto w/ only Mexican press there. https://t.co/iG66zz8wv8  Tom Wright (@thomaswright08) August 31, 2016

The Republican nominee is not going to be taking any questions from the reporters who most closely cover his campaign:

So, Trump will have press event in Mexico, & press who travel w/ him & covered him for past yr won't be there https://t.co/RJuXaMWM3b  Noah Gray CNN (@NoahGrayCNN) August 31, 2016

There may be American press on the trip, but they will be only from Trump friendly propaganda outfits. Nobody should be surprised if Trump calls on a reporter from Breitbart to ask a question.

The American people should be outraged by this behavior because it is an open assault on the free presss ability to provide information to the public.

The media grumbles about Hillary Clinton not holding a press conference, but Clinton would never essentially ban reporters from accessing a news event.

Donald Trump wants to control the story of his trip to Mexico and is taking extreme measures to avoid the free press.

The Republican nominee is trampling the Constitution with what is a sneak preview of his behavior if he is elected to be the next President Of The United States.
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Donald Trump fell flat on his face in what can only be described as a bizarre press conference that highlighted his weakness and failure as a presidential candidate.

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As Mexican President Pena Nieto spoke glowingly about the virtues of NAFTA and free trade, Trump stood there silently relying on a translator. As Pena Nieto criticized Trumps plan to build the wall in a very diplomatic fashion, Trump stood there. As Mexicos president stressed cooperation between the US and Mexico, Trump stood there.

When Trump finally spoke, he called the meeting a substantive exchange of ideas, and said that he was straightforward in repeating his views on immigration and trade. Trump proclaimed that he loved the United States, and then said that both countries are united by love for their countries. Trump later added that he a tremendous feeling for Mexican-Americans because he employs so many of them.

Trump later repeated that he was proud to say how many Mexican-Americans he employs. The Republican nominee discussed the common interest in keeping the border safe and free.

Trump went on to list five shared goals that would benefit both countries; first, ending illegal immigration, which he said must be solved quickly because it isnt fair. Second, Trump said that he recognized both Mexico and the USs right to build a physical border. Trumps third point was the dismantling of drug cartels. His fourth point was that NAFTA must be improved. Trumps last point was that manufacturing wealth must be kept in our hemisphere, which directly contradicted the fact that he is campaigning on bringing manufacturing jobs back from Mexico to the United States.

The press conference was a voyage into the bizarre with Trump reading off of prepared remarks, but ad-libbing. Trumps remarks were very weak. He claimed that he was with the Mexican president for a long time, but admitted that they met for an hour.

Trump said they didnt discuss who would pay for the wall during the meeting, but that, like everything else involving the Trump campaign, would be discussed at a later date.

Donald Trump tried to step onto the world stage, and in the process, he blew the image that he is campaigning on to pieces. The press conference was a classic Trump crash and burn. Trump looked like a wimp, as the press conference was another low moment for his sinking campaign.
WASHINGTON  U.S. consumer confidence rose in August to its highest level in 11 months, suggesting economic growth could pick up in the second half of the year.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 101.1, up from 96.7 in July. It was the highest level for confidence since the index hit 102.6 last September.

The gain reflected consumers' brighter views about current the economic situation and their expectations for the future.

The percentage of those surveyed who saw business conditions as "good" increased from 27.3 percent to 30 percent. Those who viewed business conditions as "bad" remained virtually unchanged at 18.4 percent.

Consumers who regarded jobs as "plentiful" increased from 23 percent to 26 percent, although those who felt jobs were "hard to get" also rose slightly from 22.1 percent to 23.4 percent.

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Economists said that the climb in confidence reflected stronger job gains seen in recent months, as well as strength in the stock market and home prices, which boost consumers' net worth.

They expect the momentum in jobs to boost incomes and spur stronger consumer spending. That should help growth accelerate in the second half of this year, after four quarters of an anemic average growth rate of 1.2 percent. Many analysts believe gross domestic product will top 3 percent in the current quarter.

"Growth will be supported by consumer confidence and job growth," Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, said in reaction to the consumer confidence report.

The government will release the August jobs report on Friday. Many economists are looking for a gain of around 180,000 jobs.
As I sit writing my last article as a teen columnist for the Post-Bulletin I can hear my washing machine running another load of laundry. It's working away at a large load of my laundry after returning home from an eight-day mission trip in Denver, Colorado. I have lost count of the number of mission trips I have participated in through my church, but it's nearing double digits.

From the moment they became an option for me I was enthralled by the idea of studying my faith rigorously and singularly for a week while serving those less fortunate than myself. I would often find myself thinking "wow, I'm really going to change someone's life" as I would climb into an overcrowded 12-passenger van that vaguely smelled of teenage boy.

Little did I know that I was going to be far more changed than any of the people I helped. Whether I was serving in South Dakota, Colorado, or Jamaica, this always held true. I would go into a work site with the mentality that I was about to make a difference in someone else's life and leave being permanently changed. Not only would I be changed by the people I was serving lunch to or playing board games with, but by the leaders and peers that went on the trip with me.

My most notable experience of a change within through the people I served was when I served in Jamaica. As soon as we reached the children's home (Robin's Nest) we would be putting on Vacation Bible School for a week, I knew that the people there would have a lasting impact on me. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a morning person, perhaps the furthest one can possibly be from it, yet something about those kids made me want to get at 5:30 a.m. to help the nest mothers feed them and get them ready.

The impact was so large that as we sat on the beach of the resort we got to go to for a couple days after serving I couldn't help but tear up and wish I was back at the nest. The children taught me how to be compassionate and positive even when everything that could be against you is. I felt so at peace at the nest that I have decided to, hopefully, intern for a summer there in one of my coming summers. Not necessarily to just help them, but to help myself as well. Although the children are my main reason for returning  their bright toothless smiles and bare feet running over gravel.

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I have attended mission trips with a vast variety of people. I have squished into vans for 14-hour drives with relatives and complete strangers alike. But there are always a few people that attend as many trips as possible. I feel that even though we may not be the closest friends we have a special connection because of our love for mission trips and serving others. As I walked out of a gas station on our trip home from Denver I passed one of these people (his name is Jonah). He was having a very animated conversation with another participant and they must have sensed my prolonged glance because Jonah turned to me and said point blank "pennies are ruining the world. You should've written about that for the Post-Bulletin. Pennies are the worst." So, Jonah, there you go. Now everyone reading knows pennies are the worst. And the fact that this small anecdote was included proves to me, at least, the length these connections reach.

By participating in a mission trip you will, in fact, be helping others. Not in a small way either, you could perhaps be giving them their only hot meal of the day. But you will also be impacted and changed forever. Whether you see that you have it extremely good or that you finally understand what people mean when they say they are at peace a change will be made.
WATERLOO, Iowa  It's not the devil that's in the details. It's God.

That's how two local couples see even the smallest things tipping in their favor to make them one family.

There was already some divine providence involved in giving Waterloo couple Meghan and Dana Shaver the gift of a newborn son, Toby, whom they adopted in July 2015. But when they learned Toby's birth mother was again pregnant and looking for an adoptive family, the blessings began to multiply.

"It's just crazy to think how God led our families both to adoption in different ways and for a lot of different reasons, and now we are family," said Nate Ross, who with his wife, Bekah, will be the adoptive parents of Toby's brother when he's born.

The two couples' chance encounter came when both joined a small church group for newlyweds at Trinity Bible Church in Cedar Falls. Soon, they became closer as other couples in the group began to have children and they instead were looking at options for adoption. Their bond deepened again last year when the Shavers adopted Toby and the Rosses became parents in a different way by taking in their first foster child, who also happened to be a baby boy.

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Their path to becoming a family started when Bekah Ross approached Meghan Shaver at one of their church meetings about adoption. Meghan, who says her heart was heavy thinking about Toby's brother, decided to take the opportunity to bring up the situation with their son's birth mother.

Immediately, both couples were thrilled at the possibilities.

"(You could) see our minds spinning, but we didn't say anything because we've heard stories like that before. What if that could be our baby, and then it seemed like just such a long shot," said Bekah Ross.

Still, they got to work on the off chance the union could work out. Dana Shaver took the Ross' contact information and forwarded it on to the adoption agency as soon as they got home from church that night.

A week and a half later they learned the birth mother liked the idea of the two brothers growing up knowing each other, but first wanted to learn more about the Rosses. They put together a family profile  something common among adoptive families to showcase their values and personalities for birth parents  in a week.

Then, a long, agonizing wait began.

"Our hopes just kept going down with every hour that we didn't get a phone call," Bekah Ross said.

They eventually got a phone call telling them the birth mother was thinking over her decision. "About a week later, we got the phone call saying that the birth mom really liked our profile, and she really likes the idea of these siblings growing up together, so we were officially matched then, which is so exciting."

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The mother was just 15 weeks pregnant when they were matched. They're expecting to be parents to Toby's brother on Christmas Day.

"We just think it's cool that God would allow these brothers  to grow up knowing one another and having that special bond," Bekah Ross said.

Not only did the pieces fall into place for the two couples to become one family, but the baby's due date is perfect timing for the Rosses who are moving to Oregon for work. The advance notice gives them time to get settled, and since they work in campus ministry with The Navigators, the due date is perfectly timed to coincide with the winter break.

It also works out to give the couple time to raise the money it takes to adopt a child. They currently have set up a fundraising website at https://www.gofundme.com/nateandbekahross.

"The timing is just, God cares about the details. It's cool to see that," Bekah Ross said.

And while the brothers won't be living next to each other, the Rosses both have family ties to the region  beyond their new connection to the Shavers  that will bring them back. Plus, they say modern technology means the brothers can talk every day on video chat. At least, as soon as both learn to speak.
The woman accused of blackmailing one of her "johns" for tens of thousands of dollars, a Mercedes and access to his bank accounts was back in court Monday.

Dontania Danielle Petrie, 26, made her initial appearance in Olmsted County District Court, where she faces one felony count of coercion-threat to expose a secret or disgrace. She's due back Nov. 4.

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 man said, Petrie contacted him, sent him a covert video she'd made of their sexual encounter, said she knew where he worked and threatened to "ruin his reputation," court documents say. Petrie allegedly told the man she'd give him the video in exchange for $5,000.

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."

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From Aug. 5 to Aug. 13, the man paid Petrie $48,000, bought a 2014 Mercedes and put it in her name, the complaint says, while she threatened to "show up on his doorstep and introduce herself to his wife."

Another meeting between the two was scheduled for Aug. 19; Petrie allegedly told the man the bail from her July 25 arrest  for promoting prostitution of an individual and receiving profits from prostitution of an individual, both felonies  was $75,000 and he would be paying for that. Instead, the man contacted police, and officers served a search warrant that day at Petrie's residence.

Four cellphones were found inside, as well as the buyer's order for the Mercedes. The man's bank records were in the car.

The man has not yet been cited with a misdemeanor charge of engaging in prostitution-hires an individual 18 years of age, the typical result of such an encounter.

It's not uncommon for authorities to choose not to prosecute in a case such as this, both city and county officials agree.

"In this instance, we presented the facts of the case to the county attorney's office and spoke about the severity of the incident, and it was discussed if he should be prosecuted," said Rochester Police Capt. John Sherwin.

"Often times in cases, there are victims or witnesses that may have committed a crime and aren't charged," he said. "You have to look at the bigger picture and what has a bigger impact" on public safety.

"There are decisions that have to be made in many criminal cases where the victims aren't innocent, law-abiding citizens, but that's just the way it works," Sherwin said.

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Did the man's job factor into the decision?

"Absolutely not," Sherwin said. "This is a routine thing, for police departments to consult with attorneys. People that are criminals can also be victims; I don't think anybody here is impressed or cares" who the criminal is.

Assistant County Attorney Eric Woodford agrees.

"Someone who is disorderly in a bar but then is unjustifiably assaulted and injured badly, they're a victim of a more serious assault and often aren't charged with the relatively less-serious misdemeanor they've committed," he said.

"It has nothing to do with the victim's place in the community at all," Woodford said. "It has to do with how the case is investigated and the need to keep certain individuals cooperative as witnesses."

It's "unlikely," Woodford said, that the man in this case will be charged.

"We've done what we can do legally and would do for anybody else legally to not disclose a victim's identity," he added, "but we can't stop her from saying something about who he is."

Petrie has commented on the Post-Bulletin's Facebook page that she has contacted the NAACP about the case; she is black, the man is white.

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"I wouldn't dignify that with a response," Woodford said of Petrie's inference of racism. "When I review police reports, I don't even know what people look like or what their ethnic background is. Some names can give you an idea, but I didn't know about either of these people until you just told me."

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.

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.
Rochester Community and Technical College students will be honored at a ceremony at 9:30 a.m on Wednesday in RCTC's Hill Theatre.

The college will honor 14 associate degree nursing students in the Alpha Delta Nu Nursing Honor Society induction ceremony. They'll be awarded a pin, certificate and honor cords to be worn at commencement.

RCTC's Delta Alpha chapter of Alpha Delta Nu was granted chapter status in October of 2015. Students include:

Nicholas Bjergum  Kasson

Rebecca Caflisch  Rochester

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Erin Joppa  Rochester

Kallie Karlen  Byron

Hailey Klunder  Rochester

Tara Kral  Rochester

Aaron Lassila  Rochester

Jerome Nguyen  Rochester

Travis Pettey  Rochester

Lindsey Simon  Rochester

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Angela Stilwell  Rochester

Corri Vander Woude  Jackson

Alyssa Wooding  Lake City

Rebekah Young  Rochester
Mayo Clinic officially declined SEIU Healthcare Minnesota's proposal Tuesday during the second bargaining session between the health care giant and about 700 unionized food service workers.

The rejection prompted the union to again call on Mayo to publicly release its plan to subcontract out food service workers at 20 facilities across the country, including sites in Rochester, Austin, Albert Lea, Owatonna, Mankato and Fairmont.

Mayo confirmed in a statement that it rejected SEIU's Aug. 22 proposal, noting that it "essentially outlined a scenario quite similar to what is currently in place, and also did not address any of the reasons for needing to make this change." Mayo plans to transition its food service to Morrison Healthcare during the next 12 to 18 months as part of a 10-year contract "that makes one vendor accountable from top to bottom," Mayo said.

SEIU President Jamie Gulley wrote Tuesday in a news release that it's "disappointing that Mayo does not seem interested in finding a solution to this situation ... Rochester deserves to know what this will mean for the community, and we will continue to use all avenues at our disposal to try to get Mayo to publicly release the details around this deal so all of us, not just Mayo executives, understand what the full impact will be."

SEIU has estimated that union workers in Rochester will see lower salaries and increased insurance costs totaling around $4 million each year if Mayo goes through with its plan to move food service workers from Sodexo to Morrison Healthcare.

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Gulley wrote a guest column for the Post-Bulletin's Opinions page Monday that was critical of the plan, and the union has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board about Mayo's lack of a response to concerns.

In its statement Tuesday, Mayo rejected claims made by Gulley in the P-B column that asserted changes in salary would affect employee Medicare payments. Mayo says any changes in salary for those workers would have "no impact" on Medicare payments.

Mayo's non-union food service workers, which compose about two-thirds of the workforce, have been assured job offers at the same rate of pay they receive now. About 700 union workers in Minnesota, including 350 in Rochester, must negotiate salary and benefits with Morrison without any such assurances.

"The goals of this transition are to improve quality, consistency, efficiency, and to create a structure and system that will foster accountability for these objectives," according to the Mayo statement.

The labor dispute has drawn the attention of local and state lawmakers, some of whom joined an informational picket outside Saint Marys Hospital last week . Some have criticized Mayo's outsourcing plan in light of legislative approval of public funding for the Destination Medical Center initiative.

The next bargaining session is scheduled for Sept. 19-20. At issue will be a new proposal from SEIU.

The union is requesting that a study be conducted during the next 18 months that would directly compare local food service approval ratings to hospitals where workers are subcontracted. SEIU's proposal used language that suggests its current scores might have been artificially low due to staffing shortages and lack of support.

Mayo says its current patient satisfaction rate with food service is less than 50 percent.

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"Our patients expect and deserve more," Mayo said via statement.
RED WING  The Red Wing Housing and Redevelopment Authority was awarded $3.7 million in funding on Thursday through a pair of loans from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency.

The loans are designated to fund upgrades at Jordan Tower II, a 102-unit low-income housing facility.

"We'll start the work in the spring," said Randal Hemmerlin, executive director of the HRA in Red Wing.

In 2015, the HRA completed a physical needs assessment that identified $6 million worth of capital improvements needed at Jordan Tower II over the next 20 years. The funding received last week will cover the first six years of critical needs at the apartment complex.

Six years from now, we will have to deal with the other items," Hemmerlin said. "I want to point out that Minnesota Housing was fantastic to work with. I think they went the extra mile for us."

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The money came in the form of two loans. The first, a $3 million zero-interest loan that has no required payback as long as the building is not sold, is the maximum allowable under the program. The remaining $700,000 will require payback, but that will not begin for five years due to a general obligation bond the HRA is paying off.

The rehabilitation work will allow the HRA to replace windows, update fire code issues, replace the roof, tuck point and seal the brick exterior, replace plumbing fixtures and other needed items, Hemmerlin said.

"The total project is $3.9 million, so $200,000 will be coming out of our reserves and going into the project," he said.
As a patriotic American citizen, I will be proud to cast my ballot in the upcoming general election, but do I feel I must "vote for the lesser of the two evils," assuming the two main presidential candidates could be evil? Of course not! This year, I must "think outside the box."

I am now taking a look at Jill Stein, the Green Party's candidate. She is from Chicago and a Harvard Medical School graduate. Dr. Jill already has an estimated 6 percent of the vote without even campaigning. She believes we have a rigged political system, which I agree.

She is not funded by big business or the fossil fuel giants. The Green Party's platform includes an emergency system for clean and renewable energy. Dr. Jill states we are living in a climate of fear and racism. Police violence is now a scourge on our society, and she advocates police review boards. She believes the media need to encourage town hall meetings to openly discuss the issues rather than our being silenced by the politics of fear.

If the largest block of voters are now independent and clamoring for change, then it behooves us all to become informed voters in order to effect that change. Where do we stand?

Let's stand up for America! See you at the polls.

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Jean David

Rochester
To have a legislative special session or not? Having one could provide assistance individuals and cities are seeking. Not having one won't and means the next Legislature must take up the issues.

Let me suggest that having one simply enables the Legislature to continue in its dysfunctional ways of delaying important decisions until the session's final hours. Perhaps all legislators seeking re-election should rise or fall based on whether they did the job on time.

Paying them to finish what they didn't sends a signal that they will not be held accountable for significant inaction on key measures  taxes, bonding and transportation, to name a few. Until voters hold them accountable through the election process, the legislative and executive branches will continue to rely on special sessions to bail themselves out.

The agenda and prescribed outcomes of a special session are determined in secret by three people: speaker of the House, Senate majority leader and governor. That's not the open and transparent lawmaking that MInnesota's citizens expect and deserve.

The system is broken and must be fixed, including the timing of committee reports, initial bill deadlines and subsequent conference committee discussions and action, in public and well before the final days and hours of a legislative session. Both major political parties are to blame, and both must show a concerted effort to remedy the dysfunction.

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Jerry Williams

Rochester
Recent recommendations regarding planning and development in Rochester and Olmsted County shouldn't be shocking.

The Stantec Consulting Services' report delivered to city and county officials last week noted efforts on the city's new comprehensive plan appear slow, and the Rochester-Olmsted Planning Department is understaffed for its current workload. The two likely go hand in hand, and both concerns have been voiced in the past.

While Rochester's comprehensive plan is being coordinated by an outside consultant, many aspects require hands-on participation by planning department staff. When that work is combined with day-to-day requirements of a growing community, it's easy to see work could be delayed; an understaffed office frequently finds it hard to meet expectations.

Unfortunately, what the report doesn't offer is a potential solution for adding staff and tackling new duties without boosting the county's budget amid already increasing tax levies.

The Stantec report's final recommendation  working toward splitting the city-county partnership for planning  could ease county tax pressure because the biggest need for added staff stems from the city. It might be potential good news for the 30 percent of Olmsted County residents living outside Rochester, but it could be costly for city residents.

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Individual staffs could allow some added flexibility, but creating a separate city department would mean hiring new planners to simply serve the status quo, which wouldn't address suggested neighborhood and long-range planning needs.

The report glazes over benefits of a joint planning department. While it notes the Rochester-Olmsted County partnership isn't equal to others, we've pointed out the 40-year agreement has provided long-term benefits by ensuring changes in either the city or county aren't made without considering the overall impact.

As it stands, the city's comprehensive plan is being created with direct input of planners who are aware of day-to-day county needs. Would the same hold true if the county and city had separate planning departments?

On Monday, city staff noted more discussion is needed. "I think there's some information for the report that's not in there and some that's not accurate," Assistant City Administrator Gary Neumann said. Rochester-Olmsted Planning Department Director Mitzi Baker cited similar concerns in a memo last week, noting the report does provide an opportunity to focus on solutions.

Some already may be in the works.

With the approval of a new assistant city administrator position during the Aug. 15 Rochester City Council meeting, the city seems like it could be on the way to addressing some needs defined by the Stantec consultants. The new assistant administrator will have some authority to help guide development, and it's not inconceivable that additional staff could serve as liaisons to neighborhood associations, potentially taking some burden off the joint planning department, which could invest the time into long-term planning.

Ultimately, the Stantec report has many points that must be carefully considered by both city and county officials. They can't be brushed off as unworkable to too costly.

At the same time, they can't be viewed as ultimatums. As the consultants noted, the joint agreement has served the city and the county well for four decades. While the region and its needs have changed, there is no reason to believe the agreement can't be adjusted to accommodate those changes.

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All options need to be considered thoughtfully as planning efforts continue to move forward.
Congressional candidate Jim Moylan will not let truth or distortions stop him from saying anything to get elected. It is up to political analy Read morePolitical ploys at the last part of election?
I hadnt intended to write two Hillary Clinton email posts tonight. However, news that FBI investigators recovered 30 Benghazi-related emails from Hillary Clintons wiped server is potentially too important not to comment on right away.

Government lawyers told U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta today that some of the 30 recovered emails relating to Benghazi  they didnt say now many  were not included in the 55,000 pages previously provided by Clinton. The State Departments lawyer also told the judge that the Department needs until the end of September to review the emails and redact potentially classified information before they are released.

Judge Mehta was skeptical. He questioned why it would take so long to release so few documents, urged that the process be expedited, and ordered the department to report to him in a week with more details about why the review process would take a full month.

As AP points out, Clinton previously has claimed that she withheld and deleted only personal emails not related to her duties as Secretary of State. Clearly, though, any and all Benghazi-related emails related to those duties.

If it turns out that some of the newly recovered emails contain new content, as opposed to just duplicating previously turned over material, Hillary will be caught in yet another lie  this one relating to Benghazi, an area of particular vulnerability.

In addition, its possible that the recovered emails contain incriminating information about Clintons handling of Benghazi and/or the truthfulness of her public comments about the debacle. Such emails are just the ones Team Clinton would have the greatest incentive to destroy.

Heres where the issue of redaction may be important. As Judge Mehta told the government, redacting 30 or fewer emails should be a simple task  one that does not require a month to accomplish. However, redacting them artfully enough to prevent damage to Hillary Clinton is a bit more complicated, if it comes to that.
As expected, Marco Rubio and John McCain won their respective primaries tonight. Rubio collected 72 percent of the vote. His closest rival won only 18.5 percent.

McCain faced stronger opposition in Kelli Ward, a Tea Party style candidate. However, he prevailed by a 54-36 margin.

Rubio will face Rep. Patrick Murphy. He crushed the loathsome Alan Grayson 59-18.

Murphy, age 33, is a pretty strong candidate, I think. He tries to present himself as a moderate, which will help him in Florida.

However, Murphy stands accused by credible Florida media outlets of padding his resume in three areas  his academic record, his work record as a certified public accountant, and his status as a small business owner. This is a young man in a hurry  too much of hurry, apparently, to actually accomplish what he claims to have done.

Rubio leads Murphy in the polls by about 7 points. However, he bears the burden of Donald Trump who savaged him during the primaries but whom Rubio has endorsed. A Hillary Clinton landslide could sink Rubio.

McCain faces a serious challenge from Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. He too is leading, though. The RCP average has him up by 8 points.

As he does for Rubio, Trump poses an obvious problem for McCain, and for similar reasons. McCain has endorsed the tycoon in spite of his attack on the Senator for having been captured during war and in spite of his dispute with that Gold Star family.

However, Kirkpatricks difficulty is evident from a recent CNN poll. According to Politico, it found that McCain is winning more than two-thirds of Trump voters and grabbing 28 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters. This was good for a 13-point in that particular poll.

Ive been disappointed with some of the positions Rubio and McCain have taken on vital issues. However, they are both conservatives with plenty to offer in the Senate. In addition, their success is crucial if the Republicans are to have any realistic hope of holding the Senate.

I expect to contribute to both candidates.
The Obama administration has declined to designate Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, though it has richly earned such recognition. President Obama doesnt want to do anything to alienate his putative friends in Islamic Republic of Iran. His putative friends, however, continue to harass American forces in the Gulf and to take actions that humiliate the United States. As his putative friends express their contempt for him, President Obama pays them no nevermind.

The New York Observer notes in an excellent editorial that in three separate incidents last week Iranian fast boats buzzed our warships in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. In one of the encounters, the editorial observes, an American captain found it necessary to fire warning shots from his ships 50-caliber gun to warn off the fast-approach Iranian craft. That is not something an American commanding officer does without severe concerns about navigational safety or possible attack.

What is a subordinate of the Commander in Chief to say? General Joseph Votel is the Commander of Centcom. Asked about recent incidents in the Gulf at a press conference yesterday (video below), General Votel displays the constraints inherent in his position. He calls on Iran to be the professional force that they claim to be. He observes that professional maritime forces dont operate in that way.

Do tell! I dont want to be judgmental, but one might reasonably infer that the IRGC, answering directly to the Supreme Leader, is not operating as a professional maritime force.

What we see with the Iranians is not particularly responsible. Its provocative in some cases and its unsafe, General Votel says. Harsh!

Taking a cue from the Commander in Chief, General Votel even instructs the regime in its own best interests: What I see is this is principally the regime leadership trying to exert their influence and authority in the region, and they are trying to do it in provocative ways that are unsafe, unprofessional, and really, I think, work against their objectives in the long term here.

Hey, its not just the Islamic Republic of Iran that is humiliating the United States. President Obama has made his own contribution, and he continues to do so.

Via Jack Heretik/Washington Free Beacon.
Malaysian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Datuk Lim Juay Jin, said his countrys bilateral trade with Nigeria in 2015 stood at 766.8 million dollars.

Datuk Lim, who made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday said that trade value was a 14.6 per cent increase from 2014.

The total trade between the two countries was valued at 766.8 million U.S. dollars in the year of 2015 and this was an increase of 14.9 per cent from the previous year.

The trade was in Malaysias favour.

Malaysias main export to Nigeria included petroleum products, palm oil and palm based products, machineries and also processed food.

Malaysias main import from Nigeria was Liquefied Natural Gas, iron ore, metal scrap and agricultural goods.

And of course, it is our sincere hope that the bilateral trade between the two countries will continue to increase; I am sure Nigeria has a lot of things to offer to Malaysia too.

Datuk Lim said that both countries had bilateral relations since 1965, adding that 2016 marked the 51st year of this relationship that waxed stronger in spite of the dormancy of the Joint Commission of Cooperation.

He said although the joint commission had been inactive for more than a decade, efforts were made to revive it.

As far as the joint commission meeting is concerned, it is dormant for the time being due to some reasons that have prevented this mechanism to be conducted on a more regular basis.

This is either due to unavailability of commonly accepted dates and unavailability of officials or members of the commission.

But both countries have on numerous occasions expressed interest in reviving this Joint Commission of Cooperation because we agree and recognise that this is an important platform to propel bilateral relations.

I also must stress that even without the joint commission, our relations have been moving on in so many areas without putting special impetus to it and the momentum has picked up, but of course, the joint commission is an official mechanism.

The high commissioner also explained that the Malaysia-Nigeria Business Council served as an umbrella under which the business communities of both countries explored investment opportunities.

He added that the business council coordinated its activities with the Malaysia-Nigeria Trade Commission.

Datuk Lim further explained that the commission was aimed at spearheading commercial activities between the two countries.

The activities of this business council is geared towards investment promotion between Nigeria and Malaysia.

We have, last year, established a trade office in Lagos to spearhead the commercial activities between the two countries and the Nigeria-Malaysia Business Council is working hand-in-hand with the trade office.

The trade office is manned by a trade commissioner; from here you can also see that Malaysia actually puts a lot of emphasis on Nigerias future; we see the business potential in Nigeria.

Out of the many West African countries we chose Lagos as the destination for the trade office; that speaks volumes.

According to Datuk Lim, both countries have bilateral relations in the areas of economy, science and technology, culture and capacity building. (NAN)
Kenya has passed the long-awaited Access to Information law, drawing praises from the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

The OGP praised the East African country as well as its civil society for working hard to get the law passed.

This bill is an important commitment in Kenyas 2nd National Action Plan and is part of a larger set of initiatives to enable effective and accountable government in Kenya, the OGP said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

Commenting on the bill, Maureen Kariuki, OGPs Regional Civil Society Coordinator for Africa and the Middle East said, by providing greater access and transparency to government decision-making, Kenyas Access to Information Act will further strengthen the essential bond between citizens and government.

This was a flagship commitment in the recently approved second Kenya OGP National Action Plan, and will help Kenyan citizens access vital information about how the country is run.

OGP CEO Sanjay Pradhan added, this bill has been in the works for many years now and we are delighted that Kenyan reformers in government and civil society have come together to pass this vital law.
Turkish prosecutors should cancel orders for the detention of 35 journalists, and authorities should unconditionally release all journalists already jailed, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.

Police Tuesday detained at least nine of the journalists on the list, according to press reports.

Turkey is detaining journalists and shutting down news outlets faster than any other country in the world, CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said.

It seems hell-bent on silencing every critical journalist left. We call on the government to reverse this disastrous course.

Wednesdays detentions were the latest in a crackdown on the press that has accelerated since a failed military coup left more than 200 people dead on the night of July 15.

Prosecutors accuse the journalists of affiliation with the Gulenist movement  or FETO, as the government calls it  which the government accuses of being a terrorist organization, maintaining a parallel state structure, and orchestrating the failed coup.

Turkish authorities have also redoubled their crackdown on pro-Kurdish media since July 15.

The government has closed more than 100 broadcasters, newspapers, magazines, publishers, and distribution companies and has detained more than 100 journalists and media workers over the space of a month.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has given an assurance that the Calabar-Port Harcourt Coastal rail line and the Lagos-Kano rail modernisation project would be completed before the end of 2018.

Mr. Amaechi said this on Wednesday in Abuja while signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project with a Chinese company, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd. (CECC).

The minister said the MoU was being signed in compliance with the China Exim Bank requirement.

He added that the Ministries of Finance, Works and Housing, National Planning and Justice were all involved in efforts to drive the project to completion in record time.

I am told that before November, we can commence the Lagos-Ibadan construction.

So, we can begin to count for CCECC in the case of Lagos-Ibadan from November, hoping that in November 2018, you should have finished work.

The minister further added that the Federal Government would get the counterpart fund for the project expected to cost 3.4 billion dollars.

In his remarks, Jack Li, the Managing Director of CCECC, said that the project would be completed in record time.

He expressed optimism that the project, when completed, would not only benefit the people but the society at large.

He further gave an assurance that the Calabar-Port Harcourt Coastal rail line would be built in line with international standard.

I want to give my commitment and assure you that on completion, the rail line will be as good as, or even better than the completed Abuja-Kaduna rail line. (NAN)
Leaders of aviation workers union have expressed different views on Aero Contractors to suspend flight oeprations from September 1.

Isaac Balami, president, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, applauded the decision.

Mr. Balami, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the decision of the airline was necessary in order not to destroy the safety records it had maintained over the years.

He said it was not reasonable to continue to fly when safety could not be guaranteed, adding that the airline had not carried out proper checks and maintenance because of lack of funds.

According to him, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has been providing lifeline for the airline but has since stopped putting in money.

Due to the shortage of foreign exchange, about six or seven Aero aircraft have not undergone C-check for sometime now which is a serious safety issue.

There is also the issue of high cost of aviation fuel which has also contributed to the non-profitability of operation.

As a professional in the industry, I believe that safety comes first, he said.

On the other hand, Banjamin Okewu, president, Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSAN), said the management of Aero did not carry its members along before taking the decision.

Mr. Okewu said that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment had recently asked them to go into negotiation with the airline on the matter.

He said the airline unilaterally took the decision to suspend its operation without consulting the union.

According to him, it is not possible to take such decision without engaging their members.

We have asked our people to come to work tomorrow while we meet to decide on what to do, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the airline had on Wednesday announced the suspension of its scheduled flights citing economic reasons. (NAN)
International broadcaster, the Cable News Network (CNN), has angered Nigerians for omitting the countrys name in the headline of a report announcing the visit of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to Africas most populous country.

The headline mentioned Sub-Saharan Africa as Mr. Zuckerbergs destination.

The Facebook founder visited Lagos, Nigerias commercial capital, on Tuesday, and interacted with Nigerian tech entrepreneurs at Yaba, regarded as the Silicon Valley of Nigeria.

Mark Zuckerberg makes first-ever visit to Sub-Saharan Africa, read the headline, published by CNN Africa and shared on its Facebook page and Twitter late Tuesday.

That headline promptly sparked anger in one of the worlds largest oil producers, with citizens taking to Facebook and Twitter to attack the broadcaster for omitting Nigeria and creating the impression that Africa was a country.

Nigerians who commented on the matter expressed strong views, and sought to salvage their national pride.

CNN its NIGERIA!!! Facebook user, Iloh Andrew, said. I know you are shy to say it is Nigeriasafe, sound and happy to be herenot the Nigeria you propagate as a drop bomb zone.

Another Facebook user, Bola Aduwo, said, CNN please what is Sub-Saharan Africa? An area of over 20 countries. Why cant you be specific? What will it cost to say Nigeria?

Mr. Aduwo said Nigeria had the largest Facebook community in Africa with over 16 million users, and, therefore, deserved respect.

We can no longer be ignored, he added. Receive sense please.

If Mr. Mark had gone to a European country, will you tweet this way: Mark makes first ever visit to Europe  CNN Africa?Twitter user @oluwatimilehino asked.

Ewo ni Sub-Saharan Africa (which one is Sub-Saharan Africa)? Twitter user @fireofola queried. Nigeria is too much to mention?

And again on Facebook, there was one user questioning the news organisations understanding of maps.

Just say he came to Nigeria. If you dont know where that one is, check your map, dont be shy, said a user, Winnie Coco.

There were also blatantly insulting comments, as were ones just expressing delight at the visit.

In a statement, Andelas director, Seni Sulyman, said, Marks visit demonstrates to all Nigerian developers and entrepreneurs that they ve caught the attention of the tech world and thatvthey are capable of succeeding on a truly global level.

Andela, with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and Lagos, trains software developers across Africa.

Mr. Zuckerberg was at its Lagos office.
The Ali Sheriff faction of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has rejected Walid Jibrin as chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the party, saying his tenure had elapsed.

Mr. Jibrin had on Monday chaired a meeting of the BoT in Abuja in which a vote of confidence was passed on the Ahmed Makarfi faction Caretaker Committee.

The meeting also directed the committee to organise a fresh national convention in Abuja.

But the Sheriff factions Deputy National Chairman, Cairo Ojuogboh, said on Wednesday in Abuja for the avoidance of doubt, the functions of the BoT is well articulated in the Constitution of the party and Section 32 (5g) states that it will offers advice on matters.

He also said the BoT has no power in the Constitution of the party to issue executive orders on the partys matter.

 With particular reference to Section 32 (2c), it states that the Chairman and Secretary of BoT shall serve a term of five years and no more, he said. The term of Sen. Walid Jubril therefore, has expired.

Mr. Ojougnoh also said although the faction appreciated the good job that the reconciliation committee headed by Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson, and former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, was doing, that it was not comfortable with the proposal of the committee that Messrs. Sheriff and Makarfi co-chair a National Executive Committee, NEC, where a unity convention will be discussed on and agreed upon.

We, however, make it very clear that the Caretaker Committee has been declared non-existent, illegal, null and void and unknown to law.

We, therefore insisted that the ideal thing to do is that Sheriff should convene a NEC meeting where Makarfi can attend as Board of Trustees (BoT) member and a date agreed upon for the unity convention, where a convention committee will be setup, Mr. Ojuogboh said.

Meanwhile, Ojuogboh on Wednesday received in audience the political officer, Embassy of the United states of America, Marlin Hardinger.

Mr. Ojougboh did not however inform the media what he discussed with the American Diplomat.
ActionAid Nigeria on Tuesday frowned at the proposed Communication Service Tax (CST) bill and urged the federal government to reject the bill.

The group, which is the Nigerian arm of the global movement of people working together to promote human rights and defeat poverty, said imposition of the new tax would worsen the poverty situation of consumers.

The country director of the organisation, Ojobo Atuluku, expressed displeasure over the draft bill aimed at imposing up to nine per cent tax on all phone calls, short message service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), data packages, and pay television services.

This is not acceptable, Mrs. Atuluku said. It will put a huge burden on poor people who are already paying a very high price from multiple taxes.

She said the federal government needed to focus on luxury and property tax, as more progressive nations were doing, to generate revenue for their countries.

Mrs. Atuluku said if the bill was passed into law, it would be additional burden on the poor who are already bearing the burden of the misrule of the Nigerian political and business class.

She said the move amounts to punishing the poor for the sins of the rich.

She said the recent argument to deploy proceeds from the tax to investments on infrastructural development was untenable.

Why must the poor, who will be the most affected, be the ones paying for infrastructural deficits brought about by the recklessness of the rich political class and their collaborators in the business class? Mrs. Atuluku asked.

ActionAid Nigeria has also called on all communication companies to accept their responsibilities and pay their fair share of taxes.

She said any attempt for the telecom operators to pass their tax responsibilities to Nigerian consumers would not be accepted.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Oyegun, says the party is open to all Nigerians interested in the development of the country.

Mr. Oyegun made the declaration on Wednesday in Benin when he received some members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo, who defected to the APC.

He said the party was committed to turning things around in the country and would welcome any one genuinely aspiring to move the nation forward.

The APC national chairman said the party had made tremendous impact in Edo, adding that all those genuinely interested in the progress of the state, should ensure APCs victory in the Sept. 10 election.

Massive development has already started in the state and we welcome people who have the interest of the state and are progressive minded, to join and continue with this development, he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Adams Oshiomhole said the defection of Dennis Evbuomwan, and other PDP leaders in Oredo, marked the end of the PDP in the state.

To me, the coming of Evbuomwan and other leaders of the PDP in Oredo along with their unit leaders means they are here with a complete story.

The unit heads are the real people on the field, Oshiomhole said.

Earlier, Evbuomwan said their decision to join APC was based on the historic developmental strides going on in the state.

He described the PDP as a sinking ship, saying when the ship is sinking, you dont need to sink with it.

I believe in the cause the APC is fighting, which is for the progress of the state, and I want to be part of that fight.

Ebima Ogbeide, another leader in the area who defected to the APC, said the occasion marked a home coming for him.

It is public knowledge that I resigned from the PDP three weeks ago, I am happy to be back home, Mr. Ogbeide said.

He appealed for quick integration of those that decamped, to enable them canvass support for the APC governorship candidate, Godwin Obaseki.

On his part, the state chairman of the APC, Anselm Ojezua, said those that decamped were no strangers and promised to integrate them fully, so that they would contribute to APCs success during the governorship election.

The backbone of the PDP has been broken today. The PDP is dead in Edo, Mr. Ojezua asserted.

(NAN)
Brazils Senate has removed President Dilma Rousseff from office for manipulating the budget.

Sixty-one Senators against 20 voted in favour of the impeachment Wednesday.

Ms Rousseff was suspended in May after the Senate voted to go ahead with the impeachment process.

Br

Brazils lawmakers accused her of re-assigning funds between budget items.

Her critics said she was trying to plug deficit holes in popular social programmes to boost her chances of being re-elected for a second term in October 2014, reports the BBC.

Ms Rousseff said she did nothing wrong, and called the attempt to remove her a coup detat.

He impeachment puts an end to 13 years in power of her Workers Party.

Acting President Michel Temer will serve out her term, which ends on 1 January 2019.
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Joseph Chiedu Ugbo as the managing director/chief executive officer of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited.

A statement by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, the president also appointed two other Executive Directors. They are Babayo Shehu (Finance andAdministration) and Ife Oyedele (Engineering and Technical Services).

Mr. Ugbo had held the position in an interim capacity.

He is a legal practitioner and infrastructure regulations specialist with extensive experience in electricity industry reform and privatization.

He holds a Bachelor and Master of Law Degrees from the University of Lagos and was admitted to practice Law in Nigeria in 1991.

For over 15 years, Mr. Ugbo provided legal advisory services to public sector power entities including legal support to erstwhile National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and to the Bureau of Public Enterprises during the privatization of the twenty successor companies of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

Mr. Shehu holds a First Class Honours Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria. He began his working career with Bauchi State Development Board in 1981.

He had a career in banking from 1987 to 2003 and thereafter joined the federal public service in 2003 and was in the service from 2003 to 2014.

Mr. Oyedele graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree, Electrical Engineering from the University of Lagos in 1982. He is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and Institute of Directors.

Between 1982 and 1992, he worked in both the public and private sectors. He established his own company, Messrs Matcom Limited in 1992. He was the Managing Director of the company until his new appointment.
Noram is Currently Bench Testing a New Low-Water-Use Nanofiltration Process to Extract Lithium Carbonate Directly from the Claystones

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 31, 2016 / Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: NRM Frankfurt: N7R) ("Noram" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the completion of an intial water resources study on its lithium brine/clay project in Nevada's Clayton Valley (see Figure 1).

The Study identified various water sources and delivery methods for use during exploration through to full project development scenarios. The Study includes a breakdown of the existing ownership of water rights and available volumes in the area, their cost for lease or acquisition, and the cost for infrastructure and delivery of the actual water to the project area.

As previously announced August 2, 2016, Noram is currently working with Membrane Development Specialists LLC ("MDS") to substantiate the recovery yield of lithium carbonate directly from the lithium-rich claystones found on Noram's South Block claims. The initial bench testing of MDS's multiple membrane separation process includes dissolving the lithium clays in leach solution and separating the lithium carbonate from the claystones using less water than other extraction processes. Additionally, the process recovers the water and reagents utilized to liberate the Li for reuse. The MDS process is expected to reduce the environmental impact and carbon footprint as compared with conventional extraction methods. It is Noram's intention to significantly mitigate political and environmental impact to the fresh water aquifer in the Clayton Valley, which every extraction process is decided upon.

This Study is an integral part of the Company's ongoing predevelopment scoping process and may be updated as additional information becomes available.

Mark Ireton, President of Noram, said, "This water study will be instrumental in providing a path forward to secure water rights for exploration and development at our Clayton Valley lithium brine/clay project. The study also provides important information that will be included in our initial National Instrument (NI) 43-101 technical and preliminary economic assessment reports."

Story continues

Michael Collins, P.Geo., and independent Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release on behalf of the Company.

About Noram Ventures Inc.:

Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: NRM Frankfurt: N7R) is a Canadian based junior exploration company, with a goal of becoming a force in the Green Energy Revolution through the development of lithium and graphite deposits and becoming a low-cost supplier for the burgeoning lithium battery industry. The Company's primary business focus since formation has been the exploration of mineral projects that include the lithium projects in Clayton Valley in Nevada and the Jumbo graphite property in southeastern British Columbia. Noram's long term strategy is to build a multi-national lithium-graphite dominant industrial minerals company to produce and sell lithium and graphite into the markets of Europe, North America and Asia. Please visit our web site for further information: www.noramventures.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

/s/ "Mark R. Ireton"

President & Director

This news release contains projections and forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements; the uncertainty of future profitability; and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information. Actual results and future events could differ materially from anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and expressed qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstance or management's estimates or opinions change.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Noram Ventures Inc.
The Federal Executive Council has approved a new roadmap for the growth and development of the nations mining sector and the renaming of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals.

The ministry will now be known as Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, disclosed this when he addressed State House correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the new roadmap, which is built on the old roadmap, seeks to grow the contribution of mining to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) in line with the Federal Governments determination to further diversify the nations economy.

He said that under the new roadmap, there would be an independent regulatory agency for the mining industry as being advocated for by the operators in the mining sector.

What it seeks to do is to grow the contribution of mining to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in line with the presidents vision to diversify our revenue base in the country, stressing the place of agriculture and mining in that.

What distinguishes this roadmap, which builds on the old roadmap that was approved by the council in 2012, is its determination to set up an independent regulatory agency, which investors have been insisting on that the ministry which has been serving as facilitator should also not be the one that regulate them, he said.

The Minister announced that the Inspectorate, Environmental Compliance and the Artisans and Small Scale units of the ministry would form part of the regulatory agency.

He said that in the new roadmap, there would be partnership between the federal and state governments.

He said that the partnership would address the persistent misunderstanding and conflicts between the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and states Ministries for Mines.

Also addressing the correspondents on the outcome of the FEC meeting, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, disclosed that the Council approved a 3-year borrowing plan of low cost loans for the country.

She said the external borrowing plan, which would be forwarded to the National Assembly, would enable government to access low interest loans from multi-lateral agencies such as World Bank, Africa Development Bank and China Exim.

The minister dismissed the insinuation that those managing the nations economy were running out of ideas and confused.

According to her, even though the country is in difficult time, the government is extremely focused and the country is going to bounce back as Nigeria is in the right hands.

No, we are not confused, the time is confusing but we are not confused. We are extremely focused.

We know that if we can just bear and get through this difficult period, Nigeria is going to be better for it.

If we rely on oil and the price of oil remains low and the quantity of oil remains low, we cant grow.

We have to grow our non oil economy.

I think we have a long way to go.

Were not confused and we are not deceiving ourselves that everything is rosy. Its not.

It is a difficult time for Nigeria but I think Nigeria is in the right hands and if we can stick with our strategy, we still have some adjustments to make. I think we need to make some adjustments in monetary policy.

Its quite clear we do and we will do that.

Were working on that. We need to try and find a way to support the manufacturing sector better and we will do that, she added.

In his contribution, the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, announced that the council approved the renewal of the E-Wallet system of fertiliser allocation and distribution to ensure policy continuity.

He, however, stated that the process would be modified to address some identified challenges in the system.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, disclosed that the council approved the construction of International House in University of Ibadan to serve as hostel accommodation for foreign students in the institution.

He said the council also approved a new Library Complex for University of Lagos, at the cost of N1.9 billion.(NAN)
The Nasarawa State Government has agreed to pay compensation to the two workers who lost their lives during a rally over protracted labour crisis rocking the state.

The police shot four workers out of which two later died in the rally on July 29.

The shooting occurred as a delegation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) began talks with the state government over the protracted labour crisis rocking the state.

Gov. Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa State made this known during a reconciliatory meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

The NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and representatives of Nasarawa Government attended the meeting facilitated by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.

Mr. Almakura, represented by Yusuf Usman, state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, said the compensation would be according to the Employees Compensation Act.

He said the state government would invoke no work, no pay policy on the workers for the months of July and August.

He also said the state government had since maintained the status quo, adding that both labour and the state government need themselves.

We have also agreed to pay the shortfalls of the salaries during which the contentious new salary scale was being implemented, he said.

Earlier, the minister in his remark, said President Muhammadu Buhari frowned at the situation in Nasarawa State.

So, Mr President in consonance with his power has mandated me to intervene with a view to resolve the crisis. More so, when the issue has resulted in the loss of two lives.

He has asked me to do the needful so that we can get peace back to Nasarawa State, he said.

Mr. Ngige said the gathering was the Federal Government first leg of conciliatory meeting, adding that it had become necessary because the in-house mediation had failed.

The minister described the death of the two workers during the seeming demonstration in Nasarawa State as unfortunate.

He said he was open to listen to the officials and government of Nasarawa State, take their brief and all supporting document, after which it would meet with the NLC and TUC in the same way.

If we discovered that the workers do not take procedural steps to embark on strike, it had its own penalties.

We will appreciate the strike, the Trade Union Act given the power to apprehend the strike. I am sure that after this, we will get peace back to Nasarawa State, he added.

The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said employment was a contract where both employers and employees have their rights.

He said it was unfortunate that the state government allowed the crisis to escalate, adding that NLC and TUC tried to nip the crisis in the bud without success.

All of us must therefore must subject ourselves to the rules and regulations. It is a dispute of rights not of interest.

 It is on issues that border on remuneration and other labour issues. We pledged that the organised labour will cooperate. We are committed to due process and the laws, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was unable to resolve the issues in contention conclusively as it deferred further discussion to a later date.(NAN)


Pobierz zdjecie Przeczytaj o zasadach pobierania zdjec President's Andrzej Duda Address at Dubrovnik Forum 2016 (Photo by Andrzej Hrechorowicz / KPRP) (1)

Distinguished Madam President,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to cordially thank Madam President for having invited me to participate in the Forum entitled Strengthening Europe: Connecting North and South. I vividly recall the occasion almost one year ago, when we met in New York during the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly to discuss the perspective of strengthening cooperation among countries located between the Adriatic, the Baltic and the Black Sea. From the very outset of my presidency, the ambition to forge deeper bonds between the countries of the so called Three Seas Region continued to feature importantly on my agenda of meetings, equally those bilateral and those multilateral ones. The previous year has produced for me an even stronger conviction about the great potential that is to be harnessed in the countries of our Region, the great potential represented by their Leaders. This is evidenced by our meeting at the Dubrovnik Forum.

There has been an extensive discussion and, indeed, there still is, about the need to enhance our regional cooperation which will produce tangible benefits to our states and our peoples. Obviously, this is true. That is why it is vitally important to intensify our efforts in that respect.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There is absolutely no need to persuade anyone that the counties of the Three Seas Region represent an important constituent of the Euro-Atlantic community. Having an adequate potential to do so, our countries wish to enrich this community and to actively work for its development.

So far, the development was mainly achieved along the East-West axis. In spite of the undoubted outputs this course of action has produced, the model does not allow to fully tap the potential represented by the countries situated between the Baltic, the Adriatic and the Black Sea. That is why the enhancement of the European integration process by means of forging bonds and introducing connections along the North-South axis is nowadays so significant.

In order for such a scenario to materialize in full, it is essential to modify the system of relations between the core and peripheries as identified by the former; the relations which have featured a one-way transfer of political, economic and cultural solutions. Very often such an arrangement has failed to take into due account national sensitivities and the local context, both of which are conditioned with diverse history and tradition.

As a result, many precious aspects of the rich patrimony of our nations fall victim of the process instead of being more intensely used to develop and consolidate the Euro-Atlantic community. Yes, what we want is unity and integration. That does not imply, though, that we want uniformity.

Integration does not stand in opposition to diversity. This is particularly worth remembering since there is no greater obstacle to integration nowadays than a one-dimensional development model. Together, we can revise this logic, deepening the bonds between the countries of the Three Seas Region and jointly developing the potential represented the North-South axis.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

What we have in common is the tradition of modernization efforts which our countries undertook as early as at the turn of the 19th and the 20th century. Yes, in this connection we availed ourselves of all good practises and effective solutions developed by others before us. Nevertheless, in doing so, we always acted in concord with our traditions and culture and with the expectations cherished by our own Nations. Together, we were forming a community of aspiration, not of resignation.

Also today we wish to actively work to develop European community while building our own potential and competitiveness. This is why we need to strengthen the interconnections between our respective countries, and to do so in a number of areas at the very least.

What comes to the forefront is transportation networks and infrastructure. They will be vitally important for an intraregional investment cooperation and for the development of economic relations with global partners, such as China. In this connection, the imposing task that we jointly have in store for us is the launch of the Baltic-Adriatic transportation corridor.

Strengthening of transportation networks in the region is also conducive to development of tourism and people-to-people contacts that bring our Nations closer together. We need to clear the backlog cumulated in this area. Suffice it to say that between Poland and Germany, there are tens of regular scheduled flight connections operating every day, whereas between Poland and Croatia there is just one direct connection. The implementation of Via Carpathia is going to be an important stimulus to better connect the countries of the Three Seas Region.

What merits special attention is the development of energy infrastructure which connects our countries. The challenge to be faced by the Three Seas Region is the dominating position of one supplier of energy resources, something that affects directly most of our countries. This situation gives rise to obvious threats of whose existence we are all aware.

Nevertheless, we are in a position to defy them by developing energy interconnectors in order to achieve a genuine diversification of energy supplies. A flagship project in this regard, one whose implementation will change energy sector in the Central Europe, is the North-South gas corridor which connects the LNG terminal already operating in Swinoujscie and the terminal on the Croatian island of Krk.

The completion of this project would open up opportunity for massive uptake of liquefied gas from many sources including prospective imports from North Africa and Middle east, US or Canada. After the launch of the two terminals and the completion of missing interconnectors the region of Central Europe will emerge as an attractive market for new suppliers.

Transportation networks and energy infrastructure are not everything. We must build the sense of proximity of the Three Seas region nations also in other areas. Scientific cooperation and cultural one as well as interchange of our young people will be the most fundamental tool to make it happen. We can create geographic proximity but what remains a challenge for us is also to forge proximity among societies.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, I wish to reiterate my words of thanks to Madam President for an extremely timely and relevant initiative which converges with the Polish approach to the cooperation in the Three Seas Region, and for the opportunity to meet in Dubrovnik, the crown jewel of the Dalmatia region.

I would like to wish us all fruitful deliberations, making the best of the time made available to us here. Also, I wish to avail myself of the opportunity to invite you already now for the follow-up debate in the same format to be hosted in June 2017 in Wroclaw.

Thank you for your attention.
Jon and Patty Talese knew they could change the Ocean City dining scene if they had the opportunity. In a family resort where most people head to the boardwalk for pizza and ice cream instead of sitting down for a great dinner, they knew that was a challenge.

The restaurant veterans looked at a newsstand selling tobacco, lottery tickets, coffee and day-old pastries on Asbury Avenue. They loved the location but knew they had some work in store for them. They bought it, renovated the entire place, added a kitchen and wisely decided to start with Ocean Citys most-popular meal: breakfast.

We really just wanted to bring our style of cuisine  what we like to eat  to Ocean City, Jon Talese says. Healthy, fresh, creative, innovative cuisine is what we are about. Before you knew it, the word of mouth was spreading so we opened for lunch. And that grew because people liked what we were doing.

Marie Nicoles offers upscale, yet casual, dining We like to stay away from the term fine dining, says Jim Barnabei, owner of Marie Nicole

Breakfast and lunch remains their backbone, thanks to signature items such as PB&J french toast ($8.50) with nutmeg, cinnamon and dusted in powdered sugar; the bistro frittata ($10.50) baked golden brown and fluffy with tomato, grilled peppers, onions, zucchini, squash, fresh herbs and parmesan and cheddar cheeses; the Uncle Buck Omelet ($10.50) with pork roll, sausage, bacon, ham and American cheese; perhaps the best Nutty chicken salad sandwich ($11.50) you may ever have thanks to all white meat chicken, cranberry nut bread, provolone cheese, mixed greens, Craisins and almonds; the Veggie Bomb sandwich ($11.50) with fresh mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, purple onion, sprouts, avocado, provolone and pesto mayo on artisan black bread; and the Ultimate Grilled Cheese ($7.50) with provolone, Swiss, cheddar and brie on Le Bus multigrain bread with honey mustard. And dont dare not get the Amazing Avocado Toast, ($12.50) which lives up to its name with its toasted multigrain bread, fresh avocado mash, mozzarella cheese, tomato, onion and over easy eggs that can also be had with crab or shrimp.

But just when things seemed to be on the right track and business was growing, Hurricane Sandy decimated the place.

Winters were tough and summers were fun, but the hurricane really hit us hard, Talese says. We felt defeated. Everything we built was lost. But we rallied and in the end found the strength to reopen.

And when they did that, business was better than ever, so they decided to start offering dinner on weekends seasonally. In fact, business grew so strong they decided to expand, opening a second floor earlier this summer and doubling their seating capacity to 120.

We were losing more customers than we could seat, Talese says. We were pretty despondent after the hurricane, but we decided, Hey, we have this big second floor apartment. Lets go for it.

Their friend Scott Halliday, co-owner of the contracting company Halliday-Leonard, suggested the Taleses talk to his son, Chris Halliday of Halliday Architects.

What they came up with was amazing, Talese says. It made our decision even easier.

Talese isnt exaggerating. The second floor is absolutely stunning with a new kitchen, hardwood floors, handmade wood tables, an eclectic collection of wooden chairs, a brick fireplace, industrial lighting, a gorgeous oak bar featuring a vintage espresso machine and an overall rustic feel thanks to plenty of wood and a red and yellow color scheme.

We wanted it to be consistent with the downstairs so its an expansion of the coffee bar and bistro with a lot more windows, Talese says. Now, we dont have to turn people away. Its amazing.

The dinner menu and a page full of daily specials continue their goal to offer healthy and vegetarian cuisine with enough whimsical and fun, fresh items for those not counting calories.

Start with the baked brie ($7.50), a wet, gooey presentation baked with almonds, brown sugar and Craisins; shrimp on horseback ($8) wrapped with bacon and horseradish; crispy coconut shrimp ($8) that are hand breaded and served with an orange chili dipping sauce; and  perhaps their best offering  Jons plated poke ($13 as appetizers, $26 as entree), a deconstructed poke bowl with chunked, raw yellowfin tuna with white seasoned rice, chopped Jersey tomato, sliced ripe avocado and house soy sauce.

Buon Appetito in Somers Point is the real deal For the husband and wife team behind Buon Appetito in Somers Point, all the pieces were in p

A recent salad special with watermelon, prosciutto and local greens ($10) hammers home their devotion to using the freshest and most seasonal ingredients, as did entree specials such as St. Kitts salmon ($22) with orange herb butter, pineapple kiwi salsa and a seasonal veggie; Jersey Fresh Sunset Scallops ($24) bronzed and served in pineapple Hollandaise with toasted almond slivers, grilled pineapple, brown rice and salsa; and the outstanding Amazing Benny Brunch Burger with Hula Hollandaise Sauce ($14), a hand-formed Angus burger topped with smoky bacon, grilled pineapple, mozzarella, a fried egg and pineapple Hollandaise Hula sauce, served on a toasted brioche.

Dinner took a while to catch on, Talese admits. But we knew there was nothing in town like us. So we remained positive and diligent. And like we thought, people came in, were very happy, started telling their friends, and now we have a super successful dinner service, too.

By the way, Patty Talese bakes all of the desserts, including chocolate peanut butter pie, Key lime pie, the Ocean City Sand Bar  cinnamon cheesecake with chocolate caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream  and frozen blueberry ice cream pie (all $5.50).

With enough seating to satisfy the masses and a culinary style that seems to wow locals and visitors alike, Jon & Pattys may be the best restaurant in Ocean City right now.

We just want to stay busy and stay full and stay consistent, Talese says. We always want to be doing something new and creative so people keep talking about us.

JON & PATTYS

Where: 637 Asbury Ave., Ocean City

When: Open for breakfast 7:30 a.m. Mondays to Fridays, 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays; brunch 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays; lunch 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 2 p.m. Sundays; dinner 5 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays; hours change seasonally.

How much: Breakfast: sandwiches are $6.50; sides range in price from $1.50 to $3.50; entrees $5.50 to $11.50. Dinner: soups and starters range in price from $2.95 to $4.95; salads $9 to $12.50; Hot off the Grill $5.95 to $10.50; sandwiches and wraps $7.50 to $11.50; kids menu $4. Dinner: appetizers range in price from $7 to $15; salads $12.50; entrees $12.50 to $27; casual fare $8.50 to $14; desserts $5.50.

Services: Major credit cards accepted. Disabled access through front door. No liquor license. No BYO. Eat in. Takeout. Private parties. Catering. Kids menu. Outdoor seating. No smoking.

More info: Call 609-399-3377 or go to JonAndPattys.com.

Between you and me: The artwork on the walls upstairs and downstairs are all Talese masterpieces. Owner Patty Talese, her daughter Alex and son Joseph are all artists. And you can even buy them and take them home with you.
If you havent heard of Derek Crider, hold on to your hats. Your cowboy hats, that is.

Crider will perform as part of the pre- and post-parties for two major country shows this weekend, and it looks like thats just the beginning for this local rock/country/soul musician.

SensaMotion intent on sending a message SensaMotion, South Jerseys own reggae band, has played consistently all summer long, and fo

From noon to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, Crider will play outside at Ballys Patio, directly across from the stage where the Zac Brown Band will play at 4:30 p.m. Then, from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, Crider will play the after-party for the Florida Georgia Line show on the main stage of the Mountain Bar.

And thats just this weekend.

Im happy doing what Im doing, Crider says of his three-to-five gigs per week, playing a mix of originals and covers. Hes got about 50 more gigs scheduled through December, when he plans to leave the area for Nashville.

The songs (from his debut album, Lost & Found) are really resonating with people, Crider says. Girl Walks a Country Mile and Whiskey Burns are probably the most popular.

Crider has played music since he was a kid, and while hes performed shows for several years, its really only since 2015 that Crider has launched himself as a solo act. With one album in the can, and a second  Burning Down the Night  due for an early September release, plus upcoming opening spots for Drake White and Canaan Smith, Crider is poised to become a force to be reckoned with.

I really like anything with a good melody, Crider says of his musical preferences, which range from Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones to Johnny Cash and Jason Aldean. What drew me to country was the storytelling. The story was first, and thats what I really like.

While Crider works on his own songs, hes not averse to doing covers, even unexpected covers.

I stick to stuff I like  John Mellencamp, John Fogarty, Neil Young  and fuse it with Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, then maybe a cover of Steve Miller, Johnny Cash or the Doors, Crider says.

Someone will ask for a Neil Diamond song and Ill play it and make it fit right in and sing it like me, and it will be more countrified.

Stepping into the limelight with Robin Gazzara Robin Gazzara has been a musician most of her life. And while you can hear her at a handful 

DEREK CRIDER

Who he is: Derek Crider: vocals, guitar

For more info: DerekCrider.com

Coming up: Noon Thursday, Sept. 1, Ballys Patio, 1900 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City, free; 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, The Inn at Sugar Hill, 5704 Mays Landing Road, Mays Landing, free; 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, Ballys Mountain Bar, 1900 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City, free.
The state is about to start a review of the health of waterbird and landbird populations, to determine which species should be on its Endangered Species list or be designated Threatened or of Special Concern.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife is inviting experts in the states native bird populations to submit information to help with the survey.

Fish and Wildlife also lists species as Stable-Secure, or Undetermined-Unknown.

Information may include occurrence data and published or unpublished information regarding bird populations, trends, habitat, threats, and more, Fish and Wildlife said in a written statement.

The division is also asking wildlife biologists and ecologists with expertise on New Jersey's native bird populations to help with the status review, done under the Delphi Technique for reaching consensus among experts.

Participation requires reading rounds of reviews (up to four rounds) and responding to each by a specific date. The first will start with approximately 95 land birds and 75 water birds. Status will be evaluated for both breeding season and non-breeding season for each species.

Email information or resume to ENSPDelphi@gmail.com/ by close of business Friday.

Contact: 609-272-7219

Twitter @MichelleBPost
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ATLANTIC CITY  In a competition that celebrates grace and elegance, you have to be ready for anything.

Miss New York Camille Sims demonstrated that Tuesday when she lost a shoe as the 52 Miss America 2017 contestants walked briskly from Boardwalk Hall to Kennedy Plaza for their public debut.

Sims kept her composure, kicked off the other high heel and carried her shoes to the stage.

The annual arrival ceremony is one of the many traditions of the 96th Miss America pageant, which will crown a winner Sept. 11.

Through the heat, contestants from Alabama to Wyoming made their way across the Boardwalk stage to introduce themselves to the crowd.

Miss America Organization CEO Sam Haskell, Mayor Don Guardian and Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Director Larry Sieg welcomed contestants to the city.

A theme of the afternoon emerged in a plea for support to keep the pageant in Atlantic City, where it was founded almost a century ago to help businesses expand the summer tourism season.

Haskell said, People always ask me, What can I do to support the Miss America Organization? he said. I tell them, all you have to do is buy a ticket.

Last year, the CRDA approved a subsidy of as much as $12.5 million to keep Miss America in Atlantic City for three more competitions. The competition returned to the city in 2014 after a hiatus of several years while it was held in Las Vegas.

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno reminded the crowd of the Miss America Organizations scholarships awarded throughout the nation. She also mentioned the strong ties between the city and the competition.

Atlantic City stepped up in a big way to bring back the competition in 2013, she said. Congratulations to Atlantic City for getting the 96th competition here.

Guadagno also thanked the parents of the contestants for their role in the competition.

Guardian gave himself a booming, contestant-style introduction.

My platform is to bring back this city and make it a great place to live, work and play, he said to cheers from the crowd.

A crowd gathered at the plaza as Slippery Band played its rendition of Robert Goulets Atlantic City (My Old Friend).

The current Miss America, Betty Cantrell, wowed the judges last year with her operatic singing voice. She used her talent once again as she sang The Star Spangled Banner following the contestants introductions.

She addressed the contestants and the crowd as she reflected on her year beneath the crown.

The best thing you can do is be yourself, she said. Being yourself is the only way you can stand out. Sometimes it can be hard because you want to compare yourself to other girls, but you cant do that.

Im so excited to be standing here as Miss America, and Im even more thrilled to pass it on to one of these amazing women, she added. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your Miss America.

The preliminary rounds of the 96th Miss America Competition will be held Sept. 6, 7 and 8 at Boardwalk Hall. The popular Show Us Your Shoes Parade will be held Sept. 10. Miss America 2017 will be crowned at 9 p.m. Sept. 11 at Boardwalk Hall. The finals will air live on ABC.

The Miss America Organization also announced 15 finalists for scholarships Tuesday.

How the Miss America 'crown'ing glory has evolved After months of preparation, the 52 contestants in the Miss America competition will vie for

Scholarships up for grabs include those for Quality of Life (Miss Alabama Hayley Barber, Miss Kansas Kendall Schoenekase, Miss Maryland Hannah Brewer, Miss Mississippi Laura Lee Lewis, Miss Nevada Bailey Gumm, Miss Oklahoma Sarah Klein, Miss Tennessee Grace Burgess); science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM (Barber, Miss Hawaii Allison Carol Nanae Chu, Miss Illinois Jaryn Franklin, Schoenekase, Miss Montana Lauren Scofield); and Women in Business (Miss Georgia Patricia Ford, Brewer, Miss Missouri Erin OFlaherty, Miss Rhode Island Shruti Nagarajan).

The scholarship winners will be announced Wednesday.

Contact: 609-272-7209

Twitter @ACPressSchweder
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 Assad's 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 40 years of American diplomatic successes in pushing Russia out of the Middle East and opened the door to a massive increase in Moscow's 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 Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg recounts Obama's thinking: "Not only was this not a screw-up, as is commonly understood, but it's 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 Obama's 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 Policy's 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, Syria's 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. Syria's compliance with the agreement has long been understood to be grudging, tardy, and incomplete.

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 and determined 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.

William Tobey is a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and former deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration. He wrote this for Foreign Policy magazine.
Shame on vet smearing college deferment users

Regarding the Aug. 23 letter, "No veteran, no support":

I take personal offense at the letter writer calling Donald Trump a "draft dodger" for receiving college deferments during the Vietnam War.

While I thank the writer for his service in World War II, I along with millions of other boys in college during the Vietnam War received a regular, legal Class IIS college deferment. Full-time students who maintained grades were granted deferments. I too received five college deferments and I don't consider myself a draft dodger. I was enrolled in the university's Reserve Officers' Training Corps and was ready to serve if drafted.

Trump did not burn his draft card, use religion (as a famous boxer did), scurry off to Canada or use political connections (as did a former president, and not George W. Bush) to evade military service. My parents, blue collar workers who quit school to support their families, wanted me to go to college so I could have a better life than they had.

Just because Trump came from a rich family does not disqualify him from wanting to better educate himself. Should he be denied the benefit of higher education due to the fact his college years (like mine) coincided with a time of war?

The writer should be ashamed of himself. Oh, and by the way, my father received 13 presidential deferments during World War II. He worked for the Defense Department loading 16-inch artillery shells for the war effort. I guess, in the writer's opinion, he was a draft dodger too.

George Preikszaitis

Marmora

Big subsidies behind ACUA's 'solar success'

In its summer newsletter, the Atlantic County Utilities Authority outlines it "Solar Success Story." According to the ACUA, the calculation goes like this. The system cost $3,250,000. The Board of Public Utilites provided a rebate of $1,833,723 resulting in a net cost of $1,416,277.

ACUA computes revenue by the amount of energy saved ($750,960) plus Solar Renewable Energy Credits received ($2,194,380). This results in a net benefit total of $2,945,340. Subtracting the net benefits from the net cost results in the total benefits to the ACUA of $1,529,063.

The solar system costs were paid by the ACUA, whose charges are paid mainly by local taxpayers. Rebates from the BPU and SRECs are costs paid by ratepayers via their utility bills. Savings on electricity for the ACUA could lower the fees for its services. With this in mind, I would calculate the total benefit to taxpayers and ratepayers as follows.

The system cost $3,250,000 plus the BPU rebate $1,833,723 plus the SRECs at $2,194,380, result in a net cost to taxpayers and ratepayers of $7,278,103. The taxpayers and ratepayers possibly saved $750,960 through lower energy costs to the ACUA. So taxpayers and ratepayers spent $7,278,103 in order to save $750,960! This is a huge loss and no net financial benefit to taxpayers and ratepayers.

There is no free lunch. The ACUA solar project cost the public much more than it saved. Citizens should think about this the next time they pay their electric bill. If solar is so great, why do these projects need so many subsidies from the public?

Albert K. Brown

Hammonton

Parking fee in N.Y.

saved couple on 9/11

My wife and I went to see a play in New York City in 2001 and planned to stay another night for a special dinner at Windows on the World atop the World Trade Center, staying at the hotel there. Upon checking out for the first night I saw a $50 charge for parking. I questioned the high cost and was informed that the parking fee was established by a private company.

Being raised in Egg Harbor City, with a strong German-background population, I was quite frugal. I called the hotel and the restaurant and canceled both reservations. I was not about to pay another $50 parking fee and drove home to Manahawkin.

That was Sept. 10. It was nerve shattering to think that if I had not been so "frugal," we would have been in the hotel room on that faithful day.

Ernest and Peggy Boerner

Manahawkin
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.




Aug 31 (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

** Vancouver house prices could drop 10 percent by the end of 2017, as the introduction of a new tax on foreign buyers helps speed up a market correction, Toronto-Dominion Bank economists warned in a new report. http://bit.ly/2cqtxCY

** The National Energy Board has suspended its environmental assessment hearings of the controversial Energy East project as the heated political battle in Quebec threatens to derail the C$15.7 billion ($11.98 billion) pipeline proposal. http://bit.ly/2c7QTIN

** Justin Trudeau has struggled to produce major achievements during key political meetings on Wednesday during his first trip to Beijing as Prime Minister. China ticked boxes on its agenda, including Canada's application to join the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. But Canada has not claimed all of the prizes it sought, like a long-term solution to a dispute over canola exports and the release of a detained missionary. http://bit.ly/2bBon5C

NATIONAL POST

** Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc and Agrium Inc confirmed on Tuesday they are in talks about a possible "merger of equals", a tie-up that could give the Canadian agricultural giants added clout if potash prices eventually recover, industry watchers say. http://bit.ly/2bBlCBA

** Just as the National Energy Board was cancelling hearings on the Energy East project for the rest of the week due to security concerns, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr was telling a business crowd in Calgary that "all Canadians" had the right to participate in the hearings process. http://bit.ly/2bBlLF7

($1 = 1.31 Canadian dollars) (Compiled by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru)
PARIS, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Actility, the industry leader in Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN), and Digita, the Finnish broadcast network operator, are teaming up to take the next step towards a fully-connected Finland by rolling out a LoRa network. Following the completion of a successful trial period of several months, the companies have seen that the market is ready for a full-scale commercial deployment. The service is available for local implementation everywhere in Finland from October 2016. Rollout for full area coverage starts from major cities. This is the first commercial LoRa network for IoT to be deployed in Finland. The deployment also emphasizes the opportunity that LoRa brings for companies like Digita, which is not a traditional cellular operator, to leverage the tall radio and television masts of their broadcast network to become key players in the internet of Things.

The LoRa network will enable services across a wide variety of domains, including smart cities, smart agriculture and logistics. Exploring the benefits for smart homes, during the trial period, Digita and partner VVO Group evaluated a solution using Actility's platform, which monitored temperature and humidity in 200 of VVO Group's properties in the city of Espoo. "Maintaining healthy living conditions is easy when the factors that affect residents' comfort can be recognised in real time," explains Kimmo Rintala, head of VVO Group's property development unit. "Continuous measuring also enables us to detect obvious apartment-specific faults even before the residents themselves have time to react. Digita's solution eliminates the need for property-specific installations, as it is based on sensors within apartments that are able to communicate directly with Digita's system."

The LoRa core network service is delivered through Actility's ThingPark Wireless solution, a fully integrated platform for the Internet of Things. Making use of Digita's broadcast masts means that the technology can be deployed at very high points overlooking the city and be exploited to its full range. 15 of Digita's 38 main masts are over 300 meters high.

"Finland is an innovative country, with a real hunger for new technologies. The IoT provides fantastic new opportunities to create compelling services for citizens and government. The increased area that can be reached quickly by implementing LoRa technology on broadcast masts, ensures even better coverage and reduces the required number of gateways. With our partners at Digita, we expect to be able to beat the current LoRa range record of 15km," declares Olivier Hersent, CTO of Actility.

"We believe that IoT technology will revolutionise our daily lives. It can be used, for example, to monitor building conditions, save energy, prevent water damage, prevent theft, locate objects, locate pets, optimize farming and monitor health. In theory, there is no limit to the kinds of applications that are possible," explains Digita's COO Markus Ala-Hautala.

About LoRaWAN

LoRaWAN is designed to connect low-cost, battery-operated sensors over long distances in harsh environments that were previously too challenging or cost prohibitive to connect. A LoRaWAN gateway deployed on a building or tower can connect to sensors more than 10km away or to water meters deployed underground or in basements. The LoRaWAN protocol offers unique and unequaled benefits in terms of bi-directionality, security, mobility and accurate localization that are not addressed by other LPWAN technologies. These benefits will enable the diverse use cases and business models that will enable deployments of large scale LPWAN IoT networks globally. (https://www.lora-alliance.org/)

About Digita

Digita broadcasts radio and TV programmes reliably to all of Finland, every day of the year. Applying cutting-edge digital technology, Digita develops and supplies versatile Internet TV and radio services along with services based on comprehensive network infrastructure. Digita's main clients are media houses and mobile and broadband operators that provide the very best content.

About Actility & ThingPark

Actility is the industry leader in LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) large-scale infrastructure and the innovator behind the ThingPark IoT Solution platform. ThingPark is a carrier-grade IoT platform which enables service providers to accelerate their IoT strategy and go-to-market. ThingPark Wireless delivers long-range networks for low-power sensors and devices. ThingPark Mash-up provides IoT protocol and data mediation services, enabling web applications to connect seamlessly with data from a vast range of different sensors. ThingPark Marketplace is at the heart of of an ecosystem of certified IoT devices, connectivity, and application partners. Actility is a founding member of the LoRa Alliance. (http://www.thingpark.com/en)

Related Links

http://www.thingpark.com



SOURCE Actility
Leading Sub-Sahara African Corporate Immigration Expert Owen Davies Leads Office

HOUSTON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) announced today it has officially opened its Maputo, Mozambique Office. BAL had previously announced that Owen Davies had been hired as Managing Director, Africa. Davies is widely recognized as a Sub-Sahara African corporate immigration expert and a leading international corporate immigration lawyer.

"BAL is the leading immigration firm for the energy industry and Mozambique is one of the top countries in Africa for energy exploration," said managing partner Jeremy Fudge. "Mozambique is a progressive African country with a democratic government that has been focused on providing services back to its population. With substantial infrastructure enhancements, and energy resources that provide revenue to its economy, Mozambique is well-situated to become a focal point for international business and economic growth and stability. Now, with our new BAL office, we are positioned to help energy firms and other businesses partner with this great country in pursuing economic opportunities."

"I am delighted to be leading BAL's office in Africa," Davies said. "I believe that BAL's globally unified structure is critical to successfully partnering with clients in Africa, where the immigration norm requires multi-country document and process support."

With nearly twenty years of experience, Davies brings considerable expertise to BAL's African practice. Consistently ranked as an African immigration expert by the highest bands of legal directories, he is a leading solicitor and advisor to multi-national companies, governments and international trade blocs on global immigration issues, including crisis management and immigration program and policy development.

Emily King, BAL Managing Director, Europe, who had previously supervised the firm's strategy in Africa, stated: "Placing our BAL team within Africa offers an enhanced opportunity to be of service to our clients, and promotes a higher level of ground level focus on compliance. We recognize that Africa is a continent that poses unique challenges that are best addressed by experts on-site who can accomplish and manage work that is compliant and honed to each country's unique needs."

About Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP

Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP was established in 1980 as a corporate immigration law firm. The firm provides comprehensive immigration services from offices in Austin, Boston, Dallas, Geneva, Houston, London, Maputo, McLean, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, DC. The firm and its leaders are highly ranked in every major legal publication, including Best Lawyers, Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Martindale Hubbell, The Legal 500, and Who's Who Legal. Non-U.S. offices are operated by affiliated entities in those countries. See website for details. www.balglobal.com

Related Links

http://www.balglobal.com



SOURCE Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP
DUBLIN, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "China Financial POS Terminal Industry Report, 2016-2020" report to their offering.

With the development of electronic information technology and Internet technology, emerging payments like online payment, mobile payment and fixed-line phone payment have produced certain shunting effect on e-payment in the traditional consumption areas as well as exerted an influence on POS terminal-based e-payments.



However, POS terminal manufacturers have taken the initiative to adapt to the market environment by constantly launching the products with Bluetooth, USB, NFC, QR code and other payment functions, so as to keep the sustained and steady development of the industry. By the end of 2015, 22.82 million units of POS terminals joined the UnionPay network in China, up 43.2% YoY.



After years of development, China's POS acquiring environment has been further improved. In 2015, each POS terminal corresponded to 240 bankcards; POS terminal ownership per 1,000 people rose to 16.66 units. But compared with major developed countries, the number of bank cards corresponding to a POS terminal in China is still high.



In the next few years, as emerging technologies are introduced, POS payments will be safer and more convenient, and the POS terminal market potential will be gradually released. By 2020, there will be 58.85 million POS terminals joining the UnionPay network in China, registering a CAGR of 20.9% during 2015-2020.



Key Topics Covered:



1 Overview of Financial POS Terminal Industry



2 Global Financial POS Terminal Market



3 China Financial POS Terminal Market



4 China Payment Industry



5 China Financial POS Terminal Acquiring Market



6 Key Players in the World



7 Key Players in China



8 Summary & Forecasts



Companies Mentioned



- Bitel

- Castles Technology Co., Ltd.

- Cybernet

- First Data

- Fujian LANDI Commercial Equipment Co., Ltd

- Fujian Newland Computer Co., Ltd.

- Ingenico

- New POS Technology Limited

- PAX Global Technology Limited

- SZZT Electronics Shenzhen Co., Ltd.

- Shenzhen Xinguodu Technology Co., Ltd

- Sunyard System Engineering Co. Ltd

- VeriFone



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4cnd24/china_financial



Related Topics: Point of Sale Equipment

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

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SOURCE Research and Markets
PHILADELPHIA, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is providing free access to its primary online clinical information and reference tool, ClinicalKey, to support healthcare professionals across Regione Lazio, Italy. The region was struck by a devastating earthquake on Aug. 24, 2016. Italy has declared a state of emergency in the areas worst hit by Wednesday's quake.

Emergency medical responders and other healthcare professionals in the affected region will be able to access ClinicalKey for free. ClinicalKey provides searchable, evidence-based clinical content and other medical information that empowers professionals in treating victims of the earthquake.

Starting Wednesday, Aug. 31, and for 60 days after, access to ClinicalKey (http://www.clinicalkey.com ) will be granted to all Internet Protocol (IP) addresses originating from the affected region in Italy, including healthcare professionals, hospitals and other healthcare institutions, and institutional medical libraries.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions - among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey - and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 35,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com

Media contact

Christopher Capot

Elsevier

+1-917-704-5174

c.capot@elsevier.com



SOURCE Elsevier
NEW YORK and SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150517/216568LOGO

Evercore (NYSE: EVR), a leading independent investment banking advisory firm headquartered in New York, USA and NH Investment & Securities ("NH"), the leading South Korea-based investment bank, announced today they have extended their strategic alliance for cross-border M&A advisory services for an additional two year period and expanded it to operate on an exclusive basis between the U.S. and South Korea. The advisory alliance enables Evercore and NH to continue to capitalize on what we believe to be a positive long term trend driving cross-border M&A activity in Asia.

Founded in 1995, Evercore is the #1 ranked independent firm year-to-date in US M&A and is an M&A market leader in the TMT, Financial Services, Energy and Healthcare sectors. Evercore's advisory revenue growth since 2010 is the highest among all publicly traded investment banks. Evercore ISI, Evercore's equities platform, is the #1 ranked independent research analyst platform by Institutional Investor and #3 ranked among all firms.

NH Investment & Securities was formed by the merger of Woori IS and Nonghyup Securities in 2014 and is one of the largest investment banks in Korea by total assets. NH has held a prominent position in the Korean investment banking market for more than 53 years and is the leading domestic underwriter for equity securities, including initial public offerings, and the top domestic firm in the Korean M&A league tables for over the past 6 years.

Ralph Schlosstein, Evercore's President and Chief Executive Officer said, "We are pleased to extend and expand our Alliance with NH, which we established in 2011. Our longstanding relationship with NH is an important part of our global strategy and enables Evercore and NH to serve domestic Korean clients and international clients with strategic interests in Korea. We are pleased to be working together with NH, a premier partner with deep client relationships in the Korean market."

Young-Chae Jeong, Executive Vice President and Head of Investment Banking Division commented, "We look forward to continuing our partnership with Evercore so that we can together provide the highest quality M&A advice and create the opportunity to better serve our clients around the world."

About Evercore

Established in 1995, Evercore is a leading global independent investment banking advisory firm. Evercore advises a diverse set of investment banking clients on a wide range of transactions and issues and provides institutional investors with high quality equity research, sales and trading execution that is free of the conflicts created by proprietary activities. The Firm also offers investment management services to high net worth and institutional investors. With 28 offices in North America, Europe, South America and Asia, Evercore has the scale and strength to serve clients globally through a focused and tailored approach designed to meet their unique needs. More information about Evercore can be found on the Company's website at www.evercore.com.

About NH Investment & Securities

NH Investment & Securities Co., Ltd., formerly known as Woori Investment & Securities Co. Ltd. provides a range of financial services in South Korea and internationally. It offers various investment banking services, including equity and debt underwriting; advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, project financing, and private equity funds; and financial solutions for corporate clients. The company also engages in trading stocks, bonds, derivatives, futures, and options; client book trading; and maintaining portfolios, as well as international brokerage operations. In addition, it provides wealth management services consisting of brokerage and asset management consulting services through the development and sale of various financial products, such as beneficiary certificates, bond investments, mutual funds, equity-linked securities, CP, RP, and WRAP accounts. Further, the company offers merchant banking services, including short-term lending, such as commercial papers; deposit business comprising notes issued and cash management accounts; and structured deals for non-performing loans, project financing, and asset-backed loans. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea and operates through 88 branches, 6 overseas subsidiaries, and 2 overseas offices in London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Indonesia, and Vietnam. More information on NH Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. can be found on the Company's website at www.nhqv.com.

Evercore Investor Contact:

Robert B. Walsh

Chief Financial Officer, Evercore

+1.212.857.3100

NH Investor Contact:

Esther Lee

Investor Relations

+82.2.768.7351

Media Contact:

Dana Gorman

The Abernathy MacGregor Group, for Evercore

+1.212.371.5999

Related Links

http://www.evercore.com



SOURCE Evercore
PUNE, India, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

ReportsnReports.com adds "Global and Chinese Supply Chain Management Software Industry, 2016 Market Research Report" study of 150 pages, published in Jul 2016, to the IT & Telecommunication intelligence collection of its store.

This report estimate 2016 - 2021 Supply Chain Management Software Industry Cost and Profit with Market Competition of Supply Chain Management Software market by Country: (Including Europe, U.S., Japan, China etc.), By Company and Application.

Complete report on Supply Chain Management Software market divided into 11 major chapters that offer an overview of current market scenario as well as 2021 forecasts is now available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/629488-global-and-chinese-supply-chain-management-software-industry-2016-market-research-report.html.

This Global and Chinese Report 2016 is a result of industry experts' diligent work on researching the world market of Supply Chain Management Software. The report helps to build up a clear view of the market (scenario and survey), identify major players in the industry, and analyzes the upstream raw materials, downstream clients, and current market dynamics of Supply Chain Management Software Industry.

The report reviews the basic information of Supply Chain Management Software including its classification, application and manufacturing technology. This report explores global and China's top manufacturers of Supply Chain Management Software listing their product specification, capacity, Production value, and market share etc. The report further analyzes quantitatively 2011-2016 global and China's total market of Supply Chain Management Software by calculation of main economic parameters of each company.

In the end, the report makes a proposal for a new project of Supply Chain Management Software market before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2011-2016 global and China Supply Chain Management Software industry covering all important parameters. Order a copy of this report at http://www.reportsnreports.com/purchase.aspx?name=629488.

The first chapter introduces the Supply Chain Management Software market by Brief Introduction, Development & Status of Supply Chain Management Software Industry. The second chapter focuses on Manufacturing Technology of Supply Chain Management Software, the third one gives Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers (Including Company Profile, Product Specification, 2011-2016 Production Information etc.) The forth chapter deals with 2011-2016 Global and China Market of Supply Chain Management Software. The chapter 5 summarizes Market Status of Supply Chain Management Software Industry.

Another research titled Global and Chinese SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software Industry, 2011-2021 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software market with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2011-2016 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2016-2021market development trends of SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software market. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software market before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2011-2021global and Chinese SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software market covering all important parameters. Comprehensive Table of Contents and more for the report is available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/629209-global-and-chinese-saas-based-supply-chain-management-software-industry-2016-market-research-report.html.

Explore other reports on IT & Telecommunication Market at http://www.reportsnreports.com/market-research/information-technology/ .

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SOURCE ReportsnReports
MATTERSBURG, Austria, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Latin America's leading MVNO/E solution provider enables 4th Virgin Mobile MVNO launch in Latin America.

I-New Unified Mobile Solutions is one of the fastest growing MVNO/E service provider and market leader in Latin America. The launch of Virgin Mobile in Peru is the 4th operation enabled by I-New, after having supported Virgin MVNOs with its powerful and multiple award winning MVNO/E solutions already in Chile, Colombia and Mexico successfully.

The smooth launch in Peru with an impressive time to market was enabled by I-New's swift hardware deployment, the auto-configuration benefits of its latest product version, agile project management, upmost team flexibility and compelling requirement planning.

"The launch in Peru has been the calmest and most controlled of any we've had in Latin America. This is largely the result of a tremendously well run project thanks to the I-New Latin America team and invaluable experience brought in by our Virgin Mobile Latin America team." comments Jim Glass, CTO at Virgin Mobile Latin America, Inc.

The success partners also underlined their strong business commitment by signing collaboration contracts earlier in 2016 to further extend their Latin America partnership for another 5 years.

About I-New:

I-New Unified Mobile Solutions is one of the fastest growing technology solutions providers in the mobile communication industry. The company specializes in the domain beyond the mobile universe, finding its translation mainly with Virtual Mobile Networks. To conveniently open the telecom world and to naturally link it with the various daily habits of a service subscribers' life has become I-New's enterprise mission and equally clients' success. From offices all across the globe, the company is capable of providing, implementing and running highly competitive products and services with a maximum of smart convenience for a converged mobile ecosystem: The MVNO Collection. I-New is a trusted and proven partner by most demanding and industry leading clients around the globe. I-New was named 'Best Solution Provider' in 2014 and 2015; and Best MVNE - Enabler of MVNOs in 2016 at the Global MVNO Industry Awards.

Contact details:

I-New Unified Mobile Solutions AG

Global Marketing & Corporate Communication

Herbert Reinisch

+43(680)1241210

marketing@i-new.com

http://www.i-new.com



SOURCE I-New Unified Mobile Solutions AG
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Transformations in Global Private Health Insurance Models (http://frost.ly/q9), finds that North America is the largest private health insurance market, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global private insurance premium revenues, or $1.07 trillion in 2015. Europe came in a distant second with $189.54 billion, followed by Asia-Pacific with $124.07 billion, Latin America with $30.78 billion and Africa with $1.43 billion.

To request exclusive information about this research and to schedule your one-on-one strategy dialogue with our analysts now, please click here or send an e-mail to Jana Schoeneborn: jana.schoeneborn@frost.com.

"Several models of innovations for health insurance and adjunct sectors have emerged in different regions of the world, while some areas experience few innovations," states Frost & Sullivan Transformational Health Research Analyst Siddharth Shah. "Developing regions are increasing insurance familiarity and coverage with disease-specific insurance products and insurance as add-ons. The developed regions are incentivizing healthy behaviors with freebies and are rolling out e-Commerce initiatives."

The healthcare delivery space is witnessing numerous changes with the integration of care delivery, while insurers are keeping pace with these revolutions by engaging the services of some of the startups targeting the health insurance sector. Significantly, adjunct insurance sectors are turning to community and crowdsourced insurance, adding a fresh dynamic to the global market.

These large-scale transformations are forcing the health insurance industry to evaluate all aspects of its business models, policy holder engagement and plan structures. The major disruptions in private insurance relate to consumerism, Big Data and Analytics, chronic disease prevention management, mHealth tools and transition to value-based compensation. Among these, the most important changes are consumerism and transition to value-based compensation, as they compel insurers to alter their operational methods.

"Health insurance innovations are aimed more at operations that save costs and improve efficiencies, rather than at product customizations or market awareness and access," noted Shah. "Due to market disparities, the developed markets emphasize cost reduction, while the others focus on expanding coverage."

In the long term, most global health insurers are expected to harness the power of Big Data analytics to eliminate inefficiencies, make insight-backed decisions and design new products and services that can be profitable. Wearables, telehealth, mobile payments, data-security and other cutting-edge technologies too will play a huge role in the global insurer market.

Transformations in Global Private Health Insurance Models is part of the Visionary Healthcare (http://frost.ly/qa) Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan's related studies include: Care Delivery Innovation Tracker: Nearshoring Affordable Medical Tourism to the Western Hemisphere, Healthcare Wearables 5 Strategies to Avoid in Development, Clinical mHealth Growth Opportunities, How Nurse Practitioner Shortages will Affect Retail Clinics, Cyber Security Threats and Medical Device Connectivity and Growth Opportunity Analysis of Health, Wellness, and Wellbeing Technologies in Commercial Trucking. All studies included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.

Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.

The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.

provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation. The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices.

For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?

Transformations in Global Private Health Insurance Models

K09B-54

Contact:

Jana Schoeneborn

Corporate Communications

P: +49 69 770 3343

E: jana.schoeneborn@frost.com

LinkedIn: Transform Health - Frost & Sullivan

Twitter: @FS_Healthcare

http://www.frost.com

Related Links

http://www.frost.com



SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
LONDON, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

London-based International Finance Magazine has conferred the 2016 award for 'Most Innovative Bank' in Turkey to Odeabank.

Odeabank closed the year 2015 as one of the most successful players in the industry. Thanks to its strong primary shareholders, efficient technological infrastructure, effective risk management principles, experienced success-driven human capital, and its customer oriented service approach; Odeabank capitalised on its competitive strength to rank 8th among private deposit banks and 9th in total assets in 2015.

Having expanded to 55 branches in 15 cities in 2015, Odeabank's workforce increased to 1,538 employees. Furthermore, the bank has been highly successful in improving key performance indicators despite significant ongoing investment expenses, closing the year with net profit of TL 50.3 million.

Upon winning the award, Huseyin Ozkaya, CEO, Odeabank, said, "We are delighted to be awarded in this year's International Finance Magazine Awards as the Most Innovative Bank in Turkey in 2016. This award is the clear testimony of our efforts in becoming a pioneer of innovation and technology in the Turkish finance industry. We always try to stay a step ahead of our rivals by using advanced technology and creating effective business processes with an innovative approach. Odeabank has the vision to be the first bank that comes to mind regarding the banking needs of anyone who cares about their lives and their time. We'll continue to think creatively and come up with out of the box solutions for our customers and stakeholders."

List of award winners

We invite you to nominate a company or an executive for the awards

About IFM:

International Finance Magazine (http://internationalfinancemagazine.com/) was established to offer credible financial news and present developments worldwide in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. Our audience comprises the top decision-makers in the financial community across the globe. We aim to be the most sought-after financial information provider.

Connect with IFM:

https://www.facebook.com/InternationalFinanceMagazine

https://twitter.com/IntlFinanceMag

If you want a product, person, event or company to be featured in IFM, contact:

Sean Thomas

Email id: sthomas@ifinancemag.com

Phone no: +44 (0) 208-123-0715



SOURCE International Finance Magazine
JOHANNESBURG, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

TERMINAL BUILT IN MATADI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Puma Energy, the global mid and downstream energy company, is pleased to announce the opening of its 99th bulk fuel storage terminal at Matadi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402490LOGO )



(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/402963 )



Puma Energy has a wealth of experience in the construction, maintenance and operation of terminals and offshore mooring systems to the highest international standards. This advanced terminal is equipped to handle a variety of product types including Gasoline, Jet Fuel and Gasoil. It is an important hub for the shipment and distribution of petroleum products, providing security of product supply to DRC and its neighbouring countries.

The terminal was a detailed and large scale construction project including the creation of four, 6,500m3 Clean Fuels Storage Tanks complete with truck loading and unloading racks. In addition, the site includes a new administration building, a state-of-the-art firefighting system, a floating jetty and interconnecting jetty pipelines, further interconnecting piping with another site and a 2km concrete access road. The terminal and jetty will provide strategic vessel reception capability for DRC and the subregion.

Jonathan Molapo, Puma Energy's COO for Africa said, "The Matadi terminal will secure the supply of high quality reliable fuels for DRC and the region for the next generation. It has brought employment to the area and we are proud to be helping develop DRC's infrastructure and supply requirements."

For further information visit: http://www.pumaenergy.com

SOURCE Puma Energy
DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Restless Leg Syndrome Forecast in 13 Major Markets 2016-2026" report to their offering.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom Disorder, is a sensimotor sleep disorder. Clinically, RLS is characterized by disagreeable leg sensations occurring most often at sleep onset that provoke an irresistible urge to move legs. Patients with RLS typically complain of itching, creeping and tingling in their legs, usually between the ankle and the knee. The unpleasant sensations occur when the individual is at rest and are more pronounced in the evening or at night. The unpleasant sensations are relieved temporarily with leg movements.

This report provides the current prevalent population for Restless Legs Syndrome across 13 Major Markets (USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Republic of Korea, India, China and Japan) split by gender and 5-year age cohort. Along with the current prevalence, the report also contains a disease overview of the risk factors, disease diagnosis and prognosis along with specific variations by geography and ethnicity.

Main symptoms and co-morbidities for Restless Legs Syndrome include:

Insomnia

Depression

Periodic Limb Movements

Panic Disorder

Why Buy This Report?

Able to quantify patient populations in global Restless Legs Syndrome's market to target the development of future products, pricing strategies and launch plans.

Gain further insight into the prevalence of the subdivided types of Restless Legs Syndrome and identify patient segments with high potential.

Delivery of more accurate information for clinical trials in study sizing and realistic patient recruitment for various countries.

Provide a level of understanding on the impact from specific co-morbid conditions on Restless Legs Syndrome's prevalent population.

Identify sub-populations within Restless Legs Syndrome which require treatment.

Gain an understanding of the specific markets that have the largest number of Restless Legs Syndrome patients.

Key Topics Covered:

1. List of tables and figures

2. Introduction

3. Cause of the disease

4. Risk factors & prevention

5. Diagnosis of the disease

6. Variation by geography/ethnicity

7. Disease prognosis & clinical course

8. Key comorbid conditions / features associated with the disease

9. Methodology for quantification of patient numbers

10. Top-line prevalence for restless legs syndrome

11. Features of restless legs syndrome

12. Conditions associated with restless legs syndrome

13. Abbreviations used in the report

14. Patient-based offering

15. Online pricing data & platforms

16. References

17. Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5zdzbb/restless_leg

Related Topics: Pharmaceuticals

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Sales Enablement Leader Enhances Enterprise-Grade & Global Capabilities

CHICAGO, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SAVO Group, the leading provider of enterprise-grade sales enablement solutions, announces the achievement of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Security, Trust, & Assurance Registry (STAR) Level 2 Attestation for its sales enablement platform. With this Attestation, SAVO becomes the first sales enablement company to achieve this status.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150827/261749LOGO

The CSA STAR program is considered the industry's most powerful program for security assurance in the cloud. A globally recognized standard with the highest security controls and detailed auditing, CSA STAR brings significant relevance to SAVO customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific by providing a trusted sales enablement solution with a secure cloud environment. With this attestation, which features more rigorous detailed auditing, SAVO will receive a detailed annual report about its cloud security and posture to share with customers and prospects.

Additionally, SAVO achieved SOC 2 Attestation for the fourth year in a row. This allowed SAVO to leverage certain controls already in place, while also complying with more security controls to achieve CSA STAR Attestation.

"This attestation confirms our commitment to security required for the infrastructure and technology we utilize to support our enterprise-grade global deployments," said Jason Liu, Chief Executive Officer, SAVO Group. "Achieving these attestations demonstrates our commitment to transparency and providing the highest standards of security and availability to all the customers across regions, and to serving the most regulated and security-conscious industries."

"Our customers' global sales enablement programs touch virtually every country in the world," said Jason Keever, UK Country Manager, SAVO Group. "The SAVO team's achievement of CSA STAR attestation, a globally recognized security standard, once again proves SAVO's unique ability to meet our customers' demands at home and abroad."

About SAVO

SAVO is the leader in the sales enablement market having pioneered the sales enablement category since its founding in 1999. The SAVO sales enablement platform powers a broad range of sales enablement capabilities including prescriptive content, guided selling and custom engagement tools, which drive more predictable sales results. Learn about how more than 600,000 sales and marketing professionals leverage SAVO today at www.savogroup.com.

Media Contact:

Kelly S. Dotson

SAVO

Email: Kelly.dotson@savogroup.com

Phone: +1 312-256-2167

Related Links

http://www.savogroup.com



SOURCE SAVO Group
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The new Laser MicroJet cutting system incorporates latest technological advances and entirely novel SynovaCut CAD/CAM and HMI

Synova, a Swiss-based provider of advanced laser cutting solutions, is presenting its 2nd generation LCS 50 machine at this year's AMB. The compact cost-efficient LCS 50 is available in a 3 or 5-axis configuration and allows machining of diamond tools, watch components, medical devices and other small work pieces. It offers fast cutting, easy processing, and high-precision cutting, drilling, grooving or slicing as well as 3D ablation for chip breakers, chamfering for K-land edges and multiple clearance angles.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160510/365831LOGO )



(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401322 )





The new LCS 50 integrates several technological upgrades, a more powerful laser and the new SynovaCut CAD/CAM module (3D software for creating cutting geometries) together with a modern, smart-phone-like HMI (Human Machine Interface). The complete production interface enables users to define the probing cycle in advance, leaving the automatic execution to the HMI and to subsequently adapt the cut in function of the probing results.

"The stronger automation increases the throughput, ease-of-use and reliability of the entire production process, allowing to reproduce each time the same result and to further improve the cutting quality," explains Dr. Bernold Richerzhagen, CEO and President of Synova.

All LCS machines incorporate Synova's unique water jet guided laser technology (Laser MicroJet) that generates a cylindrical laser beam within a hair-thin water jet, resulting in perfectly parallel walls, tight kerf widths, smooth cutting surfaces and sharp edges, free of micro-cracks, oxidation, depositions and heat affected zone. Customers benefit from Synova's unique expertise as an industrial micro-machining solutions provider leveraging its knowledge and experience spanning various industries with a common need for high precision and expanded hardware/software capabilities.

Synova will exhibit at the AMB in Stuttgart from 13 to 17 September 2016 in Hall 6, booth 6D16.

About Synova

Synova S.A., headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, manufactures leading-edge laser cutting systems that incorporate the proprietary water jet guided laser technology (Laser MicroJet) in a true industrial CNC platform. Customers benefit from significant yield and quality improvements in cutting, as well as enhanced capabilities for micro-machining a wide range of materials. For more information, contact us at sales@synova.ch or visit our website at http://www.synova.ch .

Press Contact:

Aksinja Berger-Paddock

Marketing Manager, Synova S.A.

berger-paddock@synova.ch

+41-21-694-35-00



SOURCE Synova S.A.
LONDON, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Location: THE ROYAL OPERA ARCADE GALLERY

Royal Opera Arcade, 5b Pall Mall, SW1Y 4UY, London



Exhibition dates: 19th September - 1st October

http://www.TopofthePop.co.uk

A unique Pop Art Exhibition featuring a selection of very rare, original works by Andy Warhol carefully curated with an exclusive selection of original works by Austrian 'spontaneous realist' Voka, complemented by the distinctive style of Oxana and the contemporary Spanish artist Gustavo Penalver Vico.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402621 )

Curated by Mr. Georg F. Hesselbach BLUEPOINT ART CH 6045 Meggen in cooperation with Ovega Art AG / Switzerland.

Andy Warhol works are provided courtesy of Ovega Art AG / Switzerland

About the ARTISTS

1. ANDY WARHOL

The Royal Opera Arcade Gallery will be featuring original works by Andy Warhol. Unequivocally the leading pioneer in Pop Art.

The masterpieces provide an overview of the crucial years in his career, and give an insight into how he shook the foundations of the academic world of painting and criticism in the second half of the 20th century.

2. VOKA

Voka coined the term "Spontaneous Realism" as a trademark for his art. Voka defines this style as a revival of the significance of contemporary art, a valued tradition in a new era, with a new interpretation reflecting today's spirit of the time. His distinctive style, emerging from the dynamic of the moment, enables him to strikingly capture immediate reality while the observer is able to palpably feel the imbedded movement.

3. OXANA

Oxana Prantl works are created without sketches, the most important in her work is the color selection, the images emerge of its own accord. For the artist the blooming of the idea is like a mosaic of colours. The different colours are added one after the other until the painting arises.



4. GUSTAVO PENALVER VICO

In 1986 Gustavo met the later mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, who - from then on - used to open his exhibitions in the capital. On behalf of a housing association Gustavo designed a multicolored house facade in Berlin-Lichtenberg, which is widely known as the "Gustavo-Haus" and the "biggest artwork of Europe".

In 2014 his work out of 1.700 tiles on the quay wall of Cala Ratjada was completed.

For press enquiries please contact:

info@thehouseoffineart.com

T: +44(0)207-193-2817

SOURCE The House of Fine Art
DUBLIN, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Turkey Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Market - Forecast & Analysis, 2016 - 2022" report to their offering.

The overall demand for HVAC products in Turkey is mainly driven by factors such by rising population, revival of the housing market, an increase in consumer income levels, development of reliable energy resources, and growing commercial and industrial units.



Turkey's HVAC market is evolved as well as dynamic and the consumption of the HVAC products is set to grow due to a rise in the construction activities. The domestic HVAC market is driven by strong import, export and domestic sales. As per the market trends, it has been witnessed that international players preferred the route of mergers and acquisitions to expand their base in Turkey's domestic market.



With emerging demand for HVAC products in Turkey due to high urbanization rate and increase in construction and renovation of sites, Turkey's HVAC market is both, evolved and dynamic. The market is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 5.31% from 2016-2022, in terms of volume. The analyst states, Turkey has a robust HVAC industry base with strategic tie ups with the educational and research institutions which contributes to the development of energy efficient HVAC technologies. The market is foreseen to have high growth potential by the end of 2022 in order to meet the domestic consumption demand.



Companies Profiled:



Daikin Industries Ltd

Gree Electric Appliances

LG Corporation

Midea Group

Panasonic Corporation

Samsung Electronics

United Technologies Corporation (Carrier)

Zamil Air Conditioners



Report Structure:



1 REPORT SCOPE



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS



5 COMPETITIVE INSIGHTS



6 TURKEY WINDOWS AND PORTBALE AIR CONDITIONERS MARKET



7 TURKEY MINI-SPLIT AIR CONDITIONERS MARKET



8 TURKEY SINGLE PACKAGED AIR CONDITIONERS MARKET



9 TURKEY CHILLER MARKET



10 TURKEY AIR HANDLING UNIT AND FAN COIL UNIT MARKET



11 TURKEY HVAC MARKET



12 KEY MARKET PLAYERS

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c82b4c/turkey_heating



Related Topics: HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
OSAKA, Japan, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd. on August 31 announced the opening of a representative office in the Republic of Turkey on August 24. With the growth of the Turkish economy on the rise, Yanmar is currently intensifying data collection and marketing efforts in the local market.

1.Background and aims for Yanmar's Representative Office in Turkey

With the upcoming 2023 marking 100 years since its founding as a nation, Turkey has maintained a high GDP growth rate over recent years, and with further growth projected, it is one of the Middle East's major economic powers. As Turkey ranks number one in Europe for agricultural GDP and is positioned 7th amongst the world's major agricultural powers, Yanmar is projecting expansion of sales from its prime business in agricultural equipment. Additionally, with high demand for construction and thriving maritime trade in Turkey, Yanmar's compact construction machinery and marine vessel engines are expected to be in stable demand as well, thus providing big business opportunities and bright prospects for Yanmar. By establishing the representative office, Yanmar plans to swiftly gain deeper understanding of the specific needs of customers in the region and strengthen its marketing performance in order to establish a firm foothold in the Turkish market.

2.Overview of Representative Office in Turkey

Name: Yanmar Holdings Co., LTD. Izmir, Turkey Liaison Office

Location: Izmir city, Republic of Turkey

Address: Adalet Mah, Manas Bulvari, No: 39 Folkart Towers B Kule K: 20 D:

2004, Bayrakli, Izmir

Date of establishment: August 24, 2016

Office manager: (Mr.) Mustafa Kemal Erdogan

About Yanmar

Founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1912, Yanmar was the first ever to succeed in making a compact diesel engine of a practical size in 1933. Moving on, with industrial diesel engines as the cornerstone of the enterprise, Yanmar has continued to expand its product range, services and expertise to deliver total solutions as an industrial equipment manufacturer. Yanmar's global business operations span seven domains -- small and large engines, agricultural machinery and facilities, construction equipment, energy systems, marine equipment, machine tools, and components.

On land, at sea, and in the city, Yanmar's mission of "providing sustainable solutions focused on the challenges customers face, in food production and harnessing power, thereby enriching people's lives for all our tomorrows" stands testament to Yanmar's determination to contribute to realizing "A Sustainable Future." For more information, visit Yanmar Co., Ltd.'s global website at https://www.yanmar.com/global/about/.

Note: Information contained in news releases is valid at the time of publication and may differ from the most recently available information.

SOURCE Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd.
The new Vogtle units are among the first built in the U.S. in the last three decades and, once online, will serve customers for more than 60 years. The expansion of Plant Vogtle is also the state's largest job-producing construction project with more than 6,000 workers on site today and 800 permanent jobs once the new units begin operation.

Progress outlined in today's report includes:

Performed 6.9 million work hours safely from January to June 2016 with all construction activities meeting stringent Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements.

with all construction activities meeting stringent Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements. Placed thousands of tons of modules, including the CA02 and CA03 structural modules for Unit 3  the two modules complete the placement of the "Big Six" modules for the unit.

Installed or placed more than 1,480 tons of rebar, more than 2,451 tons of structural steel and more than 10,845 cubic yards of concrete in the nuclear islands, turbine islands and annex building alone.

Completed all Vogtle Unit 1 230-kV switchyard modifications necessary to connect the new units to the transmission grid without interrupting power delivery from the operational units.

Transitioned Westinghouse and its affiliates as the primary contractor, which has enhanced communication.

The capital and construction cost for Georgia Power's share of the new units remains $5.44 billion with projected in-service dates of June 2019 (Unit 3) and June 2020 (Unit 4). The 15th VCM Report continues to illustrate that completing the new units at Plant Vogtle remains the best cost option for meeting Georgia's future energy needs. The projected overall peak rate impact of the Vogtle nuclear expansion continues to be 6 to 8 percent  nearly half of the original peak rate forecast  due to lower financing rates, other benefits the company has proactively pursued and the fuel savings of nuclear. Most of the rate impact is already included in rates, with approximately 2.5 percent remaining to be added over the next three years. Once the new units come on line, they are expected to put downward pressure on rates and deliver long-term savings for Georgia customers.

Georgia Power delivers reliable energy for customers at the lowest possible cost by leveraging a diverse generation mix, including nuclear, 21st century coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar and wind. To learn more about Georgia Power's diverse generation portfolio, the Vogtle nuclear expansion project, and read the full 15th VCM Report, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.5 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, 21st century coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower) and Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower).

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning the expected timing of completion of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, job creation and the expected impact on customer rates. Georgia Power cautions that there are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Georgia Power; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Georgia Power's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the impact of recent and future federal and state regulatory changes, as well as changes in application of existing laws and regulations; current and future litigation, regulatory investigations, proceedings, or inquiries; available sources and costs of fuels; the ability to control costs and avoid cost overruns during the development and construction of facilities, which includes the development and construction of generating facilities with designs that have not been finalized or previously constructed; state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate cases and negotiations, including rate actions relating to fuel and other cost recovery mechanisms; the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, to satisfy any environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives, and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon completion of construction; advances in technology; legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, including Georgia Public Service Commission approvals and Nuclear Regulatory Commission actions; and the ability of counterparties of Georgia Power to make payments as and when due and to perform as required. Georgia Power expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information.

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/GEORGIA-POWER-VOGTLE-TIME-LAPSE-CA03-MODULE.mp4

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403227

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO

SOURCE Georgia Power

Related Links

http://www.georgiapower.com


Selected to receive the Organic Trade Association's 2016 Organic Leadership Award for Growing the Organic Industry, Vetter has unselfishly mentored and shared information about organic to countless numbers of farmers transitioning to organic production, from Canada to Central America, from Europe to Australia.

"It is our honor to recognize David for his significant contributions to growing the organic industry through his collaborative leadership and action," says Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association (OTA). "We have been recognizing organic leaders who inspire and innovate for 20 years, and David definitely deserves to take his seat among these inspirational honorees."

David grew up working on his family's farm in central Nebraska. In the 1950s, David's father began questioning the ethics and science behind emerging agricultural practices that were part of the Green Revolution, and the family farm began to adopt organic farming methods. David left the farm and went to college to earn his Bachelors in agronomy and soil science and a Masters of Divinity. He returned in 1975 and helped the farm become certified organic. For David, organic and sustainable farming methods were the way he integrated his studies of biological and theological principles.

"Taking care of the environment and our natural resources is one of my core values, and something I have always strived to do," says Vetter. "Organic agriculture is an integral part of that mission, and it's been especially fulfilling to help other farmers adopt organic and see organic agricultural practices become more common."

Over the years, the farm has grown into Grain Place Foods, employing three generations of Vetters, and helping steward other farms into making the transition to organic. It has been certified organic since 1978. In 1987, the family operation took the next step of processing its own grains into value-added products onsite. Today, it employs almost 25 people, several of whom have worked there for over 15 years. The farm produces organic heirloom barley, soybeans, popcorn, corn and grass-finished beef in a nine-year rotation.

Today, Grain Place Foods also sources organic grain to supplement what is grown on the Vetter farm because the family business has expanded so much. It purchases organic grains from 128 organic farm families, including 46 neighboring Nebraskan farms.

Vetter also shares the family's strong land stewardship ethic through working to develop sound and sustainable farm policy. Grain Place Foods emphasizes fair trade practices in addition to requiring organic when sourcing ingredients that it cannot grow on its farm.

"One of Dave's greatest strengths is developing and maintaining long-term relationships. He is known for his honesty, information sharing, and the way he honors his commitments. He is a man of deep ethics and faith," says Kelly Shea of WhiteWave Foods and a member of the Organic Trade Association's Board of Directors. "I believe it was the influence of a few men such as Dave Vetter and his father that led to what is now USDA certified organic," Shea adds, noting that she considers Dave to be one of her personal mentors in organic.

Vetter will be honored at OTA's 2016 Organic Leadership Awards dinner, along with the farmers of the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative who will receive the Organic Leadership Farmer of the Year Award, and organic hemp entrepreneur Mike Fata of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods who will receive the Organic Rising Star Award.

The Annual Awards Dinner will be held Wednesday evening, September 21, in ceremonies at the Columbus Center Baltimore, MD, as the kick-off event for Natural Products Expo East. Attendees will be treated to an all organic-verified dinner.

Event details and tickets are available on OTA's website.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 8,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA's Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403108

SOURCE Organic Trade Association

Related Links

http://www.ota.com


PARIS, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Actility, the industry leader in Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN), and Digita, the Finnish broadcast network operator, are teaming up to take the next step towards a fully-connected Finland by rolling out a LoRa network. Following the completion of a successful trial period of several months, the companies have seen that the market is ready for a full-scale commercial deployment. The service is available for local implementation everywhere in Finland from October 2016. Rollout for full area coverage starts from major cities. This is the first commercial LoRa network for IoT to be deployed in Finland. The deployment also emphasizes the opportunity that LoRa brings for companies like Digita, which is not a traditional cellular operator, to leverage the tall radio and television masts of their broadcast network to become key players in the internet of Things.

The LoRa network will enable services across a wide variety of domains, including smart cities, smart agriculture and logistics. Exploring the benefits for smart homes, during the trial period, Digita and partner VVO Group evaluated a solution using Actility's platform, which monitored temperature and humidity in 200 of VVO Group's properties in the city of Espoo. "Maintaining healthy living conditions is easy when the factors that affect residents' comfort can be recognised in real time," explains Kimmo Rintala, head of VVO Group's property development unit. "Continuous measuring also enables us to detect obvious apartment-specific faults even before the residents themselves have time to react. Digita's solution eliminates the need for property-specific installations, as it is based on sensors within apartments that are able to communicate directly with Digita's system."

The LoRa core network service is delivered through Actility's ThingPark Wireless solution, a fully integrated platform for the Internet of Things. Making use of Digita's broadcast masts means that the technology can be deployed at very high points overlooking the city and be exploited to its full range. 15 of Digita's 38 main masts are over 300 meters high.

"Finland is an innovative country, with a real hunger for new technologies. The IoT provides fantastic new opportunities to create compelling services for citizens and government. The increased area that can be reached quickly by implementing LoRa technology on broadcast masts, ensures even better coverage and reduces the required number of gateways. With our partners at Digita, we expect to be able to beat the current LoRa range record of 15km," declares Olivier Hersent, CTO of Actility.

"We believe that IoT technology will revolutionise our daily lives. It can be used, for example, to monitor building conditions, save energy, prevent water damage, prevent theft, locate objects, locate pets, optimize farming and monitor health. In theory, there is no limit to the kinds of applications that are possible," explains Digita's COO Markus Ala-Hautala.

About LoRaWAN

LoRaWAN is designed to connect low-cost, battery-operated sensors over long distances in harsh environments that were previously too challenging or cost prohibitive to connect. A LoRaWAN gateway deployed on a building or tower can connect to sensors more than 10km away or to water meters deployed underground or in basements. The LoRaWAN protocol offers unique and unequaled benefits in terms of bi-directionality, security, mobility and accurate localization that are not addressed by other LPWAN technologies. These benefits will enable the diverse use cases and business models that will enable deployments of large scale LPWAN IoT networks globally. (https://www.lora-alliance.org/)

About Digita

Digita broadcasts radio and TV programmes reliably to all of Finland, every day of the year. Applying cutting-edge digital technology, Digita develops and supplies versatile Internet TV and radio services along with services based on comprehensive network infrastructure. Digita's main clients are media houses and mobile and broadband operators that provide the very best content.

About Actility & ThingPark

Actility is the industry leader in LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) large-scale infrastructure and the innovator behind the ThingPark IoT Solution platform. ThingPark is a carrier-grade IoT platform which enables service providers to accelerate their IoT strategy and go-to-market. ThingPark Wireless delivers long-range networks for low-power sensors and devices. ThingPark Mash-up provides IoT protocol and data mediation services, enabling web applications to connect seamlessly with data from a vast range of different sensors. ThingPark Marketplace is at the heart of of an ecosystem of certified IoT devices, connectivity, and application partners. Actility is a founding member of the LoRa Alliance.. (http://www.thingpark.com/en)

SOURCE Actility

Related Links

http://www.thingpark.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Partner, the global aviation services group, is growing its New York office to support its continued expansion in the US market, with particular emphasis on New York City and the surrounding area.

The Group believes that there is strong demand in the area for its product offering  particularly its JetCard product - as well as its exceptional client service. This new office, located at 140 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, strengthens its existing US network which includes Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.

Air Partner provides private air travel solutions, specialist travel management, emergency planning, aircraft remarketing and aviation safety consultancy. The company's air charter divisions include Private Jets, Commercial Jets, and Freight. The Private Jets division offers both on-demand charter services and a flexible JetCard membership, while the Commercial Jets division arranges air charter flights for groups of 20 or more passengers. Air Partner Freight specializes in arranging the transport of air cargo of any size, worldwide.

Commenting on the expansion, Mark Briffa, CEO of Air Partner, said: "The US has long been an important market for Air Partner, and one which continues to be an area of strategic focus. We have been an established business there for 19 years now, but there are still opportunities that we can capitalize on. North America is the biggest private jet market in the world and we are committed to taking more of this share. For the third consecutive year, independent aviation consultant Conklin & de Decker has found that our JetCard continues to surpass all our major US competitors in terms of both cost and flexibility, so we have a solid foundation on which to grow our customer base. The expansion of our New York office is a really exciting development for us, and I can't wait to see how our American journey progresses."

Air Partner operates a full 24-hour flight operations center ensuring customers have instant, year-round access to its services. Air Partner's team of 260 aviation professionals are based in 20 key locations across the globe.

Enquiries:

Temple Bar Advisory +44 20 7002 1080 Tom Allison +44 7789 998 020 Alycia MacAskill +44 7776 253 482

About Air Partner:

Founded in 1961, Air Partner is a global aviation services group that provides worldwide solutions to industry, commerce, governments and private individuals. The Group has two divisions: (a) Broking division, comprising air charter broking and remarketing through the Air Partner and Cabot brands respectively; and (b) Training & Consulting division, via the aviation safety consultancy Baines Simmons. For reporting purposes, the Group is structured into four divisions: Commercial Jets, Private Jets, Freight (Broking) and Baines Simmons (Training & Consultancy). The Commercial Jet division charters large airliners to move groups of any size. Cabot Aviation, which is formed within the Commercial Jet division, provides comprehensive remarketing programmes for all types of commercial and corporate aircraft to a wide range of international clients. Private Jets offers the company's unique pre-paid JetCard membership and on-demand charter. Air Partner Freight charters aircraft of every size to fly almost any cargo anywhere, at any time. Baines Simmons is a world leader in Aviation Safety Consulting which specializes in aviation regulation, compliance and safety management. Air Partner is headquartered alongside Gatwick airport in the UK. Air Partner operates 24/7 year-round and has 20 offices globally. Air Partner is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIR) and is also ISO 9001:2008 compliant for commercial airline and private jet solutions worldwide. www.airpartner.com

SOURCE Air Partner

Related Links

http://www.airpartner.com


DALLAS, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alon USA Energy, Inc. (NYSE: ALJ) today announced that its management will attend the 2016 Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference to be held on September 6-8, 2016 in New York City.

Paul Eisman, President and Chief Executive Officer, will participate in one-on-one meetings with investors to discuss both Alon USA Energy and Alon USA Partners, LP (NYSE: ALDW) on September 7, 2016.

The related meeting materials will be available beginning the morning of September 7, 2016 on the Investor Relations section of the Alon USA Energy website at http://ir.alonusa.com/ as well as on the News & Events section of the Alon USA Partners website at www.alonpartners.com.

Alon USA Energy, Inc., headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products, operating primarily in the South Central, Southwestern and Western regions of the United States. Alon owns 100% of the general partner and 81.6% of the limited partner interests in Alon USA Partners, LP, which owns a crude oil refinery in Big Spring, Texas, with a crude oil throughput capacity of 73,000 barrels per day and an integrated wholesale marketing business. In addition, Alon directly owns a crude oil refinery in Krotz Springs, Louisiana, with a crude oil throughput capacity of 74,000 barrels per day. Alon also owns crude oil refineries in California, which have not processed crude oil since 2012. Alon owns a majority interest in a renewable fuels project in California, with a throughput capacity of 2,500 barrels per day. Alon is a leading marketer of asphalt, which it distributes primarily through asphalt terminals located predominately in the Southwestern and Western United States. Alon is the largest 7-Eleven licensee in the United States and operates approximately 300 convenience stores which also market motor fuels in Central and West Texas and New Mexico.

Contacts: Stacey Morris

Investor Relations Manager

Alon USA Energy, Inc.

972-367-3808





Investors: Jack Lascar

Dennard  Lascar Associates, LLC

713-529-6600



Media: Blake Lewis

Lewis Public Relations

214-635-3020

SOURCE Alon USA Energy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.alonusa.com


"915 Labs is only successful if our customers are successful," said Matt Raider, Chief Operating Officer. "Ensuring our food manufacturing customers can rapidly develop, produce, launch and sell the highest quality and highest impact food products is crucial to both our growth and their growth. Tony Knoerzer has successfully integrated countless innovative technologies into some of the largest food companies in the world and served as a trusted advisor to their executive leadership. He knows how to foster a company-wide culture of customer success and how to launch successful packaged food products."

915 Labs is the exclusive provider of Microwave Assisted Thermal Sterilization (MATS) and Microwave Assisted Pasteurization System (MAPS) technologies, which offer a healthier and higher quality way to sterilize and pasteurize food. Compared to conventional thermal processing, MATS and MAPS systems shorten the time foods and beverages are exposed to high heat, which preserves nutrients, color, texture, and taste and eliminates the need for unnatural additives.

Knoerzer has a long track record of successful innovation in the food industry. During his nearly 20-year career at PepsiCo, he helped revolutionize packaging for the company's leading snack chip brands, including Doritos, Cheetos, Fritos and Lays, leading to increased product quality, sales and revenues. He led a multi-year program to transition from clear to metallized packaging, which resulted in higher revenues and more than $6 million in annual savings.

Throughout his career, Knoerzer has been the lead inventor on more than 40 patents for packaging innovations, including every new package released to the market by Frito Lay from 1994 to 2004. He also led the company's conversion from oil-based packaging to plant-based packaging, developing the first 100 percent compostable snack package for SunChips in 2009.

Most recently, Knoerzer worked as a consultant helping companies of all sizes with product development, new technology applications and material and equipment selection.

"New technology is what I do, it's what I love," said Knoerzer. "The MATS technology will change the food industry and I look forward to helping companies implement the technology to produce the healthy, convenient packaged foods and beverages consumers want."

As 915 Labs' VP for Customer Success, Knoerzer will use his expertise to support customers as they develop and produce MATS and MAPS-processed foods and beverages.

"Customers who have purchased or are exploring the use of MATS have a range of questions, from what products are possible and how they are packaged, to what resources and skill sets they will need in their plant. It's my role to guide them through that process," said Knoerzer.

Knoerzer will support customers from their first time running products on a MATS pilot system through production line implementation and ongoing product growth, providing consultation on a range of issues from brand development, product size and packaging, price point and go-to-market strategies.

"With MATS, companies can create products that are authentic and fresh, which is right on trend with what consumers want," said Knoerzer. "We have a strong commitment to our customers' success in developing great tasting, healthful products at the right cost point."

Knoerzer holds bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from the State University of New York, Buffalo.

915 Labs, headquartered in Denver, offers a pilot-scale MATS-B for recipe and food product development, several commercial scale MATS production systems with a range of processing speeds up to 250 packages per minute, and MAPS systems dedicated to pasteurization.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160823/400440

SOURCE 915 Labs
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aterra Designs, a lighting and technology design firm in Scottsdale, Arizona, has partnered with Toll Brothers (TOL), the nation's largest luxury homebuilder, to create unique environments for clients in all Nevada communities. Aterra will be working with new home-buyers in in both the Las Vegas and Reno markets to enhance the design experience as well as create individualized home environments using state of the art lighting design techniques. Aterra has partnered with the builder to work both within Toll Bothers' design and current design process, enabling buyers to design a home that fits their needs and lifestyle.

"We are very pleased to have a trade partner like Toll Brothers in Nevada who sees great value in Aterra working with their home owners to design really cool spaces in their homes using cutting edge lighting design techniques," says owner & founder of Aterra Designs, Paul Salmonson, of the new partnership.

This is the first of several planned expansions outside of Arizona for Aterra Designs. Aterra is excited to be working closely with Toll Brothers to provide clients with homes customized to their wants as well as lot specific documentation for both builder and contractor. This expansion has also seen new talent join the Aterra team with Jillian Ailes and Breanne Antos, two talented technical designers in their own right, representing the design company in Las Vegas and Reno, respectively.

ABOUT ATERRA DESIGNS

Aterra Designs is a lighting design firm located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Their mission is to provide new homeowners with beautifully unique living spaces using state of the art design and technology. Aterra Designs partners with builders to enhance the choice and design experience within the design process for new homeowners and has fully integrated its process into the supply chain.

More information about Aterra Designs can be found on their website at www.AterraDesigns.com or contacting Erin Kearney at 480-368-9955

Related Links

Aterra Designs

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Aterra Designs
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Untangle, the mobile app developed to transform how the beauty and wellness industry communicates, today announces its first partner, Holsey Cosmetic Surgery, Salon and Spa located in Oklahoma City. The partnership will enhance communication with clients in between procedures and salon or spa appointments by connecting them with the med spa's practitioners through the Untangle app.

"Untangle allows us to share our beauty collaborations and recommendations in one place in between appointments, whether we're supporting a surgical procedure, new skin care regimen, or maintenance of a new hairstyle," says Dr. Laura Holsey of Holsey Cosmetic Surgery, Salon and Spa. "The experience provides an unprecedented level of comfort and confidence for our customers, which is always my top priority."

Untangle was recently awarded bronze for the 2016 International Business Award's app lifestyle category for its visionary use of technology to increase conversation in between appointments, equipping professionals with a tool that helps them create genuine connections with their clients while also empowering consumers to work confidently towards their own beauty and wellness goals.

"We are thrilled to have Holsey Cosmetic Surgery, Salon and Spa as our first partner in Oklahoma City, where the beauty and wellness scene is thriving," says Untangle Founder and CEO Jenna Reese. "When it comes to med spa wellness, upkeep in between appointments is critical. Untangle will allow Dr. Holsey's team to have ongoing relationships with clients so they can provide continuing education and act as a trusted advisor anytime a question or concern comes up."

The app gives clients and patients the opportunity to have one-on-one communication with their stylists, beauty, spa, and wellness professionals in the following ways:

Regimens: Receive thoughtfully curated regimens infused with tips tailored directly toward personal goals

Calendar: Keep tips and regimens organizedgoing beyond appointment booking and focusing on maintenance in between appointments

Messaging: Allows consumers and professionals to check in with one another with questions and follow-up information regarding beauty and wellness goals

Video: View educational and inspirational content uploaded by beauty and wellness professionals

E-Commerce: Purchase products recommended by beauty and wellness professionals directly from the app

Throughout the year, Untangle's team will gather feedback and data against the app's approach in order to bring the best technology to professionals and consumers in time for its 2017 mass-market launch.

About Untangle

Untangle is a relationship-focused mobile app that delivers a robust, enterprise-level solution for the beauty and wellness industry's communications created by Jenna Reese, Founder, President and CEO of AEi International, a multi-million-dollar-per-year management consulting company. The Untangle experience transforms relationships between beauty and wellness professionals and their clientele by merging innovative, multi-platform technology with meaningful communication. For more information, visit: http://untanglelife.com/.

Media Contact:

Julia Watkins

410.962.6426

[email protected]

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SOURCE Untangle

Related Links

http://untanglelife.com


RENO, Nev., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SatView Communications announced its Azteca America station KAZR in Reno, Nevada has negotiated a partnership with Adaptive Ad Systems (OTC Pink: AATV) of Newport Beach, CA. Adaptive Ad Systems will provide ad insertion technology and ad sales representation and revenue as part of their contract through 2021.

KAZR Azteca America Channel 46 (Charter Cable Channel 847) provides quality, Spanish-language, entertaining family game shows, adventure reality programming, dramas and sporting events and exclusive Liga MX Futbol to the greater Reno area.

KAZR will be utilizing Adaptive's advertisement sales team to improve advertisement processing efficiencies and increase overall revenue of local commercial advertising.

CEO J. Michael Heil stated, "Having KAZR as the first of many Azteca America local affiliates in our portfolio is a big win for Adaptive Ad Systems as we continue to expand our cable, network and broadcast reach across the U.S." Mr. Heil further stated, "As we install our technology with new video partners, we create untapped television inventory for our clients. The growing 18-49 Hispanic demographic continues to be a segment that is very much in demand by advertisers and our team is excited to be assisting Azteca America in selling their local inventory."

The transaction with KAZR adds over fifty thousand subscribers to the Company's ad-insertion platform.

About Adaptive Ad Systems Inc.

Adaptive Ad Systems Inc. is a provider of video ad insertion technology and digital video systems for cable, network and broadcast video providers. The Company's in-house advertisement agency sells national, local and regional advertising across all video platforms. For additional information, please visit: www.aatv.co or www.adsystemscatv.com

SOURCE Adaptive Ad Systems Inc.

Related Links

http://www.aatv.co


NFHA and the nine fair housing organizations investigated an additional 399 Bank of America foreclosures and found that BoA continues its failure to properly maintain foreclosed properties in African American and Latino neighborhoods. This new evidence formed the basis of the amended complaint. The complaint is now comprised of evidence from 1,267 BoA properties in 30 metropolitan areas and 201 cities throughout the United States.

"Bank of America's deliberate neglect of its foreclosures in communities of color creates financial concerns as well as health and safety risks for people living near poorly-maintained foreclosed homes," said Shanna L. Smith, President and CEO of NFHA. "Too many of these foreclosures have overgrown weeds, unsecured doors or windows, and debris left in the yard, creating perfect breeding grounds for rats, mice, snakes, and mosquitoes. Bank of America is exacerbating the risk of spreading the Zika virus in south Florida by allowing standing water to accumulate in pool covers, tires, and debris around these foreclosures."

Fair housing organizations joining the National Fair Housing Alliance in amending the complaint are located in the following areas: Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; Metropolitan Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Orlando, FL; and Toledo, OH. The National Fair Housing Alliance investigated the foreclosures in Memphis, TN, Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA and Prince George's County, MD.

Evidence obtained during this investigation reveals continued failure by Bank of America to perform simple, routine maintenance on its foreclosures in African American and Latino neighborhoods. BoA routinely fails to lock or secure doors and windows, remove trash and debris left by former owners, mow and edge lawns, trim shrubs, and cut back invasive plants. Meanwhile, BoA keeps its foreclosures in white neighborhoods in good condition. Lawns are mowed and edged regularly, and BoA properly disposes of the belongings left behind by former owners. BoA is paid to perform these routine duties in all neighborhoods for all of its foreclosures.

"This disgraceful neglect of foreclosed homes in communities of color is not news to executives at Bank of America. We put them on notice in 2009 and met with them to share photographs of the failed maintenance, but to no avail. It is reprehensible for Bank of America to continue discriminating in African American and Latino neighborhoods all across the U.S.," said Smith.

The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status. It is also illegal to discriminate based on the race or national origin of neighborhood residents. This law applies to housing and housing-related activities, including the maintenance, appraisal, listing, marketing, and selling of homes.

NATIONWIDE STATISTICS

Full national statistics, maps, and data for individual cities available at www.nationalfairhousing.org.

The nationwide investigation of BoA foreclosures to date has encompassed 30 metropolitan areas and included 201 cities (see Table 1). Zip codes within each city were identified based on homeownership rates, income, and racial composition. Each BoA foreclosure in those zip codes was examined. The properties were located in predominantly African American or Latino neighborhoods in 85 cities and in predominantly white neighborhoods in 116 cities.

The National Fair Housing Alliance and 17 fair housing organization partners have investigated a total of 1,267 Bank of America foreclosures. The data set includes 567 foreclosures located in African American neighborhoods, 130 foreclosures located in Latino neighborhoods, 147 foreclosures located in majority non-white neighborhoods, and 423 foreclosures located in white neighborhoods.

Highlights of Significant Racial Disparities:

51.5 percent of foreclosures in communities of color had a broken, boarded, or unsecured window, while only 23.4 percent of foreclosures in white communities had the same problem.

while only 23.4 percent of foreclosures in white communities had the same problem. 63.3 percent of foreclosures in communities of color had trash or debris on the premises, while only 33.8 percent of foreclosures in white communities had the same problem.

on the premises, while only 33.8 percent of foreclosures in white communities had the same problem. 30.1 percent of foreclosures in communities of color had holes in the structure of the home, while only 12.8 percent of foreclosures in white communities had the same problem.

while only 12.8 percent of foreclosures in white communities had the same problem. 38.2 percent of foreclosures in communities of color had unsecured, broken, or boarded doors, while only 14.9 percent of foreclosures in white communities had the same problem.

Table 1. Partner Organizations and Metropolitan Areas Involved in Complaint Fair Housing Center Metropolitan Area Denver Metro Fair Housing Center Denver Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana Indianapolis Fair Housing Center of West Michigan Grand Rapids Fair Housing Continuum Orlando Fair Housing of Marin Vallejo, Richmond (CA) Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center New Orleans HOPE Fair Housing Center Chicago Housing Opportunities for Excellence (H.O.P.E.) Miami Metro Fair Housing Services Atlanta Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council Milwaukee National Fair Housing Alliance Baltimore, Charleston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Memphis, Minneapolis, Oakland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Tucson, Washington DC, Prince George's County (MD), Tampa, Newark, Suburban Detroit North Texas Fair Housing Center Dallas Open Communities Chicago South Suburban Housing Center Chicago, Gary The Housing Research & Advocacy Center Cleveland The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center Dayton Central Ohio Fair Housing Association Columbus Toledo Fair Housing Center Toledo

The National Fair Housing Alliance

Founded in 1988, the National Fair Housing Alliance is a consortium of more than 220 private, nonprofit fair housing organizations, state and local civil rights agencies, and individuals from throughout the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the National Fair Housing Alliance, through comprehensive education, advocacy, and enforcement programs, provides equal access to apartments, houses, mortgage loans, and insurance policies for all residents in the nation.

The work that provided the basis for this investigation was supported in part by funding under a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this release. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.

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SOURCE National Fair Housing Alliance

Related Links

www.nationalfairhousing.org


HOUSTON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) announced today it has officially opened its Maputo, Mozambique Office. BAL had previously announced that Owen Davies had been hired as Managing Director, Africa. Davies is widely recognized as a Sub-Sahara African corporate immigration expert and a leading international corporate immigration lawyer.

"BAL is the leading immigration firm for the energy industry and Mozambique is one of the top countries in Africa for energy exploration," said managing partner Jeremy Fudge. "Mozambique is a progressive African country with a democratic government that has been focused on providing services back to its population. With substantial infrastructure enhancements, and energy resources that provide revenue to its economy, Mozambique is well-situated to become a focal point for international business and economic growth and stability. Now, with our new BAL office, we are positioned to help energy firms and other businesses partner with this great country in pursuing economic opportunities."

"I am delighted to be leading BAL's office in Africa," Davies said. "I believe that BAL's globally unified structure is critical to successfully partnering with clients in Africa, where the immigration norm requires multi-country document and process support."

With nearly twenty years of experience, Davies brings considerable expertise to BAL's African practice. Consistently ranked as an African immigration expert by the highest bands of legal directories, he is a leading solicitor and advisor to multi-national companies, governments and international trade blocs on global immigration issues, including crisis management and immigration program and policy development.

Emily King, BAL Managing Director, Europe, who had previously supervised the firm's strategy in Africa, stated: "Placing our BAL team within Africa offers an enhanced opportunity to be of service to our clients, and promotes a higher level of ground level focus on compliance. We recognize that Africa is a continent that poses unique challenges that are best addressed by experts on-site who can accomplish and manage work that is compliant and honed to each country's unique needs."

About Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP

Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP was established in 1980 as a corporate immigration law firm. The firm provides comprehensive immigration services from offices in Austin, Boston, Dallas, Geneva, Houston, London, Maputo, McLean, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, DC. The firm and its leaders are highly ranked in every major legal publication, including Best Lawyers, Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Martindale Hubbell, The Legal 500, and Who's Who Legal. Non-U.S. offices are operated by affiliated entities in those countries. See website for details. www.balglobal.com

SOURCE Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP

Related Links

http://www.balglobal.com


PISCATAWAY, N.J., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackStratus, a leading provider of security and compliance technology tailored for both SMBs and large enterprises, announced today that it has integrated with ConnectWise by making its new CYBERShark Security-as-a-Service easily available to ConnectWise's customer base of thousands of IT Service Providers. Earlier this year BlackStratus launched CYBERShark, the first Security Information Event Management (SIEM) platform designed specifically to monitor and remediate cyber security threats and compliance violations within small to midsize businesses.

CYBERShark takes BlackStratus' proven enterprise class security and compliance platform, tested and trusted by large enterprise customers for years, and delivers it via the cloud to small and midsize businesses at an affordable price point. BlackStratus' Security-as-a-Service empowers IT Service Providers to build a sustainable managed services business without the need to invest in costly infrastructure, buy hardware appliances and recruit security analysts. By simply sending their end-customer event log data to the advanced CYBERShark cloud, IT Service Providers will receive a white-labeled portal view of their customers' compliance reports and security posture complete with step-by-step remediation to resolve security incidents and malicious activity.

CYBERShark Benefits to IT Service Providers

Provides unparalleled threat and risk visibility in real time

24/7 monitoring performed by security experts at Security Operation Center (SOC) Offers guided remediation via actionable trouble tickets  no in house security expertise needed

Dramatically reduces cost and time to repair

Includes Proofpoint commercial intelligence for highly accurate identification of known threats and threat actors

Advanced correlation and analysis of network traffic, system alerts, and behavior patterns in real time

Ensures compliance with detailed reports for HIPAA, PCI, FISMA, and other regulatory requirements

Has no hardware requirements

Can be up and running on day one

Purpose Built for IT service providers

Low monthly cost

"We're excited to partner with ConnectWise regarding our new white-label, Security-as-a-Service for the SMB market and look forward to working with their customers to help reduce the exponentially growing number of cyber threats and compliance violations on small to midsize businesses," said Dale Cline, CEO of BlackStratus. "The SMB market remains a virtual gold mine for resellers regarding SIEM technology because not only is there unprecedented demand for it but now BlackStratus can offer it at a price point that small to midsize businesses can afford."

Integration Features

The CYBERShark platform identifies and alerts ConnectWise IT Service Providers to potential security breaches and compliance violations in their customers' infrastructure. It provides comprehensive remediation steps to resolve these issues, delivered via ConnectWise's Service Desk feature.

Security tickets fed directly to ConnectWise

Supporting evidence of tickets attached as ticket notes

Description and remediation strategy provided inline

Helpdesk and NOC

Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM)

About BlackStratus

BlackStratus is a pioneer of trusted security and compliance solutions deployed and operated on premise, in the cloud or "as a Service'' by providers of all sizes, government agencies and individual enterprises. Through patented multitenant security information and event management (SIEM) technology, BlackStratus delivers unparalleled security visibility, prevents downtime and achieves and maintains compliant operations at a lower cost to operate. BlackStratus is headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, and protects millions of devices and thousands of businesses worldwide.

For more information about BlackStratus, please visit www.blackstratus.com. Follow the firm via Twitter at @BlackStratusInc.

BlackStratus PR Contact:

David Splivalo

[email protected]

1.703.798.2395

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SOURCE BlackStratus

Related Links

http://www.blackstratus.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Sphere Corporation (OTCQB: BLSP) (the "Company", "Blue Sphere", "we", "our" or "us"), a clean-tech independent power producer that develops, manages and owns waste-to-energy facilities globally, is happy to welcome Lyron Bentovim as a new member of the Blue Sphere Board of Directors.

Mr. Bentovim currently serves as President and CEO of the Glimpse Group and as a Managing Partner at Darklight Partners in New York, NY. Darklight Partners is a strategic advisor to small and mid-size public and private companies. Some of Mr. Bentovim's previous positions include COO/CFO of Top Image Systems, COO/CFO of NIT Health and COO/CFO and managing director at Cabrillo Advisors. From August 2009 until July 2012, Mr. Bentovim served as the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of Sunrise Telecom, Inc., a leader in test and measurement solutions for telecom, wireless and cable networks. Prior to joining Sunrise Telecom Inc., Mr. Bentovim was a Portfolio Manager for Skiritai Capital LLC, an investment advisor based in San Francisco. Mr. Bentovim has over 20 years of management experience, including his experience as a member of the board of directors at Manhattan Bridge Capital, RTW Inc., Ault, Inc., Top Image Systems, Three-Five Systems Inc., Sunrise Telecom, Inc., and Argonaut Technologies Inc. Prior to his position in Skiritai Capital LLC, Mr. Bentovim served as the President, COO, and co-founder of WebBrix, Inc. Additionally, Mr. Bentovim spent time as a Senior Engagement Manager with strategy consultancies USWeb/CKS, the Mitchell Madison Group LLC and McKinsey & Company Inc. Mr. Bentovim has an MBA from Yale School of Management and a Law degree from the Hebrew University.

"We are very pleased to welcome a director with the skills and resources that Mr. Bentovim brings to Blue Sphere and we look forward to leveraging his experience and background," said Shlomi Palas, the Company's CEO.

About Blue Sphere Corporation

Blue Sphere Corporation, is a diversified independent power producer that develops, owns, and operates clean-tech, waste-to-energy facilities in the United States and abroad. The Company primarily converts organic waste into electricity, but also has the ability to generate heat, natural gas and organic byproducts through various technologies.

Blue Sphere facilities eliminate waste that would normally be disposed in landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect water quality, helping to solve important global environmental issues. Blue Sphere is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and has operations in the United States and Europe. For further information about Blue Sphere, please visit the Company's website: www.bluespherecorporate.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which are subject to risks and uncertainties and may change at any time. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors including, without limitation, (i) uncertainties regarding general economic and market conditions, (ii) uncertainties regarding changes in the clean tech sector, (iii) uncertainties regarding implementation of the Company's business strategy, and (iv) other risk factors as outlined in the Company's periodic reports, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As such, there is no assurance that the initiatives described in this press release will be successfully implemented or meet expectations. Forward-looking statements in this document speak only as of the date on which such statements were made, and we undertake no obligation to update any such statements that may become untrue because of subsequent events.

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SOURCE Blue Sphere Corporation

Related Links

http://www.bluespherecorporate.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg will speak at the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Sept. 14 at 9:15 a.m. PT.

Visit https://cc.talkpoint.com/morg007/091416a_ae/?entity=5_QFT4X2E to access a link to the live broadcast of the conference. Individuals should check the website prior to the session to ensure access to the audio stream.

Contact:

Investor Relations: (312) 544-2140

Communications: (312) 544-2002

Follow us on Twitter: @Boeing

SOURCE Boeing

Related Links

http://www.boeing.com


"The delivery of our first Dreamliner marks a new and exciting chapter in our long-standing relationship with Boeing that began back in 1996," said Valeriy Tyan, Director General, Uzbekistan Airways. "We are delighted that as early as in September, passengers of Uzbekistan Airways will be offered a new flight experience and an unmatched level of comfort onboard our Boeing 787 Dreamliner."

"This delivery to Uzbekistan Airways is a remarkable moment in our partnership that has a great value for Boeing," said Marty Bentrott, vice president of Sales, Middle East, Russia and Central Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Today, we are proud not only to have Uzbekistan join our growing base of 787 customers in the region, but also at the airline's continued confidence in Boeing's technology and airplanes over the years."

Uzbekistan Airways' fleet consists of 34 aircraft, including nine Boeing 767 and six Boeing 757 airplanes. From its hub at Tashkent International Airport, the airline flies to more than 40 cities around the world.

This first 787 delivery flight to Tashkent will also bring humanitarian aid to patients in hospitals, mother-child clinics, rehabilitation centers and orphanages. As part of its charitable activity in Uzbekistan, Boeing and Uzbekistan Airlines have partnered with AmeriCares, which supports a broad range of health care institutions throughout the country. The flight is one of the many humanitarian shipments that Boeing and Uzbekistan Airways have undertaken together.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an all-new, super-efficient family of commercial airplanes that brings big-jet ranges and speed to the middle of the market. In response to airlines' overwhelming preference, Boeing designed the 787 family with superior efficiency, which allows airlines to profitably open new routes to fly people directly where they'd like to go in exceptional comfort.

Since entering service in 2011, the 787 family is flying more than 350 routes and has established more than 75 new nonstop routes around the world. To date 66 customers worldwide have placed orders for 1,161 airplanes, making the 787 Dreamliner the fastest selling twin-aisle airplane in Boeing history.

Contacts:

Elena Alexandrova

Russia & CIS Communications

Boeing Commercial Airplanes

+7 495 797 3415

[email protected]

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SOURCE Boeing

Related Links

http://www.boeing.com


DALLAS, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Catapult, a leading IT consulting firm, announced today that it has been recognized as one of the Dallas Business Journal's "Best Places to Work in North Texas" for 2016. Catapult has consistently been recognized as a top 100 employer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The final ranking of the "Best Places to Work in North Texas" list will be announced at a luncheon that is being organized by the Dallas Business Journal on Thursday, September 15th at the Fairmont Hotel in the Dallas Arts District. At the event, Dallas Business Journal will share what characteristics make these top companies such a great workplace. In the past, Catapult has been awarded this designation in Dallas and its other cities based on factors including career mobility, work/life balance, trust in senior management, as well as its strong culture and values.

"It's such an honor to have been named one of the best places to work by the Dallas Business Journal," said Gary Farris, Catapult's General Manager, Dallas. "We hire great people. I like to think that's what makes us a success. Catapult strives to create an environment filled with opportunity, growth, and of course, fun for all of our employees."

ABOUT CATAPULT

Catapult is a full-service consulting firm that uses technology to solve complex business challenges, delivering exceptional value to our clients based on their priorities and timeframes. Recognized as the 2016 Microsoft Partner of the Year (U.S.), Catapult specializes in digital transformation and cloud-based technologies. We work on behalf of our clients to imagine, build, and sustain IT-enabled business solutions that people love to use. Catapult has offices in Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, Tampa and Washington, D.C.

Interested in joining our team? To view Catapult's current job openings, click here.

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SOURCE Catapult

Related Links

http://www.catapultsystems.com


Elmas was credited with generating significant revenue while providing investment services to NASA Federal Credit Union clients throughout the year. He has served the credit union for almost 14 years. Elmas offers numerous services such as: retirement planning, wealth management, estate planning, business services, college savings, 401(k) and 457 rollovers, insurance, and more.

The annual awards are presented by CFS (SPF) during the company's three-day Annual Conference as a way to recognize advisors for their production and commitment to delivering superior investment services to clients. Elmas wins for significant revenue production in service to investment clients in the DC Metro area. Hundreds of representatives across the country attend the conference to share and discuss best practices as well as learn from experts in the field of investment services.

In addition to investment services, NASA Federal Credit Union also provides consumer, home and auto loans, deposit services and online banking services. For additional information, please call (301) 249-1800 or visit online at http://www.nasafcu.com.

About NASA Federal Credit Union: NASA Federal Credit Union is a national not-for-profit cooperative providing financial services for individuals, businesses and associations. Chartered in 1949, NASA Federal Credit Union serves the diverse needs of more than 130,000 members with a full array of financial services and the strength of over $1.9 billion in assets. Our core purpose is to empower people to achieve a brighter financial future by acting as their advocate and trusted advisor. For more information, visit nasafcu.com.

Non-deposit investment products and services are offered through CUSO Financial Services, L.P. ("CFS"), and Sorrento Pacific Financial, LLC ("SPF"), registered broker-dealers (Members FINRA www.finra.org /SIPC www.sipc.org ) and SEC Registered Investment Advisors. Products offered through CFS/SPF: are not federally insured, are not guarantees or obligations of credit unions or banks, and may involve investment risk including possible loss of principal. Credit unions and banks contract with CFS/SPF to make non-deposit investment products and services available to credit union members or bank clients.

About CUSO Financial Services, LP and Sorrento Pacific Financial LLC

Full-service, sister broker dealers CUSO Financial Services, L.P. (CFS) and Sorrento Pacific Financial LLC (SPF) (Members FINRA/SIPC) provide customized investment and insurance solutions to nearly 200 credit unions and banks throughout the country. Headquartered in San Diego, with branch offices and licensed representatives nationwide, both broker dealers are SEC Registered Investment Advisers, with expertise in key areas including retirement services, wealth management, and fee-based and insurance products for both individuals and business customers. For more information, see www.cusonet.com or www.sorrentopacific.com.

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SOURCE NASA Federal Credit Union

Related Links

http://www.nasafcu.com


AUBURN, Ala., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today its first-time ranking on Inc.'s annual list of the 500 fastest-growing companies in the U.S. for 2016. Debuting at #37 with 6,043% growth over the past three years, Chicken Salad Chick is the highest ranked franchise company and top restaurant concept, as well as the highest ranked Alabama-based company on the larger Inc. 5000 list, beating out 54 ranked businesses in the state.

"We're thrilled and honored to be ranked among such incredible and established companies," said Scott Deviney, president and chief executive officer at Chicken Salad Chick. "We share this ranking with our dedicated franchisees who have helped build Chicken Salad Chick into the company it is today  one of America's fastest-growing. In just eight years, the company has grown from a small take-out restaurant in Auburn, Alabama to a 58-unit franchise concept, and we're looking forward to seeing what the next eight years has in store of us. While we are thrilled to be recognized for our industry-leading growth, what really inspires us is the opportunity to continue spreading joy, enriching lives and serving others as Chicken Salad Chick expands across new and existing markets in the Southeast."

In 2015, Chicken Salad Chick opened 17 restaurants and signed 20 new franchise agreements, along with eight new area development agreements, as the brand continues its aggressive expansion. The company has also reported record-high systemwide sales with an increase of 63 percent, which has been driven by exciting limited time offers, such as the Dill-icious Diva and Key Lime Pie, as well as new store openings. This year, Chicken Salad Chick plans to open at least 30 restaurants.

To be named one of America's 2016 fastest-growing businesses, each company must be privately held, for-profit and independent without subsidiaries or divisions of other companies, and have minimum revenue of $100,000 in 2012 and $2 million in 2015. All honorees, including Chicken Salad Chick, will be recognized at the Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala in San Antonio, Oct. 18-20.

The Chicken Salad Chick concept, born in Auburn, Ala., was established in 2008 in the kitchen of founder, Stacy Brown. When Stacy discovered that the local county health department would not allow her to continue making and selling her delicious recipes out of her home kitchen, she overcame that obstacle by launching her first restaurant with the business expertise of her future husband and fellow founder, Kevin Brown. Together, they opened a small takeout restaurant, which quickly grew; the company now has 58 restaurants across the Southeast and 146 in development.

Last year, Chicken Salad Chick entered several new markets, such as Charlotte, N.C.; Summerville, S.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Greensboro, N.C.; Orlando, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; Ormond Beach, Fla.; Roswell, Ga.; Daphne, Ala.; and Asheville, N.C. In 2016, the chicken salad-focused brand is aiming to open at least 30 restaurants in Southern U.S. markets, including Florida, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina and Alabama. By 2020, Chicken Salad Chick anticipates to have at least 200 restaurants open.

About Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick puts an edgy twist on a Southern classic, offering guests a "custom fit" chicken salad experience, with 15 original flavors to choose from, as well as gourmet soups, flavorful side salads and freshly-baked desserts. Chicken Salad Chick serves southern style chicken salad with heart and strives to spread joy, enrich lives and serve others every day. Today, the brand has 58 locations across the Southeast, and has currently sold 146 franchises to be developed across the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana and Texas. The brand was recently named as the top chicken salad in the country to try in the 2015 March/April issue of Cooking with Paula Deen, as well as one of FastCasual.com's top Movers and Shakers and one of NRN's 2015 Breakout Brands. Corporate offices are located at 724 North Dean Road in Auburn, Alabama. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.

Contact:

Ellie Mannix

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

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SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick

Related Links

http://www.chickensaladchick.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ClearSlide, the Sales Engagement Platform leader, announced today that it won a first prize in the Best In Biz Awards 2016 International. This prestigious awards organization recognizes companies for business success across more than 60 categories. ClearSlide took home Gold in the Best New Version of the Year product category for ClearSlide Mail.

The Best in Biz Awards are the only independent business awards program judged by members of the press and industry analysts. More than 270 public and private companies hailing from all sectors of the global economy and more than 30 countries competed in this year's International program, which is now in its fifth year.

"Given the impressive competition, we are excited that ClearSlide was recognized for this honor," said Dustin Grosse, CEO, ClearSlide. "Our entire team has worked tirelessly to innovate and deliver an integrated platform that provides sales, marketing, and customer success teams more modern capabilities and the engagement insights they need to thrive. We know sales reps depend on and love ClearSlide Mail and this Best in Biz Awards is further evidence of our market leading position."

"It was both an honor and a challenge to judge the Best New Version category, with a diverse range of products all demonstrating innovative development over the last year," said Cat Ellis, managing editor at PC Format, judging her fifth Best in Biz Awards competition. "Many of the entries were connected by a theme of empowerment  using new technology to remove barriers between managers and data, customers and salespeople. These new versions have the potential to improve the experience of businesses worldwide by giving non-technical people a toolkit that enables them to make better decisions and connect with consumers."

ClearSlide Mail is an award-winning mobile application that consolidates multiple mailboxes and calendars into one centralized location, enabling salespeople to connect with and respond to customers anywhere, anytime  on virtually any mobile device. Optimized for sales, ClearSlide Mail allows makes it easy to access content, send approved email templates, create and incorporate personalized videos, and see who interacts with their content and for how long. ClearSlide Mail works with all mail servers, including Exchange, Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, and more and is available for both iOS and Android. ClearSlide Mail also integrates directly with CRM solutions like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.

To learn more about ClearSlide, visit https://www.clearslide.com/.

About ClearSlide

ClearSlide is the Sales Engagement Platform leader that powers valuable, genuine business conversations and enables sales, marketing, and customer success teams to achieve better business outcomes. ClearSlide improves customer communications (phone, email, face-to-face) by providing real-time visibility and analytics for sales and marketing leaders. As a result, customers achieve higher seller productivity, increased sales management effectiveness, and stronger customer-facing messaging. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, ClearSlide serves thousands of customers, including Comcast, LinkedIn, Medtronic, Rackspace, SurveyMonkey, The Economist, Thomson Reuters and more.

The ClearSlide platform gives sales and marketing leaders ability to engage with insight by seeing the real-time activity of their teams and deep analytics about the types of content that ultimately is most impactful with customers. For sales professionals, ClearSlide allows for easy communication with customers and prospects, whether online or in-person, using ClearSlide's web-based and mobile applications. Visit www.clearslide.com for more information or follow the company on Twitter @ClearSlide.

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SOURCE ClearSlide

Related Links

http://www.clearslide.com


SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world's leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today announced several featured presentations at the upcoming Privacy.Security.Risk 2016 conference that will specifically focus on providing attendees with new insights and advanced approaches for tomorrow's cloud computing environment. Scheduled for September 13-16 at the San Jose Convention Center, and presented by CSA Congress and IAPP Privacy Academy, Privacy.Security.Risk 2016 will bring together two related fieldsprivacy and security - with important perspective to help practitioners excel in their role.

"As cloud computing continues to expand into new and promising areas, and across an ever growing number of industries, this progress and these advances come with questions, hesitation and obvious security concerns," said J.R. Santos, Executive Vice President of Research at the CSA. "By identifying what is new and next for cloud computing, we can provide attendees an early edge and with the knowledge and know-how needed to apply these approaches in their own environment without fear or unnecessary risk.

Featured sessions include:

Quantum-Safe Security and the Future of Cybersecurity in the Quantum Era: Recent announcements by the NSA and NIST have highlighted the threat that a quantum computer (QC) will pose to cybersecurity. When a QC becomes available, current security systems will no longer be effective. The Quantum-Safe Security Working Group (QSS-WG) of the CSA is an industry forum that considers the possible solutions to the QC threat.

Presenters: Mike Brown, CTO, ISARA; Bruno Huttner, Product Manager, ID Quantique; and Lee Wilson, Business Development Engineer, Security Innovation

Thursday, September 15 at 11:00 a.m.

Security Smackdown: Practical Ways to Crush Traditional Security with Cloud: Cloud computing doesn't merely offer the potential for a stronger security baseline, it is starting to redefine fundamental security problems and opportunities. Features like auto scaling, API enablement, serverless infrastructure and event-driven security can wipe out some traditional security issues that have long plagued organizations. This technical, demo-filled session will highlight some of the top emerging techniques for advanced cloud security that go way beyond basic security groups and identity management.

Presenter: Rich Mogull, CEO, Securosis

Friday, September 15 at 1:15 p.m.

Least-Privilege Microservices: The best practices around security of applications have long recommended the use of multiple layers in order to increase the overall resilience of a system. Containers create exactly that: an additional layer of protection between applications and the host, and between the applications themselves.

Presenter: Nathan McCauley, Director of Security, Docker

Thursday, September 15 at 2:00 p.m.

Designing and Developing Secure IoT Products: Lately, much has been said regarding the need to secure the Internet of Things against a large number of attacks and a diverse pool of attackers. However, what has been difficult to find is concise guidance for how exactly to accomplish that goal. This is probably because it is still challenging to understand exactly what is meant by the IoT. And if it is difficult to define something, it is difficult to prescribe guidance for how to secure that thing. In this session, we will discuss actionable and useful guidance for one of the most critical aspects of a secure IoT enterpriseproduct development. The foundation for a secure IoT relies on "thing" developers taking proper security precautions and focusing on secure engineering practices.

Presenter: Brian J. Russell, Chief Engineer, Cyber Security Solutions, Leidos

Friday, September 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Presented by the IAPP Privacy Academy and CSA Congress, the P.S.R. Conference, now in its third year, is expected to draw approximately 1,500 privacy and cloud security professionals. The event aims to deliver the most thought-provoking speakers and sessions led by the foremost experts and provides invaluable opportunities to connect and share ideas. The joint event will provide attendees with more than double the education and networking opportunities with the leading innovators and practitioners in technology, security and privacy for the price of a single conference.

Registration is now open. The most current conference program can be found at https://iapp.org/conference/privacy-security-risk-2016/sessions-psr16/

WHAT: Cloud Security Alliance Congress US 2016 at P.S.R.

WHEN: Workshops: September 13-14

Conference: September 15-16

9:00 am  5:00 pm

WHERE: San Jose Marriott and San Jose Convention Center

ATTENDEE

REGISTRATION: https://my.iapp.org/nc__event?id=a0l1a000000nBgQAAU

MEDIA REGISTRATION: [email protected]

About Cloud Security Alliance

The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) is the world's leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment. CSA harnesses the subject matter expertise of industry practitioners, associations, governments, and its corporate and individual members to offer cloud security-specific research, education, certification, events and products. CSA's activities, knowledge and extensive network benefit the entire community impacted by cloud  from providers and customers, to governments, entrepreneurs and the assurance industry  and provide a forum through which diverse parties can work together to create and maintain a trusted cloud ecosystem. CSA has developed the definitive best practices for the industry, such as the "Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing", the "Cloud Controls Matrix", "Top Threats to Cloud Computing" and 50 other cloud security research artifacts. For further information, visit us at www.cloudsecurityalliance.org.

About the IAPP

The International Association of Privacy Professionals is the world's largest association of privacy professionals with more than 20,000 members across 83 countries. The IAPP is a not-for-profit association that helps to define and support the privacy profession globally. More information about the IAPP is available at www.privacyassociation.org.

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SOURCE Cloud Security Alliance

Related Links

http://www.cloudsecurityalliance.org


NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Synopsis

Italy's construction industry has undergone a dramatic decline since 2008. In real terms, the Italian construction industry's output contracted by 27.3% between 2008 and 2015. The decline can be attributed to the country's high unemployment rate, economic slowdown, weak business confidence and consumer demand, and the Eurozone's depressed economic environment, leading to a fall in demand for the Italian construction industry.

The industry is expected to perform slightly better over the forecast period (20162020) with change in the government's policies for foreign direct investment (FDI) in manufacturing sector, improving investor confidence and the government's investment in energy, residential, infrastructure and commercial construction projects.



Over the forecast period, the construction industry is expected to get supported by government programs such as the School Building program, Invest in Italy, and Cultural and Innovation Program 20142020. Moreover, business confidence in construction industry is rising due to the government's initiatives such as tax deductions and change in FDI polices.



The industry's output value in real terms is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.03% over the forecast period; up from -3.77% during the review period.



The construction industry will face challenges over the forecast period. High government debts will reduce public spending on large scale infrastructure projects. Moreover, the weak housing market and lack of public administration and justice system are expected to affect the growth prospects of the Italian construction industry.

Summary

Timetric's Construction in Italy  Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020 report provides detailed market analysis, information and insights into Italian construction industry including:



- Italian construction industry's growth prospects by market, project type and type of construction activity



- Analysis of equipment, material and service costs across each project type within Italy



- Critical insight into the impact of industry trends and issues, and the risks and opportunities they present to participants in the Italian construction industry



- Analyzing the profiles of the leading operators in the Italian construction industry.



- Data highlights of the largest construction projects in Italy



Scope

- This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the construction industry in Italy. It provides:



- Historical (2011-2015) and forecast (2016-2020) valuations of the construction industry in Italy using construction output and value-add methods



- Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by project type



- Breakdown of values within each project type, by type of activity (new construction, repair and maintenance, refurbishment and demolition) and by type of cost (materials, equipment and services)



- Analysis of key construction industry issues, including regulation, cost management, funding and pricing



- Detailed profiles of the leading construction companies in Italy



Reasons To Buy

- Identify and evaluate market opportunities using Timetric's standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies.



- Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts.



- Understand the latest industry and market trends.



- Formulate and validate strategy using Timetric's critical and actionable insight.



- Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures.



- Evaluate competitive risk and success factors.



Key Highlights

- The government's plans to reconstruct residential properties and bridge the gap between the supply and demand of housing units in the country will drive the growth of residential construction market over the forecast period. According to the government estimates, despite the construction of a large number of housing units, the country recorded a housing deficit of 470,000 units in 2015, indicating that supply is not sufficient to meet rising demand. To maintain the balance between supply and demand, the government launched an ad-hoc program and the national housing plan in 2015 to increase the housing supply in the country.



- The Italian government plans to develop sustainable transport infrastructure in underdeveloped regions of the country such as Sicily, Puglia, Calabria, Campania and Basilicata with an objective to eliminate bottlenecks on the central network infrastructure and promote sustainable transport systems. Accordingly, under the National Operational Program (NOP) 20142020, the government is planning to invest EUR1.8 billion (US$2.4 billion) to develop the transport infrastructure



- The infrastructure construction market is expected to benefit from the government's plans to develop adequate railways infrastructure across the country coupled with high-speed railway network in metropolitan areas. Under the Unlock Italy strategy, the transport ministry allocated EUR9.0 billion (US$11.9 billion) for the development of railway infrastructure across the country by 2020.



- The government introduced various policies in 20142015 such as regulating tourism business, developing strategic marketing activities and managing European Structural funds to develop and promote the country's tourism sector. In 2014, the government launched the Cultural and Innovation Program 20142020, with an investment of EUR490.0 million (US$650.1 million) by 2020.



- The government implemented tax benefits and subsidies in 2015, in order to attract foreign manufacturing companies. In the same year, the government launched the Made in Italy plan to promote its business environment abroad and attract FDI in the manufacturing sector.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04100755-summary/view-report.html

About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

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PORTLAND, Oregon, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new report by Allied Market Research, titled, "COPD and Asthma Devices Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2015 - 2022", the Global COPD and asthma devices market is expected to reach $41,355.2 million by 2022. The drug powder inhaler was the highest revenue-generating segment, accounting for over half of the share in 2015. This segment is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period.

Allied Market Research Logo (PRNewsFoto/ALLIED MARKET RESEARCH)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140911/647229)



The major factors boosting the market growth include increasing prevalence of respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, and emphysema; growing need for rescue medication during sudden asthmatic attack; and burgeoning demand for short-term, effective medication, says Deepa Tatkare, Lead Analyst at Allied Market Research. Increasing focus of manufacturers towards the development of advanced and portable inhalation devices would further boost the market growth, she adds. The factors hampering the market growth include environmental concerns associated with metered dose inhalers (MDI) and high cost of selected inhalation devices. Regulatory authorities such as U.S. food and drug administration (USFDA) across several regions have banned the production and sales of MDIs, as they release environmentally hazardous gases such as chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrofluoroalkanes (HFA). Thus, soft mist inhalers (SMIs) and nebulizers are expected to replace MDIs for the treatment of respiratory diseases in the near future.

Compressor nebulizers constitute around four-fifths share of the overall nebulizers market, owing to their perpetual usage in home healthcare medication and widespread availability across various regions. Nebulizers are electric- or battery-powered machines, which dispense the medication in the form of fine mist. They are used in home healthcare set-ups for debilitated patients, geriatric, and children. However, the large size of nebulizers and the need for continuous power supply are expected to hinder the market growth.

Sample of the COPD and Asthma Devices Market Report can be accessed on the website at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/COPD-asthma-devices-market

Key Findings:

Drug powder inhalers (DPIs) segment is projected to grow at a significant CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period.

North America was the leading region in 2015, and is expected to continue its dominance throughout the analysis period.

was the leading region in 2015, and is expected to continue its dominance throughout the analysis period. The COPD and asthma devices market in Europe is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1%.

is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1%. The compressor nebulizers segment is expected to register a CAGR of 5.4%.

North America is expected to remain the highest revenue-generating region, owing to widespread and early adoption of inhalers & nebulizers and large pool of patients suffering from respiratory diseases. Moreover, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly due to rising healthcare expenditure, growing awareness of advanced portable COPD & asthma devices, and increasing disposable income.

The key product manufacturing companies profiled in this report include GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Novartis AG, Merck & Co., Inc., AstraZeneca Plc, Philips Healthcare, 3M Health Care, Allied Healthcare Products, Inc., Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., GF Healthcare Products, Smith Medicals, Inc., Lincare Holdings, Inc., and Baxter International.

Similar Reports Published by Allied Market Research -

Anesthesia and Respiratory Devices Market - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/anesthesia-and-respiratory-devices-market

Drug-Device Combination Products Market - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/drug-device-combination-products-market

About Us:

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP, based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions". AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies, and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirm the utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. All the data presented in the reports published by us are extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of concerned domain. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussions with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

Contact:

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5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,

#205, Portland, OR 97220,

United States.

Int'l: +1-503-894-6022

Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285

Fax: +1-800-792-5285

Email: [email protected]



Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com



SOURCE Allied Market Research
DENVER, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CorePower Yoga, America's leading yoga brand that roots an intensely physical workout in the mindfulness of yoga, is excited to announce the opening of its first New York City location. Opening in early 2017, New Yorkers will now have access to CorePower Yoga's unique mind-body practice that turns stress into sweat. The new studio, located at 2030 Broadway in Manhattan's Upper West Side neighborhood, will mark CorePower Yoga's entry into the Tri-State area and round out its 150+ locations in close to 100 cities across the country.

"We are inspired by the incredible vibrancy of New York City and cannot wait to offer CorePower's uniquely intense and mindful workout to New Yorkers," said Eric Kufel, chief executive officer at CorePower Yoga. "Manhattanites live crazy busy lives that make it challenging to fit in meaningful time for themselves. With CorePower Yoga, they'll get a workout that is both physical and mental  not to mention a convenient studio location and full amenities  all in one efficient hour."

Each CorePower Yoga class is designed to work every muscle and every emotion, creating a uniquely holistic mind-body workout. Offerings range from restorative classes to physically demanding, muscle-sculpting workouts. In addition to the daily class schedule, CorePower Yoga offers a renowned Yoga Teacher Training program, along with special programs including boot camps, retreats and wellness cleanses.

CorePower Yoga's New York City studio will occupy a 4,108 square foot space and offer two studio rooms for its wide range of classes. Designed with green building practices in mind using recycled products and sustainable materials, the studio will feature its proprietary technology to efficiently heat the practice rooms. Students will have access to spa-like amenities including spacious changing rooms with showers and private lockers, and a full retail boutique showcasing a stylish selection of men's and women's activewear and accessories.

The CorePower Yoga New York City studio will offer a range of membership options, including drop-in class packages and the brand's Black Tag offering that features unlimited classes, studio perks and discounts on special programs and retail. For additional information on CorePower Yoga, please visit http://corepoweryoga.com.

About CorePower Yoga:

CorePower Yoga strives to show the world the incredible, life-changing things that happen when an intensely physical workout is rooted in the mindfulness of yoga. Through a variety of yoga classes, convenient times and more than 150 studio locations, CorePower Yoga provides a highly intense and incredibly mindful form of fitness.

CorePower Yoga classes are taught by passionate and encouraging certified yoga instructors who take a typical yoga practice and crank it up to 11. In addition to yoga classes, CorePower Yoga offers transformative Yoga Teacher Training programs to empower students to advance their individual practice or become instructors. The beautiful, spa-like studios are built with green practices in mind and operate to meet the highest standards of service and quality. For more information, visit corepoweryoga.com.

Media Contact

TURNER

212-889-1700

[email protected]

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SOURCE CorePower Yoga

Related Links

http://corepoweryoga.com


LONDON, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Most if not all industries continue to be affected by the digital evolution, in most cases positively, but where industries have failed to adapt quickly enough is where the negative affect can be seen in full force. With the lines increasingly blurred between digital and physical experiences and the 24/7 culture of today's generation only those with their fingers on the digital pulse have been able to truly capitalise on this revolution.

But this isn't a new challenge, but what is intriguing is how customer and user experience experts deal with the digital challenge, and in fact turn it into an opportunity! >> http://bit.ly/2bDqINR <<

These challenges, and many more facing the CX world, have been discussed by senior CX executives from the financial services, retail, telecoms and travel & hospitality industries, who have shared how they continue to adapt their CX strategy to ensure they're driving best-in-class customer experience today (and every day) to secure the customer of tomorrow. This is what is called The CX Blueprint!

The report, released by the editorial team at the Customer Experience Exchange, features Stewart Bromley, COO, Atom Bank; Iain Kirkpatrick, MD, Retail, Metro Bank; Jennifer Day, Customer Management Director, Shop Direct; Jens-Ole Boelsen, Head Of User Experience, Otto Group; Mariana Machado, Customer Behaviour Director, Accor; Theresa Mattisson, Head Of Ecommerce, Nordic Choice Hotels; Gero Niemeyer, Managing Director Of Customer Service, Deutsche Telekom; and Rohini Mehra, Director Of Channel Operations, Three.

Grab your free copy of The CX Blueprint >> http://bit.ly/2bDqINR <<



Hear Theresa Mattisson discuss the importance of digital within the customer experience strategy "digital is not like a layer on top of your strategy, digital should be part of your business strategy. If it's not, you're doomed to fail, because you can't create a folder, make it a PDF, send it out and say "Hey, I'm digital."

Learn from Stewart Bromley as he shares his thoughts on how consumer behaviour is driving the digital evolution across the financial services sector "As the customer behavioural shift towards digital becomes more emphatic than even it is today and technology evolves at the pace it is currently, the concept of banks is going to have to change. It's not really about the banks it's about you and your money."

Deep dive into Mariana Machado insights on what the digital era means to her and how brands are losing control whilst customers are gaining it, "The digital era for me means sharing and being a part of the brand and the brand will no longer be built by a logo and by colours and by graphics, but built by customers."

Discover how your CX strategy holds up against the experts by downloading the complimentary report The CX Blueprint created by the Customer Experience Exchange, Europe, ahead of this years' senior level, strategic meeting which will be held in Brussels on the 8 - 9 November, 2016.

For more information or to request your invitation to attend the Exchange, where 80 C-level & VPs/Directors of Customer Experience, Marketing and eCommerce from Fortune 500 companies including; BNP Paribas Cardif; KPN; Schneider Electric; T Mobile; Barclays; Shell and many more will be gathering to discuss the practicalities of increasing customer retention and loyalty in this hyper-competitive market, visit >> http://bit.ly/2bhYEAu << call +44 (0)207 368 9484 or email [email protected].

SOURCE IQPC Exchange
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DocuSign announced that the DocuSign Global Trust Network now has developers across nearly every industry that are streamlining and automating processes via integrations with the company's award-winning API (Application Programming Interface). The DocuSign API is driving significant growth in the volume of eSignature transactions with 58% of transactions now processed through the company's API.

Companies like Cisco, Comcast, Liberty Tax, Loan Depot, and Restaurant Services Inc. are among the more than 30,000 developer sandboxes open on the company's Digital Transaction Management (DTM) platform. In the first two quarters of DocuSign's fiscal year starting February 1, new API integrations with the company's eSignature service drove 300% growth of API transaction volume from new customers year over year.

"The developer community is a key part of our global growth strategy as they sit at the heart of automating business processes for their organizations," said Brad Brooks, head of product, engineering and marketing at DocuSign. "As a result of our deeper focus on and commitment to the developer community, we're seeing tremendous growth in the use of the DocuSign API among our customers. That growth is particularly significant as it represents greater stickiness between our customers and our platform as they embed DocuSign eSignature and DTM services directly into their business processes and applications."

"DocuSign has emerged as the clear leader for one of the most strategic and potentially one of the largest categories in the cloud today Digital Transaction Management," said Rick Smith, CEO of Equifax. "Our strategic partnership with DocuSign as the global standard for DTM not only facilitates our own digital transformation, but enables our customers to go fully digital." For more detail on Equifax's digital transformation with DocuSign, view the video.

"DocuSign has emerged as a leader in the provision of digital transaction management, which is a rapidly growing area of cloud services," said Sridhar Ramaswamy, SVP of Ads & Commerce at Google.

"We chose DocuSign because it's the global standard for Digital Transaction Management and an API-first company," said Mark Hansen, VP of business applications at Loan Depot. "The experience with DocuSign has been amazing  easy to integrate with, easy to work with, always responsive and always available. DocuSign is a developer's dream."

DocuSign has made deep investments in its API, as well as in industries like Real Estate, Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare/Life Sciences and Government/Public Sector; in key geographies including Europe, Latin America and Asia; in product innovation with its Standards-Based Signatures suite, Hybrid Cloud deployment offering, world class security, and unparalleled availability; and in partnerships with Apple, Cisco, Dell, Deutsche Telekom, FedEx, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NTT, Salesforce, Samsung, SAP, Telstra, Visa, Xerox and others  all geared toward driving customer adoption, early wins, and long-term success.

"There's no doubt that the world is going fully digital. Transformations have become inevitable to seize new business opportunities and to create sustainable competitive advantage," said Kevin Bandy, SVP and chief digital officer at Cisco. "As the global standard for Digital Transaction Management and eSignature, DocuSign is at the very heart of digital transformation, helping organizations of every size and industry go digital. We've seen the power of the DocuSign API first-hand at Cisco as we've embedded DTM and eSignature services into our platforms to benefit our customers, employees and partners."

Organizations like AstraZeneca, DeVry Education Group, Hotel Tonight, McKesson, Special Olympics and Unilever use DocuSign to achieve faster speed to results, lower cost, increased security and compliance, and better customer experiences. On average, 84% of transactions are completed via DocuSign in less than one day; 62% in less than one hour; and 51% in 15 minutes or less  dramatically faster than the days or weeks typically required with paper. On average, DocuSign delivers $36.44 in value per document to customers  including hard dollar savings, productivity improvements and revenue gains  over paper methods.

"Every day AstraZeneca gets a drug to market faster is literally tens of millions of dollars in revenue and, more importantly, helps patients get needed treatments sooner," said Dave Smoley, CIO at AstraZeneca. "DocuSign is enabling AstraZeneca to transform our business and our industry to accelerate speed to market and speed to care  and it's positively impacting our bottom line and the lives of hundreds of millions of people globally."

The versatile API, speed, ease of use, compelling ROI and great end user experience are just a few things driving accelerated adoption of DocuSign around the world  and powering the DocuSign Global Trust network to that 300% year over year growth, now with more than 250,000 companies and 100 million users across 188 countries, and 130,000 new users joining every day. In Europe, DocuSign is seeing strong interest in its Standards-Based Signatures suite and Hybrid Cloud deployment offering launched in June in advance of the July 1 eIDAS regulation taking effect across the EU.

"As a customer of DocuSign, LinkedIn is leveraging its eSignature and Digital Transaction Management across the company," said Steve Sordello, CFO at LinkedIn. "We rely on DocuSign every day to help us seamlessly and securely conduct business transactions across multiple teams and offices around the world." For more detail on LinkedIn's digital transformation with DocuSign, view the video.

"Fundamental to our mission is to provide an open global network for fast, frictionless, secure transactions, and as a private company, we're fortunate to be able to invest long term in the DocuSign Global Trust Network," noted DocuSign chairman and CEO Keith Krach. "DocuSign is helping countries, companies and consumers transact business quickly, easily and secure  anytime, anywhere, on any device."

Today's news of growth of the DocuSign Global Trust Network comes on the heels of DocuSign being named one of the Top 50 Cloud Companies to Work For by Glassdoor, the jobs and recruiting marketplace. Overall, employees rate DocuSign at 4.5 out of 5, with a 4.4 rating on career opportunities and 4.5 rating on the company's culture and values. DocuSign's CEO, Keith Krach, has a 98% approval rating among employees, 91% of whom would recommend DocuSign as a great place to work to a friend or colleague. DocuSign employees rate the company's business outlook at higher than 90% favorable, well above the Glassdoor Top 50 average of 75%.

The company is bringing the power of DTM and eSignature to customers all around the globe in a series of complimentary half day DocuSign Momentum X events in Boston (September 22), New York (September 27), Philadelphia (September 29), Los Angeles (November 15 and 16), and Seattle (November 17), with additional international locations to be announced. DocuSign's Momentum X events bring together key learnings, insights and best practices on going paperless from thought leaders and industry luminaries around the world. Attendees will discover the leadership, technology and culture requirements for taking their business fully digital, learning from other digital heroes who've led their industries, companies and departments through transformation. Individuals may register at https://momentum.docusign.com/en.

Developers interested in integrating DocuSign eSignature into their workflows, processes and apps may find all the tools and resources they need in the DocuSign Developer Center. For more information on DocuSign, please visit www.docusign.com.

Contact:

Adrian Wainwright

DocuSign, Inc.

[email protected]

About DocuSign, Inc.

DocuSign is changing how business gets done by empowering anyone to send, sign and manage agreements anytime, anywhere, on any device with trust and confidence. DocuSign and Go to keep life and business moving forward. For more information, visit www.docusign.com, call +1-877-720-2040, or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Copyright 2003-2016. DocuSign, Inc. is the owner of DOCUSIGN and all of its other marks (www.docusign.com/IP). All other marks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151102/283113LOGO

SOURCE DocuSign, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.docusign.com


"Dickey's is very much looking forward to reopening the Brea and Laguna Niguel locations under the ownership of longtime Dickey's Owner/Operators Tom Gomez and Danny DeMarco," says Roland Dickey Jr., CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. "With more than 100 locations across California, we are proud to serve authentic, Texas-style barbecue to these communities and look forward to continued growth throughout the state."

Both locations will have the grand opening weekends as detailed below. The festivities in Brea begin Thursday, September 1 and the Laguna Niguel celebration commences on September 15.

Thirsty Thursdays  All guests will receive a free Big Yellow Cup with Dickey's new reusable travel lid and straw. The first 50 guests will receive a taste of Dickey's butcher taco of the month, the Buffalo & Bleu.

Philanthropy Fridays  "You Give, We Give," guests who donate to Dickey's charitable foundation, Barbecue, Boots & Badges, will receive a gift card. Uniformed first responders also receive 50 percent off their meal.

Sandwich Saturdays  The new store will serve $2 'Just the Pork' classic sandwiches from 11:00 a.m.  2:00 p.m. Three lucky guests will win free barbecue for a year during that time. Guests must be present to win.

Kids Eat Free All Day Every Sunday with a $10 dine-in purchase per adult.

Owner/Operators Tom Gomez and Danny DeMarco first met when DeMarco was managing a local upscale butcher shop. The duo dreamed for years about opening their own restaurant. One day over lunch at Dickey's Barbecue Pit, the pair decided the barbecue chain was the right fit for their foray into franchising. Gomez and DeMarco are now the proud co-owners of three Dickey's locations, and expanding to five this month. "I am excited to reopen the doors of Dickey's Barbecue Pit to these wonderful communities," Gomez says. "I truly feel like it will be opening the doors of my home and inviting people in not only as guests but as family."

Residents of Brea can find Dickey's at 2435 Imperial Hwy., Brea, CA 92821. The phone number is 714-515-8177. Dickey's in Laguna Niguel is located at 27931 La Paz Rd., Suite D, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677. The phone number is 714-709-9051.

Find Dickey's on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the nation's largest barbecue chain was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey with the goal of authentic slow-smoked barbecue. Today, all meats are still slow smoked on-site in each restaurant living up to the company tagline, "We Speak Barbecue." The Dallas-based family-run barbecue franchise offers a quality selection of signature meats, home style sides, tangy barbecue sauce and free kids' meals every Sunday. The fast-casual concept has expanded to more than 560 locations in 43 states. This year Dickey's won first place on Fast Casual's "Top 100 Movers and Shakers" and ranked in the top ten of Franchise Times' "Fast and Serious." Dickey's Barbecue Pit was recognized for the third year by Nation's Restaurant News as a "Top 10 Growth Chain" and by Technomic as the "Fastest-growing restaurant chain in the country." For more information, visit www.dickeys.com or for barbecue franchise opportunities call 866.340.6188.

Media Contact:

Kimberly Harms / Michelle George

[email protected] / [email protected]

972.248.9899

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403268

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140102/LA39739LOGO



SOURCE Dickey's Barbecue

Related Links

http://www.dickeys.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, August 31st, DuJour Media will toast it's new home with a rooftop celebration at The Skylark, the chic cocktail lounge owned by Bob Savitt, Founder and President of Savitt Partners, and managing partners David Rabin and Jim Kirsch, along with Alison Awerbuch of Abigail Kirsch.



DuJour's new offices are in Space 530, the premier, full-service co-working environment and showroom concept located at 530 Seventh Avenue. DuJour recently moved into the Space530 after working at 2 Park Avenue in midtown for four years. The move to the heart of Manhattan's Fashion District represents a new phase for DuJour, a quarterly print magazine and monthly digital publication.

DuJour's new headquarters are located at:



530 Seventh Avenue

New York NY 10036



DuJour, the award-winning multi-platform lifestyle brand created by media entrepreneur and publisher Jason Binn is expressly for select affluent consumers with an influential social footprint. Binn is the founder of Niche Media, a contributor to WireImage and also serves as Chief Advisor to Gilt and InList. DuJour delivers unparalleled access with a rich and diverse breadth of content to an exclusive, often elusive audience. DuJour amasses the talents of Editor-in-Chief Fiona Murray and a world-renowned roster of editors, writers, stylists and photographers. DuJour brings to the forefront stories about fashion, design, food, travel, art, politics et al., issue to issue. Since its launch, DuJour garnered industry awards including: Ad Week 2013 Hot List Reader's Choice  Hottest Newcomer, Min  Editorial & Design Awards 2013  Best Launch (Print), Min  Editorial & Design Awards 2013  Best Website, 2012 Webby Award for Best Home/Welcome Page, and The Folio: 100. www.dujour.com.

The Skylark is a sophisticated cocktail bar perched above the skyscrapers of New York's most fashionable district. The contemporary but classic tiered lounge with floor to ceiling windows boasts spectacular panoramic views of the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline including the Empire State Building, perfect for celebratory sunset toasts and post work gatherings. All year round guests can enjoy creative shared plates from exclusive caterer Abigail Kirsch and an innovative, top shelf cocktail menu from mixologist Johnny Swet. The venue houses a range of unique spaces including a year-round enclosed lounge and seasonal roof deck as well as a private and plush Pool Room and Living Room to accommodate large parties and intimate gatherings alike.

SOURCE DuJour Media

Related Links

http://www.dujour.com


Singapore on Tuesday confirmed another 26 locally-transmitted Zika cases, bringing the total up to 82, with some new victims being identified outside of the previously-affected areas.

Five of the cases live or work in Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way, north of Sims Drive and Aljunied, the previously affected areas that have since seen 17 more cases, according to a joint statement issued by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday.

The statement added that the remaining four cases were being investigated for their links to the affected regions.

Singapore's NEA will be commencing mosquito control operations and conduct public outreach in Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way, according to an official statement.

The agency also said it would also be inspecting construction sites and cooperate with dormitory operators, after 39 foreign workers at a Sims Drive construction site were infected with the Zika virus.

Pregnant women with Zika symptoms, or partners who tested Zika positive, are urged to get tested, the MOH said.



The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect in which a pregnant women's unborn fetus develops with a smaller-than-usual head size.



Several countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Australia, have also issued travel advisories this week cautioning pregnant women against non-essential travel to Singapore.



Victims of the Aedes mosquito-borne Zika virus are likely to experience symptoms such as fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. The virus can also be transmitted sexually.

"There are no therapeutics or vaccines available, the only way [to prevent transmission] is to try and eliminate mosquitoes," Shee-Mei Lok, associate professor at Duke-NUS Medical School's Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, told CNBC's "Capital Connection."

But aside from the challenges of trying to manage the mosquito population in the affected areas, there are also potentially undiscovered cases of the Zika virus which can be asymptomatic, according to the government.

Story continues

The MOH has already said it would continue to work with general practitioners in the affected areas to offer testing for patients who had previously shown Zika virus symptoms, to "uncover more previously undiagnosed cases of Zika," according to an official statement released Monday.

Lok also highlighted that existing diagnostic kits were not very good at differentiating if the virus was dengue or Zika.

The Southeast Asian city-state confirmed its first locally-transmitted Zika case just last Saturday.

-- Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.





More From CNBC


SEATTLE, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Eddie Bauer launches the #Hug2Give social media campaign with philanthropic ambassador Ryan Reynolds as part of The One Tree Initiative benefitting longtime partner American Forests.

The active outdoor brand is calling for support in its continued efforts to help American Forests protect and restore ecosystems around the world. By simply posting a photo hugging a tree and tagging #OneTree, #Hug2Give, @EddieBauer and @AmericanForests on any social media platform now through September, 15, Eddie Bauer will donate $50 to American Forests for every photo posted, up to $25,000.

With the #Hug2Give campaign, Eddie Bauer aims to inspire people to advocate for forest conservation, so they can continue to get outside and live their adventure.

"Eddie Bauer, the man himself, spent his entire life encouraging people to get outside, and reminded them to assume personal responsibility for preserving the beauty of nature," said Mike Egeck, President and CEO of Eddie Bauer. "#Hug2Give is our way of continuing that mission."

For 20 years, Eddie Bauer has helped American Forests plant more than 6.8 million trees. To celebrate the anniversary of their partnership, the two brands launched The One Tree Initiative in February 2016, and kicked it off with a social media campaign and #Text2Give program during Earth Week.

Eddie Bauer launched its partnership with American Forests in 1995 with the ongoing "Add a Dollar, Plant a Tree" project, in which the brand plants a tree every time a customer adds a dollar to his or her purchase. Eddie Bauer donates 100 percent of these funds collected from customer donations to American Forests' reforestation projects in the U.S. and Canada. During Earth Week, Eddie Bauer matched customer donations, ultimately planting 129,000 trees.

Now through September 15, customers can join The One Tree Initiative by adding a dollar at check-out on eddiebauer.com or at any US or Canadian retail location or by joining its #Hug2Give campaign on social media.

"Eddie Bauer is such an iconic brand that has historically enabled people to have rich outdoor experiences," said Reynolds. "It truly is up to us to preserve our forests so that future generations can continue to have those experiences and I am proud to help support that mission."

For more information, visit www.eddiebauer.com/onetree.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160520/370562LOGO

SOURCE Eddie Bauer

Related Links

http://www.eddiebauer.com


LONDON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Emerging Opportunities in African BPO Markets : Innovation Boosts Growth in Key African Countries



This research service provides an analysis of the BPO market across Africa, with Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, and Nigeria as the scope. The study includes market insights, overview of strategies of leading providers, regulatory considerations, economic impact assessment of the BPO market in these 5 countries, and a comparison with global trends. It also provides a supply and demand analysis and market composition by local and international BPO providers. Other aspects are utilisation of BPO services in key industry verticals, key companies utilising the services, a breakdown of customer interaction channels, strategic insights on the role of innovation in market growth, and a brief look into the BPO market's future.



Market Definitions



Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)

The contracting of a specific business task to a third-party service provider that specialises in that particular task is known as BPO. BPO is further divided into back-office and front-office outsourcing.

o Back office outsourcing: This includes internal business support functions such as billing, purchasing, accounting, or payroll activities.

o Front office outsourcing: This includes customer-related services such as marketing, technical support, and sales that are typically provided by a contact centre



Nearshoring

Nearshoring is a form of outsourcing whereby businesses outsource services to BPO providers located in countries that are in close proximity. Businesses are increasingly opting for nearshore outsourcing in order to benefit from similar time zones, closer cultural affinity, more face-to-face interactions, reduced travel costs, higher efficiencies, and increased flexibility.





Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4062666/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


NEW YORK, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

With more than 90 tire manufacturing facilities, 16 research and development centres and 12 leading tire manufacturers currently operational in Europe, the region continues to be the epicentre of all the major global advancements in tire technology. European tire market is directly dependent on the Europe automobile sector, which witnessed sluggish growth during 2011-15. Eurozone crisis is the major factor which has resulted in weak demand for tires across the Europe region.

New Age TechSci Research Logo (PRNewsFoto/New Age TechSci Research)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 )



Europe Tire Market: Outlook

Europe tire market is underpinned by several micro and macro-economic factors which impact the automobile industry. During 2011-15, both automobile production and sales grew at sluggish pace. Key reasons for the weak demand can be attributed to Eurozone crisis which weakened the European economy. Eurozone crisis and poor economic situation led to stagnant tire market in Europe during the period.

However, post 2013 Europe witnessed a substantial comeback from the economic crisis. Increasing urbanization and consistent growth in infrastructure development led to increase in sale of automobiles and subsequently lead to larger automobile fleet size. Automobile production and sales in Europe are expected to recover during the forecast period, on the back of anticipated economic recovery and infrastructure development. On account of this, the demand for tires in OEM and replacement market is expected to grow during the forecast period.

In 2015, the Europe tire market was dominated by Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Spain. These countries accounted for a cumulative market share of more than 50% in volume terms. It is forecast that Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Spain would continue to dominated the Europe tire market over the next five years owing to expected increase in the vehicle production, sales and expand vehicle fleet, which would drive the overall Europe tire market.

Europe Tire Market: Key Drivers

With constantly increasing automobiles on the European roads, the demand for tires has increased, however, the growth has been marginal over the last few years due to economic slowdown. However, the tire sales are expected to increase during the forecast period. Europe tire market is forecast to recover at a healthy pace over the next couple of years. Further, backed by stabilizing economy, legislative initiatives to foster modernization of car parc, growing per capita income, launch of new car models and increasing consumer base, Europe tire market is forecast to grow at a healthy rate. Moreover, the Europe tire market, which was dominated by the passenger car tire segment in 2015, is anticipated to continue its dominance during the forecast period as well.

However, it is forecast that commercial vehicle tire market will also grow at a healthy rate due to an anticipated surge in the construction activities in Europe, especially Eastern Europe, until 2021.

Europe Tire Market: Segment Wise Outlook

The report is divided into five major segments: Passenger Cars tires, Light Commercial Vehicles tires, Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicles tires, Two-Wheelers tires and Off-the-Road Vehicles tires. For each stated segment, the market size is closely estimated and future forecasts have been given. In 2015, the Europe tire market was dominated by the passenger car tire segment, which captured major share in overall Europe tire market. Growing per capita income and anticipated increase in the launch of new models are few of the key factors to drive the demand for passenger car tires over the next five years.

Europe Tire Market: Segmentation

Europe Tire Market can be segmented on the basis of vehicle type.

Based on the Vehicle Type, Europe Tire Market is divided into the following segments:

Passenger Cars (PC) Tires

Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) Tires

Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicles (M&HCV) Tires

Two-Wheelers (2W) Tires

Off-The-Road (OTR) Vehicles Tires

Based on the Country, Europe Tire Market is divided into the following Countries:

Germany

United Kingdom

France

Spain

Poland

Netherlands

Belgium

Slovakia

Hungary

Romania `

` Slovenia

Rest of Europe

Europe Tire Market: Key Players

Key players in the Europe Tire market include Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Nokian, Hankook, etc.

Information on these key players is covered in the Europe Tire market report. The report provides detailed company profiles with key segments including business segments, product offerings, and facts and figures along with the historical data and operating history of the company.

Why You Should Buy This Report?

To gain an in-depth understanding of the Europe Tire market

To identify the on-going trends and anticipated growth over next five years

To help industry consultants and automobile manufacturers, to align their market strategies

To obtain research-based business decisions and add weight to presentations and marketing material

To gain competitive knowledge of leading market players

To avail 10% customization in the report without any extra charges and get the research data or trends added in the report as per the buyer's specific needs

The report is an outcome of in-depth primary and secondary research by industry experts. This market research report is a strategic guide to industry players catering to the tire market of Europe. The key trends and growth drivers, challenges, etc. have been taken into consideration before devising the market size and market share of the the Europe Tire market. The report discusses in detail about the reasoning behind current market growth as well as historical market size and analysis, along with the forecast market size and key reasons for the same for overall as well as various segments of the report.

Report Highlights:

Europe Tire Market Size, Share & Forecast

Country Analysis

Segmental Analysis - By vehicle Type, By Offline Vs Online Sales, By Radial Vs. Bias, By Country, By Demand Category and By Company

Market Attractiveness Index

Market Dynamics

Changing Market Trends & Emerging Opportunities

Competitive Landscape & Strategic Recommendations

Key Questions This Study Will Answer

What are the key drivers which will drive the market to next level?

Which are the demand generating regions and how these regions will grow in the coming years?

Who all are the key players in the tire market of the Europe ? What is the market share of key players in the Europe tire market and how market share dynamics will change in the coming years?

? What is the market share of key players in the tire market and how market share dynamics will change in the coming years? What are the market shares of passenger cars tires, light commercial vehicles tires, medium & heavy commercial vehicles tires, two-wheelers tires and off-the-road vehicles tires?

Which are the Countries with major dominance of the Europe tire market?

About TechSci Research

TechSci Research is a leading global market research firm publishing premium market research reports. Serving 700 global clients with more than 600 premium market research studies, TechSci Research is serving clients across 11 different industrial verticals. TechSci Research specializes in research based consulting assignments in high growth and emerging markets, leading technologies and niche applications. Our workforce of more than 100 fulltime Analysts and Consultants employing innovative research solutions and tracking global and country specific high growth markets helps TechSci clients to lead rather than follow market trends.

Contact

Mr. Ken Mathews

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SOURCE TechSci Research
Previously, Google Street View had overlooked the Faroe Islands, even though other remote places like Mt. Blanc have a presence on the site. Taking matters into her own hands, Durita Andreassen spent the last few months mapping out her beautiful country using sheep equipped with solar-powered cameras, creating her very own SheepView360 .

Following the launch of her project, thousands of people around the world urged Google to make the Faroe Islands a part of Google Street View. Their efforts have been wildly successful and Google is now heeding their call. Representatives from Google have now arrived in the Faroe Islands with one mission: to help the remote islands create their own version of Google Street View. The result is the creation of a new kind of Street View, created entirely by the sheep and the Faroese people. Google is supporting the Faroese Street View fleet through their Street View Camera Loan Program offering cameras, guidance and a Google Trekker.

"When we started this project, we wanted Google Street View to represent the Faroe Islands so we could share our beautiful country with the world, and with all the people who do not have the means to visit. During the process, we fell in love with our own woolly version of Street View, so we are absolutely delighted that Google has decided to help us continue on this path," says Durita Andreassen.

It is now up to the Faroese people and tourists visiting the Faroe Islands to create Street View using sheep, bikes, backpacks, cars, kayaks, and even wheelbarrows. Furthermore, the Visit Faroe Islands office in Torshavn and Atlantic Airways at the airport will be lending out Google cameras, and anyone is welcome to lend a hand in the exciting project.

"We are delighted that we now have all the equipment, knowledge and support from Google that we need to continue to develop our own unique version of Google Street View." says Guri Hjgaard, director at Visit Faroe Islands.

For images and videos please visit: http://visitfaroeislands.com/press-professionals/press-material/

FACTS ABOUT THE FAROE ISLANDS:





Population: 49,188 Number of sheep (circa): 80,000 Number of islands: 18 Total area: 1,396 km2 Faroe Islands originally means: "The Sheep Islands"

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago of 18 mountainous islands located halfway between Iceland and Scotland in the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands are comprised of 50,000 inhabitants and 80,000 sheep. With more sheep than people, it's not surprising that the name Faroe Islands first appeared as Faereyjar (in approximately 1225), which means "Sheep Islands." This name was given by the Viking settlers from Norway in the ninth century. The Faroe Islands have been awarded the best islands in the world by National Geographic and ranked as one of the world's top ten destinations by Lonely Planet and been lauded by the New York Times. The country boasts fantastic scenery, a unique culture, a rich music heritage and gourmet culinary scene, one that brings foreign chefs and foodies flocking to the Faroe Islands to experience the local cuisine.

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/Googlehelpssheepview.mp4

SOURCE Visit Faroe Islands

Related Links

http://visitfaroeislands.com


AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

FCA US ranked #12 on the annual "LATINA Style Top 50" report

Report evaluated more than 800 corporations in the U.S.

Company recognized 13 times in the Top 50 since report was established in 1998

The most influential publication reaching the contemporary Hispanic woman, LATINA Style magazine, has recognized FCA US LLC as #12 on the magazine's annual list of the 50 best companies in the U.S. for Hispanic women to work. Editors evaluated more than 800 corporations for this year's report, which analyzes company efforts for promoting diversity and career advancement opportunities for Hispanic women.

FCA US, formerly Chrysler Group, has earned a top position on the LATINA Style 50 report 13 times since the report was established in 1998.

"We are excited to be recognized once again by LATINA Style magazine," said Marlin Page, Diversity and Inclusion Head, FCA US. "Throughout the years we have been committed to hiring diverse talent, as it is essential for innovation, growth and success. Latinas work in many different organizations and positions throughout FCA, from HR and engineering to marketing and communication. Their passion and hard work is a vital contributor to our ability to produce class-leading products that resonate with our diverse customers."

LATINA Style magazine was the first national magazine to address the concerns of the working Hispanic woman. As the LATINA Style slogan, "empowering Latinas, one woman at a time," suggests, the magazine aims to "highlight, promote and bring recognition to the professional Latinas in corporate America and provide a valuable reference tool for Latinas entering the workforce or changing careers." The magazine also focuses on companies that have programs to recruit veterans and military personnel.

The report is distributed to Hispanic professional and civic organizations, national women's organizations, more than 2,000 college and universities and major Hispanic recruitment conferences.

FCA US was honored at a National Press Club event in Washington, D.C., on August 29. The report and ranking will be published in LATINA Style's August special issue.

About LATINA Style, Inc.

LATINA Style Inc., headquartered in Falls Church, Va., and with offices in Dallas, is the publisher of LATINA Style Magazine, a national magazine for the professional Hispanic woman. The magazine has been published for 21 years and has a national circulation of 150,000 and a readership of nearly 600,000. The company is host of the LATINA Style Business Series, the LATINA Style 50 Report, the National LATINA Symposium and the LATINA Style Hero Initiative.

About FCA US LLC

FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA US designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands, as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C model and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli.

FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."

Follow FCA US news and video on:

FCA Content On Demand (COD): www.fcacod.com

Company blog: blog.fcanorthamerica.com

Company website: www.fcanorthamerica.com

FCA360: 360.fcanorthamerica.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FiatChrysler.NorthAmerica/

Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/chryslergroup/

Media website: media.fcanorthamerica.com

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/fcacorporate

Instagram: www.instagram.com/FiatChrysler_NA

Twitter: www.twitter.com/FiatChrysler_NA

Twitter (Spanish): www.twitter.com/fcausespanol

YouTube: www.youtube.com/pentastarvideo

SOURCE FCA US LLC

Related Links

http://www.fcanorthamerica.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Finesse Solutions, Inc., a manufacturer of measurement and control solutions for life science process applications, has expanded its executive team with the appointment of three key individuals: Sara Kaur as chief financial officer, Robert Hayes as vice president of operations and Saroj Patnaik as vice president of enterprise sales.

"With these three key executives, Finesse will benefit from a diverse set of experiences and expertise to accelerate our execution, simplify how we do business, and drive operational rigor in all we do," said Dr. Barbara Paldus, CEO and co-founder of Finesse Solutions. "The momentum we have in our business is undeniable, and we are very pleased with our rapid growth over the last three years. Our strategy is working, and with our new leadership team, I am confident Finesse will move even faster, innovate like never before seen in this industry, and finally, after almost a decade, decisively pull away from the competition."

Ms. Kaur has served as vice president of finance since July 2015 and was recently promoted. Prior to joining Finesse, Ms. Kaur was finance director and international controller for Kulicke & Soffa, a publicly-traded company headquartered in Singapore. She has held senior accounting positions at Ameresco Inc., Microsemi Corporation and Varian Inc. Over the course of her career, Ms. Kaur has also consulted at Google, Symantec Corporation and Hercules Capital. Ms. Kaur received most of her education in England: she holds a Masters in Accounting and Finance from Birmingham City University and a Fellowship with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in London. Ms. Kaur is also a Certified Public Accountant with the California Board of Accountancy.

Mr. Hayes joined Finesse in July and will oversee all of the company's planning and operations. He has held president, CEO and other executive management roles in software and hardware development, control systems, operations and manufacturing. Companies he has co-founded or managed include Atherton Fiber, Purfresh Inc. and Veraloft LLC. Mr. Hayes has also served as vice president of technology at Chroma Systems Solutions, Inc., vice president of development and manufacturing at CellNet Data Systems Inc. and vice president of manufacturing at Everex Systems Inc. Mr. Hayes holds Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from Rice University in Houston and began his career in structural engineering at Brown & Root, Inc., a global engineering and construction company.

Mr. Patnaik brings to Finesse many years of experience in life sciences global account sales and management. He spent over 17 years at Emerson Process Management, a global business of Emerson, where he most recently led the global life sciences group. Prior to this, he held global account management and business development roles, launching new businesses and new regions for Emerson. Mr. Patnaik started his career at ABB in operations and development. He holds an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and a Bachelor of Technology degree in Instruments and Control from Madras Institute of Technology in India. Mr. Patnaik joined Finesse in May and will be responsible for SmartFactory and enterprise sales.

About Finesse Solutions, Inc.

California-based Finesse Solutions, Inc. has a proven record in providing turnkey, scalable solutions for single-use upstream bioprocessing and has begun innovating in solutions for downstream bioprocessing as well. The Finesse product platform includes state-of-the-art disposable sensors, modular automation hardware and intelligent software that can harmonize data and technology transfer globally. Finesse also offers a complete set of services, including commissioning and validation, for rapid and reliable deployment of single-use equipment. For more information, please visit www.finesse.com.

SOURCE Finesse Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.finesse.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine laying in a soundproof room in a shallow tub filled with warm water filled with 800lbs of Epsom salt to allow your body to float effortlessly and feel weightless. Removed from all distraction and the noise of daily responsibility, you experience profound relaxation as you rest in a flotation tank, also known as an isolation tank or a sensory deprivation tank. Floating has seen exponential growth within the last few years and is one of the fastest growing niche industries in the country. On August 20-21, the 2016 Float Conference in Portland, OR brought together the float community for workshops, activities, and conversation on how to educate more consumers about the practice of floating.

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"The growth of the float industry has been mind boggling. It seems like every time we turn around there are a dozen new float centers that opened up. And every one who is opening seems to be doing it out of a love of floating. It gives me confidence that this is just going to continue to grow," said Ashkahn Jahromi, host and MC for the 2016 Float Conference and owner of Float On. "We can really see the rapid growth at the Float Conference each year. This year there were 700 people there, which was hundreds more than we had last year. At this point it feels like we should all strap ourselves in, because we're about to blast off."

While in a floatation tank, outside stimulations such as sound, sight, touch, gravity, and temperature are restricted as much as possible, allowing the subject floating in the tank to quickly enter into a deep state of relaxation. According to several studies, including one from a journal of alternative medicine, the beneficial effects of floating include deep relaxation, increased optimism and sleep quality, and relief from stress, depression, and pain. Others have experienced faster recovery from injury, reduced blood pressure, and enhanced creativity and problem-solving abilities.

The water in flotation tanks is saturated with high levels of Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate), which can keep any body afloat. Most tanks require about 800 lbs. of Epsom Salt to allow subjects to be completely buoyant. The #1 choice for float therapy is USA Made Epsoak Epsom Salt, a premium grade Epsom Salt from the San Francisco Salt Company.

"The 2016 Float Conference just came to a close and was a huge success. We have been attending for several years and are amazed at how fast this holistic therapy is growing," says Lee Williamson, president of San Francisco Salt Company, the major supplier to the float community. He adds, "Over the past six years, we have seen a huge upswing in our Epsoak USA made Epsom Salts not only due to the growing demand from the float industry, but also the loyalty of the float centers who continue to order our salts. Float clinics have been trending towards USA Epsom Salt due to the pure quality, quick service, and our satisfaction guarantees. Epsoak Epsom Salt baths at home are also becoming more popular as people become aware of the many benefits available through bathing with Epsom salt."

To find a flotation center near you, web search "float centers near me." To purchase Epsoak for your home bath or flotation business, visit www.sfsalt.com.

About San Francisco Salt Company

Launched in 2002, the San Francisco Salt Company was the founder's entrepreneurial dream and embodies his principals of quality, value, and customer service. They are a major supplier of Epsom Salt, and are the fastest growing specialty sea salt company in the U.S. according to the 2015 Inc. 5000 list. They have a diverse line of bath and spa salts as well as gourmet chef salts. For more information, please visit http://www.sfsalt.com or find the brand on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.



Media Contact:

Emily Hines

Marketing Mgr.

San Francisco Salt Company

Email

510-477-9600

SOURCE San Francisco Salt Company

Related Links

http://www.sfsalt.com


BEDFORD, Mass., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The F.W. Webb Company held a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of its planned one-million-square-foot Central Distribution (CD) facility in Londonderry, NH yesterday. Hailed as one of the largest facilities of its kind in New Hampshire, the facility will replace and be more than double the size of the company's current CD in Amherst, NH.

With a backdrop abuzz with heavy equipment and machinery, preliminary work continued unabated as state, local and F.W. Webb officials, along with many supporters, gathered at the construction site to mark the company's latest milestone in its 150th year of business.

"Opening a much larger Central Distribution facility represents a major investment in our operations and a significant commitment to our customers and manufacturing partners," said Jeff Pope, president of the F.W. Webb Company. "This huge, state-of-the-art CD will allow us to offer our customers even more and better products, and reach further into the Northeast."

In addition to Jeff Pope, whose family has owned and operated the privately-held F.W. Webb Company since 1933, other speakers included New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (NH), and Londonderry, NH Town Manager Kevin Smith, who welcomed the crowd by enthusing, "Here we grow again."

"The new F.W. Webb facility will help spur economic development in the region and boost New Hampshire's innovation economy," Governor Hassan said. "I am proud F.W. Webb has again chosen the Granite State, reinforcing that with our tax-friendly environment, highly skilled workforce, investments in improving our transportation infrastructure and high quality of life, New Hampshire is an attractive state for business."

"I was thrilled to welcome F.W. Webb to Londonderry at the groundbreaking of its new central distribution facility," said Senator Ayotte. "F.W. Webb epitomizes the American dream  a family business that grows and thrives and puts so many people to work. I will continue my efforts to ensure that businesses like this one can continue to provide good jobs for New Hampshire."

F.W. Webb is growing steadily through acquisitions, new locations, expansion of existing locations, new manufacturer relationships, and additional new products, services and disciplines. As a result, the company is handling a greater volume of product for a larger number of customers in more locations than ever (90+ throughout New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania). "A new CD is essential to accommodate both present demand and anticipated growth," Pope added.

The project should be completed by the end of 2017. F.W. Webb plans to retain and transfer all employees at the Amherst CD to the new facility. Additional employees will be hired as needs dictate as the new facility ramps up to full capacity.

About F.W. Webb

Marking its 150th anniversary, the F.W. Webb Company is the largest distributor of its kind in the Northeast. The company provides products, services and expertise to residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, and municipal professionals. F.W. Webb carries extensive inventory of top-quality products for construction, renovation, maintenance, repair and operational needs. Plumbing, Heating, HVAC, Commercial Refrigeration, and PVF are among the company's 15 distinct disciplines.

Founded in 1866 as a single plumbing supply house in Boston, F.W. Webb has grown to more than 90 locations across nine states. The company also operates 40 Frank Webb's Bath Center showrooms and employs more than 2,000 people throughout New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit fwwebb.com.

SOURCE F.W. Webb Company

Related Links

http://www.fwwebb.com


DALLAS, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Generational Capital Markets, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, ("GCM") an advisor to privately-held businesses for mergers & acquisitions, is pleased to announce the acquisition of its client, Concut, Inc. ("Concut"), headquartered in Kent, Washington, by Dixie Diamond Manufacturing, Inc. ("Dixie Diamond"), headquartered in Lilburn, Georgia. The acquisition closed on June 30, 2016.

Concut is a manufacturer and distributor of high-quality diamond cutting tools serving local, regional, national, and international customers in a variety of industries. The company offers an extensive range of diamond blades and core bits, as well as a complete line of equipment for the cutting of concrete, masonry, stone/tile, and other materials. The company offers its products under three separate product lines: Concut, Inc., Wolverine Equipment, and Rockstar Diamond. Concut, the largest product line, manufactures and distributes diamond tools and equipment. The Wolverine division manufactures hydraulic power packs, hydraulic hand saws, and circle loop saws. Lastly, Rockstar is Concut's stone tooling division. Rockstar is a line of diamond tools targeted toward stone fabricators. To learn more, visit www.concutusa.com

Managing Director John Poythress and Vice President Don Ho were the GCM M&A advisors for Concut on the transaction. "It was a great honor and privilege for our firm to represent Concut in this transaction. The principals have done a wonderful job of growing the business; and this transaction will allow the combined entity the ability to synergistically expand their product and service offering in order to better serve their customers," said John Poythress.

Don Ho added, "With this acquisition, the combined entity of Dixie Diamond-Concut Group is now the largest American-owned diamond tool manufacturer in North America. With manufacturing plants now in the East and West Coast, the company will be able to improve production, delivery, and product availability to their combined customer base. Additionally, Dixie Diamond-Concut Group is supported by Mangrove Equity Partners, which will assist with new business initiatives and M&A activities in order to make the combined company a more pronounced leader in their markets."

Dixie Diamond has been a manufacturer of high-performance diamond tools for more than 40 years using the most advanced production techniques and equipment along with the highest quality materials. Consistency is the key to Dixie Diamond's success and something seen in both staff and products. Most of the staff members have been with Dixie Diamond for 15 years on average, giving the company one of the most experienced workforces in the industry. This level of experience ensures that the company's diamond tools are properly made with time-tested techniques. To learn more, visit www.dixiediamond.com.

About Generational Capital, LLC

Generational Capital, LLC is a Dallas, TX based merger & acquisition advisory firm. Generational Capital wholly owns Generational Capital Markets, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. More information can be found at www.gencm.com. Generational Capital and Generational Capital Markets are affiliated with Generational Equity, LLC. Generational Equity's website is www.genequityco.com and its online newsroom can be found at www.gecpress.com or http://blog.genequityco.com. Generational Equity was recently recognized by the M&A Advisor as the Valuation Firm of the Year. Additionally, John Poythress, Don Ho, and the firm received the M&A Advisor Deal of the Year Award in the $50 - $100 million category in 2012 and M&A Advisor Deal of the Year Award in the $10 - $25 million category in 2014.

For more information:

Carl Doerksen

972-232-1125

[email protected]

SOURCE Generational Capital, LLC

Related Links

http://www.gencm.com/


ATLANTA, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- TechZel, Inc., a structured C-corporation founded in 2003, is looking to expand its operations. The company recently announced that under regulation 506 (c) investing, they are offering 280 shares of Series A preferred convertible stock for $25,000 per share with a two share minimum. According to the Statistical Portal, spending on IT services is expected to grow from $866 billion in 2015 to $1.088 trillion in 2020, positioning TechZel for some serious growth.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402806

During the company's history, TechZel has delivered services to both small and large organizations including Fortune 50/500/1000 companies. The industries seeking their services have also varied widely including those in education, airline, oil & gas, legal services, professional services, retail, ISPs, IT organizations, fast food, and healthcare organizations. Having this depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise sets the stage for TechZel's expansion into various markets with the appropriate levels of capitalization. TechZel has not limited itself to providing services to a specific market segment, but has kept a broad outlook as to which businesses it could market and deliver IT services.

With the additional capital, TechZel will initially continue to focus on IT services, such as networking architectures/implementations and the support of such infrastructures. The plan is to keep its headquarters in Georgia and expand into branches/subsidiaries in Florida, various Texas metro areas and other major metro cities. The company was founded by Alfonso Pettis, who today is TechZel's president, chief executive officer, and chief network architect. Pettis has established a career in the field of IT, delivering positive impacts in the industry both domestically and globally. Recognized for his deep passion to lead high-performance work groups through trust and communication, Pettis has equipped himself with a distinct ability to sustain profitability and effective execution of the company's entire operation.

"TechZel has credibility as a professional and well-established company that is known to deliver consistent quality services to organizations of different sizes and in different industries," says Pettis. "We are excited to release this new investment opportunity. By initially continuing to provide IT services, we will keep overhead low but address costs related to high-end computer equipment, working capital, and salaries for employees and/or contractors/ consultants. As the service business is growing, there are plans to venture into other areas of IT."

TechZel has provided a complete investing overview for those who might be interested in the investment opportunity. It can be read at TechZelInvestment.com. To learn more about the company and the services offered, visit TechZel.com.

About TechZel, Inc.

TechZel, Inc., a network-consulting group in Atlanta, GA, has implemented networks in an efficient and effective manner employing the latest IT technology available. The company has worked globally with top-named clients like Cisco Systems, Dell, Pizza Hut/Taco Bell, Keller Williams, New Edge/ EarthLink, and Prudential Real Estate. For more information, visit TechZel.com.

Contact Information

TechZel, Inc.

Alfonso Pettis, President/CEO

4780 Ashford Dunwood Rd., Ste A258

Atlanta, GA 30338

Email: [email protected]

Ph. 678-612-6854

REGULATION D 506(C) MANDATED LEGEND

Any historical performance data represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results; Current performance may be different than the performance data presented; The Company is not required by law to follow any standard methodology when calculating and representing performance data; The performance of the Company may not be directly comparable to the performance of other private or registered funds or companies; The securities are being offered in reliance on an exemption from the registration requirements, and therefore are not required to comply with certain specific disclosure requirements; The Securities and Exchange Commission has not passed upon the merits of or approved the securities, the terms of the offering, or the accuracy of the materials.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE TechZel

Related Links

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LONDON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IMARC Group's latest report titled "Global Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Market Report 2016-2021" provides a detailed analysis on the global biopharmaceutical manufacturing market. Biopharmaceuticals represent one of the most elegant and sophisticated achievements of modern science. Compared to small molecules which are synthesized chemically, biopharmaceuticals or biologics are manufactured from biological sources and have proved to be efficacious in the treatment of various chronic and other rare diseases for which there are no available treatments. The production of biopharmaceuticals reliably at an industrial scale, however, involves highly complex manufacturing capabilities. This involves genetically engineered living cells that must be frozen for storage, thawed without causing any damage, and made to grow in the unusual environment of a reaction vessel. The molecules once produced must then be segregated from the living cells that produced them and the media in which they were made, all without damaging their complex, fragile structures. Such production facilities are also notably more expensive and involve longer time lines to build compared to small molecule drugs. These facilities are also significantly costlier to run, involving long process durations, low yields, costly raw materials, and require a team of highly skilled experts to operate them.



The efficacy and safety of biopharmaceuticals, coupled with their ability to address previously untreatable conditions, allows healthcare companies to command higher prices and margins for these drugs. Driven by their numerous advantages over conventional drugs, biopharmaceuticals today represent a big opportunity and represent more than 20% of the total global pharmaceutical sales. The current annual growth rate of biopharmaceuticals is also double that of conventional drugs, and growth is expected to remain robust for the foreseeable future. As a result of their rapid growth, many new players are entering this market and most current manufacturers are expanding their manufacturing capacities. Moreover, with the anticipated launch of a number of biosimilar drugs in the next five years, we expect a significant expansion in the global biopharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. We expect these trends to make biopharmaceutical manufacturing a very lucrative opportunity for investors and manufacturers.



Category Overview



The global biopharmaceutical manufacturing has been categorized on the basis of cell culture which includes mammalian cell culture and microbial cell culture. Currently, the largest number of biopharmaceutical products are manufactured using mammalian cell culture. Moreover, the mammalian-cell based products are more compatible with patients as these have been shown to cause minimum adverse reactions. As a result, there has been an increase in the mammalian based products over the past several years. Currently, mammalian cell culture holds a dominating share accounting for 56% in the total biopharmaceutical cell culture market. On the other hand, a significant growth has been observed in the microbial based products as well. A strong growth in the sales of dominant drugs such as Humalog, Lantus, Neupogen, Neulasta, and Betaseron/Betaferon have sustained the growth of the biopharmaceutical manufacturing market.



On the basis of class, the market has been segmented as follows: Monoclonal Antibodies, Recombinant Proteins, Interferon, Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF), Erythropoietin, Human Growth Hormones, Recombinant Human Insulin, Purified Proteins and Vaccines. Currently, Monoclonal Antibodies represents the fastest growing segment in this market.



Regional Market Overview



Currently, North America accounts for the largest biomanufacturing capacity followed by Europe and Asia. Technological advancements and high healthcare spending are some of the major factors that are driving the growth of the North American market. On the other hand, driven by factors such as emerging markets, increasing trends of contract manufacturing and a large patient pool, Asia will represent the fastest growing market.



Competitive landscape



In the recent past, the in-house manufacturing has experienced a shift towards contract manufacturing due to large volume requirements, cost saving measures and lack of expertise in particular segments of biopharmaceuticals. Currently, the contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs) accounts for around one third of the global biopharmaceutical capacities. The report also covers an in-depth analysis of the key companies operating in the global biopharmaceutical manufacturing market such as Pfizer Inc., Roche, Amgen Inc. Novo Nordisk, AbbVie Inc, Sanofi S.A, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Merck Co., etc.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4091933/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com

For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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DUBLIN, Ireland and SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Heart Metabolics Limited (Heart Metabolics), a biotechnology company focused on the development of drugs for orphan diseases including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), today announced it has initiated dosing in patients for an open-label Phase 2b study of perhexiline in patients with HCM and moderate-to-severe heart failure with preserved left ventricular function. In a previously completed randomized, placebo-controlled, Phase 2a study, statistically significant improvements in exercise capacity, energetics and quality of life were observed.

"This study represents an important step in the clinical pathway we have designed for perhexiline, and we expect it will once again demonstrate the compound's ability to safely improve the functional status of patients with HCM, and help identify optimal dosing levels," said William Daly, president and chief executive officer of Heart Metabolics. "Patients with symptomatic HCM often suffer from chronic fatigue, have a poor quality of life and have an increased risk of heart failure. There is currently no approved treatment for HCM, so there is a clear need for a new therapy."

"In recent years, clinical studies of perhexiline have shown promising results in patients with HCM, with statistically significant improvements in exercise capacity and cardiac energetics, while also providing symptom relief," said William T. Abraham, MD, FACP, FACC, FAHA, FESC, director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the overall Principal Investigator in the perhexiline study. "Perhexiline is intended to reduce or even normalize the energy imbalance in heart metabolism that is created by the genetic defect found in patients with HCM. With advancements in genetic testing and this greater understanding of perhexiline based on recent clinical studies, we can now identify patients likely to positively respond to treatment and exclude patients at risk of adverse side effects."

The Phase 2b is an open label, two-period, ascending dose study designed to evaluate the effect of perhexiline on the change from baseline of a functional status measure (VO 2 max) in patients with HCM and moderate-to-severe heart failure with preserved left ventricular function following repeat dosing of perhexiline for 112 days, and will enable the selection of a dose regimen to be used in future studies. Secondary endpoints will include change from baseline in the Six Minute Walk Test. The study will enroll approximately 33 subjects at multiple sites in the United States.

More information is available at www.clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02862600)

About Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

HCM is one of the most common of all hereditary heart diseases and the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young adults. HCM is a genetic defect of heart muscle that occurs due to deletions in genes that encode key contractile proteins in the heart. As a result, there is enlargement of the heart muscle that causes abnormal cardiac energetics. In later stages of the disease, patients develop debilitating and unrelenting symptoms of heart failure. There are more than 120,000 people in the U.S. with HCM who suffer from moderate-to-severe heart failure symptoms. The current treatment options for patients with this disease are limited, with no FDA-approved drugs.

About Perhexiline

Perhexiline is a carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) inhibitor being developed by Heart Metabolics to treat symptoms in patients with HCM. Perhexiline blocks the uptake and metabolism of fatty acids by the heart, causing the heart to 'switch' to glucose as a fuel source. This results in improved myocardial energetic, reducing or even normalizing the energy imbalance created by the genetic defect that defines HCM. In addition, perhexiline has multiple ion channel effects that limit the potential for destabilizing ventricular arrhythmias. It is believed that perhexiline treatment of symptomatic patients with HCM may delay, prevent or even reverse progression of disease. In a Phase 2 clinical trial, perhexiline significantly improved peak oxygen consumption (VO 2 max), cardiac energetic status (myocardial phosphocreatine:ATP ratio), left ventricular diastolic filling at rest and during exercise, symptoms, and quality of life.

About Heart Metabolics

Heart Metabolics is a biopharmaceutical company developing new treatments for orphan diseases including cardio-metabolic diseases. The Company has obtained an Orphan Drug Designation in the U.S. for the use of perhexiline to treat HCM patients with moderate-to-severe symptoms of heart failure. In addition, Heart Metabolics has reached agreement with FDA on a Special Protocol Assessment for a single, pivotal Phase 3 trial in about 350 HCM patients. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and founded in 2014, Heart Metabolics is funded by venBio, Brandon Capital Partners (on behalf of AustralianSuper), Seroba Life Sciences and AshHill Biomedical. More information is available at www.heartmetabolics.com.

SOURCE Heart Metabolics

Related Links

http://www.heartmetabolics.com


The new programing will include a series by the popular dog whisperer, Cesar Millan. In Cesar Millan's Leader of the Pack , the popular dog trainer searches for the perfect candidates to adopt rescued dogs. In Cesar to the Rescue sends Millan to neighborhoods terrorized by badly misbehaving dogs, using his unmatched expertise to bring balance to dogs and humans alike.

"These new programs are important additions to HITN-TV's programming," said Eric Turpin, HITN-TV's General Manager. "They include factual productions, featuring a number of new titles that are part of our ongoing programming strategy to provide exciting and fresh new content that continues to grow our audience in 2016."

Also premiering on HITN-TV in September is Dr. Vet, L.A., which features three of LA's best-known Hispanic veterinary physicians, solving complicated cases and offering tips for animal safety and human-pet relations.

"As one of HITN-TV's strongest content line-up for this fall TV season, we are planning to push these new shows hard; I believe the new programming for September has the potential to be a big hit among our audience," said Florentina Almonte, Programming Director of HITN-TV.

The fall lineup will also includes two new programs: Aquiles in Houston, the adventures of Chef Aquiles Chaves and his family as they move to the U.S. to open a Mexican restaurant; and Nuestra Mirada (Our Look), a four-part special profiling Hispanic immigrants struggling to succeed in the United States, narrated by journalist and producer, Rolando Nichols.

HITN-TV provides educational programming in Spanish in the United States, reaching more than 40 million households in key Hispanic markets across the country. HITN-TV is distributed in the US and Puerto Rico on DIRECTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-verse TV, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast, Charter, Cablevision and Mediacom, and in other markets on Time Warner Cable. For more information, please visit www.hitn.org.

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SOURCE HITN-TV

Related Links

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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Hope On Wheels (HHOW) and Los Angeles-area Hyundai dealers will present Children's Hospital Los Angeles with a $150,000 Young Investigator Grant to be used to expand the knowledge base of pediatric cancer and improve the standards of care. Children's Hospital Los Angeles was one of 10 recipients across the country selected from nonprofit Children's Oncology Group (COG) member institutions after a rigorous grading process.

The $150,000 Young Investigator Grant will be presented during a Handprint Ceremony on September 1, during which the handprints of local Los Angeles-area brave young cancer patients will be captured on a white 2016 Hyundai Tucson  the Hyundai Hope On Wheels hero vehicle  to commemorate their fight against the disease. The ceremony will also feature:

Dr. Alan S. Wayne , Director, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases; Head, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Dr. Chintan Parekh , Principal Investigator, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine

Dave Zuchowski , Chief Executive Officer, Hyundai Motor America

"Our mission at Hyundai Hope On Wheels is clear: End Childhood Cancer," said Dave Zuchowski, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. "These individual awards to hospitals and organizations across the country are pivotal to ending childhood cancer. Although there remains a lot more work to be done, the innovation that comes from this research will ultimately help us find a cure. To all the kids, families and cancer researchers fighting this terrible disease  you are not alone and we remain committed to this important cause."

About the Hyundai Hope On Wheels Young Investigator Grants and Handprint Ceremonies

The Hyundai Young Investigator Awards are awarded to institutions in pediatric cancer research. This is a $150,000 award and qualified individuals are selected from nonprofit COG member institutions after a grading process. This year alone, HHOW will award more than $13 million in new pediatric cancer grants. Since 1998, the program has funded $115 million in research to COG member institutions nationwide. The program also creates awareness about the importance of the disease, which is the leading cause of death by disease in children in the United States (source).

Attendees at the various ceremonies will include HHOW's two national youth ambassadors and pediatric cancer survivors, Hannah Adams and Ryan Darby, who will deliver a message of hope to children's cancer hospitals. Hannah, now 13 years old, was only five years old when she was diagnosed with a Stage 3 Wilms tumor that enveloped her kidney. Since her recovery, she has pursued her love of dancing and singing to help uplift and encourage other children and families through their fight. Thirteen-year-old Ryan was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia six years ago, and since his recovery, he has shared his story and words of encouragement with children and families across the country. Watch Hannah and Ryan's story at www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org

2016 National Call To Action: Give Hope A Hand

In addition to funding a multitude of research projects this September, HHOW is encouraging the public to contribute to the fight against childhood cancer in a personal way. The journey begins with one simple request: Give Hope A Hand. We invite visitors to the newly refreshed website at hyundaihopeonwheels.org, to tell how they will use their hands in the fight against pediatric cancer. Once there visitors can Learn + Care + Do + Give = Hope. There are a number of additional engaging, interactive ways the public can get involved and use their hands for good.

HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS

Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. HHOW is one of the largest nonprofit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 830 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $115 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure.

To learn more about Hyundai Hope On Wheels, please visit www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org or follow us on social media at www.facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels, www.twitter.com/hopeonwheels, and www.youtube.com/hopeonwheels.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 830 dealerships nationwide.

Please visit our media website at www.hyundainews.com and our blog at www.hyundailikesunday.com

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook

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SOURCE Hyundai Hope On Wheels

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All monetary amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

TORONTO, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - IAMGOLD Corporation ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") today reports that the Company has signed an agreement with the Government of Suriname to acquire an interest in the Saramacca property with the intent of defining a 43-101 compliant mineral resource within the next 24 months. The Saramacca property, also known as Anomaly M, is located in the Republic of Suriname approximately 30 kilometres southwest of the Rosebel mill and immediately southeast of the Sarafina property optioned to IAMGOLD.

"This agreement is a landmark achievement for the Company. I believe the addition of this property to Rosebel's mineral inventory will go a long way to supporting our future mining operations in Suriname," said Steve Letwin, IAMGOLD President and CEO. "Adding resources that extend the life of the existing infrastructure at our mines is one of the most cost effective ways to achieve growth. Further, given the significance of Rosebel's mining in Suriname, this project should provide important support to the economy of the country."

The terms of the acquisition include an initial payment of $200,000, which would enable immediate access to the property for Rosebel's exploration team as well as access to data from previous exploration activity at Saramacca to conduct a due diligence review of the property. Provided Rosebel is satisfied with the results of the due diligence, it will pay $10 million as well as 3.125 million IAMGOLD common shares to be held in escrow, which would be released to the Government of Suriname in three approximately equal tranches in 12-month intervals following the ratification of the agreement by Rosebel. Adjustments to the purchase price will be calculated depending on the success of the drill program carried out by the Rosebel team over the first 24 months, but will be capped at $10 million.

The Saramacca property has been explored since the 1990's principally by Golden Star and later as a joint venture between Golden Star and Newmont. Much of that work focused on the discovery and delineation of Anomaly M, which was the subject of successive auger and diamond drilling programs with over 50 diamond drill holes and over 200 auger holes completed in the anomaly area. Evaluation of this work suggests an exploration target potential of between 8 and 40 million tonnes grading between 1.0 and 1.8 g/t Au for potentially 0.5 to 1.4 million contained ounces of gold. The potential quantity and grade are conceptual in nature and insufficient exploration work has been completed to define a mineral resource. The property will require significant future exploration to advance to a resource stage and there can be no certainty that the exploration target will result in a mineral resource being defined. The target ranges are consistent with deposits currently being mined at IAMGOLD's adjacent Rosebel operation.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and statements regarding the estimation of mineral resources, exploration results, potential mineralization, potential mineral resources and mineral reserves) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "will", "should", "would", "estimate", "believe", "suggest", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, failure to meet expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, changes in world gold markets and other risks disclosed in IAMGOLD's most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Qualified Person Information

The technical information relating to exploration activities disclosed in this news release was prepared under the supervision of, and reviewed and verified by, Craig MacDougall, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration, IAMGOLD. Mr. MacDougall is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About IAMGOLD

IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) is a mid-tier mining company with four operating gold mines on three continents. A solid base of strategic assets in North and South America and West Africa is complemented by development and exploration projects and continued assessment of accretive acquisition opportunities. IAMGOLD is in a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise.

Please note:

This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through CNW Group's website at www.newswire.ca. All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov.

Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le http://www.iamgold.com/French/accueil/default.aspx.

SOURCE IAMGOLD Corporation

Related Links

http://www.iamgold.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Independent Maps coalition on Wednesday filed a petition asking the Illinois Supreme Court to reconsider its recent ruling denying voters the ability to vote this November on the proposed constitutional amendment to require a transparent, impartial and fair process of drawing legislative maps.

By a 4 to 3 party line division, the Supreme Court ruled that the Independent Map Amendment is not in line with the Illinois Constitution's requirement for amendments proposed by voters. Under the Supreme Court's rules, Independent Maps has the right to point out argument the majority of the Court overlooked or misapprehended and to ask it to reconsider its ruling and its reasoning. Four votes are required to grant rehearing.

"We believe the four justices in the majority were wrong and inconsistent in their reasoning and would reach a different conclusion if they consider, as they have in all other similar cases, the legislative debates from the 1969-70 constitutional convention," said Dennis FitzSimons, Chair of Independent Maps. "More than 563,000 Illinois voters signed Independent Map Amendment petitions, and we owe it to them and thousands of volunteers across the state to make every possible effort to convince the Court that the amendment deserves to be placed before voters in November."

The petition includes the following arguments in favor of a rehearing:

The four justices in the majority said that their decision was compelled by the "plain language" of the Illinois Constitution, which states that voters can propose a constitutional amendment only if the amendment is "limited to structural and procedural subjects contained in" the article dealing with the legislature. However, the majority completely ignored Independent Maps' "plain language" argument explaining why the amendment meets that requirement. Because each provision in the proposed amendment is limited to redistricting and because redistricting is a "structural and procedural subject," there should be no doubt that the amendment is properly limited to a "structural and procedural subject."

For the full text of the news release of PDF of the petition for reconsideration, go to the Independent Maps website (www.MapAmendment.org)

Paid for by Support Independent Maps. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is (or will be) available on the Board's official website (www.elections.il.gov) or for purchase from the Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150423/201324LOGO

SOURCE Independent Maps

Related Links

http://www.mapamendment.org


PLYMOUTH, Mich., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls Automotive Seating ranked highest in three out of seven vehicle segments in the annual J.D. Power 2016 Seat Quality and Satisfaction StudySM. The company ranks highest in more categories than any other seating supplier.

"Manufacturing automotive seats with a high level of craftsmanship that exceed comfort and safety requirements is a top priority for Johnson Controls," said Byron Foster, executive vice president for Johnson Controls Automotive Seating. "We are pleased to be recognized by J.D. Power, as it acknowledges the efforts of our entire team to build quality seat products for our automaker customers."

Johnson Controls' automotive business unit will become an independent, publicly traded company named Adient in October 2016. This is the fourth year in a row Johnson Controls has been recognized in the survey in various categories and the 13th year the company and its joint ventures have been recognized, which includes Trim Masters, Inc., Avanzar Interior Technology, Ltd., and Bridgewater Interiors.

Here are highlights of the rankings:

In the Mass Market Compact SUV / MPV segment, Johnson Controls ranked highest for its seats supplied to the Jeep Compass. The seats are manufactured at the company's Sycamore, Ill. plant.

Johnson Controls ranked highest in the Mass Market Midsize / Large Car segment for the seats it manufactures for the Toyota Camry, which are manufactured at the company's Georgetown, Ky. plant.

In the Mass Market Truck / Van segment, the company ranked highest for its seats supplied to the Ford Super Duty truck. These seats are manufactured at its Shelbyville, Ky. plant.

In addition, Johnson Controls was ranked in second place in the Mass Market Compact Car segment for the Buick Cascada seats manufactured in Bierun, Poland, and in the Luxury SUV segment for the Audi Q3 seats manufactured in Barcelona, Spain. It ranked third in the Mass Market Midsize / Large Car segment for its Nissan Altima seats manufactured in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The 2016 J.D. Power Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study provides automotive manufacturers and suppliers with quality and satisfaction information related to automotive seating systems. New vehicle owners are asked to rate the quality of their vehicle's seats and seat belts based on whether or not they experienced defects / malfunctions or design problems during the first 90 days of ownership.

The 2016 Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 80,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2016 model-year cars and light trucks. The study was fielded from February through May 2016.

About Johnson Controls:

Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. Our 150,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Through our growth strategies and by increasing market share we are committed to delivering value to shareholders and making our customers successful. In 2016, Corporate Responsibility Magazine recognized Johnson Controls as the #17 company in its annual "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com or follow @johnsoncontrols on Twitter.

About Johnson Controls Automotive Experience

Johnson Controls Automotive Experience is a global leader in automotive seating components and systems. The company supports all major automakers in the differentiation of their vehicles through its products, technologies and advanced manufacturing capabilities. With more than 200 locations worldwide, Johnson Controls is where its customers need it to be. Consumers have enjoyed the comfort and style of Johnson Controls products, from single components to complete seat systems. With its global capability the company supplies more than 50 million cars per year. Johnson Controls pursues a spin-off of its Automotive Experience business. Following the separation, which is expected to take effect in October 2016, the Automotive Experience business will operate as the independent, publicly traded company Adient. Bruce McDonald will serve as the chairman and CEO of the new company.

Follow us on Twitter:

@JCseating

SOURCE Johnson Controls

Related Links

www.johnsoncontrols.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In a milestone representation on behalf of a financial whistleblower, law firm Meissner Associates has secured a nearly $22.5 million bounty paid to a former employee of Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON), part of an $80 million penalty imposed on the agribusiness giant by the Securities & Exchange Commission stemming from accounting violations and improper financial reporting.

The payment of $22,437,800 is the second highest award since the SEC launched its novel whistleblower program as part of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010. At more than 28% of Monsanto's total $80 million penalty, it is nearly the maximum 30% allowed under the bounty program for payments higher than $1 million. To date, the agency has awarded more than $107 million to 33 whistleblowers.

In announcing the award on August 30, Jane Norberg, Acting Chief of the SEC's Office of the Whistleblower, said, "Company employees are in unique positions behind-the-scenes to unravel complex or deeply buried wrongdoing. Without this whistleblower's courage, information, and assistance, it would have been extremely difficult for law enforcement to discover this securities fraud on its own."

Here is link to SEC's news announcement: https://www.sec.gov/news/pressrelease/2016-172.html.

Monsanto accepted the $80 million penalty in February to resolve charges that it violated generally accepted accounting rules and misstated corporate earnings relating to its flagship weed killer Roundup. In an investigation prompted by the company whistleblower, the SEC found that Monsanto's lax internal controls failed to account for tens of millions of dollars in rebates given to retailers and distributors as incentives to drive sales of Roundup in the face of intense discounting by rivals. The SEC said that Monsanto's "material" overstatement of earnings for three years misled investors as to the herbicide's true sales performance.



In addition to the financial penalties, Monsanto agreed to improve its accounting controls and retain an independent compliance monitor to review its accounting procedures. Three accounting and sales executives at Monsanto were also charged by the SEC for contributing to the financial improprieties  all three previously struck their own settlements with the agency, including payment of civil penalties.



"We are extremely pleased with the award granted to our client and especially with the SEC's persistence in undertaking a highly complex investigation of accounting weaknesses at Monsanto, which aggressively fought the case all along," said Stuart Meissner, who represented the company whistleblower. He noted that his client, a former Monsanto financial executive, only shared his concerns with the SEC after first trying to correct the issues internally.



"Although it took several years to consummate, the large award made to our client hopefully will encourage other public company insiders who are aware of financial manipulations  or any other securities laws violations  to come forward to help protect investors," Mr. Meissner added. "Internal gatekeepers like our client represent the first line of defense against financial wrongdoing at companies  in this case unlawful gamesmanship between Monsanto and its outside auditor to disguise significant sales weakness of a signature product like Roundup."



Mr. Meissner raised concerns about the role of outside auditors in this and other SEC accounting matters: "We hope the agency will probe Monsanto's outside auditor Deloitte for the role we believe it played in enabling the company to overstate earnings and issue misleading financial statements  not only once, but twice," he said.



"In my opinion, there was an initial misstatement by Monsanto and a subsequent restatement the restatement is actually the bigger issue of the two in my view," Mr. Meissner continued. "When auditors are allowed to audit their own mistakes, it is difficult for them to be independent and objective. And when independence is impaired the professional skepticism needed to recognize and flush out improprieties by management is not present. Professional skepticism of the auditor is the last line of defense for a management team that may have a clear bias in reporting positive results.



"To this day, in my view Monsanto investors still do not have accurate financial statements for the periods involved in the case," Mr. Meissner added. "I do not believe that investors have been able to reasonably access the performance of the company, including whether or not Monsanto hit the mid-teen percentage growth targets management committed to in 2010. If a true independent auditor not associated with the original financials had been appointed to audit the restated financials, I believe there would be a higher likelihood that investors would know the true performance of the company and be in a better position to make fully informed decisions."



Mr. Meissner's client issued his own statement on the outcome: "I applaud the SEC for how quickly they took action in responding to my submission and the tremendous effort put forward in this case. The agency performed an invaluable public service in creating its whistleblower program  my hope is that others will stand up for investors by doing the right thing and bring forward information related to corporate wrongdoing. I believe the case will raise awareness of the gaps that still exist today with respect to auditor independence and result in regulators looking closer at this issue and ultimately bring new rules forward to mitigate the impact this has on investors."



Mr. Meissner is a former prosecutor and member of the New York Attorney General's office who assisted in the original drafting of the SEC's whistleblower rules. He called the bounty program "a critical shield by which individuals can be deputized in correcting bad corporate behavior, which sometimes continues for long periods of time before it comes to light. Financial executives in particular are often in position to spot manipulations and slight-of-hand accounting practices well ahead of regulators or even those in senior management. The Monsanto case illustrates that perfectly  shareholders and the investing public benefit through a program which rewards those who see something and say something."



Note: New York based Meissner Associates is a nationally recognized whistleblower, securities, investment fraud and employment law firm representing SEC whistle-blowers, securities professionals as well as institutional and retail investors worldwide in recovering improper investment losses and protecting the employment rights of employees in the securities industry in FINRA arbitration and AAA Arbitration. Managing member Stuart Meissner is a former Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan and Assistant New York State Attorney General in the Investor Protection and Financial Crimes Units. Mr. Meissner contributed to the crafting of the original SEC Whistleblower Rules and is cited by the agency for his contributions. For more, visit www.smeissner.com.

From: Allan Ripp 212-262-7477 [email protected]

SOURCE Meissner Associates

Related Links

http://www.smeissner.com


Due to their history exhibiting these two artists, Findlay Galleries uniquely possess the knowledge and depth to curate this exhibition. Findlay Galleries' first exhibition of Fauves, including van Dongen, was in 1937 in our Chicago gallery. Since then, the gallery has had many important exhibitions that included van Dongen.

Findlay Galleries commenced exclusive representation of Cassigneul in the United States in 1968. Over the ensuing 15 years, the gallery would host a total of 9 separate solo exhibitions in New York, Palm Beach, Paris, Beverly Hills, and Chicago. In 1977, the gallery was credited by French art critics with elevating Cassigneul's stature in his native France.

Jean-Pierre Cassigneul commented, "My association with Findlay Galleries goes back to the late 1960's and I have vivid memories of the luxurious openings in Paris. The people at Findlay Galleries impacted my career considerably, and still do, years later. I am honored by this exhibition and thrilled to participate personally." Findlay Galleries' chairman James R. Borynack commented "Monsieur Cassigneul's modesty is eclipsed only by his talents as an artist. It is indeed our honor to count Jean-Pierre Cassigneul as a friend and to have him participate in this important exhibition of his work. His position alongside a modern master like van Dongen is beyond reproach."

By drawing on important oil paintings (including some from Cassigneul's private collection), drawings, sketches, multiples, and artist-illustrated books, Legacy of a Modern Master will explore the relationship between Cassigneul's work and that of van Dongen, as well as explore the debt to an elusive decadent lifestyle that has served as inspiration for both of these artists.

Legacy of a Modern Master will be on view at 724 Fifth Avenue from October 6 to November 10, 2016.

Events:

Press will be invited to a press day on September 29th. Private appointments are available.

Jean-Pierre Cassigneul (b. 1935)

Painter, lithographer, engraver and illustrator, Jean-Pierre Cassigneul was born in Paris on July 13, 1935. Known for his portraits, figures, nudes, florals, and tapestry designs, Cassigneul's first private exhibition was held at the Galerie Lucy Krogh, in Paris, in 1952. In 1954, he entered the Academie Charpentier, leaving after one year to study under Professor Jean Souverbie at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Cassigneul apprenticed in Chapelain-Midy's studio before exhibiting on his own in 1958 in the Galerie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1959, Cassigneul was appointed as a member of the Salon d'Automne. Cassigneul and Wally Findlay met for the first time in 1968, and Findlay began to represent the artist in the United States shortly after. Cassigneul has exhibited frequently with Findlay Galleries in their many locations worldwide. Since that time, Cassigneul continued to exhibit in numerous galleries, salons, and art fairs internationally.

Kees van Dongen (1877 - 1968)

Kees van Dongen was born January 26, 1877 in the Netherlands. He was one of the leading Fauvists, renowned for his stylized, sensuous portraits of women. First painting in an impressionist manner, van Dongen's colors became more vivid and concentrated in the early 1900's. He participated in the famous Salon d'Automne of 1905 and his works are in important museums worldwide. Van Dongen died in 1968.

Contact: Frederick Clark, Findlay Galleries, [email protected], 1-212-421-5390

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403162

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160418/356624LOGO

SOURCE Findlay Galleries
CARTHAGE, Mo., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Diversified manufacturer Leggett & Platt announced that it will host an Investor Day on Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (7:30 a.m. Central Time), in New York. The company will discuss its TSR[1] framework, longer-term financial targets, and opportunities in four of its key businesses.

The presentation will be webcast and can be accessed from the Investor Relations section of Leggett's website at www.leggett.com. Investors are encouraged to log on at least five minutes prior to the start of the presentation. A replay of the event will also be available on the company's website for at least one year.

The company plans to issue a press release after the market closes on Tuesday, September 13, 2016. Presentation slides for the event will be posted to the company's website.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit Leggett's website at www.leggett.com.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION: At Leggett & Platt (NYSE: LEG), we create innovative products that enhance people's lives, generate exceptional returns for our shareholders, and provide sought-after jobs in communities around the world. L&P is a 133 year-old diversified manufacturer that designs and produces engineered products found in most homes and automobiles. The company is comprised of 17 business units, 21,000 employee-partners, and 130 manufacturing facilities located in 19 countries.

Leggett & Platt is the leading U.S. manufacturer of: a) components for residential furniture and bedding; b) carpet cushion; c) adjustable bed bases; d) work furniture and components; e) high-carbon drawn steel wire; f) automotive seat support & lumbar systems; and g) bedding industry machinery.

CONTACT: Investor Relations, (417) 358-8131 or [email protected]

David M. DeSonier, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations

Susan R. McCoy, Vice President of Investor Relations

[1] TSR, or Total Shareholder Return = [change in stock price + dividends]/beginning stock price.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160428/361284LOGO



SOURCE Leggett & Platt

Related Links

http://www.leggett.com


ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WE Day, a series of inspiring stadium-sized life-changing events that take place around the world, announces the initial list of speakers, performers and presenters attending WE Day Minnesota on September 20, 2016 at the Xcel Energy Center. WE Day is part of WE  a movement that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world locally and globally, achieving transformative outcomes for themselves and others. Led by National Title Sponsor Allstate, WE Day Minnesota will bring together more than 18,000 young change-makers alongside inspirational speakers, world-renowned performers and presenters to celebrate their commitment to taking action on local and global causes they are passionate about, and inspire another year of change.

- Apply for media accreditation to attend WE Day at we.org/press/we-day-press

- Full bios, photos and information on WE Day available on the WE Day Minnesota Electronic Press Kit

- WE Day will stream live at 9:15 a.m. CT on September 20, 2016 at we.org/watch

Taking the stage this year is a cast of new faces and returning WE Day favorites, including Lilly Singh, OMI, Sabrina Carpenter, Paula Abdul, Olivia Holt, Jordan Smith, Serena Ryder, George Takei and more. This star-studded lineup will join international activists and WE co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, to share their passion for change, international experiences and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches.

Click to tweet: [email protected] announces #WEDay #Minnesota lineup @IISuperwomanII @omimusiconline @SabrinaAnnLynn @PaulaAbdul @olivia_holt @JordanSmithLive @GeorgeTakei

Making WE Day a true community celebration of youth taking action, local Minnesotans with inspiring personal stories will join the above lineup, including Mandi Simon, age 13. At only 7-years-old, Mandi knew she wanted to make a difference in the world. Passionate about supporting children, she founded Simon Says Give, a charity organization that inspires young people to use their talent and skills to celebrate the birthdays of those who don't have the opportunity or means to do so. Since, Mandi and Simon Says Give have inspired thousands of volunteers to join the mission, leading to the support and celebration of nearly 30,000 children. Mandi is just one of the many young people who will share their story to motivate their WE Day peers.

WE Day events unite people, filling stadiums around the globe to experience the greatest classroom in the world for a full day, live event. Young people can't buy a ticket to WE Daythey earn their entry through service, by taking action on one local and one global cause of their choice. More than a one day event, WE Day engages students of all socioeconomic backgrounds through WE Schools, a yearlong educational program that provides schools and community groups with educational resources and student-led campaigns designed to enhance a school's existing social initiatives or spark new ones. WE Schools encourages students to further their curricular learning and develop life skills for success. Young people are challenged to research and make an impact on at least one local and one global issue, and supported with curricular resources, service campaigns and mentorship programs to help them to become change-makers.

In the 2015/2016 school year, students and teachers from across Minnesota participated in remarkable social change. More than 600 schools improved the world through WE Schools, volunteering more than 600,000 hours and raising over $1 million in support of local and global causes. National alumni studies show that after leaving the program, 80 percent of students continue to volunteer, 83 percent continue to donate to charities and 79 percent voted in the last national election (if over 18 years of age). Globally more than 2.4 million students are part of the WE Movement, taking part in service learning programs and campaigns.

Young people across Minnesota are creating remarkable change. For the last two years, students at East Central Senior High have taken on a range of initiatives to support their school and community while participating in the WE Schools program. Recently, students developed a Backpack Food program by partnering with local businesses, ensuring those in need of food items over weekends are receiving healthy and nutritious meals. Additionally, students led a winter gear collection for individuals in the school and community in need of warm clothes, partnering with a local church to create a pick-up center for families with limited resources for winter garments.

"WE Day is a celebration of young people who have taken action at home and around the world, inspiring themselves and others to create sustainable change for a better tomorrow," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE. "Standing in a stadium full of passionate youth will affirm your belief that real change can happen  and is happening every single day right here in Minnesota. This past school year more than 600 schools and groups around Minnesota made an incredible impact in their own backyards and in communities around the world through their commitment and passion for change."

WE Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and teachers in attendance, thanks to the generous support of National Title Sponsor Allstate. As supporters of WE Day, Allstate empowers future generations with the strength, confidence and skills to rise up as leaders and realize their full potential  demonstrating to the world that good starts young.

The full list of speakers, performers and presenters, in alphabetical order, announced to date includes:

Paula Abdul (@PaulaAbdul)  American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality

(@PaulaAbdul)  American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality Sabrina Carpenter (@sabrinacarpenter)  Singer/songwriter and actress

(@sabrinacarpenter)  Singer/songwriter and actress Celebrity Marauders  DJ collective including Kardinal Offishall, Cipha Sounds, DJ Starting From Scratch and Dready

 DJ collective including Kardinal Offishall, Cipha Sounds, DJ Starting From Scratch and Dready FAIR School  Fine Arts Minneapolis Public School

 Fine Arts Minneapolis Public School Olivia Holt (@olivia_holt)  Hollywood Records recording artist and actress

(@olivia_holt)  Hollywood Records recording artist and actress Jackson and Wilson  The last Masaai warriors

 The last Masaai warriors Craig and Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger)  International activists and co-founders of WE

(@craigkielburger)  International activists and co-founders of WE OMI (@omimusiconline)  International recording artist

(@omimusiconline)  International recording artist Serena Ryder (@serenaryder)  Award-winning singer-songwriter

(@serenaryder)  Award-winning singer-songwriter Mandi Simon (@simonsaysgive)  Founder of Simon Says Give

(@simonsaysgive)  Founder of Simon Says Give Lilly Singh (@IISuperwomanII)  Comedian, actress and YouTube entertainer

(@IISuperwomanII)  Comedian, actress and YouTube entertainer Jordan Smith (@JordanSmithLive)  Republic Records artist and winner of The Voice

(@JordanSmithLive)  Republic Records artist and winner of Jonah Stillman (@jstillman17)  Keynote speaker and Generations Expert at GenZGuru

(@jstillman17)  Keynote speaker and Generations Expert at GenZGuru George Takei (@GeorgeTakei)  Actor, director, author, activist

(@GeorgeTakei)  Actor, director, author, activist Spencer West (@spencer2thewest)  WE ambassador, motivational speaker and author

Stay connected on the latest news and updates on WE Day:

#WEDay

Facebook @WEMovement

Twitter @weday

Instagram @WE

Visit our Media Center

About WE Day



WE Day is part of WEa movement that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world. WE Day is the celebration of people coming together and filling stadiums around the globe to experience the greatest classroom in the world for a full day, live event. You can't buy a ticket to WE Day  young people earn their entry by taking action on one local and one global cause. WE Day unites world-renowned speakers, presenters and award-winning performers with thousands of young people and families to celebrate and inspire another year of incredible change. This year alone over 200,000 young people will come together in 15 stadium gatherings across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.

WE Day is connected to the yearlong free educational program, WE Schools, which provides curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns to help students develop the leadership skills to succeed academically, in the workplace and as active citizens.

Join the WE movement today and learn more at www.we.org.

About Allstate

www.Allstate.com/GoodStartsYoung

For more information on WE Day Minnesota or to request an interview, please contact:

Camila Ossa

Associate Director, Public Relations, WE Day

+1-416-885-5522

[email protected]

Rebecca Raveendran

Manager, Public Relations, WE Day

+1-416-346-2790

[email protected]

SOURCE WE Day

Related Links

http://www.we.org


FARMINGDALE, N.Y., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Luxury design and fabrication company Superior Metal and Woodwork, located in a 25,000-square-foot facility in Farmingdale, Long Island, has been chosen by SmartCEO magazine as one of 2016's top family-owned businesses in the New York area. The SmartCEO Family Business Awards celebrate the achievements of New York's top family businesses. Superior, along with 30 other family-owned businesses, will be profiled in the magazine's September/October issue.

Jaime Nespor-Zawmon, President of SmartCEO says, "Family firms make up more than 80 percent of all businesses in North America." Superior is part of this year's honorees whose businesses collectively generate more than $840 million in annual revenue and employ more than 3,200 individuals.

The Superior team, comprised of the Cipri-Castrillon family, is headed by CEO John Cipri, who has 25 years experience in this highly specialized field. Superior's artisanal metal and glass designs can be seen on numerous buildings in New York, including H.Stern's exquisite and unique facade. The specially designed 30ft. wide by 30ft. high facade incorporates a design based on H.Stern's logotype "S." Superior's artisans crafted 460 individual bronze metal panels forming a scale-like texture that changes appearance with the sunlight. Originally developed by Studio Arthur Casas of Brazil, Superior took the design and engineered each individual piece. Their skilled installers then secured each panel onto the grid, designed with New York City weather conditions in mind, so that rainwater would cascade behind the facade's structure.

Excellent craftsmanship, unique design and functionality, as well as swift responsiveness and tremendous attention to detail is what makes Superior Metal and Woodwork the go-to design and fabrication firm for the luxury market in retail and residential construction locally, nationally and internationally. (Most recently, Superior was invited to Rome, Italy by executives at luxury jeweler Bulgari to offer design solutions for Bulgari's flagship Fifth Avenue store.)

A seasoned expert in his field, John Cipri states, "In this niche industry, we believe our design must not only reflect the aesthetics of the brand but also the attitude of the people it serves."

Being passionate about the quality of their work, as well as possessing excellent problem solving capabilities is what propels Superior executives to live by their business motto, "Just make it happen!"

For more information on the services Superior offers, go to www.superiormetalwood.com.

Contact: Valerie Smaldone

Email

917-509-0218

SOURCE Superior Metal and Woodwork

Related Links

http://www.superiormetalwood.com


LONDON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Long Term Care (LTC) market is expected to reach USD 1,109 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to boom owing to the increasing awareness of people about the different home healthcare facilities, the increasing medical coverage for home healthcare, and the increasing aging population.



In October 2015, there were around 12 million people receiving home healthcare and the number is expected to increase dramatically. Moreover, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population aged 65 and older is expected to reach 84 million by 2050 as against 43.1 million in 2012. Moreover, there has been a shift to in-home care from long term care. The nursing homes have shrunk by 350 over the past six years, while the in-home nursing programs have doubled.



Further Key Findings from the Study Suggest:



In 2015, the home healthcare dominated the market owing to the increasing awareness regarding home healthcare facilities, the cost savings offered by them as compared to hospital stays or nursing homes, and proactive health monitoring. Home healthcare is booming in the developing countries owing to the increasing need for geriatric care, double income households, and social changes. India has many home healthcare startups such as Health Care at Home, Zoctr, Vatsalya, Care24, Zozz, Life Circle Health Services, Healers at Home, and the Nightingales.



The hospice care is the fastest growing market owing to the increasing incidence rates of Alzheimer's and dementia and an increase in the post-hospital care. Moreover, the coverage offered by both the Medicaid and private insurers has relieved the residents from the out-of-pocket payments that have to be borne by them. According to the Hospice Association of America, Medicaid pays USD 601 per day for the inpatient hospice care and USD 789 for 24-hour home care. Moreover, in August 2013, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act provided a grant of USD 50 million for the training of doctors and allocating awards for educators in the field.



North America dominated the market in 2015. The market for long term care services is majorly driven by the increasing aging population, awareness about the advantages of home healthcare services, and the government support. Around 13% of the people in the U.S. are 65 years or above. By 2050, it is expected that one in five Americans would be at least 65 years of age.



Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market owing to the increasing rates of chronic diseases, the increasing disposable incomes, and decreasing working population. For instance, in China, the one-child policy has eventually decreased the working population as compared to the older population. In May 2016, MyCareLine raised USD 526,000 for its alliance with Hoffman World. The Spanish Company provides Hoffman methodology of rehabilitation. The method is commercial in Latin America and Europe. In India, Portea is one of the market leaders in the home healthcare industry. In September 2015, Portea raised USD 37.5 million for investing in better home healthcare facilities.



Industry players are continuously investing on expanding and revamping their existing facilities. For instance, in February 2016, Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. started a new facility joining its existing 41 Sunrise communities. The new facility will offer memory care programming, assisted living services, and support to residents in the early stage of memory loss.



Major market players are Brookdale Senior Living, Inc., Sunrise Senior Living, Inc., Emeritus Corporation, Atria Senior Living Group, Extendicare, Inc., Gentiva Health Services, Inc., Senior Care Centers of America, Kindred Healthcare, Inc., Genesis Healthcare Corp., and Home Instead Senior Care, Inc.

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Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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HOUSTON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucas Energy, Inc. (NYSE MKT: LEI) ("Lucas" or the "Company"), an independent oil and gas company, announced that, effective August 25, 2016, it closed the acquisition of working interests in producing properties and undeveloped acreage in Texas and Oklahoma, including varied interests in two contiguous acreage blocks in the liquids-rich Mid-Continent region of the U.S., from Segundo Resources LLC ("Segundo") and other sellers. The assets are currently producing over one thousand net barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOE/d), of which 53% are liquids and which are being produced primarily from the Hunton formation. Additional offset development drilling opportunities have been identified and specific development activities are being planned.

On August 26, 2016 and in conjunction with the closing, three new members were added to Lucas' Board of Directors: Richard N. Azar II, Robert D. Tips and Alan W. Dreeben, with Mr. Azar appointed as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Azar has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas exploration and production industry. Over the last 20 years, Mr. Azar has been instrumental in developing the Hunton Dewatering Resource play in central Oklahoma through his ownership/partnership in Altex Resources, Inc., which was sold to a Canadian Energy Trust in March 2006. Mr. Tips is a highly-recognized San Antonio business leader who oversees a family-owned organization and engages in various volunteer activities, and Mr. Dreeben is an owner and director of Republic National Distributing Company, LLC, currently serves on two other boards, and engages in various philanthropic activities. Anthony C. Schnur, Lucas' Chief Executive Officer, will continue to serve as a member of the Board in addition to existing members Mr. Fred Zeidman and Mr. Fred Hofheinz.

In consideration for the purchase of the assets, Lucas assumed approximately $30.6 million of commercial bank debt and issued the sellers 552,000 shares of Series B Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock and approximately 13 million shares of restricted common stock in addition to a cash payment of $4,975,000. At closing, Lucas also entered into a $40 million loan agreement with the International Bank of Commerce ("IBC"), the majority of which funds were used for the debt assumption and closing payment discussed above, which is due on August 25, 2019, and a promissory note pursuant to which $1.5 million was borrowed from RAD2 Minerals, Ltd., one of the sellers owned and controlled by Mr. Azar, payable on or before the earlier of (a) October 31, 2016 and (b) the date that Lucas receives at least $1.5 million in proceeds from the April 2016 Stock Purchase Agreement.

Additional information regarding the transactions and related financings are included in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 31, 2016.

"We are very pleased to have closed the acquisition of properties in Texas and Oklahoma," said Anthony C. Schnur, Chief Executive Officer of Lucas. "We now have a foundation of producing and undeveloped assets on which to grow the Company. Not only are we diversifying our production profile to include natural gas liquids, but the conventional nature of the long-lived Hunton reserves are lower-risk and lower-cost to develop than our Eagle Ford assets.

"This has been an eventful month for the Company. Last week, we entered into an agreement to fund the development of our Eagle Ford shale assets with a successful operator in the area, and with the closing of the Segundo transaction, we have completed a significant step toward our strategy of expanding the Company into proven reservoirs outside of the Eagle Ford, while improving our financial stability. We want to thank IBC for having confidence in our team and being an integral part of the financing transaction and look forward to working with them in the future as we continue to execute on our acquisition strategy."

As reported previously, the Company did not receive the required number of votes to approve the amendment to the Company's Articles of Incorporation to change the Company's name to 'Camber Energy, Inc.' at the Company's recent shareholder meeting. The Company currently anticipates that the shareholders who received shares in the closing will approve the name change via a written consent without a meeting, and we plan to file and mail an information statement relating to such approval in the near future in connection therewith.

ROTH Capital Partners acted as financial advisor on the Transaction.

About Lucas Energy, Inc.

Based in Houston, Texas, Lucas Energy (NYSE MKT: LEI) is a growth-oriented, independent oil and gas company engaged in the development of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids in the Hunton formation in Central Oklahoma in addition to the Austin Chalk and Eagle Ford formations in South Texas.

For more information, please visit the updated Lucas Energy web site at www.lucasenergy.com.

Safe Harbor Statement and Disclaimer

This news release includes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward looking statements give our current expectations, opinion, belief or forecasts of future events and performance. A statement identified by the use of forward looking words including "may," "expects," "projects," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "estimate," "should," and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed forward-looking statements. Although Lucas believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this news release. These include risks inherent in natural gas and oil drilling and production activities, including risks of fire, explosion, blowouts, pipe failure, casing collapse, unusual or unexpected formation pressures, environmental hazards, and other operating and production risks, which may temporarily or permanently reduce production or cause initial production or test results to not be indicative of future well performance or delay the timing of sales or completion of drilling operations; delays in receipt of drilling permits; risks with respect to natural gas and oil prices, a material decline which could cause Lucas to delay or suspend planned drilling operations or reduce production levels; risks relating to the availability of capital to fund drilling operations that can be adversely affected by adverse drilling results, production declines and declines in natural gas and oil prices; risks relating to unexpected adverse developments in the status of properties; risks relating to the absence or delay in receipt of government approvals or fourth party consents; and other risks described in Lucas's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof. The Company takes no obligation to update or correct its own forward-looking statements, except as required by law, or those prepared by third parties that are not paid for by the Company. The Company's SEC filings are available at http://www.sec.gov.

Contacts: Carol Coale / Ken Dennard

Dennard  Lascar Associates LLC

(713) 529-6600

SOURCE Lucas Energy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.lucasenergy.com


A live webcast can be accessed at the time of the presentation at https://lyb.com/investorevents, where copies of the slides related to the webcast will also be available for download. A replay of the presentation will be available on the company's website within 24 hours following the webcast.

About LyondellBasell

LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) is one of the world's largest plastics, chemical and refining companies and a member of the S&P 500 Index. LyondellBasell (www.lyb.com) manufactures products at 57 sites in 18 countries. LyondellBasell products and technologies are used to make items that improve the quality of life for people around the world, including packaging, electronics, automotive parts, home furnishings, construction materials and biofuels.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140416/75605

SOURCE LyondellBasell

Related Links

http://www.lyondellbasell.com


CHESTERFIELD, United Kingdom, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a leading specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced it closed the acquisition of Stratatech Corporation, a privately held regenerative medicine company focused on the development of unique, proprietary skin substitute products. Developmental products include StrataGraft regenerative skin tissue and a technology platform for genetically enhanced skin tissues.

Under Mallinckrodt's Acquire to Invest operating model, the company will invest in bringing this Phase 3 cutting edge development product to patients. If approved, StrataGraft could be the first biological "off-the-shelf" skin substitute product for treatment of severe burns  Stratatech's proprietary tissue engineering technology produces living tissues designed to mimic human skin and promote tissue regeneration. The technology platform provides potential for new products through genetically enhanced tissues, applied topically, that produce elevated levels of natural wound healing and antimicrobial factors. Phase 1 development is underway in diabetic foot and venous leg ulcers, with other potential applications under consideration.

"We believe this cell-based, differentiated medicine technology has the potential to transform the standard of treatment for wound healing," said Mark Trudeau, Chief Executive Officer and President of Mallinckrodt. "We're excited by these highly durable developmental pipeline additions to our hospital growth business, further diversifying our Specialty Brands portfolio and bringing value to patients with significant unmet medical needs."

ABOUT STRATAGRAFT

StrataGraft is an investigational product in Phase 3 development for treatment of severe, deep partial thickness burns1, with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval decision anticipated by 2020. Phase 2 development of StrataGraft is underway for treatment of severe, full thickness burns2. In 2012, the FDA granted StrataGraft orphan product status, and the product is being developed as a biologic to be filed under a biologic license application that would confer regulatory protection until 2032. In the U.S., approximately 10,000 patients annually are hospitalized for treatment of severe burns, and the U.S. market for skin graft products used in this application is estimated at approximately $300 million. Additional opportunities exist internationally, and the acquisition includes worldwide product rights.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products and therapies, as well as nuclear imaging products. Areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and hemostasis products; and central nervous system drugs. The company's core strengths include the acquisition and management of highly regulated raw materials and specialized chemistry, formulation and manufacturing capabilities. The company's Specialty Brands segment includes branded medicines; its Specialty Generics segment includes specialty generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and external manufacturing; and the Nuclear Imaging segment includes nuclear imaging agents. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

CONTACTS

Investor Relations

Coleman N. Lannum, CFA

Senior Vice President, Investor Strategy and IRO

314-654-6649

[email protected]

Daniel J. Speciale, CPA

Director, Investor Relations

314-654-3638

[email protected]

Media

Rhonda Sciarra

Senior Communications Manager

314-654-8618

[email protected]

Meredith Fischer

Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs

314-654-3318

[email protected]

1 Second-degree burns: Burns that impact the dermis

2 Third-degree burns: Burns that extend into subcutaneous tissue, muscle, or bone and often cause much scarring

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/167103LOGO

SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc

Related Links

http://www.mallinckrodt.com


PARIS, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Internationally recognized Center for Interventional Endoscopy is highest volume interventional endoscopy unit in the U.S.

Cellvizio to be featured at CIE's 4th Annual Orlando Live EUS symposium September 7-9

Mauna Kea Technologies (Euronext: MKEA, OTCQX: MKEAY) inventor of Cellvizio, the multidisciplinary confocal laser endomicroscopy platform, today announced the placement of a Cellvizio System at the Florida Hospital Center for Interventional Endoscopy (CIE) in Orlando, Florida. The CIE is an internationally recognized leader in therapeutic endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery for patients with complex digestive diseases, providing a significant opportunity to drive increased awareness of the Cellvizio platform in the clinical and research communities.

Shyam Varadarajulu, M.D., Medical Director at CIE, said, "The Florida Hospital Center for Interventional Endoscopy (CIE) has adopted Cellvizio so that patients can be evaluated using cutting-edge diagnostic technology. Cellvizio will help expand CIE's advanced imaging portfolio and facilitate better management of patients. A major mission of CIE is to conduct high quality clinical trials and we hope that Cellvizio will be instrumental in providing answers to diagnostic dilemma in the evaluation of pancreatic cysts and indeterminate biliary strictures."

In 2015, CIE was the leading center in Florida by volume, performing 6,216 complex endoscopic procedures. Their endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) unit was the largest volume center in the U.S. for the second consecutive year, performing 2,753 procedures. This included 831 fine needle aspiration (FNA) procedures, a procedure that may often be improved with real-time tissue evaluation provided by Cellvizio guided needle-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (nCLE). In addition, CIE faculty published 55 peer-reviewed manuscripts in 2015, including 24 abstracts accepted for presentation at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2016. The Cellvizio system will be featured at CIE's 4th Annual Orlando Live EUS symposium, which will be held September 7-9, 2016. 228 delegates from 20 countries attended the event in 2015.[1]

Sacha Loiseau, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mauna Kea Technologies, said, "There is a significant opportunity to improve the management of patients who suffer from pancreatic lesions when adding needle-based endomicroscopy to endoscopic ultra-sound, thereby reducing the need for potentially risky repeat procedures or even surgeries. This placement and relationship with the CIE team will increase Cellvizio awareness through their educational and research programs, while also allowing us to benefit from their learnings with the technology. We're excited to partner with the team at CIE to take this technology to the next level given their unique expertise and unrivalled recruitment of patients."

About the Florida Center for Interventional Endoscopy

The Center for Interventional Endoscopy (CIE) was created to effectively integrate therapeutic endoscopy with minimally invasive surgery to provide state-of-the-art care for patients with complex digestive disease problems. Our mission is to foster cutting-edge clinical research and train the next generation of endoscopists and minimally invasive surgeons. The Center for Interventional Endoscopy (CIE) serves as a regional, national and international referral center for patients who may benefit from advanced endoscopic interventions. The center is staffed by a team of internationally renowned endoscopists who have extensive experience in the management of complex digestive disorders.

About Mauna Kea Technologies

Mauna Kea Technologies is a global medical device company focused on eliminating uncertainties related to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer thanks to real time in vivo microscopic visualization. The Company's flagship product, Cellvizio, has received clearance to sell a wide range of applications in more than 40 countries, including the United States, Europe, Japan, China, Canada, Brazil and Mexico.

For more information on Mauna Kea Technologies, visit http://www.maunakeatech.com

[1] Florida Hospital Center for Interventional Endoscopy 2015 Annual Report

Mauna Kea Technologies

Benoit Jacheet

CFO

[email protected]



United States

Zack Kubow / Lee Roth

The Ruth Group

+1-646-536-7020 / 7012

[email protected] / [email protected]



U.S. Media

Christopher Hippolyte

The Ruth Group

+1-646-536-7023

[email protected]



France and Europe

NewCap - Investor Relations

Florent Alba

+33(0)1-44-71-94-94

[email protected]

SOURCE Mauna Kea Technologies
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mesothelioma Compensation Center says, "We are the number one branded source in the nation for the best possible financial compensation for a power plant or public utility worker with mesothelioma. The reason we are so passionate about helping these specific types of people with mesothelioma is they literally can get the best possible financial settlements. These settlements can exceed one million dollars.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402552

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402553

Asbestos Warning Sign Public Utility

"However, as we would like to explain anytime at 866-714-6466 if a power plant or public utility worker with mesothelioma does not have the nation's top mesothelioma attorneys in their corner the best possible financial settlement result will not happen." http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com

When the Mesothelioma Compensation Center mentions 'lawyers with the right stuff' they are referring to the nation's most skilled and qualified mesothelioma attorneys whose practice is 100% devoted to assisting people with mesothelioma nationwide-including power plant or public utility workers with this rare cancer. These are also trial attorneys who are among the nicest people you could ever meet and are also ferocious when it comes to representing their clients; they also have at least a decade's worth of references that will verify they really do get the best possible compensation results for people like a power plant worker or a public utility worker with mesothelioma. http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com

The Mesothelioma Compensation Center strictly specializes in assisting the following types of people with mesothelioma nationwide:

Power plant worker

Power house worker

US Navy Veteran

Public utility worker

Oil refinery worker

Nuclear power plant worker

Chemical plant worker

Shipyard worker

Hydro-electric plant worker

Electrician

Plumber

The Center says, "Before anyone with mesothelioma or their family members hire a lawyer/law firm to help with a mesothelioma compensation claim, please call us anytime at 866-714-6466 so we can suggest specific mesothelioma attorneys we would consider to be the 'All Star Team' with the right stuff when it comes to financial compensation for mesothelioma-nationwide." http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com

For more information about power plants in the United States please refer to the US Energy Administration's website: https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=65&t=2.

US Navy Veterans account for about one third of a people who will be diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. According to the US Centers for Disease Control the average age for a diagnosed victim of mesothelioma is 72 years old. Between 2500, and 3000 US citizens will be diagnosed with mesothelioma this year. Mesothelioma is attributable to exposure to asbestos.

According to the CDC the states indicated with the highest incidence of mesothelioma include Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana, Washington, and Oregon. However, a power plant or public utility worker with mesothelioma could live in any state including California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, or Alaska. http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com

The Mesothelioma Compensation Center says, "If you call us at 866-714-6466, we will see to it that you have on the spot access to the nation's most skilled mesothelioma attorneys, because these incredibly skilled legal experts consistently get the best financial compensation results for their clients on a nationwide basis." http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com

For more information about mesothelioma please refer to the National Institutes of Health's website related to this rare form of cancer: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mesothelioma.html

Media Contact:

Thomas Martin

Email

866-714-6466

SOURCE Mesothelioma Compensation Center

Related Links

http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com


International development  The U.S lab now serves as the hub for Asian apps going international; Encouraging Chinese developers to increase their users abroad, and overseas developers enter the Chinese market with guidance.

 The U.S lab now serves as the hub for Asian apps going international; Encouraging Chinese developers to increase their users abroad, and overseas developers enter the Chinese market with guidance. Expanding product portfolio - Testin plans to devote more of its resources on developing its one-stop-shop platform for all mobile Internet entrepreneurs, strategic-minded enterprises, and developers.

- Testin plans to devote more of its resources on developing its one-stop-shop platform for all mobile Internet entrepreneurs, strategic-minded enterprises, and developers. Solidify Chinese market presence  Testin has been able to stay one step ahead of the market with its mature, yet ever evolving method of QA testing and management style, establishing a solid community in the Chinese market.

"While our core services are testing-focused, Testin's long term plan is creating an end to end eco system in the mobile internet industry, from investments to marketing to testing," said Xu Kun, President and Co-founder of Testin. "Testin has become the industry standard for mobile QA testing in China. Because of the generous support of our investor partners, this round will help us accomplish our goals that much quicker, and help developers build even better products for the future."

Testin launched its international expansion last year, building a U.S. device lab and support team in Silicon Valley. This development comes from the demand of current clients who need further support on a global scale.

With its 5th anniversary recently passing, Testin has pioneered mobile QA in China. Today, Testin has served more than 700,000 developers around the globe who have used Testin's solutions for testing, marketing and consulting.

"We're very happy to support Testin," comments Justin Niu, Partner at IDG Capital. "When we first noticed Testin, we saw their potential and knew right away we had to invest. It's been a great ride so far, and we're looking forward to its continued growth for the mobile internet industry."

About Testin

Since Testin was founded in 2011, it has become one of the fastest growing startups in China. Intensified from the rapid growth of mobile applications in China, it quickly solidified itself as a market leader for mobile QA. Testin aims to disrupt the mobile internet industry by providing an end-to-end ecosystem of services that will support developers in building the products of the future.

Testin has served more than 700,000 developers and performed over 140 million tests on more than 1.8 million applications. Since its establishment, Testin has built and maintained significant relationships with several world-renowned companies such as ARM, Intel, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent, 360 and Xiaomi.

Testin has also received the Distinguished Award for the Top 50 Most Valued Enterprises for Investment in 2014 and 2015, as well as the 2014 Red Herring Asia's Top 100 Award and the 2015 Red Herring Global Top 100 Company Award.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402492

SOURCE Testin
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IDT911 has been chosen by MonitorMyScoreTM to provide customers with access to identity monitoring and resolution services to protect themselves against identity theft. Through the partnership, MonitorMyScore customers have 24/7 access to fraud specialists to proactively prepare for and resolve various identity theft situations. Combined with credit monitoring through MonitorMyScore, customers will have comprehensive protection of their identity and notification of changes or misuse of personal, private information. Customers also have access to identity theft reimbursement coverage up to $1 million to cover expenses associated with repairing their identity, like legal fees, lost wages, and more.

Identity theft can damage life goals.

The ever-increasing threat of identity theft means customers can be seriously impacted throughout all facets of life. Social engineering schemes like phishing could take down an individual's computer, causing loss of precious pictures and sensitive documents. A fraudulently filed tax return by a thief means the taxpayer may not receive the money rightfully owed to them for months. A young adult can be rejected to receive student aid or an apartment from years of fraudulent SSN misuse when they were a child. Or, a hopeful homeowner can be denied a mortgage because of poor credit caused by an identity thief.

"As identity theft continues to shift from financial gain to malicious abuse like employment ID theft or medical ID theft for patient services, so must the ways we monitor a customer's identity health and well-being," said George Vuckovich, CEO, MonitorMyScore. "Traditional credit monitoring is not enough. I'm excited to partner with IDT911 to provide their identity monitoring and resolution services to complement our robust credit monitoring platform for a comprehensive solution. Together, customers can rest assured in knowing their reputation and personal and credit information is always our top priority."

Skilled in fighting-fraud, efficient in resolving it.

IDT911 fraud experts have an average of ten years of fraud resolution experience and are available 24/7. The company has been awarded a number of customer service honors and the IDT911 Resolution Center receives top marks in customer satisfaction from resolution victims, achieving 99-percent satisfaction rates or higher since 2010.

For more information about IDT911, please visit IDT911.com.

About MonitorMyScore

MonitorMyScoreTM provides comprehensive identity theft protection solutions designed to protect consumers' personal data and empower them to make educated decisions about their financial lives. We passionately strive to offer services that our customers can use daily and that help them to be better educated and that have a positive impact on their financial health. We use advanced technology and align ourselves with strategic partners that share our values and vision. This approach results in a consumer-centric brand offering tools, education and a strong focus on the user experience.

We demonstrate our commitment by ensuring that our services and systems are built to meet the demanding needs of an evolving marketplace and the changing needs of our customers.

For more information about MonitorMyScore, please visit www.monitormyscore.com

About IDT911

IDT911 is the leading provider of services that help businesses and their customers defend against data breaches and identity theft. IDT911's unique approachdelivering proactive protection, preventive education, and swift resolutionoffers unrivaled support for more than 660 client partners and 17.5 million households. Through IDT911 Consulting, IDT911 delivers information security and data privacy expertise to help businesses avert and respond to data loss. Based in Scottsdale, Ariz., the company has several locations in the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Ireland to serve partners in Europe.

SOURCE IDT911

Related Links

http://www.idt911.com


Best Short Form of the Year, Brand Response  for Atlantis Rises and Nutri Ninja Auto IQ 2 Pro Complete

Best Long Form of the Year, Variety  for WORX Switchdriver

of the Year, Variety  for WORX Switchdriver Best Short Form of the Year, Housewares  for Nutri Ninja Auto IQ 2 Pro Complete

The Moxie Awards recognizes the very best in television, radio, online and mobile direct response marketing. A premier panel of direct response marketing industry experts judged this year's entries.

"We are excited to be selected as a finalist at this year's Moxie Awards with four nominations," stated Chris Harris, GoConvergence's SVP of Creative & Marketing, Brand Action. "The Moxie Awards are the highest honor in the direct response marketing industry and validates the exceptional work that our clients, creative teams and production teams are doing together on a daily basis."

Last year, GoConvergence swept the Moxie Award's brand direct response category with Best Short Form of the Year, Brand Response, and Best Long Form of the Year, Brand Response, for the Waterpik Water Flosser with DR media firm Mercury Media. The GoConvergence team also won Best Short Form of the Year, Variety, for the Rockwell BladeRunner X2.

Winners will be announced at this year's ERA Moxie Awards Gala, which will be held on September 15 at the Wynn Las Vegas.

About GoConvergence

GoConvergence is owned by Mood Media Corporation (TSX: MM), the global leader in elevating Customer Experiences. GoConvergence is a leading Brand Action direct to consumer creative agency that provides clients with a one-stop shop approach to marketing with world-class services including strategy, design, HD video production, branded content, and multi-media experiences. The company maintains a multi-disciplined team of professionals including advertising, creative, digital technology and production. The agency is based in Orlando, with additional offices in New York City and Newport Beach, California. For more information, please visit www.thegoco.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403061

SOURCE GoConvergence

Related Links

http://www.thegoco.com


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nevada Energy Metals Inc. "the Company" (TSX-V: BFF; OTCQB: SSMLF; Frankfurt: A2AFBV) ) is pleased to announce encouraging results have been received from the latest sampling program at the Company's 100% owned Big Smokey Valley (North) project. The geochemical sampling program was designed to test for lithium values in surface soils and/or playa evaporates. Samples were obtained on a grid pattern consisting of eleven east/west lines spaced 400 meters apart with stations every 200 meters along the lines. The grid covered an area of approximately 3,000 acres.

Lithium Results from Big Smokey Valley, Nevada

Of the 170 sample points analyzed 150 reported Lithium values greater than or equal to 100 ppm with the highest value being 146 ppm Lithium (the median value being 116 ppm); 20 samples points were in the 53 ppm to 99 ppm range.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/402956-INFO

Rick Wilson, President an CEO stated "Obtaining a statistically large number of anomalous Lithium values across our large 3,200 acre/1,295-hectare property is highly encouraging. We look forward to announcing the next phase of work shortly".

About the BSV Lithium Project: https://nevadaenergymetals.com/bsv-lithium-project/

The BSV Lithium Project consists of 160 placer claims, with an area of 3,200 acres/1,295 hectares, located in northern Big Smokey Valley, Nye County, Nevada, 12 miles east of the town of Austin and extends approximately 100 miles in a southwesterly direction to reach a southern terminus near Clayton Valley. The northern section, where the claims area is located contains three geothermal resources; the Darrough, the McLeod and the Spencer hot springs.

Gravity survey results indicate the depth of valley fill to be approximately 5,100 feet and that there is subsurface closure of the valley a short distance to the south of the claim block. The basin is fed by anomalous lithium bearing geothermal fluids interpreted to be meteoric waters heated by relatively deep circulation in the earth's crust.

Historical sediment sampling results for lithium in the basin were reported in the range of 130 to 155 ppm lithium for 4 samples (J.R. Davis, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Co.)

Nevada Energy Metals has acquired a 100% interest in the property, free of royalty payments.

Qualified Person: The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Alan Morris CPG, Elko, Nevada.

About Nevada Energy Metals: http://nevadaenergymetals.com/

Nevada Energy Metals Inc. is a well funded, Canadian based, exploration company who's primary listing is on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's main exploration focus is directed at lithium brine targets located in the mining friendly state of Nevada. The Company has ownership of 77 claims in Clayton Valley, only 250m from Rockwood Lithium, the only brine based lithium producer in North America (70% optioned-out to American Lithium Corp (TSX-V: Li). Nevada Energy Metals has also acquired: 100 claims (Teels Marsh West) covering 2000 acres (809 hectares) at Teels Marsh, Mineral County, Nevada, a prospective lithium exploration project, 100% owned without any royalties; the San Emidio Desert lithium project, consisting of 155 claims (approximately 3,100 acres/1255 hectares) in Washoe County, Nevada; the Alkali Lake Project in Esmeralda county, is a 60% earn in option agreement from Dajin Resources Corp (TSX-V: DJI), where near surface lithium values have been confirmed; the Dixie Valley Project consisting of 911 claims covering 73.6 square kilometers/28.4 square miles (7,363 hectares/18,194 acres) of salt marsh playa.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Rick Wilson, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the contents of this release.

1220-789 West Pender St

Vancouver, BC, V6C 1H2

+1-604-428-5690

nevadaenergymetals.com

[email protected]

SOURCE Nevada Energy Metals Inc.

Related Links

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NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Glenfield Middle School in Montclair, New Jersey, is the anchor school for the south end in Montclair. The school is divided into houses, each of whose students keep the same core teachers from sixth through eighth grade. Tourrie Moses was a highly promising student, inquisitive, engaged, and eager to learn when he entered Glenfield in the sixth grade. Friendly and well-liked by his teachers and classmates, he was elected president of the student council by eighth grade.

But what happened to Moses -- once considered bound for a top college by his teachers -- in the ensuing years causing him to spend more time in the streets than in school? Why is Dan Gill, a teacher at Glenfield for more than 40 years, still haunted by Moses, the student he calls "the one that got away"?

This fall, public media tells the story of Moses, one of thousands of at-risk youths in America today, in The One That Got Away. The one-hour special premiering Monday, September 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET on THIRTEEN ; Wednesday, September 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NJTV ; and Sunday, September 18 at 9 p.m. ET on WLIW21 , follows Gill as he reconnects with Moses currently serving 15 years for murder in the New Jersey state prison, and examines the relevant issues about teaching, familial and communal responsibility, and at-risk children. The program is airing during Spotlight Education (September 12-17), a special week of primetime news, public affairs and documentary programming on public media stations in New York and New Jersey focusing on the brightest ideas and toughest challenges facing today's students and America's education system.

Filmed over the course of three years by Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmakers John Block and Steve McCarthy, Moses' life unfolds through interviews with the man himself, his family, teachers, and classmates, including his mother Twanda Moses; his father Shelton White; his cousin Ottis Wright; science teacher Nicole Blank; social studies and lead teacher Dan Gill; math teacher Peter von Hoffman; language arts teacher Deborah Maher; in class support teacher Tracey Wolfson; and more.

Each interview reveals how the intertwined forces of home life, school life and street life can negatively impact a child, particularly one growing up in impoverished conditions.

"I believe if all circumstances are not aligned appropriately that you can get off track to success when you come from a challenging location," says James Earle, principal of Montclair High School in New Jersey. "But here's what has to happen: there has to be someone to rescue you, to give you a lifelineand we forget quite often that someone rescued us."

Though Gill knows it is too late to rescue Moses, he still thinks about that little boy in his sixth grade class. Two years after Moses' conviction, Gill takes a one-day leave of absence from school to visit Moses. He wants to help a kid who is in his class, one not unlike Moses, Gill asks Moses, "I got a kid like you. You got any advice for me?"

"Always pursue and let him know that you love him," says Moses.

According to JANUS/Solutions, it costs $46,000 a year to house an inmate in New Jersey's state prison system, while the estimated average cost of providing comprehensive support for an at-risk youth and his or her family in N.J. is $20,000. Block and McCarthy hope The One That Got Away can spark a national conversation about how to help America's youth in troubling situations.

The One That Got Away is a production of BlockMcCarthy Films LLC. Director/Producer/Co-editor is John Block. Producer/Director of Photography is Steve McCarthy. Funding for The One That Got Away is provided by the JPB Foundation and the Ford Foundation as part of Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America; and the John and Rose Cali Family Foundation; New Jersey Education Association; Silver Family Foundation, Montclair, N.J.; and others.

The One That Got Away is one of three specials broadcast this fall as part of Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America, WNET's multi-platform public media initiative providing critical programming on poverty, income equality, and opportunity. Getting Ahead, Tavis Smiley's report on the minimum wage, and Dream On with political comedian John Fugelsang about what has become of the American dream air on Friday, October 7 at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET respectively in New York on THIRTEEN.

About WNET

WNET is America's flagship PBS station and parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 . WNET also operates NJTV , the statewide public media network in New Jersey. Through its broadcast channels, three cable services (KidsThirteen, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature , Great Performances , American Masters , PBS NewsHour Weekend , Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings. WNET's groundbreaking series for children and young adults include Get the Math , Oh Noah! and Cyberchase as well as Mission US, the award-winning interactive history game. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS , Reel 13 , NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus , the daily multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. In addition, WNET produces online-only programming including the award-winning series about gender identity, First Person, and an intergenerational look at tech and pop culture, The Chatterbox with Kevin and Grandma Lill. In 2015, THIRTEEN launched Passport, an online streaming service which allows members to see new and archival THIRTEEN and PBS programming anytime, anywhere: www.thirteen.org/passport.

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SOURCE WNET-WLIW21

Related Links

http://wliw.org/


a permanent 50% reduction of both of the Company's management and incentive fee arrangements; and

implementation of NexPoint's unique stockholder loyalty program, under which NexPoint provides a 2% match to stockholders that invest through the program and retain their shares for at least one year.

In addition, our proposal includes the direct investment of at least $50 million in the Company's shares. BSP has refused to disclose the amount of any investment it would make in the Company.

All of these terms directly benefit the Company's stockholders, which currently suffer from marginal performance and a 16.7% discount to NAV based on the last known secondary market purchase of $7.36 on August 15, 20161 (versus the NAV of $8.84 on June 30, 2016). Originally issued at $10.00 per share, the Company paid an 8% dividend, and experienced declines which reduced the NAV to $8.84 per share. Through enhanced performance, materially reduced fees and additional liquidity provided by direct investment, NexPoint believes the Company's NAV will increase and trade at less of a discount to NAV than under the BSP proposal. Based on the Company's NAV as of June 30, 2016, NexPoint's proposed fee discounts would provide over $175 million of aggregate fee savings over the next ten years, assuming an 8% annual return.

The Fee Structure Comparison Chart below presents a comparison between the Company's current fee structure and NexPoint's proposed structure on an initial investment in the Company of $10,000.

NexPoint has requested to meet and discuss its proposal with the Board and has also invited the Board to propose other terms that the Board believes are appropriate. To date, the Board has not responded to any of NexPoint's requests to meet either in-person or telephonically to discuss our proposal or any other terms attractive to the Board. We believe the Board is not giving due consideration to our proposal because the Board's interests are aligned with management, but not with the interests of the stockholders. We believe BSP has agreed to pay management a $150 million windfall upon approval of its proposal. Public filings state that BSP has no intention of lowering any management or incentive fees paid by stockholders. $150 million equates to almost 10% of the Company's net assets, which in our view should be directed for the benefit of the Company's stockholders.

If NexPoint is retained by the Company as its investment adviser, the Company will have access to all of Highland's capabilities and expertise. We have submitted extensive due diligence directly to the independent directors of the Special Committee of the Board, including Edward Rendell, Randolph Read and Leslie Michelson. These submissions include our letter of intent and four supplemental responses comprising over 200 pages of diligence demonstrating our superior experience, performance and capabilities.

If appointed as investment adviser to the Company, NexPoint will work diligently with the Board and the Company's current management to implement a smooth transition for the Company and its stockholders.

About NexPoint Advisors, L.P.

NexPoint, together with its affiliates, currently manages approximately $17 billion in net assets and believes that its core competences are squarely within the Company's investment strategy. NexPoint is affiliated, through common ownership, with Highland Capital Management, L.P. ("Highland"), and shares personnel and other resources with Highland. Highland (together with its affiliates) is one of the world's most experienced alternative credit managers, tested by numerous credit cycles, specializing in credit strategies, such as a broad range of leveraged loans, high yield bonds, direct lending, public and private equities, and CLOs. Highland also offers alternative investment-oriented strategies, including asset allocation, long/short equities, real estate, and natural resources.

Media Contact

Prosek Partners

Megan Ingersoll

212-279-3115 x223

[email protected]

1 Source: Central Trade & Transfer, CTTauctions.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402909-INFO

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SOURCE NexPoint Advisors, L.P.
RACINE, Wis., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Modine Manufacturing Company (NYSE: MOD), a leader in technology in the HVAC industry, is going to be in Islandia, New York, on Tuesday, September 13 at the Wales-Darby New York Office, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., for their latest stop in the Modine Innovation Tour 2016.

The Modine Innovation Tour 2016, traveling across North America, showcases the latest products in the HVAC industry, including solutions in geothermal and rooftop HVAC, plus ultra-efficient unit heaters and some of the quietest classroom HVAC products on the market.

"This will be our 42nd stop on the tour and our second time in New York," said Kimberly Raduenz, marketing communications manager for Modine. "We're excited to reach out to everyone on Long Island and hope we have a great turnout of engineers and contractors looking to see and learn about the latest in HVAC technology."

In addition to the product showcase, continuing education will be provided at the event for CEU credits with the following courses:

New Hydronics, New Hydronics Components

Dedicated outdoor Air System Basics

Active Chilled Beams

Fin Tube, Convectors, Cabinet Heaters and Fan Coils

Geothermal Heat Pumps

"Education is at the center of the Innovation Tour," said Raduenz. "We're offering a full day of classes for those who are interested, and we hope that everyone who attends will learn something new that they can take back to their company and ultimately turn that knowledge into better solutions for their customers."

The Wales-Darby New York Office, where the event will take place, is located at 2910 Express Drive South, Islandia, NY 11749. To see the complete agenda and register for the Islandia, New York event, visit www.modineinnovationtour.com/tour-detail/ny/islandia.

For more information about the Modine Innovation Tour, as well as upcoming tour dates, visit www.modineinnovationtour.com.

About Modine

Modine, with fiscal 2016 revenues of $1.4 billion, specializes in thermal management systems and components, bringing highly engineered heating and cooling technology and solutions to diversified global markets. Modine products are used in light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, off-highway and industrial equipment and refrigeration systems. Modine is a global company headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin (USA), with operations in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. For more information about Modine, visit www.modine.com.

Media Contact: Heather Ripley

(865) 977-1973

[email protected]

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SOURCE Modine Manufacturing Company

Related Links

http://www.modine.com


SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- To commemorate the grand opening of America's first and only Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Innovation Institute, NextFlex today welcomes an impressive slate of dignitaries, who will offer comments on the significance and value of the new facility with respect to technology innovation, national security and workforce development. Speakers will include Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Andre Gudger, Representatives Anna Eshoo, Mike Honda and Zoe Lofgren, and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. Also on hand to provide industry perspective will be Erick Seltmann, manager of Advanced Electromechanical Technologies for Boeing Research & Technology.

Dr. Malcolm Thompson, executive director of NextFlex, commented, "It's a great honor, and very gratifying, to be able to welcome these respected leaders from government and industry to help us celebrate the opening of our Institute. In just a year since NextFlex was announced, we have signed on 46 members, issued two project calls totaling more than $45 million with 60% cost shared by members and funding from various states. And, equally exciting, is that our flexible hybrid electronics headquarters facility and pilot manufacturing line is open. The collaborative work of NextFlex and our members at this facility will allow companies in Silicon Valley and throughout the U.S. to leap-frog the barriers of cost and integration, and create a viable ecosystem that will enable a new era."

Known for its start-up mentality and agile business model, NextFlex serves as a catalyst for collaboration and innovation among a collection of companies, academic and nonprofit institutions and government organizations from across the U.S., all focused on creating a robust FHE manufacturing infrastructure. NextFlex's 34,000 square foot facility located in the heart of Silicon Valley will feature a state-of-the-art class 10,000 pilot manufacturing line in addition to laboratory spaceall dedicated to the production of this burgeoning technology.

At today's grand opening, approximately 40 companies such as Acellent, American Semiconductor, Boeing, Brewer Science, DuPont, E Ink, GE Global Research, HP Enterprise, i3 Electronics, Jabil, NASA, PARC, Uniqarta together with academia like Berkeley, Binghamton, Cal Poly, Purdue, Univ. of Mass. (Amherst and Lowell), UofA, will showcase their advancements in bringing this exciting technology to fruition.

Background:

Once in full production, FHE will usher in a new era of "electronics on everything." Intelligence will be taken out of the "boxes" or packages associated with traditional electronics like PCs, smartphones and tablets, and transplanted directly on to a variety of surfaces including the human body, enabling an entirely new breed of defense and commercial applications we haven't imagined. But to develop these enabling FHEs, new manufacturing solutions are required and they come with significant integration challenges. Working alone, it would take years, perhaps decades, and unprecedented amounts of capital for a company to create the infrastructure to support mass production of FHEs. NextFlex, along with its members, are working to rapidly uncover and solve the complex manufacturing issues associated with production of flexible hybrid electronics, and ultimately create a manufacturing infrastructure that can efficiently be spun out to private industry.

NextFlex's new facility is located at: 2244 Blach Place #150, San Jose, Calif., 95131. Information and photographs from today's event are available by contacting Meagan Hardcastle, MCA, 559.283.2510 or via email at [email protected]. Follow @NextFlexUS on Twitter for the latest updates of today's events.

About Flexible Hybrid Electronics

FHE combines the ability to add electronics to new and unique materials that are part of our everyday lives, with the power of silicon ICs to create lightweight, low-cost, flexible, conformable and stretchable smart products to solve new problems and advance the efficiency of our world.

About NextFlex

NextFlex was founded on August 28, 2015, through the execution of a Cooperative Agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and FlexTech Alliance. A public-private partnership, NextFlex is the seventh Manufacturing Innovation Institute funded through the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation to create, showcase, and deploy new capabilities and new manufacturing processes. More information about NextFlex, can be found at www.nextflex.us.

SOURCE NextFlex

Related Links

http://www.nextflex.us


AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- NORMA Group, a global market leader in engineered joining technology, has presented its 2015 Global Supplier Recognition Award for North and South America to Aperam Stainless Service & Solutions USA.

Aperam USA has supplied NORMA Group facilities in the Americas with stainless steel since 2008. The company has sales offices in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and manufacturing facilities in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

Tim Jones, president of NORMA Americas, explained that Aperam was being recognized for its competitiveness, quality standards, economic stability and the technical knowledge of its employees in NORMA Group's supplier evaluations for calendar year 2015.

"Aperam is known for its excellent service and high levels of customer orientation," Jones added. "For example, Aperam provided us with detailed and continuous technical advice during recent restructuring in the area of steel processing at our plant in Auburn Hills."

Peter Staruch, sales manager at Aperam Stainless Service & Solutions USA, said, "On behalf of our employees I would like to thank NORMA Group for presenting us with this award. Our goal is to continually get better and to always offer our customers the best possible service."

NORMA Group has presented its Global Supplier Recognition Award to outstanding suppliers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) since 2014. The company recognized its best suppliers in the Americas for the first time in 2015. Last year, the award was presented to McMasters Koss which supplies O-rings and sealing elements for plastic connectors and other joining technology that NORMA Group offers.

Additional information on the company is available on www.normagroup.com. Press photos are available at www.normagroup.com/images.

About NORMA Americas

NORMA Americas is an integral part of the NORMA Group, a global market leader in engineered joining technology. NORMA Americas manufactures high quality clamps, connectors and fluid systems that safely link a variety of vital components in vehicles, aircraft, trains and ships as well as in water management. With more than 1,300 employees it operates eight production facilities in North and South America with annual sales of about EUR 395 million. NORMA Americas strong brand portfolio includes the brand names ABA, Breeze, Clamp-All, CONNECTORS, Five Star, Gemi, NDS, NORMA, R.G.RAY, and TORCA. NORMA Americas is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

About NORMA Group

NORMA Group is a global market leader in engineered joining technology. The company manufactures a wide range of innovative connecting solutions and water management technology offering more than 35,000 products to customers in 100 countries with around 6,500 employees. NORMA Group helps its customers and business partners to react to global challenges such as climate change and increasing scarcity of resources. NORMA Group joining products can be found in vehicles and trains, ships and aircraft, buildings and water management as well as in applications for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. The company generated sales of around EUR 890 million in 2015. NORMA Group operates a global network of 22 production facilities as well as numerous sales and distribution sites across Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. NORMA Group has its headquarters in Maintal, Germany. NORMA Group SE is listed on the German stock exchange (Prime Standard) and included in the MDAX index.

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SOURCE NORMA Group

Related Links

http://www.normagroup.com


FLOWER MOUND, Texas, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Opsgility, the leading global Microsoft Azure readiness firm, today announced the worldwide release of new courses and learning paths for Microsoft Azure (MSFT). These courses and learning paths are designed for enterprise IT and development to provide a clear roadmap for learning Microsoft Azure, with similar paths and courses coming soon for Office 365 and Dynamics CRM.

"Our goal is to help IT leadership prepare their organizations to meet the challenges of running their business IT services in the Microsoft cloud. With the breadth of services and capabilities available it's a huge challenge to identify where to even get started, much less acquire the advanced skills necessary to truly take advantage of the cloud. We think the breadth of courses and learning paths are a great first step for a company to take on their cloud journey." said Michael Washam, Opsgility CEO.

A Focus on Roles

Many people associate particular skills with certain roles within the enterprise IT. Opsgility has mapped out their new Azure learning paths to the specific courses required to become proficient in those skills. For example, the role of a Cloud Architect can mean a lot of things to different people. These new learning paths spell out exactly what skills are expected for this role.

Custom Learning Paths within Your Organization

Opsgility specializes in creating custom courses and learning paths for specific roles within an enterprise organization's IT department. This experience and best practice has been taken into consideration with the release of the learning paths and can be customized organization by organization based on the actual requirements of the enterprise.

Assess Your Team's Microsoft Cloud Readiness Needs

Contact Opsgility for a one-on-one consultation with a Microsoft Cloud Expert to help get your company on track to productivity in Microsoft Azure.

About Opsgility

Opsgility's goal is to help enable our customers realize the full potential of the Microsoft Cloud by increasing the value of one of their most critical assets, their people. Opsgility is the global leader in Microsoft Azure readiness with over 75 subject matter experts globally available, a huge selection of proprietary courseware for instructor-led and on-demand training. What sets Opsgility apart is their custom curriculum and network of cloud experts that can enable your company for the cloud wherever your company is based.

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SOURCE Opsgility

Related Links

http://www.opsgility.com


GURNEE, Ill., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Paris Presents Incorporated, a leading global, privately held company that creates and distributes beauty products, has been named to Inc. 5000's prestigious list of fastest-growing private companies for the second year in a row. The list, comprised of America's powerhouse companies, showcases leaders in areas of strategy, service and innovation. Paris Presents ranks number 3564 on this year's list, a jump up 765 spots since 2015.

For 35 years, the Inc. 5000 list has welcomed the fastest-growing private companies in America into a very exclusive club. The list is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a three-year period.

Much of the growth of Paris Presents can be attributed to the success of their branded product lines, EcoTools, Real Techniques and Body Benefits by Body Image. These brands have built credibility in the beauty space by driving strong consumer awareness, loyalty and purchase consideration. By offering beauty mavens accessible products that provide next-level performance, the company has been able to identify and penetrate key in-market opportunities to increase purchase frequency with consumers.

"Crafting innovative and engaging ways in which to better drive business momentum is what has enabled our strong global growth. By tapping into consumer insights, we've taken our retail relationships to new heights and capitalized on new product innovation  for example, our recent expansion into the makeup sponge category for Real Techniques and first to mass makeup brush cleansing cloths for EcoTools  to meet customer and industry demands. We are extremely proud of our upward growth trend that earned our improved ranking on this year's Inc. 5000 list," said Patrick O'Brien, CEO of Paris Presents.

The 2016 Inc. 5000 is the most competitive crop in the list's history. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue is $200 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 640,000 jobs over the past three years, or about 8 percent of all jobs created in the entire economy during that period. Paris Presents shares a pedigree with other notable organizations such as Patagonia, Pandora, Microsoft, Under Armour and Square.

About Paris Presents Incorporated

Founded in 1947, Paris Presents is a global company that creates and distributes beauty products and personal care accessories that elevate the beauty experience for women. The Company's leading brands include Real Techniques, EcoTools and Body Benefits by Body Image. Paris Presents provides a wide range of product categories and customized services through a strong network of national and global retailers. For more information, visit www.parispresents.com.

About Inc. 500|5000

The Inc. 500 is an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the United States, introduced in 1982. The Inc. 5000 is an expansion of the Inc. 500, which ranks the country's top 5000 fastest-growing private companies and also features a special ranking of the top 10% of the list as the Inc. 500.

Press Contact:

Amanda Coyne

312-245-0170

[email protected]

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SOURCE Paris Presents Incorporated

Related Links

http://www.parispresents.com


"This was an extraordinary collaboration across borders, cultures and jurisdictions. We completed a successful survey of massive scale, and what we learned is deeply disturbing," said philanthropist and Vulcan founder Paul Allen. "Armed with this knowledge of dramatically declining elephant populations, we share a collective responsibility to take action and we must all work to ensure the preservation of this iconic species."

Over a two-year period, using standardized data collection and validation methods, the GEC accurately determined the number and distribution of the great majority of African savanna elephants and provides a baseline for future surveys and trend analyses.

Final results show:

Savanna elephant populations declined by 30 percent (equal to 144,000 elephants) between 2007 and 2014. [2]

(equal to 144,000 elephants) between 2007 and 2014. The current rate of decline is 8 percent per year, primarily due to poaching . The rate of decline accelerated from 2007 to 2014.

. The rate of decline accelerated from 2007 to 2014. 352,271 elephants were counted in the 18 countries surveyed. This figure represents at least 93 percent of savanna elephants in these countries.

surveyed. This figure represents at least 93 percent of savanna elephants in these countries. Eighty-four percent of the population surveyed was sighted in legally protected areas while 16 percent were in unprotected areas. However, high numbers of elephant carcasses were discovered in many protected areas, indicating that elephants are struggling both inside and outside parks.

"If we can't save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africa's wildlife?" said Mike Chase, GEC principal investigator and founder of Elephants Without Borders. "I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come."

Beyond a significant amount of his personal time and effort, Paul Allen spent more than $7 million to fund and manage the project, create the technology, and make the census results available online.

"This project required a herculean effort on the part of many partners since its launch in December 2013, with 81 airplanes and 286 crew members flying roughly 463,000 kilometers to complete the survey," said Vulcan Wildlife Conservation Director James Deutsch. "We want to recognize the collaboration and critical contributions of wildlife department staff in the 18 countries surveyed along with our lead NGO, Elephants Without Borders; the 90 scientists, our technical advisory group and other NGO partners, without which this undertaking would not have been possible."

At least two-thirds of the continental savanna elephant population figures reported in IUCN's 2016 African Elephant Status Report (AESR) come from the GEC results. The report will be published in advance of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP17) in Johannesburg, South Africa. This updated AESR will be used to shape major policy decisions about the future of elephants.

Deeply troubled by what the GEC revealed, Mr. Allen has made elephant conservation a top priority and is working with individuals, organizations and governments from around the world to ensure that future generations will be able to see elephants with their eyes and not just read about them in books.

New initiatives include the launch of a forest elephant census in regions where poaching is thought to have devastated herds and adequate population data is critically needed. Vulcan has also developed a visual data platform that provides real-time intelligence for protected management areas. The new system has been deployed as a pilot program in Kenya.

Finally, to generate a broader understanding of the critical plight of African elephants, Paul Allen's Vulcan Productions is releasing two films this year  "The Ivory Game," an undercover feature-documentary, set to expose the dark world of ivory trafficking; and "Naledi: A Baby Elephant's Tale," the true story of a baby elephant born into an elephant rehabilitation program in Botswana and is orphaned at the age of one month.

For more information on the GEC results, please see:

Those interested in further updates can follow along on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and Paper.li.

[1] In total, 18 countries were surveyed but comparable data is only available for 15 countries.

[2] For the large populations sampled by the GEC in 15 of 18 countries flown and for which a comparable previous count was available.

Photo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402412

SOURCE Vulcan Inc.

Related Links

http://www.vulcan.com


NEW YORK, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Personetics, the leading provider of personalized digital guidance solutions for the financial industry, will be demonstrating its Personetics Anywhere chatbot solution at FinovateFall, the industry's most prominent stage for FinTech innovations.

The demonstration will showcase how Personetics Anywhere enables banks and other financial institutions to deliver personalized assistance and guidance to customers across all digital channels - using the bank's web and mobile applications as well as commonly used messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and personal assistants such as Amazon's Alexa.

The demonstration will take place on the main stage and at the Personetics booth at the FinovateFall show, taking place at the New York Hilton Midtown, in New York City, September 8, 2016.

About Personetics

Personetics helps over 15 million digital users of the world's leading financial institutions receive personalized real-time guidance at each step along the customer journey. Our solutions provide financial institutions with AI-powered analytics to digitally assist and guide their customers by accurately anticipating individual customer needs.

Using the Personetics Predictive Analytics platform, financial institutions are able to deliver relevant and useful insight and advice that empower customers to better manage their day-to-day finances and reach their financial goals. Led by a team of seasoned FinTech entrepreneurs with a proven track record, Personetics has been named a Gartner Cool Vendor, a Top Ten FinTech Company by KPMG, and a Top Ten Company to Watch by American Banker.

About FinovateFall

FinovateFall is a demo-based conference for innovative startups and established companies in the fields of banking and financial technology. Held in Manhattan, the event offers an insight-packed glimpse of the future of finance via a fast-paced, intimate, and unique format. FinovateFall is organized by The Finovate Group. For more information on the event or to view videos of previous demos, please visit finovate.com.

SOURCE Personetics
NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

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EXPERT ALERTS

New FAA Rule Clears Drones and Startup Opportunities for Takeoff

Politics in the Workplace

School Bathroom Transgender Ruling Sets Up Lengthy Legal Battle

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

Blog Profiles: Higher Education Blogs

Media Insider: Instagram Most Engaging, BuzzFeed Multiplies

The Five Types of Journalists Using Social Media

EXPERT ALERTS:

New FAA Rule Clears Drones and Startup Opportunities for Takeoff

John Fry

Partner, Technology and Intellectual Property Litigation Practice

Morris, Manning & Martin LLP

A lot more drones will be in the air soon. The FAA's new Small Unmanned Aircraft Rule, effective August 29, means countless businesses will be able to use small drones. This can include journalists, farmers, utilities, insurance companies, public safety agencies, real estate firms and more. Commercial drones must weigh less than 55 pounds, operate within the line of sight of the operator, and fly only during the day, though twilight flights are allowed with the proper lights. It will still be a while before they can deliver big packages. But there's no end to the businesses small drones can help. Says Fry: "Whether drones are used to support a business in some fashion or whether it is a drone business in and of itself, they will soon be critical to the success of many organizations. The area of development of the technologies that will ultimately provide 'virtual' visual line of sight, collision avoidance and airspace management are popular opportunities for startup companies." Fry is Chair of the UAS/UAV/Drone Practice Group at Morris, Manning & Martin LLP. He is located in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bio: http://www.mmmlaw.com/people/john-fry

Website: http://www.mmmlaw.com

Contact: Terri Thornton, [email protected]





Politics in the Workplace

Daniel Prywes

Partner, Litigation Practice

Morris, Manning & Martin LLP

Political discussions in the workplace lead to increased volatility, and can damage productivity and working relationships. This is especially true in an election year as tempestuous as 2016. Employers may want to limit workers' political activities in the workplace. On the other hand, some companies may feel it's imperative to encourage employees to support candidates the company believes will be good for business. Says Prywes (pronounced PREE-vus): "Employers can prohibit employees from discussing politics during working (non-break) hours. Work time is for work, not politicking. But generally, employers cannot lawfully prevent employees from discussing political issues linked to the terms and conditions of employment while they are on meal or other breaks. The U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 ruling in the Citizens United case broadened a corporation's ability to engage in political advocacy. A corporate employer now has the right to communicate its support of a candidate to all its employees (and others), as long as the effort is not coordinated with a specific political campaign." Prywes has written articles published in Bloomberg BNA and other publications. He's been quoted in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Law360 and other large publications. Prywes is located in Washington, D.C.

Bio: http://www.mmmlaw.com/people/daniel-prywes

Website: http://www.mmmlaw.com

Contact: Terri Thornton, [email protected]





School Bathroom Transgender Ruling Sets Up Lengthy Legal Battle

Shonn Brown

Attorney

Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst in Dallas

The preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor of Fort Worth that temporarily blocks the Obama Administration's instructions for public schools to accommodate transgender students has intensified the national debate over students' use of bathrooms and other facilities. "The nationwide aspects of the injunction will be interesting to watch because there are limited circumstances where that is appropriate, and this injunction only applies to those states that recognize the directive from the DOJ under their own state laws. The big question is what does 'sex' mean. The differentiation between 'biological' and 'identity' will likely be interpreted differently by other courts, which will ultimately require an opinion of the Supreme Court to resolve. Also, this is a temporary order, which places a lower burden on the plaintiffs to show 'likelihood' of prevailing, whereas at the permanent injunction phase there is the higher standard of a trial on the merits."

Contact: Barry Pound, [email protected]





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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

BLOG PROFILES: HIGHER EDUCATION BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations group selects an industry or subject and a handful of blogs that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, we look at blogs covering higher education: http://bit.ly/2bv0Swk

http://bit.ly/2bv0Swk MEDIA INSIDER: INSTAGRAM MOST ENGAGING, BUZZFEED MULTIPLIES. In Media Insider, we look at the journalism, blogging and freelancing stories from the previous week we think you should know about: http://bit.ly/2c9tSsn

THE FIVE TYPES OF JOURNALISTS USING SOCIAL MEDIA. While social media may have once been viewed by news media as another way to drive clicks to articles, Cision's latest Global Social Journalism Study reveals that social media use by journalists goes far beyond publishing and promoting content. In fact, more than 58 percent of the journalists surveyed rate social media as very important for interacting with their audience. Read more: http://prn.to/2c0lhWK

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NEWARK, N.J., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey's largest utility, is urging customers to be alert to scams demanding immediate bill payment via a pre-paid card.

"During the last several days, we've seen an uptick in the number of phone scams being reported," said Greg Dunlap, vice president of Customer Operations for PSE&G. "Scammers can  and do  target anyone. But they tend to more often target small business customers, because they have larger bills than residential customers, but don't have all of the checks and balances to prevent fraud that large business customers typically have."

Here is how this latest payment scam works:

An individual pretending to be a PSE&G employee calls a customer and tells them that without immediate payment via a pre-paid card, their service will be shut off.

Customers are given a telephone number to call back after they have purchased the card. When they call that number, they hear interactive voice response prompts that imitate those they would hear when calling the real PSE&G customer service line.

When a fake representative answers the line, they ask for the number on the back of the pre-paid card. After the scammers have that number, they can take the money from the card  usually within a matter of minutes.

The only way to protect against these scams is for customers to be cautious when contacted by someone threatening service termination if they do not receive immediate payment via a pre-paid credit card. Before terminating service, PSE&G alerts customers in a number of ways: messages on their bill, letters and phone calls. The utility offers a number of payment options, and would never require a customer to use one specific type of payment.

"If you receive a call from anyone demanding immediate payment, do not give them any personal or account information," said Dunlap. "Hang up the phone, and call the number listed on PSE&G's website and bills: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)."

PSE&G

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey's oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state's population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company.

Want to know what's new at PSEG? Go to www.pseg.com/getnews and sign up to have our press releases sent right to your inbox.

Visit PSEG at:

www.pseg.com

PSEG on Facebook

PSEG on Twitter

PSEG on LinkedIn

PSEG blog, Energize!

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SOURCE Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G)

Related Links

http://www.pseg.com


EDINBURGH, Scotland and RADNOR, Pennsylvania, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Integration Allows Hospitality Operators to Quickly Deploy Secure, PCI-compliant Payment Solutions That do not Require Additional EMV Certification

QikServe, the mobile order and payment specialist, today announced its technology has been certified on the FreedomPay Commerce Platform. The integration allows QikServe to offer its hospitality customers a powerful and secure option for handling payments and transactions with PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE), and provides EMV (chip and pin) certification out-of-the-box.

QikServe's patented 'Waiter in Your Pocket' technology lets guests order and pay for their food and drinks directly from a smartphone, web site or kiosk. The integration with FreedomPay's Commerce Platform enables QikServe to quickly deploy mobile ordering solutions that require traditional and emerging payments technologies like magstripe, EMV, ApplePay and near-field communication (NFC).

In an industry-wide move to combat card fraud and counterfeiting, the United States is transitioning more than a billion payment cards, and upwards of 12 million credit card terminals, to the EMV standard. EMV chips are designed to prevent card fraud by authenticating each card-present transaction, but still leave clear text card data exposed to the merchant's point of sale system.

The integration with FreedomPay's platform, which is fully audited and validated according to the PCI Security Council's Standards, means that QikServe provides true card data security for all transactions by ensuring that sensitive cardholder data is completely encrypted with P2PE and tokenized so no cardholder data flows through its customers' systems. The combination of EMV, P2PE and tokenization delivers a layered approach to payment security that significantly reduces the risk of card fraud while rendering cardholder data useless to hackers.

In addition, with FreedomPay's EMV certification, QikServe customers do not have to undergo their own separate EMV certification, which is costly and time consuming.

"We always strive to offer our customers the best available range of payment options, so we are delighted to have secured integration certification for FreedomPay," said Dan Rogers, CEO, QikServe. "The rollout of EMV is presenting challenges for hospitality operators in the United States, and now we offer them a quick and easy option for supporting EMV as they deploy mobile and self-service ordering capabilities."

Both QikServe and FreedomPay are also Oracle Hospitality Partners, ensuring that hospitality operators using Oracle Hospitality Point of Sale solutions can quickly and easily benefit from the integrated offering.

"We are delighted that QikServe is now certified on the FreedomPay platform, providing hospitality operators with the option of an elegant, customer-facing front end to their POS with mobile and/or kiosk ordering that is also EMV capable and PCI-compliant," said Christopher Kronenthal, CTO, FreedomPay. "Our partnership directly addresses a need within the hospitality market for multi-channel self-service solutions as well as addressing EMV challenges that have been a big issue for operators."

QikServe and FreedomPay are transforming the hotel guest experience and delivering the peace of mind that cardholder data is safe.

About QikServe

QikServe's 'The Waiter in your Pocket' app allows customers to order and pay straight from their mobile phone. Founded by Daniel Rogers and Ronnie Forbes in 2011, QikServe's proven technology has been adopted by leading hospitality operators across UK, Europe and the US. www.qikserve.com

About FreedomPay

The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the best way for merchants to simplify complex payment environments. Validated by the PCI Security Standards Council for Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) along with EMV, NFC and DCC capabilities, global leaders in retail, hospitality, gaming, education, healthcare and financial services trust FreedomPay to deliver unmatched security and advanced value added services. With broad integrations across top point-of-sale, device manufacturers and payment processors, supported by rapid API adoption, FreedomPay is driving the future of commerce and customer interaction. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on the Windows Platform and is fully supported by the security and scalability of the Microsoft Azure cloud. For more information, go to www.freedompay.com

Related images available at: www.qikserve.com/press/

SOURCE QikServe
PORTLAND, Oregon, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A new report published by Allied Market Research titled, "Regenerative Medicine Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014 - 2022", projects that the global regenerative medicine market would reach $30,237 million by 2022. Cell therapy segment is expected to dominate the market throughout the forecast period. North America led the global market in 2015, and is expected to remain dominant during the 2015-2022.

Allied Market Research Logo (PRNewsFoto/ALLIED MARKET RESEARCH)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140911/647229 )



Major factors boosting the market growth include technological advancements in tissue & organ regeneration, increase in prevalence of chronic diseases & trauma emergencies, prominent potential of nanotechnology, and emergence of stem cell technology. In addition, increase in incidence of degenerative diseases and limited availability of organs for transplants are expected to boost the market growth. The ability of regenerative medicine to replace, repair, and regenerate damaged tissues & organs stimulated the market growth.

The utilization of nano-materials in wound care, drug delivery, and immunomodulation would create new growth opportunities for the market. However, stringent regulations, operational inefficiency, lack of awareness about tissue engineering & regenerative medicine-based products and high cost restricts its growth. An analyst at Allied Market Research states, Advancements in stem cell technology and growing demand of regenerative medicine in the emerging economies would fuel the market growth. In addition, the developed nations are adopting technological advancements in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine field at a rapid pace, which is expected to aid market expansion worldwide.

Sample of the Regenerative Medicine Market Report can be accessed on the website at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/regenerative-medicines-market

The cell therapy segment accounted for over three-fifths of the overall regenerative medicine market in 2015. This was due to the wide adoption of cell therapy for the treatment of several diseases such as musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, oncology, wound healing, and others. Small molecules & biologics has emerged as the fastest growing segment and is projected to register a CAGR of 34.2% during the forecast period. This is due to biologics, which is a classic active substance, delivering a better overall economic return. These molecules have revolutionized the treatment of specific diseases such as cancer, musculoskeletal diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and non-healing wounds.

Biologically derived materials, such as collagen and xenogeneic, are majorly applicable in the construction of protein membranes in connective tissues, surgical procedures for valvular diseases, liver tissue engineering, construction of biopolymer scaffolds for tissue engineering, and others. The growing demand for these biologically derived materials further boosts the market growth. The biologically derived material segment accounted for the major share in 2015, whereas, the synthetic material is expected to grow at a significant CAGR of 35.5% during the forecast period.

Musculoskeletal and wound healing application together accounted for over 60% share of the total market in 2015. Cell therapies are mostly utilized for the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases such as a bone tissue replacement, cartilage, and tendon and ligament repair & replacement. In addition, osteoporosis is one of the most prevalent disease that requires tissue engineering, and more than 75 million people suffer from osteoporosis in Europe, U.S., and Japan; thus increasing the demand for regenerative medicine.

Geographically, North America accounted for the majority of the market share in 2015, and is expected to maintain its lead throughout. This is attributed to the presence of higher capital investment, high disposable income of patients (increasing the buying potential), rise in clinical studies, and favorable government policies for the commercialization of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine products. However, Asia-Pacific is projected to be the fastest growing region, owing to the improving healthcare infrastructure and healthcare expenditures in the emerging markets (such as India and China) to overcome the unmet medical needs. In addition, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine market is growing substantially due to the increasing incidence of accidental trauma injuries in this region. Increasing incidences of injuries and the ageing population also contributes to the market growth.

Key findings of Regenerative Medicines Market:

Biologically derived materials led the market, accounting for almost four-sevenths of the overall market revenue in 2015, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 31.6% during the forecast period.

Scaffold in synthetic material segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 42.4%, owing to the degradation properties and bioabsorbable polymer, which acts as a bone fixation device.

U.S. is projected to maintain its lead in the regenerative medicine market until 2022.

Musculoskeletal and wound healing applications together accounted for around 60% of the overall market shares in 2015.

China and Japan are the major shareholders, jointly accounting for almost two-thirds in the Asia-Pacific market.

and are the major shareholders, jointly accounting for almost two-thirds in the market. The collagen segment constitutes a major share of the biologically derived materials market.

Three-dimensional polymer technology is anticipated to grow at fastest rate, with a CAGR of 44% from 2016 to 2022.

Key players in the regenerative medicine market are highly focused on expanding their business operations in the emerging countries with new product launches as a preferred strategy. Leading players profiled in the report include Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., Medtronic plc, Baxter International Inc., DePuy Synthes, Organogenesis Inc. (Advanced Biohealing), Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corporation, Acelity Holdings, Inc., Ocata Therapeutics Inc. (Astellas Pharma Inc.), and CryoLife Inc.

Similar Reports Published by Allied Market Research -

Oncology/Cancer Drugs Market - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/oncology-cancer-drugs-market

Biosimilars Market - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/global-biosimilars-market

About Us:

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions". AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.



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SOURCE Allied Market Research
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Investment and Innovation, Office of Native American Affairs, and Office of Veterans Business Development, along with the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Education, announced 68 winners of SBA's third annual Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. The recipients will receive a total of $3.4 million in prizes to boost the economic impact of accelerators across 32 states and the District of Columbia.

In making the announcement, SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet said: "SBA created the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition in 2014 as a way to make new connections and strengthen existing bonds within America's small business support network, bringing entrepreneurs and innovators together and connecting them with local and national resources that support small business job creation and growth. These awards deliver on a longstanding commitment at SBA to strengthen and modernize these support systems especially in parts of the country where access to capital has been a major barrier to starting a business. This year's winners show that our efforts are bearing fruit and further cementing our nation's most pioneering accelerators, incubators and innovation hubs as major players driving America's technology startup ecosystem."

The purpose of the competition was to draw attention and funding to parts of the country where there are gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. While there are entrepreneurial activities occurring nationwide, some are better supported by private sector ecosystems than others. SBA has created connective tissue among the over 200 winning entrepreneurial ecosystems now part of the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition program.

"Accelerators serve entrepreneurs in a broad set of industries and sectors  from manufacturing and tech start-ups, to farming and biotech  with many focused on creating a diverse and inclusive small business community. Through this national competition, we are also empowering accelerators which are led by and support women or other underrepresented groups. SBA will continue to explore ways to creatively harness this powerful network and connect startups with one another and with available government resources. We reported to Congress 138 winners from 2014 and 2015  made up of 5,000 companies that have raised $1.5 billion and employ nearly 20,000 people. With the addition of the 2016 winners, the number of SBA supported entrepreneurs will significantly grow," Contreras-Sweet added.

Applications were judged by more than 100 experts with entrepreneurial, investment, startup, economic development, capital formation and academic backgrounds from both the public and private sector. The first panel of judges reviewed over 400 applications and presentations and established a pool of 200 highly qualified finalists. The second panels evaluated the finalists' presentations and pitch videos and selected the 68 winners.

Each organization will receive a cash prize of $50,000 from the SBA. In accepting funds, the accelerators will also be committing to quarterly reporting for one year. They will be required to report metrics including jobs created, funds raised, startups launched and corporate sponsors obtained. This will allow SBA to continue building upon its database of accelerators and their impact, and to develop long-term relationships with the startups and constituents in these innovative and entrepreneurial communities.

The 2016 Growth Accelerator Competition Award winners are:

406 Labs Bozeman Mont. ABQid Albuquerque N.M. AccelerateHER Inc. Williamsburg Va. AlphaLab Pittsburgh Pa. Authentically Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Portland Ore. Autonomous Alley Grand Forks N.D. Ben Franklin Techcelerator Harrisburg Pa. BIG Accelerator (formerly FOCUS) Atlanta Ga. BioAccel (Southwest Commercialization Center) Phoenix Ariz. Bioscience & Technology Business Center Lawrence Kan. BioSTL Fundamentals St. Louis Mo. BoomStartup Online Salt Lake City Utah Bunker Labs Chicago Ill. Chef Space Louisville Ky. Cherokee Center for Cultural Art and Technology Cherokee N.C. Circular Board Houston Texas Civic Accelerator Atlanta Ga. Coalition for Queens Long Island City N.Y. CONNECT San Diego Calif. Creative Startups Santa Fe N.M. EforAll Lowell Mass. Fannin Innovation Studio Houston Texas FAST (Fellows All Star Team) South San Francisco Calif. FastForward Baltimore Md. Good Food Business Accelerator Incubator Without Walls Chicago Ill. GVS Transmedia Accelerator Kona Hawaii Harlem Biospace New York N.Y. Ho'okahua Capacity-Building Accelerator Waimanalo Hawaii IGNITE Community Accelerator Albuquerque N.M. Innosphere Fort Collins Colo. Jefferson Education Accelerator Arlington Va. La Cocina's Business Incubator Program San Francisco Calif. Lansing Proto Lansing Mich. Launch  Chattanooga Chattanooga Tenn. Launch Alaska Anchorage Alaska LaunchTN Network Nashville Tenn. Local First Delta Spark Little Rock Ark. Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator Los Angeles Calif. Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives Worcester Mass. Maui Food Industry X-celerator Kahului Hawaii MedTech Innovator Los Angeles Calif. Mergelane Boulder Colo. Mortar Cincinnati Ohio mystartupXX at University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) La Jolla Calif. Native American Business Incubator Network Flagstaff Ariz. Native Entrepreneur In Residence Albuquerque N.M. NeuroLaunch Atlanta Ga. New Biz Launchpad Wardensville WV New England Pediatric Device Consortium Lebanon N.H. New Orleans BioInnovation Center New Orleans La. NewSchools Ignite/WestEd Research Partnership Redwood City Calif. North Shore InnoVentures, Inc. Beverly Mass. Phase 1 Ventures at the University City Science Center Philadelphia Pa. Prince William Science Accelerator Manassas Va. PROPEL at the iBIO Institute Chicago Ill. SCAPE Southwest Colorado Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs Durango Colo. Startup Tucson Tucson Ariz. Tamp WaVE Tampa Fla. Texas Health Catalyst Austin Texas The Refinery Westport Conn. The Rosie Network's Military Entrepreneur Center San Diego Calif. The Wedge Tacoma Wash. Upstate Accelerator Buffalo N.Y. Veteran Incubator Brooklyn N.Y. Village Capital Washington D.C. WIN for Life Sciences Entrepreneur Mentoring Program Seattle Wash. WiSTEM (1871's Women's Program) Chicago Ill. XLerateHealth Louisville Ky.

For more information about accelerators and the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, visit: www.sba.gov/accelerators.

ABOUT THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA)

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 and since January 13, 2012 has served as a Cabinet-level agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, the SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. www.sba.gov

Release Number: 16-61

Contacts: Tiffani S. Clements (202) 401-0035

Internet Address: www.sba.gov/news

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SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration

Related Links

http://www.sba.gov


ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hunger Action Month, a nationwide campaign during September, brings with it numerous opportunities for people in Minnesota and western Wisconsin to raise awareness of and take action against hunger right here in our own backyards. St. Paul-based Second Harvest Heartland, one of the nation's largest, most efficient and innovative hunger relief organizations, is bringing together local corporations to extend donations of time and money to those in need within our communities.

From volunteering to donating to "going orange," community members can make an even bigger impact during Hunger Action Month thanks to matches by UnitedHealthcare and Bremer Bank.

"The generosity of our partners allows individual donor contributions to go further and serve more people in our communities," says Second Harvest Heartland Chief Executive Officer Rob Zeaske. "By maximizing their contributions, community members can help Second Harvest Heartland provide additional support and increased access to food for the people we're serving."

There are three main ways to get involved during Hunger Action Month:

Volunteer: Throughout September, as part of the Double Down Challenge, Bremer Bank will match every volunteer hour with a $5 donation, up to $50,000. Individuals and groups can sign up for a volunteer shift at 2harvest.org/ham.

Donate: Donations to Second Harvest Heartland made in September will be matched by UnitedHealthcare, up to $50,000. To donate, visit 2harvest.org/ham.

Create Awareness: Second Harvest Heartland is asking Minnesotan and Wisconsin residents to "go orange" and join people all over the country in September  and particularly on Sept. 8, Hunger Action Day  to show their support of hunger relief and raise awareness of hunger and the rising need in our communities. Everyone is encouraged to:

Wear the color orange on Hunger Action Day, and all month long. Share a picture on social media of you in your orange garb  tag @2harvest on Twitter and Facebook, and @secondharvestheartland on Instagram  use the hashtag #HungerActionMonth.

Make your Facebook and Twitter profile pictures orange this September.

Adorn your building, office, cubicle or home in orange to raise awareness.

Hunger continues to be a prevalent and pervasive issue in the area: One in 10 of our neighbors in the region are at risk of being hungry every day, but there is more than enough food in the heartland to feed everyone. By constantly looking for new ways to work with each other and with its partners, Second Harvest Heartland can help put that food on the table for hundreds of thousands of hungry families.

"Hunger is here," Zeaske says. "But so are we. Last year Second Harvest Heartland provided more than 77 million meals to nearly 1,000 food shelves, pantries and other partner programs serving 59 counties in Minnesota and western Wisconsin."

Second Harvest Heartland plays a major role in hunger relief in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, providing an average of 75 percent of all food distributed by its local food shelf partners. The organization, a member of Feeding America's nationwide network of food banks, has created a sustainable support system that provides access to food. Helping hungry neighbors find their next meal so they can thrive at work, in the classroom and in their communities is what drives Second Harvest Heartland, its partners and supporters.

About Second Harvest Heartland

Second Harvest Heartland is one of the nation's largest, most efficient and most innovative hunger relief organizations. Second Harvest Heartland provides an average of 75 percent of all food distributed by its food shelf partners, and in 2015, provided more than 77 million meals to nearly 1,000 food shelves, pantries and other partner programs serving 59 counties in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Second Harvest Heartland leads through innovation, finding efficient, effective solutions to connect the full resources of our community with our hungry neighbors. For more information, visit 2harvest.org or call 651-484-5117.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160114/322422LOGO

SOURCE Second Harvest Heartland
NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SecurityScorecard, the most accurate Security rating and continuous risk monitoring platform, today announced a year-long partnership with Columbia University's Data Science Institute. The two will collaborate on various data science and machine learning projects to build breach prediction models that will help determine how and why cyberattacks happen, and the types of organizations that are vulnerable to them.

Breach prediction models provide a way to assess the Security risk for clients as well as other companies. The objective of the analysis is to investigate methods to develop learning algorithms to automatically cluster organizations into groups based on the malware and port vulnerability features in their data sets  vital proprietary information SecurityScorecard uses to understand how cyberattacks happen.

Scores created by SecurityScorecard already cover the security hygiene of a large number of companies, based on a wide breadth of security indicators. By identifying which types of security vulnerabilities are more closely tied to actual breaches or attacks, SecurityScorecard aims to further improve its scoring, which is already top in the field.

"SecurityScorecard is constantly looking for ways to improve the predictive power and accuracy of our scores, and this requires a variety of approaches. By partnering with Columbia, we will expand the resources available for research using advanced data science techniques," said Luis Vargas, Senior Data Scientist at SecurityScorecard. "Research outcomes from the partnership will be used to improve our analytics, and gain insights into new ways of developing algorithms."

The university plans to use the data as a starting point to build risk models for cyber insurance.

"This is an exciting partnership between the university and SecurityScorecard. Columbia will base its analysis on SecurityScorecard's rapidly growing IP-based threat and vulnerability data such as insecure ports and malware infections, in significantly more detail than has been done before," said Vishal Misra, Computer Science Professor at Columbia Engineering. "Therefore, we expect that new insights will be uncovered from this data. We cannot wait to get started."

SecurityScorecard chose to partner with Columbia University given their wealth of expertise in machine learning, as well as Security.

"We believe that Columbia has the right combination of expertise, mentorship, and committed students who can apply their skills to conduct research on our data," said Vargas. "As a leading startup in New York City, SecurityScorecard also has a strong interest in helping create connections with the next generation of data scientists here in the city."

About SecurityScorecard

SecurityScorecard provides the most accurate rating of security risk for any organization worldwide. The proprietary SaaS platform helps enterprises gain operational command of the security posture for themselves and across all of their partners, and vendors. It provides continuous, non-intrusive monitoring for any organization including third and fourth parties. The platform offers a breadth and depth of critical data points not available from any other service provider including a broad range of risk categories such as Application Security, Malware, Patching Cadence, Network Security, Hacker Chatter, Social Engineering and Passwords Exposed.

SOURCE SecurityScorecard

Related Links

http://www.securityscorecard.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of PAREXEL Corporation ("PAREXEL" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: PRXL). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.

[Click here to join a class action]

The investigation concerns whether PAREXEL and certain of its officers and/or directors have violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

On August 30, 2016, post-market, PAREXEL disclosed that the Company was delaying the filing of its 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K after receiving a report "of an incident of misappropriation of corporate funds by an employee in one of the Company's international operations."

On this news, PAREXEL stock fell $3.08, or 4.33%, to close at $68.03 on August 31, 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

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LONDON (Reuters) - UK cosmetics maker and retailer Lush is relocating European staff from Britain to Germany and has expanded production at its German factory in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union, it said on Wednesday.

Lush, which makes cosmetics by hand, said uncertainty caused by the June Brexit vote had led it to accelerate plans to increase production at its factory in Duesseldorf, western Germany, for the European market.

"While this was always the plan - to make product for Europe in Europe (alongside our Croatian factory) - the reality of the Brexit vote has meant we have done it with a bullet," the company said in an emailed statement.

"Many of our staff still have uncertainties about what the Brexit deal will mean for them and continue to wait anxiously for this to be revealed."

Most larger companies are waiting to see how and when Britain will leave the European Union before taking action. British Prime Minister Theresa May called her cabinet together for the first time since the vote on Wednesday.

But Lush said after the vote in June it was fortunate to have its new factory in Germany to fall back on, and would look to continental Europe to protect its production, sales and multinational workforce.

A volatile pound and a plunge in consumer confidence around the vote hurt many retailers.

A survey published by market research firm GfK on Wednesday showed that consumer morale recovered somewhat in August but was still the second-lowest since early 2014.

Lush said nine of its staff had already moved from Britain to Duesseldorf and another nine would move on Thursday, with more staff keen to move to be offered roles this week.

Lush employs about 1,400 staff of 38 nationalities at its founding British factory in Poole on the south coast, which voted 58 percent in favor of leaving the European Union.

During the referendum campaign the pro-Brexit side argued that leaving would allow Britain to control the numbers of EU immigrants, especially those coming from poorer eastern member states.

The Lush factory in Duesseldorf, which has 252 full-time staff, this month started supplying France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands as well as Germany.

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation's largest law firms focused on consumer protection and mass tort actions, today filed a lawsuit on behalf of Suffolk County against pharmaceutical companies and physicians over aggressive and fraudulent marketing of prescription opium-like painkillers (opioids) that has led to a drug epidemic in the county.

According to the complaint filed in the New York Supreme Court, the county including Long Island, N.Y., is seeking relief including compensatory and punitive damages for the millions of dollars it spends each year to combat the public nuisance created by the drug companies' deceptive marketing campaign that misrepresents the safety and efficacy of long-term opioid use.

The county's incurred costs related to opioid addiction and abuse include health care, criminal justice and victimization, and lost productivity. The lawsuit also takes into account the commission of criminal acts to obtain opioids as among the costs to society that are inevitable consequences of opioid addiction. As an example, the complaint cites the June 19, 2011, robbery and execution of four customers and employees at a Medford, N.Y., pharmacy by two prescription opioid abusers who were desperate to obtain the drugs.

"It is fair and accurate to compare this action by Suffolk County to the landmark tobacco industry litigation of the 1980s that alleged that cigarette manufacturers knew  but did not warn consumers  that smoking caused lung cancer and that cigarettes were addictive," said Simmons Hanly Conroy Shareholder Paul Hanly, lead counsel for Suffolk County in this case. "As a result of this litigation, we believe other jurisdictions across the country may evaluate their own monetary and societal losses due to the opioid epidemic and come to a similar conclusion about the conspiratory and fraudulent actions of drug companies that have fueled this epidemic."

The lawsuit alleges deceptive acts and practices, false advertising, public nuisance, violation of New York Social Services laws, fraud, and unjust enrichment against defendants Purdue Pharma L.P.; Purdue Pharma Inc.; The Purdue Frederick Company, Inc.; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.; Cephalon, Inc.; Johnson & Johnson; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. n/k/a Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc. n/k/a Janssen Pharmaceuticals; Endo Health Solutions Inc.; and Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; as well as physicians Russell Portenoy, Perry Fine, Scott Fishman and Lynn Webster, who were allegedly instrumental in promoting opioids for sale and distribution nationally and in Suffolk County.

Commonly known by brand names including OxyContin and Percocet, opioids are derived from or possess properties similar to opium and heroin, and are highly addictive and dangerous, which is why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates them as controlled substances.

"While opioids are considered an appropriate treatment for certain types of short-term pain and for palliative end-of-life care, drug companies have manufactured, promoted and marketed opioids as pain relievers by misrepresenting or omitting key information about the appropriate uses, risks and safety of the drugs," Hanly said. "The defendants in this case have long known about the addictive qualities and other risks associated with prolonged use of opioids and they must be held accountable for the misrepresentations and the harms to society as a result."

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants sought to create a false perception in the minds of physicians, patients, health care providers and health care payors that using opioids to treat chronic pain was safe for most patients and that the drugs' benefits outweighed the risks. This was allegedly perpetrated through a civil conspiracy involving a coordinated, sophisticated and highly deceptive (unbranded) promotion and marketing campaign that began in the late 1990s, became more aggressive around 2006, and is ongoing. The National Institutes of Health also identifies drug companies' "aggressive marketing" as a major contributor to the nation's opioid abuse problem.

Despite a lack of scientific evidence that supports the use of opioids for long-term pain management, since 1999, the amount of prescribed opioids in the United States has nearly quadrupled to a total of 254 million prescriptions in 2010  enough to medicate every U.S. adult around the clock for a month. In 2012, opioids generated $8 billion in revenue for drug companies.

In 2012, Suffolk County recorded 214 overdose deaths and 8,271 emergency room visits due to opiate use, and the county's substance abuse programs served 18,724 people for opioid abuse. Between 1996 and 2011, the number of people entering substance abuse programs in Suffolk County increased 1,136 percent.

Simmons Hanly Conroy shareholders Paul Hanly and Jayne Conroy have held court-appointed leadership roles of national scope in litigation against pharmaceutical companies brought by consumers harmed by dangerous drugs. In 2006, Hanly and Conroy successfully resolved litigation against Purdue Pharma LLP and Abbot Laboratories, Inc., alleging that 5,000 clients' addictions to OxyContin was a result of the manufacturer's fraudulent marketing campaign that claimed the drug was not as addictive as alternative drugs.

About Simmons Hanly Conroy, LLC

Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC is one of the nation's largest mass tort law firms and has recovered more than $5 billion in verdicts and settlements for plaintiffs. Primary areas of litigation include asbestos and mesothelioma, pharmaceutical, consumer protection, environmental and personal injury. The firm's attorneys have been appointed to leadership in numerous national multidistrict litigations, including Vioxx, Yaz and Toyota Unintended Acceleration. The firm also represents small and mid-size corporations, inventors and entrepreneurs in matters involving business litigation. Offices are located in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Alton, Ill. Read more at www.simmonsfirm.com.

SOURCE Simmons Hanly Conroy
SCHROON LAKE, N.Y., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Slic Network Solutions President Phil Wagschal met with representatives of the Town of Schroon Lake Broadband Committee this past Friday to provide an update on Slic's progress in bringing fiber optic Internet to the town. During the public meeting, Wagschal updated the committee, along with residents and government officials about the Internet service that will provide Schroon Lake with dramatically faster Internet when compared to other broadband providers currently offering service in the area.

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"There has been a long time delay, and that delay is finally over when it comes to bringing blazing fast Internet in Schroon Lake," proclaimed Phil Wagschal. "This past week we submitted our make ready requests to run fiber optic cable throughout Schroon Lake to National Grid and Verizon, owners of the poles. Slic is now on track to have the town wired for fiber optic Internet service by the end of March 2017."

"Make Ready" is the first part of a construction process to build a fiber optic network that entails connecting to Slic's ultra-fast backbone, installing optical routers and switches, and stringing the fiber optic cable on utility poles. The Make Ready applications submitted by Slic are the result of Slic's recently received outside funding. The multi-month build out of the local physical plant will begin as soon as Make Ready is completed by the utility pole owners.

"The NY Broadband Program Office has been very supportive of our efforts in Schroon Lake and elsewhere," added Wagschal. "We know from our field surveys that there are many areas in the Town of Schroon that lack any broadband service, or where there is coverage, the residents are using much slower and often more expensive satellite or 4G cellular service to stay connected. Slic focuses its business on unserved residential areas, so, we expect Schroon Lake to be a repeat of our successes in other communities."

Following completion of the network construction, residents and business owners in Schroon Lake will also be able to experience the fastest broadband Internet available in the area at a series of Wi-Fi hotspots that Slic will deploy in cooperation with the New York State Broadband Program Office.

The Town of Schroon Lake is home to over 850 people according to the 2010 U.S. Census and makes up roughly half the population in the Town of Schroon in the Adirondack Park area of Essex County, NY. Like many other rural communities, the town has both full-time and seasonal residents, some of whom use their residences as second homes or summer vacation homes and are already experiencing high-speed Internet at the primary residences elsewhere.

"The project has been years in coming. Frustration has been felt by many, including some committee members. Finally, we appear to be entering the back stretch. Our commendations to Phil and Slic for sticking with us and seeing this project through to completion," said Don Sage, Broadband Committee Chair for the Town of Schroon Lake.

About Slic Network Solutions

A wholly owned subsidiary of Nicholville Telephone Company, Slic Network Solutions delivers fiber optic based high-speed Internet, phone, and television services to 23 communities throughout northern New York. http://www.slic.com/

For SLIC Networks Solutions:

Contact: Andy Abramson, Comunicano

Phone: +1(858) 777-9777

E-mail: E-mail

SOURCE Slic Network Solutions

Related Links

http://www.slic.com


SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, Aug. 19, a group of residents in the Shorecliffs area of San Clemente caused a public disturbance by protesting outside a private home on the 2900 block of Via San Gorgonio. These neighbors yelled derogatory remarks and threatened the people inside the house. The individuals inside the home were employees of Sovereign Health and were there to prepare it for the future arrival of patients. The protest was reported by some local media outlets.

What wasn't reported by the media is the fact that on two separate occasions in the same week, on Aug. 11 and again on Aug. 17, several neighbors of this same private residence had barged unannounced into the home, threatening the Sovereign Health employees who were inside. The first incident occurred at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 11, when eight San Clemente neighbors charged into the home, telling those inside, "We know what cars you drive" and "If you don't get out of our neighborhood, things are going to get really bad for Sovereign." The perpetrators invaded the house, taking pictures and videotaping even after the employees asked them to discontinue filming. Six days later on Wednesday, Aug. 17, another group of residents rushed into the same home and threatened the employees, shouting that the house would be burned and Sovereign would be "punished in hell." On both occasions the Sovereign Health employees were terrified by the sudden invasions and feared for their safety. Both of these actions are flagrant acts of criminal trespassing and compromised the safety and well-being of those inside the home.

The San Gorgonio neighbors have demanded that the home in question be licensed per state regulations. What these neighbors didn't know, because they never bothered to ask, is that Sovereign Health has always planned to give this community exactly what it wants: a licensed facility in full compliance with California state regulations. The license for the home is currently being processed by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). No patients will reside in the home until all the licensure has been completed.

The protest on Aug. 19 against Sovereign Health was the only event reported by the media, despite the fact that criminal acts of trespassing by the San Gorgonio neighbors took place twice within a matter of days. Only one media outlet, the San Clemente Times, called Sovereign for comment. When informed of the prior two incidents, the Times acted as responsible journalists and held their story and took the time to gather information from Sovereign Health. The lack of responsible reporting over a long period of time by other media outlets calls into question the bias that exists within the media against patients seeking treatment for mental health and addiction disorders and the treatment providers who serve this population.

San Clemente and Orange County law enforcement also seems complicit in these acts. During the Aug. 11 and the Aug. 17 incidents, law enforcement officers were called to the scene, but failed to take any meaningful action. At approximately 9:30 p.m. during the Aug. 11 incident, an Orange County Sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene, but declined to file an official report. During the Aug. 17 incident, one of the protestors stated that since her husband is a firefighter, "They (911) will not do anything against us." Indeed, when the deputy arrived at the scene, he stated, "There's nothing I can do." Sovereign Health reached out to the Orange County Sheriff's Department for a statement, but was informed the deputies were "unavailable."

The animus surrounding the treatment for behavioral health patients demonstrates the ongoing real need for Sovereign's residential housing and other service providers' facilities to be protected by the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These patients are clearly identified as a protected class. The type of outrageous behavior demonstrated by these San Clemente residents will continue as long as the city of San Clemente's government officials continue to stoke the flame of discontentment within the community for political gain. Because of the city's bias, San Clemente citizens feel empowered to commit these dangerous acts of vigilantism.

In addition, the misinformation coming from city officials has also added inflamed tensions. As noted in a recent article in the San Clemente Times, San Clemente's Code Compliance Services Supervisor, Brent Panas, was quoted as saying, "Because it appears residents have moved in [into the house], the city will likely file a cease and desist order against the operators." But contrary to the statement by Mr. Panas, there are no residents living in the house. Although Sovereign has reached out to the city numerous times in the spirit of being good corporate citizens while providing comprehensive behavioral health treatment services to its residents, government officials have repeatedly sought to close down Sovereign's operations.

Patients seek the services of Sovereign Health to receive treatment for mental health issues including trauma, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Sovereign also offers treatment for cognitive deficits and eating disorders. The patient population includes male and female patients covering a broad range of ages, from adolescents to adults and senior citizens. Sovereign Health is also proud to serve active United States military personnel and returning war veterans.

About Sovereign Health

Sovereign Health's mission is to provide a broad spectrum of high-quality behavioral health treatment services for adults and adolescents, including support services for family members. One factor that differentiates Sovereign from other treatment providers has been the company's ability to offer separate mental health and addiction or dual diagnosis treatment programs at its facilities. For more information, visit www.sovhealth.com.

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SOURCE Sovereign Health

Related Links

http://www.sovhealth.com


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As a result of an animal cruelty investigation by Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA), the veterinarian license of Ryan James Whitney (DVM) of Long Beach has been revoked by the California Veterinary Medical Board after it was found that he subjected a "feline patient to unnecessary surgeries, and therefore needless pain and suffering." Whitney may no longer legally practice veterinary medicine in the State of California.

In 2015, spcaLA Humane Officers began investigating Furrever Grateful Rescue (FGR) and Whitney based on an animal cruelty tip. spcaLA discovered that Whitney was providing inadequate medical care to a cat, Sandy, who was suffering from an erosive tumor that eventually ate away at the left side of his face, including the left eye, part of the nose and mouth.

Medical records from September 2014 show Sandy was taken to Primary Care Animal Hospital in Long Beach by FGR, for an "eye issue" where tissue was removed from the eye area three times, but never biopsied, and drained of fluids multiple times while the affected area grew. No diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment plan were ever provided by Whitney. The investigation by the medical board also showed that "Dr. Whitney committed other acts of negligence and incompetence, and also maintained extremely inadequate medical records."

Sandy continued to suffer as the tumor consumed his entire face and he wasted away to less than 6 lbs.

Finally at the end of February, FGR took Sandy to a different vet hospital where the veterinarian noted that Sandy had a large necrotic tumor and was diagnosed with end stage squamous cell carcinoma. Based on his poor condition and abominable quality of life, his refusal to eat and weight loss, the vet recommended euthanasia as there was no effective treatment for his condition. FGR opted to take Sandy home instead -- home being a warehouse where he was checked on daily. Profoundly disturbed by Sandy's condition, "the worse [the doctor] had ever seen," the doctor contacted spcaLA and the veterinary board.

In its investigation, spcaLA discovered that FGR had been using Sandy's worsening condition for fundraising for Sandy on social media, a practice not uncommon, and meant to pull at the heart and purse strings of donors. "It is unclear why Whitney or Furrever Grateful Rescue allowed the miserable suffering of this animal," said spcaLA President Madeline Bernstein. "Whatever their intentions, whether motivated by naivete or greed, this kind of cruelty is beyond words. No living being should ever suffer like that."

Because the rescue is within the letter of the law and "provided medical care," there are no animal cruelty charges pending against FGR at this time, however the Attorney General is looking into whether they are compliant with annual nonprofit regulations.

spcaLA is the only private animal welfare organization that is also Law Enforcement in the city of Los Angeles. spcaLA Humane Officers hold the same powers of Peace Officers in the state of California when investigating animal cruelty.

Photos available upon request. For more information or interviews, please contact Ana Bustilloz, [email protected] or 323-730-5300 x252.

Established in 1877, spcaLA is an independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California. There is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides financial support to spcaLA. Donations run programs and services including Cruelty Investigation, Disaster Animal Response Team, Humane Education, and a variety of shelter services.

SOURCE spcaLA

Related Links

http://www.spcaLA.com


DALLAS, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of winning two Golds and a Silver at the Marketing Loyalty and Engagement Awards in July, Tasseologic takes home a prestigious Gold Appie on behalf of McDonald's and the McDelivery Program in Singapore. Dr. Urvashi Pitre, founder and President of Tasseologic, was also recognized as a Best Presenter.

Tasseologic and McDonald's Win Big Again in Asia Tasseologic and McDonald's Win Big Again in Asia

The successful, data-informed program continues to demonstrate the power of predictive analytics in the food and beverage category  both in stores and among marketing leaders. Hosted by the Institute of Advertising Singapore, Dr. Urvashi Pitre presented and defended the business case among a panel of judges as part of the annual two-day Festival of Excellence, Sharing and Accelerated Learning, attended by many global agencies. (http://ias.org.sg/appies/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/09/APPIES-APAC-2016-Press-Release-and-Winners-List1.pdf)

As a data-driven, CRM strategy firm, Tasseologic partnered with McDonald's to tap into predictive logic that up sold and boosted incremental sales within McDelivery, a home-delivery service offered by the QSR giant, and laid the foundation for continued success in this e-commerce channel. Using delivery data, the team built consumer models and customized offers that increased both orders and order sizes. These models were the cornerstone for a custom-built, mass personalization plan that allowed McDonald's to maintain guest count and protect falloff at a positive ROI. See the program here https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=m7xTs0lkXII&feature=vm

"It continues to be a honor to share the success of the McDonald's Singapore program and receive recognition for our data informed, CRM work," shares Dr. Urvashi Pitre, "This program speaks for itself and the ROI for McDonald's proves that data can deliver what consumers need. It's been a terrific partnership with the McDonald's team, who believes in the idea that data connects you to your consumers and benefits all."

About Tasseologic

Tasseologic is a data-driven marketing strategy company. Based out of Dallas but with team members across the globe, Tasseologic transforms client data into actionable marketing strategies with proven analytics and ROI informed ideas. Tasseologic partners with brands and creative agencies across all categories to build CRM programs that drive profit and influence consumer actions. For more information about Tasseologic, visit https://tasseologic.com

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7xTs0lkXII

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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 Tasseologic

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DALLAS, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas State Optical (TSO), a leader in the eye care industry, is proud to announce its first-ever inaugural conference, Symposia, a national conference that aims to strengthen the practice of ocular medicine. The one-day, six-hour event is being hosted at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on Saturday, October 22, 2016.

Symposia - A medical conference for Doctors of Optometry

Through unique, rapid-fire sessions, attendees will learn how to improve diagnosis, treatment skills and patient communication to enhance the overall patient experience and build medical practice referrals. The conference is open to all doctors of Optometry and is approved by The Council on Optometric Practitioner Education.

"Staying educated and on top of industry trends and topics in the eye care industry is essential to providing patients with the best care possible," said John Marvin, president, TSO. "I'm thrilled that we've lined up some of the industry's premier professionals as conference speakers to not only share their expertise, but also lead thought-provoking conversations. It's my hope that Symposia becomes a must-attend event for optometrists throughout the nation."

Using smartphones, attendees will be able to digitally interact with Symposia speakers, being able to provide feedback and ask questions during courses. Another unique quality about the conference is that it's been condensed to one day, versus a typical two day event, maximizing the day's courses while being sensitive to attendee's busy schedules.

Acclaimed international speaker, educator, author and management consultant, Dr. Scot Morris, will serve as Symposia's Clinical Conference Director. Morris is also the Chief Optometric Editor for Optometric Management. Dr. Jill Autry, Partner of Eye Center of Texas, and Dr. Marc Bloomenstein, Center Director at Schwartz Laser Center will serve as Symposia's Conference Faculty.

To provide for a productive and intimate learning experience, attendance will be limited to 100 seats. Early registration is $499. After September 15, the registration fee is $799.

For more information about Symposia, or to register for the event, visit www.symposiaconference.com.

About Texas State Optical

Texas State Optical (TSO), founded in 1936, operates today as a member-owned cooperative consisting of more than 120 locations across Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. While independent, the Doctors of TSO collectively uphold the TSO brand and commitment to caring for the eyes of Texas.

For more information, visit TSO.com.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9168CWWUyM&feature=youtu.be

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SOURCE Texas State Optical

Related Links

http://www.tso.com


The series is brought to you by The Xceptional Music Company and The Santa Catalina Island Company. The stage will overlook yachts floating a few yards offshore, the bar will be open, and the music terrific!

The Wailers, with Bob Marley, have sold in excess of 250 million albums worldwide. Outside of their groundbreaking work with Marley, the Wailers have also played or performed with international acts like Sting, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, as well as reggae legends such as Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, playing to an estimated 24 million people across the globe.

Opening for The Wailers will be the touring band Todo Mundo, voted "Best World Music" band at the 2014 San Diego Music Awards.

Concert attendees can elect to return to Long Beach on a late boat if they elect not to stay overnight in Avalon.

Catalina has always been a favorite vacation spot of Hollywood "A-Listers", and still is, from Marilyn Monroe to Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

When the Wrigley family of chewing gum fame bought Catalina in the twenties, they brought the biggest music of that the era. In more recent times, Catalina visitors have heard the music of Kenny Loggins and legendary surf guitar player, Dick Dale, and lately they have heard the music of our time, with recent performances by Snoop Dogg and Postmodern Jukebox at "Up For Whatever."

Catalina also offers an abundance of amenities including one of the only "on the beach" bars in California at Descanso Beach Club, the luxurious Island Spa, ocean front restaurants and shops, concerts by the sea, and dozens of activities and tours like the Zip Line Eco Tour, East End Adventure, Undersea Expedition, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, parasailing, and many more. For more information, please visit www.visitcatalinaisland.com.

Press Contact:

Ray McKewon

[email protected]

858.829.6609

The Xceptional Music Company produces concerts, festivals, and private events. On Catalina Island off the coast of California, we have produced the Xceptional Catalina Concert Series, now in its seventh season, The Castaway Series, Buccaneer Days, Shipwreck Weekend, New Years Eve in the Casino Ballroom, The Catalina Wine Mixer from the movie Step Brothers, and now Live @ Descanso Beach Club. In Southern California we also produce, in addition to the San Diego Ukulele Festival, large charity events for such clients as the YMCA and the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Center. www.xceptionalmusic.org

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403196

SOURCE The Xceptional Music Company

Related Links

http://www.xceptionalmusic.com


THIS AGREEMENT IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND FOR THE ICONIC CANADIAN BRAND IN EUROPE

OAKVILLE, ON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Restaurant Brands International Inc. ("RBI") (TSX/NYSE: QSR, TSX: QSP) has announced the establishment of a master franchise joint venture with an investor in Great Britain. The joint venture company will be the master franchisee of the TIM HORTONS brand in England, Scotland and Wales, responsible for developing and growing the brand in the market.

"This deal is part of our growth plan to take the iconic TIM HORTONS brand around the world," said Daniel Schwartz, CEO of Restaurant Brands International. "Great Britain is an attractive QSR market with a strong and growing coffee culture so it is a natural fit for the brand."

"This is an incredibly proud moment for the TIM HORTONS brand as we enter this dynamic market," said Elias Diaz Sese, President of Tim Hortons. "We look forward to bringing some of our signature products to Great Britain and helping our partners build brand awareness and open restaurants to welcome new Guests."

"We are thrilled to introduce the iconic TIM HORTONS brand and Canada's favourite coffee to Great Britain," said Gurprit Dhaliwal, CEO of the joint venture company. "Our Guests in England, Scotland and Wales are sure to be delighted with our focus on delivering great products and an exceptional Guest experience."

This announcement is the most recent by RBI regarding its plans to develop and grow the TIM HORTONS brand around the world. Last month, RBI announced a master franchise joint venture agreement to develop the TIM HORTONS brand in the Philippines. Today, the brand has restaurants across Canada, the U.S. and the Middle East.

About Restaurant Brands International

Restaurant Brands International Inc. ("RBI") is one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with more than $23 billion in system-wide sales and over 19,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. RBI owns two of the world's most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands  TIM HORTONS and BURGER KING. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective guests, franchisees and communities for over 50 years. To learn more about RBI, please visit the company's website at www.rbi.com.

About TIM HORTONS

TIM HORTONS, part of Restaurant Brands International, is one of North America's largest restaurant chains operating in the quick service segment. Founded as a single location in Canada in 1964, TIM HORTONS appeals to a broad range of consumer tastes, with a menu that includes premium coffee, hot and cold specialty drinks (including lattes, cappuccinos and espresso shots), specialty teas and fruit smoothies, fresh baked goods, grilled Panini and classic sandwiches, wraps, soups, prepared foods and other food products. As of June 30, 2016, TIM HORTONS had more than 4,464 system wide restaurants located in Canada, the United States and the Middle East. More information about the company is available at www.timhortons.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are often identified by the words "may," "might," "believes," "thinks," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends" or similar expressions and reflect management's expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. These forward-looking statements include statements about: RBI's belief and expectations that Great Britain is a dynamic and attractive market and that its strong and growing coffee culture makes it a natural fit for the brand; RBI's belief and expectations that by bringing its signature products to Great Britain it will help its partners build brand awareness and open restaurants to welcome new guests; and RBI's belief and expectations regarding its ability to develop and grow the TIM HORTONS brand around the world. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from RBI's expectations are detailed in filings of RBI with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and on the securities regulatory authorities in each province and territory of Canada, such as its annual and quarterly reports and current reports on Form 8-K and include the following: risks related to RBI's ability to successfully implement its domestic and international growth strategy; and risks related to RBI's ability to compete domestically and internationally in an intensely competitive industry. Other than as required under U.S. federal securities laws or Canadian securities laws, we do not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or circumstances, change in expectations or otherwise.

SOURCE Restaurant Brands International Inc.

Related Links

http://www.rbi.com


PUNE, India, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

2016 urbanization market study titled "Population Engines: The Rise of Urbanization; Identifying and understanding the future urban landscape" says world's largest 600 cities will account for 70% of global GDP growth during 2015-2025. The urban landscape is in the midst of a transformation, with the focus of the urban world shifting east. Cities in emerging regions in Asia will become major hubs of economic activity, productivity, and innovation, while the dominance of established metropolitan areas in developed regions will decline.

Complete report Population Engines: The Rise of Urbanization; Identifying and understanding the future urban landscape spreads across 39 pages and is available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/664444-population-engines-the-rise-of-urbanization-identifying-and-understanding-the-future-urban-landscape.html.

The world's largest 600 cities will account for 30% of global population growth and 70% of global GDP growth in 2015-25, which translates into $35tn. Despite the fast rate of urbanization, some cities will be shrinking. Surprisingly, some rapidly shrinking cities are capitals and other large cities with major economic clout in their home countries. Aging populations are an increasingly common issue in emerging regions. 60% of the population growth in the 65-plus age category will take place in the Asia-Pacific region. Economic success is not necessarily about size. The cities with the largest per capita GDP have populations of less than 2 million.

"Population Engines: The Rise of Urbanization" is part of a series that discusses urbanization and its implications for consumers and businesses. It delivers the critical "what?", "why?", and "so what?" analysis to teach you crucial lessons that increase your chances of successful market entry.

Some of the questions answered in this urbanization market study report include what regions will experience the fastest urban population growth? What are the opportunities in cities in emerging regions? What potential do small and medium-sized cities offer? How do urban consumers in developed regions differ from urban consumers in emerging regions? Why do some cities shrink despite the fast rate of urbanization globally? What are the needs of aging cities?

Order a Copy of Report at http://www.reportsnreports.com/purchase.aspx?name=664444.

Discover what the urban landscape will look like in 2025 and access actionable insights on urbanization. Learn about the changing demographic profile of urban environments globally. Assess the impact that the economic and social outlook of 2025's urban landscape will have on opportunities and strategic considerations for consumer-centric businesses, including FMCG, food service, retail, and financial services.

Another report titled Strategies to use Big Data in FMCG: How FMCG businesses are utilizing big data to gain a commercial advantage says big data is becoming huge. Across industries, companies are taking advantage of data resources and analytics capabilities to cut costs and target customers more effectively. The FMCG sector has arguably been slow to embrace the potential of big data. This will change as businesses see how big data can be used to find new visions that drive business.

The global market for big data is maturing: forecasts predict the spend on big data technology and services to exceed $40bn in 2018. A review of the world's top FMCG companies reveals big data being used widely. Significant gains relate to using customer behavioral data to improve supply-chain issues, and support for specific marketing initiatives. Manufacturers and FMCG companies are already using big data to achieve significant savings in inventory costs (in the case of Procter and Gamble, over $1bn). Others, such as Nestle, Coca-Cola, and Mondelez, are using it to develop innovative products, improve targeting and increase revenue per customer. Most FMCG businesses do not lack data. Instead, they have historically been unable to link data on marketing activity to commercial outcomes. This has placed FMCG businesses at a significant disadvantage relative to other business models and retailers. Complete report available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/435124-strategies-to-use-big-data-in-fmcg-how-fmcg-businesses-are-utilizing-big-data-to-gain-a-commercial-advantage.html.

Browse other reports on Consumer Goods Market at http://www.reportsnreports.com/market-research/consumer-goods/.

About Us:

ReportsnReports.com is an online market research reports library of 500,000+ in-depth studies of over 5000 micro markets. Not limited to any one industry, ReportsnReports.com offers research studies on agriculture, energy and power, chemicals, environment, medical devices, healthcare, food and beverages, water, advanced materials and much more.

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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In preparation for the new school year, USC Shoah Foundation unveils its annual update of IWitness, a free online resource that is among the world's foremost education tools for teaching compassion. The IWitness program provides teachers with a robust collection of age-appropriate learning activities that illuminate major chapters of world history  all while helping students develop compassion and hone essential digital skills.

In all, IWitness has made five major upgrades. Here they are:

 Guatemalan Genocide activities

The upgrade includes two new IWitness activities in Spanish about the genocidal campaign against indigenous Guatemalans at the hands of their own government.

"Memorias de Rio Negro: Jesus Tecu Osorio" teaches about the history of Guatemala and shows clips from Osorio's testimony to convey how the genocide affected the life of one individual. "Guatemala: A Silent Genocide" teaches about the origin, history and phases of the genocide against the Mayan population of Guatemala from 1981-83.

 Mini Lessons

IWitness debuts a brand-new type of activity: mini lessons. Testimony-based mini lessons are designed to provide teachers with a readily accessible teaching resource for targeted instruction on skills (such as annotating text) or concepts (such as prejudice) that can be used within an existing lesson or unit. Each mini lesson will include 1-2 clips of testimony from the Watch page on IWitness and is intended to take 15-30 minutes to complete.

 Downloadable Student Work

Students can now download their work from IWitness including video projects and word clouds. They can also share these projects on social media using the hashtag #USCIWitness.

 Rubrics

To help teachers grade their students' work, IWitness is debuting new rubrics. These rubrics will provide guidelines for teachers to follow when grading their students' completed IWitness activities such as video activities and information quests.

 More New Activities

In addition to the two Spanish-language activities about the Guatemalan Genocide, IWitness will add five more learning activities: "Righteous Among the Nations," "Einsatzgruppen: The Firing Squads of the Holocaust," and "The Danger of a Single Story"  all in English; "La Experiencia Migratoria: Una Nueva Vida en Mexico," in Spanish, in which students explore the migrant experience, including the economic and socio-emotional impact on the individual; and two more in Hungarian, "Dornhau - Tenyerbe rejtett rajzok" and "Sonderkommando (Son of Saul)."

"This new iteration of IWitness opens an array of teaching possibilities that further broadens the focus and expands the capabilities of this global resource," said Kori Street, director of education at USC Shoah Foundation. "It enhances our ability to reach the ultimate goal: to teach students worldwide the importance of compassion and bring about positive societal change. "

For more information: https://sfi.usc.edu/news/2016/08/12036-iwitness-gears-back-school-new-content-and-features

About IWitness

IWitness, which the American Association of School Librarians has named as a top website for teaching and learning, provides students with guided exploration to full-life histories and testimonies of more than 1,500 survivors and other witnesses to the Holocaust and other genocides. Students watch testimonies and use them in individual or group multimedia projects; teachers can assign activities as classwork or homework, and can even custom-build their own lessons and activities. The testimonies are searchable by more than 9,000 keywords, enabling students to pinpoint exact moments of interest within each testimony. The built-in IWitness video editor gives students the ability to construct video essays and edit testimony as well as integrate footage and other materials from outside sources such as photos, maps, voiceover audio, music and text.

Contact: Josh Grossberg 213-740-6065

[email protected]

Rob Kuznia 213-740-0965

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403090LOGO

SOURCE USC Shoah Foundation
NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Project Rebirth, Inc., (www.projectrebirth.org) the resilience resource for those who serve community and country, announces an event near the nation's capital marking the 15th anniversary of 9/11 with an afternoon of stories highlighting the mutual challenges and strengths of the veteran and first responder communities.

The Sept. 10 event at the Manassas, Virginia Hylton Performing Arts Center will include "Rebirth: Brian" a Project Rebirth short film about the brother of a New York City firefighter killed on 9/11 who overcomes PTSD. Following the screening, Bob Gray, a retired Arlington County Fire Department battalion chief who responded to the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, will speak about his traumatic brain injury and his work with the Project Rebirth First Responders Resilience Network team. Virginia US Marine Matthew Hallinan will discuss the challenges of integrating back into civilian life. Jesse Hempen, an officer with the Prince Georges County Police Department, will talk about how his life has changed since being shot in February while responding to a domestic violence call. Finally, Manassas City Police Captain Tina Laguna will discuss challenges facing officers in the field and resources available locally to help them.

Brian Rafferty, Project Rebirth Chairman of the Board, will kick off the event by explaining how the not-for-profit's Peabody Award-winning documentary Rebirth not only chronicled the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and the journeys of nine New Yorkers impacted by the attacks, but provided material that is now aiding First Responders, Military & Veterans and Educators & Community Leaders.

"We captured stories that have proven helpful in strengthening people's and community's resilience in the face of grief and trauma," says Rafferty. "Fifteen years later, our stories still resonate, particularly with those who risk their lives in the service of community and country."

Project Rebirth programs include the First Responder Resilience Network, Project Cohort and the Woman Warrior Curriculum for Veterans, and educational content for teachers and community leaders.

Project Rebirth, the City of Manassas, Semper K9 Assistance Dogs, and the Americans in Wartime Museum are co-sponsoring the evening of hope and healing. All are welcome to attend the free event.

When: 3:00pm  6:30pm, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016



Where: Hylton Performing Arts Center

10960 George Mason Circle

Manassas, Virginia 20109



Link: http://www.hyltoncenter.org/calendar/898/

About Project Rebirth

Built on the legacy of New York's recovery from the 9/11 attacks, the not-for-profit Project Rebirth uses its suite of films, including the Peabody Award-winning documentary Rebirth, and the talents of its expert team to create resilience programming for First Responders, Military & Veterans and Educators & Community Leaders.

Project Rebirth: a resilience resource for all who serve community and country.

Project Rebirth Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectRebirth

Project Rebirth Twitter feed: @ProjectRebirth https://twitter.com/ProjectRebirth

CONTACT:

Monica Davis

Project Rebirth Social Media Director

240-529-4944

[email protected]

SOURCE Project Rebirth

Related Links

http://www.projectrebirth.org


Setting the Vibe with Spectacular Amenities Viceroy Buenos Aires will feature a signature restaurant, scene-stealing bar and lounge, pool, and spa, among other amenities to be announced. Of special note, the hotel will feature a rooftop experience unprecedented in Buenos Aires, with transformational spaces catering to travelers and locals alike, all resulting in elevated lifestyle at the heart of an epic location. As the only hotel in Madero Harbour, Viceroy Buenos Aires gives guests and residents access to it all -- a shopping center with 120 elite retail outlets, world-class restaurants, nightlife, cinemas, a heliport and more. That's not to mention the hotel's prestigious neighbor, Harbour Tower, the architectural marvel also designed by Ott.

Viceroy in Latin America

The announcement of Viceroy Buenos Aires furthers VHG's commitment to expansion into Latin America, the hottest and fastest growing market sector for hospitality. In fact, VHG just announced its arrival in Panama; the upcoming Viceroy Bocas del Toro Panama will be the first in the region to feature luxury overwater villas. VHG anticipates solid growth in this market and will remain one to watch.

For additional information, please visit viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/buenosaires

MEDIA CONTACT

LFB Media Group

Contact: Erin Brunner | Crystal Ramirez

Email: [email protected] | [email protected]

Phone: (646) 455-0042

ABOUT VICEROY HOTEL GROUP

Viceroy Hotel Group delivers one-of-a-kind lifestyle experiences that bring together provocative design and intuitive service in sought-after locations. Signature brand amenities and services created for the diverse business and leisure guests include dynamic dining venues featuring world-class culinary talents and destination spas specializing in health, fitness and beauty. Current properties include hotels and resorts in Abu Dhabi, Beverly Hills, New York, Riviera Maya, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Snowmass, St. Lucia and Zihuatanejo with forthcoming openings in Algarve, Buenos Aires, Cartagena, Chicago, Dubai, Istanbul and Panama. Viceroy Hotel Group is a member of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) DISCOVERY, a unique loyalty program offering exclusive benefits and experiences to its members, at over 550 hotels around the world. For more information, visit www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com. Follow Viceroy Hotel Group at facebook.com/viceroyhotelgroup and on Instagram @viceroyhotels.

ABOUT GNVGROUP

Gnvgroup is a leading real estate firm spearheaded by Alejandro Ginevra. Following a decades-long family tradition in the sector, Ginevra lends his wealth of experience to a wide array of projects in the local market, including the development and commercialization of Gnvgroup's Madero Harbour, a mixed-used, master planned development. Madero Harbour is the culmination of over 30 years of experience, and positions Gnvgroup as one of the preeminent developers in Argentina. For more information please visit, www.maderoharbour.com. Follow Madero Harbour on Facebook.com/maderoharbour and Instagram @maderoharbour.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402903



SOURCE Viceroy Hotel Group

Related Links

http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three International Space Station crew members are scheduled to return to Earth on Tuesday, Sept. 6. NASA Television will provide coverage of their departure from the orbital outpost and return home, beginning at 9 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams of NASA and Soyuz Commander Alexey Ovchinin and Flight Engineer Oleg Skripochka of the Russian space agency Roscosmos will undock their Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft from the space station at 5:51 p.m. and land in Kazakhstan at 9:14 p.m. (7:14 a.m. Kazakhstan time Sept. 7.)

Together, the Expedition 48 crew members contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard humanity's only orbiting laboratory.

Their return will wrap up 172 days in space for the crew since their launch in March 2016. Williams will return to Earth having accrued 534 days in space on his four missions dating back to 2000, the most days by any U.S. astronaut in history.

NASA TV will air coverage of the departure and landing activities at the following dates and times:

Tuesday, Sept. 6

9 a.m. - Replay of the traditional change of command ceremony in which Williams hands over station command to Anatoly Ivanishin (recorded on Sept. 5 .)

- Replay of the traditional change of command ceremony in which Williams hands over station command to Anatoly Ivanishin (recorded on .) 2:15 p.m. - Farewell and hatch closure coverage (hatch closure scheduled at 2:30 p.m. ).

- Farewell and hatch closure coverage (hatch closure scheduled at ). 5:30 p.m. - Undocking coverage (undocking scheduled at 5:51 p.m. ).

- Undocking coverage (undocking scheduled at ). 8 p.m. - Deorbit burn and landing coverage (deorbit burn scheduled at 8:21 p.m. , with landing at 9:14 p.m. )

Wednesday, Sept. 7

12 a.m. - Video File of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities.

- Video File of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities. 12 p.m. - Video File of landing and post-landing activities and post-landing interview with Williams in Kazakhstan .

At the time of undocking, Expedition 49 will begin aboard the station under the command of Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos. Along with his crewmates Kate Rubins of NASA and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the three-person crew will operate the station for more than two weeks until the arrival of three new crew members.

Shane Kimbrough of NASA and cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch Sept. 23, U.S. time, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Check out the full NASA TV schedule and video streaming information at:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter:

http://instagram.com/iss

and

http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


BROOMFIELD, Colo., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Webroot, the market leader in next-generation endpoint security and cloud-based collective threat intelligence, today announced that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, named Webroot CEO, Dick Williams, on its 2016 list of Top 100 Executives. This annual list recognizes technology industry leaders who have helped shape today's IT channel.

As one of CRN's "Most Influential Innovators," Williams has built Webroot into one of the largest and most successful cybersecurity companies. Managed service providers (MSPs) leverage Webroot SecureAnywhere Business Endpoint Protection to grow scalable, profitable service offerings that protect against the most advanced persistent threats. Security providers can integrate Webroot BrightCloud Threat Intelligence into their own solutions to protect against malicious URLs, IPs, files, and mobile applications. Through security partners and a network of over 6,000 MSPs, Webroot protects over 120,000 businesses.

"The executives on our 2016 Top 100 list have led their companies to extraordinary achievements, both technological and entrepreneurial," said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. "We congratulate each of this year's Top 100 Executives and celebrate their trailblazing contributions to the advancement of the IT channel."

"The IT channel is a critical component of Webroot's growth strategy," said Williams. "Through a strong network of MSPs and security partners, we are able to reach millions of new end users every year. Leveraging our cloud-based platform and the power of machine learning, we are rapidly expanding our portfolio of security solutions to address today's threats and those of the evolving Internet of Everything. We are grateful that this award recognizes those investments and our dedication to helping customers succeed in a rapidly changing IT security landscape."

The Top 100 Executives list is featured in the August 2016 issue of CRN and online at http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/channel-programs/300081567/the-top-25-innovators-of-2016.htm/pgno/0/14.

About the Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com

CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. The Channel Company logo is a trademark of The Channel Company, LLC (registration pending). All rights reserved.

About Webroot

Webroot delivers next-generation endpoint security and threat intelligence services to protect businesses and individuals around the globe. Our smarter approach harnesses the power of cloud-based collective threat intelligence derived from millions of real-world devices to stop threats in real time and help secure the connected world. Our award-winning SecureAnywhere endpoint solutions and BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Services protect tens of millions of devices across businesses, home users, and the Internet of Things. Trusted and integrated by market-leading companies, including Cisco, F5 Networks, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, A10 Networks, and more, Webroot is headquartered in Colorado and operates globally across North America, Europe, and Asia. Discover Smarter Cybersecurity solutions at www.webroot.com.

Social Media: Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook

2016 Webroot Inc. All rights reserved. Webroot, SecureAnywhere, Webroot SecureAnywhere, Webroot BrightCloud, BrightCloud, and Smarter Cybersecurity are trademarks or registered trademarks of Webroot Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121016/LA94090LOGO

SOURCE Webroot

Related Links

https://www.webroot.com


When asked "which one of the following cooking/ frying oils do you think is the healthiest option?" 51 percent named canola oil, followed by butter at 11 percent, corn oil at 9 percent, palm oil at 8 percent, beef tallow at 2 percent and lard, also at 2 percent. Another 18 percent said they didn't know.

Vegetable oils are highly refined, a process that enlists chemicals to extract the oil from the seed -- including compounds like n-Hexane, a known neurotoxin that has found its way into the food chain, where residuals have been detected. The system used to refine vegetable oils also produces "process contaminants." These substances form during food processing -- in particular, when refining vegetable oils at high temperatures.

Recent studies have indicated that the extraction processes used in producing vegetable oils for cooking/frying foods can release various potentially unhealthy toxic agents. Survey respondents were asked to rate their awareness of the potential health risks associated with consuming vegetable oils on a 1 to 5 scale.

According to the Coast/Ipsos research, roughly half of those surveyed indicated little or no awareness of potential health risks arising from vegetable oil processing. Overall, 48 percent were unaware, 29 percent indicated they were "very aware" or somewhat aware and another 23 percent were in the middle. Millennials, men, residents of the Western states, respondents with children at home, those better educated and those employed all recorded a higher overall awareness of potential health risks.

In May, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which is responsible for conducting risk analysis on the safety of food in the European Union, released its findings concerning public health risks from the intake of process contaminants called glycidyl fatty acid esters (GE), 3-monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD), and 2-monochloropropanediol (2-MCPD) esters. The EFSA found "sufficient evidence" that glycidyl is genotoxic  damaging genetic information within a cell, triggering mutations and potentially leading to cancer -- while the toxicity in 3-MCPD and 2-MCPD is organ-specific. The highest levels of GE, 3-MCPD and 2-MCPD were found in palm oils and palm fats, followed by other oils and fats. Intake in children under 18 -- and particularly infants -- was characterized as a possible health concern.

"Squeezing oil fit for human consumption from seeds is complex and anything but natural," said Eric R. Gustafson, CEO, Coast Packing Company, the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western United States. "The science is increasingly clear. With toxic additives and carcinogenic compounds putting popular vegetable oils at risk, embracing minimally processed animal fats isn't a fad.

"By contrast, the natural makeup of animal fat shortenings like lard and beef tallow promotes health," Gustafson said. "Neither contains the artificial trans fats found in hydrogenated shortenings. Both are naturally stable and solid at room temperature. When heated, they do not release free radicals, which have been linked to cancer, as vegetable oils do. And they're minimally processed  virtually nothing is added, and what's already there (plenty of monounsaturates) is good for you. Given the unsavory alternative, 'minimally processed' needs to be how we live."

About the Survey

The Coast Packing/Ipsos study was fielded in August 2016. Ipsos eNation surveys consist of a minimum of 1,000 completes with adults 18 years of age or older in the contiguous United States. The sample includes individuals selected from the online segment of Ipsos' iSay/Ampario Panel, and is balanced to be representative of the general population based upon region, gender, age, and household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Results have a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. For a copy of the survey results, please email [email protected].

About Ipsos

Ipsos is a global independent market research company ranking third worldwide among research firms. The Ipsos team is passionately curious about people, markets, brands and society. Ipsos makes our changing world easier and faster to navigate, and inspires clients to make smarter decisions. The company delivers research with security, speed, simplicity and substance. Ipsos is one of the world's largest independent market research companies, and in 2015 it celebrated its 40th anniversary.

About Coast Packing Company

Coast Packing Company (www.coastpacking.com), a closely held corporation, is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings  particularly lard and beef tallow -- in the Western United States. The company sells to major manufacturers, distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations, leading bakeries and lesser concerns. The company participates actively in various ethnic markets  from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets. Based in Vernon, Calif., Coast Packing Company is regional, national and, increasingly, global. In some cases, supplier relationships are multigenerational, extending back 50 years and more.

For more information about Coast Packing Company, visit: www.coastpacking.com. Follow us via social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coastpackingco, Twitter @coastpackingco and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/coastpackingco.

Media contact:

Ken Greenberg

Edge Communications, Inc.

[email protected]

323/469-3397

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402393

SOURCE Coast Packing Company

Related Links

http://www.coastpacking.com


HOUSTON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: WTI) (the "Company") today announced the early participation results for its previously announced exchange offer and consent solicitation to eligible holders of its outstanding 8.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (the "Existing Notes") for up to (i) 76,590,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, of the Company (the "Shares"), (ii) $202.5 million aggregate principal amount of its new Senior Second Lien PIK Toggle Notes due 2020 (the "New Second Lien Notes") and (iii) $180.0 million aggregate principal amount of its new Senior Third Lien PIK Toggle Notes due 2021 (the "New Third Lien Notes" and, together with the New Second Lien Notes and the Shares, the "New Securities") pursuant to the terms of the offering memorandum and consent solicitation statement, as amended, and the related letter of transmittal (together, the "Offering Documents").

The Company has been informed by the information agent for the exchange offer that, as of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 30, 2016, a total of approximately $710.2 million, or approximately 78.9%, of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of Existing Notes were validly tendered.

The exchange offer and consent solicitation will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 1, 2016, unless extended or earlier terminated by the Company. The act of tendering Existing Notes pursuant to the exchange offer constitutes a consent to the proposed amendment to the indenture governing the Existing Notes. The exchange offer is conditioned on the satisfaction or waiver of certain additional conditions, as described in the Offering Documents. The exchange offer and consent solicitation for the Existing Notes may be further amended, extended or terminated.

The exchange offer and consent solicitation is only being made, and copies of the Offering Documents will only be made available, to holders of the Existing Notes who complete and submit an eligibility form confirming that they are (1) "qualified institutional buyers" within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or (2) not "U.S. persons" and are outside of the United States within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act (such persons, "eligible holders"). Holders who desire to obtain and complete an eligibility form should contact the information agent, D.F. King & Co., Inc., at (877) 536-1561 (toll-free) or (212) 269-5550 (for banks and brokers), or via the following website: www.dfking.com/wti.

Eligible holders are urged to carefully read the Offering Documents before making any decision with respect to the exchange offer and consent solicitation. None of the Company, the sole dealer manager, the information agent or the exchange agent makes any recommendation as to whether eligible holders should tender or refrain from tendering their Existing Notes. Eligible holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender Existing Notes and, if so, the principal amount of Existing Notes to tender.

The New Securities offered by the Company have not been registered under the Securities Act, or any state securities laws and, unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The exchange offer and consent solicitation is not being made to holders of Existing Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. This press release is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to purchase, a solicitation of an offer to purchase or a solicitation of consents with respect to, any securities.

Evercore Group L.L.C. is acting as the sole dealer manager in the Exchange Offer.

About W&T Offshore

W&T Offshore, Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas producer with operations offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and has grown through acquisitions, exploration and development. The Company currently has working interests in approximately 54 fields in federal and state waters (50 producing and four fields capable of producing) and has under lease approximately 750,000 gross acres, including approximately 450,000 gross acres on the Gulf of Mexico Shelf and approximately 300,000 gross acres in the deepwater. A majority of the Company's daily production is derived from wells it operates. For more information on W&T Offshore, please visit the Company's website at www.wtoffshore.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events, based on what it believes are reasonable assumptions. No assurance can be given, however, that these events will occur. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, among other things, market conditions, oil and gas price volatility, uncertainties inherent in oil and gas production operations and estimating reserves, unexpected future capital expenditures, competition, the success of the Company's risk management activities, governmental regulations, uncertainties and other factors discussed in W&T Offshore's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and subsequent Form 10-Q reports found at www.sec.gov or at the Company's website at www.wtoffshore.com under the Investor Relations section. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosures and risk factors in these reports.

CONTACT: Lisa Elliott Danny Gibbons

Dennard Lascar Associates SVP & CFO

[email protected] [email protected]

713-529-6600 713-624-7326

SOURCE W&T Offshore, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.wtoffshore.com


LONDON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Yext, the global Location Data Management leader, today announced that it has expanded its operations across Northern Europe in response to the strong demand for its Location Cloud technology. This expansion represents a major milestone for the company, which is already used by more than 800,000 business locations around the world to manage their location data.

"Like the rest of the world, the UK and Northern Europe are witnessing an unprecedented change in consumer behavior due to the rise of mobile technology," said Howard Lerman, Yext Co-Founder & CEO. "Consumers are discovering businesses and making purchasing decisions on their smartphones, so it's critical that businesses manage the information about their locations online  everywhere consumers are searching. By expanding our operations, we're making it easier for businesses of all sizes to manage their location data at scale and focus on building stronger relationships with their customers."

Yext's award winning Location Cloud enables companies like T-Mobile, Ben & Jerry's, and Premier Inn to manage location data across their websites, mobile apps, internal systems and the industry's largest ecosystem of maps, apps, social networks, directories and search engines including Google, Apple, Facebook, Bing and Yahoo.

During the last year, Yext established its Northern European headquarters in London and signed key partnerships to provide location data management for small and medium businesses across Europe, including with Goldenpages in Ireland, DTG in Holland, Fonecta in Finland, and FCR Media in Belgium.

Yext has also added Jon Buss as Managing Director of the UK and Northern Europe. Buss brings with him 20 years' experience in starting, acquiring, and managing both start-ups and large international businesses. Most recently, Buss helped drive 300% revenue growth at Criteo, the global leader in performance display advertising. Prior to Criteo, Buss, held senior roles at Experian including Managing Director of the Digital division.

"It's an exciting time for Location Data Management. The appetite for location services is growing rapidly  from Google to Apple Maps, Facebook to Uber, Snapchat to the augmented reality of Pokemon Go  location is at the heart of the most popular apps available today," said Buss. "It's clear that location-based technology is entering its next phase of development and that makes Yext's expansion into Europe even more exciting and timely. Opportunities are limitless in this fast-moving, dynamic market."

"We are very excited to welcome Jon, a seasoned leader, to the Yext team," remarked Lerman. "His appointment will help accelerate our expansion into Europe, and we leverage his extensive experience to help us achieve our ambitious growth plans."

To learn more about Yext visit Yext.co.uk.

About Yext

At Yext, our mission is to help people go places. The award-winning Yext Location Cloud enables companies of all sizes to manage location data across their websites, mobile apps, internal systems, and the industry's largest ecosystem of maps, apps, social networks, directories, and search engines including Google, Apple, Facebook, Bing, and Yahoo. Our products enable the world's millions of businesses to drive face-to-face and digital interactions that boost brand awareness, drive foot traffic, and increase sales.

Based in the heart of New York City with a growing team of over 550 employees worldwide, Yext has been recognized as one of America's fastest growing companies by Inc. (2015 & 2016), one of Forbes Most Promising Companies (2014 & 2015) and one of Fortune's Best Places to Work (2014 & 2015).

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Silicon Valley has all manner of tech impresariosfrom Marc Andreessen to Elon Musk to John Doerr to Peter Thiel.

But New York City? Not so much. Despite being the most important city on the planet and, yes, an ever-burgeoning tech scene replete with Flatiron District hipsters, the number of big-time tech entrepreneurs in Gotham is surprisingly small.

One of the most important is Kevin Ryan, founder and creator of some of New Yorks most high-profile start-ups, including DoubleClick, Gilt Groupe and Business Insider. I recently sat down with Ryan to pick his ever-active brain.

First, I wanted to ask Ryanwhos never short of strong opinionsabout his newest venture, a local news venture called, (for now I would guess), Denverite.

So what the heck is Denverite? Its a site that competes with local sites like the Denver Post, Ryan says. Its going after that local market of large cities in the United States, most of them have one newspaper and a website, struggling a little bit financially in all these markets. I think theres an opportunity the way I thought there was an opportunity for Business Insider to compete with the Wall Street Journal and other large business sites.

But Ryan himself said these papers and news sites are in trouble. How does he hope to succeed? Whenever you have a completely focused online player competing against an existing player, say TMZ versus People Magazine, Business Insider and the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and the New York Times, they always get much more traffic and become larger because they wake up every day thinking about online, they execute better, they use social media better, they curate other content better and they have lower costs.

I pointed out that Warren Buffett likes regional newspapers; Ryan corrected me saying that Buffett used to like regional newspapers, and that he was right but that was 20 years ago. Today, he says, Buffett is much less sanguine. Ryan added that he would continue to build out the Denver site for the next six to eight months and then look to expand, targeting cities from number four to 20 in terms of population, say, from Philadelphia to El Paso.

Story continues

Ryan sold Gilt Groupewhich he founded in 2007to Saks, or rather to its parent company, Hudson Bay Company, in January for a reported $250 million, which was a bit of a come down, as Gilt once sported a billion-dollar valuation. But Ryan says Saks brings a lot to the table for Gilt. He says customers can return items from Gilt to any Saks store and that Saks has relationships with more merchandisers. Plus, he says that Gilt has more online talent than its new parent in some areas, so that the companies fit well together.

I also asked him about Gawker. Its an extraordinary story, he said. Overall the company has been very successful. Nick Denton built it up without any outside financing. He did it over 10 years, he was there early, it has enormous traffic. It has always made money. Its a valuable property.

Did Gawker go too far? I think so. There were stories that my guess that [Nick Denton] would regret they did, Ryan says. There were a couple where they were over the edge. But Ryan says in general there was a reason they were successful  they broke stories and said things others wouldnt.

As for Business Insider, Ryan says that he miss[es] the property. He acknowledges that while comScore numbers are down a bit lately because of changes by Facebooks algorithm, the global numbers are doing very well. Overall, Business Insider is a colossal success, he says. (Full disclosure: Business Insider is both a competitor and a partner of Yahoo Finance.)

Ryan maintains that the IPO market is solid, saying the number of companies going public this fall should be more than the spring. Still, he acknowledges that many businesses are happier to be private companies.

Finally, I ask Ryan what he looks for when hes trying to start up a company. I want to see an industry that needs to be changed, that can be changed. I want it to be a pretty big opportunity that can be $100 million in revenue in 10 years. And one final thing, I just want to be interested by it. There are some things that I find intellectually interesting and I want to go after. The exciting thing is that opportunities are everywhere. Industries are being transformed. And so its a really exciting time.

Not surprisingly then, theres no sign that Ryan is slowing down any time soon.
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Mogadishu, Aug 26 : At least seven persons were killed after Al-Shabaab militants detonated a car bomb near a restaurant in the Somali capital here, authorities said on Friday.

"Two police officers and five civilians lost their lives in the attack," Xinhua news agency quoted Bishar Ali Gedi, Mogadishu police chief, as saying.

After the suicide bombing on late Thursday, security forces killed two attackers and captured another one in a gun battle with the militants on Friday and "rescued most of the civilians who were stranded inside the restaurant building," due to the fighting, Gedi said.

The targeted restaurant is located on the Lido beach near the Turkish embassy compound.

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 hospitalised had sustained serious injuries.

Al-Shabaab militants have carried out frequent attacks in Mogadishu. The latest one comes ahead of Somalia's elections due in September and October.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday squarely blamed Pakistan and separatists for fuelling the ongoing trouble in the Kashmir Valley that has been seething with public anger and violent anti-government protests for the past 50 days.

Mehbooba was on a whirlwind visit to Delhi for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation in Kashmir where at least 71 people have been killed since the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said she exchanged views with the Prime Minister on finding a way out of the "Kashmir imbroglio".

"The Prime Minister is very concerned and is as hurt as we are with the deaths in Kashmir," she said and blamed Pakistan for inciting the violence and provoking youth to attack security forces and police stations.

"I want to tell Pakistan, if it has any sympathy for Kashmiris, it should stop provoking (Kashmiris) to attack police stations," she said.

This is for the first time that Mehbooba has directly blamed Islamabad for causing trouble in Kashmir. Previously when in opposition, she was known to have a soft spot for Pakistan and Kashmiri separatists.

She said Pakistan lost a "golden chance" to resolve the Kashmir problem when Modi went to Lahore in December last and later when Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Islamabad for a Saarc conference early this month.

"It is time for Pakistan to respond (to India) if it wants peace in Kashmir," said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader who heads a coalition in the state with Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its ruling ally.

The meeting was her first with Modi since the unrest began.

Saturday marked the 50th day of curfew and shutdown that have crippled normal life across Kashmir. More violence erupted in the state after the body of a man, allegedly chased by security forces during a stone-pelting protest a day ago, was fished out of the Jhelum River.

Education institutions, shops, private offices and other businesses have not opened in seven weeks. Some government offices have been functioning but with thin attendance.

Mehbooba said she pitched for talks "with all stakeholders" to end the current impasse. She, however, asked separatist leaders to shun violence "if they want to talk".

"Talks should be held with those who want peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. For others, it is a business. Those who provoke people and cause bloodshed don't want talks," she said.

The Chief Minister said "Indian democracy has enough space to accommodate the dreams of Kashmiris", adding the resolution of the Kashmir issue was only possible during Modi's government.

"If during his time, the situation doesn't change then it will never change. I have hopes that when the Prime Minister says there will be a dialogue with everyone, then it would happen."

Mehbooba made a passionate appeal to Kashmiri protesters for peace and sought "one chance" to solve the Kashmir issue.

"These are the same youth and kids who would accompany me in my public rallies. Give me a chance I will get it (Kashmir issue) solved. It has been only two months since I have taken over the government and 'itna bada bawaal aagaya' (such a big problem erupted)," the first woman Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said, referring to the turmoil.
Attari (Punjab), Aug 28 : A popular restaurant, which sells Indian and Pakistani cuisine and the idea of peace between the not-so-friendly neighbours right at the international border between both countries, will showcase its food at an international food event in Paris next month.

'Sarhad' (which means border) restaurant, located just one kilometer from the Attari-Wagah joint checkpost of India and Pakistan, has been invited to participate in the 'Grand Fooding S. Pellegrino Plats' in Paris, being organised by Le Fooding on September 24.

"Sarhad, which promotes peace through food with its Amritsari-Lahori cuisine and culture, has been invited to participate in the world's biggest food event at Paris being organised by Le Fooding on September 24 this year," restaurant owner Aman Jaspal told IANS here.

Aman and his wife Sameena will be serving the delicious Chicken Biryani, a popular rice and chicken dish in both countries, at the food festival. Aman will soon travel to Lahore to get fresh spices and ingredients from there.

"Sarhad is one of the 10 restaurants invited from across the world with a similar mission to use food as a medium for peace and reconciliation. Top international chefs and restaurateurs will present essential dishes from different countries, religions and cultures in conflict with each other who come together through their shared gastronomy," Aman pointed out.

International chefs who will be presenting a special dish for the Paris event are Niki Kopcke and Roberta Siao from London, Kamal Mouzawk from Lebanon, Celine Pham from Paris, Jessamyn Rodriguez and Les Boulangeres from New York, Regina Tchelly from Brazil, Pierre Gagnaire from France and Xavier Zapata from Marseille-France.

Sameena, who is from New Zealand and whose parents run a chain of restaurants there, is all excited about the Paris event.

"It's a great feeling to know that like Sarhad there are like minded organisations in the world who consider food as peace facilitator," Sameena told IANS.

The theme of the food event this year has been kept to celebrate reconciliation, life and peace around and through food. This has been done in view of the tragic terror strikes in Paris, Brussels and other places across the world.

"Food has always been central to bringing people together, so the event will serve to highlight local and international initiatives, paying tribute to chefs, restaurateurs, NGOs that act to promote peace among men and women at different levels social, cultural and religious," Coralie Kwok, chief coordinator of the event, stated in an Email to the Jaspal couple.

The unique border restaurant 'Sarhad' showcases the architectural, cultural and culinary heritage of pre-partition Punjab in general and Amritsar and Lahore cities in particular.

The Lahori menu at the restaurant, which is a big draw with visitors to the Retreat ceremony and among local residents, includes Chapli Kebab, Nihari Ghost, Bannu Kebab, Fish Korma, Miyanji ki Dal and Bakarkhani Roti.

"To add a little fizz to the current tepid phase in Indo-Pakistan relations, Sarhad has introduced non-alcoholic beer manufactured by Pakistan's iconic liquor brand, the 160-year-old Rawalpindi-based Murree Brewery.

"Also available only at Sarhad is all-time Lahori favorite dessert, Khalifa Nan Khatai. Seven boxes of this desert were presented by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter's swearing in ceremony in 2014," Aman pointed out.

Lahore's leading designer Ansa Zafar has created furniture for Sarhad while Salah-auddin Michu has created ceramic jaali panels with exquisite motifs of the Lahore fort and Indus valley civilization.

Pakistan's most celebrated truck artist, Haider Ali, has painted two Tata mini trucks in Pakistani truck art.

These colourful trucks, with the slogan "India-Pakistan Friendship Zindabad" boldly emblazoned on the bonnet, are parked at Sarhad and are a big attraction for tourists.

Aman, who studied Economics in Norway before venturing into food business, hopes that one day India and Pakistan could foster better ties through the gourmet route.

"If Paris can try to discover peace and reconciliation through food, there is no reason why India and Pakistan, which share a great common culinary heritage, should not give a chance to food diplomacy. Sarhad would be more than willing to host such an effort," Aman (which means peace) said.

The brick-lined 'Sarhad' restaurant complex was launched on August 15 (India's Independence Day) in 2012. It is located about 30 km from the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. Famous Pakistani architect and designer Nayar Ali Dada was roped in to incorporate features of old Lahore and old Amritsar in the design for the Sarhad complex.
Moscow, Aug 28 : Seven more Russian para-athletes propose to write to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) asking to be allowed to participate in the upcoming Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the athletes' lawyer Artem Patsev has said.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday rejected the Russian Paralympic Committee's (RPC) appeal against the ban on its participation in the September 7-18 Rio Paralympics, reports Sputnik.

"Seven people are now preparing the documents, and they will send letters to the International Paralympic Committee," Patsev told R-Sport on Saturday.

He added that 23 Russian paralympic athletes had already sent such letters to the IPC that, in turn, promised to respond early next week.

Last month, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) urged IPC to suspend Russia from the Paralympic Games following a report of its independent commission.

The report said Russia had run a state-controlled doping programme. Earlier in August, the IPC imposed a blanket ban on the Russian paralympic team.
Canberra, Aug 29 : Australia's Foreign Ministry on Monday announced the release of an aid worker, who was kidnapped in Afghanistan in April.

Katherine Jane Wilson, 60, is "safe and well" according to a statement issued by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, EFE news reported.

Wilson was working for helping Afghan women in the city of Jalalabad when she was kidnapped by a group of armed men claiming to be officials.

No armed group claimed responsibility for the abduction, prompting local authorities to call it a kidnapping for ransom.

The Australian minister did not comment on the conditions of the aid worker's release in order to protect those who continue to be held hostage or are at risk of being kidnapped in Afghanistan.

Bishop also thanked Afghan authorities as well as Australian diplomat, and said the government will continue to provide assistance to Wilson and her family.
New Delhi, Aug 29 : The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Uttar Pradesh government's response on a plea seeking the transfer of a probe into the Bulandshahr gang rape from the state police.

The court has also issued notice to state Urban Development Minister Azam Khan for his comment describing the alleged gang rape as a political conspiracy. The petitioner, the affected father, has sought registration of FIR against Khan.

Justice Dipak Misra and Justice C. Nagappan, while issuing notice on the plea by the father, appointed senior counsel Fali Nariman as amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter.

The court has framed four questions that it would address in the course of the hearing of the plea by the minor victim's father.

These include whether a person in a position of authority in the state could comment on the crime involving rape, murder or any other heinous crime, while another is whether such comments should be allowed as they create doubts in the mind of the victim about a fair trial.

Besides seeking the transfer of investigation from Uttar Pradesh Police, the father has urged the court to monitor the same.

The minor girl and her mother were allegedly gang-raped on the national highway near Bulandshahr while they along with the father were going to Shahjahanpur on July 29.

Addressing the court, the victim's lawyer said she suffered trauma for five hours in the presence of her father and other family members and when they called police, it did not respond for 25 minutes.

Seeking an FIR against Azam Khan, the father has taken exception to his statement describing the incident as a political conspiracy and described it as "outrageous to the modesty" of the victims.

The father has alleged that it was a case of gang rape and dacoity as the perpetrators also took away their cash and jewellery.

Seeking that the investigation be taken away from state police, the victim's father -- who is an Ola cab driver -- has alleged that local police was in collusion with the criminal gangs involved in the gang rape of his minor daughter and her mother.
New Delhi, Aug 29 : Veteran actor Victor Banerjee, who is known for his roles in films like "A Passage to India", "Kalyug", "Joggers' Park" and "My Brother... Nikhil", believes that some song and dance sequences are "filthy" in Bollywood.

The 69-year-old, who has worked with creme de la creme directors like Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, Roman Polanski, Mrinal Sen and Ram Gopal Varma, says that steps performed by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, never looked crude the way it does on "our boys or girls".

"Films don't pull me, I don't even watch my own films. I hardly see films. I keep saying that when MJ (Michael Jackson) performed a dance, it doesn't look crude, but when the same thing is done by our girls or boys, it is made to look filthy," Victor told reporters here at a press conference of the forthcoming film "Thinking of Him" on Monday.

"I have not had a foreign visitor that has come to our country and has seen a Hindi film that hasn't come out saying 'Victor my god this is soft porn, how can you let small children see it', I ask what? 'The song sequences'... Every foreigner... You think they are foreigners so x-rated... everyone is nude and they have sex... I mean when they see Hindi movies, they are horrified," he added.

Victor is set to portray the role of Rabindranath Tagore from Argentinean journalist and writer Victoria Occampo's perspective in "Thinking of Him".

Set to go on floors starting September 5, the cast and crew of the film was here to officially announce the making of the film along with the whole cast and crew.

"Thinking of Him" is a joint project of Johnsons- Suraj Films International, India and Caesar Production, Argentina.

Also featuring actors Raima Sen, Argentine actor Hector Bordoni and Eleonora Wexner among others, the film is a tale of Tagore and Victoria, a woman whose impact made a drastic change in Tagore's life.

Directed by Argentine filmmaker Pablo Cesar, the film will be shot in West Bengal, Argentina and France.
Washington/New Delhi, Aug 30 : India and the US signed an agreement on sharing military logistics, in a major step forward in closer bilateral defence cooperation, though both sides clarified it will not involve setting up of military bases.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) agreement was inked in Washington, by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during his ongoing three-day visit to the US, and his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

The agreement, viewed as part of the Obama administration's Pivot to Asia strategy, was criticised by a leading Chinese state-run daily, which warned that New Delhi may irritate Beijing if it "joins the US alliance system".

"If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia," the Global Times said in an editorial.

"It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia," it added.

Concerns over the agreement have been voiced by political parties in India who say it will lead to the country being seen as a military ally of the US. However, some experts have welcomed the 'long delayed' agreement that has been in discussions since 2004.

While the Left parties criticised the move, saying it makes India formally an ally of the US, the Congress appeared more cautious with former Defence Minister A.K. Antony saying he would not comment before reading the agreement.

The LEMOA was "in principal" agreed on during Carter's visit to India in April.

A joint statement issued after the meeting of Parrikar and Carter said the LEMOA will facilitate additional opportunities for practical engagement and exchange.

Carter in his remarks, drew a comparison between the US' pivot to Asia and India's Act East Policy. "The United States is reaching west in President Obama's rebalance, India is reaching east in Prime Minister Modi's Act East policy, which will extend India's reach further into the broader Indo-Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Carter said the agreement will be a "very substantial enabler" for the two countries to work together.

Parrikar also clarified that the agreement will not involve in setting up bases.

"It does not have anything to do with setting up bases. It is for logistics support to each other ... Like supply of fuel, supply of any other things that are required for joint operations, humanitarian assistance and many other," he said.

The Indian Defence Ministry also took to Twitter to dispel fears regarding the agreement.

"LEMOA is a facilitating agreement that establishes terms, conditions, procedures for reciprocal provision of logistic support, supplies, service. Reciprocal logistic support would be used exclusively in port visits, joint exercises, joint training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief," Defence Ministry tweeted from its official account.

It added that LEMOA does not create any obligations on either party to carry out any joint activity, does not provide for the establishment of any bases or basing arrangements, and significantly enhances operational capacity of our armed forces, including in response to humanitarian crises or disaster relief.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist said the agreement has given India the "formal status of a military ally of the US".

Congress, which had appeared to be putting off the agreement while in power, and vocally opposed it when India and US announced their 'in principle' agreement in April, made no response till Tuesday evening.

Contacted by IANS, former Defence Minister Antony said: "I will not comment unless I read the agreement."

Antony in April said the agreement will mark the end of India's "independence of India's foreign policy and strategic autonomy".

Some strategic experts dispelled the fear that the agreement will make India a US ally.

"This does not imply we become a US military ally. We are not obliged to provide support to any and every US military operation in the region," said strategic expert and Director of Society for Policy Studies C. Uday Bhaskar.

The US had first proposed an India specific logistics support agreement (LSA) in 2004 at the sixth meeting of the India-US Defence Policy Group.

It is a version of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which the US has with several NATO nations, something that has raised concerns.

India has in the past provided logistic support to the US. During the 1990-91 Gulf War, the Chandra Shekhar government provided overflight rights to US planes, and even permitted refuelling, but revoked it after protests.

During the 2004 Tsunami, US support came handy with India lacking the capability to provide assistance to the affected areas. Experts say the agreement will aid such humanitarian assistance in future.

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston
Mogadishu, Aug 31 : A truck bomb exploded outside a hotel in Somali capital Mogadishu, killing 22 people in a heavily secured area close to the presidential palace.

A security conference was under way at the hotel on Tuesday at the time of the blast, BBC reported.

The Islamist al-Shabab group, which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda, said it is behind the attack.

The Somali Youth League (SYL) Hotel is a popular meeting place for government officials and has been targeted by militants before.

"Security forces tried to stop the bomber who used back roads before he sped through checkpoints near the presidential palace and detonated the bomb," a police officer was quoted as saying.

"He reached near the gate of the state house with flat tyres."

Al-Shabab is fighting to oust Somalia's UN-backed government and establish an Islamic state.
Washington, Aug 31 : With New Delhi signing a historic defence logistics agreement with Washington, the US has described India's presence in the Asia-Pacific region as "important" in the backdrop of China's disputes in the South China Sea region.

"Discussing tensions in the Asia Pacific region is something that's not uncommon when we're meeting our Indian counterparts, and there's certainly a lot there because India is -- India does have a purpose and a presence in the Pacific that's important," US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in his daily press briefing here on Tuesday.

Kirby's remarks followed the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry in New Delhi.

India and the US signed an agreement on sharing military logistics, in a major step forward in closer bilateral defence cooperation.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (Lemoa) was inked here by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during his latest visit to the US, and his US counterpart Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.

The agreement, viewed as part of the Obama administration's pivot to Asia strategy, was criticised by a leading Chinese state-run English daily, warning that New Delhi might irritate Beijing if it "joins the US alliance system".

"If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia," the Global Times said in an editorial.

"It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia," it added.

Asked about China's reaction to the new US-India defence agreement, Kirby said that ties between Washington and New Delhi were not only good for the two countries but for the world as well.

"Broadly speaking, a deepening, stronger, more cooperative bilateral relationship with India is nothing that anybody should fear or worry about," he said.

"We both are democracies; we both have incredible opportunities and influence on the global stage, and a better relationship between the US and India is not just good for our two countries, not just good for the region, it's good for the world."

Last month, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) under the UN Convention for the Law of the Seas (Unclos) in The Hague ruled in favour of the Philippines in its dispute against China over the South China Sea.

India recognised the authority of the PCA and asked all parties to abide by its ruling.

An international arbitration tribunal in the PCA ruled on July 12 that China violated the Philippines' rights in the South China Sea, one of the busiest commercial shipping routes in the world.

The court accused China of interfering with the Philippines' fishing and petroleum exploration, building artificial islands in the waters and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone.

The tribunal held that fishermen from the Philippines had traditional fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and that China had interfered with these rights by restricting their access.

The court held that Chinese law enforcement vessels unlawfully created a serious risk of collision when they physically obstructed Philippine vessels in the region.

China is locked in disputes over the Spratly and Paracel groups of islands in the South China Sea with other countries of the region.

The US stand on India's role in the Asia-Pacific region comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to Vietnam, another country Beijing has disputes with, on his way to China for the G20 Summit early September.

Vietnam has appreciated India's position on the PCA ruling.

After Tuesday's bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in New Delhi, Sushma Swaraj said India and the US have decided to strengthen their cooperation in the area of maritime security.
Chandigarh, Aug 31 : The one-man Justice S.N. Dhingra Commission of Inquiry set up by the Haryana government to probe controversial land deals in Gurgaon, including those of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, will submit its report to the BJP-led state government on Wednesday.

Justice Dhingra, who left New Delhi for Chandigarh, told the media that he will submit the report on Wednesday. The commission's term ends on Wednesday.

The term of the commission was extended on June 30 for eight weeks by the Haryana government amid controversy over its legal validity.

The commission, set up by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in May last year, was asked to probe controversial land deals in Haryana, including the land deals of Vadra and his firms.

The commission was asked to probe the grant of licenses to Vadra's company and other firms for developing commercial properties in Gurgaon's Sector 83 and some other prime areas.

It was mandated to probe their subsequent transfer or disposal, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules, and other connected matters.

Vadra had termed the inquiry commission as a "political witch-hunt" launched against him by the BJP government in Haryana.

Vadra and former Haryana Chief Minister as well as senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had been summoned by the commission, had refused to join the probe.

The scope of the Dhingra commission was expanded in August last year and it was asked to probe grant of all licenses to colonisers and individuals in four villages of Gurgaon by the previous Congress government in Haryana.

Vadra and others were allegedly granted favours by Hooda-led state government in issuing licenses to develop commercial properties in Gurgaon's Sector 83.

Dhingra is a retired judge of the Delhi High Court.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had pointed out that Vadra's firm, Skylight Hospitality, had not submitted documents on financial adequacy. Despite that, the firm was granted a licence.

Earlier, Hooda had objected to setting up of the commission saying it was held "contrary to established rules and norms, without due cabinet approval and prompted by malice and political considerations".

He had urged Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki "to revoke the Constitution of the Commission of Enquiry".
Chennai, Aug 31 : As much as actor Jr. NTR aspires to star in the biopic on his legendary grandfather Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR), he feels it will be extremely challenging to replicate the persona of the celebrated actor and politician onscreen.

"I want to star in the biopic on my grandfather, but I'm too afraid because it'll be impossible to play him. His aura, persona and charisma can't be recreated onscreen, no matter how hard one tries. I know for a fact that his will be a very inspiring story," NTR told IANS in an interview.

Having successfully sustained in the industry for nearly two decades, the 33-year old star, with successful films such as "Student No. 1", "Simhadri", "Yamadonga", "Brindavanam", "Temper" and "Naanaku Prematho" to his credit, has veered away from the star system.

"If I want to be remembered, I want to be known as a good actor. As times change, we as actors need to adapt with it. I like to be challenged as an actor, allowing myself to take up diverse roles. Even audiences get tired of watching their stars in similar roles over and over again," he said.

Popular among masses for his mass hero' image, NTR believes his fans have given him the freedom to experiment.

"If my fans only want me to do a certain kind of films, then 'Naanaku Prematho' would have failed miserably. They've entrusted me with the freedom to select good and different scripts. If the story is good, they'll like and accept any film, irrespective of its genre," he explained.

NTR awaits the release of Koratala Siva-directed "Janatha Garage", which hits the screens on Thursday, and sees him share screen space with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.

The project, narrated to him two years ago, has been on his mind since then.

"Siva approached me with the script even before the release of 'Srimanthudu'. Even though I liked it, I wasn't ready to do it then. It was after I reinvented myself with projects such as 'Temper' and 'Naanaku Prematho', I was convinced to take up this offer," he said, adding it's one of the most satisfying scripts he has worked in recent times.

The film's story is about two men - one loves nature and Earth, while the other loves people.

"What happens when these two characters meet at crossroads? It's an interesting story, emphasising on the importance of nature and people in our lives, in a very commercial and entertaining way. This is probably one script that can't be dominated by actors. Here, there are only characters," he said.

Heaping praise on his director with whom he has teamed up for the first time, NTR said, "It's the fastest project I've worked on. All the credit goes to Siva for wrapping it up on time. Despite working on a very big set up featuring big technicians and a huge ensemble cast, Siva excelled in executing the project effortlessly."

On the career as well as personal front, NTR admits to have changed a great deal. He attributes it to the entry of his two-year old son, Abhay Ram, into his life.

"Becoming a father has changed me. Every decision I make in life, I think whether it'll be good for Abhay. I admit to have made some bad decision in the initial stage of my career and paid the price. I can't afford to do such a mistake again," he said, and added spending more time with his son has a very positive effect on him.
New Delhi, Aug 31 : As most of us spend a considerable amount of time on various digital platforms -- Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, WhatsApp and the like -- a pertinent question now arises: What happens to our digital possessions once we die?

All those unforgettable personal photos, family videos and friendly posts acquired over a period of time will either be deleted or kept "frozen" unless we have a digital heir who can preserve those precious moments and gift those to future generations in an external hard disk or pen drive.

While several social media platforms, including search engine Google, allow us to safeguard digital memories in some form or the other, there is no such thing as transferring such assets to someone when it comes to cyber law, including in India.

According to legal experts, when someone dies leaving behind his email and social media accounts, these become movable property and any heir of the deceased can seek the right to access them.

"The said heirs can ask the digital/social media companies to get access after giving the necessary proof. Invariably, the service provider may not be inclined to give such access without any requisite order from the court of competent jurisdiction. This could mean getting a succession certificate from a court of competent jurisdiction which could be a time-consuming process," explained Pavan Duggal, one of the nation's top cyber law experts.

According to Duggal, also a Supreme Court advocate, Indian cyber law has not even touched upon -- let alone dwelt on the nuances of -- the issue of one's post-death digital life.

"Complicating the entire matter is that the Indian cyber law is not applicable to wills or testaments. This has created huge confusion. The ground reality is that people have stopped waiting for the law to change. Instead, they have come up with their own digital wills which provide various methodologies for devolving their digital assets and information to their heirs after their death," Duggal told IANS.

Digital data comes within the ambit of movable property and hence the appropriate succession certificate needs to be applied for in the Indian context.

"It is pertinent to note that India does not have a dedicated law on digital inheritance which is, indeed, unfortunate, given the rapid adoption of and reliance on digital data by young Indians," Duggal lamented.

The social media giants, however, have formulated their own solutions to the problem.

Facebook will "memorialise" your account and allow you to choose a "legacy contact". No one can log into a "memorialised" account.

The "legacy contact" can "manage" your account by adding a pinned post (like a funeral announcement), respond to new friend requests and change the profile picture and cover photo -- but nothing beyond that.

Google, which owns Gmail, YouTube and Picasa web albums, has an "Inactive Account Manager" feature which allows a user to nominate who has access to his or her information. If people don't log on after a while, their accounts can be deleted or shared with a designated person.

According to Twitter, "In the event of the death of a Twitter user, we can work with a person authorised to act on behalf of the estate or with a verified immediate family member of the deceased to have an account deactivated." The micro-blogging site, however, added: "We are unable to provide account access to anyone regardless of his or her relationship to the deceased."

From the security point of view, one has to safeguard digital impressions in case of death so that they are not used for anti-social purposes.

"Digital signatures/impressions generally have a validity/expiry date which require a yearly renewal and they are also equipped with a unique combination of passkey so even if someone has the digital signatures they must know the access key to use that," noted Lucknow-based social media analyst Anoop Mishra.

According to statistician Hachem Sadikki from the University of Massachusetts, Facebook will become the world's biggest virtual graveyard by the end of this century as there will be more profiles of dead people than of living users. "Facebook, which currently has 1.71 billion users worldwide, will turn into the world's biggest virtual graveyard by 2098," Sadikki claimed.

In such a scenario, preparing a digital will where you appoint a legal heir to take over your digital life is the need of the hour.

The law, however, is silent on this not just in India but abroad too. Several US states have been debating the question of whether families can access someone else's digital assets after they die.

"The law has to instrinsically recognise that digital data and information, as also aspects pertaining to digital life, are integral components of our life and the law must provide for seamless inheritance of digital data," stressed Duggal.

This becomes all the more significant as we have become huge data generators, data publishers and data broadcasters in our lifetimes.

"All eyes are on the governments, including in India; they must come up with requisite legal frameworks to provide for seamless and efficient digital inheritance for the people," Duggal asserted.

(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)
Panaji, Aug 31 : Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Wednesday expressed regret over the unceremonious removal of Subhash Velingkar as the state RSS chief.

The Chief Minister initially refused to comment on the sacking of Velingkar, the state's seniormost swayamsevak by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang (RSS). But when pressed to comment as a swayamsevak himself, Parsekar said: "As a swayamsevak I would say it should not have happened."

Earlier, RSS publicity head Manmohan Vaidya said in New Delhi that Velingkar had been sacked for working against the BJP-led government in Goa.

"Velingkar has been removed from his post with immediate effect for floating a political outfit and working against the Goa government," RSS said.

Former Speaker and Environment and Forest minister Rajendra Arlekar said that Velingkar was a guru and an idol for BJP leaders in Goa, but refused to comment, when asked if he was disappointed with the state RSS chief removal.

"See I have said again and again. RSS is an organisation which is competent to take their own decisionsa To all of us he is a (Guru). There is no other guru in RSS (in Goa). He has been our idol," Arlekar said.

Velingkar, who heads a regional language front, has been critical of the state government's medium of instruction policy in primary schools, which he claims promotes English language over regional languages like Konkani and Marathi.

Velingkar in the recent past had said that the state BJP governments under Manohar Parrikar and Parsekar had cheated the people on the issue of medium of instruction.

He had also warned that the BJP may lose the 2017 assembly elections because of this reason.

Velingkar was also accused of showing black flags to BJP President Amit Shah during the latter's visit to the state on August 20.
Mumbai, Aug 31 : Indian equity markets were pushed higher on Wednesday on fresh buying support, with the key indices rallying for the third consecutive session to touch new 52-week high levels during the intra-day trade.

The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) edged up 41.85 points, or 0.48 per cent to 8,786.20 points.

The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 28,372.25 points, closed at 28,452.17 points -- up 109.16 points, or 0.39 per cent from the previous close at 28,343.01 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 28,532.25 points, a fresh 52-week peak level, and a low of 28,363.10 points during the intra-day trade.

However, the BSE market breadth was marginally tilted in favour of the bears -- with 1,377 declines and 1,318 advances.

On Tuesday, the key indices had closed with substantial gains on the back of positive global cues, strong buying support and an appreciating rupee.

The barometer index had gained 440.35 points, or 1.58 per cent, while the NSE Nifty edged up by 139.90 points, or 1.59 per cent.

The benchmark indices initially opened on a flat-to-positive note on Wednesday prompted by mixed cues from Asian and European markets.

However, investors remained hopeful on domestic cues such as the announcement later on Wednesday of the gross domestic product (GDP) data for the first quarter of 2016-17, among others.

Other domestic macro data include the first quarter fiscal deficit data and the eight core industrial output data.

In addition, the upward trend of the indices continued as foreign institutional investors (FIIs) resorted to buying activities, unleashing a fresh inflow of funds.

The indices marginally capped gains due to a sharp up-move in the dollar index and lower crude oil prices and pulled the markets from their peak levels.

Nevertheless, gains in the rupee's value kept the market sentiment buoyed to close with appreciable gains.

The rupee appreciated by seven paise to 66.96 against a US dollar from its previous close of 67.03 on Tuesday.

"The markets have got a psychological boost and have attracted fresh buyers. The FIIs have been providing support to the domestic markets," Anand James, Chief Market Strategist at Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, told IANS.

"Investors are also keeping an eye out on some major economic data, such as the GDP data, fiscal deficit data and the eight core industrial output data that are due for release later today, and the US jobs data on Friday."

In terms of investments, provisional data with the exchanges showed that the FIIs purchased stocks worth Rs 854.19 crore and the domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought scrips worth Rs 847.70 crore.

Sector-wise, the S&P BSE banking index augmented by 269.15 points, followed by the capital goods index, which surged by 210.43 points, and the consumer durables index gained 88.63 points.

On the other hand, the S&P BSE metal index plunged by 141.27 points, the healthcare index declined by 68.97 points, and the information technology (IT) index fell by 41.11 points.

Major Sensex gainers during Wednesday's trade were: Larsen and Toubro (L&T), up 2.71 per cent at Rs 1,513.85; Hero MotoCorp, up 2.13 per cent at Rs 3,547.50; HDFC Bank, up 1.83 per cent at Rs 1,290.75; Tata Motors, up 1.73 per cent at Rs 537.45; and Asian Paints, up 1.09 per cent at Rs 1,159.25.

Major Sensex losers were: Tata Steel, down 1.95 per cent at Rs 370.45; ONGC, down 1.92 per cent at Rs 237.05; Lupin, down 1.71 per cent at Rs 1,483.65; NTPC, down 1.58 per cent at Rs 159.25; and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), down 1.42 per cent at Rs 2,512.55.
Islamabad, Aug 31 : An American-Canadian couple kidnapped by the Taliban in 2012 said in a latest video clip that has surfaced that their captors would execute them if the Afghanistan government did not change its policies with regard to the Taliban prisoners, media reported on Wednesday.

On a backpacking trip to Afghanistan in 2012, American Joshua Boyle and his Canadian wife Caitlan Coleman were kidnapped by the Taliban and held hostage ever since. A video clip of the two shared by SITE Intelligence group showed the couple beg for their lives, urging the Afghanistan government to stop execution of Taliban prisoners, the News reported.

"They will execute us, women and children included, if the policies of the Afghan government are not overturned either by the Afghan government or by Canada somehow, or US," said Joshua in the video.

"Our captors are terrified at the thought of their own mortality approaching and are saying that they will take reprisals on our family," he added in the video clip.

In the video, Boyle can be seen sporting an unkempt beard while his wife Caitlan appears to be dressed in black clothing that also covers her face. Both slowly read out the words, possibly from a script not featured in the camera.
Berlin, Aug 31 : Scores of Baloch activists staged protests in the German cities of Dusseldorf, Berlin and Munich against the "human right crisis and forced disappearances" of Baloch people in Pakistan, said a representative of the activists.

The protests on Tuesday -- marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances -- were held by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) with demonstrators holding placards thanking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the issue of human rights violations in Balochistan.

"Protests were held against enforced disappearances by Pakistani forces in Balochistan on International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on Tuesday," Faiz Muhammad Marri of Baloch National Movement told IANS on Wednesday over phone.

The Baloch protestors carried placards reading "Thank you Narendra Modi for your support", "United Nations send fact-finding mission to Balochistan", "Stop Baloch Genocide", and "Pakistan China Economic Corridor intensified brutalities in Balochistan".

Marri alleged that more than 25,000 Baloch people have gone missing by the hands of Pakistani forces while more than 3,000 Baloch missing persons have been found killed and dumped in various parts of Balochistan and Sindh.

"Three mass graves were found in Tootak area of Khuzdar in 2014 containing 169 dead bodies. Only two of them were identified by their clothes and ID cards. They had been abducted by the Pakistani army during earthquake relief operations in Awaran in September and October 2013," Marri told IANS.

Earlier, protests were held against the China Pakistan Economic Corridor outside the Chinese embassy in London on Sunday evening when slogans like "No to CPEC" were raised.
Chandigarh, Aug 31 : The Justice S.N. Dhingra Commission of Inquiry, probing controversial land deals in Gurgaon, on Wednesday submitted its report which pointed to irregularities in grant of licences and land allotment in prime areas to individuals and companies, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and his firms.

The 182-page report, it is reliably learnt, has indicted the previous Congress government (2005-2014) in Haryana led by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, for irregularities in grant of licences. It has pointed to alleged connivance of the Hooda government in favouring Vadra and others.

Justice Dhingra, a former judge of the Delhi High Court, submitted the report to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here on Wednesday. The one-man commission's term ended on Wednesday.

"I wouldn't have submitted a 182-page report if there was no irregularity," Dhingra told media persons here after submitting the report.

Official sources said the commission examined records of over 100 Change of Land Use (CLU) licences given in Gurgaon district, particularly in Sector 83. A number of bureaucrats and officials were also questioned by the commission.

The commission had been mandated to probe licences given by the Hooda government for the development of colonies, housing societies and commercial complexes in four villages -- Shikohpur, Sihi, Kherki Daula and Sikanderpur Bada -- in Gurgaon district.

"The government has received the report and will study its contents," Health Minister Anil Vij said here.

The commission was mandated to probe the subsequent transfer or disposal of licences, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules, and other connected matters.

Vadra had termed the inquiry commission as a "political witch-hunt" launched against him by the BJP government in Haryana.

Vadra and Hooda, who had been summoned by the commission, had refused to join the probe.

The scope of the Dhingra commission was expanded in August last year and it was asked to probe grant of all licences to colonisers and individuals in the four villages of Gurgaon.

Vadra and others were allegedly granted favours by the Hooda-led state government in issuing licences to develop commercial properties in Gurgaon's Sector 83.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had pointed out that Vadra's firm, Skylight Hospitality, had not submitted documents on financial adequacy, but was still granted a licence.

Earlier, Hooda had objected to setting up of the commission saying it was held "contrary to established rules and norms, without due cabinet approval and prompted by malice and political considerations".

He had urged Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki "to revoke the Constitution of the Commission of Enquiry".
New Delhi, Aug 31 : US Secretary of State John Kerry, who arrived in India on a three-day visit on Monday, will be extending his stay here, it is reliably learnt.

Kerry was scheduled to leave New Delhi for Washington on Wednesday evening but is now likely to stay back here at least for a day more.

Kerry on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here following Tuesday's Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

Earlier on Wednesday, he addressed a town hall meeting at the Indian Institute of Technology here.

He was also scheduled to visit the Sisganj Gurdwara, the Jama Masjid and a Hindu temple but the programme got postponed as heavy rain lashed the city on Wednesday morning.

Tuesday's bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue was co-chaired by Kerry and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also in attendance.
Chennai, Aug 31 : Two medical students, who threw a dog off the rooftop of a three-storeyed building and filmed the gruesome incident, were fined Rs 2 lakh each by a committee formed by the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University.

According to the committee's recommendation, the two students -- Gowtham Sudarshan and Ashish Paul -- of the Madha Medical College, should pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh each to the Animal Welfare Board.

The committee was formed as per the orders of the Madras High Court.

Last month, the video of the two students -- one throwing the dog down from the rooftop of a building and the other filming the gruesome act -- went viral and drew much revulsion.

Animal welfare activists made a police complaint and the two students were later arrested. The two got bail immediately.

The activists then moved the court for compensation for the dog that suffered a leg fracture.

University Vice Chancellor S. Geethalakshmi and Dean of Students S.V. Senthilnathan on Tuesday signed the penalty order as recommended by the committee.
New Delhi, Aug 31 : The Justice A.P.Shah Committee on the gas migration dispute between the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp and Reliance Industries has faulted both the entities for errors of omission and commission, even as the government promised appropriate action by mid-September.

The report, made available late on Wednesday, said Reliance Industries did benefit unduly -- terming it as enrichment -- from the gas that migrated to its fields in the Krishna-Godavari basin in the Bay of Bengal from those of the state-run firm.

But the committee also said it was not able to ascertain in clear terms if the two companies, indeed, have prior knowledge. "I wanted this to be probed further," the single-member panel said.

Yet, it observed, based on some reports of 2003, it appeared that Reliance Industries had prior knowledge about the connectivity, while also not bringing it to the notice of the regulator.

At the same time, it added, ONGC, it seemed, also had some understanding but did not act promptly, and took up the matter six years after it first obtained the relevant information.

"On the question of unjust enrichment, the committee concludes that the Government of India, and not ONGC, is entitled to claim restitution from Reliance Industries for the unjust benefit it received and unfairly retained," the report uploaded on the Petroleum Ministry's Web site said.

"ONGC has no locus standi to bring a tortious claim against Reliance Industries for trespass/conversion, since it does not have any ownership rights or possessory interest in the natural gas."

Soon after the report was handed over, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said his ministry would take "appropriate action" in the matter by end-September.

"The report has confirmed gas migration from ONGC's block to Reliance Industries' block. We will now study the report in detail and then take appropriate action before September 30," Pradhan told reporters here. "We need more time to study the report."

Justice Shah said it was now up to the government to act. "I have submitted a comprehensive report, which covers all the terms of reference and also suggests a future course of action," said Justice Shah, a former judge of the Delhi High Court.

The government had constituted the single-member committee last December under Law Commission Chairman Shah to recommend compensation to ONGC to protect the government interest, following some reports from American consultants on migrating of gas.

The committee was asked to submit by its report by July 31 and subsequently extended the tenure by three months.

The American consultants had concluded that 11.122 billion cubic meters of ONGC gas had migrated to the blocks of Reliance Industries. They said of the 58.68 billion cubic meters produced since 2009, some 49.69 billion cubic meters belonged to the private company and 8.981 billion cubic meters could have come from ONGC's side.

At the current gas price of $4.2 per million British thermal unit, the volume of gas belonging to ONGC which the private player has produced is worth around $1.7 billion (Rs 11,055 crore).

The committee also made several generic statements:

- The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons must become more proactive in exercising its regulatory authority.

- This must encompass better vigilance, more incisive technical skills, and stronger enforcement powers.

- This is particularly necessary in a sensitive and vital sector like petroleum.

- The role of ONGC in the Indian oil and natural gas sector must be assessed with great scrutiny.

- A mechanism is required to amicably resolve disputes among parties, as and when they arise.

- This will allow smoother functioning of the energy sector, and ultimately serve the nation's interests.

- The way the oil ministry handles the matter can chart the future course of India's energy industry.
New Delhi, Aug 31 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday removed his Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar, saying he had received an "objectionable" CD on him and there cannot be any compromise with propriety in public life.

"Received 'objectionable' CD of minister Sandeep Kumar. AAP stands for propriety in public life that can't be compromised. Removing him from Cabinet with immediate effect," Kejriwal tweeted.

Soon after the action against the legislator over the alleged sex tape, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has "zero tolerance" towards any such act and action was taken within half-an-hour of receiving the CD.

The BJP and Congress mounted an attack on the Kejriwal government over the purported "sex CD" involving Kumar. The BJP said it will stage a protest outside Kejriwal's residence on Thursday over the issue.

Sisodia told reporters that AAP was a party of principles. "We have zero tolerance against any kind of corruption, crime or any such activity," he said.

"The CM received an objectionable CD of Sandeep Kumar and within half an hour, the decision to remove the minister was taken and Kumar was sacked," Sisodia said.

Kumar is the third minister who has been removed or forced out of the cabinet by Kejriwal since the formation of the government in February 2015.

Jitender Tomar was asked to resign as Law Minister in June 2015 after he was accused of forging his college degree. In October last year, Asim Ahmed Khan was removed as Minister for Food and Environment following allegations of taking bribe from a builder.

There are six ministers in Delhi cabinet who hold multiple portfolios. Kumar, 36, MLA from Sultanpur Majra, also held the Women and Child Development portfolio.

Sisodia said his party and the government always took swift decisions whenever cases against its ministers or leaders surfaced.

"Earlier we had removed one of our ministers on corruption charges. Recently we removed party's Punjab convenor over charges that he took money. And today we have removed Kumar after we got the objectionable CD," Sisodia said.

He warned all his party MLAs and leaders saying, "If any of the 67 MLAs or the party leaders be it Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia or anyone else is caught in activities which are against the party principles, he will not be spared," Sisodia said.

Former AAP leader and eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan took potshots at Kejriwal over Kumar's removal. "Wah AK (Arvind Kejriwal) Saheb, you appoint degree forgers, bribe takers as ministers and then take credit for removing them when caught," he tweeted.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken asked why the AAP leadership had not expelled the MLAs who had been removed as ministers.

"3 of 6 Ministers in AAP Govt caught for: 1.FakeDegree 2.Corruption 3MoralTurpitude. But who chose them? Why aren't they expelled from Party?," he tweeted.

BJP leader Vijender Gupta said: "When they (AAP) got elected, they said we had 67 gems. Now they stand exposed."

Another BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal said that there were allegations involving Kumar and "if Kejriwal did not know about them earlier, he should resign."

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal said that "acts" of Sandeep Kumar were "shocking" and "unfortunate."

"Such people don't deserve to be minister, let alone WCD minister! Good govt has sacked him," she tweeted.
New Delhi, Aug. : New Delhi, Aug. Aug 31 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Wednesday dropped contempt proceedings against senior lawyer of Gujarat High Court Yatin Narendra Oza after he tendered an "unconditional apology" for calling two high court judges close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Accepting Oza's unconditional apology, a bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice C. Nagappan said that the contempt proceedings before the Gujarat High Court stands dropped.

Tendering unqualified apology, Oza, in a fresh affidavit, said that except in the proceedings before court, he would not speak on the issue in public.

Contempt proceedings were initiated against Oza before the high court after he in a letter to the Chief Justice of India, he had said that Justice M.R.Shah and Justice K.S. Jhaveri owned their allegiance not to the Constitution of the country but same was "mortgaged" at the residences of Prime Minister Modi and BJP President Amit Shah.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for Oza, told the bench that the lawyer has tendered unqualified apology and in the light of it the matter should be put to rest.

Senior counsel K.K.Venugopal appearing for Gujarat High Court Advocate Association told the bench that bar association has reservation about what is happening. "If everything comes out it is not good for judiciary," he said, telling the bench that the feeling of the bar can't be disregarded, since, after all, it is also a member of the judicial family.

Senior counsel Harin Rawal, appearing for complainant Khemchand Rajaram Koshti, told the bench that Oza had, on an earlier occasion too, tendered a similar kind of apology but betrayed it and again spoke on the issue.

Doubting the sincerity of Oza in really putting a lid on the issue raked by him, Rawal wondered if apology was a tool to get out of contempt.

Seeking to put the issue at rest, senior counsel Venugopal said: "It is a wound that is being turned again and again. This should be closed and let there be peace and harmony."

Another senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that Koshti wants to keep the pot boiling, and described him more loyal than the king.
Santa Clara (Cuba), Aug 31 : The first regularly scheduled commercial flight between the United States and Cuba since 1961 landed on Wednesday at this central city's Abel Santamaria airport at 10.57 a.m. local time (2.57 GMT).

JetBlue Flight 387 took off at 10:06 a.m. local time from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with tourists, journalists and US authorities, including Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, on board, an event broadcast live by US English and Spanish-language media.

The 220-seat Airbus A320's arrival in Cuba marks a new milestone in the diplomatic thaw between the former Cold War enemies, which in December 2014 announced the start of the process of normalising relations.

Foxx told members of the media, including EFE, on board the plane that the flight was a tangible example of the Obama administration's efforts to mend decades of animosity.

The plane landed in Santa Clara ahead of schedule despite a 20-minute delay in Fort Lauderdale and, just as occurred at take-off, was greeted with a ceremonial water cannon salute.

Foxx was the first person off the aircraft and was welcomed at the bottom of the steps by Cuba's Deputy Transportation Minister, Eduardo Rodriguez.

The US official is scheduled to board a second flight for Havana, where he will meet Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, and Transportation Minister Adel Yzquierdo.

Cuba's Ambassador to the US, Jose Ramon CabaAas, said after taking part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes amid a festive atmosphere at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport that the resumption of commercial flights between the two countries was "historic".

He recalled in his remarks to reporters that the bilateral agreement was signed just months ago -- in February -- but that all sides involved had worked efficiently to make the flights a reality, adding that they would "benefit everyone".

Mirtha Rodriguez, a Cuban woman who has settled in the United States and was one of the 150 passengers on board the flight, told EFE prior to take-off that neither she nor her family wanted to miss this historic occasion.

Like other passengers, she had travelled to Cuba on charter flights but said the commercial service was cheaper and also more convenient because of the option of making reservations online.

Wednesday's direct flight to Cuba was the first of 110 daily round-trip flights authorised in 2016 by the US Department of Transportation, which also gave American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines permission to provide service to nine cities on the Communist-ruled island.

No flights to Havana were authorised because the amount of requests exceeded the number of slots agreed by the two governments.

American citizens may travel to Cuba if their trip falls under one of the 12 US government-authorised categories, including family visits and those related to cultural, journalistic and professional activities.

But tourist visits to the Caribbean island by American citizens are still prohibited under the 54-year-old US economic embargo on the island, which only Congress can lift.
Bengaluru, Aug 31 : The day-long nationwide strike by central trade unions on Friday (September 2) is likely to hit normal life across Karnataka, as their state affiliates have decided to join them.

"Buses will not operate, banks will not open and factories will remain closed across the state on Friday, as we will also be on strike in support of the demands and express solidarity with thousands of the affected workers/employees," a state-level trade union leader told IANS on Wednesday.

With drivers, conductors and support staff of the state-run transport corporations (BMTC and KSRTC) staying away from work, intra-state and inter-state bus services will remain suspended from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"Private transport unions will also be joining the strike. We have appealed to taxi and auto associations to extend their support to the strike and not ply vehicles," said CITU leader S. Prasanna.

Supply of essential commodities, milk and water, however, will not be affected. Medical shops will remain open, as they have been exempted from the strike call.

"Commercial establishments, private firms, insurance companies and medium and small-scale units in industrial areas will also remain shut in support of the strike," AIBOC's state general secretary A. N. Krishna Murthy told IANS.

Among the demands of the trade unions are check price rise through pan-India public distribution system, enforcement of labour laws, universal social security cover for all workers, and stoppage of disinvestment in state-run enterprises and banks.

"We have also demanded lifting ceilings on payment of bonus and provident fund and increase the quantum of gratuity," Murthy added.
Lahore, Sep 1 : Members of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which looks after the upkeep of Sikh and Hindu shrines in Pakistan, on Wednesday held a meeting here and condemned the recent statement made by Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that ''going to Pakistan is like going to hell''.

The ETPB asked the Indian Minister to apologise and withdraw the statement as they feel it was an insult to them.

The meeting was held under chairmanship of Sardar Tar Singh and Siddiqul Farooq, who told the meeting that they will ask Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to pass a resolution in Punjab Assembly against the Minister's statement.

The ETPB is a key Pakistani Government Department which administers evacuee properties attached to educational, charitable or religious trusts left behind by Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India after Partition. It also maintain and upkeep places of worship belonging to Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan.
Washington, Sep 1 : Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has dismissed Donald Trump's trip to Mexico as a "photo op" that will do little to free him from a history of coarse rhetoric directed at the US ally.

In a speech at the American Legion's national convention in Cincinnati on Wednesday, the former Secretary of State said America's status as a global power could be imperiled by Republican presidential nominee Trump's intemperate behavior as she cast the fall election not as one about ideology, but about who was best suited to assume the mantle of global leadership, Los Angeles Times reported.

Clinton declared that the idea that the US is an exceptional nation has been a core belief that "has guided and inspired me every step of the way."

Trump, she said, agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he criticized that notion as insulting to the rest of the world.

"No matter how hard it gets, no matter how great the challenge, America must lead," she said. "The question is how we lead. What kind of ideas, strategies, and tactics we bring to our leadership. American leadership means standing with our allies because our network of allies is part of what makes us exceptional."

As secretary of State, Clinton said she worked every day to build coalitions that served U.S. interests and maintained global stability.

"You don't build a coalition by insulting our friends or acting like a loose cannon," she said. "People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you won't say one thing one day and something totally different the next. And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again. That is not how it works."

Clinton vowed to be a president for all Americans, and would strive to ensure the US meets its commitment to veterans and military families.

"I will never, ever disrespect Gold Star families who've made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, or prisoners of war," she said.

She also rejected Trump's statement that the US military is a "disaster" and largely defended President Obama's record in leading a coalition to defeat Islamic State (IS).

"There's no question we face real threats and real enemies that we need to confront and defeat. But my opponent is wrong when he says America is no longer great," she said.
David Burton, Of Counsel, Corporate, Scheef & Stone Dallas David is well respected in corporate law and we are very happy he has decided to join our law practice, said John Scheef, co-founding partner at Scheef & Stone. I know our clients will benefit from his experience and excellent client service.

Scheef & Stone, LLP is pleased to announce David Burton has joined the firm as Of Counsel in its Dallas Office. He practices in the areas of general corporate and securities laws matters, principally for privately held, emerging technology companies. He has broad-based corporate and securities law experience.

Scheef & Stone has an outstanding reputation as an innovative firm that forges lasting client relationships, said Burton. I am honored to be working with this outstanding group of attorneys.

Burton recently retired from Haynes & Boone but has returned to the practice of law due to client demand. He is a Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Review Rated Preeminent attorney and has been recognized by Chambers USA 2010-2011 as one of the leading practitioners in the United States for Technology: Corporate & Commercial law in Texas.

The firm also recently announced Dennis Cassell, who was one of the founders of Scheef & Stone (previously named Cassell & Stone) with co-founder Bill Stone, has also rejoined the firm in its corporate practice. Burton was also previously a partner at Cassell & Stone.

David is well respected in corporate law and we are very happy he has decided to join our law practice, said John Scheef, co-founding partner at Scheef & Stone. I know our clients will benefit from his experience and excellent client service. Burton received his J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University and his B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Scheef & Stone, LLP provides solid counsel to its valued clients by forging innovative legal solutions to build lasting relationships. From its offices in Dallas and Frisco, members of the law firm hold themselves to the highest standards, and dedicate themselves to going beyond the extra mile for their clients. These standards have led to strategic growth, bringing our attorney count to approximately 60 lawyers practicing in a full-service commercial firm with services including immigration, corporate, cybersecurity, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, tax, construction law, banking, bankruptcy, intellectual property, healthcare, litigation and employment law.
As the newest member of the MBRAUN family we look forward to providing our full technological expertise in thin film deposition and material purification. Past News Releases RSS

The MBRAUN GROUP and CreaPhys announced earlier this year the execution of a definitive merger agreement whereby the MBRAUN GROUP would acquire the shares of CreaPhys GmbH. The merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the Managing Directors of both companies and had been made official earlier in 2016.

The excellent worldwide sales and service network of the MBRAUN GROUP combined with CreaPhys deep technological knowledge and strong working relationship with todays research community will ensure best in class products designed for customers all over the world. The intimate contact to the worlds leading researchers in organic electronics will sustain and foster the strong position of the MBRAUN GROUP in this field. Mr. Jens Drechsel, The Managing Director at CreaPhys GmbH said "As the newest member of the MBRAUN family we look forward to providing our full technological expertise in thin film deposition and material purification. It allows us to benefit from MBRAUN's strong worldwide market position, and to concentrate on our strengths on behalf of our customers. We expect to generate significant synergies for both parties." Additionally, the worldwide service network of the MBRAUN GROUP will allow a professional after sales and service experience with expedited response times everywhere in the world.

The new segment SUBLIMATIONSERVICES AND EQUIPMENT will broaden the range of accessible markets, create less dependence on particular established markets and will contribute to the growth of the MBRAUN GROUP.

Dr. Martin Reinelt, The MBRAUN GROUP president and chief executive officer mentioned, The acquisition of CreaPhys accelerates MBRAUNs growth strategy in our thin film deposition technology, material purification, and vacuum sublimation business sectors. This acquisition also represents an important step as MBRAUN continues to transform its business to meet the changing needs of our customers in todays worldwide markets.

About MBRAUN

The MBRAUN GROUP is a leading manufacturer of high-end inert gas technology solutions which are sold worldwide. MBRAUN provides integrated total solutions, specifically in the field of functional layers (e.g. for organic electronic devices like OLED & OPV and thin film batteries). MBRAUN has production facilities in Germany, USA and China and operates a worldwide sales and service network. Clients and project partners include leading public and private research institutions, equipment manufacturers and industrial users.

About CreaPhys

CreaPhys GmbH is a spin-off company from the Dresden University of Technology founded in 1999. The company has in-depth expertise in thin-film deposition and purification of organic materials. CreaPhys is a technology leader in the purification of molecular organic compounds for the production of opto-electronic devices.

High purity materials are the key for numerous applications in life science, fine chemistry, pharmacy and nanotechnology. Organic electronics, in particular, requires extremely high purities for the reproducible mass production of efficient and reliable organic opto-electronic devices, such as OLEDs and organic solar cells. CreaPhys provides material purification as a service to help material producers and OEMs to enhance their material and device performance. QUANTIpure concept (high-volume-ultra-high-purity) CreaPhys offers opto-electronic grade organic materials in production scale quantities. Production lines are using technology and processes, which have been developed in-house and are based on years of experience in material purification.

CreaPhys also develops, builds and sells systems for the purification of organic materials on an R&D scale as well as for organic thin film deposition (OLEDs, solar cells, etc.).

Services:



Highly efficient high-volume-ultra-high-purity purification of organic materials of multiple kilograms per batch (volume

production of OLEDs and other organic electronic devices)



Optimizing purity of custom organic materials for R&D and/or pilot production

Customized development in thin film technology

Products:

Highly purified organic compounds, e.g. Fullerene C60

Purification systems for organic molecular compounds for R&D and production scale (for OLEDs and other organic

electronic devices, batch size up to multiple kilograms)



Custom specific HV/UHV thin film deposition systems

Vacuum evaporators for (in-) organic compounds and metals for R&D and production

Contacts

M. Braun Inertgas-Systeme GmbH

Dieselstr. 31

D-85748 Garching

Germany

Phone: +49 89 32669-0

Fax: +49 89 32669-105

Email: info(at)mbraun.de

Web: http://www.mbraun.de

or

CreaPhys GmbH

Niedersedlitzer Strae 75 A

D-01257 Dresden

Germany

Phone: +49 351 407916-20

Fax: +49 351 407916-22

E-Mail: info(at)creaphys.com

Web: http://www.creaphys.com
Silicon photonics is under intensive development around the world in a bid to enable fast optical communication in data centres and other key infrastructures of our digital society. Another goal is the production of affordable and precise sensors for a number of health, safety and security applications.

VTT, a pioneer in silicon photonics R&D, is now offering its "Thick-SOI" technology to scientists and product developers around the world. In addition to customised R&D and contract manufacturing services, VTT provides cost-sharing R&D via multi-project wafer (MPW) runs from its Micronova clean room facility in Finland. The MPW runs are based on 3-m thick silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides that provide a unique combination of extremely dense integration, low losses and polarisation-independent operation. For low-loss coupling to standard single-mode fibres, VTT also develops waveguides and spot-size converters on 12 m SOI wafers.

Having been a pioneer of photonics design automation since 1991, PhoeniX Software now has a global presence and is a trusted and well-known partner to a large number of organisations. By means of internally developed superior products and services, PhoeniX Software enables the easy and cost-effective realisation of integrated photonics chips and systems. Customers range from large OEM's to start-ups and include some of the worlds top universities and research institutes. As the leader in Photonic IC design solutions, PhoeniX Software will continue to develop the market by anticipating market demand and customer needs. In combination with their strategic partnerships, this will enable them to offer world-class design flows and access to all fabrication technologies that are relevant to their customers.

In support of scientists and product developers around the world, VTT and PhoeniX Software joined forces to develop a comprehensive PDK for the 3 m SOI platform. This was done through the ACTPHAST project, with the support of the European Union. The new design kit includes documentation and a library of design rules, example components and simulation models for the integrated optics design software developed by PhoeniX Software.

For more information, please contact:

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd

Timo Aalto

Research Team leader

tel. +358 40 848 5037, timo.aalto(at)vtt.fi

Phoenix software

Niek Nijenhuis

Global Sales & Marketing manager

niek.nijenhuis(at)phoenixbv.com

Further information on VTT:

Olli Ernvall

Senior Vice President, Communications

+358 20 722 6747

olli.ernvall(at)vtt.fi

http://www.vtt.fi

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd is the leading research and technology company in the Nordic countries. We use our research and knowledge to provide expert services for our domestic and international customers and partners, and for both private and public sectors. We use 4,000,000 hours of brainpower a year to develop new technological solutions. VTT in social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter @VTTFinland
Ana Fernandez-Parmet receiving her award at the PBJ Minority Business Leader Awards The five words that embody what motivates me are: faith, family, friends, love and compassion.

The Philadelphia Business Journal hosted the fifth-annual Minority Business Leader Awards at an evening cocktail reception on Thursday, August 25th. The event honored the Philadelphia region's top minority business leaders based on their demonstrated professional success and community over the past 12 to 18 months. This years nominees were all extremely qualified, making this years pool of winners the most competitive and difficult to select in the history of the awards.

Among the 23 honorees was Ana Fernandez-Parmet, President of Parmetech Inc. Just like her fellow winners, Ana has had to overcome obstacles on her path to success. It can be very intimidating and nerve wracking to go out on a limb as an entrepreneur/business owner. Young professionals need to learn how to sell themselves. It is crucial that they know their value proposition and know how to articulate it in a concise and compelling way in a minute or less. It is so important to be truly present in everything that you do.

Despite both professional and personal obstacles, Ana has experienced great success in her career and has truly made a mark on the Greater Philadelphia business community. This success has been recognized in her professional achievements and community impact and leadership, as well as awards  in 2015 Ana was recognized as a Smart CEO Future 50 Award winner and in 2016 she was recognized as one of Enterprising Magazines Enterprising Women of the Year.

Nominated for the PBJ MBL Awards by Valerie Cofield, President and CEO of Eastern MSDC, Valerie recognizes Anas willingness to help others succeed. She is constantly making herself available to women who she meets, encouraging them to meet with her especially when they are considering getting their business certified. She loves to connect business men and women to other business women.

When asked what advice she would give to young people just entering the workforce, Ana shared that she believes it is very important to send handwritten notes to people whom you meet and who are willing to spend their time to help you on our journey. Gratitude and appreciation should be expressed on a regular basis!

Congratulations to Ana and all of the 2016 Philadelphia Business Journal Minority Business Leader Awards Honorees!

About Parmetech

Parmetech is a WBE/NMSDC and XPPS/MPS Certified full service consulting firm focused around providing business technology solutions and designing work-flow improvements for their clients. Parmetechs key value proposition is their ability to accurately assess and understand a clients environment and priorities before recommending solutions that are right-sized and optimized for their current and future document management and technology life cycle needs. Parmetech received the 2014 Xerox Oustanding Managed Print Service (MPS) Execution and Performance and 2015 XAD Partner of the Year awards. Offices are located in Havertown, PA and Philadelphia, PA. For more information, please visit http://www.parmetech.com
Ellp Logo Staying true to our core values, we want to present a product that simplifies people's lives by paving the way for a better device experience. Ellp is the one tool you need to ensure that your device is automatically handling routine and critical tasks.

Contact: Kristina Grech

Organization: Ellp

Phone Number: (+356) 79205362

Email: pr(at)ellp(dot)com

Website: http://www.ellp.com

A bunch of tech enthusiasts based on the sunny island of Malta are creating a new and effortless way to simplify users device experience forever. With all lifes complexities, the Ellp team went back to basics and came up with an easy-to-use tool that empowers busy people to set their own rules and easily automate a vast number of day-to-day device tasks, for free.

Inspired by the If-this-then-that concept applied to connect apps, Ellp uses simple logic to automate tasks that are specifically carried out on peoples devices - simplifying technology for everyone. What if users could automatically save their tagged Facebook photos to a preferred folder? How about getting notified when downloading the same file multiple times, taking up precious space? Or better still, what if YouTube opens up each time a user plugs in their headphones? With Ellp the possibilities are endless.

How does it work? Ellp automates activities based on a series of triggers and actions around internet, social media, online protection, storage space, multimedia, performance and more.

The automation process is simple:

1. The user selects the tasks they want to automate

2. Edits according to their liking

3. Starts enjoying a smoother device experience

Ellp is intended to make automation available and accessible to everyone. Whether tech savvy or a casual user - Ellp suits all. Staying true to our core values, we want to present a product that simplifies people's lives by paving the way for a better device experience. Ellp is the one tool you need to ensure that your device is automatically handling routine and critical tasks around one's online activities, social media, photos, device performance, and much more. - Gilbert Camilleri CEO of Ellp.

Good News: Ellp is collecting email addresses for those that would like early access to the Beta Version to be released in mid-October. By simply sharing Ellp with their friends, the user will also be able to unlock a cool bonus feature! Ramping up their position as they share with friends. The top 10 referrers will join the VIP team, earning access to other gifts! The product will first be available on Windows with the aim to launch Ellp on Android and iOS / Mac in 2017.

Sign-up now: http://www.ellp.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllpMe

Press link: http://www.ellp.com/press/
We offer credentialed legal help right here in central Pennsylvania competitive with that available from more urban firms. In fact, our enhanced website is a reflection of our small town values and big city results.

Distinguished central PA law firm Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Waters & Dohrmann, Attorneys at Law, is pleased to unveil a new and improved website to better serve the legal needs of individuals and businesses from communities around the state.

With striking new graphics offset by images of the attorneys at work, the updated website has had its numerous offerings expertly streamlined. There are now dozens of pages of content relating to the firms many areas, including medical malpractice, car and truck accidents, insurance disputes, products liability, workers compensation, employment law, Marcellus shale gas rights, and criminal defense. Also featured is a media library resource center full of information that is easy for the average person to access and understand.

Partner Cliff Rieders remarks, Our firm has been a part of Williamsport since it was first formed in the 1800s, and we are excited to connect with the community through this refreshed online presence. Many people are unsure of what to do or where to turn after being hurt. To that end, we have a plethora of solid information on our site that can answer some basic questions, educate on a variety of topics, and guide potential clients in the right direction. We offer credentialed legal help right here in central Pennsylvania competitive with that available from more urban firms. In fact, our enhanced website is a reflection of our small town values and big city results.

In addition to a continually updated legal blog that discusses current events, the site contains a useful collection of writings and reports, including PowerPoint presentations, press releases, op-ed articles, and radio shows. Summaries about the books written by Attorney Cliff Rieders  along with links to purchase  are found under the Online Resources and Articles tab. These include Bad Faith in Pennsylvania, Financial Responsibility Law Issues in Pennsylvania, Workers Rights in Pennsylvania, Attorneys Fees; Statutes and Laws in Pennsylvania, Legal Malpractice Claims in Pennsylvania, and Outline of Law & Rules Pertaining to Settlement of Death Actions.

An integral part of the firms legal team, Cliff is a well-known teacher, media authority, speaker, and writer who testifies frequently and who has helped write Pennsylvania legislation. His bio, as well as those of the seven other lawyers that currently comprise the firm, can be found in a prominent section of the new site.

About Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Waters & Dohrmann, Attorneys at Law

Among the leading law firms in central Pennsylvania, Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Waters & Dohrmann, Attorneys at Law, provides quality representation across a range of legal practice areas to individuals, families, and businesses. Most of the firms lawyers have been practicing for more than 15 years, with some offering over 35 years of experience. Learn more about your rights and options under the law by contacting them today at 1-800-326-9259 for a confidential consultation.
Lanham Associates, a Microsoft Gold Certified ERP ISV (Independent Software Vendor), has been named to the 2016 Presidents Club for Microsoft Dynamics. This achievement is a direct result of Lanham Associates outstanding dedication to customer satisfaction through the delivery of innovative business solutions.

Presidents Club honors high-performing partners for their commitment to customers, which is reflected in their business success and growth. This prestigious group represents the top 5 percent of Microsoft Dynamics partners worldwide. Membership is granted based on their continual, committed efforts aimed at offering solutions that meet the needs of their customers.

Were honored to be named to the 2016 Presidents Club for Microsoft Dynamics. Delivering quality supply chain solutions and cultivating satisfied customers have always been priorities for us, said Lanham Associates COO Mary Lanham.

This recognition of Presidents Club for Microsoft Dynamics came during Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2016, the annual premier partner event, which took place July 10-14 in Toronto, Ontario. WPC provides the Microsoft partner community with the opportunity to learn about the companys road map for the upcoming year, establish connections, share best practices, experience the latest product innovations and learn new skills.

Each year we recognize and honor Microsoft Dynamics partners from around the world for exemplary performance, said Frank Holland, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Business Solutions Sales & Partners. The award-winning partners clearly demonstrate their dedication to their customers business success through their exceptional commitment and expertise. Microsoft is honored to recognize Lanham Associates for their achievements this past year and for their dedication and support of Microsoft Dynamics applications.

Lanham Associates specializes in supply chain solutions built directly inside Microsoft Dynamics NAV. With 2200+ companies and more than 110,000 users worldwide depending on its supply chain solutions and services, Lanham prides itself in creating and implementing quality software that improves customers business processes by streamlining operations, cutting costs and increasing overall productivity.

About Lanham Associates

Experts in NAV and distribution since 1997, Lanham Associates creates best-of-breed supply chain solutions which provide business value to middle market distributors. Lanhams supply chain solutions are all built directly inside Microsoft Dynamics NAV software, which allows customers to manage their supply chains with seamless simplicity by keeping all of their data right at their fingertips in their own business systems. There are no tedious customizations or integrations with external sources, and no new user interfaces to learn. Lanham holds the distinguished "CfMD (Certified for Microsoft Dynamics) product certification on all of its Supply Chain solutions. Visit http://www.lanhamassoc.com for more information.

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Yooz Logo We are confident that Yooz will have paid for itself before the end of the year.

Yooz, the cloud service that lets businesses streamline their entire accounts payable (AP) workflow end-to-end, today announced that online publisher Evolve Media LLC, has chosen its AP automation platform to make its global accounting more efficient, accurate and cost-effective.

Evolve has rolled out Yooz company-wide to streamline AP operations across 22 offices in the U.S. and six other countries around the world. The move to the cloud lets the Los Angeles-based company triple its document workload by cutting down on manually handling, processing and approving up to 2,500 invoices a month.

We knew from the start that Yooz was the AP automation service we had been looking for to reliably manage our fast growth around the world. Their OCR technology is the best and fastest weve seen, their interface is intuitive and easy to customize for our specific needs. Whats more, they are an international company like us and understand how to handle invoices in multiple currencies and different tax regimes, said Laura Fiorino, Accounting Manager at Evolve.

The online publisher manages more than 40 enthusiast lifestyle sites on topics ranging from mixed martial arts and gaming to beauty, fashion, parenting and pets. More than 150 editors and writers produce multimedia content for a global audience of more than 78 million people each month, enabling brands to connect with and passionate consumers.

We are confident that Yooz will have paid for itself before the end of the year, added Accounting Manager Fiorino.

Yooz does away with manual document entry and potential errors because it employs OCR to automatically assign invoices the correct GL code, yielding almost instant gains in efficiency and visibility. It seamlessly connects with Evolves ERP system by GP Dynamics to speed up processing, approval and payment of invoices, minimizing cycle times and late fees. Once captured, invoices can easily be located and reviewed with a simple keyword search, making reviews and audits a snap.

We are proud that Evolve has chosen Yooz to streamline its financial workflow. Since Yooz doesnt require any upfront investment in new hardware or software, its simply the most cost-effective and efficient way to scale your business without adding new manpower. It adds financial intelligence to every enterprise, said Laurent Charpentier, Chief Innovation Officer of Yooz North America.

About Yooz:

Yooz brings intelligence to AP automation. It is designed and built for the era of cloud computing, empowering SMEs to streamline their financial workflow in order to save time and money. Yooz was initially developed and launched by ITESOFT (PARIS: ITE), a European company that has for more than 30 years been a leader in intelligent document capture and process automation. Yooz is now an independent company within ITESOFT-Yooz Group and has more than 1,500 customers. For more information, visit http://www.justyoozit.com and follow us @justyoozit.

About Evolve:

Evolve Media, based in Los Angeles, is a publisher of enthusiast destinations for influential men and women, including mixed martial arts, movies, gaming, beauty, parenting, pets, and more. Leveraging proprietary advertising and publishing technologies, as well as hundreds of content professionals, Evolve Media offers premium and engaging content to its readers, while offering marketers the tools needed to execute custom, content-led marketing solutions that reach its audience of over 78 million people globally each month. More information can be found at http://www.evolvemediallc.com.

Media inquiries:

Andrea Heuer

Heuer Media for Yooz

andrea(at)heuermedia(dot)com

(917) 886-5113

@andiepear
When Gianni Chiloiro and Angelo Sannino opened Doppio Zero on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View more than two years ago, their goal was to offer a fun and authentic Southern Italian dining experience. Given the popularity, outstanding reviews and subsequent awards garnered in such a short time, the co-owners proved to be more than successful in achieving this goal. Now, these longtime restaurateurs are bringing this much anticipated combination to Cupertino with their second Doppio Zero location in Silicon Valley which is scheduled to open by the end of this month.

We wanted our customers to have an authentic Southern Italian dining experience where the quality of food is equaled only by excellence in hospitality, said Chiloiro. The reception by our patrons to this concept in Mountain View has been so enthusiastic we decided it was time to provide this same experience in Cupertino. Many customers living in south Silicon Valley, who have made our original Doppio Zero a favorite destination dining spot, will now be more conveniently served.

Doppio Zero refers to the type of double zero flour imported from Naples, which is the lightest and finest flour available. In fact, a great majority of the ingredients used at the restaurant represent Italys best produce including San Marzano tomatoes, which are the main stay of the restaurants flavorful tomato sauces. Other fresh ingredients are sourced locally based on seasonality and can be found in salads, soups, seafood and vegetables. Many pastas are house made with the special flour and often accompany the finest meats, seafood and chicken.

Most of the equipment is imported from Italy. The wood-burning oven was custom made for the restaurant in Naples and bakes pizza in 70 seconds at 900 degrees. Another ingenious Italian import is a very special dough mixer, which gently massages pizza dough to produce a light, delicious crust. The majority of everything served at Doppio Zero is made in house, including mozzarella and burrata cheeses, by master chefs with years in the culinary profession.

We have a number of staff who, like Gianni and me, are from Southern Italy, said Sannino. We were raised on this type of cuisine and grew up knowing how to create the nuances so important to the authenticity we strive to provide. Bottom line, we want our customers to feel like they have been transported to the warmth of a Southern Italian nonnas table and experience the extreme care given to their meals preparation.

Chiloiro and Sannino believe Doppio Zero is the first authentic Southern Italian restaurant in Cupertino. The interior of the new restaurant provides a homey, casual environment and seats 85-90 diners along with 10 seats at the cocktail bar. It can also accommodate dinner parties of 20-30. Patio dining for 40 is available in front.

Located at 10088 N. Wolfe Rd, less than a quarter of a mile from HWY 280, the restaurant is on the bottom floor of a mixed-use building with 416 apartments located in floors above where residents may take advantage of the restaurants special room service. In addition to offering corporate catering, a delivery service is available for a nominal fee. Hours of operation can be found on http://www.dzpizzeria.com or by visiting the restaurants Facebook page.

About Doppio Zero

Gianni Chiloiro and Angelo Sannino opened Doppio Zero in Mountain View, Calif. in early 2014 to provide diners with comfort, conversation, and the best Neapolitan pizza and Southern Italian cuisine Mountain View has to offer. It has received Excellence Awards from TripAdvisor and Open Table. A second location in Cupertino, Calif. is scheduled to open in third quarter 2016. With more than 20 years of restaurant and food industry expertise, the pair hired a master pizza chef who made the best pizza in Naples for twenty years before enticing him to come to California. Angelo oversees the menu and the kitchen, bringing recipes straight from his mothers kitchen to your table. Gianni is a certified member of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, and the 900-degree brick oven is as authentic as any place youll find pizzas cooking in the old country. For further information, visit http://www.dzpizzeria.com.

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We know where our labor and productivity stand at all times now and that was a game changer for us. We are grateful to be recognized for our innovation with the Vision Award, said Tim Thornton of Phoenix Petroleum Ltd.

AboutTime Technologies, a 13-year veteran of on-premise mobile resource management, today announces the three prestigious awards it earned for its softwares impact on the construction industry. Constructech Magazine recently honored the leading companies in construction, along with their technology providers, at the 2016 Constructech Vision Awards. AboutTime Technologies earned a gold award alongside Rosendin Electric in the Specialty Trade: Electrical Work category; a gold award alongside Phoenix Petroleum Ltd. in the Petroleum category; and a gold award alongside Eastern Shipbuilding Group in the Shipbuilding category. The company was one of the only technology providers to receive three gold-level accolades from the awards program.

We know where our labor and productivity stand at all times now and that was a game changer for us. We are grateful to be recognized for our innovation with the Vision Award, said Tim Thornton of Phoenix Petroleum Ltd.

These companies innovated their business by using AboutTime Enterprise Suite to solve their operational challenges and resulted in significant cost savings and efficiencies. These results are what fueled the recent Vision Award wins. As an example, Phoenix Petroleum Ltd. saw a 20 percent reduction in overall field labor costs and a 75% reduction in payroll processing time with AboutTime Enterprise Suite. Another one of the gold Vision Award winners, Eastern Shipbuilding Group, reduced $500,000 in labor costs and over $40,000 in payroll labor hours. In addition to financial results, both companies improved their existing customer relationships by providing real-time progress updates with AboutTime Enterprise Suite.

We were elated to be honored with three gold Vision Awards, said David Moyer, president of AboutTime Technologies. Weve worked very hard to create technology solutions that help our customers reclaim their time and increase their bottom line. Receiving these awards alongside our valued customers tells us that we are accomplishing our mission and driving continued innovation no matter what construction specialty or accounting system they use.

To learn how these Vision Award winners achieved such remarkable results, please read their full length case studies by visiting http://www.abouttimetech.com/2016-vision-award-case-studies. To find out more about the Constructech Vision Awards, please visit http://www.constructech.com.

About AboutTime Technologies

AboutTime Technologies has been a leader in on premise mobile resource management with AboutTime Enterprise Suite to optimize labor, assets, and forms for the last 13 years. In addition to the on premise suite offering, AboutTime Technologies now offers WorkMax, an entirely new cloud-based platform available as a suite or as individual solutions for resource management. The WorkMax individual solutions include FORMS, TIME, ASSETS, SERVICE and INSIGHT. WorkMaxs modern cloud-based resource management provides instant, accurate answers by connecting teams for labor, assets, forms, service scheduling and dispatch with real-time business intelligence for any size business in any industry. For more information about AboutTime Enterprise Suite or WorkMax, visit http://www.AboutTimeTech.com or http://www.WorkMax.com.
eDevice is an amazing company and together, we will make a difference in the healthcare world. - Mr. Liu, CEO iHealth

The Connected Care space is developing rapidly and will continue to do so for a number of years. Connected Care allows individuals and caregivers to identify health problems before they become dangerous for the individual, reduce the cost to the healthcare system, and a burden on his or her employer. Connected Care can empower patients, improve their compliance, allow to correct a care plan, adapt a medication, inform caregivers, reduce hospital readmissions, and allow patients and their families to live a better life.

eDevice with headquarters in Bordeaux France, is recognized as a leader in the Connected Care market and has been relied upon for fifteen years by market leaders to provide solutions that securely transmit medical data between their patients and their systems, with hundreds of thousands of patients currently connected using eDevice technology and solutions. With an impressive track record of 10 consecutive years of high revenue and profits growth, and the most prestigious references in the healthcare world, eDevice is the European success story of the Connected Care.

iHealth with headquarters in Mountain View California, was the first brand to release an iOS connected blood pressure monitor and became a leader in its space by proposing a full healthcare and wellbeing product range in the consumer Connected Healthcare market. Its products, that have received rewards from Red Dot design, iF design, and CES innovation, and are distributed worldwide through reputable retail channels, empower people to manage their health and wellbeing and support monitoring along the continuum of care.

Due to the aging population, the increasing burden of healthcare costs and the development of chronic diseases, the mHealth Solutions Market including Connected Devices (Blood Pressure Monitor, Glucose Meter, Pulse Oximeter) Apps (Weight Loss, Womens Health, Personal Health Record, & Medication) and Services (Remote Monitoring, Consultation, Prevention) is expected to witness exponential growth in the coming years. According to Markets&Markets, this market is poised to reach USD 59.15 Billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 33.4% until 2020.

Together, iHealth, eDevice and Andon Group are present in all the segments of the market.

Stephane Schinazi, co-founder of eDevice declares We have built a fantastic toolset able to answer to the requirements of the most demanding healthcare companies regarding quality, regulatory, and scalability. Whilst our client base is mostly in the US, we see the opportunity to address global markets with more geographic presence and more resources. Marc Berrebi, the other co-founder adds, We are on a fragmented market. While a number of protagonists are still trying to figure out what they could do to enter the space, eDevice and iHealth have an established position in the B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) markets. It is not a coincidence that iHealth and eDevice are both in the Global Digital Health 100 of the Journal of mHealth. We will form a fantastic group of companies with a global presence and the opportunity to take the leadership of the booming Connected Care market.

Mr. Liu, Founder of iHealth and Chairman of Andon Group says,eDevice is an amazing company and together, we will make a difference in the healthcare world. The Andon Group (through iHealth) already has a strong presence in Europe, in the US and in China. We are now in a position to take the market leadership globally. Marc and Stephane will continue to lead eDevice, together with the current eDevice management team, and will have a strategic advisory position in the Andon Group.

About eDevice

Founded in 2000 in Bordeaux France, eDevice pioneered the telehealth connectivity space providing communication solutions consisting of bespoke hardware, software, and network services, to securely and safely transfer patient data, with hundreds of thousands of patients of large Medtech companies and healthcare organizations currently connected, and more than 3 million products embedding eDevices technology in the field to date.

Dedicated to quality, eDevice is ISO-9001 and ISO-13485 certified for design, production, marketing of modems and communicating equipment, and provision of global network telecommunication and data transmission services.

eDevice is an active contributor for the standardization of the industry. Through partnership with technology leaders, the company brings innovative connectivity solutions to medical device manufacturers. eDevices team of experts enables the company to continue steady and profitable growth.

During the last few months, eDevice has won the Grand Prix des Entreprises de croissance of the Leaders League as a recognition of its 100%+ annual growth over the last couple of years, has been declared Champion de lExportation by the business magazine lExpansion as an acknowledgement of its 99.8% record export rate, and has been identified as one of the most profitable French SMEs by the magazine Manageo. With growth, exports all over the world and profitability, eDevice will continue to expand its model in the US but also in Europe and Asia.

About iHealth

iHealth, founded in 2010, from Mountain View California, and with offices in France and China, is dedicated to helping people lead healthier lives.Its goal is to make it as easy as possible for individuals of all ages to take a more active role in managing their health. It does this by designing and manufacturing innovative, consumer-friendly, mobile personal healthcare products that connect to the cloud. Its products are easy-to-use, making it simple for consumers to accurately measure, track and share a full range of health vitals. By automatically connecting the data through the cloud, consumers are able to see a more comprehensive view of their vitals and easily share information with healthcare professionals or loved ones. Its award-winning line of products include blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, body analysis scales, pulse oximeters and activity and sleep trackers. All of its products sync directly with a free mobile app that makes monitoring, viewing, storing and sharing of health vitals simple and comprehensive.

About Andon Group

Andon Group, founded in 1995 and publicly traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange has its headquarters in Tianjin, China. Andon designs and manufactures products for its OEM and ODM customers that make it simple to measure, manage and share health information.

Andons production and development team is 100% focused on delivering OEM and ODM solutions for some of the largest brands in the world. Its factory in Tianjin employs 1500 workers with 120 dedicated R&D engineers that are focused on nding new and innovative solutions.

Andons factories are certified according to the stringent ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and CMDCAS quality management systems and its blood pressure monitors are validated against the exacting standards of the BHS (British Hypertension Society), the ESH (European Society of Hypertension) and are approved for sale in the EU and by the FDA.

Advisors

The transaction is assisted by several professional teams of financial and legal advisors.

On the Andon side, legal counsels, Mr. Philippe Reybaud and Mr. Wyssam Mansour from CGR Legal, Mr. Chen Fu An, Mrs. Lou Jia Li from King & Wood Mallesons, Mr. Dai Ming Chuan and Mr. Dong Qi from Essence Securities and Accounting auditors from DAHUA-CPA

On the eDevice side Mr. Ariel Harroch and Mrs. Judith Raoul-Bardy from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Mr. Eric Hamou, Mr. Francois Prioux, Mr. Vincent Beguin and Mrs. Sarah Masson from DC Advisory, and Ernst & Young.

Forward Looking Statements

This document contains forward looking statements related to the transaction and business combination between Andon and eDevice, including statements regarding the benefits of the transaction as well as statements regarding the companies products and markets. Forward looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including the following: expected synergies and other financial benefits of the transaction may not be realized; integration of the acquisition post-closing may not occur as anticipated; litigation related to the transaction or limitations or restrictions imposed by regulatory authorities may delay or negatively impact the transaction; unanticipated restructuring costs may be incurred or undisclosed liabilities assumed; attempts to retain key personnel and customers may not succeed; the business combination or the combined companys products may not be supported by third parties; actions by competitors may negatively impact results; and, there may be negative changes in general economic conditions in the regions or the industries in which Andon and eDevice operate. In addition, please refer to the documents that Andon filed with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements set forth in this document. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Andon and eDevice assume no obligation and do not intend to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Inside Accounting Top 200 Im pleased that our firm has enjoyed steady growth, and Im grateful to our outstanding staff whose hard work and dedication has led to our inclusion on the IPA 200 list, remarked Dave Doran, Managing Partner.

National magazine INSIDE Public Accounting (IPA) has named White Nelson Diehl Evans LLP (WNDE) #145 on its IPA 200 list of the countrys top accounting firms. The IPA 200 survey is highly regarded as one of the most thorough, complete and accurate sets of rankings and trends in the public accounting profession. This is the third straight year that WNDE has been mentioned on this list.

Im pleased that our firm has enjoyed steady growth, and Im grateful to our outstanding staff whose hard work and dedication has led to our inclusion on the IPA 200 list, remarked Dave Doran, Managing Partner. We will continue our efforts to provide the wide range of services and expertise our clients require, as well as look for new and better ways to serve our clients.

INSIDE Public Accounting is a publication owned by The Platt Group in Indianapolis, and assists accounting firms nationwide in growing their businesses. Mike Platt, principal of The Platt Group, notes that competition between accounting firms has grown significantly in recent years, necessitating that successful firms constantly reassess what services they offer to best serve their clients.

He added, Successful firms need to continually demonstrate to clients that they are offering valued services, and not merely a competitive price. He continued, Accounting firms traditional services of tax and audit dont have the highest value in the eyes of their clients. Instead they are asking, How can I grow my business? How can I set myself apart?

Firms continue to find ways to serve the increasingly complex needs of their clients, and provide meaningful career opportunities for their employees. "Inclusion on the IPA 200 list is an indication that WNDE is headed in the right direction professionally," he added, and is developing the services it needs to be successful in the marketplace.

New WNDE Website

One recent effort to help WNDE be successful in the marketplace was the launch of its new and improved website (http://www.wndecpa.com). The new website is an important component in WNDEs effort to demonstrate leadership in the digital space among accounting, audit and tax advisory firms.

Im excited about the launch of our new website, said Scott Jones, Director of Practice Development. As we continuously focus on adding relevant and engaging content, we believe that the site will become a valuable resource to our clients, and be a big asset to the firm.

Key factors among the improvements include:



Responsive design that assures all content adjusts to the users individual device, be it a desktop, tablet or smart phone, and scales information so that it displays correctly, and provides an optimal viewing experience.

The new site has a clean, modern design which improves visitors experience so that they can easily navigate through the site and find the information they need. Additionally, it has included unique images of WNDEs offices and team, in order to provide a more personal and realistic representation of the firm.

WNDEs partners and professional staff have a wealth of experience and expertise that will be shared via the website and the addition of a long-term content library where WNDE will offer high quality content via blogs, eNewsletters, eBooks, guides and white papers.

Individual pages that are simpler, yet detailed and unique which better explain WNDEs capabilities in each service area and across each unique industry that it serves.

WNDE partnered with Digital EYE Media, an industry-leading digital marketing agency, to create an innovative new website focused on creating a positive user experience for viewers. According to Scott Jones, We plan to implement an ongoing campaign to provide informative content that benefits our clients, attracts prospects and top talent to our firm, and assists WNDE in our practice development efforts.

White Nelson Diehl Evans LLP represents over 2,000 business and 2,500 individual clients. The firm provides a full range of accounting, tax and consulting services, including services for governmental and non-profit agencies. With 130 staff members, it is one of the largest accounting firms headquartered in Orange County. Address: 2875 Michelle Drive, Suite 300, Irvine, CA 92606. Phone: (714) 978-1300. Website: http://www.wndecpa.com.
At a time when our nation is facing a drug epidemic and drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, American Addiction Centers is on a mission to spread a message of hope for those suffering with the disease of addiction. Every week on its new podcast, Far From Finished, someone in recovery shares their story of triumph.

Josh Zeises was among the first to share his story. As the National Alumni Manager for American Addiction Centers, he knows first-hand the power of a testimony. From revealing the details of the suicide letter he wrote moments before taking a potentially lethal dose of heroin, to sharing the joy he has found through recovery and starting a family, nothing was off limits in his episode.

I share my story because it is the greatest asset I have, said Josh. My story allows me to connect with those still struggling and shines light on the negative stigmas surrounding addiction. It also gives them a chance to receive a message of hope just like I did, and start the path to a new life.

So far, there are 12 episodes available on Far From Finished with a new one added every Monday. In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31 and the start of National Recovery Month September 1, American Addiction Centers is encouraging the public to share the podcast with their loved ones.

Hope is sometimes the only thing that we have, said Alumni Coordinator Nicole Vasquez who is four and half years sober. Her episode is scheduled for release in September. I never know who needs to hear that someone just like me can find a solution. Thats why this podcast is so important.

To learn more about the podcast or to share a story, visit http://www.FarFromFinished.us. The podcast is also available on iTunes. For other news and updates during National Recovery Month, follow the hashtag #aacrecovery30

About American Addiction Centers

American Addiction Centers is a leading provider of inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment services. We treat clients who are struggling with drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and co-occurring mental/behavioral health issues. We currently operate substance abuse treatment facilities located throughout the United States. These facilities are focused on delivering effective clinical care and treatment solutions. For more information, please find us at AmericanAddictionCenters.org or follow us on Twitter @AAC_Tweet.
Were thrilled to have raised the largest seed round for a SoCal cultivator

CANNDESCENT, a California cultivator of premium cannabis flower, closed a $6.5 million seed round led by Texas investor, Lee McPherson, and CANNDESCENT CEO Adrian Sedlin. The seed round represents the largest on record for a Southern California cannabis cultivator.

CANNDESCENT is leading the cannabis 2.0 charge in California with a combination of world-class management and deep cultivation expertise. The company has created an ultra-premium brand of cannabis flower produced, packaged and distributed in accordance with all state and local laws. Next month, the company will christen a facility is Desert Hot Springs, CA, the first facility in all of Southern California to operate with a municipally issued conditional use permit specifically for cultivation. Proceeds from the seed round will be used for working capital, marketing, and additional property, plant and equipment.

Were thrilled to have raised the largest seed round for a SoCal cultivator, said CEO Sedlin, who earned his MBA from Harvard and has built and sold four other businesses. It validates the milestones weve already achieved, our consumer value proposition, and the team weve assembled. Were grateful for the opportunity to help our consumers, shareholders and employees be their best self and become CANNDESCENT.

Leading the round of 30-plus investors, Texas-based Lee McPherson said, At this moment in history, cannabis is an execution play requiring a blend of six sigma operations and state-of-the-art marketing. CANNDESCENT was the first company of the 50-plus I reviewed that possessed the vision, passion, expertise and focus to build something extraordinary. Also participating in the round, Adam Cohen, CEO of MJardin, the largest management company in the cannabis industry, said, Im responsible for over 500,000-square-feet of production and recognize exquisite flower when I see it. CANNDESCENT sets the bar for ultra-premium flower.

About CANNDESCENT

CANNDESCENTs mission is to help people achieve their best self. It cultivates cannabis flowers that average 22%-33% THC content in fully licensed, indoor facilities. CANNDESCENTs branded flowers pair exceptional product quality and state-of-the art cannabis science with informative product names that help consumers navigate to their desired outcome. Consumers purchase CANNDESCENTs products through California dispensaries and delivery services that value CANNDESCENTs professional management, reliability, marketing, and product quality. To learn more contact visit http://www.canndescent.com
A visual showing the new bedroom at the hospice It is hard to find the words to describe the wonderful work the team at the hospice do on a daily basis. We are proud and humbled to help in some small way.

The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice provides compassionate care for patients with a progressive, life-limiting illness and support for those who care for them. As a registered charity the hospice raises funds to provide free care.

Since the 1980s, the hospice has been located next to the River Clyde in Glasgow city centre, however the building in Carlton Place no longer meets the requirements of a modern hospice and the needs of patients and their families.

The new home for Glasgows Hospice will bring 21st-century palliative care to the city, providing support to patients and families at the most difficult time in their lives. The new surroundings will also mean the hospice can care for young people from 15 years of age.

The hospice still needs to raise 2.8m to reach its 21m target and hopes to do this with the help of its Brick by Brick Appeal, which is being supported by Lookers. The appeal will see those donating to the charity entered into a prize draw to win a fantastic Dacia Sandero 1.2, with a list price of 7,290, courtesy of the national motor retailer.

We are delighted to have come this far we couldnt have done it without the incredible support of the people of Glasgow, said hospice CEO Rhona Baillie.

We still have to raise 2.8m and thats why we are asking everyone to stick with us and find the money to build our new home.

When we move we will be able to offer the privacy, choice and compassionate care that everyone with a life-limiting illness should have.

I am delighted that Lookers are helping us once again to raise these much needed funds.

Every year the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice cares for more than 1,200 patients and families, providing comfort and peace of mind.

It is only because of the generosity of supporters that the hospice keeps its doors open, with fundraising of 3.1m every year to offer a gold standard of care.

Andy Bruce, CEO at Lookers, commented, It is hard to find the words to describe the wonderful work the team at the hospice do on a daily basis. We are proud and humbled to help the charity in some small way.

CONTACTS:

For more information, imagery or interview requests, please contact:

The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice

Angela McManus

angela.mcmanus(at)ppwh.org.uk

Tel: 0141 429 9812 / 07803 970312

Lookers

Ian Dinning

ian.dinning(at)benfieldmotorgroup.com

07917803970

NOTES TO EDITOR:



Andy Bruce, Lookers CEO, won CEO of the Year at the prestigious Motor Trader of the Year 2016

Lookers won Dealer Group of the Year Award at Motor Trader of the Year 2016, this followed the 2015 win by Benfield Motor Group that won in 2015

Lookers is the new name of Benfield Motor Group

Lookers group annual turnover in 2015 was 3.6bn

Lookers sold almost 200,000 new and used cars and vans

The motor division consists of 166 franchised dealerships

31 marques are represented and support by Lookers

Lookers employ almost 8,500 people across the group

Lookers Executive Directors include Andy Bruce (Chief Executive), Robin Gregson (Finance Director), Nigel McMinn (Managing Director  Motor Division) and Neil Davis (Managing Director  Parts Division)

The combined turnover of the Motor Trader Top 200 was 56.4bn, an increase of 4bn over the previous year.

INTERIM RESULTS H1 2016, ENDED 30 JUNE 2016:



Full results are available at http://www.lookersplc.com/investors

Revenue increased 33% to 2.34 billion (2015: 1.75 billion\)

Profit before tax increased by 17% to 46.7 million (2015: 39.9 million)

Earnings per share up 17% at 9.44p (2015: 8.08p)

Increase in interim dividend of 20% to 1.28p per share (2015: 1.07p)

Net debt significantly reduced to 74.9 million (31 December 2015: 161.7 million)

OPERATION AND POST-PERIOD END


My position at FirstService Residential has given me the opportunity to work with some of the best and brightest professionals in the community association management industry. Serving on this distinguished panel is simply an extension of that.

Lourdes Pineda-Garcia, Senior Vice President of Financial Services for FirstService Residential, has been selected to participate in the South Florida Business Journals CFO Roundtable on Thursday, September 8th in Fort Lauderdale.

Pineda-Garcia will join her fellow chief financial officers from an assortment of industries in South Florida. With a focus on Best In Class, the panel is expected to discuss what techniques they utilize to ensure that their companies remain leaders in their respective industries  from attracting top candidates to outsourcing services and streamlining product lines.

Pineda-Garcia joined FirstService Residential, North Americas largest residential property management company, in 2013, bringing with her nearly 20 years of industry-related experience. In her role as Senior Vice President, she is responsible for the oversight of the companys financial services, including client and corporate accounting services. A Certified Public Accountant, Pineda-Garcia held several leadership positions in accounting prior to joining FirstService Residential.

My position at FirstService Residential has given me the opportunity to work with some of the best and brightest professionals in the community association management industry. Serving on this distinguished panel is simply an extension of that, said Pineda-Garcia. It is an honor to sit alongside my peers and not only share what I have learned after 20+ years in the business, but also to learn from them.

This is Pineda-Garcias second time on the panel for the CFO Roundtable. She also participated in December 2015. In 2016, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential Business Women by the South Florida Business Journal.

About FirstService Residential

FirstService Residential is North America's largest manager of residential communities and the preferred partner of HOAs, community associations and strata corporations in the U.S. and Canada. FirstService Residential's managed communities include low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives, single-family homes, master-planned, lifestyle and active adult communities, and rental and commercial properties.

With an unmatched combination of deep industry experience, local market expertise and personalized attention, FirstService Residential delivers proven solutions and exceptional service that add value, enhance lifestyles and make a difference, every day, for every resident and community it manages. FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a North American leader in the property services sector. For more information, visit http://www.fsresidential.com
We are expecting more deal activity in the security, Software-as-a-Service, fintech and IoT space in the next 12 months.

M&A activity in the European cloud, hosting and managed infrastructure space is accelerating with a number of deals currently in the works across the continent, as reported TMT Finance. While companies including Host Europe Group (HEG) and Data4 are looking for new owners or investors, several datacentre, cloud and hosting deals have recently been announced and a number of smaller ones currently taking place. These will be key topics on the agenda of the TMT Finance Europe 2016 Conference, which is taking place in Munich on October 18.

Following the current abundance of deal activity in the hosting and datacentre space, the next wave of tech M&A is expected in the Software-as-a-Service, cyber security and Internet of Things/M2M sectors, as digital business transformation across industries continues to drive further deal activity.

Across industry sectors companies are looking for ways to disrupt traditional business models, one banker said. It is easier for companies to add niche capabilities through M&A than to keep abreast with new technologies rather than trying to create an offering from scratch. We are expecting more deal activity in the security, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), fintech and IoT space in the next 12 months.

In recent months, TMT Finance has exclusively reported on numerous M&A situations in the abovementioned sectors, including those of Pan-European connected car solutions provider NNG, fintech companies Itiviti, Nets and Keylane, as well as SaaS companies Transporeon, Automic and Skyscape.

Enterprise cloud, hosting and datacentres, as well as IoT and M2M, and investing in innovation have been identified as some of the key topics at the TMT Finance Europe 2016 event to be held in Munich on October 18, where key financial decision makers (CEOs, CSOs, CFOs, Heads of M&A), Investment Bankers, Investors and Advisors will to discuss the latest investment strategies and opportunities across the telecommunications, media and technology sectors in the DACH, Central and Eastern Europe region.

Now in its fourth year and 250 delegates expected, the event features over 60 key speakers on 25 sessions on TMT Growth Strategies, Mergers and Acquisitions, Telecom Infrastructure, Innovation, Financing, Media Convergence, Enterprise Cloud, Broadband, Datacentres and IoT.

C-level executives from Telefonica, Tele2, Telekom Austria, Play, VimpelCom, M7, Cellnex, Emitel, Beyond, Engage Sport Media, Linklaters, Wooga, HandyGames, Credit Agricole, Dentons, Index Ventures, UFA Sports, CEE Equity Partners, HgCapital, JP Morgan, Raiffeisen, Societe Generale, Deutsche Bank and ING are among those represented on the programme.

TMT Finance is the leading news and events provider for telecom, media and tech executives active in mergers and acquisitions, financing strategy and investment globally.

For more information, go to the TMT Finance Europe 2016 Conference event website.
Psychic to the stars launches a nationwide book tour by celebrating the life of Big Ang.

Psychic to the stars, Marty the Psychic, author of SOUL BONDING, will launch her nation wide book tour this September 10 at Country Mouse clothing store in Staten Island, NY from 11-2. Marty and friends will celebrate the life of Big Ang, the famous lady boss on the hit show MOB WIVES.

Marty has channeled everyone from John Lennon and Michael Jackson to Walt Disney and Biggie Smalls. Shes read celebrities including athletes, authors, TV personalities and musicians. One such interview featured in the book is with Academy Award-nominated composer John Debney, known for his work in movies like The Passion of the Christ, and most recently The Jungle Book. Debney says about his experience with Marty, In your readings, Marty, sometimes the smallest details are amazing and powerful to hear. Those little things separate you from other psychic readings Ive had.

Angela Joyce Raiola (June 30, 1960  February 18, 2016), better known by her nickname Big Ang (pronounced Anj) was an American reality television personality who co-starred in the VH1 series Mob Wives. Raiola was the niece of Salvatore "Sally Dogs" Lombardi (19412009), a caporegime ("capo") and drug dealer in the Genovese crime family. Known as a mob moll, Raiola dated gangsters and lived an opulent lifestyle. She joined the Mob Wives cast during the show's second season, in 2012. The same year, after she became the show's breakout star, VH1 gave Raiola her own reality show, Big Ang, which evolved into Miami Monkey.After battling stage 4 lung and brain cancer, Mob Wives star Angela "Big Ang" Raiola died in the hospital in the early hours of Feb. 18, surrounded by loved ones. She was 55.

Boulevard Books is an educational publishing company for the 21st century. Founded in 2010 by Avi Gvili, it aims to bring the best writers across the globe to a greater audience.
I have loved the mission of Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs since the first press release...Their commitment to healing our military veterans & their families who are struggling with post-combat issues is very literally saving lives & marriages.

FrontGate Media, the leading faith-based marketing service and media group, announced today the return of Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs to their client roster. FrontGate Media is serving the non-profit by providing social marketing, social advertising, newsletter and website strategy and content development, and lead generation.

As part of FrontGates efforts, the firm is developing two donation campaigns: Fund a Warrior and a special Veterans Day campaign. The team is also documenting the stories of Mighty Oaks alumni, sharing their life-saving changes and how the organization was critical in their healing from PTS and other issues that military families face.

Chad Robichaux, Founder and President of Mighty Oaks states, We are honored to have FrontGate Media on our team again, this time with social media outreach. They understand our mission at Mighty Oaks while being diligent about the latest social media tools available for our outreach. We know this will be a great partnership.

Scott A. Shuford, Founder/CEO of FrontGate Media states, "I have loved the mission of Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs since the first press release we ever wrote for them. Their commitment to healing our military veterans and their families who are struggling with post-combat issues is very literally saving lives and marriages. We are honored again to come alongside Mighty Oaks, this time with our social team, to document and share the unprecedented success of their programs, saving our nations warriors one-by-one."

About FrontGate Media

Award-winning FrontGate Media (http://FrontGateMedia.com) is the largest Marketing Service and Web & Events Group reaching the faith and family values audience. Serving as Your Gateway to the Christian Audience, the firm provides Faith-based market Strategy Development, Public Relations, Media Buying, and Social Media Marketing. FrontGates own Web & Events Network also provides reach to more than 10 million people and 17 million email subscribers. Founded in 2001, FrontGate has repeatedly been honored in the Internet Advertising Competition and the WebAwards. The company plays a key role in the success of for-profit and non-profit organizations seeking the faith-based and family friendly audiences.

About Mighty Oaks:

Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs (http://MightyOaksPrograms.org) is committed to serving the brokenhearted by providing intensive peer-based discipleship through a series of programs, outpost meetings, and speaking events. Our Fight Club and Marriage Advance Programs take place at SkyRose Ranch in Central California and run from four to seven days. The Warriors who attend are fully sponsored with all travel arrangements, meals, and lodging needs to ensure that upon arrival to the ranch, each Warrior is focused solely on their recovery and identifying purpose moving forward.
Kristin Guthrie A pioneer in the customer experience industry, Kristin has a proven background in strengthening brand choice and driving impactful improvement initiatives with strong financial results. I look forward to working alongside her.

ICW Group Insurance Companies, a group of property-casualty carriers, has appointed Kristin Guthrie vice president of customer experience. This is a new position for the company, and she will be reporting directly to Chief Operating Officer David Hoppen. Guthrie will oversee the development of a robust cross-functional team that will create and drive strategies to bolster the companys commitment to delivering top-tier service across all customer touch-points.

We are one of the most financially stable, and fastest growing insurance companies in the country, said Kevin Prior, president and CEO of ICW Group. As the company continues to expand its national footprint, it is imperative that we deliver an outstanding customer experience to our agents/brokers and policyholders. A pioneer in the customer experience industry, Kristin has a proven background in strengthening brand choice and driving impactful improvement initiatives with strong financial results. I look forward to working alongside her and am proud to have her on the ICW Group leadership team.

Prior to joining ICW Group, Guthrie was vice president of customer experience at Honeywell Aerospace, a global Fortune 500 Company offering aerospace products and services for commercial, business and general aviation. In this position, she built a customer experience team from the ground upincreasing customer satisfaction, sales and marketing effectiveness and lowered overall cost-to-serve. Guthrie was also previously director of marketing and sales at Cessna Aircraft Company.

A recognized leader in the marketing and customer experience industries, Guthrie received the 2015 Customer Experience Impact AwardOutstanding Practitioner from the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), 2015 Female Executive of the YearBronze Stevie Award and the 2015 Summit International Marketing Effectiveness Award. She is a Certified Customers Experience Professional and a Certified SEO Master. Guthrie earned her Bachelors Degree from Kansas State University, and her MBA from the University of North Texas. She completed a Marketing Leadership Education Program (MLEP) at The Ohio State University.

Colleagues and customers can connect with Guthrie on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinguthrie and on Twitter at @marketingmite.

Find out what ICW Groups customers are saying on its YouTube page: http://www.icwgroup.com/workers-compensation/testimonials/

About ICW Group

Based in San Diego, ICW Group Insurance Companies is the largest privately held group of insurance companies domiciled in California. Quoting more than $3 billion annually, ICW Group represents a group of Property, Auto and Workers Compensation insurance carriers, including Insurance Company of the West and Explorer Insurance Company. ICW Group is recognized nationally as an industry leader in helping policyholders achieve fewer and less costly claims, and is committed to meeting the needs of its policyholders and elevating the trusted agents and brokers who advise them. More information is available at http://www.icwgroup.com, http://www.twitter.com/ICWGroup, http://www.linkedin.com/companies/icw-group and http://www.facebook.com/ICWGroup.
Miss Quincy on the banks of the Peace River Prime Minister Trudeau has gone against his electoral promises by approving Site C construction permits. But its not too late for him to change his stance and prevent Site C from going ahead. Site C is not a done deal.

Watch this stunning live music video featuring born and raised Peace Valley musicians Miss Quincy & Twin Peaks.

The Site C dam will flood 107 km of river valley in British Columbias Peace region. Treaty 8 First Nations' traditional territory and class one agricultural land will be destroyed. If construction continues, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau is breaking his electoral promises by disregarding the environment and First Nations human rights.

My Peace River is a curated multimedia project, created in response to the threat of the Site C dam on the Peace River Valley. The project showcases many different views of the endangered area through art - photos, video, music and performance. My Peace River was created by musician Jody Peck (aka: Miss Quincy) and photographer Jodie Ponto. They grew up on opposite banks of the Peace River and both currently live in Vancouver, BC. Proceeds from My Peace River go to the Treaty 8 First Nations to support their legal battle against the Site C Dam.

The song '16 Horses' is about my connection to home, my roots and who I am. My story is interwoven with the Peace Valley. My family has been in the valley since 1924, First Nations have been in the valley since time immemorial. Our cultures and stories live here, our ancestors are buried here.

I chose to tell my story with this song and video because I couldnt stand aside and allow my home to be destroyed without making some noise about it. I wrote this song about my connection and history in the Peace Valley, but everyone has their own story that stands to be lost if the Peace Valley is drowned. Prime Minister Trudeau has gone against his electoral promises by approving Site C construction permits. But its not too late for him to change his stance and prevent Site C from going ahead. Site C is not a done deal. We can all use our voices to stop the Peace River from being dammed. -Miss Quincy

TAKE ACTION and join 20 000+ Canadians in signing this petition for PM Trudeau to stop issuing construction permits for the Site C dam.

DONATE to support members of Treaty 8 First Nations as they embark on a historic journey traveling 4,432km from the banks of the Peace River to Montreal to make their voices heard in the Federal Court of Appeal Sept 12, 2016.

LEARN more about the Site C dam and why scientists, politicians, First Nations and farmers are opposed.

'16 Horses' is part of a collection of songs recorded live on the banks of the Peace River by Miss Quincy & Twin Peaks. Download the album here or purchase from the My Peace River website. All proceeds go to Treaty 8 First Nations to help with the legal fees incurred fighting the Site C dam.
Fareportal Logo Our hearts go out to all those affected by the earthquake. We are proud to support the relief and recovery efforts of Croce Rossa Italiana.

Fareportal, a high-tech, high-touch travel company powering the next generation of travel, made a $5,000 cash donation to Croce Rossa Italiana, the Italian national Red Cross Society. The donation is in response to the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the central region of Italy on August 23, 2016 killing over 290 people and leaving more than 2,000 without homes.

Our hearts go out to all those affected by the earthquake. We are proud to support the relief and recovery efforts of Croce Rossa Italiana, said Sanjay Hathiramani, Senior Vice President of Supplier Relations at Fareportal. As rebuilding in the region begins, we wanted to do something to help the Italian people through this difficult time.

Fareportal has a longstanding commitment to helping communities in need through charitable donations and volunteer work. The company is always seeking out new opportunities to get involved with charity organizations both at home and abroad.

About Fareportal

Fareportal is a high-tech, high-touch travel company that powers a next generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company-owned and operated global contact center, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships; providing access to over 450 airlines, 150,000 hotels, and hundreds of car rental companies that serve millions of customers every year. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands, including CheapOair and OneTravel, Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yield international travel and add-on ancillaries.
Donald J Pliner, Santana Row, is celebrating 10 years of design precision with Custom Made. Beginning September 1st through September 15th, guests of Donald J Pliner, Santana Row will have an opportunity to customize their own Dacio, Donald J Pliners most popular mens loafer. Not only will guests select from a range of materials and outsoles, contrast stitching and rubber pods to create the loafer that best suits them, but all Custom MadeDacio designs will be made in the mountains of Italy, where the shoe has been crafted since its inception.

On September 10th, Donald J Pliner, Santana Row will also host an all day, in-store event with Sisco Sintes and Matteo Marmeggi, the Donald J Pliner Mens Design Team.

Donald J Pliner is known for their exquisite materials and unique details, said Sintes, Mens Design Director. Custom Made will give guests the opportunity to reimagine the Dacio in their own, unique way, utilizing the same superior materials and details that have made this shoe a style icon since its introduction in 2006.

Additionally, from 2-4pm on Saturday, September 10th, 10% of all proceeds will be donated to Aryana Health Care Foundation (AHCF) Breast Cancer Care Program. AHCF provides the most advanced, innovative and comprehensive healthcare for free or at affordable prices to Northern Californias most in-need population.

For over 13 years, Donald J Pliner, Santana Row specialty store in San Jose has been an emblem of the brands heritage and continued importance, to the footwear industry and consumers alike. Often called the Heart of Santana Row, the boutique is Silicon Valleys go-to footwear source.

Other events include:



Cocktails and Cobblery  Friday, September 9th from 7-9pm: Courtesy of MARZ premium vodka, guests will enjoy customizable cocktails with the launch of MARZs new flavors, while they custom make their shoes at Donald J Pliner Santana Row.

Fall Fashion Show  Saturday, September 10th from 12-2pm: Hotel Valencia will host a VIP fall fashion show, where the latest collection from Donald J Pliner is paired with looks from Santana Row designers, Franco Uomo, Ana Cecilia Ortega and San Franciscos Project Runway Designer JAKE, plus more

To RSVP or for media inquiries about the event please contact Meryl Schrank at Donald J Pliner  meryl(at)donaldjpliner(dot)com or 646-827-8539.

For media inquiries related to Santana Row, please contact Kelley Weaver at Melrose PR Kelley(at)melrosepr(dot)com or call 310-260-7901.

ABOUT DONALD J PLINER

The Donald J Pliner Company was founded in 1989 by distinguished footwear designer Donald J Pliner. The brand is known for its combination of fashion, fit and comfort that embodies each design. The companys products are sold nationwide in select specialty stores and upscale department stores. The collection is also available at the company's retail stores and on donaldjpliner.com.

ABOUT SANTANA ROW

Santana Row, a 647,000 square foot mixed-use development in San Jose, CA, is Silicon Valleys premier destination for shopping, dining, living and working. Santana Row features over 70 shops, 20 restaurants, a boutique hotel and movie theatre. In addition to the dynamic retail & restaurant collection, Santana Row offers 615 luxury rental homes, 219 privately owned condos and 65,000 square feet of Class A office space. Santana Row is a property of http://www.federalrealty.com (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visit http://www.santanarow.com.

ABOUT FEDERAL REALTY

Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Founded in 1962, our mission is to deliver long term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities where retail demand exceeds supply. Our expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued by their respective communities. Federal Realty's 96 properties include over 2,800 tenants, in approximately 22 million square feet, and over 1,800 residential units.

Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 48 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visit http://www.FederalRealty.com.
Two keynote sessions will be held featuring David Strickland and Steven Szakaly.

SAE 2016 Brake Colloquium & Exhibition announces its keynote speakers for the September 25-28 event in Scottsdale, Arizona. On Monday, September 26 two keynote sessions will be held featuring David Strickland and Steven Szakaly. Strickland will utilize his experience to address regulations, global harmonization of standards, customer acceptance and the effect of gas prices on the future of vehicle development and sales. Szakalys Automotive Economics Keynote will address the current economic state of the automotive landscape and discuss potential trends that may impact the future for global automotive sales and vehicle development.

The Honorable David Strickland, currently a partner at the national law firm Venable LLP, served as the 14th Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 2010  2014. During his tenure he oversaw the creation of the first national fuel economy program in conjunction with the EPA, the launching of the Safety Pilot for the Vehicle to Vehicle Communications program for the U.S. Department of Transportation/NHTSA, and issued the first statement of policy regarding the testing of automated vehicles on public roads. Prior to his appointment to NHTSA, Mr. Strickland served as Senior Counsel to the U.S Senate Commerce Committee, where he was responsible for the staff oversight of the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and NHTSA from 2001  2009.

Steven Szakaly is chief economist of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), a trade group that represents more than 16,000 new-car and commercial truck dealerships with both domestic and international franchises. In this role, he is NADAs lead forecaster, data analyst and strategy principal on industry and public policy issues.

Mr. Szakaly has a long history working in the automotive, mining and manufacturing industries with expertise in product planning, large scale mining projects, automotive market research and new product pricing. His broad background brings a unique perspective to NADA and to the automotive industry. Mr. Szakalys insightful comments have been quoted in numerous media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Automotive News. He has also appeared on CNBC, CNN and NPR.

The technical program will also feature nine technical expert panels including Braking for Motorcycles. The panel will address European motorcycle requirements, the US motorcycle aftermarket, performance and racing applications, technology transfer, emerging business opportunities and lessons learned between 4-wheel and 2-wheel braking industry players and partners. Participants for the panel include Kurt W. Person and Robert L. Dennert of HAYES Performance Systems, John Waraniak of Specialty Equipment Market Association, Erik F. Buell of EBR Motorcycles LLC, Christoph Kern of Gustav Magenwirth Gmbh & Co. Kg, and Adam R. Loukus of REL Inc..

SAE 2016 Brake Colloquium & Exhibition will offer a rich attendee experience, comprised of a four-day conference program exploring critical developments in both the ground vehicle and motorcycle industries. For more information about SAE 2016 Brake Colloquium & Exhibition, the conference program, or to register for the event, please visit http://www.sae.org/brake.

To request media credentials, email pr(at)sae(dot)org or call 1-724-772-8522.

SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting more than 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion and the Collegiate Design Series.

-http://www.sae.org-
Supporting the businesses of our military members and veterans and contributing to their successes provides us with the opportunity to express our pride and appreciation to and for the many who have served and sacrificed to make our country free

VAMBOA, the Veterans and Military Business Owners Association, has announced that new corporate sponsors are being offered the opportunity of two years of corporate sponsorship for the cost of only one year, at all levels, through September 30th, 2016. The opportunity is also available for current sponsors who renew.

VAMBOA is supported through corporate sponsorship, and does not charge military business owners, veteran business owners or service disabled business owners any membership fees.

VAMBOA recognizes that corporations are seeking to connect with a diverse group of suppliers within their supply chain. Our membership includes Service Disabled Veteran Business Owners, Veteran Business Owners and Military Business Owners. Many are also minorities and women. Corporate sponsorship supports the mission and successes of these Service Disabled Veteran Business Owners, Veteran Business Owners and Military Business Owners. It also provides companies the ability to place their Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and needs in front of VAMBOAs membership, as well as participate in webinars and conferences, connecting with these diverse suppliers on various levels.

With a nationwide membership of over 6,500 registered business owners, VAMBOA is quickly becoming the Go-To Trade Association for Service Disabled and Veteran and Military Business Owners, and those who want to support them. The 501(c)6 non-profit trade association also has a vibrant social media presence, approaching 300,000 combined fans and followers on social media.

VAMBOAs founder, Debbie Gregory, said, Supporting the businesses of our military members and veterans and contributing to their successes provides us with the opportunity to express our pride and appreciation to and for the many who have served and sacrificed to make our country free. It also enables corporations to work with companies run by Americas heroes.

The next VAMBOA conference is planned for early 2017.

About VAMBOA

VAMBOA, a 501(c) 6 non-profit organization, has been providing its members with knowledge of government provisions that help service-disabled veteran business owners, Veteran business owners and military business owners since 2010. VAMBOAs mission is to help drive the success of these veteran business owners. VAMBOA also connects it members to contacts within large corporations and government agencies who can mentor members, and in some cases, can even directly provide members with government contracts and vending contracts within large corporations. Membership in VAMBOA is free.
Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that Oliver Rochman has joined the firms London office as partner in its Corporate practice. Mr. Rochman comes to Morrison & Foerster from Proskauer. He brings to the firm strong expertise in international private investment funds.

The arrival of Mr. Rochman highlights Morrison & Foersters ongoing focus on further broadening its European corporate capabilities following the arrival in the London office of four corporate partners from Latham & Watkins. Mr. Rochmans arrival also enhances Morrison & Foersters already well-regarded global private investment funds practice, which was strengthened late last year when Jason Nelms, a private investment funds partner, joined Morrison & Foerster in Hong Kong  also from Proskauer.

Mr. Rochmans practice focuses on advising international funds such as buy-out funds, infrastructure funds and funds of funds. Mr. Rochman has wide-ranging private investment funds transactions experience, which includes providing counsel on fund restructuring, secondary transactions, and structured co-investments, as well as on carried interest arrangements and co-investment schemes.

We have significantly invested in our UK Corporate practice over the last year, building a highly impressive group and deep bench of top tier partners and associates. Oliver is another important addition to the team, said Paul Friedman, Morrison & Foersters managing partner for Europe.

Morrison & Foerster is recognized for its leading private investment funds experience. Lawyers in California, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo have been at the forefront in representing fund sponsors and institutional investors in the formation of private equity, real estate, infrastructure, energy, buyout, growth equity, venture capital, and other types of investment funds.

Eric Piesner, firmwide managing partner with responsibility for Asia and one of the global leaders of the private investment funds practice, stated: Oliver is the firms first dedicated funds partner to join our European platform and helps us further build out our global private investment funds practice. His 13+ years experience in funds work, technical ability, and cross-border transactional expertise make him a perfect fit for the group. Our global private investment funds practice is booming, and adding Olivers capability in London will help drive continued growth.

Mr. Rochmans recent notable transactions include advising a European banking group on the sale of a portfolio of over US$1 billion of various fund interests in the private equity, energy, and venture capital space; acting for a sophisticated fund of funds manager in its participation in a large complex secondary transaction valued at 1 billion; advising two Northern European-focused fund managers on the establishment of respectively, a growth equity fund and a 1.1 billion buy-out fund; leading a team advising a multinational institutional investor on its private equity investment program, including analysis of terms against market and negotiation of investment documents; and advising on the establishment of a new European management entity and raising a first European debt fund for a traditionally U.S.-focused private debt manager.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to practice at Morrison & Foerster and help further enhance the firms highly respected global private investment funds practice, Mr. Rochman said. Joining Morrison & Foerster was also appealing to me because the firm has been significantly growing in Europe and is becoming increasingly recognized for its strong Corporate platform in London.

Prior to joining Proskauers London office as a partner in 2011, Mr. Rochman was an associate and subsequently partner in SJ Berwins London Corporate department. Mr. Rochman earned his MA from Oxford University, LPC from The College of Law in London, and LLM (Tax) from Kings College London.

ABOUT MOFO

We are Morrison & Foerster  a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, Fortune 100, and technology and life sciences companies. The Financial Times has included the firm in its lists of most innovative law firms in North America and Asia every year that it has published its Innovative Lawyers Reports in those regions. In the past few years, Chambers USA has honored MoFos Bankruptcy and IP teams with Firm of the Year awards, the Corporate/M&A team with a client service award, and the firm as a whole as Global USA Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger.
Today, Pearson and Lone Star College-Tomball (LSC-Tomball) announced the results of a newly released case study, based on the institutions GRIT, Growth, Greatness (G3) college-wide initiative, including the Student Success online and on-campus course. To counteract declining enrollments and less-than-satisfactory performance on Lone Star College district Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)  achievement in core academics, persistence, and certificate/degree completion  in fall 2015, LSC-Tomball adopted a strategic focus around GRIT as a means to better prepare students in their pursuit of academic, career, and life aspirations.

The Pearson GRIT Program was established last year in collaboration with PEAK Learning, Inc. The GRIT Gauge is the only current assessment tool that measures both the quality and quantity of ones GRIT across four validated dimensions: Growth, Resilience, Instinct, and Tenacity. According to the LSC-Tomball case study, data analysis showed correlations between GRIT scores and LSC-Tomball key performance indicators, and offers evidence that higher GRIT scores are associated with better performance. Also, preliminary data show higher rates of successful course completion among the with GRIT students than those in classes without additional GRIT instruction, and individual educators reported improvements in engagement, persistence, and achievement.

Lee Ann Nutt, Ed.D., Lone Star College-Tomball president, considers GRIT to be an essential factor in student success. Nutt, with the support of faculty and staff, embarked on an impact study to enhance GRIT-related methods and to measure their impact on student engagement, performance, persistence, and goal attainment. LSC-Tomball partnered with Pearson to answer key questions such as whether higher GRIT scores are associated with LSC-Tomball KPIs, such as course completion, course load, and re-enrollment, as well as how an educators more intensive infusion of GRIT impacts student results.

Among the faculty who voluntarily went beyond the minimum With GRIT guidelines is Latoya Lewis. Lewis infused GRIT in every aspect of her fall 2015 online Student Success Course by intentionally modeling GRIT for students and adapting assignments to explicitly develop students GRIT.

My students quickly came to see the value of GRIT; they began to engage and perform at a significantly higher level than I had seen before. I was frankly wowed by the results. I had the best retention ever for an online class, said Professor Lewis.

Results thus far confirm that GRIT is an important factor linked to student success and that GRIT can be grown, developed, and strengthened over time. I am particularly encouraged that individual faculty like Latoya Lewis are creating GRIT best practices that we can share to energize our teaching and empower students further. We are continuing to establish GRIT as part of our identity, embed GRIT in our culture on a college-wide basis, and measure results to help us refine our approach, said Nutt.

Congratulations to LSC-Tomballs administrators and educators on the compelling preliminary results of their G3 impact study. We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration to further improve outcomes for students across the college, thereby helping more students to complete their higher education goals and increase their employability, said Leah Jewell, managing director of career development and employability at Pearson.

About Pearson

Pearson is the worlds learning company, with expertise in educational courseware and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology. Our mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning. We believe that learning opens up opportunities, creating fulfilling careers and better lives. For more, visit http://www.Pearsoned.com.

About Lone Star College-Tomball

Known for its leadership, innovation and steadfast commitment to student success, Lone Star College provides high-quality academic transfer and workforce education/career training programs to more than 83,000 credit students each semester, and a total enrollment of 95,000 students. LSC is training tomorrows workforce today and redefining the community college experience to promote student success and economic prosperity. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., is the chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, which consists of six colleges, eight centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.

Media Contact: Scott Overland, scott(dot)overland(at)pearson(dot)com, 202-909-4520
The New TheraMind Center of Santa Barbara TMS therapy... "Saving lives one click at a time" -Dr. Erwin Ramos, CMO TheraMind Services, Inc.

TheraMind Services, Inc., a leading national provider of outpatient neuropsychiatric treatment services, is pleased to announce the grand opening of its newest center, the TheraMind Center of Santa Barbara. The new TheraMindCenter brings non-invasive and non-drug, cutting edge neurologic and psychiatric treatments to the Central Coast. Utilizing the latest diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, the Centers board certified medical professionals treat severe depression and mood disorders, chronic pain, stroke related disorders, concussion and traumatic brain injuries.

The Center, located at 351 Hitchcock Way, is the 13th outpatient facility opened by TheraMind nationally and employs an integrated, multidisciplinary, team approach to the delivery of neuropsychiatric patient care. The TheraMind Center is under the medical direction of David Agnew, M.D. (neurology), Erwin Ramos, M.D. (psychiatry), Tiffany Thompson, MFT, Ph.D.(c) (psychotherapy and neurotherapy), Barbra Mousouris, CA, C.Ht., HTp. (hypnotherapy) and Erika Winston, LMT (therapeutic massage) working in collaboration with other highly trained and certified professionals in neuroradiology and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

David C. Agnew, M.D., FAAPM, is one of the pioneers in pain medicine in the United States. After completing one of the first fellowships in intractable pain studies ever given at the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, England, he began his professional career as the Director of Neurology at the City of Hope National Medical Center. Working with an interdisciplinary team, Dr. Agnew and his colleagues developed the basic treatment models confirmed by published clinical studies on which most chronic pain treatment programs in this country are based. Dr. Agnew is a founding member of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, and member of the International Association for the Study of Pain, the Western U.S.A. Pain Society, the American Pain Society, the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the California Pain Medicine Association, on whose boards of directors he has served. He was appointed to the faculty of The USC Keck School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, in 1976, has served on the board of directors, as well as president of the Los Angeles Society of Neurology and Psychiatry. He served as head the Pain Department at the St. Francis Medical Center in Santa Barbara from 1986 to 1994 and today maintains a private practice in neurology and pain medicine in Santa Barbara.

Erwin F. Ramos, M.D., completed his undergraduate studies at the Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA in 1992 earning a BS in Psychology. He did his medical training and received his Medical Degree from the University of the East Medical Center in the Philippines. In 1999, following completion of his M.D., he participated in research at Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center with the Department of Infectious Disease and Pediatrics. He entered his Psychiatric Residency in 2006 with Creedmoor Psychiatric Center and trained in psychiatry at the NY Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University in New York. Upon graduation, Dr. Ramos accepted a Fellowship opportunity with the University of Florida in Community and Public Psychiatry. Upon completion of his Fellowship in 2011, Dr. Ramos was appointed as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Community and Public Psychiatry at the University of Florida Center for Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine in Vero Beach. While at the University of Florida, Dr. Ramos provided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatments as an option for patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder. In 2014, Dr. Ramos commenced his individual practice using TMS therapeutic services as an integral part of the therapy for Major Depressive Disorder and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Ramos is notorious for his belief in taking time to educate his patients about their diagnosis and providing a basic understanding of how various treatment regimens work. Dr. Ramos TMS motto is changing lives. one pulse at a time.

Tiffany P. Thompson, MFT, Ph.D.(c), completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland, graduating with honors in the Department of Communication. She holds two Masters Degrees, one from the University of Maryland in Communication with a specialty in Rhetoric and a second in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. She is set to defend her dissertation on the intersection of EEG and depth models of the psyche on September 20, 2016 to earn her Ph.D. She completed internships at New Beginnings Counseling Center, the Salvation Army, and Santa Barbara Brain Fitness, earning her marriage and family therapist license. She concurrently completed work in a Ventura neurology clinic, earning status as a Registered EEG Technician via the American Society of Electrodiagnostic Technicians. She earned her board certification in neurotherapy from the Biofeedback Accreditation International Alliance, as well as the status of Quantitative EEG Diplomate from the Quantitative EEG Certification Board. In 2016 she was certified in TMS therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Ms. Thompson provides a wide array of psychotherapeutic and neurotherapeutic services to adults, adolescents, and children. She is a board member and past Executive Director of the Western Association of Biofeedback and Neuroscience, as well as a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, the Clinical TMS Society, and the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research.

At TheraMind, our commitment is to improve the lives of patients with the most advanced therapeutic, non-drug alternatives for treating chronic pain and a broad variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD and other psychopathologies. Advanced diagnostic technologies, including quantitative EEG and fMRI, enable our physicians to develop a unique treatment regimen for each patient combining, as needed, the latest FDA approved therapeutic technologies available, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), tDCS/tACS, pEMF, neurofeedback, biofeedback and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), among others. Our patients tell the story themselves:

I had suicidal thoughts, no motivation and a lack of interest in friends and family. I tried four antidepressants; they didnt relieve any of the issues I was havingand included side effects I wasnt willing to tolerate. I decided to try TMS, and started to feel a difference after my 5th week of treatment. I feel motivated at home, more joyful around people and enjoying life again!! KH

I am a wife, mother and grandmother. I have suffered from depression since my high school years, and went undiagnosed until my mid-thirties. At 57 I found myself taking 4 antidepressants, 1 anti-anxiety pill, 1 stimulant and 1 sleeping pill. My depression went unchanged, and I continued to suffer depression to the point of being suicidal. ECT was suggested to me but I didnt like the procedure involved or possibility of memory loss. I was introduced to TMS at my psychiatrists office, and I hoped it would maybe be the answer to my prayers. TMS has turned my life around! I laugh and love again, I have so much more motivation and my memory has improved tremendously. TMS has been a true miracle in my life! S

Santa Barbaras new TheraMindCenter -- Setting the standard for Integrated, Multi-disciplinary Neuropsychiatric Healthcare! For an appointment or to learn more about our services call (805) 845-4455 or visit the Santa Barbara clinic materials on our website at http://www.tmsmind.com. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner

Abt Associates has named Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, a nationally recognized authority on global threats from infectious disease, as the companys Senior Global Health Security Advisor.

Macgregor-Skinner most recently served as Director of Global Disaster Response for the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Fellowship in Disaster Medicine at Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Penn State Hershey College of Medicine and is frequently called upon by media and has appeared on CNN, BBC, CTV, C-SPAN, for his expertise in global health threats. He brings more than 20 years of technical experience in infectious disease surveillance and response working with U.S. and international governments, United Nations agencies, and private sector in the U.S., Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

He was the team leader to Nigeria and Liberia for Ebola outbreak response activities while serving as Global Projects Manager for Elizabeth R. Griffin Research Foundation, and he worked in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Cooperative Biological Engagement Program as a consultant to CRDF Global and Landell Mills.

Gavins experience in such a wide variety of geographical and technical areas for global health security thoroughly supports Abts ongoing commitment to preventing, mitigating and responding to epidemics and pandemics, said Dr. Diana R. Silimperi, Division Vice President International Health. He is the ideal person to lead Abts global health security practice.

Infectious disease outbreaks can decimate economies as well as health systems, said Macgregor-Skinner. I look forward to working with the Abt team to continue to identify and implement new holistic solutions to the latest global health security challenges.

He has a veterinary medicine degree from The University of Queensland in Australia and is a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. He holds a Master of Public Health with a focus on epidemiology from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Masters of Science in Wild Animal Health, Emerging Infections and Zoonotic Diseases from the Royal Veterinary College in London.

About Abt Associates

Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research, evaluation and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Associates is regularly ranked as one of the top 20 global research firms and one of the top 40 international development innovators. The company has multiple offices in the U.S. and program offices in more than 40 countries. http://www.abtassociates.com

Contact

Sarah Armstrong

(301) 347-5689

Sarah_Armstrong(at)abtassoc(dot)com
The Pennsylvania labor, employment and workers compensation law firm Willig, Williams & Davidson is pleased to announce that labor attorney Thomas M. Gribbin, Jr. has joined the firms Philadelphia office as an associate.

An experienced labor law attorney, Gribbin represents both public and private sector labor unions and individual employees. He routinely advocates for clients in grievance and interest arbitrations, mediation, administrative proceedings, and before state and federal courts.

Having come from a proud labor family himself, Tom knows firsthand the importance of strong protections for workers and their families, said Managing Partner Deborah R. Willig. We are proud to add him to our team.

Gribbin has been actively engaged in the labor movement for years, working on numerous political campaigns in order to advance the issues of working men and women. Before joining Willig, Williams & Davidson, he practiced labor law at another union-side labor law firm representing a wide range of public safety, service and trade unions.

Active in his community of Hammonton, New Jersey, Gribbin has served as deputy mayor, councilman and on the towns planning board. He was recognized by Atlantic City Weekly Magazine and the Greater Atlantic City Junior Chamber of Commerce as one of its Top 40 Under 40 in Atlantic County in 2015.

Gribbin received a bachelors degree in political science from Villanova University, where he also was honored with the Villanova Student Leadership Award. He then went on to earn his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law.

About Willig, Williams & Davidson  Willig, Williams & Davidson (http://www.wwdlaw.com) is one of the largest and most respected union-side labor law firms in the United States. The firm has offices in Philadelphia, Media, Jenkintown and Harrisburg, Pa., as well as Haddonfield, N.J., and Chicago, Ill. Founded in 1979, Willig, Williams & Davidson focuses on representing labor unions, employee benefit funds and individual working people and their families on a variety of legal fronts, including national, regional and local contract negotiations; dispute resolution through mediation, arbitration and litigation; tax and benefit law compliance issues; discrimination and other employment matters; prepaid legal services for union members; and workers compensation matters in Philadelphia and beyond.
Wayne Farms Excepting Safety Awards at the National Safety Conference

The company recently implemented a robust employee safety program targeting specific safety-related concerns, resulting in significant improvements in workplace safety and a reduction in accidents company-wide. The behavior-based WorkSAFE initiative encourages employees to identify and address unsafe behaviors, conditions, and actions through regular audits, evaluations, and collaboration with Wayne Farms Management members.

The company received the prestigious Award of Distinction for five separate facilities in their respective categories, including Hatchery Facilities in Dobson, North Carolina and Troy, Alabama, Processing Facilities in Union Springs, Alabama and Pendergrass, Georgia, and Prepared Foods Facilities in Decatur, Alabama. The Pendergrass Processing Facility won the Award of Distinction for the seventh consecutive year. Five Awards of Honor were received by the Danville, Arkansas and Laurel, Mississippi Hatchery Facilities, Decatur, Alabama Prepared Foods Facility and Enterprise, Alabama Processing Facility.

Award levels are based on an evaluation of each eligible facilitys actual safety performance as well as a written evaluation of key components of an effective safety and health program.

We have strong, safety-focused leadership from the top down to the plants, and great people who take safety seriouslyits paying off for everyone with a safer workplace, reduced injuries and reduced loss of time and investment, said Reggie McLee, Senior Director of Safety and Health for Wayne Farms. We want a Zero Accident Culturenot just in our company, but in our industry. Were extremely proud of these awards because it shows the level of commitment our employees have to a safer workplace.

The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council consists of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation. Collectively, the three organizations represent companies that produce 95 percent of the nation's poultry products and directly employ more than 350,000 workers.

About Wayne Farms LLC

Wayne Farms LLC is the sixth-largest vertically integrated poultry producer in the U.S. with annual sales exceeding $1.9 billion. A subsidiary of Continental Grain Company, Wayne Farms owns and operates 11 fresh and further-processed facilities throughout the Southeast, produces more than 2.6 billion pounds of poultry products each year, and employs more than 8,900 individuals. Producing products under the brand names of WAYNE FARMS fresh chicken; PLATINUM HARVEST premium fresh chicken; DUTCH QUALITY HOUSE chicken and CHEFS CRAFT gourmet chicken, Wayne Farms has a well-known history of delivering exceptional poultry products to some of the largest industrial, institutional, and foodservice companies across America.
With the access to the right tools and data, summer can become a time to find savings, and reduce annual energy budgets. - Sanjoy Malik, CEO, Urjanet

A recent Urjanet survey of over 150 U.S. energy executives confirmed that energy costs soar during the summer. While companies take many steps to lessen the impact of these cost increases, a lack of visibility into usage data prevents them from saving even more.

Urjanet conducted an online survey during July and August focused on understanding the strategies companies use to reduce energy consumption and energy cost during the summer months. Sixty percent (60%) of the respondents indicated that their average electricity rates for peak usage (and correspondingly their energy costs) go up during summer. Most, but not all, companies have strategies in place to reduce energy spend, with the focus being on managing cooling costs, which thirty-eight percent (38%) of respondents said comprise between forty-one and sixty percent (41  60%) of their companys total energy use during the summer.

It was clear from the survey that the strategies and decisions around managing energy use are being made based on intuition rather than real data, limiting their effectiveness in reducing cost. Ten percent (10%) of respondents said they dont know how much cooling really contributes to energy use during the summer. Forty-three percent (43%) said they dont have smart meters to monitor daily usage, or if they have smart meters, they do not use the data. Selection of the correct tariffs is one of the most effective ways of reducing utility spend. Urjanet's survey results suggest that companies are not paying attention to this very important lever, with thirty-two percent (32%) of the companies using default tariffs provided by the utility, and a further seventeen percent (17%) using tariffs based on their utilitys recommendation.

Overall, the lack of easy and efficient access to multi-utility (electricity, water, gas) data ranked as the top challenge to monitoring and reducing energy spend during the summer months. While some companies have no access at all, twenty percent (20%) of respondents listed manually entered utility bills (an inefficient process producing error-prone results) as their primary source of this data.

Summer is the perfect time to reevaluate the strategies companies use to gain insight into their energy consumption and spend, particularly because energy costs increase, and the right tariff selection becomes more crucial, says Sanjoy Malik, CEO at Urjanet. With the access to the right tools and data, summer can become a time to find savings, and reduce annual energy budgets.

Urjanets survey revealed several other interesting data points:

1) The top three strategies for reducing cooling costs were-

a) Improving the building envelope (insulation, doors, windows)  Thirty-six percent (36%) of companies surveyed

b) Altering temperature based on location within a facility  Thirty-five percent (35%) of companies surveyed

c) Altering temperature based on time of day  Thirty-two percent (32%) of companies surveyed

2) Twenty-one percent (21%) of respondents said they arent doing anything to avoid Peak Use Demand Charges

3) Eighteen percent (18%) said they did not know how their companys tariffs are determined

4) Thirty-one percent (31%) of respondents said that the high cost/low ROI of energy efficiency projects is their greatest challenge, as it prevents new investments from being made in monitoring and reducing energy spend in the summer

5) Forty-seven percent (47%) of respondents think they can be doing more during the summer to reduce spend and meet their sustainability goals

6) Fourteen percent (14%) of companies use alternative energy (solar, wind) to supply their buildings during peak hours to avoid Peak Demand charges.

ABOUT URJANET

Urjanets mission is to provide the world with easy access to automated utility data. Our cloud-based platform connects directly to utilities to seamlessly acquire and normalize disparate utility bill and interval data. The processed data is delivered directly to industry-leading business applications.

Public and private organizations across the world use Urjanet data to achieve sustainability goals and reduce energy consumption and cost. Urjanet is rapidly becoming the global standard for utility data and powers applications from the leading energy and sustainability solutions providers. Urjanet is a privately-held company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit urjanet.com.
Lifestyle brand Fatboy USA is pleased to announce that on August 30th, 2016, the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a design patent covering Fatboy USAs LAMZAC THE ORIGINAL lounger design.

Created by Mr. Marijn Oomen, a Dutch inventor and entrepreneur, the LAMZAC Lounger is an elongated inflatable bag that can be filled by scooping air into it to form the shape of a lounger. Mr. Oomen has assigned all of his rights in the design of the LAMZAC Lounger to Fatboy. The design of the LAMZAC Lounger is now covered by U.S. Patent No. D764823 and issued to Mr. Oomen and assigned by him to Fatboy (the LAMZAC Lounger Patent).

"For obvious reasons, we are pleased our design patent has been issued," said President and CEO of Fatboy USA, Paula Masters. "The USPTO plays a major role in supporting innovators by granting the intellectual property rights and protection they need to bring their products to the marketplace and we plan to protect our rights to the full extent.

LAMZAC THE ORIGINAL is portable and has the ability to create instant comfort that consumers can take anywhere  camping, hanging on the beach or just relaxing at home. LAMZAC THE ORIGINAL is available in seven colors, and is easily deflated and stored in a portable carrying bag.

LAMZAC THE ORIGINAL is available on the companys website at http://shop.fatboyusa.com/products/lamzac-the-original and select retailers throughout the U.S.

For more information about Fatboy USA, please visit fatboyusa.com and facebook.com/FatboyUSA or email pmasters(at)fatboyusa(dot)com.

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About Fatboy USA:

Fatboy is an imaginative lifestyle brand that excels in thinking outside the box. Fatboy has been challenging the concepts of lifestyle products since 2002, when it set out to create the perfect lounge chair designed for fashion, for comfort, and tailored for an unmatched lounging experience. Today, Fatboy brings energizing comfort and smiles to people in over fifty countries worldwide with a growing line of lifestyle products. Their identity is anchored in iconic European design mixed with a creative spirit and a sense of humor that extends into all of their product offerings. Fatboy is known for creating iconic products with a simple yet compelling idea reflected in their tagline, Deleting Dull. Their tagline aligns with what has remained the core of the Fatboy brand philosophy from birth, which is to design captivating product to evoke an authentic change in peoples minds for the better through the experience they have with their lifestyle product.
National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC SmithGroupJJR leveraged its 35-year history working with the Smithsonian on some of its largest and most complicated building projects.

When President Barack Obama opens the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture to a worldwide audience on September 24, the design team from SmithGroupJJR will be among the VIPs present who worked tirelessly to successfully complete the iconic, 400,000-square-foot building.

SmithGroupJJR served as associated design/construction architect for the $540 million museum, which has been called one of the largest and most complex building projects in the country. As part of a four-firm design team, Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroupJJR, it was SmithGroupJJRs responsibility to develop and coordinate the design and construction of the entire building enclosure  a critical role requiring industry-leading knowledge and experience.

Decades of success in museum design, specifically for the Smithsonian, is exactly what SmithGroupJJR brought to the table. Leveraging a 35-year history working with the institution on some of its largest and most complicated building projects, SmithGroupJJR knew what it would take to successfully work through the design and construction challenges that could accompany such a project, situated on a five-acre tract adjacent to the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.

While the design team was prepared as the project moved forward, we still experienced a few big surprises, said SmithGroupJJR Senior Vice President Hal Davis, FAIA, who led the firms work during the eight-year design and construction process.

SmithGroupJJR led the design team to carefully detail the buildings exterior from top to bottom, working closely with construction manager Clark/Smoot/Russell during construction.

One of the first design and construction challenges surfaced during the buildings foundation phase. Because 60% of the museum was to be built below ground, 380,000 cubic yards of earth was removed as site excavation reached 65 feet deep. Unfortunately, the water table at the site is only 15 feet below grade, and it quickly became clear during construction that implementing the original waterproofing design would face some unexpected hurdles. When the support of excavation wall failed during installation and ground water entered the perimeter, SmithGroupJJR provided a solution that completely re-designed the foundation to a bath tub enclosure system to fully protect the below-ground levels of the museum.

Today, the museums four underground levels are home to some of Museums most significant attractions and spaces. An expansive History Gallery spans three of the concourse levels, and celebrated spaces like the 350-seat Oprah Winfrey Theater and Contemplative Court also reside below grade on another concourse level. The Museums five levels above ground feature a Central Hall, Orientation Theater, store, education space, community and culture galleries, and staff offices.

The striking design of the building features two distinct design elementsthe Corona, the signature exterior feature that consists of 3,600 bronze-colored cast-aluminum panels weighing a total of 230 tons, and the Porch, which serves as the location for the main museum entrance on Madison Drive. For more on the Museums design, click here.

The new museum will appeal to all visitors, regardless of ones cultural heritage, Davis added. It has been a great privilege to work on such an important project for the American people.

The SmithGroupJJR Cultural Practice is recognized as a leading designer of museums and cultural facilities in and outside the U.S. In addition to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, among the firms prior, most significant projects for the Smithsonian are the National Museum of the American Indian, for which it served as lead architect; and critical renovations and restorations for its two oldest buildings -- the Smithsonian Castle and Arts & Industries Building. SmithGroupJJRs relationship with the Smithsonian dates back to the 1970s with the original Museum of National Historys Museum Support Center, followed by the award-winning Cultural Resources Center for the National Museum of the American Indian. The latter contains more than 800,000 objects as well as spaces for conservation laboratories and a digitization studio with archive. Internationally, SmithGroupJJR designed the Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center in France, honored for design excellence by American Institute of Architects chapters in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland. Currently under construction is another large SmithGroupJJR-designed museum, the Museum of the Bible, scheduled for completion in Washington, DC in late 2017. The firm also designed the new Collections and Conservation Center for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, also under construction.

SmithGroupJJR (http://www.smithgroupjjr.com) is a 1000-employee integrated architecture, engineering and planning firm with 10 office locations in the U.S. and China. The firms Cultural Practice is ranked as the 7th largest in the world by the 2016 World Architecture Top 100 published by Building Design magazine.
Trident University, Academic Excellence - Compassionate Commitment

Trident University Internationals (Trident) Glenn R. Jones College of Business (GRJ-COB) is made up of a diverse and talented group of seasoned educators and researchers. Through association appointments, scholarly research, published works, and conference presentations, the GRJ-COB faculty is actively contributing to the advancement of their field and finding ways to improve the student experience.

Promotions & Appointments

Dr. Debra Louis has been named Associate Dean of the GRJ-COB. She brings to the role familiarity with the college and experience at the doctoral, masters, and bachelors levels, talent development, accreditation experience, team building, and creating an environment of trust and integrity. Dr. Louis has written new program proposals for the three masters programs in GRJ-COB and the majority of the BSHRM. She previously served as a Program Director, and prior to that she was an active faculty member in the doctoral program, chairing eight successful dissertations, serving on the committee for four others, and developing and teaching multiple doctoral courses. She has contributed to WSCUC accreditation efforts, curriculum revision, improvement in student outcomes, and participated in numerous strategic University initiatives.

Dr. Belal Kaifi has been named Associate Dean. His background includes more than 10 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education. Over the last year, in his previous role as Faculty Lead he has been instrumental in developing the five-year Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management (BSHRM) + Master of Science in Human Resources Management degree program, has contributed to the Bachelor of Science in Leadership program, aligned all BSHRM courses to be consistent with the Society for Human Resource Managements (SHRM) expectations, and completed a number of assessment and accreditation reports for the GRJ-COB.

Dr. Indira Guzman has been named Director of Doctoral Programs for the GRJ-COB. Dr. Guzman has worked at Trident since 2006, holding positions of Coordinating Assistant and Associate Professor, Program Director for the Computer Science and Information Technology Management for the undergraduate and graduate programs, and since September 2014, Program Director for the Ph.D. Program in the College of Business. Dr. Guzman will oversee the PhD program as well as overseeing professional doctorates that are being proposed in the College.

Dr. Joshua Shackman has been named Department Chair in Accounting, Finance, and Economics. He has been at Trident since 2001, holding numerous positions including most recently Faculty Lead in the GRJ-COB. He is an accomplished researcher, course developer, and administrator. He has taught and overseen doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate courses and faculty. Dr. Shackmans main area of interest is finance and international economics.

Dr. Qin Sun has been named Department Chair in Marketing, Logistics, and Operation Management. She has a wide variety of teaching experience at both traditional and online universities. Dr. Sun has conducted research on country branding and country-of-origin image, cross-cultural marketing, bicultural/multicultural consumers, teaching innovation, e-commerce, electronic word of mouth, online keyword search behavior and search advertising, mobile marketing, and social media marketing. She is active in academic research, having published 11 journal papers in the past six years. Her previous role at Trident was MBA faculty lead in the GRJ-COB.

Dr. Peggy Swigart has been named Department Chair in Human Resources and Leadership. She has a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a major concentration in human resource management/labor relations, and minors in organizational behavior, strategy, and adult education. Dr. Swigart has been with Trident since 2008 and has over 20 years of experience as a human resources management practitioner in business, responsible for all facets of the employment relationship.

Dr. Wendy Wang has been named Department Chair in Information Management Technology and Computer Science. Dr. Wang has a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems with a minor in computer science and has been very active in redesigning the Computer Science program at Trident and developing the Cyber Security curriculum.

Dr. Michael Garmon has been named as Department Chair in Management and Leadership. He has a Ph.D. in Business Administration, earned from Trident in 2004, and previously served as Faculty Lead in the MBA program. Dr. Garmon is an experienced researcher and peer-reviewer, and has over 30 years of experience in the private and government sectors as a healthcare executive. Some of the positions he has held include chief financial officer, chief operations officer, product development, and outcomes research.

News & Highlights

Dr. Qin Suns paper titled "Can Online Interactive Learning Tool Promote Student Learning Effectiveness? An Empirical Exploration" was recently accepted for presentation at the Marketing EDGE Direct/Interactive Marketing Research Summit in Los Angeles, CA, to be held October 15-16, 2016. Paper co-authors are Dr. Yann Abdourazakou and Dr. Thomas Norman. Dr. Sun also recently had the article titled Country Resources, Institutions, Image and Exports: Country Branding Implications accepted by Journal of Global Marketing.

Dr. Indira Guzman attended the ACM SIGMIS Computers and People Research conference in June. Held in Alexandria, VA, the conference featured poster presentations from student Elston Steele and the now-graduated Dr. Angie Cox. Both individuals represented Tridents Ph.D. in Business Administration program.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) acknowledged that Tridents Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management and Master of Science in Human Resource Management fully aligns with SHRMs HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates. A total of 411 programs in 309 educational institutions worldwide have been acknowledged by SHRM as being in alignment with its suggested guidelines and templates. Overseeing this project were Dr. Debra Louis, Dr. Belal Kaifi, Dr. Stefan Hanson, and Dr. Peggy Swigart.

Trident alumnus Dr. Peter Mangles authored a paper entitled Perceived Isolation, Its Impact on Professional Deviance and Deviant Workplace Behaviors, which was accepted for presentation at the Academy of Management (AOM) Conference in Anaheim, CA. Due to Dr. Mangles having to return to his native Australia, the paper was presented on August 7th by Dr. Inidra Guzman. In addition, Dr. Guzman attended two workshops covering the future of doctoral education at business schools and professional doctorates.

Dr. Bruce Gillies, professor in the GRJ-COB, recently published the book The 21st Century Career Search System. Currently available on Amazon, the book gives advice on career development for all levels of professionals. Dr. Gillies is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist and a veteran of the United States Navy. Since the books release he has presented two webinars on this subject matter for Tridents Center for Career Planning and Workforce Strategies. A third webinar is slated for September 14th.

For any media inquiries, please contact Daniel Sloan at daniel.sloan(at)trident(dot)edu.

About Trident University

Founded in 1998, Trident University International (Trident) is a leading online postsecondary university serving adult learners. Trident developed the Trident Learning Model, which employs case-based learning in an online setting to teach real-world relevant critical thinking skills to enhance the lives and careers of students. Trident offers high-quality bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs, led by a qualified faculty team, over 80% of whom have doctoral degrees. Visit http://www.trident.edu, Tridents Facebook page, or call at (855) 290-0290 to learn more about Trident's wide range of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs.
Montana Code Girls gives young girls the opportunity to pursue their interests in technology through our free after-school program.

This Thursday, Governor Bullock will be meeting with members of the Montana Code Girls program in Missoula as part of his statewide Innovate & Educate tour. Montana Code Girls, founded in early 2016, is a statewide free after-school technology program for girls that teaches leadership, entrepreneurship and computer programming skills.

Im excited to be in Missoula with the Big Sky Code Academy as kids all over the state return back to classrooms, learning, friends, teachers, and other activities, said Governor Bullock. STEM initiatives like Montana Code Girls are essential to making sure that we equip all Montana students with the skills they need to succeed in a 21st century workforce and growing economy.

On behalf of the 28 girls who, earlier this year, participated in the Montana Code Girls pilot class, I am excited to welcome Governor Bullock to Missoula to meet with these amazing girls. said Devin B. Holmes, Big Sky Code Academy and Montana Code Girls Founder. We are proud to be part of the growing number of STEM education opportunities for young Montanans that will be the next generation of leaders building the future of Montana.

With the number of girls involved in STEM activities dropping off around the age of ten and practical approaches to addressing the pay gap between men and women starting in middle school, programs like Montana Code Girls are designed to engage young girls in impactful programming in a safe and engaging environment. Montana Code Girls will be hosting Governor Bullock at the Missoula Public Library on Thursday September 1, 2016 from 3:30pm  4:30pm. The meeting is open to the public and is free of charge.

For more information about Big Sky Code Academys Montana Code Girls initiative, please visit: mtcodegirls.org

About Big Sky Code Academy

The Big Sky Code Academy is an accelerated coding boot camp offering online and on-site immersive training for the next generation of programmers. Designed to enable and empower all Montanans, the Academy recently launched two additional initiatives, Montana Code Girls, and Code4Philanthropy. Montana Code Girls offers events, after-school programs and summer camps to Montanas girls and young women interested in technology, including sponsoring Montanas Technovation Challenge teams, while Code4Philanthropy Fellows are placed with nonprofits across the state for a 12-month technology fellowship. To learn more, visit: bigskycodeacademy.org

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Spaghetti all'Amatriciana is made with the delicacy guanciale--pork cheek bacon. Its town of origin, Amatrice, was devastated by the recent earthquake. I chose to reach out to Threepenny because of how they do what they do, notes Trainum. They have a very talented chef who already makes great guanciale. . . .They are very diligent and committed to ethical and quality standards and that is rare.

This past weekend the town of Amatrice, Italy should have been celebrating its 50th annual Spaghetti allAmatriciana Festival. This classic pasta dish epitomizes rustic Italian fare and incorporates the delicacy guancialebacon made from pork cheeks.

But instead of celebrating, Amatrice was mourning its dead. On Wednesday, August 24, the town was devastated by the 6.2 earthquake that shook the region and killed 290 people.

When Autumn Olive Farms founder Clay Trainum learned that restaurants worldwide were holding fundraisers for the victims of the earthquake, he knew immediately what he had to do. Located in Waynesboro, Virginia, Autumn Olive Farms raises pigs sustainably, allowing the animals to forage naturally as has been traditionally done. Executive Chef Jeff Deloff of Threepenny Cafe in Charlottesville was already making guanciale from Autumn Olive porksomething few chefs in the area do. So teaming up to honor Amatrice and raise funds seemed right.

I read about the disaster and this towns horrific damage and loss of life just prior to their proudest day of the year to showcase their wonderful culinary history and it touched me, explains Trainum. Further reading helped me to realize that they have a rich history in producing great chefs, food and specifically guanciale, which is very dear to my heart.

Beginning September 1, Threepenny Cafe will be offering Spaghetti allAmatriciana on its dinner menu, with $5 per order going to Italian earthquake relief via GlobalGiving. Autumn Olive Farms is donating pork for the guanciale, which Deloff will make in the Italian tradition. In addition, Threepenny Cafe has located a foundation willing to match each dollar raised.

I chose to reach out to Threepenny because of how they do what they do, notes Trainum. They have a very talented chef who already makes great guanciale. . . .They are very diligent and committed to ethical and quality standards and that is rare. Trainum will also be working with Chef Joe Sparatta of Heritage in Richmond, Virginia to extend the fundraiser to that city.

For Deloff, serving Spaghetti allAmatriciana has two purposesraising money for earthquake relief and honoring the culinary tradition of the area. Guanciale is very special and gives this pasta dish depth of flavor you dont get from regular bacon or even pancetta, he notes. We wanted to get involved in the relief efforts, but we also wanted to showcase this dish made the way they do it in Amatrice. Its a show of support and recognition of the towns spirit.

Threepenny Cafe is located at 420 West Main Street in Charlottesville, Virginia. Reservations can be made online or by calling 434-995-5277. Free parking is available.
U.S. consumers are no strangers to loyalty programs, especially those offered by credit card networks, issuers, airlines, and hotels. Whether Plenti will successfully strike a high note by driving traffic to major U.S. retailers remains to be seen.

Popular with merchants and consumers in some global regions outside the United States are coalition loyalty programs, which are shopper-based incentive programs sponsored by retailers and service providers. American Express launched its merchant coalition loyalty program Plenti in 2015 for U.S. consumers. Patterned after some successful international programs, Plenti began with a list of highly recognizable retail brands.

Mercator Advisory Groups latest research note, Can Coalition Loyalty Programs Succeed in the United States? observes and assesses the features and functionality of coalition loyalty. The note pays particular attention to Plenti and the ups and downs of its first year in existence. Additionally, the coalition loyalty model and Plenti are sized up against the single-merchant loyalty model as exemplified by Starbucks Rewards.

U.S. consumers are no strangers to loyalty programs, especially those offered by credit card networks, issuers, airlines, and hotels. Whether Plenti will successfully strike a high note by driving traffic to major U.S. retailers remains to be seen, comments Raymond Pucci, Associate Director, Research Services at Mercator Advisory Group and the author of the research note.

Highlights of the research note include:



Background of international coalition loyalty programs

U.S. consumers credit card spending preferences

Structure and workings of Plenti program and its merchant partners

Comparison with single-merchant loyalty program Starbucks Rewards

Challenges and lessons learned for coalition loyalty

This document contains 12 pages and 6 exhibits.

Companies mentioned in this research note include: Alamo, American Express, AT&T, Direct Energy, Enterprise, Expedia, Exxon Mobil, Hulu, Macys, National, Nationwide, Rite Aid, and Starbucks.

Members of Mercator Advisory Groups Credit Advisory Service, Debit Advisory Service, and Global Payments Advisory Service have access to these reports as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead, presentations, analyst access, and other membership benefits.

For more information and media inquiries, please call Mercator Advisory Group's main line: (781) 419-1700, or send email to media@mercatoradvisorygroup.com.

For free industry news, opinions, research, company information and more, visit us at http://www.PaymentsJournal.com.

Follow us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/MercatorAdvisor.

About Mercator Advisory Group

Mercator Advisory Group is the leading independent research and advisory services firm exclusively focused on the payments and banking industries. We deliver pragmatic and timely research and advice designed to help our clients uncover the most lucrative opportunities to maximize revenue growth and contain costs. Our clients range from the world's largest payment issuers, acquirers, processors, merchants and associations to leading technology providers and investors. Mercator Advisory Group is also the publisher of the online payments and banking news and information portal PaymentsJournal.com.
NH Governor Maggie Hassan praises GourmetGiftBaskets.com CEO Ryan Abood at a recent event celebrating the construction of a new facility to accommodate the popular online retailer's rapid growth. This is exciting for GourmetGiftBaskets.com, for Exeter and for the State of New Hampshire. It provides good paying, high quality jobs for our people and it spurs on the economy in New Hampshire, so we all benefit.

State and local officials, business leaders, and employees joined GourmetGiftBaskets.com earlier this month to celebrate the construction of the companys new headquarters in Exeter, NH. The popular online retailer joined forces with two New Hampshire-based firms: PROCON of Manchester, the designer and construction manager, and the Monahan Companies based in Nashua. Monahan Companies is the project developer of Garrison Glen Corporate Park where the new 106,600-square-foot manufacturing and distribution warehouse is currently under construction.

Festivities included celebratory speeches by attending dignitaries including New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan who opened by congratulating the company on its new headquarters. This is exciting for GourmetGiftBaskets.com, for Exeter and for the State of New Hampshire. It provides good paying, high quality jobs for our people and it spurs on the economy in New Hampshire, so we all benefit. I want to support the blood, sweat and tears that have gotten you here. This company shows that anyone can come here, roll up their sleeves, work hard and see a great final product.

GourmetGiftBaskets.com has occupied several New Hampshire locales over the past decade with the most recent in Kingston, where they have been since 2012. When it came to seeking a new location, the company wanted to keep its feet firmly planted in the Granite State. After years of searching, company leaders chose Exeter for the construction of their new home base.

As it happens, GourmetGiftBaskets.com approached Monahan Companies Owner Tom Monahan over a year ago about development on his Garrison Glen lot. Both companies mutually agreed to a deal, and negotiations with the Town of Exeter began for a summer 2016 start.

Exeter officials welcomed GourmetGiftBaskets.com with enthusiasm calling the company a good fit for their community, and an ideal attraction as part of the towns economic development initiatives. GourmetGiftBaskets.com Chief Operations Officer Jeff Abood remarked, The support in the community, the agencies involved, and the Town of Exeter have all been astonishing. Everyone involved has wanted this project to be a success, and it has proven to be just that. Exeter has welcomed us, and we are grateful to be here!

Tom Monahan shares this overall enthusiasm stating, "We are very excited to welcome GourmetGiftBaskets.com as our newest corporate resident at Garrison Glen. We have developed a wonderful working relationship with the Abood family and are looking forward to watching their company grow and succeed here. Garrison Glen Corporate Park is a 200-acre growing industrial/corporate development located off exit 9 of NH 101.

Tom added, The ideally located park is also home to companies such as F.W. Webb, Cobham and North American Power. It is my hope that other businesses will see that Exeter and Garrison Glen are open for business."

Jeff Abood, along with his brother, Founder and CEO, Ryan Abood, come from a family of serial entrepreneurs, including their parents, David and Trudy, who have owned and operated several New Hampshire businesses over the years. The two brothers grew up working in those establishments. One of them was Chalifours Flower Shop in Manchester, NH, and it was in the basement of the family florist that the two brothers and their mother, Vice President Trudy Abood, began making gift baskets. The success of the customized baskets led them to realize the enormous potential of providing handmade, high-quality gift baskets on a larger scale.

In 2002, Ryan launched the idea as a separate business and GourmetGiftBaskets.com was born. In the last 14 years, the company has built its reputation on the quality, beauty, and diversity of its offerings, along with service that includes same-day delivery of some gift baskets.

Still privately owned and family-run, GourmetGiftBaskets.com has grown into a recognizable name in the national online gift-giving market, as sales have exploded nationwide. The online retailer has placed multiple times on the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list, and is currently ranked at #238 as One of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies in the U.S. Such exponential growth made the eventual move to a larger facility a necessity.

The deal is even sweeter for Jeff Abood because of GourmetGiftBaskets.coms long association with PROCON that finally materialized into a project. Our relationship with PROCON has been nothing short of amazing. I have worked with their Director of Business Development Paul Roy on several projects in the past and his company always works to create the best building for us. Paul and I share an extra special excitement that this particular project has come to fruition after several attempts in the past. I know that PROCON will deliver a great building, because they have a proven track record that holds true to that.

Jeff was quick to add, A particular game-changer moment for me on this project was that PROCON, Monahan Companies, and the Town of Exeter truly believed in GourmetGiftBaskets.com and its team. Everyone worked so hard from the beginning and between PROCON, Monahans team and GourmetGiftBaskets.com  its a perfect all-star team where the best-of-the-best have partnered up!

The new GourmetGiftBaskets.com headquarters, hi-bay manufacturing/warehousing and distribution facility is comprised of offices, assembly lines, 14 dock doors for shipping/receiving, extensive storage and will also be home to GourmetGiftBaskets.coms sister companies, KingOfPOP.com, Cheesecake.com, and Strawberries.com.

The site also includes a 99-car parking lot and a loading dock on the north side of the building, with connections to the towns water and sewer. Current work includes installation of the exterior metal wall panels and roofing, with an expected project completion in the winter of 2017.

GourmetGiftBaskets.com was founded with family values and the desire to provide exceptional gifts for all of lifes special occasions. What began with two family members in the basement of a flower shop has exploded into a multi-million-dollar company recognized multiple times by Inc. 500, Internet Retailer, Enterprise Bank, and more, while still remaining true to its core values of exceptional gourmet ingredients handcrafted with care. The company has built its reputation on the quality, beauty, and diversity of its offerings along with service that includes same-day delivery of some gift baskets.

PROCON is a single-source, design-build firm specializing in industrial, aviation, commercial, institutional, hospitality, senior living, mixed-use, and multi-family residential projects throughout the Northeast. As a third-generation company celebrating 81 years of business, PROCON is built on long-term partnerships and a steadfast commitment to client success. Its one-stop shopping approach to architecture, engineering and construction management means that every solution is just down the hall.
T.E.A.C.H. scholarship recipient Elaine Rixe. This is the best gift Ive ever received. I have to stop and say, Thank you.'

The Utah Association for the Education of Young Children (UAEYC) has launched a new scholarship project called T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Utah, which is making its debut with Salt Lake Community College.

This fall we will begin funding scholarships for 30 early childhood teachers and directors of early childcare centers to support them in earning an associates degree, said UAEYC T.E.A.C.H. counselor Katie Roberts. We are excited to be partnered with Salt Lake Community College for this first cohort of students.

Utah is the most recent state to be licensed through T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood, a national evidence based model that has been implemented in 23 states across the country. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Utah pays for tuition, books, a travel stipend and paid released time from work to attend classes and to study.

I was completely shocked and surprised, said scholarship recipient and preschool teacher Eliane Rixe. She thought because of her age, 50, that she didnt stand a chance of getting the scholarship she learned about in an email. She applied, won the scholarship along with other SLCC students in the first cohort, and will now be attending SLCC at the same time as the youngest of her three sons. This is the best gift Ive ever received. I have to stop and say, Thank you.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood also guarantees the recipient an increase in wages for every 9-12 credits of higher education completed. The goal of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood program is to improve early childhood classroom quality and child outcomes by increasing the level of education of early childhood teachers and their wages.

The T.E.A.C.H. Program will be a game-changer for the early childhood profession in our state of Utah, said Sally Schramm, SLCC Family and Human Studies associate professor. Having our early childhood teachers enroll in college courses and ultimately receive a degree will raise the bar for quality in all of our early childhood settings. The teachers of our youngest children in Utah will benefit from understanding theoretical and historical perspectives of education, which adds to their current knowledge as practitioners. Ultimately, this new scholarship program is a win for all people who care about young children, especially for all of the children and parents in our state.

A 2016 study by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment reports that approximately 50% of 300,000 children under age five live in families where all available parents work, but access to high quality childcare is limited. Part of the problem, according to the study, is that most childcare teachers lack specialized education, and that the average wage for childcare teachers is $9.47 an hour. Low levels of teacher education and wages, the report finds, result in poor quality classrooms for children, early childhood teachers that live in poverty and high rates of teacher turnover.

The UAEYCs launch of T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood in Utah is also in collaboration with the Utah Office of Child Care, the Utah Bureau of Child Development, Utah Department of Health and the Children's Center. The funds to provide the scholarships have been made possible by donations and grants from public and private resources.

Salt Lake Community College is an accredited, student-focused, comprehensive community college meeting the diverse needs of the Salt Lake community. Home to more than 61,000 students each year, the College is Utahs leading provider of workforce development programs. SLCC is also the largest supplier of transfer students to Utahs four-year institutions and a perennial Top 10 college nationally for total associate degrees awarded. The College is the sole provider of applied technology courses in the Salt Lake area, with multiple locations, an eCampus, and nearly 1,000 continuing education sites located throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Personal attention from an excellent faculty is paramount at the College, which maintains an average class size of 20.
August 31, 2016  Its the last chance to see the exotic animals of Madagascar right here in the Lowcountry. The South Carolina Aquarium Madagascar Journey exhibit will close to the public on September 6, 2016 after a four-year run. There are only a few days left to see critically endangered red ruffed lemurs and spider tortoises, as well as a Nile crocodile, geckos, a panther chameleon and all their friends that call the island of Madagascar home.

From now until Labor Day, visitors can become immersed in this distant land and explore four unique habitats found in the worlds most biodiverse island. As guests enter Madagascar Journey, they will feel as if they have arrived in the city center, where vendors sell vanilla and other local produce. A Travel Stand offers special Madagascar passports so visitors can head out on an eco-tour starting in the spiny forest. Guests will pass through three more habitats featuring an array of endemic species such as the panther chameleon, mantella frog, northern spider tortoise, giant hognose snake and of course, two red ruffed lemurs. Additionally, the exhibit features an interactive baobab tree, a life-size safari Jeep and Mini-gascar, a toddler play area. Guests will walk away feeling they have traveled to the island and back in a day!

Madagascar Journey is closing to make way for a state-of-the-art exhibit that will focus on endangered and threatened sea turtles. Slated to open spring 2017, Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery will serve as a living, interactive learning landscape. It will present the remarkable journey from rescue, to rehabilitation, to release that each of our patients experiences, establishing the Aquarium as a powerful educational presenter of sea turtle conservation on the East Coast.

For more information, visit scaquarium.org or call (843) 577-FISH (3474).

Fast Facts:



Madagascar Journey closes to the public Sept. 6, 2016.

The temporary exhibit has been at the Aquarium for four years.

Guests have from now until Labor Day to see red ruffed lemurs, tortoises, a crocodile, geckos, a chameleon and more.

Madagascar Journey is closing to make way for Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery.

For more information, visit scaquarium.org or call (843) 577-FISH (3474).

For all media inquiries, please contact Kate Dittloff at (843) 579-8660 or kdittloff(at)scaquarium(dot)org.

About the South Carolina Aquarium:

The South Carolina Aquarium features thousands of amazing aquatic animals from river otters and sharks to loggerhead turtles in more than 60 exhibits representing the rich biodiversity of South Carolina from the mountains to the sea. Dedicated to promoting education and conservation, the Aquarium also presents fabulous views of the Charleston Harbor and interactive exhibits and programs for visitors of all ages.

The South Carolina Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last ticket sold at 4 p.m.) The Aquarium is closed Thanksgiving Day, half day Dec. 24 (open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Dec. 25. Admission prices are: Toddlers (2 and under) free; Youth (3-12) $17.95; Adults (13+) $24.95. The Aquarium plus the 4-D Theater experience is free for Toddlers, $22.95 for Children, $29.95 for Adults. The 4-D Theater experience only is $6.95 for Children and Adults and free for Members. For more information, call (843) 577-FISH (3474) or visit scaquarium.org.

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The Brotherhood is neither a protest movement nor a political party, though it has occasionally behaved like both. It is first and foremost a vanguarda rigidly hierarchical organization that seeks to transform Egyptian society, the Egyptian state, and ultimately the world according to its highly politicized interpretation of Islam. Specifically, it seeks to promote its interpretation of Islam as an all-embracing concept within the society, achieve sufficient support so that it can establish an Islamic state in Egypt, and use this Islamic state as a foothold for establishing a global Islamic state, or neocaliphate. Arab Fall

How did Egypts Muslim Brotherhood win power so quickly after the dramatic Arab Spring uprising that ended President Hosni Mubaraks thirty-year reign in February 2011? And why did the Brotherhood fall from power even more quickly, culminating with the popular rebellion and military coup that toppled Egypts first elected president, Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi, in July 2013? In Arab Fall, Eric Trager examines the Brotherhoods decision making throughout this critical period, explaining its reasons for joining the 2011 uprising, running for a majority of the seats in the 2011-2012 parliamentary elections, and nominating a presidential candidate despite its initial promise not to do so. Based on extensive research in Egypt and interviews with dozens of Brotherhood leaders and cadres including Morsi, Trager argues that the very organizational characteristics that helped the Brotherhood win power also contributed to its rapid downfall. The Brotherhoods intensive process for recruiting members and its rigid nationwide command-chain meant that it possessed unparalleled mobilizing capabilities for winning the first post-Mubarak parliamentary and presidential elections.

Yet the Brotherhoods hierarchical organizational culture, in which dissenters are banished and critics are viewed as enemies of Islam, bred exclusivism. This alienated many Egyptians, including many within Egypts state institutions. The Brotherhoods insularity also prevented its leaders from recognizing how quickly the country was slipping from their grasp, leaving hundreds of thousands of Muslim Brothers entirely unprepared for the brutal crackdown that followed Morsis overthrow. Trager concludes with an assessment of the current state of Egyptian politics and examines the Brotherhoods prospects for reemerging.

Eric Trager is the Esther K. Wagner Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where his research focuses on Egyptian politics. His writings have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and elsewhere.

PUBLICATION DATE: October 20, 2016, 296 pages

ISBN 9781626163621, paperback $32.95

PUBLICITY CONTACT: Jackie Beilhart, (202) 687-9298, jb594(at)georgetown(dot)edu
Wayne Homes celebrated the grand re-opening of the Gettysburg model at the companys Portage Model Home Center this past weekend. The home was redesigned and redecorated to feature current popular design trends for new custom homes.

At the grand re-opening event, visitors toured the remodeled Gettysburg to view its new features.

Were thrilled to be able to show our prospects a beautiful single level floor plan like the Gettysburg, Sales Manager Greg Brown said. We have the best of both worlds here at the Portage model center  a fabulous 2-story Winchester model and now the Gettysburg. Theres something for everyone to see.

The three-bedroom, two-bath, ranch-style Gettysburg shows an open design with a diagonally-oriented kitchen. The kitchen features a new backsplash, quartz countertops, farmhouse-style sink, maple Aristokraft cabinets and Tuscan bronze fixtures and faucets.

The home also has luxury vinyl flooring throughout the main living area, and an antique-inspired, over-grouted Stackstone fireplace with a barn beam mantle in the great room. The foyer has been redesigned, as well as the master bath and laundry rooms.

The Gettysburg has always been one of our most popular floor plans, Maurie Jones, Vice President of Marketing, said. Our design team from Mandil, Inc. has done a wonderful job of finishing this home in the style our prospects will love.

At the event, guests also had the opportunity to win many prizes, including a Browns themed gift basket, a fall themed basket, and Target and Home Depot gift cards.

The Browns basket was raffled off and won by Tiffany Hubbard. Dolly Smrcina went home with the fall themed gift basket courtesy of Home Savings.

Visitors could also check into the re-opening event on Facebook or post a photo of their favorite feature for a chance to win the gift cards. Steve Schroeder won a $50 Target gift card for checking into the event on Facebook, and Tiffany Woodall Hubbard won a $50 Home Depot gift card for sharing a photo of her favorite feature from the remodel.

For more information about Wayne Homes and the Gettysburg model at Portage, visit WayneHomes.com.

About Wayne Homes

Wayne Homes is a custom home builder in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia (see all Model Home Centers). We offer 40 fully customizable floor plans and a team dedicated to providing the best experience in the home building industry. For more information, Ask Julie by Live Chat or call us at (866) 253-6807.
BoardEffect, the leading board management software solution for mission-based organizations worldwide, today released its Integration Panel, the first of its kind in the board portal industry. With this ground-breaking innovation, BoardEffect enables easy integration of its board portal with any solution supporting the work of governing bodies.

High-performing boards increasingly seek to leverage their board portal platforms in concert with other mission-critical solutions. said Todd Gibby, CEO of BoardEffect. BoardEffect specializes in solving the specific and pressing problems inherent in board-related work, but also recognizes the need to support our clients diverse business needs. The BoardEffect Integration Panel achieves that objective by ensuring that BoardEffect works very well with other systems. It also continues to reinforce our guiding principle of making BoardEffect super simple to use.

"The Integration Panel is extraordinarily intuitive, enabling point-and-click integrations of BoardEffect with a wide range of systems. Single Sign-On integrations allow IT teams to leverage their current methods of user management for simplified control over user accounts and access. The Panel also paves the way for many exciting pre-built integrations with commonly used software solutions. Finally, comprehensive well-documented Application Program Interfaces (APIs) offer unprecedented access for customers requiring very specific workflows," said Michael Scappa, CTO at BoardEffect.

Contact us today to learn more about BoardEffect and the new Integration Panel.

More than 120,000 users representing over 2,500 Boards depend on BoardEffect to manage board related information online and advance the work of their boards. To learn more about BoardEffect or to schedule a demo, please visit http://www.boardeffect.com.

About BoardEffect:

BoardEffect board management software drives efficiency, effectiveness and engagement among board directors, executives and administrators, ultimately elevating organizational performance. The functionality and workflows of BoardEffect have been designed to support boards as they manage the responsibilities inherent within the demanding, interdependent, and mission critical board cycles. Board executives and administrators easily streamline the creation, review, approval and dissemination of important board materials.

Board members access their critical information via iOS, Android, or any browser-supported device in a secure environment which protects sensitive board information through our 5 Tier Security program using a state of the art dedicated SOCII infrastructure.

For more information, please visit: http://www.boardeffect.com/

Media Contact:

Christine Tanabe

BoardEffect, Inc.

ctanabe(at)boardeffect(dot)com
Consularcare provides advice and support to P J Hayman Travel Plus policyholders For the first time, Consularcare is enabling insurers to offer 24-hour consular cover to business and leisure travellers in 198 countries

UK-based Consularcare, a pioneering provider of global consular assistance, has announced another partnership to provide consular assistance services through a leading insurer. The announcement sees Consularcares ConsularAssist solution included in P J Hayman s revamped Travel Plus scheme.

Founded in 1990, P J Hayman works closely with insurance underwriters and service providers to create specific solutions to meet client needs. Adding consular assistance to those solutions provides customers with added value, and immeasurable peace of mind in the event of an incident abroad.

Mike Jones, Consularcare co-founder and Commercial Director, says, We are delighted that P J Hayman has recognised the benefits ConsularAssist brings to its policyholders and to those marketing its products. It is a unique solution, and the most appropriate new provision in the insurance market for many years. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is under no obligation to provide consular assistance and in 2014-15, it received over 400,000 consular enquiries but provided personal assistance in just 17,058 cases. Consularcare will bridge the gap between the limited consular support available to travellers, and what they may need in an uncertain and ever-changing global environment.

Peter Hayman commented: We decided to include this in our main Travel Plus product which targets the Brokers and mid to High Net Worth customers. In a market that is so often driven by price, our philosophy is to provide the best range of covers and services wherever we can. Consularcare fits this belief. We will be looking to add it to other suitable products.

Mike Jones sums up, Travellers may only need consular assistance for something as simple as a lost passport, but there are many more complex and serious scenarios happening every day, such as immigration arrests, victims of crime, acts of terrorism or deaths abroad. It is a testament to the times we live in, that ensuring we have access to dedicated consular assistance is as much of a travel necessity now, as buying cover for medical expenses. For the first time, Consularcare is enabling insurers to offer 24-hour consular cover to business and leisure travellers in 198 countries.

For more information about Consularcare and its solutions visit: http://consularcare.com/
Thank you! This award is an honor to receive again this year! It is a humble reminder of the trust and confidence my clients place in me.

David Weidmayer, CFP, Weidmayer Wealth Solutions, LLC is featured in a special section of the October issue of Indianapolis Monthly as a 2016 Five Star Wealth Manager award winner.

Five Star Professional partnered with Indianapolis Monthly to identify and showcase an exclusive group of wealth managers who have demonstrated excellence in their field.

Thank you! This award is an honor to receive again this year! It is a humble reminder of the trust and confidence my clients place in me. Many of my clients have now been with me for over 2 decades, and in many cases have referred me to their children and grandchildren. said David Weidmayer, CFP of Weidmayer Wealth Solutions, LLC.

The 2016 Five Star Wealth Manager award winners have been carefully selected for their commitment to providing quality services to their clients. The award is based on an in-depth research process incorporating peer and firm feedback with objective criteria such as client retention rates, client assets administered, industry experience and regulatory and complaint history.

I got into the financial planning profession because I saw a great need to educate individuals about planning, investing, and saving for retirement. It can be intimidating so many families put it off and consequently are at a disadvantage when entering retirement. Retirement planning begins when your first job starts and is a continuous process that continues through working years. said David Weidmayer, CFP of Weidmayer Wealth Solutions, LLC.

The Five Star Wealth Manager award, administered by Crescendo Business Services, LLC (dba Five Star Professional), is based on 10 objective criteria: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Active as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through Five Star Professionals consumer complaint process*); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients; 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations.

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or awarded. Once awarded, wealth managers may purchase additional profile ad space or promotional products. The award methodology does not evaluate the quality of services provided and is not indicative of the winners future performance. 1,083 Indianapolis wealth managers were considered for the award; 332 (31 percent of candidates) were named Five Star Wealth Managers.

*To qualify as having a favorable regulatory and complaint history, the person cannot have: 1. been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a suspended or revoked license, or payment of a fine, 2. had more than three customer complaints filed against them (settled or pending) with any regulatory authority or Five Star Professionals consumer complaint process, 3. individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint filed with a regulatory authority, 4. filed for bankruptcy, or 5. been convicted of a felony.

For research methodology information visit http://www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Based on our evaluation, the wealth managers we recognize are committed to pursuing professional excellence and have a deep knowledge of their industry. They strive to provide exemplary care to the people they serve, stated Dan Zdon, CEO, Five Star Professional.

About David Weidmayer

*Education:

Bachelor's, Michigan State University

Executive Education on Leadership, Wharton

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional

*Independence:

At Weidmayer Wealth Solutions, we entirely believe in the power of individual choice. After all, it was that same power that founded our firm! When you go to a financial professional with a famous Wall Street name, you don't necessarily get that choice. Although many big-name firms offer quality investment products, the ones that a financial professional can offer may be chosen by people who don't know you. These firms also may impose sales quotas on the financial professional helping you. In other words, your investment choices may be limited choices, and there may be hidden agendas. We don't think that's the right way to do business.

Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser.

9850 Westpoint Drive, Suite 550 | Indianapolis, IN 46256 317 579-9400
Haiti Open Magazine Fall 2016 Top 10 Hotels in Haiti ...the top 10 hotels and resorts in Haiti include the Royal Decameron Indigo Beach Resort & Spa, Moulin Sur Mer, Karibe Hotel, and the Kinam Hotel.

Most travelers love the idea of a Caribbean vacation loaded with beautiful beaches, hotels and resorts, surrounded by interesting culture and amazing culinary and other recreational opportunities. In this respect, one country truly shines in 2016: Haiti. HAITI OPEN Magazine recently celebrated Haiti's exceptional qualities as a vacation spot with the release of its 2016 special Hotel Review edition, which features an informative look at the Top 10 Best Hotels and Resorts in Haiti, based on TripAdvisor ratings. It also explores things to do in Haiti, from dining at the islands divine restaurants, to other activities that one can enjoy on an unforgettable vacation in Haiti.

Haiti has come into her own as a travel destination with all the luxury one would expect when coming to the Caribbean, commented a local expert on Haitian tourism. The big difference is how much more affordable Haiti can be than other options, as well as the unique opportunity it offers to enjoy the culture. It's a wonderful experience, and HAITI OPEN Magazine is doing a great service with their 2016 [Haiti Hotel Review. It really allows the curious to see what Haiti offers.

According to HAITI OPEN and TripAdvisor, the top to hotels and resorts in Haiti include the Royal Decameron Indigo Beach Resort, Marriott PAP, Abaka Bay Resort, Moulin Sur Mer, Servotel, Karibe Hotel, and the Kinam Hotel. HAITI OPEN reviews these excellent choices, plus a handful of others, with a careful and inquiring eye in an effort to deliver maximum value to readers. For each Top 10 Best Hotels and Resorts in Haiti listed, the magazine's writers detail and rate the location, check the reviews, describe the amenities at the hotel or resort, rate its convenience, and explore the quality of their accommodations. The list reveals that Haiti is taking its role as a travel destination seriously, and that its Top 10 Hotels and Resorts are luxurious, safe, and offer an unmatched and authentic Caribbean adventure.

Beyond the hotels and resorts, the special edition digs deeper into a vacation experience in Haiti through articles that offer advice on how to best enjoy the country when on vacation; review some of the best Haitian restaurants; highlight some of the more interesting recreational activities; and even suggest how to plan a Destination Wedding in Haiti.

Feedback from recent guests to the country continue to be overwhelmingly positive.

With the help of Haiti Open Magazine, my boyfriend and I went to Haiti for a full ten days, Michelle S., from Boston, recently wrote. We really loved it in so many ways, and we're not new to traveling, resorts or the Caribbean. We stayed at the Royal Decameron Indigo Beach Resort, which exceeded our expectations, and we were surprised to see there were many places for us to enjoy our yoga practice in between the beautiful beaches and wonderful restaurants. We will be returning this year and again using Haiti Open to help us plan our trip.

To see the complete list of the TOP 10 HOTELS visit:

http://haitiopen.com/top-10-hotels-in-haiti/

View the digital version of the magazine here:

HaitiOpen.com/recent-issues
Team Photo: Hyde Park Venture Partners Hyde Park Venture Partners Closes $65M Fund to Fuel High Tech Growth across the Midwest

Hyde Park Venture Partners (HPVP) today announced the successful close of its second venture fund. The early stage venture capital firm closed $65 million in funding, exceeding its fundraising goal of $60M.

Founded in 2011, the Chicago-based venture firm is nearing its 5th anniversary of partnering with the Midwest's most talented tech entrepreneurs. With its debut fund of $25M, HPVP invested in several emerging technology leaders including Base CRM, G2 Crowd, Geofeedia, FourKites, FarmLogs, and Zipnosis.

The notable progress of HPVPs first fund has demonstrated surging momentum and acceleration. In the last year alone, seven of the firms portfolio companies have raised follow-on financing rounds accumulating over $160M of raised capital.

The team is prepared to capitalize on the explosion of startup activity in the Midwest with its second fund by scaling its investment and platform capacity. In March 2015, HPVP welcomed Tim Kopp, the former CMO of ExactTarget, as its third partner. In conjunction with Kopp joining the partnership, HPVP opened its second office in Indianapolis. In June, 2016, Jackie DiMonte joined Hyde Park Venture Partners to round out the investment team of Guy Turner, Ira Weiss, Tim Kopp, and Greg Barnes.

Through HPVP's emphasis on go-to market strategy and talent development, the HPVP team is committed to accelerating high tech growth across the Midwest. Godard Abel, a serial entrepreneur who co-founded G2 Crowd and has navigated exits of his previous companies to Salesforce and Oracle said, I love what the Hyde Park team is doing to fill the fundraising gap in the Midwest, and Im excited about the deep go-to market experience they bring to their portfolio companies.



About Hyde Park Venture Partners:



Hyde Park Venture Partners (HPVP) is an early stage venture capital firm focused on software startups in the Midwest. With offices in Chicago and Indianapolis  and a network of advisors throughout the region  HPVP invests in proven startups who have incredible founding teams and fast growth. Their sweetspot is investing in B2B software and consumer marketplace startups raising their first or second round of capital. They are also recognized for having one of the most robust seed investment programs in the US.
Sake2Me We are very excited to open and are featuring a new menu. Our goal is to be a part of the Temple Terrace community for years to come. Past News Releases RSS

Stephen Lee, owner of Sake2Me, recently announced the Asian fusion restaurant and bars re-opening and an event on September 2 and 3 from 5pm-7pm to welcome new patrons. We are very excited to open and are featuring a new menu, said Lee, the restaurants new owner. Our goal is to be a part of the Temple Terrace community for years to come.

Sake2Me specializes in Asian fusion cuisine that will satisfy all palates. It is also a full-service bar. Signature menu items include edamame, chicken fried rice, spicy pork, seaweed salad, miso ramen, Korean steak burrito, California roll, and much more.

The restaurant is located near the University of South Florida and caters to students, as well as professionals and families. Before opening Sake2Me in Temple Terrace, Lee ran a restaurant in Charlottesville, VA, that serviced University of Virginia students. I learned so much from these amazing people, including how to listen to customer desires, said Lee.

Lee now enthusiastically brings the experience and knowledge gained from his previous endeavors to Temple Terrace. My goal is to implement Asian fusion, such as sushi, Japanese ramen and hibachi, that will appeal to all diners, Lee concluded.

About Sake2Me

Sake2Me is an Asian fusion restaurant and full-service bar. For more information, call (813) 983-9000. Sake2Me is located at 11401 N 56th Street, Temple Terrace, Florida 33617.

About the NALA

The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALAs mission is to promote a business relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361.
TSN's newly revamped website showcases the companys growing TSN Team and portfolio of services. Our companys strengths are the fusion of communications professionals who bring a variety of skills to our team, and the process in which we deliver results to our clients.

TSN Communications, a virtual marketing and communications firm, launched its redesigned website. The newly revamped website showcases the companys growing TSN Team and portfolio of services.

Our companys strengths are the fusion of communications professionals who bring a variety of skills to our team, and the process in which we deliver results to our clients, said Greg Zilberfarb, president and CEO. That is why we have launched our new website  to emphasize these features that make TSN Communications successful.

Zilberfarb founded TSN Communications in 1997, and has grown the virtual company to 18 employees spread across the United States. Along with the increase in staff, the company has expanded its portfolio. Once specializing in trade show events only, the company now offers a full range of public relations, marketing and communications services to its clients.

The updated website explains the companys offerings in a refreshing design that visitors will find easy to navigate. Content, such as Blips written by Zilberfarb and other TSN Team members, will be updated to keep the site informative and interactive. Visitors are encouraged to explore the website, connect with TSN Team members, and sign up for the companys newsletter.

The new website is powered by MyCloudHosts.

About TSN Communications: TSN Communications is a client-focused company specializing in marketing and communications solutions to companies, non-profits and government agencies. The company helps clients gain market share and visibility through custom programs in public relations, market research, education and outreach, event planning, technology deployment, online training, Internet television and more. A division of Virginia-based the Sales NetWork, TSN Communications has locations across the United States. To learn how TSN Communications can Grow Your Business, visit TSNcommunications.com.

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WipeRecord This move is a result of consistent and rapid growth that WipeRecord has experienced over the last year, which has necessitated a larger office and additional resources to service an abundance of new clients.

WipeRecord, a division of Eastman Meyler, PC (WipeRecord) has moved to a new location in Austin, TX with over 4,000 square feet of office space. "This move is a result of consistent and rapid growth that WipeRecord has experienced over the last year, which has necessitated a larger office and additional resources to service an abundance of new clients," said Sam Eastman, partner at Eastman Meyler, PC.

The new office space is located on East Riverside Drive and will be the home to WipeRecord for the foreseeable future.

WipeRecord has been expanding its services in current and new states over the last year to keep up with the ever growing demand of clients seeking to expunge or seal their criminal record. The company currently offers expungement services in the following states: California, Texas, Oregon, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington and Illinois. WipeRecord has plans to expand into other states soon, including New Jersey, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana and Georgia.

Recently, new and progressive state laws are paving the way for easier and faster criminal record expungement (this also includes sealing a criminal record in many instances). According to Eastman, So many states have expanded their expungement laws as of late and we have been getting inquiries from more and more potential clients as awareness grows. We need to increase our own headcount to keep up with the demand. Most states have strict expungement laws but more and more are coming around to expanding their laws, as it appears they want more of their citizens in light of the anti-recidivism movement. When someone successfully expunges or seals their criminal record, there is an immediate and positive impact on their employment and housing opportunities."

In addition to WipeRecord's core focus of criminal record expungement, there is also a strong uptick in demand to restore firearm rights for ex-felons. This service has been increasing in popularity and one of the many reasons for WipeRecords expansion to a larger office. Many states have very progressive laws when it comes to restoring firearm rights after a criminal record is expunged, said Eastman.

About WipeRecord:

WipeRecord is the nations leading expungement firm and has over 60 years combined experience with expungements and restoring firearm rights.

Disclaimer:

The content on this release is for informational purposes only. Nothing should be construed as legal advice and you should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content herein without seeking appropriate legal advice. Nothing herein shall establish an attorney-client relationship, including, but not limited to, the submission of any information and/or taking an eligibility test. Each case is different and one clients prior results do not guarantee the success of other or future clients. Hiring an attorney is an important decision that you should not make based solely on advertising or on self-proclaimed expertise. Rather, you should make your own independent evaluation of any lawyer who you are thinking about hiring.
If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity.

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APS Fellow Kevin M. McConkey, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of New South Wales, Australia, recently was awarded the title of Member of the Order of Australia.

The Order of Australia acknowledges people who provide outstanding community service and whose achievements enhance national identity, said Angus Houston, chairman of the council of the Order of Australia.

McConkey, who was added to the general division of the Order, received his PhD in psychology from The University of Queensland, Australia, and graduated from the advanced management program at the Harvard Business School. He is an honorary fellow and former president of the Australian Psychological Society as well as a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. In his role as a psychological scientist, McConkey has consulted for a range of organizations, including the Australian police forces.
The American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference held in Nashville, Tenn. from August 25-28 saw optimism from publishers, writers, and agents. In recent years, sales of Christian fiction have dropped and publishers have trimmed their fiction lines, yet the feeling at ACFW was generally hopeful and excited.

On our end its not doom and gloom in the industry; we are hearing excitement from authors and publishing professionals, said Karli Jackson, associate acquisitions editor with Harper Collins Christian Publishing. Authors seem energized and excited rather than intimidated by what theyre hearing.

ACFW saw nearly 580 in attendance, up from last year, according to Cynthia Ruchti, professional relations liaison for ACFW. Bestselling author Ted Dekker was the keynote speaker for the three-day conference.

Much of the event is dedicated to one-on-one meetings between editors and prospective authors where books can be pitched and deals struck, but this year the attending authors seemed particularly focused on honing their craft in the various workshops.

Inspirational authors Cara Putman and Deborah Raney collaborated to teach a beginners class, as did former Thomas Nelson publisher Allen Arnold. Erin Healy, author and former editor of keynote speaker Dekker, structured her workshop around thinking like an editor. Bestselling indie author Hallee Bridgeman instructed new authors on how to self-publish. James Rubart, who would go on to win the Carol Award for Speculative Fiction and Mentor of the Year, explored techniques he uses to remain innovative.

In line with the larger focus on craft, Dekker delivered two well-received speeches where he considered what he called his unfair advantageusing the practice of writing in order to discover himself. Write in a way that will change your actual life, he encouraged. The primary purpose for my writing is my own transformation. Rubart and Dekker encapsulated the main thrust of this years conference: embrace innovation.

ACFW and our authors are uniquely hope-filled in a publishing climate that isnt always hope-filled, Ruchti said. Writing is such a solitary business. People come here to connect and learn about what is happening. There is only so much social media can do to make you feel connected.

Chip MacGregor, agent with MacGregor Literary, has been at every ACFW since its beginning back in 2000. Publishing professionals are a little guarded on the one hand, but on the other hand, Harlequin continues to grow its Love Inspired line and Gilead Publishing is starting up, he said. Everyone was rejoicing about that.

At its Awards Gala, ACFW honored Janette Oke with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Jessica Kirkland of the Blythe Daniel Agency was named Agent of the Year and Stephanie Broene of Tyndale House Publishers was named Editor of the Year. Next year's conference is in Dallas, Sept. 21-24.

ACFW sponsors the Carol Awards, given to books published the previous year. This years winners:

Contemporary: The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert (WaterBrook Multnomah/Random House)

Historical: Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke (Tyndale)

Historical Romance: A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer (Bethany House/Baker)

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller: The Aleppo Code by Terry Brennan (Kregel Publications)

Novella: A Bride for Bear from The Convenient Bride Collection by Erica Vetsch (Barbour Publishing)

Romance: Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Beth Vogt (Howard/Simon & Schuster)

Romantic Suspense: No Place to Hide by Lynette Eason (Revell/Baker)

Short Novel: Covert Justice by Lynn Huggins Blackburn (Love Inspired/Harlequin)

Speculative: The Five Times I Met Myself by James L. Rubart (HarperCollins Christian Publishing)

Young Adult: Dauntless by Dina L. Sleiman (Bethany House/Baker)

Debut Novel: The Calling of Ella McFarland by Linda Brooks Davis (Mountainview Books LLC)
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.
CALDCs Halloween Celebration A Real Treat! The Central Astoria LDCs 7th annual Batty Over Halloween Celebration held on Sunday, October 23rd was a real treat for everyone who came out. Despite...

Meng Brings NASA Astronaut To Queens On October 17, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) brought NASA astronaut Dr. Jonny Kim to Queens where he met and spoke with students at Francis...

Celebrating Columbus The Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Queens (FIAO) held their annual Columbus Day parade in Astoria, on Saturday, October 8, during Italian Heritage Month. The...
Rated 4.1 out of 5 by 19 reviewers.

Rated 5 out of 5 by Dianalee soft and beautiful Purchased this in the gunmetal. Gorgeous and surprisingly so very soft, almost like suede. Handles don't lie down completely flat, but not an issue for me. The color is a mix of warm and cooler tones of gunmetal, very striking. 07-03-15

Rated 1 out of 5 by huge QVC fan WAITED ... and should not have! I have had this bag in my QVC wish list for months waiting for an easy pay opportunity. I own three Kestenberg bags and I have also returned as many. The brand quality does not always match the price. And, this bag was NOT WORTH the wait. The leather had a scratch and tear on the front from the tag. That luggage tag is not trendy; I took it off immediately. I do like the three zippers very much, and still did after I received it. BUT the handles made the bag VERY UNCOMFORTABLE, and it fits ODD. The handles are to shallow for the width of the bag. It bends outward at the edges in an unflattering way. It is not good design -- good ideas, but the execution fell short. I really wanted an edgy blue bag quite badly. *Maybe* one more try with Kestenberg then done spending on this brand. Hoping for something new from the brand, and soon. 02-24-15

Rated 3 out of 5 by mrsshopper Nice Bag This is a very nice bag but you have to be too careful with it for me. The color on the leather taps on the front side of the purse rubs off easy. It is a great purse! Size is great. Color is good but you have to baby it far too much for me. 10-04-14

Rated 5 out of 5 by LL Shopper Love! I love this bag! The three compartments give you plenty of space with easy organization. 04-10-14

Rated 5 out of 5 by acplaza7 Great Purchase! I have been looking for a bag like this one for a long time....something that would carry everything I need for a day out either at work, or during my own time.....and I finally found it in this bag. Perfect to hold my Ipad, my kindle as well as my wallet, my aspirin, my cell phone, etc. I bought it in a caramel color trying to keep it neutral and I love this purchase. Truly a great purchase! Thank you QVC! 03-16-14

Rated 3 out of 5 by mtaylor snakeskin is not leather :( I loved the colors on the snakeskin bag during the presentation and it was advertised as leather. When I opened the package and touched the bag I was confused since it is clearly cloth. Even my mom loved the colors and size for traveling with it but I waited too long to return it since I was on the fence. It should have been leather for the price. Please do not advertise as same as leather 03-04-14

Rated 5 out of 5 by Blondee51 It's A Good One!! I picked up the black---I know we all have a black bag. I love the prymids down the front of the bag very rocker/chic. I also like the three zipper compartments. It is a good size bag but I am 5'10 so I works with my body type. The straps themselves are a little stiff right now, hoping in time they soften up a bit. I also like the lining its not a black pit. The leather truly puddles when you put it on the dining room table----so it's very soft, and lightweight. What you put in the bag will make it heavy, not the bag itself. The true deal breaker for me, is the outside zipper. Will not buy a handbag without it, for keys and work badges. Ms. Kestenberg I think you are a sweet, young woman look forward to more great items from you!! 02-15-14

Rated 4 out of 5 by Harleyd13206 Really nice leather! This bag is beautiful with great organization. You couldn't ask for more space. This is pebble leather but it's extremely soft and pliable. It's beautiful. My one negative is the thickness and weight of the straps. They should be longer also. They are much too thick. I imagine they were made to last the test of time but the thickness makes it hard to carry the purse on my shoulder. If the straps were half as thick, they would work better. I'm hoping over time they will soften up and stay put better. The strap issue is not enough to make me send it back though. 02-09-14

Rated 2 out of 5 by notion Nice But.... I really wanted to LOVE this bag. The 3 big zipper compartments are great. Studs down the front are super cool. I got the gunmetal. Looks like it would go with anything but I just cant deal with the smell. Smells really bad. Very strong chemical smell. I have let it air out for 10 days and it is just as stinky. I tired carrying it for one day but I just could deal with it. 2 stars for shape and function. 01-25-14

Rated 5 out of 5 by Love Accessories Beautiful Tote! I love this bag, ordered the caramel, but, I obviously received someone's return. You could tell the bag had been used, even came with an unwrapped candy in it. Really, people should check their bags more carefully before returning. There were also small black marks on the front detail. Never the less it is a gorgeous bag and I returned for a replacement. This time I hope I receive a brand new bag. The leather feels wonderful! 01-25-14

Rated 4 out of 5 by KITTYKITTY Gigantic but gorgeous This is huge, gigantic, overwhelmingly large. Way too big for me. It is gorgeous and very well made. Too bad I had to send it back. 01-25-14

Rated 3 out of 5 by Jcf Great bag except for straps This is a great bag- absolutely the best organization ever which allows you to carry a structured not slouchy looking tote that doesn't look huge yet has a lot of space. I ordered the gunmetal distressed which although "shiner" than I would have liked, I could live with that however I could NOT live with the rolled shoulder straps. I will NEVER understand why any purse that is to be carried mainly on your shoulder would have these type of straps- they are so uncomfortable and constantly fall off. Now I do have narrow shoulders but flat straps are so much more comfortable in general. This was deal breaker for me. When I saw the picture I knew it was rolled straps but because I liked the purse so much I was hoping that maybe they would lay flat where they drape over your shoulder. Too bad as it is hard to find a nice size bag with good organization that is not too heavy- and this one had all of those features. 01-22-14
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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A+E Networks UK has appointed Jessica Haagmans to the newly-created role of regional director, Benelux.





Haagmans will be A+E Networks first member of staff in the region and will be based in the companys new Benelux office in Amsterdam. She takes up her post at the end of September.Haagmans is charged with boosting the growth of A+Es portfolio of popular channels, further strengthening A+Es established relationships with its affiliate partners and media sales house in the region, as well as tapping into new commercial opportunities, with a special focus on digital platforms.We are delighted to welcome Jessica Haagmans as our first regional director for the Benelux, and her appointment marks a significant step in A+E Networks ambitions in the region, said Nicolas Eglau, COO at A+E Networks UK and GM for Nordics, the Benelux and CEEMEA. Im confident that with Jessicas leadership experience and digital knowledge, we can build on our success to become an even bigger player this market.The appointment follows a significant period of investment and growth for A+E Networks in the Benelux: in the past 12 months A+E has partnered with market leader RTL Nederlands as its advertising sales house; launched Crime + Investigation on KPN and Vodafone; and moved HISTORY into the basic package with Ziggo, KPN and Vodafone, increasing the channels reach to over 80% of Dutch homes.I am looking forward to working with the team at A+E Networks to build on the companys presence and reputation across the Benelux region, said Haagmans. With its portfolio of strong global brands, Im excited about the potential growth opportunities across all platforms, including digital, which will enable the company to meet its ambitions in the Benelux and across Europe.
An Australian and international co-production of childrens favourite Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs has been sold to broadcasters in the UK, Portugal, Sweden, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Africa.





The animated comedy adventure from Australias SLR Productions, and international partners Telegael, Super RTL, Network Nine, Top Draw Animation and ZDF Enterprises, will begin airing in the UK on POP, daily from Monday 5 September.I am excited for the UK premiere of Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs on POP, said executive producer and CEO of SLR Productions, Suzanne Ryan. The popular kids channel is the perfect home for this piro-dino comedic adventure series, as it brings to life the fantastic award-winning picture books by Giles Andreae and Russel Ayto. Having launched in Australia on Nines GO!, the series will soon premiere in other popular territories confirming the global appeal of pirates, dinosaurs and good ol- fashioned fun.ZDF Enterprises also has sold the series to Chinas JY Animation Inc, Vietnam Content JSC, MediaCorp in Singapore, Portugals Radiotelevisa o Portuguesa (RTP), SVT Sveriges Television AB in Sweden and CSC Media Group for Africa.The swashbuckling content follows the adventures of four children Flinn, Pearl, Tom and Violet who sail on a pirate ship to keep despicable pirate-dinosaur baddies from doing wrong across the Seven-and-a-half Seas.Telegael is delighted to partner once again with SLR Productions, Top Draw Animation and ZDF Enterprises to introduce Captain Flinn to children around the world, said Paul Cummins, executive producer and CEO of Telegael. As well as being broadcast in so many international languages, we are especially proud that the series is being broadcast in the Irish language by TG4.
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.
As the Middle East is redrawing its parameters, it may be possible to build on this shifting set of substantive, procedural and normative directions and give them concrete expression. This is the main challenge facing Palestinian and Israeli leaders; this is the ultimate wish of their peoples; this is the key to a new order in the region.
Large dams are major nation-building projects. They harness power to generate energy, provide water for large-scale irrigation and can help control flooding. And politicians often describe them as symbols of national power and technical prowess.

The early 20th century is known as the golden age of dam building in the United States. Between 1950 and 1979 over 40,000 dams were built across the country, mainly for hydropower and irrigation.

Today developing nations are investing heavily in large dam projects. Year over year, China creates more new hydropower capacity than the rest of the world combined. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is moving forward with plans for the US$100 billion Grand Inga Dam, which will span the Congo River and produce over 50,000 megawatts of power when complete. In Brazil, the newly constructed BeloMonte Dam will be the worlds fourth largest hydropower source when it becomes fully operational in 2019.

Ethiopia joined the ranks of large dam builders in 2011 when it launched construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, on the Blue Nile. The GERD will be the eighth largest dam in the world, measured by the capacity of its reservoir, and will create the second largest reservoir on the Nile.

The GERD is already reshaping political relationships between Ethiopia and its neighbors, Sudan and Egypt, and will have multigenerational impacts on the Nile and the people who depend on it. Ethiopias reluctance to engage in public review and critiques of operation and design plans, as well as Eygpts initial hyperbolic reaction to the project, make it hard to assess whether the GERD will have a positive or negative long-term impact in the region.

The power of the Nile

The GERD is located approximately 30 kilometers east of the border between Ethiopia and Sudan. It is currently 70 percent complete and is expected to enter operation in 2017.

Google Earth , Author provided

The GERD promises many benefits for Ethiopia. Today 74 percent of Ethiopians do not have access to electricity, and more than 95 percent rely on wood for cooking and heating.

The dam will have the capacity to generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity. For comparison, Hoover Dam in Nevada has a capacity of 2,080 megawatts. The World Bank estimates that Ethiopia can earn $1 billion a year exporting power from the GERD to neighboring countries.

Who controls the Nile?

The Nile is the primary water source for Ethiopias downstream neighbors, Sudan and Egypt. Construction of the GERD has strained relations with both countries, particularly Egypt.

The Blue Nile supplies approximately 60 percent of the water that reaches the Nile, the main water source for Eygpts 85 million people. Egypt is extremely water-poor: it has only 20 cubic meters per person of internal renewable freshwater resources, compared to 1,258 m per person in Ethiopia and 8,836 m per person in the United States.

The United Nations classifies nations as facing water stress when total annual water supply per person falls below 1,700 m. Countries that have less than 500 m per person per year are in absolute water scarcity. At this point they do not have enough to meet all national water demands for agricultural, industrial, domestic and environmental uses; in other words, they have a water deficit. Egypt suffers from chronic water scarcity today and is predicted to experience absolute scarcity by 2025.

Historically, international agreements have guaranteed Egypt a disproportionate share of the Niles waters, starting at 57 percent under the 1929 Nile Treaty and rising to 69 percent under an agreement between Egypt and Sudan in 1959. For most of the 20th century, Ethiopia was not included in water-sharing agreements, even though almost 86 percent of the Niles water originates from Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has consistently stated that it will use the GERD only to generate electric power, but Egyptian officials are concerned that Ethiopia will also draw water from the reservoir behind the dam for agricultural irrigation. This would reduce the amount of water that ultimately flows to Egypt.

Relations between Egypt and Ethiopia hit a low point in 2013, when Egyptian politicians unintentionally discussed sabotaging the GERD during a live broadcast on state-owned television. More recently, tensions have eased as the two nations have finally begun formal discussions.

In 2016, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed a declaration of principles to guide operation of the GERD. But this occurred after the dam was already designed and partially constructed, so it is unclear whether the agreement will have any significant impact.

Whos paying the bills?

Ethiopian leaders have taken unusual steps to fund the GERD, which is projected to cost $4.8 billion. Typically such projects are financed through Western international organizations such as the World Bank. But most financing for the GERD has come from domestic sources, including taxes, sales of government bonds to Ethiopians at home and abroad, and a national lottery. Chinese banks reportedly are providing funding for the dams turbines and electrical equipment.

Very little information is available about the dams long-term environmental impacts. One assessment was published in 2015 by the Nonpartisan Eastern Nile Working Group (NENWG), a collaboration among 17 prominent water resource scholars and practitioners.

Their report identified concerns and potential risks associated with the GERDs technical design, including structural issues and the location and capacity of release outlets. It also warned that the dam could increase the Niles low-flow water levels in Sudan and thus support higher rates of irrigation withdrawals for Sudanese farms. That could come at the cost of reducing the productivity of millions of hectares of farmable land in Egypt, as wastewater discharged from Sudanese farms downstream will contain more salts and be of lower quality. To address these challenges, the NENWG has called for technical collaboration between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to manage water resources equitably among the three countries.

The promise and reality of dams

The GERD is a source of national pride in Ethiopia. Parallels with big U.S. hydroelectric projects are striking. At the dedication of Hoover Dam (then known as Boulder Dam) on the Nevada-Arizona border in 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt called the dam a 20th century marvel that would benefit the entire nation. Similarly, at the announcement of the GERD project in 2011 the late Prime Minister Meles Zenwai called the project an expression of our commitment to the benefit of all the countries of the Nile Basin.

But African nations need only to look at the history of large dam construction to see what kind of damage can occur if water resources are not managed well.

The Colorado River, which flows through Hoover Dam and 15 others in the western United States, once emptied into the Pacific at a lush, green delta in northern Mexico. But dams and diversions have removed so much water from the river that now it ebbs to a trickle in the Mexican desert, leaving its former delta dry and parched. Scholars have documented harmful environmental impacts from large dams in many other countries, including Australia and Brazil.

Understandably, countries like Ethiopia expect great benefits from dams. But they could profit from studying the impacts of dams in other countries to find ways of using water resources sustainably to benefit their people.

Jennifer Drake, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/31/2016



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

host Chris Harrison isn't picking a side in the whole Nick Viall vs Josh Murray showdown, but he at least sympathizes with Murray a little bit.After what Harrison describes as a "whirlwind" week, the drama between arch rivals Viall and Murray heated up when twins Emily Ferguson and Haley Ferguson delivered a message to Amanda Stanton before leaving Paradise."It was hard for them to make the decision to leave, but as we all know, the last week of Paradise is very intense and they didn't want to lead anyone on. Unfortunately, along with them went all the men who attempted to win their hearts, leading to the biggest exodus in recent memory," Harrison wrote in his Yahoo! TV blog."But before they left, Haley and Emily pulled the pin out a grenade and left it in the sand."The Ferguson twins warned Stanton that a reliable "source" -- aka Viall -- had said Murray joined Paradise for the wrong reasons. The source claimed Murray wanted to rehab his image by dating the innocent single mom and America's sweetheart after his ex Andi Dorfman trashed him in her It's Not Okay memoir.Murray's temper -- which Dorfman described in her book, as well as alleging he was verbally abusive -- also came to light, as he failed to handle a couple of situations in Paradise as maturely as the twins had hoped."Amanda is truly their best friend and [the twins] just wanted to make sure she was looking for red flags," Harrison wrote. "This, predictably, did not sit well with Josh and we finally got to see something we've been waiting for for a long time."Murray flipped out on the cast as a whole because he had no idea why "the source" was talking behind his back. Murray demanded people speak up and voice their issues with him instead of potentially ruining his "strong" and "genuine" relationship with Stanton."Josh was clearly upset, which, by the way, feels reasonable in some ways. If I felt like I was being genuine and earnest and had to keep hearing that people were questioning me, I would be very upset as well," Harrison said in Murray's defense."This is one of those cases where people are just going to see the world from different perspectives. People who don't see Josh as genuine are going to see his outburst as a wild overreaction. People who think Josh is genuine are going to think he is absolutely justified."Without a doubt, Paradise is "a complicated place," according to Harrison, and he said it all comes down to whether viewers believe Murray or the people who question him.'s third season comes to a close next week with a two-part finale on Monday and Tuesday night.Harrison teased the finale will be the "most epic" and "the most dramatic" one yet "in Paradise history.""[ Lace Morris ] and [ Grant Kemp ] continue their volatile-spiked-with-passion relationship. [ Evan Bass ] and [ Carly Waddell ] continue their roller-coaster love affair. And finally, Josh and Amanda will need to figure out how things could work out for them outside of Paradise," Harrison wrote.
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/31/2016



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Robert Sepulveda Jr., the gay bachelor whom 13 suitors will compete to date on the upcoming new Logo reality dating series, isn't shying away from his past as a male escort."Well, everyone is worthy of love," the handsome interior designer, 33, told Us Weekly. "It doesn't matter what you've done in your past, escorting or anything else."Sepulveda confirmed he worked as a sex worker about 10 years ago after several reports of his alleged former career surfaced. He once served a male escort on the now-defunct, primarily-sexual social networking site RentBoy.com.Sepulveda, born in Puerto Rico, explained what he believes it takes to be a "real Prince Charming.""[It] is someone who has life experience in all aspects of life, that isn't afraid of someone with HIV or someone who doesn't care what you've done in your past," Sepulveda said, alluding to the fact this season's cast will also include a HIV-positive suitor.Sepulveda was also perfectly comfortable telling the contestants about his former job when filming the Logo series, which will be hosted by Lance Bass and premiere Thursday, September 8 at 9PM ET/PT."It's part of my past and these guys were open with me about their past, some talk about HIV, about whatever that's happened in their past," Sepulveda explained to Us. "They were honest and open with me about their past, so I felt like I couldn't stand before them and not be open about my past."On Tuesday, Sepulveda admitted to The Huffington Post he worked as a male escort because he "was young" and "it helped through college.""But what I want people to focus on is who I am today as an entrepreneur, as an activist," he told The Post. "I started a nonprofit and, you know, focusing on the show. That's really what I want people to focus on."Sepulveda founded the Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks, a historic LGBTQ civil art project with the mission of advancing awareness of diversity and equality through public art and community outreach.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/31/2016



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!
Numerous reports are emerging from South Korea of another over-the-top political execution in North Korea. According to the ROK Unification Ministry, North Korea's autarch, Kim Jong Un, ordered the death of one Kim Yong Jin by firing squad.

With an anti-aircraft gun.

Caliber Overkill: Executed by Anti-Aircraft

North Korean official Kim Yong Jin, Vice Premier since 2012, apparently evinced a lack of enthusiasm or respect by failing to keep his posture upright during a public event. His slouching became an object lesson to other North Korean officials sometime last months.

Kim Yong Jin, 63, previously served as North Korea's education minister.

Details are sketchy, of course, but South Korean spokesman Jeong Joon-hee has confirmed the execution through various channels without providing details. The last time North Korea actually confirmed any state-administered capital punishment was four years ago, when the government there acknowledged the death of Jang Song Thaek (Kim Jong Un's uncle). Thaek was reportedly killed for crimes damaging to the economy. According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Jin was just one of as many as 100 officials executed at Kim Jong Un's behest.

Another North Korean official, General Kim Yong Chol, was reportedly re-educated at an unknown rural location in order to correct his demeanor. Chol was head of North Korea's United Front Department, which is tasked with handling inter-Korean relations. A former intelligence official, he is though to have been behind the sinking of the Pohang class corvette ROKS Cheonan in March of 2010.

Ahn Young-joon/ AP Photo A man watches a TV screen showing a file image of Kim Yong Jin, second from left, a vice premier on education affairs in North Korea's cabinet, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from right.

These latest disciplinary corrective actions come soon after the defection of North Korea's Deputy Ambassador in London, with his family, to South Korea. It was an event that likely did little to improve the mercurial and petulant North Korean dictator's mood.

The specific weapon used has not been, nor likely ever will be confirmed. For that matter the veracity of the entire story may always remain at least somewhat in doubt. That said, if Kim Yong Jin was indeed killed with an anti-aircraft weapon, it was likely something big and old. Most likely it was something along the lines of their Type 74 NORINCO P793, a WWII era twin-barreled adaptation of a single-barreled Soviet gun firing a 37mm shell at about 1,000m/second. Alternatively it could have been a Type 55 KS-19  that's a 100mm weapon, and might make a bit of a mess aimed just at one poor soul. Either one would have made quite an impression upon anyone watching.

You can read more here from Reuters or here on Stripes.

Cover image courtesy of MilitaryFactory.com.
Ghostly carriages, spirits and the sound of crying babies are just a few of the legends existing around UGA. Since the early 1800s, many people have come and gone from this town. Legend has that some whom died many years ago might still linger around the Classic City just waiting to be visited during the week of Halloween.
Jill Stein, the presumptive nominee for the Green Party in the 2016 presidential national election visited the University of Georgia on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. In an effort to get on the state ballot for Georgia, Stein had a meeting where she discussed her platform and provided sheets for students and Athens residents alike to sign in support of her being on the ballot for the election. (Photo: Henry Taylor/htaylor@randb.com)
One of the oldest fraternities in the United States, and the second fraternity to be founded at the University of Georgia, recently changed its membership policy to allow transgender students to pledge. The fraternity, Chi Phi, made the change in an effort to be more inclusive.
Back when Terrapin Beer Co. first debuted its Rye Pale Ale in 2002 it had many investors to get off the ground. However, in 2012 these investors backed out, leaving only a loan offer by Tenth and Blake, the craft and import division of MillerCoors, on the table.
As more commercialized businesses move in on campus and in downtown Athens, students, local residents and University of Georgia alumni have debated the factors that contribute to a sustainable local economy. These contrasting perspectives were made clear after a recent Red & Black column, The student argument for big business in Athens, was published that supported a mixed economy.
Among other things, this policy bans plagiarism in all of its formsstudents who cant follow it can expect, at minimum, a final course grade of F and, in some cases, expulsion. Perhaps we should send Melania Trump a note inviting her to join them following her cribbed convention speech.
First years are often on the receiving end of academic advice, and the usual Make sure you actually study! or Go to class! becomes trite and frankly patronizing. Here are a few pointers that I picked up along the way and wish I had been told as a freshman.
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All Fired Up under new ownership

Felicia Tortorici is the new owner of All Fired Up, a Redding studio on Churn Creek Road that offers different art media for all levels and ages.

Among the activities to choose from are pottery, glass fusing and canvas painting.

All Fired Up has space to accommodate birthday parties or other special events.

The studio in the Shasta Center and is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Call 226-1638 or go to www.reddingallfiredup.com for more information.

Grocers association awards scholarship

Alyssa Kenealy of Cottonwood has been awarded the 2016-17 North State Grocery Scholarship.

Kenealy was awarded $1,000 through the California Grocers Association Educational Foundation.

North State Grocery is the parent company of Holiday Foods.

Kenealy graduated from West Valley High School and is attending Shasta College and majoring in dental hygiene.

Reporter David Benda can be reached at 225-8219 or at david.benda@redding.com.
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A 23-year-old man recently listed as one of Shasta's Most Wanted surrendered to the Shasta County Jail on Tuesday, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said Cody J. Burnett at about 7:30 p.m. surrendered to the jail. He was wanted to on three warrants for failure to appear in court.

Burnett is being held at the jail without bail until his arraignment in Shasta County Superior Court.

Shasta's Most Wanted targets those who've failed to appear in court.

Shasta County Secret Witness is offering a reward of up to $250 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be provided anonymously at 530-243-2319 or at www.scsecretwitness.com/home/submit-a-tip.

Anyone with information also can call SHASCOM at 245-6540. A weekly list of Shasta's Most Wanted appears Sundays in the Record Searchlight's Northern California section and on Redding.com.
Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight

Anderson residents sign in Tuesday evening at the Celebrate Anderson event at the Anderson High School library.

SHARE Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight Nearly 100 people attended the Celebrate Anderson event Tuesday evening. The groups discussed ways to promote the good aspects of the city.

By Joe Szydlowski of the Redding Record Searchlight

ANDERSON  Almost 100 people discussed the city of Anderson's good side  and its progress  at the local high school library Tuesday evening.

"Don't believe me? Drive around Redding at night and then come drive around Anderson. Believe me there is a difference. There didn't use to be," said Jeff Kiser, Anderson's city manager, at the Celebrate Anderson event, where audience members also discussed ways to highlight the city's progress.

Those 100 people included community leaders, business owners and representatives of local nonprofits at the meeting.

Organizers and emcee Charlene Ramont, of the county's Health and Human Services Agency, also encouraged people to find ways to participate in community-wide events, such as making a homecoming float or decorating for the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.

She acknowledged the community has problems, but said talking only about the bad parts of a community starts a vicious cycle of cynicism.

People need to remember the positives to remind themselves of their potential, she said.

Business owners and officials each spoke about how they'd changed perceptions in their organizations and the difference it made, such as the police department.

"We're the red-headed stepchild of law enforcement in Shasta County. That phrase, I heard over and over (when I arrived at the department)," said Michael Johnson, chief of the Anderson Police Department. "That is toxic  Because I heard that on a regular and frequent basis, (the officers) believed it, breathed it and acted like it."

He told them if they didn't like that portrayal, to change their conduct, such as wearing a suit when going before a judge.

"Officers used to go to court in shorts and polo (shirts)," he said. " We are now the professional example of law enforcement in Shasta County."

He hasn't heard that phrase in three years, he said.

Chris Frost, owner of Anderson Family Fitness, told attendees that getting the younger crowd to participate in volunteering remains vital to improving the community.

"Look at programs around the community to get your friends involved," he said.

The Anderson Teen Center is one option that needs volunteers as the number of teens it serves has doubled, said Carrie Jo Diamond, who represented the organization Tuesday evening.

"The nonprofit community in Anderson, which is a lot stronger than you think, wants to help," she said.

Ramont suggested everyone commit to participating in one local event each year, and to invite others.

"Carpool to events with your neighbors," she said.

They should also spread the word about Anderson's interesting hidden gems, she said.

Attendee Mildred Moravec, of Anderson, did that when she offered the Anderson Historical Society, where she volunteers, as one example.

"Nobody even knows we have a historical society," she said, adding the organization has a collection of firearms from the Civil War as just one attraction. "We'd love to have some people visit."
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By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight

Thanks to the efforts of a local woman, juvenile court students in California may soon have their paths cleared to earning their high school diplomas more quickly.

Jessica Hartman, who teaches students at the Shasta County Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility, connected with Assemblyman Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) earlier this year to put together a bill that would exempt students from local high school requirements in their efforts to earn a diploma.

AB 2306 has cleared both the state Assembly and Senate and is now awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown's signature.

As the system works now, students who transition from the Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility after finishing their sentences to local high schools can fall behind in their classes as they work to meet local graduation requirements such as health or language classes. Hartman said there is not enough time to fit all the necessary course work to meet both state and local requirements while a student is at the facility.

"Simply put there were so many holes in their educational path," Hartman said.

With the proposed law, juvenile court students who complete their second year of high school would be placed in the same category as foster care and homeless students who are exempt from local requirements.

According to Frazier, the bill would "remove barriers experienced by at-risk students when making the transition" to public high schools.

Director of Alternative Learning Jodie Vanornum said though Hartman is an employee of the Office of Education, her drafting the bill with the Assemblyman's office was independent of her job.

"Sparked by her inspiration that these students graduate on a timely basis and have some relief of the additional credits they need" was why Hartman worked with the Assemblyman's office, Vanorum said.

In several school districts across the state, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, a health class requirement is the barrier that greets students after their time in a juvenile court school.

In Shasta County, requirements vary between school districts, but 230 credits are necessary for a diploma and two years of language is necessary to move on to a UC/CSU after graduation.

Shasta Union High School District Superintendent Jim Cloney said the proposed law would give administrators additional tools to help students who made poor choices in the past. That help could come in the form of an exemption or an additional year of school, all depending on the student's needs.

Before AB 2306 started its way through the Legislature, the Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility started an additional program to give students a chance to fill in some of those credits so they could receive their diplomas in a timely manner. Two students are expected to graduate from that program in September and 22 have graduated since it started two years ago.

"The program is meant to provide them a chance to catch up," Hartman said.
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By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight

After it was all counted, an audit in the making for more than a year found a $22 discrepancy between an invoice and actual payment by the former Downtown Redding Business Association.

The financial report by K-Coe Isom puts to rest questions over whether money had been missing and allows city officials to finally divvy up a $2,777.07 check among some 300 downtown businesses. Deputy City Manager Greg Clark said the city would issue refunds of about $13 each to the businesses that until 2014 were assessed annually as members of the Downtown Business Improvement District. The City Council eliminated the district last year and terminated the DRBA's contract to administer its funds in a feud over transparency.

"It's good to finally close this chapter and get what the council directed us to find out," Clark said.

Read the financial report.

Vint Stevenson, the former head of the DRBA, has said the DRBA was targeted for using funds to pay for legal representation against the city. He did not immediately return a call for comment on Tuesday.

The city has yet to receive final billing from K-Coe Isom. To date, the audit has cost the city $1,700, and the contract stipulated an amount not to exceed $5,000, Clark said.

Councilwoman Kristen Schreder, the first to raise questions about the DRBA's finances, criticized the time it took for leaders of the former business group to submit financial information to complete the audit. "I feel like the City Council who ultimately was in a position to oversee them was (accountable) to the businesses that were assessed," she said. "It goes back to the very first question I had: Just tell us how you are spending the money."

In the absence of documentation for some expenses, the auditor relied on canceled checks and bank verifications. The review also determined the only capital assets purchased during the fiscal year were for the trash receptacles and bicycles for police officers, Clark said. The audit reviewed 39 expenditures totaling $51,245.35 from April 1, 2014, to June 18, 2015. Among items where there was no documentation were for web hosting, maintenance and marketing. Clark said those were verified through bank statements.
Jim Schultz/Record Searchlight

Felix Ayala, top, and Jose Luna pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and other charges during their arraignment in Shasta County Superior Court.

SHARE Felix "Phil" Ayala Sergio Martinez Elioenaid Rivera

By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight

Three of five men charged in the October beating and stabbing death of a 61-year-old Redding man were arraigned Tuesday on murder and other charges.

All five men, two of whom are still in custody in New York, are also accused of robbing an East Cypress Avenue hydroponics business.

Felix Ruben Ayala, 36, Jose Orlando Luna, 51, both of Shingletown, and Elioenaid Rivera, 18, of Anderson, pleaded not guilty during their Superior Court arraignment.

They are accused along with Felix "Phil" Ayala, 45, and Sergio Martinez, 30, both of Bronx, N.Y., of murdering Bradley Stephen Yoder, whose body was found Oct. 4 inside his Shasta View Drive home in Redding.

Police said Tuesday that Yoder, who was the brother-in-law of former Anderson City Councilman Butch Schaefer, was brutally beaten and repeatedly stabbed during what they described as a marijuana robbery.

Yoder's 35-year-old daughter, Candace, was at Tuesday's arraignment and said afterward that she had begun to believe that her father's death would never be solved as the months dragged on.

"I had faith in them (police), but I was starting to lose hope," she said.

But, she said, she was told only a few weeks ago that police had identified the five suspects in her father's death.

With tears welling in her eyes, she said her father was a loving, gentle and caring man who always put his family, especially his four children and his grandchildren, first.

"His number one thing was trust and keeping the family close."

Shasta County Senior Deputy District Attorney Emily Mees said Felix "Phil" Ayala has waived extradition and may arrive in Shasta County as early as this week.

It's unknown when Martinez will be extradited.

Meanwhile, Felix Ayala, who is the brother of the New York Ayala, Luna and Rivera are being held in Shasta County Jail without bail.

They are scheduled to have their preliminary hearing on Sept. 8.

Police said in a news release the five men are linked to a series of events that began to unfold Oct. 2 following a robbery and shooting in Shasta Lake.

Upon their arrival at a Willamette Street home, Shasta County sheriff's deputies and investigators spoke with Brennan Tinsley, who reported being a victim of an attempted robbery at his home residence.

Tinsley said the suspects assaulted him and shot at him with a gun, but no suspects were identified at the time.

Two days later, RPD officers were called to a home in the 2600 block of Shasta View Drive where they found Yoder's body inside the residence.

A homicide investigation was launched, but no suspects were again identified at the time.

Following an apparent Oct. 25 home invasion robbery in Live Oak in Sutter County, RPD officers were called the next day to the Bare Roots Hydroponics & Organic Supply store in Redding for a reported robbery there that included armed men dressed up like federal drug agents.

Ayala and Luna were arrested Oct. 30 following a raid at a Scharsch Meadow Lane home in Shingletown, and an extensive investigation that included multiple agencies, including the FBI and Homeland Security, was able to link the other three men to the crimes, police said.

In a RPD report filed earlier in Shasta County Superior Court, Redding police investigator Brian Torum wrote that there was a "strong nexus" between at least three of the suspects involved in all three cases and many similarities in their behavior when these crimes occurred.

He noted that Martinez was later identified in a photo by Tinsley, who is an employee at the hydroponics store, as the man who attacked him at the business.

According to Torum's report, DNA from Martinez was also found on a hat that was apparently left behind at Tinsley's Shasta Lake residence following the Oct. 2 shooting there.

It is estimated the five men stole $5,000 from the cash register at the hydroponics business and an additional $600 from the safe, as well as a large automatic marijuana-trimming machine valued at $4,500, according to the police report.

According to a police report, it's alleged that two men walked into the hydroponics business before closing time and ordered three employees  Tinsley, Taylor Everette Thurston and Jason Pinson  and customer Marc Sieglock to the ground, handcuffed two of them, collected their wallets and emptied the cash register and store safe.

The two men wore black clothing with a "DEA Agent" logo printed on the front of their shirts and ball caps, as well as badges hanging from chains around their necks, the report stated, adding that at least one of them was armed with a semi-automatic handgun.

Both were also carrying two-way radios or cellphones and communicating with others, who may have been nearby, the report said.

Tinsley, the store's assistant manager, was injured in the alleged robbery and admitted to authorities that he had sold marijuana to Ayala in the past.
Joe Szydlowski/Record Searchlight A Redding police officer thwarted a robbery at NorthState Check Exchange on Bechelli Lane in Redding on Tuesday.

SHARE Skinner

By Joe Szydlowski of the Redding Record Searchlight

Redding police say they arrested a masked man who planned to rob a business as revenge for not cashing his fake check.

Michael Scott Skinner, 57, of Redding, was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of attempted robbery, altering a replica gun, driving on a suspended license and a misdemeanor warrant, said Cpl. Levi Solada with the Redding Police Department.

Redding police officer Bryan Cowan noticed something wasn't quite right around 8:10 a.m. when he saw a man sporting a Halloween mask driving a white 1990s Ford pickup without plates on Cypress Avenue near Bechelli Lane.

Cowan watched as the truck parked near NorthState Check Exchange, at 2555 Bechelli Lane and saw that the driver acted suspiciously, Solada said.

An employee at a business near NorthState Check Exchange, who declined to be identified, said she'd seen the same man on Cypress Avenue that morning. She said he was wearing a mask resembling the one worn by villain Michael Myers in John Carpenter's "Halloween" teen-slasher series. He was trying to put on a hat that had been cut or ripped in the back so it would fit over the mask, she said.

But the man had swapped out Myers' well-known knife for a replica pistol, officers would learn after Cowan and officer Nick Weaver spoke with the driver, later identified as Skinner, Solada said.

They discovered he had a suspended license and an active misdemeanor warrant, Solada said. They also found a replica handgun modified to look more real, in addition to rubber gloves and a large suit jacket, Solada said.

Solada said Skinner wanted to make the business pay for spurning a fraudulent $950 payroll check he tried to cash last week.

"During questioning, Skinner admitted to planning an armed robbery at the Northstate Check Exchange prior to officers stopping him," Solada said in a news release. "Last week, Skinner attempted to pass a fictitious check at the business and was caught; so in retaliation, he said he was going back to rob the business."

Skinner had been a customer at NorthState Check Exchange before, Hodges said.

But something about last week's check didn't add up  the amount listed appeared altered, she said. So staff contacted the company's owner who wrote the check and he told them it should say $150.

"The gentleman got very, very distraught," she said. He left the business and made a phone call, she said.

He had apparently lost his job over the incident. He rode away on a motorcycle, she said.

The next time she'd heard of him was when a waitress told her about the incident.

"I was just thankful for the Redding Police Department and that officer for getting him in time," she said. "We've had close calls here, but not to that extent with the mask and the gun."

Skinner was taken to the Shasta County Jail, where his bail was set at $55,000, Solada said.
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Hillary Clinton attacked her rival Donald Trump last week for his cozy relationship with a new political movement, the Alternative Right, or Alt-Right. The Alt-Right rejects American democracy as did the American communists of the 1930s and the New Left of the 1960s. The main challenge to our way of life today now comes not from the radical left, but the Alt-Right.

Starting in the 1960s, anti-Semites, overt racists, and John Birch Society adherents were cast out of the political mainstream. These outcasts lay low for a while, but they didn't just disappear. Now their ideological descendants are trying to take over the Republican Party (as well as the country).

The Alt-Right supports the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and protectionist trade policies. It opposes feminism, diversity, gay rights, globalism, gun control and civil rights.

But it is the underlying ideology of the Alt-Right, rather than its controversial policy positions, that is truly sinister. Alt-Right thought is based on white nationalism and anti-Americanism. The Alt-Right holds, in essence, that all men are not created equal, and that as racial equality has displaced white dominance, America has declined and no longer merits the allegiance of its white citizens.

Alt-Right leaders, unlike neo-Nazis or KKK supporters, are intellectually and rhetorically sophisticated. Jared Taylor, editor of the American Renaissance website, holds degrees from Yale and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. On his site, Taylor published "An Open Letter to Cuckservatives"  the Alt-Right's insulting term for moderate conservatives  laying out his beliefs.

In the letter, Taylor denies the notion that "the things you love about America  are rooted in certain principles." Rather, "they are rooted in certain people." That is, white people: "Germans, Swedes, Irishmen, and Hungarians could come and contribute to the America you love," Taylor says. "Do you really believe that a future Afro-Hispanic-Caribbean-Asiatic America will be anything like the America your ancestors built?" White nationalism is more important than inalienable rights because "Even when they violate your principles, white people build good societies. Even when they abide by your principles, nonwhites usually don't."

Richard B. Spencer of the National Policy Institute, in an interview with The New York Times, said: "America as it is currently constituted  and I don't just mean the government; I mean America as constituted spiritually and ideologically  is the fundamental problem  I don't support and agree with much of anything America is doing in the world."

He despises "cuckservatives" because "we've recognized the bankruptcy of this ideology, based on 'free markets,' 'values,' and 'American exceptionalism.' "

The Alt-Right represents the first new philosophical competitor to liberalism, broadly defined, since the fall of Communism.

Is anyone listening to the Alt-Right? Yes: Key Alt-Right websites the American Renaissance and VDARE both received more web visits last November than Dissent and Ms. The National Policy Institute and its Radix Journal together had many more visits than the neoconservative policy journal National Affairs.

So the Alt-Right has an audience  and in Trump, it has a candidate. Trump's rants about Mexican rapists charging across the southern border, his attacks on an American-born judge of Mexican descent, and his calls to ban Muslims from entering the country, are all in line with Alt-Right ideology. Accordingly, Alt-Right organizations made robocalls for Trump in the Iowa, New Hampshire and Utah primaries.

But VDARE isn't the Alt-Right flavored publication most closely associated with Trump. That distinction goes to Breitbart News, whose former chair, Stephen K. Bannon, is now the Trump campaign CEO. Bannon has described Breitbart as a "platform for the Alt-Right." The site even published a helpful "Guide to the Alt-Right" which explained that "young rebels" are drawn to the cause "for the same reason that young baby boomers were drawn to the New Left in the 1960s: because it promises fun, transgression, and a challenge to social norms they just don't understand." Those norms apparently include tolerance and the concept of racial equality.

The Alt-Right is the first explicitly anti-American political movement to attach itself to a major-party presidential candidate since 1948, when Communists supported the Progressive, former Vice President Henry Wallace. All schools of American political thought must reject this dangerous ideology.

Thomas J. Main is a professor at the School of Public and International Affairs, Baruch College, CUNY. He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.
Happy Tuesday. If you're going to North Coast Music Festival this weekend, enjoy Union Park and all the phenomenal acts you'll see there, such as Jamila Woods. For the rest of us, there are a few club shows we should attend. From a stacked Subterranean lineup of underground talents to a North Coast after-party at Bottom Lounge featuring Chicago's most promising youngsters, there's a lot to do to keep busy in the city. Check out our four best shows of the week.

*** = Josh Terry's show of the week.

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Tuesday

Teen Suicide, Elvis Depressedly, Nicole Dollanganger, Friendlys

Subterranean

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2011 W. North Ave. 773-278-6600

Front to back, there's no stopping this four-act bill of Friendlys, Nicole Dollanganger and co-headliners Teen Suicide and Elvis Depressedly. While I could focus in on all of these incredible performers, I'll instead just talk about how much I love Teen Suicide's most recent full-length album, "It's the Big Joyous Celebration, Let's Stir the Honeypot." It's a lo-fi indie rock classic, full of weird and heartfelt pop songs that can turn from a cacophonous and frenetic squall to a vulnerable near-whisper.

Tickets: subt.net

Thursday

Heaters

Gman Tavern

3740 N. Clark St. 773-549-2050

If you were the kind of weirdo who would bet on this type of thing, you'd almost certainly place money on the fact that I'd include my hometown's best band (sorry, Mustard Plug) playing my favorite bar, the Gman Tavern. With the Lakeview drinking establishment's renovated back room, it's now a really great place to see a show. All that aside, I'm actually picking this show on the strength of how much I enjoy the psych-minded garage rock of the Grand Rapids, Mich., trio's most recent LP, "Baptistina." You'll have fun. Try the Malort.

Tickets: Etix.com

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The Hecks, Matchess, ONO

The Hideout

1354 W. Wabansia Ave. 773-227-4433

On Thursday, not one but two Chicago acts will be celebrating a record release at The Hideout. First is Matchess, the electronic project of local musician Whitney Johnson. While her third full-length, "The Rafter," came out in June, its meditative synths and sometimes unsettling mood-setting rhythms are still fresh in our minds. Headlining are the Trouble In Mind-signed trio the Hecks, who are releasing their excellent self-titled album this Friday. Expect a lot of head-bopping post-punk.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

Tickets: HideoutChicago.com

Saturday

***Joey Purp, Saba, Akenya

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Bottom Lounge

1375 W. Lake St. 312-666-6775

With "Bucket List" on the horizon, RedEye's recent cover star Saba is looking to capitalize on the momentum from his Lollapalooza performance to debut new songs off the forthcoming project. He joins headliner Joey Purp, my favorite Chicago rapper, who's going to also blow minds with his charismatic live show and bangers from his mixtape "iiiDrops."

Tickets: bottomlounge.com

@joshhterry | jterry@redeyechicago.com
The Chicago Police Board will decide whether to fire Officer Jason Van Dyke, shown at an Aug. 4 court hearing, along with three other officers and a sergeant for allegedly lying about the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

Seeking the first official discipline in the 22 months since a Chicago police officer shot Laquan McDonald 16 times on video, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson on Tuesday moved to fire four patrol officers and a sergeant he accused of lying about the shooting.

Though the October 2014 shooting led to aftershocks that have shaken the Police Department from top to bottom, the city's first move for formal discipline focuses largely on street officers.

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The charges Johnson filed with the Chicago Police Board seek the dismissal of Officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot McDonald and is also charged criminally with first-degree murder, as well as four others who gave or approved accounts that were contradicted by footage of the shooting, suggesting an attempted cover-up.

Along with Van Dyke, the department is seeking to fire officers Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian and Ricardo Viramontes. Sgt. Stephen Franko is the only officer with a rank above police officer to face potential firing.

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It remains unclear whether any higher-ranking current or former police could face formal consequences or criticism from the city's disciplinary investigation. Several top officers involved in the aftermath of the shooting resigned or retired during the city's halting, contradictory response to McDonald's death.

The officers charged administratively face an initial hearing at the police board Sept. 19. None of them could be reached for comment.

The move to fire the officers follows a report from Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, who had recommended firing 10 officers in all. Of those 10, three have retired in the last two weeks, according to department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, who said he could not give the ranks or names of the officers who have left the department.

A fourth resigned Tuesday, and a source identified that officer as Van Dyke's partner, Joseph Walsh.

As to another officer  Dora Fontaine  Johnson disagreed with the recommendation to fire her, as he felt the evidence was insufficient, according to a statement from the department. It was unclear Tuesday how any potential disciplinary case against her might proceed, but police board members sometimes rule on disputes between city agencies over officer punishment.

This excerpt from video released to the public shows the most complete version of the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. It is edited for length by the Chicago Tribune. Warning: This video contains graphic images. (Chicago Tribune)

A spokeswoman for Ferguson declined to comment on whether his office is investigating other officers or might call for more discipline.

The move to fire the officers doesn't promise a quick end to the scandal stemming from the department's response to McDonald's shooting. Cases can remain before the police board for months, and its rulings are not always the final word, as officers commonly challenge the board's firings in court.

The proposed discipline represents the latest consequence of a shooting that has driven political upheaval and changes to policing in the city.

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Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration worked for months to avoid releasing the video of McDonald's shooting, but a judge forced its release last November. The footage of the white Van Dyke shooting the African-American teenager repeatedly as he lay motionless on the pavement sparked heated protests fueled by long-held grievances with the police among many black Chicagoans.

Emanuel forced out Superintendent Garry McCarthy shortly after the video's release, and as the scandal deepened, the U.S. Justice Department announced an investigation into whether Chicago police have systematically violated citizens' rights. Later, Emanuel announced changes designed to get in front of reforms federal authorities could seek.

The widely distrusted city agency that usually investigates police shootings  the Independent Police Review Authority  referred the inquiry to Ferguson's office.

The conduct of the officers who face potential firing is also under scrutiny from a special Cook County prosecutor appointed to determine whether their actions warrant further criminal charges. The U.S. attorney's office in Chicago had also been investigating the shooting.

Beyond the moves to fire officers, several high-ranking officers who were involved in the McDonald case have retired recently. David McNaughton, the deputy chief who ruled Van Dyke's shooting complied with department policy, retired in recent weeks. Also, Lt. Anthony Wojcik, who was involved in the department's investigation into the shooting, retired in May. The lead investigator, David March, has also retired, sources said.

No official or records have publicly linked those officers to the investigation into the McDonald case.

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The charges filed Tuesday focused largely on alleged dishonesty but varied on specifics among the officers. All are alleged, though, to have violated Rule 14, which bars the making of false reports.

Van Dyke stated in reports that he fired his weapon in fear for his life when McDonald advanced on him with a knife. On the video, however, Van Dyke can be seen jumping from his car and opening fire within seconds as McDonald appears to walk away from him.

Sebastian and Mondragon reported that Van Dyke and Walsh repeatedly ordered McDonald to drop the knife. The teen ignored them as he waved a blade while approaching the two officers, according to their reports.

Viramontes stated that McDonald turned toward Van Dyke and Walsh after Van Dyke told the teen to drop the knife. After Van Dyke shot McDonald, the teen fell to the street but continued to move, trying to get back up with the knife, according to Viramontes' account in the reports.

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The department charged Franko with, among other things, signing off on Van Dyke's allegedly false reports on the incident.

Hours after the shooting, McNaughton, the incident commander that night, made a preliminary determination that the shooting complied with Police Department policy, records show. In December 2014, the department officially recorded the shooting as a justifiable homicide.

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The footage released late last year came mostly without audio, and several of the officers are accused of failing to properly use their in-car video and audio systems.

Dean Angelo Sr., president of Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police, said Tuesday he had not seen the charges, but he maintained that the video of McDonald's shooting should have been publicly withheld until the investigations into the shooting were completed.

"You've got a whole population out there coast to coast, ... people have seen a two-dimensional silent movie of this incident, and they've all got an opinion," he said.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com

dhinkel@chicagotribune.com
'You cannot treat workers like beggars.'

On Friday, September 2, trade unions associated with the Left parties have called for a countrywide general strike of workers.

Tapan Kumar Sen, general secretary, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, the Communist Party of India-Marxist's trade union, and a Rajya Sabha MP, spoke to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf on why workers across the nation are going on a strike.

Why have you called a general strike?

All central trade unions in the country have collectively put 12 demands before the government. We have been making those demands for the past three years. We went on a strike a year ago too.

Whatever the Modi government promised (at that time) has not been done in the last one year.

At Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's press conference, the government made a mockery of our demands.

We reject that (the government's wage hike) altogether, particularly the minimum wage the amount they offered.

The minimum wage that is offered (by the Centre) already exists in many states of the country. What new (measures) have they offered?

The minister made a statement that this is as per the recommendation by the minimum wage committee. It is absolutely false. The minimum wage advisory committee meeting, which was held yesterday (Monday, August 29) ended inconclusively.

No recommendation was made. Arun Jaitley made a statement that (we) have accepted the minimum wage recommendation and on that basis, they are offering Rs 350 (a day for unskilled non-agricultural workers).

It is deceptive and fraudulent propaganda to confuse the people before the strike.

The minimum wage offered already exists in many states. What new have they offered? The finance minister made a statement that this is as per the minimum wage committee's recommendation. It is absolutely false.

Do you mean the finance minister is lying?

Yes, he is lying. He said as per the the minimum wage advisory committee's recommendation, he is making this offer. I told you that the meeting was inconclusive and no recommendation was made.

Now you decide who is lying and who isn't? I am making this statement on record.

Is the Modi government adopting anti-labour policies?

(The) Modi government is serving the corporates -- both domestic and foreign. And, naturally, they cannot be pro-labour -- except for their statements in the media where they say they are pro-labour.

What about the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the labour union affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata Party? Is the BMS part of your strike?

No, they are not part of the strike. They told us they may join the strike, but now, finally, they say they are happy with the new rate and, therefore, they will not join the strike.

We are not happy and, therefore, we are going ahead with the strike.

The Modi government stooped so low that they are only talking to the BMS and not to other unions. They are not discussing (the issue) with the striking organisations.

Such an undemocratic exercise was never seen in post-Independence India. No government has done that.

Is it the government's agenda to divide the trade unions?

Naturally, they are doing it for business houses. They want to divide the workers and unions.

We are seeing a lot of layoffs of late and the economy, too, is not picking up, but we don't see people protesting or joining trade unions. Why there is so much disconnect between the masses and the unions?

Who says there is a disconnect between the masses and the trade unions?

Recently, trade unions compelled the Haryana government to withdraw its move to privatise power distribution companies.

There are struggles (going on) and all the trade unions are coming together and going for a countrywide strike.

Which industries will be affected by the strike?

We expect the strike to be effective everywhere. We expect that the banking and insurance sectors, central and state government offices, and coal and steel industries will be affected in a big way.

The construction and unorganised sectors will also be affected prominently, as people will be coming on the streets in big numbers.

Given the current economic structures coming up all over the world, what is the role for trade unions?

The situation, all over the world, is extremely hostile to trade unions, rather to workers. Workers are running the wheel of production and keeping it on.

It is the workers who are creating the wealth and their blood is getting sucked. So the trade unions have to resist this with all their might, come what may.

What are your 12 demands for which you are going on strike?

Apart from a cap on price rise, we have demanded a ban on speculation in the commodity market, as without that price rise cannot be contained.

Second, we want all contract workers to be regularised and given the same wage as regular workers. Currently, contract workers are not getting even one third of the wages of a regular worker.

Consequently, the number of regular workers is gradually decreasing and, all across the world, jobs are being dominated by contract workers.

Our other demands are: No privatisation of public sectors; no further FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in defence, insurance, retail trade, banks and railways.

Whatever proposals are being made by the government in the name of labour reforms are designed to push out workers out of the purview of all labour laws.

In such a situation even if some wage rise was given to them, it will not benefit them because (most) workers will be on contract.

So those reforms must be scrapped. And these things must be done in consensus with the trade unions.

But for business to run, you must have flexible labour laws. If you have rigid laws who will invest in India?

Let them not come. You cannot treat your workers like beggars.

Without the purchasing power of people and without expansion of the market, nobody will come and invest. That is the scenario all over the world.

Investment is not coming because products are not saleable. People don't have money.

Without ensuring demand management, any idea of expanding investment is absolutely utopian. There is a conflict of interest between the trade unions, the working class and corporate houses.

And in this situation, the government is acting like the agents of corporate houses.

If you have weak labour laws, investment will go to other countries.

Workers in other countries also are not enjoying good (living) conditions. Everywhere there has to be a benchmark which has to be ensured. Any civilised society must have a basic benchmark.

It sounds very good, but these things don't work in the real world.

Workers cannot accept beggar's treatment; it is better to die.

We have to fight to improve the living standards of the people. We are not only fighting for workers, but also for farmers, peasants and the entire producing community.

For them, we have to fight to the best of our strength and ability.

IMAGE: Workers at an anti-government rally in Mumbai. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the dissolution of the Central Inland Water Transport Corporation Limited as part of the government's move to identify and close down "irretrievable" cases.

The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for dissolution of CIWTC. The Voluntary Retirement Scheme for CIWTC was implemented in the year 2015, an official statement said.

CIWTC, a company incorporated in February 1967, took over assets and liabilities of the erstwhile River Steam Navigation Company Ltd under a scheme approved by the Calcutta high court, it added.

"Due to inherent limitation and infrastructure bottlenecks, the operations of CIWTC could never become viable and the company has been incurring losses since inception. The company has only five employees at present," the statement said.

In line with the decision of the government to revitalise sick CPSUs wherever possible or to wind up irretrievable cases, the dissolution of the CIWTC would be initiated after the disposal of movable and immovable assets, it added.

This would free up the assets for better utilisation and for benefit of the people. A number of assets would be taken up by Inland Waterways Authority of India to provide services on the Brahmaputra river (NW-4), it said.
In two years there will be consolidation. Look at the Indian brands now. Only three of us are surviving, many others have died. What will differentiate us are two things -- timing of our launches in the market and the communication to the consumer, Narendra Bansal, CMD of Intex, tells Arnab Dutta.

A working lunch at New Delhis Shangri-La hotel is hardly a relaxing break. Located a kilometre from the Central Secretariat -- the busy power centre of the Indian bureaucracy -- it seemed convenient for the 53-year-old chairman and managing director of Intex, Narendra Bansal, who already had a lot on his plate.

As I wait for him at the Tamra restaurant, I think of the kind of traffic Bansal must be facing as he drives from his office in Okhla. He is 15 minutes late but rushes in with a broad smile and an outstretched hand. He looks like a person who makes friends easily.

As we go through our tete-a-tete over the next hour and a half, that first impression is reinforced. Bansal says he likes to take challenges head-on and keep things simple both in his personal life and in business. Main na zindagi bahut simple jeeta hun ji (I lead a very simple life), he says every now and then. Intex Technologies, the fourth-largest smartphone company in the country, growing faster than any other, is based on that vision.

Bansal is a dyed-in-the-wool businessman, who mastered the tricks of the trade the hard way. Bachpan se mereko business ka bada shaukh tha (from my childhood, I had a passion for business), he says. A large chunk of our conversation is in Hindi, with Bansals Rajasthani twang -- something that I think reinforces Intexs Indian origin. During his early days in Delhi, after he moved to the city with his father in the early 1980s, he used to trade audio and video cassettes among friends in school to earn pocket money.

The turning point of his life came when he started trading in floppy discs. Those were the days when compact discs and digital versatile discs were seen as things of the future. After making steady profit in that business, Bansal moved to ethernet cards, an essential item in the mid-90s for internet connectivity, and he discovered that its supply could not keep pace with the growing demand in India. Most traders did not have much knowledge of the big international suppliers, who had adequate stock to feed the market demand. After going through the yellow pages in Taiwan, Japan and Thailand, Bansal identified and convinced a few sellers who were ready to ship the cards to India on credit. That episode offered him a vital lesson: business is all about identifying gaps between buyers and sellers and spotting opportunities in ones surroundings -- something he still believes in.

We turn to the food and start off with some non-vegetarian salad and tandoor-baked chicken. Bansal seems to be enjoying his papad ka shorba -- a Rajasthani dish prepared with vegetables, dried fruits and poppadum. The restaurant is known to offer dishes not served by most five-star hotels in Delhi. The reason for choosing a restaurant so far away from his residence in DLF Chattarpur Farms becomes clear.

I always see a business opportunity wherever I go, he continues. Koi bhi problem ho uska solution hamesha aas paas hi hota hai (whatever be the problem its solution always lies close by). What I have learnt is that most sellers do not know their buyers and vice-versa. And that is what keeps a window open for new entrants in the trade. He recalls one incident that reinforced that belief.

Bansal used to operate from Naya Bazar -- a crowded trading hub in the older part of Delhi -- and got tipped off that some company in the countrys largest market for electronic goods at Nehru Place needed a printer. The deal remains fresh in his memory because he found out that the buyer and the seller were neighbours and good friends. Yet, neither had any clue about what the other needed. Bansal and his younger brother cut the deal and made a hefty profit on it, reaching the venue riding their second-hand scooter.

The journey of Intex Technologies, a Rs 6,500-crore company (2015-16), is a series of similar incidents. While the majority of the firms revenue today comes from its mobile handset business, Bansal doesnt seem to have an emotional attachment, if I may use the term, to handsets per se. He might move to another business if that presents him with a better opportunity to grow even bigger. I am personally not interested in technology. I understand business. I am not emotionally attached to mobiles. If required, I will get into some other business. But I will never sell my firm to a multinational company, he says, pointing at hostile takeovers of smaller companies by global firms.

Intex entered the handset business in 2007 and four years ago ventured into another highly competitive category -- that of consumer electronics and appliances. Buying franchisee rights of the Rajkot team (renamed by Intex as Gujarat Lions) in the Indian Premier League is also driven by the same goal -- to make Intex a global brand.

I want Intex to be a globally respected name. Owning an IPL team is a pure branding exercise. It showcases to the consumer that Intex has got muscle power and is here to stay. To the investor it sends out a strong message, too. The Gujarati community now takes our brand name with considerable respect and reaching out to powerful people has become easier since, Bansal puts it simply.

Everyone advertises during IPL but all of them do not have the money power to buy a team. Sponsoring a team or advertising would have helped us in terms of sales figures, which we are anyway getting. But this differentiates us.

The move was also driven with an eye to take Intex public. The firm has appointed merchant bankers to work out its valuation for an initial public offer, he tells us.

We order some butter chicken and rotis, and Bansal says he wants to wash down his lunch with a glass of fresh lime and soda.

Holding on to its position in the market -- which has more than 170 brands -- is a challenge. But he says he wants to be scrutinised by investors and market analysts -- something, he believes, will help Intex grow more.

Jiska timing aur product sahi ho woh upar jayega (the right product at the right time always clicks), he says.

There will be pressure for everyone in this competitive environment. Retaining positions will not be easy for anyone. In two years there will be consolidation. Look at the Indian brands now. Only three of us are surviving, many others have died. Ups and downs in market share is a reality because the technology that we offer is almost the same. What will differentiate us are two things -- timing of our launches in the market and the communication to the consumer, says Bansal.

Consolidation is imminent and brands that offer products at the right prices, have a better service network and can gauge the market demand will survive, he adds.

To lend him a helping hand, his daughter has joined the business, following his son Keshavs footsteps. He wants them to roll up their sleeves and pick up the tricks of the trade over time.

Keshav, who is in charge of the firms communications and IPL affairs, has many things to learn from him, says Bansal. Indeed, his phenomenal rise and success in business has given him considerable authority among his family members, including his mother, who frequently consults him on family issues.

I want my children to rise one step at a time, he says.
If the developers continue to express inability to pay, buyers should file a petition in the SC and request it to initiate proceedings under Article 142 of the Constitution

During proceedings in the Supreme Court recently, Parsvnath and Unitech expressed their inability to refund home buyers for not handing over possession of flats.

While the apex court has asked Unitech to deposit the principal money that buyers had paid, in the case of Parsvnath, the court is examining the case for the next course of action.

Legal experts say if the developers continue to express inability to pay, buyers should file a petition in the SC and request it to initiate proceedings under Article 142 of the Constitution.

The apex court has special powers and it can initiate similar proceedings that it did in the case of Sahara, says Hitesh Jain, senior partner, ALMT Legal Partners.

Under Article 142, the Supreme Court has the authority to issue any order for doing complete justice. Lawyers feel this will also set a precedence and discourage developers from taking buyers for a ride.

This will not only help buyers get back their money, there will also be proper investigation that will bring out whether the losses are for real or the builder had siphoned off the money, says Abhishek Khare, founder and managing partner, Khare Legal Chambers.

Lawyer Ashwarya Sinha, who represented buyers in the Unitech case, explains that if a developer does not follow court orders, there could be contempt of court proceedings initiated against the developer. For example, if Unitech is unable to pay by the deadline, the court can also pass a decree to recover the money.

In this case, the assets of the developer will be sold to realise the funds, says senior SC lawyer Jayant Bhushan, who also represented buyers in the Unitech case.

While the buyers will receive relief from the apex court, Khare says the affected parties can also initiate criminal cases simultaneously against the builder. But, these take a long time as such cases have to be initiated in lower courts and the builder is bound to take it to the next level.

Legal experts say there could be different reasons for the developer to tell the court that he doesnt have money.

While it could be genuine, it can also be said as builders are scared that if a small group of buyers get relief, it will lead to all affected parties in the particular projects rushing to court to get similar compensation, says Bhushan.

Developers also say this to reach a settlement with the buyers that will give them time to construct the property or make payment later. But, legal experts say settlement should be ruled out as many delayed projects have either not seen any construction activity or they are at the initial stages.

If you are an affected party, don't just sit on the fence. Lawyers say buyers should start approaching the consumer forum for relief.

They can also approach the apex court to join the current proceedings. But, its up to the court to allow other affect parties to join, says Sinha.

Its not that developers dont have money. There have been many cases in the past where the Income Tax department raided the developer and found money was siphoned off, says Sanjay Sharma, managing director at QuBREX, a real estate consulting firm.

He says many developers in Delhi have got land at cheap rates. For construction, they take a loan. Their overhead cost is mostly employees salaries and advertising. They have taken 80-90 per cent of the flat cost from the buyers. Where has the money disappeared? questions Sharma.

Photograph: Reuters
In a ruling which can have far-reaching consequences, the Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the controversial acquisition of 997.11 acres of land in Singur in 2006 by the then Left Front government in West Bengal to set up Tata Motors' ambitious Nano car manufacturing plant.

The verdict, which came as a huge setback to the auto major, was delivered by a bench of Justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra which quashed the land acquisition process invoked by the erstwhile Communist Party of India-Marxist-led government headed by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, which first came to power in 2011 after spearheading an agitation of cultivators affected by the acquisition, got a shot in the arm as the apex court approved its political plank that the land should be returned to the cultivators.

The two judges, who were unanimous in quashing the acquisition process and for retainment of the compensation awarded to the land-owners and cultivators for being deprived of the use of their land for the last 10 years, gave their own separate reasoning for arriving at their findings.

They agreed that the land should be restored in 12 weeks to the owners and cultivators after completing the survey, identification and other formalities within 10 weeks.

The apex court said the state government cannot claim back the amount of compensation given to the land-losers as it had enjoyed the right over the acquired land for 10 years.

There was disagreement between the two judges on two points, with Justice Gowda saying that the land was not acquired for public purpose directly by the Tata Motors and Justice Mishra holding that there was no illegality in the acquisition of land for public purpose as it would have given employment to thousands of people in West Bengal.

Immediately after the verdict, Banerjee, the chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo, termed the judgment as a landmark victory and said, "We waited for 10 years for this judgment and it is a victory of the farmers".

Her party's Lok Sabha MP and senior advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay, who spearheaded the legal battle, said the judgment was going to be an "eye-opener" in land acquisition cases.

"After 10 years of a long political and legal battle, the apex court has successfully approved the stand taken by us to the extent that the acquisition was illegal," he said.

The two judges concurred that the objections by land-owners and cultivators were not considered objectively by the state authorities and its instrumentalities were influenced by the state cabinet decision.

The bench found fault with the acquisition proceedings and subsequent computation of compensation by the land acquisition collector and said the claims of the cultivators were not "properly handled".

It said the composite award granted to the cultivators was impermissible under law.

Justice Mishra, while agreeing with Justice Gowda on the quashing of the land acquisition, said though the land was not required for the purpose it was acquired, as the project was shifted from Singur to Sanad in Gujarat, the apex court can invoke Article 142 of the Constitution (inherent power of the Supreme Court) for the purpose of returning the land to the original owners.

The bench passed the directions by allowing the appeals filed by some farmers and NGOs and set aside the January 18, 2008, order of Calcutta high court.

The appeals against the high court order were filed by various farmers and NGOs including one Kedar Nath Yadav.

It was alleged that the acquisition of land was against the relevant provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and other rules.

The petitions charged the then government with acquiring the most fertile and valuable land for a corporate house like Tata Motors.

It was also claimed that then state government and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation did not prepare a master plan for securing the development of trade, commerce and industries in the state as per the object of the West Bengal Industrial Infra-Structure Development Corporation Act, 1974.

Seeking judicial intervention, the appeals had said the acquired plots were "so fertile" that they were being cultivated twice or thrice a year, and the acquisition in the name of public purposes had violated the fundamental rights of the farmers.
Trade unions reiterate the call for countrywide general strike on September 2 against the 'anti-worker and anti-people policies' of the government.

As many as 10 central trade unions will go ahead with the general strike on Friday saying the government gave no heed to their 12-point charter of demands and is continuing with unilateral labour reforms.

CTUs claimed that over 15 crore workers are likely to participate in the strike and it will be bigger than the one held last year as members of BMS will also support them.

RSS-affiliated Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) is the only major trade union which has opted out of strike - like last year - which was also held on September 2, in view of the assurances given by the government.

"Some leaders of BMS have decided not to go on strike. But its state units would participate in the strike. Workers will give a befitting reply to the dubious activities inspired by the government," CITU General Secretary Tapen Sen said in a joint press conference by 10 CTUs.

CTUs reiterate the call for countrywide general strike on September 2 against the "anti-worker and anti-people policies" of the government and in view of its "utterly unresponsive and undemocratic attitude", Sen added.

All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) Secretary Amarjeet Kaur said the unions view the announcements made by Ministers' panel, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, as an eyewash.

"It is like cheating the people," she said, adding that this time the number will be bigger than 15 crore who participated in the general strike last year and more than 10 states will have bandh-like situation.

Strike is going to be complete in industrial sectors such as transport, financial, power, coal, textile, port and dock, automobile, steel, oil, defence production, scheme, education and Central and State government employees, Kaur added.

Referring to BMS decision not to participate in the strike, Kaur said: "Government has not had a single meeting with the CTUs in over a year and is talking to those (BMS) who have not given a strike notice."

Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) Vice President Ashok Singh said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his fight is with poverty, but it seems his fight is with the poor in this country. The government's decision are totally pro-capitalist."

CTUs expressed dismay over "utterly negative" attitude of the government on basic demands of workers on minimum wages as per consensus formulation of Indian Labour Conference, on universal social security including pension for all workers including those in unorganised sector, among others.

They added that government is dragging its feet over the mass scale contractorisation of permanent and perennial work.

Attacking the government's initiatives on labour reforms, the unions said: "All these proactive initiatives militate against the basic interests and rights of the working people. Even the non-striking CTU (BMS) also officially recorded its opposition."

Photograph: Sahil Salvi
Following is the chronology of events related to the controversial acquisition of 997.11 acres of land in Singur in 2006 to set up car manufacturing plant of Tata Motors, in which the Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside Calcutta High Court's 2008 order which had held it legal.

*May 18, 2006: Tatas select West Bengal for Rs 1 lakh small car Nano's plant.

*Sep 25: TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee decides to sit on dharna to protest land acquisition drive. Also calls for rail and road blockade.

*Mar 9, 2007: State government signs a 90-year agreement with Tata Motors for 'Nano' plant.

*Jun 14: State govt rules returning Singur project land to farmers.

*Jan 18, 2008: Calcutta HC orders Singur land acquisition legal.

*Feb 15: Tata announces Nano roll-out by Oct.

*May 13: Supreme Court refuses to block Nano roll-out from Singur.

*Sept 16: Mamata Banerjee holds counter rally at Singur demanding implementation of the agreement.

*Sep 24: Attack on security guards at Singur factory.

*Sep 24: Government hopes for a settlement of the Singur crisis.

*Sep 30: All-party meeting at Singur called by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at Writers' Buildings, boycotted by Trinamool Congress and some of its allies.

*Oct 1: CM says Ratan Tata to arrive to discuss Singur issue.

*Oct 3: Ratan Tata formally announces pull-out from Singur. Within days, he announces shifting plant to Gujarat.

*2011: Mamata Banerjee becomes Chief Minister, announces intent to return land to "unwilling Singur farmers". The assembly passes Singur Land and Rehabilitation Bill, 2011.

*June 22, 2012: Calcutta HC strikes down Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act 2011.

*2012: Mamata-led WB govt moves SC against HC order.

*July 10, 2013: SC asks Tata Motors to clear stand on its leasehold rights over the Singur land.

August 31, 2016: SC sets aside controversial acquisition of 997.11 acres of land in Singur in 2006 by the then Left Front government in West Bengal to set up Tata Motors' Nano car manufacturing plant.

Photograph: Reuters
'His assignment as the Ambassador to the UAE was particularly appreciated by the Emiratis and Indians alike. He retires in a trail of glory,' says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Ambassador T P Seetharam and I are not the only pair of brothers who served in the Foreign Service, but we are unique that he is more than 12 years younger to me and he is retiring exactly 12 years after I left the service.

I recall with pride the day he was born and today I witness his return to the pavilion after a glorious innings spread over several countries. His assignment as the Ambassador to the UAE was particularly appreciated by the Emiratis and Indians alike. He retires in a trail of glory.

All of us had expected and hoped that the fourth child of my parents, after three male children, would be a girl. For my parents, the whole logic of having a fourth child was gender balance in the family. According to tradition, it was the girl in the family, who was destined to carry the name of the family to the next generation.

The Travancore royal family had to resort to adoption of girl children to continue the dynastic line. So there was a sense of gloom, not normally associated with the birth of a boy. But all of us were pleased when he grew up as a bright young man and joined the Foreign Service in 1980.

Seetharam was fortunate to have three elder brothers earning, when he was in college. Consequently, he had a fairly affluent status, compared to us, who had to depend on the meagre allowances from our parents. We heard that he was entertaining his friends in luxury hotels! He even acted in a movie at that time.

Our names confused everyone particularly within the service. "Is he your real brother?" colleagues and friends would ask. "Yes. Same father, same mother," we would say. We would also explain that our names are the first names and the initials, 'T P' stand for our father's name.

The name Seetharam was given to him because a boy of that name was my father's most brilliant student of that generation. The other Seetharam did not do too well in her studies later and that was a disappointment for my father.

I am today an evangelist for the Foreign Service and motivate youngsters to choose the IFS as a career. But the first person I truly inspired to join the Foreign Service was Seetharam, who was dazzled by my career in early years. He often says that the picture postcards I sent him from Japan made an impact on him and he wanted to join the IFS to be able to send such cards from exotic places.

When he was preparing for the competitive examination, I was working as the Special Assistant to the Foreign Secretary and he was impressed by the nature of my work and the access I had to the highest levels in the government. He was sure that the IFS was his desired destiny.

To the question why both of us chose the IFS, we say, "Other families are brighter, they don't make the same mistake twice!" But we had wanted the next generation to choose the IFS also, though none of our children did.

I remember advising Seetharam to opt for Chinese as his language, because I could see that China would be the most important challenge of Indian diplomacy.

It was also because I felt that the Chinese language experts in the service were the rising stars. He learnt Chinese in Hong Kong and did a stint in Beijing, but got posted to different places for different reasons.

For instance, on account of the good work he had done in Cambodia, he was sent back to Phnom Penh to be part of the team of the monitoring of the UN supervised elections. He also went to Zambia, Namibia and South Africa. In Delhi, he worked with Ambassador N Krishnan, when he was the prime minister's special envoy for Africa.

From what I heard from Ambassador Krishnan, I felt that he liked him as much as he liked me, if not more. Another of his bosses, Gopal Gandhi, who was the high commissioner in South Africa, was instrumental in taking him to Rashtrapati Bhavan to work as the press secretary to President K R Narayanan.

He later had important posts like Geneva, Thailand, Taiwan, Mauritius and finally the United Arab Emirates. He was also in Delhi as joint secretary and additional secretary, dealing with Western Europe.

Seetharam's career took diverse turns, leading to a variety of jobs, primarily because he was chosen each time for a job for special reasons. His acceptability to senior people in the government and his own willingness to accept assignments without question were responsible for the variety of jobs he did.

But he made a name wherever he went and won approbation from everyone. I heard nothing but the best from my colleagues who met him or worked with him. But he did not use any of his assignments to secure benefits for himself. Career planning on the part of IFS officers often involves seeking favours to get to the right places. But Seetharam is made of sterner stuff.

The posting to the UAE was the icing on the cake for Seetharam's career. As only the second Malayalee Ambassador to the UAE, much was expected of him by the large Malayalee population there. India-UAE relations were also at a critical juncture.

The planning, the management and the follow up of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to the UAE were impeccable because of his contacts in the host government and the Indian community.

He earned a great reputation for being sensitive to the needs of the community and for being helpful to everyone, high or low. I felt proud every time I went to the UAE to hear that he was one of the best Indian Ambassadors the UAE had seen. His vast circle of friends is testimony to his success.

Deepa Seetharam has been a great asset to my brother in his official life, apart from being a wonderful wife and a great mother to their children. Their son Navneeth and daughter Devi found their partners, while they were in the UAE. Devi is already a highly recognised painter and artist.

Seetharam expressed his sense of satisfaction on the successful completion of his IFS career in the many interviews he gave to the media on the eve of his departure.

Ambassador T P Sreenivasan, (IFS 1967)is a former Ambassador of India and Governor for India of the IAEA. He is currently Director, NSS Academy of Civil Services and Director General, Kerala International Centre.
Taking forward India's concern for the Baloch people, the union cabinet has decided to broadcast a news bulletin in the Baloch language, particularly for the people living in Balochistan province of Pakistan and other areas.

The move comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged concerns about the condition of people in Balochistan in Pakistan.

Senior officials said that while Public broadcaster All India Radio has a service in Baloch language, which commenced in 1974, the broadcaster is now looking to augment the news bulletin component.

"The AIR already has a service in Baloch language which airs various programmes and also news. But now an enhanced news bulletin is being planned in Baloch language," a senior official said.

It is learnt that the duration of the present news bulletins is 10 minutes, which could be increased.

The move is significant as it comes in the backdrop of Modi's Independence Day speech in which he had brought up the issue of Pakistani atrocities on people of Baluchistan and PoK.

It was for the first time the disturbed areas in the control of Pakistan were mentioned by any prime minister during his Independence speech.

Earlier, DD News had also sent a team to Geneva to interview Brahumdagh Bugti, leader of Baloch Republican Party.

The External Services Division of All India Radio already broadcasts daily in 57 transmissions covering over 108 countries in 27 languages.

Out of these, 15 are foreign including Baloch language.
Congress mouthpiece National Herald, which became defunct in 2008, shall resume publication, the Associated Journals Ltd announced on Wednesday naming senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as its new editor-in-chief.

The Associated Journals Ltd, a company founded in 1937 by Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru, has taken steps to resume publication of its English and Hindi newspapers National Herald and Navjivan.

The company has appointed senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as editor-in-chief for its Hindi and English newspapers and digital properties with immediate effect, Congress Treasurer Motilal Vora, who is also managing director of AJL Limited, announced on Wednesday.

Without specifying the exact date when the newspapers plan to resume publication, he said it would happen in coming months and will be followed by reviving of Quami Awaz, its defunct Urdu newspaper.

Mishra had earlier been editor of Outlook Hindi and has done extensive work in areas of research and documentation including for the Right to Information movement and legislation.

Vora said the spirit of the forthcoming publications of The Association Journals Limited, a not for profit company, is captured by the tagline Freedom is in peril, defend it with your might.

He said the publications shall seek to give voice to the vision of Nehru and shall seek to occupy a liberal, progressive, secular space.

They shall strive to represent the under-represented and all those deprived of voice, thereby promoting the ideals of a plural, democratic party, he said.

Announcing the plans of relaunching the newspaper last month, Vora had said the decision was taken at an extraordinary general meeting of AJL in Lucknow in January and the process is on.

In the Lucknow meeting, the Associated Journals Limited had decided to convert into a not-for-profit company and re-launch its newspapers.

The decision had come in the midst of a legal battle over its past, which has ensnared Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. The issue is pending in court.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy, who has also filed a private complaint in a local court, has accused top Congress leaders of misappropriation, a charge vehemently denied by the Congress leadership.

Swamy has also written to urban development ministry demanding cancellation of land allotment and confiscation of properties to AJL for alleged violation of allotment conditions.

Both Sonia Gandhi and and Rahul Gandhi along with five others have been granted bail by the court on December 19, 2015 after they appeared in response to the summons.

The Enforcement Directorate has separately booked former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, officials of the Associated Journal Limited, publisher of the National Herald newspaper, and others on charges of alleged money laundering.

The central probe agency registered a criminal case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after taking cognisance of a Haryana state vigilance bureau FIR of May this year.

The vigilance bureau had registered a case of cheating and corruption against Hooda and four officials who were in HUDA for allegedly re-alloting a plot to AJL in Panchkula in 2005.
United States Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday addressed IIT-Delhi students in the national capital.

Kerry was scheduled for a talk with the students at 10 am but was delayed as heavy rains lashed the National Capital Region, and arrived at the venue closer to 11 am.

Kerry began his speech with a much-deserved taunt for the Delhi-Gurugram civic bodies by drain shaming India. "Don't know how you all got here. You must have needed boats to get here," he said wryly.

During his speech, he spoke about issues related to India-US ties, free speech, terrorism, Pakistan and the US elections. Here are some highlights of his speech.

1. The beauty of India and the US is our history of making the impossible a reality

2. The deep cooperation between India and the US matters to both our countries but also to the rest of the world

3. Terror groups like Daesh (Islamic State), Al Qaeda, LeT (Lashkar-e-Tayiba), JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) can't be fought by a single nation alone.

4. It's clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities

5. Pakistan must work with us to help clear the sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India-Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan

6. As people define a great religion, Islam, in a way that doesn't reflect that religion (then) they steal it, hijack it

7. When they (Pakistan) do action there's usually pretty intense push back & blow back which makes it harder.

8. In fairness Pakistan has suffered greatly from the terrorism in their own country. More than 50,000 people have been killed

9. There have been communication (between India and Pakistan). That's the way to begin process

10. Must credit Prime Minister Narendra Modi who extended the invite (for his oath-taking ceremony in May 2014) to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif

11. You have to rely on the good judgement of American people. Period (When asked a question regarding Donald Trump)

12. Polarisation anywhere is not good. It reflects intolerance, it reflects frustration with governance

13. There is no military solution to the dispute in South China Sea, but the US will stand up for its allies

14. We must strike at the root causes of violent extremism and we have to work hard to understand different variations of causes

15. We have to respect the rights of all our citizens irrespective of creed and allow them to protest in peace without fear that they will be jailed for speaking up

Photograph: MEA/Facebook
The Justice S N Dhingra-led commission, which is probing the grant of licences for change in land use in four villages of Gurugram, including the licence granted to a company -- Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited -- owned by Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, on Wednesday submitted its report to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Haryana government.

A judicial inquiry into the controversial land deals in Haryana allegedly involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra on Wednesday submitted its report to the state government, apparently finding irregularities in the deals.

Justice S N Dhingra, a former judge of Delhi high court, presented a 182-page report to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, 15 months after he was appointed to probe land deals in Gurgaon during the tenure of the then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

While refusing to give details of the contents of the report, Justice Dhingra indicated that he clearly found irregularities in the grant of land licenses in the area. The land deals became a major issue in 2014 during the Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls in Haryana.

Asked by newsmen whether the commission found any irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, "Had there been no irregularity I would have given one sentence report mentioning there is no irregularity. My report has 182 pages. Without it (irregularity), I did not have any reason to write 182 pages."

To a query about the companies involved in the irregularities, he said, "I do not know about which particular company you (media) are talking. My mandate was to inquire about irregularity in grant of licenses."

The Khattar government had on May 14, 2015 set up the one-man Commission to probe issues concerning the grant of license(s) for developing commercial colonies by the Department of Town and Country Planning to some entities in Sector 83, Gurgaon including mutation of land deal between a firm M/S Skylight Hospitality owned by Robert Vadra and realty major DLF.

Justice Dhingra said that it is for the government to act on the report, including making it public after laying it in the state assembly.

"I cannot disclose the contents of the report. It is the property of the state government which is to decide the timing of making public the report," he added. The Commission had been given three extensions so far.

Asked whether any government official or private persons were involved in irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, "I have probed irregularity in grant of licenses and the manner in which these irregularities were committed and the persons who were benefitted from it.

"Rest, indictment, is for the state to proceed against whatever it considers against whom it is to proceed and against whom it is not to proceed. That is the state's prerogative.

"I have named each and every person who is responsible whether private or government. Any person who was involved in irregularity has been mentioned (in the report) and role has also been mentioned. Beyond that I would not tell you who were they and what was the role," he further said.

Justice Dhingra said his report was in two parts which contained findings and evidence.

"The report has two volumes. One is findings and second part has evidence of findings. The third part has some documents which I received on June 30 which needed to be investigated and I have mentioned for its investigation in the report," he said.

"This report is about all the subjects which were handed over to me and handled all the issues in my report in detail and whatever evidence I have got from files, I have mentioned in it."

However, he declined to share details of the findings of his report, saying it is up to the government to make it public. "If the government wants to make it public then you (media) will get it," he said.

"I cannot talk about contents of the report as it is legally government's property. Till it takes any decision after going through it or make it public I cannot say on it," he said.

Asked whether this report could be challenged, Justice Dhingra said, "if you know the law of this country any order which is perfectly legal can also be challenged.

"Is there any bar on challenging perfectly legal orders? If you do not know a perfectly legal order of the lowest court can be challenged right up to the Supreme Court even it is upheld in SC."

On action against how many people mentioned in the report, Justice Dhingra said, "I have told Mr Khattar what I told you that here is my report. The first part is the findings and second part is annexure and third part is documents which you need to investigate."

To a further query, he said, "CAG report if you have read it I will say CAG report was for small aspect. This is a detailed report which covered all the aspects."

Asked whether senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka was called, Justice Dhingra said, "If I had to call Khemka, I would have called him. I did not require him. Whosoever was required, I called him."

Asked about Congress allegations that the report was made public deliberately and that he had taken benefits from Haryana government, Justice Dhingra said, "you (media) can run those allegations...what can I say."

The Dhingra Commission had been given three extensions.

On June 30, the Bharatiya Janata Party government had extended the term of the Dhingra Commission for the third time by two months till August 31, 2016 after he had sought six weeks more time to submit its report to go through some documents from a person stating "that they are documents of benami transactions of who benefitted from the grant of license."

The Rs 58-crore deal related to 3.5 acre land in Gurgaon's Shikohpur village which was sold by Vadra to DLF.

The Commission was to probe transfer or disposal of land, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules, and other connected matters, bringing the Vadra land deal under the scanner.

Thereafter, on August 28 last year, the Commission's scope was extended to four villages which included Shikhopur, Sihi, Kheri Daula and Sikanderpur Badha bringing Gurgaon's sector 78 to 86 under its ambit.

In October, 2012, senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka had cancelled the mutation of the land deal between Skylight Hospitality and DLF on the ground that assistant consolidation officer who had sanctioned the change of title, was not competent to do so. It was also mired by controversy over allegations of undervaluation.

BJP had made the land deals under the previous Congress government in Haryana a major poll issue during the 2014 Lok Sabha and the state Assembly polls, alleging rules were relaxed to favour a few including Vadra.

Justice Dhingra Commission had examined about 250 files related to the grant of commercial licenses, besides examining several government officials.

Congress had, earlier, attacked Justice Dhingra, alleging, "he sought favors from government of Haryana, making him incompetent and unsuitable to deliver any verdict or report in the matter."

Meanwhile, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda termed the report as "political vendetta and witch hunt" by the BJP government.

"The institution of commission is politically motivated and is a political vendetta. The government has set up the commission to probe the land deals of only one sector...the enquiry is nothing but witch-hunting against political opponents by the BJP," Hooda, who ruled the state for two consecutive terms, said.

Reacting to the report, he said: "I can't say at this moment what the report has. I will only be able to say something once I see it."

He said that the BJP want to target one person (Vadra) of an important family and as such the constitution of commission was politically motivated.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday sacked social welfare minister Sandeep Kumar after receiving 'objectionable' CD allegedly carrying details of some 'wrongdoings'.

The decision to sack the minister was taken at a high-level meeting attended by top Aam Aadmi Party leaders.

'Received 'objectionable' CD of minister Sandeep Kr. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That can't be compromised. Removing him from Cabinet wid immediate effect (sic),' Kejriwal tweeted announcing the decision.

Sources said the CD contained some wrongdoings by Kumar and Kejriwal did not approve of it.

Kumar represents Sultanpur Majra constituency. He is the second AAP minister to be sacked after Asim Ahmed Khan who was minister for food and supplies.

Sources said the decision to sack Kumar was taken at a hurriedly convened meeting of AAPs Political Affairs Committee at Kejriwals residence.

We will not tolerate any such acts. We have 67 MLAs. If anyone including the chief minister is found involved in any wrongdoings, immediate action will be taken as the AAP is different from other parties, said Sisodia.

On October 9 last year, Kejriwal had sacked the then Environment and Food Minister Asim Ahmed Khan for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 6 lakh from a builder and recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the case.

In June last year, then Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar had resigned after he was arrested on the charge of possessing fake degrees.

Reacting to the development, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party said Kejriwal must resign accepting moral responsibility for picking up the morally corrupt MLA in the cabinet.

He must be rewarded for handing over Delhis governance to people with corrupt values. This has never happened in any government, said Delhi BJP leader Vijender Gupta.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Maken too attacked the AAP saying three of the six ministers who were initially inducted were caught for alleged fake degree, corruption, moral turpitude.

But who chose them? Why aren't they expelled from Party? he asked in a tweet.

Another Congress leader Mukesh Sharma also hit out at the AAP and sought the resignation of the Delhi chief minister.

Prior to this, other AAP ministers have also been removed, and now this scandal only shows, that its the story of Ali Baba and forty thieves, as there are several others in the AAP government, against whom cases are due, he alleged.

This government is corrupt and Arvind Kejriwal should immediately resign from his post on moral grounds, he said.

AAP leader Kumar Vishwas said Sandeep has also sent his resignation.

It is the chief ministers prerogative who he wants in the cabinet and who he doesnt. But the party is of the view that such acts cannot be tolerated. We urge other parties also to follow the suit, he told reporters.

There was also a buzz that the AAP leadership knew about this video for a fortnight.

Kumar, however, rubbished the allegations saying, We received the video today and the decision to sack Sandeep was taken within half-an-hour of receiving the video.
Unfazed by protests of opposition parties and rival service organisations, the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala has restricted Onam festivities in state-run offices and institutions during working hours.

The government order, issued in this regard on Tuesday evening, made it clear that the festivities should not be conducted during office hours.

The official Onam celebrations of this year would begin on September 12 and the festivities should be conducted without causing any difficulties to public and affecting the operations of the office, it said.

"The government is of the view that it is appropriate to avoid conducting celebrations in offices as it affects work there.

"The celebrations should be arranged in such a manner that it should not effect the work and not cause any difficulties to public," the order, issued by the Chief Secretary S M Vijayanand said.

The chief secretary also asked all department heads to initiate strict action to ensure implementation of the order.

Triggering heated debates, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said in a Facebook post last week that it was not appropriate and proper that Onam festivities, including laying of pookalams (floral carpets), are held state-run institutions during office hours.

He had also 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 site.

Vijayan also warned against buying and selling of various articles on office premises during the festive season and said it would be restricted as these activities consume a major chunk of work hours.

Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party had come out criticising the chief minister's direction to regulate Onam festivities.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala criticised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the directive.

Government officers cannot celebrate Onam during working hours, but the chief minister himself will celebrate it at Rashtrapati Bhavan on a working day on one of these days, Chennithala remarked.

The Kerala government is set to host Onam celebrations at Rashtrapati Bhavan on September 3, an event which will witness President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Hamid Ansari in presence.

The Kerala CM, MPs, MLAs and chief secretary will take part in the celebration to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan along with their families during working hours.
The central government has drafted a law to restrict wombs for hire, and there is much to be said on all sides, with criticism that it steps on too many hopes

IMAGE: Surrogate mothers rest inside a temporary home for surrogates provided by Akanksha IVF centre in Anand, Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Photograph: Mansi Thapliyal/Reuters

The statistics on childlessness in India dont tell the whole story. In fact, they dont even tell part of the story. They dont tell you of the awkward silences when, perfectly pleasantly, other women ask you how many children you have and you say bladly: None.

"Sometimes, consolations are offered of a bracing nature, the emotional equivalent of a thwack on the back: To kya hua! Koi nahin hota apna (Never mind/Ultimately, no bonds remain). An act of kindness towards an abused puppy or a bird with a broken wing is put down to overcompensation because of your infirmity of being unable to bear children.

"At the other end of the spectrum, everyone is eager to become your child: From the super-ambitious young man trying to sell you an insurance policy to the 20-something gym instructor. And, when you see a labourer sitting by the wayside with her baby in her lap, whistling silently through her teeth as she carefully separates and combs the few strands of hair on his head, the pain of loss is almost physical, says Archana M, the female half of a Double Income No Kids couple who is now settled in Dubai.

She went through several rounds of emotionally draining In Vitro Fertilisation procedures that juggled her hormones to cure her infertility, leading to wildly oscillating mood swings and sudden weight gain. (The IVF success rate ranges between 29 and 33 per cent). Finally, just as Archana began considering IVF via surrogacy, the government has now told her that it is illegal because she is a non-resident Indian. I dont want to adopt she said, the strain in her voice evident. I had a choice till a week ago. Now, suddenly, I dont.



Last week, the Union Cabinet approved a bill advocating strict conditions regulating surrogate (for hire) pregnancy. Surrogacy is the practice of gestating a child for another couple and could involve any of the various Assisted Reproductive Technologies like IVF, intra uterine insemination, etc.

The number of couples opting for surrogacy, as well as women acting as surrogates, has been growing. Although no scientific studies have been conducted, the market for surrogacy is estimated at Rs 25,000 crore.

A government official says this is a billion dollar industry and according to a 2012 analysis, 2,000 women of foreign origin had children through surrogates here. The estimated size of the business includes the money spent by couples wanting to have children, their trips to India and expenditure on medical consultation. Anecdotal evidence suggests the past two years have seen a 150 per cent rise in surrogacy cases.

The country is favoured by infertile couples from across the globe because of relatively lower costs, less restrictive laws, lack of regulation of ART clinics and availability of surrogate mothers.

Surrogacy in other countries >> Australia

The surrogate mother is regarded/considered by the law to be the legal mother and any surrogacy agreement giving custody to others is void and unenforceable in courts of law >> Canada

Commercial surrogacy is prohibited under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, 2004. Altruistic surrogacy remains legal >> France

Any surrogacy, whether commercial or altruistic, is prohibited by law since 1994 >> Hungary

Commercial surrogacy is illegal >> Israel

Israel is the first country in the world to implement a form of state-controlled surrogacy. In March 1996, the Israeli government legalised gestational surrogacy under an Embryo Carrying Agreements Law. Surrogacy arrangements are permitted only to Israeli citizens who share the same religion >> Japan

In March 2008, the Science Council of Japan proposed a ban on surrogacy and said doctors, agents and their clients should be punished for commercial surrogacy arrangements >> Netherlands, Belgium

Commercial surrogacy is illegal >> America

Many states have their own laws written regarding the legality of surrogate parenting. It is most common for surrogates to live in Florida and California because these states are more legally accommodative of surrogacy. It is illegal to hire a surrogate in New York and even embryonic transfers may not be done there

No longer. Commercial surrogacy is on the brink of being illegal in India. Jaideep Malhotra, president of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction, says the government has taken a regressive step with its bill to ban commercial surrogacy. Only about one per cent of couples who are infertile opt for this route to have children -- it is usually the last resort.



This kind of bill will only bring social turmoil, as men will start remarrying when they cannot have a child with one wife. People will start converting to religions that support and allow multiple marriages. Adopting a baby will also become expensive, depriving many couples of the right to have a baby, she says. Malhotras firm belief is that surrogacy will not stop; it will only become illegal, like pre-natal sex tests.



She says in the Indian context, it is next to impossible to get a close relative to carry your child. It can cause other emotional complications, both for the parents, the surrogate mother and the child. It would have helped if the government had sought experts, rather than relying on bureaucrats and ministers, to draft the bill, she says.



The justification by Union minister Sushma Swaraj has a group of feminists tearing out their hair for the judgemental tone. Commercial surrogacy is banned in Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and most European countries. Thailand and Nepal have also banned commercial surrogacy because of widespread exploitation of surrogate mothers, Swaraj said at a briefing to explain why commercial surrogacy was being banned. The draft law allows for no money transaction. All the clinics can charge for is their fee for conducting the procedure.



Swaraj said single parents can adopt a child but cannot go for surrogacy. If this was allowed, it might open the doors for the sale of sperms/eggs. Let those who wish to be single parents adopt a child. At least, orphans would get a parent, she said, adding that some celebrity couples opted for surrogacy because the wife did not want to go through the pain of labour. Homosexual couples, likewise, will not be allowed to go for surrogacy in India.



Some feminists agree with Swaraj. Malini Karkal, writing in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, says surrogacy turns a normal biological function of a womans body into a commercial contract. Surrogate services are advertised.

Surrogates are recruited and operating agencies -- clinics, brokers, the surrogates themselves -- make large profits. The commercialism of surrogacy raises fears of the black market and baby selling, breeding farms, turning impoverished women into baby producers and the possibility of selective breeding at a price.

Surrogacy degrades a pregnancy to a service and a baby to a product. More, they say, this market has the poor at the receiving end -- and is another way by men to exploit the bodies of women for cash.

Other feminists say that is not the point. The draft Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill & Rules (2010) led to the growth of a burgeoning medical field of assisted reproduction -- and surrogacy was a natural outcome.

In other countries where surrogacy falls in a grey area, surrogates are exploited and uninformed, pregnancies are hit and miss, deliveries even more so. In India, a degree of expertise, both medical and psychiatric, has developed that needed to be nurtured with state mediation to iron out crimps, instead of intervention with a hammer.

The Union Cabinets guidelines and bill will, after introduction, go to a standing committee of Parliament. How informed will the discussion be? Will India adopt the law exactly as the Cabinet has cleared it? Archana M is waiting.

(Some names have been changed on request)

Proposed surrogacy law in India >> Only a close relation can be a surrogate mother >> Intending couple will be the legal guardians of the child, not the surrogate mother >> No money transactions permitted for surrogacy. All that the clinics can charge is their fee for conducting the procedure >> Single parents can adopt a child but cannot go for surrogacy >> No foreigners allowed surrogacy in India. No NRIs, Overseas Citizen of India or Persons of Indian Origin either >> Bill will be introduced in Parliament in the winter session and referred to a standing committee Rules -- Couples need to give evidence that at least one of them is medically unfit to have children



-- They need to have waited for five years after marriage



-- Women between 23 and 50 years and men between 26 and 55 are eligible



-- Only childless and legally wedded Indian couples allowed surrogacy



-- The surrogate needs to be married (or widowed), need to have had a healthy baby in the past and can offer surrogacy only once



-- Rs 10 lakh fine and jail up to 10 years for abandonment of child born through surrogacy and poor treatment of surrogate mother

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A traffic police constable who was allegedly attacked with a wooden plank by a juvenile after he asked the latter for vehicle documents at a petrol pump last week, passed away at a hospital on Wednesday.

The incident took place last on Tuesday last week when the Constable Vilas Shinde (50) from Bandra traffic division was discharging his duty at a petrol pump when he spotted a biker without helmet approaching the petrol pump.

The juvenile was nabbed by police in the late hours on the same day.

Shinde who was in a critical condition and was unconscious since last week, passed away at the Lilavati Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The biker had indulged in a verbal argument with Shinde when he was asked to produce vehicle documents and the license. The biker then phoned his friend who arrived at the spot within minutes and joined him in the argument.

The biker then banged a wooden plank on Shinde's head, after which the duo fled the place, while Shinde was rushed to Lilavati hospital by his colleagues.

Terming the constable's death as a 'sad' incident, Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar said, "Vilas Shinde was assaulted while he was doing his duty. It's very disheartening, if such incident happens during course of duty.

"I pay homage to the departed soul. Our heart goes out to the family member of the deceased," Padsalgikar told reporters.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met the family of Shinde in Mumbai on Wednesday and promised all possible help by state government.

He assured a job to a family member of the deceased and also financial assistance.
Heres a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.

College girls walking in rain in Chennai. Photographs: PTI Photo

Police chasing away protesters during a clash in Srinagar. Photograph: S Irfan/ PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at AJI-3 dam site of the project, in Jamnagar district, Gujarat.

Vehicles wade through a waterlogged road after heavy rains at Delhi-Gurgaon expressway in Gurgaon.

A newly inducted Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel quenches his thirst after passing out parade in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Schoolchildren show Lord Ganesha idols made with clay ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/ PTI Photo

Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani during inauguration of NewBuilding and Design Sutra Competition at National Institute of Fashion Technology in Navi Mumbai.

Onlookers at exhibition titled Kejriwal Ke Jhuthe Vade (false promises of Kejriwal) organised by Delhi Study Group in New Delhi.

Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and United States Secretary of State John Kerry at a joint press conference in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo

Security forces patrolling a street after a clash with the protesters in Srinagar. Photograph: S Irfan/ PTI Photo

A five-storey illegal building is demolished by CIDCO at Sec-5 Kharghar in Navi Mumbai.

Devotees participate in Royal procession of Lord Mahakal during Bhadrapada month in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Temples submerged in flooded waters of Narmada river due to heavy rains near Gwarighat in Jabalpur.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses during a meeting with various religions representatives, police officials, ministers, and administrative officers for upcoming festival Durga Puja, Idd-ul -Zoha, Mahram Celebration in Kolkata.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Wednesday sacked its Goa chief Subhash Velingkar who had taken a public stance against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state with members of an outfit run by him even showing black flags to party chief Amit Shah recently.

"He (Velingkar) has been relieved from his responsibilities. He wanted to get into some political activity. Being a Sangh leader, he can't do that," the RSS' All India Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya told PTI.

Vaidya said the decision on new organisational head for the coastal state, where elections are due next year, is yet to be taken.

Sources said that Velingkar was planning to float a new political outfit to fight the ruling BJP in the state which has not gone down well with the RSS, which is the ideological mentor of ruling BJP.

He also courted controversy earlier this week by reportedly saying that the BJP may not win the election in Goa next year since it has "betrayed" people's trust by going back on its promise of making regional languages as a medium of instruction in schools.

Velingkar is leading Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, a front which has been demonstrating across the state against the decision of the BJP-led government in the state to give grants to English medium Schools.

As a part of the demonstration, the BBSM had showed black flags to Shah at Bambolim during his visit here on August 20.

Shah had reportedly raised the issue with RSS top brass at a meeting last week in Bhopal which was attended by the RSS second-in-command Bhaiyaji Joshi and joint general secretary Krishna Gopal.

Once a staunch supporter of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Velingkar fell out with him recently for "taking a u-turn" on the language issue.

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said it is an internal matter of the Sangh and we (BJP) have nothing to it.

"I came to know about it through media," Parsekar added.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will make a trip to Mexico to meet President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday.

This would be Trump's first formal interaction with a foreign head of state after he jumped into the electoral arena last year.

Moments before taking the stage for a rally in Everett, Washington, just north of Seattle, Trump tweeted that he had "accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow".

The meeting will happen hours before Trump is scheduled to deliver a major address on immigration in Phoenix, Arizona, in which he will aim to clarify his increasingly murky stance on the issue.

Trump is widely reviled in Mexico, where his plans for a border wall have been taken as an insult and revived deep grievances over sovereignty and mutual respect that have historically dogged the country's relationship with the United States. The 70-year-old reality TV star has in the past called some Mexicans as drug dealers, "rapists" and other criminals.

Mexico's disaffection with Trump began early in his campaign, when he said, among other things, that the immigrants entering the United States illegally from Mexico were rapists. From that point on, columns, articles and public forums have been filled with anti-Trump tirades, his words galvanizing Mexicans across the social spectrum.

Nieto has pushed back against Trump's characterizations of his country and countrymen; he's also compared Trump to Hitler and Mussolini in the past.

Nieto had invited Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton too for a meeting. Both campaigns received the invitation on good terms, the president's office told The Washington Post in a statement.

Foreign trips by presidential candidates, even to a neighboring country such as Mexico, are an enormous logistical and security undertaking. It is unclear whether Trump could receive clearance from Secret Service to make the trip or whether his small campaign team could organize the logistics in time for even a short visit.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a close Trump adviser, has been among those pushing Trump to make the trip, according to a person familiar with their conversations. Christie made his own successful trip to Mexico City in September 2014, and has a warm relationship with the Mexican president.

Some Mexican analysts see Wednesday's meeting in a positive light.

"Nieto will look like more of a statesman and diplomat by receiving him than by denying the possibility of a meeting," Alejandro Schtulmann, president of Mexico City-based political-risk advisory and consulting firm Empra, told Bloomberg.

"For the Mexican government, as long as the meeting takes place in Mexico, it will be a positive development. If Pena Nieto were to travel to the US for it, people would see him as a sellout. If Trump comes to Mexico's, he's trying to mend fences."

IMAGE: A snap posted by Trump on his Instagram account three months ago captioned: Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics! Photograph: Donald Trump/Instagram
United States Secretary of State John Kerry made a strong pitch for the right to dissent on Wednesday, saying in an address to students of Delhis Indian Institute of Technology, We have to respect the rights of all our citizens irrespective of creed and allow them to protest in peace without fear that they will be jailed.

His remarks come just days after Amnesty International was slapped with a sedition charge in Bengaluru.

The US and India will have to keep faith in our democratic values and uphold the freedom that defines our countries, Kerry said.

He said one has to respect rights of all our citizens, regardless of ethnicity, language or creed.

In order to express their views and allow them to protest in peace without fear of reprisal or retribution, without fear of being jailed for something you say, he said while speaking on the need to strike at the root cause of terrorism, which he said differed from country to country.

He, however, singled out corruption and bad governance as one of the main reason for leaving youngsters frustrated.

We have to work cooperatively and in good faith that terrorists have no place to run, no place to hide and no place to plan and prepare the future, he said.

Kerry said one must not allow terrorists to succeed and it was important to strike at the root cause.

He said a society which does not give equal opportunities to its citizens makes them a potential extremist or terrorist.

So it also means that we have to build bridges of tolerance and acceptance, compassion, mutual understanding among every religion and sect, he said.

He urged those involved in interfaith efforts to reach out and define tolerance and also the beauty of their religion.

Speaking to the students, he also said that it was clear that Pakistan had to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against indigenous groups operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistans peace and stability.

The US Secretary of State said terror groups like Daesh, Al Qaeda, Laskhar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed cant be fought by a single nation alone.

We are working on it. I have been working on this issue very hard. I have had many engagements with Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT.

It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities. They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India-Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan, Kerry said.

Image: US Secretary of State John Kerry addresses students at Delhi-IIT. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared with him US' perspective on developments in the region and beyond.

Kerry, along with US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, also discussed progress in bilateral engagement since Prime Minister's visit to US in June 2016 apart from briefing him on the 2nd India-US Strategic & Commercial Dialogue that concluded on Tuesday, according to a PMO release.

"Secretary Kerry also shared US perspective on developments in the region and beyond with prime minister," it said.

The US Secretary of State, om Tuesday as well as on Wednesday in his speech at an event, had asked Pakistan to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against "indigenous groups" operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistan's peace and stability.

"Prime minister conveyed satisfaction at the expanded and strengthened strategic partnership between India and the US over the past two years that has opened up new vistas for collaboration. He conveyed that he looked forward to rapid progress and successful completion of the decisions taken with President Obama at the Summit Meeting in June," the PMO said.

Modi also conveyed that he looked forward to meeting President Obama at the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China.

Tweeting on his meeting, Modi said, "Glad to meet you, Secretary @JohnKerry. We had fruitful discussions on India-USA ties."

Kerry had earlier tweeted: "Pleased to sit down with @narendramodi, reflect on successful S&CD and our ever- deepening relationship with #India."

Meanwhile, Kerry postponed his departure from India by at least two days, prompting speculation about the reasons for the sudden decision.

Kerry, whose official engagements in India ended with a call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was scheduled to leave at 5.30 pm. However, he may now leave either on Friday or Saturday for China where he will join President Barack Obama for the G-20 Summit.

Deputy Spokesperson in State Department Mark Toner, who is travelling with Kerry, said, the visit has been extended to enable him to travel to China for G-20 Summit this weekend.

"Kerry would now remain in the Indian capital until Friday or Saturday, when he will leave for the summit in Hangzhou. Kerry's schedule for his remaining time in India is still to be determined," Toner told the accompanying media.

It was not clear that whether Kerry's decision to travel to China was taken at the last minute or whether he was planning to visit any other country in the region which may have been called off.

Kerry arrived in India on August 29 to co-chair the 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue during which the two sides discussed key issues including terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

IMAGE: US Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted this pic of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photograph: John Kerry/Twitter
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.
Ethiopia: Civil society groups urge international investigation into ongoing human rights violations

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Ethiopia: Civil society groups urge international investigation into ongoing human rights violations, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6bd494.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.

A group of civil society organizations are calling for an independent and impartial international investigation into human rights violations in Ethiopia, including the unlawful killing of peaceful protesters and a recent spate of arrests of civil society members documenting this crackdown.

DefendDefenders (East and Horn of African Human Rights Defenders Project), the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE), Amnesty International, the Ethiopia Human Rights Project (EHRP), Front Line Defenders, and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), are concerned about the levels of persecution and detention of civil society members in the country. Since last month, four members of one of Ethiopia's most prominent human rights organizations, the Human Rights Council (HRCO), were arrested and detained in the Amhara and Oromia regions. HRCO believes these arrests are related to the members' monitoring and documentation of the crackdown of on-going protests in these regions.

On 14 August, authorities arrested Tesfa Burayu, Chairperson of HRCO's West Ethiopian Regional Executive Committee at his home in Nekemte, Oromia. Tesfa, who had been monitoring the protests for the organization, was denied access to his family and his lawyer, and released on 16 August without charge. Two days earlier on 12 August, Abebe Wakene, also a member of HRCO, was arrested and taken to the Diga district police station in Oromia. Abebe Wakene remains in detention with no formal charges against him. In addition, on 13 August, Tesfaye Takele, a human rights monitor in the Amhara region, was arrested in the North Wollo zone and is still detained without charge.

On 8 July, Bulti Tesema -another active member of HRCO - was arrested in Nejo, Oromia. He had been working with HRCO to monitor and document violent repression of the protests. Sources told DefendDefenders that his whereabouts remained unknown for several weeks after his arrest, until they found out that he had been transferred to the capital's Kilinto prison and charged with terrorist offences. He has not been given access to either his family or his lawyer. The court has adjourned the hearing to 12 October.

"New levels of violence are being reported in the crackdown on the largely peaceful protests that have taken place across Oromia and Amhara regions in recent weeks," said Hassan Shire, Executive Director of DefendDefenders. "Instead of investigating and holding accountable those responsible for rights violations, the government is jailing the few independent human rights defenders left working in the country."

HRCO's human rights monitors were arrested for attempting to document the large-scale pro-democracy protests and the following violent crackdown by the authorities in the Oromia and Amhara regions, as well as in the capital Addis Ababa on 6 and 7 August. Amnesty International reported that close to 100 protesters were killed and scores more arrested during the largely peaceful protests.

Three journalists were also arrested and detained by Ethiopian security officials for 24 hours on 8 August 2016 in the Shashemene area of the Oromo region. According to the Foreign Correspondents' Association of Ethiopia, Hadra Ahmed, a correspondent with Africa News Agency, was arrested along with Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) reporters Fred de Sam Lazaro and Thomas Adair, despite having proper accreditation. They were reporting on the government's response to the drought in the Oromia region, where protests have been ongoing since November 2015. Their passports and equipment were confiscated and they were forced to return to Addis Ababa.

"Despite the systematic repression of peaceful protestors, political dissents, journalists and human rights defenders, the absence of efficient and effective grievance redress mechanisms risks plunging the country into further turmoil," said Yared Hailemariam, Executive Director of AHRE."

In response to the on-going crackdown, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, has called for "access for independent observers to the country to assess the human rights situation". Ethiopia's government, however, has rejected the call and promised to launch its own investigation.

Ethiopia's National Human Rights Commission, which has the mandate to investigate rights violations in Ethiopia, has failed to make public its own June report on the Oromo protests, while concluding in its oral report to Parliament that the lethal force used by security forces in Oromia was proportionate to the risk they faced from the protesters. Since November 2015, at least 500 demonstrators have been killed and thousands of others arrested in largely peaceful protests in the Oromia and Amhara regions and other locations across the country.

"The lack of independent and transparent investigation of human rights violations in Ethiopia strongly implies that the Ethiopian government's investigation of the ongoing human rights crisis will not be independent, impartial and transparent" said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. "It is time to step up efforts for an international and independent investigation in Ethiopia."

DefendDefenders, AHRE, Amnesty International, EHRP, Front Line Defenders, and FIDH urge the Ethiopian authorities to (i) immediately and unconditionally release civil society members targeted for their work and (ii) facilitate access for international human rights monitoring bodies including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to conduct thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into the ongoing human rights violations in the Oromia, Amhara and Addis Ababa areas.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Bangladesh: Halt imminent execution of Mir Quasem Ali after unfair trial

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Bangladesh: Halt imminent execution of Mir Quasem Ali after unfair trial, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6bec54.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.

A group of civil society organizations are calling for an independent and impartial international investigation into human rights violations in Ethiopia, including the unlawful killing of peaceful protesters and a recent spate of arrests of civil society members documenting this crackdown.

DefendDefenders (East and Horn of African Human Rights Defenders Project), the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE), Amnesty International, the Ethiopia Human Rights Project (EHRP), Front Line Defenders, and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), are concerned about the levels of persecution and detention of civil society members in the country. Since last month, four members of one of Ethiopia's most prominent human rights organizations, the Human Rights Council (HRCO), were arrested and detained in the Amhara and Oromia regions. HRCO believes these arrests are related to the members' monitoring and documentation of the crackdown of on-going protests in these regions.

On 14 August, authorities arrested Tesfa Burayu, Chairperson of HRCO's West Ethiopian Regional Executive Committee at his home in Nekemte, Oromia. Tesfa, who had been monitoring the protests for the organization, was denied access to his family and his lawyer, and released on 16 August without charge. Two days earlier on 12 August, Abebe Wakene, also a member of HRCO, was arrested and taken to the Diga district police station in Oromia. Abebe Wakene remains in detention with no formal charges against him. In addition, on 13 August, Tesfaye Takele, a human rights monitor in the Amhara region, was arrested in the North Wollo zone and is still detained without charge.

On 8 July, Bulti Tesema -another active member of HRCO - was arrested in Nejo, Oromia. He had been working with HRCO to monitor and document violent repression of the protests. Sources told DefendDefenders that his whereabouts remained unknown for several weeks after his arrest, until they found out that he had been transferred to the capital's Kilinto prison and charged with terrorist offences. He has not been given access to either his family or his lawyer. The court has adjourned the hearing to 12 October.

"New levels of violence are being reported in the crackdown on the largely peaceful protests that have taken place across Oromia and Amhara regions in recent weeks," said Hassan Shire, Executive Director of DefendDefenders. "Instead of investigating and holding accountable those responsible for rights violations, the government is jailing the few independent human rights defenders left working in the country."

HRCO's human rights monitors were arrested for attempting to document the large-scale pro-democracy protests and the following violent crackdown by the authorities in the Oromia and Amhara regions, as well as in the capital Addis Ababa on 6 and 7 August. Amnesty International reported that close to 100 protesters were killed and scores more arrested during the largely peaceful protests.

Three journalists were also arrested and detained by Ethiopian security officials for 24 hours on 8 August 2016 in the Shashemene area of the Oromo region. According to the Foreign Correspondents' Association of Ethiopia, Hadra Ahmed, a correspondent with Africa News Agency, was arrested along with Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) reporters Fred de Sam Lazaro and Thomas Adair, despite having proper accreditation. They were reporting on the government's response to the drought in the Oromia region, where protests have been ongoing since November 2015. Their passports and equipment were confiscated and they were forced to return to Addis Ababa.

"Despite the systematic repression of peaceful protestors, political dissents, journalists and human rights defenders, the absence of efficient and effective grievance redress mechanisms risks plunging the country into further turmoil," said Yared Hailemariam, Executive Director of AHRE."

In response to the on-going crackdown, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, has called for "access for independent observers to the country to assess the human rights situation". Ethiopia's government, however, has rejected the call and promised to launch its own investigation.

Ethiopia's National Human Rights Commission, which has the mandate to investigate rights violations in Ethiopia, has failed to make public its own June report on the Oromo protests, while concluding in its oral report to Parliament that the lethal force used by security forces in Oromia was proportionate to the risk they faced from the protesters. Since November 2015, at least 500 demonstrators have been killed and thousands of others arrested in largely peaceful protests in the Oromia and Amhara regions and other locations across the country.

"The lack of independent and transparent investigation of human rights violations in Ethiopia strongly implies that the Ethiopian government's investigation of the ongoing human rights crisis will not be independent, impartial and transparent" said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. "It is time to step up efforts for an international and independent investigation in Ethiopia."

DefendDefenders, AHRE, Amnesty International, EHRP, Front Line Defenders, and FIDH urge the Ethiopian authorities to (i) immediately and unconditionally release civil society members targeted for their work and (ii) facilitate access for international human rights monitoring bodies including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to conduct thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into the ongoing human rights violations in the Oromia, Amhara and Addis Ababa areas.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
UN Refugee Chief: World must act to end South Sudan suffering

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Author Dana Hughes Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Refugee Chief: World must act to end South Sudan suffering, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c0c24.html [accessed 29 October 2022]

During a visit to Uganda, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has made a passionate plea to end the human rights violations and atrocities that have sent thousands fleeing South Sudan across the border.

"Peace has to come to South Sudan. The leaders of that young country have to behave responsibly and not continue to ignore the plight of their own people," said Grandi, after hearing tales of extreme violence from recently arrived refugees. "Humanity is suffering. This has to stop."

Nearly 90,000 refugees from South Sudan have fled to safety in Uganda since renewed conflict broke out in July between government and rebel forces. The numbers have slowed in the last month, but Uganda is still receiving 800-1,000 refugees per day.

During a three-day visit to Uganda, Grandi visited Adjumani District where a majority of recent arrivals have sought refuge. He spoke with refugees who told harrowing stories of the violence that forced them to leave everything behind, and also urged greater support for refugees in Uganda.

Taban Arikaangjelo barely escaped with his life after being shot at and chased away during a raid on his village by government forces. He made it to Uganda, but told of relatives still trapped inside South Sudan because of armed groups blocking the roads.

He said Grandi's call for both peace in South Sudan, and for more help for the refugees in Uganda, sent a powerful message.

"It was important for him to come here and see how we are living, and also to see that we are safe here in Uganda."

After Kenya, Uganda hosts the second largest population of refugees in Africa, with more than 600,000 refugees coming primarily from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.

The country also has one of the world's most progressive refugee policies. Refugees live in settlements, rather than camps. The government provides them with plots of land, which allows them to build their own homes, and grow food that can be sold for additional income.

Grandi praised the fact that despite a lack of resources and the large new influx, the Ugandan government has continued to welcome refugees.

"Nowhere in the world have I seen people settled with land, with shelter in less than two months." he said.

The High Commissioner called on the international community to offer more support for the humanitarian response to the South Sudan crisis, which is currently funded at only 20 per cent.

"I'm appealing to the international community to pay the same attention, and put the same resources into this response, that it would if the emergency was in a country closer to them," he said.

The High Commissioner warned that without adequate funding, UNHCR and partners will have a difficult time continuing to meet the needs of South Sudanese refugees, putting hundreds of thousands of them at risk of lack of food, disease and other protection issues.
UN food relief agency needs $48 million for school meals programme in West and Central Africa

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN food relief agency needs $48 million for school meals programme in West and Central Africa, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c41340c.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.

30 August 2016 - The United Nations food relief agency today warned that it urgently needs $48 million for its school meals assistance programme in West and Central Africa to avoid having more than 1.3 million children across West and Central Africa risk missing out its school meals as widening financial constraints force it to reduce its reach in the region.

"Children from the very countries and regions where needs are most acute are missing out on this vital assistance. We urge our supporters not to forget the value the school meals programme brings - a key vehicle to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition - and not let more than a million children slip deeper or back into in poverty and hunger," the World Food Programme's Regional Director for West Africa, Abdou Dieng, said in a news release.

"We urgently need US$48 million to start or continue our school meals assistance," he added.

In the news release, WFP note that dwindling resources, shifting donor priorities and changed financing mechanisms in some countries have conspired to create a funding gap and jeopardize programmes. However, unless vital funding comes through in the next month, more than half a million children across Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania and Niger could start the school year without the meals they have come to rely upon and, by the end of 2016, assistance will run out for a further 700,000 children in 11 other countries.

School meals have been a lifeline for children

WFP is the top sponsor of such initiatives in West and Central Africa. While in some countries the government and other agencies lead or complement the UN agency's programme, in most of the region WFP is the sole or main provider of school meals, targeting areas where hunger and malnutrition levels are highest. Year after year, the agency noted, it has been forced by financial constraints to shrink its areas of coverage.

As schools reopen across Guinea, WFP is resuming its school meals programme in all four regions of the country. Photo: WFP/Sanoussy Barry

"In most countries in West and Central Africa - in the grip of chronic hunger and malnutrition, and increasingly affected by conflict - school meals have been a lifeline for children, as they are often the only regular and nutritious meals they receive," said Mr. Dieng.

In Chad - where, in some regions, as many as four-fifths of the population do not get enough food for a healthy life - WFP's school meals programme has shrunk by more than 90 per cent in the past three years due to funding shortages, from more than 200,000 children assisted in 2013 to just 15,000 in 2016. In Senegal, current resources will cover school meals for less than a fifth of the children targeted by the programme. In Mauritania and Cameroon, funds ran out during the 2015-2016 school year, forcing WFP to halt assistance in January and May respectively. In Guinea, WFP will halve its assistance this school year.

WFP also flagged that during or after conflict in the Central African Republic, Mali and Niger, or in the aftermath of a major health crisis such as the Ebola outbreak, school meals have played an important role in providing children in need with nutritious meals; encouraging families to send their children to school; and, more broadly, helping children regain their childhood.

Key donors to WFP's school meals programme in West and Central Africa for the 2015-2016 school year are Canada, the European Union, Japan, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
UN official highlights challenges of humanitarian operations in Syria

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN official highlights challenges of humanitarian operations in Syria, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c45140e.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.

30 August 2016 - Addressing the media in Geneva, a United Nations spokesperson today highlighted the challenging working environment in which UN humanitarian agencies are operating in within Syria and flagged that aid is being delivered to all those who need, regardless of their affiliation and where they live.

"From the planning process to the actual response, we are guided by our determination to assist people affected by this terrible crisis in accordance with core humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence," OCHA Deputy Spokesperson Jens Laerke told a news briefing in the UN Office in Geneva today, in response to claims made in UK newspaper The Guardian.

"We are focused on reaching all people in need by whatever means feasible, including through regular programmes, cross-line, cross-border and air operations," he added. "This delivery is despite the dangerous security conditions; every day UN staff and our partners risk their lives to deliver this life-saving assistance."

The conflict in Syria has left some 13.5 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, according to OCHA. However, with each passing year, as the conflict in Syria has worsened, the scale of the humanitarian crisis has escalated. UN humanitarian agencies have responded by scaling up programmes and reach, delivering from within Syria, across borders and by airdrops in all parts of the country. Their assistance includes safe water, food, nutritional supplements, medicines and health support, as well as programmes supporting education, protection, vulnerable people, support to women-headed households and more.

Deputy Spokesperson Jens Laerke, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). UN Photo/Violaine Martin

UN humanitarian agencies and partners are currently operating within a very large humanitarian response plan which calls for $3.2 billion in funding, and of which just 33 per cent has been received so far.

The spokesperson addressed the UN's work with all parties to the conflict, including relevant departments of the Government of Syria, to reach people with the life-saving support they need.

"The Government determines the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that the UN agencies in Syria are permitted to work with," the spokesperson said. "If agencies in Syria did not accept this, they would not be able to save so many lives by delivering critical supplies and services to millions of people across the country."

In his remarks, Mr. Laerke said that the UN delivers to all areas of the country - irrespective of the status of control and using the most effective methods, including deliveries to non-government controlled areas through UN Security Council-authorised cross-border deliveries from Turkey and Jordan and deliveries from government-controlled areas across conflict lines to besieged and hard-to-reach enclaves.

"Since the beginning of 2016, the UN and partners in Syria have successfully reached 1.2 million people in besieged and hard-to-reach and other priority areas through inter-agency operations," Laerke said. "Many of these people have been reached more than once."
Guinea-Bissau: Political impasse needs to be broken to allow economic reforms to proceed, reports UN envoy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Guinea-Bissau: Political impasse needs to be broken to allow economic reforms to proceed, reports UN envoy, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c49f40c.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.

30 August 2016 - In his briefing to the United Nations Security Council today, a senior United Nations official emphasized the need for Guinea-Bissau's political leaders to put aside partisan considerations and focus on national interests and the welfare of the suffering population.

"The ongoing political impasse can and must be resolved," the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Guinea-Bissau, Modibo Toure, told the Council.

Mr. Toure, also the Head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), further said that the parties to the country's crisis should make the necessary sacrifices and concessions needed to end a parliamentary standoff and put governmental machinery back on track.

The People's National Assembly of Guinea-Bissau has been stuck in an impasse for the last few months and it has not yet been able to consider the Government's programme that had been in place for three months.

Mr. Toure reported that the President of the National Assembly had taken steps aimed at finding a solution to the stalemate, including initiating a mediation exercise between parliamentary groups of the two main parties.

He underscored that without public approval of the Government's programme, it would be difficult for it to introduce reforms and to implement policies and strategies that promoted economic growth and improved the living conditions of people.

The UN official also noted that in addition to the current focus on achieving stability from the top down, energy and resources should be invested to foster such a development from the bottom up. In that regard, Mr. Toure called on the donor community to consider allocating more resources to the social sector, including health and education and to programmes that empowered women and created opportunities for youth.

He added that breaking the political stalemate should also provide the opportunity for the political actors of the West African country to reflect on ways to end the recurrent cycle of institutional paralysis and ensure sustainable stability.
Security Council extends mandate of UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council extends mandate of UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c4f140c.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.

30 August 2016 - The United Nations Security Council today unanimously extended the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), until the end of August 2017.

Adopting resolution 2305, the Council also expressed concern at the limited progress made towards a permanent ceasefire, a decade after the adoption of resolution 1701, which helped end the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hizbollah.

Originally established in 1978, UNIFIL was greatly reinforced after the 2006 fighting to oversee the cessation of hostilities between the two sides. It is tasked with ensuring that the area between the so-called 'Blue Line' - separating Israel and Lebanon - and the Litani River is free of unauthorized weapons, personnel and assets. It also cooperates with the Lebanese Armed Forces so they can fulfil their security responsibilities.

In its resolution, the 15-member body also asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in accordance with global peacekeeping best practices, to conduct a strategic review of the mission by February 2017 to help to ensure that it was appropriately configured to fulfil its mandated tasks.

The Council urged all parties to make tangible progress towards a permanent ceasefire and urged the Government of Israel to "expedite the withdrawal of its military from northern Ghajar, in coordination with UNIFIL," said the statement. The withdrawal from northern part of the village of Ghajar, which straddles the area between the countries is one of the terms of the Security Council's resolution 1701.

In the resolution, the UN body also called on all parties to respect the safety of the mission and its personnel, and reiterated its call on Lebanon to complete its investigation into three separate attacks on UNIFIL convoys on 27 May, 26 July and 9 December 2011, respectively, injuring a number of UN peacekeepers.

In related news, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the extension of UNIFIL's mandate and said that, in the past ten years, its area of operation and areas along the 'Blue Line' have witnessed the longest period of relative calm in decades. "[However] calm should not be mistaken for progress on the remaining objectives of resolution 1701," said Mr. Ban, according to a statement issued by his office. "The violent and unstable regional context emphasizes the importance of tangible progress by the parties toward a permanent ceasefire, as envisaged in the resolution."

Thanking the countries contributing their troops to the mission, the UN chief emphasized the need for the parties to focus on the goal of a permanent ceasefire and to act proactively to address all outstanding issues in the implementation of resolution 1701 and other relevant Security Council resolutions.
US admits more than 10,000 Syrian refugees in fiscal 2016  UN partner agency

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, US admits more than 10,000 Syrian refugees in fiscal 2016  UN partner agency, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c54540c.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.

30 August 2016 - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has helped resettle more than 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States during the year ending 30 September, without compromising the integrity and security of the processing mechanism.

As of 29 August, 10,172 Syrian refugees were admitted in the United States as part of the Obama administration's promise to increase the number of Syrian refugee admissions by 30 September, according to a news release issued by the IOM.

In July this year, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution approving an agreement to make the IOM part of the UN system as a related organization.

The US' achievement came weeks prior to the UN Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants at UN Headquarters on 19 September - at which UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and IOM Director General William L. Swing will sign the aforementioned agreement - as well as a summit on the global refugee crisis, hosted by US President Barack Obama during the high-level segment of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly on 20 September.

The majority, or 87 per cent, of Syrians resettled in the US during fiscal 2016 were processed by the IOM's Resettlement Support Center MENA (RSC MENA) based in Amman, Jordan.

"This fiscal year, RSC MENA was faced with a challenge to dramatically increase our processing capacity without jeopardizing program integrity and security. Today, I feel proud of the great team work which led to reaching this important target of at least 10,000 Syrian refugee arrivals in the US," said IOM's RSC MENA Project Manager, Jeanette Camarillo, in the release.
UN envoy 'greatly regrets' intensification of fighting in Syria

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN envoy 'greatly regrets' intensification of fighting in Syria, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c575410.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.

30 August 2016 - Regretting the intensified fighting and grave humanitarian situation in Syria, the United Nations Special Envoy for the country, Staffan de Mistura, reiterates the need for a political solution to the conflict there, according to his spokesperson Jessy Chahine.

"A political process and a political solution are the only way out of the crisis," the Special Envoy's spokesperson told a news briefing in Geneva today. "The Special Envoy was determined to carry forward the political track and continues actively to consider options for early action."

The spokesperson highlighted that discussions between Russia and the United States this week are crucial to efforts to restore the cessation of hostilities, and noted that the UN is continuing consultations with representatives of the two countries, as well as the International Syria Support Group's (ISSG) members, on the way ahead. The United States and Russia are the ISSG's co-chairs.

Regarding Mr. de Mistura's recent call for a 48-hour pause in fighting in the besieged northern city of Aleppo, Ms. Chahine referred to a recent statement issued by the Special Envoy and noted that discussions are ongoing with all stakeholders.

"No-one had rejected the urgency of a humanitarian pause," she noted, adding that Mr. de Mistura would address the media on 1 September, following the regular humanitarian access task force meeting.

According to UN estimates, the five-year old conflict in Syria has driven 4.8 million refugees to neighbouring countries, hundreds of thousands in Europe, and displaced 6.6 million people within the country against a pre-war population of over 20 million. Well over 200,000 people are believed to have died.
On World Day, UN chief highlights plight of family and friends of victims of enforced disappearances

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, On World Day, UN chief highlights plight of family and friends of victims of enforced disappearances, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c5b040c.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.

30 August 2016 - Marking the 2016 International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the anguished women and men  parents, children, partners or friends  desperately seeking any information on their loved ones who have disappeared are also victims of enforced disappearances.

They have a right to know the truth regarding the circumstances of these disappearances, the progress and results of any investigations, and ultimately, the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones, Mr. Ban underlined in his message on the Day.

Referring to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which defines a victim as 'any individual who has suffered harm as the direct result of an enforced disappearance,' the UN chief reminded all States of their obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish enforced disappearances, as well as to provide redress to the victims.

The UN General Assembly voted in 2010 to designate 30 August as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances to draw attention to the global problem of enforced disappearance. Once largely the product of military dictatorships, risks of enforced disappearances are high in complex situations of internal conflict, especially as a means of political repression of opponents.

In his message, Mr. Ban noted that with support from their communities, human rights defenders and non-governmental organizations, these victims seek and demand adequate responses from the authorities.

However, [they] often face a lack of responsiveness or outright hostility from the authorities to which they reach out, said Mr. Ban, drawing attention to the accounts of reprisals such as arbitrary arrests, threats and intimidation against relatives, or against those that support them, received by the Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the two main UN expert mechanisms in this field.

Calling on Member States to acknowledge that family and friends of the disappeared are also victims, and to guarantee their right to full protection from any form of reprisals, the Secretary-General urged them to sign, ratify or accede to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which includes specific provisions against the ill-treatment or intimidation of witnesses, relatives, and persons participating in the investigation of enforced disappearances.

Let us all show solidarity with the victims and their relatives as they strive to realize their right for truth and justice, he added.
UN chief voices concern over premature declarations on outcome of Gabon's presidential elections

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN chief voices concern over premature declarations on outcome of Gabon's presidential elections, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c5d040c.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.

30 August 2016 - In telephone conversations today with the Gabonese leaders vying for the country's presidency, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his concerns over early calls on the polls results, outside of any official process.

"The Secretary-General expressed concern about the issuance of premature declarations on the outcome of the election ahead of the official announcement of the results," Mr. Ban's spokesperson stated in a readout.

The UN chief spoke with the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, and the presidential candidate of the Democratie Nouvelle party, Jean Ping, in separate telephone calls earlier on Tuesday. According to media reports, the election was closely contested between the two candidates, with the outcome still pending and provisional results scheduled for release today.

The Secretary-General's spokesperson said that in the calls Mr. Ban commended the peaceful holding of the presidential election last Saturday, and welcomed the high voter turnout and the presence of a large number of national and international observers.

Mr. Ban also called on the President and Mr. Ping to impress upon their supporters the need to show restraint while waiting for the announcement of the provisional results.

"The Secretary-General encouraged President Bongo Ondimba and Mr. Ping to address any dispute that may arise after the announcement of the results through the existing legal means, following a transparent and democratic process," the spokesperson added, while also flagging that Mr. Ban reiterated the availability of his Special Representative for Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily, to assist in defusing any tensions that may arise.
In Myanmar, UN chief spotlights country's challenging path towards multi-ethnic democracy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, In Myanmar, UN chief spotlights country's challenging path towards multi-ethnic democracy, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c60a40e.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.

30 August 2016 - Following a meeting with Myanmar's foreign minister, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today highlighted the great challenges her country faces on its path of reform towards a harmonious, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and prosperous democracy.

"Today, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and I agreed that the people of Myanmar, whatever their ethnicity, religion or economic status, want better social and economic opportunities, in an environment where everyone is free, equal and secure," the UN chief told reporters in a joint press stakeout with Ms. Suu Kyi in the capital city, Nay Pyi Taw.

With the coming into effect of the 2008 Constitution and the country's opening of its doors to democratic reforms, the role of the Secretary-General's good offices in Myanmar has evolved into one of engagement, encouragement and support for reform, reconciliation and democratization, according to the UN Department of Political Affairs. Furthermore, the landmark elections of November 2015 have transformed the country's political landscape by bringing Ms. Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy, into power.

"The United Nations has consistently supported Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle for democracy," Mr. Ban said, noting that the UN's support took the form of successive resolutions of the General Assembly, the appointment of his own Special Adviser on the country and the Human Rights Council's appointment of a Special Rapporteur of the country's human rights, as well as his own visits and engagement with Myanmar authorities.

Mr. Ban noted that he had visited Myanmar four times since becoming the UN Secretary-General. In 2008, he visited the country to mobilize international assistance in the wake of the devastation left by Cyclone Nargis. In 2009, he encouraged the military leadership to open its doors to democratic change. In 2012, he addressed the parliament at a time when the dramatic changes sweeping Myanmar were inspiring the world. And, in 2014, he participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit chaired by Myanmar.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, in Nay Pyi Taw. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with Myint Swe, State Counsellor and First Vice President of Myanmar. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon receives an Honorary Doctorate, conferred by Tony Tan Keng Yam (right), President of the Republic of Singapore, at the National University of Singapore. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

 

"Today," Mr. Ban said, "I am very pleased and honoured to be back to witness the latest phase in your transition, marked by the peaceful, dignified and enthusiastic participation in the elections last November."

The UN chief went on to acknowledge the leadership of former President U Thein Sein in helping the country move steadily on this path of reform, and commended the new Government led by President U Htin Kyaw for its emphasis on dialogue, cooperation and reconciliation between military and civil society leaders and political and economic stakeholders.

"However, the Government also faces great challenges," Mr. Ban said, stressing that the steps taken so far towards peace and national reconciliation will need to be further strengthened, broadened and consolidated.

"This is the real expectation of the international community," he added.

On developments in Rakhine state

Mr. Ban said he also discussed with Ms. Suu Kyi, who is also the country's State Counsellor, the latest developments in the northern state of Rakhine, where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been living in poorly conditioned camps as a result of their communal conflict with a Buddhist sect.

A Rohingya woman and her child at a makeshift camp outside Sittwe in Myanmar's western Rakhine State. Photo: IRIN

"I conveyed the concern of the international community about the tens of thousands of people who have been living in very poor conditions in IDP [internally displaced persons] camps for over four years," he said.

"This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identify. The broader issue is that all of Myanmar's people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony, side by side with their neighbours," the UN chief continued. "People who have been living for generations in this country should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else."

The steps you have taken towards peace and national reconciliation will need to be further strengthened, broadened and consolidated. This is the real expectation of the international community.

In Singapore earlier today, the Secretary-General received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the National University of Singapore, and met with the country's President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.

According to a readout of the meeting issued by his spokesman's office, the Secretary-General expressed hope that Singapore will ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change before the end of the year, and discussed regional issues, including strengthening the ASEAN-UN partnership, the situation in Myanmar, the issue of the South China Sea, and his efforts on the prevention of violent extremism and on responsibility-sharing in the refugees and migrants crisis.
UNESCO chief condemns deaths of media workers in Brazil and Iraq

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UNESCO chief condemns deaths of media workers in Brazil and Iraq, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c63140c.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.

30 August 2016 - The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom has spoken out against the murder of two media workers - Mauricio Campos Rosa, a journalist and newspaper owner in Brazil, and Ali Ghani, a broadcast technician in Iraq.

In separate statements, the agency noted that Mr. Campos Rosa, owner and writer for the local O Grito newspaper, was murdered on 17 August in Santa Luzia municipality in Brazil's Minas Gerais state.

"I call on the authorities to investigate this crime and bring its perpetrators to justice. Impunity must not be allowed to benefit those who use violence to prevent the media from keeping us informed," the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, said in one of the statements.

In the other statement - on the death of Mr. Ghani, a staff member of Iraqi satellite channel Al-Ahad TV, killed by mortar fire while his team was reporting from Jaziret al-Khalideya in Iraq's Anbar province on 20 August - Ms. Bokova underlined the need to ensure protection of the media and called on "all concerned to respect their civilian status in times of war, in keeping with the Geneva Conventions."

The UNESCO Director-General regularly issues statements on the killing of media workers in line with Resolution 29 adopted by UNESCO Member States in 1997, entitled "Condemnation of Violence against Journalists."
Bolivia: UN human rights office condemns killing of vice minister and three miners

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Bolivia: UN human rights office condemns killing of vice minister and three miners, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c65c40c.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.

30 August 2016 - The United Nations human rights office today spoke out against the killing of a government minister by a group of striking miners last Thursday, as well as deadly clashes between police and people opposed to a new mining law.

"We condemn the brutal murder last Thursday of the Vice Minister of Interior and Police, Rodolfo Illanes, as well as violent clashes between demonstrators opposing a new mining law and police forces, which have left three miners dead and hundreds of people, including police officers and journalists," Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told reporters in Geneva.

According to OHCHR, Mr. Illanes was reportedly beaten to death, and his security officer badly injured, by a group of striking miners in Panduro, some 160 kilometres south of the Bolivian capital, La Paz, while on his way to negotiate a peaceful resolution to a road blockade staged by miners.

Noting that six people are currently detained in connection with this murder, the UN human rights office urges the authorities to ensure that a full and objective investigation into the deaths of Mr. Illanes and the three miners is carried out in line with Bolivia's international human rights obligations, the spokesperson said.

"We call on all sides to engage in an immediate, genuine and constructive dialogue and to refrain from resorting to violence," he added.
China: G20 Leaders Should Urge End to Crackdown

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, China: G20 Leaders Should Urge End to Crackdown, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6c6e14.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 Group of Twenty heads of government should call on China to end its relentless crackdown on Chinese activist groups, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to participating countries. China will host the annual G20 meeting in Hangzhou on September 4-5, 2016.

The governments should also protest China's restrictions on civil society group participation in the G20 process.

"China's disregard for activist groups is evident in its crackdown at home and the severe restrictions it placed on them at the G20 summit," said Sophie Richardson, China director. "It's important for G20 leaders to publicly and privately call out China for its abusive practices, or share the blame for the sorry treatment of activists around the summit."

The Human Rights Watch letter details China's calculated efforts under President Xi Jinping to suppress civil society, including anti-corruption campaigners and labor rights activists, using harassment, prosecution, and restrictive laws such as the Foreign Non-Governmental Organization Management Law, which limits interactions between domestic and foreign organizations. The letter notes abuses of religious freedom of Christians in Hangzhou, and the ways in which Beijing's hostility toward independent voices has compromised the G20 by limiting independent groups' participation in the civil society (C20) and labor (L20) preparatory meetings.

The letter was sent in early August to Argentina, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

"If the G20 is serious about consulting civil society groups, its leaders will have to tour China's prisons, not the conference venue in Hangzhou," Richardson said. "Letting China host this meeting and staying silent on its abuses will send the Chinese government  and people across China  absolutely the wrong message."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Kosovo: RSF seeks protection for broadcasting chief after attack, threat

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 30 August 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Kosovo: RSF seeks protection for broadcasting chief after attack, threat, 30 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6d36a4.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.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns a bomb attack on the home of Mentor

Shala, the head of public radio and TV broadcaster RTK - the second attack of this

kind targeting RTK in less than a week - and calls on the Kosovar authorities to

protect Shala, who has also been threatened.

The bomb was set off outside Shala's home on the evening of 28 August, just six days

after a grenade was thrown into the courtyard of RTK headquarters in downtown

Pristina. Neither explosion caused any injuries.

The attack was claimed in short message to the media by a hitherto unknown group

calling itself "Rugovasit," which accused Shala of supporting the Kosovar

government's proposal to cede 80 square kilometres of territory to Montenegro in a

proposed redrawing of the border between the two countries.

Kosovo's parliament is due to vote on 1 September on the proposal, which was

drafted after months of tension with Montenegro since the autumn of 2015.

"Rugovasit" gets its name from the Rugovo Mountains along the border

In its communique, the group called for the proposal's withdrawal, described the

bombing as a warning and said Shala's life would be in danger he did not stand

down as RTK's director-general.

"We firmly condemn the use of threats against a media executive," said Pauline

Ades-Mevel, the head of RSF's Europe-Balkans desk. "Opposition to this proposal

and the way the state-owned broadcaster has covered the negotiations cannot

constitute grounds for acts of violence and physical threats against journalists. We

urge the authorities to conduct an investigation and to protect Shala."

Kosovo is ranked 90th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom

Index.
Afghan Schoolgirls Run Gauntlet of Abuse

Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Author Muhammad Ibrahim Spesalai Publication Date 31 August 2016 Citation / Document Symbol ARR 554 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Afghan Schoolgirls Run Gauntlet of Abuse, 31 August 2016, ARR 554, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57c6d4c84.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.

Zarlashta still dreams of graduating from school and going on to university, but she was forced to end her studies in the 11th grade.

Each day as she made her way to Kandarhar's Malalay High School she had to run a gauntlet of abuse from men who taunted and sexually propositioned her along the way.

Once at school, Zarlashta would sit in her classes dreading the journey home and trying to figure out alternative routes.

She felt too ashamed to tell anyone about her plight.

"Even old men were telling me to go with them, and that they would pick me up from school," she told IWPR. "I kept quiet for a while, but when my father heard about it he stopped me going to school."

Zarlashta, now 18, misses her classmates, teachers and the whole educational environment, but knows returning to school is out of the question.

Schoolgirls in the conservative southern province of Kandahar say that verbal abuse on the way to school each day has become routine. Many are being forced to give up studying at an early age.

Women and girls' access to education has improvised dramatically since the fall of the Taleban regime in 2001. In Kandahar, the education department said that 30 per cent of the children currently enrolled in schools were girls.

However, although some 13,000 girls enroll at schools in Kandahar each year only a tiny proportion actually graduate.

The drop-out rate is exacerbated by conservative traditions including early marriage as well as wider issues of honour.

Figures for the last educational year showed that 2,735 boys finished school compared to only 528 girls.

Lailoma Noori, deputy head of Kandahar's department of women's affairs, warned that street abuse was a huge problem.

Pupils complained to her about harassment every time she visited a girls' school.

Many young women were either too intimidated to continue their education or were forced to withdraw from school by their families.

"One young girl who was harassed on the street by people in the first district of Kandahar city was not allowed to return to school after her family heard about it," Noori continued.

Zubaida, deputy head of the children's section of the regional branch of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), said that they had raised this issue in public awareness programs, but with no discernible effect.

She said that the harassment sometimes became so bad that feuds would start between families.

"I myself go to schools and listen to the girls, and they say that it is a serious problem that affects their lessons and their entire life," she said. "It is essential we solve this."

Former teacher Mohammad Dawood Bashari agreed that said that such harassment had a serious impact on the wider society too.

He called for security officials to institute a policy of zero tolerance and arrest anyone who pestered girls on their way to school.

"It leads to psychological problems and no one can learn well in such a situation," he said. "Although the girls might be sitting in class they will be thinking about the abuse they hear on the streets."

Nonetheless, street harassment has become such an everyday occurrence that many young women feel they have no choice but to keep quiet and endure it if they want to get an education.

Spozhmay is in the 12th grade at Aino High School and also helps teach 3rd grade at a private school.

"I don't remember any week when I would not be told by various men, most of them teenagers, how good I looked and asked to give them my number and go with them," she said.

Spozhmay added that her mother knew, but that she could not tell her father because then he would forbid her to go school and 12 years of hard studying would have been wasted.

Civil activist Sola said that endemic abuse was such that girls even faced harassment from stationary sellers when they went to buy pens and notebooks for their schoolwork.

Sola recalled having to step in when she witnessed particularly severe cases.

"I saw a girl one day who was walking fast and looking around in fear," she said. "Then I saw that a youth was chasing her. I accompanied her all the way to her school."

One elderly caretaker in a girls' school, who asked to remain anonymous, said that he had tried to stop young men chasing and bothering students but with no success.

The youths simply threatened him, and the harassment seemed to be accepted by officials as simply part and parcel of daily life.

"I swear by Allah that everyone, including the school principle, the teachers and even the department of education know about this problem, but no one cares," he concluded.

It does not help that some officials deny that there is even a problem.

Nazar Mohammad Samimi, the spokesman of the provincial department of education, said that the problem of street harassment was negligible in Kandahar, especially compared to other provinces.

Samimi said that the security forces and the local police were coordinating with the education department to prevent any men hanging around girls' schools to harass the students.

Any reports of abuse were baseless rumours, he continued, calling on any girls experiencing such issues to immediately tell their head teacher or the police.

"I can't confirm that such acts take place in Kandahar," he said. "If a sister nonetheless faces a problem, she should immediately call us so that we can solve the issue as soon as possible."

Islamic scholars have spoken out against such behavior. Mawlawi Habibullah Shams said that unwanted harassment was against all precepts of Sharia law.

No real Muslim would abuse another Muslim in this way, he said, adding that families needed to teach their sons not to tease girls.

Regardless, many men claim that the young girls bring this treatment upon themselves.

Sayed Mohammad, a shopkeeper in the Shekarpoor Darwaza neighbourhood of Kandahar city, said that he had often seen girls on their way to school dressed inappropriately and talking loudly on their phones.

Passers by could not help but stare or speak to them, he continued.

And issues of family honour mean that many Afghans feel that the solution is to withdraw girls from school rather than clamp down on those carrying out the campaign of harassment.

Sa'eeda said that her daughter had learned this the hard way.

"My daughter is very intelligent, but she was teased by some unknown youths on the street and now has to stay home all day," Sa'eeda said.

When her daughter confided in her about the taunts she was subjected to each day en route to school, Sa'eeda advised her to ignore them and focus on her education.

But when Sa'eeda's husband heard about the abuse, he said he could not tolerate the shame on the family.

Kandahar resident Akhtar Mohammad also said that his niece had also been forced to end her schooling due to harassment, which did not end even after her father took her to school himself each day.

"Our family finally chose illiteracy over education," he continued, "It is shameful in our society if a female relative is teased and her family does not defend her."

This report was produced under IWPR's Promoting Human Rights and Good Governance in Afghanistan initiative, funded by the European Union Delegation to Afghanistan.

Copyright notice:  Institute for War & Peace Reporting
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Victoria, Mahe -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/31/2016 --Tripcook (http://tripcook.com) Travel Business Promotion Agency has the pleasure of announcing the first winner of the recently launched Travel Business Contest. The contest is conducted for travel businesses and individuals listed in 37 categories of Tripcook directory covering all aspects and sectors of the tourism and hospitality industry.



Winner

Aba Sayyoh, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, listed under Tour Operators Category, has been an extremely active and resourceful member of the Tripcook community contributing a great deal to the travel products and services advertised on the website. This travel company has an excellent niche website devoted to travel in Uzbekistan and neighboring countries of Central Asia, namely, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, with possible extensions to Iran and China.



Selection Criteria

The Aba Sayyoh travel website has met most of the criteria used by Tripcook for its nomination "Quality Travel Website". Their website is well-designed, with neat and flossy appearance. Its topics cover all areas that a traveller to the region would need to know about. The site features rich photo and video content. All materials are bilingual, translated into English and Russian, to cater the target audience and clientele. The website seems to be well-optimized for search; its navigation allows for quite easy and convenient browsing. Importantly, the mobile version of the website is as functional as the desktop one. The contents seem to be updated on a regular basis, and the most recent testimonials of clients are available both in text and video formats.



Contest

The Tripcook's Travel Business Contest is conducted on a monthly basis for listed members. To date, it has four nominations: Quality Travel Website, Effective Travel Office, SEO Expert and Social Buzz Expert. The winners are invited to use the Winner Badge on their website to improve visitors experience and reflect corporate achievements.



About Tripcook

Tripcook is a company that serves travel businesses and individuals employed in the tourism and hospitality sector across the world. The declared mission is to develop and present a set of effective tools to promote and grow travel businesses online.
What you need to know about Powerball and the $825 million jackpot
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.

Artist showcase

BROWNWOOD  An artist showcase featuring Edie Jones will be 5-8 p.m. at Brownwood Art Center, 215 Fisk Ave.

Auditions

CISCO  Auditions for the production of the musical 'Smoke on the Mountain' will be held at 6 p.m. at Crawford Theater. Actors and bluegrass musicians are sought. Rehearsals will begin Sept. 6, with performances from Oct. 13-23. For information, call 254-442-5019.

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 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 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 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.

SATURDAY

Breakfast at the DAC

DESDEMONA  'Breakfast at the DAC' will be served from 7-10 a.m. at the Desdemona Activity Center. The suggested donation is $7.

Community sale

A community sale will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Christian Church activity building, 1420 N. Third St. Proceeds will go to the church's children's programming.

City-wide garage sale

HAMLIN  An annual fall city-wide garage sale will begin at 8 a.m. at locations around Hamlin. Maps will be available at the Hamlin Chamber of Commerce office, 245 S. Central Ave.

Chili Super Bowl

BUFFALO GAP  The 35th annual Chili Super Bowl benefiting the Ben Richey Boys Ranch will open at 9:30 a.m. at the Old Settlers Grounds. Callahan Divide will present a concert at 8:30 p.m. Admission to the cook-off is $4 for adults and free for children age 12 and under. Concert admission is $10.

Big Country Conference

The 36th annual Big Country Conference, featuring several AA speakers, will continue at 10:30 a.m. at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 N. Sixth St. Registration is $25, and includes meals. For information, email 2016BigCountryConference@gmail.com.

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.




Theresa May chairs cabinet Brexit brainstorm at Chequers

Theresa May shows she wants to be defined by more than just Brexit

'Thank you very much for coming together today. Its our first opportunity to meet since the summer recess, but also the first opportunity for us to meet since the fantastic success of the GB team at the Olympics  absolutely great. And also the Paralympics will be starting very soon, so we wish our Paralympic athletes all the very best and success there as well.



But obviously over the summer  over the last few weeks  quite a lot of work has been done. Were going to be having an opportunity today to discuss this. We will have an update on Brexit; well be looking at the next steps that we need to take, and well also be looking at the opportunities that are now open to us as we forge a new role for the UK in the world. We must continue to be very clear that Brexit means Brexit, that were going to make a success of it. That means theres no second referendum; no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door; that were actually going to deliver on this.



Were also going to talk this morning about social reform. We want to be a government and a country that works for everyone, and well be talking about some of the steps that we need to take in order to build that society that works for everyone. And I want it to be a society where its the talent that you have and how hard youre prepared to work that determines how you get on, rather than your background.



Well be having an update on the state of the economy. Well be looking at how we can work to increase productivity  thats one of the key issues that we want to address. But also how we can get tough on irresponsible behaviour in big business  again making sure that actually everyone is able to share in the countrys prosperity.



We will be looking at the legislative programme that we have coming up in Parliament. And well also be hearing a political update from the Party Chairman, particularly as we look forward to our party conference.



So quite a packed agenda for our meeting today. But can I just remind everybody that this really is a very significant moment for the country, as we look ahead to the next steps that we need to take. We have the opportunity to forge a new positive role for the UK in the world; to make sure that we are that government and country that works for everyone  that everyone can share in the countrys prosperity. So there are challenges ahead but its an important and significant moment for us and I think we have real opportunities to develop the United Kingdom and ensure that it does work for everyone in the UK.'



31st August 2016BBC NewsTheresa May is chairing a meeting of her cabinet at Chequers to discuss the UK's approach to leaving the EU and its objectives in future negotiations.The prime minister and senior ministers are gathering to debate the way forward amid reports of tensions and diverging priorities among key figures.Those present include David Davis, Boris Johnson and Liam Fox, each of whose departments is focused on Brexit.Mrs May has said talks with the rest of the EU will not begin this year.BBC political correspondent Tom Bateman said Mrs May had asked every Cabinet minister before the summer break to identify what were described as the "opportunities" for their departments and she will now expect them to report back.The prime minister has said the UK government will not trigger Article 50 - the official mechanism for beginning the process of separation - until the start of 2017 at the earliest.From that moment, discussions over the terms of the UK's exit will conclude in two years unless all 28 members of the EU agree to extend them.The UK voted to leave the EU, by a margin of 51.9% to 48.1%, in a referendum on 23 June and Mrs May, who became prime minister in its aftermath, has insisted that "Brexit will mean Brexit".But the relationship the UK will have with the EU after its exit, in terms of access to the EU internal market and obligations in regard to freedom of movement, remains unclear.Wednesday's meeting at the prime minister's country residence is being seen as an opportunity for Mrs May and senior colleagues to talk through many issues involved ahead of this weekend's summit of G20 leaders in China.The talks are being billed as the most significant since the referendum result and mark an end to the relative lull in proceedings over the summer recess - which ends on Monday.Mrs May, who has held face-to-face talks with the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Poland and Slovakia since taking office, has said time is needed to determine the UK's strategy as a "sensible and orderly departure" is in the national interest.But several senior Conservatives have warned against undue delay and said nothing should stand in the way of the UK triggering Article 50 as soon as possible next year.Ex-Chancellor Lord Lawson, a leading Leave campaigner, said the UK should not try to negotiate a special trade deal with the EU, allowing it to remain within the single market, because it simply wasn't on offer on acceptable terms and would hold the process up."As soon as you stop wasting time trying to negotiate the unnegotiable - some special trade deal with the EU - it is possible to have a relatively quick exit," he told BBC Radio 4's Today."A prolonged period of uncertainty is bad for the economy and for British business. The sooner this is sorted out the better."Among those round the table with Mrs May will be Chancellor Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.Mr Johnson, Mr Fox and Mr Davis are reported to have held private talks last week amid reports of early disagreements over the shape of a future Brexit settlement and departmental responsibility for trade issues.Former Conservative minister Anna Soubry, who backed the UK remaining in the EU, said it was now up to the "three Brexiteers" to deliver the best deal for the British people."Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and David Davis - these are the people that have to show us the progress they have made, what Brexit is beginning to look like, what successes, difficulties or failures they have had," she told Today.Although she accepted the outcome of the referendum, Ms Soubry said she did not accept the British people had voted, in and of itself, for a cut in immigration or curbs on the right of EU citizens to live and work in the UK and more debate was needed."I am very liberal on immigration," she told Today. "British business could not survive without access to that free movement of labour."The SNP, meanwhile, has accused the government of "breathtaking complacency" over a plan for Brexit and "making it up as they go along".Although MPs will have a say on the timing of talks there was no legal requirement to consult Parliament before Article 50 was activated, No 10 has said.Downing Street has also confirmed that Mrs May will not hold a second referendum or an early general election to give voters the chance to sign off on any deal struck between the UK and the EU.Chequers, an isolated 16th Century mansion in Buckinghamshire, 40 miles north-west of London, has played host to a number of historic occasions in the past 50 years and was one of Margaret Thatcher's favourite locations to conduct high-level meetings and personal diplomacy.31 August 2016The SpectatorTheresa May welcomed the Cabinet to Chequers with this address, just released by Number 10:Now, Number 10 have released it to the media for a reasonit gives little away. We knew that May opposed both a second referendum and back door efforts to keep the UK in the EU. But I still think her remarks are telling.First, they show that she is still determined that her government should be about more than Brexit. Hence, the emphasis on social reform and getting tough on irresponsible behaviour in big business. The line about irresponsible behaviour in big business is also striking in the light of the fact the Cabinet is discussing Brexit today. It suggests that May isnt, unlike some in the government, keen on trying to make Brexit work by undercutting the EU on tax and regulation.
Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Students bounce and pop balloons at the end of the McMurry University's convocation Tuesday.

SHARE Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Students get lunch from food trucks after the McMurry University convocation Tuesday. Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News The McMurry University marching band performs at a rally following convocation.

By Scott Kirk, Special to the Reporter-News

McMurry University President Sandra Harper announced Tuesday that 95 percent of the $10 million campaign for the Walter and Virginia Johnson School of Business had been raised.

The announcement came at the opening convocation in Radford Auditorium. The news was enough to warrant about 1,000 maroon and white balloons to be dropped, which made the recessional by the McMurry faculty more of a volleyball match than a solemn event.

Paul Mason, dean of the School of Business and convocation keynote speaker, said the endowment would provide $500,000 a year for a variety of programs for business students.

"The focus is on internationalizing studies and on entrepreneurship," said Mason, who joined McMurry in June after 31 years as an economic professor at the University of North Florida. Mason added that the money also would be spent on a speaker series and on bringing business people from community into the classroom.

"It will be spent on broader curriculum in general, for a broad-based but personal education," he said.

The business school is named after Walter Johnson who held various leadership positions at what is now First Financial Bank from 1954 to 1991, including president and CEO. Johnson, who died in 2004, was a trustee at McMurry from 1970 to 1986.

"His board at McMurry was a mirror image of his board at First Financial," said President Sandra Harper, who recognized the Johnsons son, Chris, and First Financial Bankshares Chief Administrative Officer Ron Butler.

Harper said that challenge gifts came from the Dodge Jones Foundation and from the Dian Graves Owen Foundation. Paul and Sara Hudman Graham were the largest single donor with a gift of $1 million.

In his remarks to students and faculty, Mason emphasized the value of a private school education, saying that his experience teaching at a public university was that many students didn't appreciate their education because it was subsidized to a large extent.

"You have the correct incentive to make the most of your education," he said.

Mason told of his father and mother, both of whom went to college as adults when Mason was a teenager. He said he learned firsthand the worth of a college education.

"Try growing up in that atmosphere and not valuing education," he said.

While urging faculty, staff and administration to put the students at the front of their efforts, he also encouraged students to "meet us at least halfway."

"Seek out and take advantage of the opportunities that will turn around your future," he said.

That was a message that was also stressed by other speakers in the brief convocation ceremony, which lasted about 45 minutes before a student rally with music and food trucks took place.

"The one important question you need to ask yourself is what type of mark will you leave here," said Thierry Tchenko, a senior political science major from Houston and the president of the McMurry Student Government.
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Jailed Cambodian opposition member Meach Sovannara (Top C) is escorted by police officials in front of the appeal court in Phnom Penh, Aug. 23, 2016.

Meach Sovannara knows his chances of winning a reprieve in Cambodias court system that could spring him from that countrys notorious Prey Sar prison anytime soon are slim.

The Cambodian-American is serving a 20-year prison term for allegedly fomenting insurrection against a Cambodian government that has been dominated for more than three decades by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

While Meach Sovannara, the media director for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, has dual U.S. and Cambodian citizenship and his family still lives in Long Beach, Calif., he has been locked away in Phnom Penh since July.

Our hope is very slim, he told RFAs Khmer Service after a recent hearing on his case in Cambodias appellate court. As of yesterday [Prime Minister] Hun Sen sent a political message purporting to have threatened the court just a day before the court heard our appeal.

Meach Sovannara and 10 other opposition figures were sentenced to prison terms of up to 20 years on insurrection charges after a demonstration in July 2014 that resulted in violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Phnom Penhs Freedom Park.

Although Meach Sovannara and the other opposition activists received stiff sentences, rights groups say that none of the defendants was identified as having committed an act of violence during the event.

Hun Sen announced on Aug. 22 that he would refuse to ask King Norodom Sihmoni to pardon any of the activists.

As a former fighter, peace finder and national reconciliater, I will not sign a letter to set anyone free, he said during a forum in Phnom Penh. Anyone who is found guilty by the court must go to jail.

Meach Sovannara says the remarks from the Cambodian strongman were, in effect, orders to the court.

The court is surely a political tool, he said.

Even though Meach Sovannara says his hopes of getting relief from the Phnom Penh are thin, he isnt showing any signs of backing down.

It should be time now that Mr. Hun Sen should know that enough is enough for him if he wants his children to do politics in the future, he said.

Looking to the United States

While the Cambodian court system is an unfriendly place for opponents of Hun Sen, Meach Sovannara is hoping that a novel argument in U.S. courts may help free him from Prey Sar.

The first hearings in the suit are scheduled for Sept. 1 in federal district court in Los Angeles.

Foreign government officials are generally protected by sovereignty from being brought to trial. But the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act recognizes exceptions that include violent acts again U.S. citizens abroad, and Meach Sovannaras case may be the first in the U.S. to test those exceptions, his attorney Morton Sklar told RFA.

Our underlying lawsuit is based on some special U.S. statutes that allow the U.S. courts to deal with tort [compensation for damages] claims against foreign governments that engage in acts of torture and violent attacks against U.S. citizens abroad, Sklar said.

The suit contends that Cambodian Lieutenant General Hun Manet, Hun Sens son, plays a major role in the Cambodian security apparatus that confronted protesters in Freedom Park in 2014 by virtue of his rank, family connections and position within the leaderships inner circle.

The suit accuses Hun Manet of wrongfully imprisoning and torturing Meach Sovannara. The suit also names the Cambodian government as a defendant.

It alleges that Hun Manets family connections and leadership role within Cambodias security forces make him liable for the emotional and financial damage borne by Sovannaras family.

Hun Manet heads the Cambodian militarys anti-terror unit, is deputy chairman joint staff of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and is the deputy commander of the Prime Minister's Bodyguard Unit  an elite unit that has often been at the center of complaints about rights abuses.

Hun Manet is widely viewed as his fathers successor to the countrys highest office.

Substantial involvement

His involvement is pretty substantial all around, Sklar said. Hun Manet is his fathers right-hand person. He gets involved in a lot of stuff.

Its not the first time the Hun family has been sued in the U.S. In 2005, opposition leader Sam Rainsy and U.S. rights worker Ron Abney and others filed a similar suit alleging that Hun Sen was involved in 1997 grenade attack that killed at least 16 people and wounded at least 120. Abney was one of those wounded.

That suit was withdrawn in a political deal, but not before the U.S. courts entered a default judgment against Hun Sen, who had ignored the legal action. Sklar says Hun Manet learned from that case.

Hun Manet learned that lesson, Sklar said. Thats why he has a lawyer. Thats why hes offering a defense to the case.

RFA could not reach either Hun Manet or defense ministry spokesperson, Chhum Socheat for comments, but Hun Manets attorney, John Purcell, told RFA that the accusations made in Meach Sovannaras complaint are groundless.

Even before the opening arguments have been presented, the case has already taken a strange but violent twist.

As process server Paul Hayes was attempting to serve Hun Manet with a subpoena in the case during a visit the Cambodian general made to Long Beach in April, he was involved in an altercation with Hun Manets security detail.

Online videos appear to show Long Beach police spraying tear gas at Hun Manets bodyguards and protesters after Hayes was allegedly assaulted by the bodyguards while serving him with the subpoena in the Meach Sovannara lawsuit.

A criminal probe

According to Sklar, the Long Beach Police Department has opened a criminal probe into the event.

The incident at Long Beachs La Lune restaurant put Hayes in the hospital, and may have opened up a can of worms for Hun Manet.

One of the key claims in the early stages of the case concerns whether or not Hun Manet was actually served with the documents.

The reason it didnt get into his hands, is that the process server, Paul Hayes, was about to do that, Sklar said. He was about to deliver the documents when Hun Manets bodyguards grabbed him, pulled him off his feet and threw him to the ground head first with very serious injury.

One of the questions the court will have to answer is whether the bodyguards illegally interfered with the service of the court papers.

We have to get the full facts of what happened at La Lune restaurant related to the service and the attack on Paul Hayes in order for the court to answer the question as to whether service was adequate, Sklar said.

Reported by Yang Chandara and Moniroth Morm for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong and Yanny Hin. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
Sandy Phan-Gillis (C) visits the North American Representative Office of Shenzhen, southern China's Guangdong province, in an undated photo.

A U.S. citizen indicted by Chinese prosecutors on espionage charges was forced to "confess to her crimes" under duress and torture, her husband and lawyer said.

International business consultant Sandy Phan-Gillis was arrested by Chinese police in March 2015 during a visit there as part of a U.S. trade delegation promoting business opportunities in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

She was held for more than a year in the southwestern region of Guangxi before being indicted by prosecutors earlier this week, paving the way for a trial at the Nanning Intermediate People's Court, although no date has yet been set.

A naturalized U.S. citizen of Chinese ancestry, Phan-Gillis has previously written in a letter to consular officials in China that her detention was politically motivated.

Phan-Gillis, 56, who is accused of spying for a foreign government between 1996 and 1998, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Her husband, Jeff Gillis, has said the charges are "absolutely false."

Forced confession

Phan-Gillis' defense lawyer Shang Baojun told RFA on Wednesday that the charges are based on a confession that was forced from his client.

"She made a forced confession, under pressure from the investigating officers," Shang said. "I visited her at the beginning of the month."

"She's not doing too badly, though she has been held for a long time, more than a year," he said, adding that the defense team hasn't yet been granted access to the prosecution's files.

But he declined to comment further on the case.

"I can't give you any specifics because it involves state secrets," Shang said.

Jeff Gillis told RFA on Tuesday that he has only spoken to his wife once since her detention.

"I received a call from my wife inside the detention center, and she was surrounded by scary-looking security guards," he said in comments translated into Chinese. "She was very frightened."

"These people ordered her to say to me that I should stop talking to the media, and she begged me to tell them that I would stop publicizing her story through the media," Gillis said.

"It's very clear that she had been threatened; they threatened her with not getting her medication, with denying her a meeting with her lawyer, or visits from U.S. consular officials," he said.

Gillis said Phan-Gillis has "serious health problems," including high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.

"Threatening to take away her medication is not that different from threatening to kill her," he said.

"Chinese state security police abused my wife during the investigation; torture was used during the interrogations, leading to a heart attack, and to her being hospitalized on two occasions," he said.

Case handled correctly

China's foreign ministry has defended her detention, saying her case is being handled correctly.

"Based on our understanding, Phan-Gillis, because of her suspected crimes of espionage, has been charged according to law by the relevant Chinese department," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing.

"China is a country ruled by law. The relevant Chinese department will handle the case strictly according to law," she said, but gave no further details.

Phan-Gillis' detention was criticized by the United Nations' Working Group on Arbitrary Detention for violating international human rights norms.

The U.S. State Department has meanwhile urged China to resolve the case "expeditiously."

Reported by Lin Ping for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
As campaigning intensified in the run-up to Sunday's Legislative Council (LegCo) elections in Hong Kong, embattled chief executive Leung Chun-ying has been accused of provoking the spread of pro-independence rhetoric as a way of currying favor with the ruling Chinese Communist Party.



Leung, who has recently warned schools that they should punish talk of independence for the former British colony, and whose officials have barred pro-independence candidates from standing in the current election, now faces a robust backlash for his focus on the topic.



Former colonial-era second-in-command Anson Chan has suggested that Leung is deliberately fueling the independence movement, in pursuit of a second term in office.



The next chief executive will be chosen by a 1,200-strong election committee that has been vetted by the Chinese government.



Speaking out about the warnings against discussing independence in schools, Chan said Leung was using a "sledgehammer."



The way the government should approach this ... is to allow teachers and parents to examine the pros and cons, and allow the subject to be discussed openly," she said.



Chan added: "It almost leads me to believe that the chief executive has a hidden agenda. Its to create such havoc in Hong Kong that he has more reasons to persuade Beijing that a strong pair of hands is needed to keep Hong Kong in control."



Fanning the flames



There are even signs that Beijing wants to rein in the anti-independence rhetoric.



The Beijing-backed Sing Pao Daily newspaper, the oldest Chinese-language paper in Hong Kong, ran a front page splash earlier this week calling for disciplinary action against Leung, who it accused of fanning the flames of support for independence with his recent crackdown.



It also pointed the finger at Zhang Xiaoming, who heads Beijing's representative office in Hong Kong, accusing both men of "spreading the independence mindset" and for "creating social instability."



The paper was the latest in a long line of critics who accused Leung of being the "godfather" of Hong Kong independence in order to look good in Beijing's eyes by cracking down on it. Similar comments were also published in the Ming Pao newspaper.



Veteran political commentator Ching Cheong said the editorials suggest extreme displeasure in Beijing after headline after headline mentions a political idea that has only recently been discussed in public at all.



"The central government likely wants to draw a line under the topic of independence for Hong Kong, once and for all," Ching told RFA. "I'm pretty sure this is coming from very high up indeed."



"There's no way that somebody further down the food chain would be attacking the central liaison office."



Ching said Beijing will likely be looking for a political scapegoat, too.



"Independence has become the biggest problem to emerge in Hong Kong in the tenure of [President] Xi Jinping, and heads are definitely going to roll," he said.



Unhappy in Beijing



Political commentator Camoes Tam agreed.



"There are people within the Beijing camp who are very unhappy with Leung Chun-ying's performance," he said. "There are also people within the Xi Jinping administration, in particular, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council, who are very unhappy with the Central Liaison Office."



Tam said the liaison office under Zhang had been holding "community meetings" across the internal border in neighboring Shenzhen to direct people which way to vote in the LegCo election.



"This has never happened before, and I think they think they are going too far, and that they're out of control," he said. "This article has definitely damaged Leung's administration."



Other media commentators have drawn similar conclusions.



"This election ... has become a proxy war between Beijing and pro-independence forces," the Hong Kong Economic Journal said in a commentary article.



"And all because no other than Leung himself stoked the independence rhetoric, aided by Beijings top official in Hong Kong," it said.



Candidates barred



Hong Kong's Electoral Affairs Commission has barred six would-be candidates from running for LegCo on the grounds that they support independence, even though they had signed a loyalty pledge recognizing that Hong Kong "is an inalienable part of China."



But the Economic Journal's political columnist S.C. Yeung said Leung had failed to distinguish between those in Hong Kong who support outright independence, and the "localist" movement that seeks to preserve the city's unique character while remaining under the Chinese flag.



"Leung is known to abuse his authority and expand its influence beyond his ambit," Yeung wrote. "He is only too willing to use everything at his disposal to stay afloat because he is sinking like a stone."



Recent opinion polls show that 63 percent of respondents disapproved of Leung, while just 19 percent approved of him. Younger, more educated people are the least likely to support him, the paper said.



Reported by Lam Kwok-lap for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Yang Fan for the Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.




Myanmar State Counselor addresses attendees on the first day of the at the Panglong Conference in Naypyidaw, Aug. 31, 2016.

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi kicked off the countrys five-day peace conference among armed ethnic groups, political parties, military officials, and government representatives in the capital Naypyidaw on Wednesday in hopes of achieving the long-elusive goal of national reconciliation.

More than 1,400 people attended the first day of the 21-Century Panglong Conference, also known as the Union Peace Conference, which is being held in an effort to bring lasting peace to Myanmar after decades of ethnic separatist civil wars following its independence from British colonial rule in 1948.

Aung San Suu Kyi, National League for Democracy (NLD) party patron Tin Oo, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, parliament speakers Win Myint and Mann Win Khaing Than, military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Karen National Union (KNU) chairman Saw Mutu Say Poe, and Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) vice chairman Gen NBan La addressed the attendees with opening-day speeches.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars de facto national leader, said the nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA), which eight armed ethnic groups signed with the previous military-backed government last October, is the first step not only for peace, but also for building a federal union.

Other ethnic militias had refused to go along with the pact or had been excluded from it because they were engaged in ongoing hostilities with the Myanmar army.

The new government is working hard for non-NCA armed groups to sign [the peace pact] because we need to go forward to future peace talks based on the NCA, said Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy (NLD) government came into power at the beginning of April.

The military also has been working on ways to achieve peace in the country, said Min Aung Hlaing.

We and our brothersthe armed ethnic organizationsare the ones suffering the most from the internal conflicts, he said. The Tatmadaw [government military] will continue to support the peace process based on the three national causes of recognition of peace and stability, national reconciliation, and development.

Here to show our support

Though fresh fighting between armed ethnic groups and the Myanmar army in Kachin and Shan states have cast a pall over the conference, representatives from 17 other ethnic militias are attending the summit.

Three other groupsthe Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA)were not invited to participate because they have refused to lay down their arms in advance of the talks.

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of nine ethnic armed groups that did not sign the NCA, are attending the conference to show their respect to and support of Aung San Suu Kyi and to advocate for a federal union in Myanmar.

Despite the many difficulties of attending this conference, we are here to show our support and respect to Daw [honorific] Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD government, and because we really want a federal union,

said General NBan La, UNFC chairman and vice chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

General Gwan Maw of the KIO told reporters: We are attending the conference to honor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. What we understand is that todays conference is the first one, and many peace processes will be born from this conference.

According to the NCA, the groups that have not signed the agreement could not attend the conference, though the government and military wanted them to attend, said Zaw Htay, spokesman of the Presidents Office.

Thats why we discussed including them in the conference, he said. The state counselor and military chief decided together to let Gen. NBan La, who is a leader of the non-NCA groups, give a speech.

It is out of goodwill that they have been included the peace process, he said.

Aung San Suu Kyis father, independence hero General Aung San, arranged the original Panglong Conference in 1947 to grant autonomy to the Shan, Kachin, and Chin ethnic minorities before Myanmar gained its independence from colonial rule by Britain.

But his assassination in July 1947 prevented the agreements made during the conference from reaching fruition, and many ethnic groups then took up arms against the central government in wars that continued for decades.

Representatives from the Myanmar government, the military, armed ethnic groups, and political parties attend the first day of the Panglong Conference in Naypyidaw, Aug. 31, 2016. RFA More talks in six months

The members of the Panglong Conferences central committee told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday that peace talks will be held after the conference, and that another peace conference will be held in six months.

Other peace talks will be held after the conference, and we will discuss results from these talks during another peace conference that will be held in six months, said former Lieutenant General Khin Zaw Oo.

Though the parties involved will agree and disagree with each other during the talks, if they are unable to reach decisions, then they will take the issues to national-level peace talks, he said.

If we still dont have a decision during the national-level talks, we will discuss the issues at another conference, he said. It is as though there will be no end to the talks until we reach a union accord perhaps in 2019 or 2020.

Beyond political discussions, the parties to the talks will eventually discuss how to share natural resources like gas, minerals, and timber between the state and the ethnic regions where they are abundant. Another contentious issue is how and when the numerous ethnic armies will fully lay down their arms, and whether some would then be merged into a national military force.

Meeting with religious leaders

Ban Ki-moon, who has called the peace conference a promising first step to put an end to the armed conflicts, also took advantage of being in Naypyidaw to meet religious leaders whose roles are important to Myanmars development process.

Ban met with Buddhist, Christian, Islam, Hindu and Baha'i leaders from the Religions for Peace Myanmar interfaith organization along with Aung Ko, Myanmars minister of religion and culture, and Nyanissara Sitagu Sayadaw, a respected Buddhist scholar and preacher in Myanmar.

The U.N. secretary-general urged them to curb hate speech and discrimination in the predominantly Buddhist country.

Ban Ki-moon said the international community is watching Myanmar, so it is important to work together to curb hate speech and discrimination, said organization member Kyaw Nyein.

On Tuesday, Ban indicated his support for the Myanmar governments creation of an advisory commission, headed by his predecessor at the U.N. Kofi Annan, to address human rights issues in the countrys western Rakhine state where about 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims face persecution.

Because the government and Buddhist nationalists regard the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, they have denied them citizenship and basic rights, though many have lived in Myanmar for generations. The Rohingya are not a party to the Panglong Conference, although NGO activists from that Muslim community met with Ban before the talks.

Earlier in the day before the conference began, Ban met with representatives of civil society organizations over breakfast to get their views on the conference.



Reported by Win Ko Ko Latt, Thiri Min Zin and Zarni Htun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
China says it will assist Kyrgyzstan in an investigation into a recent attack on the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on August 31 that Beijing "will work with the Kyrgyzstan to quickly obtain concrete information on the people and groups" behind the attack.

Kyrgyzstan's government says a suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese Embassy compound in Bishkek on August 30 before detonating an explosive device inside the car, killing himself and injuring three Kyrgyz employees of the embassy.

Both Kyrgyz and Chinese officials have called the incident a terrorist attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing.

China's Foreign Ministry on August 31 called on Chinese citizens to avoid visiting Kyrgyzstan and instructed those who are in the Central Asian country to be on alert.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Interfax


Whos at the back of the queue now, Obama?

30 August 2016The SpectatorWasnt it one of the Remain campaigns big arguments that leaving the EU would deprive us of the clout we enjoy in negotiating foreign trade agreements? I seem to remember someone even warning us that in the event of Brexit we would go to the back of the queue for a trade agreement with the US. So much for being at the front of the queue. Today, the French minister for foreign trade, Matthias Fekl, demanded an end to talks with the US over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). It comes hot on the heels of a claim yesterday by German deputy Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel that TTIP has failed.Yet again, the EU has proved hopeless in negotiating a trade deal with a major economy. Why is it that non-EU Switzerland can manage to negotiate deals with China and Japan but the EU has failed to do so? Clout is one thing; direction of purpose quite another. Switzerland succeeded in those deals because it concentrated on areas where Swiss exporters are especially strong. When the EU sets out to do such deals it has to balance the demands of 28 competing countries, each trying to swing negotiations to the advantage of their own exporters.With the TTIP, the EU and US set out trying to construct a slightly watered down version of the single market  in which corporations would be able to use the courts to force governments to open up their public services to foreign providers. It was doomed to collapse because there is such an obvious asymmetry between the US and the EU on this. The US already has high involvement of private companies in the provision of public services. As for those where the state does still retain a monopoly  like defence  there is no way US courts are going to allow, say, French missile manufacturers to supply weapons. It will be ruled out on grounds of national security.Europe, by contrast, has a relatively high degree of state involvement in the economy, giving plenty of juicy opportunities for US firms  and plenty of reason for left wing parties in France and Germany to oppose TTIP. Britain may now be at the back of Barack Obamas queue  though what relevance that has given that it will soon be where we stand in Hilary Clintons or Donald Trumps queue that matters. But my money would be on post-Brexit Britain sewing up a trade deal with the US before the EU has managed it.
Russia has questioned a report by the United Nations that blames Syrian government forces for two chlorine gas attacks and said the UN Security Council cannot use the conclusions to impose sanctions.

"There are two cases that they suggest are the fault of the Syrian side; we have very serious questions," Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters after the council met behind closed doors in New York to discuss the report on August 30.

"There are a number of questions which have to be clarified before we accept all the findings of the report," he said.

Asked if he thought the report presented enough evidence to impose sanctions on Syria, as the United States, France and Britain contend, Churkin said: "Frankly, I don't, but we continue to analyze the report."

"There is nobody to sanction in the report," he said. "It contains no names, no specifics, no fingerprints...Clearly, there is a smoking gun. We know that chlorine was most likely used, but there are no fingerprints on the gun."

Churkin added that Russia, which has veto power on the council, is ruling out extending the UN inspectors' mandate to investigate further instances of chemical weapons use in Syria, which expires on September 24.

The UN report was the result of a yearlong joint inquiry with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that was unanimously authorized by the council last year. It also found that Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas.

Churkin's first critical comments on the report came as Syria's UN representative also insisted the report did not offer proof of his government's guilt and pits Russia against Western powers, which are demanding that the council take immediate punitive action.

French UN Ambassador Francois Delattre called for a "quick and strong security council response" and said, "We need a resolution with teeth."

British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the United Kingdom wants "the imposition of a sanctions regime and some form of accountability within international legal mechanisms."

Syria must "pay a price," said U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power. "It is incumbent on the council to act swiftly to show that when we put that Joint Investigative Mechanism in place we were serious about there being meaningful accountability."

She noted that the report "is the first official independent confirmation of what many of us have alleged for a long time, many of us have presented substantial evidence of for a long time, and that is a pattern of chemical weapons use by the Syrian regime."

The use of chemical weapons violates a UN agreement with Syria in 2013 to destroy its chemical weapons. A UN resolution passed at that time said in the event of "any use of chemical weapons by anyone" in Syria in the future, the council could impose sanctions and even authorize military action against Syria.

The council would need to adopt another resolution to impose sanctions on people or entities linked to the attacks.

China and Russia, a close Syrian ally, have previously protected the Syrian government from council action by using their veto power to block resolutions, including a bid to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

Human Rights Watch called on the council to renew its resolution referring Syria to The Hague court.

"Russia and China don't have a leg to stand on by continuing to obstruct the Security Council," said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch. "The Security Council diminishes its importance if it doesn't take strong action against demonstrated use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government."

But Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said Western powers have no grounds to punish the regime, as the report lacked "physical evidence" to support its conclusions that chlorine barrel bombs were dropped on civilians.

The report was "totally based on witnesses presented by terrorist armed groups," Jaafari said.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters


An Uzbek state TV anchor read out an Independence Day address traditionally delivered by President Islam Karimov, three days after a government announcement that he had been hospitalized set off rumors of his death and conjecture over who might replace the authoritarian leader who has ruled the Central Asian nation since the Soviet era.

The address aired on prime-time news bulletin at 8 p.m. on August 31 and was read out in the first person as if written by Karimov, in what appeared to be an effort to indicate that he remains in charge. It touted the nations socioeconomic achievements during 25 years of independence and outlined policies for the future.

The message on the eve of Independence Day came just hours after Karimovs younger daughter suggested via social media that her 78-year-old father remained alive, and might recover, following what she said earlier was a brain hemorrhage. The government announcement on August 28 said only that he had been hospitalized and that treatment would take "a certain period of time."



In the absence of official news since then, speculation has raged that a secretive effort is under way to replace the only head of state that the tightly controlled former Soviet republic has ever known.

With unconfirmed reports asserting Karimov is dead and official channels silent since spreading word of his hospitalization, it remains unclear who is currently leading Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan is the most populous of Central Asia's five former Soviet republics, with around 29 million people, and borders each of the other four in addition to Afghanistan.

Statements posted on daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaevas verified accounts on Instagram and Facebook on August 31 thanked the public for "kind words of support and best wishes."

Your heartfelt good wishes are helping in his recovery, the texts, in Uzbek, Russian, and English, said, countering unconfirmed reports that the former Communist Party boss-cum-president was dead after 27 years running the country and its Soviet antecedent.

It was the second time Karimova-Tillyaeva has taken to social media since the Uzbek government announced over the weekend that Karimov had been hospitalized with an undisclosed illness.

Karimova-Tillyaeva said via social media on August 29 that he had suffered a "brain hemorrhage."

At the moment, it is too early to make any forecasts about his condition in the future, she said.

Opposition and independent websites published unconfirmed reports on August 29 that Karimov had died. Russian news agencies, meanwhile, quoted unnamed sources in Tashkent denying the reports of Karimovs death.

INFOGRAPHIC: How Does Karimov's Tenure Compare With Other Leaders? (click to expand)

Russian media reported early on August 31 -- the first day of an annual two-day celebration of Uzbek statehood -- that the prime minister and respective leaders of both chambers of the Uzbek parliament had laid flowers at the Independence Monument in central Tashkent.

It is thought to mark the first time that Karimov, who as president of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic declared Uzbekistan independent 25 years ago, has failed to lead that commemoration before then briefing local reporters.

Unconfirmed reports said the government has canceled at least some official events, including a patriotic gala that Karimov was set to attend.

The address read out on state TV on August 31 and attributed to Karimov differed little from previous speeches. It said economic reforms and security remain top priorities for the government as the country and the world face many challenges including the global financial crisis, terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking.

Uzbekistan will not join any political and military bloc and wont allow foreign military bases on its territory, the message said.

The governments official website released a statement on August 30 citing congratulatory messages to Karimov from world leaders, including the presidents of the United States and China, on Uzbek independence.

The Uzbek Constitution states that if the president is unable to perform his duties, the head of the upper chamber of parliament, the Senate, assumes presidential authority for a period of three months.

No public comments have come from Senate Chairman Nigmatulla Yuldashev, who has led the upper house since January 2015.



Public dissent in the past two and a half decades has generally been met with harsh official responses, and the country has never held an election deemed democratic by Western monitors.

Karimov has no apparent successor, and observers suggest any such decision would likely be made among family or elsewhere within the Uzbek president's tight inner circle.

Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev, who has held that post since 2003, is seen as a possible successor to Karimov, as are Finance Minister Rustam Azimov and National Security Committee head Rustam Inoyatov.

In the past, speculation about possible successors has frequently included daughters Lola and her elder sister, Gulnara, who is thought to have been put under house arrest since a spectacular fall from grace in 2014.

With contributions from RFE/RLs Uzbek Service
Princess Anne has paid tribute to the United Kingdom's "shared history" with Russia 75 years after the arrival of the first Arctic convoys from Britain at the northern port city of Arkhangelsk during World War II.

Wearing naval uniform, Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, told British and Russian veterans at an August 31 ceremony held in Arkhangelsk that they "played a crucial role in the victory over Nazism."

During the ceremony, veterans holding red carnations sat in front of Arkhangelsk's Eternal Flame war memorial as Russian officials and senior diplomats from the Allied countries gave speeches.

Between 1941 and 1945, nearly 80 allied Arctic convoys brought more than 4 million tons of provisions and munitions to the U.S.S.R.

More than 1,400 merchant ships and naval vessels participated in the convoys to the Russian Arctic ports of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk, braving harsh weather conditions and German attacks.

More than 3,000 Allied lives were lost by the time the war ended.

Based on reporting by AFP and Interfax
So apparently it's not just Russia's military that's preparing for a war.

In addition to this week's snap military exercises, Vladimir Putin has also ordered inspections of the Central Bank as well as the ministries of finance, communications, trade, and industry to test their capacity to operate in the event of a large-scale armed conflict.

Now there are two possibilities here.

Either the Kremlin is indeed gearing up for an all-out war and is telegraphing its intent as loudly as possible, shouting it from the rooftops and completely depriving itself of the element of surprise in the process.

Or the Putin regime wants everybody to believe it's gearing up for an all-out war.

A year ago, on the eve of the UN General Assembly, Putin used Russia's military buildup and ultimate armed intervention in Syria to ease Moscow's international isolation.

And now, on the eve of the G20 summit in China, he appears to be using the implicit threat of invading Ukraine to bully the West into easing sanctions and extract concessions in a postconflict settlement.

It sure looks like a psy-op.

Putin is playing war games. But he is also playing head games.

But that doesn't necessarily mean the Kremlin won't follow through on the threat if it gets desperate enough.

And therein lies the dilemma.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
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.
Kazakh officials say alleged members of three militant Islamist groups have been apprehended in the western part of the country.

The Committee for National Security (KNB) said on August 31 that authorities have detained 10 suspects in the Western Kazakhstan region and 11 suspects in the northwestern region of Aqtobe.

The committee said the suspects were brought into custody after investigators found guns, explosives, and ammunition in their homes.

According to the KNB, the detained men were planning a series of terrorist attacks against civilians and law-enforcement officials across the two regions.

In June, a group of 25 alleged Islamic militants carried out a series of attacks that killed five civilians and three members of Kazakhstan's security forces in the city of Aqtobe, the capital of the Aqtobe region.

Security forces who confronted the group killed 18 gunmen and arrested seven men who are awaiting trial on terrorism charges.

Based on reporting by KazTAG and Kazinform
Macedonia's political parties have agreed to hold early parliamentary elections on December 11 in an effort to resolve an 18-month-long crisis.

The agreement was reached after a U.S. and EU mediated meeting in Skopje on August 31.

In the six-hour meeting, the heads of the governing conservatives, the main opposition Social Democrats and two ethnic Albanian parties, also agreed on forming a cross-party body to monitor the electoral campaign.

The Balkan country has been in political turmoil since February 2015, following a wiretapping scandal in which the conversations of thousands of people were monitored.

Holding early elections was part of an internationally-brokered deal aimed at defusing the crisis.

According to the deal, lawmakers need to approve a caretaker government 100 days before the December elections.

The opposition will head the interior and labor ministries and will nominate deputy ministers in finance and agriculture.

Elections were first set for April, postponed to June, and again put off indefinitely.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters


Frustrated relatives of people killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine have appealed to the European Unions top diplomat to put pressure on Russia, Ukraine, and the United States to provide investigators with intelligence and radar data about the tragedy.

An international investigation is collecting evidence for criminal charges against those responsible for the July 17, 2014, tragedy that killed all 298 passengers and crew members aboard.

Russia and Ukraine blame each other for downing the Boeing 777.

A 15-month investigation concluded in 2015 by Dutch authorities said a Buk missile shot down the plane, but did not explicitly say who fired the missile.

However, it identified a 320-square-kilometer area where it said the launch must have taken place. All of that territory was controlled by Russia-backed separatists at the time.

Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on August 31 that Moscow has given all the intelligence and data it has to the international investigators.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
According to Dr. Riyadh Baroudi, a Christian Lebanese; he said in one of his books (The Global Judaism):Israel establishment will lead to the inventing of a fake Christ: the Israelite will invent a false Christ to be their king and will anoint him: the Anointed One means: the Christ or the Messiah.In fact, Zionists do not believe in Jesus Christ, and they will make a Christ to be their king; and by this way, they will invalidate Christianity and will tell people: This is the true Christ, while Jesus Christ was not the true Christ.In addition,Because Zionists will work to demolish the Aqsa Mosque at Jerusalem which is a principal holy house in Islam, and they work to establish their temple in stead of it.: The Holy House of God at Jerusalem is the Aqsa mosque where God's name is mentioned in glorification and praise; therefore, how can such thing be done: to destroy a house of God to build another house for God's worship?In other words: God's name is celebrated and glorified and prayers for God the Lord of the worlds and nations are established by Muslims, and it is mandatory that Muslims should go to visit the Holy House of God at Jerusalem: the Aqsa mosque; so how dare they ever try to demolish it in the pretext to build a temple for God's worship!?Zionists, do not approach the Aqsa Mosque at Jerusalem and do not do any harm to it; because that will lead to your end.Even if Muslims do not defend the House of God, God Himself will defend His house of worship in which His name alone is worshiped and in which prayers are to be performed in it.Muslims all over the world (1500 millions of Muslims) do not accept the Aqsa mosque be harmed in the pretext to build a temple in stead of it. So do not consider it an opportunity (all these problems in the Muslim world) so as to do evil to this Aqsa mosque at Jerusalem.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is committed to maintaining peaceful relations with Arctic nations while exploring the Arctic's largely untapped resources.

"The Arctic must be regarded as a space for an open and equitable dialogue...where there will be no place for geopolitical games by military blocs, backstage deals, or struggle for spheres of influence," Putin said in a message read to Arctic Council members on August 30 by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.

Russia is hosting a council meeting onboard a Russian nuclear icebreaker crossing the Arctic Ocean to the port of Pevek.

"Russia will remain committed to the peaceful development of the region, provided its own national interests are observed and the interests of all other countries unconditionally respected," Putin said.



Stable development of the Arctic is becoming especially important, he said.

"As a matter of fact, the prosperity not only of the Arctic states but a number of other states depends on it," he said.

Patrushev said some differences have emerged over development of the continental shelves that extend beyond Russia, Canada, Alaska, and other areas into the sea, but these differences can be resolved peacefully.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax
Despite a series of rumored illnesses in the past and his advanced age, the news that Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov was suddenly hospitalized after suffering what his daughter said was a brain hemorrhage was a shock to people in Uzbekistan and further afield.

Uzbek authorities have long had a reputation for saying nothing in times of crisis and the current situation with Karimov's health has proven no exception to this established habit of silence.

But it does appear clear enough that Karimov, 78, will no longer be able to serve as president, a thought that pleases the many who feared him for years but at the same time raises questions about what Uzbekistan will look like under a new leader.

Like him or hate him, Karimov has been president since Uzbekistan became independent in 1991 and for most it is now difficult to imagine life without him at the helm.

To take a look at what's been happening in Uzbekistan since the announcement that Karimov was hospitalized -- and what Uzbekistan might look like in the days to come -- RFE/RL assembled a Majlis, or panel discussion, to look at what we know about Karimov's condition, what the situation is like in Uzbekistan as people wait for news about the president, and what might come next.

Moderating the discussion was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. Participating from Washington was Paul Stronski, senior Central Asian analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Taking part from Prague was Shahida Yakub, a producer and newscaster at RFE/RL's Current Time video news program, who grew up in Uzbekistan. Alisher Sidik, the head of RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, known locally as Ozodlik, also joined in the talk. And some of you might have noticed I've been writing a few things about Karimov and Uzbekistan over the years, so I had something to say as well.

Brief Statement

The first indication of how serious Karimov's condition was came when the Cabinet of Ministers released a brief statement on August 28 saying the president had been hospitalized and was receiving necessary medical care. It was the first time in 25 years such a statement about Karimov had ever been issued.

Sidik said, "We assume the prime minister [Shavkat Mirziyaev] is in charge at this moment."

But that was not entirely clear several days after Karimov was taken to the hospital.

Yakub said, "My sources say that he's dead and we tried to verify this information with multiple sources by joining our journalistic efforts and inside information and it looks like he's dead." According to Uzbek officials Karimov's condition is "stable" but there has been no elaboration of what that means, though these officials contend he is alive.

Karimov's younger daughter Lola was the person who said, on Instagram, that her father was hospitalized after a cerebral hemorrhage and on August 31 she posted another comment on Instagram indicating that, according to her information, Karimov was alive and might recover.

Independence Celebrations 'Forced Their Hand'

Karimov's condition is dire enough that it is already clear he will not make his annual appearance at September 1 Independence Day celebrations; an August 31 ceremony that he has attended annually was cancelled. Since this was planned to be a huge gala celebration for the 25th anniversary of independence, it is another sign Karimov's condition is serious. He has never missed an Independence Day celebration.

Stronski said, "This was the big celebration that everyone was expecting, this was the time to celebrate Uzbek sovereignty and Uzbek statehood and the fact that 25 years later it's a strong state and one of the main powers in Central Asia."

Stronski added that were it not for the impending celebration there might have been no statement about Karimov's health at all.

"I think these celebrations really forced their hand in having to announce this [his illness]," Stronski explained.

If Karimov remains unable to act as president, or if he is indeed dead, an announcement about a transfer of power -- at least temporary -- should come soon. Sidik said that "according to the constitution, the chairman of the Uzbek Senate should take over for three months and organize the [presidential] election in Uzbekistan."

However, Sidik noted that the constitutional transition process was altered in Azerbaijan and bypassed in Turkmenistan following the deaths of the leaders of those countries. Uzbekistan has already shown it can ignore its own constitution. Karimov was constitutionally limited to two terms in office but he has been elected four times, with two referendums extending his terms.

Yakub said she did not think Uzbekistan would go the way of Turkmenistan. "It's [Uzbekistan is] a different country, it's much bigger [by population], it's much more complicated. There are people who have serious financial interests as well as interests of actual physical survival."

Keeping A Close Watch

Stronski said many governments will be closely watching the course of events as Uzbekistan moves to select the country's second president. He discounted that most of these governments could or would want to try to interfere in this process though he mentioned "Russia's going to be watching very closely, hoping that whoever rises to the top is someone who is going to be favorable towards Russia, not too Western."

But important for Western countries, Stronski said, would be that the transition is "going according to the constitution." And he added it would probably be important for Uzbekistan "to show that it's a rule-of-law society."

As for what policies a new Uzbek administration would pursue, Sidik said it was likely there would be little change. "It's not only Karimov who was behind this isolation of Uzbekistan in the middle of all these countries, it's more like the model the country has chosen," Sidik said.

The big question of course was who is likely to be Karimov's successor (background on this can be found here). There were different opinions about this. Yakub said that the role of Rustam Inoyatov would not only be a decisive factor, but that Inoyatov could "surprise us and select someone else, some person that we know is in the government but we never thought would take the lead, or somebody absolutely new."

The discussion explored these issues more thoroughly and dealt with other topics concerning possible changes to domestic and foreign policy.

An audio recording of the Majlis can be heard here:

Listen to or download the Majlis podcast above or subscribe to Majlis on iTunes.
ON MY MIND

In most countries, the revelations in opposition figure Ilya Yashin's new report, The Criminal Party of Russia, which alleges close ties between the ruling United Russia party and organized crime, would be a sensation. In Vladimir Putin's Russia, they pretty much describe business as usual.

As political analyst Vladimir Pastukhov notes in a piece featured below, the dynamism and longevity of the Putin regime is partially the result of a fusion of the formal institutions of the state with informal networks of officials and criminals. In this system, Putin is both the head of state and the godfather of the mob. Or as Pastukhov puts it, "Both the prince of light and the prince of darkness."

So it is hardly a shocker that Russia's ruling party is infested with criminals.

IN THE NEWS

Opposition figure Ilya Yashin has published a new report accusing Russia's ruling United Russia party of having close ties to organized crime.

A Russian man wanted by the United States for alleged money laundering and illegal arms sales has left Armenia after being briefly detained in Yerevan.

Russia has questioned a report by the United Nations that blames Syrian government forces for two chlorine gas attacks and said the UN Security Council cannot use the conclusions to impose sanctions.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has rejected reports in U.S. media that Russia may have been involved in hacking into online voting systems in the United States ahead of the November U.S. presidential election.

Dozens of Chechens are camping in Belarus at the border with Poland, complaining that they are "refugees" who are being prevented from entering the EU-member country by Polish authorities.

A court in Russia has jailed a Russian man for fighting against Kremlin-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk.

The Kremlin has announced that Putin will visit Japan in December as Moscow and Tokyo strive to ease tensions over disputed islands.

IKEA has warned it could delay planned investment in Russia after a court ordered it to pay millions of dollars in damages in a long-running legal dispute.

WHAT I'M READING

Report: Russia's Criminal Party

Open Russia has published the full text of opposition leader Ilya Yashin's report on ties between the ruling United Russia party and organized crime. They have also posted a video of Yashin presenting the report.

Reorganizing The Empire

Political analyst Vladimir Pastukhov, a visiting fellow at St. Antony's College at Oxford University, has an interesting piece in Slon.ru on the personnel changes in the Kremlin. Pastukhov argues that what is going on is not just a change in cadres but a complete overhaul of Putin's governing model that threatens to upend the system.

"This regime's unique long-term vitality was due to the fact that in place of institutions power resided in informal and often semicriminal networks," Pastukhov writes.

"Putin was both the head of state and the leader of this formally nonexistent, but very powerful and vast, organization...Putin's unique versatility, his ability to be both the prince of light and the prince of darkness, to a large extent explains the success of his long reign."

Multipolarity Or Unilateralism?

Novosibirsk-based political analyst Anton Barbashin has a piece in Intersection magazine (in Russian and English) looking at what Russia really means when it talks about a multipolar world.

"The Russian version of multipolarity is not about the establishment of a new system of checks and balances between developing nations with a goal of creating a safer world based on the principles of international law, as Putin spoke of back in 2003. Russia, circa 2016, would prefer not even 19th-century Europe as we are accustomed to hearing (remember the anti-Napoleonic coalition and Crimea War), but a world of the 1930s where beside powerful France and England, the U.S.S.R. and Germany could have an almost unchecked increase in their potential, building their own 'centers of power' and eventually dominating the neighbors," Barbashin writes.

"A multipolar world for Russia serves as a possibility to break international law when it is 'just' and fits with the real balance of power as seen from Moscow."

Russia And Iran

Writing in Foreign Policy, Anna Borshchevskaya, an Ira Weiner fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, looks at the emerging dynamics in Russia's alliance with Iran.

"Russias new military alliance with Iran is all about keeping Assad in power and America on its back foot. But marriages of convenience usually dont last," Borshchevskaya writes.

"But a short-term alliance can do long-term damage to U.S. interests, and tactical victories can add up to a strategy. U.S. and European officials should neither underestimate Putins Middle Eastern ambitions nor the challenges that his growing anti-Western alliance in the region presents."

War Games

Writing in The National Interest, Simon Saradzhyan, assistant director of the U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism and a research fellow at Harvard Kennedy Schools Belfer Center, takes a look at Russia's snap military exercises.

"The latest series of military exercises in Russia have unnerved its Western neighbors, who are concerned that Russia may be preparing for a military campaign. The Russian military is indeed preparing for war, but that does not mean the Kremlin actually plans to initiate one anytime soon," Saradzhyan writes.

The Christian Science Monitor, meanwhile, has a reported piece asking: "How big a military threat is Russia, really?"

The Disappearing Democrats

Political analyst Olga Irisova has a piece in Intersection magazine (in Russian and English) looking at what happened to the massive crowds of Russians who took to the streets to support democracy 25 years ago.

The Closing Window To The West

Also in Intersection magazine, Artem Filatov of Ekho Moskvy looks at "how Russias regions closest to the European Union are severing economic and political ties with the West." The piece is available in Russian and English.

Flag Day Detention

The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group has a report on how authorities in the separatist-controlled area of Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast detained an elderly woman for carrying a Ukrainian flag to commemorate Flag Day.
Ukraine is to officially launch on September 1 a delayed online system that monitors the incomes and assets of government officials. I

Leonid Yevdochenko, the head of the Special Communications and Information Protection Service, announced on August 31 that the body issued a certificate of compliance for the electronic-declaration system, saying it fully complies with security requirements.

The National Agency for Corruption Prevention will allow the system "to be launched legitimately," he added.

Ukraine twice missed deadlines to launch the declaration system, part of efforts to stamp out corruption.

The delays drew criticism from the United States and European Union, and hampered efforts to unfreeze Ukraine's $17.5 billion international bailout.

Based on reporting by Bloomberg, UNIAN, and Ukraine Today
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."
U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and other congressional Democrats are asking the FBI to investigate concerns that the Russian government may be attempting to undermine the U.S. presidential election through cyberattacks.

"The prospect of a hostile government actively seeking to undermine our free and fair elections represents one of the gravest threats to our democracy since the Cold War," Reid said in a letter to FBI Director James Comey published by The New York Times on August 30 after revelations that the FBI found state online voting systems were hacked, possibly by Russia.

Reid said the threat of Russian government tampering in the election was "more extensive than widely known and may include the intent to falsify official election results."

He also voiced concerns about possible Russian government efforts to manipulate Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign ahead of the November 8 election and to use it as a vehicle to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A letter from four other Democrats on August 30 asked Comey to assess whether campaign officials working for Trump may be colluding with Russian interests to carry out recent hacks against the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and "interfere with the U.S. presidential election."

That letter, which notes connections between Russia and former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort, was signed by Representatives Elijah Cummings, John Conyers, Elliot Engel, and Bennie Thompson, each of whom serves as the top Democrat on a House committee. Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The outpouring of congressional concern follows a spate of hacking attacks targeting U.S. political databases, including some that U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts have blamed on hackers working for the Russian government. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement.

The FBI this month sent out an alert to U.S. states about the potential for intrusion in their online voting systems after it found breaches in voter registration databases in Illinois and Arizona. It did not specify who was behind the breaches, but Russia was fingered as a suspect in many media reports.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on August 30 that such reports were "absolutely unfounded" and "unsubstantiated" and that "as a whole, we don't consider it necessary to pay attention to this in any way."

Comey, speaking at a cybersecurity conference on August 30, said the agency has been vigorously investigating alleged cyber intrusions by Russia, China, and other countries.

"We take very seriously any effort by any actor...especially nation states, that moves beyond the collection of information...and offers the prospect of an effort to influence the conduct of affairs in our country, whether that is an election or something else," he said.

With reporting by AP and Reuters


Plans to develop a 36,000-square-foot Lidl grocery store on the site of a former Colonial Downs betting parlor have been filed with the Henrico County Planning Commission for consideration at its Sept. 28 meeting.

The Europe-based grocer is making an aggressive push into the U.S. grocery market, with stores planned across Virginia, including at least six sites identified in the Richmond area, and others proposed for the Hampton Roads, Charlottesville, and Roanoke areas, according to planning documents and published reports.

Based in Germany, Lidl operates about 10,000 stores in 26 countries in Europe. The grocer is known for its discounted prices.

The company has established its U.S. corporate headquarters in Arlington County in Northern Virginia and plans to build a regional headquarters and distribution center in Spotsylvania County to support its expansion.

Lidl U.S. spokesman Will Harwood said in an email that the company has not made any individual store announcements or set opening dates. Plans are to have the first U.S. stores open no later than 2018, he said.

The property at 4700 W. Broad St. is owned by Colonial Downs LP, which operated a 19,925 square foot off-track betting parlor there until surrendering its license in October 2014. The company later was denied a limited license by the Virginia Racing Commission.

The 3.7 acre-site, assessed at $1.6 million, was on the market earlier this year for $3.5 million.

A small piece of the property  between 0.605 and 0.626 of an acre  is in the city of Richmond, according to the planning documents. The proposed grocery store would be entirely in the county, while a portion of the parking lot would straddle the city/county line, Henrico County Planner Greg Garrison said.

We require confirmation that the city of Richmond has a copy of the plan. The applicant will go through a separate approval process with the city, Garrison said.

Plans are to demolish the existing betting parlor building, according to the documents filed with the county planning department. Lidl is proposing a one-story building with a wall of windows along one side, similar to its Lidl of the Future building concept the company has developed in Italy.

Other Lidl proposed sites are three in Henrico  at 5110 S. Laburnum Ave., at Staples Mill and Hermitage roads, and in the Greengate project west of Short Pump Town Center  and two in Chesterfield County  at 1301 Mall Drive and on Iron Bridge Road.

The grocery chain is planning to enter a Richmond grocery market that some industry analysts maintain has too many grocery stores already.

Kroger, Walmart, Food Lion and Martins Food Markets already operate stores here.

Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans and superfrugal Germany-based Aldi have entered the market in the past 18 months. Wegmans has opened two stores  one at 115,000 square feet and the other at 120,000 square feet  since May. Aldi has eight locations, with stores typically 16,000 square feet.
Richmond police have arrested a suspect in connection with an abduction and armed robbery that took place Monday about a mile from Virginia Commonwealth University's main campus.

Michael S. Bullock, 34, of the 5800 block of Ullswater Avenue, was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with three felonies: abduction, armed robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

According to an alert sent by VCU, the victim was walking in the 1300 block of Chamberlayne Avenue about 1:30 p.m. Monday when he was approached by a man with a gun. The suspect directed the victim to a nearby ATM, where the victim withdrew $40. The suspect took the money and ran away.
The Attorney Generals Office has issued an opinion that suggests there is no need for Richmond officials to re-examine two local candidates ballot eligibility following the state Supreme Courts decision to overturn Gov. Terry McAuliffes blanket restoration of felons rights.

The advice comes ahead of a Thursday meeting of the Richmond Electoral Board to discuss the issue.

The board has been attempting to determine whether a felon School Board candidate who won the right to vote and run for office as a result of McAuliffes mass restoration order, Kevin Starlings, should stay on the ballot after the court overturned the order. McAuliffe has since restored Starlings right to vote.

The board also has questioned whether candidates petitions to get on the ballot should be rechecked to determine whether any felons signed  a move that stands to threaten the candidacy of mayoral candidate Michelle Mosby, who would no longer meet the ballot requirements if the signature of a single felon who signed her petition was to be retroactively disqualified.

In regard to Starlings situation, the Attorney Generals Office advised that the local board is required only to make sure candidates meet requirements to serve in office at the time of the Nov. 8 election.

In regard to Mosbys situation, the office advised that the board is not legally required to reexamine the signatures on all petitions ... due to later changes in the status of voters who signed those petitions.
The Richmond Realtors Political Action Committee has endorsed three sitting School Board members but declined to support a fourth, Mamie L. Taylor of the 5th District.

The Realtors group announced its slate of endorsements Tuesday, backing Dawson Boyer, 1st District; Jeff Bourne, 3rd District; and Shonda Harris-Muhammed, 6th District. All but Boyer, appointed in February to replace Glen H. Sturtevant Jr., are running for re-election.

But in the race for the 5th District, the group threw its support behind Patrick Sapini, a local podiatrist with four children.

I very much appreciate the time and opportunity that the Richmond Realtors Political Action Committee extended to me for consideration of their endorsement, Taylor said in an email Tuesday.

However, the work that I have done, and will continue to do on behalf of our children and my constituency is my focus. Using my position to empower the people through transparency, accountability and governance is what the public deserves.

Taylor, first elected in 2012, has been dogged by controversy throughout her term. She has been accused by a former school district employee and other board members of meddling in affairs outside the boards purview.

And, in February 2015, she was accused of offering during a closed session to vote in favor of a policy she had used to collect $4.15 in reimbursements for travel, in exchange for a promise to withdraw a disciplinary complaint she filed against another board member.

We want to endorse and support those candidates that we believe will bring a cooperative, collaborative approach to the work of the School Board. Thats not been her record over the last four years, Laura Lafayette, CEO of the Richmond Association of Realtors, said of Taylor on Tuesday evening.

We felt like we need to look to the future and endorse a candidate that we believe can and will take that approach.

Sapini said in an email that the Realtors group chose candidates they believe possess the knowledge, skill and passion to oversee the future of Richmond Public Schools and the City of Richmond.

I am running for this office because the schools are in a state of crisis and I want to do something about it, he said.

The committees other endorsements include:

J. Scott Barlow, 2nd District;

Barrett Hardiman, 4th District;

Rick Tatnall, 7th District;

Tia Redd, 8th District; and

Linda Baker Owen, 9th District.

School Board members Kim Gray, 2nd District; Kristen Larson, 4th District; Donald Coleman, 7th District; and Derik Jones, 8th District, are not seeking re-election. Tichi Pinkney Eppes, 9th District, failed to qualify for the ballot.

Richmond Public Schools are a cornerstone of the community and while we have seen RPS and the School Board make strides in the right direction, there is still a long way to go, John Finn, chairman of the RPAC Trustees, said in a statement.
One person was injured after fire broke out early Wednesday at a home in western Henrico County.

Crews were dispatched shortly about 4 a.m. after a report of a mattress fire in the 4900 block of Darrowby Road, said Lt. Taylor Goodman of the Henrico Division of Fire.

The fire was brought under control in about 20 minutes, Goodman said, although crews spent considerable time afterward checking for hidden fire.

Both occupants of the home and their dog were able to escape the fire, which was contained to a bedroom, Goodman said.

One resident received minor injuries and was treated on the scene, he said.

The fire has been labeled accidental, Goodman said.
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As a growing number of Tropical Smoothie Cafe customers have tested positive for hepatitis A  at least 55 in Virginia, and 11 elsewhere  questions have emerged about whether the restaurant chain and state health officials acted rapidly enough in removing contaminated strawberries and notifying the public of the danger.

After Tropical Smoothie was informed of an investigation into its potentially contaminated strawberries from Egypt  it took as many as four days to get all of the Egyptian strawberries out of use from all 96 of its restaurants in Virginia, according to a top health department official.

And it was a full two weeks later before Tropical Smoothie Cafe or the health department informed the public about the potential contamination.

It just seems pretty clear that they thought, in early August, that it was strawberries from Egypt (served by Tropical Smoothie Cafe) making people sick, and they didnt say anything to people, said attorney William D. Marler, with the Seattle-based food safety law firm Marler Clark LLP.

Marler is among a group of attorneys who have been in contact with more than 100 potential clients considering filing lawsuits against Tropical Smoothie Cafe. At least two lawsuits have been filed. Marler said some of the people who have contracted hepatitis A potentially could have avoided contracting the liver disease by getting vaccines, had they been notified of the contamination sooner.

Ive been already talking to people who ate there in the last two weeks of July who got sick in August, and had those people been informed, they could have gotten a shot and prevented themselves from getting hepatitis A, Marler said, noting that vaccines are typically effective within two weeks of exposure to the hepatitis A virus.

Thats the sweet spot. Its two weeks, 14 days. So if those people had known, they could have gotten a shot. But now theyre ... out of luck.

On Aug. 5, the Virginia Department of Health notified Tropical Smoothie Cafe that an investigation was underway into whether the food chains frozen strawberries from Egypt were the source of numerous hepatitis A cases in Virginia, according to officials.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe executives began notifying the 96 stores in Virginia to remove the Egyptian strawberries, and they were removed by Aug. 9 at the latest, and days sooner in most cases, according to the health department.

Diane Woolard, the director of the Virginia Department of Healths Division of Surveillance and Investigation, said the health department didnt notify the public about the potential contamination until Aug. 19, two weeks after Tropical Smoothie Cafe was notified of the potential contamination.

Woolard said there was a two-week lapse in releasing a public statement because the departments hypothesis that the strawberries were the source of the hepatitis A outbreak was based on preliminary, circumstantial evidence.

We were telling (Tropical Smoothie Cafe) we had this hunch; we were going to start to pursue it more.  We had to gather data. We had to do interviews. We had to work with CDC (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and FDA (the Food and Drug Administration).

We had to figure out what people ate. We were gathering data to try to define the risk and see ... is it only these strawberries? Were these strawberries served elsewhere? Could it be another fruit or another food product? Woolard said. You need some level of scientific certainty, and it was lacking.

Woolard also said that she believed Tropical Smoothie Cafe acted really quickly in voluntarily pulling all of the Egyptian strawberries from its restaurants.

They put the word out across the state, and the managers withdrew the product. Almost all of them withdrew it on (Aug. 6) when they received the notice, Woolard said. I think its a matter of getting the notice into each managers hands, to actually go into their freezer and make sure the strawberries are pulled to the side. I mean, its just a communication, because theyre all franchises. But I feel like they took really quick action to pull them over that weekend.

Attempts by the Richmond Times-Dispatch to interview Tropical Smoothie Cafe executives have been unsuccessful. The restaurant chain has, instead, deferred to statements previously released.

In a video posted on YouTube Aug. 21, 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 number of confirmed cases of hepatitis A have been on the rise.

The Virginia Department of Health confirmed Wednesday that 55 Virginia residents have tested positive for hepatitis A associated with the contaminated Tropical Smoothie Cafe strawberries from Egypt, including six from the Central Region, which includes Richmond.

An official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also confirmed Wednesday that there were at least 11 confirmed cases in other states as of Tuesday afternoon.

CDC spokeswoman Nora Spencer-Loveall said that, as of Tuesday afternoon, there were people with confirmed cases of hepatitis A in other states, including four in Maryland, four in West Virginia and one each in Oregon, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

In interviews, nearly all ill people reported eating smoothies containing frozen strawberries at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations in a select number of states, Spencer-Loveall said.

The 55 cases in Virginia alone is a significant increase compared with Monday, when the number was at 40, and it could continue to climb, considering that the Virginia Department of Health is still investigating the outbreak and people who have reported illnesses. More people could come forward, considering that it takes as many as 50 days for those inflicted with the liver disease to show symptoms.

The 55 Virginia residents with hepatitis A were infected from early May through August.

Approximately 46 percent of the residents, for whom information is available, have been hospitalized for their illness, the Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday.

Woolard characterized it as a successful public health investigation.

It really could be put out there as a public health investigation example, and a successful one. Its really been done well. And the timing has been fast.

Marler, however, said he has concerns about why it took days for some of the strawberries to be removed and why it took two weeks for the public to be notified. Marler said the time lapses dont pass his smell test, and hell be putting people under oath to answer questions about those time lapses.

Im going to put a lot of people under oath over the next several months, and theyre going to have to answer that question. ... Im going to get to the bottom of it, Marler said.

Woolard, on the other hand, said that investigating outbreaks of hepatitis A is a multistep process.

Its a process of conducting an outbreak investigation, and there are a lot of steps involved that are all happening at once, Woolard said.

Woolard noted that even on Aug. 19, when the health department released a statement notifying the public of the potential outbreak of hepatitis A linked to Egyptian frozen strawberries at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations, the department still wasnt certain of the source of the contamination.

At that point, then we said: Well, we cant be 100 percent certain. But we have to put some information out, because this keeps coming up enough that we have a concern that somethings going on and people need to know about it, and then we released information. Were continuing to investigate, Woolard said.
It takes one justice out of seven to decide whether the entire Supreme Court of Virginia will hear the Heritage Preservation Associations appeal of the Danville Confederate flag case.

Any one justice can grant the rehearing, said Doug Robelen, chief deputy clerk for the court.

The Heritage Preservation Association filed a petition for a rehearing in the Virginia Supreme Court in June.

A three-judge panel of the Virginia Supreme Court on June 20 declined to hear the Heritage Preservation Associations initial appeal of a local judges decision that upheld Danvilles removal of the Third National Confederate flag from a monument on the grounds of the Sutherlin Mansion.

Robelen said he expects the seven-justice court to consider the petition for a rehearing at the end of September. A decision on whether to hear the appeal could come by the middle of October, Robelen said.

If the court agrees to hear the appeal, the appellants  the Heritage Preservation Association  would have 40 days to file an opening brief and the city would have 25 days to respond to the brief, Robelen said. The two sides would argue their cases before the seven justices.

If the Virginia Supreme Court decides not to grant a petition for a rehearing in Danvilles Confederate flag case, that would likely bring the matter to a close.

The Heritage Preservation Association could appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if the state court decides against hearing it, but the chances of it making it into the high court would be small, the associations attorney, Kevin Martingayle, said in June.

However, there will certainly be other challenges in other parts of the state, Martingayle said. Thats why the Virginia Supreme Court should take up the case, he said in June.

In rejecting the initial appeal, the three-judge panel said it found no reversible error in the judgment of Danville Circuit Judge James Reynolds, who in October dismissed a lawsuit against the city filed by the Heritage Preservation Association and others.

The lawsuit was filed after Danville City Council adopted an ordinance Aug. 6, 2015, permitting only the U.S., state, city and POW/MIA flags to be flown on flagpoles owned by the city. Danville police removed the flag from the grounds of the city-owned Sutherlin Mansion just a few minutes after city councils adoption of the ordinance.
Portsmouth Commonwealths Attorney Stephanie N. Morales on Tuesday asked the Virginia State Police to continue investigating the death of Jamycheal Mitchell after receiving the agencys preliminary findings.

The request came more than three months after Morales initially invited police to conduct a criminal investigation into the 24-year-olds death at Hampton Roads Regional Jail last August.

It was unclear Tuesday what information Morales needed to make a decision about whether or not to pursue criminal charges in Mitchells case. She did not respond to interview requests Tuesday afternoon.

State police did turn its investigative findings over to the Portsmouth Commonwealths Attorney for final review and adjudication of this matter, State Police spokeswoman Corinne N. Geller said in an email. At her request, the investigation remains ongoing.

Morales requested the criminal investigation May 10, the day Mitchells family filed a $60 million civil suit against 31 named defendants. Several other agencies  including the Portsmouth Police Department and the Office of the State Inspector General  had reviewed the circumstances surrounding Mitchells death at that point, but critics say those reviews offer no insight into how the mentally ill man was allowed to essentially starve to death in plain sight.

Jail officials have denied any wrongdoing. A spokesman reached by email Tuesday said he was unaware of Morales decision and had no comment.

A state medical examiner found that Mitchell, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, died of heart problems and wasting syndrome after losing 46 pounds over 101 days in custody. He had been jailed for allegedly stealing $5 in snacks from a 7-Eleven store.

Outcry from mental health advocates and civil rights activists in the wake of Mitchells death prompted calls for federal scrutiny of his case and the states public system of mental health.

Christina Pullen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has said the agency is prepared to investigate should state police uncover evidence of a potential civil rights violation.

Pullen on Tuesday would not say whether federal investigators had reviewed the Virginia State Police findings.

State lawmakers have pledged change as a result of Mitchells case. Del. Robert B. Bell, R-Albemarle, last week said he would pursue legislation to strengthen oversight of deaths that occur in Virginias local and regional jails.

Bell and other members of a commission weighing reform to Virginias publicly funded system of mental health care also are searching for ways to prevent people such as Mitchell from landing in the criminal justice system in the first place.

One of those methods is adopting a specialty court docket to manage low-level misdemeanor offenses committed by people with mental health challenges. At least eight local court systems across the state use these dockets, including Norfolk, Petersburg, Richmond, Roanoke and Virginia Beach.

The state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services is currently scrutinizing the techniques employed in these dockets to keep those charged with crimes such as trespassing, petit larceny or disorderly conduct from being incarcerated. A report is expected in December, according to an agency spokeswoman.

Representatives from across the spectrum of criminal justice services agree that jails are not the place to treat mental illness. Yet as the number of beds in state mental health facilities has dwindled, the system has become the largest de facto public provider of mental health services in the state, according to a review released in 2015 by the states top watchdog.
With the presidential election a little more than two months away, General Assembly Republicans are renewing their fight to stop Gov. Terry McAuliffe from restoring voting rights for more than 200,000 felons.

GOP leaders announced Wednesday that they want the Supreme Court of Virginia to consider holding McAuliffe in contempt for his efforts to restore felons political rights en masse despite the courts July 22 opinion that struck down the governors first attempt.

The governors new process, Republicans argue, has the same effect of subverting Virginias longtime policy of barring felons from voting.

In the new court filing, the GOP leaders argue that McAuliffe is defying the court order by printing and mailing individual rights-restoration orders on a large scale without requiring ex-offenders to submit applications. The filing asks the Supreme Court to enforce its ruling by blocking felons registrations under the governors modified process.

Having been told by the highest court in the commonwealth that his process violated our constitution, the governor has responded with dismissive rhetoric and ignored the courts ruling, said Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, who served as a plaintiff in the GOP legal challenge along with House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford.

McAuliffe swiftly denounced the Republicans new maneuver and said his administration fully complied with the court order. He called the Republicans ongoing legal opposition an attempt to use the judiciary system to intimidate and disenfranchise people.

The governor announced this month that he had, for the second time, restored rights of about 13,000 people who registered to vote under his original April 22 order and a series of renewal orders, which applied to all nonviolent and violent offenders who had completed their sentences and supervised release.

McAuliffe said he was complying with the court ruling by restoring rights on an individual basis and promised eventually to restore rights to the nearly 214,000 felons under a new process. In a radio appearance Wednesday, he said his goal is to restore rights for the entire group before his term ends in January 2018.

After a thorough legal review, it is clear that Governor McAuliffe has once again illegally suspended the Constitution of Virginia, Howell said. There is no practical difference between his latest action and his first set of executive orders.

McAuliffe has criticized the Supreme Court decision and said the justices who sided against him in the 4-3 opinion relied too heavily on precedent and history rather than legal text.

He also suggested that the justices may have been cowed by the fact that their appointments depend on the legislature.

McAuliffe has characterized the action as an attempt to rectify a longstanding racial injustice and has said Virginias restrictive felon disenfranchisement is rooted in efforts to suppress African-American votes.

Republicans have denied that the policy has a racial dimension and have argued instead that McAuliffe overstepped his legal authority to help his friend Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, win Virginia.

On Wednesday, McAuliffe suggested for the first time that Republicans also may be thinking about the presidential race. He said those who filed the lawsuit are more concerned with the impact new voters could have on Donald Trumps campaign than they are with the dignity of the people whom they continue to drag through the mud.
GAMMON, Jettaka McGregor, Colonel, United States Army (Retired), 56, died suddenly at her home in Greensboro, North Carolina, on August 27, 2016. Jettaka was born into an Army family in Munich, Germany on September 2, 1959 to Billy Ray McGregor, Jr., Sergeant First Class, USA (Ret), by whom she was predeceased, and Vyetta Hensley McGregor, by whom she is survived. She had a dear brother, Billy Ray McGregor III, Master Sergeant, USA, (Ret.), who preceded her in death. Jettaka leaves behind her husband and love of her life, Tracy Gammon of Greensboro, six beloved "bonus" children, five grandchildren (who knew her as "Mimi"); a niece and two nephews. After graduating from Thomas Dale High School in Chester, Virginia, Jettaka attended Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia and graduated in 1981 as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a B.A. in Business. Upon graduation, she was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and was branch assigned to the Army Medical Service Corps. During Jettaka's 25-year career as an Army Officer, she held increasingly responsible staff and command positions including assignment to the 2nd Infantry Division, Republic of Korea (just miles from the demilitarized zone); assignments in Germany, Saudi Arabia and the Pentagon, culminating as the Commanding Officer of the largest medical logistics distribution center in the Department of Defense, which supported all military hospitals and units in Europe and deployed forces at the outbreak of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jettaka was a singularly successful Army Officer, punctuated with early promotion to the ranks of Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel. Her extensive military education includes the Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College as an Army War College Fellow at the Department of Health and Human Services. She had a M.A. in Personnel Management from Troy State University. Jettaka's many awards and decorations include three Legion of Merit Awards, the Bronze Star Medal, six Meritorious Service Medals, the Southwest Asia Service Ribbon, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, and the Expert Field Medical Badge. She is also a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit. In 2011, Jettaka was reunited with her college sweetheart and moved to Greensboro, North Carolina where they married. Upon her retirement from the Army, she worked at Owens & Minor, Inc., in Richmond, Virginia until 2013 and within a few months discovered that her passion to serve was still a major driver in her life. Along with her husband, Tracy and two other business partners, she founded VG Global Solutions LLC and resumed her passion to serve and for taking care of those around her. Jettaka loved her family and large circle of friends. To say she loved her country is an understatement. She enjoyed working hard, solving problems, and helping others to be the best they could be. She touched the hearts of all those with whom she came in contact and she will be dearly missed but never forgotten. Jettaka's qualities were unique indeed and she had that special touch in which she was able to make everyone's day brighter and more fulfilling. Jettaka's light was so bright in the world that even though she is gone the light remains. (Continued...) GAMMON (Continued) Her extended and loving family include Katherine Hunter Gammon and Courtney Elizabeth Gammon; her sister-in-law, Sharon Horrobin and her husband, Rip Burroughs, and children, Billy Ray McGregor IV and Alexandria June McGregor; and nephew, Sergeant Robert Michael Kontz, USA, and his wife, Stacie; Jennifer Alexander and children, Sam and Reagan Karlen, Captain Ryan Alexander, USA and his wife, Hayleigh and three children, Madison, Kennedy and Conor; Aaron Alexander; Captain Sean Alexander, USA. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Jettaka McGregor Gammon Memorial Scholarship Foundation, in care of VG Global Solutions LLC, 823 N Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina 27401. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 3, at 1 p.m., at Christ and Grace Episcopal Church, 1545 S. Sycamore St., Petersburg, Virginia 23805. Interment is planned for Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. Details will be provided at a later date. Funeral arrangements are by J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home, 3050 W Hundred Rd., Chester, Virginia 23831, (804) 748-2500. Please leave memorial expressions and obtain additional information at www.jtmorriss.com.
For years, our commonwealth has spent up to $150,000 per year on each youth confined in our juvenile correctional centers. Historically, we know the longer youth stay in these centers, the more likely they are to reoffend: 75 percent were being rearrested within three years of release. We have failed too many young people and their communities for too long. This is why our administration, including the staff at the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), is dedicated to transforming our juvenile justice system. This transformation initiative will produce better outcomes for youth, for public safety and for Virginia taxpayers.

During the 2016 legislative session, Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the General Assembly reached historic agreement in three critical areas. First, due to declining populations of youth in state custody, they agreed that DJJ could close one of two remaining oversized and aging juvenile correctional centers (JCCs)  Beaumont or Bon Air  both of which are located near Richmond. Second, they agreed that the state would reinvest the savings from downsizing into a statewide continuum of evidence-based services and alternative placements for juveniles. Third, to meet the needs of the many youth committed to state custody from the Hampton Roads area, they agreed on bond funding to construct a 64-bed, therapeutic JCC in Chesapeake and authorized planning funds to address the correctional needs for the rest of the state.

The legislature also established an interagency task force to make recommendations for optimal utilization of these new facilities, and directed the members to submit an interim report on its findings in order to receive planning money for the Chesapeake facility. The report was submitted this month and provides a road map for moving ahead with Chesapeake and designing facilities that are built for safety and rehabilitation, not just for securing youth.

The Chesapeake facilitys 64 beds make it 70 percent smaller than Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center, which will close by the end of June 2017. The new facility will be located near families and service providers of committed youth from Hampton Roads, and will provide a setting that supports DJJs rehabilitative goals.

The department is also creating community-based alternatives to JCCs. At the beginning of 2014, DJJ had only large centers available for youth committed to state custody. As of today, DJJ has added eight residential programs in local juvenile detention centers across the state. The new placements are in smaller settings, and closer to most youths homes. These, along with other policy and administrative actions, allowed DJJ to safely reduce its JCC population by more than half since 2014, to just over 270 youth today.

Additionally, DJJ will contract with regional service coordinators who will lead development of a statewide continuum of evidence-based services and additional alternative placements to effectively serve youth in their communities. This new initiative is budgeted using funds derived from reinvestment as well as administrative and operational efficiencies within the department.

Unfortunately, some still misunderstand the certain benefits of the transformation plan and misrepresent the results of our progress thus far. Whats true is that there is bipartisan support for each change described here and the significant changes DJJ is making. Whats true is that we are dramatically shrinking our old, adult-style correctional footprint, and moving toward modern, small rehabilitative facilities and alternative placements. And whats true is that there are some youth and some situations that will require time in secure custody in order to keep communities safe and provide the services and setting that will most effectively address their complex needs.

These bipartisan-supported changes not only will produce better rehabilitative results for youth throughout our juvenile justice system but also will provide safer communities and savings for our taxpayers. Once this transformation is complete, we project reductions in our facility footprint by at least two-thirds, and substantial annual investments in the statewide continuum of services.

I am extremely proud of our progress, the hard work of the DJJ staff and the bipartisan support we have enjoyed. To secure our early gains, it will be critical that we maintain unity of purpose. This is a precious opportunity to make Virginia a safer and better place for our communities and for our children. We must not waste it.
Sweetheart contest

This is the 35th year that Plattsmouth High School Senior girls have participated in the Harvest Festival Sweetheart contest to raise money for scholarships.

This years contestants and the placement of the collection jars are as follows: Sydnee Bell- Taco Bell/KFC, Leah Church-HyVee Gas, Rebecca Garcia- La Fiesta, Autumn Graham-Sisters Cafe, Paige Johnson-HyVee, Kylie Turner-Subway and Kendall Wood-Caseys. Last years Sweetheart was Allie Blecke. The $1400 in scholarships were awarded to Makayla Handy, Chelsea Hobscheidt and Allie Blecke. Collection jars will be in place until Wednesday, September 7. For information, call Sharon Smith or Danelle Brodersen.

Library closes

The library will be closed Monday, September 5, for Labor Day. Also, due to a lack of parking available during the Harvest Festival, the library will be closed on Friday and Saturday, September 9 and 10. The lower level of the library will be open only for the Little Miss and Little Master contest on Saturday, September 10. We're sorry for any inconvenience.

Hoff graduates

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Evan A. Hoff graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Hoff is the grandson of Kenneth and Emily Hoff of Sidney, Mont.

He is a 2014 graduate of Plattsmouth High School, Plattsmouth.

Cone graduates

U.S. Air Force Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Shayne M. Cone graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Cone is the son of Victor L. Barnett of Eagle, Neb.

He is a 2012 graduate of Waverly High School, Waverly.
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Writing in support of public libraries gives me pause.

I mean, am I also in favor of air, water, lunch? Like  if I may slip into the vernacular  duh!

We were a family of readers, by golly, folks who would appreciate a line from a recent cartoon, comparing books to loading software into ones brain. Or this quip from the movie A Walk in the Woods (adapted from Bill Brysons book): Books: Theyre like television for smart people.

(Maybe you saw the rounds of letters to the editor in The Roanoke Times that were sparked a few months ago by a who-needs-public-libraries op-ed piece. That writer later changed his mind after checking out a busy, modern library.)

The Friends of the Salem Library (yes, FOSLs) do even more than talk the supportive talk. The group donates funds for a remarkably wide, creative range of programs, technology and even furniture (say, DVD racks).

You might know that its one annual fundraiser is nigh: the book sale coinciding with Olde Salem Days.

This years sale has been expanded to include Friday night, Sept. 9, said FOSL President Ken Sosnowski. It runs through Sunday, Sept. 11.

Another convenient expansion will be that of the space itself, Sosnowski said. Childrens and vintage, coffee table and rare books will be sold in the main part of the library, rather than in the Community Room with the other books. DVDs and CDs are sold, as well. And the Friends always sort things nicely by categories.

Theres still something about holding a real book, not just a device. And you never know what you might happen upon while browsing.

The Friends have been receiving books from public-spirited citizens all year  and they thank Locust Grove Methodist Churchs hardy Boy Scout Troop 352 for helping to transport all the packed boxes from storage. The number of books isnt quite as high as last year (last year was exceptional, Sosnowski said) but donations are at least as plentiful as the two years preceding it.

Full disclosure: That "exceptional last year-bubble coincides with breaking up my late parents library (sorry, Mom!). Bless-his-heart-Ken lugged thousands of em to the FOSL sale.

FOSL volunteer Jane Wright kindly shared a story that helped me feel less guilty for not keeping all those books. She reported helping Rebecca, a woman in her mid-80s, who said she had always hoped some day to find "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm." Wright knew exactly where it was. (Yep, thanks to your books, Mom. Am I forgiven yet?)

The Friends of the Salem Library Book Sale is Sept. 9 to 11 at the Salem Public Library. For more information, call 375-3089. Donations, buyers and new FOSL members are welcome to attend.
I enjoyed Ralph Berriers Aug. 8 Summer at the Swimmin Hole Dadline column. I have been kayaking the Roanoke River for the past 15 years, and Im familiar with many of the places he mentioned. As the greenways provide more access to the river, more people have discovered these popular places to splash.

Its no accident that most of these swimming holes are upstream from Bridge Street  which marks the western boundary of the industrialization and urbanization of this area of Roanoke that began during the late 19th century.

My first trip to Wasena Park  the site of one of the best-known spots  was 35 years ago, during the summer. The Roanoke native showing me around turned his nose up at the swimmers, saying only poor people with no place else to swim would go into the water. When I started kayaking the river, others who grew up here looked at me like I was nuts when I told them where Id been.

There is good reason for this prejudice  native Roanokers have long memories. Our first city-wide sewage treatment plant was built in the early 1950s. For half a century, much of Roanokes raw effluvia flowed straight into the river. It was so bad, the YMCA begged people to buy memberships for boys so they wouldnt have to swim in sewage. (Girls needed not apply.)

Today, the river is many times cleaner than it was even when I first started paddling it. But there are still a few trouble spots. A burbling brook that drops into the water from a concrete conduit at the bend near Memorial Bridge sounds delightful, but when you get close to it, the smell is anything but.

In March, I mentioned it to a friend who works for the city. At the same time, he was looking for a mysterious water source that regularly floods Fire Station No. 7. With a little detective work, I discovered both waterways were the same  a bold spring that supplied the house and barns of Solitude, an 18th-century farm that stood at the corner of Grandin Road and Memorial Avenue.

In the first decade of the 20th century, the surrounding land was divided into residential lots, the stream was enclosed and domestic sewer lines were tied into it. In the 1950s, a dedicated sewer line was laid alongside it. My friend thinks both conduits have deteriorated, and are exchanging their contents. He told me it was a fixable problem. So enjoy the swimming holes, and dont forget a nod of the head to those who make them clean and safe for us all.
RICHMOND  Virginias tax-credit program for rehabilitating historic properties has helped revitalize neighborhoods across the state, representatives of development companies, the construction industry, churches and nonprofits told a General Assembly subcommittee.

Yet members of the joint House and Senate Subcommittee to Evaluate Tax Preferences, which is studying possible reforms of tax credits offered by the state, said they want to see more hard data on the states return on investment from the historic credits program, which has provided more than $1 billion in tax credits since its inception in 1997.

Federal and state tax credits are used to offset the cost of renovations on historic buildings, making such projects financially feasible.

Defenders of the program said it has contributed greatly to reinvestment in downtown neighborhoods across Virginia, including in Roanoke, that previously had struggled with decay for decades.

Roanokes thriving downtown wouldnt be the cultural and now residential hub that it is without tax credits, city leaders say.

Virtually everything in downtown that has been renovated in the last 15 or 16 years or so has been as a result of the historic tax credit program, said Chris Chittum, Roanokes planning director. We wouldnt have seen the growth of our downtown without it, undoubtedly.

From public projects like the Roanoke Higher Education Center and the City Market Building, to nonprofit projects like the recent Center in the Square renovation, to private efforts to create nearly a thousand apartments and condominiums downtown, they really wouldnt have been financially feasible without the tax credits, Chittum said.

Developer and Roanoke Councilman John Garland has renovated numerous downtown buildings, all of them with tax credits.

I probably wouldnt have gotten started doing what Im doing ... if it wasnt for that program, he said.

Virginia allows developers to claim credits of 25 percent of eligible expenses on renovations of certified historic structures.

Combined with a federal historic tax credit of 20 percent, developers can claim total credits of 45 percent of eligible expenses. They can use the credits against their own tax liabilities or syndicate the credits for investors.

The Virginia historic tax credit has been, and is growing, as an essential component of rehabilitation strategies, said Kathleen Frazier, an architect and co-owner of Frazier Associates, which has worked on downtown redevelopment projects in Staunton. Much of the reinvestment simply would not have occurred in our historic cities and towns without them [credits].

The legislative subcommittee is considering whether the state should scale back the program, perhaps by placing caps on the total amount of historic tax credits made available, or reducing the amount available per project.

Its scrutiny of the program comes as the state faces a nearly $1.5 billion revenue shortfall in its two-year budget.

Its a sobering picture for us to contemplate as we look forward, Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, the subcommittees chairman, said during the meeting Monday at the General Assembly Building in Richmond. This is part of what we have to balance as we go forward.

Other organizations that spoke in favor of maintaining the historic tax credits included Preservation Virginia, the Virginia chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Associated General Contractors of Virginia and the Virginia First Cities Coalition.

In Roanoke, the tax credit program is starting to pay further dividends in the form of non-tax credit projects. The number of downtown residents increased from a few hundred to more than 1,600 from 2000 to 2010, according to census data.

Developer Lucas Thornton and his Hist:Re Partners LLC are nearly finished with The Gramercy Row, the first major new construction in downtown Roanoke other than the Taubman Museum of Art, in decades. The estimated $8 million project at Williamson Road and Tazewell Avenue will be home to more than 70 apartments plus retail spaces. Thornton, who has completed several tax credit-powered projects downtown, has said the momentum in the downtown rental market catalyzed by tax credits gave him the faith to construct a new building.

Research by Virginia Commonwealth Universitys Center for Urban and Regional Analysis concluded in a 2014 study that the program had generated almost $4 billion in economic activity in the state from 1997 to 2013 through 2,375 projects, which supported about 31,000 jobs.

A survey of developers who were involved in historic projects showed that about 85 percent would not have done it without the tax credits, the study found.

The Richmond area has had far more historic tax credit projects than other parts of the state  about 1,185 projects, generating about $2 billion in expenditures. Some rural localities have had only one or two such projects.

Roanoke had 121 projects from 1997 to 2013, generating $313.9 million in spending and incorporating $78.3 million in state tax credits, the study found. Forty percent of the Roanoke projects also received federal tax credits.

The VCU analysis measured only the impact of a project during construction, however, and didnt provide a return on investment for the state including employment and tax revenue from post-rehabilitation use of historic properties. It also did not look at what role other state and local incentives might play in a developers decision to rehab a property.

Members of the subcommittee, who include Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge, and Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, asked for more data on the impact of the program, to be presented at a later meeting.

It is really hard for us to make a good business decision here when we dont know what kind of return we are getting on our money, said Del. Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico, If we are getting a 10 to 15 percent return, that is one thing. If we are getting 5 percent, thats another.

Roanoke Times staff writer Matt Chittum contributed to this report.
PLATTSMOUTH  Local law enforcement locked down Plattsmouth Early Childhood Center Monday afternoon after a school employee received threatening phone calls.

A Cass County Sheriffs Office deputy responded to the PECC building on Main Street for the incident at 3:22 p.m. The deputy, who was serving as the districts school resource officer, arrived on location after a PECC employee requested help. The employee told the deputy a person had made various threats over the phone.

The employee received another threatening phone call when the deputy was on scene. The deputy spoke to the caller and attempted to mediate the situation. The deputy reported that the caller made threats that were serious in nature.

Authorities decided to place the PECC campus on a lockdown status because the callers location was unknown. Additional CCSO deputies and Plattsmouth police officers arrived at the school and formed a perimeter around the building. They also traveled with the school employee for protection as the employee left the PECC area.

School officials notified parents about the situation. PECC staff members released students to their parents under school district protocol.

CCSO deputies and Plattsmouth police officers are continuing their investigation. Authorities remained at the PECC campus until 8:29 p.m. Monday. Deputies said the school employee who received the threatening calls has been placed on leave until the investigation is complete.
It takes one justice out of seven to decide whether the entire Supreme Court of Virginia will hear the Heritage Preservation Associations appeal of the Danville Confederate flag case.

Any one justice can grant the rehearing, said Doug Robelen, chief deputy clerk for the court.

The Heritage Preservation Association filed a petition for a rehearing in the Virginia Supreme Court in June.

A three-judge panel of the Virginia Supreme Court on June 20 declined to hear the Heritage Preservation Associations initial appeal of a local judges decision that upheld Danvilles removal of the Third National Confederate flag from a monument on the grounds of the Sutherlin Mansion.

Robelen said he expects the seven-justice court to consider the petition for a rehearing at the end of September. A decision on whether to hear the appeal could come by the middle of October, Robelen said.

If the court agrees to hear the appeal, the appellants  the Heritage Preservation Association  would have 40 days to file an opening brief and the city would have 25 days to respond to the brief, Robelen said. The two sides would argue their cases before the seven justices.

If the Virginia Supreme Court decides not to grant a petition for a rehearing in Danvilles Confederate flag case, that would likely bring the matter to a close.

The Heritage Preservation Association could appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if the state court decides against hearing it, but the chances of it making it into the high court would be small, the associations attorney, Kevin Martingayle, said in June.

However, there will certainly be other challenges in other parts of the state, Martingayle said. Thats why the Virginia Supreme Court should take up the case, he said in June.

In rejecting the initial appeal, the three-judge panel said it found no reversible error in the judgment of Danville Circuit Judge James Reynolds, who in October dismissed a lawsuit against the city filed by the Heritage Preservation Association and others.

The lawsuit was filed after Danville City Council adopted an ordinance Aug. 6, 2015, permitting only the U.S., state, city and POW/MIA flags to be flown on flagpoles owned by the city. Danville police removed the flag from the grounds of the city-owned Sutherlin Mansion just a few minutes after city councils adoption of the ordinance.

Reynolds had granted the citys motion to dismiss the Heritage Preservation Associations lawsuit, ruling that a state law protecting monuments to wars and their veterans does not apply to the monument at the mansion. He ruled that the flag is not a memorial to the war dead, but a historical marker for the building.
KEARNEY  Beef will be taking center stage at the Nebraska State Fair on Friday, September 2nd during the Beef Masters Culinary Challenge presented by the Nebraska Beef Council and Central Community College in Hastings. The contest will take place in the Raising Nebraska Building, north of the main entrance, from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. Admission is free with paid entry to the State Fair.

The contest is modeled after the popular television series Chopped where chef contestants compete to create the best dish using ingredients from a mystery basket. The contest at the State Fair will feature four teams of culinary students from Central Community College in Hastings.

We had a lot of fun with the Nebraskas Best Burger contest at the fair last year and so we wanted to keep that excitement going, said Adam Wegner, director of marketing for the Nebraska Beef Council. The contestants will be preparing various beef dishes for a panel of judges. It will be exciting because the contestants wont know what the beef cuts are or what the other ingredients will be until moments before the contest begins.

The student chefs will be working in teams of two and will have 30 minutes to prepare, plate and serve their dish to the judges. Each round, one team will be eliminated until a winner is determined.

This is such a great opportunity for our students to use their creativity and to show off the culinary skills theyve learned through our program, said Lindsay Higel, hospitality management and culinary arts program director at Central Community College in Hastings. You have to be able to think on your feet when youre a chef. Sometimes you have to improvise and make adjustments along the way.

The contestants will be competing for prizes and the coveted title of Beef Master. Audience members will also have the opportunity to win door prizes and other give-a-ways.

We want this event to be both entertaining and educational, said Wegner. The audience will walk away with creative ideas for putting beef on the table and confidence that they too can create some delicious beef meals right at home.

For more information about the Beef Masters Culinary Challenge, visit the Nebraska Beef Council Facebook page.

The Nebraska Beef Council is a non-profit organization served by a nine-member board of directors. The volunteers oversee Nebraskas beef checkoff and checkoff-funded programs. Programs for marketing and promotion are funded by the $1 beef checkoff.
As construction work winds down on what is known as the Dovey Building, 537 Main Street, in downtown Plattsmouth, Southeast Community College (SCC) officials are planning an October grand opening there of the colleges new learning center.

The facility is coming along beautifully, said Plattsmouth Learning Center Coordinator Lyn Belitz. Building owners Russ and Kim Kathol have been great in keeping the historic qualities of the building as well as the modern needs of the college.

Belitz said wood flooring is being laid through what will be the commons area to retain the buildings historic significance. The building renovations were carefully considered to keep several historical aspects of the building. It is going to be a beautiful facility conducive for learning. There will also be three classrooms. One is a computer lab. Each classroom will be modern, she said.

Many classes will be via the Internet. We have the opportunity to offer classes at the Plattsmouth Learning Center (PLC) via a technology called Life Size. It essentially allows students to sit in the PLC classroom and participate in an actual class on one of the SCC campuses. In addition, we hope to offer some face-to-face credit classes in the future, Belitz explained.

For the fall session, PLC will offer some e-learning classes and some non-credit classes. One of these classes will be a creative writing course taught entirely by Zoom technology, piped into each of the existing Learning Centers and campuses via a laptop. After the first day of class, a registered individual may attend the class either from the Learning Center or from their own computer.

SCC officials have also been meeting with an advisory group and task force on class offerings. Work force skills and credit classes will be determined primarily by the Advisory Board and Task Force Groups, she said. However, anyone can call me with their educational needs and suggestions.

Belitz grew up in Omaha but has lived in Murray for 15 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational communications from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She said she is excited to help SCC launch new programming and new initiatives to Plattsmouth and surrounding areas.

We want to serve the community and bring SCC to our neighborhoods, Belitz said. We will be offering classes to support citizens for fun, work or to challenge them.

SCC hopes to bring pertinent educational experiences to the area.

We will offer a wide variety of classes that will include credit, non-credit and workplace skills. I am happy to assist anyone with questions about classes and services through SCC, she said.

Eventually, SCC Student Services and various program representatives will be at the PLC for appointments or drop-ins. These times will be listed in the catalogs along with classes being held each quarter at the PLC, Belitz said.

Belitz said she plans to attend local meetings to get acquainted with the communities in the area. I love the Cass County area with its small towns, fields, parks and recreational areas. My kids know I love a good hike, she said. My strongest trait is probably helping people. My prior work experience has led me to this position and I am honored to get to serve the community through the college.

Last year, SCCs Board of Governors approved plans to open six learning centers within the colleges 15-county service area and outside of Gage, Lancaster and Seward counties.

Plattsmouth, Nebraska City, Falls City, Wahoo, York and Hebron were identified as learning center sites.

For more information about the center, contact Belitz at 402.437.2298.

The entire Plattsmouth area has been overwhelmingly supportive of the PLC and SCC. We are pleased to have a facility in the region to fulfill the educational needs of the region, Belitz said.

The grand opening Oct. 26 will include a ribbon cutting and refreshments at 4 p.m.
The overarching theme emerging from Chinas ongoing Communist Party congress is one of continuity, not change. The weeklong meeting is expected to reappoint Xi Jinping as leader, reaffirm a commitment to his policies for the next five years and possibly elevate his status even further as one of the most powerful leaders in Chinas modern history. For many Chinese, weary of pandemic restrictions, the more immediate question is whether there will be any easing of zero-COVID after the party congress. The answer is probably not immediately, and when changes do come, they will most likely be gradual.
Indias Mines Secretary Balvinder Kumar, according to media reports, said on 30th Aug. that the Bunder diamond mine from which Rio Tinto withdrew, would be allocated to a state firm or auctioned soon.

Earlier this month, Rio Tinto pulled out of the project, on which it had spent about $500-million, by the end of the year to conserve cash and cut costs.

Rio Tintos withdrawal was a surprise as the company was close to getting a forest clearance for the mine from the environment Ministry.

According to reports, Rio Tinto's decision came at a time when the Indian government was seeking its help and its rivals, such as Anglo American, to explore for diamonds and gold to make India a major mineral producer.

"It's a commercial decision taken by their headquarters in which we could have not done anything," said Kumar."Bunder is one of the best deposits in India and we would like to make sure that it is tapped."

Kumar said he would talk to parties interested in Bunder when Rio Tinto formally hands the project back to the state government of Madhya Pradesh, where it is located. He said Madhya Pradesh already had a lot of data on the mine that can be shared with potential bidders or any government company willing to develop it.



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




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Japan housing starts and construction orders data for July were released at 1:00 am ET Wednesday.

After the data, the yen changed little against its major rivals.

As of 1:01 am ET, the yen was trading at 114.89 against the euro, 134.96 against the pound, 104.81 against the Swiss franc and 102.96 against the U.S. dollar.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Forex News
Editors Pick

Oil major Exxon Mobil Corp. reported Friday a profit for the third quarter that soared from last year, reflecting sharply higher upstream and energy product earnings. Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter topped analysts' expectations, while quarterly revenues missed them.

Seattle, Washington-based Amazon.com Services LLC is recalling Amazon Basics Executive Desk Chairs, citing fall and injury risks, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The recall involves about 11,400 units of the Amazon Basics Executive Desk Chair.

Shares of Swiss Re AG were losing around 3 percent in the morning trading in Switzerland after the reinsurer reported Friday a net loss in its third quarter and the first nine months of fiscal 2022. The results were hurt mainly by weakness in Property & Casualty Reinsurance or P&C Re segment. Going ahead, the company still expects it is unlikely to reach its Group ROE target of 10 percent in 2022.
Japan's housing starts rebounded in July, while construction orders logged a double-digit contraction, data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism showed Wednesday.

Housing starts expanded 8.9 percent in July from prior year, in contrast to a 2.5 percent fall seen in June. The pace of growth was also faster than the 7.3 percent increase economists had expected.

The number of annualized housing starts improved slightly to 1.005 million from 1.004 million in June. The expected level was 0.99 million.

On the other hand, construction orders received by 50 big contractors slid 10.9 percent year-on-year in July after easing 2.4 percent in June. This was the second consecutive fall in orders.

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Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
A Fremont woman was arrested after stealing thousands of dollars worth of cash and merchandise from her employer at Nebraska Sports, Fremont Police reported.

Officers were dispatched at 1 p.m. Tuesday to a business located in the 800 block of East 23rd Street in regard to a possible employee theft that occurred weeks prior.

An internal investigation conducted by the business determined that cash and other items were taken resulting in law enforcement getting involved.

A follow-up investigation conducted by Fremont Police resulted in the arrest of Jessica N. Alter, 27, of Fremont.

Alter was arrested for theft by unlawful taking. The estimated total loss of Alter's actions is $3,000.
Allergan plc (AGN) announced that its subsidiaries Forest Laboratories, LLC, Forest Laboratories Holdings, Ltd. and Allergan USA, along with Adamas Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ADMS), have entered into a settlement agreement with Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC and Amneal Pharmaceuticals of New York, LLC.

The settlement relates to a patent infringement litigation brought by Forest and Adamas in response to Amneal's abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) seeking approval to market generic versions of Allergan's NAMZARIC (memantine and donepezil hydrochlorides) extended-release, a once-daily, fixed-dose combination of memantine hydrochloride (a NMDA receptor antagonist) and donepezil hydrochloride (an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, AChEI). It is Allergan's understanding that Amneal is the first applicant to file an ANDA containing a paragraph IV certification regarding NAMZARIC.

The settlement provides additional clarity for the patent-protected life of NAMZARIC. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, and subject to review of the settlement terms by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Forest and Adamas will grant Amneal a license to market generic versions of NAMZARIC beginning on January 1, 2025, following receipt by Amneal of final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on its ANDA for generic NAMZARIC. Alternatively, under certain circumstances, Amneal has an option to launch an authorized generic version of NAMZARIC beginning on January 1, 2026. Other terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Similar patent infringement litigation brought by Allergan, Forest and Adamas against Amerigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Amerigen Pharmaceuticals Ltd., which have filed an ANDA seeking approval to market generic versions of NAMZARIC remains pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

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Business News
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has announced a trip to Mexico to meet with the country's president, Enrique Pena Nieto.

Nieto had invited both Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for talks and said he would meet Trump in private on Wednesday.

Trump said in a post on Twitter on Tuesday that he accepted the invitation and is looking forward to meeting Nieto.

The meeting will take place before Trump's scheduled speech on immigration in Phoenix, Arizona, at 9 pm ET Wednesday night.

Trump's visit comes against the backdrop of his controversial proposal to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico.

In campaign rallies earlier this year, Trump railed against immigrants, especially immigration from Mexico, accusing the country of sending drug dealers and rapists to the U.S.

The Mexican President retaliated by saying that Trump's comments about his country recall the rise of Hitler and Mussolini.

The Mexican leader urged Americans to vote with caution and warned that such comments seek very simple solutions to complicated problems and can hurt U.S.-Mexican ties.

The Republican White House aspirant repeated anti-Mexican rhetoric while addressing an election campaign rally in Austin, Texas, last week.

Talking to an audience in the state bordering Mexico, Trump insisted that his administration will build a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants so that the law can be enforced, Americans' jobs and wages are protected, and the country can be kept safe.

According to the Texas government, nearly 200,000 illegal immigrants were booked into Texas jails between 2011 and 2016. Collectively, those arrested were responsible for more than half a million criminal offenses, including homicides, sexual assaults and burglary.

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Political News
Tim Hortons, the Canadian fast-food restaurant chain known for its coffee and doughnuts, has announced plans to launch in Great Britain as part of its efforts to expand internationally.

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (QSR, QSR.TO), the parent company of Tim Hortons, said Tuesday that it has established a master franchise joint venture with an investor in Great Britain. The deal is the first of its kind for the Tim Hortons brand in Europe.

The joint venture company will be the master franchisee of the Tim Hortons brand in England, Scotland and Wales, responsible for developing and growing the brand in the market. Gurprit Dhaliwal will be the chief executive officer of the joint venture company.

"This deal is part of our growth plan to take the iconic Tim Hortons brand around the world. Great Britain is an attractive QSR market with a strong and growing coffee culture so it is a natural fit for the brand," Daniel Schwartz, CEO of Restaurant Brands International or RBI said.

In July, RBI announced a master franchise joint venture agreement to develop the Tim Hortons brand in the Philippines, marking the brand's foray into Southeast Asia. RBI is also the parent company of Burger King.

Tim Hortons was founded as a single location in Canada in 1964. As at end-June 2016, Tim Hortons had more than 4,464 system-wide restaurants located in Canada, the U.S. and the Middle East.

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Business News
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has a small lead over Republican rival Donald Trump among likely Wisconsin voters, according to the results of a new Monmouth University Poll.

The poll showed Clinton with a 43 percent to 38 percent advantage over Trump, with 7 percent backing Libertarian Gary Johnson and 3 percent favoring Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Another 8 percent are undecided.

Clinton has slightly stronger support among Democrats than Trump has among Republicans, although Trump has a slim 37 percent to 34 percent lead among Independents.

Clinton's five-point lead in the Monmouth poll compares to the more substantial 13-point lead she held among likely Wisconsin voters in a Marquette Law School Poll released earlier in the month.

"The current presidential election race in Wisconsin is looking a lot like the 2012 contest right now," said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Trump has a slim lead among white voters that is similar to the margin for Mitt Romney in 2012, while Clinton has a significant advantage among black, Hispanic, and Asian voters that is similar to President Barack Obama's four years ago.

Meanwhile, the poll found that Wisconsin voters have a negative view of both candidates, as 50 percent have an unfavorable view of Clinton and 57 percent have an unfavorable view of Trump.

Wisconsin has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since President Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in 1984.

The Monmouth survey of 404 likely Wisconsin voters was conducted August 27th through 30th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

(Photo: Gage Skidmore)

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Political News
Call 402-727-2815 by noon at least one day in advance of meal reservation. Transportation from your door available.

Monday: Center closed for Labor Day.

Tuesday: Swedish meatballs or ham on a ciabatta roll. Rummikub, 9 a.m.; chair volleyball, 9:30 a.m.; coloring with Paulette, 10:15 a.m.; Bohemian pitch, 10:15 a.m.; bingo, 12:30 p.m.; open games, 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Salisbury beef or chicken club salad. Rummikub, 9 a.m.; line dancing, 9:30 a.m.; exercises, 9:30 a.m.; open games, 9:30 a.m.; music with The Neals, 10:30 a.m.; pitch tournament, 12:30 p.m.

Thursday: Bourbon chicken breast or ham chef salad. Rummikub, 9 a.m.; Tai Chi, 9:30 a.m.; music by the Brian Brietbarth Trio, 10:30 a.m.; Medicare redesign presentation, 11:30 a.m.; sheepshead and pinochle, 12:30 p.m.

Friday: Country fried chicken or tuna salad sandwich. Rummikub, 9 a.m.; chair volleyball, 9:30 a.m.; Bohemian pitch, 10 a.m.; bingo, 10:30 a.m.; center closes, 1 p.m.; trip to Bill Chrastil, 5 p.m.
Some people struggle with finding their true passion well into adulthood, and some simply never do.

But for Liz Kay, Metropolitan Community College English Instructor and published author/poet, her calling was discovered when she was just a 10-year-old child.

A self-proclaimed Army brat, Kay was born in Conroe, Texas, and from there, moved to Germany, then Alabama, back to Germany, then to Maryland and finally settled into Ogden, Utah, when her father retired from the military as she entered high school.

If I really have a home town its Ogden, Utah, Kay said during a Tuesday interview inside of Scooters Coffeehouse.

During all the time of bouncing around from place to place, Kay discovered her passion for writing, more specifically, poetry.

The first time she told somebody she was going to be a poet was in third grade, and around that same time she started dabbling with actually putting words on paper.

In fifth grade, she dove head-first into her first novel. Motivated by a conflict with her older sister, Katie, Kay unleashed her frustrations in her two-chapter novel: Sisterly Betrayal.

It was a murder mystery that was mostly about various scenes in which I could kill my only sister, Kay said with a laugh. So you can tell I was really mad at her.

While sibling conflict unleashed her creative prowess, a love for words and the English language carried her swiftly into a successful writing and teaching career.

After graduating with a masters degree in fine arts from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2009, Kay took on the role as an adjunct professor at Iowa Western Community College, followed by the College of Saint Mary and then Metropolitan Community College in Omaha.

When a full-time English professor position became available at Fremonts MCC campus, Kay jumped at the opportunity.

I always knew that I wanted to teach college and also continue writing, she said. So it made a lot of sense to get my masters degree in fine arts and then I could pursue both.

Now, Kay has been a published and award-winning poet for 10 years, and in addition to teaching several English courses at MCC, co-founded the contemporary poetry journal "burntdistrict" in 2012.

Its a magazine  weve just taken it online -- but we only publish poetry, she said. We publish really high-level poets from all over the country.

But as with most things, too much of a good thing can ultimately lead to something bad.

But I found that every day I was reading poetry, I was writing poetry and I was thinking about poetry, Kay said. And it suddenly started to actually feel a lot like work.

So Kay took on a new challenge.

In January 2013, she started writing her first novel, Monsters: A Love Story.

The story revolves around the up-and-down love affair of an Omaha poet named Stacey Lane, and a Hollywood Star named Tommy DeMarco.

Stacey feels like a monster, and Tommy might be one, released information about the novel says.

Since Staceys husband died eight months ago, her life turned into shambles. She cant write, she feels like shes failing her children and shes trying to redefine herself as a person.

Shes really just drifting, Kay said. Then she gets an email that says somebody in Hollywood is interested in making her novel, which is a feminist re-telling of Frankenstein, into a movie."

While she doesnt take the email seriously  so many things have fallen through for her before  she thinks that it will be a good, temporary escape from her grief.

Ultimately, though, she realizes its a legitimate opportunity and falls into an uneasy love affair with Tommy DeMarco  the driving force behind the project.

Its a tumultuous relationship that stretches for the duration of the book, she said.

The book, which Kay acknowledged is a bit on the subversive side, was released in June through New York City-based publishing firm G.P. Putnams Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Monsters: A Love Story, tackles a variety of societal issues and constructs, including: desire, love, grief, parenthood, sexual politics and gender expectations.

Kay said that the novel is a little bit deceptive on its face.

It feels like a fun beach-read, she said. But the reality is that the characters are actually pretty complicated  pretty challenging characters.

And while this is the case, Kay believes that as the characters take shape theres great takeaways for all readers.

So yes, it is a little deeper than your typical beach-read, but it definitely reads like one, Kay said. Its a lot of fun.
Quick Links SACI Facebook :

SACI Instagram: Statement on Diversity and Inclusion e South African Chemical Institute The South African Chemical Institute is committed to diversity and inclusivity in chemical sciences. The Institute opposes discriminatory acts or threats based on race, ethnicity, citizenship, culture, language, disability, age, religious or spiritual beliefs, political opinion, gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation and economic class. The Institute is dedicated (i) to endorsing excellence and scientific credibility across chemical sciences conducted in academic, industrial, and governmental institutions, and (ii) to nurturing the values of diversity, inclusivity, and equity in the chemical sciences in South Africa. Hence, SACI will continue to play a leading role in assuring the professional competence and integrity of chemists and fostering international collaboration whilst upholding inclusivity and diversity. Statement on Sexual Harassment e South African Chemical Institute The South African Chemical Institute will not permit any kind of sexual harassment (physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct) in the Institute or at events organised by or related to the Institute. The Institute is committed to and fully supports environments that are free of any form of unfair discrimination and harassment, including gender-based violence. Allegations of any form of sexual harassment will be dealt with seriously, expeditiously, sensitively and confidentially. Statement from SACI Council on tertiary training in chemistry as a result of disruptions to the 2020 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the professional body representing the interests of all chemists in South Africa, we recognise the challenges that the current COVID-19 crisis presents to all our members in academia, research and industry. We also acknowledge the challenges the current situation presents to our tertiary institutions and specifically the challenges presented by moving to online teaching. We applaud the efforts of all our members who work at tertiary institutions who have adapted and innovated to ensure that we can continue as far as possible with our teaching and learning of chemistry even when on campus face-to-face contact is not possible. Our tertiary institutions play a critical role in not only training the next generation of chemists, but they are also tasked with the important responsibility of ensuring that many people from other professions and disciplines are trained in the fundamental principles of chemistry. We reaffirm our belief that this training is essential, as chemistry is one of the central sciences. Key to this training is the practical component and laboratory based skills development. While we accept that this critical component of our training is not possible under the current situation, we strongly urge that plans be put in place to preserve this component of training as part of the curriculum as far as possible. In some cases, virtual laboratory tools can facilitate learning, but we believe that in laboratory practical training particularly for senior level courses should be preserved. SACI strongly recommends that at least a critical minimum practical experience should form part of the plans to complete the 2020 academic year at our tertiary institutions. We believe that this is essential to preserve the validity and integrity of the academic training programmes in chemistry. Latest Updates: Pay your SACI membership fees with SnapScan SACI Ties, Scarfs and T-shirts Periodic table ties and ladies scarfs R130 each. Periodic table T Shirt Short sleeve R180, Long sleeve R200 Please contact head office to place orders. There is also a courier charge of R150 per order for delivery.


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

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We often hear the saying that- Whatever is good for Apia is also good for Savaii, Manono, Apolima and the rural areas as well.

It is indeed one of the most common phrases we hear whenever our Government leaders open a new development in the rural areas and Savaii.

And Puni Tupuola from Matautu Lefaga believes that its about time our government start brining big companies and shops to the rural areas as well.

The 42-year-old told the Samoa Observer yesterday that the government needs to decentralize the development of Samoa to the rural areas.

Its about time we decentralize the development of Samoa and start bringing some big companies back here in the villages, he says. That will provide job opportunities for the people here in the villages as well.

I think the life style will be similar if we start bringing some of the big shops and companies back here in the villages. That will provide job opportunities for the people back here in the village because we depend on that to help our families. Because if we dont work, we will not get any money. And if you have a plantation as well, we need to wait for containers to export boxes of taro only then we can earn money.

In his opinion, living in town is very different from living in the villages in the rural areas.

The big differences weve seen are the tall buildings and the development we see in Apia, he says.

There are a lot of Chinese shops in Apia. Back here in the village, we mostly depend on plantation and agriculture for food and to earn money for our families.

He went on to say that the main challenge for them is transportation, especially those who work in Apia.

I work in Apia, he says. The main challenge is transportation, especially for us who are working in Apia.

The good thing about life here in the villages is that we have lands here back in the villages for us to grow our crops to help out our families.

But the good thing about life in Apia is that it is closer to work and easy for people to go to work. Because its hard for us to travel from here to go to Apia.

Another challenge he says is transporting and taking of their products such as taro and other crops to the market to sell.

It wouldve been nice if we have our own markets back here in the village to sell our crops like the market at Afega.

For Apia, there are no lands and most people do not have plantations therefore, they go straight to these markets to buy taro and banana from.

As most people in the people in the villages depend heavily on agriculture for food and to earn money, Puni believes that the access roads (auala galue) of the villages should be fixed.

A lot of vehicles we have in the village cannot go to the plantations because it is the main source of income for these families.

People will be encouraged to go and work on their plantations if we have good roads. And it will be easy for them to go to their plantations.

Because we now have a lot of containers exporting taro to overseas countries as well.

If the roads are fixed, it will be easy to get to the plantation even if we have a taxi. But at the moment, the people are walking to their plantations and by the time they get to the plantation, they will be very tired from walking and they will not do much work when they get to the plantation. But if the roads are in good condition, people will be motivated to go and work as well.

At the moment the auala galue of our village is not in good condition.

The other villages are okay but not us. For the village of Vaovai, most people now uses their taxis to go to the plantation and they also call up a taxi to pick them up when they are done. Thats the big difference compared to the past. Back in the days, we didnt have cars and people had to walk all the way to the plantations. But thats a big change we have now.

Speaking of development, another great development Puni believes is improving is the standard of education in the rural areas.

To me, the teachers back here in the village are the same to the teachers in Apia, he says.

Some students from the schools back here in the village in the previous years had higher marks and grades than other students in Apia as well, and thats a sign.

The teachers are the same. But its all up to students and their parents to do the work. Puni believes that parents should push their children and help them with their studies and so they can succeed.

Nevertheless, he also added that the strong village councils in the rural areas is what makes life in the villages safe and peaceful.

Another good thing about living here in the village is the safe and secure authority of the village councils.

Everyone in the village is under the watch and care of the matais in the village. Whoever wants to show that they are smart is under the watch of the village council. And no matter what happens, the village council has the authority and power to control the behaviors of the people in the village. Especially when it comes to issues concerning youth and alcohol.

In Apia, the police are in charge of these issues and they (police) also depends on the village council to help them with their work.

But back here in the village, we hardly take up such cases to the police. We always solve the issues back here in the villages whenever there are problems with the youths in the villages. They are taken care of by the village councils. They (village council) give them advice and teach them on how to live their lives. Because I dont know if we ever had any cases where we had to take the youths of our villages to the police because of any misbehaviors.

For example, if someone is caught stealing something in our country, the police will come and take you because its against the law.

But here in the villages, we just go to the village mayor and then raise the issue up in the village council, then brings them in during the village council and they will decide on a punishment for them, and then thats it.

All in all, Im used to the life here in the village.

Puni Tupuola is an officer of the Fire and Service Emergency Authority. He resides with his wife, Maria Tupuola and they have five children.
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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/31/2016 -- Ecotourism involves visiting fragile and undisturbed places on earth which is not yet affected by human invasion. It is a small scale alternative to mass scale tourism. The market is growing due to the rising awareness of global warming across the world.



Ecotourism is a growing market and is expected to grow during the forecast period due to the rising concerns of reviving the nature. Moreover, ecotourism attracts travelers because of their fresh environment. In addition, most of the families have working couples with hectic schedules which in returns gives them the urge to visit peaceful undisturbed areas in order to rejuvenate them. Furthermore, ecotourism also involves visiting unexplored areas which is of great interests for travel enthusiasts.



Get More Information: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4777



The idea of adventure has also become a trend in the youth which is also acting as a driver for the market. In addition, ecotourism also helps the tourists to mix up with the local population and understand their concerns and needs which is making it more popular. Ecotourism focuses on visiting unexplored areas which consists of underdeveloped regions.



Thus, it also helps in the growth of the economy as the local government earns their revenue from the tourists. This is another major factor which is driving the market for growth.



However, ecotourism is niche market and involves significant amount of expenditure when compared to mass tourism which is restraining the market as a whole. Moreover, ecotourism involves visiting unexplored areas which can be insecure and thus many travelers prefer the traditional tours in such cases. This is in return hindering the market.



View exclusive Global strategic Business report: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ecotourism-market.html



Ecotourism market is expected to grow significantly in the future. The idea of green tourism is a part of ecotourism which is growing very popular among the travelers. Moreover, cruising has become recently because of their less polluting nature and this is acting as an opportunity for the market. Furthermore, the rising awareness of saving the planet is forcing the tourism industry to look for fresh destinations to attract the travelers. In addition, the travelling trend is changing to visiting new places such as Costa Rica and Queensland which are expected to act as an opportunity in the market.



The market can be segmented regionally into six parts: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Latin America. North America is a saturated market as most of the places are already popular with mass tourism industry. However Europe is expected to see growth in ecotourism due to the rising awareness of unexplored areas such as Portugal, Macedonia and Albania among others. In addition, Asia Pacific market is also expected to grow significantly. Latin America has been a new attraction for ecotourism which undiscovered places such as Costa Rica, Peru, Patagonia (Argentina) and Venezuela among others. Moreover, these destinations are exotic in nature and attract young travelers and couples.



Some of the key players in this market include tourism websites and companies such as Responsible Travel, Natural Discovery, Good Travel Company, National Geographic Expedition, Baobab Travel and Small World Journeys among others.



This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. This report provides comprehensive analysis of



-Market growth drivers

-Factors limiting market growth

-Current market trends

-Market structure

-Market projections for upcoming years



This 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, Porter's 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.
Richmond, VA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/31/2016 -- Louisiana has been the focal point of some major crises over the years, from Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005 to the flooding of Baton Rouge and Lafayette on August 11  the residents of the Bayou State have experience their fair share of damage from natural disasters. As they struggle to recover, rebuild, and return a sense of normalcy to the region, help is on the way from organizations and coalitions across the country. One such coalition has been hard at work gathering donations to help in the relief, the Central Virginia Coalition for Louisiana Disaster Relief. One of their most prominent members is Morse Investigation Services, who joins six other companies to accumulate bottled water, first aid, baby formula/diapers/wipes, and hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, and shampoo. The professional investigation firm is working in association with God's Pit Crew, a Crisis Response Team based in Virginia.



"The extensive damage caused by the rains in Louisiana is a tragic occurrence, and one that I think is receiving less national coverage than it deserves. These people down there, these families, are struggling to live, and joining up with other companies to make a difference is the least we can do," explained Morse founder John Morse. He continued, saying "I know that the events in the south shook many of us, and we quickly looked for a way to help out the relief effort and bring some assistance to those in need."



Morse Investigation Services is an organization that has made a reputation for themselves as a trusted resource in the Richmond community  and their efforts in community outreach are just as well known. The company regularly gives back to their local community, and this relief effort is indicative of that generous spirit.



Monetary donations can be made here, on the God's Pit Crew website. The coalition has extended their deadline for donation drop-offs til Saturday, September 10th. The other companies that have teamed up in the effort include:



- Bowen, Ted, Cardani, Attorneys and Counselors at Law

- Cicis Pizza

- Pagano & Marks

- Power Installations, Inc.

- Rue & Associates

- Academy of Fitness



About Morse Investigation Services

Morse Investigation Services began in 2001, and quickly skyrocketed to become the top rated professional investigation agency in Virginia. The company features multiple private investigators registered with the Department of Criminal Justice that boast years of experience in the field. They work with both commercial and individual clients, and specialize in conducting a discreet investigation in a timely manner. Ultimately they set themselves apart from competitors by their professionalism and transparency: consistently and promptly communicating the details of the case every time.



www.morsepi.com

800-823-6440
An international group of researchers has discovered that two regions in the genomes of Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are changing in response to the spread of a recently emerged infectious disease.

The Tasmanian devil is found throughout the island state of Tasmania, Australia, although fossil evidence suggests that it once occupied much of the Australian mainland.

It is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world, reaching 2.6 feet (80 cm) in length and weighing up to 31 pounds (14 kg).

This animal was given the unflattering devil name by early settlers, perhaps after they heard the animals otherworldly cries in the night.

Tasmanian devils are nocturnal and usually solitary. They occupy several different dens, changing dens every 1-3 days, and traveling a mean nightly distance of 5.6 miles (9 km). However, individuals have occasionally been observed to move up to 31 miles (50 km) in a single night.

They are considered to be generalist predators and specialized scavengers. They actively hunt prey up to about 44 pounds (20 kg) in size using a combination of ambush and short, moderate-speed pursuits.

Prey comprise primarily medium- to large-sized mammals, although they will eat large invertebrates such as bogong moths and the carcasses of any dead vertebrates, leading them to focus on areas where lambing, calving or wallaby shooting are in progress.

Tasmanian devils display significant aggression toward one another, which often involves biting on the face.

This sometimes transmits Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), a nearly 100% fatal and transmissible cancer first detected in northeastern Tasmania in 1996.

DFTD has swept across nearly the entire species range, resulting in localized declines exceeding 90% and an overall species decline of more than 80% in less than twenty years.

Despite models that predicted extinction, populations of Tasmanian devils at long-diseased sites persist.

Washington State Universitys Prof. Andrew Storfer, an evolutionary geneticist who has studied DFTD for nearly a decade, teamed up with colleagues in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia to investigate whether there was a genetic component to some of the Tasmanian devils survival.

The team mined a vast trove of Tasmanian devil DNA collected and stored before and after the outbreak of DFTD by study co-author Dr. Menna Jones and her research group at the University of Tasmania.

The frequency of genes in specific regions of the old DNA were compared to the frequency of genes in corresponding regions of DNA collected following DFTD emergence at three sites on Tasmania.

The scientists identified two small genomic regions in the DNA samples from all three sites that exhibited significant changes in response to the strong selection imposed by the disease.

Five of seven genes in the two regions were related to cancer or immune function in other mammals, suggesting that Tasmanian devils are indeed evolving resistance to DFTD.

The researchers are in the process of determining the specific functionality of the genomic regions identified in the study.

They are hopeful that disease free devils with the apparently DFTD resistant DNA can be bred to enhance the genetic diversity of an off-island captive insurance population in case devil reintroductions are needed in the future.

Our study suggests hope for the survival of the Tasmanian devil in the face of this devastating disease, Prof. Storfer said.

Ultimately, it may also help direct future research addressing important questions about the evolution of cancer transmissibility and what causes remission and reoccurrence in cancer and other diseases.

The teams findings were published this week in the journal Nature Communications.

_____

Brendan Epstein et al. 2016. Rapid evolutionary response to a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. Nature Communications 7, article number: 12684; doi: 10.1038/ncomms12684
For the first time, physicists have discovered that in an extremely high magnetic field massless Dirac electrons can acquire a mass.

This is a very exciting breakthrough because until now, nobody has ever discovered an object whose mass can be switched on or off by applying an external stimulus, said Prof. Stefano Sanvito, a researcher in the Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (AMBER) Center and the CRANN Institute at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

While the applications of the discovery remain to be seen, this represents a significant breakthrough in fundamental physics.

It could inspire work in high-energy physics, such as the collision experiments carried out in particle accelerators like CERNs Large Hadron Collider.

Every physical object has a mass, which is a measure of the objects resistance to a change in its direction or speed, once a force is applied, Prof. Sanvito explained.

While we can easily push a light-mass shopping trolley, we cannot move a heavy-mass six-wheel lorry by simply pushing.

However, there are some examples in nature of objects not having a mass. These include photons, the elementary particles discovered by Albert Einstein responsible for carrying light, and neutrinos, produced in the Sun as a result of thermonuclear reactions.

Prof. Sanvito and his collaborators from Australia, China, Ireland and the United States have demonstrated for the first time one way in which mass can be generated in a material.

In principle the external stimulus that enabled this, the magnetic field, could be replaced with some other stimulus and perhaps applied long-term in the development of more sophisticated sensors or actuators, Prof. Sanvito said.

It is impossible to say what this could mean, but like any fundamental discovery in physics, the importance is in its discovery.

The research team studied what happened to the current passing through the exotic material zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe 5 ) when exposed to an extremely high magnetic field.

Measuring a current in a magnetic field is a standard way of characterizing the materials electronic structure.

In the absence of a magnetic field the current flows easily through ZrTe 5 . This is because in ZrTe 5 the electrons responsible for the current have no mass.

However, when a magnetic field of 60 Tesla (a million times more intense than the magnetic field of our planet) is applied the current is drastically reduced and the electrons acquire a mass.

An intense magnetic field in ZrTe 5 transforms slim and fast electrons into fat and slow ones.

The findings were published this month in the journal Nature Communications.

_____
[KISUMU, KENYA] A study in Kenya that has found that novel antibodies evolve quickly with limited mutation and could accelerated HIV/AIDS vaccines development.



The researchers aimed to define HIV antibodies developed in an infant out of 425 mother-infant pairs.

The antibodies that have been isolated from adults have taken years to evolve, which is not practical for a vaccine. Julie Overbaugh, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle

According to Julie Overbaugh, a member of the US-based Human Biology Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, who was involved in the study, they found one particular infant infected with HIV who made a broadly neutralising antibody against the virus.



The study results focusing on the infant with novel antibodies was published in the journal Cell on 30 June suggest that an HIV vaccine development could be improved by mimicking infection and immune response in infants.



The researchers used a state-of-the-art method in isolating and cloning the antibody. It took screening almost 100,000 B cells to find ten that made HIV antibodies, says Overbaugh.



According to the journal, antibody samples were taken from infants in Nairobi, Kenya born to HIV-positive mothers prior to the use of antiretroviral drugs.



The researchers say that the use of adult HIV antibodies produced in studying HIV vaccine developments has not created the needed results.



The antibodies that have been isolated from adults have taken years to evolve, which is not practical for a vaccine, says Overbaugh. That is why we were motivated to search for the [infants] antibodies and clone them.



Overbaugh explains that it is possible to generate antibodies that are broad and potent without too much mutation, thus leading to an increased chance of finding the cure for HIV/AIDS.



Samoel Khamadi, a researcher with the US Military HIV Research Program and Walter Reed HIV Program in Tanzania, concurs, saying that the natural infection could be important to help design vaccine strategies to elicit HIV antibodies.



Broadly neutralising antibodies are even more important as they target different strains of the virus and this is important in HIV since the virus generates a lot of strains, he explains.

According to Khamadi, the research is a major step in winning the fight against HIV/AIDS. This is one of the ways we can find cure, especially in preventing new infections such as in infants and children, Khamadi adds.This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
These days, there is an app for almost everything. And that includes early detection of stroke. Researchers from Finland developed a detection method for early signs stroke by just using a smartphone app.

Economic Times reported a group of researchers based in University of Turku, Finland who published a research that used existing accelerometer and gyroscope sensors in a smartphone to detect atrial fibrillation, an abnormal cardiac rhythm which usually leads to stroke. The scientists created an algorithm from 16 recordings of patients with atrial fibrillation and 20 from patients with healthy and normal cardiac rhythm. This algorithm is then compared to the data gathered by the sensors of the smartphone.

Lead author of the research and vice-director of the technology Research Centre in University of Turku, Tero Koivisto said in an interview "Atrial fibrillation is a dangerous medical condition present in two per cent of the global population and accounting for up to seven million strokes per year."

Normally, early discovery of stroke through atrial fibrillation requires electrocardiogram (ECG) which is inconvenient and unavailable to most patients especially those who are at risk demographic group (60 years old and above). It is also very expensive and not practical since atrial fibrillation is too random to be accurately detected. Because of this innovation, it significantly cuts cost since the hardware requirement using the app is already present in modern smartphones of today. It can also be more convenient and can easily be operated by someone even without any medical background.

"We measured the actual motion of the heart via miniature accelerometers and gyroscopes that are already installed in smartphones. No additional hardware is needed and people just need to install an app with the algorithm we developed," Tero Koivisto added.

This research was published in the journal of European Society of Cardiology.
The Virginia Department of Health recently issued a statewide Hepatitis A warning linked to strawberries that have been served at a local restaurant chain, and since then, the number of confirmed cases has more than doubled.

40 sickened in Hepatitis A outbreak that officials believe is linked to frozen strawberries. https://t.co/toaB27jvDa pic.twitter.com/SpA4jOWAlq  ABC News (@ABC) August 30, 2016

The warning, issued on August 19, said that the Tropical Smoothie products that were sold on August 5 through August 8 contained strawberries that may have put clients at risk for hepatitis A. According to News Leader, it was released after 10 people in Virginia contracted the disease after eating products with strawberries sold at the restaurant's locations. Earlier this week, the health department confirmed the number of cases to have more than doubled to 44.

ABC News reported that the outbreak has been linked to the supply of frozen strawberries from Egypt. Company officials said that these strawberries, however, account for a small portion of their overall supply and have now been pulled out from their stores.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe CEO Mike Rotondo said in a statement, "'Eat better, feel better' is not just a marketing slogan - it's a promise, and it's something I believe in very dearly. Recently some strawberries may have made their way into the supply chain that could challenge that concept. I sincerely apologize for any issues this may have caused for any of our customers."

Hepatitis A is a contagious disease that spreads from person to person via the fecal-oral route, and sometimes, attributed to contaminated food or water. According to a Hepatitis Info page About Hepatitis, food-related outbreaks are usually associated with contamination during food preparation by a HAV-infected food handler.

Fresh produce like strawberries can be contaminated during cultivation, harvesting, processing, or distribution. This is not the first outbreak from strawberries in the US, either - in 1997, an outbreak in five states was also linked to frozen strawberries. Other produce such as blueberries, onions, and lettuce, have also been associated with the disease in the US and other developed countries.
MACON, Ga. (AP)  There are two First Baptist Churches in Macon  one black and one white. They sit almost back-to-back, separated by a small park, in a hilltop historic district overlooking downtown.

"We're literally around the corner from each other," said the Rev. Scott Dickison, pastor of the white church.

About 170 years ago, they were one congregation, albeit a church of masters and slaves. Then the fight over abolition and slavery started tearing badly at religious groups and moving the country toward Civil War. The Macon church, like many others at the time, decided it was time to separate by race.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE  This is part of Divided America, AP's ongoing exploration of the economic, social and political divisions  and in some cases attempts at reconciliation  in American society.

___

Ever since  through Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, desegregation and beyond  the division endured, becoming so deeply rooted it hardly drew notice. Jarred Moore, whose family has belonged to the black church for three generations, said he didn't know the details of the history until recently.

"I thought, 'First Baptist, First Baptist?' There are two First Baptists right down the street from each other and I always wondered about it, " said Moore, a public school teacher.

Then, two years ago, Dickison and the pastor of the black church, the Rev. James Goolsby, met over lunch and an idea took shape: They'd try to find a way the congregations, neighbors for so long, could become friends. They'd try to bridge the stubborn divide of race.

They are taking up this work against a painful and tumultuous backdrop: the massacre last year at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina; the much-publicized deaths of blacks at the hands of law enforcement; the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the sniper killing of white Dallas police officers. These events, and the tensions they have raised, have become part of the tentative new discussions among congregants at the two First Baptists.

Next month, the pastors will take their most ambitious step yet, leading joint discussions with church members on racism in the history of the U.S., and also in the history of their congregations.

"This is not a conversation of blame, but of acceptance and moving forward," said Goolsby, sitting in the quiet sanctuary of his church on a Monday morning. "What will govern how quickly we move is when there's a certain level of understanding of the past."

___

The South is dotted with cities that have two First Baptist Churches.

In the early 19th century, before the Civil War, whites and blacks often worshipped together, sharing faith but not pews; blacks were restricted to galleries or the back of the sanctuary. Eventually, black populations started growing faster in many communities. Whites, made uneasy by the imbalance, responded by splitting up the congregations.

This was apparently the case for First Baptist in Macon.

In 1845, church leaders bought property a block away, as "a place and habitation for the religious service and moral cultivation and improvement of the colored portion" of the congregation, according to the deed. A building was quickly erected and the black church opened.

That was a year when tensions between anti- and pro-slavery Baptists boiled over nationwide, leading Southerners to break away and create their own denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, which upheld slavery as ordained by God. The white Macon congregation, known as the First Baptist Church of Christ, became Southern Baptist.

Whites maintained oversight of the black church as required by Georgia law at the time for fear of slave rebellions. But after the Civil War ended in 1865, the white church fully severed ties.

The two First Baptist Churches stayed that way, just steps from each other but apart, ever since.

___

Religious groups try to set a moral standard that rises above the issues and ideologies dividing society. But faith leaders often fall short of that ideal, reflecting or even exacerbating the rifts. Like many other American institutions, houses of worship have largely been separated by race, to the point that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. called Sunday mornings "one of the most segregated hours." Recently, more churches have tried to diversify and to look critically at their past actions and teachings, with denominations from the Southern Baptist Convention to the Episcopal Church making a priority of fighting racial bias.

When Goolsby last year told the black church of the plan to work with the white congregation, people applauded. White congregants were enthusiastic as well. Yet, it was excitement mixed with some apprehension, since the effort would inevitably require "some challenging conversations," Dickison said.

"It's hard to talk honestly about race," said Doug Thompson, a member of the white church and also a Mercer University professor who specializes in religion and race. "It's always hard to help people move forward."

The two churches' first activity together was modest but symbolically significant. For years, each church held its Easter egg hunt in the same tree-shaded park behind their churches, but at different times. Last year, they met there together. Photos from the joint gathering show children huddled together for a group picture, grasping pink, blue and yellow baskets, black faces and white faces squinting into the sun.

As the churches held other combined activities  a book drive, a Thanksgiving potluck  some participants were so moved they had tears in their eyes. There were members of both churches who said they had been waiting for decades for such a reunion.

"I thought it would be a great opportunity and a blessing," said Bea Warbington-Ross, a retired human resources specialist and member of Goolsby's congregation. "There's no reason for Sunday to be the most segregated day."

Congregants were surprised to learn their sanctuaries had nearly identical designs, with vaulted ceilings that resembled the inverted hull of a ship. Warbington-Ross lives in the historic district five blocks from the white church, which some of her neighbors attend. She'd never been inside.

While the visits back and forth and the joint activities are clearly establishing connections, the churches are not working toward a merger.

"We don't want to be one congregation again. We want to be a family," said Jessica Northenor, a public school teacher and member of the white church who is helping shape the new relationship.

The congregations sealed their commitment to each other at a joint Pentecost service at the black church. Before a choir drawn from both congregations, leaders pledged to work together under the auspices of the New Baptist Covenant, an organization formed by President Jimmy Carter to unite Baptists.

"If you hold onto the pain of the past, you don't allow God to minister and bless you in the days to come," Goolsby said in his sermon that day. "We can show in our relationship what it means to be a child of God."

But the pastors acknowledge the long journey ahead. They are tackling what some call the original sin of the country's founding. The influence of racial inequity on U.S. history and modern-day life is, of course, a contentious and sensitive issue. Consider reaction to the recent comment by first lady Michelle Obama that slaves built the White House, a reference long acknowledged by historians as fact but one that critics complained was unpatriotic.

In Macon, where plaques and monuments commemorating Confederate soldiers' valor adorn street corners and parks, white congregants will be asked to re-examine their own church history, which until recently had been officially recorded in mostly benign terms. It reflected a perspective of white "good paternalism" toward the black congregation, Thompson said, with almost no recognition of racism.

The review is so sensitive that Goolsby had suggested early on that the two churches wait to address the past until they built more mutual trust and goodwill. Dickison, acknowledging that some congregants will be embarrassed and some distressed or resistant, considers the conversation vital.

"A white person from the South  to not come to terms with our own history and experience with race is to deprive ourselves of a full understanding of the Gospel. We need to go through this kind of conversion experience of confession, of repentance and of reconciliation. We need to have that when it comes to race, not just in the country but within the church," Dickison said.

___

Goolsby, a 59-year-old Atlanta native and graduate of Morehouse College and Mercer's McAfee School of Theology, has been pastor at the black church for more than 12 years. He said he and a previous pastor at the white church tried to build ties between the congregations but the effort didn't go very far.

This time is different, he said, in part because of his relationship with Dickison. The 33-year-old North Carolina native and Harvard Divinity School graduate became a pastor in Macon about four years ago. He and Goolsby have attended meetings of Carter's organization, and last month took their families to meet the former president on a Sunday at Carter's church in Plains, Georgia.

"We've already seen the fruits of this," Goolsby said.

He recalled that after the attack last year on the Charleston church, he was in the parking lot of a J.C. Penney store, waiting for his wife, when Dickison called.

"Scott shared how he felt, how he was struggling with what he would share with his congregation," Goolsby said. The two discussed the history of violence against black churches, and Dickison asked how he could show support.

"I said, 'We're already doing it,'" Goolsby said. "The mere fact he thought to call me was huge."

The stakes were even more personal about six months later, when the white church invited black church members for a youth trip to Orlando.

Goolsby's teenage son was among those invited. But Goolsby had considered Florida a danger ever since Trayvon Martin, an unarmed, black 17-year-old, was fatally shot in Sanford by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who was later acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

The pastor could not let his son go on the trip. "If you put a hoodie on him," he said, "he looks just like Trayvon."

The concerns of anxious black parents had been much in the news amid the shootings of black men. But the white church members hadn't had to confront the issue directly until Goolsby raised it.

"It's one thing to understand it intellectually and another thing to understand it emotionally. Once he said that, I could feel it," said David Cooke, a white deacon, who is also the Macon-Bibb County district attorney.

Cooke was to be a chaperone on the Orlando trip. He promised Goolsby he would be especially watchful. The trip went ahead safely with young people from both congregations  including the pastor's son.

"The fact that that was so easy to share  we've already made progress," Goolsby said.

____

Dickison strode into the basement hall of his church with a box under one arm. Inside, were copies of "Strength to Love," a collection of sermons and writings by King. The book was at the center of classes that Dickison organized on racism for the white church, in preparation for the talks next month.

But the readings had extra significance that morning. It was the Sunday after the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, and the fatal ambush on Dallas police. "It's weeks like these when we need more than ever to be with God's people," Dickison told the roomful of congregants.

With the stifling humidity of a Georgia summer building outside, he launched into a discussion of King's sermon on the parable of the Good Samaritan, about despised groups and showing mercy.

"We have our tribes. We see ourselves over and against others," he said, then asked church members to reflect.

One man said when you reach out to someone from another group, "you're perceived as unpatriotic," or disloyal.

A woman said fear often kept people from crossing racial divides. "What if you make it worse?" she asked.

Another woman said she was upset to see some disrespect of the police. She compared law enforcement officers to the Good Samaritan, who helped a wounded stranger others had ignored. "They rush toward danger when others run," she said.

Dickison acknowledged "fear is powerful" in shaping reactions to others. After more discussion, he wrapped up the session by quoting King, who said the solution to racism is the "willingness of men to obey the unenforceable."

"We can't survive spiritually separate," the white pastor said.

That same morning, at the service at the black church, the congregation announced it would host the city's Black Lives Matter vigil, marking the tragedies of the preceding week.

The movement has been a topic at meetings of a group appointed by Goolsby and Dickison, comprised of representatives of each church, to help guide their new relationship.

"I think it's an opportunity for healing," said Warbington-Ross, who is part of the group. "It's an opportunity for us to just inform the church that black lives matter also as it relates to inclusion and exclusion, and to inform them of some things that they take for granted that we have to endure, like racial profiling, like police brutality, like racial inequality, those kinds of things."

At the vigil the next night, police officers directed traffic as people climbed the steep marble church steps, where "God's Mighty Fortress" is engraved in gold. Clergy from across the city filled one side of the broad pulpit. Cooke, the prosecutor, and the county sheriff were among those representing law enforcement; community leaders and residents nearly filled the pews.

A speaker wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt explained the movement "was not birthed out of hate. It was birthed out of hurt."

Goolsby and Dickison sat side-by-side on the pulpit, swaying along with the hymns, then stood together to speak. Dickison compared racism to "a cancer that roams inside the body of this nation, and yes, even in the body of Christ." Goolsby urged people to maintain hope "in spite of our circumstances," and he added, "We know there will be change."

Said both men: "Amen."
FLORENCE, S.C.  The Florence Police Department is seeking information regarding a person and vehicle connected to the usage of stolen credit cards within the city.

The person seen in the photographs is wanted by police for their alleged involvement in the use of stolen credit cards in Florence and surrounding areas, according to Lt. Mike Brandt of the Florence Police Department.

Anyone with information about these subjects is asked to contact the Florence Police Department at 843-665-3191 or Crime Stoppers of the Pee Dee at 1-888-CRIMESC.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Parents interested in sending their child to Virtus Academy Charter School in Florence will have to wait a little while longer. The schools planning committee went before the state Charter School Advisory Committee late last year and its application for a charter was denied.

Chairman Bill Pickle said that although there have been some obstacles he and the others connected to the proposed school are still committed to seeing it come to fruition.

Basically, we are still a go, Pickle said. They have a completely new application so we are probably going to be bypassing this application period because it is just too close for us to redo everything. This will be our fourth year working on this. They know that we want it, they know were sincere about it; they know the community wants it. They just want us to be completely ready when we open the door.

Pickle said public interest has not waned.

The public support has been overwhelming, Pickle said. The interested families are from all parts of the neighborhood too, not just low-income or the ritzy; its scattered over and thats what we wanted. Our public hearings have been well attended and positive.

Staff changes at the Department of Education have affected the process, Pickle said.

This is either the second or the third staff change since weve started this process and each one wants something different, Pickle said. This last time, there were four or five changes or additions that they wanted; two of them came three days before our hearing. In a rush, we put some of the material in the wrong section (of the application). We felt we were turned down and that it was very minor issues that could have been explained if they gave us the opportunity to.

Pickle said that at a recent meeting with the education department he was heartened by the belief that what the state staff is asking for, his board can provide.

I met with the staff, five of the top staff members in the South Carolina Public Charter School District including the charter district superintendent, and we talked about the school, Pickle said. They said that they are looking for quality and not quantity of charter schools. They want to be sure that when one opens, it is going to be able to show improvements in test scores the very first year. I said that I hope we can; that would be a very good goal for us to shoot for.

With the new goal of opening in 2018, Pickle said, the charter school committee will keep plugging away.

I feel like there are some political games going on, Pickle said. Public schools dont like charter schools because it is taking money away from them. But I still say this is not a business. We are here to educate the kids; kids come first and that is what we are all about.
WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The projected path of Tropical Storm Hermine has it moving slower and tracking more to the west, neither of which is good news for the Pee Dee.

"As a result wind impacts may be delayed a bit while confidence decreases given the models trending farther west (potentially an inland track)," Steven Pfaff wrote in the 1 p.m. briefing on the storm.

"The storm will move across the area late Friday afternoon and evening," according to the briefing.

"Confidence on flooding has increased. The flooding impact is how ranked 'high' based on the potential for tropical rainfall interacting with a front across the eastern Carolinas," Pfaff wrote on potential rainfall.

The greatest impacts of the storm will be flooding and its effects on the marine and coastal areas of the Carolinas, according to the briefing.

Wind damage remains a moderate threat while there is only an elevated threat for tornadoes associated with the storm.

"Based on the current track the potential impacts would include minor damage to structures, large limbs and some trees down and scattered power outages," Pfaff wrote in the briefing.

"Winds are forecast to begin increasing Friday afternoon along coastal portions of northeast South Carolina and late Friday afternoon and evening for coastal southeast North Carolina. Winds are forecast to diminish late Friday night into early Saturday morning," according to the bulletin.

Winds throughout the Pee Dee are forecast to be around 30 miles an hour inland and up to 35 miles an hour south toward Johnsonville.

Florence and Dillon Counties, and inland points east, are forecast to receive 5-7 inches as a result of the storm while coastal North Carolina could see up to 10 inches of rain, according to the bulletin. Western areas of the Pee Dee will see lower amounts of rain.

"The eventual amount and distribution of rainfall will be highly dependent on the storm's track; however, high confidence exists in the potential for flooding," according to the bulletin.

"Potential impacts include the flooding of prone/vulnerable locations, areas near small creeks and ditches. Roadways and parking lots may flood as storm drains and retention ponds overflow. Some road failures or scours may occur in the harder high areas," according to the bulletin.

"A flash flood watch may be required," Pfaff wrote.

The projected path of the storm, and projected strength of the storm, have it retaining tropical storm status as it crosses through Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to the Atlantic and then moving along the North Carolina coast before spinning out into the Atlantic Saturday night.

State and utility officials are preparing for the storm's arrival with the wind and rain that will accompany it.

Were watching Tropical Storm Hermine very closely. Theres still a lot of uncertainty in the forecasts, SCEMD Director Kim Stenson said If it looks like this storm is going to affect South Carolina we want everyone to be ready. Now would be the time to review your emergency plans just in case.

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division will continue to monitor the tropical storm 24-hours-a-day. Should conditions merit further action, the State Emergency Operations Center near Columbia can be staffed and operational in a short time, according to a release issued by the agency.

"SCDOT Maintenance units across the state are currently preparing their staffing plans, checking their road-clearing equipment for readiness and closely monitoring the weather forecasts. The Upstate Maintenance units are also conducting these preparations in case those units are needed to support possible operations in the southern half of the state with manpower and equipment," according to a release issued by the department.

"If the storm leaves significant levels of standing water on roadways, drivers are warned not to attempt to drive through it. Standing water can be life-threatening. Motorists are also urged not to drive around any barricades SCDOT uses to close roads. Roads are closed when damaged or present hazardous situations," according to the SCDOT release.

"Residents should closely monitor the evolution of this storm and avoid flooded areas," according to the briefing.
HARTSVILLE, S.C.  The Hartsville Police Department will be hosting an event next month titled Coffee with a Cop as part of a nationwide movement to build stronger relationships between law enforcement officers and the residents they work to protect.

The Coffee with a Cop meeting is set for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the Middletown Apartments Community Room at 601 W. Washington St. in Hartsville. All member of the Hartsville community are invited to take part in the event where residents can discuss issues, ask questions and learn more about the officers in Hartsvilles department.

This is the second Coffee with a Cop meeting the Hartsville police have hosted, the first being earlier this year in March. More recently, the Darlington Police Department hosted a Coffee with a Cop meeting on Aug. 1.

Darlington Police Chief Danny Watson recapped the Coffee with a Cop event on the police Facebook page, saying a few Darlington residents showed up for the event but he would have loved to have had more.

Its just an opportunity to meet and greet your local law enforcement officers so that you can have a chance to know who they are, Watson said in the post. We will set another day for Coffee with a Cop soon.

The Coffee with a Cop initiative began in California in 2011 where officers with the Hawthorne Police Department were looking for ways to better interact with the people they served each day. Less than five years later, more than 10,000 Coffee with a Cop meetings are held nationwide, covering all 50 states and four countries: Canada, Europe, Australia and Africa.

The goal of these events is to allow time for people to voice their opinions to officers and ask questions in order to solve problems within their communities. The meetings help build trust between residents and officers and in turn, improve police-community relationships.

For more information about Coffee with a Cop, visit coffeewithacop.com.
DARLINGTON, S.C.  Eighty-four Darlington County School District students returned to school with new book bags and school supplies this year, thanks to the employees of Georgia-Pacific Dixie of Darlington.

Organized as the Darlington Dixie Force, the employees donated books bags and loads of school supplies to students in schools across the district. Darlington Dixie Force is a chapter of the Georgia-Pacific Community Affairs Service Force Team.

We are fortunate and appreciative to have a giving community in Darlington County, said Eddie Ingram, superintendent of Darlington schools. The Darlington Dixie Forces donation will help so many of our students return to school prepared and ready to learn.

Ashley Black, employee leader with Dixie, said the group worked alongside the district to identify students who would benefit the most from donated backpacks and school supplies.

Every year the DDF team chooses three to four events and/or activities to give back to the community in which our employees live and work, Black said. We reached out to the Darlington County School District and asked which schools in the district had the highest percentage of lower income families and received the names of seven schools. The DDF team decided to provide three backpacks for each of the grade levels represented within the seven schools identified, totaling 84 backpacks.

Georgia-Pacific Dixie of Darlington employees made monetary donations and bought enough school supplies to fill all 84 backpacks, with plenty more to spare. The excess was donated to Hartsville and Darlington middle schools and Darlington County Head Start programs.
MULLINS, S.C.  The Kings Court Summer Reading Program 2016 wrapped up two weeks ago for more than 20 children in Mullins.

Organizers and volunteers celebrated the return of the new school year on Aug. 20 with a back-to-school jam event that included free food, supplies, music and water games.

We had Brian Wallace with the Marion County Sheriffs Office here, helping to give away more than 40 backpacks, said Venolia Jordan, president of the nonprofit charity. Lashonda C. Nesmith of Nesmith Insurance provided snow cones to help beat the heat.

Jordan said Kings Court also operates an after-school program from 2:30 to 6 p.m.

Kings Court opened in 2014 through a partnership with Martins Motel. Jordan said more than 50 people have been given sheltering assistance.
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Its back to school season.

Some parents may be relieved that the summer is drawing to an end and their children will soon be out of the house and back in the classroom. But more importantly, back to school time is an opportunity to reflect on the impact education has on the lives of our children. While we should keep working to improve educational outcomes for all students, the opportunity for children to get an education is easy to take for granted in our country.

Throughout much of history, and still today in many parts of the world, it is something a lot of parents can only wish for their children.

Teachers across our state have been hard at work drawing up lesson plans and learning new strategies to help each child learn. Many of my family members have been teachers, including my sister Lois who taught in Hudson, Iowa, for more than 40 years. I know that it is a tough, but rewarding job. Teachers deserve the thanks of all Iowans for their dedication to the next generation of Iowans and Americans. Most people can remember particular teachers who had an especially big impact on their lives. I know that Mrs. Refshauge and Miss Schoonmaker played a big role in encouraging my interest in learning, and I give them a lot of credit for the path I took in life.

So, as Iowa children go off to the first day of school, lets all remember to thank the teachers. More than that, I encourage parents to get to know their childrens teachers and ask what they can do to reinforce at home what is happening in the classroom. Even though parents may entrust their childrens education to their teachers during the school day, parental engagement after school and on weekends is crucial to a childs success. As parents and grandparents, we have the responsibility and the opportunity to require study skills, healthy habits and a commitment to success in school. After all, thats what education is all about  helping children achieve to their potential.

Heres wishing all Iowa teachers and students a productive and enriching school year.
Hanjins board unanimously voted to file for receivership on Wednesday morning Bloomberg reported quoting a spokesman for the shipping company.

Cash-strapped Hanjins credit led rehabilitation scheme is due to expire on 4 September.

On Tuesday Hanjin's main lender Korean Development Bank withdrew its support and Nikkei reported that chairman Lee Dong-Gul likened any further assistance to pouring water into a broken jar, at a press conference. The company had debts of approximately KRW5.6trn ($5bn).

The bankruptcy of Hanjin is the biggest ever in the container shipping sector according analyst Alphaliner, and the worlds seventh largest line with 98 vessels totaling 609,500 teu. The company also operates a fleet of 44 bulkers and tankers.

Hanjin had been trying to renegotiate charter rates for some of its chartered in containerships. The company charters 61 vessels from various international owners including Seaspan, Danaos, Conti Reederei, Ciner, KMarin, Rickmers and Pacific International Lines, Alphaliner said.

Some such as Seaspan had been vocal in saying they would not agree to charter rate cuts.

Hanjin now faces ship arrests and vessels being barred from entering port. Singapore courts list the 1998-built Hanjin Rome as being arrested 28 August and the Hanjin Sooho is reported to have been detained in Shanghai.

Meanwhile Reuters reported on Wednesday that Hanjin vessels had been barred from entering the ports of Xiamen and Xingang in China; Valencia in Spain; Savannah in the US, and Prince Rupert in Canada.
DES MOINES  In 1983, Governor Branstad signed the Iowa-Hebei Sister State agreement. Since that signing, the Iowa-Hebei relationship has become one of the most active and visible sister state relationships.

In July of 2016, Iowas sister state of Hebei Province suffered severe flooding. Hundreds have been killed with hundreds more missing. The estimate in property loss is in the millions. In response to this devastating loss, Iowa Sister States has opened the Hebei Relief Fund.

Its just the right thing to do, said Luca Berrone, Iowa Sister States Board member and Old Friend from the famed 1985 Xi Jinping visit to Iowa, in a news release.

We view the people of Hebei Province as family. If we can assist in some way, then we have to try. They would do the same. Berrone said.

Donors are encouraged to give $83 in honor of the year that the Iowa-Hebei agreement was signed. The fund will be open until Oct. 1. Details are on the Iowa Sister States website.

Iowa Sister States (ISS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1985 to manage Iowas official relationship with foreign states, as established by the Governor of Iowa. There are nine of these, including: Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan (1960), Yucatan, Mexico (1965), Hebei Province, China (1983), Terengganu, Malaysia (1987), Stavropol Krai, Russia (1988), Taiwan (1989), Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine (1996), Veneto Region, Italy (1997), and Kosovo (2013).

ISS is a volunteer organization dedicated to connecting Iowans with the world community. To learn more about ISS visit its website, join its Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2016-174

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that RBC Capital Markets LLC has agreed to a $2.5 million settlement for causing materially false and misleading disclosures about its valuation analysis in a proxy statement for Rural/Metro Corporations sale in 2011 to a private equity firm.

RBC was the lead financial adviser to Rural/Metro, a medical transportation services provider, and received a $500,000 fee for a fairness opinion presented to Rural/Metros board as it considered the sale. An SEC investigation found that RBCs presentation contained materially false and misleading statements which made the bid look more attractive, and caused that information to be included in the proxy statement Rural/Metro filed in May 2011 to solicit shareholder approval for the sale.

The SEC found that RBCs presentation described one of its valuations as being based on Wall Street analysts consensus projections of Rural/Metros 2010 adjusted EBITDA, a pretax earnings figure. In fact, the valuation did not reflect analysts research or a consensus view, but was Rural/Metros actual 2010 adjusted EBITDA of $69.8 million. Rural/Metros proxy statement included a summary of RBCs valuation analysis, which falsely stated that RBC used Wall Street research analyst consensus projections for 2010 consensus adjusted EBITDA. The SEC order found that in addition to being false, the proxy statement was misleading because shareholders would be led to believe the analysis reflected the consensus calculation of $76.8 million. The SEC also found that RBC caused the proxy statement to include a misleading disclosure that suggested RBC had relied on another valuation analysis in its fairness presentation to Rural/Metros board when, in fact, RBC did not rely on the analysis for valuation purposes.

Accurate disclosures about financial advisers fairness opinions are important to shareholders in the sale of a corporation, said Andrew J. Ceresney, Director of the SEC Enforcement Division. This enforcement action holds RBC accountable for causing its client to distribute material misstatements about its financial analysis to shareholders.

Without admitting or denying the findings, RBC agreed to the entry of an SEC order that it caused Rural/Metro to violate Exchange Act Section 14(a) and Exchange Act Rule 14a-9, which prohibits solicitation by means of a proxy statement that contains any materially false or misleading statement. RBC agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing further violations and to pay $500,000 in disgorgement, $77,759 in interest, and a $2 million penalty.

The SECs investigation was conducted by George Parizek, Brittany Hamelers, and Amanda de Roo, assisted by trial counsel Fred Block and supervised by Timothy England.
Image: Mosiac of the Yellowknife Bay area of Gale Grater taken by the NASA Mars rover Curiosity. Scientists found strong evidence of an ancient lake and stream deposits suggesting past environmental conditions suitable for microbial life. Credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech/MSSS The discovery of fossilized microbial life that is 220 million years older than anything previously found on Earth sweetens the prospect that life may have developed on Mars as well, which was not all that different from Earth at the time.

"Earth's surface 3.7 billion years ago was a tumultuous place, bombarded by asteroids and still in its formative stages," Abigail Allwood, an astrobiologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., wrote in a commentary published in this week's Nature.

RELATED: Fossils for Earliest Life on Earth Found

"If life could find a foothold here, and leave such an imprint that vestiges exist even though only a minuscule sliver of metamorphic rock is all that remains from that time, then life is not a fussy, reluctant and unlikely thing. Give life half an opportunity and it'll run with it," Allwood wrote.

Allwood's essay accompanied research results , also published in Nature, from a team of Australian scientists who found evidence of life in Earth's oldest rocks, located in Greenland.

"These are not the kinds of rocks that palaeobiologists would consider a good prospect for signs of life, because they are not sedimentary like those that host most of Earth's fossil record. Rather, they are metamorphic, which means that they have been extensively deformed and altered by heat and pressure during deep burial," Allwood notes.

RELATED: Could New Rover Find Fossils on Mars?

Allen Nutman, a researcher at the University of Wollongong in Australia, and colleagues came across what Allwood describes as "a rarity" in Greenland's Isua Greenstone Belt.

WATCH VIDEO: Atomic Oxygen Found On Mars
Photo: Irish wolfhound puppies explore the outdoors. A pair of their kind, shown in the photo below, have become the first documented identical twin puppies. Credit: Thinkstock What started out as a routine Caesarian section delivery on a pregnant Irish wolfhound in South Africa turned into a veterinary first: identical twin puppies. According to BBC Earth, during the procedure veterinarian Kurt de Cramer, of South Africa's Rant en Dal Animal Hospital, found two puppy fetuses whose umbilical cords were connected to the same placenta, as opposed to the norm, each having its own placenta. The puppies were the same gender and had very similar markings. RELATED: First In Vitro Puppies Born de Cramer told the site he "immediately suspected that they might be identical twins, having originated from the splitting of an embryo."

Following up on his suspicion, de Cramer contacted nearby university scientists, who took blood from the twins. The blood tests confirmed that the two pups were genetically identical, the first such case. Later DNA testing of the puppies at six weeks old confirmed the confirmation. de Cramer and the team have documented the discovery in a study in the journal Reproduction in Domestic Animals. RELATED: Puppy 'Klondike' Born from Frozen Embryo What's unclear is how often identical twin puppies are born. New puppies often have similar physical characteristics, but they don't tend to have their DNA tested, and owners are unlikely to take a count of placentas vs. puppies in non-C-section births. "It has taken so long for us to find a monozygotic [identical] pair, so they are probably rare," Carolynne Joone, of James Cooke University, told the BBC. "But so many of them will have been born naturally and blissfully unaware." "We just happened to be lucky enough to be able to confirm it genetically," she said. VIEW PHOTOS: Supersized Animals Make You Feel Small

Just as the vast majority of humans will never know what it's like to be 7 feet tall, most creatures in the animal kingdom won't exceed their normal sizes. But sometimes when Mother Nature toes the rubber she throws us a curve ball and produces animals that dwarf the fellow members of their species. Let's take a look at a few enormous creatures that clearly must have eaten their Wheaties. We begin with a pit bull named 'The Hulk' that has earned a share of fame on the Internet for his sheer enormity. Hulk lives in New Hampshire with his dog-breeder owners. His story is recounted in this video, where it's plain to see that in spite of his size Hulk is a gentle giant and a treasured member of his family. Top Dog Heroes: Photos

This green super-crawlie is a hickory horned devil, the largest caterpillar in North America. It can grow to nearly 6 inches long. It looks a bit freaky but its protruding spikes can't hurt anyone. True to its supersize, it's destined to become a regal moth, among the biggest moths by mass in North America, with wings that can span up to 6 inches. Top 10 Oldest Insects, Spiders And Bugs: Photos

Here's the South American Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi), the world's largest spider, affectionately known in some circles as "puppy spider," for its well-earned comparison, in size, to baby dogs. According to Guinness World Records, its legs can reach up to 1 foot (30 centimeters) and it can weigh up to 6 oz. (170 grams). Giant Spiders To Freak You Out: Photos

Often we expect big things to be in the "slow moving" category, like this snail, the giant African land snail. It's made news in recent times for giving Floridians fits. Potentially infectious and invasive, it threatens both humans and agriculture. It's also been described as being as big as a tennis shoe -- if you need a some scale with your snail. Snails Taking It Slow And Easy: Photos

Ever wonder how big the tallest cow in the world is? Neither did we, until we saw, Blosom. The female Holstein is the current Guinness World Record holder in the category, at just under 6 feet 3 inches tall. Bulls And Cows Get An Online Dating Website

We're nowhere near Easter, but there's never a bad time to talk about bunnies. Especially bunnies like Darius, the world's largest rabbit. He's a rabbit of the Continental Giant breed and is more than 4 feet long. In this photo he's about 5 years old. For scale, you can see how Darius dwarfs a regular-sized bunny. VIDEO: Let's Talk About Rabbit Sex

Owls likely live in most peoples' imaginations as compact, taciturn knowers-of-all-things. That's until you see one the size of the world's biggest by length, the great grey owl. Not exactly compact! It's typically anywhere from 2-3 feet tall and its wing can span more than 5 feet tip-to-tip. Birds' Nests In Bizarre Urban Places: Photos

Ever shoo a fly away from your face during a barbecue? Try doing it with this critter, the dobsonfly. It's the largest aquatic insect ever documented, with a wingspan that can exceed a whopping 8 inches. The outsized dobsonfly made news last summer when it was first documented in China. U.K. Goes To The Polls To Elect Favorite Insect: Photos
Earth's oldest known fossils, dating to 3.7 billion years ago, have just been found in Greenland, according to a new study that not only reveals information about our planet, but also strengthens the possibility that Mars once harbored life. The fossils -- microbial formations within rock revealed after a snow melt in Isua, southwest Greenland -- predate the prior earliest fossil evidence for life on Earth by 220 million years, according to the study that is published in the journal Nature. RELATED: Can Bacteria on Earth Help Us Find Alien Life?

Since the microbial formations, known as stromatolites, indicate that communities of microbes had already formed by 3.7 billion years ago, it is likely that life on our planet began even before that very early date. Previous genetic molecular clock studies point to such a time as well. Lead author Allen Nutman and his team further believe that there was "rapid emergence of life." "'Rapid' stems from stromatolites being the products of communities, meaning that life had already been around for a geologically long time," Nutman, a professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Wollongong, explained to Discovery News. "This places the origin of life in the Hadean (> 4 billion years), meaning that once conditions were suitable for life to appear on Earth (<4.2 or 4.3 billion years), the stages from pre-biotic organized molecules, through an RNA world to a DNA world, must, at least from the geological perspective, have been early and rapid." WATCH VIDEO: How Scientists Found Earth's Oldest Rock

Several lines of evidence indicate that the stromatolites were formed by live organisms, according to Nutman and his team, who conducted the research with funding from the Australian Research Council. The evidence is based on prior knowledge of other existing stromatolites and their tell-tale characteristics. For example, the structures have a conical shape and internal layering. Such contrasting composition and texture in the bounds of conical formations within rock "are fairly credible hallmarks of microbial activity," Abigail Allwood, a scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology who did not work on the new study, wrote in an accompanying Nature article. She added that this type of layering, as well as the shape and texture of the structures, means that they are not just folded rock. Concentrations of titanium and potassium are higher in the structures than between them, providing evidence that a different type of sediment had accumulated there. This is also a characteristic associated with other stromatolites. RELATED: Finding Resets Window for Life on Mars As for what type of microbe could have produced the stromatolites, its precise identity is unknown at this point. "Beyond that stromatolites are microbial constructs, there is no evidence of what the culprits looked like beyond that they would have been single cellular," Nutman said, adding that he and his colleagues have already begun additional sulfur isotope testing to determine if there are signatures for metabolic (physical and chemical processes) present in the stromatolites. The results of those studies may reveal more about the likely microbes.
Time and time again, as we carefully scrutinize the amazing high-resolution imagery flowing to Earth from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, we see weird things etched in Martian rocks. Most of the time our brains are playing tricks on us. At other times, however, those familiar rocky features can be interpreted as processes that also occur on Earth. VIDEO: Did a Mars Meteorite Finally Reveal Life On Mars? Now, in a paper published in the journal Astrobiology, a geobiologist has related structures photographed by Curiosity of Martian sedimentary rock with structures on Earth that are known to be created by microbial lifeforms. But just because the structures look like they've been formed by microbes on Mars, does it mean that they were? Microbially Induced Sedimentary Structures on Mars? The image in question was snapped by Curiosity of the Gillespie Lake outcrop situated in the Yellowknife Bay area of Gale Crater that the rover arrived at on Dec. 17, 2012, on sol 125 of its mission. It was soon realized that the Gillespie Lake rock is sedimentary sandstone, formed when Mars possessed surface water. As such, there are many likenesses between the rocks found in Yellowknife and sedimentary rocks on Earth. For example, the layering of sedimentary rock and conglomerations contained within these layers led NASA scientists to realize that Curiosity is exploring an ancient lake bed. After 20 years of studying microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) on Earth, Nora Noffke of Old Dominion University in Virginia turned her attentions to Curiosity's observations of Gillespie Lake. During Noffke's analysis of the Mars rock, striking similarities in morphological structures in Gillespie Lake and terrestrial rocks were found. Gillespie Lake, which has been dated to around 3.7 billion years old, seems to possess its own structures that could be attributed to ancient Martian microbes. NEWS: What Will Curiosity Come Up With Next?

In her analysis, Noffke is keen to emphasize that she hasn't found proof of ancient Mars life, only that her hypothesis provides a compelling explanation for the formation processes behind the shapes in the surface of Mars sedimentary rock. "All I can say is, here's my hypothesis and here's all the evidence that I have," said Noffke in an Astrobiology Magazine article, "although I do think that this evidence is a lot." There have been countless claims pointing to evidence of ancient life on Mars, many of which have since been proven to be, at most, wishful thinking, but this new study has garnered some cautious praise from planetary scientist Chris McKay, of NASA's Ames Research Center and an associate editor of Astrobiology. "I've seen many papers that say 'Look, here's a pile of dirt on Mars, and here's a pile of dirt on Earth. And because they look the same, the same mechanism must have made each pile on the two planets,'" said McKay. "That's an easy argument to make, and it's typically not very convincing. However, Noffke's paper is the most carefully done analysis of the sort that I've seen, which is why it's the first of its kind published in Astrobiology." NEWS: Curiosity Detects Mysterious Methane Spikes on Mars "In one image, I saw something that looked very familiar," said Noffke. "So I took a closer look, meaning I spent several weeks investigating certain images centimeter by centimeter, drawing sketches, and comparing them to data from terrestrial structures." On Earth, ancient microbial mats - basically sheets of microbes that formed usually in wet environments - can be found fossilized in the surfaces of rock that used to be submerged in water. Noffke studied these fossils on Earth, from a variety of locations around the world, and matched their shape and expected morphology with the shapes on the surface of Gillespie Lake and sure enough, the similarities were there. "At this point, all I'd like to do is point out these similarities," she added. "Further evidence must be provided to verify this hypothesis." Unfortunately, this is a problem that continues to dog any effort to find definitive proof of life, ancient or otherwise, on Mars. Curiosity Isn't Looking For Life Mars rover Curiosity is the most advanced machine ever sent to the surface of another world. Its mission on the Red Planet has been unprecedented, providing firm evidence that Mars was once a very wet planet. Also, the mission has detected organic chemistry in rock samples, proving that the building blocks for life do indeed exist on Mars' rusted terrain. And now, the detection of methane has added fuel to the fire, boosting speculation about methanogens (methane-producing microorganisms) that could be eking out an existence beneath the surface. NEWS: Wait, There's More: Curiosity Confirms Organics on Mars Albeit compelling, all these lines of evidence for past and present life on Mars are just that, evidence. Curiosity's mission has never been to find life on Mars - it is there to seek out habitable environments on Mars, past and present. And this is the problem: until we send a robotic sample return mission or, preferably, land humans on Mars, we probably won't be able to definitively prove that rocky features, such as the ones that cover Gillespie Lake, were produced by microbial life. So what can we do with the assets we currently have on Mars? Noffke suggests, that if Curiosity encounters other features that resemble fossilized microbial mats, perhaps the rover could drill into the rock and sample the dust with its on board chemical laboratory, the Sample Analysis on Mars (SAM) instrument. Alas, any biological traces will likely be long-gone, says McKay. To find out whether these structures are indeed biological in nature, samples of rock would need to be thinly sliced and then microscopically analyzed for "specific microbial textures" - a feat well beyond Curiosity's abilities. So although this new research will likely grab the headlines, and rightly so, we shouldn't lose sight about what this means. It is not proof of life, it is another line of evidence for the presence of ancient microbial life on Mars. And although this research is compelling, it could still just be Mars rocks tricking us into thinking the shapes are biological in origin. Publication: Ancient Sedimentary Structures in the <3.7 Ga Gillespie Lake Member, Mars, That Resemble Macroscopic Morphology, Spatial Associations, and Temporal Succession in Terrestrial Microbialites, Nora Noffke, Astrobiology, 2015 (PDF) Source: Astrobiology Magazine

The landscape surrounding Curiosity when the rover began to explore Yellowknife Bay in December 2012.

NASA's rover Curiosity has begun drilling operations for the third time on Mars. Currently located at a geologically interesting location nicknamed "The Kimberley," the one-ton rover also took the opportunity to photograph itself and the surrounding landscape in some stunning Martian "selfies." In this scene, Curiosity appears to be leaning its "head" -- a suite of instruments including the Chemcam (the laser "eye") and Mastcam cameras -- to the side, capturing the 5 kilometer-high Aeolis Mons (a.k.a. "Mount Sharp") on the horizon. The self portrait has been stitched together by Discovery News' Jason Major from a series of raw photographs (taken on sol 613, April 28, of the mission) by Curiosity's robotic arm-mounted Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) instrument.

In this scene, Curiosity appears to be concentrating hard on a rock of interest -- dubbed "Windjana" by mission scientists after a gorge in Western Australia -- that it has cleaned with its robotic arm-mounted Dust Abrasion Tool. A grey circular patch can be seen on the otherwise rusty rock's surface where the tool has scrubbed away any surface dust ready for analysis and drilling. This beautiful selfie was created by JPL's Doug Ellison , after assembling a collection of photos from the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on sol 613 (April 28) of the mission. Curiosity's selfies not only produce some breathtaking scenes, they are also used by mission engineers to keep tabs on the condition of the rover the more time it is exposed to the harsh Martian environment.

Curiosity used its Mastcam to photograph this closeup of its Rock Abrasion Tool. The instrument spins the wire-bristle brush over rock surfaces to remove layers of dust that has accumulated.

After brushing, a grey circle of rock beneath the ruddy Mars dust is exposed for further analysis. In this photo by Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), the texture of Mars dust is obvious and fine cracks or seams in "Windjana" can be seen. "In the brushed spot, we can see that the rock is fine-grained, its true color is much grayer than the surface dust, and some portions of the rock are harder than others, creating the interesting bumpy textures," said Melissa Rice , Curiosity science team member, of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. "All of these traits reinforce our interest in drilling here in order understand the chemistry of the fluids that bound these grains together to form the rock."

On April 29, Curiosity used its drill to bore a 2 centimeter hole into Windjana. This is only the third rock Curiosity has drilled into since landing on the red planet on Aug. 5, 2012. The grey color obviously extends deeper into the rock than just on its surface, and the powder created can provide a pristine rock sample for further analysis, helping mission scientists understand how the rock formed and under what environmental conditions.
Creepy clowns have recently been reported in Greenville, S.C., allegedly luring children into the woods behind a block of apartments. It's scary and alarming -- but whether they're real is another matter.

Most of the handful of reports are from children, though a few are from adults. No one has actually been harmed or even touched. The children believe the clowns live in a house located near a pond at the end of a trail in the woods, though when police investigated they saw no signs of suspicious activity or anyone dressed as a clown.

According to an ABC News story, "One resident said she was in front of her apartment one evening when one of her sons 'approached her and stated that he (had) seen clowns in the woods whispering and making strange noises.' The resident added that she 'went over to the area that her son mentioned and observed several clowns in the woods flashing green laser lights' before seeing them run off."

RELATED: Creepy Clowns Scare Up Clicks and Controversy

If this report is to be credited, it suggests that pranksters are afoot -- perhaps teenagers with store-bought clown masks and laser pointers having fun. If so, it would be only the latest in a series of creepy clowns reports; in fact there were two earlier this month in Wisconsin and Canada. In one case a pair of teenagers dressed as clowns were having fun in a park scaring younger kids, and in another a clown seen at night was revealed to be part of a viral marketing campaign for a scary film. A year earlier, a creepy clown was sighted outside a Chicago cemetery.

Most evil clowns are fictional, though a few (such as serial killer John Wayne Gacy) are real. Other bad clowns are reported to roam streets and parks looking for innocent children to abduct -- yet they seem to vanish just before police can apprehend them. Some say they are real, while others claim they are figments of imagination. They are known as phantom clowns, a phrase coined by author Loren Coleman in his book "Mysterious America."

Phantom Clowns

As discussed in my book "Bad Clowns," one of the earliest reports of phantom clowns occurred in May 1981, when several children in Brookline, Mass., reported that clowns had tried to lure them into a van with promises of candy. Police searched the area but found nothing. The following day Boston parents and police grew worried when children there claimed that adult clowns had been bothering children on their way to school. Other reports surfaced in other cities and in later years, with the same pattern: Parents were fearful, children were warned and police were vigilant, but despite searches and police checkpoints no evidence was ever found of their existence.

RELATED: Creepy Clown Sighting Surfaces in Chicago Cemetery

Folklorists Sandy Hobbs and David Cornwell in the book "Supernatural Enemies" researched phantom clown panics and concluded that parents, police, and the mass media all played a role in spreading and legitimizing the rumors: "One student reports that older children told the stories to frighten younger ones. Others appear to assume that the story derives from an actual incident, even though it may have become exaggerated in the telling."

Throughout the phantom clown panic, no hard evidence was ever found, and -- more importantly -- no children were actually abducted. This suggests that some form of social delusion or mass hysteria was at play. If the clowns were real, why were they so invariably incompetent? Surely at least one of the bad clowns would have succeeded. Any real clown could easily abduct a child at a birthday party and spirit the victim off to a waiting van. Dressing as a clown is guaranteed to draw attention, which is exactly the opposite of what real-life child abductors want to do.

The Greenville sightings seem to be the most recent reappearance of this mythical menace. In the end, as "The Atlantic" notes, there's "little evidence the clowns exist" at all. An Aug. 21 report from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office offers additional insight, noting that "Several children of the community stated that several clowns have been appearing in the woods behind building 'D' and try to persuade them into the woods further by displaying large amounts of money."

RELATED: Creepy Clowns Reportedly Stalk UK Children

This is a curious (and suspicious) detail. Malicious clowns might be expected to lure children with candy or ice cream -but big stacks of Benjamins? Flashing wads of cash can draw a crowd anywhere, and no clown costume is needed. It seems like an example of urban folklore in the making, perhaps fueled in part by creepy clown sightings in the news and the recent release of publicity photos of the Stephen King killer clown Pennywise from the upcoming film "It."

The Greenville clown reports are likely either pranksters, mistakes -- for example assuming that a bang on a door must have been caused by an unseen clown -- legend, or a combination of all three. The chances that one or more people dressed as clowns are actually trying to abduct kids is remote. Many people likely recognize this, but parents and police understandably err on the side of caution, deciding it's better to be safe than sorry.

The rumors can, of course, have serious consequences. Though children have little to fear from stalking clowns, the urban legend may pose a real danger; as the Sheriff's report notes, "While speaking with the residents I was informed male subjects from the complex heard about the recent clown activity and heard noises in the woods behind building 'D.' I was told these men fired weapons in the direction of the wooded area."

No one was hurt in the shooting, but as long as people take the rumors seriously, the lives of both face-painted pranksters and innocent bystanders may be at risk -- whether the phantom clowns exist or not.

WATCH VIDEO: How Did Clowns Become Creepy?
The Hungarian man visiting picturesque Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, had sprained his ankle during a roundabout hike through the surrounding mountains to nearby Gimmelwald. It was the end of the ski season in 2013 so the lifts weren't operating and some of the official trails were closed.

Unsure which way to go to get back to his hostel, he sat down to rest his foot, eat a snack, and consult the map when a friendly tuxedo cat appeared amid the patches of snow that still clung to the Alpine terrain.

RELATED: Top 10 Survival Tips Every Hiker Should Know

The handsome cat noticed him and started heading away but kept looking back, which the Hungarian took an indication to follow, he described in a recent post on Reddit. The cat led him straight to the path that would take him back down to the valley, reports LoveMeow.

The Hungarian, who goes by user Sc4s2cg on Reddit, captioned his photo of the helpful feline: "The cat that guided me down the mountain when I got lost in Gimmelwald, Switzerland."

Other Reddit users said they had seen the same cat. "That is Petra and Walt's cat. [They] run the Mountain Hostel," KwaiLoCDN wrote. A few people ventured that it might be called Tobias. Redditor Starspace1 was hiking nearby with a friend last May and apparently encountered the cat as well: "He would walk ahead of you, pause, and then strike a pose. I loved him!" An accompanying photo taken during Starspace1's hike from the Mountain Hostel to the river seems to match.

RELATED: US Teen Survives 48 Hours Lost in Swiss Alps

For his part, the Hungarian hiker said he discovered the local trails were closed for a reason. "[I] had to cross by edging near the wall and jumping," he wrote on Reddit. "As soon I was on the other side a boulder rolled down where I just jumped from, before I finally got down the mountain and to a tiny town."

The fact that he encountered a Swiss tuxedo cat who just wanted to help out wasn't surprising to me. Especially the point in the story where they parted ways and the feline set off to pursue treats. Here's a closer look at the guide kitty:
The Colombian government recently agreed to a historic peace deal with the Marxist insurgent group FARC, ending more than 50 years of open conflict. But not everyone is happy with the deal, as Trace Dominguez explains in today's Seeker Daily report.

The roots of the Colombian conflict date back to 1958 and the civil war known as "La Violencia" or "The Violence." The war essentially divided Columbia into two groups -- the right-leaning government versus rural communist groups. The leftists eventually formed their own armed forces, which they called FARC.

FARC rebels have fought the Colombian government ever since. Whether they are freedom fighters or terrorists depends, as usual, on who you ask. But it's common knowledge that FARC has participated in kidnapping, extortion and drug trafficking to fund their cause.

RELATED: How Powerful Is Colombia?

The ceasefire signed in June 2016 marks an ostensible end to all hostilities. As part of the agreement, certain elements of FARC leadership will be officially incorporated into the Colombian government. The deal gives FARC representation in Congress and their own political party.

In exchange, FARC leaders have agreed to disarm. Former FARC fighters will also receive a regular government stipend and potential cash payments for those who want to start their own businesses.

For former victims of FARC violence, it's a tough pill to swallow. Many within Colombia have severely criticized the generous terms of the deal. But such arrangements are not uncommon. Ireland's second-largest political party, Sinn Fein, was previously associated with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) -- considered a terrorist group for much of its existence. A similar situation has developed in Lebanon with the group Hezbollah.

In any case, the agreement between FARC and Colombia won't officially go into effect until voters approve it in a plebiscite to be held in October.

-- Glenn McDonald

Learn More:

NPR: FARC Rebels, Colombian Government Signs Historic Peace Treaty

Time: Latin America's Longest Running Guerrilla Conflict May Finally be Ending

BBC: Colombians Celebrate as Peace Deal is Reached with FARC Rebels
DES MOINES  A Des Moines churchs attorney told a federal judge Wednesday that Iowa is the only state that is attempting to enforce sexual orientation and gender identity public accommodations standards for religious institutions even if they conflict with the house of worships beliefs and practices.

This is unprecedented, said Steve OBan, a lawyer with Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), who urged U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose to grant injunctive and declaratory relief stopping the potential for government interference with Fort Des Moines Church of Christs exercise of its religious freedom. This has never happened before.

The church and its advocates are challenging an Iowa Civil Rights Commission position on gender identity protections they regard as intrusive, saying they fear the panels subjective interpretation of states anti-discrimination law could allow it to sift through the churchs religious practices in violation of constitutional protections.

However, Molly Weber, an assistant Iowa attorney general, said the churchs pre-enforcement challenge lawsuit was a case of unreasonable fear over hypothetical state action that has not been contemplated regarding the operation of religious institutions.

The states attorney argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed because the federal court had no jurisdiction given that no controversy exists over the application or enforcement of Iowas public accommodation law under the states Civil Rights Act, there is no claim on which relief can be granted and the church failed to exhaust its administration remedies by bringing the issue before the commission rather than taking the issue straight to court.

Its a kitchen sink approach, frankly, Weber said of the churchs legal challenge.

The legal action was touched off by wording in a commission publication providing guidance for a 2007 law that expanded Iowas civil rights act to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the classifications protected from discrimination.

A question-and-answer section in the commission publication asked if the law applied to churches and answered by saying: Sometimes. Iowa law provides that these protections do not apply to religious institutions with respect to any religion-based qualifications when such qualifications are related to a bona fide religious purpose. Where qualifications are not related to a bona fide religious purpose, churches are still subject to the laws provisions (e.g. a child care facility operated at a church or a church service open to the public).

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, the commission revised its website to note that places of worship, such as churches, synagogues and mosques are generally exempt from the Iowa laws prohibition of discrimination, unless the place of worship engages in non-religious activities which are open to the public.

For example, the law may apply to an independent day care or polling place located on the premises of the place of worship.

During Wednesdays hearing, Weber conceded the commission language was awkward in places but generally shielded bona fide religious purposes and activities, although she said there were facts and circumstances that would have to be decided on a case-by-case basis such as when churches are used as polling places during elections or rent their facilities for functions unrelated to their religious tenets.

However, OBan countered that the commissions guidelines are vague and subjective, telling the judge that vagueness has had and continues to have a chilling effect on my clients First Amendment rights.

While the case dealt solely with the Des Moines church, a sizable number of interested spectators who attended the court hearing were pastors of churches in other Iowa communities.

Iowa really is an outlier, your honor, OBan told the federal judge.

Michelle Mackel-Wiederanders, an attorney representing the city of Des Moines  also named in the lawsuit  noted the state commissions brochure was not a legal advisory opinion and said there was no concrete actual or imminent threat of enforcement based upon the wording of a leaflet or complaints from religious entities filed with the city. Were in the land of hypotheticals, she said.

Rose noted that the public accommodations issues for churches carried a different connotation when they are used as polling places where members of the public cast votes in government-run elections.

She said an easy fix to that complication would be for government entities to seek out other locations to conduct the secular balloting.

Rose told the attorneys at the close of Wednesdays hearing that she would issue on opinion on the churchs request for injunctive relief as quickly as possible.
Press Release

August 31, 2016 Truth is on my side - De Lima Sen. Leila M. de Lima has continued to uphold her innocence amid the relentless attacks and tirades by some quarters desperately linking her with the illegal drug trade in the country. In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, De Lima denounced what she believed to be an orchestrated demolition job against her in an attempt to distract her from pursuing a Senate investigation into the spate of extrajudicial and vigilante killings. "I was warned that if I proceeded with the Senate inquiry, they would destroy me. Even if this is not really good for me, this is certainly bad for the President because I know what the truth is, and the truth is on my side," she told Amanpour. "I take deep offense about those accusations hurled by no less than the highest official of the land. These accusations about me being a drug coddler, or a coddler of drug convicts, or even being involved in drugs, are so outrageous. It's an absolute lie," she added. The former justice secretary maintained her stand in support of the on-going anti-drug campaign, but emphasized on ensuring the least number of casualties. She said that the scourge of killings could be prevented by fixing the criminal justice system. "Yes, there are still a lot to fix in our criminal justice system. Let's fix the law enforcement. Let's make it more efficient. Let's train more law enforcers in the proper manner. Let's hire more prosecutors. Let's train more prosecutors," she said. De Lima, who chairs the Committee on Justice and Human Rights probing the unabated spate of extrajudicial and vigilante killings, also said law and order in society is a long and arduous road that has no alternate routes. "We need to reform the criminal justice system. There should be no shortcuts in trying to achieve law and order in our society," she said. Mindful of the magnitude of the drug menace in the country, De Lima also said no amount of negative propaganda against her will stop the Senate invesgtigation on the spate of extrajudicial killings and summary executions done in the campaign against drugs. "We have now more than 2,000 dead bodies in the name of the so-called war. Many of these are summary killings or extrajudicial killings. We heard about the official line that the 756 persons killed in police operations allegedly resisted. I do not for a second believe that," she said. The next hearing will be on Sept. 5, 2016.
Press Release

August 31, 2016 POSTPONING THE BARANGAY, SK POLLS SHOULD GIVE CONGRESS A WIDER VISION ON HOW IT COULD BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE - GORDON With the proposed postponement of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections gaining momentum in Congress, Senator Richard J. Gordon proposed that the Senate should take it as an opportunity to envision improvement in the electoral system and the Local Government Code that would also make Congress more effective. Though not opposed to resetting the said elections, Gordon wanted to put a wider perspective into the debate because barangay officials are very important, being the officials who are closest to the people. "I am just trying to put perspective into the approach. This is no simple postponement. And I'd like to interest the Senate into looking at a wider vision on how we can be more effective... I'm trying to lead the discussion into a vision game. Vision, namely that when we elect our leaders, we should elect the best," he said. The barangay and SK elections is set for October 31, 2016 but there is a very loud call for a one-year postponement. The senator pointed out that the government and the people should benefit from the postponement. Congress should take it as an opportunity to inject reforms in the electoral process by amending election laws and the Local Government Code. "When we postpone it, there must be some benefit from it. That when we postpone, we should really look into, perhaps the Local Government Code. I do not propose, by any means, that we should eliminate the barangay captains or barangay kagawads, but maybe it's a good time for us, especially since these are early days, to look into the situation a little bit more studiously. We could have reforms in the electoral process starting with the barangays. I am here not to oppose but to propose. We should be able to build a better mousetrap," he said. Gordon said Congress could amend the term limits set by law for local officials. They could also make the elections less expensive by limiting the campaign to conducting debates in the barangay to enable the people to be more informed in selecting barangay officials. They should do away with costly campaign activities such as the conduct of house-to-house campaigns, holding meetings that would entail food distribution. He stressed that it is improper that the matter of postponement is raised after every election because the political exercise should be treated with sanctity and not dealt with in a very cavalier manner. "The matter of voting for public officials is a very high responsibility by the citizens of this country. We must not trifle with it by saying or giving all sorts of excuses. I just want to know what is the crucial matter in the postponement. I would imagine that we should be able to present a more cogent vision of what our local government must be. If we fear that there are too many elections, then so be it. Let us come up with a law that will say we will only have elections every three years and no successive elections shall take place," Gordon said.
Legarda Pushes for Mandatory Nutrition Program in Schools

Senator Loren Legarda has filed a bill (Senate Bill No. 416) proposing mandatory child nutrition program in all public elementary schools and barangay day care centers in order to address the country's worsening state of malnutrition.

Legarda pointed out that the country's chronic malnutrition rate has increased from 30.3% in 2013 to 33.5 % in 2015 based on latest Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) data. Moreover, a study by the international organization Save The Children showed that 1 in 3 Filipino children suffers from stunting.

"Poor nutrition remains a huge problem in the Philippines which has one of the highest prevalence of malnourished and stunted children arising primarily from inadequate food intake. Undernourishment is largely preventable especially with early and effective interventions," she stressed.

The measure seeks to improve child attendance and survival rates in day care centers and schools; to integrate basic knowledge of good nutrition including family nutrition practices in school curricula; to enhance physical, social, emotional, cognitive, psychological, spiritual, and language development of young children; and to enhance the role of public elementary schools and barangay day care centers as surrogate caregivers of children, among others.

SB No. 416, Legarda said, is a long-term, sustainable program that aims to address malnutrition through the institutionalization of a child nutrition program that will include complementary feeding, micronutrient supplementation, weighing and growth monitoring, deworming of children, and promotion of improved hygiene practices.

The proposed bill has a system for early identification, prevention, and intervention for developmental disorders and disabilities during the early childhood years.

"There must be a serious effort to tackle hunger and malnutrition among our school-aged children especially at the grassroots level. I filed this measure as a solution towards a well-nourished population," Legarda concluded.
Press Release

August 31, 2016 Villar urges review of CCT model Sen. Cynthia Villar today urged a review of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program after it has failed to deliver on the promise of improving poverty incidence in the country. During the Senate briefing of the Development Budget Coordinating Committee (DBCC) on the proposed P3.35 trillion national government budget for 2017, Villar asked Department of Budget and Management Sec. Benjamin Diokno to review the program and find ways to improve it. "I support CCT but can we review the model of our CCT? We have been doing CCT for the last six years, sabi n'yo nga the poverty figure did not move from 27 percent. Ang target ng Aquino administration is 17 percent but it didn't move after doing CCT. I just want you to review the model of our CCT," Villar said in the briefing. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is the Philippines' CCT program where 4.4 million households are enrolled and provided with cash grants to improve the health, education and nutrition situation of the poorest of the poor. With a budget of P78.7 billion this year, the program is the largest CCT program in the world, next to Brazil with 8.8 million households and Mexico, with 6.5 million household beneficiaries. Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Social Justice and Rural Development, urged the economic managers to look at how successful CCT programs are done in other countries. She cited the Brazil model where farmers are required to grow crops. The government buys their produce and feeds the school children. She also added that in Thailand, they require 6 million school children to drink 200 ml of milk every day, which brought up their dairy industry. "Ibig sabihin, pinayaman ang dairy farmers, pinayaman ang farmers, and then binigyan ng good nutrition ang mga bata for the future generation. Para iyong mga anak natin will grow up to be intelligent because they drink milk and they eat the right kind of food," Villar pointed out. Villar said the Philippine model does not require production in exchange of cash assistance and it is very difficult to check if the conditions are met by the beneficiaries. Cash assistance was granted with the condition that beneficiaries will have regular health check-ups and the children will be enrolled in school. "I just want to ask you, review our model of CCT. I don't mind spending for CCT, but make sure that the model is right. Kasi baka mamaya mali naman ang modelo natin, masayang ang pera at hindi rin natin mapababa ang kahirapan, hindi rin mapalusog ang kabataan who will be very essential for the future of our country," Villar said.
Press Release

August 31, 2016 Villar laments measly budget to help coconut farmers Sen. Cynthia Villar said the proposed 2017 budget of the agency mandated to help the 3.5 million coconut farmers will not be enough to help the country's poorest of the poor. Villar, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said the cut in the proposed budget of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) from P4 billion in 2015 to P1.27 billion in 2016 to P1.42 billion this year will not be enough to help coconut farmers who are living below the poverty line. "Bakit ba tayo galit na galit sa mga coconut farmers na tinatanggal natin ang budget sa kanila when they are the poorest in the Philippines? They earn only on the average, P50 a day, or P1,500 a month. We should do something. We should do programs in order to improve that or else we will not reduce poverty in our country. Why is this happening?," Villar asked the country's economic managers during the briefing of the Development Budget Coordinating Committee on the P3.35 trillion proposed national budget at the Senate last Tuesday. When Department of Budget and Management Sec. Benjamin Diokno replied that the budget cut was due to underspending, Villar said it is not the fault of coconut farmers if people in the PCA underspent their budget. "Change the people in PCA so that they can help the coconut farmers," Villar stressed. Villar said even with the creation of the coconut levy trust fund which stands at P72 billion, and a 2-percent treasury bills income at P1.5 billion a year, the amount will not suffice to fund the necessary programs that will lift coconut farmers out of poverty. "Akala ko ba yung coco levy fund is in addition to existing programs to help the coconut farmers? Iyong income sa coco levy fund hindi sapat para sa kakulangan sa budget ng PCA. Paano natin tutulungan ang ating coconut farmers? I just want an explanation because everybody is saying that we should help our coconut farmers because they are the poorest in the country and we are for inclusive growth. Bakit nagkaganito ang budget ng PCA?," she said. Diokno said he will have the financial report of the PCA checked and assured the senator that it is the policy of the administration of President Duterte to fire people who underperform. Villar noted that the agriculture sector workers are 11.8 million or 1/3 of the entire working population. "Kung pababayaan ninyong mahirap ang farmers, hindi bababa ang poverty figure from 27 percent to 16 percent. There's no way kasi ang laki-laking portion iyan ng ating mahihirap. Kung hindi magi-improve ang performance ng PCA, we will have a hard time," Villar said.
Press Release

August 31, 2016 Speech of Sen. Juan Miguel F. Zubiri

3rd Energy Smart Philippines

SMX Convention Center, MOA, Pasay City

31 August 2016 Topic: Promoting Agricultural Development and Inclusive Growth through Biomass Energy Development (Greetings to VIPs, ladies and gentlemen, good morning!) First of all let me congratulate the organizers and sponsors of this 3rd Energy Smart Philippines. The combination of business and environmental advocacy in the Philippines' renewable energy sector is like a beautiful marriage, always passionate and never loses steam. Just like the people who are here today, passionate in advocating for cleaner and renewable energy in the country. I was tasked to delve on the topic: Promoting Agricultural Development and Inclusive Growth through Biomass Energy Development. I just came from the Committee on Energy meeting in the Senate and the Department of Energy was presenting its Briefing on the plans and priorities of the Department. We all understand the meaning of the much used buzz words - "inclusive growth", but let me recite again the definition used by the National Economic Development Authority on its Philippine Development Plan of 2011-2016: "Inclusive growth means, growth that is rapid enough to matter, given the country's large population, geographical differences, and social complexity. It is sustained growth that creates jobs, draws the majority into the economic and social mainstream, and continuously reduces mass poverty. Inclusive growth means growth that is shared by all and opposed to the trickle down, jobless growth that we have seen over the recent years." This is an apt definition for biomass energy development in the country. We know that many of the poorest Filipinos are in the agricultural sector and agricultural wastes are some of the most viable feedstocks for biomass. Current biomass energy situation. (Flash this table) Source: Biomass Energy in the Philippines, Mr. Bert Dalusong presentation for Thor Energy We could see that from the four major agricultural crops alone, a total of 35.5 million tons of biomass resource can be generated. If utilized properly, this will give additional income to our farmers and agricultural workers in these crops. This does not include agricultural wastes from other crops such as banana and pineapple. Recent data from the Department of Energy shows that the installed capacity for Biomass (as of December 2015) is 221 MW. This figure is equivalent to one percent (1%) of the total energy mix in the Philippines and accounts only for into-grid biomass energy and excludes own-use. (Flash slide on energy mix) The energy capacity share of biomass is likely to increase once the commissioning of new plants start. With these developments in the biomass industry, is there a room for farmers and agricultural workers to increase their income and for them to experience inclusive growth? How to increase income of farmers and workers in the agricultural sector? The cliche "may pera sa basura" holds true in the biomass energy industry. During the campaign in the last elections and even in my travels around the country, it pains me to see agricultural wastes such as rice straw being burned in the open or in the rice fields. This practice of open burning of solid waste is already prohibited under the Solid Waste Management Act (RA9003), and if we can only utilize this biomass resource and put in-place a system of collection of these wastes, our farmers will realize that there is really money from agricultural wastes. The challenge therefore to biomass developers is the aggregation or consolidation of collection of these agricultural wastes. There are many farmers' cooperatives and associations organized, biomass developers can ask these groups for a systemized collection of agricultural wastes. To get the interest of small farmers and farmers' coops or associations to sell their agricultural wastes to biomass energy producers, biomass producers should provide the hauling or trucking facilities. We can also tap the local government units on this and possibly collect even their municipal solid wastes which can also be used as biomass feedstock. Public infrastructure is also critical to this approach. Another crucial task in the biomass energy development is the audit of the country's agricultural wastes and assessment of its potential for biomass energy production. We have identified the volume of agricultural wastes from our four major crops, we should be able to factor-in the wastes from other crops. If we are to believe the result of the study in 2013, which was conducted by the DOE in partnership with the USAID - the Biomass Resource Assessment for Selected Sites in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the initial results indicate that there is a total potential power generation capacity of 4,450 MW in the Philippines from Biomass resources. As in other businesses, the stability of the supply of feedstock and demand functions is critical in biomass energy development in the country. Once the supply-side challenges are met, biomass energy can provide a steady and stable supply of electricity into the grid, biomass being one of the least intermittent renewable energy sources. To safeguard the environment, our forests and trees, in the absence of a law or regulation, my request to biomass energy producers is not to use wood-chips as feedstock for biomass energy. It would be hard for biomass producers to distinguish whether the wood-chips to be supplied to them are forest wastes or by-products or freshly cut from forest trees. Biomass as well as the other renewable energy sources must increase its share in the country's energy mix. With the continued growth of the Philippine economy and the expected depletion of the Malampaya natural gas reservoir in less than a decade, which accounts for fifteen percent (15%) of the total energy mix, these developments will pose a serious challenge in our energy sector. The renewable energy sector should see an opportunity in this development, especially if we want to sustain the gains of renewable energy in the country. Thank you and again, good morning!
BOONE  Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey and leaders from the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance announced plans Tuesday to work with a broad cross-section of Iowans to help identify potential economic development opportunities associated with achieving the goals of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

Many of the ag businesses located in Iowa and doing business here are already leading the way in integrating water quality efforts into their business and bringing new tools to farmers to help them keep nutrients on their farm, Northey told a news conference at the Farm Progress Show.

This new effort is focused on seeing if there are opportunities to support additional business development as we continue to scale-up efforts to improve water quality and maintain the tremendous productivity of Iowa agriculture, he added.

As part of the effort, alliance leaders, business owners and state ag officials will identify current gaps in conservation/business infrastructure and develop an action plan focused on accelerated implementation of conservation practices focused on water quality, Northey said.

The action plan will focus on identifying economic drivers and market-based solutions to improving water quality and quantifying both the public and private benefits associated with successful implementation of water quality practices.

Northey will serve as co-chair of the conservation infrastructure effort with Ray Gaesser, a farmer from Corning, Iowa and past-president of the American Soybean Association. Northey, Gaesser and Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) officials made the announcement at the Farm Progress Show, which is being held this week at the Central Iowa Expo in Boone.

Preserving and enhancing Iowas resources benefits everyone, Gaesser said. This is really figuring out the additional expertise and finance needed to help farmers continue improving water quality while meeting the global needs of feeding people. Adapting requires continual research, inspiration, education and action. Theres opportunity in that for farmers and the business community.

The IAWA Business Council, which also was launched Tuesday, will play a key role in helping to shape the conservation infrastructure strategy along with the existing IAWA Advisory Council, said alliance executive director Sean McMahon. We look forward to partnering with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and our many other highly valued partners to help align public and private efforts and identify business opportunities to improve Iowas water quality and strengthen rural communities, McMahon said.
Going head to head with Uber and Lyft, Google plans a fall introduction of a low-cost ride-hailing service in the Bay Area, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Based on Googles social-navigation app Waze, the service sounds closer to carpooling than on-demand taxi rides. It would connect Waze drivers with riders who are going in the same direction, with low fares so the drivers would not use it as a primary source of income, the Journal said.

In a pilot Waze carpooling program taking place around Googles Mountain View headquarters since May, rides averaged around 54 cents per mile. Thats the Internal Revenue Service mileage reimbursement rate to cover fuel, maintenance and other costs, and it is used by several carpooling apps as the payment from riders to drivers. By contrast, the UberX service is considerably more than 54 cents per mile. (UberPool, which matches unrelated riders going the same way, has cheaper rates, but theyre still much higher than 54 cents a mile.) Googles pilot program involved 25,000 workers at large employers such as UCSF, Adobe and Walmart Global eCommerce, as well as Google itself.

Any of Wazes 700,000 Bay Area users could participate in Googles program as either a driver or rider. Unlike Lyft and Uber, Google will not vet drivers with background checks, instead relying on passenger reviews, according to the Journal, which said the Bay Area program could expand to other regions as well.

One-time allies Google and Uber have been increasingly competing lately, to the point where David Drummond, a senior executive at Googles parent company, Alphabet, resigned from the Uber board a few weeks ago given the overlap between the two companies, he wrote in an email to the Journal. GV, Googles venture capital division, invested $258 million in Uber in 2013.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Google has been muscling into the transportation arena with its work on self-driving cars, a technology that Uber is also fiercely pursuing. Uber plans public tests of robot taxis in Pittsburgh in the next few weeks, beating Google to commercial testing. Ride-hailing is a natural application for driverless cars, and Google reportedly would like to test its own vehicles in a ride service.

Waze, which Google bought in 2013 for $1.1 billion, has been testing a carpooling application in its native Israel since last year. The turn-by-turn navigation system, which relies on community input to generate the best ways to avoid traffic, learns its drivers routes to work to match them with riders going the same way.
MASON CITY  A former worker at the Kraft Heinz plant in Mason City has filed a lawsuit claiming she was forced to work in an unsafe environment and her complaints of sexual harassment were ignored.

In addition to Kraft Heinz and the Kelly Services employment agency, Deborah Burgin is suing four people she named as her supervisors: Brad Jones, Maggie Bahl, Kara Ziskie and Robert Sawyer.

A trial date has been set for Oct. 2, 2017, in Cerro Gordo County District Court.

Burgin, who was hired through Kelly Services to work at Kraft, began her job in April 2013.

In her lawsuit she states she has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and several other chronic lung conditions.

She said Kraft and Kelly Services were aware of her disabilities but she was repeatedly assigned to work in a room that contained dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide and/or other hazardous chemicals.

The lawsuit states Burgins eyes, skin and throat were burning and she had stomach pains while working in the room for the first time. She also said she lost her balance and was unable to see clearly.

In their answer to the lawsuit the defendants deny any unlawful acts occurred anywhere and say they were not aware that Burgin had any disabilities.

The response also states once they learned of Burgins sexual harassment complaints, they exercised reasonable care to correct promptly and to prevent any discriminatory or harassing behavior.

The defendants said their reasons for firing Burgin didnt have anything to do with her complaints.

In her lawsuit, Burgin said supervisors told her that symptoms she said she had were unrelated to the chemicals in the room where she was assigned, but closed the room  which is referred to as the Hamba Room after the machines used to put food into containers  for about a week.

Around the same time, two male co-workers made obscene gestures to Burgin and another female worker on an assembly line, according to the lawsuit.

Burgin said when she asked to be moved away from those workers, supervisors ignored her complaints.

Two weeks later Burgin was assigned to work in the Hamba Room again, according to the lawsuit.

Burgin alleges she experienced the same symptoms as before, and when she requested she either not be assigned to the room or be provided safety equipment due to her disabilities, she was threatened with an unmerited write-up.

The lawsuit states Burgin lost consciousness while working in the room and woke up in the hospital. Burgin alleges Jones was sitting near her and acting nervous.

She said when she asked Jones what he was doing there, the nurse told her he had said he was Burgins husband.

At that point Burgins actual husband entered the room and Jones quickly left, according to the lawsuit.

Doctors told Burgin they believed she had been exposed to high levels of dangerous gases, which resulted in a stroke, the lawsuit states.

Neither Kraft nor Kelly Services offered to pay for Burgins medical expenses, according to the lawsuit.

Burgin said she continued to be sexually harassed by a male co-worker, who groped her on one occasion. The lawsuit said she complained twice but supervisors did not investigate.

The lawsuit states Burgin was ordered once again to work in the Hamba Room in August 2014, and was fired after she complained to Kelly Services.

Burgin is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for emotional distress, mental anguish and compensatory relief. She also is seeking punitive damages.

The lawsuit states Jones, Bahl, Ziskie and Sawyer were employees of Kraft as well as Kelly Services, but in their answer the defendants state they were Kelly Services employees only.
Coco Crisp is about to relinquish his status as the longest-standing member of the As.

The outfielder with 1,561 hits and 306 steals is expected to be traded to Cleveland after playing seven seasons in Oakland.

The teams were finalizing the trade Tuesday for an anticipated announcement Wednesday, the final day for teams to trade for players and have them eligible for the playoffs. Crisp had to waive his no-trade rights, which he earned with his 10-and-5 status (at least 10 years in the majors and five with his latest club).

The Indians lead the American League Central and were seeking outfield depth with Michael Brantley undergoing season-ending surgery. Abraham Almonte will miss the postseason with a PED suspension.

Crisp, a 36-year-old switch-hitter who broke into the majors with Cleveland in 2002, is hitting .234 with a .299 on-base percentage, 11 homers and 47 RBIs. He didnt waver in his fondness for playing for the As, at least until recently.

The trade development comes two weeks after a Chronicle report in which Crisp expressed his displeasure with the team for limiting his playing time and lessening his chances to vest his $13 million option for 2017.

Crisp, who left the As clubhouse before Tuesday nights game in Houston, needs 550 plate appearances or 130 games for the option to take effect and isnt expected to reach those figures with Cleveland. He has 434 plate appearances in 102 games.

Without the option vesting, Crisp would be a free agent after the season and owed a $750,000 buyout.

Im extremely hurt, the way things are being handled, Crisp said in The Chronicle report. Im not calling anyone names, but this is really frustrating and disappointing. This has been my favorite organization going back to when I was a kid, because of Rickey Henderson, and Ive enjoyed playing here so much, and Ive put it all out there.  Up until recently, its been tremendously enjoyable.

In his seven seasons, Crisp went on the disabled list six times and missed much of last season with a neck injury, which he suffered running into the outfield wall.

Ive left a lot of blood, sweat and even broken bones out there for them, Crisp said. Ive gone through everything you can go through to get out there.

Crisp played for three playoff teams in Oakland, and he hit a combined .283 in two first-round losses to the Tigers and a wild-card loss to the Royals.

He was productive in both Game 4s against Detroit. In 2012, he capped a three-run rally in the ninth with a walk-off single. In the 2013 Game 4, he had four hits. However, the As lost both Game 5s.

After an Aug. 19 clubhouse fight between As teammates Billy Butler and Danny Valencia, Eric Hosmer of the Royals (who played with both) tweeted his support of Valencia, who was getting criticized on social media, and Crisp tweeted a follow-up: I feel the same, Danny has been one of my favorite teammates as well. Solid guy and a hard worker.

Aside from the As and Indians, Crisp played for the Red Sox and Royals. In Boston, as a member of the 2007 World Series championship team, Crisps manager was Terry Francona, now Clevelands manager.

John Shea is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey
Two Rohnert Park sisters, ages 7 and 9, died at a Sonoma County hospital after their 26-year-old mother lost control of the car they were riding in Wednesday morning on their way to school, and it overturned and landed in the Petaluma River, officials said.

It was the second wreck in the county in a little over a week in which moms driving their young daughters to school crashed and tumbled into rivers, killing the children. California Highway Patrol officers were dispatched to both incidents and were reeling from the twin horrors. At least one officer was planning to attend the funeral Wednesday for the first pair of sisters when the parallel scene unfolded.

Its horrible. Its heartbreaking, said CHP Officer Juan Leon. Most of the time when we help people were successful, and when youre not, it takes a toll.

In the latest tragedy, no child safety seats had been installed in the car, as is required for children younger than 8 years or less than 4 feet 9 inches tall, said CHP spokesman Jonathan Sloat, the officer who was heading to the funeral for last weeks victims but ended up missing it due to the morning crash.

Officials initially said the girls were ages 4 and 7, but the Sonoma County Coroner Unit later confirmed they were 9-year-old Delilah Gonzalez and 7-year-old Sayra Gonzalez. Their mom was identified as Alejandra Hernandez of Rohnert Park, and police said she could face charges for driving illegally because she doesnt have a license.

A witness saw the woman driving with her two children at a higher-than-usual rate of speed and possibly weaving through lanes as she headed north on Petaluma Boulevard North near Gossage Avenue in Petaluma, Leon said. The woman had just come back from dropping off her boyfriend in Petaluma and was taking her daughters to their Rohnert Park elementary school.

At some point, the woman lost control of the vehicle, hitting a dirt center median before possibly overcorrecting and going down a wooded embankment, striking trees, and flipping upside down into the river, Sloat said. The car sank in at least 6 feet of water.

The woman got out safely and yelled for help from atop the car, the witness told police. He and the mother tried unsuccessfully to reach the children.

Firefighters and police pulled the girls out around 8:25 a.m.  about 25 minutes after the crash was first reported  and attempted CPR before transporting them to Petaluma Valley Hospital.

Petaluma police closed all lanes of the northbound boulevard for about six hours.

Investigators are looking into whether the driver was distracted or impaired, Sloat said, adding, Its a pretty simple road to navigate. They were also investigating whether the girls were buckled in at the time of the crash.

By 1 p.m., divers from the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office and others pulled the car from the river and identified it as a 2006 Chevy Impala.

The crash follows one that occurred Aug. 23 in which a mother lost control of her pickup truck south of Jenner on a slick curve also while driving her two daughters, ages 4 and 6, to school. The truck fell into the Russian River, trapping the girls inside and killing them.

The eerie similarity between the crashes was an understatement, Sloat said, and the deaths of the four girls are weighing heavily on officers and first responders.

Anyone who may have witnessed Wednesdays crash is asked to call (707) 588-1400.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
WASHINGTON  FBI Director James Comey warned again Tuesday about the bureaus inability to access digital devices because of encryption and said investigators were collecting information about the challenge in preparation for an adult conversation next year.

Widespread encryption built into smartphones is making more and more of the room that we are charged to investigate dark, Comey said in a cybersecurity symposium.

The remarks reiterated points that Comey has made repeatedly in the last two years, before Congress and in other settings, about the growing collision between electronic privacy and national security.

The Justice Department decided within the last year to not seek a legislative resolution, and some of the public debate surrounding the FBIs legal fight with Apple Inc. has subsided in the last few months since federal authorities were able to access a locked phone in a terror case without the help of the technology giant. The FBI sought a court order to force Apple to help it hack into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, a demand the tech giant and other privacy advocates said would dramatically weaken security of its products.

The FBI ultimately got into the phone with the help of an unidentified third party, leaving the legal dispute unresolved. But Comey made clear Tuesday that he expects that dialogue to continue.

The conversation weve been trying to have about this has dipped below public consciousness now, and thats fine, Comey said at a symposium organized by Symantec, a Mountain View technology company. Because what we want to do is collect information this year so that next year we can have an adult conversation in this country.

The American people, he said, have a reasonable expectation of privacy in private spaces  including houses, cars and electronic devices. But that right is not absolute when law enforcement has probable cause to believe that theres evidence of a crime in one of those places.

He said its not the role of the FBI or tech companies to tell the American people how to live and govern themselves.

We need to understand in the FBI how is this exactly affecting our work, and then share that with folks, Comey said, conceding that the American people might ultimately decide that privacy was more important than that portion of the room being dark.

He also stood by the Justice Departments decision to bring indictments against Chinese and Iranian officials in major cyberattack cases in the last two years, rejecting criticism from those who have called the criminal charges meaningless gestures unlikely to result in a conviction.

Those actions can make a foreign defendant think twice before traveling overseas, and can deter governments. He said theres been progress with the Chinese government since 2014 indictments that accused five Chinese military officials of siphoning secrets from American corporations.
Fictional car, real ride

In a promotion with HBO, peer-to-peer car rental company Turo is offering customers a chance to rent a Silicon Valley favorite: the 2006 Ford Escape driven by Erlich Bachman, a character in the hit HBO sitcom. The owner profile is written in Bachmans self-aggrandizing style, while the car is swathed in branding for his startup Aviato.

Another setback for Theranos

Theranos has sputtered again, this time in trying for emergency clearance of a blood test for the Zika virus. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Palo Alto company didnt have the right patient safeguards in a study of the new test, quoting people familiar with the matter.

Real estate dealers deal

San Franciscos Climb Real Estate, which focuses on urban Millennials, has been acquired by NRT LLC, the parent company of Coldwell Banker, Sothebys International Realty and ZipRealty, Kathleen Pender reports. Page C5

The Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techbriefing
WASHINGTON  U.S. lawmakers have for years been assailing companies for dodging taxes with overseas maneuvers. But now that the European Union has done something about it by trying to wrest back billions of dollars from Apple, those officials have offered a response viewed by many as rife with hypocrisy: collective outrage.

Tax avoidance has become a lightning rod as the presidential campaign has taken on a strong populist cast, and leading Republicans and Democrats in Congress have demanded that companies pay their fair share. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have vowed to crack down on deals that allow companies to relocate their headquarters overseas to lower their tax bills, and the Treasury Department has made limiting international loopholes a priority.

Despite all that, Apple  a company long accused of being overly creative at avoiding taxes  now has the federal government standing up for it after the European Unions executive commission ordered Ireland on Tuesday to collect $14.5 billion in taxes from the Cupertino company.

And for at least some U.S. politicians, the anger stems from a simple calculation: The tax money that the European Union extracts from Apple should be going to the U.S. Treasury, not that they have figured out how to make that happen.

Its remarkable to think that the administration has been flying over to Brussels on taxpayers dollars to lobby the European Union against collecting taxes owed in Europe when theyre not collecting the taxes owed here, said Clark Gascoigne, deputy director of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition. Its terribly ironic.

Most lawmakers and business groups do not see it that way. They defended Apple by arguing that the European Union was overstepping its authority and reinterpreting international tax law to unfairly penalize the company. Some called it a new brand of protectionism.

The Treasury Department said the ruling was deeply troubling. The Business Roundtable, a lobbying organization for Americas largest companies, called the move a reckless and dramatic overreach and an act of aggression against a company and a sovereign government.

In Congress, lawmakers in both parties have urged the Treasury Department to be tougher on European officials as they aggressively investigate what they call undue tax benefits given by member nations to leading U.S. companies. Members of the Senate Finance Committee sent a letter in May to Jacob Lew, the Treasury secretary, urging him to consider retaliation that would include doubling taxes on companies and individuals in Europe.

The European Commission is using a theory to make tax law, is doing it in a way that is retroactive and that overrides national tax law authority, in our view, Lew said Wednesday.

He pushed back against the idea that Treasury is condoning tax evasion, saying legislation that prevents companies from parking income overseas to avoid being taxed in the United States will see action probably not in my tenure but early in the next administration.

The European Commissions ruling has even managed to forge a rare moment of agreement between House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is likely to become the next leader of his party in the Senate.

This decision is awful, Ryan said in a statement. Slamming a company with a giant tax bill  years after the fact  sends exactly the wrong message to job creators on both sides of the Atlantic.

Schumer said in an interview that he and Ryan had been discussing possibilities for a corporate tax overhaul for next year. He said he was optimistic about the prospect of requiring corporate money to return to the United States at a lower tax rate, with some of the proceeds being used to fund a large investment in infrastructure. The action taken by the European Union, he said, should be an impetus to get moving on such legislation.

The European Union is going to grab this money, instead of the U.S., Schumer said. Its a big signpost here for us. Lets get moving.

The bipartisan consensus that the corporate tax rate should be cut in exchange for loophole closures emerged in President Obamas first term, yet Congress has not drafted a bill, much less voted on one.

Tax experts said that without a deep cut in the tax rate, companies like Apple would be better off paying back taxes in Europe than repatriating their overseas cash.

This is not taking 13 billion euros out of the U.S. Treasurys pocket and U.S. taxpayers pocket and putting it into Europe, said Jeffery M. Kadet, a tax lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law. They wouldnt be bringing this money back to the U.S. anyway.

Reuven Avi-Yonah, who directs the international taxation program at the University of Michigan Law School, said that the European Union had a strong case for collecting the taxes from Apple and that if the situation were reversed, Americans would be clamoring to collect taxes from a foreign company.

While most lawmakers condemned the treatment of Apple, one prominent former senator said he was pleased to see Europe take action. Carl Levin, D-Mich., who was chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations when it examined Apples use of tax havens in 2013, said the European Commission should fill the vacuum left by lackadaisical tax enforcement in the United States.

The royalties Apple collects for its overseas sales of products designed and developed in the U.S. should be taxed in the U.S., Levin said. But Apple has avoided the billions of dollars of taxes it owes the U.S. by transferring its intellectual property to itself in Ireland.

Blaming Apple and the IRS, he added, When Apple used those tax avoidance schemes, it is understandable that Europe would try to go after them.
MASON CITY | The Mason City Fire Department is set to kick off its annual Fill the Boot fundraising campaign over Labor Day weekend.

Fill the Boot helps the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) find treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases that severely limit strength and mobility.

Mason City firefighters will fan out throughout the community with boots in hand to receive donations. Last year they raised $7,657. This year's goal is $9,000.
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Climb Real Estate, a boutique San Francisco brokerage focused on city-dwelling Millennials, has been acquired by NRT LLC, the nations largest residential brokerage, the companies announced Wednesday.

NRT is the parent of Coldwell Banker, Sothebys International Realty and ZipRealty and a subsidiary of Realogy, a publicly traded real estate conglomerate. Terms were not disclosed.

Climb, which has about 100 agents in San Francisco and Oakland, will continue to operate under its own name. NRT has pursued the same approach with other regional firms it acquired including the Corcoran Group in New York City and Laura McCarthy Real Estate in St. Louis, said Bruce Zipf, NRTs president and chief executive.

For me the deal wasnt about money, it was about helping me grow the business, said Chris Lim, whose new title is Climb president. He started selling South of Market condos 14 years ago and in 2010 founded Climb with Mark Choey and Tiffany Combs. SoMa and South Beach are still the companys stronghold.

With NRTs backing, the plan is to grow this platform where we believe it has the most relevancy in the marketplace, Zipf said.

That includes San Jose, where Climb is already a big reseller of downtown condos, Oakland and possibly Berkeley and Walnut Creek.

Climb tries hard to appeal to Millennials by focusing on mobile technology and social media. It has hip, open-plan offices, and its website features agents pets and kids. It renovated a vintage Airstream trailer, which serves as a mobile office and marketing vehicle. Its at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert this week.

I believe what this represents is a more traditional type platform coming together with a more innovative, unique-type platform and providing the financial capital to expand Climb in the Bay Area, Zipf said.

Greg Macres, NRTs executive vice president for the western region, said, We want our agents to be more mobile (and) stretch the boundaries of technology. The interesting thing about Climb ... is they initiated their company with that. They are not transitioning into it.

Lim said Climbs top agents  who include Todd Montgomery, Marcus Lee, Matt Finely, Jessie Lee and Kristen Stuecher  are excited about the acquisition.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender
DURHAM, N.C.  A North Carolina judge on Wednesday threw out the double-murder conviction of a man who spent 21 years in prison after his case was tried by the prosecutor who was later disbarred for lying and misconduct in the Duke lacrosse rape case.

The judge said he was prepared to order Darryl Howards immediate and unrestricted release from prison, citing DNA evidence unavailable at Howards 1995 murder trial.

The former district attorney in the Duke case, Mike Nifong, had been expected to testify Wednesday afternoon about his handling of Howards case and whether misconduct from police and prosecutors helped win a conviction. But prosecutors decided not to appeal the judges order tossing the conviction, which meant Nifong did not have to take the stand and cleared the way for Howard to be freed.

Howard was convicted of the 1991 strangling and sexual assault of 29-year-old Doris Washington and her 13-year-old daughter, Nishonda. But DNA evidence shows Howard did not rape the women, and no other physical evidence connected him to the crime. The judge said Wednesday that evidence would have created a reasonable doubt for jurors.

I dont see any reason he cant be released today, said Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson. Howard had been sentenced to 80 years in prison.

Hudson said prosecutors would have to retry Howard, who was convicted based heavily on the testimony of witnesses at the Durham public housing project where the slayings occurred, or drop the case.

The judge had first ordered Howards release from prison two years ago. But prosecutors appealed at the time, and a state appeals court ruled this spring that Hudson failed to hear enough evidence before making a decision.

The judge said in his 2014 ruling that Nifong failed to share with defense attorneys a police memo and other evidence that pointed to suspects other than Howard. A Durham police detective testified at Howards trial that investigators never considered that the sexual assaults were linked to the killers. Nifong repeated that claim despite a police memo in the prosecutions files that contradicted him.

In the Duke case, three athletes were accused of raping a stripper hired to entertain a team party. State investigators later determined Nifong lied and buried evidence proving the lacrosse players were innocent.

DNA evidence presented at Howards 1991 trial showed he was not responsible for sexually assaulting Nishonda Washington before her murder. Whoever did assault Nishonda hasnt been identified.

But DNA tests unavailable at the time of Howards original trial identified the man who had sex with Doris Washington shortly before her 1991 death as Jermeck Jones, who dated Nishonda before her death. He was identified from DNA samples stored in a federal database, which was collected after Jones was sentenced to prison in Tennessee.

Jones served nearly four years in Tennessee prisons before his release in 2007 for crimes including possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, drug possession and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
A former San Francisco police officer was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison Tuesday for illegally entering a womans hotel room during a drug search and then submitting a false report about the incident.

The sentence imposed on Arshad Razzak was well below the 33-month minimum recommended by federal guidelines, and also below the more than three years in prison received by two other San Francisco officers, Ian Furminger and Edmond Robles, convicted in a separate trial of stealing money and property from drug suspects.

U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg acknowledged Razzaks record of 19 years of police service, but declined his lawyers request to spare him from prison.

Betrayal of public trust by a sworn police officer is an extremely serious offense, and contributes to public cynicism, Seeborg said.

He also fined Razzak $12,500. Razzak, 44, who has been free on bond and working as a cabdriver since a jury convicted him in January 2015, is scheduled to report to prison on Dec. 2.

The case stems from officers entry into a room at the Henry Hotel on Sixth Street, south of Market Street, in December 2010.

Razzaks police report said he led a team of officers to the hotel room after getting a tip about heroin sales. He claimed the officers heard voices inside, knocked on the door, announced their presence and entered with the occupants consent, eliminating the need for a search warrant. They said they found a man inside, searched him and found heroin in his pockets.

But a video from a surveillance camera in the hotels hallway showed the officers entering without knocking  in violation of constitutional standards  after one of the officers opened the door with a key.

The resident, Jessica Richmond, testified that she was coerced into signing a consent form after the search. She told the jury the officers entered without knocking or announcing their presence and left the room in a shambles.

The district attorneys office dismissed the heroin charge against the man in Richmonds room after Public Defender Jeff Adachi obtained the video and others showing questionable police searches of single-resident-occupancy hotels.

Razzak, who worked in the plainclothes unit at the Southern Station, was convicted of four felonies: violating Richmonds civil rights, conspiracy, submitting a false report and signing a false pay slip for an informant. He resigned from the Police Department hours after the verdict. The same jury acquitted another officer, Richard Yick, who testified that he entered the room after his colleagues, did not conduct a search and was not involved in the police report.

Razzaks lawyer, Michael Rains, described the events as aberrational at Tuesdays sentencing hearing and said his client had been a good and brave officer throughout his career. He described one incident in 1996, a year after Razzak joined the force, in which he pulled a man out of a burning car just before it exploded.

As a plainclothes officer, Rains said, Razzak was stuck on a treadmill at the time of the 2010 hotel search, under pressure from his superiors to fill a daily quota of arrests. Maybe so, Seeborg replied, but that doesnt excuse violation of his sworn duty.

Razzak, addressing the judge before his sentencing, apologized for his crimes and said they were unintentional. He said he wrote the police report to the best of my knowledge, several hours after the search, and got mixed up on the facts. He did not mention the illegal entry into the hotel room.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writing. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
From building a mission model in fourth grade to kissing a banana slug at sixth grade science camp to reading John Steinbeck in high school.

There are certain things all California students do, especially those in the Bay Area.
The Light Between Oceans writer-director Derek Cianfrance doesnt just hate romantic cliches. He wants to take revenge on them, like a horror movie villain who prefers a good flaying of his victims and long imprisonment, instead of watching them quickly die.

Cianfrances Blue Valentine deconstructed the doofus-gets-the-girl platitude, beginning where every early Adam Sandler movie ends, and lingering over the obliteration of a marriage between two decent but mismatched people. The absorbing yet challenging Oceans views a baby-stealing drama from the perspective of the monsters who perpetrate the crime  then remains on their almost-sympathetic faces as denial and justifications fall apart. The titular ocean may refer to the waters off the Australia coast, or the extreme close-up of each tear that falls down a womans face in this movie.

The Light Between Oceans was adapted from M.L. Stedmans 2012 book, with Cianfrance getting the screenplay credit. The filmmaker doesnt care much about the lighthouse referenced in the title; if there was a detailed explanation of the job in Stedmans book, it was excised by the director in favor of mood. Sunsets linger and the amber morning light angles through windows in the early scenes, which play like a collage of selective memories.

Michael Fassbender is Tom, a depressed and lonely World War I veteran, taking a job as the keeper of an isolated island lighthouse off the coast of Australia. His own metaphorical path toward the rocks is diverted by shining light Isabel (Alicia Vikander), a school administrators daughter.

But before long, these two seemingly good people are beset by horrible acts of an angry God, until a baby washes on shore, and the tragedies become of their own making. As Tom and Isabel painfully wrestle with impossible situations, their decision seems to curse half the village where Isabel is from.

Its undeniable that Cianfrance is an extremely talented director. He marries the longing score of Alexandre Desplat with images of dying grass, relentless surf and stars that seem just a little too far away to touch. Eliminate the dialogue, and this would still be a captivating film.

But the misery goes too far, as if these events arent happening naturally, but by the will of a slightly demented man with omniscient powers. As much as Fassbender, Vikander and Rachel Weisz, the feelings of isolation, despair and self-reproach deserve top billing in The Light Between Oceans.

After lingering on the island, letting the windswept, lonely imagery seep into the audience, the final 40 minutes is a fast-paced ride of often confusing reproaches and mostly failed attempts at grace. Blue Valentine was tightly made. But like Cianfrances second major feature, The Place Beyond the Pines, the pacing in Oceans is all over the place.

The above doesnt greatly diminish the filmmaking, but might break the will of romance believers who were drawn into the theater by the PG-13 rating and Nicholas Sparks-looking movie poster and trailers, which promise a cinematic experience that is more soaring, and less soul-depleting, than the one delivered.

Can monsters act with honor? Can a mother ever make up for time lost? Does honesty guarantee redemption? Is there life after love? The Light Between Oceans doesnt answer all of these questions adequately. But to be fair, most filmmakers dont have the courage to pose them.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub

The Light

Between Oceans

Drama. Starring Michael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz and Alicia Vikander. Directed by Derek Cianfrance. (PG-13. 132 minutes.)

To see a trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWlJqsF_WVw
Chattie Catties: In an alternate world, cats can communicate with humans. Maybe we can get a double bill with Nine Lives? Directed by Pablo Valencia. At the Roxie.

Complete Unknown: A husband supports his wifes plan for graduate school by agreeing to move to a new state. But before they go, he encounters an ex-girlfriend at a dinner party, and a mystery ensues. Stars Rachel Weisz, Michael Shannon, Kathy Bates and Danny Glover.

The Hollars: John Krasinski directs and stars in this dramedy in which a man returns home to be with his mother, who has a brain tumor. Also stars Anna Kendrick, Richard Jenkins and the always wonderful Margo Martindale.

The 9th Life of Louis Drax: Its all about the Number 9. A 9-year-old boy has survived nine near death experiences. A neurologist (Jamie Dornan) tries to figure it out.

In Order of Disappearance: Described as a Norwegian action black comedy, this film is about a snow plow driver (Stellan Skarsgard) who has learned that his son has died from a probable heroin overdose. He starts his own detective agency to find out what happened.

The Light Between Oceans: A lighthouse keeper (Michael Fassbender) and his wife (Alicia Wikander) find a baby and decide to raise her as their own in this period drama based on a novel by M.L. Stedman. But as chance would have it, that plan runs into obstacles when they go to the Australian mainland and run into a woman (Rachel Weisz again).

Mia Madre: Director Nanni Moretti based this on his life, turning the Italian filmmaker into a woman (Margherita Buy) who is not only dealing with her mothers illness but also working with a pain-in-the-neck American actor (John Turturro).

Morgan: Anya Taylor-Joy plays the title character, who was created in a laboratory. Things go awry after she attacks a scientist (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and a corporate type (Kate Mara) must decide whether to terminate the super-human.

Skiptrace: Martial arts expert meets Jackass? Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville star in this action-comedy about a detective (Chan) whose partner is murdered and teams up with a gambler (Knoxville) to go after the villain.

 Leba Hertz
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Wednesday turned away an emergency appeal from Republican leaders in North Carolina who were hoping to reinstate new voting rules that were struck down in July as racially biased.

The justices said they were deadlocked 4-4 and would not intervene, leaving in place the states rules for casting ballots and early voting that were used before 2013. The vote split on ideological lines.

The courts decision is a victory for civil rights advocates and Obama administration lawyers who had challenged North Carolinas rules as violating the Voting Rights Act.

The outcome also may give a slight boost to Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, who will need strong support from minority voters to prevail in November.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who is locked in a tight race for re-election, had appealed to the high court two weeks ago and contended his state would suffer irreparable harm if it could not enforce its new voter ID restrictions.

But the Justice Department urged the court to stand back and permit the November election to go forward free from the taint of racial discrimination.

New voters in North Carolina were already required to present some form of identification, such as a drivers license, Social Security or photo ID card, when they register. To cast a ballot at a polling place, they must provide a name, address and sign a form attesting to their identity. The signature is compared with the one on the registry.

The new law would have required further proof of their identity at the time of voting, a step that an appeals court ruled in July was too restrictive.

North Carolina imposed the new law after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in 2013 to strike down a key part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It had barred states, many of them in the South, from changing their election laws without first winning clearance from the Justice Department in Washington.

Freed from federal oversight, a state Senate leader in Raleigh immediately announced plans to revise election rules. GOP lawmakers requested and received racial data on how different voting rules would help or hurt racial minorities. And they then adopted, on a party-line vote, five changes to the election procedures that targeted African Americans with almost surgical precision, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., found in July.

And while lawmakers said they sought to prevent fraud, they did not identify even a single individual who has ever been charged with committing in-person voter fraud, the appeals court said.
EAST CHICAGO, Ind.  Stephanie King, a single mother of five, has adopted a grim routine over the past month: mopping with bleach twice a day and sweeping even more often to remove any dirt her family might have tracked inside. She has a haunted look, and for good reason.

King and other residents of the West Calumet Housing Complex learned recently that much of the soil outside their homes contained staggering levels of lead, one of the worst possible threats to childrens health.
ALONG THE CANNONBALL RIVER, N.D.  Long before Lewis and Clark paddled by, American Indians built homes at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers, using the thick earth to guard against brutal winters and hard summer heat. They were called the Mandan people.

Now, American Indians are living there again. They sleep in teepees and nylon tents. They ride horses and drive quad cabs. They string banners between trees and, when they can get a signal, they post messages with hashtags such as #ReZpectOurWater, #NoDakotaAccess and #NODAPL. For weeks, they have been arriving from the scattered patches of the United States where the government put their ancestors to protest what they say is one indignity too many in a history that has included extermination and exploitation.

It is called the Dakota Access oil pipeline and it could carry more than 400,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the Bakken region of western North Dakota across South Dakota and Iowa to connect with an existing pipeline in Illinois.

The 1,100-mile pipeline, which is estimated to cost $3.7 billion, is nearly halfway complete. But construction on a section that would sink beneath the Missouri River, just north of the reservation of the Standing Rock Sioux, has been halted under orders from the sheriff of Morton County, Kyle Kirchmeier. He said protesters, nearly 30 of whom have been arrested in recent weeks, were creating safety issues.

Yet the protesters say they are creating something very different  new resistance against what they say is a seemingly endless number of pipelines, export terminals and rail lines that would transport fossil fuels across or near tribal reservations, risking pollution to air, water and land.

Every time theres a project of this magnitude, so the nation can benefit, theres a cost, said Dave Archambault, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux, who was among those arrested. That cost is born by tribal nations.

Archambault and other native leaders have been caught off guard by the support they have received. What began with a handful of natives establishing a prayer camp along the river this spring has now drawn international environmental groups and prompted Hollywood celebrities, including Susan Sarandon and Shailene Woodley, to join them, whether here or in a protest this month in Washington, D.C., or on social media.

Inspired by the Standing Rock Siouxs efforts to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline, Leonardo DiCaprio posted on Twitter last week.

Lawyers from Earthjustice are representing the Standing Rock Sioux in a legal effort to stop construction of the pipeline.

They claim that the Army Corps of Engineers violated the National Historic Preservation Act when it approved the project and that a more stringent environmental review should be done. They say the pipeline and its construction would damage ancestral sites of the Standing Rock Sioux and put the tribes water supply at risk.

On Thursday, nearly three dozen environmental groups wrote to President Obama, who visited the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in 2014 with Michelle Obama, saying the Corps approved the project using a fast-track process, known as permit 12, that was inadequate given its size and the many sensitive areas it would cross.

The Corps of Engineers argued in court in Washington last week that the Standing Rock Sioux and other parties had ample time to express concerns during a review process and that the pipeline was properly approved.
For a few brief months, it looked like America might take a step closer to sanity. And then came the news: The Obama administration will not loosen federal restrictions on marijuana after all.

Before delving into the issue of marijuana, consider its two fellow gateway drugs: alcohol and tobacco. Aside from the potential benefits from drinking a glass of red wine, neither one is good for you.

Alcohol can be incredibly harmful, either via acute alcohol poisoning or via chronic destruction to your life and liver. Cigarettes are always bad for you.

All three  alcohol, tobacco and marijuana  supposedly entice users to take a timid step into the world of drug use and then find themselves plunged all the way in with harder drugs like heroin, cocaine, or meth.

And while illegal drugs like meth and heroin can ruin your life or kill you, so can legal ones like alcohol. Just ask any recovering alcoholic.

But among the three so-called gateway drugs, marijuana alone is illegal according to the federal government.

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, defined as having no medical use and being subject to abuse. Its more regulated than cocaine, which hospitals have on hand for medical use.

But half of all U.S. states disagree and have enacted laws to legalize medical marijuana at the state level.

So recently, two governors asked the feds to take another look at its classification. The Obama administration and the DEA had a chance to ask themselves: Should marijuana really be on the same list as heroin, as it is now?

Yes, they decided, it should.

Theyve agreed to expand the availability for legitimate researchers to conduct clinical trials to determine whether marijuana has any legitimate medical uses, but they currently say theres no credible evidence that it does.

The hypocrisy is unbelievable on two levels.

First, because alcohol and tobacco are allowed, even though people can abuse them, and even when they provide no medical benefit.

Second, because we use an entirely different standard to determine the safety and legality of any number of other chemicals.

In most cases, our laws treat chemicals as safe until proven dangerous. Marijuana, on the other hand, is being held to a higher standard. Its not even that its considered dangerous until proven safe. The government says that they wont lift regulations on it until its proven beneficial.

In the last 40 years, the EPA banned just five out of over 80,000 chemicals used in the U.S. So while asbestos was still legal, even after scientists knew how toxic it was, people were locked up in jail for smoking pot.

To be fair, Congress just passed a reform of toxic chemical regulations this year. But the new law only goes so far. The EPA is working its way down a list of 90 high-priority chemicals that are both toxic and legal, including asbestos and arsenic.

Why do we have one standard for thousands of chemicals  considered safe until proven otherwise  and another for marijuana?

Imagine a world in which asbestos had to be proven safe before it could be sold legally. How many horrible deaths from mesothelioma wouldve been prevented?

Meanwhile, what if marijuana, which has caused zero deaths by overdose, was considered safe until proven otherwise?

We could regulate it just like we do tobacco and alcohol. We could say no advertising its use, no driving or working while high, no selling marijuana to anyone under 21 and so on.

The decision to keep marijuana illegal on a federal level until its proven to be beneficial reeks of hy-pot-crisy.
Legislation to require incoming lawyers in California to spend at least 50 hours in unpaid legal service to the poor has been vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown, who said it would add to the burdens of todays debt-saddled law school graduates.

Brown also vetoed a bill Monday that was intended to protect the privacy of prospective jurors in criminal cases by prohibiting judges and lawyers from using the jurors full names in open court.

The legislation on new lawyers, SB1257 by Sen. Marty Block, D-San Diego, was aimed at filling a gap in the system that has left many low-income Californians without access to legal help in disputes ranging from evictions to claims of discrimination.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1963 entitled poor people to free legal assistance in criminal cases, but the same right does not extend to civil cases.

Starting with students who entered law school in 2018, the bill would have required graduates to complete at least 50 hours of unpaid work representing poor people in civil cases before receiving a State Bar license to practice law. The work would be done under the supervision of a lawyer, professor or legal aid program.

The requirement will expose (prospective lawyers) to real-world experience, Block told a legislative committee. The American Civil Liberties Union supported the measure, and State Bar trustees, though not taking a formal position on SB1257, have proposed a 50-hour service requirement.

But Brown, who is also a lawyer, said that law students in California face skyrocketing costs, often more than $200,000 for tuition and room and board, and that many struggle to find jobs in a difficult market for new lawyers.

I believe it would be unfair to burden students with the requirements set forth in this bill, the governor said in his veto message. Instead, we should focus on lowering the cost of legal education and devising alternative and less-expensive ways to qualify for the bar exam.

The second measure, AB1766 by Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Santa Cruz, would have barred the public identification of prospective jurors in criminal trials, to protect them from possible retribution for their verdicts. Instead, judges and lawyers would have referred to them either by a number, their first name and last initial, or their last name and an honorific like Mr. or Ms.

Despite opposition from defense lawyers and newspaper publishers, the bill cleared both legislative houses without an opposing vote. But Brown, in his veto message, cited the open nature of criminal trials and said he prefers the current system that allows judges to decide whether to identify prospective jurors by name.

Stone, in a statement Tuesday, said his bill would have provided modest but necessary privacy and safety protections for prospective jurors.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
The venerable Wayne Thiebaud is one of those rare artists whose work resonates with a large general audience but who also commands the respect of curators and serious collectors. Best known for lushly painted portraits of luscious-looking baked goods, he has also convincingly captured the vertiginous thrills of the San Francisco streetscape and the sunny pleasures of the California delta landscape.

Thiebaud has also been very successful as a printmaker. Now 95, he has been working in the medium for more than 67 years. Christies, the auction house, will survey that aspect of his career in a sale, Thiebaud From Thiebaud: Works on Paper From the Private Studio of Wayne Thiebaud, on Sept. 29 in New York. San Franciscos Crown Point Press, where the artist has made many of his most important prints, will hold a short preview exhibition Wednesday-Saturday, Sept. 7-10.

I called Thiebaud at his studio in Sacramento and asked him whether appreciators and specialists look to his work for the same things. I think theres a difference, he said. Im happy when people come and smile, and enjoy. But a sizable number of viewers miss quite a bit.

Theres an important missing element (of) being able to make some sort of intimate association and access to the work. ... Painting is a kind of secret society, and there are initiation rites which have to be met, in order to know whats going on. ... Just checking what something like brush marks are about (for example), and how they function. The difference between a brush dance and a very fast brush that articulates something like tempo. So these wonderful parts of the reason why we paint, really, are often gone missing in peoples experience.

The sale will support the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation, which will watch over Thiebauds legacy and support the teaching collection of works by other artists he built over his career.

Weve tried to make it, also, a kind of educational exhibition, he said. Ive tried to get a survey of every kind of print Ive ever made, which turns out to be about 16 different processes ... and I tried also to show how a single subject matter would change from, lets say, a cake drawing, and then a cake linocut, and then a silkscreen cake, and then a litho cake, and then a woodcut cake.

Yes, he has said, I can sin in any medium.

Courtesy of the Asian Art Museum

Ancient story, contemporary telling: How does a museum devoted to great cultures unfamiliar to most Americans and far from our shores interpret ancient epic tales for a contemporary audience? The Asian Art Museum had an idea to help create excitement about its exhibition The Rama Epic: Hero, Heroine, Ally, Foe, opening Oct. 21: invite popular illustrators to team up to tell the classic story, then publish and distribute a zine.

The Ramayana, depending on which expert you believe, dates from the 11th century, or the sixth, or  at the unlikely extreme  is 1.7 million years old. It tells the tale of Prince Rama, his lover Sita and the warrior monkey Hanuman in their battle against the demon king Ravana. For the project Drawing Rama, the museum asked four artists to each tell a piece of the story.

Jon Adams has been a cartoonist for The Chronicle (Friendship Town) and has created cartoon shorts for MTV, as well as other projects. Wesley Allsbrook is an illustrator who has published in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Wired and McSweeneys. Sophia Foster-Dimino is a former Google doodler and indie comics Ignatz Award winner who has done work for the New Yorker and Lucky Peach magazines. And Andrea Nguyen, a 2013 graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, works at Airbnb as a graphic designer.

San Jose native Sanaa Khan helps run Tiny Splendor Press and Maxs Garage Press, both in Berkeley; she was commissioned to produce a cover that folds out to a poster.

The Rama Epic has been reinterpreted numerous times over the ages, and has been given the cartoon treatment often in recent decades. Nevertheless, when we spoke with audiences, we found out that, while many people had heard of the Ramayana, they werent familiar with the details, Asian Art Museum director Jay Xu said in a statement. We felt like it was critical to demonstrate how this is a universal story that is relevant to artists and art lovers today and can inspire anyone who lives in the Bay Area, no matter their heritage.

The museum will publish Drawing Rama in an edition of 1,000 copies; a prerelease event featuring the artists is planned for Saturday, Sept. 3, 5-7 p.m. at Mission: Comics & Art.

Last chance: As the end of summer makes way for a storm of early September openings, dont miss two important shows that stretch the limits of what we think of as photography, both closing Saturday, Sept. 3. At Gallery Wendi Norris, Christine Elfman shows romantically appealing images printed on paper she has sensitized with the juice of the amaranth flower, which gradually fades upon exposure to light, alongside more traditional  and more stable  silver gelatin prints ... And at Robert Koch Gallery, Rachelle Bussieres walks a tightrope between minimal depiction and the abstract sensual pleasures of cast shadows and photochemical tones.

Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicles art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1
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Update: Smales responded via email to confirm the GoFundMe was a joke. He wrote an explainer here. It was a poetically worded plea for donations, at least.

A Toronto man is apparently enlisting the help of the Internet's deep money pockets to help fund his dream of setting up a "living, breathing, art exhibit" at Burning Man, Thump reported Tuesday.

Oh, and that "art exhibit?" The plan is to ... wait for it ... buy 40 horses and ... well, I'll let Andrew Smales, the artist in question, explain the project in his own words:

Donate here and I'll stage a living, breathing, art exhibit, which is I am going to buy 40 horses from a ranch that's about 200 miles from the Black Rock Desert, I'm going to stick GoPros on each horse, and I'm going to travel with them to the Burning Man Playa, where I will set them loose.

What will happen? Where will they go? In the words of Joe Strummer, The Future Is Unwritten. Only me and you can write it together, and your money.

Smales apparently has never been to Burning Man before, and felt that this art exhibit and GoFundMe would be his ticket in, according to the page.

More for you Traveling to Burning Man by helicopter: not the Burner way?

With a lofty goal of $50,000 to reach before the end of Burning Man  he must also leave enough time to also purchase and transport said horses, you know  Smales is either tantalizingly close to reaching that amount, or dismally far.

As of this reporting, the amount of pledged donations is at $38,477. Two donations, however, are "offline donations" (meaning a check or cash has been given directly to the campaign) with one anonymous contribution of $15,000 and the other donation for $23,456 from "Horse Man." The other donations total $21.

Not making this up.

It's most likely not a real campaign, because, really, that's an animal cruelty case/lawsuit waiting to happen. But even so: We've reached out to Smales for comment, because why not. It's Burning Man, where people are apparently blowing up an anvil for fun.
Re: the recent editorial in the Globe Gazette about citizens banned from carrying guns at the Iowa State Fair:

 The Iowa State Patrol provided security at the Iowa State Fair. Did they have the manpower to watch over the entire fairgrounds simultaneously? On Sunday, Aug. 21, a man was stabbed while at the fair. No police intervention or (immediate) apprehension.

 Where was Gov. Branstad's promised "substantial security"? What if the assailant had gone on a stabbing rampage? Yes, this was only one incident, but ...

 This unarmed victim was not allowed have a gun on the fairgrounds for self-protection. Nor were any other citizens who may have been able to intervene in the absence of that "substantial security."

 Branstad is protected by armed officers. Makes his "citizens don't need self-protection"/anti-gun stance ring hollow.

 The editorial stated that police chiefs "cite data showing very few people are prepared for a live-fire situation." It seems that these days, some trained, experienced cops are not "prepared for live-fire situations." Many of these "prepared " officers who fired their guns face(d) serious criminal charges and/or spark(ed) riots.

 With all of these officers tied up at the fair, who was "minding the store?" (Patrolling roads and towns, etc.)

 Apparently, some of the powers-that-be believe Iowa has become a Wild West state where armed citizens are indiscriminately gunning each other down in public?

 You won't see law officers everywhere 24/7.

 You can legislate, outlaw, ban, confiscate or whatever. But the bad guys will always be armed.

William Amos, Plymouth
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After allegedly licking a mans face, hopping onto a police car, then climbing a tree and running into a restaurant, a man in Portland has added another mugshot to a collection of arrests and bizarre booking photos.

Matthew Medlin, 32, was arrested Wednesday just after midnight in Portland, Oregon. He was charged with four counts of criminal mischief, burglary, resisting arrest, attempted assault of a police officer, disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer and harassment, according to Multnomah County online records. In total, he is being held on $35,500 in bonds.

RELATED: Mugshots: Alleged meth use has changed Oregon man's face over 14 years

In the past, Medlins mugshots accompanying his arrests showed an evolution of sorts. The first booking photo, taken June 4, 2002, shows a clean-faced Medlin. As the years go by, Medlins face changes from admitted drug use, new ink and a ranging hairstyle.

The first time his tattooed, black square eyebrows appear is in a Jan. 7, 2013 photo. From there, Medlin dyed his hair multiple different colors, at one point wearing it long and black.

Before Wednesday, he was most recently arrested on Jan. 30, 2016 after a four-hour standoff with police at a rail yard in Portland when he was allegedly high on methamphetamine. His new booking photo shows Medlin wearing black braids a stark contrast from his photo more than six months before where his hair was brown and frizzy.

RELATED: Mayor in Virginia arrested, accused of exchanging meth for group sex

Police told KGW they received a call for a man who had reportedly assaulted a woman. Police arrived in an area in Southeast Portland, where Medlin jumped onto a police car, climbed a tree and proceeded to run into a nearby restaurant.

From there, employees were able to fork Medlin over to law enforcement after getting him out of the kitchen. Medlin tried biting an officer as they struggled to get him onto the ground. Officials had to sedate Medlin.

RELATED: Suspected meth lab causes explosion at San Antonio motel on Northwest Side

After Medlin was taken to a Portland hospital to be evaluated for drug intoxication, police discovered he damaged three vehicles, attacked a man and licked his face.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
On Aug. 22 there was a letter in this paper by Steve Epperly about voting Democrat is the only sensible choice. He was writing about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. A line in this editorial really disturbed me. The line was Besides, he is diminishing himself and those who support him should not be allowed to vote.

No one can be as tired of hearing about politics as 1 am. But we can not tune it out. I have heard people say, Oh lm not going to vote because I dont like ..." Please do not stay home and give up your vote.

As an American citizen the Constitution gives me the right to vote and I believe it is my duty to vote. If I dont favor the presidential candidates at least I have to think of the down-ticket candidates. No eligible persons should be deprived their vote.

When you step into the voting booth, think of your principles, values, the Republic and the C onstitution. Then vote for the candidates that best match you. Do not just vote because you are a registered Democrat, Republican, etc., or for the candidates because they are ahead in the polls and winning. Do not comprise your principles and values.

Please do not stay home, but get out and vote to make your voice heard.

Alyce Hugeback, Hampton
ATLANTA, Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA), will present at the 2016 RBC Capital Markets Global Industrials Conference. The presentation will take place on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. local time in Las Vegas.



The presentation will be webcast on Mueller Water Products websitewww.muellerwaterproducts.comand will be archived for approximately 90 days.

About Mueller Water Products

Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of products and services used in the transmission, distribution and measurement of water in North America. Our broad product and service portfolio includes engineered valves, fire hydrants, metering products and systems, leak detection and pipe condition assessment. We help municipalities increase operational efficiencies, improve customer service and prioritize capital spending, demonstrating why Mueller Water Products is Where Intelligence Meets Infrastructure. The piping component systems produced by Anvil help build connections that last in commercial, industrial and oil & gas applications. Visit us at www.muellerwaterproducts.com.




SANTA ROSA (BCN)



A teen is recovering in the hospital after being shot in the chest Tuesday evening in Santa Rosa, according to police.



Police said officers responded to Pioneer Park located at 2062 Peterson Lane at 5:38 p.m. on numerous reports of several gunshots being fired.



Officers arrived and found multiple people fleeing the area.



An investigation revealed a group of people were having a bar-b-que when a vehicle arrived, and a confrontation between the occupants and the park goers ensued.



Police said shortly after the confrontation, shots were fired into the crowded park from the area of the vehicle and a 16-year-old Santa Rosa resident was shot in the chest.



According to police, the teen was taken to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and was last reported in serious condition.



Detectives from the Gang Crimes team were called to take over, and an investigation is ongoing to determine the identity of those responsible for the shooting.



Police said detectives believe the shooting was a targeted, gang-related incident and not a random act of violence.



Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who has further information is encouraged to contact the Gang Crimes Team at (707) 543-3670.



A reward of $2,500 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects involved in this shooting.
















IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Future City Holding Inc. (OTCQB:FTCY) (the Company) is reporting that its Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ning Liu, is being detained in the Peoples Republic of China. The Company is currently investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding Mr. Lius detainment.



Michael Dunn, the Companys CFO, stated, We are still gathering information on why Mr. Liu was detained and the status of his detainment. Despite Mr. Lius detainment, the Company will continue to conduct business as usual.

About Global Future City Holding Inc.

Global Future City Holding Inc. is a holding company thats engaged in consumer product sales through the GX-Life Direct Selling Program offered by its wholly-owned subsidiary, GX-Life Global, Inc.

Additional information on the Company may be viewed at http://www.gf.city.

About GX-Life Global, Inc.

GX-Life Global, Inc. sells high quality consumer products such as personal care, wellness, and quality-of-life products under the brand, GX-Life via direct sales to consumers and e-commerce channels on an international basis. GX-Life utilizes GX-Coins, which is a cryptocurrency that functions as a store of value and a medium of exchange, in its Direct Selling Program where GX-Life Members are able to redeem their commissions into GX-Coins.

Additional information on GX-Life may be viewed at http://www.gx-life.com/

Information about Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking statements" that include information relating to future events and future financial and operating performance. The words "may," "would," "will," "expect," "estimate," "can," "believe," "potential" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: the Company utilizing cryptocurrency, which could have fluctuations in demand and pricing, the introduction and impact of new competitive products or cryptocurrency, the Company's ability to acquire and maintain customer strategic business relationships, growth in targeted markets, and other information that may be detailed from time-to-time in the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting the Company, please refer to the Company's recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
English French

IRVINE, CA, and HERSTAL, BELGIUM - August 31st, 2016 - MDxHealth SA (Euronext: MDXH.BR), announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement with Teva Pharmaceuticals to offer its SelectMDx(TM) for Prostate Cancer test to Teva's urology customers throughout Israel.

Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Teva Pharmaceuticals will be the exclusive distributor of the SelectMDx for Prostate Cancer test in Israel. Samples will be sent to MDxHealth's state-of-the-art clinical diagnostic laboratory in Nijmegen, The Netherlands for analysis. Teva will reimburse MDxHealth for all the testing services.

Dr. Jan Groen, Chief Executive Officer of MDxHealth, stated: "We are pleased to expand our longstanding partnership with Teva and allow patients in Israel to access SelectMDx, a test which is ideally suited to address an unmet need in urology. SelectMDx provides a non-invasive, 'liquid biopsy' test which improves patient selection for prostate biopsy."

Sapir Avinoam, VP and General Manager of Teva Israel, added: "The SelectMDx test opens up the opportunity to address a broader segment of patients at risk for prostate cancer and being considered for an invasive biopsy procedure. The test further complements our portfolio of molecular tests and services, allowing us to better serve our physician base and improve patient outcomes."

About SelectMDx for Prostate Cancer

Of the nearly 2 million prostate biopsies performed each year, less than a third find cancer. Most of these men could have avoided a painful and invasive prostate biopsy procedure, with its associated complications and costs. SelectMDx for Prostate Cancer is a proprietary urine-based, molecular diagnostic test that offers a non-invasive 'liquid biopsy' method to assess a man's risk for prostate cancer. SelectMDx helps identify men at increased risk of harbouring aggressive, potentially lethal, prostate cancer who may benefit most from a prostate biopsy and earlier detection. The test delivers a negative predictive value (NPV) of 98% for clinically significant disease, helping to reduce unnecessary MRI procedures and invasive prostate biopsies by approximately 50%, thereby reducing healthcare costs.

About MDxHealth

MDxHealth is a multinational healthcare company that provides actionable molecular diagnostic information to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The company's tests are based on proprietary gene methylation (epigenetic) and other molecular technologies and assist physicians with the diagnosis of cancer, prognosis of recurrence risk, and prediction of response to a specific therapy. For more information, visit mdxhealth.com and follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/mdxhealth.

About Teva Pharmaceuticals

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) is a leading global pharmaceutical company that delivers high-quality, patient-centric healthcare solutions used by millions of patients every day. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world's largest generic medicines producer, leveraging its portfolio of more than 1,000 molecules to produce a wide range of generic products in nearly every therapeutic area. In specialty medicines, Teva has a world-leading position in innovative treatments for disorders of the central nervous system, including pain, as well as a strong portfolio of respiratory products. Teva integrates its generics and specialty capabilities in its global research and development division to create new ways of addressing unmet patient needs by combining drug development capabilities with devices, services and technologies. Teva's net revenues in 2015 amounted to $19.7 billion. For more information, visit www.tevapharm.com.

For more information:







Dr. Jan Groen, CEO

MDxHealth

US: +1 949 812 6979

BE: +32 4 364 20 70

info@mdxhealth.com















Jonathan Birt, Chris Welsh, Hendrik Thys (PR & IR)

Consilium Strategic Communications

UK: +44 20 3709 5701

US: +1 917 322 2571 (Rx Communications Group LLC)

mdxhealth@consilium-comms.com





This press release contains forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of MDxHealth and the market in which it operates. Such statements and estimates are based on assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable but may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict, may depend upon factors that are beyond the company's control, and may turn out to be materially different. MDxHealth expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this release to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based unless required by law or regulation. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities or assets of MDxHealth in any jurisdiction. No securities of MDxHealth may be offered or sold within the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or in compliance with an exemption therefrom, and in accordance with any applicable U.S. securities laws.

NOTE: The MDxHealth logo, MDxHealth, ConfirmMDx, SelectMDx, AssureMDx and PredictMDx are trademarks or registered trademarks of MDxHealth SA. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 31, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (NYSE:HEB) (the Company or Hemispherx), announced today that it has entered into definitive agreements with two healthcare focused institutional investors for an offering of shares of common stock with gross proceeds of approximately $5 million in a registered direct offering. The closing of the offering is expected to take place on or about September 6, 2016, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.



In connection with the offering, the Company will issue registered shares of common stock at a purchase price of $1.50 per share. Concurrently in a private placement, for each share of common stock purchased by an investor, such investor will receive from the Company an unregistered warrant to purchase 0.75 shares of common stock. The warrants have an exercise price of $2.00 per share, will be exercisable six months after issuance and will expire five years from the initial exercise date.

Rodman & Renshaw, a unit of H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, acted as the exclusive placement agent in connection with this offering.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for preparation for technology transfer opportunities, expenses related to Ampligen manufacturing and for other working capital and general corporate purposes.

The shares of common stock described above (but not the warrants or the shares of common stock underlying the warrants) are being offered pursuant to a shelf registration statement (File No. 333-205228). Such shares of common stock may be offered only by means of a prospectus, including a prospectus supplement, forming a part of the effective registration statement.

The warrants and the shares of common stock underlying the warrants issued in the offering have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or applicable state securities laws. Accordingly, the warrants and underlying shares of common stock may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and such applicable state securities laws.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein. There shall not be any offer, solicitation of an offer to buy, or sale of securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offering, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. The Company will file a prospectus supplement with the SEC relating to such shares of common stock, and following such filing, copies of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained at the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov, or from H.C. Wainwright & Co. by e-mailing placements@hcwco.com.

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. 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, the risks and uncertainties associated with market conditions and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions related to the offering; 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. In addition, no assurance can be given as to 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. Clinical studies we have conducted 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.
English Latvian

SIA "AgroCredit Latvia" publish unaudited annual accounts for six months of the year 2016.

During the 1H 2016 AgroCredit Latvia has continued its growth, increased the total income and financing amounts. The turnover has increased by 21% in comparison with the responding period of previous year and the credit portfolio has grown by close to 20% since midterm of 2015.

The credit policy of the company has remained constant. The main focus is on financing grain growers, using conservative approach when making the credit decisions, wich has resulted into good portfolio quality standards.

The share capital has been increased during the 1H 2016 to improve the availability of bigger amount and lower cost credit resources.

About company:

SIA AgroCredit Latvia is a non-bank lender, which was founded in 2011 and since then is offering the credits to Latvian farmers. The main type of services is seasonal financing for grain growers to finance the purchases of fertilizers, seeds, crop protecion chemicals, fuel and other current assets. The loans are repaid in the end of season after the harvest and sales of grain. The major collateral of the the loans are future fixed grain contracts signed with AgroCredit Latvia partners - big grain trading companies. After the delivery of grain, the amount due to AgroCredit Latvia is paid directly by grain trader to the financier. This type of offset has granted very effective repayment process and high credit portfolio quality.
Re: Despite forceful legal pleas for the restitution of expropriated cultu [ #permalink

2 Kudos
In response to patient and advocate concerns that New York's medical marijuana program is too restrictive to serve many of its potential beneficiaries, the state health department today announced a series of reforms intended to make medical THC more accessible, including home delivery state-wide as soon as next month.

Since the state's first medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors in January, off Union Square at 212 East 14th Street, patients have argued that there are too few dispensaries in New York, too widely dispersedNew York City has been allotted four, in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. It doesn't help that many patients suffer from chronic pain, making travel of any kind difficult.

"In many cases, patients with serious health conditions cannot leave their homes and have difficulty accessing medical marijuana products," said the Department of Health in a release Tuesday. "Within the next week, the Department will issue guidance to the registered organizations outlining requirements that must be addressed in their home delivery plan submissions." According to the NY Times, the service will be in effect "quite likely" by the end of September.

This week's reforms do not address New York's restriction against smoking the plant for medical purposes. Patients must either vaporize THC oils, take a THC pill, or absorb it under the tongue.

The state says it also plans to certify nurses to recommend marijuana to patientscurrently only a doctor's privilegeand look into the possibility of creating a public database of doctors registered with the medical marijuana program. This, they argue, will make it easier for patients to locate doctors. "Within the next 30 days, the Department will send a letter to all currently registered practitioners to determine whether they are willing to have their names listed publicly on the Departments webpage," DOH said.

But advocates say that the federal government's recent refusal to remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Acta categorization for drugs that don't have medical use, that also includes heroinis a significant setback on the way to marijuana's full assimilation into the medical world.

Doctor Amy Piperato of Stony Point, New York told the Times that some doctors figure, Why put yourself at risk of liability of recommending a Schedule I product?

Medical marijuana is also not covered by health insurance in New York State. While the DOH is not addressing this rule, the state says it will immediately start waiving the $50 patient and caregiver application fee for those with "financial hardship."

Under current state law, access to said cards is limited to those suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, intractable spasticity caused by damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies, and Huntington's disease. The DOH says it is now considering expanding that list to include chronic pain, stating that it has "already begun conducting a review" of this possibility.

The DOH also plans to register five more organizations to manufacture and dispense medical marijuana over the next two years.
An associate at a corporate law firm is suing Airbnb and his supermodel host because the one-bedroom apartment he booked on Roosevelt Islandfor $3,000 a monthdidn't meet his expectations. Christian Pugaczewski spent one night in the apartment where he'd planned to spend the entire summer, dissatisfied with the building's empty cinder-block hallways that smelled like marijuana, holes inside the apartment, and a roach trap, among other concerns.

"There were holes in the floor," he told us Wednesday. "The stool legs were strategically placed in the holes. There were layers of grime built up on the window sills and the air conditioning units. There was a roach trap there too, so I assumed there was an infestation."

"I didn't stick around to find out," he clarified, "That was enough for me."

Pugaczewski, who splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City, says that based on the photos in the five-star Airbnb listing for a "Comfortable Spacious Island Retreat," he assumed the apartment he was renting was inside the luxury Riverwalk apartments. He also figured he'd found a deallistings he'd been looking at in Midtown East and the Upper East Side, near his office, were between $4,000 and $5,000 a month.

"For me, I thought... nobody wants to be on Roosevelt Island, and I could just take the tram over and walk to work," he said, adding, "I think as every New Yorker eventually learns after being here, there's no such thing as a good deal in New York."



Documentation of the damage (via Pugaczewski).

When Pugaczewski arrived at the addressRoosevelt Landings, a seven minute walk from Riverwalk, according to Google Mapshe said he couldn't quite put his finger on the bad feeling. He'd already paid for the first month of his stay in fulljust over $3,000. "It's hard to kind of identify what exactly makes something feel unsafe," he said. "But it was practically deserted, the hallways were all cinder-blocks, and you could smell marijuana in the common areas. It was not great."



Toilet scum (via Pugaczewski).

Roosevelt Landingswhich includes 540 Main Street, where Pugaczewski had booked his staywas built as subsidized housing for low-income seniors and the disabled, under the name Eastwood. It now has a mix of subsidized and market rate apartments, and advertises "fully renovated" units ranging from about $1,995 a month for a studio to $4,895 a month for a four-bedroom, according to Streeteasy.

"It was dark," Pugaczewski remembered. "There were some people hanging around the front entrance and it was not great. Just sort of loitering about. And it was kind of deserted except for those three people."

"I went into the apartment, I saw the condition, and I waited until sunlight and then split," he said.

Afterwards, Pugaczewski said that he was unable to get his $3,075 back, despite numerous calls to Airbnb and his host. He also said that Airbnb refused to let him leave a review on the apartment, arguing that he waived that right by canceling his stay. Airbnb did not immediately comment on this allegation.

A spokeswoman for Pugaczewski's host, Victoria's Secret model Lyndsey Scott, said that Airbnb denied the disgruntled renter's request for a full refund.

"Roosevelt Island is a beautiful neighborhood in New York City, known for its sense of community, family environment and diversityall traits I wholeheartedly embrace," Scott said in a statement. "I have always felt safe in my apartment and am proud to call Roosevelt Island my home."

"I acknowledge Mr. Pugaczewski's complaints and am working closely with Airbnb to ensure this is settled in a fair and just manner," she added.



Views (via Airbnb).

"It is not our policy to comment on specific pending litigation," said Airbnb in a statement Wednesday. "Millions of travelers have successfully used Airbnb to connect with hosts offering authentic local travel experiences. In very rare instances like this, we encourage guests to reach out to our 24-hour customer service helpline to resolve their issues promptly."

According to Airbnb's cancellation policy, "If the guest books a long term reservation and decides to cancel the reservation before the start date, the first month of the reservation is paid to the host in full and not refunded to the guest."

As for the rest of Pugaczewski's ill-fated summer, the associate said that he slept on a couch in New Jersey with relatives for two weeks until he found different accommodationswhich ended up costing $20,000 for 10 weeks. He said finding the spot, in extended-stay corporate housing on 57th Street and First Avenue, was a "complete nightmare." His suit is demanding that Airbnb and Scott pay the $11,000 difference.

The state's Multiple-Dwelling Law prohibits New Yorkers from renting out entire apartments for under 30 days if the tenant on the lease is not present. It is not, however, illegal to list such rentals onlinethough legislation before Governor Cuomo is trying to change that. An Airbnb spokesman pointed out that this particular rental, which would have exceeded 30 days, was not illegal.
When it comes to Donald Trump and immigration, there's one thing we know: if you came here without following the law, you're out! Unless you're an undocumented Polish laborer building Trump Tower. But hey, that was thirty-five years ago. Trump wouldn't keep exploiting workers. Like, say, models. He definitely wouldn't run a modeling agency that encouraged models to be here without visas, right? Oh, uh, I guess he would do that.

Mother Jones spoke to three models who worked for Trump through his Trump Model Management company, all three of whom told the magazine that the company employed them despite the fact that they didn't have work visas when they began modeling. One model, Rachel Blais, told Mother Jones she worked for six months in 2004 without a visa after coming to New York from Canada, but at least in her case the company helped her get one.

Two other anonymous models who spoke to the magazine said that they didn't ever have work visas during their time modeling for Trump Model Management. They also said representatives from the organization "encouraged them to deceive customs officials about why they were visiting the United States and told them to lie on customs forms about where they intended to live," according to Mother Jones.

Beyond the obvious hypocrisy of Donald Trump employing undocumented workers, the models said that their status made them afraid to complain about their working conditions. Those conditions allegedly included almost a dozen models living in the same basement apartment and getting charged $1,200 to $1,600 per month to sleep in bunk beds, all for the privilege of getting work through Trump's organization. "Anna," one of the anonymous models Mother Jones spoke to, said she "was on edge" for the entire three months she worked for Trump Modeling without a visa in 2009.

Trump's campaign didn't answer any questions Mother Jones sent them, but the practice of using undocumented models is also said to be widespread in the modeling industry. And after almost a full year of demonizing the undocumented, maybe Donald Trump will learn to pretend to have some compassion for them after his big trip to Mexico (which will go tremendously well, it'll be fantastic) ahead of an immigration policy speech this week. Of course, that would leave him suddenly without a base of support, so he'll probably just keep importing young women to work in his model mines and railing against Mexicans and Arabs.
Pak Han/Shotgun Players

With some of the first lines in Caught, playwright Christopher Chen immediately creates a complex, deeply sympathetic character in Lin Bo (Jomar Tagatac), a Chinese dissident artist.

After this profile of me in the New Yorker magazine, I have almost felt I am this  symbol of  all Chinese suffering, he begins, addressing the audience of Shotgun Players as if they were attendees at his art exhibit. So I am grateful when I get to be  an artist, which is what I am.
BRASILIA, Brazil  Brazils Senate on Wednesday voted to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the culmination of a yearlong fight that paralyzed Latin Americas largest nation and exposed deep rifts among its people on everything from race relations to social spending.

Michel Temer, 75, the interim president who served as Rousseffs vice president before breaking with her this year, was later sworn in to serve until the end of the current term in 2018.

While Rousseffs ouster was widely expected, the decision was a key chapter in a colossal political struggle that is far from over. Rousseff was Brazils first female president, with a storied career that includes a stint as a Marxist guerrilla jailed and tortured in the 1970s during the countrys dictatorship. She was accused of breaking fiscal laws in her management of the federal budget.

The Senate has found that the president of the federal republic of Brazil, Dilma Vana Rousseff, committed crimes in breaking fiscal laws, said Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, who presided over the trial.

Opposition lawmakers, who made clear early on the only solution was getting her out of office, argued that the maneuvers masked yawning deficits from high spending and ultimately exacerbated the recession in a nation that had long enjoyed darling status among emerging economies.

Nonsense, Rousseff countered time and again, proclaiming her innocence up to the end. Previous presidents used similar accounting techniques, she noted, saying the push to remove her was a bloodless coup detat by elites fuming over the populist polices of her Workers Party the last 13 years.

The opposition needed 54 of the 81 senators to vote in favor for her to be removed. They got many more, winning in a landslide of sorts, 61-20.

Rousseff won re-election in 2014, garnering more than 54 million votes.

In a second vote about 30 minutes later, Rousseff won a minor victory as a measure to ban her from public office for eight years failed. The 42-36 vote fell short of the 54 votes needed for passage.

In the background of the entire fight was a wide-ranging investigation into billions of dollars in kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras. The two-year probe has led to the jailing of dozens of top businessmen and politicians from across the political spectrum, and threatens many of the same lawmakers who voted to remove Rousseff.

Rousseff argued that many opponents just wanted her out of the way so they could save their own skins by tampering with the investigation, which Rousseff had refused to do.
ISTANBUL  An uneasy truce between Turkish troops and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria held on Wednesday, despite Ankaras vow that it would never negotiate with what it calls a terror organization.

The U.S. has called on both sides to stop fighting each other and focus on defeating the Islamic State group, hoping to halt days of clashes between a NATO ally and a Kurdish force that has proven to be highly effective against Islamic State.

But a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would continue to attack U.S.-backed Kurdish militias inside Syria. The spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said a cease-fire was out of the question.

Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish fighters as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey and is viewed as a terrorist group by Turkey and the U.S.

Washington sees the Kurds as a key partner against the Islamic State, and U.S. air strikes have helped a Kurdish-led militia known as the Syria Democratic Forces to seize a large swath of territory from the extremists in recent months.

There were no reports of clashes between Turkey and the Kurds on Wednesday, marking the third day of calm and suggesting that the U.S. had prevailed over its two allies to keep their distance.

Last week, Turkey sent troops and warplanes across the border to help Syrian rebels capture the Syrian border town of Jarablus. But then clashes broke out with the Kurds, who are dug in to the south in the town of Manbij, also recently seized from Islamic State.

Turkey has demanded that Kurdish forces withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River, which would include a pullout from Manbij, where the Kurds took heavy casualties in months of fighting with Islamic State over the summer.

On Tuesday, the Kurdish-backed Jarablus Military Council said it had agreed to a cease-fire with the Turkish military in a disputed area in northern Syria after lengthy consultations with the anti-Islamic State coalition.

But Kalin, the Turkish presidential spokesman, said such a deal was out of the question, insisting the Kurdish Syrian militiamen will remain a target for Turkey until they move east of the Euphrates.

Vice President Joe Biden said last week during a visit to Turkey that the Kurdish forces must withdraw or risk losing U.S. support. U.S. officials have since called on both sides to stand down, fearing that the conflict could undermine efforts to battle the Islamic State.

The Pentagon says Kurdish forces have already moved east of the Euphrates, in compliance with Turkish and U.S. demands.
About 30 minutes into Hell or High Water, an unfortunate thought occurs: It's trying to be a Blood Simple/Fargo kind of Coen Brothers film, but it's failing.

The slow burn tells the tale of Texas brothers Tanner (Ben Foster) and Toby Howard (Chris Pine's eyebrows), ranchers who turn to bank robbery in order to pay off bank debts and provide for Toby's estranged family. All the while, Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges, who is basically why we're nearly tricked into thinking it's the Coens) is hot on their heels with his partner Alberto (House of Cards' Gil Birmingham). We're told constantly that the plan is smart: Rob a specific bank's various under-secured branches in small Texas towns and then launder the money through Native casinos located in Oklahoma. And though we can accept that this somehow makes Toby a genius, his unpredictable ex-con brother acts as wild card and begins to muck it all up as he operates outside their agreed-upon tactics. Unplanned robberies, a penchant for violence and a psychotic need to stir shit up fuel Foster's scenes, and we constantly have this uneasy feeling he's about to explode. He portrays this restrained lunacy to perfection. Pine, on the other hand, is flat and emotionless to the point we constantly wish Foster would just get back on-screen already.

What could have been a tense cat-and-mouse story turns sour as Bridges and Birmingham's relationship makes for something akin to comedic relief. Uh-oh! The old-timer cowboy cop is full of racist little quips for the stoic Native copbut they're buddies and love each other despite all the chop-busting! This doesn't mix entirely well with Pine and Foster's decidedly more serious scenes, and it's hard to invest in either duo when the brothers are complete assholes and the cops are borderline bumbling. This makes the way they finally do catch up to the brothers feel anti-climactic or like they lucked out.

The Texas backdrop, however, is gorgeous and embodies place-as-character in a way not so enjoyable since the first season of True Detective's terrifying Louisiana backcountry. Music from Nick Cave sets a tone of constant dread and ramps up the unspoken feeling that Pine's character never wanted to resort to robbery. This could have (and should have) been explored more deeply, which leaves us with half of a fleshed-out character, a misstep that is all the more disappointing since the entire film otherwise progresses under the assumption that banks are evil, and while they most certainly have proven they are, it seems an ultimately flimsy motivation. Too bad, because Pine's unease might have translated into a Robin Hood-like regard for the brothers' actions; Tanner, unfortunately, is never redeemed.

The final 15 minutes feel tacked-on in a "let's wrap this up" fashion, and we simply can't shake the feeling that other filmmakers have executed similar subject matter with more successful results. It's as if director David Mackenzie (we promise you don't know him) seems to have missed the line between homage and distorted emulation.

It isn't that Hell of High Water is boringmore like it feels as if it couldn't quite realize its full potential. Bridges is always worth watching, even when his lines are goofy, and Birmingham strikes a superb counterpoint to his gruff, old cowpoke demeanor (let's get this guy more roles, huh?). Regardless, it still isn't the Coen Brothers; rather, it's a simple story told just well enough as to not bother anyone.



Hell or High Water

Directed by David Mackenzie

With Foster, Pine, Bridges and Birmingham

DeVargas, Violet Crown

R,

102 min.

Santa Fe Reporter
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OK, Jimmy Johns bananas-nutzo Free Smells sign in the window always triggers a snarky guffaw from my heavily glossed kisser. Smells are always free, like it or not. Scent is up there with style and class and all the things that make us shake our shiny tail feathers in society to fit in, show off and be noticed. And sometimes it can backfire.

Think of a gorgeous, stylish young lad dressed in some of the raddest finery. Like, woah, did this dude just get off a plane from Copenhagen? I mean, he's all wicked super freshy-fresh with an outfit that makes my eyes get googly. You nudge your pal, and in hushed tones say, "See? Santa Fe has such eclectic boho peeps, even if they are just popping in as a tourist ... How fab are we to attract such incredible hella unique fashion folks?!" I mean howwait. What? He saunters by you and you gag up a li'l mini puke cuz baby love, he smells. And I mean he really smells bad.



He is Mr. Stinky. It could be that he just didn't wash his glossy, pistachio flowing locks and has an overripe bouquet of rancid hippy hair. Or that he took a quickie dip in a fetid pool of icky yuck-yuck men's cologne. Or that he just plain STINKS. This, my friends, as you are well aware, is not uncommon. People can indeed reek; tacky perfume is like bad breath for the soul.

Better just to wash and go rather than grab that dime store slop and splash it on. You will ruin yourself. Your perfectly worked-out tush and your flouncy bouncy hair and your pedicure will go unnoticed if you smell like a magazine ad. My motto is: When in doubt, don't. And do not drunk-scent-shop.

A white sage mist from La Montanita Co-op (913 W Alameda St., 984-2582) and some smack-yo-face lemongrass oil will do quite well in the Fanta Se. Plus it repels nasty skeeters.

I met the most dreamily scented fellow on a hot Santa Fe night on the patio at Rio Chama (414 Old Santa Fe Trail, 955-0765). I was sipping in the sights and delighting to deep house when BOOM BING BAM, DJ Yon Hudson appeared. But I didn't see him, I smelled him. Immediately I grabbed my hubby and said, "Smell that dude!" He complied without batting an eye, and we both "oohed!" and "ahhed!"

Yon just smiled and said, "Yes. I have a thing for vintage men's cologne. This one is Pour Homme, Tom Ford's FIRST scent for Gucci circa 2003 mixed with Kilian's Smoke For The Soul."

Well, he had me with Kilian (lucky us, it's at the Cos Bar, 128 W Water St., 984-2676)! I adore Kilian and my scent is Sweet Redemption, aka The End. Try to find it, I dare you. Kilian is created by the heir to the Hennessy Cognac empire, and the cellars redolent of cedar and the ephemeral angels' share surely inspired him in his youth. I pressed Yon hard and got him to give me a tour of his glowing and temperature-controlled cabinet of magical aromatic elixirs. I mean, some of these are just impossible to find. He gave me 3 spritzes of the Pour Homme, and I don't think I will ever wash my shirt again. Think pencil shavings and Paris in the rain. It's woodsy-crisp and smells perfectly rich!

Mmhmm, I said it. Scent can make you seem insanely wealthy. It can trick people. Make 'em think you are and you become the fantasy. Just ask Ralph Lifshitzoops, I mean Ralph Lauren.

In Santa Fe we have crackly electric monsoons with sweet pinon smoke swirling around, mixed with it the heady roasting of green chile and ancient sage. We are beyond blessed and, let's face it, we know as much. We revel in the sumptuous, unctuous overload of olfactory delights, well aware that these scents will always bring us back to that moment when we first breathed in Santa Fe.

Great java can delight and enchant us as well. Since June of 1992, Bill and Helen Deutsch of Holy Spirit Espresso (225 W San Francisco St., 920-3664) have served stunning espressos and the most delicious pinon sap cream. No, not for your joe, buddy, it's for your hands and tootsies. Bill rocks the style ticket with ever-changing double bandanas in a kaleidoscope of hues and Helen concocts the cream. She wild-forages the pinon sap pine and fir EO and mixes it with pure shea butter, olive oil and a whole lotta care. And baby, I am addicted. Order through e-mail from coffeeflower@msn.com or just pop into their shop. It also comes in lavender and herby varieties, the latter of which features rosemary, tea tree, marjoram and bergamot.

For my style fiends this week we have a sweatshirt by up-and-coming, newly minted darling of the fashion world, Nicola Brognano! He just won the Who Is On Next 2016 fashion scouting project created by Altaroma in collaboration with Vogue Italia, and his collection is jaw-dropping genius. For PINKO Uniqueness, a huge European brand known for supporting young creative talent and re-infusing money and opportunity into the fashion scene, he created a whimsy-dipped sportswear collection emblazoned with slogans. Brognano took cues from Barbara Kruger with inspired sayings like "When I'm with u it's paradise." But what got my snout twitching was his hilarious take on the Paris luxe brand of scents and candles by Diptyque (whose fragrances range from Orange Tree to Old Montauk Highway, I kid you not). He replaced the classic Diptyque logo with "Love Me Tender" splashed out all over rad-as-heck sweatshirts (see drawing).

Brognano's genius is quite unique, and it sparks us with desire and humor and teases our nostrils as to know what tender love must smell like. I say pure musk and innocent Love's Baby Soft with a drop of Coppertone  I can dream.

So take that extra moment to put that aromatic cherry on top of your look. It's a big deal. It is. And when you give out your 15th hug of the day (you do know the happiness quota is 20 hugs a day!), you will get a huge "Ahhhhh" from your huggie. They'll gasp. "OMG! You smell sooooo good!" And you will nod knowingly and coo, "Thank you darling, thank you."



Santa Fe Reporter
It was a near tragedy. A family from Muncie, Indiana, was shopping for art on Santa Fes legendary Canyon Road last March when the mother suddenly keeled over from hunger!

Calamity was narrowly averted when one of those Canyon Road Saint Bernard rescue dogs showed up with a saddlebag full of Snickers bars. The family was then rushed by chopper to Kakawa for emergency hot cocoa and fudge.

Okay, this probably never really happened, but apparently even the possibility that it could has city officials wondering what we can do to help the hungry people of Canyon Road. Sure, endless art in countless galleries can feed their souls, but man cannot live on vivid pink sunset landscapes alone.

All too often, rookie visitors head up Canyon Road without adequate provisions to get them safely through the four-block-long trek. Their emaciated bodies aren't even noticed until someone trips over them during the Christmas Eve farolito walk.

Personally, I have to wonder who can't manage a simple stroll without food, but it must be a real thing, because the city has just designated two spots where assorted trucks may sell food and other wares for three hours each, before giving up the space to another truck.

Supporters of the trucks stress the need for food at a "lower price point," but I really doubt whether shoppers on the most famous art boulevard in America are worried about finding a $2 taco while they think about buying a $20,000 sculpture.

Before you start in on me, I have nothing against food trucks. What two words in our language fit together more naturally than truck and food? These 21st century miracles can provide true religious experiences, such as the bread pudding from that French truck that used to be on Old Santa Fe Trail. It's gone now, and I miss it every time I drive past.

But that doesn't mean every nook and cranny in our quirky 400-year-old city is a perfect spot for mobile food, and frankly, I question the artistic passion of someone who can't wander in and out of galleries for a couple of hours without a hoagie in their hand.

Canyon Road has problems. Sidewalks are missing in some places, forcing people to step into the gutters, and that doesn't even count the clueless tourists who seem to think the entire street is a pedestrian walkway. City officials think the two chosen spots will be able to bear the traffic, but that remains to be seen as hungry customers vie with art lovers for scant sidewalk space.

And it is important to remember these trucks lack certain amenities we associate with dining out: upscale luxuries like restrooms, tables and chairs.

"Here's your lunch, Lisa, Let's just walk around and look at the beautiful art while we eat. Lisa! You got mango chutney on that $8,000 watercolor! Tell the man you're sorry, and lose the smirk, young lady!"

Look, you know I'm a problem solver, and here's my thinking: If we're going to do this, let's do it with Santa Fe razzle-dazzle. Let's bring in that Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, park it crossways at Canyon and Delgado, and let the traffic just fend for itself.

That isn't a permanent solutionthe Wienermobile has other important places to bebut at least it will hold us until we can convert the Ernesto Mayans Gallery into a Dunkin' Donuts.

Like I said, I solve problems.



Robert Baslers humor column runs twice monthly in SFR. Email the author: bluecorn@sfreporter.com

Santa Fe Reporter
Seeka Kiwifruit Industries, which handled record volumes of fruit in its latest packing season, is moving up the value chain by acquiring the Kiwi Crush and Kiwi Crushies product ranges from Auckland-based Vital Food Processors for an undisclosed sum.

Kiwi Crush is a range of kiwifruit based drinks marketed for digestive complaints such as constipation and for the benefits of their vitamin C and antioxidants. The Kiwi Crushies range of fruit-based ice blocks was launched in 2014.

Chief executive Michael Franks said the company wasn't required to disclose the purchase price given it was relatively small relative to the size of the business. "This is about total value recovery - getting more value from the produce that we're handling," he said.

Seeka, the largest kiwifruit grower in New Zealand and Australia, was on the lookout for other potential value-added assets it could acquire, "when it fits into the core business."

Seeka listed in 2003. In recent years it has added SeekaFresh, which handles non-Zespri supplied produce including avocados, and Glassfields, which imports and ripens tropical fruit and provides a logistics service for retailers. It produces avocado oil that is sold under the Village Press brand.

Franks said Seeka has a long association with Vital Foods as a supplier of kiwifruit and as a shareholder. Seeka owns 2.3 percent of Vital, according to Companies Office records.

Seeka said the products would initially continue to be manufactured by Vital but that Seeka plans to establish a food technology and processing centre in the Bay Of Plenty in time for the next kiwifruit season, focussed on adding value to the products it handles.

The company's New Zealand volumes rose 17 percent to 30.8 million trays in the 2016 season, exceeding 30 million for the first time. Last week it said first-half profit almost doubled to $7.1 million.

Its shares last traded at $4.40 and have gained 27 percent in the past 12 months.

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Kiwifruit marketer Zespri has reduced its forecast 2017 profit and some grower returns for the current season because increased crop volumes for the Green variety are weighing on prices.

Following the companys annual meeting in Mt Manganui today, Zespri chief executive Lain Jager has cut the forecast corporate profit range for the year ending March 31, 2017, by $4 million to a range of $66 million-to-$71 million compared with the June forecast range of $70-$75 million.

That figure includes licence revenue of $50.2 million after tax from the release this year of 400 hectares of the new gold variety, Gold3. It compares with net profit of $35.8 million in the 2016 financial year.

After a late start to the 2016 season with delayed maturity, were pleased to report that weekly sales run rates have now surpassed last years sales and were on track to sell 82 million trays of NZ Green and 47 million trays of NZ SunGold, Jager said.

Zespri remains focused on delivering its strategy to provide the worlds best portfolio of kiwifruit 12 months a year and on growing demand ahead of supply as volumes grow strongly, he said.

The August forecast for grower returns for the 2016/17 season shows returns dropping for the Green variety due to record supply, up 30 percent over the past two seasons, while Gold returns remain above last season.

The Green forecast return is $4.21 per tray, at the bottom end of the June range of $4.20 to $4.80 and well under the prior seasons $5.13 per tray. That would mean an average per hectare return of $51,568 compared to $56,673 per hectare the previous season. The lower price reflects the record crop volume and subsequent impact of crop management of 5.3 million trays which have been removed from the sales inventory.

Organic Green is forecast at $6.25 per tray, under the June range of $6.40 to $8.50 and below the $7.18 achieved last year, with the average per hectare return at $48,431.

The Gold return looks rosier at $8.27 per tray, around the mid-point of the June forecast range of $8 to $8.50 with the average hectare return at $93,852. It compares to $71,080 per hectare and $8.21 per tray last season.

Forecast returns for Green14, the sweet variety introduced in 2010, is $5.12 per tray against a June forecast range of $5 to $6 and $7.01 achieved last season. The forecast return per hectare is $40,762 against $42,995 per hectare the prior year.

Zespri chairman Peter McBride said at the annual meeting that it had been a strong 2015/2016 season with record sales and total grower returns and progress made on implementing the recommendations of the Kiwifruit Industry Strategy project which covered long-term grower ownership, funding and structure of the monopoly-controlled $1.9 billion industry.

In a referendum last year, well over 90 percent of voters backed Zespris single-desk seller model.

The government agreed to amend the Kiwifruit Export Regulations to allow Zespri shareholders to set a cap on maximum shareholdings and eligibility for dividend repayments which McBride said ensures New Zealand kiwifruit growers continue to own and control Zespri into the future.

When Zespri was formed in 1999 production and shareholding were aligned but the regulations allowed former participants to retain their shares after exiting the industry and for some existing growers to have a significant number of shares. That raised fears the industry could eventually be owned by former rather than current growers as many get close to retirement.

The regulatory changes were part of a broader package of industry initiatives that have been implemented or are underway including forming a National Maori Growers Forum, a new approach to collaborative marketing, and an improved share trading platform for Zespri shares which are on the Unlisted platform.

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Former Treaty negotiator Ngatata Love has been found guilty of obtaining significant sums by deception in the High Court fraud trial over his dealings with property developers while chairman of the Wellington Tenths Trust.

An alternate charge of receiving secret commissions didn't succeed. The verdict was delivered by Justice Graham Lang after the month-long hearing in Wellington. The charges came from an investigation into a $1.5 million payment from a land developer into a trust controlled by Love's partner, Lorraine Skiffington, which was then used to repay a property loan on a Plimmerton house he and Skiffington co-owned. It was the first installment of what was intended to be a $3 million payment.

In a brief oral judgment delivered this morning before the distribution of the written judgment, Justice Lang said he was satisfied Love knew about all of the transactions including the lease agreement, the services agreement, and the house purchase, and he was instrumental in setting up the early transactions.

"Dr Love created an environment in which the developers believed he was acting with the knowledge and consent of the trustees," Lang said. "That was clearly not correct given what transpired."

The judge said Love had failed to disclose information which he was duty bound to disclose to the trustees, namely the $3 million payment from the developers.

Love's QC Colin Carruthers asked the judge not to enter a conviction before sentencing, which the judge agreed to.

The verdict marks a fall from grace for the Wellington insider who was made a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Maori in 2008, later upgraded to a knighthood, and who was able to call up high-profile character witnesses during the trial. He was said to be a close confidante of Helen Clark on Maori issues when she was prime minister.

Love had sheeted the blame home to Skiffington, who he claimed had acted without his knowledge, and also blamed Shaan Stevens, a consultant who worked alongside Skiffington and Love.

Skiffington was also charged but has been granted a permanent stay due to her ill health, while Ngatata Love's son Matene Love had already pleaded guilty to accepting a secret commission.

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SeaDragon shareholders have overwhelmingly voted in favour of funding arrangements with Comvita that will result in the manuka honey company becoming the biggest investor in the fish oil refiner with as much as 36.5 percent of the company.

Comvita emerged on SeaDragon's register with a 13.06 percent stake after agreeing to facilitate the completion of the company's 3-for-5 renounceable rights offer last September. As a result, it was issued with 411 million SeaDragon shares and 411 million options. Then in May this year, Comvita provided SeaDragon with a convertible loan facility of $3 million, which could be converted to a maximum 375 million ordinary shares.

The arrangements needed approval of shareholders at today's meeting in Tauranga because they will push Comvita's holding to more than the 20 percent threshold for a full offer under the Takeovers Code and in the event Comvita converts all options and the loan to shares and no other shareholders exercise their options could see its holding jump to 36.5 percent. That also exceeds the 25 percent threshold that would allow Comvita to block a special resolution of shareholders.

An independent evaluation by consultancy Campbell MacPherson concluded Comvita is unlikely to end up with 36 percent but was likely to end up with a shareholding above the 25 percent threshold. The arrangements give Seadragon access to up to $3 million at a time when it is cash strapped and not well placed to increase its borrowing from its main lender Heartland Bank, the evaluation said.

The analysis found the conversion price of 0.8 of a cent was a "significant" discount to its trading price (now 1.2 cents), the terms were not fair to non-associated shareholders. Still, taking into account the wider benefits and risks, the positive aspects of the transaction outweighed the negatives.

Chairman Colin Groves told shareholders today that the company accepts that the terms of the transaction "are favourable to Comvita" but given the urgency of the funding need and Seadragon's stage of development it was unlikely the company would have found alternative funding.

"We believe we have arrived at an agreement that represents the best that we could hope for," Groves said. The company's other cornerstone shareholders, One Funds Management with 23 percent and SDMO Trustee with 13.8 percent both supported the transaction.

Seadragon ended up being squeezed for cash because demand for Omega-2 plunged just as it was investing in a new refinery for Omega-3, a product with greater global potential. It ended up writing down its Omega-2 inventory by $3.7 million and the Comvita funding is partly being used to exit that market.

The company said it plans to launch a further rights issue soon, "to ensure we have the right capital structure". It will also need the capital to fund further planned investments in its Omega-3 refinery, to allow production of higher-value oil through fractionation, which is likely to cost more than its $3 million estimate.

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The Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society has won an appeal against a proposed land swap by the Department of Conservation which would have allowed 22 hectares of Ruahine Forest Park be flooded as part of the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme that will provide irrigation for farmers.

In a majority decision released today, the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling that the director-general of conservation, Lou Sanson, was entitled to revoke the conservation status of the land that lay within the footprint of the proposed reservoir, allowing it to be flooded in exchange for a larger area of land with conservation value. In the High Court, Forest & Bird had challenged the DOC chief's right to "trade away" conservation estate land held for recreational purposes under the Conservation Act for the benefit of commercial interests.

"The principal issue under appeal was whether the decision to revoke the classification was done in accordance with the law," Justices Helen Winkelmann and Rhys Harrison said in the majority judgment. "The majority of the court found that under the Act the director-general would have had to be convinced in his assessment that the intrinsic values of the land in question were no longer worth permanent protection as envisaged by the Act. He was not entitled, as the High Court had ruled, to base his decision on a broad assessment of the merits of the proposed land swap for the conservation estate as a whole."

The court directed Sanson to set aside his decision and reconsider the application of the second respondent in the appeal, Hawke's Bay Regional Investment Co.

The third member of the appeal bench, Ellen France would have dismissed the appeal for the reasons given in Justice Matthew Palmer's High Court ruling, which rejected the environmental group's challenge, finding that the decision was within the broad purpose of the Conservation Act.

Last October, Sanson said he had approved the land swap because it amounted to "a net gain for conservation" of about 170 hectares of private land containing beech forest and regenerating native bush, in return for 22 ha of the Ruahine Forest Park. He described the 22 ha block as having previously been heavily logged, and "partly infested with weeds such as willow and Darwins barberry".

But Forest & Bird lawyer Sally Gepp said at the time that allowing this decision to stand could set a precedent and mean that any part of New Zealands specially protected conservation land could be traded away "and the special values of the land removed to advance commercial interests."

The $275 million water scheme, backed by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's investment arm, would create a 93 million cubic metre reservoir to store water in the upper Makaroro river to improve river flows for agricultural use in the Tukituki River catchment. It's estimated it would provide irrigation for 25,000 hectares of farm land in central Hawke's Bay.

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South Williamsburg locals tried to stonewall an NYPD investigation into the mob attack on a gay African-American man, an NYPD detective testified Tuesday in the trial of the only accused attacker still facing charges.

Hate Crimes Unit Detective Eric Sanchez recalled that when investigators went to try to retrieve surveillance footage of the early-morning 2013 beating of then-student Taj Patterson that left him blind in one eye, "We discovered that many of the residents in the area were being uncooperative." Sanchez explained that when asked for footage, people in the heavily Hasidic Jewish area would claim their cameras were broken or weren't set to record at the time.

Only after repeated instances of this did it occur to detectives to send Jewish detectives, and according to the Daily News, one undercover investigator in particular gained access to footage by claiming to have been the victim of a robbery the same night.

The testimony came in the trial of Mayer Herskovic on gang assault and other charges. The gang assault charge alone carries as many as 25 years in prison. His codefendants have pleaded guilty to unlawful imprisonment, a misdemeanor, and dodged jail time, and recently stopped quibbling about a judge's requirement that they perform community services in "culturally diverse neighborhoods"they had applied to volunteer for a Jewish children's health group. Two other codefendants saw their charges dropped after some witnesses changed their tunes.

Prosecutors claim that the attackers are members of the local Shomrim organization, a Hasidic Jewish neighborhood patrol with many of the accouterments of actual police, and witnesses have said that some of the 15 to 20 men who surrounded Patterson, yelled anti-gay slurs, and beat him were wearing clothes with Shomrim insignias on them.

Patterson is also suing the Shomrim group, the Williamsburg Safety Patrol, which has denied that all the suspects were members, though it has not gotten more specific, and the city, for its ties to the organization. The NYPD reportedly closed the investigation into the assault on Patterson shortly after he filed a complaint, and only reopened it after Patterson's mother spoke out in the press.

Herskovic's DNA was allegedly found on one of Patterson's shoes, which a member of the mob threw onto a rooftop.

Herskovics attorney Israel Fried asked Sanchez on Tuesday if he had ever encountered such recalcitrance during an investigation before, to which Sanchez said, "Not to this magnitude."
Christchurch-based property developer David Henderson has asked the Court of Appeal to overturn his conviction for seven tax charges, with his lawyer claiming that the judge showed apparent bias in his remarks during the trial last year.

In the Christchurch District Court last September, Judge Gary MacAskill found Henderson guilty on seven charges of being a party to his company, Dweller, not paying PAYE tax which had been deducted from employees but wasn't sent to the Inland Revenue Department. The offending took place in 2010. The trial took ten months due to several breaks in proceedings, with Henderson initially representing himself in November 2014 before he hired legal representation in May 2015.

Henderson agreed to pay back about $143,000 from a family trust, and the judge sentenced him to 200 hours of community work and four months of community detention. Immediately after sentencing, Henderson said he intended to appeal the conviction, Christchurch's daily newspaper The Press reported at the time.

James Rapley, who is Henderson's lawyer in the appeal but didn't represent him in the District Court trial, told the Court of Appeal bench that there had been a miscarriage of justice and the district court judge had appeared biased in his remarks during the trial, particularly comments made while Henderson was representing himself.

"The judge's comments are of concern," Rapley said. "They're strong comments about whether the appellant has any defence. You don't say, well I don't think you've got any defence available to you but away you go. In the second phase of the hearing, the judge has already expressed a very strong view."

Rapley said a footnote from the district court judge in the original trial had said the case wasn't predetermined, which the lawyer described as a "red flag" and a sign the judge had recognised his earlier comments could appear biased.

The judges asked Rapley what the point of his appeal was, as he wasn't appealing the verdict reached by the judge. Rapley said the right to a fair trial was absolute, and any breach of that must mean Henderson's conviction would be quashed.

Henderson's defence in the case of a retrial would be that he has paid reparations to IRD, Rapley said, prompting Justice Stephen Kos to reply that it "doesn't sound like a particularly strong defence" and Rapley accepted it may be that the Crown wouldn't pursue the charges again as the money had been repaid and time had elapsed.

Crown lawyer Ian Murray said it was important to look at the issue of predetermination in the context of a ten-month hearing - "it's not about picking out a selection of highlighted clips and saying on the basis of that, without any context of what's gone on in this case, that shows apparent bias."

Henderson had decided not to cross-examine a number of witnesses and hadn't challenged the Crown evidence when he was self-representing, and this led to the judge's comments, Murray said.

"There's nothing wrong with the judge being quite direct with someone," Murray said. "The judge has made the point the appellant seems to have chosen that tactic, believing he had an ace up his sleeve, hasn't cross-examined, therefore the judge has the Crown case at its absolute highest. It's not the judge saying you're guilty, the judge is saying you didn't challenge the evidence but I'm going to give you another chance."

The three judges have reserved their decision.

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More than 500 New Yorkers have been infected with the Zika virus, including 56 pregnant women, according to the NYC Health Department. Although no Zika-carrying mosquitos have been found in New York (yet), health officials are urging New Yorkersparticularly pregnant women and their partnersto refrain from traveling to Zika-infested parts of the world for the next year.

A Department of Health fact sheet shows that the majority of New Yorkers who have been infected with Zika contracted the virus after traveling to the Dominican Republic, but the virus is now being transmitted within the U.S. as well.

Earlier this month, health officials warned pregnant women not to travel to certain parts of Miami Beach; since then, Florida officials have also warned of locally-transmitted Zika cases in the Tampa Bay area. There are up to 270 expected Zika-related microcephaly cases in Puerto Rico, where the virus is also being locally transmitted.

Zika symptoms are mild (the most commonly-reported symptoms are fever, rash, and joint pain), so those infected may not realize they have the virus and could potentially transmit it to their sex partners. Researchers are also investigating the link between Zika and Guillian-Barre Syndrome. Zika can also cause microcephaly, a birth defect that leaves infants with brain damage and abnormally small heads and can cause hearing loss.

The biggest problem researchers are facing with regards to Zika is the unknown. "What we're really challenged with here is a lot of uncertainty," Jay Varma, the Deputy Commissioner for Disease Control at the city's Department of Health said at a press conference last month after the world's first case of a woman sexually transmitting the virus to her male partner.

The FDA recommended last week that all blood donated in the United States and its territories be tested for Zika to prevent more pregnant women from contracting the virus. In 11 states near areas with local transmission or with high rates of travel-related infections, including New York, these new blood testing guidelines must be implemented within four weeks.

As New York continues to prepare for a potential Zika onslaught, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that federal funds to fight Zika are nearly exhausted.
[Update] Police have now released a sketch of a new person of interest who was reportedly spotted in the area the day when Vetrano was killed. Check it out below.

This week, the father of Queens jogger Karina Vetrano, who was found raped and murdered at the start of the month, made a public plea to speak to a fellow jogger who frequented the same path in Spring Creek Park as Vetrano who had seemingly gone missing in the weeks since her disappearance. That man has now come forward and spoken to policeand the reason he disappeared had nothing to do with the case.

The jogger, whose name has not been released, had been dealing with a knee injury for the last couple weeks. "Hes a 48-year-old man who hurt his knee and stopped jogging. Nothing more heinous than that," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told reporters. Hes not a subject at all. We spoke to him last night. He voluntarily came into the precinct, and we sat down, and we talked to him. He self-identified as that person that Phil would see jogging prior to that. It was just an injury."

Karina Vetrano was murdered on August 2nd, when the 30-year-old was dragged off a jogging trail in Spring Creek Park sometime after 5 p.m. She was badly beaten, with some of her teeth reportedly knocked out. Her hands were still clutching weeds, and the police believe she fought her killer to the end.

Although investigators recovered DNA at the scene of the crime, they have been unable to find a match in their database. "A DNA profile was developed from three parts of the investigation: from the victims phone, Karinas phone, from touch DNA from her neck, and also...other parts of her person, Boyce said. "We were able to identify a DNA profile. We put that into our database, and there was no nationwide hit on it or any state hit on it."

Despite a reward of nearly $300K for any information on the case, there have been frustratingly few leads, prompting Vetrano's father, Phillip, to go to the media for help directly at times, as with this week's appeal to the missing jogger.

Police add that they do have a new person of interest they want to talk to, although they specify that this person isn't a suspect at the time. The NYPD will release a sketch this week of the man, whom police sources say was seen coming out of the weeds at Spring Creek Park near Belt Parkway around the time Vetrano was killed.

"This is definitely someone we want to talk to, a source told The News. "He was seen in the area. This is someone we believe that could provide us additional leads."

Update: Police have now released a sketch of the new person of interest, who was spotted by a utility worker in the area near where the attack took place. You can see the sketch below.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
BENGALURU: Apple has finally announced the launch of the latest version of its iPhone series; the iPhone 7. The tech giant has scheduled an event on September 7, featuring the official launch of the 7th generation of the iPhone series. Press invites for the mega event are already being sent by the company. The invite reads, "See you on the 7th. Please join us for an invitation-only event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Wednesday, September 7, at 10:00 a.m." Rumors also suggest that a new Apple watch is likely to be unveiled at the event.

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, venue of the grand launch has a seating capacity that can occupy about 7,000 people. It also happens to be the same arena where Apple staged its World Wide Developers Conference earlier this year. In that conference, the company had unveiled the latest versions of its operating systems such as the Mac OS Sierra, Watch OS 2 and iOS 10.

A recent online report suggests that the company plans to introduce the iPhone7 equipped with a lightning connector for audio output; ditching the primarily used 3.5mm audio jack. With the innovative concept, the company focuses on making its later iPhones variants slimmer. The report is confirmed with some images posted online which displays Apple's EarPods featuring lightning connector. The images were posted on Weibo, a Chinese social media website. However, this will not make Apple the first company to drop the 3.5mm headphone jack. LeEco, a Chinese manufacturer also launched three smartphones without the 3.5mm jack this year. Furthermore, the tech giant states that its upcoming variants are the worlds first smartphones to introduce a USB Type-C audio port equipped with the CDLA (Continual Digital Lossless Audio) tech.

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NEW DELHI: To push India into top five pharmaceutical innovation hubs by 2020, the government is preparing for multi-billion dollar investment with 50 per cent public funding through its Public Private Partnership (PPP) model to enhance innovation capability, reveals a study.



"To push the country into top five pharmaceutical innovation hubs by 2020 and establish presence by launching one out of every 5-10 drugs discovered in India at global level, the government has been very active in boosting growth and investment in the industry," the study stated.



The government is looking at investing billions of dollars in the sector with 50 per cent public funding through its PPP, noted the joint study by industry body Assocham (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) and TechSci Research.



Currently, the government allows 100 per cent FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) under automatic route (without prior permission) in the pharmaceuticals sector.



"FDI favourably impacts the Indian pharma industry by providing access to more capital for investing in research and development, which in turn, leads to creation of more IPR (Intellectual Property Rights)," the study titled 'IPR in pharmaceuticals: Balancing, innovation and access', said.



For growth of the pharmaceutical industry, there is a weighted tax deduction at a rate of 150 per cent for the research and development expenditure incurred. Government also launched two schemes, including New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative in 2003 and the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Research Programme in 1994-95, specially targeted at pharmaceutical research.



The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) data suggests that the drugs and pharmaceuticals sector in India has attracted FDI worth $1,523 million during April 2014-March 2015.



Additionally, industrial licences are not essential in India for most of the pharmaceutical products. Hence, drug manufacturers are free to develop any drug upon approval by the Drug Control Authority.



The act of protecting one's innovation through a patent has initiated investments from many multinational pharmaceutical companies (MNCs) in India. These MNCs are looking at India for its strength in contract manufacturing and as an attractive base for research and development (R&D), particularly for conducting clinical trials and other services.



Indian and foreign pharmaceutical companies are progressing with rising patented drug launches in India. The Indian Patent Office granted 2,008 patents between 2010 and 2013.

Read Also: Ratan Tata, Vijay Kelkar And Nandan Nilekani Establish Avanti Finance

Sapient Opens Its Largest IT Services Facility In Bengaluru
MUMBAI: With a focus on delivering credit to under-served and un-served segments in India, Ratan Tata, Vijay Kelkar andNandan Nilekani have come together to establish a technology-enabled financial inclusion vehicle, Avanti Finance, a statement said on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Tata Trusts Chairman Tata said: "It will be a platform to impact the poor through credit at individual and community levels to create a lasting improvement in their livelihoods and standard of living, ushering prosperity."

The aim is to leverage on the social sector presence of Tata Trusts and other like-minded partners and the rapidly evolving India Stack (Jan Dhan-Aadhar-Mobile), UPI (Unified Payments Interface) and payments bank ecosystem, the statement said.

Appreciating the initiative, the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy Chairman Kelkar stated access to credit at an affordable cost is still a challenge.

Expressing himself humbled by the initiative, Infosys co-founder Nilekani said the technology is an important differentiator and allows us to make a difference in many ways than one.

The entity will apply for registration to the Reserve Bank of India in the coming days and it is expected to establish operations before the end of the current fiscal.

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NEW DELHI: Seventeen-year-old Malvika Raj Joshi doesn't have a class X or XII certificate but has made it toMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), thanks to her computer programming talent.



Her's is a story about a mother's conviction to break stereotypes and the self belief of her teenage daughter, who showed why merit has more weightage than marks.

The Mumbai teenager has been provided scholarship by the MIT as she is pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree after getting a seat for being a three-time medal winner (two silver and a bronze) at International Olympiad of Informatics or commonly known as Programming Olympiad.



MIT has a provision for accepting students who are medal winners at various Olympiads (Maths, Physics or Computer) and it was Malvika's medals that ensured that she can fulfil her aspirations of pursuing research work in her favourite subject of Computer Science.



Malvika recalls those early days during an emailed interaction from Boston.



"When I started unschooling, that was 4 years back, I explored many different subjects. Programming was one of them. I found programming interesting and I used to give more time to it than to other subjects, so, I started liking it at that time," she says.



Malvika found it difficult to get admission in elite Indian institutes like IIT, which has strict rules as one needs to pass class XII exams.



In fact only institute where she got admission was Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) where she was enrolled into M.Sc level course as her knowledge was on par with B.Sc standard.



"There is absolutely no question that Malvika's admission to MIT is based on her superlative achievements at IOI. It is a credit to MIT's flexibility that they can offer admission to a student who demonstrates excellent intellectual potential despite having no formal high school credentials," says CMI's Madhavan Mukund, who is also National Co-ordinator of Indian Computing Olympiad.



However, Madhavan made it clear that Malvika is not a product of the system but despite it.



"This is possible only for a student whose academic achievements are outstanding, which is the case with Malvika's performance at IOI," he has a word of caution.



But this young Mumbai girl's fascinating story starts about four years ago when her mother Supriya took an unbelievably tough decision.



She was in class VII at Dadar Parsee Youth Assembly School in Mumbai and doing exceedingly well in academics when her mother decided to pull her out of school.



"We are a middle class family. Malvika was doing well in school but somehow I felt that my children (she has younger daughter Radha) need to be happy. Happiness is more important than conventional knowledge," Supriya told.

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NEW DELHI: Stepping up cooperation on counter-terrorism, Indiaand US today agreed on a joint cyber framework and intensify intelligence sharing in combating terror and violent extremism.



External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, after holding the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue with US Secretary of State John Kerry, said the two countries agreed on additional measures to strengthen counter-Terrorismcooperation.

"We agreed on additional measures to strengthen our counter-Terrorismcooperation, specifically, to work for early operationalisation of the Agreement on exchange of information on known or suspected terrorists.



"We will also intensify intelligence sharing and continue to work closely to get terrorist entities listed by the UN system, by coordinating our approach to the UN 1267 Committee," she said at a joint press conference with Kerry.



The US Secretary of State, on his part, said both sides were committed to the joint cyber framework.



"To bolster our mutual defence in an age when threats can come from literally anywhere, we committed to a joint cyber framework to reduce cyber crime, to encourage responsible behaviour in cyber space, to improve coordination among our technical experts and to improve coordination among our law enforcement agencies," he said.



He said both the countries agreed to expand the exchange of terrorists screening information with an aim to to more effectively counter the threat posed by violent extremism.

Read Also: Uber Celebrates Three Years of its Successful Operations in India

Indo-U.S. Trade Ties Have Broken Every Record: U.S. Envoy
MUMBAI: Bilateral relationship between the Ukand Indiahas the potential to become a stronger partnership, particularly in trade and investment, UK's Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox said here today.



"A more open economy means a greater two-way flow of investment, both fuelling an increased capacity in the industrial base and opening the way to greater export potential.

"Do you think that the Ukwould be one of the top three car exporters in Europewithout Indian investment?..Of course not," Fox said while addressing a gathering of business leaders.



The great joy about an open trading relationship is as it can be genuinely win-win, he added.



"It's fundamental that we do all we can to strengthen these ties and create a future built on increased trading and economic prosperity for all our citizens," he added.



He said both Indiaand Ukare embarking on exciting journeys, as the Ukis forging a new path outside the EU and India's pro-business government is starting to herald a new economic dawn.



In his keynote address to Mumbai's business community at the Piramal Tower, Fox underscored the UK's place in the Global Economypost EU referendum and assured the country's support to Indian businesses.



Fox met with influential Indian business leaders, including Kotak Bank Vice-Chairman Uday Kotak and Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal, to emphasise that the Ukis open for business and will continue to thrive on the world stage.



During his visit to Mumbai, the Secretary of State also attended the soft launch of the India-UkTECH Summit Fintech Hackathon at the Barclays Rise accelerator.



The Ukis the country partner for the TECH Summit, which will showcase British expertise in innovation, technology and skills.



This is the fourth visit by a British minister to Indiasince Theresa May took over as Prime Minister. Earlier this month, British Secretary of State for Business and Energy Greg Clark and Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel visited India.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Brioso Ristorante's trio of eateries and Tottenville's Angelina's Ristorante show support for victims of the recent Italian earthquake with a fundraiser.

The restaurant owners pledged $5 set aside from every order of Bucatini all'Amatriciana for relief efforts in central Italy, keeping in mind those at the epicenter in Amatrice. That town is the source for the moniker of the famed tomato-based combination.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana seems like a simple creation from the onset -- strand pasta bathed in tomato sauce. But its structure hails from guanciale pancetta simmered in the mix with onion slivers which lends a sweet, slightly smoky outcome. Bucantini, a hollow pasta likened to a straw, is all'Amatriciana's typical vehicle for presentation.

This fundraiser comes in collaboration with the Associazione Italiana Chef New York (AICNY) and "Brindiamo!," an Italian television program hosted by Ornella Fado who uses both Brioso and Angelina's as occasional sets.

Brioso's of New Dorp sells Bucatini all'Amatriciana for $24.50 at dinner, $19.50 at lunch. Angelina's offers the dish for $25. The arrangement will last through Sept. 18th.

Angelina's Ristorante is located at 399 Ellis St., 718-227-2900; AngelinasRistorante.com.

Brioso's locations are as follows: 174 New Dorp Lane, 718-667-1700; BriosoRistorante.com and 448 Route 9 North, Marlboro, NJ, 732-617-1300. L'Antica Trattoria BYOB, also in the Brioso restaurant family, can be found at 184 Route 9 North, Willow Pointe Shopping Center; Marlboro; 732-617-1700, BriosoRistorante.com.
Castorina Materna composite.jpg

Assemblyman Ron Castorina Jr. and Janine Materna are running in a Republican primary on Sept. 13. (Advance composite photo)

CITY HALL -- City and state records show Assemblyman Ronald Castorina Jr. is eligible for the South Shore seat despite claims from his Republican primary opponent.

Janine Materna has repeatedly said Castorina is ineligible to represent the 62nd Assembly District.

"They are deflecting from the fact that Ron's primary residence is located outside our district, rendering him ineligible to run for, or hold, this seat," she told the Advance last week in response to criticism from Castorina's supporters.

Records at several city and state agencies indicate otherwise.

STATE GUIDELINES

To run for New York Assembly or hold the seat, candidates must be residents of the state for five years and living in the district for 12 months immediately preceding the election, according to the Board of Elections.

By those standards, records show Castorina has been eligible to run in the 62nd Assembly District since at least January 2015.

State BOE spokesman John Conklin said voter registration is typically the primary record used to prove residency unless officially challenged.

"We accept on faith that you do meet that," Conklin explained, speaking generally about residency requirements and not specifically about Castorina. "If it's challenged then they look at different things."

He was previously registered in the 63rd Assembly District, but hasn't voted there since the fall of 2013, when he sold his Clove Road home in Sunnyside. He moved to Drew Court in December after closing on the home in late November of that year.

After a candidate's voter registration, his driver's license, taxes or exemptions are among the other documentation used to prove or disprove residency, according to Conklin.

Since January 2014, the ZIP code on Castorina's driver's license has been in the 62nd Assembly District, the state Department of Motor Vehicles said.

ABOUT THAT TAX BREAK

Materna, who lives in Prince's Bay, has specifically pointed to a $303 tax break Castorina received as proof of his ineligibility for the 62nd Assembly District.

Castorina got an exemption through the School Tax Assessment Relief program -- also known as STAR -- on a second home on Signs Road in Bulls Head. The exemption is only granted for primary residences.

The Signs Road property did get that tax break the past several years. Since February 2015, Castorina received seven bills from the city noting that the Signs Road property was getting the STAR exemption.

"He knowingly saw this, paid for it, saw the STAR exemption and not once called them and said there was a mistake on it," Materna said.

Castorina said that he didn't notice the tax break on his bills and asked the city to remove the exemption this month.

The city Department of Finance said that the STAR exemption on the property actually belongs to the assemblyman's father, Ronald Castorina Sr.

Told this, Materna said of Castorina Jr., "Well, then he's careless."

Castorina Jr. bought the Signs Road home from his parents in the fall of 2014, a full year after he moved from Clove Road in the 63rd District to Drew Court in late 2013.

His parents then moved to New Jersey, in one of two homes Castorina Jr. owns in that state.

The assemblyman didn't get a STAR tax break on the Drew Court property after moving there, the Department of Finance said. This year he isn't getting any exemptions or abatements, though the property got a 421B exemption in the past.

Like STAR, 421B is only granted for primary residences. 421B and STAR can't be applied to the same property.

"He knew he couldn't combine them; that's why he kept them separate," Materna claimed.

A deputy director with the Department of Finance wrote in a letter to Castorina last week that the agency has "nothing in our records indicating that you ever applied for the Star property tax exemption" at the Signs Road property. The letter was written at Castorina's request and provided to the Advance.

The New York tax department also said that city STAR exemption recipients who purchased their homes in 2013 or thereafter aren't required to register with the state.

'IT'S TOO LATE'

When asked if she would officially challenge Castorina's residency, Materna said that she was talking to lawyers.

"He can't be thrown off the ballot," she said. "It's too late."

The BOE's Conklin said there's a high burden of proof to dispute a candidate's residency.

"You don't have to spend a lot of time in that house, you just have to have a continuing tie to it to be legitimate," Conklin said, speaking generally and not specifically about the 62nd District. "But if you have one in the district and you use that as your residence for voting purposes you have to prove you spend significant time elsewhere for someone to say you don't meet the residency requirements."

A volunteer for Materna was arrested in mid-August for allegedly sending a series of bizarre mailings to Castorina's homes. He believes this was an attempt to prove he lives outside the 62nd District.

On Monday, Castorina said that Materna was "shamelessly" lying about him and his character.

"The fact that my opponent even brought this up shows how desperate she is to smear me, to lie and to mislead the voters," he said. "This is just a distraction from the real issues I am working on every day like transportation, education and improving the quality of life on Staten Island."

The Republican primary is Sept. 13.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Taking a victory lap outside Borough Hall on Richmond Terrace Wednesday afternoon, Borough President James Oddo had just descended from the roof of the building, where he, along with Staten Island artist Scott Lobaido, unfurled an enormous American flag that draped along the front of the building.

The behemoth flag arrived because there is no end in sight for a long and drawn out process with Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to get the smaller flag from atop Borough Hall replaced. It has been absent since May and Oddo and Lobaido had enough waiting -- they draped the flag from the building as onlookers stopped to watch and a gaggle of Borough Hall staff and press gathered below, taking photos and video.

Lobaido, known for his patriotic and American flag-themed work, has been speaking to Oddo for a while, he said. Both men hinted at a second project to come. Lobaido would only say it would be on the facade of the building in the next month or two.

It was a celebratory atmosphere on the ground as the two men stood on the building roof -- patriotic music blared from speakers, Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA," Toby Keith's "American Soldier."

A drumroll preceded the flag's unfurling, and Whitney' Houston's rendition of the National Anthem played once the flag was fully displayed. Ropes tethered the bottom of the flag to the building.

Applause met Oddo and Lobaido as they joined the crowd on the ground, where the two high-fived and Oddo turned to the flag and declared, "That is awesome."

"Good job, boss!" one Borough Hall staffer said to Oddo, as they shook hands.

Oddo has been having fun recently with this temporary fix to what has been a frustrating example of government red tape.

He has been tweeting in recent days hints of what was to come today, keeping it light and clearly excited about the prospect.

Given what's on today's agenda, these seem appropriate. pic.twitter.com/38phrPVZMy  Jimmy Oddo (@HeyNowJO) August 31, 2016

He took cell phone photos of the gigantic flag, no doubt to share on social media.

"This is a DIY moment," he told the crowd that gathered. "If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself."

The flag cost Lobaido about $580, he said, in an interview later. He found it online and shipped it overnight.

Oddo is still waiting for DCAS to replace the flag pole atop the building so a flag can be placed there permanently.

But in the meantime, this will do. This and whatever else Oddo and Lobaido have up their sleeves next.

"It'll be spectacular," Lobaido said.

He thanked Oddo for allowing him to be "crazy enough to do my crazy thing."

Taking the opportunity to criticize Colin Kaepernick, who didn't stand recently for the National Anthem, Lobaido said, "This is to stick it to No. 7 on the San Francisco 49ers."
As you're contemplating your Labor Day weekend plans, let us make a suggestion: Take a little tour around NYC to visit seven important buildingsand you may get a chance to be see the top of the Woolworth Building at the new Woolworth Tower Residences as part of the Historic District Council's #PreservationPays Challenge. It'll be the public's chance to visit the Woolworth Tower Residences atop this landmark buildingand it's your up close-and-personal opportunity to see how historic preservation is important.

The Historic Districts Council is asking entrants to take photographs of themselves in front of seven historically significant buildings and then tag them #PreservationPays, as well as mention the Historic Districts Council on social media@hdcnyc on Instagram and @hdc_nyc on Twitter (more details in the rules below). Five people will be selected for the special tour of the 1913 building.

Here are the seven buildings in the #PreservationPays Challenge:

The Washington Square Arch in the Village (Take the A / C / E / B / D / F / M to W 4th St - Washington Sq);

in the Village (Take the A / C / E / B / D / F / M to W 4th St - Washington Sq); Carnegie Hall , at 881 7th Avenue in Manhattan (Take the N / Q / R to 57th St - 7th Ave) (Take the N / Q / R to 57th St - 7th Ave);

, at 881 7th Avenue in Manhattan (Take the N / Q / R to 57th St - 7th Ave) (Take the N / Q / R to 57th St - 7th Ave); Chavela's at 736 Franklin Ave in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (Take the 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 to Franklin Ave);

at 736 Franklin Ave in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (Take the 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 to Franklin Ave); The Battery Maritime Building , at 10 South Street in Manhattan (Take the 1 to South Ferry or R to Whitehall St)

, at 10 South Street in Manhattan (Take the 1 to South Ferry or R to Whitehall St) 33-52 81st Street in the Jackson Heights Historic District, Queens (Take the 7 to 82nd St - Jackson Heights);

in the Jackson Heights Historic District, Queens (Take the 7 to 82nd St - Jackson Heights); The Alhambra Apartments , at 500 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn (Take the A / C to Nostrand Ave); and

, at 500 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn (Take the A / C to Nostrand Ave); and The Woolworth Building / Woolworth Tower Residences at 2 Park Place, Manhattan (Take the 2 / 3 to Park Place or R to City Hall).

And looks, here are some entrants already on Instagram and Twitter! Even City Council Member Ben Kallos is taking part:



CM Ben Kallos is working #PreservationPays (Historic Districts Council)

You'll find some more interesting facts about the buildings in the Historic Districts Council's slideshow "How Historic Preservation Benefits New York City," below. The slides also describe how historic preservationas a driver of New York City's multi-billion-dollar tourism trade, a creator of good paying jobs, and an attractive option for affordable housingis a positive force for the financial well-being of the city.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The lawyer of a gay Staten Island man suing the NYPD for $6 million over an alleged assault that involved homophobic slurs says her client is now afraid of police.

James Rolkiewicz, 53, was assaulted by two officers in Manhattan last September and repeatedly called a "f------ f-----," according to a suit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

"Mr. Rolkiewicz was doing absolutely nothing, and the officers assaulted him, beat him and violated his civil rights," Rolkiewicz's lawyer, Pamela S. Roth, said.

Rolkiewicz was walking down Barrow Street in the West Village the night he was assaulted when he stopped outside the Greenwich House Music School to find his inhaler to help with an asthma attack, the lawsuit says.

Both defendants then pulled up in their patrol car, approached Rolkiewicz, and assaulted him.

He was "brutally handled, punched, kicked, abusively treated, placed in a chokehold, handcuffed and choked until he lost consciousness," the filing says.

They continuously demanded for Rolkiewicz's identification while he was suffering an asthma attack, the lawsuit states. They also hurled several homophobic and racial slurs at him, according to the lawsuit.

Roth said the assault was because of her client's sexuality.

"(The assault) had to do with the way he was dressed and the fact that he was in the Village," Roth said.

Rolkiewicz was then placed under arrest and not told the reason until two days after, according to the lawsuit.

He was eventually informed by his court-appointed attorney that he was charged with assaulting a police officer, and encouraged to plead to a disorderly conduct violation, Roth said.

She added that her client is now afraid to return to the place the alleged assault happened.

"He is afraid to go anywhere near the Village, because he's afraid to see the officers again," Roth said.

Rolkiewicz is seeking $5 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages, according to the court filing.

"I would like him to get justice for the way he was treated by the officers," Roth said.
Page Content

The Minister of VROMI Honorable Angel Meyers received a courtesy visit from newly appointed US Consul General, the Honorable Margaret Hawthorne and Mr. Willem Remie Political/Economic Affairs Advisor.

The purpose of this visit was mainly introductory and to get familiarized with the Government of Sint Maarten.

The Honorable Ms. Hawthorne within her capacity, oversees consular affairs related to the Dutch Caribbean Islands Sint Maarten, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius.

The office of the US Consulate is located on Curacao. For more information regarding the services of the US Consulate please visit www.curacao.usconsulate.gov.

Photo caption  Honorable Minister Meyers, Honorable US Consul General Margaret Hawthorne.
Coordinator of UK Ocean Acidification Research Attacks The Spectator for 'Willfully Misleading' James Delingpole Column

Posted on 31 August 2016 by Guest Author

This is a re-post from DeSmogBlog by Graham Readfearn

The Spectator is one of the oldest English language magazines on the planet, established in London in 1828. Chances are if youve never read it, youve probably heard of it.

The Marine Biologist magazine, on the other hand, was only launched in 2013. With no disrespect to the good people there, chances are youve neither heard of it, read it or are aware of its very existence.

But earlier this week the Marine Biologists website published an eviscerating 2,500-word analysis of an April column that had appeared in The Spectator.

The column, written by climate science denier and polemicist James Delingpole, had tried to claim the science linking the burning of fossil fuels to the acidification of our oceans was fatally flawed.

Marine life, claimed Delingpole, had nothing to fear from ocean acidification.

Published back in April, Delingpole strung together what must, to some, have seemed a compelling narrative.

He had citations, experts and more scientific terminology than you could shake a stick at (or a copy of Marine Biologist, if you had one handy).

The problem?

Almost everything that could be factually wrong, is wrong, wrote Dr Phillip Williamson, on the website of your new favourite magazine, the Marine Biologist.

Blow-by-Blow Debunking

Williamson, based at the University of East Anglia, is the science director of the UK government-funded Ocean Acidification Research Programme. He responded to Delingpoles 1,200 words with 2,400-words of his own  a blow-by-blow debunking pulling apart each argument and technique Delingpole had used.

Williamsons analysis shows how Delingpole had employed many of the tricks and failings of climate science denialists.

He had cherry-picked data. He chose to rely on experts, such as fossil fuel advocates and climate science denialists Craig Idso, Patrick Moore and Matt Ridley, who had no genuine expertise in marine science.

The genuine experts Delingpole did cite, wrote Williamson, were misrepresented.

One of those experts was Dr Howard Browman, of the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, who Delingpole claimed had published a review in the ICES Journal of Marine Science of all the papers published on the subject and had come to a damning conclusion that many studies were flawed.

Except six weeks before, Browman had told DeSmog that his views on the issue, reported in The Times, had actually been misrepresented.

Williamson told DeSmog that he had tried, and failed, to get The Spectator to publish his views, telling editor Fraser Nelson that Delingpoles piece had been willfully misleading. He told DeSmog:

Delingpole's statement Marine life has nothing whatsoever to fear from ocean acidification summarises his view. But that assertion is as incorrect as the opposite, purported claims that he quotes and dismisses: for example, that ocean acidification will turn our oceans into a barren zone of death. The whole article is based on that false dichotomy, between unidentified alarmists and scientifically-naive optimists who also happen to be climate change deniers and sceptics. It may seem boring to say that the truth lies between the two, but it does.

DeSmog also tried to contact The Spectators editor, but got no response.

In his debunking, Williamson criticised Delingpoles use of material from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and written bycoal-funded Canadian climate science denialist Patrick Moore.

Wrote Williamson: Moores FCPP paper has not been subject to expert scrutiny. If it had been, its scientific naivety and cherry-picking approach would have precluded its publication in a reputable journal.

Moore's views on ocean acidification have been previously debunked by a group of scientists, who described them as misleading and Ill-informed.

Delingpole also attacked the 12m of government funding going to Williamson's program, saying the whole issue could have been resolved, for next to nothing, after a few hours basic research?

Thats right. Delingpole thinks he can understand the entire field of ocean acidification science with only a few hours Googling.

Williamson pointed out how the 12m in funding was about the same cost as a top-of-the-range flat in central London or two-hours worth of spending from the Ministry of Defence.

'Scientific Abuse'

As a final gambit, Delingpole tried to suggest that concerns over the impacts of ocean acidification had been manufactured around the year 2000 because global temperatures hadn't been rising and so alarmists needed a fallback.

The conspiratorial linkages surmised by Delingpole are imaginary, writes Williamson, explaining the actual reasons for the increase in scientific interest in ocean acidification.

Williamson concluded : On the basis of the incomplete and incorrect information presented by Delingpole, his own article provides much more impressive evidence for scientific abuse and distortion than anything communicated by ocean acidification researchers.

Williamson told DeSmog: Whilst The Spectator does not therefore seem to take very seriously its commitment to 'uphold strict standards of accuracy', I would agree that it publishes a 'quality of argument' not found in any other publication. Unfortunately , that quality does not seem to be very high.
... Since 1950 ...



1951 - July 13 -

FLOOD

In the early morning darkness, the

Kansas River over-tops the flood-walls in both Kansas Citys

May 20

TORNADO

Ruskin Heights is dissected by an F-5 tornado

.

The tornado formed southwest of Ottawa- near Williamsburg, Kansas around 6 pm and by 7:30 pm- the killer vortex had crossed the state line into Missouri.



Most of the unincorporated town of Martin City and nearly half of the homes in the fairly-new Ruskin Heights subdivision were either heavily damaged or destroyed.





Forty-four deaths are officially attributed to the entire tornado's 71-mile path- 39 of those dying in Missouri.





This is the deadliest tornado in Metro KC weather history.









September

FLOOD - FLASH FLOOD

April 12

TORNADO

July

FLASH FLOOD

April 19

TORNADO

May 15

TORNADO

1966

June 8

TORNADO

January 24

TORNADO

June 29

TORNADO

1973

January 3 & 4

ICE STORM

September

FLASH FLOOD













1977 - May 4 - TORNADO - A mini- tornado outbreak affected every part of Metro Kansas City except the northwestern areas.



There were at least 4 separate tornadoes - 3 of them F-3 or stronger.



There are 3 deaths - 2 in Pleasant Hill where an in-session high and elementary school were hit - and one near Odessa, MO..



More than 2 dozen injuries were reported.



It was







1977 - September 12 & 13 - FLASH FLOOD - Kansas City's worst flash flooding in terms of lives lost and damage.



Twenty-five people died.



Up to 16-inches of rain over a 2-day period on the heavily-urbanized Brush Creek watershed culminated on the night of the 13th.



Devastating flooding occurred along Brush Creek from the Kansas suburbs just west of the state line eastward to the Big Blue river.



Several of the Blue's smaller tributaries like Independence's Rock Creek suffered major flooding as well.



Four people in their cars were washed away into Round Grove creek, which was more than 10-feet out of it's banks along Raytown Road as they exited the Truman Sports Complex after the Royals baseball game was cancelled.



Most of the other victims drowned along Brush Creek between State Line and The Paseo.



The scenes I witnessed that night haunt me to this day as much as the Jan. 28, 1978 Coates House fire where 20 died.







1980 - July-August - HEAT WAVE - Kansas City's deadliest weather disaster by far: A prolonged heat wave . Floodwater inundates a mobile home park in Northmoor mobile home park where emergency rescue of residents had to be conducted.- A mini- tornado outbreak affected every part of Metro Kansas City except the northwestern areas.There were at least 4 separate tornadoes - 3 of them F-3 or stronger.There are 3 deaths - 2 in Pleasant Hill where an in-session high and elementary school were hit - and one near Odessa, MO..More than 2 dozen injuries were reported.It was the first time I got on the tail of a twister - following it into Pleasant Hill - Kansas City's worst flash flooding in terms of lives lost and damage.Up to 16-inches of rain over a 2-day period on the heavily-urbanized Brush Creek watershed culminated on the night of the 13th.Devastating flooding occurred along Brush Creek from the Kansas suburbs just west of the state line eastward to the Big Blue river.Several of the Blue's smaller tributaries like Independence's Rock Creek suffered major flooding as well.Four people in their cars were washed away into Round Grove creek, which was more than 10-feet out of it's banks along Raytown Road as they exited the Truman Sports Complex after the Royals baseball game was cancelled.Most of the other victims drowned along Brush Creek between State Line and The Paseo.The scenes I witnessed that night haunt me to this day as much as the Jan. 28, 1978 Coates House fire where 20 died.- Kansas City's deadliest weather disaster by far:



More than 200 people are reported to have died from various heat-related causes from late June through August.



One July day was tinder-dry with Santa-Ana-like conditions.



Grass, brush and other fires citywide had the Fire Department down to a handful of companies in service when a grass fire spread to an apartment complex near 76th St. & Blue Ridge.



Four other fire departments - including Johnson County KS. - had to help what few KC-MO companies that made it there.



No one was injured - but several buildings were damaged.







1982 - August - FLASH FLOOD - Flash flooding strikes southern & southeastern KC-MO..



One fatality was reported.



The not-yet completed Longview Lake saved the Little Blue Valley from major flooding.







1984 - March - ICE STORM - A damaging ice storm affects a wide area of eastern Kansas and western Missouri - including the Kansas City Metro.







1984 - June 8 & 9 - FLASH FLOOD - Severe flash flooding affects Indian Creek from Olathe and Overland Park to it's mouth with the Blue River in KC-MO..



Hundreds of residents along Indian Creek from Olathe, Overland Park into KC, MO.. flee the record flood crests.



No one was reported hurt - but 2 young women were stranded on a traffic island by floodwaters at 103rd St. & Conser in OP-KS for more than 2 hours.



The author's 6-inch rain gauge in Olathe overflowed before it could be emptied and yet another 2.5 inches fell into it by 2 am on the 9th.



Based on this information plus flooding I was both witnessing and listening to in the Indian Creek headwaters and downstream, KCTV-CBS-5's meteorologist Mike Thompson was able to warn those downstream along Indian Creek of the danger via bulletins.







1986 - September - FLASH FLOOD - Flash flooding along Rock Creek in Mission, KS. & Brush Creek sends water again lapping at the curbs in the Plaza.



The Brush Creek flood control project - undertaken in the 1990's - has greatly reduced the flood threat for the Plaza.



However middle portions of the project not yet completed would have fatal effects on Brush Creek 12 years later.







1990 - May 15 - FLOOD - More than 8-inches of rain in 4 hours sends the Big Blue river into a massive flood and- at many points - flood crests exceeded records set during the 1961 flood.



By evening drive - there were only 2 routes open east or west across the Blue unless you lived south of Bannister Road: Independence Avenue ("Armco") viaduct and Interstate-70.



The Blue was channelized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the 1990's and greatly reduced flooding as would be illustrated 8 years later during the 1998 flash floods.







1993 - July 9 - FLASH FLOOD - After a slow-moving thunderstorm complex threatens Lawrence, KS with tornadoes then floods it - the complex moves into northern Johnson County KS..



Flash flooding is by far the worst on Turkey Creek - it's entire floodplain is inundated from Overland Park & Merriam into KC-KS then into Southwest Boulevard and the West Bottoms in KC-MO..



Dozens of residents have to be swiftly evacuated by police & fire departments on both sides of the state line. Several people have to be rescued from rooftops of flooded buildings along Southwest Blvd..



One man is later found dead.



Kemper Arena and the American Royal complex is also flooded and damage figures reach the tens of millions of dollars.



WDAF-NBC4's Mike Thompson stays on the air all night- relaying high water reports I was receiving by radio.



Later that day - the now-swollen Kansas River caused two boats to be torn from their moorings.



One - the sand dredge The General Mitchell - struck 4 bridges and was severely damaged before 2 tugboats could push the Mitchell onto the Missouri River levee east of the Paseo bridge.



Along with post-8 am flooding and the General Mitchell- the author also videotaped the Missouri rising in Parkville, a make-shift levee and a "conga-line" of people heaving sandbags onto an overtopping Line Creek levee in Riverside, MO..







1993 - July 26-27 - FLOOD - Record Missouri River flood crest at Kansas City.



Squeezed into a narrow channel by levees- the Missouri River reaches an all-time highest flood crest of 48.87-feet near Downtown (old Municipal) Airport.





That surpassed the previous record 48-foot crest estimated during the legendary 1844 flood.





Downtown Parkville and most of Riverside are under water.









The water supplier for more than a million residents - the Kansas City Water Works - becomes severely threatened by the flood-swollen Missouri river.

Sandbagging and the additional pumping power of nearly a half-dozen Fire department pumper companies save the city's water supply from contamination.



In KC-KS -residents of the Argentine, Armourdale and the Rosedale neighborhoods - nearly destroyed in the 1951 flood - are evacuated.

The higher levees built after the '51 flood hold.

The flood crest in that flood is now No. 3 at 46.20-feet.



Parts of the Turner area of KC-KS are not so lucky and are flooded.

A mobile home park for about 100 people off K-32 is inundated and eventually abandoned.



At least no one dies in this flood.



1996 - May 26 - TORNADO - Southern Lee's Summit-MO. - what the NWS ultimately determined to be a "micro-burst" struck the Raintree Lake subdivision just after sunset.



There was tornadic circulation in that "micro-burst" - with winds "officially estimated at around 125 m.p.h.."



I saw 2 x 6 lumber driven into the ground at the correct angle & position on the northern edge of the damage path 20 minutes after the strike.



Several people suffered minor injuries and nearly 4-dozen homes received damage varying from slight to major.



Damage was in the $10-million range.







1998 - October 4 & 5 - FLASH FLOOD - It's the deadliest flash-flooding event in the KC Metro since "The Plaza Flood" of 1977.



September 1998 had already been a wet month and the ground across the entire K.C. Metro was saturated.



On Sunday, October 4 - a morning of off and on heavy showers and thunderstorms produced up to 5-inches of rain and flash- flooding in southeastern & eastern parts of the Metro.

Damaging flooding occurred in parts of Lee's Summit and a youth was swept away and drowned in a rain-swollen creek by early afternoon.



By mid-afternoon- the area was under not only under a NWS-issued flash flood watch but also a tornado watch.



Just before sunset- a huge thunderstorm complex formed west of Lawrence, KS. and- after deluging them- the complex moves eastward across northern Johnson County KS. into western and central Jackson County MO..



Over mid-town KC-MO - the storm dropped rain rates of 5-inches per hour during the 7-o'clock hour.

A huge- sudden flood-wave on Brush Creek swept over the top of the old Prospect bridge - sweeping seven people in and on top of their cars downstream.



Despite rescue attempts by by-standers and- eventually- firefighters- all 7 people drown.



(Minutes before this happened- an audio tape has this author pleading with a local TV weatherman over the phone to emphasize the flash flooding- rather than the tornado threat that we also were under.)



There were two other fatalities during the evening deluge - one each in Overland Park at a storm-water culvert that flowed toward I-435 east of Quivira and in Lenexa, KS on Little Mill Creek.



For the first time since the highway was opened around 1970 - both eastbound AND westbound lanes of I-435 just east of Quivira in OP-KS are flooded.



One man is barely saved from his pickup truck when it was washed off the eastbound lanes into the creek the gorged underground culvert was feeding.



Severe flooding again occurs on Turkey Creek - especially in Merriam- a portion of I-35 is closed by flooding for a couple of hours.



Southwest Boulevard is again flooded but water levels are not as high as in 1993.



Millions across America had tuned into the Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks NFL football game on TV and watched as Arrowhead Stadium's walkways turn into waterfalls.

The game was halted and nearly 75000 people were advised to seek cover for nearly an hour during the deluge.





2000 - May 11 - TORNADO - Surprise tornado north of The River.



"The threat of tornadoes in K.C. appears to be over."



That's what at least 2 TV "chief" weatherpersons say over the airwaves 15 to 30 minutes prior to a tornado touching down about 11:25 pm at 40th St. & North Oak in KC-MO..



The tornado destroys a car dealership- then rises to tree-top level for another several miles across heavily-populated KC-MO North towards the Worlds of Fun area.



Fortunately, there were no injuries.







2002 - January 27-30 - ICE STORM - MetroRegion-wide ice storm that persists over 3 days.



Damage to trees and the utility grids was tremendous - at one point more than a million people in the KC MetroRegion lost power.



There were at least 4 fatalities attributed to some aspect of this storm.







2003 - May 4 - TORNADO - First fatality tornado in Metro Kansas City since 1977 - and on the 26th anniversary of the '77 storm .



A tornado touches down in S.E. Leavenworth County about 4 pm in the afternoon and intensifies to F-4 as it moves across I-435 into western & northwestern KC-KS..



Both fatalities occurred in a heavily-devastated area around 91st St. & Leavenworth Road.



The tornado moved across the Missouri river into Riverside & Northmoor, MO.- producing varying degrees of damage.



The now-weakened circulation reorganized about a mile north - then moves from southwestern into eastern Gladstone- causing most of the heavy damage there.



The again F-4 tornado now roars into adjacent KC North subdivisions and on northeastward into Liberty- weakened- yet causing heavy damage on the town square and the nearby William Jewell College campus.



Two die with around a dozen people injured along the total path of the tornado. Damage was in the several tens of millions of dollars.



This outbreak began an almost week stretch of severe weather- culminating with a May 8th tornado in southwestern Lawrence-KS that damaged an apartment complex and nearby homes and caused several injuries..







2008 - May 1 - 2 - TORNADO - Another surprise tornado north of The River.



An intense- but compact storm system produces severe weather around Metro Kansas City starting the evening of May 1 (SEE CaptGSpaulding's video on YouTube).



Just after sunset on May 1- a tornado warning is issued by the NWS when a small tornado touches down in an open field southwest of Belton-MO.. A van-load of us were there to video that which we never actually saw.



Yet no tornado warning is in effect in the early-morning hours of May 2 when an F-4 tornado strikes Gladstone- then an F-3 twister strikes a subdivision in far northeast Kansas City-MO North.



Hurricane force winds also struck other areas- especially portions of Independence- Raytown and eastern KC-MO..



Less than a dozen people suffered minor injuries Metro-wide but daylight on the morning of May 2 reveal a man dead of what were reported as storm-related injuries near M-291 and Gudgell in Independence.



Damages Metro-wide were later estimated in the tens of millions of dollars.





Passage across the Missouri is not possible between Kansas City and St. Joseph.The water supplier for more than a million residents - the Kansas City Water Works - becomes severely threatened by the flood-swollen Missouri river.

-Flash flooding caused by a dying Gulf hurricane caused record floods on the Big and Little Blue rivers and their tributaries.The heavy damage done to one of General Motors' first Chevrolet assembly plant in the Leeds district of KC-MO. helps lead to the plant's closing by the mid 1970's.The flood brings about planning and in the 1980's construction of 2 new flood-control reservoirs - Lake Longview and Lake Blue Springs.This greatly reduces flooding on the Little Blue River - opening up the floodplain to development in southeastern Independence and northern Lee's Summit, MO..Yet land in neighboring Johnson County KS. is too expensive for flood-control projects for the Big Blue River - and continued flooding of the Blue Valley over then next 30 years would help lead to it's industrial-base demise.-It's the first tornado outbreak in the Kansas City MetroRegion for many years.Tornadoes cause damage southwest and west of Lawrence and in Leavenworth County and the city itself.Other supercells produced tornadoes in Cass County MO. and around Pleasant Hill where one fatality occurred.There were dozens of injuries all told in the affected areas with damage in the millions of dollars.- Smithville, MO. is ravaged by a flash flood on the Little Platte River.Tracy - on the Platte River a few miles downstream from the confluence of the Little Platte - also suffers major flooding as the Platte River reaches a record crest that stands early into the 21st Century.- A tornado forms over what was then farmland east of I-35 & 119th Street in Johnson County KS. and moves northeastward.Within 10 minutes - the F-3-rated tornado strikes a new housing subdivision and barely misses an elementary school at West 96th St. & Knox in Overland Park There are several minor injuries and the tornado-bearing storm moves over highly-populated areas of southern K.C. & Independence, MO..The official tornado warning wasn't issued by the National Weather Service or the local broadcast media until after the tornado had touched down - traveled it's roughly 4 to 5-mile-long path and lifted.- A weak "white" tornado touches down near 15th St. & Minnesota in KC-KS.It's only on the ground a few minutes but wreaks F-1 destruction to buildings & car dealerships along Minnesota.A few people suffered minor injuries.- A day of tornado-producing thunderstorm supercells across eastern and northeastern Kansas.One produced an F-3 tornado that struck Manhattan, KS. around 6 pm.Another cell spawns the first U.S. tornado to produce 100-million-dollars worth or more of damage - the devastating F-5 tornado that struck Topeka, KS ..The wedge-shaped, multi-vortex tornado roared over legendary Burnett's Mound just after 7 pm and diagonally sliced through the entire city.Sixteen people were killed and hundreds were injured that Wednesday evening.Around 8:30 pm- a tornado then moved across Leavenworth County and kills one in the tiny town of Jarbalo.- The Orrick, MO. tornado.A rare mid-winter thunderstorm formed on the Kansas side just after noon and became severe over southern KC-MO..Just after 1 pm- a tornado forms southwest of Buckner. MO. - gains F-3 strength after it crosses the Missouri River - and heads for the southwestern Ray County community of Orrick. It strikes the in-session high school on the western side of Orrick - where 2 are killed and more than a dozen are injured inside the shattered school building.- A tornado - rated as strong as F-3 - hits parts of southern Platte County and western Clay county MO..Damage is reported in Riverside and northwestern Gladstone with at least 6 persons injured along the tornado's path.- A massive ice & snowstorm -beginning around noon on the 3rd - hits Metro K.C..Nearly a foot of snow falls on the several inches of freezing rain and sleet.Tens of thousands of residents who lose power suffer sub-zero temperatures following the storm.The tree & power line damage I see far and away exceeds that witnessed in the 1984 and 2002 storms.- Failure of a private lake dam in the upper watershed of Line Creek in KC-MO leads to flash flooding downstream.
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Canberra businesses have already cashed in on the arrival of Singapore Airlines.

The airline  which will fly from Canberra on September 21  released its new business-class menu on Wednesday, featuring prosciutto from Poachers Pantry and Canberra Milk.

Poachers Pantry's Katie Crook, Alpha Catering chef John Sim, and Canberra Milk's David Tyack. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Local business Alpha Catering will provide the airline with meals for outbound flights, creating an extra 10 jobs.

Alpha Catering's operation director David Robinson said the company had worked hard to secure the contract and overhauled its processes.
Competing in the Olympics isn't the only way Canberrans are making their city and country proud in Rio de Janeiro.

Kirstie McMillan, samba instructor at Kingston's Subsdance Dance Studio, will be the first Australian to compete at the World Samba Congress in Brazil in February.

Kristie McMillan won the inaugural Australasian Brazilian Samba Queen Competition held in Queensland. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

Becoming the national samba queen has been a surreal journey for the 27-year-old, who has only been dancing the Brazilian style for four years.

During that time she's gone from never stepping foot in a samba dance shoe to becoming "obsessed" with the culture, learning the language and playing Brazilian percussion.
A Canberra man has been charged following police investigations into a drive-by shooting in Canberra's south last year.

Daniel Grech, 26, was extradited to the ACT from South Australia after Taskforce Nemesis investigated the shooting, ACT Policing said in a statement released Wednesday.

In March 2015, Fairfax Media reported a man was shot and wounded after he answered the door of his home in one of three shootings in Canberra in one night, which police believed were bikie-related.

Grech appeared briefly in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday represented by Kamy Saeedi Law's James Maher.

He was charged with intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm and possessing a prohibited substance, namely cannabis.
To be pregnant and alone in a foreign country with no support is a nightmare. To be pregnant and alone in your own home town with no support can be as equally frightening.

When there is nowhere else to go, Karinya House in Canberra has for almost 20 years been a sanctuary for vulnerable mothers and their babies.

The new Karinya House for vulnerable mothers and babies was officially opened in Belconnen on Wednesday. Case worker Catherine O'Halloran is pictured here with a 20-year-old resident and her three-month-old son. Credit:Rohan Thomson

The community-based, not-for-profit organisation provides supported accommodation, transitional housing, outreach, support groups and casework services to pregnant and parenting women and their families who are in crisis.

Now, the women and their children have an even safer and more pleasant place to be.
In the lead-up to the finals, we take a look at the eight clubs in the race for the premiership. Hawthorn, with three flags in three years, has the task ahead of them against Geelong.

What needs to go right?

While they may not have finished on top of the ladder, the Hawks remain the team to beat as they chase their fifth-straight grand-final appearance, and a fourth-straight flag. This is a team that has overcome adversity in recent years  injuries to key personnel, Alastair Clarkson's illness and, last year, a preliminary final in Perth  yet has always been able to find a way to win. Their aura and ability to remain, as Wayne Carey says, "cool in a crisis", counts for plenty. They have been able to post another strong home-and-away season without Jarryd Roughead, who is fighting cancer, but will his absence as a key forward and big body at centre bounces finally take a toll? Jonathon Ceglar may not be a household name but, until injury intervened, he had been fulfilling the same important role David Hale had done through three flags, as a third option up forward who could spell Ben McEvoy in the ruck. Ryan Schoenmakers, Marc Pittonet or Jack Fitzpatrick must now step up. The Hawks will hope McEvoy (back) is fit to face the Hawks. If not, Matt Spangher could return.

What can't go wrong?
The millions of people who follow Kim Kardashian West and her sisters on social media have become accustomed to seeing them praise everything from fat-burning tea to gummy vitamins for healthier hair.

"Ever since I started taking two @sugarbearhair a day, my hair has been fuller and stronger than ever!! Even with all the heat and bleaching I do to it!" Khloe Kardashian posted on Instagram this month.

But in the last week, close watchers of the sisters' accounts may have noticed a small addition to those laudatory messages about the latest miracle product: "#ad."

For marketers contending with consumers who use ad blockers online and have cut the cord to their TVs in favour of streaming services, social media has become a way to reach an elusive audience. Brands such as Jack in the Box and Red Bull have proved willing to pay thousands of dollars per social media mention to people like the Kardashians and other so-called influencers who command big, loyal followings on services such as Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
An aged care provider has pounced on a large development site in Brunswick, the latest in a string of deals as the sector jostles to cater for an under supply of beds in the inner and middle-ring suburbs.

The aged care outfit beat off competition from another provider and an Asian developer to snap up the 5200-square-metre site on the corner of Brunswick Road and Barkly Street for $14 million.

Brunswick is enjoying an explosion of popularity, especially with inner-city professionals attracted to its bars and cafes. Revellers flocked to Sydney Road festival in Brunswick. Credit:Paul Jeffers

The site was expected to be developed into a low-rise complex, said CBRE's Julian White, who negotiated the deal with colleagues Mark Wizel and David Minty.

The block was owned by one family since the 1960s and had formerly been a textile factory.
Corruption inquiry findings have prompted calls for an independent inquiry into why the NSW Department of Resources asked for the dismissal of a criminal case against prominent Liberal Party donor, Hilton Grugeon.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption on Tuesday found former energy minister Chris Hartcher, former police minister Mike Gallacher and fellow former Liberal MPs Andrew Cornwell, Garry Edwards, Tim Owen and Chris Spence acted with the intention of "evading" election funding laws.

Fresh calls over old case: Property developer Hilton Grugeon. Credit:Ben Rushton

ICAC reported that, in early 2011, Mr Grugeon gave a $10,000 political donation to Mr Owen's 2011 election campaign and $10,120 to Mr Cornwell for his election campaign. Mr Grugeon denies making the political donations. He says he gave Mr Cornwell the money for personal use.

But ICAC preferred evidence to the contrary.
Foreign workers on vessels operating in the booming offshore resources industry will be required to obtain visas and receive minimum pay and conditions, after the High Court ruled against the Turnbull government.

The much-anticipated judgement, delivered on Wednesday, overturns recent government reforms that have allowed foreign workers on certain vessels to be employed without working visas.

The government fears the ruling will increase red tape and cut competitiveness in the offshore sector. Credit:Bloomberg

In an embarrassing blow, the court ruled that Immigration Minister Peter Dutton had acted outside his authority by allowing the exemptions from Australia's migration zone.

Maritime workers say the court victory will help protect local jobs and prevent the exploitation of cheap overseas labour in the $200 billion offshore oil and gas industry.
The chairman of Mexico's largest petrochemical company is telling Donald Trump that the US deserves better than the fear and divisiveness the Republican presidential candidate has been peddling to voters.

Mexichem chairman Juan Pablo del Valle published an open letter to Trump on Twitter, writing that he does not bring crime or drugs to the US - rather, he's invested more than $US2 billion ($2.66 billion) in the country over the past five years. "We operate in 13 states and provide thousands of good paying jobs," he wrote.

"Isolation, fear, insults and social divisiveness cannot possibly be a path to greatness for a president or a country," he wrote. "I hope that you would be capable of defining the kind of positive, innovative leadership that the United States needs and our times demand. But, colour me skeptical."
The TST arbitration remains pending, but the legal manoeuvres have continued. Most recently, in April this year, Timor-Leste initiated compulsory conciliation proceedings against Australia under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Using this approach, Timor-Leste must surmount Australian arguments about jurisdiction and admissibility. If this can be accomplished, then the use of the UNCLOS seems a more promising route for Timor-Leste to reopen negotiations and bring them to fruition without waiting a half-century.

This sheltered sense of rule-bound tranquillity was first upset in April 2013 when Timor-Leste began binding arbitral proceedings under the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty. However, it was difficult to see how a successful challenge to the TST  a different treaty  could end the CMATS' moratorium. Inextricable synergistic links between the two treaties provide some plausible arguments that it could happen, but they are still difficult arguments to make. Linking the TST and CMATS in the arbitration, however, is essential for Timor-Leste if it wants to reopen negotiations on the maritime boundary before 2057. This is because CMATS itself excludes all forms of compulsory dispute settlement.

In large measure, the Australian sense of ease on this issue was attributable to the treaty between Australia and Timor-Leste on Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea (CMATS), which entered into force in February 2007. Article 4 of CMATS provides notable calm by establishing a 50-year moratorium on Australia's otherwise immediate and ongoing obligation to negotiate a permanent maritime boundary with Timor-Leste.

It is reasonable to suppose that for much of the time between 2007 and 2013, those responsible for managing Australia's diplomatic relationship with Timor-Leste rested easy about the potential irritant represented by the unresolved dispute involving the delimitation of the Timor Sea maritime boundary that divides the opposite coastlines of both countries.

Compulsory conciliation concerning a dispute about a maritime boundary under UNCLOS arises when one party has objected to having such a dispute resolved by other available compulsory procedures entailing binding decisions. In March 2002, two months before Timor-Leste's independence, Australia declared that it would not consent to any compulsory procedure in any dispute relating to the delimitation of maritime zones, or to the exploitation of any disputed area of any such maritime zone. This means, amongst other things, that Timor-Leste cannot petition the International Court of Justice or International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for a conclusive resolution of the dispute.

This is not the end of the matter, however. The law of the sea gives priority to the settlement of boundary disputes. Where a maritime boundary dispute exists, UNCLOS requires a party that has objected to having the dispute settled by compulsory, binding procedures, to accept the submission of the matter to compulsory conciliation. The conciliation commission's report that will be the result of the conciliation process is not binding, but the parties are required to use it for the basis of negotiated settlement.

If a negotiated settlement continues to prove impossible, then UNCLOS requires the parties to submit the question to one of the other available compulsory procedures (by mutual consent) for a binding decision. If things reached this stage, it would be incumbent on the parties to strive in good faith to agree on one of the procedures. This would require Australia to seriously consider, in good faith, resolving the dispute by way of a compulsory procedure, instead of steadfastly insisting on a policy it put in place in 2002  that maritime boundaries disputes are best resolved by negotiation instead of litigation.

The compulsory conciliation process initiated by Timor-Leste, however, is more complicated than this brief description. In part this is because, as mentioned, Australia has jurisdiction and admissibility arguments to make.

Looking at jurisdiction first. The dispute settlement procedures provided for in UNCLOS, including compulsory conciliation, apply only where they are not excluded by an agreement between the parties. The moratorium established by CMATS is still in place and would appear to exclude all UNCLOS dispute settlement procedures, including compulsory conciliation. This is a significant problem for Timor-Leste in invoking the jurisdiction of the commission, but it may not be insurmountable.
Crime journalist Donal MacIntyre digs deep into one of the bleakest, saddest and most horrific stories in modern British history  that of serial killers Fred and Rose West. A queue of psychologists, criminologists and West biographer Geoffrey Wansell lay out the terrible facts. Fred West's father raped women in front of his young son and introduced him to bestiality. West's mother, meanwhile, raped the boy from a young age and encouraged him to have sex with his sisters. Rose West's childhood was, if anything, even worse. Born with brain damage from the electroshock treatment her mother was undergoing until just days before her birth, Rose was repeatedly raped by her own violent, unpredictable father. Victims of childhood abuse usually don't become abusers themselves, and the task of picking through how and why the Wests' childhoods might have turned them into monsters takes a stronger stomach than many viewers will have. Brad Newsome

Eleven, 8pm

Part of the considerable charm of this well-crafted but sadly short-lived comedy is watching Rob Lowe relishing his role as a smarmy, self-absorbed and fairly stupid TV star who believes too much of his own publicity. Playing a lawyer on a TV series, Dean Sanderson reckons he's learned enough to become an effective one, a misconception that understandably galls his lawyer brother, Stewart (Fred Savage). Stewart is a happy husband and father living a contented life in Boise, Idaho, until his attention-seeking sibling arrives to disrupt proceedings by insisting on taking a role at the family's legal firm. In this episode, a reporter from the local paper arrives, ostensibly to write a profile of Stewart. An added bonus is the appearance of Timothy Olyphant (Justified) in a guest role. Debi Enker

movie G.I. Jane (1997)

Action Movies (pay TV), 8.30pm

G.I. Jane may well be the nadir of Ridley Scott's most disappointing decade as a filmmaker: the 1990s. It's an unintentional metaphor for Demi Moore's need to appear more powerful than any of her then male contemporaries in Hollywood. The tar-voiced star plays Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil, a determined US Army officer who becomes the first woman to endure Special Forces training as part of political horse-trading she's initially unaware of. With Viggo Mortensen as Master Chief Urgayle, the brutal instructor who traverses the base in some bizarrely macho short shorts, O'Neil is pushed to the point of collapse, but naturally refuses to quit. Shaving her head on camera, Moore is the focus of shots that no male actor could carry off, doing one-armed push-ups in her underwear as Scott's multiple cameras circle her. Her body is chiselled, and by the final act she heroically takes down the bad guys with Master Chief. Craig Mathieson
Former prime minister Julia Gillard has been appointed visiting professor at London's prestigious King's College.

The former Labor leader and education minister will join King's Policy Institute and the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, adding to her international work with the Centre for Universal Education at Washington DC's Brookings Institution and as chair of the Global Partnership for Education.

"I am very honoured to be appointed by King's College as a visiting professor in 2016," Ms Gillard said in a statement.

"I look forward with great enthusiasm to substantive academic engagement with the students and faculty at King's, and to contributing to meaningful discussion of issues of importance to society and the world."
An Indigenous education charity has returned a donation from prominent Labor senator Sam Dastyari, following revelations he asked a communist-linked Australian-Chinese donor to foot an expenses bill when he exceeded parliamentary travel entitlements.

Labor senators jumped to the defence of the NSW powerbroker on Wednesday as Coalition MPs questioned whether he should remain in Parliament after the $1670 arrangement with businessman Minshen Zhu, was revealed by Fairfax Media.

Amid calls for him to quit the frontbench until a full explanation is provided, Senator Dastyari said he had disclosed the donation in accordance with the rules and had donated the equivalent amount to a charity.

The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation returned the donation, as board member and Reconciliation Australia co-chair Tom Calma said it did not want to be "compromised" by receiving money linked to the controversy.
A royal commission into Australia's major banks has been killed off after a Labor move to establish the inquiry was defeated in Parliament.

That motion, put forward by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and backed by independent MP Bob Katter, called for a royal commission to ensure a "thorough investigation of the culture and practices within the financial services industry".

Bill Shorten speaks on a banking royal commission. Credit:Andrew Meares

The motion had been much-anticipated and to head off the move, Coalition MP George Christensen - who has himself previously supported a royal commission - moved a counter motion that killed off Labor's proposal and made clear he was satisfied with his government's response.

At the same time, Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer on Wednesday announced, minutes before Labor's parliamentary manoeuvre on the royal commission, a new inquiry into the banks' small business lending practices, which could lead to further regulation.
Labor powerbroker Sam Dastyari has been admonished by a senior factional ally and is facing further scrutiny after it was revealed he backed China's position in the South China Sea dispute at an event with a Chinese-Australian political donor who has previously forked out for his legal bills.

In a June press conference for Chinese media, Senator Dastyari pledged to respect China's position in the hostile dispute with other Asian nations and the United States, at odds with the Labor Party's position, The Australian Financial Review reports.

The senator is also reported as saying "the South China Sea is China's own affair", calling on Australia to remain neutral and drop its opposition to China's air defence zone in the region.

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke, a senior figure of Senator Dastyari's own NSW right faction, has now restated the party's "crystal clear" stance on the issue and Coalition minister Josh Frydenberg labelled the reports "very worrying".
Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and David Panton arrive for the Midwinter Ball. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The Leader's speeches were hilarious and sadly off-the-record. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Lucy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen They work when the leaders bring their self-deprecating A-game which Shorten did best although he wasn't making too many gags about the Labor leadership. (That was left to Turnbull) Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and wife Chloe. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Perhaps because it was too raw. Peter Van Onselen and Wayne Errington's book (out next week PVO told me last night) claims Shorten narrowly avoided not one but two leadership challenges that could have seen Labor Left frontbencher Anthony Albanese replace him, according to a report by News Corp. [Sid Maher/The Australian] Senator Sam Dastyari arrives for the Midwinter Ball. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Sam Dastyari was the butt of many jokes, including one about privatising the Senate - oh wait, Sam's already beaten us too it. The Financial Review reports Dastyari promised the Chinese community that he would "respect" China's position on the South China Sea at a press conference he held with one of his Chinese donors. Subtle. [Primrose Riordan] Labor believes he will ride this mini-scandal out just fine but it's been a gruelling 24-hours for him ever since Fairfax Media's revelations he asked a Chinese donor to pay for his parliamentary travel bill, 2 with conservative nemesis Cory Bernardi ramping up the attack all day in the Senate.

Labor MPs defended their colleague - the strength of fellow NSW right factional colleague, frontbencher Chris Bowen's was perhaps the most surprising according to several Labor sources I spoke to. Also strange was Bowen's claim that because the declaration was made in October 2015 and no-one said anything at the time then the story was somehow a beat up or contemporary criticism unwarranted. If there's now supposed to be a time-limit on exposing wrongdoing in whatever corner, we might as well all go home now. Dastyari will repay the donor the $1600 as well as donating the same amount to charity. That latter pledge hit a snag though, after the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation rejected his money. The senator then said he had since donate it elsewhere, but did not name the charity. [Fergus Hunter, Tom McIlroy/Fairfax] Significant comment in Niki Savva's Thursday comment piece, saying Turnbull will have to give in to Senator Cory Bernardi's demands on watering down race hate laws given he backed them himself before seizing the prime ministership. [The Australian] This is a similar comment made by Michelle Grattan who says the sheer number of Coalition Senate backbenchers (all bar one) means Turnbull will have to budge. [The Conversation] Turnbull is close to securing his much needed win on restoring the construction industry watchdog, the pretext for the double dissolution election. [Rob Harris/Herald Sun]

And the prime minister has devised a way to neuter Bill Shorten's calls for a royal commission into the banks by promising an inquiry into specific cases of misconduct. [Phillip Coorey/Financial Review] Old foes Pauline Hanson and Tony Abbott had a friendly meeting in Parliament yesterday, according to a video the new senator uploaded to Facebook. (Hanson was at the ball. Abbott was not.) A lot of significant politics happening here. Essentially its another sign Tony Abbott is on the march and attempting a political comeback. [My report/Fairfax] Linda Burney, the first Aboriginal woman MP in the House of Representatives, has made headlines around the world with her maiden speech, which she also used to attack proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act. [BBC]

And one of my fav pics from the ball. Jacqui Lambie has a new friend on the cross-bench. I've never seen Nick Xenophon offer to go matchy-matchy! [Jenna Clarke/Fairfax] 4. Russia claims credit for killing IS leader Yesterday the world learned that top Islamic State strategist Mohammad al-Adnani had been killed in an airstrike in Syria, though it was not clear which of the many forces engaged in the ongoing conflict was responsible for his death. On Wednesday, Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed one of it's own airstrikes had taken him out. [CNN] But unnamed US defense officials told Reuters that claim is "a joke". [Phil Stewart/Reuters] 5. First commercial flight from US to Cuba

Vintage cars on the streets of colourful Havana. Credit:SMH The thaw in relations between the United States and Cuba hit a new landmark overnight, with the first direct commercial flight between the two countries. A JetBlue flight took passengers from Florida to Santa Clara in Cuba, the first such trip in over half a century. There are still restrictions on travel for US citizens travelling to the socialist country, but it's easier than it has been for generations. This change will also make it easier for foreign visitors to the US to make an easy detour to Cuba - previously you had to go through a third country. [The Atlantic] 6. Spike Jones' perfume ad goes viral An advertiser's dream - to create an ad so imaginative people want to watch and in this day and age - share. (Think Carlton Draught's It's a BIG ad!) Cult director Spike Jones' latest offering for Kenzo is going viral. It's got the production values of a big budget perfume ad, including the glamorous woman, glamorous setting, glamorous frock etc. It's like Chanel No. 5 meets Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice. [Marc Bain/Quartz]

And that's it from me today. A big thanks to Josephine Tovey who helped compile today's Double Shot so I could let me hair down a bit last night. I'm heading back home to London so Double Shot will resume Tuesday. You can follow me on Facebook for more (and if you care to see a pic from last night I've posted one there.) Have a great weekend.
Tim Hammond, the new Labor member for Perth, is now giving his maiden speech in the House of Representatives.

But that's where we're going to end our live coverage of the day's politics - after all, there's a Midwinter Ball to get to.

Thanks muchly for staying with us today, and we'll be back tomorrow.
Ten days beyond my estimated due date (when hospital policy calls for an induction) had done nothing to coax my cervix into play - I was told it was posterior, closed and hard. The cervix' primary job during pregnancy is to hold the line at the front to keep your baby safe from danger. Mine was doing too good a job of this apparently; in medical terms, this classified it as being 'unfavorable'.

As it was, the hours following my pregnancy's so-called D-day stretched into days which looked set to stretch into weeks. Routine monitoring turned to talk of induction, with the risk averse obstetricians I'd had no contact with during my pregnancy (having been fortunate enough to be accepted into the hospital's midwifery care program) suddenly turning up to intone stillbirth at me with sombre faces.

Studelska borrows a German word for this state: zwischen. It means 'between', and she uses it to describe that mystical waiting room that most pregnant women will find themselves stationed in at the very end. I didn't imagine I'd spend so long in it, but I suppose that's what happens when you allow set ideas like 'due dates' and 'normal gestation periods' to dictate your thinking.

In The Last Days of Pregnancy: A Place of In-Between , Jana Studelska writes about the tremulous state of waiting that settles in as you approach your due date. Each twinge announces itself as a possible harbinger of labour. Every false contraction seems sure to usher you closer to the person you've been trying to imagine for months. And when these seemingly sure signals sent by your body turn out to be nothing, the hours and days that stretch out behind them feel almost insurmountable.

'Unfavorable cervix' is just one of the many descriptions applied to women's pregnant bodies to make them and the women themselves feel defective and unsuited to the task of childbirth. There is also 'incompetent cervix', which, on the flipside, is a cervix considered too weak to hold that crucial post of defence. Cervixes that refuse to open in labour (or open and then start to close again) produce mothers whose labours are described as having 'failed to progress'.

Beyond the medical profession, well meaning people will ask if you had a 'natural' labour, which can mean either a vaginal delivery or a drug free one (and frequently means both). The alternative - the 'unnatural' delivery of a caeserean is treated either with pity ("Are you disappointed?"), dismissal of the mother's feelings ("All that matters is a healthy baby!) and very often disdain (as with the horrendous sneer, "Too posh to push" - because major abdominal surgery is such a cakewalk.)

When you are wading through the unfamiliar terrain of zwischen, there are few things more crushing than being told your body - the body you have spent the last nine months negotiating sacrifice for and have given over in so many ways, some of them unwillingly or resentfully - is not good enough or strong enough or skilled enough to navigate this final hurdle.

But what is language when there is protocol to observe? The baby is the goal and the how of it is something women are taught belongs to other people to decide. We begin to feel like maybe this is the first real lesson of motherhood - to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good, and express nothing but gratitude for the privilege.

After some thought, I resisted the induction The Doctors kept urging (a strange choice, given how desperately I also wanted the pregnancy to be over). But as I shared that choice with people, I began to hear more and more of women whose own pregnancies had gone naturally beyond the 42 week 'danger zone'. Friends told me how they and their siblings were born at 43 weeks and beyond. A midwife told me the data around risk for 'post term' babies dates back to a small study done in 1958. I thought of my aunt, whose first baby had been born via emergency caesarean because they'd induced her for being post-term. I thought of my sister, whose induction had also gone that way (although had been administered for different reasons - Premature Rupture Of Membranes, just our mother had experienced and I would go on to as well.)
Like a host intervening between feuding relatives at a Christmas lunch, the ABC has moved to separate the logos of its international network partners Monash University and Swisse Wellness from appearing together on its website.

Monash, Swisse Wellness and the Victorian government were unveiled as partners to the ABC's international media service Australia Plus last week in a deal that critics said would taint the university by association with a manufacturer of complementary therapies.

Sydney University's quadrangle juxtaposed with a Swisse ad on the ABC website.

The logo for Swisse, a company that the Therapeutic Goods Administration has sanctioned for making health claims unsupported by evidence, appeared alongside that of Monash on the ABC website as members of its "partnership portfolio".

Following concerns from Monash academics, the broadcaster has removed the logos from appearing together on its website, instead rotating the images or placing them at opposite ends of the page.
If it was up to the royal commission into trade union corruption, it's likely Kathy Jackson would never have been charged.

The former Health Services Union boss was initially feted as a corruption whistleblower by the media and the Abbott government. Who can forget senior minister Christopher Pyne's description of Jackson as a "lion of the union movement"?

Instead, she turned out to be an opportunistic hyena, much to the embarrassment of her politically motivated cheerleaders.

In 2014, the media began to dig into the Jackson myth with the help of genuine whistleblowers, including union official Craig McGregor. Allegations mounted that Jackson had engaged in the very same misuse of union funds as the former crooked union chiefs she had repeatedly condemned  Craig Thomson and Michael Williamson.
The Tax Office will force its workers who fail their employer-sponsored uni courses to pay full tuition fees.

But even a pass mark may not be enough to save tax officials from a hefty uni bill, under a proposal from Commissioner of Taxation Chris Jordan.

Even a pass mark may not be enough to save tax officials from a hefty uni bill, under a proposal from Commissioner of Taxation Chris Jordan. Credit:Alice Archer

Payments could be limited only to those public servants who score a credit for their uni work and in some cases only a distinction would be good enough to get the bosses to help pay for the course.

The commissioner also wants to cap the amount it would pay to the many ATO employees who take on extra study in accounting, business, economics, IT or law each year to just $500 per course.
When he thought no one was watching, a gyprocker suspected of being part of Sydney's largest terror cell, would go online and do the very thing he was forbidden from doing.

Using his iPhone he would access extremist material, often videos about suicide missions, accompanied by pictures of men with bullets in their heads and Islamic State flags.

Ahmed Saiyer Naizmand is led out of Burwood Local Court in shackles after his arrest in February. Credit:Peter Rae

Police also found a video on his phone that was filmed in the morgue of deceased 15-year-old Farhad Jabar, who murdered police accountant Curtis Cheng outside of NSW Police headquarters in October last year.

One of the videos that landed Ahmad Saiyer Naizmand in jail included an Arabic chant, encouraging men to "proceed to death".
The agency charged with reshaping the city, the Greater Sydney Commission, is spending more than half a million dollars on social media consultants, drawing heavy criticism from the state opposition.

The amount of spending on social media was highlighted at a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday, where it also emerged the Lucy Turnbull-chaired commission had cancelled a planned "major event to bring Sydneysiders together to talk about strategic planning".

Direct engagement: Sarah Hill, the CEO of the Greater Sydney Commission. Credit:Daniel Munoz

Labor MLC Daniel Mookhey used the hearing on Wednesday to grill Planning Minister Rob Stokes and Greater Sydney Commission chief executive Sarah Hill about why the agency had not tendered for a contract to provide social media services.

The contract, worth $300,000, was awarded to PR firm Weber Shandwick for work between May and August.
Carers for a 15-year-old state ward who was allegedly repeatedly raped and died from a drug overdose thought she needed more help but struggled to find the right resources or facilities, an inquest has heard.

The troubled teen, identified as MK, had a traumatic history of sexual abuse and injected hard drugs, frequently ran away and probably engaged in prostitution in the lead-up to her death while in state care in April 2014.

State ward MK, 15, died from a drug overdose after she was "used and abused" by those she should have been able to rely upon. Credit:Facebook

NSW Department of Family and Community Services staff were questioned at the coronial inquest into MK's death on Wednesday, with revelations that she met the referral criteria to receive more intensive support, but the program was full and other children were considered higher risk.

A caseworker told the inquest that MK was the most complex and high needs child he had been assigned to look after in his 26 years of experience in the field and that she was a textbook case of traumatisation.
Key maritime industries are seeking an urgent meeting with Premier Mike Baird to safeguard vital ports and marine infrastructure against full-scale commercial and residential development on prime harbourside land around the inner city Bays Precinct.

And some are accusing the government's developer arm, UrbanGrowth NSW, of freezing them out and ignoring their concerns.

UrbanGrowth is seeking to "transform" the 5.5 kilometres of prize waterfront west of the Harbour Bridge, running from White Bay and Glebe Island around to the Sydney fish market.

But in a letter sent to Mr Baird on Wednesday, the 17 companies - which include cruise ship operators, bulk-goods shippers, tour operators and marine engineers - warn that "critical services" based in the Bays Precinct are at risk, and cannot be relocated.
The family of Allison Baden-Clay say they are relieved her husband's murder conviction has been reinstated.

"Today's decision in the High Court comes with relief and elation," family friend Kerry Anne Walker said in a prepared statement read outside the court in Canberra.

"Despite many Queenslanders being labelled as ignorant when they protested the downgrade to manslaughter, the common sense of the original jury has prevailed and justice for Allison has finally been realised."

Ms Walker said the decision reflected what the family already knew: that Gerard Baden-Clay murdered his wife.
Gerard Baden-Clay High Court decision live coverage

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The High Court of Australia has reinstated his conviction for the murder of his beautiful wife, Allison, and in doing so set an important precedent for future cases, according to lawyers.

After more than four years of limbo the former real estate agent had run out of options for appeal and would serve life in prison, with the parole board responsible for his release date.

Gerard Baden-Clay's murder conviction has been upheld.

Baden-Clay told his original murder trial he had nothing to do with his wife's death, in April 2012, and denied fighting with her, killing her and disposing of her body in Kholo Creek, 13 kilometres from their Brookfield home in Brisbane's west.

On appeal, his lawyers argued for the first time that a scenario where he intentionally killed her was a possibility that hadn't been addressed by the prosecutors.

The Court of Appeal downgraded the murder conviction to manslaughter, prompting a public outcry, which culminated in a hundreds-strong rally in King George Square, before the High Court agreed to hear a rare appeal of that decision.
Photos on a phone belonging to the younger brother of NRL star Daly Cherry-Evans led to him being charged for trespassing and climbing Brisbane CBD buildings, his lawyer says.

Darcy Troy Cherry-Evans, 20, was expected to enter a plea in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday, but the case was adjourned after he engaged lawyer Adam Magill.

Darcy Troy Cherry-Evans allegedly trespassed at four CBD buildings. Credit:Michelle Smith

Mr Magill said the matter would be negotiated and had it adjourned to September 14.

Outside court, Mr Magill said the charges stemmed from photos on his client's phone.
Police are hunting a knife-wielding bandit believed to have escaped with only a few hundred dollars from two linked armed robberies south-west of Brisbane.

A 19-year-old woman was threatened with a knife at an ATM in the Ipswich suburb of Goodna about 10.40pm and forced to withdraw less than $100 from an ATM, police said.

Police are hunting a man after two armed robberies, believed to be linked. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Just 40 minutes later, a taxi driver was robbed at knife point less than a kilometre away and forced to hand over another small amount of cash before the robber fled on foot.

Police believed the armed robberies, which yielded less than $300 in total, were linked.
Former Police Association boss Paul Mullett has lost his bid to prove he was the victim of a malicious prosecution by former Victoria Police chief commissioner Christine Nixon.

Supreme Court Justice Terry Forrest handed down the decision in favour of Ms Nixon on Wednesday morning, rejecting Mr Mullett's claim that he was the victim of a plot to oust him from his role as Police Association secretary.

Former deputy commissioner Kieran Walshe and Superintendent Wayne Taylor were also defendants with Ms Nixon in the high-profile lawsuit.

Mr Mullett was seeking a multimillion-dollar settlement from Ms Nixon who, in her former role as chief commissioner, suspended Mr Mullett from Victoria Police in 2007, while he was the subject of an investigation by the now defunct Office of Police Integrity.
Police have busted an illegal brothel operating in a Melbourne CBD apartment and arrested a 41-year-old woman. Officers from the Sex Industry Coordination Unit seized cash, documents and equipment from the Little Collins Street apartment late on Wednesday morning. The Sex Industry Coordination Unit says its focus is on illegal brothels in CBD apartments. Credit: Paul Rovere A 41-year-old Melbourne woman was arrested and taken for questioning. The SICU says its current focus is on illegal brothels operating out of apartment buildings.

"It is these types of unregulated businesses which often mean that employees are working in exploitative conditions," said Senior Sergeant Marilynn Ross. "Standards of hygiene are incredibly poor and people coming in are subjecting themselves to health risks." In June, it emerged The Quay development in Sydney's Haymarket held a thriving "pop-up" sex trade in apartments, which involved overseas students . This followed similar revelations about the Centra Park development - over five buildings - in Sydney's Chippendale. "There is a licensed industry in Melbourne which provides a safe environment for workers and clients," Senior Sergeant Ross said.
The controversial sky rail project in south-east Melbourne is heading to the Supreme Court.

Residents living along the Cranbourne-Packenham train line have launched a last ditch bid to derail the project, filing documents in the Supreme Court on Wednesday claiming the government's decision to allow elevated rail was "unreasonable". Hearings are expected to begin on Tuesday.

The Andrews government has promised to remove 50 level crossings across Melbourne as part of the $1.6 billion project. Once the project is complete there will be no level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line.

The Lower Our Tracks Inc protest group says the nine level crossings set to be removed from the Cranbourne-Packenham line should be re-built under the road - as they have been in nearby Bentleigh, Ormond and McKinnon - not above.
The two women alleged to have murdered Warnbro teenager Aaron Pajich have appeared in court.

Gemma Lilley, 25, and Trudi Lenon, 42, were charged with the murder of the 18-year-old and will appear in court again on October 26.

They are both yet to enter pleas.

The Warnbro teenager was last sighted in Rockingham on June 13.
The board of directors for the Craig Water/Sewer District were given approval Tuesday to issue up to $1,091,000 of bonds to help finance installation of a community wastewater system.

According to unofficial results tabulated Tuesday night, 10 of the 35 votes opposed the issuance of bonds and 25 were in favor.

While 60 voters were eligible to vote, ballots were mailed to only 51 as nine had not voted recently and were deemed to be inactive for the election, said Audrey Dufrechou, the countys election supervisor.

Those who are deemed inactive have not voted in the last federal general election elections and not responded to requests from the county elections office to update their voter registration information, according to an email from Dufrechou.

However, inactive voters can still request a ballot, she added.

Inactive voters are still registered to vote and eligible to cast a ballot in the elections they are otherwise qualified to vote in. The key distinction is in mail ballot elections, where, pursuant to Montana law, our office does not automatically send a ballot to inactive voters, she wrote.

A voters status is returned to active if the voter notifies the elections office in writing of a current residence, fills out a voter registration card, votes at the polls or requests an absentee ballot.

The vast majority of voters with inactive status receive that status after not voting in a federal general and not responding to mailings from the county elections office, she continued and added, however, a voter can also be assigned inactive status after certain mail ballot elections.

Based on the number of eligible voters, 58.33 participated in the election, Dufrechou said.

Because more than 40 percent of the registered voters participated in the election, a simple majority is all thats needed for the ballot issue to pass, she noted in an email.

The vote is part of the overall $4,976,000 projected cost to install a wastewater collection and disposal system for the community.

Helping to fund the work will be a combination of grants and loans, Holly Manning, with Robert Peccia & Associates who is the project manager, said previously.

The state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Renewable Resources Grant and Loan Program is slated to provide $100,000 toward construction costs, and the Treasure State Endowment Program committed $750,000 toward the project.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program is providing two grants, one is for $998,000 and the other for $256,000 that brings the total of $1,254,000, Manning said.

Rural Development is also providing two loans totaling $2,391,000, she said and noted that one loan is for $1.3 million and the other is for $1,091,000.

The Craig County Water/Sewer District will contribute $481,000 toward the projects anticipated cost.

Funds from the community will involve 85 percent of the towns annual resort tax collection that adds 3 percent to the cost of services provided by lodgings, restaurants, bars and other destination recreational facilities.

A detailed list of 23 items and services that concludes with other necessities of life are exempt from the tax resort tax thats collected from April 1 through Nov. 15.

In fiscal year 2015, which began July 1 of the prior year and ended June 30, 2015, the town collected $123,000, said Nancy Everson, the Lewis and Clark County finance director.

In fiscal year 2016, the resort tax generated $119,000, she added.

While Craig is a mecca for fly fishing and has several shops and businesses that cater to anglers who come to fish the Missouri River, the nearby town of Wolf Creek also hopes to capitalize on its proximity to the river and to Holter Lake.

Wolf Creek voters approved a 3 percent resort tax in 2014 that took effect in 2015 and is intended to help pay for their new community wastewater system.

During fiscal year 2016, the Wolf Creek resort tax collected $24,000, Everson said.

With Tuesdays approval to issue bonds to help finance the Craig wastewater system, town residents will have monthly wastewater bills of $29.51 per wastewater connection for 40 years to repay debt on the project.

While a residence would typically have a single connection to the wastewater system, a business could be charged for additional connections because of its greater use of the system.

The monthly rate includes funds toward operation, maintenance and replacement of equipment, as required by the Rural Development loans, Manning said.

Money is also set aside for sampling and testing as well as for a system operator.

Now that voters have chosen to support plans for a wastewater system, Rural Development can authorize the process to move ahead, Manning said.

Bids could be sought for the project in September. Of the $4,976,000 total cost, construction is projected to be $3,550,000 although the exact cost wont be known until bids are opened in late October or early November.

The difference between construction and the total project cost involves expenses that include a contingency fund, bond counsel, legal guidance, engineering, state Department of Environmental Quality fees, an audit, travel and training.

Once a contractor is selected, a notice to proceed would be issued followed by a notice of winter shutdown. Work on the 210-day project would begin in spring, according to Manning.

The wastewater treatment plant will be built west of the Interstate 15 southbound on-ramp on land the district purchased. Capacity of the system will allow for future connections to vacant land.

Treated wastewater will go from the plant to a pond and then be allowed to spill into a wetland southwest of Craig, Manning said.

Land for disposal of the treated water is leased from Dearborn Ranch owner Tom Seibel.
Brasilia: The Senate impeached Brazil's first female president Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday, and removed her from office for the rest of her term, the capstone of a power struggle that has consumed the nation for months and toppled one of the southern hemisphere's most powerful political parties.

The Senate voted 61-20 to convict Ms Rousseff on charges of manipulating the federal budget in an effort to conceal the nation's mounting economic problems.

Sweeping corruption scandals, the worst economic crisis in decades and the government's tone-deaf responses to the souring national mood opened Ms Rousseff to withering scorn, leaving her with little support to fend off a power grab by her political rivals.

"She lacked it all," said Mentor Muniz Neto, a writer from Sao Paulo who described Ms Rousseff's final ouster as a "death foretold," asserting that she lacked charisma, competence and humility. "We deserved better."
A SWAT team officer stands watch near James Holmes' flat. Credit:AP The survivors, some of whom had two or three attorneys, were told that the state case had decided the issue - Cinemark was not liable for the shooting. US District Judge R. Brooke Jackson, who oversaw the federal case, was about to issue an order saying as much. The federal lawsuit was effectively over. Investigators remove computer equipment as evidence from the apartment of gunman James Holmes after the massacre. Credit:AP But Judge Jackson wanted the survivors and Cinemark to end the case with a settlement. It was 8am on June 23. For the next eight hours, attorneys for both sides inched closer to a deal.

At 4pm, Cinemark's attorneys presented a settlement offer. Before it was read, a federal magistrate cornered Mr Weaver. He asked Mr Weaver to remember the slow pace of change in the civil rights movement, and told him that changing theatre safety would also be slow. Police outside the Century Aurora 16 multiplex after a mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado on July 20, 2012. Credit:AP "It was the biggest smack in the face," Mr Weaver said. "He was basically telling us: 'You're right, they're basically at fault, but there's justice and then there's true justice.' " It wasn't a good deal, Mr Weaver thought: $US150,000 split among the 41 plaintiffs. "That's it?" Mr Weaver asked his attorney, Phil Hardman.

"That's it," Mr Hardman replied. But the settlement would achieve the one thing Mr Weaver had been pushing for: an acknowledgment that the theatre chain would take new measures to protect patrons. Still, something was worrying him. "It was the 12th hour, we were all feeling the same way. We all knew they were liable. We knew they were at fault," Mr Weaver said. "[The settlement] was a slap in the face. But I said, 'Let's go for it because it's better than nothing.' " The deal came with an implied threat: If the survivors rejected the deal, moved forward with their case and lost, under Colorado law they would be responsible for the astronomical court fees accumulated by Cinemark.

The choice for the survivors was clear, Mr Weaver said. "Either seek justice and go into debt, or take that pitiful offering of money and the improved public safety," he said. The plaintiffs and their attorneys all seemed to agree. They decided on a split of $US30,000 each to the three most critically injured survivors. The remaining 38 plaintiffs would share the remaining $US60,000 equally. Cinemark's attorneys drafted a news release to distribute the next day. Then one plaintiff rejected the deal.

The plaintiff, who had been gravely wounded in the shooting, wanted more money than the proposed share of the settlement. The Los Angeles Times did not name the plaintiff because the plaintiff could not be reached for comment. The eight hours they had spent negotiating the deal, the weeks of the failed state court trial, the four years of anger at the theatre since the shooting - all of it was for nothing. "It was done then," Mr Weaver said. He removed himself as a plaintiff immediately. So did 36 other people. Four plaintiffs remained on the case the next day, June 24, when Judge Jackson handed down the order that Cinemark was not liable for the damages. The court costs in the state case were $US699,000.

"A blind guy in a dark alley could have seen [the state verdict] coming," Mr Hardman said. Several plaintiffs and attorneys, including those who would not comment on the settlement negotiations, expressed frustration at the way the state case was handled. In that case, New York attorney Marc Bern, who represented 27 people, paid one expert $US22,000 to testify. Cinemark paid five experts $US500,000 to testify. Most damaging to their case, the state plaintiffs were not permitted to enter a crucial piece of evidence before the jury - a warning from the Department of Homeland Security in May 2012 to theatre chains nationwide concerning the potential for a mass-casualty attack on a theatre. "You've got this guy from New York representing people in Colorado who were probably misguided, to be honest," Mr Weaver said.

The case put forward in the state court was so weak, the federal plaintiffs felt, that a rumour circulated among them that the case was a set-up by Cinemark, designed to fail. "That's ridiculous," said Mr Bern, who is known for representing rescue workers from the attacks of September 11, 2001. "We had all the resources possible. The only expert we needed was a security expert." In August 2015, Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, avoiding the death penalty. Mr Weaver, 45, has married and had a child since the shooting, a blue-eyed girl named Maggie. He still goes to therapy, which he said has helped him. However, the way the case ended will never leave him.
Moscow: Whether Uzbekistan's president is at death's door or has already passed through is unclear, but that may not be the greatest uncertainty facing the country - it's what comes after his death.

As independent Uzbekistan's only leader, Islam Karimov has run a monolithic regime, harshly repressing any opposition and cultivating no apparent successor.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov late last year. Credit:AP

Three days after he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, his condition remained unclear amid conflicting reports on the 78-year-old strongman who has ruled with an authoritarian grip for a quarter-century.

Karimov has not been seen in public or on state television since Saturday, according to his daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva. In a Facebook post on Monday, she said his condition was stable but that "it is too early to make any predictions about his future health." She requested privacy for her family.
Seoul, South Korea: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has executed his deputy premier for education - for sitting in a "disrespectful" posture - and purged two other senior officials, sending them to re-education camps, the South Korean government said Wednesday.

Jeong Joon-hee, a spokesman for the South's Unification Ministry, said at a news briefing that the government had used various means to confirm the execution of Kim Yong Jin, the deputy premier, and the purge of Kim Yong Chol, the head of the United Front Department of the ruling Workers' Party, which handles relations with, as well as spying operations against, South Korea. Choe Hui Do, a deputy chief of the party's Propaganda and Agitation Department, was also banished for re-education, Jeong said.

Jeong provided no further details, including when the reported punishments were believed to have taken place or how South Korea had learned of them.

The South Korean national news agency, Yonhap, citing an anonymous government source, reported that the deputy premier had been arrested for sitting in a "disrespectful" posture during a meeting led by Kim Jong-un. He was executed by firing squad in July, the agency said.
Bangkok: The Philippines military has been ordered to go "full force" to wipe out the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf terrorist group as thousands of additional troops move into its strongholds.

The order came as 15 Philippines soldiers have been killed and 12 others wounded in clashes with the militants on remote southern Philippine islands since Monday.

Earlier troops had killed at least 22 Abu Sayyaf fighters, including an influential commander, in a firefight during which soldiers said the militants appeared to be on drugs.

The militants are holding at least 23 hostages, including a Dutch birdwatcher kidnapped in 2012 and a Norwegian man abducted from a beach resort last year.
Tokyo: At least 10 people have died in northern Japan after a powerful typhoon pounded the region.

Typhoon Lionrock made landfall in Japan's Tohoku, the area devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, on Tuesday evening becoming the first typhoon to come onshore in the region since records began in 1951.

On Wednesday, citing police, local broadcaster NHK reported nine people were found dead at an elderly care home in Iwate prefecture, while a woman was killed in Kuji City.

The storm came onshore near Ofunato in Iwate prefecture, a city where 340 people were killed and almost 3000 homes destroyed in the 2011 disasters. The cyclone took a boomerang-like route away from Japan before turning back over the past week and is expected to move faster over the northern part of the Japanese archipelago and into the Sea of Japan by Wednesday, where it will weaken into an extratropical cyclone.
Paris: France's far-right National Front leader, Marine Le Pen, voiced support for US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would bring war and hardship to the world.

Le Pen is a candidate in France's April 2017 presidential election. While her increasingly popular party thrives on anti-immigration sentiment, she has been more careful in her speeches than Trump has been so as to make her party more mainstream.

"As far as France's best interest is concerned it's 'Everything but Hillary Clinton'," Le Pen told CNN in an interview when asked which US candidate she would support.

"It's everything but Hillary Clinton because I believe Hillary Clinton means war, Hillary Clinton means devastation, destabilising the world, economic choices that would be devastating for my people, geostrategic choices that would lead to global conflicts."
GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Ingrid Arrindell, would like to congratulate Jacinth Hunkins (15), a student of St. Maarten Academy for her first placement in the gold senior division of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) 2016 FCCA Foundation Children's Essay Competition.

The competition invited students from schools around the Caribbean and Latin America to submit essays and then awards the students and schools to help further their education. In total, this year's contest will provide nearly $20,000 to the participating students and their schools.

First-place winners and their schools will receive $3,000 academic scholarships, and the winners and a chaperone will be invited to accept their prizes at the FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference & Trade Show Opening Ceremony in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday, September 26.

This year's essay contest attracted entries from 21 countries, who wrote what they would want to see and do in their destination as a cruise passenger. All the essays showcased the students' excellence in writing, as well as knowledge of their destination and the ability to entice the FCCA readers to experience new things.

Minister Arrindell would like to highlight that the FCCAs Essay Competition shed light on the fact that St. Maarten proves to be the preferred cruise destination in the Eastern Caribbean.

"It is an absolute honor to have a young St. Maartener write and share her point of view on the cruise destination St Maarten and this shows how passionate we can be about our Island and what we can offer our visitors. The FCCAs Essay competition is a great acknowledgement of destination St. Maarten and the readers will get a chance to read and experience St. Maarten from a fresh, youthful perspective. said Minister Arrindell.

First, second and third place was awarded to participants from the junior division, consisting of students between nine- and 12-years-old, and the senior division, featuring students between 13 and 16.The FCCA Foundation provides a tangible mechanism for the cruise industry to fund a range of humanitarian causes in Caribbean and Latin American destinations.

The Ministry of TEATT would like to thank the FCCA Foundation for their continued efforts to help our students and subsequently, our tourism product.
Dialysis Center will be built first ---- Lee.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of VSA Emil Lee was certainly not happy on Wednesday when he attended the Council of Minister's press briefing to address the contract that the Director of USZV is about to sign with INSO which was slated for August 31st, 2016.

Minister Lee started off his opening statements by stating that he is conducting the peoples business in an open and transparent way. He said because of that he received a number of phone calls pertaining to the contract that the director of USZV Glen Carty along with him was supposed to sign with INSO on August 31st, 2016 based on the Tender documents and USZV website. The Minister referred to the article SMN News published without mentioning names of the media house, he ranted about the statements in the article that state that he should save his explanations and excuses for the National Detectives whenever they knock on his door, the Minister said he personally called the National Detectives and gave them his phone number and address because he has nothing to hide.

As per the dialysis center that is not part of the DBM contract, Minister Lee said the intention is for them to build the dialysis center first, (before the construction of the hospital) and that is why it is not part of the contract that will be signed with the contractor (INSO). He said that the current dialysis center is too small and cannot cater to the needs of the people, therefore, a decision was taken to reserve an area and build the dialysis center first since it is one part of the hospital that generates income. However, the Minister did not say who will build this separate building, and where the monies will come from. At no point did the Minister mentioned this before the tender documents and terms of reference were published by SMN News. Even the though the Minister said that dialysis center will be built before, it should be noted that there is no tender process or bidding for the dialysis center. Yet the Minister claims to be open and transparent. Based on the tender documents the construction of the new hospital will commence sometime in the month of September, yet no information as to the bidding process to construct the dialysis center, no information as to will finance this much-needed facility that generates the most income. The question one now has to ask themselves is if this center was outsourced and now that SMN News exposed the DBM contract the Minister found a way to patch things up without providing all the necessary information on who will finance and build the dialysis center. It must be made clear that based on the Tender Documents it clearly states that the construction of the New Hospital will start in the month of September.

He further stated that he has been exploring all possible means to obtain financing for the hospital one being getting a loan from the Netherlands.

The Minister claim that there are people that have political motives and are doing everything to stop the project, and he wants to know why certain politicians are visiting hospitals now.

Asked by SMN News if the contract that was scheduled to be signed on Wednesday, August 31st will take place, the Minister said that will not happen because negotiations are still ongoing with the contractor, asked if the current negotiations involve which local contractor will work with INSO to construct the hospital, the question certainly irritated the Minister, who then responded by saying that people believe that there is some scheme or insider trading with the new hospital. He said that he already indicated to the contractor that when the contract is signed that they will have to do business open and transparent by putting out a bid in order to select a local contractor.
PHILIPSBURG:---The Ad Hoc Committee of Integrity (BCI), will meet on September 1.

The Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 10.30 am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda points to be discussed are:

1. Approval Decision list BCI Parliamentary Year 2015-2016, no. 5 2. Continuation discussion on topics proposed in connection with setting the parameters and work method for the Permanent Committee Integrity

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org.
Six black-and-white units respond to report of an accident involving one car and one pedestrian.

Six Santa Monica police units and 12 police officers responded to a report that an elderly man had hit a pedestrian in the alley between 9th Street and 10th Street, and between Washington Avenue and Idaho Avenue.

Six Santa Monica police units and 12 police officers responded to a report that an elderly man had hit a pedestrian in the alley between 9th Street and 10th Street, and between Washington Avenue and Idaho Avenue. The pedestrian, a younger man was injured but not seriously, police said.

Perhaps the police reacted with so much force over the report of a simple accident, because of the 2006 incident at a Farmers Market on 4th and Arizona Avenue, where an elderly man killed 10 Santa Monica residents, and injured 63. On the afternoon of July 16, 2003, George Weller, then age 86, drove his 1992 Buick LeSabre westbound down Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica, California toward the city's popular Third Street Promenade. The last few blocks of the street, before it ends at the ocean, had been closed to vehicle traffic for the biweekly farmers' market.

Six Santa Monica police units and 12 police officers responded to a report that an elderly man had hit a pedestrian in the alley between 9th Street and 10th Street, and between Washington Avenue and Idaho Avenue.

Some local residents the arise that Santa Monica traffic has reached a tipping point. The Expo Line train was supposed to be a magic bullet for traffic, but the City Council has approved so many projects in Santa Monica, that the density of people in downtown Santa Monica is now about as high as Manhattan, New York.

Traffic accidents are up 13% in five years nationwide, and this is due to the good economy, low price of gas, and distracted drivers with cell phones. The elderly gentleman pictured in these photos, was not using a cell phone.

Traffic fatalities in the United States increased by 9 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to 2015, according to estimates from the National Safety Council.

About 19,100 people were killed in traffic accidents from January through June, which also is an 18 percent increase from the first half of 2014. There has been an estimated 2.2 million people seriously hurt.
Minton could've easily gone to another hospital, but insisted on a hysterectomy at Catholic Mercy San Juan. Why? Isn't it obvious

To the left, Evan Minton is the latest face in the ongoing struggle for civil rights, against those who would deny a person gender transition rights anywhere, anytime.

When Catholic Mt. St. Charles Academy said early this year, that it would not accept nor enroll Transgender Students, the left declared war. The Rhode Island School placed itself in the center of a national debate over an LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance that would protect transgender people's access to public accommodations.

On March 9, 2016, having received a petition with 1700 signatures from Change.org, and more importantly, having pissed off at least one major alum who donated money, MSC Academy folded. They apologized for hurting anyone's feelings, and admitted Transgender students despite their previous statements that they did not have the physical facilities to accommodate them.

The Daily Beast's article on the subject was even titled "hateful rhetoric." http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/04/catholic-prep-school-no-transgender-students.html Needless to say, the Daily Beast never addressed the obvious question of why a transgender person would want to attend a religious conservative catholic school.

Today's headline is "Transgender Man Denied Hysterectomy at Mercy San Juan Hospital." The hospital, which is Catholic, refuses to allow a surgeon with operating privileges at Mercy, to carry out a scheduled hysterectomy on this determined, though confused, person. From the Sacramento Bee:

Tuesday was supposed to be a big day for Evan Michael Minton. The Fair Oaks resident packed his bags for the hospital, said a prayer and counted down the hours until he would undergo the hysterectomy that would take him one step further in his transition from female to male.

Instead he spent the day on the phone with doctors and lawyers after Mercy San Juan hospital in Carmichael abruptly canceled the procedure on religious grounds.

The surgery, part of Minton's transition to a fully male body, had been scheduled for three weeks but was called off Monday as hospital officials were preparing his admissions paperwork.

Both Minton and his surgeon, Dr. Lindsey Dawson, said they were caught unawares by the hospital's decision.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/health-and-medicine/article98943597.html#storylink=cpy

In a statement, Dignity Health, which until 2012 was affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, declined to discuss Minton's case, citing patient privacy laws.

"In general, it is our practice not to provide sterilization services at Dignity Health's Catholic facilities," said spokeswoman Melissa Jue, in an emailed statement. Sterilization procedures, such as hysterectomies or tubal ligations, she said, are permitted by Catholic hospitals only to cure or alleviate a "serious pathology and (if) a simpler treatment is not available."

In Minton's case, there is a clear, medical need for a hysterectomy, according to his surgeon."Gender dysphoria is very clearly a pathology," said Dawson. "It's a recognized state of health," noting that national obstetrics groups recommend that transitioning transgender patients be put on hormones and provided with appropriate surgeries.

She said Minton is her first patient seeking a hysterectomy as a part of gender transition care. So in other words, she wants to open up Mercy San Juan to future transgender surgeries. In her religion, the right to transition between genders, anywhere any time, should be a right, not a privelege.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/health-and-medicine/article98943597.html#storylink=cpy

Dignity Health Mercy San Juan Hospital was set up for national bad publicity by Even Minton and Dr. Dawson, as the culture wars continue

Personally, I doubt that they were "caught unawares" by the hospitals decision. Minton and Dr. Dawson knew full well that once the Catholic hospital figured out what was going down in their surgical theater, they would call a halt to it. Dr. Dawson in particular knew Mercy's ban on voluntary sterilizations.

To make sure they knew, Minton checked into the hospital insisting he be referred to as "he. Pronouns are very important to me. I told them to call me he or him, not she or her, which they started to call me after referring to my chart."

Yessir, Mr. Minton. When they saw you wanted a hysterectomy, the cat was out of the bag, and they knew you were born a girl.

Well, congrats on your 15 minutes of fame. And for standing up to say that anyone should be able to get a hysterectomy any time on demand, in any place. Because, you know, that's an important right. Despite the religious convictions of the folks who funded the hospital. Despite the fact that you could just go down the street to any other hospital in Sacramento.
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
Parents and anti-vaccine groups sought an injunction

A federal judge has refused to block a new California vaccination law, which eliminates an exemption based on the parents' personal beliefs. The law requires children in both public and private schools to be inoculated against 10 contagious illnesses.

"Society has a compelling interest in fighting the spread of contagious diseases through mandatory vaccination of school-age children," said U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw of San Diego. He noted in Friday's ruling that the California Supreme Court had upheld mandatory vaccination for schoolchildren as long ago as 1890.

Seventeen parents and four anti-vaccine organizations sought an injunction against enforcement of the law.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit say 33,000 students in California whose parents oppose vaccinations will be denied enrollment unless they agree to be vaccinated, and argued that they were being denied the right to freely practice their religion. Sabraw countered that their religious right "does not outweigh the state's interest in public health and safety."

He cited a 1944 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibited a young girl from distributing religious literature on the streets in violation of a Massachusetts child-labor law. The family's claim of religious freedom in that case "does not include liberty to expose the community or the child to communicable disease," the high court said.

Although the right to an education is strongly protected by California law, Sabraw said that right must give way to the public interest in protecting children's health.

The new, stricter, law was prompted by a measles outbreak in 2014 that was traced to Disneyland visitors who hadn't been vaccinated. Implemented just last month, the measure makes California one of only three states, along with West Virginia and Mississippi, to require all students to be vaccinated against illnesses such as measles, mumps, tetanus, and rubella, regardless of their parents' religious or personal opposition. The only exceptions are for children with doctor-certified medical exemptions and for disabled students in individualized education programs.

Parents must provide a shot record for children entering either kindergarten of seventh grade.

California parents are now required to provide immunization records when their child is entering kindergarten or the seventh grade. That means an elementary-school student who already has a parental exemption will not need to be vaccinated until the seventh grade, and students in the eighth grade or higher won't require any vaccinations.

In announcing the suit on July 1, plaintiff's attorney Robert Moxley said the law "has made second-class citizens out of children who for very compelling reasons are not vaccinated."

Opponents went to court after they failed to qualify a state ballot referendum to undo the law.

State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, one of the sponsors of the vaccine law, praised the ruling for helping to make schools safer. The law was also sponsored by Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica.

Plaintiff's attorney Kim Mack Rosenberg said they are planning an appeal.
RapidFire Tools Teaches MSPs to Capitalize on Security and Compliance Issues With Fall Seminars and Events

ATLANTA, GA  (Marketwired)  08/30/16  RapidFire Tools Inc., the world leader in non-invasive , has embarked on a comprehensive of trainings, seminar sessions, trade show appearances and webinars to kick off the fall. These sessions are designed to present managed services providers (MSPs) with new ways to profit from the use of network assessment tools. Throughout September, the company will appear at six separate trade events, host two proprietary webinars, and present four event-based seminar sessions presented by executives from both the sales and software-development sides of the company. The September schedule is the most comprehensive roster of events and presentations RapidFire Tools has offered all year. The series aim to educate the MSP community on how to profit from network assessment tools and grow their businesses.

RapidFire Tools training sessions introduce concepts and strategies to MSPs including how to conduct either a HIPAA or a PCI Compliance-as-a-Service practice, which can be leveraged in the healthcare and retail markets, respectively. These sessions teach solution providers to pursue opportunities they might not otherwise have been able to accommodate. In addition, seminar sessions focus on how MSPs can use network assessment reports to convert potential leads into new customers, and how to leverage ongoing assessments to enhance their customer relationships.

Weve found that the most effective way to make MSPs truly understand the opportunities of network assessment is to explain it to them live, giving them the product and category knowledge to create comprehensive compliance programs for their customers, said , CEO and president at RapidFire Tools. Many solution providers dont fully understand the benefits of ongoing network assessment reports, which offer clear advantages over other security disciplines such as anti-malware and remote management, adds Mittel.

Network Assessments provide a more holistic approach to threat detection, and significantly mitigate risks for their customers beyond what these other disciplines can accomplish. In addition, ongoing assessments can lead to enhanced customer relationships and increased incremental service revenues as MSPs become a proactive and vested partner for the end-user, one who is able to identify patterns, vulnerabilities and suspicious behavior that can compromise their networks.

RapidFire Tools will maintain a presence at events from some of the industrys leading solution provider associations, media companies, and vendors. Presentations and webinars throughout the month will be delivered by RapidFire Tools Vice President of Software Development ; Vice President of Sales ; National Sales Manager ; and Regional Sales Manager .

*At press time. The schedule is subject to changes and additions. Please visit the RapidFire Tools section of the company website for the latest information.

RapidFire Tools training schedule will continue on a monthly basis. The Network Detective product line is available for purchase via subscription online at the companys website: .

Network Detective is the number one non-invasive IT assessment tool, used by thousands of service providers around the world. Unlike other solutions, Network Detective includes a series of IT assessment and compliance modules that acquire a vast amount of network data  including assets, users, configurations, and vulnerabilities  all without installing any software, probes, or agents. Once the scans are complete, the service provider can run the encrypted file through the Network Detective proprietary data analyzer and then select from dozens of powerful reports to generate.

RapidFire Tools Inc. was founded in June of 2010 by IT entrepreneur Michael Mittel. The companys mission is to develop and sell innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully; and also to support the reporting needs of IT pros working within end-user organizations.

RapidFire Tools, Inc.tel:+1-267-639-9213
Leading stationer, HAMELIN, reinforces its confidence in Interoute by scaling up connectivity in Europe, Asia, and the United States

Posted by Publisher Networking

Interoute scales up network for Hamelin Groups applications and to support migration to Microsoft Office 365

Paris, 31 August, 2016  Interoute, owner operator of a global cloud services platform and one of the largest European networks, announced that Hamelin, the leading manufacturer of stationery products in Europe and an Interoute customer since 2010, has renewed its confidence in Interoute to interconnect its 30 sites spread across Europe, Asia and the United States.

With well-known brands such as Black n Red, the Oxford notebooks range and Elba filing, Hamelin supplies excellent quality stationery products with strong environmental credentials, whether recycled or using virgin fibres from sustainable sources.

Eric Joan, Hamelins CEO explains: Our collaboration with Interoute began when we decided to deploy an ERP system globally, requiring high performance interconnectivity for all our sites. Since then Hamelin has grown organically and through a number of acquisitions. We evolved from a small galaxy of SMBs each using its own tools, to an organised group connected through a global network.

Interoute won the tender with a smart technical proposal that fitted our ambitions, and with the necessary performance and reliability level for our operation. Our plant sites are sometimes in the countryside, in exotic locations, and previously it was not easy to connect them. Interoute has met the challenge and over the years we have forged a tight relationship with the team.

The size of the network has been increased to accommodate the groups back office migration to Office 365. All Hamelin Groups applications rely on the Interoute WAN MPLS network, including SAPs real-time operations. Each site has a redundant connection with a MPLS/Hybrid link back up. Interoute also provides colocation with ERPs additional applications in the heart of the network.

Mark Lewis, EVP, Communications and Connectivity at Interoute, commented: We are delighted that Eric Joan and his team have put their trust in us again with the continuation of our relationship. We are proud to continue supporting the development of Hamelin Group and its prestigious brands. The geographic and technological diversity of industrial sites is a perfect example of the potential of Interoutes Digital Enterprise Platform to support ambitious enterprises. The concept of service is also important in this context and the regular monitoring required is a key element of the success of our relationship.
CPIs New Clik-Nut(TM) Eliminates the Installation Challenges of Traditional Cage Nuts

Posted by Publisher Hardware

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA  (Marketwired)  08/31/16  The new Clik-Nut Hardware Kit by Chatsworth Products (CPI) addresses the fundamental challenges of installing and removing traditional cage nuts. The patent-pending, squeeze-and-release design eliminates the need for tools, resulting in easier and faster installation by at least 70 percent.

Standard cage nut hardware can be difficult and time-consuming to install or move. Installing cage nuts requires force that exceeds what can be reasonably applied by human fingers. Consequently, installers routinely suffer from pinched fingers, ripped or detached fingernails. CPIs Clik-Nut Hardware Kit solves these issues.

Anyone who has ever used cage nuts will attest they are not easy to install or remove. They are difficult and painful to install without a specialty tool; the tool is always missing when you need it, and no tool works well for both installation and removal. The increasing number of requests to install these at the factory combined with general customer comments over the years motivated us to take a second look, stated Sam Rodriguez, CPI Sr. Product Manager of Cabinet & Thermal Solutions.

Advantages of the new product include:

squeeze-and-release design allows for easier, faster and safer installation

same strength and reliability as standard cage nuts

fully compatible with .375 (9.5 mm) EIA square-punched holes

To use, simply align the Clik-Nut with the desired mounting hole, squeeze and release the tab. The Clik-Nut will then be fastened in place and ready for equipment mounting.

CPIs Clik-Nut Hardware Kit is sold in packs of 25, 250 and 1000 and is available in multiple thread sets  M6, 12-24 and 10-32. The engraved thread size on the Clik-Nut allows easy identification, and the zinc plated finish helps prevent corrosion.

I am excited to introduce our new Clik-Nut design and am confident that our customers will be pleased. Instead of creating a better tool, we eliminated it. The end result is a fast, safe and simple design that provides the same high reliability attachment the industry has relied upon for decades, Rodriguez added.

Achieve fast, secure and safe installation with CPIs Clik-Nut Hardware Kit. For more information, visit the on CPIs website, or to try it for yourself.

At Chatsworth Products (CPI), it is our mission to address todays critical IT infrastructure needs with products and services that protect your ever-growing investment in information and communication technology. We act as your business partner and are uniquely prepared to respond to your specific requirements with global availability and rapid product customization that will give you a competitive advantage. At CPI, our passion works for you. With over two decades of engineering innovative IT physical layer solutions for the Fortune 500 and multinational corporations, CPI can respond to your business requirements with unequaled application expertise, customer service and technical support, as well as a global network of industry-leading distributors. Headquartered in the United States, CPI operates from multiple sites worldwide, including offices in Mexico, Canada, China, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. CPIs manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, Asia and Europe.

CPI is listed with the General Services Administration (GSA) under Federal Supply Schedule IT 70. Products are also available through GSA Advantage and through Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), including GSA Connections and NITAAC-ECS III ().

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all information, CPI does not accept liability for any errors or omissions and reserves the right to change information and descriptions of listed services and products.

2016 Chatsworth Products, Inc. All rights reserved. Chatsworth Products, CPI, CPI Passive Cooling, eConnect, MegaFrame, Saf-T-Grip, Seismic Frame, SlimFrame, TeraFrame, GlobalFrame, CUBE-iT PLUS, Evolution, OnTrac, QuadraRack and Velocity are federally registered trademarks of Chatsworth Products. Simply Efficient, Secure Array, EuroFrame and Clik-Nut are trademarks of Chatsworth Products. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies.

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Shannon Erdley

Public Relations Specialist
Pneuron CEO to Address Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Challenges Facing Banks

NEW YORK, NY  (Marketwired)  08/31/16  , a leader in business orchestration software, today announced its CEO Simon Moss will join a panel hosted by to deliver the webcast, Critical Steps to Keep your BSA Program Current. The two-hour event will be held on Wednesday, September 14, from 3:00 pm  5:00 pm ET. Other panelists include Nancy E. Lake, CAMS-Audit, CAMS-FCI, Director of Compliance Anchor for Atlantic Community Bankers Bank, and Patricia A. Rodriguez-Autore, MS Senior Manager, BSA/AML Analyst, for Pentagon Federal Credit Union. To register for this event, please click or visit:

The creativity of modern money launderers, whose talent at exploiting fragmentation and opacity in both the market and within an individual financial institution, is increasingly challenging the effectiveness of investments being made in AML and BSA programs.

The Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) has caused dramatic operational change. Its objective and the substantial financial scrutiny on the ongoing cost of compliance and the draconian impacts of non-compliance have remained largely the same. However, the market and environment the BSA Officer operates in has changed markedly in the last few years. As a result, the execution and effective management of the BSA program needs to constantly evolve and align as the market, its adversaries and the financial institution change.

In this Knowledge Group Section live webcast, a panel of distinguished professionals will help you understand the most critical issues facing the BSA team that include:

An overview of pressures facing BSA teams

The 4 actions to take to improve the cost, return and transparency of any BSA program

Key tips to keep pace with growing volume of alerts, emerging threats and increasing regulation

Mini-case studies of how several global banks are transforming their BSA program with the use of modern technology  halving cost, but doubling speed and agility

Advice for regulators working with banks to improve their BSA programs

The live webcast will provide BSA Officers, BSA teams and Regulators with a comprehensive overview of modern-day BSA programs and the tools needed to optimize them.

Founded in 2010, Pneurons proprietary business orchestration software enables organizations to run distributed pneurons that leverage their existing applications, infrastructure, services and data to create and deliver actionable intelligence  in half the time and cost. Through Pneurons innovative, distributed approach, companies are no longer faced with the complex centralization and integration requirements of traditional approaches. Pneuron and its patented groundbreaking technology have garnered numerous awards and recognitions including: MIT Sloan School CIO Enterprise Innovator Award, 2015 Gartner Cool Vendor, CRNs 2015 Emerging Vendors designation and SD Times Company to Watch. For more information, visit us online at: , on or .

Heather MosesChief Marketing Officer (781) 789-0458
My boyfriend's first week of sobriety

I feel like I've been dreaming of this day for two years.

My boyfriend and I have only been together for three years. I have an engagement ring on my finger, and we have a beautiful 9 month old daughter.

Being engaged and having my first child definitely was not the fairy tale I dreamed of as a little girl. I spent most of it alone.

Last Tuesday he finally said those three words I've been dying to hear. "I'm an alcoholic."

He told me he's done. For the past few years he couldn't see it, he wouldn't admit it, and when asking his peers for their thoughts (who are mostly alcoholics) they told him I was crazy, controlling and even evil. His mother- a non-drinker and a widow who lost my boyfriend's father to alcoholism would be whispering to me in one breath that he has always been this way, he will never change and to leave him, but telling him in her next breath that he doesn't have a problem and his drinking is very much under control.

We spent hours discussing it. It was almost as though he gave me a free ticket to see life from the eyes of an alcoholic. From his eyes. He had such confidence and it almost seemed that he's made peace with it. But at the same time, so much anger and frustration. Is it inherited genes from his father? Is he just so weak? And then a long rant of why something like this that destroys so many lives, is legal or so easily accessible. Why can he order it right to our front door? These are questions I spent years wondering the answers to. He's only just begun his journey.

After a day of talking together, crying together, and finally feeling like I can talk to my best friend about the biggest problem in my life, and my greatest fears... we turned in and I went to bed feeling cautiously optimistic. He'll visit our physician and would like advice and knowledge on programs available to him. He'd like to meet more people like him.

Five days have passed. He hasn't had a drink, is awaiting his appointment, and is very firm that he doesn't even want one. My parents offered him a beer upon visiting on Friday night and he kindly rejected their offer. They know what's going on (without his knowledge), but I told my parents they cannot treat him differently. If he wants to tell them, he will. He needs to learn to say no, so not offering him one isn't protecting him. The guys at work will make offers without me being present and he has to be strong to say no just the same.

He says he doesn't care if people believe him and says he is well aware people will likely tell him it's okay to just have one. And that he will say "you have to get to 10 days before you get to 10 months" and "no, I can't. I don't know how to stop at just one."

I'm proud of him. I really am.

But even with these little discussons, I've felt he's really emotionally disconnected from me for the past few days. I feel alone.

We've had no physical contact, when I hug him, he doesn't hug me back, and things feel very empty and unfamiliar between us. Along with feelings of loneliness, a deep anger and resentment is filling me.

I keep reminding myself, don't road block his recovery. This is a huge deal. Don't be selfish, don't be stupid.

Then I have that angry voice deep down yelling out, "where is my apology, my thank you? I went through hell. I suffered alone with a terrible pregnancy. You drank and drove and destroyed my car that I'm still paying off within a month of having a newborn! I got through post-partum alone with no support. I put my life and career aside to raise our daughter. I held this all together. I held us together. I was your only source of comfort, and the only person who gave you solid ground to walk on while raising a newborn."

A friend of his who has been sober for three years told him "I'm proud of you," on Saturday night. I got home and selfishly thought... everyone is proud of him... yet no one can see the hell I've endured for the past few years. No one is proud that I held this all together. No one is proud that I stood by him, that I did this all alone while he was hiding at the bar? That I spent almost every weekend and many evenings alone with our baby hiding my tears.

I know it's crazy and selfish. I hate these feelings.

I kept myself so preoccupied with trying to save him from himself... I never allowed myself the time to be angry and resolve those feelings.

I've read a lot of other people felt similar feelings.

I've attended a few al-anon meetings in the past. They only depressed me more and oddly enough just made me feel so much sympathy for others in the room. I went home feeling more sad and more angry. It wasn't for me.

I'm hoping some others could shed a little light. This is my first week with him being sober. I know it's a long road ahead...

Anyone's thoughts, advice, or stories would be greatly appreciated.
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BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Two gashes on the top of her head were stapled. Deep wounds on her forehead and face were stitched. Her left eye was temporarily paralyzed by nerve damage, and the iris settled into an awkward and constant gaze from the lower right corner of the socket.

Doris "Dori" Garner, who was encased in neck and full upper-body braces for months while her broken bones healed, recalls her horror when she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror, reported the Idaho Statesman.

"I looked like Frankenstein's bride," said Garner, a tiny 47-year-old woman who had a 2,500-pound bull land on top of her in a car-livestock collision last November on U.S. 95 in Adams County. "It was scary to look at myself."

The injuries that she and her husband, William "Jack" Garner, now 54, suffered weren't just cosmetic. The Nampa newlyweds  married just two months before the crash  suffered life-threatening head trauma and other critical injuries.

It was not until after she was released from the hospital a month later that Dori Garner heard the full story about the tragic aftermath of the crash: The bull's owner, Jack Yantis, had been shot to death by county deputies at the crash scene. State and federal prosecutors announced in late July that they found insufficient evidence of wrongdoing to pursue criminal charges.

The Garners' broken bodies have healed over the past 9 1/2 months, though they do have lingering physical and emotional pain. They have worked hard to regain their health and resume favorite hobbies, including dancing in the living room.

Jack Garner does not want to speak publicly, but Dori Garner told the Idaho Statesman that she plans to become an outspoken advocate for changing Idaho's open range laws, which allow livestock to roam freely, even in areas with high-speed traffic on state and federal highways.

"I can't let what happened to Mr. Yantis stop me from standing up for what I believe is right," she said. "I have to speak out about the dangers of open range. If ranchers take offense, I can't help that. Laws need to be changed and added to keep travelers safer."

In Idaho's open-range areas, longstanding tradition, eventually written into law, absolves livestock owners from liability when a driver hits livestock. As the law stands, the Garners could be liable not only for their injuries and damage to their vehicle, but for the replacement of the bull.

The Idaho Transportation Department crash report estimated the animal's value at $4,000, though breeding bulls typically sell for $5,000 to $10,000, according to Treasure Valley Livestock Auction. The Garners have not heard from the Yantis family or anyone representing them.

Life-changing night

The collision happened about 6:45 p.m. Nov. 1, right in front of the Yantis ranch along the highway north of Council.

That night, the Garners were traveling back to Nampa from Dori's childhood hometown of LaCrosse, Washington. It is a 5 1/2- to six-hour drive, and they opted to take a route they don't normally take  U.S. 95  so they could stop to see Dori's son in Lewiston.

Dori and Jack were both previously married to other people. They have eight children, ages 16 to 26, between them. The couple tied the knot in LaCrosse last September.

Jack was at the wheel of their 1994 Subaru Legacy wagon when it collided with the bull. Dori does not remember anything that occurred during the hour leading up to the crash.

"The last thing I remember was stopping at a rest area outside of Riggins," she said.

The conditions that night were dry and clear, according to the ITD crash report. It was dark. There are no street lights in the area.

The Garners were traveling downhill on a straightaway before the collision, the crash report says, but Jack Garner told his wife that he believes a curve impeded his view of the bull.

He saw the black Gelbvieh standing in the southbound lane of the two-lane highway a split-second before hitting it. The bull hit the center front bumper, the crash report shows. It flattened the hood and smashed into the windshield and roof.

When Jack came to, he was not sure if Dori was alive. He was in an ambulance when he heard her screaming about pain in her foot. Strangely, that was one of the few parts of her body where doctors could find no injury.

The couple feels lucky they were not riding in their two-seat Mazda Miata. That was largely because they were traveling with their dog, a Bichon Frise-Maltese mix named Chloe. Riding in a kennel in the back of the Subaru, the year-old pup was unharmed.

Dori and Jack suffered bleeding concussions. An air ambulance took them to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.

Dori Garner's other injuries included a broken bone in her neck and two in her back. Surgery was deemed too risky, so she had to wear a neck brace and stay as still as possible while her bones healed over three months. The upper-body brace came off only when she was lying flat on the bed. Jack was treated for a dislocated clavicle, or collar bone.

"He was in as much pain as I was with my broken bones," said Dori, who had to be extricated from the crushed Subaru. Jack collapsed outside the car as he tried to walk around to the other side to help her.

"He's very emotional when he talks about it, and he doesn't like to talk about it," Dori Garner said. "The emotions of that night are still very strong, and they're still very painful for him."

The Garners have tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and more to come. They were insured, though Dori Garner said a subsequent change in Jack's employment status as a respiratory therapist left them unable to afford insurance for a month before he returned to full-time status.

This is not the way they envisioned beginning their lives together, but they say they have become closer through it all.

Dori Garner expects to have two more surgeries. One would help improve the alignment of the eye affected by nerve damage; she has regained the ability to move that eye, though it has double vision, and she wears corrective glasses so she can drive.

Jack was able to get back to work as a respiratory therapist in February, but Dori lost her job as a family assistant  a nanny with extra responsibilities  and will be looking for a new job soon.

Advocating law change

The couple is grateful to those who helped at the crash scene, from the paramedics to the deputies who were investigated in Jack Yantis' death.

"I want to go back there and thank people," Dori Garner said. "They saved our lives and took care of us. I've been so busy concentrating on my recovery that I haven't got that far yet."

She also expresses sympathy for Yantis' wife, Donna.

Dori Garner said she is close to being ready to go out and talk to lawmakers about changing open-range laws. She grew up in cattle country and knows that it is not possible to keep livestock in fences.

Idaho Transportation Department data show there were 300 crashes involving domestic animals, including livestock, across Idaho in 2014. Two crashes were fatal, including one in which an Emmett woman struck a horse on Idaho 16. That occurred in an area that is closed range.

"I know there's always a possibility that an animal is going to find a way out, or push down a fence. That happens," Garner said.

She wants to do away with open range close to highways and high-speed traffic, and/or to lower speed limits in those areas, "to minimize the risk of someone getting injured or losing their life."

"I feel like (livestock in the roadway) should not be a common thing," she said. "It should be a rarity."
Positive new update (Sept. 16, 2016): In a surprise move, BMIs rate court judge Louis Stanton has issued an order rejecting the U.S. Department of Justices recent interpretation of the BMI consent decree, and concluded that BMI is free to engage in the fractional licensing of musical works. The DOJs controversial announcement in June threatened to create a chaotic situation which would have made it extremely difficult for music publishers to efficiently license their songs to users.

NMPA President David Israelite commented on this positive news: Thanks to the courage of (BMI President) Mike ONeil, BMI, and the entire songwriting and music publishing community, the DOJs disastrous views on 100% licensing have been rejected by a federal Judge. This is a huge win for songwriters and a huge win for the rule of copyright law.

Heres the original article which was posted on August 31, 2016.

Earlier this summer, the Department of Justice announced their ruling on the consent decrees which govern the performing rights organizations, ASCAP and BMI. This was a highly anticipated ruling, and the music industry was hoping the DOJs decision would have a positive outcome, allowing songwriters & music publishers to negotiate higher royalty rates from music streaming companies such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Google, Amazon and Tidal.

However, the DOJs decision was disappointing on two fronts. First, they decided not to eliminate or alter the consent decrees, which were established in 1941 (many decades before the digital music era). As a result, songwriters & music publishers remain restricted in their pursuit of higher royalties to offset the diminished royalties from iTunes and CD sales.

To worsen matters, the DOJ also announced that they interpreted the consent decrees to now demand that all works must be licensed on a 100% basis, meaning that the traditional and logical practice of fractional licensing by ASCAP and BMI will be done away with. Under this 100% licensing ruling, if a licensee clears a track with one songwriter, it doesnt need to bother doing so with his or her co-writers or publishers. This would create uncertainty and chaos in the marketplace, disrupting a licensing system which has worked well for decades.

With all of these new developments, we thought it was a good time to speak with David Israelite, President & CEO of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA). Israelite is one of the top music execs leading the way in the battle for music publishers & songwriters to be paid fairly from all revenue sources. In this new Q&A interview, Israelite answers the key questions which are on the minds of songwriters & music publishers.

DK: Earlier this summer, the Department of Justice made the surprising and disappointing decision to not eliminate or alter the consent decrees which govern ASCAP and BMI. Looking at it from the DOJs perspective, why do you think they decided not to change the consent decrees?

David Israelite: DOJ chose the path of least resistance for Big Tech. This decision was a gift to the multi-billion dollar companies who lobbied aggressively not only to keep the current decrees in place, but to make life even easier for them by implementing their unprecedented 100 percent licensing interpretation. After a two year review, career lawyers who were never elected nor confirmed to their positions, led by a lawyer who previously represented Google, determined that songwriters should have even fewer rights, less control over their intellectual property and be treated more unfairly than they already are. The Department ignored the voices of copyright experts, members of Congress and thousands of songwriters and bowed to tech companies who already benefit from egregiously low rates.

DK: In addition, the DOJ has also interpreted those decrees to demand that all works must be licensed on a 100% basis, meaning that the traditional and logical practice of fractional licensing by ASCAP and BMI will be done away with. Please explain how this practice has worked, and why the DOJs new ruling is harmful.

Israelite: This is a good questionand the reality isthe industry has never worked this way so right now we dont know the answer. The ruling is harmful for many reasons. Perhaps the U.S. Copyright Office described it best when it said that 100 percent licensing presents a host of legal and policy concerns. Such an approach would seemingly vitiate important principles of copyright law, interfere with creative collaborations among songwriters, negate private contracts, and impermissibly expand the reach of the consent decrees.

Additionally, the decision threatens transparency because while songwriters may have chosen to join one PRO, now their payments may be coming from another. And if each PRO can license an entire song, even if it only controls a small portion of it, then licensees may have the ability to license where rates are lowest in a royalty race-to-the-bottom.

The good news is that DOJs decision is being vigorously challenged by the PROs on two fronts. Immediately after the decision was handed down, BMI announced they would be launching a legal war to challenge the determination and ASCAP announced they would attack the decision on the legislative front. Both moved swiftly and seriously to do everything possible to push back.

DK: Can songwriters & music publishers partially offset the DOJs ruling by making inroads in other ways? With the Copyright Royalty Board proceedings coming up, can songwriters & publishers push to secure a higher, mechanical royalty rate from the CRB?

Israelite: NMPA is doing everything possible to secure the highest rates possible in the upcoming CRB proceedings for years 2018-2022. We have already negotiated a deal with every major and independent record label except Sony Music. Their hostile posture towards songwriters in this CRB is doubly concerning considering the blow songwriters were just handed from DOJ. We have never needed a united music industry more than we do now, and songwriters have never had more to lose.

DK: I read that the Sony Music label group is currently lobbying against songwriters & publishers, proposing to reduce mechanical royalty rates. Is this correct? Why is Sony apparently taking a different position than the other major labels?

Israelite: CorrectSony has made the unprecedented and aggressive move of entering into these negotiations to try to lower how much songwriters are paid. Their strategy is dubious. They will say publicly that they are trying to raise the headline rate paid to songwriters, but thats a clever decoy. While the specific details of their proposal are confidential, I can give you this example. If a worker has a salary of $50,000, and also gets a bonus, healthcare, and 401K contributions from the company, and if the workers salary is bumped to $52,000 but the company eliminates paying the employees healthcare, its contribution to the 401K and the bonus, the company can try and deceive people by saying they gave the worker a raise, but the totality of the package is worse than before. This is essentially what Sony is seeking to do to songwriters.

DK: Are there new developments with the Songwriter Equity Act? When the new Congress convenes in January, can legislation move forward which would lead to higher royalties for songwriters? Could this legislation include overriding the DOJs ruling on the consent decrees?

Israelite: The bipartisan Songwriter Equity Act has 40 cosponsors in the House and Senate, and it would help improve songwriters compensation by applying a fair market standard to mechanical rate setting proceedings and help judges look at other, more accurate benchmarks when setting performance rates. It will not solve all of songwriters problems, but it is a great step towards getting them paid fairly.

In the wake of DOJs ruling there are heroic members of Congress who recognize the unfair playing field that the decision exacerbates and are exploring legislative options to remedy some of the problems DOJ has created, however this would likely be a separate piece of legislation.

DK: I read that the number of subscribers who pay for Spotify and Apple Music is increasing (approximately 39 million paying Spotify subscribers, and 17 million paying Apple Music subscribers). If this upward trend continues, can the number of paying subscribers allow more songwriters to make a living, even if royalty rates remain unfair?

Israelite: I have been encouraged to see subscription-based streaming actually contribute to growing the industrybut we have a long way to go. Moving users toward on-demand subscription-based models is a positive step, because when consumers pay for music, songwriters are paid more fairly. We should do everything possible to encourage consumers to pay for streaming as opposed to using the freemium tierwhich will not sustain music creators and encourages the false premise that music can and should be free. While we do not know if subscriptions will be enough to sustain the songwriting industry long termit is certainly a step in the right direction.

DK: Regarding YouTube, labels, publishers, artists and songwriters all seem to agree that YouTube is not paying sufficient royalties. Can lobbying by the music industry lead to higher royalties from YouTube?

Israelite: Earlier this year, Irving Azoff started a major campaign to make it clear that YouTubewhich of course is owned by Googleisnt paying enough, isnt giving artists enough say in how their music is accessed, and isnt doing enough to combat piracy. I think that his coalitionwhich includes NMPAmade a big impression. It brought YouTube back into the spotlight and there now is major pressure to force the service to do better. We dont know what the future holds, but when Irving and the industry speak, people listen.

DK: With the current situation, what can songwriters & music publishers do to take a proactive stance, to lobby and fight for higher royalties?

Israelite: When songwriterswho are the most skilled at sending a messagemake their voices heard, music lovers from Nashville to Washington will pay attention. NMPA has a standing invitation for writers to join us on Capitol Hill to show the people in power just how much creators are suffering. This road will not be easy or fast, but if we have music makers on our side, we will be heard.
Dozens of Sikhs in Canada who were banned from returning to their homeland in Punjab because of alleged links to militant groups are cheering an initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove them from a blacklist that denied them visas.

The move which comes ahead of elections in the state of Punjab, is seen as a boost to the aspirations of Modis BJP party and has been slammed by Indian security agencies.

The 32-year government blacklist, imposed by the Congress Party, banned India visits by Sikh Non-Resident Indians from 212 families in the United States, UK and Canada after

The Indian government blacklisted many Sikhs involved in anti-India propaganda and vandalism following the infamous Operation Bluestar of 1984. The Indian army at that time stormed the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikhs in Amritsar, Punjab, to flush out the armed religious extremists, who had fortified the place of worship.

The operation infuriated Sikhs across the world, compelling idealistic, emotional youths to join militant ranks. There were angry protests in Vancouver as well, where several men vandalized the Indian consulate office. Subsequently, the government of India blacklisted Sikhs involved in separatist activities, citing security concerns.

Others on the blacklist were linked to the bombing of Air India flight 182 which was flying over the Atlantic Ocean en route New Delhi from Montreal via London on June 23, 1985 when it exploded in mid-air, killing all 329 people on board, including 22 crew members.

The now defunct South Asian Human Rights Group (SAHRG), which campaigned for the blacklistees cause, estimates that between 70 to 80 Sikhs living in Western Canada have been denied an Indian passport or visas by the Indian government.

Officials familiar with the government's decision on removing the blacklist said a committee headed by additional secretary of the home ministry had examined the blacklist, and 212 cases of a total of 324 were removed, the Economist reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visits to the UK and Canada had seen several representations from Sikh NRI groups asking for reconsideration of the India travel ban. Officials said the proposal to remove the ban was opposed by the Intelligence Bureau. But the PMO intervened, and a committee was set up after which IB was asked to reexamine each case.

One official explained that many of the blacklisted names were arbitrary. Entire families had been blacklisted on grounds that did not bear up to close scrutiny. The blacklist was never publicly acknowledged. But following several visa denials over the years, Sikh groups started voicing opposition to what they described as systematic discrimination.

Among those on the so-called blacklist is Ajaib Singh Bagri, the fiery Indo-Canadian preacher from Kamloops, B.C. who was acquitted of the Air India bombing.

While most impacted by the blacklist were cheering the move by India, some cast spersions on the Indian government motives.

Britain-based Dal Khalsa leader Manmohan Singh Bajaj, whose name has been deleted from the blacklist by the Indian government, said he would prefer to die in a foreign country as a rebel than return to Punjab as a defeated person.

Bajaj, originally from Chandigarh, declared that though his name had been struck off the list, he wont come back as the Sikhs had not achieved their goal for which the struggle was launched in the early eighties.

Bajaj said he was surprised at the deletion of his name from the blacklist. I have neither approached anyone for any favour nor do I subscribe to the step taken by the Indian government, he said while expressing fears that the step of the government could be aimed at luring hardliner Sikhs to India and then arresting them.
Photo caption: Watch out. (Reuters/Arko Datta)

By Maria Thomas

Special to The Post

Evidently, the world is far from giving up on dictating dress codes for women.

While the burkini debate rages across countries, the Indian government has sent out a more disturbing message, especially for foreign tourists: Dress appropriately to stay safe in India.

On Aug. 28, the countrys minister for tourism and culture, Mahesh Sharma, detailed a list of dos and donts that would be presented to tourists at the airport as part of a welcome kit. Speaking to the media in Agra, the north Indian city that is home to the Taj Mahal, Sharma said: (The list) has instructions like if they are in small cities, they should not roam around alone at night or wear skirts.

Sharmas comments, in response to a question about promoting safety for female tourists, come as India faces a persistent reputation of being unsafe for women, particularly foreign tourists, following frequent incidents of harassment, assault, and even rape across the country.

The minister was, however, quick to say that he wasnt telling women what to wear, but only suggesting that they be careful while going out at night, and while visiting temples and other places of religious significance . A day later, Sharma reiterated that he had not sought to impose any dressing restrictions on anyone.

In Agra, however, Sharma insisted that there is a difference between Indian and western cultures that makes skimpy clothing an inappropriate choice.

Nevertheless, he seems to have given some concession to foreign tourists. Last year, he had declared that Indian women shouldnt at all go out in the nights. Girls wanting a night out may be all right elsewhere but it is not part of Indian culture, he said in September 2015.

Similarly, in October 2015, when an elderly man in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh was murdered by a mob for eating beef, Sharma had sought to play down the incident by citing the mobs restraint in not harming the victims 17-year-old daughter.

Underlying Sharmas latest remarks is the commonly-held assumption that revealing clothes provoke sexual harassment. However, as past incidents of violent assault and rape across the country have shown, short skirts are hardly to blame.

Maria Thomas is a writer for Quartz based in Bengaluru, India, and is always surrounded by books. She holds a double Masters degree in Journalism and International Affairs from Sciences Po Paris and previously worked for Reuters in Bengaluru. She's also written for Time Out Paris, Buzzfeed, Vogue India, and Architectural Digest India.

This piece was originally appeared in Quartz (qz.com).

See http://qz.com/768785/indias-tourism-minister-has-some-advice-for-female-visitors-avoid-skirts/
Photo caption: Investors from the United Kingdom and the United States helped fuel the country's economic growth (from a postcard sent in 1907). Is an immigrant investor program still relevant?Crddit: Creative Comms/Wikipedia

Commentary by

Kareem El-Assal and Sonia Takhar

Special to The Post

Canadas immigration minister John McCallum recently announced that the federal government is evaluating the merits of launching a new program to attract investor immigrants to the country.

Entrepreneur and investor (business) immigration programs aim to stimulate economic growth by attracting investment capital, business savvy, and high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) to Canada.

On the one hand, the programs draw talent, investment capital, and spending power to Canada. Yet, they have met with mixed success since Canada began to open its doors to business immigrants in 1978. In addition, public concerns have been raised about the impact of programs on housing affordability, the sale of Canadian citizenship, and the extent to which the programs benefit Canadas economy and society.

These issues raise a billion dollar question: does Canada need dedicated business immigration programs?

According to most Canadian jurisdictions, the answer appears to be yes. Today, such programs exist federally, and in eight out of 13 provinces and territories.

Measure of success

To what extent have business immigration programs benefitted Canadas economy? The answer depends on ones benchmark of success.

If the primary objective is to draw investment capital and more spending to Canada, the federal governments Immigrant Investor Program (IIP), which was terminated in 2014, and the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program, which continues to operate, have been successful.

Between 2007 and 2011, the programs raised $6.42 billion in investment capital for the governments of Canada and Quebec.

A 2010 study argued that the main economic benefit of the IIP was the purchasing power of immigrants who spent significantly on homes, education, and goods and services in Canada.

Business and job creation

However, if the main aim is to attract individuals and investment capital which will lead to business and job creation, then much works lies ahead.

Most of Canadas programs set out to achieve this end. It is in this vein that Canada overhauled its business immigration programs in 2014 as government research found that business immigrants had only limited economic success in Canada, both in terms of their earnings and running successful businesses.

The social value of the programs also merits examination. Canada seeks immigrants who will socially and culturally integrate into local communities and become engaged citizens. As such, Canadas business immigration programs contain residency provisions which require foreign nationals to spend a certain length of time in the country to either qualify for or maintain their Canadian permanent residence status, or to become eligible for citizenship.

This has created a persistent challenge: residency requirements may be difficult to reconcile with the fact that entrepreneurs and investors are highly mobile, and frequently travel around the world to tend to their business.

Future of Business Immigration

Luckily, Canadas extensive experience in this space provides stakeholders with lessons that can be applied in designing the business immigration programs of tomorrow. For these programs to meet Canadas economic and social objectives, the following considerations must be taken into account.

Canada must take into account global competition. In the 1980s, Canada was an international pioneer in business immigration, competing with only a handful of countries.

The field is much more crowded today, with about 30 countries offering such programs. Canada must continue to keep an eye out for competition in peer nations, and remain flexible enough to glean lessons learned and adapt global best practices.

Policy experimentation continues to feature prominently in the programs designed in Canada and elsewhere. Canadian policy-makers often adjust programs to try to create the right incentive structures and conditions for immigrants to facilitate business and job creation in Canada.

Program monitoring, refining, and a bit of patience will help policy-makers achieve Canadas business immigration goals.

Public buy-in

Determining appropriate business immigration intake levels to support economic growth, preventing fraud, limiting burdensome application requirements, and processing applications quickly, all remain pivotal to success.

When it ended in 2014, the IIP had a backlog of 65,000 applications, which would have taken six years to process. Balancing these important and challenging responsibilities is essential if Canada wants to remain globally competitive and attract the best and the brightest.

Social issues such as housing affordability and residency requirements require additional scrutiny. Public opinion matters, and for these programs to succeed, the Canadian public must buy into the economic and social rationale.

Increasing public awareness of social benefits  such as business immigrants being a significant source of charitable contributions  may help ease concerns.

While these challenges appear daunting, Canadas overall success with immigration should give stakeholders confidence that the country is fully capable of creating successful business immigration programs that benefit Canadians.

Kareem El-Assal is Research Associate, Education & Immigration, at the Conference Board of Canada and Sonia Takhar, a Student Intern. Please visit Entrepreneur & Investor Immigration Summit 2016: Vision, Action, Prosperity

This piece was originally appeared in New Canadian Media (newcanadianmedia.ca).

See http://blog.newcanadianmedia.ca/item/37958-the-billion-dollar-immigration-question-the-billion-dollar-immigration-question
Photo caption: No room. (Reuters/Tim Chong)

By Suruchi Mazumdar

Special to The Post

Last year, when Darius Cheung, co-founder of a property search portal, wanted to rent a house in Singapore, he met with many reluctant real estate agents. Many of them seemed interested at first, but would turn him down later. He found out why when one realtor gave him a rather shocking response: Sorry your wife is Indian, (the) landlord wont rent to you.

Indians who have spent some time in the city-state know that they arent the first choice as tenants for many landlords, though Chinese people from the mainland have it even worse: they are said to be the least preferred by Singapores property owners.

That was evident from a quick search with the keywords No Indians, no PRC (Peoples Republic of China) on two property websites. Gumtree.sgturned up 29 announcements with these words and PropertyGurushowed 63.

On the face of it, this would seem to be evidence of racial disharmony in a country where the government imposes a harsh penalty on instances of racial prejudice. But many see the discrimination in the rental market as an expression of the clash between the old and the newthe discomfort of the countrys long-time citizens with the influx of foreigners in the multi-ethnic, wealthy country.

Who are the Indians?

There is discrimination against all South Asians, even though the listings often specify No Indians, said Cheung, whose search engine 99.co introduced a new filter in JulyAll Races Welcomeas part of itsRegardless of Race campaign. This drive aims to encourage agents and landlords in Singapore to indicate that their rental listings are open to all, regardless of the ethnicity, background, or nationality of potential tenants.

In Singapore, Indians is a catch-all term for all those perceived to be of South-Asian descent. For instance, a BBC report in May 2014 described how an immigrant of Sri Lankan descent searching for a home was rejected outright by several landlords for being Indian.

The prejudice against Indian tenants may spring from the stereotype that they are unsanitary and leave rented properties in a poor state. For instance, in July, The Independent, an online news platform in Singapore, reported that a departing Indian family left behind a dirty home, besides defaulting on the rent and other bills.

Stories like this circulate and create a certain impression about a community, said Ravi Philomen, a Singaporean of Indian descent who is also a human rights activist and a member of the opposition Singapore Peoples Party. There are similar stories about the Chinese from the mainland. It is said that the Chinese fail to get along with neighbours in government housing blocks that have common areas.

Even American and British citizens of South Asian and mainland Chinese descent are often rejected by Singapores landlords, the BBC reported.

These are some of the experiences in a society where people of different nationalities, each with their own world views and cultural prejudices, live in close proximity, said Philomen.

Old and new

Singapore has many second or third-generation citizens of South Asian origin who are often referred to as locals. Most of this old South Asian population are descendants of early immigrants who migrated generations ago, in the 1800s, from the Indian subcontinent, primarily from south Indian states (Tamil Nadu, in particular) and from what is now Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Since the mid-2000s, thanks to changes in immigration policies, Singapores foreign population has boomed. In the first decade of the 21st century, the countrys non-resident population accounted for 25.7% of the total, in contrast to 18.7% in the previous decade, according to a 2012 report by the Migration Policy Institute.

The population of permanent residents grew at an average of 8.4% a year between 2005 and 2009. By contrast, the number of Singaporean citizens grew at a modest 0.9%.

Even though the annual growth of permanent residents fell to 1.5% in 2010, the governments immigration policies have sparked concern from some locals who complain that the countrys infrastructure is inadequate for the growing population. Chinese and Indian nationals, being present in large numbers in Singapore, often evoke disquiet.

As per 2015 estimates, Indians comprise 9.1% of Singapores 3.9-million strong resident population, which includes both citizens and permanent residents. The total population, including non-residents, is 5.53 million.

Racial harmony, a government initiative

Some Singaporeans think that when those perceived as Indian and Chinese are rejected in the housing market, it tends to be an expression of the local populations discomfort with foreigners lifestyles and habits.

This [discrimination in Singapores housing market] is not a matter of racial prejudice, Philomen said.

After Singapores independence in 1965, the government initiated proactive ethnic integration policies, such as a minority quota in government housing, to ensure the peaceful co-existence of different races.

For instance, July 21 is celebrated annually as Racial Harmony Day.

Philomen said the governments racial integration policies largely succeeded in controlling sentiments of racial prejudice in Singaporean society.

In 2011, when a Chinese family, which had moved to Singapore recently, objected to the smell of curry emanating from the premises of their Indian neighbours, it resulted in an online furore. Many Singaporeansthe majority of whom are ethnically Chineserebuked the insensitivity of the Chinese family and hailed curry as an integral part of Singapores multi-racial culture. Netizens even created Facebook groups to celebrate cooking a pot of curry, according to AsiaOne, an online portal of Singapore Press Holdings.

However, even though the relationship between the countrys main racial groupsChinese, Malays, and Indiansappears cordial on the surface, incidents of racial prejudice against minority groups are not completely unknown, as this report in the Straits Times notes.

In 2013, for instance, the accidental death of a South Asian labourer in Little India, who was run over by a bus, led to a riot in which property was damaged and more than 60 security officials and civilians were hurt. Though the riot was not race-related, racial slurs against foreign workers were hurled online in its aftermath.

The discrimination in the rental market comes with a caveat. Real estate agents say landlords reluctance in renting out to South Asians and other ethnic groups is less common in Singapores upscale properties. This is a much smaller issue as you go towards luxury apartments of $10k rent per month and above, said Cheung.

The over-supply of housing and the vacancies in the rental market are also expected to alleviate landlords racial prejudice. The search portal 99.co observes that 2016 has been a tough year for Singapores rental market, with vacancy rates hovering at around 8% and rental prices sliding.

We have seen the number of All races welcome listings rise from zero to over 2,500 [as of the end of July] since we launched the campaign, Cheung said.

This piece was originally appeared in Quartz (qz.com).

See http://qz.com/768706/the-racist-reality-of-house-hunting-in-singapore-sorry-your-wife-is-indian/
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The site is just outside Boone, Iowa, on the grounds of the Farm Progress Show. Exhibitors are furiously polishing equipment, manicuring wood chips and sawdust, and filling brochure racks. Uniformed employees of Farm Progress are watching the progression of storms moving across Central Iowa that pose a threat to their annual celebration of agricultural technology that attracts visitors from around the world. While this picture is 2016, it could be 1993, or 1971, or any other year without a presidential election.

But 2016 is certainly an election year, which has generated more controversy than any other in the past and caused all textbooks on political science and political campaigns to be rewritten.

Arriving at the site of the Farm Progress Show, there are plenty of signs promoting farm equipment, seeds, insurance and other facets of high tech 21st century agriculture.

But there are no political signs emerging from corn and soybean fields in the rolling Iowa landscape. Only one sign, which read Trump, was spotted on westbound I-80 across Iowa. It may have been left from the Iowa caucuses, since it did not also include the name Pence.

The Farm Progress Show is preparing to welcome well over 100,000 farmers from around the world, along with tens of thousands of exhibitors, media and other curiosity seekers. But at this point, presidential candidates haven't indicated any intention of seeking time with potential voters who have come to otherwise kick tires, check prices and compare new technologies. And while that is certainly fine with the Farm Progress Show management, it causes one to pause and ask, What is wrong with this picture?

Farmers are certainly not at the bottom rung when it comes to voting percentage, and heaven knows farmers certainly can be very opinionated. Many belong to commodity organizations that take members to Washington and their state capitals to lobby lawmakers. And all such organizations have either paid lobbyists or executive directors that have active roles in promoting the political agendas of their organization.

What is wrong with this picture of political abstinence at the Farm Progress Show? Agriculture has been nearly a political desert in this election season. Farmers will be hard pressed to vote in favor of a particular candidate, instead of voting against a particular candidate. The candidates may have been tipped off by their campaign staff that the Farm Progress Show would not afford a warm and fuzzy reception.

Farm organizations are quite concerned about the positions of both candidates on trade issues. Agriculture depends on trade, and both major presidential candidates have called for re-negotiation of the TransPacific Partnership, which farm groups are strongly supporting. The Trump campaign has concerned farmers who rely upon migrant workers, since Mr. Trump has taken a hard line on deporting undocumented workers. The Clinton campaign has concerned farmers who look for regulatory relief, since they do not see it coming from Mrs. Clinton.

While both candidates could attend the Farm Progress Show and draw curiosity seekers, neither could make a stem-winding speech on their current positions that would draw raucous applause and gain votes. While both candidates have named agricultural advisors or advisory committees, the issue positions that such groups might suggest haven't made it into the political rhetoric of the candidates, and they have not lit any fires in the hearts of the farmer-voter.

So what is wrong with this picture? To the typical Farm Progress Show attendee, nothing is wrong. They are happy to get away from the bumper crop of campaign commercials on television and spend the day in a world of agricultural technology.

To them, there is nothing at all wrong with that.
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NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will carry humans beyond the grasp of Earth's gravity, stretching to the moon, Mars and perhaps, one day, deep space. The first destination is the moon.

The new heavy-duty launch vehicle will be the world's most powerful rocket designed to carry unmatched payloads into deep space. Unlike any other space rocket, the SLS has been created to evolve alongside advancing technology. Its modular design and interchangeable parts means that it can evolve alongside growing technologies and varying mission goals.

The launch vehicle

The SLS comes in an array of elements that will evolve and vary, depending on whether the vehicle carries a crew or cargo.

Engines, boosters and core stage

The first few iterations of SLS will contain a pair of solid-rocket boosters capped with four RS-25 engines. Most of the engines planned for each launch vehicle are space-shuttle veterans that have undergone rigorous testing. According to NASA (opens in new tab), "The RS-25 is one of the most-tested large rocket engines in history, with more than 3,000 starts and over a million seconds of total ground test and flight firing time over 135 missions."

The four liquid-propellant engines at the base of each rocket, combined with solid-rocket boosters, will push the SLS into orbit during its 8-minute climb toward space. Like the engines, the solid-propellant boosters were qualified by the space shuttle program, though they've been modified to work with SLS. As technology evolves, the solid-rocket boosters will be swapped out for advanced boosters.

The long, thin "rocket" structure known as the core stage rises more than 200 feet (61 meters) tall between the boosters, and will carry 730,000 gallons (2.76 million liters) of supercooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to power the engines.

The Orion spacecraft

NASA's Orion crew module will carry crews into space, though none will be onboard during the first test mission. Drawing from more than half a century of research and development, the Orion module plans to be flexible enough to carry humans to a variety of destinations.

The entire craft includes a crew and service module, a spacecraft adaptor to connect the module to the powerful rockets beneath, and a new launch-abort system.

The June 28, 2016 booster engine test for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was a success! The second and final qualification motor (QM-2) was set ablaze outside Orbital ATK's test facilities in Promontory, Utah. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Although Orion is relatively new, the spacecraft underwent rigorous testing in preparation for carrying humans away from Earth. The abort system, which will provide the crew with the ability to escape if an emergency occurs on the launch pad, was successfully tested at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, in 2010.

An array of tests confirmed Orion's ability to withstand launch, abort, re-entry and spaceflight overall. At sea and at NASA's Hydro Impact Basin, the agency tested how the module will fare when it splashes down in the ocean at the end of its mission. Orion also underwent a series of parachute tests that wrapped up in 2018.

The capsule achieved a 4.5-hour low-orbit test flight around Earth back in December 2014, called the Exploration Flight Test-1.

A series of missions

Unlike previous human launch systems, SLS is designed to grow and evolve over time. The vehicle includes multiple launch configurations that will carry cargo and crew into the darkness of space. The SLS system's flexibility enables engineers to utilize one design today but adapt to future missions.

Artemis 1

Standing more than 322 feet (98 m) tall, the first Block 1 configuration of SLS will carry an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the moon and then return the craft safely home. The Artemis 1 mission, formerly known as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), will see the SLS travel 280,000 miles (around 450,000 kilometers) from Earth over the course of 4 to 6 weeks.

Although the first mission won't be carrying people, SLS won't exactly be empty. When the rocket launches, it will carry more than a dozen cubesats, which are small satellites  not much bigger than a breadbox  capable of collecting data on their own.

An illustrated map of the Artemis 1 mission. (Image credit: NASA)

"The first SLS launch presents a great opportunity to collaborate with our international partners by providing rides for cubesats that can pursue independent science and technology missions while supporting our mutual goals for human exploration in deep space," Steve Creech, acting manager of the Spacecraft and Payload Integration and Evolution Office, said in a 2016 statement (opens in new tab).

The mission is scheduled to launch in May 2022, however, there is speculation this could slip into June or July 2022.

Artemis 2

The second mission, Artemis 2, will follow a similar configuration to that of Artemis 1. This time, however, the Orion capsule will carry several astronauts into the region of space past the moon. Because of its human payload, during Artemis 2, the Orion capsule, along with the upper stage of the SLS, known as the cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), will orbit the Earth twice  rather than the single orbit of Artemis 1  before heading moonward.

This is to ensure all systems are working optimally, while the crew are still relatively close to Earth. The onboard crew will journey 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the moon before returning home. The mission is expected to last just over 10 days.

The launch of Artemis 2 is scheduled for 2023 from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

An illustrated map of the Artemis 2 mission. (Image credit: NASA)

Artemis 3

In Artemiss third mission instalment, the goal has allowed humans to walk on the moon since 1972. In April 2021, NASA announced that SpaceX would be the company awarded the development contract to construct an integrated human landing system to put people back on the moon.

SpaceX is growing closer to achieving this goal with its 20th generation Starship prototype. The Starship is a Super Heavy duty rocket that is built to carry a payload above 110 tons (100 metric tons). Unlike the SLS, STarship is reusable and not only sends cargo into space but is designed to also land back on the surface. Its hoped that NASA and SpaceX will be ready to launch in 2024.

Different configurations

Block 1B

The next set of missions require the SLS Block 1B configuration. This version will be approximately 364 feet (111 m) tall, towering above the historic Saturn V rocket that carried astronauts to the moon. In addition to carrying the Orion module, the Block 1B can carry exploration systems, such as a small, deep-space habitat module.

"The second configuration of SLS, known as Block 1B, will be the workhorse of the proving ground phase of NASA's journey to Mars," Creech said. "The rocket will carry crew and exploration systems tens of thousands of miles beyond the moon to demonstrate new capabilities that will enable us to then move outward toward the Red Planet."

Or, the module could be swapped out for a payload configuration that can carry larger exploration systems or science spacecraft instead of people. "While many people think of the Space Launch System in terms of human exploration, SLS could have a wide application in a lot of other areas, including space science," Creech said in a 2014 statement (opens in new tab).

"For missions to the outer planets, for example, SLS could make it possible to do things that are currently impossible, such as sending larger scientific spacecraft with more instruments to far off destinations with reduced transit times."

Such missions could include supporting the proposed mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa . According to NASA, the transit time for the Europa Clipper could be reduced to less than half of what's needed by other launch vehicles.

"The potential use of SLS for science will further enhance the synergy between scientific exploration and human exploration," John Grunsfeld, astronaut and former associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement (opens in new tab). "SLS has the promise of enabling transformational science in our exploration of the solar system and cosmos."

An artist rendering shows how engineers are designing NASAs newest rocket. (Image credit: NASA/MSFC)

Block 2

Only after astronauts have performed several deep-space missions to the moon will NASA consider using the Block 2 configuration as the primary transport for a human mission to Mars. The most advanced SLS configuration will tower above its predecessors at a whopping 365 feet (111 m) high.

"The Space Launch System could be really game-changing for space science," Reggie Alexander, manager of NASA's Advanced Concepts Office, said in a 2014 statement.

"For some missions, it makes it much easier and quicker to carry them out. A Mars sample return mission, for example, could be flown using only one rocket instead of three. But for other destinations, SLS lets you do things we could only dream of before  like collecting samples from the geysers of Saturn's moon Enceladus."

Additional resources

For all the details on the Space Launch System and its future missions, NASAs SLS webpage has all the information. For more information about the early moon missions, check out A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts (opens in new tab) by Andrew Chaikin and Apollo's Legacy: Perspectives on the Moon Landings (opens in new tab) by Roger D. Launius.
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope observed the universe in infrared light for more than 16 years, from shortly after its launch in 2003 until its long-extended mission was shut down by flight controllers in 2020. Spitzer was the last of the NASA Great Observatories, which saw four specialized telescopes (including the Hubble Space Telescope) launched between 1990 and 2003. Spitzer continues to orbit the sun, though it's no longer operational.

The goal of the Great Observatories was to observe the universe in complementary wavelengths of light. Spitzer was designed for infrared wavelengths, which normally represent heat radiation from objects. The other observatories looked at visible light (Hubble, still operational), gamma-rays (Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, no longer operational) and X-rays (the Chandra X-Ray Observatory , still operational.)

Related: See the whirlpool galaxy through the eyes of NASA's 'Great Observatories'

"Spitzer's highly sensitive instruments allow scientists to peer into cosmic regions that are hidden from optical telescopes, including dusty stellar nurseries, the centers of galaxies, and newly forming planetary systems," NASA wrote on the Spitzer website . "Spitzer's infrared eyes also allow astronomers to see cooler objects in space, like failed stars (brown dwarfs), extrasolar planets, giant molecular clouds, and organic molecules that may hold the secret to life on other planets."

Infrared light is given off by any object that has a temperature above absolute zero (zero Kelvins, roughly minus 460 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 273 degrees Celsius). But our sky filters out many infrared wavelengths, prompting astronomers to seek out opportunities to send up space telescopes to catch the rest.

The telescope is named after Lyman Spitzer Jr. , an astrophysicist who, according to a NASA biography, made major contributions in the areas of stellar dynamics, plasma physics, thermonuclear fusion and space astronomy. Spitzer was the first person to propose the idea of placing a large telescope in space and was the driving force behind the development of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Gallery: The Infrared Universe Seen by Spitzer Telescope

A montage of images taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope over the years. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The long road to the launch pad

The first infrared telescopes flew on vehicles such as Lear jets and sounding rockets on brief flights that got above most of the atmosphere, according to NASA's Spitzer website . In 1979, NASA proposed a Shuttle Infrared Space Telescope Facility (SIRTF) that would fly on the space shuttle. At the time, it was assumed shuttle missions would last 30 days and flights would take place every week, an optimistic projection far beyond what the program achieved. Later, it was also discovered that shuttle vapors would interfere with telescope operations.

Meanwhile, NASA, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands collaborated on an infrared telescope called The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), which flew for 10 months in 1983 to great success and sparked calls for a follow-up mission. NASA decided to change its SIRTF to a free-flying concept, and changed the name to Space Infrared Telescope Facility (keeping the acronym the same).

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) orbits the Earth in this illustration. (Image credit: NASA)

In 1991, a U.S. National Research Council report characterized the 1990s as "the decade of the infrared" in astronomy. The Council recommended that NASA build three infrared telescopes: SIRTF; an airplane-based telescope called SOFIA; and an infrared ground telescope for Mauna Kea, Hawaii. After this report, NASA's budget was slashed. As a result, the SIRTF design went through two major revisions, changing it from a $2.2 billion observatory to one that cost about half a billion dollars to build.

As it was finally built, the Spitzer Space Telescope is about 13 feet (4 meters) long and weighs about 1900 lbs. (865 kilograms). The optical heart of the instrument is a telescope with a main mirror 33.5 inches (0.85 m) across. In flight, the spacecraft's orientation was controlled to keep the telescope in the shade of the spacecraft's large solar panels.

Check out this image from the Hubble telescope, revisited in infrared.

Despite budget cuts and a dramatic redesign, a series of innovative engineering decisions saved Spitzers scientific integrity, according to NASA . Among those decisions were a warm launch for Spitzers cryogenic instruments and a unique orbit.

The "warm launch" idea is related to a key requirement for an infrared telescope: it must be as cold as possible, so its measurements and images would not be swamped by infrared radiation from the telescope structure itself. During its primary mission, Spitzer's instruments were kept about 5 degrees above absolute zero (-450 degrees Fahrenheit, or -268 degrees Celsius) by a supply of liquid helium. But, in a move that economized on launch operations costs, the helium system did not begin actively cooling the telescope until Spitzer had spent several months in space, cooling "passively" as much as possible by slowly radiating heat to space.

Spitzer's unique orbit is an Earth-trailing path that goes around the sun, not around Earth. Over the years, Spitzer was allowed to drift farther and farther from Earth , so infrared radiation from Earth would not interfere with sensitive observations.

At launch, the telescope had three instruments: an infrared array camera (IRAC), an infrared spectrograph, and a multiband imaging photometer.

An infographic showing how NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope works with ground-based telescopes to find distant exoplanets, using a technique called microlensing. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Spitzer's three careers

Spitzer was launched on a Delta rocket (not a Space Shuttle) on August 25, 2003. The telescope was officially renamed from the more technical SIRTF to the Spitzer Space Telescope four months after launch, when it was shown to be working properly.

Spitzer's observational life turned out to have three phases: the "cryogenic" (cold) phase, when the instruments were cooled by liquid helium as originally designed; the "warm" phase, beginning in 2009 after the liquid helium ran out; and the "beyond" phase, from 2016 to 2020.

The mission was originally expected to last two and a half years with the cryogenic instruments functioning. By using the liquid helium coolant economically, engineers stretched the cryogenic phase to five and a half years.

"If it only lasted two and a half years we would have met our mission goals. We were ecstatic with five," said Spitzer Science Center manager Sean Carey in a public lecture .

The liquid helium finally ran out in May 2009. Spitzer was back to passive cooling. Instrument temperatures went up a few degrees, to around 30 kelvins (243 degrees below zero in Celsius, 406 below in Fahrenheit). But even while "warm," Spitzer could still use two channels of its infrared camera to observe targets such as asteroids in our solar system, dusty stars, planet-forming disks, gas-giant planets and distant galaxies, according to a NASA press release issued as the warm phase began. In addition, Spitzer was still able to see through the dust that permeates our galaxy and blocks visible-light views.

In 2016, NASA granted Spitzer another two-and-a-half-year mission extension , kicking off what was termed the "Beyond" phase. With Spitzer now far behind Earth in its orbit, the telescope had to be turned at new angles to keep sufficient sunlight on its solar panels while maintaining communications with Earth and keeping the instruments as cold as possible. This situation required engineers to rewrite safety procedures originally designed to protect Spitzer from the sun's heat. During this phase, astronomers aimed Spitzer at targets it wasn't originally designed to study, such as the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, galaxies in the early universe, and exoplanets.

The Carina nebula, seen by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The bright star at the center of the nebula is Eta Carinae, one of the most massive stars in the galaxy. Its blinding glare is sculpting and destroying the surrounding nebula. Image released Aug. 23, 2013. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

"The science now, I would argue, in some ways is better because people's ideas are better, because we're learning more every year about the universe," Carey said during the "beyond" phase.

NASA originally planned to end Spitzer's mission in 2018, anticipating the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). That instrument would have been a leap forward in infrared observing technology. When JWST was postponed, Spitzer was extended, but finally reached a point that was deemed by managers to be too far beyond what it was designed to do. The mission team ended science operations and put the spacecraft into permanent hibernation on Jan. 30, 2020.

Major discoveries

Spitzer's observations extended from within our own solar system to near the limit of the observable universe.

Early in its mission, Spitzer watched Comet Tempel 1 while a NASA space probe called Deep Impact was intentionally smashed into the comet. The impact threw comet material into space, and Spitzer's instruments analyzed its composition. The hit revealed a surprising mixture of clay, carbonates and crystallized silicates, according to a 2005 press release from NASA . Because those chemicals are thought to have formed in warm environments, like those near the sun, their presence in a chilly comet was unexpected, and could have been the result of early solar system mixing.

This image was captured by NASAs Deep Impact flyby spacecraft 67 seconds after the missions impactor probe slammed into Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD)

In 2009, Spitzer found an enormous ring around Saturn that had remained hidden before then. The ring does not reflect enough visible light to be seen from Earth, but it is warm enough for Spitzer's infrared detectors to see it. The ring particles fill a zone extending from 3.7 million to 7.4 million miles (6 million to 12 million kilometers) from the planet, and likely come from a small, distant moon of Saturn called Phoebe, according to NASA.

One of Spitzer's most beautiful products was a multi-gigabyte panoramic image of our Milky Way galaxy released in 2014. The narrow strip, covering the entire band of the Milky Way around the sky, shows dusty areas of star formation structured as tendrils and bubbles. Since Spitzer's infrared camera can look through dust clouds to see stars, the image includes more than half of all the stars in the Milky Way, including stars on the far side of the galaxy, NASA stated in an accompanying press release . The 360-degree view is composed of over 2 million snapshots taken by Spitzer over ten years, beginning in 2003.

Spitzer studied many galaxies beyond the Milky Way. Among the highlights were a striking new view of the disk in the iconic "Sombrero" galaxy, and, with the Hubble Space Telescope, observation of GN-z11, the most distant galaxy so far discovered , seen by light it emitted when the universe was only three percent of its current age.

Spitzer was not designed to look at extrasolar planets, but it turns out that the telescope has also been quite useful in letting us look at solar systems other than our own.

Read more: Spitzer's greatest exoplanet discoveries.

"The telescope was the first to detect light coming from a planet outside our solar system, a feat not in the mission's original design," NASA wrote in a 2013 press release . "With Spitzer's ongoing studies of these exotic worlds, astronomers have been able to probe their composition, dynamics and more, revolutionizing the study of exoplanet atmospheres."

This even includes mapping climate patterns on a smaller super-Earth , a discovery the Spitzer team announced in 2016. What's more, Spitzer confirmed a very close rocky planet  only 21 light-years away  in 2015, again showing the range of capabilities the telescope is capable of.

The nearly edge-on galaxy NGC 5746 is partially obscured in visible-light photographs, making accurate classification impossible. This image from the Spitzer Space Telescope reveals the galaxy's true nature, showing a dramatic ring of warm dust surrounding the galaxy's bright nucleus. (Image credit: NASA/Spitzer; Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)

Since Spitzer was far from Earth, one of its strengths was the ability to stare at one target for many hours without being blocked by Earth. This helped in understanding the exoplanet system called TRAPPIST-1, where Earth-based telescopes had already found three planets. By watching the system for 500 hours over 21 days , Spitzer was able to gather enough data to show that the system contains not just three but seven planets. By carefully timing the orbits of the planets, Spitzer could measure their masses and densities, which give clues to their composition. Thanks to Spitzer, "we now know more about the TRAPPIST-1 system than any other solar system except our own," said Varoujan Gorjian, Spitzer Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a lecture at the end of the mission .

Check out what we know about the TRAPPIST-1 system (opens in new tab).

Though Spitzer's observing days are over, astronomers continue to announce new findings based on data it collected. For example, in October 2020, NASA announced that Spitzer observations had been used to measure the temperature and atmospheric composition of the exoplanet LTT9779b, a rare type dubbed a "hot Neptune," that had only recently been discovered by another space telescope, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

Additional resources:

Visit t he official JPL Spitzer website .

. Spitzer engineers recall how they came to join the Spitzer team.

This article was updated on November 3, 2020 by Space.com contributor Steve Fentress.
China is readying its next piloted space mission, a multifaceted undertaking that will lay the foundation for the country to build a space station in Earth orbit in the 2020s.

Both Tiangong-2 (whose name means "Heavenly Palace") and the piloted Shenzhou-11 spacecraft are now undergoing checkout at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Tiangong-2, which is scheduled to launch in mid-September, is a true "space lab" that will verify key technologies for building China's space station, according to its chief designer, Zhu Zongpeng. [Latest News About China's Space Program]

30-day mission

Zhu told China Central Television (CCTV) that Tiangong-2 is the country's first space lab in terms of its function. Compared with Tiangong-1, which launched in September 2011, Tiangong-2 has more facilities to ensure a comfortable stay for astronauts, including equipment for sending emails and receiving television programs from Earth, Zhu said.

A series of piloted Shenzhou spacecraft visited Tiangong-1 during its two-year operational lifetime. Those who lived onboard the vessel included China's first female astronauts, Liu Yang and Wang Yaping. (The now-empty Tiangong-1 should fall back to Earth soon, experts have predicted.)

Once Tiangong-2 is launched, Shenzhou-11will follow it into orbit in October, carrying two male astronauts on a 30-day mission. These astronauts, who have not yet been publicly identified, have been undergoing intense training, said the China Manned Space Engineering (CMSE) office.

More maturity

Zheng Wei, Shenzhou-11's assistant chief designer, told CCTV that "Shenzhou-11 has inherited all the tried and true features of its predecessors of Shenzhou-8, -9 and -10. It is therefore of confirmed stability, higher reliability and more maturity."

Launching Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11 in the planned one-two punch is a challenging proposition, mission officials have said.

"This is the first time for us to have two manned spacecraft and two carrier rockets at the launching site at the same time," Li Bing, chief engineer with the testing and launching station at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, told CCTV. "We have to carry out the maintenance work simultaneously. Up until now, our work has been carried out smoothly to ensure the successful accomplishment of the two missions."

Li said up to 22 full-length technological renovations to the center have been made during the past three years "in order to forge a more favorable environment for launching manned spaceships in [the] future."

The linked-up Shenzhou-11 and Tiangong-2 duo will also receive a cargo ship next year, to implement on-orbit propellant resupply, Chinese officials have said. This was not done with any of the Tiangong-1/Shenzhou missions.

If all goes according to plan, inaugural use of the Tianzhou-1 cargo-resupply vessel to support Tiangong-2 operations will occur in the first half of 2017. That supply ship will be dispatched atop a Long March 7 rocket from China's new and sprawling spaceport, the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, situated on the island of Hainan.

The Long March 7 went on its first test flight in June of this year, from Wenchang. On that maiden flight, the rocket carried mini-satellites, as well as an unpiloted, subscale test capsule for future piloted space missions in low Earth orbit and deep space. That 2.9-ton (2.6 metric tons) prototype module parachuted to a landing in Badain Jaran Desert in north China.

Verifying technologies

The orbit altitude of the Tiangong-2 is targeted for 244 miles (393 kilometers) above Earth, the same as that of China's future space station. That puts Tiangong-2 higher than Tiangong-1, which is "mainly aimed at verifying docking and rendezvous technologies for the space station," Zhu, the space lab's chief designer, told CCTV.

Other technologies will also be important, he said, including on-orbit propellant refueling, a key technology for the stable operation of the space station, Zhu said.

"We must collect gas from the fuel tank of the Tiangong-2 into a cylinder, so that a pressure difference will be formed to ensure that the propellant will be supplied from the cargo ship to the space lab," Zhu said, adding that precise and sealed connection of the resupply pipelines will also be ensured.

Overall, the objective of the upcoming Tiangong-2/Shenzhou flights is to carry out experiments for China's future space station, including technical experiments and those involving repair work. At least 14 experiments will be carried out in Tiangong-2, Chinese officials have said. [How China's First Space Station Will Work (Infographic)]

Long March 5, too

Also on tap later this year is the maiden blastoff of China's Long March 5. The country eventually plans to use that booster to launch space station modules into Earth orbit, support robotic sample-return missions to the moon and shoot a rover toward Mars in 2020.

In fact, the first Long March 5 rocket is currently being shipped from China's Tianjin Port to Wenchang, in a weeklong ocean voyage that began in late August. The maiden flight of the Long March 5 is expected by year's end.

The Long March-5 "has made breakthroughs in materials, crafts, equipment and facilities in our space programs," Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, told CRIEnglish.com, the official English-language website of China Radio International.

"The successful development of the carrier rocket has greatly uplifted China's capability in spaceflight. It has led the way in carrier rocket development by serialization, stylization and modularization," Wu said.

Leonard David is author of "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet," to be published by National Geographic this October. The book is a companion to the National Geographic Channel six-part series coming in November. A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
In late August 2016, astronomers used the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array to search for a possible SETI signal that a Russian team had spotted in May 2015. This signal, which originally seemed to be coming from the star HD 164595, was apparently caused by terrestrial interference, scientists now say.

Sorry, ET fans: The mysterious signal detected by a Russian radio telescope last year probably had an Earthly cause.

This past weekend, reports emerged that, in May 2015, a team of astronomers using Russia's huge RATAN-600 telescope had spotted an intriguing radio signal coming from the vicinity of the star HD 164595, which lies about 94 light-years from Earth.

The signal was consistent with something an alien civilization might produce, astronomers said  but they stressed that there was probably a more prosaic explanation. [Video: SETI Signal a False Alarm, But the Search Continues]

Such reminders not to get too carried away were well placed, it turns out.

"Subsequent processing and analysis of the signal revealed its most probable terrestrial origin," astronomer Yulia Sotnikova wrote in an update published today (Aug. 31) by the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. "It can be said with confidence that no sought-for signal has been detected yet."

The May 2015 signal may have been caused by a Russian military satellite. Such a spacecraft was responsible for a similar detection during the Soviet period, Alexander Ipatov, director of the Institute of Applied Astronomy at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the Russian news agency TASS.

Indeed, the SETI Institute pointed the Allen Telescope Array, a network of radio dishes in northern California, at HD 164595 on Sunday and Monday nights (Aug. 28 and Aug. 29).

They found nothing. But Shostak and his colleagues will continue investigating promising candidate signals and exoplanet targets throughout the galaxy, he said.

"One can easily get kind of cynical about these things  'Oh, man, another one of these false alarms,'" Shostak told Space.com on Monday, speculating that the HD 164595 signal might be a false alarm. "You have to guard against that, because, in this business, there are going to be a lot of false alarms."

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
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It's clear that China's Communist Party is investing enormous amounts of money in its transit routes toward Central Asia and in new economic zones. The standard of living among Kashgar residents is rising, and tax-advantaged high-tech parks have created new jobs in the provincial capital of Urumqi. The economy is growing at 9 percent in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, outpacing growth in many other parts of the country.

In return, Beijing expects gratitude and compliance -- mistakenly. For most Uighurs, there is something far more important than having a better choice of goods to buy: respect for their people and their religion, Islam. Instead, they often experience the opposite. Mosques are placed under video surveillance, Muslim men are no longer permitted to wear long beards, and Chinese officials force their children to break the fast during Ramadan.

Economic and political elites welcome the opportunities brought by Beijing's financial injections, but the local population in Xinjiang view the new Silk Road, and the domination by Han Chinese that comes with it, with considerable skepticism. This is a recurring pattern, with concerns becoming even greater immediately beyond China's borders.

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Two airlines now serve the route from Urumqi to Almaty, the biggest city in Kazakhstan. New roads and railroad lines now bridge the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) distance between the two large cities. A special economic zone is being established in the Chinese border town of Khorgas.

China's neighbor plays a key role in the Silk Road strategy. It is no accident that Chinese leader Xi Jinping first mentioned the new project in Kazakhstan, in September 2013, during a meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. On the surface, at least, his host seemed enthusiastic about the project. He had his railroad minister announce that the country would invest several billion US dollars in new trains and lines in the next five years.

Nazarbayev, 76, the son of a shepherd and head of the regional Communist Party during the Soviet era, has been president of the independent Republic of Kazakhstan for a quarter century. He's an authoritarian ruler and ever since he built Astana, a new capital of glass-walled skyscrapers in the middle of the desert, the West sees him as a megalomaniac. Nazarbayev rules a country that is almost eight times the size of Germany but has a population of less than 20 million.

He can afford extravagant projects because he controls massive natural resources, including oil, natural gas and uranium. So far, he has managed to sedate the population with revenues from these mineral reserves, but now Kazakhstan is also suffering from falling commodity prices. The per capita income, measured in dollars, has declined by half since 2013, and the economy is stagnating. Nazarbayev skillfully cooperates with the various major powers, allowing the Americans to exploit Kazakhstan's natural resources, making the European Union the country's biggest trading partner and cooperating with the Russians in the Eurasian Economic Union and in security groups.

But he pays special attention to his country's "strategic partnership" with China. In recent years, pipelines have been completed to bring crude oil and natural gas from the Caspian Sea directly to the Peoples' Republic. The Chinese now control almost a third of Kazakh natural resources and are in the process of buying their way into the agricultural sector on a large scale.

At the beginning of this year, Nazarbayev signed a law that granted foreign investors 25-year leases on real estate, triggering a storm of protest that shook the foundations of his power. "Down with the Chinese, Kazakhstan for the Kazakhs!" an agitated crowd chanted in a demonstration near the National Museum in late May -- despite the fact that Nazarbayev had already withdrawn the law by then and dismissed his economics minister.

The public anger was directed against the alleged "selling out" of the country. A short time later, armed men attacked members of the national guard in the industrial city of Aktobe. Twenty-five people died in the ensuing firefight in early June. And the protests continue.

For many Kazakhs, the new Silk Road is not a promise but a threat. This suspicion is especially palpable in the Korgas special economic zone on the border. On the Chinese side, new businesses sprang up, apartment buildings were built and luxurious shopping developed. On the Kazakh side of the border, only a few gas stations and kiosks are complete, and gaping empty lots alternate with giant garbage dumps. Kazakhs come to Korgas with the new fast train from Almaty, buy cheap Chinese goods "over there" and take the evening train home.

But this minor border traffic is of little importance to Beijing. It is more interested in the big picture, and Korgas' important role as a hub through which trains roll on their way to Central Asia, Iran and, ultimately, Europe. The turnover of goods has reportedly doubled in Korgas since 2014.

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

If there is anyone who is equally at home in China and Russia, the European Union and the United States, and who can evaluate the Silk Road project from a Central Asian perspective, it is Djoomart Otorbaev, the former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan. After a year in office, he became an independent political consultant in the spring of 2015. Since then, he has spent his time as an intermediary between different worlds, regularly jetting back and forth between Beijing and Moscow, Astana and Brussels.

Bishkek, a four-hour drive from Almaty on an upgraded highway, was a caravan station in the days of the classic Silk Road. Today the sleepy city, with its Stalinist architecture, feels like a vestige of the Soviet era. The image is misleading, because Kyrgyzstan is more cosmopolitan, democratic and liberal than its neighbors. The small country of nomads, with a population of 6 million, maintains good relations with the West, as well as with China and Russia. Kyrgyzstan is both a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Moscow-dominated Eurasian Economic Union.

"We are a poor country, wedged between the high mountains of the Tian Shan and the Pamir, without access to the sea," says Otorbaev. He praises his country's free election as "exemplary" but is critical of rampant corruption among the Kyrgyz elite. "For trade and tourism, we need every conceivable connection to the outside world, including open borders and transport routes. That's why we can only benefit from China's Silk Road project."

He admires China for having lifted so many people from total poverty in the last few decades, more than any other country in the past. "But China should grant its citizens more freedom at home. And it shouldn't behave like an elephant in a china shop abroad."

Otorbaev, trained as a physician, likes to dissect the situation in his native region. Whenever the Chinese overrun a place, he says, it goes like this: "They bring their own people, and they start by building what they want. And then if someone demands a permit, they bribe the relevant officials." But Beijing cannot succeed in the long run if it continues to exploit its status as the economically stronger country. "The Chinese lack soft power. They don't understand that if you want to succeed in the long term, you need to win over people's hearts." Still, he adds, senior Communist Party officials are at least listening to his criticism now, and this is progress, but it hasn't led to any consequences yet.

A New Marshall Plan

In an ideal scenario, the new Silk Road could become the biggest economic stimulus program since the Marshall Plan, with which the United States helped Germany get back on its feet after World War II. Russia should also benefit from the initiative. And Moscow, which needs investment during its current recession, is fundamentally interested in closer cooperation with the Peoples' Republic. Nevertheless, the Kremlin is deeply suspicious of an increasingly self-confident China. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that Beijing aims to solidify its dominant political position with the Silk Road initiative.

Iran and Turkey strongly support the Silk Road project. The first direct train from China arrived in Tehran in February to unanimous applause. The Peoples' Republic has long been the Islamic Republic's biggest export partner, and the Iranians are grateful to the political leadership in Beijing for supplying them with high-tech goods and allowing Iran to continue exporting its raw materials during the sanctions. Even today, after most economic restrictions have been lifted, Tehran is unwilling to place all its bets on the West and reportedly intends to remain loyal to Beijing when it comes to lucrative deals.

Turkey takes a similar view of the situation. The normally self-confident Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is very accommodating to the Chinese. This may be because Turkey has few friends in international politics at the moment. And with an economy in crisis, billions from China come at just the right time.

But the new Silk Road is experiencing the greatest and most surprising success in a region that its "classic" precursor never touched: Eastern Europe.

Minsk, Belarus

Minsk, Belarus

The most exclusive five-star hotel in the capital of Belarus is called the Beijing, an ostentatious building with 180 rooms and a conference center that holds 500 guests. The hotel was a joint project by companies from both countries. The most popular restaurant in Minsk is also named after the Chinese city, and one of the items on the menu is baozi, dumplings filled with pork or bean paste. Cantonese pop rules in the karaoke bars along the city's ring road.

More than 10,000 immigrant workers have come to Belarus from China in the last two years alone. Next to Ukrainians, they are the largest group of foreign workers. Air China recently introduced four nonstop flights a week from Beijing to Minsk -- an astonishing development, considering that the two cities are 6,500 kilometers (4,040 miles) apart, and Belarus has much closer historic and cultural ties to Russia.

The Union State of Russia and Belarus is a defense and economic community, and in better times political leaders in Moscow and Minsk even considered merging the two countries.

But now the Chinese are gaining ground in Belarus, where they spare neither prestige nor effort, nor cost, to outdo their trade rivals from Russia and the EU. When Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Minsk in May 2015, his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, 61, rushed to the airport to pick up his guest in person and greet him with bread and salt. Xi had joint ventures established in which the Chinese held at least one more decisive vote than the rest.

The most significant of these major projects is called "Great Stone." The site near the Minsk airport measuring roughly 80 square kilometers (30 square miles) is currently being developed into a giant industrial park. In phase 1 of the Great Stone project, forests are being cut down and bulldozers are digging deep into the ground.

Large propaganda signs proclaim, in Russian, Chinese and English: "Time is Money, Organization is Life." Almost all the guest workers from the Far East work at the site, which will include company buildings, as well as schools, hospitals and housing for 170,000 people. The E30, the highway that connects Berlin with Moscow, passes nearby. It is quite possible that this route will eventually become an appendage of the new Silk Road, which will then lead to Beijing.

Widespread Eastern European Interest

As important as Belarus is as a new bridgehead in the region for Xi Jinping, he isn't putting all of his eggs in one basket. Last November, the Chinese president invited 16 Eastern European leaders to his hometown of Suzhou. It was the fourth summit meeting of its kind, and it took place largely without the participation of Western media. In China, however, the newspapers were filled with stories about the two-day meeting, which was celebrated as a milestone along the new Silk Road. And just as their hosts probably expected, all of the Eastern Europeans tried to secure a piece of the big pie -- irrespective of whether this could jeopardize their own strategic interests.

In contrast to Central Asia, where some projects currently exist only on paper, many programs are already underway in Eastern Europe. Beijing reached an agreement with Serbia and Hungary in which it is paying for a new high-speed train from Belgrade to Budapest. Chinese firms are involved in the development of hydroelectric dams in Croatia and Poland. In Lithuania, funds from Beijing are being used to expand the Klaipeda port. And in the wake of President Xi Jinping's visit in late March 2016, the Czech Republic is also entertaining dreams of a privileged strategic partnership. "I would like to see the Czech Republic become China's gateway to the European Union," Czech President Milo Zeman said during the visit.

Or will it become a gateway for something else?

Aside from the Silk Road investments, China's state-owned companies are on an aggressive shopping spree, especially in the field of high technology. At the same time, the Communist Party uses protectionism to seal off Chinese companies in the Peoples' Republic from Western competition and harasses companies from the West. There is no sign of a unified EU strategy to combat this unequal treatment, or of a unified position on Beijing's Silk Road project.

The Eastern European countries' rapprochement with the economic power from the Far East is viewed with suspicion in the EU. "It's our own fault if we in Europe do not speak with one voice," Chancellor Merkel said during a trip to Beijing last fall.
SPIEGEL: Both sides originally wanted to close the deal by the end of the year. It is almost September now. Isn't time simply running out?

Froman: Time is short. But with the proper political resolve to move the negotiations forward, we believe we can still achieve our objective of completing a high-standard agreement this year.

SPIEGEL: Gabriel believes very much in the CETA trade agreement between the EU and Canada, which is currently awaiting EU approval. He argues that the rules for investment protection in CETA are much more transparent than those the American side wants to include in TTIP. Where do you stand on that issue?

Froman: CETA looks like a strong agreement. TTIP will also be a strong agreement. We have many of the same transparency provisions. We have also proposed a number of additional reforms to ISDS (investor-state dispute settlement, an instrument that allows investors to initiate dispute-settlement processes against countries) including: making sure that investors can't hop back and forth between local courts and international arbitration; shortening the period for bringing ISDS claims; and narrowing the types of claims that can be brought and increasing the burden of proof. We have also proposed for TTIP to include strong labor and environmental obligations -- enforceable by trade sanctions, which gives those obligations real teeth. More generally, TTIP's opportunity for German exporters speaks for itself. Given the size of the US economy, even a 1 percent increase in German exports to the US would dwarf the gains of other agreements. In government procurement, for example, the opportunity German firms have in the United States is 10 times larger than in Canada.

SPIEGEL: Has Brexit affected the US position on TTIP? How attractive is TTIP without Britain being part of it?

Froman: We are very much committed to TTIP. Of course, the UK is a significant economy that makes up a quarter of American exports to the EU, more than 50 percent of our exports in certain sectors and over 25 percent of the government procurement opportunities we have in Europe. Brexit reduces the size of the TTIP deal for the United States, and there will need to be an adjustment of expectations accordingly, but Brexit underscores the value of reaching an agreement at this critical moment in the evolution of Europe.

SPIEGEL: In what respect?

Froman: TTIP is an important opportunity to demonstrate that the EU and the US can take action together to deliver jobs and growth for their people, to strengthen the trans-Atlantic partnership and to position the EU and the US together to help lead the global trading system.
Did Russia hack a voter database in America? According to a letter sent to the F.B.I. by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, there is substantial evidence showing that hackers from Russia attempted to hack into Arizona and Illinois voting system in July.

Reid explained to F.B.I. Director James B. Comey Jr. that he and many tech experts believe that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin is attempting to manipulate the United States voting system.

It is a well known fact that Donald Trump and Mr. Putin have a lot of admiration for each other. We have been witnessing something unprecedented in American history  a foreign party playing a significant role in a presidential election.

WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange, who has ties to Russia, published hacked information from the campaign of the Democratic presidential nominee and the Democratic National Committee. Assange leaked a series of embarrassing emails, which forced former DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to resign.

The leaks were orchestrated by a hacker, who called himself Guccifer 2.0. Experts say it is an alias for Russian hackers linked to the intelligence agencies. Last week while talking to Megyn Kelly, Assange said he planned to release important emails related to the Clintons before the debates. In the letter to the F.B.I. Director, Mr. Reid wrote:

The threat of Russian interference is more extensive than is widely known and may include the intent to falsify official election results. Recent classified briefings from senior intelligence officials have left me fearful that President Vladimir V. Putins goal is tampering with this election.

The message went on to say:

The prospect of individuals tied to Trump, WikiLeaks, and the Russian government coordinating to influence our election raises concerns of the utmost gravity and merits full examination.

On Monday, officials at the Illinois State Board of Elections confirmed that their voting database was compromised. Hackers were able to access personal details of 200,000 voters. During the cyber attack, drivers license numbers, state ID or Social Security numbers were viewed but not erased nor stolen.

On Tuesday, Ken Menzel, general counsel for the elections board, told SC Magazine:

Some data, but far from all, may have been captured.

According to Mr. Menzel:

The attackers may have gained access to data on citizens registered to vote online. The personal data of long-time registrants or those who enrolled through a registrar is not in the state voter files.

The crime was discovered on July 12 and that same day; security experts rushed to altered the code to mitigate database queries originating from suspect locations.

Menzel concluded his interview in a way that was not very reassuring to the American public. The official said that while he firmly believes that the state databases were not compromised, they are still analyzing the situation and are working with authorities on the matter.

The experts said that the attack forced them to take the voter registration portal offline to improve security. Arizona state officials are also working with the FBI after being alerted that in June their election system was attacked by Russian hackers. Levi Gundert, vice president of intelligence and strategy at Recorded Future, an Internet technology company, told SC Magazine:

There are a million reasons as to why whoever hacked the voter registration systems targeted these databases.This could be Russia continuing to prove they can interfere with the U.S. election cycle and doing anything they can accomplish with that objective in mind. This could also be part of the larger trend of criminal groups stealing data from various databases, then cross-referencing other stolen databases to compromise bigger targets.

In an interview, Reid said that Russia will try to focus on six swing states to alter results for Trump. Mr. Reid said:

Trump and his people keep saying the election is rigged. Why is he saying that? Because people are telling him, the election can be messed with.

Thus far, there has been zero leaks from the Republican party. Nonetheless, Mr. Trumps advisers say they are concerned that unnamed elites could rig the election for his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The FBIs Cyber Division has asked election officials across the country to take actions rapidly to strengthen the security of their computer systems.
DECATUR  Funding for a stalled building project at Richland Community College that has become a visible reminder of the fallout from the state budget impasse is back in place.

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said Wednesday the Illinois Capital Development Board sent a notice last week stating work on Richland's Student Success Center can resume. Original funding for the project has been restored, he said.

This is not only good news for students at Richland Community College, but for Decatur as a whole, Rose said. This construction project provides a shot in the arm for Decatur's economy and jobs sector, while the building, once completed, will bolster Richland Community College's already impeccable reputation for helping students achieve success.

A timeline for restarting the project has not yet been determined, with a meeting on the topic scheduled for next week, Richland Chief of Staff Lisa Gregory said. Richland officials have been looking forward to the project, as it would bring together offices for various student services into one location. Some student services were moved off the main campus with the expectation work could be completed in less than a year.

Yet, the offices remain scattered, and officials became concerned when the project was delayed this spring without receiving the $4.2 million in state funding that some of what had already been completed was gathering rust, which would ultimately push costs higher.

The framework of the expansion sits on the front lawn of Richland's campus, with the college already using its $1.175 million share of the funding for the approximately $6.3 million project that was first started last summer.

Officials will be trying to determine how much of the work can be completed before the upcoming winter, hoping another construction season will not be completely lost. The unused space is not completely enclosed, as it needed to be heated during the past winter, Gregory said.

Rose said state funds were restored during the most recent budget negotiation that was signed into law June 30. The Richland project was one of a few in Illinois to have funding restored when the temporary state budget was approved.

This type of investment is a necessary component of a multipronged approach to increasing employment not just in Macon County, but across the state of Illinois, Rose said. It brings immediate construction jobs in the area and in the long term will help educate future employees to access highly skilled and in-demand job opportunities in the Decatur area.

Rose said the community college system provides Illinois residents with to access good job opportunities.
New York, 30 August 2016. (SPS)  UN confidential document revealed on Tuesday published that Morocco had violated the cease-fire agreement signed with the Polisario Front in 1991, by sending military equipment personnel into the buffer zone without prior notice to the UN peacekeepers. According Associated Press of America.

The note to the U.N. Security Council said the Polisario Front deployed military personnel in response to Moroccan violation of the cease-fire.

The note that the UNSC will discuss in the coming days said that Morocco operating along with road laying activities in the southern part of Western Sahara is violation of Military Agreement No. 1 of the cease-fire

United Nations is working to form a working group composed of members of MINURSO to assess the situation and monitor ceasefire violations.

Sahrawi Government in a letter to MINURSOs chief of staff on Sunday said that its has deployed of military forces to the area on Sunday morning to prevent further Moroccan activities beyond the berm, including the asphalted road it has started to build.

Moroccan regime has tried to conceal the violation of the cease-fire by impeding the mission was carried out by MINURSO to investigate, but tangible material evidence has delivered to the United Nations documented Moroccan breach of ceasefire, facing this situation, the Security Council will be in front of a new test to prove his seriousness and stop the Moroccan maneuvers designed to fail UN efforts to organize a referendum in Western Sahara.SPS

125/090/TRA
Aaiun (Capital of occupied Western Sahara) August, 31 2016 (SPS) - The Moroccan occupying authorities harassed at the airport of Casablanca the members of the Sahrawi delegation after their participation in the Summer University of the executives of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, held in Boumerdes in Algeria.

The delegation, made up of human rights activists and former Sahrawi political prisoners, was victim of several types of harassment and intimidation, said the source.

The Moroccan authorities also isolated the Sahrawi activists and other passengers and started inspecting their luggage and personal things in a provocative and discriminatory manner.

This treatment by the Moroccan authorities has become a systematic and deliberate policy against all the Sahrawi human rights activists who travel in the occupied territories or abroad.

The 7th Summer University of the executives of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Polisario Front, organized from 7 to 22 August in Boumerdes, was marked by the participation of about 400 Sahrawi executives, in addition to representatives of the Algerian civil society, foreign personalities who militate to protect the peoples right to self-determination.SPS

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New York, 31 August 2016. (SPS)  Frente POLISARIO MINURSO Coordinator Emhamed Khadad stated,Moroccos aggression in the Al Guargarat area is part of a familiar pattern of behavior. Whenever political progress is in sight, Rabat takes action to create a crisis and ensure that the Security Council is distracted from its efforts to relaunch negotiations. Security Council members must see this intransigence for what it is and not allow Morocco to unilaterally prevent diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.in statement a copy of which obtained by SPS

The Frente POLISARIO deployed military forces to the Al Guargarat area of Western Sahara in response to Moroccos violation of the 1991 ceasefire agreement. The deployment is to prevent further Moroccan activities beyond the military wall (the Berm)and to bring back conditions for resumed political process on Western Sahara.

In a letter to the Chief of Staff of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) peacekeeping mission, Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) Defense Minister Abdallahi Lehbib Belal said, It is only by exerting the appropriate pressure on the Kingdom of Morocco to fully respect Military Agreement Number 1, and to immediately end its activities, that the tension thus created would decrease, so as the two parties and the UN could contribute to the maintaining of the ceasefire and consequently enhancing the faith in the UN-led peace process.

Since 11 August, Moroccan occupation forces in Western Sahara have repeatedly crossed the Moroccan military wall in the Al Guargarat zone in defiance of Military Agreement Number 1 of the ceasefire, which prohibits any work or deployment in a 5km strip along the wall. The POLISARIO urgedthe UN Security Council to call for the immediate withdrawal of Moroccan personnel and asked MINURSOto install a permanent observation post in the area to calm the situation and prevent future incursions.

Moroccos hostile activities Al Guargarat, in violation of the ceasefire agreement, are ongoing despite UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons 28 August statement to halt any action that alters that status quo. The Frente POLISARIO remains committed to its obligations under the ceasefire agreement.SPS

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First Military Region (Liberated Territories), August, 31 2016 (SPS) -The Commander of the first Military Region of Saharawi People's Liberation Army (SPLA), Mr. Beidalla Mohamed Brahim, met yesterday the head of the military forces of the United Nations Mission for the referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Mr. Mohamed Tayeb Azzam, at the headquarters of the region.

During this meeting, attended by several military leaders of the region, the head of the mission of UN peacekeeping "asked the Saharawi party" patience and self-control ", highlighting the commitment of its mission to ensure that the Moroccan part respects the status quo of the Military Agreement No. 1 signed in 1991, in order to avoid any tension that may make the situation explode at any moment. "

In this regard, the POLISARIO officially informed the United Nations about the deployment of units of the Saharawi army in the area, since last August 28, 2016, to prevent any Moroccan activity outside the wall, including continued asphalt work, which aim to change the status quo prevailing since the entry into force of the ceasefire. (SPS)

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While other sectors have struggled to recover from the 2008 downturn, Scotlands forestry and wood processing industry has grown by 50 per cent  and in addition to contributing 1bn a year to the economy, the sector employs over 25,000 people, said Confor Chief Executive Stuart Goodall.

Scotland is the clear UK leader in forestry and there is now a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish a support and regulatory structure that can build on and further strengthen that leadership position.

The Scottish Government has opened a consultation, The Future of Forestry in Scotland, which runs until 9th November.

It has three elements:

Proposal for new organisational arrangements for Forestry Commission Scotland;

Questions regarding future cross-border co-ordination on forestry;

Questions on how legislation should be framed to deliver the new arrangements.

Confor has argued that the sector would benefit from a continued strong core of professional civil servants within the Scottish Government devoted to forestry with the expertise to understand and support modern forestry practices.

Confor has also made strong representation regarding the significant productive forest resource managed by the Forestry Commission. This resource is a key asset that has helped support the significant growth of wood processing in Scotland. The consultation recognises the vital importance for a guaranteed future timber supply, which Mr Goodall said was vital to drive investment and confidence.
The Company held a public preview of its concept autonomous tractor technology, which is being displayed in two distinct tractor versions, on the stands of its Case IH and New Holland Agriculture brands.

The versions include an entirely cabless concept Case IH Magnum and a New Holland T8 Drive NHconcept tractor, which maintains its cab to deliver operating flexibility.

CNH Industrials Innovation Group has proactively developed concept autonomous technology to help farmers and agribusinesses sustainably boost production and productivity through the ability to make the most of ideal soil and weather conditions, as well as available labor.
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Armenias Ministry of Defense today refuted a report circulating in several Azerbaijani news outlets ((haqqin.az, politika.az,meydan.tv) that Armenian military forces had violated the ceasefire along the Armenia-Nakhijevan border, resulting in the death of an Azerbaijani soldier.

In a statement, the ministry says it continues to uphold the ceasefire and only responds when Azerbaijan violates it.
T escos former finance chief has been cleared by the accountancy watchdog over a 263 million accounting black hole discovered at the supermarket two years ago.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) announced it has dropped its investigation into Laurie McIlwee, who was in charge of Tescos finances until his resignation in April 2014, five months before the grocer admitted it had overstated profits in accounts dating back to 2012.

The FRC said there was "no realistic prospect that a Tribunal would make an adverse finding in relation to the conduct of Mr Laurie McIlwee".

Its wider investigation into the scandal is ongoing, it added.

As well as the FRC probe, the affair sparked a Serious Fraud Office investigation into Tesco, which is also ongoing. McIlwee, has been named as an SFO witness and not a suspect, with the investigation said to focus on the months after his departure.

Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis, who arrived just weeks before the irregularities were discovered, has overhauled senior management.

Chairman Richard Broadbent and a string of board members were replaced.

Tesco declined to comment.
P IRELLI, the Italian tyremaker famed for its glamorous annual calendar, has struck a big money deal to cut the risk of ballooning pensioner payouts in future.

The Milanese company, bought by state-owned Chinese firm ChemChina last year, will shift 5000 pensioners from two UK pension schemes to insurance giant Zurich in a deal worth 600 million.

The deal, known as a longevity swap, turns responsibility for paying the pensions over to Zurich. In return Zurich gets a stream of payments from Pirelli.

The longevity swaps help to improve the security of benefits for all members by removing the uncertainty from members living longer than forecast They also allow us to retain future investment flexibility, Pirelli pension manager Tony Goddard said.

Away from its stock-in-trade making tyres, Pirelli is best known for its calendar, which this year featured Hollywood star Uma Thurman and British actress Dame Helen Mirren and has previously featured model Gigi Hadid (pictured).

Pirelli closed its final salary scheme to existing members in 2009.
P hilip Green  I think we can drop the Sir  is carrying off the objectionable churl of the year awards with aplomb. How will other disgraced financial high fliers match him?

The reported possessor of a gold Monopoly set has been brought crashing to earth by a failed business (but lets not forge the success of Topshop), leaving jobless BHS staff to count the hole in their incomes and meagre pensions. Add on an ostentatious summer holiday on the yacht  and a how very dare you outburst at a photographer for revealing the jaunt  and Greens PR advisers truly have the toughest gig in town.

There have always been high-rolling rotters. In Gatsby fashion, Green hid his flaws in plain sight, behind the veil of loud parties, pictures snuggling supermodels and borrowed glamour of hiring Beyonce and Destinys Child to serenade his guests. Many retailers have failing businesses and, in fairness, Green also has sound ones too. Dynamic capitalism demands that the have-yachts take a tumble at times, so we need to keep a perspective on the inevitability of failures. But manners matter, as much if not more so in the very rich as the rest of us. This tycoon has failed that test with his grudging offer of a voluntary contribution to the pension chasm and bartering over the terms.

We have come to celebrate the very wealthy as the epitome of modern success: the entrepreneur with the self-made country house is as popular a weekend host as the aristocratic next door, and that is the sign of a more socially mobile Britain. London especially has been the beneficiary of a less hidebound philosophy.

But deference has tilted too sharply in the other direction. I first had an inkling of discomfort about Green a few years ago when a glitzy event he spoke at, demanding that we celebrate wealth-creation more energetically, ended up as a parody of self-promotion. Recognising entrepreneurship for the motor of progress and growth that it is is laudable. Over-lauding the super-rich is not, because it leads to blind spots about unjust rewards.

This recognition now crosses the political spectrum  and we can expect to see it at the heart of May-ism. Tomorrow, Chris Philp, a Conservative on the Treasury select committee, publishes a critical report on executive rewards and their questionable oversight by the High Pay Centre. Crucially, respected City types, including the savvy former Labour City minister and hedge-funder Lord Myners and leading financial services figures are taking an active interest in how to make top-end executive pay more congruent with overall performance. Credit where it is due  a topic that was the preserve of grungey protesters and the politics of envy now has traction that should make other high-rollers think more carefully about their reputations.

It would not harm for those public figures who aligned themselves so enthusiastically with Green to encourage him equally emphatically to do the right thing by his workers and face the consequences of BHSs demise with greater humility and grasp of the damage to others. The very wealthy become immune to criticism when they succumb to the flattery of uncritical admiration. Gatsbys party ended in a moral mess. So has Greens. Destiny had the last word after all.

Anne McElvoy is senior editor at The Economist
I t's quite something to reflect that half the new Elizabeth line  previously known as Crossrail 1  has been completed on time and on budget. The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, today makes the journey from Custom House to Canary Wharf to mark the completion of half the track that will, when its up and running in 2018, carry 200 million passengers a year. Whats more, the line will bring an extra 1.5 million people within 45 minutes commuting distance of central London. And it will, accordingly, change the way we think about the housing challenge: areas of new development can be farther flung.

So much of Londons future is conditioned by its infrastructure; it determines where we live, what jobs we can take, how long we go out in the evenings. At the same time as the Crossrail development promises to bring millions more people within reach of the centre of town, Transport for London is planning, on a very much smaller scale, to revive the Thames cable-car crossing by applying for a licence to sell alcohol at either end of the line, as well as show films and hold disco and karaoke nights. At present, the crossing between the Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula, which cost 60 million, is underused: figures released this month show that it is used by just over 4,000 people a day despite having the capacity to carry 2,500 passengers an hour. Indeed, many people only encounter the service en route to City Airport.

If the plans go ahead  and there is sturdy opposition from local people who worry about the social disruption to the area  the Emirates Air Line cable-car crossing would be similar to the Millennium Wheel, which is now a hugely popular tourist destination. It would become part of Londons night-time economy, which itself has been powerfully galvanised by the advent of the Night Tube.

Where infrastructure leads, the economy follows. The Elizabeth line is transforming the entire area within its axis; now for Crossrail 2.

Brexit opportunities

The Prime Minister is chairing a meeting of the Cabinet at Chequers to discuss the opportunities presented by Brexit for their departments.

Framing the argument about Brexit in this way not only gives ministers previously opposed to it an opportunity to participate in discussions about how to make the most of it; more importantly, it frames the debate in positive terms  not of difficulties but opportunities. Certainly we shall collectively have to consider Brexit as a positive incentive to think globally, but also to reflect on the responsibilities that go with our position. Irelands dispute with the EU over its tax treatment of Apple is of course happening within the EU, but it is an instance of the kind of temptation that we shall face outside the EU. We could become a tax haven for global corporations but we should, rather, be keenly aware of our responsibility to ensure that multi-national businesses do not play off nation states against each other. Rather we should co-operate with other states to ensure that multi-nationals pay their fair share of tax to countries where they operate and sell goods and services. Brexit brings its own responsibilities.

Electric cabs

Uber is to launch 50 electric cars next month, as part of its bid to counter charges that its growth aggravates the problem of pollution. The move could presage a wider move to an all-electric fleet but this is an excellent start, which will be monitored by the Energy Saving Trust. Uber is ubiquitous, and that means it must consider its environmental impact. Well all have to think electric soon.
I f HIllary Clinton is elected 45th President of the United States on November 8, her closest aide, Huma Abedin, of Indian and Pakistani extraction but born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, will become one of the most powerful women in the world  a contender for the post of White House Chief of Staff.

She would be the first woman appointed to this all-important role (how easy it is to forget that The West Wings CJ Cregg was a fictional character). First, however, Abedin must escape the debris of a marriage gone horribly wrong that has become a parable of modern politics and its pathologies.

To return to the presidential election: it is hard to exaggerate the strength of the bond between the Democrat nominee and the invariably elegant 40-year-old, who began working for Mrs Clinton in 1996 as a young intern from George Washington University and has been a trusted member of her inner circle ever since. I have one daughter, the presidential candidate says, but if I had a second daughter, it would be Huma.

Abedin is routinely described as a notoriously private figure  a political operative who shuns the spotlight, at ease behind the scenes, relentlessly fixing, advising and steering strategy to the benefit of her candidate. Yet this week  and not for the first time  the most sensitive details of her personal life have generated headlines around the world, as she announced her separation from former Congressman Anthony Weiner after six years of marriage.

In the first flush of their relationship, Weiner and Abedin appeared to be a flawless power couple. In contrast to Abedins quiet authority, Weiner was a legislative showman, a natural tribune of the people whose card was marked for greater things than the House of Representatives. He was Jewish, she was Muslim. They complemented one another perfectly. It seemed only natural that Bill Clinton should preside at their wedding.

Yet in 2011 their two-person political coalition was shattered by the disclosure of Weiners sexting activities. After admitting that he had sent suggestive photos to women, he resigned from Congress.

Two years later he was back on the campaign trail, entering the New York City mayoral race. This time, as if to cleanse himself with daylight, the candidate allowed cameras behind the scenes  a decision that resulted in the remarkable fly-on-the-wall film Weiner (available on iTunes).

Even as the cameras rolled, it emerged that Weiner had carried on his sexting activities after resigning from Congress. This time, to compound the embarrassment, he had used the toe-curling alias of Carlos Danger while exchanging revealing photos with a 22-year-old woman called Sydney Leathers.

The revelations shattered Weiners electoral prospects in the mayoral race  though it now appears that not even this hideous experience, in which a film charting his notional comeback became a record of definitive disaster, was enough to curb his pathological behaviour. The revelation that, even after the documentary, Weiner had carried on sexting was enough to persuade Abedin to announce their separation.

It is tempting, of course, to dismiss Weiner as no more than a priapic cyber-buffoon and to ponder only what kept the couple together so long  apart from the love of their four-year-old son. Yet the politics of this sorry saga are more serious than one might suppose.

Consider, for instance, the response of Donald Trump to the couples separation. I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information, the Republican nominee mused. Who knows what he learned and who he told? Its just another example of Hillary Clintons bad judgment.

Even by Trumps exacting standards, this is gibberish. Is he suggesting that Weiner was slipping top-secret material into his sexts? Or that, as Carlos Danger, he was passing on national security files to the foes of the West?

The key, however, is the final sentence. Trumps clear intention is to fight this election on the terrain of his rivals character and fitness for office: hence, his relentless tweeting about crooked Hillary, and the associated innuendo from the murky online Right that she is seriously ill, or that her emails are indicative of a devious and corrupt personality, or that her marriage to Bill is a sham, or that  fill in the gap as you please.

No presidential candidate in recent contests has been so remorselessly attacked on the basis of so little. But the objective of Clintons foes is less to make any particular charge stick than to envelop her in a fog of suspicion and doubt  sufficient to alarm the electorate.

As Clintons closest aide, Abedin is a natural target in this sleazy campaign. It is frequently hinted, without a shred of evidence, that she is her bosss lover. Because of her faith, she is routinely accused of supporting Sharia, or being a Saudi asset, or of sympathising with the Muslim Brotherhood. None of these charges has been substantiated. But that has not deterred her detractors.

Living apart from Weiner, Abedin will no longer be personally embroiled in his next digital fiasco (for it is hard to believe that there is not more to come). But she remains a target, separated or not.

In 1998, Hillary identified a vast Right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president. At the time, this remark was widely denounced as delusional. In the intervening years, its essential accuracy has become increasingly apparent, not least for those around the Clintons like Abedin, who have learned the hard way that they are regarded as fair game.

Nothing horrifies the American Right quite like the prospect of another eight-year Clinton presidency. Between now and November 8, expect this nexus of hate and disinformation to do its very worst.
I 've been reading up on the Apocalypse, usually a reliable source of escapism in the summer months. Every generation dreams it will be the last, and such dreams are ultimately reassuring: what could be more flattering than to discover that you and all your pets and classmates were the ones who mattered all along? But I must admit, the latest hot takes on the imminent destruction of humanity arent quite taking the edge off.

Over at the 35th International Geological Congress in South Africa a group of scientists are arguing that humankind has entered a brand new epoch  the Anthropocene  as distinct from the temperate Holocene, which gave rise to all that we hold dear about 11,500 years ago. In the Anthropocene (dating back to the first plutonium bomb tests in the 1950s) its humans, not gods or asteroids or tectonic plates, who have the greatest impact on the Earths biosphere. If we carry on destroying habitats, burning carbon and forgetting to bring our own bags to the supermarket, we will bring about its destruction.

Which is not to say that the Anthropocene is a dead loss; its just that the only way out seems equally terrifying. In his fascinating new book Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, the Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari correlates recent technological and political movements to imagine a near-future in which humans control our own evolution. (He dates the Anthropocene to the emergence of humans 70,000 years ago, by the way, and points out that Stone Age man wasnt much better than Facebook man.)

Harari believes artificial intelligence (AI) and biotech are developing at such a pace that 21st-century humans will soon transcend our corporeal limitations and acquire divine powers. The train of progress is again pulling out of the station  and this will probably be the last train ever to leave the station called Homo sapiens, he writes. Alarmingly however, to get a seat on this train, you need to understand 21st-century technology, and in particular the powers of biotechnology and computer algorithms.

It certainly puts Jeremy Corbyns battle with Virgin Trains into perspective. But Harari takes it a step further. Soon we will not only abandon the algorithmically illiterate but the entire philosophy of humanism that has shaped post-Enlightenment politics, since we wont necessarily be born equal any more. The elect will become one with all the data of the universe; those left behind will face obsolescence or extinction. If you still use Hotmail, youre livestock, basically.

Its a convincing thesis. As soon as such technology becomes available its naive to imagine we wont use it. It also seems likely that swathes of humanity will become economically useless. And arent upgraded/optimised humans already emerging? See: Kim Kardashians bottom, antidepressants, gym culture, sleep apps, sex-reassignment surgery, the astonishing popularity of tattoos.

All the same, like most visions of the future it says more about our anxious and unequal present. Anthropocene angst  a feeling of being implicated but powerless  is itself a symptom of a culture that puts too much emphasis on individual choice. And the idea that man might create a digital god to save us is surely the ultimate narcissist fantasy.

We may face unprecedented challenges, but for the moment the unglamorous machinery of collective organisation, the rule of law and good governance look the best ways to meet them.

Ireland stands up to EU on taxing matters

The really surprising thing about the European Commissions ruling that Apple Inc owes the people of Ireland about 13 billion? Its surely not the revelation that the American technology giant is rapacious, avaricious and hypocritical  everyone knows that! Its that the Irish government is spending taxpayers money challenging the decision.

This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state-aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation, explained Irish finance minister Michael Noonan.

Maybe he has to say that? Maybe he has to pretend that the cash would do more good in Apples Caribbean bank accounts than put to work creating new Irish homes and hospitals? Or maybe he really does see Irelands future as a tax haven. Either way, it highlights what a robust European legislature can do to challenge the supposedly unchallengeable.

Plain words about Victoria

Was Queen Victoria fit? It would suit ITVs ratings if she were. For the young Queen (I was about to write young Victorian) is the subject of a piece of Downton Abbey-esque escapist drama. To justify the pulchritude of its lead actress, Jenna Coleman, the case must be made that she wasnt a horrendous battle-axe for the entire duration of her reign. Because, you know, it would have been awful to have been ruled by an ugly woman.

A N Wilson has argued that she had a tremendous sense of humour. Daisy Goodwin declares that she and Albert were a very sexy couple who had lots of fun in bed. Im more inclined to trust the Standards late art critic, Brian Sewell, who once examined the case over a series of portraits and concluded that she was always a plain pudding; a photograph of 1854 tells in profile slightly lost, a truth about her nose and chin that no painter ever dared reveal... Poor Albert!

The glory of Glyndebourne

I had the chance to go to Glyndebourne for the first time last week, where the excllent Robin Ticciati was conducting Berliozs romcom Beatrice et Benedict. I was braced against all signs of poshness. But when everyone is dressed more or less the same  black tie  it has the equalising effect of school uniform.

The sun-dappled grounds, the picnicking break, the retirement pace of it all restored a little faith in the English summertime. We may have the Anthropocene to blame, but its been a glory this year, just when its needed to be.
Y our leader [NHS cuts controversy, Comment, August 26] suggests that the Governments massive cuts planned for our NHS are somehow a necessity. Your analysis fails to explain, however, why it is necessary for our Government to spend proportionately less on healthcare than is spent by equivalent economies elsewhere in the world.

What Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May coyly describe as efficiency savings are in fact not a matter of economic necessity at all, but merely their preferred political choice.

The sheer scale of their austerity programme for Londoners NHS is shown by the shortfalls expected in Londons five NHS areas, which amount to several billions of pounds.

When the powers-that-be tell us that such a slash-and-burn strategy is inevitable or even good for us, those who live and work in London would be well advised to object  and not wait until it is too late.

Francis Prideaux

The privatisation of our NHS is reaching its final stages and we do not have much time left to save it.

The Sustainability and Transformation plans (STP) are a massive threat to the NHS and its infrastructure, given that when hospitals close their land usually ends up in private hands. Our health service has turned into a profit-making organisation.

With people such as Simon Stevens at the helm of NHS England, as chief executive, I believe our healthcare system is in real danger.

Successive governments have done their bit in selling off and destroying the NHS, and only re-nationalisation can save it and protect it from any future trade deals.

We must demand to have our NHS back.

Colin Crilly

We are no longer living in the heady post-war days of the 1940s when the NHS was started on a free for all principle. It seems to consume more and more money every day and is being run by greedy management at all levels.

The only way for it to survive and prosper is to charge individuals to use it or maybe take a hint from the French system and have an insurance-based approach. What is clear is that we cannot go on like this.

Laurie Anders

The founding principle of the NHS was free health care for all from cradle to the grave, but it seems that this is no longer economically viable without a considerable increase in income tax. Perhaps it should be modelled on other types of healthcare.

NHS dental care is based on adults who can pay, adults who are exempt (under a range of criteria) from paying and patients up to the age of 18. Could this principle not also be applied in the GP sector of the NHS?

James McGrory

Britain and France are failing refugees

According to Help Refugees monthly census, more than 9,000 refugees are now living in the Calais Jungle. This includes 865 children, of whom over 700 are unaccompanied, the youngest of whom is only eight years old.

These people are reliant on grassroots groups such as Help Refugees due to an inadequate provision of help from governments and large NGOs. Currently, there are not enough tents to house new arrivals and lengthy queues for food.

The system is broken on both sides of the fence. Many refugees are trying to claim asylum in France but are being left to wait for more than six months. For those with legitimate claims to come to the UK under family reunion laws, there is currently no official route or process.

The conditions in the camp fall far below the minimum standards for refugee camps globally and yet this camp lies between two of the richest countries in the world. We hope that any negotiations between the UK and France result in better access to legal process, so that those who need to claim asylum are able to do so.

Josie Naughton, co-founder, Help Refugees

Dithering MPs must get on with Brexit

While I voted Remain in the EU referendum, the majority of voters disagreed with my view and wanted to leave. So why is it our elected MPs now wish to debate the next move?

I agree with the new Prime Minister that now is the time to get on with the task in hand, and when she said Brexit means Brexit, she is doing exactly what the population asked for. It is extremely important for the Government to start the process and allow people, businesses and other organisations to plan for their futures.

To continue to dither is causing difficulty in many different areas, with jobs and investments at risk from the uncertainty of Brexit. We need to show strength and leadership and get on with implementing what we have decided.

Max Darnell

Attacking Branson discredits Labour

John McDonnell horrifically fails in his desperate attempt to save face for Labour by insulting Sir Richard Branson [August 26]. Branson does not undermine our democracy, as McDonnell suggests, by questioning Jeremy Corbyns role in traingate. What he actually undermines is Labours untruthful propaganda.

It is an outrage that he should demand Bransons knighthood be withdrawn for not acting in the spirit of our country, when in 2003 McDonnell suggested honours for those who fired the bombs and bullets ... of the IRA.

Peter Kenwright

Notting Hill Carnival is no fun for locals

It is all very well for the media to talk up the joys of the Notting Hill Carnival. However, they rarely stay out late enough to see the streets overcrowded with dubious drunken characters.

There are far too many people for the area to contain and you cannot help but feel threatened. As I type this I am about five minutes hobble from the main route and, accordingly, feel far too vulnerable to even step out of my front door  even though there are police at the end of my street. Notting Hill Carnival used to be a fun occasion; now it is now completely over the top.

Sue Hudso
Review at a glance









I n an act of economic alchemy, in the mid-19th century, bird shit was turned to gold. Guano, the accumulated excrement of seabirds, became a lucrative fertiliser, much in demand by European agriculturalists and on American plantations.

The Vietnamese artist Dinh Q Les extraordinary three-screen video installation, on the site of a former Peckham cinema, returns to the scene of a contested guano-rush location. The uninhabited Chincha islands off the Peruvian coast prompted a war between Spain and its former colonies Peru and Chile in the 1860s. Les installation uses the Chinchas to obliquely evoke Chinas aggression in the South China Sea today.

Britains role in the Chinchas was shameful: our merchants exploited Chinese bonded labour in mining the guano, forcing them to work in terrible conditions. Animations of the workers shadowy ghosts occasionally appear amid the dramatic island landscape and in the now derelict prison-like workers dormitories that Le captures. He also documents, with drones and standard land-based cameras, the 21st-century workers shovelling shit today. The process of guano gathering has changed little since the 19th century. It looks medieval  the dung is hacked at and then gathered into huge sacks by hand and sent down chutes to wooden platforms, where it is piled into great towers and walls that resemble stone fortresses.

Yet the work is not without occasional beauty, like the sublime, sweeping drone footage of the thousands of Peruvian boobies who provide the dung. They sit on circular nests before stretching their wings and taking flight.

The birds represent the centuries-old natural cycles of the Chinchas, before the islands witnessed a bleaker human history conjured so oppressively by Le.

Until October 9, Artangel at 133 Rye Lane, (020 7713 1400; artangel.org.uk/thecolony)

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Review at a glance









I ntended as a summation of his lifes work, the composition of Bruckners Ninth Symphony was interrupted by his death. The three existing movements seem to enact nothing less than a titanic life-and-death struggle and that was certainly how it was projected in this shattering performance by the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester under Philippe Jordan.

The highly talented members of this elite youth orchestra, founded 30 years ago by Claudio Abbado, might have looked too young to be confronting such grave issues, but with Jordan urging them to bend every sinew, their playing blazed with an intensity that would be hard for even the most seasoned orchestra to emulate. The grinding dissonances at the climax of the first movement proved to be but a harbinger of the searing anguish that erupts towards the end of the final Adagio, and these players dug in as though their lives depended on it. In between, the pounding fusillades of the Scherzo ricocheted thrillingly round the hall.

Given the chamber-scale forces required, Bachs Cantata No 82, Ich Habe Genug, was an unexpected companion piece, even if the work is similarly a reflection on mortality. With Christian Gerhaher as a wonderfully eloquent soloist, the choice was entirely vindicated.

The BBC Proms (bbc.co.uk/proms) continue until September 10

Highlights of the BBC Proms 2016  in pictures 1 /7 Highlights of the BBC Proms 2016  in pictures Composer Charlotte Bray Michael Wickham Conductor Antonio Pappano Musacchio & Ianniello Pianist Martha Argerich Adriano Heitman Conductor Daniel Barenboim Chris Christodoulou Conductor Sir Simon Rattle Chris Christodoulou Soprano Karita Mattila Marica Rosengard A David Bowie tribute concert

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Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 8:56AM

Hey guys!

In this article, Id like to tell you a story of implementing the anti-spam system for Mail.Ru Groups email service and share our experience of using the Tarantool database within this project: what tasks Tarantool serves, what limitations and integration issues we faced, what pitfalls we fell into and how we finally arrived to a revelation.

Let me start with a short backtrace. We started introducing anti-spam for the email service roughly ten years ago. Our first filtering solution was Kaspersky Anti-Spam together with RBL (Real-time blackhole list  a realtime list of IP addresses that have something to do with spam mailouts). This allowed us to decrease the flow of spam messages, but due to the systems inertia, we couldnt suppress spam mailouts quickly enough (i.e. in the real time). The other requirement that wasnt met was speed: users should have received verified email messages with a minimal delay, but the integrated solution was not fast enough to catch up with the spammers. Spam senders are very fast at changing their behavior model and the outlook of their spam content when they find out that spam messages are not delivered. So, we couldnt put up with the systems inertia and started developing our own spam filter.

Our second system was MRASD  Mail.Ru Anti-Spam Daemon. In fact, this was a very simple solution. A clients email message went to an Exim mail server, got through RBL that acted as the primary filter, and then went to MRASD where all the magic happened. The anti-spam daemon parsed the message into pieces: headers and body. Then it normalized each of the pieces using elementary algorithms like normalizing the character case (all in lowercase or uppercase), bringing similar-looking symbols to a specific form (using one symbol for the Russian and English O, for example), etc. After normalization, the daemon extracted so-called entities, or email signatures. Our spam filters analyzed different parts of the email message and blocked the message if they found any suspicious content. For example, we could define a signature for the word viagra, and all messages that contained this word were blocked. An entity could also be a URL, an image, an attachment and so on. Another thing done during the anti-spam check was to calculate a fingerprint for the verified email message. A fingerprint, calculated as a handful of tricky hash functions, was a unique characteristic of the message. Based on the calculated hash values and collected hash statistics, the anti-spam system could filter out the message as spam or let it through. When a hash value or an entity reached a certain frequency threshold, a server started blocking all matching email messages. For this purpose, we maintained statistics (counters) that tracked how often an entity was met, how often the recipients complained about it, and set an entity flag SPAM/HAM (in spam-related terminology, ham is the opposite of spam and means that the verified email message contains no spam content).

The core part of MRASD was implemented using C++, while a considerable piece of its business logic was implemented using an interpretive language, Lua. As I have already said, spammers are highly dynamic guys who change their behavior very fast. Our aim was to respond as fast to every change on the spammers side, thats why we implemented our business logic using an interpretive language (with Lua, we didnt have to recompile the system and update it on all servers every time). The other requirement was speed: code in Lua showed good results in performance testing. Finally, it was easy to integrate with code in C++.

The scheme above illustrates a simplified workflow of our anti-spam filter: an email message comes from the sender to our mail server; if the message has successfully passed the primary filter (1), it goes further to MRASD (2). MRASD returns its check results to the mail server (3), and based on these results the message is delivered either to the recipients Spam folder or to the inbox.

MRASD allowed us to decrease the number of non-filtered spam messages ten times. As time went on, we kept improving the system: added new subsystems and components, introduced new tools. So, the system kept growing and became still more complex, and anti-spam tasks also became still more diverse. These changes couldnt help affecting our technology stack. Thats what the next part of this story is about.

Evolution of our technology stack

At the dawn of the era of email services, the message flow as well as the message content was notably scarcer than today. But the choice of tools and computing capacities was poorer too. As you can see from the above-described parental model of MRASD, it was necessary to store all sorts of statistical data. A considerable part of this data was hot (i.e. frequently used), and this posed certain requirements for the data storage system. As a result, we chose MySQL as a storage system for the cold data, but felt still undecided about that for the hot statistics. We analyzed all possible solutions (their performance and functionality as applied for hot but not mission-critical data) and finally arrived to Memcached  at that moment, this solution was stable enough. But we still had a problem with storing hot and critical data. Like any other cache solution, Memcached has its limitations, including no replication and the long-and-slow warm up period after the cache went down (and was flushed). Our further search brought us to Kyoto Cabinet, a non-relational key-value database system.

The time ticked by, and the email workload increased, and so did the anti-spam workload. There emerged new services that required storing ever more data (Hadoop, Hypertable). By the way, todays peak processing workload reaches 550 thousand email messages per minute (if we calculate a daily average, this makes about 350 thousand email messages every minute), and the amount of log files to analyze is over 10 Tbytes a day. But lets get back into the past: in spite of the increasing workloads, our requirements for data processing (loading, saving) remained the same. And one day we realized that Kyoto couldnt manage the amount of data we needed. Moreover, we wanted a storage system with broader functionality for our hot and critical data. That said, it was high time to look around for better alternatives that would be more flexible and easier to use, with higher performance and failover capabilities. It was the time when a NoSQL database named Tarantool gained popularity within our company. Tarantool was developed inside the company and fully met our wannas. By the way, Ive been lately revising our services, and I felt an archeologist when I bumped into one of the earliest Tarantool versions  Tarantool/Silverbox. We decided to give Tarantool a try as its benchmark tests covered the data amounts we needed (I dont have exact workload figures for that period) and it also satisfied our requirements for memory usage. Another important factor was that the project team was located next door, and we could quickly make feature requests using JIRA. We were among the pioneers who decided to try Tarantool in their project, and I think that our first step towards Tarantool was much encouraged by the positive experience of the other pioneers.

Thats when our Tarantool era began. We actively introduced  and keep introducing  Tarantool into our anti-spam architecture. Today we have queues based on Tarantool, high-workload services for storing all sorts of statistics: user reputation, sender IP reputation, user trustworthiness (karma statistics), etc. Our current activity is integrating the upgraded data storage system into the our entity statistics processor. You may be wondering why we have focused on a single database solution for our anti-spam project and do not consider migrating to other storages. Well, thats not quite the case. We consider and analyze competing systems as well, but for the time being Tarantool handles well all tasks and workloads required within our project. Introducing a new (unknown, previously not used) system is always risky and takes much time and resources. Meanwhile, Tarantool is a well-known tool for us (and for many other projects). Our developers and system administrators already know all the onions of using and configuring Tarantool and how to make the most of it. Another advantage is that Tarantools development team keeps improving its product and provides good support (and these guys are working next door, which is nice :)). When we were implementing still another Tarantool-based solution, we got all the necessary help and support straightaway (I will tell you about this a bit later).

Further on Ill give you an overview of several systems in our anti-spam project that use Tarantool and will relate the issues we faced.

Overview of our systems that use Tarantool

Karma

Karma is a numeric value that indicates a users trustworthiness. It was originally intended as the basis of a general carrot and stick system for users that wouldnt require complex dependent systems. Karma is an aggregative value based on data received from other user reputation systems. The idea behind the Karma system is simple: every user has their karma  the higher, the more we trust this user; the lower, the more strict we are while assessing their email messages during our anti-spam check. For example, if a sender sends an email message with suspicious content and the senders karma rating is high, such message will hit the recipients inbox. And low karma rating would be a pessimistic factor for the anti-spam system. This system makes me think about an attendance book that a teacher consults during school examinations. Students that attended all classes get just a couple of extra questions and leave for vacations, while those who missed many classes will have to answer lots of questions to get a high grade.

Tarantool that stores karma-related data works on a single server. The graph below illustrates the number of requests that one such instance performs per minute.

RepIP/RepUser

RepIP and RepUser (reputation IP and reputation user) is a high-workload service for processing statistics related to the activity and actions of a sender (user) with a specific IP as well as statistics related to how intensively a user worked with the email service over a certain period of time. This systems lets us know how many email messages a user has sent, how many of them were read, and how many were marked as spam. An advantage of this system is that it provides a timeline rather than a snapshot of a users activity. Why is that important for behavior analysis? Imagine that you have moved to a foreign country without any means of communication, and all your friends remained at home. Then, several years later, you get an Internet cable in your hut. Wow! You browse to the website of your favorite social network and see a photo your friend  hm, he has changed a lot How much information can you get from that photo? I guess, not too much. And now imagine that you watch a video that shows your friend change, get married and so on  kind of a short biographical clip. I bet, in the second case youll get a much better idea of your friends life. The same thing is with data analysis: the more information we have, the better we can assess a users behavior. We can notice trends in a senders mailing activities, understand a senders habits. Based on this kind of statistics, each user and IP address is assigned trust rating points and a special flag. This flag is used in the primary filter that filters out up to 70% of spam messages before they even hit our mail server. This percentage illustrates the great importance of the reputation service. This is why this service requires the maximum possible performance and failure tolerance. And this is why we use Tarantool here.

Reputation statistics are stored on two servers with four Tarantool instances per each server. The graph below illustrates the average number of requests to RepIP per minute.

While we implemented the reputation service, we had a number of configuration issues with Tarantool. Unlike the systems we discussed earlier, a data packet for RepIP/RepUser is much larger: the average packet size here is 471,97 bytes (the maximal size is 16 Kbytes). Logically, a packet comprises two parts: a small basic part (flags, aggregated statistics) and a large statistical part (detailed per-action statistics). Addressing an entire packet results in intensive network usage, so it takes more time to load and save a record. Many systems need only the basic part of a packet, but how can we strip it out of a tuple (tuple is Tarantools term for a record)? Heres where stored procedures come in handy. We added the required function to Tarantools init.lua file and called it from the client (starting from Tarantool version 1.6, you can write stored procedures in plain C).

Problems with Tarantool versions before 1.5.20

It would be wrong to say that weve never had problems with Tarantool. Yes, we had some. For example, after a scheduled restart, Tarantool clients (more than 500) failed to reconnect due to a timeout. We tried introducing progressive timeouts when after a failure the next reconnection attempt is delayed for some increasing amount of time, but this didnt help. As we found out, the problem was that Tarantool accepted just one connection request within every cycle of its event loop, although there were hundreds of requests awaiting. We had two alternatives: install a new Tarantool version (1.5.20 or higher) or amend Tarantools configuration (disabling the io_collect_interval option solved the problem). Tarantool developers fixed this bug very quickly, so you wont have it with Tarantool 1.6 or 1.7.

RepEntity  entity reputation

We are currently integrating a new component for storing entity statistics (URL, image, attachment, etc.)  RepEntity. The purpose of RepEntity is similar to that of the already discussed RepIP/RepUser: it offers detailed information about entity behavior, which is a decision criterion for our anti-spam filter. Thanks to RepEntity statistics, we can filter out a spam mailout based on the entities of an email message. As an example, a mailout may contain a suspicious URL (e.g. it may contain spam content or lead to a phishing website), and RepEntity helps us notice and block such mailouts much faster. How? We can see the mailing out dynamics of this URL, and we can detect changes in its behavior, which would be impossible with flat counters.

Besides a different data packet format, the basic difference between the RepEntity and RepIP systems is that RepEntity produces a tangibly higher workload on our service (the amount of processed and stored data is greater, and so is the number of requests). A single email message may contain up to a hundred entities (versus 10 IP addresses at maximum), and for most of these entities we must load and save a complete packet of statistics. Its noteworthy that packets are saved by a special aggregator that first waits to accumulate enough statistics. So, this all implies much more workload for the database system and requires accurate design and implementation. Let me stress it that for RepEntity we used Tarantool 1.5 (due to some project limitations), so further on Im writing about this version.

First thing, we estimated the amount of memory required to store all our statistics. To better illustrate the importance of this task, let me bring some figures: with the expected workload, increasing a data packet by one byte means increasing the total amount of data by one gigabyte. As you can see, our task was to store data in a tuple in the most compact way (as I have already said, we cannot store the entire packet in one tuple, because we have frequent requests for retrieving only part of the packet data). To calculate the amount of data to be stored in Tarantool, we also need to consider:

extra space for storing the index

extra space for storing the size of data in a tuple (1 byte)

one-megabyte limitation for the maximum tuple size (for version 1.7, see http://tarantool.org/doc/book/box/limitations.html)

The increased number of various requests (read, insert, delete) made Tarantool produce timeout errors. Our investigation revealed that in case of frequent insertions and deletions Tarantool initiated a complex process of tree rebalancing (all our indexes were of TREE type). Tree indexes in Tarantool have their tricky self-balancing logic thats initiated only when some unbalanced condition is met. So, when a tree got unbalanced enough, Tarantool initiated the rebalancing process and this made Tarantool stutter. In the logs, we found messages like Resource temporarily unavailable (errno: 11) that went away in a few seconds. But while those errors occurred, the client couldnt get the requested data. Our colleagues from the Tarantool team came up with a solution: try using a different type of a tree index, AVLTREE, that gets rebalanced on every insertion/deletion/change. Indeed, although the number of rebalance calls has increased, their total cost was lower. After we updated the schema and restarted the database, the problem was gone forever.

Another problem we faced was cleaning up the outdated records. Unfortunately, Tarantool (as I know, thats also true for version 1.7) doesnt allow defining TTL (time to live) for a certain record and forget about it, having all cleanup activities delegated to the database. Well, you can still implement the desired cleanup logic yourself using Lua and box.fiber. On the bright side, this allows for greater flexibility: you can define complicated cleanup conditions, not only those based on TTL. However, to implement the cleanup logic correctly, you need to be aware of some nuances. The first cleaning fiber I implemented made Tarantool terribly slow. The fact is that the amount of data that we can delete is considerably smaller than the total number of records. To reduce the number of to-be-deleted record candidates, I introduced a secondary index built on the field I needed. After that, I implemented a fiber that traversed all candidates (whose last-modified timestamp was older than the timestamp indicated), checked additional cleanup conditions (e.g. whether the write-in-progress flag is currently set for the record) and, in case all conditions were met, the fiber deleted the record. When I tested my logic under zero workload, everything worked fine. Under a low workload, it was fine too. But when I increased the workload to half of the expected level, I got problems. My requests began failing with timeout errors. I understood that I must have slipped a cog. As I got deeper into the problem, I realized that I had a wrong idea of how a fiber worked. In my world, a fiber was a standalone thread that had no influence (except context switching) upon receiving and processing client requests. But shortly after I found out that my fiber used the same event loop as the request processing thread. This way, iterating in a cycle through a big number of records, without deleting anything, I simply blocked the event loop, so client requests were not processed. Why have I mentioned the delete operation? You see, every time I deleted some record, a yield operation happened that unblocked the event loop and allowed processing the next event. At this point, I concluded that if some N operations (where N was an empirically deduced value, I took N=100) were performed without yielding, it was necessary to force a yield (for example, using wrap.sleep(0)). Another thing to keep in mind was that record deletion could trigger an index update, so I could miss some data to delete when iterating through the records. Here came one more solution. In a cycle, I could select a small portion of elements (under 1000) and iterate through these elements, deleting the ones I needed and keeping track of the last non-deleted element. At the next iteration, I would select another small portion of elements starting from the last non-deleted one.

We have also made an attempt to implement a solution that would allow for smooth resharding in future, but this attempt failed: the implemented mechanism had too much overhead, so we abandoned resharding for now. Hopefully, well find the resharding feature in the newer versions of Tarantool.

And here are some performance tips.

To increase Tarantools performance, you can disable *.xlog files. But remember that in this case Tarantool starts working only as a cache, with all the limitations that follow (I mean no replication and a long warmup period after restart). A workaround here is making a snapshot now and then and using it to restore data, if needed.

If you have several Tarantool instances on one machine, you can pinpoint each instance to a certain CPU core to improve performance. Nonetheless, if you have say 12 physical cores, its no good starting 12 instances, because along with the execution thread, each Tarantool instance also has a WAL thread.

Features wanted:

Sharding.

Cluster-based approach with the possibility of dynamic cluster configuration that comes in handy, for example, in case of adding nodes or if a node goes down, similar to MongoDB (mongos) and Redis (redis sentinel).

Possibility to define TTL (time to live) for records cleanup.

Conclusions

Tarantool is a cornerstone of our anti-spam system, and many of our key high-workload services are based on it. Ready-made connectors make it possible to easily integrate Tarantool with components implemented using different programming languages. Tarantool has a long success story: over the years of using Tarantool in our anti-spam project, we have had no serious problems with its operation or stability. But to make the most of this database, you need to consider some configuration nuances (here weve been speaking about the nuances for Tarantool version 1.5).

A few words about our future plans:

Increase the number of Tarantool-based services in our project.

Migrate to Tarantool 1.7.

Start using Vinyl engine, especially for RepEntity where the amount of really hot data is not that big.

On HackerNews


T wo brothers have been charged with murder after a 49-year-old man was found dead in south-east London.

Ian OMahoney was found dead in a house in Eltham by ambulance crews just after 1pm on Bank Holiday Monday.

It is believed he may have been involved in a disturbance close to a pub in Eltham Hill the night before.

The White Hart pub was sealed off by police after the alleged incident.

James Weeks, 26, and Peter Weeks, 28, both of Farn Place in Crayford, were today charged with Mr OMahoneys murder.

The brothers are due to appear at Bromley Magistrates court tomorrow.
A n ex-London hospital administrator stabbed his father to death and tried to kill two young children to spare them from "torture and crucifixion", a court heard.

Mentally ill Suluk Ahmed, 32, from Bethnal Green, quit his job just weeks before the attack on 79-year-old Jamil Ali and a boy and girl, aged two and 12.

At the time of the stabbings in August last year, Ahmed believed he was "doing the right thing, saving them from a fate worse than death", jurors were told.

Ahmed, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, denies the manslaughter of Mr Ali and the attempted murder of the children, who cannot be identified, by reason of insanity.

Opening his Old Bailey trial, Zoe Johnson QC said all three victims were stabbed in quick succession at a house in Huddlestone Close on August 23 last year.

She told jurors: "Mr Ahmed admits killing his father and attempting to kill (the two children) and the only issue in this trial will be a psychiatric one."

Ahmed was so "out of touch with reality", he believed his vulnerable victims were going to be tortured and crucified, she said.

Before the attacks, twice married Ahmed was regarded as an "ordinary outgoing man" who got on well with his father, she said.

He had worked as an administrator at St Mary's Hospital for five years but about a year before the stabbings, a new manager was appointed who he felt bullied him, the court heard.

He took sick leave and was prescribed anti-depressants by his doctor before returning to work in July last year.

But by then, he felt he was being "persecuted" and he became "paranoid and anxious", believing his computer had been hacked and the manager wanted to blow him up, jurors were told.

A few weeks before the stabbings, he resigned from his "beloved" job and his second marriage also ended as Ahmed thought his wife was in "cahoots" with the manager, Ms Johnson said.

On August 23 last year, paramedics went to a house in Tower Hamlets where they disarmed Ahmed, who had tried to stab himself as well as his three victims, the jury was told.

The toddler had a chest wound, just centimetres from his heart, and the older girl had suffered two stab injuries to her back.

Mr Ali had been knifed in the heart and was discovered lying in his bed, the court heard.

Ms Johnson told jurors that two psychiatrists had agreed on Ahmed's mental state and would give evidence in the trial.

The trial was adjourned until Thursday.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.
A father attempted to kill his two-year-old son by crashing a car at up to 75mph while the toddlers seatbelt was unfastened, US authorities say.

Nathan Weitzel, 29, purposefully failed to buckle in the toddler before wrecking the vehicle because he did not think he was man enough to raise a child, according to arrest documents.

Isaiah suffered cuts, concussion and a broken leg in the crash on August 21 but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, the Denver Post reported.

According to an affidavit, Weitzel told investigators he drove around Arapahoe County, Colorado, looking for a good place to crash the car and kill his son.

Accused: Nathan Weitzel (Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office) / Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office

He is also said to have admitted using cocaine before the incident.

Weitzel is charged with offences including attempted first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in serious injury, second-degree assault and vehicular assault, the Denver Post said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up in the wake of the tragedy to help pay for Isaiahs treatment, raising about 15,000 ($20,000) in a week.

A post on the fundraising page reads: "Nancy Lopez is the loving and hardworking single mother of her son, Isaiah. On Sunday, Isaiah was a passenger involved in a life-threatening car accident.

According to the description, Isaiahs mother is having to take 10 weeks off work to care for her injured son.

Although Nancy is trying hard to remain positive, she's struggling through the difficult process of helping her two-year-old son to recovery, it says.

Donate here.
P olice today issued CCTV footage showing a missing teenager walking through Brixton hand in hand with an unknown man.

Veronica Sbircea was last seen more than a month ago and police say they are concerned for her welfare.

Footage filmed from security cameras shows the 15-year-old walking along Brighton Terrace, near Brixton Market, at about 5.15pm on July 28.

Detective Inspector Stuart Hitchon, from Northamptonshire Police which is investigating her disappearance, said: Weve released some additional CCTV footage in the hope that it may trigger someones memory of seeing her. Or that Veronica herself may see it and make contact with us.

Appeal: Veronica Sbircea was last seen over a month ago / Northamptonshire Police

It has been over a month since any sightings of her or any social media contact by her, which is very concerning. We desperately need to establish her whereabouts and ensure she is safe.

Officers were on high alert for sightings of Veronica at Notting Hill Carnival over the weekend but made no progress with their investigation.

DI Hitchon said: We believed there was a small chance Veronica might attend the carnival. However despite appealing to the public, no new leads have come in to the force.

Veronica sometimes goes by the name of Rachel. She is white, 5ft, with long straight black hair and brown eyes.

Originally from south London, Veronica left her home in Kettering on the evening of July 21.

Contact police on 101 with any information.
A polish factory worker beaten to death in a suspected race-hate attack will be commemorated with a unity march in his adopted home town.

Arkadiusz Jozwik, 40, known as Arek, was attacked by a teenage gang outside a pizza restaurant in Harlow, Essex, after apparently being overheard speaking in Polish.

The meat factory worker, who moved to England in 2012, had spent the day decorating his mothers flat.

He had gone to buy food with two friends when they were set upon by up to 20 youths. One of his friends was rushed to hospital where he was treated for multiple fractures and bruising.

The close-knit Polish community in Harlow has now organised a march through the town on Saturday.

Friend Eric Hind, 32, an IT manager who has lived in Harlow for 14 years, said racism in Harlow had risen dramatically since the Brexit vote.

He told the Standard: These two big men were beaten up very badly and now Arek is dead.

We need to be loud, we need to be clear that the Polish arent going anywhere. We work tough jobs that no one else wants to do.

Local workers said police had been warned several times about a gang causing trouble in the area.

Essex Police said they had received reports of nuisance and anti-social behaviour in the area for the past two months.

Hate attack: Arek Jozwik was 'getting a pizza' when he was attacked in Harlow / Facebook/Arek Jozwik

Four 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy, all from Harlow, were arrested on Monday on suspicion of attempted murder and later re-arrested on suspicion of murder.

All have been released on police bail pending further enquiries until October 7.

A sixth teenager, a 15-year-old boy from Harlow, was arrested yesterday afternoon on suspicion of murder and was later released pending further enquiries.
A young recruitment consultant died after an altercation in a minicab in the City on Friday night, police said.

Thomas Hulme, 23, was praised as a beautiful big brother by his sister Lucy after his death following a night out with friends on Friday.

He had been travelling for less than half a mile with four other passengers when the driver stopped the car and police were called to an alleged altercation.

Mr Hulme was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead the following evening after the incident at Farringdon Street near the junction with Old Seacoal Lane, at around 11.20pm.

Detectives from the City of London Police now want to speak to anyone who may have seen what happened when the minicab stopped.

Mr Hulmes sister, Lucy Hulme, paid tribute to her brother on Facebook.

Rest in peace to my beautiful big brother. Love you so so much forever," she said.

Almost 100 people have commented on her post  which shows a photo of her and her brother as children - sending their condolences to Mr Hulmes family and calling the news devastating and horrific.

Scene: The junction of Old Seacoal Lane and Farringdon Street, near to where the minicab stopped. / Google Streetview

Frankie Jackson-Spence said: So shocked and sorry to hear this, thinking of you and your family.

Lucy Emma added: Thinking of you and your family in this difficult time. Will never forget all those silly pranks Tom used to play on us many a happy weekend at yours in the Moorlands days. All my love.

And Gabs Gill wrote: Absolutely adored this boy, always will.

Police arrested one of the passengers on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. He was later charged with manslaughter.

Alexander Bruce Thomson, 32, of Broomwood Road, Wandsworth, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday. He has since been remanded in custody and is next due to appear in court at the Old Bailey on September 26.

Anyone with information should contact the City of London Police on 0207 601 2222 or call Crimestoppers, which is completely anonymous, on 0800 555 111.
P atient safety at London hospitals could be at risk as exhausted junior doctors cover gaps in shifts at cash-strapped and understaffed NHS trusts, it was claimed today.

In a new report, junior doctors told of high stress, tiredness, and struggling to cope exacerbated by the constant pressure to take on more shifts.

The independent study, entitled Mind the Rota Gap, was collated from responses of 395 juniors, including 111 who work for London trusts, in areas including A&E, acute medicine, surgery, paediatrics and psychiatry.

In the capital, three quarters of res-pondents said their rota gaps were not being covered in a sustainable way  with, in many cases, expensive agency locum doctors being brought in, or colleagues having to do extra on top of their workload.

Sixteen per cent of rota gaps were not being covered in any capacity. Nearly a third of those who reported a hole in the rota said they lacked four or more doctors.

Dr Dagan Lonsdale, an intensive care and clinical pharmacology specialist who helped collate the data, said there were supposed to be 32 general medicine registrars working at his south London hospital last month, but only 28 were doing shifts. He said: Its not unusual for me to come on to a shift and be told theres doctors missing and not enough locums to go around. You just get on and do your best but youre covering two or three peoples jobs.

You prioritise the emergencies and urgent care, and some of the more routine things might not get done. Theres the potential for risk to patients because doctors are either over-working or agency staff are being used. Conditions are becoming unbearable for some.

Tooting Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan, a former A&E doctor, supports the report and has gathered 2,500 signatures urging Theresa May to halt NHS cuts. The Government is attempting to create a seven-day NHS with an overstretched five-day team, she said.

If you are over-tired, as a doctor its so much more easy to make mistakes. In medicine, we do what we call the my mum test  would this be good enough for my mum?  and so often its not.

The Department of Health said: We have invested in the frontline and there are already more than 25,000 extra clinical staff, including almost 8,800 more doctors and almost 11,300 more nurses on our wards since May 2010. An NHS Employers spokeswoman said: We are redesigning rotas together with deploying a mix of skills to support the medical team.

Junior doctors are reported to be considering holding five-day strikes once a month for the rest of the year over their new disputed contract, which ends higher rates of pay for weekend work. The British Medical Associations committee of junior doctors was due to put the idea to a vote today, ac-cording to a leaked document. The BMA said: No decisions have been made.
A n ally of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for MPs' expenses to be scrapped and replaced with an automatic allowance.

In changes proposed by veteran MP and shadow Welsh Secretary Paul Flynn, Parliamentarians would no longer have to produce receipts for payments.

He complained that filing receipts for their spending was tedious and an unnecessary chore.

Mr Flynn also said the watchdog which oversees MPs expenses should be scrapped.

Currently, MPs use receipts to claim back expenses for costs like travel and rent if they represent a constituency outside London.

Receipts have to be given to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority  the watchdog set up in the wake of the expenses scandal in 2009.

Mr Flynn said the entire system should be replaced with an automatic payment to every MP based on average expenses and their constituencys distance from Westminster.

The 81-year-old, who represtents Newport West in South Wales, put forward his ideas in a letter to Labour MPs as part of a consultation on the expenses system.

Mr Flynn said IPSA was the wrong solution and a bureaucratic ornament.

The most efficient best value alternative would have been to replace expenses at reduced total cost with an automatic allowance, he said.

MPs would embrace a new system without claims or the expensive IPSA. It could be based on an allowance calculated on average expenses based on distance from Westminster and paid automatically.

It would be acceptable even if it meant reduction in the amounts that MPs receive because of the liberation from the tentacles of tedious bureaucracy.

MPs would gain time, Parliaments reputation would be protected and IPSA's annual running costs excess of 6million would disappear.

On Tuesday night Mr Flynn tweeted his thanks to the Labour MPs which had supported him on the issue with a link to his website.

But other MPs hit out at his proposals.

Neil Coyle, Labour MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, said to him on Twitter: Don't remember this gobbledegook chapter in your 'How to be Out of Government for another Decade'.
T he boss of threatened superclub Fabric today pleaded for a reprieve, claiming a move to shut it after two recent drug-related deaths would be the beginning of the end for clubbing in London.

Co-founder Cameron Leslie made his appeal ahead of next weeks review of Fabrics licence sparked by the summer deaths of the two 18-year-old clubbers.

The 2,500-capacity venue has had four other deaths from drugs since 2011.

Damning police reports submitted for the review by Islington council say the Farringdon club is now a safe haven for illegal drug use amid management failings  and predict more tragedies if there are not major changes.

However, Mr Leslie today said he was prepared to lead the industry by creating a new gold standard for safe clubbing in partnership with the police and licensing authorities. This would include a tougher search policy at the entrance, better training for staff to combat drug taking and dealing in clubs and setting up a working group with police and drugs awareness charity The Loop to establish new best practice guidelines.

DJ B. Traits, who advocates a drug testing system / Dave Benett

He told the Standard: Our customers safety has always been our No 1 priority.

Any suggestion we are not 100 per cent committed to tackling drugs here is completely false. We were pioneering in the way we worked closely with the council and police on opening 17 years ago. We established honest and transparent procedures never before seen, something we are incredibly proud of.

Closing Fabric would be the beginning of the end for clubbing in London, which is already under threat.

In light of tragic events, were independently reviewing all our processes and have already proposed substantial changes. Our aim is to set a new industry gold standard for safe clubbing.

The Met reports on the two deaths portray widespread drug abuse at Fabric and describe how on one night 80 per cent of club-goers appeared to be under the influence of drugs, while more than half were willing to sell them.

The damning police dossier comes as more than 98,000 people have signed a petition asking Mayor Sadiq Khan and Islington council not to close the club.

DJ B. Traits wrote: I am convinced on-site drug testing and information has to be the best way forward . . . not the closure of venues and clubs.
F rustrated commuters have slammed the new layout of London Bridge station claiming platforms are narrower than ever before.

Two thirds of the new hub was unveiled on Monday, allowing rail passengers access to all platforms from the same level for the first time.

However, the new look station has had a mixed response from Londoners with some claiming that the newly designed platforms are too skinny.

Dr Fouzi Sadiq was travelling from the station to Plumstead and claimed the platforms were jam packed and more rammed than usual.

The 49-year-old told the Standard: The platforms were more rammed than usual.

I had the option of catching up any train that gets me to Welling or Woolwich (but I was) thinking of the commuters who don't have flexible routes.

Disgruntled travellers took to Twitter to discuss the chaos.

David Alexander branded the new platforms skinnier than a hipsters jeans.

While Hayley Payne wrote: Day one of new #LondonBridge and delays and cancellations to and from work  start as you mean to go on.

Others described the new layout as a maze.

However, some of the capitals commuters praised the new look station.

Mark Kelly said he was well impressed with the new #LondonBridge station.

London Bridge station's new concourse 1 /12 London Bridge station's new concourse London Bridge The station's new concourse PA London Bridge The station's new concourse PA London Bridge The station's new concourse PA London Bridge The station's new platforms PA London Bridge The station's new concourse PA London Bridge The station's new platforms PA London Bridge The station's new concourse PA London Bridge The station's new concourse PA London Bridge The station's new concourse PA

Yesterday, Network Rails head said new the concourse will not be enough to solve the problems of commuters who use the station in the long-term.

Mark Carne, who was speaking at the opening of the new concourse, said he was not confident the station and train services would meet the needs of passengers over the next 50 years.

He added that that there had been a "staggering" growth in passenger numbers on services that pass through London Bridge of 5 per cent to 6 per cent every year.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: "London Bridge is the fourth busiest station in Britain and is often extremely busy at rush hour.

"The initial response we have had to the new concourse has been overwhelmingly positive.

"However, wed like to thank passengers for their patience as we know there were some delays this evening.

"The new station layout will take some time to get used to but there are lots of staff in blue to help commuters find their way around.




Gouverneur Morris Jr. was the son and namesake of Gouverneur Morris, a founding father of the United States who was a signer of the Articles of Confederation, author of sections of the United States Constitution (and a signer of the document), a member of the Continental Congress, a United States Minister to France, and a United States Senator, among other accomplishments. Gouverneur Morris Sr. was the owner of the estate known as Morrisania in lower Westchester, part of an area that was annexed by New York City in 1874.





Gouverneur Morris Jr. became a major railroad entrepreneur and a proponent for industrialization in the Bronx. He was born on February 9, 1813, the son of his namesake father and of Anne Cary Randolph Gouverneur. Gouverneur Morris Jr. was known by the nickname "Gouverno" for much of his life. He married a distant cousin named Martha Jefferson Cary, a daughter of Wilson Jefferson Cary and Virginia Randolph Cary. The couple had five children including one, Anne Cary Morris, who edited and published some of her grandfather's (Gouverneur Morris Sr.'s) papers. Gouverno served as Vice President of the New York and Harlem River Railroad and oversaw the construction of the rail lines that run beneath Park Avenue in New York City. According to one source, in 1840 "he donated St. Ann's Church [in Morrisania] as a family memorial. He promoted Port Morris as a commercial port, and donated land to skilled workers in 1848, to create an ideal workingman's village if it were called Morrisania. That is today's Morrisania neighborhood [in the Bronx]. He spent much of the later part of his career in Vermont, as president of the Vermont Valley Railroad." Gouverneur Morris Jr. , Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia (visited Aug. 21, 2016). Gouverneur Morris Jr. died the morning of August 20, 1888 in a Morris family home in the area known as Bartow-on-the-Sound in the Town of Pelham.





See Thu., Aug. 28, 2014: I have written about Gouverneur Morris Jr. of Bartow before.Thu., Aug. 28, 2014: Gouverneur Morris Jr. Lived His Later Years, and Died, in Bartow-on-the-Sound in the Town of Pelham . Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog provides a watercolor-on-ivory portrait of Gouverneur Morris Jr., an additional obituary with more information about him, and speculates regarding the location of the Pelham home in which he lived his later years and died.









Watercolor on Ivory (With Human Hair) Portrait

of Gouverneur Morris Jr. Painted by Thomas Seir

Cummings (1804-1894). Collection of the Walters

Art Museum, Call Number 38.492. Source:

Gouverneur Morris Jr. , Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia

(visited Aug. 21, 2016). NOTE: Click on Image To Enlarge.





Only recently has research revealed an image of the so-called "Gouverneur Morris" house that once stood in Pelham on lands that are now part of Pelham Bay Park. That image appears immediately below.









"GOUVERNEUR MORRIS HOUSE PELHAM BAY PARK"

2-5. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.





At least one source has described this structure as a pre-Revolutionary War home. See Obituary . . . GOUVERNEUR MORRIS in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. XIX, No. 4, Oct. 1888, pp. 177, 179 (NY, NY: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Oct. 1888) (stating "When the lower portion of West Chester County became a part of New York city, Mr. Morris, who had an inherent objection to being one of a million people in a city, left Morrisania and made his home in a quaint anti-revolutionary [sic] house at Pelham, belonging to members of his family. Here he lived quietly owing to failing health, among his books and papers, and surrounded by friends").





Although research has not yet revealed the precise location of this home, t

he above-quoted report indicates that

it was owned by members of Gouverneur Morris's "family." There were, at the time, several Morris family homes in the area of Pelham Neck and Bartow-on-the-Sound. When comparing the image above to images of the Dr. Richard L. Morris home on Shore Road that later was used as the clubhouse of the "Country Club" at Pelham, it seems certain that Gouverneur Morris did not live in that home.





A review of period maps suggests to this author that the most likely location of the Morris home in which Gouverneur Morris Jr. lived and died stood on the upper part of Pelham Neck on the southwestern side of City Island road. The Beers map of the area published in 1868, six years before Gouverneur Morris moved to Pelham, indicates that at that location was the "R. Morris" Estate. (See immediately below.)









Detail from 1868 Beers Map Showing

"R. Morris Est." Southwest of City Island

Road on Upper Part of Pelham Neck.

in Beers, F.W., Atlas of New York and Vicinity

from Actual Surveys by and Under the Direction

Soule, 1868). NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.





Placing the Gouverneur Morris Jr. home at this location would be consistent with one account indicating that the Morris home was not far from the Marshall Mansion known as Hawkswood that once looked out over City Island Bridge. See

("

One of the noblest old mansions is just off the City Island road, and looks to the Sound across a great rolling lawn [i.e., the Marshall Mansion]. The former owner has remained as a tenant. Not far away is the charming old Gouverneur Morris house, high roofed and shingled, with dormer windows, charming verandas and great low studded rooms.

").





* * * * *





Below is the text of an additional obituary of Gouverneur Morris Jr. It is followed by a citation and link to its source.





"At Bartow-on-the-Sound, N Y., on Monday died Gouverneur Morris, aged seventy-five years. He was the son of the noted Gouverneur Morris of New York City, who was Minister to France, Senator from New York, and one of the projectors of the Erie Canal. The subject of this notice was one of the earliest railway projectors and constructors in the country. His railroad career began in the early days of the New York and Harlem Railroad, about 1838, and terminated with his resignation of the presidency of the Vermont Valley Railroad in 1880. During these years he was connected with the Erie and New York Central roads, and served as president of the Harlem. He was one of the originators of the Illinois Central and the Iowa system of roads, and an original suggestor of the Union Pacific road. His mother was a niece of Thomas Jefferson; and, in early life, he married Patsey Jefferson Carey, of Virginia, a grand-niece of Jefferson. His second wife, who died about four years ago, was Miss Anna Morris, also a cousin. The children, all from his first marriage, who survive him are two sons and three daughters. He divided his large estate between his children some years ago."









Labels: 1888, Bartow, Bartow Village, Bartow-on-the-Sound, Gouverneur Morris Jr., Gouverneur Morris Jr. Mansion, Gouverneur Morris Sr.
R iverside residents today told of their shock after a body was found washed up on the banks of the Thames.

It was discovered partially submerged in mud near a jetty used as a sales office for the Fulham Riverside SW6 development near Wandsworth Bridge.

Scotland Yard is now trying to identify the man, who is believed to have entered the water further downstream.

Houseboat owner Phil Walder, 58, watched the rescue teams discover the body on Monday evening from his houseboat in Plantation Wharf Pier on the opposite bank.

He said: It was a beautiful day and we were sat on the deck with neighbours enjoying the sunshine when we spotted a life boat crew on the beach.

My neighbour got his binoculars and he thought he saw a rubber tube in the water. I looked and said its definitely a body.

It was a man lying face down in the mud.

They covered the body in a white sheet and put it on a stretcher and onto the boat.

I didnt see the body until the RNLI crews turned up. They immediately knew he was dead.

The RNLI confirmed a crew from Chiswick was launched at 7.01pm and was on scene four minutes later.

The lifeboat crew, alongside the Met Police, took the body to Putney Pier.

The West London Coroner has been informed but an inquest is yet to open.

A police spokeswoman said: Police were called to Wandsworth Bridge at approximately 6.52pm on Monday August 29 to reports of body on the river bank.

The body of man was recovered.

Enquiries are underway to establish the mans identity.

At this early stage the death is not thought to be suspicious.
P olice are hunting a man after two teenage girls were sexually assaulted on their way home from school in north London.

A 13-year-old was subjected to an assault by a man as he walked past her as she walked home from school on July 20 in Enfield.

Police said a man walked past the girl and without talking to her sexually assaulted her and kept walking on Silver Street, near to the junction with Tanners End Lane.

Just minutes later, at around 4pm, the man allegedly did the same thing to a 14-year-old girl who was also walking home from school.

Detectives said the man they are looking for is white, around 5ft 8ins and of medium build. He has short black hair and stubble and was wearing a grey t-shirt, dark body warmer and bright red trousers.

DI Chris Rixon from Enfield CID, who is leading the investigation, said: "We have been carrying out extensive enquiries to identify this man who we want to speak to in connection with this investigation.

"That has included a significant trawl and search of CCTV in the local area and we have now issued this still to ask the public for their help.

Enfield: Silver Street, near to the junction with Tanners End Lane, where the assaults happened. / Google Streetview

If you recognise this man or have any information that could help us identify him then please get in contact with us.

"At this stage we have no information to suggest there are any other incidents, but I'd ask anyone else that something similar has happened to report it so it can be investigated."
C ommuters today suffered delays of up to 90 minutes coming into London from the south east after a points failure on the tracks.

A signalling problem just outside London Bridge station led to severe delays on several services.

It comes after complaints were made about narrow platforms at the newly refurbished London Bridge station, two thirds of which were unveiled on Monday.

Among those held up was Liz Jaques, 33, who is six months pregnant. She was forced to sit on the floor for most of her 2 hour-long journey from High Brooms to Charring Cross due to a lack of available seats.

Ms Jaques, who is Head of Communications at Newsworks, told the Standard: "We were delayed by over 50 minutes which is so annoying when you pay nearly 4,500 for a season ticket.

"I had to spent the whole journey sat on the floor as the train was so busy and nobody wanted to give me a seat, which got very uncomfortable.

"I will definitely be claiming a refund for the delay," she added.

Architect Ed Ashby, who was over an hour delayed traveling from Ladywell to Waterloo East, told the Standard: "I started to imagine just how far I could have got in the same time if I'd been walking or on my bike.

"Luckily I didn't have an important meeting as I would be really stressed and annoyed if I did.

"I know they offer refunds but it's the lost work, missed meetings and stress caused that is a real problem."

A spokesman at Southeastern said: A signalling problem is causing delays of up to 20 minutes to and from London Charing Cross.

"Network Rail engineers are on site, we are sorry for any delays experienced this morning and encourage passengers to check before they travel. Passengers delayed 30 minutes or more can claim Delay Repay compensation.

Southeastern also warned pasengers via Twitter that Charing Cross trains will be extremely busy until Friday when Cannon St reopens.

"If you can, consider travelling earlier or after 0930," one tweet read.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said the delays were due to a points failure.

A joint statement from Network Rail and Southeastern released later in the day said: We are very sorry for the delays passengers experienced this morning due to signalling problems between Lewisham and London Charing Cross. Both of these issues have been fixed by Network Rail engineers, however there are still delays to services as they recover."

Points are sections of track that move, acting as junctions and allowing trains to move from one line to another.

Earlier, travellers had complained that the newly designed platforms are too skinny.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: London Bridge is the fourth busiest station in Britain and is often extremely busy at rush hour.

The initial response we have had to the new concourse has been overwhelmingly positive. 
A familys dog has been discovered living on a travellers site in Kent, six weeks after he was allegedly stolen while being walked near Richmond.

Isleworth dentist Mike Clarke and his family had almost given up hope of ever seeing their cocker spaniel Bertie again after he disappeared on Ham Lands nature reserve.

The four-year-old had been out with a professional dog walker at the popular west London spot before he dashed into some bushes and was never seen again.

After his disappearance, the Clarke family appealed for information, launching a Facebook group which grew to more than 700 members as the hunt continued.

Safe at last: Bertie at home in Isleworth / Mike Clarke

Following a string of hoax calls from people trying to con the family out of cash, a call came this week from Kent Police to say Bertie had been found tied up outside a caravan, 36 miles from where he disappeared.

Mr Clarke told the Standard: On Monday evening we got a call from the Kent constabulary to say we think weve spotted him at a travellers site.

They saw him tied up outside a caravan and he didnt seem as if he belonged there. He seemed to be a little subdued and depressed.

Bertie: The cocker spaniel gets some attention from his family after the ordeal / Mike Clarke

Once the dog was confirmed as Bertie through his microchip, Mr Clarke and his wife jumped in their car and picked him up from police, who met the family at a service station in Cobham.

He said: We didnt believe it at first. My wife and I drove down there at 1am. We said until we saw him and he greets us the way he normally greets us we wont believe it.

But as soon as he was in the car we thought its over, the nightmare is over.

Bertie was uninjured and fine, other than looking a bit scraggy after being on a journey he didnt want to be on and probably eating food he wasn't used to.

Thanking the hundreds of people who had supported them in their search, Mr Clarke said: We were persistent as a family with the police in Richmond who have other priorities and pressures on their budgets.

But the constabulary in Kent were absolutely fantastic. They went beyond the call of duty.
T he iconic dome of St Paul's Cathedral was last night illuminated with a fiery projection for a festival of culture marking the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

Flames were projected onto the building in a rehearsal for a string of Londons Burning events commemorating the 1666 blaze.

The installation is the work of artist Martin Firrell. From dusk till 11pm every evening from Thursday to Sunday, St Pauls as well as the National Theatre will be lit up like Londoners have never seen them before as part of a programme of events.

Other events taking place include the burning of a huge 120m wooden sculpture of Restoration London mimicking the carnage wrought 350 years ago.

Installation: Artist Martin Firrell is behind the dazzling projection / Rex

Designed by American artist David Best, the structure will be set ablaze on the Thames on Sunday from 6pm in spectacular scenes between Blackfriars and Waterloo Bridge.

St Pauls Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was constructed as part of a huge building programme sparked by the devastation caused by the Great Fire.

It takes centre stage in the festival, organised by creative agency Artichoke, to emphasise the impact the blaze has had on London in the centuries since.

Find out more here.
A n outstanding primary school in Tottenham is being investigated for allegedly falsifying childrens SATs results, the Standard can reveal.

Harris Primary Academy Coleraine Park allegedly doctored the test results to make them appear better than they would have been.

Parents were made aware there may have been malpractice when the results were not included in the childrens end-of-year report.

A source said: The school is under investigation for falsifying the year six SATs results. This is very damaging. It raises questions about the achievements of the school.

The source added: This is just the latest in a string of issues. The turnover of staff is very high.

One parent, who asked not to be named, said: We transferred our children into this school because of its great results, but now that seems to be in doubt. Staff are leaving mid-term... the atmosphere is not good for staff or pupils.

A Standards and Testing Agency spokesman said: We are currently investigating an allegation of maladministration at Harris Primary Academy Coleraine Park, Tottenham. We cannot comment further while the investigation is ongoing.

The primary is part of the Harris Federation, a group of 37 academies set up by Lord Harris of Peckham. Its chief executive is Sir Daniel Moynihan, whose salary was revealed earlier this year to be 400,000.

Lord Harris is said to be a huge supporter of principal Joanne Taylor, who has been credited with bringing about rapid improvement in the quality of education at the school, which opened in 2012 after 10 years as a failing local authority school.

She graduated in education from London Metropolitan University in 1993 and joined the school in December 2013, stating that she wanted to drive rapid and sustained improvement.

Last year she won an education business award for outstanding progress and the school was rated by the Department for Education as the top sponsored primary academy in the country for academic progress made by pupils between the ages of seven and 11.

A Harris Federation spokeswoman said: It would be wholly unfair on staff at the school to pre-judge the outcome of an investigation that has not yet concluded. However, if any evidence of malpractice at the academy is found, we would treat this extremely seriously.

She added that Mrs Taylor would not be commenting.

A spokeswoman for Lord Harris said he was on a cruise holiday and could not be reached for comment.

Update: An investigation by the Standards and Testing Agency found that Harris Primary Academy Coleraine Park did not doctor SATS results, as reported by the Standard last week. 12/9/16.
T heresa May returned to the political frontline today with an order to her Cabinet to see Brexit as a moment of great opportunity.

Opening a special brainstorming day at Chequers, the Prime Ministers country retreat, she told ministers that leaving the EU should be seen as a chance to be bold and reshape both society and Britains role in the world.

Mrs Mays optimistic words contrasted with private tensions between ministers and anxieties among Tory MPs who fear the Government does not yet have a vision of an exit deal. Negotiations with 27 EU leaders start next year at the same time as fraught elections in Germany and France.

Former business minister Anna Soubry, a prominent Remain campaigner, turned the heat on Boris Johnson and the other Brexiteers in Cabinet, saying they had to come up with big ideas fast as to how it will work and show us what progress they have made.

Todays summit follows attempts to patch up turf wars between Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox.

Mrs May chaired a formal Cabinet meeting this morning before a wide-ranging political Cabinet this afternoon, billed as a chance for ministers to pitch in new ideas for the opportunities created by Brexit.

The Prime Minister said: This is a moment of great opportunity for our country: the chance to forge a bold, new positive role for ourselves in the world, and to reshape our economy and our society here at home. 

Mrs May repeated her mantra that Brexit means Brexit, adding: That means there must be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it through the back door, and no second referendum.

Back in business: Theresa May with her Cabinet at Chequers / Stefan Rousseau/PA

With her first major world summit  the G20 in China  starting this weekend, Mrs May used phone calls with two other leaders this morning to signal her intent to be a global player and remain in Nato. She told Finnish premier Juha Sipila and Norways Erna Solberg that she wanted to think creatively about Britains exit terms, rather than necessarily pursuing an existing model.

On defence and security, she pledged the UK would be an outward-facing and globally engaged nation.
A British man and his Australian girlfriend today took part in a reconstruction of a murder they are accused of committing on a beach on the Indonesian island of Bali.

David Taylor, 33, a DJ originally from Halifax, and Sarah Connor, 45, are accused of murdering police officer Wayan Sudarsa on Kuta beach.

His body was discovered with head and neck wounds on 17 August.

Dressed in orange prison outfits with their names printed on signs around their necks, they returned to the beach to part in the re-enactment.

Accused: David Taylor hugs girlfriend Sarah Connor / Reuters

Taylor has admitted getting into a confrontation with the policeman and striking the victim with a beer bottle, leaving him unconscious, but denies killing him, according to his lawyer Haposan Sihombing.

Images of the reconstruction showed Taylor re-enacting the moments he struck the victim with a green beer bottle during a fight on the sandy beach.

Others showed Connor on the back of a motorbike and the couple hugging one another.

Taylor, who uses the stage name DJ Nutzo, and Connor were named as suspects and arrested two days after the killing while seeking protection at the Australian consulate.

Accused: David Taylor hugs girlfriend Sarah Connor / Reuters

They have since been detained and questioned by police in Balis capital, Denpasar, and could face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty of murder.
A British backpacker who died after trying to save a fellow travellers life during an Australian hostel knife attack has been nominated for a posthumous bravery award.

Tom Jackson, 30, died on Tuesday  one week after being stabbed and critically injured as he tried to shield Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, during the terrifying attack at a hostel in Home Hill, Queensland.

He has now been nominated for a bravery award by the head of government in Queensland, premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who said he showed extraordinary act of courage and deserves recognition.

She said on Twitter: That's why I have today written to the Australian Bravery Decorations Council to nominate Mr Jackson for a posthumous bravery award."

The family of Mr Jackson, who was from Congleton in Cheshire, said they were indescribably proud of what he had done.

Ms Palaszczuk told the parliament in Brisbane: Mr Speaker, people across Queensland and the world were shaken by the tragic events that unfolded in Home Hill last week.

"Sadly we learned yesterday that two lives have now been lost. The families of Mia Ayliffe-Chung and Tom Jackson are now both grieving."

She went on: "Mr Jackson's reported actions of putting his own life before the life of hers represents an extraordinary act of courage and is deserving of recognition for this brave act.

"I have today written to the Australian Bravery Declarations Council to nominate Mr Jackson for a bravery award.

"I have also spoken with Tom's father Les. Les has asked me to pass on his thanks for the support his family is receiving from the community as well as the thanks from the local police, paramedics, and all the staff at the ICU at Townsville Hospital

"These were tragic events and on behalf of Queenslanders I offer our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those involved."

Killed at hostel: Mia Ayliffe-Chung

Les Jackson said his son's death had left the family "bereft".

He said: Our darling Tom has left us and the world is a poorer place.

There is dark and evil in this world perpetrated by a few, but so much more love and light emanates from so many more. That thought will sustain us over the coming days.
C oldplay have paid tribute to the late Gene Wilder by performing a rendition of Pure Imagination.

The British band chose to remember the Willy Wonka star by playing one of the films most famous songs while on stage in Denver on Monday.

Chris Martin, who regularly performs tributes to Prince and David Bowie, played an acoustic cover of the dream-like track.

Following the concert, one fan wrote on Twitter: It was magical. So glad I was there to see it.

Another wrote: Say what you want about @coldplay but they know how to bash out a heartwarming tribute.

A number of famous friends and fans have spoken out on social media following the death of the iconic star at the age of 83.

Mel Brooks, who Wilder collaborated with on many occasions, tweeted: Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time.

He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship."

Jim Carrey said: Gene Wilder was one of the funniest and sweetest energies ever to take a human form. If there's a heaven he has a Golden Ticket.

On Monday, Wilders family confirmed that he had died earlier that month following a three year battle with Alzheimers disease.

In a statement, his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman detailed his final moments, saying that they had been holding hands and listening to Ella Fitzgerald.

He was eighty-three and passed holding our hands with the same tenderness and love he exhibited as long as I can remember, he said.
K aren Gillan is the latest star to sign up to the forthcoming Jumanji sequel.

Announcing the news on his Instagram account, Dwayne The Rock Johnson confirmed that the Doctor Who star had been added to the cast.

The wrester-turned-actor, who was recently revealed as the highest-paid actor of 2015, admitted that hed been searching far and wide for a girl to join the project.

Between myself, @kevinhart4real Jack Black and @NickJonas we've searched far and wide to find the one person to complete our #JUMANJI family, he wrote.

This isn't just any role, but in many ways the most important role of the movie. We had to find a girl. But not just any girl. A girl who has "Chutzpah".

Guts, nerve and talent to stand her ground and hold her own against Nick's cool rockstar ways, Jack's relentless energy and genius, Kevin's masterful timing and skills and the big, brown, bald tattooed guy who just simply stands there and oooooozes smoldering, captivating, sizzling, can't take your eyes off this brilliant manly man.. never mind I got drunk on the ol' DJ kool aid again.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to announce a girl who's playing the most important role in our movie - the talented, beautiful and down for a Scottish fight at any time, Ms @KarenGillanOfficial. And yes, this is the girl who is so bad a** she shaved her freaking head for Guardians of the Galaxy.

The actor went on to confirm that the film wasnt going to be a remake or a reboot of the original 1995 film, but a continuation.

He also confirmed that they were due to start production next month in Hawaii, with Jake Kasdan on board as director.
S omething is different in this weeks episode of the Great British Bake Off  and its bound to be controversial.

No, its not Paul Hollywood dipping another Jaffa Cake into a cup of tea  host Sue Perkins wont be appearing in the latest instalment.

The presenter, who has co-hosted every episode of the show over the last six series, is skipping a week, leaving co-host Mel Giedroyc to steer the ship alone.

Welcome to week two in the Bake Off tent, says Mel in the opening of the episode.

One baker has gone, theyre not coming back. Sues also gone, but she will be back.

There has been no official announcement regarding the reasons for Perkins absence.

A source told The Sun: Sue was disappointed not to be able to join the team in the tent but she is back next week.

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

Last weeks episode saw 67 year old pastor Lee become the first contestant to leave the series, failing to impress Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry with his cakes.

The second episode is Biscuit Week  set to bring towering structures as the bakers attempt sky-scraping showstoppers.

BBC One, 8pm
G reat British Bake Off champion Nadiya Hussain is heading up the river in the second part of The Chronicles of Nadiya.

After returning to her family village near Sylhet after 10 years away in the last episode, Nadiya is now exploring the rest of Bangladesh for the first time.

Overwhelmed by an emotional reunion with the extended family who cheered her to victory in last years Bake Off final, she ventures off on a 900 mile journey around the country  and of course shes cooking along the way.

In the capital city Dhaka, Nadiya takes the time to work with local charity Thrive whipping up some sweet coconut and fennel samosas for hungry school children and sharing her mothers secret recipe in the process  shhh!

Her sweet snacks go down a treat with the kids of Bangladesh, would surely pass muster with Mary and Paul.

Some might not be keen to try goat curry at home, but dont worry  Nadiya insists that her biryani recipe works just as well with lamb or beef.

Hussains recipes are pleasantly accessible, and viewers will have the luxury of attempting them from the comfort of a kitchen  certainly easier than cooking these hearty dishes from the deck of a paddle steamboat.

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

This is the longest Nadiya has spent away from her three kids and husband Abdul, although along her journey many crop up to keep her company, from trained fishing otters to river dolphins.

She even encounters the Bangladeshi equivalent of the Bake Off squirrel - a chicken that wanders into her kitchen.

The Chronicles of Nadiya has proved a wonderful showcase for her talents away from the Bake Off tent, as she guides on a breath-taking journey in her second home.

BBC One, 9pm
Sonoma Wine Country Weekend is almost here.

And that can only mean one thing: its time to whip out a wine glass (or two), head up/over/down/across to Sonoma County, and enjoy the dog days of summer in some of the most gorgeous surroundings you can imagine.

SWCW features all sorts of wondrous things to do: winemaker lunches and dinners, live music, barrel tastings, wonderful farm-to-table foods, auctions, and a whole lot more. Trust us. You could do worse for a weekend getaway.

Of all the food and wine events weve covered over the years here on Stark Insider, Sonoma Wine Country Weekend is easily among our favorites.

In particular, Taste of Sonoma is one to definitely consider. Hosted on the sprawling grounds of MacMurray Ranch, think of it as the most fantastical food and wine tasting of all time. Everything is here, and, you and your family, and friends (and your palate) will thank you for an unforgettable day under the Sonoma sun.

But SWCW is something you need to experience, not read or talk about.

Case in point, watch as Loni Stark heads to Sonoma Wine Country Weekend and enjoys a few days of bliss in and around Healdsburg, and the Sonoma Valley.

Stark Insider hopes to see you in Sonoma!

WATCH: The Sonoma Wine Country Weekend Experience

With Loni Stark contributing from Sonoma County.
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Two years ago, Tommy Cloer called the Iredell County Sheriffs Office to confess to three-decades-old murder in Oregon.

After digging into the case further, deputies learned that he was never charged with the crime due to a lack of evidence, but his confession still helped put him in prison for nearly a decade.

Cloer, 61, is a convicted rapist who reportedly suffers from dementia. He was sentenced in Iredell County Superior Court Tuesday to up to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of failing to register three different Iredell County addresses.

The jury also found him guilty of being a habitual felon based on three prior convictions: a 1974 armed robbery in Iredell County, the 1990 first-degree rape conviction in Oregon which led to the address registration requirement and a separate 2004 conviction for failing to register as a sex offender.

During closing arguments Monday afternoon, defense attorney Ed Booker told the jury that Cloer was on trial because of the initial murder confession.

After deputies received the call in August 2014, they went to his home and found him intoxicated in his recliner, said Assistant District Attorney Crystal Beale. Cloer told that deputies that 30 years ago, he got into a fight with two men after one of them gave him some bad chili.

He reported that he shot one of the men and stabbed the other, Beale told the jury. The district attorneys office checked with Oregon authorities about the story, and found that Cloer was not charged in the case due to a lack of evidence, Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said after the trial. Authorities learned that Cloer was wanted in Oregon for violating his parole for the rape conviction. That also led to the discovery of failing to register a new address. Its unclear when Cloer moved to North Carolina, but he listed three different local addresses on the affidavit he filed after being charged with parole violation, Beale said. One address was in Harmony and two were in Statesville.

None of those addresses were listed on the state sex offender registry.

Booker told the jury that there was no evidence of when Cloer moved to the state or how long he lived at the residences when he filed the reports.

Its not like he was trying to hide from the state, Booker said. He willingly filled out the reports that were requested, paid taxes and worked in the community.

The five-woman, seven-man jury deliberated for 40 minutes before finding Cloer guilty.

Thats the rest of my life, Cloer mumbled to himself after the jury delivered the verdict Monday afternoon.
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 ...
Wednesday, 31 August 2016 15:18:58 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

Australia 's Antidumping Commission has announced that it has initiated a review regarding the antidumping (AD) order on aluminum zinc-coated steel imports from China to examine whether the variable factors relevant to the taking of the antidumping measures have changed. The antidumping duty was originally imposed in August 2013.

The review launched following the application lodged by Chinese companies Jiangyin Zongcheng Steel and Angang Steel will cover the period between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016.

Currently, the antidumping duties range between 5.5 percent and 19.3 percent for China

The products subject to antidumping review currently fall under Customs Tariff Statistics Position Numbers 7210.61.00.60, 7210.61.00.61 and 7210.61.00.62.
Wednesday, 31 August 2016 14:50:17 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

Australia 's Antidumping Commission has announced that it has initiated a review regarding the antidumping (AD) order on galvanized steel imports from China and Taiwan to examine whether the variable factors relevant to the taking of the antidumping measures have changed. The antidumping duties were originally imposed in August 2013.

The review launched following the application lodged by Chinese companies Synn Industrial Co., Jiangyin Zongcheng Steel and Angang Steel and Taiwanese company Yieh Phui Enterprise will cover the period between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016.

Currently, the antidumping duties range between 6.8 percent and 62.9 percent for China and range between 2.8 percent and 6.0 percent for Taiwan

The products subject to antidumping review currently fall under Customs Tariff Statistics Position Numbers 7210.49.00.55, 7210.49.00.56, 7210.49.00.57, 7210.49.00.58, 7212.30.00.61, 7225.92.00.38 and 7225.92.00.71.
Wednesday, 31 August 2016 17:30:16 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

In July this year, Japan 's iron and steel product exports amounted to 3.58 million metric tons, rising by 4.1 percent month on month and up by 1.2 percent year on year, while Japan 's iron and steel product imports totaled 605,176 metric tons, with a month-on-month decrease of 2.7 percent and a year-on-year fall of 4.6 percent, according to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance (JISF).

In the first seven months of this year, Japanese iron and steel product exports amounted to 24.29 million mt, declining by 1.4 percent, while Japanese iron and steel product imports came to 4.55 million mt, decreasing 0.7 percent, both compared to the same period of 2015.

Regarding Japan 's major iron and steel product export markets, in the January-July period of this year the country's iron and steel exports to South Korea totaled 4.22 million mt, up 11.1 percent, while exports to China decreased by 0.5 percent to 3.22 million mt, the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 1.48 million metric tons, down 20.8 percent, exports to Thailand totaled 3.41 million metric tons, rising by 12 percent, while exports to the US totaled 1.23 million metric tons, falling by 13.4 percent, all year on year.

In the first seven months of the current year, Japan imported 2.05 million metric tons of iron and steel products from South Korea, up 2.5 percent, it imported 953,103 metric tons from China, decreasing by six percent, while imports from Taiwan fell 1.4 percent to 628,435 metric tons, all compared to the same period of 2015.
Wednesday, 31 August 2016 17:08:05 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

The Ministry for Investment and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan has announced that it has extended its ban on exports of waste and scrap of ferrous metals for a period of six months starting from August 1.

According to the ministry, the prohibition does not cover the exports of waste and scrap of stainless steel.
Wednesday, 31 August 2016 12:00:33 (GMT+3) | Kolkata

The Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of Indian state-owned steelmaker Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) will ramp up its production capacity for special steel plates from 3,000 mt to 15,000 mt, a company official said on Wednesday, August 31.

The official said that this capacity ramp-up will be part of the next round of RSPs $82 million expansion and modernization program which has been approved by the Indian government.

RSP is already a major supplier of special steel plates to India s defense manufacturing sector for aircraft carriers and long range missiles and large part of the increased production will also go to high-tech defense equipment supplies, the official said.

The next round of the expansion of RSP, located in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, will include construction of a 12 million mt per year pelletization plant and a hot strip mill with an annual output capacity of 3 million mt per year.
By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com Bloomsdale will probably host a major fireworks display. The pyrotechnics will not take place until 2024, however. During the Oct. 12 board of aldermen meeting, Kevin Wehner and city officials again discussed the possibility of a July 4 fireworks display at the youth soccer fields on land leased by the city
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KMG International, through Rominserv member company, will acquire and donate to Floreasca Emergency Hospital  emergency and ICU unit, an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation device (ECMO). The equipment will be utilized to provide cardiac and respiratory support to patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit, as well as during their transportation by SMURD teams.

In the context of the recent event which took place on Petromidia platform, when we lost a colegue, while three other ones went under medical supervision, we understand the needs of the public health system and we belived that is our duty to contribute to the systems development, in order to save as many lives as possible. This initiative represents a logistical and functional addition to Floreasca Emergency Hospital, for treatment of the patients with severe illnesses hospitalized in the intensive care unit, Azamat Zhangulov, senior vice president KMG International, stated.

The extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a procedure utilized in intensive care units, to provide support in cases of heart or lung failure. ECMO is utilized when the patients organism cant provide an adequate amount of gas exchange to sustain life and recovery, as well as during difficult heart and lung surgeries.

At the country level, there are only several ECMO devices in the health system, the price of a single device amounting to around EUR 55,000. The device donated by Rompetrol is the first of its kind in the national health system, being used in emergency transportation of patients.

KMG International Group invested USD 8 million in community development projects in the country over the past years, with an overall 300,000 beneficiaries. The investments in the health sector, one of the strategic directions of the Group, targeted rehabilitation of units and endowment with medical devices of more than 60 hospitals in the country. In 2013, Marie Curie Hospital received funds to implement  for the first time in Romania  the ECMO technique (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) for the neonatal patients who suffered severe respiratory and cardiac disease and were not responding to standard reanimation methods.

Also, KMG International acquired and donated to the National Institute of Blood Transfusion two plasma freezers, which are in accordance with the current required European standards, as well as medical equipment for laboratories.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis plans to launch an accelerator program this fall for foreign entrepreneurs.

Dan Lauer, executive director of UMSL Accelerate, said the program would bring between five and 10 companies to campus for 12 weeks of mentoring and business development.

The entrepreneurs will get some financial support, but Lauer said the amount hasn't been determined.

UMSL can offer the entrepreneurs H-1B visas if their companies are part of its educational mission. They can meet that requirement by hiring student interns and collaborating with faculty members.

Lauer said the program, called Gateway Accelerate, would begin accepting applications from international entrepreneurs next month.

UMSL announced recently that Civic Progress, a group of large St. Louis corporations, contributed $50,000 to help launch Gateway Accelerate. The St. Louis Mosaic Project is also providing support, and Lauer said he's discussing a role for the Arch Grants organization.

Ben Burke, Arch Grants' director of entrepreneurship, said in an email that the UMSL initiative "has the potential to be very impactful on the attraction and retention of entrepreneurial talent in our region, and could help to differentiate St. Louis as a destination for new venture development."

Daniel Fogarty, an Irish executive who has been a consultant to LaunchCode, will help Lauer run Gateway Accelerate.

The international accelerator is separate from a corporate accelerator that Lauer also is working to establish. It would be based in the Cortex district and run by Capital Innovators. Lauer said he expects to announce a sponsor for that program soon.
Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Inc., the maker of call-center software, has agreed to buy Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. in a deal valued at about $1.4 billion.

Genesys will pay Interactive Intelligence holders $60.50 a share in cash, the companies said in a statement Wednesday. That represents a 36 percent premium to Interactive Intelligence's price on July 28, before media reported that the company was exploring strategic alternatives, the companies said. It's 6.8 percent above Tuesday's closing price.

The deal will give Daly City, Calif.-based Genesys access to Interactive Intelligence's cloud-based software, which is designed to help call centers improve the customer experience. In recent years, the old 1-800 model has been giving way to services that don't simply provide support but also follow people as they browse the web, arming companies with data they can use to sell more products and services.

"Customer engagement is the hot topic," Terry Tillman, a Raymond James analyst in Atlanta, said in a telephone interview. "Whether it's interacting with your customers in self-service mode on a website or social media, or with the traditional call into a contact center, engaging with your customers and delighting them is as important as ever."

Tillman also said that Interactive Intelligence's ongoing shift to a "pure cloud" play could have been difficult if it remained public. By selling itself to Genesys, which is private, the company can sidestep Wall Street skepticism.

Genesys, which received a $900 million investment last month from private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, is looking to use the recent infusion to expand its business, people familiar with the matter said this month. The company also is considering acquiring Avaya Inc.'s call centers, one of the people said at the time.

The deal, which is expected to close by year-end, is being funded through a combination of cash and debt financing, provided by Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Royal Bank of Canada, the companies said in the statement. Those banks are also serving as financial advisers to Genesys. Union Square Advisors LLC advised Interactive Intelligence.
DUBLIN  Ireland's cabinet could not agree on Wednesday whether to fight a European Commission ruling against Dublin's tax dealings with Apple, raising questions over any appeal and the government's stability.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has insisted Dublin would appeal any adverse ruling ever since the EU investigation began in 2014. But after over five hours of discussion, the cabinet adjourned until Friday when the government said a decision would be made.

Dublin has just over two months at the latest to make an appeal against the Commission's ruling that the U.S. tech giant should hand over to Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) ruled to be illegal state aid.

Some Irish voters are astounded that the government might turn down a tax windfall that would be enough to fund the country's health service for a year, and this appears to be complicating the cabinet decision whether to fight the ruling.

"Following the discussion, it was agreed to allow further time to reflect on the issues and to clarify a number of legal and technical issues with the Attorney General's Office and with officials," the government press office said in a statement.

Apple, one of many major multinationals whose European headquarters are based in Ireland, has said it will appeal the decision and a failure by the Irish government to join them could undermine the country's pro-business credentials.

Noonan said on Tuesday he "disagreed profoundly" with what he called a bizarre order from the Commission.

However, the Independent Alliance  a group of independent lawmakers represented in the minority coalition government  said on Tuesday that they were reviewing the EU's decision and would need to consult further with Noonan, tax officials and independent experts.

If the Independent Alliance refused to back an appeal and pulled out of the government, Prime Minister Enda Kenny's Fine Gael party would no longer have sufficient support in parliament to pass legislation. That would prompt the collapse of the government, analysts said.

"The government can't survive without the Independent Alliance," said Eoin O'Malley, politics lecturer at Dublin City University.

"(But) the way the Independent Alliance appear to work is that they have cabinet (discussions) first and then discuss it with each other. I would be more concerned if in a week's time the cabinet hadn't agreed."

Divided opinion

As well as the Independent Alliance, Fine Gael also relies on an agreement with its biggest rival, Fianna Fail, to abstain on key votes to facilitate the minority government. Fianna Fail said on Tuesday it would back an appeal through the European Courts.

Both parties were criticized by left-wing Sinn Fein, the country's third largest party. It said the government should accept the Commission's ruling and impose the tax bill on the iPhone maker.

It also increased pressure on the Independent Alliance, which agreed to go into coalition in May only after an unprecedented 10 weeks of post-election talks and has already broken ranks on another vote.

"It is important that Irish taxpayers are represented. The Independent Alliance have an opportunity to do that. They should oppose any appeal and insist that the correct tax bill is paid by Apple," Sinn Fein's David Cullinane said in a statement.

Opinion on the government's stance was split on the streets of Dublin where some were stunned that they would give up a potential 13 billion euro tax windfall.

"They are doing the wrong thing. They don't care about the normal people," said Louise O'Reilly, 57, a full-time carer for her diabetic and partially blind mother. "There's two laws in this country, one for the rich and one for the poor."

At stake for Ireland is the lure of its low corporate tax rate, a cornerstone of economic policy for decades that has drawn investors from large multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 of the country's workers.

The Apple decision also comes as Ireland seeks to market itself as one of the top locations for any companies considering moving operations from Britain after its vote to leave the EU. Dublin has already seen a jump in inquiries, particularly from financial services firms.

The Commission's drive could check that advantage. The U.S. Treasury warned that the move threatened to undermine U.S. investment in Europe and a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said it would welcome any company that is prepared to invest in the United Kingdom.

Others on the streets of Dublin shared the government's concerns. "People need to educate themselves. If we take the 13 billion we'll have a catastrophe jobs wise," said Tracey Whelan, 46, an accountant for a private equity firm in Dublin. "Obviously we'd love it... but it's a poisoned apple."

($1 = 0.8974 euros)

Additional reporting by Conor Humphires, and Kylie McLellan in London.
William Parfet, a longtime Monsanto board member who is facing sexual harassment allegation in a civil lawsuit, resigned from the company's board of directors Wednesday.

Creve Coeur-based Monsanto disclosed Parfet's resignation in a regulatory filing but did not give a reason for his departure. "The board has elected to not immediately fill the vacancy on the board arising as a result of Mr. Parfets resignation," Monsanto's filing states.

Parfet, an heir to Upjohn Co. founder W.E. Upjohn, was the top executive at MPI Research in Mattawan, Mich., until earlier this year.

Shuang Zhang, a former consultant at MPI, alleged in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California earlier this month that while employed by the company, Parfet demanded to have sex with her during business trips and fathered two of her children.

The lawsuit, which remains pending, alleges sexual harassment, sex discrimination and wrongful termination. Parfet's attorney, Nancy Abell, said he plans to contest the allegations, according to MLive.com, the website for Advance Newspapers' Michigan newspapers.
Updated at 4 p.m.

WASHINGTON  The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Wednesday aimed at stopping Deere & Co. from buying Monsantos Precision Planting farm equipment business, saying that the deal could make it more expensive for farmers to use fast, precise planting technology.

Deere said in a statement that it would fight the lawsuit and that the Justice Departments antitrust concerns were misguided.

Creve Coeur-based Monsanto Co. announced in November that it would sell to Deere its Precision Planting unit, which makes the components of precision planters. Precision Planting also sells its technology to retrofit older planters and to other planter manufacturers. Deere has its own precision planting technology.

The Justice Department said the proposed deal would mean higher prices for equipment for high-speed precision planting, which allows farmers to plant row crops like corn up to twice as fast as with conventional machinery. In February, Deere completed its acquisition of Monosem, which also makes precision planters.

A massive Deere ExactEmerge planter sells for about $150,000, which includes components for precision farming, while a Precision Planting retrofit kit costs about $30,000, J.P. Morgan analyst Ann Duignan estimated in a research note.

In particular, the Justice Department was concerned about Deere selling the big machine planters as well as the technology to make the big machines.

By offering farmers high-speed precision planting retrofit kits at a fraction of the cost of a new planter, Precision Planting posed a formidable challenge to Deere and its profitable sales of new planters, the Justice Department said in its complaint, asking a court to stop the proposed transaction.

Deeres share price dropped 1.4 percent to close at $84.55 on Wednesday, while Monsanto slipped 0.9 percent to close at $106.50.

Precision Planting has been a key innovator in high-speed precision planting and Deeres only significant competitor in developing and selling these technologies, said Renata Hesse, the acting head of the Justice Departments Antitrust Division in a press release.

The department estimated Deere and Precision Planting had at least 86 percent of the market. Its complaint put the transaction price at about $190 million.

Monsantos unit Climate Corporation, which is selling the Precision Planting business, said it continued to believe that the sale was good for farmers. This transaction will create value by delivering broader access to precision equipment advancements that help farmers increase yield and productivity, Climate Corporation said.

With a glut of used farm equipment, and many U.S. grain farmers cutting budgets amid stubbornly low commodity prices, both companies had hoped the deal would tempt farmers to update equipment and buy new farm-data services.

Farm net incomes have steadily fallen since hitting an all-time high of $123.8 billion in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farm income is forecast to fall again this year to $71.5 billion, down nearly 12 percent from 2015, according to USDA data released this week.

Deeres deal for Precision Planting is one of several pending or under discussion in the sector. ChemChina has struck a $43 billion deal for Swiss pesticides and seeds group Syngenta while in December Dow and DuPont said they would combine in an all-stock merger with plans to then break into three separate businesses.

And there could be more. Canadas Agrium Inc. and Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. said on Tuesday they are in talks to merge, as are Monsanto and its competitor Bayer AG.
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Lawyers for the Texas teenager who killed four people in a drunken-driving accident in 2013 want him released from jail, claiming the judge who sent him there had no jurisdiction.

Ethan Couch was 16 when he killed the four people; he is 19 now.

After the deadly crash, he was sentenced by a juvenile court judge to 10 years probation and time in rehab. His case became infamous after a defense psychologist claimed he suffered from affluenza because of his privileged upbringing.

Couch landed back in court after he fled to Mexico with his mother and missed a check-in with his probation officer.

But this time, he appeared before an adult criminal court judge who ordered him to serve two years in jail. His lawyers claimed Tuesday that he was improperly sent to adult criminal court even though he is now of legal age.

Juvenile proceedings are civil actions, not criminal cases, according to the motion. The defense lawyers claim that Couchs case should be handled in civil court because it originated in juvenile court, according to their reading of Texas laws and the states Constitution.
ST. LOUIS  The police chief and the protest leader offered dramatically different versions Tuesday of their physical encounter during a demonstration outside the city prosecutors residence last year.

Elizabeth Vega, 49, of the 2200 block of Portis Avenue, is charged with assault of a police officer for allegedly wiping pepper spray from her arm onto Chief Sam Dotsons shirt. Vega was arrested on May 19, 2015, amid the protest outside the home of Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, who lives in the Holly Hills neighborhood north of Carondelet Park.

Vega called herself the primary organizer of the protest by roughly 30 people. They went to Joyces house the evening after Joyce announced she would not prosecute a police officer who shot and killed VonDerrit Myers Jr., 18, in an exchange of gunfire in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis on Oct. 8, 2014.

Myers was killed two months after a Ferguson officer fatally shot Michael Brown, which set off weeks of occasionally violent protests against alleged police injustice. The Myers killing led to a flare-up of more protests in the Shaw neighborhood.

Dotson testified Tuesday in Associate Circuit Judge Nicole Colbert Botchways court that he arrived outside Joyces house to see protesters who were very amped up, very agitated. He said the first officers to arrive had fired pepper spray at some of the protesters.

Dotson said he was standing in a street and saw Vega, whom he recognized from other protests. He said she walked directly toward him.

She said, You did this to me. You did this to us. (Expletive) you. (Expletive) the police, Dotson said, quoting her as having used a vulgar word twice. She took her arm and wiped it across my chest.

Dotson told her she was under arrest and grabbed her wrist. He said she then went limp and fell onto the street.

Vega testified that she never cursed Dotson or any other officer and never intended to make contact with the chief.

Her version: We started walking toward each other, and he tells me to back up. I said, No, your men are the ones who escalated this. I stopped and he continued to walk toward me  The next thing I know, my arm is on his shirt because he bumped into my hand. He said, Thats assault.

Vega also denied the testimony of Officer Mona Moore, who said Vega cursed her with a racial profanity as Moore assisted in the arrest. Moore is black. Vega denied the words, her voice becoming shaky as she said, More than anything else in this trial, (Moores) words are the words that broke my heart.

Keith Rose, also a regular at the Ferguson protests, testified in support of Vegas version of events. Rose and Vega said the protest had been peaceful and was breaking up when police arrived with pepper spray.

Police officers testified to a chaotic scene of angry cursing by protesters. The prosecution played a 15-minute cellphone video by Sgt. Raymond Jackson, who is black, showing protesters shouting at him repeatedly with racial taunts. The video does not show the encounter between Dotson and Vega.

Lawyers are to make closing arguments Wednesday. If convicted of the misdemeanor, Vega could face a year in jail.

Jason Flanery, the officer who killed Myers, resigned from the force after he crashed into parked cars with a police vehicle while driving drunk last December. He was off duty at the time.
The Justice Department filed suit Wednesday against a landlord who is accused of sexually harassing tenants of his St. Louis rental property.

The suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court here alleges that the landlord, Hezekiah Webb, and his wife, Jameseva Webb, own rental units in St. Louis. The Webbs live in St. Clair County.

In 2012, Hezekiah Webb leased a rental unit on Margaretta Avenue to a woman. For four months, the suit claims, Hezekiah Webb subjected the tenant to severe, pervasive, and unwelcome sexual harassment multiple times. For example, he demanded to know if she had a boyfriend, how she engaged in sex with her girlfriend and whether she and her girlfriend would engage in a threesome with him, the suit says.

The tenant refused his sexual advances, and he accused her of violating the lease, the suit says. He evicted her within four months.

The tenant filed a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which determined that the landlord had discriminated against her. On Aug. 3, the HUD secretary authorized the attorney general to file the civil suit.

The federal government claims that the landlord made these kind of unwelcome sexual comments on multiple occasions between 2009 and 2013. The actions included unwelcome touching and comments about tenants bodies, the suit says.Webbs wife is named in the suit, too, because the suit says she is co-owner of the properties and also liable for the discriminatory housing practices of Hezekiah Webb.

The Webbs attorney, Gerald M. Richardson, said Wednesday that he has not seen the suit and couldnt comment on it. However, Richardson said he assumes the allegations are similar to the ones that HUD raised administratively, and that his clients denied those allegations.
ST. LOUIS  On the first day of a trial to determine if the election results of the Aug. 2 Democratic primary for the 78th District state House seat should be overturned, St. Louis Election Board Chairwoman Joan Burger testified Wednesday that a grand jury will investigate whether criminal charges should be filed in the matter.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said in a statement afterward that she couldnt comment on the process used in her investigation because it is ongoing.

While Joyce had said Tuesday that she was investigating, Burgers testimony was the first word that a grand jury would be involved.

Joyce emphasized that the criminal investigation has nothing to do with the civil trial, which is being held to determine if St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Rex Burlison should order a new election.

Bruce Franks Jr., a 31-year-old activist, lost the primary race to incumbent Penny Hubbard by 90 votes, but he contends that irregularities involving absentee votes obtained by Hubbard cost him the election.

On Wednesday, Franks attorney, Dave Roland, said at least 273 absentee votes should not have been counted. More than half were ballots cast in person at the Election Board offices without envelopes, which bear the voters signature. Election authorities disagree about whether absentee ballots should count if they are not contained in a sealed envelope opened on Election Day, as specified by state law.

Some election authorities allow people to vote absentee at their offices just as they would on Election Day  including by touchscreen or paper ballot. But state law outlines specific steps for casting, challenging and counting absentee votes  processes that involve envelopes.

As Roland repeatedly pointed out Wednesday, without envelopes, campaigns have no way of challenging absentee votes.

The trial is expected to move quickly. Election Board Attorney Michael Stokes said that in order to have an election before the Nov. 8 general election, the board needs a decision no later than this coming Tuesday morning.

Wednesdays proceeding was mostly procedural. Burger was the only witness called.

Burlisons first order of business was to reject a motion to dismiss the case made by Hubbards attorney, Jane Dueker.

A story published Wednesday, based on an ongoing Post-Dispatch investigation into the race, included interviews with several voters who reported irregularities. Two said people claiming to be Hubbard campaign workers actually took their blank ballots and cast votes for them. Others said they were labeled as being incapacitated on their absentee ballot applications, even though they never claimed to be.

In her opening argument, Dueker said: The election process worked. They cant claim a single vote wasnt the voters.

Dueker, however, conceded that as many as 16 absentee ballots probably should have been thrown out by the Election Board. However, those would not have affected the outcome and a new election would only disenfranchise voters, she said.

Roland said a new election is the only option to ensure voters of the 78th District have their voices heard in a lawful manner.

Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander on Wednesday issued a statement on the Post-Dispatch investigation.

The report today in the Post-Dispatch is very troubling, Kanders statement says. The U.S. attorney and the St. Louis city Circuit Attorney are already looking into this matter as well.

He added that action clearly needs to be taken by one of those entities if allegations about irregularities are true.

Kander, a Democrat, is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Roy Blunt. A campaign spokesman for Blunt used the findings to criticize Kander.

Jason Kanders job is to make sure Missourians have confidence in the integrity of our elections. It is clear he has failed, Tate OConnor of the Blunt campaign said in a written statement.

The case has been problematic for local Democratic officials with varying political and financial interests.

Dueker and others have cautioned that contacting absentee voters is a form of intimidation that could suppress voting in minority communities. They have also accused Franks campaign of bolstering the Republican Partys push for tougher voter ID laws.

Someone has been handing out copies of a statement to absentee voters that purports to come from U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis. The message claims that inquiries that do not come from the St. Louis Board of Election commissioners are from individuals who want to suppress black voting.

These questions are just a trick to confuse you and try to take away your right to vote, the statement says.

The Post-Dispatch investigation relied heavily on interviews with voters who felt as though they had been persuaded to vote absentee for invalid reasons. Over the past two days, the newspaper has asked Clays representatives if the statement addressed to absentee voters came from him. Clay did not respond to requests to answer questions about it.

Joyce, a fellow Democrat, also has considered potential conflicts in the matter, said Susan Ryan, a spokeswoman for the circuit attorneys office. In 2012, Joyces campaign committee donated $150 to Penny Hubbards campaign  a small amount by Missouri standards.

Her job transcends what party she is in, Ryan said.

Hubbards son Rodney Jr. was a lobbyist for St. Louis Mayor Francis Slays office from September 2013 until Aug. 15, according to Missouri Ethics Commission records.

A spokeswoman for Slay did not return a message seeking comment about why the relationship ended.
ST. LOUIS  A few weeks before the Aug. 2 primary, Reynal Caldwell Jr. got a knock on his door.

Caldwell said two people who said they were working for state Rep. Penny Hubbards campaign wanted to talk. He thinks they may have asked him to sign something. But he wasnt quite sure what.

I was just rushing to get them off my porch, said Caldwell, 38, who lives in the Clinton-Peabody housing complex just south of downtown.

Regardless, an application for an absentee ballot was submitted in his name to the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners on July 19.

Presented with a copy of that application weeks later, Caldwell was confused. The document bore his signature. But some of the handwriting wasnt his.

He didnt check the box next to Democratic Party, he said. He would have asked for a Green Party ballot. He also said he did not claim to be incapacitated and unable to vote in person on Election Day.

But the application wasnt the only document someone else filled out for him, Caldwell said.

A few days after that first visit, Caldwell said, four people who identified themselves as Hubbard campaign workers again came to his home. They asked: Has the absentee ballot arrived?

I really dont know who to vote for, Caldwell recalled telling them. The woman I was talking to said shell put down the same votes as hers.

He signed the return envelope and handed over his blank ballot, he said. The campaign workers left with both, Caldwell said.

Although Caldwell said he never voted himself, records show his ballot was received by the Election Board and counted among the results in the Aug. 2 primary.

Caldwells encounter with the people who claimed to work on behalf of Hubbard is among numerous irregularities uncovered by an ongoing Post-Dispatch investigation into the race between Hubbard, the incumbent, and activist Bruce Franks Jr. for the 78th District Missouri House seat.

On Wednesday, Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander issued a statement calling the Post-Dispatch's findings "very troubling."

After interviewing dozens of people and reviewing thousands of documents related to the Aug. 2 election, the Post-Dispatch has so far found:

 Caldwell and another voter both said people who identified themselves as Hubbard campaign workers filled out their ballots for them. Voting records obtained by the Post-Dispatch show that those individuals voted in the Aug. 2 primary. Under state law, any person who assists a voter and in any manner coerces or initiates a request or a suggestion that the voter vote for or against or refrain from voting on any question, ticket or candidate, shall be guilty of a class one election offense, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

 At least 60 instances where two applications for an absentee ballot were submitted to the St. Louis Election Board on behalf of a single voter. Some voters contacted by the Post-Dispatch said they had not applied twice and had no idea why someone would have filled out a second application for them.

 More than a dozen voters said they never claimed to be incapacitated as their applications to vote absentee show. They said they dont know who marked that box on their forms. Of the six legal reasons a person can vote absentee, only one  incapacity  does not require the voter to sign a notarized affidavit.

 Two former Election Board employees say that in previous election campaigns, Penny Hubbards husband, Rodney Hubbard Sr., routinely delivered stacks of absentee ballots to the Election Board offices. Missouri election law says only a second-degree relative can deliver ballots for another person. Yet the board accepted the ballots anyway, the former employees said.

The Hubbards declined repeated requests for comment over the past month.

Penny Hubbards lawyer said her client has done nothing wrong and denied any allegations of impropriety involving either Penny Hubbard or her husband. She said the campaign did not change or improperly handle voting records.

There is absolutely no evidence Penny Hubbard or anyone associated with her forged documents, said attorney Jane Dueker.

The results of the election have triggered formal reviews by the secretary of states office and the U.S. attorneys office. On Tuesday, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said her office also has launched an investigation.

The people of St Louis should have confidence that every vote counts and every vote carries equal weight under the law, Joyce said in a statement. I have assigned a team to pursue the facts and determine whether there is evidence of any criminal violations of Missouri law.

Trial to start Wednesday

On Aug. 2, Franks won nearly 53 percent of the votes cast on Election Day in the 78th District, which runs along the Mississippi riverfront in St. Louis. But it was Penny Hubbards dominant performance among absentee voters  she won 416-114  that gave her the victory. The final combined tally: Hubbard, 2,203 votes; Franks, 2,113 votes.

Franks, 31, is suing to overturn the election, claiming that Hubbard, 62, won because her campaign exploited the absentee ballot process.

A trial in St. Louis Circuit Court is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday.

David Roland, the attorney representing Franks, is expected to argue that 143 absentee ballots cast in person either by touch screen or paper ballot at the Election Board are invalid because they were accepted without an envelope, which state statute specifies must be included.

But overturning an election would be an extraordinary remedy, said Gregory Magarian, a professor and election law expert at Washington University.

Courts are generally very reluctant to do so, Magarian said.

Legitimate votes would be tossed out, he said. People may be discouraged from voting a second time. It is highly unlikely the same 4,316 people would vote again.

In the past few weeks, lawyers for the Hubbards have fought to keep election records secret and argued that voters who speak out could face criminal charges.

But experts interviewed by Post-Dispatch said that risk is minimal. No prosecutor would want to pursue charges against people who may have been misled, they said.

A loophole?

Voters are supposed to indicate their reason for voting absentee on their ballot envelope and  unless they are incapacitated  they must have the envelope notarized.

If voters say they are incapacitated in their applications, the board mails them a specific envelope, stating NO NOTARY REQUIRED!

In the Aug. 2 primary, the St. Louis Election Board received dozens of ballots in envelopes from supposedly incapacitated voters. But on those envelopes, voters didnt indicate why they were voting absentee. Often there was only a signature.

Election Board workers said they accepted the ballots anyway as long as the voter had marked the incapacity box on the earlier application. They made no attempt to verify the claim with the voter.

In one small sample area of a few blocks along 14th Street between Chouteau and Park avenues, records show at least 25 people under the age of 50 applied for absentee ballots based on incapacity.

Just two out of a dozen of those applicants who were reached by a reporter Tuesday said that they were incapacitated. Several said they werent, and they expressed dismay that their names were on documents that claimed incapacity.

I dont know why they would have me incapacitated, said Charlene Williams, 32, of the 1400 block of LaSalle Lane. She said she did recall signing something that she thought was a petition. It was a paper they were bringing around.

Erica Reed, 26, also of the 1400 block of LaSalle Lane, was bewildered why her name was on an application. She voted in person at her local polling place.

I dont have any incapacity, she said.

Unexplained duplicates

Thelma Williams, 87, who lives in Carr Square, a housing cooperative run by Rodney Hubbard Sr., had three applications to vote absentee submitted on her behalf, according to St. Louis Election Board records obtained by the Post-Dispatch.

Williams is on a list of permanently disabled voters who automatically receive applications to vote absentee. She said she had no idea why two other applications were filled out in her name.

I didnt fill out but one, Williams said. I mailed mine in. It was mailed to me and I filled it back out.

Oscar Mitchell, 76, lives in a senior housing complex outside the 78th District, but the complex falls within the boundaries of the St. Louis 5th Ward, where Rodney Hubbard Sr. was running to be the Democratic committeeman. (He, too, lost the Election Day tally but won his race on the strength of the absentee vote, where he bested Rasheen Aldridge, 231-96.)

Mitchell didnt remember filling out two applications. As he looked over the one marked duplicate by the election board, he was surprised.

Then he recalled that a few months before the election, Penny and Rodney Hubbard visited his apartment complex. He said they asked him to sign a piece of paper that he thought was a change of address form, not an application to vote absentee.

I didnt know I was signing for no absentee, Mitchell told a reporter. Absolutely not.

Dubious pretenses

Some voters said people who identified themselves as Hubbard campaign workers told them that they could vote absentee if they were too busy to go to the polls. But thats not a valid reason under the law. Others said they never intended to vote absentee  but somehow, applications for absentee ballots were submitted on their behalf anyway.

Patricia Wicks, who lives across the street from Franks in the Benton Park West neighborhood, said people who identified themselves as Hubbard campaign workers knocked on her door. She said they asked her to sign a sheet of paper. She thought the signature was to confirm that she was a registered voter.

Then the man asked for her Social Security number.

I said, I dont give anybody my Social Security number, Wicks recalled saying.

Wicks said she received a phone call a few days later from a woman identifying herself as a Hubbard campaign worker. Had Wicks ballot arrived? she asked.

I said, No, why would I receive an absentee ballot? Wicks said. Im able to go to the polls.

But on Aug. 2, Wicks discovered an absentee ballot in her mailbox, she said. Wicks didnt know if she could legally go to the polls. So she didnt vote at all.

Markeisha Franklin, 34, recounted a similar experience. She also remembered being visited by a man who identified himself as a Hubbard campaign worker who asked her to sign something. She thought she was making sure her address was correct, she said.

When she arrived at her precinct to vote, a poll worker told her she had registered to vote absentee.

Im like, How? she said. I always go in and vote.

Franklin said she was allowed to vote after the worker verified that her absentee ballot had not been cast.

Delivering stacks of ballots

Patricia Bingham voted absentee because she planned to be out of town on Election Day, but she didnt mail her ballot. She walked it down to the Election Board offices on Tucker Boulevard and voted in person. She did so, she said, because she has witnessed ballots being mishandled by the Election Board and possibly manipulated by politicians and their supporters.

Bingham lives in a downtown apartment complex for senior citizens  37 of whom cast absentee ballots in the Aug. 2 primary.

As elections near, Bingham said, Hubbard campaign representatives attend monthly meetings at her building. They offer to help residents apply to vote absentee, and if they need help, to assist them in filling out ballots, she said.

I think thats a conflict, Bingham said. If you are a candidate or a candidates party, am I going to pick anybody else but you?

Bingham also worked for the Election Board as a temporary employee in the absentee ballot department up until a couple of years ago.

Bingham said she witnessed Rodney Hubbard Sr. and other Hubbard campaign workers deliver stacks of ballots to the Election Board offices.

There was a big fallout about that, Bingham said. He brought in a ton of them in a rack, a mail rack. We were telling him we couldnt take it. There were words passed. You dont just tell him you cant do certain things.

Missouri law requires that hand-delivered ballots be brought to the election board by the voter or a second-degree relative  such as a spouse, parent or grandparent.

Another former Election Board employee contacted by the Post-Dispatch separately described similar events in details that were nearly identical.

That employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Rodney Hubbard and other campaign workers for the family brought in stacks of ballots, sometimes so many that they used crates used by postal workers to deliver them.

The employee said this happened during elections in which the Hubbards, who are known for their ability to turn out large numbers of absentee votes, were on the ballot. Penny Hubbard has served as state representative since 2010, and runs every two years. Rodney Hubbard ran successfully for reelection as 5th Ward committeeman in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary on the same ballot as his wife.

And their daughter, Tammika Hubbard, has served as 5th Ward alderman since winning a special election in December 2011. Rodney Hubbard Jr. is a former state representative.

The employee, a former supervisor, said that when large numbers of ballots were delivered, she would email other employees and bosses.

Id say, Hey, weve received numerous ballots from the Hubbard campaign and it seems pretty suspicious and they need to be reviewed. Her emails would go unanswered, she said.

When employees refused to accept hand-delivered ballots, Rodney Hubbard would complain directly to top Election Board officials, Bingham said.

Both former employees said ballots the department initially refused were sometimes slipped through the door, or mysteriously appear elsewhere in the office. Eventually, the employees said, the department would accept them.

Dueker said there was no way Rodney Hubbard Sr. would have attempted such a thing.

They would handcuff him right there, she said. There is no way he would get away with that.

Mary Wheeler-Jones, Democratic director of the Election Board, denied that any campaign worker ever hand-delivered stacks of envelopes. But the St. Louis Election Board doesnt record the names of those who drop off ballots.

Last week, the Post-Dispatch reviewed roughly 550 absentee envelopes from the Aug. 2 primary. Eighty-eight were not postmarked  indicating that they likely were hand-delivered.

As a result of the Post-Dispatchs inquiry into absentee voting procedures, Joan M. Burger, Election Board chairman, said Tuesday that absentee ballots brought into the office in their sealed envelopes will now be stamped with the date they were received, the printed name of the person who turned it in, that persons signature and the persons relationship to the voter.

Burger said it is the same process used by St. Louis County election officials.

Regarding the former employees statements about numerous ballots being dropped off, Burger said: The board denies those allegations.

R-78

Last week, St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Julian Bush ruled the St. Louis Election Board violated the law when it refused to publicly release absentee ballot applications and ballot envelopes. The ruling allowed Post-Dispatch reporters and others  including Franks attorney  to begin verifying if ballots were properly cast.

Because of a scheduling conflict, Bush was replaced on the case by fellow Circuit Court Judge Rex Burlison.

Dueker and other figures within local Democratic Party circles have argued that attempts to contact absentee voters are forms of intimidation that could suppress voting in minority communities. They have also accused Franks campaign of bolstering the Republican Partys push for tougher voter ID laws.

Franks said his lawsuit over the primary election for the 78th District was only an attempt to enforce existing laws, not create new ones.

Somebody abused the process, he said. And Im supposed to be OK with them abusing the process? ... Im supposed to chill and say, You know what? Its cool. Yall cheated, like yall always do. Ill lay down ... Nah.

Others said the Hubbards, not the press or Franks, were intimidating people.

On Sunday, 10 minutes after a Post-Dispatch reporter interviewed a woman named Deirra Paster in the Clinton-Peabody public housing complex, Paster called the reporter and said a car had come by her block, and someone inside was taking photographs.

But so was Pasters friend. Her photos show an unidentified woman driving a silver Toyota Camry and holding up a smartphone.

The Camry had a unique license plate, the kind issued for state representatives, with the number of each members specific district.

The plate read: R-78.

Kevin McDermott and Walker Moskop of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
ST. LOUIS  Several months after confirming the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is staying in St. Louis, the agency announced a $12 million contract to the University of Missouris Columbia campus to train NGA employees.

The five-year contract to Mizzous engineering school  the largest contract in the College of Engineerings history  is aimed at data science and key education and training needs identified by NGA.

Curt Davis, director of the engineering schools Center for Geospatial Intelligence, said the process of acquiring the contract started more than a year ago. The NGA anticipates 1,800 working students in St. Louis and Washington participating in the graduate certificate program. Davis expects them to span from early career and beyond.

Our faculty are thrilled to be able to support NGAs effort to equip its workforce with the data science skills necessary for NGA to make sense out of the overwhelming volume of government, commercial, and open-source geospatial information they have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, Davis said in a statement.

NGA employees will be paid for their time in these classes, Davis said. Beginning courses will likely be self-paced and online, with more advanced classes taught in person. Professors from Mizzou will teach the classes in St. Louis, but the university has contracted for teachers in Washington. Davis said Mizzou professors will travel to D.C. as needed.

When students are done with the program, they will have a graduate certificate in data science and a masters degree from the University of Missouri.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to break ground on the federal intelligence agencys $1.75 billion campus in mid-2017. St. Louis officials hope the campus will reshape the area northwest of downtown.
A California-based group and its supporters nationwide are taking issue with research at the University of Missouri-Columbia that resulted in the deaths of six dogs.

After filing a lawsuit against Mizzou over access to documents for animals used in research on the Columbia campus, organizers at the Beagle Freedom Project started looking into the universitys published research and found a study that raised a red flag for the group.

The study, published in the 2016 Journal of Veterinary Ophthalmology, was testing treatment for damaged corneas. Beagles were used in the study because dogs eyes are similar to human eyes.

According to the research, the dogs were given anesthesia and the cornea in each dogs left eye was damaged intentionally by one of the researchers. The dogs were then given a topical acid treatment for their eyes to try and heal the damage. The hyaluronic acid treatment is a moisturizing agent.

The treatment didnt work, and the dogs were later euthanized; their corneas were removed and used for additional research. University spokespeople would not comment on whether it was common practice to euthanize animals after a study.

A university statement said the study was approved by the campus Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and followed the rules of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

The university said in a statement that the dogs were not in pain during the study.

The dogs were anesthetized during the procedure and received pain medications during and following if any signs of pain were observed, the statement said. The dogs also received daily socialization and husbandry needs.

Kevin Chase, vice president of the Beagle Freedom Project, disagreed.

No reasonable person can deny that these dogs were in pain following the injury to their cornea, Chase said in response to the universitys comments. As everyone knows, the eye is an extremely sensitive part of the body. The (top layer) of the cornea is filled with thousands of tiny nerve endings.

Chases group argues that a better way to go about this research would be to use medication on dogs that suffer from corneal damage independently.

Caging dogs in a laboratory, intentionally damaging their corneas, and then killing them is about as ethical as picking people off the street and hitting them over the head with a pipe in order to test new concussion treatments, Chase said in a statement.

In the studys conclusion, the four researchers acknowledge the small sample size, saying that before the study started it was determined that 24 dogs would be required to detect a significant difference in the healing rates. But, such a study size was deemed impractical given concerns of animal resources for this pilot study.

The Beagle Freedom Project filed a lawsuit against the University of Missouri System this summer alleging the university was violating the states Sunshine Law for open records.

The suit says the university violated open records laws by creating a discouraging fee structure and charging more than $82,000 for public documents. The group asked for records for 179 dogs and cats on Mizzous campus.

The organization uses record requests to identify candidates for post-research adoption, Chase said. He said the university filed an extension on the deadline to respond to the lawsuit.

We are confident well get these records, he said. Its just how long the university will drag out this process.
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WASHINGTON  Republicans in the U.S. House are planning to push a series of bills in September, including one sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner, that show that we know the American people arent happy with the direction of the country, and they are desperate for an alternative vision, a memo from the House majority leader says.

It will come as the fall election seasons heats up, and many of the measures are likely to draw Democratic pushback as election-year grandstanding.

But Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy says that the push is part of a more active Republican majority, which he says has passed 22 percent more bills than the previous Congress, including 219 that have passed the Senate and been enacted into law.

Wagner, R-Ballwin, is sponsor of a bill to simplify a Securities and Exchange Commission form and cut red tape for small businesses seeking to borrow money. Its part of a package of bills aimed at fiscal, regulatory and veterans affairs reforms that Republicans have been pushing.

House Republicans call it a better way.

Democrats, meanwhile, have pushed back on GOP initiatives in this sphere as gifts to business at the expense of consumers. Wagners bill that tried to halt an Obama administration plan to tighten the rules governing financial advisers, which passed the House last year, was an earlier example of these fights.

The House will be in session part of September before heading home to campaign for the Nov. 8 elections. The Senate is planning to stay in session until early October before also adjourning for electioneering.
A Webster Groves business owner has spent more than a week clearing up a surprising misunderstanding: her jewelry shop is not the same company claiming it sent a sarcastic note to the daughter of Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Lady Grey, a New York jewelry company, claimed in an Instagram post Aug. 18 it recently received an online order from Ivanka Trump. Along with the merchandise, the company said it would send a note saying proceeds would go to the campaign of his opponent  Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton  the American Immigration Council and Everytown for Gun Safety.

Hundreds of miles away, in Webster Groves, another jewelry store with nearly an identical name began fending off the scathing comments of upset Trump supporters because of the viral note.

Lady Grey Beads owner Lynnae Tanner Ruff said she received a phone call from an offended Trump supporter the same day the New York company posted a picture of the note to Instagram. After that, Ruff said negative comments started to appear on her company's Facebook page. She later removed her phone number from the site.

"Anyone who knows you, knows you wouldn't do that," Ruff said a friend had told her after reading about the note.

But as the comments continued, the entrepreneur said she thought the mistake could be problematic not only for her business but for the organizations and nonprofits she collaborates with and supports.

The negative comments have mostly stopped and she received some apologies from people who realized the mistake, she said.

"I feel like my name has been cleared for St. Louis," she said.

Ruff said she has been making jewelry for eight years and has operated Lady Grey Beads for the last two. She responded to a comment on the company's Facebook page Tuesday that she wasn't concerned about losing the business despite threats.

Now that the mix up has subsided, Ruff is looking forward to hosting her company's second annual Lady Grey's Holiday Boutique Nov. 19, which showcases local artists and Fair Trade companies. She said last year Lady Grey Beads split a donation of $1,200 between Heifer International's Women's Empowerment Campaign and Lutheran World Relief with proceeds from the event.
The Great EpiPen Pricing Scandal of 2016 will be good for the St. Louis economy. The new generic versions of the epinephrine injection devices will be made at Meridian Medical Technology facilities in Brentwood and Maryland Heights, just like brand-name EpiPens are.

Its bizarre that Mylan NV, the same company that owns EpiPen, would commission an identical generic version of the same product and sell it for half the price. After all, Anheuser-Busch InBev wouldnt make half-price generic Budweiser at its Pestalozzi Street plant.

But the pharmaceutical business plays by different rules. It ruthlessly eliminates competition. It often collaborates with insurance companies and pharmacy benefits managers, the entities that are supposed to restrain it. It has co-opted much of the scientific research community and Congress.

The EpiPen pricing scandal  a six-fold price increase since 2007  is a useful guide for consumer activism. Nothing places a harsher public light on greed than when people cant afford to buy an EpiPen  the only way to stop a life-threatening allergic reaction  because a corporation is trying to squeeze out higher profits. It shines a light that cuts through a lot of deliberately obfuscatory fog and reveals this fundamental problem: The United States, alone among industrial nations, doesnt regulate the price of vital prescription drugs.

At the risk of saying something nice about Heather Bresch, Mylans embattled CEO, she was absolutely right Aug. 25 when she told CNBC: This isnt an EpiPen issue. This isnt a Mylan issue. This is a health care issue. The irony is that the system incentivizes higher prices, and its the conversation that no one has wanted to have.

The more expensive a drug is, the more profit there is for everyone who touches it before the customer does: the company that makes it, the insurance company, pharmacy benefits managers, drugstores. Theres more money to underwrite research and fly doctors to Bermuda for conferences. More money for TV ads to convince people they need it. More money to contribute to political campaigns.

Sure, you can jack up the price of a drug that treats a rare disease by 5,000 percent  as the infamous Martin Shkreli did last year  but its even better when youve got the only treatment for common afflictions like allergic reactions.

Seniors, who rely on more drugs than younger populations, have seen prices for commonly prescribed drugs double in the last decade. State and federal budgets that pay for these drugs are under stress. Its not enough to keep passing higher costs onto insurers, who pass them on to customers, or work out discounts. Its not enough to create a generic to diminish a public relations fiasco.

Americans must insist that Congress bypass its big contributors and regulate drug prices set by virtual monopolies. You cant maximize private profits and the publics health at the same time.
State Debate: James Rowen accuses bear hunters, with DNR approval, of sacrificing their hounds to the wolves
Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will begin daily service to Havana, Cuba, from Atlanta, Miami and New YorkJFK on Dec. 1, 2016, following today's announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Delta thanked the DOT for awarding the airline the ability to resume operating nonstop scheduled service to Cuba for the first time in almost 55 years.

Flights will be available for sale beginning Sept. 10, 2016. All routes are subject to Cuban regulatory approval.

"Today, we celebrate our long-awaited and historic return to Cuba, and we reaffirm our thanks to Secretary Foxx and his team as well as the U.S. State Department for granting us the authority to operate this service," said Nicolas Ferri, Delta's Vice PresidentLatin America and the Caribbean. "This December, we look forward to serving customers with the excellent customer service and operational performance they expect from Delta while reuniting families and supporting a new generation of travelers seeking to engage and explore this unique destination."

Delta's Awarded Routes

Delta flights between New York-JFK and Havana will connect the New York City area, home to the second largest Cuban-American population, to Cuba's political, cultural and economic capital.

Atlanta service will provide more than 150 U.S. cities with one-stop access to Cuba from the world's largest hub, with more seats, destinations and flights than any other carrier.

Delta's Miami-Havana flights will serve the largest population of Cuban-Americans in the U.S. Delta is the second-largest carrier at Miami International Airport by number of daily flights.

Delta Vacations, Delta's official vacation provider, will offer Cuba travel packages later this year for customers who prefer to bundle their Cuba experience.

Americans can travel to Cuba only if their trip falls within one of 12 designated categories outlined here, including family visits, educational activities, religious activities, humanitarian projects, professional research and professional meetings and others.

Delta's History in Cuba

Delta inherited passenger service to Havana, Cuba, from its merger with Chicago and Southern Air Lines (C&S) on May 1, 1953, offering nonstop flights from New Orleans. Delta suspended service on Dec. 1, 1961.

From 2002-2004 Delta operated charters between New York-JFK and Havana. In October 2011, Delta began operating up to a dozen charter flights to Havana per week with daily service from Miami and weekly service from Atlanta and New York-JFK. It operated almost 500 trips before suspending service on Dec. 29, 2012. Most recently, Delta operated three ad hoc charter flights in 2015, including one that carried the Minnesota Orchestra back to Cuba for its first performance on the island in more than 85 years.
IAMGOLD Corporation (NYSE: IAG) today reports that the Company has signed an agreement with the Government of Suriname to acquire an interest in the Saramacca property with the intent of defining a 43-101 compliant mineral resource within the next 24 months. The Saramacca property, also known as Anomaly M, is located in the Republic of Suriname approximately 30 kilometres southwest of the Rosebel mill and immediately southeast of the Sarafina property optioned to IAMGOLD.

"This agreement is a landmark achievement for the Company. I believe the addition of this property to Rosebel's mineral inventory will go a long way to supporting our future mining operations in Suriname," said Steve Letwin, IAMGOLD President and CEO. "Adding resources that extend the life of the existing infrastructure at our mines is one of the most cost effective ways to achieve growth. Further, given the significance of Rosebel's mining in Suriname, this project should provide important support to the economy of the country."

The terms of the acquisition include an initial payment of $200,000, which would enable immediate access to the property for Rosebel's exploration team as well as access to data from previous exploration activity at Saramacca to conduct a due diligence review of the property. Provided Rosebel is satisfied with the results of the due diligence, it will pay $10 million as well as 3.125 million IAMGOLD common shares to be held in escrow, which would be released to the Government of Suriname in three approximately equal tranches in 12-month intervals following the ratification of the agreement by Rosebel. Adjustments to the purchase price will be calculated depending on the success of the drill program carried out by the Rosebel team over the first 24 months, but will be capped at $10 million.

The Saramacca property has been explored since the 1990's principally by Golden Star and later as a joint venture between Golden Star and Newmont. Much of that work focused on the discovery and delineation of Anomaly M, which was the subject of successive auger and diamond drilling programs with over 50 diamond drill holes and over 200 auger holes completed in the anomaly area. Evaluation of this work suggests an exploration target potential of between 8 and 40 million tonnes grading between 1.0 and 1.8 g/t Au for potentially 0.5 to 1.4 million contained ounces of gold. The potential quantity and grade are conceptual in nature and insufficient exploration work has been completed to define a mineral resource. The property will require significant future exploration to advance to a resource stage and there can be no certainty that the exploration target will result in a mineral resource being defined. The target ranges are consistent with deposits currently being mined at IAMGOLD's adjacent Rosebel operation.
Investors Real Estate Trust (NYSE: IRET) (NYSE: IRETPR) (NYSE: IRETPRB) announced that it has entered into six separate sales agreements with several affiliates of Edgewood Senior Living for the planned disposition of 26 of the Company's senior housing properties, and one multifamily property, for a total of approximately $236.0 million. Affiliates of the buyers currently lease 25 of the 26 senior housing properties from the Company. The Company expects these sales to close in calendar 2017. These sales are in addition to the previously-announced exercise of purchase options by affiliates of the buyers, who are current tenants, to purchase 8 senior housing properties the Company owns in Idaho for a total of approximately $43.5 million. If all of these transactions close, the Company will have completely disposed of its senior housing portfolio for a total of approximately $279.5 million.

"The sale of our senior housing properties is a significant step in our efforts to transform IRET into a pure play multifamily company," stated Chief Executive Officer Tim Mihalick. "As we move forward, these transactions unlock significant value within our portfolio and provide capital for new investments, while we enhance our operating platform, strengthen our balance sheet and drive cash flow. We remain excited about our pipeline of opportunities, focusing on our long term strategic growth objective to drive long term value for our shareholders."

The sales are subject to certain closing conditions, including that each sale is contingent on the closing of all of the sales. The details of the six sales are outlined below.

The Company entered into a sale agreement for five senior housing properties containing 386 rentable units, located in Cheyenne, Casper, and Laramie, Wyoming, for a total of $53.0 million.

The Company entered into a sale agreement for two senior housing properties containing 256 rentable units, located in Hermantown, Minnesota, for a total of approximately $36.8 million.

The Company entered into a sale agreement for four senior housing properties containing 220 rentable units, located in Virginia, Minnesota, Kalispell, Montana and Omaha and Hastings, Nebraska, for a total of approximately $32.3 million.

The Company entered into a sale agreement for five senior housing properties containing 514 rentable units, located in East Grand Forks and Brainerd, Minnesota, Bismarck and Fargo, North Dakota and Rapid City South Dakota, for approximately $71.0 million.

The Company entered into a sale agreement for 9 senior housing properties containing 278 rental units, located in various States including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Montana, for approximately $28.8 million.

The Company entered into a sale agreement for one senior housing property containing 97 rentable units and one townhome property containing 24 rentable units, located in Sartell, Minnesota, for $14.0 million.

BMO Capital Markets Corp. acted as financial advisor to the Company in connection with the sale transactions.
Monsanto (NYSE: MON) disclosed the following on Wednesday afternoon:

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On August 31, 2016, William U. Parfet submitted his resignation from the Board of Directors (the Board) of Monsanto Company, effective August 31, 2016. The Board has elected to not immediately fill the vacancy on the Board arising as a result of Mr. Parfets resignation.
New data just published in a leading medical journal shows for the first time that the rate of treatment persistence for patients using the innovative Sandoz AirFluSal Forspiro respiratory inhaler is more than twice as high as for the reference product.

Persistence to treatment is defined as the duration of time from initiation to discontinuation of treatment [1]. Dr. Bruce Bender, the lead author on the paper, said: "COPD and asthma are long term diseases requiring long-term, persistent adherence to therapy. While adherence has been widely studied to date, a growing awareness of the large number of patients who abandon their asthma treatment suggests that persistence to treatment may be more relevant for longer-term outcomes."

Poor persistence to treatment rates are likely to result in poor outcomes including disease exacerbations, reduced quality of life, hospitalization, increased mortality, increased burden on the healthcare system and high economic costs [2],[3],[4]. Relatively few studies have investigated persistence in patients taking inhaled therapies, but those that have report sub-optimal rates in these patients [5],[6],[7].

The results are reported in the latest edition (link is external) of the leading Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. The comparative analysis study is the largest European Real-World Evidence (RWE) study ever conducted in asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

The study, entitled "Comparative analysis of persistence to treatment among patients with asthma or COPD receiving AirFluSal Forspiro or Seretide Diskus salmeterol / fluticasone propionate combination therapy", concluded that patients using the Sandoz device showed a persistence rate of 22.9%, compared to 10.5% for those using the reference product device.

"These results fully validate our decision at Sandoz to develop our inhaler device in close collaboration with patients, incorporating their feedback", said Dr. Spencer Jones, Sandoz Head of Global Medical Affairs, Respiratory. "This approach, which results in the device being effectively designed to give direct feedback to users, is the key to success in treating chronic conditions."

He added: "What the data also highlight is the need for even more research to better understand patient persistence behaviors and to develop strategies to address what are still unacceptably low overall levels."

The study was designed to retrospectively analyze persistence rates between the two devices, using dispensing data from a large German pharmacy database. While retrospective database analyses have some limitations, the strengths of this data include the fact that 11,744 patients were included in a matched pair analysis, controlled for gender, age and month of treatment initiation (to limit seasonal effects).

All patients were first time users of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate and persistence to treat was analyzed for a 12 month period.

About AirFluSal Forspiro

AirFluSal Forspiro offers the proven combination of salmeterol (a long-acting inhaled 2-agonist) and fluticasone propionate (an inhaled corticosteroid) in an innovative device. Safety, efficacy and equivalence have been proven in multiple clinical trials.

It was developed at Aeropharm GmbH in Rudolstadt, Germany, Sandoz's global respiratory Center of Excellence. Sandoz collaborated with UK-based Vectura Group plc, a respiratory product development company, in the design and development of the product. The innovative and intuitive-to-use inhaler was invented at Vectura and its design was awarded the Red Dot Product Design award in 2011, an internationally recognized quality seal awarded by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany.

In order to improve patient experience with inhalation devices, Sandoz and Vectura collaborated closely with patients during the development process. The device includes multiple feedback mechanisms such as visual control features, which help reassure the patient about dosing and a simple lever arm to load the dose.

AirFluSal Forspiro has been launched to date in approximately 30 countries, in Europe and elsewhere.

About Sandoz

Sandoz is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. As a division of the Novartis Group, our purpose is to discover new ways to improve and extend people's lives. We contribute to society's ability to support growing healthcare needs by pioneering novel approaches to help people around the world access high-quality medicine. Our portfolio of approximately 1000 molecules, covering all major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2015 sales of USD 10.1 billion. In 2015, our products reached more than 500 million patients and we aspire to reach one billion. Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen, in Germany's Greater Munich area.

References



[1] Bender BG, Vecino RAH, McGrath K, Jones S. Comparative analysis of persistence to treatment among

patients with asthma or COPD receiving AirFluSal Forspiro or Seretide Diskus

salmeterol/fluticasone proportionate combination therapy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2016;4:884-9.

[2] Cramer JA, Bradley-Kennedy C, Scalera A. Treatment persistence and compliance with

medications for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Can. Respir. J 2007; 14(1):25-29.

[3] Bender BG. Advancing the science of adherence measurement: implications for the clinician.

J Allergy Clin. Immunol. Pract. 2013; 1(1): 92-3.

[4] Antoniu SA. Adherence to inhaled therapy in COPD: effects on survival and exacerbations.

Expert Rev Pharmacoecon. Outcomes Res. 2010; 10(2):115-7.

[5] Hasford J, Uricher J, Tauscher M, Bramlage P, Virchow JC. Persistence with asthma treatment

is low in Germany especially for controller medication-a population based study of 483 051

patients. Allergy 2010; 65:347-354.

[6] Penning-van Beest F et al. three-year dispensing patterns with long-acting inhaled drugs in

COPD: a database analysis. Respir Med. 2011; 105(2):259-65.

[7] Barnes CB, Ulrik CS. Asthma and adherence to inhaled corticosteroids: current status and

future perspectives. Respir. Care 2015; 60(3):455-468.
Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE: WLK) announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Axiall Corporation (NYSE: AXLL) for $33.00 per share in an all-cash transaction, representing an enterprise value of approximately $3.8 billion, including debt and certain other Axiall liabilities.

The combined company will be the third-largest chlor-alkali producer and the second-largest polyvinyl chloride (PVC) producer in North America, with expected combined pro forma revenues of $7.4 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $1.4 billion for the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2016. Westlake expects the transaction to be accretive to its earnings in the first year following close and expects annualized cost synergies of approximately $100 million.

Albert Chao, Westlakes President and Chief Executive Officer, said, We are pleased to complete this important strategic acquisition and to welcome Axiall and its talented team into the Westlake family of companies. This transaction aligns two remarkable companies, creates a company with greater financial and operational flexibility and accelerates our growth strategy. We believe that we will be better able to serve our customers with a more diversified portfolio that should create significant value and growth opportunities for Westlake stockholders.

Westlake retained Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Goldman, Sachs & Co. as its financial advisors, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as its legal counsel, MacKenzie Partners, Inc., and other advisors.

For more information regarding Westlake please visit http://www.westlake.com.
Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) announced the completion of the sale of its liquid packaging board business to Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. for $285 million in cash. Weyerhaeuser expects to use a substantial portion of the approximately $225 million of after-tax proceeds for repayment of debt.

The liquid packaging board business consists of one mill located in Longview, Washington, with an annual capacity of 280,000 tons.

"Nippon Paper Industries is acquiring a strong portfolio of high quality products and a well-regarded employee team that has contributed much to Weyerhaeuser over the years," said Doyle R. Simons, president and chief executive officer. "This transaction further focuses our company as we work together to be the world's premier timber, land, and forest products company."
Leon Cooperman, chairman and CEO of Omega Advisors, speaks during the Sohn Investment Conference in New York May 4, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hedge fund investor Leon Cooperman, the chief executive and chairman of Omega Advisors, said on Wednesday on CNBC that equity markets are "fairly but fully valued."

Cooperman, who oversees more than $5.3 billion, said investors would be "lucky" to earn 5 percent to 6 percent in equities. Cooperman said it is "hard to find things that are terribly mispriced," given central banks' loose monetary policies have elevated asset prices across the board.

After the S&P 500's run-up to around 2,165, the index is currently trading at 17 times Cooperman's estimate, he said.

"Market is fairly but fully valued," Cooperman said. "I would not expect the market to do that much on the upside. We have to accept the reality that if interest rates belong where they are, that's a slow-growth world and returns on equity are going to be lower than they have been historically. And I accept that fact."

Cooperman said he has exited shares of Netflix Inc and Citigroup Inc. "I think ultimately Netflix is going to work, but I think somebody buys the company at a nice premium," Cooperman said.

"Netflix is an acquisition candidate for somebody. But again another idea came in, I didnt want to raise my exposure so I sold and went to something else."

Cooperman said he's also out of Apple Inc shares.

"My concern is that Apples best days might be behind it because theres nothing to replace the iPhone and so its a company that generates lots of cash but may be a smaller company in three of four years," he said. "So weve put our money elsewhere say Google, or Facebook, which we think has more visible growth."

Asked which presidential candidate would be better for financial markets, Cooperman said Democrat Hillary Clinton: "Hillary, for sure."

Cooperman said Clinton is more predictable than her Republican rival, Donald Trump, with regard to policies.

(Reporting By Jennifer Ablan; Editing by Alan Crosby)
BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE: BKU) announced that Rajinder P. Singh, the Companys Chief Operating Officer, will succeed John A. Kanas, the Companys Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, as President and CEO effective January 1, 2017. Mr. Kanas will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Singh, along with Mr. Kanas, was one of the founding organizers of the Company in 2009, and has been instrumental in driving the turnaround and growth of the Company.

Raj has been a proven partner of mine and I am excited about and proud to see him step into his new role, said Mr. Kanas. With his operational and managerial skills, strategic vision and dedication, he is the ideal person to be at the helm of this company. Under Rajs leadership, BankUnited will continue to build upon its reputation as a premier financial institution.

Mr. Singh commented, I am honored to assume the role of President and Chief Executive Officer in 2017. I look forward to working closely with the Board, our senior management team and our dedicated and hard-working employees as we continue to execute the strategy that has been instrumental to the Companys success over the last several years, building a growing, profitable, safe and sound institution.

Replacing Mr. Singh as Chief Operating Officer will be Thomas M. Cornish, who currently serves as the banks President, Florida region. Mr. Cornish joined the bank in 2014 and in his new role will directly report to Mr. Singh.

In a short amount of time, Tom has raised the caliber of our Florida franchise. said Mr. Singh. I am confident in Toms ability to excel in his expanded role.

About Rajinder P. Singh

Rajinder P. Singh has served on our Board since July 2013 and is currently our Chief Operating Officer, and one of the founding organizers of our Company. Mr. Singh has been our Chief Operating Officer since October 2010, and prior to that, he served as our Head of Mortgage Banking and Corporate Development since May 2009. Mr. Singh also served as Corporate Secretary of the Company from May 2009 to June 2013.

From April 2008 to May 2009, Mr. Singh led the financial services practice of WL Ross & Co., a private equity firm and one of the original investors in the Company. From December 2006 through April 2008, Mr. Singh served as Executive Vice President for Capital One's banking segment which includes retail, small business and commercial banking businesses in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Louisiana and Texas and a national direct deposit gathering franchise. Previously, Mr. Singh served as Head of Corporate Strategy and Development for North Fork from February 2005 to December 2006. During his tenure, North Fork was acquired by Capital One for $13.2 billion. Prior to joining North Fork in February 2005, Mr. Singh spent nine years at FleetBoston Financial Corporation and last served as Managing Director of Corporate Strategy and Development.

Mr. Singh earned his M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and his B.S. in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi.

About Thomas M. Cornish

Thomas M. Cornish has been BankUnited N.A.s President, Florida Region since March 2014. In his role as President, Florida Region, Mr. Cornish is responsible for retail and commercial banking services in the state.

From 2004 to March 2014, Mr. Cornish served as President and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Agency, Florida Region. Prior to that, he held several senior leadership positions with SunTrust Bank from 1983 through 2003. While with Marsh & McLennan Agency, Mr. Cornish was recognized with honors as "Miami's CEO of the Year" by the South Florida Business Journal and the "Ultimate CEO" by Business Leader Magazine. Mr. Cornish was also elected to the Florida International University School of Business Hall of Fame in 2013. Mr. Cornish currently serves as the chairman of the Florida International University Foundation Board of Directors. He is also the chairman of the FIU Wolfsonian Museum and Chairman of the Board of the Miami Childrens Hospital Foundation. Mr. Cornish is a past chairman of the Beacon Council and Assurex Global Corporation. He is a past board member of the Camillus House, The Chapman Partnership and past member of the Orange Bowl committee.

Mr.Cornish earned his B.A. degree from Florida International University.
Phoenix, Arizona (PRWEB) August 31, 2016

Phoenix residents canexpect increased alcohol-related arrests as college students return to school, according to experienced Phoenix DUI lawyers at Corso Law Group.

Last year, law enforcement made more than 1,360 alcohol-arrests. This happened over the first three weekends of the ASU school year, according to Phoenix New Times.

"These arrests have life-changing effects," said Christopher Corso, founder of Corso Law Group. "Students need to understand their rights."

Drinking and driving is a concern as classes start again. One in five college students drink and then drive, according to published studies.

"Having an arrest on your record as a college student can affect your life," Corso said. "Many companies won't hire you if you have a DUI or a criminal arrest record."

DUI penalties in Phoenix are harsh. A Phoenix DUI can result in expensive fines and license suspension. A Phoenix DUI can also result in alcohol classes and jail time.

Corso Law Group is an experienced team of legal professionals who have handled thousands of Arizona DUI cases. Founder Christopher Corso is a former Maricopa County prosecutor who can help with drunk driving cases as well as other criminal defense needs such as criminal speeding, CDL tickets, photo radar tickets, felony charges, drug possession, weapons possession, violent crimes and more.

Free consultations are available with Corso Law Group by visiting http://yourphoenixduilawyer.com or calling (480) 471-4616.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/experienced-phoenix-dui/attorneys/prweb13647721.htm
IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Future City Holding Inc. (OTCQB: FTCY) (the Company) is reporting that its Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ning Liu, is being detained in the Peoples Republic of China. The Company is currently investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding Mr. Lius detainment.

Michael Dunn, the Companys CFO, stated, We are still gathering information on why Mr. Liu was detained and the status of his detainment. Despite Mr. Lius detainment, the Company will continue to conduct business as usual.

About Global Future City Holding Inc.

Global Future City Holding Inc. is a holding company thats engaged in consumer product sales through the GX-Life Direct Selling Program offered by its wholly-owned subsidiary, GX-Life Global, Inc.

Additional information on the Company may be viewed at http://www.gf.city.

About GX-Life Global, Inc.

GX-Life Global, Inc. sells high quality consumer products such as personal care, wellness, and quality-of-life products under the brand, GX-Life via direct sales to consumers and e-commerce channels on an international basis. GX-Life utilizes GX-Coins, which is a cryptocurrency that functions as a store of value and a medium of exchange, in its Direct Selling Program where GX-Life Members are able to redeem their commissions into GX-Coins.

Additional information on GX-Life may be viewed at http://www.gx-life.com/

Information about Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking statements" that include information relating to future events and future financial and operating performance. The words "may," "would," "will," "expect," "estimate," "can," "believe," "potential" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: the Company utilizing cryptocurrency, which could have fluctuations in demand and pricing, the introduction and impact of new competitive products or cryptocurrency, the Company's ability to acquire and maintain customer strategic business relationships, growth in targeted markets, and other information that may be detailed from time-to-time in the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting the Company, please refer to the Company's recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact: Global Future City Holding Inc. Michael R. Dunn CFO/COO Office: (949) 769-3536 Email: [email protected]

Source: Global Future City Holding, Inc.
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Euromonitor International and World Travel Market (WTM) London collaborated for the 11th year to predict future trends shaping the travel industry in the annual WTM Global Trends Report.

In 2015, two of the most popular trends from the WTM Global Trends report were:

Hipster Holidays

2015 WTM Global Trends Report revealed visitors are looking beyond the mainstream, exploring alternative districts popular with local hipsters. Airbnb and its peers have played a central role in opening up these areas to tourists, as many lack hotels, with private rentals often being the only option for staying locally.

In January 2016, the financial website thestreet.com reported that the world's traditional tourist destinations are becoming old-fashioned, as travellers are becoming more interested in unique and less known neighborhoods, such as Kreuzberg in Berlin and Amsterdam Noord in Amsterdam. Some travel companies are also starting to offer hipster tours of specific city districts, often led by local residents to enhance authenticity.

The Uberisation of China

2015 WTM Global Trends Report predicted the sharing economy taking off in China with home-grown ride-sharing companies.

In August 2016, Uber announced its intention to sell its Chinese operations to rival Didi Chuxing, ending a battle which cost both companies billions of dollars in subsidies for passengers and drivers in their fight for market share in China.

To find out the new travel trends predicted by the WTM Global Trends Report 2016, join Euromonitors press conference:

Tuesday 8th November, 10:30 am  11:30 am (BST time)WTM London International Press Centre,Excel Centre, London

Pre-register to be the first one to receive the 2016 WTM Global Trends Report, by Euromonitor International here: http://go.euromonitor.com/WTM-London-2016.html

Download the 2015 WTM Global Trends Report here: http://bit.ly/wtm-emi-15

About Euromonitor International

Euromonitor International is the worlds leading provider for strategic market analysis, with over 40 years of experience publishing international market reports, reference books and online databases on consumer markets.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005780/en/

Asti Michou

Communications Executive - Euromonitor International

[email protected]

+44 (0) 20 7251 8024 EXT 1402

Source: Euromonitor International
Salt Lake City, Utah (PRWEB) August 31, 2016

Against the backdrop of growing concern over pornography, the first "Rocky Mountain Sex + Intimacy Summit" will be held Sept. 23-24 in Salt Lake City, it was announced today.

"The Summit will empower mental-health professionals, medical professionals, clergy, students and the general public with information they need to address what some call 'Utah's pornography crisis,'" said event organizer Kristin Hodson, a Salt Lake clinical social worker and owner of The Healing Group clinic.

The Summit will feature presentations by world-renowned sex experts Gina Ogden and Emily Nagoski. Dr. Ogden is an award-winning therapist, family therapist, researcher, leader and author. She founded the Relational Sexuality Network, an international collaboration of practitioners whose mission is to expand the practice of therapy and sex therapy. Dr. Nagoski is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Come As You Are: the surprising new science that will transform your sex life." She also is a frequent presenter at international conferences and symposia on human sexuality.

Hodson said the Summit will address "how not to become a victim of the porn crisis by empowering yourself and others with information about personal sexual awareness and healthy sexuality. Understanding our sexuality is absolutely necessary when determining the effects pornography has on our relationships as a society and individually. Developing healthy sexuality also is essential to creating healthy and loving relationships."

"Most Utahns simply haven't ever received any positive education about their sexuality since quality sex education isn't provided at a state or national level," Hodson said. "The goal of the Summit is to help people create amazing intimate lives with their partners and, more importantly, with themselves. This is the first event that approaches sexuality through a positive lens providing healthy solutions rather than using fear-based tactics."

Hodson cited five trends that indicate society needs more information about how to achieve healthy sexuality:

1. An estimated 15-20% of marriages have a "dead bedroom," with sex occurring fewer than 10 times per year.

2. According to the Deseret News, Utah is ranked #1 pornography subscriptions.

3. There are no clinical psychology or social work programs in Utah colleges and universities that require any training courses on sex or relationships.

4. Classes that are offered by local institutions do not have any measures for accuracy or content quality.

5. It's estimated that only 5-10% of therapists have any formal training in sex education.

The Summit will be held at The Courtyard Marriott in Salt Lake City. The conference runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. September 23rd and 24th and the public is invited to attend. Registration is $275 for the two-day event, and interested persons may register by going to http://www.rockymountainsexsummit.com or may register the day of the conference.

Media Contact:

Kristin Hodson

Phone: 801.808.0636

Email: Kristin(at)thehealinggroup(dot)com

Website: rockymountainsexsummit.com

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/9/prweb13624500.htm
New Henkel NVH Lab in Shanghai looking to meet the future trend of automotive NVH

SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Henkel has opened the NVH Lab located in the Henkel Adhesive Innovation Center in Shanghai, China. The 400sqm facility will help the company to stay on top of automotive trends and offer cutting-edge OEM solutions to meet the evolving and challenging requirements in the area of NVH.

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Henkel provides NVH solution to the automotive industry (Graphic: Business Wire)

Both noise and vibration play a crucial role in the perspective of vehicle quality. Automotive engineers are highly prioritizing development of designs and new materials to eliminate or reduce noise sources and optimize transmission paths to the occupants. As a result of increased competition, automotive OEMs are pressured to develop vehicles with competitive NVH performance in shorter design cycles for lower development and vehicle costs.

Henkel has a long history of providing NVH solutions to the automotive industry and has established itself as a preferred supplier to OEMs worldwide. Teams located in key design centers have been helping customers identify and solve NVH problems globally.

Henkel has broad capabilities in noise/vibration measurement, providing technical service in accordance with international test standards and by customized procedures. The new NVH Lab is dedicated to noise regulation testing and NVH quality improvement, with its state-of-the-art experimental and computational analysis facilities. The test lab features a full car body oven, a 3D printer, Liquid Applied Sound Deadener (LASD) spray equipment, a mode test platform, a laser vibrometer, and anechoic rooms that are used to test vehicle NVH performance. For LASD and HDF new damping concept application, the latest test lab system, pulse analysis software and optical measuring systems are also used to evaluate the vibro-acoustic performance of subsystem and vehicle level. The whole engineering chain from simulation, spray, baking to validation can be done in the lab to meet OEMs quick response requirements & shortened DVP period. For structural reinforcement parts and pillar filler, Henkel can provide industrial prototypes manufactured by the 3D production system for line trial and through APQP process, further validate special sealing performance DVP&R with body leakage tester for vehicle and baffle parts. Experienced automotive engineers are ready to serve customers with CAE simulation, part analysis, design and modification in addition to producing samples for validation purpose and computing energy efficiency.

Traditionally, Henkel engineers have hand-built their own prototype OEM vehicle pieces or contracted injection molding shops to build prototypes. However, there are limitations in hand-fashioning metal auto-body pieces, and injection molding can add weeks and significant cost to a project. Henkels 3D printer allows the lab to go from CAD rendering to prototype part within hours, dramatically shaving time off the design process. The 3D printer fabricates prototype parts using a production-grade thermoplastic that can tolerate chemical treatments, impacts, and withstand the high temperature e-coat baking, allowing for more vigorous testing that better matches the customer requirements.

This new technology allows Henkel greater agility in serving customer needs and helps the design verification and prove-out process move significantly faster. Eric Aldstadt, Henkels Acoustic & Structural Business Director of Asia Pacific, confirmed that the 3D printer builds more than rapid prototypes; it helps build stronger relationships with customers. A concept that started as a whiteboard sketch can be quickly turned into a representative, physical part engineers can touch and feel. And, they can physically review Henkels part solution with their cross-functional team. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the ability to hand our customer a physical part is truly top-notch engineering support. Henkels ability to manufacture three-dimensional prototypes in one day solidifies our commitment to putting customers at the center of what we do.

NVH refinement has become an essential vehicle development attribute. With global expertise based on extensive experience in the automotive market, Henkel is positioned to provide sustainable, innovative and efficient solutions across the entire value chain. Henkels NVH solutions allow the OEMs and automotive suppliers to experiment with ways of damping the noise and reducing weight at the same time to maximize efficacy in all areas involving automotive adhesives.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830005532/en/

Henkel

Brian Tong, +86 21 2891 8874

Business Development Manager

[email protected]

or

Echo Liu, + 86.21.28915832

Marketing Communication Manager

[email protected]

Source: Henkel
ST. LOUIS, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Peabody Energy today said its Wambo Underground Mines Rescue Team (MRT) earned first place in the First Aid competition at the 10th International Mines Rescue Competition held in Sudbury, Canada this past week.

The Wambo Underground MRT was among 27 teams from 13 nations that gathered to compete in four days of events to test emergency preparedness skills and train through competition.

"We take great pride in the global safety leadership demonstrated by our Wambo Underground Mines Rescue Team, which is an extraordinary tribute to Peabody's first value of safety," said Peabody President  Australia Charles Meintjes. "Using this competition as a platform to advance best practices in safety around the world benefits our people, our organization and our industry. We are honored to represent Peabody and Australia in this prestigious global event."

The competition presented simulated emergency response situations for applying first aid involving multiple individuals and injuries. Other events included firefighting, high angle rope rescue and an underground mine rescue simulation. The event was hosted by Workplace Safety North and Ontario Mine Rescue.

Peabody's Wambo Underground Mines Rescue Team qualified for the international competition after taking first place in the highly contested 53rd Australian Underground Mines Rescue competition in 2015. The team has an impressive history with nine consecutive years of success at both the district and national levels.

Peabody Energy is the world's largest private-sector coal company and a Fortune 500 company. The company serves metallurgical and thermal coal customers in 25 countries on six continents. For further information, visit PeabodyEnergy.com.

CONTACT:Beth Sutton(928) 221-6792

Michelle Constantine+61 (0)7 3333 5670

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120724/CG44353LOGO

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SOURCE Peabody Energy
CARROLLTON, Texas, Aug. 31, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the second year in a row, RealManage has been named to the esteemed Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in America with 52% growth over the last three years. RealManage continues to lead the industry with its experienced staff and unparalleled management software. RealManage is honored to be a part of this prestigious list again in 2016. The list represents some of the most successful and dynamic companies in the country, with names such as Microsoft, UnderArmour, and LinkedIn along with many others. Complete results of the Inc. 5000 can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. "On behalf of the RealManage family, I am deeply honored and humbled by our selection to the Inc. 5000 list for the second year in a row. This selection is a testament to our team's commitment to the RealManage core values: integrity, respect, selflessness, personal relationships, and always improving," states Chris O'Neill, Chief Executive Officer. About RealManage: RealManage is a property management company that specializes in all aspects of HOA management and condominium management, operating in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Washington State. For more information or to request a quote, visit www.realmanage.com or call us toll-free at (866) 403-1588. Stay Connected: http://www.facebook.com/RealManage http://twitter.com/RealManage http://www.linkedin.com/company/realmanage About Inc. 5000 The Inc. 5000 list, released annually, identifies the fastest growing privately held companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. 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. The minimum revenue required for 2012 is $100,000; the minimum for 2015 is $2 million.

CONTACT: Amanda Causey (866) 403-1588

Source: RealManage
A sign is seen at an AstraZeneca site in Macclesfield, central England May 19, 2014. REUTERS/Phil Noble

By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - U.S. regulators said on Tuesday that AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE: AZN) will pay $5.52 million to resolve a foreign bribery probe into improper payments by its sales and marketing staff to state-employed healthcare officials in China and Russia.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission detailed the settlement with the London-based drug company in an order instituting an administrative proceeding arising out of violations of provisions in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

AstraZeneca, which cooperated with the probe, neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing. In a statement, it said the U.S. Justice Department has meanwhile closed a related foreign bribery investigation.

"We are pleased to have resolution of these matters," the company said.

Neither the SEC nor Justice Department responded to requests for comment.

The SEC said that AstraZeneca through at least 2010 failed to devise and maintain a system of internal accounting controls relating to its subsidiaries' interactions with Chinese and Russian government officials.

Sales and marketing staff in those countries as far back as 2005 provided gifts, conference support, travel, cash and other benefits to the state-employed healthcare providers to buy or prescribe the company's products, the SEC said.

The company's Chinese subsidiary also paid healthcare providers speaker fees, sometimes for "totally fabricated" engagements, and in 2008, paid local officials to get reductions or dismissals of proposed financial sanctions it faced, the SEC said.

AstraZeneca also falsely recorded the improper payments in China and Russia as bona fide business expenses, the SEC said.

The regulator said AstraZeneca cooperated with the probe, which factored into the size of the penalty that was assessed against it.

The SEC also said the company has been addressing deficiencies in its compliance program and taking various steps with employees involved in the case, resulting in some being reassigned or fired.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; editing by Alan Crosby, G Crosse)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said he will visit Kiev on Friday to discuss energy reforms and lay the groundwork for trilateral talks with Ukraine and Russia that he hopes will help ensure uninterrupted gas supplies in the winter.

The European Union relies on Russia for around a third of its gas. More than half of that arrives via Ukraine, but since ties between Russia and Ukraine hit rock bottom over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Kiev in 2014, the potential for disputes over pricing and other issues has accelerated.

"Despite a very difficult situation, especially in east Ukraine, the transit route through Ukraine has been working well. We consider it a priority that this route is fully operational this winter as well," Sefcovic told reporters.

He said he would discuss the issue with Ukrainian officials, including the prime minister and energy minister, in Kiev on Friday. He said Ukrainian authorities were in favor of holding trilateral talks but Russia had yet to answer his letter outlining such a proposal.

"These talks have always been about additional legal and political certainty that the three parties will work on this together," he said. Clarifying pricing, financial assistance to cash-strapped Ukraine and delivery points would be other key elements of the three-way talks, he said.

Disputes over pricing and political rows in the past have led to cuts in Russian deliveries for Ukraine as well as for the EU. The European Commission has stepped in on some occasions, brokering agreements to help resume supplies.

Sefcovic praised Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman's government for showing commitment to reforms in the former Soviet state, which is struggling with a weak economy and endemic corruption, on top of the military conflict.

Sefcovic said further reforms on independent energy and utilities regulators, as well as the electricity market were crucial for unlocking more Western funds to modernize the sector and he hoped Kiev will pass them quickly.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Susan Fenton)
By David Beasley

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A Georgia sheriff who said he accidentally shot a friend while practicing police tactics pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct on Tuesday, his attorney said.

Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, 51, was sentenced to 12 months probation and fined $1,000 after critically injuring Gwenevere McCord, a friend and realtor, in May 2015 inside a model home in suburban Atlanta.

Under Georgia's first offender law, his probation was automatically canceled after he paid the fine on Tuesday morning, said Mike Puglise, Hill's attorney.

A grand jury indicted Hill on the reckless conduct charge last year.

Hill told a 911 operator that his gun had accidentally discharged while he was "practicing police tactics," Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said at the time. McCord survived her injuries.

Hill and Porter did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

In a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Clayton County Sheriff's Office shortly after the shooting, Hill called the incident "a tragic and heartbreaking accident" and referred to McCord as "very dear to me."

Hill was elected to a third term as sheriff earlier this year. Puglise said Tuesday's plea would not affect Hill's ability to continue serving in the job.

"Obviously he has a vote of confidence from the people of Clayton County," the attorney said.

(Editing by Letitia Stein and Paul Simao)
BOSTON (Reuters) - A girl who was the focus of a high-profile criminal trial last year after accusing a fellow student of sexual assault has said their elite New Hampshire prep school did not take the incident seriously.

In an interview broadcast on NBC's "Today" program on Tuesday, Chessy Prout, 17, identified herself publicly as the victim in the case and said she would not have pursued criminal charges against Owen Labrie had she received a letter of apology following the May 2014 incident.

"There was just no recognition that I had gone through something like this," Prout said. She returned to the St. Paul's School in Concord after the incident but said she was ostracized and subjected to jokes by male students.

"I tried my best to go back to my school and try to have a normal life again," she said. "But if they're going to treat this topic as a joke, this is not a place I want to be."

Labrie, now 20, was found not guilty in August 2015 of raping Prout, who was 15 at the time of the incident. He was sentenced to a year in prison for convictions on lesser charges, including using a computer to seduce a minor and three misdemeanor counts of having sex with a person under the age of consent.

The case shone a harsh light on the culture of St. Paul's, which Prout's family said turned a blind eye to an unofficial tradition known as the "senior salute," in which graduating students sought out younger students for sex.

Prout's family filed suit in June, charging the school did not do enough to protect her.

"We categorically deny that there ever existed at the school a culture or tradition of sexual assault," the school said in a statement on Tuesday. "However, theres no denying the survivor's experience caused us to look anew at the culture and environment."

St. Paul's said it had taken steps including upgrading security systems and providing new training to students and staff on preventing sex assault.

Prout spent three days testifying during the trial, acknowledging she had accepted Labrie's invitation to meet but saying she expected to kiss him and not go much further.

Defense lawyers said Labrie and the girl had a mutually flirtatious relationship and went on to have a consensual encounter that stopped short of intercourse.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Additional reporting by Laila Kearney in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Bill Trott)
By Sergio Goncalves and Andrei Khalip

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal will cut its 2016 budget deficit by enough to meet EU commitments and the economy will pick up pace, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Wednesday, brushing off criticism from an opposition leader who said his policies had failed.

The country narrowly avoided European sanctions after overshooting last year's deficit target with a gap of 4.4 percent of gross domestic product and now has to meet a goal of 2.5 percent goal set by Brussels for this year.

"Even with the current level of growth, we will have a deficit comfortably below 2.5 percent," Costa told reporters,

"We are confident about the recovery,"

In Wednesday's second GDP reading for April-June, the National Statistics Institute said the economy grew 0.3 percent from the previous quarter, up from the first estimate of 0.2 percent but far from the levels needed to achieve an acceleration this year.

The government has forecast this year's economic growth at 1.8 percent after 1.5 percent in 2015, but Portugal's creditors including the International Monetary Fund and many economists expect a slowdown to around 1 percent and say the country may require additional budget measures to meet its deficit goals.

Costa said he expected domestic demand - which contributed just 0.2 percentage points to second quarter growth - to pick up after his left-leaning minority Socialist government reversed some austerity measures of the previous administration.

He cited strong budget numbers in the first seven months of the year and a fall in unemployment in the second quarter, and said the government would accelerate the distribution of EU cohesion funds and keep working to stabilize the banking system and recapitalise companies.

The deputy leader of the main opposition party, former finance minister Maria Luis Albuquerque, said Wednesday's data showed the government's economic model had failed.

"Private consumption, which was supposed to be the engine of growth, is decelerating," she said, also highlighting that investment fell 3.1 percent, having risen 5.2 percent in the same period last year.

(Writing by Andrei Khalip; editing by John Stonestreet)
A Lyndon Station woman faces felony charges for allegedly running off with her own child, in violation of a divorce custody agreement.

The Sauk County District Attorneys Office on Tuesday filed charges of interfering with the custody of a child against Ashley N. Bloss after her ex-husband complained that the 24-year-old left for a trip with their child and didnt return.

According to the criminal complaint, Bloss scheduled an agreed trip with the child to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Then, during the trip, she allegedly called the father to say she was having car trouble and couldnt return the child to his Reedsburg home on time.

The father later found Department of Motor Vehicle records stating that Bloss had moved to Indiana, where she has family, on Aug. 5.

The father told authorities that he heard from other family members who said Bloss told them she had full custody and would not return the child.

The complaint states that the father contacted Bloss on Aug. 25 and that she told him he would have the child back the next day. However, she never set up a time to drop off the child and had no further contact with the father.

An officer with the LaPorte County jail in Indiana later told authorities that Bloss had been arrested and was incarcerated. Indianas Circuit Court website shows Bloss was issued a citation for disorderly conduct by creating unreasonable noise Aug. 18.

If she is convicted of interfering with the childs custody, Bloss could face up to 12  years in prison and $25,000 in fines.

A warrant has been filed for her arrest in Sauk County, and no court date has been set.
Gabonese opposition candidate Jean Ping greets supporters outside his campaign headquarters after proclaiming that he won the presidential election in Libreville, Gabon, August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Gerauds Wilfried Obangome

By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Three people were killed and up to 1,100 were arrested in Gabon on Thursday, the government said, in a second day of rioting over the announcement of President Ali Bongo's re-election and his main rival's accusation that the vote was rigged.

Opposition challenger Jean Ping accused the elections commission of inflating Bongo's score to hand him a slim victory and extend his family's nearly half-century rule in the oil-producing Central African country for another seven years.

Ping called on Bongo to step down.

Violent protests raged in at least nine neighborhoods of the capital Libreville, two witnesses and a police source said on Thursday, a day after demonstrators set fire to the parliament building following the results announcement.

"We want everyone to see, to tour the city, to witness the level of devastation, destruction, violence organized by certain politicians who do not want to recognize their defeat," Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya said.

He told a news conference that several television stations, supermarkets, shops, and private homes had been looted in Libreville and the city hall was targeted by arsonists. Violence erupted in several other cities and provinces as well, he said.

Moubelet Boubeya said protesters had used grenades and police had seized AK-47 assault rifles, an accusation an opposition spokesman rejected.

Gabon's sovereign dollar bonds fell across the curve with the 2024 and 2025 issue hitting a seven-week low on the back of the violence.

Ping told Reuters in an interview that two people were killed and others wounded when the presidential guard assaulted his party headquarters overnight.

He called for international assistance to protect the population against what he described as "a rogue state".

"The only solution is that Bongo recognizes defeat, because he was beaten," Ping later told France's BFM TV. He said that contesting the results through Gabon's constitutional court, the official channel for complaints, was pointless.

"The constitutional court, like Gabon's electoral commission, is a tool of the governing authority. They do what they are told to do," he said.

Bongo's office accused the Ping camp of planning "coordinated attacks on symbols of the state", adding that security forces had in response encircled Ping's headquarters and clashed with his supporters, resulting in one death.

WHO WON? WHO LOST?

"The elections gave their verdict. I know who won and who lost," Bongo, first elected in 2009 upon the death of his father Omar Bongo, Gabon's president for 42 years, told reporters on Thursday. "Who lost? A small group whose only aim is to take power for themselves."

The United Nations called for restraint. Former colonial ruler France, the United States and the European Union urged the authorities to release polling station results for greater transparency. Bongo's spokesman rejected the request.

"Transparency exists," Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze told BFM TV. "Those who want a bureau by bureau count will only be able to do this by going through the constitutional court."

On Thursday, a witness reported hearing gunfire and blasts in the Nkembo neighborhood, near Libreville's city center, while another saw protesters pillage shops, turn over rubbish bins to block streets and smash cars in the Avea neighborhood.

A heavy police and army presence was visible on the streets throughout the city.

"This is just a consequence of the current situation. This is because of the victory of Bongo against Jean Ping," said witness Alex Mbadinga, 32.

Libreville residents said the internet was cut on Thursday. Social media networks including Twitter and Facebook stopped functioning overnight. Earlier in the week, customs officials seized satellite telephones they said had been imported illegally.

PATRONAGE SYSTEM

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said there was no room for violence within the political process. "I'm calling, therefore, all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid additional victims."

The office of French President Francois Hollande also called for calm, which "means a process to ensure transparency in the election results".

Bongo won 49.80 percent of votes in Saturday's election against 48.23 percent for Ping, according to results read by Moubelet Boubeya on Wednesday. The announcement had been delayed by one day.

Bongo benefited from a patronage system lubricated by oil money ahead of the vote.

But economic headwinds caused by falling oil prices and crude production have led to budget cuts in one of Africa's statistically wealthiest nations, providing fuel for opposition charges that many ordinary Gabonese citizens have not enjoyed the fruits of oil wealth and suffered under his rule.

The government says it plans to diversify the economy through investments in manganese mining and cash crops like palm oil and rubber.

Ping, a political insider who has served as foreign minister and African Union Commission chairman, was a close ally of the late president and fathered two children with his daughter.

An EU observer mission criticized a "lack of transparency" among institutions running the election and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media.

(Additional reporting by Matthew Mpoke Bigg in Accra, Tim Cocks in Dakar, Joe Bavier in Abidjan and John Irish in Paris; Writing by Joe Bavier and Tim Cocks; Editing Mark Heinrich)
By Sabine Siebold

BERLIN (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is very close to releasing a tranche of aid that would unlock around $2 billion in extra money, Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk said on Tuesday.

A $17.5 billion bailout program has helped Ukraine pull itself out of two years of economic recession caused by a separatist conflict in its industrial east. But a third tranche has been delayed since last October due to political upheaval and patchy reform progress.

"We are very close and that's important for us because its an important signal for the markets, for investors and it unlocks other financial support," Danylyuk told Reuters in an interview in Berlin where he was due to meet his German counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble.

Danylyuk declined to be more specific on the timing of the tranche, originally envisaged worth $1.7 billion but now expected to be around $1 billion. But he said that once the IMF had released it, the Ukraine would receive $1 billion for the budget which would be guaranteed by the United States.

In addition, there would be other financial assistance of 600 million euros and some loans for purchasing gas.

Months of political infighting have held up IMF-backed legislative changes aimed at limiting the power of vested interests and modernizing the economy.

Danylyuk said the launch of an e-declaration system to improve transparency of the income and assets of public officials, linked to the IMF deal, would go smoothly after some problems this month.

"On Sept. 1 this system will be launched fully, which is in line with all our international obligations. And, what is more important, which is in line with our ambitions," he said.

Asked about what the effect would be if the IMF did not release the tranche, Danylyuk said he was not worried.

"We would have some payments which are due, which we could pay. We have no problems with that at the moment. The most important issue is that ... we need a decision of the board that our cooperation continues and that we are working as partners to implement reforms which are important for Ukraine."

Danylyuk said the Ukraine government was committed to implementing a wide-ranging reform agenda. First, an energy reform must be completed, including the full market liberalisation of the gas sector from April followed by a market reform of the electricity market.

Other priorities include overhauls in Ukraine's health and education systems, as well as a budget reform.

"We need (reforms) on a number of issues, we can't just do one reform a year," he said.

(Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
The Federal Cabinet has decided to maintain the petroleum products prices at existing level during the next month and introduce Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Bill 2016 in the National Assembly in the coming session.

Its meeting was held in Islamabad on Tuesdsay with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the chair.

Later, briefing newsmen on the decisions of the cabinet along with Minister for Information Pervaiz Rashid, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the meeting has approved a system for any change in petroleum prices. He said under the system Ogra will move a summary to Ministry of Petroleum and the Petroleum Ministry will sent it to Ministry of Finance Ministry after review. The Minister of Finance after reviewing its impact on the people will sent the summary to the Prime Minister who will take the final decision.

Finance Minister said under the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Bill 2016, the inquiry commission will be empowered in the light of the letter by Supreme Court Chief Justice.

The Federal Cabinet approved Prime Minister's Sustainable Development Goals Programme. It also ratified decisions of Cabinet Committee on Restructuring and Cabinet Committee on Privatisation.

Ishaq Dar said it also approved a scheme for medical treatment of poor and deserving citizens suffering from fatal diseases including kidney, liver, bone-marrow and cancer.

The Cabinet approved introduction of ten rupee coin and change of five rupee coin's metal composition.

It approved publication of tax directoris and extension of reduced withholding tax rate for non-filers upto 31st of December this year.

He said the meeting approved signing of initial draft for revision of Convention between Pakistan and Swiss Confederation for avoidance of double taxation. It accorded to third protocol to agreement with China for avoidance of double taxation.

He said the meeting ratified decisions taken by ECC in its latest meeting. It included that 0.4 percent withholding tax on non-filers will continue from 1st to 31st December.

He said Pakistan is going to sign multilateral convention of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on 14th of next month. He said under this convention Pakistan will be able to exchange information about bank accounts.

To a question, Ishaq Dar said he has tried his best to convene a meeting of TOR committee through National Assembly Speaker.
MADISON - Don Kanel, age 93, passed away early Wednesday morning, Aug. 17, 2016. He died very quietly in his sleep after a peaceful day in his room at Agrace HospiceCare.

Don was born in Bialystok, Poland, Jan. 25, 1923, to Moses (Mojzesz) Kanel and Beyla (Bejle) Kanel (Wolman). He came to the United States in 1938, at the age of 15 to live with his uncle in Far Rockaway, N.Y., where he finished high school. Most of his family was lost in the Holocaust during World War II.

In September of 1941, Don entered the University of Wisconsin. He once said "The University had a great influence on me, I came here as a Jewish Socialist from Eastern Europe and became a New Deal Progressive and a member of a much larger human community." Shortly after graduating from the University with a degree in Agricultural Economics, Don was diagnosed with tuberculosis and spent 1946-1949 in Lake View Sanatorium and the Lake Tomahawk State Camp recovering. Don grew to love the Northwoods and fishing during his time there.

In 1949, he returned to the University of Wisconsin to complete his M.S. and Ph.D. In 1963, Don joined the University of Wisconsin faculty in both the department of Agricultural Economics and the Land Tenure Center. His research, teaching and consulting took him to places such as Chandigarh, India, El Salvador, Santiago, Chile, and Botswana. Don said "The exposure to the third world and working as an adviser with many third world students helped me to appreciate how vital appropriate development is, not only to the third world but for the future of all of us." A former student shared, "Don helped all of us in the Land Tenure Center understand the role of European revolutions in liberating the peasantry from the bonds of feudalism. So simple, yet so profound." He loved astronomy, archaeology and the Northwoods. His children fondly remember the little bark boats he carved for them when they were small.

Don is survived by his children, Michael Kanel (Rebecca Cole) and Elizabeth Kanel (Edward Waddington); his beloved grandsons, Avery and William Kanel and Tristan and Galen Waddington; as well as his cousins in Canada, Israel and here in the United States; and his students from all over the world that he held in such high regard and with great affection. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ellen Kanel (Harding) in 1966; and his wife, Elisabeth Diaz Herrera (Bettina) in 2009.

A gathering of friends and family will be held at AGRACE HOSPICECARE, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Fitchburg, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.

Don's family wishes to thank the staff at Agrace HospiceCare for their warm and outstanding care and above all Sam Price, who cared for our father and his wife, Bettina, with such love and gentleness for many years. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Agrace HospiceCare, Wisconsin Public Radio, Jewish Social Services or the Holocaust Museum.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.
FITCHBURG - Chelsea Elizabeth-Anne Stahlke passed away suddenly while in Breckenridge, Colo. She truly became our angel on Aug. 24, 2016, after a long battle with an eating disorder. Chelsea was a strong advocate for the eating disorder community, and along with being an organ donor, she has helped countless lives while finding her way through this world.

Chelsea's compassion for others was incredible. She made a difference in the lives she touched, even those she'd just met. With her inviting smile, Chelsea was quick to introduce herself and share a hug; always open and honest about her own life, successes and faults. Her ability to listen deeply and love fully will be greatly missed.

Born in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, Chelsea lived most of her life in Madison, Wis. Taking the same educational path as her older brothers, she graduated from Madison West High and went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She poured her energy into a passion for writing, singing, and drawing.

Chelsea is survived by her loving parents, Faye and Nick; two brothers, Isaac and Ryan, and their wives, Amanda and Denali. She also leaves behind her two grandparents, Russ and Joyce Stahlke; her boyfriend, Michael Meloy; aunts, uncles, and a crap-load of cousins. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Paul and Mary 'Louise' Thiner.

A funeral service will be held at BLACKHAWK CHURCH, 9620 Brader Way, Middleton, on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, at 11 a.m. A visitation will be held at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison, on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and at church on Friday from 10 a.m. until time of service.

In lieu of flowers, and on behalf of Chelsea, become an organ donor, give blood, and/or join our walking team "Angel On Deck" at the Madison, WI NEDA Walk on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. The NEDA walk information can be found at http://nedawalk.org/madison2016.

To honor Chelsea and her stunning personality, please wear a splash of pink, her favorite color, to the visitation.

Please share your memories at www.CressFuneralService.com.
Quantities of methamphetamine, GBL and cannabis, and approximately $90,000 in cash, have been seized during drug raids in Otaki.

Members of the Manawatu Organised Crime Unit, Armed Offenders Squad, Asset Recovery Unit, and specialist dog unit were executing search warrants at two residential properties in the Otaki township on Friday, August 26.

Staff from other Police Districts were also utilised as part of the searches.

The cash was located at one of the addresses.

At the first address, a 47-year-old Otaki man was arrested and charged with possession methamphetamine for supply, possession ammunition, cultivation cannabis and possession cannabis.

Its likely that further charges will be filed once further examinations on items seized have been completed.

He has been remanded in custody to appear in the Levin District Court on Wednesday, September 14, 2016.

A 42-year-old Otaki woman was also arrested for breach of bail.

From the second address, a 27-year-old Otaki woman now faces 18 charges relating to the possession and supply of methamphetamine and GBL.

She has been remanded in custody to appear in the Levin District Court on Thursday, September 1, 2016.

These search warrants were executed due to concerns raised by the Otaki community," says Detective Sergeant Dave Thompson, of the Manawatu Organised Crime Unit.

"It is fantastic that we have this result for those people who have had enough of methamphetamine and other controlled drugs affecting their community.

"When people are driving past applauding while the warrant is being executed, then you know you are doing something right.

"I encourage people to come forward with what they see and hear about drug dealing in their community as the two warrants executed are examples of what can be achieved with the assistance of the community.

Anyone with information about any crime can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

As the matter is now before the courts, police are unable to provide further comment.

Source: New Zealand Police.
Recent data indicates the true extent of the appalling treatment patients with surgical mesh complications have had to endure and the government must act to prevent further suffering, says New Zealand First.

A survey of 200 patients who had surgical mesh complications found that 95% felt they had not been well informed of the possible risks, 93 per cent of patients had excruciating pain, and nearly half experienced mesh erosion and a recurrence of their original problems, including organ prolapse and hernias, says Health Spokesperson Barbara Stewart.

When patients told the surgeon they were having serious adverse effects 73% felt they werent taken seriously. Had they been listened to, intervention could have been earlier, preventing further debilitating symptoms. Most of the patients surveyed needed several corrective surgeries.

This week, the government accepted the recommendations of the Health Select Committee on a petition calling for an inquiry into the use of surgical mesh in New Zealand. New Zealand First applauds the petitioners for working tirelessly to bring this issue to light.

The government must fully implement the recommendations of the Heath Select Committee.

New Zealanders have suffered for long enough. The government must show leadership, says Mrs Stewart.

Source: Office of Barbara Stewart/New Zealand First.
Auckland Central District Police are appealing for members of the pubic to identify two individuals who burgled a Mt Wellington hardware store in July.

On the night of 14 and 15 July, a large number of power tools were taken during a burglary of Bunnings Warehouse in Mt Wellington.

Property taken included the popular Makita power tool brand.

The Tactical Crime Unit at Glenn Innes Police can confirm that initial inquiries have concluded the suspects are one male and one female.

Both are described as Maori or Polynesian.

The male was wearing clothing branded with the Dulux logo and the female is described as wearing a black patterned top with a grey scarf.

There will possibly be people in the community with knowledge of these burglaries and they might hold the key to solving this case.

Police believe the pair shown in the attached photograph can assist with their inquiries.

Any information involving the break in can be forwarded to Constable Nicola Clark from the Glen Innes Tactical Crime Unit on 09 526 7325 or by phoning Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 500 111.

Source: New Zealand Police.
A tourist to Tauranga is unlikely to have any flattering words to say about the city after he was assaulted in the CBD overnight.

A witness who called the 0800 SUNLIVEnews hotline today says the tourist suffered head injuries after being assaulted by a thug at the corner of The Strand and Harington Street at about 9.30pm.

Ambulance staff attending the incident assessed the tourist at the scene before transporting him to Tauranga Hospital with minor head injuries.

A police spokesperson confirms a 20-year-old man was arrested in relation to the incident about half an hour after the assault occurred.

The man will now faces a charge of assault with intent to injure when he appears in the Tauranga District Court on Friday.

The alleged offender will also face one charge of theft ex-person, but the police spokesperson couldnt confirm if it was in relation to last nights assault.

Unwittingly, the victim of last nights assault is now the third tourist to the Bay of Plenty to have been targeted by local criminals this week alone.

Two groups of tourists had property stolen from their campervans in two separate incidents in Rotorua on Monday. One campervan was broken into on Long Mile Road at about 12.20pm, while the other was broken into at Okere Falls at 2.30pm.

On this occasion tourists were targeted and we want them to remember New Zealand as a great place to visit not because they were a victim of crime, says a spokesperson.

Police are appealing to members of the community who have information about the thefts to contact their nearest police station or via the anonymous Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 hotline.
A new washing machine is expected to make a world of difference for the Tauranga Breast Cancer Support Service.

The service unwrapped their nearly donated machine from the Otumoetai Lions this morning.
Students at four Bay of Plenty schools will have the chance to learn Japanese in a nationwide programme to enable Kiwi students to learn Asian languages.

Te Puke High School, Te Puke Intermediate, Fairhaven School and Paengaroa School have been given $171,290 as part of the Governments Asian Language Learning in Schools fund.
Police are appealing for any information about two boats stolen from the Auckland area recently.

The first is a Fairlane 770, which was stolen from an Auckland property on August 30.
It will be a sudden change from building Bay houses to building playhouses for the regions top carpentry apprentice chosen this Friday.

The regional awards ceremony for the nationwide Registered Master Builders competition will determine who heads to Auckland in November for the national competition.
Abodo, a Madison company that helps renters find a place to live, has found more investment money and will add staff and move to bigger offices.

Abodo has raised $4.8 million in a round led by 4490 Ventures, an early-stage fund based in Madison. American Family Ventures and Flyover Capital, of Leawood, Kansas, also participated in the funding.

Founded in 2012, Abodo serves clients in 30 cities and expects to be in 60 cities by the end of 2017, said CEO and co-founder Alec Slocum.

Weve seen a significant amount of growth with our user base, Slocum said.

He said as many as 500,000 people a month are using Abodo to search out apartments, about six times as many as a year ago.

In the Madison area, 97,000 potential renters used Abodo last year, Slocum said.

The new funds will be used to add staff and expand the service geographically, he said.

Abodo also has added options. Potential renters can now search not only for an apartment, but also for a room to rent.

Slocum called that a common practice in some Southern states that is now getting attention here. A few of the newer buildings around the UW-Madison campus have implemented per-room or per-bed prices, he said.

The company also started a concierge-type service last fall that lets renters chat directly with an Abodo employee to help find apartments with certain features or in certain neighborhoods. The personalized service is handled over the renters smartphone, like texting, Slocum said.

A graduate of the gener8tor business accelerator, Abodo has 28 employees and expects to add 20 more, he said.

That means it will need more space, so the company plans to move in early October from its current location at 551 W. Main St. to the AT&T building, 316 W. Washington Ave. Abodo will lease half of the seventh floor from EatStreet.

Company revenue was not disclosed. Since it was founded, Abodo has raised more than $8 million.

Abodo is bringing innovation to a sector that has lacked significant innovation for decades, said Greg Robinson, 4490 Ventures managing director.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Development of the Syracuse Inner Harbor into a hotel, retail, office and residential complex is about to shift into a higher gear.

Cor Development Co., which recently completed construction of a 134-room Aloft Hotel at the harbor, has begun construction on the first of two retail and apartment buildings on the harbor's west bank. And it said it expects to begin construction by the end of the year on the first of three retail and office buildings on the east bank.

The company recently submitted plans to the Syracuse Planning Commission for the middle of three two-story, 31,000-square-foot commercial buildings at 425 Solar St. The first floor of the building will contain retail tenants and the second floor will contain office space.

No retail tenants have been announced yet, but the office space in the first building will be occupied by Cor itself. The development company plans to move its headquarters from Fayetteville to the new building.

Maggie Truax, speaking for Cor, said it will take approximately 20 months to complete the first building.

Cor plans to make enhancements to the promenade on the east bank as part of the development on that side of the harbor. A new walkway, with a circular brick area near the harbor's north pier, will be added to match the existing one near the south pier, according to the plans the company has submitted to the city.

An historic freight house that was moved from the harbor's south pier to the east bank years ago will be moved to the north bank to make room for the retail and office buildings.

In addition, Cor plans to begin construction this fall on a second hotel, a 123-room Element, an extended-stay hotel, next to the Aloft on the harbor's south bank. The Element is expected to open in the spring of 2018.

Cor recently began construction on the foundation for the first of two four-story buildings on the west bank, along Van Rensselaer Street. They will each contain retail on the first floor and 54 apartments on floors 2 through 4.

Development of the harbor, a former state Barge Canal terminal south of Onondaga Lake, is the realization of more than 25 years of planning. Repeated efforts by the state and the city to find a developer to transform the harbor into a commercial and residential attraction failed until Mayor Stephanie Miner's administration selected Cor in 2012.

Cor was selected after submitting plans for a $350 million development that includes two hotels, apartments, retail space and office space.

Not to be outdone, Destiny USA is rolling along on construction of a 209-room hotel a block north of the harbor. The hotel is being built along Hiawatha Boulevard, directly across the street from the Destiny USA shopping mall.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A man was injured early Wednesday morning after gunshots were fired at a home on Syracuse's North Side.

The Syracuse Police Department rushed to the 200 block of Helen Street after gunshots were fired, said Sgt. Richard Helterline, a police spokesman. When they arrived on the street, officers found an injured man and a home that appeared to have been struck by bullets, he said.

It is not clear if the man, 23, was injured by a bullet or shattering glass, Helterline said. He was transported to Upstate University Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

No suspect information is available.

Police asked anyone with information about the incident to call (315) 442-522 or submit anonymous tips through the SPD Tips app.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A Syracuse man has been arrested for allegedly selling Xanax pills to a teenager at the New York State Fair, police said.

Salman Khan

Salman Khan, 20, from Syracuse was arrested and charged today with fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, New York State Police said.

Police said Khan was selling Xanax pills to a 15-year-old at the fair in Syracuse. Xanax is a prescription drug usually used to treat anxiety and panic disorders.

Khan was arraigned in the Town of Geddes Court and remanded to the Onondaga County Justice Center in lieu of $25,000 cash or $50,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear back in court Sept. 12.



Reporter Kira Maddox covers Syracuse crime and cops. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter
Three men have been arrested in connection with a string of 20 burglaries in four counties that targeted Amish families while they worshipped in church on Sundays, the Columbia County Sheriffs Office said Wednesday.

It was disheartening to know these families were the victims, said Columbia County Sheriffs Detective Lt. Roger Brandner. They are good people and weve never had problems with them.

The burglars used the internet and other sources to identify areas with concentrations of Amish, then broke into their homes on three straight Sundays, Brandner said.

They did a little research on the Amish and they also know about the Amish in their communities, Brandner said. The Amish dont miss church on Sundays and their services go on for a couple of hours.

The three who were arrested  two Portage residents and one from Pardeeville  have cooperated with deputies, who searched two homes and two cars to recover 25 guns, five safes and between $4,000 and $5,000 that had been reported stolen by the families, Brandner said.

All guns reported stolen have been secured, he said. All of the property  including coins, bows, jars and difficult-to-replace land documents  was being returned to owners.

The investigation is continuing, with more burglary reports coming in as recently as Wednesday, he said.

Columbia County Sheriff Dennis Richards said the investigation began Sunday, Aug. 14, when multiple burglaries were reported in the north-central part of the county.

On the next Sunday, Aug. 21, more were reported in Marquette and Columbia counties, followed by numerous additional reports last Sunday in Vernon and Monroe counties. Each case involved homes of Amish people, Richards said.

After deputies received descriptions of suspicious vehicles seen near some of the burglaries, they arrested Grant G. Pulver, 21, and Alex A. Moulton, 20, both of Portage; and Dylan J. Bartaczewicz, 20, of Pardeeville, Richards said.

The three were tentatively charged with felony burglary, Richards said. Deputies from all four counties worked jointly on the case.
Bobby Gutkaiss main.JPG

Robert "Bobby" Gutkaiss

(New York State Police)

STEPHENTOWN, N.Y. - Bobby Gutkaiss was 15 years old when he went out to a berry patch at Pease Farm, a farm east of Albany in Rensselaer County. It was his first - and last - day of work.

Robert "Bobby" Gutkaiss' mother called police and told them her son never came home that Thursday night on June 30, 1983, police said. The owner of the farm told police he last saw Bobby walking north on Route 22 after his work day ended at 6 p.m., police said.

A police car in 1983 parks on the road where Gutkaiss' body was found.

Bobby's body was found eight days later on July 8 after a foul odor was reported by a logging road in the same town. His death was ruled a homicide.

Thirty-three years later, New York State Police investigators are still trying to figure out who killed the teenager. They released information about the case this week as part of a State Police's series on cold cases.

There are currently no suspects and no new details on a cause of death, said State Police Senior Investigator John Camp.

At the time, police believed the boy had been sexually assaulted and killed, according to a 1993 Schenectady Daily Gazette article. Police looked at several suspects, including family members, but no one was arrested, the paper reported.

Serial killer Lewis Lent was once a suspect, Camp said. Lent is well known in Central New York for abducting and killing Sarah Anne Wood on Aug. 18, 1993, while she was riding a bicycle in Herkimer County. He's also admitted to killing a 12-year-old boy in 1990 and a 16-year-old boy in 1992, both in Massachusetts.

With cold cases, police are often left reviewing information they've already gathered - re-interviewing witnesses and family, re-examining evidence using new technology - while waiting for someone to come forward with more information, Camp said.

"Some people back in the day may have had information they thought wasn't important or they may have been afraid to come in and give us," Camp said.

New York State Police asked anyone with information about Gutkaiss to call the police headquarters at (518) 783-3211.



Reporter Kira Maddox covers Syracuse crime and cops. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter
PeterOstrum.jpg

Peter Ostrum played Charlie Bucket in the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

(Provided photo)

Peter Ostrum played Charlie Buckets in the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

Upstate New York's Peter Ostrum, best known for his role as Charlie Bucket in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," is mourning the loss of Gene Wilder.

Ostrum was 12 when he was cast in the 1971 movie musical, based on Roald Dahl's book, as the boy who gets a golden ticket to meet the famed candyman. It still remains his only acting credit; Ostrum, 58, is now a veterinarian specializing in dairy cattle and horses in Lowville, N.Y., 85 miles north of Syracuse.

But the film remains a big part of his life, and Wilder's death Sunday hit him personally.

"It's kind of like losing a parent," Ostrum told Variety. "You know it's going to happen, but it's still a shock. He was not in good health at the end and it was not unexpected by any means, but when it happens it hits you like, 'Gene is gone and there will never be anyone like him again.'"

Ostrum also told The Hollywood Reporter that Wilder was a "great teacher" who treated him with "respect, like a fellow actor." He also showed a true dedication to his craft, often surprising the cast of children with improvised scenes like losing his cane and somersaulting on the red carpet outside the Wonka Factory.

"We had no idea that he was going to do that," Ostrum told THR. "How he came up with that idea and passed it along to Mel Stuart, our director, that was between those two. But you're seeing a genuine reaction."

Wilder was nominated for two Oscars and starred in Mel Brooks films like "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein," but "Willy Wonka" may be the role that continues to connect with new audiences. (Sorry, Johnny Depp.) On Monday, fans briefly updated Ostrum's Wikipedia page to say he "inherited a chocolate factory" after Wilder's death.

"My gut feeling is that Willy Wonka wasn't his favorite role," Ostrum told Variety. "But that's the role now that people across the generations remember him for."

The former child star celebrated the film's 45th anniversary earlier this year in Seneca Falls, telling syracuse.com he has no regrets about not pursuing an acting career after the movie.

Everybody could be so lucky to have an experience like this and then to go in a completely different direction," Ostrum said.
medmarijuana.jpg

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York announced today it is authorizing nurse practitioners to prescribe medical marijuana and taking other steps to expand the state's 9-month-old medical marijuana program.

The state will allow home delivery of medical marijuana and expand a financial hardship waiver for patients who cannot afford the $50 state fee required to register and get a medical marijuana card.

The state Health Department also said it may allow patients with chronic intractable pain to qualify for medical marijuana. It expects to make a final decision in 90 days on whether to add chronic intractable pain to the list of 10 conditions that can be treated with medical marijuana in New York.

New York has one of the most restrictive medical marijuana programs in the nation. The state said the changes will make it easier to get medical marijuana In New York.

Nurse practitioners are currently authorized to prescribe painkillers and other drugs. The state said allowing them to prescribe medical marijuana will help patients in rural counties. There are 17 Upstate counties without any doctors who prescribe medical marijuana.

As of June 15, there were 32 Central New York doctors participating in the program -- 26 in Onondaga County, five in Oswego, one in Madison and none in Cortland and Cayuga. There were 121 Onondaga County residents certified for medical marijuana.

The proposed regulations allowing nurse practitioners to prescribe will be published in the New York Register Sept. 14 and will be subject to a 45-day public comment period.

The state said it will allow home delivery because many patients with serious health conditions cannot leave their homes and have difficulty getting medical marijuana. The department will send information within the next week to dispensaries outlining requirements for home delivery.

The state has come under criticism for not publishing a list of doctors around the state participating in the medical marijuana program. The department said it is considering adding a public list of the doctors on its website. It will contact all participating doctors in the next 30 days to determine if they are willing to have their names listed publicly.

The state also plans to register five additional medical marijuana growers over the next two years to meet growing patient demand.

Medical marijuana is only available in New York to patients with these conditions: cancer, HIV/AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury with spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathy and Huntington's disease.

In addition to one of those conditions, patients also must have one or more of these complications: wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, or severe or persistent muscle spasms.

Contact James T. Mulder anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-470-2245
crimescenetape.jpg

A Cornell University college student from the state of Washington was found dead in an off-campus apartment Tuesday, according to a university statement.

Dead is Darryl Wu, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, Cornell officials said in the statement released Wednesday.

The Ithaca Police Department is investigating, but foul play is not suspected, university officials said.

Wu's body was found in a Collegetown Center apartment at 115 Dryden Road, several blocks away from where an Ithaca College student was stabbed to death early Sunday morning on the Cornell campus.

Ithaca police have not announced any arrest in the Sunday night killing that happened after a student party at Cornell's Willard Straight Hall. The student killed was Anthony Nazaire, a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in business administration from New Brooklyn.

Cornell University statement on death of Darryl Wu

It is with deep sadness that I inform you that we have lost a member of the Cornell community.

Darryl Wu '18, an upperclassman in the College of Arts and Sciences, was found dead at his apartment in Collegetown Tuesday, Aug. 30. The Ithaca Police Department is investigating, but foul play is not suspected.

Originally from Bellevue, Washington, Darryl truly was an exceptional student, excelling in linguistics and mathematics, but first and foremost he was a beloved son, brother and friend.

As we struggle to make sense of this loss, I encourage you to reach out to others for support and avail yourselves of the support services listed below.

On behalf of the Cornell community, I extend our heartfelt condolences to Darryl's friends and family, including his brother Darren '16.

Hunter R. Rawlings III

Interim President
Enrique Pena Nieto,Donald Trump

Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump shake hands after a joint statement at Los Pinos, the presidential official residence, in Mexico City, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Trump is calling his surprise visit to Mexico City Wednesday a 'great honor.' The Republican presidential nominee said after meeting with Pena Nieto that the pair had a substantive, direct and constructive exchange of ideas.

(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Standing alongside the president of Mexico, a measured Donald Trump on Wednesday firmly defended the right of the United States to build a massive border wall along its southern flank but declined to repeat his frequent promise to force Mexico to pay for it.

Trump, the U.S. presidential candidate who is widely despised across Mexico, also sidestepped his repeated criticism of Mexican immigrants following a closed-door meeting at the official residence of the country's president, Enrique Pena Nieto. Trump and Pena Nieto, who has compared the New York billionaire to Adolf Hitler, addressed reporters from adjacent podiums flanked by a Mexican flag.

"We did discuss the wall. We didn't discuss payment of the wall," Trump said.

In his announcement of his presidential candidacy last year, Trump derided Mexico as a source of rapists and criminals coming to the U.S., and his presence on Wednesday sparked anger and protests across the capital city. A former Mexican president bluntly told the celebrity businessman that, despite Pena Nieto's hospitality, he was not welcome.

"We don't like him. We don't want him. We reject his visit," former President Vicente Fox told CNN, calling the trip a "political stunt."

Pena Nieto was less combative as he addressed reporters alongside Trump. He acknowledged the two men had differences, but he described their conversation as "open and constructive." They shook hands as the session ended.

The trip, a politically risky move for Trump 10 weeks before America's presidential Election Day, came just hours before the Republican nominee was to deliver a highly anticipated speech in Arizona about illegal immigration. That has been a defining issue of Trump's presidential campaign, but also one on which he's appeared to waver in recent days.

After saying during his Republican primary campaign he would use a "deportation force" to expel all of the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally, Trump suggested last week he could soften that stance. But he still says he plans to build a huge wall -- paid for by Mexico -- along the two nations' border. He is under pressure to clarify just where he stands in a speech that's been rescheduled several times as he and his staff has sent varied and conflicting messages on the issue.

"The American people are going to see more clearly that there's one candidate in this race who's prepared to take the steps necessary to end the flood of illegal immigration," Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, said Wednesday on CNN.

Trump will also make clear, Pence later told CBS, "that there will be no path to legalization, no path to citizenship. People will need to leave the country to be able to obtain legal status or obtain citizenship."

The buildup to the speech was abruptly interrupted Tuesday night by the news that Trump would visit Mexico, accepting on short notice an invitation offered last week by Pena Nieto. The newspaper El Universal wrote in an editorial that Trump "caught Mexican diplomats off guard."

Campaigning in Ohio earlier in the day, Democrat Hillary Clinton jabbed at Trump's Mexican appearance as she promoted her own experience working with foreign leaders as the nation's chief diplomat.

"People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you won't say one thing one day and something totally different the next," she told the American Legion in Cincinnati. "And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again."

He has promised, if elected, to deport millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally, force Mexico to build a wall to secure the nearly 2,000-mile border and renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement to make it more favorable to the United States.

Pena Nieto made his invitation to both Trump and Clinton, who met with him in Mexico in 2014. The inclusion of Trump puzzled many in Mexico, who said it wasn't clear why their own unpopular president would agree to meet with someone so widely disliked in his country.

Mexico City-based security analyst Alejandro Hope suggested that Pena Nieto "wanted to invite Hillary, but that meant inviting both of them, and nobody thought Trump would accept first."

Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's immigration policies, particularly the Republican's plans to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it. In a March interview, he said that "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would do so and compared Trump's language to that of dictators Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Trump responded to Vicente Fox's criticism on Twitter earlier in the day, saying the former president had, like Pena Nieto, invited him to come. Fox shot back with a tweet of his own, saying he had invited Trump to "come and apologize to all Mexicans. Stop lying! Mexico is not yours to play with, show some respect."
Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks on Aug. 27, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. Trump promises on Twitter that he'll make a major speech on illegal immigration on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016.

(AP Photo / Gerald Herbert)

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) -- In a surprise move, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before the Republican delivers a highly anticipated speech on immigration.

Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday night to say he looks "very much forward" to meeting with the Mexican leader. Pena Nieto's office confirmed the meeting with its own tweet, saying the two men would meet privately.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

The unexpected trip comes as Trump seeks to clarify his stand on illegal immigration, a contentious issue that has been a centerpiece of his Republican presidential campaign. Trump has long called for deporting people currently living in the U.S. illegally and building a wall along the country's border with Mexico.

But in meetings recently with Hispanic supporters, Trump has suggested he could be open to changing the hardline approach he outlined during the GOP primaries. After one such roundtable this month, his new campaign manager said Trump's stance on deportations was "to be determined."

In the days since, Trump and his staff have broadcast varied and conflicting messages, with Trump himself saying one day he might be open to "softening" his stance, and days later saying he might, in fact, be "hardening."

Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's original immigration policy, particularly the Republican's insistence that Mexico would pay for the border wall. In a March interview, Pena Nieto said that "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would do so.

In the same interview, Pena Nieto compared Trump's language to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying it had hurt U.S.-Mexico relations. Former Mexican Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon have also alluded to Hitler in describing Trump.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a close Trump adviser, has been among those pushing Trump to make the trip to Mexico, according to a person familiar with their conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss them publicly. Christie made his own successful trip to Mexico City in September 2014 and has a warm relationship with the Mexican president.

Pena Nieto extended invitations to visit Mexico to both Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton last week. The Washington Post first reported Tuesday that Trump was considering making the trip to Mexico.

The New Yorker didn't mention the trip and didn't spend much time discussing illegal immigration during an evening rally outside Seattle, although he teased his scheduled speech on immigration that's set for Wednesday evening in Phoenix.

"We are also going to secure our border and stop the drugs from pouring in and destroying our country," he said. "And I'll be talking about that tomorrow night in Arizona. Big speech on immigration. We'll be talking about that in Arizona tomorrow night."

Trump's short stop in Mexico would mark his second visit to a foreign country during his campaign. Earlier this summer, Trump traveled to Scotland to attend the re-opening of one of his golf resorts, but notably didn't meet with any U.K. political leaders while there.

The Republican has faced a torrent of criticism from Clinton, a former secretary of state, about his preparedness to lead on the world stage. Several Republican foreign policy experts have also warned that Trump is unprepared for the numerous international issues that land on a president's desk.

Clinton's campaign has urged voters to not "be fooled" by what it calls Trump's attempts to disguise his immigration policies.

"Donald Trump will be who he has always been: Donald Trump," the campaign said in an email Tuesday night.
Marco Rubio

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. primary election party, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Kissimmee, Fla.

(John Raoux | AP)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy each easily won their Senate primaries Tuesday, setting up a November showdown that's guaranteed to be nasty as each party grapples for a majority in the chamber.

Rubio, who decided at the last second to seek a second term, easily fended off millionaire homebuilder Carlos Beruff and Murphy used the backing of President Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders to defeat U.S. Rep Alan Grayson, who was counting on his party's most faithful liberal voters to overcome Murphy's money and establishment support.

In other races, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown lost a primary as she faces felony fraud charges. She was one of the first African-Americans elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who recently resigned as Democratic National Committee chair, won her primary -- the first tough race since being elected to Congress in 2004.

Rubio's and Murphy's victory speeches set the tone for the Senate race.

"Marco Rubio is the worst of Washington because he puts himself first every time. He gave up on his job. He gave up on Florida. He earned the worst voting record for any Florida senator in 50 years," Murphy said shortly after polls closed.

Rubio spoke about an hour later and said Murphy has lied about his education and his career and is only successful because of his wealthy father.

"How can someone with that kind of record think he can be elected to the U.S. Senate? The answer is he has a sense of entitlement, because when everything you've ever had in your life is given to you, you think you deserve it all," Rubio said.

Rubio had declared during his failed presidential campaign that he would not run again for Senate. But he nearly cleared what had been a crowded GOP field with his last-minute turnabout.

Beruff rolled the dice to see if the anti-establishment mood powering Donald Trump's presidential campaign could send him to Washington as well. But after spending $8 million of his own money and going nowhere in the polls, he essentially shut down his campaign ahead of the primary.

"I voted for Marco only because I've been a longstanding supporter," said Diane Martin-Johnson, 66, after voting early Tuesday in Pinellas Park. "It's unfortunate he didn't do his job fully in Washington this term. I do think he deserves another chance. He thought he was doing the right thing (by running for president). That's my only complaint against him. He's a good man."

Murphy, a former Republican, quickly earned party support and raised significantly more money. He was also backed by Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. Grayson, a fiery liberal known for brash comments and hamstrung by a difficult divorce, relied mostly on small donors and feuded with party leaders.

Todd Martin, 53, and his 18-year-old daughter Haley, voted together in Tallahassee, where they recently moved as she starts college. They both chose Murphy, in part because they like his efforts to get government to address algae outbreaks near their former home in Vero Beach.

"I grew up on the river and it's a shame what they let happen," Todd Martin said. "I like where Patrick Murphy stands on the algae. It's very important to me."

More than 1.75 million Floridians already cast ballots by mail or at early-voting stations before polls opened Tuesday.

This year's primary turnout could top ones held in 2012 and 2014-- a sign that competitive races for Congress and the Florida Legislature could be driving up turnout this time around.

Wasserman Schultz easily beat Tim Canova, a Bernie Sanders-backed law professor who was able to raise more than $3 million in a primary colored by leaked emails revealing that DNC officials had worked against Sanders to favor Hillary Clinton in the presidential race.

Brown lost to longtime state lawmaker Al Lawson, who has previously run for Congress.

Democrats hope to gain seats in Florida's heavily Republican House delegation after court-mandated redistricting chipped away the advantages of some incumbents.

Florida had to rip up and redraw its congressional maps after they were found to violate the state constitution's provision requiring compact districts that don't favor incumbents or political parties. That spurred one of the state's most heavily contested congressional election years. Several races will essentially be decided in the primary and Florida will eventually send at least seven new House members to Washington.

Republicans now outnumber Democrats 17-10 in the state's congressional delegation. If Democrats sweep all four seats seen as competitive in November, that Republican advantage could be reduced to 14-13.

One of those is now held by U.S. Rep. David Jolly, a Republican who was expected to win Tuesday, but who would then have to beat former Gov. Charlie Crist, who used to be a Republican but is now a Democrat.
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A 15-year-old was arrested Monday with a loaded handgun that had been reported stolen from an unlocked pickup truck on Glacier Circle two weeks earlier, Madison police said.

The teen-ager had been seen pacing outside the BP gas station, 6202 Schroeder, police said in a press release Wednesday. A second young man fled as officers arrived and the 15-year-old was arrested.

Officers said they found an additional magazine containing seven bullets and marijuana in his waistband and pockets.
Final scores: Week 10's high school football games on the Treasure Coast

Football teams hit field Thursday and Friday for Week 10 with SSAC playoffs beginning and District 12-4S title game between Treasure Coast and Vero.
UW-Madison officials say several new initiatives they have launched in a bid to improve the racial climate on campus will not stifle free speech, criticizing as a false choice the idea that making the university more inclusive means limiting the exchange of ideas that is at its heart.

But at least one professor and First Amendment advocate says he is concerned an aspect of UW-Madisons policies could have just that effect.

Many students and professors, who start classes on Tuesday, will be required to take part in inclusivity training and other programs this fall, launched after a string of protests and racist incidents last spring brought national attention to the university.

Along with a previously announced cultural competency program for 1,000 incoming students, campus officials said Wednesday that teaching assistants and dorm house fellows will also be required to take part in new training. Chancellor Rebecca Blank has directed all academic departments to hold similar diversity programs for faculty and staff, as well.

In other changes this year, UW-Madison will open a new center for black students in the campus Red Gym, and increase mental health services by hiring additional staff. Those measures were among the goals of student activists who have pushed UW administrators to improve the experiences of minorities at the predominantly white university.

The new programs, resources and training aim to make students of color and others feel more comfortable at UW-Madison, Blank said, and to prevent the kinds of high-profile incidents the campus saw last spring, which included students heckling a Native American ceremony and others taping swastikas to a Jewish students dorm room door.

What they wont do, Blank said, is limit free speech.

Im confident we can be a diverse and an inclusive community while also continuing our commitment to free speech, she said.

UW-Madison has been one of several institutions thrust into a national debate over what steps colleges should take to make sure all students feel welcome on campus, and the point at which those efforts could limit important classroom debates and veer into censorship.

At UW, where a plaque on Bascom Hall touts the universitys commitment to the fearless sifting and winnowing of ideas, free speech and inclusion are not mutually exclusive, said Patrick Sims, the campus vice provost for diversity and climate.

People who try to set those up against each other I think are not fully understanding what universities are and how they can best function, Blank said.

Tyriek Mack, a student who has taken part in several campus demonstrations, said new training programs and activists efforts do not seek to police what people can or cant say. Instead, Mack said, they are meant to show students how what they say can have an impact on marginalized groups.

I dont think you need to limit other peoples speech, Mack said. I do think people need to become more open-minded  about how the things they say can affect other people.

Rather than limiting free speech on campus, Blank argued that making UW-Madison more inclusive will further open it, because faculty, staff and students must feel welcome in order to take part in the risky research or contentious debates that fuel a university.

You have to feel comfortable to engage in that conversation, she said.Donald Downs  a UW-Madison professor who helped craft a statement passed by the universitys governing board last fall affirming UWs support for the open exchange of all ideas, even those that are offensive  said he respects officials efforts to make the campus more inclusive.

But Downs found some of their methods troubling.

He pointed to a campus website for reporting incidents of hate and bias that defines those incidents as single or multiple acts toward an individual, group, or their property that have a negative impact and that one could reasonably conclude are based on someones race, sexual orientation, religion or several other factors.

The phrase negative impact, Downs said, is way too broad, and could be interpreted to mean that anyone who expresses certain ideas could face discipline from the university. That fear limits discussion, he said.

People are not going to be talking to each other about anything that matters, Downs said. The wrong kind of bias reporting procedures can certainly do that.UW-Madison officials also have not released details of the curriculum for their new training programs. Its those specifics, Downs said, that will ultimately determine whether those efforts fulfill administrators goal of fostering a campus of inclusion and free expression.

It really boils down to how this stuff is applied, Downs said. Theres concern there, given how these things have worked out around the country.
Doug Smith and his wife, Lisa Smith, celebrate Tuesday at the Kona Beach Cafe in Jensen Beach after Doug Smith won the Republican primary for the Martin County Commission District 1 seat. He will face write-in candidate Chase Lurgio in the general election on November 8. (JEREMIAH WILSON/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

By Lidia Dinkova of TCPalm

MARTIN COUNTY  The power of incumbency was evident Tuesday, when four-term incumbent Doug Smith won the Martin County Commission District 1 primary, holding off challenger Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch.

Smith was first elected in 2000. He still must face write-in candidate Chase Lurgio, an 18-year-old Jensen Beach High School student, in the Nov. 8 general election. Lurgio's name won't appear on the ballot.

Thurlow-Lippisch, who even before her candidacy was recognized in the community as an advocate for a clean St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon, had mounted an ardent campaign. She outraised and outspent Smith. Thurlow-Lippisch raised about $148,406, more than Smith's $112,425; she spent about $148,047, more than the $100,979 he spent, according to campaign finance reports.

Yet, Smith still won re-election.

Smith is pro-business. On several votes, he strayed from the commission majority and voted in favor of proposed developments. In 2015, he was the only commissioner voting against rejecting the proposed mixed-use Pitchford's Landing project in Jensen Beach. Earlier that year he was one of only two on the board to support a customs facility at Witham Field.

Smith gained some significant endorsements during his campaign, including the Martin County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics, the union representing most of the county fire rescue staff. He opposed a county consultant's recommendation to create an independent fire district, and so did the county firefighters union. An independent fire district is separate from the county and municipalities, with its own budget and board.

In recent years Smith argued against increasing taxes, voting against a 2.3 percent property-tax-rate increase for fiscal year 2015-16 and also against a 6 percent Florida Power & Light Co. franchise fee, implemented at the beginning of 2016.

Smith, instead, has argued for a comprehensive plan for the county to pay off its infrastructure-maintenance backlog.
Debbie Mayfield, candidate for state senate, has been campaigned all day in Indian River and Brevard counties, holding signs and greeting voters. At 5 p.m., Mayfield was at the Church at Viera waving to voters. (MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)

By Melissa E. Holsman of TCPalm

VERO BEACH  Investing a half-million of her own money into an ambitious bid to represent Indian River County in the Florida Senate paid off for Debbie Mayfield.

Voters overwhelmingly selected Mayfield over rival Ritch Workman in a particularly nasty GOP primary between two state representatives; Melbourne physician assistant Mike Thomas came in third.

The pricey and contentious contest inspired a slew of political and personal attack ads Mayfield, Workman and outside groups lobbed at each other in demeaning tweets, Facebook posts, TV spots, mail pieces and PAC websites.

The race for District 17, which encompasses all of Indian River and the southern half of Brevard, was one of the area's most expensive, garnering nearly $2 million in combined campaign cash, according to state records.

Mayfield, 59, of Vero Beach, and Workman, 43, of Melbourne, both served eight years in the Florida House and were barred by term limits from seeking re-election.

Mayfield, a 20-year resident of Indian River, succeeded her late husband, Stan, in the Florida House in 2008. She's relocating to Brevard, where husband Robert Scaringe has a home.

She and Workman once collaborated on a range of mutual issues, but any camaraderie the two enjoyed evaporated over the past year as the rhetoric and political jabs turned personal. Mayfield in part has criticized Workman for pandering to party leadership while he's blasted her as being a mediocre lawmaker, who failed to pass key initiatives.

Aside from $500,000 of her own money, Mayfield collected about $175,000 in donations, which put her well behind Workman, who used his campaign account and a political action committee to raise a staggering $1.2 million, according to state records.

Mayfield has said she will continue to push the agenda she championed for nearly a decade in Tallahassee. She opposes All Aboard Florida, has stood against Common Core and has said she will continue to protect ratepayers against increased power and utility bills. She also supports having an elected education commissioner.

Mayfield too, has said as a state senator, part of her job would be to champion solutions to stop polluted Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers that have triggered toxic algae blooms and attracted national headlines.

On Nov. 8, Mayfield will face Democrat Amy Tidd and write-in candidate Ronald Julian Thomas; however, Thomas' name will not appear on the ballot.
Florida House of Representatives District 54 candidate Erin Grall, (center), along with her husband, Michael Bielecki (right), celebrate her win in Tuesday's primary election at their home in Vero Beach. Grall won the Republican primary over challengers Dale Glading, Greg MacKay and Lange Sykes. She will face write-in candidate James Bailey, whose name will not appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. To see more photos, go to TCPalm.com. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

By Melissa E. Holsman of TCPalm

Attorney Erin Grall, who won a four-way GOP primary for a Florida House seat Tuesday, is expected to have an even easier win Nov. 8.

Her only competition for District 54, which represents Indian River County and a small part of northern St. Lucie County, is write-in candidate James Bailey, whose name will not appear on the ballot. Incumbent Rep. Debbie Mayfield cannot run because of term limits.

The primary topped $580,000 in combined political donations. Grall, 39, a Vero Beach native and part owner of a family legal firm, won despite being out-funded by businessman Lange Sykes, who ponied up $12,000 of his own money and collected $279,178 in campaign cash, records show. Grall pitched in $25,000 of her own money and raised $223,930.

It was Grall's first primary victory in her second run at state office. Like last time, this race featured plenty of last-minute political hits against Sykes and Grall paid for by outside groups. In 2010, Grall, then 32, endured a flurry of negative attacks on her and her profession in a race she lost by 280 votes against three Brevard County men for a House seat centered there.

This time, Grall garnered a wealth of support from the local legal community and from top GOP leaders.

She also picked up endorsements from Florida Senate President-elect Joe Negron, R-Stuart; Carole Jean Jordan, a former Republican Party chairwoman and Indian River County tax collector; and Indian River County Clerk of the Court Jeff Smith, according to Grall's website.

Long considered a champion of children's issues, Grall has led several nonprofits including the United Way, and has said she will take her expertise to Tallahassee and focus on programs such as early learning initiatives.

During her campaign, Grall told voters she wants to enact a communitywide initiative designed to have 90 percent of third-graders reading at grade level by 2018.

She also vowed to continue Mayfield's work trying to crack down on the Florida Municipal Power Agency, especially when it comes to disclosing its financial information.

On the water crisis, Grall has given conditional support for the state acquiring land south of Lake Okeechobee to build a reservoir with money from Amendment 1. But she's questioned whether that will halt the discharges that pumped toxic algae into the St. Lucie River, Indian River Lagoon and some Atlantic beaches this year.

In choosing Grall, voters also rejected physician Gregory MacKay of Indian River Shores and minister Dale Glading of Vero Beach.
WASHINGTON  The general-election race between Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Patrick Murphy promises to be a nationally watched brawl that will attract millions in outside money and could well determine control of the Senate next year.

In other words, it's shaping up to be your typical Florida Senate race.

Both combatants easily won their respective primaries Tuesday night.

Rubio crushed tart-tongued businessman Carlos Beruff 72 percent to 19 percent, despite criticism from Beruff that Rubio didn't get behind GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump enthusiastically enough.

Murphy dispatched fellow congressman Alan Grayson 59 percent to 18 percent even after questions about the 33-year-old Murphy's resume and inexperience.

But even as the first votes were being cast or mailed earlier this month, the eventual winners and their allies had begun to pivot toward November.

Murphy repeatedly has blasted Rubio for breaking his oft-repeated pledge not to seek re-election and for missing dozens of votes while campaigning for president. Rubio has echoed media reports saying Murphy exaggerated his work experience.

Each candidate also says the other shares blame for Congress' failure to pass a funding bill to combat the Zika virus. That's a potent issue in a state that's ground zero for the disease, which causes severe brain defects in babies.

Polls show Rubio with an early but narrow advantage over Murphy. But the presidential race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton figures to cast a large shadow on the Senate race.

Clinton maintains a small but consistent lead over the real estate mogul in Florida, which analysts say should keep Murphy within striking distance of the well-known and generally popular Rubio as Election Day approaches on Nov. 8.

Murphy is expected to spend the next 10 weeks trying to tie Rubio closely to Trump. Democrats think Trump's past incendiary comments about Hispanics and his hardline stance on immigration will turn off a key segment of Florida voters, and the spillover will harm Rubio.

Rubio says he supports Trump, whom he disparaged as a 'con man' on the presidential campaign trail. But he still emphasizes their many policy differences.

His campaign sees an advantage in linking Murphy to Clinton, who is battling integrity issues among voters in Florida and across the country. Polls indicate more Florida voters have an unfavorable view of Clinton (as well as Trump).

Another factor that could work in Rubio's favor: If deep-pocketed GOP donors conclude by mid-October that Trump has no chance to win the presidency, expect them to start flooding Senate races in an attempt to keep Congress in Republican hands.

Either way, Floridians should brace for an avalanche of attention this fall.
By Laurie K. Blandford of TCPalm

MARTIN COUNTY  Experience and marketing won out over fresh ideas in the tax collector's race.

Martin County voters re-elected 65-year-old Palm City resident Ruth Pietruszewski to her third term Tuesday night.

Pietruszewski outspent opponents Joe Sesta and Caroline Barca, using more of her own money than they did. She spent more than $62,000  about $15,000 more than Barca and $47,000 more than Sesta, according to campaign finance reports.

Pietruszewski touted her success in bringing the office into the digital age. Everything used to be done by hand on spreadsheets, and now a few computer clicks make the process more efficient, she said.

Her opponents, both 51-year-olds who never have run for political office, had ideas for how they could improve customer service and increase revenue for the office.

Barca, a Jensen Beach resident, said her business experience making money gave her an advantage while Sesta, of Palm City, said his years handling taxpayer money as the fleet manager for the Sheriff's Office gave him an advantage.

Both wanted to buy the Grant Street Group's new software that's used by 23 Florida tax collectors, including those in St. Lucie and Indian River counties. Pietruszewski dismissed the idea as too expensive: $500,000 to buy and $250,000 annually for the license. She said the West Florida Business Systems' software, which costs $75,000 annually and is used by three other Florida tax collectors, works fine.
Sandy Smith, New Horizons receptionist Susan Brown and Peggy Hahn, Sandy's mom.

SHARE

By Lisa Rymer of TCPalm

Sandy Smith of Vero Beach crocheted 14 beautiful lap blankets for the children at New Horizons Mental Health, Primary Care and Substance Abuse.

This is the second time she has graced New Horizons with the afghans.

Sandy and her husband were foster parents and adopted three chidren, all of them older in age.

"When older kids are not adopted, they often end up with mental health issues," she says, which is why New Horizons is important to her.

"Mental health doesn't get a lot of attention," she adds. "It's really important."

Sandy's mother, Peg Hahn, helps with the project by rolling the yarn into balls.

"The blankets are not going to cure anything, just help them feel better."

Learn more, schedule a tour and/or donate at 772-672-8333, or visit nhtcinc.org (NewHorizonsTreasure CoastInc.org).
Program coordinator Theresa Baxter hands out name tags at the beginning of a Breathing Room session.

SHARE Joe Staniewicz gets ready to toss the ball back to Bubs Baird. Sharon and Charles Cartwright attended Breathing Room's anniversary party, earlier this summer when both caregivers and their loved ones with dementia all took part in the party. Bubs Baird instructs Breathing Room participants in balance and coordination exercises . Bubs Baird and GYAC Executive Director Angelia Perry look on as Willie Mae Williams heads off to enjoy the food Theresa Baxter, far left, prepares every week.

By Paige Van Antwerp, The Newsweekly

It's a service for caregivers  the people whose lives have been upended when a loved one is diagnosed with dementia.

And yes, Breathing Room is just that  three hours every Thursday when caregivers can have a break, knowing that their spouse or parent is being engaged and cared for by professionals.

But the program, which is in its second year of serving the Gifford community, has become far more. Every week, it feels something like a reunion.

"There's so much history among the people there," says Bubs Baird, a driving force behind the program. "And they all come for a different reason. Some of them are brought by their caregivers. Others come just because they're lonely.

"Some of them just appear  and not necessarily because they have dementia. Some are slipping a little but for others, it's the joy they find. It seems like as soon as someone sets foot in that room and gets the feel, they keep coming back. They know this is a place to have fun and be with their peers."

Life on hold

Shirley Riley had to leave behind the life she'd built for herself as an engineer in Austin, Texas, to care for her mother who has dementia.

"At first, I was angry, having to put my life on hold," she says. "But I knew my mother needed help. And I can't just relocate her because there's nothing like this program for her anywhere else.

"She's known these people forever. They lived right up the street from her; she worked with them at Piper  they're very close knit. The bond is there. Her friends are there."

Riley says she has seen profound improvement in her mother's abilities and state of mind since she started at Breathing Room.

"She was a 20 when I got here  we don't go from one to ten, we go from one to 20. Now I'd say she's at about an eight  some days a six. And I really think it's because of this program.

"The program is working, plus the camaraderie of being with these people she's known. Short term, she's not remembering new people. But she remembers those older faces that she's been with. They're her age. They're her peers. These are tangible things."

Long road

A lot of perseverance has gone into creating this atmosphere of caring and comfort. Theresa Baxter, coordinator of the Beyond Special K program for seniors at Gifford Youth Achievement Center, saw the need for Breathing Room years ago. In 2012, she began working with Peggy Cunningham, executive director of the Center for Memory & Motion (formerly Alzheimer/Parkinson Association of Indian River County), to start a Gifford chapter of the Social Respite for Caregivers that the Center offers at its Vero Beach headquarters.

At first, Baxter struggled to get the word out, to find the right space, to generate enough interest among families who were already hurting and confused.

But last year, GYAC was able to offer them a small classroom and that's when things finally came together. Before the third month was out, that small room filled beyond capacity and the program secured a larger space at the Gifford Community Center.

"We learned that location made a difference," said Cunningham. "Plus we had great training for the volunteers and their enthusiasm. That has been the difference, too."

Moreover, she credits the determination of Baird and Baxter. "Bubs has been so excellent - she's taken it and run with it. And Theresa loves the seniors  she has a heart that's just gold."

Riley echoes that appreciation.

"I thank God for Theresa and Bubs. They have the program very organized and keep it very consistent, so it's very comfortable for my mom.

"I can go and I have no worries. Otherwise she's with me 24-7. At the Breathing Room, I don't have to worry."

Measurable difference

Baird is a longtime volunteer at the Center for Memory & Motion and has a private practice caring for dementia patients. She designed the Breathing Room program based on experience and the latest research. She also conducts memory screenings, which help track the progress of the disease. One of the program's participants recently scored higher on a repeat screening.

"My big thing is the more involved, the more occupied, the more new experiences are brought into the lives of people with dementia, the better off they are," she says. "Sitting in front of a television set, sitting in a chair, staring at walls  the decline is very rapid."

Riley has observed this in her mother's behavior.

"When she knows we're going to Breathing Room, she's just as bubbly and happy. Thursdays are one of her better days," she said. "It gets us out of the house and the zone that takes her to those dark places. I truly believe the environment is a prime part of how well dementia patients do. When she's home and I don't have anything for her to do, she gets into that zone."

Happy day

The format on Thursdays is fairly structured, which puts the participants at ease. But Baird says they also have to leave room for improvisation.

"Sometimes when we're just doing our exercises, next thing you know we're all singing 'Row Row Row Your Boat.' Singing happens anytime, everywhere. Whatever is on their mind, this is a perfectly good place to let it happen."

The sessions begin with conversation around the table, "sometimes on a topic, sometimes whatever pops into their head," says Baird.

Baxter always prepares a meal, which not only encourages more sociability but is a vital resource for many of the participants who otherwise might go hungry. Then they have times for exercise, arts and crafts, and sometimes bingo.

Riley, who is an artist, herself, says that her mom gets particular satisfaction out of being given the chance to express herself.

"She gets excited about the crafts they do. She'll bring home a project and she'll want to pin it up on the wall," says Riley. "And it takes me back to when I was in second grade asking her, 'Mama, can I put this up on the wall?' She tells me she wants to show off her artwork. And she should. She gets intense about it."

And then, there's always the potential for a party to break out.

"A couple of weeks ago, one of our dear sweet ladies was running late," says Baird. "Then she comes in with a huge smile, and all seven of her children and their spouses. She made them stay the whole time. She said, 'I told them this was my special place.'"

Joy

Baxter has trained extensively in serving seniors and she knows how the interaction has the potential to slow the progress of the disease. But, she says, the reasons she does this have more to do with those spontaneous moments of joy.

"I love to see them light up and be excited about coming on Thursdays. That means a lot. Whatever I'm going through, when it's Thursday, I'm happy because I get to see them," she says. "The program really hits home because I know what the caregivers are going through. While I'm not a caregiver myself, I have dealt with it with them. They're always telling me, 'You just don't know how this helps.'"

Baxter volunteers tirelessly in the Gifford community, beyond her job at GYAC, visiting with the home bound, bringing them food and coordinating getting their medical supplies. Her efforts earned her the Victor Hart Award for volunteerism, awarded by the Indian River NAACP in 2015.

Help

So she sees their difficulties, first hand. She also knew the people who could help her get the word into the community, generate trust and create fellowship.

"It's a goldmine here  of legends," says Baxter of her work at GYAC and the Breathing Room. "This person was the first African-American to do this, the first that. I'm surrounded by them. I wouldn't trade this position for anything. And if the Center were to close tomorrow, I'd still keep those connections. I'd still check on them because I know where they are, what they need."

And Baxter says her goal right now is a second day of Breathing Room. She and Baird are working with Cunningham to add that sometime soon.

"We're serving the legends of this community, giving them another resource," says Cunningham. "That makes us the lucky ones."

To learn more about attending or to donate to Breathing Room, call Theresa Baxter at 772-794-1005 or Carole Smalley 772-563-0505. The program meets at the Gifford Community Center, 4855 43rd Ave., on Thursdays from 1:30-3:30 p.m. and there is no cost to participate.
The European Union on Tuesday nailed Apple with a US$14.5 billion bill for back taxes.

The European Commission has today has adopted a decision that Apples tax benefits in Ireland are illegal, said EC Competition Chief Margrethe Vestager at a press conference in Brussels.

Tax breaks Ireland granted to Apple for more than two decades artificially reduced Apples tax burden, in breach of European Union rules, she explained.

Apple now has to repay the benefits worth up to 13 billion euros, plus interest, Vestager said.

This decision sends a clear message, she added. Member states cannot give unfair tax benefits to selected companies, no matter if they are European or foreign, large or small, part of a group or not.

Strong Case

The ECs case is a strong one, said Joseph Carson, head of global strategic alliances at Thycotic.

While Apple and Ireland maintain that they are compliant with Irish and European tax laws, the way the tax structure was applied meant that Apple paid very little tax, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Meanwhile, the tax structure available to Apple wasnt available to other companies. In the ECs eyes, that made the tax deal a method of state aid to Apple that gave Ireland a competitive advantage over its European neighbors.

These types of tax structure ultimately do not benefit anyone  country nor citizen, Carson said.

A few jobs result from some of these types of tax incentives, ne noted, but in many other cases, they are very few to none, so the ultimate benefit to the economy is limited.

No Tax Rigging

Apple CEO Tim Cook denied that his company had received preferential treatment in Ireland.

We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals, he wrote in a message to Apples European community.

Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe, Cook warned.

Using the Commissions theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed, he added.

The ECs decision is not about Apple, but about who should be collecting taxes from multinational corporations, Cook argued.

Taxing Problem

As complex as taxes on multinational corporations are, one principle recognized around the world is that profits should be taxed in the country where value is created, according to Cook.

Since nearly all of Apples case research and development takes place in California, the vast majority of its profits are taxed in the United States, he pointed out.

Not everyone agrees with the fairness of the value created rule, however.

The average person probably has a right to challenge the reasonableness of Ireland facilitating Apple to pay so little tax on its European profits, suggested Louise Gracia, a tax regulation researcher at the University of Warwick.

Given that large multinationals work and operate across countries, using the infrastructure and labor within those countries, there is an implicit fairness in requiring them to pay tax on the profits generated within a country in that country, she explained.

Clouding Clarity

With its decision, the EC has sowed uncertainty in an area where clarity is necessary.

Global multinationals, such as Apple, need to be clear on the tax and other implications of doing business in the regions where they are active, said Steve Durbin, managing director of the Information Security Forum. They are then in a strong position to make significant investment decisions.

In Ireland, those decisions resulted in Apples creation of more than 6,000 jobs. By undermining the decisions made by the Irish government with respect to Apple, the EC has cast a cloud over other governments similar decisions.

This will be used as a test case to establish exactly who has the final say in such jurisdictional matters, Durbin told the E-Commerce Times.

A win for the ECs competition watchdogs would have consequences for any foreign company doing business in Europe, observed Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

If the EU wins the case, the result could be a significant hit to the authority of the member countries and any agreements they have entered into with international companies  not just American tech companies, he told the E-Commerce Times. The effects of this case could be widely felt across all industries.

Destablizing Europe

The EUs decision could have a destabilizing effect on Europe, warned Darren Hayes, an assistant professor at Pace University.

The EU risks setting a precedent where other U.S. companies may relocate to non-EU countries, which have more favorable tax incentives, thereby driving up unemployment at a time when economic slowdown continues for many EU members, he told the E-Commerce Times.

All nations create their own tax incentives, including the USA, and therefore this move will be seen by many as counterproductive, he said, and it creates tremendous risks to Ireland and other EU members.

Apple and Ireland intend to appeal the ECs decision, and the legal wrangling will last for years, predicted Trip Chowdhry, managing director for equity research at Global Equities Research.

I dont see an outcome to this for the next 15 to 20 years, he told the E-Commerce Times. One message from the decision is that the European Union is under pressure. Weve already seen Britain exiting the European Union. This union seems to be crumbling.
Madison police and fire departments have joined with the American Red Cross in inviting people to donate blood in memory of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

The fifth annual Madison Public Safety Never Forget Blood Drive is set for 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Protective Service Center  Training, 701 Pearson in Madison.

Since its inception, the drive has provided almost 250 pints for transfusions needed by medical patients, said Michele Zindars, account manager for the Red Cross.

We commend the Madison police and fire departments for going above and beyond their duties to help those in need," Zindars said in a press release.

Volunteers with all blood types  and especially types AB, O, A negative and B negative  are invited to donate.

In addition, platelet donors are needed daily for patients suffering serious medical conditions, the Red Cross said in a press release.

"Accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all need blood," Red Cross officials said in the release.

Donations may also be made Sept. 10-16 at the American Red Cross East Blood Donation Center, 2109 Zeier, and the American Red Cross West Blood Donation Center, 4860 Sheboygan.
Google on Monday launched Google Duo, a one-on-one video calling app that runs on iOS and Android.

The app will be available worldwide in the next few days, said Justin Uberti, principal software engineer at Google.

Duo switches from cellular service to WiFi, and transitions from high-speed to lower speed wireless service smoothly, promising to let users continue video calls irrespective of their location and service speeds, although video degradation may be apparent on slower services.

A separate account isnt necessary to sign up for the app  a phone number will suffice.

Duo users can begin a video call with a tap. A preview feature called Knock Knock lets Android users preview incoming calls even when Duo is not open. It also allows them to preview outgoing calls.

However, it works on iOS only if the Duo app is open, and it doesnt give iOS users previews of outgoing calls.

All Duo calls are encrypted end to end.

Jumping Feet First Into the Video-Calling Pool

Duo is a barebones app, running only on mobile phones. It doesnt run on the Web via browsers or other desktop tools.

Generally, its better to keep something like this very simple at the start, suggested Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

That way you can deliver something that works reliably, and then build up features gradually without breaking the platform, he told TechNewsWorld. Also, a simple app will be easy to learn.

In contrast, Skype runs on PCs, smartphones or tablets, as well as on the Xbox One, PlayStation Vita and several smart TVs.

Google Hangouts  which reportedly has upwards of a billion users  runs on Windows, OS X, Linux and Chrome. It has an add-on for FireFox. It runs on iOS andAndroid, and it supports both one-on-one and group video calls.

It also supports text, IM and SMS; integrates with Google Voice and Project Fi; and allows video overlays and effects.

Video chat and IM client ooVoo links contacts from Facebook and users phones, and lets them include up to 12 friends in the same session. It runs on Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone, OS X, Android, iOS and Facebook.

Facebook Messengers features include video calls worldwide, as well as photo and video sharing, voice messaging, group chats  and in the United States, money transfers.

None of these apps are ubiquitous, and the best  FaceTime  doesnt work cross-platform, noted Enderle. This provides an opportunity for a firm like Google  with the right product  to steal the market with some marketing.

Where Duo Might Shine

Skype is a pain to use, noted Michael Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

I would think Duo would be a lot more friendly  for casual users, he told TechNewsWorld. This could be a real challenge to Skype.

Users who only want to make video calls might prefer Duo, because additional features offered by other services complicate the interface and, if youre simply into one-to-one video, you dont want all of that anyway, Jude said.

Further, Duo is platform agnostic, while Facetime runs only on iOS devices, he pointed out. Conceivably, [Duo] would be appealing to totally mobile users who arent keen to use something like Skype for video calling.

Video-Calling Prospects

Video calling may not become consumers preferred means of communication any time soon, however.

The technology was first demonstrated in the 1950s, was first showcased in the 1960s, and became very inexpensive in the 1990s, noted Enderle, but it isnt commonly used for three reasons:

People are concerned about being spied on;

They feel they must adjust their appearance before making or taking a call; and

Systems still dont talk to each other very well or at all.

Two of these three things arent technical, and Google is only partially addressing the last  so I wouldnt hold my breath, Enderle said.

What we dont really need is another discrete video-call app  we need universal video calling, said Jude.

Im waiting for an operator-provided video exchange that will route video calls from any device to any device, he said. Until video is a ubiquitous service thats platform and OS agnostic, it will continue to be essentially a toy with a lot of overhead.
I particularly love the fact that it has a big battery. But really, the entire package - the whole set of specs - is more than decent for its price

Not only did the company unveil a couple of talk-worthy notebooks at the event earlier but they also officially announced a trio of rather interesting new Android smartphones.Of the handset bunch, this is the one that I like the most:dons an official SRP ofor roughly Php 13,000 with current conversion and before taxes.And for that amount, you already get a metal-clad Dual microSIM LTE-enabled phablet featuring a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display protected by 2.5 curved glass touchscreen, 13 MegaPixel autofocus main camera with LED flash, 5 MP front cam for selfies, Full HD video recorder, Fingerprint Scanner for quickly unlocking the interface with but a touch of a finger, and a massive 4,080 mAh battery pack that should provide a longer uptime compared to most other 5.5-inch devices out in the market today.Underneath its sleek shell, Z6 Plus runs its Liquid UI skinned Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS with the new 64-Bit Octa Core ARM Cortex A53 and Mali T720 GPU based MediaTek MT6753 chipset, has 3GB of RAM for multitasking, and comes with 32GB of expandable storage.Looking forward to seeing this one in the flesh. Seriously.Hopefully, the company would be able officially release it in the Philippines without having to make it more expensive -- because that usually happens and I'm not particularly a fan of it.
In exactly one week, Apple will take the stage at a media gathering in San Francisco to unveil its next-generation iPhone.

The rumored decision to eliminate the 3.5mm headphone jack has been discussed ad nauseam and if true (it's almost a guarantee at this point), hordes of people that buy a new iPhone in a few weeks will find themselves stuck with wired headphones that are no longer directly compatible with their smartphone.

Rumors suggest Apple may bundle a pair of wireless "AirPods" with each new iPhone. Conversely, Apple could include a set of wired headphones that terminate at a Lightning connector or even include a 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapter although the latter option seems the least likely in my opinion.

Those with quality aftermarket headphones of the wired variety will either be forced to buy an adapter like the one mentioned above, switch to a wireless solution or entertain a third option that'll let you use your wired headphones wirelessly.

Mobile accessory maker Griffin Technology will soon be launching its iTrip Clip Bluetooth headphone adapter. The concept is simple - just plug your wired headphones into the iClip dongle then wirelessly connect the dongle to your 3.5mm-less iPhone (or any mobile device with Bluetooth, for that matter).

This gives you the freedom to continue to use your wired headset with the new iPhone while not having to be physically tethered to the handset. What's more, the dongle even has built-in playback controls so you'll be able to control the music without having to reach for your phone. Griffin even envisions using it in conjunction with your car's stereo to bring wireless Bluetooth playback capabilities to older head units (assuming your stereo has an auxiliary 3.5mm jack).

True to its name, the dongle even features a clip that'll make it easy to attach to your shirt, backpack, visor or any other stationary object.

As The Verge notes, this isn't the first Bluetooth headset adapter on the block and it won't be the last. It's also worth noting that Apple isn't even the first to ditch the jack (Chinese smartphone maker LeEco did so earlier this year with its latest round of smartphones). And if Intel has its way, the entire industry will eventually move away from the 3.5mm jack and instead use USB Type-C for audio. Much of this debate could be negated if Apple used USB Type-C instead of its own proprietary connection but I digress.

That said, I'd expect to see a surge in similar wireless Bluetooth devices as consumers adjust to life without a 3.5mm jack.

Look for the Griffin iClip Bluetooth headphone adapter to arrive next month priced at $19.99.
The Verizon-exclusive Android-powered Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid smartphones are now receiving their first-ever update since they hit the U.S. network operator in July.

The over-the-air (OTA) security update for the Verizon variants of the devices was pushed out on Aug. 29 and bears the build number MCL24.246-36 and has a file size of 436 MB.

The system update for the Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid  the names of the Verizon variant of the handset  is possibly the monthly patch Lenovo-owned Motorola told consumers they could expect shortly after the launch of the smartphones.

For the unfamiliar, near the end of July controversy over whether the Moto Z and Moto Z Force would benefit from Google's monthly security updates ensued. Traditionally, Motorola has never rolled out monthly updates for its devices, which led to confusion as reports that it had flatly said "no" to a monthly update emerged. Motorola later clarified that it would be "most efficient" for it to "bundle security updates in a scheduled Maintenance Release (MR) or OS upgrade."

The current security update will be welcomed by Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid handset owners. While Verizon Wireless has yet to share a changelog of the update, per reports, it basically brings the security patch to Google's July patch level.

The fact that this is not the latest Android security update from Google may disappoint many subscribers of the new flagship smartphones. It is a few days until September, which means that Google will soon push out a new patch, making the August security update nearly obsolete.

So essentially, Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid users who will get the July security patch will be nearly two months behind on the monthly Android security patch update.

The July security patch for the Verizon-exclusive Moto smartphones bring "enhancements, improvements and the latest Android security updates." The update takes nearly 20 minutes to download according to Motorola, so ensure that you have sufficient battery charge on your Moto Z Droid or Moto Z Force Droid Edition before you begin the download.

If you have not received an alert to download the July security patch on your Moto Z Force Droid or Moto Z Droid smartphone, you can check for the same manually. To do so, navigate to:

Settings > About Device > Software Updates > Check for Updates.

Have you received the security patch for your Moto Z Droid or Moto Z Force Droid smartphone yet? Let us know in the comments section below.

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The IFA 2016 is set to kick off on Sept. 2 and with a few days to go before the event, the excitement is palpable as consumers gear up for the onslaught of new gadgets.

We take a look at what devices one can expect major OEMs such a Samsung, Sony, LG, Lenovo and Huawei will unleash at the annual electronics and appliance trade show.

Samsung

Samsung fans can look forward to some amazing devices being unveiled at the IFA 2016 as the company has a mobile event slated for Aug. 31 and a press conference on Sept. 1.

The press invite from Samsung features two watch hands, which hinted at a new smartwatch from the company. Moreover, the Korea-based company also tweeted about "a timely innovation" further reinstating that a successor of the Gear S2 is on the cards.

Considering the fact that Samsung debuted the Gear S2 smartwatch at the IFA 2015, it is likely that the Gear S3 will be launched at the IFA this year.

Rumors and leaks also hint at the Galaxy Tab S3  the successor of the Galaxy Tab S2  being unveiled at the IFA.

Sony

Sony has an event slated for Sept. 1 and if the Japanese company's press invite is anything to go on, it has a gamut of devices ranging from a new Xperia lineup of smartphones, TVs, cameras, headphones to a PlayStation VR in the pipeline.

Sony will potentially take the wraps off the Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact smartphones at the IFA 2016. The company has also previewed a new TV, which could also make its appearance at the event.

We could also see the Xperia Eye camera and the Xperia Ear Bluetooth headset at the event.

LG

Consumers are eagerly awaiting the debut of the LG V20 smartphone, but they will also be contented with other devices, such as the Bluetooth speakers and 4K/8K TVs, which are already announced to be coming at the IFA 2016.

Rumors are rife that LG will debut the LG G Flex 3 smartphone  the successor of the LG G Flex 2  at the IFA this year. The modular smartphone reportedly boasts a 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, a Snapdragon 820 chipset, 16-megapixel primary camera and 4 GB of RAM.

Huawei

Huawei has already teased its Sept. 1 press event that builds anticipation for a new product range with its "Defy Expectations" tag line. The image hints at a new smartphone, but before one gets their hopes high for the debut of the Mate 9, the company has already confirmed that is not to be.

However, Huawei has revealed that a new smartphone lineup is set to be launched at the IFA 2016. This is anticipated to be the rumored Nova series, which is said to be designed with women users in mind.

Moreover, the OEM could also take the wraps off the new the 8-inch MediaPad M3, which has been leaked recently.

Lenovo

The OEM is anticipated to debut a lineup of bendable devices at its IFA event as shown off in a video teaser earlier in August. The Lenovo press event is slated for Aug. 31.

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Apple fans are on their toes waiting for the company's September event, where the iPhone 7 will be released, but the company is not lingering when it comes to its other lineups either.

The company should deliver a new MacBook Pro model this fall, and rumors surfaced of new variants for MacBook Air and iMacs. Last but not the least, a slew of improved features will be heading to the Apple Pencil, boosting the capabilities of the iPad Pro.

Previous rumors hinted at the possibility of new iMac and MacBook Air devices, with scheduled announcements happening as early as October. One of the big improvements expected in the upcoming MacBook Air is the USB Type-C. Meanwhile, the enhanced iMac should pack additional options for AMD graphics cards.

In 2016, Apple chose to discontinue its Thunderbolt Display, which the company introduced in 2011. In its place, the OEM inked a deal with LG Electronics to craft a high-resolution 5K display. At the moment, iMacs can be bought featuring a built-in 5K display of 27 inches, making the separate 5K monitor a logical move in replacing the old Thunderbolt Display.

Looking at the iPad Pro, insiders from the company are touting that the software features coming in iOS 10 will make the tablet even more productivity-oriented. Anonymous sources point out that the first half of 2017 should see the new features in place. According to another insider, there is a vague possibility of Apple unleashing the new features with the iOS 11.

Some of the most important additions to the software will contain upgrades and new features targeted at the Apple Pencil, which can be used by artists to draw and write on the iPad Pro. The same sources mention that Apple could let users annotate objects from the company's proprietary apps, such as iMessage, Safari and Mail.

People familiar with the matter noted that Apple will revamp its iPad family in 2017. According to the insiders, next year's iPads will pack quicker display technology, enabling smoother animations to be displayed on the screens. One specific upgrade seems to be an increased size for the iPad Pro, as the 9.7-inch model is purportedly to be replaced with an 10.5-inch variant.

Apple confirmed that its upcoming event will take place on Sept. 7, at the Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California.

Fans of the OEM are looking forward to the event, which should showcase the latest iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, Apple Watch 2 and if we are lucky, the new MacBook Pro.

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Samsung recently launched its Galaxy Note 7 flagship, and although both the public and reviewers have commended the device, it looks like the smartphone packs some nasty surprises.

Keep in mind that the Galaxy Note 7 comes with a gorgeous design, a curved display, high performance specs, 64 GB of expandable internal space and a premium-level camera to boot. It also packs a high number of neat features, some of which we highlighted in our coverage.

So, what gives?

A myriad of reports indicate that the dream phone is one of the risky investments on the market right now. Only days after it was released, the handset started to behave erratically, as users point out. Forums are filled with complaints of the Note 7 crashing, entering never-ending boot loops or simply bricking completely.

Android forums, such as XDA Developers, report that the issue appears only days after the device is unboxed. What is more worrisome, no reason or causality seems to be linked to the crashes. The problem tends to debut with a boot loop.

Some users have suggested that forcing the phone into safe or recovery modes could assist in fixing it, but it only makes matters worse. Note 7 owners said that the device suffers from random crashes, which can lead to a complete bricking of their handset.

PhoneArena says that its device crashed in Recovery mode, and then jumped right into a long-standing boot loop. The experts from the tech website point out that nothing helped, although they tried to reset the device to factory settings and wipe the cache. The fact that no user-accessible method seems to help might indicate that we are dealing with a hardware issue.

Some users went to certified Samsung stores to have their devices looked at, and in many cases Samsung representatives could only replace their devices with new ones.

Among the pile of ill news, a pattern seems to be emerging. It looks like the only Note 7 owners who encountered issues are the ones who bought the international Exynos variant of the handset. This could mean two things: we could be seeing an Exynos-exclusive problem, or users with a crashing Note 7 in the United States did not complain about it over forums, which is very unlikely.

So far, Samsung has not made any official comment on the situation.

Until the company addresses the problem, we would advise smartphone fans to wait before spending a big portion of their savings on a potentially unstable Galaxy Note 7.

Should you already own the latest stylus-carrying flagship from Samsung, we are curious about your experience with it. Let us know in the comments section below.

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An Italian neuroscientist, Dr. Sergio Canavero, is all set to perform the first-ever human head transplant surgery as early as next year.

A 31-year-old Russian, Valery Spiridonov, who suffers from a rare and fatal genetic condition called Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, has volunteered for the first head transplantation. Canavero, who proposed the plan last year, would be performing the groundbreaking and rather controversial surgery with the help of Chinese surgeon Dr. Xiaoping Ren.

Spiridonov is physically impaired because Werdnig-Hoffmann disease destroys the motor nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The bodily movements of the 31-year-old are limited to typing, feeding himself and controlling his wheelchair with the help of a joystick.

"Removing all the sick parts but the head would do a great job in my case," Spiridonov told the Atlantic magazine. "I couldn't see any other way to treat myself."

The head transplant would begin with the selection of an appropriate brain-dead male donor. With legal consent from the family, the donor would be prepared for the surgery. In the meantime, Spiridonov's body would be cooled to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cooling Spiridonov's body would help in preventing the death of the brain cells for about an hour. With just an hour to spare, the heads of both subjects would be cut with the help of a transparent diamond blade. Spiridonov's head would then be transplanted to the donor's body with a custom-made crane.

The 31-year-old's head and the donor's body would be set to fuse with each other using a chemical, polyethylene glycol, known for promoting regrowth of cells. After transplantation, Spiridonov would be kept in a coma for about four weeks for the blood vessels and muscles in the head and body to fuse. New nerve connections in the spinal cord would be established by stimulating the implanted electrodes.

While Canavero is all set for the experimental surgery, the head transplant idea hasn't pleased many researchers and experts. Arthur Caplan, the head of medical ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, said that head transplantation is scientifically and ethically a rotten idea.

"Despite his [Canavero's] vision, modern cognitive science shows that our cognition is an embodied cognition, in which the body is a real part in the formation of human self," said Anto Cartolovni and Antonio Spagnolo, Italian bioethicists.

The surgery that Canavero expects to be a success by 90 percent would cost about $100 million dollars and require the participation of about 80 surgeons.

Photo: Artur Bergman | Flickr

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An often skeptical group of neighbors heard details Tuesday on the Salvation Armys plans to demolish its current homeless shelter on the Near East Side and replace it on the same site with a modernized facility that adds a housing component.

Several of the audience members focused their comments less on the proposal and more on what they described as a frustrating history of the organization not responding adequately to shelter-related problems that spill into the neighborhood.

The Salvation Army provides a wonderful service to the community, but youre not good neighbors, said Bob Klebba, one of about 60 people at the neighborhood meeting, held at the Downtown campus of Madison Area Technical College.

He and others said the people causing the problems often arent the ones staying at the shelter, but rather their friends and acquaintances and tag-alongs.

The Salvation Army of Dane County provides emergency and temporary shelter for homeless families and single women at its site at 630 E. Washington Ave., the former St. Patricks Catholic School. It is proposing to raze the inefficient, resource-draining building and replace it with a five-story structure that would update the shelter facilities and add a range of affordable and market-rate housing.

There would be 70 units of housing of varying sizes, including some three-story townhouse units, said Kevin McDonell of Commonweath Cos., a Fond du Lac-based firm that would develop the site in partnership with the Salvation Army and manage the apartments.

The facility would be five floors as it fronts East Washington Avenue and three stories toward the back, where the block becomes more residential, he said. There would be 81 parking stalls.

The intent is to continue providing all of the current shelter services at the new facility, plus offer homeless people a way to reenter the private housing market. McDonell said clients working with Salvation Army case managers would be given a high priority for the new housing.

When one audience member asked how many of the Salvation Armys current clients would actually be able to afford the rents, Melissa Sorensen, the organizations director of social services, answered, a lot.

They have income, they just dont have someone willing to give them a chance, she said.

In a best-case scenario, the Salvation Army would demolish its current building next summer and open the new structure a year later, said Brad Zeman, chairman of the Salvation Armys advisory board. By doing the redevelopment in phases, the organization would continue to offer shelter beds and services throughout the project at the site, he said.

To help finance the redevelopment, the Salvation Army will seek city financial support and federal tax credits through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, Zeman said. He estimated the construction costs at $13.4 million.

Tuesdays meeting was called by Ald. Ledell Zellers, 2nd District, who represents the Tenney- Lapham Neighborhood where the shelter is located. Several of the more than 20 audience members who spoke gave Salvation Army representatives an earful.

You havent addressed the problems the neighborhood has had over the last 20 years, said William McGrath.

A neighbor named Steve, who declined to provide his last name, said the Salvation Army is pushing the costs related to its services into the surrounding neighborhood due to the need for 911 calls. People connected to the shelter clients are fighting and yelling and doing all kinds of things, he said.

Im sorry, the neighborhood is not going to bear the cost of your enterprise anymore, he said. We have had it. Move it to Darbo Drive or somewhere far away.

The Salvation Army operates a community center at 3030 Darbo Drive.

In 2013, it proposed moving its shelter services there, but neighbors and the city shot down the idea.

Some audience members said nothing short of round-the-clock security guards would solve the problems. McDonell said the housing component will provide additional income for the Salvation Army, some of which could be used for things such as improved security.

Sorensen and Salvation Army Major Greg Voeller pledged increased attention to neighborhood concerns.

My hope is that this is one of many times we are getting together to incorporate your comments, said Voeller, who has been in his position six weeks.

One of the few supportive audience comments came from prominent Madison developer Terrence Wall, who said he came to the meeting with a negative opinion of the proposal but would be leaving with a positive impression of what he called the concepts holistic approach.

The Salvation Army  theyre not the problem, he said, to eventual applause. The homeless issue is the challenge, and its a challenge throughout the community. The Salvation Army is helping to solve this problem.
SpaceX signs up its first customer that'll launch a used Falcon 9 rocket, and it's the satellite operator SES SA.

With the Luxembourg-based company on board, it will be the first time that a Falcon 9 rocket is going to be reused commercially.

On that note, the two have worked together before back in 2013, making SES SA as SpaceX's first commercial customer. Now, this new deal between them is beneficial for both parties, particularly in SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's efforts to downsize the expenditure in launching rockets to space.

"We believe reusable rockets will open up a new era of spaceflight, and make access to space more efficient in terms of cost and manifest management," Martin Halliwell, chief technology officer at SES, says.

To date, SpaceX has successfully landed six Falcon 9 rockets, and it plans on landing another one after the scheduled launch in Florida of an Israeli communications satellite on Saturday.

On an interesting note, Halliwell has been vocal about wanting to reuse a Falcon 9 rocket back in February, saying that as long as it was flight worthy, the company would be happy.

As for the launch date, SES SA is expected to proceed with plans in late 2016, boarding its SES-10 communications satellite on the purchased Falcon 9 rocket.

"Relaunching a rocket that has already delivered spacecraft to orbit is an important milestone on the path to complete and rapid reusability," Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, says.

However, the agreement's exact details haven't been revealed, but it's worth pointing out that Shotwell said before that the firm aimed for a 30 percent discount for flights on used rockets. That means the price is around $43 million per launch.

For a little history of the rocket itself, it was previously used to send a cargo ship to the International Space Station for NASA back in April, according to John Taylor, a SpaceX spokesperson.

Other plans of SpaceX include sending its first unmanned rocket to Mars in 2018 and launching its first manned mission to Mars in 2025, which Musk says could be possible at an earlier date by 2024.

In summary, SES SA is officially the first customer of SpaceX for launch of a used Falcon 9 rocket, and it would be interesting to see how things will turn out.

Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you think of this newly inked agreement between SES SA and SpaceX.

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Google plans to tap into the big potential of ride-sharing platforms by tweaking Waze's features, but competitors such as Lyft and Uber have nothing to fear just yet.

Waze, a crowdsourced mapping and navigation app purchased by Google three years ago, is offering its ride-sharing program to a larger user base in San Francisco. Shortly put, the service will allow drivers to offer rides to passengers with whom they are sharing a destination, in exchange of a modicum sum of money.

Waze launched the pilot program in May in the United States, but it was limited to about 25,000 employees belonging to hand-picked companies, Google included. The new policy means that every Waze user in San Francisco will be able to make use of the app as driver or passenger. Waze already tested the service without limitations in Israel beginning July 2015.

Does this imply that Uber must buckle up for a full-on rivalry with Google in ride-sharing? Not quite.

Uber gives professional drivers a chance to make a living out of ferrying people back and forth, whereas Waze's program is a bit different. The concept behind Waze is that all casual drivers can offset the costs of car ownership and gas, while also helping passengers carpool easily. This is why the campaign started by offering the service to employees of specific companies - to encourage people who work together to share the costs of the ride.

To summarize: Waze's program pays drivers for gas and time, while Uber and Lyft drivers rely on their driving wages to support themselves.

Keep in mind that Waze's service is focused on having low tariffs, but that comes with the caveat of fixed and predetermined rides. To those who want mobility and are ready to pay extra for it, on-demand services such as Uber are the perfect match.

Observant readers will notice that the larger Waze service resembles the car-sharing concept presented by Elon Musk recently, a part of his company's plans to tap into a car-sharing network of autonomous vehicles. According to Musk, the program will aid drivers offset costs of owning self-driving cars by deploying them in a car-sharing pool, while their owners are at work or on vacation.

Keep in mind that both Lyft and Uber have similar services in place. Lyft rolled out Lyft Carpool in March, while Uber opened up UberCommute in Chengdu, China.

However, Lyft's service came to an abrupt halt earlier in August, when the company decided to pull the plug as a result of low interest manifested by drivers. Another example of a service that was scratched is Ride, which started on a similar premise but was recently discontinued.

This means that Waze, in its current form, is far from being a direct rival to Uber.

This is not to say that Google has completely renounced the idea of owning a network of self-driving cars. But for the time being, unless Google aims to launch its proprietary ride-hailing service, Uber's supremacy in the area will remain unchallenged.

Waze did not officially comment on the new direction of the company.

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Not yet, but it will soon be.

Talking to reporters Aug. 30, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lamented the agency's dwindling funds, urging Congress to act swiftly when it convenes Sept. 6 after taking a seven-week break for the summer.

"The cupboard is bare," he said, noting that the fiscal year ends in September.

The CDC was given $222 million to spend for Zika but $197.3 million has already been spent, a lot of which went to Puerto Rico where a full-blown epidemic is underway.

Shortly after Frieden declared the CDC's predicament, three new cases of Zika infections were reported in Florida. There are now 46 infected in the state, all presumed to have been caused by mosquitoes. The Zika virus can also be spread through sexual contact.

The CDC has provided Florida about $35 million to combat the virus and a significant chunk of that amount went to fighting Zika-carrying mosquitoes. Thankfully, mosquito control in the state appears to be successful, with sprays combined to kill both larvae and adult mosquitoes. Traditionally, aerial spraying is not effective against the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries the virus, but results in Florida are a pleasant surprise.

But should Florida experience another outbreak soon, Frieden said the CDC will not be able to do much to help. The agency is so low on funds for the fight against Zika that it has actually dipped into funding for other programs, getting $44 million, for instance, from its emergency response budget.

President Barack Obama asked Congress back in February for $1.9 billion in emergency funding for the fight against Zika. Congress has not come to a decision because the Republicans and Democrats have not reached a compromise.

However, according to Don Stewart, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell's deputy chief of staff, Republicans in the Senate are set to vote on a Zika package amounting $1.1 billion when Congress resumes next week.

Already, 16 infants have been born in the continental U.S. with Zika and Frieden said this number is likely to grow. The CDC is now tracking more than 1,000 pregnant women confirmed to be infected with the virus.

Anyone can get infected with Zika but infants are most susceptible to birth defects like microcephaly, problems with limb, vision and hearing development and major brain damage. The virus can also cause miscarriages and no way has been determined to reverse brain damage once it has occurred due to Zika.

But while the CDC is mostly concerned about the effects of Zika on infants, a study carried out by researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology and the Rockefeller University showed that adults can be just as vulnerable to severe brain damage as the little ones.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Acer has taken the wraps off a new laptop that is poised to find favor with gamers, adding more to its line of Predator gaming laptops.

On Wednesday, Aug. 31, Acer took the wraps off the Predator 21 X at the IFA 2016 in Berlin, Germany.

We have a new hero joining the Predator family. Introducing the world's first curved laptop: the 21X. #nextatacer  Acer (@Acer) August 31, 2016

"With unlocked potential follows unrivaled evolution. A new era of curved has begun and the Predator 21 X leads the way," notes the company.

The Predator 21 X is a colossal machine that boasts a monstrous 21-inch curved display. It holds the distinction of being the first-ever laptop to come with a curved display.

The company waxed eloquent on the laptop's features and specs, lauding it to be more of an engineering marvel rather than a "big seller" product for retail. The massive laptop also houses two GeForce GTX 1080 graphic processor units from Nvidia, which will ensure gamers get a seamless experience.

The Predator 21 X will also house the yet-to-be-released Intel Core i7 processor from the Kaby Lake series. The Acer laptop is quite a powerhouse as it packs in five cooling fans. It also offers four DD4 slots and 64 GB of RAM.

The Predator 21 X weighs 8 kilograms or about 17 pounds, which may not make it ideal for those looking for portability, but for that you can check out any of the ultrathin Swift 7 laptops from the Taiwan-based company.

Not the most practical of laptops if judged on its physicality, the Predator 21 X's 21-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,080 pixels, as well as the LED illumination, will be perfect for gamers looking to spend hours in front of their laptop.

Notwithstanding the massive size of the laptop, the Predator 21 X offers support for Tobii eye tracking technology, which Acer says is the first to do so. The eye tracking technology, Acer asserts, offers a more immersive gaming experience.

Predator's monitors are the first to incorporate @TobiiEyeX's eye-tracking into your gaming experience. pic.twitter.com/KHj4OzzGZG  Acer (@Acer) August 31, 2016

Acer also announced three Predator monitors, namely XB251HQT, XB271HUT and Z271T. All of these deploy the Tobii eye tracking tech.

The company did not disclose the pricing for the Predator 21 X or an exact date of release so far. However, Acer said the gargantuan gaming laptop will hit the shelves in Q1 2017.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Singapore has become the latest area to have Zika descend upon it, and the country's health ministry has reported that it now has a total of 82 locally-transmitted cases of the virus as of Aug. 29.

This is quite the development for the Asian city-state, which didn't have any instances of the sort until just several days ago. If that wasn't bad enough, the amount of locally-transmitted cases is quite shocking when compared with other locations as well. Eighty-two doesn't seem like that large a number on paper, but it is almost twice that of the 43 cases reported in Florida, despite Singapore having only about one-fourth of its population  five million.

Unfortunately, officials believe this number will only increase as more people are tested in the coming days.

"Given that the Zika virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito vector, MOH cannot rule out further community transmission in Singapore, since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore," Singapore's health ministry said in a statement.

Singapore confirmed its first locally-transmitted case on Aug. 27, followed by 41 others the following day. By late Monday, the total amount of cases rose to 56 and increased further to the aforementioned 82 by late Tuesday.

Of those infected, three dozen of them were foreign construction workers at the Sims Urban Oasis apartments construction site where they worked and lived with more than 450 others. However, following reports of the outbreak, it has shut down.

However, while the site has been shut down  thus eliminating the chances of transmission through that method  there are still others ways the virus can spread. For example, it is known that many of the roughly 360,000 foreign workers in Singapore's building industry are from the Indian sub-continent, but the local government has yet to disclose to any other countries (such as India) and whether its nationals are among those diagnosed.

It's because of that, as well as the government's apparent lackadaisical approach to notifying the public, that prompted locals to call for improvements on its practice of public notice.

"Part of the reason that we have discovered more cases is because we have now gone back to the cases that were seen before by doctors. They were not suspected to have Zika, because they have no travel history and so on," health minister Gan Kim Yong told the local Today newspaper.

In the meantime, while the government's notifications may be wanting, its efforts to combat Zika itself have been anything but. As of Aug. 29, officials from Singapore's National Environment Agency have reportedly sprayed insecticide and inspected about 5,000 premises out of 6,000 in in the Sims Drive and Aljunied Crescent areas, as well as destroyed 39 potential mosquito-breeding spots and have served notices to 400 inaccessible buildings to arrange for inspection.

While Zika may be a new threat to fight in Singapore, locals are no stranger to mosquito-borne illnesses due to their longstanding battle with dengue fever.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Linux Completes 25 Years - Interesting Facts And Trivia | TechTree.com

Sometimes making something from scratch with one's own abilities, can have it's own benefits. In case of Linus Torvalds, it certain did, with having an OS being named after him. In 1991, as a student of the University of Helsinki, Linus was frustrated with the licensing issues of the Minix OS (an Unix based OS), and hence started writing his own code for a new OS. He even went on to state later, that had the GNU kernel existed at that time in 1991, he may not even have written the code for Linux, but then history took it's course, and out came perhaps the world's most prominent statement of open-source computing, Linux OS. That journey from 1991 till date, has completed 25 exciting and challenging years. Happy Birthday, Linux!

The operating system which has been identified with the trademark penguin logo, luckily or unluckily, got transported to more varied computer hardware than any other OS in the world, including those running Windows and Mac OS, as the dual booting option. Also, with the popularity of the Android OS , which is partly based on Linux, has made the latter the largest installed base of all general purpose operating systems. As per HT, Linux is also the leading operating system on servers and other big iron systems such as mainframe computers and virtually all fastest supercomputers, but is used on only around 2.3% of desktop computers when not including Chrome OS, which has about 5% of the overall and nearly 20% of the sub-$300 notebook sales.

On the occasion of the 25th birthday of Linux, here are some interesting facts about Linux:

1) There are 115 million lines of code in The Linux Foundations collaborative projects. Compare this to the 45 million lines of code in Windows XP.

2) The Linux kernel is by far the most active open source project on Earth. Its accepts an average of 185 patches each day.

3) Its taken about 41,000 person-years to build Linux  the equivalent of about $5 billion in developer salary.

4) The Linux Foundation pays Linus $10 million per year to continue his work on Linux. His net worth is $150 million.

5) While Linus was serving as in the Finnish military  doing ballistics calculations  he bought a copy of Andrew Tanenbaums Operating Systems: Design and Implementation. This book described Minix  a simplified educational version of Unix  and opened Linuss eyes to the Unix philosophy.

6) Even though Torvalds wrote 100% of Linuxs first release, his original contributions now account for less than 1% of its total codebase. These days he says hes too busy merging in code written by other contributors to do much programming himself.

I do not have a five-year plan. I do not have a moonshot. Im perfectly happy with all the people walking around looking at the stars saying 'I want to go there.' But Im looking at the ground, and I want to fix the pothole thats right in front of me before I fall in.  Linus Torvalds

8) Other famous software icons like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of college to pursue their projects full-time. Linus not only continued school after the initial success of Linux  he even stuck around to get his masters in computer science.

9) Even though Linus created Git, he doesnt accept pull requests through GitHub. Linux is listed on GitHub, though, and it has more than 35,000 stars.

10) 97% of the worlds supercomputers run on Linux  including clusters used by NASA.

11) SpaceX uses a special fault-tolerant design of Linux in each of its Merlin rocket engines. Through this, Linux has helped complete 32 space missions.

12) In 2009, the government of Munich, Germany switched from Windows to Linux. They claim to have saved more than 10 million in software licensing fees so far. But the switch may have cost them that much or more in lost productivity.

13) Linux powers the tiny $5 Raspberry Pi computer.

14) Is Linux the king of the world? Titanic was the first feature film produced on Linux servers.

15) Even though video game developer Valves founder Gabe Newell has publicly stated that he thinks Linux is the future of gaming, his companys Linux-based Steam Machine console flopped. Fewer people use Linux for gaming today than did in 2010.

16) Dronecode is Linux for Drones. About 1,000 companies develop drone services that run on top of this operating system.

17) Toyota and Jaguar plan to run their future cars using Automotive-grade Linux.

18) Linux is available in many distributions, or 'distros.' Most distros are based off of other distros. The most popular distro is Ubuntu, which is based off of Debian.

TAGS: Linux Kernel, Linux, Android
Users call for boycott of Microsofts search engine, as Bing translates Daesh as Saudi Arabia

Microsoft Corporation was left red-faced after a bizarre error in its search engine algorithm annoyed the Saudi Arabian kingdom.

Bing Translator, an app enclosed within Microsofts Bing search engine, allows internet users to translate over 3 dozen languages. As with every website or translation app, by typing in a word or phrase in a selected language the application renders it in another language.

Over the weekend, Saudi Arabian users found that when they typed the Arabic word Daesh into Bing Translate, the words Saudi Arabia would appear as the English translation. Apparently, Daesh is the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

The so-called technical error caused uproar in Saudi Arabia, where representatives of Saudi Arabias monarchy along with many Saudi social media users called for a boycott of Bing and Microsoft.

Some took to social media to express their anger.

The Saudi people in one voice: Bing has been boycotted, said one tweet.

This clip shows the translation on the Bing website, unfortunately this is an insult to us and we must boycott them, said another.

Microsofts vice president for Saudi Arabia, Dr Mamdouh Najjar, said: As an employee of [Microsoft], I apologise personally to the great Saudi people and this country, dear to all our hearts, for this unintentional mistake.

The Redmond giant claimed that they quickly addressed the issue, and the error is under investigation. This error has been fixed. We apologize for the mistranslation. Errors like this can happen with automatic translation due to incorrect training data. Our product team fixed the error in the automated translation within hours of learning about it, Microsoft stated.

The company has also formally issued an apology to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, calling the error unintentional.

The error done by Microsofts translation service comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is already in hot water over terrorist activity. According to several reports, a number of terrorist groups now belong to or are supported, financed and equipped by the Saudi Arabia, among which is the Islamic State.
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.
MINNEAPOLIS  Tracy Berglund gestures to an expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows as she gives a tour of the Higher Ground facility in Minnesota's largest city.

"The light really comes pouring in on a sunny day with this southern exposure," she says, noting the view of nearby skyscrapers and the bike path and lush greenery just outside the windows.

She could be trying to sell high-end real estate, but Berglund works for a nonprofit organization and this is a homeless shelter.

Opened in 2012, the seven-story Higher Ground provides housing for 336 people. It's not fancy, but it's airy and spacious and seeks to instill hope in its clients.

"The dignity piece was really key for us," says Berglund, director of housing stability for Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which owns and runs Higher Ground.

The facility incorporates much of the latest thinking on what works to reduce homelessness. The Salvation Army of Dane County has said Higher Ground will inform the kind of shelter it hopes to build to replace its outdated, ill-suited facility on East Washington Avenue. The new shelter would not open until at least 2018.

The St. Paul firm that designed Higher Ground  Cermak Rhoades Architects  won the top design award in 2012 for affordable housing from The American Institute of Architects Minnesota and the McKnight Foundation.

The shelter's concept is captured in its name  as people move up in the building, they gain stability.

"We didn't want to build just a Band-Aid," Berglund says. "We wanted to build a solution. The model really is intended to move people up and out of homelessness."

The ground floor is a traditional emergency shelter, with 171 beds for single men on a first-come, first-served basis.

The second floor offers 80 "pay-to-stay beds" for single men, who pay $7 a night for guaranteed shelter and more amenities. The approach helps them save money, which is then returned to them for the first month's rent or down payment on an apartment.

"It's another way we create movement," Berglund says.

The approach also is designed to get men used to paying rent. Incentives on the pay-to-stay floor include a computer room, more privacy, large lockers, and an earlier entry time.

The next four floors provide 74 units of permanent housing with supports for single men and women who likely will need rent subsidies and other assistance the rest of their lives. It recognizes that some people have so many challenges that the most cost-effective thing a community can do is provide them with stable shelter. Eleven affordable efficiency apartments on the top floor complete the facility.

Higher Ground cost $18 million to build, the money coming from a mix of public and private sources. Its $2.6 million annual operating budget comes mostly from Hennepin County and Catholic Charities.

It includes many support services, such as case managers and an on-site health clinic. There's even a running club called "Mile in My Shoes." Community volunteers run twice a week with homeless men for health and fraternity.

It replaced a shelter that was "an abysmal abyss," Berglund says. "It was not only undignified, there was no way out. We were just warehousing people."

The goal of creating dignity at Higher Ground starts at the entrance, which is off to the side of the building, away from motorist eyes. There's a landscaped courtyard and a roof to keep men dry as they wait for the doors of the emergency shelter to open.

The metal bunk beds in the emergency shelter were custom-designed. Each has privacy panels on three sides, built-in storage space, and an electrical outlet for cellphones or medical equipment.

Men who anticipate returning the next night are given linen bags with their names on them. No bedding is shared unless it has been laundered first. (Linens at the shelter for men in Madison often are shared between washings.)

Men shower in individual, private stalls that double as changing rooms. They must leave the shelter by 9:45 a.m. but can sleep in until then. "We have people who work late shifts or night shifts," Berglund says. "We try to be as humane as we can with our policies."

At Madison's shelters, men must be off the property by 7 a.m., women by 8 a.m. Madison also limits the number of stays at its shelters to 90 nights in one year, unless the weather is frigid. Part of that approach is to ensure that people don't begin thinking of the shelters as a permanent answer to their predicaments.

Higher Ground, which must turn men away most nights, puts no cap on the number of stays at its emergency shelter. "We don't do it because we know there's not enough housing in the city," Berglund says.

Men turned away can go to overflow shelters in the cold-weather months. There is no dedicated overflow shelter during warm-weather months, so men may end up spending the night on the streets.
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
As Madison looks at potentially big changes to its homeless shelter system, its current hodgepodge of ill-suited, outdated drop-in sites has fallen far behind what experts recommend for shelters that promote dignity and contribute to a person's recovery.

The shelters have long been considered deficient, their flaws readily acknowledged and bemoaned by those who run them.

None of the sites was built as a shelter. Homeless men sleep in church basements. The facility for single women and families is a former Catholic school.

In many areas, from the degree of privacy to the number of toilets and the amount of storage space, they come up short compared to facilities in other cities and models espoused in the field.

"You have to prostrate yourself to such a level of vulnerability just to get shelter services here," said Sarah Gillmore, who oversaw the Salvation Army shelter for women and families in Madison from 2008 to 2011. "Our facilities are not set up to help, other than to provide a roof over a person's head."

Differences in shelter design and philosophy can really matter, experts say.

Shelters that are humane and welcoming can contribute to an individual's well-being, potentially saving taxpayers money by getting people quickly back to self-reliance. Grim facilities exacerbate stress and are demoralizing to both clients and staff.

"A homeless shelter, if designed well, can be so much more than just a roof over someone's head," said Jill Pable, a professor at Florida State University who studies the architecture and design of homeless shelters. "It can almost be a prescription, like a medicine."

Conditions locally could improve dramatically in the years ahead. The Salvation Army of Dane County, which runs the shelter for women and families, announced plans this month to demolish the former school building at 630 E. Washington Ave. It would be replaced with an updated shelter, plus several stories of lower-cost and market-rate housing that would help destitute renters get their lives back on track.

Separately, the city is studying the financial costs and practical challenges in converting part of a city-owned building at 120 S. Fairchild St. into a larger, better-equipped overnight shelter for single men. A consultant's report on the idea is expected later this fall.

Currently, the primary shelter site for men is in the basement of the educational wing of Grace Episcopal Church, 116 W. Washington Ave., with overflow sites at St. John's Lutheran Church, 322 E. Washington Ave., and First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave.

Another factor that could affect the future of the men's shelter is a possible major overhaul of the block. Hovde Properties, a Madison real estate developer, is trying to put together a project that would combine the Wisconsin Historical Museum and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum into one new museum as part of a large mixed-use redevelopment.

The project is far from a done deal, and there's no timeline yet. If it goes through, it is unclear exactly how it would affect all parts of the Grace Episcopal Church property. The church definitely would remain, but the shelter could be displaced.

In the meantime, many homeless people find the city's shelters so bleak they prefer to sleep on the streets. That's counterproductive for a community, Pable said.

"If a facility is low-quality or perceived as scary, people won't check into it, and then they'll miss out on programs and case management services that could get them adjusted back into society," she said.

'Rudimentary needs'

During a recent tour, Steve Schooler made no attempt to sugarcoat the limitations of the Grace shelter for men.

"Does it provide the rudimentary needs of a safety net? Yes. But it doesn't do a whole lot more," he said. Schooler is executive director of Porchlight, the nonprofit organization that runs the bare-bones shelter.

The only natural light comes from two basement windows with views of concrete. The metal bunk beds provide no privacy at night.

There is a communal shower area with six shower heads, three toilets and two bathroom sinks, one of which was broken during the tour. The bathroom typically serves around 60 men at any one time.

There is no air conditioning and no elevator. Men in wheelchairs are directed to a back entrance, where a homemade, improvised bridge-and-ramp system is brought out when needed.

A 2010 remodeling project paid for by donations  the largest from Epic Systems ($128,500) and the JP Cullen Foundation ($10,000)  improved the shelter, particularly the kitchen and bathroom. But only so much can be done with the space, said the Rev. Jonathan Grieser, Grace's pastor.

"The reality is, it's a church basement, with all of the challenges that brings," he said. The shelter has been at the church since 1985.

The shelter's operating budget goes mostly toward labor and was $435,353 in 2015. The money came from private donations ($193,103), Dane County ($134,917), the state ($59,700), and a Madison Community Development Block Grant ($47,633).

One of the current system's assets is that it benefits tremendously from relationships with the faith-based community, Schooler said. Dozens of churches and faith-based groups provide the volunteers who cook and serve the free dinners and breakfasts at the shelter.

The two overflow churches provide their sites for free, while Grace receives about $1,500 a month from Porchlight to help with utilities, Schooler said. Access to the church sites allows Porchlight to accommodate all men needing shelter  160 to 180 on the busiest winter nights  a positive situation compared to other cities, Schooler said.

Yet there are downsides to relying on facilities not meant to be shelters. At St. John's, men sleep on mats on the floor in a communal room, often clutching their possessions for fear they'll be stolen. There is no privacy  even people walking by on the street can look through a glass door and see the men sleeping.

"It's very dehumanizing to spend the night in our basement," said the Rev. Ken Smith, the church's pastor.

'Insulting, degrading, belittling'

Jerry O'Dell, 69, a retired machinist, looks back mostly with disgust at the times he stayed in the shelter system.

"It's an insulting, degrading, belittling environment," said O'Dell, who last stayed at the Grace shelter in May and now has a room at a boarding house. "The bathroom is atrocious. Their whole attitude is, 'We're doing you a favor. Take what you get or don't come back.'"

John Haines, 56, slept on the streets during the five months he recently spent homeless, convinced the Grace shelter had problems with bed bugs and scabies. Timothy Arnold, 21, who was staying at the shelter one recent night while awaiting sentencing on misdemeanor graffiti charges, described what he called "a lot of racial tension" among the homeless men at the shelter.

"I usually sleep outside for my own sanity," he said. "This is a really stressful environment and demoralizing."

Others are more forgiving.

"I think the shelter is beneficial for the ones who actually want help," said Robert Whitfield, 33, who was staying at the shelter the same night as Arnold.

Schooler said there has never been a confirmed outbreak of scabies. He is not aware of any bed-bug issues in the last couple of years.

He acknowledged that the bedding situation is not ideal. Blankets and sheets get laundered only every second or third day, so men share bedding that has not been cleaned. He said staff members are a conscientious group that try to do their best under demanding conditions and with a sometimes difficult clientele.

Complaints about the drop-in shelter for single women strike some of the same themes  lack of privacy, racial tension  though concerns about cleanliness are less frequent. (Women are assigned bedding that only they use from night to night, and they are given bleach to wipe down the plastic mattress covers.)

All 45 beds for single women are rolled out nightly into the facility's gym. Some nights, the gym is not available until after 8 p.m. due to recreational activities for homeless children. That can be a point of contention.

"Excuse me, that's our bedroom," said Nancy Griswold, 50, who recently stayed at the shelter while homeless. "We have to be able to sleep."

Melissa Sorensen, the Salvation Army's director of social services, said it would be nice to have spaces for single women that are separate from those for families with young children. "Everyone is sort of on top of each other."

She wishes the sleeping area for single women at least could have waist-high partitions around the beds so that the women would have some privacy when they recline. Storage space also is severely lacking.

"We have nowhere secure for women to lock up their belongings," Sorensen said. "Usually they just have to have their things with them by their beds."

Brad Zeman, chairman of the Salvation Army advisory board, said women and families deserve better.

"It's a retrofitted, cinder-block building that feels more like a jail than a place to call a bedroom," he said.

A different approach

Too often, walking into a homeless shelter "feels like a kick in the stomach," said Mike Alvidrez, CEO of Skid Row Housing Trust, a Los Angeles nonprofit organization that provides permanent and supportive housing to get people out of homelessness. The organization practices what it calls "trauma-informed design."

"We began to see how beneficial it could be to organize space in a way that would actually help facilitate a recovery for people with compromised health or mental conditions or who had suffered abuse or who were dealing with depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder," he said. "We try to create places that feel good to be in, that say, 'You're a part of this community. You're valued.'"

Well-designed, attractive shelters also benefit the staff, said John Shuman, director of design for Services for the UnderServed, a New York City nonprofit that runs shelters and other facilities for the homeless. His buzzwords are "function, economy and beauty."

"Staff are not well paid, and they can be in a brutal environment of aggression and need," he said. "They're the caretakers, and they need to feel like they're appreciated so that they can be more effective with the population they're serving."

Hallmarks of good design for homeless shelters include ample light, generous landscaping, freedom from crowding, spaces to be alone, the ability to control at least some aspects of your experience, and an environment that makes people feel safe and secure, Pable said.

She started Design Resources for Homelessness, an online resource that provides case studies and research-informed guidance on the creation of spaces that promote recovery and healing.

"Privacy is the No. 1 quality that persons who reside in shelters tell me they need  the ability to withdraw," Pable said. "The model of having 40 to 60 people in a single room is really intimidating to people."

Pable insists that many of these measures can be relatively inexpensive, and she rebuts the notion that if a homeless shelter is "too nice," people won't want to leave.
Employees work behind a counter inside an HDBank branch in Ho Chi Minh City in a file photo. Photo credit: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

Seventy percent of overseas Vietnamese professionals are interested to return home to work, according to a recent survey by recruitment firm Robert Walters.

The survey, released on Wednesday, found the three main sectors in Vietnam which they are keen on seeking employment fall within the accounting and finance, banking and financial services and information technology.

It also found that overseas Asians consider returning home because of three main reasons: caring for ageing parents, the perceived ability to command higher pay after working overseas and the affinity with their cultures back home.

The top three factors overseas Asians look for in an employment package are a salary increment (over local rates), clear career progression and flexible working arrangements.

Gerrit Bouckaert, Country Manager at Robert Walters Thailand and Vietnam, said in a statement that outbound mobility in Vietnam has increased significantly over the past decade and many firms in the country face a severe shortage of skilled local talent.

As a result, local businesses are now very keen to hire skilled Vietnamese professionals who have gained international experience but understand the local culture and language better than any expatriate, he said.

This will enable organizations to develop high-potential local talent and prepare them to take on middle-management and senior positions, he added.

According to the survey, 88 percent of hiring managers polled in Southeast Asia say they are currently facing challenges in attracting and recruiting talent. And 86 percent of the hiring managers polled in the region see hiring returning locals as a viable option to address their recruitment challenges.
Representatives of enterprises are honored at the ceremony. Photo: Khanh An

Foreign companies continued to dominate the list of best employers in Vietnam, but more local firms successfully improved their workplace environment last year, a new survey found.

The 2015 "Best Places to Work" survey, conducted by solution firm Anphabe, named 22 local employers in the top 100, compared to 17 the previous year. They included Bao Viet Insurance, FPT, Hoa Binh Corp, Masan, Viettel and Vingroup.

But foreign companies took most of the top position, including the coveted number one spot for Unilever. It is followed by well-known companies such as Prudential, Nike, Abbott, Bosch and Mercedes-Benz.

The third annual survey polled 22,688 experienced employees in hundreds of leading enterprises.

It found an increasing trend among talents in favoring healthy work-life balance rather than a high salary.

Employees nowadays are more demanding and they no longer focus only on high income, said Thanh Nguyen, Anphabe CEO.

Some of the most popular objectives are achieving work-life balance, contributing to meaningful purposes and moving up the corporate ladder.

Although income still plays an important role, it is in a less demanding trend, which also leads to a significantly higher satisfaction level compared to last year, Anphabe said in a release.

Meanwhile, expectations of Vietnamese professionals towards employers included total rewards, leadership, company reputation and culture and value, the survey found.

The turnover rate was about 9 percent, with men in managing position more likely to quit their jobs. The rate was particularly high in the sectors of manufacturing/chemicals, fast moving consumer goods and service/consulting/legal.
The high cost of medicines has undermined treatment of hepatitis B and C in Vietnam, where their rates of chronic infection is high, according to a conference in Hanoi Monday.

A course of treatment for the diseases costs up to VND45 million (US$2,016), according to Nguyen Van Kinh, director of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

By using generic drugs, similar treatment costs only $200 in Egypt and $250 in India, he said.

Vietnam has been negotiating prices with drug suppliers, but even if it succeeds in bringing them down, the treatment cost would remain as high as $700-$800 in 2017, he said.

Statistics presented at the conference showed that hepatitis prevalence in Vietnam is among the highest in the Western Pacific region.

Graphic: World Health Organization Some 8.7 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 1 million with hepatitis C virus (HCV) out of Vietnams population of 90 million.

HBV caused more than 23,000 deaths and HCV, about 6,000 deaths in the country last year.

Yet only 5 percent of those chronically infected were aware of their condition, and just less than 1 percent of them actually underwent treatment, the statistics showed.

Kinh said studies by his hospital showed that prohibitively high medicine costs dissuade patients from pursuing treatment even after health insurance covers part of the cost.

About 43 percent of the chronically infected patients surveyed said they could afford only VND3 million for treatment, he said. If the course cost VND10 million, only 10 percent more said they could afford it.

The country is also lagging behind in terms of prevention, experts said at the event.

The World Health Organization advises that routine hepatitis B vaccination should be given to children, the first shot within 24 hours after birth.

In Vietnam, however, just 50-60 percent of newborns get it within 24 hours, according to Duong Thi Hong, deputy director of the National Institute Of Hygiene And Epidemiology.

The rate is particularly low - down to 11-12 percent - in some remote provinces, she said.
There's nothing more selfish you can do than come to work sick. You may get a gold star for showing your sniffling face at the office and soldiering through the workday to prove your valuebut everyone around you just gets sick. You're an inconsiderate work hazard.

When people bring their infectious illness to work, it spreadsand when sick people don't have a financial incentive to show up to work, fewer people get sick, according to a new working paper by the nonprofit National Bureau of Economic Research.

The researchers studied U.S. cities with paid sick-leave mandates and, using Google Flu Trends data at the city and state level from 2003 to 2015, looked for changes in flu rates after those mandates went into effect.

The cities that adopted paid sick-leave mandates in that time frame saw flu cases drop by about 5 percent after their laws took effect. For a city of 100,000 people, that comes out to 100 fewer infections per week, the researchers estimate.

"You see people who are at the workplace sneezing and potentially infectious. That's how diseases spread," said Nicolas R. Ziebarth, an assistant professor at Cornell University and one of the study's researchers.

For most of us, staring at a computer through the fog of illness is torture, and does nothing to help us recover. Yet 3 million people, or 2 percent of the U.S. population, bring their ailments to work each weeka phenomenon the researchers dubbed "contagious presenteeism."

Many do so because of financial pressures; nearly a third of workers have no access to paid sick leave, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The other two-thirds, who have the luxury of taking a sick day, need to stop making excuses for showing up at work sick.

Almost half of workers say they worry work will pile up if they stay home sick. People who find their jobs engaging also have a hard time staying home, finding work more fun than submitting to the reality of a sick day.

"Some people want to appear tough and signal that they are hard-working," said Ziebarth.

But those diligent workers aren't just showing their commitment, they're also showering their coworkers with germs; the modern open office plan is a breeding ground for contagious illnesses. Worst of all, people tend to come to the office at the beginning of an illness, when they're at their most contagious but still feeling well enough to get a little work done.

"You have over-the-counter drugs that suppress your symptoms, but they don't suppress contagiousness," Ziebarth pointed out.

Employers, for their part, should encourage ailing workers to stay home. Presenteeismshowing up at work ill, whether they're contagious or notcosts companies about $150 billion a year, one study estimated. A worker is about a third as productive when he's slumped in a desk chair working at half-speed as he is when he's healthy, say researchers. By staying home when he's sick, he can get better faster. The rest of the workforce can remain in fulland fully productivehealth.

And diligent workers who absolutely must meet a deadline or finish a life-or-death project should at least self-quarantine. Telecommuting has become an increasingly acceptable way to work, and 60 percent of employers let employees work from home, according to the Society for Human Resource Management's annual Employee Benefits Survey.

"Its good to change the culture of how people see each other," said Ziebarth. "You can signal hard work in a lot of different ways. It's not the right way to go into the office and spread diseases."

In fact, we all need to do our part to stigmatize coming to work sick. If a coworker comes in complaining of a tickle in his throat or clammy hands, say: "Go home! Nobody wants you and your gross germs."

Or just send him a link to this article.
Two Turkish men stand trial in Ho Chi Minh City August 30 for using fake bank cards. Photo: Minh Bang/Tuoi Tre

A Ho Chi Minh City court Tuesday sentenced two Turkish men to five years in jail for using fake cards to steal money from local banks.

The men, identified only as Hakan and Emrah, were found guilty of using 130 fake cards to withdraw nearly VND300 million (US$13,400) from ATMs in the city in February 2015.

They were caught while trying to take money from an HSBC booth in District 1.

Investigations found they were part of a syndicate operating in many countries.

They said they worked for a Turkish man and were paid half of the stolen money.
Hundreds of fishing boats have stayed ashore at a fishing village in Ha Tinh Province since April when tons of dead fish washed ashore local coast and created a seafood scare across the country. The steel plant of Taiwans Formosa around two kilometers away, which is held responsible for the disaster, has yet maintained its daily operation, with the red and white chimney pictured.

An anchor is all rusty after being left unused for four months. The fisherfolk said most of engines on their boats have broken down and the repair would cost them several thousand dollars each to sail out again.

Many parents are worried about finding enough money to send their children to school year in September. Formosa has paid up the compensation of US$500 million to the Vietnamese government, but the latter has not worked out the list of affected people yet.

Its the same bleak picture in neighboring Quang Tri Province, where people have to cover their boats with leaves on to protect them from rain and sun and from children seeking to turn them into a playground

Two fishermen in Quang Tri fix their coracle, hoping to get back to business soon after the environment ministry last week announced that the central coast is safe for swimming and aquaculture.

"We hope there is still fish for us to catch, Son, a fisherman in Quang Tri, told news website VnExpress. At least 70 tons of dead fish washed ashore in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue Provinces in April, and studies found the seabed has been badly damaged by toxic effluents from Formosa.

Around 70 hectares of salt fields in a commune in Ha Tinh Province have been left empty. We couldnt sell the salt because people are afraid it is poisoned like the sea, salt farmer Nguyen Duc Viet, 46, said.

Cua Viet beach in Quang Tri is empty one morning in late August. Official figures show that tourist arrivals in the province have reduced to a tenth of that of last year.

A fish market in Ha Tinh has started to get busy again, but the amount of fish sold every day is still small.

You can find the original Vietnamese story here on VnExpress
A sewage pipeline that runs from Formosa's steel plant into the sea in Ha Tinh. Photo: Nguyen Dung

Taiwanese company Formosa Plastics, which caused deadly marine pollution in the central region by discharging untreated effluents, has paid up the US$500 million compensation it promised to, officials said.

The environment ministry said Tuesday Formosa had transferred the second half of the promised amount a month after paying the first.

But the agriculture and finance ministries are still working on the list of affected people, which will be ready no sooner than at the end of the month.

An estimated 70 tons of dead fish washed ashore along more than 200 kilometers of coast in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue Provinces in April.

A unit of Formosa Plastics operating a steel plant in Ha Tinh was held responsible for what is thought to be Vietnams worst environmental disaster.

The government said the company had discharged waste containing phenol, cyanide and iron hydroxides into the sea. It created a seafood scare across the country and hit tourism in beach towns, harming the livelihoods of more than 200,000 people, including 41,000 fishermen.

The environment ministry released a study last week showing the sea is now safe for swimming and aquaculture though it has set no-fishing zones of over 800 square kilometers saying the environment needs time to recover.
The area near the karaoke parlor in Hai Phong where a man was shot dead early Wednesday. Photo: Le Tan

Hai Phong police are hunting for suspects in the murder of a 33-year-old man on Tuesday night that was allegedly prompted by conflict over a parking spot.

Bui Dinh Trong was shot at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday when he and a group of friends came to an opening ceremony of a karaoke parlor in Hong Bang District.

A brawl erupted between Trong's group and another group of guests after they disagreed over a sparking spot, a source told Thanh Nien.

Suddenly someone from the other group shot Trong, and the group quickly fled the scene in cars.

Trong was rushed to the Viet Tiep Hospital but doctors pronounced that he was dead on arrival.

Police said he sustained two gunshots in his abdomen and leg, which could have been fired from a K-54 handgun, a copy of the Soviet-type Tokarev TT-33 that is used by Vietnam's armed force.

The source told Thanh Nien that the karaoke parlor is owned by a local gang leader, identified only as Hien.
"It's perfectly possible for a company like Facebook to sort this out. Otherwise we risk more censorship."
Whether Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte aims to shock, inspire or just amuse, deciphering his blunt and often unpredictable rhetoric is a potential challenge for investors seeking policy clarity from the new leader.

When it comes to the war on illegal drugs, events have unfolded the way Duterte promised, with more than 800 people killed in police operations since he was sworn in on June 30. On his pledge to invest heavily in infrastructure, Duterte has impressed overseas investors, who have pumped $1.1 billion into the nations shares over the last three months.

But on a range of other issues, Duterte has sent more confusing signals. Some have been as innocuous as his choice of residence. Others have carried more weight, such as whether the Philippines intends to negotiate with China over territory in the South China Sea, or whether the country can live without mining, or if he really means to ban online gambling.

We have to get used to the president -- his ranting and his off-the-cuff remarks -- but well see, said Joey Cuyegkeng, an economist at ING Groep in Manila. Sometimes he recovers from those things. Dutertes spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said that while the president might use hyperbole and "edgy" or "morbid" humor in his public addresses, he was a leader who prioritized an orderly society, national sovereignty and the common good. "His North Star is the well-being of a prosperous, just and peaceful nation," Abella said in a text message.

Either way, here are seven matters on which Duterte has appeared to flip flop since he came to power.

Playing games

At his first Cabinet meeting, Duterte ordered a halt to online gambling. He followed up with a speech on August 3 singling out then-PhilWeb Corp. Chairman Roberto Ongpin as he promised to curb big business influence on government. The Philippine gaming regulator decided not to renew PhilWebs contract supplying so-called e-games cafes, which offer patrons electronic casino games such as baccarat, blackjack, slot machines and video poker.

Then on August 24 Duterte said the Philippines would allow online gambling to resume, provided operators paid proper taxes and electronic casinos were located away from schools and churches.

Separating from UN

At 3am on August 21, Duterte said he may withdraw the Philippines from the United Nations, after UN officials criticized his war on illegal drugs. Take us out of your organization. You have done nothing anyway, Duterte, 71, said. The following day, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay issued a clarification, saying the Philippines remained committed to the international body. Cant you take a joke?," Duterte asked on August 23.

Similar to the extrajudicial killings, we regard the comments as having the potential to harm the business climate and investor sentiment, said Kyran Curry, a sovereign analyst at S&P Global Inc., in an e-mail commenting on Dutertes threat to withdraw from the UN.

Navigating South China Sea

After China refused to acknowledge an international court ruling in favor of the Philippines that rejected Chinas claims to more than 80 percent of the South China Sea, Duterte responded first by sticking to his pledge not to "flaunt or taunt" the decision. On August 23 Duterte said he expected to have bilateral talks with China within the year. But the next day, he warned China against invading Philippine territory, saying it will be bloody and we will not give it to them easily. Duterte is due to meet senior Chinese officials at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Laos the week of Sept. 5.

Living without mining

Riffing on the subject of mining regulations in early August, Duterte told the countrys miners, the worlds biggest suppliers of nickel, that the Philippines could live without them. You obey or we will survive as a nation without you, Duterte said. Three days later, in a televised speech in the southern city of Davao, Duterte tweaked his threat. He suggested that further mining permits would still be granted, while stressing there must be a limit to mining activities, saying it was time to reconfigure wealth distribution in the Philippines.

Stance on Abu Sayyaf

Youve never heard me say that they are criminals, Duterte said in a July 8 speech in Davao on the subject of Islamic insurgent group Abu Sayyaf, which operates in the southwestern Philippines. With a history of bombings, extortion and targeted assassinations, Duterte said Abu Sayyaf were driven to desperation by failed promises made under previous governments.

Still, by the end of July he referred to Abu Sayyaf as enemies that have to be destroyed, and last week reiterated the bandits must be tackled: Seek them out in their lairs and destroy them - the Abu Sayyaf. Destroy them, period.

Where to live

In the run up to his inauguration, Duterte often said he planned to take a commercial flight each morning from his home in Davao to the capital Manila, and return every evening. My bed is here. My room is here. My home is my comfort zone. Its important that I can sleep and take a shower comfortably, he said in late May. Then in early July, Duterte announced his decision to follow predecessor Benigno Aquino by making the palace in Malacanang his official residence.

Climate change

In mid July, Duterte said his administration would not honor the Paris pact on climate change that his country adopted along with 200 or so nations last December, arguing the Philippines wasnt sufficiently industrialized and its requirements differed. Just days later Duterte changed tack, saying the Philippines would be willing to talk about signing the pact if it took into account his plans for the economy.
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force tanks move amongst an umbrella of barrage during an annual live fire exercise, at the Higashi-Fuji firing range in Gotemba, Shizuoka prefecture, on August 25, 2016

Japan's defence ministry requested a record budget on Wednesday, with funds for an anti-ship missile system to defend islands at the centre of a territorial dispute with China.

Tokyo is determined to defend the uninhabited islets in the East China Sea -- administered by Japan as the Senkakus but claimed by China as the Diaoyus -- as Beijing steps up its claim.

The ministry announced it is seeking 5.168 trillion yen ($50.12 billion) in spending for the fiscal year starting April 2017, up 2.3 percent from the initial budget for the current fiscal year.

If approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet, it would be the fifth straight year the government sets a record defence budget, as regional tensions remain high.

The proposed budget calls for Japan to develop land-to-ship missiles as well as air-to-ship missiles for patrol planes.

The new land-to-ship missile system is expected to have a range of 300 kilometres (190 miles), far enough to reach the vicinity of the disputed islands, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported earlier in August.

The ministry declined to confirm the range of the missile.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida last week told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during talks in Tokyo that Beijing must stop violating Japanese territory in the East China Sea around the disputed islands.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (L) last week told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during talks in Tokyo that Beijing must stop violating Japanese territory in the East China Sea around the disputed islands.

That warning came after Tokyo earlier lodged more than two dozen protests through diplomatic channels claiming that Chinese coast guard vessels had repeatedly violated its territorial waters around the islands.

China views the islands as its own and thus rejects the view it violates Japan's territorial waters.

The ministry also plans to create a mobile amphibious unit with more than 2,000 troops at a base in Nagasaki prefecture.

And the budget proposes funds to dispatch extra personnel to the Philippines and Vietnam in an effort to beef up intelligence-gathering in the South China Sea.

Japan is boosting defence ties with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, some of which have their own disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

In addition, Japan is also on alert against North Korea and the country's frequent ballistic missile test launches -- the most recent last week from a submarine -- that Tokyo sees as a major threat.

To counter Pyongyang, the budget also allocates funds for upgrading Japan's Patriot anti-missile systems to double the present area of coverage.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry adjusts his ear phones during a joint news conference with India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (not pictured) in New Delhi, India, August 30, 2016.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Wednesday on China and the Philippines to abide by an international tribunal's decision on the disputed South China Sea and said there was no military solution to the problem.

Kerry's remarks, made in a visit to India, came ahead of a G20 summit in China on Sunday and Monday that could be overshadowed by arguments over everything from territorial disputes to protectionism by China, diplomats say.

An arbitration court in The Hague ruled in July that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea. China dismissed the case lodged by the Philippines and rejected the ruling.

"The United States continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunals recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry told a gathering of students in New Delhi.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.

China has vowed to take all measures needed to protect its sovereignty over the South China Sea and says its actions there, which have included land reclamation and construction of air fields and docks on reefs, are peaceful.

China has blamed the United States and its allies in the region, such as Japan and Australia, for stoking tension.

The United States and Japan have no territorial claims in the South China Sea and say their priority is freedom of navigation.

Kerry said the United States supported diplomatic efforts to resolve territorial disputes to which there was "no military solution".

"We are also interested in not fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes and claims through the legal process and through diplomacy," Kerry said.

The United States and India, in a joint statement issued on Tuesday after security talks, reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

They said states should resolve disputes through peaceful means and "exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes affecting peace and stability".

U.S. ally the Philippines welcomed the tribunal's ruling in July but it is keen not to anger China. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will hold talks with China on the issue.
A passenger walks past a TV screen broadcasting a news report on North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missile fired from North Korea's east coast port of Sinpo, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, August 24, 2016

North Korea has made considerable progress this year on weapons technology, including testing a submarine-launched missile for the first time, but it's still not clear if the isolated nation has developed a nuclear warhead.

It also does not yet have a fleet of submarines that can launch the newly developed missile.

Nevertheless, concerns about the threat posed by North Korea have spiraled since it conducted its fourth nuclear explosion in January and followed it up with a series of missile tests despite severe United Nations sanctions.

Also, three major factories known to produce machine parts for North Korea's sanctioned nuclear and missile programs have been modernized or expanded, according to analysis of recent satellite imagery seen by Reuters, a further sign of its commitment of scarce resources to weapons. (For graphic, click here)

"North Korea has dramatically increased the pace of missile testing and invested heavily in modernizing its factories that produce them, something we can see in satellite images," said Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

"These investments have paid off with the recent test of a solid-fueled submarine-launched missile, but North Korea has not yet completed development of a submarine to carry that missile."

In April, a South Korean official said the North had accomplished miniaturization of a nuclear warhead to mount on a missile, although there was no direct evidence it had done so. The United States has said the North's claim that it had miniaturized a warhead had to be taken as a credible threat.

Graphic: North Korea expands missile-building facilities.

"I think North Korea is capable of miniaturizing nuclear bombs," said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum and a policy adviser to the South Korean navy. "But they don't have any standardized warhead yet to put on missiles. They keep gathering data through nuclear tests and working to standardize a warhead."

Experts have predicted that the delivery vehicle for the North's first nuclear warhead would be the medium-range Rodong missile, which can fire a 1 tonne (1,100 lb) warhead up to 2,000 km (1,250 miles).

Despite threats to strike the mainland United States, the North is seen as several years away from building an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can carry a nuclear warhead.

Expanded production

In the past year, North Korea has boasted of numerous weapons breakthroughs in unprecedented detail.

Although some of it was bluster, international experts have concluded North Korea's missiles have flown higher and for longer than previously, indicating progress in the country's banned missile program.

In June, after repeated failures, it successfully launched an intermediate-range missile, which can fly up to 3,500 km (2,100 miles).

Analysis of satellite images shows that the North has recently expanded factories known to contribute to its nuclear and missile programs.

An Aug 22 image of a sprawling plant in a rural area 60 km (37 miles) north of Pyongyang appears to show several new structures, extensive refurbishment of existing buildings and a new entrance to a probable underground facility, according to data from satellite imagery provider Planet that was analyzed by Lewis.

The January 18 General Machine Plant has long been used to produce engines for tanks, missiles and other military vessels, according to experts.

"This represents an enormous investment in North Korea's missile production infrastructure, something that is consistent with the propaganda offensive we have seen and the spike in missile testing," said Lewis.

The Kanggye General Tractor Plant, believed by arms control experts to assemble North Koreans munitions, was also upgraded in the last year, according to imagery analyzed by Lewis.

The plant is the country's "main weapons production base," a defector who worked in North Korea's secretive munitions industry told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper in 2010.

For Pyongyang, however, building a new submarine fleet seems to be a top priority.

A new construction hall has come up at North Korea's Sinpo submarine base on the east coast, according to images collected by Planet.

A view shows the January 18 General Machine Plant in Kaechon, North Korea, in this satellite image taken on August 22, 2016 and provided by Planet Labs, Inc on August 24, 2016. Planet Labs, Inc/Handout via Reuters.

An image from Aug 10 shows a new structure being built beside a refurbished pier within the base, although it was not clear if the new hall would house a new class of submarine.

Perfecting submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology and having a fleet of submarines that could deploy the weapons would raise North Korea's threat to Japan and U.S. interests in the Pacific to a new level, given the ability of submarines to escape a land attack and evade missile defense shields.

Leader Kim Jong Un proclaimed the SLBM test the country's "greatest success" and said North Korea was at the "front-rank of nuclear powers".

Moon Keun-sik, a retired South Korean submarine captain and squadron leader, said North Korea's conventional diesel-powered submarines were a persistent threat despite their age but its SLBM-capable craft could be a game-changer.

"North Korea will be or is already in the process of building a newer, bigger submarine that may happen as early as next year," he said.
A civilian breathes through an oxygen mask at al-Quds hospital, after a hospital and a civil defence group said a gas, what they believed to be chlorine, was dropped alongside barrel bombs on a neighbourhood of the Syrian city of Aleppo, Syria, early August 11, 2016.

Russia questioned on Tuesday a report by the United Nations and a global chemical weapons watchdog that blamed Syrian government forces for two chlorine gas attacks, saying the U.N. Security Council could not use the conclusions to impose sanctions.

A year-long U.N. and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inquiry, unanimously authorized by the 15-member Security Council, also found that Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas.

The U.N. Security Council began talks on Tuesday on how to respond to the inquiry. When asked if he thought the report was enough to impose sanctions on Syria, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: "Frankly, I don't, but we continue to analyze the report."

"There are two cases that they suggest are the fault of the Syrian side; we have very serious questions," he told reporters after the council met behind closed doors to discuss the issue.

The report set the stage for a Security Council showdown between the five veto-wielding powers, pitting Russia and China against the United States, Britain and France.

"The sorts of things we will be looking at are the imposition of a sanctions regime and some form of accountability within international legal mechanisms," said British U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft on his way into the meeting.

Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a deal brokered by Moscow and Washington. The Security Council backed that deal with a resolution that said in the event of non-compliance, "including unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone" in Syria, it would impose measures under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter.

Chapter 7 deals with sanctions and authorization of military force by the Security Council. The body would need to adopt another resolution to impose targeted sanctions - a travel ban and asset freeze - on people or entities linked to the attacks.

"It is incumbent on the council to act swiftly to show that when we put that Joint Investigative Mechanism in place we were serious about there being meaningful accountability," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said on her way into the meeting.

"I can't specify or get ahead of where the council's going to be," she said.

Russia, a close Syrian ally, and China have previously protected the Syrian government from council action by blocking several resolutions, including a bid to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.

"We need a resolution and we need a resolution with teeth," said French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre on Tuesday.
The United States welcomed an apparent pause in fighting between Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on Tuesday, both of them members of the coalition fighting Islamic State, but it was far from clear that any truce would hold.

Washington has been alarmed by NATO ally Turkey's incursion into northern Syria, launched almost a week ago. The operation, dubbed "Euphrates Shield," aims to push back Islamic State but also to prevent U.S.-backed Kurdish militia fighters from seizing more territory along the Turkish border.

Ankara fears advances by Kurdish fighters as Islamic State is pushed out are aimed at establishing a Kurdish enclave along Syria's northern border, a move which could embolden a three-decade-long Kurdish insurgency on Turkish soil.

The Turkish incursion has left Washington scrambling to get its feuding allies to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel America's war strategy in Syria.

"The United States welcomes the overnight calm between the Turkish military and other counter-ISIL forces in Syria," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, using an acronym for the militant group.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the period of calm had lasted 12 to 18 hours and the United States would like it to continue so that all members of the coalition could focus their efforts on fighting Islamic State militants.

A Kurdish military official said a ceasefire between Turkey and Kurdish-backed militia fighters was holding. But Turkish military sources denied there was any such agreement, while a Turkish-backed Syrian rebel commander characterized it only as a "pause" and said that military operations would soon resume.

Turkish-backed forces began their offensive last week by capturing the Syrian frontier town of Jarablus from Islamic State; they then advanced on areas controlled by Kurdish-aligned militias which have U.S. support in battling jihadists.

Washington said the offensive risked undermining the fight against Islamic State.

French President Francois Hollande said he understood Turkey's need to defend itself but that targeting Kurdish forces battling jihadists could further inflame the five-year-old Syrian conflict.

"Those multiple, contradictory interventions carry risks of a general flare-up," he told a meeting of French ambassadors.

Ankara says it will not take orders from anyone on how to protect the nation. The Turkish foreign ministry said on Tuesday military operations in Syria would continue until all threats to Turkish security were removed and that U.S. comments on Turkey's targets in the operation were "unacceptable".

"The statements of U.S. officials about the content and the targets of the Euphrates Shield operation ... are unacceptable and are not in line with the alliance between the two countries," a foreign ministry spokesman said, adding that a complaint had been lodged with the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

"Crowded battlespace"

Eager to avoid more clashes between Turkey and U.S.-backed Syrian fighters, the Pentagon said the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State was establishing communications channels to better coordinate in a "crowded battlespace".

"The improved coordination of armed activities in northern Syria will seek to assure the safety of all forces," Pentagon spokesman Matthew Allen said.

Sharfan Darwish, a spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, said a ceasefire between Turkey and the Jarablus Military Council was holding.

Both councils are allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed alliance of groups including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia that is fighting Islamic State insurgents and has expanded along Syria's frontier with Turkey.

The Jarablus Military Council subsequently said the temporary ceasefire was "under the oversight of the international coalition led by the United States".

A general view shows a damaged street with sandbags used as barriers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district, Syria March 6, 2015.

Two senior Turkish military sources denied any such truce had been agreed. A commander in one of the Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups that have clashed with SDF-allied groups south of Jarablus also denied such a deal.

"There is no truce and no ceasefire. But there has been a pause for some time," the commander, who declined to be identified, told Reuters by telephone, adding that the operation would resume shortly.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also declined to describe the pause in fighting as a ceasefire as such, though he said the intent was similar.

In a boost elsewhere to the fight against Islamic State, its Amaq News Agency reported that the group's spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, one of its longest-serving and most prominent leaders, had been killed in Aleppo.

After coup, mark of Turkish pride

Turkey's army chief earlier signaled no let-up in Ankara's Syria offensive, saying its successes showed a failed coup in Turkey last month had done nothing to dent the military's power.

"By pursuing the Euphrates Shield operation, which is crucial for our national security and for our neighbors' security, the Turkish Armed Forces are showing they have lost none of their strength," Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar said in a statement to mark a national holiday.

Turkey is still reeling from an attempted coup in July in which rogue military commanders used warplanes and tanks to try to oust President Tayyip Erdogan and the government, exposing splits in the ranks of NATO's second-biggest military.

In a purge of suspected coup sympathizers, 80,000 people have been removed from both civilian and military duties, including many generals, officers and rank-and-file soldiers.

In its Syria offensive, Turkish forces and their rebel allies have taken a string of villages in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and advanced toward Manbij, a city the SDF seized from Islamic State this month in a U.S.-backed campaign.

Turkey says its forces have struck multiple positions held by the Kurdish YPG militia, part of the SDF coalition.

The YPG says its forces withdrew from the region before the Turkish assault and have already crossed the Euphrates, in line with a demand from the United States to withdraw to the eastern side of the river that flows through Syria or lose U.S. support.

Turkey wants to stop Kurdish forces taking control of territory that lies between cantons to the east and west that they already hold, and so creating an unbroken Kurdish- controlled corridor on Turkey's southern border.
Five-time Grammy nominee and Breaux Bridge native Hunter Hayes will perform in a September benefit concert for flood victims.

Hayes, 24, will join more than a dozen artists at Louisiana Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Relief on Labor Day, Sept. 5. The event, hosted by former American Idol co-hosts Randy Jackson and Harry Connick Jr., will run from 7 to 9 p.m. in the River Center Theater.

I am so thrilled to be a part of this benefit concert, Hayes said in a news release from Raycom Media Wednesday. I hope it not only helps the people who need our help, but also brings much needed attention to the beautiful people of my home state.

Hayes will join artists Better Than Ezra, Sonny Landreth, Chris Thomas King, MacKenzie Bourg and Luther Kent. Longtime fixture in the Baton Rouge scene, Johnny Palazzotto, will serve as music director of the show.

Can't see video? Click here.

The show will be broadcast and will benefit the American Red Cross's Louisiana Flood Relief fund.
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A state panel Wednesday began reviewing science standards used in public schools, which have not been changed since 1997 and are the third oldest in the nation.

The update, which was ordered by Louisiana's top school board, is overseen by a 39-member Standards Committee, mostly educators.

Under that panel are two work groups  35 and 28 members  that will hammer out new benchmarks for students from kindergarten through eighth grade and high school respectively.

Panel of mostly educators to review Louisiana science standards, last updated in 1997 Louisiana's top school board Tuesday approved 85 educators and others to review the state's 

"They are going to be the ones in the weeds," said Cathi Cox-Boniol, a Lincoln Parish educator and chairwoman of the Standards Committee.

The first draft of the changes is due Nov. 7.

A final vote on the plan is set for Feb. 13 in New Orleans.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is scheduled to debate the changes at its March meeting, and the new guidelines could be in place for the 2017-18 school year.

The study could spark controversy because of concerns on how evolution and other subjects are taught.

BESE gives green light to review of science standards, among oldest in U.S. The states top school board Tuesday endorsed a potentially controversial review of science 

However, the initial meeting in Pineville only sparked one public comment, and that one was praise for the study.

Cox-Boniol said the initial draft will be posted online for public review from Dec. 1 until Jan. 6.

"All the feedback will be reviewed, and it is important that that message be given to the public," she said.

The science review is the second of its kind in recent months.

BESE earlier this year approved revisions to Louisiana's math and English standards after a review in 2015 ordered by the Legislature because of controversy over Common Core.

Standard represent what students should know by the end of a course or grade.

"We are not here to discuss curriculum, we are not here to discuss assessments," Cox-Boniol said.

"We are going to be addressing standards only," she said. "Let's make sure that is clear."

The K-8 and high school work groups planned to start work Wednesday afternoon and Thursday.

The K-8 group is headed by Heather Howle, an educator in West Feliciana Parish.

The high school study group is lead by Rhonda Matthews, an educator in the Iberville Parish School District.

Jeanne Burns, a top official of the state Board of Regents and a member of the Standards Committee, said regents officials have set up a call next week with colleges and universities on how those officials can be a part of the science review.

"We anticipate that they will be very much involved," said Burns, who is assistant commissioner for teacher and learning initiatives.

Joseph David, a principal in Sulphur and a member of the Standards Committee, praised teachers serving on the review panels.

"You have a lot of pressure on you, just listening to all these people's comments," David said.
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has distributed more than $1.6 million so far to local nonprofits helping people affected by the floods, including more $600,000 to schools and groups focused on education.

BRAF aiding businesses in establishing flood relief funds The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is setting up charitable funds for local businesses that wan

The grants are the first round of giving coming from the Louisiana Flood Relief Fund, which the prominent foundation established with $100,000 of its own money. BRAF reports that more than $2.5 million from more than 14,000 individual donations have flowed into the relief fund so far, plus additional corporate giving.

Five Baton Rouge-area public school districts have each received $50,000 checks from the fund, either directly or through affiliated charitable foundations: Ascension, East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes, as well as the Baker and Central school districts. Also, St. Helena public schools have received $25,000 so far from a $100,000 BRAF grant to the Northshore Community Foundation, which covers four Northshore parishes, including St. Helena.

Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School has received $100,000 from BRAFs fund as well as space that BRAF controls at Bon Carre technology center; Cristo Reys north Baton Rouge campus flooded in the first week the new Catholic high school was open.

BRAF has also given money to local educational groups it has supported in the past: New Schools for Baton Rouge, $50,000; MetroMorphosis, $50,000; and the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, $5,000.

Another $75,000 was split among three groups that specialize in after-school programs: Big Buddy, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Baton Rouge, and Young Leaders Academy.

The YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge received $50,000 to restart Early Head Start in the badly affected Glen Oaks area and another $40,000 is headed to Baton Rouge Community College Foundation.

The single largest BRAF gift, totaling $250,000, did not go to an education-focused group. Rather, it went to another large foundation that helps many organizations, Community Foundation of Acadiana. That foundation primarily serves eight parishes in south-central Louisiana that have all have been declared federal disaster areas.
Louisiana is currently experiencing what is likely to become its first significant increase in the rate of adults who have health insurance in more than a decade.

The latest edition of the Louisiana Health Insurance Survey, which was released Tuesday, found one in five adults here didn't have health care coverage in estimates dating back to at least 2003, when the LSU-based survey first began. But the latest tally of 644,000 uninsured adults doesn't account for the nearly 300,000 people who officials say have been added to the state's Medicaid health insurance rolls since expansion kicked in July 1, suggesting the next round of numbers will show a large shift.

"This report speaks volumes as to why Medicaid expansion was so important," Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee said of the previously steady uninsured rate, which was often cited among the nation's highest.

The survey serves as a biennial census of insurance trends in Louisiana. While shifts have been seen in the number of children who have health care coverage, which is due in part to the growth of the Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program, there had been little deviation in adult coverage, despite the implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act and state-based workplace and wellness initiatives.

Gee said that the latest uninsured tabulation will serve as an important before-expansion benchmark as the state continues to add more people to its Medicaid rolls. The state Department of Health says more than 293,200 newly-eligible people have enrolled in Medicaid as of Monday. The goal is to enroll a total of 375,000 by June 30.

"We have made a major dent, and we're so enthusiastic about the very successful and speedy enrollment that has occurred," Gee said.

Louisiana road to Medicaid expansion long, winding but finally here Against all odds, Louisiana has become the 31st state  perhaps more noteworthy, the first s

Under the expansion, which is an opt-in provision of the federal Affordable Care Act, adults who make less than 138 percent of federal poverty level  about $33,500 a year for a family of four or $16,200 for a single adult  can qualify for free health care coverage.

The federal government will pay 100 percent of the costs for the state's newly-enrolled through the end of 2016, and the state gradually will take on up 10 percent of the costs by 2020. Under current federal law, the state will never pay more than 10 percent for the expansion population.

According to the insurance survey's findings, about 327,700 adults below 138-percent-of-poverty income level didn't have health insurance in Louisiana before the expansion. Another 180,500 who fell below that income level had health insurance through their employers, and 62,000 were privately paying for health insurance. All of them would have the option of enrolling in Medicaid, if they want the taxpayer-funded health care option.

The survey's researchers note that those with employer or privately purchased coverage would save money from the cost of premiums they currently pay. Gee said that would also save business owners money spent to cover employees.

"The expansion is going to have a benefit for small businesses," she said.

Stephen Barnes, director of the LSU Economics & Policy Research Group at the E.J. Ourso College of Business, said the latest findings will serve as a "baseline snapshot" of where coverage stood prior to expansion.

He noted that the rate of uninsured children has drastically decreased since the health insurance survey was first conducted in 2003.

"I think it's important to bring into the discussion that Medicaid and LaCHIP has been an important source of coverage for children," Barnes said. "With expansion, it will also be serving that role for adults."

While the adult uninsured population, which was much more restrictive prior to expansion, had been relatively flat through the years, the number of uninsured children has dropped from more than 143,000 in 2003 to 45,000.

"Expanding Medicaid will provide a stable source of coverage for a lot of adults," Barnes said.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, signed the executive order to expand Medicaid through President Barack Obama's signature health care law shortly after taking office in January.

State health leaders spent several months promoting enrollment through media campaigns and direct outreach to food stamp recipients and others who are likely to qualify.

Under Republican former Gov. Bobby Jindal, who opposed the federal health care law and efforts to expand Medicaid, state lawmakers were cool to the proposal but there was little resistance from the Republican-controlled Legislature after Edwards backed it, along with the claim that it will help boost the state budget by $184 million by shifting care from other costlier programs.

"The report is not surprising. this is the very information that's been reinforced year after year as Medicaid expansion was refused," Gee said. "The impact of Medicaid expansion is going to be far-reaching, both to the health of the people of this state and the economy of this state."
Fearing that people were underestimating David Dukes candidacy for the U.S. Senate, a 25-year-old political action committee rebooted to aggressively challenge the white supremacist in this falls election.

You have to take David Duke seriously, said Lawrence Powell, a retired Tulane University scholar who is the last of the founders of the Louisiana Coalition against Racism and Nazism that formed in 1991 and is chairman of the 2.0 version of the group that reorganized earlier this month.

The Coalitions Advisory Committee includes prominent Republicans like former US Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, of Mississippi, former Gov. Buddy Roemer and Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell D. Normand as well as former Gov. Edwin W. Edwards, retired U.S. Sens. John Breaux and J. Bennett Johnston, all Democrats.

Responding to the group restarting, Duke's campaign coordinator, Mike Lawrence said Wednesday: "This geriatric bunch of stooges are nothing more than a bunch of political cockroaches starved for attention."

After being surprised when Duke qualified to run on July 22 as a Republican from Mandeville, some of the members of old coalition began reinvigorating the organization. They agreed that given the tenor of present-day politics, Dukes candidacy could nudge the white nationalist political movement into the mainstream debate.

Hes been testing the political waters and searching for a beach head, Powell said Wednesday.

Duke led a nonviolent faction of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1970s, was shown in photographs wearing a Nazi uniform and celebrating Adolph Hitlers birthday, and has authored books criticizing what he calls a supremacist element in Judaism. He is campaigning for the U.S. Senate as an advocate for European-American Christians and has criticized illegal immigration, gun control, high taxes and the Black Lives Matter organization.

Since the early 1990s when Duke ran strong races for governor and the U.S. Senate, he has been convicted and served a prison sentence for tax evasion. He also has made poor showings in several bids for elective office.

Still, Dukes candidacy for the U.S. Senate attracted a lot of attention that members of the group found worrisome.

Hes the ultimate click-bait for the media, Powell said.

Dukes late entry into the contest to succeed Sen. David Vitter captured international attention in late July. Robo-calls Duke made over the weekend asking Louisiana voters to support his candidacy and Donald Trumps presidential bid also received coverage in newspapers and on news blogs all over the world. On Wednesday, The Jerusalem Post opined on the calls and Dukes relationship with Trump. (Trumps campaign disavowed Dukes endorsement.)

+2 David Duke backs Donald Trump in robocalls to Louisiana voters David Duke, the white suprematist candidate for the U.S. Senate, over the weekend asked vote

With two dozen candidates running for the Senate, even a candidate polling in the low teens has a legitimate shot at making the runoff, noted Powell, a widely published historian who wrote The Accidental City and co-edited the four-volume Encyclopedia of the Confederacy.

Louisiana Spotlight: What's the strategy in packed U.S. Senate race? When Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter announced he wouldnt seek re-election after his fail

Coming in third or fourth in the Nov. 8 primary would invigorate Dukes political movement, said Karen Carvin Shachat, the coalitions manager.

We think there is a moral imperative that he not win, not only that, but that he not do well, she said Wednesday. We want him to come in 20th.

Shachats late father, political consultant Jim Carvin, was a founder of the original coalition.

Ex-KKK leader David Duke qualifies to run for U.S. Senate: 'My time has come' Two dozen candidates, the largest field in at least 35 years, are running for a U.S. Senate 

She filled out the Federal Election Commission paperwork to reestablish the dormant group on Monday, July 25, following Dukes surprising entry into the race on the previous Friday afternoon. She filed incorporation papers with the Secretary of State a week later.

Back in 1991 and 1992, the coalition raised about $191,000 to fund the statewide campaign against Duke. She hopes to raise more for television advertising.

In this climate that produced Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, you cant take anything for granted, Shachat said.

(Trump repeatedly has repudiated Dukes backing. But some commentators and some Democrats point out that Trump unexpectedly won the GOP nomination using sharp rhetoric and, in some cases, holding political positions that Duke also shares.)

The Louisiana Coalition against Racism and Nazisms membership crosses religious, racial and party lines  including some Trump supporters. For instance, Shachat said, Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court Jon A. Gegenheimer, a Trump delegate to the Republican National Convention, supports the group.
In the muck and heat, the thousands of people driven from homes and apartments can be forgiven for wanting their governor to be working on their situation, 24/7 and right now.

But even the most afflicted know that a governor, or a mayor, or a parish president has a multitude of responsibilities, and organizing the recovery from the enormous flood is but one of them.

While new in office, and perhaps principally known for raising taxes to fill a leftover budget hole, Gov. John Bel Edwards has gained a lot of street cred with his new constituents during his energetic response to flooding, in north Louisiana in March, and now in more damaging fashion in August in the south.

What he cannot now allow is for this latest natural disaster to consume his administration.

One of the easiest prescriptions and hardest medicine in government is advice to delegate tasks. Edwards took office only in January, facing a dramatic budget crisis left from the administration of former Gov. Bobby Jindal; three legislative sessions followed, and a crisis over police shootings in July, and now the flooding.

Delegate to whom? Edwards and his staff and the new officials across government who came in with him have hardly had space or time to organize, but now their ordinary tasks have been compounded by the immense complexity of the recovery task ahead.

The governor told President Barack Obama that a state task force created by executive order will tackle the job, and a protocol already exists for state and federal partnerships that the Edwards administration can use. But that will hardly allow the new governor to deal with the recovery in the hands-on ways that he and many others have performed during the immediate crisis.

Not least among the benefits of Louisiana's terrible experience of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 is the work of the old Louisiana Recovery Authority, which fought many of the battles that will now recur: endless federal paperwork over disaster reimbursements, or rebuilding of schools or other public buildings; coordination of federal agencies which, like those of the state, ought to work together but often don't; management of the delicate issues arising from potential action by Congress to aid victims of the floods.

In the latter case, Edwards is enjoying the early support of the Louisiana delegation in Congress, most of them Republicans, and even including outgoing U.S. Sen. David Vitter of Metairie, with whom the governor clashed so bitterly in the 2015 election.

That is no small benefit. There is also the precedent of the LRA's work and improvements to the Federal Emergency Management Agency under Craig Fugate. Obama calls him one of his best hires, but that will be tested anew in the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Edwards thus has assets as a manager of the complex recovery situation. By executive order he can bring into the process leaders of sufficient stature to deal with powerful federal agencies and officials; the work of Norman Francis of New Orleans, who chaired the LRA, and its director Andy Kopplin, now with the Greater New Orleans Foundation, is a valuable precedent.

Today's situation probably doesn't call for an LRA, in part because the dimensions of the damage are not as great as in 2005, and much of the damage is focused on the Baton Rouge and to a lesser extent the Lafayette metropolitan areas. But a governor has a lot of things to do, and the recovery task force is a test of Edwards' administrative abilities, and his capacity to delegate when it is required.

Email Lanny Keller at lkeller@theadvocate.com.
Throughout the St. Tammany Parish Public School System, school supplies, gift cards and cash were gathered Aug. 19 for Louisiana flood relief. At the collection point at Honey Island Elementary School in Slidell are, from left, Marissa Hartley, Mason Randall and Melissa McDaniel.
As Louisiana gears up to petition the federal government for another big disaster aid package, now seems like a good time to remember that the state already relies more on money out from Washington than just about any other.

The reminder comes courtesy of a new national study from the Pew Charitable Trusts, which found that 30.8 percent of state funding across the country in 2014 came from federal grants.

State to state percentages vary widely, though, and Louisiana got 40.1 percent of its state "general revenue" from the feds, which put it second only to neighboring Mississippi at 40.9 percent. Way down at the other end of the spectrum was North Dakota, at 16.8 percent, although that's likely to change in future surveys due to the downturn in the oil business.

If that seems illogical for a state dominated by small-government philosophy, or at least rhetoric to that effect, it's no anomaly. According to an analysis published in The Hill, a Washington, DC newspaper, states like Louisiana and Mississippi that voted for the Republican nominees in the last two presidential election relied on the federal government for an average of 33.8 percent of their general revenue. Those where Democratic President Barack Obama won twice proved more self-sufficient, and looked to Washington for 29.9 percent of their general revenue.

The key variable, the researchers told The Hill, is not political opinion but basic need.

The states that take in more federal aid have higher rates of poverty. That translates into more residents on Medicaid  and in Louisiana's case, many more in the future now that Gov. John Bel Edwards has accepted a largely federally-funded expansion under the Affordable Care Act and fewer paying income taxes.
'It was truly awesome to see': Incredible Cajun Navy stories submitted as The Advocate seeks to honor heroes
Akando Ducksworth, 33, was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for attacking an acquaintance with a machete in a Metairie daiquiri shop in 2015.
Orleans prosecutor spared contempt charge in high-profile case against N.O. breast surgeon

Orleans prosecutor spared contempt charge in high-profile case against New Orleans breast surgeon
Testy barbs and a legal challenge over the veracity of one candidate's ads have roiled the two-woman race for a seat on the state's 4th Circui
Father: BR man in plane crash 'refused to leave anybody behind,' tried to save pilot

Plane crash victim 'refused to leave anybody behind,' died trying to save pilot, father says
The driver of the party bus that crashed early Sunday in St. John the Baptist Parish blamed faulty brakes for the fatal collision, according to three people who have spoken to surviving witnesses.

Meanwhile, several elected officials in Louisiana and beyond demanded answers Tuesday regarding the immigration status of the bus driver, Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, a Honduran national who is in the United States illegally, has been cited a half-dozen times for driving without a license and was arrested in 2011 on domestic abuse battery charges that were later dropped.

State Police have not yet pinpointed the cause of the multi-vehicle crash, which claimed the lives of two people, including a St. John the Baptist Parish district fire chief, and injured more than 30 others.

Authorities confirmed, however, that they are investigating whether mechanical problems caused the bus to careen into a fire engine that had been blocking traffic at the scene of an earlier wreck on Interstate 10.

"Anything's a possibility when it comes to the crash investigation," said Trooper Melissa Matey, a State Police spokeswoman. "We know speed is a factor. As to whether the brakes failed or did not fail, that's still under investigation."

Cristian Silva, a Harvey attorney who represents three of the laborers injured aboard the bus, said one of his clients, a woman who remained at the scene for more than an hour, heard Amaya blame the crash on malfunctioning brakes.

"The driver came out (of the bus) and said the brakes did not function," Silva said. "In her opinion, he had the opportunity to flee, and he didn't," instead remaining at the scene and helping the injured.

Two other sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said passengers on the bus had given them similar accounts of the brakes failing. One said that Amaya began swerving in an attempt to avoid striking two other vehicles before barreling into the fire engine.

Amaya remained jailed Tuesday on counts of negligent homicide, negligent injuring, reckless operation and driving without a license. Federal authorities already have issued an immigration detainer, a strong indication that he will face deportation proceedings in addition to the criminal charges.

As authorities continued to reconstruct Sunday's crash, Amaya's illegal status  and his repeated encounters with law enforcement, dating back to 2011  fueled demands among some conservatives for more stringent immigration enforcement.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on Tuesday renewed his call for the end of so-called "sanctuary city" policies in the New Orleans area, which he said "encourage the further migration of illegals into communities and cost a grave toll in money and safety."

But while New Orleans police explicitly prohibit officers from investigating the immigration status of arrested people in most cases, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office leaves the question up to deputies' discretion, a spokesman said. And it's in Jefferson Parish where Amaya, who lived in Metairie, appears to have run afoul of the law.

Amaya, 37, has pleaded guilty at least four times, in Jefferson Parish alone, to driving without a license but has avoided jail time  let alone deportation  by paying nominal fines and court costs. He also was booked on allegations that he punched his live-in girlfriend and struck that woman's daughter with a cellphone  charges that later were dismissed.

Federal immigration officials focus primarily on deporting illegal immigrants accused of violent crimes and other felonies. Matey, the State Police spokeswoman, said troopers are not trained to determine if people are in the country illegally and it depends on the circumstances of the crime whether they call federal immigration officials.

"The question is, why isnt being in this country illegally a deportable offense?" Attorney General Jeff Landry asked. There's no communication between the state and the feds. I was on the phone with the federal government the very next day, talking to Immigration and Customs, trying to find out why this particular person was not deported.

Amaya's illegal status also has drawn the ire of three Republican U.S. senators, who wrote a letter Tuesday to Jeh Johnson, the U.S. Homeland Security secretary, posing a host of questions about the pending criminal investigation and demanding a long list of documents outlining any earlier encounters immigration officials had with Amaya.

In the letter, U.S. Sens. David Vitter and Bill Cassidy, both R-La., and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also asked whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working to determine the immigration status of the two dozen laborers aboard the bus Amaya was driving.

"Sadly this is yet another story in a long line of stories where innocent American citizens have been killed by an illegal alien who has complete disregard for the laws of this nation," the senators wrote.

Vitter, in a separate statement, said the crash "absolutely could have been prevented, and it's important for Secretary Johnson to cooperate in investigating the illegal alien who took two innocent American lives on Sunday, including any prior criminal activity."

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return a call seeking comment late Tuesday. Several sources with knowledge of the investigation, however, said immigration officials have been in contact with at least some of the injured laborers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, meanwhile, has assumed the lead in the investigation into Kristina's Transportation LLC, the company that provided the party bus.

Duane DeBruyne, a spokesman for that agency, said investigators were working to determine whether Kristina's Transportation had been shuttling passengers across state lines and, if so, whether they had complied with federal regulations.

New details also emerged about the laborers aboard the bus and the flood-recovery work they intended to perform Sunday in the aftermath of the Baton Rouge floods  work involving a contractor known as Wallace, Rush, Schmidt Inc.

According to a man who said he has worked for WRS, company recruiters posted a message on social media soliciting people interested in doing disaster clean-up work. The jobs had no benefits but paid $11 an hour, said the worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized by the company to speak with the media.

Beginning about a week before the crash, dozens of workers had been shuttled from the New Orleans area to Baton Rouge in buses owned by Kristina's Transport, which has the trade name "AM Party Bus." Amaya had driven buses along that route on at least five occasions before Sunday, the worker said, adding that Kristina's charged about $300 per trip.

The owner of Kristina's Transportation, Christian Lombardo, had insisted that Amaya was properly licensed and even referred to the driver as "my guy Denis," the worker added.

Another source, however, said Amaya had worked for years on construction sites for one of WRS' partners and a company recruiter. WRSs attorney Jesse Wimberly said the company has no record of ever employing Amaya.

In a text message to WWL-TV, Kristinas Transportation said, No comment can be made at this time.

Once the bus dropped off a load of prospective workers in Baton Rouge, they would fill out applications and turn them in to WRS representatives, who would verify that the laborers had a required Social Security number and photo identification, the WRS worker said. If they had the proper documents, they would be hired; if they lacked them, they would be sent back to the New Orleans area, the worker said.

On the morning of the crash, enough workers to fill three Kristina's buses were picked up outside of Clearview Mall in Metairie, the WRS worker said.

State authorities said Kristina's Transportation had the proper Public Service Commission permits to transport passengers across Louisiana parishes, but the company did not have separate papers necessary to pick them up in Jefferson Parish, parish officials have said.

Although the party bus being driven by Amaya never made it to Baton Rouge, two yellow school buses that picked up prospective laborers at the mall on Sunday did, the worker said.

The worker said he was angry with Kristina's Transportation not only because the crash left two people dead but also because it thrust laborers interested in doing vital rebuilding work into the center of a heated immigration debate that has raged throughout the presidential election campaign.

"These poor people were looking for bread to bring to the table," the worker said. "They just wanted to rebuild homes and feel that they were doing something for their community."
Star of the second series of The Code, Dan Spielman, as Ned Banks walks across Commonwealth Avenue Bridge in Canberra. Credit:Kate Ryan "I did not have a millimetre of thought that we would ever go again," she said, with a laugh. "Someone smarter than me said it and it definitely applied, with that kind of show you need to play every single card you've got in your hand, and we did." Dan Spielman as Ned Banks and Stephanie King as Erin Jennings, with trusty copy of The Canberra Times in hand, in the second series of The Code Credit:Kate Ryan Yet from those exhausted reserves comes another taut, sophisticated production, with Birse and her team finding more to inspire in the national capital.

"It was almost like we got the opportunity to do a great big reccy the first time, which made life a lot easier the second time," she said. The Code again looks at personal liberty versus national security in the digital age, with characters under stress from the powerplays of Canberra to literal jungle warfare. The series this time jumps between the starkness of late-winter Canberra to the lushness of far north Queensland and Papua New Guinea. "There was always a very clear sense of looking to showcase worlds that were quite strong in contrast," Birse said. "So in series one, we had that great big red desert story set against that very architecturally-stark vision of Canberra.

"And this time we were looking at that northern, tropical, green, organic, pulsating -with-life kind of world and again looking at a Canberra that was a big striking contrast." So were they looking for a bleak Canberra? "Well, bleak in the most beautiful way," Birse said. "I'm flabbergasted by how beautiful Canberra is. I think it's got the most interesting architectural stories in Australia." The ACT Government contributed $200,000 in funding to the second series production. ScreenACT director Monica Penders believes we are getting bang for our buck.

"Canberra, once again, looks fantastic and I believe this second series raises the bar - it is a high quality drama of cinematic standard," Penders said. "The Code 1 really set the standard - Canberra can and has been a fantastic location for filming drama. "Ease of access, unfilmed locations as well the iconic landmarks and a beautiful high altitude light, make the ACT a location of choice." The Code's producer Di Haddon said the financial support from the government was necessary to make the filming happen, with the shoot taking part over two weeks in August last year. "The key for us, because we can't do the whole shoot down there, just financially we can't do that, you just have to make the most of the exteriors and the differences that are distinctly Canberra to tell the story," Haddon said.

The Foxtel series Secret City was also filming around Canberra at the same time. "Canberra was able to accommodate both," Haddon said. "We didn't kind of run into each other and obviously our location managers were talking to each other just to make sure we weren't getting in each other's way. "But for a city that's not used to having film crews there, to coping with two at the same time, it was good." Both Haddon and Birse are loathe to take credit for trailblazing the way to Canberra for other film-makers but do believe, at least, they opened the way a little to film in the most important location of all, Parliament House.

"It's a very bureaucratic, complex system to get through," Birse said. "I think we got the 'yes' the first time around because someone in that environment was actually championing the idea that it was the people's house and it's fantastic if we can make it part of our story-telling landscape." Season two of The Code filmed at some of Canberra's most architecturally striking buildings such as One Canberra Avenue in Forrest, home to the Department of Finance and 18 Marcus Clarke Street in the city which houses the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. The producers went back again to the Nishi building in New Acton and the Shine Dome, both favourites from the first series. But also getting a guernsey were more mundane locations including the Metro petrol station Fyshwick and the Gowrie Court public housing flats.

The ACT Motor Traders caryard in Fyshwick also accommodated the crew as they filmed a scene of a character buying a second-hand-car. "They brought their own car in and we helped to sticker it up and basically looked after them for the afternoon," yardman Shane Brereton said. "It was a great day. We got to meet all the actors and the producers. They were a great bunch of people. "We're all waiting for it to come on." Haddon said locations were often chosen because of their proximity to each other so that the film crew did not have to dismantle and start again. So the exterior of a house in Reid was shot because it was around the corner from St Peter's Memorial Lutheran Church, which provided some stunning scenes.

The National Film and Sound Archive and Civic Pub in Braddon were also filmed. "There really are just some terrific locations and looks that you get down there," Haddon said. "We were filming towards the end of winter, verging on the beginning of spring. But we wanted that cooler, no-leaves-on-the-trees look. And it does look fabulous." Haddon said other film crews will no doubt follow in their footsteps. "I'm all for more people going down there. I think it's great. I do hope we kind of break out of doing the Sydney-Melbourne look," she said.
At the very least, Wattle Day suddenly opens your eyes to all the explosions of golden blossom around the ACT and how they are like little bursts of optimism in the landscape.

September 1  the start of spring  also marks Wattle Day, in which we celebrate our national floral emblem and what it represents.

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove receives a basket of wattle from Holy Spirit Primary School Nicholls students Aiden Monteleone and Holly Fahy to mark Wattle Day on Thursday, September 1.

Wattle Day Association president Terry Fewtrell said with more than 1000 species, wattle had great diversity. It was also resilient, able to regenerate after fire.

Importantly, it was also a symbol that came with "no baggage".
Catherine Townsend says the Shine Dome was futuristic when it was completed in 1959  and remains so today. Credit:Melissa Adams As a young architect, Ms Townsend worked for Mitchell Giurgola & Thorp Architects and Peter Freeman & Partners Architects and Planners during the 1980s. She and her partner Bruce Townsend established the Canberra-based firm Townsend + Associates Architects in 1993. 9 Finniss Crescent, Narrabundah, another Townsend + Associates Architects project. "Through her work at T+AA Catherine attained an impressive list of industry awards and has contributed to a number of important advisory groups and tribunals such as 2003 Bushfire Recovery Taskforce, juror on the National Portrait Gallery Design Competition and adviser for the Canberra International Arboretum Design Competition," Mr Gentleman said.

Ms Townsend said the role of government architect brought together her experience in the public and private realms. The staircase at Hotel Hotel is one of Catherine Townsend's favourite architectural objects. "I see [the job] as not maintaining a standard, but of generating a standard," she said. "Our cities are growing and certainly an element of the community would like us to remain static and not grow any more. A pool enclosure at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra designed by Townsend + Associates Architects. Credit:John Gollings

"But no one has actually invented a way to do that. So until that ground-breaking development, let's assume the city is growing and let's do it well." She declined to yet reveal a public or private opinion on the proposed light rail project, which will have a profound impact on planning along its corridor, or the controversy around the unsolicited bid to redevelopment the Manuka Oval precinct. New ACT Government architect, Catherine Townsend. "I haven't got my feet under the desk yet," she said. But Ms Townsend did suggest the controversy around the Manuka Oval proposal pointed to the wider issue of including the ordinary resident in the planning of the national capital.

"How do we capture the citizen voice?" she said. There was also the ongoing issue of higher density living in the ACT. "Canberra will change and we will have to balance the greenfield with the infill. There will be infill. That's a fact of life. And we have to make sure we do it well," she said. That meant ensuring there were "social dividends" to the community, whether that meant adequate sunlight to enough green space. "Australia is one of the world's most urbanised countries, and Canberra is not alone in seeking better ways to nurture our physical environment: both natural and built. I am excited to work with the ACT Government to focus on improving quality of life through good design, " she said.

The Townsends had two dogs which were a fixture of their O'Connor offices  Birdie the kelpie, still alive and well, and Connie the 17-year-old blue heeler, who died on Monday. Ms Townsend replaces the ACT's first Government Architect, Professor Alastair Swayn , who submitted his resignation earlier this year due to ill health and died earlier in August. We asked Ms Townsend to nominate her all-time favourite Canberra buildings. She said the staircase at Hotel Hotel was her favourite architectural object in the national capital. Among her favourite buildings worked on by her own firm was a pool enclosure at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra and a private residence, 9 Finniss Crescent, Narrabundah, which sold in February for an undisclosed amount, still smashing the suburb's residential house record. Here are her top five picks: 1. The Shine Dome "It was futuristic when it was built and 50 years later it's still futuristic. It was a great concept and superbly crafted."

2. The High Court "Again a great concept. The quality of design and the craftsmanship was unbelievable. You won't get concrete like that again. "Also, Bruce and I married there, on the steps. It makes a fantastic cathedral." 3. University House at ANU "For its scale, its form, its craft. And the way it brings the inside out with a wonderful outdoor area and pond."
Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Brown could consider a move to North Melbourne during next month's trade period.

Brown, part of the Magpies' 2010 line-up and a long-term part of their backline, could cross as a restricted free agent.

While Brown may remain with Collingwood, he shapes as a replacement for Michael Firrito in North's backline. A move by Brown could help the Pies bring in some of the draft picks they may need to get other deals done.

Collingwood do not currently hold a first-round draft pick, having traded it last year as part of the Adam Treloar deal.
The European Commission's stunning 13 billion ($19 billion) tax bill for Apple raises awkward questions for other companies with similar tax arrangements in Ireland - and not just global household names like Amazon and McDonald's.

When building materials group James Hardie first skipped off to the Netherlands in 2002, it claimed the move was purely designed to lower its tax bill - rather than a scheme to avoid payment of its ballooning asbestos liabilities. As it turned out some years after the move, a fund it had set up to compensate victims of asbestos from its products came up short.

Even before the Australian company's move to offshore tax havens, James Hardie was described in a report by the Australian Taxation Office as "masters of tax minimisation".

Its chairman at the time of the Dutch manoeuvre, Alan McGregor, assured investors that the company would look to taking advantage of Ireland's friendly corporate climate if the European Union forced the Dutch to implement less corporate friendly tax laws.
Harvey Norman plans to launch a new upmarket store format in Australia, building on the success of its tech-heavy Millenia Walk superstore in Singapore that opened late last year.

Chairman Gerry Harvey said the first new-format outlet would be launched in Sydney next year before a national rollout of the new-look, flagship stores.

Mr Harvey said the business was also looking to capitalise on international expansion opportunities and revisit its ambitious plans to reap more than half its profits from outside Australia, a strategy that was derailed by the global financial crisis.

"We said that 10 years ago and we didn't deliver and we still haven't delivered but that's not to say we won't deliver, it just means we've been kicked in the bum," he said.
It's pencils at 10 paces at the Supreme Court of Victoria as the owner of the popular schoolkids stationery brand Smiggle, billionaire rag trader Solomon Lew's Just Group, fights to stop the company's chief financial officer Nicole Peck defecting to rival Cotton On.

At the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Premier chief executive Mark McInnes said Ms Peck was privy to crucial financial information about the company, including meetings to formulate the summer season for each of Just Group's brands.

Just Group director Terry McCarthy believes Smiggle's rival, Cotton On's chain Typo, has "used Smiggle as a blueprint". Credit:Adam McLean

"As CFO she was responsible for running the entire summer season meetings. It was Nicole's role to organise those meetings and to run those meetings and to ensure the budget was put together," Mr McInnes said.

Mr McInnes, who only gave evidence before the end of the day's session, said Ms Peck was also in charge of the short-term incentive scheme at the company for Just Group's managers.
The Climate Change Authority has backed off its commitment to assess the full implications of the Paris climate accord in its latest report, a move critics say departs from the study's original terms of reference.

The authority, now dominated by appointments made by the Turnbull government, on Wednesday released its third report of a special review into the climate policies Australia should take after the climate summit in France in late 2015.

The "climate policy toolkit" found the world is moving to take action on climate change at a level "that is in Australia's public interest". While Australia has made progress, its reduction task beyond its Paris commitment is a large one and emissions will have to fall faster than they have in the past, the report says.

Almost 200 nations agreed to keep global temperature increases "well below 2 degrees" compared with pre-industrial levels.
A NSW union official has called on Labor to support a plebiscite on same-sex marriage as the fastest way to achieve equality for gay and lesbian Australians.

Dermot Ryan, chief of staff to the Transport Workers' Union of Australia, has written to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, deputy leader Tanya Plibersek and Labor MPs in a personal capacity, calling on politicians to trust Australians to vote "yes" in a plebiscite.

A dual Irish and Australian citizen in a long term same-sex relationship, Mr Ryan chairs the Irish Friends of Labor group in NSW. He argued even a divisive plebiscite campaign could be less damaging than a further delay of up to three years.

He praised the work of Australian Labor and its Irish equivalent in progressing positive social change while warning Labor could be complicit in blocking same-sex couples from marrying.
Julie Bishop has rejected Paul Keating's assessment that Australia has "no foreign policy", insisting our diplomatic sway in the Asia-Pacific has "never been greater".

The Foreign Minister hit back at stinging comments by the former Labor prime minister, who warned on Tuesday that Australia urgently needed a "nuanced" foreign policy capable of navigating the ongoing rise of China and the diminishing influence of the United States in Australia's region.

Mr Keating, who sits on the advisory board of the giant China Development Bank and has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, said Australia should not "put all its chips" on its relationship with the US.

But in comments to Fairfax Media, Ms Bishop emphasised the government's commitment to the primacy of the US alliance, saying the world's biggest power continued to underpin Australia's position in Asia.
The Turnbull government faces what could be its first defeat in the Senate over a motion backing a banking royal commission.

Earlier on Wednesday, the government headed off a lower house motion, introduced by Labor, which would have embarrassed the Coalition over the issue - but would not have forced a commission to be held.

Labor Senate leader Penny Wong has flagged the opposition's intent over a Senate motion on a banking royal commission that enjoys enough support to ensure its success. Credit:Graham Tidy

A similar motion is set to be debated in the Senate on Thursday and looks likely to succeed, underscoring the fact that the government cannot control the agenda in the upper house, where it holds just 30 of 76 seats.

The government was also embarrassed on Wednesday when it emerged its so-called $6 billion omnibus savings bill contained a $107 million accounting error that overestimated the amount of money that would be raised. The error was made by Treasury.
The Turnbull government is being urged to overhaul the university admissions system so students with high ATARs don't feel pressured into signing up for courses with intimidating cut-offs.

The University of Sydney, in a new submission to the government, also says it is time to bust the popular myth that courses with high ATAR cut-offs are necessarily the most academically rigorous.

The government is examining how to make university admissions more transparent after Fairfax Media revealed the widespread practice of universities enrolling students with ATARs far lower than the published cut-off.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham on Wednesday released over 80 submissions to the government's Higher Education Standards Panel review into admissions. There was overwhelming consensus among universities and policy experts that the current system is too murky and students need to be given more information about the entry requirements for potential courses.
The end of August might be the end of winter, but for investors and analysts alike, it also marks the end of another season  earnings season.

Companies whose books close on June 30 must file their accounts by the last day of winter if they want to remain on the ASX, and so for a month we wade, waist deep, through (thankfully virtual) pages and pages of company accounts, presentations and some of the best ''spin'' that corporate investor relations types can throw at us.

The new CEO of Woolworths, Brad Banducci, on the day the company announced its 2015-2016 results. Credit:Jessica Hromas

And while it's called earnings season, it might just as well be called expectations season. After all, it's the latter that has more impact on a company's share price than the actual results themselves. You might be wondering how that's possible  after all, money talks and rubbish walks, right?

Well, yes  and no.
Usually, Treasurers will go to great lengths to avoid the word "recession" passing their lips.

But Treasurer Scott Morrison dropped the "r" bomb four times in a speech last week warning of the risks of budget complacency.

While he didn't say it explicitly, the lingering impression of his speech was that Australia's budgetary position of debt and deficits is a threat to growth.

Such an argument is music, of course, to a conservative audience's ears. Yes, they will think, big government will strangle the economy, as we always suspected.
Screenshot from the front page of the app Musical.ly. Credit:Musical.ly "What? That's it?" Tina says. "So at this point, I took it upon myself to do something." Tina is a G-rated social media celebrity with hundreds of thousands of followers, many of them young kids. She has had many approach her online for help when they are bullied or abused in the apps they use. She has asked us not to use her real name. She had been troubled by some particularly nasty strains of bullying showing up in her feed on Musical.ly involving what looked like very young kids, and began following some of the accounts. One was the Australian girl's, which is why she was notified when the girl began to use the livestream.

"The internet is a very scary place, but it can also save someone's life," Tina says. From the child's email, she was able to figure out what school she went to - and found out it was in Brisbane. The app's administrators and the Canadian police wouldn't help, so she tried something else. She found the name of Susan McLean, an Australian cyber safety specialist, and emailed her urgently asking for help, with all the information she could find about the child and screenshots of the self-harm. Ms McLean tracked down the girl's school and informed the principal.

The principal responded immediately, seeking more information, and assured Tina and Ms McLean they would do everything possible to help her. The school had not known she was in such distress. The internet's backwaters are full of terrible stories, but Musical.ly is a free, mainstream iPhone and iPad app with 100 million users that's marketed at teenagers. Cyber safety experts and schools are increasingly worried about the popularity of the app and its new live stream function, Live.ly, among tween and young teen users. Wenona's junior school banned it from school devices this week, and Fairfax Media has learned that Kincoppal Rose Bay also did so last month. "It's dangerous in the extreme," Ms McLean says of the app.

"Sex crimes detectives are getting jobs from it where kids have been groomed. Dumb, ill-informed and head-in-sand parents want to pander to their kids and let them have every app they want because they have no understanding of the reality." She says that while kids under 13 shouldn't be on any social media, Musical.ly has a litany of features and functions that make it a particularly unsafe space for younger kids, in addition to 18+ musical content. The app publishes location information, videos can be downloaded from the app, and there is a lot of bullying in the comments as well as reports of hashtags "hijacked" with pornographic content. "Friends commenting that you have 'ruined' their favourite song and [there's] bullying in real life as a result," she says. "Predators being able to watch the videos of your child, take them and store them for future viewing pleasure."

Another cyber safety consultant, Leonie Smith, says the app's administrators are not doing enough to stop young users. "It's one of the very first social media sites that I've seen that has taken off mostly in primary schools. High school students laugh because it is seen as very tween-oriented social media," says Ms Smith. "The fact is anyone can message any of those kids on there, download the videos and share them really easily." Tina runs popular accounts on several different social media platforms, but has been most disturbed by what she is seeing on Musical.ly. "Kids on this platform are susceptible to bullying, harassment, having their personal information stolen or copied and also to solicitation for ads ... and accounts claiming to help them 'win fans'," she says.

She says anyone can watch the Live.ly livestreams, even without having to follow a user's account, meaning kids can broadcast from their bedrooms to anyone online. A spokeswoman from Musical.ly, based in San Francisco, did not address Fairfax Media's questions about the self-harming incident. "We take appropriate measures to expeditiously remove offensive or inappropriate content from the Musical.ly app. "Users can set their account to private to ensure only the friends they know can follow them," she said, pointing out that users can block other users and report abuse. "We are also implementing machine-learning technology to scan messages to block spam and inappropriate content."

Despite all the concerns, there is a very good reason Musical.ly is so popular with its users, known colloquially as "musers". "This app is really fun," says Tina. "It can leave you in tears from laughing." Loading But, she stresses, "it's not for kids. There is not nearly enough protection within the app for kids. Making your account 'private' is not enough. "[The app's makers] just need to think more about the safety of their users rather than the safety of the money in their pockets."
'Out of character': Mark and Jacoba Tromp. "They were just fearing for their lives, and then [we] decided to flee. "I've never seen anything like it. The best way to describe it is like a movie." Mitchell and Ella Tromp speak to the media. Credit:Eddie Jim It is believed the family drove in daughter Ella's Peugeot to Bathurst and then the Jenolan Caves area.

The three children decided they did not want to continue on as their parents became increasingly mentally distressed. Sergeant Mark Knight addresses the media about missing man Mark Tromp. Credit:Eddie Jim Mitchell was the first to abandon the family holiday at Kelso, in Bathurst, on Tuesday. He went to Sydney, before catching an overnight train back to Melbourne. Daughters Riana, 29, and Ella, 22, went to Goulburn, where they split up at a service station. A Peugeot wagon similar to the car Mark and Jacoba Tromp were last seen driving. Credit:7 News

Riana was later found under mental stress on the side of the road and taken to hospital. Ella somehow acquired a car and made her way back home. Police are making inquiries into how she got the car. Their parents left the Jenolan Caves area together, but later separated. The Tromp family's home, and currant farm in Silvan. Credit:Tom Cowie Ella said it was the "general stress of life" which had got too much for the family. She said the pressure on the family meant they weren't thinking clearly when they packed up and left without taking their possessions or mobile phones.

Mitchell and Ella Tromp after speaking to the media about their missing father. Credit:Eddie Jim "They're the best people in the world; I work with my dad and brother every day," she said. Mitchell said his mum, who is also known as Coby, was occasionally anxious, but not to the extent that she was on the trip. The Tromp family's Parkview Farm in Silvan. Credit:Tom Cowie "I just really want my dad to be found ... he's not dangerous; he's my mate, he's my father [and] I love him. I just want someone to find him and bring him home."

At one point on the trip, Mitchell admitted to having his mobile phone, but he voluntarily threw it out the window at Warburton. The children reported their parents missing to Goulburn police on Tuesday, who appealed for public assistance to find them. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sergeant Mark Knight said it was one of the most bizarre cases he had been involved with in his 30 years of policing. Exactly what sparked the family split remains unclear. There had been some arguments over money and general family disputes, Sergeant Knight said. "We knew the family was traumatised by something, but we didn't know what," he said.

"Some of the family members wanted to come home and didn't want to continue on the family holiday." Sergeant Knight said police initially feared something serious had happened when they found the Tromp's family home unlocked and with valuable possessions lying around. The doors of the home were wide open and the car keys had been left in vehicles. "On Tuesday afternoon when I was called to the actual address ... it was an unusual scene that I was faced with," he said. "Keys were in cars, passports were there and phones were on the bench.

"It was an unusual crime scene, one that I hadn't seen before." He said Goulburn police had notified him on Tuesday that Riana had been found, which sparked a wider search for the family. That search effort crossed state borders and involved police in both Bathurst and Wangaratta. About 10pm on Wednesday, a man driving Ella's grey Peugeot station wagon, with Victorian number plates WRG 756, was reported to have followed a young couple in Wangaratta. The young couple saw the man get out of the car and run into Merriwa Park near the centre of town. It is believed that man was Mark.

Mark's mother, Wilma Tromp, told Fairfax Media she was relieved her daughter-in-law and grandchildren were safe. Mrs Tromp said she had no idea why Mark was still missing, but urged him to come home. "We're just very concerned," she said. "We haven't got any answers. George and I are very thankful for what [the police] are doing and we just pray for a good outcome." Police in Wangaratta have not found evidence of Mark leaving the town by public transport and there has been no reports of cars being stolen.

Detectives were contacting local motels on Thursday to determine if he had stayed overnight. The Tromps own and operate Parkview Farm where they grow redcurrants. The website for Parkview Farm offers visitors the chance to visit and pick their own berries. "They all have their jobs on the property and they all work together," said neighbour Mark Chapman.
More than 120 research jobs at the CSIRO face the axe if the Coalition's proposed cuts to the clean energy research agency are approved by Parliament.

The threatened jobs come on top of scores of university science positions on the chopping block if the Australian Renewable Energy Agency is de-funded as part of the government's ``budget repair" omnibus bill currently before the Parliament.

Associate Professor Kylie Catchpole, Professor Andrew Blakers and Fellow Dr Matt Stocks are among dozens of researchers at ANU, and up to hundreds around Australia whose jobs are in doubt if the government wins parliamentary support to slash the funding of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

The new threat to CSIRO research comes less than a month after Science Minister Greg Hunt instructed the organisation to renew its focus on climate science, claiming it would be a "bedrock function" of the agency's activities.

Fairfax reported on Wednesday that Australia's leading renewables researchers were warning the nation was heading towards the "clean energy valley of death" if the ARENA cuts are passed.
The holiday photos look like two young women on a dream trip cruising around the world, not two alleged drug mules working for an international drug syndicate.

Seven weeks ago, Canadian national Melina Roberce made a gloating post on social media from Toronto airport as she was about to fly to the UK.

"Let's do it again .... #london." she captioned a photo of her passport and boarding pass that she posted on Instagram.

Over the next seven weeks she made more than two dozen posts of her and her travelling companion Isabelle Lagace, 28, while they were aboard the cruise ship the Sea Princess.
A NSW Police highway patrol officer appeared before a Sydney Court on Wednesday charged with sexually assaulting a woman he knew.

Constable Charles Gray, 43, appeared before the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday charged with one count of having sexual intercourse without consent and another charge of indecent assault.

Charles Gray has been suspended from the NSW Police after being charged with sexual assault. Credit:Peter Rae

According the police charge sheet, Constable Gray allegedly indecently assaulted the victim by touching her breasts without her consent.

Police allege the offences occurred at Chippendale between 12.30am and 1am on Sunday, August 21.
He had the opportunity, he knew the victims and he had the skills.

Aged-care nurse Garry Steven Davis was the only person who could have killed two elderly Newcastle nursing home residents with lethal insulin injections over two days in October, 2013, Newcastle Supreme Court has heard.

Accused: Garry Steven Davis

And Mr Davis, 29, was also the only one to predict who was going to die next in a series of text messages to two staff members.

He faced the first day of a judge-alone trial on Wednesday into allegations he murdered nursing home residents Gwen Fowler, 83, and Ryan Kelly, 80, and attempted to murder Audrey Manuel, then 91.
A new metro line between Sydney's Central Business District and Parramatta will be the next major public transport project initiated by the NSW government, but might come at the expense of parts of Parramatta's planned light rail network.

Senior sources have confirmed planning is underway for the metro line, intended to bring long-needed relief to Sydney's western rail corridor and service growth areas, such as the Bays Precinct around Rozelle and the former industrial lands at Camellia.

The project could also include a future expansion to a Badgerys Creek airport to the west, and is likely to also contemplate an eastward expansion to Maroubra and Long Bay.

But one option being considered is cutting back the scope of the proposed light rail line between Parramatta and Strathfield via Olympic Park, though it is understood no decision has yet been made on that idea.
Amnesty International Australia director Claire Mallinson with the report. Credit:AIA/Kylie Gillis "When I think about 10 and 11-year-olds that I know, most are just thinking about their first sleepover, can you imagine the concept of them being put into a detention centre? "From our research, these detention centres are using force, they are strip-searching people, people are having to squat, we are seeing the use of dogs. "We should not expect any 10 or 11-year-old to be exposed to that kind of situation." The report also finds that as of August 1, 2016, 49 children aged 17 were being held in adult prisons in Queensland.

Ms Mallinson called for an inquiry into the treatment of youth in adult prisons after footage released this week showed a 17-year-old boy being restrained inside a Queensland adult prison. "The video clip of Jarrod (Clayton) reminded me of Silence of the Lambs, it is strapping people up and treating them like they are Hannibal Lecter," she said. "We have grave concerns that what happened there breaches the conventions against torture and that is why we expect to have an inquiry into that issue. "No other state has 17-year-olds in adult prisons. We have heard excuse after excuse after excuse, the time is over for excuses, the time now is for action." Ms Mallinson said the report recommended the immediate removal of all 17-year-olds in adult prisons as well as establishing a permanent independent inspector of custodial services.

"There is secrecy going on in our detention centres in our prison system that has to stop, there needs to be public reports of what is going on there," she said. "None of us want to see children and adults treated in the way we have seen over the last few days. "Governments can find the money to do things if they really want to, this government needs to act on this and act on this today." The report also found on average, 83 per cent of children locked up in Queensland were there on remand, the highest in the country. QUT School of Justice Professor Kerry Carrington said of those children, only 15 per cent were ever sentenced to detention.

"We are massively over-incarcerating juveniles in this state," she said. "The rates of incarceration for Indigenous children have really not shifted since 1994, there were around 400 then and there are now around 360, so there is hardly any change whatsoever, that is over 22 years. "Whereas what has happened with non-Indigenous youth is their rates of detention have halved over the past 22 years." Professor Carrington said factors had helped reduce the rates of youth in detention including diversion programs, cautioning and alternatives to custody, but said Indigenous children were not the beneficiaries. "They don't have the resources, they are not Indigenous-led, they come from very disadvantaged communities where they don't have the investment to make the turnaround," she said.

Amnesty International has called for culturally appropriate and Indigenous-led holistic family support and early intervention services to be funded to stop children from entering detention to begin with. "It is an opportunity to instil pride in all our children so when they grow up to lead their communities with their heads held high," she said, "As a police sergeant in Townsville told us, 'I think we give back to the Indigenous community at large and empower them, you will get far better results'." Ms Mallinson hoped the 21 recommendations outlined in the report would be reflected in the forthcoming independent review of youth detention centres announced by Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath on August 19. A spokesperson for Ms D'Ath said it was Labor's policy to remove 17-year-olds from adult prisons.
The council's LNP administration had already knocked back proposals for on-street parking and, under questioning from Cr Sri at this week's council meeting, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk ruled out revisiting the issue in the immediate future.

Labor had taken a policy to the 2016 election for off-street car sharing spaces to be included in new developments , along with dedicated kerbside spaces in high density areas.

Dedicated kerbside parking for car sharing in Brisbane has been ruled out, much to the chagrin of the city's non-administration councillors.

"We have examined this issue previously and have come to the view that, no, we will not be proposing to make space available on the street for private operations of a car share nature," Cr Quirk said.

"As Cr Sri has pointed out, we certainly do support car sharing schemes, be they through body corporates, and I think that, as time progresses, we will see more and more car sharing scheme within developments or unit facilities, whatever the case may be."

Cr Quirk said the council's parking task force considered kerbside space for car sharing "more than once" and had decided against it.

"The conclusion was that we ought certainly to continue to promote the use of car sharing schemes, but we would not necessarily look at the additional spaces being made for the car share schemes," he said.

"...If you were to allow various private sector car sharing schemes to take up more and more spaces on the curb, that loss of spaces would have to be worn by the rest of the community.
Four years ago Detective Superintendent Mark Ainsworth led one of the most high profile investigations Queensland had seen.

43-year-old mother of three Allison Baden-Clay had gone missing in suspicious circumstances and her husband was the key suspect.

Allison's smiling face peered from the pages of news websites around the country and a media pack closely scrutinised every element of the police investigation.

When her husband Gerard was arrested the level of scrutiny on the investigation only increased as the case moved into the trial phase with police seeking a murder conviction.
Ingrid Christensen was an early Norwegian polar explorer, known as the first woman to view Antarctica and arguably the first to land on the Antarctic mainland.

Jan Maree Strugnell is an Australian evolutionary molecular biologist whose work has investigated population and species level molecular evolution in the Antarctic.

Early polar explorer Ingrid Christensen. Credit:Wikipedia

And In-Young Ahn is a South Korean scientist known for being the first South Korean woman to visit Antarctica and the first Asian woman to become an Antarctic station leader (King Sejong Station).

The three women are among the cohort of more than 90 female scientists, 15 of whom from Australia, whose biographies will be added to Wikipedia in a global "Wikibomb" to celebrate the notable contributions female scientists have made to Antarctic research.
Australian scientists have uncovered the world's oldest fossils, a find that could not only help us understand the beginnings of life on Earth but assist astrobiologists look for early signs of life on Mars.

The discovery of 3.7-billion-year-old stromatolite fossils in remote Greenland by a team led by University of Wollongong researcher Allen Nutman shows that life on Earth got going pretty fast. Our blue planet is about 5 billion years old.

Professor Allen Nutman (left) of the University of Wollongong and Professor Vickie Bennett of the Australian National University with some of the rock evidence of 3.7-billion-year-old stromatolite fossils.

"This indicates that 3.7 billion years ago microbial life was already diverse. This shows that life emerged within the first few hundred million years of Earth's existence, which is in keeping with biologists' calculations showing the great antiquity of life's genetic code," Professor Nutman said.

Speaking to Fairfax Media, he said that there were now two very different strands of evidence pointing to the early rise of life on Earth  the stromatolite fossil record along with geneticists calculating the provenance of the genetic code back in time.
Exiled former minister Jane Garrett has come under fresh pressure to resign from Parliament, as senior Labor party figures warn the state government is in danger of being derailed by infighting.

As a bitter fallout continued following claims Ms Garrett had been leaking to the media, Treasurer Tim Pallas said she should consider her position.

"If she's not contributing to the cause that she was elected to, she should think about it," Mr Pallas said in response to questions about whether the embattled MP should quit.

And while opinion is divided over Ms Garrett's long-term political future, there is near universal concern the government's achievements are being overshadowed by the dispute.
A man is being sought by police after he allegedly licked his lips at a shopping attendant before exposing his penis in front of her in Bundoora.

The man walked into the store on Janefield Drive at about 1:45pm on Saturday, August 27.

Police have released a photo of the alleged perpetrator in the hope of catching him.

A staff member told police the man licked his lips at her in an obvious manner, before taking an item of clothing and entering a change room.

The shop attendant then saw the man inside the change room touching his exposed penis, with the curtain wide open.
Victorians would be free to smoke and grow marijuana if a push by the Sex Party to legalise the drug is successful.

On Wednesday, Sex Party MP Fiona Patten will introduce a motion to the upper house calling on the government to immediately remove criminal sanctions for the possession, use and cultivation of marijuana for personal use by people 18 and older.

Australian Sex Party leader, Fiona Patten. Credit:Melissa Davis

The motion will also urge the government to allow the drug to be grown by farmers, which would create an additional revenue source through taxation.

She will move the motion in a bid to force the major parties to debate the legalisation of cannabis. The matter is set for debate on September 14.
Rob Adams has a familiar feeling in his stomach  and this time the influential Melbourne planner recognises exactly what is. "I think a lot of what's happening is fear of change," he says.

Professor Adams had the same feeling when Federation Square was being built and "everyone hated it" and when council closed Swanston Street to cars and people said it would decimate businesses.

Those projects would later be declared successful.

But the jury is still out on the Queen Victoria Market's $250-million redevelopment.
A Perth man is documenting each battle in his war against humans' crappy behaviour at South Beach Dog Beach.

While walking his own faithful pooch Disco, the dogged Andrew MacFarlane takes it upon himself to clean up the poo of dogs whose owners can't be bothered.

He posts pictures of evidence collected along the "walk of shame", also known as the "Yellow Shit Road", and other Fremantle locations, on his public Facebook page Dog's Life with the hashtag #NotThatHard.

One particularly sad photo shows that three people discarded poo-bags right underneath the council's warning sign about the offensive nature of such an act. A wheelie bin is metres away.
'Winter is coming' is a phrase that usually only appeals to fans of Game of Thrones.

But 'winter is over' is something most of us can all get together on, especially after the wet and rainy three months we've just endured in WA.

Bluegum Park in Beechboro was covered in frost as Perth shivered through winter. Credit:Rachael Lehr / Twitter

Wednesday August 31 is the final day of winter and when the clock ticks over to midnight it will officially be spring, the season of new life and hopefully some sun and warmth to scour away the icicles from our ugg-boot clad toes.

Former Bureau of Meteorology forecaster John Relf has been charting the rapidly receding grip of winter on his twitter feed and said this August was the coolest Perth had experienced for twelve years.
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As establishment candidates cruised to victory across Florida, one upset came in the Republican primary race in Floridas 4th circuit, which encompasses Duval County and the city of Jacksonville. Running for her third term as a tough, law-and-order prosecutor, State Attorney Angela Corey  who the Nation this year called the cruelest prosecutor in Americafound herself suddenly out of step with voters changing attitudes about crime and punishment.

It wasnt even close; local outlets called the race in favor of her opponent, Melissa Nelson, a former assistant district attorney, shortly after the polls closed.

I was visiting relatives in Jacksonville over the weekend when a canvasser who identified himself as a policeman rang the bell to drop off a flyer promoting Coreys candidacy. The Fraternal Order of Police backed Corey in each of her races, and this was the first time opposition to her hard-line justice had crystallized to make her campaign a microcosm of the conflicts playing out around the country between communities of color and police departments.

Corey first came to national attention when Floridas governor tapped her to lead the prosecution in the Trayvon Martin case. She failed to get a conviction against George Zimmerman, the self-appointed neighborhood watchman, in the boys death.

Her reputation, though, is as an aggressive prosecutor, especially when it comes to juveniles, and the statistics bear that out. Her jurisdiction sends more young people charged as adults to children or jail than any other one in the state, and her commitment rate of youth to detention centers is twice the state average.

We call it residential commitment to make it sound nice, but were basically sending them off to jail, says Rob Mason, an Assistant Public Defender in Jacksonville since 1990.

Mason cites the advances in brain research over the last decade that led the Supreme Court to eliminate the juvenile death penalty in 2005, and then in 2012 to ban mandatory life sentences without hope of release even in cases of homicide. Theyre not miniature adults, says Mason, we cant hold them to the same level of culpability.

He and others dont question Coreys sincerity; they think she is stuck in the 1990s, when lock em up and throw away the key was the mentality. She takes the position if a child commits an adult crime, then shes going to charge him as an adult, says a lawyer who has worked against her, but didnt want to use her name for fear of incurring her wrath.

Coreys unyielding stance got international publicity in 2011 when she pressed for a first-degree murder conviction as an adult for 12-year-old Cristian Fernandez in the death of his 2-year-old half brother. No one could recall someone that young being tried as an adult. A French documentary asked: Is this how America treats its children?

Corey never wavered despite mitigating facts. The children had been left alone; Cristian had called his mother to say the toddler had hurt himself. After the mother returned home, she waited more than eight hours before seeking medical attention. When the case against Cristian faltered, Corey tried to press additional charges against the boy.

Five local law firms working pro bono intervened on Cristians behalf, eventually allowing him to plead to manslaughter as a juvenile, which will allow him to be released on his 19th birthday in 2018. Melissa Nelson, who soundly defeated Corey in Tuesdays primary, was among the attorneys who gave her time to the case.

State attorneys in Florida have broad authority, and Corey is known for pressuring juveniles who desperately want to stay out of adult court to agree to a plea that allows them to stay in residential commitment, whats known as kid jail. The fourth circuit leads the state in these commitments.

She also holds the dubious record of winning the death penalty in a record 24 cases in her eight years in office, giving her the highest per capita death sentence rate in the nation. Duval County is 30 percent black; 80% of those who have received the death penalty are black.

The results of Tuesdays primary in the Fourth Circuit are final; there is no Democrat competing for State Attorney on the November ballot. The results will allow a new era of justice to emerge as Coreys outdated ideas about crime and its perpetrators are consigned to the dust bin of history.
After the backlash when chicken hawk Donald Trump mocked the mother of American hero Capt. Humayun Khan, you might think hed at least pause before launching another hateful attack on a grieving Muslim woman. But there he was Monday suggesting that Huma Abedin, top aide to Hillary Clinton and wounded wife of Anthony Weiner, was somehow tied to radical Islamic groups.

The media has largely ignored Trumps remarks, as if a famous Muslim American being smeared with a false connection to terror by the Republican presidential candidate is not worthy of coverage. But this vicious attack is very much a storyone that says nothing at all about Abedin and a great deal about Trump.

While his campaign has succeeded to some extent in putting a leash on its candidate, forcing him to deliver pre-approved speeches read from a teleprompter, the real dealthe one whos built his appeal on sexism, bigotry, and racismkeeps oozing out.

Trumps first comment about Abedin was no doubt drafted by his handlers desperately trying to attract female voters. In a prepared statement released just after Abedin announced Monday that she was separating from Weiner, the serially disgraced former congressman, Trump said: Huma is making a very wise decision. I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him. From there, he attacked Hillary Clintons judgment but didnt cast any aspersions on Abedin.

But later that day Trump spoke for himself, and showed his true colorsthe same ones that gave us his racist attacks on American judges, bully-boy mocking of a disabled reporter, and taunts about womens faces and bodies. While appearing on a conservative radio show in Seattle, Trump suggested Abedin was somehow in league with radical Islamic groups: You know, by the way, take a look at where she worked, by the way, and take a look at where her mother worked and works. You take a look at the whole event.

The GOP presidential nominee was now bringing to the forefront conspiracy theories supposedly tying Abedin to Islamic terror groups or at least putting her in sympathy with their views, something Trump supporter Michele Bachmann first began promoting back in 2012. Bachmann was immediately ridiculed for this baseless claim, concocted by the likes of anti-Muslim bigot Frank Gaffney. Even Republicans like Sen. John McCain publicly defended Abedin: These attacks on Huma have no logic, no basis, and no merit, and they need to stop now.

They havent stopped. Instead Trump supporters have been amplifying them, with Rep. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin asking just last week: Why arent we talking about Huma and her ties to the Muslim Brotherhood? Why arent we talking about the fact that she was an editor for a Sharia newspaper?

Well, as The Washington Post scored it, Duffys allegation that Abedin was part of the Muslim Brotherhood or connected to some radical Islamic publication earned the full four Pinocchios. The publication Duffy referenced and Trump again raised Monday in an effort to smear Abedin is The Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. As fact checkers have noted, its a staid academic journal that examines Muslim minority sects and Muslims who live as minorities in countries.

True, Abedins mother was the editor and Huma was listed as an assistant editor from 1996 to 2008. But was this journal in any way radical? Well, Noah Feldman, director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program in Jewish and Israeli Law at Harvard Law School, told The Washington Post, I wouldnt consider it radical. Quite the contrary. Other academics familiar with the publication echoed Feldmans views.

A week after numerous media outlets discredited the idea the publication was tied to radical Islamic groups, there was Trump raising that very issue. Which, sadly, is anything but surprising given how hes made demonizing Muslims one of the planks of his campaign.

Ben Carson actually got there first, shooting up in the GOP polls after he declared that no Muslim should ever be president.

Trump took notice, saying that Carsons been getting a lot of ink on the Muslims And I guess people look at that and they probably like it. It was not long after that we heard Trump call for surveilling Muslims, closing mosques, issuing Muslim ID cards, and finally his infamous Muslim ban.

All that, of course, came years after Trumps racist birther campaign to paint President Obama as an un-American secret Muslim. With Abedin, hes simply graduating to arguing that an actual Muslim is a secret radical one, presumably as a way to tie Clinton to those same groups. The names change, but Trumps disgusting M.O. remains the same.

The human impact of Trumps loud whisper campaign about Abedin is to make Americans suspicious that any Muslimeven one who has worked for years in our government and been thoroughly vettedis somehow tied to radicals or terrorism.

Smearing Abedin as she is dealing with her public and painful separation from her husband is despicable. So is smearing all Muslims as inherently suspicious or worse. Well see how much lower Trump can sink, how much more hate and suspicion he can spew, in the weeks between now and November.
Donald Trumps last-minute Mexico stunt may have made for a good photo op, but it put both himself and the Secret Service agents protecting him in even greater danger than normal, former U.S. Secret Service agents told The Daily Beast.

Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City also reportedly advised against the visit, which was proposed last Friday and only agreed to by Trump earlier this week.

It definitely puts lives at risk, said Jonathan Wackrow, a 14-year Secret Service veteran, who spent his last five years in the service on Obamas detail. The stress is unbelievable because you have to have a plan for every contingency but the time to think of it has been reduced from two weeks to two days.

These things are always a nightmare. I dont mean to be hyperbolic anything that can go wrong does go wrong on a trip with a short timeline, said Dan Bongino, a retired Secret Service agent who coordinated President Obamas visits to Prague, Jakarta, and Afghanistan.

The Secret Service is already under immense strain as it works to protect the president and vice president, as usual; both major presidential candidates; and diplomats from all over the world gathering in two weeks for the UN General Assembly.

The agency is also reeling from a series of recent scandals that have raised questions about its professionalism, including top officials drunkenly crashing a car into a White House barrier, a dozen agents bringing prostitutes to their hotel rooms during a trip to Colombia with President Obama, and allowing a fence jumper to make it into the East Room of the White House.

For the U.S. Secret Service, this is the worst period in its history since President Kennedy was assassinated everyones working hard on the campaign trail to keep everybody safe and prevent anyone from being embarrassed, but thats difficult when you have these last-minute trips, a 25-year veteran said, asking for anonymity to discuss a matter relating to politics.

Along with the lack of advance planning, Wackrow said Trump may have faced a potentially hostile environment, given his many insults aimed at Mexicans, who hes called killers and rapists.

Hes going into a country where hes completely offended the populace this could very well turn out to be a contentious visit for him but thats a risk that every agent accepts thats the job, said Wackrow.

His unpredictability poses dangers to himself, Wackrow said. Thats whats unprecedented with the Secret Service, having a protectee that offends such a diverse group of people.

With a standard foreign trip, the former agents explained, a pre-advance team would visit the destination months in advance to study the area, followed by an advance team that would begin making plans two or three weeks before the visit for what to do if there is a tactical crisis, a medical emergency, or a situation where the protectee needs to be relocated. Motorcades or other methods of transportation must be considered. Local law enforcement needs to be contacted for coordination.

Is it wise, security-wise? Probably not, Bongino said of Trumps last-minute jaunt across the border. But Ive been on a thousand trips with the U.S. Secret Service where we told protectees that it wasnt a good idea If it was up to us theyd sit in a fishbowl and be safe.

There is a Secret Service model, he said, for when a natural disaster or funeral compels the president to travel abroad on short notice. But rushing this trip, he noted, wasnt necessary.

Theres a process of how we do things, and we need time to go through our many, many checklists, said the veteran agent. Its not a good thing when you have to rush a foreign visit.

But Ken Donohue, who spent 21 years with the Secret Service, did see an upside to rushing. In my judgment a last-minute [trip] can provide the best security because potential threats can not formulate a plan of action, he said. Besides, the USSS is more than capable of providing more than adequate security for trips of this kind.

And the agency, at least officially, is taking the task in stride.

The Secret Service routinely protects candidates when they travel outside the United States during the campaign period, said spokesperson Nicole Mainor. When there are major catastrophes or emergency events, were prepared when those events take place, she said.

On the agent level, the view is even more stoic.

Every day is a strain. Every day is a challenge. But nobody does it better in keeping everybody safe, said the veteran agent who had asked to be anonymous.
MEXICO CITY  Mexicos president has compared the wake of Donald Trumps campaign to that of the rise of Hitler. Trump, in turn, has repeatedly called Mexican immigrants drug dealers, criminals, and rapists.

The tone was markedly different on Wednesday when Trump flew into Mexico City for a closed-door meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to build, starting now, a healthy bilateral relationship, as the U.S. Republican Party in Mexico said in a statement.

President Pena Nieto and Trump, moments after the meeting, held a joint press conference, in which Pena Nieto said he hoped the next president of the U.S. will work with Mexico to construct a strategic alliance based on mutual respect.

Both Trump and Pena Nieto were mute on the matter of the likely impossible border wall that catapulted the New York businessman to the Republican nominationand were decidedly silent on who would pay for it.

On the subject of the wallan elephant in the room of as-of-yet undetermined heightTrump responded to one of the few questions allowed at the press conference: We didnt discuss who will pay for the wall.

Were saving that discussion for a later date, he added, somewhat cryptically.

There have been misunderstandings or affirmations that unfortunately hurt and affected Mexicans in their perceptions of his candidacy, which I have been completely respectful of, Pena said, moments after the meeting. The Mexican people have been offended by comments that have been made, but I am sure that [Trumps] genuine interest is building a relationship that will allow us to give our societies better well-being.

At one of the most heated points in recent memory for binational discourse, it would seem that there is little room for common ground between the Mexican president and his hopeful counterpartbut for their mutual taste in prominent pompadours.

Trumps unpopularity in Mexico is comparable to only that of Pena Nieto so Im not sure what sort of compromise or consensus they are hoping to reach, Alejandro Hope, prominent security analyst and the former head of Mexicos intelligence agency (CISEN), told The Daily Beast. It makes no sense.

Yet the last-minute trip was announced and confirmed yesterday by President Pena Nieto and Donald Trump via Twitter. For most of the country, howeverpoliticians, pundits, and regular peopleyou could not find a more disliked pair to team up to discuss the interests and prospects for either country.

Although you may have been invited, know that you are not welcome, former first lady and Mexican presidential candidate Margarita Zavala tweeted after the reunion was announced. Mexicans have dignity, and we reject your hate speech.

A smattering of Mexican citizens and journalists gathered in Mexico City today to protest the visit, carrying handwritten signs that read Trump, out! Pena, out!

Even former President Vicente Fox, who has been a vocal Trump opponent, chimed in. Trump not welcome in Mexico, not by me nor the 130 millions Mexicans, he tweeted. Mexico is not yours to play with, show some respect.

The promise of civilized discourse was off to a rather petty start on Wednesday as Trump took to Twitter to address the controversial meeting. Former President Vicente Fox, who is railing against my visit to Mexico today, also invited me when he apologized for using the f bomb, Trump tweeted hours before the meeting was set to begin.

I invited you to come and apologize to all Mexicans, Fox responded. Stop lying!

Mexico and Mexicansthe topics on which Trump has been, controversially, most vocal, and which his supporters have been most incensed abouthave been particularly offended by Trumps claims that Mexico is is not our friend, and is not sending their best people.

Theyre rapists, he infamously said as he began his campaign in June 2015, in a speech announcing his presidential run. Some, I assume, are good people.

President Pena Nieto insisted during Wednesdays conference that Mexicans in the United States are people that respect family, respect community life, and respect the law. As such, Mexicans deserve everyones respect.

Trumps comments on immigration policy have been repeatedly perceived as xenophobic, divisive, and factually incorrect.

But then theres also the matter of the wall.

Were gonna get the wall built, and its gonna be built right, Trump insists. Mexicos going to pay for the wall, and they are going to be happy about it.

But his claim has been heavily refuted throughout the year by the countrys two most recent former leaders. The Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall, said former President Felipe Calderon.

Im not going to pay for that fucking wall, his predecessor Vicente Fox declared. He should pay for it. Hes got the money.

Trump, who originally claimed he could build the wall for $4 billion, has since increased his estimate to as much as maybe 12 billion, dependingan estimate that experts have repeatedly refuted, considering it conservative to point of ludicracy.

Details about the actual construction of a wall have been vague, and many hope his promises of a physical barrier between the two countries made of hardened concrete, rebar, and steel will amount to no more than an unfulfilled campaign platform.

Intricate tunnelslike those used by Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to escape from a federal maximum security prison last yeardrone drops, and catapults, are among the increasingly clever illegal border crossing and smuggling methods being employed by Mexican traffickers and drug cartels. Any of those methods could thwart the proposed multibillion-dollar wallnot to mention the human factor, like corruptible U.S and Mexican officials who contribute to the porousness of the border.

Yet the wallwhich gets higher with each campaign speech, and got 10 feet taller when ex-President Fox dropped the f-bombcontinues to be a contentious issue, seemingly worthy of serious debate. Comedian John Oliver was quick to point out that Trumps brilliant plan did not require a criminal mastermind, but could also be foiled by mankinds third invention.

Theres no ladder going over [the wall]. If they ever get up there theyre in trouble, cause theres no way to get down, said Trump.

Maybe a rope, he conceded.

After the meeting, Trump headed to Phoenix, Arizona, for an inflammatory immigration speech.

Any attempt Trump makes at moderating his tone while in Mexico will be completely undone after his speech in Phoenix, security analyst Hope said as the meeting was under way. What exactly are Pena Nieto and Trump hoping to achieve with this meeting, beyond suggesting that someone pay for the half the wall? The whole thing is absurd.

As for President Pena Nieto, the meeting follows a string of recent embarrassments for the presidency, including an explosive report by Aristegui Noticias on Aug. 21 alleging that Pena Nieto plagiarized a third of his law school thesis from as many as 10 different sources, lifting 20 paragraphs word-for-word.

Two weeks ago, the Mexican president was forced to apologize to the country for the so-called White House scandal, in which a favored Mexican contractor built a sprawling multimillion-dollar mansion for former soap opera star and first lady Angelica Rivera.

Pena Nieto wound up appointing his personal friend, bureaucrat Virgilio Andrade, to head the anti-corruption force tasked with investigating the allegations. Andrade then determinedto the surprise of no onethat the president had been involved in no wrongdoing.

Calls for Pena Nietos resignation have been repeated and resounding, following the multiple corruption scandals, incendiary protests over education reforms involving teachers and their unions in central Mexico, and violent fallout over several state-sponsored massacresincluding that of 43 teaching students who by the governments own account were abducted by authorities, delivered into the hands of bloodthirsty cartel operatives, and systematically incinerated in a garbage dump in the troubled state of Guerrero almost two years ago.

The idea that this pair can reach some kind of plan together for healthy communication between the two countries is crazy, a young political science student, Mariana Hernandez, said in Mexico City. For, I think, most of us, both these men represent the worst of what our countries have to offer the international community.

Thursday, Pena Nieto was expected to address the nation.

Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton summarized the common sentiment on both sides of the border. Getting countries to work together takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults by dropping in for a few hours, then flying home, she tweeted.
VENICE, Italy  Festival fever: Its ensnared even the most cynical of critics. Theres something about the heightened atmosphere, absence of expectation, and lack of sleep that proves a transfixing cocktail; akin to a starved sweep across supermarket shelves where, with its mouth-watering options bathed in fluorescence, you giddily give in to temptation and purchase a slew of extraneous items.

But La La Land, the musical-romance from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Damien Chazelle, is a lovely film. The directors much-anticipated follow-up to Whiplash tells the tale of Mia (Emma Stone), a barista and aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a stubborn jazz pianist, struggling to make their dreams come true in the City of Angels. The easy-on-the-eyes actors sing, smolder, and tap-dance to a picture-perfect L.A. sunset while hitting ever-increasing heights of sartorial splendor.

During a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, where the film made its premiere, Chazelle and Stone dished on the hopeful moviewhich is sure to be on the lips of awards pundits for the next several months.

I think now more than ever we need hope and romance on the screen, and I think that theres something about musicals that just get at something that only movies can do: that idea of movies as a dreamland, movies as the land of our dreams, and movies as a way of expressing a world in which you break into song, and that emotions can violate the rules of reality, said Chazelle.

Stone, who admitted shes loved musicals since she saw Les Mis at the age of 8, echoed those sentiments, describing how the old-fashioned romance of La La Landinspired by films like 8, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and Singin in the Rainis a welcome antidote to the cynicism plaguing the world.

What I would hope young people would take away from it is, I dont know if you remember when Conan OBrien left his show but he made a speech at the end of it, and he said to let go of cynicism and that cynicism was the ugliest quality to him, said Stone. And I think something about Damien and what Damien created, and the hopefulness and the joy and the beauty of this medium but also this story this movie is in no way cynical. Its about dreaming, and hoping, and working toward something to achieve something, and I think young people have fallen into a lot of cynicism, and making fun of things, and pointing out the flaws in everything, and this movie is anything but that. So its a huge joy to be a part of it and show it to young people. This is what I hope young people will dowork hard to achieve their dreams and hope, instead of be cynical.

Chazelle confessed that hed written the filmand most of the music was completedbefore Whiplash, and that the film had been gestating in his mind for quite some time, inspired by the loneliness of life as an L.A. transplant. The idea of this movie in terms of L.A. was to build from all the cliches that we make fun of about L.A.the traffic, the terrible parties, the celebrity culture, the shallownessbut then try to maybe build from that to an actual love letter, to try to see what is beautiful underneath the surface, he said.

Of course, this is the third collaboration between the chemistry-rich onscreen duo of Stone and Goslingafter their GIF-worthy Dirty Dancing routine in Crazy, Stupid, Love and the disappointing period saga Gangster Squadand it seems theyre showing no signs of slowing down.

To work with Ryan again, who is my buddy, its wonderful to get to work with someone you know and trust so much as an actor and as a human being. So it was great, said Stone.

I knew he could sing and dance, but we had to learn to ballroom dance together, she added. Once youve learned to ballroom dance with somebody, I mean, youve learned everything you need to know. If you want to get to know someone, take some ballroom dancing classes with them. Hes very good at leading.
In the summer of 2008, a senior adviser to then-candidate Barack Obama publicly acknowledged that a small group was working on the presidential transition, prompting a spokesman for GOP opponent John McCain to accuse Obama of dancing in the end zone before crossing the 50-yard line.

Thanks to presidential transition law amendments in 2010 and 2016, the idea of candidates preparing to govern well ahead of the November election is no longer considered presumptuous. While the candidates must focus on campaigning, laying the groundwork for a smooth transfer of power is now viewed as a necessity given the national security threats and serious domestic challenges that may confront a new chief executive on the very first day in office.

This month, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton named a leadership team for transition planning headed by former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, an announcement that follows Republican Donald Trumps appointment in May of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as his transition chairman.

This is the first time in history that two presidential campaigns have publicly acknowledged setting up transition shops well in advance of the election, a sharp contrast to days gone by when most transition planning was crammed into just two and half months between the November election and the inauguration.

As a result of the recent changes in the law, both transition teams now are using government-provided equipment and office space in the same building near 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, bringing on staff and volunteers, and availing themselves of government assistance. Some months ago, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough initiated transition planning in the agencies, and White House and agency councils have been holding strategy and planning meetings.

These are positive developments and something going right in Washington. The last thing we want is a real life drama paralleling the scene from the 1972 movie The Candidate when Robert Redfords character turned to his campaign manager after winning a close Senate election and asked, What do we do now?

The two presidential transition teams have the herculean task of preparing for the takeover of the largest and most important organization on the planetan entity that spends $4 trillion a year and has a workforce of 2.1 million civilian employees and more than 2 million active-duty and reserve members of the armed forces.

The transition planning requires identifying potential candidates to fill 4,000 politically appointed positions, including more than 1,000 Senate-confirmed leadership jobs; setting budget priorities and a policy agenda for the first months of the administration; getting a handle on the challenges facing the departments and agencies; and planning a management agenda to ensure that polices can be effectively implemented.

Following the election, it will be critical for the winning candidates transition team to work closely with Congress to expedite the confirmation process for political nominees, and for the new administration to prepare its appointees to operate in the unique federal environment and to work closely with seasoned career executives.

The lengthy confirmation process often leaves important positions vacant for extended periods of time, including highly sensitive posts dealing with public safety as well as economic and national security. In 2009, for example, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was left home alone for months without his top deputies during the height of the financial crisis.

Once elected, the next president should quickly select the White House staff and seek to get the top 100 agency leaders in place immediately after the inauguration. The new president also should seek to have 300 more key political appointees confirmed by August congressional recess, an effort that will require laying the groundwork during the transition and intense focus once in office.

There is a public expectation that the nations newly elected president will hit the ground running, but the transition of power and knowledge from one president to another often has been rushed and chaotic, leaving the new chief executive on tenuous ground. Lets hope, for the sake of the nation, that the head start in transition planning by the two campaigns this year will pay big dividends, and that this process will enable our next president to be fully prepared to govern on day one.

Max Stier is president and CEO of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, which through its Center for Presidential Transition helps candidates prepare to govern.
Samantha Bee cannot escape Donald Trump. Hes trailed her all the way to the Catskills, where shes with her family enjoying a much-deserved break from filming her late-night TBS hit Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.

I must say, Im literally spending my vacation in Trump country. There are Trump signs all over, says a chuckling Bee. I dont think anyone watches my show up here, otherwise I would probably be run out of town!

Full Frontal has, in just its first season, become a bona fide hitearning solid ratings, critical raves, and an Emmy nod for Outstanding Writing. Viewers have delighted in Bees no-bullshit approachshe once called Trump a man cradling Putins sweaty sackand remarkable gift of gab, as well as fieldwork, skills she sharpened over the course of her 12 years as a correspondent on The Daily Show.

The Canadian-born Bee (now a U.S. citizen, and married to fellow ex-Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones) is, along with Last Week Tonights John Oliver, providing some of the most pointed and downright hilarious commentary during this insane election season, and helping fill the void left by the late-night loss of her mentor, Jon Stewart.

The Daily Beast caught up with Bee by phone during her Catskills break to chat about all things Full Frontal.

You couldnt have possibly seen Full Frontal catching on this quickly. It usually takes a bit for a show like this to find its groove, but this has been a hit straight out the gate.

I mean, theres no waywe could not have anticipated that. We just tried to do the show that we liked the most. I will say that many of us have worked together already, so there were some preexisting relationships that made the process move, and the vision was also very clear for the show, so in some ways, were getting to do the show we wanted to do and its all we really could do. [Laughs] I dont even know how wed really adjust the tone of the show, since its the only show we could do, so Im glad its really resonated with people!

It seems the weekly format has really benefitted both Full Frontal and Last Week Tonight, versus the daily format that you two were stuck with for years on The Daily Show. It seems like that format has allowed both you and Oliver to craft these lengthy and robust bits that you wouldnt be able to craft in a daily format.

Youre completely right about that. We thought about it a lotand even having the show on a Monday at first felt like it was going to hamstring us a little bit. We always knew that we wanted to do the show once a week because we wanted to live our lives, for one thing, and doing field stuff is real important to me. I love it. I get so much pleasure out of going out into the field and talking with people, and I knew that would not be possible for me if we did a show four days a week. You just cant do it. And it does give us the opportunity to bask in it, be thoughtful, and watch the story evolve over the course of the week. Its been really helpful for us and made the process a lot more pleasurable. It gives us a nice wave to rideto see what sticks with us after a week has gone by.

Right, you mentioned the work-life balance, and it seems like if this or Last Week Tonight were daily programs you and John would never see your respective kids.

Exactly. I couldnt live that way I wouldnt shoot that leg for myself. I think I would be completely miserable. I like a little bit of everythingactually, I like a lot of two different things: I like to work a lot and I like to be with my family a lot, and doing a show once a week helps me do both of those things.

How does the work week go on Full Frontal?

Its weird to start the week with the busiest day of the weekMonday is the busiest day of the weekand then Tuesday is a relief where we dont really get much done. Wednesday we start to emerge again and think about next Mondays show, Thursday we get more into it, and then Friday is a very busy day. Its an interesting workflow that mostly involves people working from home on the weekends, because the stories are constantly moving and changing over the weekends. Thats challenging. Its nice to have a weekend, but our weekends arent super relaxing. And somewhere in there Im shooting field stuff, too. Can you imagine doing that for four shows a week? No thank you!

Youve been satirizing politics for quite some time with The Daily Show, but this is a unique year by any stretch of the imagination.

It does feel a little bit special. Right now Im writing something for next week and as youre writing and thinking about things youre going to talk about, its occurred to me that theres no point in writing anything about Donald Trump in advance because he moves the needle so much on a day-to-day basis. What you write right now will not be fresh tomorrow. Each day is a complete reinvention of reality. Its so uncommonly sad, strange, and impossible to follow. I feel like the ground is moving underneath my feet all the timeand I think everybody feels that way. Its hard to even analyze what hes up to because it just changes so much. My god!

Some of your bits have focused on this, but this election does seem like a referendum on women in America: the first female nominee of a major political party going up against arguably the most chauvinistic candidate in American history.

Right. It would somehow feel more real if she was going up against a worthy opponentit would feel more fittingbut this is fine, too. Shes going up against, like, a 1980s-style chauvinist. Shes going up against a character from the end of Boogie Nights, basically, and here we are reaping the comedy benefits. Its hardly funny anymore, though. Its amazing that he says and does such offensive things, and every new day he says something more offensive that you forget about all the offensive things hes said before it. You cant even enumerate them.

Of course, its also not all that far-fetched that Trump is elected president, which is the spooky scenario looming over the carnival of horrors that is this election season.

The New York Times ran a visualized timeline of when prominent Republicans dropped off the Trump train. It was great to look ata great reminder in an impactful visual. It made me feel better.

Whats your take on the rise of the alt-right? To me, alt-right really just stands for white nationalist, but now you have the former chief of Breitbart News, an alt-right website, running the Trump campaign, and Hillary Clinton delivered a pretty blistering takedown of the alt-right in a recent speech.

Im almost positive well do something about it on the show. It does feel like a story worth telling, and something we could get into. Its amazing to me. Its amazing to me the leadership changes that have happened in Trumps campaign.

Youre on Twitter, as am I, and it seems the alt-right are the ones constantly posting hateful things like Nazi memes and what have you.

We definitely live in a trolling culture now. The amount that I get trolled is unbelievable. Theres so much abuse, and so much stuff that goes on. Its very ugly right now. Very. And it feels very unrestrained in a way that feels new, also. Im not sure how much goodness its putting back in the worldI would say none. I think its erasing goodness from the world. You cant even engage with it on a certain level, because theres no amount of I dont know. Its an interesting world to live in. I want my children to never go on the internet!

Back to Full Frontal. Whats the secret sauce of the show? Youd mentioned that you and some of the writers had a preexisting bond that helped move things along considerably.

Well, not all of usa few of us do. But I dont know if theres any real secret sauce to it other than were pretty likeminded and my showrunner [Jo Miller] and executive producers are incredible. I just think we have the best team in late-night. I am so proud of everybody who works on the show. Were kind of a small team, but an upstart teamlike The Bad News Bears. Were really scrappy, and really unified, and I think we speak with one voice. Were on vacation, yes, and we really needed a vacation, but all of us are so excited to go back to work, and I feel thats really unique. I wake up and cant believe how lucky I am to work with the people I do.

Full Frontal jokingly had ads reading Watch or Youre Sexist before its premiere, but when the show premiered you really were, unfortunately, on an island as the only female host in late-night. Was it difficult for you to shoulder that burden?

You know what? I didnt. I think we all gave ourselves the freedom to not think about that too much, because how can you, really? It would be too much if you felt you had this weight on your shoulders all the time. At least for me, I like to keep it really small and I think the goal is to do a show for ourselves. Were doing the show we all want to do just for us, almost, and that keeps it really tight, and then I feel that if were enjoying the show internally, hopefully others will go along for the journey with us. I cant take on the weight of the worldI really cant. I can only take on the weight of being responsible to all of us.

I understand you became an American citizen a couple years ago. But now that Canada has Trudeau and we have Trump, are you experiencing a little buyers remorse?

[Laughs] No. You know, I love Justin Trudeautheres no questionbut this is the ideal election for me to be casting a vote for the first time. I was so excited to vote in the primary, for sure, but this one is going to feel really, really good for me. Really good. I just cant wait. Im really excited. And hopefully, the day after the election, Ill still want to live here. Hopefully we all wont be afraid to leave our homes.

Youve been in the U.S. for over a decade, as has John Oliver, but you both have the perspective of an outsider-looking-in as well as an insider. Do you feel that grants you extra insight into the quirks of our political system?

I dont know if it gives me any special insight anymore. Its funny, because I brought one of my old comedy partners to work on the show and its her first election down here and first time living here, and shes so amazed by the process that Im seeing myself in herhow wide-eyed I was when I came here in 2003 and then went to all the conventions in 2004. Its really funny watching her and seeing myself in her, but I dont feel like it gives me special insight anymore. It feels great to be in it and of it. It makes me feel better to comment on whats happening but also have a stake in the outcome. A lot of people on Twitter tell me to go back to Canada. A lot. And it makes me feel really, really good to know that they cant just say that to me now. The deportation squad is not going to come to my door and take me away under the cover of darkness.

Does Jon Stewart act as a consigliere for you and the show at all? Is he someone you sometimes call to use as a sounding board?

No. Not at all, actually. Hes completely stayed out of it. He did a cold open with us that was really fun, but hes not a part of the constitution process at all. Its been really nice receiving his kudos, though! Hes been really supportive and thats been really nice. Its given me a really good feeling.

For your first six years on The Daily Show, from 2003-2009, you were the only female correspondent. What was that experience like for you, navigating all the testosterone? Well, you know, testosterone doesnt exactly rage through the halls of The Daily Show. [Laughs] It was a pretty normal experience. It was quite levelheaded. It wasnt something I thought about too much because there were so many women working behind the scenescreatively and as producers on the showso I didnt feel lonely, made great friends, and learned so much. It was a good experience. I never thought about my gender when I worked there, I really didnt, but I did think about making myself absolutely essential to the show, and I really just worked so hard to do it. No job is secure in the television world, so you have to make yourself essential.

And correct me if Im wrong, but you werent offered The Daily Show hosting gig when Jon stepped downalthough I read that you werent interested in it anyway.

Yeah, the worlds kind of merged. Everything happened so quickly when TBS stepped in and offered me this opportunity, because I had already been working with TBSwe had already been working on our other show, The Detourso when Jon announced, I think it lit a fire under them to offer me my own show. And they did, and they made such a compelling case. It was a no-brainer for me to create my own thing. Both Jason [Jones] and I knew that when we left The Daily Show, which we definitely planned to do, that wed leave because we wanted to put our own name on something and create our own thing.

How do you think Trevor Noah is doing as host of The Daily Show so far? I know its pretty early and hes stepped into a maelstrom of an election year.

I think hes doing great. Hes a really nice guy, and theres a tremendous amount of love between our two shows. Its really difficult to take over someone elses legacy and make it your own, and I think hes successfully doing that. Its been a challenge, but it would be a challenge for anyone to step into those shoes, and hes doing a great job. I feel nothing but total support.

Theres also a lot of love between Full Frontal and The Nightly Show. We spoke to Larry Wilmore recently who mentioned the bottles you sent over to their writers room when news broke of the cancellation. Do you feel The Nightly Show team got a raw deal from Comedy Central, having their show canceled months before the election is over?

We were all really sad when we heard. We were all really sad. It did feel a bit premature to cut them off right before what I think would have been a really lively area to riff on right before the election. I dont know enough about the inner workings of what was going on at Comedy Central to comment more on it, but I was very sad to see them go. It felt abrupt from an outsiders perspective looking in, for sure. We knew that wine was in order, so we made that happen.

Whats it been like working at TBS? Theyre a network that skewed much older before Conan OBrien and now you brought over a new demographic.

Theyve beenIve said it before, but its really trueincredible. Theyve been such great producing partners because theyve stayed out of our way creatively; theyve let us create the show we want to create even though, at the beginning, none of us really knew what it would actually look like. We had this show in our imaginations so nobody ever knows what its going to be until you perform it for the first time and put it into the world. Theyve demonstrated so much faith in us, its remarkable. I feel they really took a chance on us. And its been so beneficial to us to be on a network that is kind of rebuilding. Theyre trying to rebuild their brand, so its the perfect place for us to be: starting something new at a place thats trying to reinvent itself. Its a great situation for us to be in.
ROME  Not even the dead can find peace after the disastrous earthquake last week that killed hundreds in the mountainous region in central Italy. Of the 292 victims of the earthquake and its subsequent aftershocks, 231 were from the once picturesque hilltop village of Amatricenow nothing more than a pile of stones and personal belongings.

On Monday night, a group of survivors from the destroyed town, led by the parish priest and the citys mayor, stormed the regional capital of Rieti an hour away to collect the coffins of their dead, who had been taken there for what was supposed to be a mass state funeral. Im not holding a funeral here, the parish priest, Don Fabio, said. We will hold it in Amatrice even if we have to do it without the bodies.

Authorities had hoped for a collective state funeral at a hangar in Rieti where all Amatrices dead could be essentially lined up and laid to rest together. The first funeral was held on Saturday, when the 34 residents of the small village Ascoli Piceno who died in the earthquake were buried quickly in absence of a functioning funeral parlor able to embalm all the victims in a timely manner.

Why are we waiting for them to rot? one resident told me the day before the funeral. Whats the point of prolonging this misery?

Authorities had also wanted the bodies of Amatrices dead in Rieti so the state coroner could perform autopsies for use in any future criminal trial to prove culpability in the aftermath of the earthquake. As it is often said, earthquakes dont kill people; buildings do. And apparently nowhere is that more relevant than in Amatrice, where a construction firm tied to organized crime apparently sold anti-seismic reinforcement work that was never carried out and, essentially, amounted to a false sense of security.

It doesnt take a building expert to see that the buildings destroyed in last weeks earthquake werent safe. A simple look at the drone footage of the aftermath shows just how easily they disintegrated.

Still, even if autopsies and then a mass state funeral would help hold someone accountable for the carnage, the residents of the area have been adamant that the dead should be left alone and that each community should bury its fallen brothers and sisters at home. And that, no matter how much more convenient one service would be for state officials, each victim should each get the same state funeral trimmings, complete with the president and prime minister personally greeting family members.

Sadly, those who signed for the release of a loved ones body for the funeral of their choice back home may have also signed away any potential civil lawsuit payouts that might be forthcoming if eventual culpability is determined. Foresight in times of such incredibly human drama is rarely 20/20.

So, as it happened, 78 of the coffins of Amatrices dead were hoisted into trucks and hauled back up the deadly mountain to the town overnight. On Tuesday afternoon, 38 were lined up for a service. The rest will be given back to the families who can then decide when and how to have their own funerals, either in smaller groups or individually. No matter how many caskets lined the makeshift tent that had been set up in front of the ruins of an ancient building, the ceremony was clearly for all those who died. It took eight full minutes for the local bishop, Domenico Pompili, to read the names of each of the 292 victims under skies that seemed to be weeping with torrential rain.

Ever since the quake hit on Aug. 24, Italians have been wringing their hands and shaking their fists at the usual nemesis that is all too often tied to any disaster of this magnitude. Within hours, Italys organized crime syndicates were again blamed for corners cut in construction and faulty and nonexistent anti-seismic efforts.

What struck most people first was why the Romolo Capranica primary school in Amatrice had been destroyed. After all, the city paid more than 700,000 in 2013 to renovate the structure, including high-tech anti-seismic features that are supposed to be in place in any public building. But when investigators looked up the building code records, the seals and stamps that proved compliance were apparently faked and fudged. In essence, the documents meant to ensure anti-seismic protection measures were installed in a primary school in an earthquake zone had been faked. The school fell because someone had cheated the system.

And now, Italys chief anti-Mafia prosecutor, Franco Roberti, is warning that, if left to its own devices, the mob will strike again and infiltrate the eventual rebuilding contracts in the area. The risks are there, and there is no sense to hide or deny them, he told La Repubblica. The post-earthquake reconstruction is historically a delicious morsel for criminal groups and complicit businesses.

This is not the first time organized crime has tried to weasel its way into reconstruction efforts. Shortly after the 2012 earthquake that struck the Emilia-Romagna region, the Calabrese gang known as the Ndrangheta was already nipping at the lucrative construction deals. They, along with the Neapolitan Camorra, were also there in 2009 when rebuilding efforts got under way to rebuild LAquila after a deadly earthquake destroyed that nearby region. And it seems there is little doubt that they were also there when these buildings were supposed to be shored up after that 2009 quake.

I dont want to rush to judgment, but if a building is built well, and if the anti-seismic standards have been met, a dramatic event such as we saw last week would damage or crack a building, but not cause it to pulverize or implode, Roberti says. Thats why even as much as we know about the Mafia, we still have a lot to learn.

It is well known that predicting earthquakes is impossible, even in a country like Italy, which lies in a seismic area. But it is even more alarming that it is more difficult to stop criminal organizations from doing more damage than the actual earthquakes.
The way Donald Trump talks about his immigration policy can sound perplexing, but its actually quite simple.

Still, the public can be excused for being confused. As with all things Trump, hes been on all sides of the issue.

One day a deportation force is a serious policy idea, and the next day undocumented immigrants are great people.

Its all over the map, and thats why theres so much pent-up suspense over the immigration speech he will deliver Wednesday. Trumps announcement late Tuesday night that he would travel to Mexico to meet with the Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto hours before that speech has just added to the intrigue.

But if you look past Trumps rhetoric, you can see a clearly articulated vision for immigration in the United States.

Rhetorically, politicians have been vacillating on the issue for years.

Hillary Clinton, for instance, has taken just about every tone imaginable on immigration over the course of her career. In this presidential cycle alone, shes hedged and hemmed on the question of whether children should be deportedthe same Hillary Clinton who has made support for childrens rights an integral part of her #brand.

And, of course, President Obama entered the White House gunning hard for immigrants rights, only to deport substantially more people than President George W. Bush did. Really. So fixating on politicians rhetoric doesnt give you much good information on they would really do.

Confused? Youre not alone.

The rights strongest supporters of stricter immigration enforcement generally concur that the Republican nominee mostly doesnt know what hes talking about with regard to the particulars of immigration policy.

Its pretty detailed, said Mark Krikorian, one of Trumps most-cited immigration experts, on the candidates immigration plan. Its just that hes never read it.

Still, the candidate has been pretty clear about his basic hopes and dreams: He wants to build a wall, and he wants to deport more people, particularly criminals.

And talking points that the Republican National Committee distributed to surrogates on Tuesday morning shed additional light on how the party itself understands Trumps immigration stance.

From the beginning of this campaign, Mr. Trump has said no amnesty and no citizenship, and hes never wavered from his core principles for ending illegal immigration, the email read.

Then it gave this description of the plan that will go into effect on President Trumps first day on the job:

Enact a plan to secure the border.

Enforce our current immigration laws, with ICE beginning to deport illegal immigrants with criminal records.

End sanctuary cities by pressuring those cities through the power of the federal government.

Implement a real E-Verify system that will stop employers from hiring illegal immigrants.

Until these first steps are enacted, nothing else matters.

The hallmark of Trumps border security plan, of course, is the wall. Trumps own immigration plan concedes that Mexico may not immediately cough up the cash to pay for construction, so building wont start until Congress appropriates funds to pay for it.

The even more controversial component of Trumps immigration plan, though, is a so-called deportation force. The mogul first used that term in an interview with MSNBC on Nov. 11, 2015. But it was misleading from the get-go (because he doesnt know what hes talking about); Trumps plan doesnt call for making a new law enforcement agency; rather, it calls for tripling the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers responsible for finding and detaining undocumented immigrants.

In an interview with Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Aug. 29, Bloombergs John Heilemann asked incredulously if Trump would actually create a force of armed agents responsible for finding undocumented immigrants and getting them deported. But this armed force already exists. Trump would just make it biggerif Congress appropriates the money for it, of course. That would make it feasible for the number of deportations to substantially increase.

But would Trump actually be able to round up, detain, and deport the 11 million or more undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S.? It seems unlikely. Such a detention-and-relocation regime is unprecedented in human history, according to Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy expert at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute.

Its rare that that many people move in such a short period of time without a mass killing, he said. Trump does not want a mass killing, so thats one reason why I just dont think even if he was elected he would deport 11 to 12 million people.

Forcibly relocating that many peopleunless the force moving them also wants them deadis unheard of.

And besides the basic unthinkable-ness of it, finding and then detaining and then deporting 11 million people would be extremely expensive and time-consuming.

Lets say Trump starts with the immigrants who would be easiest to apprehend: the 665,000 or so DREAMers who came to the U.S. as children and whom Obama has shielded from deportation with an executive action.

Trump long ago committed to reversing Obamas move. Assuming he did so, some participants would probably still be able to get asylum and stay in the U.S. Finding an additional 10.5 million undocumented immigrants and deporting them would be a Herculean task. Finding 665,000 people whose names and addresses are already in a government database wouldnt be extraordinarily hard. But finding millions more who have shown no interest in signing any federal registries?

Way more expensiveto say the least. And thats not even touching on the massive backlog this would create for immigration courts. Technically, it could all happen. But it probably wont.

Much more likely is getting congressional approval for a mandatory, nationwide E-Verify system that would make all employers confirm anyone they hire is a legal resident or citizen of the U.S. Republicans have shown some appetite for thisOrwellian overtones asideso it wouldnt be a heavy lift. And any electoral mood that puts Trump in the White House would likely also keep Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress, making it easier to mandate nationwide E-Verify use.

And thats what Trump would do. In short, weve always had the basic contours of what a Trump immigration policy wouldand couldlook like. If you dont like the idea of exponentially growing the immigration-industrial complex, or you feel queasy about the notion of only being able to get a job if your name is in a government database, or you think law-abiding undocumented immigrants who came here as kids should be allowed to staywell, then maybe Trump isnt for you. But you already knew that.

Meanwhile, longtime immigration wonks like Nowrasteh arent on pins and needles for Trumps much-hyped speech.

I think we know everything were going to know, he said. And Im pretty sure within 48 hours of him giving the speech, he will contradict it.
MOSCOW  For the first time in his adult life, Russian author and journalist Arkady Babchenko is planning to escape from his Moscow life, to take his family away from his home country to Europe.

Babchenko has been one of the sharpest, most irrepressible critics of Russian President Vladimir Putins politics. In 2012, prosecutors opened a criminal investigation over one of his articles, but Babchenko was not one to be intimidated. He is a journalist veteran of two Chechen wars. So it is not a threat to his own life that is pushing him out of his country today. Babchenko is terrified about the future of his 9-year-old daughter, his only child, if she stays in Russia.

In two to three years, Russia is going to be like Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Babchenko told The Daily Beast. It will be full of miserable people, of children receiving poor education, facing street violence, and police at checkpointsnot a good place for my daughter, the writer said.

A few months ago Babchenko was upset to see his daughter, a 3rd grader at a Moscow school, marching in a semi-military uniform and singing patriotic songs at a school event.

We see examples of obscurantism all over the place: Communists running around with Stalin flags, Orthodox priests attending state events; but I still did not expect the appointment of an Orthodox fanatic and a Stalinist as the minister of education and science.

During a recent visit to Crimea, President Putin named Olga Vasilyeva to the post. She seemed to be a deeply religious bureaucrat who devoted her academic research to the patriotic role of the Russian Orthodox Church in Soviet times.

Vasilyeva is also known for defending the record of Joseph Stalin, the Soviet dictator notorious for executing political dissidents, including hundreds of thousands of Orthodox believers. (According to an analysis by Prof. Nikolai Yemelyanov at the Russian Academy of Science, Soviet security agencies killed as many as 500,000 Orthodox Christians.)

The shadow of new repression is the reason many Russian professionals are leaving the country today. The new trend inspired by the Kremlin is to label its critics russophobes.

But even inside the government officials are at odds about the glorification of tyrants in the name of patriotism.

Our Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, which has up to 30 percent support, is against putting Stalin up on the ideological flags, he was a tyrant, he killed our best intellectuals, and we the state are responsible for itwe should never go back to repressions, State Duma Deputy Vadim Dengin told The Daily Beast.

Earlier this year, Timur Olevsky, a Russian journalist who had covered the war in Ukraine for the independent TV RAIN made a decision to move to Prague. In May 2015 Russian security services had detained the Olevsky in the provincial Russian town of Tolyatti where he was working on a story about Russian officers fighting in Ukraine, and the families left behind.

They must have put me on some list for interrogations, as after that episode every time I tried to cross the border, I was pulled aside and questioned, Olevsky told The Daily Beast. I do not want to sink in darkness and spend my life explaining that the darkness is back.

As with Babchenko, Olevskys own future was not the main reason for leaving Russia; the journalist said that he was thinking mainly of his childrens education.

My son Artemy was seven years old that is the age when the society begins to limit freedom. I wanted him to have a different experience freedom gives a bigger chance for success, I believe, said Olevsky, who now works for Radio Free Europe.

The state media criticized Olevsky for employment by an American government-run operation, and accused him of being a Ukrainian agent. Those, who escape the country instead of sacrificing their lives for it will be outsiders abroad all their lives, State Duma Deputy Dengin told The Daily Beast. But Olevsky said he did not regret his departure, and once again the appointment of Vasiliyeva seemed to be the final tipping point in his mind.

Vasilyevas lectures about shaping the national idea are the talk of the town in Moscow these days, as she tries to articulate the Putin ideology, that many in Russia struggle to comprehend.

Public concern first began to grow after the lecture Vasilyeva gave for Putins United Russia party members in 2013, when she insisted that Stalin was good for the USSRthat he united the nation before World War II. Russian and ethnically non-Russian citizens wanted to know what exactly it means for a child to grow up thinking mass murder by many means, including mass starvation, political purges and forced deportations are all worthwhile to unify a nation.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia asked Vasilyeva to clarify what she really thought of Stalin, who they considered a despot guilty of slaughtering hundreds of thousands. Any attempt to speak about Stalins epoch with more understanding frightens me very much, because I believe that the Stalin period was deadly for Russia, Borukh Gorin, a spokesman for the federation told Interfax news agency.

A Christian zealot, a Stalin supporter, and the minister of education in one package? Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper summed up the situation in a headline: The New Minister of Education is a Symptom of Creeping Stalinization.

So far the new minister of education has not made any comments about her attitude toward Stalin and how it would reflect on the reforms of Russian education, which Vasilyeva said she intended to pursue.

But Stalins return to Russias system of education, as an effective manager, already has many parents concerned.

To my astonishment I found out from my daughter that she had constantly heard about Stalin at her Moscow school, even more often than during the education at our Soviet school, Olga Bychkova, a presenter and editor at Echo of Moscow told The Daily Beast.The minister of education was not the only Russian official promoting the long-dead dictator. Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky talked of Stalin as the foundation of Russias heroic past; in 2013 Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin called for renaming Volgograd once again Stalingrad.

Russian authorities talk about the harmony between the state and church, the rejection of critical thinking, to me Vasilyeva is not a Christian, as any Christian knows that Stalin was a despot, she is a representative of the new ideologist, talking of Russianness and Orthodox belief, rejecting the memory of Stalins horror, Bychkova, whose daughter now studies in Great Britain, told The Daily Beast.

For Babchenko, Putins appointment was the last test of his patience. In a post on Facebook, Babchenko told his friends that he had a job offer from a friendly European country and that now he was considering emigration: They are not going to let my child complete her decent education, they will spoil the last bit that we could hold onto by staying here, Babchenko wrote.

It takes too much effort to create the protective capsule of a normal world around my child, the former Russian soldier, Babchenko, said in his post. More than 8,000 of Babchenkos friends and readers pushed like in reaction to the post and what seemed significant, over 2,400 comments supported the idea of escaping from Russia. The writer was surprised that nobody even tried to persuade him to stay.

I wonder why not a single of my readers told me that Russia is a great place, that its future is bright, and there is no reason for escaping it, the writer said.
The last time Pastor Mark Burns advised Donald Trump, they talked about compassion.

The pastor was aboard the real-estate moguls private jet last week, flying from Mississippi to New York, where the two spoke about Trumps upcoming appearance at another black pastors congregation in Detroit on Saturday.

It is the first time hes speaking in Detroit, to the African-American community, and the key word is compassion, Burns told The Daily Beast in a brief phone interview. I want them to get to know the same guy Ive grown to know and love.

Burns said one of the things that originally drew him to Trump during the Republican primary was Trumps stand against the supposed  War on Christmas .

Weve become so politically correct that Christianity has taken a back seat, Burns observed.

For the past year, Burns has been Trumps go-to campaign-trail pastor. And he has denounced Hillary Clinton, liberals, and political correctness in much the same provocative manner as the Republican presidential nominee.

So when Burns, a conservative black pastor, tweeted a cartoon of Hillary Clinton in blackfaceBlack Americans, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOTES and letting me use you again..See you again in 4 years, he postedit wasnt out of character.

The pastor, a smaller-time televangelist who co-founded the South Carolina-based Christian TV network NOW, assumed the role of an official Trump surrogate shortly after meeting Trump at a closed-door gathering with various black pastors in New York City late last year.

Since then, Burnsor Pastor Mark, as friends call himhas gone on to become a key and very public fixture in Trumps campaign. And its boosted Burnss national profile more than he ever anticipated.

Over the past nine months, he has introduced Trump at multiple rallies and victory speeches, boosted him nonstop on social media, declared on-stage at the Republican National Convention that  all lives matter  (the popular, condescending retort to Black Lives Matter), and regularly made the cable-news rounds to deliver his full-throated defenses of his candidate.

According to Burns, he has advised Trump personally on a number of other occasions, on and off of Trump Force One .

We talk in person, hes a very open personhe is so accessible when were together, Burns said. Most of the time, our conversation is heavily focused on the needs of people in our country, and what am I hearing as a pastor.

As Trumps trusted surrogate and happy culture-warrior, the pastor hasnt been afraid to walk through fire for Trumpand he certainly hasnt been concerned about bowing to any strains of political correctness.

In March, for example, Burns said Clinton wants a  genocide  against black Americans.

It vexes me greatly how [African Americans] will stand behind [Hillary Clinton, who] is OK with the murders of babies, Burns said on (of all places) The Alex Jones Show. Thats really one of my major platforms behind Donald Trump. He loves babies. Donald Trump is a pro-baby candidate, and it saddens me how we as African Americans are rallying behind a [Democratic] Party that is OK with the genocide of black people through abortion.

(During that interview, Burns condemned Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit that candidate Trump had previously praised as doing wonderful things having to do with womens health.)

Burns has pushed the unsubstantiated theory (as has Trump ) that Clintons emails  DID GET PEOPLE KILLED. 

And while stumping for Trump early this year, Burns also alleged that Bernie Sanders doesnt believe in God and that Bernie gotta get saved. He gotta meet Jesus. He gotta have a come-to-Jesus meeting.

(Sanders, Clintons former rival in the Democratic primary, is Jewish.)

Above all else, Burns wants Trump to help # BringGODbackToThisNation , a country where marriage is between one man & one woman..! In his eyes, the very idea of Christianity in America is UNDER ATTACK by Clinton and her fellow progressives.

Aside from the controversyor, perhaps, because of itthe newfound, election-year fame that the Trump campaign has brought Burns is likely the best thing that has happened to his career. Before Team Trump came along, Burns wasnt a voice on national political anything. He didnt even have all that much regional pull.

We have no record of Mr. Burns being involved with the Republican Party in South Carolina prior to this election cycle, Hope Walker, executive director of the states GOP, said in an email. Burnss acquaintances on the other side of the aisle can corroborate this.

I met Mark along the [2016] campaign trailwere both from South Carolinabut he wasnt someone who was big on the scene in South Carolina politically or socially he wasnt a player, former South Carolina Rep. Bakari Sellers told The Daily Beast. (Though Sellers and Burns are diametrically opposed politically, Sellers said they have still grown to become friends.)

But hes making himself known now, Sellers continued. I think Donald Trump is a bigot and I do think those who support him are aiding in his bigotry. But as a man, I have nothing but respect for Pastor Burns That is for him and his god to understand his relationship with [Trump].

The loyalty Burns has shown Trump appears to be mutual, at least for now.

After Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski conducted an unfriendly interview with Burns on Friday, Trump went to bat for his campaign pastor, calling on MSNBC and Brzezinski to immediately apologize for their coordinated gang attack on Burns.

One of the most appalling things I have ever seen on television, Trump said of the interview.

Trump was sticking up for a man who has emerged as integral to his black voter outreach effortas hopeless , minimal, and understaffed an operation as that may be. The Trump campaigns black outreach wing is a team in search of an A-lister, with its current top billing including Omarosa , the former reality TV villain, and YouTube personalities Diamond and Silk, who in March talked up Trump on a legitimate neo-Nazi program .

You have no idea how many African Americans and minorities really support Donald Trump, Burns said on Fox News over the weekend. Theres so many African Americans in this country that are going to be voting for Donald Trump in November.

Maybe Burns knows something that pollsters in the country dont. As of press time, Trumps popularity with black voters is still somewhere in the low single digits. And the Trump campaign shows no sign of actively seeking to build meaningful inroads with black communities.

Nevertheless, from now until November, you can expect Burns to hit the trail and put himself in front of news cameras whenever Team Trump calls on him to do so.

Until [recently], I have not been any more politically inclined than the average voter, in the past, Burns told The Daily Beast of his enthusiasm for Trumps candidacy. And that in itself speaks volumes to the character of Donald Trump.
After 20 seasons, The Bachelor franchise has somehow managed to surprise us. The Bachelor, unlike true love or genuine interpersonal connections, relies on formulaic casting and the routinization of courtship. The blandest girls in America are corralled and corseted to compete for the affection of a sort-of employed semi-catch, suffering through intense catfights, scripted one-on-ones, and soul-crushing group dates. Because true love means never having to go to bed without a full face of makeup on and a Swiss army knife under your pillow.

The Bachelor franchise, along with its sister show, The Bachelorette, and unhinged drunk cousin, Bachelor in Paradise, sells true love. These shows pander to the lowest common romantic denominator by playing up the idea that theres someone out there for everyone. If Heidi could find Spencer and Trump could marry Melania (and Ivana, and Marla Maples), then there must be someone out there for every muscle-milk guzzling former hedge funder and blonde, emotionally unavailable single mom. In Bachelor Nation, everyone can find loveif not in the plush canopy beds of the fantasy suite, then in the vaguely more Mexican-looking fantasy beds of Tulum. That is, everyone except Nick Viall.

Nick always the bridesmaid, never the bride Viall is one of the best-known Bachelorette suitors of all time. The retired software engineer (no, really) rose to fame-ish in 2014 on Andi Dorfmans season of The Bachelorette. He scored the coveted first impression rose but ultimately came in second to Josh Murray. After that, Viall essentially sabotaged Dorfman on their After the Rose special. Channeling your lame freshman-year boyfriend, the distraught Nick asked his ex, on national television, If you werent in love with meIm just not sure why you made love with me. Nick Viall, ladies and gentlemen.

According to Andi Dorfmans tell-all book, Its Not Okay, that wasnt the first time she had to hear Viall use the phrase make love. Dorfman goes in on Vialls behavior in that infamous Fantasy Suite, recalling, As he opened his mouth to speak, I was certain he was going to tell me he loved me. But instead, he asked, Would you rather?Ummmwould I rather what? Would you rather make loveor fuck? he asked, without hesitation or the slightest sense of how bizarre this conversation was. Spoken like Americas next prince charming.

If nothing else, Viall has brought the antics of the overly confident, shady, sensitive scrub to a mainstream audience. Viall has more feelings than Drake and more man jewelry than JC Chasez in his prime. His seduction tactic, which has been enabled by producers for multiple seasons, is pure and simple persistence. Viall is out of the software engineering game, people. Hes got nothing to do and nowhere to be. So he essentially conned his way back onto the show the next season by sliding into newly minted Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowes DMs. Powerless in the face of reality TVs own Carlos Danger, Kaitlyn invited Viall to join the show, and the rest was historyliterally, as Nick once again came in second place. Due to Vialls raw, untamed sexuality (seriously, have you seen those leather cuffs?) Kaitlyn did break the rules for him by consummating their relationship prior to the Fantasy Suite episode. For those of you who arent familiar with the Bachelor franchises puritanical sexual mores, sex before allotted sex-time is a serious faux pas.

Viall, who is nothing if not inescapable, also amused America on Bachelor in Paradise. Bachelor in Paradise is a natural fit for Viall, a man who has slept with two consecutive Bachelorettes only to be dumped by both of them. The Tulum-based spin off is a beautiful, Ayahuasca vision of everything The Bachelor could bea deliberately funny, truly batshit, never-ending fuckfest. Former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants intermingle and date one another ad nauseam until producers finally tell them to stop. Its a paradise of hideous floral rompers, petty drama, hastily applied eyelash extensions and outdoor make out sessions. On the current season of Bachelor in Paradise, Viall is hooking up with Jen Saviano, a woman he glowingly describes as not a big personality but not timid either.

On Tuesday nights installment of After Paradise, fans were shocked (shocked!) to learn that Nick and Jen arent soulmates. Instead, it was announced that Nick Viall, whos already been dumped more times on TV than most people have been in real life, will be the next Bachelor. This raises the question: Can you lose your own Bachelor season?

Vialls big reveal is a legitimate shocker. Bachelor tradition usually dictates that the next Bachelor will be chosen from the most recent Bachelorettes pool of rejected suitors. Unfortunately, former Bachelorette JoJos voracious appetite for only the whitest of white dudes led to a painfully dull season whittled down to near-identical contestants. Still, Bachelor Nation was confident that they would ultimately land on Luke Pell, JoJos fourth runner-up. The war veteran, who declared his love for JoJo on national television only to be sent home moments later, is no stranger to disappointment. On Tuesday, he Tweeted, Thx for all the love sometimes we are faced w/unexpected changes. He also posted a spiritual photo, reading, Trust Gods timing, He has a plan for everything. Are you happy now, Nick?

Nick is, in fact, very happy. On After Paradise, the 35-year-old gushed, Honestly, I think Im definitely ready for it. Im very excited. Ive had an interesting journey throughout this process. The Bachelor host Chris Harrison later defended his franchises unexpected casting, explaining, It just got down to the final question: Who is the most deserving? Who is the most sincere? Luke and Chase were good guys, but we all just kept coming back to Nick. Harrison failed to mention Vialls brand new set of abs, which definitely didnt hinder his chances for landing one of TVs most superficial gigs.

As the entire Bachelor franchise becomes increasingly infested by the aggressive, indefatigable man-mold that is Nick Viall, we must consider the ramifications of this reckless call. With this historic decision comes the dawning realization that anyone can be the Bachelorthe only prerequisite is a refusal to go away and a talent for starting shit. Now every contestant knows that if they just stick around the Bachelor shows for long enough, they might land a real gig. This is a terrifying precedent. In terms of diversity, Viall, like every other Bachelor who wasnt Juan Pablo, is white. But when it comes to slight (white) deviations from the norm, it does bear mentioning that Viall is the least bro-y Bachelor in recent memory. New body aside, Viall is mainstreaming the skinny, acoustic-guitar playing, off-brand Ryan Cabrera aesthetic that got him dumped on two consecutive seasons of The Bachelorette. Theres never been a Bachelor that the Bachelor Nation knows so well, or one that it dislikes so unanimously.
How does it feel, I asked Belizes leading LGBT activist, to have finally prevailed in a six-year-long effort to have his countrys sodomy law declared unconstitutional?

Stressful, he replied.

At first, I laughed. Ive known Caleb Orozco professionally for nearly 10 years, and hes always cut to the quick, throwing shade on those who deserve it while remaining laser-focused on improving the lives of sexual and gender minorities in Belize and throughout Central America and the Caribbean. It didnt surprise me that only two weeks after the landmark Supreme Court case was decided, he was already focused on the challenges ahead.

But then he went into details. Everybody thinks that because you win a court decision, the social concerns and threats of violence end, Orozco told me. They dont.

As the sole named plaintiff in the case, Orozco is now somewhat famous in his small home country. I asked what its like to walk down the street. I get lots of stares, he said. People act like theyve never seen a gay man beforewhispering, or an aggressive kind of silence. A smile or laughter that comes out of nowhere.

Some of the attention has been directly threatening. Ive had to install cameras in my office and essentially isolate myself from socializing with a bunch of people, Orozco said. Thats part of the process.

Changing attitudes in a country with entrenched traditions and gender roles is difficult enough, but Orozco said it is complicated by interference from abroad. We constantly have to confront American fundamentalists who have been perpetrating lies about the case, he said. They force us to mobilize even further with dialogue and engagement work in order to accept the decision.

For example, the Belize Prayer Network, a Dominionist organization affiliated with the National Evangelical Association of Belize (NEAB), has fervently opposed the ruling. It, in turn, is supported by American pastors including John Eckhardt (Stauron Ministries, Maine), Rick Joyner and Jorge Parrott (MorningStar Ministries, North Carolina), and Nick Harris (Living Waters, Kansas).

Notably, NEABs vice president is Scott Stirm, an evangelical missionary from Texas. Its president is Lance Lewis, who works for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, which grew out of the U.S.-based InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Seeing a white evangelical pastor up on my countrys television news made me mad, Orozco said. How is it that foreign pastors come to my country, use incendiary language in my country, and get away with it? I thought they were here to build schools. But apparently theyre here to make the lives of LGBT people difficult.

I asked Orozco why so many American pastors were focused on Belize, a country of 330,000 that most Americans probably couldnt find on a map.

They presume that wed be easy pickings, Orozco answered. Also, they are worried that we can inspire other pan-Caribbean states to decriminalize sodomy, and so they see us as a strategic point to block progress.

In that regard, the Americans may have been right. Belize is the first country in the region to scrap its sodomy law, and indications are that the Belizean government will not appeal the decision either to Belizes own court of appeals, or to the Caribbean Court of Justice. Moreover, the language of the Belize Supreme Courts decisionrecognizing the religious and majoritarian opposition to homosexuality, but affirming that constitutional rights are not subject to eitherwould also be applicable to other countries.

Legally speaking, the decision rested on the countrys constitutional rights to the dignity of the human person and to privacy (neither of which is explicitly mentioned in the United States constitution). Like many former British colonies, Belize inherited its anti-sodomy law, known as Section 53, from a colonial ordinance banning carnal intercourse against the order of nature. Although rarely enforced, it symbolically stigmatized and legally threatened gays and lesbians with criminal prosecution, like the sodomy laws at issue in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Lawrence v. Texas.

Citing a South African case holding that a law which punishes a form of sexual expression for gay men degrades and devalues gay men in our broader society, the Belize Supreme Court found its anti-sodomy law to violate Orozcos human dignity, privacy, and (in forcing him to lie or risk prosecution) freedom of expression.

Moreover, because the decision recognized sexual orientation as a real phenomenon, it opens the door to banning discrimination against sexual and gender minorities as well.

Indeed, some of the most contentious aspects of the caseand the reason it dragged on for so longwere about whether anyone could sue in the first place. Until the end, the state argued that Orozco couldnt sue unless hed actually been arrested. They failed, but the organization of which Orozco is a partUNIBAM, the United Belize Advocacy Movementwas demoted to interested party because, said Orozco, the court decided that organizations cant have sex. (The case was supported by a consortium of Belize-based and other Caribbean human rights organizations including the Human Dignity Trust.)

Three church networksCatholic, Church of England, and evangelicalalso joined as interested parties, further delaying the case. And now that it is decided, they have threatened to appeal the decision even if the government does not do so.

We protest this unjust judgment not for our sake, the Belize Prayer Network said on its website. We protest for the sake of the little ones. Many little ones will fall into this sin if LGBT promoters push them. And we also protest for the sake of the LGBT promoters themselves. For their sin will be multiplied by every abused child that they push into sodomy.

Orozco discounts the likelihood of such an appeal, since Belizean law generally bars interested parties from appealing if the parties themselves decline. Rather, his focus is on understanding the decision itself. We have to work very hard to get people to understand constitutional values, basic human rights, and that they exist in a framework of democratic governance process. The fight around the decision isnt over.

And Orozco continues to be brave, refusing to leave, refusing to closet parts of himself, and refusing to let up. I dont have rich gay men dropping donations in my lap, he chuckled. I dont do much gay respectability politics. I am simply an intellectual, values-based gay man with effeminate gender qualities who is firmly based in the value of integrity, and a philosophical belief that I have a purpose to make a difference through service to others. And that is through leading by example.

Returning to my first question, Orozco said I do also feel pride and hope. But Im in the middle of it, so its a lot more stressful.
Something is rotten in one Ohio Sheriffs Department, where the sheriff was stripped of his badge and gun last weekfor allegedly stealing painkillers from police disposal boxesand where the detective who fingered him was himself put on paid leave over claims hed compromised an investigation into the brutal murder of a single mother.

Sandusky County lawman Kyle Overmyer was indicted by a grand jury on 43 chargesincluding stealing Percocet and other powerful painkillers , pocketing county funds and tampering with evidence. The charges stem from a 2015 complaint to state and federal agencies by six area police chiefsincluding detective Sean OConnell, who filed the first complaint against the sheriff, the Sandusky Register reported.

The sheriff and his supporters have called the drug probe politically motivated.

When reached by The Daily Beast, Overmyers attorney, Andrew Mayle, declined to comment on anything other than the sheriffs pending criminal charges, which he called very vague. Ive been involved in many high-profile cases where the prosecutor cuts out a big indictment and when you get to trial, theres really nothing there, he added.

Overmyer did not return messages left by The Daily Beast. But he told one police chief , and later the Fremont News-Messenger , he was merely carting away the castoff drug capsules under an agreement with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

At Overmyers arraignment last week , special prosecutor Carol Hamilton OBrien declined to provide more details on the chargesbut some of the theft allegations against Overmyer were revealed in a February report by former Sandusky County prosecutor and FBI special agent John Meyers, a friend and supporter of a local police chief named Bruce Gower, who was also running for sheriff and lost against Overmyer in the Republican primary this spring.

Back then, prosecutor OBrien told the Sandusky Register she was reviewing the report, which alleged Overmyer wrote himself $2,500 in checks for drug buy money. Court papers also allege Overmyer stole thousands from his county Furtherance of Justice Fund but do not elaborate on what he supposedly did with the money.

The alleged pill-snatching is hardly the first scandal to plague the sheriffs department since Overmyer took office. It has faced federal lawsuits and a slew of cold cases, including one that got the Dr. Phil treatment.

As it turns out, many of those controversial cases were headed up by the man who blew the whistle on Sheriff OvermyerDetective Sean OConnell.

In one case, the body of single mother Heather Bogle was found in the trunk of her car, parked at the Somerton Apartments in Clyde, Ohio. Bogle had clocked out of her job at Whirlpool around 6:17 a.m. and was never seen again. Her mother filed a missing person report on April 9, 2015, after Bogle failed to pick up her 5-year-old daughter from school.

The next day, the single moms body was found, the Fremont News-Messenger reported .

An autopsy report later provided more details on Bogles gruesome death: She died from two gunshot wounds to the lungs. She was bruised and beaten and bound by her wrists and ankles. Her hair was cut to the scalp in a ragged pattern, and she had defensive marks on the back of both hands, the News-Messenger revealed .

She doesnt have any enemies that we know of, Bogles friend Angie Ginnever told Toledo TV station WTOL after her body was discovered. Shes such a devoted mom. I have no idea how this could happen.

Detective OConnell eventually released the names of three suspects in the case, two young black men and a black single mother who lived in the apartment complex where Bogle was found dead. One of the men was already incarcerated on a weapons charge in Detroit when he was announced as a person of interest. He claimed Sandusky County investigators were  trying to set me up  because of his race and said OConnell told him, I know its not you, but Ill make it you. (OConnell denied the allegation and said all his interviews with the suspect had been tape-recorded.)

Another of the young men told the Sandusky Register that DNA tests cleared him of the slaying at the outset. All three suspects professed their innocence and none of them have been charged in the case.

For his part, Detective OConnell declined to say how the suspects might be related to each other or to Bogle, but maintained that Bogle had been killed by the incarcerated suspect, using a gun he took from his fiancee and later supposedly sold in Detroit (no weapon was ever recovered in the case.) In February, when the female suspect was cuffed on unrelated charges of felony theft and misuse of a credit card, OConnell told the local newspaper, I believe shes responsible for Heather Bogles death. I think he [sic] being in jail is a good thing. This gives the public a chance to come forward with information. This shows what she is capable of.

Still, Bogles own family isnt quite convinced that the sheriffs department has the right suspects.

The Sandusky County Sheriff is DOING NOTHING. They will not follow leads, return phone calls or even send the profiling information to the FBI like promised. Somebody, Anybody. What can we do? Bogles sister Jennifer wrote on a private Facebook group this year, according to the Register. (Jennifer Bogle did not return messages for comment left by The Daily Beast.)

And Bogles half-brother, Josh Feasel, told The Daily Beast that OConnell refused to investigate Bogles ex-girlfriend, who moved to Florida after the murder. The brother says he warned OConnell about Bogles issues with her ex, whom he described as possessive.

Anytime I did call [Detective OConnell] with facts, he would automatically dismiss it, Feasel said. Theyre trying to put this murder on three black people who I dont think had anything to do with it.

The detective painted this picture it was a robbery gone bad, he added, but you dont cut somebodys hair out [during a robbery] and pound them to death.

The Daily Beast was unable to reach OConnell for comment.

Bogles death was a big story for the local press, which accused both OConnell and Overmyer of giving the public contradictory information on several other high-profile cases in Sandusky County. One involved a 2007 probe into the death of 37-year-old Craig Burdine, who died after Fremont cops arrested him and Sandusky County jailers allegedly used a Taser gun on him three times in an attempt to subdue him.

Detective OConnell, at the time a Fremont police officer, had reportedly assured the Burdines in 2007 that hed investigate their sons death. Back then, Sheriff Overmyer was a captain assigned to oversight of the jail, the Register reported.

Yet during a deposition, OConnell testified that he never considered foul play by Sandusky County personnel. And he admitted that he declined to interview the officers involved, court records show.

Burdines father, who served in the U.S. Navy, spent his life savingsmore than $391,000on a $40 million wrongful-death lawsuit against Sandusky County and Fremont to hold police accountable for killing his son. His complaint was dismissed in 2012 after he ran out of money and his lawyer bailed, he claimed. In 2014, a grand jury ruled law enforcement did not use excessive force in Burdines case.

By 2010, the sheriffs department again found itself in hot water, after police shot and killed a 26-year-old man who had allegedly been drinking for two days and threatened to kill his mother.

In July of that year, Tracy Jones dialed 911 seeking help for his 26-year-old son, Bryan. Jones told a dispatcher Bryan had loaded guns in the home he shared with his parents, the Toledo Blade reported.

It was about 9:45 p.m. when Jones made the call. I never would have called the cops if Id known they were going to shoot him, Jones told the Blade.

Jones told deputies he believed his sons shotgun was empty and that he was passed out. No one was home and would be harmed, the worried father told the cops, according to a $20 million wrongful-death suit against the sheriff and two deputies. The Jones family lost the case at trial in 2014.

A SWAT team, including Overmyer, stormed the residence around 11:30 p.m. (Its unclear if OConnell had any involvement in the Jones case.) One officer fired two flash-bang grenades through the front window while three others came through the back door, the complaint says. Immediately after, Bryan woke and yelled, Why? as the deputies spewed bullets into his head and body.

The countys version of events differ slightly from the familys. Deputies claimed they saw Jones sitting on the couch, holding a shotgun, and that theyd tried unsuccessfully to reach him by phone, according to the News-Messenger. The SWAT team leader, Deputy Jose Calvillowho had a history of disciplinary problemsclaimed in a deposition that he saw Jones turning the shotgun toward the direction we were at, the News-Messenger reported.

In an independent report, state police approved of the sheriffs actions, saying, Bryan P. Jones exhibited numerous indicators that relate this situation to a suicide by cop. In May 2013, a grand jury declined to seek criminal charges against Deputy Calvillo and his brother and fellow deputy Mario Calvillo, whom authorities said fired 14 shots at Jones.

Overmyer was part of the SWAT team that day. He testified at trial: I wanted the element of surprise. Bryan Jones would have dropped the weapon, we would have handcuffed him, took him away and got him help.

But the family believed the sheriffs office had no intention of helping Bryan. The SWAT team was so wild with delusions and anger that bullets were found in the walls and woodwork of the residence, the lawsuit claimed. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Sixth Circuit of Appeals in Cincinnati rejected arguments for a retrial. The Jones family attorney has vowed to fight up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A few years later, OConnell faced criticism when he served as the lead investigator in the death of Jacob Limberios, a 19-year-old father who was fatally shot in the head in March 2012. Authorities said Limberios had been at a party with three other people in a York Township home.

An avid gun owner, Limberios took a revolver to a friends home and let three pals take turns test-firing the gun in the backyard. His unsolved death became a two-part series on the Dr. Phil show, on which two out of three witnesses took a lie detector test and failed .

Limberioss family accused the detective of delivering conflicting information, first saying one of the three witnesses accidentally shot Limberios. OConnell later concluded the victim shot himself without providing additional details, the Register reported .

The county coroner allegedly ruled Limberioss death an accidental suicide without ever visiting the scene, interviewing witnesses or examining the body. Rather, he made his determination after speaking to a sheriffs deputy over the phone, ABC News reported .

In 2013, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced that a special grand jury had determined Limberioss death was not a suicide but a freak accident. State investigators found the teens gun had a faulty safety mechanism.

OConnell was not convicted of any wrongdoing nor disciplined in connection with any of the above cases.

OConnell has faced more serious difficulties in the case of Heather Bogle, the murdered single mother, and it may turn out to be the detectives undoing. Over the summer, even as the special prosecutor was wrapping up her investigation into Sheriff Overmyers alleged pill-filchingset in motion by OConnells complaintsOvermyer suspended OConnell and released a report on the detectives conduct in the Bogle affair, claiming he had committed a crime by sending confidential information on the case to a friend.

The sheriffs complaint was referred to county prosecutor Tom Stierwalt to determine whether OConnell will face criminal charges, the Register reported .

Meanwhile, despite the controversies dogging his office, Overmyer has vowed to stay in office and on the ballot this November.

The sheriffs refusal to resign has criticsand the families of some victimscrying foul.

This nightmare is still my reality, said Josh Feasel, the half-brother of Heather Bogle. The general public wants to believe that law enforcement is good the people in these communities dont believe this stuff until a 43-count indictment comes out.

Bruce Gower, the police chief who lost the primary to Overmyer, denied that the pill-theft charges against the sheriff were political in nature and noted to The Daily Beast, You have a sheriff thats under indictment You have the lead investigator who the sheriff put on leave.

The whole place is a mess. Its going to be a long process to straighten it out.
Columnist misrepresented the good people of Appalachia

Like Leonard Pitts (Eagle, Aug. 29), I also read J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy. Unlike Pitt's misguided, race-filled opinion, Vance's book rings true to someone raised in the hills of Appalachia.

As a child in Appalachia, I had a fearsome, cigarette-smoking, foul-mouthed granny who revered Jesus, the Democratic Party, and her kin. My Papaw raised tobacco until the government killed out the small tobacco farmer. I have a cousin struggling with addiction to "hillbilly heroin," cousins working blue-collar jobs, cousins "drawing" from the government, and uncles living from disability check to disability check. I have a cousin who has a child of mixed race. By the way, my white Scot-Irish family takes care of her and her beautiful daughter -- not a cent from the girl's daddy shows up (nor does he).

Pitts' typical opinion that a white-skinned person hates a black-skinned person is an unfair label to the folks of Appalachia. Not every hillbilly welcomes blacks and Hispanics to the community. But many do. My aunt's church runs a huge ministry devoted to working with Spanish-speakers, helping them learn English, find jobs, and settle into towns rather than migrate with farming jobs. My cousins work in factories side-by-side with blacks and Hispanics, and play softball on the weekends with them, too.

Like Vance, my people and I do not identify with Trump and his WASP friends. Not one of my family members voted for Barack Obama because they gave up on the Democratic Party years ago. Although they may be, as Pitts states, "sick, unschooled, and hungry," they have the common sense to know that Trump will not save them, nor will the Republican Party.

J.D. Vance and children from "the hills" know economic redemption for Appalachia will not come from another politician and false promises, nor will it come from his excellent book about our mountain home. Redemption can only be found in your family. That's why Appalachia remains clannish, insular, and invisible. My kin still inhabit the hollers of Tennessee, where I will always belong to my clan of hillbillies, no matter where I live. That's Appalachia.

Gloria Quinn Giesenschlag

Snook

Donald Trump has a lot in common with Harry Truman

Because I was around during the 1948 election of President Harry Truman, I am reminded of him by what I see of Donald Trump. The two men have a lot of similarities. One of them is how they speak. At a speech Truman gave during his 1948 campaign travels, one of his listeners shouted, "Give 'em hell, Harry," and that name stuck with him for the rest of his campaign.

There is another similarity between Truman and Trump, other than the first four letters of their last names. They both knew they had to speak directly to the people. Truman didn't use TV, although it had been invented by 1948. Rather, he spoke from the deck at the rear of the observation car, the last car on a train he routed all over the country. Truman was quoted as saying he spoke to between 15 million to 20 million voters during the campaign. And, he credited that kind of speaking with getting him elected.

Donald Trump is a lot luckier, in that he can use cable TV and the internet to speak directly to the people. And this he does, speaking in a way that is very understandable to most people. He is plain spoken. And Plain Speaking is the title of Merle Miller's 1973 book, which was an oral biography, depending entirely on the author's interviews with President Truman.

Harry Truman was not expected to win the 1948 election, but he did. The people liked his way of speaking, rough though it may have been. He didn't try to impress people with his speech. What he did was tell them the truth in words they could not misunderstand.

JOHN H. PAINTER

College Station
I never thought Id work on another book after learning how much was involved in getting my A Night of Makin Likker plus Other Stories from the Moonshine Capital of the World in print.

A new book is now being printed after a lot of hard work from long-time geologist and historian Beverly Merritt of Henry, Angie Leary of the Crafts Church area of SML and me. Its title is Franklin Countys Famous 1935 Moonshine Conspiracy Trial with a sub-headline of Complete Daily Newspaper Accounts.

Also in the book is the republished Liberty magazines story written by noted author Sherwood Anderson, who purchased my grandfather Gils weekly newspaper in Marion.

Unlike my late friend and noted attorney T. Keister Greers 900-plus page book, this one has every news story written by an unknown reporter of The Roanoke Times. Back in the day and continuing into the 1960s, a reporter was not given credit for writing a story. Now, almost every story has the writers name appearing at the beginning  thus the term byline.

Filling the cover in the background of the new book are the titles and actual newspaper articles. The back cover consists of an old newspaper photograph, along with more stories as they appeared in the newspaper.

I have to note that Beverly took our individual collections of newspaper clippings and retyped each story, plus the headlines with sub-headlines. Throughout the book are photographs of that era taken, with permission, from the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum. (My thanks to the institutes director, Roddy Moore, and to Beth Worley, who works in the archives section.)

In addition to those very interesting pictures, are photos and drawings from The Quinn Clan, a book by Sarah Quinn Hambrick and Felica Hambrick Woods. Without those photos and drawings, the book wouldnt have been so appealing.

Beverly also went the extra mile, so to speak, to list, in alphabetical order, the names of everyone who is mentioned, even once, in the book. I need to add that usually when this is done, the number of the page on which the name appears, is listed.

She didnt do this because it would be nearly impossible to list every page number for the key players in the trial. So if you are particularly interested in a certain individual, youll have to buy the book and count as you read.

How did this new book come about?

I met Beverly Merritt a couple of years ago when I started working on a News-Post story or a possible book on Nancy Ann Wade Nethken, a strange little unmarried woman who built an underground house in the mountains west of Ferrum. She was better known as Lady Wade. (Ill leave that story right here without going any further.)

One day I mentioned to Beverly that someone had given me a large manila envelope filled with copies of the daily newspaper accounts of the conspiracy trial. The news stories had carefully been cut from the newspaper and pasted in the center of a Blue Horse 3-hole notebook paper used back then in all the schools. The date of each story was handwritten above the headline. There was no way to know if I had every clipping or not.

One day, I mentioned this to Beverly. She told me that she, too, had copies of the stories she thought had come from Sherwood Andersons file. Anderson was well known in his time, joining Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe.

So to make a long story short, I gave her my copies to compare and see if we had all of the trial dates between the two collections. Well, we didnt, but she went to Roanoke and spent a lot of time filling in all the ones we didnt have. Eventually, we had a full book!

Beverly took it upon herself to transfer all the stories into the computer. Angie Leary, a News-Post employee who helped me put my book together, was called upon for her talent, especially for the front and back covers.

Unbeknownst to me, Beverly went to Jacob Gill at Computer Shock on Route 40 West and put all of her work into book form. Then I got involved and did the things I needed to do, including seeking help on the pictures and art work.

Some months  I dont know how many  went by and we kept making needed additions to get all of it in book form, including both covers. And Im going to make a statement that is totally true without taking a single thing away from Greers masterpiece  this book, in my opinion, is far more interesting and is without footnotes and all the other proper things Mr. TKG did in his 20-year effort, according to what he told me.

Each story tells the most important information coming from each court session at the end of the day.

Last week, we received the final proof and went over it with a fine-toothed comb, as the old saying goes. Thank goodness there were only a couple of things that needed to be changed, which speaks highly of Jacob and Angie.

We have no clue how many people will be interested in buying this book, but we are going to take orders now while the first shipment is being printed.

This way, we should be able to take care of those who want a copy. We plan on placing copies at the locations where my first book is being sold. Those locations include Ferrum Colleges Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, Franklin County Historical Society, Mary Wrays Artisan Center on Franklin Street and either Joel Shepherds Virginia Furniture Market or one of his other businesses on Route 220 North. And were looking for additional locations.

The price of the 320-page book is $35 and it can be pre-ordered and shipped by mail for $3.50 extra.

Orders and checks should be made out and sent to Beverly Merritt at P.O. Box 636, Henry, VA 24105.

Ill also accept checks sent to 95 Old Craft Shop Road, Ferrum, VA 24088 or dropped off at my office in Bill Greers computer business on North Main Street.

A joint book signing will be held at the Franklin County Library as soon as the shipment arrives, as far as we know.

I would think once the demand is met, the book wont be printed again, but thats not written in stone. And I am anxious to find out what kind of a reception this book will receive.

As always, we will keep you posted.
Virginia Skyline Girl Scouts is searching for new girls and volunteers to register for Girl Scouting.

Girl Scouts gives girls a supportive space to take chances, try new things, and learn to succeed through failure  improving all aspects of their lives.

A Girl Scout Open House is set for Tuesday, Sept. 20 at the Franklin County Library from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

At the open house, potential Girl Scouts and volunteers will learn more about the organization, its mission, the time commitment and what it means to join Girl Scouts. Registration will be available for all interested parties. Current volunteers and staff will be available to answer questions.

Girl Scouts earn badges, make crafts, go camping, and sell cookies, but they also participate in community service projects that help improve their neighborhoods, schools and the planet. They take part in outdoor activities, such as kayaking, climbing and hiking, as well as stargazing, CSI and veterinary science.

Interested parties are not required to attend the open house to join Girl Scouts.

Contact Stephanie Micklem at (434) 382-8055 or smicklem@gsvsc.org for more information or to sign up.

Girl Scouting is open to all girls, regardless of race, creed, ethnic origin, or physical or mental ability.

Scholarships are available to assist with the $22 membership fee.
JEONG Seong Seob Seong Seob Jeong, 56, of Rocky Mount, Va., passed away peacefully at his home with family by his side early on Saturday morning, August 27, 2016. He was born in Go-Heung, South Korea, on April 4, 1960, and was preceded in death by his parents, Kim Bong Sool and Jeong Bong Hyun. He was a resident of Franklin County, Va., for the past 15 years. Although his life on this Earth was taken away too short, he is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Eun Sook Shin (53 years old). He leaves behind three children, a son, Se Woong Jeong (24); and two daughters, Soo Bin Jeong (20) and Skye Jeong (13). He is also survived by two older sisters; one brother; and other numerous relatives living in South Korea. His life was filled with hard, but joyous times with family. His character of kindheartedness and dedication to loving his family will always be remembered and missed by all. He pursued a law degree at Seoul National University but political turmoil in South Korea at the time barred him from receiving his full education and fulfilling his dream. Although he had a chance to finish his education, by then, he was happily married, his first child just born, and found a good, stable position in a large company. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 2001 with the help of his wife's aunts, Kay Saul and Miok Trecek. He was the proud owner of a sole proprietorship which he operated jointly with his wife, CK Cleaners on Starkey Road in Roanoke, Va. His family will continue to own and operate the dry cleaning and alterations business he started. His family will greet family, friends and visitors from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, September 1, 2016, at Oakey's South Chapel in Roanoke with a brief funeral service at 7 p.m. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.oakeys.com.
Enjoy a taste of European charm & elegance with a side of country hospitality at the Hillbrook Inn & Spa, a bed & breakfast tucked into the hills of eastern West Virginia...





The Hillbrook Inn & Spa graciously provided the accommodations for our blogger retreat. All opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.













If you follow me on Instagram , you may have noticed that I attended & hosted my first ever blogger retreat earlier this month. Yes, folks- I planned and hosted a local blogger retreat! :)





The idea had been nagging at me for well over a year, and when an idea nags at me that long I know it is the universe trying to tell me something. So I listened, and in February I got in touch with my fellow food blogger friend, Karyn from Pint Sized Baker and brought her on board with the retreat planning. After a few months of legwork and networking and emails, Sip, Dine, & Shine 2016 had become a reality.





We chose the Harpers Ferry area of West Virginia as it was an easy drive for all those invited. That was one thing I really wanted in a blogger retreat- no plane tickets, no travel hassles, no added expenses, no fuss. Just a little getaway with a few like-minded (& very talented) food bloggers in a laid back, country setting where we could sip on wine, chat all things blogging (and all things not blogging as well), and return home & to our blogs rejuvenated, inspired, and ready to shine.

Photo credit: Pint Sized Baker









Sip, Dine, & Shine 2016 was graciously hosted by the charming and luxurious Hillbrook Inn & Spa , a bed & breakfast situated on more than 30 acres of sprawling countryside in Charles Town, West Virginia. For the retreat, the four of us stayed at the Farmhouse ...













The Farmhouse.

















The Farmhouse at Hillbrook Inn & Spa is located just a short 2 mile drive from the Main House & is situated alongside an apple orchard. With 3 spacious suites that can sleep up to 5, the Farmhouse made for the perfect escape for our bloggers' getaway. We had the entire house to ourselves which was absolutely amazing for our retreat! :) (Note: The Farmhouse can be reserved by the suite or you can reserve the entire house for larger parties.)

















Karyn & I roomed up in the Sunrise Suite on the second floor of the Farmhouse. The spacious suite has a queen bed at one end and a king bed at the other with a small sitting area with a flat screen television between the two sleeping spaces. The bathroom is appointed with a large soaking tub, a walk-in tiled shower, and a double vanity. The perfect accommodations for a grown-up girls' sleepover! ;)









The Farmhouse has a few common areas inside the house to gather in, but the outdoor common areas were really the star of our stay and where we spent most of our time during the retreat. The large front porch is equipped with wooden rocking chairs perfect for relaxing in and taking in the beautiful views of the surrounding farms and the apple orchard.

















The spacious back deck was the perfect setting for an al fresco dinner on the first evening of our girls' getaway. We shared a couple of West Virginia inspired charcuterie boards & a few bottles of wine graciously provided by one of our retreat sponsors, Kroger grocery stores





After dinner, we all headed to the west side of the farmhouse to watch the sunset. Carissa, the innkeeper & owner of Hillbrook Inn, informed us that the Farmhouse and the Hawthorn House (you can see the corner of it if you look to the right of the barn in the photo below) are both known for their breathtaking views of the sunset...









Let's just say that the views from the Farmhouse did not disappoint as the sun set on our first evening of Sip, Dine, & Shine 2016. ;)

The Main House.

















The Main House at Hillbrook Inn & Spa was once a private home built by General Frank E. Bamford and was fashioned after an inn that he stayed at in Normandy during World War I. The Main House of the inn not only houses 6 suites decorated in timeless European style, but also a tavern, small library, living room, and the elegant Redbook Restaurant.









The grounds of the Main House are open to all guests of the inn, including those staying at the Farmhouse and Hawthorn House. We took a leisurely stroll behind the Main House after breakfast one morning of our stay to go see the spring house (picture above in the foreground). The original spring house actually supplied water to the inn up until 2005 when the building was switched over to well water.













The Redbook Restaurant.









As a guest of the Hillbrook Inn, you are treated to a two-course gourmet breakfast each morning of your stay at the Redbook Restaurant in the Main House. The traditional sit-down breakfast is seated at two times each morning- 8:30 or 9:45 (for those who like to sleep in a little ;) ). Just let the inn know at the time of your reservation which seating that you would prefer.





The breakfast menu at the Redbook changes daily depending on what is seasonally available. The chef takes great care to locally source as many of the menu's ingredients as possible, and his daily menu selections reflect that.

















During the first morning of our stay, we were served a delicious eggs benedict with perfectly poached eggs and micro greens for the main breakfast course. For the second morning of our stay, we were wowed with a decadent peanut butter stuffed croissant french toast topped with caramelized bananas.









The Redbook Restaurant also offers a four course candlelit dinner by reservation only Friday-Sunday evenings of each week. Each pre-selected course features the chef's culinary creativity & vision as well as fresh, quality ingredients sourced from local farms.





Our candlelit dinner started with an earthy Roasted Beet Carpaccio, followed by a bowl of creamy & velvety Roasted Red Pepper Soup. The main course was a tender Slow Cooked Coffee Rubbed Ribeye Loin (pictured top right), and our amazing dinner was finished off with a slice of the house made Lemon Tart garnished with a pistachio crumble and a fresh fig (pictured bottom right). If you are staying at the Hillbrook on a weekend, the four course candlelit dinner is definitely a must-do.













What You Need to Know Before You Go.

The Hillbrook Inn & Spa automatically adds a 20% gratuity to all reservations, dinner bills, and spa services, so there is no need to make sure you have cash on hand before your arrival to cover gratuities. (Convenient, right?)

Children are welcome to stay at the Hillbrook, but please check their policies page for specifics on which age groups are welcome in which accommodations at the inn.

If you will be bringing children to the inn, please note that they do offer babysitting services in case mom & dad would like to sneak off for one of their candlelit dinners or perhaps on a wine tasting tour. Childcare services are $15 per hour, and it is recommended you reserve this service at least 48 hours in advance of your stay.

If you plan to reserve a room at the Farmhouse or the Hawthorn House, please note that breakfast is served at the Main House each morning which is a short 2 mile drive away. Also due to insurance & safety purposes, the stove and oven may not be used by guests in either house.

The Hillbrook also offers its guests a full service spa , including facials, massages, body treatments, and more. It is best to try and book your spa appointment before your arrival at the inn.

















Looking for things to do in the area while enjoying your stay at the Hillbrook? Then be sure to check out the posts below...
































What we know so far about alleged Iowa serial killer Donald Studey
Gene Wilder didn't want anyone to know he had Alzheimer's disease.

It was only after he died Tuesday at 83 from complications of the illness that his family revealed the beloved Hollywood entertainer's secret. "The decision to wait until this time to disclose his condition wasn't vanity, but more so that the countless young children that would smile or call out to him 'there's Willy Wonka,' would not have to be then exposed to an adult referencing illness or trouble," Wilder's family said in a statement.

"He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world."

It was the sort of selfless sentiment that seemed to befit Wilder, a lovable and hilariously neurotic icon of so many childhoods. It also revealed the delicate calculus that famous people have to make when confronted with a terminal illness: How much do they want the world to know?

Wilder wasn't the only public figure who chose to keep his diagnosis private. Fans of David Bowie were stunned when the iconic musician died of liver cancer in January; he had told only his closest family and friends that he was sick. Writer and director Nora Ephron, who died of leukemia in 2012, didn't even alert some of the friends she'd chosen to speak at her memorial service. The public had no idea that comedian Robin Williams had suffered from Lewy Body dementia until months after his suicide in 2014.

For devoted fans who feel a powerful bond with a cherished idol, such sudden news can leave them reeling.

"For all of us who love Gene Wilder and other famous people who died, it's a shock," says Maureen Keeley, a professor of communications studies at Texas State University and the co-author of "Final Conversations: Helping the Living and the Dying Talk to Each Other."

Faced with their mortality, she says, one of the most important choices a person can make is whom to share the experience with, and how to share it.

"And that's when you have the most valuable, meaningful conversations with those you love," she says. "And that's who you want to say goodbye to, that's who you want to share those final days with -- those who truly know you at your core."

Fans, no matter how devoted, may not make the list -- and that's appropriate.

"The reason we're all in shock is because we're not invited into that very private world," Keeley says. "And I understand us wanting to be, but we should not be."

This may sound obvious on the one hand -- of course we don't have a personal connection to a celebrity, no matter how their work may have touched us -- but it can still feel jarring to fans who are accustomed to following every detail of a favorite celebrity's life: whom they're dating, what they're wearing, how they raise their kids. Many pop culture figures are increasingly open about deeply personal experiences, including serious illnesses: Jamie Lynn-Sigler has spoken publicly about her battle with multiple sclerosis. Selena Gomez has talked about what it's like to undergo chemotherapy for lupus. When Patrick Swayze was dying of pancreatic cancer, he took the opportunity to spread awareness of the disease.

But other high-profile figures simply want no part of that.

Ephron's son, Jacob Bernstein, wrote in the New York Times that his mother had considered telling friends and colleagues about her leukemia but feared the effect that it might have on her career -- that getting a movie made or developing a Broadway play would become impossible. She wanted to keep working, he wrote.

It went deeper than that, too: "What my mother didn't want was to have her illness define her, turning every conversation into a series of 'how are you?'s," he wrote.

When Ephron died, even some of her close friends were shocked. Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep shared her disbelief in a eulogy at Ephron's memorial service.

"She pulled a fast one on all of us," she said. "It's really stupid to be mad at somebody who died but somehow I have managed it."

When Bowie died, some of his longtime friends were similarly stunned. Producer Brian Eno said that Bowie's death was a "complete surprise"; but in retrospect, he said, there were subtle clues in the final email he received from Bowie.

"It was as funny as always, and as surreal, looping through word games and allusions and all the usual stuff we did. It ended with this sentence: 'Thank you for our good times, brian. they will never rot'. And it was signed 'Dawn'," Eno said. "I realise now he was saying goodbye."

For a person who's dying, deciding whom to tell and how to tell them "is the only thing they can control," Keeley says. And disclosure might come with a burden: People might expect a "big, profound" conversation, she says -- "especially someone like Nora Ephron, who was so profound" -- and that's a lot to ask of someone who doesn't feel well and is dealing with their own complicated feelings.

"Some people want to protect themselves," she says. "It can be a lot of pressure."

It can also be about preserving an identity they've worked their whole lives to create. For celebrities like Williams, who had suffered debilitating symptoms of Lewy body dementia before his death, or Prince, who had long struggled with chronic pain, keeping their conditions secret was a way of protecting their public image.

"Disease robs us of who we are, and if you're a public figure, the more you can hide that from people, why wouldn't you?" Keeley says. "It's not what you want to be remembered for."

Which may be another reason why Wilder chose to keep his Alzheimer's private. He wanted to protect the joy of inquisitive children; he may also have wanted to protect himself.

"It's hard when a loss is sudden, but fans do have a way to say goodbye -- they can tweet out a message, they can go on Facebook, they can download Prince's music," Keeley says. "They can go watch Gene Wilder's movies again, and remember him. And that is a way to process their sadness and their grief. Because he has already given us as much as he can."
As August progresses, kids will inevitably start becoming more and more aware of the impending doom that is the end of summer vacation.

By the end of the month, backpacks will be strapped, new shoes laced and yellow school buses will be arriving at front doors. But just how impactful is back to school season?
NORWALK  As part of an effort to foster greater communication between the state Department of Transportation (DOT) and residents, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) announced that passengers may now relay comments directly to the DOT through a link on his website. The page may be accessed at SenatorDuff.cga.ct.gov.

According to Duff, the website will provide constituents with quick access and updates on construction. Users will be able to submit comments and questions directly to the DOTs Walk Bridge Team. The Walk Bridge Team will reply with accurate and timely information and copy Senator Duffs office on the response to keep him informed of his constituents concerns and comments.
Philip Zimbardo, a former president of the American Psychological Association, observed that the American soldiers who committed atrocities at the Abu Ghraib prison were not inherently evil: The line between good and evil is permeable. Any of us can move across it I argue that we all have the capacity for love and evilto be Mother Teresa, to be Hitler or Saddam Hussein. Its the situation that brings it out. To hold the view that all people can do good and bad is seen as somehow detracting from the legitimacy of grievances. While most of us will never behave that terribly, almost all of us have engaged in actions that we now regret. We have experienced moving across that line between love and hate. Yet many Americans now doubt that simple truth of life; they want to place large groups of people in rigid categories of good and evil.

For some, all policemen are evil racists. Others believe that all those who live in the inner city are potential criminals. To hold the view that all people can do good and bad is seen as somehow detracting from the legitimacy of their grievances.

For instance, it may be difficult for some to believe that there are policeman who unconditionally hold in high regard the public they serve. Charles Chip Huth is a sergeant with the Kansas City, Missouri, police department and an instructor at the National Law Enforcement Training Center. In his book, Unleashing the Power Of Unconditional Respect, co-authored with Jack Colwell (cofounder of the Leadership Academy for the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department), Sergeant Huth tells a story of leading his SWAT team while executing an arrest warrant at the arrestees home.

During the raid, a middle-aged woman began to walk down the road screaming profanities. She was angry her son was in handcuffs. Members of the neighborhood began to join her. The usual police reaction would be to arrest her for disorderly conduct. Sergeant Huth chose a different path:

I chose to listen to her. I just didnt listen to her; I listened to her with the intent to understand the true nature of her message. When she finished her verbal lashing, I stated: Let me see if I understand you. You work two jobs to make ends meet. You dont get paid that much at work, so you cant afford to fix your car. You have to ride the bus to and from your jobs, which puts you at the mercy of the bus schedule. It also means you have to stand outside and wait for long periods of time, regardless of the weather. You worked hard today. You came home with a thought you would get off your feet and relax, but instead you find the police at your house and your son under arrest for selling drugs, and it upsets you very much.

As Sergeant Huth continued to talk to the woman, the anger drained out of her face. The crowd, initially attracted to the potential conflict, became disinterested in a civil conversation and began to disperse.

Some officers equate respect for the public with softness. Sergeant Huth and Officer Colwell recognize that their approach is not easy to sell to other policeman. Many officers believe the approach of Sergeant Huth and Officer Colwell gives officers the appearance of weakness and exposes them to serious safety concerns. Those skeptical officers equate respect for the public with softness. They observe that tough officers show little respect for the public: Tough officers often wear anger and disdain as a badge of honor and always find ample reason (like the screaming lady) to justify their disdain.

Tough officers, Sergeant Huth and Officer Colwell explain, endanger themselves and the public; they compromise their effectiveness in the community by angering those they are supposed to be serving:

Criminals realize that the hallmark of a disciplined opponent is self-control. The irony in the talk tough, appear tough mentality is that the people that it might actually intimidate are the people who lack the inclination to assault the police in the first place Chasing and subduing those who are disinclined to commit (and are untrained in) violence becomes like a self-deluding drug. These little victories with unworthy, or untrained, opponents serve to delude officers into thinking that anger and disdain towards others serve them well and compromise a tactically sound alternative to personal character and commitment.

In short, the Dirty Harry mentality only provides officers an illusion of safety and security.

Self-Justification

Philip Zimbardo has noted that people are seduced into evil by dehumanizing and labeling others. Police who brutalize others and those who murder police see the world in the same waythey label some as fundamentally different than they are and thus feel justified to deal with them ruthlessly. This type of thinking leads down a slippery slope. In her book about the Rwandan Genocide, Left to Tell, Immaculee Ilibagiza heard a former neighbor and friend say of her, I have killed 399 cockroaches. Immaculee will make 400. Its a good number to kill.

Each side needs the other to misbehave in order to demonstrate that their own narrative is correct. America seems to be in a dangerous spiral of polarization. Each side believes that those who hold opposing views are inherently evil. When we dehumanize others, we are guilty of hating others. When we hate others, the psychological mechanism of projection kicks in. The good side in us is not comfortable with our hate. Our good side feels guilty over our choice to hate, so we project that hate out in order to relieve our often unconscious guilt. Where do we project our hate? We see it in the group that we have dehumanized.

As the Arbinger Institute points out in their book The Anatomy of Peace, we will see the world in a skewed way in order to justify our emotions: When we need to be justified, anything that will give us justification will immediately take on exaggerated importance in our lives. Further, The surer I am that I am mistreated, the more likely I am to miss ways that I am mistreating others myself. My need for justification obscures the truth.

Those who hate need each other in order to justify their hatreds. Each side needs the other side to misbehave in order to demonstrate that their own narrative is correct. Politicians add to the polarization for their own personal benefit; the more angry emotions they arouse, the more they believe the public will see a need to elect them. The success of both Clinton and Trump seems to depend upon their success in splintering Americans.

The Way Out

Decades ago on vacation, right before Christmas, we got a telephone call in New Hampshire from our neighbor in Baltimore; four big boxes were sitting on our front porch. Realizing that the snowshoes wed ordered for our vacation had been shipped to Baltimore, my wife called the company immediately. The first person who answered the phone saw instantly that the company had made the error. She said she would call back shortly, and did so within a half-hour. It was 8 p.m., and already she had arranged for FedEx to return that evening to our Baltimore home, retrieve the boxes, and make the delivery to New Hampshire by the next morning. And that is exactly what happened. The company was L.L. Bean.

Whenever I dehumanize another, I necessarily dehumanize all that is humanincluding myself. Notice how the front line telephone service representative had authority to take an action that would entail a considerable expense for the company. Her authority to act was grounded in a culture of customer service that is more than a hundred years olda culture that was built on unconditional respect for the customer.

Why dont we see more police departments filled with officers who have unconditional respect for citizens? Why dont our police departments embrace ideas taught by Sergeant Huth and Officer Colwell? Dan Sanchez in his essay, From Cops to Clinton: Impunity Corrupts, has one answer: State agents can violate rights with reliable impunity because a critical mass of the public considers the aggression of state agents to be exceptionally legitimate. Police departments have little incentive to root out bad apples.

In other words, L.L. Bean has to compete for business, and the organizational culture they developed is far different from that of the police department. L.L. Bean does not have qualified immunity (the concept is explained in Dan Sanchezs essay), and so they learn to respect others.

The way out is for us to choose to not dehumanize others nor see others through the simplistic lenses of good and evil. As we stop polarizing, our candidates will necessarily follow. Our own personal development depends upon our choices. As the Arbinger Institute writes in The Anatomy of Peace, Whenever I dehumanize another, I necessarily dehumanize all that is humanincluding myself.

Republished with gracious permission from Intellectual Takeout (July 2016).

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.
First National Bank unveiled its second branch in Grand Island on Tuesday, located at 2023 S. Locust St., during a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce.

Two busloads of bank employees from Omaha, Lincoln and Fremont were also in attendance to celebrate the grand opening. First National Bank opened its first branch in the city in 2005 at 810 Allen Drive.

First National Bank is excited to open a second location for the growing Grand Island community, said John Hoggatt, Grand Island market president. The new branch will allow us to more effectively serve the areas increasing need for financial services and contribute to the citys growth. It will provide added convenience for our customers in the Grand Island area, plus additional staff and expertise to meet all of their banking needs.

Hoggatt said the new location will offer full-service banking, including savings and checking accounts, certificates of deposit, IRA accounts, mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, auto loans, personal loans and lines of credit, credit cards, investments and planning, wealth management and 529 College Savings Plans. Business banking, commercial lending and agricultural banking services are also available, as well as online and mobile banking options.

The 4,400-square-foot branch features a community wall inside the banks vestibule. The wall weaves together First National Banks and the communitys history, highlights the banks community support focus and showcases iconic locations in the Grand Island area. The branch also features artwork by local artist Jorn Olsen.

Participants in the ribbon cutting from First National Bank included Mark Sutko, Kearney-Grand Island market president; Hoggatt; Stephen Eulie, executive vice president, consumer banking group; Mike Earleywine, senior vice president, branch banking and mortgage banking; plus Cindy Johnson, president, Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce.
Grand Islands Citizens Review Committee will consider two requests for economic development incentives on Thursday  one to bring a new truck parts business to Grand Island and one to expand a water pump business.

The two separate applications, which seek funds from the citys LB840 Local Option Municipal Economic Development Program, will be part of a meeting at noon Thursday at City Hall.

Inland Truck Parts of Overland Park, Kan., paid $350,000 for land at the Platte Valley Industrial Park, where it intends to build a nearly $5 million parts store and service shop by next summer. The land at 4480 Gold Core Drive is south of Standard Iron.

Inland is one of the countrys largest after-market wholesale truck parts distributors and shop service providers in the U.S., the LB840 application states. The company carries a full line of parts for medium- to large-sized trucks and is a remanufacturer of most driveline and gear parts, as well as offering repair shop services.

Inland expects to hire a local workforce estimated to include approximately 20 employees, including store management, inside and outside sales, gear shop and driveline technicians and service shop technicians, the companys LB840 application states.

Three of the 20 would be store managers with starting wages of $90,000; two would be in outside sales at a starting wage of $50,000; three would be for the parts counter/inside sales at a starting wage of $45,000; 10 would be technicians with a starting wage of $50,000; one would work in the warehouse and one would be an office manager, each with starting wages of $35,000, the application states.

The companys application for funds indicates that average wages would be $28 an hour.

The Grand Island Area Economic Development Corp. helps oversee the citys LB840 fund. EDC President Dave Taylor is recommending $197,000 in LB840 funds for Inland paid out over three years. Some of that would be training dollars that would be distributed yet this year for two new employees, and the rest would be disbursed in 2018. The LB840 incentive dollars would cover about 11 of the 20 new jobs being created in Grand Island.

The company application states that Inland was established in 1944 and has 650 employees in 28 locations. It has stores in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Its Nebraska locations are in Omaha, Lincoln, North Platte and Scottsbluff.

The company estimated its sales in the Grand Island store to be $5 million.

Borer Wholesale, a pump repair and supply store, is planning to expand its existing Grand Island site at 147 E. Roberts St.

Borer currently has 10 employees in Grand Island and plans to add eight more. Four of the new positions would be machinists and three would be pump mechanics, all with a starting wage of $18 an hour. One additional employee would be in a support staff position at $14 an hour.

Borer began as Jensen Wholesale in Blair in 2009 and expanded to Grand Island in 2013 due to the concentration of well drillers and contractors in the area.

It is a wholesale supplier of irrigation, municipal and industrial line shaft turbine pumps and a repair center for irrigation pumps. The business also offers environmental and drilling products, its application states.

Borer is planning steady growth in the ag market and a larger increase in municipal and industrial work, including export work to Tanzania, Dubai and Kenya, according to its LB840 application.

The EDC is recommending $117,000 in LB840 funds for Borer to be paid out over three years.

The EDC will also be requesting $350,000 of LB840 funds for its annual operational funds. Of that, $170,900 is for community marketing; $144,900 is for administration, including salaries; $26,200 is for occupancy costs, including rent; and $8,000 is for office supplies and equipment.

The Citizens Review Committee is scheduled to make a recommendation on all three funding requests. Those recommendations will be forwarded to the Grand Island City Council for final action.

If you go

What: Citizens Review Committee meeting

When: Noon Thursday

Where: Grand Island City Hall, 100 E. First St.

Topics: $350,000 to the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corp. for annual operations, $197,000 to Inland Truck Parts for new location and 20 jobs, $117,000 for Borer Wholesale expansion to create eight new jobs
CAIRO  Irma Kathryn Bellamy, 96, of Cairo died Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, at Good Samaritan Society in Grand Island.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at Cairo United Methodist Church. The Rev. Cathryn Love will officiate. Burial will be in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery at Cairo.

Family will greet friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the church.

Apfel Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Bellamy was born Feb. 22, 1920, in Howard County to Robert and Ida (Fries) Obermiller. Irma attended Boelus Public Schools and graduated from Boelus High School with the class of 1938. She continued her education at Kearney State College and was an elementary teacher in rural Hall County.

As a young girl, Irma helped on her fathers farm, assisted with correspondence and household tasks, and helped her father and grandfather during their years of service as State Legislators. She and her two sisters were well-known in the community for their singing trio. She always enjoyed music, dancing and singing.

She was 16 years old when she met her husband-to-be, George, at a local wedding. Irma and her sisters were singing at the wedding. They stayed in contact by Irma sending letters to him during his five-year tour in World War II. While George was overseas, Irma worked for the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C., and the Department of Finance in Oakland, Calif., as a disbursement assistant. Irma and George Bellamy were united in marriage on Nov. 12, 1945, 15 days after his return to the United States. The past 70 years have been spent working and playing together as best friends.

Irma was a lifetime active member of the United Methodist Church. She was a strong advocate and supporter of the continuing education of her family and friends and took great pride in their academic achievements. Her passion was family, friends and the positive support of them all.

Survivors include her husband, George Bellamy of Cairo; son and daughter-in-law, Bruce and Cheryl Bellamy of Lincoln; a sister, Ardyce Kirk of New Mexico; three grandchildren and their spouses and seven great-grandchildren, Abbey and Steve Boyer (Allie, Kylie, Carson) of North Carolina, Barton and Lea Bellamy (Griffin and Piper) of Lincoln, Adam and Libby Bellamy (Giana and Leo) of Omaha.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Bernice.

Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.apfelfuneralhome.com.
Bizarre World Series opener ends with Phillies stunning Verlander's Astros

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The Illinois State Dental Society (ISDS) Foundation has selected two Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) students Spencer Blackham and Sonny Song for $3,000 scholarship awards.

Fourth year dental student Blackham is from Palatine, and he received the David C. Shapiro Memorial Scholarship for senior dental students. Mount Vernon native Song, a third year dental student, is the recipient of the Paul W. Clopper Scholarship Grant for junior dental students.

The Shapiro scholarship is available to two dental students who will be seniors in the fall 2016 semester. It is based on academic and clinical excellence, as well as financial need, student activities and community involvement. The scholarship memorializes Dr. Shapiros civic leadership and dedication to the dental profession.

Throughout his four years at the SDM, Blackham has been involved in the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) and currently serves as president. He created an Employment Opportunity Fair for third and fourth year students in order to assist them in transitioning to private practice.

During 2015-16, he worked with the SDM administration to expand the research day and vendor fair to showcase student achievements in research. He is developing a second student newsletter focused on research within the SDM to accompany the ASDA Amalgamator, which comes out in the spring.

Within the community level, Blackham volunteers with a local Boy Scouts of America troop. He teaches the youth at his local church twice weekly and encourages their development. Being able to work with adolescents during his time at the SDM solidified his decision to pursue a career in orthodontics.

The award helped fund the expenses incurred with my orthodontic applications, and thus allowed me to pursue my goals and aspirations, Blackham said. Reflecting on and sharing my thoughts regarding the current state of live-patient licensure exams as part of the application process was a great opportunity. I am incredibly grateful for those who have made this scholarship possible.

The Clopper scholarship is available to three dental students who will be juniors in the fall 2016 semester. It is based on academic and clinical excellence as well as financial need, student activities and community involvement. The scholarship memorializes the civic leadership and dedication to the dental profession of Dr. Clopper, the founder of the ISDS Foundation.

I am incredibly grateful, humbled and honored to receive the Clopper Scholarship, Song said. Aside from the financial benefits it provides, receiving this scholarship has inspired me to further pursue my passions in a field that I thoroughly enjoy and most importantly, to continue actively giving back to those in my community.

During his time at the SDM, Song cites his most rewarding experiences as being with the community dentistry department, namely Give Kids A Smile Day, and outreach programs at local schools. These initiatives not only provided free dental care and education to underserved children in the southern Illinois region, but also the unique opportunity to connect with the community as a whole and make a lasting impression. Song has served on SDMs student council as a liaison between students and faculty to conceive, plan and bring projects to fruition for the betterment of the dental school community and clinic, as well as the profession as a whole.

In 2016, the ISDS Foundation expects to award $18,000 in scholarships to qualified dental students, who are succeeding academically and have committed themselves to community involvement. The funds are focused on the programs of Illinois three dental schools: SIU SDM, University of Illinois College of Dentistry in Chicago and Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine - Illinois in Downers Grove.

It is through generous donor support that the ISDS Foundation is able to continue to provide financial assistance for exemplary dental students who will become tomorrows leaders of organized dentistry.

ISDS Foundations mission is to improve the oral health of children, families and individuals throughout the state by supporting initiatives that expand access to care, and increase dental health education and awareness. Additionally, the Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the dental profession through special programs and services benefiting Illinois dental students and dentists. No state or federal funding is received.

The SIU School of Dental Medicine students manage approximately 35,000 patient visits each year at its patient clinics in Alton and East St. Louis. In addition, students offer oral health treatment, screenings and education to more than 10,000 people annually through a wide variety of off-campus community outreach events. These opportunities provide students the training they need to graduate and become highly skilled dentists. The School of Dental Medicine is a vital oral health care provider for residents of southern and central Illinois, and the St. Louis metropolitan region.
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Linkedin Adnan Topan Husodo Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

A big question lingers as to why Indonesia, whoever the president is, seems unable to diminish corruption. Defined broadly as the misuse of power by a public official for private gains, corruption has characterized every administration ever since this country was born 71 years ago, despite differing modus operandi and actors.

Simply put, corruption has become entrenched in our daily lives regardless of the various efforts to combat it. The failure to eradicate corruption indicates a fundamental problem with the anticorruption strategy we have implemented.

The easiest way to place blame in our inability to beat corruption may lie with the lack of political will. It is true that every administration  Joko Jokowi Widodos is no exception  the deficit of political will has contributed to the emergence of bad governance.

It took Jokowi, for instance, almost one year to resolve the latest standoff between the police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). As a result, there has been a significant decline in the number of cases the KPK has managed to unveil. At the same time, Jokowi also has missed the opportunity to tackle police corruption as his political gesture was not in favor of the KPK and the public in general during the conflict.

However, in order to correctly analyze the groundwork of our anticorruption campaign we need to elaborate in what way does political will not exist and is there any country whose political leader does show ambition in cracking down on corruption. For the latter, we can easily refer to neighboring Singapore, which since 1985 has always scored high on the Transparency Internationals Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Among Asian countries, Singapore is always perceived as the least corrupt.

However, in fact, corruption used to threaten Singapore when under British rule as widespread bribery involved police officers, custom officials and public servants. Corruption was practically the way of life of the nation until the People Action Party (PAP) came to power in 1960 and started to treat corruption as low reward and high risk (Quah, 2001).

Singapore under the PAP began to treat corruption eradication as a priority agenda. Of course comparing Singapore with Indonesia is unfair because Singapore is only a city-state. But the political will to severely punish corruption and turn this dirty behavior into a high-risk activity is an excellent example for Indonesian politicians.

Unlike Singapore, Indonesia gives special treatment to graft convicts. For example, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly quite recently proposed a revision to the government regulation on the rights of criminals, including graft convicts. Based on the ministers draft, graft convicts have the right to remission and conditional release as long as they show good behavior. He says reducing prison terms of convicts, including corruptors, will help solve overcapacity facing our prisons.

The draft, however, will eliminate the existing condition for remission that currently is given only to corruption convicts who help law enforcers as justice collaborators. The role of justice collaborators is crucial as they can lead investigators to the masterminds of corruption.

The idea to ease procedures of remission for corrupt public officials without specific conditions has undermined public expectation for a better anticorruption strategy. It also exacerbates the ugly fact that judges tend to hand down light, rather than maximum, sentences to corruption convicts.

A study by Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) earlier this year found that imprisonment for graft convicts averaged only 2.2 years. With corruption convicts entitled to remission on several national holidays such as Christmas, Idul Fitri, Independence Day, National Heroes Day, etc. simply because of good behavior, they are able to regain freedom even faster.

If President Jokowi approves such a draft it can be said that he simply has no spirit for defeating corruption. Worse still, it will prove right public suspicion of the Presidents incapability of withstanding short-term political interests that often characterizes public policy and decision-making processes in this country.

Instead of providing special treatment to corruption convicts, the government should do what it takes to maximize deterrence on potential fraudsters by implementing the stolen-asset recovery policy that has eluded Indonesia. The ICW study revealed that less than half the total state losses resulting from corruption could be rescued by enforcing the policy. The amount does not include the budget spent on investigations into each corruption cases, however.

The KPK is an exception in the fight against graft as it also enforces the Antimoney Laundering Law to trace as many assets controlled by a suspect as possible. The KPKs success in seizing more than Rp 250 billion (US$19.23 million) worth of assets from graft convict Fuad Amin, a former Bangkalan regent in East Java, shows its seriousness in tackling corruption.

Its better for the government to follow the lead of utilizing the best practices in eradicating corruption, which is treating corruption as a high risk, low-reward crime, not the other way around.

_________________________________

The writer is the coordinator of Indonesia Corruption Watch.
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Linkedin Muhammad Shodiq Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Following the formal establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, the AEC will eventually have a great impact on the way we live, work and do business in the ASEAN region. As we know, at the end of 2015 the AEC was launched to make the region a single market and production base.

The AEC blueprint is built on four interrelated and mutually reinforcing pillars: a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development and a region fully integrated into the global economy.

Most ASEAN countries are still at a relatively early stage of development and have large infrastructure gaps. Further liberalization of inter and intraregional flows of goods, services, and capital could be beneficial for growth, the creation of jobs, and inclusion in ASEAN.

Accordingly, the AEC is about creating a common market with the free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor, and free flow of capital.

Regional integration in ASEAN will certainly have an important impact on how businesses are managed across the region.

Indonesia is one of the major economies of Southeast Asia and the government has set itself ambitious goals for its social and economic development, for which human capital development is crucial.

It is important that Indonesian workers can compete with other ASEAN workers.

Indonesia has a huge pool of talent. However, in order to unlock this pool of talent, governments, business leaders, educational institutions and individuals must comprehend this potential and act on it by putting in place correct policies.

Indonesia faces a considerable challenge in providing an education workforce able to deliver high-quality teaching to every student across the country.

Enhancing the quality of basic education in Indonesia remains a key challenge for the government.

However, it is a vital issue as without good quality basic education, Indonesian children will fail to acquire the skills required to lead full and productive lives.

Currently characteristic of Indonesia is that the unemployment rate is highest for people between the age of 15 and 24 years.

Fresh graduates from Indonesian universities, vocational schools and secondary schools encounter difficulties finding their place in the national workforce. There are three challenges of human capital development in the AEC era.

First, how to develop leaders, employees and students to meet the standards of the global economy both from the national and regional perspective.

Second, how to develop leaders, employees and students that can effectively work across the ASEAN region.

Third, how to build and develop leaders who have the capabilities to lead an ASEAN workforce.

A vast majority of companies are undertaking transformation initiatives to rethink their global strategies, business models and organizational approaches as a result of rapid shifts in the marketplace.

Business transformation and the new geography of talent likewise calls for a fresh way of doing things in ASEAN. Companies cannot rely on a one-size-fits-all strategy across such widely varying markets.

This transformation will require new employee skill sets, including having a global mindset, agile thinking and stronger interpersonal skills to deal with new ways of working and increased diversity and complexity in the workplace.

This also places stronger need for highly effective managers and supervisors, as they have the biggest impact to employee engagement and workplace productivity.

According to a survey that leverages the experience of the EUs initiatives, there are five initiatives that we can explore in the talent war battle.

First, extend the mobility of workers across the region and set targets for increased mobility. Accelerate and broaden the recognition of professional qualifications across ASEAN.

Second, Extend the mobility of students in higher education and professional schools by enlarging the number of higher education institutions in the ASEAN University Network beyond the present 30 members and setting regional targets to significantly increase the limited number of students currently benefiting from AEC exchanges.

Third, set up an ASEAN internship mobility network that would allow a student from one member country to apply for an internship in a company in another member country.

For professional and business higher education degrees, require internships outside ones home country, especially at the masters degree level.

Fourth, to accelerate the number of experts, professionals and managers capable of leading regionally and globally, increase the number of master degrees related to business and technology.

Fifth, to play a leadership role in the global economy, to create global companies and develop global business leaders, proficient in the English language is necessary in all ASEAN countries.

However, ASEAN students also need to learn other ASEAN languages and gain experience studying and working in ASEAN countries.

_______________________________

The writer is vice president of the Sharia and MSME Academy  CIMB Niaga Indonesia. The views expressed are his own.
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Linkedin (China Daily/Asia News Network) Beijing  Wed, August 31, 2016

Producers of HBO's fantasy drama Game of Thrones will work on a new historical series based on the life of Wu Zetian, the only empress in the history of China, according to a report by Hollywood Reporters.

Christopher Newman, the brain behind Game, has signed a deal with Starlight Media and K. Jam Media to develop and create 13-episode drama Empress. Starlight Media will fully finance the series, estimated at $70 million, and is reported to shop the project from K. Jam Media to broadcast networks after completion.

Production is set to begin in Sichuan province in late 2017, with a premiere scheduled for 2018.

Wu Zetian, China's only empress in history, was ruler of the country during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-906). Wu was known for her wit and intelligence along with her ruthlessness and desire to achieve ultimate power regardless of means. The series will follow her rise to the top through the court of Emperor Taizong as his favorite concubine.

Newman will executively produce the series alongside Starlight Media chairman Xu Yan, CEO Peter Luo and Beely Lee, as well as K. Jam CEO Kia Jam.

(Read also: 'Game of Thrones' locations see boost in tourist interest)

"I am very happy to announce this partnership and am looking forward to working with this excellent creative team to bring the story of the Empress Wu to a global audience," Xu said in a statement.

"My partner Chris and I have already started to assemble a world-class team and are thrilled to be in business with our friends at Starlight Media. The story of the empress is a story of intrigue, history and power that provides a deep storytelling well that we hope will have numerous seasons to follow," Jam added.

Starlight Media is a US-based company founded by Xu in 2013. K. Jam Media is an independent film and TV production company based in Los Angeles. Newman, aside from his work in Game of Thrones, has worked on Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace, Notting Hill and Love Actually.

Empress is uncast at the moment.
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Linkedin Lee Sang-won (The Korea Herald/Asia News Network)  Wed, August 31, 2016

Actor Lee Je-hoon and Shin Min-a were seen at a read-through for tvNs Tomorrow with You on Monday, confirming that work on the drama series was continuing.

There had been speculation that the drama might not come to light when Lee Min-ki, who had previously been confirmed in the lead role, backed out of the project to perform his military service.

Lee was later offered the lead role, but it was not publicly confirmed whether he had accepted.

(Read also: Forget Netflix, North Korea has own video streaming service)

Casts of "Tomorrow with You" at a read-through event Monday.(tvN via The Korea Herald/file)

On Monday, tvN held the table-read, which makes or breaks the production of most series. It is an indication that all of the dramas gears, which include cast, finance and heads of department, are in place and that pre-production is almost complete.

Lee will play a time traveler and owner of a real estate investment firm, while Shin will take on the role of Lees wife, an amateur photographer, who comes to realize her husband has the ability to time travel.

tvN released stills of the table-read on Wednesday, and announced that filming would begin in September. The drama will be tvNs first Friday-Saturday drama of 2017.
The ever increasing number of drug addicts has prompted the government to take stringent measures, such as lifting the capital punishment moratorium. However, the governments plan to treat 200,000 addicts this year might have been too ambitious given poor interdepartmental coordination and poorly equipped and understaffed rehabilitation centers.

by: Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post

Master, not his real name, is not ashamed to admit his dark past as a drug addict of five years. Now 37, he began using putaw (low-grade heroin) as a high school student.

As a juvenile delinquent, he would share his substance with friends as well as his brother, who later died from an HIV-related disease. Feeling disgraced, his family sent him to a faith healer who treated him with herbs, massage and mantra.

However, the treatment left him no better off than before. Master would still frequently experience withdrawal symptoms, severe pain and extreme chills.

I was cured thanks to two things. First, I had a strong desire to quit drug usage. Second, I managed to stay away from my addict friends. I moved as far away as I could and started a new life in a place where no one knew I was an abuser, said Master, who works as a journalist.

Unlike Master, who had put his faith in traditional healing methods, Erry Wijoyo turned to modern rehab centers to heal his putaw addiction. Over the course of eight years, he had gone to three rehab centers, spending huge portions of his familys hard-earned money along the way.

Just like Master, Erry believes a strong will to quit is the key to kicking the habit.

Once you start using drugs, it is very difficult to stop even if you want to, said Erry, who now works as program director at Yayasan Kapeta Indonesia, which provides rehab and training to addicts.

According to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Indonesia has about 4 million drug users. Unless the government makes significant improvements to its rehab facilities, the number is predicted to surge to 4.7 million users by 2020.

In June, President Joko Jokowi Widodo declared war on drugs. He stated that 50 people, mostly youth, die every day due to drugs. Official figures show that economic losses due to drug-related problems have reached Rp 63.1 trillion, accounting for money spent on drugs, treatments and rehabilitation fees.

Drug use remains a serious and unchanging problem, yet Indonesia has taken seemingly draconian measures, such as the death penalty. In the past, users were subject to imprisonment, but now they are sent to rehab.

Law No. 35/2009 on drugs requires that users be treated as victims entitled to medical and social rehabilitation.

However, state-sponsored rehabilitation programs have been far from reliable due to basic problems such as inadequate facilities and human resources. Annual targets seemed to have been set too high. In 2015, for instance, the government aimed to rehabilitate 100,000 drug addicts, yet BNN admitted it only managed to accommodate around 42,000.

BNN deputy chief of rehabilitation, Diah Setia Utami, has acknowledged that with poor facilities and rehab centers manned by fewer than 80 psychiatrists, the government is only able to manage 25,000 drug users annually.

In view of those constraints, how could we possibly achieve the 100,000 target? she said.

To solve the problem, the BNN has sought cooperation with other institutions, especially those with facilities that can be shared: the police, the military, the Social Affairs Ministry and the Health Ministry. More than 200 NGOs and Islamic boarding schools have also been taking part in the program.

Of the 578 registered rehab centers across Indonesia, only 18 are run by the government.

Ideally, stakeholders should have the same standards for rehabilitation programs. Sadly, each of them employs their own methods and techniques. Some of them adopt modern healing with counseling and therapy methods, while others practice traditional healing, which combines local wisdom or faith.

For instance, a rehab facility in Purbalingga, Central Java, has introduced the odd boil therapy practice, which puts the patient in a big pot containing an assortment of herbs. Patients are then warmed on a stove for 30 minutes. Management there have claimed their technique has healed many addicts.

BNNs rehab center, Lido in West Java, mixes medical and social methods. First, the addicts are put in an isolation cell for medical treatment. Once over, they undergo therapy designed to prepare them to return to their communities.

It may sound all well and good, but Rudy did not find it fun when he spent five months in the Lido facility where, in addition to the routine medical treatments, he had to learn how to behave once he returned.

After two months, I felt bored, said the former member of the polices Mobile Brigade (Brimob). We were subject to verbal abuse, but it was nothing compared to situations I faced on the police force.

The Lido rehab program, which lasts between three and six months, intends to prepare addicts to face life back in their communities, where they are then subject to stigma and discrimination. It also raises awareness about the menace of drugs. Besides traditional and government-run centers, drug users can also access modern centers ran by NGOs or foundations. Kapeta Foundation Indonesia, for instance, provides modern rehabilitation facilities.

The experience he obtained from previously managing four rehab centers in the past has inspired the foundations chief, Erry Wijoyo, to implement voluntary-based rehab strategies involving patients families. Kapeta does not lock addicts inside the rehabilitation center. Instead, they can go home, go to school and do whatever they please.

We believe family involvement is very important in healing addicts. We have regular meetings with the patients families in which they can share their experiences as we find solutions together, Erry said.

Founded in 2002, Kapeta implements different approaches for different addicts, believing that each individual requires different treatments. The facility does not set deadlines.The BNN is seeking to standardize rehabilitation programs in order to increase rates of success.

We will talk with all stakeholders on what we should do and plan the kind of training that we need to carry out, said Diah, a former director at the Drug Addiction Hospital in Jakarta.

Obviously, coming to an agreed stance with law enforcers is not easy. Even though the law requires that users be sent to rehab instead of to a penitentiary, law enforcers are still divided on the issue. This still happens despite the fact that the National Police, the Social Affairs Ministry, the Health Ministry, the BNN, the Supreme Court and the Attorney Generals Office signed a joint regulation on March 14, 2014, on joint rehab programs.

Statistics from the Law and Human Rights Ministry show that half of the 181,000 prisoners in Indonesia are convicts of drug-related crimes. Interestingly, 61,000 drug users have been imprisoned instead of being rehabilitated.

Complications usually occur when a suspect is both a user and dealer. Ministry officials say only real users are entitled to rehab.

We implement the policy quite strictly, said Akbar Hadi, the directorate generals spokesperson for the ministrys correctional institutions.

Drug convicts are classified into different categories: pure user, producer, dealer, courier or mix. Then the drug users are further classified again based on the way they abuse the drugs  whether by way of injection or orally. Subsequently, the user is required to undergo an HIV/AIDS test.

The numerous tests conclude whether or not the user is entitled to rehabilitation, and if services will be provided while serving time in prison. The intricate classification system is applied to make sure that drug dealers and makers do not end up in rehab centers.

In Jakarta, for instance, of the 17,000 prisoners, 11,000 are drug convicts and only 100 of them are rehabilitated behind bars.

Addiction counselor Eri Wibisono, who also provides counseling and training within prisons, has said that the rehabilitation program in penitentiaries is similar to that in Lido.

Apart from the ambitious rehabilitation program, the government does not seem to have any plans on what is going to be done to help former drug addicts who have returned to their families.

Dani, a former addict, rightly says, I may have totally recovered from addiction, but looking for a job is quite challenging. Who is willing to employ a guy like me?

A tale of new drugs and old-fashioned laws

A man has posted on kaskus.com his experiences after taking Tembakau Super Cap Gorilla (Gorilla brand super tobacco), a new type of drug that has become all the rave lately.

Posting under the name of Dayu-dayu, he warns that the effect of the new drug is so strong that it endangers not only the lives of those who consume it but also those of others.

After the first puff, youll get a splitting headache in the right half of your head. If youre lucky enough to survive, hallucinations will take you to a world of fantasy where you think you can do anything as you please, he says.

After the second puff, the dizziness disappears and the drug begins to affect your nerves and the hallucinations begin. My hands, feet and joints became numb [] I couldnt focus. I tried hard to stay conscious, but I felt my body fall apart. There were various sensations at the same time: I felt the urge to puke, poop, pee and laugh.

The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) says that the Gorilla tobacco contains a chemical substance called synthetic cannabinoid, a new drug first encountered in Indonesia last year. Users feel they are in a gorillas crushing embrace and it is assumed the drug was named after this sensation.

The effect makes the user slow, lazy and drowsy and suppresses the appetite. After using [the tobacco] for some time, the user will become addicted, BNN spokesperson Slamet Pribadi told The Jakarta Post.

Apart from the Gorilla brand tobacco, similar drugs come in several other brands like Hanoman, Nataraja and Badak  all are already on the BNNs list of new dangerous drugs that should be banned.

But the dangerous drugs are widely available because until now they are still considered legal as they are not listed in Health Ministry Decree No. 13/2013 on drug classifications.

The tobaccos can be ordered from online shops for home delivery not only in Jakarta, but also in Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan. Consumers are mostly students and workers, according to the BNN.

In online shops, the Gorilla tobacco is offered for Rp 350,000 (US$26.43) a pack. Sellers exercise utmost caution and the order will be delivered by a courier only after the buyer has transferred the payment.

Nataradja and Hanoman, billed as pure tobaccos, are more expensive. For Rp 450,000, one can get a packet of 5 grams, while a 2.5 gram packet costs Rp 250,000. Interestingly, online shops keep updating their sales volume, with one shop citing that one product has recorded over 100 sales.

We have called on the Health Ministry to put these drugs in the appendix of its Regulation No. 13/ 2013. It is difficult to tackle cases of the abuse of new drugs without proper regulations, Slamet said.

Under the 2009 Health Law, dealers and users are subject to a maximum five years imprisonment for drug abuse. The law also stipulates that narcotic users undergo rehabilitation while dealers are sent to jail.

New drugs keep arriving from all over the world, with producers shrewdly changing tactics to outwit law enforcers. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), there were 216 new psychoactive substances (NPS) distributed worldwide in 2012. The number doubled to 430 in 2014 and to 643 in 2015.

How about in Indonesia?

Currently, 44 types of NPS exist in Indonesia, including the Gorilla super and Hanoman tobaccos and the number is expected to increase, BNN statistics show. Of the 44 new drugs, only 18 have been put on the list of the Health Ministrys regulation on drug classification, while others are still on the waiting list.

To find solutions, the BNN has joined forces with the Health Ministry, the National Police, academics, chemists and health experts. Unfortunately, the effort has been hampered by sluggish bureaucracy and inadequate regulations.

New drugs are more dangerous because they are difficult to trace with conventional urine and hair tests. The BNN says many new drugs are made from synthetic chemicals, which require advanced skills and technology to detect.

A case in point was that of TV personality Raffi Ahmad, whom the BNN arrested in 2013 for drug possession. Officers were certain that he had consumed a new ecstasy-like drug from Singapore, but much to their surprise, he passed their urine tests.

Eri Wibisono, a drug addiction counselor at the BNNs rehabilitation center in Lido, West Java, and at narcotics penitentiaries, says that once people get addicted, it is next to impossible to quit. Putting drugs on the long list for the purpose of legal processing is useless because more new drugs are flooding in anyway.

This is not only about producers or dealers. Users can also create new drugs when they are in a drug withdrawal syndrome. It needs only basic knowledge about the substance to make a brand new drug, Eri said.

He then recounted a story about his patient who became addicted to an over-the-counter drug and found one day it was no longer available in the drugstore. This man examined all cough medicines on the market to find one that contained the chemical substances he needed. He bought 70 sachets of medicine to relieve himself from the syndrome, Eri recalled.

Another reason why it is difficult to ban addictive chemicals is that many such materials are needed as basic components that doctors need for medication. One thing we can do to stop new drugs is to completely ban all materials that can be used to make narcotics. But are we ready for a surgery without anesthetics? Eri said.
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Linkedin Agnes Anya and Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 30 2016

Racially motivated hatred toward Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama has seemingly grown more severe after an ethnic Chinese man was racially taunted and assaulted on a Transjakarta bus.

A social-media storm was created after 24-year-old Andrew Budi Kusuma made a Facebook post detailing an assault on him near the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Senayan, South Jakarta, on Friday.

According to the post, Andrew caught a Transjakarta bus from Kuningan Barat stop, South Jakarta, at around 8.30 p.m.

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Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post)  Tue, August 30 2016

It was 6 p.m. on Jan. 6 when Boon Hani Juwita, Arief Soemarko and Jessica Kumala Wongso admitted Ariefs wife Wayan Mirna Salihin to Abdi Waluyo Hospital in Menteng, Central Jakarta, after the latter fell unconscious after sipping coffee at a restaurant an hour earlier.

Prima Yudho, the doctor on duty at the hospitals emergency unit on the night of the incident, left his patient at the time to attend to Mirna as he heard a nurse scream for help, as it was believed that Mirna was in critical condition.

Unfortunately, I could not do anything as her breathing and heartbeat had already stopped at that time, Prima told a panel of judges as he sat on the witness stand on Monday. I believe that by the time she had arrived she was already dead.

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

The campaign teams of both Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and Gerindra Party gubernatorial candidate Sandiaga Uno claim that they have identified certain online commentators who frequently make offensive comments about their respective candidates.

However, they denied they had hired people to comment positively on their candidates and negatively on their rivals on social media platforms or online news portals.

Wibi Andrino, the social media and public opinion coordinator of Ahoks campaign team, said his team had a media monitoring section. We have noted certain buzzers, who frequently write negative statements about Ahok, Wibi told The Jakarta Post.

Wibi said they did not hire commentators to discredit Ahoks political rivals, but that the team focused on disseminating Ahoks programs among the public.

Meanwhile, Anthony Leong, coordinator of Sandi Uno Digital Volunteer (SOLDIER), Sandiagas volunteer team, also denied that his team used buzzers to make offensive comments against political rivals.

The team will focus on absorbing public aspirations and set aside cyberbullying that came about after a photo went viral in which Sandiaga was reportedly not wearing underwear under his trousers. The SOLDIER group assumed that some bad comments may have come from buzzers who supported Ahok in the election.

To bully another candidate is not our style. We will run a smart campaign that will not degrade other candidates, Anthony said. (bbn)
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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Renowned English philosopher Francis Bacon once claimed that knowledge is power, but in the case of the tax amnesty, too much knowledge can leave people powerless.



Fitria Nursanti, an employee, only became more perplexed after reading the latest regulation issued by the Directorate General of Taxation on Monday.



It says I can just choose to correct my SPT [tax form], but that will mean I am not free from future tax probes. However, why should I avail of the amnesty and pay a redemption fee if I have met all my tax obligations? she said on Tuesday.



Meanwhile, Teddy, not his real name, said he had perused the same regulation, but could not find the answer to his taxation problem, let alone answer the bigger question as to whether he should even be taking part in the program.



The regulation still doesnt provide any clarity on nominee issues, he said, referring to a system whereby a foreigner purchases a plot of land using an Indonesians name.



The regulation only addresses issues such as inheritance, grants and SPT correction, but Teddy said the more he read, the more he became confused.



For both Teddy and Fitria, the regulation, and other information that is currently circulating, has not given them  or millions of other small taxpayers  peace of mind, a fact acknowledged by experts.



The government has so far issued a law, five Finance Ministry regulations, four Directorate General of Taxation regulations and three Directorate General of Taxation general circulars, but Danny Darussalam Tax Center partner Bawono Kristiaji argued that simplicity should be of the essence.



He said the lack of clarity had resulted in public wariness as reflected in social media, adding that the government should provide information that could easily be understood by the public and provide practical simulations for them in filling in the tax amnesty form.



The tax amnesty program, which was initially believed to be aimed at wealthy Indonesians with hidden assets stashed overseas, has sparked concern among small and medium taxpayers, who feel targeted by the program and its complicated procedures.



An online petition, filed at change.org on Aug. 26, had already been signed by 7,737 supporters as of Tuesday evening. It demands that the government stick to its initial track.

(-/-)



The hashtag #stopbayarpajak [stop paying taxes] has also been trending on Twitter, challenging the amnesty, which many regard as pardoning major tax crimes while victimizing smaller taxpayers.



Indonesian Tax Consultant Association (IKPI) secretary Kismantoro Petrus said the numerous regulations, whatever they might be, would not help in attracting people to avail of the amnesty if tax officials themselves did not comprehend the regulations content. The government needs to conduct training among tax officials, he said.



Meanwhile, Director General of Taxation Ken Dwijugiasteadi told a press briefing that he had issued the latest regulation to answer the publics questions on the matters that had gone viral on social media.



At the same time, he reiterated the governments commitment to pursuing the big fish, instead of focusing on small taxpayers. The government says it has created a task force to handle the big taxpayers and monitor them on a daily basis.



Data from the directorate general on Tuesday showed that the government was still far below its targets regarding the amnestys penalty payments, declared assets and repatriated funds.



Penalties had only reached 1.6 percent of the target, while the declared assets and repatriated funds amounted to only 3.2 percent and 1 percent of their goals, respectively.



Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government would wait on the big taxpayers as it seemed that they needed more time to submit their tax amnesty applications. The program will end in March 2017.

________________________________________



Key points of Taxation Directorate General Regulation No. 11/2016:

* Taxpayers not required to avail of tax amnesty:

- Individual taxpayers whose income is below the non-taxable income (PTKP) of Rp 54 million (US$4,072) per year or Rp 4.5 million per month, including:

* Farmers, fishermen, domestic workers

* Pensioners who rely solely on pension payments

* Inheritance that does not generate additional income above the PTKP

* Recipients of inheritance who do not receive fixed incomes or earn less than the PTKP

- Individual taxpayers who opt to correct their annual tax form (SPT)

- Individual taxpayers whose assets have been documented on the SPT of a family member

- Indonesian citizens who live overseas for more than 183 days within one year and who do not obtain an income from Indonesia

* The Taxation Directorate General will not challenge or correct the value of assets assessed and reported by taxpayers when availing of the tax amnesty

JP/Swi

______________________________

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Linkedin Esther Samboh and Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang  Wed, August 31, 2016

Financial regulators are readying rules that will target financial technology businesses without limiting their room for growth as President Joko Jokowi Widodo pledges support for the infant industry.

I urge all parties to participate in fintech, IT and financial technology. I will continue to discuss and allow for breakthroughs for digital applications, so as to increase our financial inclusion. Let us together build synergy, Jokowi said during his speech at the Indonesia Fintech Festival & Conference on Tuesday.

During the event, Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) unveiled plans to issue rules before the end of the year to regulate fintech players activities in digital payment, lending, capital market actions and non-bank financial services so they could operate safely. The burgeoning industry has seen an estimated Rp 40 trillion (US$3 billion) in transactions over the past two years.

The OJK regulations will detail minimum capital requirements for each sub-sector, know your customer (KYC) rules that will be much more relaxed than those applied to formal financial institutions, as well as good corporate governance standard practices, among other aspects.

We will issue simple regulations, including on market conduct, because there are a lot different types of fintech [businesses], which require different treatment in terms of regulations, OJK commissioner for the non-banking financial industry Firdaus Djaelani said. The capital rules should not kill the creativity of these fintech players.

An OJK regulation (POJK) will be issued before the end of this year, and starting next year all fintech players, including startups, will be required to register with the OJK and will then be given around one year to comply with the upcoming regulations.

(-/-)

BI will issue a BI regulation (PBI) around the same time to cover online payment service providers. The rules would require all payment service providers to be registered as Indonesian legal entities, conduct transactions in rupiah and use local banks for every transaction in Indonesia, BI deputy governor Ronald Waas said.

The existing regulation only covers credit, debit cards and electronic money, but we havent covered internet payment gateways. Thats going to be part of the object of the regulation, he added.

Around 61 percent of local fintech players describe the current regulatory process as lagging and not very clear, and they demand clear regulations and partnership with regulators, according to a recent survey from global consulting firm Deloitte in conjunction with the Indonesian Fintech Association.

We need an open enough environment to allow startups to fail in a controlled way, experiment and keep innovating, said Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makariem. So rules about limits, the amount of finance, KYC constraints without providing a sufficiently large playing field, youll never know if those rules should actually be there in the first place.

Aside from Jokowi, BI governor Agus Martowardojo, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) threw their support behind the fintech industry at the Indonesia Fintech Festival & Conference event.

They all hope fintech will improve financial inclusion in Indonesia, where only a fifth of the population have bank accounts, while a third have access to the internet. There are more mobile phones than people in the country.

Financial education is also relatively poor in Indonesia, where only 21.8 percent of the population are considered financially literate, compared to 96 percent in Singapore, 81 percent in Malaysia and 78 percent in Thailand.
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

An autopsy would have been the gold standard technique to discover the cause of death, Forensic doctor Budi Sampurna said in his testimony during Wednesdays hearing of the murder trial of Jessica Kumala Wongso.

Taking a sample from an abdominal organ is actually uncommon. However, a purely external examination of Mirnas body would not yield any useful information. By taking a sample at least the doctor would be able to ascertain if there was cyanide inside Mirnas stomach, the doctor from Cipta Mangunkusumo Hospital said.

Budi commented on a statement made by Slamet Purnomo, the physician, who examined a sample from Wayan Mirna Salihins stomach, which claimed her abdominal organs were damaged by a corrosive substance.

Due to the refusal of Mirnas family, Slamet never conducted an autopsy on Mirnas body. However, after the police appealed to them that the examination was needed to proceed with their investigation, Mirnas family finally agreed to let the doctor take the sample.

However, Budi said that Mirna, who died on Jan. 6 after drinking iced coffee at Olivier cafe in Central Jakarta, had shown symptoms of cyanide poisoning as she had severe convulsions and shortness of breath before she died.

Commenting on the finding of only 0.2 milligrams of cyanide inside her stomach as reported by toxicologist Sr. Comr. Nursamran Subandi, Budi said, [Part of] the cyanide might have evaporated, especially because the examination was conducted three days after Mirna died, he added. (bbn)
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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31 2016

Defying his parents admonition that he should simply accept his position as a member of a minority community, a young Chinese-Indonesian man has bravely reported to the police a group of men who reportedly assaulted him because of his ethnicity last Friday evening.

Andrew Budikusuma, 24, needed five days to recover from his injuries and to obtain evidence such as CCTV footage. One day after the attack he recounted the incident on his Facebook account, which immediately attracted public attention.

My parents actually asked me not to file a police report but rather resolve the problem through dialogue, but I decided to proceed with legal action because I think that they have to be held responsible for what they have done, Andrew told reporters at the police headquarters on Tuesday.

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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Defying his parents admonition that he should simply accept his position as a member of a minority community, a young Chinese-Indonesian man has bravely reported to the police a group of men who reportedly assaulted him because of his ethnicity last Friday evening.

Andrew Budikusuma, 24, needed five days to recover from his injuries and to obtain evidence such as CCTV footage. One day after the attack he recounted the incident on his Facebook account, which immediately attracted public attention.

My parents actually asked me not to file a police report but rather resolve the problem through dialogue, but I decided to proceed with legal action because I think that they have to be held responsible for what they have done, Andrew told reporters at the police headquarters on Tuesday.

Andrew was on a TransJakarta bus en route from Kuningan, South Jakarta, to his home in Pluit, North Jakarta, when the incident occured.

The employee of a startup company said he boarded the bus at the West Kuningan stop at 8:30 p.m. His attackers got on the bus at 9 p.m. and immediately glared at him, shouting Youre Ahok, arent you? referring to Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who is also of Chinese ethnicity.

When the bus reached the JCC bus stop in Senayan, several of the gang attacked him and tried to drag him off the bus. Andrew hit one of his assailants with a glass bottle that was within reach, which apparently deterred the others from continuing the assault.

Probably they had just been fired by their Chinese boss. It was their last salary day. They might have been furious and then vented their anger on me, Andrew suggested, when asked to guess the motive for the attack.

People of Chinese origin were denied their full rights as citizens of Indonesia until after the fall of Soeharto in 1998. In the past they were often treated differently from their compatriots. Although they constitute a small minority in the country there is a long-held perception that they dominate the national economy.

Andrews actions have gained the support of other Chinese-Indonesians who claim they feel emboldened to take the same action should they suffer similar abuse.

Shanty Jayanti Putri, 25, said that she felt encouraged to pursue equal rights. Of course I would report it to the police. I am an Indonesian citizen; I have the right to receive protection from the country, she told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Andris Juliawan, 30, said that the incident could have happened to him as he frequently felt negatively prejudged on account of his ethnicity.

I dont care about their race, religion or background. If someone assaults me, I will report it to the police, the entrepreneur said.

The chairman of Human Rights watchdog Setara Institute, Hendardi, praised Andrews courage in filing a police report. It reflected the rising awareness of fighting for equal rights among citizens, he said.

He could become a pioneer for other Chinese. This should be a good opportunity, said Hendardi.

We have seen improvements, such as how many Chinese-Indonesians have become engaged in politics in the country. Although there is still some racial discrimination, the situation is getting better now as compared to the past, he said. (win/fac)
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Linkedin Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31 2016

The central government has delayed the disbursement of revenue-sharing funds of Rp 5.1 trillion (US$382.5 million) to the city administration, a move that will likely affect the financing of projects in the capital.

The delay has forced the city administration to postpone the disbursement of funds to city-owned property developer PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), which is responsible for projects related to the Asian Games slated for 2018.

However, as the central government has delayed the disbursement, our cash flow has been disrupted, Jakarta Asset and Finance Management Body (BPKAD) deputy head Michael Rolandi said at City Hall on Tuesday.

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

The police are investigating a case of fictitious workers at the East Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Agency that allegedly caused Rp 12 billion (US$903,955) in state losses, a police officer has said.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Ferdy Irawan of the Jakarta Police special crimes division said on Tuesday that in 2015, copies of ID cards had been used to register fictitious contract workers with the agency.

He said that the crime occurred when former East Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Agency head Mimi Rahmiati allegedly conspired with a man identified only as TS to collect the copies of ID cards to falsely register the people as agency workers.

We found the people never worked there but were listed as workers and received salaries. State losses reached Rp 12.10 billion, according to an audit by the Jakarta Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP), Ferdy said.

He, however, did not reveal the exact number of fictitious workers.

Mimi reportedly had bank accounts opened in the name of the fictitious workers to which the salaries were remitted. The police have confiscated bank account documents and funds totaling Rp 308 million.

The police have investigated 68 suspects, including agency and BPKP employees.

The police planned to hand over the dossier on the case to the prosecutors office on Tuesday, but it was postponed because TS was in hospital. (bbn)
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

A month after the controversial appointment of retired general Wiranto as coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister, the government has again shocked rights advocates and victims by promoting former members of the Armys Tim Mawar (Rose Team).

The former Tim Mawar members, who were implicated in notorious cases of forced disappearances during the 1998 riots, have been given new positions in the government.

Four former members of the elite special force  Fausani Syahrial Multhazar, Nugroho Sulistyo Budi, Yulius Selvanus and Dadang Hendra Yuda  were recently promoted to roles in the Defense Ministry, State Intelligence Agency (BNI) and National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohamad Sabrar Fadhilah confirmed the promotions. However, aware of potential criticism due to the sensitivity of the issue, Fadhilah defended the decision, saying it was made in line with proper mechanisms.

They have served their punishment, Fadhilah told The Jakarta Post. From now on, their fate will be determined by their performance.

The decision was a lightning strike for those who fell victim to the notorious 1998 events that led to the fall of former president Soeharto.

For those who survived the cases, such as Mugiyanto Sipin, the move was inexplicable, especially as the news reached him on Tuesdays International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Mugiyanto said he no longer expected much from President Joko Jokowi Widodo in resolving past violations, despite the Presidents campaign promises, after he recruited Wiranto for the Cabinet.

However, Mugiyanto did not anticipate more people deemed responsible for the disappearance of activists during the riots to take on governmental positions.

If Jokowi cannot fulfill his promises now, the least the President can do is not endorse the perpetrators by allowing them to gain positions in state institutions, Mugiyanto said.

Jokowi is supporting further violations by condoning, the Indonesian Association of Families of Missing Persons (Ikohi) chairman added.

Mugiyanto was one of around 23 activists kidnapped for protesting the New Orders regime. Nine of them were later released while the whereabouts of the rest remains unknown until today.

Cases of forced disappearances did not only take place during the 1998 riots but also during several other incidents in the countrys dark past, including the 1965 communist purge.

The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) has recorded 163 cases of past enforced disappearances. The governments lack of commitment in settling the matter, including searching for missing activists, is said to have protected a culture of impunity.

The gloomy signals from Jokowis administration in settling cases of kidnapping as well as other past rights abuses have discouraged victims and rights campaigners from hoping for solutions.

Those who fell victim to the 1965 purge have also expressed low expectations, particularly after several victims met with Presidential Advisory Board member Sidarto Danusubroto, only to be told that settling cases of past human rights abuses was not on the governments agenda for now.

The government is instead focused on improving the economy. Sidarto did not respond to the Posts queries for clarification.
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

The government projects the economy will grow by only 5.1 percent this year, 0.1 percent below the target of 5.2 percent set in the revised 2016 state budget due to budget cuts, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Wednesday.

In a meeting with House of Representatives Commission XI on finance, Sri Mulyani said due to the shortfall, estimated at Rp 219 trillion in state revenues by the end of this year, the government had decided to cut the budget by Rp 137 trillion.

She said this would cause a contraction in economic growth. However, the government must take this action in a bid to correct the bubble in the state account.

"Considering its impact on economic growth, Bank Indonesia has reduced it projection for economic growth by 0.1 percent. The Finance Ministry's Fiscal Policy Office (BKF) will conduct an assessment and modelling, and we expect there will be a correction of 0.1 percent to growth," Sri Mulyani said.

Earlier, the central bank estimated growth at 4.9 to 5.3 percent for this year, a slight decrease from the previous estimate of between 5 and 5.4 percent, despite robust growth in the first half.

The lower target was set after the government revised this year's state budget expenditure by slashing allotments, leading to lower government spending in the second half. (evi)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

The government is set to discuss the reinstatement of former energy and mineral resources minister Arcandra Tahar's Indonesian citizenship with the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs in early September.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly explained that Arcandra had gained US citizenship in 2012. Under Indonesian law, Arcandra then automatically lost his Indonesian citizenship, which should have been followed by a ministerial decree to officially revoke his citizenship. The decree had yet to be issued, Yasonna added.

However, as Arcandra had renounced his US citizenship shortly after being offered a position as an Indonesian Cabinet minister, Yasonna said, his office could not issue the decree to officially revoke Arcandra's Indonesian citizenship as it would make him stateless.

Law No. 12/2006 on Indonesian citizenship does not allow anyone to be stateless. Furthermore, under Article 36 of the law, a government official who revokes someone's citizenship and causes the person to become stateless can face one years imprisonment, Yasonna said.

"We prefer to reinstate [Arcandra's Indonesian citizenship] as he should not be stateless. We will consult with Commission III to make the decision carefully. I will explain our [legal] position during the working meeting on Sept. 7," Yasonna said on Tuesday.

Based on the Citizenship Law, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo must first seek consideration from the House to reinstate Arcandra's Indonesian citizenship. (bbn)
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Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara  Wed, August 31, 2016

President Joko Jokowi Widodos administration wants the government to walk with migrant workers each step of the way, because working abroad is their way of improving their lives and the economies of their hometowns, a minister has said.

Working abroad is a choice we must honor, respect and protect, Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri said in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Tuesday.

One of the concrete ways the state can help migrant workers is by providing certainty in the recruitment, placement and protection of Indonesian migrant workers, he added.

As representatives of the state, Hanif said, each level of government, down to the village level, must play a more active role in documenting Indonesian citizens who wished to work abroad.

Why are we highlighting village administrations? Because the main center of recruitment, placement and protection for Indonesian migrant workers is the village, the minister said.

Villages are the main source of migrant workers. Its very rare that migrant workers are recruited in cities, he went on.

Hanif further said more and more brokers were illegally recruiting Indonesian migrant workers in villages.

The selection of six villages as Desa Peduli Buruh Migran or Care for Migrant Workers Villages (Desbumi) is one of the governments moves to give greater protection to Indonesian migrant workers. The six villages are Bao Lali Duli, Beutaran, Dulitukan, Lamatokan, Lamawolo and Tagawiti  all are in Ile Ape district of NTT.

Working abroad has become a culture in NTT, long before Indonesias independence, said Hanif during the launch of Desbumi on Tuesday. (ebf)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution has announced that the government will hire private land assessors to speed up the nationwide land certification process.

Currently only 50 percent of land in Indonesia has a "clean and clear" status supported by a legal certificate. The land is mostly located in cities, where the certification rate has reached 90 percent, while the rate in rural areas is only 20 percent.

"If we use the old mindset, the land assessment process should have been done by BPN [National Land Agency] officials. But 50 years have passed by and still the job is not finished yet," Darmin said in Serpong on Tuesday, adding that Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil agreed with the idea.

All professional assessors who are interested in taking part in the governments land certification project must form an incorporated firm and then join the government tender for the project.

"The certification will increase the economic aspect of land in Indonesia, because a land owner can submit for a loan to the bank by using the land certificate as collateral," Darmin explained. (ags)
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Linkedin Rayssa A. Putri and Diah S. Saminarsih (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31 2016

Give me 10 young people and I will shake the world is among founding president Sukarnos famous quotes.

As we celebrate this nations 71st year of independence, we should reflect on multifaceted challenges of human development, from health and well-being perspectives.

Today, we can measure how the world views human development by looking at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Compared to its predecessor, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the SDGs leap not only in sophistication in crafting the interlinkages between goals but also within each goal.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicts that high-intensity rain will fall over the eastern and southern parts of the capital on Wednesday, fearing more flooding in the area.

Rain will fall with a high intensity in South and East Jakarta as well as in Bogor and Depok, today. We warn residents to anticipate the flooding, BMKG spokesman told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the BMKGs official website showed rainfall of 100 to 150 millimeters on average across the capital.

South Jakarta was seriously affected by flooding on Saturday, particularly the crowded area of Kemang where water reached one meter deep on Jl. Kemang Raya.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, residential areas in Kelapa Dua, East Jakarta, were inundated due to the collapse of a Rawa Babon Dam wall.

On Tuesday, water inundated many parts of the capital following heavy rain, with the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agencys operational center reporting that as of 2 p.m., at least 11 roads had been flooded with 10 to 40 centimeters of water. (rez/bbn)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Makassar  Wed, August 31 2016

A British tourist has been found dead in Mampu Cave in Cabbeng subdistrict, Bone regency, South Sulawesi.

The head of the Bone Polices detective and crime unit, Adj. Comr. Hardjoko, said on Tuesday that the body of the tourist, identified as Stephen David Miller, 55, was found by cave management on Monday at about 4:30 p.m. local time. The body was removed at 8 p.m. that day.

He said the tourist may have fallen as he had suffered wounds to his head and had bruises on his elbows, legs and stomach.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Two months after the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union, Indonesian businesspeople have seen more opportunities to enter the UK market as the impact of Brexit on both countries bilateral trade has proved to be insignificant so far.

Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) deputy chairwoman of international relations Shinta W. Kamdani said Brexit had impacted the UKs economic decision-making but not its trade relations, as there was still high demand for Indonesian-made fashion and handicrafts.

We encourage the nations businesspeople to enter the fashion, culinary and handicraft markets in the UK, she said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Brexit is the forthcoming withdrawal of the UK from the economic bloc. In a June 2016 referendum, 52 percent of voters chose to leave the EU, leading to a complex separation implying political and economic changes for the UK and the region.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Ambassador to the UK Rizal Sukma said despite Brexit, he was assigned by President Joko Jokowi Widodo to help Indonesian entrepreneurs expand their businesses in the UK market, especially for creative economy products.

Aside from business expansion, cooperation in vocational training systems with the UK was another task highlighted by the President to improve the capacity of Indonesian human resources. The UK has some of the best vocational training in the world, Rizal said. (rez/ags)
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Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru  Wed, August 31, 2016

The National Commission on Human Rights has scheduled a field investigation from Sept. 2 to 5 to probe possible human rights violations during a violent incident between residents and the police on Aug. 25 in Selatpanjang, Meranti Islands in Riau province.

The monitoring and the investigation are part of an impartial and objective investigation into several Meranti Police officers who are implicated in the case, Komnas HAM stated in a release made available on Wednesday. They are suspected of committing a crime that caused the death of two civilians.

Last week, hundreds of residents of Selatpanjang clashed with the police after the residents the death in custody of a civil servant, Apri Adi Pratama, 24.

Apri was arrested for allegedly stabbing to death a policeman, Brig. Adil S. Tambunan, in the parking lot of a hotel.

The residents swarmed the Meranti Police precinct and threw rocks at the building, causing police to fire a warning shot. One civilian reportedly died during the clash.

After questioning 38 Meranti Islands police officers in relation to the death of Apri, the Riau Police detained three on Tuesday.

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said on Tuesday that the force would deal firmly with any police officers found guilty of excessive violence that caused the death of Apri. Not only internal punishment awaits them. But also criminal charges, he said.

Tito apologized to the people of Riau and thanked the community figures who had helped cool down the violent situation. (evi)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly has said a revision of the Citizenship Law to allow dual citizenship is unnecessary as the existing visa system accommodates members of the Indonesian diaspora in traveling back and forth to the country.

Indonesians who have settled abroad and become foreign citizens often say they want dual citizenship to enable them to visit and work in Indonesia. However, Yasonna said Government Regulation (PP) No. 26/2016 signed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on June 27 had facilitated Indonesians living abroad.

The regulation, which is an amendment of PP No. 31/2013, as an elaboration of the law on immigration, stipulated that applicants could obtain stay permits for multiple visits with five years validity, Yasonna said.

"They can stay for half a year in Indonesia [and return abroad] and if they want to come back here there's no need to apply for a visa anymore," Yasonna said on Tuesday.

Therefore, Yasonna said, there was no urgency for the country to revise the Citizenship Law, adding that the idea of allowing dual citizenship in the country should be carefully studied and analyzed as it was not in line with Indonesia's conservative views toward citizenship.

Earlier in 2015, Jokowi promised that his administration would seek ways to allow Indonesian citizens and their families living abroad to hold dual citizenship. The President was urged to immediately amend Law No. 12/2006 on citizenship, which currently does not allow citizens to hold dual citizenship. (bbn)
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Linkedin Putera Satria Sambijantoro (The Jakarta Post) North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara  Wed, August 31 2016

Falling heaven: Hikers enjoy a view of the Segara Anak crater during their descent from the peak of Mount Rinjani on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara.

Indonesian mountaineers generally believe that you should make Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara the hight point in your exploration of the nations majestic peaks.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31 2016

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) will hold a training session for its members who will run in the concurrent regional elections next year.

The session, called Sekolah Partai Calon Kepala Daerah (Party School for Regional Head Candidates), was being held from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 in Depok, West Java.

This is part of our strategy ahead of the concurrent elections in 2017. It is important that we produce visionary leaders, PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said as quoted by kompas.com.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31 2016

The Jakarta administration may need to buckle down once more to find traffic congestion solutions as severe bottlenecks were seen on Tuesday along several recommended alternative routes for streets where the odd-even policy is now in effect.

The Jakarta Post observed that two recommended alternative routes, Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio and Jl. HR Rasuna Said, both in the Setiabudi district, were packed from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with odd license-plated private cars avoiding the regulated roads.

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Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31 2016

With only three weeks before the registration of candidates for next years gubernatorial election, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has sent a strong signal that it will endorse the reelection of Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama.

As Ahok went to the PDI-Ps central board [recently], endorsing Ahok is now our scenario, Erico Sotarduga, PDI-P deputy secretary general, said on Tuesday.

Erico added that the party was most likely to join the Golkar, Hanura and NasDem parties, which earlier officially nominated Ahok.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has expressed its opposition to a judicial review filed by a civil organization that would criminalize extramarital sex, saying that such matters were private and did not require the permission of the state.

Casual sex is not a crime as long as it is consensual and does not result in one party becoming a victim, Komnas Peremuan chairwoman Azriana said at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.

"It's people's choice to have sexual intercourse outside of marriage. Let it be a private matter between them and their God," she said during the latest hearing of the judicial review of the Criminal Code, which if approved would outlaw extramarital and homosexual sex.

Extramarital sex is a moral issue, argued Azriana, adding that it would not be appropriate for law enforcement institutions to manage people's sex lives.

Azriana also expressed fear that if the justices granted the petition, it would criminalize couples whose marriage had not been registered with the state. To support its argument Komnas Perempuan will present couples who hold traditional beliefs and are unaffiliated with any specific religion at the next hearing.

The judicial review was submitted by The Family Love Alliance (AILA), a group of academics, who are requesting the redefinition of adultery, rape and sodomy in the Criminal Code. They filed the petition seeking to outlaw any sexual relationships outside of marriage, including same-sex relationships.

Azriana slammed the plaintiffs, saying that their request had no legal standing.

Moreover, she said that if the plaintiffs were concerned about sexual violence, it would be better for them to make suggestions to the lawmakers currently discussing the revision of the Criminal Code. (wnd/rin)
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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Publicly listed property developer Agung Podomoro Land subsidiary Graha Tunas Selaras (GTS) has signed a Rp 820 billion (US$61.7 million) contract with Wijaya Karya Bangunan Gedung, a subsidiary of state construction giant Wijaya Karya, to build low-cost apartments in Cimanggis, West Java.

The contract is the first phase of the Agung Podomoro Land apartment project on the 60-hectare land, where it will initially build three towers comprising 4,000 apartments.

So far, 85 percent of the apartments in the tower have been sold, Agung Podomoro Land vice director Indra W. Antono said on Wednesday.

The three towers, scheduled to be completed by 2018, are intended for people of the middle- to lower-income brackets.

Indra stated that the development would be expanded to 24 towers consisting of 37,000 apartments.

The project will support the governments flagship 1-million house program to tackle a housing backlog that reached 13.5 million houses in 2010.

So far, the company has built 28,000 low-cost apartments in Jakarta, such as the Kalibata City apartments in South Jakarta and Green Bay apartments in Pluit, North Jakarta. (est)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Bali Police officers conducted reconstructions of the events surrounding the murder of police officer First Adj. Insp. Wayan Sudarsa with the two suspects, Australian Sara Connor and Briton David James Taylor, on Wednesday.

The reconstructions took place at three locations: Kuta beach where Wayan's body was found, at the Kubu Kauh inn on Jl. Lebak Bena in Kuta and at the Puri Gading housing complex in Jimbaran, Denpasar police chief Sr. Comr. Hadi Purnomo said on Wednesday. The reconstructions went smoothly, he said as reported by kompas.com.

Connor and Taylor allegedly argued and fought with Wayan on the famous beach after accusing him of stealing Connor's bag. His corpse was found in the early hours of Aug. 16 on Kuta Beach covered in bruises.

After conducting reconstructions on Kuta Beach, police personnel and the suspects moved to the inn where the couple had stayed. After that they went to the third location: an empty plot in the Puri Gading housing complex  around 13 kilometers from Kuta Beach  where the suspects allegedly burned their shirts that were stained with blood from the fight.

The two were named suspects on Aug. 20 and are being charged with murder and assault under the Criminal Code. If found guilty, they could face 15 years imprisonment. (rin)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Police say they have cracked an alleged male prostitution ring following the arrest of a man identified only as AR, who is suspected of acting as a pimp for 99 underage male prostitutes.

National Police cybercrime unit personnel raided a hotel in Cipayung, Puncak, West Java, on Tuesday night, during which AR was arrested.

We are now investigating how AR recruited the 99 victims, said National Police Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) director for special economic crimes Brig. Gen Agung Setya as reported by tribunnws.com on Wednesday.

He said AR had previously been convicted of a similar crime and that it had not taken him long after being freed to begin another illicit business. He was jailed for his involvement in trafficking female prostitutes. Now we suspect him of trafficking boys, he added.

During the raid in Puncak, the police arrested seven male prostitutes, who were allegedly offered to gay men.

Agung said each customer paid around Rp 1.2 million (around US$90) for the service, of which between Rp 100,000 to Rp 150,000 went to individual sex workers. (bbn)
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Linkedin Francis Chan and Arlina Arshad (The Straits Times/ANN) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

The Palembang High Court in South Sumatra has overturned a lower court's decision to clear pulpwood firm Bumi Mekar Hijau (BMH) of illegally setting fires on its concession land in 2014.

According to a copy of the Aug. 12 ruling that was seen by The Straits Times, the firm was found to have "committed an unlawful act".

The High Court also ordered BMH, which supplies products to Indonesia's Sinar Mas Group, to pay Rp 78.5 billion (US$5 million) in damages.

The award is a small fraction of the Rp 7.8 trillion in damages sought by the Environment and Forestry Ministry when it first filed the civil suit against BMH last year.

Still, green groups such as the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) hailed the latest verdict as a "small win" for Indonesia's conservation efforts.

Walhi's South Sumatra chapter director Hadi Jatmiko said: "On the one hand, the court is on the side of the environment by saying BMH is guilty of having illegally burnt 20,000 ha of its own concession in 2014. But it is disappointing that the compensation is less than 1 percent of the total sum demanded."

Jasmin Ragil Utomo, who is from the Environment and Forestry Ministry, Tuesday acknowledged the court's decision.

"The most important thing is that the court has declared that the company has committed a violation," said Jasmin, who is the ministry's director for environmental dispute settlement.

BMH's lawyers declined to comment on the case, saying they have not received an official copy of the latest verdict.

This is not the first time BMH is in the news over allegations related to forest fires. Indonesia's Peatland Restoration Agency earlier this year said the firm has been ordered to restore 95,000 ha of damaged peatland in its concessions.

Satellite data from Global Forest Watch detected at least 22 fire alerts in their pulpwood concessions between Aug. 21 and Aug. 28.

Indonesia - through its Environment and Forestry Ministry - has been taking errant firms to task over illegal forest fires that have been the cause of transboundary haze pollution.

Haze from fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra returned in recent weeks, prompting fears of a repeat of last year's crisis, which sent air pollution levels to a record high and affected millions of people in the region.

Tuesday, heavy rainfall across Indonesia provided much-needed relief for people in Sumatra's Riau Islands province.

Several areas in Riau were hit by severe air pollution in recent days, prompting some schools to suspend classes since Monday.

Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Tuesday said a combination of rain and fire-fighting efforts, including cloud-seeding operations, helped improve air quality.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, who heads BNPB's data and information division, said the air pollution standard index for most regions in Sumatra was generally under 50, or in the "good" range.

In Riau's Rokan Hilir regency - one of the worst-hit areas in recent days and where fire-fighting efforts were focused Tuesday - the air quality was "moderate".

"Fire-fighting operations in the six provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan will continue," said Sutopo.

A total of five BNPB helicopters as well as three fixed-wing aircraft have been deployed to douse fires in Riau, he added.
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has praised Indonesia's efforts in improving financial inclusion to unlock economic potential and combat poverty, as part of President Joko Jokowi Widodo's Nawacita nine-point development agenda.

"Many of the [Nawacita] objectives are reflected in the UN Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] agenda adopted just a year ago. Indonesia is one of the leaders to use financial inclusion to support this agenda," she said at the Indonesia Fintech Festival and Conference held at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) venue in Serpong, Tangerang, on Tuesday.

The Argentine-born queen attended the event in her capacity as the UN secretary-general's special advocate for inclusive finance for development. During the event, she witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on financial literacy and inclusion.

Queen Maxima also supported the government's decision to fully digitize its social assistance programs. "More than 50 million households have saving accounts but only 16 percent of them received the [social] funds through the account," she said.

Instead of having low-income people form long queues to receive social assistance as implemented by previous administrations, Jokowis government distributes subsidies in the form of e-money and coupons that can be exchanged for rice at e-warong shops managed by the Social Affairs Ministry. (ags)
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Linkedin Andi Hajramurni (The Jakarta Post) Makassar, South Sulawesi  Wed, August 31, 2016

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Indonesia, together with the Environment and Forestry Ministry, has launched an economic empowerment project for people who live around forests in South Sulawesi.

FAO and the ministry selected Jeneberang and Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park forest management units (KPH) to pilot the project, which aims to not only improve the prosperity of communities living around the forests but also to maintain their conservation.

Strengthening human resources at KPH Jeneberang and Bantimurung Bulusaraung and empowering communities living around forests are two of the first activities conducted to implement the project.

The ministrys human resource development head, Siti Aini Hanum, said Jeneberang and Bantimurung Bulusaraung were two KPHs with high potential to be developed in the future. The potential included honey bee cultivation, agroforestry, ecotourism and bamboo planting.

What we want to focus on is to improve the prosperity of people living around the forests. Hence, we support the use of forests by local communities; however, forest conservation also must be maintained well, said Aini.

KPH officials, who routinely provide elucidation on forest conservation, are the closest to the people. Thats why we are striving to empower KPH human resources, she went on.

Aini further explained the government established KPH as an effort to improve forest management. KPH is responsible to compose the management plan on forest use, rehabilitation and reclamation as well as forest protection and nature conservation, she added.

FAO Indonesia representative assistant Ageng S.Herianto said KPH could function maximally if its human resources were ready. This would lead to good forest management, he went on. (ebf)
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Linkedin Agnes Anya and Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama has come under pressure following recent flooding in an upscale residential area of South Jakarta, allegedly caused by overdevelopment in the area.

Following the recent severe floods in Kemang and other parts of the municipality, the administration plans to negotiate with owners of houses and commercial units built along the Krukut River in a bid to persuade them to sell their properties to the city.

If they do not want to sell the land, we will just leave them there and let them face the floods, Ahok said, adding that the city would provide low-cost rental apartments for home owners.

Clearing the river was the most appropriate way to deal with the floods caused by the Krukut overflowing, Ahok claimed.

Almost all the space along the river, he added, was now occupied by houses, cafes, restaurants or hotels. The river is now only 5 meters wide, down from its former 20 meters.

Ahok acknowledged that the administration faced difficulty in carrying out the necessary work because the riverbanks were occupied by buildings, whose owners held ownership certificates.

Thats what were concerned about. I have taken over state land [through evictions], and you wanted to sue me. So how can I take over land with ownership certificates? Ahok said, declining to comment on previous city administrations that presumably issued the ownership certificates.

Therefore, we are now looking for a legal basis while we examine the issue, he said.

The administration is currently conducting environmental inspections to see whether the owners do actually have building permits for their riverbank properties.

If they are found to have violated their permits, they will be forced to move and hand over their land.

However, if they happen to have legal permits for the properties  like I have said before, they will be advised to sell their land to us. They occupy the banks of a river whose water level is as high as their walls. Their walls must be knocked down, Ahok said.

The issue has become a challenge for Ahok to prove whether he can provide spatial justice for all residents in the capital, said Nirwono Joga an urban analyst at Trisakti University.

Like Ahok, Nirwono also said that the buildings on the Krukuts riverbanks should be inspected as the banks had been earmarked as green spaces according to the citys 2000 to 2010 spatial plan and this indicated nefarious practices somewhere along the line.

Spatial planning has often been a game for officials in the administration and the National Planning Agency (Bappenas, as well as developers. If the developers could use ownership certificates to build on the riverbanks, there must be something wrong, said Nirwono.

Here, Ahok and his administration are challenged to provide spatial justice for all residents.

Separately, Jakarta Planning Agency spatial pattern planning department staff member, Dertha E., said that according to Bylaw No. 1/2014 on Spatial planning and zoning, most parts of Kemang were still classed as residential.

Dertha said, however, that many residents used their homes for commercial purposes. As it would create great difficulties regulating the spatial planning, the city administration looked for the middle way to resolve the problem, he said.

Meanwhile, residents must be ready to face ongoing floods as the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted heavy rain will continue to fall on the city in the coming weeks.
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Linkedin Muhammad Shodiq (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31 2016

Following the formal establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, the AEC will eventually have a great impact on the way we live, work and do business in the ASEAN region. As we know, at the end of 2015 the AEC was launched to make the region a single market and production base.

The AEC blueprint is built on four interrelated and mutually reinforcing pillars: a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development and a region fully integrated into the global economy.

Most ASEAN countries are still at a relatively early stage of development and have large infrastructure gaps. Further liberalization of inter and intraregional flows of goods, services, and capital could be beneficial for growth, the creation of jobs, and inclusion in ASEAN.

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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands  Wed, August 31, 2016

Travel warnings issued by several countries for Singapore over the spread of the Zika virus could have a negative impact on tourism in Riau Islands as most foreign tourists enter the province through the city-state, officials said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday the United States joined South Korea, Australia and Taiwan by issuing travel warnings for citizens visiting Singapore following the discovery of Zika infections, local media reported.

Most tourists visit Riau Island's famous destinations of Batam, Bintan and Karimun through Singapore, the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies Batam office head, Andika, said on Wednesday.

The impact of the travel warnings would be seen in the next 15 days, he said, adding that despite the warnings, people who had booked trips would be unlikely to cancel. However, those who were only thinking of going to Singapore might change their minds.

"We hope Singapore can soon handle Zika virus issues. The longer the problem, it will put us in a more difficult situation," Andika told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Riau Islands Tourism Agency head Guntur Sakti said around 99 percent of Riau Islands annual 2 million foreign visitors entered via Singapore. Tourists from South Korea and Taiwan are among the top foreign visitors to the province after those from Singapore, Malaysia and India.

With the spread of Zika in Singapore, Guntur feared the province's target of 2.6 million foreign tourists this year might not be reached. Aside from the virus, the crackdown on a terrorist cell in Batam in July could also contribute to lower visitors numbers, Guntur added. (rin)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 31, 2016

Thailand has opened its first halal hotel in a bid to attract more Muslim visitors and boost its economy.

The predominantly Buddhist nation received nearly 30 million foreign tourists last year but only about 650,000 were from the Middle East, Reuters reported.

The four-star Al Meroz Hotel opened late last year and is located near Ramkhamhaeng Station in Bangkok. It has mosque-like architecture, two prayer rooms and three halal dining halls. As a Muslim-friendly hotel, all its food is halal and alcohol-free.

There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. Its a huge market, said the hotels general manager Sanya Saengboon. Just 1 percent of that market is enough for us to thrive.

The rooms cost between 4,000 baht (US$115.44) and 50,000 baht a night, said Sanya.

(Read also: Where to find halal food in Southeast Asian cities)

The hotel has been certified by the Dubai-based Gulf Halal organization, ensuring that halal standards are maintained. It says it is targeting high-end Muslim markets and non-Muslims from Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

An Australian guest at the hotel, Aamir Fazal, 28, said that access to a halal hotel was a comfort to Muslim travelers in Thailand where halal food can be hard to find. It is a really nice experience. Its the first halal hotel here and I find that amazing, said Fazal.

Thailand also launched a mobile application last year, which helps tourist search for halal restaurants and Muslim-friendly attractions. (tif/kes)
An elementary school in Massachusetts is eliminating homework for the entire school year. But theres a catch  instead of doing homework, kids will stay an extra two hours at school.

The district was declared chronically under-performing, so the principal of Kelly Elementary School came up with the idea to eliminate homework as one way to hopefully bring about improvement in the upcoming school year. Read more about the idea on ABC.

Should Lakewood schools test out the same?
An 81-year-old man, Gen Zhan, was struck and killed by an FDNY ambulance at 14th Street and 2nd Avenue. [Daily News]

The mayor says hes no longer in contact with lobbyist James Capalino, who has been tied to the Rivington House scandal. A spokesperson for Capalino says his team still interacts with lower level administration officials on a regular basis; Our firm has never relied on direct interaction with any of the five mayors who have held office since the firm was founded more than 30 years ago. [Politico New York]

Ben Lillie plans to open the Idea Distillery in the old Living Theatre space on Clinton Street. He says I wanted a space where we could host events in what Im calling intellectual nightlife  a place where people can go have drinks with their friends, have food, and hear talks on history or conversations about literature. [DNA Info]

Art dealer and collector Stefan Simchowitz criticizes Lisa Cooley, who announced this week the closure of her Lower East Side gallery. [Artnet]

Original New York punker Harley Flanagan looks back on his life, including those formative early years on the Lower East Side. [New York Times]

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz is also walking down memory lane, recalling CBGBs glory days and hanging out in the old neighborhood. We lived at 195 Chrystie St., 3/ blocks from CBGB. It was rough, man, it was rough. No hot water, no shower, the bathroom in the hall we had to share with all these sweaty guys. [New York Post]

The Museum of the City of New York is showcasing striking 1970s images by Leland Bobbe, including many from Chinatown and the Bowery. [Curbed]
Recently J.K. Rowling dropped a bombshell on the smoking remnants of one of the fiercest shipping wars of the last decade: I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. Thats how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron. Its from an interview conducted by Hermione herself, Emma Watson, excerpted in the Sunday Times; the full article, in an issue of Wonderland Magazine guest-edited by Watson, came out on Friday. (The words publicity stunt may be floating around, but that kind of speculation is useless.) The ladies, bafflingly, agree[d] that Harry and Hermione were a better match than Ron and Hermione, Ron wouldnt be able to satisfy Hermiones needs, and the pair as she wrote them would need relationship counseling. And then the internet exploded.

OK, first of all, JKR, please just stop. Is the most aggravating thing about all of this the fact that Hermione doesnt belong with either of these jokers? Was there literally anyone else for her to get with? (Rowlings shoddy math suggests possibly not; despite the insistence in an early interview that there are about a thousand students at Hogwarts, there remain just eight Gryffindors in the matriculating class of 98, suggesting no more than three dozen in the entire year, a whole house of which remain irredeemably, mustache-twirlingly evil despite seven books in which to write convincing moral ambivalence and complexity. But I digress.)

But also, JKR, please just stop  for reasons that have a lot to do with literature. Because the weirdest thing about the statement is the wish fulfillment bit, which Ive seen interpreted many different ways, none of them satisfactory. My read of it is accompanied by this question: how is a writer setting down a plot from her head wish fulfillment? Forced, sure  this certainly wasnt the only instance where it seemed that Rowling was stifled by the tyranny of the outline she mapped out more than a decade before penning The Deathly Hallows. (I spent years wondering how the hell the final word would, as promised, be scar, though by the time I got to the last page of the epilogue I was too infuriated to care.)

This isnt the first time that Rowling has revealed further details about her characters, as if she is their publicist rather than their creator. The Dumbledore announcement was, admittedly, totally awesome, for the political ramifications at the very least. But Rowling seems insistent on undercutting her authorial intent, or her position as omniscient narrator, the sort of I would have loved for this to happen statement, its like, really? I was under the impression that you were making all the things happen. (The full article in Wonderlandor the full interview, excerpted at Mugglenet  is worth a read for its continued, almost amplified strangeness  Rowling speaks of being shocked to see the filmmakers depicting things she hadnt written but was feeling about the characters, like the scene between Harry and Hermione in the tent in the first installment of The Deathly Hallows. Yes, but David and Steve  they felt what I felt when writing it, Rowling tells Watson, referring to the director and screenwriter. That is so strange, Watson responds. Yes  this whole thing is so strange. It feels like theres a simultaneous disregard for the concept of subtext and the idea that the characters were driven by something other than Rowlings own fingers. JKR, I think, probably is still in mystical mode when talking about her characters and work, Connor Joel said to me in a Twitter conversation. Which can be OKsometimes.)

Is a writer allowed to have regrets? Certainly. Is she allowed to air them publicly? I mean, yeah, its a free internet, why not? Do I want to hear a single additional word about the world of Harry Potter from J. K. Rowling that is not in the form of another book? Unless she is going to travel via Time-Turner to the past and personally validate all of my ships, no, not particularly  though thats just me. (On second thought, no, not even that: sometimes the joy of delving into subtext is that it remains, well, sub.) The night all this came out (my new BFF) Anne Jamison kicked off a round of hilarious authorial regrets on Twitter, collected here. (For example: I realize I made generations believe instant antipathy is a valid basis for ideal marriage, sighed Ms Austen, I just thought he was hot.)

All joking aside, these tweets got me thinking: how often has this sort of thing happened in the past? Is there something fundamental in the author/reader relationship that feels like its being abused in Rowlings admissions  or is she just following a long tradition of regretful writers undermining their own authority via statements after publication? Initial research suggests that some of the most famous writers havent stayed as faithful to their own original texts as I might have guessed. I mean, these examples arent exactly the same (I can hear you saying this, even now!), and that might get at what feels so incredibly strange about the wish fulfillment idea that Rowlings putting forth. But regrets are regrets, and once the pages are printed  and even with all the revisions and retractions in the world  theres essentially no going back. Here are five authors who had a variety of regrets and later said they really wished theyd done things differently  and, in many cases, went on to try to actually do things differently, to varying degrees of success:

Charles Dickens

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Oliver Twists greedy, villainous employer, Fagin, is most famously marked by his Jewishness, via every derogatory stereotype in the history of man and by outright assertion: references as the Jew outnumber the old man in the original text nearly ten-to-one. There was no doubt in Dickenss mind, nor that of many of his mid-Victorian counterparts, that this was totally fine, that Fagins crimes fell right in line with his background: he stated later, by way of (really poor and blatantly anti-Semitic) defense, that that class of criminal almost invariably was a Jew. But in 1860 Dickens sold his house to a Jewish couple and befriended the wife, Eliza, who wrote him later to say that the creation of Fagin was a great wrong to the Jewish people. Dickens saw the light, albeit in a sort of, Well, some of my best friends are Jewish! sort of way, and began stripping out references to Fagins religion from the text, as well as the caricature-like aspects: at a reading of a later version, it was observed that, There is no nasal intonation; a bent back but no shoulder-shrug: the conventional attributes are omitted. But was it too little too late? After all, the original depiction of Fagin has endured through the centuries. Dickens tried, anyway. There is nothing but good will left between me and a People for whom I have a real regard, he wrote. And to whom I would not willfully have given an offence.

Herman Melville

Image via Wikimedia Commons



Typee, Melvilles first novel and the most popular during his lifetime, is described as one of American cultures more startling instances of a fluid text. There appears to be no definitive version of Typee  the sort of book that makes you question just how definitive anything you read really is. All texts are fluid, writes John Bryant, a scholar whos done extensive work on Typee, examining its states of flux. They only appear to be stable because the accidents of human action, time and economy have conspired to freeze the energy they represent into fixed packets of language. Some of the changes  which were made over the course of half a century, from the first drafts Melville penned fresh off the high seas to the final years of his life  came from pressures from critics and his publishers: disparagement of missionary culture, expanded upon in first drafts, was largely removed in subsequent editions. Some requests for changes, including a toning down of the bawdiness of earlier editions, took place decades later, when Melville was an old man  Certain passages were to be restored, a paragraph on seaman debauchery dropped, and Buggery Island changed to Desolation Island, writes Bryant, though not all of these changes were honored in the posthumous edition. Bryant has developed a digital edition to view the fluid text as a whole, though perhaps even that cant  and shouldnt  answer the question of whether one version or another can be called the definitive text.

F. Scott Fitzgerald



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F. Scott Fitzgerald, a man prone to last-minute editorial regrets: he sent a telegram to his publisher as The Great Gatsby was going to press, asking to change the title to Under the Red, White, and Blue. It arrived too late. Hed wavered so much on the title already  amongst a dozen other suggestions, hed been set on Trimalchio in West Egg for a good while. But Tender is the Night suffered, in his opinion, from problems far larger than what was printed on the dust jacket. It was published in 1934 to poor critical and public response, and Fitzgerald set to work figuring out why it didnt work. When it was reprinted two years later, he wanted to make minor changes and clarifications, and wrote that, sometimes by a single word change one can throw a new emphasis or give a new value to the exact same scene or setting. But he soon decided it wasnt a single word  it was the entire structure: If pages 151-212 were taken from their present place and put at the start, he wrote to his editor at Scribner, the improvement in appeal would be enormous. He set to work slicing apart the novel  physically  and rearranging it in the order he felt it was now meant to be, the narrative now chronological rather than reliant on flashback. The copy is on display at Princeton, with Fitzgeralds penciled note written inside the front cover: This is the final version of the book as I would like it. After Fitzgeralds death, Malcolm Cowley decided to try to fulfill these editorial wishes, rearranging the book based on the notes and cut-up version. But people werent any more interested in this version than the first, and in the intervening half-century, the original has endured.

Ray Bradbury



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If the biggest disappointment of 2015 will be the fact that almost nothing resembles the 2015 bits of Back to the Future (whats sadder  no hoverboards or no magical pizzas?), it speaks to the risks of setting a sci-fi novel in the not-so-distant future. When Bradburys The Martian Chronicles, first published in 1947, were reissued fifty years later, the stories chronological start date was just two years away. Bradbury and his publisher made the call to bump up the timeline by three decades, 2030-2057, and made some additional editorial changes while they were at it. The timeline shift isnt unique in science fiction: Wikipedias got a poetically-titled List of stories set in a future now past, which reveals that Philip K. Dicks Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep also got a thirty-year bump. Its an interesting question, and one that may crop up more and more as time goes on: does reading about some sort of alien future thats now a few years in the past take a reader right out of the story? Isnt there some joy in imagining Bradbury imagining 1999 in 1947, a vision of the future from that precise point in the past?

Anthony Burgess

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And then what to do if an author wishes the entire book had never been written? One famous example: J.D. Salinger spent 10 years writing The Catcher in the Rye and the rest of his life regretting it, Shane Salerno and David Shields assert in their recent biography. But Salingers dissatisfaction appeared to stem from the extraordinary amount of unwanted attention he received for it over the years. But what about Anthony Burgess, who wrote about A Clockwork Orange in his Flame into Being: The Life and Work of D. H. Lawrence, published in 1985:

We all suffer from the popular desire to make the known notorious. The book I am best known for, or only known for, is a novel I am prepared to repudiate: written a quarter of a century ago, a jeu desprit knocked off for money in three weeks, it became known as the raw material for a film which seemed to glorify sex and violence. The film made it easy for readers of the book to misunderstand what it was about, and the misunderstanding will pursue me until I die. I should not have written the book because of this danger of misinterpretation, and the same may be said of Lawrence and Lady Chatterleys Lover.

Lawrence died decades before the obscenity trials placed his book at the center of the moral questions of literature and society. Burgess had decades to witness the unraveling of the misunderstandings of the novel he will always be most remembered for. As for its merits as a work of literature? He also described it as too didactic to be artistic. Ah, well. Everyone is entitled to their opinions of a book and its characters. Even, I suppose, the author himself.
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Govt mulls Malaysia suspect handover

BANGKOK: The government is considering handing over 10 suspected human traffickers to Malaysia as authorities are preparing for an official visit by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak next week.

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By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 31 August 2016, 08:56AM

After last years horrific discovery of mass graves of murdered or starved Rohingya victims, authorities exhumed the bodies (above) and then arrested nearly 100 suspected human traffickers, including 10 Malaysians who now may be handed over to that country. Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya

Mr Najib is due to visit Thailand on Sept 9, a trip scheduled a long time ago, according to Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Mr Najib will discuss border area cooperation and several issues that have come up during past meetings, said Mr Don.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said authorities are looking into the legal implications of sending the 10 suspects requested by Malaysia. They are allegedly involved in trafficking Rohingya into the region.

The request came yesterday (Aug 30) when Gen Prawit visited Malaysia to discuss security cooperation with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

If there is no problem, the suspects will be handed over as the two countries have always cooperated in the past, Gen Prawit said.

He insisted the move was not part of an exchange for suspects implicated in the bomb and arson attacks in seven provinces earlier this month.

Four people were killed and 35 injured in the Aug 11-12 attacks in Trang, Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin, Phuket, Surat Thani, Phangnga, Krabi and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Thailand has shared information about the attack suspects with Malaysia, he said, adding Malaysia was also asked to examine items linked to attacks.

National police chief Chakthip Chaijinda, who also visited Malaysia, said the suspects requested by Malaysia include Rohingya suspects, but did not provide details. Discussions touched on mobile phone SIM cards suspected of having been used to detonate bombs during this months attacks as well as other related equipment, he said.

Assistant police chief Suchart Theerasaawat said more information concerning the suspects, SIM cards and mobile phone equipment was obtained from the talks with Malaysian authorities. However, it cannot be confirmed if suspects hold dual nationalities.

Meanwhile, Gen Prayut said he ordered scaled-up security ahead of todays (Aug 31) founding anniversary of Bersatu, a separatist umbrella group. He said the government will do its best to ensure security, but people should not focus too much on the event.

Also known as the Patani Malays Peoples Consultative Council, Bersatu (literally, Unity in Bahasa Malaysia) was organised in 1989 as an umbrella group for all the separatist factions in the deep South. Among those refusing to join were the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), currently the governments peace partner and also a prime suspect in the Mothers Day bombings throughout the South.

Do not bargain with the use of violence. I must toughen law enforcement in case, he said. However, no intelligence has suggested there would be any trouble. Security officers are keeping an eye on the matter.

Referring to the peace talks with groups believed to be behind unrest in the far South, which enter a new round last Friday (Aug 26), Gen Prayut said measures must be ironed out on how to deal with unrest and find a sustainable solution.

Responding to reports that intelligence gathering would be overhauled, Gen Prayut said intelligence is drawn from various sources and needs to be verified. It cannot always be verified in time, but conclusions must be drawn quickly.

Read original story here.
Illegal garbage dumping causes big stink

CHIANG MAI: Residents are up in arms over garbage collectors who dump rubbish in earth pits just 500 metres behind San Pa Tong Hospital in Chiang Mai province.

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By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 31 August 2016, 09:30AM

San Pa Tong Hospital staff take photos that show rubbish is dumped illegally near the hospital, allegedly by a waste removal company making shady midnight runs. Photo: Cheewin Sattha

The locals claim the culprits have been dumping garbage for more than a decade, heavily polluting the area, creating an eyesore and causing hospital patients to suffer from the foul odours.

Residents of Nong Sariam village in tambon Yuwa of San Pa Tong district said firms contracted to collect garbage dumped it in abandoned pits, left after the soil had been dug up and sold. The rubbish was dumped surreptitiously at night.

The rotting rubbish gave off a stench that permeated the hospital and nearby communities, especially during the rainy season.

Hospital staff yesterday morning (Aug 30) examined the site after receiving complaints from residents.

They said there were three pits about 500 metres behind the hospital. The first pit was near Baan Nong Sariam, the second at Baan Sala and the third near Wat Sri Pan Ngern, all in tambon Yuwa.

Wirat Klinprathum, director of San Pa Thong Hospital, said management had sent a letter of complaint to Tambon Yuwa Municipality. The municipality said it had tried to solve the problem by putting up signs prohibiting garbage dumping and blocked the access road to the pits with concrete blocks. But garbage collectors removed the signs and the blocks and continued to dump their waste.

San Pa Tong police once arrested the operator of a garbage truck and fined him B1,500. This temporarily halted the dumping.

Read original story here.
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Landslide shuts down Phuket Airport runway road

PHUKET: The road that parallels the runway at Phuket International Airport closed today (Aug 31) after a landslide brought down debris and trees blocking both lanes.

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By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 31 August 2016, 06:15PM

Officials are working to clear the road that runs parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Officials are working to clear the road that runs parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Officials are working to clear the road that runs parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Officials are working to clear the road that runs parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The road is closed for now because debris has blocked both lanes all the way to the fence. Motorists cannot pass this area at the moment, Sarawut Srisakukam, head of the Mai Khao Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor), told The Phuket News.

Mr Sarawut said he was notified of the landslide by residents attempting to travel along the road at midday.

Officials including officers from OrBorTor Sakoo, Traffic Police and airport staff are inspecting the area. There has been a lot of rain in this area and it may cause more landslides, he said.

We are checking the area and try to solve this issue as soon as possible. Workers are bringing in heavy machines to remove the debris and clear the road. However, we have to close the road while workers clear the debris and ensure that the area is safe, Mr Sarawut added.

Luckily no motorists were passing by when the landslide happened. However, I want all to be aware of natural disasters such as landslides during the raining season, he said.

The National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) earlier today issued a warning for people in risk areas including Phang Nga and Phuket to beware heavy rains causing possible flash floods and landslides.
Phang Nga chief probation officer found murdered

NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: The dead body of the director of the Phang Nga probation office, who was reported missing 11 days ago, was found stuffed in a plastic container dumped in a canal in the Pak Phanang district of Nakhon Sri Thammarat today (Aug 31).

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By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 31 August 2016, 07:19PM

Divers and rescue workers retrieve a plastic barrel containing the body of the missing Phang Nga chief probation officer from a canal in Nakhon Sri Thammarats Pak Phanang district. Photo: Nujaree Raekrun

Divers began searching the Bang Chak canal in the Khlong Noi district of Nakhon Sri Thammarat at about 10:30am today following the arrest of two men.

They found the container and the body of Chawee Intara after searching for about an hour, according to Nakhon Sri Thammarat police chief Maj Wanchai Ekpornpit, who led the search team. Mr Chawee, 57, senior justice official and also director of the probation office in Phang Nga, was inside a 200-litre plastic barrel half-filled with cement.

Veeradet Paedam, 23, and Sitthipong Buppakhorn, 22, were arrested in Nakhon Sri Thammarat yesterday (Aug 30) and confessed they had dumped Mr Chawees dead body in the Bang Chak canal, according to police.

Police handling the case said Mr Chawee had developed a Facebook relationship with a woman identified later as Natthanan Indam, 25. The woman already had a boyfriend, Adisak Thongsomja, 30.

Mr Adisak learned of their relationship and became angry. He demanded his girlfriend arrange to meet Mr Chawee at a house in the Chain Yai district of Nakhon Sri Thammarat.

When Mr Chawee arrived Adisak and four friends beat him to death. They stuffed his body in the barrel and poured cement into it. The container was taken away on a pickup truck and dumped in the canal, investigators said.

Adisak, Natthanan and the other suspects remained at large.

Mr Chawee was last seen on Aug 20 driving a Toyota Vigo double-cab pickup truck. His relatives filed a complaint with police, asking them to help find him.

The Justice Ministry sent a team from the Department of Special Investigation to assist the investigation into the Phang Nga probation chiefs disappearance.

Read original story here.
Phi Phi boat-free safe zones set to protect reefs from mass tourism

PHUKET: Officials with local dive and tour operators have joined together to use 1.6 kilometres of rope with 800 floats to mark off areas in the Hat Nopparat Thara - Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park to prevent tour boats from directly accessing coral reefs in the park.

tourismenvironmentmarine

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Wednesday 31 August 2016, 09:11AM

The boat-free safe swimming zones have marked off to protect tourists from boat accidents and to protect coral reefs in the national park.

The boat-free safe swimming zones have marked off to protect tourists from boat accidents and to protect coral reefs in the national park.

The boat-free safe swimming zones have marked off to protect tourists from boat accidents and to protect coral reefs in the national park.

The boat-free safe swimming zones have marked off to protect tourists from boat accidents and to protect coral reefs in the national park.

The boat-free safe swimming zones have marked off to protect tourists from boat accidents and to protect coral reefs in the national park.

The boat-free safe swimming zones have marked off to protect tourists from boat accidents and to protect coral reefs in the national park.

The boat-free safe swimming zones have marked off to protect tourists from boat accidents and to protect coral reefs in the national park.

The operation to install boat-free safe swimming zones was completed on Monday (Aug 29), Park Chief Sarayut Thantian told The Phuket News.

We marked off an area with 600 metres of rope at Kai Island, and a total of 1,000 metres of rope combined to mark off areas at Phi Phi Don and Bamboo Island, he said.

We joined with the Krabi Driving Center, Local Diving, Poseidon Dive Center and Project Abroad to mark off the areas together, he added.

Chief Sarayut explained that marking off the safe zones was part of a greater project to use 8,400 floats in total to protect marine sites in Phi Phi national park in honour of HM Queen Sirikits 84th birthday on August 12.

Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, adviser to the DNP and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, told The Phuket News, A further 9,000 floats will be used to mark off marine sites in 13 national parks, including Hat Nopparat Thara - Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park. These will be deployed in December.

These floats will block all boats from entering areas where coral reefs need protection. By doing so, they mark out safe zones for tourists to swim and help prevent boating accidents, and they make it easier to manage and control the volume of tourists in these areas, he said.

However, Dr Thon said he had yet to confirm how many more floats will be used to mark off areas in the Phi Phi National Park.

The move comes as park officials struggle to protect pristine marine sites from hordes of tourists. Park officials have already closed off several tourist-popular islands, including Yoong Island near Phi Phi and Koh Tachai, so that the area can recover from environmental damage.

World-renowned Maya Bay is also under consideration for temporary closure to stave off environmental damage from mass tourism. (See story here.)
Single arrest warrant issued for Phuket ATM hackers

PHUKET: Despite it being announced yesterday (Aug 30) that arrest warrants would be sought for more than one suspect wanted in connection with the Government Savings Bank (GSB) ATM hacking incident which saw B12 million withdrawn for several GSB ATM machines across the country, only one was issued by the court.

crimeRussianpolicetechnology

By Darawan Naknakhon

Wednesday 31 August 2016, 06:42PM

Rustam Shambasov seen at the security check at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Aug 8. Photo: Phuket Tourist Police

Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Superintendent Col Saman Chainarong, who is overseeing the hacker investigation in Phuket, confirmed today (Aug 31) that Phuket Provincial Court issued a single arrest warrant for 29-year-old Russian national Rustam Shambasov yesterday after presenting evidence to the court. Rustam is now wanted for theft but he left Thailand heading for Moscow on Aug 8. From our investigation we learned that Rustam Shambasov came to Phuket on July 14 and on July 15 he hacked ATMs in Phuket. He then hacked ATMs in different provinces on various dates, Col Saman said. The group robbed more than B12 million from GSB ATMs in Phuket, Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Petburi and Bangkok in July, he added. Senior Adviser to the Royal Thai Police and former Commander of Region 8 Police Gen Panya Mamen told Thai media today that there are two more foreign suspects involved in the case and that officials are gathering more information so that arrest warrants can be issued. However, he could not disclose any further details about the suspects.
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4 candidates seek two four-year terms on Codington County Commission

Two of the three Codington County Commission seats have challengers this year. Here's what you need to know.
By Regina Logan

loganreg@grinnell.edu

Over 100 people filled JRC 101 on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 28 to hear from Monica Vernon, Democratic nominee for Congress in Iowas First Congressional District, and former Gov. Martin OMalley.

Were really excited to have them here to promote Democrats up and down the ballot, said Austin Wadle 18, co-chair of Grinnells Campus Democrats, in their opening statement. Grinnell is a part of a very important swing district that will help us take back the House of Representatives.

A recent poll commissioned by her opponent, incumbent Rep. Rod Blum (R) shows Vernon down by 7 percent. If elected, Vernon would become the first woman to represent Iowa in the House of Representatives.

OMalley has been in the area campaigning for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but also wanted to lend his efforts to Vernons campaign while in Iowa. Introducing Vernon, OMalley praised her courage and determination as a leader throughout her political career.

She had the guts to step up in an uphill fight and run as Lieutenant Governor for Iowa with Jack Hatch, OMalley said. Commenting on Vernons time as Mayor Pro Tempore of Cedar Rapids during the flood of 2008, OMalley continued, She had to pick people up of the mat, shake your neighbors, remind them that theyre still a strong people and theyll come through this and come through this together.

Before turning the mic over to Vernon, OMalley stressed the importance of becoming involved in this years election cycle, both on the local and national level.

If youve never been involved in a campaign before, get involved in the next 72 days  by getting involved in Monicas campaign you can not only make history here in Iowa, you can make history for our country, and you can make our country a better place for yourself, and your kids and your grandkids.

Throughout the next 30 minutes, Vernon discussed her upbringing and her involvement in public service. Vernon attended the University of Iowa before going on to start a small market research business while raising three daughters. She cited her experience as a market researcher, in which she identified the current conditions and needs of individuals and families, as something that qualifies her for Congress. It was during her work as a researcher that Vernon stumbled upon the quiet but significant issue of homelessness in Iowa, particularly among women and children.

Experts were saying that we dont have a homeless problem, because they expected them to be laying out on the streets, Vernon said. What is happening was that they lost their homes  when [a] family would split up, they ended up  many times it was the woman  whoever was left ended up way in debt. They ended up moving in with family and friends. And youre just one squabble away from ending up in your car.

Recognizing the large-scale community issue at hand, Vernon gathered people and worked to fund and found the Madge Phillips Center, a homeless shelter for women and children. However, Vernon quickly realized one shelter would not be able to solve the state-wide problem.

When women and children go in to homeless shelters, they can only stay 90, 120 days  thats just three or four months  so I started looking into affordable housing in Iowa and started working on that, Vernon said. I also realized that these women were under-trained and underemployed, so we worked together with the community college and organized labor. One thing led to another and I was working with about half the board and commissions in our community, and I decided that the real action was at our city council.

Vernon went on to serve eight years on the Cedar Rapids City Council, where she chaired both the Councils Community/Economic Development Committee and the Metropolitan Planning Organization. She offered particular advice for the diverse crowd of college students and adult community members.

I  encourage all of you to run early for something and get involved. But if you dont do it by a certain point, dont give up.

Vernon spoke about raising the minimum wage to a living wage, achieving equal pay for equal work and paid family leave, providing accessible and affordable education and reforming existing student loans as central issues in her campaign. But she also spoke about the general importance of voting

I cant do any of it if we dont get good Democrats elected, if you dont help me get to the house.

Campus Democrats are working on bringing to campus other political figures to campus such as Patty Judge, the Democratic candidate for United States Senate from Iowa.

We are doing everything we can to make sure students are informed and active in phone banking and door knocking in the greater community and registering their fellow students, Wadle wrote in an email to The S&B. Students should email [democrat] to find out specific volunteer opportunities.
Darryl Gascon was 15 when he decided to drop out of high school. Now the 26 year old is working to get his diploma at the St. Laurent Adult Centre.
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But the tribe has a long way to go
All India Radio (AIR) will soon start programmes in Balochi language for the people living in Balochistan province of Pakistan and other areas.

According to AIR sources, Narendra Modi-led NDA government has given the approval for the same.

Responding to this latest development, Congress leader Meem Afzal said, I think it is part of the governments policy. Lets see what kind of bulletins they run. I believe there is nothing to objection to it as there are other languages also that are being run in AIR.

Prime Minister Modi, in his independence speech, had raked up the issue of human rights violations in Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK, inviting a sharp reaction from Islamabad.

"The people of Balochistan, the people of Gilgit, the people of Pak-occupied-Kashmir have thanked me in such a manner, from places that I have never been and never had a chance to meet, they have sent wishes to the people of India and thanked us," Modi said.
A special MCOCA court here on Wednesday framed charges against deported gangster Chhota Rajan in the J Dey murder case, paving the way for trial five years after the senior investigative journalist was shot dead in suburban Powai in 2011.

"The court has framed charges under MCOCA against Rajan and he has pleaded innocence," said a CBI official.

Rajan, currently lodged at high-security Tihar jail, was produced before MCOCA judge Samir Adkar through video- conference.

On August 5, the central probe agency had filed a supplementary charge sheet against the gangster claiming that he had the journalist murdered because Dey's articles and a planned book portrayed Rajan as 'chindi' (a small fry).

Dey, a veteran crime reporter, had planned a book, titled 'Chindi-Rags to Riches', wherein he was going to write the stories of 20 gangsters with humble origins. "Dey was going to expose the fake patriotic mask used by him (Rajan) to secure himself and to accumulate wealth for his family. The book was to have that Rajan had no concern for those who made him big," the charge sheet had said.

The book was also to portray Dawood Ibrahim, Rajan's friend-turned-foe, as being superior to him.

According to the charge sheet, Rajan, who was reportedly hiding in Malaysia, had called Dey for a meeting but the journalist refused, CBI said.

Journalist Jigna Vora, an accused in the case, now on bail, is the one who instigated the murder, CBI said.

Last month, adjourning the hearing in the case, the MCOCA court had said it would go ahead with framing of charges as per the charge sheet earlier filed by Mumbai police's crime branch if the CBI failed to do so by August 5.

However, the agency stepped up and filed a 300-page charge sheet on the day.

Rajan was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25 last year and deported to India. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, all now handed over to CBI.

Dey was shot dead in suburban Powai on June 11, 2011 allegedly at the behest of Rajan.

The first charge sheet filed in the case in 2011 names Satiah Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia (all arrested).

Another charge sheet was filed against Vora the next year. She is accused of instigating Rajan against Dey owing to her own professional rivalry.
Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik may soon be booked under the stringent anti-terror law with a legal opinion is said to have suggested action against him and his NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Sources said the Home Ministry had sought a legal opinion on the possible action to be taken against Naik for his controversial activities, including allegedly delivering hate speech.

The legal opinion is understood to have conveyed to the Home Ministry that Naik's statements in different forums allegedly promoted enmity and hatred between religious groups and inspired and incited terrorists.

A case should be registered against Naik under anti-terror laws for allegedly delivering hate speech on different occasions, sources said quoting the legal opinion.

The legal opinion suggested that there is a "conscious intention" on Naik's part towards spreading enmity among religious groups.

Apart from Naik, cases should be registered against his NGO IRF, which is allegedly funded radical activities, the legal advice said to have suggested.

Naik has come under the scanner of the security agencies after Bangladeshi newspaper 'Daily Star' had reported that one of the attackers of the July 1 terror strike in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz, ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.

Naik, in his lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly "urged all Muslims to be terrorists".

Naik, a popular but controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation, is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.

He is hugely popular in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preachings often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the West Bengal government return 400 acres of land, acquired in Singur for Tata Motors to set up its Nano plant, to farmers.

Terming the land acquisition made by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government in 2006 illegal, the court has set a deadline of 12 weeks for the government to return the land. The apex court also observed that the acquisition was faulty and served no public interest.

The SC verdict has been hailed as a major victory for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who came to power in 2011, promising justice to land agitators in Singur and Nandigram.

Singur erupted in celebration after the verdict. "It's a great relief for us," said Mahadeb Das, one of the 'unwilling' farmers behind the land movement.

"The Supreme Court quashed the acquisition, terming it illegal. The division bench of V Gowda and Arun Mishra also criticised the way people were left to suffer for all these years," said farmers' counsel Kalyan Banerjee.

The court directed the state government to undertake a survey and return the land to 'unwilling' farmers besides offering them a compensation. The court also said those who gave away their land wilfully can get their land back if they wish to. They do not have to return the money they got when they sold the land as it would be considered as compensation.

Tata, Meanwhile, is all set to move another bench against this verdict.
In yet another incident of brutal murder in Tamil Nadu, a 19-year-old student was beaten to death in her classroom allegedly by a former student at an engineering college in Karur.

According to reports, Sonali of Manamadurai in Sivaganga district, a third year civil engineering student at Karur Engineering College, was bludgeoned by 21-year-old Udhayakumar after an altercation broke out between the two. Udhayakumar is said to have been a friend of Sonali.

Reports said a professor and a few other students, who came to the rescue of Sonali, were also attacked by the youth.

Though a critically injured Sonali was rushed to a private hospital in Karur and then to another hospital in Madurai, she succumbed to her injuries.

The accused was later arrested by the Karur police.

The incident came as a stark reminder of the brutal murder of a woman techie at Nungambakkam railway station in Chennai two months ago. The Infosys employee was stabbed to death by her alleged stalker in broad daylight.
After two days of relative peace, a teenager was killed in firing by security forces on Wednesday as more violent clashes erupted in the Kashmir Valley, officials and witnesses said.

They said Danish Ahmed, 18, was killed after he sustained injuries in a battle between stone-pelting protesters and the security forces in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.

A police spokesperson said an unruly mob attacked the security forces with stones at Nadihal village. The security forces opened fire as protesters refused to disperse after tear smoke shells and pellets were fired at them.

Ahmed sustained critical injuries and was moved to a hospital for treatment where he succumbed, the spokesperson said.

The death took the toll in the ongoing unrest to 72including 70 civilians and two policemen.

More than 11,000 people7,000 civilians and 4,000 security personshave been injured in the ongoing cycle of violence that started on July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces.

The authorities lifted curfew from much of the valley on Monday after some semblance of normalcy. Minor clashes on erupted at many places on Monday and Tuesday.

As the news of the teenager's death in Baramulla spread, security restrictions returned as many angry youth came out on roads to protest.

Official sources said curfew was reimposed in parts of Baramulla and nearby Sopore town.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will travel to Mexico city on Wednesday and meet President Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before his speech in Arizona to clarify views on immigration policy.

Pena Nieto last Friday invited both Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to visit Mexico, the Washington Post cited his office as saying on Tuesday.

Trump, sensing an opportunity, decided to push for a visit this week, said sources in the US and Mexico who are familiar with the discussions.

Trump and the Mexican president on Tuesday night confirmed on Twitter that they will meet on Wednesday.

"I have accepted the invitation of President Pena Nieto and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow," Trump tweeted on Tuesday night.

The New York billionaire's tweet came shortly after, Pena Nieto's office wrote that "El Senor" Trump has accepted the invitation and will meet the president.

The visit comes after Trump has wavered for weeks on whether he will continue to hold his hard-line positions on the central and incendiary issue of his campaign, in particular his call to deport an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the US illegally.

According to the Washington Post, the people informed of Trump's plans spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding the matter.

Talks between the Trump campaign and Mexican officials are ongoing, with security concerns still being sorted out, they said on Tuesday.

Trump will hold fundraisers on Wednesday morning in California and deliver his immigration speech in the evening at the Phoenix Convention Centre. His trip to Mexico would come between his events.
Honenu has demanded the reopening of an attempted vehicle theft case. Honenu Attorney Menasheh Yado is representing the complainant, a Jerusalem resident who was injured during an attempted robbery by Arabs in the Ramot neighborhood. Based on material transferred to Honenu, Yado is of the opinion that the investigative case was closed under strange circumstances and due to mishandling, which violated the rights of the injured party.

Yado: It is inconceivable that a crime victim must turn to the services of an attorney in order to receive the most basic rights granted to him by law.

Recently a rash of thefts in Israel made headlines after a resident of Moshav Beit Elazari shot a thief attempting to steal his truck. Has police mishandling of the crimes led to this increase in thefts?

Recently Honenu filed a request to re-open an investigative case into the injury and attempted theft incident in Ramot, which occurred approximately five and a half years ago. The complainant, a resident of the Jerusalem Ramot neighborhood, returned home after maariv and noticed two youths cutting the cable of his sons trailer. His son was employed as a deliveryman and parked his vehicle next to their home.

The complainant started to yell and the two youths quickly got into their pickup truck. In a split-second decision he jumped onto the truck and yelled, Stop!, but the thieves continued to drive, dragging him on the street, because he could not get off of the truck.

After being dragged several hundred meters while shouting for help, he fell to the street and miraculously suffered only superficial injuries. First aid and police forces were summoned to the site. After giving initial testimony and receiving medical treatment he filed a complaint at the Nvei Yaakov Police Station. The thieves vehicle was found abandoned on a nearby street. The complainant positively identified the vehicle and told the police that he would be able to identify the thieves in a lineup. The complainant told Honenu that the investigators assured him that he would be summoned to identify the thieves.

Since then the complainant has phoned the police station many times in order to verify the status of his complaint. At some point he was told that suspects had been detained and was again assured that he would be summoned to identify the guilty parties in a lineup. However he was not. Later he was told that the case was still being investigated. Three years passed and then one day when the complainant contacted the station he was told that the case had been closed. He did not receive a letter informing him that the case was closed and the police did not initiate any other notification. When he asked the investigator how the case had been closed without him being summoned to identify suspects in a lineup, he was told that he could send a fax and request access to the material in the case for the purpose of filing an appeal in accordance with his rights as a crime victim.

His repeated faxed and phoned requests for access to the material were not granted. Finally he decided to turn to Honenus Department of Crime victims for legal counsel.

At this stage Honenu Attorney Menasheh Yado filed a request with the police to receive the investigative material. He was told that due to the length of time elapsed since the case had been closed the police were not obligated to allow him access to the material. Yado replied that that was true provided that a letter informing the complainant that the case was being closed had been sent and the complainant had not filed a complaint after being informed. In this instance a letter had not been sent and the complainant had not been given access to the investigative material. Only after Yados clarification did the Prosecution Department of the Jerusalem District Police reply to him that he was in the right and an order was given to transfer investigative material to him.

After several more months had passed, five letters had been sent and a threat had been made to take the matter to court, the police finally agreed to transfer the investigative material to Honenu Attorney Yado for study, seven months after he requested it.

The material transferred turned out to be incomplete, but did reveal that the suspects investigated in connection to the Ramot incident were the vehicles owner, other members of his family who fit the description given by the complainant, and a youth who was traced to the scene of the crime. The owner is an Arab from northern Jerusalem, a criminal convicted of violent crimes and property crimes. He claimed that the vehicle was with his older brother, an offender with an especially rich criminal record, at the time of the incident. The testimony given under interrogation by the youth contradicted that of the other suspects. All of the suspects were released and the case was closed without holding a lineup, despite the fact that the complainant testified that he would be able to identify the perpetrators.

Honenu stresses that the suspects who were interrogated were accused only of the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime and attempted burglary, not the more serious crimes of endangering human lives in a traffic lane and causing aggravated injury.

After examining the investigative material Yado filed an appeal on the decision to close the case and demanded its reopening. The reply to the appeal was the same answer received in response to the request for the investigative material. The same prosecutor claimed that the case may not be reopened because of the length of time that has passed.

Yado again asserted that an error had been made. Honenu is currently waiting for a reply from the prosecution.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman told colleagues in a closed forum that the bodies of IDF soldiers killed and abducted in Operation Protective Edge would not be included in a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, Channel 10 News reported. Lieberman denies the statements attributed to him. However, the mother of one such soldier, Mrs. Leah Goldin, whose son Lt. Hadar was killed and abducted by Gaza, has words for the senior minister.

Mrs. Goldin was interviewed by Kalman Lipskind of Galei Yisrael Radio, stating Liebermans words hit her hard, adding that his words as a Defense Minister are unprecedented. Mrs. Goldin calls the statements attributed to Lieberman a knife in the heart. She feels that Mr. Lieberman has lost his moral right to send troops into battle, adding The essence of the sentence that begins the bodies will not be returned is immoral and illegitimate. A Defense Minister that makes such a statement has no moral mandate to send troops into battle.

Joining the audible critics of Lieberman is opposition leader MK Yitzchak Herzog, who added he spoke with Dr. Goldin, and he strengthens the family beyond any and all political discourse.

Herzog adds we are dealing with a cruel enemy and I suggest to the Defense Minister to stop speaking, in inner rooms as well as publicly. The return of bodies has been a command since the establishment of the state. We must stop selling illusions and know how to look at reality and stop hurting families.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Residents of Beersheva, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Krayot, Petach Tikvah and Ashkelon reported power outages on Tuesday 26 Menachem Av during the late morning hours, close to noontime.

Israel Electric Company officials confirmed there was an issue that was being addressed in a major power station that was resulting in sporadic outages in many areas. Utility company spokespersons promised to have stable power restored within a half hour.

In Petach Tikvah fire fighters were summoned to extricate people from elevators, reporting a total of eight extrications. There were two elevator extrications in Tiveria as well.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Once again Israel has handed over the body of a terrorist to the family to permit burial. In this latest act of good will by Israel, the body of the terrorist responsible for a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv in 2015 that left five people wounded was released.

PA (Palestinian Authority) sources report the family of the 19-year-old eastern Jerusalem terrorist was instructed to post a NIS 25,000 bond which would be returned after a quiet burial of the terrorist took place. About two dozen people reportedly participated in the private quiet funeral service.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Magen David Adom, a primary Emergency Medical Service (EMS) in Israel, is prepared for the opening of the nations school system on Thursday, September 1, 2016.

With over two million students heading to school on Thursday, MDA is standing by in all cities and municipalities nationwide as it does year-round. MDA calls on motorists to exhibit added vigilance on Thursday, especially in proximity to schools and crosswalks as the little ones will be making their way to and from school for the new school year.

MDA officials add that its thousands of employees and volunteers nationwide, including EMTs and paramedics whom have undergone special training in how to address emergency calls when dealing with children beginning from the age of 3 in line with the nations Education Law and MDAs commitment to respond to any of the tens of thousands of schools and kindergartens nationwide in a time of need.

With schools opening on the horizon, some of tips given by MDA include:

 Make certain the little ones are correctly seated and buckled up in private vehicles and school transportation vehicles

 Make certain safety seats and restraints are age/size appropriate

 Upon arrival, check the vehicle thoroughly to make sure no one is left behind

 Parents should make certain children have adequate food and drink for the day, especially during the last of the hot summer months

 Motorists are urged to slow down when seeing children nearing crosswalks and school vehicles

 Parents should exercise crossing in authorized crosswalks with their children prior to sending them off to school

 Any and all children under the age of nine must have an adult accompany them

 Pay special attention for a child running out between parked cars near schools and playground areas

 In general, maintain vigilance when out and about for children left in parked vehicles and notify authorities immediately

 In case of an accident or another medical emergency, call 101 without hesitation

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Despite a 12% increase in the dati leumi student population in the capital during the past decade, most of the 283,000 students in the city are attending an Arab sector or chareidi school.

With schools in Israel about to open for the 5776/2017 school year, the Jerusalem Municipality reports an increase of 848 students in kindergartens and schools in the public school sector. It is reported that the secular and dati leumi systems in the capital has grown by 12% over the past decade.

Which sector is growing the fastest in the capital?

However, the chareidi and Arab sectors are growing faster and with the opening of the new school year, there is a total of 283,650 students in all sectors, including 65,510 in the Zionist sector (religious and non-religious schools).

City officials add that in the secular and dati leumi sector, the number of students in the matriculation program has increased from 64% to 71%.

There are an additional 80 classrooms in the Zionist sector, 84 additional classrooms in the eastern capital, and 200 additional classrooms in the chareidi sector.

New classrooms to be constructed

The city is planning to construct an additional 2,000 classrooms at a cost of NIS 2 billion and is currently actively negotiating with the national government.

The most popular name among students in the capital

Among students entering first grade in secular public schools the most popular name for girls is Neviya () and for the boys, Itai ().

Among students entering first grade in dati leumi public schools the most popular name for girls is Shira () and for the boys, David ().

Among students entering first grade in Arab public schools the most popular name for girls is Gana () and for the boys, Mohammed ().

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Two senior North Korean officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August on the orders of Kim Jong Un, South Koreas JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported, citing people it did not identify.

Ri Yong Jin, a senior official in the education ministry  possibly the minister  was arrested for dozing off during a meeting with Kim and charged with corruption before being killed, the paper said. Former Agriculture Minister Hwang Min was purged over a proposed project seen as a direct challenge to Kims leadership, it said.

If true, it would mark the first executions ordered by Kim from outside his party or the military, the paper said. A spokesman at South Koreas Unification Ministry said he couldnt immediately confirm the JoongAng report.

Kim has carried out a series of executions since taking power in 2011 after his fathers death as he puts his mark on the leadership of the isolated nuclear-armed nation. The most high profile was the killing three years ago of his uncle and one-time deputy Jang Song Thaek. He had about 50 officials executed in 2014 on charges ranging from graft to watching South Korean soap operas.

Kim is continuing to replace the old guard of his fathers regime with loyalists, said Robert Kelly, a political science professor at South Koreas Pusan National University. The charges are obviously trumped up, and this is how promotion or demotion often works in totalitarian states without legitimate venues for opposition.

Kim had his military chief Ri Yong Gil executed in February on charges including corruption, Yonhap News reported at the time. In January last year he executed General Pyon In Son, head of operations in the army, for disagreeing with him; and in May of that year he purged his defense minister Hyon Yong Chol for dozing off at a rally.

Still, reports of purges of senior North Korean officials are not uncommon and at times have proven to be unreliable.

Earlier this month, Seoul announced that a senior North Korean diplomat based in the U.K. had defected to South Korea. The man was among seven diplomats who have defected this year, according to JoongAng Ilbo.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Monday the defections signal a serious fracture within the North Korean regime and raise the prospects of fresh provocations as Kim seeks to maintain control. Her comments came as South Korea and the U.S. hold annual military drills that North Korea calls a prelude to an invasion.

Even so, Kelly at Pusan University said that the isolated state is probably more stable than many people think or want it to be.

I dont think there has been a fracture, he said. So long as China keeps the goodies flowing into Pyongyang, which is like a city-state in an ocean of deprivation, the elites wont turn on each other.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg  Heesu Lee, Sohee Kim
Donald Trump and his aides used to say that voters didnt care about the nitty-gritty of policy details. But now those details are tripping up his campaign.

For more than a week now, as hes tried to shine the spotlight on his rival, Trump has appeared to wrestle with one of his signature proposals: A pledge to expel everyone living in the U.S. illegally with the help of a deportation force.

At a Fox News town hall taping last week, in the face of pressing questions, the GOP nominee proceeded to poll the audience at length on the fate of an estimated 11 million people. It was a stunning display of indecision from a candidate who has asked voters to put enormous faith in his gut instincts.

Trump is now planning a major speech Wednesday, during which hes expected to finally clarify his stance. Supporters are hoping for a strong, decisive showing. But the episode underscores how little time his campaign has invested in outlining how he would accomplish his goals as president, especially when compared with the detailed plans of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. And for critics, many already disposed to vote against him, his wavering on what has been his signature issue seems like a warning that hes unable to handle a central element of any presidents job  making decisions.

Its just puzzling, said Lanhee Chen, who has served as a policy adviser to several Republican presidential candidates. This is the issue on which he rose to prominence in the primary and the issue on which he continues to stake much of his campaign.

From the start, Trump has never been the kind of candidate to pore over thick policy books.

Indeed, he has mocked Clinton on the subject.

Shes got people that sit in cubicles writing policy all day. Nothings ever going to happen. Its just a waste of paper, he told Time Magazine in June. My voters dont care and the public doesnt care. They know youre going to do a good job once youre there.

To date, Trumps campaign has posted just seven policy proposals on his website, totaling just over 9,000 words. There are 38 on Clintons issues page, ranging from efforts to cure Alzheimers disease to Wall Street and criminal justice reform, and her campaign boasts that it has now released 65 policy fact sheets, totaling 112,735 words.

Ive laid out the best I could, the specific plans and ideas that I want to pursue as your president because I have this old-fashioned idea, Clinton said during a recent speech in Colorado. When you run for president, you ought to tell people what you want to do as their president.

Trumps new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, has said shes pushing her boss to get more specific. Yet his positions on a host of issues remain vague at best.

For example, while Trump has slammed the Common Core education standards and touts the benefits of local control of education, he has no formal, detailed plans for improving public schools. He talks about student loan debt and the increasing costs of higher education, but has yet to propose solutions. He has teased plans to make childcare more affordable, but has missed his own deadline for unveiling them.

Trumps supporters say questions about his recent waffling on the deportation question are overblown. His running mate, Mike Pence, describes him as a CEO at work as he consults with various stakeholders.

You see someone who is engaging the American people, listening to the American people, Pence told CNN on Sunday. He is hearing from all sides.

But Chen, the Republican policy adviser, said a President Trump arriving at the White House without detailed plans could be limited in how much he might achieve, since a new presidents power is at its apex early on.

If youre not able to hit the ground running, chances are youre going to run into serious resistance if you sit there studying something for the first 100 days, he said.

(AP)
The following is via LakewoodScoop:

A Jackson man is being hailed as a hero after saving the life of a baby left in a hot car in Howell.

At approximately 1pm on Monday, Patrolman Daniel Scherbinski #663 and Patrolman Edward Homiek #665 responded to Kohls located at 4799 Route 9 in Howell for a report of a child left unattended in a vehicle with the windows closed and doors locked.

Upon arrival at the Kohls parking lot, Ptl. Scherbinski and Homiek located the vehicle, which had its front passenger window shattered and an empty child car seat in the rear seat.

The officers quickly located the calling parties, Steve Eckel, 53 years old of Jackson and Sarah Mazzone, 30 years old of Howell. Eckel and Mazzone, who did not know each other prior to this incident, explained that they walked past the vehicle at about the same time and observed a four-month old child in the vehicle unattended with the windows closed and doors locked. The vehicle was off.

The baby appeared to be in a great deal of distress-screaming, crying, bright red and sweating profusely, police said. The baby was fully clothed with a blanket partially covering her. The temperature at the time was in the upper 80s.

Eckel grabbed a sledgehammer from his vehicle and used it to break the front passenger window of the vehicle and unlock the vehicle. Mazzone and Eckel carried the baby into the air-conditioned Kohls vestibule and contacted police.

While officers were speaking to Eckel and Mazzone, they observed a female  later identified as the mother of the distressed Lakewood baby  approach the vehicle in the parking lot and start to panic. The officers approached her and advised her they had her baby inside the store.

Howell First Aid responded to the scene and treated the baby, who by that time was doing much better as a result of the air conditioning. The investigation revealed that the baby was left in the vehicle in the above described condition for approximately forty minutes.

The mother was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She was released pending court.

The baby was turned over to the custody of her father, who declined any further medical treatment for the baby. The baby appeared to be doing much better after being fed and cooled down.

Chief Andrew Kudrick stated, I recognize the civilians who took immediate action to rescue this child, for they truly saved a life.

Community activist Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg had nothing but praise for Mr. Eckel.

On behalf of the leadership of Lakewood community, wed like express our extreme gratitude for Mr. Eckels involvement in the unfortunate incident yesterday, Rabbi Weisberg told TLS. His unselfish actions were extremely helpful in ensuring this incident had a good outcome. With gratitude to the almighty, it was truly an act of Divine Providence that Mr. Eckel was at the right place at the right time.

(Source: TLS)
Leaders of the chareidi factions in Knesset, Ministers Aryeh Deri and Yaakov Litzman and Moshe Gafne, met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday 26 Menachem Av to discuss the continued chilul Shabbos by Israel Railways.

The chareidim prior to the meeting released messages to the media to lower the tone, claiming they are not initiating a coalition crisis over the matter, but insist the chilul Shabbos by the railway cannot be permitted to continue.

The religious state quo was discussed, with the representatives reminding Mr. Netanyahu he is committed to maintaining the religious status quo under the coalition agreements. They pointed an accusing finger at Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, rejecting his attempt to authorize the chilul Shabbos as being pikuach nefesh, stating clearly this is not so.

They told Mr. Netanyahu they hold the director-general of the railway response, demanding his resignation but they learned they were too late as he already announced he plans to step down next month. However, this seems to have satisfied their need to find a guilty party and there is no coalition crisis over the matter amid assurances from the Prime Minister that he does not have any intentions of changing the religious status quo which his coalition is committed to. Shmiras Shabbos is important to me too and I an unwilling to have them say I am responsible for compromising Shabbos.

They decision was made to establish yet another committee to address Shmiras Shabbos issues. Members of this committee will include the directors-general of the Prime Ministers Office, Ministry of Transportation, and the Ministry of the Economy as well as chareidi faction representatives, a representative of the Education Minister, and a representative of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Israel Police has been instructed to compensate a chareidi man in the amount of NIS 106,000 for unjustifiable violence used against him during an arrest, including the use of a taser gun.

The story began five years ago, when the plaintiff and friends in Bnei Brak were surprised to see police following them. They stopped on the side and began videoing the police but the latter decided filming them was not permitted and placed them under arrest.

The police jumped the person videoing and held him as he, the plaintiff, tried to move his camera and continue filming as he was being restrained. After a few seconds, the police informed him he is under arrest and then he fired his taser at him, striking him in an arm. He was then knocked to the ground and tasered a second time.

Despite being injured, police refused a request to call an ambulance for the plaintiff and only after being brought to the Ramat Gan police station was he taken to a local hospital for treatment. The plaintiff filed a complaint with the Justice Ministry Police Investigation Unit and sued for damages.

Police agreed to a settlement of NIS 106,000, which was presented to and accepted by the court.

Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir told the press I hope this settlement will send a message to police who use their tasers. The time has come that police today realize this is not a game and unauthorized use of a taser will result in the person being hauled into court.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Devilish Ryanair supremo Michael OLeary weighs in on Apples 11bn EU tax bill, suggesting the Irish government should just write a letter to Europe and tell them politely to **** off.

He also calls on all three London airports to build new runways and upset all the Nimbys at one go.

Opinionated: Devilish Ryanair supremo Michael OLeary voices his thoughts on Apples 11bn EU tax bill

As for Brexit, which he opposed, he shrugs: The UK is going to end up looking pretty stupid. Safe to say 1.5m-a-year OLoudmouth, 55, is back from the summer break and firing on all cylinders.

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Swiss banking giant UBS has recruited psychologists to help its analysts think differently about investment ideas.

The bank took a hefty 13bn bath on the 2008 US sub-prime mortgage crisis. Rueful investors might be forgiven for wishing theyd brought the men in white coats in a little sooner.

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Glamorous ex-Thomas Cook chief executive Harriet Green, now a big wheel at IBM, says of her high-flying career: There has been plenty of discomfort along the way. But we cannot expect comfort along this journey.

Everythings about the journey now, isnt it? Doubtless its an Americanism. I recently noted New York-based Hattie, 54, has also acquired a peculiar-sounding mid-Atlantic accent.

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McDonalds boss Steve Easterbrook is the subject of an adulatory profile in US magazine Fortune.

Since taking up the 5.5m -a-year post last year, the British-born ex-grammar school boy has not only turned around the firms fortunes, but delighted ecologists by banning antibiotics in its chicken and converting to cage-free eggs.

The sport-obsessed father of three, 49, holds a science degree and is an avid supporter of Watford FC. Hardly the most likely saviour of the All-Amercian fast food chain.

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PricewaterhouseCoopers is fined 2.3m by the accountancy watchdog the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) over its auditing of sub-prime lender Cattles.

The work was carried out by the firms Leeds office. The FRC is currently probing the same office for signing off BHS as a going concern days before Sir Philip Green sold it to ludicrous Dominic Chappell for 1.
The EUs demand for 11bn of back taxes from Apple has provoked a multitude of different reactions across the Atlantic. In Congress and on the presidential election trail there has been mild approval.

No-one likes tax cheats and there is strong US political momentum aimed at repatriating the trillions of dollars of reserves that US companies have been accumulating in Bermuda and elsewhere to reinvest in the domestic economy.

In the pages of the Wall Street Journal the assault on Apple is seen as a glaring example of Brussels bad practice with bureaucrats using state subsidy rules to impose retrospective taxation. The WSJ notes that other US firms including McDonalds and Amazon are still under scrutiny.

Humbug: Barack Obamas Administration shamelessly exploited the Deepwater Horizon accident to unleash anti-British sentiment against BP costing investors up to 50bn

The most contemptible response comes from the Obama White House and US Treasury. They essentially are telling the EU to butt out of American affairs and that it cannot accept extra-territorial interference. Coming from Barack Obamas White House this is humbug on a grand scale.

This is the very same Administration which in 2010 shamelessly exploited the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico to unleash anti-British sentiment against BP costing investors up to 50bn and almost driving it into bankruptcy.

Indeed, the Americans have been absolutely relentless in the pursuit of European companies. In 2012 GlaxoSmithKline was fined 2.3bn by the Food & Drug Administration over a variety of ethical failings in the sale of medicines in the US. It has just been disclosed that our other great pharma company AstraZeneca has settled a 4.2m bribery charge from the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Meanwhile, European banks must form an orderly queue to pay-up or lose their licences to operate in the US from the American authorities.

Among the biggest victims so far has been BNP Paribas fined a whopping 7bn by the US authorities over its role in mortgage-backed securities. HSBC reached a record breaking settlement with the US over money laundering and Standard Chartered clashed with the New York prosecutors over alleged sanctions busting.

Efforts by the British government to return Royal Bank of Scotland to the private sector are being held back by the threat of a huge fine and penalties over mortgage-backed securities and Barclays recovery is hostage to the same regulatory and fine threat.

Bad behaviour by banks which bamboozled clients by selling them garbage securities and by manipulating markets is abhorrent. But the suggestion that American companies making huge profits in Europe should somehow be excluded from the attentions of enforcers over suspect tax practices is unacceptable.

Europe and the UK have the same rights to enforce their rules, regulations and laws as the gung-ho American authorities. Just a few short months ago President Obama came to Downing Street to tell Britons we would be back of the queue for trade deals with the US should we vote Brexit. How ironic then that the EU, which he defended, has turned its guns on US corporations. As they used to say on Dads Army, they dont like it up them.

Going slow

People often have retired or even passed onto another place waiting for the Financial Reporting Council to finish its work.

The disciplinary action taken against PwC and its auditor Simon Bradburn over the work done on the accounts of credit provider Cattles in the run up to the financial crisis falls into this category. It has taken the audit and governance watchdog almost a decade to impose a penalty of 2.3m, discounted from 3.5m, over an audit which risked the loss of significant sums of money.

In a separate ruling the FRC also has cleared Tescos former chief financial officer Laurie McIlwee over his alleged part in an accounting scandal, which led to profits being over-stated by 263m. It concluded there was no realistic chance that a tribunal would come up with an adverse warning. That is hardly going to make future alleged miscreants shake in their boots.

Both cases illustrate the multiple hurdles through which FRC chief executive Stephen Haddrill has to navigate to discipline accounting miscreants. After the long delays in past cases, partly as a result of the obstructions often placed in the way by rich accounting firms, the FRC is promising swifter justice in the future and has set itself a two-year deadline.

Even that will seem a lifetime to the 11,000 employees and 21,000 members of the retirement scheme waiting for some justice over the failure of BHS. Sir Philip Green rightly is taking most of the flak. But BHS auditors PwC could have done a better job in alerting all stakeholders to an impending disaster.

Juggernaut halted

One of the lessons of the financial crisis, witness Lloyds and HBOS, is that merging two weakened banks doesnt make for a stronger one.

This looks to have been the conclusion of John Cryan of struggling Deutsche Bank when he held preliminary merger talks with Commerzbank late in August. Even if the two lenders were brought together, the market value of the institution would be just 22bn.
A former Barclays trader is being fined 920,000 by US authorities over his part in a massive currency exchange rigging scandal.

Christopher Ashton, 42, was part of an elite group of euro dealers who called themselves the Cartel, according to the Federal Reserve.

They used internet chatrooms to fix currency prices and share confidential information, communicating in code and replacing letters with numbers to avoid detection.

The fixer: Christopher Ashton is also facing a lifetime ban

The aim was to artificially push currency prices up or down, earning extra cash at the expense of the clients in whose money they dealt.

Ashton was desperate to join the group after previously setting up his own online networks such as the Essex Express, which focused on the Japanese yen, and Sterling Lads for the pound.

He fell short of his annual target in 2010, taking home a bonus of 380,000.

The banker then became Barclays main euro trader in 2011 and sought membership of the Cartel as he searched for an edge.

Its members agreed to offer Ashton a one-month trial but existing participant Rohan Ramchandani, a banker at Citi, warned him: Mess this up and sleep with one eye open at night.

Ashton managed to impress his peers and was given full-time membership of the group until it was disbanded at some point in 2012.

Members swapped advice such as if you aint cheating, you aint trying as they discussed ways to fix rates.

In 2011, Ashton hit his target and nearly doubled his bonus to 725,000.

He was eventually promoted to become global head of Barclays FX spot business but was suspended and later fired after the scandal broke.

The banker has since sued Barclays, claiming he blew the whistle on chatroom discussions.

He complained that his sacking was unfair, only to be told by chief operating officer Justin Bull that life isnt fair.

Ashtons lawyers have claimed that investigators misunderstood innocent cockney rhyming slang in chat logs for a secret code.

HSBC BANKER PLEADS NOT GUILTY A top HSBC banker seized by federal agents at a New York airport has pleaded not guilty to fraud. Mark Johnson, 50, headed the banks global foreign exchange team at the time of his arrest last month. It is claimed he and colleague Stuart Scott, 43, were involved in a 2.7bn currency scam in which they made a 6m profit by rigging the market. Johnson is said to have hailed the deal with the words: Ohhh f****** Christmas. The two are alleged to have engaged in front running  buying sterling ahead of a large transaction, knowing the trade would cause the price of the pound to increase. Johnson denies doing anything wrong. Scott has been charged in absentia and is in the UK. He denies the allegations.

The trader lived in the affluent town of Billericay, Essex, in an exclusive gated mews with his 42-year-old wife Kelly-Jane. Their six-bedroom home has five bathrooms, a study, games room, walk-in wardrobe and dressing room as well as a double garage.

The couple, who have been married for 16 years, bought the detached three-storey property in the summer of 2013 for 1.3m. They put it on the market last month and it has since been sold  subject to contract  for almost 1.6m. Designer handbags and shoes which appear to be worth thousands of pounds can be seen displayed in the master bedrooms dressing room in an online sales brochure which shows the inside of the property.

In addition to the Feds fine, which he has the right to formally challenge, Ashton has also been permanently banned from US banking.

A British criminal investigation into the Cartel has been shelved due to lack of evidence but work by the US Department of Justice is continuing.
Petrofac profit

Oil services firm Petrofac has put the headache caused by the delay of the Laggan-Tormore gas plant development behind it.

The FTSE 250 company, which designs, builds, operates and maintains oil and gas facilities, finally delivered a half-year profit after a string of profit warnings last year and said it was on track to meet full-year expectations of 336m profit.

Back on track: Petrofac designs, builds, operates and maintains oil and gas facilities

Revenue for the half-year was up 22 per cent to nearly 3bn and it made a profit of 180m.

Merger probe

A 1.4bn merger of two giant cash machine makers faces an in-depth probe from the UKs competition watchdog.

The takeover of Germanys Wincor Nixdorf by US firm Diebold has been backed by shareholders but the Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation which must be completed by February.

Pinewood deal

A 323m takeover of James Bond-maker Pinewood Studios has been given the thumbs up by the UKs financial regulator.

Buckinghamshire-based Pinewood and Aermont Capital, run by French property tycoon Leon Bressler, said the Financial Conduct Authority had rubber-stamped the tie-up. Shareholders vote on the deal on September 19. Shares rose 8p to 561.5p.

Cybercrime bill

Cybercrime is set to cost the UK economy more than 147bn a year, a report says.

Data compiled by the Greater London Authority Conservatives suggests as many as 1.8m companies in the UK could have experienced a security breach in 2015, and the subsequent costs to businesses are rising.

US optimism

US consumer confidence hit its highest level in nearly a year in August, suggesting economic growth could pick up for the second half of the year.

The Conference Board said that its consumer confidence index rose to a reading of 101.1, up from 96.7 in July.

Bunzl dip

Plastic cup and napkin supplier Bunzl brushed off worries over the Brexit vote despite a slide in sales and profits in the UK.

The company, which distributes a wide range of equipment, said revenues in the UK and Ireland dipped 3 per cent to 523.4m in the first half of the year while profits were down 4 per cent to 36m. Bunzl hiked its interim dividend by 11 per cent to 13p per share. The stock fell 7p to 2413p.

Hershey halt

Cadbury owner Mondelez has ditched plans to buy US rival Hershey. The Cadbury and Oreo biscuits maker had made a 17.5bn cash and shares bid which was rejected, and does not think it can reach an agreement.

Barclays sells
Disgruntled: Andrew Ritchie remains the firms biggest shareholder with around 18 per cent

The creator of the Brompton folding bicycle has stepped down from the companys board  disgruntled at the way the business is run.

Andrew Ritchie, who set up the firm in 1976, is understood to have had a series of minor disagreements with Brompton management, which is embarking on ambitious expansion plans.

Brompton, headed by chief executive Will Butler-Adams, earlier this year secured investment from serial entrepreneur and private equity boss Luke Johnson.

The firm is expanding into China, launching electric bicycles and setting up shop in a new factory in Greenford, west London. It has aimed to double production of its bikes to 100,000 a year by 2020. But profits dipped 37 per cent last year to 2.1m, according to its latest set of accounts.

Brompton is Andrews baby, but hes been unhappy with certain aspects of how the company is developing. Things had started to upset him so he decided to step down from the board, a source told the Press Association.

It is not clear whether Ritchie is unhappy with the aggressive plans to expand the business or with the role played by Johnson, who has gained a reputation for building firms such as Pizza Express and Patisserie Valerie.
AstraZeneca has been forced to fork out 4.2m to settle a bribery probe over allegations staff used gifts and cash to persuade doctors to buy its drugs.

The Anglo-Swedish drugs giant is accused of setting up bogus conferences, organising false travel documents and creating fake tax receipts to reward or influence healthcare providers.

The US markets watchdog claims staff at the pharmaceuticals firm made numerous improper payments to doctors in China and Russia as incentives to buy or prescribe AstraZeneca medicines.

Bitter pill: The US markets watchdog claims staff at the pharmaceuticals firm made numerous improper payments to doctors

The bribery allegations say staff in China  where AstraZeneca employs more than 45,000 people  even created fake bank accounts in doctors names.

It falsely recorded all of the payments as legitimate business expenses, according to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)  which conducted the investigation.

The SEC said AstraZeneca fabricated speaker engagements and used collusive travel vendors, who submitted fake or inflated invoices to generate cash that could be funnelled to healthcare providers.

In some cases the payments included gifts to individual doctors, and in others to hospitals or medical departments.

The investigation, which began in 2010, found Chinese employees went as far as paying local officials to reduce or avoid fines against the company.

In Russia, the SEC said employees made charts to record the names of healthcare providers, their level of influence and manner in which they could be motivated to buy AstraZeneca products.

It said management directed or condoned the practices.

Cambridge-based AstraZeneca yesterday said it had co-operated with the SEC and added the US Department of Justice had closed a related probe.

However, it will be a blow to the reputation of the firm, led by chief executive Pascal Soriot. The allegations relate to before the 57-year-old Frenchman took over in 2012. The SEC confirmed AstraZenecas co-operation and said the firm had taken measures to clampdown on corruption, including dismissing staff involved.

AstraZeneca  whose blockbuster drugs include antacid Nexium and heart drug Crestor  has also enhanced its anti-corruption training and audits. AstraZeneca, which made 18.6bn last year, was ordered to pay 3.3m for profits gained as a result of the conduct, prejudgement interest of 626,000 and a civil money penalty of 286,000.

An AstraZeneca spokesman said: The described conduct occurred between 2005 and 2010, and as noted in the SECs Order, we began enhancing our compliance programme prior to the start of the investigation.

Strong ethics and acting with integrity are central to AstraZenecas code of conduct, which is reinforced through ongoing training and monitoring.
By PTI: Kolkata, Aug 31 (PTI) Two drivers of a popular online cab aggregator service were arrested today for their alleged involvement in raping and killing a 12-year-old pavement dweller in the city.

The duo ? Shankar Shaw and Guddu Singh ? allegedly kidnapped the girl last night by forcing her into an Ola taxi and drove her to the Park Circus flyover where they took turns to rape the minor inside the vehicle, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.

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After gangraping the minor all through the night, the duo killed her by strangulating at around 5 AM and then tossed her body into a canal below the flyover in Topsia area, the officer said.

"A team from Hare Street Police station arrested both and they have confessed their crime," he said.

The drivers had consumed alcohol at Watgunge and then started going around the city looking for soft targets to "have some fun" and it was then they spotted the girl on the pavement on Brabourne Road, the officer added.

The girl was living on the foothpaths of Brabourne Road with her mother who washes utensils in a local shop.

"We got information that a girl was picked up in a private car. And from our traffic control we got the number of the car and alerted every police stations," he said.

The nude body of the minor girl was recovered from the canal and has been sent for post-mortem, the officer added. PTI SCH SUS MRJ

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This Colin Kaepernick thing has been bothering me.

I've gone back and forth on it several times. How could this 20-something-year-old so-and-so not respect the flag that me and my father served, and now my son will serve? Straight up pissed me off.

'Amendment I:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.'

That's from the Constitution I swore to defend, my father swore to defend, and now my son has sworn to defend.

For those living under a rock, Kaepernick chose not to stand during the national anthem before the San Francisco 49ers-Green Bay Packers game. He said, afterward, that he couldn't stand up and honor a nation that oppresses blacks and people color.

I am so done with this 'color' stuff. But maybe that's easy for me to say as a white guy in his early 40s who never has been questioned about his motives ... for the most part, anyway.

Researching Kaep, he never lived a life in the slums. The biological son of a white destitute woman and a black man who was gone before Colin was birthed, he was handed over to the adoption system, where he was adopted by his parents, Rick and Teresa Kaepernick of Wisconsin, before he had to endure the hardships of what sounds like two people who never should have been able to conceive.

Thank God they did because, from what I can tell, Colin is still a fine human being. What has he done wrong? Nothing. He stood for a principle that he believes in. I don't think it's one that all of us agree with, but he exercised his right to express a feeling.

It's not a feeling I can share or many others who are commenting on it. Why? Frankly, skin color.

Here's an excerpt from an interview with U.S. Weekly:

'And every year, in the lobby of every motel, the same thing always happened, and it only got worse as I got older and taller. It didn't matter how close I stood to my family, somebody would walk up to me, a real nervous manager, and say: 'Excuse me. Is there something I can help you with?''

He was born a black infant, grew up in a household of loving white parents and siblings, and entered a world of cynical and judgmental people who questioned what he does because of his skin color. Colin had the benefit of getting out before he knew what reality was, but, as it appears to be, reality eventually caught up with him.

In 2016, we are still dealing with this as a nation. Hispanic, black, Asian, whatever  you're looked upon differently because you aren't like us.

I spent some time in the Middle East during my military career and walked the streets of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Granted, it wasn't Mosul or Kabul, but it was still the Middle East. Never once did I feel my skin color made a difference in how I was treated. Thoughts about me in the backroom might have been different, but I certainly didn't experience it.

I will never agree with what Colin did Saturday night. Hell, Usain Bolt held off an on-air interview after winning an Olympic race to honor the U.S. national anthem. But my Dad, me, my son, my cousin Bryan, my Uncle Ray, my Great-Uncle J.T. and many more served so Kaepernick could make a statement.

What I do want to understand, though, is why he felt he had to do it. After 240 years of 'all men are created equal,' I want to understand why they are still not viewed equal.

Keep it real, Wichita Falls.

Business/metro editor John Ingle can be reached at john.ingle@timesrecordnews.com.
Jonathan Scott Beck, a graduate of Burkburnett High School and Midwestern State University, has joined Smith Wealth Advisors as a financial advisor as part of the Austin firm's expansion strategy.

Beck earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management information systems at MSU. He was employed with Wells Fargo in Wichita Falls, and served as a volunteer with Special Olympics and the Wells Fargo Hotter'N Hell Hundred rest stop. His responsibility with Smith Wealth Advisors will include business development and account management.

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Danielle Howard, of Waurika, Oklahoma, has been named to the summer dean's honor roll at Oklahoma City University.

Students qualify for the honor by completing a minimum of 12 credit hours and maintaining a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

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Five area students have matriculated as freshman at McMurry University in Abilene.

New members of the class of 2020 include William Brooks and Sarah Pellikan, of Burkburnett, Jordyn Eaton, of Knox City, Andrew McVicker, of Olney, and Alexander Smith, of Graham.

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Morgan Johnson, of Burkburnett, is among the 88 members of the class of 2020 at Oklahoma State University's Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. She has begun work toward a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Oklahoma's veterinary college.
Few memories are more vivid for North Texans of a certain age than the takeover of Archer City in 1970 by crews filming the now-classic 'Last Picture Show,' starring Timothy Bottoms, Cybil Shepherd and Jeff Bridges, among others.

For weeks it was all anyone in the area talked about, from celebrity sightings in Wichita Falls to whose old car had earned a spot in the set to which local residents had snagged bit parts in the movie.

From the beginning, Archer City had been the target location for filming. Based on the novel of the same name by Archer City native Larry McMurtry, everyone knew that McMurtry's fictional town of Thalia (renamed Anarene in the movie) was actually Archer City. While the city's downtown had to be aged a bit for the set, all of the necessary businesses were already there, quite as McMurtry had described them.

But while the filming created a huge buzz, not all of it was positive. Some viewed the early 1950s coming of age story as overly lewd, and wanted nothing to do with the film. Others bristled when big-city newsmen described their city as a 'ghost town,' apparently not realizing the cobwebs and faded paint were part of the movie. Some expressed horror that the movie would include skinny dipping scenes (which it did) and salacious sex scenes (which it didn't) and might just get an 'X' rating. Peter Bogdonovich's movie earned an R rating, which would likely by PG-13 today. It also earned scores of awards, including Oscar and Golden Globe Best Picture honors for 1971.

Not even the Archer County oil discoveries of the 1920s put the small county seat on the map like that.
Ghost town talk set for genealogy meet

The North Texas Genealogical Association will meet Sept. 1 at the Museum of North Texas History, 720 Indiana Ave.

Food will be served at 6:30 p.m., with a business meeting to follow. Janet K. Brown will present a program at 7:30 p.m. on the Texas ghost town of Clara.

Information: Chris Chandler, chris.chandler6962@gmail.com.

Porcelain club adds luster to new year

Wichita Falls Porcelain Art Club will start its new year Sept. 1 with a program on the use of lusters when painting porcelain.

The meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. at Luby's Cafeteria, 1801 Ninth St. Past state President Cynthia Pinnell will give the presentation.

Donate blood, get free Sports Clips

The American Red Cross and Sport Clips haircut salon are teaming up in September to offer blood and platelet donors a coupon for a free haircut. The program is intended to encourage donations to meet the ongoing needs of hospital patients.

Those who give blood or platelets Sept. 1-30 will receive a coupon for a free haircut via email several days after their donation. The coupon is valid through Nov. 6 at participating Sport Clips locations. Donors must have a valid email address on record to receive the coupon.

To schedule an appointment to donate, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Half-price book sale planned Saturday

Eight more van-loads of donated book will be included in the September half-price book sale Sept. 3 at the Friends of the Library Book Warehouse at Seventh and Austin streets.

The warehouse sale will run from 7 a.m. to noon. A second sale will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wichita Falls Public Library storeroom, 600 11th St. This will be the final sale at the library site, with all future sales held at the warehouse only.

Both sales will include a variety of books, with free religious volumes for churches and free educational books available to classroom teachers and home-school parents.

The Friends of the Library is an volunteer, nonprofit organization that has supported the library, its programs for children and youth since 1991. The group provides books for the city's 22 Little Free Libraries and will use proceeds from its fall book sales to build additional Little Free Library sites.

Dementia care focus of free workshop

In the late stage of Alzheimer's disease, caregiving typically involves new ways of connecting and interacting with the person with the disease. The Alzheimer's Association's Wichita Falls office will offer information about resources, monitoring of care and providing meaningful connections Sept. 6 with the presentation 'Living with Alzheimer's for Late Stage Caregivers.'

The free discussion will be 2-4 p.m. in Room 180 of the First Texas Building, 901 Indiana Ave. The workshop is designed to help caregivers understand the changes that are occurring and how best to allow for dignity and comfort.

Information: Sue Gross, 767-8800 or 800-272-3900.

Graham to honor first responders

The Young County Serving Our Servants celebration will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 10 at the American Legion building on the courthouse square in Graham.

The event is being organized by the Masonic lodge and other service clubs in Young County to honor the county's first responders and raise money for the emergency relief fund.

A barbecue lunch will be included at a cost of $10 per plate. Children under age 5 will eat free.
This 82-year-old grandpa from Texas attending college with his 18-year-old granddaughter proves that age is just a number.

By India Today Web Desk: At the age of 82, this grandfather is receiving a college degree and that in itself is a huge achievement. But the fact that he gets to do it with his own granddaughter, makes it a special one.



Melaine Salazar, 18, entered Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas, knowing that she will be joined by her very own Grandpa Rene Neira, who is pursuing economics major at the same place.

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Her grandfather, Neira, started college way back in 1950, but had to give up after he got married in his twenties. He took up many jobs to support his family but never found the time to get back to studying his favourite subject - economics. After his wife's death in 2009, he decided to get a degree.

I'm so proud of my grandpa for finishing his first day at PAC this semester! 82 years old and not giving up!!! ?????????? pic.twitter.com/IX4x5RhKXm Melanie Salazar ? (@melaniesalazara) August 24, 2016

The cbsnews quoted Melanie as saying, "He'll spend hours at a time in the library by himself just studying. He is very focused with school work."

She expressed her joy with a congratulatory Twitter post saying, "I'm so proud of my grandpa for finishing his first day at PAC this semester! 82 years old and not giving up!!!" Her tweet has gone viral with more than 2,000 retweets.

After completing his Associate of Arts Degree in Economics, Rene Neira plans to continue his Bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio.





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The Sunrise Optimist Club has selected Hayden Scheuerman, son of Bethany and Dan Scheuerman, and Faith Castle, daughter of Robert and Michelle Castle as its Young Texan, Tex-Anne nominees for August. Both are juniors at Wichita Falls High School.

Faith is an Advanced Placement student and a member of the National Honor Society, school orchestra and newspaper and the Academic Success Program. She is captain of her church's praise dance team and president of its usher board. She holds a part-time job at retailer Justice, and frequently volunteers in the community. As a freshman, she was selected for the National Student Leadership Conference, and has won the Region 9 Career Award in Fashion Marketing.

Hayden is also a student in Advanced Placement classes, and is a member of NHS, Spanish club, student council and Key Club. He has been a Boy Scout since age 10, and completed his Eagle Scout project last year. He regularly volunteers at the Wichita County Humane Society and with Special Olympics and has participated in several church mission projects. He works as a lifeguard during the summer, and has another part-time job maintaining rental houses.

The Young Texan, Tex-Anne program is a competitive program of Optimist Clubs throughout the state. Each month, local Optimists go to a different school for their nominations of a boy and girl. Local winners advance to the state level competition. Several scholarships are awarded at that level each year.
A problem across the state, Texas mandates left for individual counties to enforce is leaving many areas struggling to make financial ends meet.

A recent Texas Association of Counties conference highlighted several of the significant new regulations foisted on the backs of counties with no, or little additional funding. According to the TAC, unfunded, or underfunded mandates are regulations issued by agencies for district counties to undertake specified governmental actions without the funding to support such mandates.

The complexities of state-to-county mandates is a history long and varied. Some duties of counties have been on the books since the adoption of the Texas Constitution on 1876. These duties, such as providing a safe and suitable jail, come with increasing costs to the counties. Programs, like criminal justice grants that could off-set some of these costs, have also seen vicious funding cuts.

Wichita County is facing a $1.7 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year. The county has slashed budgets, frozen salaries, but increases in jail and health care expenses supersede all cost-cutting efforts.

In Wichita County, the cost for housing inmates and maintaining jail facilities is the highest cost to the county. The county spent nearly $250,000 to bring jail facilities up to standard after a failed state inspection. They expect to attempt a bond for a possibly $50 million new jail facility in the next few years.

Over the past several legislative sessions, county leaders have sought to prevent future state unfunded mandates. So far, their efforts have gotten little traction, but TAC representatives and local commissioners implore people to contact state representatives about these unsustainable mandates.

While counties and school districts feel the pains of deep state funding cuts, their ability to make up for these losses is also being limited at the state level.

In the previous state session, Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) authored a bill (Senate Bill 1760) that requires a super majority vote, instead of a simple majority, in order for local leaders to raise property taxes. Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform and Relief Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) praised the move, saying it gives property tax payers the protection they deserve.

This bill stopped a proposed $100 million tax increase for Dallas ISD in mid-August. The 13-cent proposed tax increase was voted 5-4 in favor, but did not get the 6-3 super majority vote needed.

Rep. James Frank (R- Wichita Falls) said while there certainly are some state-to-county mandates, ultimately it is about how to spend the tax payer's money intelligently.

'A taxpayer is a taxpayer, no matter where the tax comes from, and we should be efficient with it,' Frank said Tuesday.

Just as counties have mandates from the state, the states have mandates from the federal government.

'Every level of government has things out of their control. There are a significant number of expenses that are not in our control. That's the way it's set up; each level decides where money is spent and what is cut,' Frank said.

Frank said communication across the levels of government is important and said he will work with Wichita county leaders to address some of their concerns.

County commissioners said they feel that problems for counties are likely to get worse as the Texas Legislature ramps up for its next meeting. While state leaders say they are attempting to create uniformity in a patchwork quilt of varying local rules and regulations, local leaders see the move as another sign of out-of-touch state politicians.
After 39 years working at Child Protective Services, Abilene Regional Director Sherrel Mathews will be replaced at the beginning of September.

She is one of four regional CPS directors who have been fired, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Mathews heard the news Monday that she would be replaced. Her last day will be Sept. 9 when the new regional directors should be revealed, she said. All 10 of the state's regional CPS directors had been required to reapply for their jobs.

Officials gave Mathews no specific reason for her termination, she told the Reporter-News Wednesday, but she believes it is an attempt by the agency to show that they are serious about transforming CPS, which has extremely high staff turnover, voluminous worker case loads, and a lack of foster and other appropriate homes.

Recognizing that CPS is in 'a state of crisis,' it was determined that a look at whether the leadership in each region supports the vision for the agency needed to be made, Mathews said.

'The crisis at CPS is much bigger than changing leadership at the regional level,' she said. 'Until front-line staff are paid at a level that is commiserate with the difficulty of the work that they perform, turnover will continue, in my opinion. Until they're paid better, workers are not going to stay.'

Mathews served as Region 2 director for about 3 1/2 years.

When asked how her firing affected her personally, Mathews paused and said, her voice thick with emotion: 'My passion is and has always been protecting children in Region 2, and I believe that there is a very strong team in place in this region. I believe that commitment will continue.'

ORIGINAL STORY:

AUSTIN (AP)  Child Protective Services has fired four regional directors as it looks to overhaul operations following years of complaints that the agency fails to adequately protect children who are abused or neglected.

The four directors were terminated this week and a fifth in El Paso opted to retire. The five represent half of CPS' regional directors in Texas.

According to the Dallas Morning-News, CPS decided to replace directors in South Texas; the Wichita Falls to Abilene portion of northwest Texas; Central Texas; and counties ringing Houston.

The move is another indication that Henry 'Hank' Whitman, commissioner of the Texas Department Family and Protective Services, which oversees CPS, seeks to introduce significant changes when it comes to the care of vulnerable children.

CPS has long contended with high turnover among caseworkers, low pay and plummeting morale. High-level managers, meanwhile, had continued to remain in place despite repeated instances of the state failing to protect children subject to abuse.
Arlen Jay Kincaid, 54, passed away Monday, August 29, 2016 in Henrietta, Texas. Services will be held Thursday at 11:00 in the Chapel of Hampton Vaughan Funeral Home of Wichita Falls with Roger Deerinwater officiating. Graveside internment will follow immediately afterward at Crestview Memorial Park. Arlen was born on August 2, 1962 in Wichita Falls to Hurshel (HE) and Marpassa (Vaughn Hudson) Kincaid. He lived in Wichita Falls attending Lamar and Jefferson Elementary Schools. The family moved to Lake Arrowhead where he attended Jr. and Sr. High School in Henrietta. After graduating from high school in Henrietta, he followed his father into municipal water product sales. The Marta Company was started in 1971 and in later years AK Storm Shelters was formed. He attended Sunnyside and Fairway Baptist Churches in Wichita Falls with the family. In later years he enjoyed attending services at United Methodist Church of Henrietta.

All of his life he loved working. Working either at the yard, a job site or on 'the project'. Hours and hours were spent digging and moving dirt with his big yellow 'toys'. Boating and fishing were quiet pastimes, while the opportunity to pull a great practical joke could never be overlooked.

Arlen is preceded in death by his father Hurshel Kincaid. He is survived by his mother Marpassa Kincaid; sister Teresa Kincaid-Patterson and husband Gary; and wife Tammy and her grandson Blayne Mayfield. His children are Arlen Jay Jr. of Columbia, SC and Emily of Wichita Falls and their mother Kimberly (Kirby) Kincaid; and Marshall Heath of Wichita Falls and his mother Tracy Franklin and many extended family members and dear lifelong friends.

Condolences to the family may be made at hamptonvaughancrestview.com.
Are voters warming to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton? They are not. A look at a national poll from Quinnipiac University provides a snapshot of the race and the dour narrative fueling it: A majority of voters don't like either candidate. Respondents think Clinton is smart (87 percent) and has the right experience to be president (71 percent), but she's dishonest (66 percent). And Trump? He's not level-headed (71 percent) and lacks appropriate experience (65 percent).

In other words, one's seen as dishonest, the other's a hothead. Negatives like those make one wonder if Americans would consider supporting an alternative candidate. Quinnipiac asked that question and found that yes, 37 percent would consider voting for a third-party candidate, even though they know little about the Libertarian Party's Gary Johnson or the Green Party's Jill Stein.

The best opportunity to begin hearing from one of those alternative candidates would be on Sept. 26, the first presidential debate. With Johnson ahead of Stein (he runs as high as 10 or 11 percent in some polls, compared with Stein's 3 or 4 percent), Quinnipiac asked if he should be included in the presidential debates: 62 percent, nearly two-thirds of respondents, said yes, Johnson should participate.

So, a recap of voter sentiment: With Clinton and Trump competing in a race that looks too much like an ugly baby contest, a lot of Americans would like the chance to take a closer look at Gary Johnson in particular.

What they would find is an outsider candidate, but not a political extremist. In some ways he's a more centrist voice than either the Republican or the Democrat in the field: A former two-term Republican governor from New Mexico, Johnson is liberal on social issues and conservative on money issues. Running with another Republican former governor, William Weld of Massachusetts, Johnson's positions (in support of immigration reform and a balanced budget, for example) make him look a little like that endangered species, the moderate Republican. American voters would benefit from hearing his views.

The hurdle in Johnson's way is the terms set by the private, nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. The group says that to participate a candidate will need to hit an average 15 percent support level in five national polls before late September. Johnson is at 10 percent in a secondary question contained in the Quinnipiac poll results. But if pollsters acknowledged voter dissatisfaction and began treating the 2016 election as a real three-way race, it seems certain the Libertarian Party candidate would get past the 15 percent mark right away, even as a still-relative-unknown.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, pollster Ron Faucheux sees another path to opening up the race. He proposes adopting a tiered system that would include in the first debate all third party candidates with at least 3 percent support. Then he'd raise the threshold to 15 percent for the two remaining debates. That would give Americans an opportunity to hear from the alternative parties on Sept. 26, and would give those candidates a shot at winning broader support from a hungry electorate.

While Faucheux appears willing to allow both Johnson and Stein to debate, Johnson has the most likely route to becoming more than a fringe candidate  which is why we've focused on his chances. He has said he hopes to pick off enough electoral votes to keep either Clinton or Trump from getting the necessary 270. That would move the race to the House of Representatives, where Johnson could be the compromise winner. But with the major-party candidates so reprehensible to so many voters, Johnson said on 'Fox News Sunday' that his objective is to win outright. That's a stretch, but still:

If the Republicans were willing to hear from 10 candidates at the first primary debate last summer (with seven more appearing at a prior forum), then let's respect the wishes of a dissatisfied electorate and open up the first general election debate to Johnson. Once on that stage, it will be on him to make his mark.

Chicago Tribune
Elaine English, Wichita Falls

A recent letter writer claims that President Obama has made the economy bad. Where is the writer getting his or her information? Please provide the source for this. Does it come from Trump's lies?

An Aug. 25 Wall Street Journal article says that none of the 45 surviving former members of the White House Council of Economic Advisers indicated support for Trump and his economic policies. None of them.

They advised presidents, Republican and Democratic, over the past 50 years. When asked by the WSJ, some of them said they did not support Trump and some declined to say either way. But do you understand that none voiced support for Trump?

Here is a quote from the article:

'I have known personally every Republican president since Richard Nixon,' said Harvard University economist Martin Feldstein, who chaired the council under President Ronald Reagan.

'They all showed a real understanding of economics and international affairs . Donald Trump does not have that understanding and does not seem to be concerned about it. That alone disqualifies him in my judgment.'

I lost a lot of money on my 401K thanks to Bush and his economic policy. I am on a fixed income and had to cash in my 401K with a big penalty.

But now the stock market is up, unemployment is down, the price of gas is down, real estate is up. The stock market under Obama so far has shown more growth than any other president in our history except for Clinton and FDR. Source: MarketWatch.com
Much of the criticism of Hillary Clinton over her emails and her family's foundation is unfairly harsh. But the Clintons themselves invite such scrutiny and suspicion.

First, the emails. Months of investigation turned up essentially nothing worthy of being called a scandal. Unless you doubt the integrity of FBI director James Comey  and I don't  any mishandling of classified information was so minimal that 'no reasonable prosecutor' would seek to pursue a case. And the FBI found no evidence, Comey said, that foreign adversaries or anyone else ever hacked their way into Clinton's emails.

That's the bottom line, no matter what critics might claim. Ordinarily, such findings would put the whole matter to rest. But they didn't, largely because of Clinton's own actions and words.

As she has acknowledged, she never should have decided to reject an official State Department email account and instead use a personal account on her family's private server. Clinton's explanation that she took this highly unorthodox step for 'convenience' is as hollow as they come.

As I have written, it seems obvious that she wanted total control of her electronic correspondence  probably to make sure that no personal emails would ever become part of the public record. Did this reflect an obsession with secrecy? Did she have something to hide?

Before drawing conclusions, remember this: It's not paranoia if enemies really are out to get you. The Clintons have been doggedly pursued by their foes for decades. It's understandable that they would try to avoid giving any ammunition to their adversaries.

But rather than come out and say that, Clinton has sought to convince us she did nothing different from what previous secretaries of state had done. This came as a surprise to previous secretaries of state, not one of whom used a personal email server. Why does Clinton keep coming back to this empty rationalization? I have no idea.

Given the political trouble the emails have given her, I believe Clinton when she says that if she had it to do over again, she would just use a State Department account and forget the private server. But there is still a defensiveness in her explanations that makes me wonder if her contrition is more situational than genuine. I'm sorry this caused me such grief isn't the same as I'm sorry I did it.

The other faux scandal for which Clinton is being pilloried  involving the Clinton Foundation and her State Department appointment calendar  has even less substance.

Step back for a moment. Bill and Hillary Clinton established a charitable foundation that even critics say has done much good work. One signature accomplishment is making it possible for millions of people in poor countries to have access to low-cost, lifesaving anti-HIV drugs. The Clintons have donated millions of dollars from their own pockets to the foundation over the years.

In a sane world, this would be considered laudable. In fact, Donald Trump  who now paints the Clinton Foundation as some kind of criminal conspiracy  made a donation of $100,000 to the Clintons' charity through his own foundation. Clearly he thought highly of the Clintons' work at the time.

But now Trump and others allege a 'pay to play' scheme in which big donors to the foundation got access to Clinton while she was secretary of state. To my eye, however, this charge is ludicrous because so many of the donors in question would surely have obtained an audience with the secretary of state anyway.

One foreign luminary often cited as having paid to play is Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain, whose nation had donated to the foundation. The prince was having trouble getting an appointment with Clinton through normal channels, but obtained the meeting after someone from the foundation alerted a top Clinton aide.

What that summary omits is that Bahrain is host to a U.S. naval base that provides our major military presence in the Persian Gulf. Having decided to stick with the Bahraini royals despite popular protests against their rule, there was no way the secretary of state would ultimately leave the crown prince cooling his heels.

Of course, Clinton could have avoided such questions by building an impermeable wall between the foundation and the State Department. But no, the Clintons do not believe in impermeable walls. I wish they would get religion.

Hillary Clinton is running against a man who is wholly unqualified to be president. So she must win. But she also must learn.

Eugene Robinson's email address is eugenerobinson@washpost.com. He writes for The Washington Post Writers Group.
The complaint was filed a day after Ramya lashed out at the RSS and the BJP stating that they were in no way involved in the freedom struggle and were siding with the British.

By Pratiba Raman: Zilla Panchayat President Puttaswamy of Maarchakanahalli, Mandya district, has filed a complaint with the Mandya Police against actor-turned-politician Ramya.

The complaint states that Ramya indulged in social misconduct, made irresponsible statement and this has led to disruption of peace and harmony in the society.

RAMYA TARGETS RSS AND BJP



The complaint was filed a day after Ramya lashed out at the RSS and the BJP stating that they were in no way involved in the freedom struggle and were siding with the British.

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Ramya, last week, was slapped with a sedition case. A Karnataka lawyer moved the court in Kodagu after she rejected Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's statement equating Pakistan to hell. The case is now posted to October 19.

ALSO READ:



Slapped with sedition, defiant Ramya declares she stands by her statement



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New York City

"Cats" is back on Broadway, purring along. "Hamilton" tickets are still hard to get. What else is new this fall? Some big celebrities are coming, including Cate Blanchett, Diane Lane, Janet McTeer, Josh Groban and Liev Schreiber. Some old writers are also showing up, like Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy. Here's a look at some highlights of the first half of the 2016-17 Broadway season:

 Old school tunes: Producers raided the golden age of movie musicals to pull out a stage adaptation of the Bing Crosby-Fred Astaire 1942 film "Holiday Inn." The Broadway cast is led by Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer, Megan Lawrence, Megan Sikora and Corbin Bleu and it has 20 classic Berlin songs, including "Steppin' Out With My Baby," "Shaking the Blues Away," "Easter Parade" and "Cheek to Cheek." (Opens Oct. 6 at Studio 54)

 Small to big: One of the bravest  or most foolhardy  choices on Broadway will be the transfer of the somewhat fragile play "Heisenberg" from its perch at a 150-seat off-Broadway space to a 650-seat Broadway theater. The Simon Stephens play is only about 80 minutes, performed by just two people and with no real set. In the play, two strangers  a 33-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man  embark on an affair. Mary-Louise Parker and Denis Arndt had plenty of fireworks off-Broadway; it remains to be seen if they lose anything getting to the big time. (Previews begin Sept. 20 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre)

 Welcome, queen Cate: Cate Blanchett will make her Broadway debut in Anton Chekhov's first  and long-forgotten  play. The Oscar winner will star opposite Richard Roxburgh in "The Present," which centers on a woman celebrating her 40th birthday at her country summer home. Chekhov wrote it as a young medical student in the 1880s but it went nowhere and the playwright put it aside. It was unearthed in a Moscow bank vault in 1920. (Previews begin Dec. 17 at the Barrymore Theatre)

 Feel familiar, Diane?: Diane Lane made her Broadway debut at age 12 in the 1977 revival of "The Cherry Orchard," goofing around backstage with co-stars Raul Julia and Meryl Streep. Now she's coming back in the same play. It's a new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's classic play by Tony Award-winner Stephen Karam, who wrote "The Humans." The rest of the cast includes Tavi Gevinson, Chuck Cooper, John Glover, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Joel Grey. (Previews begin Sept. 15 at the American Airlines Theatre)

 Old media: Hello, sweetheart. Gimme rewrite: "The Front Page," a jaundiced view of newspaper journalism from 1928, is coming back this fall in an era when print reporters are on the decline. The cast  including Nathan Lane, John Slattery, John Goodman, Jefferson Mays, Rosemary Harris and Sherie Rene Scott  will be no doubt be fast-talking and wise-cracking. Whether they can avoid the now-massive cliches in the script is another matter. (Previews begin Oct. 8 at the Booth Theatre)

 New media: If "The Front Page" celebrates old mainstream media, the musical "Dear Even Hansen" does the same for the digital age. It stars the appealing Ben Platt of "Pitch Perfect" and has great songs by the duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. In the musical, a misfit teen writes a private letter to himself that accidentally goes viral, with astounding results. Whether this smallish show will wilt or thrive under Broadway lights is up for debate. (Previews begin in November at the Belasco Theatre)

 Old school magic: The magic supergroup "The Illusionists" returns with eight magicians  including, for the first time, a female contingent  as part of a show celebrating the tricks and mood of the Golden Age of Magic, from 1903 to 1927. Expect levitation, card tricks and death-defying escapes and costumes true to the era. The new show will also tip its hat to the era's most famous guy with nothing up his sleeve  Harry Houdini. (Previews begin Nov. 25 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater)

 Cult favorite: True theater geeks will adore the news that "Falsettos" is being revived. The William Finn-James Lapine show is actually the pairing of two one-act musicals written nearly a decade apart "Falsettos" follows Marvin as he struggles to create a family out of his eclectic relationships that includes his ex-wife, his new boyfriend, his adolescent son and his psychiatrist. The revival stars Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block and Andrew Rannells. (Previews begin Sept. 29 at the Walter Kerr Theatre)

 Scheming seducers: The second Broadway revival of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," a play about power and seduction in 18th century France, will return this fall from London, starring Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber. Christopher Hampton's dark comedy became an award-winning sensation in London and on Broadway in 1985, followed by the 1988 film starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer. (Performances begin Oct. 8 at the Booth Theatre)

 Tolstoy, sung: One of the more out-of-left field options this fall will be "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812," a sung-through musical that dramatizes a 70-page melodrama at the center of Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace." Josh Groban will star, but the transfer to Broadway may be tough. When it was off-Broadway, the show tried to erase the line between audience and performer by offering a full Russian-themed meal and audience members were asked to pass along love letters and interact with actors. How will the show keep its immersive soul? (Previews begin Oct. 18 at the Imperial Theatre)

 Watch the closing doors: Some of the folks behind the films "Frozen" and "Pitch Perfect," have combined for a new musical  "In Transit," an a cappella romantic comedy set in the New York City subway. The show has a book, music and lyrics co-written by Academy Award winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez of "Frozen" fame and vocal arrangements are by Deke Sharon, of the "Pitch Perfect" movies. Kathleen Marshall will direct. (Previews begin Nov. 10 at the Circle in the Square Theatre)

 Hey, taxi!: From the subways to the street, Broadway will feature taxis in the only one of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's plays in his the American Century Cycle that hasn't been seen on Broadway until now. "Jitney" centers on a group of men trying to eke out a living by driving unlicensed cabs, or jitneys. Ruben Santiago-Hudson will direct. (Previews begin Dec. 28 at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre)
Disney

"The Jungle Book": A young boy survives in the jungle with a little help from his animal friends. Director Jon Favreau, who showed with "Iron Man" his skill at handling movies with heavy special effects, uses a blend of the original writings with the whimsy of the Disney 1967 animated classic and the realism of the 1994 version starring Jason Scott Lee. The latest film has one minor flaw that wouldn't have come across so blatantly had the construction of the world and characters not been so realistic. Favreau places two musical numbers (lifted from the animated version) in the film, and both seem completely out of place in what otherwise looks so realistic. It's the way all of these bits and pieces are presented that makes this movie the new king of the jungle movies.

"Me Before You": In this era of amazing computer-generated special effects, it's easy to make an audience believe that a man can fly or that giant alien spaceships can show up around the globe. It's far more difficult to make an audience believe that two people have fallen in love. But that's what Emilia Clarke (Lou) and Sam Claflin (Will) accomplish in the big-screen adaptation of Jojo Moyes' best-selling book. The film could have become entangled in deep political and philosophical discussions about how precious life is, even when circumstances change so dramatically. Whether it is Wills' parents' reactions or the relentless way Lou tries to show the wonders of the world, the film comes down to one very human decision.
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Albany

Mayor Kathy Sheehan is backing a program to help young offenders get legal assistance and other services as they transition back into society and secure jobs and housing.

The Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program will provide "access to legal aid, educational resources, employment placing and other core services afforded to public housing residents in Albany," according to a news release issued by the Albany Housing Authority and the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York.

The agencies are working together on the program, which helps past offenders up to age 24 who are either living in public housing  or who would be living there if not for their past legal troubles.

The mayor announced the program in a news conference at the W.A.G.E. Center on Green Street, joined by Lillian Moy, executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York and Albany Housing Authority Executive Director Steven T. Longo.

rgavin@timesunion.com  518-434-2403  @RobertGavinTU
Hoosick Falls

State and local officials heaped criticism on the federal Environmental Protection Agency at a long-awaited state Senate hearing held Tuesday after months of public outrage over the official response to the water contamination crisis in Rensselaer County.

"What we could use is a little less confusion from EPA," said state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, who charged the federal agency had offered shifting guidance on the safe level of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in water.

In 2009, the EPA advised that water should not be used for even short-term use  weeks or months  if its PFOA concentration exceeded 400 parts per trillion.

Nevertheless, Zucker cited what he termed a "dramatic shift" in policy by EPA's Region 2 in December 2015 that led the federal agency to advise Hoosick Falls' residents against use of water from the municipal supply.

Testing on the Hoosick Falls municipal water and private wells had turned up levels above 400 ppt.

The state health commissioner said EPA's December recommendation  which came a few weeks after a Health Department fact sheet said "health effects are not expected to occur from normal use of the water"  surprised and confused state officials.

"They come from basically left field in December of 2015 ... and they say don't drink the water," Zucker said. "They then in May of 2016 put out their new health advisory of 70 parts per trillion. But even in that advisory, they don't say, 'If you're above 70 (ppt), don't drink the water.' ... So what confused us is they didn't mention, 'Don't drink the water ... above a certain level,' and do now."

Some of the most dramatic testimony came from one of the day's first witnesses: Michael Hickey, the resident who had begun testing the local water not long after the 2013 death of his father from kidney cancer, one of the diseases linked to PFOA exposure.

Hickey's father worked for three decades at the Saint-Gobain plant and as a local school bus driver.

"What would he have wanted me to do?" said Hickey, who fell silent several times as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "I think it goes back to the kids on the bus. Because ... that was his family as well. I think that what he would have wanted was to protect them as well."

The hearing ran through the day without a break. Sen. Kathy Marchione, the Halfmoon Republican who represents the affected area, was a chief questioner along with the chairs of the chamber's Health and Environmental committees, Sens. Kemp Hannon and Tom O'Mara.

Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos, appearing after Zucker, knocked what he termed EPA's "shifting and conflicting" guidance in the initial response to the discovery of the contamination by local resident Michael Hickey in 2014.

The comments came in the latest round in a bout between Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration and the federal agency over the response to the PFOA contamination in Hoosick Falls and the nearby community of Petersburgh. The substance, which has been linked to numerous human diseases including cancer, was used for decades in the production of non-stick cookware. The state in January designated the Saint-Gobain plant as a Superfund site.

The EPA submitted a statement to the state Senate hearing  the first of four state legislative sessions on water quality planned for the coming weeks  but declined to send a representative.

Also turning down invitations were representatives from Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell, the companies identified as the likely responsible parties in the pollution. (Seggos called the evidence identifying them "incontrovertible.")

Though the state Senate has the power to subpoena witnesses to appear at a hearing, it did not do so for the session. "A subpoena is never the first step, it's a last resort," said Scott Reif, spokesman for the Senate's Republican majority, who noted there will be two more Senate hearings.

Rebutting the accusations that the EPA's guidance in December was a major shift, EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck in an interview with the Times Union pointed to the agency's 2009 recommendation that PFOA in water supplies should not exceed 400 ppt.

Testing in Hoosick Falls prior to EPA's December 2015 advisory showed public and private wells that exceeded that limit, some of which were above 600 ppt. "So when I first learned of the exceedance, we had multiple conversations (in 2015) with the state Health Department where they made a judgment not to follow the existing number of 400 ppt," Enck said.

"They said (at the hearing) there was a built-in margin of safety and they didn't need to follow it," she said. " ... The health department wasn't confused, they just simply disagreed."

Just before the hearing, the state released a letter from Zucker and Seggos to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy asking the EPA to reimburse New York for "any costs incurred during the response to the situation in Hoosick Falls that are not ultimately paid by the polluters." As in the state officials' testimony, the letter cited what they characterized as "changing, conflicting guidance from the EPA about PFOA (that) exacerbated the challenge in Hoosick Falls, resulting in undue public confusion and the marshaling of unprecedented state resources in order to adapt to the EPA's shifting advisories and recommendations."

Enck told the Times Union the state's request was misplaced, saying the purpose of federal and state Superfund laws is to ensure polluters, not taxpayers cover those costs. New York's letter, she said, signals it's already giving up on its efforts to recoup those costs.

"The Superfund law requires that the identified polluters pay the full costs," Enck said. "I'd hate to think the state of New York is already throwing in the towel if they have costs they can't get covered."

Reif criticized Enck for speaking to the Times Union and in lieu of appearing at the hearing. "It's pretty disingenuous for the EPA to be responding blow by blow to what is happening at the Senate's hearing on Hoosick Falls when they repeatedly declined our invitation to come and testify," the Senate spokesman said.

Seggos said the state's costs  including the installation of hundreds of filtering systems on public and private wells  have already topped $25 million, and are expected to grow. The state is already exploring options for a new water source for the community.

"I expect the cleanup to take a long time," Seggos said.

Brendan Lyons contributed. mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
Saratoga Springs

Should racehorses have their own pension plans? Not exactly, but horse owners need to set aside money for the "aftercare" of the animals when they have finished their racing careers.

And while equine 401(k)s may be some ways off, the use of microchip implants to help identify and track the fortunes of retired racehorses is already here.

Many thoroughbreds now have them and starting in 2017 thoroughbred foals in New York will have to get the implants according to rules set out by The Jockey Club, which oversees registration of the breed.

Microchips and post-racing boarding costs were discussed during a symposium Tuesday sponsored by the state Gaming Commission at the Fasig Tipton pavilion, where top racehorses are auctioned off every year.

Participants said there is more need than ever to address ''aftercare,'' which describes what happens to racehorses after they can no longer race.

Thoroughbreds, for instance, may only race until age 5 or 6 but they can easily live 20 years longer.

Some retired horses meet cruel fates that can include being sent out of state where they can be auctioned off for slaughter in Canada or Europe.

Other breeds, such as standardbreds can end up as workhorses for Amish farmers, where they can face harsh conditions, said meeting participants.

The lucky horses are put out to pasture, or are breeders or find what horse enthusiasts said was a second career.

In addition to becoming pets, some can find roles as police horses or as service animals that are cared for by troubled youngsters, veterans or even prison inmates as part of their rehabilitation and therapy.

There are lots of organizations such as rescue groups or retirement farms for former racehorses.

And there's a national parent organization, the Thoroughbred After Care Alliance, which offers grants to help pay for horse care.

But the cost remains an issue.

To help, the New York Racing Association, which operates the Saratoga, Belmont, and Aqueduct tracks, has instituted a $5-per-start fee, which the Association then matches.

NYRA President Chris Kay said they expect to contribute between $80,000 and $100,000 this year to aftercare efforts.

Additionally, a local consortium of rescue organizations in the Saratoga Springs area is gaining momentum. The Saratoga Racehorse Aftercare Charitable Endeavor was launched last year and is up and running, noted Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen. She is hoping that Saratoga Springs becomes a "model city'' for the care of such animals.

Still, there are other challenges, including a lack of information about where retired racehorses eventually end up.

Jack Knowlton, founding partner of Sackatoga Stables, which fielded 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, said he recently worked with The Jockey Club to track thoroughbreds that ran between 2010 and 2012.

They were unable to trace 2,812 of 3,894 horses who had retired.

That's where technology such as microchips can play a role.

The chips, about the size of a grain of rice, won't track a horse in real-time like a GPS device, say officials. But with a special wand, they can serve as accurate ways to identify a particular animal.

Some speakers said they hoped that Border Patrol agents could someday use them to see if animals are being shipped to Canadian slaughterhouses.

Tuesday's discussion came as increasing attention has been focused on the welfare of racehorses.

So far during this meet, there have been 14 deaths in and around the Saratoga Race Course, and the issue has sparked protests among animal rights activists.

Additionally, the Gaming Commission on Tuesday said they were adding a new requirement for those seeking to get or maintain a trainer's license.

Horse trainers will have to attest that they have viewed an online video, explaining how retired horses should be cared for.

One of the video's speakers, famed trainer Nick Zito said people need to view horses as more than racing devices.

"It's a breathing, living thing. It's not machinery,'' he said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518-454-5758  @RickKarlinTU
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Lake George

An area father of two was shocked Wednesday when he heard a radio announcer say a registered sex offender had been employed at the Magic Forest amusement park this summer. A quick Google search brought up photos of the man.

"That worker looks exactly like ..." the father recalled saying. "Oh God."

Pulling up a posed photo from his Aug. 24 visit to Magic Forest with his wife, 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter, he said he matched the face of "Santa" to the man in the mugshot.

"He seemed normal, maybe a little overly friendly," said the father, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. "He had the kids sit in his sleigh  not his lap."

A registered sex offender working this summer at the Magic Forest amusement park had filled in shifts as "Santa," among other tasks, park owner Jack Gillette said Wednesday.

Francis S. Germaine, 65, of Warrensburg, was arrested Tuesday after failing to notify law enforcement of his change in employment as required, said Warren County Sheriff's Lt. Steve Stockdale.

Germaine, who served a prison term for attempted first-degree rape in 1998, was arraigned on the felony charge under state corrections law and sent to the county jail where he was released after posting bail.

Germaine is designated as a Level 3 sex offender, the strongest rating, meaning there is a high risk of repeat offense and a threat to public safety exists. He has a criminal history with more than one rape arrest, Stockdale said.

At first, Gillette said Tuesday that Germaine had not had contact with children in his job. But after the Santa photo surfaced Wednesday, Gillette back-pedalled, saying he was actually unaware of all of Germaine's park shifts  specifically last week when Gillette had been traveling on business,

"He was hired mainly to do grounds but if someone called in sick he covered their shift," Gillette said.

The photo taken by the anonymous father shows his wife and two children posing with a man who appears to be a waving Germaine, who is dressed as Santa outside "Santa's Hideaway." Gillette said the attraction is "a wide-open room with a sleigh, fireplace and Christmas tree."

"Oh, that's extra creepy," Stockdale said, reacting to the news. The Sheriff's Office was not aware Germaine had worked as Santa.

The Sheriff's Office learned of Germaine's change of employment through an anonymous online tip Monday. Soon after, an officer located Germaine working at the park, Stockdale said. He was fired from the job and turned himself in for arrest Tuesday morning.

"We wouldn't have hired him if we had known," Gillette said.

Since a long-time employee had recommended Germaine for the job, his background was not checked. The owner said he had never received complaints about Germaine's employment or had any problems with him.

"He was arrested for not filing his job and that was the only problem," Gillette said. "It was not about where he was working."

Stockdale said Germaine's employment at the park was not illegal.

"He is not on post-release supervision so there is no real limitation on who he can be around," Stockdale said. "It's not against the law but we would suggest there is an issue with a sex offender of this level working around young children."
By Manjeet Negi: Army chief General Dalbir Singh today launched a website on the Army's Make Projects. He also emphasized that the Ministry of Defence can make successful use of MAKE projects in import substitution which needs to be accelerated as private industry has time and again proved that they have the requisite technologies, technical competence and capabilities to deliver the solutions. He said that these are the low hanging fruits which the Ministry of Defence can start working on immediately. With increasing levels of import substitution, India will be closer to its goal of self-reliance.



On the occasion, General Dalbir Singh had announced that the Indian Army was soon going to have its own Design Bureau. Rapid changes in technology and consequent changes in war fighting techniques, requires the user i.e. Army to be constantly involved at every stage from conceptualization, design, development, trials and production for sustenance. To facilitate the same, the Army Design Bureau shall be the interface of the Army with DRDO, Academia, DPSU's, OFB's and private industry paving way for high quality research and development of defence products.



Following the formal announcement of establishment of the Army Design Bureau and launch of the Website, a detailed deliberation on the Army's Make Projects was carried out in the second session of the seminar. The Army has identified 10 projects under 'Make' category for manufacturing by domestic defence industry. These projects were uploaded on MoD websites about two months back for information of industry and the research agencies working in the field. These projects include 125 mm smooth bore barrel with gun article, improved ammunition for T-72 and T-90 tanks, 1000 HP engines for T-72, Individual Under Water Breathing Apparatus, Environment Control Unit and Auxiliary Power Units for T-90 tanks Advanced Pilotless Target Aircrafts, Maneuverable Expendable Aerial Targets, Tracked Light Dozers, Assault Track Way and Modern Aircraft Refueling Pump. Sources have revealed that the Indian Army is considering more projects to be taken up in Make category, for which the preliminary process is already on.



The Seminar on Make Projects was organized in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi. The Secretary Defence Production AK Gupta, Secretary Defence Production was the Guest of Honour at the event which was attended by a large number of dignitaries and senior representatives of Indian Industry, Academia and leading research agencies.

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Also read: Army chief Dalbir Singh visits Kashmir, reviews security situation





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A far-flung Greek island? The French countryside? Maybe Beverly Hills?

Think closer to home.

This fabulous, palatial Beaux Artsstyle mansion is located right here on three acres in the North Berkeley hills and on the market for $7.5 million.

Modeled after an Austrian princesses' Corfu palace, the architectural masterpiece was designated a City of Berkeley historical landmark in 2000.

"There's nothing else like it," says listing agent Herman Chan of Sotheby's. "In the East Bay it's literally one-of-a-kind and like a piece of art. It's like Berkeley's version of Hearst Castle."

Hearst Castle might be a stretch, but no doubt this palatial property at 1960 San Antonio Ave. is noteworthy with a 30-foot-tall atrium flanked by Tuscan columns, a 15-foot-wide grand staircase, and a portico at both the front and back entrances. The living and dining room walls are covered in tapestries and heavy wrought-iron chandeliers hang from a boxed ceiling.

The six-bedroom, 12,000 square-foot property was originally built in 1912 by entrepreneur John Hopkins Spring whose most notable achievements include developing the town of Albany, investing in the Claremont Hotel and opening S.F.'s first department store, City of Paris in Union Square.

Spring lived in the property for only a few years before he and his wife divorced, and he moved to San Francisco, but the estate has always been known as the Spring Mansion.

Spring sold the mansion to educator Cora Williams who turned it into a tony secondary school with an emphasis on the arts, poetry, language and literature, according to the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Real estate investor Larry Leon purchased the home in 1975 and lived there until 2005, when John Park, the founder of a company called Fortiss that runs casinos, bought it with plans to live there permanently. But the Spring Mansion has sat empty ever since as Park moved to Los Angeles.

Park hired a groundskeeper to care for the mansion and its grounds, and put the property up for sale in 2010 and then again in 2014, but nobody jumped on the opportunity.

Your guide to living in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley and beyond New in town? Looking for a change of scenery? Find your new home or apartment. Your guide to living in the Capital Region, Catskills and Hudson Valley

Now, 1960 San Antonio is back on the market after an upgrade led by interior designer and HGTV star Cora Sue Anthony. With many of the rooms receiving a fresh coat of paint, the property has a more modern handsome look.

"The interior was yellow and turquoise and orange," Chan said. "It was like Taco Bell meets Cirque du Soleil. It was a disaster. We took out drapes and carpeting. Gave it a neutral color palette. It was by no means a full renovation, and we couldn't do all the rooms. The master bedroom is the showroom and now you can see what could be done with this property."

Skylights and new mechanical systems were also installed.

"We wanted to honor its past and pay homage to history and heritage, but we wanted to make it a more modern livable home," Chan said.
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Albany

Languishing for years as political prisoners in an Iranian jail on sham charges of attempting to overthrow the government, brothers Dr. Kamiar Alaei and Dr. Arash Alaei endured harsh treatment because they found hope in the act of learning and teaching.

The imprisoned medical doctors, pioneers in the treatment of HIV and AIDS in repressive regimes, scrounged up old textbooks, organized classes and spread a feeling of optimism inside the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. Despite shackles and bars, their minds remained unfettered.

Now, the Alaeis, who are the recipients of international humanitarian awards, are paying it forward. With the help of colleagues at UAlbany  where the brothers created the Global Institute for Health and Human Rights  they've developed an online program of science classes in Arabic for former medical students in war-torn Syria.

The courses are delivered over cellphones with a mobile app platform under development by UAlbany computer programmers.

So far, 320 displaced medical students have signed up for the free online courses. They are among an estimated 200,000 Syrian university students whose education was interrupted by the war.

A UNESCO study found that more than 90 percent of college-age refugees and migrants around the world had cellphones, which serve as their lifeline.

The students can be anywhere. They're scattered across the embattled country and beyond, from the besieged city of Aleppo to relatively safe zones just over the border in Turkey and Jordan.

If they are in danger of gunfire or mortars, the students dart through rubble-strewn streets  cellphones safe in their pockets still playing that week's lecture in Arabic through ear buds.

"It reminded us how hungry these young people are for knowledge and to keep learning," Dr. Arash Alaei said. "Every day can seem like a year to them. We must not let them lose their hope. These are great minds we cannot waste."

The students' lives were upended by a five-year civil war in Syria that has left more than 250,000 dead and 11 million displaced. The students were forced to suspend their medical courses after the fighting shut down universities.

In the UAlbany program, which began in June with a course on genetics and a few other medical-related science courses, live online sessions have been interrupted by explosions, emergency sirens and power outages.

"We're all volunteering our free time out of a passion to help these Syrian students," said Dr. Arash Alaei, 47, who in 2011 after three years of imprisonment was released following a vigorous international campaign by physicians and activists. "So many people helped us when we were in prison. This is our chance to help other people."

"We never lost hope in prison because we taught classes and many people around the world were working to get us released," said Dr. Kamiar Alaei, 42, of UAlbany's Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. He was released from prison in 2010 after two years. "We are trying to keep hope alive in these medical students as they flee war. Our program is sending them a strong message they have not been forgotten."

The Alaei brothers, both of whom teach in UAlbany's School of Public Health, praised their colleagues' willingness to volunteer to put their idea into action after just two months of planning.

"Other universities are still talking about doing something like this, but UAlbany took action," Kamiar Alaei said. "Action speaks louder than words."

The program hit home for Sumayya Alchalabi, a doctoral student in biomedical sciences, who was displaced from her home in Mosul, Iraq, by warfare. She sought asylum in Albany in 2014 with her husband and family members who had fled to a refugee camp in Kurdistan.

"I understand their situation and all the difficulties and obstacles they've overcome," said Alchalabi, who is bilingual and who teaches sessions via live video in Arabic, interspersed with medical terms in English. A dozen or more students huddled around a laptop screen in a darkened basement, where they took cover from bombings. When alarms sounded, a few excused themselves to treat the wounded.

"The effort everyone has put into this is phenomenal. We're bringing challenging courses from Albany to Aleppo," said professor Doug Conklin, whose Introduction to Genetics course at UAlbany is videotaped and later translated into Arabic. He leaves out puns and jokes likely to be lost in translation.

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A major component of the courses is the accompanying intensive English-language tutoring.

"It's very rewarding to see the community of Syrian students building and to see how they interact and help each other," said Krassi Rangelov, a faculty member in UAlbany's Intensive English Language Program and a volunteer teacher.

"It's very inspiring," agreed Amy Bonser Feldman, a colleague in the IELP program and also a volunteer teacher. "They face so many obstacles and yet they persevere." "This project is rewarding for them as well as for us," said Ibtihal Altalhi, an intern with the Alaeis' institute who emigrated from Saudi Arabia and earned a master's degree in political science from UAlbany in 2015. She is a project coordinator who also assists with Arabic translation.

"We're helping them continue the education they deserve," said Dhanisha Nandigana, a sophomore molecular biology major and an intern who sets up audio-visual equipment to record lectures.

In mid-September, the Alaeis have scheduled a conference call with officials at the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations as they seek funding to expand the program. They have an eye to taking their program global.

The Alaei brothers are fond of a Persian saying: "If you want to achieve a big goal, you must swim in the ocean."

Their ocean is a cellphone, an internet connection, passionate volunteers and minds that refuse to be imprisoned.

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623  @PaulGrondahl
Sources in the party said that the CD reportedly showed Sandeep Kumar in a compromising position and also carried some objectionable photographs.

By India Today Web Desk: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ousted Social Welfare Minister, Sandeep Kumar, from the Cabinet today after receiving an "objectionable CD" of him.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief took to micro-blogging site Twitter to make the announcement. "Recd "objectionable" CD of minister Sandeep Kr. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That can't be compromised," Kejriwal tweeted.

Recd "objectionable" CD of minister Sandeep Kr. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That can't be compromised(1/2); Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 31, 2016

Removing him from Cabinet wid immediate effect(2/2); Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 31, 2016

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The chief minister held an emergency meet at his residence tonight.

Sources in the party said that the CD reportedly showed Kumar in a compromising position and also carried some objectionable photographs.

"AAP will not tolerate any allegations of corruption or impropriety. AAP works with a zero tolerance policy. Not just ministers, we have 67 MLAs. We will not tolerate such behaviour from anyone in any position in the party," he added.

Last year on International Women's Day, March 8, 2015, the AAP minister thanked his wife Ritu for "sacrifices" she made for him and added "Main roz subah inke pair chhoota hoon [I touch her feet every morning]". This statement of his received a thunderous applause from audience in the Delhi Secretariat auditorium.



COMPLAINANT VS AAP



CD purportedly shows Sandeep Kumar in compromising positions with two women.

Meanwhile, complainant Om Prakash alleged that the CD was handed over to Kejriwal 15 days ago, however, the CM failed to take any action.

"I had given the CD to Kejriwal 15 days ago. He never took action, so I gave it to Lt Gen Najeeb Jung," Om Prakash told India Today Television.

However, Kejriwal's office refuted the complainant's statements and said that they received the CD at 8 pm today and within half-an-hour, resorted to action against the minister.



REACTIONS

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Ajay Maken too attacked the AAP, saying three of the six ministers who were initially inducted were caught for alleged "fake degree, corruption, moral turpitude". Ajay Maken tweeted:

3 of 6 Ministers in AAP Govt caught for: 1.FakeDegree

2.Corruption

3MoralTurpitude

But who chose them?

Why aren't they expelled from Party?; Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) August 31, 2016

Kejriwal Ministry- 1.LawMinister-Fake Law Degree

2.CivilSuppliesMinister-Corruption

3.Women&ChildDevelopment Minister-#SexCD

Just 18months; Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) August 31, 2016

Former Delhi chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, told India Today Television, "There are nothing but AAP's diversionary tactics. They are simply fooling Delhi voters."

BJP PROTEST

Following the incident, BJP accused the chief minister of failing to take action against Kumar, despite getting a copy of the CD ten days ago.

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The BJP has also decided to hold a demonstration outside the chief minister's residence to demand the expulsion of Kumar from the Delhi Assembly and all other MLAs involved in similar cases.

DCW CHIEF LAUDS CM'S DECISION



Lauding the AAP's government's decision to sack Sandeep Kumar, Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal tweeted, "Acts of Sandeep Kumar shocking and unfortunate. Such people don't deserve to be Minister, yet alone WCD Minister! Good Govt has sacked him."

Acts of Sandeep Kumar shocking and unfortunate. Such people don't deserve to be Minister, yet alone WCD Minister! Good Govt has sacked him.

; Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) August 31, 2016



Also read:



Jung opens new front against Kejriwal, appoints 3-member probe panel

Najeeb Jung to dig up Kejriwal govt's past, orders review of 400 files with 'infirmities, irregularities'



--- ENDS ---
A war of words has broken out between TDs in Tipperary over what exactly is planned for South Tipperary General Hospital.

Last week, Deputy Michael Lowry announced that there were plans for a 40-patient modular patient hotel to ease overcrowding at the facility, along with 22 new jobs.

However, his claims have been rubbished this week by his fellow Dail deputies amid bickering over who, if anybody, should eventually claim credit for what ever is put in place.

And the HSE said: To date, South Tipperary General Hospital has had no official confirmation that it is to receive any beds relating to the patient hotel concept.

However, it did say that the option of a patient hotel for South Tipperary General Hospital was under discussion.

All of this political bickering over claiming credit for Clonmel Hospital is unsavoury and childish, declared Labour's Alan Kelly. Fianna Fail's Jackie Cahill, referring to Deputy Lowry, said: People can roar and bawl over claiming credit, but I'll be looking to deliver top class facilities for Tipperary.

Deputy Mattie McGrath maintained that Deputy Lowry was on a solo run, while Deputy Seamus Healy, gave grudging support to Deputy Lowry, saying any announcement was because of the work done by his Save our Acute Hospital Services Committee.

Deputy Kelly was adamant that no decision had yet been made on what would go into South Tipp General Hospital.

Following numerous discussions with the HSE, I can confirm that no decision has been made on the 2016/17 winter initiative. This plan will be presented at national level in early September following submissions by regional management, he said.

The former Minister for the Environment said he understood that a number of options were being looked at and the priority will be to ensure that they are implemenetable.

Many factors are being considered. Cashel is also being looked at, he said.

Deputy Cahill maintained that Minister for Health Simon Harris had told him no final decision had been made on what would be put in place.

Deputy Lowry is playing politics. I think he has a contact within the HSE who is feeding him information

I can't see the logic of leaving Cashel closed when it has been refurbished, he said. The Thurles TD also questioned whether a patient hotel would get past any Hiqa inspection.

Asked whether Fianna Fail should reconsider facilitating the minority Government in light of what appeared to be one TD having greater access to Ministers, Deputy Cahill said: The Taoiseach is on the Dail record saying he had no deal with Michael Lowry. Deputy Lowry has promised a lot before, such as the bypass for Thurles and the casino development, and it has all been nothing but a cloud of smoke.

He said the reality was that anything that would be delivered for health services in Tipperary would be down to lobbying by all the TDS and not just one individual.

And Deputy Kelly said that it was critical that South Tipperary General Hospital was put in the HSE's capital plan.

He also said there was a need to ensure that there was funding for home help and community welfare.

I am continually pushing for this with Minister for Health Simon Harris as Labour Spokesperson on Health and through the Oire he sadi.achtas Health Committee,

Meanwhile, Deputy Healy, in a statement, backed Deputy Lowry's claims, saying: It is a decision which was expected and one that is very welcome. These hotel type beds are, of course, only an interim and partial solution to the continuing crisis at the hospital.

While Deputy Lowry did not respond to the Tipperary Star, he was quoted earlier in the week saying that his decision to support the FG-led Government should pay dividends for Tipperary. He also lashed out at Deputy McGrath, accusing him of being bitter about not getting to make the announcement.

But Deputy McGrath dismissed the notion of him beingbitter.

There is no announcement so what is there to be bitter about, he told the Tipperary Star. What is there is a crisis which has been appalling all summer.

Deputy McGrath reminded Deputy Lowry that when it came to delegations meeting Government Ministers in the past, we all worked together.

He also dismissed the idea of having any patient hotel staffed by contract workers, describing such as suggestion as baloney. We are always looking for staff and we can't get them.

The Independent TD also had a go at local senior officials who met Minister Harris in June, saying: They should stick to medicine and we'll stick to politics.

The Tipperary Star understands that any development such as a patient hotel would have to go to tender within the EU. This could take up to six months to decide after which planning permission would need to be sought, agreement would be needed with unions and Hiqa would hav e to be satisfied with its standards.
[August 30, 2016] Denton Mayor Joins DATCU Credit Union, FHLB Dallas in Awarding $17K Grant to Serve Denton

Serve Denton today received a $17,000 Partnership Grant Program (PGP (News - Alert)) award from DATCU Credit Union (DATCU) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). Denton Mayor Chris Watts and DATCU CEO Dale Kimble were joined by representatives of FHLB Dallas and Serve Denton for the ceremonial award, given at Serve Denton's Wheeler House location. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006553/en/ The nonprofit Serve Denton was awarded a $17,000 Partnership Grant Program check August 30, 2016. The funds will be used to reduce overhead expenses for the nonprofit's partner agencies. The grant was made possible by DATCU Credit Union and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). From left: Dale Kimble, DATCU CEO; Stan Morton, Serve Denton Board Chair; Greg Hettrick, FHLB Dallas First VP and Director of Community Investment; and Chris Watts, Mayor of Denton, Texas. (Photo: Business Wire) This year's grant, which will be used for operational expenses, follows a similar $17,000 PGP grant in 2015 from the same institutions. The 2015 award helped Serve Denton open its Assistance and Events Center last fall. "Serve Denton is a wonderful organization that does tremendous work for the Denton community," Mayor Watts said. "This grant will benefit many people here in Denton who are in need of social services." DATCU's Mr. Kimble also acknowledged Serve Denton's contributions to the community. "We applaud the wonderful work being done by Serve Denton as they collaborate with area nonprofits to ake people's lives better," he said. "It is an honor to be a partner of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas because, like credit unions, they believe in strong communities and are committed to supporting positive changes in our own backyard."



Serve Denton, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, brings together 15 nonprofit organizations at two locations in Denton: the Assistance and Events Center and The Wheeler House. By leveraging these economies of scale, Serve Denton is able to provide each nonprofit with furnished office and meeting space for $100 a month. The savings allows the organizations to put more of the donations they receive toward serving the community. "Serve Denton is humbled, honored, and very grateful to receive this generous grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and DATCU Credit Union," said Serve Denton Executive Director Pat Smith. "These funds will allow us to do what we do best - being a force multiplier for our tenants and community partners using our talents and abilities and serving as a catalyst for capacity-building."

Through the PGP, member institutions contribute $500 up to $4,000 to a community-based organization (CBO). FHLB Dallas matches the contributions at a 3:1 ratio, which provide up to $12,000 in grant money to a CBO. In 2016, FHLB Dallas awarded $225,000 in PGP funds to assist 23 CBOs. Combined with the $96,200 from member institutions, a total of $321,200 was awarded this year. "DATCU and Serve Denton demonstrate the exemplary possibilities of community partnerships," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. "We value this opportunity to serve Denton by multiplying DATCU's contribution for the benefit of those in need." PGP grants are offered annually through FHLB Dallas' member institutions via a lottery system. Funds may be used for research, organizational capacity-building, grant- and funding-application assistance, or contractual services. About DATCU DATCU Credit Union, founded in 1936, is a full-service, member owned, not-for profit financial institution. With a long-standing tradition of exemplary service, they currently serve almost 87,000 members. Membership is open to anyone living or working in Denton, Cooke, Wise, Montague, or Clay Counties. All are invited to take advantage of the products and services the credit union offers. These include checking, savings, credit cards, multiple loan products, investment products, and insurance. To learn more about DATCU Credit Union, visit www.datcu.org. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank system created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $54.4 billion as of June 30, 2016, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately 850 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. Visit fhlb.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006553/en/

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[August 31, 2016] HawkEye 360 Selects GomSpace to Manufacture Pathfinder Mission Payload

HawkEye 360, Inc., which is developing a radio frequency (RF) detection and mapping system using a constellation of small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), announced that it selected Danish space components company GomSpace to provide the payload for its Pathfinder cluster satellite mission. GomSpace is providing their flight-proven software-defined radio platforms and antennas to serve as the payload for HawkEye 360's Pathfinder mission, which is scheduled for launch and testing in late 2017. By utilizing GomSpace's expertise and product line in small-satellite radio and antenna technology, HawkEye 360 is moving quickly to develop one of the world's first privately funded space-based global wireless monitoring systems. HawkEye 360's small satellite constellation aims to enable commercial applications such as allowing government and corporate customers to dynamically monitor transportation networks across air, land and sea. For government regulators, telecommunications companies and satellite broadcasters, HawkEye 360's system is being designed to be able to monitor RF spectrum usage to identify areas of interference. The system could also help to detect and locate activated emergency beacons to improve response times in life-threatening situations. "GomSpace has a strong, established set of small satellite components and payloads that have a proven space flight history and a record of technology innovation," said Chris DeMay, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of HawkEye 360. "Selecting GomSpace marks an important step forward in our develpment of the on-orbit capabilities that will be able to serve government and commercial customers."



Space-based detection of RF signals will allow HawkEye 360 to locate and characterize difficult-to-visualize wireless spectrum information in a more accurate and efficient manner when compared to terrestrial detection and image analysis. By taking RF data and turning it into actionable information, HawkEye 360 will be able to give commercial enterprises and governments better knowledge to help make critical decisions. "We are excited to support HawkeEye 360 in their mission to launch the Pathfinder mission and to enable new business opportunities based on small satellites and our leading position within innovative radio payloads," said Niels Buus, CEO of GomSpace.

About HawkEye 360

HawkEye 360 is developing a constellation of small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) to generate reports on wireless signals that can be used to track and monitor global transportation networks, assist with emergencies, as well as other data analytics services. The company seeks to provide highly accurate maritime situational awareness, collecting information about vessels to create a wealth of current and historical data useful for commercial planning and monitoring, as well as emergency response. Similar data will be available for airborne and land-based transportation and logistics industries. HawkEye 360's data processing technology was originally developed at Virginia Tech's Hume Center for National Security and Technology. More information about HawkEye 360 can be found at www.he360.com. About GomSpace A/S GomSpace is a globally leading designer, integrator and manufacturer of high-end small satellites for customers in the academic, government and commercial markets. Our positions of strength include systems integration, small satellite subsystems and advanced miniaturised radio technology. Our international team is devoted to understanding our customer's requirements and deliver flawlessly. We are listed in Stockholm (GOMX), headquartered in Denmark and we service our customers in more than 50 countries. Learn more: www.gomspace.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160831005413/en/

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[August 31, 2016] Mobile Labs Boosts ABN AMRO's Mobile Banking Efforts

Mobile Labs, a leading provider of enterprise-grade mobile testing solutions, recently partnered with ABN AMRO Bank N.V. (ABN AMRO), the third-largest bank in Netherlands, to deliver huge gains in mobile development efficiency and productivity. A mobile banking leader, ABN AMRO has online and mobile banking portals for each of its ten private banking markets worldwide. To support its internationally dispersed team's ability to easily test its mobile applications across a variety of devices and collaborate with other team members, ABN AMRO uses Mobile Labs' deviceConnect's private mobile device cloud, providing remote access to a shared bank of devices. Additionally, since the ANB AMRO team relies on HP Unified Functional Testing (UFT) for test automation, they also implemented Mobile Labs Trust. Trust is a certified add-on for HP's QuickTest Professional, designed and architected specifically for HP's UFT. It has a single point of integration with UFT, allowing full, end-to-end testing from desktop and web to mobile and back. "When we implemented Mobile Labs Trust, that's when we realized the full benefit of the product," said Sander Stevens, test manager at ABN AMRO. "We quickly learned we could reuse the same tools and techniques in UFT, including the same scripting language, to test mobile applications on real devices located in deviceConnect." ABN AMRO also uses Mobile Labs' deviceBridge&trde;, which serves as a "virtual USB cable" connecting real devices to a local laptop or server.



"deviceConnect provides an appealing option for banks as it provides ease of use while complying with rigorous data security restrictions," said Don Addington, president and CEO of Mobile Labs. "Together with the deviceBridge extension, users such as ABN AMRO gain the ability for continuous application delivery, a necessity for today's mobile first companies." Furthermore, Mobile Labs prides itself on strong customer service, which ABN AMRO has noted throughout their partnership.

"Nine months in, our team is quite happy with Mobile Labs and its solutions. The gains in efficiency, simplicity and collaboration have already paid off in dividends," said Stevens. "And when a problem arises, I know I'll be talking to a Mobile Labs support specialist within an hour of filing a ticket. All this leads to greater confidence in the quality of our releases." To read the ABN AMRO case study in full, visit http://mobilelabsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/MLAB%E2%80%93Case-Study-ABN-ABRO-web-08-25-16.pdf. About Mobile Labs Mobile Labs provides enterprise-grade mobile device clouds that improve efficiency and raise quality for agile-based, cross-platform mobile app and mobile web deployments. The company's patented device cloud, deviceConnect, is available in both public and on-premises configurations. deviceConnect provides affordable, highly-secure access to a large inventory of mobile devices across major mobile platforms to developers, test engineers, and customer support representatives, among others. At the heart of enterprise mobile app deployment, deviceConnect enables automated continuous quality integration, DevOps processes, automated testing, and manual app/web/device testing on managed devices. deviceConnect supports all major integrated app development environments (IDEs), such as Xcode, as well as automated app and web testing on real mobile devices using a wide variety of mobile UI test automation tools. deviceBridge, an extension to deviceConnect, serves as a "virtual USB cable" to checkout and debug cloud-based devices as if they are locally connected. For more information, please visit www.mobilelabsinc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160831005215/en/

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[August 31, 2016] Snap-on to Present at RBC Capital Markets' 2016 Industrials Conference

Snap-on Incorporated (NYSE: SNA) is scheduled to present at the 2016 RBC Capital Markets' Industrials Conference at 10:20 a.m. Pacific/12:20 p.m. Central/1:20 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, September 7, 2016. The Snap-on management presentation will be broadcast live on the Snap-on Incorporated website. To access the audio webcast, go to www.snapon.com/sna and click on the link under "Events and Presentations" on the Corporate homepage, or the link found on the Investor Events page. Following the webcast, an archived replay will be available on the company's website for approximately 90 days.



About Snap-on Snap-on Incorporated is a leading global innovator, manufacturer and marketer of tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information and systems solutions for professional users performing critical tasks. Products and services include hand and power tools, tool storage, diagnostics software, information and management systems, shop equipment and other solutions for vehicle dealerships and repair centers, as well as for customers in industries, including aviation and aerospace, agriculture, construction, government and military, mining, natural resources, power generation and technical education. Snap-on also derives income from various financing programs to facilitate the sales of its products. Products and services are sold through the company's franchisee, company-direct, distributor and internet channels. Founded in 1920, Snap-on is a $3.4 billion, S&P 500 company headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

For additional information on Snap-on, visit www.snapon.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160831005189/en/

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[August 31, 2016] Top 3 Trends Impacting the Global LED Lighting Ballast Market 2016-2020: Technavio

Technavio's latest report on the global light-emitting diode (LED) lighting ballast market provides an analysis on the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2016-2020. Technavio defines an emerging trend as a factor that has the potential to significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline. Navin Rajendra, a lead analyst from Technavio, specializing in research on lighting sector, says, "In 2015, LED lighting ballasts accounted for approximately 11% of the global lighting ballast shipment compared to traditional lighting ballast, which accounted for around 89%. During the forecast period, however, LED lighting ballasts are expected to contribute to approximately 41% to the global lighting ballast market and completely overtake the traditional lighting ballast market by 2023. As LEDs have the ability to be easily controlled and programmed, they are the first choice for smart lighting applications. This will increase the demand for programmable LED drivers during the forecast period." The top five emerging trends driving the global LED lighting ballast market according to Technavio hardware and semiconductor research analysts are: Increase in urban population worldwide

Declining manufacturing cost of LEDs

Demand for intelligent lighting systems

Emergence of smart cities

New government policies and guidelines on smart lighting Increase in urban population worldwide Rapid urbanization, especially in emerging economies is leading to the increased demand for lighting devices in a growing number of households. The residential segment is one of the major contributors to the growing demand for lighting devices. The demand for general lighting (lamp and luminaire) in the residential segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 12%, during the forecast period. Rapid urbanization will result in growing number of households worldwide, resulting in installation of new lamps and luminaires. This will accelerate the unit shipment of LED lighting ballasts. Declining manufacturing cost of LEDs The manufacturing costs of LEDs have been declining since 2012 and will continue to decline during the forecast period. The decline is mainly due to the declining average sale price (ASP) of the chips ad components used in the manufacturing process of the LED devices.



The reduction in manufacturing cost of LEDs is leading to a reduction in the initial installation cost of LED lamps and fixtures. This is accelerating the installation of new LED lamps and fixtures across all the application segments. Demand for intelligent lighting systems

The digital revolution is sweeping the lighting industry with the introduction of new-generation intelligent lighting systems and controls. Electron ballast with embedded intelligence is foraying in the market, which offers lighting systems the ability to adapt to changing space needs, such as in office buildings. The ballasts are networked via a low-voltage bus, which enables them to perform various functions such as automatic shut-off, daylight harvesting, demand response, and personal dimming control. "As LEDs are integrated with sensors and controls, the demand for LED ballast is increasing at a rapid pace especially in outdoor and industrial application," says Navin. Emergence of smart cities Increased government initiatives on energy conservation and resource management are contributing to the development of smart cities. Smart lighting is an important aspect for constructing smart cities, as it helps conserve energy and reduce cost. In 2014, the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands incorporated smart street lighting systems that enable the streetlights to automatically switch off in the absence of people. Copenhagen, in Denmark, is expected to install 10,000 LED street lights that will automatically adjust brightness according to the traffic flow. In Paris, the LED traffic light systems will digitally organize the traffic and automatically detect whenever a street light needs replacing. In December 2014, Madrid announced the substitution of 225,000 street lights with new energy efficient internet-connected LEDs provided by Philips (News - Alert) Lighting. The central system controlling the light will regulate the lights across the city. New government policies and guidelines on smart lighting Energy efficiency has become a major global concern, particularly due to global warming and rapid depletion of non-renewable power resources. This high consumption has led several countries to frame policies that ban the use of incandescent light bulbs, which have relatively low power efficiency, in a phased manner. For instance, the Australian Federal Government has banned sales of incandescent light bulbs since 2010. Furthermore, it has announced a list of minimum energy performance standards for lighting products. In Africa, a law was passed in 2011 to ensure that new buildings should meet energy-efficient specifications. Governments across the world are drafting policies to improve energy efficiency which augurs well for the growth of the LED lighting ballast market during the forecast period. Browse Related Reports: Global Lighting Ballasts Market 2016-2020

Global General Lighting Market 2016-2020

Global Solar Home Lighting Market 2016-2020 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/20160831005040/en/

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[August 30, 2016] Thai Students Win 2016 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for Natural Innovative Water Retention Device

STOCKHOLM, August 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Three students from Thailand, Sureeporn Triphetprapa, Thidarat Phianchat and Kanjana Komkla, received the 2016 Stockholm Junior Water Prize on Tuesday for their innovative water retention device that mimics the water retention of the Bromeliad plant. H.R.H. Prince Carl Philip of Sweden presented the prize at an award ceremony during World Water Week in Stockholm. By examining the efficacy of natural water collection by plants - especially in terms of the shape of plants that collect and capture water - Sureeporn Triphetprapa, Thidarat Phianchat and Kanjana Komkla built a device that mimics the water retention of the Bromeliad plant. The device has also been installed on rubber trees on rubber plantations. For this, they have been awarded the 2016 Stockholm Junior Water Prize, showcasing that nature is the best teacher. The Jury was impressed by the winners' exceptiona creativity, unrelenting diligence, enthusiasm and true passion for water.



"The winning project addresses future water security and rural livelihoods using an elegant leap-frog technology which looks simple, but its beauty masks its complexity!" the Jury said in its citation. "It has already proven to be scalable and is now being tested in the field, by hundreds of farmers, who are now benefiting from the inspiration from beautiful plants which have an exceptional capacity to collect and store water."

Asked how she would want to take the winning project further, Sureeporn Triphetprapa said: "I will use our idea to relieve poverty in our community." "This shows that to make real progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, we need to start at the local level. This is a very good example of that; a simple, smart and scalable solution, making a big difference," said Torgny Holmgren, Executive Director of SIWI. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition brings together the world's brightest young scientists to encourage their continued interest in water and the environment. This year, thousands of participants in countries all over the globe joined national competitions for the chance to represent their nation at the international final held during the World Water Week in Stockholm. Teams from 29 countries competed in the 2016 finals. Information about Stockholm International Water Institute, Stockholm Junior Water Prize and World Water Week: http://www.siwi.org and http://www.worldwaterweek.org Press contact: Susanne Hedberg, Communications Officer, Tel +46-8-1213-6036

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[August 30, 2016] How [And Which] FinTech Startups Are Breaking Banking

How [And Which] FinTech Startups Are Breaking Banking I posted an oped on the shadow banking economy and the new American dream in Yahoo Finance a few weeks back. Today, were going to put some practical information into practice as a part 2 to this sub-market in the banking in the industry.







Ive talked about how the global financial system is broken & how that freelancers are basically getting the short end of the stick.



The free banking economy goes much deeper than you may think. The freelancer economy is happening all around us. IRS calls them Independent Contractor or 1099ers.





The government actually likens these people to public stenography or auctioneering in an official capacity; but in reality, freelancers are part of a much larger portion of the economy. In fact, every third working American is freelancing.



The Major Problems With Freelancing One of the first thing you learn when running a company is to push back on payments to vendors as much as possible to massage the numbers. That means months or waiting, for some freelancers, that means waiting on the way they support their life.



It probably sounds like a minor problem to somebody whose wallet is overflowing with credit cards. But if you zoom out to a global scale, you see hundreds of millions of workers who dont operate on credit and who need that money yesterday.



If you really want to see what financial rape looks like, transaction fees on international payments give you the picture. PayPal, Stripe & Square are considered by some to be profiteering with the fees they charge. But those companies expect you to think they are innovative or providing a service when you send money to other countries. Theyre ripping us all off.



Lets take a freelancer in the Philippines, who makes $5 per hour and just finished a $100 project. He or she probably had to work a few extra hours just to pay fees that they incur from the payment processor.



Imagine your bank charging $1,000 to cash a check of $10,000.



Additionally, you can only withdraw $20,000 at a time, and there is no customer service or credit. And, sorry, we dont serve your country, coming soon. Thank you for cooperation.



This is where new frontier of the free economy lies. When I say free economy I mean a workforce that is independent from cubicles, employers and even the government.



The existing financial system has been built for hundreds of years, and now its changing in weekly sprints. If the financial systems cant support the speed of operation or methods for the workforce, theyll go off the grid. Go to other service providers. Other jurisdictions. Other realities.



There are another billion people involved in our economic turnover, with the needs we have from around the world and the advancement of IT and outsourcing.



The market is turning towards them, but financial payments system is miserably failing them.



Unlike almost every other industry, the bolts of the US financial industry are so tightly screwed, starting your own bank just doesnt sound like a good startup idea. It makes this conversation seem almost realistic...



How about we launch satellite into orbit with artificial intelligence on board that will monitor face expressions of every cat on the planet and deliver catnip to them with a drone in 10 minutes? - Sounds like a great idea! Maybe we should open a bank instead? - Hmm...I like the cat idea. its goofy, but is a somewhat recognizable type of conversation in Silicon Valley.



Silicon Valley Bank, the most startup-friendly bank in the world, refuses to take new fintech clients. The risk is too high they say.



In my other piece on this topic, we learned that Crunchbase knows 43 payment startups (17 launched after 2010) with more than $10M in venture funding in the United States.



In the meantime, Europe and Asia are moving ahead. There are thousands of new startups in this space. Here are some examples of the latest unicorns and soon-to-be-unicorns from Europe: Adyen (Dutch, $2.3B) TransferWise (UK, over $1B) Nutmeg Currency Cloud (UK) iZettle (Sweden) Funding Circle (UK) Klarna (Sweden, over $2B) Zopa (UK).



We are not even talking about the Bitcoin universe, where thousands of new rivals are tearing the global banking industry apart. For many areas like micropayments, cross-border import/export operations and illegal markets, bitcoin is already the standard.



The wild wild west reality of banking for freelancers with net 60 payments, 5% withdrawal commission, and loans at 1% daily is held together by strings.



It will evaporate once a few startups bold enough to call themselves banks of the free economy and structured as legal entities in Singapore or Malta, will offer premium banking services to freelancers and their clients around the globe.



These new banks will have hundreds of millions of very loyal customers worldwide, healthy profit margins and untied hands in terms of banking regulations, reserves, reporting, etc.



Massive financial systems where money is paid for the sole purpose of moving it around will die out.



Your credit limit will be pre-approved based on karma of Github and number of Instagram followers. Your Mastercard plastic will arrive in 3 days by mail. Your home loan and health insurance will be crowdfunded by random hedge funds.



Once the new cross-border, freelance-friendly banking services become available, economic spiral will continue, pulling more conservative professionals from the comfort zone of large corporations into the free world. More skilled workers will have more control over their own lives.



Then youll see an exit from the traditional full-time employment. It will extend financial markets even further, leaving traditional banks with fewer and fewer customers.



Many people will have to find new ways to innovate and provide banking services, but over all, this is something that is long overdue. As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments.

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[August 30, 2016]

Nicole Frederick is recognized by Continental Who's Who

HICKORY, N.C., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nicole Frederick is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Professional in the field of Telecommunications as a result of her role as Compensation Analyst with CommScope.

Founded in 1976, CommScope is a national leader in telecommunications. Specializing in the creation of contemporary technology, quality engineering and energy-efficient designs, CommScope has built a continual, reliable network for consumers.

In the industry for seventeen years, Nicole has been in her current position for the past three years where her duties include administering long term incentive plans as well as all aspects regarding benefits administraton, corporate compensation and human resources.







Recognized by the National Association of Professional Women as a VIP Woman of The Year, Nicole is a revered member of the Society for Human Resource Management and NASPP. Aside from her busy work schedule, Nicole can be found spending time with family, hiking and reading. She is involved with her local church and partakes in volunteer work for both the church and United Way.

A graduate of Gardner-Webb University, Nicole graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

For more information, please visit www.commscope.com

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nicole-frederick-is-recognized-by-continental-whos-who-300320353.html

SOURCE The Continental Who's Who
[August 30, 2016] Global Supply Chain Management (SCM) Software Market, Chinese Industry Trends and Development to 2021

PUNE, India, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ReportsnReports.com adds "Global and Chinese Supply Chain Management Software Industry, 2016 Market Research Report" study of 150 pages, published in Jul 2016, to the IT & Telecommunication intelligence collection of its store. This report estimate 2016 - 2021 Supply Chain Management Software Industry Cost and Profit with Market Competition of Supply Chain Management Software market by Country: (Including Europe, U.S., Japan, China etc.), By Company and Application. Complete report on Supply Chain Management Software market divided into 11 major chapters that offer an overview of current market scenario as well as 2021 forecasts is now available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/629488-global-and-chinese-supply-chain-management-software-industry-2016-market-research-report.html. This Global and Chinese Report 2016 is a result of industry experts' diligent work on researching the world market of Supply Chain Management Software. The report helps to build up a clear view of the market (scenario and survey), identify major players in the industry, and analyzes the upstream raw materials, downstream clients, and current market dynamics of Supply Chain Management Software Industry. The report reviews the basic information of Supply Chain Management Software including its classification, application and manufacturing technology. This report explores global and China's top manufacturers of Supply Chain Management Software listing their product specification, capacity, Production value, and market share etc. The report further analyzes quantitatively 2011-2016 global and China's total market of Supply Chain Management Software by calculation of main economic parameters of each company. In the end, the report makes a proposal for a new project of Supply Chain Management Software market before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2011-2016 global and China Supply Chain Management Software industry covering all important parameters. Order a copy of this report at http://ww.reportsnreports.com/purchase.aspx?name=629488.



The first chapter introduces the Supply Chain Management Software market by Brief Introduction, Development & Status of Supply Chain Management Software Industry. The second chapter focuses on Manufacturing Technology of Supply Chain Management Software, the third one gives Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers (Including Company Profile, Product Specification, 2011-2016 Production Information etc.) The forth chapter deals with 2011-2016 Global and China Market of Supply Chain Management Software. The chapter 5 summarizes Market Status of Supply Chain Management Software Industry. Another research titled Global and Chinese SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software Industry, 2011-2021 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software market with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2011-2016 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2016-2021market development trends of SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software market. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software market before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2011-2021global and Chinese SaaS-based Supply Chain Management Software market covering all important parameters. Comprehensive Table of Contents and more for the report is available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/629209-global-and-chinese-saas-based-supply-chain-management-software-industry-2016-market-research-report.html.

Explore other reports on IT & Telecommunication Market at http://www.reportsnreports.com/market-research/information-technology/ . About Us: ReportsnReports.com is an online market research reports library of 500,000+ in-depth studies of over 5000 micro markets. Not limited to any one industry, ReportsnReports.com offers research studies on agriculture, energy and power, chemicals, environment, medical devices, healthcare, food and beverages, water, advanced materials and much more. Contact:

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The decision, taken by the Union Cabinet today, may also prove to be a major irritant to Pakistan.

By Anil Kumar, Brijesh Pandey: In another step to express solidarity with the cause of a free Balochistan, All India Radio will now also broadcast in Baloch language.

"Announcement made by Indian government on transmitting Balochi programs on All India Radio is a big step and we are thankful to PM Modi for the same. We expect such help from him in the future too, so that we can get rid of inhuman Pakistan," Jawad Baloch, President of the Balochistan Republican Party (BRP) in Germany told India Today.

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Congress leader, Meem Afzal, said, "I think it is part of the government's policy. Let's see what kind of bulletins they run, we have no problem on this. I believe there is nothing to object as there are other languages also that are being run by AIR."

The decision, taken by the Union Cabinet today, may also prove to be a major irritant to Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while making reference to human rights abuses in Pakistan during his Independence Day speech, had made reference to Balochistan, Gilgit and Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"In the past few days people from Balochistan, people from Gilgit, people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the people of these areas, they have thanked me and have expressed gratitude towards me, people sitting very far away and from places that I haven't seen; when they respect me, then it is respect for 1.25 billion Indians. And so I want to thank the people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," Modi said.

The PM's invocation to the three controversial places in Pakistan was in retaliation for the neighbouring country's support to those who were protesting over the killing in an encounter by the security forces of terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8.

--- ENDS ---
[August 31, 2016] I-New Unified Mobile Solutions Enables Launch of Virgin Mobil MVNO in Peru

MATTERSBURG, Austria, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Latin America's leading MVNO/E solution provider enables 4th Virgin Mobile MVNO launch in Latin America. I-New Unified Mobile Solutions is one of the fastest growing MVNO/E service provider and market leader in Latin America. The launch of Virgin Mobile in Peru is the 4th operation enabled by I-New, after having supported Virgin MVNOs with its powerful and multiple award winning MVNO/E solutions already in Chile, Colombia and Mexico successfully. The smooth launch in Peru with an impressive time to market was enabled by I-New's swift hardware deployment, the auto-configuration benefits of its latest product version, agile project management, upmost team flexibility and compelling requirement planning. "The launch in Peru has been the calmest and most controlled of ny we've had in Latin America. This is largely the result of a tremendously well run project thanks to the I-New Latin America team and invaluable experience brought in by our Virgin Mobile Latin America team." comments Jim Glass, CTO at Virgin Mobile Latin America, Inc.



The success partners also underlined their strong business commitment by signing collaboration contracts earlier in 2016 to further extend their Latin America partnership for another 5 years. About I-New:

I-New Unified Mobile Solutions is one of the fastest growing technology solutions providers in the mobile communication industry. The company specializes in the domain beyond the mobile universe, finding its translation mainly with Virtual Mobile Networks. To conveniently open the telecom world and to naturally link it with the various daily habits of a service subscribers' life has become I-New's enterprise mission and equally clients' success. From offices all across the globe, the company is capable of providing, implementing and running highly competitive products and services with a maximum of smart convenience for a converged mobile ecosystem: The MVNO Collection. I-New is a trusted and proven partner by most demanding and industry leading clients around the globe. I-New was named 'Best Solution Provider' in 2014 and 2015; and Best MVNE - Enabler of MVNOs in 2016 at the Global MVNO Industry Awards. Contact details: I-New Unified Mobile Solutions AG

Global Marketing & Corporate Communication

Herbert Reinisch

+43(680)1241210

[email protected]

http://www.i-new.com



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[August 31, 2016] Collaboration Software Market size forecast to surpass USD 8.5 billion by 2024

Collaboration Software Market size will grow at 13% CAGR from 2016 to 2024 and exceed USD 8.5 billion by 2024. Connect unstructured and ad hoc collaboration with structured content-centric business process and technological innovations will drive growth.







These provide a private online platform for individuals to engage in team activity or connect & collaborate with others in single shared and centralized environment. It helps individuals to contact with co-workers in and outside business organization that includes business partners, workers, consultants and customers. Public cloud will experience strong growth in the coming years. Need to exchange information in and outside the organization in context of critical business process will contribute to collaboration software market size.



The industry will be fueled by benefits such as effective business process, proper management of different project size, time tracking & chat application, faster communications, administrative control and improved output. It helps to increase productivity, timely availability of information and updates. In addition, these helps the management to identify completion of work & bottlenecks and improves business efficiency.





Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/711 These solutions are not limited to any specific business department; different departments can use same tools to collaborate, integration & overlapping. This helps enable holistic tools, mobile and vendors next generation software to provide intuitive and convenient mobile applications.



Improved communication, division of work, less conflicts, creative input, better file sharing, project management & productivity, accessible & affordable, instant messaging, meeting management, mobile access, multi-platform, task scheduling, team conversation, ease of use, track update, to-do lists may have positive impact. In addition, seamless exchange data, greater innovative ability, less email reliance & overload, overall increased productivity, software release track, case track, and user access controls will fuel collaboration software market size.



Sluggish adoption rate, usability and scalability concerns, lower efficiency and integration are some hurdles that may hinder collaboration software market growth. In addition, lack of training & support, stiff competition and redesigning cloud network and lack of security may hamper industry growth.



Combining people, work & content in visual framework, mobile accessibility, cyber security, and consumption based pricing are some recent collaboration software market opportunities. Need for an application for each individual collaboration may make the organization less productive, change management, downtime, lack of IT infrastructure, issues in calculating ROI and cost are major challenges for this industry.



Analytics & business intelligence, human capital administration, content management, ecommerce, IT service management, customer relationship management, enterprise performance management represent key application areas. Other notable segments include ERP financial supervision, ERP services & operations management, PLM & engineering, project portfolio management, procurement, sales performance management, SCM and treasury & risk management.



Collaboration software market share by application also includes tools for web conferencing, social business platform, team collaborations, eSignature, event management online community sharing resource. In addition, conventional tool for email, group calendar & schedule and eased discussions.



U.S. collaboration software market size is expected to dominate revenue over forecast timeline due to presence of large number of vendors. Latin America offers potential growth opportunities as there are technological innovation and organization are focusing on better customer experience to gain competitive advantage.



Key players accounting for collaboration software market share are Microsoft, Cisco System, Citrix, Oracle, IBM, Box incorporation, Google, Intralinks Holdings Incorporations and Survey Monkey. Slack, Dropbox and Box are start-up that are adopting the concept with whole new approach to share knowledge, team collaborations and information filtering through smart messaging.



Merger & acquisitions, product innovation, and R&D are some strategies that are being adopted by key players. For instance, Microsoft announced to buy LinkedIn in a USD 26.2 billion deal to strengthen its service portfolio and bolster revenue. Cisco acquired Jasper for cloud based internet-of-things (IoT). Box Incorporation may enhance healthcare offering by providing Box DICOM Viewer that helps in view & share medical images and streamline referral management. Intralinks Holdings acquired Verilume for cloud infrastructure. IBM has adopted acquisition strategy in response to increasing cloud focus.



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. As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments.

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[August 31, 2016] Yext Expands Operations Across Europe

Location Data Management Leader Appoints Veteran Managing Director in the UK LONDON, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Yext, the global Location Data Management leader, today announced that it has expanded its operations across Northern Europe in response to the strong demand for its Location Cloud technology. This expansion represents a major milestone for the company, which is already used by more than 800,000 business locations around the world to manage their location data. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150223/177279LOGO "Like the rest of the world, the UK and Northern Europe are witnessing an unprecedented change in consumer behavior due to the rise of mobile technology," said Howard Lerman, Yext Co-Founder & CEO. "Consumers are discovering businesses and making purchasing decisions on their smartphones, so it's critical that businesses manage the information about their locations online  everywhere consumers are searching. By expanding our operations, we're making it easier for businesses of all sizes to manage their location data at scale and focus on building stronger relationships with their customers." Yext's award winning Location Cloud enables companies like T-Mobile, Ben & Jerry's, and Premier Inn t manage location data across their websites, mobile apps, internal systems and the industry's largest ecosystem of maps, apps, social networks, directories and search engines including Google, Apple, Facebook, Bing and Yahoo.



During the last year, Yext established its Northern European headquarters in London and signed key partnerships to provide location data management for small and medium businesses across Europe, including with Goldenpages in Ireland, DTG in Holland, Fonecta in Finland, and FCR Media in Belgium. Yext has also added Jon Buss as Managing Director of the UK and Northern Europe. Buss brings with him 20 years' experience in starting, acquiring, and managing both start-ups and large international businesses. Most recently, Buss helped drive 300% revenue growth at Criteo, the global leader in performance display advertising. Prior to Criteo, Buss, held senior roles at Experian including Managing Director of the Digital division.

"It's an exciting time for Location Data Management. The appetite for location services is growing rapidly  from Google to Apple Maps, Facebook to Uber, Snapchat to the augmented reality of Pokemon Go  location is at the heart of the most popular apps available today," said Buss. "It's clear that location-based technology is entering its next phase of development and that makes Yext's expansion into Europe even more exciting and timely. Opportunities are limitless in this fast-moving, dynamic market." "We are very excited to welcome Jon, a seasoned leader, to the Yext team," remarked Lerman. "His appointment will help accelerate our expansion into Europe, and we leverage his extensive experience to help us achieve our ambitious growth plans." To learn more about Yext visit Yext.co.uk. About Yext

At Yext, our mission is to help people go places. The award-winning Yext Location Cloud enables companies of all sizes to manage location data across their websites, mobile apps, internal systems, and the industry's largest ecosystem of maps, apps, social networks, directories, and search engines including Google, Apple, Facebook, Bing, and Yahoo. Our products enable the world's millions of businesses to drive face-to-face and digital interactions that boost brand awareness, drive foot traffic, and increase sales. Based in the heart of New York City with a growing team of over 550 employees worldwide, Yext has been recognized as one of America's fastest growing companies by Inc. (2015 & 2016), one of Forbes Most Promising Companies (2014 & 2015) and one of Fortune's Best Places to Work (2014 & 2015).

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[August 31, 2016] KinerjaPay Corp. Launched "I Love Indonesia" Campaign

JAKARTA, Indonesia, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- KinerjaPay Corp. (OTCQB: KPAY) launched "I Love Indonesia" Campaign to promote selected premium local products in its marketplace. This campaign is also to celebrate Indonesia's 71st Independence Day anniversary on 17 August 2016. It is also designed to increase people's love for domestic products and stimulate domestic consumption. Indonesia is a country of big numbers and big opportunity. With 252 million inhabitants it is the world's fourth most populous country and the largest in south east Asia. Indonesia has 18,307 islands, over 742 different languages and a middle class larger than the population of Malaysia or Australia. Currently the 16th largest economy in the world, it is projected to be the seventh largest economy in the world by 2030. Catching the hype and realizing that a young population embracing the Internet faster than ever before. Mr. Sofyan Djalil as the Indonesia State Enterprise Minister once said he supported any form of program that boost love for the country's products. "So far, people are not aware that the quality of Indonesian products is already good. I appeal to all state-owned companies to really take the opportunity, provide funds and put up the logo in their ads. They must do whatever they can to make the campaign effective," he said. On the other hand, this campaign also means to promote national products abroad. In making an effective on this goal, The Company is also collaborating with overseas partners such as in Singapore to assist SMEs to expand their businesses internationally especially in South East Asia (SEA). The idea is to leverage strategic values and locations of Indonesia and Singapore, running many regular and ad-hoc events such as monthly neworking events, trainings, site visits, and trade exhibitions.



Mr. Deny Rahardjo, CEO for PT KinerjaPay Indonesia stated "We are very excited and optimist on the success of this campaign to promote Indonesia's selected local prominent and unique merchants such as Batik, Indonesian coffee bean and handcrafted products. There are currently already more than 418 premium products and 14 prominent merchants have agreed to join the campaign that is planned to run until end of 2016. We do hope that this will bring positive impact towards local economy while promoting KinerjaPay as brand of trust." Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, about KPAY's expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding, among other things, its product development efforts, business, financial condition, results of operations, strategies or prospects. In addition, from time to time, KPAY or its representatives have made or may make forward-looking statements, orally or in writing. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "believe," "expect," "intend," "plan," "may," "should" or "anticipate" or their negatives or other variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical or current matters. These forward-looking statements may be included in, but are not limited to, various filings made by KPAY with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases or oral statements made by or with the approval of one of KPAY's authorized executive officers. Forward-looking statements relate to anticipated or expected events, activities, trends or results as of the date they are made. Because forward-looking statements relate to matters that have not yet occurred, these statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause KPAY's actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause KPAY 's actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the factors summarized in KPAY 's filings with the SEC. In addition, KPAY operates in an industry sector where securities values are highly volatile and may be influenced by economic and other factors beyond its control. KPAY does not undertake any obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Please see the risk factors associated with an investment in our securities which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 11, 2016. Contact Information:

Deny Rahardjo, Chief Executive Officer - PT. KinerjaPay Indonesia

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +62-0815-1990-9896

Link: http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/indonesia-population/ For more information, please visit our website http://www.kinerjapay.co. There you will find access to all of our past press releases and SEC filings regarding the activities discussed in this letter. You may also contact Mr. Deny Rahardjo at [email protected], Tel. +62-0815-1990-9896. SOURCE KinerjaPay Corp.

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[August 31, 2016] SecurityScorecard Announces Data Science Partnership with Columbia University

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SecurityScorecard, the most accurate Security rating and continuous risk monitoring platform, today announced a year-long partnership with Columbia University's Data Science Institute. The two will collaborate on various data science and machine learning projects to build breach prediction models that will help determine how and why cyberattacks happen, and the types of organizations that are vulnerable to them. Breach prediction models provide a way to assess the Security risk for clients as well as other companies. The objective of the analysis is to investigate methods to develop learning algorithms to automatically cluster organizations into groups based on the malware and port vulnerability features in their data sets  vital proprietary information SecurityScorecard uses to understand how cyberattacks happen. Scores created by SecurityScorecard already cover the security hygiene of a large number of companies, based on a wide breadth of security indicators. By identifying which types of security vulnerabilities are more closely tied to actual breaches or attacks, SecurityScorecard aims to further improve its scoring, which is already top in the field. "SecurityScorecard is constantly looking for ways to improve the predictive power and accuracy of our scores, andthis requires a variety of approaches. By partnering with Columbia, we will expand the resources available for research using advanced data science techniques," said Luis Vargas, Senior Data Scientist at SecurityScorecard. "Research outcomes from the partnership will be used to improve our analytics, and gain insights into new ways of developing algorithms."



The university plans to use the data as a starting point to build risk models for cyber insurance. "This is an exciting partnership between the university and SecurityScorecard. Columbia will base its analysis on SecurityScorecard's rapidly growing IP-based threat and vulnerability data such as insecure ports and malware infections, in significantly more detail than has been done before," said Vishal Misra, Computer Science Professor at Columbia Engineering. "Therefore, we expect that new insights will be uncovered from this data. We cannot wait to get started."

SecurityScorecard chose to partner with Columbia University given their wealth of expertise in machine learning, as well as Security. "We believe that Columbia has the right combination of expertise, mentorship, and committed students who can apply their skills to conduct research on our data," said Vargas. "As a leading startup in New York City, SecurityScorecard also has a strong interest in helping create connections with the next generation of data scientists here in the city." About SecurityScorecard

SecurityScorecard provides the most accurate rating of security risk for any organization worldwide. The proprietary SaaS platform helps enterprises gain operational command of the security posture for themselves and across all of their partners, and vendors. It provides continuous, non-intrusive monitoring for any organization including third and fourth parties. The platform offers a breadth and depth of critical data points not available from any other service provider including a broad range of risk categories such as Application Security, Malware, Patching Cadence, Network Security, Hacker Chatter, Social Engineering and Passwords Exposed. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/securityscorecard-announces-data-science-partnership-with-columbia-university-300320119.html SOURCE SecurityScorecard

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[August 31, 2016] HyperWorks Latest Functionalities Provide Complete Solution for Aerospace

TROY, Mich., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair's flagship software suite HyperWorks has released a number of new features that greatly improve workflows and provide a complete framework of model building and stress analysis solutions for Aerospace. The new tools greatly increase efficiency for aerospace engineers in their daily tasks, including concept design, global and detailed finite element model build, post-processing and certification report generation. "This release will allow aerospace stress analysts to do their tasks in a much more efficient manner. We really focused on understanding the desired workflows and creating an environment to easily move between CAD models, CAE models and results, and external tools such as Microsoft Excel," said Dr. Robert Yancey, Altair Vice President of Aerospace. "We look forward to working with our Aerospace customers to help them implement their workflows in the streamlined HyperWorks environment." More specifically, HyperMesh 14.0 accommodates the workflow of building concept models to global loads models and then to detailed FE models (GFEM to DFEM) based on a common CAE Master Model Organization which can be shared easily with PLM, PDM or CAD systems. The master model approach allows for individual work groups to work on sub-assemblies. These can later be erged into the global master model. Configuration management can be used to derive model variants from the same model.



This and other new and enhanced functionalities included in the software suite have been presented to Altair's customers in a series of webcasts now available on demand. More live sessions on Altair's solvers will be scheduled in the coming weeks. To view webcasts please click here



About Altair

Founded in 1985, Altair is focused on the development and application of simulation technology to synthesize and optimize designs, processes and decisions for improved business performance. Privately held with more than 2,600 employees, Altair is headquartered in Troy, Michigan, USA with more than 45 offices throughout 20 countries, and serves more than 5,000 corporate clients across broad industry segments. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com. Media contacts:

Altair Corporate/North America

Biba A. Bedi

+1.757.224.0548 x 406

[email protected] Altair Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Evelyn Gebhardt

+49 6421 9684351

[email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402729 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hyperworks-latest-functionalities-provide-complete-solution-for-aerospace-300320226.html SOURCE Altair

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[August 31, 2016] Intelligence Everywhere - MiX Telematics Showcases its Smart Solutions at CTIA Super Mobility 2016

BOCA RATON, Florida, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MiX Telematics (JSE: MIX), a leading global provider of fleet and mobile asset management solutions, is exhibiting at one of the world's foremost technology conferences. CTIA Super Mobility 2016, taking place in Las Vegas from September 7 - 9, gathers leading companies from around the world to demonstrate how they are contributing to the future of wireless technology. As a global leader in telematics, MiX Telematics will be exhibiting its premium telematics solutions under the theme of 'Intelligence Everywhere'. "The Internet of Things knowledge base is constantly growing, and the fact that MiX can contribute to driving innovation in this space is an exciting prospect," says Stefan Joselowitz, CEO of MiX Telematics. "As a developer of SaaS solutions and services for connected vehicles and customers, MiX's systems are able to manage and interpret massive amounts of data to deliver intelligence for its customers," continues Joselowitz. M2M (machine-to-machine) connectivity is constantly developing and, as customers realize the cost benefits of more efficient networks and intelligent devices, MiX Telematics finds itself at the center of this growing wireless ecosystem. For two decades, MiX has understood and harnessed the benefits of M2M connectivity for customers around the world. Managing over 578,000 vehicles in about 120 countries, its solutions provide reliable, trusted information to help customers across diverse verticals and multiple geographies to improve the safety, efficiency, security and compliance of their drivers and vehicles. "Participating at CTIA is a great privilege for MiX as it gives us the opportunity to benchmark ourselves against the best in the world as well as display how innovative and comprehensive our solutions are. We look forward to iteracting with a range of businesses and sharing our knowledge," says Joselowitz.



CTIA Super Mobility 2016 is taking place at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada from September 6 - 9. Visit us in the M2M Zone at Stand 5355.

About MiX Telematics MiX Telematics is a leading global provider of fleet and mobile asset management solutions delivered as SaaS to more than 578,000 subscribers in over 120 countries. The company's products and services provide enterprise fleets, small fleets and consumers with solutions for efficiency, safety, compliance and security. MiX Telematics was founded in 1996 and has offices in South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uganda, Brazil, Australia and the United Arab Emirates as well as a network of more than 130 fleet partners worldwide. MiX Telematics shares are publicly traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE: MIX) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MIXT). For more information, visit http://www.mixtelematics.com/. About CTIA Super Mobility 2016? CTIA Super Mobility 2016 (CTIASuperMobility2016.com) is the largest mobile event in America and the only B2B marketplace dedicated to demonstrating products and strategies for smart cities, mobile-first enterprises and connected consumers around the globe. For three days, more than 30,000 technology and business professionals, 1,000 exhibiting companies and dozens of collocated partner organizations gather to discover next-generation technologies, people and ideas transforming everything wireless. Powered by CTIA for 30+ years, this award-winning trade show advances the association's commitment to foster wireless innovation and enable connected life. CTIA Super Mobility 2016 takes place September 7-9, 2016 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, USA. Twitter: @ctiashows #SuperMobility Facebook: ctiashows.com/facebook ? LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4109608/profile Contact information Yudhvir Ranchod

Brand and Communications Specialist

MiX Telematics (International)

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel: +27 21 880 5601









SOURCE MiX Telematics

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[August 31, 2016] Faroe Islands Uses Sheep to Put Country on the Google Map

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- (Faroe Islands) -- For the past three months, Durita Andreassen of Visit Faroe Islands, has developed a way to use sheep equipped with cameras to create her own version of Google Street View in the Faroe Islands. Now, Google has decided to give her a helping hand and is launching a new kind of Street View  Faroese style -- with the support of the local community and sheep. Previously, Google Street View had overlooked the Faroe Islands, even though other remote places like Mt. Blanc have a presence on the site. Taking matters into her own hands, Durita Andreassen spent the last few months mapping out her beautiful country using sheep equipped with solar-powered cameras, creating her very own SheepView360. Following the launch of her project, thousands of people around the world urged Google to make the Faroe Islands a part of Google Street View. Their efforts have been wildly successful and Google is now heeding their call. Representatives from Google have now arrived in the Faroe Islands with one mission: to help the remote islands create their own version of Google Street View. The result is the creation of a new kind of Street View, created entirely by the sheep and the Faroese people. Google is supporting the Faroese Street View fleet through their Street View Camera Loan Program offering cameras, guidance and a Google Trekker. "When we started this project, we wanted Google Street View to represent the Faroe Islands so we could share our beautiful country with the world, and with all the people who do not have the means to visit. During the process, we fell in love with our own woolly version of Street View, so we are absolutely delighted that Google has decided to help us continue on this path," says Durita Andreassen. It is now up to the Faroese people and tourists visiting the Faroe Islands to create Street View using sheep, bikes, backpacks, cars, kayaks, and even wheelbarrows. Furthermore, the Visit Faroe Islands office in Torshavn and Atlantic Airways at the airport will be lending out Google cameras, and anyone is welcome to lend a hand in the exciting project. "We are delighted that we now have all the equipment, knowledge and support from Google that we need to continue to develop our own unique version of Google Street View." says Guri Hjgaard, director at Visit Faroe Islands. For images and videos please visit: http://visitfaroeislands.com/press-professionals/press-material/







FACTS ABOUT THE FAROE ISLANDS:





Population: 49,188 Number of sheep (circa): 80,000 Number of islands: 18 Total area: 1,396 km2 Faroe Islands originally means: "The Sheep Islands"

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago of 18 mountainous islands located halfway between Iceland and Scotland in the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands are comprised of 50,000 inhabitants and 80,000 sheep. With more sheep than people, it's not surprising that the name Faroe Islands first appeared as Faereyjar (in approximately 1225), which means "Sheep Islands." This name was given by the Viking settlers from Norway in the ninth century. The Faroe Islands have been awarded the best islands in the world by National Geographic and ranked as one of the world's top ten destinations by Lonely Planet and been lauded by the New York Times. The country boasts fantastic scenery, a unique culture, a rich music heritage and gourmet culinary scene, one that brings foreign chefs and foodies flocking to the Faroe Islands to experience the local cuisine. Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/Googlehelpssheepview.mp4 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/faroe-islands-uses-sheep-to-put-country-on-the-google-map-300320809.html SOURCE Visit Faroe Islands

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[August 31, 2016] Slic Network Solutions Updates Schroon Lake Broadband Committee on Planned Arrival of Fiber Optic Broadband to the Community

SCHROON LAKE, N.Y., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Slic Network Solutions President Phil Wagschal met with representatives of the Town of Schroon Lake Broadband Committee this past Friday to provide an update on Slic's progress in bringing fiber optic Internet to the town. During the public meeting, Wagschal updated the committee, along with residents and government officials about the Internet service that will provide Schroon Lake with dramatically faster Internet when compared to other broadband providers currently offering service in the area. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/403104LOGO "There has been a long time delay, and that delay is finally over when it comes to bringing blazing fast Internet in Schroon Lake," proclaimed Phil Wagschal. "This past week we submitted our make ready requests to run fiber optic cable throughout Schroon Lake to National Grid and Verizon, owners of the poles. Slic is now on track to have the town wired for fiber optic Internet service by the end of March 2017." "Make Ready" is the first part of a construction process to build a fiber optic network that entails connecting to Slic's ultra-fast backbone, installing optical routers and switches, and stringing the fiber optic cable on utility poles. The Make Ready applications submitted by Slicare the result of Slic's recently received outside funding. The multi-month build out of the local physical plant will begin as soon as Make Ready is completed by the utility pole owners.



"The NY Broadband Program Office has been very supportive of our efforts in Schroon Lake and elsewhere," added Wagschal. "We know from our field surveys that there are many areas in the Town of Schroon that lack any broadband service, or where there is coverage, the residents are using much slower and often more expensive satellite or 4G cellular service to stay connected. Slic focuses its business on unserved residential areas, so, we expect Schroon Lake to be a repeat of our successes in other communities." Following completion of the network construction, residents and business owners in Schroon Lake will also be able to experience the fastest broadband Internet available in the area at a series of Wi-Fi hotspots that Slic will deploy in cooperation with the New York State Broadband Program Office.

The Town of Schroon Lake is home to over 850 people according to the 2010 U.S. Census and makes up roughly half the population in the Town of Schroon in the Adirondack Park area of Essex County, NY. Like many other rural communities, the town has both full-time and seasonal residents, some of whom use their residences as second homes or summer vacation homes and are already experiencing high-speed Internet at the primary residences elsewhere. "The project has been years in coming. Frustration has been felt by many, including some committee members. Finally, we appear to be entering the back stretch. Our commendations to Phil and Slic for sticking with us and seeing this project through to completion," said Don Sage, Broadband Committee Chair for the Town of Schroon Lake. About Slic Network Solutions A wholly owned subsidiary of Nicholville Telephone Company, Slic Network Solutions delivers fiber optic based high-speed Internet, phone, and television services to 23 communities throughout northern New York. http://www.slic.com/ For SLIC Networks Solutions:

Contact: Andy Abramson, Comunicano

Phone: +1(858) 777-9777

E-mail: E-mail To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/slic-network-solutions-updates-schroon-lake-broadband-committee-on-planned-arrival-of-fiber-optic-broadband-to-the-community-300320827.html SOURCE Slic Network Solutions

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By Anil Kumar: A recent video from the troubled region of Balochistan in Pakistan has surfaced, which shows a commander being given a final salute by his fellow warriors. The video was released by the Balochistan Repulican Party (BRP). It is Baloch Republican Army (BRA)'s tribute to martyred commander Aman Baloch, who lost his life a day before in a face-to-face battle with the Pakistan Army in Balochistan's Makran region.

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The Makran region also saw the death of another activist named Kachkol Baloch who belonged to Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) a few days ago. The BLF is an ethnic-separatist political front that is currently fighting against the Pakistan government for an independent Balochi state.

The BRA is the largest freedom organisation in Balochistan. They mostly targets Pakistani troops, gas installations, trains, power pylons and government officials who are involved in anti-Baloch activities. They are spread across several districts including Dera Bugti, Gwadar, Lasbela and Kalat.

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province. The Balochis have waged periodic battles for both autonomy and azadi that have often been brutally crushed by the Pakistan security forces. It has recently made news with the increasing atrocities and human rights abuse by the Pakistan Army.

ALSO READ: Balochistan: Did rattled Pakistan army poison water supply with chemicals after PM Modi's I-Day speech?



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A convict, who was serving his prison sentence at the Bengaluru Central Jail, today escaped from the highly fortified jail, in a typical filmy style.

By Mail Today Bureau: A convict, who was serving his prison sentence at the Bengaluru Central Jail, today escaped from the highly fortified jail, in a typical filmy style.

David, who hails from Devanahalli near Bengaluru, and was serving a 6-year prison sentence, has been found missing from his cell this morning. The prison staff searched for him extensively but could not trace him in any part of the jail.

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The prison staff suspected that David might have escaped in the truck that supplied vegetables and groceries around 4 am every day to the jail. The truck, which is contracted to supply ration on weekly days to the Central Jail located on the outskirts of Bengaluru, left around 4:30 am after unloading the stock.

Normally, a set of prisoners are assigned the task of unloading the stock from the truck. The prison staff believed that David hoodwinked them and hid himself in the truck. A case has been registered with the HSR Layout police, who are now looking for the convict.

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The police suspect the accused to be a burglar, who entered the house searching for costly items.

By Mail Today Bureau: A techie was allegedly raped by a burglar at a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Venkatadri Layout near the Bengaluru Central Jail on August 26. The police have registered a case and are searching for the accused.

According to the victim, who lodged a complaint with the Bengaluru police, she was alone in her room when the incident took place. The lady worked for a top MNC firm and had returned from office early on the day the incident took place.

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The police suspect the accused to be a burglar, who entered the house searching for costly items. As he did not find anything, he allegedly raped the IT employee at knife-point.

The owner of the PG accommodation is being questioned by the police, as the rape took place under suspicious circumstances. The Bengaluru police have evolved guidelines for PG accommodation, such as installation of CCTV security cameras, and deployment of security guards. The police are ascertaining whether the PG centre owner followed these guidelines.

ALSO READ

India safer for foreigners than its daughters, over 34,000 rape cases registered in 2015



4 women raped, 9 harassed everyday in 2012-2015: Delhi Police report 51 squats, Rs 1,000 fine: Bihar panchayat's punishment to rape accused







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Tom's Guide is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us.
For $600, there isnt really anything to fault in the C3583FQ. Yes there are a few things we called out, but overall there arent too many better gaming monitors out there. And this is certainly one of the best curved ultra-wide screens weve seen to date. If youve been considering going curved but found prices too high, this might be the right time to pull the trigger.

Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

Introduction

When curved screens first appeared we wondered if they would simply be a fad, soon to be relegated to the island of misfit toys. They seemed to answer an unasked question and their price premium was substantial.

It seems that gamers have since embraced curved ultra-wide monitors, and price tags over $1000 have not dampened enthusiasm. Still, there are many who are waiting for that price to come down before jumping on board.

We werent sure wed ever see a value leader in this category, but AOC has finally stepped up to offer a VA-based version for only $600. The C3583FQ weighs in at 35-inches diagonal with a 21:9 aspect ratio, 2560x1080 resolution, 160Hz and AMD FreeSync. Were going in depth with it today.

Specifications

If the panel seems familiar, thats because weve covered it twice before. Its the same AU Optronics part found in BenQs XR3501 and Acers Predator Z35. The technology is AMVA, which currently offers the highest contrast available in an LCD monitor. Weve seen several examples that more than triple the dynamic range found in most TN and IPS screens. This particular part checks in between 2000 and 2300:1, and that is a palpable difference that anyone can see even without a side-by-side comparison.

It is unfortunate that this panel doesnt match the 3440x1440 resolution of its IPS competition, but it has several other attributes that, in our minds, more than make up for a lack of pixels. Besides its greater contrast, it can run comfortably at 144Hz and even 160Hz. The former value represents the parts native refresh rate but weve been able to run it at 160Hz without issue. And in the case of the C3583FQ, that rate is supported in Windows and, more importantly, by its warranty.

Of course the real story here is AOCs significant price breakthrough. For $600, it undercuts the competition by at least $200 at this writing. Could this be the curved screen youve been waiting for? Lets take a look.

Packaging, Physical Layout And Accessories

Curved screens require a little extra shipping protection and AOC has not skimped on the C3583FQs packaging. In addition to lots of rigid foam blocks, theres a softer piece preventing any pressure from affecting the delicate panel. The monitor is fully assembled so all you have to do is lift it out and plug it in. To that end, a power brick is provided along with cables for DisplayPort, HDMI, and analog stereo.

Product 360

Image 1 of 5

The C3583FQ takes up a fair amount of desktop space with both prodigious width and a large base. The bezel is a relatively-thin 13mm at the sides and top so if you plan to install multiple screens, the separations will be small. The curve radius is a tight 2000mm which means three of them will wrap nicely around the user if you have room. And at this price, that scenario is much more realistic.

The anti-glare layer is aggressive in function and doesnt interfere with image quality in the slightest. The air gap is quite small which contributes to better clarity. If you sit close enough you will see the pixel structure, because the density is only 79ppi.

The touch-sensitive controls are found on the front edge of the large base unit which also doubles as an input panel. A small LED indicates power-on or standby functions. The finish is a nice brushed-metal texture though it and the main chassis are made from hard plastic. The chrome-plated upright is real steel, however, and lends a high-end appearance.

The side profile doesnt look particularly slim but it measures less than many like-sized screens at only 48mm. The screens curve is obviously a contributing factor, but overall the package is not bulky in any way.

The C3583FQs back is completely smooth and only features a large AOC logo and two small speaker grills. No VESA mount is provided. Since sound will be reflecting from whatever is in back of the monitor, you should consider placement for the best audio quality. Relative to other monitors, these built-in transducers are above average with decent volume and a clear midrange. Bass and treble frequencies are a little more reticent however. Your best bet will be to use an external audio system or a good pair of headphones.

At the bases rear is a very complete input panel. Not only does this arrangement eliminate cable clutter, its super easy to make your connections. While the permanently-attached base limits movement and mounting options, it is convenient in other ways. The two HDMI inputs are version 1.4 and include MHL functionality. You also get two DisplayPorts which both support adaptive sync. DVI is included as well as analog support through a legacy VGA connector. Analog audio is covered by a 3.5mm input and a headphone output.

MORE: Best Computer Monitors

MORE: How To Choose A Monitor

MORE: Display Calibration 101

MORE: The Science Behind Tuning Your MonitorMORE: All Monitor Content
Sweet Release is a very appropriate title for this one, considering the gorgeous dreamscapes present in its brand new video.

Paper Houses blend of lilting vox and warm synth find their ideal partner in the clip by animator Freya Pitt, who has hand-crafted a vibrant urban journey to accompany what is described by the band as a modern-day love song set in Melbournes streets.

Sweet Release is available now on iTunes and the bands website, while their debut album A Certain Kind of Now will be released on September 23.
Community radio music directors often have an encyclopedic knowledge of local music and an insatiable thirst to keep their ears ahead of the curve. So in this Tone Deaf series, the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap) invites music directors to highlight new Aussie tunes that you might have missed.

In this edition, Stephen Goodhew from FBi Radio in Sydney contributes with a selection of tracks currently making their way to community radio through Amraps music distribution service AirIt. Check out Stephens selections below and if youre a musician you can apply here to have your music distributed for free to community radio on Amraps AirIt.

GL  Hallucinate

For a while there, it felt like funk was a genre stuck in a time warp, doomed to a future ruled by the sounds of its past. Thankfully in recent years theres been growing Australian scene of acts taking that classic funk sound and pushing and prodding it, making it something fresh.

Enter GLs single, Hallucinate  an effortlessly funky affair, mixing groove heavy bass lines with synth-pop, creating one of the most immediately danceable songs Ive heard from any Australian artist this year. It comes off their debut album, Touch, which is out now through Plastic World and Midnight Feature. Its definitely worth a gander.

Felix Lush  State of Mind

When New Wave is done well, it has a quality to it  that rare place a song sits when it perfectly balances the sad and the happy. Its a balancing act that Felix Lush is making look all too easy on State of Mind.

Propelled by a robotic disco beat pushed out by a drum machine, it has that feeling of a song that in another reality might soar, but in the here and now, is kept close to earth, weighted by Felixs own experiences.

Having already played in Bearhug and Claire & the Cops, it shouldnt come as any surprise that Felix knows his way around a song. If State of Mind is any indicator, this is a project that youd do well to keep an eye on.

Alta  Plans

Alta are a Melbourne duo doing something all too few pop acts do: moving the genre forward. Their single, Plans, taken from an upcoming EP due to be released through Soothsayer, does exactly that. It takes the familiar tropes of a pop song and puts it through the ringer. What emerges is a woozy, slightly twisted pop hit thats hugely catchy and an interesting listen to boot.

Moonbase Commander  Greyhound

Moonbase Commander isnt exactly a stranger to the FBi airwaves. Hes been evolving his sound and perfecting his technique for a while now, but Greyhound marks a serious levelling up.

It takes the tropes of drum n bass, a genre that I was foolish enough to think had done its dash, and breathes new life into it. The result is a dark and dank club banger that works just as well on the radio waves as it does at 3am on the dancefloor.

Marcus  Toast

Smooth melodies, boom bap beats and spitfire flow; its a recipe for gold employed flawlessly on Marcus latest single, Toast. Its one of a recent wave of Australian hip-hop releases that continue to push the local scene in exciting new directions.

Having recently made an appearance on Baros hugely catchy, WDUBI, it feels like Marcus is an artist settling into a groove. If he keeps releasing party tracks like this then hes a name you can expect to be hearing plenty more in future.

The Ocean Party  Back Bar

I think as long as I live, Ill always have a soft-spot for Australian guitar pop. Something about those breezy guitar lines and laid-back vocals just sound like round tripping down a coastal road in summer. For me, this is why I love Back Bar.

It has that classic Australian feel, without trying to shove it down your throat in an obvious, cliched kind of way. Its a sound that Ocean Party have been capturing beautifully for a while now and I cant wait to hear their new album, Restless, out later in September on Spunk Records.

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While Australia is known for being home to a number of flourishing and supportive local music scenes, for some bands the lure of overseas markets just becomes too tempting  or the local scene becomes unsustainable.

Melbourne rock/punk outfit Tequila Mockingbyrd are pulling up roots entirely and moving over to the U.K., eager to get stuck into Europe as a full-time band, so weve asked them why theyve decided to make the huge leap into unfamiliar territory.

Theyll be embarking on a 40+ date tour of the U.K. and Europe throughout the rest of the year, but will be playing at home one more time at their Flocking Off farewell show on September 10 at St. Kildas Memo Music Hall.

Why Leave Australia?

Melbourne is often cited as one of the worlds music cities, so why did Tequila Mockingbyrd decide to make the huge move around to the far side of the globe  and why now?

Weve been wanting to make music our full time career for a long time now, and have been wondering when the right time would be, they tell us. Then, when we released our first single to the UK, I Smell Rock n Roll, the response was better than we could have imagined.

The response overseas was a welcome one for a band who, despite having had considerable success in Australia, are finding themselves at odds with the limitations of the local scene.

Its obviously challenging for an emerging band in Australia with the distances and lack of mainstream support for rock music, but the local scene is incredibly strong, and a really tight-knit community. Ultimately, our aim is to be full-time musicians, and we feel its hard to get to that point in Australia without making a splash overseas.

We plan to travel wherever/whenever to people who dig our music  and right now, the UK and Europe are where that is.

Being Embraced By Europe

Even before theyve made the move, the band are stoked with the response theyve been receiving from the European market, even receiving a helpful dose of radio airplay as encouragement.

So far, considering weve never played a show over there, it has been incredible  the airplay weve been getting over there has been really helpful. Weve had a heap of people message us about the tour and album release having heard us on the radio, so thats really encouraging. We cant wait to actually play some shows over there!

Of course, a bit of support from colleagues and family hasnt gone astray, and more support from back home will always be welcome.

Weve been very lucky to jump on Melbourne band Massives headline tour, so their booking agent did most of the heavy lifting for this one. Weve booked a few shows around that, and even tweeted our way onto a festival bill! Its tricky cos we dont have a huge network over there yet Just gotta put yourself out there and see what happens.

Josie is from the UK originally, so at least thatll help with the sofas to crash on situation, but were basically starting from scratch  no label, no management. Perhaps were mad. Feel free to send help our way!

Going Full-Time

The benefits of the trip arent just a massive new audience, the band tell us, but also the opportunity to dive head-first into being a full-time band.

We managed to lock in Hard Rock Hell festival in November, then a tour throughout Sept  Oct and later the Planet Rock Stock Festival in December. Thats when we realised, were gonna have to leave our jobs to do this, so looks like the time is upon us!

In between tours, the group look forward to getting stuck in to the realities of being a full-time band, with their attention set firmly on their music.

Its obviously a very exciting time and its kinda exhilarating to be quitting jobs, getting rid of all possessions and just being able to focus on music. Itll be great to have a bit more free time together. At the moment we write mainly via snippets sent over text messages, then jam it out at practice.

Well be all living together in (drummer) Josies parents attic between shows, so itll be great to have a bit more face-to-face time to flesh out ideas. Weve got so many half-baked songs in the closet so we cant wait to give them some love ready for album no. 2!

Saying Goodbye To Home

While theyre understandably excited to head off on a massive overseas adventure, there are definitely things about Australia theyre sad to be leaving behind.

Weve had a fantastic time and done a lot of cool things, from sharing the stage with some of our idols, to playing for the Aussie troops in the Middle East. Well definitely miss that rock n roll family feel. Melbourne has such a great spirit and its such a good vibe. Well definitely miss all the friendly faces.

Also, parmas, salt and vinegar road house chicken strips, squeezy ketchup satchets and the sun.

What do they all have to say for the Australian fans theyre having to leave behind?

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Weve had so much help from so many people along the way and its all played a part in getting us to this point. Well be back consider yourself warned. And as for Europe? Look out world, were coming. Lock up your wine and your snacks.

If youd like to support them in their endeavours, the band are running a Flocking Off Fundraiser on Pozible to help them get set up in the U.K. and kickstart their European push.
BIGSOUND, Australias annual music industry conference, is set to kick off next week in Brisbane. Industry stakeholders and musicians from around Australia and the world will soon be descending on the Queensland capital.

Many of those stakeholders will be there to discover the next Tame Impala or Courtney Barnett and will be keeping their ears to the ground to stay on top of any buzzed about acts who could blow up in the next 12 months.

This is where BIGSOUND Buzz comes in. Designed and built by esteemed and ever-imaginative digital agency Bolster, BIGSOUND Buzz is an app that gives you the lowdown on the most hyped artists at BIGSOUND in real time.

The app works by tallying up social media data, taking into account volume, engagement, and influence, and generating a leaderboard, bar graph, and pie chart view of who the most talked-about bands and artists at BIGSOUND are.

At the time of writing, Braille Face are leading the top 10, followed by Jack Grace and The Gooch Palms. You can take a look at BIGSOUND Buzz for yourself right here and make sure to bookmark it before you make your way to BIGSOUND next week.
Out On The Weekend festival is set to return for another year of country, Americana, and blues this October and theyve now announced a string of headline sideshows from Robert Ellis and The Perfect Strangers, Lindi Ortega, and more.

Robert Ellis is hot on the heels of his eponymous fourth album and continues his streak as one of musics finest storytellers, whilst Ortega is making a welcome and overdue return to Australia.

Meanwhile, talented New Zealand troubadour Marlon Williams is set to perform with his band The Yarra Benders as the headliner for this years Out On The Weekend, alongside Joe Pug, Joshua Hedley, The Cactus Blossoms, and many more.

For those that know, its a grand day of excellent sounds, good times and sparkling services and we expect to see you again. For those that dont, come join the party this October. Itll be a blast. Guaranteed, said organiser BT.

Check below for all the dates and ticketing details.

ROBERT ELLIS AND THE PERFECT STRANGERS WITH JOSHUA HEDLEY & JOE PUG

Friday, 14th October 2016

Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan

Tickets: 03 5664 9239

Saturday, 15th October 2016

Out On The Weekend, Melbourne

Tickets: Out On The Weekend

Sunday, 16th October 2016

Franklin Bar, Hobart*

Tickets: Phone venue 03 6234 3375

Tuesday, 18th October 2016

The Basement, Sydney

Tickets: The Basement

Thursday, 20th October 2016

Northcote Social Club, Melbourne

Tickets: Northcote Social Club

Friday, 21st October 2016

Caravan Club, Melbourne

Tickets: Caravan Club

* Robert Ellis & Joshua Hedley only

LINDI ORTEGA WITH THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS

Saturday, 15th October 2016

Out On The Weekend, Melbourne

Tickets: Out On The Weekend

Monday, 17th October 2016

Newtown Social Club, Sydney

Tickets: Newtown Social Club

Wednesday, 19th October 2016

Northcote Social Club, Melbourne

Tickets: Northcote Social Club

Friday, 21st October 2016

Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan

Tickets: 03 5664 9239
"Let me be clear that no officer wants to be put in a situation in which he or she must decide to shoot someone. But suspects do threaten the lives of officers, and officers must employ their training and experience to decide how to best protect themselves and others. Sometimes this means they must fire their service weapon to stop the threat.





"I take pride in how well-trained our officers are and am confident they have received some of the most cutting edge instruction in the country on how to navigate a possible shoot/no-shoot situation. I also am confident in the integrity and accuracy of our investigative processes. Multiple levels of review  both internally and by the FBI and U.S. Attorney  assure our community that the actions of any KCPD officer involved in a shooting are comprehensively reviewed for adherence to the law and department policy. The people of Kansas City deserve nothing less."

During the last police board meeting there wasThe death of Ryan Stokes has been used as a rallying cry from protesters who have continually challenged police on the use of force.Today's blog post from the Chief attempts to explain the methods used by police in no uncertain terms.Check it:Money line . ..You decide . . .
Brief job description: "The selected candidate will work strategically and effectively build an maintain the Mayor's visibility and positive image in the community . . ."

"An entry level position responsible for answering calls for service, patrolling, conducting accident investigations and complaints, enforcing ordinances, regulations and laws, and maintaining community relationships with our citizens."

A KCK Insider seyz: "In the Dotte, the Mayor's assistant makes more money then a police officer , something is not right with that . . ."

As always, our blog community wants to help those looking for gainful employment and here's a peek at some interesting work across The State Line.First up . . .It might also be beneficial if this candidate can find a way toSpeaking of . . . After a police captain and detective were gunned down this year . . .Click the links for more info on how to apply but for now, a note about municipal offerings . . .You decide . . .
By Pratiba Raman: Though Bengaluru witnessed the onset of monsoons, the downpour has not been heavy enough to fill the reservoirs of the Cauvery basin, leaving around 1 crore Bengalureans parched. Bengaluru needs about 1.5 tmc ft of water per month. The consumption of drinking water rises by at least 30 pc every year. When the demand steadily increases and supply plunges, one can imagine the crisis that Bengaluru is facing. The reservoirs of the Cauvery basin have stored 11 tmc ft of water as compared to 23 tmc ft of water stored this time last year.

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BENGALURU PARCHED



Water from the KRS Dam reaches only 8 lakh of the 22 lakh properties in Bengaluru. 32-year-old Gangamma in Cox Town area of East Bengaluru struggles everyday fighting for every drop of water to save her family of nine. Gangamma said, "There is so much of difficulty in getting water. The little water that we get is dirty and there's mud in it. We can't store and we can't use it beyond a point. There are about 100 houses here. We get the borewell water which we use for washing clothes. Even that water is not constant."

CAUVERY WATER NOT POTABLE



They get water only two days in a week. And even that is not potable. However, the situation may not be as grim in posh localities since people there can afford water tankers. The question is... "For how long?" V Balasubramanian, water conservation expert, said, "49 per cent of Cauvery water is not potable. And the water tankers pump out 3.5 times more than ground water recharge. At this rate, the ground water will remain dry in a decade."

KARNATAKA GOVT TO MOVE SC



Having faced the worst drought in 48 years, the government of Karnataka is hesitant to share water with Tamil Nadu. Siddharamaiah, Karnataka CM, said, "We will explain the situation to the Supreme Court. We have no water. In normal circumstances we would have shared. Now our reservoirs don't have 100 tmc ft of water. Our requirement is 40 tmc ft for drinking purposes. Where is the question of water for our own irrigation?"

Several experts have warned that half of Bengaluru will have to be evacuated in ten years because of water shortage. The year of 2016 is a warning signal that time is running out for the city.

ALSO READ:

Bangalore metro tunnelling causes cave-in, biker narrowly escapes accident



--- ENDS ---
Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) Bahrain said it has successfully extended its contract as the managing agent as well as exclusive leasing agent of the kingdoms iconic landmark, Bahrain World Trade Centre (BWTC) and luxury retail shopping destination Moda Mall.



As per the agreement, C&W Bahrain will continue to manage and lease the 46,500 sq m of office space for BWTC and 16,500 sq m of retail space for Moda Mall.



Leveraging Bahrains favourable economic climate, strategic geographical location and well-established business infrastructure, C&W Bahrain has achieved stable business growth and high-yield returns for BWTC, said the company in its statement.



C&W Bahrain said it has succeeded in strategically positioning BWTC as the kingdoms business address of choice. Total occupancy increased to 81.9 per cent in 2015, attracting major international businesses such as BAE Systems, JP Morgan and UPS, it stated.



Moreover, capitalising on the GCCs appetite for luxury brands and close proximity to Saudi Arabia, C&W Bahrain has successfully positioned Moda Mall as an exclusive retail destination synonymous with luxury and high-end shopping.



The mall achieved 4.5 per cent year-on-year occupancy growth and currently enjoys 94 per cent retail occupancy.



With this third successive contract renewal, C&W Bahrain will continue to explore innovative new opportunities and spearhead a number of significant leasing agreements for both landmark assets.



This will be driven under the leadership of its newly appointed property and asset management team. The team will be led by Kelvin Crutchlow as director of asset services - Middle East and general manager of BWTC and Moda Mall, said the statement.



Crutchlow will be supported by Hannah Walker as property manager, and Sara Watson as leasing manager, both having significant experience in their respective fields.



Michael Hatt, the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) head of asset services, said: "We are pleased that Cushman & Wakefield Bahrain has successfully retained both the property management and exclusive leasing mandates for BWTC and Moda Mall."



"Moreover, our long-standing association with these marquee assets is further boosted by the recent appointment of our core management team. These appointments reaffirm Cushman & Wakefields continued commitment of delivering unrivalled real estate solutions to our clients.



On the new role, Crutchlow said: "I am delighted to join Cushman & Wakefield Bahrain and drive forward the commercial and retail growth for BWTC and Moda Mall respectively. As Bahrain continues to be one of the most diversified GCC economies, we will continue to capitalise on the unique offerings of both assets, through exposure in industry forums, as well as attractive lease terms, which we are confident will continue to attract leading international players, be it corporates or brands."



With more than 16 years of international asset management experience in the UK, Europe and Middle East, Crutchlow brings extensive understanding and knowledge of retail and mixed-use developments, advising developers, investment funds, financial institutions, public sector entities and private investors.

He is a chartered surveyor and RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) Assessor. Prior to this, Crutchlow worked in the UAE as director of retail consultancy (Mena) with Colliers International and more recently as general manager of The Beach, with Meraas Holding.-TradeArabia News Service
The Egyptian government has chosen three consulting firms - Misr Capital, Al Nour Consulting Group, and Global Appraisal Tech (GAT) - to value the land of the Suez Canal Economic Zone.



The trio started valuing the land prices last week, reported the Daily News Egypt, citing a top official.



"These companies will handle an enormous task that may take a long time, but work will begin urgently as a first stage in Ain Sokhna, East Port Said and El Qantarah in Ismailia," stated Ahmed Darwish, the chairperson of The Suez Canal Economic Zone Authority.



Several investors had previously said that they were waiting for the exact land prices of various areas in the economic zone so that they can start studies on possible projects, said the report.



President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi issued a presidential decree in August 2015 announcing the establishment of the Suez Canal Economic Zone to be on an area of 460.6 sq km as a special economic area, according to the Economic Zones Law No 83/2002 that was amended to suit the nature of the area.



As per the decree, six ports are affiliated to the Suez Canal Economic Zone: West and East Port Said, Ain Sokhna, Adabia, Al Arish, and El Tor.
Confirmed cases of Zika virus in Singapore rose to 82 on Tuesday, as the US issued a warning to pregnant women to avoid travel to the city-state, joining Australia, Taiwan and South Korea.



The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has caused explosive outbreaks in the Americas and the Caribbean since late last year, poses a particular risk to pregnant women because it can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.



The warnings followed news that Zika transmission appears to be occurring outside of the original cluster, with at least five of 26 new cases confirmed late on Tuesday detected in the Aljunied area in the southeast of Singapore, the health ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement.



Singapore has advised pregnant women to take a free Zika test if they showed any symptoms or if their partners tested positive. "This is regardless of whether they have been to Zika-affected areas," health officials said in a statement.



The outbreak and advisories come as the tourism industry in one of the world's busiest travel hubs already faces weak global economic growth. Singapore's Tourism Board said it was premature to consider any impact on the sector, adding it remained a "safe travel destination".



More than 55 million people pass through Singapore's Changi airport every year. In the first half of this year, tourism arrivals topped 8 million, around 1 million more than a year earlier.



MOZZIE SPRAY SALES



Singapore reported its first case of locally-transmitted Zika at the weekend, and the number of confirmed infections has risen steadily since then. At least three dozen patients have made a full recovery.



Neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia have stepped up protective measures, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints with the island state. Such measures, however, will only identify symptomatic cases of Zika, but only one in five people have symptoms of the virus, which include fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye.



Singapore residents responded to government calls to be vigilant and to take precautions against mosquito bites.



Online retailer Lazada Singapore said sales of insect repellents jumped five-fold in the past three days. FairPrice supermarkets and Watsons pharmacies said their sales of such products had doubled.



Most of the early infections were among foreign workers, hundreds of thousands of whom, mainly from the Asian sub-continent, work on Singapore's construction sites and in the marine sector.



The Singapore government has not said where the infected foreign workers are from. The foreign ministry directed queries to the health ministry, which did not respond to Reuters questions on the issue. The Ministry of Manpower also did not respond to a request for comment made outside working hours.



The High Commission of Bangladesh, which represents the largest community of foreign workers, said none of those infected were Bangladeshis, and the Thai foreign ministry said none were from Thailand. The embassies of China, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar said they had not been notified by Singapore whether their citizens were among those infected.



Authorities inspected thousands of homes in seven parts of Singapore, including five foreign worker dormitories, spraying insecticide and removing potential mosquito breeding habitats.



The NEA has inspected about 5,000 premises in and around the initial outbreak area, issuing 400 notices to owners of buildings they could not access. The NEA can force entry into those premises if needed.



Zika was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. It caused clusters of human infections from the 1960s to 1980s across Africa and Asia, according to the World Health Organization.



The outbreak in the Americas was caused by a Zika strain from Asia, possibly carried to Brazil through travel to a sporting event. Many experts believe once infected, Zika produces lifelong immunity.



"Unfortunately, it is not clear the level of immunity that is currently in Asia," said Alessandro Vespignani of Northeastern University in Boston.



WHO declared Zika a global health emergency because of its link with microcephaly. In Brazil, Zika has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.  Reuters
Lafarge Iraq, a leading investor in Iraq's cement industry, has signed an agreement with Iraqs General Company for Land Transportation (GCLT) for the transportation of cement, said a report.



The contract is the largest in the history of the GCLT, which is owned by Iraqs Ministry for Transport, added the Iraq Business News report.



The deal will run for one year, and may be further extended for five years, it said.



Lafarge Iraq is a subsidiary of Swiss-based LafargeHolcim Group, a world leader in the building materials industry.



Lafarge Iraq operates three cement plants: Bazian and Tasluja cement plants located in Sulaimani, Iraqi Federal Region of Kurdistan, and Karbala Cement Plant located close to Karbala province.



The company posted sales of CHF29.5 billion ($29.9 billion) in 2015.
Islamic State said on Tuesday one of its most prominent and longest-serving leaders was killed in what appeared to be an American air strike in Syria, depriving the militant group of the man in charge of directing attacks overseas.



A US defence official told Reuters the United States targeted Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a Tuesday strike on a vehicle travelling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. The official stopped short of confirming Adnani's death, however.



Such US assessments often take days and often lag behind official announcements by militant groups.



Adnani was one of the last living senior members, along with self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who founded the group and stunned the Middle East by seizing huge tracts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.



As Islamic State's spokesman, Adnani was its most visible member. As head of external operations, he was in charge of attacks overseas, including Europe, that have become an increasingly important tactic for the group as its core Iraqi and Syrian territory has been eroded by military losses.



Advances by Iraq's army and allied militia towards Islamic State's most important possession of Mosul have put the group under new pressure at a moment when a US-backed coalition has cut its Syrian holdings off from the Turkish border.



Those military setbacks have been accompanied by air strikes that have killed several of the group's leaders, undermining its organisational ability and dampening its morale.



A US counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said Adnani's death will hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere".



Under Adnani's auspices, Islamic State launched large-scale attacks, bombings and shootings on civilians in countries outside its core area, including France, Belgium and Turkey.



The official said Adnani's roles as propaganda chief and director of external operations had become "indistinguishable" because the group uses its online messages to recruit fighters and provide instruction and inspiration for attacks.



Islamic State's Amaq News Agency reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo." Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government forces.



Amaq did not say how Adnani, born Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province in 1977, was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated Aug. 29 but gave no further details.



INROADS INTO ISLAMIC STATE



Recent advances by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it.



Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group mean Baghdad is on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year, the head of the US military's Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday.



Among senior Islamic State officials killed in air strikes this year are Abu Ali al-Anbari, Baghdadi's formal deputy, and the group's "minister of war", Abu Omar al-Shishani. Adnani had joined the group under its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.



There were conflicting reports earlier on Tuesday as to where and how he died.



A senior Syrian rebel official said Adnani was most probably killed in the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab in an air strike. Citing unconfirmed reports, he said Adnani was in the Aleppo region to raise morale in the face of mounting pressure.



Islamic State's territory around Aleppo is of particular significance to the group because it is also the location of Dabiq, where an Islamic prophecy holds the last battle between Muslims and infidels will rage, heralding the end of time.



FACE OF GROUP



Iraq said in January that Adnani had been wounded in an air strike in the western province of Anbar and then moved to the northern city of Mosul, Islamic State's capital in Iraq.



Adnani is a Syrian from Binish in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor al Qaeda more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by US forces in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution.



He was from a well-to-do background but left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight US forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said.



He had been the chief propagandist for the ultra-hardline jihadist group since he declared in a June 2014 statement that it was establishing a modern-day caliphate spanning swaths of territory it had seized in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.



Adnani had often been the face of the Sunni militant group, such as when he issued a message in May urging attacks on the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan.



The United States designated him a "global terrorist" this year and said he was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003 before becoming spokesman of the militant group.



There is a $5 million reward on his head under the US "Rewards for Justice" programme.  Reuters
Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said the top crude exporter does not target a specific figure for its oil production and that its output is based on customers' needs.



"We in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia do not have a targeted number to reach. The kingdom's production meets the requirements of the customers, whether they are outside or inside the kingdom," Al-Falih told the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television channel in remarks broadcast on Wednesday.



"The kingdom's production policy will maintain a large degree of responsibility," he said.



Speaking during an official visit to China, Al-Falih said that despite low crude prices, "demand for oil does not worry me", adding that demand for crude in China remains "very healthy".



The Opec heavyweight started to increase production in June to meet a seasonal rise in domestic demand as well as higher export requirements. Industry sources have told Reuters that Riyadh could boost production to a record in August.



Saudi Arabia produced 10.67 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude, the most in its history, in July. Al-Falih told Reuters last week that production in August had remained around that level, though he could not cite a specific number.



Saudi Arabia has a production capacity of 12.5 million bpd, giving it the ability to boost output in case of any global shortage.



Al-Falih said that production level was not expected to be reached unless there were unexpected outages.



"The market now is saturated with oversupply and we don't see in the short term a need for the kingdom to reach its maximum production capacity," he told the TV channel.



The minister is part of an official Saudi visit headed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at bolstering relations with China, a top energy customer and trade partner. The delegation heads to Japan late on Wednesday. - Reuters
Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) plans to privatise its assets by the end of the year, its chairman said on Wednesday, as part of a drive to increase efficiency in the kingdom's utilities.



"We expect to complete the planned privatisation of assets this year," Saleh Al Awaji told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya.



Saudi Arabia's utility regulator said in February that SEC would be split into several firms by the end of 2016 to increase efficiency.



Awaji said demand for power in the country had declined for the first time in the company's 15-year history after a removal of government subsidies.-Reuters
Saudi Aramco is in advanced negotiations with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to build the Yunnan refinery in China, its chairman said on Al Arabiya TV on Wednesday.



Khalid Al-Falih, who is also Saudi Arabia's energy minister, said: "We hope to reach an agreement this year."



The minister added that he is optimistic on demand for oil.



Al-Falih said Saudi Arabia, the top crude exporter, does not target a specific figure for its oil production and that its output is based on customers' needs.



"We in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia do not have a targeted number to reach. The kingdom's production meets the requirements of the customers, whether they are outside or inside the kingdom," Al-Falih told the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television channel in remarks broadcast on Wednesday.



"The kingdom's production policy will maintain a large degree of responsibility," he said.



Speaking during an official visit to China, Al-Falih said that despite low crude prices, "demand for oil does not worry me", adding that demand for crude in China remains "very healthy".



The Opec heavyweight started to increase production in June to meet a seasonal rise in domestic demand as well as higher export requirements. Industry sources have told Reuters that Riyadh could boost production to a record in August.



Saudi Arabia produced 10.67 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude, the most in its history, in July. Al-Falih told Reuters last week that production in August had remained around that level, though he could not cite a specific number.



Saudi Arabia has a production capacity of 12.5 million bpd, giving it the ability to boost output in case of any global shortage.



Al-Falih said that production level was not expected to be reached unless there were unexpected outages.



"The market now is saturated with oversupply and we don't see in the short term a need for the kingdom to reach its maximum production capacity," he told the TV channel.



The minister is part of an official Saudi visit headed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at bolstering relations with China, a top energy customer and trade partner. The delegation heads to Japan late on Wednesday. - Reuters


The former deputy CM of Bihar noted that Nitish was repeatedly seeking central assistance without having conducted a detailed survey and assessment of the losses caused due to floods.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Senior BJP leader Sushil Modi has raised doubts of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returning the Centre's flood aid by terming it as communal.

"There is a strong possibility that once the Central government provides financial assistance to Bihar govt to deal with floods, the Bihar CM may call the financial help as insufficient. There was also a possibility of Nitish returning the central aid terming it communal", said Modi.

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The former deputy CM of Bihar noted that Nitish was repeatedly seeking central assistance to carry out relief work for the flood affected people without having conducted a detailed survey and assessment of the losses caused due to floods.

"The state govt has not assessed the losses caused due to floods and Nitish Kumar through media is seeking help from Narendra Modi Govt at the Centre", said Modi.



HISTORY MIGHT REPEAT ITSELF

This is not the first time Modi took a jibe at Nitish. In 2010, Nitish rebuffed then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi by returning Rs 5 crore aid given by latter for the Kosi flood victims. Nitish's move had drawn sharp criticism from all political parties of Bihar.

Back then, the Bihar CM was angry after local newspapers in Bihar had carried advertisements about the help given by the Gujarat government for the 2008 Kosi flood victims. This advertisement was published on the day of the BJP's national executive meet in Patna in 2010. Later that evening Nitish had further cancelled the dinner for the BJP leaders over the issue.

Bihar is reeling under one of the worst floods. The flood that has affected close to 37 lakh people in 12 district has already claimed 165 lives.



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Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the managing body of Bahrain International Airport (BIA), has issued an advisory to passengers travelling during the Eid Al-Adha holidays to ensure smooth operations at the airport during the festive season.



BAC has appealed to passengers travelling between September 1 and 15 to arrive four hours prior to their flights departure or utilise early check-in facilities provided by airlines.



Moreover, the car parks are expected to be highly congested during Eid Al-Adha hence passengers have been advised to arrive early in order to find a suitable parking location.



In addition to the existing long-term Car Parks B, D, E and F, passengers can use the overflow car park located on the Galali road north of the runway with a competitive daily rate of 500 fils. The car park will also include a complimentary shuttle service to and from the passenger terminal building every 30 minutes.



The authority has notified travellers to keep in mind peak hours at BIA which are between 7 am to 11 am, 3.30 pm to 8.00 pm and 11.30 pm to 2.30 am.



During the holiday break, BAC will increase the provision of shuttle buses between the airport car parks and the passenger Terminal Building as well as the frequency of pick-ups and drop-offs for the shuttle buses to ensure efficiency and speed of service.



For convenient travel, Passengers can to use the new airport express bus service which is part of Bahrains new public transportation system. The BIA express bus service operates from the main terminals in Manama, Isa Town, and Muharraq. - TradeArabia News Service
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JDU MLC Sanjay Singh said despite repeated appeals being made by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Centre has not moved an inch forward towards providing a flood relief package to Bihar.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Bihar Janta Dal (United) has announced that they would not allow any union minister from the state to enter into Bihar unless the Centre provides flood relief package for the state. Declaring this, JD(U) MLC Sanjay Singh said despite repeated appeals being made by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Centre has not moved an inch forward towards providing a flood relief package to Bihar.

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READ: Lalu Yadav hits out at PM Modi for ignoring flood-ravaged Bihar



"There are several union minister who are coming to Bihar on a daily basis and conducting surveys and visiting flood affected areas. If these Union Ministers do nothing to help Bihar get a flood relief package soon, we will ban their entry into the state," announced Sanjay Singh.

READ: Bihar grapples with flooded Ganga, Lalu says victims lucky to get Gangajal at home

WARN TO GHERAO 7 RCR



Maintaining that the Centre was adopting a step motherly treatment to Bihar, Singh alleged that the Centre was swift on providing a flood relief package for Jammu and Kashmir but that urgency was not being seen in case of Bihar floods. Adding further, Singh said that the Bihar unit of JD(U) will soon hit the street with their demand for a flood relief package and carry out a "andolan". He also warned to gherao Prime Minister's official residence 7, RCR in Delhi if their demand was not met.

READ: Bihar floods: Nitish may term Centre's financial aid as communal, says Sushil Modi



"If the Centre does immediately announce a flood relief package for Bihar, we will hit the street and carry a movement. Our party workers will also go to Delhi and gherao the residence of PM Narendra Modi," said Sanjay Singh.

Another JD(U) MLC, Neeraj Kumar said that if the union ministers were so keen on providing relief to the flood affected people of Bihar, they should open a separate relief camp.

READ: Bihar flood crisis: Army and air force on alert, Nitish holds emergency meeting

'ENTIRE FOCUS ON VARANASI'



"Several parts of the country are facing floods but the Centre's entire focus is only on Varanasi, which is also hit by floods", said Neeraj Kumar, JD(U) MLC.

BJP's chief spokesperson Vinod Narayan Jha said that the comments of the both JD(U) MLCs was objectionable and warned that CM Nitish Kumar would be held responsible in case of any confrontation taking place between JD(U) and BJP workers.

Also Read:

Lalu Yadav hits out at PM Modi for ignoring flood-ravaged Bihar



Lalu has mocked at the misery of the flood victims, says Sushil Modi

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Bihar floods: Villagers camp on Patna-Bakhtiyarpur Expressway over lack of aid from government



--- ENDS ---
The Artisan Travel Company is offering guaranteed package prices for next years holidays.



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - August 31st, 2016 - With both HSBC and UBS predicting sterling dropping to a record low against overseas currencies, its hard to know how to plan ahead at the moment. However, to help their customers plan and budget for next years holiday in this post-Brexit world, The Artisan Travel Company  made up of Artisan Travel, The Aurora Zone and Activities Abroad  is guaranteeing a capped price for its package holidays departing next summer and winter (2017/18).

The company has set provisional prices on its three websites, although departure dates and travel itineraries are yet to be confirmed. Anyone booking a package holiday now will be guaranteed those rates, whatever happens to sterling in the meantime. If the price drops then customers will be charged at the lower rate and if, when the departure date is confirmed, it doesnt suit their plans, they can cancel with a full refund.

Only if flight surcharges are applied (when fares are released) will the price rise.

This is a great opportunity for agents to make early bookings for next year. With a guarantee in place the customer cant lose.

Amy Walkington-Gray, TATCs sales manager says, With all the uncertainty around the pound and travel prices for next year, we hope this offer provides a little bit of stability. It should also help agents persuade their clients to make a commitment to next seasons travel plans. Its a win-win for agent and customer alike and a perfect chance to get early bookings on the board.

ENDS/ 24 August 2016

Note to editors:

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Morocco enacted a ban on the production and use of plastic bags last month, but there are concerns from environmental groups that consumers may need time  years, even  to comply with the new law.

The law bans the production, import, sale and distribution of plastic bags countrywide. Its part of a larger effort in the country to go green. In fact, the country ranks alongside Costa Rica, Bhutan and Ethiopia as the worlds greenest countries in part due to its ambitious goals to cut carbon emissions.

The plastic bag ban has been in the works for years, as they litter the countrys streets and beaches. Morocco is the second-largest plastic bag consumer after the United States, using about 3 million plastic bags per year.

The ban may take some getting used to, given that for every one of the countrys 34 million people, 900 bags a year are used. New York-based lawyer Jennie Romer told Al Jazeera: Its a big cultural shift with that type of broader law, she said. As long as the government has the motivation to really enforce that. There is a lot of potential. The government entity that is implementing it has to be completely on board in order to make that really happen in practice.
Tigers are rapidly disappearing from the wild. According to the latest estimates, there are only about 3,200 tigers left in the wild on the entire planet. That's a catastrophically sharp decline from the 100,000 tigers that were estimated to be in the wild in 1990. The WWF experts warn that "The big cat, which is native to southern and eastern Asia, could soon become extinct unless urgent action is taken to prevent hunting and loss of habitat."

Countries where tigers are still found in the wild - such as China, India and Bangladesh - have made a commitment to double their numbers by 2022 (Year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar). But following through on that pledge will be the hard part, and conservation groups are trying to put pressure on them to force them to keep their word. To do your part, you can sign this petition to help protect tigers from illegal trade.

If tigers disappear (at least from the wild), we not only lose a top predator that is essential to many ecosystems, but it also means that enough habitat has been destroyed to also endanger many other species. Tiger population health is an indicator of ecosystem health in many Asian countries.

Via The Telegraph
Tejaswi slammed the opposition for politicising the flood issue and said that opposition should not play politics but instead should work together with the government to provide relief to the affected people.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Bihar's deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav today visited flood affected areas in many parts of Patna. After meeting people, he said that the government was doing whatever possible to provide relief to the affected people.

He said that 23 districts have been hit by the floods and more than 65 lakh people have been affected in one of the worst floods that wrecked havoc in the state.

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TEJASWI ASKS OPPOSITION NOT TO INDULGE IN POLITICS

He said that many districts of the state are also facing drought like situation. Tejaswi slammed the opposition parties for politicising the flood issue and said that during any natural disaster opposition should not play politics but instead should work together with the government to provide relief to the affected people.

GOVERNMENT TO ASSESS DAMAGE

He said that the government was in the process of assessing crop damage and losses caused to farmers. He said once the assessment will be complete, the affected people would be identified, a list would be prepared and an adequate compensation would be given to them.

"As per rules, Rs 6000 will be given to every family. Amount would be deposited into the bank account and for those who do not have a bank account, government would open an account for them and then the money would be deposited accordingly", said Tejaswi.

He further added that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and RJD President Lalu Prasad were constantly monitoring the flood situation in the state and also visiting the relief camps.

Tejaswi today visited flood affected areas and relief camps in Maner, Digha, Kurji and Danapur in Patna.

Tejaswi Yadav also attacked the central government for not sending a specialised team of experts to carry out assessment of the damage that has been caused due to floods.

Also read:

Won't allow any union minister into Bihar unless flood relief package provided: JD(U)

Bihar floods: Nitish may term Centre's financial aid as communal, says Sushil Modi

Lalu Yadav hits out at PM Modi for ignoring flood-ravaged Bihar



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Former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya who recently deflected to the BJP accused BSP Supremo Mayawati of selling tickets according to the aspirants' caste, starting at Rs 25 lakh for Dalits and going up to a crore for upper castes.

By Siraj Qureshi: Rebel BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, who recently joined BJP has called BSP Supremo Mayawati as a very 'expensive' leader who sells tickets according to the caste of the aspirant.

BSP NOW A PARTY OF PEOPLE WITH FAT PURSES, SAYS MAURYA



Talking to India Today, Maurya said that Mayawati sells tickets to Dalits for Rs 25 lakh, to backward castes for Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore for upper castes. He said that Mayawati is not only selling tickets but is even encashing the mission and social reform movement started by Ambedkar and carried forward by BSP founder Kanshiram. He said that at present the BSP has become a party of people with fat purses instead of being a party of Dalits and backwards.

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Maurya said that Mayawati is in a state of panic since he has left the party and at present the BSP has become number 3 party in the state. Instead of strengthening the party's mission after Kanshiram's death, Mayawati began strengthening herself.



AKHILESH IS A VERY WEAK CHIEF MINISTER: MAURYA



Asked why he did not join the Samajwadi Party, Maurya said that the definition of Samajwad has changed in the Samajwadi Party and criminals rule the roost in that party. Akhilesh is proving to be a very weak chief minister in front of his family members.

Maurya said that at present, only Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working towards realizing the goals of Ambedkar's mission. Modi is publicizing Ambedkar's vision and mission abroad during his visits and it was clear that only under the BJP was the future of the Dalits and backwards secure, while Mayawati does not care at all about the Dalits. He said that the BSP is a sinking ship and party leaders are quitting the party before it sank completely.



SEVERAL BSP LEADERS WILL JOIN BJP WITH ME, CLAIMS MAURYA



Maurya said that several BSP leaders in Agra are in his contact and when the time comes, they will also join him in the BJP. Maurya had arrived in Agra to attend a convention of the Kushwaha community.

During the convention, speculations were rife that BSP leader and former UP power minister Ramveer Upadhyay could also join the BJP with his wife before the UP assembly elections, however, when asked about his comments, Upadhyay said that he won't leave the BSP till he is alive. He said that these rumors are being spread as a part of an elaborate conspiracy against him and the BSP.

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 31

The health care system in the city is set to be hit in the wake of a series of strike calls given by health care professionals. While radiologists are going on an indefinite nationwide strike tomorrow, ESIC nurses are set to follow suit on September 2.

Radiologists to go on nationwide strike today

Patients, especially pregnant women and accident victims visiting the private health care sector, are set to face difficulties in availing of diagnostic services as city radiologists have decided to join the indefinite nationwide strike of the Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA) from tomorrow. The radiologists are protesting against the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994.

As the strike will paralyse diagnostic services in the private sector, patients will have to approach the already jam-packed government hospitals, which are expected to witness additional rush of patients owing to the strike.

The work in government hospitals will remain unaffected. Doctors have given us an assurance. We are all geared up to tackle the extra rush of patients. Every patient will be provided services, said Dr Vanita Gupta, Director, Health Services, UT.

As part of the strike, radiologists will shut all radiology services such as X-ray, CT scan, MRI, interventional radiological facility and sonography across India. From the subsequent day, all sonography machines will be indefinitely shut to demand amendment to certain clauses of the PCPNDT Act.

ESIC nurses to go on indefinite strike tomorrow

The Chandigarh ESIC Nurses Welfare Union has decided to express solidarity with the All-India Government Nurses Federation (AIGNF) and go on an indefinite strike on September 2 against the "retrograde" recommendation of the Seventh Pay Commission.

Giving details, Sapna Thakur, general secretary of the union, said the AIGNF had given several representations to the Government of India, seeking modifications in the pay commission, but to no avail. She said the nurses were protesting against the recommended starting grade pay of Rs 4,600, instead of Rs 5,400 for nurses.

According to the union, the Seventh Pay Commission has also not recommended a risk allowance, night allowance and non-practising allowance for the nurses.

The nurses are also demanding full pay for childcare leave and a conveyance allowance, increase in uniform allowance, higher education allowance, special area allowance and mobile and newspaper allowance.

The Centre will be responsible for the inconvenience caused to the patients due to the strike, Thakur said.
Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 31

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, at its monthly House meeting held here today, resolved to part ways with the Jaypee group in connection with the garbage processing plant at Dadu Majra.

The decision was taken after the National Green Tribunal (NGT), New Delhi, yesterday asked the MC and the Jaypee group to settle their dispute as early as possible.

The MC will submit its report in this connection to the NGT on September 13.

The House today empowered a nine-member committee, including Mayor Arun Sood, MC Commissioner B Purushartha, councillors Subhash Chawla, Sat Parkash Aggarwal and Surinder Bahga and MC officials, to finalise the method of terminating the agreement with the Jaypee group.

Among the options are to pay "salvage value" of Rs 30 crore to the company and bring a successor company on the recommendation of the Jaypee group, to start a new project such as "waste to energy" and termination of the contract with the Jaypee group on certain terms and conditions. As per the original MoU signed between the MC and Jaypee, the civic body cannot impose a penalty on the company. This point was disclosed by Mayor Arun Sood at the House meeting today.

The Mayor said they were doing their best to find an amicable solution.

The Congress agreed to the termination of the contract, but gave a dissenting note on giving salvage money of Rs 30 crore to the company.

Earlier, the Jaypee group had shut the plant on July 11. Later, the MC moved the Shimla Bench of the NGT. The tribunal then directed the Jaypee group to resume work at the plant by July 27. In November last year, the MC House had rejected an agenda for providing tipping charges to the Jaypee group for processing garbage.

Daily solid waste generation: 550 to 600 tonnes

The solid waste generation in the city has increased from 380 tonnes to 550-600 tonnes every day. MC Commissioner B Purushartha informed the House that 550 to 600 tonnes of garbage was being sent to the garbage processing plant daily.

Presentation on converting plastic waste into fuel

A private company gave a presentation in the House on setting up a plant on two acres at the dumping ground which will convert plastic waste into fuel. The cost of setting up the plant will be Rs 20 crore. The House gave in-principle approval to the idea, but demanded a detailed discussion on it.
Arun Joshi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to have spoken from the heart while spelling out his mantra to deal with the problem of unrelenting turmoil and alienation in Kashmir. The mamata (motherly love) and ekta (unity) he spoke of seem to aim at surpassing the not-so-clear, even if much hyped, phrases of Atal Behari Vajpayee  insaniyat (humanity), jamhooriyat (democracy) and Kashmiriyat (a traditional concept of coexistence and sharing of the cultural ethos of communities).

Mamata here translates to compassion, and ekta, of course, firmly implies integration of the state with the rest of the country. Unity and compassion thus run parallel in Modis new concept.

His Mann ki Baat on August 28 embarked on the narrative of our people (security personnel and the young boys); This loss is the nations loss was an attempt to put substance into his style. The outreach is significant, provided subsequently there is consistency and sincerity.

Modis ekta also refers to dialogue with compassion, but within the parameters of the Indian Constitution, unlike Vajpayee, whose three mantras were pleasing to the ear but lacked realism.

Vajpayee was more an idealist than achiever. When it came to brass-tacks, he could not carry the hardliners along. The failed July 2001 Agra Summit with Gen Pervez Musharraf was testimony to that. The only common thread is Vajpayees insaniyat and Modis mamata, for unless there is love for fellow human beings, the concept of dealing with hard matters within the framework of humanity doesnt gain meaning.

However, before embarking on dialogue with the stakeholders in Kashmir, there has been no effort to start a national dialogue. Indeed, Kashmir is an integral part of India, and it cannot be viewed in isolation of the national thought process. Yet, let it be admitted in honesty, here the term nation means the rest of the country. At the international plane, the national dialogue could be seen as a tool for breaking the political deadlock between New Delhi and Srinagar, a legacy of seven decades.

There have been several debates on Kashmir  within Parliament and outside. Most discussions have centered on the past in a vain bid to find a way forward. A national consensus is missing, which cannot emerge unless the nation tries to accommodate various viewpoints from the right, left and centre.

The dialogue will also have to weigh in failures of the past and why progress could not be made. There were golden opportunities that could not be used  and the reference is not just to the Indian victories in wars over Kashmir. The immediate reference point should be the change of political and diplomatic climate during the Manmohan-Musharraf era. Manmohan Singh had gone to the extent of saying borders cannot be changed, but they can be made irrelevant. There can be no question of divisions or partitions, but the Line of Control can become a line of peace with a freer flow of ideas, goods, services and people.

He had also made a unique offer: The natural resources of the state could then be used for the benefit of all its people. They need no longer be points of contention or a source of conflict. We could, for example, use the land and water resources of the region jointly for the benefit of all the people living on both sides of the Line of Control. Similarly, there are vast opportunities to jointly work together for the mutual benefit of our people. It goes without saying that this can only happen once terrorism and violence end permanently. This was on July 15, 2007.

Unfortunately, the internal developments in Pakistan following the removal of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Choudhry wiped out many ideas. But the fact remained that within India, dialogue with the stakeholders was jeopardised by the contradictions in our national thought. We have Parliaments resolutions on Kashmir, but there is no political pact or strong effort to involve the civil society and human rights groups to chart a course to deal with this ever-festering problem.

Modis ekta and mamata have to have a follow-up plan. A new step needs to be taken. The three Roundtable Conferences held between 2006 and 2007 under Manmohan Singh did deliver working groups reports, a few recommendations of which were profound. Of course, the conferences could not be a substitute to a concrete national dialogue on Kashmir. It was an exercise undertaken when the going was good with Pakistan in the pre-26/11 era.

Now that the Prime Minister has shown the path, it needs national backing. All issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir, without ignoring the historical and external factors, should be deliberated upon to deliver a substantive plan.

The necessity of national dialogue should be aimed at transformation in the perception about Jammu and Kashmir. The state is not all about the Valley, but the fact remains that this 80 mile x 80 mile geographical entity impels the discourse at all levels. Since 1990  the start of the armed conflict  Kashmir has seen only increasing graves, and the rest of the country received body bags of soldiers killed in ambushes, encounters and suicide attacks. As was natural, Kashmir came to be seen as a land of Pakistanis and jihadis all out to decimate India and Indians. That is not true. They may hate India and want to be free of what they call occupation, but they are not against the men and women living in other parts of the country. They have sensed, and sensed it right, that even Islamic countries, including Pakistan, despite their high decibel rhetoric, cannot support them beyond a point.

The challenge is the new generation. It is looking for a hope and promise of being dignified citizens of the largest democracy. For that the national discourse would have to change. There are certain grim realities that cannot be ignored. Nothing can be imposed by hard power alone. Only a national dialogue can lead to consensus, which would have some positive impact on the Kashmiri mind, which is intelligent, prescient and knows where their interest is best served. The handshake must have a national authority, and a real feel of mamata and ekta.

ajoshi57@gmail.com
KC Singh

A MODI doctrine on Pakistan is now visible after two years of Pakistan policy vacillations. It basically has old elements which are newly interpreted.

First, is zero tolerance to terror, which even the Vajpayee government espoused. The Congress in opposition ridiculed it, arguing that a dialogue with Pakistan could not be made so contingent as that would give terrorists veto on the normalisation process.

In power, the Congress discovered that dialogue and terror could indeed not subsist if the attack caused widespread loss. Neither of the two governments, however, could devise a counter-strategy to deter future attacks. This was because military options ran into the nuclear conundrum i.e. retaliation could lead to nuclear holocaust. The Vajpayee government retaliated when Parliament was attacked in December 2001 by mass troop mobilisation. The Manmohan Singh regime cancelled parleys after coordinated train bombings in Mumbai, a copy of similar strikes in London and Madrid, caused massive carnage. Dialogue was resumed only when a new counter-terrorism mechanism was established.

The Modi government is trying to break out of this catch-22 situation by lowering the threshold of terror tolerance. The Pathankot attack did not cause significant loss of life or assets. But because the planning and abetting was traced to Pakistan, the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators was made an additional precondition to dialogue.

Second, is the new approach to the Hurriyat. It is to have no role in India-Pakistan parleys. Again, past Indian governments have scowled at Pakistan using the Hurriyat as a co-interlocutor. Now, any blatant contact with the Hurriyat during India-Pakistan parleys would be a deal breaker. India reasons that Pakistan cannot determine the representatives of J&K people when they have elected the government of the state. Why should not India have the serving Chief Minister in attendance when talking to Pakistan instead of, or in addition to, the Hurriyat?

Third, is the Modi governments alacrity in bringing on record, what was whispered in the past, regarding Sino-Pak activities in Gilgit-Baltistan. This would now be on the agenda of talks with both countries, particularly when China itself has conceded in the past in Article 6 of the 1963 Sino-Pakistan border agreement that all understandings were subject to settlement of the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.

The doctrine got the Prime Ministers imprimatur in his Red Fort Independence Day speech. It played well domestically, with social media in a tizzy over the new assertiveness. But there are international ramifications for which the government is calibrating its diplomacy. Besides UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has to issue homilies on peace and security, even the US is beginning to lean on India. The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) is getting proactive and Pakistan is unleashing a major diplomatic offensive by despatching two dozen envoys to plead its case over Kashmir. Pakistan senses an opportunity with the widespread protests in the Valley and the approaching session of the UN General Assembly in September.

But both nations have domestic imperatives too. In Pakistan, despite the chief of army staff, Gen Raheel Sharif, announcing retirement when his three-year term ends in November, speculation is rife about an extension. PM Nawaz Sharif would prefer a new appointee as the incumbent has developed an overpowering persona. A strong pitch on Kashmir helps Sharif regain legitimacy that his long medical absence and lacklustre performance has dented. The Obama administration may favour a transition too, as the US appears tired of the Pakistan armys role in Afghanistan. Newly anointed Taliban leader Mullah Mansours killing by a US drone and the US urging India to give military assistance to Afghanistan convey a policy shift, transitory though it may be.

The Modi government likewise faces crucial elections in Punjab, with extreme anti-incumbency and UP, where the BJP must score to justify having won there a quarter of its total seats in Parliament. Then, come the elections in Gujarat, which paved Modis path to Delhi. What if the Patel agitation, Dalit ire and ineffective successors to Modi cost BJP its model state? It is thus not the polls in magazines today, but in states tomorrow that will determine his political standing. Some well-heeled ambassadors in town are quizzing Indian analysts if fuelling tension with Pakistan is not a precursor to actual hostilities.

The Modi governments twin strategy thus is to woo select Muslim nations to counter Pakistani offensive as well as to bolster Muslim votes in UP. Newly drafted Minister of State MJ Akbar spent a week in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, including a pilgrimage to the shrine of Hussain at Karbala. Besides the outreach to the Shia crescent that Iran dominates, the BJP eyes the Shia vote in UP, realising that Sunnis will largely vote to defeat them. But the UN Security Council has begun examining the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime in Syria. Akbar may have bitten more than India can diplomatically chew.

Punjab was also covered when Akbar sought help to locate three dozen-odd, mostly Punjabi/Sikh, workers from around Mosul. Minister Sushma Swaraj has been for two years assuring their families that they were alive when the disarray of the IS and military pressure on them makes it highly unlikely that those non-Sunni stragglers can be alive among them. However in Punjab, it covers the Akali/BJP flanks. Akbar also elicited support from Syria on Indias Kashmir position. Secular Muslim nations are a rarity in todays world.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt is another leader holding out against the Muslim Brotherhood and radical Islam. He began his India visit on August 31. For decades, President Hosni Mubarak was unable to visit and receive an honour conferred by India. But Egypt, the heart and mind of the Arab world, is today worth cultivating again. Many nations stand ready to reconfigure around the idea of religious tolerance and cohabitation, much as once the non-aligned movement cohered around the belief in strategic independence and post-colonial South-South inter-dependence.

But the new outreach to secular Muslim nations can only work if Modi aligns his domestic politics with his foreign policy. Merely milking the latter for domestic electoral reasons would be short-sighted and alienate both new and old friends.

 The writer is a former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) A new campaign seeks to raise awareness about cancer in children and engage stakeholders to formulate friendlier policies to fight the disease.

The initiative GO GOLD India campaign led by childhood cancer survivors under the city-based NGO CanKids..Kidscan will start off with the state of Uttar Pradesh, where they hope to adopt the Gold Ribbon as the universal symbol of hope, health, awareness and solidarity with kids with cancer.

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It is in line with a global initiative of the same name under which several iconic monuments and installations across the world went Gold as part of a programme to raise childhood cancer awareness.

Since September is the childhood cancer awareness month, the initiative which will kick start on the 1st of the month, will seek to make the Taj Mahal Go Gold.

A 5-day car rally to Agra via Noida, Lucknow, Allahabad and Kanpur will create community and grass root level awareness en route through state and national level media and publicity.

According to the NGO, even though India accounts for 20 per cent of the new childhood cancer cases diagnosed worldwide, not enough attention is given to awareness, detection, drugs and treatment development of childhood cancer as compared to adult cancer.

"The campaign hopes to ensure that childhood cancer becomes a child health priority in India and will engage all stakeholders including hospitals, nurses, parents, schools, colleges and the government," says NGO Chairman Poonam Baig, who is herself a cancer survivor.

The initiative also aims to raise survival rates in India where only 40 per cent kids with cancer survive against the global average of 95 per cent.

Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for 8,000 to 10,000 new cases of childhood cancer each year, out which not more than 2,000 receive treatment.

"The campaign aims to advocate to policy makers that there should be fully equipped infrastructure, trained paediatric oncology staff, dedicated paediatric oncology centres and quality treatment and drugs," says Baig.

"The state government was expanding cancer treatment facilities, including those for children, and in the coming times oncology facilities would improve further in Lucknow, Noida, Saifai and Gorakhpur," says Anup Pandey, UP Principal Secretary (Medical Education). PTI TRS TRS

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Meerpur varsity signs MoU with Italy university

Rewari, August 31

Indira Gandhi University (IGU), Meerpur, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European University for Tourism (UET), Italy, to encourage scientific and educational cooperation.

SP Bansal, Vice-Chancellor of the IGU, and Marina Ambrosecchio Eydoux, president of the UET, signed the MoU here on the behalf of the universities. The move aims at enhancing mutual cooperation in education, research and training. Now, students of both universities will be able to carry out research and pursue professional courses under exchange programme, said Bansal.

He said the universities would jointly publish qualitative research journals, books and monographs and UET would offer online language courses. TNS
Shiv Kumar Sharma

Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, August 31

The rates of poplar wood have come down to a new low, affecting farmers of the region.

According to information, the price of oversized poplar wood has come down to Rs 500 per quintal from Rs 900 within one-and-a-half year. Similarly, the rate of undersized wood has also dropped from Rs 650 per quintal to Rs 400 per quintal.

Sources said a huge supply of poplar wood from parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to the plywood industry here had created a difference demand and supply graph. However, farmers blames plyboard manufacturers for the crisis.

The manufactures of plyboard are befooling the farmers in the name of difference between the demand and supply. In fact, they have join hands and buy the poplar wood from farmers at minimum rates, alleged Rambir Singh Chauhan, district president of the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh.

Satpal Kaushik, a progressive farmer from Kartarpur village, wrote a letter to the state Forest Minister regarding the poor rates of poplar wood. He said the state government should get a survey done about the arrival of poplar wood here from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and then issue new licences to pilling factories and saw mills as per the arrival of the wood. The downfall in rates has been forcing the farmers to uproot the existing plants and stop new plantation. This practice may invite wood crisis in future and cause harm to environment too, said Kaushik.

However, Devender Chawala, chairman, Haryana Plywood Manufacturers Association, said they had not joined hands and the rates had come down due to difference in demand and supply. This time, the arrival of raw material is high and the demand of finished goods (ply and board) is low due to slump in the real estate and other markets, he said.
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, August 31

A group of students of Government College, Shahpur, stormed the temporary campus of Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) here today. They raised slogans and warned the authorities to vacate the campus in six months.

It created panic among students on the campus, disrupting the studies for some time. CUHP VC Kuldeep Agnihotri, who was in his Dharamsala office, rushed to the campus to defuse the situation.

The CUHP has been temporarily housed in Government College, Shahpur building, since 2010. However, it is for the first time that college students have protested in this manner.

The CUHP authorities suspected a conspiracy behind it. They alleged that the protest might be linked to the arrival of a team of the Union HRD Ministry that will visit Dharamsala tomorrow to inspect the site proposed by the state government for the campus in Jadrangal. Since most of the protesters were belonging to the ABVP, the conspiracy theory gained credence.

A section of the BJP leadership, led by BJP MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur, has been opposing the idea of setting up the CUHP in Jadrangal. They want the CUHP to come up in Dehra of Kangra district.

The CUHP is functioning in the new campus of Government College, Shahpur. The college is functioning from the building which has insufficient space.

Kuldeep Agnihotri said the ABVP wing of Shahpur Government College has given us an ultimatum that their college building should be vacated within six months. We have informed the police about the development. The university was forced to function in the college building as land for bringing up the permanent campus has not been finalised. We are trying that the land should be finalised at the earliest so that we can bring up our permanent campus, he said. The VC said, We have requested the state government to give us some vacant buildings in Dharamsala so that we can shift some of our departments there.
Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, August 31

A team of experts, including forest officials and officials from the Union Ministry of Human Resources, will inspect the site proposed by the state government in Jadrangal area in Dharamsala Assembly constituency for setting up the campus of the Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) on September 1.

Minister for Urban Development Sudhir Sharma confirmed that he had received a letter from the Under Secretary of the Union Ministry for Urban Development regarding the arrival of the team.

The arrival of team had been awaited for the past more than six months since the CUHP authorities had submitted the detailed plans for setting the university campus at Jadrangal to union ministry for HRD.

This is for the third time that inspection of sites was being carried out for finalising of the campus of CUHP since the university was established in Kangra district in 2010 by the previous UPA government.

Earlier during the stint of previous BJP government in the state the team of union ministry for HRD had inspected sites proposed at Dharamsala and Dehra for setting up the university campus. The sites were approved for setting up head office of the university and some schools at Dharamsala and majority campus at Dehra. The previous BJP government also transferred about 80 acre land in Dehra in the name of the CUHP.

However, after the change of government in the state in 2012, the Congress government rejected the idea of setting up majority campus at Dehra. It proposed a site in the Indrunag area near Dharamsala for setting up the CUHP campus. Once again the team of officials set by union ministry for HRD visited to inspect the site. It, however, rejected the site proposed by the state government near Dharamsala on the plea that it fell in active sliding zone.

The state government then proposed 600-acre land in Jadrangal near Chamunda Devi temple for setting up the CUHP campus. The union ministry for HRD had initially raised some objections to the proposal sent by the CUHP for setting up campus in Jadrangal. The team was now being sent after the CUHP submitted a revised proposal.

Sources here said that though a majority of CUHP management was in favour of setting up the campus at Jadrangal since it was close to the district quarters there were some concerns that may hamper the approval of site in Jadrangal. The site proposed in Jadrangal is not consolidated and is available in pieces with habitations dotting it.

A political tussle was also going on over the issue. The BJP MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur and his team of MLAs have been lobbying hard for acceptance of initial proposal for setting up a twin campus of CUHP at Dharamsala and Dehra. He had met the new union minister for HRD Prakash Javadekar over the issue. Interestingly, he had the support of Rajya Sabha member of Congress Viplove Thakur who had openly criticized CM Virbhadra Singh for proposing CUHP campus at Dehra.

On the other hand the Congress MLA from Dharamsala and minister Sudhir Sharma, who had been lobbying to keep university in his constituency, had the support of BJP MP from Kangra, Shanta Kumar.
Tribune News service

Shimla, August 31

ABVP activists, including a large number of girls, protesting against the poor results were beaten up by the police on the HPU campus today. The students accused officials of using abusive language against them.

The activists held a demonstration, raised slogans against the university authorities and marched from the Summerhill Chowk to the Vice-Chancellors office to express their anger over the result in which only 500 out of 29,000 undergraduate students of various colleges had passed, but the police resorted to lathicharge. Even the girls were not spared, said president and secretary of the campus unit of ABVP Gaurav Attri and Ankit Jamwal.

The party leaders alleged that the entire episode had been recorded in CCTV cameras. They threatened to take the issue to the Women Commission and the Human Rights Commission.

We were going to meet the Controller of Examination to apprise him of the problems being faced by students, but the police stopped us and resorted to force. A number of students, including Prashant, Pradeep, Gaurav, Hema, Ankita and Amit, suffered injuries, the ABVP leaders said. The police also hurled abuses at the students, they added.

Later, they met the Controller of Examination saying the pass percentage was abysmally low at 2 per cent, while 98 per cent students, including the toppers of classes X and XII had failed, which was unbelievable. Gaurav said the Controller of Examination had asked the students not to fill in re-appear forms, which was their victory.

Ever since the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) was implemented in haste by HPU for undergraduate courses (from the 2013-14 session), the students have been facing one or the other problem, SFI campus president Noval Thakur said.

The move was opposed by the students as well as the college teachers as stakeholders were not taken into confidence and no counselling of teachers was done to educate them about the new system.

The software which was of foremost importance was not developed on time, no guidance was given to the teachers and the students about the choice of subjects under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS), grading system was not explained to the teachers and as a consequence, the result of the first semester could not be declared even after the examination of the third semester. The students protested against RUSA for more than one year and even the teachers supported them as the government failed to recruit to fill 1,500 posts of teacher required to cope with the increased workload.

The examination wing of the HPU, reeling under staff shortage, worked overtime to declare the results, but the students encountered another problem of rejection at universities outside the state. They were told that the subjects they had opted for under the CBCS did not meet the condition for admission as per their curriculum.
Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 31

The Jammu and Kashmir Government seems to be in deep slumber in addressing the woes of people living on the bank of the Baglihar hydroelectric project reservoir as the threat of mountain collapse looms large over the area.

Stagnant water of the reservoir, after entering the loose soil, is bringing down rocks and soil slowly, which has created a situation which can lead to sinking of a huge portion of the mountains.

Geological experts have warned the state government of a possible disaster, but successive governments have ignored all recommendations and not taken any measure to treat the area and end sinking and sliding of land.

But now, the situation has reached a level wherein the effect of the reservoir is reaching the top of mountains and sliding occurring on a regular basis.

The authorities are not ready to accept their failure in treating the area and a huge amount of money has been spent on paper to show that the requisite treatment has been done.

Baglihar catchment area signboards have been installed on the Batote-Kishtwar national highway to give an impression that treatment has been done.

A hamlet on the northern bank is on the verge of sinking as a huge portion of the mountain has developed cracks, visible from the Batote-Kishtwar national highway.

A major landslide has already occurred in the area and its effect is increasing. The Baglihar project authorities are not willing to accept their fault and are putting the onus on others.

The reservoir was opened in 2008. Its effect on the environment has come down to a negligible level now. The damage may be taking place due to road construction and rain, claimed Abdul Wahid, Chief Engineer of the project.

Work on the 900-MW project had been started in 1999 with the aim of making the state self-reliant in power generation. It was the first big hydroelectric project of the state government.

The 450-MW first phase was commissioned by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2008. Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the second phase on November 7 last year and power generation reached the maximum.

On both occasions, no one talked about the economic hazards of this project and did not speak a word about the people who suffered and continued to face the brunt.

Sources said when the project was envisioned and work started, no geological report was sought and recommendations of geological experts who had raised an alarm not considered.

Attempts had then been made to stifle the voice of many experts and environmentalists and work started with the lives of lakhs of people living in the erstwhile Doda district at risk, said a source.
Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 31

After opposition to the strategic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in restive Balochistan, the implementation of multi-billion dollar project is being strongly resisted by people of the Gilgit-Baltistan region, occupied by Pakistan in 1947.

In a letter to United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Balawaristan National Front (BNF), a dissident group from the Gilgit region based in Belgium, has sought UN intervention in saving two million people of the Pakistan-occupied territory where China had been developing infrastructure under the project.

The BNF claims in the letter that Pakistan has hatched a conspiracy to sell the whole region to China on the pretext of the CPEC without taking the UN or people of Gilgit-Baltistan into confidence.

It says the UN should ask Pakistan to end illegal occupation of Chitral and Shenaki Kohistan and allow the local population to rule their motherland.

BNF chairman Abdul Hamid Khan has urged the world body and European Union to put pressure on Pakistan to end the occupation of Gilgit-Baltistan and withdraw its civilians and military forces by fulfilling its obligations under United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) resolutions.

I have the duty to present some facts related to the grave human rights situation in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan, neglected by the UN since it passed a UNCIP resolution on April 28, 1949, asking Pakistan to withdraw its citizens and military within a period of three months, he has written.

The letter says political leaders are being treated as terrorists and real terrorists are free to torture and kill political and religious opponents who do not obey the enslaving orders of the occupying forces and their intelligence agencies.

It says Pakistan has violated the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir by giving 2,500 square miles of Shimshaal, Hunza and Gilgit-Baltistan to China in 1963 to construct the Karakoram highway for its own military benefits.

Seeking intervention of world human rights bodies, the BNF has said there is no freedom of speech or right to peaceful political assembly, free travel and political activity in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is called northern areas by Pakistan.

Nationalist political parties which do not follow Inter-Services Intelligence guidelines are not allowed to do any political activity. Issuing death threats and intimidation to politically affiliated human rights activists in the region has become a daily routine of the Pakistani regime, Khan has observed.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 31

At a time when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing resentment in its bastion of south Kashmir, the party is now banking on effective implementation of the Agenda of Alliance as a face-saver.

The party leadership is hoping that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will ensure speedy implementation of the Agenda of Alliance, the road map for governance agreed upon by the PDP and BJP in 2015.

The present unrest has surely hit the party core base, but we are hopeful that the Agenda of Alliance will be implemented. The whole party is banking on it and that is the last hope, said a senior PDP leader on condition of anonymity.

If Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is able to successfully implement the promises made in the Agenda of Alliance, the PDP will remain intact and survive even though we know that electorally our prospects are not that bright now, the PDP leader added. While most of the speaking during the present crisis had been done by the Chief Minister, utterances of party leaders were not in sync.

While Member of Parliament Muzaffar Hussain Baig had been accused of making contradictory statements in New Delhi, his colleague Tariq Hamid Karra had been hitting out at the state and Central governments over mishandling the issue.

A senior Cabinet minister said the situation was expected to be normal around Eid, which would be immediately followed by the harvesting season. Most of the violence following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani had taken place in rural Kashmir.

The PDP was worried about south Kashmir as its leaders were unable to move around and reach out to the cadres. Many cadre members had resigned publicly. It is a difficult situation, but we are sure about coming out of it, said a PDP lawmaker from south Kashmir.
Ehsan Fazili & Suhail A Shah

Tribune News Service

Srinagar/Anantnag, August 31

One youth was killed and several others injured in fresh incidents of violence that broke out in various parts of Kashmir as curfew was lifted from all areas of the Valley on the 54th day of unrest today.

Protesters torched a police picket guarding the house of a Rajya Sabha member from the PDP in Kulgam district of south Kashmir while over 100 persons were injured in clashes across four districts of the region.

Curfew was lifted from areas under the Nowhatta and MR Gunj police stations of downtown Srinagar. It had already been lifted from other areas of the Valley.

An official spokesman quoting Baseer Ahmad Khan, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, said a mob of more than 900 persons attacked an Army convoy at Ladoora in Rafiabad. Amid stone-throwing, some shots were fired on the Army convoy on way to Kupwara.

The Army fired some rounds in the air to disperse the mob. Four persons were injured in the incident, one of whom -- Danish Manzoor -- succumbed to his injuries, said the spokesman.

In another incident, a mob ransacked some rooms in a colony meant for migrant Pandit employees at Nutnussu in Kupwara district of north Kashmir in the afternoon.

Some furniture items and mattresses were damaged in the incident. No employee was staying in the colony when the attack took place, reports said.

At least seven protesters received injures when police personnel fired from pellet guns and lobbed teargas shells to quell demonstrators at Kaloosa in Bandipora.

Protests against security forces were held at Fruit Mandi in Sopore for allegedly disallowing apple growers from carrying out their business early in the morning. Fruit growers alleged that the Army did not allow them to carry on their business at that time.

At least 100 persons were injured in clashes across south Kashmir today even as protesters set on fire a police picket guarding the house of PDPs Rajya Sabha member Nazir Ahmad Laway in Kulgam.

A mob attacked the residence of the MP in the afternoon and set ablaze the police picket. They threw stones at the residence of the MP, said Muhammad Irshad, Kulgam SP.

Tempers ran high in Kulgam district after security forces allegedly attacked a peaceful rally in the Katrasoo area of the district, leaving at least 20 injured.

They fired pellets and teargas shells indiscriminately on the rally without provocation, claimed a local source. He added that most of the injured received pellet injuries.

In Tengbal village of Kulgam, a rally was disrupted by security forces, leading to clashes in which more than 20 persons were injured.

At least 50 persons were injured in a similar incident at Karshangam village of Aishmuqam in Anantnag district. Security forces responded with teargas shells and pellets. The injured were treated at Seer and Aishmuqam hospitals.

In Pulwama district, 17 persons were injured as clashes erupted and the police used pellet guns to disperse the protesting youths.

Separatists issued a protest calendar with shutdown from September 2 to 8. It called for occupying the Srinagar airport road, Lal Chowk and district headquarters on September 3 and 4.

Protesters attempt march to Lal Chowk

Srinagar: With the unrest showing no sign of an immediate end, unrelenting protesters from Srinagars volatile downtown area on Wednesday made attempts to march towards Lal Chowk, a politically significant location and the commercial heartland of the city. The police, however, foiled the repeated attempts of protesters during the afternoon today, the 54th day of the ongoing unrest.

Local residents and eyewitnesses said several hundred youth had assembled near Jamia Masjid in the old city and later marched towards Lal Chowk. The protesters, some wearing masks, carried a pro-militant banner, an eyewitness said. Since the 2010 unrest, security forces have stepped up vigil at Lal Chowk and it remains cordoned off with concertina wires and heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces during turbulent phases.

The latest march was foiled by the police by firing dozens of tear smoke shells towards the demonstrators.  TNS
Ehsan Fazili

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 31

A youth was killed and five others were injured in two fresh incidents of violence that took place at Sopore in Baramulla district on Wednesday morning.

Danish was killed and at five others were injured when the security forces opened fire on protesters at Ladoora village near Sopore. The police said the protesters pelted a convoy of the Army that was moving through the area with stones, which the Army retaliated.

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One of the injured later succumbed to his injuries, taking the death toll in the current unrest to 71.

But according to locals, including one Abdul Gaffar, the security forces raided the village and resorted to firing, killing the youth and injuring several others.

Protests were also held at the fruit market, Sopore, against the security forces that allegedly did not let apple-growers transact business in the early hours.

As curfew was lifted from all areas of downtown Srinagar, clashes between protesters and police erupted again in the capital city on Wednesday morning on day 54 of the current unrest.

Curfew was lifted from areas falling under police stations of Nowhatta and MR Gunj in the old city on Wednesday, while it was lifted from other areas of the city on Monday.

There were reports of stone-pelting and clashes from downtown areas with the protesters erecting road blockades and restricting the movement of vehicular traffic.
By PTI: Rameswaram (TN) Aug 31 (PTI) Twenty five kilogram of cannabis worth around Rs 25 lakh in the international market was today seized by Coast Guard personnel from a sand dune off Dhanushkodi here.

The consignment wrapped in a parcel was spotted by a Coast Guard helicopter patrol team, who alerted the nearest CG station about it, customs officials said.

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The team rushed to the spot, seized the contraband and later handed it over to customs officials.

The officials said investigations were on to ascertain who had left the parcel there and whether it was meant to be smuggled to Sri Lanka. PTI COR SSN APR ASV

--- ENDS ---
Maxwell Pereira

LEO, my friend and class fellow from St Aloysius boarding school, Mangalore, shared with me a picture of a Lambretta scooter, saying he drove it in his youth, for his first job in Calcutta.

All of us are nostalgic over some stuff, and experiences from our past, particularly the first vehicle we drove, making us fly like a bird. Overnight it changed our status, and sent elation levels soaring. The vehicle helped our young blood squeeze the last bit of juice out of every slice of life.

Leos post reminded me of the time I rode a Lambretta, which, however, was not my first ride. In college and thereafter, as a junior lawyer in Bangalore, I was lucky to have a car  my dads spare Studebaker Champion, after I promised I would never ask him moolah for the gas! But despite the pooling-in by friends who enjoyed the car ride, my meagre earnings were not enough. And so, I bought a Jawa motorcycle; having secretly envied those in my group with mobikes. With encircled arms, their girlfriends clung to them for dear life as they sped through traffic trying to break the sound barrier! Girls had no excuse to do that in a car without raising eyebrows!

Brother Manu sold my bike when I left town to join the police. But the need for a vehicle was acutely felt while training at Phillaurs Punjab Police Academy when I needed to commute to neighbouring towns for Sunday mass. Hence an SOS to my brother-in-law Boniface (then a chief engineer at Kolar gold fields) to send me his brand new Lambretta; he graciously did, since he only used a car.

I was blissfully unaware that this was against regulations; trainees were not permitted to keep a vehicle. I got promptly pulled up, with a written communication from the Commandant to remove it from the complex. I tried my luck, sought permission to appear before Jagdish Chhabra  Tiger of Punjab as the Commandant was known  and simultaneously called on Laxmi, his wife, to unabashedly drop hints I may be constrained to surrender my appointment and return to Bangalore if they insisted on my complying with the order.

Miraculously, a concession came through  the Lamby remained, with instructions never to ride it inside Maharaja Ranjit Singh Fort, where the training then was situate. No problem, the GOs Mess where I was quartered was outside the fort!

And with that started a glorious chapter of travels through Punjab; not only weekend trips for Holy Eucharist to Ludhiana, Viroo and Gerry in Jalandhar, Laaljee in Gurdaspur, and Chahal in his pind on the Beas, but also cities on other Indus tributaries  the Sutlej, Ravi and Jhelum. I remember driving in freezing December cold, a hundred miles to the Sirhind Club in Ambala with my Nigerian friend on the pillion, just for the New Years Eve dance!

The scooter followed me to Delhi where it became my mainstay for the next five years; till in 1976, I went to Sikkim as its first SP when that Shangrila joined the Indian Union. And that is when I retired my favourite Lamby and sent it back to Boniface in KGF.
Mumbai, August 31

Nearly one lakh auto-rickshaws went off the roads here on Wednesday during a day-long strike to press for regulation of app-based cab sevices, hitting commuters hard with many stranded in several places across the metropolis.

Protesting auto-rickshaw owners and drivers under the Mumbai Auto-rickshawmens Union are demanding effective regulation on business operation of popular app-based taxi aggregators like Ola and Uber, including their pricing strategy to attract customers.

The government has miserably failed to regulate the practice of transportation of passengers via cab services booked through call centres which are making a dent in our business, Union leader Shashank Rao told PTI.

And not only this, they are eating into our livelihood without following any rules. We resorted to this strike as we had no option left. The transport ministry has turned a deaf ear to our legitimate demands, said Rao.

The protesters are demanding that a badge be given to all auto-rickshaw drivers and owners, who are in this business since three years without imposing any restrictions on them.

Currently, there are 1.05 lakh registered auto-rickshaw plying in the city and the Rao-led union claims to have over 90 per cent of them in its fold.

Out of these 1.05 lakh registered auto-rickshaw, almost 98,000-99,000 are off the roads today which shows our strength, Rao added.

Meanwhile, a senior Transport Department official said that it is unfortunate that despite being given an assurance from the government, they went ahead with the strike.

He, however, said that the administration has taken ample measures including plying of additional civic BEST buses to ferry commuters who are feeling the pinch due to the stir.

Manoj Varade, spokesperson of BEST undertaking said, Our administration has already given a free hand to all 27 bus depot managers across the city to operate additional services as per requirement.

Earlier on August 29, two auto and taxi driver unions  Jai Bhagwan Taxi Rickshaw Sangathana and Nitesh Rane-led Swabhimaan Sanghatana had put on hold their decision till September 1 to go an indefinite strike in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai after the Maharashtra government promised to look into their demands seriously.

Their three key demands included to put the operations of app-based cab aggregators on hold till rules and regulations are formulated by the state government, and if allowed, they should be asked to ply outside the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and they should be under the ambit of RTO rules and regulation.  PTI
Jaunpur (UP), August 31

A Bangladesh national with links to terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) was today awarded death sentence by a local court for the 2005 Shramjeevi Express train blast killing 12 people and injuring scores others.

Ubed-ur-Rehman, alias Babu, is the second accused to have been awarded the death sentence in the case.

Additional Sessions Judge Buddhiram Yadav, who had yesterday held Rehman guilty, also fined him Rs 10.3 lakh. Another Bangladesh national and HuJI operative Alamgeer, alias Rony, was awarded death sentence and fined Rs 7 lakh. Along with Rony and Rehman, two other Bangladeshis  Nafeequl Vishwas and Sohag  were held guilty in the case.  PTI
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 31

United States Secretary of State John Kerry today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi where the two discussed many of the bilateral and regional issues between India and the US. Kerry who was supposed to depart tonight had a change in his schedule and would now be departing later, sources said.

Kerry visited the IIT-Delhi and took questions from students during his address. In one comment, Kerry pointedly said: We have to respect the rights of all our citizens, irrespective of creed, and allow them to protest in peace without fear that they will be jailed.

His reference was to India's growing atmosphere of censorship. Kerry here was making the US position clear. His comments also assume significance in light of the fact that sedition charges have been pressed against Amnesty International over a Kashmir-related event, where slogans of Azadi were raised. The US State Department also a few days ago supported the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Amnesty case.

Meanwhile, when it came to Pakistan, Kerry stuck to the line he had taken yesterday at the joint press conference with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, but also softened his comments a little by pointing out that even Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism and lost 50,000 lives to it.

Its clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities," he said.

When asked about Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump, Kerry chose to play it a little diplomatic and said:  You have to rely on good judgement of American people.
Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 31

The government on Wednesday approved a proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to grant Permanent Residency Status (PTS) to foreign investors in India to facilitate their business operations in the country.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Union cabinet, which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to an official release, which also stipulated that the facility would be available as per the conditions specified in the FDI Policy notified by the government from time to time.

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The scheme is expected to encourage foreign investment in India and facilitate the Make in India programme. Under the scheme, suitable provisions will be incorporated in the Visa Manual to provide for the grant of PRS to foreign investors, the government said in a statement.

As per the decision, the PRS will be granted for a period of 10 years with multiple entries and the same would be reviewed for another 10 years, if the PRS holder had not come to adverse notice, it added.

The scheme will be applicable only to foreign investors fulfilling the prescribed eligibility conditions, his/her spouse and dependents. In order to avail this scheme, the foreign investor will have to invest a minimum of Rs 10 crore to be brought within 18 months or Rs 25 crore to be brought within 36 months, the government said in its notification.

Another condition stipulated for the facility is that such investment should result in generating employment to at least 20 resident Indians every financial year.

PRS will serve as a multiple-entry visa without any stay stipulation and holders will be exempted from the registration requirements. PRS holders will be allowed to purchase one residential property for dwelling purpose. The spouse/dependents of the PRS holder will be allowed to take up employment in private sector (in relaxation to salary stipulations for Employment Visa) and undertake studies in India, the statement said.
New Delhi, August 30

Heavy rain lashed several parts of the city and the National Capital Region on Wednesday, causing traffic snarls and prompting the police to issue travel advisories.

Traffic helpline officials said they were flooded with calls of traffic jams and flooding across the National Capital.

"Reports of heavy traffic congestion and vehicles being stuck on roads are coming from different parts of the city since morning. We have till now received more than 100 calls of traffic jams and waterlogging," an official of the traffic helpline said.

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The Indian Meteorological Department said the city received 3.9 mm rains until 8.30 am.

"The sky will be generally cloudy throughout the day," an official of the India Meteorological Department said.

The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 32 degree Celsius.

The Delhi and Gurgaon Police have issued advisories against unnecessary travel.

If the water is deep enough to submerge your vehicle's exhaust pipe, then try to avoid the road. #BeRainSafe  Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) August 31, 2016

Avoid waterlogged roads. Keep central locking deactivated while driving through waterlogged roads. #BeRainSafe  Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) August 31, 2016

Be aware that your car's brakes may be affected by water intrusion. Drive with caution. #BeRainSafe  Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) August 31, 2016

Heavy rains in Gurgaon, please be advised. Be patient and maintain lane discipline, we are on the job to facilitate your movements m  Gurgaon Police (@gurgaonpolice) August 31, 2016

Kerrys visit to religious sites cancelled

US Secretary of State John Kerrys proposed visit to three religious sites in the National Capital was cancelled today due to heavy rain.

Kerry was scheduled to visit the Gauri Shankar temple, Jama Masjid and Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib in the old Delhi area around 11 am.

The visit had to be cancelled due to heavy rain in Delhi, sources in the US Embassy said.

Kerry, who is on a three-day-visit to India, was supposed to visit the sites yesterday itself but it was postponed.

The US leader has had a difficult time with the citys traffic since he landed on Monday night.

His convoy was stuck on Satya Marg in Lutyens Delhi for an hour on Monday by a spillover effect owing to waterlogging in the main carriageways.  Agencies
R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, August 31

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the West Bengal government to return to the owners all 997 acres (4 square kilometres) of land acquired in Singur village in Hooghly district in 2006 for Tata Motors Nano car project in 12 weeks without recovering the compensation amount.

A Bench comprising Justices Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra quashed the land acquisition order, but the two judges gave different reasons for their order. The court said the landowners need not return the compensation received by them as they were deprived of using their land for 10 years. The judges clarified that the landowners who had not received the compensation were entitled to take it now along with re-possession of their land.

Justice Gowda ruled that the acquisition was bad and illegal as the intention was to favour a private company, not to serve any public purpose as mandated under the Land Acquisition Act. He also found fault with the acquisition proceedings almost at all stages.

Justice Mishra, however, held that the acquisition was for a public purpose as it was intended to ensure industrialisation of West Bengal and provide employment to thousands of jobless youth. He, however, agreed with Justice Gowda that the acquisition proceedings stood vitiated due to lapses on the part of the collector and other state authorities involved in the process of considering the objections by the affected farmers and other owners and in deciding the compensation amount.

The apex court also set aside the Calcutta High Court judgment upholding the land acquisition done in 2006 by the then CPM-led Left Front government headed by Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who was in the Opposition then, had spearheaded an agitation against the land acquisition.

After winning the 2011 assembly elections and becoming the Chief Minister, Banerjee got a law passed in the legislature for taking back 400 acres of the 997 acres given to Tata Motors. The Calcutta High Court, however, struck down the law titled the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011, holding it as unconstitutional, on a plea by Tata Motors. The state government has come in appeal against the HC ruling, but this has been rendered irrelevant in view of Wednesdays judgment.

Tata Motors did not want to return the land despite moving its small car project to Gujarat due to the agitation by the affected landowners. The company had said it would use the land for setting up ancillary and other units.

The SC ruling has come on a batch of petitions by the affected landowners and social activists.
New Delhi, August 31

In a sudden move, Delhi's Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar was on Wednesday sacked by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after receiving an 'objectionable' CD in which he was purportedly shown in a compromising position with a woman.

The decision to remove the 36-year-old minister was taken at a high-level meeting attended by top AAP leaders and the announcement was made by Kejriwal himself through a tweet.

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"Received 'objectionable' CD of minister Sandeep Kr. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That can't be compromised. Removing him from Cabinet wid immediate effect," Kejriwal tweeted.

Recd "objectionable" CD of minister Sandeep Kr. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That can't be compromised(1/2)  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 31, 2016

Sources said the CD purportedly showed Kumar, also Women and Child Development Minister, in a compromising position with a woman.

"The CD came to us half-an-hour back. We saw the CD and took the decision to sack him immediately. AAP has zero tolerance for crime and corruption," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters tonight.

Kumar represents Sultanpur Majra constituency. He is the second AAP minister to be sacked after Asim Ahmed Khan who was Minister for Food and Supplies.

Sources said the decision to sack Kumar was taken at a hurriedly convened meeting of AAP's Political Affairs Committee at Kejriwal's residence.

"We will not tolerate any such acts. We have 67 MLAs. If anyone including the Chief Minister is found involved in any wrongdoings, immediate action will be taken as AAP is different from other parties," said Sisodia.

On October 9 last year, Kejriwal had sacked the then Environment and Food Minister Asim Ahmed Khan for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 6 lakh from a builder and recommended a CBI probe into the case.

In June last year, then Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar had resigned after he was arrested on the charge of possessing fake degrees.

Resign Kejriwal chorus

Reacting to the development, Delhi BJP said Kejriwal must resign accepting moral responsibility for picking up the morally corrupt MLA in the Cabinet.

"He must be rewarded for handing over Delhi's governance to people with corrupt values. This has never happened in any government," said Delhi BJP leader Vijender Gupta.

DPCC president Ajay Maken, too, attacked the AAP saying three of the six Ministers who were initially inducted were caught for alleged "Fake degree, corruption, moral turpitude."

"But who chose them? Why aren't they expelled from Party," he asked in a tweet.

Another Congress leader Mukesh Sharma also hit out at AAP and sought the resignation of the Delhi Chief Minister.

Prior to this other AAP ministers have also been removed, and now this scandal only shows, that it's the story of Ali Baba and forty thieves, as there are several others in AAP government, against whom cases are due," he alleged.

"This government is a corrupt and Arvind Kejriwal should immediately resign from his post on moral grounds," he said.  PTI
NEW DELHI, August 31

US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Wednesday on China and the Philippines to abide by an international tribunal's decision on the disputed South China Sea and said there was no military solution to the problem.

Kerry's remarks, made in a visit to India, came ahead of a G20 summit in China on Sunday and Monday that could be overshadowed by arguments over everything from territorial disputes to protectionism by China, diplomats say.

An arbitration court in The Hague ruled in July that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea. China dismissed the case lodged by the Philippines and rejected the ruling.

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"The United States continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunal's recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry told a gathering of students in New Delhi.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.

China has vowed to take all measures needed to protect its sovereignty over the South China Sea and says its actions there, which have included land reclamation and construction of air fields and docks on reefs, are peaceful.

China has blamed the United States and its allies in the region, such as Japan and Australia, for stoking tension.

The United States and Japan have no territorial claims in the South China Sea and say their priority is freedom of navigation.

Kerry said the United States supported diplomatic efforts to resolve territorial disputes to which there was "no military solution".

"We are also interested in not fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes and claims through the legal process and through diplomacy," Kerry said.

The United States and India, in a joint statement issued on Tuesday after security talks, reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

They said states should resolve disputes through peaceful means and "exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes affecting peace and stability".

US ally the Philippines welcomed the tribunal's ruling in July but it is keen not to anger China. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will hold talks with China on the issue.  Reuters
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTI) Credit Analysis and Research Ltd (CARE Ratings) today said it has signed agreements with two companies to set up a credit rating agency in Nepal.

"CARE Ratings today singed a Memorandum of Understanding, subject to regulatory approvals in India and Nepal, with Vishal Group Ltd and Emerging Nepal Ltd to start a credit rating agency in Nepal to be called CARE Ratings (Nepal) Ltd," the company said in a regulatory filing.

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As per the MoU, CARE Ratings will hold 51 per cent equity worth Rs 2 crore while Vishal Group will own 19 per cent and Emerging Nepal 10 per cent.

The balance 20 per cent would be held by banks, insurance companies, FIs and corporate bodies in Nepal subject to a maximum of 9 per cent legal entity, it added.

Vishal Group is a public limited company in financial services. Emerging Nepal is a company engaged in venture capital activities.

The rating agency has started CARE Ratings Africa in 2015, and it also partnered with ARC Ratings as part of its global ambition.

"This is another small step in our global foray plans and we do see a lot of opportunity in not just growing the market but also developing different avenues for rating, grading, training, research and information services," said Rajesh Mokashi, Managing Director and CEO, CARE Ratings.

CARE Ratings stock closed 1.97 per cent higher at Rs 1,247.65 on BSE. PTI KPM AA NRB BAL ABK

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi, August 31

Congress mouthpiece National Herald, which became defunct in 2008, would resume publication, the Associated Journals Limited announced on Wednesday naming senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as its new Editor-in-Chief.

The Associated Journals Limited, a company founded in 1937 by Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru, has taken steps to resume publication of its English and Hindi newspapers, National Herald and Navjivan.

The company has appointed senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as Editor-in-Chief for its Hindi and English newspapers and digital properties with immediate effect, Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, who is also managing director of AJL Limited, announced on Wednesday.

Without specifying the exact date when the newspapers planned to resume publication, he said it would happen in the coming months and would be followed by reviving of Quami Awaz, its defunct Urdu newspaper.

Mishra had earlier been Editor of Outlook (Hindi) and has done extensive work in areas of research and documentation, including for the Right to Information movement and legislation.

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Vora said the spirit of the forthcoming publications of the Association Journals Limited, a not-for-profit company, is captured by the tagline Freedom is in peril, defend it with your might.

He said the publications would seek to give voice to the vision of Nehru and seek to occupy a liberal, progressive, secular space.

They shall strive to represent the under-represented and all those deprived of voice, thereby promoting the ideals of a plural, democratic party, he said.

Announcing the plans of relaunching the newspaper last month, Vora had said the decision was taken at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the AJL in Lucknow in January and the process was on.

In the Lucknow meeting, the AJL had decided to convert into a not-for-profit company and re-launch its newspapers.

The decision had come in the midst of a legal battle over its past, which has ensnared Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. The issue is pending in court.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who has also filed a private complaint in a local court, has accused top Congress leaders of misappropriation, a charge vehemently denied by the Congress leadership. PTI
New Delhi, August 31

The United States said on Wednesday that Pakistan has to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against "indigenous groups" operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistan's peace and stability.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on a three-day visit here, said that he has discussed with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of taking stronger action against groups such as the Haqqani network and LeT.

Addressing a session at IIT-Delhi here, he said terror groups like Daesh, Al Qaeda, LeT and JeM could not be fought by a single nation alone, as he used the Arabic name for the Islamic State.

"We are working on it. I have been working on this issue very hard. I have had many engagements with Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities. They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India- Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," Kerry said.

Kerry said Pakistan has quickened the process in the recent months.  PTI
Suresh Dharur

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, August 31

At least seven persons were killed in two incidents of wall collapse as heavy rain lashed Hyderabad and its surrounding areas today.

Four of a family were killed at Ramanthapur in the Uppal area following a wall collapse, while three members of another family (woman and her two girls) died in a building collapse at Bholakpur in Musheerabad.

Victims at Bholapur were identified as Bilkis Begum (25), her two daughters Zeba (5) and Mariya (2), while those killed at Ramanthapur were Balaswamy, Chinnamma, Parvathy and Shekar. Another building collapsed at Lal Darwaja in Old City, but no one was injured.

Normal life was thrown out of gear as incessant rain battered the city. House collapses, water-logging of roads, and inundation of slums were reported from different parts of the city.

Massive traffic congestions were reported from various parts of the city and several vehicles were stuck in knee-deep water. Office-goers had a tough time commuting to their workplaces with several roads overflowing, while many localities in low-lying areas also got inundated.

Commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) B Janardhan Reddy instructed officials to make arrangements to evacuate people staying in dilapidated buildings.
Kolkata, August 31

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hailed the Supreme Courts verdict in the Tata Motors Nano project case as a landmark victory, adding that she had tears of joy on learning about the decision and could now die in peace.

The top court set aside the acquisition of land by the previous Left Front government in the state for the Nano car plant, saying due processes and procedures were not followed.

This is a landmark victory. This is a victory of the people, victory of Ma, Mati Manush (Mother, land and peopleBanerjees pet slogan) an elated Banerjee told media at the state secretariat Nabanna.

The people of Singur suffered so much, they endured so much torture, but they never left me. I have tears of joy in my eyes. Returning land to the farmers of Singur was one promise my government could not fulfil so far, said Banerjee.

Then the states principal opposition leader, the Trinamool Congress chief had undertaken a 26-day hunger strike in Kolkata in December 2006 against the forcible land acquisition by the erstwhile Left Front government in Singur, demanding that the 400 acres taken from farmers unwilling to part with their land be returned to them.

She later travelled to the rural pocket and laid siege on the factory for 14 days in 2008.

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After the Singur movement, followed by a similar agitation in Nandigram, the land acquisition agitation snowballed into a major issue in the state and brought the Trinamool to power in 2011.

The Tata group moved the project out of the state and finally set it up in Sanand in Gujarat, on the land assigned to them by the states then investor-friendly chief minister Narendra Modi.IANS
Singur, August 31

Farmers whose land was acquired for the Tata Motors Nano car factory at Singur and their families burst out in jubilation after the Supreme Court held the acquisition illegal.

Hundreds of people, who were waiting for the apex courts verdict since the morning, erupted in joy as soon as the news flashed on their television screens.

They stepped out of their houses to congratulate one another. Men, women and children clapped, danced and cheered together and greeted one another with green gulal and sweets.

Rallies were taken out with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees posters.

Slogans like Mamata Banerjee zindabad, Mamata Banerjee tomay amra bhulchi na, bhulbo na (we will never forget you) echoed in the air.

It is because of didi that we have seen todays victory...We are very happy today. Didis perseverance and our faith in her have finally reaped this victory, they said, expressing gratitude to Banerjee who had fought an unflinching battle for months at Singur and in Kolkata, including a 26-day hunger strike.

It was her anti-land acquisition movement at Singur in November 2006 that had brought Banerjee back to prominence after her partys huge setback in the Assembly elections earlier that year.

Riding on the Singur movement and the one at Nandigram in January 2007, Banerjee turned the table on the CPM-led Left Front, which began losing political ground in the state starting the 2008 panchayat and the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, culminating in their defeat in the 2011 Assembly election in the state after 34 years.

After coming to power in 2011, Banerjees first legislation was the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011, for returning land to the unwilling farmers.

The villagers of Singur, located off Durgapur Expressway, about 40 km from Kolkata, were happy with the Supreme Courts directive that the compensation paid to them would not have to be paid back and those who had not taken the compensation would now get it at the same rate.

Asked what would they do after getting their land back, the farmers said they could decide only after seeing the condition of it as construction activities were carried out there and no cultivation was done in the vacant portions for 10 years. PTI
Washington, August 31

Ahead of the US-India-Afghanistan trilateral talks scheduled at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in September, Washington said it wanted New Delhi to continue its constructive role in Afghanistan.

After visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry announced in New Delhi on Tuesday the restart of the trilateral talks following the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the scheduled discussions were important and they are going to continue.

And I think what matters is that, as the Secretary said, those discussions are important and they are going to continue, Kirby said in the daily press briefing here on Tuesday.

And he talked about the constructive role that India has played inside Afghanistan and wanting to see thatsee that role continue. So were focused on the future here. In a joint press interaction with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi after the bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, Kerry said the trilateral talks would be held to reaffirm our mutual roles as central players on behalf of security and progress in the region.

I want to thank India for the important contribution that it has been making in Afghanistan, Kerry said.

Among the major projects India has completed in Afghanistan in recent times are a new wing of the parliament inaugurated during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Kabul on December 25 last year and the reconstructed Salma Dam, renamed Afghan-India Friendship Dam, operationalised in June this year.

Kerry also indicated that terror attacks on Afghan territory from across the border might figure in the trilateral meeting.

Clearly it is in Indias interest as it is in Afghanistans interest and our interest and Pakistans interest, frankly, to have a peaceful and stable Afghanistan that is no longer under siege from the Taliban or from any other group that tries to use its territory to propagate terror, he said.

So our hope is to be able to strengthen all of the efforts that we have been deeply engaged in for a long period of time through these talks and perhaps even to find the ways, ultimately, to explore the possibilities of a peaceful resolution of the conflict, which is something we have also been seeking through various efforts to engage the Taliban, I might add, under the auspices and leadership of the Afghan government. In this connection, Kirby, in his briefing said: We all recognise the continued security threat that is posed by the Haqqani network and other terrorist groups that operate inside Pakistan and along that border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

There is a constant conversation that we are having with our Pakistani partners about the threat posed by Haqqani and by other extremist groups there in the region and certainly operating inside Pakistan, Kirby said.  IANS
Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 31

After the Aam Aadmi Party, its the turn of the Congress to wage a war against the ruling Akalis over the drug menace.

The campaign would be launched from Majitha, the constituency of Akali stalwart and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia. But unlike AAP, the Congress intends to give a social dimension to its campaign by targeting the drug supply chain. For this, the party would be roping in NGOs active in the field and would also seek help from the families that have lost their dear ones to drug addiction.

After getting a go-ahead from Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, a party panel comprising senior leaders and led by Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu has already met once to formulate a strategy. Sukhjinder Raj Majithia (Lali Majithia), who had unsuccessfully contested against Majithia, has been made the committee vice-chairman.

Bittu said top leaders would be visiting at least 45 places in various constituencies, including Majitha, Tarn Taran, Valtoha, Moga and Ludhiana, that have been notorious for drug problem. They would also spend time with the families of the drug victims and stay overnight in targeted areas to identify peddlers, he said.

Sadvi Khosla, who had made Fading Glory, a documentary based on the drug problem in Punjab, too, would be involved in the campaign, added Bittu.

Jakhar may get key role

Punjab Congress spokesman Sunil Jakhar, who could not be nominated to Rajya Sabha, is likely to be given an important role in the partys campaign committee headed by AICC general secretary Ambika Soni, sources said. An announcement on PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh as the CM face is also expected soon, they said.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 31

The Supreme Court-appointed oversight committee monitoring the working of the Medical Council of India today approved the award of MBBS degree against 150 seats to the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, Jalandhar.

PIMS, Jalandhar, is one of the medical institutions in the category where the oversight panel has recognised/approved the award of MBBS degree under Section 11 (2) of the Indian Medical Council Act.

The approval in each case is for 150 MBBS seats. The other approved institutions are Chirayu Medical College and Hospital, Bairagarh, Bhopal; Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Perambur; Saptgiri Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore;

Madha Medical College, Chennai; Rama Medical College, Hapur; Fathima Institute of Medical Sciences, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh and Malabar Medical College, Calicut.
Former underworld don Chhota Rajan was connected to the Mumbai court from Tihar jail through video conferencing.

By Vidya : The Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court today framed charges against former underworld don Chhota Rajan in the journalist Jyotirmoy Dey murder case, paving way for trial to be conducted against him next month.

"The court has framed charges against Rajan and he pleaded innocence", said a CBI official coming out of the special court at Arthur road jail.

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Rajan was connected to the Mumbai court from Tihar jail through video conferencing.

A SMALL FRY

The central agency had filed a supplementary charge-sheet against Rajan, on August 5, claiming that Rajan got the journalist murdered because Dey's articles and his planned book portrayed Rajan as 'chindi' (a small fry).

Dey, a veteran crime reporter, had planned a book, titled 'Chindi -- Rags to Riches', wherein he was going to write the stories of 20 gangsters with humble origins.

The chargesheet also claimed that "Dey was going to expose the fake patriotic mask used by Rajan to secure himself and to accumulate wealth for his family. The book also portrayed Dawood Ibrahim, Rajan's friend-turned-foe, as superior to him."

According to the chargesheet, Rajan, who was reportedly hiding in Malaysia at that time, had called Dey for a meeting but the journalist had refused. Another journalist Jigna Vora, an accused in the case, now on bail, was the one who instigated the murder and supplied pictures and details.

Rajan was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25 last year and was subsequently deported to India. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, all of these cases have now been handed over to CBI.

On June 11, Dey was shot dead in suburban Powai. The first charge-sheet filed in 2011 by mumbai police named Satish Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia (all arrested).

ALSO READ:

J Dey murder case: CBI files supplementary chargesheet against Chhota Rajan



--- ENDS ---
Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 30

The Punjab Government's nod to the appointment of TV anchor-cum-actress Satinder Satti to one of the top three posts of the Punjab Arts Council has left Punjabs literati and artists aghast. They view it as an insult to the council's rich legacy, considering the fact the council was once headed by personalities such as Dr MS Randhawa, Dr Sardar Anjum, KS Virk and Dr Kartar Singh Duggal.

The term of the chairperson, vice-chairperson and secretary-general of the council ended in mid-August. As per the norms, the council's general body simply accepts the names approved by the government for the three posts. Hence, when the council meets on September 5 to announce its officer-bearers, Satti is bound to be one of them. She is a frontrunner for the post of president.

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Calling the decision as "unfortunate," Sahitya Akademi awardee Baldev Singh Sadaknama, said: Satti is an expert in her own field. But the council office-bearers should be known for their contribution to literature, literary criticism and other art forms.

Poetess Manjit Indira, who initiated a fierce online debate on the issue, said the decision on Satti was just not right while Punjabi writer Dr Daleep Kaur Tiwana said: Politicians should keep off such organisations. Satti, admitting that "considering the name of a 'mainstream' artist" for the post was an uncommon step, promised to do her best. The government has also approved the name of Jalandhar-based Dr Lakhwinder Johal.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Amritsar, Aug 31

Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu today said there was no need to induct BJP parliamentarian Navjot Singh Sidhu and Aam Aadmi Partys former state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur into the party.

The statement came in response to a remark by Sidhus wife and BJP legislator Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who had claimed that Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder was not capable enough to bring about reforms in the state.

Both Sidhu and Chhotepur have been deserted by their parties. When their own parties do not tolerate them, why should the Congress take them, he said.

Bittu claimed the Congress already had senior leaders such as Capt Amarinder who had successfully contested against BJP stalwarts like Arun Jaitley.

Citing Dr Sidhus statement against Capt Amarinder, he said the party would not tolerate leaders who spoke against the PPCC president. Amarinder has in the past welcomed Navjot Sidhu into the party and had expressed sympathy with Chhotepur after he was removed from the conveners post.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Amritsar (East) Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu today clarified that she never meant to defame any particular party, but an individual and her statement was wrongly misinterpreted to mean that the Congress was not an option for the Sidhus.

It is the same Congress which was at its utmost glory being run by most honest and dedicated leaders such as Partap Singh Kairon, Maulana Azad, Rajender Parsad, Radha Krishnan etc, she said.

Pointing towards Capt Amarinder, Dr Sidhu claimed that that had he been honest to his party or the people of Punjab, there would have been no vacuum left in Punjab to be filled by a third party. She alleged that Capt Amarinder had tacit understanding with the Badals and the Majithias that went a long way in ruining Punjab.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 31

Chief Minister Harish Rawat has instructed officials to clear doubts of protesters about the proposed trenching ground at Sheeshambara. He chaired a meeting on the trenching ground and a scientific land filling project with officials at the Bijapur guesthouse here last night.

He directed the officials to distribute pamphlets highlighting benefits of the proposed trenching ground at Sheeshambara. He said garbage should be properly and scientifically disposed of to save the environment.

The Chief Minister said the proposed trenching ground would not be health hazardous for residents.

He added administration and Dehradun Municipal Corporation officials should immediately convene a meeting with residents, gram pradhans to sensitise them about the benefits of constructing a trenching ground at Sheeshambara. Various plans are in the pipeline to improve the basic infrastructure in the city, Rawat said. Funds would be provided for urbanisation, he added.

Rawat said administration and department officials should draft a proposal to address the grievances of protesters if they protest against government projects.

Secretary Urban Development DS Gabriyal, Dehradun District Magistrate Ravinath Raman, and Dehradun SSP Sadanand Datte attended the meeting.
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 31

Residents, especially women, have started demanding a complete ban on liquor sale in the state, on the lines of Gujarat and Bihar.

Women groups under the Mahila Mangal Dal in Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pauri and other districts of the state are up against the increase in liquor consumption among the men of the region which is affecting their lives adversely. Thus, the women have come out in protest against the opening of new liquor vends in the state.

Sunita Devi, Sushma Devi, Vimla Devi, Jagdamba Devi and Prabha Devi from Neri village in Uttarkashi district are agitated at the opening of liquor vends near their villages and have opposed it in the past too.

Men drink liquor bought from the vends that have opened near their villages and often enter into brawls on petty issues, making life difficult for women, said Guddi Devi.

Mukesh Semwal, state coordinator of the Social Unity Center of India (SUCI), says social activists are up against liquor consumption in the region. They had destroyed a liquor manufacturing unit at Raadi village in 2012. The self-help groups from Banswada and Khankra villages on the route to Kedarnath also launched a massive protest a few months ago with some success, Semwal said.

State supported corruption had led to the opening of liquor vends in the villages, he added.

Kishan Singh Panwar, president of Kempty Traders Association, said the menace of liquor has given rise to evils, such as gambling, in the simple village life, adding to the list of criminal activities that were negligible earlier. He said the trader community had submitted a memorandum to the Kempty Police Station in charge to curb the menace of liquor consumption and gambling that had become rampant in their village, vitiating the peaceful atmosphere of the town.

Upendar, a resident of Mussoorie, said a concerted policy on liquor consumption was needed and it should not be that it is available in Mussoorie but not in villages. That would bring more misery as people from villages would rush to Mussoorie to buy liquor, thus spending more in the process and entering the vicious cycle of poverty. The ban should be in the whole state.

Women, under the aegis of self-help groups from Kirti Nagar, are also up against liquor sale in the region. They, along with UKD (Panwar) group, sat on a dharna at the Tehsil headquarters in Kirti Nagar yesterday. They said the government was more interested in distributing new liquor licences but was not interested in using the resources already available in the state. The people opposing liquor consumption and sale in the state said it was destroying the youth of the state and resulting in more unemployment and health hazards. Hence, a complete ban was the only option.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 31

BJP workers led by Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi organised a rally here today against the Dehradun District Magistrates decision to divest the pradhan of the Gaziawallah gram panchayat of his rights.

The protest rally began from the BJP mahanagar office and reached the DM office around noon. The Mussoorie BJP general secretary said the DM had suspended the powers of gram pradhan Rakesh Sharma, leaving him helpless till the investigation to determine his role in financial embezzlement was completed.

He alleged that Rakesh Sharma was being framed under a conspiracy. The committee set up by Dehradun District Magistrate Ravinath Raman should investigate the matter in a free and fair manner by. Ganesh Joshi and BJP mahanagar president Umesh Agarwal, while addressing the rally, said the Congress-led government was befooling people as it has failed on all fronts.

He alleged that Harish Rawat was ignoring and harassing non-Congress MLAs in the state by stalling development projects and creating problems for them. The memorandum was received by Additional District Magistrate Pratap Shah as District Magistrate was not present.
Washington, August 31

The Asian-American and Pacific Islander community has launched an anti-Donald Trump campaign in the crucial US state of Virginia, alleging that the Republican presidential candidate continues to make fear-mongering comments against the American-Muslim community.

The 70-year-old reality TV stars platform is steeped in bigotry and needs to be countered, the Asian-American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Victory Fund said while kicking of its campaign by releasing its first web ad Rejecting Hate, which it said is targeted at the voters in Virginia.

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The State, which has emerged as a swing State, is now heavily leaning towards Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

During the primaries, AAPI Victory Fund had endorsed 69-year-old Clinton.

Donald Trump has consistently chosen to divide our country with hateful demagoguery that fuels anti-Muslim sentiments across the country, said Dilawar Syed, AAPI Victory Fund co-founder and vice chair.

We must fight back against a candidate whose platform is steeped in bigotry and who believes that attacking a diverse and engaged American community will somehow give him the path to the White House. We wont stand for it, and we wont let it happen, he said.

President Obama won our state by a margin of three per cent in 2012, a state where Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders represent six per cent of the population, said Shekar Narasimhan, AAPI Victory Fund chair.

As a Virginia resident and voter, I believe our community can be the margin of victory this November. We can affect this election through outreach and mobilising voters throughout Virginia, he said.

Launched in January 2016, AAPI Victory Fund is the first super political action committee of its kind. It is now mobilising AAPI voters in key battleground states where growing AAPI populations could be the margin of victory.

With a population of more than 21 million and representing six per cent of the countrys population, AAPIs are the fastest-growing and most diverse minority groups in America.  PTI
Brasilia, August 31

Brazil's Senate today voted to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the culmination of a yearlong fight that paralysed Latin Americas largest nation and exposed deep rifts on everything from race relations to social spending.

Rousseff, however, branded the vote to remove her from office a parliamentary coup and vowed a comeback by her Workers Party. They decided to interrupt the mandate of a president who had committed no crime. They have convicted an innocent person and carried out a parliamentary coup, she said.

Rousseff was Brazil's first female President, with a storied career that includes a stint as a Marxist guerrilla jailed and tortured in the 1970s during the country's dictatorship. She was accused of breaking fiscal laws in her management of the federal budget.

The Senate has found that the President of the federal republic of Brazil, Dilma Vana Rousseff, committed crimes in breaking fiscal laws, said Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, who presided over the trial.

Opposition lawmakers, who made clear early on the only solution was getting her out of office, argued that the maneuvers masked yawning deficits from high spending and ultimately exacerbated the recession in a nation that had long enjoyed darling status among emerging economies.

Nonsense, Rousseff countered time and again, proclaiming her innocence up to the end. Previous presidents used similar accounting techniques, she noted, saying the push to remove her was a bloodless coup d'etat by elites fuming over the populist polices of her Workers' Party the last 13 years.

The opposition needed 54 of the 81 senators to vote in favor for her to be removed. They got many more, winning in a landslide of sorts, 61-20.

"Today is the day that 61 men, many of them charged and corrupt, threw 54 million Brazilian votes in the garbage," Rousseff tweeted minutes after the decision.  Agencies
Washington, August 31

Indian-American Mary Thomas, a government attorney in Florida, narrowly lost her bid to enter the US House of Representatives in the closely contested Florida Republican Congressional primary.

The 38-year-old Thomas lost the partys primary in Congressional District 2 of Florida by just 1,700 votes, to surgeon Neal Dunn.

Congratulations to our next Congressman Neal Dunn.

Together we will work to Make America Great Again. Thank you to our many volunteers who were so passionate about our conservative cause, Thomas wrote on her Facebook page after conceding her defeat.

If elected, she would have made history as the first Indian-American woman to serve in Congress. Her parents arrived in America from India in 1972.

The Thomas family eventually settled in Pinellas County, where they started a successful small business.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Thomas has been a member of Governor Rick Scotts administration since he was sworn into office in January 2011.

She currently serves as the General Counsel at the Department of Elder Affairs where she manages and oversees the legal department of an agency that administers a $900 million budget.  PTI
Male, August 31

A Maldivian criminal court has issued arrest warrants for Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected president who was toppled in 2012, and other exiled leaders of the Maldives United Opposition.

Nasheed, 49, was granted political asylum in the UK last May after he was authorised to travel for medical treatment while serving the sentence for a terror-related offence. "The warrant for Nasheed's arrest was sought over an investigation into the alleged misuse of state funds during his presidency," the police said in a statement yesterday.

"The Maldives correctional service is seeking to have him brought back to serve the remainder of his 13-year sentence on a terror conviction," The Maldives Independent reported, citing the statement. Nasheed was sentenced to jail in March 2015 after he was convicted on a terror-related charge, inviting widespread international condemnation.

The police were also authorised to arrest and bring back Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and Akram Kamaldeen, a senior official of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, for refusing to obey a police summons on August 4, which ordered the pair to return to the Maldives within two weeks for questioning over unspecified charges, the paper said.

Jameel, who fled the Maldives in July last year, has also been granted political refugee status by the UK government. He has since been living in self-imposed exile in the UK.  PTI
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is the rare romance epic in contemporary times that follows the tradition of the big Bollywood romances of yesteryear like DDLJ, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Saathiya.

By Lasyapriya Sundaram: The grammar of the grand Bollywood romance was articulated by filmmakers like Bimal Roy, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Mehboob Khan and Yash Chopra in the past. In recent times, more often than not, the romantic comedy has taken centre stage. But it looks like romance is back with Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil all set to release this Diwali. Here's a look at the greatest romances in the last two decades.

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ALSO READ: Ranbir, Anushka, Aishwarya together in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Here's what we know about the film so far

OPINION: Can Karan Johar make the best Karan Johar film?

ALSO READ: 5 ways Ae Dil Hai Mushkil exploits every Karan Johar trope in the book

OPINION: Aishwaya romancing Ranbir shows in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil shows that Bollywood has grown up



Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995)





Yash Chopra's son Aditya Chopra redefined the romance genre in Bollywood with his 1995 SRK-Kajol blockbuster Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge as it predominantly catered to the non-resident Indians. The lovers still faced opposition from parents and the contemporary yet traditional template worked wonders for the film.



Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)



Influenced by Yash Chopra's school of filmmaking Karan Johar roped in SRK and Kajol for his 1998 directorial debut, the love triangle, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. It was the Bollywoodisation of Archie comics but with a heavy dose of emotions which ensured that the water works wouldn't stop in the theatres.



Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)



Sanjay Leela Bhansali went the traditional way when he reworked Woh Saat Din with Hum Dil Chuke Sanam in 1999. It was old wine in a new bottle but Bhansali's vision, as far as production design is concerned, was and still is unmatched in the Hindi film industry.



Saathiya (2002)



Mani Ratnam kicked off the new millennium with his light and fluffy Alaipayuthey. It was the year 2000 but parents still wanted to decide the life partners for their children. Lovers still had to go against their parents to envisage a future together for themselves. The film was remade as Saathiya in Hindi by Shaad Ali.



Jab We Met (2007)



In recent times, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali redefined the romance genre with his 2007 runaway hit Jab We Met. Ali didn't believe that love happens only once but many times over.



Barfi! (2012)



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Anurag Basu's Barfi! in 2012 was, yet again, a love triangle with a happy ending where the the autistic Jhilmill falls in love with the deaf and mute Barfi.



Aashiqui 2 (2013)



A year later, Mohit Suri delivered the romantic blockbuster Aashiqui 2. In the film, there was no opposition to the romance from any third party, however. The lovers themselves stood in each other's way.



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Houston, August 31

A 46-year-old Indian-origin man in the US who stabbed his overweight wife twice in the abdomen has been spared a prison sentence because the judge agreed that his family would face ostracism as part of their Hindu culture.

Navinkumar Patel, from Kansas City, stabbed his wife with a pocketknife as she ate a bowl of cereal, and subsequently told the police he had done it because his wife was overweight.

The cultural considerations weighed into his sentencing decision for Patel, Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild was quoted as saying by the local newspaper LJWorld.

Patel was arrested in June 2015 after he stabbed his wife at Lawrences Super 8 Motel, which he owns. He pleaded no contest to felony charges of attempted second-degree murder and criminal threat in March.

Patels attorney John Kerns told the judge that in the Hindu culture of Patels family, his wife and children would suffer if he were sentenced to prison. They would essentially be ostracised, he said. The cultural part of it is very significant in this case, Judge Fairchild said.  PTI
Naypyitaw, August 31

Myanmars Aung San Suu Kyi launched a major push to end decades of fighting between the military and myriad rebel groups with an appeal on Wednesday to the countrys ethnic minorities to overcome their differences to achieve peace.

Suu Kyi has made the peace process a priority for her administration, which faces sky-high expectations at home and abroad after sweeping to power in an election last November to end more than half a century of military-backed rule.

Delegates in elaborate ethnic costumes, sporting silver necklaces and hats adorned with peacock feathers, mingled and took photographs with military officers, mainstream majority Bamar politicians and diplomats at the start of the conference.

If all those who play a part ... in the peace process cultivate the wisdom to reconcile differing views for the good of the people ... we will surely be able to build the democratic federal union of our dreams, said Suu Kyi in her opening remarks.

Only if we are all united, our country will be at peace.

"Only if our country is at peace, will we be able to stand on equal footing with other countries in our region and across the world.

Myanmar has been torn by fighting between the military, which seized power in a 1962 coup, and ethnic armed groups almost without a break since the end of the Second World War.

The focus on Wednesday was on the symbolic, with few concrete proposals likely to emerge from this weeks talks.

Delegates expect to meet every six months to discuss issues ranging from security, political representation, language and culture to control of Myanmars rich mineral resources.

Its the Tatmadaw members and our brethren members of ethnic armed groups, who have been directly suffering from ... the lack of peace in the country, sacrificing their limbs and lives, said army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

I firmly believe that we will be able to accomplish this great process with our unity and efforts.

Ethnic tensions

Myanmar is home to more than a hundred ethnic groups with distinct traditions and cultures, and some representative performed a folk dance on the conference stage celebrating the Southeast Asian nations ethnic diversity.

Among those absent from the conference, however, were any representatives of Myanmars 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims, who face persecution and human rights abuses at the hands of their Buddhist neighbours in northwestern Rakhine State.

A day before the conference started, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Myanmar to improve the living conditions of the Rohingya, underscoring the challenges facing Suu Kyi in tackling all the countrys ethnic divisions.

But the fact that Suu Kyi has been able to bring the vast majority of the rebel groups to the negotiating table only five months after taking power is a sign of progress, experts say.

Powerful armed groups from regions bordering China, including the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), who refused to sign a ceasefire last October under the previous military-backed government, are now taking part, partly owing to Chinas tacit support for the talks, observers say.

As Myanmars economy opens up, China is vying for influence with the United States. President Xi Jinping pledged his country would play a constructive role in the peace process when Suu Kyi visited China this month.

Casting a shadow over the talks is a recent flare-up in fighting in northernmost Kachin State and clashes in northeastern Shan State, which is home to several large groups operating close to borders with China and Thailand.  Reuters
Seoul, August 31

North Korea has executed a vice premier for showing disrespect during a meeting presided over by leader Kim Jong-Un, South Korea said on Wednesday, after reports that he fell asleep.

The regime also banished two other senior officials, Seoul said, the latest in a slew of punishments Kim is believed to have ordered in what analysts say is an attempt to tighten his grip on power.

Vice premier for education Kim Yong-Jin was executed, Seouls Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-Hee said at a regular briefing.

Kim was killed by a firing squad in July as an anti-party, anti-revolutionary agitator, added an official at the ministry, who declined to be named.

Kim Yong-Jin was denounced for his bad sitting posture when he was sitting below the rostrum during a session of North Koreas parliament, and then underwent an interrogation that revealed other crimes, the official told reporters.

The mass-selling JoongAng Ilbo reported on Tuesday that top regime figures had been punished, but identified the education official by a different name.

He incurred the wrath of Kim after he dozed off during a meeting presided over by Kim, it quoted a source as saying.

He was arrested on site and intensively questioned by the state security ministry.

The unification ministry said two other senior figures were forced to undergo re-education sessions.

One of them was Kim Yong-Chol, a top official in charge of inter-Korean affairs and espionage activities against the South.

The 71-year-old Kim is a career military intelligence official who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Norths frequent cyberattacks on Seoul.

Kim is also blamed by the South for the sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010 near the disputed sea border with the North in the Yellow Sea.

Kim was banished to a farm in July for a month for his arrogance and abuse of power, the ministry official said.

The spymaster, who was reinstated this month, is likely to be tempted to prove his loyalty by committing provocative acts against the South, the official said.

Therefore, we are keeping close tabs on the North, he said.

Professor Yang Moo-Jin at the University of North Korean Studies said the vice premiers execution could be indirectly verified when Pyongyangs state media reveals the names of attendees at the governments anniversary ceremony on September 9.

That confirmation will be important; Seoul in February said North Korean military chief of staff Ri Yong-Gil had been executedonly for Ri to turn up at a party rally in May.  AFP
Karachi: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday agreed to re-open a friendship gate from Thursday at a border crossing in Balochistan that was closed for two weeks after Afghan protesters burned the Pakistani flag at a border rally. The decision was made after the 5th flag meeting between Pakistan and Afghanistan border force officials in Chaman in Balochistan. The border crossing, also known as Bab-e-Dosti (Friendship Gate), was closed on August 18 after some Afghan nationals gathered near the border gate and raised anti-Pakistan slogans. PTI
Islamabad: Two sisters working as pilots for Pakistani national flag carrier PIA have become the first such pair to fly concurrently the Boeing 777 aircraft. Maryam Masood and Erum Masood have been flying different planes but finally ended up in the same plane. It was some good news for PIA, running in losses for years and struggling to improve its performance. PTI

Perth tests first driverless bus

Canberra: Australia's first driverless and electric shuttle bus plied on road on Wednesday in a trial run in Perth. The trial involved the 'RAC Intellibus' travelling along the South Perth Esplanade, carrying passengers, interacting with traffic, parked cars, cyclists and pedestrians. Driverless trucks are already used by mining companies such as Rio Tinto while driverless cars are being developed by many companies but are yet to be used in traffic. IANS
SAO PAULO, August 31

Brazil's Senate was expected to vote on Wednesday to dismiss President Dilma Rousseff, finalizing a nine-month impeachment process and confirming the country's shift to the right with the end of 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule.

Rousseff's supporters seemed resigned to the likelihood that more than two-thirds of the 81-seat Senate would convict her of breaking budget laws, while opponents hailed the chance to turn the page on a drawn-out economic and political crisis.

Brazil's first female president has denied any wrongdoing and said the impeachment process was aimed at protecting the interests of the country's economic elite.

If she is convicted as expected, a tricky transition would fall to her conservative former vice president, Michel Temer, who has served as interim president since the Senate trial began in May and will finish out the term through to 2018.

Temer has vowed to pull the economy out of its worst recession since the 1930s and implement austerity measures to plug a growing budget deficit that cost Brazil its investment-grade credit rating last year.

But even an overwhelming vote to remove Rousseff would not mean an easy path ahead for Temer, as there are signs of clear resistance in Congress to his proposals to cap public spending and reform public pensions.

His government also risks entanglement in a sweeping investigation of kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras that already ensnared dozens of politicians in Rousseff's coalition.

The scandal, which has tarnished Temer's fractious Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, could hobble efforts to restore stability to Brazil's politics and confidence in its economy.

Temer is so sure of the trial's outcome that he has scheduled an address to the nation on Wednesday.

He then plans to fly to China for a summit of the G20 group of leading economies, hoping to secure pledges of trade and investment, his aides say.

Rousseff's popularity fell into single figures this year due to the Petrobras graft scandal and the deep recession that many Brazilians blame on her government's interventionist policies.

In an emotional speech on Monday, Rousseff compared the trial to her persecution under Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, when she was tortured by security services as a member of a leftist urban guerrilla group.

If the Senate convicts Rousseff, she would become the first Brazilian leader dismissed from office since 1992, when Fernando Collor de Mello resigned before a final vote in his impeachment trial for corruption.  Reuters
Data analysed by NCRB show 365 crimes were reported against foreigners in India in 2015, compared to 486 in 2014. Out of these, 271 were against tourists visiting India.

By Shashank Shekhar, Ankur Sharma: A total of 34,651 rape complaints were registered in the country during 2015 and in about 95 per cent of these cases - 33,098 to be precise - the alleged offenders were known to the victims, reveal the annual data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), pointing out that stricter laws have failed to deter attackers.

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DELHI LEADS IN CRIME

Nearly 3.27 lakh cases of crimes against women were reported across the country. Of these, over 1.3 lakh were sexual offences - 1.2 lakh in states and 9,445 in Union territories. The sexual offences included rape, attempt to rape, assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty and insult to modesty of women.

Madhya Pradesh reported 4,391 rape cases in 2015, the highest among the states while, not surprisingly, the national capital registered 2,199 such cases, the highest among union territories.

Often dubbed as the 'crime capital' of India, Delhi tops the list of 53 mega cities, including Mumbai and Bengaluru, when it comes to the total number of criminal cases filed in a year.

However, the city police could file charge sheet in only 26 per cent of the cases, with over 3 lakh matters pending investigation. As per the NCRB records, Delhi (city) alone registered 1,73,947 FIRs during 2015, ahead of Mumbai by a wide margin which registered 42,940, followed by Bengaluru with 35,576 and Jaipur 26,288.

POOR CHARGESHEET RATE

In case of Delhi, the actual number of written complaints made in Delhi stood at over 3.52 lakh and oral complaints at 27.83 lakh. In 2015, the Capital saw a steep rise in cases of crime against women. Cops registered over 17,000 such cases including 5,367 of molestation followed by 3,738 of kidnapping. However, according to Delhi Police, the increase in number of cases is because of a transparent FIR system adopted by them. "From goat theft to stealing of Rs 20, we registered every relevant FIR. Along with truthful registration comes the onus of prevention and detection of crime, and Delhi Police has given an excellent account in this regard.

The figures in terms of cases solved by the police went up in connection with robbery, kidnapping for ransom, rapes, extortion, snatching and molestation," BS Bassi, who was Delhi Police commissioner in 2015, said during his last annual press conference. Delhi which boasts of over 84,000 police officers has a poor charge-sheeting rate of 26.7 per cent, which is far below states like Bihar (80.9 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (65 per cent) that are criticised for poor law and order situation.

Delhi stands at the penultimate spot, just above Manipur which has the lowest rate of 13.5 per cent. The city does not only have poor charge-sheeting rate but also a high number of pending cases. The NCRB data show that over 43.6 per cent cases are pending. Over three lakh cases are still under investigation. Madhya Pradesh has reported 4,391 rape cases, a highest among the states. Whereas, the national capital has reported 2,199 such cases--highest among the union territories. Maharashtra reported 4,144 rape incidents while a total of 3,644 and 3,025 rapes were reported in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, respectively. As many as 2,251 rape cases were reported in Odisha, Assam (1,733), Chhattisgarh (1,560), 1,256 in Kerala, West Bengal registered 1,129, 1,070 in Haryana and 1,041 in Bihar.

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INDIA SAFER FOR FOREIGNERS

Among the union territories, 72 rape cases were reported in Chandigarh while 36 in Andaman and Nicobar Island. According to the data, offences against the state like sedition, promoting enmity among different groups, etc, have seen a steep rise. Such crimes have gone up by 12 per cent to 571 in 2015 from 512 in the previous year.

Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states with the maximum number of cases recorded at 60, or 11 per cent of the national total. But India has apparently become safer for foreigners. Crime cases reported against foreigners in India fell 25 per cent in 2015 from the previous year. Data analysed by NCRB show 365 crimes were reported against foreigners in India in 2015, compared to 486 in 2014. Out of these, 271 were against tourists visiting India. Delhi, which witnessed 147 crimes against foreigners, accounted for more than 40 per cent of these total crimes.



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ALSO READ

4 women raped, 9 harassed everyday in 2012-2015: Delhi Police report

51 squats, Rs 1,000 fine: Bihar panchayat's punishment to rape accused



--- ENDS ---
On Monday evening, Kerry had a taste of what rains do to traffic in Delhi when he was stuck in a massive jam on his way to his hotel from the airport.

Kerry is in Delhi for the 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue

By Maha Siddiqui: Heavy showers in Delhi once again disrupted US Secretary of State John Kerry's Wednesday plans in the capital. While his address at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) was delayed, the American leader's visit the religious sites in the city were cancelled.



Kerry was supposed to reach the IIT at 10 am, but the deluge since 7.30 in the morning delayed his arrival. His address could only begin around 10.50 am.

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Taking a swipe at his audience, Karry asked if the participants in his programme "took a boat" to reach the venue. "You all deserve an award for being here," he quipped.

Kerry was supposed to visit the Sisganj Gurudwara, Gaurishankar Temple and the Jama Masjid in the national capital after his IIT event, but that programme has been cancelled for now.

On Monday evening, Kerry had a taste of what rains do to traffic in Delhi when he was stuck in a massive jam on his way to his hotel from the airport.

Journalist Nicolas Wadhams, who was accompanying Kerry on his tour to New Delhi, tweeted: "John Kerry stuck in traffic like everyone else on wet New Delhi night."

Kerry is in Delhi for the 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue which concluded on Tuesday after several deals were signed between the two countries.

Delhi rains LIVE: Heavy showers drown Capital, cause major traffic jams

John Kerry gets a taste of Delhi traffic after rains throw it out of gear



--- ENDS ---
Volvo Group has outlined how it plans to use $20 million in federal funding to further the freight-moving efficiency of heavy-duty trucks as part of the SuperTruck II initiative.

Volvo Group said its team of researchers and engineers will use alternative engine designs and an integrated system approach to build a lightweight tractor-trailer concept that will exceed the freight efficiency goal of 100% improvement on a ton-mile-per-gallon basis compared to a 2009 baseline. The team is also tasked with demonstrating powertrain capable of 55% brake thermal efficiency. Volvo Group and its partners will match the development funds dollar-for-dollar.

To achieve these goals, the company plans to leverage its experience in vehicle development along with established partnerships with advanced technology and trailer equipment vendors.

Those partners include Michelin Americas Research Company for tires, Wabash National for trailers, Metalso for lightweight frames, Johnson-Matthey for exhaust aftertreatment systems, and Peloton Technology for platooning and connected vehicle tech.

Volvo will also partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory for aftertreatment testing and analysis, Pennsylvania State University for connected vehicle testing, Knight Transportation for long-haul fleet, and Wegmans Food Market for regional-haul fleet.

The news comes as Volvo prepares to unveil its first SuperTruck concept from the original program in mid-September.

Other SuperTruck II Projects

The $20 million is part of a larger investment by the Department of Energy to develop next generation fuel-efficiency technology for commercial and passenger vehicles. Other manufacturers being funded as part of the SuperTruck II initiative are Daimler Trucks North America, Peterbilt, Cummins, and Navistar.

Cummins will design and develop a new more-efficient engine and advanced drivetrain and vehicle technologies.By reducing drag and rolling resistance, Peterbilt will work with Cummins to improve aerodynamics by 15% in all wind directions to gain up to 7.5% better fuel economy.

Peterbilt said it will also improve efficiency through auxiliary systems, such as air compressors, power steering pumps and cooling pumps. To reduce rolling resistance, Peterbilt will team with tire manufacturing partners to investigate alternative compounds and tire configurations for optimized surface contact.

Daimler Trucks North America will develop and demonstrate a tractor-trailer combination using a suite of technologies including active aerodynamics, cylinder deactivation, hybridization, and the electrification of accessories.

Navistar will design and develop a vehicle and powertrain with electrified engine components that can enable higher engine efficiency and a significantly more aerodynamically reengineered cab.

For more information on the DOEs alternative fuel technology investment, click here.
The commission, set up by the BJP government in May last year, was asked to probe controversial land deals in Haryana, involving Vadra and his firms.

By Indo-Asian News Service: The one-man Justice SN Dhingra Commission set up by the Haryana government to probe the controversial land deals in Gurgaon, involving Robert Vadra, submitted its report today.

The commission, set up in May last year, was asked to probe Vadra and his firm's land deals, which the BJP alleges violate state laws.



The panel was asked to probe the grant of licenses to Vadra's company and other firms for developing commercial properties in Gurgaon's Sector 83 and other prime areas.



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READ| Bikaner land deals: Robert Vadra's Skylight Hospitality gets fresh ED notice



The term of the commission was extended on June 30 for eight weeks by the Haryana government amid controversy over its legal validity.

Addressing reporters after submitting the report, Dhingra said he has "brought to light the manner in which irregularities were committed and the people behind it".

Refusing to divulge the details of his report, he said the details will be known when the government makes it public.



READ| Why Justice SN Dhingra delayed his report



READ| Robert Vadra on Facebook: I will always be used for political gains

Vadra had termed the inquiry commission as a "political witch-hunt" launched against him by the BJP government in Haryana.

Vadra and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had been summoned by the commission, had refused to join the probe.

The scope of the Dhingra commission was expanded in August last year and it was asked to probe grant of all licenses to colonisers and individuals in four villages of Gurgaon by the previous Congress government in Haryana.

Vadra and others were allegedly granted favours by Hooda-led state government in issuing licenses to develop commercial properties in Gurgaon's Sector 83.

READ| How Haryana government showered favours on Justice Dhingra

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had pointed out that Vadra's firm, Skylight Hospitality, had not submitted documents on financial adequacy. Despite that, the firm was granted a licence.

Earlier, Hooda had objected to setting up of the commission saying it was held "contrary to established rules and norms, without due cabinet approval and prompted by malice and political considerations".

He had urged Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki "to revoke the Constitution of the Commission of Enquiry".

Also Read:

Vadra land row: Dhingra panel seeks more time from Haryana govt to submit report



Robert Vadra in trouble as ED files case in Bikaner land scam

Bikaner land grab case: ED raids company allegedly linked to Robert Vadra

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Congress attacks the probe in Vadra case, says judge took favours from BJP

What Priyanka Gandhi said when quizzed on ED notice to husband Robert Vadra



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The state of Oklahoma has reached an agreement with a second tribe to provide hunting and fishing licenses to its members.

Gov. Mary Fallin and Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton on Wednesday signed a hunting and fishing compact that grants the Choctaw Nation the ability to purchase at least 50,000 annual hunting and fishing licenses at $2 apiece for its resident citizens.

In addition, the Choctaw Nation will pay a lump sum of $200,000 and an administrative cost payment of $75,000 to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Oklahoma reached a similar agreement with the Cherokee Nation last year. That three-year compact took effect Jan. 1.

The Choctaw Nation compact is in place for three years  Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2019.

The tribe will provide all members ages of 16 to 64 with hunting and fishing licenses at no charge to them beginning in January.

The tribe posted notice on its webpage that online applications will be available beginning Oct. 1.

The special licenses, issued by the state and bearing the Choctaw Nation seal, will entitle tribal members to hunt and fish in all 77 Oklahoma counties on tribal or state lands with all the same rights and responsibilities as other state license holders.

The Choctaw license also includes trapping and furbearer licenses, a state waterfowl stamp, up to four turkey licenses, up to six deer licenses, a land access permit and waived access fees to Three Rivers and Honobia Creek wildlife management areas.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation issued a statement noting that the licenses issued through the compact will generate additional federal matching funds for wildlife conservation efforts.

This compact provides the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation with additional funds for wildlife conservation through federal grants and ensures the Choctaw Nation will adopt the state season lengths and bag limits on their trust lands, said Wildlife Department Director Richard Hatcher.

Hatcher and Batton also signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing that the Choctaw Nation will maintain the Wildlife Department-owned Lake Nanih Waiya, which is a place of historical significance to the tribe.

The Wildlife Department may provide training and guidance as well as communicate with the nation regarding any major improvements.

The department continues to have sole responsibility of managing wildlife conservation efforts around the lake.
Early numbers indicate fall enrollment increased at Tulsa Community College for the first time in seven years, a feat the colleges president attributes  at least in part  to new programs aimed at heightening student engagement.

In the first week of the fall 2016 semester, 17,070 students were enrolled at TCC, up 2.2 percent from last falls 16,702, according to a press release from the college.

The last time the college recorded an increase in fall enrollment was between 2009 and 2010, when the headcount jumped from 19,198 to 20,019. Every year after that enrollment has fallen, according to the colleges preliminary enrollment data.

In addition, this year the college also had a 3.9 percent increase in the number of first-time entering students, from 3,992 in the first week of last fall to 4,146 this year. Concurrent enrollment also grew 14.2 percent from 1,609 last fall to 1,838 this fall, according to the release.

Higher education enrollment is affected by a number of trends, from high school graduation rates to the economy, so its difficult to determine what factors played a role in the increases, said President and CEO Leigh Goodson.

For instance, community college enrollment typically increases in recessions, though Goodson said its not clear if the economy played a role in this falls increase.

Despite those unknowns, Goodson said TCCs mandatory new-student orientation, as well as its on-time enrollment policy, likely bolstered enrollment numbers.

The two new programs are part of the colleges involvement in the National Pathways Initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The program aims to guide students from high school to college graduation.

This summer, college officials held over 200 sessions for first-time TCC students, explaining everything from financial aid, to student conduct, the location of the schools bookstore and what constitutes a full-time course load, TCC spokeswoman Nicole Burgin said.

These sessions taught students whats expected of them and prepared them for the first day of school, Burgin said.

On-time enrollment also began this fall. The policy prohibits students from enrolling in a 16-week course after its first class session.

TCC is the only higher education institution in Oklahoma with such a policy, Burgin said. Officials implemented the policy to combat problems that arise after students miss the first class of the semester.

When you miss a class, youre playing catch-up. Youre not starting off as strong as you could, Burgin said.

For community college students, who generally have more going on in their lives than other types of students, missing the first day of class could compound with those other issues and prevent them from graduating, Burgin said.

On-time enrollment and new-student orientation allowed college officials to chat with students before the semester started and familiarize them with enrollment procedures and connect them with the college, Goodson said.

All of those things play a role in increased enrollment, Goodson said.

The goal of these new policies is not just to increase enrollment but to maximize retention rates, which are predominately affected by student experience, Goodson said. However, it will be at least a year before officials can see how they affect persistence rates.
Correction

This story originally misstated the duration of signature gathering for the petition. The story has been corrected.

OKLAHOMA CITY  Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana on Tuesday rallied at the Capitol to show their displeasure on a number of fronts.

More than 100 people showed up chanting Let us vote.

Oklahomans for Health was successful in securing 67,761 signatures to get State Question 788 on a ballot. It needed 65,987.

But a potential challenge to the rewritten ballot title and deadlines for printing and mailing ballots means voters going to the polls Nov. 8 wont get a chance decide on the proposal.

State Question 788 could be put on a special election ballot next year or on the 2018 primary or general ballot.

Many supporters disagreed with how Attorney General Scott Pruitt reworded the ballot title, or a description of the measure that voters see in the booth.

They say Pruitts wording is misleading and is designed to elicit a no vote. They contend it implies that the measure would legalize marijuana, not just for medical purposes. I do think it was an attempt by him to throw people off track, said Mike Henderson of Wellston.

One woman carried a sign that read, People over Pruitt.

Oklahomans for Health plans to challenge the ballot title, said Chip Paul, a spokesman, who did not attend the rally.

I fully admit we had a very close window, said Joe Dorman, an Oklahomans for Health board member, who also did not attend the rally.

Supporters had 90 days to collect the required signatures.

Dorman said the organization had hoped to submit them 10 days earlier but had not acquired enough signatures by then to get it on the ballot, necessitating more time.

Rally organizer Jeff Williams of Oklahoma City said some people lost to prescription pain killer addiction could have been saved had medical marijuana been legal. He said profits have been put in front of people.

James Cooper of Tulsa said that supporters didnt start circulating the petition early enough. He said that he hoped those who attended the rally would spend their money to educate the public about what medical marijuana could do. The state is spending millions to put people in prison when they need medical treatment, he said.

Sarah Martin of Yukon said she has lupus. No other medication works as well as marijuana without the side effects, she said.

Tammy Searcy of Moore was another person attending the rally. She brought her daughter, Brianna, who suffers from seizures. Another child carried a sign that read, Please save our sisters life.

I am frustrated, very frustrated, Searcy said.

With tears filling her eyes, she said supporters collected signatures out in the heat for nothing.

She may not have two years left, she said of Brianna.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has praised Turkey's resilience following the July 15 defeated coup.

In his weekly column in the English-language newspaper, Daily Sabah, Tuesday, Kalin wrote: "From a comparative point of view, any coup attempt would have destabilized any country, ruin its economy and divide the society. What happened in Turkey is just the opposite and goes to show the resilience of Turkey as a whole. Turkish people celebrate this as a source of strength and vitality.

Kalin said the new consensus that emerged after the coup bid brought different political groups closer to one another. "From politics to economy, Turkey is stronger and more united than ever before."

The spokesman said the state of emergency, declared for three-months after the coup attempt, did not damage the economy or affect daily life.

Kalin said Turkish people wanted justice, not revenge against the Gulenist coup plotters.

"They want to see the principles of merit, accountability, transparency and trust established again as the foundations of governance and state-civilian relations - the principles which the Gulenist cult abused to take over the state. This is a necessary measure to make sure that Gulenists or similar groups do not attempt to infiltrate state institutions again. The measures are also necessary to prevent any future coup attempts."

Turkey's government has said the defeated coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999.

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.

He said despite the coup attempt Turkey continued to implement its foreign policy. "The process of normalization with Russia and Israel moved to the next stage with the visit of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to St. Petersburg on August 9 and the ratification of the Turkey-Israel agreement at the Turkish Parliament on August 20."

Kalin said Turkey showed resilience after the coup by launching a major offensive against Daesh terrorists in Syria and opening the third bridge over the Bosphorus in Istanbul.

"Today [Tuesday], is celebrated across the country as it marks the 94th anniversary of a major battle during Turkey's war of independence in 1922 whereby the country had gained its independence against the occupying forces. This combination of present reality, history and symbolism underscores Turkey's surprising resilience," he added.

Kalin said Turkey launched "Operation Euphrates Shield" to liberate the city of Jarabulus in Syria from Daesh terrorists.

Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched on Wednesday, is aimed at improving security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the terror threat along Turkeys border through Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery and jets.

"Turkey defends Syria's territorial integrity against the PKK propaganda and its supporters in the West and will not allow a PKK-led statelet along its border. It should be made clear that Turkey does not have any problems with the Kurds of Syria just as it has no problems with the Kurds of Turkey or Iraq.

"But we all have a PKK problem that oppresses and kills Kurds as much as it attacks and kills Turkish civilians and security forces. The PKK and PYD are shamelessly using the war in Syria to create a de facto terrorist state in Syria. Turkey will not allow that."

He said the Euphrates Shield operation showed that if the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was supported properly, it could fight against Daesh as well as Bashar Assad's regime and clear Syrian territories of terrorism.

"Americans should revise their policy of supporting the PYD/YPG at all costs after the Jarabulus operation and see the damage their support to the YPG is causing to the social and ethnic harmony of Syria."

Ankara considers the PYD and its armed wing, the YPG, to be the Syrian offshoots of the PKK, which has waged war on Turkey for 32 years, and has declared their presence west of the Euphrates a red line.

While Turkey considers the PYD to be the Syrian offshoot of the terrorist PKK organization, the U.S. sees the group as its ally in the fight against Daesh.

Anadolu Agency
Apple CEO Tim Cook sharply criticized an unprecedented European Commission decision Tuesday that ordered the U.S. tech firm to pay 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) to Ireland in back taxes.

Cook said in a statement that Apple "received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law" and "Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe."

Both Ireland and Apple are appealing the decision. Cook said his company is confident the order will be reversed.

"This claim has no basis in fact or in law. We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals," Cook stressed.

"We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we don't owe them any more than we've already paid," he added.

Shortly after Cook's comments, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager said in an interview with MarketWatch that the EU has a solid case to defend any appeal attempt.

"We have of course structured the case in a way that itll be upheld if it goes to court. Thats why it sometimes takes a long time to finish these investigations," she said.

"This probe has been three years under way to make sure we really have a solid case, which I firmly believe we do, she added.

Cook reminded in a statement that Apple began its operations in Cork, Ireland in 1980, and the company brought investment and employment to both the region and Europe since then, employing some 6,000 people across Ireland and around 1.5 million jobs across the continent.

Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe. Using the Commissions theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed, he said.

The CEO emphasized that the EU's decision could also have serious implications towards the nexus between supranational authority and government rule within the EU.

[The Commission] is effectively proposing to replace Irish tax laws with a view of what the Commission thinks the law should have been. This would strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters," he explained.

Anadolu Agency
Three Turkish soldiers were wounded in a terrorist attack in western Jarabulus in northern Syria on Tuesday, according to the Turkish General Staff.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, Turkish General Staff said a tank was also slightly damaged in the rocket attack.

The wounded soldiers were immediately rushed to a hospital, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Turkish jets carried out an air operation in Cukurca district of southeastern Hakkari province on late Tuesday. Ten targets of the PKK terrorist organization were successfully destroyed, the statement added.

In a separate operation, Turkish jets hit terrorist targets in Kulliyah region of Syrian city of Jarabulus, Turkish army added.

Last week, Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield, which is aimed at improving security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the terror threat along Turkeys border through Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery and jets.

The PKK -- also listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU -- resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, more than 600 security personnel, including troops, police officers and village guards, have been martyred and over 7,000 PKK terrorists killed or neutralized in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.

Anadolu Agency
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will meet on Saturday during the G20 summit in China, the Kremlin announced Tuesday.

In a statement, the Kremlin said the two leaders would discuss the civil war-torn country Syria and the fight against international terrorism, the Kremlin said.

Erdogan and Putin will also discuss the normalization process between Turkey and Russia as well as bilateral cooperation process, especially in energy, trade and economy sectors.

Erdogan will also meet his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Sunday in China, the White House said on Monday. The meeting will be the first between Obama and Erdogan since the July 15 coup attempt.

The meetings come as Turkey takes part in Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria. The operation aims at improving security, supporting anti-Daesh coalition forces and eliminating the terror threat along Turkeys southern border using Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery and jets.

Ties between Moscow and Ankara entered a new phase following the August 9 meeting between Erdogan and Putin in St. Petersburg.

Relations between the two countries soured last November after the downing of the Russian jet, which had violated Turkish airspace along the Syrian border.

The issue seemed largely resolved on June 29 through a letter and subsequent telephone calls between the countries leaders.

Putin gave his support to Turkey during the July 15 coup attempt and said he stood by the elected government in Ankara, offering his condolences to the victims of what Erdogan called the most heinous armed coup attempt in modern Turkish history.

Anadolu Agency
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTI) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi will arrive here tomorrow on a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step up engagement in areas of security, counter-terrorism and trade.

With both India and Egypt grappling with terrorism, both the leaders are expected to deliberate on ways to deal with the menace effectively.

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Sisi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising of Ministers, top officials and business leaders.

He will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Modi on Friday. Both sides are set to sign a number of MoUs after the talks.

Sisi will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari.

India and Egypt have a strong economic relationship.

India is the sixth largest trading partner of Egypt -- the second largest export destination. Indias imports from Egypt were worth USD 1.74 billion during 2014-15.

Indian businessmen have invested nearly USD 3 billion in about 50 companies in Egypt and have given employment opportunities to around 35,000 Egyptians. PTI MPB RG SK

--- ENDS ---
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said all those who continue to be active in the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) following the July 15 defeated coup are traitors.

In his speech delivered at the presidential complex to mark the August 30 Victory Day on Tuesday, Erdogan said: "Beware of terrorist organizations such as FETO and Daesh, which exploit the high values of our religion.

"Allah gave us a mind to think, to compare and to take our own decision."

He said the Turkish nation has a tradition that goes back a thousand years, a civilization with moral and material dimensions, and a sovereignty of thousand years under its geography.

"The people who put their minds under a quack [Fetullah Gulen] living in America and who sell their souls for a dollar, do not have any links to our history, culture and us."

Erdogan said the first evidence regarding FETO surfaced after the December 2013 corruption investigation.

"People who continue to be still active in this defection gang are intentionally traitors," he said.

The U.S.-based preacher is also the main suspect in the investigation of mass wiretapping case of December 17 and December 21, 2013, which targeted more than 7,000 people in Turkey.

Turkey's government has said the July 15 defeated coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his FETO network.

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.

Erdogan talks to soldier in Jarabulus

During his speech, Turkish president contacted via a video conference Lt. Efe Trabzon, who is involved in the security operation in the Syrian city of Jarabulus.

Trabzon's troops were screened by a drone from 6,500 meters above.

Erdogan called out to the Turkish soldiers: "I am proud of the news which I have received, and I also proudly follow both the fight on our border and the fight of moderate opposition in Jarabulus [against terrorist organizations]."

Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched on Wednesday, is aimed at improving security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the terror threat along Turkeys border through Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery and jets.

Anadolu Agency
Turkey is waiting for the U.S. to fulfill its commitment that there would be no PYD/YPG elements in the west of Euphrates, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

In remarks made in a statement, Tanju Bilgic said: We are waiting for the immediate realization of the commitment the U.S. forwarded to us that there will not be any PYD/YPG elements in the west of Euphrates after the Manbij operation.

Turkey launched on Wednesday Operation Euphrates Shield, which is aimed at improving security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the terror threat along Turkeys border through Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery and jets.

Bilgic said the operation would continue until the terrorism threats in the region reached a level that would not disturb our citizens.

Anadolu Agency
The CEO of Ramps Logistics says he is "really really disappointed" with the Guyana Revenue A
Angela Martin, former 'Express Woman' editor, who died suddenly on August 9th, 2016, at age 60, has posthumously been awarded the Medal For The Development Of Women (Gold).
In a decided win for Foxtel, actor David Berry, who plays James Bligh on A Place to Call Home has been cast in Starz hit series Outlander.

He will play Lord John William Grey in the third season.

According to Variety, the character is described as a boyishly handsome upper crust Brit, but a scandal in his past has resigned him to serving as governor of a desolate prison in Scotland. The role gains significance as Outlander unfolds.

News.com.au reports he is already in Scotland preparing to shoot Season Three.

Having a local actor in Outlander is a win all round, provided schedules dont clash and it doesnt result in him being written out of APTCH. Berry will be able to promote both shows locally, with greater audience awareness.

Both shows also move from SoHo to Showcase following the closure of the former at the end of September.
Heads up Jenna Coleman fans, BBC First will be unveiling Victoria for us in October.

The ITV series on the young queen has just premiered in the UK this week.

The former Doctor Who star is joined by Rufus Sewell and Tom Hughes in the 8 part drama written by Daisy Goodwin.

A landmark account of the life of one of historys greatest monarchs, major new drama series Victoria stars an ensemble cast of award-winning talent, including Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) and Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist).

Created and written by acclaimed novelist Daisy Goodwin, this lavish costume drama draws on real-life events and the Queens own exhaustive diaries to paint a vivid portrait of her transformation from an impulsive eighteen-year- old to her years as a wife, mother and head of a global empire.

A saga of interlocking circles, stretching from the upper echelons of the royal court to the below-stairs staff, this is a story of passionate affairs, power struggles and unrequited love, at the centre of which stands the new Queen  a strong, complex and wilful woman who must, somehow, become an enduring icon.

Sundays at 8.30pm from October 16 on BBC First.
Actress Paget Brewster is returning to Criminal Minds as a series regular, following the firing of Thomas Gibson.

Brewster, who featured as Special Agent Emily Prentiss from 2006  2012 was due to return as a guest star in a multiple-episode arc in the upcoming 12th season. She has also recently been part of the storyline that sees Shemar Moore exit after 11 seasons.

But after Thomas Gibson was fired for an on-set altercation, she has been upgraded to a series regular.

Were all so excited to have Paget with us full-time, showrunner Erica Messer said. The BAU family has definitely missed her, on screen and off. Having her back on set has been great, its like she never left.

Paget joins Adam Rodriguez (CSI: Miami) for season 12, which premieres in the US on September 28th. Brewster will return from mid October.

Source: Hollywood Reporter
ABC has announced airdates for new and returning titles including Upper Middle Bogan, Silvias Italian Table, Man Up, Rosehaven, Hard Quiz, Streets of Your Town and Please Like Me.

Silvias Italian Table

Thursday 6 October at 8:00pm (830)

Silvias Italian Table is a unique eight-part cooking and celebrity chat series presented by cook Silvia Colloca. Self-taught cook Silvia leads three personalities around the kitchen bench and dining table as she teaches them to cook an Italian inspired entree, main and dessert together, all while serving up delicious conversation on a chosen theme. With Silvias Italian upbringing revolving around

cooking and chatting, this enlightening series sees Silvia visit Italy and includes guests Tom Gleeson, Marta Dusseldorp, Cathy Freeman, Claudia Karvan, Ian Thorpe, Tara Moss and many more.

Man Up

Tuesday 11 October at 8:30pm (360)

Gus Worlands mission to break the silence. In Australia, men are traditionally seen as strong, stoic and tough as nails. Theyre the alpha males of the world. They laugh in the face of fear. They excel at everything. And when life gets them down, they drink a cup of concrete and harden the f*** up. Or so the saying goes. But hardening up doesnt seem to be working out too well for our blokes. Research shows Aussie men are lonelier and more disconnected than ever. Common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety go untreated. And suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged 15 to 44 years. So why are men killing themselves? And why isnt anyone talking about it? Enter Gus Worland: professional talker. As the star of Triple Ms breakfast radio team in Sydney, Gus thinks he has got his finger on the pulse of real Aussie blokes. Deeply impacted by the suicide of a dear friend 10 years ago, and with a teenage son of his own about to become a man, Gus sets out on a mission to save Aussie men from their biggest killer. Themselves.

Upper Middle Bogan

Series 3 premieres Wednesday 12 October at 8:30pm

(830)

Australias best loved and acclaimed family comedy returns, as Bess Denyar continues to try to make a happy union between her adoptive upper middle family and her biological bogan family. Starring Annie Maynard, Robyn Nevin, Michala Banas, Patrick Brammall, Glenn Robbins, Robyn Malcolm, Madeleine Jevic, Rhys Mitchell, Dougie Baldwin, Lara Robinson and Harrison Feldman.

Rosehaven

Wednesday 12 October at 9:00pm (830)

Rural Tasmania provides the spectacular backdrop for Rosehaven, a new comedy series created by, and starring, two of Australias most loved comic talents: Luke McGregor (Luke Warm Sex, Utopia) and Celia Pacquola (Utopia, The Beautiful Lie). Daniel McCallum (Luke) returns to his rural Tasmanian hometown, Rosehaven, to help his formidable mother in her real estate business. He gets a surprise when his best (city) friend Emma (Celia) turns up on the doorstep, on the run from a marriage that didnt last the honeymoon.

Hard Quiz

Wednesday 19 October at 8:00pm (1030)

For two years, The Weeklys Tom Gleeson has been putting hard questions to the big names in his regular segment, Hard Chat. Now he puts Australias armchair experts to the test in his new show Hard Quiz. A serious quiz show. And seriously hilarious.

Streets of Your Town

Tuesday 8 November at 8.30pm (260)

A look at the aesthetics of our suburbs. Tim Ross  comedian, broadcaster and aficionado of the Modernist era  is tour guide for this very personal journey exploring how and why our suburbs look the way they do. Travelling the country gaining unprecedented access to some of our most epic homes, meeting their owners, peeling back their history and revelling in their beauty Tim poses the question: from Modernism to McMansionism  how did we get here?

Please Like Me

Series 4 premieres on Wednesday 9 November at 9.30pm

(630)

After its recent launch in the UK, where its been hailed as the best original Australian TV comedy ever, like Girls directed by Wes Anderson and low-key, kooky-cool and warm-hearted, Please Like Me returns for a fourth season, as Josh and his friends hurtle towards the end of their twenties and try to convince themselves that everything is gonna be OK.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36
By Sushant Pathak, Jamshed Adil Khan , Kashish: Bundled onto trucks and boats and herded across the borders to the slaughterhouses of Bangladesh.



That's how hundreds of India's holy cows are trafficked to the lucrative beef market in the neighbouring country almost every day.



Six undercover reporters of India Today's special investigation team have unearthed a well-organized racket of smugglers who dodge the law or bribe the law enforcers to supply young and ageing cows to Bangladeshi abattoirs, the SIT discovered.



India Today's probe revealed the country's northeastern state of Assam has turned into a hot spot of illegal cattle trade.



In the livestock markets of Lanka, Sivasagar and Karimganj in Assam, cows are loaded mercilessly every day on lorries bound to the international border, India Today's investigation showed.

Cow traffickers use both land and water routes to lumber the animals from India into Bangladesh.

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MOST PROFITABLE BUSINESS

For traffickers, nothing appears to be sacrilegious or illegal. They are apparently driven solely by greed.



On average, a healthy cow is sold for Rs 55,000 in Assam. But in Bangladesh, it can fetch almost double the price because of the rising demands of beef in that country.



Smugglers the SIT spoke with were upbeat about their business.



"All this livestock from Assam will head to Bangladesh," Aftab, a cow trafficker in the Lanka livestock farm of Assam, told India Today's reporter posing as a cattle trader.



The smuggler then explained he'd transport them via the riverine border.



Cow traffickers use both land and water routes to lumber the animals from India into Bangladesh, the SIT noted.

INVOLVEMENT OF HAWALA RACKET

And transactions are usually carried our through hawala, as another smuggler India Today's reporter spoke with disclosed.



"We do these transactions through hawala," said Altaf, a cow trafficker.



"How through hawala?" inquired the investigative journalist.



"The buyer will pay cash locally to our agent (in Bangladesh). We get the payment here through another agent," Altaf replied.



India Today also tracked down the suspected kingpin of the massive cow-trafficking racket in Assam, Abdul Motin.



Motin, in his 40s, operates from the border district of Karimganj in the state and runs multiple businesses, including automobile dealerships, the SIT found out.



For him, smuggling cows into Bangladesh appeared to be an everyday job though.



He shared with India Today's investigative reporter the nitty-gritty of his illicit cross-border trade.



"I do my business on the phone. I don't go to the market myself for buying (the livestock)," Motin claimed. "My man does the buying and selling on the phone. It's all my money. He'll spend whatever is needed. My agent in Bangladesh is Mannan."

COWS SOLD IN BEEF MARKETS

He acknowledged his cattle consignments are sold in beef markets on the other side of the border. "In Bangladesh, the (livestock) market opens twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. My consignments are sold in those markets."



Motin also offered to securely transport the undercover reporter's fictitious cattle cargo.



"I'll help you transport it across the border via Agartala," he said, suggesting traffickers use multiple routes to smuggle cows into Bangladesh.



Of late, the BSF has stepped up patrols to check animal trafficking.



According to the home ministry, more than 13 lakh cattle heads were smuggled into Bangladesh earlier. The number has come down to three lakh since 2014.



But Motin's claims showed cow trade is thriving because of rampant corruption.

A healthy cow is sold for Rs 55,000 in Assam. But in Bangladesh, it can fetch almost double the price because of the rising demands of beef in that country.

He quoted a hefty price for the safe passage of the undercover reporter's cattle freight to Bangladesh. A large part of his fee, he claimed, would go to Indian and Bangladeshi officials.



"It will cost you Rs 2 lakh per truck. And this will include the payments to be made to the NBR (National Board Revenue of Bangladesh), customs the BSF and police," he demanded.



"For one truck?" wondered the reporter.



"For one truck. If you like, you are welcome to do this business (with me). If not, just don't do it. But I'll take the full responsibility of your deliveries," Motin replied.



Around 18 cattle can fit into one truck. The scale of this trade thus becomes huge, with hundreds of cows from India being lumbered to Bangladeshi abattoirs for meat and leather daily.



CORRUPT SYSTEM BEHIND TRADE



Politicking over beef aside, a corrupt system seems to be covertly supporting the illegitimate industry throughout India, the SIT probe observed.



Traffickers hire gangs of thieves to troll the streets in the thick of night haul wandering cows to their doom.



India Today's reporters also busted a racket of beef smugglers active right in the middle of the nation's cow belt.

The SIT visited Bareilly and met a man wanted in police records.



In July, Zubair was caught selling beef in the district.



But he disclosed to India Today's SIT how he "bribed" his way out.



"I have been absconding since July 23 after my cow meat was seized. I spent Rs three lakh to set up the police. That's how I have been able to move freely in the city," he claimed. "I am a fugitive (in records). It's been managed to an extent. I mean I can roam freely in the city. No one will touch me."



The SIT team dug deeper and discovered several beef smugglers were willing to supply the contraband across states in the Hindi heartland.



"I am a veteran supplier of cow meat. I have a complete "setting" with the police. I know how this business works," said Naeem, a meat trader from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.



He offered a truckload of cow meat daily from Saharanpur to Faridabad to India Today's crew posing as beef exporters.

Traffickers hire gangs of thieves to troll the streets in the thick of night haul wandering cows to their doom. Traffickers hire gangs of thieves to troll the streets in the thick of night haul wandering cows to their doom.

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By conservative estimates, one cow gives around 200 kilos of meat. Naeem and his partner, Chaudhary Salim, were ready to transport at least 14 tonnes of it every day.



"We'll manage everything," promised Salim.

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"Police?" asked the reporter.

"We have the means to manage them," said Naeem.



The two then made another shock claim about how money possibly exchanges hands to secure contracts for regular slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh.

Corrupt officials conduct no due-diligence about applicants or their business, the beef traders insisted.

"We have a municipal slaughterhouse (in Saharanpur)," Salim claimed.



"We paid Rs 42 lakh for our five-year contract," added Naeem.



Both claimed they bribed authorities at the highest level of their district to run the government slaughterhouse.



Officials in state capital too also pocket their own kickbacks from them every year, they alleged.



"We obtain formal permissions every year from the Lucknow pollution board (for the slaughterhouse)," Salim said.

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"We spend Rs 60 lakh every year," he claimed.

"Rs 60 lakh in bribes?" asked the reporter.

"Yes," quipped Salim.





ALSO READ:

Cow trafficking: Check-posts set up in coastal Karnataka



Exclusive: Delhi cows feed on plastic, die every day

BJP worker ferrying cows beaten to death by gaurakshaks in Karnataka

Karnataka: Death threat to ex-minister from cow vigilantes



--- ENDS ---
Labor looks set to reject changes to the two-out-of-three cross-media ownership rule, according to media reports.

The Australian claims former communications minister Stephen Conroy is strongly opposed to axing the rule, which stops proprietors owning a newspaper, radio and free-to-air TV licence in the same metropolitan market.

Key crossbenchers are also still undecided on their positions, the article claims. Nick Xenophon is still consulting with key stakeholders on the reform package and is yet to formulate an official view.

Labor will support the the abolition of the reach rule, but Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has already ruled out splitting the package.
The Real Housewives of Sydney, The X Factor, My Kitchen Rules, Gruen, Here Come the Habibs and Married at First Sight are all welcoming female attachments in camera & sound departments as part of Screen NSWs She Shoots! initiative.

Kaye Harrison will be a camera attachment on The Real Housewives of Sydney, Lara Del Arte a camera attachment on The X Factor; regional NSW resident Tamara Penniket a sound attachment on The X Factor, Gemma Thornton a camera attachment on My Kitchen Rules, and Charu Menon a camera attachment on Married at First Sight.

Nawal Abdi, from Western Sydney, is working as a camera operator on Here Come The Habibs 2and emerging writer Frida Deguise, a comedian from Western Sydney, has been given her break into television with a gig on Gruen.

I am so excited about my writers attachment on Gruen; I am hopeful the experience with the Gruen team will be the kick start I need to take my comedy from the stage to the screen! said Frida Deguise.

Gruen Series Producer Polly Connolly said: We love Fridas irrepressible energy and humour and cant wait to work with her.

CEO of Screen NSW Courtney Gibson said: The only way to make a genuine difference in gender disparity and diversity is to create real job opportunities in those areas of our industry where the imbalance is greatest. Thats why weve focused on comedy writing, camera and sound in this latest round of attachments, and offered places for women from Western Sydney and regional NSW.

Its great to have the support for this approach from some of our very best and most successful production companies. Id like to thank Kylie Washington from Matchbox Pictures who has been the driver of the She Shoots initiative.

She Shoots! partners are Screen NSW, AFTRS, the Executive Womens Television Group, Women NSW, Foxtel and VA Digital Hire.
By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: The death of a traffic cop in Mumbai who was attacked by bikers has evoked sharp political reactions with leaders targeting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

FADNAVIS FACES IRE OF VICTIM'S KIN

Shinde was allegedly attacked with a wooden plank by a juvenile biker after he asked the latter for vehicle documents at a petrol pump last week. Vilas Shinde, 50, passed away at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai this afternoon.

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CM Devendra Fadnavis who visited Shinde's house had to face ire of the family members of policemen who were angered with the death. CM Fadnavis announced that a family member of Shinde will be given a govt job apart from financial assistance.

RAJ THACKERAY ACCUSES MUSLIMS

But political parties were quick to attack the CM over the death. MNS supremo Raj Thackeray, who was the first to take up the issue, had visited Shinde in hospital yesterday. While questioning that why no one from the government visited Shinde in hospital, Raj had also given a communal colour to the issue, as the accused are Muslims. While paying tributes to Shinde Raj said "Policemen are in-charge of the security of common man. But they themselves are not safe in this state. One can imagine the sorry state of law and order".

CONGRESS SLAMS STATE GOVT

While calling the death of Shinde as unfortunate, Leader of Opppsition in Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde also targeted the state government. "There is no fear of law left in the state, and that is why even policemen are being attacked. The government is apathetic towards cops. Last year, a cop from Nagar district was martyred while fighting sand mafia. But the state govt ignored his family. Shinde now should be given the honour of a martyr and his family be given facilities given to martyrs" said Munde.

Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt too targeted the CM on Twitter questioning the security of common man when policemen are being attacked. "Unfortunately incidents of such attacks on Police personnel are being taken lightly by Maharashtra government. This is demoralising the force!" tweeted Dutt.



ALSO READ:

Mumbai cop, who was attacked on duty, dies in Lilavati Hospital

Sharad Pawar attacks ATS on illegal detention of Muslim youths, Fadnavis slams remarks



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Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
Here's how to head to space if you fail to get your hands on some of NASA's equipment.

By India Today Web Desk: First things first. Do not try it this Diwali.

We don't know what exactly this is, but from the looks of it, it's a firework fashioned from a girandola. And once it's set on fire, it spins into air like a spaceship heading for the moon.

Though the origin of this video is debatable, it is likely to have come from Thailand, where ethnic Lao people celebrate something called "Prapheni Bun Bang Fai" or a rocket festival. It includes competitions where people compete with home-made rockets. The video is from 2014, but is suddenly going viral on social media again.

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This video was also recently shared by Twitter user Tyrantasorus, which got over 3,500 retweets.



So chances are that this flying girandola [or let's say udan khatola] is one of such home-made fireworks. And in the competition, this one sure would have taken home the first prize.



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Russian-backed militants launched 75 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas over the past day.

This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center.

As reported, in Donetsk direction, the enemy fired artillery systems twice on the village of Novhorodske. The militants fired 120mm mortars on the Ukrainian positions in the villages of Verkhniotoretske and Pisky, as well as 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns on the defenders of the town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Luhanske, Zaitseve and Pisky.

In Luhansk region, Russia's hybrid military force fired heavy artillery systems in the villages of Novozvanivka and Novo-Oleksandrivka, having launched nearly 50 shells of 152mm caliber. More than 25 artillery shells of 122mm caliber were used on the Ukrainian fortified positions in the town of Popasna.

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No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but one soldier was wounded in ATO area in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Spokesman for the Presidential Administration on the ATO, Colonel Andriy Lysenko said this at a briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but one soldier was wounded as a result of military operations over the past day, Lysenko said.

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The establishment of an Energy Efficiency Fund will help to bring our national legislation in line with the EU norms. It concerns the standardization of energy efficiency of buildings and commercial accounting of services.

This was stated by Vice Prime Minister/ Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Hennadiy Zubko in an interview with Today newspaper, the press service of the Government's portal reported.

"A person who insulates his or her home should understand that economy can reach not 10-15%, but 40-50%. There are examples when the savings exceed 70%. Just due to the Fund in the future Ukrainians will be able to recoup some of the spending after the particular house will be transferred to high energy efficiency class. Our task is to gradually transfer the housing stock of Ukraine to the high class, as in Poland or the Czech Republic. By setting up the Fund we achieve two goals: provide a technical solution to people on introducing energy efficiency measures and render financial support to each family", Zubko explained.

He also noted that it is extremely important that the Fund's model allows us to draw funding from Europe, but not only resources of the budget. "For example, Germany is ready to allocate financial resources for this purpose. The European Union also supports us", the Vice Prime Minister said.

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Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland to Ukraine Henryk Litvin in connection with completion of his diplomatic mission in Ukraine.

The parties discussed the topical issues of cooperation between Ukraine and Poland and their future development.

The Prime Minister stressed interstate relations between Ukraine and Poland have strategic importance.

The Head of Government commended Poland's support for the necessary reforms, in particular the decentralization of power. For its part Ukraine is ready to build friendly and constructive relations with Poland, Volodymyr Groysman assured.

Moreover, the Head of Government emphasized the importance of the participation of President of Poland Andrzej Duda in the celebrations devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine.

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Ukraines first president Leonid Kravchuk believes that the Minsk agreements have come to the end of tether and it is time to start bilateral talks between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He stated this in an interview with TV Channel 5.

According to him, it makes sense to start bilateral talks between the heads of two states - Russia and Ukraine. At the same, Kravchuk said that these talks should be carried out without intermediaries.

According to Kravchuk, firstly it is necessary to create a working group that would prepare a number of issues for consideration.

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The Government intends to increase salaries of Ukrainian teachers the next year.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman said this at a Cabinets meeting on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Financing of education will be a priority task for us. But we should not forget about the teachers' salaries, so we will include an increase of salaries of Ukrainian teachers into budget-2017," Groysman said.

The Prime Minister assured that he considered it one of the main tasks for himself, and therefore he would fight for better salary of Ukrainian teachers.

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| By Patricia Fanning

A group of West Baltimore middle school students completed a summer of hands-on learning as part of the groundbreaking CURE Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). (View a photo gallery).

A poster contest on how nicotine harms health was one highlight of the final week, held at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (SOD).

The scholars were given multiple ways to learn about oral health during Planet Smilez: Discovering Dentistry Camp. Held Aug. 1-5 at the SOD, the sessions were led in part by the founder of the Planet Smilez nonprofit organization, Kathryn Pawlak, a second-year SOD student.

While the poster contest was an exercise to reward knowledge, creativity, and collaboration among pairs of scholars, it was also a way to focus on oral health. As the winning poster by Princaya Sanders and India Acree shows, using tobacco can make teeth fall out, among other ill effects.

Poster contest winners India Acree (left) and Princaya Sanders

SOD Dean Mark A. Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA, mentioned scholars experiences, such as looking in a mirror to direct their hands and learning about dental caries and the process of restoring a decayed tooth. Reynolds urged the young people to consider a career in dentistry or dental hygiene. One day, he said, they might conduct research, teach, or provide care to patients, including those who often go without care" if living in underserved communities.

UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, congratulated the scholars for enriching their minds and bodies in mentally and physically challenging activities on campus. You really do make me so happy, he told them. Opportunities outdoors, such as horseback riding, were included in an itinerary that was heavy on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. To try 3-D printing, youngsters designed personalized keychains during a demonstration by staff members of UMBs Health Sciences and Human Services Library. To enhance scholars grasp of the futuristic printing process, groups alternated activities, taking a turn at the nearby Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry.

At the ceremony on Aug. 5, each child was awarded a set of scrubs, helping them and their parents, including several in attendance, envision a future calling. As Perman put it last fall when UMB launched the CURE Schloars Program by bestowing white coats, Our goal is to get West Baltimore middle schoolers on a path to solid careers in the health sciences. It helps to look the part.

Selected from three participating schools  Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School; Southwest Baltimore Charter School; and Green Street Academy  the scholars are the youngest ever to participate in the National Cancer Institutes (NCI) Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) national program. The latter was established by the NCIs National Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. The idea is to address two major issues: race- and income-based cancer disparities as well as diversity in the cancer health workforce.

To help the program reach these lofty goals, scholars are surrounded by mentors. These range from graduate-level students at the SOD and other UMB professional schools to CURE leaders. At the ceremony, they included UMB CURE Executive Director Robin Saunders, EdD, MS; Elsie M. Stines, DNP, CRNP, assistant vice president, special projects and initiatives, in the Office of the President; Bret A. Hassel, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology in the School of Medicine, and Brian Sturdivant, MSW, director of strategic initiatives and community partnerships in UMBs Office of Community Engagement.

Some role models even appeared virtually. Ashlee Thomas is a fourth-year student at the SOD who holds the title Miss Black Maryland. Tera Poole, DDS '16, served as class president for all four years at the SOD and became the first African-American student to graduate summa cum laude. She spoke about her studies to become an orthodontist.

We all need mentors, Perman said, calling attention to Pawlak, the dental student who, as an undergraduate, started Planet Smilez to improve access to dental care. She had organized a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, along with her mentor, Deborah Pilla, DDS.

He noted that Pilla had traveled from New York City to be with Pawlak for the occasion, because thats what mentors do  they stick by your side and celebrate all the great things that happen in your life and your career.

For parents Fraun Chambers and Carolyn Terry of West Baltimore, the CURE Scholars Program is not just about prospects for the future. The mothers of Nicholas Knight and Joshua Terry already see positive changes in the lives of their middle schoolers.
Take these community cooking classes, and perfect your modak-making skills for this festive season.

Learn how to make those perfect modaks to wow your family and friends. Photo: Community Cookups

By Moeena Halim: What's a festival without the right food? Modak is a must at Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali would be a fail without faral, Eid is incomplete without sheer khorma and Christmas is just another day minus the plum cake.

At every festival, it has been part of tradition for family members and neighbours to get together to prepare for the celebration and the all important feast. "My grandmother would begin preparing for Diwali a month in advance. Everyone in our Gujarati household had their own duties to fulfill and my grandmother was in-charge of the faral. A Mangalorean friend of mine grew up with similar traditions and during Christmastime her entire family would get together to prepare for the feast," reveals Rushina Munshaw-Gildhiyal.

Modaks are a must at any Ganesh Chaturthi celebration. Photo: Community Cookups

Rushina Munshaw-Gildhiyal just launched her Community Cookups series to enhance your festive celebrations. Photo: Community Cookups

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The author and founder of ABP Cook Studio, in association with India Food Network, hopes to recreate that feeling of community with the launch of 'Community Cookups', a series of gatherings at her Mumbai studio to celebrate festivals through traditionally associated foods.

Take these cooking classes to brush up your modak-making skills in time for Ganesh Chaturthi. Photo: Community Cookups

On September 1, their first event will be in time for Ganesh Chaturthi. Three home chefs, Archana Arte, Preetha Srinivasan and Roopa Nabar, will demonstrate regional recipes of sweets and savouries offered to Ganpati in their respective communities.

Also read: Mumbai's Callebaut Chocolate Academy gets an oomphy upgrade you're going to love



Arte, known for her popular YouTube channel Archana's Rasoi, will demonstrate the traditional Maharashtrian Ukadiche Modak. "It's something I mastered after learning from my nani, dadi and my saas. It's difficult to get right. Only if the rice flour is properly boiled in water can we manage the right consistency," reveals Arte.

Nabar, who represents the communities of the west coast, will make Patoli, a sweet pancake and Srinivasan (of YouTube channel 'Dakshin Curry' fame) will prepare an Uppu Kozhakattai, a savoury modak made in Tamil Nadu.

Preetha Srinivasan, Archana Arte, and Roopa Nabar will teach you how to make three kinds of modak. Photo: Community Cookups

"Cooking is a culinary legacy, something that is often inherited from the older generation. My dadi used to make everything at home. We learnt just by watching her. Now, often young people move out of their homes too early and miss out on the oral traditions passed down in kitchens and the culinary specialties of their families. We hope that our Community Cookups can bridge that gap, and allow them to connect or reconnect with food during the festivals," says Munshaw-Ghildiyal.

This one is just the first in their series of workshops and cooking demonstrations, which will continue over the next few months. Gear up for some faral frying and Christmas baking.

Date: Thursday, September 1, 2016

Time: 12 pm to 4 pm

Venue: APB Cook Studio, 301, Srishti Plaza, Saki Vihar Road, Andheri East, Mumbai 400072























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UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has welcomed news of the arrival in the United States this week of the 10,000th refugee from the conflict in Syria, and calls for greater global solidarity ahead of summits next month that will look at ways to increase efforts to deal with the unprecedented refugee crisis worldwide.

The United States has long been a leader in welcoming people fleeing global persecution and the arrival on Monday of the 10,000th Syrian refugee is a further expression of this leadership, said UNHCR Regional Representative in the United States, Shelly Pitterman.

We thank the communities in the United States that have kept their doors open and also our civil society partners for their tireless humanitarian efforts. Much more needs to be done for Syrian refugees and for the global crisis that has seen more people flee persecution than at any time ever recorded.

At the end of 2015, war, conflict and persecution had forced 65.3 million people globally to flee for their lives, an all-time high. The Syrian refugee crisis is the worlds largest and more than 4.8 million have fled mostly to neighbouring countries whose resources are stretched thin so that increasing numbers of refugees live below national poverty lines.

To aid the most vulnerable refugees and to share the tremendous burden of these refugee-hosting countries, UNHCR has called on governments to resettle those most at risk. So far resettlement countries have pledged a total of more than 220,000 places for Syrians under resettlement and other humanitarian admissions programmes. Around 478,000 Syrians are considered to be in need of resettlement  close to 40 per cent of the 1.19 million people who are in need of resettlement globally.

UNHCR recognizes that opportunities for resettlement are extremely limited and so reserves this for persons who are most at risk, such as unaccompanied children, women-headed households, victims of torture, and persons with special medical needs. UNHCR identifies and carefully screens all refugees before they are referred to a country for resettlement. In the case of the United States, all refugees who are referred then undergo extensive face-to-face interviews with Department of Homeland Security officers, along with multiple layers of identity and security checks in a thorough process undertaken by US authorities.

UNHCR calls for increased efforts to provide Syrian refugees with additional safe and regular pathways for admission. The United Nations General Assembly Summit for Refugees and Migrants on 19 September and the President of the United States Summit on Refugees on 20 September will provide opportunities for countries to show solidarity with refugee-hosting countries across the globe by giving Syrian and other vulnerable refugee groups legal opportunities to access safety and protection through resettlement and other pathways for admission.

Resettling refugees, along with continued humanitarian funding, is a critical form of solidarity with refugee-hosting countries and it needs to be expanded worldwide, said Pitterman.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, today called for greater international attention to the plight of South Sudanese refugees as well as donor support for Uganda's exceptional open-door approach towards people fleeing conflict in neighbouring countries.

Speaking at the end of a two-day visit to the East African country, Grandi appealed to the leaders of South Sudan to behave responsibly and end the violence and instability that is forcing their people to go into exile.

"Leaders should not ignore the plight of their people," he said citing armed conflict, rape of women and children, killings, abductions and the general state of lawlessness that are forcing citizens of all ages to flee different parts of the country.

The UN refugee chief visited Adjumani District where a majority of the 90,000 recent arrivals have sought refuge. He was accompanied by Hon. Hillary Onek-Uganda's Minister for Disaster Preparedness Management and Refugees, Mr. David Apollo Kazungu-Commissioner for Refugees, Ms. Rosa Malango-United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uganda, and other senior officials.

In Nyamwanzi Transit Centre, a 3,500-capacity facility currently holding 7,000 refugees, the High Commissioner heard refugees describe the terrifying acts of violence that caused them to flee South Sudan. They expressed fears that prevailing insecurity would not end soon. Grandi saw first-hand the health and protection risks of overcrowding. Refugees entering Uganda since July 2016 have been using entry points in different districts, requiring major logistical operations to bring them to safety. The speed of the influx had stretched the capacities of partners and host communities.

At Pagirinya Refugee Settlement, the High Commissioner remarked that in his long experience working with refugees, he had rarely seen so many people settled with land, and with houses already constructed in such a short time. He commended the tremendous efforts of national, UN and NGO actors that helped to decongest reception sites and to contain a cholera outbreak. Established two months ago, Pagirinya has already reached full capacity with 22,000 refugees. It has proper access roads, and partners are providing vital services in health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene albeit on a limited scale.

Refugees in Pagirinya presented the UN refugee chief with a memorandum outlining difficulties they are facing in the areas of water, food, shelter health and education. The memorandum cited special concerns about the situation of children, among whom many are orphans, and youth. The High Commissioner responded with assurances that he would spare no effort in calling for strong support from donors to meet their needs.

The High Commissioner lamented the donor response to the multi-agency regional appeal for South Sudanese refugees, which is funded about 20% of current requirements. Emphasizing the need for urgent and predictable resources to avert a crisis, he applauded continuing efforts to prevent congestion, combat moderate and severe malnutrition among children, and carry out protection interventions. He reiterated Hon. Onek's call to refugees to respect rule of law.

In Kampala, the High Commissioner met with Ugandan Prime Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda. He urged the government of Uganda to redouble its efforts to bring a political solution to the situation in South Sudan.He lauded Uganda's solidarity with those fleeing wars in the region, and its forward-looking aspiration to work with the United Nations and partners to transform refugees into a productive economic force as a means to promoting regional stability.

"Uganda's approach constitutes a rare example of a country unreservedly opening its doors to refugees and not treating them as a burden in a world where increasingly refugees are being turned away," the High Commissioner said in meetings with members of the diplomatic community and with officials of aid organizations. He commended the strong partnership between humanitarian and development actors who are engaged in refugee response, and appealed for strong international support to aid the government of Uganda to maintain its solidarity with refugees.

The Government of Uganda has gazetted land for refugee settlements, and gives plots for agricultural use to each rural-based refugee family. Where land has not been gazetted, the government negotiates for land with leaders from the host community. Significantly, Uganda has included refugees in its national development strategy.

Uganda currently has a population of over 613,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. Over 90% are from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Somalia. A sizeable majority of the refugees arrived in the last five years.

Media contacts:

In Nairobi, Teresa Ongaro, [email protected] +254 735 337 608

In Kampala, Charlie Yaxley, [email protected] +256 (0) 776 720 045

In Geneva, Nora Sturm, [email protected] +41 79 200 7618
Speaking to India Today, Minister of State for Home, Deepak Kesarkar said that the police department will ensure that there is no noise pollution during this year's Ganeshotsav.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Maharashtra government has decided to take stern action against Ganesh Mandals using high-decibel sound systems to ensure a low-decibel festival this time.

Speaking to India Today, Minister of State for Home, Deepak Kesarkar said that the police department will ensure that there is no noise pollution during this year's Ganeshotsav. Police have also issued notices to several Ganesh Mandals that were violating noise level norms during last year's celebration and were booked under noise pollution laws.

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DON'T VIOLATE DECIBEL NORMS: MAHARASHTRA POLICE



"This year we are keeping a watch and ensuring that these Mandals do not violate the decibel norms... Apart from warnings or notices we are also creating awareness about noise pollution among this, Mandals... It's our duty to abide by the guidelines formed by the Bombay High Court" said Deepak Kesarkar.

The police staff will keep a vigil on these Mandals and take action if they are found with these systems," he said. Kesarkar added that these Mandals should also keep in mind that due to high decibel noise pollution because of the use of DJ systems, small babies, pregnant women, senior citizens have to go through harrowing times during the Ganesh festival. In some parts of the state, Mandals have also been directed to ensure that they do not flout norms and obstruct traffic. Ganpati Mandals drawing huge crowds have been advised to set up CCTV cameras for security purposes. Other measures like fire fighting equipment to ensure visitors' safety have also been highlighted. A team of police officials would visit the Mandals in civil clothes and monitor the activities.

MNS OPPOSES GOVT DECISION



The strict guidelines are not likely to go down well with the Ganesh Mandals. After the Supreme Court restricted the height of pyramids during the Dahi Handi festivities, Dahi Handi Mandals and political parties like MNS and Shiv Sena had openly criticised the restrictions. The MNS had gone on to appeal to its cadre to flout the restrictions put by Supreme Court. Party chief Raj Thackeray had criticised the SC for targeting Hindu festivals and dictating terms on how to celebrate festivals. "As far as security norms are concerned we are okay with it, but why restrict the celebrations? Ganeshotsav should be celebrated as it has been celebrated for years... why only target Marathi festivals like Dahi Handi and Ganeshotsav? questioned Sandeep Deshpande, leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

With Ganeshotsav round the corner and the police planning crackdown on Ganpati Mandals flouting the guidelines, these political parties may again take up the issue of Ganpati Mandals.

ALSO READ:

What is Ganesh Chaturthi? Why is it celebrated?



Ganesh and his mother return home from US with Modi



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By PTI: Panaji, Aug 31 (PTI) RSS today removed its Goa chief Subhash Velingkar who had crossed swords with ruling BJP government over the medium of instruction issue with members of his outfit even showing black flags to party chief Amit Shah recently, for trying to engage into "political activity" which is contrary to Sangh tradition.

Velingkar, the convener of Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) which is fighting for withdrawal of grants to English medium schools and for the cause of promoting regional languages as Medium of Instruction (MOI) in the coastal state, has been at loggerheads with the saffron party as well as Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.

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However, Sangh said they will continue to support BBSM "to strengthen the system for primary education in mother tongue."

"He (Velingkar) has been relieved from his responsibilities. He wanted to get into some political activity. Being a Sangh leader, he cannot do that," RSS All India Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya told PTI today.

Vaidya said the decision on new organisational head for the coastal state, where elections are due next year, is yet to be taken.

RSS Konkan prant Sanghachalak Satish Modh said, "As part of the agitation, BBSM had announced formation of a political party. RSS, since its inception, has never been involved in politics and hence, RSS would have no role in the political endeavour of BBSM.

"With this background, it has been announced at a recent meeting of senior RSS office-bearers in Goa that convener of BBSM, Subhash Velingkar has been relieved from his responsibility as Goa Vibhag Sangh chalak."

Backing BBSMs stand on MoI, Modh stated that RSS is of the view that all efforts should be made to strengthen the system for primary education in mother tongue across the country.

"RSS has supported and will continue to support the cause of agitation in Goa by BBSM which is in consonance with the aforesaid opinion of RSS," Modh said in a statement.

As part of their agitation, BBSM had announced formation of a political outfit to contest the polls, due next year.

Velingkar courted controversy earlier this week by reportedly saying that BJP may not win the election in Goa since it has "betrayed" peoples trust by going back on its promise of making regional languages as a medium of instruction in schools.

BBSM had waived black flags to Shah during his visit to Goa on August 20 to launch the partys campaign for state polls.

Shah had reportedly raised the issue with RSS top brass at a meeting last week in Bhopal which was attended by the RSS second-in-command Bhaiyaji Joshi and joint general secretary Krishna Gopal. (More) PTI RPS NRB NM NSK IKA

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By PTI: Srinagar, Aug 31 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today expressed serious concern over the "irreparable damage" suffered at all levels, particularly school students, due to the closure of the entire educational system as a result of the prevailing unrest in the Valley.

He chaired a meeting at Raj Bhavan here where issues relating to making the educational system functional in the next few days were discussed, an official spokesman said.

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Education Minister Naeem Akhter briefed him about the prevailing functional status of the educational institutions in the Valley.

Principal Secretary to Governor P K Tripathi, Vice Chancellor University of Kashmir, Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi, Vice-Chancellor Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology Kashmir, Nazeer Ahmed, Vice Chancellor Central University of Kashmir, Mehraj-ud-Din, Vice Chancellor Islamic University of Sciences and Technology, Mushtaq A Siddiqi, Commissioner School Education, Shaleen Kabra and Director School Education Kashmir, Shah Faesal, attended the meeting, the spokesman said.

The Vice-Chancellors brought out the situation in respect of their universities and the meeting deliberated various possible steps which could be taken to make up for the loss in studies, the spokesman said.

The minister accepted the Governors suggestion that the Departments of School and Higher Education shall work out a plan of action for every possible step being taken to make up for the loss of working days in the schools and regarding the schedules of the forthcoming examinations at all levels.

The Vice Chancellors also apprised Vohra and the minister about to-date status of admissions in the present academic session.

During discussions, the Governor and the minister stressed on the need to critically identify and devote sustained attention towards the planned improvement of the quality of school and higher education to ensure that the entire learning process is made more relevant, interesting and meaningful.

Kashmir Valley is on the boil since July 9 following widespread protests over the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

A total of 69 people have been killed in the ongoing unrest which has paralysed normal life. PTI MIJ MRJ ZMN MRJ

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By Rahul Noronha: A week before Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav completes his term in office, the union government today announced that Gujarat Governor Om Prakash Kohli will hold charge of Governor of Madhya Pradesh after Yadav demits office.

MP Governor Ram Naresh Yadav's tenure in office expires on September 7. With this, the chances of Yadav continuing in a gubernatorial assignment appear very bleak.

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In another order, Maharashtra Governor K Vidyasagar Sagar would hold charge of Governor of Tamil Nadu whose previous incumbent K Rosiah completed his term on Tuesday.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav's term at the Raj Bhawan in Bhopal was mired in controversy. Yadav was named in connection with the Vyapam scam and in particular in the recruitment of forest guards which was then being probed by the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police.

The STF had booked Ram Naresh Yadav in February 2015 who then managed to get the High Court to quash the FIR on grounds that a serving Governor cannot be booked in May 2015.

The HC had stated that the probe agency can look into his role after the completion of his term.

The only way Yadav could have continued to enjoy immunity under the law would have been if he would have secured another term in a Raj Bhawan. However, with today's order it is clear that he is on his way out of a gubernatorial assignment.

Political circles in MP were rife with discussion on how Yadav, a UPA government appointee, managed to continue in office even after serious allegations against him.

The Governor's officer on special duty (OSD) Dhanraj Yadav was also arrested by the STF in 2013 in connection with the Vyapam scam.

Also read: Ram Naresh Yadav - Why he is in the news



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Apple has been distributing invitations for iPhone 7 September event. This mean we're a step closer to Macbook Pro 2016. What will the Cupertino giant reveal?

It is getting closer to Macbook Pro 2016 release date as the iPhone 7 will be revealed on September 7. The Verge wrote that the invitation sent out on August 29 said, 'See you on the 7th'

iPhone 7 release date confirmed on September 7

It is no longer a rumor that Apple has been distributing invitations, 9 days before holding an event on September 7. It remains secret up till today, whether or not, the Macbook Pro 2016 will make an appearance.

It is clear that Apple will reveal the iPhone 7 and Apple superfans should expect an exciting upgrade from its predecessor. The San Francisco event's at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium will address keynote, which according to Bloomberg, to unveil new iPhone series, Apple Watch with GPS feature and health apps, plus the iOS 10 software updates for iPad lines.

And here it is! Apple iPhone (maybe Apple Watch?) event on Sept 7 at 10AM in SF. pic.twitter.com/wmio7USJ6m  Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) August 29, 2016



Macbook Pro 2016 rumor on release date: Apple could reveal the laptop at a later date

Internal sources whom Bloomberg describes as 'the people' said that Macbook Pro 2016 is expected to be revealed not too long after iPhone 7 is launched.

The release will likely include Macbook Air and a 5K standalone monitor which Apple has been working on with LG. As the tech giant will reveal iPhone 7 on September 7th, the sources are quite confident that the company will unveil its Macbook Pro 2016 in a later date, sometime in October.

Macbook Pro 2016 rumor on specs

The sources did mention about Dynamic Function Row which will replace the function keys. It will be an OLED display strip that can adjust the functions according to the currently opened app. Analyst Ming Chi Kuo stated a few months ago that this will be a major upgrade for Macbook Pro that Apple has ever done. Time also reported that the Macbook Pro 2016 will have a slimmer design and flatter keyboard. Apple iPhone 7 and Macbook Pro fans are now super excited and yet, curious of what the company might reveal. Until then, see you on the 7th.
Compendium on mechanisms adopted in relation to non-legally binding United Nations instruments on outer space

The Compendium on mechanisms adopted by States and international organizations in relation to non-legally binding United Nations instruments on outer space has been developed in reference to the agenda item of the Legal Subcommittee on General exchange of information on non-legally binding United Nations instruments on outer space.

The aim of the Compendium is to inform States of the current instruments and measures that have been implemented by States members of the Committee as well as international intergovernmental organizations having permanent observer status with the Committee.

The initial Questionnaire for the Compendium was made available to the Legal Subcommittee at its 54 th session in 2015 under agenda item 11 of the provisional agenda of the session ( A/AC.105/C.2/L.295) as a conference room paper A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.24/Rev.1. At that session, the Subcommittee encouraged States members of the Committee, as well as international intergovernmental organizations having permanent observer status with the Committee, to respond, on a voluntary basis and as appropriate, to the Questionnaire and to submit their responses to the delegation of Japan, which was invited to prepare a compilation of responses to be submitted to the Subcommittee during its 55 th session. ( A/AC.105/1090, para 191).

The first version of the Compendium (document A/AC.105/C.2/2016/CRP.13) has been made available by the delegation of Japan to the Subcommittee at its 55th session in 2016 under agenda item 12 of the provisional agenda of the session ( A/AC.105/C.2/L.297).

The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space at its 59th session supported the view of the Legal Subcommittee, in that the Compendium was a valuable document that had facilitated the exchange of views and the sharing of information on the implementation of non-legally binding United Nations instruments.

The Committee endorsed the request by the Legal Subcommittee that the Secretariat make the Compendium available on a dedicated page of the website of the Office for Outer Space Affairs and invite States members of the Committee and international intergovernmental organizations having permanent observer status with the Committee to submit their responses to the Secretariat for inclusion in the Compendium ( A/71/20, para.199).

In accordance with the recommendation of the Legal Subcommittee, States members of the Committee and international organizations are invited to submit their responses to the Secretariat for inclusion into the compendium on mechanisms adopted in relation to non-legally binding United Nations instruments on outer space ( A/AC.105/1113, para.194) .

Updates to the compendium distributed as conference room papers:

Submissions by Chile, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan and the Phillipinness to the 61st session of the Legal Subcommittee in 2022: A/AC.105/C.2/2022/CRP.22

Submission by Japan to the 58th session of the Legal Subcommittee in 2019: A/AC.105/C.2/2019/CRP.16

Compendium

Updated questionnaire

Updated questionnaire for States (1) and Organizations (2)

Download the template
Published: August 31, 2016

UT Announces Masters Degree in Educational Leadership

The University of Tampa has announced it will begin offering a masters degree in educational leadership, targeting teachers who seek a career in educational administration, starting Spring 2017.



The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership will provide students with the necessary credentials to become a school administrator, district-level leader or school leader. The coursework supports classroom teaching, school leadership capacity and advancement in the school system. Plus, candidates will experience practical and relevant learning opportunities through mentorships, networking and embedded internships.



The program caters to working professionals by offering flexible scheduling options such as traditional, weekend and hybrid instructional models. Candidates can complete the program in as little as twelve months, with the majority of the coursework being completed during the summer.



The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program specializes in curriculum geared towards the goals and state standards of principal leadership. All courses prepare candidates for the FELE, which is a certification requirement to become a school leader in Florida.



Adrianne Wilson, UT assistant professor of education and coordinator of the program, said the program is one of a kind because many of the courses will be taught by leading school administrators and school leaders in Hillsborough and all surrounding school districts, she said.



Topics of study will include:

Instructional Leadership

Organizational Leadership, Safety and Decision Making

Human Resources, Recruitment, Development and Retention

Curriculum and Achievement

Communication and Technology for School Leaders

Candidates for the program must have at least three years of classroom teaching experience and possess a valid teaching certificate.



For more information, see www.ut.edu/med/leadership. Questions about the program may be addressed to Wilson at awilson@ut.edu.
Hamsa, the vegetarian fine-dining restaurant in Adyar, offers such an indulgence to every discerning eater.

Niche is a big word these days and foodies are in constant search for something new, something they haven't experienced before. Hamsa, the vegetarian fine-dining restaurant in Adyar, offers such an indulgence to every discerning eater.

Walk into the restaurant and you will see ornate brass lamps hanging from the ceiling, walls adorned in exclusive artwork and fine silverware used to serve an extravagant fare. The menu is expansive and everything in it, rich.



Also read: 7 places to find the best street food in Chennai



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Try the Bhagirathi Mehar paneer- cottage cheese cooked with reduced milk and dried plums or the Urulai roast-roasted baby potatoes in Chettinad spices- a classic rendered perfectly. The anar aur hari meeri ka chawal--with pomegranate and green peppercorn is as aromatic as it is flavoursome.

Even the drinks at Hamsa will please your palate. Photo: Simply Chennai

The desserts here must be devoured with a hearty appetite. For a decadent end to your meal, do try their unique offering, the amrud phirni--guava enriched rice pudding.

Meal for two Rs 1,800

At No. 40, B. Ramachandra Adithanar Road, 4th Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar

Tel 30637519



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The downpour brought the life in the city and outskirts to a standstill. Low-lying areas were inundated while traffic was thrown out of gear.

The downpour brought the life in the city and outskirts to a standstill. (Photo: ANI)

By Ashish Pandey: At least seven people were killed as heavy rains lashed Hyderabad on Wednesday morning, officials said.

The downpour brought the life in the city and outskirts to a standstill. Low-lying areas were inundated while traffic was thrown out of gear.

As many as four children were among those killed in the incidents of wall or house collapse.

READ: Delhi rains: John Kerry is late for IIT address, asks if people 'took boats to reach'

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A couple and their two children were killed when a boundary wall of a building fell on their hut in Ramanthapur area.

In another incident in Bholakpur, a woman and her two daughters were killed when the roof of their house collapsed.

Waterlogging and traffic clogs were reported in parts of Banjara Hills, Begumpet, Secunderabad, Nampally, Dilsukhnagar, Nagole, Tarnaka, Shankarmutt, Musheerabad, Vidyanagar, Malakpet, Filmanagar, Kacheguda, Koti, Abids, Basheerbagh, Bowenpally, Marredpally, and several others.



(Photo: ANI)

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has opened a helpline and pressed its emergency squads into service to clear waterlogging.

Busy roads have turned into cesspools with overflowing manholes and storm water drains.

Speaking to India Today, the GHMC commissioner appealed to citizens to avoid venturing out unless for emergencies for the next two hours because the rainfall is expected to go on till noon. Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma confabulated with the GHMC Commissioner and reviewed the situation.

Mayor B. Rammohan too rushed to the head office to monitor the situation and give necessary instructions to the field staff.



WATCH THE VIDEO HERE



Also Read:

Delhi rains LIVE: Heavy showers force Capital to crawl, flights disrupted

Rains throw flight operations from Delhi's IGI out of gear

Rains pushed Delhi, Gurgaon to first gear, jam engulfed roads got to John Kerry too



John Kerry gets a taste of Delhi traffic after rains throw it out of gear



Rains cause traffic snarl in Delhi, Gurgaon

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You know its going to be another fun-filled night when a star couple celebrates at the D Casino Hotel Las Vegas! It was a flashback to the 80s when actor Jonathan Silverman from the cult-classic film series, Weekend at Bernies, hung out at the cool downtown celebrity hot spot (Pictured: Jonathan Silverman and wife Jennifer Finnigan at Andiamo Italian Steakhouse  Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel).

Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel.

Silverman was joined by his wife, 3x Emmy award-winning actress, Jennifer Finnigan, to celebrate her birthday at the Ds famous Andiamo Italian Steakhouse.

Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel.

There were almost as many famous faces as there are famous dishes at Andiamo. When actors from the hit TV series, Kingdom, State of Affairs and True Blood, joined the party, the result was one star-studded photo. Mac Brandt, Jeremy Cohenour and Chris Mckenna accompanied the duo for dinner and sampled a few of Andiamos signature dishes.

Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel.

After Jennifers tasty meal, the beautiful star of the hit series Tyrant blew out the candles on a yummy, custom-made carrot cake.

Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel.

The party continued when D Executive, Richard Wilk, joined the duo and posed for a cool photo. As you can tell, the excitement at the D brings out the fun in everybody!

It was a good decision for the stars to ditch Bernie this weekend and live it up at the D Casino Hotel Las Vegas.


Actress, model, author, and Vegas headliner, Holly Madison, was honored with the 2011 Beautiful Humanitarian Award at the North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) on Sunday, July 31, 2011 in Las Vegas (Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna).

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Produced by the Professional Beauty Association (PBA), NAHA is the most prestigious photographic beauty competition in North America and celebrates the artistry and skill of the professional beauty industry. 2011 will mark 22 years of the NAHA awards.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Widely considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world, Madison is the star of Peepshow at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and Hollys World on E!. With a classy and iconic look, Madison is both beautiful inside and out.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

A passionate advocate for the rights of animals, Madison dedicates her time, talent, and fame, championing the cause and lending her support to such organizations as the Animal Foundation of Las Vegas and PETA. In addition, Madison is involved in numerous charitable organizations and initiatives, such as Souls4Souls.

Madison encompasses the very best of what the Beautiful Humanitarian Award represents.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.

Photo credit: Scott Harrison/Retna.


Palms Casino Resort launched its high-energy, weekly day party 55 floors above the strip: GBDC, ghostbar dayclub, on Saturday, Oct. 22. The daylife extravaganza got off to vigorous start offering playful activities for Sin Citys most spirited party-goers (Photo credit: Aaron Garcia for 9 Group / Palms).

Photo credit: Aaron Garcia for 9 Group / Palms.

Bold, brassy and definitely unpredictable, GBDC is Las Vegas latest carnival, an event featuring decadent cocktails, flowing champagne and delicious eats to soak up the liquor. Confetti blasts, blinged-out beer bongs and vivacious party hosts create chaotic debauchery at its finest. GBDC features staff in sexy costumes, music from DJ Zen Freeman and the unrestrained commotion of poppin bottles and pinatas all while taking in spectacular views of the city.

Photo credit: Aaron Garcia for 9 Group / Palms.

Sightings at the party included actor Adrian Grenier, Miss Nevada Organizations Creative Director, actress and model, Shanna Moakler, and Miss Nevada USA Sarah Chapman.

Photo credit: Aaron Garcia for 9 Group / Palms.
By PTI: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Aug 31 (PTI) India and China should put aside their "antagonistic feelings" over gaining an upper hand in Myanmar and back Naypyidaws efforts to bring peace in the country, a state-run Chinese daily said today.

As the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference between Myanmar government and rebel groups kicked off in Naypyidaw, an article in the official Global Times said both India and China expressed willingness to play a role in Myanmars peace process.

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"Hopefully, the two countries can put aside any antagonistic feelings and work together to support this process," it said.

"It is quite likely that Myanmars peace process will require a lot of financial support including helping Myanmars discharged military return to economic production and constructing public facilities to improve living standards in regions where ethic armies wields a great influence in a bid to obtain local support," it said.

Auxiliary efforts including providing farm tools, fertilizer, seeds and farm machinery may be needed to promote this process, but it may not be easy for Myanmars government to complete such tasks alone, it said.

"Promoting Myanmars peace process is in accord with the basic interests of, not only the Southeast Asian nation, but the whole region. After promising its support, India may need to think about how it can work with other countries, China and ASEAN members included, to provide economic assistance to Myanmar," it added. PTI KJV ZH

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A ceramic tile production line of CMC Joint Stock Company in Thuy Van Industrial Park in the northern province of Phu Tho. - Photo gachcmc.com

The anti-dumping investigation, which began on August 18, will be carried out on products exported to Argentina in 2015 and 2016.

Viet Nam is one of several countries under investigation. China gets the highest dumping margin of nearly 185 per cent, followed by Malaysia, India and Brazil, with margins of 126 per cent, 107 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.

Ceramic tile is the fourth Vietnamese product investigated by Argentina, after spokes, motorbikes and air-conditioners.

The ceramic tile industry is one of the few production sectors that have rapidly increased in Viet Nam. With an annual capacity of 500million sq.m., the country takes the lead in Southeast Asia and ranks the sixth in the world.

Many businesses, such as Viet Nam Glass and Ceramics for Construction Corporation, Dong Tam Group, Thach Ban Joint Stock Company and CMC Joint Stock Company, as well as Taicera and Bach Ma Company have joined in the production.

Experts said the European Union-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreements and Trans-Pacific Partnership would not threaten the country's ceramic tile industry, but instead open new markets for the products.

A statistic on trade between Viet Nam and Argentina, issued by the General Department of Customs, showed that Viet Nam earned US$383.2 million from exports in 2015, a year-on-year increase of 120.3 per cent. It imported goods worth of $2.15 billion, a rise of 25.3 per cent. Argentina is the 14th largest importers of Viet Nam and the 49th largest exporter.
Cuba and Viet Nam are seeking to boost investments, which are still at a modest level despite the two countries' long-standing friendship. - Photo kinhtevadubao.vn

Speaking at the investment forum held yesterday in Ha Noi, Dang Xuang Quang, deputy director of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, said Viet Nam had only one project worth VND9.5 billion (US$424,000) in Cuba, while the Caribbean island nation had two investment projects in Viet Nam, till date.

"There is large untapped potential," Quang said.

The modest investments are due to the limited access to market information and investment policies of enterprises from both sides.

Quang said he hoped the investment cooperation between Viet Nam and Cuba would be leveraged to a new high.

At the conference, Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Herminio Lopez Diaz called for investments from Viet Nam. Although firms would encounter initial difficulties when investing in Cuba, as the country was embarking on the implementation of a privatisation model, the long-standing relationship between Viet Nam and Cuba would help overcomes difficulties, he said.

A representative from the Special Economic Development Zone of Mariel said the zone was seeking investments in high and clean technologies from major industries, such as logistics, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and food industry.

He said tax incentives were provided for wholly foreign-invested firms in the zone.

Vu Quoc Huy from the ministry's Economic Zone Management Department shared the opportunities to invest in Viet Nam with Cuban firms.

Huy said Viet Nam was striving to improve the investment climate by simplifying administrative measures and introducing tax incentives and land fee reductions to promote investments.

Viet Nam's economic zones have attracted 329 foreign direct investment projects, so far, worth $40 billion and another VND784 trillion from local investors has been put into nearly 1,000 projects.

Cuba and Viet Nam celebrated the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship last year.
Notably, representatives of Thien Tan and Black & Veatch attended a working session to discuss the feasibility of a solar power plant in the province.

Accordingly, Thien Tan plans to develop a 1,000MW solar power plant with a total investment capital of $2 billion, using batteries imported from First Solar Group from the US.

Regarding Black & Veatch, the company said that it specialises in consulting and constructing infrastructure for energy projects. The company has plenty of experience in implementing solar power projects and wind farms up to a capacity of 3,500 and 2,200 MW, respectively, in over 100 countries. Black & Veatch currently has over 100 offices across the world.

In August 2015, Thien Tan has also started developing a 19.2MW solar power project in Quang Ngai, with the total investment of nearly $41 million. It is one of the two solar power plants implemented in Vietnam to date.

The plant will be kitted out with modern technology and equipment. Once it comes into operation, it will have an output capacity of 28 million kWh per year.

Along with solar power projects, Thien Tan is negotiating with US-based Global Universal Inc. to form a joint venture to upgrade and expand the Chu Lai airport expansion projec in the central province of Quang Nam under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) format.

Besides, in July, Thien Tan signed a consultancy agreement with Nikken Sekkei Civil Engineering Ltd. from Japan to aid the infrastructure development of Ly Son Island District in Quang Ngai province.
The event is part of the activities to mark the National Day (September 2).

Visitors will enjoy free admission to King Thieu Tri Mausoleum and An Dinh Palace when purchasing tickets for a tour to Imperial City  King Minh Mang Mausoleum  King Khai Dinh Mausoleum.



Similarly, free admission will be allowed to King Gia Long Mausoleum, King Thieu Tri Mausoleum, Hon Chen, and An Dinh Palace for those who buy tickets for a tour through Imperial City  King Minh Mang Mausoleum  King Tu Duc Mausoleum - King Khai Dinh Mausoleum.



A discount of 50 percent will be offered to student groups during the period.



Tickets for Royal Court Music concerts at Duyet Thi Duong Theatre will be available at half the normal price for shows from 10:00 to 10:40 and 15:00 to 15:40 every day.



Since 1994, the Complex of Hue Monuments has hosted 33 million visitors, including 12 million foreigners.



In 2015, the complex welcomed over 2.3 million visitors.



In the first seven months this year, 1.36 million tourists visited the site, including 750,000 foreigners.
The Indian President wished Republic of Uzbekistan on the eve of its Independence. He also expressed great confidence in the ties the republic shares with India in his wishes.

By Indo-Asian News Service: President Pranab Mukherjee extended his greetings to the Republic of Uzbekistan on the eve of its Independence Day today and expressed confidence that bilateral relations with the Central Asian nation would continue to grow.

In a message to Islam Karimov, the President of Uzbekistan, Mukherjee said, "It is with great pleasure that I extend warm greetings and felicitations to you and to the friendly people of Uzbekistan on the occasion of your 25th Independence Day."

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He said that during the last 25 years, Uzbekistan has made great strides of progress.

In June this year, Uzbekistan hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tashkent where India signed the historic Memorandum of Obligations towards membership of SCO.

"Our two countries are bound by our close historical and cultural linkages built over centuries of continuous interaction between our peoples. I am confident that the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength in the coming years," Mukherjee said in his message.

Also read: Pranab Mukherjee urges students to study constitution, understand democratic process



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The three programmes fall under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.



The government resolution covers investment plans for 21 targeted programmes during the 2016-2020 period.



Other major allocations in the plan include VND42 trillion (US$2 billion) to the Ministry of Health for developing public health care programmes at the grassroots level.



The Ministry of Public Security will manage an investment of VND9 trillion (US$414 million) to improve traffic safety, fire-fighting and crime prevention, including drug abuse.



The plan allocates VND27 trillion (US$1.2 billion) to the Ministry of National Defence for developing the national defence industry and the Ministry of Investment and Planning will manage four programmes worth nearly VND282 trillion (US$13 billion) to develop coastal infrastructure, high-tech industrial zones and border economic zones.



The development of education in remote and mountain areas as well as a programme to promote vocational training and labour safety nation-wide have been allocated around VND5 trillion (US$225 million) and VND27 trillion (US$1.2 billion) respectively.



These projects will be managed by the ministries of Education and Training (MoET) and Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).



Others ministries including the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; Information and Communication, and Trade and Industry will manage a total investment worth about VND58.5 trillion (US$2.6 billion) for environmental protection, electricity supply to islands as well as rural and mountainous areas, and information technology development.
Photo source: Tuoitre

On August 30, Saigon Silicon City JSC started construction of a research and development (R&D) centre located in Saigon Hi-Tech Park in District 9.

The 11,368-square metre R&D centre with a total investment capital of $21.43 million will house technological research and development components, while connecting overseas Vietnamese hi-tech communities with international corporations to facilitate co-operation, research, innovation, and technology transfer.

R&D is one of the four stages of Saigon Silicon City. The ground-breaking ceremony for the project was held last November. The research centre will be rolled out in two phases and is expected to near completion in 2020.

Chairman of Saigon Silicon City JSC, Nguyen Minh Hieu, told Saigontimes that Saigon Silicon City spans 52 hectares, 50 per cent of which is used to construct infrastructure for manufacturing activities, while the remainder is set aside to develop a park and traffic infrastructure. Thus, the main space of the complex has a capacity of 24 enterprises. However, numerous foreign hi-tech investors expressed their interest in investing and, as of now, the project has chosen 17 potential enterprises, almost all of which are also operating in Silicon Valley in the US.

Along with Saigon Silicon City, Danang IT Park, another silicon valley, is being recently implemented.

The project was taken over by Trung Nam Land JSC (Trung Nam) and its partner Trung Nam Construction & Engineering Corporation (Trung Nam E&C) after the withdrawal of the initial investors, namely Rocky Lai & Associates from the US and KDDI from Japan.

According to the initial plans, the construction was divided into two phases. The first phase was kicked off in April 2013 and is expected to be completed in 2017. The second phase would take from 2017 to 2023.

IT park was designed with six functional areas: a production area, an area for research and development and training-consulting, an office area, an area for technical infrastructure, an area for product exhibition, and one for healthcare services, supermarkets, and a school.

The project would have followed the model of the US Silicon Valley and Hshinchu Science Park in Taiwan. It expected to lure foreign scientists, engineers, as well as IT and hi-tech specialists to Danang, and encourage hi-tech training at universities. In addition, the investors hoped the IT park would draw the attention of the global business community, including the US, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and India.

However, three years after the ground-breaking, the project remains immobile. The Danang Peoples Committee warned that if investors failed on the advance payment to the city funds due June 30, 2015, the authorities would be forced to revoke the IT parks investment certificate and issue a fine of VND10 billion ($448.194) for the delay.

In March 2015, investors announced to withdraw from the project due to lack of finances.

In July 2015, when the city decided to revoke the investment certificate, Trung Nam, in partnership with Trung Nam E&C, expressed interest in paying investors debts to the city to salvage the project.
Stunning: Mai Nha Island in Phu Yen Province. VNS File Photo

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 Dong Fishing Port and rent a boat there for a one-hour trip to Tien Chau Port and then Xuan Dai Bay before heading south to Mai Nha Island.

The spectacular features along the way are the Ganh Den Lighthouse and Da Dia Rock Reef, a national landscape in Phu Yen.

Alternatively, they can travel to Phuoc Dong 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.
An explosion at the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Krrgyzstan. (Photo: Twitter)

"As a result of the explosion only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told journalists.

A source at the Bishkek police told AFP that the Mitsubishi Delica car smashed a gate on the embassy before blowing up in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence.

Another source with the Central Asian nation's security service said that an "explosive device" had been placed inside the vehicle.

Local medics said the driver of the car was killed while two Kyrgyz embassy staff and a woman were lightly wounded in the blast.

Local residents told AFP that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said.

Images circulating on social media show a plume of smoke rising in a part of Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital and shattered pieces of concrete.

Impoverished majority Muslim Kyrgyzstan has a history of political instability and battling Islamist extremism.

The economically troubled ally of Russia has seen two governments overthrown and ethnic violence claim hundreds of lives since it gained independence in 1991.

The authorities regularly announce that they have foiled attacks planned by the Islamic State group in the country.

Security forces last year said they had engaged in several deadly shootouts with suspected "terrorists" in Bishkek.

Officials say that some 500 Kyrgyz are thought to have joined the ranks of Islamic State fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Chinese officials in the country have previously been targeted, with one shot dead in 2000 in an attack blamed on radicals from China's Uighur minority.

Kyrgyzstan and the other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations have come under fire for using a purported terror threat to silence criticism of their secular regimes.
Late last week, South Korean cable manufacturer LS Cable & System announced the initial public offering (IPO) of its subsidiary LS C&S Asia on the countrys main bourse, Korean Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) next month. This subsidiary is a holding company of LS Cable & Systems two Vietnam-based locally incorporated operations LS-VINA and LS CV.

The reason for the listing, according to CEO Myung Roh-hyun, is the Vietnamese operations gleaming prospect of growth. According to a release posted on the companys website, as the Vietnamese government is now carrying out many power projects due to its high economic growth, the sales of extra high voltage cables are expected to increase sharply. ASEAN countries are also expected to expand their investments in their power and communication infrastructure as their economies are growing by more than 5 per cent a year on average.

We will transform LS C&S Asia from No. 1 in Vietnam to the best total cable-maker in Southeast Asia, Myung said.

He added that the company is aiming for 1 trillion won ($890 million) in sales in 2021, compared with the 490 billion won ($436.5 million) last year.

LS C&S Asia reported a market share of 30 per cent in Vietnam in 2015, ranking as the leading company in the industry.

Talking to local media, Myung said he is confident in the companys ability to stay at the top in the following years because Vietnamese competitors have yet to catch up with LS Cable & System in terms of technology.

LS C&S Asia is also planning an additional investment of $15 million in Vietnam to be disbursed from now to 2020, and to export products to other fast growing economies in the region, including Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. Late last year, the company secured a $13-million contract with Myanmars Ministry of Electricity and Energy.

LS C&S is not the only company planning expansion in Vietnam. Late last month, Taihan Electric Wire acquired complete ownership of Taihan Sacom Cable (TSC), its joint venture established in 2005, and renamed it to Taihan Cable Vina (TCV).

CEO Choi Jin-yong said the company decided to pick Vietnam as a strategic location to expand its global market share due to its geographical advantages as well as the growth potential of its economy and electricity market.

We will make aggressive investments in new facilities and technologies to make Vietnam our second production base, following our plant in Dangjin in South Korea, he told newswire businesskorea.co.kr. Taihan Electric Wire is planning to build a plant in Vietnam for high-margin products, such as ultra-high voltage cables and aluminium conductor composite core cables, to strengthen the competitiveness of TCV.

The company expects its annual sales revenue to rise from $36 million in 2015 to $190 million by 2020.

Germany-based cable producer Helukabel GmbH, meanwhile, is ramping up sales activity in the region. The company recently opened its 26th global subsidiary in Ho Chi Minh City. The office will initially be operated by a seven-member sales and logistics team, but the company projects it to grow to about 20 people over a five-year span. The office is currently just 765 square feet and only carries small quantities of single conductor wire, but a larger warehouse is expected to be completed in 2017.

The firm said Southeast Asia is one of the world's fastest growing regions, with Vietnam's industrial sector accounting for more than 40 per cent of the country's economic output. We expect solid, double-digit growth in Asia overall, a Helukabel spokesman said.

Electricity demand in Vietnam is expected to see a remarkable increase of more than 10 per cent per annum in the near future, due to the rapidly increasing population and economic growth. In particular, southern Vietnam faces a critical situation due to the current imbalance between existing supply and the increasing electricity demand. There is an urgent need for the development of power generation and transmission infrastructure in the region.

For Southeast Asia, the demand for electricity is expected to triple from now to 2040, according to a forecast by the International Energy Agency.
Investors at the Tan Viet Stock Exchange in Ha Noi. - VNS Photo Doan Tung

The index rose 2.2 per cent in the last three sessions.

The market was neutral. Of 310 stocks on the HCM Stock Exchange, 96 advanced, 93 declined, while 121 closed unchanged.

Blue chips were mixed.

Some stocks maintained their rise, including dairy firm Vinamilk (VNM), real estate VinGroup (VIC) and steelmaker Hoa Phat Group, but others declined following several consecutive positive sessions, such as Masan Group (MSN), insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) and lenders BIDV (BID) and Vietinbank (CTG).

Trades focused on the shares of real estate and steel manufacturing companies, with seven of the top 10 most active codes from these firms.

A total of 48 million shares worth nearly VND1.3 trillion (US$58.3 million) were traded in the HCM City market.

On the other hand, the HNX-Index on the smaller exchange in Ha Noi increased 0.6 per cent to end the morning session at 84.2 points.

Liquidity was low here with just nearly 27 million shares worth VND336 billion traded.

The afternoon session starts at 1pm.
File photo by PRESS ASSOCIATION

Apple CEO Tim Cook defended Apples operations in Ireland on Tuesday. Cook said he was confident that a ruling by the European Union, which ordered Apple to pay back taxes of up to $14.5 billion, would be reversed after an appeal by Ireland. Apples stock declined 0.8 percent Tuesday.
File photo by FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM

Members of the Dallas Police Department choir walk past portraits of their fallen comrades during a memorial for five Dallas and DART police officers shot to death in July 2016. Congressional lawmakers visited Detroit on Tuesday to examine excessive force used by police.
File photo by CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, second from right, congratulates Eddie Johnson on his appointment as the interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department on March 28. Emanuels overhaul of police oversight calls for disbanding the much-maligned Independent Police Review Authority and replacing it with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
By PTI: London, Aug 29 (PTI) Allowing children to use iPads to distract them before surgery requiring general anaesthesia is as effective at lowering their anxiety as conventional sedatives, a new study has claimed.

Researchers found that parental satisfaction and quality of anaesthesia induction was higher in children using iPads.

Mobile interactive tools have been found to be effective to reduce child anxiety at parental separation in the operating theatre, researchers said.

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The study by Dr Dominique Chassard, from Hopital Mere Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon in France and colleagues compared the effects of midazolam (a sedative used regularly before anaesthesia) in premedication with age-appropriate game apps (on an iPad tablet) on children aged 4-10 years during and after ambulatory (day) surgery.

Anxiety was assessed both in children and in parents.

As many as 54 children were randomly allocated to MDZ (midazolam) group and 58 children to TAB (iPad) group.

Patients in group MDZ received midazolam 0.3mg/kg orally or rectally, and group TAB were given an electronic tablet (iPAD) 20 min before anaesthesia.

Child anxiety was measured by two independent psychologists at four time points: at arrival at hospital, at separation from the parents, during induction and in the post anaesthesia care unit (PACU).

Parental anxiety was measured at the same time points except during induction as they were not present at that point.

Anaesthetic nurses ranked from 0 (not satisfied) to 10 (highly satisfied) the quality of induction of anaesthesia.

The researchers found both parental and child anxiety levels to be similar in both groups, with a similar pattern of evolution. Both parents and nurses found anaesthesia more satisfying in the iPad group.

"Our study showed that child and parental anxiety before anaesthesia are equally blunted by midazolam or use of the iPad," said Chassard.

"However, the quality of induction of anaesthesia, as well as parental satisfaction, were judged better in the iPad group.

"Use of iPads or other tablet devices is a non-pharmacologic tool which can reduce perioperative stress without any sedative effect in paediatric ambulatory surgery," said Chassard. PTI SAR SAR

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A closed-door meeting on border issues between Vietnam and Cambodia on Tuesday ended in deadlock.

The two sides met to discuss a plan of action to address disputes over alleged encroachment on Cambodian territory by Vietnamese interests.

Va Kim Hong, head of the Cambodian Border Committee, told reporters that the parties could not issue a joint statement after the meeting as there was no agreement reached on border delineation.

[We] explained to them that thinking like that is not right because  [it will] not affect any [existing] treaties, Kim Hong said.

The demarcation between Cambodia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam at that time in [19]83 follows the boundary lines on the Indochina map with a scale of 1/100,000. It means that the boundaries on that Indochina map, which is the map that the colonial power left for us when we gained independence in 1953 matches our proposals, he added.

Both countries agreed to continue to demarcate the border, he added, and would continue negotiations over a draft letter that will be sent to the French government to request technical assistance in the dispute.

Vietnamese delegates declined to talk to the media.

Son Chhay, an opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker, said Cambodia in the midst of a political crisis could not effectively negotiate with Vietnam.

We have the Paris [Peace] Agreement, which signatory countries guarantee our sovereignty and we are a member of the United Nations, which can use the international court system to help, he said.

Kim Hong said Cambodia was not yet in a position to bring a case before an international court, saying the process was complex and expensive.
The Senate on Tuesday announced that it would hold a meeting on Wednesday to determine whether to strip an opposition senator of her parliamentary immunity.

Thak Lany, a Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) senator, has been charged with defamation by Prime Minister Hun Sen after she allegedly made comments in July that connected Hun Sen with the murder of popular political analyst Kem Ley.

Um Sarith, spokesman for the Senate, said 13 senators, including one SRP member, would consider the request, which was made earlier this month by the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party.

But for her case, it is a criminal offense, but it is not obvious according to the court letters. Thus, we need a procedure to remove her immunity and the court will then take the procedure further, he said.

Hun Sen also filed a complaint against opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy after he posted similar comments to his Facebook page following Kem Leys murder.

Rainsy, who is in self-imposed exile, has since repeated and stood by his comments.

Sor Chandeth, an opposition senator, said Lany had gone into hiding and the party expected the result to be a foregone conclusion.

In principle, it will go further because the CPP has more forces in the permanent committee in the senate, he said.

Lany could not be reached for comment, however, Sam Sok Kong, her lawyer, said he expected the law to be followed, but declined to comment on the possible outcome of the meeting.
NK Amin, who was due to retire today, will continue for another year as superintendent of police in Mahisagar district starting September 1.

Ishrat, a teenage girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, her friend Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Sheikh and two others were gunned down by city crime branch officials allegedly in a fake encounter on June 15, 2004.

By Press Trust of India: NK Amin, an accused in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case who is currently serving as superintendent of police in Mahisagar district, was today granted one-year extension by Gujarat government, days after he was discharged in fake encounter cases of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati by a CBI court in Mumbai.

As per a notification issued by the state Home Department, Amin, who was due to retire today, has been given an extension of one year, starting September 1.



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AMIN TO BE SP FOR ANOTHER YEAR



With this, Amin will continue to serve as the SP of Mahisagar district for one more year, it stated.

On August 18, a special CBI court in Mumbai discharged Amin in the 2005 fake encounter cases of Sohrabuddin and Prajapati. However, he still is an accused in the Ishrat case.

Amin, granted regular bail by the special CBI court last year, was reinstated as Deputy Superintendent of Police in State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) in May 2015, before he was made SP.



ISHRAT JAHAN AND SOHRABUDDIN ENCOUNTERS



Ishrat, a teenage girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, her friend Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Sheikh and two others were gunned down by city crime branch officials allegedly in a fake encounter on June 15, 2004 on the outskirts of the city.

Police's contention was that Ishrat and others were on a mission to kill Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Sohrabuddin was killed allegedly in a fake encounter near Gandhinagar in November 2005. His wife who went missing after the incident is also believed to have been killed.

Prajapati, an aide of Sheikh, a gangster, and an eyewitness to the encounter, was allegedly killed by police at Chapri village in Banaskantha district in December 2006.

ALSO READ: After 8 years of incarceration, Gujarat cop NK Amin given clean chit in Sohrabuddin fake encounter



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A U.S. court is due to open proceedings September 1 against Prime Minister Hun Sens eldest son, Lieutenant General Hun Manet, after a jailed opposition member and U.S. citizen filed a complaint on April 8.

The complaint alleges Manet and Cambodian government officials are guilty of crimes against humanity, including torture, illegal detention, terrorism and illegal imprisonment.

On Thursday, Judge George H. Wu of the Central District Court of California will hear a second defense motion to dismiss the case while the plaintiffs lawyers will argue that it should move to trial.

In April, as Manet toured parts of the U.S. that are home to large Cambodian diaspora communities, he was greeted by Cambodian-Americans protesting Phnom Penh's human rights violations and domestic property seizures. On the last day of Manet's visit, he was served with court documents by American private investigator Paul Hayes, who was hospitalized after allegedly being thrown to the ground by one of Manets bodyguards outside of a restaurant in Long Beach, California.

Hayes's subpoena was tied to a wrongful imprisonment suit brought in a U.S. federal court by Cambodian opposition official Meach Sovannara.

The court should dismiss plaintiffs complaint because they have failed to serve Manet or provide ... grounds for jurisdictional discovery into their service attempt, John S. Purcell, an attorney for Hun Manet, said in the motion. Moreover, the court should dismiss because plaintiffs have failed to establish a prima facie case of personal jurisdiction.

However, Bo Uce, Sovannaras attorney, said he had enough evidence for the judge to dismiss the defenses motion, based on events surrounding Hayes's April 2016 hospitalization.

Sovannara is currently serving 20-year sentence for taking part in a protest in Phnom Penh in late 2014; he is one of 11 activists jailed on insurrection charges for clashing with police over the closure of a protest site in the capital.

My husband has suffered some mental difficulties and has been sick a lot, Sovannara's wife, Jamie Meach, told VOA's Khmer service.

Manet said in a statement to the court that he would not be in the United States while the case is being heard. Manet has denied he was served papers on the day in question, claiming tight security and protests outside the restaurant caused him to be accidentally pepper-sprayed.

At no time on April 9 was I aware there was a man approaching me to hand me any legal papers, he said.

According to California's guidelines on civil procedures before trial, Hayes's attempt to bring the subpoena to Manet's attention were sufficient to qualify as having served the documents.
Irish rock star, Bono, an ambassador for the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), is pledging to help relieve the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. After an invitation from Aliko Dangote, Africas richest man, Bono visited a camp of 2.3 million displaced people in the northeastern part of the country, which has been severely hit by the Boko Haram insurgency. Faiza Elmasry has the story narrated by Faith Lapidus.
More than 900 Afghan security personnel died in July while battling Taliban insurgents, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan said Wednesday.

General John Nicholson of NATOs Resolute Support mission made the revelation during a year in which Taliban fighters have made territorial advances, fighting Afghan forces in more than half of the country's 34 provinces.

In July, "there were over 900 martyrs in the Afghan army and police. This is almost a brigade of soldiers and police, and we should not forget for one minute the sacrifice that they are making even as we meet here today," Nicholson said at a Kabul conference attended by Afghan leaders and foreign diplomats.

According to U.S. military estimates, Afghan forces suffered around 20,000 casualties, including nearly 5,000 dead, during last years fighting.

Battling corruption

In his speech, Nicholson emphasized the need to replace "corrupt" leaders in the Afghan security forces and investigate all suspected violations to build trust with the Afghan population and the international community. He also praised the sacrifices of Afghan officers such as Lieutenant Mohammad Akbar of the Special Forces, killed during last weeks attack on Kabuls American University in Afghanistan.

"You need leaders and officers ready to work harder, change attitudes and practices, be open to new ideas and stop the old ways of doing things," the American commander noted. "Some units are plagued by poor leadership, incompetence and corruption. So, just as we have heroes like Lieutenant Akbar, we also have leaders who are corrupt and need to be replaced."

Nicholson emphasized NATOs continuing support for Afghan forces "in this hard work" against the Taliban. "But increasing momentum rest[s] on your leadership and on eliminating corruption."

Talibans reach grows

The Taliban has extended its insurgent activities to more Afghan regions this year than at any point since the U.S.-led military coalition ousted the Islamist group from power in 2001.

According to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the Afghan government lost control over 5 percent of its territory to the Taliban in the year's first five months.

The United States contributes around $3 billion of the more than $5 billion the international community provides each year to fund Afghanistan's defense and security forces.

Intense fighting in Helmand

Fighting has been particularly intense in southern Helmand province, the countrys largest and a longtime hub of poppy production. The insurgents have seized control of several districts, with recent clashes taking place not far from the provincial capital, Laskhar Gah.

The Taliban also has made gains in northern and northeastern provinces, including Kunduz, Baghlan and Takhar, near the countrys border with Central Asian countries.

Last week, the insurgents captured an eastern district near the border with Pakistan, opening a new war front and adding to the challenges facing embattled Afghan forces.
Amnesty International has made another appeal to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to establish an independent judge-led commission of inquiry into the abduction and likely enforced disappearance of activist Itai Dzamara about 18 months ago.

Marking this year's International Day of the Disappeared, Amnesty International appealed to Zimbabwe to scale up efforts to locate Itai Dzamara, an anti-Mugabe activist who was abducted by suspected state security agents in March 2015. He has been missing since then.

Amnesty's deputy director for southern Africa, Tjiurimo Hengari, says Zimbabwe's authorities need to take action.

[The] failure of the police to account for the enforced disappearance of Itai Dzamara, almost 18 months after he was last seen, speaks volumes about the high levels of impunity that persist in Zimbabwe. The authorities must take action to ensure truth and justice are delivered and free the Dzamara family from the agonizing uncertainty they have been subjected to since Itais disappearance," he said.

Hengari says he has not received a response from Harare to a letter he co-authored last week.

"Amnesty Internationals secretary-general, Salil Shetty, and Human Rights Watchs executive director, Kenneth Roth, wrote a letter to President Robert Mugabes government, urging it to establish an independent judge-led commission of inquiry into the abduction and likely enforced disappearance of Itai Dzamara and ensure that those suspected to be responsible for his disappearance are brought to justice in fair trials," said Hengari.

Before his abduction, Dzamara had been leading demonstrations calling for President Mugabe to step down for failing to fix the economy and respect human rights.

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch urged Southern African Development Community leaders meeting in Swaziland to take concrete steps to improve respect for human rights among its 15 member countries. The leaders said the disappearance of Dzamara was of concern to the group.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte rejected proposals Wednesday for him to declare a state of emergency on a violent southern island to more rapidly defeat Abu Sayyaf extremists, who killed 15 soldiers in his government's largest single-day combat loss so far.

Duterte also announced that government troops and police would not enforce a warrant of arrest for prominent Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari, who leads one of two large Islamic insurgent groups in the country's south, so they could talk.

While Duterte has pursued talks with Misuari's Moro National Liberation Front and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, he has ordered troops to destroy the smaller but more brutal Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.

A massive military offensive in Sulu, a predominantly Muslim province where the Abu Sayyaf has had a long presence in lush jungles, has left 30 militants dead, including an influential commander. The Abu Sayyaf, however, struck back on Monday as the country was celebrating national heroes' day, and killed 15 soldiers, including one officer, in fighting off Sulu's mountainous Patikul town.

Asked if he would relent to a longstanding proposal by military officials to place Sulu under a state of emergency to allow government forces to arrest militants more easily and take tougher action against local officials conniving with the Abu Sayyaf, the usually boorish Duterte said he would not.

No, it's just punitive police action by the security forces of the government, Duterte said at a news conference. The magnitude of the trouble there does not warrant anything except the industry of the military and police.

Duterte later flew to southern Zamboanga city to pay tribute to the slain soldiers, consoling their families and saluting in front of the row of flag-draped coffins. He announced financial help to the widows and appealed to the militants to stop their brutality. Some of the soldiers had been hacked by the extremists.

Do not add grief to the family by destroying the body, he said, addressing the Abu Sayyaf. I will never allow such brutality, cruelty. I said just one bullet and it's done once death has been ascertained.

Duterte asked Misuari to come out of hiding after being criminally charged for his role in a 2013 rebel siege of southern Zamboanga city that left more than 200 combatants and villagers dead. Nearly 300 of Misuari's rebel were captured.

Duterte said Misuari preferred to meet him in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and replied during a phone call Tuesday that he was ready to meet the rebel anywhere.

The 77-year-old Misuari instigated a Muslim separatist rebellion in the south during dictator Ferdinand Marcos's rule in the 1970s, but accepted limited autonomy for minority Muslims in the south and signed a 1996 peace deal with the government. Many of his rebels, however, refused to lay down their arms and continued on-and-off attacks.

Although he has faded into the background and is now sickly, Misuari still commands a sizable armed group and Duterte said he would not dare put him in police detention, where he could die.

If he dies for whatever reason, we're compromised, Duterte said. There is going to be a conflagration, it'll be hard for us. He's the only known leader who has the influence and the stature.
President Barack Obama will face a broad range of pressing issues on his 11th trip as president to Asia, with the future of his strategic rebalance to the Asia Pacific and his legacy in that region still uncertain.

With less than five months in office, Obama will travel there for the last time as president, after working throughout his two four-year terms to bolster Americas power and influence in the region.

The U.S. president will join other world leaders for the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hangzhou, China, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and the East Asia Summit in Vientiane, Laos from September 2-8.

The foreign policy rebalance is critical to Americas future security and prosperity, according to Obama.

White House officials said that while in Asia he will repeatedly make a forceful case for ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The trade deal, signed by 12 Pacific rim nations, is the economic foundation of the so-called pivot.

TPP is a litmus test for U.S. leadership, said Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor. Without ratification the U.S. would be ceding the region to countries like China, who do not set the same types of high standards for trade agreements, he argued.

But whether the U.S. Congress will ratify the deal is very much in doubt during a presidential election year in which trade has been blamed for lost jobs.

Both major party candidates, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, have spoken against it.

Obama is expected to make a final push for ratification after presidential elections in November.

The chances of doing that are growing slimmer by the day, said Douglas Paal, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. If we dont have that, the rest of the rebalance to Asia looks hollow.

On the agenda

Obama also will face a long list of tough issues during the G20 summit.

Leaders of the worlds 20 largest economies are expected to have a robust debate about how best to stimulate the sluggish global economy and push ahead against climate change.

Key meetings include talks between Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Ergodan.

He also likely will speak on the sidelines with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The U.S.-China talks will cover U.S. concerns about Beijings cyber activities, economic practices and aggressive actions in the South China Sea, where it has claimed disputed territory, raising tensions with its Southeast Asian neighbors.

With leadership changes set for next year, it is critical to stabilize the U.S. relationship with China as they go through simultaneous political transitions in both countries, Paal said.

I think the important thing for Obama during his meeting with Xi Jinping is to establish some red lines, things that we will not tolerate, he added.

White House officials said it will be the last such meeting between Obama and Xi.

The two will review the state of U.S.-China relations and to try to see where we can make progress, said Rhodes.

Obama and Erdogan will discuss Turkeys crackdown since a failed coup attempt, which the Turkish president has blamed on the U.S. Also on the agenda are the fight against Islamic State, instability in Syria and the refugee crisis.

Possible talks between Obama and Putin are expected to focus on the conflict in eastern Ukraine and Moscows role in Syria.

The U.S. has urged Russia to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to abide by a cessation of hostilities agreement and allow the flow of humanitarian aid.

Obama will be the first U.S. president to visit Laos when he travels to Vientiane for the ASEAN and East Asia summits on September 5. He will hold talks with that countrys leaders as part of the ongoing effort to build ties with people and develop more trade and investment.

After the meeting, the U.S. leader will deliver a speech on his Asia policy and his vision for Americas future in the Asia Pacific. I think he'll speak to the fact that we've significantly upgraded our commercial and economic diplomacy in the region, our security presence in the partnerships that we're building, both with allies but also with emerging partners on issues like maritime security and disaster response, said Rhodes.

He again will press for U.S. ratification of TPP during the remarks.

Obama is scheduled to meet with the Philippines' new president, Rodrigo Duterte, to discuss an international court ruling at The Hague against Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea.

President Obama will seek to reassure Southeast Asian nations about the U.S. commitment to the rebalance.

But progress on the security and diplomatic fronts are not enough, said Matthew Goodman, William E. Simon Chair in Political Economy and Senior Adviser for Asian Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The future of the rebalance and Obamas legacy rest on TPP.

If it doesnt get ratified then I think his legacy will be seen as mixed at best in Asia, said Goodman.
Cambodia's border affairs committee has told its Vietnamese counterpart to halt all construction and development projects that overlap Cambodian territory.

Speaking at a meeting with their Vietnamese counterparts in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian officials vowed to forcefully dismantle any construction on its soil.

Long Visalo, a secretary of state with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that he told the Vietnamese delegation that "if they dare to build, I will give orders for the building's removal."

He added that some locals residing in proximity to the development projects are awaiting a response to an order to have nine water catchment ponds dug on Cambodian soil filled in. Since 2011, Cambodia has sent more than 20 diplomatic letters to Vietnam to protest what it calls encroachment on its territory.

Visalo said Vietnam has always maintained that the construction was only occurring on Vietnamese land.

"One side says it's Cambodian land, the other side says it's Vietnam's," he added. "Now they agree to end the saga by taking the issue up with relevant ministries."

Va Kim Hong, head of the border committee, said a joint letter to request the aid of former colonial power France in resolving the dispute has not yet been sent, as there was an ongoing disagreement about wording and contents.

Mao Monyvann, an opposition lawmaker with the Cambodia National Rescue Party, said the talks would not lead to a positive result for Cambodia without the help of a third party, such as France.

"I think it's time for us to push for a resolution with the participation of powerful countries, or sue in an international court," he said.
A closed-door meeting on border issues between Vietnam and Cambodia ended in deadlock Tuesday.

The two sides met in Phnom Penh to discuss how to address disputes over alleged encroachment on Cambodian territory by Vietnamese interests. Cambodian officials have vowed to forcefully dismantle recent construction and development projects that, they say, intrude on Cambodian territory.

Va Kim Hong, head of the Cambodian Border Committee, told reporters there was no joint statement following the meeting because the parties could not agree on how to delineate their common border.

Kim Hong said Cambodia observes the border with Vietnam as it was set in 1983, according to maps of Indochina  the former French colonial territory that now comprises Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

The Cambodian official said he referred to specific maps with a scale of 1/100,000  "the map that the colonial power left for us when we gained independence in 1953."

Vietnamese delegates declined to talk to the media after Tuesday's meeting, but it was understood that their negotiations would continue, and the two sides would work on a draft letter to be sent to the French government requesting technical assistance to resolve their border dispute.

Son Chhay, a lawmaker from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, said direct negotiations with Vietnam would be ineffective due to Cambodia's internal political crisis. He urged the government to seek international assistance on the border issue.

"We have the Paris [Peace] Agreement, in which signatory countries guarantee our sovereignty," Son Chhay said, "and we are a member of the United Nations, which can use the international court system to help."

Kim Hong said Cambodia is not yet in a position to bring its border claims before an international court, due to the complexity and cost of that process.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA's Khmer Service.
Thousands of Cameroon students and their teachers are returning from holiday to find their schools have been sealed. The government says more than 300 schools have been closed because they are operating without authorization.

One parent, Ayansi Gloria, says she already has paid school fees for her two children and she is not sure shell get that money back.

Another parent, Neba Ngwa Valentine, says his daughter, who tried to register for the school year that begins September 5, informed him the government ordered the school not to open its doors.

"Learning can never take place in a nasty environment, Valentine said. Those same schools do not afford toilets, they do not have water.  To me it is unacceptable."

Akwanga Theophilus, an adviser to the Presbyterian Education Authority Teachers Trade Union, says missionary-owned schools  generally believed to be of better quality  have also been sealed.

He accuses Cameroon's government of not following the procedures for establishing schools.

"You see that there is something fundamentally wrong, Theophilus said. Documents normally are supposed to have been prepared and forwarded to the ministry for formal authorization for the creation and opening to be granted. But the law, again, says that if you have deposited these documents and waited for 30 days, [with] no reaction from the government, that silence is consent that you should go ahead."

The government of Cameroon is asking school proprietors to provide basic needs like running water, toilets and playgrounds.

Cameroon Ministry of Secondary Education Secretary General Leke Tambo says some schools may reopen if certain conditions are met. In addition, he says, the government has asked the schools to refund fees to parents.

This is not the first time Cameroon has closed schools for operating illegally or without the necessary documents. In 2013, 750 schools were closed.

However, the Teachers Trade Union of Cameroon said the schools ignored that order and continued functioning under the protection of corrupt education officials.
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 9mm 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.

'Diaboloical'

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.

"We were born civilians. We took up arms out of necessity and if the state isn't careful we will return with pain in our souls," she said.
A US defense official told Reuters the United States targeted Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a Tuesday strike on a vehicle travelling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. The official stopped short of confirming Adnani's death, however.

By Reuters: Islamic State said on Tuesday one of its most prominent and longest-serving leaders was killed in what appeared to be an American air strike in Syria, depriving the militant group of the man in charge of directing attacks overseas.

A US defense official told Reuters the United States targeted Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a Tuesday strike on a vehicle travelling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. The official stopped short of confirming Adnani's death, however.

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Such US assessments often take days and often lag behind official announcements by militant groups.

Adnani was one of the last living senior members, along with self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who founded the group and stunned the Middle East by seizing huge tracts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

As Islamic State's spokesman, Adnani was its most visible member. As head of external operations, he was in charge of attacks overseas, including Europe, that have become an increasingly important tactic for the group as its core Iraqi and Syrian territory has been eroded by military losses.

SEVERAL LEADERS KILLED

Advances by Iraq's army and allied militia towards Islamic State's most important possession of Mosul have put the group under new pressure at a moment when a US-backed coalition has cut its Syrian holdings off from the Turkish border.

Those military setbacks have been accompanied by air strikes that have killed several of the group's leaders, undermining its organisational ability and dampening its morale.

A US counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said Adnani's death will hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere".

Under Adnani's auspices, Islamic State launched large-scale attacks, bombings and shootings on civilians in countries outside its core area, including France, Belgium and Turkey.

The official said Adnani's roles as propaganda chief and director of external operations had become "indistinguishable" because the group uses its online messages to recruit fighters and provide instruction and inspiration for attacks.

Islamic State's Amaq News Agency reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo." Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government forces.

Amaq did not say how Adnani, born Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province in 1977, was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated Aug. 29 but gave no further details.

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INROADS INTO ISLAMIC STATE

Recent advances by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it.

Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group mean Baghdad is on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year, the head of the US military's Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday.

Among senior Islamic State officials killed in air strikes this year are Abu Ali al-Anbari, Baghdadi's formal deputy, and the group's "minister of war", Abu Omar al-Shishani. Adnani had joined the group under its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

There were conflicting reports earlier on Tuesday as to where and how he died.

A senior Syrian rebel official said Adnani was most probably killed in the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab in an air strike. Citing unconfirmed reports, he said Adnani was in the Aleppo region to raise morale in the face of mounting pressure.

Islamic State's territory around Aleppo is of particular significance to the group because it is also the location of Dabiq, where an Islamic prophecy holds the last battle between Muslims and infidels will rage, heralding the end of time.

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FACE OF GROUP

Iraq said in January that Adnani had been wounded in an air strike in the western province of Anbar and then moved to the northern city of Mosul, Islamic State's capital in Iraq.

Adnani is a Syrian from Binish in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor al Qaeda more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by US forces in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution.

He was from a well-to-do background but left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight US forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said.

He had been the chief propagandist for the ultra-hardline jihadist group since he declared in a June 2014 statement that it was establishing a modern-day caliphate spanning swaths of territory it had seized in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Adnani had often been the face of the Sunni militant group, such as when he issued a message in May urging attacks on the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan.

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The United States designated him a "global terrorist" this year and said he was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003 before becoming spokesman of the militant group.

There is a 5 million dollar reward on his head under the US "Rewards for Justice" programme.

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As Democrats in the U.S. Congress call for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate concerns that Russia may be trying to manipulate the November general election with cyberattacks, government officials are wrestling with new challenges to ensure accurate results.

In a letter dated Saturday to FBI Director James Comey, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said the threat of Russia tampering with the elections is more extensive than widely known.

"The prospect of a hostile government actively seeking to undermine our free and fair elections represents one of the gravest threats to our democracy since the Cold War," Reid added.

Reids letter was followed by one from four Democrats who asked the FBI to investigate whether officials of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign may have conspired with Russia to carry out recent hacks against the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.

The letter was signed by Representatives Eliot Engel of New York, John Conyers of Michigan, Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, all senior Democrats.

Russian government involved?

On Monday, news accounts began circulating that U.S. officials suspected Russian hackers were responsible for breaking into two U.S. state election databases in August.

The FBI has not identified the states, but Yahoo News, which first reported the breaches, quoted sources who said Arizona and Illinois were targeted. According to Yahoo News, an Illinois election board official said the voter registration system was shut down for 10 days after hackers stole personal information on approximately 200,000 voters. The Arizona attack involved the introduction of malicious software into the voter registration system.

U.S. officials have said recent cyberattacks at the Democratic National Committee and elsewhere within the Democratic Party probably were conducted by people inside the Russian government. Russia has denied any involvement.

Electronic voting vulnerable

Federal officials are increasingly concerned about the possibility that, for the first time, foreign hackers, particularly those working for Russia, could breach U.S. elections' computer systems and wreak havoc on a presidential election.

I think this election will probably start to showcase the future around problems well have with electronic voting, Timothy Carone of the University of Notre Dames Mendoza College of Business said in an interview with VOA.

Tim Erlin, senior director of information technology security and risk strategy at Tripwire, a cybersecurity company, said he thought cyberattacks during the November election were certain. There have already been cybersecurity incidents related to the election, so the likelihood that this election will be influenced in some way by attacks is 100 percent, he said.

James Andrew Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a public policy research group in Washington, told VOA, "Hacking for political purposes or coercive purposes, that's new and dangerous."

Lewis described the skill level of Russian computer hackers as "very good." He said the Russians' recent reported U.S. cyberattacks could be test runs for November. "That might suggest that, if they wanted to, they could do something, a lot more at election time."

Lewis said he thought it would be difficult to change the outcome of an election, because cyberattackers would have to achieve the unlikely task of hacking into a large number of local computerized voting machines. But he left open the possibility that cyberattackers could cast doubt on an election by hacking into state voting systems with aggregate vote totals.

The more likely scenario, Lewis said, is cyberattacks interfering with vote counts by breaching wireless voting machines, which could shape opinions and create uncertainty. "It's something to be worried about for November."

Stepped-up security

Federal agencies are enhancing their computer security systems before the November 8 elections and are collaborating with state governments to do the same.

The Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the Department of Justice are helping state officials manage risks to their voting systems. After an August 15 conference call with state and federal agencies, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson issued a statement saying, "It is critically important to continue to work to ensure the security and resilience of our electoral infrastructure, particularly as the risk environment evolves."

Harvey Kushner, director of the Homeland Security and Terrorism Institute at Long Island University, who has provided training for federal agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, told VOA, "The government has not been very sophisticated in dealing with cyberspace.

As an example, Kushner cited the federal government's problematic rollout several years ago of the Affordable Health Care Act.

Lewis, however, said the federal government has many resources at its disposal to combat cyberattacks. In addition to the FBI's counterhacking capabilities, the government has vast intelligence resources and associations with top private cybersecurity companies. "So between the private companies and forensic evidence and the federal government and intelligence activity, you can very often be pretty sure about who's doing what," he said.

'No silver bullet'

In addition to high-profile meetings, Carone said federal officials are working hard behind the scenes to manage the risk of cyber intrusions during the election. "But at the end of the day, it's going to happen, and how we recover from it is going to be a challenge," he said.

"There's no silver bullet in protecting elections from electronic manipulation," said Erlin. The most effective approach to countering cyberattacks, he said, is to identify potential threats, implement appropriate countermeasures and adapt defenses to counter new threats.

Other cybersecurity experts say it is imperative that election officials have backup information systems in place, even a paper trail, in the event computer systems are compromised on Election Day. "We better have a backup plan," Lewis said.
Progress against the Islamic State terror group in Iraq and Syria could come at a cost for European countries, which fear returning foreign fighters could soon turn their wrath on their homelands.

IS has long put European countries in its crosshairs, unambiguous about its view of the continent as part of its larger battlefield, according to U.S. intelligence officials. And even the reported death of IS spokesman and external operations chief Abu Muhammad al-Adnani is unlikely to ease the threat.

When you kill the head of the network, someone else steps in right away, a Western diplomatic official told VOA on condition of anonymity. The networks he had, the contacts he had are not going away.

Instead, some European counterterrorism officials see the terror groups waning fortunes overall as a possible trigger for a new, intense round of attacks.

Certainly, in the short term its not going to be better, warned Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism Dick Schoof.

IS losses in the Middle East probably put a lot of pressure on the current foreign terrorist fighter to return, he added.

'Substantial' threat

Schoof described the threat level as substantial, saying that while there are no specific indications of an imminent attack, authorities have found a growing number of links between jihadist networks and the Netherlands.

They are more violent than ever. They are more radicalized, he warned Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. They are certainly ISIS and they want to attack even when they are abroad.

U.S. officials also are worried about a terror backlash as coalition forces penetrate further and deeper into what they describe as the heart of the Islamic States self-declared caliphate.

Things that happen in Iraq and Syria resonate in other places, resonate in our capitals, Europe and other locations, the commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Joseph Votel, told Pentagon reporters Tuesday.

They will continue to try to either direct or support or potentially inspire attacks outside of the core in Iraq and Syria, Votel said. I think we should expect to see that.

U.S. intelligence officials estimate of the more than 40,000 foreign fighters from more than 120 countries, about 7,000 hail from the West, with the vast majority of those coming from European nations.

Numerous foreign fighters

The Netherlands itself is paying close attention to its 260 foreign fighters, 180 of whom are still thought to be in Iraq and Syria. And officials also worry that some of those foreign fighters already have successfully used the migrant crisis to travel between Europe to Syria, helping to set up sophisticated and deeply-rooted networks.

There are a number of ISIS operatives and ISIS cells active in Europe that took advantage of this, Schoof said, using an acronym for the terror group.

Yet despite an intensive crackdown following the deadly November 2015 terror attacks in Paris and the more recent attack in Brussels, European officials remain wary.

There are cells in Europe that we dont know of, for sure, a Western diplomat told VOA on condition of anonymity.

Intelligence officials worry that IS has been steadily growing bolder while using a mix of one-time former foreign fighters and new recruits. Investigators have even turned up evidence that IS operatives may have played a role in some less sophisticated but equally deadly attacks, like the one in Nice, France, this past July that killed more than 80 people.

There also is a high level of concern about the ability of IS to obtain and use forged documents to move operatives around.

Information sharing

To counter that threat, the European Unions law enforcement agency (EUROPOL) and European intelligence agencies have been working with their U.S. counterparts, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, to improve intelligence and information sharing.

Instantaneous information is what were trying to build toward, said U.S. Homeland Security Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Brig. Gen. Francis Taylor, who spoke Monday at CSIS. Our partners need to know everything we know.

In the case of foreign fighters, while not perfect, the information sharing seems to be making a difference.

In many cases we know who they are, given the amount of intelligence we have, and the effective law enforcement and intelligence operations to determine what they are up to, said Taylor.

Still, U.S. and European officials worry that with all the coordination and work that needs to be done, some IS foreign fighters will find ways to slip through the cracks and do damage back home.

They can connect with the local radical groups and that can be a very toxic development, warned the Netherlands Schoof.
The recent shooting deaths of two Vietnamese officials, allegedly committed by a lone forest ranger in the remote northern province of Yen Bai, have drawn public attention to rising cases of gun violence in the Southeast Asian nation.

One high-ranking lawmaker was quoted by local media as saying during a meeting convened by the parliamentarian Committee on Defense and Security following the deadly shootings that, "there seems to be loopholes in gun control in Vietnam."

While the relevant agencies are still carrying out an investigation into the incident that left three provincial officials dead, including the alleged suspect, his motive has drawn broad conjecture on social media, where people are questioning whether tighter gun control laws could have helped prevent the high-profile tragedy.

Farmer Doan Van Vuon, who was imprisoned for fighting off an eviction squad with homemade guns and mines in 2012, but was released early for good conduct, said the two distinct cases have one thing in common.

"Psychologically speaking, we were pushed to the edge. We had no other choice," Vuon told VOA's Vietnamese Service.

No official statistics are available on the level of gun violence in Vietnam in 2015, but media in the country have widely reported on public shootings. At least two shootings involving police officers made national headlines last week, highlighting what some observers call the country's loose control of guns for official use.

"In a society where there is a lack of trust, and morality is low, conflicts might result in extremism," said Vuon, the fish farmer who once was hailed as a hero for rising up against authorities.

Attorney Vo An Don, who offered free defense for low-income defendants in various police abuse trials, told VOA's Vietnamese Service that he feels uneasy while reading reports on recent gun-related violence.

"They created anxiety among the public, and led to social chaos," Don said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Tran Vu Hai, who defended Vuon, said gun control in Vietnam "is not as flawed as some people thought."

"I said so because I do not see a lot of people who own gun, and use gun," the outspoken attorney added. "In comparison with the U.S., it might be one in a thousand respectively."

According to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit corporation that tracks gun violence in the U.S., over 13,000 people were killed and 25,000 injured in the country by firearms in 2015.

In related news, Vietnamese customs officers at Tan Son Nhat airport last week seized one airsoft gun and 2,000 rounds of ammunition concealed in packages shipped from the U.S.

Airsoft weapons are replica firearms designed to be non-lethal, whose components, however, can easily be refitted with original gun components, making the rifles capable of firing live ammunition, the Voice of Vietnam reported.
The number of drug-related killings in the Philippines since Rodrigo Duterte became president two months ago on a pledge to wipe out the illegal drug trade has reached 2,000, according to data released Tuesday.

There has been popular support for his campaign, but the wave of killings unleashed since his election victory has alarmed rights groups and brought expressions of concern from the United States, a close ally of Manila.

As officials readied a publicity campaign to explain his fight against narcotics, the Philippine National Police said that close to 900 drug traffickers and users had been killed in police operations from July 1 to August 20. That was an increase of 141 people over a week, on average 20 people a day.

Last week, the police said 1,100 other drug-related killings that were not classified as police operations were also being investigated. No new number for that category was given Tuesday but, together with the new figure for police encounters, the total came to around 2,000.

Duterte won the presidency of the Southeast Asian nation in a May election on a promise to wipe out drugs.

Two U.N. human rights experts recently urged the Philippines to stop extra-judicial killings, drawing a furious response from Duterte, who threatened to pull his country out of the United Nations. His foreign minister later rowed back on the threat.

Duterte's communications secretary, Martin Andanar, said Monday that a 30-second advertisement explaining the anti-drug campaign would be aired over the next week by commercial and public TV stations and by movie theaters.

"The government is not spending a single centavo on these ads and TV stations are carrying them for free," Andanar told reporters at an event in a Manila hotel.

This is a war

He said his office would also publish a 40-page pamphlet to explain the rising body count. This would be issued on the president's first trip abroad next week, first to Brunei and then to an East Asia summit in Laos.

"Some people abroad have to understand why many people are getting killed in the anti-drug campaign. They must understand, this is a war and there are casualties," Andanar said. "The pamphlet will inform and explain that the government was not killing people at random; that these killings are not extrajudicial in nature, but as part of the anti-crime campaign. Some of those killed were police officers who are involved in criminal activities."

The White House said Monday that U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to meet Duterte in Laos on Sept. 6, and plans to touch on human rights as well as security concerns.

Duterte's crackdown on drugs and some strongly worded criticism he has made of the United States present a dilemma for Washington, which has been seeking to forge unity among allies and partners in Asia in the face of an increasingly assertive China, especially in the strategic South China Sea.

There have been few signs in the Philippines itself of a backlash against the war on drugs.

However, on Tuesday a newly formed group called the "Stop the Killings Network" announced a #Lightforlife campaign that would start with simultaneous candle-lighting events Wednesday evening at six venues across Manila.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Wednesday that under his administration there will be no way for those who enter the U.S. illegally to become a citizen.

He gave a detailed rundown of his immigration policy plans to supporters in the southwestern state of Arizona hours after meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

First on Trump's list was the reiteration of his commitment to construct a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, and that Mexico will pay pick up the cost, despite Pena Nieto's repeated statements that his government will not.

"They don't know it yet, but they're going to pay for the wall."

Trump asserted the U.S. has the right to pick immigrants who are most likely to "thrive and flourish" and love Americans.

"We also have to be honest about the fact that not everyone who seeks to join our country will be able to successfully assimilate."

Trump described his immigration policies as prioritizing the security and economic well-being of Americans, and said the proposals would bring down crime, gangs, illegal border crossings and welfare use.

"People will know that you can't just smuggle in, hunker down and wait to be legalized," he said.

Trump was more subdued at a news conference in Mexico City after his meeting with the Mexican president, which he described as important and straightforward.

"I love the United States very much and I want to make sure the people of the United States are very protected," Trump told Pena Nieto at a news conference Wednesday in Mexico City. "You equally expressed your feelings and love for Mexico."

Trump won much of his support throughout the campaign with rhetoric that Pena Nieto called hurtful to the Mexican people. Trump has said the United States' southern neighbor steals jobs, sends rapists and criminals and murderers across the border, and does little to stop illegal immigrants. He has insisted Mexico will pay for a wall that he wants built along the border.

Pena Nieto has likened Trump to fascist dictators Hitler and Mussolini.

But it was a much more subdued and respectful Trump who spoke after meeting with the Mexican president.

Trump said he has a "tremendous feeling" for Mexican Americans, calling them "spectacular, hard-working people" and saying he is proud to employ many in his industries, calling them "beyond reproach."

Trump said he and the president talked about the wall at the border, but not about who would pay for it.

But Pena Nieto, contradicting Trump, later said he told the U.S. businessman that Mexico will not pay for the wall, repeating something he has said numerous times.

Trump did say the North American Free Trade Agreement has been a greater benefit to Mexico than the United States. He said the 22-year-old deal needs to be updated to reflect "today's realities."

He also said all countries have a sovereign right to a secure border, including building walls, and that illegal immigration from Central America through Mexico and into the U.S. is a humanitarian disaster.

WATCH: Trump Discusses Mexican Americans, Border Crossings

Trump said cartels and other criminal gangs that terrorize northern Mexico can be wiped out only through intelligence sharing and joint operations.

"The bond between our two countries is deep and sincere, and both our nations benefit from close and honest relations ... a strong Mexico is in the best interest of the United States," Trump said.

Pena Nieto spoke directly to Trump at the news conference, saying his priority is protecting Mexicans wherever they may be. He said Mexicans living in the U.S. are creative and talented and honest working people who respect family, their communities and the law. He said they deserve everyone's respect in return.

Pena Nieto called the border an asset for both countries, and said that 1 million people cross it every day. He said Americans who see the border as a problem that brings in drugs and illegal immigrants are getting an "incomplete picture." He said the U.S. must do what it can to stop weapons and cash from flowing into Mexico to the drug cartels.

Trump had announced his hastily planned visit to Mexico City just days after the Mexican leader extended the invitation to him and to his Democratic opponent, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Pena Nieto drew criticism for his meeting with Trump, who is widely reviled in Mexico. Former President Vicente Fox told CNN that he does not understand why Pena Nieto extended the invitation, saying, "He [Trump] is not welcome to Mexico. He is going to be rejected by everybody here."

A few dozen demonstrators gathered Wednesday in the center of the capital to protest the visit, some holding signs that read "You are not Wall-come" and "Trump and Pena out."

Trump's visit came hours before he plans to unveil his new immigration policies during a campaign speech in the border state of Arizona. Trump has said he could "soften" his hard-line proposal to create a "deportation force" to send 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. back home.

Pena Nieto said he hopes Clinton also will accept his invitation to meet in Mexico City.
The Ebola virus can linger in the semen of men who have recovered from the deadly illness much longer than previously thought, according to a new study.

Previous studies found evidence of the virus in male semen up to 90 days after recovery. But in the case of one man in Liberia who was screened for the presence of Ebola, viral fragments were found in his semen 565 days after he had recovered from the illness.

The Mens Health Screening Program in Liberia, with support from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is conducting surveillance in the wake of the Ebola epidemic. Male Ebola survivors may voluntarily be tested monthly. They receive condoms and counseling on safe sex practices.

In the latest study, the program screened 429 male survivors. Researchers found that 38 of the men, or 9 percent, had viral DNA fragments in their semen a year after recovery. Evidence of the virus seemed to persist the longest in men over 40. Researchers said they were concerned that their finding could be a low estimate.

Its not known at this point whether any such men could still transmit Ebola through sexual intercourse, since the DNA test cant determine whether the virus is active.

The results of the screening were published in the journal Lancet Global Health. The study was based on an analysis of data collected between July 2015 and May of this year.

The director of the CDC, Thomas Friedman, was quoted as saying Liberias surveillance program provides important insights into how long Ebola remains in semen, a key component to preventing flare-ups of the disease and protecting survivors and their loved ones.

In light of the uncertainty, news that Ebola persists in semen alarmed public health officials, potentially posing a new challenge following the epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa over a period of more than two years ending in March 2016.
The first regular U.S. commercial flight to Cuba in more than 50 years has landed in the central city of Santa Clara.

The JetBlue Flight 386 left Fort Lauderdale, Florida around 1400 UTC Wednesday with 150 people on board.

Among the passengers were U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, JetBlue Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes, journalists and travelers of Cuban descent.

U.S. citizens are still prohibited from visiting as tourists, although there have long been exceptions to the ban, ranging from visiting family to business, cultural, religious and educational travel.



The last previous regular commercial flight between the United States and Cuba was in 1961. The two nations agreed in January to resume flights following the normalization of relations in December 2014.

Flights are expected to soon resume from cities including Chicago, Philadelphia and Minneapolis and Miami. They will head to eight Cuban cities and beach areas, including Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba.
Emily Olivares was surprised when a friend told her she is $50,000 in debt after paying for four years of college.

I almost had a heart attack, Olivares said. Thats a lot of money.

She has no such problem.

Her tuition for four years at Western Michigan University was about $40,000. But, a program called Kalamazoo Promise paid for it all.

Since 2006, a group of secret donors provided money so students who graduate from Kalamazoo public schools can attend a Michigan state college. The money pays tuition for students in part or fully.

I dont think I would be in the same place in life right now if it wasnt for this program, said the 22-year-old Olivares.

She recently graduated from Western Michigan University, and works for Kalamazoo Promise. In the future, she hopes to set up international study programs for college students.

Hillary Clinton's proposed tuition program

The Kalamazoo program is now getting more attention because of Hillary Clinton. The Democratic candidate for president is proposing a free tuition program for the entire country. Clinton wants to provide free state college tuition for families with yearly incomes of up to $125,000.

Republican Donald Trumps campaign website does not list a plan on college tuition. However, last year, Trump told The Hill newspaper that the federal government should not profit on student loans and should allow students to lower the amount of interest they pay.

In Kalamazoo, the tuition aid program is praised as a program that makes a difference in the small city in Americas Midwest. Kalamazoo has a population of 76,000 and is halfway between the cities of Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan.

Bob Jorth is the Kalamazoo Promise executive director. He said the city has about 25 percent more students attending college than it did 10 years ago, when the program began.

Kalamazoo is sending about 85 percent of its high school graduates to college. That percentage, Jorth said, is similar to the rate in much wealthier communities.

Research group says promise program has limits

But the Brookings Institution research group said in a 2015 report that the program has limitations. It found that only twenty percent of African-American high school graduates earned college degrees six years after graduation. Brookings said the overall college degree average for the citys public school graduates was forty percent.

What it shows, Brookings said, is that Kalamazoo has not yet come close to resolving the problem of inequality of opportunity for African-American children.

But several Kalamazoo Promise students said the program made a big difference for them.

Twenty-one-year-old Tinashe Chaponda is now attending Western Michigan University with a lot of help from Kalamazoo Promise.

Not having to pay full tuition, means he does not have to spend his free time working at a paid job, Chaponda said. It has freed him to set up a non-profit group to help place students with groups needing volunteers.

Chaponda came to Michigan from Zimbabwe in time to start 8th grade in Kalamazoos school system. Today, he gets 70 percent of his tuition covered. Students who attend Kalamazoo public schools for all 12 years get their entire Michigan state college tuition covered.

Chaponda said his goal is to return to Zimbabwe some day and run for president of the southern African country.

The Promise program allows me to focus on college and still have extra time to start my non-profit, Chaponda said. I feel if people are investing in me, the least I can do is give back to the community in some way.

Other cities offer tuition aid

Kalamazoo is not the only place with free- or reduced-cost tuition for public school graduates.

The Upjohn Institute for Employment Research reported that about 30 U.S. communities have created similar programs. One of the largest is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Upjohn Institute studied graduation rates in Kalamazoo in 2015. It said there was a 12 percent increase in people earning college degrees within six years of high school graduation.

The U.S. Education Department says that is important for economic reasons. People who graduate from college in America earn $1 million more, over their lifetime, than those who only graduated from high school.

The Promise program also means Kalamazoo public school graduates can attend state colleges without owing a lot of money. The average student debt for 2016 college graduates is $37,000, according to the website, StudentLoanHero.com.

Not everyone supports the idea of free tuition. Norbert Michel, writing for the conservative Heritage Foundation, said free tuition can lead to higher education costs.

The core problem is that they remove the paying customer  in this case the student  from the equation, Michel said. If students and their parents are paying they will work to keep costs down, he said.

Students know 'this is something special'

Michael Rice is superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools. He said, teachers start talking about the program in early in a students education.

By sixth grade students understand that this is something special and unique, Rice said. He said the program has helped increase test scores for students who know they and their families will be able to afford college.

Jorth said it is too early to say what will happen to the program he leads if Clinton is elected and gets her tuition plan approved by Congress.

When Kalamazoo Promise was announced in late 2005, a press release said the donors wanted to give people a reason to remain in Kalamazoo or move to the city. They also wanted a more educated workforce. But the press release did not say who the donors are.

Since then, Jorth said local residents have been trying to guess who in Kalamazoo has enough money to provide the $80 million given the program since 2006.

The secret donors make Jorths job pretty special. He may be one of the few people who can say, I dont know who I work for.
The Gabon government accused President Ali Bongo's challenger Jean Ping on Tuesday of trying to destabilize the country, and warned French ruling party officials against "interference" in its affairs.

With both sides trading accusations of fraud after a bitter election campaign, there was concern the results, when they came, would trigger unrest. People stockpiled food, police manned major crossroads and soldiers were deployed at petrol stations and banks.

Ping, a former foreign minister, African Union Commission chairman and lifelong political insider, is the main challenger to Bongo, whose family has ruled the oil-producing central African nation for half a century.

Bongo's supporters say he is on track to win. The president was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father Omar, who ran Gabon for 42 years.

Government spokesman Alain-Claude Nze told a news conference: "Jean Ping seems to be the instigator of a destabilization that threatens the democratic process." His comment appeared to point to government concerns that Ping will announce a results tally independent of the electoral commission that will show him as the winner.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the issuance of premature results and called on Ping and Bongo to urge their supporters to show restraint, according to a U.N. statement, which said Ban had spoken to both men.

Bongo's allies are also furious about a statement from France's ruling Socialist Party on Sunday declaring that early results showed Ping to be the winner.

They accused French officials of carrying on the old politics of 'La Francafrique', an intricate, shadowy web of diplomacy and commerce that for decades kept African presidents in its former colonies, like Bongo's father, in power in exchange for privileged deals for French companies.

"The socialist party by this interference, coming from the same members of La Francafrique, shows once again their inability to understand how African democracies function," Nze said. "The French socialist party is advised to respect our sovereignty."

Authorities have also reacted angrily to an app set up by an Ivorian citizen that allegedly gives live results by region.

Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya said he would announce results starting on Tuesday evening after a meeting of the electoral commission and warned that any attempts at destabilization by publishing results would not be tolerated.

"Any other so-called results released before, during or after the official declaration are nothing but a lie and a violation of the law," said Moubelet-Boubeya.

"The election has passed satisfactorily and it is unacceptable that anti-democratic forces both inside and outside the country are looking for ways to provoke trouble in Gabon," he said in a statement.

Fears of Unrest

The French embassy advised its citizens to stay indoors after 2 p.m. and to stick to safety precautions.

"There will be trouble and Ali will tackle the problem with his men ... We're afraid of the spillover," said Jadi Mabende, 57, a civil servant at a shop in the capital Libreville.

Gabon's first-past-the-post system means the winner only needs more votes than any other candidate. In 2009, Bongo won with 41.73 percent.

The European Union's observer mission on Monday criticized a "lack of transparency" among the institutions running the polls and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media.

Ping's supporters called on the electoral commission to publish the results polling station by polling station. But the head of the electoral commission, Rene Aboghe Ella, rejected this, telling Radio France International that "this cannot be done today ... to do so would excessively delay the publication of the results."

Earlier, Nze said: "We've noted that the mission overstepped its mandate. This mission was looking into things that had nothing to do with this election."

Bongo, 57, also benefited from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse.

But oil output and prices have fallen, forcing budget cuts despite Gabon having one of the biggest revenue streams of all Africa's oil producers.

Gabon's economic troubles have provided fodder for opposition claims that its 1.8 million inhabitants have struggled under his leadership, and Bongo's ruling party has suffered a series of high-profile defections.
Clashes have broken out in the capital of Gabon, Libreville, where President Ali Bongo won re-election earlier Wednesday in a vote that critics say was fraudulent.

Protesters are reported to have set the National Assembly building on fire, chanting "Ali must go!"

The Guardian newspaper reported that three people were "apparently shot dead by security forces." The government has not confirmed any deaths.

Opposition leader Jean Ping told AFP that Gabon security forces had stormed his party headquarters early Thursday, injuring 19 people, some of the "very seriously," he said.

A spokesman for the government said the security forces raided the opposition building in search of people who had set fires near the parliament building earlier in the night.

"Armed people who set fire to the parliament had gathered at Jean Ping's headquarters along with hundreds of looters and thugs... they were not political protesters but criminals," Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze told AFP.

Police are stationed at crossroads around the city.

VOA's Idrissa Fall, who is at the election commission headquarters, reports that some members of the electoral commission resigned Wednesday.

Bongo's main opponent, Jean Ping, has said his campaign has evidence the election was rigged and plans to present it to Gabon's constitutional court.

The official results, set to be formally announced, show Bongo winning 49.8 percent of the votes, with Ping at 48.2 percent.

At issue are the results from one province where the tallies show nearly 100 percent voter turnout, with Bongo receiving 95 percent of the votes.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for Gabon to remain peaceful in the aftermath of the hotly contested poll.

The Secretary-General urges all concerned political leaders and their supporters to refrain from further acts that could undermine the peace and stability of the country, his spokesman said in a statement. He also calls on the authorities to ensure that the national security forces exercise maximum restraint in their response to protests.

The U.S. Embassy called for all individual polling station results to be published after it said observers witnessed "many systemic flaws and irregularities" in the voting. The irregularities included polling stations opening late and "last-minute changes to voting procedures."

Both candidates declared victory after Saturday's vote, and each side accused the other of fraud during the vote count.

Gabon does not have a run-off system, so the candidate with the most votes in the 10-candidate field wins the election.

Ping was running to end a near half-century of Bongo family rule. Ali Bongo succeeded his father, Omar Bongo, who died in 2009 after 42 years in office.

Idrissa Fall and VOA Afrique contributed to this report.
The US said global organisations like the Islamic State, al Qaeda or even Pakistan-based groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad cannot be fought by one nation alone.

By Maha Siddiqui, India Today Web Desk: In a major boost to New Delhi's position against Islamabad on terror, the United States today said global organisations like the Islamic State, al Qaeda or even Pakistan-based groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad cannot be fought by one nation alone.

"Terror groups like Daesh (Arabic word for the Islamic State), al Qaeda, LeT, and JeM can't be fought by a single nation alone. The battle to counter terrorists and extremists cannot be won by one nation," US Secretary of State John Kerry said during his interaction with students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi.

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"It's clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities," Kerry said.

The American leader added that Pakistan must work with to help clear the "sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India-Pakistan relationship" but also the "US ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan".

MODI WAS RIGHT IN INVITING SHARIF



Kerry credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending an invitation to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for his oath-taking ceremony in 2014.

"There have been communication (between India and Pakistan). That's the way to begin the process," he said.

"In fairness, it's a fact that Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism in their own country. More than 50,000 people have been killed," Kerry said.



WAR ON TERROR



On Tuesday, India and the US had reasserted the urgent necessity for Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorist groups and criminal networks, and said there can be no difference between good terrorists and bad terrorists.

"We must strike at the root causes of violent extremism and we have to work hard to understand the different variations of causes. Because it does vary from country to country, location to location, place to place," Kerry said.



The two nations also agreed on a joint cyber framework and intensify intelligence sharing in combating terror and violent extremism.

Kerry is in the national capital to attend the second round of India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which concluded on Tuesday, after a number of defence deals, including mutual access to military bases and assets.

Kerry, Sushma co-chair talks as India, US reaffirm need for Pak to fight terror



--- ENDS ---
Millions of workers in the U.S. alone are expected to face growing competition as computerized autonomous vehicles start to perform taxi and truck driving jobs.

While the takeover of trucking by computerized robots is considered inevitable, how soon it will happen is a matter of debate. Some say it will take years to fully develop. Others predict it will happen much sooner.

Massive, autonomous mining trucks move giant loads of earth and ore in Australia and elsewhere. The trucks are able to handle the very limited traffic seen in the mine, but the chaos of the open road will be a bigger challenge.

The head of engineering for the American Trucking Association, Ted Scott, says it will take time to work out regulations, testing and public acceptance. With the technology that is there, we can take the driver out of the vehicle. We arent gonna do that for a long time."



Volvo and Uber have announced a plan to test self-driving cars in Pittsburgh, and Ford recently announced a joint research effort with a Chinese company to push self-driving vehicle technology forward. Audi and others are testing robot drivers in ever more complex environments, including Audi's race up a large American mountain and big city traffic.

A former official of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Chan Leiu, says these tests may speed things up.

"We are not that far from the ultimate vision of a completely self-driving car," Leiu said, adding that autonomous vehicles literally put peoples lives in the hands of robots. But that may be a good thing because he says 94 percent of accidents are caused by people who are tired, drunk, texting, or making other mistakes.

This could save tens of thousands of lives, according to Notre Dame professor Tim Carone.

"There's a journey to get there, but the journey ends with [an] order of magnitude decrease in [the] number of accidents, number [of] fatalities, number of injuries," he said.

Human workers

Truck drivers, such as 16-year road veteran Rogelio Rada, think it will be quite a while before robots take their jobs.

Robots can only do so much...theres issues I believe that only a person can handle, Rada said.

His colleague, Barry Waters, thinks it will be "probably 20-30 years down the road."

Trucking employs as much as one percent of the U.S. population. The potential for changes in the industry follow decades of mostly declining human employment in U.S. manufacturing. The trend is evident in the auto industry, which sold a record number of vehicles in 2015, but did so with far fewer workers than it once employed.

Early in the age of autos, it took throngs of workers to build cars like the Model-T. Historic film shows waves of workers spilling out of factories at the end of their shift, where they did much of the work by hand with muscle power.



Competitive pressures forced manufacturers of all kinds to seek ever more efficient, less labor-intensive and cheaper ways to make products. Current video shows far fewer people on the factory floor as powerful robots weld, paint and preform other tasks, often with greater precision than their human predecessors.

Wondering about the future Wondering about the future Futurists try to predict how changes in the world will impact society. How will changing technology  better batteries, new materials, self-driving cars, new kinds of devices  change our lives?

How will the sharing economy  shared cars and other resources  change the way we live and work?

What will happen when the number of people over the age of 60 doubles? What do you predict? What predictions do you have for the future? Share your ideas on Twitter #VOApredictions

Developing new skills

That is bad news for millions of workers like Holly Stover, who was laid off after years of work for steel firms.

I hope I'll end up working a good, a decent job, making a decent living, she said.

With help from an employment counselor, Stover is exploring new kinds of work and considering attending school to update her skills.

Georgetown University workforce expert Anthony Carnavale says more industrial robots means fewer humans have high-paying jobs on production lines.

"Probably 75 percent of the job loss is technology-based," Carnavale said. "Robots, machines in general, are substituting for people.

New opportunities

But Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu says the changing economy brings new opportunities for workers  if they have the skills. Employers complain they cant find enough people who can run advanced machine tools or program computers.

We've also, in this country, had a remarkable transition to a service economy and really wonderful high-paying jobs  in IT, for instance," Lu said. "That is an industry that didn't exist 20 or 30 years ago."

Meantime, the head of the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance, Greg Pitoniak, says his organization closely tracks the skills employers need and helps displaced workers meet those demands.

Many job seekers look at it as, 'I can't afford to go to school for a couple years and not have an income,'" he said, explaining that employers are trying to close the skills gap by seeking apprentices for high-paying jobs like electrician, plumber, carpenter, millwright and pipefitter.

According to Pitoniak, the U.S. education system puts too much emphasis on college preparation and too little on getting people ready for technical jobs.

Prepping for the future



The changing skills needed from the work force, along with rapid changes in technology and fast-evolving consumer demands, present a major challenge for large manufacturers. It takes auto makers years to develop new products and efficient ways to build them.



In Dearborn, Michigan, the Ford Motor Company employs a futurist to draw a clearer picture of what is coming up. She makes illustrations and takes notes as she looks beyond the auto industry and wonders about the ever-more connected world, the growing middle class in emerging economies, expectations that technology will make life better, and environmental worries.

She considers the impact of new technologies, including making plastic car parts out of wheat straw, tomato stems, trees, soy beans, captured carbon dioxide, and all kinds of materials, instead of traditional petroleum. Parts made of alternative materials are sometimes lighter, which makes cars more fuel-efficient.

Sheryl Connelly says fuel-efficiency and sustainability are a growing challenge for auto manufacturers.

"As we add more and more people to the planet, consumption will have to be redefined, prosperity rethought," she said. "That is why we are moving toward the service-oriented, access oriented marketplace ... those people who can not afford a car still need mobility."



Environmentally-friendly shared ride services are under development by Ford and others. The company moves employees among its many facilities in an experimental shuttle service, controlled by a smart phone app. Shared vehicles could be a cheap alternative for emerging markets and an efficient one for crowded wealthy countries.

Some experts predict that shared vehicles, self-driving cars, and other changes could make more efficient use of vehicles and cut demand for cars.
Turkey on Wednesday denied U.S. claims that it agreed to a ceasefire with Kurdish fighters and says it will not stop its military offensive in northern Syria until all threats are removed.

The U.S. asked Turkey to halt its offensive against the Kurds and instead focus its efforts on combating the Islamic State group, but a spokesman for Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called a truce "out of the question."

"They will remain our target unless they retreat east of the Euphrates," he said.

While Turkey denied it had entered into a ceasefire with the Kurds, Wednesday marked the third day with no reports of fighting between the two sides, suggesting that both the U.S. allies had heeded its calls for peace, at least for the time being.

Turkey launched the offensive last week targeting Islamic State militants as well as U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters that the Turkish government considers linked to Kurdistan Workers' Party rebels at home.

Clashes between the Turks and Kurds have further complicated an already complex situation in Syria where the government has received support from Iran, Russia and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants while the U.S. and other western powers backed rebel fighters.

"Until terrorist groups and threats against our borders and citizens are removed our operation will continue," Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildrim told reporters.

Syrian sovereignty

Earlier Wednesday, Iran called for a quick end to Turkey's military offensive in northern Syria, saying the continued presence of Turkish forces will only escalate the conflict.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi called Turkey's move a violation of ally Syria's territorial sovereignty, echoing comments the Syrian foreign ministry made last week.

The Turkish offensive succeeded in pushing Islamic State out of the town of Jarablus before skirmishing further to the south with Kurds who had themselves helped retake control of Manbij.

A top U.S. general said Tuesday the Kurds had crossed back over to the eastern side of the Euphrates River, away from Manbij, in a move the U.S. hopes will put an end to the clashes.

The portion of the Kurds that are part of the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) are on the east side of the Euphrates River at this time. They have lived up to their commitment to us, U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command that oversees operations in the Middle East, told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday.

The SDF is primarily made up of Kurdish fighters, but Syrian Arabs, Turkmen and others also are part of the fighting group.

Votel said members of the SDF who have stayed west of the Euphrates to hold ground gained from IS in and around the city of Manbij are not Kurds and are principally made up of forces that come from that particular area.



WATCH: US Army General Joseph Votel on Syria

Votel: Turkey, US-allied Kurdish forces 'critical



Votel said both Turkey and U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in Syria are "critical" to the fight against Islamic State forces in the region.

He added that the U.S. relies on both parties to help counter the "principal threat" of IS. "Our support for all parties is contingent upon the focus upon ISIL," he said, using another acronym for the terror group.

The general said that while he has not received any verbal assurances from Turkey that it will remain in Syria to fight the terror group, he has seen actions from Turkey that are extraordinarily positive, from moving west along the border of Jarablus to pursue IS, to continuing other partnering efforts against IS along the Mara Line, in Syrias northwest.

Deeds matter, and what Im seeing on the ground is that they remain very committed to the ISIL fight, Votel said Tuesday.

Carter to Turkey 'stay focused'



His comments came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called on Turkey to "stay focused" on the fight against Islamic State and not engage with U.S.-allied Kurdish forces also battling the terror group in Syria.

Turkey's EU minister Omer Celik denied Wednesday that there was any kind of cease-fire agreement with the Kurds. On Tuesday, Turkey said U.S. criticism of its operations in northern Syria is "unacceptable."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Wednesday denounced the European Union's decision to order technology giant Apple to pay Ireland $14.5 billion in back taxes, saying the United States ought to be the beneficiary of the success of the world's most valuable company.

"I have been concerned that it reflected an attempt to reach into the U.S. tax base to tax income that ought to be taxed in the United States," Lew said of Tuesday's ruling by the EU's antitrust regulator.

Lew, speaking in Washington ahead of a meeting of the world's 20 leading economies in China, said, "Our concern with the European Commission action is that it is using a state-aid theory to make tax law and it is doing it in a way that is retroactive and that overrides national tax law authority."

Both Apple and Ireland announced plans to appeal the ruling, with Dublin voicing concern that the decision undercuts its efforts to position itself as a low-tax country that welcomes multinational corporations to open operations in the nation.

European regulators have also ordered the coffee store company Starbucks to pay more taxes to the Netherlands.

Failing to stake a claim

One former U.S. senator, Carl Levin, who oversaw congressional investigations of corporate tax avoidance schemes, said both Apple and the U.S. tax agency, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), were ultimately to blame for the loss of revenue to the United States.

Levin said European authorities understandably wanted to tax the earnings for Apple, which manufactures the popular iPhones.

Levin, however, said, "The IRS has failed to stake a claim for U.S. taxes on those revenues for a decade or more. It has been passive and so Europe attempts to fill the vacuum. Shame on Apple for dodging U.S. taxes. Shame on the IRS for failing to challenge Apple's tax avoidance."

In issuing the ruling, the EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager said, "Tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades, in breach of the EU state aid rules. Apple now has to repay the benefits." She questioned how anyone might think that Apple's 2014 Irish tax rate of 0.005 percent was fair.

Apple employs nearly 6,000 people in Ireland. Apple chief executive Tim Cook said he was "confident" the tax ruling would be overturned.
As Islamic State fighters are being routed from cities and towns across Syria and Iraq, they increasingly leave behind carnage, causing major damage to local economies and devastating people they already have traumatized.

A VOA reporter this week visited a town that was held by IS until last week, when Iraqi forces pushed the fighters out. The oil-rich town of Qayyarah, 60 kilometers south of Mosul, was under IS rule for more than two years. IS militants made certain that Qayyarah's infrastructure was damaged before they were defeated. Houses were partially or fully destroyed. Oil wells were set ablaze, causing major damage to the economy and the environment. At least 10 oil fields were burned down, local sources said.

"IS targeted oil fields knowing it was people's money," said Hussein Jasim, a resident of Qayyarah, referring to the Iraqi economy.

WATCH: IS Leaves Destruction in its Wake

The city's military base also was wiped out, according to Iraqi military officials.

"The base is not usable now," said Colonel Karim Radwan, an Iraqi military officer who led the offensive against IS there. "IS bombed the infrastructure of the base."

Qayyarah's airbase was a key installation for the Iraqi air force before it was captured by IS in June 2014. The base also was used for several years by U.S. forces after the U.S. intervention in 2003.

Radwan said it will take a long time and a large investment to repair the airfield.

Residents said they lived under IS extortion and suffer psychologically from IS occupation.

"We paid them a lot of money," said resident Jasim. "We either had to pay them or get slaughtered."

Many residents say widespread destruction in the town means they will not return home anytime soon, despite IS fighters having been cleared out. Many of the residents have fled to the Kurdish region of Iraq or nearby areas under the control of the Iraqi government.

"I fled with my family as the [Iraqi] forces were liberating [Qayyarah]," said Wahid Khalaf, another resident.

He and his children walked for seven hours to reach safety, "taking many dangerous routes," Khalaf told VOA.

Another resident who refused to be identified said thousands of families were devastated due to IS terror activities in the town. "These families have no homes or anything. They have nowhere to go," he said, pointing to fleeing residents crammed in the back of a truck.

IS's intention is to inflict lasting suffering after it is pushed from towns, analysts say.

"This is exactly what IS wants," said Hamid Majeed, an Iraqi political analyst. "They want to show people that their lives would be even more miserable after they [IS] no longer control their territories."
In Kenya, calls for the government to act on extrajudicial killings and disappearances are growing daily.

This week, the body of a nurse who disappeared 10 days ago was discovered in a morgue in central Kenya. According to local media, investigators say the body had injuries on the hands and neck, showing signs torture.

Extrajudicial killings and disappearances continue in Kenya, despite a push by human rights organizations and Western governments for the countrys government to investigate and take steps to end such incidents.

Kenyan security agencies have denied accusations they are responsible for the killings, blaming rogue police officers instead.

Spike in numbers

The head of the Independent Medico-Legal Unit in Kenya, Peter Kiama, says the killings of civilians by police have increased.

We have a situation that is getting out of hand. This has become a serious national crisis. We continue to see people within the criminal justice system disappearing in the hands of the police and also increased cases of misuse of firearms by the police leading to extrajudicial executions, but also increasing cases of extrajudicial executions through strangulation by police officers, Kiama said.



In July, Kenyans were outraged and took to the streets when a human rights lawyer, his client, and a taxi driver were tortured and killed, allegedly by police officers. Four Administration Police officers are facing murder charges.

Last week, gunmen thought to be police officers walked into a hospital in Mwingi in eastern Kenya and killed a patient who was being treated for a gunshot wound. Kenyan media report the sister of the victim who witnessed the shooting went into hiding after receiving threats.

Kiama said the incident was nothing unusual.

Witnesses to these (incidents) are coming under threat, and families who would like to seek justice are increasingly getting threatened, even within their household, being visited by suspects and supporters of the suspect to silence them, Kiama said.

Thorough investigation needed

A recent Human Rights Watch report documented 34 disappearances in the past two years at the hands of different security agencies.

The group's Kenyan researcher, Otsieno Namwaya, says the government needs to form a commission to investigate these cases.

We know this problem of killings and disappearances is a much bigger problem, and that is why we think we need to have a thorough investigation that looks at this problem holistically.... So, if a commission of inquiry is established, people will begin to see something that looks like an investigation and people will finally get to know at least the extent of the problem, Namwaya said.

Security authorities say all the cases of missing individuals and killings will be investigated, and action will be taken. Nine police officers are facing murder charges in connection with the killings of civilians in the past two months.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged India Wednesday to take greater responsibility on the global stage, in partnership with the United States.

Speaking to some of India's brightest students on the Delhi campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kerry called India "an established power with a footprint on matters that affect the entire planet. The top American envoy said further cooperation between the worlds two largest democracies is essential for confronting global challenges from terrorism to climate change.

The bottom line is that the deep cooperation between India and the United States matters a great deal to both our countries and to the entire world, said Kerry.

Leading nations, added Kerry, cannot simply ignore threats beyond our borders because, in the interconnected, globalized world we live in today, those dangers will inevitably cross borders. So we must confront them together.

Kerry described Indo-American cooperation as having reached an unprecedented level, but said more is needed, while noting that lasting peace requires strong diplomacy.

China

Much of his remarks focused on confronting terrorism and the regional security challenge posed by Beijings militarization of the South China Sea, the latter a growing concern of India, which shares a disputed border with China.

Theres no military solution to this, Kerry stated.

In a joint statement issued Tuesday the United States and India reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation in and over the South China Sea.

The Secretary of State also reiterated the United States backs Indias emergence as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.

Pakistan

Another security concern for India is safe havens for terrorists in neighboring rival Pakistan.

Progress is being made and the Pakistanis are moving at a greater pace, Kerry noted, adding that India should understand that Pakistan has also suffered greatly from terrorism with 50,000 Pakistanis having been killed in attacks by extremists.

Kerry said U.S. and Indian intelligence agencies now exchange information constantly about suspected terrorists, noting agreements announced the previous day in the 2nd US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue on furthering such cooperation.

Kerry also called for India to do more to provide better opportunities for equal access to education and good-paying jobs.

Indian Muslims

India has a substantial minority population and many Muslims complain of being treated as second class citizens.

Islam is the second largest religion in India, followed by about 15 percent of the population  some 175 million people.

Hand in hand with corruption is bad governance and can lead to disaffected people becoming radicalized, Kerry warned.

Longstanding Indo-Pakistani tensions have meant barriers to trade, meaning South Asia remains the least connected market in the world, something Kerry called unacceptable.

Coal power

The highest-ranking U.S. diplomat also chided India for its continued push for coal to meet its rising demand for energy.

If it is all coal, we are all in trouble, said Kerry, a long-time strong advocate of clean energy from his years as a U.S. senator. All the attendant problems that come with it (coal) vastly outstrip the cost.

Indias current installed level of power generation is 30 gigawatts, yet 300 million people in the country still lack reliable access to electricity.

The country has a national plan to install 175 gigawatts of renewable power capacity by 2022, which Kerry characterized as daunting but achievable.

The United States and India have a civil nuclear agreement, which has cleared the way for U.S.-based Westinghouse to build six nuclear power plants in the country, with Kerry on Wednesday touting fourth-generation nuclear reactors as safe.

The two countries are also collaborating on smart grid technology and biofuels.

Later in the day Kerry, accompanied by Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, visited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On an outdoor concrete path leading to Modi's office, Pritzker caught her heel in a line in the pavement and fell forward. Kerry quickly helped his Obama Cabinet colleague get to her feet. Pritzker was able to walk on her own and the secretary of state put his arm momentarily around Pritzker's right shoulder to help guide her in to the prime minister's office.

In greeting Kerry and Prizker, Modi, speaking in Hindi, said, "It looks like the rains this time have warmly welcomed you."

The U.S. delegation received a wet reception in the Indian capital Monday evening after a flight from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Despite a police escort, Kerry's motorcade from Palam airfield to a hotel became stuck in gridlocked traffic on waterlogged roads, experiencing what millions of other motorists in the city also had to endure.



Kerry plans to stay in India in the coming days before traveling to Huangzhou, China for the G20 summit next week.
August was a bloody month for Turkish security forces, being targeted by the Kurdish rebel group the PKK with a series of powerful truck bombs. The attacks that killed dozens and injured many more were across Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast.

The Turkish armed forces are seen as being in disarray after a failed coup in July. Observers say the Kurdish rebel leaders see an opportunity to press home an advantage in the decades-long battle for greater minority rights.

The offensive comes as the countrys legal Kurdish movement has been frozen out of Turkish politics, being labeled as terrorist supporters by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

International relations expert Soli Ozel, of Istanbuls Kadir Has University, said he fears the PKK offensive will only further add to the worrying surge in Turkish nationalism in the aftermath of the coup attempt.

In the immediate aftermath of the coup, with a coalition formed between traditional conservative nationalists, Islamists and secular nationalists, I do not think there is any room for the Kurds to be included in the new definition of the nation, and in the construction of a new Turkish state. And the PKK does everything that it can to help that kind of approach by rekindling the war, said Ozel.

Turkeys main pro-Kurdish newspaper Ozgur Gundem was temporarily shut down by a court in August for terrorist propaganda and dozens of its journalists were detained, along with well-known writers who contribute columns to the paper.

Pressure on the pro-Kurdish HDP, which is the third largest party in parliament, is intensifying. Legal proceedings are continuing against many of its deputies, since their parliamentary immunities were lifted.

The HDP is under heavy pressure. It was almost ousted from parliament and is isolated in the media, said HDP deputy Ertugrul Kurkcu, who is himself facing jail time. People are giving signs of expressions of hopelessness for a peaceful end of this war. Therefore many people are now urging the HDP to withdraw from the parliament and to come to their side to fight against Turkish aggression.

The polarization is being deepened, said Kurkcu, with the surge in anti-Kurdish sentiments being stirred up in the countrys media, much of which are under government control. The polarization has intensified with Turkeys military incursion into Syria, aimed not only at Islamic State, but the Syrian Kurdish militia the YPG, which Ankara accuses of being a terrorist organization linked to the PKK.

Former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served in Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdish region, says the Syrian incursion potentially poses the risk of unprecedented inter-ethnic clashes in Turkey; but, Selcen said Ankara could be positioning itself for a resumption of a peace process with the PKK, based in the Qandil Mountains in Iraq.

In the best case scenario, once Ankara is convinced that it stopped the PKKs Syrian flank and suppressed it militarily in Turkey, and with the coming of winter by November, there can be some feelers towards Qandil and maybe Ocalan, who is a prisoner on Imrali Island, can be brought back to the table and some sort of peace process, or cease-fire process or cessation of hostilities can be back on track by winter or late fall, said Selcen.

In July of last year, a nearly three-year peace process between Ankara and the PKK collapsed. Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK leader who is held in a Turkish prison, played a key role in those talks. HDP deputy Kurkcu said Ocalan is key to pulling back hardliners within the rebel group.

Unless Ocalan is allowed to speak in his name, there will be no concessions, but after that there may be. Because the PKK gives Ocalan such a credit, they stopped armed actions even if they didn't believe, he said.

For several months, Ocalan authorities have banned any communication or news on his well-being. One of the key members of the peace process on the government's side, Yalcin Akdogan, has ruled out any return to the peace process. President Erdogans international relations chief, Ayse Sozen Usluer, has said, There is always the possibility of going back to the peace process.

For now, all sides are bracing for an intensification of the conflict at least until the fall of winter snow, which traditionally curtails the fighting.
Belgian-Moroccan Khadija Hamouchi has been invited to an accelerator program in Silicon Valley to build a prototype of her App Sejaal in the next three months. She won the African Entrepreneurship Award last year for creating Sejaal, a free educational app that focuses on professional development for youth in the Middle-East and North Africa.

The 26-year-old inventor comes from the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek, notorious for links to terrorists.



Hamouchi said not being able to attend a high-quality secondary school made her want to become a teacher. She even completed a second degree in educational studies in Britain, but after spending time in Arab countries teaching languages, the third-generation Moroccan started dreaming bigger.



Being there inspired me. But it also showed me that young people between 18 and 30 lack three things: updated knowledge about the industry in which they work, personality development and soft skills. Thats something that is not taught in university. With Sejaal I want to expose them to this kind of information.



"Sejaal" is an Arabic expression that means discussion, or exchange. The app is to be a social-educational tool that provides quick and targeted learning through videos, info graphics, and podcasts.



Hamouchi spent two years developing the Sejaal app. She completed a summer course at Stanford University last year and spent three months at an innovation lab in Berlin, Germany this year. Now, Hamouchi is going to Silicon Valley, in California.

At the accelerator program where she will build the prototype for the app, Hamouchi hopes to attract investors and partners.



Because I want my platform to be for the mass of people, I need the access to be free. My niche is students in public universities, young entrepreneurs and young employees. I need to reduce the barriers to learning and to make it fun. Because Im competing with other platforms who monopolize the time and attention of these youth on something that has less of a return on investment on their careers, she said.



One of Hamouchis mentors during her time in Berlin was creative consultant Kim Moke, who believes the Sejaal app could stand out and succeed because it specifically targets Middle Eastern youth on a level that connects them. While headlines in Belgium celebrate the "Molenbeek to Silicon Valley" success story, Moke is also trying to prepare Hamouchi on the challenges she will face.



She must find a way to use that to her advantage. Khadija is female in a male dominated sector. In addition, she is defending the Middle East, its youth, and its values to a world steeped in negative and uninformed opinions about this culture. She has to inform the uninformed and educate the uneducated in a global way. Not just the youth of the Middle East.



A complaint much expressed by Arab youths, and also voiced during the Arab Spring, is the high rate of unemployment and the inadequacy of the educational system to prepare Arab youth for the labor market. Youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa is the highest in the world at about 30 percent, according to the International Labor Organization. Estimates are another 100 million people will enter the job market in the next four years.



Once the prototype is finished, Hamouchi hopes to build the actual app in the Middle East and roll it out in early 2018.
Talks aimed at ending nearly seven decades of fighting between Myanmar's government and ethnic rebel groups opened in the capital of Naypyitaw Wednesday.

Delegates from 17 ethnic minorities, decked out in the colorful costumes of their particular group, filled the convention hall, mingling with military officers and diplomats at the start of the five-day conference, a major initiative of Aung San Suu Kyi's first days as leader of Myanmar's new democratically-elected government.

"Only if we are united will our country be at peace," the Nobel Peace laureate said in her opening remarks. "Only if our country is at peace will we be able to stand on an equal footing with other countries in our region and across the world."



"This is a unique opportunity for us to accomplish a great task that will stand as a landmark throughout our history. Let us grasp this magnificent opportunity, with wisdom, courage, and perseverance, and create a future infused with light," she stated.

The summit has been dubbed "21st Century Panglong," a tribute to a 1947 agreement brokered by independence hero General Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi's late father, that granted ethnic minorities autonomy once Myanmar, also known as Burma, gained independence from Britain. But the deal fell apart the following year when Aung San was assassinated, pitting the separatist groups located on the country's borders with China and Thailand against the military, who ruled Myanmar with an iron fist for over five decades.

On the eve of the peace conference, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Myanmar's new government to confer citizenship on its 1 million-strong Rohingya Muslim minority, who are regarded as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

"Every transition takes a risk but refusing to embark on transition may carry the greatest risk of all. We see tragic evidence of this around the world. I urge you all to continue to face up to your responsibilities, particularly to the youth and children of Myanmar - the future of this wonderful country. You owe it to them to work for a better tomorrow," he said.

Burmese General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Armed Forces stated, "We need to end this tragic drift in the present during our tenure. In all seriousness, I believe we all can successfully implement our peace process with the strength of unity. In this regard, I would say once more that the Tatmadaw's [Myanmar Armed Forces] stand is firm and is based on 'the spirit of restoring peace without fail.'"

General Nban La, Kachin Independence Army leader added, "I want to say that we want to live peacefully together with happiness and sadness. The federal union that we are talking about is not about separating ourselves from the country. We just want equal rights and to live together and collaborate like brothers."

As many as 120,000 Rohingya have been languishing in squalid displaced persons camps in western Rakhine state since 2012, when fighting broke out between Buddhist nationalists and Muslims.

Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon's predecessor as U.N. chief, was named by the Myanmar government to head an advisory panel to address the issues in Rakhine state.
Plans for a coal-fired power plant near the Sundarbans region in Bangladesh is being fiercely resisted by several environmental groups who say the plant poses serious threats to the world's largest mangrove forest.

The government of Bangladesh insists that the 1,320 megawatt power plant, once it is built in Rampal, off the northern edge of the Sundarbans, would cause no harm to the forest, which is recognized by the UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in a nationally televised media conference Saturday, blamed the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and some associated groups, accusing them of conducting a politically motivated propaganda campaign against the government.

Bangladesh and India signed a deal in 2010 to jointly set up the $1.7 billion plant in Rampal.

Following last months signing of an agreement to begin the construction of the main plant, environmental activists, students, opposition BNP party workers and others have staged protests across the country demanding the plant be scrapped.

However, the government said in a statement last week that the ground work is going ahead as scheduled and the plant would begin operation by 2018.

International standards

A section opposed to development in the country has for some time been indulging in a negative campaign against the Rampal plant and creating fear among people by providing false information about the power plant and related issues. As per international standards, a coal-fired plant should not be located within a 10 kilometer range of a forest, Hasina said. This plant in Rampal is located 14 kilometers away from the edge of the Sundarbans and 65 kilometers away from the World Natural Heritage zone.

Citing data and statistics, the prime minister emphatically said the plant would in no way harm the Sundarbans.

But environmental experts and activists say they are not convinced by government claims.

AKM Wahiduzzaman, head of the Geography & Environment department of the National University of Bangladesh and a secretary for climate change issues for the BNP, said the prime ministers arguments were hollow.

Noting that in neighboring India, the building of any coal-fired plant is not allowed within 25 kilometers of a forest, Professor Wahiduzzaman said, the Rampal plant - which , according to him, is 11 to 13 kilometers from the edge of the Sundarbans - is going to be built at a location "very unsafe" for the Sundarbans forest.

Problems with coal

One major issue cited by opponents of the plant is the importation of coal, which will arrive on large vessels before being transferred to boats at Akram Point, in the middle of the Heritage zone.

Wahiduzzaman said coal waste discharged at the point will contaminate the most sensitive core area of the forest.

Discharge of coal, dirt, fuel and other chemicals from the frequently sailing large and small ships will heavily contaminate the adjacent rivers, sea and coast. There will also be sound and light pollutions, caused by the ships, which would hamper the ecosystem and the wildlife of the Sundarbans, Wahiduzzaman said.

Kallol Mustafa, an engineer and an anti-pollution activist, said a coal-fired plant, however technologically advanced it is, poses a threat to an ecologically sensitive forest if it is not located at a safer distance.

He added that in Bangladesh countless industries flout safety measure norms, triggering rampant pollution.

If the industrial units around Dhaka followed the pollution control norms properly, we would have not seen as much as 90,000 cubic meters of untreated liquid waste being dumped daily in the rivers around the capital, he said. In such a situation we cannot hope the Rampal plant will follow the pollution control norms perfectly, being located far away from Dhaka, close to the Sundarbans.

Lack of power

The World Bank says as much as 40 percent of Bangladeshs population has no access to electricity and businesses are being affected by power shortages.

The country has the capacity to generate about 14,000 megawatts of electricity, far short of current needs. And according to an estimate by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), the national demand for power will top 35,000 megawatts by 2030. To deal with the problem, the government has plans to set up 25 coal-fired plants that would generate an additional 15,000 megawatts by the end of the next decade.

Sundarbans National Park (SNP) is known as a rich habitat for birds and many other endangered species, including the Bengal tiger and Ganges and Irrawaddy river dolphins.

A huge population of Bangladeshis are also directly dependent on the forest and its rivers for their livelihood. The mangrove forest also acts as a crucial buffer guarding Bangladesh from cyclones that routinely hit this region.
By Maha Siddiqui: A day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hit out at Pakistan for harbouring terrorists who act against India in the presence of John Kerry in New Delhi, the US Secretary of State seemed to be doing a balancing act at his IIT-Delhi interaction on Wednesday morning. He claimed Pakistan is working at a "greater pace" to weed out terror sanctuaries.

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READ| Terror groups like IS, LeT, JeM can't be fought by one nation alone: John Kerry



After being delayed by about 45 minutes due to a heavy downpour, Kerry spoke about how non-state actors are heading conflicts globally and dangers will inevitably cross borders unless challenged effectively. He said "it is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist, terrorist activities" but he also added "in fairness Pakistanis have suffered greatly. 50,000 people have been killed and when they try to act there is a push back."

READ| Pakistan must push harder against terrorists, do more to clear sanctuaries: US



When asked about the candidacy of Donald Trump and the fear of polarisation in the run-up to US elections, Kerry said he would rely on the good judgement of the Americans. He said "polarisation anywhere is not good. It reflects intolerance and frustration with governments." Meanwhile, in what sounded like an oblique reference to the debate on free speech and sedition in India, Kerry said while commenting on Donald Trump's rhetoric that it was better to be able to speak out freely as is happening in the US right now rather than getting jailed for half the things one says.

For the second time in his three-day visit, the US Secretary of State had to tackle the infamous Delhi water logging and slow traffic due to rains. He quipped saying, all those present for his interaction deserved an award for being there and then went on to ask how they managed to get there, in boats or amphibious vehicles? John Kerry's visits to the Sisganj Gurudwara, Gauri Shankar temple and Jama Masjid had to be called off due to the torrential rains.

Also Read:

READ: Delhi rains: John Kerry is late for IIT address, asks if people 'took boats to reach'



Kerry, Sushma co-chair talks as India, US reaffirm need for Pak to fight terror



--- ENDS ---
A teenage boy in a small French town falls in love with the girl of his dreams. Then comes the horror  the January 2015 attacks in Paris, the first of a series of terror strikes that has left this country scarred and divided.

"Do we have the right to be in love, to experience joy, to smile when death strikes?" asked Arnaud Cathrine, describing one of the questions he explores in his newly released novel, A La Place du Coeur (roughly translated as Instead of the Heart), the first of a two-part series that targets young adults.

Cathrine's novel is among a raft of darkly rimmed tomes hitting bookstores around the country for la rentree litteraire  the start of France's literary season that coincides with the return to school and the end of lengthy summer holidays.

More than 500 novels are making their debut for this year's rentree, most of them by French authors. And while they deal with a hodgepodge of subjects, many are informed in one way or another by the string of Islamist attacks over the past 20 months.

"This rentree re-examines France's wounds," said Glenn Tavennec, an editorial director at the Paris-based publishing house Robert Laffont. "It doesn't necessarily plunge us back into the events, but it invites us, as readers, to give them a second look and consider another way of living."

The literary selection includes L'Insouciance by Karine Tuil, about a French lieutenant returning from Afghanistan. Another, Evelyne ou le Djihad by Mohamed Nedali, is about a Moroccan high school student who finds himself sharing a prison cell with an extremist.

There is even Une Poupee au Pays de Daech, (or A Doll in Islamic State Country), starring the ubiquitous Barbie  in a face-covering niqab.

The terror attacks also have influenced this fall's nonfiction selection.

"We have a lot of titles on the French attacks, or on Islamic State or the terrorist threat in general," said an employee manning the nonfiction section of popular Paris bookstore Gibert Jeune.

While it's too early to say how the latest releases will fare, he said, similar themes have "sold well" this year.

Bookstore owner Marie-Jose Mancini believes the latest releases reflect a more sustained, darker turn to French literature.

"We've seen it for some time  many authors aren't interested in humor," she said. "I'm not sure what the reason is, why society has evolved this way. Perhaps the economic problems influence things as well."

Editor Tavennec says many of the current crop of novels either deal obliquely with the terrorist strikes or, as another fallout, tap a sense of nostalgia for a glorified past.

A newly released crime novel, also published by Robert Laffont, offers a more cynical take on recent French history. Set in 1942 under France's pro-Nazi Vichy regime, L'affaire Leon Sadorski (The Leon Sadorski Affair) by Romain Slocombe has as its main character an investigator who is both anti-Semitic and a collaborator.

"It's atrociously delicious," Tavennec said, drawing parallels between the country's World War II past and the current state of emergency and rise of the far right. "You discover what occupation was like. It reflects where we come from."

Novelist Cathrine was not in Paris during the January attacks. Like his characters, he experienced the shootings at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a kosher store through the media.

"As a novelist, I simply wanted to ask the question of what people understand from events streamed continuously on TV screens and smartphones," he said. "It's almost like living in a suspense movie with a non-stop news cycle that tends to make things less real."

The central character in his book, 17-year-old Caumes, falls in love the day before the Charlie Hebdo attacks. As events unfold, a Muslim friend is beaten to death.

The book's sequel is set during November's attacks on the Bataclan and other spots that killed 130 people. This time, Cathrine was at home in his Paris neighborhood, not far from some of the shootings.

"In one year, the terrorists attacked just about everything: free expression, Jews, the youth, the Arabs," he said. "I lived it like everyone; as a despairing event. But at the end, people want to affirm life, whatever it takes."

He hopes that will be the main takeaway for readers; "that joy is not destroyed, that the time for insouciance isn't over because of this tragedy."
United Russia, the ruling political party best known for its loyalty to President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin, has essentially become a tool of political legitimization for organized crime, according to an opposition party report published Tuesday titled "The Criminal Russia Party."

"I think that the title of the report quite accurately reflects its contents," Ilya Yashin, deputy chairman of the opposition People's Freedom Party, was quoted as saying earlier this month.

"United Russia, over the years of its existence, has turned into a full-fledged social elevator for organized crime, criminal groups and individual criminals, who are using the party to reach a new level in their criminal activities, to integrate with the state power bodies," he said.

In his 66-page report, Yashin offers a long list of United Russia members accused of involvement in  or even organizing  various high-profile crimes. They include Vyacheslav Gaizer, former governor of northwestern Russias Komi Republic, who was arrested in 2015 for operating a criminal group involved in the large-scale theft of state property; Alexander Khoroshavin, former governor of the Far Eastern Russian region of Sakhalin, who was also arrested last year for alleged large-scale embezzlement and bribe-taking; Said Amirov, the former mayor of Makhachkala, the capital of North Caucasian republic of Dagestan, who was sentenced last year to life in prison for murder and other crimes; and many others.

United Russia reportedly repudiated the listed members when they became targets of the country's prosecutors.

"The bouquet of crimes associated with this party covers the entire criminal code," Yashin said Tuesday in Moscow. "It's not just about fraud and stealing, but also about other, much more serious articles of the criminal code."

Response to report

Yashin's report received little immediate attention in Moscow, apart from a derisive online commentary by Pravda.ru, a private group that uses the name of the former official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

"Ilya Yashin's report entirely consists of distorted facts, misinterpreted quotes and events," Pravda.ru said.

Corruption in Russia is real, the commentary added, but "Yashin did not conduct any investigations or studies," and the way in which he interpreted information he gathered on the internet made his report "a collection of lies from beginning to end."

'Party of crooks and thieves'

With elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, set to take place Sept. 18, Yashin said his goal is to show that United Russia is "the party of crooks and thieves," as anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny first termed it in 2011.

In an April 2011 survey by the Levada Center, Russia's only independent national polling agency, 31 percent of respondents said they agreed with the view that United Russia is "the party of crooks and thieves." That number rose to 38 percent in a Levada survey conducted in September 2012, and to 51 percent in an April 2013 Levada poll.

Following large opposition protests in December 2011, Putin himself rejected characterizing United Russia as "the party of crooks and thieves," saying corruption was not limited to one political party and adding: "What's important, however, is how the ruling government is fighting these negative things."

Gennady Gudkov, a retired KGB colonel who is a former State Duma deputy, told VOA's Russian service that the "power vertical" which has been erected in the country is a direct path for illicit enrichment.

"The system not only ensures the loyalty of the authorities, but to a significant extent allows their appointees to act almost uncontrollably," he said. "By and large, the main objective of our government is the preservation of power for continued illegal enrichment."

Looting with impunity

Over the years, the system has formed an entire class of people who have made their money by criminal means, Gudkov said.

"Therefore, the powers that be are prepared to defend by any means their right to plunder the national wealth uncontrollably and with impunity," he said. "They behave like occupiers. It is a soft occupation, which has not led so far to the creation of concentration camps and the like. But, in general, the looting is in full swing."

According to Gudkov, the system simply cannot live without corruption and kickbacks  leaving nothing left over for development and creation.

"Naturally, under these conditions, theft and enrichment at any cost becomes an end in itself," Gudkov said.

For his part, Alexei Kondaurov, a retired KGB general who also served in the State Duma, believes people try to "lean" toward the ruling party in order to get certain benefits.

Party affiliation, protection

"This is definitely the case," he told VOA's Russian service. "Among those who move toward [United Russia] are criminals seeking a roof [Russian slang for protection], although this does not mean that an overwhelming number of people with a criminal record are in the party."

If the ruling party did not provide the possibility of getting cushy jobs, no one would have any use for it, Kondaurov said.

"After all, this party does not have, and could not have, anything for the soul," he said. "People do not join it out of ideological conviction. Moreover, it is absolutely unclear what its ideology actually is, other than professing love for the top leadership."
With the summer holiday almost over, computer science student Hande Tekiner should be gearing up for a year of cram sessions and late-night homework. Instead, she may have nowhere to return to, because her university was shut after Turkey's failed coup.

Authorities have closed 15 universities and around 1,000 secondary schools linked to Fethullah Gulen, the Muslim cleric that they blame for the July 15 attempted putsch. Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania since 1999, has denied involvement in the plot and condemned it.

The closures have left about 200,000 students in Turkey in academic limbo, wondering if they can continue their studies and worried about the black mark of a Gulen school on their college record. Tens of thousands of academics and schoolteachers have also been purged, deepening concern about curtailment of academic freedom and free speech.

"As students at universities that have been shut, we are being victimized, even though those schools were opened with state approval," said Tekiner, 23.

She had been due to start her fourth and final year at Mevlana University in Konya before the coup. "I have doubts if I will be able to finish my studies," she said.

Tekiner said she and others were harassed on social media, labeled by anonymous accusers as supporters of the coup because they attended Gulen schools.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the government say the cleric's network used the schools to recruit followers who then infiltrated the military, civil service and judiciary. Turkey has asked the United States to extradite him, but Washington says only a federal court can make that decision.

Since the coup, in which at least 240 people died, Turkey has detained about 40,000 people and formally arrested half of them. Rights groups and some in the West fear Erdogan is using the purges to stifle dissent and tighten his grip on power.

Pious masses

Until a public falling-out in 2013, Erdogan and Gulen were allies. Erdogan initially saw the cleric as useful in taming the influence of the military and secular elite who had dominated Turkey since the founding of the modern republic.

For years, Gulen's followers have run schools across Turkey and as far afield as Africa and the United States, blending Islam with an emphasis on science and interfaith dialogue. The schools helped to open up higher education to Erdogan's voter base  the pious masses often from poorer regions who were traditionally shut out of elite universities in Istanbul and Ankara.

Erdogan, himself a graduate of a religious school, has fought to bring religious education into the mainstream of constitutionally secular Turkey and worked to overturn a ban on the headscarf in parliament and universities.

But the closure of Gulen schools is troubling for students in towns where there are no other universities. Those from modest backgrounds  and female students from pious families  cannot afford, or may not be allowed, to live away from home.

"The reason I chose my university is to be close to home," said another student from Konya's Mevlana University. "As a girl, my family would never allow me to study in another town."

The Council of Higher Education, known as "YOK" in Turkish, provoked widespread outrage when it said students would be placed at new universities based on exam scores, meaning they could end up at a school on the other side of the country.

It later relented following a number social media campaigns, including one under the hashtag "#YOKbizimagduretme," or "YOK, don't victimize us."

Tens of thousands affected

Roughly 80,000 people in the military, civil service and judiciary have been sacked or suspended in the purges. Around half of those have been in education, according to state media.

Teachers unions and some opposition politicians say authorities are targeting educators based on evidence that is tenuous at best  such as having opened a savings account at Bank Asya, a now-defunct lender founded by Gulen's followers.

The government has said the investigations and other measures are necessary to prevent another coup.

But Kamuran Karaca, who heads one of Turkey's biggest teachers unions, said the wrong people were being targeted.

Since the coup, 88 members of his Egitim-Sen union have been suspended.

"All of our members who have been suspended, rather than being supporters of Gulen, are on the contrary people who strive for secular education and a secular life," said Karaca. "We believe they were blacklisted because they deposited their rent in Bank Asya, or took a loan from it, or a relative took a loan from it."

Gaye Usluer, a lawmaker from the opposition Republican People's Party, criticized what she said was a "sweeping" crackdown that has also harmed people who may be innocent.

Candan Badem, a Marxist historian, was briefly detained for possessing a book by Gulen in his home, his lawyer told Reuters. He was later released.

Badem signed an "Academics for Peace" petition this year that criticized military action in the largely Kurdish southeast. Erdogan denounced the more than 1,000 signatories, who included U.S. linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, and some Turkish academics were detained over it.

Defending the purge

Several academics and teachers declined to talk to Reuters about the purge, saying they were afraid to go on the record.

"The freedom to communicate and the freedom to collaborate are essential to functioning good science," said Rush Holt of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, who wrote an open letter to Erdogan urging protection of the rights of the scientific community.

The European University Association has said that measures introduced in the wake of coup "go in the wrong direction."

Still, some academics defend the crackdown.

"Nobody knows where this illegal organization starts and where it ends," said Sedat Gumus, an associate professor at Necmettin Erbakan University in central Konya. "In such a context, suspending many people from their jobs is understandable. In the investigation it will be revealed who was involved [and] to what extent. If there are people who are falsely accused, they should be able to return to their jobs."
Turkish forces started their cross-border military operation in Syria a week ago without an exit strategy, analysts say, and that may adversely affect U.S. efforts against Islamic State extremists in the region.

Gonul Tol, the Middle East Institutes program director for Turkey, told VOA that the Turkish military incursion complicates Washingtons fight against Islamic State.

The Turkish offensive is likely to continue to focus on the YPG and [that military unit of the Syrian opposition] is not likely to back off, either," Tol said. "When Turkish troops pull back will depend on when YPG moves east of the Euphrates [River]. The Turkish military may stay in Syria for a long time.

US focus on fighting IS

The Pentagon and the White House have declared that Turkey's military movements are "unacceptable" in parts of Syria where Islamic State is not active.

We have called upon Turkey to stay focused on the fight against IS and not to engage Syrian Democratic Forces, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday.

Syria's Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing, the YPG, are part of the Syrian Democratic Forces fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey says both of those groups are terrorists, in contrast to the United AStates, which sees the Democratic Union Party as a reliable ally in the fight against Islamic State extremists.

The PYD is linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has been waging a war against Turkey for more than three decades, seeking greater political and cultural rights for Turkeys Kurdish population.

Turkey's target IS or Kurds?

Turkey's incursion into Syria is aimed at reducing Kurdish influence along the Turkish-Syrian border, some analysts say. Others defend Turkey's military operation as an action in its national interest, and one that is within the parameters of international law.

Turkey has been up against IS threats for some time. Rockets from over the border and suicide bombing attacks in Turkey have killed many civilians," said Hasan Selim Ozertem, a security expert with Turkeys International Strategic Research Organization.

"Turkey acted within the U.N. Charters article 51, which is about self-defense, and moved into Jarabulus," Ozertem told VOA's Turkish service. "Also, this operation shows to all that the Turkish military, despite the July 15 coup attempt, is always ready to protect Turkeys interests.

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Tuesday that his government's Euphrates Shield operation will continue until peace has been established along the country's border with Syria - which some experts see as an open-ended military engagement for the Turks in Syria.

Risk of more mayhem

Alan Makovsky, a former American diplomat who is now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, said Syria could become a quagmire for Turkey.

How long the Turkish military will stay in Syria will depend on Turkeys operational goals," Makovsky told VOA. "If the incursion creates a new Turkish-Kurdish battlefield, it will add another layer of mayhem to the current chaos convulsing Syria.

While the timeline of the Turkish forces stay inside Syria and its full impact on the U.S. efforts to counter Islamic State along the Syrian-Turkish border remain unanswered, most analysts say that Turkey has its own, separate goals for the cross-border incursion.

IS was easily infiltrating the [Turkish] border, so the first aim of this operation was to push IS back," Oytun Orhan, who is affiliated with Turkeys Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies, told VOA. "At the same time, the PKKs Syrian arm, YPG, has been trying to make moves in the border region. Turkey also wants to prevent further YPG gains.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Myanmar to improve living conditions for its Rohingya Muslim minority on Tuesday, ahead of peace talks between leader Aung San Suu Kyi and many of the country's ethnic armed rebel groups.

Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya will not be represented at the conference starting on Wednesday, but the fact Ban raised their plight - and used the term for the group that is divisive in Myanmar - may add to international pressure on Suu Kyi to address the issue.

"The government has assured me about its commitment to address the roots of the problem," Ban told a news conference in the capital Naypyitaw.

"Like all people everywhere, they need and deserve a future, hope and dignity. This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identity."

Ban and Suu Kyi met reporters as the Nobel Peace Prize laureate launched a push to end decades of fighting between Myanmar's military and ethnic rebels.

Suu Kyi has made the peace process a priority for her administration, which faces sky-high expectations at home and abroad after sweeping to power in an election last November to end more than half a century of military-backed rule.

Tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in western Myanmar, however, are not being tackled as part of that process.

Many in the Buddhist majority country regard the largely stateless Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and they are not among the 135 ethnic groups recognized by law. Suu Kyi has asked foreign diplomats and leaders not to use the term "Rohingya" because in her view it is inflammatory.

Some 120,000 Rohingya remain displaced in squalid "internally displaced persons" (IDP) camps since fighting erupted in Rakhine state between Buddhists and Muslims in 2012.

Thousands have fled persecution and poverty.

"I conveyed the concern of the international community about tens of thousands of people who have been living in very poor conditions in IDP camps for over four years," said Ban.

He added that if they had lived in the country for generations, all people in Myanmar should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else. Many Rohingya families have lived in Myanmar for that long.

Last week Suu Kyi picked former U.N. chief Kofi Annan to lead a commission to stop human rights abuses in Rakhine.

Peace conference

Few concrete proposals are to emerge from this week's talks, with delegates expecting to meet every six months to discuss issues ranging from security, political representation and culture to sharing the fruits of Myanmar's mineral riches.

The gathering has been compared to the Panglong Conference, a meeting between Suu Kyi's father, Myanmar's national hero General Aung San, and ethnic minorities in 1947 that led to the formation of the Union of Burma after independence from Britain.

"The 21st Century Panglong conference is a promising first step," said Ban. "I congratulate all participants for their patience, determination and spirit of compromise."

The fact that Suu Kyi has been able to bring the vast majority of the rebels to the negotiating table only five months after taking power is a sign of progress, experts say.

Powerful armed groups from regions bordering China, who refused to sign a ceasefire last October under the previous military-backed government, are now set to take part, partly owing to China's tacit support for the talks.

As Myanmar's economy opens up, China is vying for influence with the United States. President Xi Jinping pledged his country would play a "constructive role" in the peace process when Suu Kyi visited China this month.

Suu Kyi is travelling to Washington in September where she is likely to face questions on the treatment of the Rohingya.

Myanmar has been torn by fighting between the military, which seized power in the 1962 coup, and ethnic armed groups almost without a break since the end of the Second World War.

Casting a shadow over the talks is a recent flare-up in fighting in northernmost Kachin State and clashes in northeastern Shan State, which is home to several large groups operating close to borders with China and Thailand.

The still-powerful military has also strongly opposed talks with three groups that fought it in the remote Kokang area last year unless they disarm. The groups have said they cannot, citing continued pressure from the army. It was unclear whether they would be allowed to attend the summit.

Ethnic delegates have complained about what they saw as an arbitrary schedule set by the government.

Suu Kyi, who said little at Tuesday's joint appearance with Ban, has not consulted the groups about the date of the conference or the specific agenda, diplomats familiar with the situation said.

"I will do my best to let all ethnic leaders attend tomorrow's conference," said Suu Kyi. "It's their own decision whether they attend or not."
Swiss authorities said a 17-year-old girl was pronounced dead early Wednesday due to injuries she sustained in a brutal attack on a train earlier this month.

The girl, identified in local media only as Melissa B., is reported to have had burns across 75 percent of her body. She died in a hospital sometime Tuesday night, police said.

The attacker, who died from his injuries a day after the August 19 incident, set a fire on the train and stabbed several passengers. Six other people were wounded by the assailant, though none of them are in critical condition.

The girl became the second to die from wounds sustained in the assault. The other victim, a 34 year-old mother reportedly from Croatia, died a day after the attack.

Police have ruled out terrorism as a motive in the attack, though they have not been able to offer any other explanation for the mans actions.
In what one rescuer called an extraordinary day, about 6,500 people Monday were pulled from some 40 ships off the coast of Libya en route to Europe.

Nicholas Papachrysostomou, field coordinator for Dignity I, a rescue ship in the Mediterranean operated by Doctors Without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said the scale is unprecedented.

All together, the number is awe-inspiring, Papachrysostomou said. In the history of search and rescue operation in the central Mediterranean, I dont think weve ever seen this figure on one single day.

The day began with MSF rescuers responding to a distress call relayed from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome. In a harrowing scene caught on camera by the Associated Press, rescuers encountered 600 to 700 people crammed inside a wooden boat. Nearby were another 18 to 20 rubber boats, each with about 120 people on board, he said.

MSF helped rescue about 3,000 people, and the Italian Coast Guard coordinated efforts to save about 3,500 more in separate operations. Calm water and low-winds during the morning were the reasons for the high numbers of people setting off for Europe that day, Papachrysostomou said.

Many of the refugees were from Eritrea and Somalia, although large numbers also originated from West Africa.

Papachrysostomou said rescuers saw signs of physical abuse, malnourishment and suffering from exposure to the elements.

The older ones are more vulnerable and the little children, he said. We come across cases where people are quite sick (from nausea). Theres hyperthermia. Theres fever. There are a number of conditions as a result of the journey, but we also have to consider that in order to get to Libya these people have had a long journey from their country, he said as the migrants were being taken to Vibo Valentia, in southern Italy. So they come with accumulated fatigue - and not just physical but also physiological.

The rescue made news around the world. Among those waiting anxiously for word was Kifleyesus Abraha, an Eritrean native who now resides in Seattle, Washington.

His phone number was written on a piece of paper that was among the belongings of a rescued Eritrean migrant. The paper also included numbers with country codes for Norway, Sweden and Germany. Alongside it, 20 and 100 Nakfa notes (the Eritrean currency), pictures of the migrant and a calendar were laid out on the boat to dry under the sun.

Abraha is a relative of the migrant and paid about $2,000 to smugglers in Libya to help him cross the Mediterranean.

The migrants journey began two years earlier in the town of Halay near Adi-Keyih, Eritrea. He left home because he saw no future there, Abraha said.

They want to lead their lives freely, and thats why they left. That is their dream and their first goal is to lead their lives, be it through education and other means, and then they want to help others, families they left behind.

After leaving Eritrea, a two-year journey took Abrahas relative from Ethiopia and Sudan to Libya. There, he fell in with smugglers and, according to Abraha, suffered beatings when he didnt pay the money he owed.

I know his voice... and I asked him because I was confused. I said why has your voice changed? He said they are beating me because I didnt pay money and I am in bad condition.

For Abrahas relative and untold other migrants, a dramatic rescue at sea is only the latest chapter in a journey controlled by abusive smugglers. Thats why MSF, the Italian Coast Guard and other rescuers see saving lives as part of a broader mission to dismantle the smuggling networks that fuel Mediterranean migration.

To prevent smugglers from reusing their boats, military vessels destroy them after migrants have been safely evacuated, Papachrysostomou said.

These activities are part of Operation Sofia, a European Union effort to curtail migration by disrupting smugglers and traffickers business models.

Safe and legal passage to Europe is the only way to keep migrants out of the hands of smugglers, Papachrysostomou said.

And this is why we believe, in Doctors without Borders, we believe that it is very important to reconsider the European policy. It is important to reconsider safe and legal passage because, the moment they dont have this, this is when they would actually look for the smugglers, and this is where the smugglers become very important because they are the only way to get them across.


South Korea says a high-ranking North Korean government official has been executed, and two more banished to re-education camps, as leader Kim Jong Un continues to tighten his grip on power.

South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon Hee says vice premier in charge of education affairs Kim Yong Jin has been executed, but revealed no other details.

An unnamed ministry official later said Kim Yong Jin was put before a firing squad last month after he was accused of exhibiting a "bad attitude" while attending a June parliamentary session. He was condemned for committing "anti-party, anti-revolutionary" acts.

Meanwhile, one of the two senior figures who were sent to re-education camps was 71-year-old Kim Yong Chol, believed to have planned the sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010.

If confirmed, Kim Yong Jin's death would be the latest in a wave of punishments, including executions, ordered by Kim Jong Un since he took power in 2011.

In February, Seoul said the North's military chief of staff had been executed, but he later resurfaced at a party rally in May.
Colombia's government will ratify a peace accord with the Marxist rebel group FARC on Sept. 26, Spain's acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Wednesday after talking to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

Santos's government reached a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, on Aug. 25 to end a five-decade war. The deal still has to go to a plebiscite vote on Oct. 2.

"I had the chance to speak on Monday with [Santos] to congratulate him on the agreement. He has invited us to the agreement's signing on Sept. 26," Rajoy told Spain's parliament in a speech.

Santos said on Wednesday he had not yet decided the date but it would be announced by Thursday.

The agreement, which was reached after almost four years of talks in Cuba, will see the FARC rebels lay down their arms and reintegrate into civilian life.
Singapore's beloved hawker industry faces an uncertain future with a wave of chef retirements imminent, raising questions about who will cook the city state's signature street-food delights.

There are over 100 hawker centers and 6,000 stalls in Singapore, run mainly by aging chefs, with people from all sections of society attracted to the tasty multi-ethnic meals that cost as little as S$2.80 ($2).

But the tough working conditions in the small, basic kitchens and low profits have led many new chefs to look to larger, modern restaurants for bigger revenues.

Some experienced hawker sellers in Singapore believe the younger generation don't have what it takes to succeed in the trade.

Alex See, 66

See runs a Fried Hokkien Mee (fried noodles) stall in East Coast with his 33-year-old daughter.

"Young people come and go, they are not serious about learning," he told Reuters.

"When I was helping my father at the age of 16, I asked him so many questions everyday to learn so that I can one day beat him at it. I do not think I have beaten my old man yet, it's a tie."

Sumosundram Moghan, 50

Moghan makes Roti Prata, a fried pancake, at his stall but his staff, despite extensive training, still struggle to replicate his standards.

"The boss must do it - everyone can make the same dough but the way I flip my prata gives it the crispy standard," he said.

"My assistant has been learning for eight years, but still not doing the way I want it."

Lim Swee Heng, 56

Hawker Lim Swee Heng has spent many years trying to perfect his spicy laksa noodle soup at his East Coast stall, Roxy Laksa.

"It takes years to get the right balance to the broth, to make it thick just add coconut, to make it watery just add water, but to go in-between, to get that right balance - that's the hard work of my dish."

Wee Phong Sai, 66

Wee has been making handmade fishball noodle soup for almost 40 years at Ghim Moh food market but has no obvious successor to take over.

"To retire? These are two words that I will not utter," he said.

Last month, two Singapore hawkers became the first street food sellers in the world to be awarded a prestigious Michelin star. For one, success will not mean increased prices.

Chan Hong Meng, 51

Chan was awarded a Michelin star for his soya sauce chicken at Chinatown food center stall.

"The Michelin star came to me as a surprise, I never expected that hawker food will win such an award," he said. "But with the Michelin star comes added responsibility, to maintain the standard of the dish and to keep the star...but I will not raise prices, at the end, its the customer that matters."

Some young hawkers are emerging, though. Keen to keep family traditions alive.

Stan Lim, 43

Lim runs Balestier Road Hoover Rojak. Rojak is a traditional Malay mixed fruit and vegetable salad.

Lim gave up a sales job to take over the stall from his father and does his best to repeat the methods learned.

"Many of hawkers here at this food center... told me to find something better outside and not be a hawker because its very hard work, long hours and very little rest," he told Reuters.

"But I took over my father three years ago because he was getting old. I do everything exactly he does, including how I arrange my utensils."
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Pakistan had made progress in the fight against extremism in recent months, but urged Islamabad to push harder against militants hiding within its borders.

By Reuters, Press Trust of India: The United States today said that it is clear that Pakistan has to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against "indigenous groups" operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistan's peace and stability.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on a three-day visit here, said that he has discussed with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of taking stronger action against groups such as the Haqqani network and LeT.

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READ: Terror groups like IS, LeT, JeM can't be fought by one nation alone: John Kerry

'HAVE MADE ENGAGEMENTS WITH NAWAZ SHARIF'



Addressing a session at IIT-Delhi here, he said terror groups like Daesh, al Qaeda, LeT and JeM cant be fought by a single nation alone.

"We are working on it. I have been working on this issue very hard. I have had many engagements with Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities. They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India- Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," Kerry said.

Kerry said Pakistan has fastened the process in the recent months.

READ: Delhi rains: John Kerry is late for IIT address, asks if people 'took boats to reach'

PAK NEEDS TO ACT ON TALIBAN, LeT



Kerry said the United States had made it clear to Islamabad that it needs to act against groups such as the Taliban-linked Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba that are suspected of operating from Pakistan to launch attacks against its neighbours India and Afghanistan.

"In fairness, the Pakistanis have suffered greatly from terrorism in their own country," Kerry said. "All of us need to be supportive and also understanding of how difficult it is to take it on step by step."

'PAKISTAN IS MAKING PROGRESS '



Without elaborating, he added: "I believe that in the last months progress is being made and the Pakistanis are moving at a greater pace."

The United States accuses the Pakistani intelligence agency of supporting the Haqqani militants and using them as a proxy in Afghanistan to gain leverage there against the growing influence of India there. Pakistan denies this.

Pakistan army has launched military operations in the troubled North Waziristan region, which is said to be the base of the Haqqani group.

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Kerry said on Tuesday that Islamabad should not feel isolated by fresh talks that are planned between the United States, India and Afghanistan next month in New York. The last time such trilateral talks were held was in 2013.

Also Read:

Kerry, Sushma co-chair talks as India, US reaffirm need for Pak to fight terror

--- ENDS ---
Afghanistans Taliban confirmed to VOA Wednesday it has been holding a Canadian man, his American wife and their two children hostage, saying the insurgent group is waiting for the U.S. and Canadian governments to meet its demands.

Joshua Boyle and his wife Caitlan Coleman, in a video that surfaced this week, called on Canada and the United States to pressure the Afghan government into halting executions of Taliban prisoners. They warned their captors will kill them and their children unless the demands are met.

The insurgents took the couple hostage in Afghanistan in 2012 and Coleman revealed to her family through a letter that she gave birth to two children in captivity.

Message from hostage



"I know this must be very terrifying and horrifying for my family to hear that these men are willing to go to these lengths, but they are, Coleman, wearing a black headscarf, said in the video.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman for the Taliban, told VOA the insurgent group has not released the video officially because it is not new. He added the video was recorded sometime back and was shared with the families of the hostages and also sent to their respective governments.

Both the prisoners are in good health. They have two children and there are no concerns about their health and safety, Mujahid said.

Our demands have already been sent to the two countries and we have long told them (the hostages) that their countries must do everything possible to secure their freedom, added the Taliban spokesman without going into further details.

US examining video



The United States said Tuesday it was still examining the video.

"We remain concerned, obviously, about the welfare of Caitlan and her family, and we continue to urge for their immediate release on humanitarian grounds, State Department spokesman John Kirby said at the daily briefing in Washington.

A website called Site Intelligence Group (SITE), which monitors extremist activity online, posted the video Tuesday.

Officials in Canada have said they are aware of the video but declined to discuss further details, cautioning it might risk endangering the safety of Canadian citizens abroad.

A video message of the couple first surfaced in 2013 asking the U.S. government to free them from Taliban captivity.
Pakistan will reopen a southwestern border crossing with Afghanistan for routine traffic on Thursday after days of closure, stranding thousands of travelers and trade convoys on both sides, officials said.



The Chaman border facility was closed about two weeks ago when Afghans staged an anti-Pakistan demonstration on their side and some angry protesters attacked the border gate and burned a Pakistani flag, according to officials in Islamabad.



A spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC), which guards the Pakistan border, Wednesday cited successful negotiations between senior Pakistani and Afghan border authorities for agreeing to resume the traffic.



An official Pakistani statement said Afghan negotiators condemned the August 18 incident and promised to take preventive measures in future.



The two sides agreed to pay due respect to each other testimonials and hold a monthly flag meeting to address issues of mutual interest for ensuring a peaceful environment.



Afghan and Pakistani traders said the border closure caused them millions of dollars in losses and urged both the governments to take steps to ensure uninterrupted movement in both directions.



There are four regular crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan along their 2,600-kilometer frontier. But the Chaman and the northwestern Torkham border posts serve as the two main crossings for trade and travelers.

An estimated 50,000 people, mostly Afghans, travel across the two facilities each day in addition to hundreds of trucks carrying trading goods to landlocked Afghanistan.

Construction of a new gate at Torkham by Pakistan recently prompted deadly clashes between Afghan and Pakistani border forces, suspending traffic there for days.

The border tensions stem from a deterioration in relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent months over mutual allegations of supporting terrorist attacks on each others soil.
Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump may be in trouble in the most important Republican stronghold state - Texas. Republican candidate John McCain won the Lone Star State by 12 percentage points in 2008 and Mitt Romney won it by 16 points in 2012, but a recent poll shows only a 6 percent gap between Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Texas all important for Republicans

Texas is important because of its 38 electoral votes, second only to Democratic stronghold California, which has 55. If Trump has to invest time and resources in heavily Republican Texas, it will diminish his efforts in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida, where the electorate is more evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.

University of Houston-Downtown political science professor David Branham said Republicans should be concerned by polls showing Trump with anything but a wide lead in Texas.

If Texas is in play, it is really bad news for Donald Trump, he said.

But Branham noted that polls could fluctuate a lot in the weeks ahead, and he said a lot will depend on what Trump does and says from now until Election Day.

Hispanic voters key to future

Democrats in Texas have long seen Hispanics as a key factor in winning back the state that was a Democratic stronghold for more than 100 years until the 1970s. Hispanics, which in Texas mostly means Mexican Americans, are the largest minority in the state, numbering 10 million out of a total population of 27.4 million. But their voting turnout rate is far below that of white people and African Americans, diminishing their political power. The same is true of younger voters, whose turnout swings widely from year to year.

Branham, who has done studies on voter demographics and dynamics, thinks it will take a few more decades for Texas to go back to being Democratic, even though the population of older white people, who lean heavily Republican, will decrease while the number of Hispanics and people from Asia, Africa and other parts of the world steadily increases. Around half of the Hispanics in Texas are under the age of 30, while 35 percent of white people are under 30.

Registering young Hispanic voters

Various non-profit, non-partisan civic groups are engaged in getting both Hispanics and younger citizens of voting age to register and vote. One of them is Mi Familia Vota, Spanish for "My Family Votes. As classes began last week at the University of Houston Downtown, Maria Villenas worked the main entrance hallway, registering anyone she could find. One reason she targeted this school is its more than 40 percent Hispanic enrollment.

Speaking to VOA, she said college students have a big influence in their families.

I am seeing more of the children asking the parents to register; the children taking the registration forms to the parents; the children driving the parents to vote, she said,

Branham also sees university students as important agents of political engagement.

It is not unusual for young people to actually have influence in politics over their parents, he said. They come home from the university and talk politics. Now, their parents may not agree with everything, but they talk about it and once that discussion starts going, you start acting on it.

Trump insults could help Democrats with Hispanics

Texas Democrats see an opportunity this year provided by Donald Trumps rhetoric - deriding Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals, proposing a wall across the entire U.S. border with Mexico, and calling for a ban on immigrants from Muslim countries.

As she registered to vote, senior Amy Garcia expressed her disdain for Trumps anti-Mexican comments, which she said offended her and her Mexican American family.

I do not agree with what Donald Trump has been doing and saying, she said, so I do not want him to be president.

Laura Montenegro, who works at the university, said Hispanics are not impressed by Trumps recent attempts to soften his proposals on immigration.

She said, He has already shown how bad he is, talking bad about Mexicans and women and other people.

The Cruz factor

Another problem for Trump is that a majority of Texas Republicans voted in the March 1 primary for home state senator and diehard conservative Ted Cruz, who has refused to support Trump.

A whole lot of people like Trump here in Texas, Branham said, But a whole lot more of them voted for Ted Cruz, and Trump and Cruz do not get along.

But, he said, anti-Trump Texas Republicans are ardently opposed to Hillary Clinton and that could lead to record under voting in the presidential race.

I would be shocked if either one of these candidates gets 50 percent of the vote, Branham said. I think there is going to be at least 10 percent who vote for no one at all on the presidential ticket.

Texas in play or not?

Another wrinkle is that the percentage of Hispanics who vote Republican in Texas is higher than it is in other states, and Trumps tough proposals on immigration may not trouble Hispanic voters as much as a slow growth economy and unemployment. Branham notes that many Hispanics, being mostly Catholic, are also put off by the Democrats' support for abortion.

In every election since 1994 in Texas, Republicans have won around a third of Hispanic voters, which, when combined with high turnout from mostly white conservatives, has been enough to win every statewide race. What could make this year different is Donald Trump.
Life is hard enough for the millions of adults living in camps for the internally displaced in Nigeria. For the children, the conditions are far more dangerous. Irish rock star Bono, an ambassador for the U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), has pledged to change that.

After an invitation from Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote, Bono visited a camp of 2.3 million displaced people in the northeastern part of the country, which has been severely hit by the Boko Haram insurgency.

"We know that 50,000 kids are going to die before the end of the year, according to the U.N., if they don't receive ... I think they're looking for $300 [million]," Bono said Monday at a news conference in Nigeria's capital Abuja. "They only got $100 million in response so far. So already, the responses are just only a fraction of what they need to be."

Though the Nigerian military made progress in pushing back Boko Haram, the post-insurgency reconstruction requires substantial funding.

"There are no homes for these displaced persons to go back to, their towns are gone, their villages are gone," Bono said. "They're razed. You know that, I didn't."

Dangote, considered to be Africa's wealthiest man, says a global partnership is needed to boost the domestic relief efforts carried out by his foundation.

"In terms of our own foundation," Dangote said, "we are spending quite a lot of money not only in Borno, but in Adamawa [and] in Yobe. In total, in the three states, we have actually spent over four-and-a-half billion naira [$14.3 million], and we would continue to spend until the end of the problem."

Bono has pledged to raise money and return to the region with help. But, he notes, time is short and the need is great.
A new report by a U.N. anti-trafficking agency has detailed the experience of Cambodian women lured to China by the promise of a better life, only to be married off to local men.

The U.N. Action for Cooperation Against Trafficking in Person based its August 25 report on interviews with 42 women between September 2014 and March 2015.

It found that the women, whose ages ranged from 18 to 37, were usually recruited from their own communities by brokers who falsely promised they would get highly paid jobs.

Some women agreed to arranged marriages, but they also were misled, the report said; thinking they would become wealthy, those women instead were married to poor men in rural areas.

The research has revealed that police officers, especially at the local level, at times seem ill-equipped for this task to date, the report noted.

Cambodian women often have their passports confiscated upon arriving in China. Those who managed to escape had to struggle to reach an embassy or consulate, which could be more than 1,000 kilometers from the remote locations where they were sent.

During the escape, some women were caught by Chinese authorities and returned to their husbands.

The U.N. report describes a perfect storm of economic variables that fuel the market for foreign brides. Cambodia's low wages and sparse job opportunities force young women to seek work abroad, while China's gender imbalance, which has left large numbers of men single, has sparked a demand for women.

Chou Bun Eng, head of Cambodia's National Authority Against Human Trafficking, said a formal agreement to combat the practice is likely to be signed with China later this year.

We have to agree unanimously to lay out our prevention plans, help victims and investigate and punish those who commit human trafficking crimes, she said.

The Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh declined to comment.

Thida Khus, director of Silaka, a training and advocacy group, said most of the women trafficked to China come from poor families.

In China there is no legislation to protect and no mechanisms to protect those migrants, therefore people who migrate for work or to get married face many problems, she said.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA's Khmer Service.
The U.S. government on Wednesday granted eight U.S. airlines permission to begin scheduled commercial flights to Havana starting as early as this fall, with American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., and United Continental Holdings, Inc. among the winners.

The U.S. Transportation Department granted the lucrative Havana flights now after previously assigning routes to several Cuban provinces.
The sudden hospitalization, due to an apparent stroke, of Uzbekistans only president since independence, Islam Karimov, has formed a dark cloud over the country as the most populous former Soviet republic in Central Asia on Wednesday and Thursday marks 25 years since breaking from the Soviet Union.

Instead of Karimov, who has not been seen in public for days, Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev, a possible successor, is leading ceremonies, Russian media report. A concert the president usually attends for the occasion was cancelled.

Uzbek authorities rejected a report that Karimov is already dead. One of his daughters said Wednesday he remains in stable condition in a hospital.

Regardless, the mood of celebration is muted by the uncertainty over the presidents health and, more importantly, the lack of a clear successor.

This is a huge test, one that has been anticipated for some time, says Deirdre Tynan, who is based in Bishkek as the Central Asia project director for the International Crisis Group. But if Uzbekistan stumbles, if the transition turns to political chaos, the risk of violent conflict is high; and in a region as fragile as Central Asia, the risk of that spreading is also high, she wrote in e-mails to VOA's Moscow bureau.

Iron-fisted rule

Karimov has led Uzbekistan with an iron fist since 1989, just before the Soviet Union split apart. He has been heavily criticized for using law enforcement and the courts to repress political opponents, activists and the media as well as forcing millions to labor in cotton fields.

In 2005, security forces fired into a crowd of protesters in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan. While Uzbek authorities put the death toll at 187, independent journalists and human rights groups say as many 1,000 people were killed.



According to New York-based Human Rights Watch, the Uzbek government has jailed thousands of people on politically motivated charges, many of whom have been subjected to torture.

Political analysts in Moscow say his heavy-handed approach has kept Islamic militants at bay and maintained stability. But they warn any power struggle among Uzbekistans ruling clans could see that threat exposed or exploited.

"Karimov for many years was a very serious defender of not only his country, but also the whole region from this radical Islamic threat, said Alexander Golts, an independent defense analyst in Moscow and deputy editor of Yezhenedelny Zhurnal (Weekly Journal).

And, unfortunately, everything was based on his personality, as is usual in all authoritarian regimes, Golts said. "Karimov managed to establish security service[s] that can control everything in Uzbekistan.

But God knows how these people from security will behave when Mr. Karimov disappears," Golts added.

Other regional analysts say most of Uzbekistan's elites want to avoid a nasty fight for Karimovs throne.

The beneficiaries in this struggle, the winners, may lose more in the course of struggle if they allow chaos and loss of control in the country during it, Central Asia expert Arkady Dubnov said. So there are limits beyond which the elites cannot afford a severe struggle using unconventional methods of political struggle."

Kremlin watching

The Kremlin will be watching closely to see who comes next, Tynan said, as Uzbekistans stability and security is in Russia's interest. Karimov was a highly unpopular figure among Russian diplomats, she said.

Moscow will want someone who is amenable, at least in public, to their policies," Tynan said. In an ideal world, thats someone who would have Uzbekistan re-join the CSTO (Collective Treaty Security Organization) and be open to the EEU (Eurasian Economic Union). In practical terms though, they would probably settle for someone who is not antagonistic and willing to at least go through the motions of mutual respect."

Regional expert Dubnov thinks Moscow may have a favorite contender to replace Karimov: Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev. The prime minister is "supported by the head of the Internal Security Service, Rustam Innoyatov, who has been a KGB officer for a long time during the Soviet period and an unchangeable head of Uzbek security, Dubnov said. His idea of security that he got in the Soviet times can facilitate finding [a] common language in dialogue between Tashkent and Moscow.

Russian officials have said little since Sunday, when Uzbekistan announced the president was hospitalized.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said they had no fresh information on Karimov and could not confirm reports about his death. Russias Interfax news agency reported Russian neurosurgeons are treating Karimov.

If Karimov dies, the head of Uzbekistans Senate becomes temporary leader for three months while new elections are arranged.
President Robert Mugabe has reportedly abandoned the Southern African Development Community heads of state and government summit in Swaziland amid speculation of ill-health.

According to Zimbabwes independent NewsDay newspaper, Mr. Mugabe is allegedly headed for Dubai for medical treatment.

President Mugabe has over the years been visiting Singapore for medical attention with presidential spokesperson George Charamba saying he is suffering from an eye ailment.

Charamba today declined to discuss the presidents move to leave the SADC summit.

President Mugabe has been in power for 36 years and currently there is friction in his party with two factions fighting for his succession.

One of the factions is allegedly led by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is backed by war veterans of the 1970s, and the other is said to be fronting First Lady Grace Mugabe as the president's successor.

The two have denied that they have presidential ambitions.
Zanu PF activists have dismissed as nonsensical calls for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to intervene in Zimbabwe to end crippling social and economic problems bedeviling the nation.

The partys Youth League political commissar in London, Farai Muvuti, and veteran Zanu PF activist, Effort Nkomo, told VOA Studio 7 that Zimbabweans should be in a position to resolve their problems without involving organization like SADC.

Muvuti said, I think we have to deal with this mis-notion that there is a crisis in Zimbabwe. When you talk about Zimbabweans as people are portraying that Zimbabweans are protesting that notion does not exist. Zimbabweans are not protesting. There are pockets in Zimbabwe that are protesting 

But political commentator Dr. Nkululeko Sibanda of Huddersfield University insisted that SADC should intervene to end the Zimbabwe crisis.
Photo: Getty Images

We want to believe  that this show will feature an abundance of calzones. Fox has confirmed a pilot order for the single-camera comedy Ghosted, which the dynamic duo of The Offices Craig Robinson and Parks and Recreations Adam Scott will be starring in and executive producing. The show is characterized as a comedic X-Files and centers around a cynical, hilarious skeptic (Robinson) and a genius true believer of paranormal activities (Scott) who are hired by the Underground Investigative Service to explore widespread unexplained activity in Los Angeles  while also uncovering a larger mystery that could threaten the existence of the human race. Tom Gormican will pen the script and also executive produce the series. Congrats, gentlemen!
A Facebook post targeting Sri Durga Parameshwarai of Kateel has led to unrest in coastal Karnataka. As many as 10 complaints have been lodged by various organisations.

An FB post surfaced on Monday targeting Sri Durga Parameshwarai of Kateel

By Aravind Gowda: Unrest prevails in the communally sensitive coastal Karnataka region, as miscreants posted derogatory comments on a Hindu goddess on Facebook.

As many as ten complaints have been lodged by different organisations and individuals in police stations of Dakshina Kannada district seeking action against the miscreants.

WHAT HAPPENED

Delegations of the Hindu Jagaran Vedike and Karavali Samskritika Vedike met Mangaluru City Police Commissioner M Chandrashekar and submitted multiple petitions.

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According to them, a derogatory post surfaced on Facebook on August 29 targeting Sri Durga Parameshwarai of Kateel.

Subsequently, the thread of derogatory messages on the post continued and the activists of the two organisations alleged that miscreants were trying to foment communal tensions using fictitious identities.

Leaders of organisations representing minorities were quick to condemn the action of the miscreants.

The police have urged the people of Dakshina Kannada district to maintain peace. They have registered a case and trying to trace the origin of the Facebook post.

Additional police force has been deployed in hyper sensitive areas of Dakshina Kannada district.

Also Read:

Only in India: Let's marry some frogs to make it rain cats and dogs

Nine unexplained miracles in India



Divine intervention? Hindus in India ask gods to help Donald Trump



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Greenleaf has topped records for OWN and quickly became the summer television series that filled a void for anyone missing Scandal or How to Get Away With Murder. The show focuses on the Greenleafs, whose family business is a megachurch based in Memphis. Secrets like molestation, infidelity, fiscal mismanagement, and closeted sexuality threaten to tear the family apart. Oldest daughter Grace (Merle Dandridge) hopes to expose the Greenleafs hypocrisy, but the matriarch, Lady Mae Greenleaf, works to keep everything together. The legendary Lynn Whitfield plays Lady Mae, delivering speeches that rival any of Papa Popes orations. Whitfield spoke to Vulture by phone about her inspiration for Lady Mae, working with Oprah Winfrey, and playing hardass women.

How did you find out about the role of Lady Mae Greenleaf?

I got a call saying that they were very interested in me [playing] this character and sent me the script. I understood why they wanted me, but the pilot script was very light for Lady Mae, and it didnt explain much of anything about who she was. It said the stern, steely first lady and matriarch of the family, and it sounded like Well, what else? What else about her? It sounded one-dimensional so I didnt really know. I said I need to speak to the producer so I spoke to Craig Wright. We talked it through a little bit more. He read me another scene from later in the episodes, and I said, Oh, okay. I see what you think I could bring to the table for the character. I thought it would be, Well, Ill call your agent and well set a meeting. And at the end of the conversation, he said, So can I call Oprah and tell her that youre going to do this part? I thought that was an exciting prospect, but I just wanted to know that Im going to have fun with this character, that there will be room for me to make her something. He promised me that. He actually wrote it with Oprah in mind, and Oprah told him, I hear one voice and I see one person in this role, and its the voice and face of Lynn Whitfield. Which is such a compliment.

How does this character differ from the others youve been attracted to in the past?

Apparently, I hear from people I always play strong women. I dont see them that way. I actually dont see Lady Mae to be that strong. I see her to be very controlling. Its the world in which she lives. The first lady of a church like that can be, if you make the most of the opportunity, extremely specific. This first lady is very different from the woman I played in Eves Bayou, extremely different from Thin Line Between Love and Hate or any role Ive ever played because shes a nurturer, a queen woman. Those nondenominational churches where they make themselves bishops and they dont have anyone else to answer to, its like your own kingdom. Youre very autonomous. You dont really answer to anyone. You answer to your board, but in many cases, the board is there to do what you want them to do. I never played this kind of queen woman, with her own kingdom, ever. It was very interesting because of the character, and because I feel its very important that we shine a light on the human frailties of leadership and spiritual leadership.

A spiritual relationship to me is much more about making your own connection to the divinity that you believe in and much less about the person, the shepherd, whos overseeing it all. Thats how it should be, but so often, in spiritual commitment and life, people begin to transpose what should be on the actual belief system onto the person delivering the message. I loved this [show] because it begs the question, Who and what are you following? Are you questing after the message and a personal relationship, or are you worshipping the messenger who can only be human and have families and problems and obstacles and secrets and frailties?

How does Lady Mae fit in the current television landscape of complex and flawed black leading female characters such as those portrayed by Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, and Gabrielle Union on Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, and Being Mary Jane, respectively?

Lady Mae is not as contemporary as these women. All three of those other characters have their own careers, while Lady Maes career centers around her husbands career and around what they built together. None of those other characters have children. Lady Mae is a matriarch. Shes still fly. She is not a real careerist on her own, but she runs everything. She has to serve her subjects but she also needs to make sure that she is being served properly. Lady Mae is funny. Shes not an urban woman. Shes a Southern woman, and Southern people speak in metaphor a lot. They speak in a more poetic and colorful, flourishing way, not the quick clips. Those other characters are really about showing you how smart they are. Lady Mae disguises how smart she is. Its all cloaked in charm, a nurturing spirit. I will get you to do what I want you to do without telling you.

This is at least your third role playing the mother of a daughter whos been sexually assaulted by a family member  Eves Bayou, Madeas Family Reunion, and now Greenleaf. Is this just a coincidence?

I am attracted to complex stories and characters. Im also committed as a mother and as a human, for my own emotional health, to looking at things and trying to be healed of them. In churches, we talk about generational curses. Being a Southern person, I understand. I was always attracted to Tennessee Williams and his subject matter because I think its more challenging and interesting to play multidimensional characters, and I feel that art can help bring healing. When you look in the mirror of something that may be a part of your own life, you can see this is something that you wouldnt want to do. I wouldnt want to be a mother that put blinders on and didnt see what was going on with my child. There can be huge consequences to such a thing.

Lady Mae reminds me so much of Dominique Deveraux from Dynasty. Who inspires your portrayal of her?

Im inspired by the great Southern women who raised me, by the idea of #blackgirlmagic, and the unapologetic feeling that you have earned and deserved the right and are entitled to walk the earth as a grand, great woman who serves. I am not apologetic about that, and as an actress, I dont need to comment on it. I need to be it.

You and Oprah Winfrey played characters who were friends who become adopted family in the miniseries Women of Brewster Place. Now on Greenleaf, there is extreme tension between your characters. How has it been playing family with such emotional distance between each other?

Women of Brewster Place was early in my career, but that work was very intimate and emotional. The story line was so touching. In that as actors, we trusted each other. The scene where shes bathing me and trying to resuscitate my broken heart was very intimate work. What that did was brought more trust so now we already feel safe. Youve already created magic. Theres no nervousness about, if I go deep, will she go with me? Will I go with her? We just stood flat-footed and did the work. Its explosive. The work we do together is in the last episode, and I think Twitter will be just all a-tweeting.

Greenleaf has a story line focused on police brutality, gun violence, and the Black Lives Matter movement, issues that have brought your hometown of Baton Rouge to national attention recently. How has seeing fiction and real life blur affected you?

I wish that it was fiction. For this to happen in the little sleepy capital of Louisiana is tragic and troubling, frightening. As a Baton Rouge woman, my heart for Alton Sterling and his family, my heart for those policemen and their families  I have compassion and empathy and such frustration for all of it happening. I also just want everyone to realize two wrongs dont make a right. None of it needs to be romanticized. We, as citizens, need to be extremely pragmatic and very clear.

Can you shed any light on why Lady Mae and Grace seem to bump heads so often?

I think its much simpler than what people would think, with all these underlying secrets that the family has. Lady Mae is a Southern woman who started this church from the ground up, from a little storefront church to what you see today. Lady Mae is a woman who wanted her family to have the absolute best. She bought all the etiquette books. She learned how you deal with a grand estate, servants. Even though its a big grand house, it still feels like a home. She created a home. She helped to build a church. She is a woman who does not want anything to interfere with the status quo. She doesnt want to lose what theyve worked so hard for. She wants to protect the idea that shes been a good mother, a good administrator, a good overseer, a good steward, over everything. And anything that comes to defy her reality is threatening. Gigi wants to shake everything up. You know when your child is about to start some trouble. [The Greenleafs] problems are very threatening to their existence and to Lady Maes truth that she set up in her mind. When a child commits suicide, you have all of these questions, these regrets: What could I have done? Could I have done better? Could I have saved her? So for Gigi to come and chip away at any sense of familial uprightness  she is attempting to shake all the rotten apples off the tree. Its very frightening for Lady Mae that she might actually accomplish that.

Did you or any of the shows creators and executives have any concerns about offending black megachurches through the shows portrayal?

No, none of us did. We didnt because we dont approach it in a way that is accusatory of any church. We approach it as character studies of these people whose family business happens to be a megachurch. That business could be any number of businesses, but it happens to be a megachurch. Were not pointing a finger. Were not hating on anybody. You feel like, Oh, my God, what is going to happen next week to these people with these human dilemmas that so many families go through. Sexual impropriety, infidelity, betrayal, ambition, and forgiveness. Many families go through a lot of what these people are going through. We didnt have a fear about it because we made it more personal than that. Its not a general statement about megachurches and their leaders.

Whats next for you? Any future projects?

I just completed four really fun episodes of Mistresses, as a woman battling with alcoholism and all the ways that can manifest. I really liked that. Id like to sell a few of my own projects so I have to get them in shape and into the marketplace as a producer. Im so excited. I feel like its the beginning of my career all over again.

The last few years have shown an increase in older actors getting starring vehicles like the Netflix show Grace & Frankie or films like Last Vegas, Dirty Grandpa, RED, The Expendables. Yet older black women dont seem to be considered for the same type of work. What kind of stories that star older black women would you like to see onscreen, big or small?

Id like to see more science fiction, thrillers, autumn love stories, romantic comedies. More mature people come to relationships having resolved themselves of baggage or with trunks of stuff that can be interesting to see people work through. I know younger people really feel like theyve cornered the market on [sensuality], but maybe not.

What type of role do you long to play that you havent yet?

I would love to do espionage like The Thomas Crown Affair, that kind of thing. And Ive always had a fascination with madams. Its interesting to me what that institution is like, how those women are. They have to be so hardass on one hand, and I think I would have fun with that.

This interview has been edited and condensed.
Photo: Getty Images

Taylor Kitsch will be starring as cult leader David Koresh, with Michael Shannon playing lead FBI negotiator Gary Noesner, in a new limited series called Waco for Spike TV. Based on the true story of the 1993 FBI siege of the Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas, that resulted in a deadly shoot-out and fire, the six-part series will be formally going into production early next year. The standoff lasted 51 days and then ended with an FBI assault on the compound. When it was burned down, 76 people were killed inside, including Koresh. John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle (No Escape) will write the series, based on two biographies: A Place Called Waco, by Branch Davidian member David Thibodeau, one of the nine survivors of the fire, and Sinful Messiah, written by Noesner.

This post has been updated throughout.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today claimed that BJP is the right party to find a 'good solution' to Kashmir issue.

By Naseer Ganai: As Kashmir continues to be in state of crisis even after 52 days curfew being finally lifted, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party is in a better position to resolve Kashmir issue.

"Now that the BJP is running the government in the state and in the Centre, it can give a good solution," Azad added after meeting the Congress leaders here.

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Describing the present situation as the worst year in the 70-year long turbulent history of Kashmir, Azad called political parties and the government to find permanent solution of Kashmir under the Indian constitution.

"Congress and other opposition parties would support the government's effort regarding solution," he added.

Azad, leader of opposition, further stated that unlike BJP, which always opposed the Congress initiatives to resolve Kashmir issue, Congress would be in full support of the Centre's effort towards resolving the long standing crisis.

"Whenever Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi proposed something improve situation in Kashmir or solve Kashmir issue, the BJP always opposed them and described their moves as a step to appease Kashmiris and minorities," Azad said.

GOOD SOLUTION

Appreciating the discussions over Kashmir issue in Parliament, Azad claimed that opposition played a major role in pushing the agenda and demanding solution.

"It has happened for the first time and such discussions were initiated by the Congress and other opposition parties supported it. The opposition role was very proactive to force the state government and the centre government to address present crises in Kashmir," he said.

While Azad welcomed Centre's announcement of sending All Party Delegation to Kashmir, he noted that many lives would have been saved if Centre had listened to opposition earlier.

"Had they listened to us it would not have taken them 52 days to lift curfew in Kashmir and it would have saved many lives and eyes," Azad said.

"Since it is All Party delegation, I expect that Kashmiris would come forward to talk to it," Azad added.

Azad further urged the Centre to avoid using carrot and stick policy toward Kashmiris.

"You can use such policy against Pakistan but not Kashmiris who are your own people. You have to talk to the elders and counsel the youngsters, who are angry," he said.

2008 JAMMU AGITATION

Talking about 2008 mass protests, Azad, then chief minister of J&K, said that time mass protests broke out in Kashmir against transfer of forest land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.

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"I rescinded the transfer order and till I resigned only five people had died in Kashmir," he said.

He went on to point out that post his resignation during the Governor's rule an agitation erupted in Jammu with BJP imposing economic blockade on Kashmir.

"The economic blockade by the BJP led to another agitation in Kashmir with 10 lakh people assembling in the valley. This mass of people moved toward Muzafferabad, which was fired upon, leading to killing of 22 people on a single day," he said.

"The economic blockade was initiated by the BJP and its supporters, who were now Ministers in the Centre," Azad said pointing towards Minister of State in the PMO, Dr. Jitendra Singh, who spearheaded Jammu agitation in 2008.

ALSO READ:

On US visit, Parrikar lashes out at Pakistan, blames it for Kashmir unrest

Kashmir unrest: Curfew lifted from the Valley, clashes and shutdowns continue



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Police said the incident took place hours after security forces fired pellets at protesters shouting anti-government and pro-freedom slogans in a nearby Katrusoo village.

By Indo-Asian News Service: The house of a People's Democratic Party (PDP) Rajya Sabha member was set ablaze by a mob today, witnesses and police said.

Nobody was present in the house when arsonists torched the residence of Nazir Laway in Chawalgam village of Kulgam district in south Kashmir, some 60 km from here.

Police said the incident took place hours after security forces fired pellets at protesters shouting anti-government and pro-freedom slogans in a nearby Katrusoo village. Dozens of protesters were injured in the clash.

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Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted on micro-blogging site Twitter, "Far from getting better things have taken an ugly turn today."

PDP RS MP's house set on fire. Weapons reportedly looted after guards run away. Far from getting better things have taken an ugly turn today; Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) August 31, 2016

Even though things looked calmer on the surface in civil lines areas of Srinagar events today show that valley is still in deep crisis.; Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) August 31, 2016

Violent protests returned on Wednesday after two days of relative peace in the Kashmir Valley that has been on the boil since the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

At least 72 persons, including two policemen, have been killed in an unending cycle of violent clashes between protesters and security forces since then.

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A McLennan County grand jury cleared two Waco officers involved in a July 12 shooting that sent a 32-year-old man to the hospital, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said Wednesday.

Officers Joey Kimble and Josh McCuistion were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in connection to the shooting of Jonathan Tucker Gober after he ran from U.S. marshals when they tried to serve a felony parole violation arrest warrant for Gober.

Waco police officers were assisting in the operation before Gober ran behind a house near the intersection of North 30th Street and Lyle Avenue, pointed a handgun toward officers and refused to comply to officers commands to lower his weapon before Kimble and McCuistion both fired their service weapons at Gober.

Gober was struck at least twice, injuring his abdomen, arm and leg, before officers rendered immediate aid to Gober, Swanton said.

Our officers were forced into a very difficult situation requiring them to use force against an armed fugitive and acted in defense of themselves, Interim Police Chief Frank Gentsch said in a statement. These officers were cleared by a very thorough investigation which is routine in officer-involved shootings. I appreciate the job conducted by the departments investigators, the Texas Rangers, the McLennan County District Attorneys Office and the grand jury in this case.

After the shooting, Gober was taken to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center.

No officers were injured in the shooting, but both Kimble and McCuistion were placed on administrative leave per routine protocol for officer-involved shootings. Swanton said both officers are expected to return to full duty.
Bids received Tuesday for the proposed eastside riverwalk expansion to McLane Stadium came in more than $1 million over budget, forcing city leaders to consider tweaking the design, rebidding the project or abandoning it altogether.

Jay-Reese Contractors of Dripping Springs had the low bid of $4.44 million to build 0.6 miles of lighted concrete trail from Franklin Avenue to the new stadium. Other bids were all for more than $5 million, including bids from Laughlin-Thyssen of Houston and from Barsh Construction of Waco.

The city of Waco had planned to spend $3.3 million, with $2.7 million coming from the Texas Department of Transportation. The project has already been designed, and work was to begin late this year.

City park planner Tom Balk said the project is complex, involving a long section on piers in the river, and he knew the cost was unpredictable.

Its a wrinkle, Balk said. But we had a series of minor setbacks along the way, and we knew we might have some fast acting to do.

Under the terms of the funding agreement, city leaders now have 30 days to inform TxDOT of a plan of action.

Balk said city staff will consult with engineers to value engineer the project to save money, perhaps through some less costly materials or different construction methods.

We dont anticipate that wed be able to cut out the full million, he said. Its likely wed have to identify additional funding.

The city also might get permission from TxDOT to rebid the project. Balk said he suspects the flooding this year on the river and a raft of highway contracts out for bid this summer might have discouraged some bidders.

If the study of the bid comes back and indicates that it was just the timing of the bidding, there could be a case made for bidding again, he said.

Balk said city staff arent ruling out the extreme option of calling off the project and forfeiting $2.7 million in state transportation funding, but it would make future trail development along the east side unlikely.

A lot of our success has been building on previous success with TxDOT, he said. Theyve encouraged us to go after these trail projects, and weve demonstrated they can be done successfully.

City staffers have spent much of the last year negotiating with landowners, including Union Pacific, for an easement for the trail. Union Pacific has tentatively granted an easement under the active railroad bridge and has sold a piece of riverfront land to the family of developer Rick Sheldon, who has pledged to give the city an easement through it.

Last week, the Sheldons closed on a deal to donate the adjacent Cotton Belt Railroad bridge, a long-disused structure, to the nonprofit City Center Waco for future use a river trail crossing.

City Center Waco executive director Megan Henderson said the eastside riverwalk extension is a top priority for downtown development.

Its so much a priority that we are working on a fabulous project to connect to it, Henderson said. It is worth fighting for. If rebidding seems like an option, it would certainly be worth the trouble. We as a community have rallied around the river as our focal point, the centerpiece that raises the value of everything else. This is the missing link, the thing that makes it all connect.
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 shot in the head, a human shield, and the mayor of London a radical Muslim. Hillary Clinton, in Bannons 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 chief executive believes the Obama administration is importing more hating Muslims and asks whether Clinton is complicit in a fifth column. He doesnt think Huma Abedin, a Muslim aide to Clinton, should have a security clearance, and he has alleged that Clintons vice presidential nominee, Sen. Tim Kaine, has an affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. He argued that Gretchen Carlsons sexual harassment case, which forced ouster of Roger Ailes at Fox News, was a total dud, and he alleged the existence of a militant-feminist legal wrecking crew.

Fox News, in Bannons 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 Bannons leadership:

Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.

Political Correctness Protects Muslim Rape Culture.

The Solution to Online Harassment Is Simple: Women Should Log Off.

Two Months Left Until Obama Gives Dictators Control of Internet.

Theres 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.

Bannons Breitbart said the gay-pride flag is viewed as a symbol of anti-Christian hate and that 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 Comeys recommendation not to prosecute Clinton is inextricably linked to anti-police violence. He speaks of Megyn Kellys blonde ambition and alleges that the military is trying to eradicate Christianity. And it alleged a smoking gun connecting the 9/11 terrorist hijackers to a Bush family friend.

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 says.

There is more, but you dont need to read it here. Just wait for Trump to say it.

Dana Milbank covers political theater for The Washington Post.
WAVERLY  A young lady from Devon, England is spending the next several weeks with Tom and Paula Peterson of rural Waverly.

Alice Giles is taking part in the IFYE program, a program that brings guests from other countries into homes to learn about their culture.

In Giles case, its all about agriculture.

This is her first trip to the United States, and for the past few months she has spent up to six weeks with families soaking up farm life. Before moving to the Peterson farm, Giles was with families in David City and Curtis

Giles, who works for a childrens charity, is a farm girl and learned about the program though the Federation of Young Farmers in England and Wales.

I decided to apply for the trip, and, with research, asked to be sent to Nebraska as I wanted to learn about your agriculture, she said. My family has a farm where we raise beef and sheep, so my father is hoping that what I learn will be useful when I get home. I did learn how to drive a tractor, which is what he wanted.

The trip has been more than she hoped it would be.

I came here to share our ways of farming and see how you do it, she said. I soon found out you were ahead of us when in comes to opportunities, especially in research.

She said Nebraska was very different from England in everything from weather to landscape to faith. She also has seen first hand how farming in Nebraska is a little more intense.

You have a market you watch that changes every day, she said. Ive learned that you make money or lose money with that market.

In England, farmers use what they raise.

What we grow we use to feed our livestock, while here you buy and sell, she said. Very different.

Nebraskans were very friendly, she said. Shes made some good friends.

The IFYE program allows for Giles to become one of the family and gives her the freedom to take part in all aspects of farming. Her stay with the Petersons included day mending fences, feeding livestock, hauling grain, learning to show cattle and, she hopes, helping bailing alfalfa before she leaves.

I like working outside so this has all been great, Giles said.

Her future plan is to take over the family farm one day.

My dad is a retired agronomist and my mother runs the farm, she said, adding that she was third generation on the farm.

Giles has been able to leave the farm, too. Shes enjoyed a number of Nebraska attractions.

I was especially impressed with the Sandhills, she said. She also attended a College World Series game and toured Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis.

While with the Petersons, a tour of the Capitol, Bakers Candies and Prairieland Dairy were on the schedule. She also hopes to tour packing and ethanol plants and spend a day or two at the Nebraska State Fair before leaving for home Sept. 6. She also attended a Lancaster Farm Bureau meeting.

Giles will meet up with other young adults who are visiting farms through the IFYE program in New York before departing for home.

IFYE trips are for individuals 19 and over and typically last three to six months. Participants live and work as part of the family moving to a new family every three to five weeks, so they can gain a broader perspective about life in their host country.

This was the first time that the Petersons had hosted an IFYE student. Paula Peterson said that the IFYE program was a learn-by-doing experience.

We explain how we live, why we do things, she said. It is their chance to see new places, make new friends, and soak in another culture.

Its a learning experience.

This program is a great opportunity for young people to travel to see and learn about agriculture in other countries, Giles said. I was real lucky to get to spend my time in Nebraska.
Curfew has been lifted from the entire Valley. Restrictions preventing assembly of five or more persons under section 144 CrPc will remain in force.

By Shuja-ul-Haq : Authorities on Wednesday lifted curfew from Kashmir Valley, first time since the present unrest began, while clashes erupted at some places between stone pelters and security forces.



"Curfew has been lifted from the entire Valley. Restrictions preventing assembly of five or more persons under section 144 CrPc will remain in force," a police official said.

READ: Kashmir unrest: Centre approves use of chilli grenades, water slugs but pellet guns to stay



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Incidents of stone pelting and clashes were reported in certain areas like Nowhatta area of old Srinagar city, after the security forces were removed. Security forces were rushed back to control the protests. Clashes were also witnessed in Tengpora and north Kashmir's Sopore.

Private transport moved on uptown city roads, but main markets, public transport and educational institutions remained closed for 54th consecutive day.

READ: Kashmir unrest: CM Mehbooba Mufti takes on Pakistan, separatists



At least 70 people have been killed and over 11,000 injured in the ongoing violence that started here on July 9, a day after the killing of top Hizbul militant, Burhan Wani.

The separatists have called for protest shutdown till Thursday through a weekly protest calendar which they have been issuing ever since the present unrest started.



Also Read:

Jammu and Kashmir: Week after deployment in the Valley, BSF told to pack up

On US visit, Parrikar lashes out at Pakistan, blames it for Kashmir unrest

Most areas in Kashmir no more under curfew, but it remains on the edge



--- ENDS ---
Teenager was killed in firing by security forces today as more violent clashes erupted in the Kashmir Valley

By Indo-Asian News Service, Ashraf Wani: After two days of relative peace, a teenager was killed in firing by security forces on Wednesday as more violent clashes erupted in the Kashmir Valley, officials and witnesses said.

They said Danish Ahmed, 18, was killed after he sustained injuries in a battle between stone-pelting protesters and the security forces in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.

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A police spokesperson said an unruly mob attacked the security forces with stones at Nadihal village. The security forces opened fire as protesters refused to disperse after tear smoke shells and pellets were fired at them.

Ahmed sustained critical injuries and was moved to a hospital for treatment where he succumbed, the spokesperson said.

The death took the toll in the ongoing unrest to 72 - ncluding 70 civilians and two policemen.

More than 11,000 people - 7,000 civilians and 4,000 security persons - have been injured in the ongoing cycle of violence that started on July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces.

The authorities lifted curfew from much of the valley on Monday after some semblance of normalcy. Minor clashes on erupted at many places on Monday and Tuesday.

As the news of the teenager's death in Baramulla spread, security restrictions returned as many angry youth came out on roads to protest.

Official sources said curfew was reimposed in parts of Baramulla and nearby Sopore town.

Kashmir unrest: Curfew lifted from the Valley, clashes and shutdowns continue



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The girl was picked up early morning, raped before being throttled and eventually thrown into a local canal in the nearby area.

By Manogya Loiwal : Two OLA drivers were arrested today for allegedly raping and killing a teenage girl in Kolkata.

According to police, the girl, a resident of Burrabazar, was picked up early morning and raped before being throttled and eventually thrown into a local canal in the nearby area.

The body of the girl has been recovered and both the drivers have been arrested.

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The teenager girl used to stay with her mother and wash utensils in the nearby sweetmeat shops of the city.

"She was kidnapped around 03:30 in the morning. She used to stay with us. We got to know that she is dead now," Santi Rani Rai, victim's sister, said.

The victim's sister also said that the two drivers were not known to the family.

"We do not know the drivers. We have experienced such an incident for the first time," said Sibu Das, the victim's brother.

Shankar Shaw and Guddu Singh, the two accused, were arrested after the police identified the vehicle.

CASE OF KIDNAPPING REGISTERED

"A complaint of kidnapping has been registered. The duo has been arrested. The body has been recovered and we have now launched a probe into the case," Akhilesh Chaturvedi, D.C. Central, said.

A case has been registered in Watgunge Police station.

OLA STATEMENT

Meanwhile, OLA issued a statement, in which they said that all forms of assistance would be provided to the police in the probe.

"We are saddened by the reports of the alleged misbehavior of a driver in Kolkata. On preliminary identification of the cab details shared by authorities, we have suspended the account associated with this cab with immediate effect. As per our records, this incident has not occurred while on the Ola platform. We will work with the authorities to share any information that will help support their investigation."

Also read:



Kolkata: Uber driver held over alleged molestation

Ola horror: Bureaucrat, daughter left stranded at night in Delhi





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It's the La Tomatina festival today. Here are a few things you probably didn't know about the festival.

By Samonway Duttagupta: La Tomatina. It's an amazing festival. And thanks to the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, every Indian knows about it now. Well, it's the same reason why so many Indians travel to Spain these days, just to take part in this festival.

The last Wednesday of August marks this popular annual festival, in which participants throw tonnes of over-ripe tomatoes at each other.

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Yes, the festival is messy, and crazy. But that's where the fun lies. Here are a few facts about the festival you probably didn't know.

Also see: These stunning pictures from the Burning Man desert festival will arouse your inner wanderlust



La Tomatina is the world's largest food fight

True that is! La Tomatina happens to be the largest state-sanctioned food fight in the world. And guess what, as many as 40,000 enthusiasts travel to the town of Bunol every year just for pelting tomatoes at each other.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/taninhelvaci

Picture courtesy: Instagram/sergio_porcar

The tomato fight started as a street brawl

It all started way back in 1945, when a street fight broke out in Bunol between the participants of the then celebrated La Tomatina. A man started pelting vegetables at everyone from a nearby stall, and was retaliated by a furious group of people who also did the same. This was repeated by the same group of people in the following year, but the police soon but an end to this tradition by banning food fights in the 1950s. But it was brought back on popular demand by the residents.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/omofeticonaestrada Picture courtesy: Instagram/omofeticonaestrada

Picture courtesy: Instagram/mylittleapartamento

The festival involves other festivals too

La Tomatina is just not about the tomato fights. The week leading up to this crazy tomato fight day witnesses massive parades, fireworks, and even massive paella cooking contests taking place in the Spanish town.



The amount of tomatoes used

Although the battle of tomatoes lasts only for an hour, as many as 1,50,000 tomatoes are used up in that span of time. The weight totals to a whopping 40 metric tonnes! But mind you, the tomatoes are of low-quality, over-ride, and inferior in taste.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/mihaelpetrishin

Picture courtesy: Instagram/koletejunior

A slice of ham marks the beginning of the fight

It all starts with a slice of ham being hung on the top of a greasy pole in front of the crowd at 10 am in the morning. Someone is supposed to climb and retrieve this slice of ham, while the crowd chants and sings in encouragement. The moment this slice is dropped, trucks loaded with tomatoes arrive at the venue, and then begins the fun-filled chaos.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/gioconda_ros

Picture courtesy: Instagram/getyourirvon

The writer tweets at @SamonwayDg



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Lemon Tree Hotel, Bangalore, has in one of its bathrooms, a poster that jokes about rape and consent to sex. And it's not making anyone laugh.

By India Today Web Desk: Is a 'joke' that ridicules consent and rape a joke in the first place?

The question is simple, and so is the answer. Yet, some people just don't seem to get it. No, a joke laced with rape innuendos is not funny; if it's making you laugh instead of triggering anger, there's something wrong with you.

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Take this poster, for example. Shared by a Facebook user, the poster hangs in a bathroom stall in Bangalore's Lemon Tree Hotel. And whoever put it up there thought it would be funny.

Is it, though?

Source: Anoushka Kapoor/Facebook



The Facebook user who shared this picture makes a good point: this "joke" is not sexist.

Look at it, its peg lies in the part where a husband teaches his wife a lesson for refusing him sex by throwing her into the cage of a horny animal. This "joke" leaps beyond sexism and cheers rape culture nine ways to Sunday.

First, it builds towards victim-blaming, from describing what the woman was wearing to how she enticed the animal.

Source: Anoushka Kapoor/Facebook



Then, of course, comes the part that's supposed to send the crowd into laughter fits. The husband is mad about being denied sex, so here's how he gets back at his wife: daring her to deny sex to a raging animal.

'That' is supposed to be amusing.

Source: Anoushka Kapoor/Facebook

Except, it is not.

Right now, a petition is running on Jhatkaa.org asking Lemon Tree Hotel to take down the poster. If you agree with it, click here to sign up for the petition.

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Collingwood insists it will only trade Travis Cloke should a suitable deal be brokered but the Magpies will do their best to grant the premiership forward his wish.

Industry sources suggest a late second round or third-round draft selection shapes as the likely deal for Cloke, after he ended months of speculation on Tuesday and confirmed he wanted to quit the club.

Cloke has a season to run on his five-year contract although, as he has failed to meet clauses, his salary next year is expected to be slashed from about $800,000 to $400,000.

The average wage of an AFL player was $302,000 in 2015, with Cloke still regarded as deserving more than that.
The fancy new $5 note  yes, still with the purple Queen  isn't the only Reserve Bank event today. Its ruling on excessive card surcharge fees comes into effect for large merchants. Goodbye to the airline rip-off on cheaper fares of a flat $7 (Qantas) or $7.70 (Virgin) credit card fee.

American Express is using the event as an opportunity to give its "Surcharge Free" 'astroturfing' campaign a nudge. Watch former consumer advocate Christopher Zinn pop up about the place to push the case for merchants dropping all surcharges.

Beware multinationals claiming customer welfare is their prime concern when trying to level a playing field to their own advantage. Given American Express' higher merchant fees, it's arguable that scrapping all surcharging in effect would mean consumers using cheaper cards or cash would subsidise Amex and its card-carrying members chasing frequent flyer points.

"Astroturfing" is defined by Wikipedia as "the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organisation (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by a grassroots participant(s)". American Express is paying for the Surcharge Free campaign with sundry merchants  presumably Amex card acceptors  lending their names to it.
Still, Vestager's move is part of a broader push to close loopholes that European regulators think give foreign companies an advantage. Google parent Alphabet has also been a beneficiary of Ireland's tax regime, using the so-called "Double Irish" mechanism to save billions in tax on its international earnings. Ireland is phasing this out, although companies have until 2021 to adjust. Amazon.com used a similar process to effectively send profit through Luxembourg. In Europe, the e-commerce giant told authorities that the intellectual property behind its web shopping platform was immensely valuable, justifying the billions in tax-free revenue it collected there since moving its technology assets to Luxembourg a decade ago. In the US it played down the value of those same assets to explain why it paid so little in taxes for licensing them. That prompted investigations on both sides of the Atlantic and Amazon changed its policy in 2015, largely eliminating the practice. "You can't bank on achieving the savings in post-tax profits that you might have once expected," said Jolyon Maugham, a British trial lawyer specialising in tax cases at Devereux Chambers. "That makes the pursuit of such strategies rather more difficult to justify." Unsustainable About six months ago, Netflix told an investor that the company will likely pay higher international tax rates than other large US technology companies currently pay. Netflix, which recently began expanding aggressively abroad, said it views other US tech companies' international tax strategies as unsustainable, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person didn't want to be identified recounting a private discussion.

"Multinationals with aggressive tax planning strategies can expect to pay more tax," Sarah Jane Mahmud, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, wrote in a recent research note. "EU reforms will require income to be taxed where generated through, among other things, new restrictions on use of controlled foreign companies." A Netflix spokeswoman didn't respond to requests seeking comment Tuesday. Spokesmen at Alphabet and Amazon declined to comment. 'Apple follows the law' Even if Apple has to pay billions and other tax strategies fizzle, Ireland's 12.5 per cent corporate rate means it's still likely to trump its homemarket US as a preferred corporate tax domicile. The iPhone maker has been there since opening a factory in Cork in 1980. "We received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law - the same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there," CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe."

The timing of Europe's decision, ahead of the US presidential election, means tax reform may become a more prominent issue. Donald Trump proposed taxing companies' accumulated offshore profit at 10 per cent, compared with the current top corporate rate of 35 per cent. The tax Apple pays abroad is deductible from the 35 per cent it must pay should it bring offshore profits home. Implications for other multinationals One major tech investor said low European taxes don't help international investors because the resulting higher overseas profits are still out of reach for things like share buybacks, dividends and acquisitions of other global companies. If European tax rates rise, there would be more incentive to repatriate the money to the countries where revenues are generated, said the investor, who asked not to be named discussing internal strategy ideas. The Apple ruling adds more pressure on the US to overhaul its tax system. And the US is not the only market where calls to end multinationals' tax dodging will get new intensity: According to a report published by Oxfam in June using IMF data, Australia misses out on $6 billion in annual revenue from big international companies operating here but using low-tax or no-tax nations to avoid paying tax locally. Apart from Ireland, the tax havens cited in the report included other European nations such as the Netherlands, Malta, Luxembourg, Belgium and Austria. Meanwhile, for Apple and its rivals, there's another sting in the spectacular Ireland ruling: The revelation that a regulator can impose higher tax bills retroactively - even though they were legal according to national laws - will top companies' list of concerns, according to Adam Halpern, a tax lawyer at Fenwick & West.
1. Words of affirmation. The story goes that everyone loves and wants to be loved in different ways. In 1992 the American author and anthropologist Gary Chapman defined them as "the five languages of love". But not all of them work so well with your dad. While raising children, he has honed his bullcrap filter, so nice words don't always cut it. And as Chapman writes in his Five Love Languages for Men, flattery is quite different to affirming words. It has an agenda and can involve manipulation. "Gee Dad, your hair is looking decidedly thick and plentiful today" won't get you far.

2. Receiving gifts. Most dads have everything they need  that is, they have great kids like you. Most fathers don't care so much for material stuff anyway. So if you have to give Dad something, make it something you have created yourself. How about grandchildren?

A dad who enjoyed reading to his children might like the favour returned for Father's Day.

3. Acts of service. Most dads are hopeless at showing affection to their wives or partners and fall back on doing jobs like the mowing and washing up to express their love. Sooner or later these little chores come to define Dad and, no matter how much he plays the martyr card, he enjoys them immensely. As such, Dad can interpret any attempt by you kids to do his jobs for him as a sign you don't appreciate what he does or how well he does it. So instead of making him breakfast in bed or cleaning his car, ask him to do something nice for you. He'll be thrilled that you trust him to do it. But make sure his life insurance is up to date.

4. Physical touch. A hug or kiss is always fine, but they should be an everyday occurrence, not a once-a-year treat.
Former Abbott government minister Eric Abetz has suggested journalists interrupting politicians in interviews could be considered "offensive and insulting" amid a push to change controversial provisions of the Racial Discrimination Act.

During an interview with ABC Radio's Fran Kelly on Wednesday morning, the conservative Tasmanian senator asked to be given the opportunity to finish his answers before suggesting some might consider his being interrupted as "insulting" or "offensive".

Senator Abetz is backing Liberal backbencher Cory Bernardi as he prepares to present a private member's bill to amend the act. Senator Bernardi has the support of at least 20 senators including all but one of the Coalition's backbench in the upper house. The bill would re-write the law to drop "offend" or "insult" from the act, while leaving in "intimidate or "humiliate".

Changes were considered and then dropped by the Abbott government and the renewed push for change is being seen as a challenge to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's authority.
After 1400 submissions, scores of expert appearances and public hearings in Cairns, Emerald and Brisbane, Queensland's Parliamentary inquiry into abortion law reform has rejected a bill to decriminalise abortion across the state.

Cairns Independent MP Rob Pyne, who introduced the Women's Right to Choose bill in May, said the decision was politically motivated and that it was "disappointing that some of the politicians can't be a little more courageous in their approach to some reform."

A submission to Queensland's 2016 abortion law reform inquiry. Credit:Queensland Parliament

However, chairwoman and Labor MP Leanne Linard said careful consideration was given to the complex issues in regulating termination of pregnancy. "The committee was unable to support the Bill as it failed to address a number of important policy issues and to achieve a number of its own stated objectives," she said.

Far from being a fatal blow to the process to end antiquated laws that prevent women from seeking terminations to pregnancies, academics agreed, suggesting recommendations were made on constructive grounds and that the "door to reform is not closed".
For Bruce Maguire, the best thing about the new $5 notes coming out this week is the presence of two small bumps "about the size of a chocolate sprinkle".

"It's one of the most significant things that's happened in my lifetime for people who are blind like me," says Maguire, a policy adviser at Vision Australia.

"It gives us for the first time full participation in using cash without the need to rely on others or use devices."

The new $5 note features a single bump on both of the long sides of the note. Eventually, the Reserve Bank will issue all bank notes with similar bumps - a different quantity for each denomination.
A viral video shows a 4-year-old boy being tossed from a railroad bridge into a river as his mother stands by and cheers.

By India Today Web Desk: It was just another hot summer day when 18-year-old Kaylub Fawley, a local in Washington's Montesano, was hanging out with his friends by the Wynoochee River. But then, they witnessed a disturbing sight.

Off the 27-foot high railroad bridge that hangs over the river, a little boy was being tossed off. Meanwhile, the child's mother was standing by and cheering as her boyfriend threw her son.

Source: Kaylub Fawley/ Facebook

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The child vanished underwater

As someone who had done this before, Fawley understood the dangers of a 4-year-old child taking a plunge from the bridge, which would be at the height of at least a two-story building,

"I looked up and was like, 'Whoa, there's a kid up there'. I immediately started recording [on phone]," Fawley told The Washington Post. "This guy just threw the kid right off the bridge, and he smacked down right on his neck."

"As soon as that kid hit the water, he went straight down and straight back up," said Fawley, adding that, fortunately, the boy had a life-jacket on. "He was just screaming the whole time."

"When he landed, I thought he broke his neck," said 19-year-old Brianna Jones, who was also present at the scene. "Usually, people that jump off the bridge are my age or older."

Source: Kaylub Fawley/ Facebook



He was fine, but in shock

In the video that Fawley captured of the incident, the little boy's mother can be heard cheering in the background as he's thrown off the bridge. After falling in the river, the child can also be heard desperately smacking the water.

The depth of the river ranges from eight to 12 feet, depending on the rain. Either ways, the child could've drowned had he not had a life jacket on.

He could also hit his head on the railroad's beams, smashed into a boulder in the river, or simply hit the water at a wrong angle and snapped his neck.

Despite all this, the worst part of the incident remained the 4-year-old's mother's nonchalant reaction. Even after her son surfaced the water screaming, she went about "trying to make it seem like the whole incident was fun."

"We all started freaking out and yelling at her, 'You can't do that!" said witness Jones. "She said, 'He's my kid, and it's none of your business.'"

After police arrived at the scene, they watched Fawley's video and were "pretty upset" with what they saw. They provided medical attention to the child and confirmed that he was doing fine, though "shaken up pretty bad".

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STOP: C000021a {Fatal System Error} The verification of a KnownDLL failed. System process terminated with a status of 0xc0000221 (0x017d9cd0 0x00000000) The System has been shutdown.

My friend Barney called me recently when his Windows 7 PC kept crashing during startup, spitting out a blue screen error and constantly rebooting. The error only appeared on the screen for a split second, so the only way to read it was to record it with my smartphone and play back the video. What we found wasn't good;

When your PC refuses to start there are still ways to retrieve your family photos, office documents and other precious files.

At times like this a quick Google search is in order. It turns out this error is Microsoft-speak for "Windows has lost its mind, you're in trouble".

A common cause of this kind of error is a failed Windows update corrupting an important subsystem or damaging the registry, basically crippling Windows so badly that it can't start even in Safe Mode. Thankfully this kind of error leaves your documents intact, you just can't start Windows to reach them.

Barney backs up all his important files online, so in theory we could have just wiped the hard drive and reinstalled Windows. Unfortunately we weren't 100 per cent confident everything had been backed up (it's a long story) so we decided that we'd do our best to recover his My Documents folder and everything within.

When Windows won't boot, reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling from scratch is absolutely a last resort  as this will wipe your My Documents folder  so we worked our way down the Windows emergency checklist.

Unfortunately we had no luck booting into Safe Mode or using the Last Known Good Configuration option, but thankfully Barney's store-built computer came with a Windows 7 OEM installation disc which offers a range of options for fixing an unhappy Windows installation. If it had been an off-the-shelf brand name computer it probably would have come with a recovery disc offering similar tools.
The article, attributed to endingthefed.com , was featured prominently as the top news story on Facebook about Megyn Kelly as of Monday morning, US time, until her name disappeared from the Trending list later that day. The story is far down the rabbit hole of junk information, a typo-ridden aggregation of an aggregation about a clash of personalities between Kelly and Bill O'Reilly.

The headline, which was visible to anyone who hovered over Megyn Kelly's name on the Trending list, refers to the Fox News personality as a "traitor" and claims that the US cable channel has "Kick(ed) her out for backing Hillary." (They have not.)

Facebook announced over the weekend that humans would no longer write descriptions for its Trending topics list, handing over even more responsibility to the already-powerful algorithm. But just days after the policy change, Facebook's algorithm chose a very bad, factually incorrect headline to explain to its news-hungry users why "Megyn Kelly" was trending.

Based on Twitter mentions about all of this, it appears that the article maintained this coveted spot as Facebook's top Kelly story for several hours.

Facebook chooses Trending topics with an algorithm that considers a combination of volume and momentum: Trending topics have a lot of original mentions, and those mentions are spiking. It's using a similar process to sort search results for those individual topics. The featured article for each topic  the spot occupied by the bad Ending The Fed aggregation for Kelly  is supposed to be an "automatically selected original news story with an excerpt pulled directly from the top article itself," according to Facebook's own announcement about the new Trending process.

Instead of relying on an automatically selected article, Facebook used to employ a small editorial team to write descriptions for each trending topic. That changed, Quartz reported, when the company fired its editorial staff and replaced them with engineers, who essentially function as the Trending algorithm's janitors.

Although Facebook says it always meant to remove humans from the Trending process as much as possible, the recent changes were accelerated. "We are making these changes sooner given the feedback we got from the Facebook community earlier this year," the company explained on Friday.

They don't say it explicitly, but Facebook is almost certainly referring to the fallout from Gizmodo's reporting on the team that suggested (among many other things) that the Trending list was "biased" against conservative topics and news sources.
Beijing: An American businesswoman faces trial in China on spying charges dating back 20 years, including that she tried to recruit Chinese in the United States to spy against their homeland, her husband said on Tuesday.

He urged President Barack Obama to raise the case with President Xi Jinping of China at a G20 summit meeting in eastern China beginning over the weekend.

This undated photo provided by Jeff Gillis shows his wife, Phan "Sandy" Phan-Gillis. Credit:AP

Phan Phan-Gillis, widely known as Sandy, was indicted last month on the espionage charges after having been detained while visiting China last year. But her husband, Jeff Gillis, said he had held off revealing the indictment while new lawyers for his wife tried to come to grips with the case.

"The time really is critical for Sandy, with the imminent meeting between President Obama and Xi Jinping," Gillis said by telephone from the couple's home in Houston. The prosecutors' claims against Phan-Gillis include that she spied while visiting Guangxi, a region of southern China, in 1996, he said.
Patrick Norman Pat Chapman is a 34-year-old, Caucasian male who was last known to be in Piedmont which is near the area of Greenville, Missouri on May 10, 2020.

Pat had stayed the night with a friend and his wife at their home. In the early morning when the friend woke to go to work.

Pat was gone in his own Burgundy color 1995 Ford Escort. That is the last anyone was known to have seen him. The vehicle was later recovered on May 29, 2020 in Mill Spring, Missouri.
This dog was blissfully unaware of a speeding Mitsubishi race car behind him while he was strolling on a Bolivian race track.

By India Today Web Desk: This might just be the luckiest canine in the world.

The pooch was strolling along the track of Bolivia's Rally De Santa Cruz, blissfully unaware of a speeding Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution round the corner.

In the heart-stopping video, the dog is seen picking up pace just as he hears the car coming. At this point it seems unlikely for him to outrun the speed of the car.

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But, in the nick of time the car soars over the dog.

While the lucky pooch saunters off the race track after his brush with death, onlookers at the rally cheer at the incredible turn of events.

Watch the video below:





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By PTI: Mumbai, Aug 31 (PTI) Convicts serving jail sentence for crimes like rape, murder and dacoity in Maharashtra will henceforth not get "regular" parole.

Those convicted for offences like rape, rape and murder, smuggling of narcotic or psychotropic substances and dacoity will not be eligible for "regular" parole, as per the amendments made in the prisons manual by Maharashtra government.

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Additional DG (Prisons) B K Upadhyay said a notification has been issued by the government making amendments to the Maharashtra Prisons Rule, 1959.

Changes were made to the parole and furlough rules in the wake of flak the Home department received after Sajjad Mogul, serving a life sentence at Nashik Central Jail in the murder case of Mumbai-based lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha, jumped parole earlier this year. Mogul has not been traced since then.

According to the amended rules, a person whose appeal of conviction in higher court or any other cases filed against them either by central or state governments in any of the courts are pending and for which bail has not been granted by the related courts, will not be eligible for furlough.

A convict who does not have sound mental health as per his medical report, too will not be eligible for the leave.

Furlough will also be not granted to convicts sentenced for offences like dacoity, terrorist crimes, mutiny against state, kidnapping for ranson, smuggling of narcotic or psychotropic substances, rape, rape with murder and also those sentenced to life imprisonment till death.

Convicts, however, will be eligible for "emergency" parole, which will be granted in the event of death of grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, spouse, son, daughter, brother or sister.

It will also be applicable in case of serious illness of father, mother, spouse, son or daughter and marriage of son, daughter, brother or sister.

Furlough is leave from prison that every convict is entitled to by way of right. Parole, on other hand, is leave given by prison authorities based on their discretion. PTI MM GK RSY ZMN

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Amending the jail manual in the state, the government has brought a new set of rules for prisons especially concerning parole and furlough.

By Vidya : Following the outrage over the disappearance of convict Sajjad Moghal in the Pallavi Purkayastha rape and murder case, the Maharashtra government today decided that rapists, kidnappers and dacoits will not be granted any parole in future.

Amending the jail manual in the state, the government has brought a new set of rules for prisons especially concerning parole and furlough.

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NO PAROLE

For the rape accused or convicts, there will not be any parole now. Prisoners whose appeals in conviction are pending in higher courts for which the bail has not been granted will also not get parole.

Apart from the rapists, those sentenced for dacoity, terror crimes, mutiny against state, kidnapping for ransom, human traffickers, and smugglers of narcotics will also not be granted any parole.

The convicts will get emergency parole only in case of the death or illness of immediate relatives, and marriage of their children or siblings.

The government has decided that regular parole will only be given to those whose average sentence does not exceed five years.

PALLAVI PURKAYASTHA CASE

Mughal, who in 2014 was sentenced to life for Purkayastha's rape and murder, had left the jail in Nasik in March to visit his ailing mother, but never returned.

The 25-year-old lawyer was murdered in Mumbai by Mughal, who then worked as a guard in her building. When his attempt to rape her failed, Mughal stabbed her repeatedly before slitting her throat.

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By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Maharashtra government has made major changes in the norms for furlough and parole. Amending the jail manual, the state government has decided that rape, murder convicts will not be granted parole or furlough. Those convicted of serious offences like involvement in terror activities, sedition and child trafficking will not be eligible for regular parole; those serving life till death will also to be denied parole.

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DURATION OF PAROLE, FURLOUGH

Speaking to India Today, Minister of State for Home, Deepak Kesarkar said "the period for regular parole has been brought to half for 45 days from earlier 90 days. While, the period for regular furlough has been brought down to 21 days from 28."

"We keep learning from incidents. A heinous crime like rape destroys the life of a woman. With this change (of denying furlough or parole to rape convicts) we want to send across a message that you cannot destroy a woman's life and roam around freely," Kesarkar said.

Asked whether the state is concerned about the changes being challenged, Kesarkar said that the state has taken this decision after due deliberation and is willing to fight it out if it is challenged in the court.

WHAT LEGAL EXPERTS SAY

Meanwhile, legal experts have expressed apprehensions about the changes in the jail manual. "These provisions of parole and furlough have been there since British era. In most of the cases it is provided on humanitarian grounds like family emergency. It will not be easy to abolish them easily like this" said senior lawyer and NCP leader Advocate Majid Memon. Eminent lawyer and AIMIM leader Waris Pathan though welcomed the move, but said he was skeptical about the implementation. "There is a need to strictly implement the rules for furlough and parole. In countries like England, a person on parole or furlough is tagged so that his movements can be monitored. May be we can also try something on these lines" said Pathan.

Also read:

No parole for rapists, kidnappers in Maharashtra





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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Aug. 31, 2016 | DAWSON SPRINGS, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 31, 2016 | 10:58 AM | DAWSON SPRINGS, KY

A traffic stop led to two drug-related arrests Tuesday night in Hopkins County.



According to Kentucky State Police, a trooper saw a vehicle parked at a cemetery about three miles north of Dawson Springs. As he approached it, the trooper said he saw a passenger throwing items from the vehicle. The trooper said as he spoke to the passenger, 44-year-old Charles David Hayes of Dawson Springs, he saw packaged controlled substances on the ground. Police said further investigation revealed Hayes also had methamphetamine, digital scales, and prescription Hydrocodone and Aprazolam tablets. Hayes was arrested on several drug possession charges, along with possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with evidence, having an open alcoholic drink in the vehicle, and not having a prescription in the proper container.



Troopers said the driver of the vehicle, 29-year-old Sarah E. Hillman of Princeton, failed several field sobriety tests, and also had methamphetamine on her. She was arrested for DUI 2nd offense with aggravating circumstances and possession of meth.



Both suspects were taken to Hopkins County Detention Center.
He is currently under political asylum in the UK where he was authorised to travel for medical treatment last year.

By Press Trust of India: A Maldivian criminal court has issued arrest warrants for Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected president who was toppled in 2012, and other exiled leaders of the Maldives United Opposition.

NASHEED IN UK UNDER POLITICAL ASYLUM



Nasheed, 49, was granted political asylum in the UK last May after he was authorised to travel for medical treatment while serving the sentence for a terror-related offence.

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"The warrant for Nasheed's arrest was sought over an investigation into the alleged misuse of state funds during his presidency," the police said in a statement yesterday.

"The Maldives correctional service is seeking to have him brought back to serve the remainder of his 13-year sentence on a terror conviction," The Maldives Independent reported, citing the statement.

SENTENCED TO JAIL FOR TERROR-RELATED CHARGE



Nasheed was sentenced to jail in March 2015 after he was convicted on a terror-related charge, inviting widespread international condemnation.

The police were also authorised to arrest and bring back Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and Akram Kamaldeen, a senior official of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, for refusing to obey a police summons on August 4, which ordered the pair to return to the Maldives within two weeks for questioning over unspecified charges, the paper said.

Jameel, who fled the Maldives in July last year, has also been granted political refugee status by the UK government. He has since been living in self-imposed exile in the UK.

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By The Associated Press

Aug. 30, 2016 | FRANKFORT, KY

By The Associated Press Aug. 30, 2016 | 05:45 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

Kentucky House Democrats have held an election-year special meeting to discuss the state's public pension crisis and a proposal from Gov. Matt Bevin to change the Medicaid program.



Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo invited all 100 House members to attend the meeting, which he said was meant to be an informational session so members could get more background on these complex issues to discuss them with constituents.



But Republicans boycotted the meeting, calling it a stunt whose sole purpose was to use taxpayer money to pay for members' travel to Frankfort on the same day as a Democratic fundraiser.



Stumbo said members would be paid $188.22 for the day, but only if they wanted to. Democrats held a closed caucus meeting in the afternoon at the state Democratic Party headquarters.
By Kentucky News Network Aug. 30, 2016 | 08:45 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

The Kentucky Speaker of the House says the intimidation of members of his chamber are grounds for impeachment.Democrat House Speaker Greg Stumbo says the voice mail left for Democrat Representative Russ Meyer is part of a "growing body of evidence" that Governor Matt Bevin is bullying the General Assembly.Stumbo claims the most serious offense was the use of over $600,000 to cancel a road project in Meyer's central Kentucky district after he didn't bow to the demands of the Bevin Administration.The Speaker is calling for a state or federal investigation into the incident and if true he's calling for the impeachment of the governor.Stumbo says he's also troubled by a report of a meeting in the basement of the Governor's Mansion late last year in which he says Bevin and Minority Leader Jeff Hoover were present and made an attempt to intimidate two Democratic members of the House.
By PTI: Male, Aug 31 (PTI) A Maldivian criminal court has issued an arrest warrant against Mohamed Nasheed, the countrys first democratically elected president who was toppled in 2012, over a probe into the alleged misuse of funds during his regime.

Nasheed, 49, was granted political asylum in the UK last May after he was authorised by the Maldivian government to travel for medical treatment while serving a 13-year sentence for a terror-related offence.

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"The warrant for Nasheed?s arrest was sought over an investigation into the alleged misuse of state funds during his presidency," the police said in a statement yesterday.

"The Maldives correctional service is seeking to have him brought back to serve the remainder of his 13-year sentence on a terror conviction," The Maldives Independent reported, citing the statement.

Nasheed was sentenced to jail in March 2015 after he was convicted on a terror-related charge, inviting widespread international condemnation.

The police were also authorised to arrest and bring back exiled leaders of the Maldives United Opposition - Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and Akram Kamaldeen - for refusing to obey summons issued on August 4, which ordered them to return to the Maldives within two weeks for questioning over unspecified charges, the paper said.

Jameel, who fled the Maldives in July last year, has also been granted political refugee status by the UK government. He has since been living in self-imposed exile in the UK. PTI ZH AKJ ZH

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DEATH OF HENDERSONVILLE WOMAN A YEAR AGO TO BE RE-EXAMINED Print

Print Email DEATH OF HENDERSONVILLE WOMAN A YEAR AGO TO BE RE-EXAMINED According to a report this week from Carolina Public Press, the death of a Hendersonville woman ruled a suicide in New Jersey is now being reviewed by homicide detectives. Felicia Reeves was found hanging in a hotel in Elizabeth, New Jersey last August. She was last seen in Hendersonville at the Rainbow Motel nine days earlier. Hendersonville police also confirm they are reviewing where she went after she was last seen at the hotel before she was found dead in New Jersey.

Official reports indicated Reeves committed suicide but her sister believes the hanging in the motel was staged.

"There is reason to believe there was a motive. Someone wanted her silenced. In addition, there were some things in the police analysis that didn't add up," Frank Taylor, managing editor of Carolina Public Press, said.

The Union County District Attorneys office wrote the victim's sistert...in an email that said, in part, it will be conducting its own review of the circumstances surrounding the loss of your sisterOn the investigative end, I will be assigning this case to one of my homicide task force sergeants, along with the detectives on (the) squad."
In a setback to the Tatas, the Supreme Court today set aside the land acquired by the previous Left Front government in West Bengal for the Nano car plant, saying due processes and procedures were not followed.

By Romita Datta, Manogya Loiwal : A vindicated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she had "dreamt" of the "landmark" Supreme Court verdict against Tata Motors in the Singur land deal case "for so long" and that she "can die in peace" now.

"I had dreamt of this Supreme Court verdict for so long for the people of Singur. Now I can die in peace," the 61-year-old chief of the Trinamool Congress said. The judgement has brought tears of joy in her eyes, Mamata said.

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In a setback to the Tatas, the Supreme Court today set aside the land acquired by the previous Left Front government in West Bengal for the Nano car plant, saying due processes and procedures were not followed.

VINDICATED MAMATA

"This is a landmark victory after we thought of the new name for the West Bengal state. I am very happy with the decision," said Mamata, whose agitation forced the Tatas to move their plant from Singur to Sanand in Gujarat.

"I would expect everyone to celebrate this 'Singur Utsav'. It's like an invocation of the celebration to Durga Puja," Mamata said. "I am remembering those people who made sacrifices fighting for this," she added.

"LEFT COMMITTED A HISTORIC BLUNDER"

She also said that Left front has committed a historic blunder and historic suicide by forcefully pushing the acquisition.

GOVT TO WORK OUT THE RETURN OF LAND



The chief minister said that the land would be returned to all, irrespective of whether they willingly gave their land and accepted compensation or have agitated against the acquisition and refused compensation. In order to this, the strategy to return the lands will be worked out tomorrow by the government.

"NEVER BLOCKED TATA'S TENDERS"



Accepting the needs of a business, she said, "We don't divide and discriminate. Neither are we vindictive or mean-minded. As a railway minister, I have never blocked any tenders of Tata Group. They are also doing business in the state."

"I would have had no problem if they returned 400 acres of land and set up their factory in the 600 acres," she added, leaving a window for the Tatas for some kind of negotiation, if they wished for.



However, she said she'll reserve her comments on Ratan Tata, even though the latter on an earlier occasion had dubbed her as the "Bad M."

Tata Motors spokesperson clarified: "The case in which the judgment was delivered today, related to the acquisition of land by the State Government, before it was leased to Tata Motors. Our case relating to Singur Act of 2011, is yet to be heard by the Supreme Court. We will study today's judgment in detail before commenting further on the same."



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SINGUR TRAGEDY

15 people died in the violent protest against the allotment of 997 acres of land in 2006 for the ambitious small car project.

The protest forced the then Tata Sons' chairman Ratan Tata to announce on October 3, 2008 that it would pull out from Singur and relocate to Sanand.

ALSO READ:

Singur land acquired by Tata for Nano cars cancelled by Supreme Court



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The incident took place barely ten metres away from a place where labourers were busy digging a road.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: In yet another case of human apathy, a man hanging from a tree in one of the busiest junctions of Mumbai, went unnoticed today afternoon.

Hours after he committed suicide, the man, who hung himself from a tree near Air India Building Junction in broad daylight, opposite Marine Drive, caught the attention of a passerby.

The passerby alerted the police, who rushed the man to the hospital. However, he was declared brought dead on arrival.

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The incident took place barely 10 metres away from a place where labourers were busy digging a road. Mumbai Police is now investigating the case.

"We are trying to ascertain the identity of the person. Prima facie he appears to be a road side dweller or a labour. Police have been speaking to the street side dwellers in the vicinity. We have shown his picture to them to find out whether they know him or to get any clue about his whereabouts," said Manoj Sharma, DCP of Zone 1, Mumbai Police.

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According to the committee's recommendation, the two students - Gowtham Sudarshan and Ashish Paul - of the Madha Medical College, should pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh each to the Animal Welfare Board.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Two medical students, who threw a dog off the rooftop of a three-storeyed building and filmed the gruesome incident, were fined Rs 2 lakh each by a committee formed by Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University.

FINE TO BE PAID TO ANIMAL WELFARE BOARD

According to the committee's recommendation, the two students - Gowtham Sudarshan and Ashish Paul - of the Madha Medical College, should pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh each to the Animal Welfare Board. The committee was formed as per the orders of the Madras High Court.

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GRUESOME ACT WENT VIRAL

Last month, the video of the two students - one throwing the dog down from the rooftop of a building and the other filming the gruesome act went viral and drew much revulsion.

Animal welfare activists made a police complaint and the two students were later arrested. The two got bail immediately. The activists then moved the court for compensation for the dog that suffered a leg fracture.

University Vice Chancellor S Geethalakshmi and Dean of Students SV Senthilnathan on Tuesday signed the penalty order as recommended by the committee.

Also read:

Chennai: Medical students who flung dog off roof arrested, out on bail

Humanity at its worst: Man throwing dog off the roof identified as medical student from Chennai

Dog thrown off Chennai roof by medical students found alive





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Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/08/2016 (2250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I almost feel like a drug dealer when I bring these out, Doreen Pendgracs jokes as she shakes some cocoa beans onto a napkin.

A self-described chocolate adventurist, Pendgracs is here to give me a lesson in chocolate tasting. And sure enough, after one afternoon sampling of bean-to-bar offerings, Im hooked.

The Matlock-based freelance writer is a passionate promoter of chocolate education, organizing cocoa-themed tastings, events and tours. Blogging about the growing trend of chocolate tourism at www.chocolatour.net, Pendgracs travels the world. On the day I speak with her, she is just back from a chocolate festival in Grenada and will soon be heading to the Ottawa Valley to meet some award-winning Canadian chocolate makers. She has also penned Chocolatour: A Quest for the Worlds Best Chocolate, Volume I, with Volume II due out in 2017.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS There are 30 to 50 cocoa beans in a pod.

Pendgracs starts by showing me a cocoa pod, which typically contains 30 to 50 cocoa beans, and then hands me one small bean. She wants me to experience the straight-up taste of pure cocoa. I brace myself, but its actually not as bitter as I thought it would be.

We then move to a selection of bean-to-bar artisanal chocolate. Bean-to-bar, which is sometimes called small batch or craft chocolate, is the latest big thing in the chocolate world. It means the chocolate maker starts with raw cocoa beans, which are processed in-house, rather than working with finished chocolate supplied by another manufacturer.

First, take a slug of water to freshen your palate, Pendgracs advises. Neutral water crackers are also good if youre tasting multiple bars.

Theres a whole process involved, Pendgracs explains. You want to excite all your senses. This means going slowly and savouring the experience, as you would with a wine tasting. In fact, the language around chocolate tasting shares a lot with oenophilic talk (earthy, jammy, bright, smoky). If youre used to thinking of chocolate as candy, this might sound far-fetched. Try thinking of it as a bean with amazing transformative powers.

We begin with sight, taking in the gorgeous packaging before moving to the deep, glossy colour of the bar inside. We listen for the clean snap of the chocolate as it breaks.

Then theres scent. Inhale those notes, Pendgracs instructs. Finally, just take a little bit  a little bit!  in your mouth. The flavours go through subtle, complex shifts as the chocolate melts on the palate.

Pendgracs starts by offering some bars from Hummingbird, a standout Canadian outfit from Almonte, Ont., that snagged the Golden Bean at Londons Academy of Chocolate awards last month. Pendgracs likes the companys commitment to quality and high ethical standards. (Using single-origin beans helps to track the supply chain, an important issue in an international trade marred by child and slave labour.)

Hummingbirds Hispaniola, a dark chocolate bar made with beans from the Dominican Republic, is full-bodied but fruity, with some deep cherry and citrus notes, Pendgracs adds. We also sample a Hummingbird bar finished with hand-harvested fleur de sel from Vancouver Island.

Its important to keep in mind, Pendgracs says, that taste and texture are influenced by where the beans are grown, how they are handled, and by every step in the chocolate-making process.

Cocoa grown in different countries is just like the terroir with wine, Pendgracs points out. Soil and climate will affect the beans.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Doreen Pendgracs with an assortment of handcrafted artisinal chocolate from around the world.

Youll get different flavour notes depending on what its grown with, says Pendgracs. In the Dominican Republic, in Peru, in Madagascar  those are my favourites  you get slightly acidic, fruity notes that always have that red fruit flavour.

We move on to some chocolate from Omnom, a Reykjavik-based artisanal chocolate company. (Omnoms bars are now available at the New Iceland Heritage Museum in Gimli.) The white chocolate bar, which is actually a warm blond colour with subtle caramelly flavour, is not overly sweet. White chocolate has no cocoa mass or cocoa liquor in it, Pendgracs explains. It only has cocoa butter, which gives it that beautiful, silky texture.

We also try some deep, toasty dark chocolate made with beans from Papua New Guinea. Pendgracs reads the tasting notes supplied by Omnom, which promise nutty leather and smoky tobacco with a whisper of burned oak tamed by a buttery bourbon finish. I like it, but Prendgracs is not convinced  a little overdone, she calls it.

Of course, when it comes to a chocolate tasting, differences of opinion can be part of the fun. How you react to a particular bar can depend on the time of day, what youre pairing it with, or even your mood.

My goal is to just educate people about tasting chocolate and make them interested in the learning process, Pendgracs suggests. She doesnt like what she calls the chocolate snob sites, where people lay out whats good and whats not. I always tell people, its all about what you like, says Pendgracs. Its not what I like.

She just wants to help people appreciate the complexities of chocolate flavours in the bean-to-bar form: I love watching peoples faces, seeing what theyre interested in and what surprises them. Thats what make it worthwhile.

alison.gillmor@freepress.mb.ca
Railways has floated an Expression of Interest (EoI) tender for developing, constructing and running ultra-high speed railway system in India on PPP basis.

By Press Trust of India: Moving ahead on its Mission 350 Plus, Railways will organise a global meet to explore the possibilities of introducing ultra-high speed technology to run trains at a speed of 500 km per hour.

"Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has envisioned Mission 350 Plus in which the Railways should enter the futuristic field of ultra-high speed rail network and work towards building an Indian technology which is economical and on par with the best," Rolling Stock Member Hemant Kumar said in New Delhi.

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RAILWAYS FLOATS TENDER

Accordingly, Railways has floated an Expression of Interest (EoI) tender for developing, constructing and running ultra-high speed railway system in India on PPP basis.

The last date for the EoI is September 6 and so far four global players from have shown interest in the project, a senior railway official said on Wednesday.

It is expected that the EoI will give a full view of emerging technologies available in the world in this frontier area of railway technology and enable Indian Railways to move to the next step of sanctioning a project.

USE OF LEVITATION TECHNOLOGY

Trains can run at more than 350 km per hour speed with the use of levitation technology which is operational in Germany, China and Japan, among other countries, he said.

In order to take this mission further, Railways is organising a one-day international conference on September 2 here on technology for ultra-high speed rolling stock for operation at maximum speeds of 500 kmph and above.

Kumar said the conference has been organised to bring focus on development ultra-high speed railway systems in the country.

ULTRA MODERN RAILWAY SYSTEM

"This will create a confluence of minds and ideas from across the globe and become a catalyst for a major transformation of Indian Railways to an ultra modern railway system, on par with the best," Kumar added.

The conference has evoked interest from all major players in the field of ultra-high speed including Germany, USA, Japan, Switzerland and Spain.

Kumar said, "The Railway Minister's vision is to make rolling stock the driver for this major shift from India being a technology importer and manufacturer to becoming a developer and designer for futuristic rolling stock technologies."

FOREIGN COMPANIES TO PARTICIPATE IN MEET

HyperLoop Transport Technology from USA, Quadralev USA, Talgo from Spain, RTRI Japan, Siemens Germany, Knorr Bremse, Germany, Prose Switzerland are expected to participate in the meet.

Besides, delegates numbering about 500 from railways, Indian industry, diplomatic community, international industry, federations of unions in railways are likely to attend the conference.

ALSO READ:



Indian Railways invites private players to run Maglev trains at 500 kmph

Mission Raftar: Indian Railways replacing all diesel-run trains with high-speed electric trains



Indian Railways loses Rs 2 crore due to violence in Jammu and Kashmir



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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/08/2016 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Councillors will get a closed-door briefing Thursday morning on the controversial Hemson report  the commissioned independent study thats expected to propose hefty new fees for residential and non-residential development.

While Hemson Consulting has released its preliminary findings, the final report is due at city hall Wednesday and copies will be presented to councillors at the meeting.

Mayor Brian Bowman, who supports the imposition of new fees on development, told reporters Tuesday he hasnt seen the final report nor has he been briefed on it. He repeated his position that the fees are necessary.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES New fees recommended in a consultant's report to the city would have a dramatic impact on development. The preliminary data showed a potential fee of over $30,000 for a new residential lot.

Bowman said the study will show the cost of growth, on a variety of civic services, how much of that growth is being paid by developers and the means to recover the cost.

Im looking forward to seeing that study and then well go from there and have a healthy discussion on the issue of who is going to pay for growth, Bowman said, pointing out that similar fees are charged by all major Canadian cities as well as by the communities surrounding Winnipeg  a refrain he repeated several times during an 18-minute exchange with reporters at city hall.

The question we really need to resolve is who should pay for that growth  all taxpayers, or should it be those that are responsible for that growth?

The residential development industry has been opposed to Bowmans plan, disputing Hemsons preliminary findings and vowing to produce its own study that will show its projects do support the community and generate millions of dollars in property taxes every year.

This is not a new issue. Former mayor Sam Katz raised the need for new development charges in the fall of 2013 but at the time, the civic administration said council needed legislative changes to get the authority to impose those fees and the Selinger government refused. Premier Brian Pallister said recently he wouldnt support giving city hall any additional powers to impose new fees, but Bowman said the city will use its existing authority if it agrees to introduce new fees.

City officials have yet to explain why they now believe city council has the power to impose new fees  which are likely to be challenged in court by the development industry  and Bowman said he expects to see an administrative report on how the fees can be imposed on the development community.

The consultants preliminary findings, which are available on the citys website, breaks down the cost of a variety of city services  parks and open spaces, community services, police, fire and paramedic services, planning, active transportation, roads, transit, water, sewage and stormwater, solid waste  and applies those costs to new development projects.

The fees will have a dramatic impact on development. The preliminary data showed a potential fee of over $30,000 for a new residential lot. If, for example, a developer were to construct the 15,000 square foot grocery store many people want downtown, the growth fee alone would be $309,090, according to Hemsons preliminary findings.

The fees could even climb higher as Hemson had not included the cost of fire and paramedic service for any type of development. City economist Tyler Markowsky said those figures would be included in the final report and factored into the final document.

The fees are considered long overdue by opponents of urban sprawl and by some inner-city councillors, who said their homeowners are unfairly taxed to pay for infrastructure demanded by new suburbs while they see a dramatic reduction in the existing services they get from city hall.

Coun. Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) she supports the imposition of growth fees.

You just have to come down to my community and see, Gilroy said. Im the perfect example, how if you dont grow a city properly and if we dont put in the proper infrastructure and the maintenance of it, of what can happen. I believe growth fees can be a great mechanism to help grow our city.

The timing of the meeting has raised some questions  councillors are still on their summer break and some wont be able to attend. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) is out of town but will participate in a telephone conference call. Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) has prior commitments and wont be able to attend. Gilroy said its unlikely she can attend either.

Several councillors are unhappy that they are not getting a copy of the report in advance. While a member of the Hemson consulting team will present the report and answer questions, councillors said they wont have had time to properly study the report.

Bowman said the report will be released publicly following the Thursday morning briefing.

Some councillors, like Transconas Russ Wyatt and Lukes, feel the process is being rushed. Wyatt, who opposes the proposed fees, said the process is being stage-managed by Bowman so he can have the new fees included in the 2017 budget.

Lukes said the city hasnt done enough to meet with the local development industry. When Calgary introduced its development fee system earlier this year, she said that community had undergone an extensive consultation process with the development industry but that hasnt happened here.

Lukes said the development industry met twice with Hemson but only to hear what the consultant had found  not to engage it in a discussion.

To me, this will become a defining moment in how we move our city forward, probably one of the most important decisions on how we proceed to prepare for growth in this city, Lukes said. We shouldnt be rushing into anything. I went through five years of consultations on a sidewalk.

Bowman wouldnt commit to any further meetings with developers before council deals with the study and issue of whether to impose fees.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/08/2016 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With a tentative deal reached and no strike on the horizon, Winnipeg members of the postal workers union are feeling positive they will continue to deliver.

Glen Bennett, president of the Winnipeg branch of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, said Tuesday evening hes relieved to see the process near a conclusion without a strike taking place, but eager to see the actual contents of the deal.

We got the message fairly late in the evening here, so people that Ive talked to are happy that things progressed to the point that the two collective agreements are tentatively reached and theyll have the ability to vote on those in the near future, Bennett said.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A tentative deal was reached between Canada Post and postal workers Tuesday evening, taking the possibility of a strike off the table.

The local had little involvement in negotiations, Bennett said, and spent the last six months waiting for information to trickle down from Ottawa.

Its always a stressful process because when you start talking strikes and stuff, people are affected differently and nobody wants to go through that process, he said, adding he was relieved to see a conclusion without a strike.

MaryAnn Mihychuk, Manitoba MP and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, told the Free Press Tuesday evening her government committed during the election to respect collective bargaining and proved even in very difficult negotiations, collective bargaining can succeed.

Mihychuk said, as of mid-August, the presidents of the union and Canada Post still had not talked face to face.

I said this is enough, we have to get them together, said Mihychuk.

A meeting was arranged for August 19, which was attended by Treasury Board President Scott Brison while Mihychuk was at her mothers funeral.

She said the meeting proved to the government there was still a lot of work to do.

It was obvious the teams were still miles apart, she said.

A senior national mediator was brought in Aug, 26, a day after the union issued a 72-hour strike notice.

Mihychuk said she was proud of both sides in the negotiations as well as relieved Canadians wont have to deal with a mail disruption.

It felt like Canadians were ready for the worst, she said. Im glad it didnt come to that.

Businesses and agencies that rely on mail for their operations can breathe a sigh of relief, too.

I said, This is enough, we have to get them together MaryAnn Mihychuk, minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, on helping to get the presidents of the postal union and Canada Post to meet

Earlier this summer, local organizations were setting up contingency plans to operate mail-free in the event of a service disruption.

Obviously its a load off our mind, said Scott Powell, a spokesman for Manitoba Hydro. It just makes everything easier for us and our customers to know that regular mail delivery (will continue) and they can continue to submit to payments as they do.

Manitoba Hydro had responded to the potential disruption by directing customers to make use of its existing online service MyBill. Powell said customers are still encouraged to do so, but its nice to know theyve got options.

Certainly having Canada Post back is obviously a good thing, and not having to worry about is a good thing for Hydro and our customers.

Manitoba Public Insurance actually implemented its own back-up plan as a precaution at the end of June, holding all non-essential mail effective June 24. Regular services were reinstated earlier this month when no strike materialized, said spokesman Brian Smiley.

Obviously, we follow closely on behalf of our customers, ensuring our customers and vendors receive our cheques, driver licenses and other documents that theyre depending on receiving, he said. From our perspective we had a contingency plan in place, and (because) the strikes not happening it will be business per usual.

The agreement is tentative until ratified by the union members, with a vote expected in the near future.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

aidan.geary@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/08/2016 (2250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With many road blocks still ahead, the path to Uber coming to Winnipeg is looking shorter as the company pushes aggressively for change in the province.

The company behind the worlds largest ride-sharing app has begun publicly encouraging Winnipeggers to voice their opinion on the state of Winnipegs taxicab industry, as an independent review of the industry gets underway.

An email from the company has been sent to Winnipeggers, encouraging them to fill out a survey being conducted on behalf of the Manitoba Taxicab Board. The company is also encouraging the board to follow in the footsteps of other cities that have allowed Uber to operate.

Nabil K. Mark/Centre Daily Times via AP Uber is encouraging Winnipeggers to voice their opinion on the state of Winnipeg's taxicab industry.

We encourage the Province of Manitoba and Manitoba Taxicab Board to develop smart ride-sharing regulations similar to what Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Niagara Region have adopted, said the email sent out recently to an undisclosed number of Winnipeggers, linked to the SurveyMonkey survey being conducted by consulting firm MNP.

Meanwhile, a lobbyist for Uber has been registered with the provincial registry since May  meeting with several ministers including Municipal Affairs Minister Eileen Clarke  to outline benefits of transportation network company regulation/legislation for transportation policy within the Province of Manitoba.

The company has been notoriously silent on its plans for Winnipeg, but said in an email statement it aims to expand to communities across Canada and were always looking at whats next.

Whats next for Winnipeg is the independent review, which will ultimately steer the provincially appointed board on issues such as ride-sharing and customer service, explained Coun. Ross Eadie, who represents the board for city council. The board is in charge of licensing and regulating all taxicabs in Winnipeg under the authority of The Manitoba Taxicab Act.

Ultimately if Uber comes in, it has to be on a fair playing field and for the Taxicab Board and the government to make decisions, we need to have the proper data to understand how the industry is doing right now, said Eadie. No one is saying yes or no at this point because we dont know what the demand for taxi services is.

Uber operates as a phone app, where users will request a ride and be linked to a nearby driver. The driver, who holds a commercial drivers licence, uses their own vehicle to pick up the rider. All transactions are connected to the app and no money ever exchanges hands between the driver and rider. Insurance options vary from city to city, but Alberta and Ontario have recently approved an insurance policy thatl is specific for ride-sharing coverage.

Meanwhile in Winnipeg, drivers obtaining a taxicab drivers licence are required by law to have plexiglass screens between the front and back seats, insurance coverage that costs about seven times the rate of non-commercial vehicles, and a criminal background check.

The Winnipeg Taxi Alliance, a lobby group representing about 1,600 employees of cab companies Unicity and Duffys, said they are not concerned on the outcome of the review.

In Toronto you have two sets of rules offering the same types of services. It is incredibly unfair, said spokesman Michael Diamond. This review is important, the taxi industry started to respond to consumer desires, like an app and a complaints website and we will continue to do that. That is where our industrys focus is.

Provincial officials have been mum on the issue as they await the results of the boards review, but say they are committed to ensuring a level playing field, said provincial spokesman David von Meyenfeldt.

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce has been longtime supporters of updating the provinces regulations when it comes to all types of sharing economy businesses, such as other ride-sharing companies like Lyft or online rental-sharing company Airbnb.

This isnt an Uber issue, this is a sharing economy issuethis is the nature of our economy more and more, said the chambers president and CEO, Loren Remillard. When you take a look at where Uber is operating77 listed as operating in North America, Winnipeg is a community that should be on that list in terms of our size, our economy.

Remillard also referenced a recent citizen-created petition started a couple weeks ago, which now has over 600 signatures. The petition calls on the province and board for Uber or Uber-like regulations.

This indicates that the market itself, we want this option, we want this choice, he said.

A spokesman for Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said the mayor supports ride-sharing alternatives, but said city council has no jurisdiction over the matter.

The decision to make the necessary amendments to The Manitoba Taxicab Act and associated regulations, along with any decision to allow for alternative ride-share options, such as Uber, lies with the provincial Manitoba Taxicab Board, said Jonathan Hildebrand.

Officials from Uber came to Winnipeg last October and hinted to the Free Press that entry into Winnipeg is inevitable.

We cant put the genie back in the bottle, said Ubers Canadian public policy manager Chris Schafer.

With files from Martin Cash

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/08/2016 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Laid-off workers at the troubled Port of Churchill called on the federal government for help on Tuesday.

The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, which represents about 100 people who lost their jobs last month, asked Ottawa to cut them a break and relax employment insurance rules.

Omnitrax Canada, which owns the Arctic seaport and the Hudson Bay Railway, issued layoff notices for the ports entire workforce and announced it was cutting rail freight service in half, to a single train per week.

Churchill Gateway Development Corp OmniTRAX photo Port of Churchill Manitoba

Because of the Arctic location, most of the workers dont have sufficient hours to qualify for EI, union spokeswoman Teresa Eschuk said, adding Ottawa has addressed the same problem elsewhere with blanket zones.

Designating Churchill an EI zone  similar to the 12 zones across Canada that the Liberals have already applied this status to  will make it easier for unemployed Churchill workers to meet the requirements for benefits and receive them for a longer period of time.

Employment insurance benefits normally kick in after 14 weeks work in Churchill; the union wants a pass on that since workers were laid off part-way through the shipping season.

As an example of an EI zone, workers in Albertas oil patch got help earlier this year when Ottawa extended the normal 52 week maximum benefit period to 70 weeks.

In Churchills case, the issue is the number of weeks it takes to qualify for help. Right now 14 weeks is the same for seasonal and northern workers in Nunavut and parts of eastern Canada as it is in northern Manitoba.

Eschuk, the unions regional vice-president, said the union is frustrated that hasnt been able to make its request directly.

Neither level of government will meet with us, she said.

Grain shipments though the Canadas only arctic seaport have been redirected, taking Hudson Bay off cargo shipping route.

The federal government sold the port and its rail line to Colorado based rail company Omnitrax in 1997.

We have been told that we are not stakeholders in the process and so there is no need to meet with us, said Marianne Hladum, the unions senior official on the Prairies. We represent these workers. If 10 per cent of a communitys population is not a stakeholder, then who is?

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/08/2016 (2250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Plans for a Winnipeg Regional Health Authority board meeting in Churchill in September have been derailed.

Minutes from a June 28 WRHA board meeting state the plan was to hold their September board meeting in Churchill. It would have been the first time the meeting would be held in the northern community.

The WRHA amalgamated with the Churchill Regional Health Authority in 2012, when the number of regional health authorities in the province was scaled down to five from 11  a move that was expected to save the province around $10 million in administrative costs.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Kelvin Goertzen is reducing the size of regional health authority boards.

Anne Bennett, a spokesperson for the WRHA, said the authority will get a new board of directors. There is a wholesale change, and current board members have been invited to reapply for their positions, she said.

Bennett said discussions were held about the Churchill meeting during the boards last meeting Aug. 23. The board decided collectively to revisit the opportunity to hold a board meeting in Churchill once the new board structure is announced, she wrote.

Bennett said the September board meeting will take place in Winnipeg as usual.

In early August, Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced in a news release the WRHA board of directors would downsize to 15 board members from 21. Rural and northern regional health authorities will move to 12 board members from 15.

The regulation changes will also include updates to eligibility requirements for board members in an effort to reduce potential conflicts of interest. Goertzen stated in the news release the current boards will remain in place until the reduction in board size takes effect.

They need to make the best decision for the board on behalf of folks, and if they believe theres value to going up and spending time in Churchill, certainly thats something they should look at  they represent the people there, said Todd MacKay, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. But whether or not this is the right time, thats for them to decide.

Churchill recently received a serious economic blow with the announcement Omnitrax Canada will close the Port of Churchill and lay off its entire unionized workforce.

The province is accepting nominations for new board members. Any resident of Manitoba may nominate a person or themselves for the board, and nominees must be 18 or older. Nominations close Sept. 16, and appointments are expected to be made by early November.

 with files from Larry Kusch and Martin Cash

alexandra.depape@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/08/2016 (2250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Currently, a Parliamentary committee considering changes to the Canadian electoral system is holding hearings and gathering testimony from experts near and far. Simultaneously, proponents of both the current first past the post (FPTP) and various proportional representation (PR) models have taken to the newspapers, social media and the blogosphere to engage in a debate that is mystifying in its obscurantism.

The problem is the two sides are not really debating, but arguing past each other. They argue about the mechanics of various models, the possible scenarios different models might bring about and, mostly, they argue the other side fails to really understand the model they would either throw out or keep in place.

The FPTP system does not reflect the actual will of the voters by allocating seats in Parliament in rough proportion to the votes received by each party, complain the PRites.

PETER POWER / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Whatever system Canadians employ to elect governments should reflect the kind of democracy they want in the 21st century.

It does not do that because you fail to understand that we do not elect governments, we hold 300-plus individual elections to choose representatives and those representatives then form a government. Thats how Canadian democracy works, reply the FPTPers.

The thing is, the FPTPers are right. It is silly to criticize FPTP for not doing something it is not designed to do. The fact it was not designed to do it does not nullify the question whether that is something Canadians would like, in the 21st century, their electoral system to do. And that is the question we should be debating.

Defenders of FPTP spend a great deal of time dealing with PRites so-called misunderstandings of what the British parliamentary model was, and was not, meant to accomplish. Majorities are not false, votes are not wasted and citizens are not left without representatives, and we would all understand that if we only understood how the model worked. In short, PRites are told if they only understood British parliamentary democracy, then they would be content with the current system.

This is where PRites often lose the thread of their own argument. Incensed at the condescension of FPTPers, the PRites go overboard on the glories of PR models that will, it is said, empower women, empower minorities, raise participation, increase civic virtue and usher in a new era of real democracy. But states with PR systems are not more democratic than non-PR systems, they are simply differently democratic. They have chosen to emphasize a somewhat different (but not unrecognizable) set of goals and values within their electoral system.

The question we should ask ourselves is: do we, as Canadians, want to do the same? After all, we should not fool ourselves that we have not changed what democracy means in this country before. The reason PR is supported by many in Canada is precisely because it elevates a somewhat different set of values that are attractive to many.

Since 1867, our conception of what constituted democracy in Canada has changed many times. We have extended suffrage and recognized new identities and demanded new accommodations of individuals that would make the heads of MacDonald, Laurier, King and Trudeau-the-elder spin. We have done it because what we saw in our electoral system or our legislation or our Constitution did not square with the kind of democracy to which we aspired. If we are to take reconciliation with First Nations seriously, then we should be prepared for some truly profound changes to the governance of this nation in the years to come.

So on the matter of electoral reform the question is not whether FPTP still does what it was designed to do. It undoubtedly does. The question is whether what FPTP does is what we now want the electoral system to do? If Canadians want the composition of the national Parliament to reflect the distribution of the national vote, then so be it. If they want a system that does not grant a majority of seats to a party with a minority (and sometimes not even a plurality) of votes, then so be it. If they prefer the stability of governments that FPTP tends to offer, then so be it. If they want to reassert the idea that Parliament is a collection of individually elected representatives, then so be it.

The debate over the mechanics is secondary to the debate over which goals and values should be embedded in the electoral system. Form follows function. Whatever system we have should reflect how we want to be a 21st-century democracy. If the 19th-century model still does that, then we should keep it. If it does not, then it should be replaced. The goal of the Parliamentary committee and the consultations they undertake should be to answer that question. Because the answer to that will make the choice between some form of PR and FPTP pretty straightforward.

Tom McIntosh is the head of the Politics and International Studies department at the University of Regina.
A former Mondovi man accused of felony charges for allegedly stealing Visa gift cards from a dental office has an arraignment hearing scheduled in Buffalo County Circuit Court on Oct. 5.

Jonathan M. Gutierrez, 24, of Eau Claire, is accused of theft, receiving stolen property and financial transaction card fraud. Police reports say Gutierrez stole and used debit cards valued at $4,400, all of the thefts occurring in April 2015 at Midwest Dental in Mondovi where Gutierrez did housekeeping work for a cleaning company.

Gutierrez had been wanted on a warrant for failure to appear in court to answer to the charges dating back to last year.

Complaints filed against Gutierrez said phone chargers, earphones and a bowl also were stolen from Midwest Dental offices.

Investigators subpoenaed and tracked the cards, with records showing that the stolen cards were used 11 times for charges at a store in Mondovi, as well as at gas stations and discount stores in Eau Claire.

Police said store security video cameras captured footage of Gutierrez using stolen cards to pay for purchases.

CONVICTED

 Christopher D. Tucker, 43, of Claremont, Minn., was sentenced to 13 months in prison after his probation was revoked on 2012 offenses for possession of methamphetamine. Other charges in connection with the case had been dismissed when sentenced in Buffalo County in 2014. The prison sentence was to be followed by two years of extended supervision.

CHARGED

 David J. West, 18, of Fountain City, has a jury trial scheduled Sept. 14 on felony charges accusing him of second-degree sexual assault of a child, false imprisonment and enticement of a child for sexual contact. West has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging offenses involving a 15-year-old girl at an apartment on March 20.

 Tyler T. Philipps, 30, of Winona, pleaded guilty to second-offense operating with blood-alcohol content over the legal limit and was fined $1,379 and ordered to serve five days in jail.

 Jadari S. Dillard, 39, of La Crosse, pleaded not guilty to charges of second-offense possession of marijuana and possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. A hearing was set for Sept. 16.

 Teena M. Nelson, 52, of Cochrane, pleaded not guilty to a felony charge accusing her of fifth-offense operating while intoxicated. Nelson also is accused of bail jumping and failure to stop for an unloading school bus. A hearing was set for Nov. 4.

 Aleesha L. Deck, 28, of Independence, has a hearing Oct. 5 on charges accusing her of possessing methamphetamine and marijuana.

Jill A. Moreno, 35, of Eau Claire, has a case status hearing Sept. 16th on misdemeanor charges accusing her of 2nd offense operating while intoxicated and possession of marijuana. Moreno in May pleaded not guilty to charges.

 Thomas J. Moore, 44, of Eau Claire, has a hearing Oct. 5 on a felony charge accusing him of possessing methamphetamine.

 Shawn A. Fenske, 31, of Leroy, Minn., has a hearing Sept. 7 on a felony charge alleging second-offense possession of marijuana.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI) State-run MOIL today reported a 48 per cent fall in standalone net profit at Rs 47.15 crore for the quarter ended June 30, due to lower offtake of manganese ore and selling price pressures.

The manganese miner had clocked a net profit of Rs 89.88 crore in the year-ago period, it said in a BSE filing.

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Total standalone income rose marginally to Rs 183.53 crore in April-June quarter from Rs 182.78 crore during the same quarter a year ago.

Its total expenses were higher at Rs 161.38 crore from Rs 114.25 crore during the period under review.

"The reduction in profits is mainly due to oversupply of manganese ore from international market, leading to lower offtake and pressure on selling prices couples with liquidity crunch at buyers end," it said.

Exceptional items represent adjustment relating to write down value of inventory of finished goods below cost to net relisable value, as per accounting policy for stock of finished goods, it added.

In June, the firm had announced that it will buyback up to 3.48 crore shares representing 20.72 per cent stake at a price of Rs 248 for an aggregate consideration not exceeding Rs 863.34 crore. Government owns 80 per cent stake in MOIL.

Besides, the firm has chalked out an ambitious expansion strategy with a plan to infuse Rs 1,600 crore over the next five years.

The company is planning to invest Rs 430 crore in mining projects, Rs 300 crore in solar and wind energy, Rs 200 crore in new area development and townships each respectively and Rs 300 crore on procurement of machinery, among others over the next five years. PTI RNK ABI

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Wi

nona

Tuesday

10:50 a.m.  A window screen was removed and entry gained to a residence on the 450 block of West Wabasha Street. Five video games and a case were reported missing.

12:34 p.m.  Three counterfeit $20 bills were reported by Winona National Bank.

12:36 p.m.  Four large banners with a total value of $1,650 were reported missing from the boulevard at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts on the 1150 block of West Howard Street.

Winona County

Monday

7:29 p.m.  A deputy on patrol was flagged down on County Road 33 near Utica to report a stray dog. The dog was taken into custody and is being held at the Winona Area Humane Society in lieu of an owner.
With a new associate of arts degree accompanying its new name, Minnesota State College Southeast in Winona is positioning itself as a bridge for students who have graduated high school but might not be ready for a four-year college or university.

Thats according to President Dorothy Duran, who said this week she hopes enrollment at Southeast will grow now that the school has a bona fide and comparatively affordable liberal arts program. Earlier this year, Minnesota State  formerly known as MnSCU, before also going through a name change  began recognizing Southeasts new degree and made the credits transferable to all four-year schools in the system.

Weve been offering these courses, so its not a huge change, Duran said. We just saw this as an opportunity to help students transfer to other Minnesota State institutions.

Before, she said, schools were picking and choosing which credits to accept  and without the guarantee of their credits transferring, students did not have as much incentive to stay the full two years at Southeast.

The hope now, she said, is that students who attend Southeast will stay longer, and that students who otherwise would not have considered Southeast will begin to do so.

We want to appeal to students who are coming to college as non-degree and undecided, she said. Were offering the associate of arts degree as an option for them. Should they decide to transfer, they havent wasted time or money.

The new degree, Duran said, will cost half of what it would at most public universities, and a third of what it would at most private colleges.

Students in the program will study English, math, social studies, communication and more  Duran said Southeast is also adding courses in music and anthropology.

As a strictly technical school, our enrollment is influenced by the employment rates, she said, and when the employment rate is down, then the colleges enrollment is also down.

She said numbers have been dropping for almost a decade  but this year, school officials are hoping to stabilize enrollment and then bring it back up, they say.

With the changes this summer, Southeast is both a technical college and a community college, serving a role in regional education that has been in high demand.

Duran said high-school superintendents have been asking for something like this for students who dont want to commit to a four-year school immediately after graduation.

Some area high-schoolers are already earning college credit at Southeast through PSEO or concurrent enrollment courses, and the new program gives them a chance to continue at Southeast as they consider what to do academically and professionally.

But even with the associate arts degree and the goal of attracting university-bound students, Duran said Southeast is not in competition with Winona State University or other four-year schools.

If anything, she said, Southeast is serving a new and distinct role by preparing students to transfer one day.

Were unique because of our tech programs, our PSEO and our concurrent enrollment, she said. Were here for first-time, first-generation students wanting to start at a smaller school and develop the confidence to go to a bigger university. As a stepping stone for those students, were happy to be there.

Were here for first-time, first-generation students wanting to start at a smaller school and develop the confidence to go to a bigger university. As a stepping stone for those students, were happy to be there. Southeast president Dorothy Duran
The dedication and opening Saturday of Winonas new bridge was a pitch-perfect celebration, filled with the kind of pageantry and reflection befitting the completion  ahead of time, and on budget, as many noted  of the citys largest infrastructure project in a generation.

We were pleased to hear so many honest words from politicians, planners and engineers alike acknowledging the years of hard work and planning that went into the bridge, with everyone involved focused on collaborative, forward-thinking solutions to ensure Winonas economy and all the companies, commuters and tourists alike who rely on getting safely and quickly from Minnesota to Wisconsin and back would never again be so deeply interrupted as they were in 2008.

Most remarkable was hearing the ever-growing laundry list of agencies and political entities involved at every level of government, and considering, with some wonderment, the fact that not a single one at any point stood in the way (at least not more than an entity usually does) of getting the bridge built. The new, collaborative contractor model known was CMGC, or Construction Manager General Contractor, worked well, bringing much-deserved accolades to both the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Ames Construction.

Build ahead of time, on budget.

Saturdays opening was an opportunity to set aside political and ideological differences, to stand together on one bridge, neighbor to neighbor and politician to politician, and celebrate  with a cheering crowd, marching band, and high-wheeled bicycle, even  just how astonishingly successful a project can be when a community comes together to support a vision, direction, and common need.

It was telling, then, that the rain that so long threatened to cancel the ceremony never arrived, a rain so expected that an Ames vice president even praised his construction manager for parting the skies.

The rest of Minnesota sure could use that guys services going forward, because the rains coming, and hard.

Less than 24 hours before the bridge ceremony, the Minnesota Department of Transportation sent out a sobering notice: Over the next 20 years, from 2018 to 2037, the state will face an $18 billion funding shortfall for its highway system.

MnDOT also noted that in just a few years, the gap has risen by $6 billion.

Way past due, way over budget.

Celebrations over  time to get back to work.

We hope to see the same kind of collaboration among local, state and federal politicians on the Winona bridge project replicated across the state for all kinds of big transportation needs. When we say the state, we mean the whole state, from Hwy. 14 in southern Minnesota to light rail in the Twin Cities. One state, one network, serving diverse needs.

While road projects dont always get the most attention  certainly not compared to things like, say, the gleaming new Vikings stadium  its also hard to find deep partisan divides over the philosophy of fixing a pothole.

Federal politicians have already put in the work. State politicians? Not so much.

Last December, Congress passed a comprehensive five-year transportation bill for the first time in a decade. It wasnt perfect, but it was a big step in the right direction, particularly given the needed mix of federal funding for state projects. The federal bill reauthorized the long-standing successful way of paying part of the way for roads: The gas tax.

Incidentally, Gov. Mark Dayton proposed a gas tax increase in Minnesota as part of a comprehensive transportation package that never got far in our increasingly gridlocked Legislature. The Legislature appears these days to be so torn up over disagreements on transportation the arguments spilled over into the shameful abandonment of a bonding bill this spring.

Never thought wed say it, but it needs to be said: In this case, wed like to see the Minnesota Legislature acting a lot more like the U.S. Congress.

As MnDOT and Ames demonstrated most recently in Winona, there are engineers and planners ready to go. Local construction companies ready to go. Local contractors ready with locally produced materials ready to go.

Its time for the Minnesota Legislature to get ready to go. We urge lawmakers to return to the Capitol in January 2017 prepared for the work to pass a comprehensive transportation bill to serve the needs of all of Minnesota.
The political enemy this past week was Mylan Pharmaceutical for raising the price of an EpiPen from $57 to more than $600 in the past nine years. Step in Hillary Clinton, who has announced a government solution to solve another big problem created by big government.

For those not familiar, the EpiPen literally is a lifesaver. Anyone suffering from serious allergic reactions to things like food or bee stings should carry one. The EpiPen is an emergency medication that treats these reactions. Each device carries a small dose of epinephrine to stop anaphylaxis as the result of coming into contact with a severe allergen. The symptoms usually are a sudden onset of low blood pressure, shortness of breath, or even the swelling of the tongue or throat  events that could lead to death if not treated immediately.

The problem is that EpiPens come with a shelf life. If all goes according to plan, a person who requires one should have to replace it with a new one before actually using it. Replacing an unused device for $600 is, pardon the pun, worse than a shot in the arm. The cost of the drug actually is less than $1.

Of course, the blame fell mostly on greedy pharmaceutical companies. It really comes down to plain old greedy people. The question one should ask is, who are those greedy people and how did they drive up the price?

In 2013, President Barack Obama signed the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act into law. This bill created a pile of money that could then allow states to mandate the drug be carried by schools. Its a ridiculous requirement when you consider any kid who actually needs this drug already has one.

Just as a kid with asthma or allergies can benefit from an emergency dose of epinephrine, one has to ask why not also mandate insulin be stocked for kids with Type I diabetes? Schools are required to administer the insulin, but the government isnt mandating schools stock the medication.

Isnt diabetic shock just as potentially fatal as allergic anaphylaxis?

A number of sources cite the fact that Mylan Pharmaceuticals lobbied extensively for this law. One of the guys who ultimately voted for the EpiPen Law was Democratic Sen. Joseph Manchin III of West Virginia. Manchin was elected to replace Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd in 2010.

Manchins vote normally would not be that big of a deal until you know that Manchins daughter is Heather Manchin Bresch, the CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals, the no. 1 lobbyist and manufacturer of the markets standalone EpiPen. Call me a cynic, but its rather difficult to believe Manchin wasnt a key cog in the successful effort to pass legislation requiring federally funded EpiPens to schools across America.

However, Hillary Clinton has a plan. Shes going to call these crooks out and plans to introduce more government intervention to stop big pharma. How about a plan that prevents guys like Manchin from giving his daughter access to big government?

Clintons efforts to go after the bad guys at Mylan do not simply target what happened as a result of the sneaky lobbying efforts by Manchin and Bresch. Clintons plan, in a very traditional big government response, targets an entire industry because of the shameless greed of a corporate CEO with ties to her dad, the senator.

Clinton cannot go directly after her buddy Bresch. Breschs company has donated at least $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation going as far back as 2009. The ultimate political payback for Bresch, and her company, was a government-funded purchase plan for their products and a $16.5 million raise for the CEO.

Is it a surprise the Clinton Foundation has suddenly appeared in this EpiPen saga? It shouldnt be. Just as Clinton used BleachBit software to erase her computer server so no one could find out what she was hiding, she also is misleading folks when she says she intends to go after big pharma or her buddy Blesch.

The Clintons openly have been involved in a pay for play scheme for years through their foundation. Fortunately, there are two sides to every email or this scandal, the one she thought she erased from the secret computer server she had hidden in her basement, never would have come to light.

Do we really want her solution to a problem she helped create? Clinton is the big government problem and she wants back inside our big government.
PORTAGE  Three Columbia County men were arrested Monday and are suspected of burglarizing numerous Amish homes in four Wisconsin counties.

According to a press release from the Columbia County Sheriffs Office, Grant G. Pulver, 21, Portage; Alex A. Moulton, 20, Portage, and Dylan J. Bartaczewicz, 20, Pardeeville, have been arrested.

The arrests came after an investigation that started with reports Aug. 14 of multiple home burglaries in north central Columbia County. There were additional reports Aug. 21 of home burglaries in Marquette and Columbia counties.

A joint investigation between the sheriffs offices in Columbia and Marquette counties involved numerous detectives who tracked down various leads. A red four-door car and a silver Hyundai car were reported as possible suspect vehicles after they were seen acting suspicious in the areas of the burglaries. There was forced entry to some of the homes.

On Sunday, numerous Amish home burglaries were reported in Vernon and Monroe counties. The Columbia County Sheriffs Office worked with investigators from Monroe County and a suspect vehicle was identified on Monday. Detectives searched two homes and two vehicles for stolen items and made the three arrests.

Guns, cash, coins, jars, bows, documents, and safes were recovered. Authorities are working with the victims to get the stolen items returned to the rightful owners.

The Monroe County Sheriffs Office and Vernon County Sheriffs Office assisted in the investigation.

The investigation is ongoing and the press release stated that the suspects are cooperating with law enforcement.
A funeral service will be held Saturday, Sept. 3, at 2 p.m. at Koepsell Funeral Home, Mayville, with the Rev. Tom Biersack presiding. Visitation will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will take place at St. Mary Cemetery in Mayville. Military honors will be conducted by Mayville American Legion Post 69.

Franny was born July 16, 1916, to Frank and Louise (Wendorf) Pieper in Mayville. He was united in marriage to Ann E. Sokoly on May 6, 1950, in Mayville. Franny was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He was retired from Maysteel Corporation. He attended St. Mary Catholic Church in Mayville. Franny was an avid outdoorsman who loved being in nature while hunting, fishing and trapping, or just spending time on the marsh. His love and respect for the outdoors was passed on to many a grateful young person. He was also very handy and helped many people with carpentry projects around the area. Franny enjoyed woodworking and carving, as well and making fishing nets, snow shoes, and carving decoys and other decorative pieces. He will be fondly missed by many.
Dear friends in Beaver Dam and Dodge County,

As I return to my home in Africa following a whole month visit in America, I must take this opportunity to say thank you, thank you, thank you.

In Liberia, when we are touched by the kindness and generosity of people, we say, Words are inadequate to express my appreciation. This is exactly what I feel because of my experiences in Beaver Dam and Dodge County. Two personal highlights for me were my first-ever live country music concert at the county fair and touring your beautiful state Capitol.

America is a mighty country and a global leader. Your friendship welcoming me, a stranger from Africa, warmed my heart like the tropical sun with which I grew up. I am grateful for the wonderful experience and the relationship we have built--most importantly, the welcoming spirit which is manifested in your smiles.

I say that the smile of the people of Beaver Dam is the light of the city. I feel so much a part of this community already, even though this only my second visit with you. Know that you will always be welcome in my home country of Liberia if you ever wish to come. Rest assured that you have a home in Africa, just as I have found a home here.

Let me not forget to mention Dr. Mark Molldrem for opening the door for this wonderful relationship, which I hope grows more and more in the future.

Jerry Mbartee Locula
Head constable Vilash Shinde was attacked by a biker and his friend while checking motorists and two wheelers in Khar area on August 23.

By Mustafa Shaikh: Head Constable Vilash Shinde, who was attacked by a biker and his friend while checking motorists and two wheelers in Khar area on August 23 succumbed to his injuries today.

Shinde, 52, was admitted at Mumbai's prestigious Lilavati Hospital with serious head injuries. The Mumbai Police arrested two people for allegedly attacking him. The case is being investigated by Char police station.

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The incident had occurred during the peak hours when the locality was full of vehicles.

Shinde was recording vehicle numbers as part of the drive and also checking documents of the two-wheelers.

ALSO READ:

Mumbai Police begin enquiry into cops harassing youngsters at Gateway of India



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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 6:31 a.m. Friday and 7:49 a.m. Tuesday police responded to 170 calls

During that time 24 citations were issued for driving without a seatbelt as part of the grant Click-It-Or-Ticket program.

Central Portage: Police on Friday at 6:31 a.m. stopped Mitchell VanWormer, 19, of Pardeeville, for driving with a loud exhaust, he was arrested on operating a vehicle while intoxicated as a first offense and violation of probation.

West Wisconsin Street: Police on Friday at 7:39 a.m. stopped Mary Jo Kratz, 48, of Princeton, who was cited for operating a vehicle after suspension of a license as a third offense.

West Highway 33 and County Highway U: Police on Friday at 2:01 p.m. responded to a vehicle rollover in which Jeffrey Christopherson, 52, of Montello, was cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated as a first offense, registering .172 on a preliminary breath test.

County Highway CX: Police on Friday at 3:37 p.m. stopped William Mateske, 30, of Portage, after his vehicle reportedly avoided rear-ending another vehicle by swerving across lanes. Mateske was cited for operating a vehicle after suspension of a license as a sixth offense and driving without proof of valid insurance. The vehicle was towed.

DeWitt Street: Police on Friday at 6:58 p.m. reported seeing a minor enter the rear drivers side of a vehicle, whereupon the 15-year-old Portage boy was referred to Columbia County Health and Human Services for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Trenton Lilly, 20, of Portage was arrested for felony delivery of marijuana and Gary Whortley, 18, of Portage, was arrested for felony delivery of marijuana as party to a crime.

West Wisconsin Street: Police on Friday at 9:34 p.m. responded to an incident in which Ryan Addie, 30, of Portage, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of probation.

East Highway 33 and Superior Street: Police on Saturday at 3:22 a.m. stopped Rosa Elva Miranda, 33, of Texas, who was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated as a first offense.

East Howard Street: Police on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. responded to a possible burglary in which Trenton Lilly, 20, of Portage, was arrested for burglary, a parole and probation warrant, delivery of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance, felony bail jumping, resisting an officer and escape. A 16-year-old Portage boy was referred to Columbia County Health and Human Services for burglary.

MacFarlane Road: Police on Monday at 3:24 p.m. stopped MacKenzie Keip, 26, of Princeton, who was cited for operating a vehicle after suspension of a license as a fourth offense and driving without a seatbelt.

West Cook Street: Police on Tuesday at 7:10 a.m. stopped Matthew Heisz, 24, of Markesan, who was cited for operating a vehicle after revocation of a license as a fourth offense, and driving without a seatbelt.
A certain section of media had reported that N N Vohra, who has been governor since 2008, would be replaced as part of the Centre's effort to jump start the governance process in the beleaguered state.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Centre today brushed aside news report suggesting that Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra will be replaced.

A certain section of media had reported that Vohra, who has been governor since 2008, would be replaced as part of the Centre's effort to jump start the governance process in the beleaguered state.

A highly placed source dismisses that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti even mildly demanded his removal, or that central government was contemplating his removal.

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Earlier it was indicated by BJP sources that three retired Generals and two former governors were in the race to replace N N Vohra as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. That state government in particular was not happy with him.

THE CONTENDERS



Names doing the round were BJP leader General B C Khanduri, a Union minister in the A B Vajpayee government and also a former chief minister of Uttarakhand, was reportedly to be a likely successor to former bureaucrat Vohra. Also in the race were General Syed Ata Hasnain, who was a former commander of Srinagar-based XV Corps, V P Malik who was the Chief of Army Staff during the Kargil war, former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vijay Kapoor and former Mizoram Governor AR Kohli. But the reports are now being laid to rest with Vohra continuing to enjoy confidence of state and Centre.

ALSO READ:

Kashmir unrest: Rajnath Singh, Governor NN Vohra review security situation

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From Small to Extra Large, architecture across scales

Leading local and international architecture professionals will delve into the challenge of scale at this years AZA16 conference.

The School of Architecture and Planning and the South African Institute of Architecture will co-host the AZA16 conference, one of the most exciting events on the architecture calendar.

In its sixth year, the AZA16 architecture and design conference and festival brings together leading local and international architecture professionals. This year the conference will showcase six international and 20 local speakers, creative activities, exhibitions and informal presentations.

Themed, SCALE, the 2016 conference, which will be held at the Oppenheimer Life Sciences Building, Braamfontein Campus East from 1-3 September 2016, reflects recent critical thinking on the role of architecture. The conference will include masterclasses, workshops and presentations to address all points of scale. Full Programme.

The AZA16 theme, SCALE, will explore ratio and proportion in design, says Daniel van der Merwe, past President of the Gauteng Institute for Architecture (GIfA) and architect at PPC.

The conference will examine how architects and other designers work with both bigness and smallness across disciplines. We will show how architects can work across all manners of different scales, incorporating both micro and macro scale into design. The Wits Johannesburg campus, as the venue, allows for a fantastic array of SCALE elements to be incorporated into the programme, he adds.

According to Hannah le Roux, Director of the Architecture Programme at Wits, the concept of scale is not limited to planning, urban design or architecture, as it overcomes these borders.

In the last century of practice, different scales have increasingly fallen into different professional camps, but AZA16 proposes that architects critically contest those divisions in the global 21st century. We are now recognising the interdependence of scales, whether in terms of physics, ecology or transnational cultural manifestations. In reality, scale is collapsing, making the nano to the global, and beyond, more knowable to all, says Le Roux.

Keynote speakers will include experts from both South Africa and abroad, such as Stanley Saitowitz, Emeritus Professor of Architecture at the University of California in Berkeley, Baerbel Mueller from the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Taffy Adler from Wits, Joachim Declerck from Architecture Workroom Brussels, Allan Schwarz from Mezimbite Forest Centre in Mozambique amongst many other speakers.

Le Roux, says that Wits is proud to be hosting the AZA16 Conference.

We are very glad to host this most important event in the calendar of the architects community on our campus: in the neo-Classical, modern and contemporary spaces that frame our studies, our relationships and our events. These are spaces with nooks and galleries, with thresholds to the city and with links to global networks. Wits is proud to have taught aspirant architects this simple and profound skill for the last 95 years. Over the AZA16 conference we hope to use these spaces in the best possible ways to learn from other architects and spatial practitioners.

The First Year Student Traveling Exhibition of the School of Architecture of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University , titled PALLADIO AND THE MODERN, which is also part of the conference opens tonight, Wednesday 31 August 2016 at 18:00 in the foyer of the John Moffat Building, Braamfontein Campus East.

For more information visit http://architectureza.org. For bookings visit http://booking.architectureza.org/.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTI) BJP President Amit Shah today appointed Union ministers J P Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan as party incharge for the Assembly polls in Uttarakhand where it is striving to return to power by defeating ruling Congress.

He also appointed Union minister Prakash Javadekar as election incharge for the Manipur Assembly election.

The polls in Uttarakhand due next year, have assumed an added significance after the saffron partys determined bid to topple the Harish Rawat government failed.

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While BJPs ranks have been strengthened after a number of rebel Congress MLAs joined it, Chief Minister Harish Rawat believes that he will have sympathy of voters after he manged to keep BJP at bay.

BJP is carrying out a mass campaign there, accusing the Rawat government of corruption.

In Manipur, which also goes to polls early next year, Congress has been in power for the last 15 years and BJP is working towards putting up a strong fight. PTI KR SC

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A post Mumbai 26/11 attack measure, NATGRID aimed to mitigate a vital deficiency of lack of real time information, originally considered to be one of the major hurdles in detecting US terror suspect David Headley's movement across the country during his multiple visits between 2006 and 2009.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: NDA has finally given wings to UPA's dream project National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), an organisation formed after 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai. The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired its review meeting in North Block today. NATGRID has been in cold storage after NDA government was voted to power in May 2014, but meeting indicated Centre's keenness to roll out the project in a phased manner, with NATGRID being told to focus on early deliverables.

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Singh has stressed upon the need for NATGRID solution to use State-of-the-Art technologies, including Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. NATGRID recently got its new CEO Ashok Pattnaik, a 1983 batch IPS officer who is also the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, apprised Home Minister of the new technology framework recommended by the Advisory Group, comprising the top technologists in research and academia in the country. The meeting was attended by the MoS(Home) Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and other senior officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

NATGRID SHOULD ENJOY ROBUST SECURITY FRAMEWORK: HM



Expressing satisfaction over the progress made in the physical infrastructure, the Union Home Minister directed NATGRID to induct the best available talent in the field of Information Technology and Cryptology for quicker implementation of the secure solution. He emphasized that NATGIRD should enjoy a robust security framework. A sizeable number of NATGRID employees were hired on contractual bases, many of whom left after exit of its first CEO Raghuraman. He was appointed by UPA Home Minister P Chidambaram and continued till NDA took over. An extension was denied to him. But it is only recently that MHA has decided to give the project a boost.

WHY NATGRID'S FUNCTIONING MATTERS?



A post Mumbai 26/11 attack measure, NATGRID aimed to mitigate a vital deficiency of lack of real time information, originally considered to be one of the major hurdles in detecting US terror suspect David Headley's movement across the country during his multiple visits between 2006 and 2009. The name of organisation crops up after every terror attack in country, but the organisation appeared paralysed even before it could set its feet on the ground.

NATGRID's data sources include records related to immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions and telecommunications. The agencies concerned include the Intelligence Bureau, local police and revenue and customs departments. But there was a huge apprehension, concern and even opposition of Intelligence Bureau with the key implementation issues.

While the clearance for the Rs 3,400-crore project from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) came in 2011, execution of the project slowed down after the exit of then home minister P Chidambaram in July 2012.

Also read: President Pranab Mukherjee has no mercy for death row convicts

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The National Herald is in news for Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and Vora among others being summoned by the Patiala House Courts in an alleged cheating case.

By India Today Web Desk: The Congress has announced the resumption of its English and Hindi newspapers - National Herald and Navjivan respectively - and appointed senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as their editor-in-chief.

A press statement, issued by the Congress on behalf of AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, said, "The Associated Journals Ltd, a company founded in 1937 by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, has taken steps to resume publication of its English and Hindi newspapers National Herald and Navjivan.The Company has appointed senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as editor-in-chief for its Hindi and English newspapers and digital properties with immediate effect."

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Mishra has served as editor of Outlook Hindi.

FREEDOM IS IN PERIL

The National Herald is in news for Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and Vora among others being summoned by the Patiala House Courts in an alleged cheating case. The matter has been filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy.

Both the newspapers are expected to resume publication in the coming months, followed by Quami Awaz.

"The spirit of the forthcoming publications of The Associated Journals Ltd, a not for profit company, is captured by ther tagline 'Freedom is in peril, defend it with all your might'," the press release said, and added, "The publications shall seek to give voice to the vision of Pt Nehru and shall seek to occupy a liberal, progressive and secular pace".

ALSO READ:

National Herald case: Patiala court issues notice to Sonia, Rahul on Subramanian Swamy's application



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The Union Minister alleged that farmers in areas like Maner, Bikram, Paliganj, Dulhin Bazaar, Naubatpur and Bihta falling within his parliamentary constituency were not getting water in canals for irrigation.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Ram Kripal Yadav has threatened to sit on protest against the Nitish Kumar government on September 3 in Patna. Yadav in a letter to the Bihar CM has raised issue of farmers in his parliamentary constituency, Patliputra, not getting access to water for irrigation.

Writing to Nitish on Wednesday, the Union Minister alleged that farmers in areas like Maner, Bikram, Paliganj, Dulhin Bazaar, Naubatpur and Bihta falling within his parliamentary constituency were not getting water in canals for irrigation which has led to a state of drought in the region.

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"Bihar government officials are saying that there is no scarcity of water. The farmers are also asking that when Sone river is flooded, why there is no water in the canal ?",said the Union Minister.

Yadav said that he has spoken to Principal Secretary of Water Resource Department in the Bihar government and also with other officials but no action has been taken in this regard and farmers are still waiting for water to be released in their canals. He alleged that the Water Resource Department was not appearing serious to resolve the issue.

"I am giving 48 hours ultimatum to the concerned department to resolve the problem of the farmers. If that does not happen, I will sit on protest over the issue", warned Ram Kripal Yadav.

Perhaps another round of confrontation between the Bihar government and the Centre on the cards.

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L-3 MAPPS to update Hongyanhe simulator

31 August 2016

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Canada's L-3 MAPPS has signed a service contract to update the reactor core model on the full-scope simulator for Phase I of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in China's Liaoning province. The company originally supplied the simulator under a contract signed in 2007.

The full-scope simulator of Hongyanhe Phase I (Image: L-3 MAPPS)

L-3 MAPPS said work under the contract with Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power (LHNP) will start immediately and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

The simulator's fuel cycle data will be updated to the latest plant data using L-3's Orchid Core Builder, the company said. The updated Comet Plus reactor model will support an 18-month refueling cycle to reflect the upgraded refueling cycle undertaken at the plant.

Construction of Phase I of the Hongyanhe plant, comprising four CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors, began in August 2009. Units 1 and 2 have been in commercial operation since June 2013 and May 2014, respectively, while units 3 and 4 entered commercial operation in August 2015 and April 2016.

L-3 MAPPS received an order from Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in August 2007 to supply a full-scale simulator for the first two Hongyanhe units. The simulator was delivered by Mitsubishi as part of a larger package - the CPR-1000 Extension Project Digital Control Systems (DCS). Mitsubishi provided am emulation of the safety DCS for the simulator and L-3 translated the non-safety system for used on the simulator. Under a July 2009 contract, L-3 MAPPS developed a second pair of simulators for Hongyanhe units 3 and 4.

L-3 MAPPS vice president of marketing and sales Michael Chatlani said, "We are pleased to have another opportunity to support our colleagues at Hongyanhe. L-3 MAPPS is proud to offer the capabilities of our robust Orchid technology being used to develop and maintain the Hongyanhe Phase I simulator, and we look forward to further opportunities to work together with LHNP."

Simulators are a vital piece of equipment for plant operators, both at the start of their careers and for their continued training.

The construction of Phase II of the Hongyanhe plant - units 5 and 6 - was approved last year and building work started in March and July 2015, respectively. These units - featuring 1080 MWe China General Nuclear-designed ACPR1000 reactors - are scheduled to begin operating in 2019 and 2020.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News
Ukraine and South Korea cement nuclear ties

31 August 2016

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Energoatom and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) have agreed to cooperate in the nuclear energy sector. A memorandum of understanding - signed today in Kiev by Energoatom President Yury Nedashkovsky and KHNP President and CEO Seok Cho - aims to promote the "sustainable social and economic development" of the two countries, the Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator said.

Cho and Nedashkovsky sign the MOU (Image: Energoatom)

Areas of cooperation will include completion of units 3 and 4 of Ukraine's Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant and the Ukraine-European Union "energy bridge" project.

The companies have agreed to create a steering committee that will have a co-chairmen from each of them. Members of the committee will "coordinate all cooperation under this Memorandum and develop cooperation based on relevant commercial agreements (or series of agreements)", Energoatom said.

Cho said he strongly believed the Khmelnitsky 3 and 4 project would be completed successfully through Energoatom and KHNP working together with a common goal, "given that both companies have accumulated extensive experience and expertise through the continuous construction and operation of nuclear power plants over the past 40 years". Nedashkovsky said their joint efforts would support the development of Ukraine's nuclear power technology.

The document states that Ukraine and South Korea are member countries of the International Atomic Energy Agency and parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

State-owned KHNP covers about 32% of South Korea's total electricity production. Headquartered in Gyeongju, it owns and operates 24 nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of 21,716 MWe. In addition, it has six nuclear power units under construction and plans to build an additional four units in Korea.

Energoatom, which is also state-owned, operates four nuclear power plants - Zaporozhe, Rovno, South Ukraine and Khmelnitsky - which comprise 15 nuclear reactors, including 13 VVER-1000s and two VVER-440s with a total capacity of 13,835 MWe.

Construction of Khmelnitsky 3 began in September 1985, while that of unit 4 started in June 1986. Work on the two units stopped in 1990 when they were 75% and 28% complete, respectively.

In June 2010, Russia and Ukraine signed an intergovernmental agreement on the resumption of work on the two partially built reactors at Khmelnitsky. The Ukrainian parliament ratified that agreement. under which Russia was to provide financing for the amount required to design, construct and commission the two reactors, including for payments for services and goods supplied by Russia. Any components supplied from Ukraine for the project were to be financed from the Ukrainian budget. But in July 2015, Rosatom rejected the then Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's claim that the Russian state nuclear corporation had failed to honour the agreement on completion of the units. Ukraine subsequently cancelled its agreement with Russia.

Then in November the same year, Ukraine was reportedly considering the possibility of cooperation with China on the project. Ukraine's energy minister, Vladimir Demchishin, said at a press briefing on 9 November: "It must be an international partner, despite the fact that these technologies were developed in Russia. We are looking to China and other partners, including Westinghouse and European partners, we are looking at all the options."

In July last year, the Ukrainian government approved a pilot project, named the "energy bridge", to transfer electricity from unit 2 of the Khmelnitsky plant to the European Union. Nedashkovsky said at the time this project would not only fund the addition of two reactors, but will also "open up new prospects" for the country to export power to European markets.

In March this year, Energoatom, Ukrenergo and Polenergia signed an MOU on the project. Energoatom said the agreement will make it possible to use all its available nuclear capacity and attract funds for the completion of the third and fourth reactors of the Khmelnitsky plant.

Ukrenergo is a Ukrainian state-run power distribution company, while Polenergia is a vertically integrated group of companies working in energy generation, trading and distribution. Polenergia is part of Kulczyk Investments, a privately-owned Polish investment company. The export of energy will be made possible by disconnecting Khmelnitsky 2 from the national grid.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Time zones help us maintain a sense of the passing of time in different parts of the world, giving us a uniform standard time. There are 24 time zones on our planet, and we use them for commercial, social, and legal purposes.

Most time zones follow the boundaries of countries and do not go strictly along the longitude, but several countries fall in multiple time zones. Still, most countries avoid this by keeping an entire country in a single time zone. It makes things more convenient when it comes to commercial or other types of communication. In this article, we will take a look at what countries fall into more than one time zone.

Countries With The Most Time Zones

Every country on Earth has a unique shape. Many countries are larger than a single time zone, so they stretch through multiple, although the majority fits inside of a single one. However, the number of time zones a country passes through is not only determined by its size but also its offshore territories and colonies that might be a part of different time zones.

France is a country that has the largest number of time zones. It spreads across 12 different time zones that range from UTC-10 to UTC+12. France has a large number of national territories scattered all over the world, which is the main reason for this. French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean is mostly to blame for this phenomenon. The United States of America also spreads through a large number of time zones - 11, to be exact. This comes as no surprise since the country spreads across an entire continent. Still, only six of those eleven time zones are actually on the mainland.

Many countries are larger than a single time zone, so they stretch through multiple, although the majority fits inside of a single one.

The next country that goes through a large number of time zones is another big one. Russia goes through 11 different time zones, just like the United States. It is also the country that has the highest number of consecutive time zones. The United Kingdom is next on our list with nine time zones under its belt.

The country itself is located on a single island that is not that big, so one must wonder how it manages to spread across such a large number of time zones? Well, the country managed to spread colonies all over the planet, which means that we can find parts of it in different time zones. Australia is the final country that deserves to be mentioned, and it proudly sits at the fifth place of the countries with the highest number of time zones. The exact number of time zones of Australia is eight, which makes sense since it is an entire continent.

Coordinated Universal Time

Most time zones on our planet are defined as an offset of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is the standard time of our planet. Most time zones are offset by whole hours from the UTC, but there are several that are offset by 30 or 45 minutes. Several important things should be noted about the Coordinated Universal Time, first of which is that it is just a close variant of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is the mean solar time measured at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

Coordinated Universal Time dictates that leap seconds get added to days following regular intervals, thus compensating the slowing rotation of our planet. The UTC is used as the median to point time zones as positive and negative offsets from it. Following this rule, we can conclude that the easternmost time zone falls twelve hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time, so we write its tag as UTC-12. On the other hand, the westernmost time zone is twelve hours in front of the UTC, so we use UTC+12 to mark it.
A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took
Soda (illustration)

By: Mahesh Sarin

Workers at a Coca-Cola plant were shocked to find drugs in boxes of juice.

The workers called police after seeing the huge stash of cocaine when they opened a delivery of concentrate fruit juice.

The order came from Costa Rica to a Coca Cola factory in France.

The drug shipment reportedly weighed about 815 pounds with a potential street value of around $56 million.

The stash was hidden inside a container of fruit juice and it was found when it that was opened on arrival at the factory in the town of Signes, near the Mediterranean coast.

A spokesman for Coca-Cola, said that the workers alerted police immediately and they were all ruled out as suspects.

The Marseille prosecutoras office said Wednesday, that it had opened an investigation into trafficking and importing illegal drugs.
By PTI: Mumbai, Aug 31 (PTI) Actress Soha Ali Khan, whose upcoming film "31st October" is based on the aftermath of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhis assassination, says the film has not been made to give justice to anyone but to tell a story.

Set against the backdrop of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the film is a true-life story of a Sikh family and their fight for survival.

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"The film is not made to give any justice to anyone. I think justice delayed is justice denied. So there will be no justice to the victims of 1984 riots through this film. We have made this film to share a story," Soha told reporters here at the trailer launch of "31st October".

The 37-year-old actress insists that the film is not a "political film."

"We are not judges or lawyers. We are actors, we are just providing a film to the audience that is edge of the seat thriller. Its not a political thriller. It is not providing any agenda. We have tried not to be preachy. The film is about the struggle of a family that night," she said.

The "Rang De Basanti" actress said she was excited to be a part of the film which is inspired by real life incidents.

"Its a great role and I am a greedy actor. It is rare to get meaty roles. For me to be part of this and play a real life character was an added responsibility. It was exciting as an actor," she added.

Soha reveals that she was very young when the unfortunate incident took place.

"I have memory about the aftermath of Indira Gandhis assassination as a gurudwara was ransacked in Pataudi (her hometown)," she added.

Both "Rang De Basanti" and "31st October" talk about politics and according to Soha her role in the two films is completely different.

"In Rang De Basanti, I am a college student and patriotism awakens in us due to the situations around us. In "31st October", I am a mother and it is about brotherhood. I disagree both the roles are similar," she said when asked about the similarity between the two films.

This upcoming film directed by National award winner Shivaji Lotan Patil, releases on October 7.

The film will see a clash with Rakyesh Omprakash Mehras "Mirzya" and Soha on this said, "Its difficult to get a solo release and there is space for everyone." PTI KKP ARS BK

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By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Aug 31 (PTI) Two Pakistani sisters working as pilots for the countrys national flag carrier PIA have scripted history by becoming the first such pair to fly a Boeing 777 aircraft together, the airlines said today.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesman Danyal Gilani said that Maryam Masood and Erum Masood have been flying different planes but finally ended up in the same plane.

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The two sisters flew the planes concurrently from Lahore to Karachi, Manchester, New York and London.

"Pilot sisters make history for PIA by flying Boeing 777 concurrently," he tweeted.

He said that there was no known record of two real sisters having flown the same weight category aircraft concurrently.

Erum was recently upgraded to fly a Boeing-777, which resulted in the happy coincidence of joining here sister in the cockpit.

It is a good news from PIA, which has been running in losses for years and is struggling to improve its performance.

It launched a premier service on August 14 to attract customers.

Pakistani women have earned honours for the country in the aviation sector in the past as well. In 2006, seven women graduated as fighter pilots in the Pakistan airforce. PTI SH/Corr UZM AKJ UZM

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In Glasgow last week, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn ruled out an alliance with the Scottish National Party (SNP). While welcoming support for Labour policies from any other political groups or parties, Corbyn wrote in the Daily Record that Labour and the SNP come from different traditions and have different goals.

His statements met with dismay among a number of his nominal allies, for whom a pact with the SNP is part of the development of a progressive alliance around Labour. Caroline Lucas, Green Party leader, questioned Corbyns statement, saying that feelers put out by her party to Labour had indicated it could be open to talks about a cross-party alliance.

Immediately following the Leave vote in the June 23 referendum on UK membership of the European Union, the pro-EU Greens wrote an Open Letter to Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru, calling for the formation of an anti-Brexit alliance.

Lucas, who favours a second referendum on the final terms negotiated with the EU for British withdrawal, is co-author with Labour MP Lisa Nandy of a new book on cross-party cooperation based around support for the EU and UK electoral reform.

Lucas suggested that Corbyns statement in Glasgow was forced on him by the constraints of the leadership contest, initiated by Labours right wing. His challenger, Owen Smith, has also ruled out an alliance. Supporters of Corbyn, including shadow chancellor John McDonnell, had responded positively to her approaches, Lucas said.

Neal Lawson, head of the Labour-aligned Compass think tank, was more direct. Rejecting cross-party alliances was ridiculous, Lawson said. The idea that any one party alone can govern the UK now, with all the threats, challenges and opportunities the country now faces, is absurd.

A central aim of the putsch attempt against Corbyn is to refashion Labour as the political vehicle for overturning the referendum result. Labours right wing, working in collusion with the highest echelons of the state, regard the Leave outcome as jeopardising the interests of both British and American imperialist interests on the continent, especially as regards NATOs military aggression against Russia and China.

But a significant section of Corbyns backers also want to see Labour take prime position in opposing Brexit. They differ over how this can be achieved.

Labours shadow defence spokesperson Clive Lewis participated in the cross-party post-Brexit alliance-building meeting called by Compass a fortnight after the referendum. A former infantry officer graduate from the elite Sandhurst Military Academy, Lewis is one of the few shadow cabinet members that did not resign in the right-wing initiated putsch. While supporting Corbyn in the current leadership bid, he has called for a second referendum on Brexit and abstained on the vote for the renewal of the Trident nuclear missile system during the recent parliamentary debate.

Writing in the Guardian, Lewis argued that the Brexit result proved the traditional Tory/Labour electoral set-up had broken down and that, if Labour is to have any hope of regaining power, it must be part of a progressive alliance based on proportional representation. Corbyns re-election, he wrote, while necessary, was far from sufficient, without a whole set of other meaningful relationships and ideas being put in place.

Lewis has been touted as a potential Labour leader by author and journalist Owen Jones amongst others: someone able to appeal to the so-called centre left in the Parliamentary Labour Party who have backed the Blairites in their attempted coup.

Another prominent advocate of overturning or limiting Brexit is the author and journalist, Paul Mason. In a comment titled, Labour: The Way ahead, Mason argued that the Blairite coup plotters failed to understand that their neo-liberal agenda is busted and could never be the basis for renewing Labour. Instead, its continuation threatened global stagnation, was generating acute geopolitical fragmentation andat homethe fragmentation of two-party politics, Mason wrote.

In addition, the vote in favour of what he called Brexit without a plan meant the UK has put itself at the mercy of the remaining 27 members of the EU, who will force Britain to eat so much dirt to retain a trading relationship with the EU single market that a deal may be impossible.

It is to counter this, that Mason et al. advocate a progressive alliance around Labour.

For the party to achieve power requires the development of a distinct, new radical Labour identity, Mason argues, that is able to build a coalition between what he describes as the mainly young, urban salariat who voted to Remain, and the impoverished small-town working class, blamed for supporting Leave.

Mason is vague on what exactly should constitute this new identity, other than the promotion of cultural valuesanti-racism and support for identity politics based on race, sex and sexualityand support for economic stimulus. The point, he stresses, is that this alliance must be comfortable enough for those who support nuclear deterrent or want restrictions on free movement post Brexit. While this may appear fragmented, he argues, the point is to concentrate the efforts of everybody around one thing, be it an election, or an iconic protest, or a big, memetic idea, even if only temporarily.

Clive Lewis, Owen Jones, Paul Mason and Neal Lawson were all supporters of Another Europe is Possiblethe pro-EU grouping led by Yanis Varoufakis, the former finance minister in Greeces Syriza governmentand campaigned for a Remain vote in the referendum along with John McDonnell.

After the referendum, Another Europe is Possible organised demonstrations in support of a second referendum. A key role in these was played by the Pabloite Left Unity group, headed by film director Ken Loach.

All the above (with the exception of Varoufakis) are featured speakers at next months four-day fringe meeting, called by Momentum, the network formed within the Labour Party to support Corbyn. The event will run parallel with Labours special conference at which the result of the leadership contest will be announced.

The models for this initiative, as the World Socialist Web Site has explained, are Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain. Both are bourgeois organisations formed as the result of manoeuvres between the Stalinists and the pseudo-left. The result has been a disaster for the working class.

In Greece Syriza, in alliance with the right-wing Independent Greeks, is imposing draconian austerity measures and anti-refugee policies on behalf of the EU. In Spain, following Decembers inconclusive general election, Podemos had attempted to form a supposedly left coalition with the hated Socialist Party (PSOE). In the second inconclusive general election on June 26, Podemos vote fell by 1.2 million votes and the PSOE returned its worst electoral result since 1977, enabling the right-wing Popular Party to launch its own attempt to form a government.

This is a matter of indifference to the affluent middle class that make up the pseudo-left and its periphery in academic and journalistic circles. Mason cautions that a potential danger to Labours intended progressive alliance is that those enthused by Corbyns campaign will try to win election by using the classic, old left rhetoric that parties like Podemos and Syriza represent a break from.

The sole concern of these layers is to effect a fairer redistribution of wealth amongst the top 10 percent of society, to which they belong. This is turn requires defending the access of British capital to the European Single Market and upholding its position as a military power. That is why all references to socialism, the working class, imperialism and revolution must be expunged.

Masons op-ed in the Guardian Wednesday was written as words of advice to Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May. Complaining that Europe is out to shaft Brexit Britain, he urged her to remain strong against the Brexit hard-liners in her party. [I]f necessary, he urged, Corbyn, May and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon should stand shoulder to shoulder somewhere symbolic to say that Britains aim is to remain in the single market.

If May refused to play ball, the opposition parties should state, simply, that they will seek a vote in parliament to veto any Brexit strategy that tries to remove Britain from the single market.

The author also recommends:

Pseudo-left line up behind efforts to fashion Labour as Britains Syriza

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Paul Mason launches campaign for UK Labour to pledge itself to nuclear war

[22 April 2016]
Autoworkers voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to authorize strike action for the upcoming contract fight at Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA). Workers at FCAs Canadian facilities in Windsor, Brampton and Etobicoke voted 99 percent in favour of strike action should the Unifor union fail to reach an agreement with the companies by September 19. At Ford plants in Windsor and Oakville workers voted 98.9 percent for possible strike action whilst in Oshawa and St. Catharines, GM workers gave a 97.1 percent mandate. Unifor officials have earmarked September 6 to choose a target company for a pattern contract at the other two automakers.

Voter turnout at many of the union locals was extremely high, reflecting a determined mood of militancy among rank-and-file autoworkers. Over the past ten years, workers have seen three consecutive concessions contracts rammed down their throats by the auto bosses with the collusion of the union (previously the Canadian Autoworkers or CAW). The union insisted that givebacks were necessary to save jobs because of the supposed economic difficulties of the corporations.

Unifor, however, has no intention of waging a serious struggle against the auto giants. They have received strong strike mandates before, and then proceeded to negotiate miserable concessions deals whilst refusing to lift a finger in one plant closing after another. Indeed, the last strike at a Detroit Three company in Canada occurred at GM some twenty years ago.

The record of the union bureaucracy speaks for itself. In 2008, then-union (CAW) president Buzz Hargrove announced he would re-open recently signed four-year contracts in order to provide additional givebacks only one year after the union had pushed through concession-laden deals at all three companies in 2007. The new deals, negotiated in 2009 by Hargroves successor, Ken Lewenza, froze autoworkers wages and cost-of-living allowances for the life of the contract, and surrendered a week of paid time off and a previously negotiated $1,700 annual bonus. The deal also significantly deepened a two-tier wages system, jacked-up health care and insurance premiums, and allowed the Detroit Three to increase workloads. Retirees had their cost-of-living protection suspended and faced increased co-pays for health and other benefits.

In addition, both Chrysler and General Motors accepted bailout packages from the Ontario and federal governments totaling some $13.7 billion (the governments eventually lost $3.5 billion of that in un-recouped monies). This coincided with the Obama administrations restructuring of the two automakers in the US, which included a deal with the United Auto Workers (UAW) to halve the wages of all new hires and eliminate the eight-hour day.

Overall, the 2009 agreements in Canada surrendered almost $20 per hour per worker in labour costsconsiderably more than did the 2007 sellout deals, which had already provided the auto companies with almost one billion dollars in savings. The 2012 contracts continued this all-out attack on workers living standards and working conditions, continuing with wage freezes, benefit givebacks, speed-up and a further extension to ten years of the grow-in period for second-tier workers.

Over the past several months both corporate and union officials have set the stage for a further round of concessions. Job security has become the battle cry of the Unifor bargaining committees, under conditions where the Detroit Three have withheld any new investment announcements for Ford Essex, GM Oshawa and Brampton FCA. Union president Jerry Dias has signaled in no uncertain terms that the bargaining priority will be maintaining the current footprint of the Detroit Three in Canada.

Calls are now being made by both industry and union representatives for the federal Liberal government to shift their automotive industry support program to provide outright grants to the auto companies instead of low-interest loans. When big business Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke at Unifors national convention last week, he was given a standing ovation by the assemblage of union officials. Trudeau has promised to repeal the former Conservative governments anti-democratic laws that negatively impact on the interests of the union officialdom by imposing onerous reporting requirements on union expenses and complicating union certification drives.

The Liberals have already moved to restore the special tax concessions for union-controlled investment funds that the Harper government was to entirely phase out by next year. Unlike Harper, Trudeau has calculated that it is the trade unions, rather than more oppressive legislation, that can best be used to suppress workers aspirations on the shop floor in the interests of corporate profitability.

Job security has always been the code-word for accepting round after round of concessions. Already, it appears that the union is prepared to once again forgo cost-of-living allowances, further water down work rules and sacrifice the current, inferior hybrid pension scheme for new hires in favour of an even more inferior defined contribution plan. Moreover, the massive concessions granted in previous deals, as workers well know, did not prevent the closure of the GM Transmission plant in Windsor, the Ford assembly plant in St. Thomas or Oshawas GM Truck facility. They did, however, contribute to the veritable profitability spree that auto executives and their shareholders have enjoyed since the 2009 deals and the auto bailout.

In the wake of Sundays strike mandate vote, Jerry Dias stated, With this clear mandate our members have demonstrated they are in full support of their bargaining committees, and our direction in this set of negotiations. What nonsense.

There is a burgeoning realization among workers that Dias and the rest of the union officialdom represent the interests of the company and not the rank-and-file autoworker. Autoworkers and retirees have contacted the World Socialist Web Site and its Autoworkers Newsletter to voice their determination to fight another concessions agreement.

At Windsor FCA, a veteran states, More and more speed-up. The older guys are breaking down. Good for the company and the union. Not us. Now they can bring in new hires with even worse contracts. A Ford worker in Oakville writes, No concessions! Tired of losing. Definitely our turn to reap some of the rewards of record profits. Ford is getting tough. Enough is enough. Another Oakville worker remarked, Jerry Dias is pushing investment too. What a bunch of horsecrap. A GM Oshawa retiree commented, As you must be aware, we had 23,000 hourly workers in 1980 [at our plant]. Now we might have 3,000. Time for a big change. I am afraid Unifor might try and sell us down the drain. A Windsor Ford worker writes, Thanks for your information. I dont believe a word that comes out of Dias mouth. Its our turn. Screw the union fraidy cats, said a GM Oshawa correspondent. A Brampton FCA worker simply writes, Strike!

Reflecting the outright decimation of benefits in recent agreements and the growing desperation of retirees, a St. Thomas area reader writes, When I retired I felt very secure with the pension and benefits I would receive. Eleven years later and my pension does not even get an increase in the cost of living and we are seeing our benefits being reduced. For example, our benefit coverage for a nursing home is now about 70 percent less that it was upon my retirement. We did not realize our benefits could be reduced. Even to get our measly $700 coverage we have to go to a government-run nursing home.

Despite his talk about the membership giving full support to the union bureaucrats, Dias is fully aware of the anger brewing on the shop floor against Unifors collusion with management. In an interview given to the Financial Post last month, Dias cited the rebellion by American autoworkers against the UAW in contract negotiations amongst the Detroit Three last autumn. There, workers at Fiat Chrysler initially voted down the national contract. This was the first rejection of such a UAW-backed national agreement in 33 years. The union refused to call a strike and used threats of plant closings and layoffs to force through a vote on an almost identical contract. At GM, the skilled trades section voted down the contract but their vote was unconstitutionally overridden by UAW officials, who rammed through the deal anyway. At Ford, a razor-thin acceptance was recorded amidst charges from workers that the union stuffed the ballots.

In his interview with the Post, Dias blamed poor communication between the UAW bureaucracy and American autoworkers. We saw what happened, said Dias. Weve learned our lessonsWell be very active on social media. Dias has told reporters that the UAW was slow to react to an aggressive social media campaign instigated by workers opposed to the sellout deals. While not naming his nemesis, Dias, like his bureaucratic counterparts in the US, means the World Socialist Web Site and its Autoworker New sl etter, which was widely circulated by autoworkers and became the center of rank-and-file opposition.

Canadian autoworkers will no doubt resist the plans of Unifor and the auto bosses to impose ever more hardships on them. But workers need to draw the lessons of last years US contract struggle, Dias phony pronouncements of this past summer, and more generally of the transformation of the unions internationally into corporatist appendages of big business.

A fight to defend jobs and living standards requires the formation of rank-and-file factory committees to unite autoworkers to conduct a real struggle. This must include an appeal to their brothers and sisters in the US, Mexico and internationally who are facing similar attacks by the globally organized auto giants and corporate-controlled governments. This fight poses the need to develop a powerful political counter-offensive of the working class, entirely independent of the Liberals, New Democratic Party and the Tories, against the capitalist system, which is impoverishing the vast majority of humanity for the benefit of the already super-rich few.

We encourage readers of the World Socialist Web Site and the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter in the plants to step up their efforts to build resistance and to share information and their comments with us for dissemination among autoworkers throughout North America and the world.

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Thirty years since the Canadian split from the UAW: Lessons for today

[30 September 2015]
After 21 hours of secret negotiations, the Cleveland Teachers Union (CTU) reached a tentative agreement with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, shutting down a potential strike by 5,300 teachers Thursday night. The union has released no details on the substance of the deal or made any announcements when rank-and-file educators will vote on it.

Teachers who have been working without a contract since June 30 are opposed to the merit pay scheme imposed by the school district after the state legislature passed the so-called Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools. While publicly criticizing pay for performancewhich largely bases teachers salaries entirely on the results of standardized teststhe union backed the 2012 plan and signed a deal the year after handing sweeping concessions to the district.

The American Federation of Teachers and the CTU are engaged in a full-time campaign to promote Hillary Clintons presidential bid and are determined to prevent any strike that would highlight the anti-education policies pursued by the Obama administration over the last seven-and-a-half years. Clinton is expected to visit Cleveland on Labor Day where the unions will sing the praises of the preferred candidate of Wall Street and warmonger who would only escalate the assault on teachers and public education if she were elected in November.

District officials praised the deal, saying, We are pleased to take a contract to the board that both sides see as fair, said Chief Executive Officer Eric Gordon, now we must work beyond the bargaining table to breathe life into a contract that has, at its heart, whats best for kids.

The union has announced that ratification votes will take place inside the schools rather than a mass membership meeting. This only underscores the unions fear of opposition from rank-and-file teachers who are fed up with the sweeping concessions the CTU agreed to in 2013.

We worked hard to avoid any disruption to our students education, said CTU President David Quolke, and were able to bring back a contract that is good for kids and fair for educatorsthat our members will be proud to ratify.

Bitter experience has shown that the working class has never achieved anything without mass struggle. The record of the teachers union has been nothing but collaboration with the school board and state legislature in rolling back conditions and living standards for Cleveland teachers.

Rank-and-file teachers expressed their skepticism on the union locals Facebook page. Prior to the settlement, one teacher, Alberta, expressed disgust with previous sellouts. They keep giving our money, benefits and time back to the Administration while the Administration keeps stealing remember Barbara B. Bennett 10 million and the demise of PRE-K - 3rd grade and middle school destroying the Elementarys!!!

The teacher here is referring here to Barbara B. Bennett who pled guilty to federal fraud charges last year in her capacity as CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Before moving to Chicago, Bennett had previously carried out wrecking operations in Cleveland and Detroit.

Another teacher, Cynthia, posted: I have saved emails to and from the union president [about] many broken promises. At the time he was busy in Washington DC. I would like to see the union expense reports for the trips they take and other expenses they occur when traveling.

Despite teachers voting overwhelmingly for strike action last May, the CTU refused to call a walkout when the contract expired on June 30. Instead, they waited until the day after the new school year began on August 15 for the executive board to vote to authorize a September 1 strike.

The union collaborated with Democratic Mayor Frank Jackson and Ohio legislators in the 2012 passage of the Cleveland Plan or House Bill 525. The aim of the bipartisan measure was to remove legislative barriers to school reform, expand charter schools and close and replace failing schools. A so-called Cleveland Transformation Alliance was set up to oversee the operations of the district. The alliance members include various business foundations, charter school companies and CTU Local 279 President David Quolke.

The union then threw its support behind a regressive plan to increase taxes on Clevelands largely impoverished homeowners to replace lost revenue due to decades of corporate tax cuts, reduced federal and state aid and the funneling of money to for-profit charters. Cleveland is the second poorest big city in America behind Detroit.

Teachers are now subjected to a multi-tier pay system based on their category: resident, professional or expert. The Cleveland Plan makes the district the only one in the state that does not pay according to years of service, education and training. The district only increases salaries when teachers earn strong ratings on their annual evaluations based largely on standardized tests.

As in other school districts, teachers are being scapegoated for the impact of poverty. All 39,000 students in the district qualify for free or subsidized meals because of chronic poverty, and decades of deindustrialization, and the destruction of social programs such as welfare.

The union and management are eager to get the contract out of the way so they jointly push for a renewal of the regressive school taxes.

The conspiracy of the CTU with the corporate political establishment underscores the need for Cleveland teachers to take the conduct of this struggle into their own hands through the election of rank-and-file committees to mobilize the working class against the bipartisan assault on public education.
The German governments new Civil Defence Guidelines have caused outrage in the Berlin state assembly elections. Candidates and supporters of the Partei fur Soziale Gleichheit (PSG, Socialist Equality Party) have met many Berliners outside Employment Offices, factories and in public squares who have expressed their shock and anger at the obvious war preparations.

On August 24, the federal government adopted its so-called Guidelines for Civil Defence. They recommend people prepare for the worst by stockpiling food, water and other necessities. The guidelines do not preclude a war on German soil.

Some see the guidelines as a sick joke, but most Berliners are worried. The PSG election manifesto, which places the struggle against war at its heart, is arousing growing interest.

I experienced the Second World War as an eight-year-old, and trembled in the cellar as the bombs fell, an 80-year-old pensioner said, who met the PSG campaign team on Heinrich Dathe Square. The government announcement made me shudder. Havent we had enough wars in Germany? We should all join together to prevent a new war.

Following his comments, a discussion quickly developed at the PSG campaign stall. Ursula, another pensioner, said, As soon as I heard, I thought, have we come this far again? Theyre really thinking about war again? Her second thought, she continued, was, How should all these people do what they [the government] say? For example, I only have a small two-room apartment and no balcony.

Katherina, a middle-aged woman, objected, On the radio, they justified it by citing the defence against terrorist attacks. Ursula responded, But war is terror. How many people no longer feel safe if they live in a city in eastern Ukraine, where the bombs are falling? Or in Syria or Iraq. Isnt that terrorism?

Simone, a young woman, said she was absolutely against war. She said she had very little money; the Employment Office had sent her for a security job. She had not heard of the Fourth International before, but was interested in what she could do to prevent a war.

Frank works as a salesman. He listened to the discussion and then chipped in, Now they want to set up a European Army, with its own tanks and weapons. Theyll spend billions on it, but dont have any money for young people.

The discussion then turned to which parties were responsible. Frank said, I voted for the PDS a few times, and later for [its successor] the Left Party. But when they were in powerwhat did they do? They were only interested in looking after their own jobs and wellbeing. What has the Left Party done in the Bundestag [federal parliament]? Theyve achieved nothing; theyll never get rid of the Christian Democrats like that. To do that, youd have to vote for the AfD [far-right Alternative for Germany].

For Gods sake! Katherina said. Id rather vote for anything else than the AfDtheyre out and out Nazis. She defended the Left Party, but then had to admit that they only make promises. When the Left Party was in the Senate [Berlin state legislature] alongside the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 2001 to 2011, social rights were very curtailed, she said. She added apologetically, the Left Party had had to follow its coalition partner, the SPD, and concluded, The Left Party is only any good when its in the opposition.

Ursula, the pensioner, commented: When they were in office, the speeches of [Left Party leaders] Lotzsch and Gysi appealed to me, but the Left Party did nothing more than all the others. The worst thing were the rent hikes.

The experiences with the Left Party show that there is nothing progressive about it, PSG candidate Peter Hartmann said. It is an amalgamation of old Stalinist bureaucrats from the former East Germany and trade union bureaucrats from West Germany. In government as in opposition, its aim is to suppress the working class and push through extreme right-wing policies. No other federal state in Germany imposed such vicious social cuts as in Berlin under the Left Party and SPD.

Hartmann explained that the right-wing politics of the Left Party demonstrate that it is only possible to fight against social cuts and war on the basis of an international and socialist programme. He continued: Those who dont believe this should look at Greece, where the Left Partys co-thinkers are in government and are imposing the European Unions brutal austerity measures, while the massive expenditure on the army remains untouched. Such right-wing politics only strengthen the far right, such as the AfD.

On another occasion, a young history student met the campaign team and said that she had liked the PSG election posters at the Free University. She said she was particularly struck by the slogan, Solidarity with refugeesfor a common struggle against capitalism and war. This really captured the vital connection between the defence of refugees and the question of war and capitalism.

In a discussion outside the Charite hospital in Berlin Mitte, nurses and carers on their lunch break spoke with PSG candidates about the social attacks and danger of war. With nearly 14,000 employees, the Charite is the second largest employer in Berlin, after the Deutsche Bahn railway company. A year ago, workers at the Charite took strike action in defence of their working conditions, above all the need for more staff. In June this year, a new contract came into force that was hailed by the ver.di trade union and the Left Party, and especially the pseudo-lefts like the SAV, as historic.

Asked what improvements the last strike had brought, Charite workers could barely conceal their cynicism when they said, The great strike brought something. There should be more staff, but we dont know where from, and we havent seen them. They had nothing good to say about the contract. There wont be any more staff, a nurse said. Theres no more money. But those that do work there have to work twice as hard.

Asked about the civil defence guidelines, one nurse said, There are very many parallels to the 1920s, the Great Depression, and I find that frightening. I want to enjoy my life, but when I heard that the USA is bombing Assads troops [in Syria], a shiver ran down my spine. Such events could be a trigger for the spreading of the war.

He was particularly concerned about NATO being mobilised against Russia. The ensuing lively discussion about how to oppose this threat of war took nearly the entire lunch break.
Tens of millions of workers are expected to heed the call of a Joint Trade Union Committee (JTUC) and join a one-day, all-India general strike this Friday to protest the anti-labour and anti-people policies of the right-wing, Hindu communalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

The widespread support for the September strike 2 is an expression of mounting working-class anger and militancy. But the JTUC is comprised of ten pro-capitalist union federations, virtually all of them like the Congress Party-allied Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) that are directly tied to political parties that over the past quarter-century have implemented the Indian bourgeoisies agenda of privatization, deregulation, social spending cuts, and tax breaks and other concessions for investors.

This is true of the union federations that are effectively providing the strikes political leadershipthe Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), which is the trade union wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM, and the Communist Party of India (CPI) aligned All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC.) Since the Indian elite repudiated its bankrupt national capitalist development strategy in 1991, the twin Stalinist parliamentary parties have repeatedly propped up governments at the Centre, most of them Congress Party-led, that have pursued neoliberal policies with the aim of making India a cheap-labour haven for world capital. And in the states where the Stalinists have formed the government, they have implemented what they themselves term pro-investor policies.

The JTUC has submitted a 12-point charter of demands to the government, which it not surprisingly has rejected out of hand. The demands include urgent measures for containing price rise, a reduction of unemployment through employment generation, strict enforcement of all basic labour laws, universal social security cover, stopping disinvestment in central/state public sector units, and a minimum wage of not less than 18,000 Rupees (about $260) per month.

The two-year-old BJP government has slashed social spending, including funding for the countrys dilapidated public health care system and the National Rural Employment Guarantee program, which is supposed to provide at least 100 days of work per year to one member from every rural household that requests it. At the same time, the BJP government has hiked military spending, accelerated disinvestment (privatization), and reduced or eliminated caps on foreign investment in numerous economic sectors.

Recently it rammed through an 18 percent national Goods and Services Tax (GST) that will be used to further shift the burden of taxation onto working people. It has also brought forward legislation to gut restrictions on layoffs and plant closures in factories employing less than 300 workers and, pending passage of this reform, it is encouraging BJP state governments to introduce laws circumventing national labour regulations.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley boast about having restored India to 7 percent-plus growth, the reality is the incomes of workers and toilers are being squeezed by food price rises and a colossal jobs crisis. Although some 10 million young people are entering Indias labour force yearly, an economic report found that in a recent 12-month period little more than a hundred thousand jobs were created in 8 key, especially labour-intensive, sectors. According to the 2016 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Program, of the 300 million Indians who entered the job market between 1991 and 2013, only 140 million were able to find jobs.

So grave is the jobs crisis that when the Amroha Municipality in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh advertised for 114 street-sweeper jobs that required no educational qualifications, 19,000 people, many of them with Engineering, Bachelor of Science, MBAs, or other college degrees, applied.

Hunger stalks rural India where more than sixty percent of the countrys 1.2 billion people reside. Almost half of all Indian children under five are stunted, a condition rooted in chronic malnutrition and that adversely impacts physical and cognitive development. According to a recent government survey, rural caloric consumption has fallen sharply. The average rural person now consumes 550 calories less than they consumed in 1975-79, including 13 grams less of protein, 5 mg. less of iron, 250 mg. less of calcium and about 500 mg less of vitamin A.

For the unions and the political parties with which they are allied, Fridays strike is a maneuver aimed at burnishing their oppositional claims in the hopes of securing more votes and at dissipating rank-and-file anger.

On the part of the Stalinists such one-day strikes have taken on something of a ritual character. Since the early 1990s, they have organized one such national protest strike virtually every year. This is true even of the period between 2004 and 2008, when they were effectively the Congress Partys most important coalition partner, although they did not formally join the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

In the run-up to last years strike, also held on September 2, the CITU and AITUC courted the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the union federation affiliated with the fascistic RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), which for decades has provided the BJP with most of its leading cadre and both its prime ministers. The Stalinists claimed it would be a major advance in working class unity if the BMS joined the Congress-affiliated INTUC in supporting the one-day protest. Predictably, the BMS withdrew its support for the strike after the leaders of the various union federations met with the government in the run-up to last years walkout.

This year, the JTUC announced its plans for a one-day strike on September 2 at the end of March. It did so with the hope of pursuing negotiations with the government, but the BJP ignored their pleas for consultation. On August 18, the JTUC issued a statement that expressed outrage that the big-business, virulently anti-working class BJP had spurned their calls for talks and that during the past one year, the group of ministers appointed for discussion with (the unions) on (their) 12-point charter has not convened a single meeting. The government did make a show in recent weeks of meeting with the BMS leadership, then this week announced a series of ostensible pro-worker measures, which are either outright hoaxes or derisory.

The BJP leadership knows full well that the Stalinists are an integral part of the political establishment, who can be counted on to deflect social anger into parliamentary channels and impotent protests. Asked this week about the impending strike, Jaitley said, I think we have responsible trade unions.

Nevertheless, there is apprehension within the ruling elite about the strikes economic impact, as wide sectors of the economy including coal mining, the auto industry, banks, and most public sector enterprises and central and state government services will be impacted, and more fundamentally about the growth of oppositional sentiment within the working class.

All sections of the establishment were stunned last April when tens of thousands of garment and other workers in the southern city of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) mounted a strike, outside of union control, to oppose the BJP governments attempt to restrict their right to withdraw money from their pension funds and for several days defied attempts to break their strike through police violence.
By PTI: Chandigarh, Aug 31 (PTI) Noted poet, novelist and short story writer Kashmiri Lal Zakir passed away this evening, a state government release said.

He was 97.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar condoled the death of Zakir who was also the Chairman of Haryana Urdu Academy.

Khattar said, "With the death of Dr K L Zakir, a Padma Shri awardee, Urdu and Hindi literature have lost a doyen.

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"He had been conferred with the honour of Fakhr-e-Haryana by the state government. His contribution to the world of literature will be remembered for long. My heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family. May his soul rest in peace."

Zakirs career, which started with his first ghazal published in Adabi Duniya in the 1940s a publication from Lahore, encompasses novels, dramas, short stories and travelogues. He served the Punjab Education Department during British rule. PTI SUN RCB IKA RCB

--- ENDS ---
Without the consent of parliament, the government of Matteo Renzi (Democratic Party) is deploying Italian soldiers to Libya. It is basing itself on a new law which allows it to carry out the the fight against terror, even without parliamentary approval.

All parties, from the left to the right, have endorsed this course of action and contributed to its secrecy. It is a genuine conspiracy, and only rarely does the official media grant a brief glimpse into its actual operations.

What is known is that the US Air Force has been using Sicilian bases to carry out bombing runs against the Libyan city of Sirte since the beginning of August to drive out the Islamic State (IS). Italy also wants to reopen its embassy in Tripoli in the near future.

Now, however, it has been revealed by reports appearing in several newspapers on August 10 and 11 that Italian soldiers have been on the ground fighting at the side of militias in Misrata for several weeks. The Misrata militias are under orders to liberate the coastal city of Sirte from IS and consolidate control by the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord.

Apparently, several dozen members of the Italian secret service and Carabinieri are active in the protection of Tripoli, along with 50 individual soldiers belonging to the 9th Parachute Assault Regiment Col Moschin. They are under the direct command of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Col Moschin are a special forces unit named after a hill that the unit defended against Austrian forces during the First World War. Nicknamed Arditi (The Daring), they quickly took on a prominent position in the Italian armed forces and later played a role in the seizure of power by the Fascists. In the 1980s, they were deployed in Lebanon, and in the 1990s in Somalia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Albania, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. In Libya, these elite soldiers, trained in the deactivation of mines, are to be tasked with disarming explosive traps left by IS in Sirte.

Up to now, the Western powers have been working closely with Fayez al-Sarrajs Government of National Accord (GNA), which they installed as a puppet regime in Tripoli, and through which Sarraj officially requests imperialist aid. On August 21, the counter-parliament in Tobruk (House of Representatives, HoR) refused to support Sarraj, robbing him of any legitimacy. On August 24, Sarraj declared his readiness to accept the decision of the HoR and said that he viewed his own cabinet as a purely transitional government.

Nevertheless, the US, Italy and Germany continue to base their intervention on Sarrajs government. France and Egypt are also working with Khalifa Haftars rival Libyan National Army in the East.

According to a Stratfor report, representatives of the EU Mediterranean operation Sophia signed an agreement on a joint training programme with the Sarraj government in Rome on August 23. The agreement is primarily intended to enable the Libyan coast guard to curb the flow of refugees from Africa to Italy. Approximately 100,000 refugees have already taken the route across the Mediterranean this year. Almost 5,000 of them have drowned in the attempt.

The legal foundation for the military operation in Libya was created last November, shortly after the terror attack in Paris, when the Italian government modified its law on participation in international missions. The new regulation permits Matteo Renzi to send military special forces abroad without parliamentary consent, as long as they are under the command of the foreign intelligence service rather than under the control of Italian troops.

The law on Italys participation in international missions was first adopted by parliament on July 14, 2016. It met with the approval of practically every party. The Five Star Movement and Nichi Vendolas Left Ecology Freedom party (SEL) facilitated the law with their abstention from voting and their public silence on its consequences.

According to one plan published by the Corriere della Sera on April 25, the government next wants to deploy between 600 and 900 soldiers to Libya, to protect certain sensitive points, including the oil wells, and to train local forces.

The reference to oil is revealing. In fact, the main objective of combat is to gain control over the lucrative oil resources of the north-African country. The Western governments hasten to gain a footing in Libya so they can bring the oil and natural gas facilities and the oil terminals in the Mediterranean under their control. That is why the Col Moschin troops in Libya have explicitly been given the task of keeping IS militias, driven from Sirte to the interior of the country, away from the oil fields further south.

Under the headline Renzis secret war in Libya, the Il tempo newspaper reported on August 10: Italian special forces operate under direct control of the Prime Minister. However, the battle for Sirte goes on  Italy has begun its fight in Libya, but its supposed to be a secret. The report continues: Together with Germany, the US, France, Britain, and Spain, Italy is now taking part in the situation centred on the oil terminal in Zuwaytina.

Zuwaytina is an important port for the transportation of oil south of Benghazi. Its current potential of 70,000 barrels per day could increase substantially at full capacity. As an August 19 Stratfor report explained, Zuwaytina is more and more in the focus of the rival governments, the GNA in Tripoli and the HoR with its Libyan National Army under Haftar. Stratfor writes that it is certainly possible to get oil production at all three Eastern oil terminalsZuwaytina, Ras Lanuf and as-Sidraback on track. But five years of war and civil war have clearly left their mark on Ras Lanuf and as-Sidra. Stratfor reports, Zuwaytina is the best option for the immediate exportation of oil on a large scale.

To satisfy their greed for these valuable resources, the Western governmentsas in Syria and Iraqhavent the slightest problem collaborating with Islamists. The militias in Misrata, on whose side Italian special forces now fight, are made up of Islamists. They belong to an organisation associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Renzi government is obviously attempting to banish this topic as quickly as possible from the headlines. As several reports revealed the presence of Italian soldiers in Libya on August 11, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni attempted damage control: We do not have a military mission in Libya. If we did, Parliament would have been informed. Asked about secret service missions in Libya, Gentiloni replied, By definition, I do not comment on operations of a classified nature.

From Renzis seat of government, the Palazzo Chigi, came the succinct statement: The participating Italian structures are authorised by parliament. We can neither confirm nor deny a military presence in Libya because they belong to the secret service and not to the army.

A foreign military intervention, and particularly one launched without parliamentary consent, would be deeply unpopular in the Italian population. It would also contradict Article 11 of the Italian constitution which forbids war against another nation. An intervention in Libya, in particular, would meet with outrage and opposition. The Fascist Mussolini regime established a brutal colonial rule over Cyrenaica and Tripolitania, the region today known as Libya.
On July 6 a major split was announced in the Brazilian United Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores UnificadoPSTU), the chief section of the International Workers League (known by the Spanish initials LIT), the international grouping founded by the late Argentine revisionist Nahuel Moreno. Fully half of the partys membership, 739 activists and supporters, including long time central committee members, elected officials and union functionaries, published a manifesto announcing their break with the party.

The split was promptly acknowledged by the PSTU leadership in a friendly comment. Party chairman Ze Maria issued a statement in which he began by declaring, I respect all the comrades that have broken with us, while declaring their leaving the party an important mistake. For their part, those who split declared their belief that the PSTU was no less revolutionary now than it was before and described their break with the party as an exemplary separation, very different from the explosive and destructive splits seen so often in the past. In short, the split is of a politically unclarified, unprincipled and opportunist character.

The process was announced against the backdrop of the deep crisis and broad realignments in the pseudo-left due to the debacle of the Workers Party (PT) government of President Dilma Rousseff.

The reason given for the split centered on a single national tactic adopted by the PSTU leadership in the course of the right-wing drive to impeach Rousseff. The group advanced the slogan throw them all out, essentially providing a left cover for the right-wing, upper middle class-based campaign for the ouster of Rousseff, while failing to provide any warning of the immense dangers confronting Brazilian workers. Having supported imperialist regime-change operations from Syria to Ukraine, the party became complicit in a domestic version of the same process.

For almost a year, the PSTU has dismissed the concerns felt by broad sections of the Brazilian people over both the extra-constitutional methods employed to remove Rousseff on trumped-up charges of budget manipulation, and the sharp right-wing turn taken by the interim government of her former vice president, Michel Temer. According to the partys leadership, the fact that the process is being carried out by the PTs right-wing former allies only proves that the whole thing is just a case of everything changes, everything stays the same. As they see it, if anything, the impeachment of Rousseff will accelerate the downfall of the entire bourgeois set-up, bringing the left closer to power.

The splinter group has announced it will form a new party, MAIS (Portuguese initials for Movement for an Independent Socialist Alternative). What has driven the split with the PSTU and the launching of this new formation are clearly powerful class pressures, unleashed by the profound economic and political crisis gripping Brazilian capitalism.

The specific pressure pushing those forming the MAIS comes from within the broad middle class pseudo-left milieu, where the PSTUs throw them all out slogan evoked intense hostility. Those who politically orbit the corrupt bourgeois political apparatus of the PT, including elements entrenched within the union bureaucracy and academia within Brazils south and south-east, fear that the PTs debacle could precipitate not only the ouster of Rousseff, but also the further breakdown of the political network within which they operate, including the unions and the nationalist social movements, such as the prominent Landless Workers Movement or its urban counterpart, the Homeless Workers Movement, led by the anti-Marxist Guilherme Boulos.

This motivation is clearly expressed within by the new groups first public announcement. It makes clear that freeing itself from the PSTU leadership would allow it to immediately and wholeheartedly join the Temer Out demonstrations, set up by the pseudo-left and other PT allies. These protests only served to supplement the actions of the PTs leadership, which refused to make any real appeal to the broad masses, let alone the working class, against the impeachment process. Instead, it focused on back-room negotiations to block the impeachment in the Senate, while promising to accelerate the implementation of a right-wing agenda if it returns to power.

Not surprisingly, the organizations first public document, the July 6 manifesto entitled E preciso arrancar alegria ao future (taken from a Mayakovsky poem), and the speeches at its launching meeting on July 23, included no attempt whatsoever to draw up a balance sheet of the PSTUs political trajectory or past policies. There was absolutely no mention of the pro-imperialist positions taken by the PSTU and its international allies in the LIT in support of the fascist-spearheaded coup in Ukraine or the imperialist regime change interventions in Libya and Syria, which the new group presumably continues to support.

In the final speech at the July 23 rally, Valerio Arcary, a university professor who was a founder and former president of the PSTU, stated that six volumes of documents were produced before the split. Yet none of this apparently is seen as having any significance in terms of clarifying the Brazilian working class as to the challenges and dangers it faces. Instead, the public is merely told that there has been a friendly break-up, the MAIS considers PSTU a revolutionary party and, indeed, it intends on running candidates on the PSTUs electoral slates because it doesnt have its own legal status as yet.

What then does the new party stand for? This can be summed up in the historically discredited slogan unity of the left. This unity is to be sought on the basis of the lowest common political denominator and entirely national, tactical and electoral considerations. It must include the PT-controlled union bureaucracy, anti-Marxist academics, and the Stalinists of the Brazilian Communist Party.

This political line in no way represents any radical break with the politics of the PSTU, or for that matter with the broader political tendency of which it is part, Morenoism. Moreno was among those who broke with the International Committee of the Fourth International in 1963, rejecting its struggle for the international unity and political independence of the working class based on a revolutionary socialist program, in order to adapt to Castroism, Stalinism and bourgeois nationalism, in particular the Peronist movement in Argentina.

The Brazilian Morenoite group that would later emerge as the PSTU was among the various revisionist elements that had broken with the ICFI, and which had played the key role in founding and building the Workers Party (PT). In the late 1970s, with the two-decade-long US-backed military dictatorship confronting a rising tide of struggles by a militant working class, these forces joined with the union bureaucracy, factions of the Catholic church and Brazilian academics in launching the PT, which was presented as a new Brazilian parliamentary road to socialism and a substitute for the building of a revolutionary Marxist party in the working class.

The Morenoite tendency liquidated itself for a dozen years into this party, which, its name notwithstanding, was and is a bourgeois party, dominated not by workers, but rather by privileged sections of the Brazilian upper middle class. The Morenoite supporters were subsequently expelled as the PT moved ever further to the right under the leadership of former metalworkers union leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, becoming the preferred political instrument of Brazils capitalist ruling class.

Emerging as an independent party in 1993, the PSTU continued the same essential political role of attempting to subordinate the working class to bourgeois politics. Over the whole past period, this has involved the continuous attempt to cobble together an electoral Left Front, by joining with the Stalinists of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) and the bourgeois PSOL (Socialism and Liberty Party), founded by elected officials expelled by the PT, based on a common left capitalist program.

Thus, in its quest for the unity of the left, the MAIS has not strayed far from the party from which it has split. Both the PSOL and the PCB sent speakers to its founding events, along with a number of other pseudo-left outfits.

Nonetheless, the discussions that have accompanied the launching of the new group signal a further shift to the right. One of the few subjects that the MAIS has subjected to analysis is that of the mass demonstrations that shook Brazil in June 2013. These protests saw mainly youth and elements of the middle class take to the streets over a wide range of demands related to the neglect of essential social infrastructure, social inequality and the corruption and self-dealing of the ruling PT government.

At the time, the protests saw members of the PSTU and other pseudo-left groups expelled and even assaulted by far-right elements within the crowds. The working class was still notably absent from these demonstrations. It was not until later that year and into 2014 that mounting social unrest developed into the biggest strike wave in Brazil in two decades.

MAISs demoralizing conclusion from this experience is that the attacks suffered by the PSTU and others were the result of the lefts arrogance, rather than the conscious intervention of the extreme right and the political hostility of wider layers who, with justification, associated the pseudo-left groups with the ruling Workers Party.

The events showed, according to this analysis, that the left must abandon its arrogance and that the masses are unwilling to obey leaders. The essential meaning is clear. The struggle for socialist consciousness and for the building of a revolutionary Marxist party within the working class must be opposed at all costs.

Moreover, the MAIS has made it clear that this shift to the right is to be prosecuted through a campaign to make the kind of identity politics that have been relentlessly promoted within Brazils universities in the recent period, the foundation of national political life.

The event at which the new organization was launched was dominated by a celebration of every variety of identity-oriented middle-class movement, from black nationalism and feminism to LGBT liberation, all of which are directed not at any genuine social reform, but rather at the empowerment of women and the development of minority leadership, policies aimed at changing the division of the spoils within the top 10 percent.

In the final analysis, the launching of the MAISand the largely positive response it has received, including from even the PSTU from which it has splitis part of a campaign that is being mounted to prevent any serious political lessons from being drawn from the debacle of the PT and the consequences of the pseudo-lefts historical support for this bourgeois party. This is a necessary political preparation for the creation of a new left trap for the working class, along the lines of Syriza in Greece.

The PSTU itself is also indicted by the whole process. The middle class, anti-Marxist character of this organization is clearly expressed by the fact that such opportunist politics developed within its leading cadre and met no resistance. Instead, the party continues to insist that there were no grounds for the split, welcoming the splitters to run as its electoral candidates.

The same must be said of the pseudo-left fraternity that greeted the new party as a revolutionary force, including the Brazilian Morenoite offshoot Revolutionary Workers Movement (MRT, Movimento Revolucionario dos Trabalhadores), affiliated with the Argentinean Socialist Workers Party (PTS, Partido de los Trabajadores Socialistas) and publisher of the Esquerda Diario web site.

These organizations are united by a common political method, which is determined by strictly national and factional concerns, and by a common social orientation, which is toward privileged layers of the middle class. All of them are hostile to genuine revolutionary Marxism, embodied in the international strategic experiences of the struggle of Trotskyism for the political independence and international unity of the working class.

In the end, their class interests explain their refusal to account in any way for their political trajectory over more than a half century since their break with Trotskyism and the International Committee of the Fourth International, or to make any class analysis of the PT and its history, as the MAIS project once more shows.

The split within the PSTU and the broader movement for regroupment within the Brazilian pseudo-left are symptomatic of the profound crisis gripping this entire socio-political layer, as the breakdown of Brazilian capitalism renders it increasingly unable to continue suppressing the class struggle.

The most urgent task posed by this crisis is the construction of a new revolutionary leadership in the working class, based on a relentless struggle against these political tendencies and the assimilation of the long struggle of Trotskyism against revisionism. This means building a Brazilian section of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
A US Pacific Command (PACOM)-led team of military experts concluded a week-long Operation Pacific Angel exercise in Sri Lankas Northern Province on August 23. The exercise was part of the expanding links between the US military and Sri Lankan security forces, under the guise of providing humanitarian assistance.

About 70 personnel from PACOM and military experts from Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives, along with Sri Lankan air force personnel, were involved. Operation Pacific Angel conducted similar operations last year in other countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.

A press statement from the US embassy in Colombo claimed that around 4,000 people were provided with free medical assistance, such as dental care, physiotherapy and optometry, at Idaikkadu and Punguduthivu in Jaffna. Six schools were also renovated.

The statement said that Northern Province was chosen by the PACOM because it was most affected by conflict [civil war]. It also noted that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was providing financial assistance to small- and medium-scale businesses and to war widows, resettled families and disabled.

The devastation in Sri Lankas northern and eastern provinces is the result of Colombos brutal, decades-long communal war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which was militarily defeated in May 2009. Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed and wounded and their homes and properties destroyed or damaged during the bloody conflict.

Washingtons humanitarian concern about Tamil communities is utterly hypocritical. Over the past quarter century, the US has been responsible for the most heinous war crimes and human rights violations in numerous countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, to name just a few. The latest PACOM operation is to increase its political influence in Sri Lanka as part of its military-strategic goals in the Indo-Pacific region in preparation for war against China.

Moreover, the US fully backed Colombos communal war against the LTTE and turned a blind eye to the associated attacks on democratic rights. The Obama administration only began raising the issue of human rights during the final stages of the war when China emerged as Colombos principal provider of funds and military hardware.

Washington, in line with its efforts to isolate China, began pressuring the then government of President Mahinda Rajapakse to distance itself from Beijing. This included US-sponsored resolutions in the UN Human Rights Council calling for an international investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka.

The US campaign culminated in a Washington-orchestrated operation to remove Rajapaske and install the pro-US Maithripala Sirisena as Sri Lankan president via an election in early 2015. As soon as Sirisena came to power the Obama administration dropped its demand for an international investigation and backed a domestic inquiry that will inevitably whitewash Sri Lankan military atrocities.

Senior Obama administration officials have also begun visiting Sri Lanka, including Secretary of State John Kerry and the US permanent ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power. Senior PACOM officials are also frequent visitors.

Aiming to secure economic and political advantages for the Tamil elite, Sri Lankas Tamil National Alliance (TNA) fully supported the regime-change operation to install Sirisena, backed Colombos moves to develop ties with the US and India, and enthusiastically welcomed this months Operation Pacific Angel.

TNA leader and Northern Provincial Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran and Colombo-based Tamil leader and government minister Mano Ganeshan accompanied the American personnel in a huge US military aircraft. Parliamentary opposition leader R. Sambandan and TNA chiefs were in Jaffna to provide a warm welcome to the PACOM officials.

Recent developments indicate ever-intensifying efforts to boost US military ties with Sri Lanka.

* On July 24, USS New Orleans and its 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted a three-day visit to Sri Lanka. The ships visit was billed as boosting bilateral ties with the Sri Lankan Navy and providing US support and training for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

A press statement by Atul Keshap, the US ambassador to Sri Lanka, however, pointed to the underlying geo-political reasons. The 21st century is in many ways the Indo-Pacific century, and Sri Lanka is well-positioned to take advantage of its strategic location, he said. The United States looks forward to working with the Sri Lanka Navy as a key force for maritime security and stability.

* On 89 August, the first Operational Level Bilateral Defence Dialogue was held between a PACOM delegation and Sri Lankan security forces at the Sri Lanka Navy Headquarters. While no details were released, both sides said that the discussion was to develop military engagements for next three years from 2016 and continue the training and exercises between members of the armed forces of both countries.

The meeting occurred as US and Indian officials held talks on countering Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean, including collaborating in submarine-tracking and augmenting their anti-submarine warfare capacities.

* On August 28, USS Frank Cable, a US naval submarine supply vessel with a crew of 500, arrived in Colombo for a three-day visit. A US embassy communique said that the Guam-stationed ship provides rescue and recovery assistance in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

The presence of US war ships in Colombo and PACOMs growing ties with Sri Lanka security forces is an expression of heightened US war preparations against China throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

The US is determined to harness India as a frontline state in its moves against China and strengthening existing military alliances with Japan and Australia. Washington has also intensified its provocations against China, encouraging the South China Sea territorial claims of the Philippines and Vietnam. These manoeuvres pose the danger of a military conflict between nuclear-armed powers with devastating global consequences.

Washingtons regime-change operation in Sri Lanka and its expanding military operations with Colombos security forces make clear that the US is determined to use the strategically-located Indian Ocean island nation as one of its bases in the event of war with China.
Written and directed by Richard Tanne

Southside With You is a fictionalized account of the first date between Barack and Michelle Obama in Chicago in 1989. The film features a racialized view of society where white and black people do not get along nor can they even understand one another. It is also an attempt to humanize and legitimize an individual identified with the massive bailout of Wall Street, drone strikes and kill lists, and unprecedented social inequality.

In Richard Tannes film, Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) is a Harvard law student spending his summer working for a law firm in Chicago. Michelle Robinson (Tike Sumpter) works in the same firm, as his supervisor, and the two have plans to attend a community meeting in an impoverished neighborhood on what Robinson insists is not a date.

During the first portion of the film, Robinson repeatedly confronts Obama about his intentions, insisting that their outing cannot be a date because that would undermine her position in the law firm, where she already struggles as a black woman. Obama reveals that he tricked Robinson into coming with him several hours early and has made plans for them to attend an art gallery and eat lunch together. Robinson hesitantly agrees, but only if he agrees to be strictly professional.

The two eventually make it to the meeting. Robinson is embarrassed when the attendees, with whom Obama has previously worked, refer to her as his woman. She overcomes her annoyance, however, after Obama demonstrates his oratorical skills. He gives a rousing speech and helps the assembled overcome their discouragement following the citys rejection of their proposal to build a community center.

Robinson agrees to accompany Obama to the movies. They watch Spike Lees Do the Right Thing no less! Unfortunately, after exiting the theater, the couple cross paths with one of the law firms partners, who tells Robinson to take good care of Obama. While she is initially appalled and tells Obama she does not ever want to go out with him again, she changes her mind after he buys her favorite kind of ice cream. She rewards him with a kiss. The two return to their respective homes and grin complacently to themselves until the credits roll.

The film is as dreadful as it sounds. First of all, a backward, racialized view of social life is present throughout Southside with You. When Obama tells his grandmother over the phone that he is going on a date, she asks whether his date is black. When he answers affirmatively, she answers, Good. When the couple arrive at the community meeting, the participants are excited that Obama is dating a sister this time. When the pair meet their law firms partner outside the movie theater, the white man is hopelessly inept when it comes to interpreting Lees film, and Obama comforts him by offering his insight as a young black man. (Of course, Obama is as much white as he is black.)

The foulest expression of this outlook finds expression during dinner when Robinson asks Obama whether he prefers white or black women. Obama explains that he once dated a white girl for two yearssomeone who offered him great comfort when he was lonelybut once he met her family and saw all of the family pictures on their walls with only white faces in them, he felt the need to leave, despite their generosity and kindness towards him. I felt like such an outsider, he complains.

The script for Southside with You was based on those details about the 1989 date that are publicly known, combined with the imaginings of writer-director Richard Tanne. Tanne prepared himself for writing and directing a film about the most powerful political figure in the world by acting in such works as 2001 Maniacs, Swamp Shark and Mischief Night and producing and writing Worst Friends.

The result is a 90-minute dialogue between two human beings competing to see who can give the most mind-numbingly predictable advice to the other. Obama attempts to psychoanalyze Robinson by probing why she has joined a firm that goes against her ethics, and Robinson in turn chastises Obama for his outburst of hostility when she asks about his father. When he finally explains that his fathers life was incomplete, she tells him that every fathers life is incomplete. Thats why they have sonsto finish what they started.

The exercise in banality peaks during Obamas speech at the community meeting, where he tells his downtrodden audience that they only need to understand other people better and turn self-interest into shared interest. He reminisces about how exciting it was when Chicago elected its first black mayor, Harold Washington. He further tells them that it is not easy to get things done. No is just a word, he claims at one point, but it means something else when you spell it backwards: on. We need to carry on! This is followed by ritualized chanting of the phrase carry on. This is a pathetic effort to maintain illusions in the present system.

Tannes aim was clearly to provide the future residents of the White House with human characteristics, but the couples existence throughout Southside with You is often far removed from the people around them. The discussions frequently turn to the motives behind their respective decisions to pursue law careers. Both express a desire to help the less fortunate, but they have both joined the firm hoping to make a good living and have somehow lost their way. Obama vaguely (and ominously) states that he just want[s] to do more, but adds there is also nothing wrong with enjoying life in the meantime.

The audience in the community center are depicted as simple people who are easily swayed by Obamas inspirational rhetoric. This initially angry group swallows his patronizing platitudes without question.

Southside with You has been well-received by the popular media, which has labeled it a feel-good movie that could serve well on a date night for couples. The fact that such a stupid, flattering film could be made about the instigator of bloody neo-colonial wars and defender of the plutocracy speaks volumes about the current film industry. Tanne manages to present Obama, who has overseen the greatest transfer of wealth in history to the upper 10 percent of society, as an activist for the impoverisheda courageous man who just wants to do good in the world.

A final note: we have another biopic about Obama, Barry, directed by Vikram Gandhi coming out soon, to look forward to.
Ranbir Kapoor says that he is willing to essay the role of a homosexual on screen.

By India Today Web Desk: Ranbir Kapoor, who shares screen space with Fawad Khan for the first time in Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, says that had the Pakistani not "opened the door" by playing a homosexual character in Kapoor and Sons, he would have perhaps turned down an offer to play a gay on screen. But now the Barfi! star is receptive to the idea.

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ALSO READ: Aishwarya romancing Ranbir in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil shows Bollywood has grown up

ALSO READ: 5 ways how Ae Dil Hai Mushkil exploits every Karan Johar trope in the book



The actor opened up about his professional as well as personal life in an interview to Vogue magazine.

From Alia Bhatt to Fawad, the Tamasha actor lauds his contemporaries for taking up risky roles.

Asked if he would play a homosexual on camera, Ranbir said, "Sure, but now it's already been done. Now he's (Fawad) opened the door and it's easy for us to walk through it. But earlier, I must honestly say I might have turned it down."

He is also willing to play a second lead in a movie, but conditions apply.

He said, "Suppose tomorrow Rajkumar Hirani offers me the part of Circuit to the new Munnabhai. I would play it and try my best to do it justice."

Ranbir is training for Ayan Mukerji's Dragon. He awaits Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and also has Anurag Basu's long-gestating Jagga Jasoos.

After wrapping up Jagga Jasoos and Dragon, he hopes to start shooting for Rajkumar Hirani's next, a biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt.

Since his Bollywood debut in 2007, Ranbir has seen several highs and lows in his career.

He was applauded for films like Wake Up Sid, Raajneeti, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, Rockstar, Barfi!, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and was censured for duds like Besharam and Bombay Velvet.

Directing a film is something Ranbir has for long expressed interest in. But the actor says there is still time for him to get to the director's chair.

"Look, I know how a film is made, but a director has to find the method to tell the story he has to tell. I'm not, because a) I'm lazy and b) acting is taking up my time and I don't have a story, I can't write," he said.

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PERRY, Ga. (AP) - Middle Georgia authorities say a man has been charged after leading sheriff's deputies on a high-speed chase that ended on Interstate 75.

WMAZ-TV reports (http://on.wmaz.com/2bP2bnu ) the chase happened Tuesday morning after Houston County deputies spotted a car that had been reported in a hit-and-run collision. Capt. Ronnie Harlow of the sheriff's office says the driver took off when deputies tried to stop him.

Harlow says 52-year-old Sean Seigle was arrested after a 10-minute chase at high speeds. He says Seigle is charged with felony fleeing and eluding an officer, and more charges could be added later.

It was not immediately known if Seigle had an attorney.

___

Information from: The Macon Telegraph, http://www.macontelegraph.com

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
On August 20, Amit Shah was shown black flags by members of a regional languages front headed by Subhash Velingkar.

By India Today Web Desk: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) today sacked its Goa chief, Subhash Velingkar, who had led a protest in which black flags were shown to BJP chief Amit Shah earlier this month.

The RSS, the BJP's ideological mentor, however said Velingkar has been removed for working against the party's government in the state.

"Subhash Velingkar has been removed from his post with immediate effect for faulting a political outfit and working against the Goa government," RSS publicity head Manmohan Vaidya told news agency IANS.



BLACK FLAG MARCH

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On August 20, Shah was shown black flags by members of a regional languages front headed by Velingkar when the BJP president was on a day-long visit to the poll-bound state.

Nearly 200 demonstrators of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Samiti (BBSM) shouted anti-BJP slogans and waved flags in protest as Shah's convoy of vehicles approached an indoor stadium near Panaji, where he was to address a convention of BJP poll booth workers.

Velingkar and the BBSM are protesting against what they claim are anti-regional languages policies of the BJP-led coalition government, especially the failure of the government to make Konkani and Marathi languages the medium of instruction in Goa's primary schools.

The Velingkar-headed BBSM has opposed the state Education Ministry's decision to provide financial grants to government-aided schools which use English as a medium of instruction in primary schools.

Most of the 130-odd schools are operated by an educational society linked to Goa's Roman Catholic Church.

ALSO READ:

Is RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat dictating terms to BJP for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections?

RSS conducting illegal activities in temples says Kerala Devaswom Minister



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Two Episcopal priests from the Yakima Valley are among those calling for a federal investigation of the tactics being used to break up an ongo
By India Today Web Desk: Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt are enemies? Pffh. Not true. Contrary to early reports that the duo had a fallout in June this year, Salman and Sanjay were and still are good friends.

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror , when asked about his rumoured war with Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt said that the Sultan actor is like his younger brother.

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"What jhagda? I went to his Ganpati celebrations when I was out on furlough and no one wrote about it. But he didn't visit me after I returned and that was news. He's a busy actor, he was shooting far away, he can't be sitting at my house 24x7 but he's still my younger brother," Sanjay said.

ALSO READ: Did Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt have an ugly fight in Madrid?

Through out the first half of the year, there were rumours of Salman and Sanjay not seeing eye to eye. Initially, there were reports that Sanjay was miffed with Salman when the latter reportedly asked Sanjay to hire his manager, Reshma Shetty, to resuscitate his post-imprisonment carer.

Later, on his 57th birthday, the Munnabhai star rubbished all rumours and told India Today, "Who fights with their brother? He (Salman) called and wished me."

However, soon news came in that the two stars had an altercation in June in Madrid where the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Awards were being held. If a report in Spotboye.com is to be believed, Sanjay apparently asked Salman to leave his hotel suite when the latter tried to advise him on how to revive his Bollywood career.

On the career front, Sanjay Dutt will be reprising his iconic role of Ballu Balram from the 1993 film Khalnayak in the film's sequel.

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BEIRUT -- ISIS's spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the extremist group's attacks against the West, has been killed while overseeing operations in northern Syria, the group announced Tuesday.

The ISIS-run Aamaq news agency said Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo," and vowed to avenge his death. It did not provide any further details on when or how he died.

If confirmed, it would be a major blow to the extremist group, which has been on the retreat in Syria and Iraq, where the borders of its self-declared Islamic caliphate have been steadily eroded in recent months.

In Washington, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook confirmed that a US airstrike on Tuesday targeted al-Adnani in the Syrian city of al-Bab, which is northeast of Aleppo.

"We are still assessing the results of the strike, but Al-Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to (ISIS)," Cook said.

Aamaq vowed revenge against the "filthy cowards in the sect of disbelief." It said a generation raised in ISIS-held territory would avenge al-Adnani's death.
UNITED NATIONS -- Russia questioned on Tuesday a report by the United Nations and a global chemical weapons watchdog that blamed Syrian government forces for two chlorine gas attacks, saying the UN Security Council could not use the conclusions to impose sanctions.

The UN Security Council began talks on Tuesday on how to respond to the inquiry. When asked if he thought the report was enough to impose sanctions on Syria, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: "Frankly, I don't, but we continue to analyze the report."

"There are two cases that they suggest are the fault of the Syrian side; we have very serious questions," he told reporters after the council met behind closed doors to discuss the issue.

"The sorts of things we will be looking at are the imposition of a sanctions regime and some form of accountability within international legal mechanisms," said British U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft on his way into the meeting.

"We need a resolution and we need a resolution with teeth," said French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre on Tuesday.
Islamic State said on Tuesday one of its most prominent and longest-serving leaders was killed in what appeared to be an American air strike in Syria, depriving the militant group of the man in charge of directing attacks overseas.

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A US defense official told Reuters the United States targeted Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a Tuesday strike on a vehicle traveling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. The official stopped short of confirming Adnani's death, however.

Such US assessments often take days and often lag behind official announcements by militant groups.

Adnani was one of the last living senior members, along with self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who founded the group and stunned the Middle East by seizing huge tracts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

Abu Muhammad al-Adnani

As Islamic State's spokesman, Adnani was its most visible member. As head of external operations, he was in charge of attacks overseas, including Europe, that have become an increasingly important tactic for the group as its core Iraqi and Syrian territory has been eroded by military losses.

Advances by Iraq's army and allied militia toward Islamic State's most important possession of Mosul have put the group under new pressure at a moment when a US-backed coalition has cut its Syrian holdings off from the Turkish border.

Those military setbacks have been accompanied by air strikes that have killed several of the group's leaders, undermining its organizational ability and dampening its morale.

A US counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said Adnani's death will hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere".

Under Adnani's auspices, Islamic State launched large-scale attacks, bombings and shootings on civilians in countries outside its core area, including France, Belgium and Turkey.

The official said Adnani's roles as propaganda chief and director of external operations had become "indistinguishable" because the group uses its online messages to recruit fighters and provide instruction and inspiration for attacks.

Islamic State's Amaq News Agency reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo." Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government forces.

Amaq did not say how Adnani, born Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province in 1977, was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated Aug. 29 but gave no further details.

Inroads into ISIS holdings

Recent advances by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it.

Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group mean Baghdad is on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year, the head of the US military's Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday.

Among senior Islamic State officials killed in air strikes this year are Abu Ali al-Anbari, Baghdadi's formal deputy, and the group's "minister of war", Abu Omar al-Shishani. Adnani had joined the group under its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Adnani with al-Shishani

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There were conflicting reports earlier on Tuesday as to where and how he died.

A senior Syrian rebel official said Adnani was most probably killed in the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab in an air strike. Citing unconfirmed reports, he said Adnani was in the Aleppo region to raise morale in the face of mounting pressure.

Islamic State's territory around Aleppo is of particular significance to the group because it is also the location of Dabiq, where an Islamic prophecy holds the last battle between Muslims and infidels will rage, heralding the end of time.

Face of ISIS

Iraq said in January that Adnani had been wounded in an air strike in the western province of Anbar and then moved to the northern city of Mosul, Islamic States capital in Iraq.

Adnani is a Syrian from Binish in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor al Qaeda more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by US forces in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution.

He was from a well-to-do background but left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight US forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said.

Adnani in a recent photo

He had been the chief propagandist for the ultra-hardline jihadist group since he declared in a June 2014 statement that it was establishing a modern-day caliphate spanning swaths of territory it had seized in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

Adnani had often been the face of the Sunni militant group, such as when he issued a message in May urging attacks on the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan.

The United States designated him a "global terrorist" this year and said he was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003 before becoming spokesman of the militant group.

There is a $5 million reward on his head under the US "Rewards for Justice" program.
IDF forces raided a radio station overnight in Dura, south of Hebron, and arrested 5 employees in addition to confiscating technical equipment and transmitters. The radio station had been under investigation by security forces for incitement, specifically, the glorification of terrorists.

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The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that "during the night, in compliance with the central command, IDF forces, in cooperation with Judaea and Samaria District Police, the Shin Bet, and the Civil Administration, raided Al-Sanabel radio in Dura due to incitement. During the raid, forces seized equipment and arrested 5 employees who were interrogated by security forces."

Confiscation of radio equipment (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

IDF forces in Dura (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

The station called for the reconstruction of the homes of two terrorists from Dura who carried out recent attacks. The homes of the terrorists who carried about the Panorama stabbing attack in Tel Aviv in which two people were killed, and the driver of the terrorist cell which murdered Micki Mark, were both demolished as a result of the attacks. Both terrorists were hailed as heroes by the radio station.

According to military sources, the Al-Sanabel radio station broadcast incitement against Israel, specifically, supporting terrorist attacks against Israelis, praising terrorists who had already committed attacks and "encouraging participation in resistance operations."

Lately, the IDF has been acting against several radio stations in the Hebron area due to incitement.

Last November, security forces raided the offices and studios of Al-Hurriya and confiscated technical equipment and transmitters in order to disable the station. Additionally, forces ordered the closure of the station for 6 months due to incitement. IDF officials said the station had been calling for and praising stabbing attacks and other violent acts against Israel.

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Meanwhile, IDF and border police forces arrested 8 other wanted suspects in the West Bank. Six of them were suspected of involvement in terrorist activities and violence against police and civilians. Several are members of Hamas.
Sanjeeda and Aamir are having the time of their lives in Hong Kong, and we couldn't be more jealous.

By India Today Web Desk: Sanjeeda Shaikh and Aamir Ali are hard-working actors, alright. And they sure deserve a vacation for putting in the number of hours that they do in their work. Well, according to the talented actress' Instagram account, the good-looking couple sure are holidaying their heart out in Hong Kong.

Also read:Adaa Khan's solo and serene Kerala vacation is making us crave for a holiday



@imouniroy @shamitashetty_official love u my babiess?????? A video posted by Sanjeeda Shaikh (@iamsanjeeda) on Aug 30, 2016 at 8:47pm PDT

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In fact, Sanjeeda posted a video on Instagram a couple of hours ago saying how she missed her good friends Mouni Roy and Shamita Shetty. But the actress also didn't miss a chance to pull her friends' legs by expressing her happiness at being in Hong Kong and asking them to sulk at their homes.

In the past couple of days Sanjeeda has posted quite a number of videos on her Instagram account, and they all show her and her actor husband having a blast in the place.

?? #discoverhongkong A video posted by Sanjeeda Shaikh (@iamsanjeeda) on Aug 29, 2016 at 1:16am PDT

In one of the videos that she had posted, the caption read "#discoverhongkong."

Thank you Sanjeeda and Aamir for making us feel terrible about our lives with your amazing posts.



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Its hard to keep track of the number of rebel factions fighting in the Syrian civil war. However, one of the major rebel confederations, comprised of over 40 rebel groups with Sunni Salafist Islamic ideologies is Jaysh al-Islam - or Army of Islam.

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This enormous confederation of fighting groups operates primarily in the areas around Damascus and controls territory in Lebanon. Along with fighting against the Assad regime, they also fight against ISIS and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). They are allied with groups such as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat a-Nusra), Ahrar a-Sham, and both the Turkish and Saudi governments.

Recently, Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov at the Forum for Regional Thinking held a rare interview with Jaysh al-Islam spokesman Islam Aloush.

Elizabeth Tsurkov

"I've been researching Syria for years and have been in contact with hundreds of Syrians all over the country,as well as refugees. I've never hidden my Israeli identity," Tsurkov said.

"Over the years I've interviewed activists, fighters, civic leaders, and politicians  almost always on condition of anonymity," she explained. "This is out of their fear that they would be viewed as 'collaborators' with Israel. The only ones who let me use their names have been Syrian refugees in Europe and Turkey. There's a really big taboo against talking to Israeli media or even with Israelis. It's seen as normalization with Israel and a lack of solidarity with the Palestinians."

Tsurkov went on to explain how she met with Syrian political and military leaders in southern Turkey.

"None of them wanted to be photographed. Thats why I was so happy and surprised when Islam Aloush  the Jaysh al-Islam spokesman  allowed me to use his name when I published my interview with him. I thought that demonstrated bravery, and hoped that it wouldn't negatively impact him."

During the interview, Aloush expressed pessimism regarding the possibility that the warring sides would come to a political solution to end the war, and said that the Syrian regime is a "purely security and militaristic institution."

Former Jaysh al-Islam spokesman Islam Aloush

Meanwhile, he called Hezbollah a "gang which opposes the freedom which all nations aspire to, including the Syrian nation."

He also rejected accusations that his organization  which controls large swaths of the Damascus countryside  acts with the same tyranny and impunity towards the civilians in the area that the Assad regime does.

Tsurkov also asked Aloush what Jaysh al-Islam's position is in regards to a peace agreement between Israel and Syria. He said that "this issue and other issues of Syrian foreign policy will be determined by the government institutions which will be founded once the Syrian revolution succeeds and the Syrian people are able to vote freely. We will not deny any decision made by the Syrian people, as the Assad regime has done for the past 40 years."

Shiite reactions

Media outlets affiliated with the Assad regime, Hezbollah, and Iran jumped at the opportunity to dirty the name of Jaysh al-Islam, and covered the interview extensively, focusing on Aloush's answers as they relate to Israel.

Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar had the headline "Islam Aloush: I'm not opposed to peace with Israel," while Syrian newspaper Al-Watan wrote "Speaking from an Israeli stage: Jaysh al-Islam isn't optimistic that a political solution to the Syrian crisis will be reached, and doesn't oppose peace with Israel."

A screenshot from Hezbollah affiliated Al-Akhbar newspaper. The headline reads 'Islam Aloush: I'm not against peace with Israel.'

While Tsurkov indeed translated the interview from Arabic to Hebrew for Israeli audiences, she said that Iranian, Hezbollah, and Syrian media outlets completely distorted the interview.

"These media outlets have an interest in 'proving' the existence of a jihadist-Zionist-American conspiracy against the Assad regime. The regime's propaganda has been claiming this since the peaceful uprising in Syria began in March 2011. They've jumped on this (interview) and are holding it up as proof (of the conspiracy) despite the fact that I'm a researcher and human rights activist who researches Israeli policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians."

A few days after the interview as published and made waves in Arabic media, Aloush published a message on twitter whereby he officially resigned from his position as spokesperson ''for the public good'', creating confusion and surprise throughout Jaysh al-Islam.

"There are many Syrians who are prepared to speak with me, and I have a lot of close Syrian friends," Tsurkov said. "However, only a small portion of them are prepared to be open (about our friendship) out of fear that they will be suspected of being spies, especially in light of the prevalent conspiracies circulating around Syria suggesting that Israel supports Assad and is preventing his downfall."
Red Square in Moscow was lit with large Stars of David and decorated with Israeli flags in honor of the IDF Orchestra, which took part in the international military orchestra festival this week in the famous square.

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In addition to the IDF Orchestra, Israeli ambassador to Russia, Zvi Heifetz, and military attache, Col. Zafrir Orpaz, also participated in the ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the renewal of relations between Israel and Russia. Heifetz said, "It is exciting to see the IDF Orchestra perform in Red Square, decorated with huge white and blue banners."

IDF Orchestra in Red Square (Photo: Spasskaya Bashnya)

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Lt. Col. Oded Nahari, the head of ceremonies of the IDF, noted that the IDF Orchestra is made of conscripted soldiers and professional musicians.

The orchestra played traditional military marches, several of which were originally from Russia. In addition, the orchestra also played "If I Were a Rich Man," "Hava Nagila" and "Shalom Aleichem." All the songs were played while conducting close order drills and marching formations.

Photo: Spasskaya Bashnya

Photo: IDF Orchestra

Photo: IDF Orcestra

This year, the festival featured 24 military bands from various countries including Israel, Greece, Japan, Italy, Singapore, Slovenia, Austria, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

The IDF Orchestra was formed in 1948 along with the establishment of the State of Israel. The IDF Orchestra is the official orchestra of the state and takes part in all manner of official ceremonies throughout the country. The band also performs at all military graduation ceremonies and even performs at civilian events.

Soldiers serving in the orchestra learned music prior to their conscription and had to pass auditions in order to be accepted. Conductor and director of the IDF Orchestra is Major Noam Inbar, who also served his required service in the orchestra. Maj. Inbar added, "Performing in Moscow is the peak of the orchestra. Music connects people and countries."
After Yedioth Ahronoth exposed a Lehava youth training camp in the southern Hebron hills , calls have been raised Wednesday to shut the camp down and outlaw the extreme right group. Participants at the camp were learning krav maga, Arabic, sabotage tactics and techniques for handling Shin Bet and police interrogations.

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MK Erel Margalit of the Zionist Union has said he will submit an urgent application to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in light of the investigation and will also officially ask Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett, to close the camp.

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"These are subversive activities, funded and organized to undermine the rule of law and the government. It seems the organizers of the camp see nothing wrong with what they're doing while promoting messages of incitement, hate, rebellion and racism. All this under the watchful eye of the Ministry of Education and the minister himself. Any sensible person sees that Jewish terror is growing there," said Margalit.

MK Itzik Shmuli, also of the Zionist Union, and chairman of the lobby against "price tag" attacks, responded angrily, saying "this clandestine activity is extremely disturbing and extremely dangerous. Let no one be confused, this isn't just some camp handing out chocolate milk and snacks. These are activities that are furthering an extremely radical, racist and nationalistic organization that incites and persecutes minorities and anyone that doesn't agree with them."

MK and Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Ben-Reuven said, "We complain, and rightly so, about incitement on the Palestinian side, but incitement among us worries me even more."

There is also anger from outside the political system, with many organizations already calling on authorities to outlaw Lehava. The Reform Movement Center sent a letter to the attorney general and state prosecutor demanding to investigate the organization and label it as a terrorist organization.

The Lahava organization's founder, Ben-Zion Gopstein, claimed that the activities at the camp are not breaking the law. "My son serves in the army and so does Noam Federman's son. We love the IDF, but we are opposed to the violent interrogations of the Shin Bet. The point of the camp is to teach kids to love the country. I would advise members of the left that before sending letters and demanding that we be outlawed, start working against the Islamic movement and their camps."
The atlas to be used in schools in the Czech Republic will no longer show Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, instead showing it as Tel Aviv.

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The Czech Ministry of Education acquiesced to the request to remove Jerusalem as the capital of Israel due to pressure from the Palestinian Embassy in the Czech Republic.

The atlas, which currently shows Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state, is used by middle and high school students all over the Czech Republic.

The holiest site in Judaism in Israel's capital, Jerusalem (Photo: AFP)

Khaled el-Atrash, the Palestinian Ambassador in Prague, said that he appreciates the Ministry of Education's decision.

The ambassador complained after children of Palestinian decent studying in Czech schools showed him that the Atlas both showed and wrote that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

"This map not only presents something which is unacceptable to Palestinians, but also shows something which goes against international law and is against the official position of the European Union  which includes the Czech Republic," Atrash said.

After seeing the atlas, the Palestinian ambassador decided to go to the Czech Foreign Ministry to request its involvement. The issue was then passed on to be dealt with by the Czech Ministry of Education several weeks later. The ambassador then met with Deputy Education Minister Dana Prodikova, and sent a letter to the Education Ministry.

As a result, the company which makes the atlas was required to list Israel's capital as Tel Aviv as opposed to Jerusalem, or risk not being commissioned for work with the Education Ministry.

"The information in the atlas will be fixed by the coming school year," said Ministry of Education Spokesperson Clara Bila.

The Czech Foreign Ministry responded, saying "the Foreign Ministry's position on the issue of Jerusalem is clear and coincides with the position of the European Union." Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said that the Czech Republic doesn't recognize east Jerusalem as part of Israel.

Tel Aviv, the Israeli capital city according to the Czech Republic (Photo: Eilit Mimoni)

"Shukart (the atlas making company) doesn't represent Prague's official position. Countries within the European Union including the Czech Republic, view Jerusalem as the future capital of two countries  Israel and the future Palestinian state."

Shukart publishing director responded by saying that they will be fixing the "mistake" with the atlas. Another publisher  Cartography Publishing  said that its atlas already shows Tel Aviv as the capital of Israel, but also represents the Israeli government's position on the matter on the map.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emanuel Nachshon responded by saying that "the Foreign Ministry is working with the relevant authorities in the Czech government to cancel this devious order. There is no limit to Palestinian incitement. They are not content with poisoning only the minds of young Palestinians, but also request to sow lies into the minds of the youth of the Czech Republic."
World Vision's global president has questioned Israeli accusations that the NGO's Gaza head diverted millions of dollars in aid to Hamas and said his trial should be open to the public.

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"A trial is legitimate if it is transparent," World Vision International's president Kevin Jenkins told AFP in an interview.

"So we will have to see how that unfolds. We have got bits of information like everybody else.

"Obviously with such serious allegations against a staff member, we are calling for him to have a fair hearing."

Mohammad El Halabi (Photo: Herzl Yosef)

He said the allegations against Halabi were so serious that the NGO was hoping for an open trial to learn as many lessons as possible if they were proved correct.

"As much as our donors want the truth to come out, we want the truth to come out," he said. "Our whole reputation is based on integrity."

Jenkins said allegations that Halabi diverted $7.2 million each year since 2010 to Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, and its military wing were "very difficult to reconcile" with reality.

The NGO has said its Gaza budget for the past 10 years was only $22.5 million, making the allegations all but impossible.

Charities working in Gaza have some of the tightest controls on funds in the world, partly due to tough counter-terrorism legislation.

The impoverished Palestinian enclave has one of the world's highest unemployment rates and relies heavily on foreign aid.

"We are not a naive organization. We have world-class systems to prevent the sort of things that are being alleged here," he said.

"They are not foolproof, (but) they would generally have all sorts of red lights going off if anything close to what is being alleged should happen.

"It is very difficult to reconcile those numbers against the controls we have in place."

Jenkins defended the NGO's work in Gaza over the years, saying it had performed "with integrity". Last year, it provided support for more than 40,000 children in the territory, he said.

The NGO has currently suspended its projects in the Palestinian territories pending an internal review, but Jenkins said there was a "strong desire to return to Gaza".

"We can only work in places where we can perform our work with integrity. We feel like we have done that in the past. I feel like we will be able to do it going forward."
ISTANBUL -- Turkey has arrested 815 people since the start of 2016 in its fight against Islamic State, and more than half of those were foreigners, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said in remarks broadcast on Turkish television channels on Wednesday.

Thousands of foreign fighters from countries including Turkey, Britain, Europe and the United States have joined the Islamist militants in their self-proclaimed caliphate in recent years, many of them passing through Turkey. Turkey has since launched a crackdown on the networks facilitating their passage.

Since launching the crackdown, Turkey has detained a total of 5,803 people, of which about 2,200 were foreigners, the minister said, without giving a precise period.
About 20 Canaan mixed dogs, which have waiting to be adopted in shelters and were about to be put down in Israel, have been flown to the US, where each one of them will be adopted to a nice and comfortable home.

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The Canaan in the only dog breed indigenous to Israel, and is one of the oldest domesticated dog breeds in the world, with remains of the breed being found in Iron Age settlements throughout Israel.

The dog is loyal and easy to train, and has been used throughout history as a guard dog and a work dog.

Yet for some reason, Israelis haven't connected to the breed. When families go to a shelter to pick out a family pet, they almost never pick a Canaan.

Canaan dogs on their way to the US

The plight of these dogs was brought to the attention of Avital Rosen, 39, from Givatayim, and who has been working in the US rescuing strays. Her organization finds dogs in shelters, gets in touch with prospective dog owners throughout the US, and flies the dogs directly to their new families, all on her own dime.

When she returned to Israel a year ago, Avital decided to start a similar project with the Canaans.

"I said to myself that if we were able to save dogs from being put down in the US, there's no reason not to do it here. It's really saving them from the clutches of death. Thats the bitter end that's waiting for a dog which is in a shelter which no one wants to adopt."

Rosen has flown 113 Canaans to families in the US since she started working in 2015.

Her eyes are full of joy on the heels of her latest successful mission; saving 20 dogs from shelters in Jerusalem and Dimona, and sending them to warm and loving homes in Los Angeles.
The Americans are now selling out the Syrian Kurds to the Turksbut we've already gotten used to their cynical foreign policy. What Israel is having a hard time getting used to, however, is the fact its biggest ally is completely disregarding Israeli interests in the Middle East.

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Over the past two years, since the international intervention in Syria began, Western diplomacy has been trying to convince allies in the world to cooperate with the minorities in Syria. Alongside the Kurds and Druze, who are the two larger minority groups, there are other ethnic-religious groups in Syria who are demanding autonomy.

Israel has a "minority strategy" of its own that is based on the assumption that if Syria breaks into autonomous minorities, it would stop the Iranian/Shi'ite takeover of the country, and eventually thwart the main threat to Israel: an Iranian hold on the Golan Heights, on top of its hold on Lebanon.

Turkish tank crossing into Syria (Photo: AP)

Israel has tried coordinating positions with the Russians and Americans on different issues relating to Syriaat the highest ranks.

There were no expectations from the Russiansthe very fact they were willing to even listen was an achievement in and of itself.

As far as the Americans are concerned, it appears the nuclear deal with Iran was not a one-offthe administration in Washington pays no mind to Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, or the defense minister, Lieberman.

We have to admit it: Israel has no access to the White House. The Americans have been ignoring Israeli interests the entire time, starting with their betrayal of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak through pretending there are no more chemical weapons in Syria, despite the fact they are being openly used.

Israel takes pride in its strategic dialogue with the United States, but it appears it's more of a monologueeach side is talking to itself. The only issue the two nations have come together on during the Obama era is the hush money the US pays Israel to not get in the way.

Yes, the Americans do share information with Israel on their operations in Syria, and consult with the IDF. Israeli officials get excited every time an American general comes to talk about some operation. But these are merely sedativeslike the medals being handed out to our IDF chiefs when they visit the United States, an incentive for good behavior.

Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan (Photo: EPA)

The Obama administration is buying Israeli obedience with weapons, while neglecting to mention that its arms sales to the Middle East are first and foremost meant to serve American interests. These gifts are actually tools the US uses to control the policies of its allies in the region.

The Americans view the Syrian Kurds as cannon fodderan alternative to putting American boots on the groundand it took Obama a year to realize that he also has to give them weapons so they could continue serving American interests in the fight against ISIS.

Israel, meanwhile, welcomed the possibility of Kurdish autonomy in Syria with American support. But then the tides turned: the Turks and Russians reached an understanding according to which the Turks will accept the fact Assad remains in power for an interim period and join the fight against ISIS and in return, the Russians will allow them to fly through Syrian airspace, bomb, destroy the Kurdish autonomous contiguity in Syria, and create a buffer zone that would keep both ISIS and the Kurds away from the Turkish border.

The Americans simply joined this Russian-Turkish party. What this means for Israel is that the Americans are essentially giving their consent to the continuation of the Assad regime, for now, and allowing Iran and Hezbollah to establish their hold on Syria ahead of a future political agreement in the country.

This change in direction came about in the White House the moment the American generals realized that after the "Curbing" and "Attrition" stages, they have now reaching the "Collapse" stage in their fight against ISIS: First in Iraq, and then in Syria. On paper, the Americans have already captured Mosul back from ISIS, and they're already fantasizing about how they're going to instate a civil administration there.

The American-Turkish cooperation in Syria has been instrumental in the effort to bringing down ISIS. But it only took a few days from the moment the Turks invaded Syriawith the United States' blessinguntil the Americans realized they've been deceived. The Turks, it turns out, are also shooting at America's allies, the Syrian Kurdsthe ones who are supposed to take over Al-Raqqah, the ISIS capital in Syria, for them.

And so, Israel watches with apprehension how the Americans are leading Syria to the worst possible solution for Israel: Assad in power, and Iranians in the Golan Heights.
The exterior of the two-story building at the corner of Montefiore and Hanna and Mordekhai Veisser Streets shows faints signs of its former grandeur, but the interiorfurnished with pale woods and leather chairsis certainly elegant, down to the smallest detail, such as cloth napkins in special sleeves.

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In Japanese cuisine, of course, esthetics famously extend to food presentation, and they start at TYO with the restaurants specialty cocktails. The bloodshed martini, for example, was served not in a martini glass but a regular glass overflowing with crushed ice topped with delicate violet flowers and garnished with a long sprig of rosemary. This blend of vodka, triple sec, pomegranate juice and honey was not as sweet as it sounds and had a nice complexity.

The extensive menu is in three languages, with French joining the usual two. There is also a separate business lunch menu representing good value weekdays until 4pm.





Next was grouper tataki: slices of the raw fish slathered with yuzu juice and hot sesame oil, garnished with red chili pepper. The marinade enhanced the fresh fish nicely without overwhelming it.

This was accompanied by a seaweed salad comprising two kinds of seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, avocado, cucumber and carrot, which came with a creamy dressing of miso, yuzu and Japanese mayonnaise. The salad was delicious and refreshing, while the dressing could be addictive.

TYOs Gunkan combination might well be considered one of the restaurants signature dishes. Gunkan means worship, our waiter informed us, and the dish consists of three small shrine-shaped mounds of rice with different wrappings, two of which are topped with goose liveran ingredient that adds a creamy richness to an inspired combination.

All the condiments accompanying the Gunkan entreeas well as the excellent sushi sampler that followedare made in-house, including the wasabi and the pickled ginger. The superiority over their commercial equivalentsespecially in the nuance of the gingeris remarkable.

We washed the sushi down with the ultra-smooth house sake, served from a carafe on a bed of ice in its own tray. TYO takes deserved pride in the selection of premium sakes featured on the restaurants dedicated sake menu.

The desserts continue TYOs tradition of beautiful presentation and innovative combinations. The star among them bears the funky name Mr. Bean, after the asoka bean, a staple of Japanese sweets. The spongy asoka bean cake sits on hot earl gray sauce and is surrounded by candied hazelnuts and topped by green tea ice cream, while a warm and treacly mint caramel sauce is drizzled tableside over it all. Truly, a feast of sweet flavors.

Throughout the meal, the service was impeccable: water glasses refilled, our table cleared and silverware and chopsticks replaced between courses, even cleansing towelettes profferred with their wrappers torn open. Along with the exquisite food, this is a definite hallmark of an undisputedly top-tier restaurant.

TYO .

Not kosher.

Montefiore 7, Tel Aviv.

Tel. (03) 930-0333.

Mumbai street food finds a home

With more and more young Israelis returning home from spending time in India, there has been a boomlet of Indian restaurants opening in Tel Aviv. But Ma Pau has an advantage over most: the owners late mother hailed from the subcontinent.

Ma Pau has only been open three months, but its tasty food at reasonable prices has already managed to attract a following, among both locals and tourists. For some reason, however, the restaurant still has no menus in English, although their availability is reportedly imminent. This is all the more strange because the menus category headings are all in English anyway.

As befits a restaurant specializing largely in the street food of Mumbai, Ma Pau is a no-frills place, with wooden benches and stools at most tables. A giant screen shows videos featuring popular contemporary Indian music.

There are no cocktails to speak of, and a very limited wine and beer selection; most disappointing is the lack of any Indian beers, but it is not the fault of the restaurantwe were told that Israel does not permit their importation.

Which narrowed down our choice of Indian beverage to the yogurt drink lassi. Unfortunately, it is available here only in sweetened versions, mango or banana. We ordered the former, which came in a tiny glass, smaller than the water glasses that accompanied the carafe of water with lime and mint that appeared on our table. Still, this was the best fruit lassi I have ever tasted: thick, with a touch of cardamom.

We started with chat, typical Bombay snacks on the menu here as appetizers. First up were the onion bhajji, onion fritters battered in chickpea flour. Unfortunately, ours were a bit overdone; but once we got rid of the burnt edges, the heart was quite good. It was also great fun dipping the fritter in the various chutneys: sweet and tart tamarind sauce, mild curry, and tehina seasoned with amba. A spicy green chutney, similar to skhoug, is available on request.

Next were the triangular chicken samosa, this time perfectly fried to a golden brown. Beneath the crispy crust was a succulent filling, enhanced in particular by a dip in the tamarind.

Last in this category were the batata wada, balls of potato mash lightly battered and flash-fried. It is hard to believe how something so simple could taste so good.

The service was fast and efficient, from a friendly wait staff, who explained that the most popular course at Ma Pau is the thali, a meal consisting of several cooked dishes eaten with rice.

We chose the chicken thali, featuring keema, ground chicken with peas, accompanied by smaller helpings of chicken tikka, yellow lentils, mixed stewed vegetables and the yogurt condiment raita. It was served in the traditional manner, on a metal tray, and in metal bowls surrounding a mound of jasmine rice, known for its thin, delicate grains. The standouts here were the chicken tikka masala, also available as a main course on its own, and the lentilsIndias ubiquitous dal.

Our only disappointment was the beef biryani, a lackluster version of the classic Indian rice dish. It was devoid of any vegetables, unless you count potato, and its only redeeming feature is that it is filling.

Among the very few desserts, the dry banana banoffee pie topped with coconut looked better than it tasted. It was washed down nicely with acceptable masala chai.

A few misses notwithstanding, one can find some of the best examples of Indian food at Ma Pau.

Ma Pau .

Not kosher.

Nahalat Binyamin 59, Tel Aviv.
Leading activists from the Ethiopian community and the opposition sharply criticized Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh over comments made about police "naturally" suspecting Ethiopians more. Many demanded his removal and said his words "prove that the police are dangerous to the (Ethiopian) community."

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At a meeting of the Israel Bar Association, Commissioner Alsheikh said, "Studies have shown that immigrants are more involved in crime," and therefore "it is natural that (police) suspect them more."

Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh (Photo: Tzvika Tischler)

The Police Commissioner then sought to clarify his words, with the police announcing that "the commissioner candidly admitted that after a thorough self-examination, we discovered that there is indeed over-policing with regard to members of the Ethiopian community and the Israel Police. Let there be no doubt, the statements made by the commissioner were not intended to harm Ethiopian Israelis, but were made out of candor in order to improve the relations between officers within the organization."

Earlier this month, a ministerial committee approved a series of 12 recommendations in order to promote the integration of Ethiopian immigrants and to strengthen the community's trust in the police.

This is due to the allegations and findings which point to over-policing against Ethiopian youth, including figures demonstrating that more than 30% of prisoners in jail are Ethiopian minors.

Gadi Yavrakan, one of the more prominent activists in the Ethiopian community said, "this isn't a particularly smart police commissioner because he openly stated that Israel is a racist state. We are not migrant workers, we are Jews who returned to our homeland after a 2,500 year exile. Now it is obvious why the police who killed Yosef Salamsa were not brought to trial, when there is a police commissioner who 'understands' why police tend to use violence against blacks and Arabs."

Protests against racism (Motti Kimchi)

Social activist Avi Yalu, a member of the ministerial team to eradicate racism, said, "These are things that should not have been said and he needs to apologize. The officers in the field translate statements like this into racist actions. World views can't be erased in one day. What is outrageous with the commissioner's statement is that according to him, stopping blacks because of the color of their skin is legitimate. There are hundreds of cases against young people just because of profiling. This is a phenomenon that needs to be stopped and not encouraged."

Former MK Pnina Tamano-Shata said, "With the commissioner's statements, he is giving a green light to police officers to turn our children into immediate suspects, and from there, into the punching bags of errant, violent policemen. Your children, Commissioner Alsheikh, are no better than mine. Dark-skinned children are not born with criminal genes or are predisposed to criminal activity. Do a thorough internal investigation, and you'll see there are police officers that harass kids and teenagers who are Ethiopian and show them the way to being behind bars.

"The commissioner's attempt to clean the police's conscience and rationalize violence by saying 'immigrants are criminals proves that the police are dangerous to blacks in Israel and anyone whose appearance can endanger them."

On the other hand, Minister of Internal Security, Gilad Erdan, defended the Police Commissioner, saying that he did not justify the phenomenon of "over-policing" against the Ethiopian community. "In fact, he did the opposite. He boldly said there is such a problem and the police are taking care of it. The commissioner's explanation was not meant to justify over-policing, but rather, to describe the moods of officers that caused them to act wrongly. Any other explanation of the commissioner's statements are not correct and creates distortion."

Ami Palmor, the Director General of the Ministry of Justice, who is currently the head of the ministerial team to eradicate racism against Ethiopians, leveled harsh criticism against Alsheikh's statements and said, "The report we've drafted shows the grim reality of institutional racism against Ethiopians. The data conclusively show that these are not people with criminal DNA."

Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan and Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh (Photo: Ofer Meir)

The opposition also directed harsh criticism against Alsheikh, with MK Yitzhak Herzog calling the commissioner to clarify and amend his remarks because "it cannot be allowed to happen that someone thinks it is legitimate to be more suspicious of an Ethiopian or an Arab citizen. Any person of standing or influence must work to eradicate racism and profiling of every kind."

MK Shelly Yachimovich remarked, "It is sad that instead of fighting against the phenomenon of profiling citizens based on their skin color, the police commissioner is looking for psychological reasons to continue. If you take out Mizrahim, Ethiopians, Arabs and others, then according to the commissioner's definition, there is no one else to suspect. There is no other way to put it. But according to the police commissioner, he himself could be falsely arrested if he were walking around of uniform."

Photo: Motti Kimchi

Chairman of the Joint List, MK Ayman Odeh, said, "It is not surprising to hear that the commissioner thinks a racist attitude toward the Ethiopian community is natural. The commissioner needs to be reminded that his job is to protect and serve all citizens of the country, not just the white Jewish population."

MK Bezalel Smotrich however, saw things differently, saying, "Finally a commissioner brave enough not to ignore the unpleasant reality, recognizes it and acts to correct it for everyone's benefit."
Sharad Pawar said that he would soon take up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar's attack on Anti-Terrorist squad (ATS) alleging that it is "terrorising" Muslim youths on "mere suspicion" has evoked a sharp response from the Mahatashtra Chief Minister.

While the former Agriculture Minister alleged that ATS is illegally detaining Muslim youth, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hit back saying Pawar's statements are misleading.

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WHAT PAWAR ALLEGES

Addressing a press conference at his party headquarters Sharad Pawar had said "A delegation of 28 Muslim organisations met me in Aurangabad recently amd narrated details about specific cases where Muslim youths were picked up by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on mere suspicion alleging that they were associated with the Islamic State (ISIS). They are picked up by the ATS on mere suspicion and no charges have yet been filed nor have they been produced before a magistrate. The law says that any person who has been arrested must be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours of being arrested. But these organisations gave me documents about cases where the arrested youths have not been produced before a magistrate for 120 hours or days. This is illegal detention..."

Pawar added "These Muslim organisations have openly condemned ISIS... Those who are in association with ISIS must not be spared. But, all these cases must be tried in a fast-track court.."

Sharad Pawar said that he would soon take up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

FADNAVIS HITS BACK

But Pawar's attack on the ATS evoked a sharp response from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

"Whatever Mr Sharad Pawar is speaking against ATS , is based on incorrect briefing to him that is why we have decided to send him the right facts (about recent arrests of ISIS suspects), we believe that terrorism has no connection with religion.. ATS is doing a good job and every political party should back it in interest of national security."

He further added, "ATS has arrested four youths from Parbhani who were found with IEDs and 30 other were interrogated but were let off as they were innocent. No one was illegally detained...ATS has successfully brought some youth from foreign land who were misguided by ISIS. These kind of allegations against them are false."

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BERLIN - Germany's military counter-intelligence agency is investigating 64 suspected "extremist Islamists" working for the armed forces, a spokesman for the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

The 64 could include civilian as well as uniformed employees, the spokesman added. People judged to be "extremist Islamists" are not permitted to work for the military.

Between 2007 and 2016, 30 "extremist Islamists" went to Syria or Iraq after being employed in the armed forces, the spokesman said. Nineteen people were discharged from the forces for being "extremist Islamists" during that period.
Sgt. Noah Titel from the Israeli Navy, who's alertness thwarted a Hamas infiltration into Israel during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 , will shortly be beginning her new first-of-its-kind role in the IDF.

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After signing more extending her time in the IDF beyond the mandatory period required by the state, Titel is set to become the first commander of a simulator designed by the military to further improve its preparedness for amphibious infiltration.

Noah, from Modiin, served during the operation in the Navys control room in a role which requires sitting opposite a screen and spotting and reporting hostile vessels or individuals attempting to infiltrate into Israel via the sea.

Noah Titel (left) (Photo: Yisrael Yosef)

During one of the shifts, she spotted Hamas commandos landing on Israels shores. After immediately reporting it, the IDF was able to quickly respond and prevent an attack that was planned for Kibbutz Zikim nearby.

Her speedy response turned Noah into one of the symbols of the entire operation and even earned her a certificate of appreciation from a Southern Command general and the Navy commander.

Given the increase in attempted infiltrations and Noahs success, the IDF began undertaking efforts to reinforce the training of the command room. As part of these efforts, the simulator was designed to ready the IDFs naval monitoring teams for infiltration scenarios.

This is a great privilege for me. I am aware that this is a job which requires a lot of responsibility and I am ready for it, Noah said. It is also a privilege to look at other female soldiers in the eye and see that they understand the importance of what they are doing. I believe that they will see the results and that we are seeing an extremely significant change in the control of the navy.

Noah added that she believes that the simulator will undoubtedly increase the training soldiers professionalism by providing them with the best tools before they enter the actual field. Moreover, she described how the simulator itself as extremely realistic: I felt as though i was really returning to the incident in Zikim. It is incredible how real it looks. It is like being in the field.
The Ministry of Interior's Settlements Subcommittee approved on Wednesday morning some 120 new housing units in the West Bank and of the approval of entire new neighborhoods that have already been constructed. Thirty-two units in Efrat and 36 in Nofim were rejected.

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The mayor of Beit Aryeh, Avi Naim, said, "It's a drop in the sea. We've been in a deepfreeze for months now."

The construction that was approved is in relatively large settlements. Laid before the subcommittee were applications to approve 31 units in Beit Aryeh that had already been approved, 36 in Nofim in Samaria, 20 in Givat Ze'ev adjoining Jerusalem and 32 in Efrat in Gush Etzion.

Beit Aryeh (Photo: Meir Partush)

All of these plans were for new units, and the subcommittee approval is the final stage before construction begins. A further 234 apartments were approved in a senior citizens' home in Elkana.

Apart from these, the subcommittee retroactively approved existing housing units in those settlements. Amongst them was a full neighborhood, Ofarim, in Beit Aryeh that includes 178 housing units.

Naim commented, "I don't think that we need to apologize to anyone. And I expect that they'll soon approve additional construction plans in Judea and Samaria."

Criticizing the approval, NGO Peace Now commented that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "continues to plan and build all over the West Bank, while also giving settlers the message that any construction done without planning will be retroactively legalized."

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council on Monday that Israeli settlement expansion has surged in the past two months since a key report called for a halt.

The report by the diplomatic Quartetthe European Union, Russia, the UN and the United Statessaid construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is eroding the possibility of a two-state solution.

In response, Netanyahu's office called criticism of Israeli settlement building "absurd," particularly related to east Jerusalem.

The US issued its own response to Israel's construction, describing its actions as "deeply concerning."

President Obama's spokesman, Josh Earnest, said This significant expansion of the settlement activity poses a serious and growing threat to the viability of a two state solution.

We are particularly troubled by the policy of retroactively approving illegal outposts and unauthorized settlements, Earnest continued.
In a gesture meant to send a positive message to Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shook the hand of the interim head of Israel's embassy in Ankara, Shani Cooper.

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During the president's traditional handshake with the diplomatic corps to celebrate the country's Victory Day on August 30, Erdogan asked to welcome Cooper. She presented herself and expressed her nation's support for the Turkish president and republic.

Shani Cooper and Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Erdogan asked for an interpreter via whom he expressed positive messages on the two countries' diplomatic relations and wished Cooper good luck in her position. She has been appointed to head the embassy while Jerusalem and Ankara appoint their first ambassadors to the other nation in six years.

Erdogan also signed the parliament-ratified reconciliation deal with Israel. On Wednesday, the Israeli government approved the deal after it was circulated amongst the ministers. It comes into effect after one week if there are no objections.
A video filmed overnight Tuesday by a resident of Jerusalem's Old City allegedly shows two Border Police officers striking a scooter and breaking its mirrors.

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The Border Police have stated that they "take this incident seriously and are distressed by it." They related that the footage was transferred to the Police Investigation Division (PID) to be checked. The Jerusalem District Commander of the Israel Police, Yoram Halevy, ordered that the scooter's owner, Kamal Jamal, be compensated for damages, depending on the results of this check.



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The video shows the vandalism and plays the sound of breaking glass, but the Border Policemen are not seen actually striking the scooter. As evidence, residents presented photographs of the scooter as they found it in the morning with its mirrors broken.

Jamal's brother, Najib Jamal, said that he saw what happened but didn't file a complaint with the PID because "I don't believe that it'll help."

The Border Police were on a widespread operation in the Old City that night to prevent stone-throwing.
Israel's new ambassador to Egypt, David Govrin, presented his letter of credence on Wednesday morning to President Abdul Fatah Khalil al-Sisi. The Egyptian military band played the Israeli national anthem.

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At the ceremony, seven additional ambassadors were received: those of Belgium, Greece, Mexico, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Somalia and the United Arab Emirates.

Govrin (L) waiting to present his credentials

Govrin in Cairo

In an interview this week with Egyptian media, the head of that country's Jewish community, Majda Haroun recounted that she showed the incoming ambassador the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo. Haroun, who is known for her hostility to the State of Israel, explained that she permitted him to visit there to "cut out the Zionists' tongues" (loosely translated: "to silence them"), because they speak of Jewish culture in Egypt as if it belonged to them. According to her, she insisted on showing Govrin that she's in charge and not him.

In the interview, she stated that she gave the Egyptian Ministry of Culture documents related to the history of Jews in Egypt because Zionist organizations were trying to get their hands on them. "The party that Israel threw over the archeological findings that reached them from Iraq and Yemen won't repeat itself with Egypt," she said.
The son of the American-Israeli man, Richard Lakin , who was killed in a Palestinian attack last year said Wednesday he has asked the global scout movement to expel its Palestinian branch after local members dedicated a recent training course to one of his father's killers.

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Micah Lakin Avni said the Palestinian scout branch is violating the world movement's core ideals.

"The scouts has really been for more than a century an international, nonpartisan organization dedicated to teaching kids to be good citizens of their neighborhood, of their world," Avni said. "Tragically, they are teaching their kids to hate and be violent."

A Palestinian scout troop in east Jerusalem held a training course last week that was dedicated to Baha Alyanone of two Palestinian attackers who shot and stabbed passengers on a Jerusalem bus last October.

Avni's father was among three people killed in the attack. Alyan was killed by a security guard, while a second assailant survived and is now serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison.

Richard Lakin killed in stabbing and shooting attack in Armon Hanatziv

Palestinian scout leader Ahmed Mashahreh said Alyan was active for many years in the scouting movement and that the recognition had nothing to do with the bus attack.

He said the activity was a "pure scout course" that talked about volunteer work and other activities.

"This had nothing to do with politics," Mashahreh claimed. "During his lifetime, Baha was very active in scout activities. That's why we picked his name, not because of what he did on the last day of his life."

The attack came at the height of what had become a nearly year-long wave of violence which Israel believes to have been fueled largely by Palestinian incitement.

In a letter to the 164-member World Organization of the Scout Movement, Avni described his father, a retired school principal and Israeli-Palestinian coexistence advocate, as a "gentle-hearted man."

He attached a screen shot from the Palestinian Scout Association's website, which promotes the course. The screenshot included a picture of Alyan in scouting uniform and describes him as a "martyr," a fact which seems to undermine Mashahreh claims.

"Should you allow the Palestinian Scout Association to keep its membership," he wrote, "then your organization is effectively a co-sponsor of this terror promoting course."

In an emailed response to The Associated Press, Stephen Peck, the movement's director of communications, said the group is investigating and working on the matter with the relevant people. "We appreciate the gravity of the allegations and will address the issue accordingly," he said.

Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Scout Association, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Less than 24 hours before schools reopen after the summer holidays in Israel, Eduction Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) faces a list of dozens of educational institutions threatening to go on strike Thursday.

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The publication of a long list of strike threats comes just a day after Bennett assured Ynet that the education system is prepared.

The list consists of numerous schools spanning from the north to the south of Israel with a variety of reasons being attributed to the strike threats.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Photo: Amit Shabi)

In the south, for example, disputes remain in certain schools between parents and the Teachers Administration.

In Jerusalem, security guards of schools threatened to strike over working conditions before the municipality issued a decree forbidding the strike.

Similarly, parents have announced that they will not be returning their children to certain schools on account of the shortage of security guards. In Tel Aviv, parents have also announced that they may not return their children to certain schools amid concerns of security shortages.

Teachers from an ultra-Orthodox girls school in the Haredi sector have threatened to strike over the failure of the schools to pay them a salary for five months.
The woman who spat on MK Ahmad Tibi four years at a conference has been sentenced to 60 hours community service, though the court has refrained from entering a conviction on her record "out of concern for her future."

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The Magistrates' Court for Youth in Tel Aviv made the judgment a few weeks ago, though it was only recently cleared for publication. The offending incident took place in 2012 at Bar Ilan University when the then-17-year-old offender spit on the MK as he exited the conference hall.

The expectoration

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She was tried for attempting to attack a civil servant. After undergoing an evaluation and expressing remorse for her actions, the probation service and the police recommended community service. Tibi did not file a complaint against her.

The girl, who was familiar to the Hilltop Youth in the West Bank, has participated in various activities against African infiltrators and the evacuation of settler outposts. "(Tibi) should say thank you; he deserves much worse; he deserves a death sentence. There have to be people who give the enemies of Israel what they deserve." she told Ynet shortly after the incident.

Tibi at Bar Ilan before being spat upon

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the woman's lawyer, commented, "From the beginning, it seemed to me that filing an indictment was a superfluous step by the police. Ahmad Tibi is a provocateur who provokes and incites and creates disturbances, and (that's proven by) the fact that the police prosecutor believed that she should scrap the case. However, I think that the result reached by the court is balanced and correct, and there's a concern here for a minor's future."

At the time, Tibi said in response to the incident, "I will not be daunted and will go anywhere, even if there are racists there. I will make my voice and that of the Arab public be heard with my head held high."
More than 80 reservists from the 919th Special Operations Wing revved up their volunteer spirit, joining other area military and community members in constructing a large playground for autistic children Aug. 23-28 here.

The attitude of (Duke) volunteers has been wonderful, because theyre committed to excellence and truly want to see things through from beginning to end, said Staci Berryman, co-founder and executive director of the Emerald Coast Autism Center, over the noise of whirring power tools and hammers pounding away at the bustling construction site behind her. To have (Duke Airmen) come out on some of the hottest days this summer and commit and be here just killing it in this heat every single day, means the world to us.

The ECAC is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and improving the lives of young children with autism and related disabilities in Okaloosa and Walton counties and surrounding areas, according to its website. The playground will supplement the organizations $2.5 million, 15,225-square-foot school and therapy center, scheduled to open in September.

One of the 919th SOWs volunteers, Master Sgt. Tamara Stevenson, a 919th Special Operations Maintenance Squadron avionics systems technician, wiped beads of sweat from her brow as she paused for a moment in the nearly 100-degree heat on her third day of working four-hour shifts at the site.

I think its great to give back to the community, she said, I have a nephew with autism whos an adult now, so I felt like this was an excellent cause -- and Im really having a good time.

Stevenson said she kept busy using a circular saw to cut boards and with countersinking hardware onto wood planking sections for the playgrounds framework.

With the variety of equipment available on the new grounds, therapists can build a students skills both physically and socially. Completing one physical task may challenge a student to use his or her balance, coordination, and upper body strength. Alternately, it may be a task best completed with a peer, which would require social interaction.

Tech. Sgt. Matthew Luecht, an avionics maintainer, led Dukes massive volunteer drive in his role as president of the bases Focus 5/6 organization. The chapter, he noted, received strong support from their Duke sister organizations  Top 3 and Chiefs Group  which rallied dozens of additional volunteers.

Its nice to see all the planning, supply delivery and the countless hours we spent has paid off, Luecht said as he prepared to begin another shift. I think it helps exemplify the phrase Citizen Airmen in giving back to our community.

The Duke volunteer effort united reservists from a diverse set of organizations and specialties throughout the wing.

Were a special part of the military community, and for us to get people from different shops that dont really interact with each other on a daily basis and build bonds doing this is really a great thing, Luecht said.

In 2013, the locally-operated school and therapy center entered into an agreement with Northwest Florida State College, that paved the way for the new facility.
By PTI: Singur (WB), Aug 31 (PTI) Farmers whose land was acquired for the Tata Motors Nano car factory at Singur and their families burst out in jubilation today after the Supreme Court held the acquisition illegal.

Hundreds of people, who were waiting for the apex courts verdict since the morning, erupted in joy as soon as the news flashed on their television screens.

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They stepped out of their houses to congratulate each other. Men, women and children clapped, danced and cheered together and greeted each other with green gulal and sweets.

Rallies were taken out with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees posters.

Slogans like Mamata Banerjee zindabad, Mamata Banerjee tomay amra bhulchi na, bhulbo na (we will never forget you) echoed in the air.

"It is because of didi that we have seen todays victory...We are very happy today. Didis perseverance and our faith in her have finally reaped this victory," they said expressing gratitude to Banerjee who had fought an unflinching battle for months at Singur and in Kolkata, including a 26-day hunger strike.

It was her anti-land acquisition movement at Singur in November, 2006 that had brought Banerjee back to prominence after her partys huge setback in the Assembly elections earlier that year.

Riding on the Singur movement and the one at Nandigram in January 2007, Banerjee turned the table on the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which began losing political ground in the state starting the 2008 panchayat and the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, culminating in their defeat in the 2011 Assembly election in the state after 34 years.

After coming to power in 2011, Banerjees first legislation was the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011 for returning land to the unwilling farmers.

The villagers of Singur, located off Durgapur Expressway, about 40 km from Kolkata, were happy with the Supreme Courts directive that compensation paid to them would not have to be paid back and those who had not taken the compensation, would now get it at the same rate.

Asked what would they do after getting their land back, the farmers said they could decide only after seeing the condition of it as construction activities were carried out there and no cultivation was done in the vacant portions for 10 years. PTI AMR KK RC

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Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape

An Air Force Reserve SERE (Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape) specialist assigned to the 306th Rescue Squadron, 943rd Rescue Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. is hoisted from the waters of Lake Champlain, NY, during training Aug. 7. SERE specialists are part of the Guardian Angel weapons system of Air Combat Command along with pararescuemen and combat rescue officers. Specialists not only learn to survive in captivity, they also learn to survive when isolated in any situation, including arctic, desert, jungle, and mountain climates and even on the open ocean. (U.S. Air Force photo by Carolyn Herrick)
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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.

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This was revealed in a note which was enclosed with a letter dated October 18, 1953 by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to then West Bengal Chief Minister B C Roy.

India had agreed to share with Pakistan the funds of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army (INA). Photo: PTI

By Press Trust of India: India had agreed to share with Pakistan the funds of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army (INA) and Indian Independence League (IIL) in 1953, according to declassified files released today.

IN A NOTE BY NEHRU

This was revealed in a note which was enclosed with a letter dated October 18, 1953 by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to then West Bengal Chief Minister B C Roy.

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Nehru was responding to a resolution passed by West Bengal Legislature to request the central government to take steps to investigate the "funds left by Netaji and his Azad Hind government".

The note read, "Soon after the termination of the last war in the far East, some quantity of gold, jewellery and other valuables was seized from the officials and others connected with the INA and IIL in the south east Asian countries."

It said these assets were "held in Singapore by the Custodian of Property" and, according to the information furnished by the Singapore government in 1950, these assets were valued at Straits dollars (the currency of settlements of Britain on the Strait of Malacca) 1,47,163.

However, it was difficult to assess the exact value of the assets due to revaluation, according to the note.

TALE OF FUNDS

"There were protracted negotiations with Pakistan as she claimed a part of these assets. In the end, it was agreed that the assets should be divided between India and Pakistan in the ratio of 2:1," the note read.

However, the matter related to release of funds would have had to go before the Legislative Council as the Custodian of Enemy Property had no right to hand over any amount to any person or body, it said.

Culture Ministry Secretary N K Sinha today released online the 7th batch of 25 declassified files which pertained to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) from 1951 to 2006.

The first lot of 100 files related to Netaji were put in public domain by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 23 on the occasion of the freedom fighters 119th birth anniversary.

The second lot of 50 files was released in March and 25 files each were put in public domain in the subsequent months.

The disappearance of Netaji 70 years ago still remains a mystery with two commissions of inquiry concluding that he had died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, while a third probe panel, headed by Justice M K Mukherjee, had contested it and suggested that Bose had survived the crash.



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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
The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants since April after Taliban militants started their annual spring offensive.

By Indo-Asian News Service: At least 97 Taliban militants were killed and 24 were injured as the Afghan security forces pressed ahead with offensives in restive provinces, the Defence Ministry said today.

In one operation, 57 Taliban militants were killed after joint Afghan security forces launched a cleanup operation in Jani Khel district of Paktia province, Xinhua news agency quoted the ministry as saying.

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CLASHES CONTINUE

Sporadic clashes continue in outer sides of the district over the past days as security forces tried to regain control from militants who seized the area over the weekend.

In northern Baghlan province, 15 militants were killed and three wounded during clashes with the security forces in Baghlan-e-Markazi district, according to the statement.

Some 25 militants were killed, 21 injured and three captured during separate operations in Helmand, Zabul and Kunduz provinces, the statement added. It also confirmed loss of 12 army soldiers during the operations.

Joint Afgan security forces also seized weapons, defused several roadside bombs and landmines planted by the militants, the statement said.

SECURITY OPERATIONS AGAINST MILITANTS TIGHTENED

The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants since April after Taliban militants started their annual spring offensive. The Taliban has yet to make comment on the latest losses of their cadre.

Also read:

Taliban captures strategic district of Khanabad in north Afghan amid heavy fighting

Afghan officials raise alarm as Taliban gain in Helmand province



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Dobra, k. Szczecina 900 m2

40 miejsc parkingowych



Atut: Dodatkowe dochody z paczkomatow InPostu, a juz niedugo i z myjni samoobsugowej.



Tradycyjny zakup nieruchomosci, mozliwosc wykupienia uzytkowania wieczystego.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTI) TERI has inducted three new members in its governing council which includes Laurence Tubiana who was a key French negotiator at last years crucial Paris climate change summit.

TERI has also ended its last major association with R K Pachauri who has been facing sexual harassment charges with former Finance secretary Ashok Chawla replacing him as the Chancellor of the university.

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The announcement of Chawla replacing Pachauri was conveyed to the students of the university yesterday by its pro vice chancellor Rajiv Seth.

"In its last meeting on August 19, 2016, the Governing Council of TERI appointed Ashok Chawla as the new Chancellor of TERI University. Chawla is the Chairman of TERI since February 2016," TERI said in a statement today.

Earlier named as the chairman of TERI, Chawla replaced Pachauri who had proceeded on leave after communicating that he will skip the institutions convocation in March after a group of students refused to receive degrees from him.

On February 13 last year an FIR was registered against Pachauri on charges of sexual harassment of a former employee while in February this year another woman came out in public making similar allegations against Pachauri.

TERI in its statement said that the appointment of Chawla, reflects the organic linkage between TERI and TERI University, since TERI is the settlor of the TERI University Trust and has supported the growth of the university into one of the leading institutions of higher learning.

Chawla is also the former head of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the chairman of the National Stock Exchange and has work experience of over 40 years in various sectors of government and international agencies.

"During the meeting, the Council also inducted three new members into the Governing Council - Naushad Forbes, Co-Chairman, Forbes Marshall, Basabi Bhaumik, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi and Laurence Tubiana, Founder, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, Paris," the statement said.

In May 2014, Laurence Tubiana was appointed Special Representative of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius, for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference.

She is also the professor and director of the Sustainable Development Center at Sciences Po Paris. She is also professor of international affairs at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). PTI TDS RG

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Latest News

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of States Rewards for Justice Program is offering a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to the location, arrest, and/or conviction of Gulmurod Khalimov (variant Halimov), a key leader of the terrorist group ISIL, also known in Arabic as Daesh.

Khalimov is a former Tajik special operations colonel, police commander, and military sniper. He was the commander of a police special operations unit in the Ministry of Interior of Tajikistan.

He is now an ISIL member and recruiter. In May 2015, he announced in a 10-minute propaganda video that he fights for ISIL and has called publicly for violent acts against the United States, Russia, and Tajikistan.

On September 29, 2015, the U.S. Department of State designated Khalimov as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. The United Nations Security Council ISIL (Daesh) and al-Qaida Sanctions Committee added him to its sanctions list in February 2016. Khalimov is wanted by the Government of Tajikistan. On June 1, 2015, INTERPOL issued a Red Notice for Khalimov, alerting member nations that he is a wanted person and should be apprehended for extradition back to Tajikistan.
By Akshaya Nath: A young school teacher was hacked in a church in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin city.

The woman was rushed to a hospital who later succumbed to her injuries.

The woman teacher Francina was scheduled to be married next month.

According to the police, the alleged killer, a young man, hanged himself to death after killing Francina. It is believed that the woman had turned down the man's advances.

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Yesterday, a girl was killed at her college in broad daylight in Karur. After the Swathi murder case the repeated statements by the government that everything is done for protecting women and ensuring women safety seems like mere words while incidents like these keep taking place in public spaces.

Also Read:

Tamil Nadu shocker: Girl beaten to death by former student

Tamil Nadu: 4-year-old killed by woman after child's father finds out about her affair

Why did you do this to my daughter? Swathi's father breaks down on seeing killer Ramkumar



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Mogadishu: The death toll from a car bomb blast in Somalia`s capital Mogadishu on Tuesday that exploded outside the Presidential Palace has risen to 22, police said on Wednesday.

"We have confirmed from various hospitals that at least 22 died and 50 others were wounded. Death includes wounded people who died in hospitals," police officer Major Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters.

The attack has been claimed by al Shabaab militants.
Everett: Republican Donald Trump on Tuesday night called Democrats the "party of slavery" and praised what he called the millions of African Americans with career success, as he tries to revamp his outreach to minority voters.

Trump has made much-maligned efforts to appeal to black and Hispanic voters, groups that generally support Democrats and are expected to vote heavily for Hillary Clinton in the November 08 election.

"The Republican Party is the party of Abraham Lincoln," Trump said at a rally in Everett, Washington.

"It is the Democratic Party that is the party of slavery, the party of Jim Crow and the party of opposition," he said, referring to racial segregation laws that once existed in the American South.

The Republican nominee has said Democrats failed minority voters with economic policies that have not improved their job prospects, but his attempts have been criticized for painting a bleak view of the lives of all black and Hispanic Americans.

Clinton last week released an ad mocking Trumps attempts to reach those groups and showing headlines about a racial discrimination lawsuit the New York real estate mogul faced in the 1970s.

A prominent supporter of Trumps apologized on Tuesday for sending out a tweet that showed a cartoon image of Clinton in blackface.

Trump sought to correct course in Washington state on Tuesday, saying millions of black Americans "have succeeded greatly" in art, science, sports, and other endeavours.

"But we must also talk about those who have been left behind, the millions suffering in disastrous conditions in so many of our inner cities," he said.
Dhaka: Bangladesh suspects two top leaders of a reorganised Jamaat-ul Mujahideen (JMB) took secret refuge in neighbouring India to mobilise weaponry and financial support for the banned outfit to carry out the July 1 terrorist attack on a Dhaka cafe, according to reports today.

One of the two JMB leaders, Shariful Islam Khaled, is also blamed for hacking to death his liberal university professor, who was on way to work, in April.

Mamunur Rashid Ripon alias Jahangir and Khaled left for India in April, days after the murder of the Rajshahi University professor, the Daily Star reported.

"(Mamunur Rashid) Ripon and Khaled went to the neighbouring country in April and they have been hiding there since then," it quoted police's counterterrorism and transnational crimes (CTTC) unit chief Monirul Islam as saying.

He said Bangladesh has already informed India about the militants' possible stay in Kolkata.

Quoting an unnamed official, the newspaper said the two militants might have gone to India to ensure supply of firearms used in the July 1 attack on Holey Artisan Bakery that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners including an Indian girl.

"We have also come to know the address of the Kolkata hotel where they boarded after going to India. Later, they left the hotel," the report said, quoting another top official.

The mass circulation Samokal newspaper said the two were influential leaders of the neo-JMB, ideologically inclined to the ISIS, and after their top organiser Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Chowdhury was killed in a security raid last week, they could appear as conduits of international terrorist links.

A three-member team from the CTTC and the police headquarters recently visited India and interrogated detained Indian national and suspected ISIS operative Abu Al-Musa Al-Bangali.

He had connections with Ripon and Khaled, police sources were quoted as saying.
Geneva: Reiterating his gratitude to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the issue of atrocities on the people of Balochistan by Pakistan, Baloch separatist leader Brahamdagh Khan Bugti blasted Pakistani media for not highlighting the issue and said that the strategy of authorities in Islamabad is to finish the Baloch people.

The Baloch Republican Party (BRP) chief stressed that the reactions which came Pakistan government and its media was not surprising and instead termed their reaction as cheap one.

"The strategy of Pakistan Government, Army and its media is to finish Baloch people. The evidence can be seen time and again," he told ANI.

Taking potshots at the Pakistani media, he said that they hardly cover any news on Balochistan. But, when it comes to Pakistan, even small incidents are covered.

"If we talk on the oppression and operation in Balochistan, once in a year or in six months, these references are made in media, which shows that it is all censored. So far, no anchor of any media house has even spoken about Balochistan," he added.

He questioned, "Every single day many men and women are murdered. Many are dragged out of their house, many go missing. They are even tortured, then their bodies are thrown on roads. Did any media pay attention to it ?.

Stating that the Pakistan media twists the statements made by Baloch only to spread confusion and fool their people, he pointed out that its only because of their negligence that others have started to raise the issue.

Hitting out at the Pakistani Army for trying to divert and suppress the Balochistan issues after people have started talking about it, he said that Baloch people are ready for talks provided authorities leave their region.

"I recently saw my interviews and then the authorities said that they want to talk, we never said no to talks. This is the Pakistani military who by force is trying to suppress any issue. The Army is trying to captive people by operations and by using force. We are ready for talks if Army retreats from Balochistan like it has done from Bangladesh in 1971," he said.

Warning the Pakistan Army to leave Balochistan, he said the consequences will be worst than what happened in Bangladesh in 1971.

Accepting that it was a mistake on their part that for the last 50 years they tried to be a part of Pakistan to live with equality, Bugti said that we have decided that we cannot live with Pakistan forcefully.

"Pakistan has never been our country and will never be. We have been forcefully joined to it. I have been called a traitor. I think that when I am not even a Pakistani national, how am I a traitor?," he said.

On the First Information Report (FIR) being filed against him for hailing the Indian Prime Minister, he said, "It`s foolishness on Pakistan`s part to do it. We have no relations with Pakistan. Pakistani authorities say that they have filed FIR against me. I would say not just one but file hundreds of FIRs against me. Your FIR cannot harm even a strand of my hair."

He also thanked Afghanistan and Bangladesh for hailing their cause.

Thanking Indian authorities, media, people for their support, he hoped the support continues in the future as well.
From Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Aug 30 (PTI) UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said that nations must work together for early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), underlining the "catastrophic risks" posed by atomic weapons to environmental security and human existence.

"On this International Day against Nuclear Tests, I call on the world to summon a sense of solidarity commensurate with the urgent need to end the dangerous impasse on this issue," the Secretary General said in his message marking the International Day against Nuclear Tests.

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He lamented that since its adoption 20 years ago by the General Assembly, the multilateral treaty has yet to enter into force.

The CTBT is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on September 10, 1996 but has not entered into force as eight specific states have not yet ratified the treaty.

"Given the catastrophic risks posed by nuclear weapons to our collective human and environmental security ? even our very existence ? we must reject this stalemate," he said.

In previous years, the UN chief had specifically asked India, Pakistan, China and the US to ratify the CTBT, saying that the entry-into-force of the Treaty is an "essential building block".

To date, 183 countries have signed the treaty and 164 have ratified CTBT.

For the treaty to enter into force, ratification is required from the so-called Annex 2 States.

Of these, China, North Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States, have yet to ratify it.

Urging Member States to "act now", Ban said those States whose ratification is required to bring the Treaty into force should not wait for others.

"Even one ratification can act as a circuit breaker. All States that have not done so should sign and ratify because every ratification strengthens the norm of universality and shines a harsher spotlight on the countries that fail to act," he said.

Ban also stressed the power of political will that can break longstanding deadlocks, as demonstrated in the adoption of ambitious new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

He said a prohibition on all nuclear testing will end a "poisonous legacy", adding that it will boost momentum for other disarmament measures by showing that multilateral cooperation is possible, and it will build confidence for other regional security measures, including a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.

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In 2009, the UN General Assembly had declared August 29 the "International Day against Nuclear Tests". PTI YAS UZM AKJ UZM

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Dhaka: The countdown for the execution of 1971 Bangladesh war crimes convict and fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami-linked business tycoon Mir Quasem Ali began as prison authorities today conveyed to him the Supreme Court decision sealing his fate.

"We received the copy of the verdict and read it out before him at 7.30 am today," Superintendent of suburban Kashimpur Central Jail Proshanto Kumar Banik told reporters.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday rejected a review petition by 64-year-old Ali, the infamous pro-Pakistan Al-Badr militia's third most important figure after Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid who have been executed.

Within hours, the full text of the 29-page verdict was immediately sent to Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD), which originally handed him down the death sentence for committing crimes against humanity during 1971 Liberation War.

In line with the procedure the tribunal, on completion of formalities, forwarded the copies of the verdict to Dhaka's district magistrate and the prison authorities within two hours.

The Prison Department then sent the copy to Kashimpur Central Jail on the outskirts of the capital as the death-row convict and Jamaat-e-Islami leader has been lodged there.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said Ali now could seek presidential clemency as the last resort to save his neck.

The Daily Star newspaper, meanwhile, reported quoting unidentified prison officials that Ali sought time to decide over seeking presidential clemency.

Bangladesh has so far witnessed execution of five 1971 war crimes convicts since the trial process began in 2010 while only two of them sought the president's pardon which were rejected immediately.

The apex court yesterday sealed the fate of the senior Jamaat leader, reconfirming its own previous judgement as analysts said his "beyond the court" attempts alongside legal battle to thwart the trial appeared futile.

Several political analysts and lawyers said the business tycoon and Jamaat stalwart has exhausted all efforts to influence his trial on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

The prosecution earlier said Ali, regarded as the key Jamaat financier, had made a USD 25 million deal with US lobby firm Cassidy & Associates for engaging with the governments of the United States and Bangladesh to protect "his interest".

As a young leader of Jamaat's the then student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS) in 1971, Ali generated panic in public mind and earned curse of innocent people by his ruthless and brutal activities to mime the liberation aspirants.
Washington: With New Delhi signing a historic defence logistics agreement with Washington, the US has described India's presence in the Asia-Pacific region as important in the backdrop of China`s disputes in the South China Sea region.

"Discussing tensions in the Asia Pacific region is something that`s not uncommon when we`re meeting our Indian counterparts, and there`s certainly a lot there because India is -- India does have a purpose and a presence in the Pacific that`s important," US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in his daily press briefing here on Tuesday.

Kirby`s remarks followed the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry in New Delhi.

India and the US signed an agreement on sharing military logistics, in a major step forward in closer bilateral defence cooperation.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (Lemoa) was inked here by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during his latest visit to the US, and his US counterpart Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.

The agreement, viewed as part of the Obama administration`s pivot to Asia strategy, was criticised by a leading Chinese state-run English daily, warning that New Delhi might irritate Beijing if it "joins the US alliance system".

"If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia," the Global Times said in an editorial.

"It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia," it added.

Asked about China`s reaction to the new US-India defence agreement, Kirby said that ties between Washington and New Delhi were not only good for the two countries but for the world as well.

"Broadly speaking, a deepening, stronger, more cooperative bilateral relationship with India is nothing that anybody should fear or worry about," he said.

"We both are democracies; we both have incredible opportunities and influence on the global stage, and a better relationship between the US and India is not just good for our two countries, not just good for the region, it`s good for the world."

Last month, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) under the UN Convention for the Law of the Seas (Unclos) in The Hague ruled in favour of the Philippines in its dispute against China over the South China Sea.

India recognised the authority of the PCA and asked all parties to abide by its ruling.

An international arbitration tribunal in the PCA ruled on July 12 that China violated the Philippines` rights in the South China Sea, one of the busiest commercial shipping routes in the world.

The court accused China of interfering with the Philippines` fishing and petroleum exploration, building artificial islands in the waters and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone.

The tribunal held that fishermen from the Philippines had traditional fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and that China had interfered with these rights by restricting their access.

The court held that Chinese law enforcement vessels unlawfully created a serious risk of collision when they physically obstructed Philippine vessels in the region.

China is locked in disputes over the Spratly and Paracel groups of islands in the South China Sea with other countries of the region.

The US stand on India`s role in the Asia-Pacific region comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s expected visit to Vietnam, another country Beijing has disputes with, on his way to China for the G20 Summit early September.

Vietnam has appreciated India`s position on the PCA ruling.

After Tuesday`s bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in New Delhi, Sushma Swaraj said India and the US have decided to strengthen their cooperation in the area of maritime security.
Taipei: Taiwan has jailed 14 people for up to 17 years in a corruption scandal which saw railway officials accepting sex services and visits to hostess clubs in exchange for business contracts.

In the biggest ever graft case to hit the state rail sector, seven Taiwan Railway Administration officials were convicted and sentenced for corruption.

They were found to have received perks as a reward for helping firms secure contracts for eight rail projects, worth more than Tw$1.1 billion ($34.7 million), in the past six years.

A construction broker and six businessmen -- including the head of a construction company and the head of a plastics company -- were also jailed for up to five years for bribing officials.

All were convicted and sentenced by Taichung district court in central Taiwan on Tuesday.

The highest ranking defendant was Chung Chao-hsiung -- a former deputy head of the TRA -- who was sentenced to 10 years and two months for accepting banquets and paid-for hostess clubs in exchange for favourable treatment.

TRA official Cheng Wen-chung received the heaviest sentence after taking more than 100 hostess club visits.

"Cheng was implicated in more cases than other defendants and accepted the most hostess clubs visits. He seriously violated the civil servant`s code of conduct," said Chuang Shen-yuan, a spokesman for the court.

TRA employee Chang Ching-tsai was jailed for 15 years for accepting paid-for sex services to help firms pass quality checks.

All the defendants can appeal their convictions.

Five officials were cleared of corruption and were instead found to have committed "administrative negligence". They were not jailed.
Washington: Ahead of the US-India-Afghanistan trilateral talks scheduled at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in September, Washington said it wanted New Delhi to continue its constructive role in Afghanistan.

After visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry announced in New Delhi on Tuesday the restart of the trilateral talks following the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the scheduled discussions were "important and they are going to continue".

"And I think what matters is that, as the Secretary said, those discussions are important and they are going to continue," Kirby said in the daily press briefing here on Tuesday.

"And he talked about the constructive role that India has played inside Afghanistan and wanting to see that -- see that role continue. So we`re focused on the future here."

In a joint press interaction with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi after the bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, Kerry said the trilateral talks would be held to "reaffirm our mutual roles as central players on behalf of security and progress in the region".

"I want to thank India for the important contribution that it has been making in Afghanistan," Kerry said.

Among the major projects India has completed in Afghanistan in recent times are a new wing of the parliament inaugurated during Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s visit to Kabul on December 25 last year and the reconstructed Salma Dam, renamed Afghan-India Friendship Dam, operationalised in June this year.

Kerry also indicated that terror attacks on Afghan territory from across the border might figure in the trilateral meeting.

"Clearly it is in India`s interest as it is in Afghanistan`s interest and our interest and Pakistan`s interest, frankly, to have a peaceful and stable Afghanistan that is no longer under siege from the Taliban or from any other group that tries to use its territory to propagate terror," he said.

"So our hope is to be able to strengthen all of the efforts that we have been deeply engaged in for a long period of time through these talks and perhaps even to find the ways, ultimately, to explore the possibilities of a peaceful resolution of the conflict, which is something we have also been seeking through various efforts to engage the Taliban, I might add, under the auspices and leadership of the Afghan government."

In this connection, Kirby, in his briefing said: "We all recognise the continued security threat that is posed by the Haqqani network and other terrorist groups that operate inside Pakistan and along that border between Afghanistan and Pakistan".

"There is a constant conversation that we are having with our Pakistani partners about the threat posed by Haqqani and by other extremist groups there in the region and certainly operating inside Pakistan," Kirby said.
Guwahati: Tension gripped Assam's Dibrugarh town on Wednesday following an assault and robbery of a girl student of the Dibrugarh University.

A large crowd of students from the university and general public took to the streets here protesting the Tuesday incident and demanding exemplary action against the accused.

The Assam Police has already arrested two of the six men allegedly involved in the crime. A search is on for the other four, as they are on the run.

The police has also recovered the Tata Sumo vehicle, which was used to abduct the victim.

The incident occurred on Tuesday morning when a group of six men whisked away the student and physically assaulted her before dumping her in another part of the town.

According to the complaint lodged by the victim with the police, the incident took place around 4 am after she got off a bus at Borpathar area. She was forcibly shuffled into the SUV and taken towards Chowkidingi area.

The First Information Report (FIR) said that the six men assaulted her physically and snatched away her money, gold earrings and other belongings before dumping her at Chowkidingi area.

The two arrested have been identified as cattle smugglers, the police said.


Chennai: Two medical students, who threw a dog off the rooftop of a three-storeyed building and filmed the gruesome incident, were fined Rs 2 lakh each by a committee formed by the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University.

According to the committee's recommendation, the two students -- Gowtham Sudarshan and Ashish Paul -- of the Madha Medical College, should pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh each to the Animal Welfare Board.

The committee was formed as per the orders of the Madras High Court.

Last month, the video of the two students -- one throwing the dog down from the rooftop of a building and the other filming the gruesome act -- went viral and drew much revulsion.

Animal welfare activists made a police complaint and the two students were later arrested. The two got bail immediately.

The activists then moved the court for compensation for the dog that suffered a leg fracture.

University Vice Chancellor S. Geethalakshmi and Dean of Students S.V. Senthilnathan on Tuesday signed the penalty order as recommended by the committee.
Delhi: Weeks after the High Court had held that Delhi LG was the administrative head of the National Capital Territory, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against the judgement.

On August 04, the HC had held that AAP government's contention that Delhi LG was bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was 'without substance'.

After the verdict Lt Governor Najeeb Jung had said that he felt sorry for Delhi CM Kejriwal and that his interpretation of the Constitution was 'laughable'.

He had added that all issues raised by AAP government had been declared wrong by the court and had suggested that approaching the apex court on the matter would be futile.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath had dismissed Kejriwal government's plea challenging the Centre's May 21, 2015, notification giving absolute powers to LG in appointing bureaucrats in the national capital.

The court had also quashed several notifications issued by Kejriwal after returning to power last year, saying they were illegal as they were issued without concurrence of the LG.

While pronouncing the verdict, the HC had said that Centre's May 21, 2015, notification barring Delhi government's anti-corruption branch from proceeding against Central government employees was neither illegal nor unsustainable.

It had also said that service matters 'fall outside the jurisdiction of Delhi Legislative Assembly and the LG exercising the powers in such matter was not unconstitutional'.

The AAP government on May 28 last year had moved the HC, a day after the Centre had approached the SC challenging an order of the High Court which had termed as 'suspect' the Union Home Ministry's notification barring the city government's ACB from acting against its officers in criminal offences.

The Delhi government had argued that in a democratic set up there could not be two reporting authorities - the LG and the CM.

The AAP government has also sought quashing of July 23, 2014 notification, issued by MHA at a time when Delhi did not have an elected government and was under direct rule of the Centre, restricting the executive power of GNCTD acting through ACB to investigate officers and employees of the city government only.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: A court here on Wednesday asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appear before it on December 24 on a complaint filed against him for allegedly giving "misleading information" in his poll affidavit ahead of the 2013 assembly elections.

Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria, while allowing Kejriwal's plea seeking exemption from personal appearance, directed him to appear before her on December 24 - the next date fixed for hearing.

Kejriwal, who was summoned as an accused in the case in March, had sought exemption on the ground that he has to attend some general meeting and would not be able to appear before court.

The court was hearing a complaint filed by an NGO alleging that Kejriwal had "willfully misled" the Election Commission of India by concealing his correct address and suppressing the market value of his property.

The court held that furnishing an improper address so that the proper/correct address remained untraceable and also giving an improper valuation of the property "prima facie amounts to willful concealment and suppression and also furnishing of false information and thus, there is sufficient ground for proceeding against the accused Arvind Kejriwal" under section 125 A (penalty for filing false affidavit) of the Representation of the People Act and section 177 (furnishing false information) of the Indian Penal Code".

The complaint was filed by NGO Maulik Bharat Trust, through its office bearers, alleging that Kejriwal "suppressed the actual figures of property owned by him" and and deliberately furnished a wrong address of his property in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad.

The plea contended that "willful concealment and suppression of correct address and value of the aforesaid property amounts to commission of a criminal offence under section 125A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 punishable with six months of imprisonment and/or fine or both."

All candidates filing nomination papers are required to furnish an affidavit to the EC with details of the actual cost of property and any investments that they have made.


New Delhi: With rains lashing Delhi on Wednesday morning, heavy traffic jam and waterlogging was reported from several areas of the city.

The four-hour long rainfall brought Delhi to its knees.

Lakhs of office goers faced a harrowing time in reaching their destination.

Delhi Traffic Police did a commendable job by giving regular updates of the traffic situation.

However, there wasn't a single word from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal or his deputy Manish Sisodia.

Kejriwal, who is active on Twitter and always makes it a point to express his views on almost everything, today maintained complete silence even when the Delhiites faced extreme difficulties.

Meanwhile, the Twitteratis trolled Kejriwal for no word on the difficult time.

People slammed the Delhi CM and the Aam Aadmi Party chief and posted several critical, hilarious posts on Twitter.

Here are some the posts:

For those who are wondering #whereiskejriwal , sir ji is busy working for #DelhiRains pic.twitter.com/0RlZEPI4mq

 Bobby Deol (@thebobbydeoll) August 31, 2016

The roads of Delhi have as many potholes as the policy statements of the AAP Govt #WhereIsKejriwal pic.twitter.com/5V8l4x6i9V  With Congress (@WithCongress) August 31, 2016

After a 49 day Govt in Delhi,Kejriwal ran away to Varanasi. Now he is running to Punjab! All those Sorry Sabhas were sham! #WhereIsKejriwal?    (@rachitseth) August 31, 2016

After Becoming C.M,Ppl Of Delhi And His Family Is Searching,Where Is The Owner Of AAP Mega Circus.#WhereIsKejriwal pic.twitter.com/Lgp1aTYnCi  JIGNESH SAGAR (@dhadkans91) August 31, 2016

With the grace of Almighty @ArvindKejriwal, now we need less cars, and more boats!#WhereIsKejriwal pic.twitter.com/JUw64py5Xf  Kejriwal Lies (@KejriLies) August 31, 2016

Its not waterlogging, its free water for Delhites that Kejriwal had promised in his manifesto DelhiRains #WhereIsKejriwal @seemaadhikari  WithRG (@MeWithRG) August 31, 2016
Munich: The Baloch National Movement (BNM) Germany chapter held demonstrations in different cities on Tuesday in a bid to highlight the ongoing genocide and human rights violations in Balochistan.

The protests took place in Dusseldorf, Berlin and Munich on August 30, which is also marked as "The International Day of the victims of the enforced disappearance" by the Baloch people.

Meanwhile, activists told Zee Media that the Pakistani Army used chemical weapons against Baloch, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, almost reproached Pakistan for human rights violations in Balochistan.

The protesters were also seen holding placards which read "PM Modi Balochistan loves you".

Some were also seen holding placards which read "stop #enforced disappearance in Balochistan" and enacting the human rights abuses by Pakistan with chains tied in their hands and blood stains on their shirts.

The protesters also sought the attention of United Nations, the US and the EU in order to act for the safe recovery of those missing, which amounts to thousands.

The BNM activists highlighted that silence of the international community is aiding Baloch genocide by Pakistan.

BNM`s deputy secretary Germany Zone, Nadeem Saleem said that in 1948, Balochistan was unlawfully occupied by Pakistan through a military invasion in violation of International Law and against the wishes of the Baloch nation.

Highlighting that Pakistani military occupation in Balochistan has deprived its people to develop into a democratic society with rights to education, economic freedom, cultural progress and social justice, he said that country`s military is promoting proxy Islamist terrorist groups in Balochistan.

"Pakistani military establishment is promoting proxy Islamist terrorist groups in Balochistan as a policy to crush the secular Baloch freedom struggle and to transform the society into a bastion of Taliban, ISIS, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi to be used against neighbouring Afghanistan and India," Saleem told ANI.

He said that since 2003, more than 23,000 activists, students, lawyers, women, journalists, writers and human rights defenders have been enforced disappeared by the Pakistani Army and its death squads.

Asserting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the atrocities committed against the people of Balochistan by the Pakistan, he hoped that the United Nation, US, UK, Germany, and the European Union will raise their voices to save his people.

Protesters were also seen holding placards reading, "PM Modi Balochistan loves you, needs you."

Jaleel Ahmed Baloch, unit secretary of Gottingen unit, Germany requested the world community to take notice of the atrocities against the people of Balochistan.

"There are more than 30, 0000 Baloch activists, Baloch teachers, Baloch students who are under Pakistani torture cells, who are bearing inhuman torture in Pakistani torture custody. We request to the United Nation, European Union, India and the rest of democratic countries please take notice of that," he told ANI.

The protesters also highlighted that Pakistan`s Gwadar port in Balochistan, developed with Chinese assistance, key part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project is raising tensions in the Indian Ocean.

Described as an economic "game-changer" by Pakistan and China, CPEC has strategic implications for India and Afghanistan.

The Baloch Republican Party (BRP) activists were earlier seen holding protest rally in Kolwa area of Awaran district against military operations and Chinese intervention in Balochistan.

Earlier media reports have also highlighted the manner in which the CPEC project was being constructed against the will of the local population in Balochistan, leading to the heavy presence of Pakistani military and police apparatus in the area.

The Pakistani Army has also been alleged of forceful evacuation of people from their traditional homesteads and farmlands in several areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan so as to make the land available for the CPEC.

(With ANI inputs)
Lucknow, Aug 30 (PTI) Facing flak on the law and order situation in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today hit back at BSP saying why it was voted out of power if the situation during its tenure was so good.

"If the law and order situation was so good during your regime, then why today you are sitting on that side (opposition benches)?" he said, during a debate on law and order situation in the state Assembly initiated by Leader of the Opposition Gaya Charan Dinkar (BSP), who spoke on admissibility of an adjournment notice on the issue.

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Yadav recalled the alleged wrongdoings during the BSP rule following which several of its leaders had to go to jail.

"Dont forget you were elected ten years ago," he said.

He said BSP should thank him for taking action and getting arrested BJP leader (Daya Shankar Singh) who made derogatory remarks against their leader Mayawati.

"Your leader had said if I considered her as Bua (Aunt), I should get the BJP leader arrested for making comments on her. I got him arrested, and this also reflects that law and order situation in the state was good," the Chief Minister said.

Yadav said his government was working for womens security and claimed that some four lakh women have benefitted through the 1090 powerline.

Accusing BSP of not being interested in law and order situation but only wanting to take advantage of such incidents to meet its political ends, he said their (BSP) charges were far from reality that SP was working in tandem with BJP for polarisation of votes before the Assembly elections next year.

"It had been you who had ties with BJP. You sought votes for them in Gujarat, formed government with them and celebrated Raksha Bandhan," Yadav said and asked both the BSP and BJP to contest the 2017 Assembly elections on their own without joining hands. (MORE) PTI SAB SMI SMJ

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, serving a 10-year jail term in the teachers recruitment scam, was today shifted to AIIMS, two days after he was admitted to RML hospital following an inspection.

The 81-year-old INLD chief has been admitted under Dr Randeep Guleria, Head of Pulmonary Department, AIIMS, hospital authorities said.

It is understood that Chautala has been shifted to the premier institute after he complained of breathing problems.

He was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital on August 27 and shifted to trauma ICU section a day later. His TLC (Total Leukocyte Count) had increased a lot indicating some sort of infection.

He is lodged in Tihar Jail and sources said he was referred to RML Hospital from the central jail dispensary.

On January 22, 2013, a special CBI court had convicted and sentenced Chautala and his son Ajay along with seven others to 10-year jail term each for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior teachers in 2000.
Chandigarh: A teacher was shot dead inside a government school on Tuesday by some unidentified assailants who fired a volley of bullets at him in Meham of Rohtak district.

The incident occurred after the school hours when the children had left, police said

Some assailants barged in the school and targeted the teacher, in his 40s, who was sitting with some other teachers and preparing to leave the premises, they said.

The teacher was rushed to hospital in Rohtak where he succumbed to his injuries, a woman teacher was also injured in the incident and was hospitalised.

Police are suspecting some old enmity behind the incident.

A case has been registered and investigations are on.
New Delhi: Justice (retd) SN Dhingra led panel, which is probing the grant of licences for change in land use in four villages of Gurgaon, including the licence granted to a company (Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited ) owned by Robert Vadra, will submit its report on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, News18 reported that the one-man commission has found irregularities in grant of permissions to Vadra's Skylight Hospitality.

The Dhingra panel points that influential people granted Change of Land Use (CLU) permission causing land prices to increase.

The report further stated that action will likely be taken against several people including ex-CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Robert Vadra is the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and husband of Priyanka Gandhi.

The commission had the mandate to probe the circumstances of the grant or rejection of the licences for the development of colonies, group housing societies and commercial complexes in those sectors of Gurgaon for which lands in the areas of Shikohpur, Sikanderpur, Badah and Kherki Dhaula were used.

It has also probed whether the transfer of licence by the original licencee within a short period of time was in violation of the law and caused a loss of revenue to the state government.

Vadra has been accused of transferring his licence to DLF in violation of the law and causing a huge loss to revenue.
New Delhi: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday termed the Justice SN Dhingra panel report as nothing but witchhunt shortly after it indicated that irregularities were committed in allotting land to firms owbned by Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra in Haryana.

Havent seen report, but if it has been leaked then it proves its nothing but witchunt, BS Hooda was quoted as saying by ANI.

On allegations that rules were flouted in allotting land to Vadra's firms, Hooda said, ''No undue favours were given to anyone, we followed proper policies.''

Meanwhile, Congress party too reacted sharply to the findings of the Justice SN Dhingra Commission.

BJP government at the Centre and Haryana have run a political agenda of vendetta and revenge for years purely to slander and vilify, the Congress party said.

Constitution of Dhingra Commission was a mere cog in that wheel of malicious witchhunt propogated by BJP, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

Addressing a press briefing, Justice SN Dhingra today said, ''I have brought the irregularities to light and people behind it."

However, Dhingra did not name Robert Vadra or then Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

"If there were no irregularities in land allotment, I would have submitted a one-sentence, not an 182-page report," Dhingra told reporters after submitting his report to the Haryana government.

Justice Dhingra told reporters that "I can't make the contents of my report public but it is in two parts." "One part of the report deals with findings while the second part consists of evidences," he added.

"I have named government officials as well as private indiividuals in my report," he said.

When asked why he did not call IAS officer Ashok Khemka for deposition, Justice Dhingra said that it was not necessary. He futher clarified that his mandate was to inquire about irregularities in grant of licences.

Justice Dhingra said that now it is up to the government to act on his report.

The one-man Justice SN Dhingra commission, set up by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in May last year, was asked to probe controversial land deals in Haryana, including the land deals of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra.

The commission was asked to probe the grant of licenses to Vadra's company and other firms for developing commercial properties in Gurgaon's Sector 83 and some other prime areas.

It was mandated to probe their subsequent transfer or disposal, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules, and other connected matters.

Dhingra is a retired judge of the Delhi high court.
Berlin: Scores of Baloch activists staged protests in the German cities of Dusseldorf, Berlin and Munich against the "human right crisis and forced disappearances" of Baloch people in Pakistan, said a representative of the activists.

The protests on Tuesday -- marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances -- were held by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) with demonstrators holding placards thanking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the issue of human rights violations in Balochistan.

"Protests were held against enforced disappearances by Pakistani forces in Balochistan on International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on Tuesday," Faiz Muhammad Marri of Baloch National Movement told IANS on Wednesday over phone.

The Baloch protestors carried placards reading "Thank you Narendra Modi for your support", "United Nations send fact-finding mission to Balochistan", "Stop Baloch Genocide", and "Pakistan China Economic Corridor intensified brutalities in Balochistan".

Marri alleged that more than 25,000 Baloch people have gone missing by the hands of Pakistani forces while more than 3,000 Baloch missing persons have been found killed and dumped in various parts of Balochistan and Sindh.

"Three mass graves were found in Tootak area of Khuzdar in 2014 containing 169 dead bodies. Only two of them were identified by their clothes and ID cards. They had been abducted by the Pakistani army during earthquake relief operations in Awaran in September and October 2013," Marri told IANS.

Earlier, protests were held against the China Pakistan Economic Corridor outside the Chinese embassy in London on Sunday evening when slogans like "No to CPEC" were raised.


New Delhi: India and the US on Wednesday called upon Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack to justice.

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday following Tuesday`s Second Strategic and Commercial Dialogue here, the two sides reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their commitment to dismantle safe havens for terrorist and criminal networks such as the Islamic State (IS), al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company and its affiliates and the Haqqani Network.

Tuesday`s talks were co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also in attendance.

"The sides called on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice," the joint statement said.

"The sides will continue to review and consider other organisations that warrant terrorist designations including those that engage in cross-border terrorism," it stated.

Both India and the US resolved to build on the 2015 Joint Declaration on Combating Terrorism by expanding their practical cooperation to increase their capacity to address the worldwide terrorist threat.

"The sides noted the discussions held on the full range of counter terrorism issues during the India-US Counter Terrorism Joint Working Group meeting held in July 2016 in Washington, DC, welcoming initiatives to expeditiously exchange terrorist screening information, enhance coordination on proposed UN designations of terrorist entities, and expedite mutual legal assistance requests," the statement said.

Stating that both sides were developing more joint counter-terrorism exchanges, programmes, and initiatives to deepen the bilateral partnership, it said. "The sides reaffirmed their support for a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that advances and strengthens the framework for global cooperation to counter terrorism and reinforces that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism."

In a joint press interaction following Tuesday`s bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, both Sushma Swaraj and Kerry called upon Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminal networks while saying that there can be no difference between good and bad terrorists.
New Delhi: The seventh batch of 25 declassified files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was released on Tuesday. The files pertained to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) from 1951 to 2006.

As per documentation available in the current batch, an Irish historian had revealed that the Special Operation Committee (SOE) of the British intelligence agency had conspired to assassinate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Threatened by the prospect of Netaji advancing towards the far East, the SOF had directed its agents in Istanbul (Turkey) and Cairo (Egypt) to capture and assassinate Bose, reported The Indian Express.

Since Bose reached Germany via Moscow, the plot had failed.

The declassified files also revealed that India had agreed to share with Pakistan the funds of freedom fighter Bose's Indian National Army (INA) and Indian Independence League (IIL) in 1953.

This was revealed in a note which was enclosed with a letter dated October 18, 1953, by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to then West Bengal chief minister BC Roy.

The first lot of 100 files related to Netaji were put in public domain by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 23 on the occasion of the freedom fighter's 119th birth anniversary.

The second lot of 50 files was released in March and 25 files each were put in public domain in the subsequent months.

The disappearance of Netaji 70 years ago still remains a mystery with two Commissions of Inquiry concluding that he had died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, while a third probe panel, headed by Justice MK Mukherjee, had contested it and suggested that Bose had survived the crash.
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar along with his cabinet ministers and party MLAs today cycled to the Legislative Assembly here in a bid to encourage people to opt for eco-friendly transportation.

62-year-old Khattar Khattar and many others rode bicycles to cover the short distance of over one km from the chief minister's residence to the Assembly, some of the women MLAs travelled by e-rickshaws.

The Chief Minister later told reporters that they wanted to give a message to people to make more use of environment-friendly mode of transports.

He said though their gesture was "symbolic", but they want a message should go out that using bicycles is not only good for health, but also environment-friendly.

Notably, on the opening day of the monsoon session of Haryana Assembly on Friday, BJP MLA Pawan Kumar Saini had pedalled around 110 km from his constituency in Kurukshetra district to reach the Assembly in Chandigarh.

45-year-old Saini was also among the group of MLAs who cyled to the Assembly today.
New Delhi: United States of Secretary John Kerry, who is on his fourth visit to India, will interact with students of Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi on Wednesday morning.

Following this, Kerry is expected to visit Rajghat to pay homage to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.

In the afternoon, Kerry will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence, 7 Racecourse Road residence.

On Tuesday, India and the United States agreed to tackle challenges of terrorism and to strengthen the bilateral intelligence sharing mechanism.

Addressing a joint press conference with Kerry after the conclusion of the US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said nations must not act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations.

She said she had apprised Kerry of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan and categorically said there are no good or bad terrorists.

Sushma said Pakistan should withdraw safe havens provided to the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and D-Company.

Swaraj said she and Kerry agreed that Pakistan needs to book perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai terror attack and 2016 Pathankot airbase attack.

She also thanked Secretary Kerry for United States`s constant support for India`s membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Kerry said there cannot be distinction between good and bad terrorists as terror is terror no matter where it emanates from or who carries it out.Saying that Pakistan must act against terrorists in its territory, he said, U.S. will continue to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attacks to justice.

Briefing media, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government has launched a transparent government e-market place, developed by Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal.

She said both India and the United States have agreed to look at best practices exchange.U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said she will look into India`s concerns over the hike in visa fees for professionals.
Thiruvananthapuram: Unfazed by protests of opposition parties and rival service organisations, CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala has restricted Onam festivities in state-run offices and institutions during working hours.

The Government Order, issued in this regard last evening, made it clear that the festivities should not be conducted during office hours.

The official Onam celebrations of this year would begin on September 12 and the festivities should be conducted without causing any difficulties to public and affecting the operations of the office, it said.

"The government is of the view that it is appropriate to avoid conducting celebrations in offices as it affects work there.

"The celebrations should be arranged in such a manner that it should not effect the work and not cause any difficulties to public," the order, issued by the Chief Secretary S M Vijayanand said.

The Chief Secretary also asked all department heads to initiate strict action to ensure implementation of the order.

Triggering heated debates, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said in a Facebook post last week that it was not appropriate and proper that Onam festivities, including laying of pookalams (floral carpets), are held state-run institutions during office hours.

He had also 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 site.

Vijayan also warned against buying and selling of various articles on office premises during the festive season and said it would be restricted as these activities consume a major chunk of work hours.

Opposition Congress-led UDF and BJP had come out criticising the Chief Minister's direction to regulate Onam festivities.
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Mumbai: The special MCOCA court on Wednesday framed charges against deported underworld don Chhota Rajan in journalist Jyotirmoy Dey murder case.

As per the report, the court allowed Chhota Rajan and prosecution to re-examine witnesses who have been already examined if necessary.

A supplementary chargesheet was framed against Rajan in the MCOCA court last week.

In 2011, Mid-Day journalist J Dey was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in broad daylight in Powai in Maharashtra.

The Crime Branch had later arrested 11 people who had allegedly committed the crime at Rajan's behest.

The -year-old underworld don, who was nabbed at Bali airport on his arrival from Australia in October 2015, was deported to India a month later.
New Delhi: In yet another attempt to unnerve Pakistan over the Balochistan issue, the All India Radio is soon expected to start programs in Balochi language, a report on Wednesday said.

According to AIR sources, the Narendra Modi-led government has given the approval for the same.

Ever since, PM Modi, in his Independence Day speech, came out openly in support of "freedom" for Balochistan and "Pakistan-occupied Kashmir", Islamabad has resorted to more brutal force to silence the locals.

Meanwhile, Baloch activists have claimed that Pakistan Army used chemical weapons after PM Modi's I-Day speech.

Even PM Modi's call for freedom of the restive areas didn't go down well with China. A state-run Chinese daily on Monday cried foul over India's move to extend enhanced compensation for victims of terror to people of PoK, saying Modi has "lost patience and switched to the expected hardline tone of hostility.

Notably, Baloch leaders have rallied behind New Delhi's call for freedom for Balochistan and Chinese intervention in the area.

Balochistan leaders Brahumdagh Bugti and Ashraf Sherjan have expressed their gratitude towards India for highlighting the Balochistan issue internationally.

The PoK region has been witnessing huge protests in recent past. Locals in the region have been agitating on the streets to protest against the rigged July 21 election and Pakistan's occupation of the region.
New Delhi: The United States today said that it is clear that Pakistan has to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against "indigenous groups" operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistan's peace and stability.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on a three-day visit here, said that he has discussed with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of taking stronger action against groups such as the Haqqani network and LeT.

Addressing a session at IIT-Delhi here, he said terror groups like Daesh, Al Qaeda, LeT and JeM can't be fought by a single nation alone.

"We are working on it. I have been working on this issue very hard. I have had many engagements with Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities. They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India- Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," Kerry said.

Kerry said Pakistan has fastened the process in the recent months.
New Delhi: India is a key strategic partner of the US with the war against terror and stability of the Indian Ocean Region in focus, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday as he interacted with students at the premier Indian Institute of Technology here.

Kerry, who reached Delhi on Monday evening, faced Delhi's rain woes for the second time, as his motorcade had to negotiate a waterlogged road right in front of the institute.

He, however, chose to joke about it and asked the audience in the almost packed IIT hall if they had come by boats.

"I don't know if you came in boats or amphibious vehicles of some kind," Kerry asked, provoking laughter.

His programme to visit a few holy places in the national capital was, meanwhile, cancelled even as the American Embassy preferred to say it was "postponed" because of the torrential rain.

In a lighter vein again, Kerry also said that the Computer Science programme at the IIT was so competitive that those rejected here were taken by institutes like MIT.

At the same time, he chose the platform to send out a strong message to China asking it to abide by an international tribunal's decision on claims to some reefs and atolls in the South China Sea, citing India as an example.

"India's decision to accept an international tribunal's judgement over its maritime border with Bangladesh actually stands apart from other choices made by other countries," Kerry said.

"It is a model how a potentially dangerous dispute can be resolved peacefully, including the South China Sea where the US continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunal's recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry added.

Beijing has rejected the decision by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration over strategic reefs and atolls in the South China Sea. The judgment was in favour of the Philippines.

He also mentioned Pakistan and stressed it needs to work more against the terror network there.

"I have had many conversations with the Pakistan President, Prime Minister, particularly Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif), about how to focus on sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal with the Haqqani network, deal with Lashkar-e-Taiba," Kerry said.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist terrorist activities....

"And it must work with us to help clear sanctuaries that are affecting relationship between Pakistan and India and also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," said Kerry.

He emphasised that India has a larger role in resolving global conflicts.

"Rising India will play a very critical role in resolving global challenges," Kerry said adding that the challenges included extremism, terrorism, extreme poverty, uneven and unsustainable growth, among others.

In his around 40-minute-long speech, which was followed by a 30-minute-long question-and-answer session, Kerry also welcomed the passage of the bill on Goods and Services Tax and bankruptcy law in Parliament.

Touching upon the issue of climate change, Kerry emphasised that India is the only country which is going to increase the use of coal instead of decreasing it, though he added that the Indian government is making efforts to change this.

"The choices we make in our energy policy will decide whether our planet survives or not," Kerry said.

He pointed out how the last decade has been the hottest, the previous one the second hottest and so on.


New Delhi: The Pakistani Army's savagery in Balochistan is nothing new but its scale is said to have intensified after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on Independence Day.

According to activists, the Army used chemical weapons against people after Modi, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, almost reproached Pakistan for human rights violations in Balochistan.

One of the activists has told Zee Media that the Pakistani Army killed around 100 people and kidnapped around 150 others on August 15.

The activist also claimed that the Army treats Baloch worse than animals.

After the report of the use of chemical weapons came to the fore, some Baloch living in Germany staged a protest against the Pakistan's government.

Watch the full report here:
Srinagar: The house of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Rajya Sabha member was set ablaze by a mob on Wednesday, witnesses and police said.

Nobody was present in the house when arsonists torched the residence of Nazir Laway in Chawalgam village of Kulgam district in south Kashmir, some 60 km from here.

Police said the incident took place hours after security forces fired pellets at protesters shouting anti-government and pro-freedom slogans in a nearby Katrusoo village. Dozens of protesters were injured in the clash.

Violent protests returned on Wednesday after two days of relative peace in the Kashmir Valley that has been on the boil since the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

At least 72 persons, including two policemen, have been killed in an unending cycle of violent clashes between protesters and security forces since then.
Chandigarh: It seems day-by-day Punjab Assembly Elections are getting tougher for Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)!

Days after Aam Aadmi Party removed Sucha Singh Chhotepur as the party's Punjab convenor, speculations are rife that his supporters may float a new party to fight elections in Punjab.

Reportedly, the dissidents are contemplating to launch a new political outfit to be named as 'AAP Punjab', if Arvind Kejriwal and other top leaders of the party leadership do not pay attention to their demands.

Noteworthy, the party's six zone in-charges are backing Chhotepur, according to a report in TOI.

According to experts, if Chhotepur's supporters float a new party with him, certainly it will harm AAP's prospects in the poll-bound state

Chhotepur's removal

Aam Aadmi Party on last Friday removed Sucha Singh Chhotepur as the party's Punjab convenor over allegations that he took bribe from a ticket aspirant.

AAP's highest decision making body, the Political Affairs Committee, took the decision.

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.

"The allegation is that Chhotepur sought Rs 60 lakh from from a ticket aspirant and the deal was fixed at Rs 30 lakh. The person has already paid him Rs 4 lakh, of which Chotepur returned Rs 3 lakh. He kept the rest of the amount with him," Mann said.

Meanwhile, Chhotepur, in a conference at Chandigarh, said, "I am saddened that the party, instead of defending me has levelled allegations against me."

On the purported sting operation against him, Chhotepur said it was a "conspiracy" hatched by "my own friends within the party."

21 AAP leaders from Punjab had 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: The US on Wednesday reaffirmed its support to India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) by redoubling efforts for an early entry.

A joint statement issued following the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue here said that "in a further effort to strengthen global non-proliferation and export controls, both sides committed to redouble their efforts towards India's early entry" into the NSG.

India's bid for membership in the NSG plenary in Seoul in June this year was blocked by China on the ground that for a country to be part of the 48-member bloc it should be a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Tuesday's talks were co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also in attendance.

"The United States urged participating governments to support India's candidacy in their common interest. The United States also re-affirmed its support for India's early membership of the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement," Wednesday's joint statement also said.

The Australia Group is an informal group of countries to help member countries to identify those exports which need to be controlled so as not to contribute to the spread of chemical and biological weapons.

The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies, commonly known as the Wassenaar Arrangement, is a multilateral export control regime with 41 participating states.

According to a separate section of the joint statement, in support of India's quest for clean energy, both sides "noted the progress made in bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and applauded continued engagement between Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. toward finalising the contractual arrangements by June 2017 to build six AP 1000 reactors that will provide clean, reliable energy to millions of people in India".

"They also looked forward to the immediate commencement of work on engineering and site design and the early conclusion of a competitive financing package based on the joint work by India and the US Export-Import Bank," it said.

The US also extended support for the International Solar Alliance launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Conference of Parties (CoP)-21 climate summit in Paris in November last year.

"The United States affirmed its support for pursuing its membership of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), recognising the critical role it can play in the development and deployment of solar power," the statement said.

"The sides also recognised the continued significance of efficient power generation technologies to address the challenges of climate change."
New Delhi: US Secretary of State John Kerry, who arrived in India on a three-day visit on Monday, will be extending his stay here, it is reliably learnt.

Kerry was scheduled to leave New Delhi for Washington on Wednesday evening but is now likely to stay back here at least for a day more.

Kerry on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here following Tuesday's Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

Earlier on Wednesday, he addressed a town hall meeting at the Indian Institute of Technology here.

He was also scheduled to visit the Sisganj Gurdwara, the Jama Masjid and a Hindu temple but the programme got postponed as heavy rain lashed the city on Wednesday morning.

Tuesday's bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue was co-chaired by Kerry and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also in attendance.


Srinagar: Authorities on Wednesday lifted curfew from Kashmir Valley, the first time since the present unrest began, while clashes erupted at some places between stone pelters and security forces.

"Curfew has been lifted from the entire valley. Restrictions preventing assembly of five or more persons under Section 144 CrPc will remain in force," a police official said here.

After the security forces were removed from Nowhatta area of the old Srinagar city on Wednesday morning, youths took to the roads.

Security forces were rushed back to quell the protests after which the protesters started pelting stones at them.

Similar clashes were witnessed in Tengpora area and north Kashmir`s Sopore town.

People were seen buying vegetables, milk, bread and other essentials of life on Wednesday morning from vendors and bakers in Srinagar city.

Private transport moved on uptown city roads, but main markets, public transport, and educational institutions remained closed for the 54th consecutive day.

The separatists have called for protest shutdown till Thursday through a weekly protest calendar which they have been issuing ever since the present unrest started here.

At least 71 people have been killed and over 11,000 injured in the ongoing violence that started here on July 9, a day after the killing of top militant, Burhan Wani.
Srinagar: Various terrorist groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir receive funds through different Hawala channels. A report has now revealed how funds are pumped into the Valley.

As per the report of the Jammu and Kashmir government, at least six cases have been registered in this regard.

On Wednesday, a report in Oneindia said several lakhs of rupees are smuggled in Jammu and Kashmir in gas cylinders. Money is stitched to salwar kameez donned by women to deflect the attention.

The portal said: The directive is issued in Pakistan to move money into Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan then activates its sympathisers across the globe to start moving money into accounts controlled by the separatists. There have been instances when the money has moved in through a Hawala channel to Delhi and then the same is collected by a point man.

In April, Jammu and Kashmir BJP had raised concern over reported flow of Hawala money from Gulf countries into the Valley.

There are several terrorist training camps in PoK of various outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mijahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad which are used for training and subsequently for infiltrating trained militants into Jammu and Kashmir.
Srinagar: A 15-year-old boy was killed today in clashes between security forces and violent protesters in Sopore area of north Kashmir Baramulla district, taking the death toll in the ongoing unrest in the Valley to 69.

Danish Manzoor and six other persons sustained injuries when security forces allegedly opened fire at stone-pelting protesters in Lodora in Sopore area, a police official said.

He said Danish succumbed to injuries while being shifted to a hospital in Sopore town.

With this death, the toll in the ongoing unrest in Kashmir has gone up to 69.

The fresh clashes occurred even as authorities lifted curfew from all areas of Kashmir today after 53 days.

"There is no curfew anywhere in Kashmir today. It has been lifted even from the two police station areas in Srinagar - M R Gunj and Nowhatta - the only places in the Valley where the curbs were in place yesterday," a police official said earlier.

He said the improvement in situation across Kashmir prompted authorities to lift curfew.

Security forces have been deployed in strength in sensitive areas of the Valley to maintain law and order, the official said.

Greater movement of vehicular traffic and people was observed in major areas of the Valley, the official said.

In Srinagar city, where authorities lifted the curfew on Monday, private cars and auto-rickshaws were seen on roads in and around the commercial hub of Lal Chowk here.

However, normal life remained disrupted in many other areas of the Valley.

Schools, colleges and other educational institutions and shops remained closed. The attendance in government offices and work in banks has witnessed improvement since Monday, the official said.

Curfew was clamped in entire Valley on July 9 following violence in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in south Kashmir s Anantnag district a day earlier.

The separatist camp, which is spearheading the agitation in the Valley, has extended their strike call till September 1.

Meanwhile, mobile internet continued to remain suspended in the entire Valley, where the outgoing facility on prepaid mobiles remained barred.
Mysore: The sight of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stepping out of his residence and touring his hometown Mysore, holding a lemon in his right hand, has caught the attention of the state and the national media on Wednesday.

The video clip of the chief minister touring the city with a lemon in one hand was first carried by state's BTV after which several Kannada news channels and the national media carried the footage.

The footage shows the Chief Minister tightly holding a lemon in his right hand all through the day.

Interestingly, the chief minister even interacted with media raising his hand showing the lemon to photographers.

However, he refused to take any questions on it.

Sources claim that either a Muslim cleric or a Hindu seer had given him that lemon to ward off evil powers.

This comes at a time when he has been advocating for an anti-superstition bill in the state.

The draft bill has been stuck in the Assembly after both ruling Congress and opposition parties opposed its tabling.

People close to Siddaramaiah claim that he has changed after sudden death of his son Rakesh a month ago.

A controversial self-styled godman Chandrashekhara Swamy has claimed that he has sighted a white crow on the banks of Cauvery river and it might cause irreparable damage to the Chief Minister.
Bengaluru: Malls and high-rise buildings, including apartments, built illegally on storm water drains of the city would be demolished to prevent flooding after heavy rains, Karnataka Law Minister TB Jayachandra said on Wednesday.

"We are determined to demolish all buildings constructed illegally on encroached storm water drains and lake beds across the city and blocking rain water flow to prevent flooding," Jayachandra told reporters after the state cabinet at a meeting here unanimously took the decision.

Though the minister did not specify how many buildings, including malls and apartments, would be razed, he mentioned that a high-rise apartment building of leading realtor Prestige Group at Bellandur was identified for demolition as it was illegally built on a storm water drain.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) a month ago launched a massive demolition drive after heavy rains in July flooded low-laying areas and arterial roads, as water flow in the storm water drains was blocked and two-three lakes breached due to encroachments around them.

"We have taken up the demolition drive in compliance with the 2011 Karnataka High Court's order, which directed the civic corporation to clear buildings which encroached storm water drains to stop flooding," reiterated Jayachandra.

The cabinet decision comes in the light of public criticism of the state government and the BBMP as buildings and houses of middle class and poor built on the drains were being demolished while those of the rich and real estate firms were spared.

"We will demolish all buildings illegally built on such drains, be they a massive apartment block, a mall or even an ordinary house," asserted Jayachandra.

Claiming that the Prestige apartment building had come up on a main storm water drain at Bellandur, the minister said as a result, the 150-foot wide drain was reduced to just 10 feet, with a part of the structure encroaching 140 feet of the drain.

"The builder wants us to divert the drain so that his building could be saved. But we are not going to heed to such requests. We will demolish it," Jayachandra said.

Asked about Orion Mall, which the BBMP had identified as being on a storm water drain in the south-west suburb, the minister said the corporation would inspect the structure and demolish it if it is found to be illegal.

"We will not differentiate between the rich and poor in the demolition drive, as clearing the storm water drains of encroachments was imperative to avoid a repeat of heavy flooding in Chennai last year after a deluge," noted Jayachandra.

Of 1,300 small and big buildings the BBMP had identified as those encroaching drains, about 100-150 have been demolished till date, mostly on the city's outskirts.

"As the rich and big realtors know the law, they exploit loopholes or lacuna in it and secure a court order staying demolition. We are aware of that. None will be spared, as the city cannot be choked by illegal structures on storm water drains," added the minister.

In its reaction, Prestige said it was not aware of which of its buildings was being referred to by the minister.

"We are unaware of which building is being referred to. We are open to scrutiny and audit at any time. We move forward with the assurance that our stand will be vindicated and we will come out clean," said Prestige Chairman and Managing Director Irfan Razack in a statement here hours after Jayachandra's briefing.

Asserting that the group respected rule of law, Razack said works it had undertaken till date were completed with requisite permissions and sanctions.

"We respect the environment and have always focused on developing eco-friendly properties. The spaces we create enhance the value of our property as well as of the area in which the development is located," he added.


Kolkata: In a heinous incident, a 12-year-old girl was gang-raped and strangulated in an Ola cab in Kolkata on Tuesday night.

The West Bengal Police has arrested two cab drivers.

The incident took place on the newly-opened Ma flyover in Park Circus.

After picking up the minor girl from a pavement on Brabourne Road in central Kolkata, the duo raped her and threw the girl into a canal below the flyover.

The police arrested the accused with the help of CCTV footage of the flyover.
New York: Underscoring the "tremendous bilateral economic potential" between India and the US, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan rolled out a red carpet for American companies to invest across sectors in Madhya Pradesh to give a boost to revenue generation and job creation.

Chouhan, who is currently on a five-day visit to the US, addressed business leaders, executives and analysts here yesterday, touting his state as an "ideal investment destination" that has a conducive business environment, investor-friendly policies and no red-tapism.

"India and America are deep friends. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi share a personal friendship. The two nations are the world's greatest democracies.

"In America's development and prosperity, people of Indian-origin have made significant contributions and the Indian diaspora is strengthening ties between the US and India," Chouhan said in a spirited address to industry leaders at a seminar organised by industry body CII and US-India Business Council in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh government.

"India and the US share tremendous bilateral economic potential and will continue to forge deeper ties and move ahead, contributing to global peace and economic prosperity," he said.

"With an atmosphere of terror and uncertainty gripping the world, the strong partnership between India and the US will help combat that and establish peace and prosperity in the world," he said in his address in Hindi.

Rolling out the red carpet for American investors, Chouhan said his state offers "infinite investment opportunities" in sectors such as IT, textile, food processing, pharma, tourism, infrastructure, health, real estate, minerals and education.

"I have come here to invite you to visit Madhya Pradesh, which is the ideal state for investment in India. We have come here to invite investment because we not only want to generate revenue but also create jobs opportunities for our youth," he said, adding that he has a "passion and determination" to take his state forward.

He also expressed confidence that the next leader of the US, which is in the midst of a crucial election cycle, will be a friend of India, while taking a potshot at America finally getting a woman presidential nominee while in his state, women have been elected for posts at various levels of government.

"In America after so many years, a party decided to make a woman its presidential candidate," he said amid laughter from the audience, adding that in his state, 50 per cent reservation is there for women in local government structures.

"True women empowerment will happen when women have the power to govern a state. They will govern much better than men," he said to a round of applause.
Mumbai: Following uproar over Sajjad Mogul killer of lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha jumping parole in Maharashtra this year, the state government notified new parole rules on Wednesday, a media report said.

As per the new rules, those convicted of rape, rape and murder, any section of Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, dacoity or kidnapping will not be eligible for regular parole in Maharashtra. Those convicted of serious offences like child trafficking and convicts serving life until death will also be denied parole from now onwards.

However, as per the media report, emergency parole will be considered on a case by case basis.

According to another report, the department is also considering to reduce the period of parole to half, i.e. 45 days instead of 90 days. In addition, no pleas will now be entertained for parole extension.

Meanwhile, Majid Memon of NCP slammed the state government's decision on revising parole laws. "Maharashtra government is making a slight mistake while revising parole laws. The purpose of parole is to keep a person in the touch of family and society on few occasions," Memon was quoted as saying by CNN-News18.

Maharashtra government has encountered a humiliating situation by having the highest number of parole violations consistently that forced the government to revise parole rules. An uproar was witnessed after convict Sajjad Mogul, killer of lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha, jumped parole early this year and is yet to be traced.

Last week, the Maharashtra Home Department had put all parole applications on hold temporarily. The department had notified that no parole would be given till revised rules are notified.
Ratnagiri: The single-minded pursuit by an RTI activist led to an expose and finally prevented the sale to a private party of a historical sea fort in Maharashtra, constructed in the early 1700s.

The Yashwantgad Fort, now in dire straits, was once an imposing edifice acting in the long line of coastal defences, standing at the entrance of Rajapur Creek in Ratnagiri district.

Sometime in early 2012, the owners of the 3.16-hectare land on which the fort stood, toyed with the idea of a sale which finally materialised in the form of an agreement on October 17 the same year.

RTI activist Samir V. Shirvadkar got a whiff of the sale of the historic property and decided to pursue its details through an RTI plea on August 23, 2013.

"I was shocked to learn that the once-magnificent fort had been sold for a paltry Rs 3.50 million and even the name change documents (7/12 extract) had been prepared in the name of the buyers," Shirvadkar told IANS.

He filed another RTI plea the next month and secured the copies of the agreement, the sale deed and other relevant documents pertaining to the sale.

"It was sold by the current owners -- Vishwanath R. Patki -- to a couple -- Arvind T. Parkar and his wife Aneeta. The name change documents prepared by the revenue department also confirmed the sale," said Shirvadkar.

"The current owner's family had been given the land and the fort as a 'gift' by the erstwhile British government in the late 1800s, for services rendered. But by then the fort had already outlived its utility and strategic value so there was no maintenance or upkeep of any kind," B.V. Kulkarni, Deputy Director, Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Maharashtra, told IANS.

"Over the years, the owners continued to live, work or farm there as the condition of the fort continued to worsen since it was not declared either as a monument of national or state importance. Now it is in our control and we shall prepare a long-term conservation plan which will eventually make it a tourist attraction," Kulkarni explained.

On the sale completed four years ago, the official said it does not affect the status of the fort as it is under the control of the government now and the owners cannot make any changes or alterations to the existing structure.

The Yashwantgad Fort served as an island fortification and was constructed in the early 1700s, at the entrance of the Rajapur Creek of the Arabian Sea on one side.

On the other three sides, it was protected by a ditch which served as a kind of moat, but it virtually disappeared over the years.

The fourth sea-facing side has a long continuous wall with 16 bastions and its main entrance was on the eastern side, though most of it is in ruins now due to centuries of neglect.

A British ship, HMS Outram had sank near the fort on January 1, 1817, after which the then government constructed a lighthouse at nearby Jaitapur.

Shirvadkar said the fort is now safely in government custody after a government resolution on June 24, 2016 and a gazette notification on August 29, declaring the ancient Yashwantgad Fort as a 'Protected Monument' under the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960.

Holding great importance in Maratha naval history, the fort was mentioned in a treaty signed by the Maratha Admiral (Sarkhel) Kanhoji Angre and Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj in Satara in 1713.

Earlier in 1707, Queen Tarabai Bhonsle, the daughter-in-law of Chhatrapati Shivaji who founded the Maratha empire, had appointed Angre as the Admiral and protector of the entire coastal area from Mumbai to Sawantwadi.

During that period, Angre constructed several sea forts, and the Yashwantgad Fort was built between 1707-1713 with huge dressed stones in dry masonry type.

The Yashwantgad Fort is built on two levels -- the Lower Fort, which is the larger one with its base touching the creek and a fresh water well inside, and the Upper Fort, which is smaller and on a hillock to keep watch on maritime activities in the surrounding waters.

With 16 bastions and three entrances, "this fort has a great importance in Maratha naval History", said the government notification earlier this week.


Aizawl: The two-day emergent session of the Mizoram state legislature was today adjourned sine die by speaker Hiphei.

The assembly today passed the Mizoram Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2016 as introduced by state Transport Minister John Rotluangliana which replaced the Ordinance issued by the state governor in July.

Elections to the three assembly financial committees, Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Estimates and Committee on Public Undertakings, were held after which Hiphei said that they would soon appoint the chairmen of the committees.

The assembly had ratified the 122nd amendment to the Constitution by adopting an official resolution moved by the state finance minister Lalsawta yesterday.
Berhampur (Odisha): Mystery shrouds the death of a 21-year-old student of Khallikote autonomous college in Odisha's Ganjam district.

The body of Truptimayee Panda was recovered by Andhra Pradesh Police from S Ramchandrapur, a village on the Odisha-Andhra border, four days ago. The girl was missing since August 25, police said.

The body was identified by parents of the deceased on Monday after pictures were uploaded on social media. Truptimayee was a first year MCA student in Khallikote autonomous college and staying at Ananta Nagar with her parents, police said.

Preliminary inquiry and postmortem reports showed the girl was stabbed to death. Andhra Pradesh police recovered the body from the roadside on Saturday. Police suspected that she might be from Odisha as they found some Odia papers with her and that she might have been abducted and murdered.

When the girl did not return home, her parents had lodged a complaint with Baidyanathpur police station. When they came to know about the body, they enquired with BN Pur police and identified it on Monday evening.

"Police are yet to identify the accused. We will extend all cooperation to Andhra Pradesh police in investigation," said Inspector In-Charge of of BN Pur police station A K Mishra.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Wednesday pronounce its judgement on the allocation and ownership of land in West Bengal`s Singur district, which was acquired by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya government in 2006 to facilitate the Tatas to set up its its Nano car manufacturing plant.

In May this year, Justices Gopala Gowda and Arun Kumar Mishra had heard the pleas of the Tatas, the Bengal government and the aggrieved farmers of Singur and had reserved their judgement.During the hearing, Justice Gowda had mentioned that agricultural land can be acquired for industry, but it is better to avoid use of mutli-crop producing land for such an activity.

Justice Mishra observed that that the Singur plot was acquired for the Tatas, though it was meant for `public purpose`.Congress leader and counsel for the Tatas, Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said that the land was handed over to the Tatas in the `public interest`.

The Tata group was given around a thousand acres by the state government in 2006 to build a car manufacturing factory, but in the wake of violent protests from the Trinamool Congress the project was shelved.

Soon after coming to power in 2011, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee passed a law to take over the land and forced the Tata`s to move their project out of the state to Gujarat`s Sanad district.

Tata Motors moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the law. The acquisition of the land was upheld by a trial court and the law passed by the Trinamool Congress-led state government was declared unconstitutional on appeal. Thereafter, the dispute moved to the Supreme Court.
Sanaa,: At least 16 civilians were killed on Wednesday in airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led Arab coalition against the northern Yemeni city of Saada, a stronghold of the Houthi rebel movement.

The victims, mostly women and children, were in a house in Saada where three families lived, Efe news reported.

The work of rescue teams to find survivors under the rubble was hampered by continuous and intense coalition airstrikes.

Residents of al-Baraka neighbourhood in the city, which was home to the victims, told the media that the search for casualties under the rubble still continued.

In another coalition bombing on Tuesday in the capital city Sanaa, at least four civilians were killed.

These attacks targeted homes in the neighbourhood of al-Rawda and a military academy.


Canberra: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull came under pressure over same-sex marriage and from within his own party on Wednesday as parliament returned for the first time since a poor showing by his coalition government in elections last month.

Turnbull`s Liberal-National coalition was reduced to a razor-thin one-vote majority in the lower house after an early poll to break a deadlock in the upper house Senate backfired.

The centre-left opposition Labor Party immediately dug in its heels over the government`s proposal to hold a national plebiscite on same-sex marriage, which it considers expensive and unnecessary.

Labor, which wants a vote on the issue in Parliament, has garnered enough support to block the plebiscite.

"We would not be true to ourselves if we said `we think this is a terrible idea but, all right, have a plebiscite`," Labor Party Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen told Sky News.

"We can recognise marriage equality, that`s our job."

But while Labor`s push for a vote on gay marriage was expected, less so was an embarrassing public rift with right-wingers within Turnbull`s Liberal Party, who want to alter the country`s race hatred laws.

Liberal Senator Bernardi, who is leading the push, has secured support from every backbench coalition senator save one to tone down the wording of the Racial Discrimination Act, according to a letter circulated by his office.

Some on the right argue that the current language barring speech that "insults" or "offends" is too vague and prioritises political correctness over freedom of speech.

"The government is entitled to set its own priorities but as am I, for my own constituency, and that`s the Australian conservatives who want to see reform in this space," Bernardi told the Australian Broadcasting Corp late on Tuesday.

"Now, I`m saying it`s on the agenda."

The conservatives` push has exposed deep divisions within the government, which have been festering since the progressive Turnbull ousted conservative prime minister Tony Abbott in a 2014 party coup.

Under pressure from what Labor called in a press release "open revolt", Turnbull showed no signs of backing down.

"We have other more pressing, much more pressing priorities to address," he told reporters.
Washington: Donald Trump said he will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with that country's president, hours before the Republican presidential nominee's long-awaited speech on immigration and gains significance amid his rhetoric of "building a wall" on the border if elected.

"I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him on Thursday," Trump tweeted.

Soon after, the Mexican President tweeted that Trump has accepted his invitation.

Notably, Nieto has been highly critical of Trump's plan to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.

The 70-year-old reality TV star, who has in the past called some Mexicans as drug dealers, "rapists" and other criminals, argues this would stop the flow of illegal immigrants coming into the US.

Nieto had invited Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton too for a meeting. "Both campaigns received the invitation on good terms", the president's office said in a statement.

"Trump, sensing an opportunity, decided over the weekend to accept the invitation and push for a visit this week, according to the people familiar with the discussions," The Washington Post reported.

Trump's meeting with the Mexican President would be his first formal interaction with a foreign head of state after he jumped into the electoral arena last year.

The development comes just hours ahead of the Republican presidential nominee's much-anticipated Arizona speech on immigration.
Cairo: Egypt`s Parliament approved on Tuesday a long-awaited law that governs building and renovating churches, an issue that has led in the past to attacks on members the country`s Christian minority by Muslim militants.

Egyptian Christians make up about a tenth of the country`s 90 million population and are the Middle East`s largest Christian community. They have long complained of discrimination in the majority-Muslim country.

The new law empowers provincial governors to approve church building and renovation permits, previously the domain of security services.

Church officials see it as a step in the right direction but human rights advocates and some Christian Members of Parliament said it was prejudiced.

"This is a sectarian law that shows the state prefers the adherents of one religion over another," Ishak Ibrahim of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights told Reuters.

Activists have long campaigned for a unified places of worship law to govern mosques and churches.

"A unified law would show that the state protects the rights of all its citizens equally," said Ibrahim. "It would send a message to extremists."

The law on mosque building, issued in 2001, is much less restrictive and only discusses issues of land ownership and building regulations.

In contrast, the law approved on Tuesday stipulates that the size of a church must be proportional to the number of Christians in an area which Ibrahim says is problematic.

The government does not make the official number of Christians public in its census and Christians have long complained of being undercounted. Emad Gad, a Christian MP, demanded the stipulation be removed, but it made it into the final version of the law.

The law grants a governor the right to deny a building or renovation permit which was described as "poisonous" during the debate by MP Reda Nadeef, a Christian.

Sectarian violence often erupts on the back of suspicions that Christians are building churches.

Homes are burned, crops are razed, churches are attacked and, occasionally, Christians are forced to leave their villages, say human rights groups and residents.

The law is suitable provided officials are well intentioned, said Bishop Makarios, the highest Coptic Orthodox Church official in Minya, a southern province home to Egypt`s largest Christian community.

This was echoed by officials from other sects. The law is "a massive jump after 160 years of legislation governing church building and renovation," said Father Rafik Greish, a spokesman for the Coptic Catholic Church, referring to the Ottoman-era laws governing this matter.

All nine representatives from the ultra-conservative Islamist Nour Party voted against the law.

"Our country is Islamic, the constitution does not say it is Christian. When the West treats mosques the way they treat churches we will say yes," said Nour MP Ahmed al-Agrawy.
Washington: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) expects to publicly release the report sent to the Justice Department in July recommending no charges in the Hillary Clinton email server investigation in the coming days, officials said.

The release is in response to numerous Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests including from CNN.

Also to be released is Hillary Clinton`s 302, the FBI agent notes from Clinton`s voluntary interview at FBI headquarters, CNN reported on Tuesday.

The report is about 30 pages, and the 302 is about a dozen pages according to the officials.

Not yet being released are additional notes from interviews of Clinton aides or other investigative materials that were sent to Congress.

Last month, FBI Director James Comey recommended against charges for Clinton for her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, but he did describe her behavior as "extremely careless" with classified material.

The State Department on Tuesday announced it may have uncovered additional documents related to the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, among those turned over by the FBI.

A spokesman for the department noted that the approximately 30 documents in question are still being examined and may include duplicates of the emails already turned over by Clinton`s staff and released to the public.

"Using broad search terms, we have identified approximately 30 documents potentially responsive to a Benghazi-related request," spokesman John Kirby said in a statement to CNN.

"At this time, we have not confirmed that the documents are, in fact, responsive, or whether they are duplicates of materials already provided to the Department by former Secretary Clinton in December 2014."

The department is assessing 14,900 documents it received from the FBI as part of the investigation into Clinton`s use of her private email server while she was secretary of state.

Donald Trump`s campaign suggested the emails are a sign Clinton deleted work-related material.

"Hillary Clinton swore before a federal court and told the American people she handed over all of her work-related emails," Jason Miller, a senior communications adviser for the Trump campaign, wrote. "If Clinton did not consider emails about something as important as Benghazi to be work-related, one has to wonder what is contained in the other emails she attempted to wipe from her server."

The Clinton campaign did not immediately respond for comment.


Santa Clara: The first regular commercial flight in more than 50 years from the United States landed in Cuba on Wednesday, as the two nations took the latest step in their efforts to boost ties.

JetBlue Flight 387 landed in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara a little before 11:00 am (1500 GMT), about an hour after leaving Fort Lauderdale in southeastern Florida with 150 passengers on board.

The plane was greeted with a water cannon salute, an aviation tradition in which aircraft pass under arcs of water before flying to their destinations for the first time. Its departure from Florida was celebrated the same way.

The first two passengers off the plane carried US and Cuban flags as they descended the stairs onto the tarmac, where they symbolically exchanged the banners in a sign of friendship.

The flight was the first of 110 expected daily trips connecting US cities to airports in the Communist-run island, many of them in or near tourism hotspots.

Regular air service was severed during the Cold War, and charter flights have been the only air links since.

US Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the watershed.

"The 1st US commercial flight to #Cuba since 1961, just over a year after raising the flag at US Embassy Havana. Another step fwd," he wrote on Twitter.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who was on the JetBlue flight, has plans to meet with local officials, Cuba`s transport ministry said.The Fort Lauderdale airport was in full party mode near Jet Blue`s departure area -- a live salsa band blared Cuban favorites as passengers and bystanders broke into spontaneous dances.

There were cheers, applause and a sea of balloons as boarding for the historic flight got underway.

For some, there were also tears of joy.

"I am so proud, so overcome with emotion," said Domingo Santana, 53, who left Cuba when he was just six years old.

Since then, he said, "I`ve never been in my country. I don`t know my country," adding: "It`s a great opportunity."Wednesday`s JetBlue flight was flown by Captain Mark Luaces and First Officer Francisco Barreras, both Americans of Cuban descent, the airline said.

Mark Gale, director of operations for the airport, said it was one of the "great moments in history," likening it to the moon landing or the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Another passenger, Aleisy Barreda, 46, was overcome with emotion.

"This reopening has really benefitted us," she gushed.

"Not only in terms of the ticket prices, but also in terms of how much easier it is to purchase them," she said.

"Now we only need more vacation time!"

The last regular commercial flight between the two countries took place in 1961, when air links fell victim to the Cold War.

Air travel between the United States and Cuba has been restricted to charter flights since 1979.

Washington and Havana agreed in February to restore direct commercial flights -- one of several watershed changes initiated in December 2014, when US President Barack Obama and Cuba`s Raul Castro announced a thaw after more than 50 years of hostility.

Diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015.Washington still bans Americans from visiting Cuba as tourists, but travel is permitted for 12 other categories, including cultural and educational exchange.

The renewed links are a "milestone" in relations between the United States and Cuba, said Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

Regular flights "will allow more fluid movement of people, goods, information and ideas between two places that are very close geographically but distant politically," he said.Of the 3.5 million tourists in Cuba in 2015, only 161,000 were Americans.

However, that number was up 77 percent from the previous year and Americans are now expected to become a major component in a growth industry expected to reach 6.8 million visitors in 2018.

Travel agents said US interest in making the short journey to the island has skyrocketed.

"There`s a lot of interest in Cuba. It`s the hot, `in` place right now," said Frank Gonzalez, owner of the Mambi travel agency which offers packages to the island from the United States, including tours with workshops in the island`s musical traditions and distinctive aspects of its culture, such as the Yoruba-based religion santeria.

Twenty daily routes to Havana are pending.

The airlines designated to fly to the nine Cuban airports -- not including Havana -- include American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines, according to the US Department of Transportation.

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.
Tehran: A retired Iranian general has been killed while battling jihadists as a volunteer in northern Syria, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.

Ahmad Gholami, who had served as a senior Revolutionary Guards commander in the Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s, died on Tuesday "while fighting the takfiri terrorists in Aleppo, Syria," said the Fars news agency, which is close to the Guards.

Iran uses the term "takfiri" to describe Sunni jihadists.

Gholami went to Iraq and Syria "voluntarily" to fight Islamic State group jihadists, it added.

Iran is the principle backer of President Bashar al-Assad. It denies that any of its professional soldiers are active in Syria -- insisting its commanders and generals act purely as "military advisers" -- but it also leads large volunteer forces, comprised of fighters from both Iran and neighbouring Afghanistan.

Iran does not provide precise casualty figures for those killed in action in Syria and Iraq, but Iranian media have previously reported "hundreds" of military advisers and volunteers have died in recent years.
Jerusalem: Israel approved Wednesday the construction of 463 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, the watchdog Peace Now said, drawing a sharp rebuke from the United States.

Washington said it was "deeply concerned" by the announcement, with a senior US official slamming the "pervasive advancement of settlement activity in a new and potentially unlimited way".

The approvals mostly involved new housing units, but a retroactive green light was also granted to 179 existing homes in the Ofarim settlement.

Around 50 new units received final approval, while others were given preliminary authorisation at different stages in the review process.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu`s government "continues to plan and build all over the West Bank, while also giving settlers the message that any construction done without planning will be retroactively legalised," Peace Now said.

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council on Monday that Israeli settlement expansion had surged in the past two months since a key report called for a halt.

The report by the diplomatic Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States -- said construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is eroding the possibility of a two-state solution.

In response, Netanyahu`s office called criticism of Israeli settlement building "absurd", particularly related to east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians see east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, as the capital of their future state. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital.

"The claim that it is illegal for Jews to build in Jerusalem is as absurd as saying Americans can`t build in Washington or the French can`t build in Paris," Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes said in response to Mladenov`s comments.The United States, has long been concerned that Israel`s building on occupied Palestinian land is undermining hopes for a Middle East peace deal.

"We are deeply concerned by the government of Israel`s announcement today to advance plans for over 500 new settlement units in the West Bank," a senior US official told AFP.

"This significant expansion of the settlement enterprise poses a very serious and growing threat to the viability of the two-state solution," he said on condition of anonymity.

He said Washington was also "particularly troubled by the policy of retroactively approving illegal outposts and unauthorised settlements."

"As the Quartet report highlights, we are concerned about a systematic process of land seizures, settlement expansions and legalisations," he said.

Israel has advanced plans for more than 1,000 housing units in east Jerusalem and 735 units in the West Bank since July 1, the UN envoy said.

It has also undertaken a land survey on the outskirts of Bethlehem for the establishment of a new settlement in a move that would contribute to the "dismemberment of the southern West Bank", he added.

Settlements are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land Palestinians see as part of their future state.

Peace efforts have been at a complete standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to host an Israeli-Palestinian summit to revive peace talks.

France has also been working on its own peace initiative and hopes to convene an international conference before the end of the year.

The Palestinians strongly support the French initiative, but Israel has rejected it, calling instead for direct negotiations.

Palestinian leaders say years of negotiations with the Israelis have not ended the occupation of the West Bank and have recently pursued an international strategy.

They say an Abbas-Netanyahu meeting would lead nowhere without a freeze on settlement building, the release of Palestinian prisoners and a deadline for an end to the Israeli occupation.
Rome: The 3,500 people who lost their homes a week ago in the earthquake that shook Central Italy and were sheltering in tents must now brave rain, cold and, above all, a fear of being forgotten.

There is a growing concern about coping with the looming months of winter with only a tent, while they await more suitable accommodation, EEE news reported.

"Don't abandon us" is an often repeated phrase by earthquake survivors whenever government authorities visit their shelters.

Since Tuesday, the weather conditions have worsened in the disaster-hit area that suffered a magnitude 6 earthquake and completely devastated villages in the Apennines Mountain range.

It rained on Tuesday night and the weather forecast indicates worsening of conditions.

"Rain! This is just what they needed!" said Franco Santini of the Confederation of the Misericordie d'Italia, the Catholic Italian Voluntary Service Organisation that has dispatched 120 volunteers to assist the Italian Civil Defence and has also erected and manages two tent camps for 500 persons in Amatrice.

Santini, is a lawyer who has shortened his holidays and sent his wife and three daughters home to come and help.

He explained the rain has made things such as cooking or simply passing the time a lot more difficult in the camps, as everything is now caked in mud.

Santini said survivors are slowly coming to terms with what happened.

"Now they sit down and tell you how lucky they have been, they speak of friends they have lost and also their hopes for the future," said Santini.

"Solidarity has really worked," and the camps "have got everything, blankets, toys, nappies", despite difficult times, said Santini.

Santini explained the camps were well stocked with food and there was a doctor on call 24 hours a day for each camp.

"Now, our biggest fear is the snow," an old lady who lost her home in Arquata told EFE.

"We hope it will fall as late as possible while they search for more suitable winter accommodation."

The Deputy Mayor of Arquata, Michele Franchi, said, "In a month they will have to supply us with more adequate housing as it gets cold and we cannot stay here."

The tents are waterproof and now have heaters to warm them up but in the last hours they also had to install gang-walks and cover unpaved roads with gravel due to the mud.

Another concern for survivors was their belongings, left behind in their old homes and at risk of looters.

Hence, many have opted to ensure no one walks in and out of their houses, volunteers told EFE.

Santini said that, although the situation was good for now, and the evacuees were being properly looked after, they would not be able to stay where they are "much longer than a month".

Authorities were studying their re-location, but some of them refused to abandon their old homes.

The big question being weighed up was whether pre-fabricated wooden houses would arrive in time, as promised.

But one thing remained clear, the imminent arrival of the cold Apennine Autumn.
Tokyo: Japan`s defence ministry requested a record budget on Wednesday, with funds for an anti-ship missile system to defend islands at the centre of a territorial dispute with China.

Tokyo is determined to defend the uninhabited islets in the East China Sea -- administered by Japan as the Senkakus but claimed by China as the Diaoyus -- as Beijing steps up its claim.

The ministry announced it is seeking 5.168 trillion yen ($50.12 billion) in spending for the fiscal year starting April 2017, up 2.3 percent from the initial budget for the current fiscal year.

If approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe`s cabinet, it would be the fifth straight year the government sets a record defence budget, as regional tensions remain high.

The proposed budget calls for Japan to develop land-to-ship missiles as well as air-to-ship missiles for patrol planes.

The new land-to-ship missile system is expected to have a range of 300 kilometres (190 miles), far enough to reach the vicinity of the disputed islands, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported earlier in August.

The ministry declined to confirm the range of the missile.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida last week told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during talks in Tokyo that Beijing must stop violating Japanese territory in the East China Sea around the disputed islands.

That warning came after Tokyo earlier lodged more than two dozen protests through diplomatic channels claiming that Chinese coast guard vessels had repeatedly violated its territorial waters around the islands.

China views the islands as its own and thus rejects the view it violates Japan`s territorial waters.

The ministry also plans to create a mobile amphibious unit with more than 2,000 troops at a base in Nagasaki prefecture.

And the budget proposes funds to dispatch extra personnel to the Philippines and Vietnam in an effort to beef up intelligence-gathering in the South China Sea.

Japan is boosting defence ties with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, some of which have their own disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

In addition, Japan is also on alert against North Korea and the country`s frequent ballistic missile test launches -- the most recent last week from a submarine -- that Tokyo sees as a major threat.

To counter Pyongyang, the budget also allocates funds for upgrading Japan`s Patriot anti-missile systems to double the present area of coverage.
Tokyo: Surging flood water brought by a powerful typhoon left nine people dead in an elderly care home in Japan, officials said Wednesday.

The bodies were discovered in a riverside care complex half buried in mud and rubble after Typhoon Lionrock ripped through the region, dumping torrential rain over a wide area.

Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed a helicopter hovering over the building in Iwaizumi, as rescuers tried to pluck other stranded residents to safety.

A district disaster official told AFP that the nine elderly people died as a result of mud that swamped the facility.

"We are trying to confirm the identities of these bodies," Shuko Sakamoto, a spokeswoman for police in northern Iwate prefecture, told AFP.

The death toll from the powerful storm rose to 10 after an elderly woman was found dead in her flooded home nearby, top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

NHK also reported another body had been discovered not far from the nursing home, but there has been no official confirmation.

Aerial footage showed a wide swath of flooded land, with parked cars half submerged in murky water.

Lionrock slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday evening, dumping heavy rain that caused flooding and triggered power outages.

Japan`s Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) has sent rescuers to Iwaizumi, spokesman Takenori Ueushiro told AFP.

The typhoon, which was packing winds over 160 kilometres (100 miles) an hour when it made landfall, also caused flooding on the northern island of Hokkaido.

"In Minamifurano town, the water level is still very high with a current, and rescue workers are using helicopters now to try to evacuate several people who are left on the roofs of their houses or their cars," said Hokkaido official Terumi Kohan.

Lionrock`s path -- hitting northeastern Japan from the Pacific Ocean -- was unusual.

Typhoons usually approach Japan from the south and southwest before moving northward across the archipelago.

Authorities on Tuesday had warned of up to eight centimetres (three inches) of rain per hour, and said they expected flooding and landslides.

The typhoon`s landfall came at high tide, which exacerbated the flow of water.

Lionrock comes on the heels of two other typhoons that hit Japan in the past nine days, resulting in two deaths, the cancellation of hundreds of domestic flights and disruptions to train services.
United Nations: Japan pushed the UN Security Council today to consider fresh sanctions against North Korea for test-firing a series of ballistic missiles that it said were a threat to the region and the entire world.

The council strongly condemned the series of launches on Friday and agreed in a unanimous statement backed by China to take "further significant measures."

"The number of provocative actions taken by North Korea has been phenomenal," said Japanese Ambassador Kero Bessho following a closed-door meeting of the council.

Bessho stressed that the high number of launches had led to "quite noteworthy" advances in North Korea's nuclear and missile technology programs.

"This presents a serious threat to the region and the world as a whole," he told reporters.

North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006.

The council in March adopted the toughest sanctions resolution to date targeting North Korea's trade in minerals and tightening banking restrictions, after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test.

Bessho noted that 52 countries had so far presented reports detailing how they are enforcing the new raft of sanctions under resolution 2270, but added that more sanctions were necessary.

"For Japan, we feel that sanctions are necessary," he said.

"We need to implement 2270 rigorously and we feel that we can do more in terms of sanctions in order to show to the DPRK that they just cannot keep on going in this way." North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology, but Pyongyang has carried out several launches following its fourth nuclear test in January.

The council statement was adopted after several rounds of negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, which has insisted over recent weeks on the need to avoid an escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula.

The Japanese ambassador said many council members supported the idea of further measures, but suggested that this fell short of a consensus.

"The council should be united in taking action," said Bessho.

A previous bid by the council to condemn North Korea for firing a ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters on August 2 ran aground after China sought changes to the text.

The council was unable to agree after Beijing pressed for language in a statement opposing the THAAD missile defense system that the United States plans to deploy in South Korea.
Planadas: Esperanza Rivera, who grew up in the same mountains that gave birth to the FARC guerrillas, is happy about the Colombian peace deal -- but worries about what comes next.

After nearly four years of negotiations, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the government of President Juan Manuel Santos reached an agreement in Havana on Wednesday to end 52 years of warfare. The deal needs to be ratified in an October 2 popular vote.

"What we want is for the peace deal to be signed and for the plebiscite to win," said Rivera, 41, a farmer interviewed in the town of Planadas, where a 1964 armed peasant uprising gave birth to the FARC.

Rivera warns however that "another conflict, which no one talks about," is emerging, in a country where drug gangs have also fueled the violence.

"As long as the guerrillas were here, criminals were kept away," Rivera said. "But now, since the criminals will have no one to fear, we will be unprotected."

Police "do not come out to the countryside, there is no security force to defend us from common criminals," she said.In Planadas "the bandits greatly feared the guerrillas, so they wouldn`t steal even a hen because there was someone to punish them."

Rivera hopes that with peace they will also get "more help from the government, which has abandoned us."

Another local, 59 year-old Jorge Ardila, said that he also wants peace but has doubts about what was negotiated.

"I don`t think that there is anyone in the universe that doesn`t want peace," he told AFP. "But before taking a stance I should know what was agreed upon."

Ardila claims that his father, Pedro Antonio Ardila, was a nurse for FARC founder Manuel "Tirofijo" (Sureshot) Marulanda, who died in 2008 of apparent natural causes.

Ardila said that his father became Marulanda`s nurse soon after the FARC was formed while working at the same time as an army nurse.

"He would perform his medical services in the army and then, in a clandestine way, also help the guerrillas," Ardila said.

Eustacio Jimenez, 75, is even more skeptical about the peace accord.

"Reaching peace in Colombia is very difficult because there is a lot of poverty and unemployment," he said.

Negotiations are fine, but there will be no peace if those issues are not also included in the bargaining, he said.

Jimenez`s prediction: "more blood will be spilled."

According to Jimenez, there are "more people under arms than working in the field."

A life-long farmer, Jimenez knows well the mountains surrounding Planadas, which for decades have been key corridors the FARC to reach other rural areas.Many locals are silent about their true thoughts about the future, wary of what could happen if they speak out.

They conflict, which has left 260,000 dead and 45,000 missing, has forced them to hone their survival skills.

"Here there are eight, nine sets of laws: those set by the guerrillas, the paramilitary groups, the gangs ... " a local who prefered to not identify himself told AFP.

Experts say the power vacuum that will emerge when the FARC demobilizes might be filled by other illegal groups.

Candidates include the National Liberation Army (ELN), another leftist rebel group, and criminal gangs that emerged from the remnants of right-wing paramilitary forces demobilized between 2003 and 2006.

"That is a risk," Kyle Johnson with the International Crisis Group told AFP.

Colombia does have some experience in this area: in the 1990s the government reached peace agreements with other guerrilla groups, and 10 years later the country`s paramilitaries were demobilized.

Both cases showed that power vacuums "can be filled by other illegal armed groups," Johnson said.
New Delhi: US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Wednesday on China and the Philippines to abide by an international tribunal`s decision on the disputed South China Sea and said there was no military solution to the problem.

Kerry`s remarks, made in a visit to India, came ahead of a G20 summit in China on Sunday and Monday that could be overshadowed by arguments over everything from territorial disputes to protectionism by China, diplomats say.

An arbitration court in The Hague ruled in July that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea. China dismissed the case lodged by the Philippines and rejected the ruling.

"The United States continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunals recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry told a gathering of students in New Delhi.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.

China has vowed to take all measures needed to protect its sovereignty over the South China Sea and says its actions there, which have included land reclamation and construction of air fields and docks on reefs, are peaceful.

China has blamed the United States and its allies in the region, such as Japan and Australia, for stoking tension.

The United States and Japan have no territorial claims in the South China Sea and say their priority is freedom of navigation.

Kerry said the United States supported diplomatic efforts to resolve territorial disputes to which there was "no military solution".

"We are also interested in not fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes and claims through the legal process and through diplomacy," Kerry said.

The United States and India, in a joint statement issued on Tuesday after security talks, reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

They said states should resolve disputes through peaceful means and "exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes affecting peace and stability".

U.S. ally the Philippines welcomed the tribunal`s ruling in July but it is keen not to anger China. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will hold talks with China on the issue.
Damascus: The Islamic State (IS) militant group's chief spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has been killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo, IS-affiliated media said.

Adnani was one of the longest-serving and most prominent leaders of the IS, BBC on Wednesday cited the Amaq News Agency as saying.

According to the Pentagon, it had targeted Adnani in a precision strike near the town of al-Bab and was still assessing the results.

Adnani was known for his calls for lone-wolf attacks in the West.

He was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo", Amaq said.

"We are still assessing the results, but Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to the IS," the Pentagon said.

Fighting has escalated in Aleppo in recent weeks, with rebels breaking a siege by government forces and Syrian and Russian warplanes carrying out air strikes on rebel-held areas.
Colombo: The Maldives government announced on Wednesday it is seeking former president Mohamed Nasheed`s arrest for failing to return to the archipelago to complete a prison sentence after receiving medical treatment in Britain.

Nasheed, the Maldives` first democratically elected president, recently won political asylum in Britain after being granted permission to travel there for treatment while serving the sentence for a terror-related offence.

"A court order (has been) issued for the arrest of former president Mohamed Nasheed," the government said in a statement, issued after Nasheed flew to neighbouring Sri Lanka.

"The Maldives correctional service is seeking to have him brought back to serve the remainder of his 13-year sentence," the statement said, without detailing how it planned to seek his return.

Opposition sources said Nasheed has been meeting Maldives opposition groups in Sri Lanka in recent days to hatch a plan to topple the archipelago`s strongman Abdulla Yameen.

Nasheed was sentenced to prison in March 2015 after he was convicted on a terror-related charge which the United Nations said was politically motivated.

The Indian Ocean nation adopted multi-party democracy in 2008 after three decades of autocratic rule by Yameen`s half brother, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

But it has been gripped by turmoil since Nasheed was toppled in 2012, denting its reputation as an upmarket tourist destination.

The Maldives government has resisted intense international pressure over the turmoil that has seen all key political opponents of Yameen either jailed or in exile.
Washington: A life-sized nude statue of US Republican presidential contender Donald Trump is going up for auction, with profits from the sale going to an immigrant support group.

Julien`s Auctions said on Wednesday that the statue, called "The Emperor Has No Balls," is expected to fetch $10,000 to $20,000 at the Oct. 22 auction in Los Angeles.

The statue is one of a series that appeared unannounced in public spaces in New York and four other US cities earlier in August. The orange-tinted likeness showed Trump with a massive belly, small fingers and some missing genitals.

Most were confiscated or destroyed by local authorities and the Los Angeles statue is the only one remaining, Julien`s said.

The statues were created by an anonymous artists collective called INDECLINE. A portion of the auction profits will go to the National Immigration Forum, which campaigns for the rights of immigrants.

Trump has pledged to build a wall between the US and Mexico to keep immigrants out and to deport the millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, should he be elected. He is due to give a speech on Wednesday as he seeks to find a balance in his immigration stance.

Trump is not the only politician to be represented in the October auction of street and contemporary art. American pop artist Knowledge Bennett`s "Hillary Clinton Cojones," featuring the Democratic White House hopeful wearing a tuxedo, is expected to fetch up to $15,000, Julien`s said.
Seoul: North Korea has executed its vice premier for education and rebuked two high-ranking officials, South Korea said on Wednesday, which, if true, would mark a new series of measures by leader Kim Jong Un to discipline top aides.

Kim took power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, and his consolidation of power has included purges and executions of top officials, South Korean officials have said.

South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said the government had confirmed the execution of the education official, Kim Yong Jin, through various channels but declined to provide details.

Kim Yong Chol, the influential head of the North's United Front Department which handles inter-Korean relations, was made to undergo "revolutionary measures," Jeong told a briefing.

Another ruling party official in the propaganda department was also reprimanded, Jeong said.

It is difficult to independently verify news about top officials in the North or the inner circle around the leader. Some previous reports of executions and purges in the reclusive state have proven inaccurate.

Vice Premier Kim Yong Jin was executed for not keeping his posture upright at a public event, a South Korean government official later told Reuters. Kim Yong Chol was punished for his overbearing demeanour, the official added, but gave no details.

The execution, by firing squad, took place in July and Kim Yong Chol was re-educated at a rural farm for a month until mid-August, South Korea`s Yonhap News Agency said.

The South's comments follow a news report on Tuesday that the North had executed two high-ranking officials for disobeying leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim Yong Jin was promoted to vice premier in 2012 after serving as education minister, according to a South Korean government database on key officials of the North.

Army general Kim Yong Chol headed the North Korean intelligence agency before taking his current position this year.

News of the reclusive state's new purges comes after the South said North Korea's deputy ambassador in London had defected and arrived in the South with his family, dealing an embarrassing blow to Kim's regime.

North Korea rarely announces purges or executions, although state media confirmed the 2012 execution of Kim`s uncle, Jang Song Thaek, widely considered the country`s second most powerful man, for factionalism and crimes damaging to the economy.

A former defence minister, Hyun Yong Chol, is also believed to have been executed last year for treason, according to the South`s spy agency.
Brasilia: The impeachment trial of Brazilian suspended President Dilma Rousseff entered the final stretch, with the defense and prosecution set to present their closing arguments.

The head of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Ricardo Lewandowski, opened the session on Tuesday, saying each side would have at least 90 minutes to make their case, Xinhua news agency reported.

Senators then have 10 minutes each to address the session, should they want to. Some 60 of the 81 senators were registered to do so as the day`s proceedings got underway.

The legislators will vote on whether or not to impeach Rousseff on Wednesday, said Lewandowski, to avoid extending Tuesday`s session through the night.

On Monday, Rousseff spoke in her defense and was then cross-examined for some 14 hours by Senators who believe she is "criminally responsible" for masking a large public deficit to improve her chances of being reelected to a second term.

Senators opposed to impeachment used their allotted time to praise Rousseff`s performance as president and denounce the impeachment process as an attempt to seize power.

Rousseff denies the charges and has described the trial as a legislative coup by the conservative political opposition to oust her leftist Workers` Party from power.

Her running mate and Vice President Michel Temer, joined the cause of the opposition senators during their campaign to get an impeachment trial underway, and was made interim president. If Rousseff is impeached, he would be instated to serve the remainder of her term through 2018.
Istanbul: Turkey on Wednesday said it did "not accept" US claims that it had agreed a truce with Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria.

"We do not accept in any circumstances ... a `compromise or a ceasefire reached between Turkey and Kurdish elements,`" EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik told state-run Anadolu news agency.

"The Turkish republic is a sovereign, legitimate state."

Celik said Turkey could not be put on an equal footing with a "terrorist organisation", referring to the US-backed Syrian Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG).

A US defence official told AFP in Washington on Tuesday that the Turkish and Kurdish-led forces had reached a "loose agreement" to stop fighting each other.

Last week, Turkey launched a two-pronged offensive against Islamic State jihadists and the YPG in northern Syria.

After a weekend of Turkish clashes with YPG-allied forces, Washington expressed alarm and urged both sides to stop fighting each other and concentrate on combatting IS.

Turkey sees the YPG as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK) which has waged a bloody war against the Turkish state since 1984.
Nay Pyi Taw: The United Nations has been a steady partner supporting the reform and reconciliation process in Myanmar, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the 21st Century Panglong Ethnic Conference here on Wednesday.

Hailing the conference as a historic transition, Ban pledged that the UN will continue efforts to smoothen the differences, lower tensions and move parties towards better understanding with the goals and values of the UN Charter, Xinhua news agency reported.

The UN Secretary General urged the participants to accept that no party involved in the reconciliation process can expect to achieve all its aims.

Ban said he was encouraged that different ethnic armed organisations with divergent interests and aspirations had come together to form a single team to negotiate the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) last year.

The new government in Myanmar has undertaken efforts to make it more inclusive and the Panglong Conference is representing the results of those efforts, Ban said.

The 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference of Myanmar, which aims to unite all ethnic nationalities and build a democratic federal union through dialogue, kicked off in capital Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday.

The four-day historical Panglong Conference gathered representatives of the government, parliament, military, invited political parties, ethnic armed and non-armed organisations and civil society.


Washington: The top commander of US forces in the Middle East sharply criticised Iran today for recent high-speed maneuvers by Iranian patrol boats in the Persian Gulf that in one case prompted a US Navy ship to fire warning shots.

Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon that these episodes involving the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces are worrying because they risk triggering a dangerous escalation.

"What we see with the Iranians is not particularly responsible," Votel said. "It is provocative, in some cases; it's unsafe. And it can lead to situations where we may not be able to de-escalate in a time before something happens."

The US maintains a near-continuous naval presence in the Gulf and thus has frequent, mostly benign, encounters with Iranian vessels.

Last Wednesday, the USS Squall, a coastal patrol ship, fired three warning shots on an Iranian boat that was approaching, head-on, another coastal patrol ship the USS Tempest.

US officials said the Iranian boat came within 200 yards of the Tempest and ignored several bridge-to-bridge radio calls and warning flares.

It was one of three encounters that US ships had with Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boats in the Gulf that day.

One day earlier, four Iranian boats had approached the USS Nitze, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, at high speed in the Strait of Hormuz. The boats veered off after the Nitze fired flares.

Votel praised the US sailors' handling of the incidents. He said the problem seems to lie not with the regular Iranian navy but with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces, which have been accused by the

US numerous times of provocative behavior in the Gulf.

"So this is, in my view, not about the Iranian people," Votel said. "It's about the Iranian regime and their desire to continue to do these types of things that stoke instability or attempt to stoke instability in the region."
Beirut/Ankara/Washington: The United States welcomed an apparent pause in fighting between Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on Tuesday, both of them members of the coalition fighting Islamic State, but it was far from clear that any truce would hold.

Washington has been alarmed by NATO ally Turkey`s incursion into northern Syria, launched almost a week ago. The operation, dubbed "Euphrates Shield," aims to push back Islamic State but also to prevent US-backed Kurdish militia fighters from seizing more territory along the Turkish border.

Ankara fears advances by Kurdish fighters as Islamic State is pushed out are aimed at establishing a Kurdish enclave along Syria`s northern border, a move which could embolden a three-decade-long Kurdish insurgency on Turkish soil.

The Turkish incursion has left Washington scrambling to get its feuding allies to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel America`s war strategy in Syria.

"The United States welcomes the overnight calm between the Turkish military and other counter-ISIL forces in Syria," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, using an acronym for the militant group.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the period of calm had lasted 12 to 18 hours and the United States would like it to continue so that all members of the coalition could focus their efforts on fighting Islamic State militants.

A Kurdish military official said a ceasefire between Turkey and Kurdish-backed militia fighters was holding. But Turkish military sources denied there was any such agreement, while a Turkish-backed Syrian rebel commander characterised it only as a "pause" and said that military operations would soon resume.

Turkish-backed forces began their offensive last week by capturing the Syrian frontier town of Jarablus from Islamic State; they then advanced on areas controlled by Kurdish-aligned militias which have US support in battling jihadists.

Washington said the offensive risked undermining the fight against Islamic State.

French President Francois Hollande said he understood Turkey`s need to defend itself but that targeting Kurdish forces battling jihadists could further inflame the five-year-old Syrian conflict.

"Those multiple, contradictory interventions carry risks of a general flare-up," he told a meeting of French ambassadors.

Ankara says it will not take orders from anyone on how to protect the nation. The Turkish foreign ministry said on Tuesday military operations in Syria would continue until all threats to Turkish security were removed and that U.S. comments on Turkey`s targets in the operation were "unacceptable".

"The statements of U.S. officials about the content and the targets of the Euphrates Shield operation ... are unacceptable and are not in line with the alliance between the two countries," a foreign ministry spokesman said, adding that a complaint had been lodged with the US ambassador to Turkey.

Eager to avoid more clashes between Turkey and US-backed Syrian fighters, the Pentagon said the US-led coalition against Islamic State was establishing communications channels to better coordinate in a "crowded battlespace".

"The improved coordination of armed activities in northern Syria will seek to assure the safety of all forces," Pentagon spokesman Matthew Allen said.

Sharfan Darwish, a spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, said a ceasefire between Turkey and the Jarablus Military Council was holding.

Both councils are allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed alliance of groups including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia that is fighting Islamic State insurgents and has expanded along Syria`s frontier with Turkey.

The Jarablus Military Council subsequently said the temporary ceasefire was "under the oversight of the international coalition led by the United States".

Two senior Turkish military sources denied any such truce had been agreed. A commander in one of the Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups that have clashed with SDF-allied groups south of Jarablus also denied such a deal.

"There is no truce and no ceasefire. But there has been a pause for some time," the commander, who declined to be identified, told Reuters by telephone, adding that the operation would resume shortly.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also declined to describe the pause in fighting as a ceasefire as such, though he said the intent was similar.

In a boost elsewhere to the fight against Islamic State, its Amaq News Agency reported that the group`s spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, one of its longest-serving and most prominent leaders, had been killed in Aleppo.

Turkey`s army chief earlier signalled no let-up in Ankara`s Syria offensive, saying its successes showed a failed coup in Turkey last month had done nothing to dent the military`s power.

"By pursuing the Euphrates Shield operation, which is crucial for our national security and for our neighbours` security, the Turkish Armed Forces are showing they have lost none of their strength," Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar said in a statement to mark a national holiday.

Turkey is still reeling from an attempted coup in July in which rogue military commanders used warplanes and tanks to try to oust President Tayyip Erdogan and the government, exposing splits in the ranks of NATO`s second-biggest military.

In a purge of suspected coup sympathisers, 80,000 people have been removed from both civilian and military duties, including many generals, officers and rank-and-file soldiers.

In its Syria offensive, Turkish forces and their rebel allies have taken a string of villages in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and advanced towards Manbij, a city the SDF seized from Islamic State this month in a US-backed campaign.

Turkey says its forces have struck multiple positions held by the Kurdish YPG militia, part of the SDF coalition.

The YPG says its forces withdrew from the region before the Turkish assault and have already crossed the Euphrates, in line with a demand from the United States to withdraw to the eastern side of the river that flows through Syria or lose US support.

Turkey wants to stop Kurdish forces taking control of territory that lies between cantons to the east and west that they already hold, and so creating an unbroken Kurdish- controlled corridor on Turkey`s southern border.
Canada will apply to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Ottawa's finance department said Wednesday, in a coup for Beijing after Washington had tried to dissuade US allies from signing up.

"Canada is always looking for ways to create hope and opportunity for our middle class as well as for people around the world," Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in a statement issued in Beijing.

"Membership in the AIIB is an opportunity to do just that."

The Beijing-headquartered multilateral lender, which began operations earlier this year, has been seen by some as a rival to the World Bank and the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank, which was founded in 1966.

The $100 billion AIIB counts several major European countries among its shareholders after they joined up despite the objections of the United States, which remains by far the world's largest economy and hosts both the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Critics feared the new bank would set much lower standards for projects and undermine principles of social, environmental and economic sustainability adhered to by the World Bank and other multilateral development finance institutions.

AIIB president Jin Liqun welcomed Canada's decision, which he called "a vote of confidence" in the institution that showed Ottawa's "confidence in the strong foundations the bank has built in our first few months".

The US and Japan -- the world's third-largest economy -- have notably declined to join the AIIB.

But Jin said that Washington now had a "very positive" opinion on the bank".

China "does not regard itself as the big boss" in the lender, he added, and its shareholding would "definitely be diluted" as more members joined, which could ultimately lead to Beijing losing the de facto veto power it holds over some of its decisions.

- 'Best interest' -

In a speech Morneau suggested Canada was seeking to strike a balance between its close ally and neighbour the US, and the growing Asian giant.

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China is Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States, with exchanges topping Can$85 billion ($66.5 billion) last year.

"We have important relationships with the world's most powerful nations and have developed a capacity for mutual accommodation and governance," Morneau said.

"Should we become the first North American member of the AIIB, I have every confidence that we bring constructive and balanced views to the table."

Joining the China-backed lender would create jobs and business opportunities for Canadians, he said, adding: "Participation in the bank is clearly in Canada's best interest."

Canada's announcement came during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to China, where he met Prime Minister Li Keqiang to try to strengthen ties before the G20 summit this weekend in Hangzhou.

The relationship has been strained recently by Chinese plans to impose new rules on canola imports, which could risk Can$2 billion a year of Canadian oilseed sales to the Asian giant.

They were due to come into force on Thursday, but Premier Li said Wednesday that the existing rules would continue to apply while the two countries negotiate a long-term agreement.

In June China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi berated a Canadian journalist while visiting Ottawa for questioning Beijing's human rights record, saying her question was "full of prejudice and arrogance" and that she had "no right to speak".

The incident provoked a public outcry and led Canada to lodge a formal complaint with Beijing.

The 2014 detention on espionage charges of Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt, who had run a Christian-themed coffee shop near the North Korean border, has also raised tensions.

At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday, Trudeau said he had "highlighted" Garratt's case in meetings with Chinese leaders but stressed that the goal of the visit was to establish a "strong, stable relationship and ongoing dialogue" with China.

Premier Li said judicial authorities would handle Garratt's case "in strict accordance with the law" and that his right to consular visits would be upheld.

He added it was essential for the two countries to "remove disturbances" and focus on the "overall interest" of Sino-Canadian relations.
The first regular commercial flight in more than 50 years from the United States landed in Cuba on Wednesday, as the two nations took the latest step in their efforts to boost ties.

JetBlue Flight 387 landed in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara a little before 11:00 am (1500 GMT), about an hour after leaving Fort Lauderdale in southeastern Florida with 150 passengers on board.

The plane was greeted with a water cannon salute, an aviation tradition in which aircraft pass under arcs of water before flying to their destinations for the first time. Its departure from Florida was celebrated the same way.

The first two passengers off the plane carried US and Cuban flags as they descended the stairs onto the tarmac, where they symbolically exchanged the banners in a sign of friendship.

The plane was scheduled to complete the round trip later in the day, returning to Fort Lauderdale.

The flight was the first of 110 expected daily trips connecting US cities to airports in the Communist-run island, many of them in or near tourism hotspots.

Regular air service was severed during the Cold War, and charter flights have been the only air links since.

US Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the watershed.

"The 1st US commercial flight to #Cuba since 1961, just over a year after raising the flag at US Embassy Havana. Another step fwd," he wrote on Twitter.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who was on the JetBlue flight, will meet with local officials during his visit, Cuba's transport ministry said.

- Party in Florida -

The Fort Lauderdale airport was in full party mode near Jet Blue's departure area -- a live salsa band blared Cuban favorites as passengers and bystanders broke into spontaneous dances.

There were cheers, applause and a sea of balloons as boarding for the historic flight got underway.

For some, there were also tears of joy.

"I am so proud, so overcome with emotion," said Domingo Santana, 53, who left Cuba when he was just six years old.

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Since then, he said, "I've never been in my country. I don't know my country," adding: "It's a great opportunity."

- History in the making -

The JetBlue flight was flown by Captain Mark Luaces and First Officer Francisco Barreras, both Americans of Cuban descent, the airline said.

One passenger, Aleisy Barreda, 46, was overcome with emotion.

"This reopening has really benefitted us," she gushed.

"Not only in terms of the ticket prices, but also in terms of how much easier it is to purchase them," she said -- a reference to the rock bottom promotional ticket price starting at $99 one way, including checked bag.

"Now we only need more vacation time!"

The last regular commercial flight between the two countries took place in 1961, when air links fell victim to the Cold War.

Air travel between the United States and Cuba has been restricted to charter flights since 1979.

Washington and Havana agreed in February to restore direct commercial flights -- one of several watershed changes initiated in December 2014, when US President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro announced a thaw after more than 50 years of hostility.

Diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015.

- Milestone -

Washington still bans Americans from visiting Cuba as tourists, but travel is permitted for 12 other categories, including cultural and educational exchange.

The renewed links are a "milestone" in relations between the United States and Cuba, said Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

Regular flights "will allow more fluid movement of people, goods, information and ideas between two places that are very close geographically but distant politically," he said.

- Cuba: 'Hot' travel destination -

Of the 3.5 million tourists in Cuba in 2015, only 161,000 were Americans.

However, that number was up 77 percent from the previous year and Americans are now expected to become a major component in a growth industry expected to reach 6.8 million visitors in 2018.

Travel agents said US interest in making the short journey to the island has skyrocketed.

"There's a lot of interest in Cuba. It's the hot, 'in' place right now," said Frank Gonzalez, owner of the Mambi travel agency which offers packages to the island from the United States that include cultural workshops.

Twenty daily routes to Havana are pending.

The airlines designated to fly to the nine Cuban airports -- not including Havana -- include American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines, according to the US government.

Flights departing from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis and Philadelphia will head to the Cuban cities Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew speaks about his upcoming trip to China for the G20 summit, at the Brookings Institute

US President Barack Obama will call for broader fiscal stimulus from other economies and press Beijing to limit steel capacity during his final G20 summit this weekend, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Wednesday.

In an address in Washington prior to his departure for the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China, Lew also said policy makers should respond to the populist discontent among voters in the United States and Europe, saying they should heed "the message of anxious and angry citizens who feel left behind."

"The president will call on his counterparts to follow through on the G20's commitment to use all policy tools -- including fiscal policy -- to achieve robust and inclusive growth," Lew said at the Brookings Institution.

"He will underscore the importance of investing in jobs and supporting middle-class incomes," Lew said.

Obama will also ask China for steel industry reforms, highlighting an issue that has threatened steel producers around the world.

"Excess capacity distorts markets and the environment, harms our workers and runs counter to our efforts to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth," he said.

Heads of state and finance chiefs from the world's top powers will gather for the G20 summit in Hangzhou amid sluggish global economic growth and uncertainty.

Lew hailed the G20 forum as a means for achieving consensus, saying global policy makers had ultimately come around to US positions gainst an austerity response to slow growth and against competitive currency devaluations.

Analysts say the G20 summit, on September 4-5, is unlikely to produce breakthroughs, with officials not facing the pressure to act that a crisis can create.

The summit also arrives with Obama's trade agenda in grave doubt as he enters the final five months of his presidency. Two landmark international free tree agreements with Asia and Europe -- the Transpacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership -- remain in limbo.

Both presidential nominees, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, have said they oppose the agreements and Congress appears unlikely to ratify the completed TPP agreement, imperiling a long Obama effort at freer trade with 11 other Pacific rim countries.
The 1.6% fall in Canada's annualized GDP rate was its largest decline in quarterly GDP in seven years, but was only slightly more than analysts had forecast

Forest fires in Canada's oil sands region that disrupted production have pummeled the country's economy, sparking the biggest quarterly decline in GDP in seven years, according to government figures released Wednesday.

Gross domestic product fell at an annualized rate of 1.6 percent in the second quarter amid continued weakness in oil prices, said Statistics Canada.

It was the largest decline in quarterly GDP since 2009, but was only slightly bigger than analysts had forecast.

The government statistics agency pointed to a significant drop in oil production as 100,000 residents of Fort McMurray and nearby facilities in the heart of the Alberta oil sands region were evacuated in May to escape encroaching forest fires.

Oil output was reduced by an estimated 1.2 billion barrels per day at a time when Canada's economy was still adjusting to the 2014 rout that sent crude prices plunging from above $100 per barrel to below $50.

Manufacturers supplying industrial machinery to the oil sector were also affected.

Analysts said they were expecting a hit from the worst disaster in Canadian history, following warnings from the central bank. Canada is the world's sixth-largest oil producer.

Excluding oil and wildfire impacts, the Canadian economy actually grew slightly in the second quarter.

By comparison, the economy of the United States -- Canada's largest trading partner -- grew 1.2 percent in the same period.

Many observers, however, were surprised to also see a 4.5 percent drop in Canadian exports in the quarter.

"All in all, the economic decline is in line with expectations," Nomura bank economist Charles St-Arnaud told AFP. "But the downturn in exports came as a shock."

The across-the-board downturn in exports was also the worst since 2009.

Crude exports fell 10 percent while foreign sales of refined petroleum energy products dropped nearly 20 percent.

Exports of non-metallic minerals were also down 18 percent. A rebound in aircraft sales to foreign buyers was the only major offset to the slide.

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- Better days ahead? -

Analysts agreed however that the worst appears to be over, and they expect a bump in the next quarter.

"Canadian GDP can be a roller-coaster ride, and the dip of 1.6 percent annualized in Q2 was certainly evidence of that," said Andrew Grantham of CIBC Economics.

"However, there were more than enough indications from today's figures that the underlying slope for the economy is still upwards," he said, predicting a "healthy lift is in store for Q3."

St-Arnaud also noted an uptick in domestic demand buried in the newly-released figures.

And National Bank senior economist Krishen Rangasamy noted that the economic forces that led to softer US demand for Canadian goods "are now dissipating."

Household expenditures, according to Statistics Canada, continued to rise in the second quarter. Government outlays also increased for a sixth consecutive quarter.

Overall business investment edged down.

On a quarterly basis, real gross domestic product decreased 0.4 percent in the second quarter, after increasing 0.6 percent in the first quarter.

At its peak, the Alberta blaze covered more than 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of dense forest in northern Alberta.

Restoration of Fort McMurray continues. Thirty-nine more families returned home on Wednesday and officials said they aim to have all residents back by the end of September.
People walk towards buses in Akanyaru on the Rwandan side after crossing the border from Burundi

"Before, at this time of year, we imported beans from Burundi but now they say they don't want to sell their crops to 'the enemy'," said Evariste Ndikumana, a trader on the Rwandan side of the border.

Worsening relations between Burundi and Rwanda mean the once-bustling border town of Akanyaru is suffering, hitting the economies of both countries.

Always awkward neighbours, Rwanda and Burundi have fallen out since a domestic political crisis enveloped Burundi in April last year, while spiteful policy-making in Bujumbura has made a bad situation worse.

In Akanyaru, bored traders and mobile phone scratchcard vendors kill time on a low wall beneath a shady awning.

The nearby pavement cafes are deserted and the brand new covered market is empty. The heaving lines of travellers that once crowded the immigration offices and the long queues of vehicles are a thing of the past.

- Bad politics, poor trade -

Politics is to blame, say the idle traders.

Trade has slowed dramatically since April 2015 when Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, a move that also triggered a diplomatic crisis with Bujumbura accusing Rwanda of backing Burundian rebels.

Rwanda denies the allegations, but UN investigators say they too have found evidence to support the claims.

"When there are political problems between countries, we, the people, are the ones who are affected," said Pierre Sibomana, another trader.

In the tit-for-tat nature of Kigali-Bujumbura relations, Rwanda has in turn accused Burundi of supporting Rwandan rebel groups in the east of their shared neighbour, the chronically troubled Democratic Republic of Congo.

For the people who rely on border trade for a living, things were bad enough even before Bujumbura issued a decree suspending food exports in late July.

The reason given was food shortages due to drought, but at the same time security officers on the Burundian side of the border began stopping bus passengers too, citing unspecified security concerns.

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In theory, Rwandan exports to Burundi are still permitted, but other difficulties and dangers mean trade has slowed.

"In Burundi, if they see that you are Rwandan, the police or even ordinary Burundians insult you," said Judith, a tea seller who did not want to give her full name.

She said she prefers to speak the regional Kiswahili language, rather than Kinyarwanda, when in Burundi to disguise her nationality. In any case, she said, Burundian officials seek bribes when she brings in Rwandan tea telling her, "There's enough tea here in Burundi."

- 'Infiltrators' -

Other Rwandan traders have fared worse, accused of being "infiltrators" and arrested.

In August, Rwanda's trade minister Francois Kanimba said the result has been a 40 percent fall in the volume of exports to Burundi in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Rwanda imports cheaper Burundian fruit and vegetables, palm oil and Lake Tanganyika whitebait.

Declining supply and illegal imports mean some commodities have doubled in price, according to traders in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

Kigali has tried to fight back, describing the Burundian decision restricting trade as "illegal" under East African common market rules. But their complaints have so far only added to the angry rhetoric and bad feeling between the two countries.
Major Australian banks have applied to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to jointly negotiate terms for Apple Pay  a move which could threaten the security and future innovation for all Aussies, the technology giant warns.

Major banks  including Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and National Australia Bank  have lodged a submission with the ACCC asking that they be allowed to charge customers a fee for using Apple Pay and that Apple should give the banks access to the NFC iPhone features.

Also read: The Apple tech that will phase out your card payments

But Apple warns that doing so would undermine the security of any Aussies using the system and rejects the banks efforts to institute a joint boycott during negotiations.

Apple will not and cannot agree to these terms because they undermine the availability, security and privacy our customers expect when using Apple devices to make payments, Apple said in its submission to the ACCC.



The only effect that the proposed collective bargaining/boycott could have is to further delay, oreven block, the expansion of Apple Pay in Australia. This will put a brake on new competition,with respect to digital presentment methods and retail banking services more broadly, by stiflingthe incentive for existing players to develop innovative new solutions that build upon and competeagainst the security, privacy and convenience of Apple Pay.



Also read: Game-changing products Apple will launch in 2016

In fact Apple even states that it has tried, and failed, to negotiate commercial terms with each of the applicant banks except one, which has not even been willing to sign a confidentiality agreement and therefore has not even reached the stage of receiving Apples terms.



This demonstrates that each individual applicant bank possesses a significant amount of bargaining power against Apple.



Apple Pay security



One of the strongest arguments Apple has made is in relation to the security of its customers in relation to the NFC technology banks are asking to access.



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Its this security and privacy which Apple is particularly proud of in its Apple Pay system  effectively making the technology even safer than using a credit card.

Also read: Six ways Apple Pay is more secure than your credit card



Android devices, which provide open access to their NFC radios to banks, have been shown to be susceptible to third-party attacks that can compromise the customers card information, the Apple submission says.



There have also been reports of non-NFC security issues related to Samsung Pay, which is why it is so important to Apple to maintain the tight integration of our hardware, software, and services such as in Apple Pay.



Technology developments



Apple also argues that if the banks request was to go ahead and be approved by the ACCC, it would certainly hinder the development of mobile banking technology in Australia.



As each of the banks has individually resisted serious engagement with Apple for the past two years, collectively negotiating will further entrench the applicant banks' position by ensuring that all of them can only advance in lockstep with the slowest, least willing member, Apple said.



The applicant banks would know that they can continue to hold out without the threat that one of their competitors will introduce Apple Pay for their customers, which could result in the loss of some customers who will switch banks in order to access Apple Pay. This competitive dynamic, which the applicant banks explicitly want to avoid, would benefit Australian consumers.


I started photographing tar sands in Canada in 2011. They were a chasing theme: family members living in that area, colleagues, talking about it, photos and articles you occasionally come across. It came back again and again before it finally made me come and see for myself. As it takes me a really long time to understand all my feelings about the image, Im still setting photographs from the project, despite the last images being shot in 2014.

To be honest, I knew that my presence would be intimidating in a small town of oil workers. So I kept my head down: I rented a plane at the local airport, did the shooting, and then went back to my motel room to hide until the next day.

There are no close-ups of workers or machinery, landscape only. Id like to go back and take photographs of the locals but thats not that easy. Migration workers interviewed me more than an hour the first time I came to Canada. When you tell them that you are a photographer going to Alberta for the tar sands, they suggest you visit the beautiful lakes and forests. Understanding how destructive tar sands mining is they oppose all the photographers coming to Athabasca. No matter what the mining company states, one image reveals the level of destruction. Their opposition is understandable.
Donald Trump says he will fly to Mexico City Wednesday to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, hours before the GOP presidential nominee is to deliver a speech in Arizona on immigration.

The Washington Post first reported news of a possible Mexico trip, and said talks between Trump's presidential campaign and the Mexican government had been under way for some time, but logistics and security concerns delayed the announcement.

Pena Nieto last Friday invited both Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to visit Mexico, his office said in a statement provided to The Washington Post on Tuesday night. Although no meetings have been confirmed, the statement said, both campaigns received the invitations "on good terms." Trump, sensing an opportunity, decided over the weekend to accept the invitation and push for a visit this week, according to the people familiar with the discussions. The potential visit comes after Trump has wavered for weeks on whether he will continue to hold his hard-line positions on the central and incendiary issue of his campaign, in particular his call to deport an estimated 11 million immigrants who are living in the United States illegally. The people informed of Trump's plans spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding the matter. They said late Tuesday that talks between the Trump campaign and Mexican officials were ongoing, with Trump interested in going but logistics and security concerns still being sorted out.

More at Reuters.
An unprotected Kingo Solar database with the personal data and photos for thousands of off-the-grid electricity customers was accessible for months, reports Zack Whittaker at ZDnet. "Thousands of remote villagers in Guatemala and South Africa are living off the grid, but their personal information isn't," he writes.

The data insecurity issue in this story isn't theoretical, it's real and immediateand that's something Western product designers don't always consider, when dealing with at-risk users in developing nations where human rights are routinely violated, with impunity.

"Having the exact coordinates of homes and pictures of people living in the area that is something really powerful and dangerous, which can be easily abused," human rights attorney Renata Avila told Whitaker. "There have been numerous documented cases in recent years where human rights violations, like murders and private surveillance, have been linked to business interests in the region.

"In a country with thousands of murders per year, data theft and data leaks are very low priority," Avila says.

Snip from the ZDnet report:

Chris Vickery, lead security researcher of the MacKeeper security research team, discovered an unprotected database with no password over two months ago. Anyone who knew the database was there could access more than 40 gigabytes of customer data. (..) The database, run by Guatemala-based energy startup Kingo, has exposed the personal information of more than 18,800 customers, both in its home country and in South Africa. Since 2013, Kingo has supplied thousands of prepaid solar power systems to low-income and poverty stricken areas where traditional electricity supplies can't reach. The company provides, owns, and maintains the solar power technology used in each home, and customers top-up the device with prepaid codes, which are bought from authorized distributors  often local members of the community  and are punched into the device by the homeowner to run lightbulbs and charge cell phones for extended periods of time. But to get that far, customers must sign up by providing their state identification  usually a national ID card or a passport, and sign contracts which govern the terms of service, such as maintenance and malfunctions. Once a homeowner is registered, any data associated with that homeowner is stored and logged into the company platform, known as Ant, a cloud service which stores all information associated with a customer's details, contracts, energy usage, and support requests, and any other relevant data. It's believed that the company's Ant web database was left open for months on end.

Kingo says it has "taken immediate actions in order to secure the data," but the damage is done, and the users whose data was exposed effectively have no recourse. Way to go, Kingo.
Helix Sleep raises $7.4 million to sell made-to-order mattresses online

Some beds are too hard, some beds are too soft, but some are just right, and a New York-based startup is promising to personally design you a mattress in this Goldilocks comfort zone.

Helix Sleep Inc. offers customers the ability to customize their mattress by filling out a two-to-three minute online questionnaire that will tailor it to their body type and sleeping preference. And, theyll also ship it directly to your doorstep in a little over a week.

However, its most remarkable aspect may be that for an additional $100, it offers couples a dual comfort mattress (in queen, king and California king sizes) that is split down the middle with each side custom-made based on the results for the respective partners.

Or, it offers a blended option that creates a happy medium across the mattresses.

The mattresses range from $800 for a twin to $1,550 for a custom California king. They also come with a 10-year warranty and a 100-night sleep trial. If customers are waking up with kinks in their neck or cant stop tossing and turning, Helix will have it picked up and provide a full refund at any point during the period.

On Monday, Helix co-founder, Adam Tishman, told TechCrunch that the startup had raised $9.65 million in Series A funding.

The influx of cash comes from backers Double J Capital, Simon Venture Group, Western Technology Investments, Great Oaks VC, as well as seed investors Jonathan Klein, co-founder of Getty Images, and Jess Itzler, co-founder of Marquis Jet.

Double J Capitals Jordan Hitch, who will now join Helix as a board member, told TechCrunch that he expects the new funding will be used for hiring, sales, marketing and to beef up manufacturing.

The company currently employs 20 full-time workers in its Manhattan office and showroom.

New competitors have been jumping into the mattress industry, with startups such as Casper, Leesa, Boll & Branch, Parachute Home and Brooklinen attracting funding.

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But Helix has tried to set itself apart with its proprietary algorithm that Tishman told TechCrunch is based on research in biomechanics and sleep ergonomics. The end goal of their designs is to ensure spinal alignment during sleep.

The companys mattresses use a blend of latex, high-grade foam and packed micro-coils, as opposed to traditional innerspring designs.

Despite seemingly having this leg up on competitors, Hitch stressed the need to focus on the customers

They do have a proprietary algorithm to develop their mattresses, but the important will be maintaining high levels of customers service as they grow, he told TechCrunch.

Barriers to entry are low in this industry  the hardest part is to be consistent.

Are mattresses important?

While Helixs technology may sound appealing to the more than 67 per cent of Canadians who wish they could get better quality sleep, it important to note that there a lack of scientific evidence on how mattresses factor into the equation.

In fact, according to Vice, much of the research on the subject is funded by mattress companies themselves, which can lead to shaky results.

However, a 2011 study may back Helixs customized approach.

The research, which was funded by the Sleep to Live Institute, asked 128 healthy people with no sleep disorders to spend a month each with seven unidentified mattresses.

The participants were then surveyed about their pain and energy levels the next day, as well as the number of times they woke up during the night.

Additionally, an actigraph tracked their movement: tossing and turning indicated a worse sleep, while sleeping like a log did not.

In the end, the researchers found that there was no single best bed, with each mattress garnering top position from at least 12 per cent of participants and none receiving more than 16 per cent.

However, that preference made a difference, with participants saying they moved and woke up less during the night, as well as felt better rested and less pain while using their favourite bed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China August 31, 2016. REUTERS/Wu Hong/Pool

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - China agreed on Wednesday to delay introducing stricter rules on canola shipments from Canada while both countries work to end a months-long trade spat, offering an eleventh hour temporary reprieve for Canada's farmers.

One day before the new standard was due to go into force, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Canada would be able to continue with the current canola export regime, while a longer-term solution is worked out.

China is Canada's top export market for the oilseed, and Ottawa has taken a strong line in talks on a new standard, which may raise costs for exporters.

The delay may be seen as a victory for Trudeau, as the import dispute has taken center stage during his China visit.

China has said tougher import rules were necessary to prevent the spread of blackleg disease from Canadian canola into Chinese rapeseed, another name for the crop.

"China has no intention of keeping its doors closed to other exporters," Li told a joint news conference with Trudeau.

"But it's also true that Chinese canola producers have their own worries, hoping that imported canola will not carry with it any disease. Chinese consumers also have that issue on their mind," Li added.

Both sides should be flexible, he said.

China had planned to reduce the amount of foreign matter allowed per shipment to no more than 1 percent from 2.5 percent.

ICE Canada canola futures for November delivery rose 2 percent on Wednesday morning.

Even so, uncertainty remains about how long China will delay imposing its tougher standard, said PI Financial broker Ken Ball, who trades canola futures in Winnipeg.

"The market has to accept the fact that there's a risk this thing could pop up at us again," he said.

A Canadian canola trader who was not authorized to speak publicly said it is unlikely additional shipments will be made until China's position is clearer.

Negotiating teams from both countries were meeting in Beijing, Canada's Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said.

Story continues

"We are now working on achieving a long-term agreement on terms of Canadian canola shipments and ... we are working to achieve that in the coming days and weeks," she said.

Li also said both countries had agreed to start feasibility talks on a free trade pact at an early date, although Trudeau made no mention of this to reporters.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Beijing Monitoring Desk; additional reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Richard Pullin and Meredith Mazzilli)
By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - China agreed on Wednesday to delay introducing stricter rules on canola shipments from Canada while both countries work to end a months-long trade spat, offering an eleventh hour temporary reprieve for Canada's farmers. One day before the new standard was due to go into force, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Canada would be able to continue with the current canola export regime, while a longer-term solution is worked out. China is Canada's top export market for the oilseed, and Ottawa has taken a strong line in talks on a new standard, which may raise costs for exporters. The delay may be seen as a victory for Trudeau, as the import dispute has taken center stage during his China visit. China has said tougher import rules were necessary to prevent the spread of blackleg disease from Canadian canola into Chinese rapeseed, another name for the crop. "China has no intention of keeping its doors closed to other exporters," Li told a joint news conference with Trudeau. "But it's also true that Chinese canola producers have their own worries, hoping that imported canola will not carry with it any disease. Chinese consumers also have that issue on their mind," Li added. Both sides should be flexible, he said. China had planned to reduce the amount of foreign matter allowed per shipment to no more than 1 percent from 2.5 percent. ICE Canada canola futures for November delivery rose 2 percent on Wednesday morning. Even so, uncertainty remains about how long China will delay imposing its tougher standard, said PI Financial broker Ken Ball, who trades canola futures in Winnipeg. "The market has to accept the fact that there's a risk this thing could pop up at us again," he said. A Canadian canola trader who was not authorized to speak publicly said it is unlikely additional shipments will be made until China's position is clearer. Negotiating teams from both countries were meeting in Beijing, Canada's Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said. "We are now working on achieving a long-term agreement on terms of Canadian canola shipments and ... we are working to achieve that in the coming days and weeks," she said. Li also said both countries had agreed to start feasibility talks on a free trade pact at an early date, although Trudeau made no mention of this to reporters. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Beijing Monitoring Desk; additional reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Richard Pullin and Meredith Mazzilli)
By Leah Schnurr OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's economy shrank in the second quarter, its worst showing in seven years, hurt by a drop in exports and a disruption to oil production caused by wildfires in Alberta, though growth was seen as likely to rebound later this year. While the quarterly drop slightly exceeded market forecasts, economists were encouraged by other figures released on Wednesday that showed the economy resumed growing in June. They said the June pickup supports the Bank of Canada's view that growth will recover in the third quarter. The central bank is not expected to move off the sidelines at its meeting next week. [CA/POLL] "I think the Bank of Canada is still confident that exports will turn up and lead the economic expansion in the second half of the year," said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized 1.6 percent rate in the second quarter, Statistics Canada said. That exceeded forecasts for a contraction of 1.5 percent and was the biggest annualized decline since the second quarter of 2009, when Canada was in a global credit crisis-induced recession. "The quarterly GDP print for the second quarter wasn't pretty, but no one was expecting it to be," wrote Andrew Grantham, senior economist at CIBC. The Canadian dollar cut declines against the greenback following the report, but it had weakened further by midday as oil prices fell. [CAD/] [O/R] A drop in exports of goods and services was the main hit to growth in the second quarter. The decrease was widespread across most types of goods, including motor vehicles and consumer products. Exports of energy products, including crude oil and crude bitumen, declined due to May wildfires in northern Alberta. An acceleration in exports is important to the central bank's outlook, and Friday's trade report will be scrutinized for how they fared at the start of the third quarter. Business investment remained weak, but the rate of decline was not as steep as it has been, an encouraging sign for the central bank. "There are good signals in there," said Desjardins senior economist Jimmy Jean. "It bodes well for the third quarter." Other figures indicated a pickup in the economy was already under way. Gross domestic product grew 0.6 percent in June, helped by a rise in non-conventional oil extraction as capacity returned following the fires. (Additional reporting by John Tilak and Allison Martell in Toronto; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and David Gregorio)
The driver of a car that rear-ended a Toronto Transit Commission bus killing a 26-year-old man in Scarborough on Tuesday, was the victim's mother, police say.

The man was a passenger in the back seat of the red Nissan driven by his 52-year-old mother, according to Toronto Police Traffic Services. A 58-year-old man was also a passenger in the car at the time.

Toronto paramedics said the 26-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. The other two were rushed to hospital; one with serious injuries and another with moderate injuries.

The car was travelling southbound on Warden Avenue near Finch Avenue East before 6:30 a.m., when it collided with the bus.

There were no passengers on the TTC bus at the time, paramedics told CBC News.

Police closed roads in the area for collision reconstruction and the investigation  the roads have since reopened.
Canada's ambassador to China says human rights in that country have taken a step backwards in some areas in recent years.

Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada's top diplomat in China for four years, said he's noticed a change in terms of people's ability to express themselves freely, and not in a positive way.

"In terms of personal freedom of course the advent of the internet has meant that now there are a lot more fora [forums] to allow people to express their views. But at the same time, I think it's fair to say that in the last three years, I think things are going backwards unfortunately," he told reporters during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to Beijing this week.

Still, he added some progress has been made, particularly in the area of economic rights.

"The fact that they have taken 600 million people out of poverty...They have about 70 million people that are still living below the poverty level and by 2020 [the goal is] to take them out. You have a growing middle class," he said.

Saint-Jacques said the prime minister raised the issue of human rights in his meetings with both Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping.

Canada's own issues brought up

He noted Trudeau highlighted the need to strengthen ties between the two countries to allow for more opportunities to talk frankly about these issues.

"[Trudeau] said we are not perfect. We have many problems of our own. He mentioned Indigenous people but he said we will want to continue to raise those issues in a respectful manner," Saint-Jacques said.

The ambassador said the prime minister also spoke about individual consular cases, including Canadian Kevin Garratt, who was indicted on charges of espionage. He was detained in August 2014 near China's sensitive border with North Korea.

His family issued a statement Tuesday to express frustration at the lack of progress and their fears for Garratt's "fragile" health.

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The ambassador would only say the case was raised, but would not elaborate any further.

Garratt's family said on Wednesday they were "extremely frustrated and disappointed" with the lack on progress in freeing him.

Before he was appointed ambassador to China Saint-Jacques served in Canada's embassy in Beijing and Hong Kong.
Omnitrax shut down then reopened operations on the rail line from The Pas to Churchill after a fire considered "suspicious in nature" by RCMP damaged a locomotive in The Pas on Monday evening, according to community officials.

Firefighters were called to the Hudson Bay Rail yard around 8:30 p.m. to fight the blaze in the boarded-up train engine, which had been dormant for about three years, police said.

"All I know is there was a fire, it's under investigation and until that investigation is complete, Omnitrax has shut down the entire rail line," The Pas Mayor Jim Scott said, adding no one was injured in the fire.

"Advised by Omnitrax official that due to security concerns, operations are suspended while working on an investigation. Updates to follow," the Town of Churchill Facebook page says.

"Frustrating and challenging," says Churchill mayor

Churchill mayor Mike Spence got the news of the suspension of rail service this morning from the OmniTrax vice president of port operations. Then the rail company executive was in touch with the Churchill mayor later in the afternoon to say service would resume with a scheduled shipment on Wednesday.

"That is the train that brings in our groceries and resupply goods to the north - lumber, vehicles. All of that," Spence said.

Many of the communities along the railway, including Churchill, have no road access and rely on trains to bring in freight and tourists.

Spence says the roller coaster of emotions for his community has to stop.

"It's troublesome, it's disheartening. It becomes a little too much to bear living in Churchill, that's for sure with the challenges we face...we are at a boiling point now. It's not healthy," Spence said.

Spence and other communities along the line from The Pas to Churchill told CBC News on Monday they want to negotiate with OmniTrax to take over operation of the line and the port.

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A request for information has been sent to Omnitrax.

The Hudson Bay Rail yard is owned operated by the Denver-based transportation company, which has drawn the ire of northern Manitoba residents by closing the Port of Churchill and cutting railway freight service to the northern town in half.

"At the end of the day, I think we are going to find out a couple of kids made a stupid decision and lit a locomotive on fire," Scott said. "All of this happened because of a little kid's decision."

A spokesperson for federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains, says his department is continuing to work on a solution for the rail line and port. The spokesperson adds they are looking at options to intervene if OmniTrax suspends rail service.
By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - The Arizona sheriff famous for his tough stance on illegal immigration and keeping jail inmates in tents easily won his Republican primary on Tuesday. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is seeking election to a seventh term as the top lawman for the area around Phoenix, won about 66 percent of the vote, well ahead of ex-police chief and three-time opponent Dan Saban, according to unofficial election results posted online by the county. Also on the Republican primary ballot were Wayne Baker, a retired deputy sheriff, and Marsha Ann Hill, an ex-sheriffs volunteer. Arpaio is slated to face Democrat Paul Penzone, who was unopposed in his party's primary, in the general election. Penzone, a former Phoenix police officer who is expected to present a tough challenge to Arpaio in November, lost to the longtime sheriff in 2012 by six percentage points. Arpaio, 84, was expected to win his primary despite a judges request that criminal contempt charges be brought against him stemming from a 2007 racial profiling case where he was found to have violated the constitutional rights of Latino motorists. The investigation and possible prosecution was turned over to the U.S. Justice Department last week. It was not clear when a decision would be made. Arpaio, who styles himself as Americas toughest sheriff, said his looming legal battles apparently had no effect on the primary race. I think the people understand that they should not believe everything they hear, Arpaio told Reuters in a telephone interview. They support me as they always have and that feels good. Saban has called on Arpaio to resign, saying the sheriff has soiled his badge and made himself ineffective as a lawman. Saban declined comment on the election results through a spokesman, adding that he would issue a statement on Wednesday morning. Arpaio, along with three others, could face incarceration and fines if convicted of any criminal charges. Arpaio and his second-in-command, Gerard Sheridan, already have been cited and admitted to civil contempt. The charges center on unlawful traffic stops and detentions by deputies of Latino drivers for 18 months after the judge ordered them to cease. Opponents also have targeted the profiling lawsuits high cost to the county, which will have spent an estimated $54 million on the case by next summer. (Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Toby Chopra)
Science & Engineering

MIT 3D-Printed Structures 'Remember' Shapes

A 4D-printed gripper grabs an object when the temperature is optimal. Photo courtesy of Qi (Kevin) Ge.

A research project undertaken at MIT and Singapore University of Technology and Design succeeded in developing 3D-printed structures that can be physically manipulated in extreme ways and then spring back to their original shapes seemingly on demand when heated to a particular temperature. The approach was capable of creating high-resolution features just a few microns large, leading the engineers involved in the project to predict applications for their findings in medicine, among other fields.

As described in "Multimaterial 4D Printing with Tailorable Shape Memory Polymers," the work involved producing objects composed of multiple materials with "active" components  printable shape-memory materials  that respond to heat, light or electricity. The researchers referred to this as "4D printing"  3D printing with the addition of change over time.

On the material side, the researchers are especially intrigued by "shape memory polymers" that can switch between two states: a low-temperature, harder, amorphous state, and a high-temperature, soft, rubbery state. A stretched or bent shape can be locked into place at room temperature and then snap back into its original form when it's heated up even slightly.

Up until now 3D printers have been able to create structures with details as small as a few millimeters. But this project required the capability of printing each at smaller scales.

"The reality is that, if you're able to make it to much smaller dimensions, these materials can actually respond very quickly, within seconds," said Nicholas Fang, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, and a member of the research team, in an article on the project. "For example, a flower can release pollen in milliseconds. It can only do that because its actuation mechanisms are at the micron scale."

So the team developed a 3D printing process they call "high resolution projection microstereolithography," which uses light from a projector to print patterns on successive layers of resin.

"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."

They settled on a recipe of two polymers to create the shape-memory material used for their light-defined structures. When mixed together and cured, the resulting composition can be stretched and twisted without breaking. And, within a specific temperature range (between 104 and 356 degrees Fahrenheit), it will reassume its original printed form.

An Eiffel tower is bent, then straightens on its own to its original form after being heated through a Singapore dollar coin. Photo courtesy of Qi (Kevin) Ge.

The examples concocted to illustrate the capabilities are fun ones: a tiny Eiffel tower that stretches down and then springs back into form (figure, right); or a minigripper that opens to get around an object and closes to grab it (seen at the top of this article).

But the possible applications are more serious. For example, a drug capsule could open up on early signs of infection. "We ultimately want to use body temperature as a trigger," Fang explained. "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."

Eventually, added fellow researcher Qi "Kevin" Ge, now an assistant professor at the Singapore institution, the method will accommodate the stretching of objects too. "Our method not only enables 4D 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 3D printers," Ge said. "This will advance 4D printing into a wide variety of practical applications, including biomedical devices, deployable aerospace structures and shape-changing photovoltaic solar cells."
* Company weighs its options

* Compensation unlikely, lawyer says

* Shares slump 50 pct in first trading since ban (Adds lawyer comment, updates shares)

By Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Lakes Oil, a junior oil and gas explorer in Australia, is considering the grounds it may have for suing Victoria state, after the government there permanently banned fracking and extended a halt on onshore conventional gas drilling to 2020.

Lakes Oil shares sank 50 percent on Wednesday in their first trading since the fracking ban was announced, and the stock was the second most active on the Australian exchange.

The moves by the southeastern state mean Lakes will not be able to go ahead with two tentative deals lined up in 2014 to supply gas from its Wombat onshore conventional gas field to U.S. giant Dow Chemical Co and Australian food manufacturer Simplot.

"What the government's done is just unbelievable. It's unprecedented," Lakes Oil Chief Executive Roland Sleeman told Reuters in an interview.

Sleeman would not say whether his company would seek compensation from Victoria, but said it was a "really relevant question".

"I invite you to have a look at what has happened elsewhere. The key example is Metgasco in New South Wales - not exactly the same situation - but ultimately it was compensated by government," he said.

New South Wales agreed last year to pay Metgasco A$25 million ($19 million) to buy back three exploration licenses after suspending approval for drilling at a promising coal seam gas site due to public protests.

A lawyer, however, said it would be difficult to win compensation from the Victorian government, because, mining and petroleum licenses are not property rights. They are administrative entitlements, which a government can terminate with legislation.

"As a general rule, when governments take away entitlements under mining and petroleum legislation, then there's not a right to compensation," said Jeff Lynn, a partner at law firm Ashurst.

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Victoria-focused Lakes was also considering a range of commercial options, Sleeman said, including expanding into South Australia state, which is eager to promote gas development.

Lakes could merge with another company, buy assets that larger players are spinning off, or in an extreme case, fold, he also said.

Lakes Oil has spent at least A$80 million to prove up gas resources on its Victorian acreage, Sleeman said.

($1 = 1.3298 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Tom Hogue)
President Barack Obama faces major hurdles to get the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership completed by the end of his term (AFP Photo/Zach Gibson)

President Barack Obama's two most ambitious trade deals appear increasingly in trouble, victims of electoral politics at home and in Europe and a ticking clock on his administration.

Neither the Trans-Pacific Partnership nor the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is dead, but analysts say the hurdles to getting either completed by the end of Obama's term next January 20 are now almost insurmountable.

For the TPP, already negotiated with 11 other Pacific Rim countries and only needing ratification by the Congress, the political atmosphere has been soured with both presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, pitching for votes, saying they are opposed to it.

As for TTIP -- a treaty with the entire European Union -- negotiations are stuck on the toughest issues and European politicians, facing elections next year, are likewise declaring opposition.

French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that TTIP talks "will not lead to an agreement by the end of the year," and hours earlier his junior minister for trade Matthias Fekl called for an end to the talks.

"There is no more political support in France for these negotiations," he said.

And in Germany, vice chancellor and economy minister Sigmar Gabriel said the talks "have de facto failed."

While negotiators from both sides quickly responded that the talks were certainly alive and making progress, analysts said both TTIP and TPP would likely be stalled to at least 2018.

"The clock has basically run out," said Gary Hufbauer, a trade expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington.

"I agree more with the 'more dead than alive' camp in this debate," he told AFP.

Not a big free trade advocate before he was first elected in 2008, Obama has strongly pursued what he has called "trade deals for the 21st century."

Each would dwarf any previous free trade treaty, going beyond cutting goods tariffs to establish rules governing data trade, investment rights, intellectual property rights and other issues not covered in past deals.

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Both deals were set up to be negotiated largely in secret and be presented to respective governments and legislatures as completed deals for up-or-down votes.

The 12 TPP countries reached agreement in October 2015, and the main challenge to implementing it is ratification by the US Congress.

But with opponents arguing that previous trade deals have cost US jobs, TPP has become a hot issue ahead of the US presidential and congressional elections coming on November 8.

TTIP has not figured much in the US campaign, but this week's comments show it will in the French and German elections next year.

"Election periods are always not good times for trade agreements," Hufbauer told AFP.

Moreover, relative to TPP, the TTIP talks have been rushed, and have been tripped up by Britain's June vote to withdraw from the European Union, potentially removing a key US ally fromt he deal.

"It was never going to be easy between the US and the EU because basically you have the two elephants (of global trade) negotiating with each other," said Frances Burwell at the Atlantic Council.

Obama has a chance to move both deals forward before leaving office.

He could submit TPP to Congress for ratification after the election, and before the new Congress takes office in early January, when legislators could vote with less political pressure.

But Daniel Ikenson, a trade expert at the Cato Institute, gives that "about a one percent chance" of succeeding.

"I think the votes are really not there," he said, with the normally pro-free trade Republican Party deeply divided.

Obama could also drive his chief trade negotiator, Michael Froman, to finish a TTIP deal before he exits. But that could require big US compromises, which coud create a political firestorm for his successor.

"There is some chance that we will be very close to what is known as a political agreement by the end of Obama's term, but it's dicey. It's not a sure thing," said Burwell.

Both deals, then, are almost certain to be left to the next president, widely expected to be Clinton. As Obama's secretary of state she supported the negotiating effort but has opposed TPP on the campaign trail.

Never mind that, said Ikenson. "Presidential candidates tend to be more populist and more anti-trade. Presidents themselves see the light... Clinton will find a way to support it."

Trump is more of a cipher, with his campaign advisors including some anti-trade ideologues, noted Ikenson.

But even then, existing laws and industry pressure could force a president Trump into supporting the deals, he posited.
By Foo Yun Chee and Padraic Halpin BRUSSELS/DUBLIN (Reuters) - The European Commission ordered Apple Inc to pay Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros (11.08 billion pounds) on Tuesday as it ruled the firm had received illegal state aid. Apple and Dublin said the U.S. company's tax treatment was in line with Irish and European Union law and they would appeal the ruling, which is part of a drive against what the EU says are sweetheart tax deals that usually smaller states in the bloc offer multinational companies to lure jobs and investment. The U.S. feels its firms are being targeted by the EU and a U.S. Treasury spokesperson warned the move threatens to undermine U.S. investment in Europe and "the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU." Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state, while Amazon.com Inc and McDonald's Corp are also under investigation by the Commission, the EU's executive arm. Apple's stock fell less than 1 percent. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager questioned how anyone might think an arrangement that allowed Apple to pay a tax rate of 0.005 percent, as Apple's main Irish unit did in 2014, was fair. "Tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades, in breach of the EU state aid rules. Apple now has to repay the benefits," Vestager told a news conference. Analysts said the size of the claim underlined the Commission's aggressive stance, but since each case involves different circumstances and tax rules, lawyers said it was hard to see if further big claims were any more or less likely. Apple, which had more than $200 billion (152.91 billion pounds) in cash and readily marketable securities at the end of June, is likely to see the case drag out for years in EU and possibly Irish courts. Apple warned investors in a July regulatory filing that the Commission's investigation could lead to "material" liability for further tax payments, but that it could not estimate the impact. On Tuesday the company said it expects to place "some amount of cash" in an escrow account. Tax experts say the European Commission faces a tough battle to convince courts to back up its stand. While the EU has found that certain tax regulations are anti-competitive, it has never before ruled whether countries have applied tax regulations fairly in the way it has with Apple, Starbucks and others. As a result, some lawyers and accountants said they doubted Apple would end up paying back any tax. I am not persuaded by the reasoning the EU has applied, said Tim Wach, global managing director at international tax advisers Taxand. "ARTIFICIAL" ARRANGEMENT The EU's ruling challenges the way that Ireland agreed to tax the profits of Irish-registered Apple subsidiaries, through which most of its non-U.S. profits flowed. Apple Inc licences the rights to technology designed in the United States to Irish subsidiaries. These then hire contract manufacturers to make devices which they sell to Apple retail subsidiaries around Europe and Asia. Since the manufacturing cost is a small portion of device sales prices and retail subsidiaries are allocated a small operating margin, Apple Ireland is very profitable. In 2011, it earned $22 billion after paying $2 billion to its U.S. parent in relation to the rights to Apple intellectual property. However, the Irish tax authority agreed only 50 million euros of this was taxable in Ireland, the European Commission said. Under the terms of Apples tax deal, first agreed in 1991 and renewed in 2007, Apple could allocate most of the profits earned by its Irish operating units to a "head office" that did not have any employees or own any premises. This 'head office' had no operating capacity to handle and manage the distribution business, or any other substantive business for that matter, the Commission said. The Commission said this agreement had no basis in tax law and was not available to others, and so represented state aid. Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he profoundly disagreed with the decision and in order to preserve Irelands attractiveness for investment he would appeal. "There is no economic basis for this decision. It's bizarre and it's an exercise in politics by the Competition Commission," Noonan said. "They don't have responsibility for taxes and they are opening a back door through state aid to influence tax policy in European countries when the European treaties say tax policy is a matter for sovereign governments," he added. Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of the countrys economic policy for decades, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 of the country's workers. For many technology firms like Google and Facebook, a key attraction is that Ireland allows companies to adopt tax structures which see them pay much less than the 12.5 percent headline rate. The companies say they follow all tax rules. Apple said it was confident of winning an appeal. "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process," CEO Tim Cook said in a letter to customers posted on Apple's website. "A companys profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created," he added. U.S. OPPOSITION The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week in which it said it was looking at possible responses to what it sees as unfair targeting of its firms, which could include extra taxes on the U.S. arms of European companies. The paper noted that the EU executive's tax rulings could cost the U.S. exchequer money. Under U.S. tax law, Apple's Irish profits are taxable if brought back to the United States  something the company would have to do if it wanted to use the money to pay dividends. But any tax paid in Europe is reduced from the tax due in the United States. The Treasury has said the Commissions approach was at odds with EU tax law and international treaties. The Commission, which has also ruled European companies including carmaker Fiat and Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB must pay tax claims worth over $350 million, said its application of competition law to tax rulings followed EU law and treated all companies equally. Nonetheless, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg have already appealed EU rulings against their tax deals with multinationals. Apple employs 5,500 people in areas such as logistics and distribution in the Irish city of Cork, which has about a quarter of Apple's Europe-based staff. The Commission has previously said Apple's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations." Apple has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country. Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri decried the effective tax rate cited by Vestager as "a completely made-up number." (Additional reporting by Conor Humphries in Dublin, Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels, Tom Bergin in London, Eric Auchard in Frankfurt and Julia Love in San Francisco; Writing by Tom Bergin/Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop, Alexander Smith and Bill Rigby)
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Riga, Latvia, 2016-08-31 14:41 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 1H 2016, JSC Baltic International Bank (Bank) posted good financial results. The operating income increased to reach EUR 15.57 million having demonstrated a 55.4 percent growth over the same period last year. The Banks profit came close to EUR 2.94 million. The total capital ratio totalled 18.42 percent and hit a 12-year high.

The positive dynamics of income growth was primarily facilitated by trade transactions whose income increased by EUR 4.52 million. Income gained also from brokerage operations (grew by 33.3 percent) and account service fees (rose by 19 percent). The income saw a positive significant impact attributed largely to a one-time gain on sale of Visa Europe Ltd shares (the sale proceeds totalled EUR 1.94 million).

In 1H 2016, the Baltic International Bank liquidity ratios continued to remain at stable high levels. As of 30 June 2016, the liquidity ratio was 85.68 percent and far exceeded the minimum internal threshold of 60 percent. The liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) exceeded 600 percent and reached 637.36 percent.

As of 30 June 2016, the Banks own capital totalled EUR 33.18 million. In 2Q 2016, the Bank issued its shares, thereby increasing the share capital by EUR 1 million.

The Banks operational strategy lays down sustainable development principles and aims to offer Banks customers the opportunity to invest in environmentally friendly projects. In 2015, the Bank earned the Bronze Award in the annual Sustainability Index. Throughout 2016, the Bank implemented socially responsible activities and various projects important to the entire society and was therefore honoured with the Silver Award for its sustainability performance.

The Bank contributed to developing a modern interactive mobile application for the Latvian National Museum of Art (LNMA). In May 2016, the modern mobile app saw daylight and was made available to all museum visitors. The app enhances their enjoyment of the museum by giving the visitors more information and new impressions. The Bank is proud of having supported one of the most advanced museum apps in the whole Europe.

The Bank is well aware that the study of public opinions and attitudes is crucial for determining strategy in every country. In June 2016, the Bank and SKDS (Latvia-based Centre for Marketing and Opinion Research) jointly embarked on conducting BIBs Latvian Barometer, a monthly survey of public opinions and attitudes. The Barometer studies and analyses the economic and social processes in Latvia.
TORONTO, Aug. 31, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Molycorp, Inc., together with certain of its affiliates (collectively, Molycorp), reported today that its confirmed Fourth Joint Amended Plan of Reorganization (the Plan) became effective as of August 31, 2016. Molycorp, Inc. has emerged from Chapter 11 protection.



With its state-of-the-art processing and manufacturing facilities, the newly reorganized business, now known as Neo Performance Materials (or the Business), produces some of the highest performance rare earth and rare metal-based engineered materials in the world according to customers most challenging product specifications. The Business is organized along three business segments: Neo Chemicals and Oxides, Neo Magnequench, and Neo Rare Metals. The Business operates globally with sales and production across 10 countries, including Japan, China, Thailand, Estonia, Singapore, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, and South Korea.

Neo Performance Materials is a privately held company with executive offices in Toronto, Canada and is composed of a number of operating subsidiaries organized under a holding company based in the Cayman Islands. It is led by the prior management team under Geoff Bedford, President and CEO, who together with the former chairman of the board, Constantine Karayannopoulos, will serve as members of the board. The other members of this board include: Brook Hinchman; Edgar Lee; Emily Stephens; Nick Basso; Robert LaRoche; Eric Noyrez and Jonathan Foster.

Shares of common stock of former Molycorp, Inc. are no longer available for trading on a public exchange. Previous shares of common stock have been canceled with no distribution to the holders.

With its strengthened capital structure, Neo Performance Materials intends to deepen its client partnerships in advanced material technology and innovation.

Today marks a new beginning for this truly innovative and adaptive company, Mr. Bedford said. We emerge with a strong financial foundation under a new brand that speaks to our continued focus on performance and innovation. We have a commonality with the funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. (Oaktree), an affiliate of which is our largest shareholder, in a shared vision and commitment to our customers with the goal of long-term growth and value creation that will benefit everyone associated with our company. I want to express a special note of thanks to our customers and employees around the world who have continued to support us through this restructuring.

He also said: We are already achieving significant milestones in bringing new applications and solutions to market through collaboration with our customers, and we are now in a much stronger position to continue down this path of value creation for our stakeholders.

According to Brook Hinchman, Senior Vice President of Oaktree, Today marks the completion of a restructuring that separates Neo Performance Materials as a standalone business. Neo Performance Materials is emerging with a strong balance sheet and excellent liquidity profile that, coupled with the continued leadership of the experienced management team of the Business, positions it extremely well to execute on the go-forward business plan and serve the needs of its customers.

Molycorp was advised by the investment banking firm Miller Buckfire & Co. and received financial advice from AlixPartners, LLP. Jones Day and Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor LLP acted as legal counsel to Molycorp in this process. Oaktree was advised by Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP and Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP as legal counsel, and Centerview Partners, LLC, as financial advisor. For information regarding the Chapter 11 case, please visit http://cases.primeclerk.com/molycorp.

About Neo Performance Materials

Neo Performance Materials is a leading supplier of advanced materials used in a wide range of technology applications across many sectors, including consumer electronics, fiber optics, hybrid and electric vehicles; and clean energy technologies. With state-of-the-art processing and separating facilities in Europe and Asia, the Company helps customers to diversify the risk of sourcing materials from a single country. The Business, which is organized along three business segments: Neo Chemicals and Oxides, Neo Magnequench, and Neo Rare Metals, is engaged in the production, processing and development of rare earth and zirconium based engineered materials; magnetic powders; and rare metals.

Neo Performance Materials is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; with corporate offices in Greenwood Village, Colorado, US; and Beijing, China. The Company operates globally with sales and production across 10 countries, being Japan, China, Thailand, Estonia, Singapore, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, and South Korea. For more information, please visit www.neomaterials.com.

About Oaktree

Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments with $98 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2016. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in distressed debt, corporate debt (including high yield debt and senior loans), control investing, convertible securities, real estate and listed equities. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the firm has over 900 employees and offices in 18 cities worldwide. For additional information, please visit Oaktrees website at http://www.oaktreecapital.com.
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
The statement quoted Ahmed Shaheed, the special rapporteur for the situation of human rights in Iran, as saying, It is regrettable that the Government continues to proceed with executions for crimes that do not meet the threshold of the most serious crimes as required by international law, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is State party.

He also pointed out that many of Irans death sentences derive from trials in which the defendants rights of legal representation and due process were clearly violated. As an example, the UNHCR statement highlighted the case of one of the 12 persons killed on Friday, Alireza Madadpour, who was arrested in November 2011 following a raid not on the place where Madadpour lived but in a house that he cleaned.

The statement points out that Madadpours defense attorney was appointed by the government and that Madadpour was never able to communicate with him directly. Furthermore, his trial lasted only 20 minutes and the judiciary flatly rejected all requests for retrial. In many cases, including instances of political imprisonment, Iranian authorities prevent defendants from selecting their own lawyers and instead allow them to choose only from a short list of approved attorneys  generally those without a track record of successfully challenging the judiciary.

Furthermore, the quick pace of some capital cases helps Iran to carry out so many death sentences annually that it consistently tops the list of countries with the highest rate of executions per capita. In 1988, the Islamic Republic hit the high point of this trend when it carried out an estimated 30,000 executions of political prisoners in a single summer, following trials that lasted as little as a minute.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran has been using the recent mass executions as a starting point for recalling attention to that massacre, which mainly targeted the NCRIs main constituent group, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran. At the same time, the NCRI has also been among the groups keeping tabs on the most recent surge in the number of hangings in Iran.

Although the Islamic Republic still put approximately 250 people to death in the first seven months of 2016, that number was a significant step down from the same period last year. But preliminary reports from the month of August suggest that the regime is on its way to shrinking the gap between the two annual totals. According to Ahmed Shaheed and others, 2015 represented the worst period of executions in more than 25 years, despite the fact that the current presidential administration has been described by some Western policymakers as moderate.

The NCRI recently reported that the Iranian judiciary had put 30 people to death in the space of three days, with 18 of them having been killed last Thursday alone. Eleven of these were killed in a single mass hanging at Zahedan Central Prison. Iran Human Rights added that six men and one woman had been executed on that same day in Yazd Prison, and that five of them had been sentenced on the basis of drug charges.

On Wednesday, Iran Human Rights also reported that Iranian judiciary official Mohammad Bagher Olfat had acknowledged that such executions are not an effective deterrent against drug crimes. As an alternative, he recommended long-term prison sentences coupled with hard labor. But Olfats statement was not issued until hours after the 12 drug offenders were executed on Saturday. And whereas Olfat gently criticized Irans drug-related executions as simply impractical, Shaheed issued another statement shortly after the executions, declaring that the execution of individuals for drug-related offences is simply illegal.

The NCRI notes that Shaheed added, Combating drug trafficking, a serious concern in Iran, does not justify the use of the death penalty in drug-related cases. The execution of Mr. Madadpour and 11 others shows the Iranian authorities complete disregard of its obligations under international human rights law and especially of international fair trial standards and due process guarantees

But the NCRI itself put the drug-related executions in context with a broader crackdown on political and social dissent, and concluded that the current surge of executions is indicative of utter desperation as the regime plunges further into domestic and regional isolation.

Whatever the motivations might be from Tehrans perspective, IranWire confirmed that the authorities appear to be in the midst of execution fever in the notorious Rajai Shahr Prison and in other prisons throughout the country. Drawing upon reports from inside those prisons, IranWire described an unpredictable pattern of executions that has left both political prisoners and other inmates in fear of prospect of guards once again taking a large group of prisoners to solitary confinement in preparation for un-announced executions.

Furthermore, some of these executions have gone forward in spite of the fact that the inmates were in the middle of an appeals process. In this sense, Irans ongoing executions violate not only international law but also the Islamic Republics own domestic laws, since executions are technically not permitted to be carried out until the appeals court has confirmed the capital sentence.

This disregard for legal protocol may be regarded as a tactic of intimidation, especially in light of the fact that prisoners who are housed near to recent hanging victims have reported numerous other instances of deliberate intimidation, including beatings and the use of batons and Tasers. IranWire quoted one Rajai Shahr prisoner as saying that the guards had made a spectacle of taking away prisoners for execution, so as to create a show of force to make us believe that they could crush us any moment that they wished.

Recently, such shows of force have also been seen on the international stage, with Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and other Iranian officials making public statements that claim Irans domestic military capabilities are now on par with those of the rest of the world, including the Western powers.
I am going to start using "hyperphagous" at buffets.

If there is one thing humans love to do, it is ignore bear warning signs.

I was reading about aggressive bears at Yellowstone back in the 50's-60's; the Rangers apparently had a one-strike policy for bears who attacked a tent that DIDN'T have food in it, after which they tagged them and released them deep in the woods and if they were seen again near the campgrounds, that was it. But the humans did not make it easy on themselves and kept feeding them and trying to get in picture range.
Editors' pick: Originally published August 31.

Donald Trump has long promised he'll build wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Some in his camp have suggested the barrier might be digital, rather than physical. If that ends up being the case, there's an Israeli company investors will be wise to keep an eye on.

At the center of Trump's immigration platform is a pledge to erect a wall at the Mexican border -- a wall he insists will be real. Some close to him, however, have indicated that wall may instead by virtual. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry made such a suggestion in July (though he has recently backed off of the claim). Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has said the wall will be "technological as well as physical," and others in the Trump camp have made similar suggestions as well.

If Trump's wall does go digital, even in part, here is a company that could be enlisted to do the job: Elbit Systems (ESLT) . The firm has already undertaken such an endeavor in Arizona.

Elbit Systems of America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Israeli-based defense electronics company Elbit Systems Ltd., was in 2014 awarded a $145.3 million contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to erect a virtual detection system at the U.S.-Mexico border, beating out out companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. Elbit Systems was involved in the West Bank wall separating the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. For Arizona, the company was enlisted to install and maintain an integrated fixed towers system at the border for eight years, until the process would be transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) in-house division. An Elbit Systems representative did not return request for comment on the matter.

Thus far, nine of what will eventually be a total of 52 towers have been deployed, largely in and around Nogales, Ariz. The towers entail both radar and cameras, forming what a CBP spokesman described as a sort of "interlocking web of our ability to see what's going on out there." They transmit data over a microwave link to a station where agents can determine a course of action.

"We're saving a lot of manpower...having that constant capability, that persistent surveillance capability," the spokesman said.

Elbit Systems wouldn't necessarily be the only company in a position to build a virtual wall.

Boeing (BA) could be involved as well. The company was awarded a multibillion-dollar contract in 2006 as part of the Secure Border Initiative-network (SBInet), a high-tech surveillance system at the border. The project was eventually abandoned in 2011 after over $1 billion were already spent, and the project was widely criticized as inefficient and costly. Boeing declined to comment on the project.

Immigration hard-liners don't as impressed with Trump's plan if it is more digital than physical.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies and staunch opponent of illegal immigration, said he believes the term virtual wall is, generally, little more than a buzzword without actual meaning. "My concern is that the very use of the term 'virtual wall' is a signal that the person using it is not serious about immigration enforcement," he said, though he conceded that an Israeli company being contracted to do the work inspired some confidence. "Frankly, they know what they're doing borders-wise."

Krikorian wasn't impressed, however, with Boeing's earlier efforts in the arena.

"It was over-ambitious," said Krikorian, adding it was an attempt by U.S. immigration authorities to "leapfrog" technological laggings it's suffered for years. "I think they bit off more than they could chew."

Trump is set to deliver a speech on his immigration policy at a rally in Phoenix on Wednesday. Heading into the event, his camp is insisting his immigration wall continues to be at the forefront of his plan and will be a real one (in which case, think about investing here).

Those with expertise in border patrol say virtual or real, the wall -- or, more likely, fence -- isn't the end-all, be-all solution to America's immigration woes. "The fence is a critical piece, but it's a piece, and the same thing with the cameras, they're a piece," said the border patrol spokesman.
As the group of Porsche Macan and Cayenne SUVs scythe through the Cambodian jungle, curious villagers looked on, fascinated by the collective convoy of machines that remain an unfamiliar sight in a country, where a luxury car is still not a common sight.

Siem Reap has developed in recent times as the gateway for visitors into the country of Cambodia. The city is home to Angkor Wat, arguably Cambodias most famous landmark, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But more than Angkor Wat, Siem Reap also offers plenty of other sites and uncovers a world that will be unfamiliar to those used to the trappings of modern life, while at the same time one can see evidence of progress in the citys fast-developing downtown area. This part of Cambodia was certainly a fascinating backdrop for the Porsche Adventure Drive 2016, which saw the press and customers alike experience quite the adventure.

What is special about Cambodia

Unlike other Southeast Asian countries closer to the equator, which typically have a more humid climate, Cambodia suffers from dry heat, which gives it a sensation more akin to being in a desert than in a tropical country. Thankfully, it gets cooler at night, as the participants of the Adventure Drive gathered for dinner at the Prasat Kravan temple, not far off from Angkor Wat. Built in the 10th century this temple is one of Cambodias oldest ones and to one of the major deities in Hinduism.

Cambodia's countryside challenges the Porsche SUVs

Early in next morning, the group sets off into the Cambodian countryside. The route of the Adventure Drive has been set out to fully challenge the abilities of the Cayenne SE-Hybrid, Cayenne, Macan and Macan S, with unpaved roads and rocky terrain the order of the day here. Nothing the Cayenne and Macan cant handle with ease however. Before the convoy hits the unbeaten tracks though, theres the business of having to negotiate the Cambodian traffic, which can be described as tricky at best. Once out of downtown, the paved roads disappear and the scenery starts to change. Instead of colonial buildings and historic temples, you start to see vast swaths of paddy fields, dotted by the occasional village that the convoy passes through. With the dry spell, the usual lush green of the padi plantations have been replaced by a pale brown.

Ta Prohm temple: nature has taken over

As the day winds down, the group heads to the enchanting Ta Prohm temple, which is known to most visitors as the setting of the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Nature has seemingly taken over this temple that was once used as a Buddhist monastery and university, with trees growing amongst the ruins.

On their way back to the busy downtown, the group has plenty of time for reflection, and the juxtaposition of the sporty and functional Porsche SUVs against the Cambodian countryside makes for an enthralling contrast. For sure, Siem Reap is a place that offers plenty in the way of historical treasures, and the stories it tells makes it a truly mesmerising destination for those seeking an enlightening escape.

Consumption data Cayenne: Combined fuel consumption: 9,2 l/100 km; CO emissions: 215 g/km Cayenne S E-Hybrid: Combined fuel consumption: 3,4-3,3 l/100 km; CO emissions: 79-75 g/km; Electricity consumption: 20.8 kWh/100 km Macan: Combined fuel consumption 7,4-7,2 l/100 km; CO emissions: 172-167 g/km Macan S: Combined fuel consumption: 9,0  8,7 l/100 km; CO emissions: 212  204 g/km
Maintaining Drug-Free Workplaces Where Marijuana is Legal

How much marijuana (or THC) should be allowable? This is an extremely difficult question and is asked of the drug testing industry regularly.

With half of United States allowing some form of marijuana use, the workplace has become a hotbed of controversy when it comes to changing workplace drug policies.

Many employers are under pressure from employees to loosen those policies, making allowances for marijuana as a social drug, one often compared to alcohol. There are similarities in that you would not allow an employee to be intoxicated at work; likewise, you would not allow an employee to be impaired at work while under the influence of marijuana. The substances, however, are quite different when it comes to determining whether an employee is currently under the influence of marijuana or has residual THC that has metabolized.

While the majority of companies, particularly those that have safety-sensitive employees, choose to maintain a zero-tolerance policy, there are plenty of employers asking how to create some form of tolerance. There are multi-faceted issues in a culture of acceptance, and each particular issue must be carefully reviewed with safety at the core of the conversation.

Understanding that contemporary marijuana products (whether leaf-based, edibles, oils, or extracts) contain substantially greater amounts of impairing THC than the traditional marijuana of the past, longer-lasting side effects and sub-acute impairment are new concerns that employers must take into consideration. In fact, extremely potent products are so new in the marketplace that most employers are quite unaware of their existence at all.

For example, a popular product known as "dabs" (a butane hash oil extraction) can contain as much as 97 percent THC.1 Those who market this product claim that one puff is equal to 26 hits of a regular marijuana cigarette. Impairment is immediate and powerful.

With that in mind and keeping employee, workplace, and community safety as the ultimate goal, what options might be available?

The first question is: Who may and may not be permitted to have THC present in their system based on a particular job description in your workplace? Is the individual at any risk to themselves or others if they are under the influence? Is there any liability for you, as the employer? Are there any situations you can foresee that would put the company in a position of culpability for allowing the employee to work with THC in their system? Think about machinery, driving any type of company vehicle (to include forklift operations), exposure to chemicals, heat sources, etc.

This article originally appeared in the October 2016 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
This deal is part of our growth plan to take the iconic TIM HORTONS brand around the world, said Daniel Schwartz, CEO of Restaurant Brands International. Great Britain is an attractive QSR market with a strong and growing coffee culture so it is a natural fit for the brand.

This is an incredibly proud moment for the TIM HORTONS brand as we enter this dynamic market, said Elias Diaz Sese, President of Tim Hortons. We look forward to bringing some of our signature products to Great Britain and helping our partners build brand awareness and open restaurants to welcome new Guests.

We are thrilled to introduce the iconic TIM HORTONS brand and Canadas favourite coffee to Great Britain, said Gurprit Dhaliwal, CEO of the joint venture company. Our Guests in England, Scotland and Wales are sure to be delighted with our focus on delivering great products and an exceptional Guest experience.
China Financial POS Terminal Industry Report, 2016-2020

NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/  With the development of electronic information technology and Internet technology, emerging payments like online payment, mobile payment and fixed-line phone payment have produced certain shunting effect on e-payment in the traditional consumption areas as well as exerted an influence on POS terminal-based e-payments. However, POS terminal manufacturers have taken the initiative to adapt to the market environment by constantly launching the products with Bluetooth, USB, NFC, QR code and other payment functions, so as to keep the sustained and steady development of the industry. By the end of 2015, 22.82 million units of POS terminals joined the UnionPay network in China, up 43.2% YoY.

After years of development, Chinas POS acquiring environment has been further improved. In 2015, each POS terminal corresponded to 240 bankcards; POS terminal ownership per 1,000 people rose to 16.66 units. But compared with major developed countries, the number of bankcards corresponding to a POS terminal in China is still high. In the next few years, as emerging technologies are introduced, POS payments will be safer and more convenient, and the POS terminal market potential will be gradually released. By 2020, there will be 58.85 million POS terminals joining the UnionPay network in China, registering a CAGR of 20.9% during 2015-2020.
HOLIDAY CHEERS OR FEARS? How to Succeed During the Holidays and Beyond

Now that the countdown to one of the most critical holiday seasons in many years has begun, how do you feel about your performance so far? Do you worry you bought the right merchandise? Do you worry you bought enough or maybe even too much?

Do you worry you paid the right price? Do you worry it will move at a decent margin? Do you worry you have the correct staffing strategy? Do you worry your advertising dollars will be effective and well spent? Do you WORRY???? Do you WORRY???? Do you SLEEP at night???? At this late date, theres no reason to drive yourself crazy worrying about the decisions you made that are pretty much done deals minus some minor tweaking. Granted this past year in retail has been very scary, but you survived because you learned how to adapt unlike some of your now defunct, less fortunate, colleagues. So now is the time to direct your nervous energy to something positive. Just because most of the critical holiday decisions have been made, now is not the time to sit back and relax. You dont take your foot off the gas when youre going uphill, do you?

I recently read an interesting survey conducted by NRF and would like to share the results with you. These results were published in the NRF SmartBrief and were as of Monday, November 02, 2009. The survey asked readers what their strategy for success will be in 2010. The reader had to choose among five different strategies:

The emphasis will be on customer service and experience.

We will play up our value messaging and offer promotions.

Cut operational costs and overhead as much as possible.

The plan is to incorporate more social media into our marketing.

We will focus on reducing shrink.

All seem like reasonable strategies but one stood out above all of the others combined. The emphasis will be on customer service and experience drew a whopping 56.36%! When you think about the other four strategies, most were either product or company oriented. In the post recession economy, the consumer is looking for more than product and even more than price. The consumer is looking for a memorable and multifaceted experience to which they will want to return and refer their friends. Yes, theres no denying that product and price are still important, but the discerning consumer expects exceptional service, transaction simplicity and convenience. They want a retailer who puts the interest of the consumer first, and they will settle for nothing less.

In a recent article (October 26, 2009) published in About.com Retail Industry, the successes or lack thereof of several major US corporations were cited. The four corporations included in the article were Amazon.com, Blockbuster, Chrysler, and eBay. Without going into detail, Blockbuster, Chrysler, and eBay were profit, product, compensation and/or selfinterest focused. Although the top executives may have walked away with large sums of money, the companies and shareholders paid heavily in market share and profitability over the past several years. Sounds like a familiar Wall Street scenario, doesnt it? On the other hand, the truly insightful CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, took an entirely different approach. He focused Amazons total attention on the customer experience and over the top customer satisfaction. When Amazon made a mistake, he acknowledged it, apologized to his customers and rectified the situation. As a result of that focus, Amazon has experienced phenomenal growth in the midst of the most volatile retail environment of our times. So what can we learn and better yet what can we do while were waiting for the holiday retail gods to drive people to our stores?

Now that you have probably made most of your buying decisions, why not focus on providing the customer with the best possible experience they will have during the fast approaching, hectic holiday season. Your actions must be memorable to the customer as well as sustainable after the holiday so customers will keep coming back and telling their friends. Here are a couple of tips you might want to consider.

CREATE A STORE ATMOSTPHERE PLEASING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS. Pay extra careful attention to appearances.

Develop a plan to keep your store(s) organized and clean during holiday crunch time and dont forget about rest rooms and dressing rooms. If you dont have a plan, untidiness and disorganization can easily take over.

Maintain a fresh, clean and inviting smell throughout the store. No one likes to shop in store that smells like a locker room or a Chinese restaurant. Provide a break room away from the sales floor where sales personnel can eat or relax out of view of the customers.

Insist on appropriate dress for your staff. Depending on the type of store you have, the dress code may be jeans or suits. Whatever the code, clean bodies and clean clothes are essential. Keep supplies of breath mints or refreshers in strategic places for personnel to use.

Maintain appropriate background noise or music. Rap does well in a hip-hop store but not so well in haute couture.

Keep in mind all the human senses when creating the atmosphere that best fits your store and customer. You want your customer to feel comfortable, relaxed and welcome.

TRY NEW THINGS THAT WILL ENHANCE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND MAKE IT EASY AND FUN TO SHOP IN YOUR STORE.

IKEA has a play area for children to have fun while parents shop.

Some womens shops have a small section where men can watch a football game, have a beer or a glass of wine while the women shop.

Some stores bake cookies or make popcorn for customers to enjoy while they shop.

Perhaps you could have a drawing every hour where customers would have to be present to win.

There are all kinds of creative and exciting things you can do to create a memorable customer experience.

BE SURE YOUR MERCHANDISE IS EASY TO FIND AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND.

Arrange your merchandise in places where customers expect to find it.

When a customer finds the desired merchandise, make sure to display companion merchandise close by to increase the value of the shopping cart.

Dont forget to clearly mark all merchandise with price and size information so customers dont have to look for clerks who are hopefully busy closing sales with other customers.

If the merchandise is technical or needs further explanation, make sure that signage fully and simply explains the products attributes. Brookstone does this really well. Each item has a plexiglas stand with a card explaining the item, its functionality and its price.

TRAIN, TRAIN, AND TRAIN YOUR STAFF.

Dont you hate to go into a store and be ignored by so-called sales associates? Many sales associates ignore customers because they know they couldnt answer their questions if asked. So rather than embarrassing themselves, they look the other way. This is not the fault of the sales associate. There are two major areas where sales personnel need training: customer courtesy and product knowledge. Teach them to greet and evaluate the needs of your customers and direct those customers to the proper merchandise.

CONVERT YOUR POINT-OF-SALE TO POINT-OF-SERVICE.

Once your customer has decided to purchase, the transactional part of the customer experience should be flawless. The actual transaction is the final step in the buying process and, if it is burdensome and aggravating, that memory sticks especially when the customer is stressed with holiday shopping.

Make sure you ask the customer how they viewed their shopping experience and tell them how much you appreciated their business. Accept criticism where it is due and apologize when appropriate.

Give them a bounce-back coupon or some other customer loyalty perk that can be used for their next visit. Reasonable time-dated rewards can dramatically increase repeat business.

Reward them for referring a friend.

Focusing on the customer experience does produce results in this hyper-competitive retail environment. In spite of Amazons huge success, most retailers will still be focused on products, mere survival, and daily profits. By focusing on providing exceptional customer experience, Jeff Bezos from Amazon has proven that profits will follow in the worst economy in decades. It wont cost you anything to give it a try.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Don Capman is President and co-owner of J.D. Associates, one of the largest distributors of retail POS software in North America. With Retail Pro, Microsoft RMS and QuickBooks Point of Sale in the company portfolio, J.D. Associates offers retail POS software solutions for specialty retailers. He can be reached at don.capman@jdapos.com
(Bloomberg) -- The good times in the worlds top steel producer may not last long. Chinas biggest mills including Hesteel Co. Ltd. are warning that the improved conditions and rising prices in the first half that helped them to lift earnings may soon be about to give way.

Industry prospects are not optimistic, Hesteel, the listed unit of Chinas biggest mill by output, said late on Tuesday as it reported its best six months since 2011. While the market had gained some momentum in the half, helped by a factors including low inventories, the sector remains on a downward trend and demand didnt rebound significantly, it said.

The gloomy outlook casts doubt over whether the recovery in Chinas steel market -- which benefited after Beijing boosted credit and infrastructure spending in the first half and moved to cut industry overcapacity -- can be sustained. Citigroup Inc. has said indicators signal sluggish growth in China for the rest of the year, and the China Iron & Steel Association warned earlier this month that there may be significant declines in demand and output.

The supply-and-demand balance in Chinas steel market hasnt materially improved, Baoshan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., the listed unit of the No. 2 producer, said on Tuesday as it reported a 9 percent rise in net income on the year to 3.47 billion yuan, after a net loss of 2.16 billion yuan in the second half. Profit increased mainly because of cost cuts, the company said, adding that conditions may remain unfavorable in the second half.

Quite Good

The commentary from the companies has been cautious but actually the third quarter has started fairly well and we think things are looking quite good, Daniel Kang, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co., said by phone. Inventories are still low. The fourth quarter is typically peak season and weve already started to see prices and margins start to improve again.

Hesteel shares traded 1.5 percent lower at 3.34 yuan in Shanghai at 10:56 a.m. local time after earlier dropping as much as 2.1 percent. Baoshans stock hasnt traded since June 24 after the company announced its parent group was in talks about a potential restructuring.

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Steels Surge

Benchmark steel prices surged 31 percent in the first half, resuscitating mills profits and helping to underpin a recovery in iron ore, which has rallied 36 percent in 2016. Margins at Chinese producers swung from deeply negative in November to the best since 2009 in April as steel output and exports climbed to records. The country makes half of the worlds steel.

Hesteel, based in Chinas major steelmaking province of Hebei, said net income in the six months through June rose to 409 million yuan ($61 million) from 357 million yuan a year earlier and 216.5 million in the second half of 2015, as revenue fell 11 percent. Baoshans revenue dropped 3.5 percent to 78 billion yuan from a year earlier.

Of Chinas other top state-owned producers:

Angang Steel Co. Ltd. boosted net income 94 percent on the year to 300 million yuan.

Beijing Shougang Co. Ltd. posted net income of 17 million yuan, from a net loss of 223 million yuan a year earlier.

Wuhan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. said its net income was 273 million yuan, down 48 percent on the year.





Neither Baoshan nor Hesteel gave updates on the mergers being considered in Chinas fragmented industry. Baoshans parent is talking with Wuhan Iron & Steel Group Corp., the companies said in June, while Hesteels owner may join with Shougang Group, people familiar with the matter have said.

The combinations would create two powerhouse producers in the north and south of the country -- the northern tie-up involving Hesteel would be the biggest in the global industry since the creation of ArcelorMittal last decade -- and follow pledges by Chinas Communist Party to restructure and streamline the countrys sprawling state-owned enterprises.

(Adds analysts comment in fifth paragraph.)

--With assistance from Winnie Zhu and Tian Chen To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Martin Ritchie in Shanghai at mritchie14@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jason Rogers at jrogers73@bloomberg.net, Jake Lloyd-Smith

2016 Bloomberg L.P.
Nestle right smack at the famous Old Airport Road hawker centre, Young Singaporeans Randall and Kai are not whom you would expect to see as hawkers serving up delicious plates of roast meat and char siew to the hungry lunchtime crowd.



An everyday affair for Co-owner Randall

Photo: Facebook, Randall Gan

Despite being in their 20s, and likely to have a combined age lesser than many of their counterparts at the hawker centre, the pair decided to take the plunge to enter the local food scene by setting up Roast Paradise  a stall dedicated to selling delicious roast meat and char siew.



Photo: Facebook, YK Chan

Before coming together to set up Roast Paradise, the two have known each other since their days working at a PR and event company. When thinking of a business to start, they identified the food and beverage (F&B) sector as one that offers promising opportunities in Singapore.

However, the first challenge they faced was that the pair did not have any prior experience in this trade, nor did they have hawker parents whom they could learn from.

The Opportunity Cost Of Learning To Be A Hawker

With no background in this trade, the pair decided to search for a mentor to teach them how to cook the food of their choice  roast meat and char siew.

That led to them going on a 6-month apprenticeship programme in KL. During that time, the pair learnt from a mentor (whom they managed to convince to teach them) what it took to prepare, cook and run a roast meat and char siew shop.

Choosing To Be A Hawker

Upon returning to Singapore, the pair decided to start running a hawker stall, rather than to open a shop on their own. The reasons were sensible; lower rental cost and lesser manpower requirements.

Initial Cost Of Setting Up Roast Paradise

For the initial metalwork and equipment needed to set up Roast Paradise at Old Airport Road, the owners spent about $10,000. This excludes the 2-month rental deposit required.

Aside from that, we must remember that both Randall and Kai incurred an opportunity cost when they spent 6 months on their apprenticeship programme in KL. Even if we assume a low opportunity cost of $2,000 per month (remember, they could have been working during that time), this still adds up to $24,000 for both of them.

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When we sum up the initial investment and opportunity cost, we are looking at about $40,000.

Monthly Cost Of Running Roast Paradise

Our initial thought was that running a hawker store should be quite affordable compared to operating in a coffee shop, food court or an individual shop.

We were wrong.

Based on our conversation with the owners, we estimated the monthly operating cost for Roast Paradise to be about $11,000 to $15,000. These include raw ingredient cost (i.e. meat, noodle, rice, oil, sauce, etc.), rental, utility, replacement of parts and maintenance.

Initial Cost Of Starting Hawker Stall (Inclusive Of Opportunity Cost) (Excluding Apprenticeship Fee) $40,000 Monthly Operating Cost $11,000  $15,000

How Much Do They Make Each Month?

The question we all want to know at this point is how much hawkers are making.

The owners were upfront about their initial challenges. On the very first day of operations, they took home $80. For the first 3 months, they were losing money.

Thankfully, business did picked up as time passed. They started to gain more loyal customers, who in turn helped them to bring in more customers.

Business has now stabilised for Roast Paradise. On an average day, the stall can get about 200 customers. If we assume an average spending of $5 per customer, that would mean a daily revenue of about $1,000.

The stall operates full day on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and half day on Wednesday and Sunday. That equates to 5 full days each week, or about 22 days each month.

Estimated Daily Revenue $1,000 Based on assumption of 200 Customers, average spending of $5 Estimated Monthly Revenue $22,000 22 working days per month Estimated Monthly Cost $13,000 Estimated Monthly Gross Profit $9,000

Based on our calculation, the stall might be making about $9,000 a month. If you split it between both partners, we are looking at about $4,500 each.

Various Job Scope, Long Working Hours

On full days, Roast Paradise operates from 11am to 230pm, before resuming sales at about 430pm till 6pm, or whenever the meat has sold out. On the surface, customers may think they only work for a few hours each day.

That however is not true. On most days, the partners start at 7am and work till about 6pm. They start early because the process of roasting meat takes about 3 hours. There is also the tedious routine of clearing and cleaning the stall at the end of each day.

And because they are hawker-entrepreneurs themselves, there are also other matters to tend to. Being savvy social media individuals, they have their own Roast Paradise Facebook page to manage. Accounts would also have to be done at the end of each day. These take about an additional 2 hours each day.

In total, we are looking at about 13 hours of work for each full day.

The Non-Financial Incentive Of Doing Well

We wont deny it. Being a hawker in Singapore can be financially rewarding, if you are good in whipping up a good dish or two. With our strong local food culture, you should find no shortage of Singaporeans willing to pay and queue for good local food.

Singapore Food Culture: If its worth eating, its worth queuing

Source: Facebook

That being said, one must be willing to endure the hard (and hot) work demanded each day as well as the initial investment required to learn the trade, and to set up the stall.

On its own, its hard to imagine the financial incentive being the only reason why any young Singaporean would join the industry. One can even argue that if making money is the only reason for starting a hawker stall such as Roast Paradise, then there are better and easier ways of doing so.

For Randall and Kai, what keeps them (and other hawkers) motivated is when their customers tell them how much they are enjoying their food, and when people show appreciation for the work and dedication they have committed to their job.

When you think about it, arent we all the same? What keeps us happily working in our job (aside from the money) is knowing that there is someone out there who appreciates the work we have done. It could be our manager, our CEO, our clients, our customers or even our colleagues.

How You Can Show Your Support To Stalls Such As Roast Paradise?

To show your support for young hawkers such as Randall and Kai, Singaporeans can come together and take part in an exciting street food movement organised by Tiger Beer.

Starting from 14 September, Tiger Beer will invite Singaporeans to come together at select coffeeshops islandwide to have a meal, courtesy of Tiger Beer. This will happen once a week from 6pm to 8pm, over five consecutive weeks. Through this initiative, Tiger Beer hopes to rally Singaporeans to support the preservation of the hawker heritage in Singapore.

To stay in touch up to date with the latest news for this movement, you can follow the Tiger Beer Facebook page.

And if you are a Nasi Lemak fan, we have great news for you!

Nasi Lemak lovers can also enjoy a special Nasi Lemak Flavoured Nuts from 1 August 2016 to 31 October 2016. This is an initiative between Tiger Beer and local nut brand, Camel.

Consumers can receive a free packet of the limited edition packet with every purchase of two 500ml cans of Tiger Beer from 1 August to 30 September 2016.

The Nasi Lemak Sambal Flavoured Nuts will also be available with purchase of three pints of draught beer, or a bucket of Tiger Beer from 1 September 2016 to 31 October 2016 at select bars and pubs.

Words Of Wisdom For Young Hawkers

Through the Tiger Street Food Support Fund, aspiring new hawkers who are looking to serve local street food can apply and receive up to S$10,000 in funding from Tiger Beer. The money can be used to offset costs for any aspects of the hawkers business (except rental).

More information on the Tiger Street Food Support Fund can be found on http://www.tigerbeer.com.sg/uncage/streetfood

While the funding support would come in handy for aspiring hawkers, the biggest recipe (pun intended) for success would boil down to having the passion to learn, prepare cook and serve good food as part of the movement to preserve our local street food culture.

As what Randall and Kai would advise, this is a doable business, as long as you are determined enough and have set your mind to it.

This article is brought to you in collaboration with Tiger Beer. All views expressed in the article is the independent opinion of DollarsandSense.sg.

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.













The post How Much Does It Cost To Run A Hawker Stall In Singapore? appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
Three corpses were recovered as some 1,800 migrants were rescued off Libya on Wednesday, taking the total number of people saved since Sunday to nearly 12,500, Italy's coastguard said. The three dead bodies were recovered from a stricken rubber dinghy by Malta-based NGO MOAS, whose boat the Phoenix rescued a total of 410 people during the day. Italian navy and coastguard boats were also in action along with a merchant tugboat that happened to be in the area. Despite the surge in numbers this week, migrant arrivals in Italy are running slightly below last year's levels. According to Interior Ministry figures, a total of 112,097 people had landed at Italian ports by Wednesday morning, compared with 116,149 for the same period in 2015. Thousands more will be registered in the coming days, putting more pressure on Italy's already rammed reception centres. Among those arriving on Wednesday was a three-month-old Nigerian baby girl who was born in Libya and baptised Noa Mary on an Italian navy boat on Tuesday. Rear Admiral Alberto Maffeis, who acted as the little girl's godfather on board the Virginio Fasan frigate, told RaiNews her mother had asked the onboard chaplain to carry out the ceremony. "It was like becoming a father again, I had a lump in my throat," he said. Flavio di Giacomo, the Italy spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), said that despite this week's high numbers, the profile of departures from Libya remained similar to last year with regular spikes in numbers attributable to favourable weather conditions. "What is astonishing is that there have been so few casualties thanks to the expertise of the rescuers," he said. Di Giacomo said the new arrivals were manageable. "There is not a a critical situation on the Italian side, the system of reception and identification is working smoothly." Italy is however having to house ever greater numbers of would-be refugees as its neighbours to the north move to tighten their borders and make it harder for migrants to travel to their preferred destinations in northern Europe. According to the Interior Ministry, Italy now has 148,000 asylum seekers in reception centres, compared with 103,000 in 2015 and 66,000 in 2014. The Greek coastguard said Wednesday it rescued roughly 30 migrants on a stricken vessel as they attempted to reach Italy.
Turkey on Wednesday denied a US claim it had agreed a truce with a Kurdish militia targeted as part of its week-old intervention in Syria but Turkish-backed fighters confirmed a lull in the fighting. In an unprecedented operation, Turkey sent tanks into Syria to help Arab rebels clear the border area of Islamic State (IS) jihadists and halt the westward advance of a US-backed Kurdish militia, which Ankara sees as a terrorist group. The assault on the Kurdish-led forces has sparked international concern and Washington had said on Tuesday that the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire. But Ankara dismissed this claim, which was corroborated on the Kurdish side. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said a truce was "out of the question". "They will remain our target unless they retreat east of the Euphrates," he said, repeating Turkey's demand that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) a Western-backed anti-IS coalition dominated by the Kurdish People' Protection Unit (YPG), retreat to the northeast. While Ankara maintained a defiant tone, one of the rebel factions fighting alongside Turkey said the combat had eased. "It has been calm since yesterday on the Jarabulus southern front against SDF forces," Ahmed Othman, a commander of the "Sultan Murad" faction told AFP -- an account corroborated by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. - 'Terrorist targets' - Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday that Turkey's operation would continue "until terror elements are completely neutralised and threats to our border, soil and citizens are over." But in the past 48 hours Turkish forces concentrated their firepower on IS, whose strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed in an air strike claimed both by the US-led anti-IS coalition and Russia. Turkish media reported clashes Tuesday with IS west of the border town of Jarabulus taken from the jihadists last week on the first day of the intervention. Turkish warplanes conducted air strikes against "terrorist" targets in the area on Tuesday and Wednesday, the state-run Anadolu agency said, referring to IS. Meanwhile, with IS apparently on the back foot, Russia's military said Wednesday one of its air strikes had killed propaganda chief Adnani. A US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the Russian claim "a joke". The official told AFP the deadly strike was conducted by a US drone. - 'Unacceptable' - Turkey sees the YPG as an offshoot of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is waging a bloody insurgency against security forces in Turkey's southeast. In the past few months, Turkey has watched in alarm as the PKK's Syrian Kurdish allies advance on the other side of the border, fearing their territorial expansion will strengthen the PKK. The US has, by contrast, been backing the YPG with training and equipment. Washington described weekend clashes between Turkey and the pro-YPG forces as "unacceptable" and urged them to concentrate on combatting IS. Turkish media reported that Ankara summoned the US ambassador to protest the criticism. A spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry, however, told AFP that there was only a "phone call" to the ambassador, John Bass. - Syria op 'kills myth' - Turkey's offensive has raised concerns that Ankara could be drawn even deeper into the Syrian conflict. Iran, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, urged Turkey to quickly wrap up its campaign, calling it a violation of Syria's sovereignty. Turkey has said Syria was informed in advance of the operation by Russia. Meanwhile, the Turkish army, which lost a soldier last week to anti-tank fire, suffered further casualties. Three Turkish soldiers were injured in a rocket attack on a tank near Jarabulus, according to Turkish television. IS claimed to have destroyed two Turkish tanks in a missile attack. The group also claimed to have carried out a suicide car bombing against Turkish-backed rebels in the same area and to have killed "dozens" of Turkish soldiers and Turkish-backed rebels. Kalin said the Jarabulus operation had killed a "myth" that the Kurdish militia was the only effective force on the ground in the fight against IS, adding: "The moderate Syrian opposition, if supported, could put up an effective fight."
Angry protesters torched Gabon's parliament Wednesday after President Ali Bongo was declared winner of what he claimed was a "peaceful and transparent" election, but which the opposition said was fraudulent. It only took a few minutes for the announcement to sink in before several of Libreville's poorer neighbourhoods erupted in anger, with thousands of people taking to the streets to express their fury. As gunfire crackled across the city, at least six people were admitted to hospital with bullet wounds, AFP reporters saw. Several of the wounded said they were shot by security forces. According to official results made public shortly after 1500 GMT, Bongo won Saturday's presidential poll by just 5,594 votes, taking 49.80 percent to 48.23 percent for his rival Jean Ping, a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official. The results will remain "provisional" until they are approved by the constitutional court. By nightfall, protesters vented their fury by setting fire to the parliament building, sending skyward a plume of flame and black smoke, witnesses and AFP correspondents said. Fires were visible in other parts of Libreville and explosions were heard as protesters faced off against heavily armed security forces. "The whole building is catching fire," a man outside parliament who gave his name as Yannick told AFP. The parliament lies on the same road as the state TV headquarters, senate, town hall, oil ministry, several embassies and the French cultural centre. As soon as Bongo's victory in Saturday's poll was announced Wednesday, people took to the streets of the city's slums, chanting "Ali must go". - Slim margin - As helicopters flew overhead and smoke rose above poorer neighbourhoods, soldiers, police and gendarmes stopped traffic on the main highway where protestors braved tear gas to set tyres alight. Protestors shouted, "Jean Ping president!" and "They stole the election." Ping, a half Chinese career diplomat has rejected the results, and before they were announced had declared it was he who won. There was also trouble Wednesday in the economic capital Port Gentil, which saw the worst of the violence that followed Bongo's 2009 election victory. That contested vote followed the death of Bongo's father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the oil-rich country for 41 years. Any appeal by Ping would likely focus on disputed results in one of the country's nine provinces -- the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group. In Saturday's vote, turnout was 59.46 percent nationwide but soared to 99.93 percent in Haut-Ogooue, where Bongo won 95.5 percent of votes. "It's going to be difficult to get people to accept these results," one member of the electoral commission confided to AFP, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject. "We've never seen results like these, even during the father's time," he added. Opposition delegates in the electoral commission have vowed to fight for a recount. - 'Let's change together' - Ping, the European Union, the United States and former colonial power France have called for voting figures from each of Gabon's polling stations to be made public to ensure the credibility of overall result. "This will help give the people of Gabon -- as well as the international community -- confidence the announced vote tallies are accurate," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said. In 2009, Bongo was declared winner of the election after his father's death. In the ensuing clashes several people were killed, buildings looted and the French consulate in the economic capital Port Gentil torched. EU observers, who were barred from the meeting of the electoral commission on Wednesday, said the vote on Saturday was "managed in a way that lacked transparency". Joining the EU in pressuring Bongo on Wednesday, the French foreign ministry called for the electoral commission to show "transparency and impartiality". "Only in this way can the credibility of the results be guaranteed," a spokesman for the French foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Gabon is a former French colony which has been hit by the global slump in the price of crude oil, its biggest export. One third of Gabon's population lives in poverty, despite the country boasting one of Africa's highest per capita incomes at $8,300 (7,400 euros) thanks to pumping 200,000 barrels of oil a day. Bongo, 57, campaigned under the slogan "Let's change together", playing up the roads and hospitals built during his first term and stressing the need to break with the bad old days of disappearing public funds and dodgy management of oil revenues. The campaign period was marked by months of bitter exchanges between the two camps, including accusations, and strenuous denials, that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run. Ping's own roots -- he is Sino-Gabonese -- served as ammunition for Bongo's camp, which has suggested he and his son are secretly serving Chinese interests.
AFP News

Russia on Saturday suspended its participation in a landmark agreement that allowed vital grain exports from Ukraine, blaming alleged drone attacks on Russian ships in Crimea. Russia made the announcement after its army accused Kyiv earlier Saturday of a "massive" drone attack on its Black Sea fleet, while Britain bluntly rejected Moscow's claims its specialists were involved. The Turkey and UN-brokered deal to unlock grain exports signed between Russia and Ukraine in July is critical to easing the global food crisis caused by the conflict. The agreement already allowed more than nine million tonnes of Ukrainian grain to be exported and was due to be renewed on November 19. "In light of the terrorist act carried out by the Kyiv regime with the participation of British experts against ships of the Black Sea fleet and civilian vessels involved in the security of grain corridors, Russia suspends its participation in the implementation of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports," the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram. Sevastopol in Moscow-annexed Crimea, which has been targeted several times in recent months, serves as the headquarters for the fleet and a logistical hub for operations in Ukraine. The Russian army claimed to have "destroyed" nine aerial drones and seven maritime ones, in an attack in the port early Saturday. Moscow's forces alleged British "specialists", whom they said were based in the southern Ukrainian city of Ochakiv, had helped prepare and train Kyiv to carry out the strike. In a further singling out of the UK -- which Moscow sees as one of the most unfriendly Western countries -- Russia said the same British unit was involved in explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month. Britain strongly rebutted both claims, saying "the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale." Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Saturday Moscow would raise the blasts and the alleged drone attack at the UN Security Council. The British defence ministry said this "invented story says more about arguments going on inside the Russian Government than it does about the West". Moscow's military said ships targeted at their Crimean base were involved in a UN-brokered deal to allow the export of Ukrainian grain. Russia had recently criticised the deal, saying its own grain exports have suffered due to Western sanctions. - 'Massive' attack - Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said Saturday's drone attack was the "most massive" the peninsula had seen. The city's services were on "alert", but he claimed no "civilian infrastructure" had been damaged. City authorities said that the harbour was "temporarily" closed to boats and ferries and urged people "not to panic". Attacks on Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, have increased in recent weeks, as Kyiv presses a counter-offensive in the south to retake territory held by Moscow for months. Moscow-installed authorities in Kherson, just north of Crimea, have vowed to turn the city into a fortress, preparing for an inevitable assault. On Thursday, Razvozhayev said a thermal power station had been attacked in Balaklava, in the Sevastopol area. He claimed there was only minor damage and no casualties. In early October, Moscow's bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland -- personally inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin in 2018 -- was damaged by a blast that Putin blamed on Ukraine. The Russian fleet stationed in the port had also been attacked by a drone in August. Russia's allegations Saturday came as the Ukrainian army reported fighting in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions in the east, including near Bakhmut -- the only area where Moscow's forces have advanced in recent weeks. Pro-Russian separatists fighting alongside Moscow also announced a new prisoner exchange with Kyiv, saying 50 will return home from each side. Both sides were gearing up for the battle for the city of Kherson, the regional capital that fell to Moscow's forces in the first days of their offensive. bur/raz/jmm
Estonia's divided parliament failed on Tuesday to elect a successor to two-term liberal President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, delaying the choice until September 24. The head of state plays a largely ceremonial role in the Baltic NATO country of 1.3 million people and is elected by parliament or electoral college rather than direct public vote. They will now face the vote of the 347-strong electoral college on September 24, made up of parliamentarians as well as local representatives where they will need just a simple majority to win. "Everything is still open and everything is still up for grabs," Andres Kasekamp, a professor of political science at Tartu University told AFP Tuesday. Former prime minister and EU commissioner Siim Kallas and the opposition Centre Party candidate Mailis Reps both failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the 101-seat parliament following two rounds of voting. Kallas, a liberal and co-founder of the governing Reform party scored 42 votes while the left-leaning Reps took 26. It is unclear whether Reform Prime Minister Taavi Roivas keep his promise to nominate popular Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand to run in the electoral college round. Presidents can remain in office for up to two consecutive five year terms. Although his standing as a Reform Party founding father gives him strong backing among the group's old guard, Kallas is still haunted by a murky party funding scandal dating back to the late 1990s. The 67-year-old however still enjoys a strong reputation in Estonia as an economic expert and Brussels insider. He served as EU commissioner for transport from 2010-14. Kaljurand, 53, enjoys strong popular support as an outspoken advocate of women's rights and a career diplomat. Ilves, known for his sharp tongue and fondness for bow-ties, gave the post a strong international dimension due to his passion for foreign affairs. As Estonia prepares to take over the EU's rotating six-month presidency next July, analysts expect the future president to develop a higher international profile. "Kallas and Kaljurand have international experience and either could represent Estonia well in its future role as EU president," said Kasekamp.
Spanish MPs were expected to reject the acting prime minister's bid to form a government Wednesday, deepening the political crisis and triggering a countdown to a third election within a year. Mariano Rajoy is six votes short of securing a vote of confidence for his government in the 350-seat chamber after two elections in which his conservative Popular Party (PP) won but fell short of an absolute majority. The opposition Socialists have steadfastly refused to back Rajoy, whom they blame for corruption scandals and steep public spending cuts. Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez repeated his intention to vote against Rajoy, insisting the PP leader "has no credibility". For his part, Rajoy has warned that the deadlock risks jeopardising Spain's economy and accused the Socialists of "stubbornly wanting new elections". "It is hard to think of anything that could cause more damage to Spanish democracy than telling citizens that their vote has been useless on two occasions and that a general election needs to be held for a third time," he said. And weary voters are growing increasingly frustrated with politicians and their inability to compromise to form a government. Alicia Gomez, who works in a perfume shop near Madrid's central Plaza Mayor, dismissed the politicians as all "playing for time", saying she no longer trusted any of them. "It's a joke, it's theatre. The politicians should stop right now and reach an agreement whether they like it or not!" fumed the 36-year-old. - Christmas election? - Should Rajoy's bid fail, as expected, on Wednesday evening, the next step in the political drama will be in two day's time when there will be a second parliamentary vote. For the second vote, a simple majority would suffice, meaning the acting prime minister -- who has secured the backing of centrist Ciudadanos and the vote of a lone nationalist lawmaker from the Canary Islands -- would only need the Socialists to abstain. If there is no breakthrough in the next two months, vote-weary Spaniards will be asked to return to the polls on December 25 -- the date determined by timings laid out in Spanish election law. But the Socialists and other parties have already proposed shortening the campaign so a repeat election could be held on December 18, in a sign that fresh polls are looming. "Given the parties' entrenched positions, a third round of elections" is now the most likely scenario, said Antonio Barroso, a Spanish political analyst at Teneo Intelligence, a think tank in London. - 'Painful slump' - Spain suffered a painful economic slump when a housing bubble burst in 2008 but has bounced back to become of the eurozone's most dynamic economies, growing for 12 straight quarters. But the political stalemate has begun to show signs of taking its toll on the economy. Although Rajoy remains in office as acting prime minister, he has no power to propose legislation or spend on new infrastructure projects such as roads and railways. Spain's public works ministry and the state companies it oversees spent 20 percent less on contracts in the first six months of this year than they did in 2015. The lack of a fully-functioning government has also delayed the drafting of a 2017 budget, which needs to be approved by mid-October to comply with European Union rules. One factor that could change the political calculus is the result of regional elections in the Basque Country on September 25. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), which has five seats, could support Rajoy nationally if it needs the backing of the PP to govern in the Basque Country following the regional polls. The PNV has backed minority PP governments in the past but Rajoy angered the party during a debate in parliament by focusing on the defence of Spanish unity. "You did not make a minimal effort to win our support," Aitor Esteban, a party MP told Rajoy in parliament.
Whether its for disaster recovery, retirement or other business eventualities, Millennial entrepreneurs seem better prepared then their older counterparts, a recent poll finds.

Nationwides Small Business Indicator  a survey conducted by Harris Poll of 502 U.S. small business owners in mid-June  revealed that Millennial small business owners are more likely than any other generation to have a disaster recovery plan, a cyber security plan, a retirement plan and even a plan for their business after theyre ready to hand over the reins of day-to-day involvement.

Nationwides data broke down how each generation  Millennials, GenXers and Baby Boomers  is preparing for each of these scenarios. And the differences in some instances are substantial.

Characteristics of Millennial Entrepreneurs

For example, just more than half of all Millennial business owners (51 percent) have a disaster recovery plan in place. Only 30 percent of Generation X business owners and 29 percent of Baby Boomers have such a plan, the surwv shows.

And while cyber security has been in the news often of late, many seem unaware of the risks cyber security poses to their small businesses.

Yet, 42 percent of Millennial small business owners told Nationwide that they had a cyber security plan in place. Compare that to only 17 percent of Gen X business owners who have a cyber security plan and only 12 percent of Baby Boomers who have such a plan in place.

Business succession is another area where Millennials appear to be more prepared. The same survey found that 61 percent have a plan like that in place. Gen X and Baby Boomer business owners were about half as likely to have that kind of plan in place. Just 32 percent of each generation said they had made these formal arrangements.

One area where most small business owners did have some form of plan for the future or the unexpected in place was in regard to employee benefits and retirement planning.

The data shows that Millennials were more likely than others to offer retirement benefits to their employees, 59 percent saying they did. However, when it comes to benefits of any kind, a lot of small business owners despite their age or generation, seemed to have a plan.

Millennials were also more likely than any other group of small business owners to offer a range of employee benefits including retirement plans, medical benefits, life insurance, paid leave, disability insurance and domestic partner benefits.

Eighty -four percent of Millennial business owners said they offered at least one of these types of benefits to their employees. By contrast, only 60 percent of Gen X business owners and 46 percent of Baby Boomers said the same.

At first glance, it might seem that the results reveal that Millennial business owners or more compassionate and concerned about their employees than small business owners then other generations might be.

But on closer examination, researchers suggests other factors might influence the choices of Millennial small business owners when compared with older generations.

This might especially be the case when looking at cyber security plans and plans aimed at ensuring the financial security of their employees and their companies, explains Mark Berven, president of Nationwide Property & Casualty, says in a statement accompanying the data.

Some of our survey data may seem surprising, Berven said But if you think about the risks many Millennials have experienced and grown up with  everything from cyberattacks to an economic meltdown  it makes sense that they would be some of the most concerned individuals out there. They want to protect what matters most to them  their business.
- Here are eight guys that are currently single despite the fact that many girls would kill for them

1. Kevin Owiti

Kenyan hunk, Kevin Owiti, won Mr. World Kenya in 2015 to become Mr. Kenya in almost a decade. Owiti recently broke many ladies heart after saying he is single and not currently searching.

Oduor, was the first Kenyan contesting as the official Mr World Kenya for almost a decade and one of the only five Africans in a pageant to seek The Worlds Most Desirable Man crown.

READ ALSO: Ten killer photos that will take you back to your village childhood

2. Mike Makori

He describes himself to True Love Magazine as an ambitious, patient, calm, open-minded, adventurous, hard to read, God fearing and a passionate guy. And that is also the kind of woman Makori prefers, when you add curves and beauty that is.

3. Nick Mutuma

Not many are sure whether Nick is really dating or not. But for now, lets just put him on this list.

READ ALSO: 5 breathtaking photos of radio queen Massawe Japannis house in Kitengela

Model Tanasha Oketch has denied being romantically involved with TV pretty boy, Anita Nderu has also said theres nothing going between them.

When Nick Mutuma was asked about the relationship thing with Anita Nderu, the actor echoed her sentiments adding that the dating rumours came as a shock to him.

4. Biko Adema

Biko Adema Has been single for some time now. The Kenya sevens rugby player was dating in 2015 and managed to keep his love away from the limelight.

READ ALSO: Kikuyu men are horrible kissers, especially Kikuyu and Luo men- social media

5. KRG

Categorised among the richest artists in Kenya and only at in his 20, KRG The Don Naivasha born and Nairobi bred businessman cum artist has invested heavily in the Tours and Travel, construction company and transport industries. He says hes a romantic man who is ready to spend on his woman.

READ ALSO: Kenyan lady bleaches, goes for surgery after she was called UGLY by popular celebrity(Photos)

6. Edi Gathegi

Edi Gathegi is a 37-year-old Kenyan Actor currently in the US. Born in Kenya and thereafter relocating to California as a young man, he has managed to appear on high profile shows like CSI:Miami and House as Dr Jeffery Cole.

7. Lenana Kariba

Brother to Bamzigi and Kid Kora of The Kansoul, its a given talent and looks run in the family. Lenana has appeared in Lies That Bind, How to find a husband, House of Lungula among others.

READ ALSO: 10 ridiculous reasons men give to avoid wearing condoms during sex

8. Chef Ali L'artiste

Chef Ali is best known for his culinary prowess. Geoffrey Korio gets him talking about his culinary journey, experience and other talents.

The Mombasa native who blew into the public sphere is one of the greatest chefs promoting our local cuisines.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
THIES, SENEGAL--(Marketwired - August 30, 2016) - Women and adolescent girls will have many reasons to celebrate with the launch today in Notto Diobass of a program to improve their nutrition status.

The Right Start program, managed by the Micronutrient Initiative (MI) and financed by the Government of Canada through a $1.7 million (CAN) grant (766,458,000 FCFA), is designed to tackle anemia head-on, which currently affects 60% of women and adolescent girl in Senegal. Right Start will also address neural tube defects in newborns, including spina bifida. Currently, more than 1500 cases occur every year.

Its approach is two-pronged: adolescent girls will receive weekly iron and folic acid at school, and flour fortification will be improved to ensure women and girls receive adequately fortified wheat flour.

"Women and girls bear a disproportionate burden of malnutrition, and adolescent girls in particular have long been overlooked," said Joel Spicer, President and CEO of MI. "This project builds on Senegal's leadership and Canada's commitment to changing the status quo for women and girls -- Right Start will aim to turn the tide."

By 2020, more than 1.2 million adolescent school girls will have received iron and folic acid supplements in schools in Dakar, Kaolack, Kolda, Saint-Louis, Sedhiou, Thies, and Ziguinchor.

Right Start innovates by creating a new package of services specifically designed to fight anemia in adolescent girls -- currently non-existent.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of women and adolescent girls will be able to enjoy the benefits of fortified wheat flour in regions of the country where it is currently not fully fortified. Right Start will fill the gap by working closely with small millers.

"Better nutrition can bring about significant changes in the lives and the future of girls, women and their children, and can ultimately transform a whole society," said Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie of Canada.

Story continues

"We stand by Senegal to fight malnutrition and to empower women and girls, and are proud to continue partnering with the Micronutrient Initiative to help the country meet its nutrition targets."

The Government of Senegal is one of Right Start's main implementation partners through three ministries: the Ministry of Health and Social Action, the Ministry of Industry and Mining and the Ministry of Education. In addition to supporting the weekly supplementation in iron and folic acid in schools, the Government will endeavor to strengthen legislation and control around the fortification of wheat flour, and to mobilize the various actors representing various sectors such as education, health, consumer protection and wheat flour production.

"Efforts deployed by our government are significant -- mostly through the National Nutrition Development Policy, the National Health Development Plan, and the Policy Letter for Health and Nutrition at School," stated Awa Marie Coll Seck, Minister of Health and Social Action in Senegal. "Despite these initiatives, we recognize that so much more must be done to improve women's nutrition, especially adolescent girls; MI has designed Right Start with that in mind, and the support received from the Government of Canada shows again a great commitment to development."

For a number of years, Senegal has been out standing for its leadership in nutrition in the region, including Francophonie countries, through various ambitious programs and policies, and by supporting pan-African initiatives for change. In 2015, the country was host to a conference on agriculture and nutrition, organized by the African Development Bank, and helped develop an action plan to combat hunger and malnutrition for implementation across the continent.

Anemia directly affects teenage girls' absenteeism rates and school performance. It is also a major cause of death during pregnancy and can lead to premature births and low birth weight, both factors that predispose newborns to health problems and premature death. The daily intake of 60 mg of iron for the full duration of pregnancy can reduce anemia by 70%.

Each year, 1,500 cases of newborns presenting neural tube defects associated with folic acid deficiency, including spina bifida, occur in Senegal -- six times more than in Canada. This congenital malformation affects the nervous system, with possible irreversible consequences for the entire body. If all women of childbearing age took 0.4mg of folic acid daily before and at least during the first trimester, 42-87% of potential cases of spina bifida could be prevented.

The Senegalese program is part of MI's global Right Start Initiative, which aims to accelerate progress towards better nutrition for 100 million women and girls by 2020.

The Government of Canada has provided $75 million (CAN) (33,814,300,000 FCFA) in anchor funding to support the Right Start Initiative, which will be implemented in eight other countries of Africa and Asia, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.

About the Micronutrient Initiative (MI)

MI is a global leader on nutrition. We deliver high impact interventions and drive new approaches that contribute to the global effort to scale up nutrition. Every year, working in collaboration with donors, governments and partners, we reach close to 500 million of the world's most vulnerable, especially women and children, with critical nutrition interventions. www.micronutrient.org

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/30/11G112280/Images/adolescent-senegalese-girls-health-post-notto-diob-3b40d0a3da22844cb4baf36b3db13c7a.jpg


By Olga Dzyubenko BISHKEK (Reuters) - A suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday, killing the attacker and wounding at least three other people, officials said. Officials from both countries described the assault as a terrorist act, and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev ordered the government to take extra counter-terrorism measures in the capital and regions, his office said in a statement. China condemned the attack and urged Kyrgyz authorities to "quickly investigate and determine the real situation behind the incident. "China is deeply shocked by this and strongly condemns this violent and extreme act," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing. The ministry later said China would "resolutely strike against all forms of terrorism" and protect the safety of its people and government organisations overseas. A Kyrgyz Interior Ministry spokesman said the car exploded inside the compound. Police cordoned off the embassy and adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service were investigating the bombing that occurred at about 10:00 a.m. (0400 GMT). Three embassy staff suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital, but no organisation claimed responsibility, Hua said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the attack by phone with his Kyrgyz counterpart and requested that Kyrgyzstan "establish the truth as soon as possible, severely punish the culprits and prevent such an incident from happening again", the Foreign Ministry reported on its website. Xinhua reported Wang as saying China would deepen anti-terrorism cooperation with Kyrgyzstan "to safeguard mutual security interests". China's state news agency Xinhua reported that six people were wounded: three Kyrgyz nationals working at the embassy and the three embassy staff mentioned by Hua. The U.S. State Department said the blast appeared to have been caused by an improvised explosive device in a vehicle. It said it had been in touch with its embassy personnel in Bishkek and all were accounted for. The U.S. embassy will be closed on Wednesday for Kyrgyz independence day, it said. Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected militants they accuse of being linked to Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia. A Turkish official said in June that one of three suspected Islamic State suicide bombers involved in the deadly attack on Istanbul's main airport was a Kyrgyz national. An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs - a Turkic-language speaking, mainly Muslim people living in China's Xinjiang region - is also believed to be active in Central Asia. Some security experts have questioned the group's cohesiveness, however, and say China's policies in Xinjiang, where hundreds have died in recent years in unrest blamed by Beijing on Islamist extremists, have contributed to the unrest. In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people understood to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border. Attacks on Chinese missions abroad are rare but in 2015, an Islamist militant attack on a hotel in Mali killed three Chinese citizens, and in Pakistan, Chinese workers have occasionally been targeted by what police say are nationalists opposed to Beijing's plan to invest tens of billions of dollars in a new trade route to the Arabian Sea. That is part of China's "One Belt, One Road" project to open new markets via Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. (Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing, Ryan Woo in Singapore and John Ruwitch in Shanghai; Writing by Mike Collett-White and Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Andrew Hay and Richard Pullin)
By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Demonstrators in Gabon clashed with police and set part of the parliament building on fire on Wednesday as anger boiled over among opposition supporters at President Ali Bongo's re-election in polls that his main rival, Jean Ping, claimed to have won. Opposition members of the Central African oil producer's electoral commission rejected Saturday's first-past-the-post election result, which would see the Bongo family's nearly half-century in power extended another seven years. The election followed a bitter campaign. Gabon's economic troubles, caused by falling oil output and prices, have led to budget cuts in one of Africa's richest nations and fuelled opposition charges that its 1.8 million people have struggled under Bongo's leadership. France, the United States and the European Union all urged calm and called upon Gabonese authorities to release the results of individual polling stations for greater transparency, while the United Nations also urged restraint. Bongo won 49.80 percent of votes, compared to 48.23 percent for Ping, with a turnout of 59.46 percent, according to results announced region by region by Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya. "This victory by such a tight score obliges ... each of us to respect the verdict of the ballot box and our institutions," Bongo said in the text of a victory speech distributed to reporters. "Our country is advancing and that advance must take place with the unity and peace so dear to the Gabonese people." Soon after the result was announced on state-owned television, riot police fired teargas in clashes with around 100 opposition supporters in one neighbourhood in the capital Libreville, according to a Reuters witness. Police and soldiers, meanwhile, were stationed at most crossroads and petrol stations. Protesters entered the grounds of Gabon's parliament building, the National Assembly, late in the afternoon. "The demonstrators entered from the back and set fire to the National Assembly ... Part of the building is on fire," said another witness, who asked not to be named out of fear of reprisal. Firemen were attempting to put out the blaze, he said. But as night fell the flames remained visible from a distance. Several Libreville residents said social media, including Facebook and Twitter, were no longer functioning. Gabon's main cities had been on edge since Tuesday, with residents stockpiling food ahead of the expected announcement, which was later postponed by one day. INTERNATIONAL CONCERN "In this election, we committed ourselves to liberating our country. And that is the choice that was clearly expressed by the Gabonese people," Ping said in a statement released late on Wednesday in which he rejected the election result. He accused ruling party members of the electoral commission of inflating turnout figures and votes in favour of Bongo in order to hand victory to the president. The claim could not immediately be independently verified. Commission members belonging to the opposition abstained from a vote that validated the election result. Ping's party had earlier said its tally showed their candidate won 59 percent of the vote versus 38 percent for Bongo, with only one province left to count, a claim the government condemned as an effort to destabilise the country. Ali Bongo was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father Omar, who ran Gabon for 42 years. He benefited from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse. Though voting on Saturday was generally peaceful, Bongo and Ping's supporters traded accusations of fraud. An EU observer mission sent to monitor the polls criticised a "lack of transparency" among institutions running the election and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media. Former colonial ruler France's foreign ministry said the manner in which the final results were announced on Wednesday was a source of concern. "We think it is necessary to publish the results of all the polling stations. The credibility of the election as well as Gabon's international reputation are at stake," it said. The statement was echoed by the U.S. Department of State, which urged all sides to "temper their rhetoric and encourage their supporters to remain calm". It also called upon Gabon's security forces to exercise restraint. A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he called "on all political leaders to address their differences peacefully and to address any disputes they may have through existing constitutional and legal channels." Ban also called on the authorities to ensure that the national security forces exercise restraint in their response to protests, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Ping, a life-long political insider who has served as foreign minister and African Union Commission chairman, was a close ally of Omar Bongo and fathered two children with the late president's daughter, Pascaline. (Additional reporting by Matt Bigg in Accra, Tim Cocks in Dakar and Joe Bavier in Abidjan; Writing by Edward McAllister and Joe Bavier; Editing by Ralph Boulton and James Dalgleish)
An imam and 15 of his family members have reportedly been killed in an airstrike on their home in Yemen.

Rebel controlled news agency SABA said the victims died after Saudi-led coalition strikes in the northern city of Sa'dah, on Wednesday morning.

Pictures taken at the scene of the attack show men digging up the body of a child from under the rubble.

A local resident said: "The air raid happened in the morning and because the house was made of mud it took us until noon to be able to dig the bodies out."

The death count from the blast is reportedly expected to rise.

Rescue work was hindered by fighter jets flying over the bomb site, SABA reports.

The district of the city where the blast occurred is a stronghold for the Houthis, Yemen's Shiite rebels.

The Houthis captured the Yemeni capital Sana'a in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military campaign in support of the ousted government that began in March 2015.

Wednesday's airstrike in Sa'dah was the latest in a series of raids by the coalition which is providing air support to Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

On 15 August, 11 people were killed and 19 injured after a coalition airstrike on a hospital in Abs, northwest Yemen.

A Medecins Sans Frontieres staff member was among those who were killed, the international aid organisation said.
A 37,000-square-foot industrial truck terminal leased to FedEx Ground in Aztec has been sold to G&G Properties for $5.5 million, according to the broker, Stan Johnson Co.

The terminal was built-to-suit for FedEx in 2008 and expanded in 2015.

This transaction represents the growing demand by investors for FedEx leased assets around the country, said Britton Burdette, a director in the brokers Atlanta office.

Stan Johnson represented the seller, DCP Aztec LLC, which was also the property developer.
U.S. Border Patrol said Tuesday that agents recently seized nearly 400 pounds of marijuana in New Mexicos remote Bootheel region.

Border Patrol agents detected several subjects carrying large backpacks, headed northeast through a notorious drug-smuggling route in the mountainous region south of Lordsburg, the agency said in a statement.

Tracking footprints, agents eventually caught up with four men hiding in desert brush and apprehended them on Aug. 25. All four were Mexican nationals illegally in the U.S., according to Border Patrol.

An agent and drug-sniffing dog found 16 burlap-wrapped backpacks nearby that tested positive for marijuana  a spot that might have been a dumping ground for multiple drug runners, according to Border Patrol spokesman Ramiro Cordero.

It was not immediately clear whether additional subjects got away.

Drug mules apprehended in the Bootheel have been known to carry up to 60 or 70 pounds of dope apiece, according to local and federal law enforcement.

The sprawling region  where roads are few and far between and three rugged mountain chains cut the landscape  is especially difficult terrain for border agents tasked with patrolling the area.
Sgt. Amy Dudewicz offered a chilling response Tuesday when asked about the volume of child-abuse and neglect referrals sent to her office.

We get more than we can respond to, Dudewicz told a panel of Albuquerque city councilors and Bernalillo County commissioners.

Dudewicz, who works in the special victims unit of the sheriffs office, was among about two dozen speakers who testified during a special city-county meeting called in response to the killing of 10-year-old Victoria Martens  a crime thats shocked the community.

Some testimony was tearful, some sobering. Councilors and commissioners heard from foster parents, educators, neighborhood leaders, pediatricians and others.

The ultimate goal, City Councilor Klarissa Pena said, is to honor Martens memory by launching new efforts to address child abuse and related problems, such as drug addiction and mental illnesses. Tuesdays meeting, she said, was the first of what she hopes will become an ongoing community conversation.

Pena is chairwoman of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Commission. She and County Commissioner Debbie OMalley, vice chairwoman, called Tuesdays special meeting.

They heard plenty of ideas, some of which would take more money to carry out, such as adding social workers and police officers to more schools.

Others wouldnt cost much at all, such as raising awareness about how to report child abuse.

Kristine Meurer, executive director of student, family and community supports at Albuquerque Public Schools, said New Mexico is a mandatory reporting state, meaning that everyone  not just teachers  is required to report child abuse if they suspect it.

Maltreatment of children can be reported to the state 24 hours a day by calling 1-855-333-SAFE, or #SAFE (#7233) from a cellphone.

Meurer told city councilors and county commissioners that the basic state funding provided to APS focuses on education, not the hiring of social workers needed to help children facing trouble at home. The district has just 13 social workers on staff to work with students who arent part of special-education programs.

We have more and more students coming to our schools in crisis, Meurer said. They are living in trauma when they come to our schools.

The hiring of social workers and counselors, she said, is where our need really lies.

As for finding money to pay for new programs, Bernalillo County imposed a new tax last summer to pay for new behavioral health services. It raises about $17 million a year, though officials are still debating how best to use the money.

U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., said she would do everything she can to secure federal funding to help keep children safe.

Theres a reality here: We have a responsibility to do better, she said.

Two pediatricians from the University of New Mexico said they need more resources  that there are hundreds of children harmed for every one who makes the news.

What we need is to have more conversations about the value of a childs life than we do conversations about the value of a barrel of oil, said Leslie Strickler, medical director of the Child Abuse Response Team at UNM.

Shalon Nienow, a child-abuse pediatrician at UNM, described the problem this way: I dont even know where to begin, its so enormous. What were doing right now isnt working.

Tuesdays three-hour meeting came after two gruesome crimes in Albuquerque.

Police say Victoria Martens was drugged, raped and killed before her body was partially dismembered and set on fire last week. Three adults, including her mom, have been charged in her death.

Then on Sunday, police found 11-year-old Nhi Nguyen and her mother, Cam Thi To, shot dead. Police say they believe Tos husband, 45-year-old Trinh Tran Van, shot and killed them before killing himself.
Albuquerque police officers have arrested a man suspected in four bank robberies and one attempted bank robbery in the past two weeks, according to a spokesman for the FBI.

Frank Fisher said Christopher James Baum, 36, is charged in connection with the robberies of various banks around the city.

Baum is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque on Wednesday, Fisher said.

Around 3 p.m., Tanner Tixier, an APD spokesman, said officers were trying to arrest a bank robbery suspect who was refusing to leave an apartment on Texas, between Chico and Copper NE.

Fisher said that suspect was wanted in connection with another robbery earlier in the day at a Bank of the West. The suspect is still at large.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 505-889-1300, he said.
The traditional greeting of the Masai Warriors was, Casserian Engeri, meaning, And how are the children? This respected African tribes priority was the well-being of their children. If the children were healthy and at peace, the community was strong.

So I greet you, fellow New Mexicans, by asking, how are our children? How were they yesterday? How will they be tomorrow?

Our community has been engulfed by a deep wave of grief caused by the gruesome, loathsome and vile murder of sweet, spirited Victoria Martens. She was not the first, and if we dont get our priorities right, she will not be the last. We have a litany of little angels.

With grief and sadness we remember:

 4-year-old Rodrigo Bravo died in Las Cruces in 2001.

 13-month-old Ameil Valverde died in Hatch in 2002.

 5-month-old Brianna Lopez died in Las Cruces in 2002.

 4-year-old Devon Booth died in Las Cruces in 2002.

 5-month-old Marco Cuhen fatally burned in Santa Clara in 2003.

 5-month-old Sierra Browning died in Las Cruces in 2004.

 15-month-old Uriah Vasquez Ordonez died in Las Cruces in 2004.

 2-year-old Alondra Zizumbo fatally beaten in Deming in 2004.

 5-week-old Diana Urrutia Quinones died in Las Cruces in 2005.

 4-month-old Kalynne Flores died in Las Cruces in 2007.

 6-month-old Daniel Medina died in Anthony in 2009.

 4-month-old Isaiah Lawrence Jimenez died in 2009.

 3-year-old Ty Toribio suffocated and buried in an Albuquerque park in 2009.

 5-year-old Angel Lorraine Jimenez fatally beaten in Anthony in 2010.

 3-year-old Leland Valdez beaten to death near Santa Fe in 2011.

 3-year-old Alizandra Jasso died in Mimbres in 2013.

 9-year-old Omaree Varela died in Albuquerque in 2013.

 12-year-old Alex Madrid bludgeoned to death in Meadow Lake near Los Lunas in 2014.

 4-year-old Lilly Garcia killed during road a rage shooting in Albuquerque in 2015.

 14-month-old Isaac Arevalos, died in Albuquerque in 2016.

 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016.

 10-year-old Victoria Martens drugged, assaulted and dismembered in Albuquerque last Wednesday.

We must move to action. Child abuse is 100 percent preventable.

Home visiting programs have been proven to prevent child abuse. Home visitors journey with a new parent through the very trying times of bringing a baby into the world.

Parents are supported as they develop a strong relationship with their baby and gain tools to handle difficult times such as soothing a baby who has colic and constantly cries.

This bond acts as a buffer to many of the challenges facing families living in poverty.

On Feb. 25, 2014, in a Journal article about child abuse, Horrible Two Months for New Mexico Children, Dr. Victor Strasburger, professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico said, Poverty seems to be the common denominator.

Its clear there is a link between violence and socioeconomic status. There is more risk to children from lower economic homes, and New Mexico is not exactly the richest state in the union.

It is true that New Mexico has the highest percentage of children living in poverty in the U.S., however, we are not a poor state. New Mexico has the third largest Land Grant Permanent Fund in the country.

This fund is dedicated to our children. But these resources are not supporting our most vulnerable, our youngest children.

It is proven that parent education prevents child abuse; it is ludicrous that state leaders refuse to let New Mexicans vote on whether or not to invest 1 percent of this fund into early childhood programs like home visiting.

Currently less than 5 percent of New Mexican children have access to home visiting. And when asked, 81 percent of New Mexicans support letting voters decide if we should invest in early childhood programs from the Land Grant Permanent Fund.

What is getting in the way? Well, it might be your legislator. Contact them. Ask what they are doing, as leaders of our community, to prevent child abuse. Ask them to support investing in early childhood programs from the Land Grant Permanent Fund.

We know how our children are. We know we need to do something. Each of us has the power to make a difference. Act.
Rio Rancho Public Schools $60 million bond election received resounding support Tuesday, with 75 percent of voters backing the plan.

Unofficial results show 2,544 votes for and 827 against the general obligation bond sale, which will fund technology infrastructure, security upgrades, real estate purchases and a new elementary school.

Absentee ballots have not been counted, but they arent expected to change the outcome. The returns will become official after a canvass on Friday.

Superintendent Sue Cleveland thanked the community for its strong backing in an emailed statement.

The $60 million bond will allow Rio Rancho Public Schools to continue to build for the future and ensure we have safe, well-maintained buildings for generations to come, she said. In addition, it will allow us to provide our students with access to state-of-the-art technology.

The funds approved by voters in this election will become available to the district in increments over the next four years. They will go toward a variety of projects:

 $24.5 million: Joe Harris Elementary School. The new school is designed to alleviate overcrowded classrooms. It will likely be constructed west of Unser Boulevard and south of Northern Boulevard.

 $15.5 million: New Shining Stars Preschool Building. An upgraded preschool will replace an aging facility made up of portables that were never intended for long-term use, according to district officials.

 $9 million: General building upgrades and renovation. New playgrounds, gym floor upgrades, parking lot expansions and landscaping and various other capitol projects are included.

 $7 million: Technology improvements. RRPS plans to upgrade phone systems, servers, wireless internet access and other infrastructure.

 $3 million: Real estate purchases. Administrators are looking at land near the end of Unser Boulevard for future schools.

 $1 million: Security up-grades and improvements. All schools will receive video surveillance, better doors, radio communications equipment, and other safety enhancements.

RRPS has held eight successful bond elections since the district was formed in 1994, collecting almost $360 million in total. Bond sales do not raise property taxes, though the rate declines if they fail.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

Three smiling faces appear at the top of Michelle Martens Facebook page, now commandeered by an angry public.

Her son, now 8, is on the right, Martens in the middle, and on the left, her daughter, Victoria, whose body was found Aug. 24, rolled in a blanket, not moving, on fire in the bathtub of the apartment the family shared off Irving Boulevard.

Scroll down the page and Martens talks about my babies.

I love them so, she says above one photo of her daughter and son dated July 2012.

For a shocked public still looking for answers as to how such a heinous crime could happen, Martens Facebook page offers no clues.

There is no mention of boyfriends or drug habits  although the smiling woman posted on her page in January 2016 bears little resemblance to her booking mug. No explanation as to how the 35-year-old mother could have watched, and condoned, as police allege, while two people she met weeks earlier drugged her 10-year-old daughter with methamphetamine as a prelude to rape and murder.

Religious theme

Her Facebook page instead is dominated by religious pictures and sayings she adopted, such as, Make God your first priority, not your last resort.

When I am weak, My God is strong, says another saying she posted.

There are more religious devotional messages than there are photos of her children.

One of her posts shows a questionnaire about her relationship status, with boxes for in a relationship and single. Martens checked the third option, Im in a relationship with God.

But some posts show a beaming Victoria  with makeup on in 2012, eating a marshmallow on a stick, and after a face painting.

My little movie star, Martens wrote about her daughter.

Without any evidence of a criminal record in New Mexico, Martens is now facing a slate of criminal charges and the wrath of the community.

She no longer is in control of her Facebook page. Within a day of the trios arrest, people took to her Facebook page to condemn her.

Murderer, said one person. The face of pure evil, posted another. On Monday, people were still commenting, You killer, said another.

I hope you rot in hell, said another woman.

Someone else posted, Prayers to the family that has to live with this for the rest of their lives. I pray for you all to have the strength to get through this.

High hopes

Martens Facebook page shows she is from the Bronx, New York, and at one point studied medical insurance billing and coding at Brookline Medical College in Albuquerque.

Im so stoked right now, I just got 100 percent on my CPR test, she wrote in August 2012.

I finally finished school, she said in a January 2013 post. I am going insane at home, I want to work already.

Her site included tributes to cancer victims, to military veterans and to victims of the 9/11 tragedy.

A second Facebook page in her name stated that she had started classes at the University of New Mexico on July 5.

Abuse concerns

On July 25, 2012, Martens Facebook page shows her commenting about a 1-year-old child left in a hot car while the mother was shopping at a discount store.

Some people are just too stupid saying she forgot the baby, her post said. Yeah right, the baby should not even be with them. she should go to jail.

Martens is jailed on a $1 million cash bond facing initial charges that include child abuse resulting in death.

According to a criminal complaint, Martens told police she met co-defendant Fabian Gonzales, 31, on an Internet dating site called Plenty of Fish and they started dating about a month ago. Court records show he is a habitual domestic violence offender and is still on probation for a 2014 child abandonment charge. A third defendant, Jessica Kelley, is also facing child abuse and related charges.

Kelley, 31, is Gonzales cousin and previously had been found guilty in connection with the rape of another female inmate in Metropolitan Detention Center.
It seems embattled Silver City District Attorney Francesca Martinez-Estevez wont let sleeping dogs lie.

She allegedly has made accusations that a rookie Silver City police officer was a racist and a rabid Nazi bigot and suggested that a state corrections officer and brother of Sen. Howie Morales, D-Silver City, might have been hired because of his brother, according to internal communications obtained from both agencies.

The documents suggest that the district attorneys allegations are connected to a traffic stop in June in which a motorist called 911 after he video-recorded Martinez-Estevez swerving all over the road in her state vehicle.

Neither Martinez-Estevez nor her attorney, Jim Foy, responded to requests for comment.

Silver City and State Police officers let Martinez-Estevez go without ordering a sobriety test, despite what appeared to be clearly erratic behavior in the video. Body-cam footage show her fumbling with her cellphones, acting distracted and giving inconsistent answers to police questions during a two-hour traffic stop in which the officers arranged for her flat tire to be fixed.

At one point during the stop, Silver City police officer Kyle Spurgeon, who was in training at the time, can be heard saying, She is loaded, she almost fell down.

A month later, on July 11, Martinez-Estevez approached Silver City Cpl. Jason Woods at an event in which Gov. Susana Martinez was speaking and told him that when officer Spurgeon was in high school he threatened a Jewish girl and her daughter and he threatened to tie her husband up and drag him with his truck, according to a statement Woods made as part of the police departments internal inquiry.

She said of all the rabid Nazi bigots to choose from, he hates people of color, Woods reported.

Police Chief Ed Reynolds launched the internal inquiry as a result of the allegations.

Capt. Ricky Villalobos interviewed Grant County law enforcement and the former principal and assistant principal of Cliff High and concluded that all subjects interviewed stated that Kyle Spurgeon was never involved in any racist activity.

Martinez-Estevez has not filed a formal complaint against Spurgeon.

Likewise, Martinez-Estevez did not file a formal complaint involving state corrections officer Eric Morales.

But she did allegedly call Probation and Parole Officer Arthur Quintana to ask about Morales qualifications, saying she received a complaint that PPO Eric Morales did not have experience, but was hired because of his brother, Senator Howie Morales, according to an email Quintana sent to his supervisor on Aug. 2.

Quintana described the phone call as troubling in the email.

Sen. Morales, a Democrat whose District 28 includes Silver City, had recently called for Attorney General Hector Balderas to investigate Martinez-Estevez, saying in a letter, I am very concerned that special treatment was afforded to an elected official.

Rose Bobchak, director of the probation-parole division of the New Mexico Corrections Department, said in an email to a regional manager who reported Martinez-Estevezs call to Quintana, We all know that PPO Morales was hired on his own merits based on him meeting minimum qualifications for the position, passing the rigorous screening and completing the Academy. Many people were not even aware his brother was a Senator. As far as I have been made aware, he is doing a fine job in his position.

Saying that the department has a strong stance to do the right thing and we do not get involved in politics, Bobchak asks the regional manager to tell Quintana to refer the district attorney to her if she called again.

Martinez-Estevez won her Democratic Party primary election contest and is unopposed in November for another term as the top prosecutor for Grant, Luna and Hidalgo counties.
A jury was unable reach an agreement as to whether a local MMA fighter raped his friends girlfriend during a night of heavy drinking in 2014, but it did clear him Tuesday of three other charges stemming from the nights alleged events.

The District Attorneys Office may still retry Stephen Cervantes, 22, on unresolved counts of criminal sexual penetration and conspiracy, according to spokesman Phil Sisneros, but he was acquitted of kidnapping, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence.

His co-defendant, Paul Sandoval, 21, was acquitted of charges including criminal sexual penetration and kidnapping. The jury also hung on a conspiracy charge against him.

We hope a prudent and rational district attorney will choose not to retry the case, Cervantes attorney, Robert Gorence, said after the trial before 2nd Judicial District Judge David Williams. He said hed spoken with jurors after the trial and would provide additional evidence, should the case be retried, to ensure his client is acquitted of all counts.

Prosecutors argued that the two men and a 19-year-old woman had been drinking heavily the night that she woke up at Sandovals grandparents South Valley home with Cervantes on top of her. Sandoval, her boyfriend of several years, was sitting on a bed nearby, they said. The woman told police that she woke later in a car atop Pajarito Mesa and believed the men had taken her there to kill her.

Gorence told a different story. He said that the woman, who believed Sandoval was seeing other people, initiated sex with his client, Cervantes, in an attempt to make her boyfriend jealous.

She wants to see if her boyfriend gives a damn if she has sex with him, Gorence said.

Seeing that Sandoval didnt seem to care, Gorence said, she started screaming and concocted the story.

They want you to convict these two young men on her word alone, Gorence said.

As to what happened on the mesa, he said that Cervantes was just driving the woman to her fathers nearby home.

Though Cervantes testified that he had consensual sex with the woman, the state argued that after a night of drinking and drug use, she never consented.

She was in no condition to consent whatsoever, prosecutor Michelle Garcia said. She also quoted Cervantes telling police, but she didnt say no.

Garcia reminded jurors about testimony by a nurse, who said that the womans injuries were consistent with her story. But Gorence said the nurse also testified that the injuries, which included an internal bruising, could also be a result of consensual sex.

Robert Hedrick, Sandovals attorney, held that his client was on the periphery of the nights events, and never formed a plan with Cervantes that might support a conspiracy conviction. He said the verdict was a great relief to Paul and his family.

Cervantes is facing charges in a separate, unrelated case in which he is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl last year, according to court documents.
If the U.S. Senate wont act on President Barack Obamas nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, a Santa Fe attorney is hoping that a federal court will.

Steven Michel, an environmental attorney with Western Resource Advocates, this month sued the U.S. Senate in federal District Court in Washington on his own behalf. Michel wants the court to compel action on Obamas choice of Garland to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

Obama nominated Garland in March, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to take the pick to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. McConnell and other Senate Republicans maintain that the next president should replace Scalia, not Obama.

Thats not how Michel sees it. He said the judicial concept of mandamus, which allows a court to compel action by government, seems to apply in the case of the Senates constitutional duty to confirm or reject presidential judicial appointments. Michel characterizes the Senates lack of action as a constitutional crisis and that he, as a citizen, is being harmed.

When a government agency or official is not performing a duty they are supposed to do, mandamus comes to mind, Michel said in a Tuesday interview.

Lyle Denniston, a reporter who has covered the Supreme Court since 1958, wrote on the nonpartisan Constitution Centers blog on Tuesday that Michels lawsuit appears to have more merit than two others that have been filed  and rejected  in the Garland case this year.

Denniston wrote that Michels 33-page lawsuit is so comprehensive that if it, too, is dismissed, that would suggest that the legal route to moving the Garland nomination forward is truly a forlorn gesture.

Michel said hes not optimistic that the court will take up his case, but he wanted to try.

Certainly there are opinions to the contrary, but hopefully I put a credible enough position out there that a judge will want to hear more about it and figure out if this is, indeed, something that the courts should intervene on, Michel said. I feel pretty strongly that they should.

CAMPAIGN WATCH: Election season is right around the corner, and that means it wont be long until campaign mailers start filling up New Mexicans mailboxes.

As part of our coverage of the 2016 election cycle, the Journal is interested in taking a look  and checking the facts  of campaign mailers in state, legislative and county-level races.

To help us, just take a picture of any campaign literature you receive and send it to election2016@abqjournal.com.

Well also be keeping a close eye on TV and radio political ads, and will be launching an online voter guide this fall that will feature election information  including key voting dates  and candidate questionnaires.
About Me

Name: Carl in Jerusalem Location: Jerusalem, Israel

I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com

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New guidelines issued this week by the American Academy of Pediatrics urge pediatricians and lawmakers to get tougher with parents who exempt their children from required immunizations  which could be an uphill battle in New Mexico.

The report urges lawmakers to eliminate non-medical factors that allow parents to exempt their children from immunizations. And for the first time, the association said pediatricians may consider dismissal of families who refuse vaccination if other efforts fail to convince parents to vaccinate their children.

New Mexico pediatricians contacted this week said they plan to continue treating unvaccinated children, but expect the guidelines to prompt new discussions about how physicians should respond to vaccine-hesitant parents.

Thats an interesting transition, because the party line from the American Academy of Pediatrics has been that we shouldnt do that (dismiss patients), said Dr. Randall Knott, a University of New Mexico Hospital pediatrician.

The AAP report, called Countering Vaccine Hesitancy, urges state lawmakers to eliminate non-medical factors that allow parents to exempt their children from required vaccines.

New Mexico law contains an exemption for religious beliefs, but not for philosophical reasons, as do 20 states. A measure that would have eliminated New Mexicos religious exemption died in legislative committee last year.

Anti-vaccination parents include a mix of views  from religious communities to families practicing alternative medicine and libertarians who shun government interference. The AAP report cited a survey of vaccine-hesitant parents who cited a range of concerns, from worries that vaccines cause autism and chronic illnesses, to pain for children receiving multiple vaccinations at a time.

Many are Americans with college degrees living in liberal communities. Statewide, about 0.8 percent of New Mexico children ages 4 to 18 are exempt, but New Mexico has pockets of higher concentrations of exempt children in prosperous, well-educated communities such as Taos and Los Alamos counties, where just over 3 percent of children are exempt.

Amy Pisani, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Every Child By Two immunization advocacy group, said well-educated people often respond with skepticism to official requirements.

Its basically people who feel they do know more and question authority more, Pisani told the Journal last year.

Knott said physicians have good reason to worry about unvaccinated patients visiting their clinics.

If you have a child with measles in your waiting room  your well-waiting room  youre going to expose a lot of very young babies to a deadly disease, Knott said.

Knott said UNMHs pediatric clinic plans to continue treating all children regardless of their immunization status in the hope that we can continue to have a conversation about the value of immunization.

Knott and others said they are unaware of any significant movement among New Mexico pediatricians to turn away vaccine-hesitant families.

Dr. Lance Chilton, who heads the New Mexico Pediatric Societys immunization committee, said he knows of only one New Mexico pediatrician who turns away unvaccinated children. The Journal could not reach that physician for comment this week.

Vaccine exemption became a nationwide issue last year after a measles outbreak began in California, where 3 percent of children lacked the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine.

Pediatricians in several states began to turn away unvaccinated children, saying they wanted to protect the health of their other patients.

Chilton said several pediatricians who attended an AAP conference in March argued passionately that physicians need to take a harder line and ban vaccine exemptors from their clinics.

There is division of opinion among physicians about whether thats a good strategy or not, Chilton said.

The AAP guidelines advises pediatricians that nearly half of parents who were initially skeptical about vaccines ultimately decide that immunization is the best option. Chilton, now retired, said he never turned away patients who refused vaccinations, and often convinced parents that vaccination was best for their children.

I could keep talking with them about the importance of immunizations, Chilton said. There were times when initial refusal could be overcome by constant repetition or force of logic.
BOULDER, Colo.  The dean of University of Colorados business school is resigning from his position amid allegations of gender discrimination.

The Daily Camera reports (http://bit.ly/2bEF6AJ ) David Ikenberry said in a resignation letter Monday he thinks the Leeds School of Business needs a fresh start. Ikenberry will remain in his post until Senior Vice Provost Bill Kaempfer takes over as interim dean sometime this semester.

Ikenberrys decision comes after CU paid $40,000 to settle allegations from a staffer who accused the dean of discriminating against her for being female and over the age of 40.

The federal gender discrimination complaint is one of three filed against the school. One is still pending and another was dismissed in April.

Ikenberry says supporting people of various backgrounds has been a cornerstone of his leadership.

___

Information from: Daily Camera, http://www.dailycamera.com/
PHOENIX  Seeking to end confusion over his aggressive but recently muddled language on immigration, Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to remove millions of people living in the country illegally if he becomes president, warning that failure to do so would jeopardize the well-being of the American people.

Yet the Republican presidential nominee failed to outline what he would do with those who have not committed crimes beyond their immigration offenses  a sharp retreat after promises during his primary campaign to create a deportation force to remove the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally.

Trump instead repeated the standard Republican talking point that only after securing the border can a discussion begin to take place about what to do about those who remain, ducking the major question that has frustrated past congressional attempts at remaking the nations immigration laws.

Yet the fiery speech was filled with applause lines for Trumps loyal supporters, including his insistence that immigrants in the country without permission who wish to seek legal status or citizenship must return to their home countries in order to do so.

He also drew cheers when he outlined plans to create a special task force that would prioritize the deportation of criminals, people who have overstayed their visas and other immediate security threats.

Anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation, Trump charged in the highly anticipated speech, which took place hours after Trump met with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Any person living in the country illegally who is arrested for any crime whatsoever, he said, will immediately be placed into deportation proceedings.

He added, There will be no amnesty.

Trump also promised to restrict legal immigration, calling for a commission that would keep the percentage of foreign-born people in the country to historic norms.

At 12.9 percent, the U.S. now has its highest percentage of foreign-born residents since 1920. Trump argues the high levels of immigration, both legal and illegal, have injured American workers by depressing wages.

We have to listen to the concerns that working people, our forgotten working people, have over the record pace of immigration and its impact on their jobs, wages, housing, schools, tax bills and general living conditions, Trump said.

The aggressive tone in Phoenix marked a shift from earlier in the day, when a much more measured Trump described Mexicans as amazing people as he appeared alongside Pena Nieto in Mexicos capital city. It was his first meeting with a head of state as his partys presidential nominee.

Shortly after the joint appearance, a dispute arose over the most contentious part of the billionaires plans to fight illegal immigration  his insistence that Mexico must pay to build a physical wall along the roughly 2,000-mile U.S. southern border.

Trump told reporters during the afternoon appearance that the two men didnt discuss who would pay for a cost of construction pegged in the billions. Silent at that moment, Pena Nieto later tweeted, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.

With the meeting held behind closed doors, it was impossible to know who was telling the truth. But the clash cast a cloud over the meeting and threatened to overshadow the evening address.

Trump told the rowdy Arizona crowd that he respects the Mexican president. We agreed on the importance of ending the illegal flow of drugs, cash, guns and people across our border and to put the cartels out of business, he said.

Yet, standing on American soil, he addressed directly a question he sidestepped when asked in Mexico.

Mexico will pay for the wall, 100 percent, the New York businessman said. They dont know it yet, but theyre going to pay for the wall.

The Mexican president, however, said on Twitter that the subject was among the first things the men discussed. From there, the conversation addressed other issues, and developed in a respectful manner, Pena Nieto wrote.

Trumps hard-line rhetoric on immigration, backed by an America First foreign policy, has defined his outsider presidential bid.

Critics accuse Trump of fueling xenophobia and white nationalist rhetoric. His supporters cite the flow of drugs across the border and Trump himself has repeatedly highlighted victims of crimes committed by immigrants in the country illegally, something he made a big part of his Wednesday night speech.

Before he took the stage, he was introduced by a series of speakers, including some parents whose children were killed by people living in the country illegally. They belong to a group called The Remembrance Project and shared stories of loss with the thousands-strong crowd.

Trump was cheered in Arizona, but his appearance in Mexico sparked anger and protests. The candidate is deeply unpopular in Mexico due in large part to his deriding the country as a source of rapists and criminals as he kicked off his campaign. He piled on in the months to come, attacked the country over free trade, illegal immigration and border security.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox bluntly told the celebrity businessman that, despite Pena Nietos hospitality, he was not welcome.

We dont like him. We dont want him. We reject his visit, Fox said on CNN, calling the trip a political stunt.

Campaigning in Ohio, Democrat Hillary Clinton jabbed at Trumps Mexican appearance as she promoted her own experience working with foreign leaders as the nations chief diplomat.

People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you wont say one thing one day and something totally different the next, she told the American Legion in Cincinnati.

___

AP writers Steve Peoples and Erica Werner in Washington, and Mark Stevenson and Maria Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.
MOSCOW  Russia claimed Wednesday it carried out the airstrike in Syria that killed one of the Islamic States most senior leaders along with dozens of other fighters for the militant group.

The statement from Russias Defense Ministry cited intelligence channels confirming that the attack Tuesday near Aleppo killed Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, the Islamic States main spokesman and a leading strategist involved in planning attacks overseas.

The claim could not be independently verified. The Islamic State had issued a statement announcing Adnanis death, but gave no assertions on who carried out the attack.

In Washington, the Pentagon said it had targeted Adnani with an airstrike on the same day in or near the Aleppo province town of Al-Bab, which is controlled by the Islamic State.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement that the U.S. military was still assessing the results of the strike, and could not immediately confirm that the United States was responsible for Adnanis death.

The Russian statement said the airstrike by a Su-34 bomber based in Syria killed as many as 40 Islamic State fighters, including Adnani.

According to the Ministry, the strike took place near the village of Maarat Umm Hawsh, a village located to the north of Aleppo and about 16 miles west of Al-Bab, where the Pentagon said it had carried out its strike.

Al-Adnanis removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL, Cook said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.

He has coordinated the movement of ISIL fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military, and actively recruited new ISIL members, Cook added on Tuesday.

The Islamic State urged followers to avenge Adnanis death, and vowed to keep fighting even as it suffers setbacks in the battlefield.

In an online edition of the Islamic States newspaper Al-Naba, distributed hours after the announcement of Adnanis death, the group told its fighters to keep fighting.

This religion will always stand, unharmed by the death of any person, the news site said, telling supporters they should stand up and die just as Adnani did, Naba said, according to a translation carried by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant statements.

The death of Adnani coincides with a string of setbacks for the militants in both Iraq and Syria, where they have been rapidly losing control of some of their most significant strongholds.

Most recently, the group lost Jarabulus, a transit point for foreign fighters on the Turkish border, that was recaptured by a joint force made up of Syrian rebels and Turkish troops.

Most of the Islamic State fighters who had been based in Jarabulus fled ahead of the advancing force to Al-Bab, a strategically important town about 30 miles east of the city of Aleppo that is expected to become the venue for one of the next important battles.

A Syrian news website called Syrian View reported that Adnani was killed just outside Al Bab at around 3 pm by a coalition airstrike that struck his car, killing him and another Islamic State fighter.

He had been on his way to visit the front lines near the nearby town of Manbij, which was captured two weeks ago by a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led force, the website said. The report could not be independently confirmed.

Meanwhile, Islamic State supporters took to various forms of social media to lament the news and call for revenge attacks.

The Muslims are revived by the blood of those who you kill, and the fire of the jihad is ignited with it, and its flames intensify, said the Nashir Foundation, a pro-Islamic State group, on its Telegram channel, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

Today is the day of revenge. Kalashnikovs are not enough. Today is the dugma (bomb) day, said another posting by a purported fighter using the name Abu Asim al-Masri, using a local colloquialism used to refer to truck-sized suicide bombs that are a hallmark of the Islamic State.



Sly reported from Beirut. Zakaria Zakaria in Gaziantap, Turkey, contributed to this report.

islamicstate-russia
Arlene Harjo had given her son the same chance multiple times without any trouble.

In April, Harjo loaned her 2014 Nissan Versa to her son, Tino Harjo, who told her he was going to the gym with a friend.

I didnt have any reason to believe that he would (drink and drive), Arlene Harjo said, in an interview this week. He used the car before and he never had any problems.

Tino Harjo didnt go to the gym with a friend. He lied to his mom, drove the car to Clovis and got busted on suspicion of drunken driving on his way back into Albuquerque, according to the lawsuit.

His mothers car was seized under an Albuquerque seizure ordinance that allows the city to take control of vehicles used in suspected drunken driving cases  even if the owner of the vehicle isnt driving at the time of the alleged infraction. Tino Harjo had been arrested on driving while intoxicated charges before, the most recent being in 2009.

Wednesday morning, Harjo filed a lawsuit against the city with the goal of getting her vehicle back and shutting down the vehicle seizure program.

A team of attorneys from New Mexico and a national firm focused on civil liberties have made Harjo the claimant in a case in which they argue that the citys seizure program is unconstitutional and a violation of state forfeiture laws.

Arlene is the quintessential innocent owner, said Robert Everett Johnson, an attorney for the Institute for Justice and one of Harjos attorneys. She didnt do anything wrong. The only person accused of a crime is Tino and shes the one being punished.

City Attorney Jessica Hernandez said, in a statement, that the citys ordinance allowing it to seize vehicles is exempt from state forfeiture laws.

The citys program is a narrowly-tailored nuisance abatement law to protect the public from dangerous, repeat DWI offenders and the vehicles they use to commit DWI offenses, placing innocent citizens lives and property at risk, she said in an email. The ordinance provides protections for innocent owners to get their vehicles back at an early stage in the process. Like all cases, we will review and evaluate this cases individual circumstances.

Harjo and her attorneys said shes clearly an innocent owner and pointed out that she hasnt been charged with any crimes.

Im not going to give up, Harjo said. I believe what they are doing is wrong.  I didnt do anything wrong, and I had no reason to believe my son would.

She said the city twice agreed to give Harjo her car if she agreed to pay the city $4,000 and have the car immobilized for 18 months. She told the city she couldnt afford the agreement, and the city then tried to take ownership of her vehicle, according to court records.

She is still paying off her $14,000 car while its in the citys possession.

Harjos case isnt unique. From 2010 through 2014, the city made more than $8 million from seizing cars and either selling them at auction or giving them back to owners who agree to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars, and fines and fees to the city, according to city documents.

The city has performance measures in its annual budget that set goals for how many vehicles will be seized each year. For the current fiscal year, which runs through June 2017, the city is planning to hold 1,000 vehicle seizure hearings and auction off 575 vehicles, according to city documents.

The vehicles are seized at the time a suspect is arrested for either a second or subsequent drunken driving case or for driving with a suspended or revoked license. Officials involved in the program have said the suspected drunken driver doesnt own the car that is being seized about half the time.
When Henry Butch Sochalskis heart monitor started to sound, hospital personnel rushed into his room, where they said his wife, a former nurse, had been hovering for weeks  micromanaging Sochalskis medications and hindering his doctors from doing their jobs.

A nurse later told police that she had seen Jan Sochalski lying across her husbands chest with one hand on his nose and mouth. Another nurse said it appeared she was pinching her husbands nose.

Then minutes later, inside Room 628 at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Henry Sochalski, 64, was found silent and still with a disconnected trache-ostomy collar, an empty syringe on his chest and a bright red nose, according to an incident report from the Daytona Beach Police Department.

He was pronounced dead about 8:30 a.m. May 19, with his wife nearby.

He just went in there for back surgery and he was not expected to succumb to those injuries, Jimmie Flynt of the Daytona Beach Police Department told CBS affiliate WKMG.

On Monday, Jan Sochalski, 61, was arrested on a second-degree murder charge, after police said she suffocated her husband while he was recovering from elective back surgery.

Daytona Beach Police Sgt. Scott Goss said an initial investigation showed she did things consistent with trying to end his life.

She admits certain involvements but recuses herself of other involvements that would have caused his death, Goss told The Washington Post.

Sochalski told police that she had neither suffocated her husband nor done anything else to cause his death, according to the police report. The Volusia County Public Defenders Office said Tuesday that Sochalski has not yet been assigned a lawyer in the case.

Authorities said they are still trying to determine whether she killed her husband in cold blood or was merely a grieving soon-to-be widow who wanted to end her husbands suffering.

Henry Sochalskis obituary described him as a man of few words who was a beloved father and husband.

He was a retired New Jersey police officer who had been with the Trenton Police Department for nearly 25 years. He loved motorcycles. And he loved Jan, his childhood sweetheart, it said.

He died, it said, surrounded by his loving family.

On April 7, Sochalski went into the hospital for back surgery, but doctors expected him to make a full recovery, according to the police report.

To help, doctors gave him a powerful pain medication, dilaudid, which was administered through his IV when he pushed a button at his bedside. A nurse said she saw Jan Sochalski giving him the drug and told her to stop.

One nurse told police that the pain medication machine was checked and it was found to have been pressed 264 times in an 8-hour period, whereas it should have only been pressed 6 times an hour, according to the report.

However, the nurse added that the machine has a built in safety mechanism that ensures that the machine does not dispense more medication than the doctor prescribed, even if the button is pressed multiple times.

But its still unclear why, by April 9, Henry Sochalski had gone into respiratory and cardiac arrest, according to the report.

After a month with little or no improvement, he was placed in comfort care at the hospital, where his wife waited by his side.

Hospital workers said Jan Sochalski, a nurse for 40 years, had been unhappy with her husbands care.

One day, hospital security was called to his room because, a nurse said, Jan Sochalski had been complaining about her husbands treatment and threatening to get his gun and shoot people, according to the police report.

Later, she requested pain medications for her husband but would not allow his medical team to administer other medications, such as antibiotics, that doctors had prescribed.

A nurse told police that Jan Sochalski asked for medications that would decrease his respirator status.

The nurse said that such a request was basically asking her to kill the patient, because if someone cant breathe then that is not compatible with life, according to the report.

Then on May 18, Jan Sochalski signed a Do Not Resuscitate order; that same day, a nurse said, Sochalski would not let medical personnel into her husbands hospital room.

Jan Sochalski told police that she had spoken with her husbands nurse and that the two came to the same conclusion  that Henry Sochalskis condition was worsening and he did not have much time left to live.

In the early morning hours of May 19, Sochalski said, she went home to rest.

But, she later told police, she could not sleep and returned to his room.

At about 8 a.m., she said, she lowered her husbands bed, removed his humidifier, and lay down on top of him and hugged him around his neck  wanting to be near him.

It was apparently around that time that nurses said it appeared as if she was pinching her husbands nose.

Sochalski later told police that her husbands heart monitor alerted nurses that something was wrong.

She did little things: Laid him flat, she disconnected his oxygen tube, she laid on top of a person that was having trouble breathing, Goss, with the Daytona Beach Police Department, told NBC affiliate WESH.

He added: There are several things that she did along the way that dont seem to match up with her trying to help him get better.

Autopsy results showed that Henry Sochalski died from asphyxia, and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the police report.

Joe Mullin of the Volusia County Medical Examiners Office told investigators that Jan Sochalski called him and asked whether her husband was brain-dead when he died.

Joe Mullin stated that he did not know, and then Jan Sochalski stated that she wanted to be sure that she had made the right decision, according to the police report.

If convicted of second-degree murder, authorities said, Jan Sochalski could face life in prison. Court records show she is being held on $250,000 bail.

florida-death
Members of New Mexicos congressional delegation are seeking a meeting with Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein to lobby for more F-16 fighter jets at Holloman Air Force Base.

Air Force officials announced last week that Holloman is among four bases being considered for expanded F-16 pilot training.

Up to 45 of the fourth-generation fighters will move from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, as that base transitions to the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter.

Also in the running for the additional F-16s are Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.; the Kelly Field Annex at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas; and Tucson Air National Guard Base, Ariz. Up to two of the bases will be selected to host the F-16s by the end of the year, according to Air Force officials. The service already has begun site surveys of each base as an initial step in determining which bases will get the added fighters and personnel.

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine, supersonic, multi-role fighter that has been in the Air Force inventory since 1979.

In a letter to James and Goldfein, Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce urge the Air Force to relocate operational F-16 squadrons to Holloman and to expand the bases F-16 training program.

First and foremost, Holloman is already excelling as an F-16 training base and is well positioned to expand this mission, the congressmen wrote. Holloman is located in one of the most pristine areas for training and testing in the nation, with access to clear airspace and a varied geography that can truly test our nations pilots ability to carry out their important jobs. Secondly, Holloman has the capacity to increase the F-16 mission and would only require a relatively modest investment in facilities to fully support additional units. The airmen and the nation would greatly benefit by taking advantage of unmatched airspace, existing infrastructure and community support.

Holloman, a 59,639-acre base near Alamogordo, currently hosts the 54th Fighter Groups F-16 pilot training program. It has a number of other missions as well, including: training MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drone pilots and sensor operators; operating the 96th Test Groups high-speed test track; operating the German Air Force Flying Training Center (until 2019); delivering Air Transportable Clinics and Base Expeditionary Airfield Resources; and providing combat-ready airmen.

Hollomans host unit is Air Combat Commands 49th Wing, commanded by Col. Houston Cantwell.
RICHMOND, Va.  Gun rights advocates blasted Gov. Terry McAuliffes move to ban concealed handguns in state-owned office buildings Wednesday, saying the governors actions jeopardize public safety.

Gun-free zones are a magnet to people who want to do harm; they are a magnet to terrorists, said Vicki Lindsey from Chesterfield, echoing similar comments made by several other advocates.

McAuliffe issued an emergency executive order last year banning concealed guns from most state-owned office buildings as part of a package of measures he said would prevent gun violence. The states Department of General Services took public comment in Richmond on Wednesday as part of its process for making the governors order permanent, likely in the early part of next year.

The Democratic governor, an outspoken advocate for greater gun control measures, is unlikely to reverse course, despite the opposition raised at Wednesdays hearing. Republican lawmakers have denounced McAuliffes order, but dont have enough votes to pass veto-proof legislation to undo it.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, said public opinion is overwhelmingly against McAuliffes proposal. He said McAuliffes order punishes law-abiding citizens and noted that concealed-carry holders have to pass a criminal background check to get a permit.

Its just political overreach, he said. This does not make the public safer.

But Lori Haas, the Virginia director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence whose daughter is a survivor of the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shootings, said concealed-handgun owners arent required to undergo any meaningful training to get a permit and the public is better served by having well-trained law enforcement officers responsible for maintaining safety in government-owned buildings.
COLUMBUS, Ga.  Columbus State University police say the Georgia school has reopened after a report of an armed suspect in a student residence hall.

Columbus State officials said in a tweet that an all clear was issued Wednesday afternoon because the suspect is believed to have left the area.

University spokesman John Lester says authorities havent determined whether there was an armed man in Clearview Hall, a new residential complex housing first-year students. He says the building was secured for about two hours as a precaution while police searched door-to-door.

In earlier statements Wednesday, university officials said police were searching for a 17-to-19 year old man wearing dark clothes and a stocking cap.

Columbus State University is in Columbus, Georgia, about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta.
The U.S. Department of Energy is extending a bridge contract for environmental clean-up work at Los Alamos National Laboratory for another year.

That means that private consortium Los Alamos National Security (LANS) will be paid another $154.7 million for the additional 12 months of clean-up work.

In 2014, the DOE decided to separate environmental remediationof radioactive and other hazardous materials generated by decades of nuclear weapons work from the overall Los Alamos lab operating contract, held since 2006 by LANS.

That move was part of a shake-up that came after a drum of radioactive waste packed improperly with a combustible mix at Los Alamos breached in February 2014 at the underground Waste Isolation Pilot Plant at Carlsbad, resulting in a shutdown of the nations nuclear waste storage facility that continues to this day.

LANS  which includes Bechtel and the University of California  was subsequently granted a temporary bridge contract to continue doing the clean-up work. But a new, long-term clean-up contract under DOEs Office of Environmental Management to take effect in October 2017 when the bridge contract, with all options exercised, will expire.

In May, Office of Environmental Management issued its draft request for proposals for the new contract. Its the first time there will be competition for a separate cleanup contract.

The total estimated value of the new cleanup contract is approximately $1.7 billion over a prospective 10-year period, including option extensions.

LANSs overall operating contract to run the Los Alamos lab totals about $2 billion annually. That contract is also expiring, as LANS has failed to earn adequate performance reviews to extend it beyond September 2018. An RFP for new lab operating contract will likely be issued next year.
[August 30, 2016] AHF Lauds CA Legislature for Passing HIV Testing Bill & STD Outreach Bill; Urges Governor Brown to Sign Both

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today lauded the California Legislature for approving two important public health bills intended to improve the lives and health of Californians. The bills moves on to Governor Edmund G. Brown's desk for his consideration and signature. AHF is strongly urging the Governor to sign both bills, which include: AB 2439 (Adrin Nazarian, D, 46 th District, Van Nuys), which passed Assembly Concurrence with a strong bipartisan vote last night (59 to 21), creates a pilot program for routine HIV testing in the emergency departments of as many as four hospitals throughout California (a policy which the CDC first recommended as far back as 2006), and

District, Van Nuys), which passed Assembly Concurrence with a strong bipartisan vote last night (59 to 21), creates a pilot program for routine HIV testing in the emergency departments of as many as four hospitals throughout California (a policy which the CDC first recommended as far back as 2006), and SB 1090 (Senator Holly Mitchell, D, 30th District, Los Angeles), which passed-unanimously-out of the legislature Friday, requires the state's Department of Health STD Control branch to direct funds for STD outreach and screening throughout the state based on population and incidence of STDs while also balancing the need to spread funding to as many counties as possible in order to provide meaningful services to each funded county. While this bill does NOT appropriate any money per se; it will inform how the state directs existing public health funding. Earlier this year, California approved increased budget funding for STD prevention, outreach and treatment to over $5 million-a budget augmentation request made by AHF.



Whitney Engeran-Cordova, Senior Director for AIDS Healthcare Foundation's (AHF) Public Health Division. "As for the STD outreach bill, the state wisely increased STD funding to five million dollars earlier this year. SB 1090 will help direct resources and services to so-called 'hotspots' of STD incidence to better manage and control these potentially debilitating and costly infections. Regarding AB 2439, back in 2006, the CDC first issued a recommendation that everyone between the ages of 13 and 65 be offered routine HIV testing at least once in medical settings like clinics, hospitals and doctors' offices. Unfortunately, there are still approximately 5,000 new HIV infections occurring each year in California, and outreach and education hasn't worked to find those new infections. This pilot program for offering routine HIV testing to all those visiting an emergency department at a hospital may go a long way in helping address this issue." Background on Need for HIV Testing Bill (AB 2439)

Currently 70% of the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States do not have their virus suppressed, meaning, for some, they have never been tested for HIV; while for others, they may know their HIV status but for whatever reason, are not in care and on lifesaving HIV antiretroviral treatment. There are approximately 5,000 new HIV infections each year in California. Making HIV testing both routine and easily accessible as part of a hospital stay would help identify and link additional HIV-positive individuals into care, thus helping us break the chain of new infections. 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 View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006548/en/

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The board of directors of beWellnm, New Mexicos health insurance exchange, have named Linda Wedeen as interim chief executive officer.

Wedeen, who has been the organizations senior director of communications, marketing and outreach, will take over in late September, when current CEO Amy Dowd leaves for a new job with Molina Healthcare in California. Board Chairman J.R. Damron has appointed a search committee to recruit a new CEO.

To ensure continuity of existing operations, the board felt that the right solution during this time of transition was to appoint a member of the existing leadership team, Damron said. Lindas leadership experience, both with the exchange and in her prior roles, gave us the confidence we needed to ask her to lead beWellnm while the search committee initiates the (recruitment) process.

Wedeen has been a member of the beWellnm leadership team since 2014, primarily responsible for strategic direction and oversight of exchange efforts to raise awareness and promote enrollment. Following the close of the last open enrollment period, beWellnm connected nearly 55,000 New Mexicans with healthcare coverage through the exchange.

I am honored to have been selected for the role of Interim CEO of beWellnm, said Wedeen. With just two months before the 2017 open enrollment begins, alongside the board of directors, the beWellnm leadership team and our partners around the state, we will continue our mission of expanding access to coverage for New Mexicans.
As tensions grow amid police shootings of young black men and a presidential campaign rife with allegations of racism, many people are calling for a more honest conversation about race in America.

One pastor in Sunnyvale, Calif. is offering a venue to get people talking: Racists Anonymous.

With the familiar backdrop of a 12-step program  folding chairs, burned coffee, the Serenity Prayer  people can explore the often uncharted terrain of their own feelings about race, said Ron Buford, pastor of the Congregational Community Church in Sunnyvale.

The first step is that you have to acknowledge that you have a problem, he said. That is something that we as Americans dont want to do.

Most conversations about race involve people talking about who is the most racist, he said. In reality, racism is everywhere. We all swim in this culture of racism. Its impossible to not be racist to some degree.

With a 12-step program, he said people can become more aware of their own racist thinking or behavior and start to change it.

The Sunnyvale program started in 2015, following headlines of police shootings and Dylann Roofs shooting rampage at a historically black church in Charleston. About a dozen people began meeting every Thursday. Since then, as tensions have intensified along with increasingly racially charged campaign rhetoric, more than 30 other churches have requested materials to start their own groups  from Baltimore to Coral Gables, Fla.

Buford, who is African American, said a person of any race could benefit from the 12-step format for self-reflection. The Sunnyvale group includes members who are white, black and Asian. Most participants so far have been white.

They go through the 12 steps, starting with the first one: I have come to admit that I am powerless over my addiction to racism in ways I am unable to recognize fully, let alone manage.

Other steps include making a list of people that you have harmed and making amends, as well as taking personal inventory on when you have behaved wrongly, and admitting it.

During a confidential hour, people share their thoughts and experiences with race, including racist feelings or thoughts they have in the course of their daily lives. White group members have talked about watching a person of color being mistreated at a dog park or grocery store and doing nothing to help, or exploring whether they would be comfortable selling their house to a black person.

Eventually, Buford imagines a network stretching across the country, so that, like Alcoholics Anonymous, people can drop into an RA meeting wherever they go.

The barrier to growth is steep, though. Not too many people are willing to sit down in front of a group, and say Hi, My name is Ron, and Im a racist, he said. A lot are not convinced, but they become convinced over time.

The introduction is optional at a group that began meeting this summer in Concord, North Carolina. People are in different places, said Rev. Nathan King at the Trinity United Church of Christ, a church with a mostly-white congregation and a social justice orientation. Some say, Im a racist. Or they say, I dont know or Im not sure. 

Stephen Mosier, a 74-year old retired college administrator, felt okay donning the label.

We have all got some residual racism in us no matter how good we think we are at it, he said.

Mosier grew up during segregation in rural Virginia, then became involved in the civil rights movement as a college student.

Most people thought racism was fading away with the generational distance, but you read the news now, and its getting worse, he said.

Attending the 12-step meetings has made him think about the way race plays into his thinking.

For example, he found himself driving up behind an expensive car recently, and then looking to see if the driver was black or white. That should not be the first thing that popped into my mind, he said.

He also began thinking about his friendships and wondering whether his relationships with black friends are color-blind: Do I act the same with my black and white friends? Do I share with them the same way?

This kind of questioning could make a lasting difference, Buford said.

AA says you are an alcoholic forever. I actually think its probably true with racism, he said.

But if people can become more aware of their own racist thoughts, they will be less likely to model them and pass them down to their children and grandchildren, he said.

The hope is for future generations, he said.

racists-anonymous
PHOENIX  The Latest legal challenges to an Arizona voter initiative legalizing recreational marijuana (All times local):

2:25 p.m.

A voter initiative legalizing recreational marijuana will be on the November ballot after the Arizona Supreme Court rejected a final legal challenge.

The high court on Wednesday turned away a lawsuit from a group called Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy.

A lower court judge had thrown out the challenge, saying the group didnt have a right to sue.

The judge went on to reject all of the reasons opponents laid out for keeping the initiative off the ballot.

Opponents had asked the judge to bar it from the ballot because the description voters saw when signing petitions left off many major provisions, didnt identify a revenue source and had a misleading title.

The high court sidestepped the right to sue argument, but upheld the lower court decision on the merits of the lawsuit.

12:55 p.m.

A Maricopa County judge has ordered one change to the ballot description for a voter initiative legalizing recreational marijuana but rejected other revisions sought by the backers.

Judge James Blomo on Wednesday ordered Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan to make the changes to language voters will see when Proposition 205 is on the November ballot.

Blomo agreed with backers that the description wrongly says marijuana will be legal for people over 21, when it should be 21 and older and ordered it changed.

But he rejected efforts to insert language showing that a 15 percent marijuana tax would mainly funds schools and enforcement efforts and another minor change. Blomo said omitting the tax description isnt misleading.

The state Supreme Court is considering a separate challenge by Proposition 205 opponents.
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Global private equity group Blackstone is said to be currently negotiating the potential sale of German company Officef
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[August 31, 2016] Aspect Software Recognized by Frost & Sullivan as the Workforce Optimization Industry 2016 Global Company of the Year

GURGAON, India and PHOENIX, Arizona, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- - Aspect Recognized for Best Meeting the Future Needs of Customers, Being First to Market With New, Innovative Workforce Optimization (WFO) Solutions - Agent Engagement and Empowerment Found in Workforce Chatbot Mila, and Aspect EQ Workforce Optimization Design, Highlighted as Market Differentiators Aspect Software, a leading provider of fully-integrated consumer engagement, workforce optimization, and self-service solutions, today announced that it has been awarded the 2016 Global Company of the Year Award in the Workforce Optimization Industry by Frost & Sullivan. The Frost & Sullivan Global Company of the Year Award requires a company to demonstrate excellence in growth, innovation, and leadership.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140922/706625-a )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/402959LOGO )

The award was presented to Aspect because of the company's deep WFO capabilities, backed by excellent customer support services, and increased adoption of its workforce optimization applications. The company's continuous track record of leading innovation was also cited as a driving factor in the decision. "One of the hallmarks of Aspect's WFO suite is the depth of functionality it provides compared to the rest of the competition-particularly in the realm of flexibility and ease-of-use," said Nancy Jamison, Principal Analyst in Digital Transformation, Frost & Sullivan. "And Mila, a self-service chatbot for the workforce, is a perfect example of how Aspect is at the forefront of WFO innovation-improving functionality of its existing products to directly address the unmet needs of its customers, as well as developing innovative new products that anticipate client needs." Aspect was selected for this award due to several key performance drivers of Aspect's EQ Workforce Optimization solutions, including: The recent introduction of Aspect Mila, a self-service chatbot for the workforce, which demonstraes Aspect's ability to respond to Millennial workforce expectations. In designing Mila, Aspect targeted the expectations that make up today's agent - know me, make it mobile, let me do it, make it social, fit into my life, save me time, make me smarter, help me discover.'

The Aspect WFO suite's depth of functionality compared to the rest of the competition, particularly in the realm of flexibility and ease-of-use, including a modern, widget-based user interface that is both intuitive and easily customizable for a business.

Aspect's use of APIs enables it to be flexible in answering the needs of customers. Aspect is API driven and provides simple customization for businesses without having to adjust the core product. This addresses an issue that plagues the WFO market-the vast amount of customization and changes customers request to help run their centers.

The health of the WFO business is very strong: 104% YoY growth in product booking for the first half of 2016, significant shift to the cloud, with more than two-thirds of new bookings being cloud-based in 2016



Mike Bourke , Senior Vice President and General Manager of Workforce Optimization at Aspect. "We are honored to receive the 2016 Global Company of the Year Award in the Workforce Optimization Industry from Frost & Sullivan. It is another proof point that the developments we've put into the portfolio are resonating with our customers and ultimately helping them deliver better customer experiences." To read the complete text on why Frost & Sullivan presented Aspect with their 2016 Global Workforce Optimization Solutions Company of the Year Award, click here.

About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages almost 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 31 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com. About Aspect Aspect helps enterprises break down the walls between people, processes, systems and data sources, allowing organizations to unite around the customer journey. By developing fully native contact center interaction management, workforce optimization and self-service capabilities within a single customer engagement center, we enable dynamic, conversational interactions and create a truly frictionless omni-channel customer experience. Leveraging the agility of our worldwide cloud infrastructure and over 40 years of industry ingenuity, Aspect conveniently and easily connects questions to answers while helping enterprises keep service levels high and operational costs contained. For more information, visit http://www.aspect.com. Follow Aspect on Twitter at @AspectSoftware. Read our blogs at http://blogs.aspect.com. Aspect, the Aspect logo, Voxeo and the Voxeo logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Aspect Software, Inc. or Voxeo Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Media contact:

Shailendra Tanwar

[email protected]

+91-9930134118

Head Marketing- India & Middle East

Aspect Software



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[August 31, 2016] Road Safety and Transport Authority of Bhutan Selects HID Global to Improve the Quality of Driver Licenses and Reduce Counterfeit IDs

HID Global, a worldwide leader in secure identity solutions, today announced that its industry-leading FARGO HDP5000 printing and encoding solution has been selected by the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA) of Bhutan, the government agency responsible for printing and issuing driver's licenses, to meet the high-volume in driver's license issuance demand for the country's growing population of road users. The new solution allows the RSTA to quickly print more secure and durable driver's licenses, lowering the total cost of ownership while meeting the country's need for more secure ID cards. Established in 1997, the RSTA is responsible for all vehicle registration and driver license issuance throughout Bhutan, as well as numerous other services for private and commercial motor vehicles. "We needed a more efficient printing solution that did not compromise security, durability and image quality," said Tshering Nidup, ICT Officer at RSTA. "Since the driver licenses are also used as citizen identification, it is critical for the ID card to be highly secure and resistant to cloning or counterfeiting." Bhutan previously experienced high rates of ID cloning since its licenses lacked the necessary security features to prevent tampering. Additionally, Bhutan has undergone significant economic development and modernization that has led to an increase in new drivers, and the RSTA's previous printing process was inefficient and created a backlog of printing requests. The RSTA was also dependent on a system that required different vendors for replacing cards, overlaminates and other printer consumables. HID Global's FARGO HDP5000 produces Bhutan driver's licenses that ae now resistant to wear, tear and tampering, offering greater security using its High Definition Printing (HDP) and reverse transfer capabilities. By printing a reverse image on the underside of HDP Film and fusing the film to the card surface, the HDP5000 creates an image that looks like a sharp glossy photo versus an ordinary ID badge to improve the quality and lifespan of the card image. Additionally, the new driver's licenses feature 3-D backgrounds and hidden images, which have resulted in a decline of incidents involving counterfeit IDs according to local law enforcement.



"Ensuring citizens carry authentic identification is one of the most fundamental public security measures a country can have," said Weijin Lee, Regional Director of Secure Issuance, Asia Pacific with HID Global. "HID Global's world-class card personalization solutions are designed to meet the need for secure, fraud-resistant IDs that help customers combat counterfeit identification cards, while also addressing the high-volume issuance requirements of RSTA and other government agencies around the world." The RSTA deployed 22 printers in total, five printers/encoders in their regional offices and 17 in their district offices across the country to streamline and improve its license issuance operations. Since the initial deployment, the RSTA has issued approximately 40,000 driver's licenses contributing to reduced wait times for new or replacement driver licenses. Using HID Global's printing solution allows the RSTA to now procure all printing consumables from one single source for a more streamlined resupplying process instead of relying on multiple vendors to produce driver's licenses.

Download the full case study here. Stay Connected with HID Global For more HID Global news, visit our Media Center, read our Industry Blog, watch our videos and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. About HID Global HID Global is the trusted source for innovative products, services, solutions, and know-how related to the creation, management, and use of secure identities for millions of customers around the world. The company's served markets include physical and logical access control, including strong authentication and credential management; card printing and personalization; visitor management systems; highly secure government and citizen ID; and identification RFID technologies used in animal ID and industry and logistics applications. The company's primary brands include ActivID, EasyLobby, FARGO, IdenTrust, LaserCard, Lumidigm, Quantum (News - Alert) Secure and HID. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID Global has over 2,700 employees worldwide and operates international offices that support more than 100 countries. HID Global is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand. For more information, visit http://www.hidglobal.com.  HID, FARGO, HDP and the HID logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HID Global or its licensors in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks, service marks, and product or service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160831005450/en/

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[August 31, 2016] Telit Announces Cloud-Based Event Video Recording via OzVision Management Platform

Telit, a global enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced cloud-based event video recording via the OzVision Management Platform. This powerful new capability adds real-time video to Telit's deviceWISE platform for a complete IoT solution from connected devices such as cameras and sensors. The OzVision system records, analyzes and distributes massive amounts of real-time data, every day, from over a million cameras worldwide. "There are times when real-time video is critical in creating true understanding of what is happening in remote and mobile locations," said Alon Segal, Telit CTO. "Video, integrated in an IoT solution has the unprecedented power to inform, provide convincing evidence and provide peace of mind." For the automotive market, dashboard cameras will now be able to automatically capture and transmit video upon an event trigger. An alert, along with up to 30 seconds of video can be sent to company managers or family members. Fleet managers and direct supervisors can activate preset triggers when harsh braking, excessive speeding or when sensing unauthorized and after-business-hours vehicle use - and then watch a live video stream. Security applications include fixed surveillance cameras with motion detection capability. Each time the system senses movement, it will send a video clip that starts a few seconds before motion is spotted -- and continue transmitting as long it perceives an interloper. The OzVision server is also capable of integrating with third-party analytics services via its OZ INTEGRATE module. At any time, users can view a live video feed. "The OzVision video cloud platform performs with 99.99% uptime and is a proven provider of plug and play, live view, continuous and event recording, playback and notification services," said Duby Hodd, OzVision CEO. "We offer complete integration with the deviceWISE platform with a sophisticated set of API's to ensure rapid IoT deployment." Telit collaborates with an ever-expanding network of reconized experts and innovators from the M2M/IoT community around the world. Telit's Business Partners include leading technology and product developers, system integrators and telecom carriers - offering customers hardware and software, integration services and support, wireless network services, custom point solutions and applications, or turnkey commercial deployments, as needed. The thriving deviceWISE community centers on the deviceWISE Ready program. deviceWISE Ready promotes interoperability between products and services from our Business Partners and the deviceWISE AEP, thus reducing the risk, time-to-market, complexity and cost of deploying complete end-to-end IoT solutions.



See a live demonstration of the OzVision system integrated with Telit's deviceWISE platform at the CTIA (News - Alert) Super Mobility Conference in Las Vegas at the Telit exhibit booth #4832. One day prior to CTIA at Telit's IoT Innovation expo at Caesars Palace, the OzVision demo remote controlled car will be test driven by Telit IoT Platforms CEO, Fred Yentz. Join us at Telit IoT Innovation, click here to register. About Telit

Telit (AIM: TCM), is a global leader in Internet of Things (IoT) enablement. The company offers the industry's broadest portfolio of integrated products and services for end-to-end IoT deployments - including cellular communication modules in all technologies, GNSS, short-to-long range wireless modules, IoT connectivity plans and IoT platform services. Through the IoT Portal, Telit makes IoT onboarding easy, reduces risk, time to market, complexity and costs for asset tracking, remote monitoring and control, telematics, industrial automation and others, across many industries and vertical markets worldwide. About OzVision OzVision is a leader in cloud-based video solutions. OzVision's innovative end-to-end cloud solution offers recording, distribution and analysis of massive amounts of real-time data from a variety of network-attached devices. The OzVision cloud uploads and manages data from over a million devices every day. The OzVision partner network includes world leading video device manufacturers; service providers connected home platforms and video-based solution developers. OzVision is a privately-held US company with R&D in Israel. For more information please visit www.ozvision.com or contact us at [email protected]. Copyright  2016 Telit Communications (News - Alert) PLC. All rights reserved. Telit and all associated logos are trademarks of Telit Communications PLC in the United States and other countries. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160831005822/en/

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Ireland says the Brexit vote has led to a jump in enquiries from London firms considering opening offices in Dublin, one of a handful of European cities trying to draw business away from Britain's financial centre.

Irish officials say they have had more than 35 concrete enquiries from financial groups looking at setting up a base or expanding in Ireland, which is recovering after near bankruptcy in the financial crash.

"Post-Brexit, it's meant a lot more meetings, more phone calls and a lot more travel," said Eoghan Murphy, the minister tasked with promoting Ireland as a financial centre. "I'm in daily contact with different players in the industry."

Financial companies based in London are concerned that Britain's vote to leave the European Union will stop them selling products in the bloc. EU member Ireland's tax regime makes it an attractive alternative.

However, there will be questions as to whether it can maintain its appeal after EU regulators on Tuesday ruled that a special scheme used by U.S. technology giant Apple to route profits through Ireland was illegal and ordered the company pay billion of euros in taxes to the Irish government.

Ireland is trying to woo companies with the offer of a contracting entity, a legal toehold on the island that could be expanded when Britain leaves the EU, allowing them to keep the same access to the European market.

Businesses are being courted by other financial centres including Frankfurt and Paris as executives consider alternatives to London while British Prime Minister Theresa May weighs when to trigger two-year-long exit negotiations.

Some, particularly in fund management and insurance, say they are warming to Dublin.

Insurers Admiral and Beazley have said they are considering moving more business to Ireland while the funds arm of insurer Prudential is looking at expanding Dublin operations.

Mark Hemsley, the European head of pan-European stock exchange Bats, said that Ireland was "attractive because it's the most similar to the UK structure".

Two lawyers who advise financial services firms told Reuters that a group of less than a dozen executives would be enough to open an arm for an insurer or fund manager in Ireland.

Moving part of a bank, however, would typically be a bigger task, requiring more capital and staff to be relocated.

"Brexit represents a historic opportunity," said Kieran Donoghue of Ireland's Industrial Development Authority. "Over the next few weeks, our approach will be dialled up."

But Ireland, whose Taoiseach Enda Kenny once told a foreign business audience that they could "call me any time", faces obstacles to growing its financial centre, which employs more than 30,000 people.

Dublin's open-door policy and flexibility could be upset by the European Commission's demand that Apple hand over up to 13 billion euros to the Irish government for only paying between 0.005 and 1% on European profits.

Ireland said it intended to appeal the decision.

The iPhones maker cut tax by channelling profits through Irish subsidiaries. The penalty, overturning a tax arrangement agreed decades ago with Dublin, challenges the low-tax regime that has been the cornerstone of Ireland's economy.

Low taxes also underpin its financial centre, home to more than 6200 investment funds, and were that regime to falter, it could dampen the interest of companies looking to relocate.

Jim Stewart, an academic with Trinity College Dublin, said Ireland's financial centre had hosted many of the vehicles involved in the financial crash and that it used "smoke and mirrors" to "camouflage" some activity.

"It is not just the tax concession," he said. "It's regulatory as well. The concession is that there is sometimes no regulation."

Stewart points to the extensive use of special purpose vehicles, including section 110 companies, allowing deductions to cut tax on profits to as little as zero.

Reliance on tax breaks may have spawned a financial sector with little real activity with Stewart saying investment funds are largely administrated rather than run from Dublin's International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).

"A lot of the jobs in the IFSC are fairly low skilled," he said. "The thinking is always done in a major financial centre."

Such criticism is rejected by Irish authorities, including the central bank, which said licensing procedures are rigorous.

"It's the opposite to a brass plate financial centre," said Padraic White, a former head of the IDA agency. "Ireland has a transparent tax system. There is no such thing as a tax deal. There is an aspect of sheer jealousy and envy."

After years of cutbacks, Ireland also has other problems. As construction of new homes lagged, rents in Dublin have risen above the peak at the height of the property boom.

Many in London are still biding their time, listening carefully to the campaigns from Ireland, Paris and Frankfurt as well as keeping an eye on Brexit progress in Britain.

"Most thought this would never happen," said Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank.

"The test will come when they realise that there's no going back. Then the real reaction will kick in." (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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Published On Aug 30, 2016 07:09 PM By Tushar

Jeep India has kick-started its Indian product offensive with the Wrangler Unlimited, Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SRT. While these SUVs offers the typical bulky proportions and brutish design traits youd expect from an American automaker, theres one launch were really looking forward to  the Renegade.

Theres a lot of reasons why the Renegade has a lot of potential to get Jeep India the numbers it needs, but here are four of the most important ones:

Affordable Jeep

If youve kept yourself abreast of the reactions after Jeeps launch, you may have noticed that the pricing hasnt gone down well with everyone. At a price of Rs 71.59 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the most affordable Jeep is anything but affordable.

The Renegade will be positioned far below the Wrangler Unlimited. While we were expecting a price of around Rs 20 lakh, that does seem unlikely as the premium pricing of the current range indicates that the Renegade could be positioned in the ballpark of Rs 35-40 lakh. However, this would put it in the same bracket as the GLA Class, Q3 and X1, which have been well-received by premium car buyers.

The Jeep name does have a strong pull and while the Renegade wont offer the premium quality and ambience of its German rivals, it will be the gateway model into the Jeep family and will offer more exclusivity too.

Compact Size

While the idea of owning a plus-sized SUV is cool, with our urban conditions getting increasingly congested, compact SUVs make a lot of sense. Easier to use, better to manoeuvre and handle, more economical  all qualities the Renegade enjoys over the likes of the Wrangler Unlimited and Grand Cherokee.

The smaller proportions not only make it easier to live with, it also helps when you go off-road, which brings us to the next point.

4X4

The Renegade is no mere urban crossover/soft-roader. It comes with an all-wheel-drive setup but instead of the traditional low-range option, it employs a 4-wheel-drive lock and traction control enabled system. It is also available with the Selec-Terrain feature which is a drive mode selector that allows the driver to tune the traction settings based on the driving scenario. Depending on the location and weather condition, you can switch between snow, sand, mud and rock mode, with an auto function available to take over for you.

Rugged Styling

The expected price rivals we mentioned before from the houses of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi are great machines to look at. They feature futuristic designs that can make many go weak in the knees, but for the buyer who wants something more hairy-chested, the Renegade offers just the right amount of muscular traits and aggressive touches to butch things up. The iconic Wrangler front design, unpainted front bumper, boxy wheel arches resonate the classic Jeep vibe we love. It may not have the intimidating credentials of its older brothers, but the tough styling traits make this the Scrappy-Doo of SUVs.

Jeep is expected to launch the Renegade in India next year and given the brands plans to start local production, we hope to see some competitive pricing.

What price would you like to see the Jeep Renegade launched at? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Published On Aug 31, 2016 03:45 PM By Alshaar for Tata Nano

Cracking the whip on the former Bengal government over Tata Motors Singur land controversy, the Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled the deal between the two parties. It directed the current state government to take possession of the land, ordering the property to be returned to the cultivators within 12 weeks.

The left government had allotted 1,000 acre (approx.) land to the automaker for manufacturing the Nano small car, in 2006. But following massive farmer protests, led by current Bengal CM who was then the leader of the opposition, the project was shelved and moved to Gujarat in 2008.

In its verdict, the apex court has ripped into the left government and Tata Motors for what it called the illegal manner in which the land was acquired in Singur. It stated that the entire exercise appeared to be a farce and an eye wash, the execution of which was shocking.

The court commented that the government appeared to have been determined that the project must come up in the state, and it was the company which seemed to have chosen the precise location for the project.

READ: New Tata Nano spied

"Land can't be acquired at the instance of a private company. Exercise of power at the instance of a private company is a colourable exercise and amounts to fraud. The procedure of enquiry with farmers was not followed," said the court.

After a trail court had first ruled it out, subsequent to the farmer protests, the acquisition was later approved by the Calcutta High Court. But a rights organisation then moved to the Supreme Court that has finally asserted its authority in the favour of the distressed farmers.

Read More on : Nano
Published On Aug 31, 2016 03:56 PM By Khan Mohd.

In a bid to spread awareness on safe driving, Toyota has launched its regional safety campaign for the third time in three years. Captioned as Be Safety Leaders, the campaign is directed at encouraging drivers as well as passengers to wear seatbelts while driving, as this proactive step reduces the impact by a big margin in case of any mishap.

Unlike every year, this time the focus is more on changing the general consensus of the public on having seatbelts as a protective equipment. Buckling up the seatbelt before the start of every journey should come as a natural reflex to a user, but a survey conducted in 2014 states otherwise. It says that people gave these top five excuses for not using seatbelts -- presence of airbags, short journey, confidence in ones own driving skills, discomfort and causing clothes to be wrinkled.

Toyota says that wearing seatbelts can massively complement airbags by increasing their effectiveness up to 15 times! Moreover, these belts even reduce life-threatening injuries by up to 50 per cent for front row passengers and 75 per cent for the rear ones.

Started in 2014 amid high road accident fatalities, the Toyota safety campaign aims at educating and spreading awareness on safe driving in rapidly motorising South-eastern countries. The first year of the campaign stressed on call-to-action for greater usage of seatbelts while in the second year, the drive continued to focus on seatbelt usage with an aim to empower the public to be safety leaders. Since changing of mindsets isnt an overnight task, Toyota wishes that another year on this will help spread awareness to a greater extent.

Traffic safety is Toyotas top priority. We believe in contributing to achieving a society with zero traffic accident fatalities. Through our regional safety awareness campaign, we urge drivers and passengers to belt up to keep themselves and their families safe, said Hiroyuki Fukui, President, Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, at the campaign inaugural ceremony.

Toyota, one of the worlds leading carmakers, has also begun an online campaign to attract youngsters and people from all walks of life. In addition to last years activities like the Toyota Seat Selfie App and the Go Go Buckle Up game, it is introducing a new campaign video this year. In this video, a child is seen urging his parents to buckle-up for safety. The Japanese automaker hopes that its message Belt On For Every Journey will be a game changer and will be able to spread awareness about wearing seatbelts.

Sharing his views during the regional safety campaign, N. Raja, director and senior vice president (Sales & Marketing), Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, Safety has always been of utmost importance to Toyota. Be it passenger safety or road safety, Toyota has always been in the forefront in creating awareness about the same. We were the first brand in India to standardize dual front SRS airbags across all models and in all grades and this initiative has been very well appreciated by our customers as well as the market alike. This can be further reiterated by the fact that the Toyota Etios was awarded 4-stars in the Global NCAP crash test. It was the entire range of Etios that received 4-stars including Toyota Etios Liva, Etios sedan and Etios Cross.

This campaign would be extensive and will cover all ASEAN nations including, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Bro its really easyall u american poker players have to do, is set couple of senators and congress man and women cars on fire, that will get their attention, trust me, and just in case that doesnt do it, keep setting those cars on fire, till they UNDERSTAND they are not out of reach to the "ordinary people" let me put it as plain and simple as i can say it, THOSE C UNTS ARE NOT AFRAID OF YOU, SO THEY DO WHAT EVER THEY WANT(i should say,they are doing what ever makes them money or will make them money) once u put some fear in to them, see how fast things changecoz i know gathering votes and signs, calling your representative will never work, coz of the reason stated above, and thats how u will have poker again in `merica "land of the free home of the brave" yeah right, that turned out to be a joke too
The California Combating BDS Act of 2016 was "overwhelmingly passed" by a vote of 60-0 in the state Assembly.

Dealt another blow to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement Wednesday following the passage of a bill aimed at hampering businesses from participating in "discriminatory boycotts" against Israel, according to weekly publication The Jewish Journal.

The California Combating BDS Act of 2016, also known as Assembly Bill 2844, was "overwhelmingly passed" by a vote of 60-0 in the state Assembly, which is now expected to be signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in the coming weeks.

Its been a long journeybut with a smile on my face I can say today that Republicans and Democrats in the legislature have taken a historic step forward in the fight against prejudice, Travis Allen (R- Hunnington Beach), a co-sponsor of the legislation, said while speaking on the Assembly floor after the vote.

But critics note that much of the bill\s original language had been removed throughout the state\s lengthy legislative process, leaving the law mostly symbolic and feckless.

The bill\s original proposal, for instance, sought to ban state contractors of more than $100,000 for companies that boycott the Jewish state, according to The Journal. Opponents in California\s state legislature, however, quickly raised objections, arguing that the law potentially violated constitutionally protected freedoms such as free speech and boycott rights.

As a result, the law no longer seeks punitive measures against contractors who partake in boycott efforts against Israel. Instead, the law now merely states that contractors are forbidden from violating current state civil rights laws in the course of boycotting a sovereign nation recognized by the United States.
What is Osteo Plus?

Osteo Plus is a bone health supplement that fortifies bone structure, improves joint movement, and fights against nighttime leg muscle cramps. Osteo Plus is a product in Meditrend Inc.s Progena line. Meditrend Inc. was founded in 1980 and creates affordable healthcare products. The Progena Professional Formulations line of the company specializes in nutritional supplements. One bottle contains 180 capsules and costs $26 through the manufacturer. You can find this product for cheaper through other online retailers like Pure Formulas. The company provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.

How Does Osteo Plus Work?

Osteo Plus seeks to provide relief for those who suffer from painful cramping of the calf or foot muscles in the middle of the night. The two main causes for this problem are a potassium deficiency, a fluid imbalance, or vitamin deficiency in the bones. Osteo Plus attacks all those problems by providing natural sources of potassium and four other nutrients that support bone health. Those four ingredientsvitamin D3, vitamin K, calcium, and magnesiumhelp restore bone mass to keep bones strong and also help increase joint flexibility for ease of movement.

Osteo Plus comes in tablets that are taken daily.

Osteo Plus Ingredients  Are they Safe & Effective?

Vitamin D3 400 IU

Vitamin K1 50 mcg

Vitamin B6 2 mg

Calcium 750 mg: mineral

Phosphorous 60 mg: mineral

Magnesium 600 mg: mineral

Zinc 5 mg: mineral

Copper 500 mcg: mineral

Manganese 3 mg: mineral

Molybdenum 55 mcg: mineral

Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite 400 mg: bovine-sourced whole bone concentrate

Protein 147 mg

Boron 2 mg: mineral

Silicon (as Silica) 5 mg: chemical compound

Vanadium 25 mcg: mineral

What are the Pros of Osteo Plus? All-natural

Support overall bone health

Strengthen and restore bone mass

Improve joint mobility

Stop nighttime leg muscle cramping

Can be purchased through other online retailers for less

Money-back guarantee

What are the Cons of Osteo Plus? No documentation backing the claims of the products effectiveness is readily supplied

Important Features

Osteo Plus contains 180 capsules, which is roughly one and a half months supply.

Side Effects

No side effects are listed.

Dosage

Take four tablets per day with food.

FAQs

Q: How long does it take to see results?

A: A specific length is not provided by the manufacturer, but as their return policy is 30 days, the product ought to have shown results by then.

Q: How does the money-back guarantee work?

A: You must request your refund within 30 days of the order date. However, opened items cannot be returned for a refund. To make a return, log into your Meditrend Inc. account, view the order under Complete Orders, and click Return Item(s).

READ NEXT  1MD D3 Reviews

Osteo Plus Review  Final Verdict

Osteo Plus has an official website that is pretty informative. It provides a list of ingredients but doesnt go into detail about what each one is meant to do. However, that information can be found through the other online retailers who sell the product.While the company does not provide any documentation backing the claims of the products effectiveness, many of the natural vitamins and minerals in the formula have been proven to improve bone health.

Osteo Plus is meant to prevent painful nighttime cramping of the leg and foot muscles by providing protein and ingredients that fortify bone mass and improve joint flexibility. The company provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.

You can purchase this product directly through the manufacturer or through other online retailers, where you can often find it for less.

There are many bone health supplements available on the market, so please consider all options before making a purchase.
The spring barley and wheat harvest is in the early stages in Scotland with growers tending to focus on malting barley crops with mixed weather expected over the next week.

Spring barley combining is progressing well, with nitrogen and screening levels fairly low, while only the odd field of wheat is being cut in the Angus region, according to Trevor Harriman, general manager at Scotgrain.

East of Scotland Farmers started 24-hour drying on Tuesday (30 August) as crops started to arrive in quantity.

See also: High Reflection wheat yields surprise some growers

The main crop is spring barley, which is about quarter of the way through. Quality is good with the vast majority meeting malting specification, but yields are a bit low, says general manager Robin Barron.

Nitrogen levels are about 1.4% on average and screenings are in the 5% area, and while skinning can be a problem in spring barley, it seems to be in check this year, he adds.

Harvest picking up

Further south, the wheat harvest is picking back up in Lincolnshire after a break due to rain, according to Dan Murphy, laboratory and haulage manager at Woldgrain.

There is quite a lot of wheat still to come, between 15,000t and 18,000t, but the forecast is dodgy, he says.

The store has received almost 19,000t of wheat so far with quality coming in surprisingly high.

Specific weights have been fine, with only a handful of feed wheat under 72kg/hl, Mr Murphy adds.

Some wheat has been remarkably good, with a delivery of Crusoe achieving 84kg/hl and 14.3% protein. It has been mixed but nothing is below specification on milling Groups 1 and 2, he adds.

Hagbergs on Group 1 milling wheats have ranged from 230 to 450 with some very high, but nothing is dramatically low.

The majority of the milling wheat has proteins of 12.8%-13.5%, with no grain under 12%, adds Mr Murphy.

Most of the spring barley cut and coming into store has been the malting variety Propino.

It is fairly mixed but specific weights and germination has been good. Some nitrogen levels are a bit higher than expected but are on the border of acceptable, says Mr Murphy.

Quality wheat

In south-west England, Devon Grain has received some good samples with the feed wheat being particularly high quality.

The wheat quality has been better than the barley, with some exceptional specific weights, says store manager Duncan Lyon.

Many grew Skyfall or Crusoe, which averaged a specific weight of 77kg/hl and a moisture content of 15.9%. Feed barley averaged 63.1kg/hl and 15.5%.

Weve got about 40% of the oats still to come in so farmers are by no means finished, but whats in so far is looking reasonable, says Mr Lyon.

On farm, James Stafford was cutting the last 3.6ha of wheat this week to finish a pleasing harvest at Pickwood Lodge, Corsham, Wiltshire.

His V3160 oilseed rape variety disappointed with a yield of 3.7t/ha, but the cereals have been more impressive, with winter barley variety Cassia achieving a yield of 8.6t/ha and a specific weight of 64kg/hl.

Good barley yields

Irina spring barley was similarly good  yielding 7.4t/ha with a specific weight of 65kg/hl. Mr Staffords Mascani oats matched that 7.4t/ha yield.

Mr Staffords wheat was a combination of Diego, Reflection and Revelation varieties and so far it has averaged a yield of 8.9t/ha.

So far the Reflection has performed the best and the Revelation has been the worst, but well know more when its finished, he says.

We started cutting in the morning when the moisture was at about 15.5% and blended it with what was brought in in the evening so it all averaged about 13-14% moisture, adds Mr Stafford.
Agricultural science has been neglected for too long and needs to be revitalised to help farmers become smarter, leaner and cleaner, according to European agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan

Speaking at the European Federation of Animal Science conference in Belfast on Tuesday (30 August), Mr Hogan said farmers needed more and better knowledge about how to produce food sustainably, and science should play a pivotal role in helping them address the challenge.

See also: EU farm chief Phil Hogan lays out his agriculture agenda

These days we expect farmers to do much more than produce food, he told delegates.

We expect them to generate jobs and economic growth, and contribute to environmental targets. Innovation within the sector is key to helping balance these different priorities.

As a result of various crises in the EU we have fallen behind our targets and allowed agricultural research to become a lower priority than it should be, he added.

But there is a resurgent ambition to change this.

We doubled our investment in the field under Horizon 2020 [the EU programme for research and innovation] and we have made research and innovation a central plank of the rural development programme.

As a result of various crises in the EU we have fallen behind our targets and allowed agricultural research to become a lower priority than it should be Phil Hogan, EU agriculture commissioner

Brexit concerns

Mr Hogans comments came as leading animal scientists expressed their concerns over funding for agricultural science in the wake of the recent Brexit decision.

Liam Sinclair, president of the British Society of Animal Science, said the government had guaranteed funding for agricultural research projects in the short-term.

But the quality of research being used by British farmers risked being damaged unless the government made more assurances over long-term budgets, he said.

We are also concerned about barriers being created between countries, he added.

Animal science relies on links between other organisations, but there are concerns other countries are hesitant to collaborate.

If the UK cant collaborate with them, we will lose out on the quality of science, and that will have a huge impact on UK farmers.

Sinclair Mayne, director of Northern Irelands Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, said many agricultural scientists were worried their bids for funding would not be well received because of uncertainties around the UKs future relationship with Europe.

Theres a huge question mark over whether funding will be available for the long-term, he added. We need more clarity on the whole issue as a matter of priority.
Frankfort, KY Kentuckys attorney general has filed a civil lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson for deceptively marketing Kentuckys attorney general has filed a civil lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson for deceptively marketing transvaginal mesh to more than 15,0000 women in Kentucky. Attorney General Andy Beshear said these women had transvaginal mesh implanted without being provided with sufficient information about complications that can lead to permanent disability.

The Kentucky lawsuit comes on the heels of the states of California and Washington filing lawsuits against the giant pharma company for similar reasons. All three accuse J&J of concealing and mispresenting to patients and doctors transvaginal mesh risks.The Washington TVM lawsuit alleges that J&J violated the state's consumer protection law by selling 12,000 devices but never telling patients that the mesh can erode and cause complications. The state is seeking millions of dollars in penalties, according to the Wall Street Journal (May 2016). The Kentucky lawsuit seeks civil penalties of $2,000 per violation of the state's deceptive practices law, and $10,000 when aimed at consumers over 60 years old.A statement in May announcing California's lawsuit said there are more than 35,000 personal lawsuits against the company. This staggering number begs the question: how can J&J afford not only individual lawsuits, but now these three (and likely more states to follow) civil suits? Johnson & Johnson has deep pockets, having sold 780,000 transvaginal mesh devices between 2008 and 2014. According to its second quarter financial report posted online, J&J sold $6.4 billion worth of medical devices worldwide.Given these figures, its understandable that Attorney General Beshear accuses J&J of choosing profits over people. In a written statement and reported by, Beshear said, My office has talked to victims whose lives have been devastated by this company's deceitful practices. We may not be able to give them back the lives they once had, but my office will do everything we can to hold this company accountable."The Kentucky lawsuit includes another misrepresentation: J&J said its transvaginal mesh products were sold once it got approval by the FDA, but the mesh devices were onlyby the FDA and never approved.The FDA in January 2016 issued two orders that will require surgical mesh used for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair to be approved before manufacturers can place them on the market. The mesh is reclassified from a moderate-risk device (class ll) to a high-risk one (class lll) and manufacturers have 30 months to submit a PMA for devices that are already on the market and they must prove that their products are safe and effective. Only then can the device befor marketing.Previously, transvaginal mesh devices were only cleared by the FDA through its 510(k) process that doesnt require clinical trials. Instead this process just requires manufacturers to show that their product is substantially equivalent to one already on the market. (Substantial equivalence means that companies are able to bypass a lengthy approval process when updating existing devices.) The transvaginal mesh devices were able to be 510(k) cleared because they were classified as a Class II medical device
CHARLESTON (JG-TC) -- Police have identified one of two suspects in reference to a sexual assault reported at 5:09 a.m. Saturday at 1515 Ninth St.

According to a Charleston Police Department press release, a female victim reported she was sexually assaulted inside an apartment while visiting Charleston.

CPD detective Tony West said the one suspect identified has been confirmed as neither a Eastern Illinois University or Lake Land College student. West said investigators are currently still seeking identification for the other suspect.

According to information provided by witnesses, two suspects were reportedly seen in the room around the time where the alleged assault took place, the release states.

Further information could not be provided at this time. The investigation is still ongoing.
- There is disquiet in Nigeria's major anti-graft agencies

- This is because of the federal government's decision to take over high profile corruption cases from them

- The anti-graft agencies are particularly worried about public perception of the decision

Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) are said to be agitated over the federal governments decision to take over high profile corruption cases from them.

An investigation by New Telegraph also revealed that lawyers in the federal ministry of justice are are also not happy with the decision which was said to have been taken by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN).

AGF, Abubakar Malami

Malami (SAN) was said to have ordered that high profile cases should be transferred to the newly established National Prosecution Coordination Committee (NPCC).

Two weeks ago, Malami (SAN) had instructed all the prosecutorial agencies  EFCC, ICPC, the Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to compile all the high profile cases they are handling with the bid of handing over same to the committee.

READ ALSO:

A statement by the AGF had noted that the intention is not to distract the heads of these agencies, but rather to engender smooth synergy between the committee and the agencies.

A source in the EFCC, who spoke on the issue under the condition of anonymity, said: Well, you know Im not competent to speak for the agency (EFCC), but what I know is that most of my colleagues are not happy with the decision.

Look, the enthusiasm, zeal, dedication and seriousness with which the chairman is driving the commission now, deserve applause.

He should not be distracted; he should be allowed to do the marvelous work he has been doing.

Do you think our operatives, who carry out painstaking investigations, and others who work assiduously to draft charges, will be happy that this is happening?

Another source, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: The feeling is that the federal government has no confidence in the anti-corruption agencies, by its decision to set up the prosecution council. The feeling here, naturally, is that of frustration.

When contacted, EFCCs spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren simply said: I dont know anything about that.

On her part, spokesperson for the ICPC, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa said: I have no reaction to this; absolutely none.

Some of the lawyers in the federal ministry of justice, who spoke on the issue but didn't want to be identified, said the whole arrangement is a scheme by the AGF to take care of his friends by outsourcing contract jobs to them.

READ ALSO: Senators move to stop Buharis emergency powers bill, says it will breed tyranny

The lawyers noted that there is no legal basis upon which the mandate of the committee can be justified, adding that it negates the present administration's promise to operate a lean government.

Already, the NPCC has taken over the forgery suit against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and two others.

The four defendants have been arraigned before an Abuja High Court over alleged forgery of the Senate Rules and Procedures 2015.

When contacted, the media aide to the AGF, Salihu Othman Isa, stated that the first high profile case the committee will handle is that of Sarakis forgery suit.

He added that the decision bid to fast track the trial because high profile cases are being delayed.

Meanwhile, the federal government is set to probe Senators and House of Representative members over non executed constituency projects earmarked for them in the 2014 and 2015 budgets.

The sum of constituency projects for the two years under review is N200bn.

Source: Legit.ng
Legit.ng is #1 online trusted source of the latest news in Nigeria. We are covering Nigeria news, Niger delta, world updates, and Nigerian newspaper reviews. We guide our readers to the world of politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion, lifestyle and human interest stories.
Mattoon fire

Firefighters responded to a smoke detector malfunction at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the 400 block of Broadway Avenue.

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Firefighters responded to a false call at 8:39 a.m. Sunday at Interstate 57 mile post 192.

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Firefighters responded to arcing caused by shorted electrical equipment at 3 a.m. Sunday in the 600 block of Marion Avenue.

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Firefighters responded to a pair of false alarms on Saturday -- one at 9:29 a.m. in the 2000 block of Western Avenue and the other at 10:37 p.m. in the 2900 block of Moultrie Avenue.

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Firefighters were dispatched to a motor vehicle collision at 5:41 p.m. Friday at 19th Street and Dewitt Avenue.

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Firefighters responded to a false alarm at 6:12 a.m. Friday in the 1000 block of Palm Avenue.

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Firefighters were dispatched to an outdoor rubbish fire at 8:09 p.m. Thursday in the 400 block of Airport Road.

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Firefighters were dispatched to a cooking fire at 10:28 p.m. Aug. 24 in the 3100 block of Marion Avenue. The fire was confined to a container.

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Firefighters responded to a smoke detector activation at 4:25 p.m. Aug. 24 in the 700 block of North 23rd Street. No fire was found there.

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The Mattoon Fire Department handled 70 medical calls during the period of Aug. 22-28.

Mattoon police

Brian R. Infalt of Charleston was ticketed for improper backing for a collision with a vehicle driven by Freddy P. Thacker III of Mattoon at 6:56 p.m. Aug. 21 at North 12th Street and DeWitt Avenue.

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A car driven southbound by Joseph M. Bass of Mattoon missed the curve at South 17th Street and Palm Avenue at 11:43 p.m. Aug. 20. The car subsequently drove into the nearby drainage ditch.

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Alcides Hernandez of Mattoon was ticketed for disobeying a traffic control device for a collision with a vehicle driven by Kelli A. Erickson of Neoga at 11:29 p.m. Aug. 19 at North 19th Street and DeWitt Avenue. Hernandez also was cited for driving with a revoked license.

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Vehicles driven by Rachel M. Bradbury of Mattoon and Joy A. Hooker of Mattoon collided at 12:35 p.m. Aug. 16 on Marshall Avenue west of 22nd Street.

Charleston fire

Firefighters responded to a faulty detector activation at 11:32 p.m. Sunday at 916 Seventh St.

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A gas leak was reported at around noon Monday at the intersection of Hawthorne Drive and Lincoln Avenue. Firefighters responded at 12:01 p.m. and cleared roughly 10 minutes later.

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Firefighters responded to a downed power line at 10:25 a.m. Tuesday at 814 18th St.

Charleston police

An unattended vehicle owned by Dawn Kramer of Glen Ellyn was hit by an unknown driver at 11:37 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of Seventh Street and Buchanan Avenue.

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Maranda Carmickle of Charleston was involved in a car accident in which she hit an Ameren utility pole at 2:32 a.m. Aug. 21 at 701 Seventh St. Carmickle was sent to Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center. She was cited for driving with a suspended license and driving under the influence of alcohol.

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Vehicles owned by Kayla Meeks of Charleston and Kim McLane of Ashmore were both involved in an accident at 5:26 a.m. Monday in the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Ninth Street.

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Kevin Banning of Charleston and Shawntea Linnabary of Manchester, Tenn., were involved in an accident at 5:10 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Illinois Route 16 and County Road 1400E.

Coles County sheriff

Michael Hoskinson of Oakland was cited for operating without insurance after swerving into a ditch at 12:35 p.m. Aug. 21 at the intersection of County Road 1000N and Route 130.
MATTOON (JG-TC) -- Police have arrested a woman and are seeking a man on charges in connection with the shooting of a Mattoon man and his dog Sunday evening.

A Mattoon Police Department press release reported that the department was assisted by the Springfield Police Department and the U.S Marshalls Service in arresting Audrey L. Ross, 21, of Springfield on Tuesday in this community. Ross has been charged with home invasion, armed robbery, and aggravated battery with a firearm.

The charges allege that Ross, and co-conspirator Willie A Simpson, 22, of Springfield forcibly entered a residence at approximately 6:17 p.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of North 12th Street in Mattoon.

While there, the pair allegedly robbed the resident and struck him with a firearm. In addition, the homeowner and his dog were both reportedly shot during the commission of the offenses. The victim is recovering at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center. The canine is recovering as well.

Ross was taken to the Sangamon County jail, where she is being held in lieu of a $250,000 bond.

On Wednesday, the Coles County States Attorneys Office issued a warrant of arrest for Simpson. The warrant was issued for charges of home invasion, armed robbery, and aggravated battery with a firearm. Simpson remains at large.

Due to a suspect being at large and the investigation being ongoing, Mattoon Police Chief Jeff Branson declined to discuss possible motives for the home invasion and armed robbery.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Simpson is encouraged to contact the Mattoon Police Department at 217-235-5451 or Coles County Crimestoppers at 1866-345-8488.
Is Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, dead or alive? This is one issue that has been trailed by controversy.

Shekau has been killed or fatally wounded no fewer than three times by Nigerian security forces but he always manages to resurrect. He appears to be the cat with nine lives.

News of his death has surfaced more than three times and every time, he resurfaces days or moths later in video or audio recordings, claiming to be alive and well.

Shekau who is believed to have been born between 1965 and 1975 in Yobe state, took over as leader of Boko Haram after the founder, Mohammed Yusuf, was paraded and then executed in front of a crowd by Nigerian security forces.

Under his leadership, Boko Haram has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 2 million.

The minute Shekau is killed, another Shekau is emerging, leaving one to wonder how many Shekaus there are. Will Shekau ever die?

In the past, the military said Boko Haram was using look-alike fighters to impersonate the supposedly dead Shekau.

It is difficult to say whether Shekau is dead or alive or the terrorist sect is using what may be a rotating cast of Shekaus. Nigerian military claimed to have killed Shekau on different occasions though it has never been verified and has often come under question.

As the controversy over his demise continues, Legit.ng brings you 5 times Shekau has been reported killed but manages to return from the dead.

READ ALSO: Nigerians react to fatal injury sustained by Abubakar Shekau

1. In 2009: Rumours of Shekaus death by security forces surfaced in 2009. He was reported to have been killed along with 1000 other Boko Haram members, including his boss, Yusuf and key financier Alhaji Buji Foi. But the report was proven wrong as he re-emerged in a video in July 2010 and took responsibility for most of the sects attacks.

2. In 2011: There were reports of his killing by security agents in Kano after an exchange of fire in a Kano neighbourhood in 2011.

3. In 2013: An army spokesman announced that Shekau may have died between July 25 and August 3 during a shoot-out with security forces. He was said to have died of gunshot wound received in an encounter with the Joint Task Force troops in one of their camps at Sambisa Forest on June 30, 2013. The statement from the JTF on his death said: Shekau was mortally wounded in the encounter and was sneaked into Amitchide, a border community in Cameroon for treatment from which he never recovered.

However, on August 4, a day after the period Shekau was believed to have died, suspected members of the Boko Haram launched an attack on two military camps in Mallam Fatori border village. Afterwards, a video was released by the insurgents in which Shekau was seen taking responsibility for recent attacks carried out by the sect.

4. In 2014: Nigerian and Cameroonian sources provided video evidence that a Boko Haram commander named Bashir Muhammed, who doubled as Shekau and took up the mantle of leadership after the real Shekau died in unclear circumstances in 2013, was killed in Konduga in Borno state. Nigerian and Cameroonian army were locked in an argument over who killed Shekau and where he was killed.

On September 24, 2014, Nigerian army claimed it killed Shekau, during a raid on Konduga on September 17.

Photos of Shekau were made public by the Cameroonian army alongside a statement claiming he was killed during a cross-border raid deep inside Nigeria by its military.

READ ALSO: SEE photos and video of the airstrikes that wounded Shekau

However, Shekau resurfaced again an another video debunking claims that he had been killed. He said: Here I am alive. I will only die the day Allah takes my breath.

5. In 2016: Once again, report surfaced on Tuesday, Augusts 23, that Shekau was fatally wounded during an unprecedented and spectacular air raid.

Those Boko Haram terrorists commanders confirmed dead include Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman, amongst others, while their leader, the so-called Abubakar Shekau, is believed to be fatally wounded on his shoulders. Several other terrorists were also wounded, Sani Kukasheka Usman, spokesman of the army, had said.

Is Shekau really dead or hes being impersonated?

Source: Legit.ng
- A reverend father identified as Fidelis Ifeanyichukwu Ugozo has been attacked by youths of Obubo community in Anambra state

- The clergy man and his followers were attacked on suspicion that they were out to burn down the shrine of the deity in the community

- Two amongst the rampaging youths, who attacked the clergyman, have been arrested by the police

A Catholic priest of the St. Raphaels Catholic Church in Ugbenu, Awka north local government area of Anambra state has been beaten to a state of coma by some youths.

READ ALSO: Catholic priest charged for rape of 10-year-old girl discharged

The Rev. Father, identified as Fidelis Ifeanyichukwu Ugozo, was reportedly attacked on Tuesday, August 30, by youths of Obubo community in Anambra state over the suspicion that the priest and some of his followers were trying to destroy the shrine of a deity in Obubo community.

Daily Post, citing the Anambra Broadcasting Service, (ABS) reports that trouble began when the priest and some of his followers who were carrying out a rosary procession around some of the villages were stopped by one of the youth leaders in the village, Gabriel Ikegbunam, who felt the clergy man and his followers were out to burn down their deity.

Ikegbunem insisted that they will not enter his village, but was confronted by the priest and his followers.

Following the confrontation, Ikegbunem started making contacts, calling some youths from the village to attack the priest and others who were mainly women and children.

The rampaging youths who arrived the scene armed with axes, guns and machetes, beat the Catholic priest severely and stabbed him in the face.

READ ALSO: CAN reacts to killing of Christians, NCEF address Sultan

The priest was subsequently rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Ebenebe after the attack but was later transferred to St. Josephs hospital, Adazi Ani by the Ebenebe Deanery Chaplain.

Speaking on the attack, a former catechist at St. Raphaels parish Ugbenu, Cletus Nwankwo, said Obubo village is known for adulterous acts, adding that the youths suspected that the Rosary procession was aimed at destroying their deity shrine.

They moved from Agueke village to Obiagu and decided to branch at Obubo before Ikegbunam blocked them and in the process, he called some of them and told them that Catholics are coming to burn their shrine. Soon the youths trooped out, wielding dangerous weapons such as axe, gun and machetes.

They grabbed the Blessed Sacrament from our Parish Priest, hit it on the floor and used the Monstrance to hit our Parish priest on his hand before stabbing him on the face and other parts of the body he said.

As at the time of filling this report, two amongst the rampaging youths, Anthony Anigbogu and Humphrey Ekwenye, were in the custody of the State CID, Awka, while other accomplices were still at large.

Source: Legit.ng
Quilt depicting Rocky Mountain National Park by textile artist Marilyn Rembolt in traveling quilt exhibit honoring the NPS Centennial. Copyright Artist Marilyn Rembolt

August 31, 2016

Contact: Kyle Patterson, (970) 586-1363





"The National Park system is a gift to all Americans. For one hundred years places of historical significance, structures of great merit and many of the natural wonders of our country have been preserved and protected. The National Park system is a symbol of what it means to be an American. We each felt moved by our chosen park or monument to design a piece of fiber art to represent it. We hope others will enjoy viewing the pieces we have created from our hearts" stated Cynthia Levis of Fiber Works.





Parks on the tour include, in order of exhibition, Homestead National Monument of America in Nebraska, Joshua Tree National Park in California, Saguaro National Park in Arizona, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, Statue of Liberty National Monument in New York, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Virginia, Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, Glacier National Park in Montana, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, Everglades National Park in Florida, and Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in Missouri. The schedule for this exhibition can be found at www.nps.gov/home/centennialquilts.





For information about Rocky Mountain National Park please visit www.nps.gov/romo or call 970-586-1206.

Rocky Mountain National Park will be displaying 13 art quilts, created to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service, during September, 2016 at the Fall River Visitor Center. The exhibition will open September 6 and the quilts will remain on exhibition through Sunday, September 25. The quilts were created by Fiber Works, a group of textile artists from the Lincoln-Omaha, Nebraska area. The artists were inspired by their favorite national park site. The quilts are on a year-long tour of the 13 chosen parks. From Rocky Mountain the quilts will travel to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.
Its not often Ill find myself agreeing with the Obama administration on matters of corporate responsibility. This is the same group of politicians currently pushing the Trans-Pacific Partnership and, more pertinently here in the UK, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). These are two proposed free trade agreements that, if implemented, will essentially see corporations supersede nation states in matters of law. We know this only because similar agreements already exist and, more importantly, because papers outlining super-secretive TTIP proposals have been leaked. Its been said that TTIP would  among other things  allow corporations to sue governments for perceived loss of profits, in secret courts, presided over by judges who also happen to be corporate lawyers often employed by the companies themselves. (If you want a potential preview of things to come, check out El Salvador and Argentina, which have been sued by corporations for extortionate amounts simply for acting in accordance with their own laws.)

Nonetheless, today I find myself on the side of the people who think that kind of maniac neoliberalism is acceptable. On Wednesday last week, the US treasury threatened retaliation over a European commission tax avoidance investigation that could demand multiple American corporations pay billions in alleged unpaid tax. Its come at a time of disorder and high public distrust in the establishment in Europe  in other words, a perfect time for the EU to take a symbolic swipe at the corporatocracy. The Obama administration, unsurprisingly, stood firmly behind big business, stating that EU investigations into firms including Starbucks, Amazon and more could set an unfortunate precedent. Tim Cook, whose Apple was this week ordered to pay up to $13 billion in additional corporation tax payments to Ireland, also chimed in, arguing Apple pays every tax dollar we owe.

What Cook says is true. Apple, Starbucks and others havent technically done anything wrong in Europe. As much as we might think its morally wrong that some corporations pay virtually nothing in taxes despite using our countries resources (and therefore our tax dollars) to run their businesses, it is also foremost in every corporations interest to make and retain as much money as possible. It will never be in a competitive companys best interest to pay more tax than theyre legally obliged to by the countries they operate in.

It is, however, in every governments best interest to make sure corporations pay fair. (What is fair is debatable. MEP Molly Scott Cato, a tax affairs spokeswoman for the EU, insists tax be paid where economic value be added  but loopholes be damned, multinational conglomerates should be paying for the privilege to do business in a country, as well as for the use of its roads, land, workforce and so on.) Lately, our governments havent been doing too much of that. That includes the US, which has been lax on combating tax avoidance and money laundering, as well as governments in Europe. Now the European commission is looking to punish corporations, when the incompetence and complicity of EU nations has often been the underlying issue.

For years, the EU has overlooked sweetheart tax deals and ignored the fact that a number of its member states operate as glorified tax havens. Now Brussels investigates whether billions of dollars in corporation tax has been denied its citizens, some of whom are looking at more than 20% unemployment in their home countries. Well, of course more money would be in European citizens pockets if loopholes and anemic tax deals hadnt been deemed perfectly acceptable in Europe, and of course major corporations such as Apple can afford to pay. The problem is these governments should have been looking out for their people by taxing corporations a reasonable amount in the first place. If corporations in this case got away with not paying a decent amount of tax, it was the fault of law  law which was created by, and which should be upheld by, governments. When corporations negotiate a sweetheart deal to pay less tax in a country than they should, it is ultimately the decision of that countrys ruling powers. And the governments of Europe have for years chosen to deal that way.

If and when the TTIP comes into play, European governments are going to have a much harder time telling corporations what to do. Right now, though, they still have ultimate power to decide what constitutes right and wrong. Retroactively deciding which corporations owe additional tax and how much after the fact is a messy business  already the US treasury is talking of American taxpayers potentially having to foot the bill if EU investigations into Amazon, Starbucks and more declare wrongdoing. The EU should face up to the fact that it has long allowed for a culture of lax corporate taxation, learn from its mistakes, and make sure there doesnt have to be another investigation like this again. That will require behaving like governments should, by taking responsibility and putting its people first always, not just when they feel public opinion is turning.
Contact

Expotrade

***@expotrade.net.au Expotrade

End

-- The 2016 edition of Australia's largest annual Smart Lighting Summit, with smart and sustainable lighting as a central theme on the agenda, once again convenes in Melbourne next week from the 6to the 7of September.With endorsement from City of Melbourne and support from Lighting Council Australia and IESANZ, the summit is set to feature both locally and internationally renowned lighting experts and speakers, highlighting latest trends and developments within the lighting sector.Bringing together over 150 key lighting industry stakeholders, with passionate lighting industry professionals ranging from engineers, architects, manufacturers, public sector representatives, road authorities, consultants and lighting designers, the summit affords delegates the opportunity to comprehensively explore the future of smart lighting in Australia and around the globe by looking at international industry parallels and experiences.Headlining a quality lineup of presenters, including Regional Development Australia Northern Inland (RDANI) Senior Projects Officer  Northern Lights Project David Thompson, Washington DC's Smart Outdoor Lighting Alliance (SOLA) Executive Director Bob Parks and Light and Culture Program Advisor Rik van Stiphout from the City of Eindhoven where the multinational corporation Philips was founded 1891.Eindhoven, the Netherlands' "city of light", considered to be at the forefront of energy and lighting innovation infrastructure, is one of the first cities in Europe to develop its urban lighting system into an integrated 'Smart Light Grid' in an effort to conserve energy and increase efficiency.Eindhoven's lighting vision has paved the way for public lighting ideas and research to be put into practice. The city's 'Strijp-S' area now boasts light-enabled bus lanes and pedestrian crossings as well as easily adaptable public illumination scenes implemented on main streets. The area has quickly developed into one of the most sought-after investment areas in the city.According to the architect behind the city of Eindhoven's lighting vision Mr Stiphout, "lighting is not only in the DNA of our city, but also in the people. In order to become a real lasting sustainable city, one has to dare to look into the future  not only [at] the environmental or cost saving side of it." Mr Stiphout will deliver a keynote presentation on the city of Eindhoven's smart street lighting journey at the Australian Smart Lighting Summit.Reinforcing the commitment to developing innovative and intelligent lighting solutions, Australian Smart Lighting Summit Knowledge Partner, Ironbark Sustainability's Business Manager Alexi Lynch, forecasts LED as the future of energy efficient lighting in Australia.Large scale LED projects have already been effectively implemented in Victoria where only seven out of 79 councils have not yet undertaken an LED changeover."We'll see more LED projects replicated throughout Australia and more states and councils wanting to jump on board."While "smart controls and cities are the flavour of the month", Mr Lynch believes that project innovation is key, with Ironbark Sustainability eager to replicate successful residential LED street lighting projects in areas where there has been a lack of progress, especially in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland, which will enable councils in these states to cut their energy expenditure and costs."It's an exciting time to be in the lighting industry with massive projects already completed and more exciting projects to come."Following the remarkable success of the 2015 Australian Smart Lighting Summit, this year's event will discuss smart lighting, smart cities and the Internet of Things.The summit will also concentrate on exciting international projects such as a case study of Singapore's 'Smart City Lighting Master Plan' presented by Japan's Lighting Planners Associate Principal Lighting Designer Kaoru Mende. Mr Mende describes the trend of urban lighting in night environments to have evolved to see safe, beautiful, comfortable and eco-friendly cities.Wellington's intelligent street lighting solutions will be presented by New Zealand's Wellington City Council Team Leader in Strategic Planning, Transport & Waste Operations, Paul Glennie.Closer to home in Adelaide, Australia's first intelligent street lighting trial project will also be under discussion from Adelaide City Council's Team Leader in Business Solutions Sonjoy Ghosh. Summit sponsor NEC is working jointly with the University of Adelaide to roll out this project.The summit gained tremendous sponsorship support from major industry players such as Philips, Mayflower Complete Lighting Control, gridComm, Current powered by GE, Thorlux and Sylvania among other homegrown lighting companies.Taking place at Melbourne's premiere conference venue, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Australian Smart Lighting Summit ( http://www.lightingconference.com.au/ ) launches in just one week's time on the 6and 7of September 2016. The immersive two day experience includes keynote presentations and panel discussions guaranteed to offer networking and learning experiences unmatched in the region.Expotrade is a global conference and event organizer with its head office based in Melbourne, Australia. Expotrade has delivered some of the largest, most successful B2B industry conferences and events in the areas of infrastructure, major projects, sustainability, technology & architecture. For almost 10 years, our unique blend of knowledge, experience and flexibility has accomplished an array of consistently top quality events. Today, Expotrade events enjoy such a distinctive edge, they are amongst the best patronised in the calendar.For more information, visit www.expotradeglobal.com
Shedline aims to enhance the experience of their customers with freight free delivery service, allowing even greater value to be gained for your Instant Marquee purchase.

By: Shedline Instant Marquees

Contact

Shedline Instant Marquees

***@shedline.co.nz Shedline Instant Marquees

End

-- Trusted for more than 20 years, Shedline is known as the leading brand in selling Instant Marquees and shade canopy models in New Zealand. They have a wide range of products including Instant Marquees, Apex Shade Marquees, Event Marquees and many more. Their premium range of marquees can be tailored to suit your event and budget ensuring to make your event a success and a memorable one. Shedline offers all these products at the most affordable rates with matchless frame warranties, up to 8 years, along with super-fast lead times for orders, even if custom branded and freight free delivery services across New Zealand.Shedline has proven very popular with customers who love the convenience of fast delivery and surety of arrival in time for events, along with the free freight delivery service, meaning that it has turned out to be far and away the most preferred and largest specialist supplier of Instant Marquees and gazebos in NZ. They offer premium products and excellent value combined with safe and quick delivery options. Shedline believes in providing complete customer satisfaction that entails no additional shipping cost, fast and ongoing product after-sales service and backup for years to come.By providing such outstanding products and fast delivery of orders, Shedline has become the preferred and largest specialist supplier of Instant Marquees in NZ and wider. They offer a range of instant marquees that represent exceptional long lasting quality. So if you are planning to organise an outdoor event or a corporate function in New Zealand, contact Shedline to consider investing in your own Marquee that you can also utilise in your future events. With their super-fast delivery, you can be assured to receive your marquees on time and in advance of your event.To find out more about what they can offer, feel free to contact them toll-free on 0800 144 155 or email at: info@shedline.co.nz and one of their friendly team will discuss your requirements then assist you in selecting the right marquee to match your expectations. OR http://www.shedline.co.nz/ About the company:Shedline Instant Marquee supply the finest quality Instant Marquees and Gazebos suitable for an extensive range of applications, both domestic and commercial. They offer a wide selection of models sizes and colours. Custom branded marquees are their specialty. They offer super-fast turnaround times from order to delivery. Delivery within New Zealand is freight free.
Leading television news channel CNBC Africa will broadcast the ministerial opening session of the East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC) that is taking place on 21 September in Nairobi.

By: East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC)

We see enormous value in covering such a high-level gathering

Media Contact

East African Power Industry Convention

annemarie.roodbol@ spintelligent.com

+27217003558 East African Power Industry Convention+27217003558

End

-- Leading television news channel CNBC Africa will broadcast the ministerial opening session of thethat is taking place on 21 September in Nairobi. The energy ministries from six East African countries: Kenya, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, including three ministers, have been confirmed to address the opening of this long running regional summit.CNBC Africa is a premier pan-African business news television channel broadcasting in 48 African countries.The high-level energy ministry representatives at theopening session are:Dr Joseph Njoroge, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya- Dr. Dheu Mathouk Diing, Minister, Ministry of Energy and Dams, South Sudan- Hon Irene Muloni, Minister, Ministry of Energy & Mineral Development, Uganda- Dr Eng Juliana Pallangyo, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Tanzania- H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Siraj, State Minister, Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity, Sudan- Liban Mohamed H. Mohamoud, Director, Department of Energy, Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Somaliland- Dr Albert Butare, Rwanda's former Minister of State for Energy, Water and Communication, will be the session chairman."We are both honoured and excited to partner with such a strong and authoritative news platform such as CNBC Africa", saysevent director Claire O'Connell. "The fact that so many countries will take part in this ministerial opening shows how serious the region is about contributing to the energy dialogue and collaboration in East Africa.""We see enormous value in covering such a high-level gathering about the energy future of East Africa and the investment opportunities that exist in power projects in the region", says Ajay Sharma who heads up the East African division of the ABN Group which comprises CNBC Africa and Forbes Africa.The broadcast will be recorded during the opening from 09h00 on 21 September and broadcast on CNBC Africa across 48 African nations. Veteran CNBC Africa news anchor Bonney Tunya will moderate the ministerial discussion while the audience members in the opening session will also be able to pose questions to the panel.is expected to gather more than 2000 visitors from more than 30 countries, including from the region's leading power utilities, large industries, project developers and investors as well as dozens of technology and service providers who will showcase their products at the KICC in Nairobi from 21-22 September. During the event the East African Power Industry Awards gala dinner will also take place, honouring the region's leading power professionals and projects.The event is organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. Other flagship events in Spintelligent's power portfolio on the continent are African Utility Week, the West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), iPAD Rwanda Power & Mining Investment Forum and iPAD Cameroon Energy & Infrastructure Forum.Pre-conference Masterclass:20 September 2016Conference and exhibition: 21-22 September 2016, Opening session: 09h00East African Power Industry Awards: 21 September 2016, 19h00Site visits: 23 September 2016Event location: KICC, Nairobi, KenyaWebsite: http://www.eapicforum.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/ EAPIC_Expo LinkedIN: East African Power Forum - EAPIC (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3907391)Senior communications manager: Annemarie RoodbolTelephone: +27 21 700 3558Mobile: +27 82 562 7844Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.com
By: Scriptapalooza inc.

Contact

Scriptapalooza

Mark Andrushko

info@scriptapalooza.com

310-801-5366 ScriptapaloozaMark Andrushko310-801-5366

End

-- The Scriptapalooza Fellowship program was developed to honor dedicated writers and to help accommodate their creative process and skills. Creativity has many interruptions;most of them legitimate reasons, such as dealing with life. Isolating yourself from all of your demands is not an easy task. "This new fellowship will give its recipient the opportunity to focus solely on his/her writing by removing the writer from his/her daily commitments and providing a supportive environment,"says Mark Andrushko, founder ofScriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition, which has been promoting and discovering writers since 1998.The Scriptapalooza Fellowship recipient will be awarded a five-day screenwriting retreat in Costa Rica with Award-Winning Screenwriter Jacob Krueger. The retreat takes place June 10-14, 2017 in Samara, Costa Rica, in a private hotel reserved exclusively for the fellowship recipient and twelve other talented writers. The winning fellowship recipient will enjoy a full curriculum of writing classes, discussions, workshops and feedback sessions taught by Jacob Krueger and senior members of the JK Studio Staff.The Scriptapalooza Fellowship recipient will receive six months of mentoring from one of our vastly talented industry mentors.Five additional writers will receive an online writing course and a three-month mentorship.Scriptapalooza Fellowship Mentors are confirmed:Justin Ross - Bohemia Group OriginalsJeff Garlin - Garlin PicturesTravis Bell - Seven Bridges GroupAlexia Melocchi - Little Studio FilmsKatrina Nahikian - Bullet HeartLawrence B. Mott - 51 MindsDEADLINE is September 30, 2016.For more information, visit http://www.scriptapalooza.com/ fellowship/
At a first glance, SEO seems a pretty accessible field, and you can, indeed, learn some of the basics in just a few hours of online research.

By: iAgency

BUSINESS

Contact

iAgency

***@ymail.com iAgency

End

-- In principle, all you need to rank high for queries relevant to your website is a good backlink profile, which you can build with intelligent investments and high-quality content.Although SEO may seem accessible for everybody, there are some factors at play that you need to take into consideration. These factors can make or break your SEO optimization strategy. I'm talking about technical SEO factors, which require some degree of coding or site structure familiarity. This is the reason why they're commonly overlooked by SEO optimization amateurs, and can affect negatively even solid SEO strategies.1. XML AND HTML SITEMAPSOne very important technical aspect of SEO implies the development and implementation of sitemaps. There are two common types of sitemaps: Standard formatted HTML sitemaps and XML formatted sitemaps. The HTML sitemap is what's generally used for human site visitors, while the XML sitemap is intended for search robots like Google. You need both sitemap versions to help both human and robot visitors."There are plenty [of] reasons and advantages to having sitemaps. Apart from making site navigation easier, this tool is also a better way of communicating instantly with search engines for indexing purposes. With sitemaps, changes on webpages are easily identifiable and are sure to be indexed much faster." MediaOne Marketing declares.2. /ROBOTS.TXT FILESAnother technical SEO optimization element you need is the /robots.txt file. This file offers search robots instructions about your site. Here's how it works: A robot visits your website URL. However, before it does that, the robot starts by checking for http://www.example123.com/ robots.txt , where it will find certain information and directions that tell the robot how to proceed and which pages it's not allowed to access.The important thing to remember is that /robots.txt file aren't hidden or anonymous. Anyone can find them, so there's no point in trying to hide information there.3. MOBILE OPTIMIZATIONDid you know that there are now more mobile-only Internet users than desktop users? This signals a huge shift in how Web content is accessed, and it needs a responsive answer from websites.Google officially stated that website owners need to develop mobile responsive sites in order to satisfy users. Google encourages this initiative by offering the responsive websites a bump in searches coming from a mobile device. Google also adds "mobile friendly" tags to responsive websites. Furthermore, non-mobile friendly sites occupy inferior positions in the search engines. In other words, sooner or later you'll need to invest in this direction.4. PROPERLY USED 301 REDIRECTSRedirects represent a particularly confusing topic for lots of people. They are necessary to keep your site relevant and up to date, but using these codes improperly can damage your site's UX and will directly affect your positions in the search engines.There are two types of redirects. I'm talking about the 301 redirects  which are permanent  and the 302 which are temporary. 301 redirects are essential because they tell a search engine that the page in question has been permanently moved and will transfer a large part of the page's authority to the new version. However, if use a 302 instead, you won't get the authority transfer and will lose some of the traffic.DON'T FORGET THE TECHNICAL ASPECTSWhile developing high-quality content and a good backlink profile are certainly the key to success in an SEO optimization campaign, you shouldn't neglect the technical aspects. If you pay attention to these technical factors, you will notice that they really separate average websites from outstanding ones.More information on http://www.iagency.ro/ en/
The World Affairs Forum and Norwalk Library invite the public to attend a Great Decisions presentation with Dr. John P. Entelis, Professor of Political Science and Associate Director, Middle East Studies Program, Fordham University.

By: The World Affairs Forum

Contact

Kay Maxwell

***@worldaffairsforum.org Kay Maxwell

End

-- The World Affairs Forum and Norwalk Library invite the public to attend a Great Decisions presentation with Dr. John P. Entelis, Professor of Political Science and Associate Director, Middle East Studies Program, Fordham University."From a proxy war in Yemen to an ongoing civil war in Syria, a number of conflicts have shaken the traditional alignments in the Middle East to their core. As alliances between state and non-state actors in the region are constantly shifting, the U.S. has found itself between a rock and a hard place. In a series of disputes that are far from being black-and-white, what can the U.S. do to secure its interests in the region without causing further damage and disruption?" - Foreign Policy AssociationDr. Entelis received his PhD from New York University and studied Arabic in Cairo, Harvard, and Princeton. He has been awarded several Fulbright awards, including a U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship to conduct research in Lebanon, a Senior Fulbright Professorship at the University of Algiers and one at the University of Tunis, and a Fulbright Regional Research Award to Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Dr. Entelis is the author or coauthor of numerous scholarly publications on the comparative and international politics of the Middle East and North Africa, including Algeria: The Revolution Institutionalized, Culture and Counterculture in Moroccan Politics, State and Society in Algeria, and Islam, Democracy, and the State in North Africa. He is former president of the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS) and former editor-in-chief of its scholarly journal, The Journal of North African Studies.This is a free event and open to the public. No reservation is necessary.
By: Behavioral Concepts, Inc.

Prazda Kadam

Contact

Steve Dubin

***@prworkzone.com Steve Dubin

End

-- Behavioral Concepts, Inc. (BCI), a company of behavioral clinicians specializing in the care of children with autism in Central Massachusetts, recently hired Sarah Bird, Ashley Jordan and Prajakta Kadam as ABA Therapists.An ABA therapist is a person who uses applied behavior analysis as a form of treatment. Applied Behavior Analysis is the process of studying behavior in order to put into place appropriate behavioral interventions.Sarah Bird holds an Associate's degree in human services from Bay Path University and previously worked for the Center for Hope Foundation. She resides in Spencer, Massachusetts.Ashley Jordan will receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in educational arts from Bay Path University in December 2016 and has more than a year experience working with children with autism. She is a Worcester resident.Prajakta Kadam holds a Master's of Science degree in clinical child psychology and recently completed her post-graduate ABA certification and is working towards her board certified behavior analyst certification. She resides in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts."Any time you can put a Jordan and a Bird on the same team, it's a good thing. In this case, we are happy to have Sarah (Bird) and Ashley (Jordan), as well as Prajakta, working with us to create a nurturing, learning environment for our students," said BCI Founder and Director Dr. Jeff Robinson.Based in Worcester, Mass. BCI provides much needed services to children with autism and their families. BCI instructional programs are delivered using discrete trial training, task analysis, and systematic prompting procedures implemented by ABA therapists who have successfully completed pre-service training, on-site, and quarterly evaluations by their clinical supervisors.Instruction is provided across a variety of domains, included by not limited to: Activities of daily living, functional and augmentative communication, functional academics and community outings and safety awareness. Social skills groups with peer models are also offered as part of BCI's services. A heavy emphasis is placed on generalization and maintenance of skills, in addition to family training, so that families may implement the supports and carry-over skills in the home.For questions about programs offered by BCI, please visit www.bciaba.org or call 508-363-0200.Founded in 2002, BCI provides educational, behavioral, consultative and assessment services to children with autism and their families. These services are based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and are tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients. It's BCI's goal to maximize individual potential, increase independence and enhance our clients' quality of life within their home, school and community.BCI provides center- and home-based services through health insurance and is an approved provider of Specialty ABA Services for Early Intervention in Central Massachusetts. BCI's main care center, located at 345A Greenwood Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, offers intensive treatment for young children aged 3 to 6 years of age, an after-school program for all school aged children and a weekend social skills program. BCI also provides in-home services within a one-hour radius of Worcester.BCI's Corporate Offices are located in Mansfield, Mass. For complete information, visit http://bciaba.com or to arrange a consultation with a BCI clinician, please call (508) 363-0200.
By: Rohlig Uk

Gary Pryke, MD of Rohlig UK

Contact

Rachael Longley, Rohlig Uk

rachael.longley@ rohlig.com Rachael Longley, Rohlig Uk

End

-- DuFlon have just finalised a new arrangement with Rohlig UK for a Birmingham based European Hub to provide a better service for shipments to customers across Europe. DuFlon will be taking advantage of Rohlig's new state of the art facility in Birmingham as an outsourced warehouse and their pick and pack services. Their long-term strategic partnership has realised benefits for both partners and both are keen to develop even closer working arrangements.DuFlon is one of the world's leading fluoropolymer processors and suppliers of components in PTFE. With use of cutting edge technology and engineering know-how in the lining of components with fluoropolymers, polymers and elastomers, the business is built upon close working relationships with their customers for whom they design bespoke parts. It's the value of these bespoke components that make it imperative that DuFlon's goods arrive at their destination on time and ready for immediate use by their blue chip corporate clients. By trading with Rohlig, making use of their own owned airfreight & LCL consolidated cargo systems, the costs of freight have been reduced. The management time saved that was previously spent on logistics administration tasks has been significant."Our working relationship with Rohlig is such that they are stakeholders for us rather than just a supplier and they are a very important part of our business "explained Hariharan Ramachandran, the Global Operations Manager at DuFlon. "The benefits of working with Rohlig is that they really understand our business needs. They treat our goods as if they are their own which is in contrast to our experience of working with other freight forwarders. "Gary Pryke, MD of Rohlig UK says "Our IT logistics systems have builtin goods controls so all staff know exactly where goods are in transit. Day to day communication is done on a very personal level with our customers and our extensive network of local offices mean we offer flexible local support that's very convenient for DuFlon in Mumbai, the UK and the USA. This provides a great synergy for both companies and saves the DuFlon operational team a lot of time as there is rarely a need to call Rohlig."Rohlig UK pride themselves on developing close working, long term partnerships with all their customers that deliver them real benefits in terms of cost efficiencies. To have a confidential discussion to find out how your company could benefit from Rohlig partnership, or for a copy of the full DuFlon case study, please contact their Solihull team on 00 44 121 745 9955 or visit the website http://www.rohlig.com
On 3-5 October 2017 Kyiv is going to host the Space and Future Forum to network international experts and youth, many of whom will also participate at the first CosmoHack in the world. Joinfo provides media coverage of the Forum, and some of its topics were already discussed ...
While Tata Tiago ranked highest in compact segment, it was the Hyundai Elite i20 that scored highest points in the premium compact segment.

In-Car technology has been improving by leaps and bounds but the demands from car buyers should be growing at an even faster pace. However, a recent study conducted by JD Power shows that new car buyers are on the lookout for easier to use simplified in-car technologies.

2019 India Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study was based on responses from 6,051 new vehicle owners having made their purchases during the period October 2018 to October 2019. It included a total of 66 car models from 13 automakers and assessed the usefulness of in-car applications. It was noted that customers rated their vehicles in terms of in-car applications lower during this period and especially the navigation system. It was also seen that in terms of audio system, satisfaction was on the ebb.

Katsav Roy, Director and Country Head, India at JD Power stated that car buyers prefer easy to use car infotainment system much like their smartphones. The study assessed owners satisfaction in the first 6 months of ownership over 79 attributes of 10 vehicle categories of exterior; interior; storage and space; audio/ communication/ entertainment/ navigation; seats; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; driving dynamics; engine/ transmission; visibility and driving safety; and fuel economy.

The most declines were seen in key areas of audio, communication, entertainment and navigations / fuel efficiency and space and storage wherein it was seen that consumer satisfaction index dipped from 850 in 2018 to 841 in 2019. Customer satisfaction was lower in terms of audio systems. It was noted that branded audio systems scored higher where customer satisfaction was concerned with a total of 69 percent of car buyers recalling their audio system to be branded.

When taking into account automakers, it was seen that Hyundai and Mahindra received two segment level awards while Tata, Toyota and Honda received one each. In the mid size segment satisfaction index dipped 33 points year on year from 863 in 2018 to 830 in 2019 while branded audio systems scored higher with a total of 69 percent car buyers recalling their audio system to be branded. In 2019 it was also found that 49 percent of new buyers upgraded their vehicles in terms of size and segment as against 45 percent in 2018.

The study revealed that Tata Tiago ranked highest in the compact segment at 849 while the Hyundai Elite i20/Active ranked highest in the premium compact segment with a score of 857. The Honda Amaze also ranked highest in the entry mid size segment with score of 847 while the Hyundai Verna was highest in the mid size sedan segment at a score of 848. Among the SUVs, it was the Toyota Innova Crysta that ranked highest in the MPV segment with scores of 867 and with a score of 886, Mahindra XUV300 scored highest in the compact SUV segment along with the top ranking Mahindra Scorpio in the SUV segment with a score of 890. Surprisingly there was no model from Maruti Suzuki on this list.
With back-to-school season in full swing, imagine this: Your child orders lunch via computer and gets a little message saying he or she needs to add more nutritious food groups. That combination helped some youngsters eat healthier meals, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study showed.

Researchers caution that their findings are not generalizable -- given the small sample size -- but they say the methods give school lunch programs and parents potential tools to help children eat more nutritious meals at school.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 5 billion school lunches are served daily in the United States. Additionally, although 99.9 percent of American children aged 12 to 18 consume fruits and vegetables daily, less than 1 percent eat the federally recommended amount of those foods. So the UF/IFAS study could show helpful, albeit early, findings.

In a newly published study in the Journal of Economic Psychology, UF/IFAS researchers recruited 71 students to participate in the National School Lunch Program at a Florida public school.

Two groups of fifth- and sixth-grade students preordered their lunches via computer. One of those groups received messages -- what researchers call "nudges" -- indicating they had not selected all five components of a healthy lunch. Those are meat or a meat alternative, grain, fruit, vegetable and low-fat milk.

The control group ordered their meals in the regular school lunch lines.

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Researchers found the students in the group that received nudges chose 51 percent more fruits, 29.7 percent more vegetables and 37 percent more low-fat milk than the control group. The group that simply ordered online without nudges chose 27 percent more fruits, 15.8 percent more vegetables and 16.3 percent more low-fat milk than the control group.

The study did not examine actual food consumption.

The nudges come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate program. According to its website, www.choosemyplate.gov/, MyPlate reminds consumers to find their healthy eating style and build it throughout their lifetimes. According to the MyPlate website, this means:

 Focus on variety, amount and nutrition.

 Choose foods and beverages with less saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.

 Start with small changes to build healthier eating styles.

 Support healthy eating for everyone.

Jaclyn Kropp, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of food and resource economics and the lead author on the study, emphasized researchers must further study the impact of nudges on school lunch selections.

"While more research is needed to determine the long-term effects of repeated nudging, there is evidence that low-cost nudges can encourage the selection of healthy items in the school lunchroom," Kropp said.
A University of Oklahoma-led research team has conducted a study on the diversity of microbial communities that demonstrates the effects of human-caused changes in climate, land use and other factors. In this study, researchers show the diversity of soil bacteria, fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria all are better predicted by variation in environmental temperature rather than pH.

Jizhong Zhou, director of the Institute for Environmental Genomics and professor in the Department of Microbial and Plant Biology and School of Civil Environmental Sciences, OU Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Gallogly College of Engineering, leads the research project with assistance from the University of Arizona, The Santa Fe Institute, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa and University of New Mexico. Zhou is an affiliate of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Tsinghua University.

The significance of this research project follows: (1) first demonstration that temperature plays a primary role in shaping microbial diversity in the forest soils; (2) first study to illustrate that metabolic theory of ecology is applicable to microbial communities; and (3) first study to reveal that temperature is important in regulating species diversity but it could operate in different ways between plants and microorganisms.

"Temperature mediates continental-scale diversity of microbes in forest soils," was published in Nature Communications on July 5, 2016. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation MacroSystems Biology program under the contract NSF EF-1065844, the OU Office of the Vice President for Research, the Collaborative Innovation Center for Regional Environmental Quality at the Tsinghua University and the National Science Foundation of China.
Antennas often need to trace circles in the sky. For example, radar arrays atop air-traffic control towers rotate to sweep signals in all directions.

But spinning large objects nonstop takes a lot of time and mechanical energy. So scanning from a stationary position could speed up long-range detection and communications.

Now, with support from a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison electrical engineers are working out a new strategy to create antennas that spin their beams in circles while the devices stand still.

"Our approach doesn't depend on exotic materials that bend the laws of physics," says Nader Behdad, principal investigator on the project and UW-Madison professor of electrical and computer engineering. "We've found a practical way to achieve beam-steering that the antennas field has largely overlooked for many years."

Engineers have long searched for ways to rapidly reorient radar beams, but progress has historically been slow, and existing technology is still too expensive for widespread use. Still, researchers persevere because scanning the sky can make the difference between life and death.

"In defense situations, you need to detect incoming objects or see where you are going very quickly," says John Booske, another UW-Madison electrical and computer engineering professor and Behdad's co-principal investigator. "The ability of a mechanical rig to move a big, heavy parabolic dish back and forth limits how quickly you can respond to potential threats."

One alternative to mechanical motion is using flat planes made up of miniature transmitters that each emit fractions of an overall signal -- every fraction varied so that it all adds up to a single linear beam. These antennas, called phase-varied arrays, can also modulate the direction of that overall beam by altering the electronic properties of each individual signal source.

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However, packing multiple small-scale antennas into one surface adds up to costly and colossal devices overall, limiting their usefulness.

Rather than building a phased array from numerous individual antennas, the team instead plans to create special reflective surfaces that achieve the same effect, but only rely on one single signal source.

"Up until this idea there was practically no way to meet the almost impossible specification of the ideal solution," says Booske.

Much like the way in which the curved reflector in a car's headlamp concentrates light emanating spherically outward from a single bulb into a forward beam, these flat arrays focus microwave signals into directed columns by altering the electronic properties of individual elements on their surfaces. But unlike mirrored dishes, these devices can vary the direction of the reflected beams by tuning individual elements on the surface.

Achieving that tuning, however, is no easy task. Behdad tried numerous complicated approaches to modulate every component before he and Booske realized that they did not need to control each element one by one. Instead they harnessed small-scale mechanical motion within the entire antenna itself by making tiny adjustments to one large component, called the ground plane, that sits below the entire structure.

"Luckily for us, in order to do beam-steering, we really don't need to individually tune each element," says Behdad. "All we need to do is create a gradient and we can do that by simply tilting the ground plane on one corner a little bit down and the other a little bit up."

Small tilting motions inside an overall flat plane require much less time and mechanical force than spinning a large reflector dish. To test the feasibility of this approach, the group made a low-cost prototype, which successfully provided proof of concept of electromagnetic principles. Now, the team is working to identify appropriate materials and techniques to improve this concept, making it suitable for real-world applications.

The researchers filed a patent on their concept with assistance from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The patent is pending.
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.








When a patient at a hospital for veterans passed away recently, one of the doctors turned to his colleague to break the news. And his colleague responded the only way he knew how. "Tom looked up at me and meowed," Dr. Blake Lipscomb recalled to Today this week.

Salem VA Medical Center

Yes, Tom the cat had known the patient well. "He had been with the veteran and his family at a time that was hardest for them," Lipscomb explained. "Doing exactly what we wanted him to do - to help make a more low-stress, homelike environment."

Dodo Shows Odd Couples Kitten Isn't Sure About His Pittie Brother  At First

Salem VA Medical Center

At the Salem VA Medical Center in Virginia, where veterans receive long-term and hospice care, death will occasionally darken a doorway. Which is why it's especially important to have someone living there who's very good at brightening the corners. Like Tom, a former shelter cat who is now an official caregiver at the hospital, offering companionship, counseling ... but please, no cuddles. Tom doesn't like to get all touchy-feely, but prefers instead to curl up alongside a patient. In fact, even hospital staff know when Tom's too busy for chitchat. "Tom doesn't always like to have his picture taken," Shelby Benois, a hospital spokesperson, told The Dodo."When he quickly ran out of the room, I found that he was headed to 'work' and I knew that he had a job to do. When he's working or busy visiting, I don't bother him for a photo op."

Salem VA Medical Center

But Benois, like colleagues and patients, has a healthy appreciation for Tom's vocation. "Tom seems to have a sense when someone may need a little extra comfort," she explained. "Sometimes it is the patient who needs him the most but often it can be a family member. "He can spend hours with one patient or just stroll down the hall and visit with many. He has become a very important member of the health care team and certainly knows his role as a comforting caregiver."

Salem VA Medical Center

Of course, we've seen cats of all stripes - from hero cats who save families from house fires to therapy cats who have a kind of sixth sense when it comes to predicting seizures. But no cat quite like Tom, who skips nimbly from room to room, cozying up to people who could use his tender ministrations.

Salem VA Medical Center

And, as we've seen time and time again, pets are naturals when it comes to connecting with humans who need them just at the right moment. In an article published by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a patient's wife described one particularly poignant example of Tom's peerless bedside manner. Realizing the army veteran was dying, Tom leapt onto his bed and placed his tiny paw in the patient's outstretched hand.

Salem VA Medical Center
Sometimes miracles do happen. For Daniela Tursini, one of countless people affected by last week's deadly earthquakes in Italy, it came in the form of a reunion with the cherished pet she thought she'd lost forever.

Dodo Shows Odd Couples Dog Is So Gentle And Patient With Her Foster Kittens

Tursini had been at home with her cat, Gioia, on Wednesday when the 6.2-magnitude quake rocked her village of Amatrice in central Italy. Although she was lucky to escape with her life, Tursini had been unable to carry out Gioia, who went into hiding as the initial tremors struck. The next morning, aftershocks reduced what was left of Tursini's house - like so much else - to rubble.

In the aftermath, Tursini continued to try to find her pet, calling out her name. As rescue efforts got underway, she pleaded with firefighters to scour the ruins of her home for Gioia. Still, as the days passed, hope of finding anyone alive faded fast. "I beg you, find my cat, she's all I have left," she told rescue workers, Il Centro reports. "My house is gone, I've lost everything." On Monday, nearly six days after the quake struck, the incredible happened - crews clearing the rubble found Gioia alive.

Afterward, Gioia was given a checkup by veterinarians on hand and was found to be dehydrated, but otherwise in good health.
Rescuers couldn't have anticipated that they'd find more than just rabbits in the basement of a breeder's home in New Jersey.

Susie Coston

Last week, Mike Stura, founder of Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue, got a call from a friend about a hoarding situation in Hunterdon County that had gone from bad to worse. According to Stura, a potential buyer stopped by the residence with the intention of purchasing a rabbit. Once they were exposed to the conditions in which the rabbits were being kept, they got in touch with the New Jersey SPCA (NJSPCA) to intervene and rescue the animals.

Susie Coston

"They found rabbits in rows and rows on the walls of a shed," Stura said. "It was very hot and damp in there with no ventilation."

Susie Coston

Furthermore, the rabbits all lived in their own filth and were cooped up in rusted cages, filled with old food that was teeming with maggots.

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Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue

Stura said people actually didn't live on the property where the animals were found - the space was solely used for breeding and storing the animals. In addition to rabbits, guinea pigs were also found, the total animals nearing 300. The owner of them gave them up to the NJSPCA.

Susie Coston

"They were in the process of getting those rabbits out from the shed," Stura said. "They went to the house attached to the property and found even more rabbits on the first floor. One of the SPCA agents went around the back of the house and saw a calf looking back up at him from the window of the basement."

The calf found in the basement | Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue

That's when Stura was called in to rescue the young female cow. "She was living in the basement with several inches of rabbit feces and urine on the ground," Stura said. Since the rabbit cages in the basement were elevated, the calf had no choice but to cower underneath them - drenched in the waste of the trapped rabbits above her. "She was yellow-stained," Stura said. "She was very scared. She had no human contact, really."

Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue

When Stura reached out to examine the 10-week-old calf at first, she bolted - repeatedly running away out of nervousness and fear.

Susie Coston

Ironically, the owner of the calf had other cows and horses all kept outdoors.

Stura said when he asked the woman why she had a cow in a basement, she told him that she heard she could get a tax break if she owned three cows, instead of two. So, she went to an auction and purchased the calf. However, since the calf was still so young and small, she decided to kept the animal in the basement until she was large enough to mingle with the other cows outdoors. The calf had lived in the dark and filth for six weeks before the rescue.

Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue

"It was startling to see a cow in a basement like that," Stura said. "You don't expect to see that, especially in those conditions."

The young cow arriving at Skylands | Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue

Stura expects that charges will be filed against owner of the cow and rabbits.

Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue

Once the cow, whom Stura has named Violet, was rescued, she was bathed and treated for pneumonia.

Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue

She currently has an enclosure filled with clean bedding for her to relax in until she gets the clear from her veterinarian that she's healthy enough to join the other cows out in the pastures of her new home at the sanctuary.

Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue
<p>Tracy Plambeck</p>

In recent weeks, flooding in Louisiana has reached crisis levels. Stories of death and survival are still all over the news, but soon, more current events may replace them. But recovery takes months, even years. A small county in West Virginia is still suffering the effects of similar floods that happened earlier this summer. Torrential rain and thunderstorms battered West Virginia so hard on June 23 that 23 people were killed and many others who were displaced are still trying to get their lives back. And countless animals who lost their homes and families still need help.

The remains of someone's home. "Feral cats were found coming out of the ruins," Plambeck told The Dodo. | Tracy Plambeck

Tracy Plambeck

Many counties were lucky enough to have large, fully staffed shelters that were reaching out to people over the local news stations. Donations came pouring in, and the help was much appreciated. But one county kept getting overlooked. Only a little over 26,000 people reside in Nicholas County, West Virginia. The main industry was coal mining, but a decrease in coal production has led to a 76 percent drop in coal mining employment in this areajust in the past few years. The people depend on one another as friends and neighbors, and no one proves that more than Nicholas County Animal Shelter director, Tracy Plambeck. The day after the storm, Plambeck and her coworker, JJ Tompkins, began heading out to see what they could do to help. That meant shutting down the shelter because they are the only employees there. "In April of 2015, the county cut the shelter from four employees to two," Plambeck told The Dodo. "It's been JJ and I doing everything since then." That means cleaning, feeding, adoptions, surrenders and, now, recovery missions. In the first day alone, they found deceased animals washed away in floodwaters along with people's belongings. They saw homes underwater. They picked up stray animals and dropped off food to people who had already set up tents while they waited for help to arrive. They had to do a lot of walking to find people, as there were no roads where roads had once been. They did this day after day, bringing in dog after dog, humanely trapping cat after cat. But it didn't stop there. The shelter was inundated with people surrendering their pets, too. "People no longer had homes to go to anymore," said Plambeck. "They had no other choice but to leave their pets with us."

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Floodwaters rising behind a pregnant dog whose owner lost everything | Tracy Plambeck

Some animals Plambeck and Knowles picked up were reunited with their tearful owners. But that was very rare. The shelter was overcrowded. Normally, the shelter can hold 40 dogs. Now, they were tripling dogs up in kennels. Still, every day, Plambeck was out in the field, bringing out supplies and rescuing stray animals.

The cat seen in the remains of this home would not go into the trap set out for her. She was very pregnant and weak. Plambeck named her Pepperoni because, after a few weeks, Plambeck was able to coax her into her arms with a gas station pepperoni roll. | Tracy Plambeck

Tracy Plambeck

Tracy Plambeck

Heather Severt, West Virginia's state director for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), stepped in to help. She worked with emergency placement partners and arranged for 36 dogs and 26 cats to be pulled from the Nicholas County Animal Shelter and taken to the Dutchess County SPCA (DCSPCA) and the Ulster County SPCA (UCSPCA), both located in New York. Leah Hapeman, animal care manager at the DCSPCA, was taken aback by the conditions of the Nicholas County Animal Shelter. "We have a beautiful building that was only recently built," Hapeman told The Dodo. "To see what they are working with here and how much they do for the community really tugs at your heart."

Tents set up with supplies for the community | Leah Hapeman

Severt also arranged for a special grant to get the Nicholas County Animal Shelter $500 in cat vaccines. "This is not something we normally do, but the need was there," Severt told The Dodo. "People lost pets and the cats were taking up a lot of space and being held longer than normal for the community." Plambeck is so grateful for the help from the HSUS, the DCSPCA and the UCSPCA, but so much more help is needed. The shelter is full again and her community is still suffering. "People are still living in tents and some have resorted to buying repossessed storage units to live in," Plambeck said. "At least the storage units have a way to be locked, so what they do still have can be kept safe." The shelter itself has not seen renovations in years. Plambeck and Knowles work seven days a week, with a budget that was cut in half three years ago. Plambeck recalls the day she was cleaning a dilapidated kennel when she cut her hand down to the tendon. She simply went to the ER, got her hand stitched up and returned to work. "I know what it can be like and what it should be like," Plambeck said. "I have a vision and a dream for these animals and this shelter." Nicholas County Animal Shelter continues to rescue animals affected by the floods, in addition to the daily business of accepting surrenders and picking up strays. The shelter, already in need of serious renovations, has suffered water damage and additional wear and tear from the influx of animals.

Lack of county funding leads to makeshift repairs on kennel doors | Tracy Plambeck

Tracy Plambeck

Tracy Plambeck

The reporters are gone, but the people and animals of West Virginia still need help. If you would like to donate to the shelter to help with rescue efforts, supplies and renovations, checks, gift cards or money orders can be sent to Nicholas County Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 579, Summersville, WV 276651. Any amount would be greatly appreciated.

Peanut | Tracy Plambeck

Tracy Plambeck

Tracy Plambeck
"A little surprise arrived yesterday," Ape Action Africa , a rescue organization in Cameroon, wrote on Tuesday, "curled up in a sad ball in the foot well of a car."

The rescue group is talking about a baby chimp now named Jenny. "Our sad little girl is around 10 months old and has wounds on her hips where she has been tied up with rope," the group wrote.

Jenny was discovered when a man saw her in his neighbor's yard. Worried for her well-being, the man convinced his neighbors to give her up. Then he drove for over an hour to deliver her to the people who could help her.

But when she was handed over to the staff at Ape Action Africa, Jenny was so disoriented and scared, she could do nothing but curl up into a little ball.
Last year, 50 rhinos were illegally killed in Zimbabwe - and now, the country says, it's taking action to protect them. Zimbabwe has announced that it will be removing the horns from all of the rhinos living in the country's national parks. The animals' massive horns, valued as highly as gold for consumers who want the horns for traditional medicine or as signs of wealth, make them targets for poachers, who will often kill the animals to obtain them.

A darted rhino standing in a trance before dehorning begins | AWARE Trust Zimbabwe

Of the 700 rhinos left in Zimbabwe, fewer than 100 of them live in the national parks, with the rest confined to private land and conservancies. Some of those facilities already already use dehorning as a tool for high-risk rhinos as well, Dr. Lisa Marabini, director of AWARE Trust Zimbabwe, told The Dodo, also adding that the practice itself is nothing particularly new.

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The rhino is blindfolded and gets earmuffs to reduce stimulation as he falls asleep. | AWARE Trust Zimbabwe

"Zimbabwe has been dehorning rhinos since the early '90s," she said. "Vets working at that time - which was also a big crisis in terms of poaching numbers - all attribute that there are any rhinos left in Zimbabwe to the fact that they dehorned over 500 back then."

AWARE Trust Zimbabwe

Marabini believes that the rhino population in the country today would have been decimated by now if the rhinos hadn't been dehorned in 2010, saying that without their horns, poachers are simply less likely to target them. AWARE Trust assists with rhino management in three different national parks as dictated by the government - the organization has just wrapped up its 2016 rhino dehorning operations.

Both the rhino's front and back horn are removed | AWARE Trust Zimbabwe

Rhino horns grow about 6 centimeters a year in younger animals - the growth process is slower in older animals - meaning that they have to be dehorned about every two years. Marabini said the process from darting a rhino to sleep, removing the horns and then waking the rhino back up usually takes about 30 minutes. The entire process is painless for the rhino, she said. It's most similar to filing down a human nail - although much noisier given that the nail filer, in this case, is a chainsaw. "When they stand back up, white rhinos are often quite 'chilled' - they will often casually walk over to a vehicle to investigate," Marabini said. "Black rhinos are a different story - they snort and may charge if they see movement, much as they would if you bumped into them whilst walking in the bush."

AWARE Trust Zimbabwe

Yet some groups have raised questions about whether rhino dehorning is actually effective. According to Save the Rhino, some poachers still target rhinos after their horns are removed, either to access the stub of the horn left after removal, which still has value, or as vengeance for tracking down an animal with little value. There are also concerns that Zimbabwe is using the procedure as cover for a money-making operation. After the horns are removed, instead of being disposed of, they're placed into the possession of Zimbabwe's government, where the horns are microchipped, stockpiled and monitored for safekeeping.

AWARE Trust Zimbabwe

AWARE Trust Zimbabwe
BEIJING  Justin Trudeau has announced plans to join a controversial new international infrastructure bank led by China  an initiative Ottawa insists will provide a boost to global and Canadian growth.

The Canadian government made the announcement Wednesday after the prime minister met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing. Ottawa did not immediately specify how much money it would put into the eight-month-old bank.

China established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in hope of building its economic credibility around the world. The bank will provide other countries in the region access to capital for projects like transportation, power and telecommunications.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who is travelling with Trudeau in Beijing, expects the bank to make an important impact on the global economy, and therefore the Canadian economy, through infrastructure investments.

Canadian firms can benefit, too, he added.

We believe that Canadas membership will generate commercial opportunities for Canadian companies, create good jobs and contribute to global economic growth, Morneau told a joint news conference Wednesday with bank president Jin Liqun.

Participation in the bank is clearly in Canadas best interests.

The bank, which has about $100-billion U.S. in capital, has already invested more than $500 million in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Chinese officials have said it plans to loan out $10-15 billion over the next five years.

Canada is aiming to become the first North American member of the bank.

By joining, Canada would add its name to the list of 57 other member countries. The group includes Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and South Korea, which signed on last year in the face of opposition from the United States.

In order to join, countries agree to contribute funds in the form of shares. Australia agreed to contribute $930 million over five years, making that country the sixth-largest shareholder.

The banks governors could decide on new members early in 2017, according to a Canadian government document, which also indicated that the size of Canadas share would be decided at that time.

American officials have warned the new bank would provide loans to developing countries without requiring any caveats about the environment, labour rights or anti-corruption reforms, as are typically included in loans from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Jin told reporters that Canadas intention to join was a vote of confidence in the bank.

This decision also indicates that Canada, like many new applicants, affirms the way this new bank is being run in the first eight months of operation and trusts in the banks unswerving commitment in the years to come, Jin said.

On Tuesday, Trudeau hinted that Canadas application had been in the works.

My government believes very, very much in the importance of investing in infrastructure, Trudeau said during a roundtable discussion with business leaders.

Thats one of the reasons why were looking very favourably at the possibility of joining the AIIB.

Prior to Wednesdays announcement, former Canadian diplomat Charles Burton said joining the bank would signal Canada was prepared to see China take a seat at the table in terms of having input on the global economic landscape.

By supporting this institution thats primarily initiated by China indicates that were trying to build trust that China will use this institution for the greater good in a liberal, internationalist way and not simply as a device to expand its geopolitical reach, said Burton, a political scientist at Brock University.

But there is still some wariness in official Ottawa about supporting Chinas global influence, particularly with its recent actions the South China Sea, said Paul Evans of the University of British Columbias Institute for Asian Research.

But Evans said most officials feel Canada made a mistake by not joining the bank last year.

The four projects approved earlier this year addressed many of the concerns western countries had about the new bank, he said, including that China would use it to advance its own strategic and commercial interests.

Evans said Ottawas decision to sign on would be symbolically important in terms of Canada-China relations.

While the cost  which he estimated will be as much as $1 billion  could be high, he agreed that Canadian firms would indirectly benefit from the billions of dollars in projects the bank will finance.

Trudeau agrees to explore free trade deal.E ND

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India is looking to its countryside to understand how more than 20 per cent of power distributed by state retailers goes missing.

Rural Electrification Corp. plans to install equipment that will transmit usage data from metres at each of the countrys 100,000 rural feeder stations, one of the final electricity distribution points between power plants and customers, said Ritu Maheshwari, the federal companys executive director. Data from the metres, which will be installed by state retail companies, will be streamed live to the public, Maheshwari said.

Our aim is to make sure we know exactly how much electricity is flowing through the rural feeders, Maheshwari said. It helps spotting and solving problems faster. It also helps in understanding the trend in rural power consumption.

Tracking rural usage is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of reforming the countrys power sector and lighting every home in the country by 2019. Regional distributors lose almost 23 per cent of the electricity they buy through theft, unmetered usage and dissipation through old wires, hurting their finances and preventing them from repaying debt. A federal-government plan to make them profitable has set a target of bringing that down to 15 per cent by 2019.

The data gathered from the feeders will be posted on a new smartphone application, Maheshwari said. Similar apps have been created by the central government to track electricity pricing, transmission projects and rural electrification.

Regional electricity distributors are reimbursed by state governments for selling power below cost. The retailers sought 364.2 billion rupees ($5.4 billion U.S.) in subsidies during the year ended March 2014, according to a report by Power Finance Corp., a lender to power projects.

Distributors arent getting reimbursed adequately, making it difficult to repay loans and purchase all of the electricity required by the populations they serve, according to Debasish Mishra, a partner with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLP in Mumbai. Retailers held total debt of nearly 4.1 trillion rupees at the end of March 2015, according to Power Minister Piyush Goyal. That leaves the countrys power plants running below capacity, while one in five people go without electricity.

Delayed subsidy payments have been one of the biggest reasons for distribution companies incurring losses, Mishra said. Earlier, the distributors would take short-term loans to buy power and repay them when the subsidies came. Now, short-term lending has been limited to a great extent and the retailers dont have cash to buy enough power.

Indias agricultural sector, the mainstay of the rural economy, accounted for 21.7 per cent of electricity consumption in the year ended March 2014, while contributing just 8 per cent to power retailers revenue, according to the latest data provided by Power Finance, which also studies the performance of state power retailers. Industrial users, who pay higher tariffs to partially subsidize agricultural customers, accounted for 29.2 per cent of the consumption and 41 per cent of revenues.

Tracking last-mile electricity flow will help in proper energy accounting, said Deloittes Mishra. The initiative will also help the state governments streamline power subsidies, as they will have a better grip on agricultural consumption.

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Harjit Sajjans office offered me an interview with the defence minister. This was more than a week ago now, after Sajjan landed in Vancouver from a week-long visit to Africa. And if you want the truth of it I sat on the interview for days because I wasnt entirely sure what to make of it.

After our conversation, Sajjan and two other ministers announced Canada will contribute 600 soldiers and $450 million over three years, to United Nations peacekeeping. The sound of self-congratulation from some corners has been so hearty that a lot of what Sajjan told me stands as a useful corrective.

Please stow, if you will, your noble image, from some half-forgotten high school social studies class, of blue-helmeted soldiers, sternly guarding a neat line between two carefully separated armies somewhere. Those days are gone and they are not coming back.

This is not the peacekeeping of the past, Sajjan told me. Theres no peace to keep. Weve also made it clear that peace operations are going to be risky.

Traditional peacekeeping was a relic of 19th- and early 20th-century industrial war, when massed armies would hurl themselves at one another in ways that actually made them relatively easy to separate, delineate and track. Latter-day asymmetric combat, led in many cases by ragtag groups of militants armed with a few trucks and sidearms, follows no neat lines. Civilian and paramilitary groups intermingle, as do friendly and unfriendly armies. Allegiances shift. Its hard to even know where to send the blue helmets.

This is one reason a lot of countries have gotten out of the peacekeeping business. Its fun to blame Stephen Harper for the fact that only 103 Canadians served in UN peace operations in July. But to make that theory stick youd need to explain how its Harpers fault that the United States contributed only 68 soldiers and police to the UN in the same month; Australia 39; Belgium 13; Denmark 75; and even the United Kingdom, which will host next months peacekeeping summit, a relatively meagre 336.

Sajjan and his colleagues need to make up a new way for Canadians to be helpful in Africa. Thats the work he was pursuing when he visited five African countries. This trip was about getting the direct facts, talking to the political leadership, he said. Talking to the various programs within the UN. . . . We even talked to some business folks in the area. Because you need to get a really good, deep understanding of whats really going on.

Great. Going on where? Africa is three times the size of Canada, with more than 30 times its population.

Ive been quite honest about my approach on this, Sajjan said. Just because I visit an area doesnt mean were going to be contributing troops (there). And just because I didnt visit an area doesnt mean were not going to be contributing troops.

So: Canada is sending up to 600 soldiers, plus some number of civilians, to provide expertise and services. Sajjan just doesnt know where yet.

When will he know? I havent set a date for when were actually going to make a decision.

This, arguably, makes more sense than it seems to. In 2001, it was really clear where Canadian troops were going: Afghanistan. They then spent a decade learning the regional politics, extending at least from India to Iran, and the infernally complex tribal sociology that affected soldiers work every day. Sajjan wants to front-load the homework, and pick a mission later.

Any eventual mission will have almost nothing to do with walking a ceasefire line. Capacity-building for local troops  including, perhaps, training their officer corps in Canada  will matter more. Sajjans list of possible tasks for Canadians in Africa kept growing. Everything from violence against women, preventing child soldiers from being recruited, (to) actually taking child soldiers off the battlefield. Canadian soldiers and civilians were doing similar work in Afghanistan by the end. Results were mixed.

Sajjans agenda may offer a hint as to Canadians eventual destination. Four of the countries he visited are big donors to UN peace operations. Uganda has about as many soldiers in the field as Canada is offering, Ethiopia 14 times as many. But the Democratic Republic of Congo has fielded only 20.

But a UN force of 20,000 has been stationed in the DRC since 2010. Its a tricky business. All told, 102 soldiers have been killed in that operation. Lets hold off on the self-congratulation until we know what our soldiers are getting into.

Paul Wells is a national affairs writer. His column appears Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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The Schlong Goodbye.

From long-suffering wife Huma Abedin to serial sexter husband Antony Weiner, yet again caught leading with his Johnson on social media.

Once, twice, three times a wanker.

Americans love their redemptive second acts and so too, presumably, did Abedin, BFF aide to Hillary Clinton and now vice-chair of her presidential campaign.

Third acts, not so much. Abedin on Monday finally gave the heave-ho to Weiner after the New York Post splashed the juicy across its front page, drenched in punning mustard: POP GOES THE WEINER. Illustrated with a bug-eyed Weiner selfie and inset photo close-up grab of the former congressmans member bulging inside his boxers. Curled against Weiner (face blurred out) is the couples four-year-old son.

In the accompany exchange, as quoted by the Post, Weiner abruptly changed the discussion hed been having with his texting correspondent  about massage parlours  to: Someone just climbed in my bed.

Reply: Really?

Thence the explanatory photo he sent, daddy and the kid.

Which clearly was an abomination too far for Abedin, whose quick action was relayed in a formally released statement: After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband. Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy.

As if.

Privacy is not a word, or a concept, that exists in Weiner World.

He is, as the shrinks-for-comment put it, a chronic narcissistic exhibitionist.

Nailed in 2011 for accidentally sharing a crotch-shot with his 45,000 Twitter followers. Apparently one hand didnt know what the other hand was doing. And you can imagine what one hand was up to. Admitted afterwards hed sent pervy pix to at least half a dozen women. That incident resulted in Weiner resigning his congressional seat.

Winkled out two years later  halfway through his comeback campaign for New York City mayor, a race hed been leading in the polls (see second acts, above)  in another cyber sexcapade scandal when a lady who called herself Sydney Leathers disclosed her sexting history with Weiner, whod used the handle Carlos Danger in their steamy chats, lewd photos attached. Leathers, who blabbed to the tabs, got a porn flick out of her notoriety. Then, at the urging of schlock-jock Howard Stern, showed up at Weiners primary-night consolation party to confront her ex-sexter.

Lessons learned: Zero.

Repentance, therapy, rehab  all were publicly undertaken, with the ever-loyal Abedin  the couple married in 2010 by Bill Clinton, no less  at his side, but one from a firmament of The Good Political Wives (Hillary most notably) whove stood by their cads through career scandal and humiliation.

Mr. & Mrs. (she doesnt use his surname) would subsequently pose happily as an emotionally reconciled unit, later with baby in tow, receiving glowing coverage from People  I love him. I have forgiven him. I believe in him  and a spread in the New York Times Magazine.

Credulous has worn off. Which has a whole lot of people  especially on social media, cesspit of Weiners downfall  cheering in about-time relief.

More interesting to me is the therap-atti, hanging 10 atop the wave crest of indignation and ridicule, keen to diagnose Weiners compulsions from afar. Hypersexual, some have suggested, a condition that does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Ostensibly comparable to the powerful drive for drugs or booze or gambling, so all-consuming that it interferes with daily life and the well-being of self or others.

One expert suggested Weiner would benefit from group therapy, a kind of Sexters Anonymous. Hi, my name is Anthony and Im a digital wanker.

The tall furrowed brows are always trying to label behaviour, invest it with some elevated, abstract subtext. (Subsext?) Wrong, they claim, to view Weiners conduct through a moral lens. But surely betrayal of ones spouse  even cyber betrayal  is a moral issue for those involved. Not a pathology; just a pleasure. And of course fodder for tabloid mockery.

Once upon a time, Weiner was an up-and-coming Democratic bright light who made his bones taking on Republicans balking over funding health care for 9/11 first responders. His rise and tumble and rehabilitation, twice over, was chronicled cinematically in Weiner, co-directed by a former staffer, which won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year. The doc is quite illuminating although it doesnt answer the why of Weiners risky obsession.

He enjoyed the love of a brilliant and steadfast  under challenging circumstances  spouse. Hed resurrected his brand to the point of securing commentary gigs with NY1, the Big Apple cable station, and a columnist platform with the New York Daily News  both stripped from him Monday.

Yet Abedin is the one who now is not-so-subtly being attacked from the self-righteous right for leaving her child in the care of a creep  because, you know, off she went carrying Hillarys hem on the campaign trail rather than stay at home like a good mommy.

Ooooooh . . . I was scared, Weiner allegedly texted his latest tap-gal-pal, momentarily worried that hed sent the photo-with-child into wider cyberspace, the fumble-fingers. For half a second I thought I posted something. Stop looking at my crotch.

The gonad that walks like a man, Donald Trump, wasted no time rolling in the sleaze. I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information. Huh? Who knows what he learned and who he told? Its just another example of Hillarys bad judgment. It is possible that our country and its security have been greatly compromised by this.

Adding: Hes a sick person and she (Abedin) has access to classified information.

Oh, and maybe Abedin  father from India, mother from Pakistan  has ties to terrorism, the dingbat implied.

No mention of Weiners sexting partner declaring herself a Trump supporter.

Kicked to the curb, Weiner can now sext to his knaves heart content, unfettered by the presence of an eagle-eyed wife. The Lone Exchanger.

Perhaps to destigmatize himself again.

Willy or wont he?

Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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BILLINGS, MONT.The U.S. government agreed Tuesday to decide over the next several years if federal protections are needed to help a small, fanged predator of the Northern Rockies, massive alligator snapping turtles in the South and seven other troubled species that in some cases have awaited action for years.

Deadlines for the decisions were detailed in a legal settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The Center for Biological Diversity had sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March, alleging agency officials repeatedly missed previous deadlines despite determining protections may be warranted.

The settlement must be approved by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan before it goes into effect.

One of the first species to be decided on, by October 2017, is the Northern Rockies fisher. The cat-sized predator once ranged across at least five states. Its now limited to a much smaller area straddling the Montana-Idaho border.

Montana allows the trapping of seven fishers annually  activity banned elsewhere in the West.

Alongside habitat loss, trapping is one of the primary threats to Northern Rockies fishers, said Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. She said federal protections are the only way to curb this ongoing threat.

The Fish and Wildlife Service rejected protections for fishers in 2011, concluding that trapping by humans did not appear to be harming the overall population, though their precise numbers are unknown. But the agency agreed to take another look earlier this year after wildlife advocates provided details on fishers killed by trappers seeking other species.

That change followed a study that found the animals are more vulnerable for survival than previously thought, and may still be impacted by trapping, Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Serena Baker said Tuesday. She said the species will be included in its upcoming endangered species list national workplan for a decision in fiscal year 2017.

Fishers remain relatively abundant in parts of the Midwest and New England.

A decision on the alligator snapping turtle is due in 2020. The hard-biting, spike-studded a turtle can grow to more than 2 feet long and top 200 pounds, making it North Americas largest freshwater turtle.

Other species included in the settlement were the California spotted owl, an Alabama mussel called the Canoe Creek pigtoe and the Beaverpond marstonia, a tiny freshwater snail that advocates say is found only in one Georgia creek.

Two fish were included  the Virgin River spinedace, a desert minnow once common in the Virgin River basin in northwestern Arizona, southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah, and the Barrens topminnow in Tennessees Barrens Plateau.

There was one amphibian, the foothill yellow-legged frog, once found from Oregon to possibly as far south as Baja California, Mexico, and an insect, the cobblestone tiger beetle, which survives only in handful of rivers from New England to Alabama.

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Last Friday afternoon in Federal Way, Wash., a city to the south of Seattle, utility workers came across a manhole that refused to stay closed.

Metre readers with Lakehaven Utility District first noticed the sewer cover left ajar. They pushed it shut; to fall down an open manhole, after all, could mean injury or worse. It proved to be a stubborn grate. Later in the day  twice  workers found the manhole open again. The third time, the metre readers had enough, summoning the Lakehaven sewer crew, who decided to investigate how a 80-pound metal slab could behave like a screen door with a busted latch.

What the crew found was even stranger. At the bottom of the 14-foot (4.2 metre) descent was a cache of kids items, miscellany that belonged in a tree house or rec room: a pair of binoculars, snacks and toys, including a pistol for shooting foam darts. They discovered clothes, too, as well as a makeshift bed made out of plywood.

This should not happen at all, as Ken Miller, a product engineering manager with Lakehaven Utility District, told KIRO 7 News. This is where all our waste goes from our houses and our businesses.

And, finally, the crew noticed the two boys watching.

They appeared to be about 12 or 13. When approached, one said he had been living within the manhole. Miller was shocked. Ive been doing this kind of work for over 30 years, and Ive never, never come across it before, he said. No one should be down there ... this could have been life and death.

He warned the children that the sewers were dangerous, according to Fox 8. Crews like Lakehavens wear protective gear when entering the sewers. Methane gas can build up in the system, a byproduct of decomposing waste. Though not harmful at low concentrations, if the gas displaces enough oxygen it can be suffocating. Would-be sewer spelunkers may also encounter rodents and other animals that carry disease. If a car were to park above the sewer cover, the children could be trapped below.

Such hazards do not mean the systems are always uninhabited. As Jennifer Toth famously wrote in her 1995 book, The Mole People, within the New York City underground live some 5,000 homeless who have found shelter in the sewer systems and old subway lines. Disputes about the details of Toths account aside (one critic said that her adventurous tone was an attempt to spice up sad visits to dirty holes in the ground), subsequent reporters and photojournalists have documented homeless living in urban tunnels, not only in New York but cities like Las Vegas as well.

As for the children in Federal Way, people living in the neighbourhood said the kids had been occasionally spotted above ground. Of the 2.5 million homeless children estimated across the United States in the 2012 to 2013 school year, more than 60,000 lived in Washington state. That young homeless population puts the state at the 40th worst out of 50 states, according to the National Center for Family Homelessness.

Though the manhole had been seen uncovered at various times throughout the past month, it was unclear if or how long the children had been living in the sewer, if they had run away from home or were using the sewer to play. The Lakehaven Utility District and Federal Way Public Works Department were unable to answer calls for comment from The Washington Post; the Federal Way Police Department did not have any information publicly available as of late Monday night.

Workers removed the toys, clothes and bed. The children, according to local media reports, have not been seen since.

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ATLANTAA ban on building permits for religious institutions that was prompted by opposition to a mosque will soon be lifted, officials in a Georgia county said Wednesday.

Newton County officials said the project needs other approvals before construction can start but pledged to work with mosque members. A majority of the countys commissioners said they plan to vote Sept. 13 to lift the ban and approve zoning changes that wont affect the mosque and Muslim cemetery.

Newton County is rich in diversity and hospitality, and we are happy to see residents of all faiths and backgrounds live and worship together in our community, Commissioner Nancy Schulz said in a joint statement with Muslim leaders.

Opposition to the project mounted this month as residents learned members of a mosque in Doraville, a northwest Atlanta suburb, planned to build a mosque and cemetery on 135 acres it purchased in rural Newton County about 65 kilometres southeast of Atlanta.

One commissioner told The Rockdale Citizen newspaper that he wondered whether the project would make Newton County a prime area for the federal government to resettle refugees from the Middle East. Two public meetings were held, both crowded with angry opponents who cheered when people expressed fears about global terrorism.

The moratorium prompted the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the NAACP to request a federal civil rights investigation in Newton County. CAIR Georgias executive director Edward Mitchell on Wednesday thanked county officials for committing to lifting the ban.

Although Newton Muslims will once again have the right to proceed with building a cemetery and house of worship, they plan to first spend more time building bridges with their neighbours, he said.

Mohammed Islam, religious leader of the Doraville mosque proposing the project, said he plans to visit local Sunday church services during the next month. Islam has said mosque members didnt intend to take any legal action against the county.

He said they wanted a place where they can uphold Muslim funeral rituals but not clash with neighbours.

We believe that building bridges with our neighbours is far more important than immediately building a new house of worship and cemetery, Islam said in the statement.

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A search dog in training had a baptism of fire over the weekend when she got herself lost in Lake Michigan, 10 kilometers away from land.

The excitement began for Rylee the Belgian Malinois puppy, when she toppled  or dove overboard  while sailing with her family, Edward and Kristin Casas of Illinois on Sunday morning.

Rylee began her swim as Edward was below deck trying to sort out a mechanical problem and Kristin was steering the boat towards the Manitou Islands.

They estimated that Rylee was only out of their sight for about 10 minutes.

When the horrified couple realized Rylee had disappeared, they immediately put out a Dog Overboard Mayday call over the radio.

Lynn Fiedor of tiny Holly, Mich. heard the distress call.

She immediately posted a call to arms on her Lost Dog Search Team page on Facebook.

Within hours, hundreds of people joined the search and the post was shared more than 500 times.

Searchers included dog-loving fishermen and rural folks with drones outfitted with cameras.

Rylee was lost, found and lost again, after she was scooped out of the lake by a fisherman who turned her loose on the shore at remote Empire Beach.

Someone then loaned the Casas family a truck so they could race to the area to join the search.

Fiedor estimates that Rylee hiked another 20 kilometres overland before she was reunited with the Casas family.

She was missing from her family for about 24 hours and at one point, she was spotted swimming out away from the shore, towards boats in the distance.

Im just rejoicing in this whole thing, Fiedor told the Star on Wednesday.

Shes a very strong swimmer. This dog is amazing and the love that this family has for her is amazing.

When Rylee finally was reunited with the Casas family, there were plenty of tears, Fiedor said.

They were excited, Fiedor said. They said it was the first time he (Edward Casas) has cried in a long time.

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The gauzy film of memory can obscure horrible stuff, says Jeffrey Toobin, the American journalist re-introducing readers to the Patty Hearst story with a remarkable new book on a 1970s cacophony of violence. Hearst, heir to a newspaper fortune, was kidnapped in 1974 by the Symbionese Liberation Army, a tiny murderous group of losers who epitomized something, but Im not sure what. She joined the gang. She went to prison. She was pardoned. It was a reality show of the extremes.

The 1960s were so outsized, Toobin says in a Toronto interview about American Heiress, and the 1970s have fallen into a memory hole. The violence is shocking in retrospect. Toobins list: In 1972, there were 1,962 actual and attempted bombings in the U.S, with 25 people killed; in 1973, 1,955 bombings, with 22 killed; in 1974, 2,044 bombings with 24 killed.

Domestic terrorism was a growth industry. Its Silicon Valley now, but the San Francisco Bay Area then was the home of hapless young revolutionaries out to make the nation pay. I remember Hearst in a sagging beret with a gun, I remember the Zodiac Killer. But Hearst vanished.

The 1970s are a historically unfarmed field now getting a harder look. Adam Gopnik wrote recently about the 1971 prison massacre at Attica, Thomas Mallon wrote a very good 2012 novel based on Watergate, were wearing 1970s polyester and viscose again (so flammable, so meltable and deadly in the plane crashes of the 1970s). More crucially, post 9/11, U.S. investigators felt a moral call and returned to terrorism cases theyd let slide. The SLA remainders were scooped up.

One has the sensation of looking at a more innocent time. Toobin, a cheerful man who knows his American century, is here to say thats nonsense.

Hearst was dragged out of her apartment and kept, terrified, in a dark closet for weeks; she was serially raped, although Toobin is skeptical about this, as he is about everything Hearst. I wont dwell on our disagreement but will say this: in the 1970s women were expected to agree with what men said, end of story. Little has changed. The central question throughout Hearsts life  and the lives of all women  is how much she made herself agree in order to survive and prosper.

International terrorism was in fashion in the 1970s: the Tupamaros of Uruguay, Germanys Baader-Meinhof gang, Italys Red Brigades, the Quebec FLQ, etc. The pathetic domestic SLA version borrowed their ludicrous language  Death to the fascist insect that preys upon the life of the people!  and killed innocents.

Hearst joined her kidnappers in shooting, robbing banks and talking incoherently. When she was captured, she reverted to form and became a polite, rather dull person, pulling strings to get out of jail (as one does) and ultimately becoming the only American ever to win a commutation and pardon from two presidents.

This is her loving parents story too. Old-ish money reacted to the forced proximity of the poor  they held its daughter, after all  and both sides were changed by it. Hearsts mother retreated. Her father tried to understand the extreme-left warriors of the era, then spent his remaining years with a series of peculiar wives and indulging his fondness for duck hunting and red wine.

Most of Hearsts kidnappers, including one of her rapists, died in a fiery shootout and the rest fled. When brought to justice, they were indignant. I find this astounding, but then how often do the guilty crumble from penitence?

I am haunted by Myrna Opsahl, 42, a doctors wife and mother of four, who entered a bank with her churchs collection plate money on the day in 1975 when the SLA had planned a robbery. She was shot in the abdomen as Hearst sat in a getaway car, and she bled out on the floor.

One of the SLA women who helped kill her, Kathy Soliah, fled, changed her name to Sara Jane Olson and became a Minnesota doctors wife and mother of three herself, a victim-twinning that reveals deepest pathology. When arrested in 1999, she reacted with haughty indignation, writes Toobin.

American Heiress has the standard bad subtitle publishers now demand for incurious readers: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst. It underplays its real subject which is personal morality: how it is built (parents? schooling?) and how it changes as violent people age out and consider the terrible things they did so long ago.

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If you hold shares of the major U.S. banks, you haven't had much to cheer about this year.

Wells Fargo & Company, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs Group, for example, are all down between 3% and 8% since Jan. 1, while JPMorgan Chase, one of the stronger performers, has gained just 2% -- still well shy of the S&P 500's 6.5% rise.

Wells Fargo is a holding 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 WFC? Learn more now.

But there's one group of bank stocks that's putting these performances to shame, and these solid income investments are located somewhere U.S. investors rarely look: Canada.

That's partly because the Alberta oil sands -- and the hit they've taken from the global oil glut -- dominate most Americans' view of the country. But energy only accounted for 7.2% of Canada's nominal GDP in 2015, and there are other sectors that are ticking along nicely.

Better yet, some parts of the country's economy boast attractive opportunities for investors seeking something that's tough to find these days: stocks with attractive dividend yields, steady payout growth and reasonable valuations.

That brings us back to Canada's banking sector, which is dominated by just five names: Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) , Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Bank of Montreal and Bank of Nova Scotia.

All five have turned in strong performances this year, rising between 15% and 32% on the New York Stock Exchange. (Canada's major banks trade in the U.S. as well as on their home Toronto Stock Exchange).

These stocks aren't the screaming bargains they were back in say, February, but they still offer solid value. Take Toronto-Dominion, Canada's second-largest bank by assets, which has a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 11.4. In light of the stock's 14% rise so far this year, that still stacks up well against JPMorgan Chase, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, which has a forward P/E of 10.9, Wells Fargo, at 12, and the S&P 500, at 18.6.

Toronto-Dominion took its current form in 1955, when the Bank of Toronto merged with the Dominion Bank, but it traces its roots 100 years further back, to 1855, the year the Bank of Toronto was founded. (Dominion came on the scene in 1871.)

Each major Canadian bank has a unique strength, and in Toronto-Dominion's case, that is its U.S. expansion, which started when the bank bought Maine-based Banknorth in 2005.

Fast forward to today, and Toronto-Dominion has more branches south of the border than north of it (1,267 vs. 1,152) and owns 42% of the TD Ameritrade online brokerage. Toronto Dominion's U.S. retail bank operations (not including its stake in TD Ameritrade) accounted for about 27% of its net income in its fiscal 2016 third quarter, which ended July 31.

Including the TD Ameritrade business, the U.S. unit had net income of $609 million (U.S. dollars), up 12% from $543 million a year earlier. Toronto-Dominion's wholesale-banking division saw its profits jump 26%. That helped offset a slight decline at the Canadian retail operation, where insurance claims related to wildfires near Fort McMurray, Alberta, pressured profits.

On an adjusted basis, the bank's earnings per share rose 6%, to C$1.27, easily topping the C$1.21 analysts expected. Revenue gained 8.7%, to C$8.7 billion, which was also well ahead of the consensus forecast of C$8.1 billion.

Toronto-Dominion and other Canadian banks have seen more soured loans in the energy sector as the global oil glut drags on. But don't let that keep you away from the stock, because loans to oil and gas companies account for less than 1% of Toronto-Dominion's loan book. And its loan-loss provisions -- or the cash it's setting aside to cover bad loans -- are going in the right direction. In the third quarter, they clocked in at C$556 million, down from C$584 million in the second quarter.

Finally, if you're looking for a sign of the bank's resilience, look no further than the quarterly dividend. Unlike many U.S. banks, Toronto-Dominion held its payout steady through the 2008/2009 meltdown, and it has raised the dividend at a 12.9% annual rate, on average (and in Canadian funds), over the past decade. The stock currently boasts a 3.8% dividend yield.

So don't worry that you'll never find bargain-priced income opportunities in today's overbought market. You just have to look in places other investors ignore. The Canadian banking sector is a great place to start.

---

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This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Nokia (NOK) were down in pre-market trading on Wednesday as the Finnish telecommunications company's patent chief Ramzi Haidamus is leaving the company.

Haidamus leads the company's Nokia Technologies unit that handles patents and developments of new consumer products, Reuters reports. He will leave at the end of next month.

The unit recently reached two major patent deals with the South Korean technology giant Samsung, one of which is expected to boost Nokia's patent and brand royalties to an annualized run-rate of approximately 950 million euros, up from its previous rate of 800 million euros.

"Given the unit's progress, now is the right time for me to explore new opportunities to pursue my passion for building and transforming businesses," Haidamus said in a statement.

Brad Rodrigues, head of Nokia Technologies' strategy and business development, will serve as interim president of the unit.

The Samsung agreements were the first since the company sold its handset division to Microsoft (MSFT) in 2014. They also potentially set the pace for future licensing patents with other major technology companies, such as Apple (AAPL) and Qualcomm (QCOM), according to Reuters.

Nokia Technologies is leading the move to bring Nokia's mobile phones back to the market, as well as its expansion into other areas of technology.

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 NOKIA CORP as a Hold with a ratings score of C. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed - some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and expanding profit margins. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including feeble growth in the company's earnings per share, deteriorating net income and disappointing return on equity.

You can view the full analysis from the report here:

NOK

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An official website of the United States Government
08/31/2016

By Ed Brennen

As a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Covington Bien-Aime knows full well the devastating toll of natural disasters. He lived through the 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 of his fellow Haitians and displaced another 3 million.

So when Bien-Aime, an MBA student in the Manning School of Business, learned about the opportunity this summer to help rebuild homes for flood victims in South Carolina through lecturer Olga Tines course Organizational Behavior in Action, he couldnt say no.

Haiti has been helped by a lot of people from a lot of countries, so Im glad I had the opportunity to give a hand to South Carolina. That was meaningful for me, says Bien-Aime, who along with Manning School undergrads Chelsie Hebert and Rahman Sarwar spent a week repairing homes in Andrews, S.C., a town that was heavily flooded following Hurricane Joaquin in October 2015.

This is the second consecutive summer that Tines has run the three-credit directed study course in conjunction with All Hands Volunteers, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization that provides relief to those affected by natural disasters around the world. In 2015 Tines took six students to Brooklyn, N.Y., to help rebuild homes for victims of Superstorm Sandy.

In addition to working with All Hands Volunteers to lay flooring, hang drywall and paint, Bien-Aime and his classmates analyzed the structure of the volunteer organization through embedded research. They interviewed the All Hands CEO via Skype and spoke with managers and volunteers on the ground, learning about all layers of the organization.

Manning Students, from right, Covington Bien-Aime, Rahman Sarwar and Chelsie Hebert talk to Andrews Mayor Frank McClary, left, about the floods that ravaged his South Carolina town.



Through their research, students compare and contrast what they see in an organic, communal organization like All Hands versus what they see in traditional organizations like the Red Cross, says Tines.

For his final report, Bien-Aime was asked to play the role of consultant and make recommendations on how the organization could improve its structure. Tines says one of his suggestions was successfully implemented at the work site.

Its not difficult work, and everyone is given the opportunity to do the task, which makes it easier for all the volunteers, says Bien-Aime, who hopes to volunteer with All Hands again in the future. You have the freedom to do what you choose to do, but you have to do it efficiently.

Tines, who plans to continue offering the course this academic year, was struck by how devastating the floods were in Andrews.

Some areas were hit with more than 20 inches of rain. They were calling it a thousand-year flood, says Tines, who had the students go into community and interview three locals on the first day of the program. The students also met with the towns mayor, Frank McClary, to get his perspective on the recovery.

The folks were so open and welcoming, pulling out pictures to share with us, Tines says. They really appreciated the work our students were doing.
Associate Professor | College of Distance Education

Professor Sexton began teaching at the U.S. Naval War College in 2001 as a military professor in the National Security Decision Making Department. Upon retiring from the military in 2005, she taught as an adjunct professor for the College of Distance Education (CDE) where she taught over 850 students online before returning to campus as a civilian CDE professor in 2014. In 2018, Professor Sexton was named the program manager for online programs and is responsible for the Naval Command and Staff and electives online programs.
Silicon Valley has had its share of squabbles among start-up founders  just look at Facebook and Twitter. But few are stranger than the legal battle taking place at Hyperloop One.

The high-profile Los Angeles start-up is building a high-speed train that gets propelled through a tube faster than the speed of sound  an idea that was proposed by Elon Musk several years ago, when he challenged fellow entrepreneurs everywhere to build it.

But even as it aims to transform the future of transportation, the company has been embroiled since July in a bitter lawsuit, brought by four former executives, that gets uglier by the day.

The plaintiffs, one of whom is a co-founder, claimed the company was nepotistic and grossly mismanaged. When they tried to fix the problems, they said they were wrongfully fired and harassed by their former colleagues. The companys chief technology officer, Brogan BamBrogan, even claimed a noose was left on his desk as a threat, forcing him to seek a restraining order against a former colleague with whom he was once close.

Company officials fired back, claiming BamBrogan and the other executives had been secretly plotting a takeover coup. When they failed, the company alleges, the former executives made plans to steal trade secrets and build a rival company, going as far as registering a domain name, hyperlooptoo.com.

The founders also alleged that the disgruntled employees created a fake Twitter account, which they used to splatter insults on their former boss, according to the complaint. Now Hyperloop One is doubling down. In a new legal salvo filed on Wednesday, the company said it had uncovered more evidence of the coup. According to the filing, in California Superior Court in Los Angeles, the group held secret meetings in BamBrogans garage. There, they compiled a list of colleagues to poach for their competing venture and began efforts to steal Hyperloop Ones patents. They also discussed raising millions of dollars to fight their former employer in court, the complaint said.

But Justin T. Berger, an attorney for the former executives, said that if they wanted to form their own company, they simply would have left.

This filing is nothing more than a thinly veiled publicity stunt, he said.

The suit comes at a moment when the hyperloop, which would allow commuters to zip between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 30 minutes or less, is starting to get some traction. The start-up has signed early agreements to begin exploring the technology in Dubai, and is conducting feasibility studies at five locations around the world, including the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The case came shortly after a major test of the technology in the Nevada desert.

Todays filing sheds even more light on the attempted illegal coup by this Gang of Four, and demonstrates the extensive plans they took to form a competing company, Hyperloop Ones attorney, Orin Snyder, said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. When their plans blew up in their face, they staged a propaganda campaign designed to harm the company.

Snyder, who represented Facebook during a bitter dispute early on, insisted the lawsuit would not derail Hyperloop Ones progress. He said squabbles tend to happen when a start-up is on the rise and people crave more compensation. In court filings, the founders denied that a noose was left on BamBrogans desk. Rather, it was a lasso, they said, placed near a cowboy hat BamBrogan kept on his desk.
There are at least two good reasons to read Beyond the Robot. First, it is an enthralling account of the life and work of Colin Wilson, the often controversial writer who explored the nature of human consciousness in dozens of books, starting with his most famous, The Outsider, which appeared in 1956 when he was just 24. If youve never encountered this celebration of alienated artists and intellectuals, Tarcher has just reissued it in a 60th anniversary edition.

"Beyond the Robot: The Life and Work of Colin Wilson" by Gary Lachman (TarcherPerigee )

The other reason to read Beyond the Robot is because it will introduce you to Gary Lachman, who writes about philosophical and mystical ideas with exceptional grace, forcefulness and clarity. One of the leading students of the western esoteric tradition, Lachman has published critical studies of Swedenborg, Madame Blavatsky, Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, P.D. Ouspensky and Jung  and he has done so without being raptly worshipful or casually dismissive. He has also brought out several general surveys of the occult, most recently The Secret Teachers of the Western World. This begins with magic in antiquity and goes on to consider Gnosticism, Jewish Kabbalah, Renaissance alchemy, the secrets of the Rosicrucians, 19th-century Theosophy, the strange practices of Russian guru George Gurdjieff and New Age speculations about Ley lines, Atlantis and cosmic consciousness.

[A summer book list like no other: Michael Dirda picks 11 hidden gems ]

As Lachman reveals in Beyond the Robot, he owes his fascination with outside-the-box thinking to Colin Wilson. Back in the 1970s under the name Gary Valentine, he was the bass guitarist in the rock group Blondie when he happened upon a copy of Wilsons The Occult. A massive, anecdote-rich history, it enticed him to learn more, and he soon started visiting metaphysical societies in New York and Los Angeles. Eventually, Lachman moved to England, gave up his music career and remade himself into a freelance writer and scholar of the occult. To this day, he views himself as a Wilsonian.

But what does that mean?

Colin Wilson was born into a blue-collar family in Leicester, England, left school at 16, and spent his youth drifting around Europe, working at short-term menial jobs in London, sometimes sleeping on Hampstead Heath to save money, and constantly reading and scribbling in his journals. While trying to finish a philosophical shocker about a serial killer  later published as Ritual in the Dark  this lonely autodidact found himself wondering about the relationship between rebellion and creativity. He realized that visionary misfits and troublemakers such as William Blake, van Gogh, T.E. Lawrence, Nijinsky and Sri Ramakrishna rejected the meretricious facade of the world around them and tried to break through to some larger, truer reality. When The Outsider was published, it was rightly described as an intellectual thriller and became a bestseller.

With the money he earned  never matched by any of his later works  Wilson and his wife bought a house in rural Cornwall, which he gradually filled with 30,000 books. Defining himself as an optimistic existentialist, Wilson then embarked on a lifelong exploration of humankinds ache for spiritual purpose and meaning, an ache that people usually try to assuage through art, sex, drugs, religion or even crime. Men and women deeply yearn, in Lachmans summary, for an inner expansiveness, a release from trivia and banality, a sensation of more life.  We really should awake each day as if it were Christmas morning, as if the dawn were bringing us  in G.K. Chestertons phrase  absurd good news.

[How great science fiction works]

Throughout his life Wilson always remained an intellectual magpie. Abraham Maslows theories about peak experiences, those meaningful coincidences that Jung dubbed synchronicities, Robert Gravess fantastic scholarship about the White Goddess  they all enriched Wilsons thinking. He grew particularly excited by the implications of the division between the brains rational, verbal left lobe and its imaginative, pattern-oriented right. The world we experience, he deduced, is actually highly edited, created by what we choose to perceive. In fact, we sleepwalk through much of our lives, relying on an internalized robot self that automatically attends to our routine tasks and ignores the richness and wonder around us. The more we rely on the robot, the less authentic we feel.

However, some of us  like Proust when he nibbled on a tea-soaked madeleine  discover that we carry whole universes within ourselves and by using what Wilson calls Faculty X we can escape the present moment and dwell in the spirit whenever and wherever we choose. But this doesnt mean we should just go with the flow, become lotus eaters. People flourish best, says Wilson, when confronted by obstacles and challenges. Lifes setbacks shock us out of our mental laziness and allow us, through disciplined effort, to reshape and strengthen our inner selves. An active will is the key to psychological health.

Over the years Wilsons investigations of fringe science, the paranormal and extreme behavior yielded an astonishing diversity of books: Encyclopedia of Murder (co-authored with Patricia Pitman) and A Criminal History of Mankind, surveys of the supernatural such as Mysteries From Atlantis to the Sphinx and Super Consciousness, and even several fictional thought experiments, including two Lovecraftian science fiction novels, The Mind Parasites and The Philosophers Stone, as well as The Space Vampies, later made into the Tobe Hooper movie Lifeforce.  This self-described intellectual worker also taught and gave talks, while tirelessly persevering with his outlier researches right up to his death in 2013 at age 82.

Needless to say, Colin Wilsons immensely readable books and nearly all his ideas were generally dismissed by the literary establishment as the lunatic imaginings of a crank or gullible naif. How could anyone actually treat dowsing, UFOs and alien abductions seriously? Yet no matter how wild his ostensible subject, Wilson invariably stressed its connection to crucial humanistic concerns: We need to break free of our mind-forged manacles, cast aside our proclivity for existential despair and strive to live heroic and fulfilling lives. To me, that doesnt sound at all crazy.

Michael Dirda reviews books on Thursdays in Style.
The following review appears in The Washington Posts 2016 Fall Dining Guide.



Chef-owner Ben Lefenfeld carves Jamon Iberico de Bellota at the bar of La Cuchara in Baltimore. (Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post)

La Cuchara

GOOD/EXCELLENT

The uptick in Basque accents around the country is on display regionally at La Cuchara, which weighs in with 8,500 square feet and a menu of pintxos (bar snacks), primeros (appetizers) and larger plates, some sprung from a showy grill (platos de asador madera) in the open kitchen. Chef Ben Lefenfeld changes his script, sometimes daily, to highlight the seasons best finds. Experience has taught me to put my trust in the bartender, the bread baker and the cooks trained to let the food speak for itself. Brined veal tongue and charred cabbage tucked into a cumin roll make a memorable three-way. Another fond memory: branzino scented with sage and set on scarlet beet puree. You might be sorry to lose a favorite dish between visits, but also cheered to encounter a fresh idea. Warmed up with guitar music and homey touches, like a collection of spoons on a wall, Baltimores biggest restaurant is also one of its best.

Previous: Kyirisan | Next: Le Diplomate

2 1/2 stars

La Cuchara: 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., Baltimore. 443-708-3838. lacucharabaltimore.com .

Prices: Mains $22-$36.

Sound check: 83 decibels / Extremely loud.

--

The following review was originally published Aug. 31, 2016.

La Cuchara review: Big, brash and Basque in Baltimore

First, theres the enormity of the place. Restaurants clocking in at 8,500 square feet dont come along every day. When I later learn that La Cuchara, one of the best things to happen to Baltimore in several seasons, was carved from a former London Fog factory, Im not surprised.

Size makes the initial impression, but style is its companion. If theres a bigger, warmer environment for dining, I have yet to make its acquaintance. The Basque-themed La Cuchara opens with a glass-fronted counter displaying platters of food, moves on to what might be the citys biggest bar and concludes with an open kitchen dominated by a grill. To the sides of these spectacles are intimate white-brick dining rooms where guitar music fills the air, Spanish maps confirm the cuisine and a collection of spoons  a mix of wood, cast-iron, ornate and homespun  doubles as wall art.

None of this would matter, of course, without a menu that entices you to do more than browse. But Ben Lefenfeld, 34, the former chef of Baltimores Petit Louis Bistro, gives visitors just that: a celebration of the foods of northern Spain inspired by a 2014 trip he took with his wife.

La Cuchara (spoon in Spanish) takes its name from their favorite restaurant abroad, La Cuchara de San Telmo, a standard-bearer of modern Basque cooking in San Sebastian.



An assortment of pintxos, the beloved bar snacks of Spains Basque region (Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post)

Lefenfelds menu begins with pintxos, the regions beloved bar snacks that are sometimes held together with a cocktail skewer. (Pintxo, pronounced PEEN-cho, derives from the Basque word for spike.) Meant to be eaten in the company of other grazers, the bites include the colorful and shocking gildas  toothpicks threaded with anchovy, green olive and racy piquillo pepper  that are a staple of every pintxos bar in San Sebastian. Shaved, brined veal tongue and a layer of charred cabbage fill a half-sandwich served on a swipe of smoky aioli. Each element adds something splendid to the equation, which includes a tender cumin roll baked in house.

Bread, by the way, is one of the highlights of a meal; depending on the day, dinner might commence with smoked potato bread, pumpernickel, sesame seed sourdough or loaves produced with spent grain from the nearby Union Craft Brewing. Whatever the selection, the breads are fine companions for the cheeses (manchego with sweet-and-sour pickled garlic) and meats (the nutty ham from Iberico, should you care to splurge) that round out the opening statements.

The finesse of some of the dishes, primarily the primeros, or first courses, play up the chefs resume. Before Petit Louis Bistro, Lefenfeld cooked at the Southern lair Charleston, one of the Mid-Atlantics crown jewels, and the late Gerards Place in Washington, under French maestro Gerard Pangaud. Poached oysters on a pale yellow cream sauce, tinged with Pernod, are as pretty as a still life: separated on their plate by softly crisp sea beans, the bivalves form a ring around a little mound of pale green ribbons of cucumber. Fried oysters, golden and craggy, are aligned in a tidy row with tangy pickles, juicy cherry tomatoes and saffron aioli on a long, white plate. Patatas bravas wont win any beauty awards, but theres no denying the full-throttled pleasure in potatoes that have been boiled, seared in duck fat and treated to caramelized onions, roasted garlic, toasted cumin, tomato and smoky paprika. If theres a bite left, youre not inhaling life.



Fried oysters are served with cherry tomatoes and saffron aioli. (Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post)

After spending time on the restaurants custom-made grill, a strip steak is adorned with black garlic butter and chanterelle mushrooms. (Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post)

The massive grill, custom-designed for the restaurant by the D.C.-based Grillworks, is the source of a handful of dishes that rely on fire for their sizzle. Summer pleasantries have included sage-scented branzino on a brushstroke of beet puree, an entree enhanced with haunting charred eggplant; and a simply noble strip steak fleshed out with chanterelles and a coin of black garlic butter atop the beef. The common denominator is the restraint of the chef, who has the good sense to leave, say, a piece of fish or meat to its own devices. Lefenfeld uses only white oak, which he says imparts a cleaner smoke flavor and doesnt mask the essence of whatever leaves the grill.

For those who need a bite of sweetness to close a meal, there are slender, sugar-dusted churros with chocolate for dipping and house-made sorbets, including summery melon.

Located in the Meadow Mill complex near the celebrated Woodberry Kitchen, La Cuchara serves drinks as good as its eats, thanks to cocktails including the Mensch (herbaceous Gin Mare mixed with manzanilla sherry and lavender) and wine service courtesy of sommelier Greg Schwab. When one of my guests asked him to describe four Basque reds on the list, the former employee of New Yorks esteemed Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group deftly rattled off two-sentence appraisals for each. Also on tap: ciders, just as youd expect in a genuine pintxo bar abroad, representing both Spain and France.



A cocktail called the Mensch cocktail mixes Gin Mare, manzanilla sherry and lavender. (Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post)

The Sangre Del Toro cocktail features Green Hat gin, Jack Rudy Tonic and Beet-Tarragon Espuma. (Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post)

Co-owned by Lefenfelds wife, Amy, and his brother and drinks maestro, Jake, this is a business that cares about the fine points. The bar top, says the chef, is stainless steel trimmed in chestnut, so as to keep the beer cold and the elbows warm.

La Cuchara, which can seat up to 260 people factoring in the front patio, is not a quiet restaurant. But then, who hosts a party on mute? The sounds in the expanse are mostly diners having a grand time.

A note of caution: Right now, the chef changes as much as two-thirds of his menu from day to day, allowing his staff to feature the best of the market. The chances of your returning even a week later and finding a favorite are slim. On the other hand, the developments between visits act like catnip. This much I can promise: La Cuchara wont be boring.
Dear Miss Manners: How best can a hostess graciously accept compliments on her cooking? When people remark on a particular dish or baked good, I find myself saying Thank you, and then adding a disclaimer (i.e., It was an easy recipe). I feel uncomfortable simply saying Thank you, but perhaps this is the most polite response, and I need to become accustomed to it. What should one add, if anything?

A winning smile. Miss Manners recognizes, without understanding, that most people find it difficult to accept a compliment with good grace. But she urges you to consider that attempts to convince the guest that your cooking is not worthy of compliment are neither flattering, appetizing, nor, she trusts, convincing.

Dear Miss Manners: My spouse and I enjoy completely different types of music. Her music puts me in a horrible mood.

It usually isnt a problem, because our house has enough room for me to get away from it. However, when we drive in her car, she insists on playing her music.

When we drive in my car, I ask her what she wants to listen to, hoping that we can agree on the same XM channel, which usually happens.

What are the rules on car radio etiquette? Is she right? Does the owner and driver of the car get to choose the music?

When its a short trip for an errand, I can handle it. A long trip is torture. I thought about wearing earplugs. Yes, she does like a high volume with a little singing, too. No, she doesnt sing very well. She said that shell follow your rules of the road.

How about the rules of marriage, starting with Dont Torture Your Spouse?

Being in the drivers seat, literally or figuratively, does not relieve one of the need to consider the comfort of others, Miss Manners assures you. On the contrary, it confers the obligation to do so. The system your wife cites  might makes right  is what civilization was invented to overturn.

Dear Miss Manners: I have a workmate who posted his wifes baby shower invitation on the refrigerator door in the break room. He has not mentioned it to anyone or given out private invitations. Are we obliged to respond or buy a gift, or even RSVP? Im fairly put off, as I find this tacky and very impersonal. I just find this as someone looking to get as much as they can with no other thought put into it.

Posting an invitation in the break room is not the same as a formal invitation. Miss Manners gives you permission to ignore it so long as your workmate does not bring it to your attention. If he does, you will have to respond, mumbling that you didnt realize you were included, left your glasses at home and took lunch out all week.

New Miss Manners columns are posted Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com.
Alexandria

These were among incidents reported by the Alexandria Police Department. For information, call 703-838-4636 or visit alexandriava.gov.

ASSAULTS

Duke St., 400 block, 10:22 p.m. Aug. 18. An assault was reported.

Duke St., 4600 block, 1:44 p.m. Aug. 22. An assault was reported.

Duke St., 5200 block, 7:16 p.m. Aug. 20. An assault was reported.

Duke St., 5200 block, 5:45 p.m. Aug. 22. An assault was reported.

Edison St., 3800 block, 2:18 p.m. Aug. 19. An assault was reported.

Heritage Lane, 5100 block, 1:39 a.m. Aug. 22. An assault was reported.

King St., 4600 block, 1:15 a.m. Aug. 18. An assault was reported.

Madison St., 1300 block, 9:21 p.m. Aug. 19. An assault and a theft were reported.

Martha Custis Dr., 1200 block, 5:02 a.m. Aug. 20. An assault was reported.

Trent Ct., 5500 block, 4:54 a.m. Aug. 21. An assault was reported.

Washington St. S., 1100 block, 4:17 p.m. Aug. 19. An assault was reported.

Washington St. S., 1200 block, 7:22 a.m. Aug. 22. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

West St. S., 200 block, 12:49 a.m. Aug. 20. An assault was reported.

ABDUCTION

Duke St., 4600 block, 1:44 p.m. Aug. 22. A kidnapping incident was reported.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Alfred St. N., 100 block, 5:49 p.m. Aug. 22. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Allison St., 900 block, 11:33 a.m. Aug. 22. A theft was reported and property was damaged.

Arell Ct., unit block, 9:46 a.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Arell Ct., unit block, 2:31 a.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

Armistead St. N., 600 block, 5:59 p.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Beauregard St. N., 1400 block, 5:43 a.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

Braddock Rd. E., 400 block, 4:01 a.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

Braddock Rd. W., 1200 block, 8:35 p.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Commonwealth Ave., 3100 block, 8:33 a.m. Aug. 18. A theft was reported.

Duke St., 2200 block, 8:16 a.m. Aug. 20. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Duke St., 4300 block, 1:42 a.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

Duke St., 4300 block, 10:30 a.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

Duke St., 4600 block, 1:48 a.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

Duke St., 4600 block, 9:32 p.m. Aug. 18. A theft was reported.

Duke St., 5900 block, 12:57 p.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported. An arrest was made.

Duke St., 6200 block, 11:16 p.m. Aug. 23. A theft was reported.

Elbert Ave., 3900 block, 3:51 p.m. Aug. 17. A theft was reported.

Essex Ct., 5300 block, 7:41 p.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Fayette St. N., 500 block, 11:23 p.m., Aug. 22. A theft was reported.

Harrison Cir., 900 block, 8:20 a.m. Aug. 23. A theft was reported.

Harwich Ct., 5700 block, 1:47 p.m. Aug. 21. A theft was reported.

Holmes Run Pkwy., 5300 block, 12:30 a.m. Aug. 20. Property was entered. An arrest was made.

Holmes Run Pkwy., 5300 block, 1:30 p.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Holmes Run Pkwy., 5400 block, 3:21 p.m. Aug. 22. A theft was reported.

Irving Ct., unit block, 9:47 p.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3100 block, 9:26 p.m. Aug. 22. A theft was reported. An arrest was made.

Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3100 block, 10:36 p.m. Aug. 18. A theft was reported. An arrest was made.

Jenkins St. S., 200 block, 10:26 p.m. Aug. 22. A theft was reported.

Kenwood Ave., 1600 block, 9:04 p.m. Aug. 22. A theft was reported.

Kenmore Ave., 4600 block, 1:14 p.m. Aug. 22. A theft was reported.

Kenmore Ave., 4600 block, 10:31 p.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

King St., 500 block, 5:07 p.m. Aug. 23. Property was entered.

King St., 4300 block, 8:56 p.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Michigan Ct., 1200 block, 12:26 p.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Mount Vernon Ave. and W. Glebe Rd., 3700 block, 12:46 p.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

Oronoco St., 1300 block, 5:40 p.m. Aug. 17. A theft was reported.

Park Center Dr., 2800 block, 9:36 a.m. Aug. 22. A theft was reported.

Payne St. N., 200 block, 9:19 a.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Queen St., unit block, 5:14 a.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

Robinson Ct., 500 block, 11:04 a.m. Aug. 18. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Seay St., 2900 block, 2:34 p.m. Aug. 19. A theft was reported.

Sheffield Ct., 5400 block, 4:31 p.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported.

Union St. N., 100 block, 6:18 p.m. Aug. 20. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Washington St. S., 300 block, 11:31 a.m. Aug. 18. A theft was reported.

Whiting St. S., 100 block, 4:57 p.m. Aug. 20. A theft was reported. An arrest was made.

Yoakum Pkwy., 300 block, 8:25 a.m. Aug. 21. A theft was reported.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Commonwealth Ave., 3500 block, 3:31 p.m. Aug. 19. A vehicle was stolen.

Duke and N. Pickett streets, 6:50 a.m. Aug. 19. A vehicle was stolen.

Park Center Dr., 2600 block, 8:09 p.m. Aug. 22. A vehicle was stolen.

Taney Ave., 5300 block, 11:59 p.m. Aug. 23. A vehicle was stolen.

Taney Ave., 5400 block, 10:39 a.m. Aug. 20. A vehicle was stolen.

Washington St. S., 1200 block, 4:43 a.m. Aug. 22. A vehicle was stolen.

Wilson Ave., 3500 block, 8:16 a.m. Aug. 19. A vehicle was stolen.

Yale Dr., 100 block, 6:33 p.m. Aug. 23. A vehicle was stolen.

VANDALISM

Armistead St. N., 400 block, 12:45 p.m. Aug. 20. Property was damaged.

Derby Ct., 5600 block, 9:09 p.m. Aug. 23. Property was damaged.

Duke St., 4300 block, 10:16 a.m. Aug. 19. Property was damaged.

Duke St., 4600 block, 5:14 p.m. Aug. 19. Property was damaged.

Duke St., 5200 block, 9:50 a.m. Aug. 22. Property was damaged.

Four Mile Rd., 400 block, 2:24 p.m. Aug. 22. Property was damaged.

Harwich Ct., 5700 block, 11:25 a.m. Aug. 19. Property was damaged.

Lincolnia St., 6100 block, 2:43 p.m. Aug. 21. Property was damaged.

Martin Lane, 100 block, 8:49 p.m. Aug. 20. Property was damaged.

Queen St., 1000 block, 9:30 a.m. Aug. 19. Property was damaged.

Seaton Ave., 700 block, 10:25 p.m. Aug. 17. Property was damaged.

Seminary Rd., 4900 block, 11:06 a.m. Aug. 19. Property was damaged.

Arlington

These were among incidents reported Aug. 18-24 by the Arlington County Police Department. For information, call 703-558-2222 or visit newsroom.arlingtonva.us.

SEXUAL ASSAULTS

Washington Blvd. N., 2700 block, 2:54 p.m. Aug. 19. A sexual assault was reported.

Washington Blvd. N., 2700 block, 11:40 p.m. Aug. 18. A man approached a female from behind, grabbed her buttocks and fled from the scene.

ASSAULTS

Columbia Pike, 3100 block, 12:05 p.m. Aug. 20. Two people fought.

Columbia Pike, 3800 block, 12:50 p.m. Aug. 20. Two people fought.

Courthouse Rd. N., 1400 block, 11:51 a.m. Aug. 20. Threats were reported.

Glebe Rd. S., 300 block. An assault was reported.

Nelson St. N., 1700 block. An assault was reported.

Uhle St. S., 200 block, 9:21 a.m. Aug. 19. An assault was reported.

Wayne St. N., 100 block, 11:24 a.m. Aug. 21. Two people fought.

Wilson Blvd. N., 2700 block, 1:47 a.m. Aug. 23. An assault was reported.

Wilson Blvd. N., 3100 block, 1:16 a.m. Aug. 19. An assault was reported.

13th St. N., 3400 block. An assault was reported.

20th St. S., 200 block. An assault was reported.

23rd St. S., 500 block, 10:11 a.m. Aug. 23. A man reported to police that he received a laceration to the hand after an argument. Police had responded to a report of an accident the night before where the same man was taken to a hospital for treatment. An investigation is ongoing.

INDECENT EXPOSURE

24th St. N., 4600 block, 10:40 a.m. Aug. 19. Two juvenile females saw a man exposing himself inside a vehicle.

ROBBERIES

Wilson Blvd. N., 2700 block, 1:30 a.m. Aug. 23. A man was assaulted after an argument and a person fled with the mans property.

Second St. S., 3500 block, 8:19 p.m. Aug. 20. A robbery was reported.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Abingdon St. S., 3000 block, 10 p.m. Aug. 19 to 8:30 a.m. Aug. 20. Property was stolen from a building entered by force.

Arlington Mill Dr. S., 2600 block, 3 p.m. Aug. 19 to 7 a.m. Aug. 20. A female awoke to find her property and vehicle were stolen. The vehicle was recovered.

Buchanan St. N., 600 block, 7:28 a.m. Aug. 18. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Columbia Pike S., 4800 block, midnight to 6 a.m. Aug. 19. A person took cash from a business entered by force.

Columbia Pike S., 4800 block, 11:05 a.m. Aug. 19. A theft from a store was reported.

Columbia Pike S., 5100 block, 3:30 p.m. Aug. 19 to 7 a.m. Aug. 22. Property was stolen from a building.

Courthouse Rd. N., 1400 block, 9:03 a.m. Aug. 23. A theft was reported.

Crystal Dr. S., 1400 block. A theft was reported.

Glebe Rd. N., 200 block, 12:36 a.m. Aug. 23. A theft was reported.

Glebe Rd. N., 700 block, 5:58 p.m. Aug. 22. A shoplifting incident was reported.

Glebe Rd. N., unit block, 12:47 p.m. Aug. 20. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Glebe Rd. S., 2400 block. A credit card was stolen.

Greenbrier Ct. N., 2300 block. A theft was reported.

Greenbrier St. S., 800 block, 10:42 p.m. Aug. 21. A theft was reported.

Harrison St. N., 600 block, 11:05 a.m. Aug. 18. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Harrison St. N., 600 block, noon Aug. 17 to 10:30 a.m. Aug. 18. Property was stolen from seven vehicles.

Harrison St. N., 700 block, 6:09 p.m. Aug. 18. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Hayes St. S., 1100 block. A credit card was stolen.

Hayes St. S., 1100 block. Eleven thefts were reported.

Hayes St. S., 1200 block. A theft was reported.

Hayes St. S., 1400 block. A theft was reported.

Hayes St. S., 1400 block. An employee theft was reported.

Jefferson Davis Hwy. S., 1700 block. A theft was reported.

Jefferson Davis Hwy. S., 2700 block. Two thefts were reported.

Lee Hwy. N., 1300 block. A theft was reported.

Montana St. N., 1000 block, 12:13 p.m. Aug. 18. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Pershing St. and N. Wayne Dr., 9:09 a.m. Aug. 22. A theft was reported.

Quincy St. N., 800 block, 2:12 p.m. Aug. 20. A theft in a building was reported.

Spout Run Pkwy. N., 3000 block, 12:56 p.m. Aug. 21. A theft was reported.

Stafford St. N., 2000 block. A theft was reported.

Wayne St. N., 300 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Wayne St. S., 400 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Wayne St. S., 400 block, 8:26 a.m. Aug. 22. A theft was reported.

Wilson Blvd. N., 1100 block. A theft was reported.

Wilson Blvd. N., 3900 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Second St. N., 4200 block. Property was entered.

Second St. S., 3500 block. A theft was reported.

Sixth St. N., 5100 block, Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Seventh St. N., 3700 block, 11:21 a.m. Aug. 20. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Ninth Rd. N., 6000 block, 8:35 a.m. Aug. 18. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

15th St. N., 2100 block, 7:11 p.m. Aug. 21. A shoplifting incident was reported.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Buchanan St. N., 600 block, 7:57 a.m. Aug. 18. A white 2002 Dodge Caravan was stolen.

Mckinley Rd. N., 800 block, 10:03 a.m. Aug. 18. A silver 1996 Dodge Ram was stolen.

Second St. N., 4500 block, 10:16 a.m. Aug. 22. A red 2002 Ford E350 was stolen.

VANDALISM

Arlington Blvd. N., 1100 block. Property was damaged.

Arlington Mill Dr., 800 block. Property was damaged.

Columbia Pike S., 2100 block. Property was damaged.

Fairfax St. and N. Monroe Dr., 4:25 a.m. Aug. 21. Property was damaged.

Glebe Rd. S., 200 block, 11:56 p.m. Aug. 19. Property was damaged.

Herndon St. N., 1500 block. Property was damaged.

Shirlington Rd. S., 2600 block. Property was damaged.
Anne Arundel County

The following incidents were reported by the Anne Arundel County police. For information, call 410-222-8050.

BROOKLYN AREA

ROBBERIES

Brookwood Rd. and 11th Ave., Aug. 19. Two armed males stole a cellphone and cash from a female. During the investigation, a second robbery was reported at Fourth Avenue and Cross Street, possibly involving the same pair. A third incident was reported by a homeowner who said someone had broken into his home and shot at his dog, resulting in a minor graze that did not require medical attention.

GLEN BURNIE AREA

ASSAULTS

New Jersey Ave., 100 block, 11 p.m. Aug. 23. During a struggle inside an apartment, a woman was shot in the upper torso and a man received a laceration on his head. A Baltimore man, 28, was charged with two counts of attempted first- and second-degree murder, robbery, home invasion and other charges.

PASADENA AREA

ROBBERIES

Mountain Rd., 3200 block, 4:47 p.m. Aug. 19. A male wearing a wig and sunglasses demanded cash from a bank teller. He fled when the teller refused to give him cash.

SEVERN AREA

ASSAULTS

WB&A Blvd. and Dorsey Rd., 4:10 a.m. Aug. 22. An acquaintance shot a man, 34, in the leg. A Severn man, 25, was arrested and charged.

ROBBERIES

Stillmeadows Dr. and Parham Ct., 8 p.m. Aug. 23. A male on a bicycle rode up to a man in a vehicle stopped at an intersection, reached into his waistband to imply that he had a weapon, demanded the mans watch and cellphone, and fled.

Annapolis

These were among incidents reported by the Annapolis Police Department. For information, call 410-268-9000.

ROBBERIES

Belle Dr., 1700 block, 11 p.m. Aug. 18. Two masked males, one with a gun in his waistband, grabbed a woman by the neck and attempted to steal vehicle keys from her as she and her 7-year-old daughter walked to her vehicle. The woman ran away, and the assailants fled.

Oaklawn Ave. and Carver St., 12:45 a.m. Aug. 25. Three assailants stole cash and a backpack from a man, assaulted him, and fled.

Tyler Ave., 1400 block, 11:45 p.m. Aug. 18. A man tried to force his way into a home while threatening a female inside. He damaged a screen door and air conditioner. An Annapolis man, 48, was charged with attempted first-, third- and fourth-degree burglary, destruction of property, assault on an officer and resisting arrest.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Catlyn Pl., 1400 block, 11 p.m. Aug. 18 to 1 p.m. Aug. 19. A screen door was damaged at a home.

Catlyn Pl., 1400 block, 4:14 a.m. Aug. 20. Cash was stolen from a home. A Pasadena man, 32, was charged with first-, third- and fourth-degree burglary and theft.

Catlyn Pl., 1400 block, 1:30 to 9 a.m. Aug. 20. A home was entered through an unlocked window; nothing was reported stolen.

Chester Ave., 11 a.m. Aug. 22 to 10 a.m. Aug. 24. A mini-excavator was stolen from a construction site.

Edgewood Rd., 900 block, 10 p.m. Aug. 22 to 8 a.m. Aug. 23. A laptop computer and a wallet were stolen from an apartment.

Northwest St., 9 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. Aug. 23. Cash was stolen from a vehicle.

Northwest St., 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Clothing was stolen from a vehicle.

Howard County

These were among incidents reported by the Howard County Police Department. For information, call 410-313-2236.

COLUMBIA AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Cloudleap Ct., 8700 block, 10 a.m. to 7:40 p.m. Aug. 22. Electronic devices were stolen from a home.

Hickory Ridge Rd., 10300 block, 4:22 p.m. Aug. 22. Electronic devices were stolen from a home.

Majors Lane, 6000 block, 10:24 p.m. Aug. 22. A safe, passports, personal documents and cash were stolen from a home.

Oakland Mills Rd., 6900 block, 8:55 a.m. Aug. 20. Cash and checks were stolen from a business.

Oakland Mills Rd., 6900 block, 2;43 p.m. Aug. 20. Cash was stolen from a dance studio.

Sinbad Pl., 6100 block, 4:36 p.m. Aug. 23. An unsuccessful attempt was made to force open a sliding door at a home.

Stevens Forest Rd., 5900 block, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Electronic devices, watches and shoes were stolen from a home.

Stevens Forest Rd., 5600 block, 6:01 p.m. Aug. 21. Personal documents and prescription medication were stolen from a home.

Tamar Dr., 8300 block, 1 a.m. Aug. 24. Two males who were seen trying to enter a home fled when they were confronted.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Cloudleap Ct., 8700 block, 8:30 p.m. Aug. 18. A Ford Expedition was stolen.

Grand Banks Rd., 5900 block, 8:16 p.m. Aug. 17. A 2012 orange Tao Tao scooter was stolen.

Rainflower Way, 7500 block, 12:26 p.m. Aug. 20. A 2007 blue Kia Spectra was stolen.

ELKRIDGE AREA

ASSAULTS

Old Waterloo Rd., 6800 block, Aug. 15. During a fight, a man stabbed an acquaintance. An Elkridge man, 28, was charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault.

ROBBERIES

Montgomery Rd., 7200 block, 4:46 p.m. Aug. 17. An armed woman robbed a business. A Linthicum Heights woman, 23, was charged with armed robbery, robbery, first- and second-degree assault and theft.

Montgomery Run Rd., 7200 block, 7:38 p.m. Aug. 19. Two male teens reached inside a vehicle and tried to take cash from a driver. An Elkridge male, 16, and a Columbia male, 15, were charged with attempted second-degree assault, robbery and theft.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Bonnie View Lane, 5900 block, 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 17. A rear glass door at a home was broken; it is unclear whether anything was stolen.

Old Rockbridge Dr., 7600 block, 1:09 a.m. Aug. 18. A homeowner saw someone in a back yard with a flashlight. The person fled.

Old Waterloo Rd., 7000 block, 9:45 a.m. Aug. 21. Electronic devices and a purse were stolen form a storage unit at a business.

Race Rd., 6200 block, 11:33 a.m. Aug. 22. Spray paint, gasoline and tools were stolen from a warehouse at a business.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Montgomery Rd., 8300 block, 5:05 a.m. Aug. 18. A 2003 gray Toyota 4Runner was stolen.

ELLICOTT CITY AREA

ROBBERIES

Brightwell Dr. and Rogers Ave., 5:46 p.m.m Aug. 17. An acquaintance assaulted a man, stole his bicycle, and fled.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Dunteachin Dr., 5300 block, Aug. 18 to Aug. 19. A toolbox was stolen from a garage.

Globe Dr., 10300 block, 3:56 p.m. Aug. 23. A youth broke into a home. An Ellicott City male, 13, was charged with first-degree burglary.

Old Frederick Rd., 8900 block, 9:48 p.m. Aug. 21. Jewelry and coins were stolen from a home.

Michaels Way, 9700 block, 5:35 p.m. Aug. 18. Food and electronic devices were stolen from a home.

Stonecrest Dr., 4300 block, 7:57 p.m. Aug. 18. Property was stolen from a home.

Town and Country Blvd., 8700 block, 8:10 a.m. Aug. 18. Glass in the front door of a barber shop was broken; nothing was reported stolen.

JESSUP AREA

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Washington Blvd., 8100 block, 1:11 p.m. Aug. 23. A 2006 silver-and-black Honda Civic was stolen.

Washington Blvd., 8800 block, Aug. 13 to Aug. 15. An International truck was stolen.

LAUREL AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Deer Village Dr., 9200 block, 2:16 a.m. Aug. 24. Some teens were reported to be in a house under construction. Three of the teens were located; charges were pending.

Johns Hopkins Rd., 10700 block, 12:38 p.m. Aug. 17. A basement door window was broken; nothing was reported stolen.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Dapper Town Row, 9600 block, 8:48 a.m. Aug. 19. A 2005 blue Lexus was stolen.

Freestate Dr., 8700 block, 8:50 p.m. Aug. 18. A dark gray Ford-250 was stolen.

MOUNT AIRY AREA

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Long Corner Rd., 11:12 a.m. Aug. 18. A blue Yamaha YZ450 dirt bike was stolen.
How people experience advanced illness and death in the United States is a public health concern as well as a bedside care concern. Physician assistants (PAs) can help relieve suffering and align healthcare services with patients' wishes. PAs, physicians, and NPs can accomplish these goals by working in hospice or palliative medicine settings, referring patients to these services when appropriate, and expanding their skills in palliative care in a variety of practice settings.1-3 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's focus on patient-centered care and population health management and recognition of the value of palliative care for patients besides those with cancer are driving the need to expand a workforce knowledgeable in palliative approaches to care.3-5 Furthermore, the high costs of potentially futile treatments for advanced illness necessitate multidisciplinary stewardship of healthcare resources.6 PAs are poised to play a vital role in this context. However, the PA role and value in hospice and palliative care is not well understood and their services provided in hospice settings are not reimbursable under Medicare guidelines.7

Hospice and palliative medicine focus on symptom control, psychosocial support for patients and families, and realistic goal-setting in the context of advanced or terminal illness.8 Hospice care, a type of palliative care, is available specifically to patients who are terminally ill. Palliative care services have a broader application in symptom control (for example, chronic pain management) and improving quality of life for patients with advanced, chronic, or life-limiting illness.9 Expanding the application and reach of this supportive care would also improve continuity of care in the team-based model. Despite widening insurance coverage on a national scale and growth of palliative care services in hospitals, care delivered near the end of life is not getting better for everyone.10 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) data from 2014 indicate that Hispanic, American Indian, and Alaskan Native patients report worsening care at the end of life compared with previous years.11 According to the AHRQ report, Hispanics report receiving care inconsistent with their end-of-life wishes and inadequate pain management compared with non-Hispanic white patients. American Indian and Alaskan Natives receive later referral to hospice, effectively reducing the opportunities to receive benefits such as psychosocial support and services to improve the quality of remaining life.11 Additionally, a recent study of 3,035 older adults found that black patients were less likely to want hospice (63.8%) compared with their white counterparts (79.2%, P<0.001).12 Although the reasons for this have not been determined, factors may include inadequate knowledge of and access to palliative services, mistrust of the health system, and different views of the role of family and spirituality compared with groups with higher rates of using hospice.13

Recognizing nuance in patients' preferences for palliative care demands an expanded healthcare workforce knowledgeable in these modalities. Notably, many PAs are taking care of underserved populations in both rural and urban areas.14-16 Expanding practice for PAs along the care continuum may increase access to services for underserved groups.

PAs are trained in the very skills central to quality care in hospice and palliative medicine: basic management of pain, dyspnea, depression, and anxiety; and basic discussions about prognosis, treatment goals, suffering, and code status.3 Advanced skills in hospice and palliative care can be built on these basic skills and are developed further with clinical experiencetrue for any clinician. Yet, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) does not recognize the services of a PA in the delivery of hospice care when those services are provided for the medical condition that qualifies the patient for hospice.17,18

The current role of the PA in palliative medicine is not widely publicized. Little is known about the actual numbers of PAs practicing in hospice and palliative care.18,19 Building a base of professionals with palliative medicine skills is necessary if wider and earlier access to hospice and palliative care is the goal.20,21

PUTTING THE PA IN PALLIATIVE MEDICINE

A shortfall is projected in physicians trained in palliative medicine. In 2010, an American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine task force concluded that 2,787 to 7,510 full-time equivalents (6,000 to 18,000 individual physicians) were needed to adequately staff hospice and palliative care needs at that time.22 The task force noted that an increase in palliative-trained advanced practice nurses could relieve this constraint. PAs were not mentioned. Earlier, in 2002, the Health Resources and Services Administration noted the shortfall in trained providers and indicated that PAs could help fill the gap.23 The inclusion of PAs in hospice and palliative care has been echoed since then; a 2014 Institute of Medicine report stressed the importance of expanding workforce effectiveness in delivering quality services using an interprofessional education and collaboration framework.24,25

Collaboration with physicians has been a hallmark of PA practice since the profession's inception, and this continues in palliative medicine.26,27 A rapidly aging population coupled with large numbers of patients taking advantage of hospice1.5 to 1.6 million patients in 2013in the context of workforce shortages is ripe for PA expanded practice in hospice and palliative care.28

PAs are trained in the core areas integral to the delivery of palliative care.3 Preparation in palliative care and end-of-life care are specifically required of all PA training programs by Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) standards.29 Finding innovative ways to teach palliative care concepts and reinforcing this with required clinical experiences (or strongly encouraged elective experiences) may lead to more comprehensive understanding of palliative care and increase PA interest in the field.30,31 Furthermore, the very basis of PA training and practice stipulated by the ARC-PA emphasizes the role of interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork in the delivery of care to patients across the lifespan. Of note, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (in the US House Subcommittee on Health at the time of this writing) will provide money and technical support to train healthcare professionals in hospice and palliative care.32 The bill is intended to amend the Public Health Service Act to increase faculty in palliative care at medical schools, nursing schools, social work schools, and PA programs; promote research and training in hospice and palliative care; and support faculty career development in the palliative discipline.

Multidisciplinary collaboration is not only the ethos of hospice and palliative care, but a regulatory requirement of hospice care in particular.33 Yet, PAs often are left out of regulation concerning care in hospice and palliative care, including state law concerning palliative care and Medicare hospice coverage.17,34 This omission needs to be rectified for the good of patients and their access to services.

A 2013 survey conducted by the American Academy of PAs (15,925 respondents) identified a small number (12) of PAs practicing primarily in hospice and palliative care.19 However, the survey indicates that about 16% of surveyed PAs are practicing primarily in related disciplines such critical care (n=118), oncology (n=240), pediatric critical care (n=37), pediatric oncology (n=20), surgical oncology (n=66), trauma surgery (n=126), emergency medicine (n=1,708), pain management (n=241), and radiation oncology (n=30), which often involve palliative skills. In addition, respondents reported working in hospices (n=49), long-term care facilities (n=132), hospital EDs (n=1,416), and intensive/critical care hospital units (n=326) along with other clinical settings serving patients with advanced illness. This further signifies the opportunities PAs have to positively affect palliative-type care for patients with advanced illness.

Additionally, 32% of survey respondents report their primary specialty as primary care. Conversations about advance care planning often take place in primary care offices and may occur over multiple visits when patients and PAs have long-term care relationships. Getting underserved patient populations the information needed to make informed choices about care in advanced illness falls heavily on the shoulders of PAs, who have become critical providers of services in poorer communities.14,35

OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO PRACTICE

The two main barriers to PA practice in hospice and palliative care are ignorance about PA training and practice and regulations blocking PA practice in hospice settings. Because the CMS and Social Security Act provisions were written before the substantial growth in the PA profession, PAs are not included in these provisions and therefore cannot be reimbursed for services provided in the hospice setting.7,17 The Medicare Patient Access to Hospice Act, if passed, will tear down a significant barrier to PA practice in a large subset of palliative carehospice. The act, introduced in the US House by Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kans.) and Senate by Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), proposes to amend the Social Security Act so that PAs can be reimbursed under Medicare for providing care to hospice patients.36,37

Physicians or their organizations are reimbursed by health insurers for palliative medicine services provided by PAs under current procedural terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Disease-Clinical Modification (ICD-CM) codes.18,38,39 The ICD-10 code of Z51.5 used by physicians for palliative care encounters can be used by PAs providing services designated by the physician as can the ICD-10 codes for disease-specific care.

Another important development is the early 2016 start of Medicare reimbursement for advance care planning conversations between patients and their providers.40 This will likely create more opportunities for PAs to discuss end-of-life decision making with patients. This move by Medicare to recognize time spent discussing end-of-life decision making is critical to expanding patients' understanding of their options. This important aspect of comprehensive patient care has ultimately succeeded despite its exclusion from Affordable Care Act in 2010.41

Federal Medicare regulation aside, the PA role can vary between states. For example, medical or physician orders for life-sustaining treatment, signed by a patient's healthcare provider, document the patient's preferences about interventions in advanced illness or near the end of life.42 However, regulations vary by state on who can sign these documents aside from a physician. Uniform recognition of a PA's signature across all states would further solidify the PA role in partnering with patients about decision making in advanced illness.

For example, the New York State Palliative Care Information Act of 2011 does not include PAs in its mandate that physicians and NPs provide information on palliative care to appropriate patients.34 This is concerning because 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that New York State has the largest number of employed PAs (11,760) of any state.43 State PA societies, often working closely with state medical societies, are in the best position to engage state legislatures on these matters and should do so with the support of their constituent PAs.

ADVOCATE, ACCLIMATE, AND AGGREGATE

Advocate

All parties working in the delivery of PA services can publicize the current PA role in hospice and palliative care and support expanded PA practice in hospice care. PAs, physicians, nurses, patients, and families can contact elected representatives and urge them to support legislative efforts such as the Medicare Patient Access to Hospice Act and the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act. If passed, these laws will need to be well publicized so that relevant industries can prepare to incorporate the PA's expanded role.

Acclimate

PAs, along with PA educators and healthcare service line managers, can respond to the growing need for hospice and palliative care services by furthering their education on these topics, connecting PA students with robust clinical experiences in hospice and palliative medicine, and connecting students with mentors in hospice and palliative care.

Aggregate

Health services administrators, including quality improvement leaders, can collect data on their PAs working in hospice and palliative care or related areas such as oncology and critical care, survey patients about PA practice in these areas, and determine what value current or additional PA staff add to care delivery. For example, PA delivery of care in cancer care settings demonstrated equivalent mortality and intensive care transfers as well as decreased length of stay, readmissions, and consults when evaluated against a traditional physician resident model.44 Similar findings have been noted for the medical intensive care setting, where palliative approaches to care and care near the end of life are encountered.45

The psychosocial aspects of hospice and palliative care practice demand providers capable of meeting patients and families where they are emotionally supporting them through the most difficult times in their lives. PAs have demonstrated a greater orientation toward providing psychosocial care and a willingness to engage seriously ill patients and families, compared with oncologists.46

Notably, PAs are playing a substantial role in at least one CMS-funded innovation project aimed at optimizing palliative care for communities.47 The Four Seasons Community Palliative Care delivery model in western North Carolina uses specially trained providers (including PAs) to gather point-of-care data on symptoms and patient outcomes. The organization has a history of demonstrating improved care delivery using PAs and NPs.27 The CMS-funded project's goal is to improve patient outcomes, patient and family care satisfaction, and reduce total costs for patients with advanced and life-limiting illnesses, creating a sustainable and replicable model for Medicare.

The need for hospice and palliative care services is growing as the United States deals with evolving healthcare reform and continued disparities in healthcare access for racial and ethnic groups. PAs can help meet this need by widening their practice in palliative medicine, including hospice care. If PAs and others recognize the PA role in the systemwide change necessary for palliative care improvements for populations, patients and families can have improved care experience in all settings, including hospice and palliative care.20,48
District of Columbia

These were among incidents reported by D.C. police. For information, call 202-727-9099.

Northeast

HOMICIDE

18th Pl., 1200 block, midnight Aug. 21. Gun reported.

SEXUAL ASSAULTS

Hamlin St., 1300 block, 1:05 a.m. Aug. 16. A sexual assault was reported.

New York Ave., 1600-1779 blocks, 11:17 a.m. Aug. 20. A sexual assault was reported.

ASSAULTS

Benning Rd., 1500 block, 9:50 a.m. Aug. 19.

Eastern Ave., 1400 block, 7:31 a.m. Aug. 21.

Edgewood St., 600 block, 11:48 p.m. Aug. 23.

H St., 300 block, 3:01 a.m. Aug. 21. Knife reported.

Hayes St., 4400 block, 12:15 a.m. Aug. 20. Gun reported.

Irving St., 1600 block, 4:05 p.m. Aug. 23. Gun reported.

Michigan Ave., 100-379 blocks, 9:38 p.m. Aug. 17. Knife reported.

Monroe St., 700 block, 6:59 p.m. Aug. 17. Knife reported.

Penn St., 1200 block, 3:37 a.m. Aug. 21. Gun reported.

Penn St., 1200 block, 10:02 p.m. Aug. 22. Knife reported.

West Virginia Ave., 1600 block, 6:58 p.m. Aug. 17.

Second St., 5600-5744 blocks, 9:19 p.m. Aug. 17. Knife reported.

44th St., 600 block, 12:09 a.m. Aug. 22. Knife reported.

59th St., 500 block, 12:58 a.m. Aug. 21. Gun reported.

ROBBERIES

Adams St., 200 block, 8:16 a.m. Aug. 20.

Ames St., 3500 block, 2:47 a.m. Aug. 17.

Benning Rd., 1500-1699 blocks, 2:51 p.m. Aug. 22. Gun reported.

F St., 1200 block, 8:42 p.m. Aug. 18. Knife reported.

Galloway St., 1100 block, 10:16 p.m. Aug. 21. Gun reported.

Grant St., 4200-4399 blocks, 1:22 a.m. Aug. 20. Gun reported.

Holbrook St., 1600 block, 6:02 p.m. Aug. 19. Gun reported.

Holbrook St., 1600 block, 1:35 a.m. Aug. 23. Gun reported.

Minnesota Ave., 3900 block, 11:12 a.m. Aug. 20.

Minnesota Ave., 4000-4121 blocks, 4:32 p.m. Aug. 17.

Montello Ave., 1600 block, 7:17 p.m. Aug. 21.

Rhode Island Ave., 1800-1999 blocks, 3:15 a.m. Aug. 21. Knife reported.

Fourth St., 5200 block, 6:54 p.m. Aug. 17.

Eighth St., 2700-2999 blocks, 1:10 a.m. Aug. 18. Gun reported.

12th St., 2600 block, 1:38 p.m. Aug. 23. Gun reported.

16th St., 1200 block, 1:05 p.m. Aug. 23. Gun reported.

18th St., 3500 block, 12:12 p.m. Aug. 18. Gun reported.

22nd St., 2600 block, 3:29 p.m. Aug. 23. Gun reported.

BREAK-INS

Brentwood Rd., 1000-1249 blocks, 1:58 p.m. Aug. 17.

Rhode Island Ave., 500-799 blocks, 7:48 a.m. Aug. 17.

V St., 100 block, 6:38 a.m. Aug. 19.

West Virginia Ave., 1900 block, 10:59 a.m. Aug. 19.

10th St., 3000 block, 9:42 p.m. Aug. 21.

10th St., 3200 block, 8:21 p.m. Aug. 21.

24th St., 600-799 blocks, 11:56 a.m. Aug. 21.

THEFTS

Benning Rd., 1900-2099 blocks, 1:46 p.m. Aug. 17.

Benning Rd., 3900 block, 7:59 a.m. Aug. 19.

Benning Rd., 3900 block, 5:59 a.m. Aug. 20.

Benning Rd., 3900 block, 12:20 a.m. Aug. 21.

Benning Rd., 4000 block, 3:18 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Bladensburg Rd., 800 block, 1:52 p.m. Aug. 22.

Bladensburg Rd., 900 block, 2:02 p.m. Aug. 16.

Bladensburg Rd., 900 block, 10:16 p.m. Aug. 17.

Bladensburg Rd., 900 block, 11:48 a.m. Aug. 18.

Bladensburg Rd., 1200-1699 blocks, 10:05 p.m. Aug. 22.

Brentwood Pkwy., 1400 block, 5:37 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Brentwood Rd., 900 block, 8 p.m. Aug. 17.

Brentwood Rd., 900 block, 7:19 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Brentwood Rd., 900 block, 3:50 p.m. Aug. 23.

Brentwood Rd., 1000-1249 blocks, 3:26 a.m. Aug. 16.

Brentwood Rd., 1000-1249 blocks, 11:28 a.m. Aug. 17.

Brentwood Rd., 1000-1249 blocks, 6:41 p.m. Aug. 18.

Brentwood Rd., 1000-1249 blocks, 8:33 p.m. Aug. 18.

Brentwood Rd., 1000-1249 blocks, 11:22 p.m. Aug. 22.

Brentwood Rd., 1000-1249 blocks, 4:51 a.m. Aug. 23.

Bryant St., 1800 block, 10:50 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

C St., 600 block, 11:19 a.m. Aug. 16.

C St., 1300 block, 8:02 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Chillum Pl., 5200-5399 blocks, 7:06 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Delafield St., 700 block, 9:30 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Division Ave., 700 block, 7:57 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

E St., 700 block, 6:13 p.m. Aug. 22.

E St., 700 block, 7:12 p.m. Aug. 22.

Eastern Ave., 600 block, 11:33 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Eastern Ave., 900-1099 blocks, 9:58 p.m. Aug. 19.

Eastern Ave., 900-1099 blocks, 12:19 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Eastern Ave., 900-1099 blocks, 6 p.m. Aug. 23.

Eastern Ave., 900-1099 blocks, 7:45 p.m. Aug. 23.

Evarts St., 600 block, 6:21 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

F St., 700 block, 11:10 a.m. Aug. 22.

F St., 1600 block, 2:03 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Fenwick St., 1800 block, 8:32 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Florida Ave., 300 block, 7:35 a.m. Aug. 22.

Fort Totten Dr., 4500 block, 9:23 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Girard St., 900 block, 7:16 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Grant St., 4000-4199 blocks, 9:16 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

H St., 600 block, 8:05 a.m. Aug. 22.

H St., 600 block, 5:15 p.m. Aug. 23.

H St., 700 block, 5:52 a.m. Aug. 22.

H St., 1000 block, 7:01 a.m. Aug. 17.

H St., 1100 block, 3:59 a.m. Aug. 21.

Hamlin St., 1800-1999 blocks, 2:08 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Holbrook St., 1700 block, 11:40 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

I St., 300 block, 1:33 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

I St., 500 block, 7:43 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

I St., 600 block, 7:49 p.m. Aug. 18.

Just St., 4900-5199 blocks, 10:01 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

K St., unit block, 10:40 a.m. Aug. 21.

Kenilworth Ave., 1500 block, 8:39 p.m. Aug. 22.

L St., 700 block, 5:46 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Lawrence St., 1600 block, 6:53 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Market St., 2400 block, 9 p.m. Aug. 19.

Maryland Ave., 1600 block, 1:30 p.m. Aug. 18.

Massachusetts Ave., unit block, 8:36 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Massachusetts Ave., unit block, 3:44 p.m. Aug. 20.

Massachusetts Ave., unit block, 9:53 a.m. Aug. 22.

Michigan Ave., 1000 block, 6:16 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Minnesota Ave., 3700 block, 10:45 a.m. Aug. 19.

Minnesota Ave., 3900 block, 11:11 a.m. Aug. 17.

Minnesota Ave., 3900 block, 6:50 p.m. Aug. 22.

Minnesota Ave., 4000-4121 blocks, 9:24 p.m. Aug. 16.

Minnesota Ave., 4000-4121 blocks, 6:46 p.m. Aug. 20.

Montana Ave., 1500-1699 blocks, 11:54 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Morse St., 1200 block, 10:17 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

N St., 300 block, 8:40 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

New York Ave., 1200-1399 blocks, 9:26 a.m. Aug. 18.

New York Ave., 1600-1779 blocks, 6:31 p.m. Aug. 16.

New York Ave., 2300-3699 blocks, 2:21 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

New York Ave., 2300-3699 blocks, 7:33 a.m. Aug. 23.

New York Ave., unit block, 9:11 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Newton St., 1000-1199 blocks, 11:57 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Oakview Terr., 3700 block, 10:04 p.m. Aug. 19.

Oglethorpe St., 800 block, 2:59 a.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Otis St., 1800-1999 blocks, 9:49 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Perry St., 2000-2199 blocks, 9:01 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Queens Chapel Rd., 2400 block, 1:44 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Queens Chapel Rd., 2500 block, 4:31 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Quincy St., 1900 block, 4:40 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Randolph St., 1900 block, 11:43 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Rhode Island Ave., 400 block, 12:11 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Rhode Island Ave., 400 block, 8:23 p.m. Aug. 19.

Rhode Island Ave., 900 block, 11:01 a.m. Aug. 17.

Rhode Island Ave., 900 block, 7:41 p.m. Aug. 18.

Rhode Island Ave., 1700 block, 8:42 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Rhode Island Ave., 2200 block, 11:54 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Rhode Island Ave., 3000-3133 blocks, 4:39 a.m. Aug. 16.

Rhode Island Ave., 3000-3133 blocks, 1:54 a.m. Aug. 21.

Riggs Rd., 300 block, 7:40 p.m. Aug. 18.

Rittenhouse St., 300 block, 10:32 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Taylor St., 200 block, 9:01 p.m. Aug. 17.

Washington Pl., 2300-2499 blocks, 9:29 p.m. Aug. 16.

Washington Pl., 2300-2499 blocks, 10:12 p.m. Aug. 17.

Washington Pl., 2300-2499 blocks, 2:45 p.m. Aug. 20.

West Virginia Ave., 2000 block, 1:53 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Yost Pl., 2900 block, 2:22 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

First St., 1100 block, 9:23 p.m. Aug. 19.

Second St., 700-899 blocks, 8:47 p.m. Aug. 16.

Second St., 1300 block, 1:56 a.m. Aug. 16.

Second St., 1300 block, 4:09 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Third St., 600 block, 2:45 p.m. Aug. 18.

Third St., 600 block, 9:08 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Third St., 5200 block, 11:22 a.m. Aug. 18.

Fourth St., 1200 block, 2:22 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Fourth St., 1200 block, 2:41 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Fourth St., 1300 block, 2:42 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Fifth St., 100 block, 10:32 a.m. Aug. 16.

Sixth St., 100 block, 6:42 p.m. Aug. 22.

Sixth St., 1100 block, 8:02 a.m. Aug. 19.

Seventh St., 3200 block, 8:05 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Eighth St., 800 block, 1:49 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Eighth St., 800 block, 11:06 p.m. Aug. 21.

Eighth St., 2700-2999 blocks, 2:37 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Ninth St., 1000 block, 3:36 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

10th St., 3500 block, 5:01 a.m. Aug. 19.

12th St., 900 block, 8:10 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

12th St., 3600 block, 8:48 p.m. Aug. 21.

12th St., 3700 block, 4:53 a.m. Aug. 20.

13th St., 900 block, 1:56 p.m. Aug. 17.

15th St., 400-516 blocks, 10:39 p.m. Aug. 18.

17th Pl., 3700-3999 blocks, 7:21 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

17th St., 3700-3999 blocks, 10:40 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

18th St., 3500 block, 11:30 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

19th St., 600 block, 10:09 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

19th St., 4400 block, 9:47 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

20th St., 2800-2999 blocks, 4:31 p.m. Aug. 16.

22nd St., 900 block, 4:30 p.m. Aug. 18.

22nd St., unit block, 7:18 p.m. Aug. 21.

24th St., 600-799 blocks, 9:16 p.m. Aug. 18.

26th St., 600-899 blocks, 12:17 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

26th St., 3100 block, 11:49 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

40th St., 300-499 blocks, 2:44 p.m. Aug. 17.

49th Pl., 1200 block, 1:36 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Ames Pl., 1400 block, 9:56 a.m. Aug. 16.

Bryant St., 200 block, 7:29 a.m. Aug. 23.

G St., 1000 block, 12:58 a.m. Aug. 19.

H St., 1900-2099 blocks, 10:55 a.m. Aug. 19.

Minnesota Ave., 4000-4121 blocks, 9:42 a.m. Aug. 18.

Monroe St., 1000-1199 blocks, 4:14 p.m. Aug. 18.

Montana Ave., 1900 block, 3:35 a.m. Aug. 21.

Perry St., 2000-2199 blocks, 7:47 p.m. Aug. 16.

Rhode Island Ave., 1700 block, 3:41 p.m. Aug. 18.

Riggs Rd., 100-299 blocks, 12:20 p.m. Aug. 19.

Trinidad Ave., 1600 block, 10:44 p.m. Aug. 21.

Seventh St., 600 block, 11:41 a.m. Aug. 20.

15th St., 600 block, 11:32 a.m. Aug. 18.

24th St., 3800 block, 7:57 p.m. Aug. 20.

42nd St., 900-1109 blocks, 12:19 p.m. Aug. 18.

Northwest

SEXUAL ASSAULT

16th St., 3100 block, 11:14 p.m. Aug. 16. A sexual assault was reported.

ASSAULTS

Connecticut Ave., 1000 block, 9:38 p.m. Aug. 21.

Georgia Ave., 4400 block, 9:59 p.m. Aug. 16. Knife reported.

Hamilton St., 1300 block, 9:25 p.m. Aug. 18. Gun reported.

Irving St., 100 block, 8:42 p.m. Aug. 18.

L St., 2500 block, 6:11 a.m. Aug. 21.

N St., 900 block, 11:07 p.m. Aug. 16. Knife reported.

New Mexico Ave., 2800 block, 12:38 p.m. Aug. 17. Knife reported.

Shepherd St., 900 block, 3:18 p.m. Aug. 16. Knife reported.

Vermont Ave., 1900 block, 1:29 p.m. Aug. 20. Knife reported.

Fourth St., 5300 block, 5:20 p.m. Aug. 18. Knife reported.

Fifth St., 400 block, 8:05 p.m. Aug. 20.

16th St., 1900 block, 10:02 p.m. Aug. 16. Knife reported.

16th St., 7700 block, 11:41 a.m. Aug. 17.

ROBBERIES

Aspen St., 400 block, 6:33 p.m. Aug. 23.

Bates St., unit block, 8:46 a.m. Aug. 20.

Delafield Pl., 1200 block, 3:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Gun reported.

Fort Stevens Dr., 1300 block, 5:59 a.m. Aug. 20. Gun reported.

Georgia Ave., 6000 block, 1:33 p.m. Aug. 22.

Girard St., 700-999 blocks, 8:13 p.m. Aug. 20. Gun reported.

Harvard St., 1300 block, 5:12 p.m. Aug. 18.

Kenyon St., 700-999 blocks, 11:58 p.m. Aug. 16. Knife reported.

Longfellow St., 700 block, 8:55 p.m. Aug. 20.

M St., 900 block, 12:14 a.m. Aug. 20.

Maple St., 6900 block, 6:45 p.m. Aug. 18.

Monroe St., 1100-1299 blocks, 3:26 a.m. Aug. 16.

Ogden St., 1400 block, 2:56 p.m. Aug. 23. Gun reported.

P St., 1500 block, 5:25 a.m. Aug. 22.

P St., 2300-2599 blocks, 2:41 a.m. Aug. 21.

R St., 1500 block, 4:10 a.m. Aug. 20. Gun reported.

Rhode Island Ave., 600 block, 11:37 a.m. Aug. 23.

Rock Creek Church Rd., 700 block, 4:27 a.m. Aug. 20. Gun reported.

Somerset Pl., 1400-1599 blocks, 10:39 p.m. Aug. 16. Gun reported.

U St., 100 block, 3:47 a.m. Aug. 20.

Webster St., 1000 block, 3:36 a.m. Aug. 16.

Third St., 700 block, 10:33 p.m. Aug. 23.

Third St., 4800 block, 8:32 p.m. Aug. 21. Gun reported.

Seventh St., 500 block, 10:30 p.m. Aug. 16.

12th Pl., 2200 block, 4:46 a.m. Aug. 20. Gun reported.

13th Pl., 5900 block, 2:24 a.m. Aug. 19. Gun reported.

14th St., 3300 block, 1:37 a.m. Aug. 21. Knife reported.

BREAK-INS

F St., 2100 block, 12:12 p.m. Aug. 23.

Florida Ave., 600 block, 11:39 a.m. Aug. 16.

Florida Ave., 600 block, 2:58 a.m. Aug. 17.

K St., 400 block, 10:27 a.m. Aug. 21.

Lamont St., 1600 block, 9:36 a.m. Aug. 22.

Massachusetts Ave., 1200 block, 5:44 a.m. Aug. 17.

N St., 1700 block, 7:02 a.m. Aug. 23.

North Capitol St., 1500 block, 11:32 a.m. Aug. 22.

North Portal Dr., 1700 block, 2 p.m. Aug. 21.

R St., 100 block, 7:10 p.m. Aug. 18.

Rodman St., 3400 block, 1:51 p.m. Aug. 16.

S St., 1400 block, 7:35 p.m. Aug. 22.

S St., 1800 block, 8:10 p.m. Aug. 22.

S St., 1900 block, 7:30 a.m. Aug. 23.

Van Buren St., 700 block, 12:52 p.m. Aug. 23.

Van Ness St., 4400 block, 10:31 p.m. Aug. 17.

Watson St., 5100 block, 11:14 a.m. Aug. 20.

Wyoming Ave., 2400 block, 1:22 p.m. Aug. 23.

First St., 1700 block, 1:59 a.m. Aug. 20.

Third Pl., 4700 block, 5:14 p.m. Aug. 17.

Sixth St., 6600 block, 9:21 p.m. Aug. 22.

14th St., 4700 block, 1:31 p.m. Aug. 20.

14th St., 5200 block, 6:14 p.m. Aug. 23.

15th St., 1600 block, 10:35 p.m. Aug. 22.

THEFTS

Aberfoyle Pl., 3200 block, 2:05 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Adams Mill Rd., 2600 block, 6:18 p.m. Aug. 23.

Adams Mill Rd., 2800-2999 blocks, 5:23 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Adams Mill Rd., 3100 block, 11:16 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Allison St., 800 block, 9:15 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Arkansas Ave., 4400 block, 9:42 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Bates St., 100-299 blocks, 2 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Belmont Rd., 1900 block, 8 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Belmont St., 1300 block, 10:27 a.m. Aug. 23.

Biltmore St., 1900 block, 2:27 p.m. Aug. 17.

Bryant St., unit block, 10:58 a.m. Aug. 22.

Buchanan St., 400 block, 9:03 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Buchanan St., 1300 block, 10:57 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

California St., 1800 block, 12:19 p.m. Aug. 21.

Caroline St., 1500 block, 7:58 a.m. Aug. 23.

Cathedral Ave., 4000-4299 blocks, 10:50 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Cathedral Ave., 5000 block, 1:20 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Champlain St., 2300-2499 blocks, 4:12 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Chestnut St., 3200 block, 7:40 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Chevy Chase Pkwy., 5400 block, 2:50 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Church St., 1500 block, 8:54 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Church St., 1500 block, 9:28 p.m. Aug. 22.

Clifton St., 1300 block, 12:51 p.m. Aug. 16.

College St., 400-599 blocks, 6:40 p.m. Aug. 23.

Columbia Rd., 1700 block, 6:22 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Columbia Rd., 1700 block, 11:25 a.m. Aug. 20.

Columbia Rd., 1700 block, 4:03 p.m. Aug. 22.

Columbia Rd., 1800 block, 3:39 a.m. Aug. 18.

Columbia Rd., 1800 block, 10:51 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Connecticut Ave., 1100 block, 10:09 a.m. Aug. 18.

Connecticut Ave., 1100 block, 7:13 p.m. Aug. 23.

Connecticut Ave., 1300-1699 blocks, 8:51 p.m. Aug. 18.

Connecticut Ave., 1300-1699 blocks, 12:29 a.m. Aug. 23.

Connecticut Ave., 1300-1699 blocks, 6:48 a.m. Aug. 23.

Connecticut Ave., 1800 block, 9:53 a.m. Aug. 16.

Connecticut Ave., 1800 block, 8:20 p.m. Aug. 23.

Connecticut Ave., 1900 block, 9:44 p.m. Aug. 16.

Connecticut Ave., 1900 block, 9:25 p.m. Aug. 18.

Connecticut Ave., 2700 block, 5:12 p.m. Aug. 22.

Connecticut Ave., 4200-4399 blocks, 6:06 p.m. Aug. 18.

Connecticut Ave., 4200-4399 blocks, 11:18 a.m. Aug. 21.

Connecticut Ave., 4200-4399 blocks, 5:42 p.m. Aug. 23.

Connecticut Ave., 5500 block, 11:09 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Connecticut Ave., 5500 block, 12:44 p.m. Aug. 22.

Corcoran St., 1800 block, 2:14 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Delafield Pl., 400 block, 9:56 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Dupont Cir., unit block, 11:37 a.m. Aug. 16.

Dupont Cir., unit block, 3:05 p.m. Aug. 16.

Edmunds St., 3900-4099 blocks, 3:44 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Emerson St., 400 block, 10:52 p.m. Aug. 22.

Euclid St., 1100-1299 blocks, 1:25 p.m. Aug. 22.

Euclid St., 1300 block, 2:05 p.m. Aug. 22.

Euclid St., 1600 block, 5:09 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

F St., 600 block, 10:31 p.m. Aug. 19.

F St., 900 block, 12:10 p.m. Aug. 19.

F St., 900 block, 8:45 p.m. Aug. 22.

F St., 1000 block, 12:41 p.m. Aug. 16.

F St., 1000 block, 5:18 p.m. Aug. 23.

F St., 1300 block, 1:48 p.m. Aug. 18.

Fairmont St., 700 block, 2:50 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Farragut St., 1300 block, 7:16 p.m. Aug. 23.

Florida Ave., 200-318 blocks, 3:56 p.m. Aug. 23.

Florida Ave., 500 block, 3:17 p.m. Aug. 18.

Florida Ave., 1100 block, 7:54 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

G St., 1200 block, 5:11 p.m. Aug. 17.

G St., 1200 block, 7:06 p.m. Aug. 17.

G St., 1200 block, 6:16 p.m. Aug. 22.

G St., 1200 block, 8:56 p.m. Aug. 22.

Gallatin St., 200 block, 8:08 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Gallatin St., 300 block, 11:44 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Georgia Ave., 2000 block, 10:34 p.m. Aug. 23.

Georgia Ave., 3300 block, 10:06 p.m. Aug. 18.

Georgia Ave., 3800 block, 8:58 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Georgia Ave., 4000 block, 3:31 p.m. Aug. 18.

Georgia Ave., 5900 block, 3:32 p.m. Aug. 22.

Georgia Ave., 6200 block, 9:52 p.m. Aug. 18.

Gresham Pl., 500-699 blocks, 4:42 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Gresham Pl., 500-699 blocks, 12:03 a.m. Aug. 24.

H St., 500 block, 6:33 p.m. Aug. 16.

H St., 700 block, 6:57 a.m. Aug. 23.

H St., 1000 block, 7:53 p.m. Aug. 18.

H St., 1000 block, 11:21 a.m. Aug. 23.

H St., 1200 block, 3:02 p.m. Aug. 17.

H St., 1200 block, 6:45 p.m. Aug. 22.

H St., 1700 block, 6:09 p.m. Aug. 22.

H St., 1800 block, 5:24 p.m. Aug. 17.

H St., 2100 block, 6:04 p.m. Aug. 16.

H St., unit block, 4:19 p.m. Aug. 17.

H St., unit block, 10:35 a.m. Aug. 18.

H St., unit block, 11:03 a.m. Aug. 21.

H St., unit block, 12:17 p.m. Aug. 23.

H St., unit block, 6:17 p.m. Aug. 23.

Hamilton St., 500-699 blocks, 11:11 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Harvard St., 1800 block, 8:23 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Hiatt Pl., 3200 block, 9:42 p.m. Aug. 22.

Hobart Pl., 700-999 blocks, 4:16 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

I St., 500 block, 7:15 p.m. Aug. 19.

I St., 500 block, 3:48 a.m. Aug. 21.

I St., 800-901 blocks, 9:19 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

I St., 800-901 blocks, 4:41 p.m. Aug. 21.

I St., 1500 block, 4:09 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

I St., 1600 block, 3:37 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

I St., 1800 block, 3:55 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

I St., 2200 block, 5:27 p.m. Aug. 19.

Illinois Ave., 5000 block, 8:14 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Ingomar Pl., 3600 block, 6:01 p.m. Aug. 22.

Irving St., 100 block, 10:23 a.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

K St., 400 block, 9:51 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

K St., 500 block, 6:55 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

K St., 700-899 blocks, 4:08 p.m. Aug. 23.

K St., 1300 block, 1:15 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

K St., 1600 block, 12:59 a.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

K St., 1700 block, 4 p.m. Aug. 16.

K St., 1800 block, 11:24 a.m. Aug. 22.

K St., 3100 block, 3:13 p.m. Aug. 17.

K St., 3100 block, 6:16 p.m. Aug. 21.

K St., unit block, 10:40 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

K St., unit block, 7:13 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Kennedy St., 100 block, 2:53 p.m. Aug. 21.

Kennedy St., 700 block, 4:14 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Kenyon St., 1000 block, 7:29 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Kenyon St., 1100-1299 blocks, 6:31 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Kenyon St., 1300 block, 11:04 p.m. Aug. 17.

Kilbourne Pl., 1700 block, 8:31 a.m. Aug. 18.

Kirby St., 1200 block, 1:05 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Klingle St., 4400 block, 6:39 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Klingle St., 5000 block, 2:25 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

L St., 900 block, 10:56 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Lanier Pl., 1700 block, 8:37 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Longfellow St., 700 block, 1:27 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Longfellow St., 800 block, 8:48 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

M St., 900 block, 3:04 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

M St., 2200 block, 3:41 p.m. Aug. 23.

M St., 3000 block, 10:15 p.m. Aug. 18.

M St., 3100 block, 10:06 p.m. Aug. 16.

M St., 3200 block, 2:03 a.m. Aug. 17.

M St., 3200 block, 6:18 p.m. Aug. 18.

M St., 3200 block, 9:56 p.m. Aug. 18.

M St., 3200 block, 4:27 p.m. Aug. 20.

M St., 3200 block, 6:27 p.m. Aug. 21.

M St., 3200 block, 7:08 p.m. Aug. 22.

Marion St., 1500 block, 10:13 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Massachusetts Ave., 300 block, 6:36 p.m. Aug. 18.

Massachusetts Ave., 400 block, 1:10 a.m. Aug. 19.

Massachusetts Ave., 400 block, 11:23 a.m. Aug. 20.

Massachusetts Ave., 900 block, 9:57 p.m. Aug. 17.

Massachusetts Ave., 1200 block, 4:44 p.m. Aug. 17.

Monroe St., 1400-1599 blocks, 5:28 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Monroe St., 1400-1599 blocks, 2:14 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Mount Pleasant St., 3100 block, 6:09 a.m. Aug. 17.

N St., 800 block, 4:13 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

N St., 2300 block, 3:15 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

New Jersey Ave., 600 block, 6:22 p.m. Aug. 18.

New Jersey Ave., 1100 block, 10:45 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

New Jersey Ave., 1600 block, 7:31 a.m. Aug. 18.

New York Ave., 400 block, 10:40 p.m. Aug. 20.

New York Ave., unit block, 12:55 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Newton St., 1400-1599 blocks, 8:59 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

North Capitol St., 800-999 blocks, 2:59 p.m. Aug. 17.

North Capitol St., 1000 block, 2:52 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

North Capitol St., 1200-1499 blocks, 2:12 p.m. Aug. 17.

North Capitol St., 1200-1499 blocks, 4:50 p.m. Aug. 20.

O St., 1500 block, 7:19 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

O St., 3100 block, 3:29 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Ontario Rd., 2100-2323 blocks, 3:23 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

P St., 1400 block, 4:33 p.m. Aug. 17.

P St., 1400 block, 10:24 p.m. Aug. 17.

P St., 1400 block, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18.

P St., 1600 block, 8:44 p.m. Aug. 17.

P St., 1600 block, 1:34 p.m. Aug. 22.

P St., 3200 block, 1:32 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Park Rd., 1100-1299 blocks, 8:28 a.m. Aug. 18.

Park Rd., 1700 block, 6:22 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Pennsylvania Ave., 700-899 blocks, 10:35 a.m. Aug. 19.

Pennsylvania Ave., 700-899 blocks, 11:35 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Pennsylvania Ave., 700-899 blocks, 4:25 p.m. Aug. 20.

Pennsylvania Ave., 1300 block, 6:41 p.m. Aug. 17.

Pennsylvania Ave., 1800 block, 7:53 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Pennsylvania Ave., 2000 block, 11:55 a.m. Aug. 17.

Pennsylvania Ave., 2100 block, 2:02 p.m. Aug. 17.

Phelps Pl., 1800 block, 3:24 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Q St., 2300-2699 blocks, 1:57 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Quebec St., 3500 block, 4 p.m. Aug. 20.

Quincy Pl., unit block, 2:25 p.m. Aug. 17.

R St., 1700 block, 11:13 a.m. Aug. 23.

Randolph St., 900 block, 2:58 p.m. Aug. 22.

Reservoir Rd., 3800 block, 5:56 p.m. Aug. 22.

Rhode Island Ave., 1400 block, 3:14 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Rhode Island Ave., 1700 block, 3:40 p.m. Aug. 22.

Rittenhouse St., 1000-1199 blocks, 10:02 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

S St., 600 block, 12:02 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

S St., 900 block, 9:59 p.m. Aug. 18.

S St., 1500 block, 4:39 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

S St., 1600 block, 1:08 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Shepherd Rd., 1100 block, 4:44 a.m. Aug. 22.

Shepherd St., 1300 block, 7:54 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Sheridan St., 1300 block, 8:03 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Sherier Pl., 5100 block, 10:07 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Swann St., 1600 block, 8:08 p.m. Aug. 21.

T St., 100 block, 4:31 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

T St., 600 block, 6:50 p.m. Aug. 17.

T St., 800 block, 8:16 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

T St., 1100 block, 10:07 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

T St., 1800 block, 8:50 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

T St., 3600 block, 2:42 p.m. Aug. 19.

T St., unit block, 7:18 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Tewkesbury Pl., 600 block, 10:41 a.m. Aug. 20.

Tewkesbury Pl., 700 block, 8:04 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Tuckerman St., 200 block, 1:41 p.m. Aug. 16.

Tunlaw Rd., 2100 block, 11:04 a.m. Aug. 17.

U St., 600 block, 12:58 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

U St., 1000 block, 10:27 a.m. Aug. 22.

U St., 1100 block, 4:38 a.m. Aug. 17.

U St., 1600 block, 8:08 p.m. Aug. 16.

Van Ness St., 3800 block, 3:40 p.m. Aug. 20.

Vermont Ave., 1000 block, 11:18 p.m. Aug. 23.

Vermont Ave., 1100 block, 5:25 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Vermont Ave., 1100 block, 1:29 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Vermont Ave., 1100 block, 5:01 a.m. Aug. 20.

Vermont Ave., 1100 block, 12:45 p.m. Aug. 21.

Warren St., 4600 block, 3:56 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Water St., 3300 block, 8 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Water St., 3400-3599 blocks, 12:46 p.m. Aug. 20.

Western Ave., 4800 block, 9:48 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Wisconsin Ave., 1000 block, 4:11 p.m. Aug. 20.

Wisconsin Ave., 1200 block, 1:33 p.m. Aug. 18.

Wisconsin Ave., 1300 block, 7:41 p.m. Aug. 17.

Wisconsin Ave., 1400 block, 9:34 p.m. Aug. 18.

Wisconsin Ave., 1400 block, 7:05 p.m. Aug. 20.

Wisconsin Ave., 2200 block, 6:52 p.m. Aug. 19.

Wisconsin Ave., 2200 block, 8:11 p.m. Aug. 20.

Wisconsin Ave., 4500 block, 10:27 a.m. Aug. 18.

Wisconsin Ave., 4500 block, 9:12 p.m. Aug. 22.

Wisconsin Ave., 5300 block, 7:43 p.m. Aug. 23.

Woodley Rd., 2600 block, 12:29 a.m. Aug. 23.

Woodley Rd., 2600 block, 1:04 p.m. Aug. 23.

First St., 1400 block, 6:44 p.m. Aug. 16.

First Terr., 1100 block, 5:31 p.m. Aug. 18.

Third St., 4200 block, 8:27 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Fourth St., 1200 block, 5:45 a.m. Aug. 20.

Fourth St., 4600 block, 4:06 p.m. Aug. 20.

Fifth St., 800 block, 12:41 a.m. Aug. 21.

Fifth St., 1600 block, 10:17 a.m. Aug. 17.

Sixth St., 700 block, 6:33 p.m. Aug. 17.

Seventh St., 400 block, 9:16 p.m. Aug. 18.

Seventh St., 400 block, 9:03 p.m. Aug. 19.

Seventh St., 400 block, 2:17 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Seventh St., 700 block, 12:50 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Seventh St., 700 block, 7 p.m. Aug. 19.

Seventh St., 800 block, 5:23 p.m. Aug. 23.

Seventh St., 1100 block, 7:42 p.m. Aug. 19.

Seventh St., 1300 block, 9:18 p.m. Aug. 19.

Seventh St., 1500 block, 6:52 p.m. Aug. 21.

Seventh St., 1500 block, 11:13 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Seventh St., 1800 block, 8:31 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Seventh St., 5000 block, 9:25 a.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Eighth St., 1800 block, 10:54 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Eighth St., 2100-2299 blocks, 11:32 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Eighth St., 6600 block, 6:54 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Ninth St., 700 block, 7:04 p.m. Aug. 11.

Ninth St., 1500 block, 1:31 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Ninth St., 5000 block, 2:02 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Ninth St., 7100 block, 3:07 p.m. Aug. 22.

10th St., 700 block, 12:36 p.m. Aug. 17.

10th St., 1100 block, 3:58 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

10th St., 3500 block, 9:33 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

11th St., 1500 block, 1:15 p.m. Aug. 22.

11th St., 1600 block, 5:01 p.m. Aug. 16.

11th St., 1800 block, 11:36 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

11th St., 2300-2499 blocks, 2:23 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

12th St., 1200 block, 5:20 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

12th St., 2200 block, 4:34 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

13th St., 600 block, 6:25 a.m. Aug. 16.

13th St., 600 block, 5:25 p.m. Aug. 19.

13th St., 600 block, 7:49 p.m. Aug. 23.

13th St., 1500 block, 9:18 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

13th St., 1600 block, 3:17 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

13th St., 2000 block, 4:48 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

13th St., 2500 block, 3:49 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

13th St., 3100 block, 4:39 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

13th St., 3200-3399 blocks, 11:19 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

13th St., 3500 block, 6:12 p.m. Aug. 16.

13th St., 4200-4499 blocks, 11:55 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

13th St., 4600 block, 5:15 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

14th St., 1900 block, 11:09 a.m. Aug. 18.

14th St., 1900 block, 12:29 a.m. Aug. 24.

14th St., 3000 block, 5:07 p.m. Aug. 16.

14th St., 3000 block, 5:05 p.m. Aug. 19.

14th St., 3000 block, 1:38 a.m. Aug. 20.

14th St., 3000 block, 10:54 a.m. Aug. 22.

14th St., 3100-3299 blocks, 5:25 p.m. Aug. 16.

14th St., 3100-3299 blocks, 6:29 p.m. Aug. 17.

14th St., 3100-3299 blocks, 12:29 p.m. Aug. 19.

14th St., 3100-3299 blocks, 9:03 p.m. Aug. 22.

14th St., 3500 block, 8:59 p.m. Aug. 22.

14th St., 3800 block, 3:07 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

14th St., 3900 block, 8:18 p.m. Aug. 20.

14th St., 4600 block, 1:29 p.m. Aug. 18.

15th St., 700 block, 1:57 p.m. Aug. 17.

15th St., 1100 block, 3:38 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

15th St., 1100 block, 12:11 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

15th St., 1200 block, 9:21 a.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

15th St., 2100 block, 8:44 p.m. Aug. 17.

15th St., 2200-2320 blocks, 8:39 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

16th St., 1000 block, 4:47 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

16th St., 1000 block, 5:55 p.m. Aug. 23.

16th St., 1100 block, 11:18 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

16th St., 1200-1399 blocks, 7:08 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

16th St., 1400 block, 1:19 p.m. Aug. 17.

16th St., 1600 block, 7:15 a.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

17th St., 1100 block, 7:49 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

17th St., 1500 block, 7:28 p.m. Aug. 22.

17th St., 1500 block, 6:27 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

18th St., 2200 block, 2:57 p.m. Aug. 18.

18th St., 2400 block, 9:54 p.m. Aug. 23.

18th St., 3200 block, 8:30 a.m. Aug. 19.

19th St., 2100 block, 8:56 p.m. Aug. 22.

20th St., 2300 block, 2:09 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

21st St., 1200 block, 9:10 p.m. Aug. 22.

22nd St., 1100 block, 10:29 a.m. Aug. 17.

22nd St., 1100 block, 11:35 p.m. Aug. 19.

22nd St., 1200 block, 3:33 a.m. Aug. 17.

24th St., 600 block, 3:24 a.m. Aug. 14.

25th St., 800 block, 7:58 p.m. Aug. 22.

32nd Pl., 6600 block, 10:10 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

32nd Pl., 6600 block, 10:37 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

37th St., 3700-3999 blocks, 8:06 p.m. Aug. 17.

38th St., 3200 block, 2:48 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

38th St., 3600 block, 1:17 p.m. Aug. 18.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Arkansas Ave., 4300 block, 10:35 p.m. Aug. 21.

Fairmont St., 1100-1299 blocks, 2:31 p.m. Aug. 21.

Harvard St., 1400 block, 8:43 a.m. Aug. 16.

I St., 1800 block, 4 a.m. Aug. 23.

K St., 1700 block, 10:37 a.m. Aug. 20.

Lamont St., 400 block, 9:12 p.m. Aug. 23.

Longfellow St., 900 block, 1:13 p.m. Aug. 21.

Massachusetts Ave., 400 block, 5:31 p.m. Aug. 22.

McKinley St., 2900 block, 12:16 p.m. Aug. 17.

Newton St., 1400-1599 blocks, 10:19 a.m. Aug. 20.

North Capitol St., 500 block, 6:02 a.m. Aug. 21.

Park Rd., 1400 block, 9:12 p.m. Aug. 18.

Park Rd., 1700 block, 8:24 p.m. Aug. 22.

Rhode Island Ave., 1700 block, 7:35 p.m. Aug. 17.

Rodman St., 3500 block, 11:19 a.m. July 31.

S St., 1300 block, 11:17 p.m. Aug. 20.

Stephenson Pl., 3300 block, 5:43 a.m. Aug. 18.

Stephenson Pl., 3300 block, 7:47 a.m. Aug. 18.

T St., 1700 block, 1:55 p.m. Aug. 17.

Taylor St., 1200 block, 7:19 p.m. Aug. 17.

U St., unit block, 5:58 p.m. Aug. 16.

Worthington St., 3200 block, 10:24 a.m. Aug. 22.

Second St., 1700 block, 8:45 p.m. Aug. 18.

Fourth St., 1600 block, 6:50 a.m. Aug. 17.

14th St., 1900 block, 10:19 a.m. Aug. 22.

16th St., 1500 block, 8:43 p.m. Aug. 18.

19th St., 1300 block, 8:24 p.m. Aug. 18.

23rd St., 500 block, 8:49 a.m. Aug. 2.

Southeast

ASSAULTS

Alabama Ave., 1200 block, 12:53 p.m. Aug. 16.

Atlantic St., 300 block, 2:42 a.m. Aug. 16. Knife reported.

Benning Rd., 4600 block, 5:05 p.m. Aug. 23. Gun reported.

C St., 4700-4899 blocks, 2 a.m. Aug. 19.

Central Ave., 5300 block, 6:27 a.m. Aug. 21.

Dubois Pl., 3300 block, 6:22 a.m. Aug. 16. Gun reported.

East Capitol St., 2300-3955 blocks, 11:33 p.m. Aug. 23. Knife reported.

Good Hope Rd., 1300 block, 3:41 p.m. Aug. 22. Knife reported.

Good Hope Rd., 2300 block, 11:58 p.m. Aug. 19. Knife reported.

Nelson Pl., 2900 block, 3:56 a.m. Aug. 17.

Southern Ave., 700-855 blocks, 9:10 p.m. Aug. 21. Gun reported.

T St., 1400 block, 12:48 p.m. Aug. 19. Gun reported.

W St., 1600-1899 blocks, 10:57 p.m. Aug. 17. Knife reported.

W St., 1600-1899 blocks, 11:31 p.m. Aug. 17. Knife reported.

First St., 3800 block, 1:39 a.m. Aug. 18.

Sixth St., 4200 block, 2:22 a.m. Aug. 17. Knife reported.

31st St., 1000 block, 4:01 a.m. Aug. 17. Gun reported.

ROBBERIES

Brothers Pl., 3600 block, 2:43 p.m. Aug. 16. Gun reported.

Independence Ave., 1200 block, 11:35 p.m. Aug. 16. Gun reported.

Massachusetts Ave., 4100 block, 12:06 a.m. Aug. 20. Gun reported.

Mississippi Ave., 600 block, 10:43 p.m. Aug. 23.

Pennsylvania Ave., 800 block, 2:37 a.m. Aug. 21. Gun reported.

Pennsylvania Ave., 3200 block, 6:10 p.m. Aug. 19. Knife reported.

South Carolina Ave., 900 block, 7:20 a.m. Aug. 20.

Southern Ave., 4300 block, 1:40 p.m. Aug. 16. Gun reported.

Stoddert Pl., 1-299 blocks, 11:03 a.m. Aug. 16.

Tubman Rd., 1800 block, 12:50 a.m. Aug. 19. Gun reported.

Varney St., 1100 block, 12:29 a.m. Aug. 22. Gun reported.

W St., 1300 block, 2 p.m. Aug. 17. Gun reported.

Sixth St., 3200-3398 blocks, 9:09 p.m. Aug. 23.

32nd St., 2000 block, 2:45 p.m. Aug. 20. Gun reported.

55th St., 1-199 blocks, 2:39 a.m. Aug. 17. Gun reported.

BREAK-INS

Astor Pl., 4900 block, 7:05 p.m. Aug. 19.

Buena Vista Terr., 3000-3299 blocks, 12:19 a.m. Aug. 21.

C St., 1300 block, 7:52 p.m. Aug. 19.

Cedar St., 1400 block, 3:04 a.m. Aug. 20.

Douglass Rd., 2600 block, 12:52 p.m. Aug. 22.

Newcomb St., 500 block, 4:19 p.m. Aug. 21.

South Carolina Ave., 600 block, 9:27 p.m. Aug. 16.

17th St., 200 block, 11:59 p.m. Aug. 19.

THEFTS

A St., 500 block, 10:35 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Alabama Ave., 2800-2999 blocks, 12:34 a.m. Aug. 21.

Alabama Ave., 2800-2999 blocks, 9:57 a.m. Aug. 22.

Alabama Ave., 3600 block, 7:04 p.m. Aug. 16.

Alabama Ave., 3800 block, 10:18 a.m. Aug. 22.

Astor Pl., 5100-5299 blocks, 9:18 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Barnaby St., 700-829 blocks, 5:18 p.m. Aug. 22.

Barnaby St., 800 block, 8:58 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Barnaby St., 800 block, 2:54 p.m. Aug. 22.

Bass Pl., 5000 block, 12:11 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Bay St., 1800 block, 3:43 a.m. Aug. 16.

Bellevue St., 800-1099 blocks, 7:30 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Benning Rd., 4600 block, 10:55 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Bryan Pl., 2300 block, 8:42 p.m. Aug. 17.

C St., 1100 block, 4:04 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

D St., 5000 block, 9:46 p.m. Aug. 18.

E St., 500 block, 8:01 a.m. Aug. 17.

East Capitol St., 1300 block, 8:20 p.m. Aug. 21.

Erie St., 2800 block, 7:11 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Falls Terr., 4400 block, 4:50 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Fort Davis Pl., 1500 block, 4:38 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Fort Dupont St., 1500-1699 blocks, 4:34 a.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Fort Dupont Terr., 4200 block, 5:38 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

G St., 400 block, 1:01 p.m. Aug. 21.

G St., 600 block, 9:26 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Gainesville St., 2800-2999 blocks, 1:59 a.m. Aug. 18.

Gainesville St., 3200 block, 4:06 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

H St., 1600 block, 12:49 p.m. Aug. 21.

Half St., 1000 block, 7 p.m. Aug. 16.

Hillside Rd., 4600 block, 10:34 p.m. Aug. 22.

I St., 200 block, 2:56 p.m. Aug. 23.

K St., 1500 block, 3:42 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Kentucky Ave., 300 block, 10:26 a.m. Aug. 23.

Kimi Gray Ct., 5000 block, 10:10 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Knox Cir., unit block, 6:44 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

Livingston Rd., 4100-4530 blocks, 1:43 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Livingston Rd., 4600 block, 12:12 p.m. Aug. 16. From vehicle.

Mississippi Ave., 1900-2099 blocks, 5:38 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

N St., 2700 block, 7:19 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Naylor Rd., 3000-3199 blocks, 5:34 a.m. Aug. 21.

Naylor Rd., 3000-3199 blocks, 7:35 p.m. Aug. 22.

Pennsylvania Ave., 300 block, 10:41 a.m. Aug. 18.

Pennsylvania Ave., 600 block, 3:15 p.m. Aug. 16.

Pennsylvania Ave., 600 block, 2:45 p.m. Aug. 17.

Pennsylvania Ave., 3200 block, 10:47 p.m. Aug. 18.

Pope St., 3800 block, 1:37 p.m. Aug. 17. From vehicle.

Savannah St., 1600 block, 9:47 p.m. Aug. 21.

Southern Ave., 700-855 blocks, 9:49 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Southern Ave., 4000-4123 blocks, 11:48 p.m. Aug. 22.

Terrace Rd., 2700-2899 blocks, 5:18 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Valley Ave., 900-1299 blocks, 9:30 p.m. Aug. 23.

Varney St., 900 block, 11:25 a.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

W St., 1600-1899 blocks, 9:32 a.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Wheeler Rd., 3500-3703 blocks, 9:17 a.m. Aug. 20.

Third St., 500 block, 12:14 p.m. Aug. 20.

Third St., 4000-4399 blocks, 8:46 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

Fourth St., 100 block, 7:55 a.m. Aug. 17.

Fourth St., 1200 block, 4:55 p.m. Aug. 17.

Sixth St., 3300-3699 blocks, 5:03 p.m. Aug. 18.

Seventh St., 200 block, 7:32 p.m. Aug. 23. From vehicle.

Eighth St., 400 block, 2:31 p.m. Aug. 21.

Eighth St., 500-699 blocks, 10:08 p.m. Aug. 16.

Ninth St., 300 block, 9:12 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Ninth St., 500-699 blocks, 5:05 p.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

Ninth St., 500-699 blocks, 5:17 p.m. Aug. 22.

10th St., 300 block, 1:59 p.m. Aug. 23.

12th St., 400 block, 4:20 a.m. Aug. 18.

12th St., 500 block, 3:05 p.m. Aug. 16.

12th St., 500 block, 5:37 p.m. Aug. 17.

14th St., 400 block, 12:42 p.m. Aug. 23.

14th St., 1900 block, 6:34 a.m. Aug. 16.

14th St., 1900 block, 5:53 p.m. Aug. 18.

14th St., 1900 block, 10:54 p.m. Aug. 20.

14th St., 1900 block, 1:21 a.m. Aug. 21.

15th St., 200 block, 6:48 p.m. Aug. 20.

15th St., 700 block, 1:07 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

16th St., 1600 block, 5:01 p.m. Aug. 18.

17th Pl., 1600 block, 10:56 a.m. Aug. 22. From vehicle.

28th Pl., 1600 block, 7:42 p.m. Aug. 19.

37th St., 200-499 blocks, 11:30 p.m. Aug. 20.

37th St., 200-499 blocks, 10:33 p.m. Aug. 21.

41st St., 1500 block, 9:39 p.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

53rd St., unit block, 1:21 p.m. Aug. 20.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

C St., 200 block, 12:42 p.m. Aug. 22.

C St., 1800 block, 8:40 a.m. Aug. 16.

Ely Pl., 3700 block, 9:17 a.m. Aug. 22.

Galen St., 1600-1799 blocks, 5:04 a.m. Aug. 16.

Good Hope Rd., 2300 block, 7:37 a.m. Aug. 17.

Independence Ave., 1600 block, 12:10 p.m. Aug. 22.

Livingston Rd., 4100-4530 blocks, 9:15 p.m. Aug. 17.

Mississippi Ave., 1900-2099 blocks, 1:39 p.m. Aug. 22.

Pennsylvania Ave., 3100 block, 12:35 p.m. Aug. 23.

Ridgecrest Ct., 1900-2199 blocks, 6:22 a.m. Aug. 21.

Savannah St., 1800 block, 9:33 p.m. Aug. 23.

Southern Ave., 2500-2999 blocks, 10:03 p.m. Aug. 20.

Talbert St., 1200 block, 12:54 p.m. Aug. 21.

Tubman Rd., 1800 block, 11:39 a.m. Aug. 21.

Sixth St., 3300-3699 blocks, 12:10 a.m. Aug. 19.

Eighth St., 500-699 blocks, 6:06 p.m. Aug. 17.

24th Pl., 1800 block, 8:03 p.m. Aug. 20.

Southwest

SEXUAL ASSAULT

First St., 4800 block, 3:28 a.m. Aug. 23. A sexual assault was reported.

ASSAULTS

Forrester St., 1-199 blocks, 2:15 p.m. Aug. 19.

First St., 1400 block, 4:41 a.m. Aug. 17.

BREAK-IN

Galveston St., 1-199 blocks, 6:10 a.m. Aug. 21.

THEFTS

Carrollsburg Pl., 1200 block, 8:47 p.m. Aug. 19.

Delaware Ave., 700-899 blocks, 1:34 p.m. Aug. 19. From vehicle.

E St., 200 block, 7:53 a.m. Aug. 20. From vehicle.

E St., 400-599 blocks, 9:08 p.m. Aug. 22.

H St., 500 block, 8:20 p.m. Aug. 17.

H St., 600 block, 12:45 p.m. Aug. 18.

N St., 300 block, 2:27 p.m. Aug. 19.

Water St., 600 block, 10:17 a.m. Aug. 18.

Third St., 400 block, 9:29 p.m. Aug. 22.

Third St., 900 block, 1:20 p.m. Aug. 21. From vehicle.

Third St., 1000 block, 4:55 p.m. Aug. 22.

Fourth St., 300 block, 9:14 a.m. Aug. 18.

Fourth St., 500-699 blocks, 5:21 p.m. Aug. 18. From vehicle.

Sixth St., 800 block, 7:20 p.m. Aug. 18.

Sixth St., 1000-1199 blocks, 10:42 a.m. Aug. 17.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Delaware Ave., 900 block, 6:19 p.m. Aug. 19.

Overlook Ave., 5000 block, 4:58 a.m. Aug. 20.

South Capitol St., 1500 block, 7:13 a.m. Aug. 17.

South Capitol St., 1500 block, 7:24 a.m. Aug. 17.

South Capitol St., 1500 block, 7:32 a.m. Aug. 17.

South Capitol St., 1500 block, 4:56 p.m. Aug. 22.
Rebecca Crouch, left, and her twin sister, Rachel Crouch, demonstrate painting to student Elijah Chase, 12. The sisters are principals at D.C. charter schools. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Rebecca Crouch would like to observe her twin sister at her charter school.

The sisters, who are both principals at D.C. schools, have similar education philosophies and speak every evening to debrief on their days. Its natural they would want to see each other in their professional homes, giving each other feedback and sharing leadership tips.

But the sisters have determined that their presence at the others school is just too distracting for the students. Once the students realize their principal has an identical twin, they just cant stop looking at their principals doppelganger nearby.

Its so disruptive, said Rachel Crouch, Rebecca Crouchs identical twin.

Rachel Crouch, left, and her twin sister Rebecca Crouch are each the principal of a D.C. charter school. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Its literally an uproar, Rebecca Crouch said.

So the twins keep separate identities at the D.C. charter schools they each lead. But, by night, they moonlight as a successful live artist duo, where they rapidly create colorful paintings together in front of an audience.

Theyve amassed a strong local following  and both bring in an extra salary from the work  painting abstract and realistic pictures of President Obama, civil rights leaders, musicians, children and most anything else.

If you look at my portfolio, youll look at the stories of all my kids I work with every day, Rebecca Crouch said.

Born and raised in Chicago, Rebecca and Rachel Crouch moved to the District to attend Howard University in 2000. They had attended a performing-arts high school, but their mother  also an artist  said she didnt want them to major in art. So they both majored in math, tutoring at various D.C. schools during their college years, and ultimately each deciding they would become teachers.

Rebecca Crouch moved back to Chicago for four years, but theyve spent most of their 11 years in the education field teaching in Prince Georges County and at charter schools in the District. In 2011, Rebecca Crouch became the founding principal of DC Scholars Public Charter School in Ward 7. In 2015, Rachel Crouch was named principal of Perry Street Preparatory Public Charter School in Ward 5.

Its different seeing your principal paint with her sister  I like it, said 12-year-old Elijah Chase, a seventh grader at Perry Street who said he didnt know that his principal painted or had a twin sister before seeing them together at school last week.

[A coachs painful farewell to a rugby program he built and the players he loves]

The sisters are calm and lighthearted, chatting with each other and their students. Theyre emotive and believe that creating a positive and empowering culture for school staff is key to success.

They both said they receive similar feedback in their evaluations: Theyre effective at getting their staff onboard with their missions. On Tuesday it was announced that both Scholar Academies and Perry posted gains on standardized test scores tied to the Common Core curriculum.

But theyve also been told that they sometimes appear too casual and nonchalant.

Our leadership style is the exact same, Rachel Crouch said.

The exact same, Rebecca said.

Equipped with paint brushes though, their differing styles lead to bickering on stage. Rachel Crouch is very meticulous and realistic; Rebecca Crouch has a more free-form, abstract approach.

When we get up on stage, we are literally fighting the whole time, Rebecca Crouch said.

The whole time, Rachel Crouch said.

It takes Rachel Crouch twice as long to paint, leading Rebecca Crouch to joke that when they do a mural together, she should take home more of the pay.

Wed be doing a mural and Im like, we are not splitting this money down the middle, Rebecca Crouch said.

The duo didnt paint much in college, starting their adult art careers around Obamas election in 2008. They were hired to attend many of the inauguration parties, painting pictures of the new president. A popular mixed-media portrait of Obama crafted with newspaper headlines declaring his victory sold more than 10,000 copies.

When they stocked their paintings at the U Street NW location of Busboys and Poets, they would immediately sell out. They also have donated their work and time to local fundraisers.

They travel the country for gigs, always dressing in matching outfits. In 2010, they performed live at D.C.s Annual Mayors Arts Awards at the Kennedy Center, where they painted an 8-foot-square mural in just 8 minutes.

But painting is still just a hobby; their focus is on their schools.

They went to a top public school in Chicago and didnt realize the inequalities that exist within the school system until they began tutoring in college. Since then, theyve been committed to teaching, inspiring and training teachers to provide an education for all students.

I didnt know that there were other schools where kids couldnt read and write, Rachel Crouch said. Then in college, I tutored at an elementary school, and I realized I could do something about it.
Michael V. Williams is head of the social-studies department at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring. ( Montgomery County Public Schools/ )

Montgomery Countys Teacher of the Year has been tapped as one of seven finalists for statewide honors.

Michael Williams, head of the social-studies department at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring and a co-founder of the school districts Minority Scholars Program, is in the running for 2016-2017 Maryland Teacher of the Year.

The other finalists are Katrina Griffin of Anne Arundel County, Athanasia Kyriakakos of Baltimore City, Donna Miller of Calvert County, Anne Highfield of Cecil County, Tamara Forte of Queen Annes County and Christy Briggs of Wicomico County.

The seven educators were selected from a group of 24  one from each of the Marylands school systems  by judges representing principals, teachers, school boards, teacher unions, parents and higher education.

The winner will be named during an Oct. 7 gala in Baltimore.

[Maryland educator who helped spark minority scholars program honored]

Marylands top teacher competes for honors as National Teacher of the Year. Since 2006, three Maryland winners have won the national title, state officials say.
Top Northern Virginia elected officials on Wednesday called for urgent action to build two major transportation projects to deal with the regions congestion, but both proposals face obstacles likely to cause years of delay.

The appeals  one to build a second tunnel under the Potomac for Metro and the second to expand capacity on the American Legion Bridge  came at a regional summit hosted by business groups. It was billed as the first such event to bring together political leaders of Fairfax, Arlington, Prince William and Loudoun counties and the city of Alexandria.

The two-hour roundtable touched on economic issues but was dominated by a lively and sometimes contentious discussion of what the regions priorities should be for big-ticket transportation projects to relieve traffic.

The event illustrated most Northern Virginia politicians continued strong support for Metro, despite its abundant problems, and their desire to fix the American Legion Bridge.

But the politicians admitted that they had no idea how to raise the minimum $2.5 billion needed to eliminate one of Metros choke points by adding a tunnel between Rosslyn and the District.

And they said they could do nothing about the American Legion Bridge except wait for Maryland to take action  because it is Marylands bridge.

Metros only vocal critic onstage was Corey A. Stewart (At Large), chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, who also was the only Republican and the only politician whose jurisdiction does not include a Metro station.

[Northern Virginia lays miles of pavement to ease traffic, while Maryland suburbs dither]

Stewart said the region should focus less on Metros fixed-rail system, which he dismissed as 19th-century technology. Instead, he said, the area should invest more in smart car technology to improve the driving experience.

The discussion seemed likely to disappoint backers of a new Potomac crossing north of the American Legion Bridge. The chambers of commerce that organized the event strongly support such a bridge, but the only elected official to describe it as a top priority was Phyllis J. Randall (D), chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

Because of Loudouns location along the river, north of the American Legion Bridge, Randalls constituents would benefit most from such a bridge.

Three of the five elected officials stressed first the need to build the Rosslyn tunnel to ease traffic for Metros Orange, Blue and Silver lines. They were Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova (D), Arlington Board Vice Chair Jay Fisette (D) and Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg (D).

Bulova and Fisette also pressed to expand the capacity of the American Legion Bridge, the Capital Beltways link between Fairfax and Montgomery counties, where traffic regularly backs up for miles.

If youre going to make choices about where to put your $1 billion or $2 billion, look at the Metro tunnel at Rosslyn, look at the American Legion Bridge, Fisette said.

Fisette and Bulova conceded afterward that they did not know where the region would find money for a new tunnel.

[Metro board chair warns of asking jurisdictions for up to $100 million each]

They said they were not even sure where Virginia and the other jurisdictions that support Metro would find up to $100 million apiece that Metro board Chairman Jack Evans says the agency will need to cover its budget shortfall expected in fiscal year 2018.

But Bulova said private conversations are underway among the regions officials about how to increase investment in Metro once it has improved its record on safety, transparency and accountability.

Behind the scenes, I can tell you, everyone is asking how continued revitalization and reinvestment can be funded, Bulova said.

Asked to comment, the top transportation officials in Virginia and Maryland said it was not the right time to be discussing adding a tunnel.

Because of Metros current problems, we think it would be premature to start preparing for another tunnel, Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne said.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahns objection was stronger. I cant see in the foreseeable future where Metro would have funding adequate to build a $2.5 billion tunnel, Rahn said.

Layne said he and Rahn had discussed the American Legion Bridge several times and that he was waiting for Annapolis to act. Maryland is responsible for the bridge because it owns almost the entire Potomac River in the Washington area, under legal agreements dating to the 18th century.

Rahn said Maryland agrees that the American Legion Bridge is inadequate and thatsomething needs to happen. The state has appropriated money to study how to improve it, he said, but nothing will happen soon.

None of this is fast. It takes time to go through all of the processes with environmental documents, Rahn said.

Rahn also said it was too early to say whether the bridge, a new Metro tunnel or a proposed third span across the Chesapeake Bay would be the states top priority.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), announced Tuesday that the state is studying building a third bridge across the Chesapeake Bay, from Annapolis to the Eastern Shore. The four-year, $5 million study is slated to begin this fall.

[Maryland will study building another bridge across Chesapeake Bay]

At the Northern Virginia summit, Stewart of Prince William County struck a dissident note by challenging Metros importance.

Metro, the nations second-busiest subway, carries upward of 700,000 passenger trips daily.

Metro is not the backbone of Northern Virginias transportation infrastructure. It is still roadways. It always will be roadways, Stewart said.

The other political leaders disagreed, saying the regions traffic would only worsen if Metro were neglected.
The helicopters that seem to crisscross or circle over the city at all hours arouse curiosity, at the least, about where they are going and what they are doing. On Tuesday afternoon, above a section of upper Northwest Washington, the helicopter was looking for a getaway car in a holdup.

The gunpoint robbery was one of at least two that appeared notable on Tuesday. It was reported about 4:40 p.m. at 14th and Peabody Streets NW, according to Officer Hugh Carew, a police spokesman.

Soon afterward, a resident of the area spotted an aircraft above 14th and Crittenden streets, and emailed this question to police:

Why is a helicopter flying back and forth over the last 10 minutes?

She was told that police were trying to spot the vehicle in which the two robbers apparently fled. In a preliminary account, posted on Twitter, the vehicle was described as a white SUV.

Another robbery that stood out from the routine Tuesday occurred in the heart of Capitol Hill.

A man with a knife held up a dry cleaning business in the 100 block of 7th Street NE, Carew said. The robber entered about 7:20 a.m., demanded cash, which he got.

They said he then ran out the front door and down an alley. No injuries were reported.
MARYLAND

Man arrested after pregnant teen stabbed

Investigators arrested a 18-year-old man in connection with the stabbing of a pregnant woman who was attacked while walking on a wooded path in Montgomery County.

Authorities said the man, who was said to be in a relationship with the 19-year-old woman, was taken into custody shortly after the Wednesday afternoon stabbing. He had not been charged as of the evening, a spokeswoman said.

Police called the incident a domestic-related assault.

The woman, who is several months pregnant, agreed to meet the man just before the 3:19 p.m. attack, a department news release said. The pair met on a wooded path in the 3000 block of Upton Drive. The area is several blocks northwest of downtown Wheaton.

At some point, the pregnant woman was stabbed multiple times, but investigators did not release further details.

Authorities said the woman gave police the name and a description of her attacker before she was taken to a trauma center. She was transported in serious condition, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

 Dan Morse and

Victoria St. Martin

VIRGINIA

Youth pastor faces additional allegations

A Manassas church youth pastor has been accused of making inappropriate statements and exposing himself to another teenager, according to police.

Jordan D. Baird, 25, of Warrenton is already charged with two counts of indecent liberties by a custodian and now faces an additional charge, according to Prince William County police.

The second victim was 17 when the incident allegedly happened in 2013. Police said Baird made inappropriate statements and exposed himself to her while inside the Life Church on Balls Ford Road. The victim also accused Baird of having inappropriate, sexual contact with her.

In the previous charges, Baird allegedly had inappropriate contact with a

16-year-old girl at the church in 2015 through text messages and inappropriate touching. The alleged incidents happened between January and September of last year, police said. Baird was arrested Aug. 18.

 Dana Hedgpeth

Alexandria brewery gets expansion funds

Port City Brewing, a five-year-old Alexandria-based brewery, will receive $500,000 from the city and Virginia to help fund an expansion of its storage and production plant, creating 26 new jobs, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) announced Wednesday.

Port City, one of 160 craft breweries in Virginia, will invest $2.68 million itself to lease a new warehouse near its existing headquarters, will build a satellite storage facility and will upgrade its bottling capacity, said Port City founder Bill Butcher. The company will buy 75 percent of its agricultural products from Virginia farmers, he said.

 Patricia Sullivan

Infant in stroller is struck and killed

A 5-month-old boy in a stroller was killed Wednesday when he and his mother were struck by a vehicle in Loudoun County, authorities said.

At about 8:10 a.m., the driver of a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee was traveling north on Coton Manor Drive and making a left onto Riverside Parkway when the Jeep struck the mother and child, who were headed north in a crosswalk, according to the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office.

The child was killed, the statement said, and the mother was transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, authorities said.

Information about the identity of the mother and child was not immediately available, but a letter written by Principal Garett Brazina sent home to parents at Seldens Landing Elementary in Leesburg said the mother has a child at the school.

 Dana Hedgpeth
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed an executive order stipulating that public schools in the state extend summer recess until after Labor Day beginning in 2017 and end school by June 15. (Video: WUSA9 / Photo: AP)

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed an executive order stipulating that public schools in the state extend summer recess until after Labor Day beginning in 2017 and end school by June 15. (Video: WUSA9 / Photo: AP)

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has ordered public schools in the state to extend summer recess until after Labor Day beginning in 2017, setting off an immediate battle with school officials and Democratic legislative leaders.

Hogan (R), a moderate who has made boosting Marylands economy the centerpiece of his administration, said delaying the start of the school year would be good for businesses, families and the environment  because schools would not need to use air-conditioning for as many days in August.

His effort runs counter to the trend of starting school earlier in many parts of the country in an effort to bridge the racial and socioeconomic achievement gap, maximize opportunities to prepare students for standardized testing and limit the time that working families need to pay for child care.

[More school in August? First day of classes in Md. could be earlier next year]

School after Labor Day is now the law of the land in Maryland, Hogan said at a news conference Wednesday in the beach resort town of Ocean City. He was flanked by Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) and Sen. James N. Mathias Jr. (D-Worcester), both longtime advocates for a later start date.

At a news conference in Ocean City on Aug. 31, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced an executive order requiring public schools to start after Labor Day beginning in 2017. (Facebook/larryhoganmd)

The governors executive order requires that school systems complete 180 days of class by June 15. Districts can apply to the state board of education for waivers exempting them from the requirements.

Hogan noted that parents across the state have expressed enthusiastic support for a later start date. In downtown Annapolis on Wednesday, mental-health therapist Ebony Hicks said the change would be beneficial for her two teenagers, who attend high school in Baltimore.

They study a lot during the school year in an academically intense school, so its nice to give them more time to be off, Hicks said.

But Michael A. Durso, president of the Montgomery County Board of Education, said the states largest school district strongly opposed Hogans action, which he said ignores critical issues faced by schools and the potential negative instructional impact on students.

Many experts say long summer breaks hurt students who struggle academically, especially poorer children who lack access to enriching summer camps and programs. Some high-poverty schools have attributed gains in classroom achievement in part to their decision to shorten summer recess.

Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) called the executive order signed by Hogan extraordinary and legally questionable. He accused the governor of caring more about promoting summer tourism than advancing school achievement.

Making a press show about this issue . . . while holding hands with the state tax collector appears like political gamesmanship, Miller said.

[Superintendent: Narrowing achievement gap is a moral imperative]

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince Georges), vice chairman of the Senate education committee, said he has asked the state attorney generals office to look into the legality and constitutionality of the governor taking authority away from local jurisdictions in setting the school year calendar.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said the legislature, which has strong Democratic majorities in both chambers, could consider a bill negating Hogans order. We certainly think the attorney general will rule against this, Busch said. And if he doesnt, I think obviously well have a discussion about taking the issue up.

Mathias, who represents Ocean City, has sponsored legislation to delay the statewide start date for the past several years. The measures died in committee.

Maryland State Education Association spokesman Sean Johnson said a later start date would worsen summer brain drain among students from poor socioeconomic backgrounds and adds to the financial burden for families.

But Megan Curtis, a single parent from Annapolis who works in home-appliance sales, said she would be happy to pay for more day care for her young son to extend summer a bit longer.

Id much rather him be more comfortable and have more time with friends than be tied to school, Curtis said. Hes a second-grader. He needs his summer and time with friends.

Andrew Smarick, president of the state board of education and a Hogan appointee, acknowledged that some high-poverty schools have increased academic achievement by increasing instructional time.

He said the board has not yet met to discuss Hogans order or what might constitute a good reason for starting school before Labor Day. The state board will have to consider what constitutes a compelling justification, including the needs of particular groups of students, Smarick said.

Virginia, which passed a law 20 years ago requiring schools to start after Labor Day, also allows individual districts to seek exemption waivers. Fairfax County, the states largest jurisdiction, is one of the latest to seek such a waiver; it will start school before Labor Day beginning next year.

[Fairfax County wins waiver for pre-Labor Day start]

Hogan cited a Goucher poll showing strong support among Maryland residents for starting school after Labor Day, and noted that such a change was recommended by a bipartisan task force created by then-Gov. Martin OMalley (D).

But the Maryland Association of Boards of Education said it strongly opposes this initiative as contrary to the principle of local governance, and the traditional role of boards of education and their communities in setting school calendars.

Longtime Montgomery County school board member Patricia ONeill said it would be nearly impossible to design a 180-day school year that starts after Labor Day, ends by June 15, sets aside time for holidays, compensates for snow days and meets contractual obligations for teacher professional days.

I think spring break could be at risk, she said.

Prince Georges County Public Schools spokeswoman Raven Hill said calendar decisions are best made by local communities, with raising student achievement as the goal, rather than increasing tourism.

Donna St. George and Emma Brown contributed to this report.
Thursday, Sept. 1

Manassas farmers market Thursday 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Loy E. Harris Pavilion, 9201 Center St., and Saturday 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Parking Lot B, West Street (next to the train station visitors center), Manassas. 703-361-6599. www.visitmanassas.org.

Historic Manassas walking tour Learn the history of the city. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Thursday-Friday at noon, Manassas Museum, 9101 Prince William St., Manassas. 703-368-1873. www.manassasmuseum.org. Free.

Woodbridge Toastmasters Club An open house meeting. Learn effective communication and leadership skills. 7:30 p.m. Ebenezer Baptist Church, 13020 Telegraph Rd., Woodbridge. 703-898-7171. woodbridge.toastmastersclubs.org. $68 membership fee.

Let It Rain II Suzanne Jepsons paintings in this series all include an orange umbrella to add a pop of color. Through Sunday, Loft Gallery, 313 Mill St., Occoquan. 703-490-1117. www.loftgallery.org. Free.

Warm and Cool An exhibit of paintings by Roger Frey of Woodbridge and jewelry by Tyler Kulenguski of Annandale. Through Monday, Artists Undertaking, 309 Mill St., Occoquan. 703-494-0584. www.theartistsundertaking.com. Free.

Jamie McPhail and Caleb Mathews exhibit Works by McPhail, an encaustic artist, and oil paintings of clouds by Mathews. Through Sept. 17, Center for the Arts, 9419 Battle St., Manassas. 703-330-2787. www.center-for-the-arts.org. Free.

Friday, Sept. 2

American Legion dinner The public is invited to dinner with a different special every week. Proceeds support local veterans and the community. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Woodbridge American Legion, 3640 Friendly Post Lane, Woodbridge. 703-494-4304. www.vapost364.org. $5-$15.

Oliver auditions Actors ages 8-18 audition for Pied Piper Theatres November musical production by appointment. Friday-Saturday, Center for the Arts, 9419 Battle St., Manassas. 703-330-2787. www.center-for-the-arts.org. $10.

Saturday, Sept. 3

Yoga on the Lawn Vinyasa yoga taught by certified yoga instructor Christopher Glowacki. 9 a.m. Rippon Lodge Historic Site, 15520 Blackburn Rd., Woodbridge. 703-499-9812. www.pwcgov.org/ripponlodge. $5.

Music on Mill The outdoor concert series concludes with Woodbridge outfit Paul Abe and the State Streets Band performing classic hits and originals. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. 5-7 p.m. River Mill Park, 458 Mill St., Occoquan. 703-491-1918. www.occoquanva.gov.

Project Natale The jazz quartet, formed by brothers Joseph and Lou Natale, blends the sounds of the Caribbean, Cuba, Brazil and American jazz. The final concert in the Center for the Arts SummerSounds concert series. 6:30 p.m. Loy E. Harris Pavilion, 9201 Center St., Manassas. 703-330-2787. www.center-for-the-arts.org. Free.

Movie Under the Stars Karate Kid. 7 p.m. Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, 14900 Potomac Town Pl., Woodbridge. www.stonebridgeptc.com. Free.

Stargazing Join amateur astronomers and volunteers for a look at the night sky, including constellations, planets and star clusters. 8-10:30 p.m. Silver Lake Park, 16198 Silver Lake Rd., Haymarket. 703-792-8320. www.pwcgov.org. $5 per car.

Sunday, Sept. 4

Dale City Farmers Market 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Dale City Commuter Lot, (behind Center Plaza Shopping Center), Dale Boulevard, Dale City. 703-670-7112, Ext. 227. www.pwcparks.org. Free.

Liberia Plantation tour The 1825 home was used by Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War and still features graffiti left by soldiers. noon, Liberia Plantation, 8601 Portner Ave., Manassas. 703-257-8265. Free.

Bingo Proceeds support local veterans. Doors open at noon on Sunday with games beginning at 2 p.m. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Mondays with games beginning at 7:15 p.m. Woodbridge American Legion, 3640 Friendly Post Lane, Woodbridge. 703-494-4304. $15 minimum.

Monday, Sept. 5

Job search network group Plus discussion of various topics related to the search process. 1-3 p.m. House of Mercy, 8170 Flannery Ct., Manassas. 703-659-1636. Free.

Bingo Proceeds support Dale City Knights of Columbus activities and charities. Doors open at 6 p.m. with games beginning at 7:30 p.m. VFW Post 1503, 14631 Minnieville Rd., Dale City. 703-491-2378. $9 minimum.

Lake Jackson Mid County Lions Club meeting 6:30 p.m. Great American Steak and Buffet, 8365 Sudley Rd., Manassas. 703-369-6791. Free.

Tuesday, Sept. 6

Light and Dark An exhibit featuring mosaics by Diann Root of Alexandria and paintings by Steve Myles of Oakton. Through Oct. 3. Artists Undertaking, 309 Mill St., Occoquan. 703-494-0584. www.theartistsundertaking.com. Free.

Reunion An exhibit of paintings by Barbara Sullivan and wood art by George Jones III. Sullivan and Jones were colleagues in the medical field before retiring. This is their first joint show. Through Oct. 2. Loft Gallery, 313 Mill St., Occoquan. 703-490-1117. www.loftgallery.org. Free.

Wednesday, Sept. 7

Lake Ridge Toastmasters Club Members 18 and older develop their public speaking and leadership skills. 7:30-9:15 p.m. Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Dr., Lake Ridge. 703-491-3020. contact-8913@toastmastersclubs.org. lakeridge.toastmastersclubs.org. $34-$64 membership fee.

 Compiled by Sarah Lane

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Email: pwliving@washpost.com

Fax: 703-392-1406

Details: Announcements are accepted on a space-available basis from public and nonprofit organizations only and must be received at least 14 days before the Thursday publication date. Include event name, dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable contact phone number.
Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes will meet with the Legislature's special investigative committee Wednesday in the first of four hearings scheduled this fall.

The 11-member committee will question Frakes on staffing and other prison issues beginning at 10 a.m. After lunch, the committee is expected to hear from Inspector General for Corrections Doug Koebernick; Mike Marvin, executive director of the state employees union; and labor attorney Dalton Tietjen.

Committee Vice Chairwoman Patty Pansing Brooks said the senators have asked for and received a pile of documents from the department outlining hiring practices, behavioral health staffing, employee turnover, vacancies, and salary information from comparable jobs from within and outside Nebraska.

Other hearings to be scheduled in September and October will deal with programming for inmates, crowding of prisons, mental health and segregation.

On Wednesday, the committee will question Frakes about the costs to get the department to appropriate staffing levels and the department's staffing needs, Pansing Brooks said.

A yearlong staffing review made public last week showed that across the prison system, 138 new full-time custody positions  an $11 million to $14 million expense  were needed.

In early April, the Corrections watchdog committee hired the former investigative committee chairman, Steve Lathrop, to serve as its attorney and adviser.

In June, the committee sent a letter to Gov. Pete Ricketts for emergency funding to hire and train additional corrections officers because of numerous incidents of assaults on staff, high staff turnover and the regular use of mandatory overtime.

Since then, there have more attacks on Corrections staff, including one last week in which nine staff members were injured. It started when a group of inmates refused to leave an isolated yard on the Lincoln Correctional Center grounds and return to their cells.

Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, a member of the investigative committee, said he has more questions for Frakes on the June escapes and the involvement of staff, either through negligence or complicity.

Chambers said when he reviews all the things that have happened since Frakes took over 18 months ago -- a riot, the escapes, assaults on both staff and inmates, a continued lack of programming and growing discontent among inmates and employees alike -- he thinks the prisons are worse off now.

One of the problems he sees is that many of the people who worked at the department, which was plagued with problems in the years preceding Frakes, were kept on staff.

It's a rudderless ship without a captain, he said.

"Too many things are going wrong at the same time, which in a well-run institution wouldn't happen in this fashion," he said.

He also wants to talk to Frakes about the overuse of restrictive housing, or solitary confinement.

"I've been told that all they've done is change the name of it," Chambers said. "They might be using it more now than before."

New rules for use of solitary confinement in Nebraska prisons went into effect July 1. A growing body of evidence suggests segregation of inmates is actually counterproductive to prison and public safety.

In June, Frakes estimated about 350 inmates were in restrictive housing at any given time in the state's prisons.

The new regulations call for regular reviews of inmates in restrictive housing. And rather than relying primarily on restrictive housing for disciplinary sanctions, the policy calls for behavior to be managed through programming, initiatives, incentives and housing focused on individual and specified group needs.

Alternatives also could include short-term cell confinements, loss of privileges, work and restitution assignments and specified programming.
Prince William County

These were among incidents reported by Prince William County police for this edition of Local Living. For information, call 703-792-5123.

DUMFRIES AREA

ASSAULTS

Islip Loop, 1800 block, 9:02 p.m. Aug. 20. During an argument, a man assaulted a female acquaintance. A Dumfries man, 28, was arrested.

Lansdale Pl., 15700 block, 1:43 p.m. Aug. 20. During an argument, a man and a female acquaintance assaulted each other. The woman also lit clothes belonging to the man on fire. A Dumfries man, 24, and a Woodbridge woman, 28, were arrested.

WEAPONS

Fort Henry Ct., 1700 block, 10 p.m. Aug. 16. Several gunshots were heard. Two vehicles were struck with bullets. No one was reported injured.

ROBBERY

Fraley Blvd., 18000 block, 10:38 p.m. Aug. 18. Two men punched a male acquaintance in the face, grabbed his cellphone and demanded money. When the acquaintance refused, the two ordered him at gunpoint to go to an ATM at a nearby business. When a police officer entered the business, the two fled.

GAINESVILLE AREA

THEFT/BREAK-IN

Moss Ledge Ct., 14400 block, 9:51 a.m. Aug. 21. Someone entered a residence through an unlocked front door. They fled empty-handed when confronted by two dogs.

HAYMARKET AREA

THEFT/BREAK-IN

Bonnie Brae Farm Dr., 5100 block, 1:47 a.m. Aug. 21. Two people entered a residence, which sounded an alarm. They fled through a rear door when a resident confronted them. The resident found a large group of people in his pool.

MANASSAS AREA

SEXUAL ASSAULT

Balls Ford Rd., 11200 block, Jan. to Sept. 2015. A youth pastor sent inappropriate text messages and inappropriately touched a female juvenile acquaintance. A Warrenton man, 25, was arrested.

ROBBERY

Lomond Dr., 9400 block, 12:17 a.m. Aug. 20. A man, who arranged to buy auto parts from an acquaintance, demanded the property from the acquaintance at gunpoint. The man fired the weapon at the acquaintance, missing him. The man fled with the property.

THEFT/BREAK-IN

Emerald Dr., 7400 block, 3 p.m. Aug. 21 to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 22. A key was stolen from a residence entered by damaging a front door.

NOKESVILLE AREA

SEXUAL ASSAULT

Vint Hill Rd., 15300 block, May 29. A church youth director had inappropriate contact with a female juvenile acquaintance. A Centreville man, 28, was arrested.

WEAPONS

Fleetwood Dr., 12900 block, 8:17 a.m. Aug. 22. Someone fired a weapon at a residence, hitting an interior wall. No one was reported injured.

WOODBRIDGE AREA

SEXUAL ASSAULT

Macedonia Dr., 16000 block, June 2010 to Aug. 2016. A woman sexually assaulted a female juvenile relative. A Woodbridge woman, 36, was arrested.

ASSAULTS

Anderson Ct., 14800 block, 1 p.m. Aug. 22. During an argument, a woman assaulted a female acquaintance.

Marblestone Dr., 12700 block, 3:30 p.m. Aug. 15. During an argument, a woman exited a vehicle several times and a male acquaintance repeatedly dragged her back. A Dumfries man, 20, was arrested.

Prince William Pkwy., 2400 block, 2:15 a.m. Aug. 23. A Maryland man made arrangements to buy marijuana from an unknown person. The man was assaulted.

CHILD NEGLECT

Worth Ave., 14000 block, 2:23 p.m. Aug. 18. A woman left two children unattended in an unlocked vehicle with the engine running. A Woodbridge woman, 28, was arrested.

WEAPONS

Topsail Lane, 16300 block, 10:30 p.m. Aug. 18. Several gunshots were heard. A bullet hole was found in the front door of a residence. No one was reported injured.

ROBBERIES

Blackjack Oak Lane, 16600 block, 9:34 p.m. Aug. 9. A man assaulted a male juvenile pedestrian and robbed him of a wallet.

Columbia Rd., 1300 block, 11:58 a.m. Aug. 22. A male robbed a female pedestrian of a purse and cellphone.

Darbydale Ave., 14700 block, 1:35 a.m. Aug. 24. Two gunmen robbed a convenience store of cash and cigarettes.

Jefferson Davis Hwy., 14000 block, 4:06 p.m. Aug. 21. A man hit a male cyclist in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. The man continued to assault the cyclist until he was unconscious and robbed him of a wallet. The cyclist was treated for injuries.

Potomac Mills Rd., 2700 block, 11:49 p.m. Aug. 20. A man with a knife demanded money from a male motorist sitting in a vehicle. The two struggled and the motorist was cut. He was treated for injuries.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Blackjack Oak Lane, 16600 block, 3:32 p.m. Aug. 18. A firearm, a computer tablet, a camera and jewelry were stolen from two residences, each entered by damaging a front door. A man was seen leaving the scene with several black trash bags.

Cuddy Loop, 14100 block, 2:36 a.m. Aug. 22. A man with a knife kicked open a front door of a residence. He fled empty-handed when he saw a resident.

Ferndale Dr., 14200 block, 3:17 p.m. Aug. 17. A male acquaintance and three unknown men armed with a handgun and a knife entered a womans residence through an unlocked window. The woman fled to an upstairs bedroom and called police. The four fled empty-handed.

Dale Blvd., 4300 block, 10:30 p.m. Aug. 18 to 9 a.m. Aug. 19. An attempt was made to enter a business by damaging a front door.

Estate Dr., 14600 block, 11:49 a.m. Aug. 19. A male attempted to enter a residence by breaking a window with a shovel. He fled when a resident confronted him.

Golansky Blvd., 3000 block, 3:40 a.m. Aug. 17. A man entered a business, which sounded an alarm. A 49-year-old man was arrested.

Lakota Dr., 7000 block, 10 a.m. Aug. 13 to 4 p.m. Aug. 20. An attempt was made to enter a residence by damaging a front door.

Meckon Ct., 5200 block, 10:52 a.m. Aug. 22. A man attempted to enter a residence by breaking a rear door with a shovel. He fled when confronted by a large dog. A Woodbridge man, 21, was arrested.

Manassas

No report was received from Manassas police for this edition of Local Living. For information, call 703-257-8000.

Manassas Park

No report was received from Manassas Park police for this edition. of Local Living. For information, call 703-361-1136.
The public uproar over the secrecy of the Baltimore police departments test of an aerial surveillance technology is a healthy part of the process to decide whether the city will support the program with taxpayer money, one of the philanthropists bankrolling the initiative said.

We havent created a position as to whether Baltimore should use it. This is the first of many steps to evaluate whether the technology should be used, said Laura Arnold, a Houston-based philanthropist who is paying for the surveillance with her billionaire husband, John. No program would be successful unless they address these issues [of privacy]. Theyre never going to reduce crime in Baltimore or any city unless the community is part of the solution. This is all very healthy.

The couple personally gave $360,000 to the Baltimore police department to fund a surveillance project that began in January by Persistent Surveillance Systems, based in Ohio. The firm has flown a single-engine airplane 8,000 feet above Baltimore with a bank of high-powered cameras to record hundreds of hours that can help police track the movements of people involved in crimes.

Police officials have said the program was not a secret, but Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and City Council members learned about the program only recently, after a Bloomberg Businessweek cover story revealed its existence.

The Baltimore City Council intends to hold a hearing on the program. And Maryland Public Defender Paul DeWolfe is calling for a halt to the surveillance.

Laura Arnold said such scrutiny is crucial for the community to evaluate the value of the technology.

As supporters of the ACLU we deeply recognize the concerns and the tradeoffs that need to be made on privacy, Arnold said Sunday in an interview with the Baltimore Sun. Not only do we fully respect and support that process; for us, we dont see it as a contradictory thing. We should have this conversation.

The Arnolds, she said, would never presume to tell you whats best for your neighborhood.

With the Baltimore system, we became interested in it as a special tool that may or may not be successful in improving what we all consider to be unacceptable clearance rates in urban areas like Baltimore, Arnold said. The jury is still out on if it works. Its an alternative that we should learn about  whether its worth doing, whether communities will accept it. Does it impermissibly infringe on civil liberties? These are all important questions that need to be answered.

The couples extensive philanthropic efforts focus on using technology and data analysis to help reform big public-policy questions in criminal justice, public education and public pensions. The Chronicle of Philanthropy estimates that the couple has donated $1.2 billion over the past five years personally and through their Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

The 43-year-old former corporate attorney runs the foundation full time with her 42-year-old husband, a former Enron and hedge-fund manager with a fortune approaching $3 billion.

Laura Arnold said she and her husband do not attempt to dictate how institutions implement programs their foundation pays for.

We trust local actors to make those decisions. We dont say you have to do it one way or the other, she said.

The Police Foundation in Washington, which has administered the bulk of the couples donation to the police department, is expected to produce a report on the technology by the end of next month.

The police want to know what strategies work to keep communities safe, she said. We facilitate that analysis so we as a society can channel resources to what works.

Clearly, current criminal justice processes are not working as effectively as possible, she said.

What we do is try to identify models that are beneficial and that are somehow going to lead to a superior outcome for society, she said. We do a lot of evaluation and analysis about what works and what doesnt work.
Investigators arrested a 18-year-old man in connection with the stabbing of a pregnant woman who was attacked while walking on a wooded path in Montgomery County.

Authorities said the man, who was in a relationship with the woman, who was 19, was taken into custody shortly after the Wednesday afternoon stabbing. He had not been charged as of the evening, a spokeswoman said.

Police called the incident a domestic-related assault.

The woman, who is several months pregnant, agreed to meet the man just before the 3:19 p.m. attack, a department press release said.

The pair met on a wooded path in the 3000 block of Upton Drive. The area is several blocks northwest of downtown Wheaton.

At some point, the pregnant woman was stabbed multiple times, but investigators were not releasing further details.

Authorities said the woman was able to give police the name and a description of her attacker before she was taken to an area trauma center. She was transported in serious condition, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.
Lakira Renee Johnson, five months pregnant with twins, called her sister in a panic. She was kneeling on the floor of a carryout on Brentwood Road, bleeding from her belly.

The 21-year-old screamed. Ebony, I just got shot!

Their mother, Cassandra Johnson, 42, who was there when the call came, raced four blocks from the familys home to the small strip mall just off Rhode Island Avenue and 14th Street in Northeast Washington.

It was just after 10 p.m. Tuesday. She crossed the busy six-lane thoroughfare and ran through a small park. She passed by a young man who also had been shot and was on the sidewalk, unresponsive. She reached her daughter inside the store and held her until help arrived.

She didnt say much, Cassandra Johnson said of her daughter, who was recovering Wednesday in the intensive-care unit at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. The mother said that the bullet barely missed the uterus and that the unborn girls are expected to survive.

Im just happy theyre all alive, Cassandra Johnson said in a telephone interview from the hospital. All three of them.

[Two wounded in shooting outside carryout.]

Police said the young man suffered what appeared to be life-threatening injuries and was in critical condition at a hospital.

D.C. police had few details about the shooting but confirmed that Lakira Johnson was a bystander. Police said they did not yet know if the man who had been shot was targeted. Lakira Johnson told her mother that the shots came from a passing car as she left a shop and headed toward the carryout to buy a cheesesteak.

Someone who saw the shooting or the aftermath ran to a fire station a couple of blocks away and called police. Officers went there first and were directed to the shops on Brentwood Road. On Tuesday night, police provided an erroneous report that said the victims had gone to the fire station to seek help.

Cassandra Johnson, who works as a monitor on school buses for special-needs children, said her daughter didnt know that she had been shot until she felt a burning sensation and saw blood. The wounded woman works at a Walmart and has two daughters, ages 3 and 7.

Lakira Johnsons mother and her 26-year-old sister, Ebony Johnson, said the bullet went through the stomach and back and pierced a kidney, which had to be removed. They said that Johnson will have to wear a colostomy bag until the babies are born and then have additional surgery to make final repairs.

Cassandra Johnson said she rode to the hospital with her daughter in the ambulance. She didnt leave all Wednesday and still doesnt know all the details. They dont want her to talk  they want her to heal, she said.

Ebony Johnson described her sister as alert and in really bad pain but said that doctors believe she will survive.

Clarence Williams contributed to this report.
Calvert County

These were among reports received by the Calvert County Sheriffs Office and the Maryland State Police. Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Division at 410-535-2800 or 301-855-1194, the Crime Solvers line at 410-535-2880 or the state police Prince Frederick Barrack at 410-535-1400.

CHESAPEAKE BEACH AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Silver Fox Way, 8 p.m. Aug. 18 to noon Aug. 19. Lights were stolen from a yard.

DUNKIRK AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Southern Maryland Blvd., Aug. 16. After a man thought he had dropped his wallet at a gas station, he received a call from his bank notifying him that multiple transactions had been made using his account.

VANDALISM

Knight Ave., 8:18 p.. Aug. 16. A vehicle was spray-painted.

HUNTINGTOWN AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Plum Point Rd., Aug. 21. Two flags were stolen from a flag pole at a home.

Warren Dr., Aug. 15. A license plate was stolen from a vehicle.

LUSBY AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Beach Dr., Aug. 18. Tools were stolen from a vehicle.

Commanche Rd., Aug. 16. Property was stolen from several sheds at a home.

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY

Daryl Dr., 5:30 p.m. Aug. 18. A window at a home was broken.

NORTH BEACH AREA

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY

Third St., 7 p.m. Aug. 20. Two windows at a home were broken.

OWINGS AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Briscoe Turn Rd., 5:58 p.m. Aug. 16. A cabinet and door frame were damaged at a residence; nothing was reported stolen.

PRINCE FREDERICK AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Chesapeake Ave., Aug. 21. A boat trailers license plate was stolen.

Prince Frederick Blvd., 9:48 a.m. Aug. 17. A home was entered after a side door was kicked in.

Sheridan Point Rd., Aug. 20. A mailbox was stolen.

SOLOMON AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Mill Creek, Aug. 21. Electronic devices, fishing rods and a tackle box were stolen from a boat at a boating center.

Charles County

These were among reports received by the Charles County Sheriffs Office and the Maryland State Police. For information, call 301-932-2222 or 301-870-3232. The website ccso.us has crime statistics and information on crime prevention programs.

REWARDS FOR INFORMATION

Crime Solvers will pay a reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment. The 24-hour hotline is 866-411-8477. Callers may remain anonymous.

No reportable offenses were received this week.

St. Marys County

These w ere among reports received by the St. Marys County Sheriffs Office and the Maryland State Police. For information, call 301-475-8008. To submit a tip, call Crime Solvers at 301-475-3333. The Leonardtown Barrack of the state police has an anonymous tip line at 301-475-2936.

CALIFORNIA AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Brown St., Aug. 22. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Husband Dr., Aug. 22. Cash was stolen from a vehicle.

Rosewood Ct., Aug. 23. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Wildewood, Aug. 19. Multiple vehicles were broken into.

GREAT MILLS AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Great Mills, Aug. 23. Property was stolen from a restaurant.

LEONARDTOWN AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Leonardtown, Aug. 23. Property was stolen from a vehicle parked at a hospital.

VANDALISM

Bayside Rd. and Blue Grass Lane, Aug. 19. Mailboxes were damaged with a blunt object.

LEXINGTON PARK AREA

ROBBERIES

Nicolet Park, 9:23 p.m. Aug. 23. A male robbed and sexually assaulted a male and female at a park.

Three Notch Rd., Aug. 22. A person was robbed of cash.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Castaway Cir., Aug. 19. A vehicle was broken into.

Hilton Dr., Aug. 19. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Marshall Rd., Aug. 22. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Rue Purchase Way, Aug. 22. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Lord Baltimore Way, Aug. 22. A stolen vehicle was recovered.

MECHANICSVILLE AREA

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Thompson Corner Rd., Aug. 22. A garage and shed were broken into.

William Dr., Aug. 23. A boat was stolen.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe speaks about restoring felon voting rights at the Virginia civil rights memorial at the State Capitol in Richmond on Aug. 22. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Republican legislative leaders on Thursday said they will take Gov. Terry McAuliffe to court once again over his efforts to restore voting rights to felons.

The GOP leaders filed a contempt-of-court motion against McAuliffe (D), who last week announced that he had individually restored rights to 13,000 felons and was working to do the same for a total of more than 200,000.

McAuliffes action came in response to a July ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court, which threw out a blanket clemency order that he had issued in April. The governor has described his latest move as a way to comply with the courts order while addressing an issue of basic justice.

But Republicans argue in the court filing that the practical effect of McAuliffes workaround is the same as the original, sweeping clemency order that the state Supreme Court declared unconstitutional.

After a thorough legal review, it is clear that Governor McAuliffe has once again illegally suspended the Constitution of Virginia, House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) said in a written statement. There is no practical difference between his latest action and his first set of executive orders. . . . The governor will undoubtedly continue to falsely demagogue our motivations, but we cannot stand idly by. We have an obligation to check the excesses of executive power and hold the governor accountable to the Constitution and the rule of law.

[McAuliffe restores voting rights to 13,000 felons]

Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment (R-James City) said that the state constitution allows for the restoration of civil rights in specific cases but that McAuliffes actions went beyond that provision.

I believe in redemption, Norment said in a written statement. And there is a way, within the bounds of the law, to ensure those deserving of relief have their rights restored. But no matter how noble the goal, allowing the Governor  or any government official  to usurp the Rule of Law is detrimental to our system of self-government. It cannot stand.

McAuliffe has said felon disenfranchisement was a vestige of Jim Crow-era segregation and has accused Republicans of trying to suppress the black vote. Because of felony convictions, more than 1 in 5 African Americans in Virginia cannot vote, according to the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based nonprofit group that focuses on criminal justice.

He said he intends to move Virginia, one of just a handful of states that permanently disenfranchise felons, into the mainstream of American states where people who serve their time reenter society as full citizens again.

This lawsuit [is] an attempt to use the judiciary system to intimidate and disenfranchise people who are living in our communities and paying taxes, he said in a written statement. The people who have filed it are more concerned with the impact new voters could have on Donald Trumps campaign than they are with the dignity of the people whom they continue to drag through the mud with their political lawsuits and ugly attacks. We will oppose this latest partisan action vigorously and overcome any and every obstacle Republicans may erect to our efforts to bring this dark chapter in our Commonwealths history to a close.

With great fanfare in April, McAuliffe issued an executive order that restored voting rights to more than 200,000 felons who had completed their sentences.

Republicans, incensed that the order included violent offenders, said the move was really a bid to add Democratic voters to the rolls ahead of Novembers presidential election, when the governors close friend and political ally Hillary Clinton will be on the ballot.

Adding to the controversy was the administrations botched implementation of the order; the governors office mistakenly restored rights to 132 sex offenders still in custody, as well as to several convicted killers on probation in other states.

Contending that the governor had overstepped his authority by restoring rights en masse rather than individually, GOP legislative leaders took him to court and won. Because 13,000 of the 200,000 felons already had registered to vote, the court ordered the state to again put their names on its list of banned voters.

Immediately after that ruling, McAuliffe vowed to use an autopen to individually sign orders restoring rights.

Last week, McAuliffe announced that he had restored voting rights to the 13,000 felons, making them free to register again. He said he would do the same for the remainder of the 200,000 but offered no timetable.

The difference between McAuliffes original action and his current approach is largely procedural. Instead of simply announcing that any felon whose sentence is complete is eligible to vote, the administration is mailing each person a notice to that effect.

The administration will review each record but only to confirm that the individual has completed the sentence and any supervised release. McAuliffe will not individually sign the orders or make use of an autopen, but an image of his signature will be printed on each letter, McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said last week.

In their motion, Howell and Norment contend that McAuliffes current approach has the same practical effect as his original executive order  suspending Virginias constitutional prohibition against felons voting.
Life as a party girl caught up with Beverly Layman in March. She had gone to the doctor to receive a new treatment for hepatitis C. She was excited by the prospect of getting her energy back.

But the blood tests showed it was too late. Layman, 58, was dying.

The doctor said, I think you need to start looking at hospice. That just blew me away, Layman said. I thought I was invincible. I thought nothing was going to kill me.

White women are falling to early deaths at an accelerated pace in America, often because of drugs and alcohol. Some deaths are overdoses that occur in an instant. Others, like Laymans, are slower and more painful  forcing women to confront the damage theyve done to their livers.

In a series of interviews in the weeks leading up to her death, Layman described her decades-long struggle with drugs and alcohol, hoping her story would serve as a warning to other women. At 14, she said, she was smoking marijuana. At 15, she was shooting heroin, kicking off a lifelong craving for opioids. By 16, it was crack.

It all happened so fast, Layman said. There you are suddenly, with a needle in your arm, a crack pipe in your mouth.

She spent several stints in rehab and months, even years, in recovery. But she always went back to the drugs.

Her latest effort to get clean came in 2010. She stopped drinking and taking illegal drugs, and began going to a methadone clinic to help with the cravings. Within months, she was back on the bottle  and taking the anti-anxiety medication Xanax, a benzodiazepine.

A year later, she added opioid painkillers, including oxycodone, which, combined with Xanax and alcohol, can be instantly fatal.

Layman survived, but the damage to her body from both the drugs and the disease was severe. She died March 11 due to complications from liver cirrhosis.

Laymans funeral was held on what would have been her 59th birthday. At the chapel, her family announced that she had donated $100,000 to a Christian drug-recovery program, called Teen Challenge. A cousin, Jenni Jewett, spoke, telling those gathered that Layman had taken an interest in her when she was young, warning her of the dangers of becoming a party girl.

I never did any drugs or drank alcohol because of her. She told me to stay away from them, Jewett said. Bev, thank you.
At any given time, Nebraska's prisons are short by up to 200 protective services workers, Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes told a legislative investigative committee Wednesday morning.

An extra 138 new positions -- in addition to those already authorized -- would be needed to get the prisons to minimal staffing, according to a staffing audit completed by the department over the past year, and those positions would come at a cost of $6.5 million.

An earlier draft of the same report, completed by a department team led by Omaha Correctional Center Warden Barbara Lewien, had recommended 254 positions be added, at a cost of $12 million. The numbers were changed in the final report after its authors consulted Frakes.

That information came out as Frakes was questioned by former Sen. Steve Lathrop, the Department of Correctional Services Special Investigative Committee's attorney. Lathrop had led a different version of the committee before leaving the Legislature at the end of 2014.

Senators have been concerned the department would not request enough money or positions to fix the prisons' staffing problems. Part of that concern stems from the focus on tax relief by the current and former governors.

Frakes offered that he was not given "outside instructions" by the governor's office or anyone else to reduce the number of positions or the cost of beefing up the staff for the final recommendation.

Frakes explained later the draft was part of the process of getting to what correct staffing should be for the department. He compared it to the brainstorming done before putting together a plan. Much of the brainstorming always gets left out of a final plan, he said.

In the end, he said, the report calls for a 10 percent increase in the approximately 1,300 protective services staff, which is substantial.

Frakes spent much of the hearing with the investigative committee answering questions about why the prisons are "treading water" on keeping enough staff.

Lathrop said his questioning was aimed at getting an idea of the staffing problem in the prisons and what it would take to fix it.

Throughout the agency, the department has a turnover rate of about 24 percent, Frakes confirmed, but individual prisons have higher rates. For example, Tecumseh State Correctional Institution turns over about 32 percent of staff every year, according to documents supplied to the committee.

Frakes has said anything at or above 15 percent is a problem, creating instability and management issues.

High turnover has been blamed on inadequate pay, mandatory overtime, safety questions and low morale.

Recruiting hasn't been the problem with staffing, retention has, Frakes said. In fiscal year 2016, 400 staff were hired but 287 left, he said.

Gov. Pete Ricketts' office noted that the governor requested and the Legislature funded 59 new Corrections positions in 2015.

The number of positions the department will ask for this year and the cost of those positions will be revealed in the department's budget request, to be submitted Sept. 15.

Frakes also said he will submit a pay proposal Thursday to union officials, a month ahead of the normal start of the negotiation process. That proposal cannot be revealed until negotiations are complete, he said.

Compensation has been a major complaint among prison workers. About 220 employees answered an informal email survey sent out last week by Inspector General for Corrections Doug Koebernick. It asked what things workers would change to improve their jobs. Most answers focused on pay, including beginning pay and pay increases.

Some workers are scheduled to get $500 bonuses in September. Koebernick said he has suggested the department use part of the $1.5 million provided by the Legislature to award bonuses to more staff.

The committee also questioned Frakes on a recent increase of assaults on prison staff. Lack of adequate staffing, and thus a lack of programming and social activities for inmates, has been a factor, he said.

Violence results when there is nothing productive for inmates to do, Frakes said.

He said gangs also have played a part in the violence. A large number of inmates have an affiliation with what the prison calls "security threat groups."

Frakes said after the hearing he understood the committee was looking for insight into the department's lingering problems.

"Is it comfortable? No not always," he said. "Is it a process that is important to good state government? It is."
UNNATURAL CAUSES SICK AND DYING IN SMALL-TOWN AMERICA | Since the turn of this century, death rates have risen for whites in midlife, particularly women. The Washington Post is exploring this trend and the forces driving it. Read the related story.

Pastor Robin Robinson shows how the Oildale part of Kern County, Calif., is a rough place for people suffering addictions. (Lee Powell/The Washington Post)

When doctors cut off her painkillers, Samantha Burton went through withdrawal. Experts say it can feel like an extreme case of the flu, but Burton found the experience far more punishing.

Opioids make your brains ability to create happy chemicals completely flaccid, she said. It wasnt like I felt bad. I felt like I was going to die.

So Burton, a professional illustrator who grew up in nearby Bakersfield, joined a stealthy parade of middle-aged white women trolling for drugs in Oildale, a dusty little town in central California known for its bountiful oil fields, its Appalachian-grade poverty and an open-air market for illicit drugs dubbed Heroin Alley.

A big increase in opiate overdoses is causing death rates to rise among white women in middle age in America. Usually, their drug use starts with a prescription. But when addiction sets in, their need often drives them to other sources: the hospital emergency room, the medicine cabinets of sick friends and places like Oildale.

[White women are dying faster all over America - but what about where you live?]

Burton, now 42 and in recovery, started with a prescription for Percocet a decade ago to manage the pain of irritable bowel syndrome. The medication also calmed the manic noise of an undiagnosed bipolar disorder. When doctors cut her off, Burton said, finding more pills became quite an occupation.

For five years, she went regularly to Oildale, sometimes waiting hours in dark alleys or behind shabby trailers for strangers to sell her a handful of Vicodins for $5 apiece. Tall, fit and well-groomed, she was an obvious target for criminals. She was punched, threatened and robbed.

I tried to dress down, but I still stuck out. I did not belong there, she says. It was incredibly dumb.

Jesse Melendez, a recovered addict now in training as a minister in Oildale, said he sees women like Burton every day.

Its obvious they dont fit in, he said, Its obvious why they are here.

Founded as a company town for oil field workers in the early 1900s, Oildale drew people from across the South and Midwest during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Merle Haggard was born here and played country music at a local nightclub called Trouts, where he helped create the Bakersfield sound.



Residents gather for free offerings in Oildale, Calif. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

These days, Oildale is better known for poverty and drugs. Nearly 90 percent of its 33,000 residents are white, and 20 percent live below the poverty line. The poorest live within blocks of Beardsley Avenue and the alley behind it, alternately known as Heroin Alley or Meth Alley, depending on which drug is ascendant.

[FDA requires new warnings on danger of combining opioids, benzodiazepines]

According to the Kern County Sheriffs Department, nearly a third of the 1,600 drug-related arrests made in the sprawling county over the past year have occurred in tiny Oildale.

Two blocks from Beardsley, a weathered church was taken over a year ago by one of the largest and wealthiest churches in Bakersfield, the Canyon Hills Assembly of God. Most of its nearly 200 members are recovering addicts. Melendez is one of four young ministers in training who live in a small home next to the chapel and go door-to-door, inviting residents to Sunday services and Wednesday bible study.

Drug and alcohol addiction is a problem at each of Canyon Hills six church campuses, which stretch from the Sierras to the Central Coast. Even at the main campus in Bakersfield, with its boutique coffee shop and its panoramic view of the Tehachapi Mountains, pastor Robin Robinson estimates that 40 percent of his 5,000 congregants are addicts.

The church is a natural hub for people who are broken, Robinson said.

Robinson first noticed an upward trend in addiction around 2008, when the mortgage crisis hit and dozens of families at Canyon Hills lost their homes. Of the nations 3,007 counties, Kern County ranked 16th that year in foreclosure rates.

After the Great Recession lifted, the economic blows kept coming. Starting in 2012, Californias historic drought crippled Kern Countys largest industry, agriculture. Two years later, a worldwide plunge in oil prices walloped the areas second-largest and most lucrative industry, oil and gas. Earlier this year, the Kern County Board of Supervisors declared a fiscal emergency.

In 2013, Canyon Hills began offering Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step program created at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, 160 miles south of Bakersfield, and now offered in thousands of churches nationwide.

While the program helps many people, Robinson said many middle-aged white women struggling with opioid and alcohol addiction wont attend the meetings. They prefer to reach out privately for help  or make desperate trips alone to Oildale.

They dont want their children to know. They dont want their husbands to know. They dont want their bosses to know. They are afraid of losing everything, Robinson said.

They are the ones who are supposed to keep it all together when things go wrong. They dont think they have the right to unravel.
Pastor Rev. Mark Burns talks with reporters outside Trump Tower after attending a meeting with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Aug. 25, in New York. (Don Emmert/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

Mark Burns has done well for himself as a Donald Trump surrogate.

The African American pastor, in his Twitter bio, says he can be seen on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC & Fox Business Network and provides a link to a Time profile titled Meet Donald Trumps Top Pastor. He got a speaking slot at the Republican convention, and the Trump campaign has sent out his quotes validating the candidate.

On Monday, this Trump mouthpiece took it upon himself to tweet a cartoon of Hillary Clinton in blackface, holding a sign proclaiming #@!** THE POLICE and saying, I aint no ways tired of pandering to African-Americans.

In the ensuing (and predictable) backlash, Trump senior adviser Boris Epshteyn tried to disown the surrogate, telling MSNBCs Kristen Welker that Burns speaks for himself. Burns, unchastened, called in to the same show to defend himself, saying were not playing the political PC game to make you feel good. Only hours later did he delete the offending image and tweet: I want to Apologize for my Twit.

But there is no way to apologize for all of the twits speaking for Trump.

Trump supporter and pastor Mark Burns apologized after tweeting a contentious image of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in blackface. Here's a look at some of the other Trump surrogates who've made headlines this campaign cycle. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Trumps surrogates are a decidedly B-list group of Trump supporters who argue his case on the airwaves. Though all presidential campaigns have surrogate networks, Trump has a complication: Credentialed conservatives and elected Republicans generally wont defend him. And so the cable news outlets scrape the bottom of the barrel to find people willing to make Trumps case. Little wonder veteran GOP operative Kevin Kellems quit as head of Trumps surrogate operation earlier this summer after less than two weeks on the job.

As Burns was provoking the blackface brouhaha, CNN was dealing with an ethical morass over Trump surrogate Corey Lewandowski, whom CNN put on contract as a commentator after he was ousted as Trumps campaign manager. But it turned out Lewandowski continued to be paid $20,000 a month by the campaign; severance, the campaign said. Late Monday, ABC News reported that Lewandowski  still with CNN  was back to advising Trump, talking to the candidate almost every day and running the show at Trump rallies.

Yet Lewandowski is hardly the most exotic animal in Trumps surrogate circus.

Al Baldasaro, a surrogate for Trump on veterans issues, said in a radio interview that Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason. He also suggested Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who spoke at the Democratic convention, is a Muslim Brotherhood agent.

Surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes, a TV regular, said after Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine spoke in Spanish: Im hoping Im not going to have to start kind of brushing up on my Dora the Explorer to understand some of the speeches. Hughes, asked on CNN about the possibility of violence at the Republican convention, said: Riots arent necessarily a bad thing.

Rudy Giuliani, once revered as Americas mayor, has become a punchline as Trump surrogate for playing doctor on Fox News: Go online and put down Hillary Clinton illness. Take a look at the videos for yourself.

Surrogate Omarosa Manigault, once a contestant on The Apprentice, defended violence against demonstrators at Trump events: You get whats coming to you. Andrew Dean Litinsky, also a former Apprentice contestant, defended a 78-year-old Trump supporter who sucker-punched a black protester at a Trump event: It looks like good exercise.

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.

On CNN, surrogate Jeffrey Lord has distinguished himself by saying the Ku Klux Klan is a function of the left. After Trump said the U.S.-born judge in a case against him was a Mexican whose heritage disqualified him, Lord said those criticizing Trump were the real racists. And young Trump surrogate Kayleigh McEnany cheerfully defended waterboarding as a bit of discomfort.

Paid mouthpieces for the Trump campaign dont fare a whole lot better. Trump lawyer Michael Cohen last year defended Trump against an old allegation by his first wife by falsely saying you cannot rape your spouse. Cohen recently became an Internet star when, asked on CNN about Trumps poor poll numbers, he responded repeatedly and nonsensically: Says who?

Then theres national spokeswoman (and reality TV star) Katrina Pierson, whose pre-Trump days include 2012 tweets asking if 9/11 was an inside job and lamenting that both President Obamas and Mitt Romneys fathers were born abroad. Any pure breeds left? she asked.

This month on CNN, she blamed the death of Army Capt. Humayun Khan (Khizrs son) on Obama and Clinton: It was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagement that probably cost his life.

Khan died in 2004, during George W. Bushs first term. But no matter: In Trumps surrogate circus, anything goes.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Christine Ockrent is a Global Opinions contributing columnist.

French exceptionalism is under fire. While the United States sees itself as the Earths last, best hope, leading the world for the better, France has long viewed itself as the worlds beacon of enlightenment, illuminating the planet with the sheer power of its conceptual and literary achievements. The irony is that the country which also gave the world Brigitte Bardot and the Vichy-checkered bikini is now fuming over the burkini issue. Our particular vision of secularism is under strain, and it is a source of misunderstanding among those who wonder how the motherland of human rights has become so oppressive.

Stringent secularism, supported to this day by a vast majority of French, stems from the bloody fight at the beginning of the 20th century between the government and the Catholic Church, which eventually lost control over the political, social and educational systems. Freedom of thought cannot be constrained, but for the French, religion is a private matter that has no say in the public space. It always comes as a surprise to us that in the United States, where the same distinction is enshrined in the Constitution, every coin is engraved with In God We Trust and every public oath is taken on the Bible.

In our lexicon, La Republique is one and indivisible. So is the Nation. It is therefore illegal to question a French citizen about his or her ethnic origin or religious beliefs, if any. As a result, there are no statistics about the number of Muslims  the estimate is that they represent roughly 8 percent of the population. Uncomfortable with our colonial past, oblivious to the demographic consequences of massive labor imports from North and Sub-Saharan Africa to sustain the economic boom of the 1960s, all governments, right and left, saw no harm in letting Arab regimes train and pay for foreign imams to shepherd the immigrant population.

Our elites have long shared the self-serving view that French values being universal, all children born in the country are bound to believe the Gauls are their common ancestors. Communitariansm, as practiced in Anglo-Saxon democracies, is considered evil, contrary to the very spirit of La Republique. Public policies have been based on integration, not on assimilation, and hammered into the culture like a healing mantra. Convinced like most of our politicians that once the right phrase has been coined, the problem is somehow solved, we have been horrified to discover that most of those murderers claiming to fight on our soil for radical Islam are French citizens  second- or third-generation children of immigrants whose religious beliefs were kept to themselves, and largely ignored by the authorities.

Frances highest administrative court, the Conseil dEtat, overturned the so-called burkini bans in 26 of the countrys coastal towns and cities. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

The country is reeling from a succession of terrorist attacks: The vision of a truck crushing bodies in Nice on Bastille night, and the old priests throat slashed in his church less than two weeks later are still on peoples minds. Until this summer, there had been few incidents with racial overtones against French Muslims. Tension has risen. Eight months ahead of the next presidential election, politics have come into play. The conservative opposition is eager to seize upon security as a key issue of the campaign. Most of the 30 mayors who have decided to ban the burkini on their beaches belong to Nicolas Sarkozys party. The former president has seized upon the burkini issue, labeling it a national identity crisis, trying to deprive the far right of its main argument to voters.

Manuel Valls, the Socialist prime minister, considers the burkini to be an Islamist provocation conveying the idea that, by their nature, women are immodest, impure, that they should therefore be completely covered. It is not compatible with the values of France and the republic. Previously the mayor of a surburban community near Paris where he witnessed the creeping influence of Salafist islam, Valls reflects a majority of French public opinion. But the burkini ban is against the law. The Conseil dEtat, the highest administrative court in the country, ruled last Friday that local mayors have no right to decide what kind of clothing is appropriate or not, as long as the clothing does not pose a threat to public order.

The rule of law has prevailed. What remains at stake is the difficulty for French society, diverse as it has become, to accept multiculturalism and to adjust to it whilst maintaining its secular tradition. Ostentatious religious symbols have been banned from classrooms since 2004, and full-face veils have been forbidden since 2010 for public security reasons. Muslims should be protected from any risk of stigmatization just like other law-abiding citizens. But we have also fought long and hard for women to achieve the same rights as men  in any Western democracy, the burqa, or the burkini or any other attire imposed upon a womans body to deny her sex can hardly be seen as a token of progress.
THE LATEST twist in Syrias civil war has pitted two problematic U.S. allies against one another. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent tanks and troops across the border last week, along with a force of Syrian rebels, to drive the Islamic State from a key border town  thereby nominally delivering the greater Turkish commitment to the fight against the terrorist entity that the United States has long sought. But as the offensive has continued, it has become clear that Turkeys main aim is to seize territory from another U.S. ally and vital anti-Islamic State force, the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces. Having initially provided air support to the Turks, the Obama administration was, by Sunday, calling their clashes with the Kurds unacceptable and a source of deep concern.

This ugly muddle, which is threatening to undermine a prospective offensive against the Islamic States capital, Raqqa, is the inevitable product of President Obamas narrow and attenuated engagement in Syria. The administration has sought to mobilize and support local forces in eliminating the Islamic State without forging a consensus about what should replace it, much less a practical strategy for getting there. So U.S. Special Operations forces are deployed with Syrian Kurds, who are trying to carve out an autonomous Kurdish zone in northern Syria, while U.S. planes bomb on behalf of Turkey, which has sworn to prevent any such entity and wants to repopulate the region with Sunni Syrian refugees.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry, meanwhile, is still negotiating with Russia about a cease-fire in western Syria, a plan that would advance Moscows goal of strengthening and entrenching the Assad regime in Damascus. How does a peaceful and stable Syria emerge from these disparate initiatives? With less than five months remaining on its watch, the Obama White House appears to have no interest in formulating an answer.

That might be seen as a practical response to what the president regards as an intractable conflict destined to drag on for years. But as the trouble in northeastern Syria demonstrates, the absence of U.S. leadership in devising a workable political settlement has debilitating consequences even for the more limited aim of destroying the Islamic State. U.S. commanders have been describing the Syrian Democratic Forces as the most capable anti-Islamic State ground force and have been counting on its members to participate in the liberation of Raqqa. Yet now those fighters are skirmishing not only with Turks but also with Free Syrian Army units that joined Ankaras incursion and are also U.S.-backed.

The U.S. response to this has been to pressure both sides: Washington bluntly told the Kurds to withdraw their troops from an area west of the Euphrates River that Turkey wants to fold into its buffer zone. That and a cease-fire reported on Tuesday will be at best a temporary patch. Whats needed is a broader Turkish-Kurdish settlement, including Kurdish militants in Turkey whom Mr. Erdogan once courted and now wars against, and a plan for a federal Syria not dependent on either Bashar al-Assad or Vladimir Putin. A decade ago, the task of catalyzing those deals naturally would have been taken up by the United States. Having renounced that role, Mr. Obama will leave chaos to his successor.
Regarding the Aug. 26 news article On immigration, Trump sounds like Jeb Bush, for a while at least:

I agree with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that if we are going to allow undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States, they should pay their fair share of taxes. Great idea. But shouldnt we also ensure that our presidential candidates are paying their fair share of taxes?

I am interested in Mr. Trumps opinion about whether these workers should be entitled to some of the generous tax shelters that he may use himself.

Marie Moylan, Chevy Chase
A Lincoln man accused of being the getaway driver in an April robbery that left a man dead and another paralyzed went to prison Tuesday for his part in a home-invasion robbery a year earlier.

Terique Jackson, 24, pleaded no contest to terroristic threats in connection to the robbery at a townhouse near 27th Street and Yankee Hill Road on May 7, 2015.

In court records, police say he was the getaway driver.

That day, two 19-year-olds told Lincoln police they were smoking pot in the basement when the door was forced open and two men came in, one with a gun, and demanded money.

One of the teens was pistol whipped and had a shot fired inches from him into a couch cushion.

As the men fled, one of the victims got a photo of the car, which police say was registered to Jackson.

Jackson later entered the plea but failed to appear for sentencing May 24. On July 3, he was arrested in Colorado on charges of aiding and abetting Christopher Coleman's murder and robbery.

Police believe he drove the getaway vehicle in the April 18 homicide at 1966 Euclid Ave.

On Tuesday, Lancaster County District Judge John Colborn sentenced him to 20 months to five years in prison in the 2015 case.

The judge gave Taylor Arizola, 22, the same sentence in April. Police said he was identified as the man who didn't have a gun.
The Supreme Court said it would not restore North Carolinas voting law that a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit found unconstitutional. (Jon Elswick/AP)

The Supreme Court will not allow North Carolina in the November election to use its strict voting law that a lower court found was enacted with almost surgical precision to blunt the influence of African American voters.

An evenly divided court said Wednesday that it would not restore the law that a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit found unconstitutional. The courts short order did not give the justices reasoning. It was not a ruling on the merits of the law but instead on an emergency stay request filed by Gov. Pat McCrory (R) to use the law this fall, as the state had in previous elections.

The courts four conservatives  Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr.  would have granted most of North Carolinas request.

But they were unable to find a necessary fifth vote from one of the courts four liberals.

It was the latest split decision for a court that has been without a ninth member since Justice Antonin Scalias death in February.

This year more states than ever will require potential voters to show photo ID in order to vote in the election. Here's why this is so controversial. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

The deadlock indicated that the high court will have trouble agreeing on a host of challenges to restrictive voting measures passed around the country, meaning that appeals courts decisions could be the final word on such laws before the election.

The outcome was a major victory for the Obama administration, the Justice Department and a wide group of civil rights organizations that challenged North Carolinas law, which was one of the countrys most far-reaching.

Today we achieved another major victory for justice, African Americans, Latinos and all North Carolinians, said the Rev. William J. Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP. The critical rejection of the states position will allow the people of North Carolina to exercise the fundamental right to vote this November without expansive restrictions by racist politicians or racist policies.

McCrory said the decision prevented his state from employing common-sense protections against voter fraud that are in use by others.

Four liberal justices blocked North Carolina protections afforded by our sensible voter laws, the governor said in a statement.

North Carolina is considered to be one of the most competitive states in the coming election, with close contests for president, U.S. Senate and the governorship.

A unanimous panel of the 4th Circuit on July 29 agreed with allegations from the Justice Department and civil rights groups that North Carolinas bill selectively chose voter-ID requirements, reduced the number of early-voting days and changed registration procedures in ways meant to harm blacks, who overwhelmingly vote for the Democratic Party.

[Appeals court strikes North Carolina voting law]

The new provisions target African Americans with almost surgical precision and impose cures for problems that did not exist, Judge Diana Gribbon Motz wrote for the panel. Thus the asserted justifications cannot and do not conceal the states true motivation.

The state disputed the ruling and had asked the Supreme Court to allow part of the law to be used this November: restoring the photo-ID requirements, reducing the number of early-voting days from 17 to 10 and ending the states practice of preregistering teenagers to vote so that they are enrolled when they turn 18.

The lower courts decision prohibits North Carolina from enforcing one voting measure that this Court has already held States may constitutionally enforce [voter ID], and compels North Carolina to retain other voting measures that few States have, the state said in its request to the high court.

And it does so on the theory that the States bare decision to enact a voter-ID law, and to curtail or eliminate permissive practices that few States offer, is compelling evidence of purposeful racial discrimination, it said.

The civil rights coalition that had successfully challenged the law asked the court to leave the 4th Circuits decision in place.

It would be a miscarriage of justice and inconsistent with this courts precedents to permit North Carolinas discriminatory voting law to remain in force through the 2016 election, they said in a brief.

North Carolina lawmakers overhauled the states election law in 2013, soon after the Supreme Courts decision in Shelby County v. Holder. That ruling freed certain states with a history of discrimination from a Voting Rights Act requirement that they receive federal approval before changing voting rules. North Carolina was one of the states.

Legislators quickly eliminated same-day voter registration, rolled back a week of early voting and put an end to out-of-precinct voting. The appeals courts ruling reinstates those provisions that civil rights groups, led by the state NAACP, said were used disproportionately by African American voters.

After a trial, U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder upheld the law in a 485-page ruling.

But Motz wrote that Schroeders comprehensive examination of the legislatures action seems to have missed the forest in carefully surveying the many trees. This failure of perspective led the court to ignore critical facts bearing on legislative intent, including the inextricable link between race and politics in North Carolina.

The panel seemed to say it found the equivalent of a smoking gun. Before enacting that law, the legislature requested data on the use, by race, of a number of voting practices, Motz wrote. Upon receipt of the race data, the General Assembly enacted legislation that restricted voting and registration in five different ways, all of which disproportionately affected African Americans.

For instance, the law allowed the use of photo IDs, such as drivers licenses and passports, held disproportionately by whites, but not photo IDs issued by colleges or state assistance programs, which blacks were more likely to possess.
Donald Trump, who has made maligning illegal immigrants from Mexico a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, met with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday  striking a remarkably subdued and cooperative tone as he faced a world leader who forcefully opposes his signature proposals.

Yet just hours later in a major speech on immigration in Phoenix, the Republican presidential nominee had returned to the aggressive tenor that has defined much of his campaign. Repeatedly raising his voice to a yell, he said that anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation, and he vowed to crack down especially hard on illegal immigrants who have committed other crimes.

With less than 10 weeks until the election, Trump increasingly has tried to adjust his pitch to appeal more to moderate voters, as polls show he has fallen solidly behind Democratic rival Hillary Clinton nationally and in battleground states. However, the visit here and the speech in Phoenix could provide a jarring contrast for voters and send a confusing message about the kind of president he would be.

Trump said at the joint news conference in Mexico that he and Pena Nieto didnt discuss who would pay for his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, despite his long-standing vow to compel Mexico to foot the bill. He and Pena Nieto avoided direct confrontation in front of the cameras, airing their differences on immigration, border security and trade in cordial tones.

But later, Pena Nieto tweeted: At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall. The Trump campaign did not immediately comment on the apparently conflicting accounts.

On Aug. 31, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gave a speech about his plans to deal with illegal immigration. The Post's Rebecca Sinderbrand breaks down some of what he said and how it was received. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Trump spokesman Jason Miller issued an opaque statement Wednesday evening saying the meeting was not a negotiation. . . . It is unsurprising that they hold two different views on this issue, and we look forward to continuing the conversation. Pena Nieto spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said that the president told Trump, Mexico wont pay for the wall, but that his comments did not spur a discussion.

The address in Phoenix was considered a chance for Trump to clarify whether he still wants to forcibly deport all of the nations estimated 11 million illegal immigrants after sending mixed signals recently. He left that question unanswered  dismissing it as irrelevant  while also strongly suggesting that he would push to deport as many people as possible.

The truth is, the central issue is not the needs of the 11 million illegal immigrants, Trump said, arguing that only the out-of-touch media elites think the biggest problems facing American society today is that there are 11 million illegal immigrants who dont have legal status.

He said that undocumented immigrants seeking legal status would first have to leave and try to return lawfully  a process that can take many years under current procedures. Trump said that he would have zero tolerance for illegal immigrants who have committed crimes beyond their immigration violations.

We will issue detainers for illegal immigrants arrested for any crime whatsoever, he said, going further than other Republicans who have called for felons to be deported. Later, he said he would create a deportation task force to deal with the most dangerous criminal illegal immigrants who have evaded justice.

He also proposed anideological certification test to ensure that immigrants share Americans values, and promised not to issue visas to people coming from parts of the world where adequate screening cannot occur.

At one point, Trump said: Were like the big bully that keeps getting beat up.

1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Photos from Donald Trumps trip to Mexico to meet with President Pena Nieto View Photos In his first formal international trip as the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump visited a country where he is broadly despised for his vilification of illegal immigrants. Caption In his first formal international trip as the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump visited a country where he is broadly despised for his vilification of illegal immigrants. Aug. 31, 2016 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, right, shake hands with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto after their joint statement at the Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City. Dario Lopez-Mills/AP Wait 1 second to continue.

The hastily arranged meeting in Mexico City was aimed at easing concerns among U.S. voters about his preparedness for the presidency, campaign aides said.

[Donald Trumps Mexican news conference, annotated]

After an hour behind closed doors at Los Pinos, the official presidential residence and office, Trump and Pena Nieto strode out slowly to adjacent lecterns  in front of only the Mexican flag  to address the public about policy differences wider than the Rio Grande is long.

We had a very substantive, direct and constructive exchange of ideas over quite a period of time, Trump said. I was straightforward in presenting my views about the impacts of current trade and immigration policies on the United States.

At campaign rallies nationwide, Trump has a favorite call-and-response in which he asks his massive crowds who is going to pay for the wall he has promised he would build.

Mexico! his supporters shout back. In his Phoenix speech, he renewed his promise to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it.

But according to his account of the meeting with Pena Nieto, Trump passed on a chance to press the issue, apparently keen to play down what has become a very sensitive issue for many Mexicans and Americans.

We did discuss the wall. We didnt discuss payment of the wall. Thatll be for a later date. This was a very preliminary meeting, the candidate said.

Pena Nieto also was tactful during his remarks, offering a polite and careful rebuke to many of Trumps signature stances.

He cast illegal immigration and border security as a shared challenge but said that undocumented immigration has slowed in recent years. He also praised the merits of free trade; Trump has expressed deep skepticism about sweeping trade deals and has vowed to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement.

[Donald Trumps Mexico visit ends with Mexico basically accusing him of lying]

I shared my strong view that NAFTA has been a far greater benefit to Mexico than it has been to the United States and that it must be improved upon to make sure that workers, and so important, in both countries benefit from fair and reciprocal trade, Trump said.

Pena Nieto noted that he also had invited Clinton to visit, and he pledged to respect the electoral process of the United States.

Trump outlined five goals he has for the region: ending illegal immigration, creating a secure border, dismantling drug cartels, improving pay for workers and keeping jobs in the hemisphere.

The Republican nominee hit familiar notes about the loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States. But he didnt blame Mexico as directly as in the past, suggesting that keeping jobs in the hemisphere is the goal.

We must take action to stem this tremendous outflow of jobs from our country, he said. Its happening every day, its getting worse and worse and worse, and we have to stop it.

During Pena Nietos remarks, Trump stood with his hands clasped, and with a slight frown, while an interpreter spoke into his ear. When it was his turn to speak, Trump said it was a great, great, honor to be invited to Mexico, a country that he has regularly disparaged as corrupt and dangerous during his campaign.

He said he had tremendous feelings for Mexican Americans, not only his friends, but his Mexican employees. I am proud to say how many people I employ, he said. They are tremendous people.

When Trump began his campaign last summer, he cast illegal immigrants from Mexico as rapists and criminals and suggested that the Mexican government was sending them. Clinton sought to remind voters Wednesday about his controversial language and warned that he cannot simply paint over it with a quick stopover.

Speaking at the American Legion convention in Cincinnati before Trumps meeting, Clinton said coalition-building and leadership will take more than a photo-op.

It certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again. That is not how it works, she said without naming her rival.

After the Mexico City event, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said in a statement that Trump had choked by not confronting Pena Nieto about his signature issue. Then he amended the statement following the differing accounts of paying for the wall: It turns out Trump didnt just choke, he got beat in the room and lied about it.

[Mexicans express anger about Trump meeting]

Former Mexican president Felipe Calderon, Pena Nietos immediate predecessor, said after the news conference that Trump is a hypocrite and a liar. Are Mexicans rapists, he said, referring to Trumps remarks last year, or are we a wonderful, marvelous hard-working people, as Trump said at Pena Nietos side? I dont believe in him. I think hes lying, Calderon told CNN.

Pena Nieto, who is deeply unpopular here, shocked his country and much of his government by inviting Trump for a personal visit. The invitation, Calderon said, was a very bad move for Mexico. . . . It was completely unnecessary and inconvenient.

Mexicans learned only late Tuesday that Trump would be visiting  and many were outraged about the invitation. How could a man who has proposed walling off the border, deporting millions, blocking remittances and undercutting Mexican jobs be welcomed in their capital?

Former and aspiring presidents, opposition rivals and regular citizens expressed anger and bafflement at the surprise guest. As one senior Mexican official put it, This is not a winning proposition having him here.

Using the joint appearance to make the case of Mexicos economic importance to the United States, Pena Nieto rattled off trade and job statistics during the news conference, while mentioning that Trumps commentary had hurt his country, and that his people, and millions of Mexicans in the United States are honest and hard-working people.

They are good people. They respect family. They respect community life and they respect the law, Pena Nieto said. Mexicans deserve the respect of everyone.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico, through the Secret Service, was first informed Saturday of a possible visit by Trump, then was told Saturday night that the trip would not take place. On Sunday, it was informed by security personnel that the trip was back on.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said that the only contact between the Trump campaign and the Obama administration was with the Secret Service regarding security for the trip. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico was not asked to provide any support or briefings for the visit, Kirby said. Theres no expectation that our ambassador or any embassy personnel are going to be participating in the visit in any way.

It is not unusual for presidential candidates and nominees to travel abroad. The State Department offers only security assistance and, if requested, general briefings on major issues of interest and U.S. policy.

Trump was joined in the meeting by former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), who have become fixtures at his campaign rallies.

After shedding, for at least an afternoon, the combative tone that has become his calling card, Trump earned praise from strategists in both parties. Howard Wolfson, a former strategist and communications director for Clinton, tweeted: If you believe Trump needed to pivot, moderate and look more Presidential, that event was a home run.

Sullivan reported from Washington and DelReal from Phoenix. Anne Gearan in Cincinnati and Karen DeYoung and Robert Costa in Washington contributed to this report.
A TV screen in Seoul shows a file image of Kim Yong Jin, second from left, a North Korean cabinet member, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, front. (Ahn Young-Joon/AP)

The way the South Korean government tells it, North Korea is on the brink of collapse. A collapse, in no small part, being brought about by the tough actions of the South Korean government.

Barely a week goes by without a report of cracks in Kim Jong Uns regime. This weeks report concerns the alleged execution of a vice premier and the banishment of two other senior officials.

A spokesman for South Koreas Unification Ministry said Wednesday that Kim Yong Jin, who served as North Koreas education minister and then as a deputy prime minister, had been executed. Why and when? Inappropriate to say on both counts, he said.

But Seoul confirmed his execution through various channels, said the spokesman, Jeong Joon-hee. South Korean reports suggested that the vice premier was branded an anti-party and anti-revolutionary element and killed by firing squad in July after not standing upright at a meeting of the Supreme Peoples Assembly.

At the same time, Jeong said that Kim Yong Chul, a hard-liner in charge of inter-Korean relations, and Choi Hui, vice chief of the propaganda and agitation department, were sent to the countryside for reeducation.

This was the latest installment in Seouls narrative that Kim Jong Uns grip is weakening.

Previous chapters include the recent defection of the deputy North Korean ambassador in London because he was sick and tired of the system, and reports that a North Korean official based in Southeast Asia and tasked with making money for the leadership had defected with bags of cash. Add to that the mass defection of 13 workers from a North Korean restaurant in China.

[ Reaching a South Korean audience by finding laughs from North Korea ]

This all conveniently comes after President Park Geun-hyes administration in Seoul took surprisingly harsh steps to punish Pyongyang for its January nuclear test  in particular closing an inter-Korean industrial park, then supporting tough international sanctions.

The South Korean president has been quick to draw a line linking all these events, saying last week that serious cracks were appearing in North Korea and that elite defections could be a sign that the system is shaking.

But South Korean intelligence has a record of being right as often as it is wrong  a general reported to have been executed early this year showed up at a party congress in May  and of being used for political purposes.

Some analysts wonder whether thats what is happening now.

I think its clear that when it suits the South Korean governments purposes, information is shared with the media, said Scott A. Snyder, a Korea expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. So how reflective are these reports of whats happening in North Korea? We dont always know.

Almost since the establishment of North Korea as a Soviet client state 70 years ago, government officials and analysts have been predicting its imminent demise.

While most analysts agree that sudden changes such as the latest ones probably reflect stresses within North Koreas senior ranks, there is wide variation in interpretation. Some say executions and purges are a sign of instability, but others say they are a sign of strength because Kim Jong Un is consolidating his leadership.

The regime probably does face some pressures, but the overall internal trajectory over the past three or four years has been one of consolidation and efforts to impose even higher tests of loyalty, Snyder said. Id say it was a sign of instability if disloyalty went unpunished.

[ North Koreas deputy ambassador to Britain defects from London ]

Totalitarian states like the one that Kim Jong Un inherited retain control through a reign of terror, using executions and purges to keep the elite in line, and more general repression and limits on information to keep the wider society under control.

The current leaders father, Kim Jong Il, executed more than 2,000 officials between 1994 and 2000, said Cheong Seong-chang, a respected North Korea-watcher at the Sejong Institute outside Seoul.

Kim Jong Un has had about 130 officials put to death since he took over the helm of the country from his father almost five years ago, according to a tally by South Koreas Yonhap News Agency.

Notable among those executed are Kims own uncle, Jang Sung Thaek, put to death in 2013 for apparently amassing too much power and wealth, and the defense minister last year.

[ South Koreas president vows all-out push to punish North for provocations ]

Kim Yong-hyun, professor in North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, said that some shake-up was to be expected after Kim Jong Un held a Workers Party Congress in May, the first since 1980.

A wide reshuffling of the North Korean elite has taken place as part of the process of building Kim Jong Uns system, he said, adding that the execution could have served as a warning to others in North Koreas top tier.

While high-level defections are embarrassing for Pyongyang, and officials running off with money meant for the leadership will inflict some pain, neither presents an existential threat for North Korea, said Christopher Green, a North Korea researcher at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

As with so many things about North Korea, the present picture will be clear only with hindsight. There could be cracks in the regime, and it could be about to collapse, but the thing is, no one actually knows, Green said.

Yoonjung Seo in Seoul contributed to this report.

Read more:e

In Pyongyang, the calm before the sanctions storm?

North Korea hails greatest success of submarine-launched ballistic missile

We scrutinized North Korean Viagra  and discovered it might actually work

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Kashmiri doctors and medical workers wear bandages on their eyes in protest of the use of pellet guns and recent killings in Srinagar, in Indian-controlled Kashmir. (Mukhtar Khan/Associated Press)

 In eight weeks of violent clashes that ripped through Indian-administered Kashmir, the national spotlight has been on the millions of tiny lead pellets fired by the police on protesters, blinding dozens and injuring hundreds more.

Amid growing public outcry, criticism from human rights groups and calls for a ban on pellet guns, the Indian government is now looking for a new nonlethal weapon that can temporarily incapacitate violent mobs without causing permanent damage. On Monday, a security official told reporters that the use of pellet guns will be regulated and will be allowed only in extreme situations in the future.

A seven-member panel set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs is now examining a string of irritants  including chili-pepper shells, cannons that fire water slugs, and rubber-nosed plastic shells  that could be used in place of the damaging lead pellets.

New Delhis search for new, nonlethal weapons illustrates a key challenge that Prime Minister Narendra Modis government faces  being tough in tackling angry mobs in Kashmir without inflaming the anger even more or, as a senior security officer said, inviting the wrath of human rights activists.

[In Kashmir, Indian security forces use pellet guns that often blind protesters]

Responding to criticism, Ram Madhav, a senior member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, told the television channel NewsX in July that the use of nonlethal weapons in Kashmir did not mean we were going to shower flower petals on people.

Police have struggled to quell the angry rock-throwing demonstrators in Muslim-majority Kashmir since early July, when the death of a popular young militant commander sparked days of riots and left more than 70 people dead, according to media reports. The disputed region is claimed by both India and neighboring Pakistan.

Security forces fired more than 1.3 million pellets in the first 32 days of the street protests. Hospitals were overwhelmed with patients with pellet-gun injuries. Images of teenagers with eye injuries and pellet-dotted bodies flooded social media and newspapers.

Pellet guns have caused more than 500 eye injuries in Kashmir in the recent weeks; about 100 people have been permanently blinded. Overall, 8,500 people have been wounded in the protests, and of those, 3,800 were hit by lead pellets.

The widespread use of the supposedly nonlethal pellets has been widely condemned. They have been used to contain uprisings in the Middle East, but elsewhere police rarely turn to them. Human Rights Watch called for an investigation of whether disproportionate force was used in recent weeks in Kashmir.

The pellet guns have been a horrific nightmare. Calling the pellet gun nonlethal is a dangerous fallacy, said Nisar ul Hassan, the president of Doctors Association Kashmir. Even after the surgeries, we cannot remove all the pellets from the bodies. They are like ticking time bombs inside a person.

Pellet guns were introduced after a face-off in 2010 between stone-throwing protesters and police. At that time they were hailed as an accepted weapon of riot control, the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force said in a Kashmir court in August. If they are now withdrawn, the officers warned, the force will have no recourse in extreme situations but to open fire with rifles, which may cause more fatalities.

The new pellets used this year have sharper edges, Hassan said.

Some officers on the ground in Kashmir say pellet guns are the most effective tool in their hands, and one security official said pellet shots help them identify troublemakers when the wounded check into the hospital for treatment.

There is an orchestrated campaign against pellet guns precisely because it is doing the work of effectively controlling the violent mob protests, said a senior security official in Kashmir who asked not to be identified, because the matter is still under review. When there is a determined militant crowd hurling sharp stones at us and [they] break our helmets, shields and bones, then we need to act. Tear-gas shells are not very effective, because protesters use wet cloth to cover their eyes and are back in action in two minutes.

The government is now considering equipping police in Kashmir with body cameras that will capture images of stone-throwers.

Last week, Indias Border Security Force demonstrated to the media their proposed alternative to pellet guns  chili-pepper-filled shells, which contain a chemical irritant found naturally in chilies but is stronger than pepper spray and more pungent than tear gas. The shells can be fired from rifles and pump-action guns and can also be fitted to police vehicles.

Such shells, officials said, have been used by U.N. peacekeeping forces to control crowds abroad. In India, they have been used in anti-terrorism operations a few times. Police around the world use an array of nonlethal weapons, such as stink grenades, stun guns and pepper balls.

Meanwhile, many hit by pellets in Kashmir say that the governments new measures may have come too late.

Firdaus Ahmad Dar, a 25-year-old auto-rickshaw driver in Mazbugh village in Kashmir, said he was shot at when he was on his way to buy vegetables one morning in July.

The pellets hit my head, chest and eyes, Dar recalled. Everything is over, I thought.

After his injury, he spent almost a month in the hospital and had two eye surgeries. Doctors say there may still be some pellets left inside him that could enter his bloodstream and damage vital organs over time.

I am the sole wage earner in the family, Dar said. There is now zero sight in my right eye, and I can barely see some blob of light in the left eye. But I cant make out what is going on around me.

Even if they change the policy now, I dont benefit. My life is shattered.

Read more:

In Kashmir, Indian security forces use pellet guns that often blind protesters

Indian Kashmir sees worst violence in years after militant leaders death

This violent militant was a folk hero. His death has roiled Indian Kashmir.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
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Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, who was the Islamic State spokesman and key strategist, in an image posted on social media in 2012. (Ho/AFP/Getty Images)

Russia claimed Wednesday that it killed one of the Islamic States most senior leaders with an airstrike in Syria, but U.S. officials said they had no evidence to back Moscows account and were examining whether the militant was hit in an American strike.

A statement from Russias Defense Ministry cited intelligence channels confirming that Tuesdays attack near Aleppo killed Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the Islamic States main spokesman and a leading strategist involved in planning attacks overseas.

Russia has been eager to show that its main role in Syria is to fight terrorism, not prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad, and claiming responsibility for killing a senior Islamic State official would serve to bolster that case.

Russia did not provide evidence other than its statement, and the claim could not be independently verified. Earlier, the Pentagon said it had targeted Adnani in an airstrike in a different location in the Aleppo region and was still assessing that attacks results.

Officials in Moscow have previously released statistics about Russias intervention that seemed exaggerated and designed to belittle the U.S. war effort. In May, Evgeny Lukyanov, deputy head of Russias Security Council, estimated that Russian forces had killed 28,000 radical Islamists in Syria using several dozen warplanes in an intervention that began in September. U.S.-led airstrikes in the country had killed just 5,000 fighters over two years, Lukyanov said.

The same month, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry told The Washington Post that he estimated civilian casualties from months of Russian airstrikes to be zero because Russian warplanes never targeted population centers.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters that U.S. officials had no information to support Russias claim that it killed Adnani. White House press secretary Josh Earnest also said he was not aware of any facts to back Moscows report.

The U.S. strike was conducted by an unmanned drone firing Hellfire missiles on the northern edge of the town of Bab, about three miles from the town center, a U.S. official said. The Pentagon believes that Adnani was traveling in a vehicle at the time with at least one other person, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the attack.

The Russian statement said the airstrike by a Syrian-based Su-34 bomber killed as many as 40 Islamic State fighters, including Adnani.

[Aleppos humanitarian crisis deepens]

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the strike took place near Maarat Umm Hawsh, a village north of Aleppo and about 16 miles west of Bab, which is controlled by the Islamic State.

The United States and Russia have both intervened in the Syrian conflict with airstrikes and other military support, but they remain fundamentally opposed over the fate of Assads regime.

Russia, which backs Assad, has portrayed its intervention primarily as a crusade against the Islamic State and other groups it deems terrorists. The West has accused Russia of indiscriminate bombing of civilians and more-moderate rebel groups, including those backed by the United States.

If a Russian attack did kill Adnani, it would be an unusual, targeted strike against a senior Islamic State official by Moscow, exhibiting Russias growing capabilities in Syria and bolstering the Kremlins information campaign that its intervention is legitimate.

The Islamic State issued a statement announcing Adnanis death but gave no information on who carried out the attack.

Al-Adnanis removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIS, Cook said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.

[Adnani was architect of attacks and rhetoric]

He has coordinated the movement of ISIS fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military, and actively recruited new ISIS members, Cook said Tuesday.

The Islamic State urged followers to avenge Adnanis death and vowed to keep fighting even amid setbacks on the battlefield.

In an online edition of the Islamic States newspaper al-Naba, distributed hours after the announcement of Adnanis death, the group told its fighters to persevere.

This religion will always stand, unharmed by the death of any person, the news site said. Supporters should stand up and die just as Adnani did, al-Naba said, according to a translation carried by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant statements.

The reported death of Adnani coincides with a string of setbacks for the militants in Iraq and Syria, where they have been rapidly losing control of some of their most significant strongholds.

[Freelance attacks suggest new twist in Islamic State-inspired bloodshed]

Most recently, the group lost Jarabulus, a transit point for foreign fighters on the Turkish border that was recaptured by a joint force made up of Syrian rebels and Turkish troops.

Most of the Islamic State fighters who had been based in Jarabulus fled ahead of the advancing force to Bab, a strategically important town about 30 miles east of the city of Aleppo that is expected to become the venue for one of the next important battles.

A Syrian news website, Syrian View, reported that Adnani was killed just outside Bab around 3 p.m. by a coalition airstrike that hit his car, killing him and another Islamic State fighter.

He had been headed to the front lines near the nearby town of Manbij, which was captured two weeks ago by a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led force, the website said. The report could not be independently confirmed.

Meanwhile, Islamic State supporters took to various forms of social media to lament the news and call for revenge attacks.

The Muslims are revived by the blood of those who you kill, and the fire of the jihad is ignited with it, and its flames intensify, said the Nashir Foundation, a pro-Islamic State group, on its Telegram channel, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

Today is the day of revenge. Kalashnikovs are not enough. Today is the Duma [bomb] day, said another posting by a purported fighter using the name Abu Asim al-Masri. Dugma is a local colloquialism used to refer to the truck-size suicide bombs that are a hallmark of the Islamic State.

Adnani had been widely tipped as a likely successor to the current head of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the language used in the eulogies further indicated the esteem in which he was held by the group.

The way hes being described in the obituaries, the indications of lineage, the epithets, point to him having been the next caliph, said Aymenn al-Tamimi, an analyst specializing in militant groups with the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum.

Adnani was the most recognizable figure in the group after Baghdadi, especially now that dozens of its senior leaders have been killed.

I cant think of many figures who are still alive, Tamimi said. This is part of a wider decline of the Islamic State; the territorial losses, manpower losses, loss of senior personnel.

Sly reported from Beirut and Gibbons-Neff from Washington. Zakaria Zakaria in Gaziantep, Turkey, Loveday Morris in Baghdad and Missy Ryan in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, right, shake hands with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto after their joint statement at the Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City.

Aug. 31, 2016 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, right, shake hands with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto after their joint statement at the Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City. Dario Lopez-Mills/AP

In his first formal international trip as the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump visited a country where he is broadly despised for his vilification of illegal immigrants.

In his first formal international trip as the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump visited a country where he is broadly despised for his vilification of illegal immigrants.

In his first formal international trip as the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump visited a country where he is broadly despised for his vilification of illegal immigrants.

Side by side, a lone Mexican flag behind them, the men stood, one of the most unlikely political pairs imaginable.

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee who has built his campaign around blaming Mexicans for the loss of American jobs and safety; and President Enrique Pena Nieto, the unpopular Mexican leader who stunned his country, and even members of his government, by extending an invitation to Trump for a visit.

In the end, neither man chose to fuel the cross-border shouting match that Trumps campaign launched a year ago  a result that probably favored Trump. Many Mexicans had hoped their president would demand an apology or forcefully reject Trumps plans to build a border wall (and make Mexico pay for it), deport millions and weaken trade ties between the neighbors.

[Hitler and a false prophet: A quick guide to what Mexicans think of Trump]

Instead, Pena Nieto played the role of professor-in-chief, listing economic statistics about the mutually beneficial U.S.-Mexico relationship, while a reserved, almost somber Trump announced that he had made a new friend. The Republican candidate still, however, got in some jabs about how they did not have a chance to discuss who pays for the wall.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is slated to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto as he tries to clarify his past comments about Mexico and immigration. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Mexicans were outraged to learn that Trump had been invited to visit Mexico, and the news conference Wednesday struck many here as disappointing. After months of bearing the brunt of Trumps attacks, Mexicans found Pena Nietos performance a letdown.

Hes not going to convince anyone with his talk about building dialogue and bridges, said Jose Antonio Crespo, a Mexico City political science professor. If Trump wins, theyll have to meet and work together, but for now, the annoyance and anger of the people about his speech prevails.

Trump benefited from this encounter, he added. The president failed, he lacked strength.

Mexicans learned only the day before that Trump would be visiting. Even at the highest levels of government, Mexicans were baffled at what Pena Nieto had to gain by welcoming a man so widely reviled in this country.

[A new play about Donald Trump is a hit. In Mexico.]

In the best of times, Mexicans feel conflicted about their neighbors to the north. In Trump, many Mexicans see the embodiment of their worst fears: an overbearing and insulting American politician happy to tread all over his countrys poorer neighbor. The Mexican leader, struggling through the second half of a difficult six-year term, has himself compared Trumps rhetoric to that of Adolf Hitler.

Its kind of a big question mark, said one senior Mexican official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be candid. This is not a winning proposition having him here.

After an hour behind closed doors at Los Pinos, the presidential palace, Trump and Pena Nieto emerged and took their places at adjacent podiums. Pena Nieto apparently sought to take the high road, discussing the importance of the relationship, while pledging to respect the electoral process of the United States.

He rattled off trade and job statistics: $500 billion in annual trade between the neighbors, some 6 million jobs in America that depend on Mexican exports. He said his job was to defend Mexicans  those at home and the millions in the United States  who are honest and hardworking people.

[For Mexicans, Trumps bid is getting scarier]

They are good people. They respect family. They respect community life, and they respect the law, Pena Nieto said. Mexicans deserve the respect of everyone.

Trump responded that it was a great, great honor to be invited to Mexico.

He said he had tremendous feelings for Mexican Americans, not only friends, but his employees. While he listed familiar goals for the region  like ending illegal immigration and raising pay for workers  he did not blame Mexico as directly as he had in the past for problems in the United States.

When reporters shouted out questions about Trumps proposed border wall, the Republican candidate said he had mentioned it to the Mexican leader. We didnt discuss payment of the wall. That will be for a later date. But Pena Nietos spokesman said that during the talks, the Mexican leader rejected the wall.

[In Mexico, Donald Trump is more of a puppet than a politician]

The firmest Pena Nieto got in his public comments was when he mentioned that some of Trumps comments hurt Mexicans  but then he quickly defended Trump.

I was sure that his genuine interest is to build a relationship that lets us bring to our societies better conditions, he said.

Eduardo Sanchez, the presidents spokesman, said that Pena Nieto had long intended to invite both American presidential nominees here, to get to know them and share the importance that Mexico has for the U.S.

The easy move, he said, would be for Mexico to refuse to speak to Trump.

The calculus of Pena Nieto is not his popularity, its his responsibility, Sanchez said.

But the decision to invite Trump was assailed by a wide range of Mexicans.

Sergio Sarmiento, a political commentator and radio host, said none of the callers to his show have supported the visit.

There have been hundreds of calls from people, [all] negative, he said. This will not help Pena Nieto at all.

Former president Vicente Fox, an outspoken Trump critic, told Milenio TV that Trump was not welcome and that he has offended us, he has deceived us, he has discriminated against us.

Pena Nieto, once seen as a reformer who opened up Mexicos oil sector to foreign investment, took on long-standing monopolies and proposed ambitious changes to the education system, has lost much of the momentum he had on taking office in late 2012. A recent poll in Mexicos Reforma newspaper put his approval rating at 23 percent, the lowest in the two decades that the newspaper has been tracking presidential popularity.

The oil reform has yet to take off amid low global prices for petroleum. Mexicos homicide rate declined early in his term but has risen again, jumping 16 percent in the first five months of this year over the same period last year.

And the president has been beset by scandals. One involved a favored government contractor who bought houses on behalf of Pena Nietos wife, who is a former TV star, and finance minister. Forty-three students from the state of Guerrero disappeared in 2014, and huge protests erupted when information emerged suggesting that they were captured and killed with the help of police.

Recently, Mexicos human rights commission reported that 22 of 42 suspected drug cartel members killed at a ranch in Michoacan last year were allegedly executed by police and not killed in a gunfight as police had claimed. That contributed to the ousting of the head of the federal police this week.

Pena Nietos Institutional Revolutionary Party struggled in the midterm elections in June, losing governorships it had long held.

Read more:

How Mexico is going to make Donald Trump pay

On the Mexico border, a surge of migrants ahead of a possible Trump wall

Mexicos foreign minister: Anti-Mexican bigotry is no different than anti-Semitism

Mexicans celebrate holiday by burning Trump in effigy

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
The Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces raise their flag in the Syrian town of Manbij after driving the Islamic State out of the area, in this file photo released by Hawar news on Aug. 8. (Uncredited/AP)

The Pentagons decision to arm a mostly Syrian Kurdish force has paid big dividends in northern Syria, where the Islamic State has been on the run in recent months. Backed by U.S. air power, Kurdish-led offensives have captured important pieces of the radical groups caliphate, including the town of Manbij in August.

Then Turkish tanks and warplanes entered Syria last week and began targeting the Kurds, their long-standing enemy. But what happened next blindsided Kurdish leaders: Their American allies sided with the Turks  and ordered the Kurdish forces to hand over hard-won territory.

Unfortunately, as Kurdish allies fighting against terrorism and making a lot of victories, we expected more from the United States, said Idriss Naasan, a former official in the Kurds self-

proclaimed government in Syria who is living in the northern town of Kobane. We expect them to support us and not let Turkey target us.

Across Syrian Kurdish regions, a sense of betrayal by Washington is setting in, threatening to weaken the campaign against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL.

In Turkey, as well, there is mounting anger at the Obama administration for demanding that Turkish forces stop battling the Kurds in northern Syria. The headline of a strongly worded editorial in a pro-government newspaper this week declared that Turkey has a right to defend itself against the Kurdish militias and the Islamic State.





US can like it or lump it, the headline said.

On an increasingly complex battlefield shaped by long-simmering rivalries, the United States is now caught between two vital partners, the Kurds and its NATO ally Turkey. Despite U.S. pleas for an end to the fighting, both sides have vowed to protect their respective interests in Syria, underscoring the limits of U.S. influence and how much the Syrian war is a contest of competing aspirations.

[As its proxies advance in Syria, Turkey warns Kurds to pull back]

We in the U.S. and Europe may see ISIS as the primary threat, said Anthony Cordesman, a Middle East expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But for everyone else, it is a struggle for national, ethnic or sectarian power and identity.

The U.S. can only do so much in this environment, he added. It is not going to persuade Turkey to give up its national interests, and it will not persuade any Kurdish factions not to serve their interests.

On Tuesday, U.S. officials said both sides had agreed to a temporary truce. But on Wednesday, senior Turkish officials vowed to keep attacking the Kurdish forces, saying they will never negotiate with them.

The Kurdish forces are widely seen as the most effective partner in the fight against the militants in Syria, and the Pentagon has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in arming and training their allies.





The question now is whether the Kurds will keep fighting the Islamic State with the same motivation and zeal, particularly in the expected campaign to liberate the city of Raqqa, the capital of the militants self-proclaimed caliphate.

Kurdish fighters fought and died for a city the U.S. is now requesting they evacuate, said Michael Horowitz, a senior analyst at the Levantine Group security consultancy, referring to Manbij. I think the Syrian Kurds will think twice before they engage in any additional U.S.-

backed offensive.

It is now clear that national interests drove Turkey to launch its offensive into northern Syria to seize the Islamic State-

controlled border town of Jarabulus last week. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, dominated by the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, known by the acronym YPG, had moved northward into the area after securing Manbij.

Turkey is worried about Syrian Kurdish aspirations to create an independent state along its border by linking the Kurdish-

majority enclaves of Kobane and Afrin, which are about 120 miles apart. Turkey fears that could embolden its own restive Kurdish militancy, which has ties to the Syrian Kurds and has staged countless attacks on Turkish soil.

[Biden warns Kurds not to seek separate enclave on Turkish-Syrian border]

Soon after Turkish forces and Syrian rebels, also backed by the United States, pushed across the border, the United States ordered the Kurdish fighters to leave Manbij and head east across the Euphrates River. YPG officials said they complied, but Turkey claimed they had not kept their pledge.

In fierce clashes, Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies pushed Kurdish-allied forces southward toward Manbij, seizing nearly two dozen villages along way. There was little focus on fighting the Islamic State, prompting public concerns from senior U.S. officials.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook praised the Kurdish forces, describing the SDF as a reliable and capable force that has fought hard and sacrificed for Syria. He and other U.S. officials described the clashes as unacceptable and urged Turkey, its proxies and the SDF to end the fighting.

But that did not satisfy Syrian Kurds, who said that Washington had buckled to Turkish pressure.

Let Turkey recruit an army for the U.S. to liberate Raqqa, tweeted Gilgo, who described himself as a Kurdish activist.

Macer Gifford, a British citizen who said he had voluntarily joined the YPG to fight the Islamic State, criticized the Obama administration, saying in a Facebook post that it had abandoned tried and tested allies and had now granted the Islamic State a lifeline.

This is nothing more than a complete betrayal, Gifford wrote.

Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, said Turkeys military operation in Jarabulus was not surprising. But he indicated that U.S. officials were expecting Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies to target only the Islamic State.

When they began to focus on something other than ISIL, then I think we had to withdraw our support for that, Votel told reporters in Washington.

On Tuesday, Turkey denounced what it described as U.S. concessions to a terrorist group, referring to the Kurdish forces, and said the Obama administration had damaged relations by issuing thinly veiled threats against a NATO ally when Russia and Iran silently monitor developments.

Having refused to put boots on the ground to stop the bloodshed for years, the Obama administration now wants to prevent Turkeys decisive move to end the war next door just to save their favorite terrorist organization in the Middle East, read the scathing editorial in the pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper.

Michael M. Gunter, an expert on Kurds at Tennessee Technological University, said Turkey is much more important than the Kurds to U.S. interests. But he added that the Kurds would probably continue fighting the Islamic State because they depend so heavily on U.S. support.

The Kurds have nowhere to go except us, Gunter said. Yes, theyll be mad, theyll bluster and say, We might not be as good an ally as you want us to be. But in the long run, without the United States, the Kurds are hopeless.

Still, a top Syrian Kurdish official said Washington needs to choose who is the more indispensable ally.

America cannot have the two sides at the same time, said Sihanouk Dibo, a senior political adviser in the political arm of the YPG.

Other Syrian Kurdish officials said Kurdish fighters would still cross the Euphrates River again whenever it was necessary to protect their allies and supporters.

We will not wait for Turkey to give us a green light, said Naasan, the former Syrian Kurdish official. Every time, they draw red lines and ask us not to go past them.

On Tuesday, he and other Kurdish officials said they would continue fighting the Islamic State, despite their disappointment in the Americans. In fact, the United States may need to depend on the Kurdish forces even more now, they said.

America or Europe, they dont trust Turkey; they know very well Turkey was the gateway for terrorists in and out of Syria, Naasan said. They know very well this fight against terrorism wont be won without the Kurds.

Sly reported from Beirut. Carol Morello and Missy Ryan in Washington, Loveday Morris in Baghdad and Zakaria Zakaria in Gaziantep, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Read more:

Obamas Syria plan teams up American and Russian forces

With ISIS on the run, new wars could erupt in Iraq

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Taliban insurgents last Friday overran the district of Jani Khel in the southeastern Afghan province of Paktia in the latest of a series of defeats for the US-backed regime in Kabul. Control of Jani Khel, which is strategically placed on the crossroads of a major route from Pakistan, opens the way for the Taliban to threaten areas of neighbouring districts and provinces.

Abdul Rahman Zurmati, Jani Khels governor, told the New York Times his troops were under siege for nine days and the district only fell because of the lack of ammunition and reinforcements. We were 90 people, and we had to fight against 1,200 Taliban, he said, adding that 27 of his soldiers were killed.

Zurmati had warned some three weeks ago that the district would fall to the Taliban without extraordinary measures. Janat Khan Samkanai, deputy head of the Paktia provincial council, blamed the lack of support for the defeat and said the Taliban seized dozens of vehicles, along with weapons and ammunition.

Samkanai said the Haqqani network based in the border areas of Pakistan was responsible for the attack and warned that its fighters would now focus on Samkani and Patan districts to create a secure base inside Afghanistan. The Haqqani network has assumed growing importance within the Taliban. Its leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, was named as deputy to the Talibans current supreme leader, Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada.

Government forces have launched a counter-offensive to take back the area. Afghan officials claimed on Tuesday that US air strikes killed four commanders of the Haqqani networka claim the Taliban denied.

The Talibans capture of Jani Khel took place amid heavy fighting in other parts of Afghanistan, including in the southern province of Helmand, where 100 US military advisors have been dispatched to shore up pro-government forces, and around the northern city of Kunduz, which fell to the Taliban last year before being retaken.

In mid-August, the Taliban captured the key district of Dahana-e-Ghori in the northern province of Baghlan, threatening to cut the main highway to nine other provinces in the north and northeast of the country.

Al Jazeera noted that the security problems were being compounded by a growing political crisis within the Afghan government, produced by conflicts between the Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and President Ashraf Ghani.

Attacks continue in the capital, with 16 people killed last week when the American University of Afghanistan was subjected to a nine-hour assault. The walls around the heavily-fortified complex were breached with a truck bomb, allowing fighters to enter. No one has claimed responsibility. More than 50 people, mainly students, were injured.

According to a recent report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the government has lost control of nearly 5 percent of its territory to the Taliban since the beginning of the year. Some 36 of the countrys 407 districts were deemed under insurgent control or influence, while another 104 were regarded as being at risk.

The ability of the reactionary Islamist Taliban to gain influence and establish bases inside Afghanistan is a product of the social and physical devastation wrought by 15 years of US-led military occupation. The puppet regime in Kabul, which is propped up by military aid from Washington and its allies, is widely despised throughout the country. The UN ranks Afghanistan at 171 out of 188 countries on its human development index.

The victory of the Haqqani network in Paktia province points to another significant factor tearing Afghanistan apart. The Diplomat noted that the network was thought by provincial authorities to have been assisted by Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the formidable spy network that many believe is responsible for Pakistans defence policy of strategic depth.

The possible involvement of Pakistans notorious military intelligence highlights the fact that Afghanistan is once again being turned into a battleground on which geo-political rivalries are being fought out. The Pakistani military has long regarded influence and control in Afghanistan as crucial for strategic depth in a war with India, shoring up its western flank while fighting Indian forces on its eastern borders.

For its part, India, increasingly backed by the US, has sought to expand its influence in Afghanistan over the past 15 years, providing nearly $2 billion in aid, including military assistance.

In New Delhi yesterday, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced trilateral talks with Afghanistan and India at next months UN meetings to cement strong military ties under the phony banner of the war on terror. He pointedly suggested that Pakistan would be isolated if it did not join other countries in tackling this challenge.

Washington has long demanded that Pakistan take far tougher measures against the Taliban sheltering in areas bordering Afghanistan. The Pakistani military has waged brutal offensives over the past decade in what are known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) but has moved only reluctantly against the Haqqani network.

China is also intervening in Afghanistan with investment and aid, including military assistance. The first cargo train from China is due to cross the border from the central Asian republic of Uzbekistan into Afghanistan in September. The rail link is part of Beijings efforts to tie Kabul into its ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) plans for infrastructure to link the vast Eurasian landmass more closely with China.

Chinas focus on Afghanistan is not only aimed at trade, including in minerals, but is part of its attempts to counter the Obama administrations pivot to Asia aimed at undermining Chinese influence and militarily encircling it. Beijing fears that the US will exploit Afghanistan as a base of operations for staging military and covert operations both in the Central Asian republics bordering China, and in western China itself, where there is a festering separatist movement.

General Fang Fenghui, a member of Chinas Central Military Commission, met with the Afghan armys chief of staff, General Qadam Shah Shahim, earlier this month. According to the China Military Online web site, Feng called for more high-level exchanges and deeper pragmatic cooperation in intelligence sharing, personnel training, military capacity building and other areas under the framework of the quadrilateral mechanism between China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Pakistan has long had close ties with China.

The latest Taliban attack in Paktia province takes place against the backdrop of this geo-political scheming and rivalry, which is drawing the entire region, including Afghanistan, into US planning and preparations for war against China.
Last Sunday, a Socialist Equality Party campaign team visited Aurora, a city of 200,000 and the second largest in Illinois. Members of the SEP team visited the downtown area to promote Jerry White and Niles Niemuths presidential campaign.

Like many rustbelt regions, Aurora grew up with the economic expansion of the United States, and remained a major center of industrial production, textiles and rail transport until the 1970s.

Manufacturing and rail transport got an early start in the area. Then called the Chicago-Burlington-Quincy railroad, a line ran from Aurora to Chicago, opening a connection to Aurora and other small towns west of Chicago in the 1860s. Shortly after the Civil War, the rail line would expand westward into Iowa and beyond. It remained the citys largest employer into the 1960s. The rail line, currently Burlington Northern-Santa Fe, is now owned by multibillionaire Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway.

Services like warehousing and distribution eclipsed manufacturing through the 1980s and 1990s, after many closures and consolidations of industrial firms. Warehousing and distribution now make up about 19 percent of occupations in the area.

But not all industry disappeared. After the school districts, Caterpillars wheel loader manufacturing facility is the largest employer in Aurora. As part of a multi-year downsizing plan, CAT moved production from Tongzhou, in Jiangsu province of China, to the Aurora plant without making additional hires.

Today, social inequality is painted on the face of many blocks in the city center as well as the outskirts. Amid the areas sprawl, areas of relative wealth and desperate poverty intermingle, with the highest concentration of poverty in the eastern central section of the city. Conditions in the schools are more like those in St. Louis or Rockford, not the affluent nearby suburbs of Naperville or Wheaton. East Auroras school teachers are among the lowest paid in Illinois.

Aurora, where the median age is relatively young, about 32, and where about one-third of residents are Hispanic and 11 percent are black, has one of the most diverse populations among cities in the Midwest. The citys population has continued to grow steadily through the last several decades, based on a relatively affordable housing stock and slightly below average cost of living as an industrial satellite of Chicago, similar to other cities in Illinois like Elgin, Waukegan, Joliet and Chicago Heights.

The austerity policies of the Democratic and Republican parties have exacted their toll on the working class of the region.

Waubonsee Community College, which has a campus in downtown Aurora, has recently closed its small business development center and cut its adult education classes by 25 percent, laying off some instructors.

The few programs serving the areas most vulnerable populationsthe homeless and long-term unemployed, immigrant families and teenagers from low-income householdshave been cut in the budget impasse, now in its thirteenth month.

Kurt told campaigners he is supporting Jill Stein in the presidential elections (since Senator Bernie Sanders conceded to Hillary Clinton), based largely on her position regarding the crimes committed by the state of Israel against the Palestinians.

Kurt told campaigners, Sanders message can be up for debate. Was he mobilizing for anti-state action? I think probably not. He was getting more people active and participating, and basically involved in state power.

But I understand, as Lenin put it in State and Revolution, that were not fighting for control of the state but for the dismantling of the state.

An SEP campaigner asked Kurt how he came to read Lenins foundational work. He explained he read it on his own: For me, science is the foundation for being skeptical of authority, and through that I started on that path of looking into figures that had been pushed into obscurity.

Marlo, a painter, also spoke with the SEP campaigners about the presidential elections

On the Democratic and Republican candidates he said, Well, I know I dont have a lot to show up for this but, I dont like what either of them has to say.

I dont think theres a whole lot we can do unless some type of revolution kicks off. We can do this and that, and making people aware, but theyre in control right now. Unless theres some type of coup.

SEP supporters raised the issue of class rule imposed by the Democrats and the Republicans. One campaigner said The Democrats dont represent the working class.

No they dont. Even Obama, Marlo replied.

Yeah, you know, thats why they keep talking about the middle class and they dont talk about the poor people. They keep trying to build up the middle class and theres too many poor people out here. Theres a problem when youre not talking about all people.

Its slavery all over again. Theres an ideology thats taking place, and thats the haves and have nots. And when someone becomes one of the haves their attitude changes towards the have nots. So theres an ideology taking place. And what my view is, is that its only going to get worse before something happensI dont know if you all are Christian, but biblically those things take place when things come to a head, at a certain point. And my expectation is that things are going to get worse before something happens.
His name doesnt even appear in the book.

But make no mistake. Hillbilly Elegy, the new best-seller by J.D. Vance, is, in a very real sense, about Donald Trump. More to the point, its about the people who have made his unlikely run for the presidency possible.

It is also, not coincidentally, a book about being invisible. Not H.G. Wells invisible, with objects seeming to float in mid-air. Rather, Ralph Ellison invisible, when you are right there in three dimensions, but somehow, unseen.

First and foremost, though, Vances book is a memoir about growing up hardscrabble and white in clannish, insular communities in Kentucky and Ohio. It was a tough, unstable life. Vance was in and out of his mothers house  she was a drug user with a procession of boyfriends and husbands  and was raised mostly by his grandparents  Papaw and Mamaw.

Mamaw was no June Cleaver. A gun-toting lunatic with a menthol cigarette forever dangling from her lips, she was rumored to have once almost killed a man who stole from her family. Her favorite descriptive term was the verb form of the F-word. But her love for her grandson was iron.

That grandson did a hitch in the Marines, went to college, went to law school at Yale. But he never lost a certain tough-minded pride of people and place.

I may be white, writes Vance, now a Silicon Valley investment executive, but I do not identify with the WASPs of the Northeast. Instead, I identify with the millions of working-class white Americans of Scots-Irish descent who have no college degree. To these folks, poverty is the family tradition  their ancestors were day laborers in the Southern slave economy, sharecroppers after that, coal miners after that, and machinists and mill workers during more recent times. Americans call them hillbillies, rednecks, or white trash. I call them neighbors, friends and family.

In other words, Vances people are Trumps base. And the book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand Trumps appeal. Hillbilly Elegy is a compelling and compassionate portrait of a people politicians seldom address and media seldom reflect.

They love Trump because he sees them.

Yes, hes a racist clown who lies like bunnies copulate. Yes, he appeals to their lowest selves, to their hatreds and fears. But he sees them and speaks to them, something neither Democrats nor Republicans do. When you feel yourself forgotten, when work and hope have fled, when you live by a tough-minded pride of people and place, yet also by a whisper of embarrassment that your people and place are so often sick, unschooled and hungry, the simple fact of being seen and spoken to is powerful.

The one great flaw in Vances book is a disingenuous near-silence on his kinsmens attitudes about race. And a passage wherein he claims their antipathy toward Barack Obama has nothing to do with skin color but rather, with the fact that he is brilliant, wealthy, and speaks like a constitutional law professor is flat out intellectually dishonest.

Obama is hardly the first politician to be smart, rich and well-spoken. He is, however, the first to be hounded into producing his long form birth certificate.

Still, that flaw does not outweigh Vances triumph, which is to give substance and dimension to those America has made invisible. Democrats, Republicans and media struggling to comprehend the forces that have upended politics should be asking themselves a question. Donald Trump shattered the paradigm because he sees J.D. Vances people.

Why is he the only one who does?
Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his US counterpart, Ashton Carter, announced Monday that they have signed an agreement that gives US combat planes and warships and their personnel routine access to Indian military bases for resupply, repairs, and rest. The India-US Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) also allows the Pentagon to forward position materiel on Indian bases.

With the signing of the LEMOA, India has taken a major step toward becoming a frontline state in US imperialisms drive to strategically isolate, encircle, and prepare to wage war on China.

This is being done entirely behind the backs of the Indian people. While various Indian military and geo- strategists chortle over the supposed leverage India will gain thanks to its alliance with Washington, the LEMOA is being publicly presented as largely benign. The Indian media is making much of the fact that the LEMOA is a reciprocal agreement that also provides for Indias military to use American basesno matter that the difference between the global reach of the US and Indian militaries is exponential.

Similarly, Indian and US officials are playing down the possibility the LEMOA will result in US troops becoming the first foreign troops to be stationed in India since independence. However, there can be no doubt that Pentagon aims to use this agreement to the maximum and, in so far as it does, it will need pre-deployed US troops to protect and service its warplanes and battleships.

Washington has mounted a determined campaign to harness India to its predatory strategic agenda since the first years of this century. The Bush administration began pressing for India to enter into an LEMOA-type agreement shortly after the two countries announced in 2005 that they had forged a global strategic partnership. While the Congress Party-led government, which ruled India until May 2014, greatly expanded military and strategic cooperation with the US, it balked at the LEMOA for fear it would undermine Indias strategic autonomythat is, its attempt to balance between the US, China, Russia and the other great powersand make India a subordinate ally of the US in all but name.

Although India is a desperately poor country by virtually any measure, the strategists of US imperialism view it as a great geopolitical prize. It provides an ideal vantage point from which to project power across East, South and Central Asia, the Middle East, and much of Africa, and it commands the Indian Ocean, the worlds most important economic artery. Indias nuclear-armed military has a budget commensurate with Frances.

Highlighting the US strategic aims, Carter told the joint press conference he held with Parrikar in Washington on Monday that the signing of the LEMOA will make the logistics of joint operations so much easier and so much more efficient. The Pentagon is anxious to expand its military ties with India, transforming them from manifold joint exercises to real-life joint operations and calculates that the logistics support agreement will immensely facilitate this. In March, the head of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris, publicly raised the possibility of joint Indian-US patrols across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including the South China Sea.

Having gotten India to give the US military access to its bases and ports, Washington will now press New Delhi to sign two other agreements that the Pentagon deems as foundational when partnering with another military. These are the Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), for secure and interoperable communications in joint exercises and operations, and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geospatial Intelligence (BECA), which provides for the exchange of topographical, nautical and aero-spatial data. Both would entail Indias military at least partially adopting US-designed and -controlled secure communication systems.

A key element in the US anti-China Pivot to Asia has been its push to ratchet up tensions in the South China Sea, by inciting Chinas neighbors to press their maritime claims against Beijing and mounting provocative air and naval operations under the pretext of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight. Since January 2015, Indias Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government has repeatedly parroted Washingtons line in respect to the South China Sea dispute. At Mondays joint press conference, Parrikar again aligned India with the US, declaring that India and the United States have a shared interest in freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce as part of a rule-based order in (the) Indo-Pacific.

Led by the arch-communalist and self-styled strongman Narendra Modi, the BJP government has integrated India ever more completely into the US Pivot on the calculation that this will enable New Delhi to more readily realize its own great power ambitions, including asserting itself as South Asias regional hegemon. In addition to expanding military and strategic cooperation with the US, India has dramatically increased bilateral and trilateral ties with Washingtons most important Asian-Pacific allies, Japan and Australia. Last September, the US, Japanese, and Indian foreign ministers launched a trilateral dialogue, and this summer the US, Indian and Japanese navies staged the first of what are to be annual trilateral joint exercises in an area proximate to both the contested Senkaku, or Diaoyu, Islands and the South China Sea.

Indias government has also made clear it views the US as its most important international partner by dramatically increasing its collaboration with Washington. Parrikars meeting with Carter was the sixth since he became defence minister in November 2014. Currently, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker are in New Delhi to join their Indian counterparts, Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman, for the US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Washington in September for the US-India Homeland Security Dialogue.

To woo India into accepting the poisoned chalice of an alliance with the worlds most rapacious imperialist power, the US has been showering India with strategic concessions. These include offering to sell, and in some cases co-develop and co-produce, advanced weapons, support for Indias ambitions to become an Indian Ocean power, and helping India expand economic and security ties in Southeast Asia and Africa. During Modis visit to Washington last June, the Obama administration announced it has designated India a Major Defence Partner, giving it the right to buy the most advanced weaponry the Pentagon allows to be sold to US allies. At Mondays press conference, Carter insisted that the signing of the logistics agreement will facilitate the transfer of advanced military technology to India.

Underscoring the extent of Indo-US military-strategic ties, the Pentagon now conducts more military exercises with India than any other US ally. Next month, the US and Indian armies will stage their twelfth annual exercise, this time in Uttarakhand, a mountainous state in northern India that lies adjacent to China. In an interview with the Voice of America, Lt. Gen. Stephen Lanza, commander of the US Armys I Corps, boasted, Not only are we just training together  were completely integrated both with the Indian Army and our Army working together down at platoon level.

Indias ever more expansive military-strategic partnership with the US has ominous, incendiary implications for Asia and the world. Forbes exulted over the US success in recruiting a new satrap, declaring, Instead of having to build (military) facilities virtually from the ground up, as in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US has the benefit of simple arrangements for the tremendous Indian facilities.

Most immediately threatened are Indias neighbours China and Pakistan. Islamabad has for years been warning that US support for India, including the boost Washington gave Indias strategic nuclear program under the 2008 Indo-US Civilian Nuclear Accord, has overturned the balance of power between South Asias rival nuclear-armed states. Modi, in tandem with his ever-more pronounced tilt toward Washington, has increased pressure on Pakistan. His government has instructed border commanders to assume a more aggressive stance in cross-border firing exchanges, is refusing any high-level talks with Pakistan until it demonstrably accepts Indian predominance, and is now making insurgency-rocked Balochistan an issue in Indo-Pakistani relations.

To the Modi governments chagrin, the Obama administration has not given India a blank cheque in dealing with Pakistan, its traditional military ally in South Asia and the logistical linchpin of its occupation of Afghanistan. However, relations between Washington and Islamabad are increasingly fractious, as Pakistan has responded to the burgeoning Indo-US alliance by deepening its own strategic cooperation with China. India publicly, and the US privately, are incensed at Beijings plan to invest $46 billion in building an economic corridor through Pakistan that would link western China with the Balochistan Arabian seaport of Gwadar. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor would enable Beijing to partially counteract the US strategy to impose an economic blockade on China by seizing Indian Ocean and South China Sea chokepoints in the event of a war or war crisis.

But the LEMOA and Indias integration into the US strategic agenda also has major implications for Russia, which like China, is the target of a concerted US strategic offensive, involving provocations, threats and preparations for full-scale war, including the use of nuclear weapons.

Indias close military-strategic ties with Moscow date back to the Cold War. However, the US has surpassed Russia as Indias largest military supplier and the Indian and US militaries are, as exemplified by the LEMOA, increasingly enmeshed. Washingtons strategic turn to New Delhi has been driven by its determination to thwart Chinas rise. But there is no question that at least since 2014, when India failed to fall into line with the US depiction of Russia as the aggressor in the Ukraine, a key objective of Washingtons India policy has been to weaken and ultimately break New Delhis strategic alliance with Moscow.
Deep economic tensions between the United States and Europe erupted to the surface yesterday, as Paris demanded a cutoff of trade talks between the US and the European Union (EU), and the EU demanded that US tech giant Apple pay billions in back taxes.

Two days after German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel criticized the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), French officials called for suspending talks on Washingtons flagship free-trade deal with Europe, bitterly attacking US negotiating tactics.

French President Francois Hollande said he saw no prospect of concluding the talks. He declared, The current discussions on the treaty between Europe and the United States will not be able to reach a conclusion before the end of the year. France prefers to speak frankly on the situation and not to cultivate illusions that it will be possible to reach an agreement before the end of the American presidents term... The negotiations are bogged down, positions have not been respected; its clearly unbalanced.

There is no more political support in France for these negotiations, French Minister for External Trade Matthias Fekl told RMC. The Americans are giving nothing or just crumbs That is not how one negotiates with an ally.

Relations are not where they should be between Europe and the United States; we will have to resume talks later on the right basis, he added. We have to put a clear and definitive end to these negotiations in order to resume talks on the right basis.

As Hollande and Fekl spoke, the EU announced it would fine Apple up to 13 billion (US$14.5 billion) for failing to pay taxes at its European corporate headquarters in Ireland, prompting angry reactions from US officials and the US Treasury. Apple and Ireland have said that they will appeal.

The EU Commission accused Ireland of illegally letting Apple shelter tens of billions of dollars in profits from taxation, in return for keeping jobs in Ireland. Though Irelands corporate tax rate is 12.5 percent, Apple allegedly paid a 1 percent tax rate in 2003 and 0.005 percent in 2014.

There is little doubt that Apple is involved in the large-scale tax evasion that is typical of the entire international financial aristocracy, as revealed recently in the Panama Papers. It has amassed a cash hoard of over $230 billion and dodged US taxes on an estimated $181 billion in profits. What is driving the EU ruling, however, is not fiscal rectitudeEuropean firms are also very familiar with Europes multiple tax havens, including Ireland, Luxembourg, and Switzerlandbut growing US-EU tensions.

The US Treasury said the Apple ruling could damage the important spirit of economic partnership between the US and the EU.

Calling the EU ruling just the tip of the spearan enormously important ruling, Peter Kenny of Global Markets Advisory Group told the British Guardian that the Apple ruling could affect many US corporations that headquarter key operations in Europe to avoid US taxes. He said, Theres no telling whether the verdict will stand on appeal, but we know that the landscape is changing for US corporations in the EU.

Powerful inter-imperialist rivalries rooted in the structure of international capitalism itself, which twice in the last century erupted into world wars, are reemerging. Nearly a decade after the outbreak of the US subprime mortgage crisis and the ensuing 2008 global economic collapse, there are no prospects for a real economic recovery. With Europe beset by stagnation, mass unemployment and a wave of banking crises now centered in Italy, the European bourgeoisie is increasingly unable to negotiate a deal with the American ruling class on how to divide the profits.

The joint US-EU war drive, though it masked for a time the underlying economic contradictions between the Washington and the European powers, increasingly intensifies rather than suppresses trans-Atlantic conflicts.

After Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway in 2009, the European powers embarked on joint interventions with the US: wars for regime change in Libya and Syria, a war in Mali, and the toppling of a Russian-backed government in Ukraine. Though EU countries did not have the means to aggressively participate in the US pivot to Asia against China, the EU initially gave no indication of hostility to it.

As the war drive escalated into a confrontation with Russia and China, however, economic tensions over the war drive increasingly emerged between the United States and the EU. EU sanctions against Russia demanded by Washington cut across tens of billions of euros worth in EU-Russia trade, and last year, the major EU powers defied Washingtons demands that they not join Chinas Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Conflicts over ties with Russia and China could cost corporations in France alone tens of billions of euros. After the sanctions on Russia forced Total to refinance its Russian oil and gas operations last year, resorting to Chinese funding, this year Electricite de France faced a sudden decision by the British government to halt a Franco-Chinese project for a nuclear plant at Hinkley Point.

Such conflicts are now intensifying, amid uncertainty over the outcome of the US presidential elections in November, and in the wake of Britains vote in June to exit the EU.

The Brexit vote removed Washingtons closest major ally inside the EU from the TTIP talks. Gary Hufbauer of the Peterson Institute for International Economics told Reuters, In my view, TTIP is either dormant or dead in the wake of Brexit.

Economic conflicts between Washington and London on the one hand, and a German-dominated EU on the other, are now increasingly becoming entwined with bitter diplomatic and even military rivalries. After Brexit, the French and Italian governments and forces around Gabriel in Berlin called for punishing Britain by denying it access to EU markets, and also developing foreign policies and defense industries that are more independent from Washington.

Significantly, the forces that have called for a hard line on Brexit and a more independent EU foreign and military policy are also those that are insisting that talks on the TTIP have failed.

Gabriel was the first top official to publicly state this weekend that the TTIP talks were in trouble, saying that Washington and the EU had not agreed on a single item in the 27 TTIP chapters being discussed, after 14 rounds of talks. He said, in my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it The US has balked at accepting minimum EU standards in the talks, and unless that stance changes, I cant see that its possible to seal the accord.

Italian officials also expressed their pessimism on the TTIP talks. Last month, Italian Economic Development Minister Carlo Calenda told Il Corriere della Sera: the [TTIP] talks will take more time than originally expected it would be difficult to reach a deal before US President Barack Obama leaves office at the end of the year.

In these same circles, there are continuing calls for taking a harsh line to crush Britain economically and force it into a subordinate position to the EU within Europe. Gabriel said that the EU should not allow Britain to keep the nice things, so to speak, related to Europe while taking no responsibility.

These sentiments were echoed in Stefan Kornelius column yesterday in Germanys Sueddeutsche Zeitung: So why not make an example of Britain, even if it is for egotistical reasons? ... Harshness against London will show the wisdom of the old schoolyard rule that it is wiser to stand with the strongest. And the EU is stronger, there is no question about it. That is why its sense of dominance is stirring.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

When it comes to spending time in the great outdoors, Ryan Reynoldss childhood was just about as action-packed as his recent movies.

I grew up in British Columbia, so its like the greatest wilderness playground on earth, the Deadpool actor, 39, told Yahoo Celebrity in New York City on Tuesday. Vancouver is just stunning. You have these incredible lakes and streams and mountains and ocean and everything you could ever want. So growing up there was something that I loved. It had a profound effect on me.

The memories of his youthful adventures  along with thoughts of his growing family with actress Blake Lively  are what fuels Reynoldss passion for maintaining a sustainable environment. The soon-to-be father of two recently joined Eddie Bauer to promote the brands partnership with American Forests.

Last November, Reynolds was even given the honor of planting American Forests 50 millionth tree in San Bernardino, Calif.

High five for Mother Earth by helping me, @eddiebauer and @americanforests restore threatened forest ecosystems: text ONETREE to 80077 and you can plant 5 trees for $5, or donate at the link in my bio. #onetree #earthday #sponsored A photo posted by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on Apr 22, 2016 at 7:41am PDT



Reynoldss passion for the outdoors is something that is deeply rooted within him.

In 10th grade, I did a program where you spend the majority of the school year in outdoor survival situations, and it changed my life, Reynolds said. You spend a good portion of the year just hiking, kayaking, living in snow caves, living in glaciers, doing all these kinds of crazy stunts you would normally never do.

As a kid, Reynolds enjoyed snowboarding, riding bikes, skateboarding  and doing lots and lots of climbing.

My brother and I did a lot of mountaineering, Reynolds said. I would be climbing all kinds of peaks. But one time in Squamish, British Columbia, my brother miscalculated the length of rope we were using. I dont know quite how it happened. I was just following my brothers lead, and he was about 15 feet above me and my rope just came totally undone!

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The actors instincts kicked in.

At that point, youre just free climbing, he explained. So I had to climb 15 feet to get to my brother so he could snap me in again  and climbing 15 feet took me three and a half hours just because it was an inch at a time of terror.

Reynolds was petrified, but his brother had an entirely different reaction.

He was laughing the entire time, Reynolds smiled. I do like to think his cold, cold heart on the inside was a little bit concerned for my well-being, but he seemed to find the whole thing very, very funny. What was going through my head was, What does a body look like when it falls 3,000 feet and hits the flat rock at the bottom?

As a kid, the only thing my brother loved more than taking me out for a cruise was returning home after nightfall. Alone. A photo posted by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on May 13, 2016 at 7:50am PDT

As he approached adulthood, Reynolds held on to his fond memories of his childhood experiences outdoors. But becoming a parent served as the ultimate wake-up call to actually do something about climate change.

I want my kids to experience the same kind of childhood I had, which was you could run around in fresh air and be one with nature, Reynolds said. Ive always been an environmentalist, but having kids really sort of drilled home the point that what we have here is fleeting and we need to save it.

Thumb wrestling isn't always fair. Curiously, my hand is the small one. A photo posted by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on May 14, 2015 at 9:47am PDT

Reynolds said he plans to raise his kids to become eco-conscious.

Ill certainly do my best to instill that within them and help them to understand that we need to approach our environment with great humility, he insisted. I, like a lot of people, want to do whatever it is I can to help promote a sustainable environment.

As he and Lively, 29, anxiously await the arrival of baby No. 2, Reynolds is just enjoying the time he gets to spend playing outside with 1-year-old daughter James at their home in upstate New York. He wants to take the kids camping when theyre a little older (and take them to his secret favorite tree in New York)  but he says he hopes they inherit a little of their mothers bravery.

I was living on a glacier for 10 days in British Columbia, and I woke up to a bear scratching its back on my tent, Reynolds recalled. I pulled a knife out in case I needed to cut a hole in the tent to exit the other way, but it turned out the next morning it was a cub. But in my head at the time, that was like a 6,000 pound grizzly that was scratching his back on my tent! It was only the next morning when I realized it was a little baby.

This is Brutus. He's over 110 years old. He's telling me his life story. But in real time. A photo posted by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on May 18, 2015 at 12:04am PDT

But until his entire clan is old enough to hit the trails, Reynolds will just keep adding new adventures to his bucket list.

I always wanted to go to Costa Rica and see the rainforests there and wander around. Thats not usually in the publicity stops these days, Reynolds said. I still have a pretty extensive bucket list.

By getting involved with planet-saving organizations like American Forests, Reynolds is doing his part to ensure that he and his growing family will get to check off that list.




Belgium will be submitting The Ardennes as its official selection for the best foreign-language film Academy Award.

The film, by Robin Pront, stars Veerle Baetens (The Broken Circle Breakdown), Jeroen Perceval (Bullhead) and Kevin Janssens. The Ardennes is produced by Savage Films Bart Van Langendonck, who produced Michael R. Roskams 2012 Academy Award-nominated Bullhead. Roskam is also an associate producer on the film.

The Ardennes tells the story of a robbery gone wrong, where one brother evades imprisonment and the other gets arrested, and the aftermath of his release four years later. The film debuted at last years Toronto Film Festival and is on the shortlist for European Film Awards. The Ardennes has also received ten Ensor Award nominations, the Belgium equivalent of the Academy Awards, which will be presented on Sept. 16.

Director of photography is Robrecht Heyvaert (Black), with Alain Dessauvage (Bullhead) serving as editor. The Ardennes, which is Pronts feature film debut, is represented internationally by Attraction Distribution. U.S. distributor Film Movement plans a theatrical release this fall.

Oct. 3 is the deadline to submit foreign-language Oscar entries. The nominations will be announced Jan. 24 and the ceremony will be held Feb. 26 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

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Le Vision Pictures, the third largest Chinese production company, has hired former Paramount Pictures president Adam Goodman to run its Los Angeles office and oversee a slate of English-language films, TheWrap has learned.

Bringing on a veteran Hollywood executive like Goodman is an ambitious move that fits with Le Visions goal to produce Chinese-made, English-language films for the international movie audience, as CEO Zhang Zhao acknowledged in a May interview. The companys first major bet is Zhang Yimous upcoming historical drama The Great Wall starring Matt Damon.

Le Vision, Chinas third-largest film studio by revenue, is a subsidiary of LeEco, which is involved in everything from TVs to smartphones to online video. LeEco bought American TV manufacturer Vizio for $2 billion last month.

Also Read: Adam Goodman on His Way Out at Paramount (Exclusive)

Goodman left Paramount in February 2015 after a seven-year run at the studio, where he helped bring along blockbuster franchises Transformers and Paranormal Activity, and shape a strategy of making the most of a limited number of bankable releases.

He was behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob reboots, and oversaw hits like Brad Pitts World War Z and Christopher Nolans Interstellar.

Goodmans Paramount tenure also included several films nominated for Best Picture Oscars, including Selma, Martin Scorseses The Wolf of Wall Street, the Coen brothers True Grit and Alexander Paynes Nebraska. Goodman was instrumental in the studios launch of its low-budget unit Insurge Pictures, which delivered the $100 million-grossing Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.

Also Read: Paramount Chief Brad Grey Confirms Adam Goodman Exit; Production Deal Offered

Earlier this year, Le Vision had been in talks with Goodman to provide financing for his new film production venture, Dichotomy, but a source told TheWrap Le Vision was so impressed by Goodman the discussion pivoted into him running their L.A. operation.

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Representatives for Le Vision and Goodman declined to comment.

Le Visions desire to make a splash in Hollywood has been known for some time. A source involved with Chinese studios told TheWrap in February that Le Vision was close to making a high-profile hire in Los Angeles, but that could not be confirmed at the time.

Just last week, Sky Moore, a partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan whos been involved in several U.S.-China film production pacts told TheWrap that sticker shock  Chinese film execs unwillingness to pay Hollywood rates  remains a big issue.

But Goodmans hire could open the floodgates to more high-priced Hollywood hires by Chinese studios.

Also Read: 'The Great Wall' Director Responds to Matt Damon Whitewashing Controversy

More challenging may be creating a slate that appeals to both American and Chinese audiences.

The Damon-heavy trailer for The Great Wall had an inauspicious debut last month, as Fresh off the Boat star Constance Wu slammed it for whitewashing.

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Marc Evans Replacing Adam Goodman as President of Paramount's Motion Picture Group

Paramount Chief Brad Grey Confirms Adam Goodman Exit; Production Deal Offered

Adam Goodman on His Way Out at Paramount (Exclusive)
NEWS BRIEF The United Nations said Tuesday at least 10,000 civilians have been killed during Yemens 18-month civil war, an estimate that surpasses previous reports.

Jamie McGoldrick, a UN humanitarian official and the agencys representative to Yemen, said the new estimate is based on statistics from medical facilities in the countrya number that may rise as many people are often buried without official records, Reuters reports. Previous estimates ranged between 4,000 and 9,000 casualties.

We know the numbers are much higher but we cant tell you by how much," McGoldrick told reporters Tuesday at a news conference in the capital city of Sanaa. The figures we have are probably incomplete because we take the numbers from functioning health services, and in some of these areas there are no functioning health services.

Medical facilities, where they exist in the country, have not been immune to the escalation in hostilities. A Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) hospital was bombed in northern Yemen this month, killing 11 people and wounding 19. The medical charity said it was the fourth attack against one of their facilities in less than a year, further endangering the already limited access to health care in the country.

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McGoldrick added that the conflict has caused the internal displacement of at least 3 million people, and forced at least 200,000 to leave the country. More than half of the countrys population26 millionis in need of food aid.

Hostilities in the war-torn country resumed last month after UN-sponsored peace talks between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Iran-allied Houthi rebels broke down in Kuwait without an agreement. A Saudi-led coalition of nine countries began launching airstrikes against Houthi-controlled areas, including the Yemeni capital, in March 2015.

Story continues

On Monday, McGoldrick called on relevant authorities to reopen the Sanaa airport, which was ordered closed last week by the Saudi-led military coalition after air strikes resumed. He cited the need for humanitarian and medical assistance:

In Yemen, in addition to fighting and insecurity, the continued closure of Sanaa airport to commercial flights is having serious implications for patients seeking urgent medical treatment abroad, given the inability of the national health system to treat all medical cases, particularly chronic or life-threatening diseases such as cancer. Initial statistics from the national airline indicate that thousands of people cannot leave while many others remain stranded outside of Yemen, facing financial hardship and administrative hurdles due to expired visas.

Last week, UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein called for an internal investigation to respond to Yemens humanitarian crisis, which he said has been allowed to continue absent any form of accountability or justice. The UN Human Rights Council previously voted in 2015 to defer an investigation into human-rights violations by all involved parties.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
A model poses beside a Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 during a media presentation at the 37th Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 22, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

Good morning. Here's everything you need to know in the world of advertising today.

1. An ad for Captain Morgan rum has been banned for implying alcohol gives you confidence. The Advertising Standards Authority ruled the TV spot was "irresponsible."

2. Snapchat deleted its Facebook page after forgetting it had one. The page had 6.5 million likes, but Snapchat last published to it in 2013.

3. Blackwood Seven, a Danish media agency that uses artificial intelligence to make all its ad spend decisions, just scooped 13.5 million ($15.1 million) in funding, The Drum reported. The investment came from JOLT Capital, Sunstone Capital, Conor Venture Partners, and The Danish Growth Fund.

4. Google's secretive skunkworks lab wants to make a new multiplayer smartphone game. The Advance Technology and Projects division is hiring a bunch of gaming experts to create the next Pokemon Go.

5. Facebook refuses to accept it's a media company. Here's why that's terrible for you.

6. Apple's "Planet of the Apps" show has signed up a top-tier Silicon Valley VC. Lightspeed Venture Partners' Jeremy Liew is committing $10 million to fund the winning companies on the "Shark Tank"-esque series.

7. It looks like Google is going to kill the Nexus brand for its smartphones. The shift will reportedly take effect with the two handsets its expected to launch this fall, which are rumored to have 5- and 5.5-inch displays and come from HTC.

8. Investors are worried about Salesforce's $4 billion acquisition binge. A note from Macquarie Research analysts said Salesforce may have some explaining to do during its earnings call on Wednesday to ease the investors worried about the company's record-high buying spree.

9. The Washington Post has written about Arianna Huffington's legacy at The Huffington Post. Asked about her biggest accomplishments, Huffington said: The company's international scale, its current Trump coverage, its wellness coverage, its "What's Working" editorial initiative, and its contributor platform.

Story continues

10. Lamborghini wants to drop its macho image. It plans to target women and families, according to Bloomberg.

NOW WATCH: New guidelines have led to a big change for uniforms at the Rio Olympics





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This image provided Wednesday by RR Auction of Boston shows the last page of an April 1934 letter from Depression-era gangsters Bonnie and Clyde to a former member of their gang they felt had betrayed them. (Image Uncredited)



The cursive is Bonnies; the signature, Clydes. A four-page letter written by the duo in April 1934 is hitting the auction block in September, and its a fiery one. Its addressed to one Raymond Hamilton, a one-time member of their gang who, at the time the letter was written, was behind bars in the Dallas County Jail. That he was there was a reflection of just how yellow he was, per the letter, as he didnt try to flee as he was captured.

Related: Modern Bonnie and Clyde Had Odd Link to Real Ones

The Dallas Morning News reports the trio had a falling out over Hamiltons girlfriend (the prostitute sweetheart the letter refers to); the AP cites a disagreement over how to divvy up $4,000 they had taken from a Texas bank earlier that year. This after Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker famously rescued Hamilton and four others from a Texas prison farm in January 1934, per a New York Daily News article written that year. Hamilton was serving sentences totaling 262 years at the time.

Related: With Mom Dead, Her 3 Kids Missing, Cops Hunt Aunt

The lines are biting. I should have killed you then I would have saved myself much bother and money looking for you, reads the letter, which Boston-based RR Auction says was likely dictated by Barrow to Parker, who had superior writing skills. It closes by telling Hamilton, I hope this will serve the purpose of letting you know that you can never expect the least of sympathy or assistance from me. So long."

Related: Desperate Marilyn Monroe Letter Up for Auction

But he may not have ever seen it. Sheriff Richard "Smoot Schmid intercepted it and later publicized it; his family is now auctioning it off. The Morning News notes Barrow and Parker were killed the month after they wrote the letter. Hamiltons fate was no better: Death by electric chair in 1935. Read more from the letter, including a prescient line, here.

Story continues

By Kate Seamons

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This article originally appeared on Newser: 1934 Letter Reveals a Livid Bonnie and Clyde
A dream vacation around the world turned upside-down for two Canadian women Monday after police in Australia arrested them and a Canadian man on drug smuggling charges, according to a release by the Australian authorities.



Authorities say approximately 95 kilograms of cocaine were allegedly found in the suitcases of passengers arriving to Sydney on a cruise ship. According to the Daily Telegraph, the value of the drugs was $30 million Australian dollars, which is about $22 million in U.S. dollars.



According to multiple outlets, including the Sydney Morning Herald, the arrested suspects were two young women, 23-year-old Melina Roberge and 28-year-old Isabelle Lagace, and a 63-year-old man, Andre Tamine. All three were originally from Quebec, according to the Toronto Star.



The bust came on the 51st day of a 68-day cruise on the Sea Princess, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The Star states authorities were prepared to search the ship when it arrived in Sydney after a joint investigation which included the Canadian Border Service Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.



The Daily Telegraph reports the drug bust is likely the biggest in Australian history from a cruise ship or plane with an estimated street value of $30 million (Australian).



The women had spent the past two months cruising around the world and documenting their lavish holiday on their public Instagram accounts.



 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.



According to Facebook accounts that appear to belong to them, Lagace was a waitress at a Longueuil bar and Roberge was a manager at a Montreal jewelry store. According to their Instagram accounts, they began their adventure on July 9 in Southampton, England. They shared photos from exotic locales around the world including Tahiti, Peru, Bermuda, Morocco and more.



"Traveling is one thing ... But traveling with an open mind, ready to taste everything, see everything, learn everything and get yourself out of your comfort zone .. Is probably the best therapy and lesson ever," Roberge wrote in one post from the holiday.



"I used to be afraid to get out of my little town and now I feel like I don't want to see that little town anymore cause it's beautiful out there and it's sooo worth it."



Police said the maximum penalty for the crime is life in prison. They are also not ruling out other arrests in the ongoing case.
The next president should recognize that Russia under Vladimir Putin is an authoritarian, kleptocratic regime that poses a serious threat to our values, interests and allies. We should contain and deter Russian aggression by reassuring our NATO allies that we will defend them, fulfilling the collective-defense guarantees of Article 5 and reaffirming our support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and aspirations of Russia's neighbors to join NATO or the European Union. We must also support those living inside Russia who are struggling for a better, more democratic future.

The problem boils down to the nature of the Putin regime. Since coming to power 17 years ago (initially as prime minister) by ordering brutal force against Russia's region of Chechnya, Putin has demonstrated a ruthless willingness to do whatever is necessary to stay in power. Any threat - real or imagined - is dealt with decisively, whether it originates inside Russia or abroad.

Since returning to the presidency in May 2012 after a four-year stint as prime minister, Putin has launched the worst crackdown on human rights in Russia in decades. Critics, journalists and opposition figures are regularly harassed and arrested - even killed, as happened to Boris Nemtsov just yards from the Kremlin in February 2015.

In Ukraine, Putin couldn't stomach the prospect of citizens demanding an end to corruption and deeper integration with the West. Were Ukraine to succeed, it might pose a threatening alternative to Putin's corrupt authoritarianism in Russia. So he invaded Ukraine in late February 2014, starting with the annexation of Crimea. Since then, nearly 10,000 Ukrainians have been killed trying to defend their country against Putin's aggression. The next American president should provide lethal military assistance to help Ukrainians defend themselves.

Putin also intervened to prop up the murderous Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and the vast majority of Russian military strikes there have hit non-Islamic State targets. He threatens countries that host NATO's missile defense system or that want to join NATO or the European Union. To justify his way of governing, he and his propagandists demonize the United States, perpetuating the myth that the United States is the biggest threat to Russia. His zero-sum way of thinking, demand for recognition of a Russian sphere of influence, interference in elections in other countries (even attempting to meddle in U.S. elections) and support for like-minded authoritarian leaders mean that Putin's interests and ours are almost diametrically opposite.

The next U.S. administration should recognize that the nature of the Putin regime precludes real partnership between the United States and Russia and vastly limits areas of cooperation. Increasing engagement will not change that - both George W. Bush and Barack Obama tried and failed - and even risks appearing desperate, which Putin would exploit as weakness on our part.

We should stay true to our values and restore the notion of "linkage" by making clear that Putin's mistreatment of his own people - and his neighbors - will adversely affect our bilateral ties. The next administration should implement more aggressively the Magnitsky Act for gross human rights abuses and maintain - even ramp up - sanctions against Russia for its ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty. And we should make sure that Putin's best export - corruption - does not pollute our own way of doing business.
(New throughout, adds details on Codelco mine and adds information on Freeport-McMoran's El Abra mine)

SANTIAGO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Partial operations were resumed on Wednesday at Chilean state-owned copper miner Codelco's Chuquicamata mine and Freeport-McMoran Inc's El Abra mine, the day after separate fatal accidents forced complete suspension of activities.

Codelco, the world's No. 1 copper producer, said it was still investigating the cause of the accident at Chuquicamata that left two workers dead when the vehicle they were driving collided with a giant mining truck.

Chile's mining regulator said operations at Freeport's El Abra partially resumed on Wednesday. Activities were halted on Tuesday after a worker died following an accident at its acid unloading terminal.

Century-old Chuquicamata produced 309,000 tonnes of copper in 2015, while El Abra, which is 51 percent owned by Freeport and 49 percent owned by Codelco, produced around 147,000 tonnes.

(Reporting by Anthony Esposito & Fabian Cambero; Editing by W Simon and David Gregorio)
The growth of the Mercedes-AMG sub-brand shows no sign of slowing, and the next model to enter the stable is the GLC43 coupe, a derivative of the Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe. The GLC43 coupe was almost a no-brainer, as it can be spun up quickly from the mechanically similar and conventionally bodied Mercedes-AMG GLC43.

The GLC43 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 tuned to make 362 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 384 lb-ft of torque from 2500 to 4500 rpm. The power is channeled to all wheels through a nine-speed torque-converter automatic thats programmed to deliver quicker shifts than in non-AMG models. AMG also has tweaked the all-wheel-drive system to operate with a 31:69 front-to-rear torque split, which is more rear biased than on regular Mercedes-Benzes.

The sprint from zero to 60 mph takes just 4.8 seconds, says Mercedes, while top speed is governed at an inexplicably low 130 mph. That's slower than any German-market GLC-class, including the pedestrian GLC220 diesel. Are you serious, Affalterbach? When the high-performance brand expanded its portfolio to include six-cylinder models, we didn't expect that it would bring the advent of 130-mph AMGs.

Fortunately, the GLC43 coupe should prove entertaining at lower speeds. The GLC coupe already has a capable chassis, one that AMG has reworked for 43 duty, including a stiffer suspension that promises less body roll and improved cornering capabilities. The steering, if the other variants of the GLC are a template, ought to feel direct and responsive. The standard wheels are 20-inch pieces wearing 255/45 front and 285/40 rear tires. Twenty-one-inch wheels are optional. The brakes also have been upgraded, and the Sport and Sport+ modes that control throttle response, suspension, and steering have been made more aggressive.

Of course, the GLC43 coupe looks the part, too. Theres a large rear spoiler, handsome AMG wheels, Mercedes diamond-pattern grille, and quadruple exhaust finishers. As to that last item, its worth noting that AMG has simply split the GLC300's dual exhaust tips in half to create a "quadruple" look. This isnt an approach taken with the more powerful 63 models. Inside, the GLC43 is fitted with a specific MB-Tex and microfiber upholstery, which can be upgraded to leather. The instrumentation gets a checkered-flag pattern, and a flat-bottomed steering wheel is fitted. The center console can be trimmed in carbon fiber, and the seatbelts are red.

In the marketplace, the Mercedes-AMG GLC43 coupe's most direct competitor is the BMW X4 M40i. But it also competes with the Audi SQ5, the supercharged Jaguar F-Pace, and versions of the Porsche Macan. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but we do know the crossover will arrive at dealers in early 2017. And before you ask: Yes, there are even more powerful derivatives of the GLC coupe on the way.
Jerry Seinfeld isn't the only person who made a habit of dumping people for absurd reasons  though we do think that eating one pea at a time is insane, and he was certainly justified in that situation.A



Twenty-one brave souls took to Reddit to share the most insane reasons someone has dumped them (... or they dumped someone).



1. "She said that bees can only fly 'because they think they can,' and I explained that, no, there's actually a physical reason they can fly. A few days later, she broke up with me because I make her world 'less magical.'"



2. "A girl once dumped me because I was 'too easy to get.' To this day, I still have no idea what this means."









via GIPHY





3. "A girl dumped me for not paying enough attention to her during finals. Finals only last a week and a half! And I'm in law school."A



4. "He phoned me, met me for coffee, sat me down and said, in a very serious voice , 'I'm sorry. I don't think we can carry on seeing each other. And it's because you're blonde. And even though I like you a lot, I envisage my future with a brunette.' It was especially funny because: 1) We'd only known each other two weeks. 2) We'd only slept together once. 3) My blonde hair is dyed. I'm actually a brunette."





via GIPHY





5. "During my freshman year in high school, my boyfriend at the time broke up with me because 'I was too poor for him.' A year before we started dating, the company my dad had worked for for twenty years went bankrupt; every single employee lost their jobs. My ex refused to go to my house because it 'made him feel claustrophobic.'"



6. "When I was fourteen, I dumped my first boyfriend because I realized he would never live up to my ideal, which, at that time, was Severus Snape. "





via GIPHY





7. "I broke up with a girl because she didn't believe in dinosaurs. Seriously, she thought fossils were tricks by scientists to make the public believe that the earth was older than she thought. She was so hot, but I just couldn't do it. Dinosaurs were the last straw."



8. "I dumped a guy who did really bad Chewbacca impressions like, all the time. He thought it was hilarious. I couldn't deal."





Story continues

via GIPHY





9. "I got dumped for smoking pot, then she went and dated a drug dealer."



10. "My last ex dumped me because God told him to."



11.A "My socks never matched."





via GIPHY





12. "She dumped me to get closer to Jesus. This was after the week of church camp. Two weeks later, she found another guy; he was not named Jesus, unfortunately."



13. "She said I 'had no plan for my life.' I was a sophomore in high school, and she was a freshman."





via GIPHY





14. "In the first grade, I got dumped after a three-day relationship because I showered at night instead of the morning."



15. "I dumped my ex because she believed that the Harry Potter books were evil due to their inclusion of magic. She was a fundamentalist. We were both Christians at the time, but I didn't know she was a fundie."



16. "She said I was too nice, calm and rational."





via GIPHY





17. " I dumped my fiancee because she got a large ugly tattoo on her forehead. I had tried to talk her out of ita"



18. "Her: 'I can see myself with you forever, just not right now.' Me: 'WTF?!?!'"





via GIPHY





19. "I got dumped by a guy who had to fulfill his mother's wishes to enter into an arranged marriage. I know that's not weird for the millions of people who practice that, but in suburban Texas, it caught me pretty off-guard."



20.A "I wanted to go to the opening night of Pulp Fiction, and she wanted to go to Winter Formal. End of relationship."





via GIPHY





21. "She thought she looked like my sister and that I was weird for liking her."



All posts have been edited from Reddit for length and clarity.A
Printers have come a long way from simply churning out reams of spreadsheets, high school history reports, and cute cat photos. In case you havent heard, 3-D printing is rapidly changing, well, everything. The technology is making the unimaginable real, already producing everything from simple plastic toys to edible pizza and even human tissue and body parts (an ear!). Additive technology, as its also called, promises to revolutionize the world as we know it.

And the greatest potential for transformation and disruption, some believe, may be in housing. If printed homes seem like a distant fantasy, youd better buckle your seat belts. Youre in for quite a ride.

So how exactly is 3-D printing poised to reshape the housing market?

Well, lets start with price. Three-dimensional printers dont require laborers, produce much less waste (as materials are fed into the machines), and will be able to erect homes in days instead of monthsmaking them substantially cheaper to build. And thats expected to extend the American dream to a whole new group of buyers who would otherwise never be able to afford their own abodes.

Gone will be the problems caused by a shortage of highly skilled construction workers, long building times, and wasted materials such as lumber.

And lets touch on dreams. Three-dimensional printing will eventually help facilitate the creation of radical new housing designs, new shapes, and brand-new architectural ideas. The road from fanciful concept to livable reality will become shorter and more traversable than ever.

This is exciting stuffand not just for those who are currently priced out of homeownership. Imagine your average accountant or Chipotle manager being able to design their own Frank Gehrystyled, uniquely shaped home on a computer and a specialized, industrial-size 3-D printer bringing it into existence in a matter of hours or days for just a fraction of the usual price. Then think of what the technology could mean for storm-ravaged communities if residents who lost their homes could have identical replacements easily printed, complete with furniture.

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And were not talking about a far-distant future. Rudimentary printed structures, mostly made of concrete and resembling stark gray boxes, are already sprouting up around the globe. Now a handful of cutting-edge construction companies are engaged in something like a 3-D printing arms raceeach striving to be the first to refine the technology.

A Chinese company even recently printed a two-story, 4,305-square-foot building on-site in just 45 days.

And while such current buildings may not exactly be the dream home of your average buyer, experts predict that within five to 25 years (depending on whom youre talking to), the technology will be advanced enough to print sophisticated and easily customizable dwellings out of wood, metal, and stone. These are places that buyers would be proud to call their own.

How to print a home

Three-dimensional printers are expected to transform how homes are built and could lead to lower real estate prices. Branch Technology

Heres how it works: Building designs are created in a computer just like in a computer-aided design, or CAD, program and then transmitted to a large, specially made industrial printer, like the one above. The devices vary greatly in size and capabilities, depending on who is making thembut all of them are big. The apparatuses usually have one or more robotic arms tipped with a nozzle that spews out construction materials as the arms make their computer-programmed rotations around the base of the building. (Think of cake icing being squeezed through a piping bag.)

Those liquidlike materials, similar to molten lava, are layered on top of one another to form the walls of the structure. These materials can vary from fiber-reinforced concrete, which doesnt require steel rebars for support, to steel and even wood, which would require reinforcements.

And eventually, experts predict the technology will print modern-day necessities such as electricity and plumbing at the same time as the home is being constructed.

Its still very early, says Aric Rindfleisch, executive director of the Illinois MakerLab, a 3-D printing lab at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. Were probably back to where the computer industry was in 1982.

The challenges to 3-D printing

So when is it coming, for real?

Opinions vary. Rindfleisch believes the technology is still about 25 years away from creating sophisticated homes that buyers would be vying to live in. Other experts have pegged the timeline closer to just a decadeor even half that.

The challenges lie mostly with the materials fed into the devicesand working around their current-day limitations. Scientists are closely tracking the materials used for construction and how long they take to dry before a new layer can be added, Rindfleisch says.

He says progress is coming at a rapid clip. About two years ago, all we could print was hard plastic, he says. Now we can print soft plastics. We can print wood. The wood is basically a pulp mixed with plastic that can be fed into the printer.

Home buyers could become home designers

WATG Urban Architecture Studio won a 3-D home printing competition with this Curve Appeal design. The home is slated to be printed later this year. Daniel Caven/WATG Chicago Urban Architecture Studio

The printing process is likely to eventually empower more everyday home buyers without fancy architecture degrees to design their own perfect pad on a computerand then print it out on a plot of land.

You can have high design on a budget, says architect Christopher Hurst at WATG Urban Architecture Studio. You dont have to go to a builder and get the same cookie-cutter house next door.  Now you can go to a contractor, and you have a highly customizable house thats indicative of you and that way you can express yourself in how you live.

In April, Hursts Chicago-based firm won the Freeform House Design Challenge with its sleek Curve Appeal home. Construction on the winning design, which will, of course, be printed three-dimensionally, is slated to begin in November by Branch Technology, the Chattanooga, TNbased builder that sponsored the contest.

The home would go for about $900,000 on the market if it were conventionally built, Hurst says. But he hopes to print the carbon fiber structure at a Chattanooga site at a fraction of the cost.

The limitations are [that] the arm [of the printer] can only reach so far, he says of the 15-foot appendage. If you print large structures, youd need a much bigger machine.  Eventually, well have multiple arms printing simultaneously.

Once the technical challenges are solved, a 2,500-square-foot home could go up in less than 24 hours instead of months, predicts 3-D home building pioneer Behrokh Khoshnevis, an engineering professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He gave a TED Talk on the subject.

And the buildings could be more attractive to buyers than those constructed by human hands, he says.

In stick frame [i.e., traditional] construction, its very hard to use curvature. Its very hard to bend lumber. Its very hard to bend drywall, says Khoshnevis, whose 3-D printer company Contour Crafting has a contract with NASA. But a computer can build any shape.

A boon to cities?

The new technology could make its biggest mark, at least initially, in the nations urban areas.

Three-dimensional printing will enable developers to put up buildings on previously unbuildable sitessuch as smaller city plots where it would be near impossible to fit a crane, says K.C. Conway, head of market intelligence for commercial real estate lending at SunTrust Bank in Atlanta. It could turn costly and time-consuming regulatory problems into no big deal as building plans will be redesigned by computersinstead of flesh-and-blood architects.

It will bring affordability back to urban housing, says Conway, also a member of Counselors of Real Estate, a Chicago-based group of industry professionals who provide real estate advice. The later adoption will be in the suburbs.

Another bonus is that homes will eventually be able to go up a lot quickerthats particularly important in natural disasterravaged areas, points out Alex Le Roux.

He began designing a 3-D printer while he was still a mechanical engineering major at Baylor University in Waco, TX. Now the 23-year-old is CEO of Vesta Printer, which printed a rudimentary, 120-square-foot building in June in Katy, TX. Hes hoping to soon print larger ones.

His company has received funding from ModEco Development, a Rochester, MIbased builder that has been experimenting with the technology.

This is where we see the business going, says ModEco owner Drake Boroja. The American dream is getting harder and harder to get [as the prices of homes are soaring]. We see these tools as a way to keep this dream going for the next generation.

The post How 3-D Printers Will Lower Prices, Make Fantasies Real, and Transform the Housing Market appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
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 American Woodmark Corp. AMWD 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 AMWDs status as a solid momentum stock below:

Short Term Price Change for American Woodmark

A great place to look for finding momentum stocks is by inspecting short term price activity. This can help to reflect the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand right now. It is especially useful to compare it to the industry as this can help investors pinpoint the top companies in a particular area.

With a one week price change of 13.4% compared to an industry average of -0.2%, AMWD is certainly well-positioned in this regard. The stock is also looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the four week price change compares favorably with the industry at large as well.

Longer Term Price Change for American Woodmark

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 AMWD, the results are quite impressive. The company has beaten out the industry at large over the past 12 weeks by a margin of 27.9% to 3.5% while it has also outperformed when looking at the past year, putting up a gain of 30.2%. Clearly, AMWD is riding a bit of a hot streak and is worth a closer look by investors.

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AMER WOODMARK Price

AMER WOODMARK Price | AMER WOODMARK Quote

AMWD 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 AMWD as of late too.

Over the past two months, 1 earnings estimate has gone higher compared to none lower for the full year, while we are also seeing that 1 estimate has 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 AMWD was expected to post earnings of $3.94/share for the full year, though today it looks to have EPS of $4.40 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 AMWD as a security with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong 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 AMWD 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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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 U.S. Navys littoral combat ships arent having a good year.

The USS Coronado is returning to Pearl Harbor from the Western Pacific after experiencing an "engineering casualty," the Navy said in a press release.

The Navy acknowledged mechanical issues with the USS Freedom, another littoral combat ship, just days before; however, the two problems appear to be unrelated.

Related: Navys New $362 Million Ship Needs a Tow to Get Home

On the Coronado, crew members reported seeing electricity arcing around the ships propulsion system. The extent of repairs is unknown at this time. There will be a full assessment of the underlying issues after the vessel makes its way back to Pearl Harbor. The ship is moving under its own power, with a speed restriction of 10 knots.

The entire leadership team is focused on ensuring our ships are properly designed and built, and that our Sailors have the tools and training they need to safely and effectively operate these ships, said Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson in a prepared statement. These ships bring needed capability to our combatant and theater commanders  we must get these problems fixed now."

Designed to operate close to shore, each littoral combat ship, the Navy's newest class of warship, costs $360 million.

The USS Coronado is the fourth ship of its kind to have reported engineering issues in less than a year. The USS Freedom, the USS Milwaukee and the USS Fort Worth all experienced engineering problems in 2016.

The USS Coronado deployed from San Diego to the Pacific two months ago with a crew of about 70 sailors. It had left Pearl Harbor three days before the incident.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Everyone makes mistakes. It happens. However, the impact of our mistakes is not always the same. When a homebuyer makes mistakes on their home purchase, it can have devastating effects on their finances and living circumstances for years to come.

Millennials are quickly becoming the largest group of homebuyers in the U.S. As they start to enter the market for the first time, there are some common rookie mistakes that will likely be made. These mistakes can easily be avoided with some basic understanding of the home buying process.

[See: The Best Apps for House Hunting.]

Here are 5 rookie mistakes that every new homebuyer should avoid.

Looking at homes outside of your price range. When new homebuyers are thinking about purchasing their first home, they're probably going to use a website or app to browse available homes for sale. Shopping for a home online is easy. Some might say it's too easy.

Experienced homebuyers know how quickly someone can get sucked into looking at homes in a price range where they would never actually buy. Once people start imagining themselves in homes that are out of their price range, they find it hard to come back down to the lower priced homes of their reality.

Before you look at any homes online or in person, make sure to set your budget first and then stick to it -- no matter what.

Looking at homes before being fully preapproved. Some first-time buyers will talk to a mortgage lender over the phone, but never actually submit their financial documents for a finalized mortgage preapproval. They will tell their real estate agent that they have been preapproved for a mortgage, when truthfully they still need to work through the details.

This is a big mistake. Shopping for a home is an exhausting, emotional rollercoaster. It takes a great deal of time and energy for everyone involved. Some home buyers will go through much of the process, only to find out later that they are not actually approved to buy a home. It can be heartbreaking.

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Before looking at any homes in person, be sure to complete a full mortgage preapproval from a highly rated professional mortgage company.

[See: 10 Ways Millennials Are Changing Homebuying.]

Walking into the local bank to get a mortgage. When first-time homebuyers find out the first step to buying a home is to get a mortgage preapproval, they often decide to simply go to their local bank and ask for a loan. This is not necessarily a bad thing, if their local bank offers competitive rates. Unfortunately, many times the local bank only dabbles in mortgages and is not able to be very competitive.

The truth is that mortgage companies offer wildly different loan terms. Closings costs can differ by thousands of dollars, and different underwriting requirements will determine whether or not you are even approved. Every bank and mortgage company is slightly different.

Shopping around for the best mortgage makes the most sense. Research a variety of lenders to find the one that works best for you. Don't just settle for the local bank without comparing others. Maybe they are good, but you'll never really know without first shopping around and researching.

Using the first real estate agent you meet. Rookie homebuyers will often use the first agent they meet. Once again, this isn't always bad, but playing the odds isn't the wisest choice. It's best to do some research before committing to an agent. They have quite a bit of influence over a buyer's home purchase.

There are many different types of agents out there. Some are volume closers, some work very hyper, local niche markets, and others may only work part-time after their day job ends. Most any agent worth working with will have a visible online presence. Take some time and research your area to find agents who have a good track record and are responsive.

Homebuyers are required to put a lot of trust into their real estate agents' abilities and knowledge. Choose wisely and the whole transaction can go super smooth. Choose the wrong agent and everything can fall apart fast.

Making a lowball offer on your first house. When buyers are entering the market for the first time, there is a tendency to feel empowered and special. Homeownership is, after all, an accomplishment to take pride in. However, they might feel as though they are the only ones shopping for a home. The reality is that many real estate markets are very aggressive, especially in the lower price ranges. There will probably be some buyer competition.

It's common for first-time homebuyers to offer very weak terms on their first contract, because they need to test out the market. Most agents know their rookie buyers might need to lose a few negotiations before they can really understand how to structure an appealing offer that will be accepted.

If a buyer's goal is to get the best financial deal possible, then the lowball-offer strategy may work, over time. But if you want to to find a nice place to live that you enjoy, you need to be prepared to be aggressive enough to make the deal work. The best houses always solicit the most attention. If you want the best house, you need to be ready to fight for it.

[See: The 20 Best Places to Live in the U.S. for Quality of Life.]

Final Thoughts

If you're a rookie homebuyer entering the market for the first time, it's best to find some good professionals to get advice from. They will keep you from making costly mistakes and inform you of all your options throughout the transaction.

You may be tempted to get advice from family and friends, but unless they have bought and sold hundreds of homes, and know the data in your current market, they're probably not the best resources. Stick with the pros and research as much as possible -- it can pay off in ways you could never predict.

Andrew Fortune is the owner and Employing Broker at Great Colorado Homes, but he also creates valuable content for both home buyers and sellers, local market analysis as well as stunning infographics for easily share-able real estate tips.
Gov. Pete Ricketts offer to immediately start negotiating a better deal for prison workers didnt get off to a galloping start, what with state union leader Mike Marvin accusing him of playing a game.

Nonetheless, the governors offer is a positive step.

It came in the aftermath of an inmate attack at the Lincoln Correctional Center in which nine corrections officers and caseworkers were injured.

Perhaps its understandable that Marvin sounded irritated by the governors proposal. Marvin said he has made repeated offers to work with the governors office -- its a matter of public record  without result.

It would have been even worse, however, if the governor had defended the status quo once again.

Its been obvious for months that pay for prison workers is inadequate. Understaffing and mandatory overtime have plagued the system for years and the problems are growing worse.

Its a genuine crisis.

As Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz wrote in a Local View (LJS, Aug. 14) prison staff are are undercompensated by almost any measure - they are paid less than county jail staff in Douglas, Lancaster and Hall Counties, they are paid less than comparable staff in Iowa, and the department lacks wage increases for longevity.

In a Local View in Tuesdays Journal Star Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, whose district includes Tecumseh, where two inmates died in a riot last year, noted that he tried last year to win legislative approval to appropriate an additional $2.5 million a year to recruit and retain quality staff. The proposal was cut down to a $1.5 million one-time appropriation.

Days after the most recent inmate attack, a six-person review team released a report after a yearlong study that the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services needs 138 new fulltime custody positions.

But, as Watermeier indicated, simply authorizing new positions wont resolve the issue. The system currently has 200 vacancies. Prison staffers are working themselves to the bone. Doug Koebernick, the Legislatures inspector general for corrections found one prison employee who worked the equivalent of 90 hours per week for the entire 2015-16 fiscal year.

It ought to be perfectly obvious to both the executive and legislative branches of state government by now that they are going to have to spend more money on the prison system. Thats not the only answer to recruiting and retaining workers, of course, but its a fundamental part of the problem and one of the first issues that should be addressed.

Once Marvin gets over his irritation, we hope hell be willing to take yes for an answer.
Investors generally gauge a stocks potential return by examining earnings growth and valuation multiples. At the same time, its important to measure the performance of such a stock relative to its industry or peers, or the appropriate benchmark.

If you see that a stock is underperforming on the fundamental factors, then it would be prudent to move on and find a better alternative. However, those outperforming their respective sectors in terms of price should be selected because they stand a better chance to provide considerable returns.

Then again, it is imperative that you determine whether or not an investment has relevant upside potential when considering stocks with significant relative price strength. Stocks delivering better than the S&P 500 over a period of 1 to 3 months at the least and having solid fundamentals indicate room for growth, and are the best ways to go about this strategy.

Finally, it is important to find out whether analysts are optimistic about the upcoming earnings results of these companies. In order to do this, we have added positive estimate revisions for the current quarters (Q1) earnings to our screen. When a stock undergoes an upward revision, it leads to additional price gains.

Screening Parameters

Relative % Price change  12 weeks greater than 0

Relative % Price change  4 weeks greater than 0

Relative % Price change  1 week greater than 0

(We have considered those stocks that have been outperforming the S&P 500 over the last 12 weeks, 4 weeks and 1 week.)

% Change (Q1) Est. over 4 Weeks greater than 0: Positive current quarter estimate revisions over the last four weeks.

Zacks Rank equal to 1: Only Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks  that have returned more than 26% annually over the last 26 years and surpassed the S&P 500 in 23 of the last 26 years  can get through.

Current Price greater than or equal to $5 and Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50,000: A minimum price of $5 is a good standard to screen low-priced stocks, while a high trading volume would imply adequate liquidity.

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VGM Score less than or equal to 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 22 stocks that made it through the screen:

CONE Midstream Partners L.P. CNNX: Headquartered in Canonsburg, PA, CONE Midstream Partners is a master limited partnership focused on natural gas and condensate gathering in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The partnership has a VGM score of A and an excellent earnings surprise history. It surpassed estimates in each of the last four quarters at an average rate of 19.38%.

The Chemours Company CC: The Chemours Company is a global chemical company specializing in the production of titanium dioxide, fluoroproducts and chemical solutions. Sporting a VGM score of A, this Wilmington, DE headquartered companys expected EPS growth rate for 3 to 5 years currently stands at 15.50%  comfortably ahead of the industry growth rate of 8.80%.

Sanderson Farms Inc. SAFM: Headquartered Laurel, MS,Sanderson Farms is one of the largest poultry producers in the U.S. It is engaged in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of fresh and frozen chicken products. The company has a VGM score of A and surprised earnings to the upside in each of the last three quarters.

Applied Materials Inc. AMAT: Based in Santa Clara, CA, Applied Materials is one of the worlds largest suppliers of equipment for the fabrication of semiconductor, flat panel liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules. The fiscal 2016 Zacks Consensus Estimate for this company is $1.75, representing 47.14% earnings per share growth over fiscal 2015. The next fiscal years average forecast is $2.26, pointing to 29.34% growth. Applied Materials has a VGM score of B.

NetApp Inc. NTAP: A provider of enterprise storage and data management software and hardware products and services, Sunnyvale, CA-based NetApp has a VGM score of B. Over the past 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2017 and 2018 increased 17% and 16%, respectively, to $1.62 and $1.79 per share.

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your 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.

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Donald Trumps best chance shake up the race between now and Election Day is a masterful performance in the presidential debates. Hillary, according to The New York Times, is prepping like the solid, professional pol she is. Not so Donald Trump, who will be inclined to wing it for the first debate on September 26. That will work only if his attacks on Clinton are pointed and accurate. And, if he keeps his cool. Polls consistently show that Hillary is not likable and not trustworthy. The objective of the debates for Trump is to make sure more people end up sharing that opinion.

Hillary Clinton is riding high, notwithstanding a steady drip of damaging revelations that would have destroyed most candidates by now. The mainstream media has successfully rebuffed most attacks on the Democratic hopeful, who recently defended her foundation links in an interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper by claiming that while theres lots of smoke, no one has found the fire.

Related: Why a Big Jump in Tax Cheating Is Just Around the Corner

Thats like Democratic candidate for president in 1987 Gary Hart who taunted reporters to back up rumors of infidelity by catching him in the act. They did, and his career was over. Hillary has similarly challenged the press to find the fire or prove that countries and companies donated tens of millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation in return for particular favors from the Secretary of State. But one wonders, even if some enterprising reporter takes up the challenge and scores a direct hit, would it matter?

Probably not. Most people are tuning out the endless email revelations. The savage attacks on Donald Trump have worked their magic, and it seems nothing can penetrate those sturdy pants suits. Hillary and her media flock have convinced people that Trump is unstable and dangerous, even though he is 70 years old, has never been arrested, never been charged with domestic violence, and never been accused by employees or acquaintances of serious misdeeds or inappropriate behavior. To the contrary, Trump has successfully run a business and raised an exceptional group of kids.

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By contrast, there are numerous stories of an enraged Hillary flinging books (and even a lamp) at husband Bill in retaliation for his affairs, engaging in profanity-strewn tirades against her staff, behaving atrociously to her Secret Service detail, lying with impunity and otherwise misbehaving. No, its not Trumps temperament we should be worried about.

Related: Can Trumps $10 Million Ad Buy Turn the Tide for His Campaign?

Is there anything that can dent Hillarys armor? Barring disasters or a health emergency, there are only two ways the race could shift. The first would be if, after 270 days without facing the media, Hillary were to hold a press conference and then stumble. Thats not likely. Just the other day she declined to answer or even acknowledge questions hurled at her from frustrated reporters, to whom she teasingly offered chocolates instead of information. Given the rising number of lies she has spun about her emails and the family foundation, she must fear more short-circuiting.

The debates are another story. Hillary will have facts and figures at her disposal; Trump will not. And yet. Trump may get under Hillarys skin. Here are five ways he could topple the ice queen and make the race competitive again.

1) When Hillary touts her work on behalf of girls and women and slams her rival as anti-female, Trump should list women he is concerned about: Juanita Broderick, Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers, and Dolly Kyle Browning. These women, dubbed Bimbos by the Clinton camp, have been brave enough to come forward and charge Bill Clinton with rape or sexual assault. Each one was intimidated and silenced by a so-called War Room orchestrated by Hillary Clinton. Bill Clintons history is fair game in this election since Hillary has indicated he would be a key player in her White House. And, because Hillary has asserted that when women allege sexual assault, they "have the right to be believed."

2) When Hillary derides Trumps ignorance of world affairs, he can point out that at least his view of foreign countries and leaders will be informed by the interests of the United States, and not by their generosity to his family foundation. The Crown Prince of Bahrain, for instance, might win red carpet treatment from a Trump White House not because he donated millions to Clinton Foundation projects, but rather because he swore off the violent repression of dissent common to that wealthy nation, and began to embrace freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Related: Cleaning Up After Trump Talks About Race: Worst Job in Politics?

3) When Hillary slams Trumps plan for reducing taxes, in her words by the billionaire, for the Billionaires, he can remind viewers that she has promised to put Bill in charge of rebooting the economy  a worthy goal given that we are mired in one percent growth and stagnant incomes. He should give Bill credit for signing and implementing NAFTA, a key legislative accomplishment during Clintons presidency, and ask Hillary whether she envisions Mr. Clinton continuing to pursue similar trade deals. He should also congratulate him on implementing welfare reform and the crime bill of 1994. The Left hates all three of these signature initiatives; by running on Bills record, Hillary owns them.

4) Hillary will go after Trump for not releasing his tax returns. He should agree to do so if and when Hillary releases her medical file.

5) Hillary will accuse Trump of embellishing his business career, and exaggerating his fortune. Trump can accuse Hillary of lying about coming under sniper fire in Bosnia in 1996, lying about her grandparents being immigrants, about having been named after Sir Edmund Hillary (who didnt climb Mt. Everest until Clinton was six years old), about trying to enlist in the Marines in 1975, about the video that was the supposed cause of the Benghazi attacks, about everything to do with her unapproved private email server.. and so much more.

If Trump can pull off this attack on Clinton, Inc. with humor and absent his trademark insults, his chances will skyrocket. That should make the second debate that much easier; Hillary playing defense is not a pretty picture.

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It defies logistics, let alone logic.

New Zealand Police are investigating the theft of up to 500 milking cows from a farm in Ashburton, located approximately 90 kilometres south west of Christchurch.

It's a cumulative loss of nearly NZ$1 million (US$723,000), which is why the farmer is isn't too keen to talk about it according a friend.

"He's absolutely gobsmacked, and deeply embarrassed," a friend of the farmer, Willy Leferink, said. "If you had three-quarters of a million dollars go missing, you wouldn't want to talk about it either."

SEE ALSO: Nearly 20 cows killed by single lightning strike in Texas

Each cow is estimated to be worth NZ$1,500 (US$1,090) and police suspect that the cows would have been pinched over several bouts.

"It's unlikely the theft of hundreds of animals could be completed at once, and is more likely that multiple thefts could be carried out over a period of time," Senior Sergeant Scott Banfield said in a statement.

For the theft to occur, a trailer truck would need to be loaded 13 times for all of the cows to be moved, according to Leferink.

"There have to be a number of people involved," he said. "That's the biggest chance we have  of somebody cracking at some stage."

Each of the cows have an electronic identification tag, which could pose problems for the alleged thieves who may look to milk profits from their haul. No honest farmer would buy a cow without a tag, according to Leferink.

"We're feeling for the farmers and their staff that are directly involved and disgusted people would go to those lengths to ruin people's livelihoods for themselves," Federated Farmers mid-Canterbury president Michael Salvesen told Newshub.

As to where you'd hide 500 cows? That question is yet to be answered. In the meantime, police are telling to farmers to be extra cautious of their stock and the fencing around their properties, otherwise it could be a while 'till the cows come home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
If you think fraternities are just for partying, think again.

DeAsia Romes, a University of Central Arkansas student who has cerebral palsy, was able to reach the top of the Pinnacle Mountain in Little Rock, thanks to six fraternity members.

Read: High School Athlete Carries Brother With Cerebral Palsy 111 Miles to State Capitol

Phi Gamma Delta members Benjamin Richards, Hayden Murry, Steven Bowen, Corey Pillow, Landon Bear and Ceasar Ramirez allowed Romes to ditch her wheels and gave her a piggyback ride shell cherish forever.

The 22-year-old student, who struggles with muscle coordination as a result of her disorder, told InsideEdition.com she's wanted to climb the mountain for a while.

I was a little nervous," she said. "I was like, 'I dont know if this is safe' but then I thought were just going to be spontaneous and go with it. Im just a very adventurous person."

It was Richards who first suggested the idea to Romes. The 22-year-old, who met Romes in gym class, said he read about another fraternity carrying a quadriplegic member up the Appalachian Mountains and he was inspired to do something similar.

At first, he suggested carrying Romes in a hammock, but the team ultimately decided it would be too draining and would just take turns carrying her.

Last week, they put their plan into action.

"I liked encouraging them," Romes said. "We shared so many laughs."

One-by-one, they carried her up the 1.3-mile trail. Richards said it was not an easy task and the group was relieved once they reached the peak of the mountain.

Read: Thrill-Seeking Teen With Cerebral Palsy Rides the Waves on Specially-Built Surf Board

And the journey was not without its rewards.

"My favorite part was her reaction," he told InsideEdition.com. "Also seeing her enthusiasm,"

For Romes, words arent enough to describe her feelings when they reached the summit. When she saw the sky stretching in front of her, she felt limitless.

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"Motivation is more important than ability in terms of achievement," she said.

The members of Phi Gamma Delta, also known as FIJI, said they aren't your typical frat boys.

We dont want to be known for parties," Richards said. "We want to be known [for our] service."

This won't be their last act of kindness. Richards said the fraternity is now planning to take some of Romes' friends, who also have disabilities, up the Pettijean Mountain, also in Arkansas.

Watch: Man With Cerebral Palsy Walks for the First Time, Thanks to Robotic Skeleton Device



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From Woman's Day

Melanie Salazar, 18, recently started her freshman year at Palo Alto College in California. While starting college is a milestone in itself, her first year is particularly special since one of her classmates is none other than her grandfather, Rene Neira.

The 82-year-old returned to school to complete the last class he needs to get his associate's degree in economics. He told Buzzfeed News that he had attended St. Mary's University in the '50s, but left after getting married and starting a family. But after Rene's wife died in 2009, he decided it was time to finally graduate. After he completes his associate's degree, Rene plans to get his bachelor's at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Even though Melanie will only share one semester at college with her grandpa, she's making the most of being able to learn alongside her "best friend." She told Buzzfeed that they sometimes meet for lunch and head to their classes together. (How adorable are they?!) "It's been pretty awesome. I know it's only going to be for one semester, but I'm going to cherish that while I can," she said.

After Melanie posted a picture of her and her grandpa on their first day at college, the post quickly went viral, and Rene's determination has become an inspiration to many. But no one is more inspired by his story than his own granddaughter. "It makes me realize the importance of getting an education like my grandpaso I can accomplish something great like him," she said.

I'm so proud of my grandpa for finishing his first day at PAC this semester! 82 years old and not giving up!!!  pic.twitter.com/IX4x5RhKXm - Melanie Salazar  (@melaniesalazara) August 24, 2016

Speaking to Buzzfeed about his newfound viral fame, Rene said, "I'm not trying to inspire Melanie, or anybody. I'm glad that's what it's doing, but I'm just doing what I've always wanted to do."

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(h/t Buzzfeed)

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Buying a home isn't just a 20% down payment and a monthly check for the mortgage.

There are a mountain of hidden costs  from closing fees to taxes  that can add up to more than $9,000 each year, real estate marketplace Zillow estimates  and that number will only jump if you live in a major US city.

Business Insider spoke to Zillow's chief economist, Svenja Gudell, about the three big unavoidable costs  homeowners' insurance, property taxes, and utilities  and other common costs that are often overlooked.

If you're considering buying a home, be mindful of these expenses when establishing your budget, Gudell says:

BI Graphic_9 Hidden Costs of Buying a Home

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ABC continues its quest to tell the stories of the diverse families that make up America. The latest effort is a single-camera comedy from former Friends executive producer/co-showrunner Andrew Reich and author, scholar and TV host/producer Reza Aslan. The project, from ABC Studios, is part of a new overall deal Reich has signed with the studio.

Written by Reich and Aslan, the untitled single-camera comedy centers on an Iranian-American family from San Jose, CA, who each take a very different approach to questions of tradition and identity. Reich and Aslan, an Iranian-American who grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, executive produce. BoomGen Studios, the storytelling company founded by Aslan and Mahyad Tousi, also is getting an executive producing credit.

Last season, Reich wrote and executive produced the ABC/ABC Studios comedy Pearl, which went to pilot with Candice Bergen starring. The project is now being redeveloped as part of the current cycle. Reich, whose series credits also include Rules of Engagement and Worst Week, is repped by WME.

Aslan, as internationally recognized writer and scholar of religions, is a consulting producer on the HBO spirituality-themed drama series The Leftovers and executive producer and host of CNNs upcoming documentary series, Believer. His best-selling books include Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, which has been optioned by Lionsgate and producer David Heyman with a script penned by James Schamus. Aslan is repped by UTA and Bloom Hergott.

ABC has been on a roll with the success of the Emmy-nominated African-American family comedy Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat, about an Asian-American Family. Additionally, the network has solidly rated new Friday sitcom Dr. Ken, which also has an Asian-American family at the center. ABC also has tried to launch a Latino family comedy with Cristela, which ran for one season, and again last year with the Gabriel Iglesias pilot.

Long before ABC built up a roster of multi-cultural family comedies, the network in 2009 gave a pilot order to Funny In Farsi, a comedy about an Iranian-American family. It was one of two major recent attempts at a comedy series about an Iranian-American family along with Nasim Pedrads Chad, which went to a pilot stage at Fox last season.

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More than 56 million Americans have some form of disability, and in many cases the associated costs can be staggering. A disabled child can incur additional lifetime costs of $1.4 million, says Stuart Spielman, senior policy advisor and counsel for Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization based in New York City. That burden rises to $2.4 million for children with intellectual disabilities, says Spielman.

New tax-advantaged "ABLE" savings accounts, which states started rolling out this summer, allow relatives, friends and the disabled themselves to fund a lifelong financial lifeline. Money in the accounts grows tax-free and can be used to pay for assistive technology, employment training, equipment, legal fees, special housing and schooling, therapies, transportation, and other expenses.

ABLE accountsnamed for the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act signed in late 2014also help solve a problem that for years has discouraged disabled people and their families from saving. Until recently, if a disabled individual had assets of $2,000 or more, he or she could be ineligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the federal income assistance for qualified disabled and low-income individuals. Disabled couples could be ineligible if they had $3,000 or more in assets. The new accounts allow SSI recipients to keep receiving their benefits while building a modest cushion for future needs.

Who's Eligible

ABLE accounts are not open to all disabled people. To qualify, a person must have had the disability before reaching age 26. (The diagnosis, however, can occur after that age.) "Anyone who qualified for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) before turning 26 will be eligible," explains Paul Jacobs, a certified financial planner with Palisades Hudson in Atlanta. "Others will need a doctor's letter certifying that the individual is blind or has severe functional limitations."

ABLE programs do not require that a doctor's certification be submittedit's enough for either the disabled person or a surrogate to sign a statement confirming that he or she meets the eligibility requirements. But, as with an IRS audit, they'll need to submit the doctor's letter as proof if they are later questioned.

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Not Exactly a 529 Plan

ABLE accounts are modeled after 529 college savings accounts; in fact, the IRS is calling them 529A accounts. Like 529s, ABLE contributions are invested post-tax in a selection of mutual funds chosen by the program; all future earnings are free of federal tax. States authorize their own plans, choose the investment companies that will offer the funds, and arrange for their administration. Depending on the state, residents may get a state tax break on ABLE account earnings and contributions, just as with 529 plans.

But there are significant differences:

ABLE Account 529 Plans Account Ownership The disabled person is the owner and beneficiary of the ABLE account, even if others fund it. (Disabled adults can set up and fund accounts on their own, and name themselves as beneficiaries.) With 529 accounts, the person making the contributions is the owner of the account; he or she then chooses the beneficiary. Number of Accounts Allowed A disabled person can be the beneficiary of only one ABLE account. In contrast, someone can be the beneficiary of any number of 529 plans, each set up by a different relative. (A disabled person can simultaneously be the beneficiary of an ABLE account and 529 plans.) Contributions Any relative can contribute to ABLE accounts. Only the account holder can contribute to a 529 account. Maximum Annual Contribution For ABLE accounts, the most you can contribute is the same as the federal gift tax exclusion, currently $14,000. For 529 accounts, there's no stated limit, though an individual's contributions that exceed $14,000 will be subject to the federal gift tax. States also can put a cap on the portion of that 529 plan contribution that's eligible for a state income-tax break. Maximum Balance There is no mandated maximum allowable ABLE account balance, but if the balance exceeds $100,000, Supplemental Security Income eligibility can be halted until the balance drops. (Medicaid eligibility remains intact, regardless of account balance.) The maximum allowable 529 account balance is set by the sponsoring state; it's typically more than $100,000. In Wisconsin, for instance, the total amount that all 529 plans can hold for an individual beneficiary is currently $440,300. Unused Money Once the disabled person dies or no longer is considered disabled, the ABLE funds don't go back to the people who contributed them. A provision in Medicaid rules lets states reclaim what Medicaid paid out while the account was in force. Money in 529 plans that hasn't been used by one beneficiary can be used by a new beneficiary. As a result, there's a greater likelihood that the funds will all be spent eventually.

How to Set Up an ABLE Account

Four statesFlorida, Nebraska, Ohio, and Tennesseenow have ABLE programs up and running. (Florida's program is only available to state residents.) If you want to set up a Nebraska, Ohio or Tennessee ABLE account, you can later roll over those funds to your own state's ABLE plan if or when it becomes available. The moved account still will be free of federal taxation.





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The American pika, a pint-size rabbit relative, is feeling the heat: Hotter summers induced by climate change are threatening these cute creatures' habitats throughout the western United States.

The small herbivores make their home in rocky slopes, known as taluses, across the West's mountain ranges. A new study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found that whole populations of the tiny mammal are disappearing due to climate change. The pika's mountainous habitats have become hotter and drier in the summer and harsher in the winter, with less snow cover to insulate their burrows in the ground, the researchers said.

After studying the cute critters from 2012 to 2015, the USGS found that the pikas' range was shrinking in southern Utah, northeastern California and the Great Basin, the latter of which covers most of Nevada as well as parts of Utah, Oregon, Idaho and California. [In Images: 100 Most Threatened Species]

"It is certainly clear that changes we have observed in pika distribution are primarily governed by climate, given that nearly all of our climate-related predictions have been borne out," study lead author Erik Beever, a research ecologist at the USGS, said in a statement.

According to the survey, American pikas have completely disappeared from Zion National Park in Utah, where there had been sightings of the animals as recently as 2011. In Cedar Breaks National Monument, also in Utah, pikas were found within only one-quarter of their historical range. And in northeastern California, the animals were found in just 11 of their 29 confirmed habitats.

The study found that while some short-term population changes were due to drought, other areas have not been home to pikas for decades.

"Combined with our previous work across the western U.S., the results illustrate that pika losses are not confined solely to the Great Basin, but that the rate of decline is quite variable across the western landscape," Beever said.

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For years, wildlife advocacy groups have requested that the American pika be added to the list of endangered species. In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) rejected such a request, when the service's risk assessment found that "although the American pika could potentially be impacted by climate change  the species as a whole will be able to survive despite higher temperatures in a majority of its range."

A new request to evaluate the American pika's status was made this April, and a preliminary decision is due in early September, the Associated Press reported. However, the USFWS only takes into account information submitted with the petition. Therefore, the new study will not be considered in the decision, USFWS spokeswoman Serena Baker told the AP.

According to the USGS, the pika is also seen as an "indicator species," meaning the animal can offer scientists an early warning about ecosystem changes.

The new study was published online Aug. 25 in the Journal of Mammalogy.

Original article on Live Science.

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I'll take David Stempson's dare ("Trump criticism illegitimate," Aug. 24). Hillary Clinton is the woman who Americans say they admire most for the 14th consecutive year and the 20th year overalla record for anyone, male or female, in the the open-ended poll conducted by Gallup annually since 1948. She has an extensive record that cannot be disputed. I'm not allowed enough words to list them.For over thirty years people have been investigating every single aspect of her life with unlimited funds and the full power of Congress behind them and they have proved her innocence of every single charge every single time!

She's never been arrested. She's never been charged with a crime. She's been scrutinized for 24 years. She was a lawyer, a First Lady, a Senator then Secretary of State. $100 million of taxpayer funds has been wasted on investigations that found nothing. PolitiFact, a Pulitzer prize-winning, non-partisan fact-checking site, has analyzed more than 200 statements by Clinton and she consistently places in the top 10 percent for overall honesty.

Multiple Republican-led investigations have found that she wasnt responsible for what happened in Benghazi. Under oath, FBI director James Comey testified, My judgment is that she did not" when asked if Hillary Clinton broke any laws. He also said, We have no basis to conclude she lied to the FBI" when asked if she lied. Remember this was under oath! When Bill cheated on her, she stood by her vows to God, "till death do us part."

David Kruse, Blue Springs
Earlier this week, the hacked-up bodies of at least 26 elephants were discovered in Botswanas heavily protected Chobe National Park, the largest and most brutal poaching event the park has ever experienced.

This shocking slaughter is just the latest incident in the poaching crisis that has devastated the populations of both African elephant species. New data published Wednesday reveal that poachers killed off 30 percent of Africas savanna elephants between 2007 and 2014about 144,000 animalsand that their numbers now continue to fall at an additional 8 percent per year.

Meanwhile, a second study found that the second pachyderm species, African forest elephantswhich lost 62 percent of their population between 2002 and 2011will require at least a century to recover because they breed significantly slower than thought. Scientists estimate that fewer than 100,000 forest elephants remain.

The savanna elephant numbers were the result of a three-year, 18-nation aerial survey conducted by the Great Elephant Census, funded by Microsoft cofounder Paul G. Allen and his family. The census now estimates that about 352,000 savanna elephants remain, down from 1.3 million in 1979.

Armed with this knowledge of dramatically declining elephant populations, we share a collective responsibility to take action and we must all work to ensure the preservation of this iconic species, Allen said in a statement.

Although the census found that 84 percent of savanna elephants live within officially protected areas, it also noted that they offered little protection and that elephant carcasses were frequently observed in national parks and other supposedly secure areas.

The Great Elephant Census has been an amazing feat of technology and science working together for wildlife, said Tanya Sanerib a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, which has petitioned to list both African elephant species as endangered under the United States Endangered Species Act. Unfortunately, the results reveal that elephant populations are declining at a shocking rate, and declining more severely than we anticipated. The data now clearly shows that if we dont act immediately to stop poaching, close ivory markets, and extend the strictest protections to both savannah and forest elephants, well lose these iconic creatures forever.

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RELATED: Elephants Win: Hong Kong Moves to Crush Ivory Trade

The poaching crisis has hit forest elephantswhich have only recently been recognized as a separate speciesparticularly hard. The new research into their demographics finds that female forest elephants do not typically breed until they are about 23 years old and only give birth once every five to six years. Savanna elephants, by comparison, start breeding at age 12 and can produce calves as often as every three years.

This is worse than we expected, said George Wittemyer, chair of the scientific board of Save the Elephants and a professor in wildlife conservation at Colorado State University. We didnt realize how sensitive these animals are until now. We were already hyper-concerned about forest elephants, but this knocks the ground out from under their feet.

Wittemyer said forest elephants live in regions that severely restrict their ability to recover from poaching. Even though they are surrounded by trees, most of the food they produce is consumed by birds, monkeys, and other arboreal creatures, leaving little nutritional value for terrestrial creatures, such as elephants. Ground animals get the last pick, he said.

Both of the studies will come into play in the coming weeks as conservationists prepare for this weekends International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Hawaii and the annual meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in late September in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This second meeting may be the more important of the two, as Namibia and Zimbabwe have proposed reestablishing limited legal trade in ivory, which has been banned since 1989. Both countries argue that their elephant populations are healthy enough for ivory from their animals to be legally traded. (The Great Elephant Census counted about 82,000 elephants in Zimbabwe, an overall decline of 6 percent but with declines of 74 percent in one region. It did not survey the elephants in Namibia.)

Wittemyer said that ivory trade legalization would be a mistake. We need to push aside the ivory trade debate until we deal with the fundamental problems of elephant poaching throughout Africa. He added that the two new studies should help deflate the legalization debate. The best scientific information is now on the table, he said. That should lead to a better understanding of the problems that elephants face.

Sign the Petition: Help Support Greater Protections for Elephants

Related stories on TakePart:





 This New Map of Major Ivory Seizures Could Help Save Elephants

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Original article from TakePart
New York (AFP) - Johanna Konta collapsed with apparent heat illness but shook off the scare to beat Tsvetana Pironkova in three sets Wednesday to reach the third round of the US Open.

The 13th seeded Briton said she was "a little embarrassed" by all the drama, but expected to be ready to go against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in the third round on Friday.

"I'm doing everything that I can to recover well and try to get myself into a state to be ready to compete again," said Konta, who said she'd gone through a similar scare on court before.

"Basically my heart rate spiked and I couldn't really control my breathing," she said.

"I started hyperventilating. I started shaking. That's why I went down on the ground, because I was quite violently shaking."

Konta was serving to try to force a second-set tiebreaker when she was stricken, slumping to her knees at the baseline.

She sat on the court with bags of ice on her body until medical personnel arrived and took her blood pressure.

"I feel like my whole body is in shock," she told the doctor. "My heart rate went up. My vision became blurred."

When play resumed after a medical timeout, Konta surrendered her serve and the set. She then departed for a lengthy toilet break that included a long walk from court 13 to the nearest convenience.

She returned somewhat refreshed, promptly broke Pironkova and closed out a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory.

After some time sitting courtside Konta apologized to fans for not signing autographs and departed.

Pironkova, while crediting Konta with the better performance on the day, said she was frustrated by the lengthy comfort break, during which Konta had to be shepherded through the crowds away from the court.

"With that toilet break I think the match was stopped for just too long," she said. "It was an unfortunate time. I had my momentum going, I was getting back in the match.

Story continues

"Probably that break somehow maybe stopped that momentum, but then again, I don't want to make excuses for myself."

- Scary moment -

Pironkova was also careful to say that Konta, the 13th seed who claimed her maiden WTA title in Stanford this year, acted within the rules.

"Today I'm not very happy about these rules, to be able to go and change your clothes after every set, it didn't work out good for me today. But these are the rules," she said.

When Konta collapsed, apparently suffering in the steamy 31-degree heat, Pironkova felt only concern.

"When you see the player that you're playing against look like this, that she couldn't stand, it's scary," she said.

And she was relieved she'd never gone through anything like it herself.

"Oh, thank god no," she said. "I haven't and I'm really grateful for that. It's probably horrible."

Konta, however, was matter-of-fact.

"I'm definitely not the first person to have these sort of struggles on court," she said.

"I'm definitely not going to be the last. It's part of our sport. It's part of the conditions that we play in. All any of us can do is just deal with it the best that we can."
The most eye-catching update of the otherwise news-thin week came from United Continental Holdings UAL when it announced the appointment of Scott Kirby as President- a newly created position at the carrier. The news of the vastly experienced Kirby moving to United Continental from American Airlines Group AAL led to a surge in the formers stock price.

Apart from the management change, the Dallas, TX-based Southwest Airlines LUV received good news on the labor front when it inked a tentative pay-related deal with its pilots union. Moreover, news pertaining to the engine failure of a Southwest Airlines flight from New Orleans to Orlando, FL also invited attention. Additionally, the past week saw an update regarding the Atlanta, GA-based Delta Air Lines DAL modernization plans at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

(Read the last Airline Stock Roundup for Aug 24, 2016).

Recap of the Past Weeks Most Important Stories

1. United Continental announced that Scott Kirby has joined the carrier as President. Kirby has vast experience in the airlines space and his appointment is a prudent move by United Continental as it seeks to turn around its fortunes. At United Continental, Kirby assumes a wide array of responsibilities ranging from overseeing its activities pertaining to marketing, sales, alliances, and network planning along with revenue management (read more: United Continental Hires Scott Kirby as President, Stock Up).

2. Deltas lease and license agreement to relocate to terminals 2 and 3 from terminals 5 and 6 at LAX 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 (read more: LA City Council OKs Delta's $1.9B LAX Modernization Plans).

3. Southwest Airlines inked a tentative agreement with its pilots. The company and the union representing its pilots, Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, have agreed in principle to the terms of this new contract (read more: Southwest Airlines Pilots Agree on Tentative Contract).

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On a separate note, a Southwest Airlines flight (3742) made an emergency landing at Pensacola International Airport after the pilot detected an issue with one of its two engines. According to media reports, there were 99 passengers on the plane and five crew members. Luckily no one was injured (read more: Southwest Airplane Suffers Engine Issue En-route to Florida).

4. In a bid to expand further, low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways JBLU plans to initiate operations from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood to Aruba  a popular Caribbean destination. The service is slated to start from Jan 4, 2017.

5. According to a report appearing in Reuters, the U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday has fined 4 major US carriers including American Airlines and United Continental for inaccurately informing passengers about compensation. According to the report, American Airlines was fined the maximum amount.

Performance

The following table shows the price movement of the major airline players over the past week and during the last 6 months.

Company Past Week Last 6 months HA 3.07% 6.55% UAL 7.35% -11.96% GOL -2.06% 177.27% DAL 0.49% -23.46% JBLU -0.25% -28.17% AAL 2.86% -10.92% SAVE 0.81% -19.95% LUV 0.82% -11.35% VA -0.32% 84.94% ALK -0.07% -12.57%

The table above shows that majority of the airline stocks traded in the green over the past week. Consequently, the NYSE ARCA Airline index increased 1.1% to $89.34 over the past 5 trading days. Shares of United Continental gained the most (7.35%) driven by the appointment of Scott Kirby.

Over the course of six months, the NYSE ARCA Airline index appreciated 3.77% driven by huge gains at GOL Linhas GOL and Virgin America.

What's Next in the Airline Space?

JetBlues flight from Fort Lauderdale to Santa Clara, Cuba will mark the resumption of commercial flights connecting the US and Cuba after more than 50 years. We anticipate further updates on the issue in the coming days. Moreover, August traffic reports from the likes of Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air Group ALK are expected over the next few days.

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Madeleine Albright

Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright blasted Donald Trump on Wednesday over his apparent coziness with Russia.

On a conference call with eastern European community leaders hosted by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign, Albright depicted Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, as the pro-Russia candidate.

"Donald Trump, beyond just praising [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, has defended his most unacceptable behavior and proposed a series of pro-Kremlin policies," Albright, who has endorsed Clinton for president, said.

She then ticked off a list of Trump's recent statements to bolster her point, noting that he has suggested he'd be open to easing sanctions on Russia, recognizing the country's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine, and said that Putin is "not going to go into Ukraine."

"He has stoked European disunity, celebrated Brexit, and casually predicted the break-up of the European Union," Albright said. "[H]e even encouraged Russian espionage in a US election."

She continued: "Vladimir Putin could not dream up a better presidential candidate than Donald Trump to help him move his grand vision forward."

Russia watchers and analysts say Putin wants to see Europe fracture to strengthen Russia's position in the geopolitical arena. The future of the EU, which Russia is not a part of, seems less certain now that the UK voted to leave the bloc.

Many experts contend that a fractured Europe would not work in the interest of the US, which counts many EU countries as allies. And while the US has thawed relations with Russia recently, the relationship is still tense as Putin seeks to extend his influence through former Soviet republics and into the Middle East, where the US is also involved militarily.

Albright also slammed Trump for calling the NATO alliance "obsolete."

Trump "has so scared our" allies that Albright "had to have a phone call with Estonian officials in order to make clear that Secretary Clinton was a firm supporter and believer in Article 5 and in NATO," Albright said, referring to the principle of collective defense.

Story continues

Foreign policy officials from former presidential administrations have expressed similar concerns about Trump.

NOW WATCH: Trump spokeswoman: Capt. Khan's 2004 death was probably caused by Obama's and Hillary's policies





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Amatrice (Italy) (AFP) - Italy on Tuesday held a poignantly symbolic funeral for victims of last week's earthquake amid the ruins of Amatrice, the small town that bore the brunt of the disaster.

President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and a senior representative of Pope Francis were among hundreds of mourners at the service on the edge of the hilltop beauty spot where 231 of the quake's 292 confirmed fatalities occurred.

The coffins of nearly 40 of them were laid out for a service held just yards from piles of collapsed masonry, a hastily-constructed temporary structure allowing the solemn funeral mass to proceed under cover from the rain.

The venue was a last-minute decision after grieving locals reacted with fury to a proposal for the funeral to be held in an aircraft hangar in the main town in the district, Rieti, some 40 miles (64 kilometres) away.

The drizzle provided a reminder of how soon summer will turn to chilly autumn in this remote, mountainous area of central Italy, making life even more uncomfortable for hundreds of homeless residents facing an indefinite stay in tented villages erected to house them.

Also presented in Amatrice were Rome mayor Virginia Raggi, paying her respects to the more than 80 residents of the capital who died, and Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos.

At least 11 Romanian nationals died in the quake, most of them in Amatrice.

Most of those who died had already been buried in private family seminars or after a first state funeral in Ascoli Piceno on Saturday.

The bishop of Rieti, Domenico Pompili, presided over Tuesday's ceremony, urging the leaders present not to allow reconstruction to get bogged down in "political quarrels."

"If we abandon these villages, we will kill them for a second time," the bishop said.

- Mourning over, probe starts -

With the public acts of mourning completed, the focus will now shift to helping survivors deal with the aftermath of the disaster and answering numerous questions about why it had such a deadly impact.

Story continues

For the Civil Protection agency, the top priority is providing adequate shelter for some 2,900 people who are without permanent accommodation barely two months from the onset of what is often a severe winter.

The issue of where local children will be educated is also pressing with the autumn term due to start by the middle of September at the latest.

Local prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva meanwhile has opened an investigation into whether any criminal responsibility can be accorded for the deaths.

His culpable homicide/culpable disaster probe will notably focus on whether authorities were negligent in ensuring the upgrading of public and other buildings to modern anti-quake norms in the aftermath of the 2009 earthquake in nearby L'Aquila.

He will also examine whether property owners side-stepped building regulations when undertaking extension or renovation work on what are often centuries-old buildings.

The first concrete move in the probe came on Tuesday with the issuing of a sequestration order related to an Amatrice elementary school which collapsed in the quake despite having been subject to an expensive anti-quake upgrade only a few years earlier.

The National Anti-Corruption Agency (ANAC) is also looking into what happened at the Romolo Capranica school. Its boss Raffaele Cantone on Tuesday ordered police to seize all documents related to the tender for the renovation work.

Saieva, who attended Tuesday's ceremony, admitted he could not rule out the possibility of ordinary residents who might have lost their homes or even loved ones facing criminal investigation, if they had ignored safety rules.

"That could be, we will have to see," he told the Sky TG24 news channel. "If they didn't do it (observe building rules) buildings collapse."
Amos Lee leads a cluster of debuts in the top 10 of Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart (dated Sept. 10), as Spirit, the folk rock troubadour's sixth studio album, enters at No. 3 with 12,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen Music.

Spirit is Lee's third top 10 on Top Rock Albums and marks his best rank since 2011's Mission Bell debuted at No. 1, and crowned the Billboard 200, with 41,000. Lee's last studio record, 2013's Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song, bowed at No. 7 on Top Rock Albums (18,000).

Spirit also starts at No. 3 on Americana/Folk Albums, where it's Lee's fifth top 10, and No. 30 on the Billboard 200. The album's lead single, "Vaporize," has reached No. 18 on the Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart.

Sabaton reaches new heights with The Last Stand, the Swedish power-metal troupe's eighth studio album, which starts at No. 5 on Top Rock Albums (9,000 sold). The set also debuts at No. 2 on Hard Rock Albums. Both chart ranks, as well as the LP's first-week sales, are bests for the band, which previously managed Nos. 29 and 5 peaks on each chart, respectively, with 2014's Heroes (3,000 sold in its first week). The new album's Billboard 200 start at No. 63 is also a new best, surpassing Heroes' No. 99 start and peak.

Stand, much like Heroes, is a concept album that takes inspiration from several military battles throughout world history, such as the Battle for Castle Itter in Austria during World War II.

Wild Beasts on Machismo, Bros Vs. Lads & Gigging with a 17-Year-Old Adele: Alt In Our Stars Podcast

Bayside returns with seventh studio album Vacancy, which debuts at No. 6 on Top Rock Albums (8,000), equaling the New York rockers' previous best rank, first set by 2014's Cult. Its No. 4 start on Alternative Albums also represents a best for the band; Cult hit No. 5.

Gemini Syndrome likewise logs new bests, as Memento Mori, the hard rock outfit's second studio set, opens at No. 8 on Top Rock Albums and No. 3 on Hard Rock Albums with 6,000 sold. Those numbers all pass 2013's Lux, which debuted at Nos. 44 and 8, respectively, with 3,000 in sales.

The No. 1 title on Top Rock Albums remains the Suicide Squad: The Album soundtrack, which leads for a third week (37,000 sold, down 26 percent); it has sold 215,000 to date. The set is the longest-reigning soundtrack on the chart since Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 ruled for nine (nonconsecutive) weeks in 2014 and 2015.
By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Amtrak secured a partial U.S. appellate court win on Wednesday in its efforts to recoup insurance coverage after the railroad service sustained more than $1 billion in losses during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a lower-court judge in 2015 erred in finding Amtrak could not claim up to $125 million in coverage for replacing undamaged portions of tunnels under the East and Hudson Rivers in New York City.

The three-judge panel said that ruling was premature because Amtrak had yet to submit its repair plans to the Federal Railroad Administration and did not know what changes to undamaged portions of the tunnels the agency would require.

But the court declined to overturn separate decisions by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan that, among other things, capped Amtrak's coverage at $125 million for damage caused by an inundation of water in the tunnels.

The 2nd Circuit also upheld Rakoff's ruling that corrosion of Amtrak's equipment after the railroad pumped out the seawater was not an "ensuing loss" that would be exempt from the $125 million flood sublimit.

A lawyer for Amtrak declined to comment. Lawyers for the insurers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

With winds extending more than 1,000 miles, Sandy made landfall in the mid-Atlantic states on Oct. 29, 2012, damaging or destroying more than 650,000 homes.

New York and New Jersey bore much of the storm's impact, and service on Amtrak's busy Northeast Corridor was halted or disrupted for weeks afterward.

Amtrak, whose formal name is National Railroad Passenger Corp, said it had property damage of more than $1 billion, largely in two tunnels that connect to New York's Pennsylvania Station.

The railroad said its insurers agreed to pay up to $675 million per covered occurrence but have only paid $30 million.

In 2014, Amtrak sued several insurers, including PartnerRe Ltd's Partner Reinsurance Europe Plc, Aspen Specialty Insurance and Swiss Re's Westport Insurance Corp.

The case is National Railroad Passenger Corp v Aspen Specialty Insurance Co et al, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. No. 15-2358.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
In the wake of cyberattacks directed at voter registration data in other states, Secretary of State John Gale said ongoing efforts are underway to tighten security and assure protection of Nebraska's voter database.

"Security has tightened each election cycle and new steps are being taken this year," Gale said in a written statement.

"One can never be overconfident, but we feel very comfortable with our initiatives as we work toward a smooth November general election."

Reports of voter registration database attacks in Arizona and Illinois have heightened concerns about cybersecurity for the November general election and triggered an FBI flash alert warning about activity targeting state election systems.

"Problems or gaps that have been identified over the years have been resolved," Gale said, "and this year we have been proceeding with the same type of security assessment."

If any attack were to disrupt election night reporting, Gale said, that would not be a threat to the official election results.

"We have the paper ballots to check against," he said.

"No results of an election are ever official until the counties, and then the state, certifies the results of paper ballot tabulation to the state canvassing board."

Wireless transmission is not allowed in that process, he said.

The recent cyberattacks have prompted concerns by U.S. intelligence officials about the possibility of cyber intrusion directed at disrupting the November elections. Some officials have suggested that the attacks may have been engineered by state-sponsored Russian hackers.
DENVER (AP) -- Tyler Anderson warmed up and took the mound for his start on Tuesday. A rain storm, postponement and restless night's sleep later, he returned to the hill.

This outing was well worth the wait.

The left-hander pitched efficiently into the seventh inning, Nolan Arenado kept up his torrid August with another RBI and the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-0 in the opener of a doubleheader Wednesday.

Anderson (5-5), with his deceiving motion, allowed six hits in 6 1/3 innings against the NL West leaders. He also helped his own cause with an RBI single in the second in the team's first shutout at home this season.

''It was nice,'' Anderson said. ''Tiring, but it was good.''

Anderson actually tossed a few warmup pitches Tuesday before the first inning. But a relentless downpour blanketed the area, leading to a postponement after a delay of 2 hours, 32 minutes. He tried to stay loose by lightly throwing and riding the stationary bike. That's why he was losing steam late in the game.

''Anderson gave us everything he had,'' Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. ''When you have a doubleheader, you want to get every out from your starter you can. He did a great job.''

Arenado had a run-scoring double in the first, giving him 34 RBIs this month. It's the most for August in Rockies history, passing the mark of 33 set by Andres Galarraga in 1996.

Ross Stripling (3-6) surrendered three runs over six innings.

''Ross pitched well enough for us to win and you know left-handed pitching has been our Achilles heel,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ''Our situational at-bats need to get better.''

Colorado has taken the first two games in the series from the Dodgers. This is the fifth series the Rockies have captured from a first-place team in August. They're the only team in the majors with a positive run differential (plus-26) and a losing mark (64-68).

Story continues

Pinch-hitter Stephen Cardullo hit his first career homer in the seventh - on his birthday, no less. The 29-year-old Cardullo spent the last few seasons playing for an independent team in New York before signing a minor league contract with Colorado in January. He joined the Rockies last week after hitting .308 with 17 homers for Triple-A Albuquerque.

''What a special feeling,'' said Cardullo, who got the ball from the fan who caught it.

Anderson's quirky delivery gave the Dodgers fits all afternoon. He briefly pauses before throwing to the plate.

The 2011 first-round pick wiggled his way out of a sticky situation in the sixth when he had runners on first and third and one out. He struck out Adrian Gonzalez - the top daytime hitter in the majors this season - and then fanned Rob Segedin with a changeup.

Anderson trotted back out for the seventh, and left to an ovation with one out and two on. Chris Rusin bailed him out by striking out pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal and Howie Kendrick.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (mild disk irritation) had a successful outing in a simulated game Tuesday and now is in a momentary holding pattern. ''We haven't made the decision as far as what his next progression will be,'' Roberts said. ... LHP Scott Kazmir (neck stiffness) will be slotted into the rotation when he's eligible to come off the DL on Sept. 7.

Rockies: 1B Mark Reynolds (broken bone in left hand) was activated off the 15-day disabled list and entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh. To make room, INF Daniel Descalso was put on the paternity list. ... RHP Tyler Chatwood (back strain) will start Saturday.

EXPANDED ROSTERS

Roberts gave an early glimpse of his plans for September call-ups. The Dodgers will add catcher Austin Barnes, righty Louis Coleman, lefty Luis Avilan - who will serve as the 26th man Wednesday for the second game - and righty Josh Ravin. Missing from that list is outfielder Yasiel Puig, who was demoted to the minors in early August.

''With Yasiel, that's still a possibility, but we're trying to figure out what's best for him and what's best for us,'' Roberts said.

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The Dodgers scratched lefty Rich Hill (10-3) from the start in Game 2, going with righty Bud Norris instead. The team was concerned about a blister on his left middle finger. Colorado went with righty Jeff Hoffman (0-2).
BERLIN (Reuters) - The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) has overtaken Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) in a pre-election poll in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Cicero magazine said on Wednesday. The poll, conducted by the Insa Institute for the monthly Cicero, forecast the AfD would win 23 percent of the vote in Sunday's state election, compared to 20 percent for the CDU, which would mark a huge setback for Merkel in her home state. "It would be a complete meltdown for the Christian Democratic Union if a new party was able to establish itself on a statewide level to the right of the Union, and actually exceed its size," Cicero wrote on its website. Germany remains deeply unsettled, with anti-immigrant sentiment rising, after 15 people were killed and dozens wounded in five separate attacks between July 18 and 26. Two attacks were claimed by Islamic State militants, and three of the assailants were asylum seekers. Critics have seized on the attacks to criticize Merkel's open-door refugee policy, under which hundreds of thousands of migrants, many fleeing war in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, entered Germany in the past year. Cicero's poll showed the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD), part of Merkel's ruling coalition in Berlin, led in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 28 percent of the vote. The SPD heads the state's current governing coalition. The latest polling results would allow the current SPD-CDU coalition government to continue to govern the northeastern state, with a combined 48 percent of the projected vote. It could also enable a governing combination of the leftist Linke party, which is projected to get 15 percent of the vote in Sunday's election, together with the SPD and the Green party, which is projected to get 6 percent of the vote. All the parties now represented in the state parliament have ruled out forming any coalition with the AfD. Insa polled 1,031 potential voters on Aug. 29. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Andreas Rinke; editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Multinational companies can expect the European Commission to press on with a crack down on sweetheart tax deals after handing Apple a breathtaking demand for 13 billion euros, officials and experts said on Wednesday.

But Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager may be tempted to train her fire on European companies after a string of investigations of U.S. global giants that, especially after Tuesday's Apple verdict, has enraged the United States.

The order to the iPhone maker to pay back taxes to Ireland on the grounds that Dublin illegally favored Apple with a tax regime that amounted to a competition-distorting subsidy was the biggest of 38 decisions by Vestager since the Commission began probing some 1,000 companies in up to 23 EU states in 2013.

Another U.S. firm, coffee chain Starbucks was ordered to repay up to 30 million euros to the Netherlands and a unit of Italy's Fiat must hand a similar sum to Luxembourg. In a separate case involving 35 firms in Belgium, many were not identified but some were also from the United States.

The Commission will not say when a decision is likely on two outstanding cases involving two more U.S. firms, Amazon and McDonald's, both in Luxembourg.

Set alongside a series of high-profile antitrust probes into Google and Vestager has a case to answer on charges of anti-American activity -- albeit one that she strenuously denies.

Nonetheless, people involved in competition law in Europe, many of whom declined to speak on the record for this story, reckon the Commission may choose a company closer to home for any major new inquiry.

"It is quite obvious that the Commission will not be able to investigate 1,000 tax rulings. It will only go after manifest violations," said Georg Berrisch, partner at law firm Baker Botts, who noted the fertile ground the Commission may have in evidence turned up in 2014 by leaked data from Luxembourg.

"It will have to pick and choose a few cases, maybe look into European companies. Luxleaks mentioned several European companies having tax deals with Luxembourg," Berrisch said.

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Vestager, arguably the most powerful official in the EU due to her individual power to rule on competition cases across the 28-nation bloc, makes no secret of her reliance on others at times to provide the evidence that can justify her inquiries.

For all the fury in Washington over Apple, that and the other current cases were all launched on the back of revelations provided by a U.S. Senate subcommittee inquiry into taxation.

It is unclear how many companies may face back tax demands in the end. Given limited resources, officials and observers said, the Commission's competition directorate is likely to focus on a fairly small number in the expectation that success -- still to be tested in court -- can deter others from going to extremes in reducing their global tax burdens.

Jonas Koponen at law firm Linklaters called the massive tax demand for Apple a wake-up call for others to be wary of how political institutions, not just in Europe, were responding to popular pressure to gather more taxes from rich corporations and the danger that posed of legal turmoil and reputational damage.

"The amounts at stake may intensify the political pressures both within the EU and from outside the EU," he said.

"Companies must now more than ever carefully assess whether any agreements or rulings they receive from national tax authorities are compliant with state aid principles."

It was a point inferred by Vestager herself. Asked at a news conference on Tuesday whether it was fair to penalize a company which "felt that they were abiding by the rules" in agreeing a tax regime for its profits with Irish government, the straight-talking Dane said some should listen to their feelings more.

"If my effective tax rate would be 0.05 percent falling to 0.005 percent," she said, "I would have felt that maybe I should have a second look at my tax bill."

(Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Anna Willard)
By Abhinav Ramnarayan

LONDON (Reuters) - A European Commission ruling that Apple Inc (AAPL.O) should pay Ireland up to 13 billion euros of back-dated taxes could help the country cut its debt significantly but may undermine its government, Standard & Poor's told Reuters on Wednesday.

The European Union's executive arm ordered Apple to pay the bill on Tuesday, ruling the iPhone maker had received illegal state aid.

Although Apple and Dublin have said they will contest the decision, economists have nevertheless been trying to calculate the possible impact on Ireland's finances.

"There are many uncertainties ahead but if we assume that the money will definitely come through, the sum of 13 billion euros is not insignificant for an economy the size of Ireland," Moritz Kraemer, the ratings agency's chief European sovereign rating officer, said.

That figure constitutes more than 5 percent of Ireland's gross domestic product, and if paid would allow the country to bring its debt down to about the mid-80s percent of gross domestic product (GDP) if the government uses it for that purpose alone, he said.

Ireland's debt-to-GDP ratio is around 94 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Apple and Dublin say the U.S. company's tax treatment was in line with Irish and European Union law and they will appeal the ruling, which is part of a drive against what the EU says are sweetheart tax deals usually used by smaller states in the bloc to lure multinational companies and their jobs and investment.

Moody's struck a similar tone to S&P, saying it too would look at both a possible boost to Ireland's finances and the impact on its corporate tax regime, once the appeal was made and the picture was clearer.

(Euro zone ratings factbox)

POLICY WARNING

S&P's Kraemer warned that the ruling might destabilize Ireland's government and its ability to formulate and implement policy -- an important rating factor it looks at.

"If the government chooses not to accept the 13 billion euros at a time when they have stated the money is not there for other spending needs, it could undermine them in the eyes of the public and weaken their position," he said.

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Kraemer added that it may be that the Irish business model is being put to the legal test.

"It is clear that if (Finance Minister) Michael Noonan does not want to take the money, then it means he believes it undermines the success of Ireland's economy since the crisis.

"So it might be that the Irish business model is being put to the legal test, and this may not be the end of it -- it may turn out to only be the first example of its nature."

Ireland is rated A+ by S&P, with a stable outlook. Kraemer said that a 13 billion euro windfall on its own would probably not make the agency change the rating.

S&P has upgraded Ireland three times since 2014 from an all-time low of BBB+ hit on the back of a banking crisis that saw Ireland take an international bailout to avoid bankruptcy.

Ireland also has an investment grade rating with Moody's, Fitch and DBRS.

DBRS is due to report on Ireland this Friday, while S&P is scheduled to review it in December.

(Additional reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Catherine Evans and Alexander Smith)
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 31, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit has been filed against K12, Inc. ("K12" or the "Company") (LRN). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares between November 7, 2013 and October 27, 2015 (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm prior to the September 19, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

If you purchased K12 shares 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.

The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, K12 issued false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: that the Company published misleading advertisements about students' academic progress, parent satisfaction, graduates' eligibility for admission into the University of California and California State University, class sizes, the individualized and flexible nature of K12's instruction, hidden costs, and the quality of the materials provided to students; that the Company submitted inflated student attendance numbers to the California Department of Education in order to receive additional funding; that K12 was open to potential civil and criminal liability due to these practices; that K12 would likely be forced to end these practices, which would have a negative impact on its operations and prospects; and as a result of the above, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When this information was disclosed to the public, shares of K12 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.

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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
Sanaa (AFP) - Saudi-led coalition warplanes struck a home in Yemen's rebel-held Saada province, killing 16 people, including women and children, the Iran-backed insurgents said on Wednesday.

Residents said the air raids hit the house overnight, while the Huthi rebels' sabanews.net website reported that the victims were "mostly children and women from three families".

There was no immediate reaction from the coalition, and AFP was unable to confirm the report from independent sources as Saada is under the rebels' complete control.

The Arab coalition launched a military campaign against the Huthis and their allies in March 2015, after the Shiite rebels closed in on Gulf-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in his southern refuge in Aden forcing him into exile.

Saada and surrounding parts of northern Yemen have long been strongholds for the Huthis.

But they later joined up with forces with loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, before seizing Sanaa in September 2014 and forming their own governing body.

The coalition has stepped up its air raids since three months of peace talks in Kuwait collapsed earlier this month.

The rebels have also intensified their attacks on the Saudi border.

On Wednesday, a Saudi border guard, Corporal Abdullah Madkhali, was killed after shelling from Yemen hit a frontier post in the Jazan region, the kingdom's interior ministry said.

Cross-border fire from Yemen has killed about 100 civilians and members of the security forces on the Saudi side since the war began.

In Yemen itself, more than 6,600 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since March 2015 and more than 80 percent of the population has been left in need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.

The latest escalation prompted UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to call Wednesday for a return to a ceasefire in Yemen which he said was "critical" to renewing peace talks.
(Adds comments by source)

By Andres Gonzalez, Alexander Hubner and Geert De Clercq

MADRID/FRANKFURT/PARIS, Aug 31 (Reuters) - French nuclear power engineering group Areva has rejected a non-binding offer from General Electric for assets belonging to the Adwen offshore wind power joint venture between Gamesa and Areva, sources close to the talks have told Reuters.

Several sources said General Electric (GE) is interested in some of Adwen's technology and its French offshore contracts, but not in Adwen's German operations and not in all of Adwen's commitments to build factories and create jobs in France.

"General Electric has made an offer for (Adwen's) assets, which is impossible to accept," one source said.

Another source said GE had made an informal approach but had not submitted a formal offer. GE has until Sept 17 to sweeten its bid and make a binding offer.

Officials at Areva, Adwen and GE all declined to comment.

Spain's Gamesa is being merged with German industrial group Siemen's wind power division to create the world's biggest builder of wind farms in a 10 billion-euro ($11 billion) deal, but Adwen has been a sticking point.

Adwen has contracts to build 1,500 megawatts of offshore wind power generating capacity on the French coast for utilities Engie and Iberdrola. These were awarded at above-market prices, but come with obligations to build factories and create jobs in France.

When Siemens and Gamesa agreed their merger in June, they specified that Areva had three months to decide whether it wanted to buy out Gamesa's 50 percent Adwen stake, or sell it to them.

This opened the door for an offer from GE, which wants to become a major player in offshore wind and has expressed an interest in buying Adwen.

GE also has contracts to build 1,500 megawatts of offshore wind power capacity on the French coast for EDF - a deal which it acquired as part of its takeover of French engineering group Alstom's power business in 2015.

These contracts too come with obligations for factories and jobs, and while an Adwen takeover would make GE the dominant player in the French offshore wind power market, that market is seen as too small to support the number of factories the government had envisaged.

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A spokeswoman for Gamesa said the Adwen sale process was on track and there was no final decision made about it.

Siemens declined to comment. One source said that Siemens has no say in what Areva decides for Adwen.

If Areva does not find a buyer before the mid-September deadline, the most likely outcome would be for Areva to exercise its option to sell its share in Adwen to Gamesa, sources said. Gamesa values its 50 percent stake in Adwen at 60.6 million euros.

($1 = 0.8974 euros) (Additional reporting by Georgina Prodhan in London and Bate Felix in Paris; editing by David Clarke, Greg Mahlich)
As Arrow heads into its fifth season, the superhero drama is taking aim at the past. The renewed focus on what's come before is appropriate for The CW's long-running series, as it will reach the landmark 100th episode, a feat rarely met today.

"We have found a lot of inspiration in going back and looking at what we've done the previous four years," executive producer Wendy Mericle told ET in a recent sit-down in Beverly Hills, California, of the new season's "nostalgic" focus. "You have the benefit of having all that experience and knowledge, what works and what doesn't."

RELATED: Stephen Amell Says His Russian Is Getting Better, Teases 'Arrow' Season 5

"It's nostalgic, going back to our roots in season one and really revisiting what everyone loved about that first season," she later added.

It's not just those involved with Arrow behind the scenes who are taking inspiration from the show's history. Oliver Queen, who was introduced as a murderous vigilante, will be taking stock at a life led and what his future may hold. "He's looking back at his own past and his own legacy," Mericle said.

It's a stark contrast from where Oliver was at the start of the show, when he was nothing but a remorseless killer with "total tunnel vision" on righting his father's wrongs. "That's all living in the past," Mericle said of Oliver's original mindset. "This is the first time he's had the maturity and the space to think about, well, how long can you do this?"

RELATED: Stephen Amell Teases The CW Superhero Crossover With On-Set Pic

That's where the new recruits come into play. The newly-elected mayor of Star City will find himself taking on a new "team" of sorts -- including Wild Dog, a faux Canary and even Curtis Holt -- while the original Team Arrow remains disbanded for the time being.

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"They don't know what they're doing -- and Oliver knows that. Truth be told, I'm not sure how excited Oliver is taking on anybody," Mericle said of the new vigilantes-in-training. "In a season where we're talking about his past, he's fine to be out there on his own. He starts to think about his future and training them and what the legacy is [that] he wants to leave for his city. That's really where he's coming from."

The CW

Season five also marks the final year of Oliver's island flashbacks, closing the loop on a years-long journey that fans have embarked on since the pilot in 2012. The anticipated flashbacks will focus primarily on Oliver's time in Russia as he rises through the ranks of one of the country's most dangerous gangs, the Bratva.

"We want to do it right. It's something the fans have been waiting for," Mericle said. "We want to make it gritty and dark and true to what that world would look like  We're headed towards not just an endgame, but an iconic moment in our show."

RELATED: Katie Cassidy Is Returning to the 'Arrow' Universe -- Find Out How!

Dolph Lundgren, who plays the Russian big bad Kovar (mentioned at the end of season four), will give Oliver and star Stephen Amell a run for his money. "Stephen's excited to take him on," Mericle said with a smile. "He's a force of a nature, and Stephen -- and Oliver -- will have to take that on and figure out how to conquer [him]."

Oliver's time in Russia will directly parallel what he'll be going through in present-day Star City, and unfortunately for fans of the Oliver and Felicity pairing, things may not be back on track right away.

"They're not together when we come back," Mericle said of "Olicity's" future. "Oliver's in this space now where he's got two huge full-time jobs and he's trying to figure out where he is the most effective."

RELATED: Watch Oliver Come to Felicity's Rescue in the 'Arrow' Season 4 Finale

"Felicity is still dealing with -- she directed a missile at 20,000 people and they died," she continued. "This is the first time she's coming face to face with the reality of 'Oh my god, I'm responsible for the deaths of [all these] people. For where they both are character-wise, the relationship is not at the top of their priority list right now."

If the writers have a plan for Oliver and Felicity in the romantic sense, Mericle isn't dropping any hints -- for now.

"The relationship, much to the chagrin to the Laurel fans, was borne out of that symbiotic relationship between the writers, what we were seeing on the dailies and the actors. We're going to stay consistent on that," she said. "We're going to continue to see where these characters lead us. So it could go where the Olicity fans want or not."

Arrow returns Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

Related Articles
By Osamu Tsukimori

TOKYO (Reuters) - Imports of Iranian oil by four major buyers in Asia in July jumped 61.1 percent from a year earlier, marking the biggest percentage gain since April 2014, reflecting Tehran's aggressive moves to recoup market share, lost under international sanctions.

Iran is regaining market share at a faster pace than analysts had projected since sanctions were lifted in January, and Iran's senior government official said it sees its oil production at 4 million barrels per day by year-end. [nL9N15G01F]

The four countries, South Korea, Japan, China and India, imported 1.64 million barrels per day (bpd) in July, government and ship-tracking data showed.

Japan's trade ministry on Wednesday released official data showing its imports jumped 61.8 percent from a year earlier to 256,651 bpd last month.

Imports by South Korea jumped more than fourfold last month, while India's imports more than doubled from a year ago.

The following tables show Asia's Iran crude imports in bpd for last month and the year to date.

Nation Jul-16 Jul-15 yr/yr pct

China 566,191 575,700 -1.7

India 523,100 215,400 142.8

Japan 256,651 158,608 61.8

Korea 291,097 66,710 336.4

Total 1,637,039 1,016,418 61.1

Nation Jan-July 2016 Jan-July 2015 yr/yr pct

China 595,598 587,400 1.4

India 368,300 215,300 71.0

Japan 213,261 170,727 24.9

Korea 268,667 111,665 140.6

Total 1,445,826 1,085,092 33.2

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
By Marius Zaharia SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Confirmed cases of Zika virus in Singapore rose to 82 on Tuesday, as the United States joined a growing list of countries warning pregnant women or those trying to get pregnant to avoid travel to the city-state. The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has caused explosive outbreaks in the Americas and the Caribbean since late last year, poses a particular risk to pregnant women because it can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. On Tuesday, the United States warned pregnant women not to travel to Singapore, joining Australia, Taiwan and South Korea. The warnings followed news that Zika transmission appears to be occurring outside of the original cluster, with at least five of 26 new cases confirmed late on Tuesday detected in the Aljunied area in the southeast of Singapore, the health ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement. Singapore has advised pregnant women to take a free Zika test if they showed any symptoms or if their partners tested positive. "This is regardless of whether they have been to Zika-affected areas," health officials said in a statement. The outbreak and advisories come as the tourism industry in one of the world's busiest travel hubs already faces weak global economic growth. Singapore's Tourism Board said it was premature to consider any impact on the sector, adding it remained a "safe travel destination". More than 55 million people pass through Singapore's Changi airport every year. In the first half of this year, tourism arrivals topped 8 million, around 1 million more than a year earlier. MOZZIE SPRAY SALES Singapore reported its first case of locally-transmitted Zika at the weekend, and the number of confirmed infections has risen steadily since then. At least three dozen patients have made a full recovery. Neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia have stepped up protective measures, introducing thermal scanners at airports and border checkpoints with the island state. Such measures, however, will only identify symptomatic cases of Zika, but only one in five people have symptoms of the virus, which include fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye. Singapore residents responded to government calls to be vigilant and to take precautions against mosquito bites. Online retailer Lazada Singapore said sales of insect repellents jumped five-fold in the past three days. FairPrice supermarkets and Watsons pharmacies said their sales of such products had doubled. Most of the early infections were among foreign workers, hundreds of thousands of whom, mainly from the Asian sub-continent, work on Singapore's construction sites and in the marine sector. The Singapore government has not said where the infected foreign workers are from. The foreign ministry directed queries to the health ministry, which did not respond to Reuters questions on the issue. The Ministry of Manpower also did not respond to a request for comment made outside working hours. The High Commission of Bangladesh, which represents the largest community of foreign workers, said none of those infected were Bangladeshis, and the Thai foreign ministry said none were from Thailand. The embassies of China, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar said they had not been notified by Singapore whether their citizens were among those infected. Authorities inspected thousands of homes in seven parts of Singapore, including five foreign worker dormitories, spraying insecticide and removing potential mosquito breeding habitats. The NEA has inspected about 5,000 premises in and around the initial outbreak area, issuing 400 notices to owners of buildings they could not access. The NEA can force entry into those premises if needed. Zika was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. It caused clusters of human infections from the 1960s to 1980s across Africa and Asia, according to the World Health Organization. The outbreak in the Americas was caused by a Zika strain from Asia, possibly carried to Brazil through travel to a sporting event. Many experts believe once infected, Zika produces lifelong immunity. "Unfortunately, it is not clear the level of immunity that is currently in Asia," said Alessandro Vespignani of Northeastern University in Boston. WHO declared Zika a global health emergency because of its link with microcephaly. In Brazil, Zika has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly. (Reporting by Marius Zaharia, with additional reporting by Edgar Su, Aradhana Aravindan, Masayuki Kitano and Mark Tay in Singapore and Jeong Eun Lee in Seoul and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Jane Wardell, Ian Geoghegan and Bernard Orr)
By Tom Westbrook SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has urged legislators to take a more cautious approach in backing China's pursuit of "legitimate interests" and stay alert to the motives guiding its investments, in a briefing book published by the non-partisan parliamentary library. Authored by government officials and distributed ahead of Tuesday's opening of parliament, the booklet raises concerns that "creating a Eurasia-wide, China-led bloc to counter the United States" is the long-term aim of China's "One Belt, One Road" project, including its investments in northern Australia. "Some see this initiative as a profound challenge to the current global political and economic status quo," a parliamentary library researcher wrote in the book, designed to guide lawmakers on issues likely to come before them. "Australia needs to adopt a more economically and strategically prudent attitude in determining how the Australia-China economic relationship is to further develop." The caution comes after Treasurer Scott Morrison this month blocked the sale of electricity network Ausgrid to China and Hong Kong buyers, citing undefined national security concerns. That followed his rejection of a Chinese consortium's bid for Australia's largest pastoral holding, S. Kidman & Co. The 205-page briefing book is being handed out to members of parliament ahead of the first session after the July 2 election. China is Australia's largest trading partner and a large source of foreign investment, spending $11.1 billion on Australian assets, mostly property, in 2015, accounting and advisory firm KPMG and the University of Sydney have said. However, a decision to lease a commercial and military port in northern Australia to a Chinese firm last year raised concerns in the United States. The parliamentary booklet sets out China's "broader uses" for its growing economic influence. "China's rise and pursuit of its 'legitimate interests' have been supported by successive Australian governments," it said. "A key question emerging from China's recent actions in the South China Sea is where do these 'legitimate interests' begin and end  do they include the establishment of 'spheres of influence'?" (Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
MELBOURNE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Lakes Oil, a junior oil and gas explorer in Australia, is considering the grounds it may have for suing Victoria state, after the government there permanently banned fracking and extended a ban on onshore conventional gas drilling to 2020.

Lakes Oil shares sank as much as 50 percent on Wednesday in their first trading since the fracking ban was announced, and the stock was the fourth most active on the Australian exchange.

The move by the state in the country's southeast means Lakes will not be able to go ahead with two tentative deals lined up in 2014 to supply gas from its Wombat onshore conventional gas field to U.S. giant Dow Chemical Co and Australian food manufacturer Simplot.

"What the government's done is just unbelievable. It's unprecedented," Lakes Oil Chief Executive Roland Sleeman told Reuters in an interview.

Sleeman would not say whether his company would seek compensation from Victoria, but said it was a "really relevant question".

"I invite you to have a look at what has happened elsewhere. The key example is Metgasco in New South Wales - not exactly the same situation - but ultimately it was compensated by government," he said.

New South Wales agreed last year to pay Metgasco A$25 million ($19 million) to buy back three exploration licenses after suspending approval for drilling at a promising coal seam gas site due to public protests.

Victoria-focused Lakes was also considering a range of commercial options, Sleeman said, including expanding into South Australia state, which is eager to promote gas development.

Lakes could merge with another company, buy assets that larger players are spinning off, or in an extreme case, fold, he also said.

Lakes Oil has spent at least A$80 million to prove up gas resources on its Victorian acreage, Sleeman said.

($1 = 1.3298 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Tom Hogue)
An 8-year-old boy from Hickman is one of six winners in the NEST on the Farm Fun Photo Drawing, State Treasurer Don Stenberg announced Aug. 29 at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island.

Todd Munk was one of the six young Nebraskans who each won a $1,000 contribution into a NEST 529 College Savings Plan account. Money was provided by First National Bank of Omaha, program manager for the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST).

Todd is the son of Jill Munk and Rich Munk. The winning photo shows Todd when he was 2 years old, with an African Boer goat on the farm of his maternal grandparents, Dave and Robin Nore of Hickman. The photo was taken by Dave Nore.

The winners were selected from two age groups - newborn to 5 and 6 to 13 - in each of Nebraskas three congressional districts. Munk was one of the two winners in Congressional District 1.

The winning photos included images of a 150-year-old barn, a 4-H hog, a goat and a tractor. Each child was given a certificate featuring his or her winning photograph. The children or their parents, depending on the childs age, spoke about where their photos were taken, what they liked about their photos, and what possible careers they might like to pursue or might be available to them when they grow up.
As GOP nominee Donald Trump heads to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, back home, he faces a different wall than the one he promised to build on the U.S.-Mexico border  and make Mexico City bankroll.

As of Tuesday, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton counted three times as many campaign officials in crucial swing states as Trump, according to PBS. The Trump campaign only recently released its first television ad of the general election, a $4.8 million buy running in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida.

Meanwhile down ballot, former GOP presidential candidates Marco Rubio of Florida and John McCain of Arizona (the 2008 nominee) both fended off challengers in Tuesdays primaries in their contested home states. While both senators said theyd support their partys nominee, theyve also made clear they dont support his mutating foreign policy pronouncements or more draconian immigration proposals, making for a long fall yet against Democratic opponents.

Trump prides himself on his unconventional campaign, but hes also running a consistent deficit in polls against his Democratic rival in such key battleground states. Unflattering reports over the Clinton Foundation and the former secretary of states emails continue to drip out, and the upcoming debates could prompt a deluge, but the wall between Trump and a path to victory in November appears to be growing ever taller.

Sign up for FPs Editors Picks newsletter here to receive Battleground 16, our take on the presidential race, each Wednesday through November.

When Donald Met Nigel 

Fear of immigrants. Demagoguery. Support from undereducated voters. A peek inside the budding bromance between Donald Trump and Nigel Farage.

I know Anthony Weiner well, and she will be far better off without him. I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information.

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 Donald Trumps statement on Clinton aide Huma Abedins split from her husband, former Congressman Anthony Weiner

Trump and Clinton Have No Idea How to Deal With Putin

Murky links to Moscow and speculation of Kremlin interference have dominated the U.S. election. So how come neither candidate has a coherent Russia policy?

Matthew Rojansky argues that the political feeding frenzy unleashed by Russian jabs at the U.S. presidential election underscores a far deeper problem for Americas national interests: Despite ample rhetoric bashing Russias muscle flexing foreign policy or impugning the White House for failing to explore avenues of cooperation, neither presidential candidate seems to have given much thought to what a coherent U.S. policy toward Russia would actually look like.

Biden to the Baltics: Dont Take Trumps NATO Comments Seriously

The vice president says Trump doesnt know what NATOs mutual defense article is.

I want to make it absolutely clear to all the people in Baltic states: We have pledged our sacred honor, the United States of America  to the NATO treaty and Article 5, Biden said in the Latvian capital Riga.

+0.3

Trumps lead against Hillary Clinton and Gary Johnson in the reliably Republican state of Georgia  well within the margin of error, according to a Real Clear Politics polling average.

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Photo credit: Drew Anthony Smith / Stringer
A BBC show about baking cakes, pies and pastries, The Great British Bake Off, has proved more popular than the networks coverage of the Olympics, with the curtain-raiser for the latest season pulling almost half of all U.K. viewers. Its no flash in the pan: it was the most-watched show on U.K. television last year. Here are five things you should know about the show:

One: It is a contest between 12 amateur bakers running over 10 episodes, and takes place in a large tent in the countryside. Each week the judges kick one baker off the show and crown another Star Baker. The tone is light and fluffy with a spoonful of double entendres, a hint of innuendo and a sprinkling of downright silliness.

Two: Season 7 kicked off last week with Cake Week, which averaged 10.4 million viewers, a whopping 48% of the U.K. total. The shows ratings peaked at 11.2 million, which is more than the 11.1 million who tuned in for the most popular moment of the Rio Olympics.

Three: The shows star is Mary Berry, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris; her favorite cake to make is the ginger treacle tray bake. She judges alongside Liverpool-born Paul Hollywood, known as the George Clooney of baking. He initially trained as a sculptor before being persuaded by his father, a baker, to switch careers. The show is hosted by Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, who are experienced writers and performers, and have often appeared on screen together. The show is produced by Love Productions.

Four: The Great British Bake Off has generated several spin-offs, such as Hollywoods solo series Bread, in which he reveals the secrets to making breads from around the world, and The Chronicles of Nadiya, in which season six winner Nadiya Hussain explores the cuisine of Bangladesh, where her family hails from.

Five: CBS produced a U.S. version of the show called The American Baking Competition. It premiered in May 2013, airing in primetime on Wednesdays, with Jeff Foxworthy hosting, Hollywood and Marcela Valladolid judging, and 5 million viewers watching. By July the show was toast: rating had failed to rise, the critics pulled a face, audiences complained they couldnt understand Hollywoods accent, and rumors of an affair between the judges caused an online backlash. CBS decided not to ask for a second helping.

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On Aug 30, 2016, leading Canadian communications service provider BCE Inc. BCE was downgraded to Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Notably, the Wireline segment continues to witness a decline in revenue. However, BCE is experiencing steady progress in its attempts to reduce its network access services (NAS) line losses in residential segments and boost data service revenues.

Competition Strife in Wireless Segment

In the wireless segment, BCE competes against Rogers Communications Inc. RCI and TELUS Corporation TU as well as small regional carriers across Canada. Additionally Shaw Communications Incs SJR entry in the Canadian wireless market after its takeover of WIND Mobile will exert further competitive pressures going ahead.

Operational Risks

Approximately 45% of BCEs employees are represented by unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements. Renegotiating collective bargaining agreements could result in higher labor costs and work disruptions, including work stoppages or work slowdown. Further, satellites used by BCE are subject to significant operational risks. Satellites that have been commissioned are subject to construction and launch delays and could have an adverse effect on BCEs business and financial results.

The Bottom Line

BCE faces stringent regulatory measures, decline in NAS lines, price competition, exposure to labor union issues covered by collective bargaining agreements resulting in work disruptions and higher labor costs remain concerns. Additionally, operational risks, construction and launch delays are major risks. Also, the Wireline segment continues to observe a decline in revenue. However, BCE expects wireline results to improve in 2016 and beyond as it gains from an increase in net revenue generation units. Additionally, BCE continues to invest in LTE, broadband and fiber infrastructure to improve its network. This should help the company gain customers and also put a check on churn.

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Bella Hadid shared a snapshot of what her life is like with Lyme disease. (Photo: Getty Images)

Model Bella Hadid offered her fans a glimpse into her everyday reality.



On Monday, the 19-year-old daughter of Yolanda Foster underwent an IV treatment for Lyme disease and documented the experience via Snapchat. She did not identify the type of treatment she was receiving.



Last year, Yolanda, who also suffers from this illness, revealed that Bella and her younger sibling, Anwar, were diagnosed with the condition in 2012.



Approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).



Bella shared a Snapchat video of herself getting an IV infusion apparently to help with her Lyme disease. (Photo: Bella Hadid via Snapchat)

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that people get from the bite of an infected tick, Jennifer Caudle, a family physician and assistant professor at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, tells Yahoo Beauty.



The typical initial symptom is a rash  the bulls-eye or the target rash, notes Caudle. But people can also get additional Lyme symptoms since Lyme can affect many different parts of the body, not just the skin.

Other common symptoms include fever, headache, joint pain, stiff neck, and fatigue. Ive also seen Lyme arthritis, meaning that the disease can affect the joints, Caudle says.



In the majority of cases, Lyme disease is treated successfully with antibiotics over the course of two to four weeks. However, Caudle  who frequently treats patients with this condition at the Rowan School of Medicine Department of Family Practice in Stratford, N.J., being that the northeast is one of the most highly concentrated areas of this vector-borne illness  states that some patients will complain of fatigue, joint pain, and/or muscle aches after the antibiotic regiment has been completed.

The CDC refers to this as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, Caudle says. While the exact cause is still unknown, these lingering symptoms can last for more than six months. Long-term antibiotic treatment has been associated with other complications, which is why doctors may treat these patients similarly to those suffering from fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, according to the CDC.

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The good news? Many of these patients will get better with time, Caudle says.



As far as what type of treatment Bella is getting, that remains a mystery. Nowhere does the CDC recommend IV infusions, which is where my concern and questions come from, Caudle says. So I cannot speak to what [Bella] is getting because honestly, I have no idea.



Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
A week ago, Nate Parkers The Birth Of A Nation conspicuously was left off the list of films getting a press conference at the Toronto Film Festival, though its distributor Fox Searchlight said Parker would be available for questions during a press junket. Today, the studio said as part of the press junket there will be a press conference as well. So Parker will face reporters to talk about his Sundance sensation and likely field questions about a 1999 rape charge against Parker and the films co-creator Jean McGianni Celestin when the two were in college.

On August 26, a TIFF spokesman had told Deadline emphatically that there would be no Parker presser for Birth, saying, Thats definitive, its definitely not going to happen. Today, Fox Searchlight said that there will be a press conference as part of the press junket at the festival. Semantics.

It will take place on September 11, and Parker will be joined by cast members Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Gabrielle Union and Penelope Anne Miller. Fox Searchlight said last week that Parker would be doing press junkets at Toronto on the 10th and 11th, and now a video junket is set for September 10, also including the cast members.

Parker is supposed to present the film at colleges and elsewhere after Toronto, but the TIFF screening had promised to be his first open session with the press since the old charges resurfaced. Parker was acquitted of the charge in 2001; Celestin initially was convicted, but that was overturned on appeal and his case was not retried. The rape victim subsequently committed suicide after being harassed and going through a stressful trial.

RelatedBirth Of A Nation Director Nate Parker Responds To Rape Accusers Suicide

Last week, AFI canceled a planned screening of The Birth Of A Nation that was to be followed by a Q&A with Parker. I have been the recipient of many different passionate points of view about the screening, AFI dean Jan Schuette wrote in a note to students, and I believe it is essential that we discuss these issues together  messenger and message, gender, race and more  before we see the film. He added that AFI will set up a special moderated discussion so we may explore these issues together as artists and audience.

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TIFF will be holding 10 press conferences but screening 296 feature films.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Wednesday advised its citizens in Kyrgyzstan to avoid going outside or visiting crowded places, after a suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in its capital of Bishkek. The attacker died and at least three people were wounded in the Tuesday blast. Officials from both countries described the assault as a terrorist act. In a short statement on its website, China's Foreign Ministry said the government had asked Kyrgyzstan to take steps to protect Chinese nationals and organizations and bring those behind the attack to justice. The embassy is advising people to exercise caution about visiting Kyrgyzstan and those who are there should be on alert, the ministry said. "(We) remind Chinese citizens and organizations in Kyrgyzstan to be on high alert, increase necessary security measures and response preparations, go out as little as possible and not go to crowded places," it said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing that Kyrgyzstan was investigating the attack. "We will work with the Kyrgyzstan side to quickly ascertain specific information on the people and organizations that carried out this terrorist attack," she said. Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected militants they accuse of being linked to Islamic State, which actively recruits in Central Asia. A Turkish official said in June that one of three suspected Islamic State suicide bombers involved in a deadly attack on Istanbul's main airport was a Kyrgyz national. An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs - a Turkic-language speaking, mainly Muslim people living in China's Xinjiang region - is also believed to be active in Central Asia. Some security experts have questioned the Uighur group's cohesiveness, however, and say China's policies in Xinjiang, where hundreds have died in recent years in unrest blamed by Beijing on Islamist militants, have contributed to the unrest. In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people believed to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel)
On Aug 31, 2016, we issued an updated research report on leading medical devices company, Boston Scientific Corporation BSX. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Post a mixed second-quarter 2016, we are looking forward to a better performance by Boston Scientific in the coming period on its new global restructuring plan. Notably, the company has already started to benefit from successful implementation of this plan that emphasizes on long-term growth, geographical expansion and innovation.

According to Boston Scientific, this plan will result in the fulfillment of its margin leverage goals and help produce low-to-mid-teen EPS growth, ahead of the industry average.

We have noted that the company continues to strengthen its core businesses and invest in new technologies and global markets, which accounted for the sales upside across most of its businesses and regions over the recent past. According to Boston Scientific, its Plant Network Optimization (PNO) strategy has simplified its manufacturing plant structure by shifting certain production lines among facilities. The full benefit of PNO, which has been completed recently, should start to reflect in the companys Rhythm Management adjusted operating margin through second-half 2016.

An important aspect of the companys growth strategy is to continue pursuing development opportunities outside the U.S. by expanding global presence, inclusive of the emerging markets. In second-quarter 2016, business from the emerging markets registered a robust 20% organic growth rate, well ahead of the companys target of reaching 15% of sales by 2017 from 8% in 2013. This impressive performance was driven by 21% growth in China in the reported quarter.

Boston Scientific hopes to sustain its strong overall international performance considering several key new product launches that are in the early stages of their rollout. The company is also optimistic about its core cardiology segment which is gradually stabilizing, with growth witnessed in the BRIC nations.

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Meanwhile, sluggish Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) sales over the recent past continue to weigh on the stock. Although, in the second quarter, it witnessed a rebound in the segments performance, the sustainability of this growth is still uncertain taking into consideration the disappointing performance in the companys worldwide defibrillator sales.

Nevertheless, Boston Scientific has a strong pipeline of products under development, the launch of which should drive the top line, going ahead.

Key Picks in the Sector

Some better-ranked medical product stocks that warrant a look are Lantheus Holdings, Inc. LNTH, GW Pharmaceuticals plc GWPH and Quidel Corp. QDEL. All three stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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To return a 5-year-old boy's incredible generosity, police officers in New Jersey presented the child with his very own patrol car, customized just for him.

William Evertz Jr., who's known as "Bubba," wanted to say "thank you" to Winslow Township police officers for keeping his community safe, so he saved up his allowance to treat them to lunch last week.

Read: Boy, 5, Saves Up Allowance to Buy Lunch for Cops to Say Thanks for Keeping Him Safe

On Tuesday, police flooded the boy's home with screaming sirens and lights flashing in a grand effort to show their gratitude.

Bubba was in shock as one of the officers led the boy to a trailer. Inside was his very own miniature police cruiser, complete with his name on the license plate, replica decals of the Winslow Township Police Department and his lucky number 6 printed on the side.

"One of the things he wanted was a police car," Lieutenant Chris Dubler told InsideEdition.com. "We figured since he used his money for his acts of kindness throughout the area, we would in turn buy the police car for him."

Dubler said the department purchased a generic toy car from the store, but went the extra mile to have it customized with replica decals from the company that does their own police cars.

Bubba's grandmother, Christine Haines, said the 5-year-old was overjoyed at the display.

"From a very young age, [he] expressed his desire to one day be a police officer," Haines told InsideEdition.com.

She said that's why her grandson was inspired to do a series of random acts of kindness to support the community last week.

He started his streak of good gestures by treating the Winslow Township Police Department in New Jersey to lunch by saving months of his allowance, and purchasing a bunch of Subway sandwiches to be delivered to the department.

"We greatly appreciated that," Lieutenant Christ Dubler told InsideEdition.com.

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Read: Homeless Couple Receives $20,000 Wedding Donated by the Community

But, only days later, he decided to keep giving back, and donated a trunkful of goods to the Safe Havens women's shelter in Pennsylvania, as well as give $25 out of his allowance to a less fortunate family to assist with day care expenses.

"We encourage him to give to the less fortunate and always share with others who are less fortunate," Haines said. "I'm so proud to be his grandmother."

Watch: Man Offers Prayers to Cop After Son Is Pulled Over: 'He Prayed for Me and My Brothers in Blue'

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Neighbors across the country will soon have an opportunity to help change their communities for the better through State Farm Neighborhood Assist. a philanthropic program that awards 40 causes a $25,000 grant. Anyone in the U.S. can submit a cause at www.neighborhoodassist.com from Sept. 1-Sept. 15. Ultimately, voters will decide which community improvement projects win big.

Returning for its fifth year, State Farm Neighborhood Assist asks individuals to identify causes that would help make their communities safer, stronger, and smarter. Up to 2,000 causes will be accepted. The State Farm Youth Advisory Board (YAB) will identify the top 200 submissions. The public will have a chance to vote 10 times a day, every day for 10 days from Oct. 26-Nov. 4 for their favorite causes from the list of finalists.

Voting will take place at www.neighborhoodassist.com. The 40 causes with the most votes will win a $25,000 grant.

Since the program began, State Farm has awarded $4 million to communities across North America, supporting a wide variety of causes.
HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc's (BP.L) 413,500 barrel per day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana refinery has received corporate approval to build a new hydrotreater to meet Tier 3 gasoline standards that will be required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a local media report.

Once it is constructed, the hydrotreater will enable the refinery to reduce sulphur content and other pollutants in gasoline, Whiting refinery manager Don Porter told the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce in a speech on Wednesday, according to the Northwest Indiana Times.

The project would cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars to complete and construction is scheduled to begin next year, Porter said, according to the report.

A BP spokesman was not immediately available to discuss the project.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Alan Crosby)
Brasilia (AFP) - Dilma Rousseff survived torture as a guerrilla opposing Brazil's military dictatorship before rising to become president, but plunged from the heights to end up fired in an impeachment trial Wednesday.

The last time she faced trial is immortalized in a classic black and white photograph from 1970. Rousseff, then 22, sits with a defiant look on her face as a military court judges her for belonging to a Marxist underground group.

Few would have imagined at the time that the young rebel in jeans and t-shirt would become Brazil's first female president. Or that later she would be back on trial, this time in the Senate, sternly looking her accusers in the eye.

Brazil's 68-year-old "Iron Lady" stood accused of breaking accounting laws by letting her government take unauthorized loans to fill holes in the budget during her re-election race in 2014.

True to her fiery past, Rousseff called the impeachment a "coup."

During mostly measured testimony at her trial, she briefly faltered and looked close to tears while recalling her suffering as a young leftist guerrilla and during a later battle with cancer.

"Twice I have seen the face of death close up," she said. "When I was tortured for days on end, subjected to abuses that make us doubt humanity and the meaning of life itself, and when a serious and extremely painful illness could have cut short my life," she said.

"Today I fear only for the death of democracy, for which many of us here in this chamber fought."

- 'Sense of humor' -

Rousseff came to power in a 2010 election as the handpicked Workers' Party candidate to succeed the hugely popular Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the left-wing party's founder.

Whether as Lula's chief of staff or energy minister, the economist Rousseff had won a reputation for laser-like attention to detail -- a talent she is said to have carried over into her own cabinet meetings.

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Critics however say Rousseff is not a natural politician. Her brusque manner made her unable to wheel and deal in Brasilia as Lula had done.

But her supporters say that image is unfair.

"People always say about women in power that they're hard, managerial. But Dilma is a person with a great sense of humor, fun, extremely caring and generous," said Ieda Akselrud de Seixas, who was jailed with Rousseff in the 1970s.

At Lula's prompting during her re-election campaign, Rousseff opened up publicly. She once confessed to escaping the presidential palace on the back of a friend's Harley-Davidson and cruising through the streets of Brasilia incognito.

She is a keen bicycle rider, too, and was frequently photographed doing exercise, even at the height of the current crisis.

Rousseff also tapped into a national obsession with cosmetic surgery, having wrinkles lifted from her face. She also had her teeth whitened and her hair redone.

The relatively fresh look was in contrast to the visible toll exacted during her battle against lymphatic cancer that was first diagnosed in 2009. At one point, she wore a wig to hide hair loss from chemotherapy.

She has since made a complete recovery, doctors say.

Twice married, Rousseff has a daughter, Paula, from a three-decade relationship with her ex-husband, fellow leftist militant Carlos de Araujo.

- 'Priestess of subversion' -

Born December 14, 1947 to a Brazilian mother and Bulgarian businessman father, Rousseff grew up comfortably middle-class in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte.

She cut her political teeth as a Marxist militant opposed to the 1964-1985 dictatorship. She was sentenced to prison in 1970 on the grounds that she belonged to a group responsible for murders and bank robberies.

Her exploits during her time in the Revolutionary Armed Vanguard Palmares group remain shrouded in rumor. But most reports agree that she played more of a support role than taking part in violence.

The judge who found her guilty dubbed her the "high priestess of subversion," journalist Ricardo Amaral wrote in a biography featuring the iconic photo of Rousseff.

She spent nearly three years behind bars, during which she says she was repeatedly tortured, including with electric shocks. Rousseff was released at the end of 1972.

- Petrobras: the slippery slope -

As chairwoman of oil giant Petrobras from 2003 to 2010, she was at the helm of the country's biggest corporation -- a role that has come back to haunt her.

The courts are probing a massive embezzlement scheme at the company that has implicated Lula and many other senior Workers' Party members, as well as opponents.

Rousseff herself is being investigated for alleged obstruction of justice. Unlike many of her peers, however, she has not been accused of seeking to enrich herself personally.
LAS VEGAS  An Australian man who identifies himself as the 13th Duke of Manchester will remain jailed in Las Vegas at least until next month, pending possible resolution of felony false police report and burglary charges.

Alexander Montagu-Manchester, 53, said nothing as he stood shackled in court.

But during a rambling jailhouse interview a few hours later, he said hed suffered a brain injury when he was run over by a vehicle June 8 in what he characterized as an intentional attack.

Police Officer Laura Meltzer, a department spokeswoman, confirmed that Montagu-Manchester reported the incident, and that it was being investigated. No arrest has been made.

In jail, Montagu-Manchester told The Associated Press he didnt commit any crimes. I didnt break into someones house, he said about the burglary charge.

About the false report allegation, he said he thinks police took his comment that his wife might have attacked him to mean that he blamed her for a deep gash on his thumb that he received while moving into a new apartment several days earlier.

His wife, Laura Montagu, told AP in a separate interview Tuesday that he cut himself with a box-cutter Aug. 1. With his brain injury, hes been saying a lot of things, she said. He needs help. Somethings going on, and people can see it.

Montagu-Manchester said he has Australian and British citizenship, and he has lived in the United States as a permanent resident since the mid-1960s. The title of Duke of Manchester dates back 950 years.

He said he usually goes by the name Alex Montagu, although court documents use the hyphenated last name.

His court-appointed lawyer, Justin Glasgow, said Tuesday that he hadnt asked his client about his lineage.

The Australian consulate in Los Angeles said in a statement that officials havent been asked to provide assistance to him.

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A British consular official declined to give information about Montagu-Manchester without his authorization.

Montagu-Manchester wasnt asked in court to enter a plea to the burglary charge, which arises from a womans report that she woke about 2:30 a.m. July 6 to find a shirtless and shoeless man trying to enter her bedroom.

The woman told police the man dropped a box and ran when he saw her talking on the telephone to police dispatchers. Police said Montagu-Manchester was arrested at another house.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman set a Sept. 26 hearing to give prosecutors and defense attorneys time to negotiate possible plea agreements involving three criminal cases now pending against Montagu-Manchester. He could face up to 14 years in Nevada state prison if convicted of the two felony charges.

The judge said the defendant wont be released from jail because his Aug. 12 arrest on a felony false police report charge violated terms of his previous release on the burglary charge.

Montagu-Manchester is due to appear in court Wednesday with a different defense attorney before a different judge in the false report case.

He is accused of concocted a story that Laura Montagu attacked him Aug. 1 and cut his left thumb with a knife while he was moving into a new apartment. His left thumb was bandaged during his Tuesday court appearance.

Laura Montagu denies injuring Montagu-Manchester or ever visiting the new apartment. She noted that a moving company employee and hospital medical personnel told police that Montagu-Manchester told them he cut himself.

Montagu-Manchester faces another court appearance Thursday on a misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs charge alleging he had high levels of the prescription muscle-relaxant benzodiazepine in his system when he was stopped last Dec. 30 while driving a 2008 Lincoln Navigator SUV in Las Vegas. The drug is commonly marketed as Valium or Xanax.

Genealogy records say Alexander Charles David Drogo Montagu was born in Australia to the late Angus Charles Drogo Montagu, the 12th Duke of Manchester, and Mary Eveleen McClure. Alexander Montagu succeeded to the title of 13th Duke of Manchester in July 2002.

He denies he was ever married in Australia before moving in 1965 to the U.S. He said he has been married twice since.
YORKVILLE  A late-afternoon ice cream run ended tragically for a Union Grove couple Tuesday as Evelyn Goebel, 87, was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Sylvania Avenue, and her husband, Earl, was seriously injured, officials said Wednesday.

The crash occurred just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 1500 block of South Sylvania Avenue, just west of Interstate 94 in the town of Yorkville, Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said.

Deputies responded to the scene and found Earl Goebel, 85, the driver of one car, and his passenger, his wife, severely injured, the Sheriffs Office said.

The Goebels were apparently returning from getting ice cream when the crash occurred, officials said. The Goebels were heading south on Sylvania when a northbound vehicle driven by Kenosha County resident Aaron Turner, 21, attempted to turn left and collided with the Goebels vehicle, deputies said.

South Shore Fire and Rescue crews took Evelyn to Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints Hospital, where she died from her injuries, Schmaling said.

Earl was taken by Union Grove-Yorkville Fire and Rescue crews to Wheaton Franciscan, said Union Grove-Yorkville Fire Chief Tom Czerniak, and was later transferred to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.

Turner, the driver of the second vehicle, was not injured, Schmaling said.

Schmaling said it did not appear alcohol was a factor in the crash. All parties involved in the crash were wearing seat belts, he said.

Officials also said the weather  it had rained earlier Tuesday  and speed were not factors in the crash.

The Sheriffs Office continues to investigate the crash, Schmaling said.

The Town of Paris Fire Department also assisted at the crash scene, Czerniak said.
By Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May and her top ministers on Wednesday agreed Britain would seek a unique relationship with the European Union, involving controls on immigration as well as a good trade deal. After a summer of political earthquakes followed by a few weeks of holiday calm, May gathered her cabinet team for the first time since she asked them to use the break to come up with options for Britain's future ties with the bloc after a divorce. For many in the EU, it is not before time. They have given May breathing space to devise a negotiating stance before triggering the exit procedure, but are keen for Britain to begin the talks and end uncertainty that has hurt investment. "The PM said that there were two related imperatives: getting the best deal for people at home, and getting the right deal for Britain abroad," a spokeswoman for May said. There was a "decisive view" that the model Britain was seeking would be unique rather than an "off-the-shelf solution". "This must mean controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe but also a positive outcome for those who wish to trade goods and services," the spokeswoman added. May told the cabinet meeting, held at her country residence, that there would be no second referendum and "no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door". The British leader has said she will not trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty to start the exit procedure until next year so she has time to come up with a negotiating stance. Her spokeswoman said cabinet agreed this could be done without seeking the backing of parliament, or the devolved nations of the United Kingdom. Ministers also agreed on Wednesday the Brexit process should confirm Britain's place "as one of the great trading nations in the world". Signs of economic confidence are rising after the initial shock of Britain's June 23 vote to leave the EU. A spokeswoman for May said her ministers had reiterated the government's commitment to fiscal discipline and living within its means. IMMIGRATION May's aides say that after considering her ministers' views, she will be the ultimate arbiter of what proposals Britain takes to divorce negotiations with the EU. She will expect the cabinet to overcome divisions on whether Britain should leave the EU's single market to ensure control over immigration, or find some kind of a compromise. May has stacked her three ministries for Brexit, trade and foreign affairs with some of the most active campaigners for Britain to leave the EU. But she has balanced them by appointing to vital positions lawmakers who campaigned for Britain to remain in the bloc, such as Philip Hammond at the finance ministry, or Treasury. The Telegraph newspaper reported that the two sides have disagreed over Hammond's view that access to the single market could be maintained "on a sector-by-sector basis", with Britain retaining a favorable status for its big financial sector. Asked whether that was Hammond's stance, the Treasury declined to comment. If it was, that would go against so-called Brexit minister David Davis, who heads the new Department for Exiting the European Union, and trade minister Liam Fox. Citing senior government sources, the Telegraph said both believe Britain can only curb immigration if the country leaves the single market. On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande seemed to back up that point, underlining that Britain could not opt in to certain parts of the single market without upholding the EU's four freedoms, including freedom of movement. (Additional reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Andrew Roche)
A Briton and his Australian girlfriend accused of killing a policeman on the Indonesian resort island of Bali were Wednesday forced to re-enact events on the night of the murder.

David Taylor and Sara Connor were taken to the island's popular Kuta beach in orange overalls with the word "prisoner" on the back for the police reconstruction.

Police say there are inconsistencies in their accounts and the reconstruction of the murder of the officer, whose battered body was found on the beach on August 17, was aimed at getting to the bottom of what happened.

The pair embraced when they saw one another at the beach for the first time since their arrest, two days after the murder of traffic officer Wayan Sudarsa.

They were then forced to re-enact step-by-step the authorities' version of events, in front of a media scrum and with officers giving directions.

Taylor, a DJ, has already admitted to police that he clashed with Sudarsa on the night of his death after accusing the officer of stealing Connor's bag.

Police say he flew into a rage and hit the policeman repeatedly over the head with a beer bottle, although his defence lawyer says he was first pushed by the officer.

The pair began the police reconstruction, in the early hours of Wednesday, by acting out the moment they kissed beside the water.

Later, Taylor and a man playing the role of the victim fell onto the sand as they fought.

At one point Connor intervened to try to separate them, as she claimed to police she had done. She has maintained her innocence although police say she played a role in the murder.

She pressed down on the victim, who turned and bit her.

The most dramatic scene was when Taylor acted out hitting the victim over the head with a broken bottle.

"The climax was when the hitting was carried out using a bottle," Hadi Purnomo, police chief in the Balinese capital Denpasar, told reporters after the re-enactment.

Taylor and Connor could face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty of murder.

Bali, a pocket of Hinduism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, is a popular tourist destination with a tropical climate and palm-fringed beaches.

Petty crime is common but murders are rare.
This week, American Airlines released a 60-second ad entitled Worlds Greatest Flyers, which details the type of traveler that American Airlines (AAL) says are as great in the air as they are on the ground.

The video is serene, showing beautiful landscapes as ethereal music plays in the background. Throughout the ad, text showcases qualities that great fliers possess, like the ability to pack efficiently and expertly navigate their way through an airport. The whole thing made us think of those motivational posters that were popular in the 1990s. You know, the ones with a man climbing a mountain and the word courage scribbled underneath him in bold white letters?

The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline clearly had good intentions with this ad, but customer reviews have been mixed, with some viewing the spot as a way for American Airlines to detail the kind of customers they prefer: i.e., sophisticated, savvy travelers who have perfect flying etiquette. Youd think theyd want to promote themselves and not the kinds of customers theyd like, one user commented on YouTube.

In an interview with Yahoo Finance, American Airlines said it wasnt attempting to define what makes a great flier; the ad, the company said, was meant to be an opportunity to start a conversation with customers.

It felt like we were only talking about ourselves, and what really makes us great is our employees and our customers, said American Airlines spokesperson Sunny Rodriguez. We wanted to put the attention back on our customers and employees and create this mood, this feeling when youre flying.

The advertising agency CP+B partnered with American Airlines for the ad. We saw a modern movement happening in culture. A new group of savvy fliers that are confident and kind in spirit, who are proactive and resourceful, said Michael Raso, VP/Executive Creative Director at CP+B

CP+B dismissed the notion that the ad in some ways intended to encourage travelers to behave better. Said Raso: Most people think they are great fliers to begin with. We want to acknowledge and celebrate their behavior, further amplifying this movement.

Story continues

On the surface the ad is overwhelmingly positive, but we couldnt help but read between the lines just a little bit. By singling out savvy fliers, one could come away from the ad thinking American Airlines is subtly (and passive-aggressively) reminding customers that there is proper etiquette for air travel. The airline was polite in their approach, so well act as the angry translator to let you know what it really means.

Great fliers

They walk faster in airports than anywhere else.

Translation: If your connecting flight leaves from a gate in a terminal on the other side of the airport, thats not our fault. Sure, we might have scheduled a 30-minute layover thats impossible to make, but American Airlines travelers know they need to navigate the airport like Olympic speed walkers. In other words, when you come sprinting towards the recently closed boarding door, dont ask us to open itit will never happen.

They like babies, but bring noise canceling headphones.

Translation: Dont even think about asking us for a new seat if you end up next to a wailing baby. Youre on your own.

They know their mood contributes to the mood of the flight.

Translation: We have had it up to here with emotional fliers freaking out on planes. No joke, a passenger on Alaska Airlines tried to open the door in the middle of a flight this month in what world is that OK? And this woman threw a tantrum on a Frontier Airlines flight and stripped down naked. People, its time to lock it up. Be nice to your flight attendants and stop fighting over arm rests. Oh, and please dont chug a dozen vodka tonics before you get on a plane. It never ends well.

They pack like theyre solving a jigsaw puzzle.

Translation: Your oversized carry-on will not fit in the overhead compartment. Youre not fooling anyone, we saw you dragging that overstuffed trailer you call a suitcase from a mile away. Do yourself a favor and just check the darn bag. If you dont, try to resist giving the flight attendant attitude when she asks you to check it at the gate. You knew it wouldnt fit. Just like you knew that your purse counted as a third personal item.

They always ask before they raise and lower the window shade.

Translation: Yes, you have the window seat, but that doesnt mean you own the window. The only thing you own on the plane is that inflatable neck pillow you bought from Sharper Image. Instead, think of yourself as a window concierge. If your neighbor is fast asleep, do not throw open the window and blind them with the light of a thousand suns. And if you see the person in the middle seat looking down at the earth below, dont close the shades because you want to take a nap. They already pulled the short straw, dont rub it in.

They know they have a limited time on Earth and even less above it.

Translation: Flying is still a luxury for many people around the world. Travelers will save for months or even years to buy a ticket to a destination theyve always dreamed of crossing off their bucket list. So, dont take it for granted. Look at the bigger picture and stop complaining about the little things  like baggage fees, rebooking fees, delays, cancellations, lost bags, and bruised elbows caused by flight attendants zooming down the aisle with that metal drink cart of pain.

They are the worlds greatest fliers.

Translation: They take Ambien and pass out before the plane takes off.

Brittany is a writer at Yahoo Finance.

Read more:

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This program proves you dont have to quit your job to travel the world
Black Lives Matter protesters chained themselves to the front door of City Hall in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, August 31, seeking changes to local affordable housing rules to address what they say is a crisis in the city.

Police said they have not made any arrests of the protesters, who say they are associated with Black Lives Matter Cambridge, according to the Boston Globe. City Hall employees are using other entrances to get to work.

The protesters want rules that mandate 25 percent of developments with more than nine units to be designated as affordable housing; allow MIT to build housing for its 5,500 graduate and postgraduate students in order to open more city housing; and for the city to develop its own housing and rent-to-own program.

A man identifying himself as a social worker, who can be seen in these videos, spoke to the protesters, saying the blanket 25 percent requirement is not economically feasible. Instead, he said, the protesters should fight for an affordable housing requirement in select developments that make sense.

These videos also show the protesters who had chained themselves to City Hall and the police presence. Credit: Instagram/recordrays
Beijing (AFP) - Canada will apply to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Ottawa's finance department said Wednesday, in a coup for Beijing after Washington had tried to dissuade US allies from signing up.

"Canada is always looking for ways to create hope and opportunity for our middle class as well as for people around the world," Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in a statement issued in Beijing.

"Membership in the AIIB is an opportunity to do just that."

The Beijing-headquartered multilateral lender, which began operations earlier this year, has been seen by some as a rival to the World Bank and the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank, which was founded in 1966.

The $100 billion AIIB counts several major European countries among its shareholders after they joined up despite the objections of the United States, which remains by far the world's largest economy and hosts both the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Critics feared the new bank would set much lower standards for projects and undermine principles of social, environmental and economic sustainability adhered to by the World Bank and other multilateral development finance institutions.

AIIB president Jin Liqun welcomed Canada's decision, which he called "a vote of confidence" in the institution that showed Ottawa's "confidence in the strong foundations the bank has built in our first few months".

The US and Japan -- the world's third-largest economy -- have notably declined to join the AIIB.

But Jin said that Washington now had a "very positive" opinion on the bank".

China "does not regard itself as the big boss" in the lender, he added, and its shareholding would "definitely be diluted" as more members joined, which could ultimately lead to Beijing losing the de facto veto power it holds over some of its decisions.

- 'Best interest' -

Story continues

In a speech Morneau suggested Canada was seeking to strike a balance between its close ally and neighbour the US, and the growing Asian giant.

China is Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States, with exchanges topping Can$85 billion ($66.5 billion) last year.

"We have important relationships with the world's most powerful nations and have developed a capacity for mutual accommodation and governance," Morneau said.

"Should we become the first North American member of the AIIB, I have every confidence that we bring constructive and balanced views to the table."

Joining the China-backed lender would create jobs and business opportunities for Canadians, he said, adding: "Participation in the bank is clearly in Canada's best interest."

Canada's announcement came during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to China, where he met Prime Minister Li Keqiang to try to strengthen ties before the G20 summit this weekend in Hangzhou.

The relationship has been strained recently by Chinese plans to impose new rules on canola imports, which could risk Can$2 billion a year of Canadian oilseed sales to the Asian giant.

They were due to come into force on Thursday, but Premier Li said Wednesday that the existing rules would continue to apply while the two countries negotiate a long-term agreement.

In June China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi berated a Canadian journalist while visiting Ottawa for questioning Beijing's human rights record, saying her question was "full of prejudice and arrogance" and that she had "no right to speak".

The incident provoked a public outcry and led Canada to lodge a formal complaint with Beijing.

The 2014 detention on espionage charges of Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt, who had run a Christian-themed coffee shop near the North Korean border, has also raised tensions.

At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday, Trudeau said he had "highlighted" Garratt's case in meetings with Chinese leaders but stressed that the goal of the visit was to establish a "strong, stable relationship and ongoing dialogue" with China.

Premier Li said judicial authorities would handle Garratt's case "in strict accordance with the law" and that his right to consular visits would be upheld.

He added it was essential for the two countries to "remove disturbances" and focus on the "overall interest" of Sino-Canadian relations.
RACINE  A 17-year-old Milwaukee resident faces 17 felony charges for his involvement in the string of car dealership burglaries in July.

Javon N. VDillie, of the 6500 block of West Keefe Avenue Parkway in Milwaukee, is charged with participating in four car dealership burglaries in Racine County and one in Ozaukee County, the criminal complaint stated.

His bond was set at $10,000 at his initial appearance Wednesday. Conditions of his bond are that he have no contact with the victims and he must provide a DNA sample.

VDillie, who was 16 at the time of the incidents, allegedly admitted to participating in the burglaries at Porcaro Ford on July 4, Palmen Dodge Jeep on July 7 and Racine Toyota and Racine Hyundai on July 13, the complaint said.

The first burglary

At the Porcaro Ford burglary, which took place at about 2:25 a.m., there were reportedly five suspects, including VDillie. A 10-pound weight was reportedly thrown through the window to gain entry.

The suspects then found keys in the showroom and in vehicles, and drove off the lot with a gray Ford Escape and a white Ford Escape each valued at more than $10,000, according to the complaint.

A Ford Sport Transit Van was also stolen. That vehicle was driven through a service area garage door, causing more than $5,000 in damage to the door, the complaint said.

Officers gave chase to the vehicles. During the chase, the Transit Van, driven by a 13-year-old, hit a median, went airborne, rolled into the median and caught fire. The boy was treated and taken into custody, according to the complaint.

The white Ford Escape was recovered in Milwaukee on July 7, the complaint said.

The status of the 13-year-old boy in the criminal justice system could not be obtained Wednesday, nor could the status of the other suspects.

Additional incidents

Three days after the Porcaro Ford incident, the burglars struck again at Palmen Chrysler, 8320 Washington Ave., at about 1:44 a.m. The suspects entered the dealership by breaking a window with the handle of a tire iron, according to the complaint.

One suspect attempted to drive a Jeep Cherokee, valued at more than $10,000, off the showroom floor by driving through a wall, but the car got stuck and was abandoned, leaving more that $5,000 in damage to the window, the complaint said.

Surveillance video showed that the white Ford Escape stolen from Porcaro Ford was used as transport for the suspects. VDillie admitted to be the driver of the Ford, according to the complaint.

Later that night, at about 3:10 a.m., an abandoned, running car was found in the lot of Racine Toyota, 13350 Kilbourn Drive. The Toyota Corolla found in the lot had been driven through the garage door of a service area. A Toyota RAV 4 that was in for service was damaged, the complaint said.

A garbage can appeared to have also been used to attempt to break a window, but the window did not break. The suspects then broke a smaller window using a tire iron, according to the complaint.

The Racine Hyundai, 9503 Washington Ave., incident took place on July 13. A glass door was found shattered at the scene. Blood also was located in the showroom. VDillie also admitted to providing transportation for this burglary, the complaint said.

A black Hyundai Elantra and blue Hyundai Accent were taken from the dealership. The Elantra was located by Milwaukee Police at 1:27 p.m. that day with VDillie driving the car, according to the complaint.

Milwaukee Police also recovered the Hyundai Accent with two black males and two black females inside, the complaint said.

VDillies fingerprints also were found on the tire iron left at Racine Toyota, which was taken from the white Ford Escape stolen from Porcaro Ford, according to the complaint.

VDillie faces four felony charges for burglary of a building or dwelling, seven felony charges for theft of movable property exceeding $10,000, and six felony charges for criminal damage to property exceeding $2,500. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 8 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
Two Canadian women and one man were arrested in Australia for smuggling drugs while on a cruise ship, authorities said.

Nearly 95 kilograms (209 pounds) of cocaine were found packed in the suitcases of the passengers entering Sydney on the cruise ship, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.

Police arrested Isabelle Lagace, 28, Melina Roberge, 23, and Andre Tarmine, 63, all originally from Quebec, the Toronto Star reported.

Lagace and Roberge had been traveling together for seven weeks aboard the cruise ship the Sea Princess, and both thoroughly documented their vacation on Instagram. They were arrested on day 51 of their 68-day cruise ship journey.

First time in Papeete and not the last one  A photo posted by @melinar___ on Aug 17, 2016 at 5:09am PDT

The estimated value of the cocaine is about $30.5 million Australian dollars, which is about $22 million U.S. dollars, the largest drug seizure from a cruise ship in Australia, according to the Star.

Authorities were ready to search the cruise ship when it arrived in Sydney following a joint investigation involving the Canadian Border Service Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

[The Toronto Star]
Chicago P.D. wrapped its third season on a dark note last May when Erin (Sophia Bush) tearfully drove away from Voight (Jason Beghe) just before a single gunshot went off. Reeling from the murder of his son earlier in the same episode, Voight was hell-bent on getting answers, and possibly revenge, to ease his loss and was left cowering over his son's killer when Erin drove away. But for all his law-bending tactics in the final hour, Voight went out of his way to protect his team, purposefully sending them across town on a bad tip. But will the team be able to protect Voight in the same way? And how will Lindsay's shaken emotional state affect her working and romantic relationship with Halstead?

Series star Jesse Lee Soffer spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about Lindsay and Halstead's "closer" bond in season four, the newest member of the Chicago P.D. and the state of the Intelligence Unit: "Everybody's on edge."

What can you say about where the show picks up after the events of the finale?

Voight, in the last season, he lost his son. And that was hard for all of us, not only to play as actors but we lost Josh [Segarra], a really good actor and a good buddy who came to town every once in awhile, but a good story to have his storyline end in that way. For Voight, he went after the guy on his own. Did Voight kill him? Did he not? We don't know. So the rest of the unit is trying to pick up the pieces and keep their necks above water. Are we going to go down with him for this? Is he going to go down for this? Lindsay's trying to take care of Voight, that's her father figure, and Halstead's trying to make sure that Lindsay doesn't go down with Voight if that's what ends up happening.

How soon does the premiere pick up after the events of the finale?

A couple of weeks have gone by, no leads yet on this case from the rest of the police force and then stuff starts to fall apart a little bit.

Story continues

Antonio was approached at the end of last season about possibly taking over for Voight. Is there going to be a shift in the higher ups at Intelligence when the show returns?

I think that's something that we'll always play with. We don't know because Voight's always going to be on unstable ground and his career there's a lot of blemishes. So we'll see how that plays out, especially in this scenario, but for right now, I think the focus is on whether or not he's going to go to jail for this.

How does that uncertainty affect the rest of the unit?

Everybody's a little uncomfortable. Everybody's on edge. Everybody's waiting to see what happens. Everyone's treading very cautiously, very lightly and Lindsay's obviously having a really hard time. I would say the first couple episodes are riddled with anxiety.

Read more: 'Chicago P.D.' Boss Breaks Down "Dignified" Finale Exit and Possible Season 4 Replacement

How does that affect Halstead and Lindsay's relationship?

What's interesting is I think now, because they've gotten closer and the relationship's been going on for awhile, Lindsay is really going to rely on Jay and really lean on him this season more than others especially with what's just happened with Voight. So we'll see them get closer.

There's been talk of them moving in together this season. What is the latest on that?

I don't know if we're definitely going to see it but Jay is apartment hunting. I think he wants to ask her to move in so they might start to they might do a Friends episode and it's a multicam now. (Laughs.)

Halstead and Lindsay were previously on and off. Why have they been able to make it work this time around and make it last? Will that continue?

I think Lindsay and Halstead are going to be a little more solid for a bit. They're going to enjoy being together without Voight breathing down their necks and we're going to settle down a little and see what that looks like.  It's season four, if you're going to give it a go, maybe give it a go, see what living together looks like. It will be fun for the fans.

There was some outcry from fans about the screen time, or lack there of, devoted to Lindsay and Halstead's relationship for part of last season. How does this season compare to last in that regard? Will fans be more satisfied this season?

The fans might be getting a little bit more of what they want.

Halstead and Voight have always had an interesting dynamic. What can you say about that going forward given Voight's actions?

I think that dynamic will always be there. Jay is much more comfortable now. The show has been going on for four years. Jay has been in the unit for four years. So now he's confident in standing up to Voight and going: 'You have your ways, I have my ways. I'm not always going to agree with you, you're not going to agree with me, but hopefully we'll get this done together.' He's very self-assured when it comes to speaking his mind about whether or not he thinks Voight is on the wrong side of the line or not.

Is there one thing you think has changed the most about your character since the beginning or in your approach to the character?

Jay's always been a confident cop. I think he's more confident in the unit like in standing up to Voight, speaking his mind, knowing that he's right in his convictions and how he approaches his job. That's been fun to play in these first couple of episodes so far.

Read more: 'Chicago P.D.' Enlists 'Quantico' Grad for Season 4 (Exclusive)

Burgess has a new partner on the show played by Li Jun Li, whom you've worked with before. How has it been welcoming someone new to the team?

Its so cool that she's on the show. Of all the actors it could have been, it's someone that Sophia, myself and Patrick Flueger all worked together with on a pilot, Hatfields and McCoys, for NBC years ago and she's a great addition. She's got a great energy, she's a really good actor and I think her and Burgess will have some fun chemistry together.

Have you had any scenes with her?

Not yet. Soon enough though, I hope.

What can you say about the cases this season?

I think it will be interesting, especially with what's going on as far as policing goes in the media and police policy in the country. We have some opportunities there to tell some interesting stories and to get into body cams and I'm sure that Dick doing ripped from the headlines is going to get into that so it will be really interesting for us.

Looking to the coming season, are there certain things you would like to explore more or storylines you'd like to see?

I've always loved when Jay's backstory comes up, when we talk about his time overseas and stuff like that and how he's dealt with that and whether or not he's fully dealt with it emotionally. When we get to play out those storylines, that's always fun for me as an actor.

Read more: 'Chicago Justice' Ordered to Series at NBC

Now that you're a few seasons into the show, what kind of talks do you have with the producers about what's coming up for your character for the entire season? How much do they let you in on?

They let us know some ideas of what they might try this, they might try that, they've having some fun thinking about this or that, but you never know. A script might get scrapped last minute and it might be a whole new storyline so you can't really hold onto anything too tightly and its fun too, you're in the middle of an episode and you get the next script and you don't know what's coming. It's exciting for me to read it as I would imagine a viewer watching that episode for the first time.

Jesse Spencer mentioned that his character appears in an early episode of Chicago P.D. this season. What can you say about his appearance?

I think it's one of his first actual crossovers onto P.D. It's a really simple, easy transition for a fireman to be on an arson case and to be an expert witness so it's cool when that happens and the first day I worked with him there was great. It was really easy, like we'd been working together all along.

What's the latest you've heard about upcoming crossovers?

As far as I know, they're trying to put together a four-way crossover once Justice gets going and who knows? They could be so confident in themselves that they could do a five-way, we'll see, that would be crazy if we did an SVU crossover with everybody else. They've always made it work story-wise in a way that's organic which baffles me so that would be really impressive and it would be fun.

Chicago Justice star Philip Winchester is set to appear in the Chicago P.D. season premiere. Will we see those characters pop up again anymore before Justice launches midseason?

Justice doesn't start for a bit but I'm sure that we'll be introducing the rest of them slowly but surely. As we have cases that end up in court, we'll be seeing more and more of the attorneys and prosecutors on our show.  I've said this all day, but I can't wait to work with Carl Weathers. That would be a real treat.

Chicago P.D. returns Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. on NBC.
After a dismal first-quarter fiscal 2016, Chico's FAS Inc. CHS recorded better-than-expected bottom-line results for the second quarter. Also, the companys revenues came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, both the top and bottom lines fell year over year.

Chicos adjusted earnings of 25 cents per share outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 22 cents but dropped 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On a GAAP basis, it reported earnings of 17 cents a share compared with 2 cents in the year-ago quarter.

CHICOS FAS INC Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

CHICOS FAS INC Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | CHICOS FAS INC Quote

Net sales fell 7.3% year over year to $635.7 million, mainly owing to the inclusion of Boston Proper sales in the prior-year quarter, soft comparable store sales (comps) and store closures. Further, net sales were almost in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $636 million. On excluding Boston Proper from fiscal 2015, net sales declined 3.6%.



Comps decreased 3.1% against a 0.5% rise recorded in the year-ago quarter. The decline was attributable to lower transaction count, along with a marginal fall in average dollar sale. Going segment-wise, comps at Chico's and White House Black Market brands fell 5.1% and 1.3%, respectively, partly offset by a 0.7% improvement in Soma comps.



Gross profit declined nearly 9% to $240.8 million, while the gross margin contracted 70 basis points (bps) to 37.9%, attributable to higher occupancy charges as a percentage of sales, partly compensated by a rise in the merchandise margin rate.



Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses decreased 9.9% to $186.6 million, and as a percentage of sales, the same contracted 80 bps to 29.4%. This was backed by lower marketing, stock-based compensation and store labor costs.



Financial Update



Chicos ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $100.5 million, inventories of $235.6 million, long-term debt of $77.3 million, and shareholders equity of $609.8 million.



During the first half of fiscal 2016, the company generated $121.7 million of cash from operating activities and incurred $25.2 million as capital expenditure.



Also, Chicos repurchased 1.7 million shares for $19.7 million under its $300 million buyback plan announced in Nov 2015. This left the company with buybacks worth $203.7 million under its standing authorization.



Store Update



During the reported quarter, Chicos opened 5 new stores and closed 5, taking the total store count to 1,517 as of Jul 30, 2016.



Cost Savings Plan



Chicos continued to make progress with regard to its cost control and operating efficiency endeavors, which were declared in May 2016. In line with these strategies, the company announced new plans to enhance its supply chain and optimize marketing costs, alongside lowering non-merchandise purchasing costs.



These are aimed at curtailing complexities and standardizing business processes, by defining roles and responsibilities for each of its brands and shared service center. In this regard, the company added new roles in digital and business analytics. Concurrently, it slashed its total corporate and field leadership headcount by roughly 200 or 13%, creating an organization that can adapt quickly to the changing customer needs.



These undertakings are anticipated to generate pre-tax annualized savings of roughly $25 million. Together with the plans announced in May 2016, these efforts are likely to reduce future annualized expenses in the range of $90$110 million, valued at nearly 4% of 2015 revenues.



Outlook



Following the mixed second quarter, the company provided its outlook for the second half of fiscal 2016.



The company expects comps to decline in the low single-digit range in the second half of the fiscal. Gross margin is expected to decline in the second half due to lower sales and store occupancy expenses deleverage, offset by higher merchandise margins However, the company expects synergies from the aforementioned cost reduction and operating efficiency plans to help lower SG&A expenses and thus, offset the fall in gross margin rate. Inventories are anticipated to be in line with the 2015 level.

Zacks Rank



Chicos currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the same industry include The Children's Place, Inc. PLCE, Tillys Inc. TLYS and Urban Outfitters Inc. URBN, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - China agreed on Wednesday to delay introducing stricter rules on canola shipments from Canada while both countries work to end a months-long trade spat, offering an eleventh hour temporary reprieve for Canada's farmers.

One day before the new standard was due to go into force, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Canada would be able to continue with the current canola export regime, while a longer-term solution is worked out.

China is Canada's top export market for the oilseed, and Ottawa has taken a strong line in talks on a new standard, which may raise costs for exporters.

The delay may be seen as a victory for Trudeau, as the import dispute has taken centre stage during his China visit.

China has said tougher import rules were necessary to prevent the spread of blackleg disease from Canadian canola into Chinese rapeseed, another name for the crop.

"China has no intention of keeping its doors closed to other exporters," Li told a joint news conference with Trudeau.

"But it's also true that Chinese canola producers have their own worries, hoping that imported canola will not carry with it any disease. Chinese consumers also have that issue on their mind," Li added.

Both sides should be flexible, he said.

China had planned to reduce the amount of foreign matter allowed per shipment to no more than 1 percent from 2.5 percent.

ICE Canada canola futures for November delivery rose 2 percent on Wednesday morning.

Even so, uncertainty remains about how long China will delay imposing its tougher standard, said PI Financial broker Ken Ball, who trades canola futures in Winnipeg.

"The market has to accept the fact that there's a risk this thing could pop up at us again," he said.

A Canadian canola trader who was not authorized to speak publicly said it is unlikely additional shipments will be made until China's position is clearer.

Negotiating teams from both countries were meeting in Beijing, Canada's Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said.

Story continues

"We are now working on achieving a long-term agreement on terms of Canadian canola shipments and ... we are working to achieve that in the coming days and weeks," she said.

Li also said both countries had agreed to start feasibility talks on a free trade pact at an early date, although Trudeau made no mention of this to reporters.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Beijing Monitoring Desk; additional reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Richard Pullin and Meredith Mazzilli)
By Liana B. Baker and Makiko Yamazaki

Aug 31 (Reuters) - Intersil Corp may announce a sale to Renesas Electronics Corp as early as next week, choosing the Japanese semiconductor company over U.S. suitor Maxim Integrated Products Inc, people familiar with the matter said.

Intersil's talks with Maxim illustrate the competitive nature of the sale process for the Milpitas, California-based company, whose chips are used in industrial, mobile and infrastructure applications. Intersil also has a growing automotive and aerospace semiconductor business.

In opting to go with Renesas as an acquirer, Intersil has had to weigh the attractiveness of its roughly $3 billion offer versus the risk of a protracted review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which scrutinizes deals for potential national security issues, the people said.

This is because some of Intersil's chips have military applications and are on the munitions list of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) of the U.S. government. While the United States considers Japan a friendly nation, a CFIUS review with Renesas as an acquirer could present more complications than a sale to San Jose, California-based Maxim, the people said.

An agreement between Intersil and Renesas is not certain, and Maxim could still seek to disrupt the deal with a new offer, the people said.

The sources, who spoke this week, asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. Representatives for Intersil, Maxim and Renesas declined to comment.

Consolidation has been rife in the fragmented market for analog chips, which process signals such as sound, light and temperature before converting them into digital signals. The chips are central to smartphones and devices connected to the internet.

However, slowing growth in computers and smartphones - the traditional mainstays of the industry - has fueled a wave of mergers, with chipmakers turning to areas such as auto electronics for sales growth.

Story continues

Last month, Analog Devices Inc agreed to buy Linear Technology Corp for about $14.8 billion.

At the end of last year, Tokyo-based Renesas was the world's third-largest chipmaker by market share, with 9.1 percent, data from technology research firm Gartner showed.

The Japanese company lost its second-place spot after Dutch rival NXP Semiconductors NV bought U.S. chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor Ltd in a $12 billion deal last year.

Maxim, a U.S. chipmaker with a market capitalization of $11.6 billion has been on the hunt for a deal for some time, according to the sources.

(Reporting by Liana B. Baker in New York and Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Per a recent CNNMoney report, fast-casual chain operator Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG is in trouble again as nearly 10,000 of its workers have joined a class-action lawsuit against the company for wage theft.



Reportedly, under the lawsuit, current and former Chipotle employees have accused the company of compelling them into working overtime after their shifts, and not compensating for the same.



Though Chipotle has faced similar lawsuits in the past, this is the first time there has been such a large class-action suit against the company for wage theft. In fact, the plaintiffs come from various states across the U.S.



Notably, the suit calls for a jury trial for full overtime payment of all workers concerned in the case.



However, on its part, Chipotle has denied all charges and is likely to defend the case. The company has claimed that the case holds no merit as it has duly paid all wages to employees.



We note that despite various food-safety initiatives, Chipotle continues to reel under the negative publicity associated with the E. coli and norovirus outbreaks in several states, which surfaced toward the end of 2015.



As a safety measure, Chipotle was forced to close several outlets. Although these were reopened later with fresh ingredients and extensive cleaning and sanitizing activities, the incidents dealt a severe blow to Chipotles sales.

CHIPOTLE MEXICN Price

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The fact that Chipotle has used only healthy ingredients has long been its marketing strength, despite the comparatively high prices. Thus, given the negative publicity related to these food-borne illnesses, Chipotles popularity among health-conscious diners is declining.



Moreover, with respect to the current lawsuit, we believe that if the legal proceedings work in favor of the workers, Chipotles reputation might further suffer a setback. Also, it will raise the companys labor cost and hurt profits thereby compounding its woes.



Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider



Chipotle currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in this sector include Papa John's International Inc. PZZA, Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. TACO and Restaurant Brands International Inc. QSR. All the three stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



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L.A. police said Chris Brown was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on Tuesday.

The news came after what appeared to be an hours-long standoff with the police, who waited for a search warrant outside Browns home after he refused them entry, the Los Angeles Times reported earlier. They were responding to a call from a woman who said Brown had threatened her and pointed a gun at her before she ran outside to call police.

During the standoff Tuesday, Brown posted videos of complaint on social media, where he said he was innocent. When police finally obtained the warrant, they searched the home for any weapon Brown may have used.

According to the L.A. Times, a woman named Baylee Curran says she was the woman involved in the incident, and claims that Brown pointed a gun at her after she admired another mans diamond necklace. She says she then fled the home, had an argument outside with one of Browns guests over retrieving her phone, then hid on an adjacent property to call the police.

After assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna in a highly publicized incident, Brown served probation from 2009 until 2015.

[AP]
WATERFORD  If you ask Ed Brzinski, superintendent of the Waterford Graded School District, people have been saying Fox River Middle School building was designed for its time  the late 1960s. Some have even referred to it as an egg carton, Brzinski jokes. But the times have changed.

The expectation of what children need to know  is a lot different today than in 1967 when the building was designed, Brzinski said.

For the last several months, the district  which serves the Village of Waterford and parts of the towns of Waterford, Dover and Norway and part of the Village of Rochester  has been receiving feedback from the public on a number of different matters, including facilities.

One of the things we heard from the community and staff is how do we upgrade our middle school facility? Brzinski said. How do we make it look like a modern school building?

The district, which serves grades 4K-8, started interviewing consulting firms in June and decided to hire Plunkett Raysich Architects, a Milwaukee-based firm, for slightly more than $9,000 to conduct surveys and inspections, which will lead to recommendations. The process, Brzinski said, will take about 25 to 30 weeks.

There will be several sessions for the community to give feedback, Brzinski said. Part of it is community outreach.

Brzinski said the district faculty would like for Fox River to be more accommodating to different styles of learning, like for small study groups.

Teachers cant monitor more than one group (in the current classrooms), Brzinski said.

Brzinski said the district is looking forward to the process.

Ive never been on this side of the table making these kinds of decisions, Brzinski said. Its very exciting.
By Corina Pons

CARACAS, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Citibank is stepping aside as the bank in charge of making payments on bonds issued by Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter and a letter to bondholders seen by Reuters.

Citibank in July told bondholders PDVSA would need to name a new paying agent for seven outstanding dollar-denominated bonds that the bank has represented, according to three investors who asked not to be identified.

A letter from Citibank to bondholders seen by Reuters said the bank would no longer serve as paying agent for PDVSA's 2017N bond that bears an 8.5 percent coupon.

The letter did not describe the reason for the decision.

A spokeswoman for Citibank, a unit of Citigroup, confirmed the veracity of the letter but said the bank could not offer additional details, citing company policy of not commenting on issues involving clients. PDVSA did not respond to a request for comment.

Investors said they received similar letters from Citibank regarding bonds maturing in 2016, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2026 y 2035.

Citibank declined to comment on those letters.

Paying agents are charged with receiving funds from the issuer of a bond and disbursing those funds to bondholders.

Citibank in July said it planned to halt correspondent bank services for the Venezuelan government's foreign currency accounts, citing a periodic risk management review.

President Nicolas Maduro said the move was part of a "blockade."

PDVSA, which is struggling under low oil prices and a collapsing socialist economy, in November must make a $2.05 billion amortization on the 2017N bond and a $1 billion maturity payment on its 2016 global bond.

PDVSA President Eulogio del Pino has said the company is interested in swapping the 2017 bonds for later maturities.

The company has begun discussions with Credit Suisse for a possible swap of 2017 bonds, sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters this month.

But investors and bondholders consulted by Reuters say they have not been approached about such an offer.

(Additional reporting by Alexandra Ulmer, writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Bernard Orr)
Hillary Clinton speaks at the American Legions convention in Cincinnati. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

Hillary Clinton obliquely criticized Donald Trumps surprise foray into foreign affairs on Wednesday, saying in a speech to the American Legion in Ohio that building alliances and coalitions takes more than a photo op.

Clinton said she believes in American exceptionalism, unlike her rival, and that Americas unique economic and military might gives the nation a special responsibility to lead in the world. Chief among the countrys responsibilities is to honor commitments made to allies, she argued, referencing the coalition that is currently fighting ISIS.

Its more than a photo op, it takes consistency and reliability, Clinton said of forming alliances. Actually its just like building personal relationships. People have to get to know that they can count on you  that you wont say one thing one day and something totally different the next.

This was an apparent reference to Trumps hastily arranged trip to Mexico on Wednesday. The Republican nominee had announced the visit only the night before. He is set to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto hours before a speech in Phoenix clarifying his immigration policy.

Clinton also appeared to reference Trumps years of trash-talking Mexico and its government, which he has accused of intentionally sending criminals over the U.S. border.

And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again. That is not how it works, she said.

Clinton overtly reached out to conservatives in her speech to the veterans group, referencing the dozens of Republicans who worked in national security who have endorsed her over Trump. The latest such endorser, James Clad, the deputy assistant secretary of defense under President George W. Bush, released a statement ahead of her speech calling her ready, steady and prepared.

The Democratic nominee urged the veterans to consider voting for her, even if theyve never cast a ballot for a Democrat in their lives. This is not a normal election, she said, asking them to listen to her policy proposals. I want you to know that if I am fortunate enough to win this election, I will be a president for Democrats, Republicans, independents  for people who vote for me, for people who dont  for all Americans.

Story continues

Hillary Clinton speaks at the American Legions 98th Annual Convention. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

Clinton hit Trump sharply on his past statements questioning the idea of American exceptionalism  hes said I dont like the term  and his suggestion that he may not honor Americas agreements with its allies if the United States is not getting enough out of the deal.

We stand with our allies because generations of our troops fought and died to secure those bonds, Clinton said.

My opponent misses something important, she continued. When we say that America is exceptional, it doesnt meant that people in other places dont feel deep national pride just like we do, it means we recognize Americas unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity.

Clinton also vowed to end the epidemic of veterans suicides, fix the Department of Veterans Affairs, and ensure that troops are only deployed as a last resort if shes elected president.

The Trump campaign responded to Clintons speech with a lengthy statement from Matt Miller, director of Veterans for Trump.

Hillary Clinton has shown she is fundamentally unequipped to further the national security interests of the United States and stand up for our veterans, Miller said in part. This ticket will always put our veterans and service members first, and they will put an end to the business as usual culture in Washington that leaves too many of our veterans behind, the Trump aide concluded.

Trump is set to speak at the sameAmerican Legion event Thursday morning.
There isnt much that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republicans can agree on, whether its tax policy, Social Security, immigration policy or college tuition assistance.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) was dismissive of Clintons domestic agenda during his speech to the Republican National Convention in July, saying that at a time when voters were clamoring for fundamental change, the Democrats are offering a third Obama term brought to you by another Clinton.

Related: How Gun Control Politics Is Delaying Major Mental Health Reform

However, if the former secretary of state defeats Republican nominee Donald Trump in the race for the White House in November, there may be at least a few areas of agreement.

Clinton and Republicans, for example, are in broad agreement over the need for hundreds of billions of dollars in new infrastructure construction.

There may be other areas of agreement centered on education, such as doing more to address onerous college debt and promoting alternatives to four-year colleges. And while Clinton and Ryan are miles apart on approaches to combating poverty, there may be room for compromise on expanding the earned income tax credit.

On Monday, Clinton unveiled her latest major policy initiative: an overhaul and reform of the nations troubled mental health system. Although the two parties are far apart on Obamacare and health care reform more generally, they have been trying for months to find common ground on mental health issues in the wake of numerous mass shootings and terrorists attacks in recent years.

Related: As Heroin Addiction Grows Like a Cancer, Obama Orders New Health Treatments

Although the federal government currently spends about $130 billion a year to underwrite more than 100 mental health programs, more than 11 million Americans suffer from severe schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, according to government figures.

Prisons and jails have long been used as dumping grounds for profoundly mentally ill people, resulting in unspeakable abuse and treatment. Health care experts and professionals for years have been wrestling with an epidemic of suicides, especially among military veterans and college students, that defy solution.

Story continues

And beyond the human tragedy, the economic impact of mental illness is staggering. By one estimate, it is costing the country nearly $200 billion a year in lost earnings and productivity.

Related: How the Mentally Ill Are Being Warehoused in Prisons

Clintons campaign provided a detailed summary of her plan, which would:

Encourage early diagnosis and intervention, including launching a national initiative to prevent suicides.





Integrate federal mental and physical health care systems to take a more holistic approach to treatment.





Support the creation of comprehensive health centers in every state that would offer a wide range of physical and mental health services. Clinton would invest $5 billion over ten years to create new centers or upgrade existing ones.





Find ways to address a severe shortage of mental health providers. Currently there are only 8,300 practicing child and adolescent psychiatrists in the country, which works out to just one provider for every 38,000 children.





Increase spending to help train law enforcement officers in responding to encounters involving persons with mental illness, and increase support for law enforcement partnerships with mental health professionals.

The plan would also more strictly enforce mental health parity, requiring for example that mental health benefits under group health plans provide benefits that are equal to benefits for other medical conditions.

Finally, Clinton vowed, if elected, to hold a White House conference on mental health during her first year in office. The conference would highlight the importance of better integrating mental and behavioral treatment in the health care system and encourage more collaborative models in the operation of Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs.

As Roll Call and Morning Consult reported on Tuesday, Clintons proposals have much in common with a series of Republican and Democratic legislative measures pending on Capitol Hill.

Related: Obama to sign bill to battle heroin addiction

The House overwhelmingly passed a far-ranging mental health bill in early July, but the Senate is still mulling a number of proposals. With time running out before the November election, its highly unlikely Senate GOP leaders will bring a bill to the floor this fall, after Congress returns from a long August recess facing a slew of urgent spending issues.

While theoretically a post-election lame duck Congress could try to pass compromise mental health legislation, its more likely that the issue will be put aside until after a new president and a new Congress are sworn in.

Under the House-passed mental health bill that was sponsored by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), a newly minted assistant secretary for mental health would be responsible for coordinating federal programs, authorizing new grants for community treatment centers and clarifying privacy regulations. In many ways, Clintons new plan echoes this House approach.

The Senates mental health bill is aimed at improving mental health coordination and encouraging evidence-based treatments of mental health care. That bipartisan measure was drafted by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT). It would also update block grants for states offering high-quality mental health care and expand access to care.

Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) are also sponsoring a bipartisan companion piece that would expand a behavioral health clinics program that was launched in eight states. Stabenow praised Clintons approach, especially her willingness to spend $5 billion to expand or create health centers in every state.

Related: A New Push to Boost Spending on Mental Health

Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, said in an interview Tuesday that Clintons plan offers a comprehensive approach that could provide the basis for bipartisan action next year, if she is elected president.

I think it was clear she talked to a lot of people, they did a lot of homework, and came up with a solid plan, Rosenberg said. I think its very aligned with many of the issues that have been discussed on the Hill, although the Clinton camp decided to avoid getting too detailed in its proposal.

Were always hopeful there will be bipartisanship, she added. I think certainly elements of the plan that Tim Murphy put forward very early are consistent with this. I think her plan goes beyond that, however. I think what her plan does that nothing on the Hill does right now is spend money. Unfortunately, we can call anything we want reform, but when there is no money behind it, its hard to see how there can be much change.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
While the average tuition at most private and public colleges and universities increases every year, some schools are slashing or freezing their price tag.

For parents and students who struggle with ever-increasing college costs, a reduction in price or a tuition freeze holds the promise of budget relief.

On average, the cost of tuition at a private college increases by 2.4 percent each year compared with rising 3.4 percent at a public institution, according to the College Board.

But a handful of schools are bucking the trend by either freezing tuition, providing programs that increase tuition grants to low-income students or by slashing their sticker prices.

[See these 11 tuition-free colleges.]

-- Some states are freezing tuition rates at public institutions. The University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill, similar to other schools in the UNC system, for example, will offer a tuition freeze to its incoming in-state freshmen this year because of a recent move by its state legislature. Incoming in-state students for the class of 2020 in the UNC system will now pay the 2016-2017 year tuition rate for the next four years without a price bump.

"The same rate follows you for all four years," says Carol Folt, UNC--Chapel Hill's chancellor.

Other state schools -- University of Cincinnati, Missouri State University and Ohio State University--Columbus -- have implemented tuition freezes in recent years.

-- There are state programs to offset the cost of tuition for low-income in-state students. Maryland's Guaranteed Access Partnership Program expanded its program this year to include its private institution members such as Baltimore's John Hopkins University and Loyola University Maryland, to name a couple.

Every member of the Maryland Independent College and University Association pledged this year to match the state's program dollar per dollar up to the full cost of mandatory fees, says Tina Bjarekull, president of the association. "The maximum grant is $17,900 for a private institution."

Story continues

To qualify, a student needs to graduate from a Maryland high school with at least a 2.5 GPA, among a couple of other criteria. A student's family also needs to be at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty line -- a family of four with an annual household income of $31,590 would qualify, for example.

But Maryland isn't the only state to have a tuition assistance program for low-income families. Washington promises in-state, low-income families tuition assistance at its public universities, and it typically covers the cost of the sticker price. The criteria again is based on household income -- not exceeding $55,500 a year for a family of four, as an example -- and other criteria such as maintaining at least a C average.

Washington's state legislature also rolled back in-state tuition last year, cutting prices at public institutions by around 15 percent over a two-year period. Under the new law, the University of Washington and Washington State University slashed their in-state undergrad tuition by 5 percent for the 2015-2016 school year and have further decreased the in-state price by another 10 percent this year.

An in-state undergraduate at UW paid $12,394 for the 2014-2015 school year compared with $10,753 for the 2016-2017 year -- a $1,641 savings.

[Check out tips for low-income students on paying for college.]

-- A couple of private colleges have implemented a tuition reset. Many price implementations or programs are new, introduced within the last year -- with some incoming freshmen for the class of 2020 reaping the benefits. These schools aren't just public institutions.

"When you're speaking about colleges that are slashing tuition, those tend to be small liberal arts colleges without huge national draws," says Victoria Tillson Evans, founder of Distinctive College Consulting in Bethesda, Maryland, who helps students and their families navigate the college admissions process. "They're more regional schools than national schools."

[Explore how private colleges are increasing tuition discounts.]

Utica College in upstate New York slashed its tuition for incoming freshmen this year by 42 percent, charging $19,996 for the 2016-2017 school year.

"We were of the mindset that the high tuition, high discount model was broken for our families," says Laura Casamento, president of Utica College. "Nearly three-quarters of our families were telling us that we were too expensive."

Casamento says they priced the school to be just slightly more than the cost of attending a state school for residents.

"We have major competitors that are state schools, and we wanted to be priced in such a way to be competitive," says Utica College's president, who adds other schools have contacted their college to learn more about their tuition model.

But the New York school isn't the only private college to adjust its price tag.

Rosemont College, located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, slashed its price by 43 percent to $18,500 for its incoming class this year.

"A student that comes from the area may be more interested in it," Evans says. "Someone who lives in Rosemont or the Philadelphia area may be interested in taking that school up on its offer."

Trying to fund your education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for College center.

Farran Powell is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering paying for college and graduate school. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at fpowell@usnews.com.
Comcast Corp. CMCSA  the largest cable MSO in the U.S.  received regulatory clearance from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pertaining to the discrimination and carriage pricing charges leveled by Liberman Broadcasting Inc. (LBI), the owner of Estrella TV in Apr 2016.

Libermans Complaint

In Apr 2016, Liberman filed a complaint with the FCC charging Comcast of discriminating against Spanish channel Estrella TV and making unjustified demands for carrying it on its network in Denver, Houston and Salt Lake City region. The company was also accused of favoring its own Spanish-language NBCUniversal assets, Telemundo and NBC Universo, thus violating Section 616 of the 1992 Cable Act.

FCC Verdict

As per FCC norms, a cable operator cannot give preference to its own channels over others. In relation to this, Comcast pointed out that such anti-discrimination rules do not apply to broadcasters like Liberman. Further, FCC stated that Libermans filing failed to provide enough evidence, which is the minimal requirement for filing a complaint. Moreover, Liberman could not justify itself as a video programming vendor instead of a broadcast licensee.

The regulator further went on to explain the difference between a broadcaster and a video program distributor. It says that Liberman is originally occupied in the production, creation and wholesale distribution of video programming. Liberman even charges compensatory fees from Comcast for carrying out its television broadcast stations.

Comcasts Win

The green signal from the FCCs Media Bureau comes as a breather for Comcast. Moreover, Comcast believes that LBIs complaint was baseless in relation to judiciary rights and was nothing but an attempt to extract carriage fees for Estrella TV from it in a baseless way. Further, Comcast rated the performance of Estrella TV as weak without citing any significant negative customer reaction.

Story continues

Libermans Discontentment

Officials at Liberman expressed grievance over Comcast getting a cleaning chit and Libermans complaint being deemed as one based on mere technical issues. Further, Liberman disagreed with the Media Bureaus analysis of the case. It also believes that such verdicts will not be able to put a check on Comcasts discrimination against Estrella TV. Liberman further mentioned that in a market where every other major multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) prefers Estrella TV for its popularity among Hispanic viewers, Comcast prefers the competing networks.

The Bottom Line

The FCC approval is a constructive development for Comcast. On the other hand, blackouts related to carriage pricing and discrimination disagreements have now become common within the pay-TV industry, with some deadlocks running into weeks or even months. This dispute follows the recent spat between AT&T Inc. T and Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. TV -owned Univision. Moreover, Comcast-owned NBCUniversal faced similar issues with DISH Network Corp. DISH.

Comcast currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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tile slim

Tile is all in on forgetfulness.

The California-based startup has spent the last few years finding lost items with its brand of Bluetooth trackers, little square fobs that can attach to a personal item (say, a keychain), pair with an app, and keep tabs on that items location. They arent perfect, but they can be handy for the especially forgetful or paranoid.

Now, the company is hoping to expand that seemingly simple business in a couple of ways.



A thinner Tile

First, its launching a new tracker, dubbed Tile Slim. Thats available today for $30, or $100 for a pack of four. (The original, which'll still be available, costs $25 for one, or $70 for four.) As the name suggests, its essentially a thinner version of the existing Tile  2.4mm, less than half as thick as its 5.3mm predecessor.

Its a bit taller and wider (54x54mm vs. 37x37mm), and it ditches the originals keyring-friendly cutout in the process, but its lighter (0.33oz vs. 1.3oz), and its now skinny enough to slide into most wallet pockets.

Beyond that, were more or less looking at the same device as before  for better or worse.

Ive had a Tile Slim on hand for the past couple of days, and its worked as advertised. Its still easy to set up through the Tile app (iOS, Android), it still gives you the handy ability to remotely ring your smartphone, and most importantly, it still does a reliable job of narrowing down where a paired item is actually located.

Using it to find something is still like playing your own game of digital scavenger hunt. All of the little bonus features from the original  like water resistance, and the ability to let a friend ring a Tile and update its location from afar  are still there, too. For what it is, it works. If the skinnier form factor suits you better, its the one to get.

There are still some problems, though. For one, the originals ringer is a bit louder 90dB, compared to the Slim's 82dB  though both can be drowned out without too much trouble. (The Slim does come with four different ringtones, however, so thats a thing.)

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tile slim

More significantly, the fundamental issues remain. First and foremost is battery life: As with the original, the Tile Slims battery is said to last for a year, and cant be replaced when it dies.

Instead, you have to go through the companys replacement program, where you can buy a new tracker at a discount. Current Tile users due for an upgrade will be able to buy a Slim for $21. Either way, youre paying a yearly subscription just to lend some sort of peace of mind to your absent-mindedness.

That might not be worth it for some, given that a device like this is better suited for finding items around the house than things you left across town. Bluetooths range is inherently limited, and like the original, the Slim can only keep a connection from about 30-100 feet away, depending on how much is between you and your item.

Tiles solution to this remains its "Community Find" feature, which creates a silent, anonymous mesh network from everyone using the Tile app. If an active user passes your lost tracker, Tile recognizes that, and updates your apps map (and sends you text and email alerts) with the location of where it was seen. This still works with the Slim, but its not bulletproof, and its naturally more effective in more densely populated areas.

Tile without Tiles

Which brings us to Tiles second announcement: Its licensing out its smart location tech and network to other companies, through what it calls the "Tile Smart Location Platform." The company has hinted at it before, but the idea is that, instead of having to manually stick a Tile with whatever gadget you dont want to lose, that gadget would have Tiles tracking abilities already baked in.

"Weve all heard of 'Intel Inside,'" said Tile CEO and co-founder Mike Farley in an interview. "Were creating a sort of 'Tile inside.'"

tile lose keys

The company has three partners lined up to start, all of which are smaller startups: Electric scooter company EcoReco will embed the tech in upcoming rides, accessory maker Nomad will use it in an upcoming battery pack, while a startup called Zillion will include it in a future "smart wallet." All of those'll be available by the holidays.

Farley says these three will use Tiles own app for tracking purposes, but that the company will eventually launch an SDK that allows partners to incorporate Tile functionality into their own software.

As for whether or not Tile will work with bigger brands going forward, Farley would only say that the company is "talking to all the players you can imagine."

He did envision one scenario, though. "Right now, I can stick a Tile onto the side of my Beats headphones," he said. "But wouldnt it be so much more convenient if we could just incorporate that Tile technology right into the Beats headphones?"

Again, none of this would stop Bluetooths range problems. The big benefit of having Tile tech in more devices, though, is that itd bolster the Community Find workaround mentioned above. More users means a larger lost and found. As it is now, the company has a decent head start  Farley says it's sold more than 6 million Tiles to date.

So, consider Tile another company banking on the Internet of Things. Whether or not anyone decides to indulge its Intel-esque ambitions, however, remains to be seen.





More From Business Insider


One-month-old conjoined twins Moaz and Nawras al-Hishoysh died while awaiting transfer for medical treatment outside of Syria. (Image via Syrian American Medical Society)



More heartbreaking news from Syria: conjoined twins born a month ago in a beseiged hospital in rebel-held territory have died. The baby boys succumbed to heart failure on Wednesday before they could be moved abroad for life-saving treatment, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Related: This Image Sums Up the Syrian Civil War

Joined at the abdomen, with their hearts sharing the same sac, Moaz and Nawras al-Hishoysh weighed less than 12 pounds when they were born on July 23 in the Ghouta region outside Damascus. After repeated appeals and a social media campaign hashtagged #EvacuateTheTwins, the government allowed them to be moved to the capital on Aug. 12. But Damascus also lacks the medical facilities the babies needed, and with time running out, relief officials scrambled to get the boys out of Syria.

Related: 10 Least Livable Cities in the World

The Syrian American Medical Society accuses the government of failing to grant the twins permission to leave the country in time because of political reasons, reports the BBC. The charity says it obtained commitments from hospitals in the US and Saudi Arabia (both oppose President Bashar al-Assad) to treat the babies, but the government stalled in granting them passports, the babys father, Muneer al-Hishoysh, tells the Journal.

Related: Burkini Inventor: Whos Worse, Taliban or French Politicians?

But a spokeswoman for the government-sanctioned Syrian Arab Red Crescent denies that Syrian officials were uncooperative and says her agency had gotten the thumbs up to transfer the babies to an Italian hospital on Monday. But by that time, she said, the twins were too sick to travel. (Last week, the fate of two young Syrian brothers made headlines.)

By Linda Hervieux

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He Killed Her, Now He Wants World to Know Her Sex Life

This article originally appeared on Newser: Conjoined Twins in Syria Die While Awaiting Evacuation
EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Jeremy Corbyn, the left-wing head of Britain's opposition Labour party, is set to win a leadership race with even more support than when he was first elected last year, according to a YouGov poll in The Times on Wednesday. In the first published poll of those entitled to vote in the election, Corbyn is leading his rival, Owen Smith, by 62 percent to 38 percent, up from the 59 percent share of the vote he won last year. The party of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown is mired in one of the biggest crises in its 116-year history after Britain voted to leave the European Union in June. Most of the party's lawmakers responded by voting to withdraw support for Corbyn, believing that he could not win a national election, and prompting the second leadership contest in a year. However the 67-year-old has strong support from grassroots members and the poll showed that those who have recently joined Labour are more likely to back his leadership. Critics say the increasingly bitter contest is distracting the party at time when it should be pushing its priorities onto the agenda for the government's Brexit negotiations and challenging new prime minister, Theresa May. Some 640,500 people are eligible to vote in the Labour contest, and more than half joined the party in the last year, The Times said. Among those who joined before May 2015, support for Smith is at 68 percent compared with 32 per cent for Corbyn, according to the YouGov poll. That drops to 28 per cent for Smith among those who joined between May and September. (Reporting By Elisabeth O'Leary; Editing by Kate Holton)
Nicosia (AFP) - Cyprus and Egypt signed a deal on Wednesday paving the way for detailed negotiations on a submarine pipeline to export natural gas from the Mediterranean island to its energy-starved neighbour.

Cyprus has been eager to secure alternative ways to exploit its offshore reserves after proven finds so far were insufficient to make a planned liquefied natural gas plant on the island's south coast financially viable.

Cyprus Energy Minister Georgios Lakkotrypis, and Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla signed the agreement clearing the way for further negotiations on construction of the pipeline from offshore fields in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone to Egypt, where the gas will be used either for domestic consumption or re-export.

"It is one of a series of legal arrangements which will further support the sale of Cypriot natural gas to buyers in Egypt, provide certainty to investors and complement the relevant commercial discussions which are underway," the statement said.

The two governments will now "speedily proceed" with discussions on an intergovernmental agreement for the pipeline.

The Egyptian minister said: "We signed our first milestone agreement in a series of events that we will be seeing soon.

"I am looking forward to a speedy process from now on and we will start immediately discussions regarding putting the key milestones and road map for the coming steps."

- 2020-2022 target -

Lakkotrypis said the aim was to get the pipeline operational from 2020-2022.

"We hope this agreement will help speed up commercial agreements and create an investment framework for the sale of natural gas from Cyprus to Egypt," he said.

He said cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt would help support an "operational framework for the hydrocarbon industry in the east Mediterranean."

Since its first offshore gas find in 2011, Cyprus has held a series of exploration licensing rounds hoping to discover new reserves.

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In the latest round, US giant ExxonMobil with Qatar Petroleum are among eight major energy players bidding to explore offshore for Cyprus oil and gas.

Energy companies -- making up six applications -- from Italy, France, Norway, the US, Israel, Britain and Qatar are bidding for Cyprus drilling rights at three blocks made available.

The blocks up for grabs are close to where Italy's ENI made a huge find in Egypt's offshore Zohr field that could hold 850 billion cubic metres (30 trillion cubic feet) of gas. The field sits adjacent to a Cyprus block licensed to France's Total.

El Molla said the record Zohr find last August would not diminish Egypt's appetite for Cypriot gas because of its large population and domestic demand.

The discovery has raised hopes that there are more untapped reserves off Cyprus.

US firm Noble Energy made the first find off the southeast coast in 2011 in the Aphrodite field (Block 12), which is estimated to contain around 127.4 billion cubic metres (4.54 trillion cubic feet) of gas.

Israeli firms Delek and Avner have a 30 percent stake in the venture. Noble handed over a 35-percent share to Britain's BG Group, which was bought by Royal Dutch Shell earlier this year.

Block 12 has been declared commercially viable but an action plan on the next steps has yet to be finalised.

Italian-South Korean venture ENI-Kogas has so far failed to discover any exploitable gas reserves in deep-sea drilling off the island.

ENI has the right to exploit three blocks (2, 3 and 9) in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone bordering Egypt's gas fields.

ENI chief executive Claudio Descalzi has said exploratory drilling off Cyprus's southern shore will "for sure" begin next year. Total is also expected to do the same in 2017.
NICOSIA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Cyprus signed a deal on Wednesday for the transfer of natural gas via pipeline to Egypt, once extraction starts of discoveries made off the Mediterranean island.

U.S. energy firm Noble found an estimated 4.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in one prospect off Cyprus in late 2011.

A consortium of Italy's ENI and Korea's KoGas have a contract with Cyprus for exploration over three offshore blocks. French oil major Total has exploration rights over one block.

Wednesday's accord was signed in the Cypriot capital Nicosia by Egyptian petroleum minister Tarek El Molla and Cypriot energy minister Yiorgios Lakkotrypis.

Cyprus received expressions of interest from ENI, Total, Statoil, Exxon Mobil, Qatar Petroleum, and Cairn in a licensing round for another three offshore hydrocarbon blocks in a licensing round in late July.

(Reporting by Michele Kambas; Editing by Mark Potter)
From Road & Track

I was at Volvo's first WTCC race in France back in April, and their cars ended the day suffering from mechanical problems. Later in the year, I saw another WTCC race, and the Volvos continued to get into trouble. Of course the tarmac seems to be bumpier for all during their debut season, but Polestar Cyan Racing is back in Sweden now, which means the team can finally do some development work on the S60s for the first time since they started chasing those Citroens, Hondas and Ladas.

Photo credit: Mate Petrany/Road&Track

The Volvo racing team's master plan is to learn in year one, win races in year two and fight for the world title in year three. In 2017, they will have three S60 Polestar TC1s instead of two, and at the next round in Japan, multiple Argentinian touring car champion Nestor Girolami will join Thed Bjork as part of evaluating drivers for next season, when Citroen will also be out of the picture.

Photo credit: Polestar Cyan Racing

Personally, I just like seeing a big beast like an S60 fight against all those economy car-based WTCC racers. These blue (and occasionally black) cars will only get faster from now.

Photo credit: FIA WTCC

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David French wrote an essay ripping Fox News Channel, saying the network is killing the conservative movement.

Back in June, National Review columnist French said he gave serious thought to running as a third-party presidential candidate to steal conservative votes from Donald Trump, but ultimately decided that hes not the right candidate. Now hes turning his attention to how conservatives need to succeed without leaning on Fox News.

French wrote that its hard to overstate the power of Fox News for those seeking a career in the conservative movement, and explained that despite a terrible appearance on Fox News, it helped his career simply because he can say he appeared on the network.

Also Read: Cable News Ratings: CNN, MSNBC Battle for Second in August as Fox News Dominates Again

Ive seen the most accomplished of lawyers suddenly become somebody only after they regularly appear on Fox. Ive seen young activists leave senators or representatives languishing alone in rooms as they flood over to Fox personalities, seeking selfies. Fox has become the prime gatekeeper of conservative fame, the source of conservative book deals, and the ticket into the true pantheon of conservative influence, French wrote.

Fox News was the most-watched cable network during the month of August, has constructed a comfortable conservative cocoon, French wrote.

He continued: Conservatives gain fame, power, and influence mainly by talking to each other. They persuade each other of the rightness of their ideas and write Fox-fueled best-selling books making arguments that Fox viewers love. The sheer size of the audience lulls minor political celebrities into believing that theyre making a cultural and political difference. But they never get a chance to preach to the unconverted.

Also Read: Fox News Fires Back at 'Opportunist' Andrea Tantaros in Court Papers

French said that Fox News essentially has the power to keep a topic in the conservative conversation, pointing to the networks continued coverage of Benghazi as an example.

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Im not ascribing nefarious motives to Fox executives. They know their audience and they play to it. Conservative leaders and conservative politicians should likewise be savvy enough to know the limitations of the networks reach: It doesnt speak to a majority; it speaks to a bubble. But such is the allure of the community within the bubble that a person cant help but walk through its gates, he wrote.

French suggested that the GOP primary had so many candidates because some of them were auditioning for Fox News. French notes that the GOP hasnt won many presidential elections since Fox News launched in 1996.

But prior to 1996, a politician could truly succeed only by going to the American people through the media outlets they actually watched, which encouraged communication that persuaded those who werent true believers, He wrote. The conservative movement is a victim of Foxs success. The network is so strong that conservatives who ignore it risk obscurity and irrelevance, even as it remains far too weak to truly transform the landscape.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Cable News Ratings: CNN, MSNBC Battle for Second in August as Fox News Dominates Again

Fox News Fires Back at 'Opportunist' Andrea Tantaros in Court Papers

Fox News Host Neil Cavuto Sets Return Date From Heart Surgery (Exclusive)
By Samia Nakhoul and Angus McDowall BEIRUT (Reuters) - The U.S. air strike believed to have killed Abu Mohammad al-Adnani has deprived Islamic State of the architect of its attacks on the West, as it faces the loss of swathes of its heartlands. One of the last survivors of the al Qaeda militants who originally formed Islamic State last decade in Iraq, including its self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Adnani had risen to become one of its most influential leaders. "It's a major morale and propaganda blow to the group because it shows that their top leadership is being targeted by an effective and organized chain," Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the joint operations command of Iraq's army, told Reuters in Baghdad. Not only did Adnani orchestrate Islamic State's propaganda effort, an undertaking at the heart of its quest to lay waste modern nation states, but he also served as one of its principle military planners. If his death is confirmed, those skills will be hard to replace, even in a group as resilient as Islamic State, after a series of territorial losses and killings of top leaders. In recent months Islamic State's losses in Iraq have mounted. Fallujah has fallen in the west and Iraqi forces have captured key approaches to Mosul, the ancient Tigris city whose fall in 2014 signaled the group's lightning rise. Meanwhile, advances by a U.S.-backed coalition in Syria have all but cut Islamic State off from the Turkish border, after the loss of the key town of Manbij, and started to press into its Euphrates valley heartland. Few people expect further advances against Islamic State to be rapid or straightforward, but the group's enemies have built a clear momentum in both Iraq and Syria that has pushed it to adopt a strategy of attacks overseas. Adnani was the man behind that policy, demonstrating an ideological and tactical flexibility that allowed the group first to capitalize on its seizure of land, and then to adapt as it was forced to retreat. In doing so, Islamic State has made a switch in emphasis from its dreams of unifying all Muslims under a single, militant caliphate, to an older jihadist strategy of striking terror into its enemies by attacking them in their own countries. But it has done this partly by harnessing shock tactics and social media to inspire and guide attacks by radicalized amateurs, rather than rely solely upon the highly trained but cumbersome militant cells of an earlier era. This, in part, was Adnani's legacy. APOCALYPTIC PROPHECY Islamic State said on Tuesday Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo. It pledged to avenge his death but did not disclose details on how he died or who was killed with him. A U.S. defense official told Reuters the United States targeted Adnani on Tuesday in a strike on a vehicle traveling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. He stopped short of confirming Adnani's death, however. Such U.S. assessments often take days and often lag behind official announcements by militant groups. Adnani's presence in the Aleppo countryside may reflect its strategic and symbolic importance to Islamic State. The northwest has become both the most active theater of Syria's war and an arena for competing regional and global powers. The government and mainstream rebel groups, which between them hold most of Syria's western, most populous, regions, have focused on their battle for control of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, and a strategic prize. But to the north and east, a secondary conflict has played out as U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters and Turkey-backed rebels, who are also fighting each other, have squeezed IS's once expansive tracts along the Turkish border and Euphrates basin. These advances have all but cut off Islamic State from its last foothold on the Turkish border, its link to new foreign recruits, while a steady push from the north has brought its enemies to within 30km (18 miles) of its Syrian capital Raqqa. But these strategic setbacks are not Islamic State's only interest in the Aleppo countryside: just 30km northwest of al-Bab, where Adnani was reportedly killed in an airstrike after arriving to tour the battlefield, is the village of Dabiq. A few streets surrounded by fields, it will be the site, says Islamic prophecy, of a final battle between Muslims and infidels that will herald the apocalypse. So important is this event in Islamic State propaganda, of which Adnani was the chief, that Dabiq was the name chosen for its online magazine that sought to inspire new recruits to its militant cause and instruct them in the ways of global jihad. HAMMERED Hammered by two years of U.S.-led coalition air strikes and military losses on the ground, Adnani increasingly called in audio messages for attacks against the United States and Western countries. His group said it was behind deadly attacks in Paris, Nice and Brussels. The shift was partly born of tactical necessity after Western and regional governments made it harder for would-be militants to travel to Syria or Iraq to join the group. "If the tyrants close the door of migration in your faces, then open the door of jihad in theirs and turn their actions against them," he said in an audio clip. Born in 1977 as Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province southwest of Aleppo, he pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor, al Qaeda, more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq. He left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight U.S. forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said. A biography posted on militant websites says he grew up with a "love of mosques" and was a prolific reader. A U.S. counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said Adnani's death would hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere". Hisham al-Hashimi, a Baghdad-based security analyst that advises the Iraqi government on IS affairs: said:`As a military target, Adnani is less important than (ex war minister Omar) al-Shishani...(killed earlier this year in Iraq). His death is mainly a blow to their morale, he is the one who inspires the fighters to join in Syria." (Additional repoting by Maher Chmaytelli in Baghdad and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman; editing by Janet McBride)
Dont believe everything you read.

Except these words, of course.

There was a distressing news report over the weekend about crowdfunding, the popular do-it-yourself social media charity campaigns used to raise donations for people in need.

The Associated Press did an examination of 30 campaigns of the more than 430 fundraisers in the wake of the mass shooting at the gay Orlando, Fla., nightclub which left 49 people dead and 53 people wounded. It ran in Sundays newspaper under the headline: Orlando aid money: Scams, waste loom.

The AP report said its examination exposed weaknesses in these popular do-it-yourself charity campaigns: waste, questionable intentions and little oversight and said some of the fundraisers include(d) travelers asking for cash, a practitioner of ancient healing, a personal safety instructor who sells quick-loaders for assault rifles, and even convicted identity impostors.

The crowdfunding sites operate outside traditional charitable circles and often beyond the reach of government regulation, the AP story warned.

More than $7 million was raised to help the victims of the nightclub attack through the officially sanctioned Equality Florida campaign, the news report said, but another $1.3 million went to smaller appeals  mostly set up by people with little or no charity experience.

At that point, most readers doubtlessly had the impression that crowdfunding is dominated by charlatans and crooks.

But sometimes you have to read news reports  including newspaper reports  defensively and look for the details that back up the words. The AP summary was lacking there and did nothing to demonstrate large-scale fraud.

Their examples: One man wanted money for travel costs to Orlando to shoot independent news video. He hadnt raised anything two months later.

Another organizer raised just $25 for travel money to hold a community healing ceremony inspired by ancient shamanic rituals. She dropped that plan in favor of sending painted rocks with an inspiring word of support.

Or: A counseling center raised $150 to subsidize services to victims but closed its campaign when it found grant money elsewhere.

And the weapons accessory dealer who proposed holding classes on personal safety. He told AP I hope we didnt give the impression we were a charity. That drive raised a total of $100.

Thats hardly the stuff of scandal.

Charitable drives  all of them, big and small  can be subject to misuse of donations or large overhead that prevents the money from going to the people who are supposed to benefit. And the organizers and charities work to prevent that.

The beauty of crowdfunding campaigns like GoFundMe, GiveForward and YouCaring is that they are often targeted to individuals with specific needs, they have less overhead and they can  as AP reported  deliver aid more quickly than large bureaucratic funds.

Dan Pfeiffer, vice president of Communications and Policy at GoFundMe, said earlier this year, Scams are incredibly rare ... and represent less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the campaigns on his site.

Many crowdfunding campaigns are set up by people with close contact  either friends, family or co-workers  to those in need and that connection builds the trust for the donation drive. Comments on crowdfunding sites can also reveal much about the trustworthiness of the fundraising effort.

And they can be a godsend to people who are in need of help.

That would include a young friend of ours  Ben Roberts, 31  a former Journal Times graphic artist and son of Journal Times feature writer Lee Roberts, who has been fighting a brain tumor for the past six years. Despite surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments and innovative therapy, Bens condition worsened in recent months to the point he could no longer work at his Milwaukee job.

As medical bills and other care costs mounted, Bens wife, Nikki, set up a crowdfunding site at https://gogetfunding.com/bucks-for-benny/ a month ago.

Bens mobility is impaired and he requires around the clock care. Early this week, he decided to stop all treatment and go with home hospice care.

Ben and Nikki could use your help and your prayers in their fight, as can many others who can benefit from crowdfunding drives.

You can believe that. Its the truth.
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The death toll from Tuesday's car bomb attack targeting two hotels popular with officials near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 22, police said on Wednesday. The attack was claimed by the Islamist militant group al Shabaab. The blast partially destroyed two hotels, including one in which a meeting of security officials was underway, the government has said. "We have confirmed from various hospitals that at least 22 died and 50 others were wounded," police officer Major Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters. Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir said on Tuesday a security officials were gathered inside one of the hotels, the SYL, at the time of blast, and that one minister and some state radio journalists were wounded. The hotel is frequented by government officials and police said it believed the facility was the likely target. Seeking to impose its own harsh form of Islam, al Shabaab, wants to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and also push out the 22,000-strong African Union mandated AMISOM peace keeping force backing it. The group was forced out of Mogadishu by AMISOM in 2011 but have remained a serious threat, launching frequent attacks aimed at the government. The militants have claimed responsibility for several explosions in Mogadishu, including a car bomb and gun attack last week at a popular beach restaurant in the capital that killed 10 people. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The death toll from a car bomb blast in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Tuesday that exploded outside the Presidential Palace has risen to 22, police said on Wednesday. "We have confirmed from various hospitals that at least 22 died and 50 others were wounded. Death includes wounded people who died in hospitals," police officer Major Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters. The attack has been claimed by al Shabaab militants. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Libreville (AFP) - Angry protesters set fire to Gabon's national assembly on Wednesday as thousands of people took the streets after an announcement that President Ali Bongo had been re-elected, witnesses said.

"The whole building is catching fire," said a man at the scene called Yannick.

AFP journalists further away saw a plume of fire and smoke rising into the air above the building.

"They got in and burned it," Yannick told AFP, saying the security forces had pulled back from the area. They had been deployed there since Tuesday afternoon, when the results were initially due to be published.

The national assembly lies on the same road as several important institutions, among them the senate, the oil ministry, several embassies and the headquarters of state television.

The clashes erupted as soon as Bongo was declared the winner of Saturday's presidential poll, with opposition supporters chanting "Ali must go!"

As chaos erupted on the streets outside, Bongo hailed the outcome of the election, which he declared had been "peaceful and transparent" despite the opposition crying foul.

"I want to reiterate our primary victory: this election was exemplary," he said in his first remarks since the result was announced.
FRANKFURT, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Top executives of Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have held talks on a potential combination of Germany's no. 1 and 2 banks earlier this month, a source familiar with the matter said.

The two lenders have, however, shelved the project as they want to finish their restructuring before taking any steps in the direction of a merger, the source said.

"There was a round of talks in late August in which (Deutsche Bank Chief Executive) John Cryan and (Chief Financial Officer) Marcus Schenck were present," the source said.

Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank declined to comment.

(Reporting by Kathrin Jones; Additional reporting by Alexander Huebner; Editing by Andreas Framke and Maria Sheahan)
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Top executives of Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have held talks on a potential combination of Germany's no. 1 and 2 banks earlier this month, a source familiar with the matter said.

The two lenders have, however, shelved the project as they want to finish their restructuring before taking any steps in the direction of a merger, the source said.

"There was a round of talks in late August in which (Deutsche Bank Chief Executive) John Cryan and (Chief Financial Officer) Marcus Schenck were present," the source said.

Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank declined to comment.

(Reporting by Kathrin Jones; Additional reporting by Alexander Huebner; Editing by Andreas Framke and Maria Sheahan)
Nick Viall may be the new Bachelor, but hold up -- what the heck happened to Jen Saviano?

Season three of Bachelor in Paradise is currently being played out on ABC, and as many fans of the dating show know, Viall and Saviano have been romantically linked ever since the two locked eyes when Saviano made an entrance. What's more, in the sneak peek teaser for next week's finale, we even saw Viall looking at an engagement ring with Neil Lane, who jokingly asked, "How many times am I going to see you again?"

WATCH: Andi Dorfman Says She's 'Happy' and 'Excited' for New 'Bachelor' Nick Viall

But seeing as the 35-year-old reality star -- who replied, "Hopefully never!" -- was announced to star as the leading man on season 21 of The Bachelor during the BIP post-show, After Paradise, on Tuesday night, it's pretty clear that Saviano is now out of the picture.

A source tells ET, however, that the two were "never an official couple where a breakup was even needed," but "are still close friends."

"Picking Nick was a last-minute switch up," the source revealed. "Producers had Luke [Pell] in mind and he was all set to be The Bachelor. It all happened really quick. It wasn't even a thought on the table that Nick would be the next Bachelor. He had no idea they were considering him, and he really didn't think it was an option."

One day ahead of the BIP finale, ET's Lauren Zima caught up with Saviano on set, where she opened up about where she saw her and Viall's relationship heading, and whether or not she was ready for him to put a ring on it.

WATCH: Chris Harrison Defends Nick Viall as the Next 'Bachelor': 'He's the Most Deserving'

"I don't know. I know I don't want to say goodbye to him," Saviano, who originally appeared on Ben Higgins' season of The Bachelor, dished. "But I don't know if [our connection is] strong enough in his eyes to make that commitment."

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"It's very possible that it could end tomorrow," she continued. "I don't want it to though."

While Saviano said there are a few females in the house whom she could see receiving a proposal -- Amanda Stanton from Josh Murray, Lace Morris from Grant Kemp and Carly Waddell from Evan Bass -- she's not expecting one from Viall.

"I wouldn't want [Nick] to propose [on the finale], no," she exclaimed. "We're just not there yet. I did come in the middle of this. A lot of couples that are left were here in the beginning, so we're kind of playing catch up."

"Our relationship is moving at a very normal pace," she added. "It's the Bachelor, it's not the outside world, so I don't know. I'm very happy with where we're at, I just don't know if it's enough right now. Certainly not enough for an engagement."

WATCH: Bachelor Nation, Meet Your New Leading Man!

Regardless, Saviano said joining the show was "a really great experience," and even though Viall "can be a pain in the a** at times," she "really enjoyed getting to know him."

"Going into it, I wanted to be open-minded," the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native explained. "I had no idea I would feel this way so soon, but I mean, a day here really does feel like a week, so feelings are exacerbated and time picks up, and you just kind of get swept away in your emotions."

"I can't say I'm fully in love right now, but I'm definitely falling in love," she added at the time. "It's exciting and terrifying [and] I'm just happy."

Following ABC's announcement, however, it appears Saviano has been seemingly shading Viall over social media.

On Wednesday, she posted a photo of her at the airport, captioning it, "and then sometimes you just need to book a F* it flight to NYC. Anyone live there? You know I love recommendations."

... and then sometimes you just need to book a F* it flight to NYC.  // Anyone live there? You know I love recommendations.  #NYC #seeyasoon A photo posted by Jen Saviano (@jensav11) on Aug 31, 2016 at 7:18am PDT

WATCH: ET's Hilarious 'Bachelor in Paradise' Recaps on YouTube

"About that #AfterParadise," Saviano tweeted on Tuesday, accompanied with a gif of Amy Schumer drinking an oversized glass of wine.

She also replied "love you booo" to a fan who tweeted, "No bachelor will ever find anyone better than @jennifersaviano."

@rachel_tchen love you booo  Jennifer Saviano (@jennifersaviano) August 31, 2016

But her best dig? Writing "Not I" in reply to a tweet that read, "Already trying to figure which former contestants will return to try and date nick #TheBachelor."

As we patiently wait to see what goes down during the Bachelor in Paradise finale, airing Wednesday, Sept. 7 on ABC, watch the video below to hear more on why Viall was chosen as the new Bachelor.

WATCH: 6 Reasons Why Nick Viall Is the Perfect Choice for the New 'Bachelor'

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March

Disgraced former politician Anthony Weiner may be on the lookout for a new place to live after his wife, Huma Abedin, announced their separation following his latest sexting scandal.

Mr. Weiner, who will no doubt want to keep a low profile and stay out of the public eye and away from the paparazzis glaring cameras, may want to check out one of a myriad of new buildings where developers have taken privacy to the next level.

Many developers are including the likes of porte-cocheres, secured entrances, private elevator banks, and additional levels of staff and cameras so that high net worth buyers (or those more scandal-plagued like Mr. Weiner) will never have to step onto the sidewalk outside their building, or go through their apartment lobby.

Heres our round-up of some under construction in both Manhattan and Miami:

On the market:

252 East 57th Street, Manhattan

A rendering of the entrance at 252 East 57th Street. Williams New York

At World Wide Groups newest building 252 East 57th Street, there will be a gated porte-cochere that achieves a notable level of privacy, as residents will be able to drive straight into it and enter the building without ever being outside. Another bonus is that within the porte-cochere is the largest automated parking garage in New York with four electric car charging stations. The first residents will move into the building in October.

Porsche Design Tower, Miami

A rendering of the Porsche Design Towers car elevator, which will transport your automobile into your condo unit. Metrostudio.com

When it opens in September, not only will the 56-story tower in Sunny Isles Beach be one of the worlds first condominiums where elevators take residents directly to their private apartments while sitting in their cars, it will also have a private residents-only restaurant. Another private perk: 10-by-15-foot individual plunge pools on almost all of its balconiesa first in Miami.

One Thousand Museum, Miami

Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the 62-floor residential tower will feature a crystalline facade. Catapult 13 Creative Studios

This Zaha Hadid-designed tower, set to be completed late next year, has a 24/7 security program focused not just on residents, but also on their guests and personal property. A security consulting firm has worked closely with the developer to address matters ranging from the structure of the building to sophisticated surveillance systems and appropriate security personnel. There is also a bank-quality vault containing an individual safe deposit box for every residence.

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1 Great Jones Alley, Manhattan

A rendering of the entrance 1 Great Jones Alley, a 16-unit condominium in Manhattans NoHo neighborhood. March

A unique and standout feature of 1 Great Jones Alley, a boutique condo in NoHo that is due for completion late next year, is the main residential entrance discreetly tucked away at the end of Great Jones Alley, a historic Belgian block alleyway. Residents will enter a gate and head down the alley to the buildings attended lobby, away from the public eye.

One River Point, Miami

A rendering of a condo at One River Point. Kar Properties

Having seen a rise in demand for the tightest security, One River PointRafael Vinolys Miami debut on the Miami Riverincorporated a multi-level, biometric security program. The cutting-edge biometric identification software will take residents to their specific floors after scanning their faces. The building will also have a 24-hour security room and an on-site vault for residents art and valuables.

This story was written by Kathryn Hopkins and originally appeared on Mansion Global.

The post Discretion Is Not a Problem at These Manhattan and Miami Towers appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
Where Do Criminals Get Their Guns?

Bruce Bialosky. August 28th, 2016

The anti-gun people want to limit law-abiding citizens from getting guns and now ammunition. The pro-gun people repeat over and over again "If you out law guns, only outlaws will have guns." They evidence that by activities that occur in European countries or that mass shootings typically occur in gun-restricted areas in the U.S. What is the truth? Where do criminals get their guns?

Surprisingly, there is no federal database or statewide databases that track these actions. This is despite the fact they often recover guns from crime scenes or subsequent arrests of the offending party. If the gun has a serial number, it can be traced to the federal database. If the serial number is ground off, one can assume the gun was acquired illegally. The studies done would be more comprehensive if guns left at the scenes of crimes or used by criminals killed in the process of committing a crime were included in the surveys to provide a more comprehensive picture .......

The anti-gun people are creating laws to restrict the activities of law-abiding citizens. That is because to stop the activities of criminals would be real work as opposed to law-abiding citizens who they can oppress with new laws because by definition they "follow the law." .......

You may disagree with some opinions expressed but overall the main point is quite simply that restricting law abiding people's rights is much easier than the hard work involved in enforcing exisiting laws against the criminals. In particular, it is blatently obvious that no amount of background checks will ever solve the problem of access to firearms by criminals, who have many ways to procure their guns.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - World number one Novak Djokovic received a free pass into the third round of the U.S. Open when Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic withdrew from their match on Wednesday due to a left forearm injury. The walkover provided the top-seeded defending champion with an extended break to improve his niggling left wrist injury before his next match against either Guido Pella of Argentina or Mikhail Youzhny of Russia. The 23-year-old Vesely, ranked 49th, beat Djokovic in the second round at the ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo event in April in their only meeting, making him one of two top 100 players with more wins than losses against the Serbian. World number 23 Ivo Karlovic is 2-1 head-to-head against Djokovic. (Reporting by Larry Fine; Editing by Frank Pingue)
Researchers describe their new study. (Video via YouTube)



Score one for the dogs are better than cats camp: New research suggests dogs truly understand their ownersnot just the words they speak, but also their tone of speaking. Researchers at Hungarys Eotvos Lorand University measured the brain activity of 13 pet dogs as a trainer repeated words of praise used by their owners, as well as other meaningless words, in both a neutral and happy tone, reports the Washington Post.

Related: Science: Your Dog Hates Being Hugged

They discovered that dogs not only tell apart what we say and how we say it, but they can also combine the two, for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant, researcher Attila Andics explains, telling Today we may have to re-think what makes words uniquely human.

Related: Town Relents, Reinstates Cats Library Job

In particular, the brain scans showed the dogsgolden retrievers, border collies, and a German shepherdprocessed meaningful words in the left hemisphere and evaluated tone in the right hemisphere, like humans. But only when the words were full of praise and spoken in a happy tone did the brains rewards center light up. A different area of the brain was activated when positive words were spoken in a neutral tone, but only slightly, reports the Verge.

Related: Want Satisfaction? Have at Least 4 Children

The takeaway? Even if you use a very excited tone of voice to tell the dog hes going to the vet, hell probably see through you, reports the Post. Experts believe dogs may have had this ability to understand language before domestication. (Dogs may like praise as much as treats.)

By Arden Dier

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This article originally appeared on Newser: Doling Out Fake Praise? Your Dog Knows
Donald Trump is in Mexico to meet the country's president, hours ahead of a much-anticipated speech in Arizona on illegal immigration.

The Republican presidential nominee talked with Enrique Pena Nieto at the presidential residence Los Pinos, before holding a joint press conference.

The Mexican president said they had had a "very open and constructive discussion" about the border and trade between the US and Mexico.

The visit is something of a surprise - not least because Mr Pena Nieto has likened the White House hopeful to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Mr Trump has hardly endeared himself by calling Mexican illegal immigrants rapists and criminals, vowing to build a wall along America's southern border - while billing Mexico for its construction - and threatening to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Mr Pena Nieto also invited Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, but her campaign has not yet responded.

Senior Mexican officials appeared taken aback that Mr Trump had accepted the offer.

:: Five Insults Trump Has Fired At Mexicans

Mr Pena Nieto's compatriots have rained criticism upon him for asking the Manhattan real estate baron - something of a hate figure to many in Mexico - to visit.

The unpopular president, whose approval ratings had already sunk to 23%, defended his move by tweeting that he believes in dialogue to promote Mexico's interests.

But former Mexican President Vicente Fox was not so conciliatory.

"Trump not welcome in Mexico," he tweeted on Wednesday, "not by me nor the 130 millions Mexicans."

In an interview in March, Mr Pena Nieto said there was "no scenario" where Mexico would engage with the Trump wall proposal, adding that the businessman's rhetoric was damaging relations between the neighbouring nations.

Mr Trump has also stoked controversy during previous Republican rallies by accusing Mexico of sending violent offenders to the US.

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Aside from this, there is confusion about what a Trump administration's policies on immigration would look like.

He alarmed some firebrand conservative allies last week when he said he was "softening" his stance on mass deportations.

There are an estimated 11 million law-abiding illegal immigrants in the US, and during recent meetings with Hispanic voters, Mr Trump's campaign manager said his stance on deportations was "to be determined".

A pledge to speedily deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the US is expected to feature prominently during his major speech on Wednesday evening in Arizona.
Donald Trump legally crossed the border into Mexico today for a meeting with the countrys president but declined to break it to him that he would be paying for Trumps Great Wall.

The man who launched his presidential bid a year ago vowing to create a deportation force that would stop Mexico from sending its rapists, criminals and drug dealers into the United States today described Mexicans as being beyond reproach, respectful, hard-working people with strong values of family, faith and community.

Returning the compliment during their post-talk newser, Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto did not compare Trumps foreign policy to that of Hitler and Mussolini, as he has in the past.

On the other hand, before inviting Trump and Hillary Clinton to meet with him, Pena Nieto had vowed not to get involved in the U.S. presidential election, and today he got involved in a bigg-ish way, giving Trump a made-for-TV tableau in which he got to appear very presidential, as his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski had forecast would happen during an appearance on CNN this morning.

Trump did, in his prepared remarks before taking questions, note that hed shared with the president his belief the North American Free Trade Agreement has been of far greater benefit to Mexico than the United States and must be improved upon. And Pena Nieto did admit to recognizing the right every country has to protect its own borders, though he suggested the bets way to accomplish that is by treating the country on the other side as an ally in that effort.

Still, when it was over, U.S. TV news networks, whod spent the day breathlessly covering the hastily arranged visit, were left mulling whether this new in-like-a-lion-out-like-a-lamb Trump would sway a single Hispanic vote that he hadnt already won before todays meeting.

As the GOP nominee was jetting to Pena Nietos digs, Reporters Who Cover Trump had wiled away the time wondering how both men would use the photo op to their advantage. Their Reporters Who Cover Trump were unhappily cooling their heels in Phoenix, Trump having left them there  which, CNNs media pundit Brian Stelter said, set a dangerous precedent for candidates and POTUSes going forward, as if somehow Trumps movements there now would not be properly covered. That might have irked his networks reporters in Mexico City.

Story continues

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will head to Mexico today ahead of highly anticipated speech focused on immigration. His visit comes after Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto invited both major party candidates to visit the nation. Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton has yet to respond. H&R Block ( ) had a wider loss in the recent quarter. The tax preparer says it saw fewer customers in the United States. It said it continues to cut expenses and make other changes to turn things around. It says it will not do its annual December tax season preview this year. Several parts of the United States are seeing severe weather over Labor Day weekend that could impact tourism. Back to back hurricanes are barreling toward Hawaii. Meanwhile, North Carolina's outer banks will be hit with a drenching tropical storm system that could dump up to 5 inches of rain. A hurricane watch has been issued for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast.
PHOENIX  In yet another strange twist in an already unusual campaign season, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will make a last-minute Wednesday visit to Mexico City, where he will meet privately with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The sit-down, confirmed late Tuesday night by Trump and the Mexican leader in separate Twitter posts, will take place just hours before the GOP nominee is set to make what aides have billed as a pivotal immigration speech Wednesday evening in Phoenix.

The Trump campaign did not respond to repeated inquiries about the trip, which came at the request of Pena Nieto. According to a statement from his office, the Mexican president sent invitations late last week to meet with both Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee. Her campaign confirmed early Wednesday that she had received the invitation but offered no details on when or if she might accept.

Slideshow: U.S. Border agents pursue human and drug smugglers near Mexican border >>>

Trumps abrupt decision to visit Mexico City, which took even some of his own staff and close advisers by surprise, takes him into a nation that he has repeatedly trashed on the campaign trail. Kicking off his unlikely bid for the presidency last year, Trump made immigration his pivotal issue, suggesting that many Mexican immigrants illegally entering the country are rapists and drug dealers.

When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best, Trump declared at his announcement speech in June 2015 and has repeated the sentiment many times since. Theyre bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.

One of Trumps signature campaign issues has been his pledge to crack down on illegal immigration by building a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, a structure he has insisted he would force Mexico to pay for. The proposal has earned scorn from all corners of the political spectrum, including from Pope Francis, who memorably criticized Trump over the issue during the GOP primary earlier this year.

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Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Pena Nieto and other Mexican leaders have repeatedly rebuffed Trumps plan, insisting Mexico would never pay for a border wall  even amid the GOP nominees threats to curb trade or issue financial sanctions. At the same time, Pena Nieto has been highly critical of what he has called Trumps anti-Mexican rhetoric, even going so far as to compare it to the strident tone used by dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

There have been episodes in human history, unfortunately, where these expressions of strident rhetoric have led to very ominous situations, Pena Nieto told the Mexican newspaper Excelsior in an interview in March. Thats how Mussolini got in, thats how Hitler got in: They took advantage of a situation, a problem perhaps, which humanity was going through at the time, after an economic crisis.

Word of Trumps visit was greeted with disdain within Mexico, where the celebrity businessman turned politician has already been the subject of protests over the last year because of his heated rhetoric. But Pena Nieto, whose own approval ratings have plummeted to record lows in recent months, defended the meeting in a message on Twitter late Tuesday. He said he believed in dialogue to promote and protect Mexicans all over the world.

Perhaps by design, Trumps abrupt detour threatens to overshadow his big immigration speech, which had been expected to clarify his increasingly murky stance on immigration reform. Though he has not backed down from his pledge to build a wall, Trump has recently appeared to waver in on some of his more hardline views, including a proposal to mass deport the estimated 11 million people already inside the U.S. illegally.

Over the last two weeks, Trump has publicly wavered back and forth about whether he would allow a form of legal status to some people who had illegally immigrated to the U.S. In a Fox News interview last week, Trump notably softened his view, telling host Sean Hannity there would be no amnesty, but we will work with them.

Donald Trump (Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP)

Among other things, Trump has suggested hes considering a plan that would allow those in the U.S. illegally to stay if they pay back taxes  a proposal similar to those suggested by former GOP rivals Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, as well as President Obama. Asked for clarification, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and other aides have danced around the issue, insisting the GOP nominee plans to enforce the law but do so in a humane way.

The mixed signals come amid speculation that Trump is softening his views to make inroads with Latino and independent swing voters  two voting blocs he desperately needs to improve with as the election enters its final stretch. But the confusion has also raised alarm bells among key supporters, including Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who last week warned of massive disappointment among Trumps base if he were to go wishy-washy on immigration.

Trumps recent message, she told the Wall Street Journal, is clearly not consistent with the stringent position and message that supporters have received all along.

In a Monday interview with CNN, Donald Trump Jr., the candidates son, insisted his father was not softening his position on immigration. He didnt change his stance on anything, the younger Trump said. What he did  and what hes done all along is hes speaking with the people.

But while he insisted his father had not changed his position on mass deportation, the younger Trump did offer some shift, suggesting his father wouldnt act as quickly as he has sometimes suggested on the campaign trail. You have to start with baby steps, he said. You have to let ICE do their job. You have to eliminate the sanctuary cities. You have to get rid of the criminals, certainly first and foremost, you have to secure the border.

Trump aides have declined to say if the candidate will articulate any new positions in Wednesdays speech, which will be delivered before what is expected to be a crowd of several thousand supporters in a state where his rallies have been known to be rowdy and often interrupted by protesters. He will appear in a state that is historically Republican territory but where recent polls show him only narrowly leading Clinton, who has begun to ramp up staff and advertising amid signs she could put the state in play this November.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to supporters. (Photo: Ross D. Franklin/AP)

Many Republicans here have distanced themselves from Trump amid concerns he could hurt their attempts to appeal to increasing numbers of Hispanic voters in the state. That includes Sen. John McCain, who won his GOP primary Tuesday against a candidate who embraced Trumps hardline views on immigration. But McCain now faces a tough general election fight. McCain, who has been publicly at odds with Trump, was invited to the GOP nominees speech. But when a reporter asked Tuesday if he planned to attend, the Arizona senator ignored the question, and aides declined to say.

Perhaps the biggest question beyond policy is what tone Trump will take in Wednesdays speech. Under Conways influence, the real estate mogul has stuck to message over the last two weeks, relying almost exclusively on teleprompters to deliver more focused remarks with language that has been notably less antagonistic.

But amid handwringing by many supporters, its unclear if Trump will stick to his conciliatory tone on an issue that has been so pivotal to his candidacy. A Trump adviser told Yahoo News that Stephen Miller, a senior aide known for writing some of Trumps more fiery speeches, is helping to draft the remarks, along with input from other members of the candidates inner circle.

Aides have also said Trump is getting input on the speech from outside advisers but have declined to say who they are. Among those who have advised him on immigration policy is Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a longtime Trump supporter in Arizona who backs the candidates hardline views on immigration. The controversial six-term sheriff, who won his primary bid for a seventh term on Tuesday, is currently under criminal investigation for ignoring a federal judges order to stop racially profiling Latino drivers as part of his efforts to round up people living in the U.S. illegally.

Arpaio is scheduled to speak at the Trump rally Wednesday night, just ahead of New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a close ally and increasingly frequent travel companion of Trump, who will introduce the GOP nominee to the stage.
Donald Trump sounded more cooperative toward working with Mexico after he held a surprise meeting in Mexico City with the countrys president, Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before the Republican nominee is to give a major speech on immigration.

We did discuss the wall. We didnt discuss payment of the wall, Trump said in a press conference along with Pena Nieto. He was referring to one of his signature proposals  to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and to get Mexico to pay for it.

But in contrast to the rhetoric he has displayed at rallies, inciting his supporters to shout Build the Wall!, Trump was markedly subdued, calling Pena Nieto my friend and talking up the shared interests of the United States and Mexico.

Pena Nieto, too, stressed cooperation between the two countries. He said that he told Trump in their meeting that the Mexican people were offended by certain comments that Trump had made, but the Mexican president refrained from criticizing him as he has before.

In fact, he said that our border must be viewed as a joint opportunity. Both countries must invest more in it.

The trip was finalized on Tuesday night, surprising reporters and others closely watching the presidential race, but in line with the kind of political theater that has characterized Trumps campaign.

The trip seemed designed to show that Trump was fit to meet and negotiate on the international stage, and in his remarks he said that he and the Mexican president had a constructive exchange of ideas over quite a period of time. Hillary Clinton, in speeches and ads, has characterized him as temperamentally unfit for the presidency.

Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech on immigration on Wednesday evening in Phoenix.

I happen to have a tremendous feeling for Mexican Americans, not only in terms of friendships but the tremendous numbers I employ, Trump said.

Pena Nieto had been particularly critical of Trump over his campaign rhetoric, comparing him to Mussolini and Hitler. He also has said that there would be no scenario in which Mexico would pay for Trumps plan to build a border wall.

Story continues

Trump said that in their meeting, he expressed his view that Mexico has benefited gar more greatly from the North American Free Trade Agreement than the United States. Pena Nieto said that the agreement has been beneficial to both countries, but said that it also can be improved.

Clinton criticized his visit in a speech she gave earlier in the day.

We dont build a coalition by insulting our friends and acting like a loose cannon, she said, adding that dropping in on the U.S. neighbor for a few hours is not how it works. Her campaign has been sending out reminders of Trumps past tweets that have been particularly harsh toward Mexican immigrants, and have challenged the notion that a softening of that rhetoric can mitigate that.

Rob Reiner, who frequently takes to Twitter to bash Trump, wrote, Clearly were not sending our best to Mexico. Were sending liars. Were sending narcissists. Were sending sociopaths.

Clearly we're not sending our best to Mexico. We're sending liars. We're sending narcissists. We're sending sociopaths.  Rob Reiner (@robreiner) August 31, 2016

Mike Murphy, the Republican political strategist, tweeted, You have to be a really dumb cable TV pundit to think this sill Trump trip to Mexico will make one iota of difference on election day.

You have to be a really dumb cable TV pundit to think this silly Trump trip to Mexico will make one iota of difference on election day.  mike murphy (@murphymike) August 31, 2016

Former Mexican president Vicente Fox characterized Trumps trip as a way for the Republican nominee to boost sagging poll numbers. He cynically continues to disregard his own people and disregard Mexicans, Fox told CNN.

Update: Pena Nieto tweeted after their meeting that the issue of who pays for the wall did come up in the conversation, because he brought it up.

Al inicio de la conversacion con Donald Trump deje claro que Mexico no pagara por el muro, he wrote. It translates to, At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.

Jason Miller, Trumps senior communications adviser, said in a statement, Today was the first part of the discussion and a relationship builder between Mr. Trump and President Pena Nieto. It was not a negotiation, and that would have been inappropriate. It is unsurprising that they hold two different views on this issue, and we look forward to continuing the conversation.

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Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto gives a speech during a lunch as part an official welcoming ceremony for Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan at the National Palace in Mexico City February 12, 2015. REUTERS/Henry Ro. mero

To the shock and wonder of many on both sides of the border, US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced this week that he would visit Mexico on Wednesday ahead of his much-anticipated speech on immigration, a trip confirmed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Pena Nieto said he extended an invitation to both Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, but the visit by Trump  after months of his disparaging Mexico and Mexican immigrants on the campaign trail  has already been decried by observers on both sides of the border as a considerable misstep by the embattled Mexican leader.

Much of the criticism has centered on the notion that Pena Nieto, in an attempt to be diplomatic, has played into Trump's hands.

"I think President Pena is taking an enormous political risk by hosting Trump," former Mexican President Vicente Fox told CNN on Wednesday. "If he's perceived as going soft on Trump, it will hurt him greatly  he will even be considered like a traitor."

Bueno dire algo mas....gran foto para su campana el que le ha dado el gobierno al senor Trump  Carlos Puig (@puigcarlos) August 31, 2016

"Well I will say something else ... great photo for his campaign that the government has given to Mr. Trump," Mexican journalist Carlos Puig wrote in the above tweet.

This legitimizes Trump & his xenophobia & sends the message that there is no cost bashing Mexico & Mexican migrantshttps://t.co/NXBLO2bKnj  Arturo Sarukhan (@Arturo_Sarukhan) August 31, 2016

"Pena Nieto repeated time and again that he would not put himself in the foreigners' election. He is doing that and in the worst way: lending himself to help Trump," Carlos Bravo Regidor, a professor in Mexico City, tweeted.

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Regidor added that Pena Nieto would try to show that he could moderate Trump's rhetoric but said it wouldn't work, as Trump would return to the US and say he had backed down the Mexican president.

#EPN makes room in his schedule for a PRIVATE meeting w/ Trump which Trump can then spin any way he wants. What's the plan at Los Pinos?  Elisabeth Malkin (@ElisabethMalkin) August 31, 2016

Trump has a rich history of comments involving Mexico and its government. He kicked off his presidential campaign by declaring that Mexico was sending rapists and other criminals across the border. Pena Nieto, in turn, has compared Trump's rise to that of Mussolini and Hitler. And he has said Mexico will not pay for the border wall Trump says he will build to combat illegal immigration from Mexico.

Yet with the invitation, Pena Nieto "has converted himself into a piece of propaganda for the worse enemy of the country," read a tweet from Jesus Silva Herzog Flores, a government and public policy professor at Tecnologico de Monterrey.

Many here feel - rightly or wrongly - that their enemy, who is down in polls, has been thrown a lifeline - by their own president (2/2)  David Luhnow (@davidluhnow) August 31, 2016

While the visit has elicited a kind of amused surprise in the US  another twist in a campaign full of them  the news of the trip has stirred outrage in Mexico. The anger with Trump there is widespread and noticeable.

By giving the appearance of accepting the Republican candidate's past statements, the Mexican president has opened himself to more criticism from his compatriots  only 23% of whom approve of his performance in office.

Alto riesgo: los Mexicanos no le perdonarian a @epn quedarse callado ante Trump. Tiene que exigir disculpa de @realDonaldTrump  JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) August 31, 2016

"High risk: Mexicans would not pardon [Enrique Pena Nieto] for remaining silent before Trump. [Pena Nieto] has to demand an apology from" Trump, influential Univision anchor Jorge Ramos said.

"Trump is saying that we will pay for his wall and we respond [by] receiving him with open arms. Really?!?" Wilson Center scholar Viridiana Rios added in a tweet.

"The biggest stupidity in the history of the Mexican presidency," Herzog Flores said. "There is no parallel to what was just announced."

If the tensions that have built between Mexico and Trump surface in the meeting, it probably won't be immediately apparent. Pena Nieto and Trump are slated to meet early Wednesday afternoon at Los Pinos, the Mexican president's official residence in Mexico City. The two leaders will issue statements after the meeting, but neither plans to take questions, according to The Wall Street Journal.

NOW WATCH: The difference in GOP rhetoric from this 1980 debate is astounding





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The protracted battle to have Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom face video piracy charges in the United States broke new ground on Wednesday with live-streaming of his appeal against extradition.

Dotcom won approval to live-stream his bid to avoid leaving New Zealand after successfully arguing that global interest required more than standard brief television clips.

The case, in the Auckland High Court, is expected to last six to eight weeks and while the verdict in at least one previous New Zealand trial has been broadcast live, this is the first time a hearing has been live-streamed in full.

"Show me a short video or picture of how you are watching the live stream right now. Here's mine," Dotcom tweeted during the lunch adjournment with a photo of himself watching his lawyers on TV.

Judge Murray Gilbert ruled the case could only be streamed with a 20-minute delay, to allow the court time to prevent any restricted material from being published, and all footage was to be removed from the internet when the hearing ends.

Dotcom, a German national with permanent residency in New Zealand, faces decades in jail if convicted in the United States of piracy, which US authorities say cost copyright owners hundreds of millions of dollars.

He was first arrested nearly five years ago during a police raid on his mansion near Auckland after the FBI shut down Megaupload's servers.

After several legal battles, a court ruled in December last year there was "overwhelming" evidence to support extradition of the 42-year-old and three other Megaupload founders.

However, the case could rumble on for several more years with Dotcom vowing to continue legal challenges if he loses this appeal.

The prosecution has argued that Megaupload wilfully breached copyright by hosting illegally created movie, music and software files.

Dotcom claimed Megaupload was a genuine file-sharing site that did its best to police copyright infringement but had 50 million daily users and could not control every aspect of their activity.

Dotcom has denied any wrongdoing and accused US authorities of pursuing a vendetta against him on behalf of politically influential Hollywood studios.

The FBI alleges Megaupload netted more than US$175 million in criminal proceeds and cost copyright owners more than US$500 million by offering pirated content.
A duo of gorgeous Canadian gals documented their $20,000 worldwide cruise like any 20-something would.

But authorities in Australia say Isabelle Lagace, 28, and Melina Roberce, 22, had more in their luggage than string bikinis.

They also allegedly had $23 million worth of cocaine  the most ever seized from cruise or airline passengers.

Coconut water detox  A photo posted by @melinar___ on Aug 18, 2016 at 7:33pm PDT

Along with Andre Tamine, 63, the women  all Canadian nationals  were arrested and charged Sunday with attempting to smuggle 200 pounds of the drug into Australia as part of a major international drug syndicate.

Read: The Ridiculous Ways People Have Tried to Smuggle Stuff Past the TSA

But before they were hauled off to jail, these women had the time of their lives.

That is, if the trail of Instagram posts from exotic locales that span the continents are any indication.

French Polynesia got us like ...  #dumbanddumber A photo posted by @melinar___ on Aug 17, 2016 at 8:07pm PDT

Let's do it again ...  #london A photo posted by @melinar___ on Jul 8, 2016 at 1:54pm PDT

From Southhampton in the U.K. to Sydney, Lagace and Roberce appear on Roberce's colorful Instagram feed posing in Times Square, wearing bikinis on beaches in countries down the coast of South America, and getting tattoos in Tahiti aboard the MS Sea Princess.

The world cruise likely cost the girls about $20,000.

The many glamorous stops actually may have contributed to suspicion of the women, officials said.

"Sydney is highly attractive for cruise ships... so we're continually risk assessing the cruise ships and the passengers that come by air. This particular cruise ship  because of the nature and the amount of ports it had been to  was considered quite high risk in itself," Australian Border Force Commander Tim Fitzgerald told reporters Monday.

Story continues

 #peru2k16 A photo posted by @melinar___ on Aug 5, 2016 at 1:15pm PDT

And the sheer bulk of cocaine allegedly seized in locked luggage from Tamine and the women makes authorities suspect this was more than just a three-person job.

Read: Flight Attendant Flees After TSA Finds 60 Pounds of Cocaine in Her Carry-On Bags: Cops

"I can't go into specifics about the background of this particular syndicate, but you have to be a very organized to get your hands on 95 kilograms of cocaine," Fitzgerald said.

The maximum penalty for this offense is life in prison.

Gone to a place very peaceful  leave a message after the tone  A photo posted by @melinar___ on Jul 24, 2016 at 7:45am PDT

In a statement, the Australian Border Force said they have not ruled out the possibility of additional arrests. They also called the historic bust a warning for drug pushers around the world.

"These syndicates should be on notice that the Australian Border Force is aware of all of the different ways they attempt to smuggle drugs into our country and we are working with a range of international agencies to stop them," ABF Assistant Commissioner Clive Murray said in a statement.

Watch: $900 Million Worth of Meth Found Hidden Inside Thousands of Bras

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Paris (AFP) - Five employee representatives on EDF's board have filed a lawsuit to overturn the French power company's controversial decision to build nuclear reactors in Britain at Hinkley Point.

The employee representatives believe that EDF's chief executive "did not communicate crucial information about a major project" he was aware of before the July 28 meeting at which the board of directors approved the 18 billion project ($23.6 billion, 21.2 billion euro) plan to build Britain's first new nuclear reactors in decades, their law firm said Wednesday.

The lawsuit also protests against the participation of several directors "with conflicts of interests", said the law firm Alain Levy, adding that a date for a hearing should be set on September 5.

The lawsuit by the employee representatives follows legal efforts by several of EDF's unions to block and then overturn the approval of the project, which they consider a huge financial risk to the heavily indebted company.

That case is expected to go before a judge on September 22.

State-owned EDF's board of directors approved its participation in Hinkley Point on July 28, only for Britain's new government under Prime Minister Theresa May to announce several hours later that it wanted to review the project and would make a decision in several months.

In letter to the company's executives, EDF chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy acknowledged he had learned the day before that May "was asking for a little more time, without reassessing the project, without giving the date when it could be signed".

However the unions said that at the board meeting that "the British desire to proceed very quickly was again presented as a reason to quickly sign" the deal.

Levy has denied lying to board members, saying he was not aware that the British government would in fact announce hours later a review of the project.

The French government has been keen to get Hinkley Point approved as it sees the project as crucial for the long-term viability of France's nuclear industry, which employs 220,000 people.

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Previous British governments have also been in favour because the reactors would cover up to seven percent of Britain's electricity needs while helping the government meet its CO2 emissions targets.

But British support is not unanimous, and criticism focuses on the growing difference between an electricity price guarantee for EDF, subsidised by the British taxpayer, and current falling energy prices.

There have also been national security concerns about Chinese involvement in the project -- Beijing has a one-third stake in the plan.
Cairo (AFP) - The Egyptian parliament on Tuesday adopted a law on regulating the construction of churches, despite opposition by some members of the Christian community which complains of discrimination.

Egypt's Copts, the Middle East's largest Christian minority, have long struggled to obtain official permission to build places of worship.

They find it especially difficult to erect churches south of Cairo, where even the rumour of Christians building one can spark mob violence.

"The parliament adopted the bill presented by the government for the construction and restoration of churches by a two-thirds majority," the parliament's website reported.

The new law stipulates that provincial governors will be authorised to issue permits to build churches and that they must respond within four months to each application, lawmakers told AFP.

In the case of refusal, the community may appeal the decision to the administrative court.

The construction of churches in Egypt is still governed by a ministerial decree dating back to 1934.

Ishak Ibrahim, a researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, criticised the lack of transparency in the debates that preceded the adoption of the new law.

"The law was decided by the authorities and a limited number of clergy. Of course they do not represent all Christians," said Ibrahim.

"Members of parliament were not given a chance to propose amendments for some items, with their requests being ignored with the excuse that it is to reach consensus."

He also noted the absence of a unified places of worship law that would govern both the construction of churches and mosques, noting that legislation concerning the mosques is more lenient.

Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 90 million, have faced persecution and discrimination that spiked during the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled by a popular uprising in 2011.

Dozens have been killed in recent years in sectarian attacks and clashes throughout Egypt.

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There are about 2,869 churches in Egypt.

In rural and poor areas, the faithful who are deprived of churches are often forced to pray in their homes and are sometimes attacked by Muslim neighbours.

Authorities often refuse to issue building permits for churches on the grounds that doing so would disturb the peace with their Muslim neighbours.
Madrid (AFP) - Spanish MPs on Wednesday rejected acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's bid for a second term, deepening the country's political crisis and triggering a countdown to a third election in a year.

Rajoy, the leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), lost the vote of confidence with 189 votes against and 170 in favour after an often acrimonious debate in parliament.

He needed an absolute majority of 176 seats in the 350-seat assembly but was backed only by his own party, the centrist Ciudadanos and a lone MP from the Canary Islands.

The PP, in power since 2011, won the most seats in elections held in December and June but fell short of an absolute majority both times as voters angry over corruption and austerity flocked to new formations.

Another confidence vote will be held on Friday in which Rajoy only needs more votes in favour than against but there is little to indicate he will win that one either.

The Socialists, who came second in the polls, have steadfastly refused to back Rajoy. Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez told the assembly Rajoy "has no credibility".

If there is no breakthrough two months after Wednesday's parliamentary ballot, vote-weary Spaniards will be asked to return to the polls on December 25 -- the date determined by timings laid out in Spanish election law.

But the Socialists and other parties have already proposed shortening the campaign so a repeat election could be held on December 18, in a sign that fresh polls are looming.

"Given the parties' entrenched positions, a third round of elections" is now the most likely scenario, said Antonio Barroso, a Spanish political analyst at Teneo Intelligence, a think tank in London.

- 'Damage to democracy' -

Rajoy accused the Socialists of "stubbornly wanting new elections" and warned the political deadlock risks jeopardising Spain's economy and even raises questions about democracy.

"It is hard to think of anything that could cause more damage to Spanish democracy than telling citizens that their vote has been useless on two occasions and that a general election needs to be held for a third time," he said.

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Spain suffered a painful economic slump when a housing bubble burst in 2008 but has bounced back to become of the eurozone's most dynamic economies, growing for 12 straight quarters.

But the political stalemate has begun to show signs of taking its toll on the economy.

Although Rajoy remains in office as acting prime minister, he has no power to propose legislation or spend on new infrastructure projects such as roads and railways.

Spain's public works ministry and the state companies it oversees spent 20 percent less on contracts in the first six months of this year than they did in 2015.

The lack of a fully-functioning government has also delayed the drafting of a 2017 budget, which needs to be approved by mid-October to comply with European Union rules.

- Voter frustration -

And weary voters are growing increasingly frustrated with politicians and their inability to compromise to form a government.

"They are have no shame, they only look after their own good, not the good of the country," said Jesus Ruiz, a 48-year-old builder as he repaired a fountain near the 17th century palace in Madrid that houses the foreign ministry.

One factor that could change the political calculus is the result of regional elections in the Basque Country on September 25.

The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), which has five seats, could support Rajoy nationally if it needs the backing of the PP to govern in the Basque Country following the regional polls.

The PNV has backed minority PP governments in the past but Rajoy angered the party during a debate in parliament by focusing on the defence of Spanish unity.

"You did not make a minimal effort to win our support," Aitor Esteban, a party MP told Rajoy in parliament.
EMC Corp. EMC and Dell Inc. yesterday announced that the impending merger of the two entities will finally close on Sep 7, 2016.

The decision follows regulatory approval from Chinas Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), which was the last hurdle before the closure of the deal.

The new company, named Dell Technologies, will commence operations immediately after the transaction closes. Michael Dell will take over the roles of chairman and CEO at Dell Technologies. As he puts it This is an historic moment for both Dell and EMC. Combined, we will be exceptionally well-positioned for growth in the most strategic areas of next generation IT including digital transformation, software-defined data center, converged infrastructure, hybrid cloud, mobile and security.

In Oct 2015, Dell had announced plans to take over EMC in a record $67 billion cash and stock deal. Per the terms of the deal, EMC shareholders will receive $24.05 per share in cash along with tracking stock related to a portion of EMCs economic interest in VMware, Inc. VMW. Based on EMCs estimated outstanding shares at the close of transaction, stockholders are likely to get 0.111 shares of new tracking stock for each EMC share.

Following the merger on Sep 7, EMC will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, while the new tracking stock will start trading on the same day with the ticker DVMT.

This deal is a positive for EMC investors as its core data storage business has been struggling for a while due to growing competition from flash storage peers such as Nimble Storage, Inc. NMBL, SanDisk Corp, Western Digital Corp WDC and others.

As a result of the buoyed investor sentiments, EMC shares were up 1.12% in yesterdays trading session.

At present, EMC is a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) stock.

EMC CORP -MASS Price and Consensus

EMC CORP -MASS Price and Consensus | EMC CORP -MASS Quote

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Bursting into song has always been a real dream of mine, Emma Stone told an SRO press conference at the Venice Film Festival this afternoon. The La La Land star and her director, Damien Chazelle, greeted reporters following a triumphant early-morning press screening of the musical love letter to classic Hollywood, the city of Los Angeles, dreams and dreamers.

Dreams  and hopefulness  were a big topic of discussion. Whiplash helmer Chazelle, who came to Italy a week early to soak up some local culture, said, Now more than ever we need hope and romance on the screen. Theres something about musicals that only movies can do. They are, he said, movies as dreamland where emotion can violate the rules of reality.

The film, which drew applause during and after this morning and has Oscar already buzzing, recounts the ups-and-downs of the relationship between Ryan Goslings Sebastian, an aspiring jazz pianist who meets Stones character Mia, an aspiring actress working as a barista on the Warner Bros lot. (Gosling is not in town as hes on the set of the Blade Runner sequel in Hungary.)

When asked what she hoped young people would take away from the film, Stone referenced the words of Conan OBrien when he left The Tonight Show. The largely Italian press corps didnt exactly clock that so she explained that he had said cynicism was the ugliest quality to him This movie is in no way cynical. Its about dreaming and hoping and working towards something to achieve something. I think young people have fallen into a lot of cynicism and making fun of things and pointing out the flaws in everything and this movie is anything but that. So its a huge joy to be able to show it to young people. This is what I hope young people will do is work hard to achieve their dreams, and hope instead of being cynical.

Los Angeles also plays a major role in the film and part of the goal was to see if it was possible to reconcile the things you hate and love about the town, Chazelle explained. He and cinematographer Linus Sandgren wanted to try to capture what L.A. feels like the first time you see it. It doesnt feel like a real place Theres something poetic about a city built on people with unrealistic dreams.

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Producer Marc Platt, whos no stranger to musicals  Nine, Into The Woods, Wicked  said this experience was different. It comes down to the storyteller To work with a young filmmaker who takes such passion and meticulousness and love of film, which you can feel in every frame of the film, and the joy in his work was the real distinctive characteristic of my experience.

Related stories

Denis Villeneuve Talks 'Arrival', Taking A Vacation From Darkness & Building Bridges, Not Walls - Venice Q&A

Venice: 'La La Land' Dazzles Lido As Film Festival Kicks Off With A Twirl

'La La Land' Venice Review: A Gorgeous Musical Romance For This Age - And The Ages
(MEXICO CITY) Standing alongside the president of Mexico, a measured Donald Trump on Wednesday defended the right of the United States to build a massive border wall along its southern flank, but he declined to repeat his frequent promise to force Mexico to pay for it.

Trump, the U.S. presidential candidate who is widely despised across Mexico, also sidestepped his repeated criticism of Mexican immigrants following a closed-door meeting at the official residence of the countrys president, Enrique Pena Nieto. Trump and Pena Nieto, who has compared the New York billionaire to Adolf Hitler, addressed reporters from adjacent podiums flanked by a Mexican flag.

We did discus the wall. We didnt discuss payment of the wall, Trump said.

In his announcement of his presidential candidacy last year, Trump derided Mexico as a source of rapists and criminals coming to the U.S., and his presence on Wednesday sparked anger and protests across the capital city. A former Mexican president bluntly told the celebrity businessman that, despite Pena Nietos hospitality, he was not welcome.

We dont like him. We dont want him. We reject his visit, former President Vicente Fox told CNN, calling the trip a political stunt.

Pena Nieto was less combative as he addressed reporters alongside Trump. He acknowledged the two men had differences, but he described their conversation as open and constructive. They shook hands as the session ended.

The trip, a politically risky move for Trump 10 weeks before Americas presidential Election Day, came just hours before the Republican nominee was to deliver a highly anticipated speech in Arizona about illegal immigration. That has been a defining issue of Trumps presidential campaign, but also one on which hes appeared to waver in recent days.

After saying during his Republican primary campaign he would use a deportation force to expel all of the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally, Trump suggested last week he could soften that stance. But he still says he plans to build a huge wall  paid for by Mexico  along the two nations border. He is under pressure to clarify just where he stands in a speech thats been rescheduled several times as he and his staff has sent varied and conflicting messages on the issue.

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The American people are going to see more clearly that theres one candidate in this race whos prepared to take the steps necessary to end the flood of illegal immigration, Trumps running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, said Wednesday on CNN.

Trump will also make clear, Pence later told CBS, that there will be no path to legalization, no path to citizenship. People will need to leave the country to be able to obtain legal status or obtain citizenship.

The buildup to the speech was abruptly interrupted Tuesday night by the news that Trump would visit Mexico, accepting on short notice an invitation offered last week by Pena Nieto. The newspaper El Universal wrote in an editorial that Trump caught Mexican diplomats off guard.

Campaigning in Ohio earlier in the day, Democrat Hillary Clinton jabbed at Trumps Mexican appearance as she promoted her own experience working with foreign leaders as the nations chief diplomat.

People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you wont say one thing one day and something totally different the next, she told the American Legion in Cincinnati. And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again.

He has promised, if elected, to deport millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally, force Mexico to build a wall to secure the nearly 2,000-mile border and renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement to make it more favorable to the United States.

Pena Nieto made his invitation to both Trump and Clinton, who met with him in Mexico in 2014. The inclusion of Trump puzzled many in Mexico, who said it wasnt clear why their own unpopular president would agree to meet with someone so widely disliked in his country.

Mexico City-based security analyst Alejandro Hope suggested that Pena Nieto wanted to invite Hillary, but that meant inviting both of them, and nobody thought Trump would accept first.

Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trumps immigration policies, particularly the Republicans plans to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it. In a March interview, he said that there is no scenario under which Mexico would do so and compared Trumps language to that of dictators Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Trump responded to Vicente Foxs criticism on Twitter earlier in the day, saying the former president had, like Pena Nieto, invited him to come. Fox shot back with a tweet of his own, saying he had invited Trump to come and apologize to all Mexicans. Stop lying! Mexico is not yours to play with, show some respect.
MEXICO CITY  Ive never met Enrique Pena Nieto, but if I were the Mexican president, Id want to tell Donald Trump a few things about the economic relationship between my country and the United States at our meeting on Wednesday. Id be hoping to lessen the damage a Trump presidency might do to the Mexican economy. And if Trump deigned to listen, I think he might just see things my way.

Mexicos economy has been growing at less than 3 percent per year since 2013. Thats a low rate for a middle-income country, and the governments debt has been rising steadily in the meantime. The pesos value in dollars has plummeted by almost half since 2008, while wages have risen by only about 40 percent in the same period. As a result, imports are much more expensive for Mexicans than they used to be. For many, living standards feel like theyre stagnant or even falling.

Id tell Trump to consider how his policies might affect both the Mexican and U.S. economies. He has proposed tearing up the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which would make Mexican exports more expensive to Americans and also hamper U.S. companies trying to do business in Mexico. Naturally, American consumers and businesses would look elsewhere for imported goods and services  which would be a huge blow to the Mexican economy, as 81 percent of its exports go to the United States. And if American companies started closing their factories and service operations in Mexico, the wound would go even deeper.

Trump has repeatedly said hed use extortion to force Mexico to pay for his wall along the southern border of the United States, by blocking remittances to Mexico until the government coughed up the money. This probably wouldnt work, since remittances could still be sent via third countries or using informal services. An obvious alternative is to use the proceeds of his proposed tax on imports from Mexico, but, as any first-year economics student can tell you, the burden of such a tax would usually be shared between buyers and sellers. Americans would suffer if they couldnt find the goods and services they would have bought from Mexico elsewhere at the same prices. But its virtually certain that such a tax would damage the Mexican economy even more.

These are two big reasons  over and above all the racist rhetoric, which Ill try not to dwell on  why Mexicans fear a Trump presidency. The irony is that these same policies would threaten two of Trumps other campaign promises: stopping undocumented migrants from entering the United States from Mexico and getting tougher on crime.

What happens when the Mexican economy tanks? As in any other economy, unemployment and poverty begin to rise. Naturally, again, Mexican workers would look for opportunities abroad. In recent years, flows of undocumented migrants across the border to the United States have corresponded closely with the differences in the strength of the two economies, particularly in the industries where migrants tend to work.

And since even Trump cant build a wall overnight, the erosion of the labor market in Mexico would probably lead hundreds of thousands more Mexicans to make the arduous trip north. In fact, the threat alone of the walls construction would likely result in a massive exodus from Mexico by people hoping to cross the border beforehand; years of migration might be squeezed into a much shorter period. At the beginning of a Trump presidency, undocumented migration would spike, not decline.

Security would also be put at risk by a struggling Mexican economy. The one export that would be neither affected by the dissolution of NAFTA nor taxed is illegal drugs. Mexicans who can no longer find jobs in other industries might take jobs in the drug trade just to make ends meet. And if the importance of the drug trade grows in the Mexican economy, so will the corruption and violence that have tended to spill across the border  wall or no wall.

Now, the coincidence of a massive inflow of Mexican migrants and an uptick in crime might fit Trumps rhetorical and political purposes, but it would do no favors for either of our economies in the short term. Keeping campaign promises is one thing, but is this really how he wants to start  and perhaps end  his presidency?

Full disclosure: Daniel Altman is the treasurer of Our Shared Future PAC, an independent expenditure committee not affiliated with any candidate, political party, or other organization.

Photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Have you ever wanted to drive Erlich Bachman's car? You know, the Aviato-branded one that T.J. Miller's braggadocio character drives in Silicon Valley? Well now you can.

For only $49 dollars a day, anyone can rent the 2006 Ford Escape seen in the HBO comedy thanks to peer-to-peer car-sharing service Turo (think: Airbnb for cars.) The crossover SUV is currently located in San Francisco but will soon make its way around the country so that fans of the Emmy-nominated series in other states can also have an opportunity to get behind the wheel.

According to Turo's website, the owner of the vehicle is listed as Erlich B., and his profile describes him as a "conqueror" of app incubation, social media aggregation and casual same-sex dating who works at Bachmanity Capital and lives in Palo Alto, Calif. The tech entrepreneur also penned an elaborate description of his car for the site (OK fine, it was the Silicon Valley writers - but still.)

"Seize your golden opportunity to rent the most iconic car Silicon Valley has to offer. This vehicle has accommodated the most brilliant minds and butts of Silicon Valley's greatest visionaries. And now - if you're smart - yours," reads the description. "The question is not whether you should rent this car, but rather: Are you prepared for it to take you on the vision quest of your dreams?"

Highlighted amenities include a GPS system that will "make you feel like a god among men" and leather seats that "cradle your buttocks like the firm grasp of a loving mother."

But wait, there's more: "The sleek, sexy-as-sin Ford Escape is swathed in branding from the legendary startup Aviato. Perhaps you've heard of it?" Aviato, of course, is Erlich's first company, a startup he built and sold to Frontier Airlines before Pied Piper came along. Speaking in third person, he sums it up: "Bachman has generously agreed to release the beast from the driveway of his game-changing incubator, and let the masses experience the incomparable luxury and pure-adrenaline thrill that is driving a car emblazoned with the word 'Aviato.'"

There's just one small stipulation: Absolutely no smoking is allowed in the vehicle or you'll get hit with a $250 fine. The ban even includes marijuana, which begs the question: Is this really Erlich Bachman's car after all?
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - The chief executive of South Africa's state-run power utility Eskom said on Wednesday he did not think a public row with the Treasury over an investigation into coal contracts would negatively influence the company's credit ratings. Brian Molefe was speaking to reporters after he told a parliamentary briefing that there was nothing untoward about Eskom's business relations with a company linked to the wealthy Gupta family that is accused of holding undue political sway over President Jacob Zuma. The Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown said on Tuesday she was concerned the row between the Treasury and Eskom could lead to the utility being downgraded by credit rating agencies. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by Ed stoddard; Editing by James Macharia)
Peace talks between Myanmar's government and warring ethnic minorities kicked off Wednesday in a bid to end decades of conflict that have claimed thousands of lives and kept the country mired in poverty.

A sea of colour filled the vast conference hall in the capital Naypyidaw as delegations from Myanmar's myriad ethnic groups mingled with stony-faced military officers decked out in full regalia.

The summit is veteran democracy activist Suu Kyi's much-trumpeted effort to reshape Myanmar as a federal democracy following decades of oppressive military rule.

The Nobel laureate has made bridging the ethnic fault lines that have fractured the nation since its mid-century independence a priority of her new government, which took power in March.

"So long as we are unable to achieve national reconciliation and national unity, we will never be able to establish a sustainable and durable peaceful union," she told delegates.

"Only if we are all united will our country be at peace. Only if our country is at peace will we be able to stand on an equal footing with the other countries in our region and across the world."

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is attending the talks, described the gathering as a "historic" moment for the country following its transition towards democracy.

"The long civil war has cost numerous lives and robbed successive generations of their dignity, tranquillity and normalcy," he said during a speech to delegates.

"It is now clear that there can be no military solution to your differences."

Few expect a concrete deal to emerge from the five-day talks, which are seen as the start of a peace process that could take years.

Seventeen rebel groups have joined the talks in the capital, but others have not laid down their arms and some remain locked in combat with the military.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini urged negotiators to seek a "new path towards sustainable peace, equitable development and the wider consolidation of the democratic reform process".

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The US also backed the talks, calling it an "important process towards a lasting peace" in a statement from its Yangon embassy.

- 'Tragic drift' -

Any hope of a nationwide ceasefire has been snuffed out by fresh flare-ups of violence in some northern states ahead of the summit.

Khua Uk Lian of the Chin National Front, which has its own ceasefire with the military, said he was optimistic but warned fighting would be hard to stop on the ground.

"You have local commanders fighting about local problems," he told AFP. "It's been like this since we have been fighting."

Communities in the conflict zones live in stark poverty despite the rich jade, tin and teak wood forests that dot their lands and lie at the heart of many of the battles.

Bringing peace could rejuvenate economies in the war-ravaged regions, and open up investment to foreign powers who are keen to scoop up its vast resources.

But distrust of the Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar military is known, runs deep among minorities after decades of oppression, marked by torture, rape and mass killings.

Negotiators from Suu Kyi's government have said privately they are hamstrung by working with the army, which still controls borders, defence and a quarter of parliament seats.

Commander in chief Min Aung Hlaing urged ethnic groups to join the ceasefire the previous military-backed government signed with eight groups last year.

"We need to end this tragic drift," he told the conference, according to an English transcript.

But he also warned against drawn out peace talks.

"If the peace process takes longer than the appropriate time, there may be more outside instigations, interferences and manipulations disturbing the process," he said.

Wednesday's meeting comes almost 70 years after Suu Kyi's father, independence hero Aung San, signed a landmark agreement to devolve powers to some ethnic groups after independence.

The deal collapsed after he was assassinated, before Myanmar broke from Britain in 1948, triggering the civil wars that have rumbled across the country's borders ever since.

Suu Kyi has dubbed her summit the '21st Century Panglong' in reference to the agreement brokered by her father, who remains a deeply revered figure.
Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's head of state Ali Bongo came under pressure from his ruling party and the international community Wednesday to deliver a fair result in a tight and increasingly tense presidential election race.

Bongo, running for a second term after his father held onto power for four decades, is a mere 5,000-odd votes ahead of his rival, Jean Ping, according to a vote count disputed by the opposition.

But as Gabon awaited the results -- initially expected Tuesday -- the ruling party's number two broke ranks, calling for "fundamentally credible results" in order to maintain peace, "the most precious acquisition of the last decades."

"The PDG (Gabonese Democratic Party) supports the position of its candidate Ali Bongo while remaining focused on keeping the peace," Austin Boukoubi said.

Many in the oil-rich nation fear a repeat of violence that followed the 2009 election after Saturday's vote that both Bongo and Ping claimed to have won.

Official results are expected to be announced later Wednesday after a meeting of the Cenap electoral commission.

But Ping's supporters have cried foul ahead of the results being made public, while EU observers, who were barred from Wednesday's Cenap meeting, had said the vote was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

"The European Union repeats the call made by the head of its observer mission that results should be published for each polling booth," a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Since late Tuesday, the commission has fiercely debated a disputed vote result in one of the country's nine provinces -- the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

- 'Ensure transparency, impartiality' -

A report claimed Bongo had won 95.5 percent of votes in the province, with turnout there at 99.9 percent.

Should the report's findings be accepted as official, the incumbent would be able to claim 49.9 percent of votes nationwide, narrowly defeating Ping's 48.2 percent.

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In other words, Bongo would win by a tiny margin of just 5,594 votes.

Just under 628,000 people were registered to vote in the oil-rich Central African nation, home to 1.8 million people.

"They need to ensure transparency and impartiality in publishing the results, which we are waiting for," said a spokesman for the French foreign ministry on Wednesday.

"Only in this way can the credibility of the results be guaranteed," the ministry added.

Gabon is a former French colony that exports oil and tropical hardwoods.

Bongo, 57, took over on the death of his father, Omar, and went on to win the 2009 election that was marred by post-election violence and the torching of the French consulate in the oil capital, Port Gentil.

On Tuesday afternoon anti-riot police took position around the capital Libreville and later established checkpoints in various parts of the capital, blocking access to the presidential palace.

Light armoured vehicles also began to patrol along the Atlantic coast.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission vowed to fight for a recount, should the figures in the report be validated.

But Cenap chief Rene Aboghe Ella has rejected calls by the EU observers for each polling station to publish its results.
By Foo Yun Chee and Padraic Halpin

BRUSSELS/DUBLIN (Reuters) - The European Commission ordered Apple Inc (AAPL.O) to pay Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros (11.08 billion pounds) on Tuesday as it ruled the firm had received illegal state aid.

Apple and Dublin said the U.S. company's tax treatment was in line with Irish and European Union law and they would appeal the ruling, which is part of a drive against what the EU says are sweetheart tax deals that usually smaller states in the bloc offer multinational companies to lure jobs and investment.

The U.S. feels its firms are being targeted by the EU and a U.S. Treasury spokesperson warned the move threatens to undermine U.S. investment in Europe and "the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU."

Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch state, while Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) are also under investigation by the Commission, the EU's executive arm.

Apple's stock fell less than 1 percent.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager questioned how anyone might think an arrangement that allowed Apple to pay a tax rate of 0.005 percent, as Apple's main Irish unit did in 2014, was fair.

"Tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades, in breach of the EU state aid rules. Apple now has to repay the benefits," Vestager told a news conference.

Analysts said the size of the claim underlined the Commission's aggressive stance, but since each case involves different circumstances and tax rules, lawyers said it was hard to see if further big claims were any more or less likely.

Apple, which had more than $200 billion (152.91 billion pounds) in cash and readily marketable securities at the end of June, is likely to see the case drag out for years in EU and possibly Irish courts.

Apple warned investors in a July regulatory filing that the Commission's investigation could lead to "material" liability for further tax payments, but that it could not estimate the impact. On Tuesday the company said it expects to place "some amount of cash" in an escrow account.

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Tax experts say the European Commission faces a tough battle to convince courts to back up its stand. While the EU has found that certain tax regulations are anti-competitive, it has never before ruled whether countries have applied tax regulations fairly in the way it has with Apple, Starbucks and others.

As a result, some lawyers and accountants said they doubted Apple would end up paying back any tax.

I am not persuaded by the reasoning the EU has applied, said Tim Wach, global managing director at international tax advisers Taxand.

"ARTIFICIAL" ARRANGEMENT

The EU's ruling challenges the way that Ireland agreed to tax the profits of Irish-registered Apple subsidiaries, through which most of its non-U.S. profits flowed.

Apple Inc licences the rights to technology designed in the United States to Irish subsidiaries. These then hire contract manufacturers to make devices which they sell to Apple retail subsidiaries around Europe and Asia.

Since the manufacturing cost is a small portion of device sales prices and retail subsidiaries are allocated a small operating margin, Apple Ireland is very profitable. In 2011, it earned $22 billion after paying $2 billion to its U.S. parent in relation to the rights to Apple intellectual property.

However, the Irish tax authority agreed only 50 million euros of this was taxable in Ireland, the European Commission said. Under the terms of Apples tax deal, first agreed in 1991 and renewed in 2007, Apple could allocate most of the profits earned by its Irish operating units to a "head office" that did not have any employees or own any premises.

This 'head office' had no operating capacity to handle and manage the distribution business, or any other substantive business for that matter, the Commission said.

The Commission said this agreement had no basis in tax law and was not available to others, and so represented state aid.

Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he profoundly disagreed with the decision and in order to preserve Irelands attractiveness for investment he would appeal.

"There is no economic basis for this decision. It's bizarre and it's an exercise in politics by the Competition Commission," Noonan said.

"They don't have responsibility for taxes and they are opening a back door through state aid to influence tax policy in European countries when the European treaties say tax policy is a matter for sovereign governments," he added.

Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of the countrys economic policy for decades, drawing investors from multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 of the country's workers.

For many technology firms like Google and Facebook, a key attraction is that Ireland allows companies to adopt tax structures which see them pay much less than the 12.5 percent headline rate. The companies say they follow all tax rules.

Apple said it was confident of winning an appeal.

"The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process," CEO Tim Cook said in a letter to customers posted on Apple's website.

"A companys profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created," he added.

U.S. OPPOSITION

The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week in which it said it was looking at possible responses to what it sees as unfair targeting of its firms, which could include extra taxes on the U.S. arms of European companies.

The paper noted that the EU executive's tax rulings could cost the U.S. exchequer money.

Under U.S. tax law, Apple's Irish profits are taxable if brought back to the United States  something the company would have to do if it wanted to use the money to pay dividends.

But any tax paid in Europe is reduced from the tax due in the United States. The Treasury has said the Commissions approach was at odds with EU tax law and international treaties.

The Commission, which has also ruled European companies including carmaker Fiat and Swedish engineer Atlas Copco AB (ATCOa.ST) must pay tax claims worth over $350 million, said its application of competition law to tax rulings followed EU law and treated all companies equally.

Nonetheless, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg have already appealed EU rulings against their tax deals with multinationals.

Apple employs 5,500 people in areas such as logistics and distribution in the Irish city of Cork, which has about a quarter of Apple's Europe-based staff.

The Commission has previously said Apple's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations."

Apple has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country.

Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri decried the effective tax rate cited by Vestager as "a completely made-up number."

(Additional reporting by Conor Humphries in Dublin, Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels, Tom Bergin in London, Eric Auchard in Frankfurt and Julia Love in San Francisco; Writing by Tom Bergin/Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop, Alexander Smith and Bill Rigby)
Brussels (AFP) - One year since Germany controversially opened its arms to Syrians fleeing war, the EU has tightened the borders of Fortress Europe but remains deeply divided over how to share the refugee burden.

Angela Merkel justified her decision at the time by saying that the biggest migrant crisis since World War II did not reflect well on Europe, yet other countries furiously accused her of opening the floodgates.

Since last year when one million migrants entered the continent, the EU has successfully shut the main Balkans route, while a deal with Turkey has massively reduced numbers reaching the Greek islands.

However the blocs flagship scheme to share out refugees around the bloc has been an embarrassing failure  meeting just two percent of its target  while deaths in the Mediterranean have actually risen this year.

Yves Pascouau, director of migration at the European Policy Centre think-tank, told AFP that the idea of cutting migration routes, in terms of realpolitik, has worked effectively.

But the deal with post-coup-bid Turkey is fragile and we have still not succeeded in overcoming the divisions between member states on sharing out migrants and on reforming asylum rules.

- Fortress Europe -

Europes shame over the drownings last year  especially of young Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi in September  forced it into adopting tough steps in late 2015.

Despite reservations in eastern Europe in particular, they agreed on the relocation programme, the Turkey deal and measures to close the main route through the Balkans from Greece.

The stakes have been high as the inflows have threatened to bring down Europes cherished passport-free Schengen zone after member states reintroduced border controls.

They also helped spawn the rise of the far-right across the continent, exacerbated by a series of Islamic State attacks, and even played a major role in Britains shock vote to leave the EU.

This new consensus restored to the EU some capacity for common action, Stefan Lehne, a visting researcher at Carnegie Europe, told AFP.

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Since then the EU has agreed to set up a new border and coast guard force, launch talks with African countries to stop migrants and step up efforts to reduce the flow from Libya across the Mediterranean to Italy.

The result is that Europe is on track this year to admit a lower number of migrants. By the end of August 272,000 had crossed the Mediterranean in 2016, compared to 354,618 in the same period in 2015, when there was also a major late-year surge.

If the trend continues then it will be legitimate to say that Fortress Europe has become a reality, at least for a period of time, said Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the Brussels-based Migration Policy Institute Europe.

- Deeper problems -

But the EUs efforts may only be a superficial fix for a more fundamental malaise.

Drownings have actually gone up, with 3,165 in 2016 so far compared to 2,656 from January to August 2015.

The Libyan route is surging with 10,000 migrants rescued this week alone, while numbers are up in the Greek islands in recent days.

Lehne said he was unsure the bloc could withstand new migratory pressures from North Africa and Africa.

He added there has been little progress on the other dimensions of the problem, especially on the crucial question of burden sharing.

In fact solidarity in Europe over the migrant crisis remains a distant dream despite Merkels appeal  adding to the blocs disunity in the wake of Britains vote to leave.

Since forcing through last September a scheme to relocate 160,000 Syrian, Iraqi and Eritrean asylum seekers from frontline states Greece and Italy, EU countries have taken in just 4,500 people.

Germany is still taking the lions share with 361,743 asylum appeals this year, compared to just 27 in Slovakia, the country that currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

Hungary and Slovakia have taken their outright opposition to the refugee-sharing plan to the European Court of Justice, while other countries have dragged their feet on implementing it.

Hungarys populist leader Viktor Orban is holding a referendum October 2 over the EUs plan, in a sign of open defiance of Brussels.

~
Brussels (AFP) - Britain's political leaders should "get their act together" and tell the EU what they want from their divorce, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said in an interview with AFP.

Timmermans, the Dutch right-hand man to commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, said Brexit was an "existential issue" for the rest of the European Union but the bloc had "enormous possibilities" to thrive.

"I follow closely what is happening in the UK and the political discussions in the UK, and perhaps they should first get their act together and tell us what they really want out of this," Timmermans said.

"It's not the 27 other member states who asked the United Kingdom to leave, on the contrary they pleaded with the UK to stay," he added in the interview to mark Thursday's publication in French of "Fraternite", a book on Europe.

"The onus is on the country that decides to leave to tell us how they want to leave and I think that's the starting point of the discussion," said Timmermans, who was a key figure in negotiations with Britain before the referendum.

- 'Existential issue' -

British Prime Minister Theresa May held a special Brexit "brainstorm" cabinet meeting on Tuesday amid reports on major divisions on how to proceed, while May has said she will not trigger the two-year divorce process until next year.

Meanwhile the other 27 EU leaders will meet in Slovakia on September 16 to map out a way forward.

But Timmermans said the EU should not necessarily take a tough stance on Britain, as some leaders have suggested.

"The United Kingdom is not going anywhere, it's going to be geographically where it is now, the Channel is not going to get any broader," said Timmermans, referring to the stretch of water between France and England.

"So in that sense the UK will remain a European country even if it's not a member of the European Union and that should be the basis, I believe, for the negotiations."

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Timmermans however warns in his book of a possible failure of the European project.

"The argument that won the Brexit campaign is the one that said take back control... which is another way of saying we want to control our destinies again," he said in his interview.

"This is an existential issue for the whole of Europe not just for the UK because this sentiment is not limited to the United Kingdom."

- 'Enormous possibilities' -

He also criticised the "hyperbole" during the Brexit campaign -- now-foreign minister Boris Johnson compared the EU to Hitler -- and expressed concern about a rise in hate crime in Britain after the vote.

"It hurts me when people like me who defend Europe are accused of wanting to complete the project of Adolf Hitler," he said.

"I am sure Boris Johnson or Michael Gove or others didn't intend to create this dynamic in British society, but it was created during the campaign," he said.

Timmermans insisted though that there was cause for optimism in Europe.

"I still see enormous possibilities for Europe," he said, citing EU initiatives in the digital economy and energy single market.

On Europe's migration crisis, Timmermans cast doubt on Turkey's demands for visa-free travel by October in exchange for curbing the refugee flow to Greece under a deal with the EU.

"Turkey has to comply with the benchmarks and a deal is a deal. We've said if you comply with the benchmarks the commission will make a proposal to the parliament and the council. But we're not there yet," he said.
(Adds details on indictment, background on case)

By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - An ex-Air China Ltd employee was indicted on Wednesday for smuggling packages onto flights from New York to China on behalf of Chinese military personnel stationed at the country's U.N. mission, U.S. prosecutors said.

Ying Lin, 46, was also accused in an indictment filed in federal court in Brooklyn of obstructing justice by helping a Chinese national the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating to flee the country last year.

Prosecutors did not name the Chinese national, but his description matches that of Qin Fei of Beijing, who other court records show the FBI has suspected may be involved with Chinese intelligence.

Qin's link to Lin was revealed recently following the filing in court of the FBI's 2015 interview of Ng Lap Seng, a Macau billionaire accused of participating in a U.N. bribery and who was also linked to Lin.

Lawyers for Lin and Qin did not respond to requests for comment. Ng's lawyer declined comment. An Air China spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

Lin, a resident of the city's Queens borough, was previously arrested in August 2015 and charged for structuring financial transactions. She pleaded not guilty.

The new indictment alleged Lin, while working for Air China at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, helped smuggle packages onto flights from Chinese military officers at its U.N. mission and employees at China's consulate.

In return, Lin received discounted liquor from diplomatic duty-free shops and tax-exempt electronic device purchases, prosecutors said.

The obstruction charge stemmed from a warning the indictment said Lin gave to a Chinese national after FBI agents interviewed her two adult daughters in October 2015.

The indictment said Lin helped the individual, called her "Confederate," depart on an Air China flight for Beijing that Oct. 28.

While not named, the indictment said Lin was responsible for renovating and furnishing a Long Island residence the "Confederate" owned. Property records list Lin as an agent for Qin's $10 million Long Island mansion.

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In his FBI interview, Ng discussed Qin's mansion. He called Qin a consultant at Ng's company, Sun Kian Ip Group.

Prosecutors have accused Ng of giving John Ashe, who served as U.N. General Assembly from 2013 to 2014, over $500,000 in bribes to, among other things, support a U.N.-backed conference center in Macau his company would develop.

Ashe, a former U.N. ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda, died in June awaiting trial. Ng has pleaded not guilty.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Richard Chang, David Gregorio and Bernard Orr)
The recent releases of Neil Young's long-unavailable 1982 feature film Human Highway and the 1979 concert doc Rust Never Sleeps are just the beginning of a deep excavation into his film archives, according to longtime manager Elliot Roberts.

"Neil has a whole series of Shakey Films that we've done through the years," Roberts tells Billboard. "We haven't really had a chance to put a lot of them out. Either he tours or starts doing an album or moves on to the next one. But we have about six or seven full-length films that will be coming out over the course of the next two years. These are really the first two."

Among the offerings on the runway are Hal Ashby's film of Young's 1982-83 one-man Trans Tour, a Tim Pope chronicle of an early Young concert in England, and a full-scale rollout of 2003's Greendale, which has never been in wide release. And with vinyl reissues of four albums -- 1973's Time Fades Away, 1974's On The Beach and the 1975 albums Tonight's The Night and Zuma -- coming on Sept. 6, Roberts says Young has finally checked off on reissuing the oft-requested Time Fades Away, though no release date has been set, while Archives 2 is nearly completed and should surface in 2017.

"Neil had a lot of things that were important to us -- not because they sold well," Roberts notes. "I think of it as we're introducing him to a younger audience, a new audience. We know there's our core audience that's 50-70 or so. That's always been the case, and it's nice to actually have. But it's like discovering Dylan -- you may like EDM, but at some point in your life you'll be into Dylan and you'll get it, whether you're 23, 24, 21 or 26. Discovering Neil or discovering those catalogs, that material. It's still fun for Neil to create. He doesn't mind going back or going forward."

The release of 1982's trippy Human Highway -- directed by Young (aka Bernard Shakey) with pal Dean Stockwell, and co-written with starring players Stockwell, Russ Tamblyn, Dennis Hopper and Devo -- was particularly long in coming and a holy grail for many Young fans. Roberts says it was spurred by a request for it from last year's Toronto International Film Festival, which also gave Young some impetus to return to the project for some revisions. "The main thing I was waiting for was to get masters of them that were really great," Young told Billboard earlier this year. "And I had a lot to learn, especially with Human Highway. So after many years of looking at movies and thinking about it, I recut it and I think I added some things to it and made it a lot better than the original was, although it's still very much the original." Human Highway's environmental concerns, meanwhile, still echo today, if in a slightly different fashion than the film's focus on the risks of nuclear power proliferation.

"Neil's been an advocate for the environment, quietly or unquietly, all his life, really, from [Buffalo] Springfield on," says Roberts, who was also part of the film cast (and has appeared in Made In Heaven and Almost Famous). "This was actually an environmental film. At the time atomic energy was a big topic. This a political statement of that time on the state of where we were on atomic energy and where the world was, with worldwide disasters happening at atomic plants and yet we were going forward with this energy. It was (Young's) way of doing a comedy spoof about what was on his mind. They really were bent on making a point and entertaining. It was such broad comedy for Neil, who at the time wasn't known for his broad comedy. For Neil to sort of be Jerry Lewis, in a sense, was great fun for him."

After finishing a European summer tour with Promise of the Real, Young will be back in action on Sept. 17 at the Farm Aid concert in Bristow, Va. His fall schedule also includes appearances at Desert Trip on Oct. 8 and 15 in Indio, Calif., and hosting the annual Bridge School Benefit concerts Oct. 22-23 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif.
To Chigozie Obioma, there is more to writing fiction than crafting engaging characters and plots. Writers, he says, have an opportunity to assess and critique the world in which they live. The 2015 Global Thinkers debut novel, The Fishermen, is a domestic drama about sibling rivalry, but its also an allegory for Nigerias destructive colonial legacy. Taiye Selasi, though, finds value in literary stories that singularly explore interior landscapes, free of societal or political metaphor. To that end, her acclaimed 2013 novel, Ghana Must Go, delves into an immigrant family dealing with the death of its patriarch. Both authors are interested in the reasons intimate relationships can cease to function and in the complex forces that shape identity  well beyond the place where someone is born. Obioma and Selasi recently discussed the purpose they bring to writing, the responsibility readers have to novels, and whether the narrative of nationhood is the greatest story ever told.

Chigozie Obioma: Ive been saying that my novel, The Fishermen, was born out of what I like to call consummate nostalgia. I moved from Nigeria to Cypress in 2007 to go to school, and I was very shocked to see that although the country was, and still is, very much less developed than the West, it had the basic amenities that can make a country function  constant electricity, water, health care. It had all of these things that were lacking in Nigeria, which for very long has been one of the worlds leading oil producers. I became very disturbed by the reality of this small desert island thriving better than my own country. That, coupled with the fact that I had left home and this big family of 12 children, just made everything come together one day: the nostalgia of missing home and the intense and desperate craving to make sense of what I deem a failure.

Taiye Selasi: Right. Ive heard your novel described as an analogy of the dissolution, in a sense, of Nigeria as a consequence of its, lets say, colonial encounter, as well as a meditation on the coming apart of the family  as a love letter to your brothers and to brotherhood. Does one of those things take precedence in your mind over the other? Did those ideas bloom simultaneously?

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CO: I think they formed together. Ive always had this idea that a novel cannot function as just one thing. I hope to write one that functions in at least two dimensions: on the personal side and on the conceptual level. You can add a third layer, which would be the philosophical level. On the personal level, The Fishermen is, in fact, a family drama. Its essentially about this thriving family of four boys who have aspirations, just like most kids. Then, one day, they encounter this crazy guy who tells them: This is how you will be. But what drives me most is the fact that I dont believe we should tell a story just for the fact of telling a story. If I dont have anything that I feel is crucial or pressing to say, together with that story, I dont even attempt to tell it.

TS: That makes sense. I wouldnt say my novel, though, asks questions about immigrant families. Its asking questions only about one immigrant family. For better or worse, Ive staked a very different claim: to look very narrowly and very intimately at a specific set of human beings as individuals, and not as representations of a broader experience  say, the immigrant experience or the West African experience. Listening to you, though, I think: Is it that I actually believe that one can tell a story for a storys sake, rather than needing to have, in order to claim any meaning, a philosophical comment? In a sense, I think the answer is yes. Ive always been completely convinced by the storytelling itself, as well as the beauty of the language. Perhaps Im discovering right now that what moves me is something entirely different than what moves a more philosophical novelist.

CO: I think that we both have the same point, actually. My ideas about what a novel should do come from what my expectations are as a reader first, before those as a writer. When I watch movies, I generally dont look beyond what the actors are doing or saying. When I read books, I look beyond what is on the page. I always hope that whatever I write, even if its a short story about a woman who is fetching water at a well, we can look at it and apply it to something bigger so it can be a microcosm for the exploration of something deeper.

TS: Youre making the critical distinction between the ambition of the writer and the ambition of the reader. I confess that what moves me as a writer are not the only things that move me as a reader.

CO: Exactly. Yes!

TS: I would say reading brings me much more unadulterated joy than writing ever can, because reading is easy and delightful, and writing is delightful and hard. I was about halfway through your book before I realized I was resisting the idea that it was an analogy. I felt the need to defend its wholeness as a story not about brothers, but a story about these brothers. Then I thought: This is absurd. As a reader, you are insisting that a text do one thing, and thats not your place as a reader. Let the text do every damn thing that it can possibly do and luxuriate in the multiplicity of its effects and its aims, which is very different, of course, than what happens when were writing.

* * *

TS: When my family heard that Id written a novel about a family in which the father is a Ghanaian novelist, the mother is Nigerian and Scottish, and there were twins and theyd gone to Yale, I think everyone got quite anxious. Obviously my father is a Ghanaian surgeon; my mother is a Nigerian with some Scottish sprinkled in; and my twin sister went to Harvard Medical School, and we both went to Yale. But it was actually wonderful what happened when they read the novel in its entirety and what they realized. I hadnt wanted to do research, meaning I didnt want to sit there and Google street names in California when I could just as well use street names in Massachusetts. I didnt want to figure out what the names of the buildings are at Princeton when I know what the names of the buildings are at Yale, and so forth. I think it became clear to them, as it was always clear to me, that Id used these exterior details so as to free myself up to investigate interior landscapes. As soon as they could see that the insides of these characters did not match the insides of themselves, I think they bought my claim that this is not a novel about my family, even though in a sort of flagrant display of laziness, I took all of the superficial details from our lives and used them so that I could focus on other research.

CO: My answer to that is, if you went to an MFA program in America, which I did, theres this thing people say often when a writer is starting out  that, generally, we tend to write what we know. In the case of The Fishermen, you can see I wrote about Akure, where I grew up. The city is represented in the novel as I knew it. My brothers and sisters are in fact represented in the book, but its a fragment of each persons attributes, married into all of these characters in a way that they cant really recognize. I think what we do with fiction is taking up fragments of truth, of lived experience, and mashing them up into something that is unrecognizable to the person who actually has lived that experience.

TS: I love this phrase, write what you know. I once had the pleasure of speaking with a very great novelist who said, I think its inane to tell young writers: Write what you know, because you know nothing. That actually feels a bit closer to the truth. What Ive discovered through writing fiction, as distinct from writing nonfiction, is that the novelist writes because of what we dont know. Its what you said, Chigozie: I dont know why a desert island is better off in terms of infrastructure than my oil-producing nation, chock full as it is of brilliant people. We dont know. I dont know why so many of the fathers had left the families that I knew growing up. If I knew that, I probably wouldnt have been compelled to enter the mind of Kweku Sai [the patriarch in Ghana Must Go]. I would argue that even though, yes, of course, we are writing what we know in terms of the way the town works, the way the houses look, the way the food tastes, and the way the flowers smell, whats actually compelling us to soldier on in our quest is an answer to the questions that we cant answer, the knowledge that we dont already have.

CO: That is true. I would add that I dont think that knowledge can be absolute. The moment you think youve understood something to the letter, youre finished. Life is, in itself, a constant quest to understand any kind of phenomenon at all. Sometimes a writer may have assumed, or stands in the illusion that they know something, and then they want to understand it more, or even pose the question, open-endedly, to their readers, so they write something about it.

* * *

TS: I think if you grow up physically alienated from your parents countries, and kind of at the same time culturally alienated from what is presumed to be yours, then you end up with a question. Ive probably been asked, Where are you from? at least once a week for my entire life. Theres just no way that it wasnt going to figure prominently in my thinking. So as an author also of nonfiction  because most of my thinking on this doesnt come from the part of my brain that generates prose  I think nation is one of the greatest stories ever told: The mythology of the country and the fantasy of the unified state are wildly successful acts of narrative. Whats interesting to me is how the nation functions at the levels that you describe the novel functioning: the personal, the conceptual, the philosophical, and then theres what I think is the most pressing and perhaps most tragic level, which is the physical. Because the nation kills, right? Many people die in the name of this story. Ive always wondered: Is this giving us more harm than good, or does the good that it does somehow justify the harm?

CO: Having grown up in a small town in Nigeria, I relate more to having that sense of ownership towards a particular province, provenance. Im Igbo, and I grew up in a Yoruba-speaking place; I started speaking the language of other people before that of my own. My dad had to put an embargo on speaking Yoruba so that we could learn Igbo. I do believe, especially in Africa, that the nation-state as a Western concept is a problem. We need tribe nations that can form organic nations on their own, and then if they want to merge into orders and form actual states, they can do that. I believe that one of the problems we have in Nigeria is the foundation itself. Take the Igbo people, for example, who make a big chunk of Nigeria  40 million people. They had a sophisticated civilization that was uniquely African. And the Igbos were egalitarian. Then the British came and told us: Your ways are barbaric. Your systems are rubbish. You guys are inferior. Adopt. This is how you should be. I am an advocate for at least rethinking that Western idea, and then form something that is uniquely African and that we can sustain. Western culture is very foreign, and weve not found a way to form coherent nations out of that, so we need to reinvent something. I see myself as an Igbo man, as a West African. I dont know whether I believe in Nigeria, but I have a Nigerian passport, so I have no choice but to see myself as a Nigerian also.

TS: I was drawn to what you just said about ownership. You grew up in a Nigerian town with Nigerian parents, a Nigerian passport, and therefore one might be tempted to say a Nigerian identity. We see thats complicated by the fact that you are an Igbo in a Yoruba-speaking place. Still, you experienced an ownership. It is something the immigrant can come to know, but it is almost always an abstraction developed through what I call ritual and relationship. If I feel an ownership over a part of Ghana, it is the part of Accra where my mom has lived for 15 years, where Ive gone for most of my life, mixed in with the abstraction of my father being a Ghanaian, of my carrying a Ghanaian passport. It is not an ownership that goes in both directions. Whatever part of Ghanaian-ness I feel I own is not something that any Ghanaian is obliged to honor. Any Ghanaian can tell me at any point in time, You are not really a Ghanaian. Do you feel the same about Nigeria? If you are in Nigeria amongst Nigerians, can you say, I am Nigerian?

CO: Yeah. My accent will give me up. I speak Yoruba, I speak Igbo, and I lived there when I was an adult.

TS: Thats my moms experience, also. You can tell that shes got Scottish ancestors, and she studied outside of Nigeria for a long time, but nobody can tell her she is not a Nigerian and, more than that, that she is not a Yoruba. You also say African countries have not been able to make a success of the Western nation-state, and I would argue that absent slave labor in the New World and empire in the old, neither has the West. The nation-state is not exactly working out as well as it may appear. The question becomes: How can human beings organize themselves? It is our nature to cluster together in groups. How can we undertake that project in a way that is in some sense affirming to human life, rather than the opposite?

This conversation has been condensed for publication. Listen to the discussion here or by subscribing to FPs Global Thinkers podcast on iTunes. A version of this article originally appeared in the September/October 2016 issue of FP magazine under the title, Does the world really need nation states?.

Obioma: Photo courtesy of Scott Soderberg
Oprah Winfrey's upcoming OWN series, Queen Sugar, opens with a scene so steamy that Winfrey told ET she'll be watching with longtime partner Stedman Graham and taking notes.

The media mogul told ET that the series gave her a romantic revelation.

WATCH: Oprah Winfrey Flaunts Weight Loss in Perfect LBD at 'Queen Sugar' Premiere

"The dressing is just as good as the undressing," Winfrey said on the red carpet of the show's premiere at the Warner Bros. Studio Lot in Burbank, California, on Monday.

Winfrey explained that she hasn't had the chance to share this new tip with Graham yet, but she definitely plans to.

"I have not had that [conversation] yet," she said. "I have been on a movie set and not near Stedman, but believe me we will have that. We are going to watch that first episode together and have a chat."

The new drama, created by Winfrey and Ava DuVernay, follows three siblings, Nova Bordelon (Rutina Wesley) and Charley Bordelon (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), who reunite at their family's 800-acre Louisiana sugar cane farm after a family tragedy.

WATCH: Oprah and Ava DuVernay Attempting 'Something That's Never Been Done Before' With 'Queen Sugar'

The story behind the show's creation might be as intriguing as the script itself. In putting the project together, Winfrey and DuVernay assembled an all-female directorial team, including DuVernay, Neema Barnette, Kat Candler, Tina Mabry, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Tanya Hamilton, So Yong Kim and Victoria Mahoney.

At the premiere, DuVernay dished on what it's like to be one of the few people in Winfrey's inner circle of close female friends.

"We just get along, and it's so easy," DuVernay told ET. "It's like a big sister or girlfriend for years and years that you just laugh and have fun with."

WATCH: Oprah Winfrey Talks Weight Loss and Her NSFW Return to Acting

Queen Sugar debuts during a two-night premiere, Sept. 6 and 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on OWN.

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PWC says drones could save businesses $127 million worldwide

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted special permission to drone startup PrecisionHawk to fly drones beyond the sight of the operator, reports TechCrunch.

This marks the first time that the agency has issued an exemption to allow an enterprise unmanned aircraft to operate outside the line of sight of its pilot.

PrecisionHawk, which manufactures drones primarily for agricultural use, says that this will make its drones more effective. By allowing its drones to go beyond the sight of the operator, the aircraft will be able to see an entire farm rather than just a small section of it, PrecisionHawks Thomas Haun said.

The company uses a low-altitude traffic and airspace safety system to automatically assist operators in avoiding air traffic they would potentially not see if the drone was not in direct line of sight.

This follows the FAAs implementation of new regulations on drone safety. This set ofregulations mark the USs first federal comprehensive guidelines governing the safe operation of unmanned aircraft. The new rules, which state that the operator must keep the drone within eyesight at all times, create a national registry of enterprise drones, which should help streamline the process of getting approval for drone usage.

There are procedures for operators to apply for exceptions such as this one. With drone spending set to exceed $12 billion by 2021 and drone deliveries becoming a reality in enterprise in the US, streamlining the regulatory process and allowing for varied usage through exceptions becomes all the more important.

Drones turned the corner in 2015 to become a popular consumer device, while a framework for regulation that legitimizes drones in the US began to take shape. Technological and regulatory barriers still exist to further drone adoption.

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Drone manufacturers and software providers are quickly developing technologies like geo-fencing and collision avoidance that will make flying drones safer. The accelerating pace of drone adoption is also pushing governments to create new regulations that balance safety and innovation.

Safer technology and better regulation will open up new applications for drones in the commercial sector, including drone delivery programs like Amazons Prime Air and Googles Project Wing initiatives.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed drones report that forecasts sales revenues for consumer, enterprise, and military drones. It also projects the growth of drone shipments for consumers and enterprises.

The report details several of worlds major drone suppliers and examines trends in drone adoption among several leading industries. Finally, it examines the regulatory landscape in several markets and explains how technologies like obstacle avoidance and drone-to-drone communications will impact drone adoption.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

We project revenues from drones sales to top $12 billion in 2021, up from just over $8 billion last year.

Shipments of consumer drones will more than quadruple over the next five years, fueled by increasing price competition and new technologies that make flying drones easier for beginners.

Growth in the enterprise sector will outpace the consumer sector in both shipments and revenues as regulations open up new use cases in the US and EU, the two biggest potential markets for enterprise drones.

Technologies like geo-fencing and collision avoidance will make flying drones safer and make regulators feel more comfortable with larger numbers of drones taking to the skies.

Right now FAA regulations have limited commercial drones to a select few industries and applications like aerial surveying in the agriculture, mining, and oil and gas sectors.

The military sector will continue to lead all other sectors in drone spending during our forecast period thanks to the high cost of military drones and the growing number of countries seeking to acquire them.

In full, the report:

Compares drone adoption across the consumer, enterprise, and government sectors.

Breaks down drone regulations across several key markets and explains how theyve impacted adoption.

Discusses popular use cases for drones in the enterprise sector, as well as nascent use case that are on the rise.

Analyzes how different drone manufacturers are trying to differentiate their offerings with better hardware and software components.

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REUTERS - 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. 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 58 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 and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, 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. Asia (1): Singapore 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)
Paris (AFP) - One of France's most famous photojournalists, Marc Riboud, whose 1967 snap of a protester confronting US soldiers with a flower captured the movement against the Vietnam war, has died aged 93.

Riboud, equally famed for a 1953 picture of a workman painting the Eiffel Tower high above the Paris skyline, passed away Tuesday after a long illness, a family member told AFP.

The subject of the "flower power" shot, Jan Rose Kasmir, said on Facebook she had lost touch with Riboud after he began suffering from dementia around six years ago, but could "still hear his wonderful resonant voice".

"What a special gift this world has lost," she wrote. "I am so saddened, but KNOW he will greet me on the other side."

Kasmir, who was 17 when the iconic photo was taken, added: "I will carry on my work for peace in his name."

A master of black-and-white imagery, Riboud joined the prestigious Magnum agency at the invitation of its founders, photography greats Henri-Cartier Bresson and Robert Capa.

Riboud, whose shots appeared in top magazines such as Look, Life, Stern and Paris Match, was among the handful of photographers who managed to enter North Vietnam in the late 1960s.

In 1957 he had been among the first Europeans to travel in Communist China.

- 'Great photographer, poet and humanist' -

Riboud was the president of Magnum from 1974 to 1976, but he quit the group in 1979 saying he "didn't like the competition for glory" that it fostered.

Lauded for his sensitivity towards his subjects, Riboud said he took pictures "like a musician hums".

Born on June 24, 1923, near the eastern city of Lyon to a well-off family, Riboud had six siblings including his brother Antoine, founder of food giant Danone who died in 2002.

He began snapping photos at age 14 with a Vest Pocket Kodak given to him by his father.

Riboud was active in the French Resistance during World War II, then trained as an engineer and worked at a factory before devoting himself entirely to photography.

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Riboud's passion would take him across Asia, with Japan inspiring his first of around 15 books, "Women of Japan".

He chronicled developments in China over four decades, also working in Algeria and sub-Saharan Africa.

Riboud "was a great photographer, poet and humanist... with a unique signature: a respect and love for people who bore witness to their daily lives and suffering around the world," said Alain Genestar, former editor of Paris Match.

Riboud's work in Cuba in 1963, including a portrait of Fidel Castro on the eve of the assassination of US president John F Kennedy, is the subject of the Visa pour l'Image photojournalism festival that opened Saturday in the southern French town of Perpignan.

"He was a great humanist and a great guy," festival director Jean-Francois Leroy told AFP. "Many photographers were inspired by him without ever equalling him."
BEIJING (Reuters) - The family of Kevin Garratt, a Canadian citizen detained in China, said on Wednesday they were "extremely frustrated and disappointed" with the lack on progress in freeing him. "Kevin should be released to allow the two countries to move forward to develop stronger ties and cooperation on many levels," the family said in a statement released by their Beijing-based lawyers. China indicted Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt in January on charges of spying and stealing state secrets. He was detained in August 2014 near China's sensitive border with reclusive North Korea. [nL2N15C1XX] (Reporting by Michael Martina and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Paul Tait)
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The family of murdered Cambodian government critic Kem Ley have fled abroad fearing for their safety, friends of the family said on Wednesday. Kem Ley, 46, was gunned down in broad daylight at a shop in the capital Phnom Penh on July 10. Tens of thousands turned out for his funeral last month including his heavily pregnant wife Bou Rachana. His death comes amid rising political tensions between veteran Prime Minister Hun Sen and an opposition hoping to challenge his grip on power at local elections in 2017 and national elections in 2018. Bou Rachana, who is seven months pregnant, and her four sons left Cambodia on Sunday in a car, said Buntenh, a Buddhist monk and member of Kem Ley's funeral committee. "She visited Angkor Wat in Siem Reap for the last time before leaving," Buntenh told Reuters, declining to say which country the family fled to. Buntenh said supporters of Kem Ley had persuaded Bou Rachana to leave Cambodia so she could deliver her baby in a foreign country and the family will later decide whether to seek political asylum. Tim Malay, head of local group Cambodia Youth Network, said the family had arrived safely at their destination. "Rachana was worried about her safety and the safety of her family," he said. Rachana could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. A 38-year-old-man has been charged with Kem Ley's murder, claiming he killed him over an outstanding debt. Shortly before he was murdered, Kem Ley gave a radio interview discussing a report by the London-based NGO Global Witness documenting how Hun Sen and his family have amassed millions. The Hun family has dismissed the report. Many of Kem Ley's supporters say the murder was political and are skeptical of the official reason given for the killing. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Michael Perry)
A Pennsylvania man free on bond awaiting trial for abducting and torturing his wife killed the woman after kidnapping her a second time, fulfilling a promise he made that she long believed would come true, devastated relatives said.

State Police and South Strabane officers said they found the body of 48-year-old Tierne Ewing inside a rural barn at about 11 p.m. Tuesday, hours after she was allegedly abducted by her gun-wielding, estranged husband, from whom she had a filed a protection-from-abuse order.

Kevin Ewing, 47, forced his wife to leave with him from a West Finley Township home at gunpoint near the West Virginia border at about 12:35 a.m. Tuesday, State Police said.

He did what he said he would do and what she said he would do. She died, her cousin Anastasia Higginbotham wrote on Facebook.

It would be the second time Kevin Ewing would be charged with kidnapping in just two months, a pattern of abuse that stemmed far back into their decades-long marriage, Tierne Ewings nephew, MacKenzi Kopko, told InsideEdition.com.

This isnt the first time that anything like this had happened. He had beaten her at least two times before, the 18-year-old man said. About 12 years ago was the first time, she was at an Exxon gas station and he had shown up, broke out the drivers side window and pulled her out by her hair and beat her in the parking lot. And not one person attempted to stop it.

Kevin Ewing was found guilty of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person in April 2001 and of terroristic threats in November 2001, records show. It was not immediately clear if these incidents involved his wife.

"The defendant's criminal history includes prior crimes of domestic violence including simple assault and terroristic threats. In addition, the defendent was charged with multiple protection from abuse order violations," a motion for a modification or increase of bond status filed in July by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania said.

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"The defendent's wife, Tierne Ewing, was also the victim of the defendent's prior crimes of domestic violence. Said prior crimes also resulted in the victim requiring medical treatment for her injuries," it continued.

Read: Dad Took Kids to Hershey Park Before Killing Them, Their Mother in Murder-Suicide: Prosecutor

He always told her  and she would always tell us when anything happened  that, The only way youre leaving Tierne, is if youre leaving this house in a pine box, thats the only way, Kopko said between sobs.

She was scared that no matter what, that even if she did get away, he would find her, he said.

Tierne Ewing lived her life in desperation, Higginbotham told InsideEdition.com.

By definition, as a woman with an abusive partner, she did not have any real choices, she said. Under those circumstances, death, torment and terror are infused into every minute of every day. Like all women who are killed by their spouses, she wanted to live and deserved to live.

Tierne Ewing finally escaped her abusive husbands grip in July after he had held her captive for nearly two weeks, forcing her to endure unspeakable abuse that she was convinced would only end when she died, officials said.

The woman told authorities that from June 26 to July 8, her husband beat and pistol-whipped her, spat on her, taped her mouth shut, kept her hands tied behind her back with wire and a cord around her neck.

He also branded her legs with hot metal, hit her in the head with a handgun, hit her with a hammer and locked her in a closet, the motion said.

"...[F]or over 11 days, [Kevin Ewing] repeatedly [held] a loaded gun to her head, repeatedly telling her he was going to kill her and kill himseld," the motion said.

Tierne Ewing saw her chance to escape when Kevin Ewing sent her into a credit union to withdraw money. She told tellers that she was being held against her will and feared that her husband would kill her, the complaint said.

Police arrived to find the terrified woman barricaded in a room in the business, telling an officer, "I dont want to die." When she finally came out, cops were met by a bruised and battered woman suffering from a concussion and deep cuts on her skin.

Emotionally, she was completely exhausted. Physically, she was drained. She was living in fear, Kopko said. She just wanted out of [the marriage] completely.

Police found Kevin Ewing sitting outside the credit union in his pickup truck, armed with two loaded guns.

He was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, carrying a gun without a license, terroristic threats, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and reckless endangerment.

Read: After Johnny Depp Split, Amber Heard to Give Away Entire $7 Million Divorce Settlement

His bond was set at $100,000, which Common Pleas Judge Gary Gilman would not raise when a prosecutor asked for a higher amount to keep him from being released, given the severity of the charges.

He should not have been given bail, Kopko said. Someone with (that record) should never have been given bail.

When Kevin Ewing posted bond on July 11, Gilman ordered that he be confined to his home with an ankle-monitoring bracelet that was equipped with a GPS tracker, ADA Kirstin Clingerman told InsideEdition.com.

However, the bracelet was not programmed to provide GPS information, but instead only sent out a signal if he left the house, the Associated Press reported. He reportedly cut the bracelet off before going after his wife again.

The first thing we thought was that he was going to cut off his ankle bracelet and try to find her, Kopko said. For us as a family, its not even so much at Kevin that the anger is directed, its at the court for allowing this to happen.

Multiple attempts made by InsideEdition.com to reach Gilman were unsuccessful.

He's still living and she is not! Where is the responsibility of our judicial system? another loved one in mourning wrote on Facebook.

Kevin Ewing was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head near his wifes body and was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, authorities said.

Should he live, he will be charged with homicide, Clingerman said.

Tierne was so caring and so warmhearted and just wouldnt have hurt anybody, Kopko said, fighting back tears. She leaves behind two children and two grandchildren.

We have no idea why it would come to this. It came to her dying for her to get away from it, from him, he continued, pausing to breathe between sobs. But now that shes finally safe, I know that she can rest in peace and no other harm can come to her.

Watch: Survivor of Domestic Abuse Performs Heartbreaking Song From Hospital Bed

Related Articles:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI plans to hand over some of its notes from its interview with U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton regarding her use of private email while secretary of state to news outlets that requested them, CNN reported on Tuesday. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will not yet release other notes from the law enforcement agency's interviews with Clinton aides or turn over other investigative material, CNN said, citing unnamed sources. The materials could be released as soon as Wednesday to media companies that formally sought them under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), according to CNN. FBI representatives declined to confirm the report to Reuters. In addition to the notes, CNN said the FBI will give the news outlets the roughly 30-page report it sent to the U.S. Department of Justice last month when it recommended against pursuing criminal charges against Clinton, who is vying for the White House in the Nov. 8 U.S. election. The Clinton campaign, which had expressed concern about selective leaks from the notes, welcomed the release. "This is something that we wanted to have happen," campaign spokeswoman Kristina Schake told CNN in an interview. Several media outlets, including Reuters, have made FOIA requests for a summary of the interview. Such requests are often returned with sensitive information redacted. FBI Director James Comey told Congress that the interview was not recorded, so the agency would only be able to provide a summary. (Reporting by Julia Edwards and David Alexander; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
(Corrects headline figure in Aug. 29 story)

(Reuters) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a Utah-based polygamous faith leader who escaped from home confinement ahead of his trial over food stamp fraud.

Lyle Jeffs, 56, fled confinement in Salt Lake City sometime over the weekend of June 18 - 19 and an arrest warrant was issued by a federal judge that Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Prosecutors allege Jeffs and other leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) in Arizona and South Dakota diverted money from the federal government food assistance program for the poor.

Jeffs pleaded not guilty to the two-count indictment in February and was released from jail on June 9 ahead of his October trial. Jeffs is the de facto leader of the (FLDS), an unacknowledged offshoot of the Mormon Church.

In all, the indictment charged 11 defendants with conspiring to defraud the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors allege that in about 2011, the church leaders directed adherents to funnel food bought with SNAP money to an FLDS storehouse to feed the greater church community.

Money also was diverted to other leaders to pay bills, according to the charges. One spent $30,236 on a 2012 Ford F-350 truck and another paid $16,978 for paper products, prosecutors said.

Jeffs is the brother of Warren Jeffs, who is considered the prophet of the faith and is serving a sentence of up to life in prison plus 20 years in Texas for illegally marrying and sexually abusing underage girls.

The sect is based in the twin cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona. It is an offshoot of the Salt Lake City-based mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which renounced polygamy in 1890 and has no affiliation with the FLDS.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Alan Crosby)
Santa Clara (Cuba) (AFP) - The United States and Cuba took their efforts to build better ties into the skies on Wednesday, with the first regular commercial flight between the two countries in more than 50 years.

JetBlue Flight 387 landed in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara a little before 11:00 am (1500 GMT), about an hour after leaving Fort Lauderdale in southeastern Florida with 150 passengers on board.

The plane was greeted with a water cannon salute, an aviation tradition in which aircraft pass under arcs of water before flying to their destinations for the first time. Its departure from Florida was celebrated the same way.

The first two passengers off the plane carried US and Cuban flags as they descended the stairs onto the tarmac, where they symbolically exchanged the banners in a sign of friendship.

"It is very exciting to come here because it is so hard to travel to Cuba," said American Leanne Spencer, accompanied by her 17-year-old daughter Natalie, both traveling to the Communist-run island for the first time.

"In the aircraft, we had drinks and celebrated. It was very fun, we had a good time and we took pictures with the Cuban flag," said Spencer, who works in the travel industry.

The flight was the first of 110 expected daily trips connecting US cities to airports in Cuba, many of them in or near tourism hotspots.

Regular air service between the neighbors was severed during the Cold War, and charter flights have been the only air links since.

"Another step fwd," US Secretary of State John Kerry wrote on Twitter.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who was on the JetBlue flight, will meet with local officials during his visit, Cuba's transport ministry said.

- Party in Florida -

The Fort Lauderdale airport was in full party mode near Jet Blue's departure area -- a live salsa band blared Cuban favorites as passengers and bystanders broke into spontaneous dances.

There were cheers, applause and a sea of balloons as boarding for the historic flight got underway.

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For some, there were also tears of joy.

"I am so proud, so overcome with emotion," said Domingo Santana, 53, who left Cuba when he was just six years old.

Since then, he said, "I've never been in my country. I don't know my country," adding: "It's a great opportunity."

- Milestone -

The JetBlue flight was flown by Captain Mark Luaces and First Officer Francisco Barreras, both Americans of Cuban descent, the airline said.

The last regular commercial flight between the two countries took place in 1961, when air links fell victim to the Cold War.

Air travel between the United States and Cuba has been restricted to charter flights since 1979.

Washington and Havana agreed in February to restore direct commercial flights -- one of several watershed changes initiated in December 2014, when US President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro announced a thaw after more than 50 years of hostility.

Diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015.

Washington still bans Americans from visiting Cuba as tourists, but travel is permitted for 12 other categories, including cultural and educational exchange.

The renewed links are a "milestone" in relations between the United States and Cuba, said Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

Regular flights "will allow more fluid movement of people, goods, information and ideas between two places that are very close geographically but distant politically," he said.

- Cuba: 'Hot' travel destination -

Of the 3.5 million tourists in Cuba in 2015, only 161,000 were Americans.

However, that number was up 77 percent from the previous year and Americans are now expected to become a major component in a growth industry expected to reach 6.8 million visitors in 2018.

"There's a lot of interest in Cuba. It's the hot, 'in' place right now," said Frank Gonzalez, owner of the Mambi travel agency which offers packages to the island from the United States that include cultural workshops.

Flights departing from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis and Philadelphia will head to the Cuban cities Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.

The airlines designated to fly to the nine Cuban airports -- not including Havana -- include American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines, according to the US government.

For Havana, the US Department of Transportation said Wednesday that eight airlines would operate daily flights to the capital: Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines.

The US cities operating the links are Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando, and Tampa.
- By insider





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EVP and CFO William C Losch III exercised employee stock options for 84,566 shares and sold the shares on 08/26/2016 at an average price of $15.04.





EVP & Chief Risk Officer Yousef Valine exercised employee stock options for 59,196 shares and sold the shares on 8/26/2016 at an average price of $15.05

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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






(FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.,)  A JetBlue Airways Corp passenger jet landed in Santa Clara, Cuba on Wednesday, becoming the first scheduled passenger flight from the United States in more than a half century.

The first of several U.S. carriers to begin serving Cuba in the coming months, JetBlue Airways Corp took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, en route to Santa Clara, a central city known for its monument to revolutionary leader Ernesto Che Guevara.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, JetBlue Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes, other officials and journalists were aboard the 150-seat Airbus A320. Regular travelers, including some of Cuban descent, occupied nearly half the seats on a route that may be a commercial challenge, at least initially.

Lazaro Chavez, a 49-year-old pharmacist who lives in Miami and returns frequently to his homeland, said before boarding the plane he was taking the flight for two reasons. One, I am going to see my family. Two, I want to be on this historic flight.

Cuba and the United States began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. The countries had been hostile for more than five decades, since Fidel Castro ousted U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in a 1959 revolution that steered the island on a communist course and made it a close ally of the Soviet Union.

Despite the opening, which has included a landmark visit to the Caribbean island by Obama in March, the U.S. president has been unable to persuade Congress to lift a longstanding trade embargo on Cuba.

U.S. citizens are still prohibited from visiting as tourists, although there have long been exceptions to the ban, ranging from visiting family to business, cultural, religious and educational travel. The Obama administration has further eased the restrictions.

Despite the travel limitations, U.S. airlines have rushed to start flights  adding a lot of capacity and setting themselves up to lose money on the trips in the short run, said industry consultant Robert Mann.

Story continues

Most carriers look at international markets that have been restricted and are just opening up as an investment, Mann said. You need to get your foot in the door.

Services on regional carrier Silver Airways and American Airlines Group Inc from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area that is home to a large Cuban-American population, to Cubas outlying provinces will be the next to start, in September. Three other carriers will follow.

Mann said the companies probably offered to fly to Cuban cities that are unfamiliar to many American travelers, so that U.S. officials would look favorably on their applications to fly to Havana.

A memorandum of understanding between Cuba and the United States will limit Havana flights to 20 round trips per day. U.S. officials have yet to announce a final decision on which companies will get those coveted routes.

The Havana competition was one of the most over-subscribed competitions that Ive been a part of, Foxx said in an interview before the plane took off. I think that speaks to the interest on the part of the American people, and it also speaks to the level of commercial interest in the U.S. that exists. (Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in Fort Lauderdale; Editing by Christian Plumb and Frances Kerry)
(Adds Havana routes awarded)

By Jeffrey Dastin

SANTA CLARA, Cuba, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The first scheduled commercial passenger flight from the United States to Cuba in more than half a century landed on Wednesday, opening another chapter in the Obama administration's efforts to improve ties and increase trade and travel with the former Cold War foe.

A JetBlue Airways Corp passenger jet arrived from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara. The route may be a commercial challenge, at least initially, but it is the first of a plethora of new flights by various U.S. airlines to destinations on the Communist-ruled island.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, JetBlue Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes, other officials and journalists were aboard the 150-seat plane. Regular travelers, including some of Cuban descent, occupied nearly half the seats on the flight to Santa Clara, a city with a population of about 200,000 that is known for its monument to revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

While opening travel to cities like Santa Clara is seen as a foot in the door to expanding travel to the Cuban provinces, the market's big prize is routes to Havana, which Foxx awarded on Wednesday. American Airlines Group Inc was awarded the biggest portion.

"The Havana competition was one of the most over-subscribed competitions that I've been a part of," Foxx said in an interview before the plane took off. "I think that speaks to the interest on the part of the American people, and it also speaks to the level of commercial interest in the U.S. that exists."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry noted in a Twitter message that the flight took place just over a year after the flag was raised at the reopened U.S. embassy in Havana. He called it "another step forward."

Cuba and the United States began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. The countries had been hostile for more than five decades, since Fidel Castro ousted U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in a 1959 revolution that steered the island on a communist course and made it a close ally of the Soviet Union.

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Until Wednesday, passenger air links between Cuba and the United States were by chartered flights.

Obama's opening to Cuba has included a landmark visit by him to the Caribbean island in March and a series of measures to increase commercial ties, but the U.S. president has been unable to persuade Congress to lift the longstanding embargo.

Critics of the detente argue the Obama administration has won few human rights concessions from President Raul Castro in exchange for allowing hotel chains, cruise lines and at least one U.S. bank to ramp up operations on the island.

The United States still prohibits its citizens from visiting Cuba as tourists, although there have long been exceptions to the ban, ranging from visiting family to business, cultural, religious and educational travel. The Obama administration has further eased the restrictions.

Lazaro Chavez, a 49-year-old pharmacist who lives in Miami and returns frequently to his homeland, said before boarding that he was taking the flight for two reasons. "One, I am going to see my family. Two, I want to be on this historic flight."

'FOOT IN THE DOOR'

JetBlue and other airlines may be setting themselves up to lose money on Cuba trips in the short run, said industry consultant Robert Mann.

"Most carriers look at international markets that have been restricted and are just opening up as an investment," Mann said. "You need to get your foot in the door."

Giselle Cortes, who oversees new international routes for JetBlue, said she expected demand on the route to pick up quickly and maintained that the Santa Clara flights would be financially successful for the airline.

Services on regional carrier Silver Airways and American Airlines Group Inc from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area that is home to a large Cuban-American population, to Cuba's outlying provinces will be the next to start, in September. Three other carriers will follow.

Santa Clara airport, where the JetBlue flight landed, has served as a gateway to nearby beaches for European and Canadian tourists who have been coming to Cuba for years, but the U.S. embargo - at least for now - bars Americans from such resort-oriented travel.

(Additional reporting by Marc Frank in Havana; Editing by Christian Plumb, Frances Kerry, Toni Reinhold)
Cuba flight

For the first time in more than 50 years, an American airline provided a passenger flight to Cuba.

This historic flight took place this morning from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and arrived in Santa Clara, east of the capital Havana. The successful flight took an estimated 51 minutes.

According to a New York Times report, JetBlues executive vice president Marty St. George explained that a propeller plane was used the last time a US airline regularly scheduled flights to the communist country.

A total of six airlines have come forth to provide services to nine Cuban cities  a change of pace from the charter flights passengers had been forced to book in order to visit the country. These charter flights have been burdensome for passengers flying to Cuba: flights were unreliable and expensive, and the processing procedures was drawn-out.

Up to a year ago, we were doing reservations by fax machines, said Peter Sanchez, chief executive of Cuba Tours and Travel, to the New York Times.

The resumed service follows other diplomatic moves from the Obama administration that signal warming relations between the two countries.

We will end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries, said President Obama in a statement on policy changes towards Cuba in December 2014.

Since then, embassies were opened and an American assembly plant was authorized to be built in Cuba.

However, the transition has not been without a few bureaucratic hiccups. Although there have been exceptions, US citizens that are classified as tourists are still officially banned from traveling to the country. Additionally, the New York Times reported that the tractor assembly plant, which was approved by the US to be built in Cuba, was delayed by Cuban authorities.

Story continues

NOW WATCH: How to tell if your Cuban cigars are real or fake





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Comedy legend Gene Wilder, who died on Sunday at 83, was loved by many, but perhaps no one cared for him as much as the women in his life. The actor had a great capacity for love and his endless search for it led him down the aisle four times.

Before fame and stardom, Wilder said "I do" with his first wife, actress and playwright Mary Mercier in 1960. The two appeared in a New York production of Roots, which would mark Wilder's professional debut.

PHOTOS: Stars We've Lost In Recent Years

When Wilder and Mercier divorced in 1965, Wilder soon fell for Mary Joan Schultz and wed her in 1967. When they became a family, Wilder adopted Schultz's daughter Katharine from a previous marriage. But after Wilder and Schultz divorced in 1974, Katharine severed ties with Wilder, according to his book Kiss Me Like a Stranger.

In 2005, Wilder told the New York Daily News that he hoped the book would "explain some things she didn't want to understand."

Wilder took another giant swing at love by marrying his third wife, Gilda Radner, in 1984.The Oscar-nominated actor and the Saturday Night Live star fawned over each other when they sat down with ET in 1986.

"To me it's irresistible -- a funny man," Radner told ET, explaining their attraction.

"More than anything she's always a sucker for a big laugh," Wilder chimed in.

WATCH: Mel Brooks, Russell Crowe and Other Celebrities React on Social Media to Gene Wilder's Death

The couple met on the set of their 1982 film, Hanky Panky, and were virtually inseparable.

"She is my teacher, because she tells the truth more than I do," Wilder said.

The funnyman admitted that sometimes the truth hurts, but they were able to express their frustrations with each other in a healthy way.

"I respect her enough to get angry with her and let her have it. Not in order to punish her, but to say what's truly on my heart," Wilder said. "Because if you harbor it, it comes out in another way, but if you say it at the time, it's gone."

Story continues

Tragically, Wilder lost Radner to ovarian cancer in 1989. He opened up about the loss the following year while promoting his movie, Funny About Love.

"After Gilda died, a lot of emotion was not coming out of me, and I'd come home at night and instead of being exhausted, I felt relieved because I could cry and laugh," Wilder said. "And I said, 'I am finally healing.'"

Wilder met his fourth wife, Karen Webb, while doing research for his 1989 film, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and they tied the knot in 1991.

When Wilder introduced ET to Karen in 1995, he couldn't have been more thrilled with their relationship.

WATCH: Iconic Comedian Gene Wilder Dies At Age 83

"We're married for three years now, three wonderful years, and I'm happier than I have ever been in my life," he said.

The couple looked just as happy last September when they were photographed arm-in-arm at the U.S. Open.

Karen was also by his side when the Hollywood icon died holding hands with his family on Sunday while listening to Ella Fitzgerald's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Wilder had been battling Alzheimer's for the past three years, with the actor and his family choosing to keep his illness private.

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From Esquire

It's a fairly big primary day around the country and, alas for us touts, it looks like the chalk's going to hold pretty much everywhere. In Arizona, John McCain is likely to leave Kelli Ward far behind among the chemtrails. In Florida, authentic Republocrat Patrick Murphy looks like he'll beat Alan Grayson, who has used his primary campaign to pretty much demolish his national reputation as anything but a loud voice in the peanut gallery. Which is a shame because Murphy really needed a strong and serious challenge from his left.

Instead, we had Grayson running a horrible campaign, shouting into the wind, and being trailed by nasty allegations from his first wife, thereby hanging out to dry all those progressive groups who jumped in early on his side. (Although, as it turns out, his second wife may wind up succeeding him in Congress, which would be strange.)

On the other side, Young Marco Rubio is going to be the nominee for the seat he abandoned after his presidential campaign cratered, and he would like the voters of Florida to know that, while he appreciates their support, he still hears the rolling Potomac a'callin' his name, as Tiger Beat On The Potomac explains.

"No one can make that commitment because you don't know what the future's gonna hold in your life personally or politically," the Florida senator told CNN on Monday, opening the door for a presidential run when asked if he could commit to a full Senate term before seemingly slamming it shut in the next breath.

Let us dispel with the notion that Young Marco Rubio doesn't have the soul of a career hack.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Marco Rubio!" customimages="" content="article.46072"]

Also in Florida, Democratic candidate Tim Canova no longer is feeling the Bern much, since his challenge to the egregious Debbie Wasserman Schultz largely was abandoned by the people who managed to rid the DNC of her barely discernible leadership. After endorsing Canova, Bernie Sanders declined to campaign for him in the district, which has not endeared him to the candidate, as The Hill explains.

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He told the left-leaning "The Young Turks" web series on Tuesday that "it is a bit disappointing" that Sanders hasn't stumped for him. "We are hoping that the Sanders campaign does still come through, that Bernie comes through, and makes an appearance for us, or at the very least helps us raise some more money during such a critical period down the home stretch," Canova said. But in an interview with The Hill a few days later, Canova tried to downplay any influence a Sanders appearance would have on helping energize voters to go to the polls. "At this point, maybe it'll be a distraction," Canova said. "We're going to win this, no matter who comes to town."

As tempting as it is, I would not draw any conclusions about the national parties based on tonight's sample size. The Sanders Our Revolution operation is too new, and any judgment as to its power should be suspended until the 2018 midterms.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="The Democratic Revolt Against the DNC Chair Begins" customimages="" content="article.37912"]

Meanwhile, the Republican candidates who conspicuously allied themselves with El Caudillo del Mar-A-Lago are minor figures at best, and they're either fighting uphill battles against incumbents (Ward, against McCain), or have been blindsided by a bolt of unleashed ambition (Carlos Beruff, in Florida, who had Rubio dropped on his head.) The real indicators will come later. Both McCain and Rubio have hummina-hummina'ed endorsements of their party's nominee. Both are vulnerable to well-funded Democratic challengers in November.

That's when they may look down and wonder who tied the millstone around their ankles.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.

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A woman mourns as she sits on the ground and takes part in a vigil for the Pulse night club victims following last week's shooting in Orlando, Florida. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

The Orange County Sheriff's Office has released chilling audio of the 911 calls related to June's mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub.

The calls, which were released Tuesday, are the first to be made public.

The release comes nearly three months after the massacre, in which a gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 at the Orlando, Florida, nightclub. The police killed the shooter, Omar Mateen, after he took hostages in a three-hour standoff inside the nightclub.

In the audio, terrified callers relay information to emergency dispatchers.

Many of the calls were from people who were not at the club but were calling 911 on behalf of loved ones believed to be inside.

"I understand. We are in the club. We are searching for everybody. We're pulling victims out," a dispatcher told a woman calling about her brother, who was at the club, at about 2:43 a.m. "We're still on scene. It's actively being worked, ma'am. Listen, please be patient. It's going to take a while before we figure out where everybody's at."

Some callers were frustrated after calling multiple times and seeming to get little information from the scene:

Dispatcher: "911, what's the location of your emergency?" Caller: "Pulse nightclub. My girlfriend's in the bathroom. There are now four dead in the bathroom and two shot; they're bleeding out. If somebody doesn't get there soon they're gonna die. This is like the f---ing fifth time I've called. This is f---ed up." Dispatcher: "We have people there. When did she contact you?" Caller: "I just finally spoke to her again and there's nobody in the f---ing nightclub."

Business Insider reached out to the Orange County Sheriff's Office for the 911 call files.

These are just some of the calls from that night. The Orlando Police Department hasn't released its 911 calls yet and is in the middle of a lawsuit centered on that and other public records from the shooting.

Story continues

The Orange County Sheriff's Office posted a warning on its Facebook page that the calls were graphic, and it provided contact information for emotional counseling:

The Washington Post produced a video with a sampling of the calls:

The New York Daily News uploaded what appears to be most of the calls to SoundCloud:





More From Business Insider


pulse nightclub shooting

The Orange County Sheriff's Office has released chilling audio of the 911 calls related to June's mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub.

The calls, which were released Tuesday, are the first to be made public.

The release comes nearly three months after the massacre, in which a gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 at the Orlando, Florida, nightclub. The police killed the shooter, Omar Mateen, after he took hostages in a three-hour standoff inside the nightclub.

In the audio, terrified callers relay information to emergency dispatchers.

Many of the calls were from people who were not at the club but were calling 911 on behalf of loved ones believed to be inside.

"I understand. We are in the club. We are searching for everybody. We're pulling victims out," a dispatcher told a woman calling about her brother, who was at the club, at about 2:43 a.m. "We're still on scene. It's actively being worked, ma'am. Listen, please be patient. It's going to take a while before we figure out where everybody's at."

Some callers were frustrated after calling multiple times and seeming to get little information from the scene:

Dispatcher: "911, what's the location of your emergency?" Caller: "Pulse nightclub. My girlfriend's in the bathroom. There are now four dead in the bathroom and two shot; they're bleeding out. If somebody doesn't get there soon they're gonna die. This is like the f---ing fifth time I've called. This is f---ed up." Dispatcher: "We have people there. When did she contact you?" Caller: "I just finally spoke to her again and there's nobody in the f---ing nightclub."

These are just some of the calls from that night. The Orlando Police Department hasn't released its 911 calls yet and is in the middle of a lawsuit centered on that and other public records from the shooting.

Story continues

The Orange County Sheriff's Office posted a warning on its Facebook page that the calls were graphic, and it provided contact information for emotional counseling:

Business Insider received the 911 calls from the Orange County Sheriff's Office, and confirmed all of them are in this playlist that the New York Daily News uploaded to SoundCloud:





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By Jeremy Gaunt LONDON (Reuters) - A pink inflatable pig the size of a bus floated above London's venerable Victoria and Albert museum on Wednesday but unlike an infamous outing above Battersea Power Station in 1976 it did not break free and ground planes at Heathrow. Instead, it perhaps slowed traffic a bit, but most certainly caused passers-by to exclaim: "The pig!". One of the many globally recognizable emblems of Pink Floyd, along with prisms and marching hammers, the pig was flying to mark the launch of "The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains", a retrospective to be hosted at the museum next May. That date marks 50 years since the band released its first single "Arnold Layne". The group then went on to massive worldwide acclaim, including two of the most successful albums of all time, "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall". The exhibition is designed to celebrate that, along with Pink Floyd's achievements in graphics, design, architecture, staging, lighting, film and photography. Nick Mason, drummer and a founding member, said the exhibition is really a paean to the band's longevity. "It's the fact that we still sort of exist and we still seem to interest people after 50 years in an industry that was seen as entirely ephemeral by all of us when we first started," he told Reuters at the launch. "I'm fond of reminding people that Ringo thought that he'd open a chain of hairdressers when the Beatles came to an end ... I don't think we saw any 50 years ahead of us when we kicked off." The V&A is promising an immersive experience when the exhibition opens, with concert footage not seen before, a laser light show designed for the event, new stage designs, 350 different objects plus some items from the museum's own collection. It will be the museum's third recent foray into the rock world. It held a critically acclaimed exhibition on David Bowie in 2013 and opens "You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-1970" in September. All three shows relate to a period of unprecedented creativity in music, which some people believe will never be matched. Mason said he did not know how people could make it in today's music business where songs are shared for free and there are so many people trying to make it big. When asked if Pink Floyd could succeed if it were starting out today, he replied: "I don't think we'd even get on The X Factor." (Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
In an age of a fracturing political support for the European Union, the re-birth of American isolationism, the growing international political confidence on the parts of both Russia and China, the daily threat of violent jihadism and a chronically weak global economy, deep questions have arisen about the long-term durability of what we continue to blithely refer to as the post-war global order.

The uncomfortable truth is that many of the assumptions underpinning the current order are under profound challenge. Geopolitically, U.S.-China and U.S.-Russia relations are more unstable than they have been in a quarter of a century, even as Russia-China relations have rarely been closer. Geoeconomically, despite the Chinese economic slowdown, China remains on track to surpass the U.S. as the biggest economy in the world sometime next decadethe first time since the reign of Britains King George III that a non-western, non-democratic, non-English speaking country has occupied this position.

Meanwhile the dynamics of globalization, driven by finance and technology, are compounding in speed, intensity and complexity. On the one hand, this is generating greater demand for effective global governance, in areas such as finance, terrorism and climate change. But on the other we are confronted by a new range of counter-globalization forces, from those who arent benefiting from globalization, expressed as rampant nationalism, protectionism and xenophobia. Politicians like Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, and Marine Le Pen are just the most notable of several such manifestations around the world.

This is turn is producing a crisis of the nation state itself, caught in a new no-mans land between this combination of centripetal and centrifugal forces being generated by the globalization of everything, with the state itself rendered increasingly powerless. The resulting political alienation of the citizenry has, in turn, been compounded by nearly a decade of poor global growth, high unemployment and even worse, chronically high youth unemployment, both in the developed and developing worlds. People now see their states are increasingly useless in dealing with their real problems.

All this is before a further quantum disruption arises from the next generation of technological change, in particular in the mass application of artificial intelligence, and the emergence of jobs-free growth across a growing number of industries. We have barely begun to calculate the full domestic and international impact of this profound economic change. We will need to recalibrate the idea of a viable social contract, both within and between states, if we are to maximize the prospects of poverty alleviation, greater equality and long-term political stability.

Finally there is our collective date with demographic destiny. Global population is projected to increase by one third by mid-century, and in parts of the world that are already the least politically stable, and most economically vulnerable. And all this in an employment-starved world, sowing the seeds for a new wave of political extremism, religious fundamentalism and the mass movements of peoples seeking better and more secure lives elsewhere.

Most challenging of all, this extraordinary cocktail of strategic, political, economic, social and technological change is unfolding all at once. Neither our national, nor our international institutions are capable of the effective action necessary to deal with these challenges. In fact, as the demand for effective global governance becomes stronger, the actual supply of such governance has rarely been weaker.

So what can be done? We cannot wave a magic wand and expect the state of great power relations to suddenly improve. Nor can we simply release pious statements railing expecting governments to resist the politically seductive, albeit economically destructive, temptation of the new protectionism, re-open the arteries of global trade and rebuild global growth. Even less can we call a halt to technological innovation, not least because of the remarkable good it also delivers humankind. But what we can do is act to improve the effectiveness of the creaking institutions of global governance that we do have at our disposal, because these are the very mechanisms that are available to us to sustain a working global order, a rules-based system and through them respond to the major challenges of our time.

Principal among these is the United Nations, now 70 years old, the core of what remains of the multilateral system. Its in danger of drifting into global irrelevance. But despite the deep skepticism that now surrounds the institutions effectiveness, the UN still matters, and matters more than we think, because it remains the formal corner stone on which much of the current global order restswhether we happen to be conscious of that reality, or not. In fact, its because the UN has become such a comfortable part of the international furniture, we tend to take it for granted, and weve allowed it to drift.

While the UN is not broken, it is in real trouble, as states increasingly bypass it when looking for solutions to major global problems. But if through a combination of political indifference and benign neglect, the international community does allow the UN to slowly die the death of a thousand cuts, we would rapidly become aware of the gaping hole it would leave in the current order, as states began reverting to the sort of unilateral, aggressively bilateral, or Darwinist behaviors we thought we had consigned to an earlier age. Its therefore worth recalling what the UN uniquely offers the international community, and why it is worth defending and strengthening for the future:

An agreed Charter containing global norms and procedures which could never be renegotiated in the current age; An entrenched principle of multilateralism, based on the sovereign equality of states, that provides a global decision-making process, that benefits smaller and middle powers who collectively make up more than 90% of the international community; A source of unchallenged global legitimacy; A unique claim to universality; A vast system of international law, norms and dispute resolution mechanisms and procedures, covering domains from terrorism to telecommunications. A unique capacity for collective action on threats to international peace and security, ranging from sanctions to authorised armed intervention. A capacity for collective action on sustainable development, from poverty to climate; A capacity to act rapidly and at scale to natural, or man-made, humanitarian disasters; A unique global convening power to deal with new global challenges as they arise; A capacity for the UN, through the Secretary General, to take initiatives on its own account, to deal with intractable global problems.

These do not of themselves solve the deep problems now confronting the global order. But if properly harnessed, they represent a mechanism for doing so, drawing afresh on this extraordinary list of institutional strengths. And this in turn will require the next secretary-general to implement far-reaching reforms to radically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the UN, to convince member states that, properly empowered, the UN can make a measurable difference in solving the great global problems for which purpose it was established in the first place.

The Hon Kevin Rudd, a former Prime Minister of Australia, president of the Asia Society Policy Instiute in New York, Chair of the International Commission on Multilateralism, and author of UN2030  Rebuilding Order in a Fracturing World
President Obama granted clemency to more inmates Wednesday (Aug. 31), and among the group is an individual with ties to the Grateful Dead community. The 100-plus inmates impacted have been imprisoned on drug-related charges and will be given shorter sentences.

Advice to Dead & Company's John Mayer: Grow a Beard

"They are individuals who received unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes, for example, the 35 individuals whose life sentences were commuted today," writes Neil Eggleston, White House Counsel to the President.

Tim Tyler, one of the 35 people who had planned to spend their life in federal custody, is receiving more attention that most because of his ties to Deadheads. Tyler, 45, was given a life sentence when he was 25 years old after being busted selling LSD to a police informant while following the Dead on tour. It was his third drug-related charge; his previous involved illegal possession and selling drugs.

John Mayer Says He'll 'Never Close the Door on Dead & Company, Ever'

According to The Clemency Report, which offers a list of the top 25 clemency-worthy prisoners in the United States, Tyler has been listed at the top for years. He will now be released in August 2018.

While his release is guaranteed, what's less certain is how Tyler will fell about the addition of John Mayer to the Dead's current lineup.
vincente fox

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox said on Wednesday morning that Donald Trump is "not welcome to Mexico" and apologized for current Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's invitation.

"We don't like him. We don't want him. We reject his message," Fox said in a CNN interview.

He added: "I don't understand why President Pena has offered this opportunity. I think it's nothing more than a political stunt. Trump is using Mexico, is using President Pena to boost his sinking poll numbers."

Fox, who once said it was "very important" to invite Trump to Mexico, said that Pena Nieto was making a "big mistake" inviting the real-estate magnate. He noted Trump's pledge to deport approximately 11 million immigrants living in the US illegally and force Mexico to fund a physical wall along America's southern border.

"I think President Pena is taking an enormous political risk by hosting Trump," Fox said. "If he's perceived as going soft on Trump, it will hurt him greatly  he will even be considered like a traitor."

Fox said Pena Nieto needs to to force Trump to apologize for "stupid proposals" like starting a trade war with Mexico and the deportation force.

Asked about the Trump campaign's recent waffling on key tenants of his immigration pitch to Republican primary voters, Fox said he still didn't believe Trump.

"You cannot trust a guy like this. How can we grant confidence and support to ideas that change every day?" Fox said.

He added: "He's still firm on his stand that he will throw them out, that he will build the wall. He can't play both sides."

Trump immediately responded to Wednesday's interview, noting on Twitter that Fox invited him to visit Mexico earlier this year.

Former President Vicente Fox, who is railing against my visit to Mexico today, also invited me when he apologized for using the "f bomb."  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

Neither Fox nor Trump have appeared particularly friendly toward one another in the past.

Story continues

Fox challenged Trump to a debate earlier this year in Mexico and said that he was "not going to pay for the f------ wall."

Trump responded in kind, demanding the former president apologize for his profanity-laced comments.

'This guy used a filthy, disgusting word on television, and he should be ashamed of himself, and he should apologize, OK?" Trump told an audience at a campaign rally in February.

NOW WATCH: Naked Donald Trump statues are popping up across America





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Its a most peculiar war: rarely has the U.S. been killing so many while risking so few. The U.S. is beating ISIS handily, judging by Vietnams body-count metric. The total number of ISIS battlefield deaths claimed by U.S. officials has jumped, from 6,000 in January 2015 to 45,000 last montha bloodbath for an enemy force estimated to number about 30,000. Three U.S. troops have died. Thats an eye-watering U.S.-to-ISIS kill ratio of 15,000-to-1. Weve got good momentum going, General Joseph Votel, chief of U.S. Central Command, who is overseeing the war, said Tuesday. We are really into the heart of the caliphate.

But some of his predecessors disagree. James Mattis, a retired Marine general who commanded Central Command from 2010 to 2013, says the war on ISIS is unguided by a sustained policy or sound strategy [and is] replete with half-measures. Anthony Zinni, a retired Marine four-star who held the same post from 1997 to 2000, says he doesnt think he could do so today. I dont want to be part of a strategy that in my heart of hearts I know is going to fail, he says. Its a bad strategy, its the wrong strategy, and maybe I would tell the President that he would be better served to find somebody who believes in it, whoever that idiot may be.

Day after day, American warplanes, sometimes joined by allies, have been attacking individual ISIS targets, down to backhoes and foxholes. ISIS has lost 40% of its Iraqi territory, the Pentagon says, and 5% in Syria. It doesnt seem to have lost any of the terrain it has staked out on the internet. Thats slow progress by a 27-state military alliance against a two-year-old rump state.

The U.S.-led war against the Islamic State is entering its third year (eclipsing the time the U.S. spent fighting World War I). In part, thats because its a small-bore campaign: the U.S. is spending $4 billion a year, equal to a third the cost of a single aircraft carrier (planes not included). Employing an anemic application of force relative to previous air campaigns has yielded the Islamic State time to export their message, garner followers, and spread their message, says David Deptula, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who planned the 1991 bombing campaign that all-but-drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. A comprehensive strategy to rapidly decompose the Islamic State is still lacking.

On the groundthe only way to retake territorythe hapless Iraqi army, Kurdish forces, and a motley medley of Syrian rebels are spear-heading the fight. U.S. troops alongside them (about 5,000 in Iraq, and 300 in Syria), serve primarily as advisers, in another unfortunate echo of Vietnam. ISIS continues to hold on to its key centers of gravity: its self-declared capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa, and Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, 300 miles away. Ive talked to some U.S. generals who are really frustratedthey could be in Raqqa in a week, Zinni says. The U.S. is losing credibility and theyre actually encouraging the enemy because theyre able to hold the ground for years now.

But bombs or ground troops, by themselves, cant cure ISIS or whatever radical group springs up to replace it. Proposals to escalate or accelerate the campaign in Iraq and Syria in order to hasten the Islamic State groups defeat would accomplish a lot less than commonly supposed, says Stephen Biddle, a military analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations who advised then-general David Petraeus on Iraq from 2007 to 2009. The problem isnt taking Mosul or Raqqaits what would come afterward. Stabilization is unlikely without an investment vastly larger than most Americans will support. The U.S. has spent $3 trillion and nearly 7,000 lives trying to bring stability to Afghanistan and Iraq, with little to show for it. (For his part, Petraeus, who ran Central Command from 2008 to 2010, only acknowledges that were waging war in a way that is somewhat unique.)

ISISs tenacity is the oxygen that gives life to would-be jihadists around the globe, pumping violence into places like Britain, France, Germany and the U.S. The significance of Tuesdays killing of ISIS strategist Abu Muhammad Adnani, apparently in a U.S. drone strike, marks a clear blow to the jihadists. But there are others, waiting in the wings, eager to replace him, U.S. officials say.

Current U.S. commanders say their progress is limited by the lack of local ground forces to retake territory from ISIS. They estimated from the start that the fight could take at least three years, winning credit for candor that was MIA when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. U.S. officials say the anti-ISIS forces are making slow, but steady, gains, and an offensive to retake Mosul may begin by years end (originally, the Pentagon had penciled in April 2015 for the effort to retake northern Iraqs largest city).

Part of the challenge is the Gordian knot that the Iraq-Syrian theater has become. ISIS sprang from the now-five-year-old Syrian civil war, which has killed 400,000 and displaced 10 million. Nearly half have fled the country, fomenting unrest across Europe. Iran and Russian back the government of Syrian President Bashar Assada fight the U.S. has resolutely refused to enter (even after Assad, despite a warning of a red line by President Obama, used chemical weapons on his own people in 2013). At the end of the day, our current U.S. policy in the region has failed expensively and shredded our credibility, says Barry McCaffrey, a retired Army general says retired Army general Barry McCaffrey, who led an Army division into Iraq in 1991s Gulf War.

With more than a dozen air forces overhead, and about 1,000 armed factions on the ground, the risk of crossfires and mistaken shoot downs is ever present. Dont think that doesnt pre-occupy U.S. military planners. Given the death-by-fire of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh at ISIS hands last year after his F-16 crash-landed inside the self-declared caliphate, the U.S. is going to great lengths to keep its ISIS-fighting troops safe. U.S. domestic political pressure to smash ISIS would surge following any such capture and torture of a U.S. pilot or commando. Thats why robust combat-search and rescue teams are on alert whenever U.S. warplanes fly in harms way, and why the U.S. military is training its forces to elude capture and escape from a typical remote Iraqi/Syrian village.

The U.S. has big goals for a small-scale war. Washington sees its mission as destroying ISIS, helping negotiate an end to the Syrian civil war, and keeping the lid on the historic rivalry between Islams Sunni and Shiite branches. Iran and Russia back Syrias Assad. Saudi Arabia and Turkey want him gone. But Turkey is a problematic NATO ally that views Kurdish separatists, a key U.S. ally in the ISIS fight, as a bigger threat than ISIS. The U.S. is backing four major rebel groups with air strikes: the Iraqi army, moderate Syrian rebels, and separate Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria. But crushing ISIS helps Assad, fueling the civil war, and bolstering Kurdish fighters angers Turkey, which believes some are allied with a Turkish Kurdish group responsible for terror attacks inside that country.

All this, rightly or wrongly, has tied U.S. hands. There is no political will in the White House to even listen to serious recommendations from military commands, says Derek Harvey, a retired Army military-intelligence colonel who spent much of his career in Iraq. The original strategy explained by the President was barely adequate and even that was not resourced or executed well. While Obamas go-slow approach loses its lease in January, neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump has detailed a replacement. First and foremost are we going to be decisive and have some balls, or just continue to try to manage conflict to unacceptable ends, Harvey adds. If not the former, then we should not play in the sandbox.

As the long-awaited showdown to retake Mosul looms, cracks are appearing in the allied front. Iraqs parliament voted to oust Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi on corruption charges Aug 25. In recent days, it has become clear that the Qayara air base south of Mosul that is supposed to be a major launching pad for the assault was almost completed destroyed by retreating ISIS fighters in July. And Kurdish forceslong lauded as the best fighters in the regionare hungry. The Peshmerga are not getting enough calories to keep them in the field, Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland said Aug. 10 as he wrapped up his 11 months in charge of the ISIS fight. Were very interested in making sure that they have enough food just to carry on the fight. Such news could well delay the Mosul fight into 2017.

Doing nothing would be far preferable to this mess, says Daniel Bolger, a retired Army three-star who commanded troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq before retiring in 2013. He plucks a quote from the military history he teaches at North Carolina State University, when asked about current U.S. strategy. It comes from a French general after he witnessed the doomed charge of the British Light Brigade against the Russians in the Crimean War in 1854: It is magnificent, but it is not war, Pierre Bosquet said. It is madness.
Wholesale Channel Expert and Veteran Mortgage Banker to Serve as Senior Vice President, Divisional Sales Leader for the Western U.S. for Stearns Wholesale

SANTA ANA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 31, 2016 / Stearns Lending, LLC, a leading provider of mortgage lending services in Wholesale, Retail, Correspondent and Strategic Alliances sectors, is pleased to announce that Michael Gallo has been named Senior Vice President, Wholesale Divisional Sales Leader, responsible for day-to-day management and oversight of loan production in the Company's Western Division.

"We are very excited that Michael has elected to join us. His expertise and proven track record in wholesale lending spans more than 20 years, and he brings fresh perspective, balance and insight to the channel," said Michael J. Royer, Managing Director, Wholesale at Stearns Lending. "Michael will be an incredibly valuable addition to our team as we execute on strategic initiatives to grow market share and continue to meet needs and exceed expectations of our business partners and their clients."

Prior to joining the Company, Gallo served as the Senior Vice President, National Operations Wholesale Lending at Caliber Home Loans. Earlier in his career he held senior leadership positions at MetLife Home Loans and Bank of America Home Loans.

"Stearns Wholesale has an exceptional management team, a superior business model and a track record for success as one of the top wholesale organizations in the country. I am thrilled to join this dynamic group and look forward to playing my part as we strive to achieve even higher levels of success," said Gallo.

Gallo is based at the Lewisville, Texas office of Stearns Lending, and will work closely with the Company's Wholesale Regional Sales Leaders and other key team members to support efforts to meet the long-term goals and vision for Stearns Wholesale.

For more than 25 years, Stearns has been helping employees, borrowers and business partners to reach their goals by successfully exceeding expectations and leading the industry with innovation and efficiency. To learn more about Stearns, visit stearns.com and join.stearns.com.

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About Stearns Lending, LLC

Stearns Lending, LLC is a leading provider of mortgage lending services in Wholesale, Retail, Correspondent and Strategic Alliances sectors throughout the United States. Currently ranked as #2 Wholesale Lender nationwide*, Stearns Lending continues to expand as a company overall, making the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America in 2013, 2014 and 2015**, based on revenue growth of 250% over a three-year period.

Stearns Lending is an equal housing lender and is licensed to conduct business in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Additionally, Stearns Lending is an approved HUD (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development) lender; a Single Family Issuer for Ginnie Mae (Government National Mortgage Association); an approved Seller/Servicer for Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association); and an approved Seller/Servicer for Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation). Stearns Lending is also approved as a VA (United States Department of Veterans Affairs) lender, a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) lender, and is an approved lending institution with FHA (Federal Housing Administration). Stearns Lending, LLC is located at 4 Hutton Centre Drive, 10th Floor, Santa Ana, CA 92707. Company NMLS# 1854.

For more information, visit www.stearns.com.

Media Contact

Brad Hoke

bhoke@stearns.com

Executive Vice President

972-521-1057

References

*http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/

Top Broker Channels. Rep. no. 12M2015. Inside Mortgage Finance, Dec. 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

**http://www.inc.com/profile/stearns-lending

"The 2013 Inc. 5000." The 2013 Inc. 5000. Inc.com, Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

"The 2014 Inc. 5000." The 2014 Inc. 5000. Inc.com, Aug. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

"The 2015 Inc. 5000." The 2015 Inc. 5000. Inc.com, Aug. 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

SOURCE: Stearns Lending, LLC
Fiery Australian star Bernard Tomic was at the centre of a foul-mouthed US Open controversy on Tuesday when he became embroiled in a lewd exchange with a heckler.

The 23-year-old slumped to a 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/0) loss to Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia on the old Grandstand court.

But before he lost the first round match, he also spectacularly misplaced his composure, angrily hitting back at a spectator he accused of deliberately trying to get under his skin.

Courtside microphones picked up Tomic telling the fan: "I will put my balls in your mouth" followed moments later by "I will give you some money to make you feel good".

Tomic apologised for the incident, suggesting his Croatian roots may have been a factor in the clash against his Bosnian opponent.

"I apologized for what I said. I think when the guy left after the first set, the crowd got happy because he was a bit annoying," said Tomic who was unable to recall what was said to him.

"He was just sort of saying negative stuff. I didn't know who it was because I was just focusing on the court.

"It was tough to figure out in the background. It's passed and I don't really care who this guy is. He definitely baited me.

"I had problems on the other end, as well, with a few people in the corner. They were saying some negative stuff to me, in my language of Serbian-Croatian. The microphones didn't pick that up. But I obviously caught the blame for that."

Tuesday's controversy was the latest to hit Tomic.

At Wimbledon, he was forced to apologise for using the word "retard" in a press conference.

That outburst came after he had been widely condemned for his boorish behaviour in Madrid when he turned his racquet the wrong way to face a match point against Fabio Fognini.

Tomic later told reporters: "I don't care about that match point. Would you care if you were 23 and worth over $10 million?"

In July last year, he was arrested in Miami after a wild party in a hotel penthouse suite.

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He was then dropped from the Australian Davis Cup team and subsequently opted out of the Rio Olympics.

Tomic, seeded 17 for the tournament, committed 78 unforced errors in his tame defeat to Dzumhur who goes on to face either Illya Marchenko of Ukraine or Croatia's Ivan Dodig.

Dzhumur, who lost to Tomic in New York at the same stage last year, said he didn't hear what was said to the Australian.

"Everyone has their own fans and some can go over the limit," said the Bosnian.

"I have had these kind of problems in the past. But if you listen to the fans too much, it's not good for you."
When Malaysian national Weng Yee Chong realized she would not meet all the requirements for admittance to the University of Southampton in the U.K., she considered her options, including the school's one-year foundation programs.

"I chose the foundation program because I think it would help me cope with my degree and it is an easier route to admission into the university," says Chong.

Foundation programs, also known as pathway programs, are preparatory courses designed to provide students with the skills, knowledge and qualifications they need to enter a bachelor's or master's program. They typically last one academic year and do not end with a degree. Although these are common in the U.K. and Australia, a number of global universities offer the programs.

Cambodian national Panhanon No says he also didn't meet the admissions requirements for the University of Queensland in Australia and enrolled in the school's foundation program.

"This program provided me a chance to be enrolled at the University of Queensland and insights of how to be prepared for university assignments and examinations," says No.

[Discover the 10 Best Global Universities in Australia and New Zealand.]

For international students considering their options for securing admission to global universities, here are some things to know about foundation programs.

-- Foundation programs vary in focus. Some foundation programs focus on general areas of study, while others emphasize certain disciplines. Tina Buschmann, foundation year coordinator at Jacobs University Bremen in Germany, says the university's foundation year "is not geared to a specific degree." Instead it allows students to tailor the curriculum -- which consists of preparatory courses in areas such as English and math, as well as orientation classes in different academic fields -- to meet their needs.

The University of Southampton, though, offers three different foundation programs at its U.K. campus focused on specific fields of study, such as engineering and natural sciences, says Anna Barney, professor and associate dean of education within the university's engineering and the environment department.

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She says they teach "a combination of discipline-specific material to enhance the students' knowledge of their subject area in preparation for degree-level study" as well as academic skills to help them in learning "swiftly and efficiently to the required depth for a degree," such as time management, speed reading and note taking.

-- Foundation programs help lay the academic groundwork. Pathway programs are "designed to provide international students with all the tools they need to succeed in their degree course," says Emily Williams Knight, managing director of Study Group North America, a global education provider.

She says they help students adjust to new ways of learning and studying, including those that are more common to Western education systems. They also help students better satisfy English and math proficiency admissions standards for degree programs abroad.

[Read these reasons to earn a bachelor's degree overseas.]

Barney says the University of Southampton's foundation program teaches "language skills with a particular emphasis on academic and specialist language" for those whose first language isn't English. This training helps students understand technical material, she says, as well as learn academic writing. She says many of the university's international students who began with a foundation year "have progressed right through their bachelor degree and are now studying for a Ph.D. with us."

-- Foundation programs give students time to decide on a major. Buschmann, from Jacobs University Bremen, says foundation programs allow students "the chance to take one year for themselves to try different study courses." She says students have "time to orientate, see how much workload they are able to cope with and be involved fully in student life."

University of Queensland student No originally planned to pursue a bachelor's degree in commerce. After his foundation program, he went on to earn a bachelor's degree in international hotel and tourism management in 2015.

No says the foundation program staff helped "guide and provide constructive advice on my decision in enrolling on my major." He's now working in the hospitality industry in Australia.

[See global universities where tuition is low or free.]

-- Foundation programs provide direct or increased chances for undergraduate admission. Some universities, like Jacobs University Bremen, guarantee admission to their undergraduate programs to students who pass a pathway program. University of Southampton's Barney says students who successfully complete the foundation year "are guaranteed a place on their chosen degree course. They don't need to re-apply -- it's automatic."

Students should check with institutions to confirm the admissions policy for those who complete a foundation program, since not all guarantee admission. For example, the University of California-- Berkeley Extension College Foundations Program does not guarantee admission or any advantage when applying to UC--Berkeley or any other UC campus. However, students receive personal college admissions advising.

In her foundation year program, Chong says she "learned the importance of academic integrity." She says for the first time she also learned computer programming skills as well as gained a better grasp of different subjects.

"I would recommend foundation programs to other international students," says Chong, who is now pursuing a Bachelor of Science in acoustics with music at the University of Southampton. "It is a more secured pathway into their dream universities, yet giving an extra year for them to adapt to a whole new environment away from home."

See the complete rankings of the Best Global Universities.

Anayat Durrani is a Los Angeles-based freelance education reporter for U.S. News, covering global universities, including those in the Arab region.
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Paris (AFP) - A potential presidential bid by centrist former minister Emmanuel Macron has added to an already complex picture in French politics, with the left and right in turmoil eight months before the election.

The 38-year-old Macron, who resigned as economy minister on Tuesday to "begin a new stage in my fight" without yet declaring whether he will stand for president, would be a fresh face in a field of over-familiar candidates.

Abrasive former president Nicolas Sarkozy will fight it out with the more moderate Alain Juppe, a one-time prime minister, for the centre-right nomination in a primary in November.

Socialist President Francois Hollande, Macron's former mentor who catapulted him into the government in 2014, is playing the waiting game before deciding whether to stand for re-election despite historically low opinion poll ratings dragged down by stubborn unemployment.

- Weak, divided left -

But while Macron's reformist approach makes him attractive to some voters, it would turn French politics on its head if the former investment banker manages to secure the nomination as a centre-left candidate, never mind win next May.

"I don't think he'll be a candidate because he just won't have the means to do so," Bruno Jeanbart, of the OpinionWay polling institute, told AFP.

"He wouldn't win a Socialist Party primary and if he stands as an independent he would come up against far too many difficulties in the French system."

Jeanbart said Macron's move was a sign that "a large part of the left does not believe that Hollande can be re-elected".

Other candidates are moving into the vacuum created by Hollande's weakness.

Far-left rebel Jean-Luc Melenchon scored an eye-catching 11 percent in the first round of the 2012 presidential election.

If he repeats that score next year, it would make it nigh impossible for Hollande to poll the 25 percent thought necessary to reach the second round.

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"The left has two problems -- it is weak overall and it is divided," Jeanbart said.

"There will be a Socialist Party candidate and Melenchon, meaning the sums just don't add up and will make it extremely difficult for Hollande to reach the second round."

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front (FN), is likely to qualify for the second-round runoff, just as her father Jean-Marie Le Pen did in 2002, rocking French politics to its core.

The FN has performed consistently well in elections since 2012, and most polls show the anti-immigration party would score at least 25 percent.

Bernard Sananes, of the Elabe polling institute, said Hollande faces "a series of insurmountable barriers".

"He has to win the primary, qualify for the second round in 2017 and win the election. And for the moment, not a single opinion poll says he will win," he told the daily Le Figaro.

- Right-wing primary 'decisive' -

Victory therefore is for the right to grab.

While Macron is stealing the headlines, many analysts agree that the winner next year is likely to be decided in the centre-right primary.

"It is clear that the real presidential election will take place in November and not May," Jeanbart said.

"The winner of the primary will win in May."

Sarkozy launched his campaign trailing Juppe -- France's most popular politician despite a 2004 conviction for corruption -- but appears to be closing the gap fast with three months to go.

A TNS Sofres poll showed both candidates would score around 34 percent in the first round of the primary.

Sarkozy has shown he has lost nothing of his brash approach, controversially calling for a national ban on the burkini, while Juppe has urged an end to the "mania" surrounding the Islamic swimsuit that has become a hot-button issue in France.

Jean Garrigues, author of a respected book on presidential elections, said Hollande will stand a chance only if Sarkozy defeats Juppe.

"Hollande needs a hard-right candidate (against him) so that he can then get the centrist votes," Garrigues said. "He needs it to be Sarkozy."
(Adds fresh comment from police, Fraport, Lufthansa)

By Maria Sheahan and Ilona Wissenbach

FRANKFURT, Aug 31 (Reuters) - German police said a misunderstanding led to a security breach that prompted the evacuation of Frankfurt airport's Terminal 1 and caused delays and flight cancellations at Europe's fourth largest airport on Wednesday.

The alert was sparked when security staff at the terminal, a major hub for international travel and home to Lufthansa , requested police officers come over to check a suspicious female passenger.

Before the police could arrive, the passenger, who had two small children with her, had quickly left, a police spokesman said.

The passenger apparently thought the security check had finished and that's why she left, the spokesman said, declining to provide further details of what had raised the suspicions of security staff.

As a preventative measure, the police then took the decision to evacuate the entire departure area, which they later declared as secure, allowing operations to start again at 1030 GMT. All passengers were asked to go through the security check again.

The security breach interrupted flight operations, delaying departures and forcing some planes to divert to other German airports instead.

Airport operator Fraport said just over 100 flights were cancelled due to the evacuation.

Lufthansa was not immediately able to say how many of its flights were affected by the evacuation, but a spokesman said there could be isolated delays and cancellations on Thursday too as the carrier worked to get planes and crew back on schedule.

In a similar incident, a Spanish man was arrested at Cologne-Bonn airport in May after bypassing the security check, also leading to flight delays.

(Additional reporting by Victoria Bryan and Hans Seidenstuecker; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
By Maria Sheahan and Ilona Wissenbach FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German police said a misunderstanding led to a security breach that prompted the evacuation of Frankfurt airport's Terminal 1 and caused delays and flight cancellations at Europe's fourth largest airport on Wednesday. The alert was sparked when security staff at the terminal, a major hub for international travel and home to Lufthansa, requested police officers come over to check a suspicious female passenger. Before the police could arrive, the passenger, who had two small children with her, had quickly left, a police spokesman said. The passenger apparently thought the security check had finished and that's why she left, the spokesman said, declining to provide further details of what had raised the suspicions of security staff. As a preventative measure, the police then took the decision to evacuate the entire departure area, which they later declared as secure, allowing operations to start again at 1030 GMT (06:30 a.m. EDT). All passengers were asked to go through the security check again. The security breach interrupted flight operations, delaying departures and forcing some planes to divert to other German airports instead. Airport operator Fraport said just over 100 flights were canceled due to the evacuation. Lufthansa was not immediately able to say how many of its flights were affected by the evacuation, but a spokesman said there could be isolated delays and cancellations on Thursday too as the carrier worked to get planes and crew back on schedule. In a similar incident, a Spanish man was arrested at Cologne-Bonn airport in May after bypassing the security check, also leading to flight delays. (Additional reporting by Victoria Bryan and Hans Seidenstuecker; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
This week, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls explained his opposition to full-body swimsuits and full-face veils for Muslim women by invoking Frances most iconic woman, Marianne, its Lady Liberty since the French Revolution.Her breast is exposed because she is feeding the people, Valls said. She isnt wearing a veil because she is free. That is the republic.

Vallss rationale for why Marianne isnt veiled is bizarreas if French artists of the 18th and 19th centuries had deliberately left the burqa out of their paintings of Marianne to make a point. And as if those male artists had primarily intended to celebrate the freedom of women, whose liberties at the time were limited, rather than the freedom of France or freedom more generally. In the works of Eugene Delacroix and Honore Daumier, Marianne is likely more metaphor than Marianne.

But whats even more striking about Vallss remarks is the suggestion that there is only one, immutable Marianne, and hence only one vision of the French republic.

Recommended: Photos From Burning Man 2016

Marianne is bare-breasted in some depictions and more modestly dressed in others, as the French historian Mathilde Larrere has noted on Twitter. Marianne, in fact, is sometimes accused of being excessively busty. That too is the republic.

9)Certaines ont les seins nus, comme celle de Daumier, dautres non pic.twitter.com/j4yUy6rsgg  mathilde larrere (@LarrereMathilde) August 29, 2016

Marianne is, as The New York Times once pointed out, a Greco-Roman goddess, a harpy, a warrior, a mother, [and] a flapper, depending on when in French history you look at her. Like a Barbie doll she has many outfits, the French cartoonist Jean-Michel Renault wrote. That too is the republic.

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Marianne is the French actress Brigitte Bardot, who in the 1970s was the official face of feminized French liberty. Bardot has since been fined five times for inciting racial hatred against Muslims, particularly Muslim immigrants to France, who she claims are destroying our country by imposing [their] acts. That too is the republic.

Marianne is the giant photographs of 14 womenmany of them North African immigrants or the children of immigrants, and a number of them Muslimthat were displayed in 2003 at the entrance to Frances National Assembly. The portraits were the work of an activist group focused on empowering and preventing violence against women in the countrys largely immigrant suburbs. In the exhibition, which was titled Mariannes of Today, all the women were wearing versions of Mariannes trademark Phrygian cap, in a nod to Frances tradition of secularism. Who is Marianne? asked a leader of the activist group. Shes the ordinary working-class woman facing all sorts of pressures and struggling for freedom from the tyranny of the housing projects. And shes saying, No matter what my origin, I am a citizen of the French Republic. Shes demanding recognition in the public space. Jean-Louis Debre, the president of the National Assembly at the time, praised the young Mariannes for seeking the freedom to choose their destiny freely, and applauded the remaking of the iconography of the republic. That too is the republic.

The idea behind the black Marianne was that we accept strangers, that we accept differences.

Marianne is the black, blond-haired, bare-chested sculpture unveiled in 1999 at the town hall in the French village of Fremainville. The idea, the mayor said, was to signal that the French people are a mixture, that theres no such thing as a French race, that we accept strangers, that we accept differences. Sixteen years later, the sculpture was removed by the towns new mayor. That black sculpture was a Marianne of liberty, but not a Marianne of the French Republic, he said. She undoubtedly represented something, but not the French Republic. That too is the republic.

The many Mariannes convey the multiplicity of French identity and French ideals, at a time when a rise in terrorist attacks and the challenges of assimilating immigrants are raising existential, deeply divisive questions about the republic. They explain why supporters of the recent burqini bans in the country can argue that the head-to-toe swimsuit violates the core French value of secularism. And they explain why opponents can claim that prohibitions on the attire infringe on French citizens fundamental liberties. The many Mariannes speak to competing freedoms, including the freedom to believe and freedom from belief.

Recommended: What Trump Gets Right About Illegal Immigration

We are supposed to be in a liberal democracy, and nothing in the law on separation of church and state, the principle of laicite, secularism, says that we should not express our religious affiliation in the public space, Rim-Sarah Alouane, a French Muslim Ph.D. student in public law, recently told PRIs The World, offering one more definition of the French republic. I saw a nun on a bike yesterday, and I loved her for that. I love the fact that she was confident [enough] to go out on her bike dressed with her veil and robe without having the cops on her back.

The minister of interior [has] asked French Muslims to say loud and clear that we love the values of the republic, Alouane continued. I love the values of the republic. I hope you can hear me.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Dubbed the "French Spiderman", Alain Robert performed a treacherous climb wearing no harness up the Tour T1 building in the Paris region's La Defense business district on Wednesday (August 31). He undertook the challenge to campaign for the release of French woman Jacqueline Sauvage, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for murdering her violent husband. Turning into a symbol of domestic violence, Sauvage was conditionally pardoned by Hollande last February, following a plea by her daughters and a massive signature campaign. Her parole request, made possible by the president's pardon, was rejected earlier this month. Robert has climbed more than 100 structures including the Golden Gate Bridge and Burj al Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest skyscraper, raising awareness for causes like aid for Nepal quake victims and hair loss. On Wednesday, office workers watched as the 54 year-old Frenchman climb up to the top of the Tour T1. He filmed himself as he dangled on the side of the 185-metre (607-feet) high building and was wearing a 360-degrees camera, and even paused to write a message on an office's glass wall. He grasped at protruding parts of the building until he reached the top of the tower in less than 30 minutes. Robert was taken to the local police station for questioning, but as in previous occasions, was quickly released.
Every freshman needs an older and wiser mentor. Thankfully, this 18-year-old already had a student in mind when she enrolled in a Texas community college  her 82-year-old grandfather.

Read: 6 Graduation Stories That Will Inspire You for the New School Year

"My grandpa was a big part of why I went to Palo Alto [College]," 18-year-old Melanie Salazar from San Antonio told InsideEdition.com. "He kept telling me, 'Melanie, you're going to love it.' I'm glad I took his advice."

To celebrate her first week of classes, Salazar posted a series of pictures on Twitter captioned: "I'm so proud of my grandpa for finishing his first day at PAC this semester! 82 years old and not giving up!!!"

I'm so proud of my grandpa for finishing his first day at PAC this semester! 82 years old and not giving up!!!  pic.twitter.com/IX4x5RhKXm  Melanie Salazar  (@melaniesalazara) August 24, 2016

She told InsideEdition.com that her grandfather, Rene Neira, had started college in the 1950s, but put it off after he met the woman who would become Salazar's grandmother.

They got married and had kids, but Neira always vowed to go back to college eventually.

As his kids  Salazar's mom and her siblings  were growing up in the 70s, Neira took a couple credits here and there, especially as his children were going through college themselves.

But recently, he's finally decided to get his associate's degree in economics once and for all, although he'd have to retake many classes because some of his previous credits are no longer valid.

"He's very determined," Salazar said. "Once he gets his associates, he's planning to get his bachelor's in economics at [University of Texas at San Antonio.]"

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Read: It's All Greek to Me: Oddball Sorority Recruitment Video Takes Internet by Storm

She said her grandfather is only one class away from finishing as she begins her first week of community college, but for the rest of the semester, Salazar looks forward to sharing the campus with her grandfather.

"I try to meet up with him before his class starts, and he walked me to my next class once," she said. "We're best friends, we get along great."

Salazar, who is still undecided on a major, said she also promised to help him learn to use the computer, where he often turns in his assignments.

Watch: 86-Year-Old Man Pays Full College Tuition for 8 Deserving High School Students

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FutureLand Enters Its First Recreational Cultivation License in Oregon

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / August 31, 2016 / FutureLand Corp (FUTL), a leading provider of strategic real estate investment, grow facilities, and solutions to the global cannabis industry, provides an update on its progress and direction of the company.

Originally, FutureLand Corp's primary focus was on pursuing land leasing opportunities in states such as Colorado and Washington. However, realizing the enormous opening of the medical and recreational cannabis sectors, we decided to expand the scope of business to include medical and recreational cannabis cultivation.

Looking to the future, it seems natural to include the purchase of dispensaries and infused product licenses where vertical integration is possible. While not all states currently allow publicly traded companies to have ownership, FutureLand realizes the opportunity for ownership is on the horizon, and stands ready to take full advantage.

Initial expansion efforts are already underway, with initial advances just outside the city limits of Grants Pass in Southern Oregon. FutureLand Corp Purchased 50% ownership of 78 acres from HSPendleton, LLC. Together with John Miller of Groovy Groves, plans are underway to file for a recreational license in Josephine County and build out a recreational grow facility with a fully integrated supply chain which consists of a sophisticated on-site cultivation facility and its portfolio of proprietary strains. The estimated forward proforma 12-month GAAP revenue for Grants Pass, Oregon will be over $9 million.

"Based in Oregon, Grants Pass is strategically positioned to capitalize on the recreational cannabis market in Oregon, which is expected to significantly expand in 2016. Today's announcement is a continuation of that vision and I am confident this acquisition will enable FutureLand to achieve rapid growth for the benefit of its stockholders," says, CEO Mr. Cox.

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"Also, our partners already have another site 10 miles away from Grants Pass where they possess a recreational cultivation license and about 265 acres in Wolf's Creek, Oregon. FutureLand holds a first right of refusal on the property and opportunity. The purchase of this property alongside Grants Pass will increase our estimated forward proforma 12-month GAAP revenue from $9 million to $24 million," concludes Mr. Cox.

Always seeking additional advances, the company has not stopped looking at opportunities in Jamaica, California, other parts of Oregon, Washington, Kentucky (Hemp), Canada, Puerto Rico and more. Included in this are some targeted acquisitions that could set the stage for an up-list to a higher exchange.

Additionally, FutureLand is still working closely with HempTech (OTCPINK:HTCO) and Tinkerer's Obsession Labs to get 1000 grow pods placed around the US and Canada for native tribes to grow cannabis in conjunction with the partnership group.

About FutureLand Corp

FutureLand Corp., a Colorado company, is a cannabis and hemp specialty zoned land leasing company formed to capitalize upon the emerging global cannabis market. FutureLand, focuses on target acquisition, zoning, license fulfillment, site plan preparation and financing of cannabis or hemp grow facilities throughout the United States. We give growers the opportunity to grow. We monetize through leasing the land, leasing the structures on the land, financing interest revenue and management fees associated with cultivation centers. FutureLand retains ownership of all the land and the structures. FutureLand leases to both medical marijuana, retail marijuana as well as industrial hemp growers. FutureLand does not currently grow, distribute or sell marijuana, but this is about to change. To request further information about FutureLand, please email us at info@futurelandcorp.com, log onto our website at http://www.futurelandcorp.com, or visit us on FB @ futurelandcorp and Twitter @futurelandcorp.

About HempTech Corp

HempTech Corp (OTC PINK: HTCO), a Nevada corporation, is a provider of advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) with sophisticated automation and analytical tools for the cultivators of legal industrial hemp and cannabis. We design and engineer specialized products using advanced sensors, process control techniques, big data aggregation, analytics and security solutions so cannabis growers can easily and effectively control every aspect of their operation. Through HempTech technologies, virtually every component of the plants' vegetative growth matrix and flower harvest is automated, documented and available in visible format both in real time and historically. This simplifies operations and ensures that the baselines set by the master grower are adhered to by the cultivation staff.

The Intelligent Automation Technology engineered for agricultural operations featuring CognetiX Cultivation Automation & Analytic Software drives improvement in productivity, efficiency, quality and sustainability. This industrial grade advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) with analytical technology software, is being made available to small and large size cultivators that are not yet available in the Cannabis market. HempTech's goal is to provide cost effective and efficient cultivation of indoor cannabis through intelligent technologies and process control platforms.

HempTech's mission is to establish a reputation in the cannabis industry as a one-stop-shop that provides all the infrastructure elements required by growers in a manner that is fully integrated, state-of-the-art, and secure. Products include the SPIDer (Secure Perimeter Intrusion Detection), SmartSense, SmartEnergy, and analytics dashboard CognetiX through which HempTech Corp. provides growers unparalleled data analysis capabilities to Know Your Grow! HempTech -- America's Future Taking Root Today.

To request further information about HempTech, please email us at info@hemptechcorp.com, log onto our website at http://www.hemptechcorp.com or visit us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hemptechcorp or on Twitter @hemptechcorp.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This press release may contain forward-looking statements covered within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, plans and timing for the introduction or enhancement of our services and products, statements about future market conditions, supply and demand conditions, and other expectations, intentions and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact and involve risks and uncertainties. Our expectations regarding future revenues depend upon our ability to develop and supply products and services that we may not produce today and that meet defined specifications. When used in this press release, the words "plan," "expect," "believe," and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current expectations. They are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in technology and changes in pervasive markets. This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 27E of the Securities Act of 1934. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Actual performance and results may differ materially from that projected or suggested herein due to certain risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, ability to obtain financing and regulatory and shareholder approval for anticipated actions.

Contact:

Media Contact

FutureLand Corp.

http://www.futurelandcorp.com

info@futurelandcorp.com

cox@futurelandcorp.com

(720) 370-3554

Twitter - @futurelandcorp

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SOURCE: FutureLand Corp
By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - The Gabon government on Tuesday accused President Ali Bongo's challenger, Jean Ping, of trying to destabilize the country, and warned French ruling party officials against "interference" in its affairs. With both sides trading accusations after a bitter election campaign, there was concern the results, when they came, would trigger unrest. People stockpiled food, police manned major crossroads and soldiers deployed at petrol stations and banks. Ping, a former foreign minister, African Union Commission chairman and longtime political insider, is the main challenger to Bongo, whose family has ruled the oil-producing central African nation for half a century. In a statement late on Tuesday, he said that election results his team had collated from almost all of the country's regions showed he had defeated Bongo. "Jean Ping's victory is no longer in doubt," the statement signed by him said, adding he had received 59.32 percent support in the eight out of the nine provinces for which they had data, with Bongo getting just 37.97 percent. Government spokesman Alain-Claude Nze told a news conference earlier in the day that "Jean Ping seems to be the instigator of a detribalization that threatens the democratic process." Bongo's supporters say he is on track to win. The president was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ran Gabon for 42 years. [L8N1BA2H0] U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the issuance of premature results and called on Ping and Bongo to urge their supporters to show restraint. Bongo's allies are also furious about a statement from France's ruling Socialist Party on Sunday declaring that early results showed Ping to be the winner. They accused French officials of carrying on the old politics of 'La Francafrique' - an intricate, shadowy web of diplomacy and commerce that for decades kept African presidents in its former colonies, like Bongo's father, in power in exchange for privileged deals for French companies. "The Socialist Party by this interference, coming from the same members of La Francafrique, shows once again their inability to understand how African democracies function," Nze said. "The French Socialist Party is advised to respect our sovereignty." FEARS OF UNREST Authorities have also reacted angrily to an app set up by an Ivorian citizen that allegedly gives live results by region. Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya said he would announce results starting on Tuesday evening after a meeting of the electoral commission and warned that any attempts at detribalization by publishing results would not be tolerated. "Any other so-called results released before, during or after the official declaration are nothing but a lie and a violation of the law," Moubelet-Boubeya said in a statement. "Anti-democratic forces both inside and outside the country are looking for ways to provoke trouble in Gabon." The French Embassy advised its citizens to stay indoors. Gabon's first-past-the-post system means the winner only needs more votes than any other candidate. In 2009, Bongo won with 41.73 percent. The European Union's observer mission on Monday criticized a "lack of transparency" among the institutions running the polls and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media. Nze accused the EU of overstepping its mandate. Ping's supporters called on the electoral commission to publish the results polling station by polling station. But electoral commission head Rene Aboghe Ella rejected that, telling Radio France International "to do so would excessively delay the publication of the results". Bongo, 57, also benefits from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse. But oil output and prices have fallen, forcing budget cuts despite Gabon having one of the biggest revenue streams of all Africa's oil producers. Gabon's economic troubles have provided fodder for opposition charges that its 1.8 million inhabitants have struggled under his leadership, and Bongo's ruling party has experienced a series of high-profile defections. (Additional reporting by Tim Cocks and Diadie Ba in Dakar; Writing by Joe Bavier and Tim Cocks; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Peter Cooney)
By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Demonstrators in Gabon clashed with police and set part of the parliament building on fire on Wednesday amid anger among opposition supporters over President Ali Bongo's re-election in polls that his main rival, Jean Ping, claimed to have won. Opposition members of the Central African oil producer's electoral commission rejected Saturday's first-past-the-post election result, which would see the Bongo family's nearly half-century in power extended another seven years. France, the United States, and the European Union all urged calm on Wednesday and called upon Gabonese authorities to release the results of individual polling stations for greater transparency. Bongo won 49.80 percent of votes, compared to 48.23 percent for Ping, with a turnout of 59.46 percent, according to results announced region by region by Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya. "This victory by such a tight score obliges ... each of us to respect the verdict of the ballot box and our institutions," Bongo said in the text of a victory speech distributed to reporters. "Our country is advancing and that advance must take place with the unity and peace so dear to the Gabonese people." Soon after the result was announced on state-owned television, riot police fired teargas in clashes with around 100 opposition supporters in one neighbourhood in the capital Libreville, according to a Reuters witness. Police and soldiers, meanwhile, were stationed at most crossroads and petrol stations. Protesters entered the grounds of Gabon's parliament building, the National Assembly, late in the afternoon. "The demonstrators entering from the back and set fire to the National Assembly ... Part of the building is on fire," said the witness, who asked not to be named out of fear of reprisal. Firemen arrived and were attempting to put out the blaze, he said. But as night fell over the capital the flames remained visible from a distance. Several Libreville residents said social media, including Facebook and Twitter, were no longer functioning. Gabon's main cities had been on edge since Tuesday, with residents stockpiling food ahead of the expected announcement, which was later postponed by one day. INTERNATIONAL CONCERN "We tell the people of Gabon not to let their victory be stolen from them. Ali Bongo does not own this country," Paul Marie Gondjout, a member of the electoral commission from Ping's party, told Reuters. Commission members belonging to the opposition abstained from a vote that validated the election result. Ping's party said its tally showed their candidate won 59 percent of the vote versus 38 percent for Bongo, with only one province left to count -- a claim the government condemned as an effort to destabilise the country. Ali Bongo was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ran Gabon for 42 years. He benefited from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse. Though voting on Saturday was generally peaceful, Bongo and Ping's supporters traded accusations of fraud. An EU observer mission sent to monitor the polls criticised a "lack of transparency" among the institutions running the election and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media. Former colonial ruler France's foreign ministry said the manner in which the final results were announced on Wednesday was a source of concern. "We think it is necessary to publish the results of all the polling stations. The credibility of the election as well as Gabon's international reputation are at stake," it said. The statement was echoed by the U.S. Department of State, which urged all sides to "temper their rhetoric and encourage their supporters to remain calm". It also called upon Gabon's security forces to exercise restraint. The election followed a bitter campaign. Gabon's economic troubles, caused by falling oil output and prices, have led to budget cuts in one of Africa's richest nations and fuelled opposition charges that its 1.8 million people have struggled under Bongo's leadership. Ping, a life-long political insider who has served as foreign minister and African Union Commission chairman, was a close ally of Omar Bongo and even fathered two children with the late president's daughter, Pascaline. (Additional reporting by Matt Bigg in Accra and Tim Cocks in Dakar and Joe Bavier in Abidjan; Writing by Edward McAllister and Joe Bavier; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
The seventh season of HBOs Game of Thrones is beginning to take shape.

Oscar winner Jim Broadbent has boarded the George R.R. Martin fantasy drama, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

As first reported by EW, the Oscar winner and Emmy-nominated actor whose credits include Harry Potter, Irish, Bridget Joness Diary and more, will have a significant role.

Read more: Game of Thrones Star Kit Harington on Final Seasons: Its Going to Get Very Bleak

Details about Broadbents role are being kept under wraps, in typical Game of Thrones fashion.

Season seven will be the penultimate season for Game of Thrones. HBO programming president Casey Bloys confirmed that season eight would be the final one for the Emmy darling. Season seven will consist of seven episodes and will not premiere until summer 2017 as producers look to wait for colder weather to reflect the creative story in which winter is indeed coming.

Production will begin this summer and will be based in Northern Ireland, while other locations set to be featured next season include Spain and Iceland. Shooting locations in Spain include Seville, Caceres, Almodovar del Rio, Santiponce, Zumaia and Bermeo.

Broadbents credits include Moulin Rouge, Gangs of New York and Eddie the Eagle. Hes repped by CAA and Conway van Gelder in the U.K.

For full Game of Thrones coverage, go to THR.com/GameOfThrones.

Read more: 'Game of Thrones: Every Episode Ranked Through 6 Seasons
Game of Thrones Season 7 has started filming in Belfast, thank the Old Gods and the New

Game of Thrones Season 7 has started filming in Belfast, thank the Old Gods and the New

Although we went into Game of Thrones panic-mode when Thrones co-showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss said that Season 7 would be delayed, we can now rest a little easier, because filming for Season 7 has apparently begun in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Our faces, right now:

jon snow

Thanks to Watchers on the Wall, we now know there have been all kinds of sightings recently around Belfast signaling that filming has finally started on our favorite TV epic.

And, perhaps, the most IMPORTANT telltale sign was, well, literally a sign  a familiarly pink Game of Thrones filming sign.

As WOTW pointed out, its the first one seen this year! Spotted by eagle-eyed Twitter user @Kipperbt20, this sign makes us as happy as Arya Stark neck-deep in Frey pie.

Further reports via Watchers on the Wall also say that,

Local sources around Titanic Studios (the shows production home in Belfast) tell us that as of yesterday, cars were being rerouted around the Game of Thrones studios so as not to cause a noise disturbance.

And, because we know youre thirsty to see some of the STARS of Thrones back in action (I mean, WHO ISNT?!), check out these social media posts of cast members spotted around Belfast in the past week.

NBD, just Sansa and Arya out shopping like us plebs.

A photo posted by Giuseppe (@peppepalermo79) on Aug 25, 2016 at 11:14am PDT

Jaime Lannister beingwell, HOT, in Belfast.

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And, of course, lets not forget the fact that Khal Drogo

A photo posted by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) on Aug 20, 2016 at 2:21pm PDT

We have absolutely NO IDEA what will happen in Season 7 of Game of Thrones, but apparently whatever it is will SHOCK us (thanks Maisie!), whichOF COURSE IT WILL. But either way, we are super excited to see that production seems to be back in full swing on our favorite show ever.

Waiting for next summer like

jon snow pic

The post Game of Thrones Season 7 has started filming in Belfast, thank the Old Gods and the New appeared first on HelloGiggles.
(Reuters) - Retailer Gap Inc <GPS.N> said on Tuesday that its distribution center in Fishkill, New York, had been hit by a serious fire.

All employees at the site affected by the blaze late on Monday were safe and an investigation was still underway, Gap spokeswoman Debbie Felix said.

"While it will take time to understand the full impact and cause of the fire, we have contingency plans in place and are working across our North American network of distributions centers to continue to serve our customers," Felix said.

The clothing retailer owns a network of distribution centers in North America and England, including the affected facility, which spans over 8.6 million square feet (80 hectares), according to a regulatory filing.

"The Fishkill distribution center is a primary distribution center for the northeast," said Nomura analyst Simeon Siegel, who added that Gap was re-routing inventory through another center.

(Reporting by Gayathree Ganesan and Supantha Mukherjee and Vishaka George in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Tom Brown)
(Adds response from General Atomics)

BERLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Germany's Defence Ministry on Tuesday informed lawmakers that its plan to lease armed Heron TP drones from Israel Aerospace Industries will be delayed by months given a fresh legal challenge filed by U.S. weapons maker General Atomics.

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen in January announced the army would lease the Heron drones for about 580 million euros instead of buying Predator B drones from the privately held U.S. firm or Switzerland's RUAG, prompting protests by both firms which were denied in May.

"This move by General Atomics is very unfortunate and frustrating, especially since our legal position was upheld by the (cartel office) with very clear words," a senior ministry acquisition official told lawmakers in a letter seen by Reuters.

General Atomics spokeswoman Melissa Haynes said the company filed the legal challenge "to ensure that this procurement is conducted as a fair and open competition; thereby ensuring that the German Ministry of Defense procures the most technologically superior and cost efficient solution."

She gave no details about the substance of the lawsuit.

It was the latest setback for the minister's efforts to rebuild the German military after years of declining military budgets and reports of ill-equipped troops.

Germany's air force is facing growing problems due to delays in deliveries of the Airbus A400M military transport, and a $4 billion air defence system to be built by Lockheed Martin Corp and MBDA is also facing possible delays. MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus, Britain's BAE Systems Plc and Italy's Leonardo Finmeccanica SpA.

General Atomics had in June asked the German cartel office to review a decision rejecting its protest of the contract decision, but the agency rejected that bid on Aug. 17, according to the ministry letter, which was first reported by Spiegel Online.

In response, the company on Monday filed a lawsuit with the German higher court in Duesseldorf, the final arbiter in the case, the ministry official said.

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RUAG did not pursue its case with the cartel office.

The ministry official said the latest legal process could take three to nine months to resolve, which meant the Heron project could be delayed by months.

Tobis Lindner, a Green party member of the parliamentary budget committee, said critics had long questioned whether von der Leyen's decision to lease the Israeli drones was the economically and technologically least risky option.

"It now appears that the Defence Ministry's plans are now falling apart. Ursula von der Leyen's ambitious drone plans are over for this legislative period," he said in a statement.

The leasing plan was intended as an interim measure until the EU has developed its own drone. Germany, France, Italy and Spain plan to jointly develop a drone by 2025.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alison Williams and Toby Chopra)
lucky charms

General Mills  the US food manufacturer behind brands like Lucky Charms, Cheerios, Pillsbury, and Yoplait  has some very specific requirements for its creative agency review.

The company is in the process of asking ad agencies to pitch for its creative account, which will cover its advertising, production, and content across all its US retail brands.

Speaking to AdAge, General Mills chief marketing officer Ann Simonds revealed the food giant has stipulated that the competing agencies must be staffed with at least 50% women and 20% people of color within their creative departments.

Simonds said: "We are very excited about that. If you are going to put the people you serve first, the most important thing is to live up to it and make it a key criteria."

She said the requirement "feels like a first in the industry," adding: "I think it's rare and it is important."

A survey conducted by The 3% Conference  an event that champions female leadership  found that women make up 46.4% of the ad industry, yet just 11.5% of creative directors within those agencies are female.

It is for that reason that General Mills has specified diversity quotas specifically within the creative department.

General Mills chief creative officer Michael Fanuele told AdAge: "Agencies are fairly diverse in account and strategic planning but not with the people who are making the work."

The agencies currently fighting it out for General Mills' business include incumbents 72andsunny, McCann, and Saatchi & Saatchi holding company Publicis Groupe, plus some agencies not currently on its roster, including Deutsch and Mother, according to AdAge.

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george soros

George Soros, the billionaire financier, is ponying up serious cash to reform the US criminal-justice system.

Soros has pumped over $3 million into seven local district-attorney campaigns in six states in the past year, reports Politico.

He is pushing the money into local elections in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas through a network of state-level super PACs and a national "527" unlimited-money group, according to Politico.

The money has benefited African-American and Hispanic candidates who ran on progressive platforms, like reducing racial disparities in sentencing and directing drug offenders to diversion programs instead of trial.

Electing reform-minded prosecutors is a major goal of progressive figures such as Soros. Prosecutors have "tremendous power" in how the law is interpreted, specifically when deciding what kind of sentences the state will pursue, John Pfaff, a professor of criminal law at Fordham University, told The Atlantic in May.

And often, prosecutors in strongly partisan counties will run unopposed for many terms. This allows incumbents to wield enormous influence, and "lock in the criminal-justice status quo," David Rogers, the Oregon ACLU director, wrote in a report investigating district-attorney elections.

Soros' efforts have shown some success in unseating incumbents. On Tuesday, a Soros-backed candidate, Aramis Ayala, handily defeated incumbent Jeff Ashton in a central-Florida county that covers parts of Orlando.

His group poured $975,000 into Ayala's campaign in August, compared to the $112,445 Ashton raised for his reelection, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Ashton, who's well-known for prosecuting Casey Anthony, was linked to racially charged policies in ads released by Soros' PAC.

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BERLIN (Reuters) - Activists delivered what they said was Germany's biggest-ever public complaint to the Constitutional Court on Wednesday, hoping it will scupper a trade agreement between the European Union and Canada.

The deal, which some see as a template for an EU-U.S. agreement still being negotiated, is the EU's most ambitious trade pact to date and could increase trade between the two areas by some 20 percent.

It would eliminate tariffs on 98 percent of goods immediately. It also would encompass regulatory cooperation, shipping, sustainable development and access to government tenders. But its ratification faces obstacles.

Although proponents say it could add some 11.6 billion euros a year to the EU economy, many EU voters are skeptical about the benefits and fear it would give multinational corporations greater access to European markets without creating jobs.

The three German groups - Campact, foodwatch and More Democracy - arrived at the Karlsruhe court with a lorry containing 70 boxes of documents with 125,000 signatures.

They argue the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) breaches Germany's constitution and want the court in Karlsruhe to stop the implementation of the deal before (official) ratification by EU states.

The European Commission hopes that the governments of the EU states can approve it before a planned EU-Canada summit at the end of October. The European Parliament would also need to vote to allow it to enter force provisionally next year.

But national, and some regional, parliaments would still need to ratify it. A trade agreement with Korea took effect provisionally in 2011 but was not fully ratified until four years later.

The German groups insist this process undermines democracy because citizens would be excluded from the decision-making.

"The temporary implementation of CETA is immensely dangerous because it creates a reality," said the groups.

"Democratically non-legitimate committees and investor- friendly mediation courts would start work ... all without the agreement of the lower house of parliament," they added.

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They also argue that the agreement would make it more difficult to improve environmental or health protection.

Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, has said the EU-U.S. trade deal has effectively failed, but he backs CETA.

France also has doubts about the future of a U.S. agreement, although it supports CETA, which includes an EU proposal on the contentious issue of settling investor-state disputes.

Gabriels Social Democrats vote on the EU-Canada deal on Sept. 19. If they reject the agreement, it might be difficult for Gabriel, who is expected to run against Merkel in next year's election, to support it at a meeting of trade ministers in Bratislava four days later.

Merkel supports continuing the TTIP talks.

(Additional reporting by Gernot Heller and Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Larry King)
Anti-torture Bill moves

The Legislature-Parliament on Tuesday forwarded the Bill to Control Torture, Inhuman, Brutal and Disrespectful Acts to a parliamentary committee for finalisation after completing a thematic discussion.
BERLIN (Reuters) - A spokesman for Germany's Finance Ministry declined to comment on the topic of banking mergers on Wednesday after the head of Deutsche Bank <DBKGn.DE> called for cross-border bank mergers in Europe.

"We do not comment on the subject of bank mergers. These are things that banks themselves have to decide," said the ministry spokesman when asked to comment at a regular government news conference.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Michelle Martin)
A photo posted by Google (@google) on Aug 31, 2016 at 6:42am PDT

The Faroe Islands, an archipelago under Danish control in the North Atlantic Ocean, is now the site of a fascinating Google project.

Because the islands are remote, Google never bothered to map them for Google Maps Street View.

So several citizens went about trying to get Google to come and photograph the islands' grassy hills and beautiful coastline.

The islands are only home to about 50,000 people, but there over 70,000 sheep live there. So a couple of Faroese decided to strap cameras to the sheep and map out as much of the islands as they could.

Google does allow independent people to contribute to Street View.

Google loved the effort, and announced on Wednesday that it's loaned official Street View equipment and a couple of professional 360-degree cameras to finish the job.

Google Sheepview: not a baaaaaaaad idea.

Sheep View

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It's time to reassess your Labor Day travel plans.

As Hurricane Madeline approaches Hawaii and Tropical Depression Nine strengthens near Florida, airlines have begun waiving change and cancellation fees for destinations that could be affected.

Meteorologists are watching several storms in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.

The National Hurricane Center had advisories in place Wednesday on three Atlantic storms, the most serious of which is for Tropical Depression Nine. The center cautioned that the system could strengthen into a tropical storm (which would be named Hermine), and has issued alerts of possible hurricane or tropical storm conditions for various parts of Florida and Georgia.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.

"It is crucial that every Floridian has a plan in place to ensure their families, homes and businesses are fully prepared," he said in a statement.



The other Atlantic storms may have limited impact. Hurricane Gaston is expected to continue moving eastward away from the U.S., and Tropical Depression Eight is moving away from the North Carolina coast.

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center, meanwhile, has issued an advisory for Hurricane Madeline, with alerts of possible hurricane or tropical storm conditions for several islands, including the Big Island and Maui. The National Hurricane Center has also advised consumers to monitor the progress of Hurricane Lester, which could also track toward Hawaii.



Hawaii Gov. David Ige declared a state of emergency ahead of hurricanes Madeline and Lester.

"During this time, I ask residents and visitors to closely follow emergency instructions as we prepare for the storm," he said in a statement.

For travelers worried about the prospects of that Labor Day trip, the first step is to check the cancellation and change policies for hotel, airfare and other travel components. Until there's a direct threat from the storm, you're likely at the mercy of standard policies. Unless you booked a nonrefundable room, many hotels offer penalty-free cancellation with just a few days' notice; on airfare, a change fee typically applies.



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Travel providers have begun waiving change fees and relax policies for select travel dates and airports in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, and South Carolina. Check the provider's travel advisory page.

Call customer service to plead your case even if a travel provider doesn't have a waiver on offer and the return policy seems ironclad. Reps may have some leeway to offer a refund or change waiver on a case-by-case basis, Jason Clampet, co-founder of travel site Skift.com, told CNBC.com earlier this year.

"Humans can always make choices at these travel brands," he said.

If you already bought travel insurance, call the provider to confirm coverage details.

Worries that there could be a hurricane typically aren't covered, unless you bought a cancel-for-any-reason policy, Rachael Taft, a spokeswoman for travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth.com, told CNBC.com last week. Some policies allow for cancellation once there's a hurricane warning in effect for your destination; others may require a more substantial effect like a flight or cruise delay, or accommodations rendered inhabitable because of the storm.

Policyholders usually also have coverage if storm-related travel delays cause problems (like a late flight that means you miss your cruise) or extra costs (meals at the airport or an extra night's lodging at your destination because there are no flights home).

Depending on which weather system you're worried about, it may already be too late to buy a policy.

"You can't buy a policy once a tropical storm or hurricane is named," said Taft. "At that point it's too late."

To be safe, buy your policy over the phone instead of online. Ask specifically about the worrisome weather.

"They'll usually know if a storm is named," Taft said  and confirm that you haven't missed the deadline to get coverage.




When I was a heretical student at a Catholic high school deciding where to apply to college, I thrilled at the prospect of an educational institution where free inquiry would reign supreme and forceful debate would never be hemmed in by dogma.

A letter like the one that University of Chicago Dean of Students John Ellison sent last week to incoming first-year studentsreminding them of the schools commitment to freedom of inquiry and expression," and affirming that those admitted to it are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn, without fear of censorshipwould have struck me as a glorious affirmation: that robust intellectual communities truly did exist; that I would finally be free to follow my brain; that college would be a crucible that tested the strength of all my beliefs.

Today, I am more forgiving of Catholic educational institutions, which served me well; and more skeptical that any colleges worth is best measured by its stated aspirations. Still, I couldnt help but imagine a bright 18-year-old, preparing to leave an intellectually stifling environment to attend the University of Chicago, receiving that letter, opening it with curiosity, and lighting up at what lay ahead, even as she steeled herself a bit more for the intellectual challenges that it promised.

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Some critics of the letter, who focused on a passage declaring, 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 odds with their own, imagined a different sort of incoming college student as the recipientone victimized in some way that causes them to want safe spaces and sensitivity.

Entering students should expect to have their worldviews shifted and their capacity for discourse expanded, a returning student commented. These students, however, should not expect to have their life experiences belittled by the very person who is tasked with advocating on their behalf. In her telling, the letter was tantamount to telling trauma survivors that the university does not care about them.

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That analysis begs the question of whether trigger warnings help or hurt the traumatized, or have no effect, a matter that is hotly contested. But with elite high schools increasingly acculturating students to social-justice jargon as a form of college prep, it is likely that at least some incoming freshmen shared that reading of the letter.

For that reason and more, it has become the most debated item in higher education as faculty, administrators, and students return to campus for the fall semester.

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Inside Higher Ed offered a summary. To those who regularly campaign against what they see as political correctness, and to plenty of others, the letter was the message they have been waiting forand that they think students need, Scott Jaschik wrote. But to many others, the letter distorted programs on which many students rely, ignored the hostility many students feel on campus, and belittled the sincerity of faculty members who work to make higher education more inclusive.

My reaction doesnt fit neatly into either camp. I cheer the impulse to prime students for freewheeling discourse. There is overwhelming evidence that free inquiry is threatened from the right and left, despite the fact that, as Jesse Singal put it, Theres a strong case to be made that most students favor a liberal conception of campus free-speech rights; theyre just quieter about their preferences than the activists who believe that open debate of controversial subjects is harmful.

There are, however, a lot of different ways to champion that ethos. Deciding whether the University of Chicago letter is an effective model for other institutions to emulate or a misstep to be avoided requires closer engagement with its critics.

What Trigger Warnings and Safe Spaces Mean

One common critique, represented here by Slates L.V. Anderson, is that the University of Chicago does not understand the concepts that its missive condemned.

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John Ellison betrays a common misunderstanding of trigger warnings and safe spacesboth of which exist for the exact purpose of building a campus that welcomes people of all backgrounds, Anderson writes. Trigger warnings are not intended to shield students from controversial material; theyre intended to warn students about disturbing content so that they wont be shocked by it. For someone who has been sexually assaulted, or someone who has been personally subjected to the n-word, reading texts that include descriptions of rape or racist language can dredge up anxiety and panic; warnings help them steel themselves for the impact.

If there is solid evidence that trigger warnings work like that, helping students to steel themselves more often than priming them to be traumatized, I havent seen it.

But the larger flaw in this argument is its implicit claim that there is a single, fixed intention behind demands for trigger warnings and safe spaces. In fact, a trigger warning might refer to matters as varied as a warning to a combat veteran that a scene in a war movie might trigger his medically diagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a professor caving to a demand (actually made by a Rutgers student) that classmates about to read The Great Gatsby be forewarned that it contains (spoiler alert) depictions of suicide, domestic abuse and graphic violence.

The latter example illustrates why Anderson is on particularly shaky ground when writing that content warnings are a minor accommodation that allows students who have experienced trauma to participate in the academic community, and, properly used, they dont infringe on anyones academic freedom. Even if we assume that a warning about suicide in The Great Gatsby does help a trauma-prone student to get through an English class more comfortably, it could still be in conflict with a professors belief that, pedagogically speaking, most students cannot meaningfully experience the novel if major plot points are prematurely spoiled.

Whats more, as soon as trigger warnings are regarded not as warnings issued when there is specific evidence that they would avert episodes of PTSD, but labels appended in order to warn students about disturbing content so that they wont be shocked by it, they cease to be tools that are applied in a value-neutral manner, as notions of what may disturb are conflated with notions of what is unjust. The myth of the value-neutral trigger warning is most easily punctured by imagining how a typical college professor would react to a request from an evangelical conservative student that The Vagina Monologues carry a trigger warning for discussion of female genitalia, Brokeback Mountain carry a trigger warning for depictions of sodomy, or The Origin of the Species carry one for heresy.

Little wonder that numerous college instructors avow that the expectation of trigger warnings imposes a significant burden as they formulate courses and causes them to shy away from presenting potentially upsetting material to their studentsand others say trigger warnings have a chilling effect on some groups of students. That other professors do not feel burdened, or prefer trigger warnings, suggest that leaving the matter to the individual discretion of instructors is the best way forward. The letter should have noted that is the approach that the University of Chicago actually takes, in keeping with its commitment to academic freedom.

Safe space is a similarly slippery term. It could refer to an environment in which just physical safety is guaranteed; or to a support group for rape survivors that is closed to people who have never been raped to increase emotional comfort; or to classrooms where robust exchanges are protected but interpersonal harassment is forbidden; or to students reacting to a speaker with whom they disagree with counter-programming, as at Brown, where students surrounded themselves with cookies, coloring books, bubbles, Play-Doh, calming music, pillows, blankets and a video of frolicking puppies, as well as students and staff members trained to deal with trauma, as if Wendy McElroys presence on campus made them unsafe.

I took the University of Chicagos dean to be denouncing scenarios like that last example. Many critics of the University of Chicago are conjuring the most defensible possible variations on trigger warnings and safe spaces, often harkening back to the origins of the terms, without acknowledging that their critics are almost always using their post-concept creep meanings. Students at numerous institutions do invoke trigger warnings and safe spaces in ways that undermine free inquiry. Pushing back against those trends is a worthy and overdue project, and if the University of Chicago letter might have been more precise, its critics could at least acknowledge the excesses that obviously motivated it, rather than treating them as straw men or bizarre, unrepresentative anomalies.

This applies particularly to the safe space discussion. The letters critics correctly tout the value of domestic-violence shelters, gay nightclubs, gatherings where pregnant women discuss their bodily experiences, and undocumented immigrants grappling with the unique challenges of their circumstances with people who share it. But those hardly run afoul of the deans qualified denunciation of intellectual safe spaces where individuals retreat from ideas and perspectives.

What Is the Chicago Letter Really Telling Students?

At Vox, Kevin Gannon, a professor of history and director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Grand View University, declares himself to be dismayed by how diatribes like the Chicago letter approach students in adversarial terms, implying that they dont know how to make choices or approach material when it comes to their learning. He goes on to argue that the Chicago letter reeks of arrogance, of a sense of entitlement, of an exclusionary mindsetin other words, the very things it seeks to inveigh against. Its not about academic freedom; its about power. Know your place, and acknowledge ours, it tells the students. Well be the judge of what you need to know and how you need to know it. And professors and students are thus handcuffed to a high-stakes ideological creed.

On its face, the University of Chicago letter seems as though it might, in fact, handcuff professors in one way. Critics have charged that the statement might undermine academic freedom, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education noted. If UC had banned the use of trigger warnings outright, that would have affected the academic freedom of professors who might choose to use them as a pedagogical tool. But the organization confirmed that Dean Ellisons statement that it does not support so-called trigger warnings is not a ban on that practice.

The letter is, in effect, a trigger warning to incoming students preemptively warning them to expect a dearth of trigger warnings in their time on campus.

Since professors maintain broad latitude to engage in teaching practices as they see fit or to accommodate student requests, that leaves concern about the message to students.

And contra Gannons protestations, it is not only proper, but inescapable, for a college to tell its students, Well be the judge of what you need to know and how you need to know it. It is the place of the institution to decide what, if any, classes will be mandatory; to hire professors; to decide what classes to offer; and to formulate major and graduation requirements. Insofar as institutions are transparent about the ethos that guides them, the matters on which they are open to debate, and what they consider to be their core values, prospective students will be best served.

Missions will differ wildly. My alma mater put its identity as a residential college at its core, with policies to stymie students who wished to live off-campus. Religious schools like Brigham Young adopt explicit codes of conduct in keeping with their faith. The curriculum requirements at a liberal arts institution like Swarthmore will differ significantly from those of vocational institutions, and Oberlin and Brown ought to be perfectly clear about the role social justice plays in their communities.

Sure, Charles Murray has a right to his views, Gannon writes. But is it OK for us to use student fees paid in part by African American students to bring him to campus, fete him, and give him a rostrum to tell those students theyre doomed by genetics to be inferior to whites? Feting aside, the University of Chicagos answer appears to be, Yes, it is okayjust as it would be okay to use the student fees of white students to host a black nationalist speaking on the subject of the white devil from slave patrols to policing; or the student fees of male students to host a feminist philosopher who believes men are inherent oppressors and all penetrative sex is rape; or to use the student fees of Christian students to host a prolific abortionist or an atheist who believes no intelligent person could believe in God; or the student fees of Jewish students to host a head of state who has compared Jews to vermin and suggested that Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth.

Professor Geoffrey Stone argues that sort of standard is vital. If today I am permitted to silence those whose views I find distasteful, I have then opened the door to allow others down the road to silence me, he writes. The neutral principle, no suppression of ideas, protects us all. (Indeed, that principle is most important to marginalized students.) He goes on to argue that the this is a particularly important moment to reiterate the University of Chicagos long held ideals:

Students and faculty members used to be willing to take controversial positions because the risks were relatively modest. After all, one could say something provocative, and the statement soon disappeared from view. But now, every comment you make can be circulated to the world and called up with a click by prospective employers or graduate schools or neighbors. The potential costs of speaking courageously, of taking controversial positions, of taking risks, is greater than ever. Indeed, according to a recent survey, about half of American college students now say that it is unsafe for them to express unpopular views. Many faculty members clearly share that sentiment. In this climate, it is especially important for universities to stand up for free expression.

That isnt the only ethos that might guide a university, but it is a perfectly defensible one that anyone who believes in diversity among institutions should value. In any case, students about to enter such an institution should know what theyre in for before they arrive! One irony of the debate generated by the Chicago letter is that, in effect, the college issued a trigger warning to incoming students warning them to expect a dearth of trigger warnings in their time on campus.

Gannon writes that he would be dismayed if my dean sent this letter to my incoming students. Because now theyll come into my class already having received a clear message about what my institution seems to valueand it isnt them. But that both ignores the myriad different ways incoming students will receive the letter and begs the question about the merits of the University of Chicagos ethos. Those who believe in the propositions set forth in the letter naturally believe that promulgating a maximalist approach to free inquiry, in the clearest terms, is exactly what is required from those who value incoming students. Critics who ignore that wrinkle in the debate are failing an ideological Turing test.

Those critics should grapple with people who believe students are best positioned to receive an excellent education when primed to consider nothing off limits; or that learning to face wrongheaded or even hurtful ideas is, beyond academic necessities, a key life skill; or that, per Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, campuses that police speech engender patterns of thought that are surprisingly similar to those long identified by cognitive behavioral therapists as causes of depression and anxiety. The new protectiveness may be teaching students to think pathologically.

Indeed, by failing to accurately state the beliefs and motivations of folks who have cheered the University of Chicago letter, its critics are priming some students to receive it as a willful attack on their identities when, in fact, it is perfectly consistent with an administrator deeply committed to the flourishing of all first-years.

Read Follow-Up Notes

In turn, Ellison could have better anticipated the predictable misreadings of his least charitable critics, as well as possible misreadings of high schoolers whove been acculturated into the erroneous belief that free expression and social justice are at odds.

In his defense, Ellison did write, Fostering a free exchange of ideas reinforces a related University prioritybuilding a campus that welcomes people of all backgrounds. I wish he wouldve added some of the many reasons why that is so: For example, because nearly every idea espoused at a university will have proponents and opponents of every race and gender; because the presumption that once-victimized individuals, or even whole groups, need to be protected from the free exchange of ideas is insulting, paternalistic nonsense that stigmatizes and falsely stereotypes its objects as fragile and inferior; or because suppressing an idea on behalf of one group causes other groups to compete to suppress other ideas in turn, or to feel disrespected if censors seem less solicitous of their sensitivities.

In my judgement, Ken White of Popehat offered the best critique of the University of Chicago letter by re-writing it using more precise language that he believes to be superior:

Our commitment to academic freedom will govern our response to community concerns about course content and campus expression in general. The community should not expect us to require professors to give "trigger warnings," or to discipline them if they decline to do so. The community should not expect us to prohibit or "disinvite" speakers who offer controversial or offensive ideas. Members of the community should exercise their freedom of association to form groups with similar interests, goals, and values, but should not expect to transform classes or public spaces into "safe spaces" where expression they oppose is prohibited.

He is correct that his version is clearer that the University isn't telling professors how to teach their classes, and that it offers a more coherent approach to "safe spaces," insofar as they are completely consistent with freedom of association when they represent a group of people coming together voluntarily to determine how they want to interact, but a problem when people decide they have the right to intellectual manifest destiny  when they have a right to use safe spaces as a sword rather than a shield by telling others what they can say in public spaces.

White concludes that if the University of Chicago believesas many of us dothat the values of academic freedom and free speech are under assault, then it shouldn't encourage misunderstandings of those concepts just for the pleasure of rhetorically spiking the ball. I concur that colleges would do better to mimic Whites formulation. And I would encourage them to do just that before this academic semester witnesses inevitable calls to illiberally transgress against free inquiry.

Related Video:

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Manila (AFP) - The Philippines' top graft-buster, a fearless grandmother who has sued politicians from the president down in her quest to rid her country of corruption, laughs in the face of death threats -- literally.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, 75, chuckled as she recounted to AFP how she was reluctantly obliged to put up a higher fence around her house after a grenade with her initials on it was discovered beside her property in 2012.

"I'm not scared," she said, her eyes flashing as she thumped her hand on the desk in her office.

The people she investigates "are the ones who are intimidated -- that's why they are trying to scare me".

Fighting corruption is dangerous work in the graft-plagued Philippines, where witnesses -- even judges -- are gunned down and convicted politicians are freed and re-elected.

After four decades in the country's notoriously corrupt judiciary, Morales was looking forward to retirement when then-president Benigno Aquino asked her to head a special body to prosecute corrupt officials as part of his centrepiece anti-graft crusade.

On Wednesday, her "moral courage and commitment to justice in taking head-on one of the most intractable problems in the Philippines" was recognised with the Ramon Magsaysay Award -- Asia's version of the Nobel.

"She is, quite simply, an inspiring public servant," the judges said.

- Indict 'sacred cows' -

Born into a family of lawyers, Morales had a slow and tricky rise through the ranks due to her incorruptibility, but finally made it to the Supreme Court, where she became the first female magistrate to swear in a president in 2010.

A tireless worker, she now puts in 12-hour days, six days a week at the Ombudsman -- Sundays are reserved for the grandchildren -- and her discipline is credited with boosting the office's conviction rate to 75 percent from just 41 percent when she took office in 2011.

Story continues

Despite progress under Aquino, fighting "endemic" corruption in the Philippines is an uphill battle, she said, adding that corruption flourishes when people think they can get away with it.

"We file cases against top government officials," she said.

When the "so-called sacred cows are indicted, that should give a signal to people to be more cautious", she added.

Her biggest frustration came when the Supreme Court freed ex-president Gloria Arroyo and powerful former senator Juan Ponce Enrile despite what Morales insists was solid evidence of graft.

The pair had pleaded ill-health for years and were detained in government hospitals but it was all an act, Morales said: "After you are free... you swagger!"

Her tenaciousness has earned her many enemies, including former vice president Jejomar Binay, who called her "stupid" after she charged him with taking huge kickbacks when he was mayor.

But she argues the Philippines' culture of political patronage is allowing top leaders to evade accountability.

"They act like they're Robin Hood," she said.

When her son died of cancer at 41 last year, some of her more unpleasant critics used the personal tragedy to attack her.

"They said it was my karma. See how cruel people are?" she said, adding that she was however "made of strong stuff".

Morales, who is not due to step down until 2018, will continue her work under new President Rodrigo Duterte, but said her agency will remain impartial.

"We do not take orders from anyone. We are independent. Period."
Gramercy Property Trust GPT revealed closing the sale of four properties, reaping gross proceeds of $206.7 million. The move comes as part of the companys earlier revealed plan of disposing select non-core assets, subsequent to the merger with Chambers Street Properties.



Notably, the four properties disposed this time, include three single-tenant office buildings in Princeton, NJ, Burlington, MA and Bloomington, MN and one single-tenant industrial facility in Phoenix, AZ.



These dispositions bring the companys year-to-date single and multi-tenant assets sold in the United States and Europe tally to around $1.3 billion. Further, presently, the company has around $158.6 million in dispositions under contract and approximately $117.8 million of assets in the market for sale.



Gramercy Property Trust targets acquiring and managing single-tenant, net-leased industrial and office properties in key markets in the U.S. and Europe. Recently, it announced completion of two separate deals to obtain single tenant industrial properties in the Boston MSA and the Memphis MSA, totaling $67.8 million.



Moreover, earlier this month, the company came up with second-quarter core funds from operations (FFO) per share of 21 cents, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 23.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 FFO per share is currently pegged at 74 cents, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 36.7%, which is encouraging.



Gramercy Property Trust currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Investors interested in the REIT industry may consider stocks like Arbor Realty Trust Inc. ABR, DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc. DFT and Washington Real Estate Investment Trust WRE. Each of these stocks holds the same rank as Gramercy Property.

GRAMERCY PPT TR Price

GRAMERCY PPT TR Price | GRAMERCY PPT TR Quote





Note: FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.



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Readers of Conde Nast Traveller UK magazine have voted and named Greece the best country in the world in the 2016 edition of the Readers' Travel Awards.

The ongoing migrant and economic crises in Greece have done little to deter visitors from descending on the Mediterranean paradise, with tourists still enamored by the promise of sun-soaked islands and postcard-perfect settings.

In fact, the country's tourism office predicts a bumper year for 2016, with arrivals estimated to reach 25 million and 27.5 million including cruise ship passengers.

Growth is also attributed to fears of terrorism, violence and unrest in neighboring Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt -- major resort destinations -- with holidaymakers diverting their vacation plans to Greece.

Rounding out the best country podium is Italy and the US.

When it comes to island retreats, readers gave the Maldives the top spot, followed by the Greek Islands and the Balearic Islands in Spain.

And the top-ranked hotel by readers of CN Traveller UK is Eden Roc - St. Barth's, which has hosted the likes of Greta Garbo, Howard Hughes and the Rockefellers since opening in the 1950s.

Here are the top 10 countries in CN Traveller's online Readers' Travel Awards:

1. Greece

2. Italy

3. USA

4. South Africa

5. France

6. Spain

7. India

8. Australia

9. Thailand

10. Mexico

The top 10 islands

1. Maldives

2. Greek Islands

3. Balearic Islands

4. Sicily

5. Seychelles

6. St. Lucia

7. Bali

8. Koh Samui

9. Malta

10. St. Barth's

Full results appear in the October issue of CN Traveller.




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Newly discovered fossils in Greenland suggest that life may have existed on Earth some 3.7 billion years ago, a team of Australian scientists said. If the findings are confirmed, they would be the oldest evidence on life yet discovered.

The tiny microbial formations found in Isua, southwest Greenland, are around 220 million years older than the current earliest fossil evidence for life, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

"This potentially pushes back our understanding of the antiquity of life on Earth, which is really quite astounding," Abigail Allwood, a research scientist and astrobiologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, told Mashable.

SEE ALSO: Lucy, our early human ancestor, may have died after falling from a tree

Allwood, who did not participate in the Greenland study, wrote her doctoral thesis on the 3.5 billion-year-old fossils in western Australia that were, until today, considered the world's oldest.

She also authored an outside analysis to run with the Nature study that said the Greenland discovery contained "fairly credible hallmarks" of living microbes.

Australian scientists Allen Nutman (left) and Vickie Bennet (right), who co-authored Wednesday's study, pose with a specimen of 3.7 billion-year-old stromatolites from Isua, Greenland.

Image: Yuri Amelin/Australian National university

"If these really are the figurative tombstones of our earliest ancestors, the implications are staggering," Allwood wrote in the article.

"Earth's surface 3.7 billion years ago was a tumultuous place, bombarded by asteroids and still in its formative stages."

The fossils, preserved in metamorphic rocks for millennia, were exposed by the recent melting of a permanent snow patch. Greenland's ice sheet is experiencing record levels of melting due human-caused global warming, which is actually helping scientists search for clues of Earth's origins at the same time that it threatens to trigger catastrophic levels of sea level rise.

The Isua supercrustal belt in southwest Greenland, in the vicinity of Nuuk, Greenland's capital, is considered the oldest surviving piece of the Earth's surface.

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Allen Nutman, who leads the University of Wollongong's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences in Australia, discovered the 1- to 4-centimeter-high fossil "stromatolites" along with colleagues. Stromatolites are the sedimentary formations created by microorganisms growing in layers.

The formations are thought to have been deposited in a shallow marine environment, which Allwood described as a "little oasis" on a barely habitable planet made up of heavily deformed and constantly shifting rocks.

Chunks of ice are breaking off the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier in Greenland at a rising clip because of global warming.

Image: Patrick ROBERT/Corbis via Getty Images

At the time the Isua rocks were forming, she said, the surface of Earth resembled that of Mars.

Mars did not look too different from Earth from a habitability perspective, with standing bodies of water at the surface, she said in the article.

The ancient fossils exhibit a few key signs that microbes were tinkering with the sedimentary environment, and therefore living.

Their conical shape and finely layered internal texture suggests the structures were not simply folded by geological forces but through microbial activity. Other details of their chemistry and minerals in the surrounding rocks also point to living organisms.

Still, the evidence for life in the Greenland formations is not nearly as solid as that found in the Australian fossils, which were well preserved in sedimentary rocks and showed clearly developed structures and chemical clues, Allwood said.

"It supports the idea that these [Greenland fossils] are biological, but it doesn't prove it," she said by phone.

"There's still room for doubt."

Conical stromatolite-like structures (outlines indicated by dotted black lines) that are possible hallmarks of bacterial activity. (Scale bar = 4 cm.)

Image: Allen Nutman/nature

Some of the formations might not come from once-living organisms at all, but from "abiogenic mineral accumulations" formed by inorganic, nonliving materials, Nutman and his colleagues wrote in the study.

Allwood said the Nature study is likely just the first round of scientific investigations about the Greenland structures.

"As with the Australian formations and other fossils of that age, there was decades of back and forth about whether or not they're biological," she told Mashable.

"I think that may be true for this as well."
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Zach Duke retired the only batter he faced, birthday boy Adam Wainwright turned the page on a disappointing year and the St. Louis Cardinals strengthened their hold on the final NL wild-card spot.

Duke stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout in the 10th inning after Randal Grichuk hit an RBI single in the top half of the inning, lifting the Cardinals over the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Tuesday night.

St. Louis added a game to its lead in the wild card and is now 2 1/2 up on the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets.

Seung Hwan Oh (4-2) pitched out of a jam in the ninth to get the win. Duke got his first save with the Cardinals by entering to strike out pinch-hitter Manny Pina after Matt Bowman walked three batters.

The Cardinals' Jhonny Peralta led off the 10th with a single off Corey Knebel (0-2) and moved to third on Yadier Molina's ground-rule double. Jeremy Hazelbaker, who pinch ran for Peralta, scored the winning run on Grichuk's flare to right.

Wainwright dueled with Milwaukee's Wily Peralta for seven innings, and they left a 1-1 game for the bullpens to settle.

It was a resurgent performance for Wainwright, who began his 35th birthday by watching video of his younger self and deciding to make some changes.

Step one: Pant legs up.

Step two: Stop throwing like an old man.

''I changed everything up. I went pants up, and I went stirrups,'' Wainwright said. ''I watched all my good games. It was just obvious how much more aggressive my delivery was.''

Wainwright retired the first nine batters until Jonathan Villar singled leading off the fourth. Wainwright gave up three hits and one run in seven innings. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.

''That was the best fastball he's had all year,'' Matheny said. ''I think he wanted to prove that turning 35 isn't that big of a deal.''

Wainwright missed most of last season with a torn Achilles tendon.

Story continues

''Thirty-four was a bad year for me,'' he said. ''I'm 35 now. I've turned over a new leaf.''

Neither team had a hit until the fourth and neither scored until the sixth.

St. Louis' Jedd Gyorko broke the scoreless tie with a two-out home run in the sixth. The Cardinals have homered in 19 consecutive games, tying a franchise record set in July 2006.

Martin Maldonado's run-scoring double tied it in the bottom of the inning.

Peralta retired the first nine batters before surrendering a single to Matt Carpenter, who led off the fourth.

Peralta has pitched well since being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Aug. 8 after struggling earlier in the year. He gave up three hits and one run in seven innings, walking one and striking out a season-high 10. It marked the second time in his career that he reached double digits in strikeouts.

Peralta had not gone more than six innings in a game this season.

''When you're throwing the ball good, your confidence is always going to be high,'' Peralta said. ''Since I've come back, I've been able to execute the pitches when I want to.''

The Brewers put two runners on in the ninth, but Oh struck out Chris Carter to end the threat. Milwaukee has lost six straight, all at home.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: SS Aledmys Diaz has been sent to the team's facility in Jupiter, Florida, as he recovers from a hairline fracture in his right thumb that occurred in July. Diaz could serve as a designated hitter in a minor league rehab assignment sometime this week but still must go through more tests before he begins throwing.

Brewers: INF Will Middlebrooks (lower leg strain) was activated from the disabled list and outrighted to Triple-A. Middlebrooks can refuse the assignment and become a free agent. ''It didn't look like there was going to be playing time for him in September,'' manager Craig Counsell said.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Luke Weaver (1-1, 3.60 ERA) will make his fourth major league start and first against the Brewers. He earned his first win in his last start against Oakland on Friday.

Brewers: Matt Garza (4-6, 4.89) is 4-5 with a 4.25 ERA in 13 career starts against St. Louis. He surrendered seven runs in 5 2/3 innings in a loss at St. Louis on July 1.
Constitution Day to be observed for three days

A meeting of the Constitution Day Main Celebrations Committee on Wednesday held under its chair Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal decided to observe the Day for three days from September 18-20 by organising various programmes.
Stranger Things, which had such a childlike innocence vibe probably because of all the innocent children in it, just confirmed its second season.

On the Netflix show, the closer Will got to the end, the cuter that kid looked. Top it off with a crack team of cuties determined to find him who never stopped being adorably brave. Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), and Will (Noah Schnapp), were the smallest kids of the cast with some big performances. Turns out, in real life, these actors do really cute things too. And like you, they take such a delight in all of this cuteness.Theyre still lapping up the spotlight and on Wednesday night, the kids will continue their victory lap with a pit stop at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Here are the top ten ways they proved they were adorable as ever on social media.

1. When Millie Bobby Brown who plays Eleven, did her best Winona face:

Watch her frantically find Noah Schnapp who plays Will to celebrate the announcement of the shows second season.

#season2 #strangerthings #netflix #findingwill A video posted by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobby_brown) on Aug 31, 2016 at 7:36am PDT

2. When they realized they had really famous fans:

My friend @IzabelaVidovic just sent me a link to @brielarson saying that she likes Stranger Things!! Freaking out.  Finn Wolfhard (@FinnSkata) July 24, 2016

So overwhelming to see my favourite people tweeting about ST.  Finn Wolfhard (@FinnSkata) July 23, 2016

Brown, really committing to Aaron Pauls great idea to take her away from her family so she can be his new daughter.

Story continues

Thank you so much! @glassofwhiskey @laurenpaul8 I love them so much!  love you guys!  #fakeadoptedparents you're the best! A photo posted by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobby_brown) on Aug 31, 2016 at 3:54am PDT

Hail to the king. #itthemovie #strangerthings A photo posted by Finn Wolfhard (@finnwolfhardofficial) on Jul 11, 2016 at 7:33pm PDT

But then they correctly concluded that famous people just werent as cool as they are:

After total card Robert Downey Jr. demonstrated how jealous he was that he didnt get to be one of the Stranger Things kids, Dustin quickly shut him down.

https://t.co/J69qwee3CE Sorry @RobertDowneyJr , the role of Dustin has been filled!   Gaten Matarazzo (@GatenM123) August 26, 2016

3. When these two did the 22 push-up challenge:

Finn Wolfhard did it to raise awareness for the mental health of military veterans after his best buddy Gaten Matarazzo nominated him. It was too cute to be real, but it really was real.

4th day of the 22 push-ups. Hey finny I'm glad I nominated you because you need some exercise on those noodle arms. Luv ya bro! A video posted by Gaten Matarazzo (@gatenm123) on Aug 23, 2016 at 6:12pm PDT

4. This epic montage:

It might make you cry as hard as you did when Hopper and Joyce saved Will.

Miss my stranger things family! #dufferbrothers #laughsforever #baaaarb #atlanta #lol #bestfriendforever #flipagram A video posted by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobby_brown) on Aug 1, 2016 at 3:08pm PDT

5. When the boys all dabbed:

Because theyre getting a season two, and you get a season 2 and everyone wins.

https://youtu.be/aXWG_kKDZlY #season2ofstrangerthings#Lucas#Will#Dustin#strangerthings A video posted by Caleb McLaughlin (@therealcalebmclaughlin) on Aug 31, 2016 at 5:38am PDT

6. This Stranger Things team family huddle:

You werent there, but it still restored faith in humanity.

Missing my brothers. #strangerthings Photo creds: @curtyphotog A photo posted by Finn Wolfhard (@finnwolfhardofficial) on Jul 16, 2016 at 11:28am PDT

7. When Caleb and Millie met for the first time:

Caleb wore a bucket hat! Millie had hair!

When me and Millie first met #strangerthings#Lucas#eleven#netflix#ElevenmeetsLucas @milliebobby_brown A photo posted by Caleb McLaughlin (@therealcalebmclaughlin) on Jul 25, 2016 at 11:50am PDT

8. When they exhibited behavior associated with true friends:

Decoding the theme song adorably, predictably.

Another group hug because the scariness of the show in virtual reality form was way too much for kids this young.

What did the cast of Stranger Things see that scared them so bad? Experience it now: https://t.co/Df6reOpw35https://t.co/i4FjPoN5kB  Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) August 4, 2016

9. When Finn Wolfhard preemptively set the gossip sites straight:

I do not have a girlfriend! I'm only a baby boy!  Finn Wolfhard (@FinnSkata) August 15, 2016

10. When they did music and it was all you could handle:
Halle Berry is making 50 look good!



The actress  who celebrated her birthday on Aug. 14  is showing that age really is just a number with a sexy bikini snap she shared on her Instagram.



"BTS on my last shoot of the summer," Berry captioned the photo she posted on Tuesday, in which she flaunts her incredibly toned stomach in a strappy black two-piece.



Berry gave a peak into her bikini workout routine in May when she posted a video on Instagram of a beach workout she did with her trainer, Nat Bardonnet. In the clip, Berry holds a plank position and reaches out to tap alternating hands with Bardonnet, who is also holding a plank.









BTS on my last shoot of the summer. A photo posted by Halle Berry (@halleberry) on Aug 30, 2016 at 11:55am PDT







RELATED VIDEO: Halleas Changing Looks!

Being in London makes me miss my workout buddy @natbardonnet A video posted by Halle Berry (@halleberry) on May 15, 2016 at 2:35pm PDT





Bardonnet previously told PEOPLE that she works out with Berry for 30-minute power workouts at least three times a week. Their cross-training sessions include push-ups, weight training and planks.



"The way I push Halle, not many people would be able to last," said Bardonnet at the time. "She always has great energy and a great smile. Whatever curveball I throw at her, she can take."
(HILO, Hawaii)  Heavy rains hit parts of Hawaii and strong waves pummeled shorelines as a downgraded yet still-powerful Pacific storm passed near the island state.

Though Tropical Storm Madeline was no longer a hurricane, the weathers uncertainty couldnt let Hawaiis Big Island relax.

There were periods of intense rainfall Wednesday as the National Weather Service downgraded Madeline, with winds falling below hurricane strength of 74 mph.

Wind speed diminished slowly throughout the day and by 8 p.m. (11 p.m. PDT), they were swirling at 60 mph. Forecasters said continued weakening was expected.

Madelines center was 175 miles south of Hilo and moving southwest and away from the state at 15 mph  not predicted to make landfall on any Hawaiian island. Still, the Big Island and Maui County were under tropical storm warnings.

Waves crashed into a seawall that surrounds Liliuokalani Gardens Park at Hilo Bay. Water accumulated on the grass of the gardens, leaving stairs of a pavilion partially submerged.

That heavy rainfall is interspersed with sunny patches, said Kanani Aton, spokeswoman for Hawaii County Civil Defense.

Officials said residents should continue to be prepared for more rain, strong winds and high surf overnight. The rainfall may lead to dangerous flash floods and mudslides, the weather service warned.

It doesnt matter if its a strong tropical storm or a category 1 hurricane, said Eric Lau, a meteorologist with the weather service. If you have 70 mph winds verses 75 mph winds, its still a strong storm, so residents still need to be prepared.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Lester was about 1,000 miles from Hawaii and expected to drop to a tropical storm by Sunday.

Earlier on Wednesday, merchants boarded up shop windows along Hilo Bay and shoppers snatched supplies of food and water from grocery store shelves after initially being told the island could be hit by its first hurricane in a quarter-century.

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We are not out of the woods, Aton said. At this point it is still a powerful storm, and we are working to remind the public to be storm ready.

Elsewhere, the National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Hermine had formed in the Gulf of Mexico and was centered about 315 miles from Tampa, Florida. It was expected to pick up speed and approach the northwest Florida coast Thursday night, and a hurricane warning was issued for the area. A warning was dropped about a tropical depression that had been moving toward North Carolina.

In Hawaii, Peggy Beckett, a retiree and beekeeper, stopped at a Hilo supermarket to pick up onion bagels, cheese, cold cuts and salad to add to her canned food at home. She also has a cooler with ice plus a portable burner and batteries to get her through the storm.

Noting the lines of people at the market, Beckett said people were getting prepared but werent panicking.

Theres always a lot of disbelief on the island that the storms will really be as big and bad as forecast, she said, noting that she and her partner had taken precautions to protect their beehives.

Employees boarded up windows at Hulakai Store, a surf shop in Hilo. Well probably keep it up till Sunday, waiting for the second one to come through, said supervisor Renee Balanga.

Gov. David Ige has issued an emergency proclamation for both storms, allowing the state to quickly spend money.

The Hawaiian islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe were under a tropical storm watch, but there were no alerts for Oahu or Kauai.

___

Bussewitz reported from Honolulu. AP writers Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.
Miami (AFP) - Some 8,000 heads of state, policymakers and environmentalists convene in Hawaii this week for the world's largest gathering aimed at forging a path forward on the planet's toughest conservation problems.

US President Barack Obama is expected to be among the world leaders in Honolulu as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) opens its World Conservation Congress, held every four years in a different location around the globe.

This year, the conference theme of "Planet at the Crossroads" is aimed at exposing the plight of island nations that are at risk of disappearing in the coming decades due to rising seas.

It is the first major environmental meeting of global leaders since the Paris climate talks last year.

The September 1-10 conference also marks the first time the IUCN World Congress has been held in the United States since the meeting was first convened in 1948.

Arguments are expected on hotly debated issues such as what to do about domestic ivory markets which lead to the killing of elephants for their tusks, and how to feed the world's growing population without exhausting its natural resources.

"There should be a fair amount of fireworks," John Robinson, the head of the Wildlife Conservation Society's global conservation program told AFP.

Obama's visit -- if it is not disrupted by Hurricane Madeline -- comes on the heels of his move last week to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the northwestern Hawaiian islands, making it the world's largest marine protected area.

In Honolulu on Wednesday, Obama plans to address the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress, before departing for Midway Atoll the next day.

"The President will be discussing the role that remote islands play in the climate context, but also the importance of the intersection between conservation and climate change as we face an increasingly severe threat of climate change in these parts of the world," said Brian Deese, Obama's senior advisor.

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Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security advisor, described the event as "an important opportunity to bring together not just Pacific island leaders who have been a motivating factor around the urgency of action against climate change, but also conservation advocates from around the world."

- Key news -

A key piece of news at the event will be the update of the IUCN's Red List of endangered and threatened species on September 4.

Other reports on efforts to balance oil and gas exploration with whale conservation, and the establishment of important biodiversity areas will also be announced in the first five days.

During the second part of the conference, from September 6 to 10, members will hold debates on wildlife trafficking, palm oil, income inequality in conservation, foresty practices, and more.

The meeting is seen as an opportunity to find common ground on tough decisions and lay the groundwork for future talks, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference which kicks off in late September in Johannesburg.

Any motion passed at the IUCN meeting, "becomes a resolution which carries considerable weight" at the CITES convention two weeks later, "which does have legal teeth," explained Robinson.

Over 8,300 delegates from 184 countries are expected to attend the IUCN World Congress.

"This unique gathering of top minds holds the key to innovation, inspiration and most importantly, action," said Zhang Xinsheng, IUCN president.
Jason Van Dyke

The head of the Chicago Police Department is looking to fire five police officers who were involved in the high-profile 2014 shooting of Chicago teen Laquan McDonald, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson filed the motion on Tuesday.

Jason Van Dyke, the officer who killed 17-year-old McDonald after he shot the teen 16 times, is among the officers named.

Four other officers who gave statements about the incident that contradicted video evidence are also named.

Prosecutors have already charged Van Dyke with first-degree murder in the death of McDonald. Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty.

Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson previously recommended that police take disciplinary action to fire 10 officers after the shooting.

Some officers, including David McNaughton, the deputy chief who decided the McDonald shooting, did not violate department policy and have retired amid the controversy.

"Officer Van Dyke fired his weapon in fear of his life when the offender while armed with a knife continued to approach and refused all verbal direction," McNaughton wrote in his report.

City officials withheld footage of the shooting for more than a year and released it to the public only after a judge's order in November 2015.

Last year, the US Department of Justice stepped in to investigate the "patterns and practices" of the Chicago Police Department, The New York Times reported, as a result of the fallout from the McDonald shooting.

The shooting deaths of African-American men in other US cities have sparked federal inquiries into police use of deadly force nationwide.

The decision to relieve the officers comes after a report released by the Tribune last week that chronicled every officer-involved shooting in Chicago during the past six years.

Among other findings, data compiled in that report showed that a majority of people shot by police during that period were people of color.

Story continues

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Firefighters in helicopters were mobilized on Tuesday, August 30 to fight a brush fire burning in Bogart, Riverside County, California. The blaze spread rapidly on Tuesday, growing from 100 acres to 500 acres in just a few hours.

The Riverside County Sheriffs Department ordered residents in the Banning Bench and Cherry Valley areas to evacuate south to Beaumont where an evacuation center was established at the Albert A. Chatigny Senior Community Center. Credit: Instagram/carisaleahahn
This is despite a possible 24% slash in banks earnings.

It seems like the exposure to the oil & gas sector is not the only problem Singapore banks have to face as the city-state's property market is on the rocks as well. But for analysts, the three big banking giants -- DBS Group, OCBC, and UOB are equipped to weather the storm of plunging property prices.

According to Fitch ratings agency, the said banks are strong enough to face a downturn as severe as the 45% dip in private-home prices triggered by the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis.

The report said banks' housing-loan quality will be shielded by their disciplined underwriting standards, and healthy loan-loss reserve coverage of 113% at the end of June 2016.

"We believe Singapore's private-home prices will weaken further amid an influx of new homes, having declined 9.4% from their peak in September 2013; signs of an oversupplied market have emerged with vacancy rate of non-landed private homes rising to its 11-year high of 10.4%," the ratings agency said.

Based on their stress-test, as much as 24% could be shaved off banks' earnings should a 45% plunge in property prices happen.

This impact, Fitch explained, will be cushioned by the property-cooling measures introduced between September 2009 and June 2013; a severe property price collapse could prompt the regulators into reversing some of these measures.

"Singapore banks' rating profiles will also continue to be supported by their healthy profitability, steady funding and liquidity pools, and strong capitalisation," the report noted.







More From Singapore Business Review


Hotel accommodations are 20% less than its rival city.

It would seem more economical to do business in Singapore than in its rival Hong Kong, a study found out.



According to a research by ECA International, although Singapore is among the top 5 most expensive location in Asia Pacific for business travels, it still beats its rival practicality-wise for its lower average hotel accommodation.

The research looked at costs commonly incurred during the course of business trips including accommodation, transport, meals, and day-to-day necessities.

According to ECA International director for Asia Lee Quane, albeit having one of the most expensive room rates in the region, average hotel accommodation in Singapore is 20% cheaper than in Hong Kong.

"Looking at 4-star hotel accommodation, rates here are the 7th highest in the region, approximately 20% lower than comparable accommodation in the most expensive location, Hong Kong," Quane said.

Quane said Hong Kong secured the top position in the ranking because of its skyrocketing accommodation fees especially in its Special Administrative Region.

In terms of the total costs associated with business travel that are borne by the company, Hong Kong is more expensive than anywhere else in Asia, he said.

Excluding hotel fees, Hong Kong falls into eighth place, while Singapore slightly moves to the fourth position. Seoul takes the top position followed by Tokyo and Sydney.

"Seoul and Tokyos high rankings are a reflection of the general high cost of goods and services in these two cities, combined with the fact that language issues may limit business travellers in terms of their choices for meals out, Quane explained.

Meanwhile, the cheapest location in Asia for business travel is Kuala Lumpur, which is trailed by Bangkok, Phnom Penh, and Bandar.

"A combination of generally low living costs, relatively cheap accommodation options for business travellers and weak currency against the USD have contributed to these locations being where they are in our rankings, he noted.







More From Singapore Business Review


DPM Mahara holds meeting with Japanese State Minister Nobuo

Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nobuo Kishi, today paid a courtesy call on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, at latter's office.
Hillary Clinton

Two polls released on Wednesday showed that Hillary Clinton's lead over Donald Trump in Wisconsin has shrunk considerably since early August.

A poll from Marquette University found that, in a four-way presidential race that includes Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein, Clinton is ahead of Trump by 3 points among likely voters.

In early August, Clinton was up 13 points on Trump in the same four-way poll.

Another poll, this one from Monmouth University, showed similar results, with Clinton up 5 points on Trump in a four-way race.

"After a strong bump in Clinton's favor following the national party conventions, the electorate in Wisconsin has returned to about where the vote stood in July, prior to the conventions," said Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll and professor of law and public policy.

The Marquette poll showed that Clinton's favorability has dropped off considerably while Trump's already dismal mark stagnated. Clinton was viewed favorably by 35% of respondents, while 63% viewed her unfavorably. In early August, the poll showed that 43% of Wisconsin voters viewed the Democratic nominee favorably, while 53% held unfavorable views of her. By comparison, Trump's favorability improved 1 point from early August, going from 27% to 28%.

In 2012, President Barack Obama defeated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by 7 points in the Badger State.

"The current presidential-election race in Wisconsin is looking a lot like the 2012 contest right now," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

The Marquette poll surveyed 803 registered Wisconsin voters by landline and cellphone from August 25 through 28. The margin of error is 4.5 percentage points. The Monmouth poll was conducted over landlines and cellphones from August 27 to 30, using a sample of 404 likely Wisconsin voters. The margin of error for that poll was 4.9 percentage points.

Story continues

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Iraq Iraqi Security Forces Soldiers Flag Ramadi

As Iraqi Security Forces prepare for a major offensive to push the terrorist group ISIS out of Mosul, the largest city that the militants control in the country, some government-backed militias have started recruiting children to fight, a human-rights group said on Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch said in a report that Sunni militias receiving support from the Iraqi government have recruited males younger than 18 from at least one camp for displaced people inside the country.

The children were taken from the camp and driven to a town near Mosul, Human Rights Watch said. Iraqi Security Forces, with support from the US, are expected to retake Mosul from ISIS by the end of 2016.

There now appears to be child soldiers on all sides of the conflict. ISIS is known for forcing children to fight, and Shiite militias, which likely will not be part of the battle for Mosul, are also reportedly recruiting kids.

"The recruitment of children as fighters for the Mosul operation should be a warning sign for the Iraqi government," said Bill Van Esveld, senior children's rights researcher for Human Rights Watch. "The government and its foreign allies need to take action now, or children are going to be fighting on both sides in Mosul."

Van Esveld also called on the US, which supports the Iraqi government in its fights against ISIS, to ensure that child soldiers are not part of the Mosul battle.

"The US should press the Iraqi government to ensure that the troops they are supporting don't have fighters under 18 in their ranks," he said. "The battle for Mosul should not be fought with children on the front lines."

Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that militias would arrive at refugee camps and cart off recruits in trucks. Several of the recruits were reportedly under 18.

Shiite militias, generally regarded as some of the most well-equipped and powerful fighters on the battlefield in Iraq, are generally excluded from fighting in Sunni cities like Mosul. Therefore, Iraqi Security Forces have struggled to build up forces big enough to take on ISIS in these areas.

Story continues

The recruits from refugee camps were reportedly meant to reinforce the Sunni militias near the front lines of the fighting, according to Human Rights Watch. An aid worker told the organization that the Iraqi government had approved the plan.

Witnesses whom Human Rights Watch spoke with said that the children, many of whom are teenagers, volunteered to fight for the militias. But the UN still prohibits the use of child soldiers, including those who volunteer.

NOW WATCH: The US Army is sending Apache attack helicopters to fight ISIS in Iraq





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Just like humans enjoy watching large whales and schools of fish, sometimes whales enjoy watching large boats and schools of humans.

A boat tour of Brier Island in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada, was visited by passing humpback whale, who took a break from whatever whale business it was attending to so it could people watch. Since most people never get to see whales so closely, it prompted breathless responses of "Oh my god," and "That is just... sighs."

Eventually, like most humans at aquariums, the whale eventually got tired and left. But it got a good look at one of the most excitable species on land.

This adorable, tiny baby has the maniacal laugh of an evil genius

Mel Brooks on Gene Wilder: 'He was such a wonderful part of my life'

Snapchat filters go rogue in the 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' trailer

Michelle Obama and Nick Offerman show us the history of exercise
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f196604%2ftwinstorms

Hurricane Madeline is closing in on the Big Island of Hawaii and could become the first such storm to make landfall there in recorded history at around 8 p.m. HST on Wednesday.

Regardless of whether the storm's center of circulation crosses the southern portion of the island, the Big Island will still see damaging waves, high winds and heavy rainfall. Schools are closed island-wide on Wednesday and Thursday, with a hurricane warning in effect for all of Hawaii County.

SEE ALSO: NASA flies over 3 hurricanes in one day and makes amazing time-lapse video

Fortunately for residents of the Big Island, Madeline  which was once a formidable Category 3 storm  has weakened considerably since Tuesday.

Infrared satellite loop of Hurricane Madeline on Aug. 31, 2016.

Image: noaa

The National Hurricane Center pinned the weakening on hostile upper level winds that are causing the storm to tilt vertically, like a wobbly spinning top, sapping its ability to maintain a clear eye and vigorous thunderstorms surrounding it.

In a forecast discussion, the Hurricane Center described the wind shear that the storm is being exposed to as "debilitating," since it is causing the storm to sputter and steadily weaken.

Nevertheless, the storm should still be either a strong tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane when it makes its closest pass to the Big Island.

Sea surface temperature departures from average, with the box showing the area where Hurricanes Lester and Madeline traversed.

Image: weatherbell Analytics

The Hurricane Center says the track will bring the storm "dangerously close" to the Big Island.

The east and south facing portions of the island will likely take the brunt of the storm, in the form of the fiercest winds, highest waves and biggest storm surge.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu is warning of surf building to as high as 25 feet on Wednesday afternoon and evening, local time, with 1 to 3 feet of storm surge.

"The combination of storm surge and wave runup may cause significant coastal flooding and damage to coastal properties and infrastructure, including roadways," the NWS said.

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Mauna Kea, a volcano that towers to a height of 13,800 feet, is likely to see winds approaching 100 miles per hour, according to the NWS in Hawaii.

Heavy rainfall could also cause mudslides, with up to 15 inches of rain expected to fall, particularly in higher elevation areas of the island.

Satellite image showing Hurricanes Madeline (left) and Lester (right) approaching Hawaii on Aug. 31, 2016.

Image: noaa

The hurricane is not expected to hit Honolulu or severely impact the other islands, although tropical storm-force winds and squalls may overspread parts of Maui.

President Obama is expected to fly to Honolulu on Wednesday night to address a summit of Pacific Island leaders. It's not clear if the storm will affect Air Force One's journey to the islands.

Ironically, the speech is expected to focus on Obama's record combating climate change. Part of what is enabling this hurricane to reach Hawaii on an east-to-west track is unusually mild ocean temperatures, which have been attributed to human-caused global warming as well as natural climate variability.

Hurricane Lester is hot on Madeline's heels

Once Hawaii finishes dealing with Hurricane Madeline, the focus will turn to major hurricane Lester. As of Wednesday morning, Lester was a Category 4 storm moving from east to west, closing in on Hawaii.

It is forecast to pass near the Hawaiian islands between Saturday and Monday as a minimal hurricane, weakening to a tropical storm as it moves over or close to the state.

Even if that storm misses the islands to the north, it still poses significant risks from high winds, heavy rain and damaging surf, with forecast uncertainty remaining high regarding the storm's intensity and exact track several days in advance.

Hawaii is becoming more hospitable for hurricanes

Hawaii has long been hostile territory for tropical storms and hurricanes that move from east to west, since ocean temperatures usually drop below levels that can sustain such powerful storms close to Hawaii.

In other words, ocean temperatures have served as Hawaii's hurricane force field, as demonstrated by the fact that the Big Island has never been hit by such a storm since reliable records began in that part of the Pacific in 1949. (The island has, however, been struck by tropical storms.)

Most damaging tropical storms that hit the Hawaiian islands curve northward from warm waters to the south of the islands. This was the case with Hurricane Iniki in 1992, for example, which devastated Kaui.

Interestingly, Hurricane Madeline is weakening due to an inhospitable upper level winds, not cool ocean temperatures.

A study published last year in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society found that human-caused global warming is likely raising the risk of more active hurricane seasons in the Hawaiian islands.




This VR headset is coming to IMAX (Image: Rob Pegoraro)

BERLIN  At a press conference before the IFA trade show here in Berlin, Germany, IMAX announced plans to add a bit of virtual reality to its IMAX theater experience with the opening of a new VR center in Los Angeles equipped with a new StarVR headset developed by Acer.

These short virtual-reality videos would essentially be the in-theater equivalent of the extras on a Blu-ray movie: additional content you can explore in virtual reality, the dessert you indulge in after a cinematic main course. And IMAX thinks youll want to pay $10 or so for this pleasure.

Rob Lister, IMAXs chief business-development officer, described it as a logical extension of his employers mission to give people an experience they cant get anywhere else and said the company (IMAX) is talking to virtually every major Hollywood studio about creating VR productions.

How it will work

Will you really want to pay $10 to experience one of these VR shorts after shelling out $15 or so for an IMAX flick? Lister seems to think so  explaining during an interview Wednesday that the experience would be more than just sitting inertly with a screen strapped to your face.

That is, it wont be like that infamous photo from this Februarys Mobile World Congress of Facebook founder and VR evangelist Mark Zuckerberg striding past an audience all wearing Samsung GearVR headsets.

Instead, Lister said, youd have 15 to 20 pods, each with six to eight feet of space for you to walk around, HTC Vive-style, and explore a heavily interactive VR environment that would offer more than a simple movie trailer.

Im thinking seven to 10 minutes is kind of the duration of the ideal companion piece, he explained. It needs to stand on its own and have its own narrative. People wouldnt pay $10 to watch a trailer.

After L.A., IMAX is eyeing locations in New York, London and Shanghai. They could be added to an existing IMAX theater or set up in a mall or as a standalone establishment.

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Google is also helping with the initiative, having announced a collaboration with IMAX in May. Acer, in turn, recruited game and VR developer Starbreeze Studios to develop the StarVR headset youll wear at one of these IMAX annexes.

The StarVR headset features two 5.5-in. displays that yield more than five million pixels of resolution and a wider field of view, 210 degrees instead of the usual 100 degrees. Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson Klint bragged at Acers IFA press event: We want to create the Matrix.

Art over engineering

Acer had some StarVR headsets available at its event for people to try on and watch a VR clip  a short video called Cockatoo Spritz done by Stephane Barbato for the Cannes Film Festival.

The StarVR did indeed feel more immersive than other VR headsets Ive put on, and the resolution looked sharper as well. The VR tour of Yosemite National Park I got last week suddenly seemed like a simpler production.

The content itself, however, was a little weird. A succession of outlandishly-dressed characters at a cocktail party interacted in various ways  as I looked around, I could decide which conversational fragment to follow  and then the scene ended with a flurry of dollar bills and feathers filling the screen. This may not be quite the material to make VR a mass-market phenomenon.

During Acers event, Lister said a sequel to the movie Avatar would be a natural fit for this sort of VR bonus content. That makes sense to me; I could also see the recent IMAX International Space Station documentary A Beautiful Planet being paired with a VR tour of the ISS like the one I enjoyed at NASAs SXSW exhibit this March.

Creative types will have to figure out what works on their own  one of many uncertain aspects of a medium thats been more hype than commercial reality so far.

During our chat, Lister also suggested having your own audience would add to the experience. He recounted visiting some VR centers in China that feature monitors showing the virtual world a headset-wearing friend explores that others not wearing headsets could see.

Youre watching your friends when involved in it, he said. Its not a solitary experience at all.

In other words, the soundtrack of mass-market virtual reality may include the laughter of your friends.

(Disclosure: IFAs organizers are covering most of my travel expenses and those of a group of U.S. journalists and analysts.)

More from Rob:

Email Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com; follow him on Twitter at @robpegoraro.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 31, 2016 / Lundin Law PC (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit was filed against Eaton Corporation plc ("Eaton" or the "Company") (ETN) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws between November 13, 2013 and July 28, 2014 inclusive (the "Class Period"). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares during the Class Period should contact the Firm in advance of the September 23, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

To participate in this class action lawsuit, click here. You can also call Brian Lundin, Esquire, of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or e-mail him at brian@lundinlawpc.com.

No class has been certified in the above action yet. Until a class is certified, you are not considered represented by an attorney. You may also choose to do nothing and be an absent class member.

According to the complaint, Eaton issued false and misleading statements about the Company's ability to divest its automobile-part manufacturing business. Since 2008, the Company shifted away from its vehicle business and expanded its electrical component businesses. In 2012, Eaton merged with Irish-headquartered Cooper Industries plc, which reincorporated the Company in Ireland. After the merger, Eaton executives assured investors of the continued feasibility of divesting the automobile-part manufacturing business on a tax-free basis. This kept the Eaton stock price artificially inflated. On July 29, 2014, Eaton's CEO Alexander M. Cutler informed investors that the Company could not feasibly divest the automobile-part business until late 2017 because of tax law restrictions related to the merger. Mr. Cutler also revealed that the Company was "well aware" of these restrictions all along. When this news was released to the public, shares of Eaton fell in value, causing investors harm.

Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding shareholders' rights.

Story continues

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contact:

Lundin Law PC

Brian Lundin, Esq.

Telephone: 888-713-1033

Facsimile: 888-713-1125

brian@lundinlawpc.com

http://lundinlawpc.com/

SOURCE: Lundin Law PC
The first regular commercial flight in more than 50 years from the United States landed in Cuba on Wednesday, as the two nations took the latest step in their efforts to boost ties.

JetBlue Flight 386 landed in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara a little before 11:00 am (1500 GMT), about an hour after leaving Fort Lauderdale in southeastern Florida with 150 passengers on board.

The first two passengers off the plane carried US and Cuban flags as they descended the stairs onto the tarmac, where they symbolically exchanged the banners in a sign of friendship.

The flight was the first of 110 expected daily trips connecting US cities to airports in the Communist-run island, many of them in or near tourism hotspots.

Regular air service was severed during the Cold War, and charter flights have been the only air links since.

US Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the watershed.

"The 1st US commercial flight to #Cuba since 1961, just over a year after raising the flag at US Embassy Havana. Another step fwd," he wrote on Twitter.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who was on the JetBlue flight, has plans to meet with local officials, Cuba's transport ministry said.

- Party in Florida -

The Fort Lauderdale airport was in full party mode near Jet Blue's departure area -- a live salsa band blared Cuban favorites as passengers and bystanders broke into spontaneous dances.

There were cheers, applause and a sea of balloons as boarding for the historic flight got underway.

For some, there were also tears of joy.

"I am so proud, so overcome with emotion," said Domingo Santana, 53, who left Cuba when he was just six years old.

Since then, he said, "I've never been in my country. I don't know my country," adding: "It's a great opportunity."

- History in the making -

Wednesday's JetBlue flight was flown by Captain Mark Luaces and First Officer Francisco Barreras, both Americans of Cuban descent, the airline said.

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The plane was sent off with a water cannon salute, an aviation tradition in which aircraft pass under arcs of water before flying to their destinations for the first time.

Mark Gale, director of operations for the airport, said it was one of the "great moments in history," likening it to the moon landing or the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Another passenger, Aleisy Barreda, 46, was overcome with emotion.

"This reopening has really benefitted us," she gushed.

"Not only in terms of the ticket prices, but also in terms of how much easier it is to purchase them," she said.

"Now we only need more vacation time!"

The last regular commercial flight between the two countries took place in 1961, when air links fell victim to the Cold War.

Air travel between the United States and Cuba has been restricted to charter flights since 1979.

Washington and Havana agreed in February to restore direct commercial flights -- one of several watershed changes initiated in December 2014, when US President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro announced a thaw after more than 50 years of hostility.

Diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015.

- Milestone -

Washington still bans Americans from visiting Cuba as tourists, but travel is permitted for 12 other categories, including cultural and educational exchange.

The renewed links are a "milestone" in relations between the United States and Cuba, said Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

Regular flights "will allow more fluid movement of people, goods, information and ideas between two places that are very close geographically but distant politically," he said.

- Cuba: 'Hot' travel destination -

Of the 3.5 million tourists in Cuba in 2015, only 161,000 were Americans.

However, that number was up 77 percent from the previous year and Americans are now expected to become a major component in a growth industry expected to reach 6.8 million visitors in 2018.

Travel agents said US interest in making the short journey to the island has skyrocketed.

"There's a lot of interest in Cuba. It's the hot, 'in' place right now," said Frank Gonzalez, owner of the Mambi travel agency which offers packages to the island from the United States, including tours with workshops in the island's musical traditions and distinctive aspects of its culture, such as the Yoruba-based religion santeria.

Twenty daily routes to Havana are pending.

The airlines designated to fly to the nine Cuban airports -- not including Havana -- include American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines, according to the US Department of Transportation.

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.
Govt will topple if constitution isnt amended

Chairman of Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal, Upendra Yadav, has said that the incumbent government will topple prematurely if it fails to immediately amend and rewrite the constitution.
An activist who campaigned to restore the dignity of India's low-caste Dalits was among six winners of Asia's Magsaysay awards on Wednesday.

The Manila-based Ramon Magsaysay Award, named after a Filipino president killed in a plane crash, was established in 1957 to honour people and groups tackling development problems. It is often described as Asia's Nobel Prize.

Bezwada Wilson, 50, founded a grassroots movement to stop "manual scavenging" -- in which Dalits, mostly women and girls, remove by hand human waste from latrines and carry away baskets of excrement on their heads.

Wilson, born to a Dalit family, was honoured for his "moral outrage" and organising skills in his efforts to ban the demeaning work, judges said.

His group has successfully lobbied for laws supporting scavengers and conducted training to move them to better jobs.

"No human being should be subjected to this inhuman practice," Wilson said.

Indian musician Thodur Madabusi Krishna, 40, won the Award for Emergent Leadership for spreading appreciation of classical music to lower castes through his foundation that trains talented rural young people.

"Music and the arts are... capable of liberating us from artificial divisions of caste and race," said Krishna, who hails from an upper-class Brahmin family.

Also honoured was Filipino chief graft-buster and former Supreme Court justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, 75, for her diligence in prosecuting high-ranking corrupt officials.

Three charity and volunteer groups received the award.

Vientiane Rescue won for its volunteers' "passionate humanitarianism" in improving one of Asia's worst road fatality rates by operating a free, 24/7 rescue service in Laos, the citation said.

Indonesia's biggest philanthropic group Dompet Dhuafa was cited for its transparent use of the Islamic obligatory tax known as zakat, which led to projects such as support for small and medium enterprises and scholarships.

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The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers also received an award for sending young Japanese to 88 countries to offer expertise in areas ranging from social welfare to governance.

"The board of trustees recognises the volunteers for their idealism and spirit of service in advancing the lives of communities," judges said.

Winners received a certificate, a medallion and a cash prize.
By Tom Heneghan JAKARTA (Reuters) - An Indonesian teenager who attacked a Catholic priest in his church was inspired by the murder of a French priest in July and guided by a radical compatriot in the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, Jakartas national police chief said on Wednesday. But the youth's bomb-making skills, acquired over the internet, were amateurish and his suicide bomb belt failed to explode, General Tito Karnavian told foreign journalists. Parishioners overpowered the 17-year-old when he assaulted the priest with a knife on Sunday, and he is now in police custody. Karnavian said the unsuccessful attack showed the phenomenon of a lone wolf radicalized over the internet was spreading in the worlds largest Muslim-majority nation, projecting the violence of the Middle Eastern militant group Islamic State (IS) as far afield as Indonesia, where Muslims and Christians have mostly lived in harmony. The attacker took his inspiration from reports of the murder of Father Jacques Hamel, 85, who died after two militants slit his throat during Mass in a suburb of Rouen in northern France in July. The murder was the latest in a grim series of radical Islamist killings that have rocked France in recent years. He was imitating ... the priest attack because of the internet, Karnavian said. Based on communications, we found he also had a connection with an Indonesian in Syria, he added, explaining the compatriot was a radical based in Raqqa. It is an indication that the lone wolf (phenomenon) is growing in Indonesia. There were no serious casualties in Sunday's attack in the northern city of Medan, though the priest and the attacker  named as Ivan Armadi - suffered minor injuries, according to police. NO LINKS TO LOCAL RADICALS Hamel's murder was the first Islamist attack on a church in western Europe and came just 12 days after a Tunisian who had pledged allegiance to IS drove his truck through a crowd of Bastille Day revelers in the Riviera city of Nice, killing 85. Indonesian Chief Security Minister Wiranto said on Monday that Armadi had a note in his backpack saying I love al-Baghdadi, referring to the head of the Islamic State group. "From the cellphone that was seized by security forces, this youth was obsessed with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," said Wiranto, who goes by one name. Karnavian said police had found no indication Armadi had any contacts to Islamist networks in Indonesia, so his attack was considered a case of self-radicalization and not sectarian violence rooted in tensions between religious communities in traditionally tolerant Indonesia. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and the vast majority practice a moderate form of Islam. But a small minority of militant Islamists has been growing in recent years, inspired in part by Islamist militant groups like al Qaeda and IS. Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin was more cautious than Karnavian when asked about the Medan attack, saying conflicts related to religion are not based on religion. He said religions preached peace, so violent radicals claiming to act in the name of Islam were really exploiting the faith to promote their own political goals based mostly on social or economic injustice they experienced in Indonesia. The government was drawing up a draft law to limit hate speech on social media that would limit extreme statements by all religious communities, he said. This is the challenge that must be faced." HUNDREDS OF ISLAMIC STATE SYMPATHIZERS Saifuddin and Karnavian spoke in briefings to foreign journalists on a study tour sponsored by the Hawaii-based East-West Center, a non-profit organization financed in part by the U.S. government. Karnavian said that Armadi had said two men paid him to stage the attack at St Josephs Church in Medan, but police doubted his story and thought it was meant to lessen his blame in the operation. We strongly believe this was not sectarianism, because he was a lone wolf, he said, adding that many Muslims in the Medan area had condemned the attack. Indonesian counter-terrorism officials have said there are hundreds of IS sympathizers in the country. Indonesia suffered its first IS-linked attack in January, when four people died in a gun and bomb assault in the capital Jakarta. (Additional reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor/Mark Heinrich)
NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. network security firm Infoblox Inc has launched a process to sell itself after it received buyout interest from private equity firms and it came under pressure from activist fund Starboard Value LP, people familiar with the matter said.

Thoma Bravo LLC, which had approached the company earlier this year about a potential acquisition, is one of the buyout firms that are participating in an auction for Infoblox, the people said this week, cautioning that no deal is certain.

The sources asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. Infoblox declined to comment, while Thoma Bravo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Liana B. Baker and Greg Roumeliotis in New York)
On the evening of July 15, Major General Ibrahim Aydin was at a bridal party for a friends daughter at a hotel in central Ankara when warplanes began roaring low over the capital. The noise was one of the first signs that a faction of the military was attempting to seize power from the elected government. Aydin left the party, dropped his wife at home and headed to a military housing complex. By the next morning Aydin would find himself fighting his way through a Turkish military base in a battle for Turkeys political future.

On the base he became one of an initial group of six generals organizing part of the response to the coup among the military units still loyal to the government. He called his commanding officer, Galip Mendi, the commander of Turkeys gendarmerie, a militarized internal security force. He couldnt reach Mendi or his second in command. He would later learn that Mendi had been taken hostage by the planners of the coup, and so Aydin and the other generals gathered dozens of members of the gendarmerie special forces to do battle with the coup faction which by then had commandeered tanks, helicopter gunships, and F-16 fighter jets.

They received no orders from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or other political or military leaders. In two interviews, Aydin said the response from the loyal portions of the military was both organic and improvised. They sent one group of special forces to fight their way into the main gendarmerie base in Ankara at Bestepe, engaging in a fight that lasted two to three hours. Another group stayed behind, contacting gendarmerie commanders around the country to ascertain who had joined the coup and who remained loyal to the government.

As a soldier you cant always take your orders from your commander. Sometimes the situation commands you to act in certain ways, and you have to take initiative, he says. This is the equivalent of having your commander die in combat.

As he and the other generals acted, civilian protesters also faced off with tanks in the streets of Ankara and Istanbul. More than 240 people died. But the loyal units of the military struck the decisive blow. If the coup had any hope of succeeding, its planners would have needed to persuade a majority of the armed forces to join them, and they failed. Instead, the military splintered, with key commanders actively resisting the insurrection.

While the coup faction bombed the parliament building and the President fled soldiers raiding the seaside hotel where he was staying, the loyal generals engaged in a high stakes effort to stop the insurrection. For Aydin and the other gendarmerie commanders, that meant suppressing the coup within their own branch of the armed forces. While he and other generals remained loyal, other units of the gendarmerie joined the coup.

Around midnight, Aydin realized that one of the nerve centers of the coup in Ankara was at an adjacent military base. Helicopter gunships from an adjoining army airbase at Guvercinlik were supporting the coup. Aydin and the loyalists waited to act, focusing instead on retaking their own bases. The way we took over our headquarters, we expected the army to take over their base, says Aydin.

Hours went by, and the helicopters kept taking off, so Aydin and his comrades decided to act, assembling a team of about 40 men, most of them on foot following two armored jeeps they brought for cover. The coup faction had blocked the entrance to the neighboring airbase with a fire truck, barricades, and a token guard. They took the sentries hostage and ordered them to roll the truck to the side. The sun was rising.

Their plan was to take over the base headquarters and the air traffic control tower. From the tower, they planned blow up the fuel tanks and debilitate the coup forces air power. Once on the base, they started taking incoming fire from the headquarters and from helicopters: eight sorties in all from three different helicopters. In frustration, a colonel in Aydins group fired his pistol at the gunships buzzing above them. They eventually seized control of both the headquarters and the tower, taking 14 coup participants prisoner. Four members of the loyalist raiding party were wounded. In the end they called off the destruction of the fuel tanks

Similar scenes unfolded in Istanbul, where the gunfire still echoed after dawn. In a pivotal moment, Umit Dundar, the commander of the first field army based in Istanbul, declared his opposition to the coup in a televised address.

Aydin had put in his retirement papers before the coup, and left the military about two weeks after the failed putsch. He claims that his and his comrades reaction to the coup was an automatic act of patriotism. Putting aside the treason of these coup plotters, we judged this attempt as an embarrassment, an insult to both our army and to ourselves. For us, as part of that army, for anyone to be going this far in this kind of madness is entirely embarrassing. Its an insult, he says.

Aydins important role defending Erdogans government against the coup is extraordinary given that less than a year a ago, he was under arrest in connection with a high-profile national security investigation. The case dates back to 2014, when the gendarmerie searched a convoy of Turkish intelligence trucks headed toward northern Syria. Turkish news reports said the trucks contained weapons intended for Islamist groups in Syria, meanwhile Aydin (who was then the commander of the Ankara gendarmerie) and two other commanders were detained over the search. After a month in detention, he was released without charge in Dec. 2015.

The July 15 coup attempt rearranged Turkeys political chessboard, and placed Erdogan in an unspoken coalition with officers like Aydin who faced controversy in the past. The government blames the coup on the followers of the powerful religious leader Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of Erdogans who lives in exile in the U.S. Turkish officials and analysts say Gulens followers have infiltrated the military and other state institutions for decades, building a network that they activated on the night of the coup. Although some foreign officials doubt parts of the governments narrative of the coup, the blame placed on the Gulenists is universally accepted in Ankara. The narrative provides a point of unity for Erdogans Islamist-tinted government and the remaining military officers who are steeped in secular nationalist traditions.

But the unity masks a deeper sense of unease in Ankara. Now, as Erdogan moves aggressively to reign in the military, Erdogan finds himself relying on generals past foes. Nationalist generals previously alienated by Erdogans Islamist-inspired administration are now crucial to the governments plans to reform the military. Even as the government sends tanks and warplanes into northern Syria to fight Islamic State and Kurdish militants, both the government and the military are still recovering from the shock of the coup.

I think that this is a marriage of convenience, but this is a short term arrangement. Right now the Kemalist military and the government need each other, says Gonul Tol, director for the Center for Turkish Studies at the Middle East Institute in Washington. From the governments perspective, Erdogan really needs a strong military under his full control to be able to project power in the region and also to continue the fight against PKK and the Islamic State. From the militarys perspective they really have to rebuild themselves. I think this is the biggest trauma theyve suffered in their long history.

After surviving the coup attempt, Erdogan and his government launched a historic attempt to reshape the armed forces. The authorities detained nearly 10,000 soldiers, including 143 general and admirals, or more than a third of the top military command. After declaring a state of emergency, the government issued decrees to bring the branches of the military under direct civilian control, with most branches now reporting to the defense ministry (the gendarmerie is under the interior ministry). The reforms appear intended to put the military out of the business of coups following decades in which the armed forces ousted four governments since 1960. Those arrested include elite pilots and numerous commanders serving in NATO-affiliated positions, illustrating the devastating effect of the coup on Turkeys relations with western powers.

In a dizzying reversal of political fates, some of the officers that Erdogan can now trust are those who have been on trial in the past, accused of plotting coups. In a series of cases since 2013, hundreds of military officers were accused and convicted of plotting to overthrow the government. After Erdogan split with Gulen, those trials collapsed, the cases dismissed as Gulenist plots, sham trials based in part on forged evidence. In fact, five officers who were sentenced to prison in one of the previous coup trials, the so-called Sledgehammer trial, actively fought to stop the coup in Ankara in July according to Turkish news reports.

Now all the people around Erdogan are potentially Gulenists. There is no way, no litmus test to realize whos a Gulenist or whos not. The only people Erdogan could trust are people who have been publicly victimized, vilified by Gulen, and who havent been in these circles for the last decade, says Selim Sazak, a Turkish politics expert with the New York-based Century Foundation.

Turkey is reorganizing its armed forces at a moment of deep distrust among key political, judicial, and military leaders. The coup attempt and subsequent crackdown devastated the militarys morale and threw its ranks into disarray. In the aftermath, the government cut power to at least one baseIncirlik, which is used by U.S. force. Trucks blocked the entrances to others. In the wake of the bloody coup attempt, no one has voiced opposition to the planned reforms, but some former military officials are uneasy with the state of civil-military relations.

Retired general Ismail Hakki Pekin, a former defendant in one of the now-discredited coup cases, said of the government, They know the importance of the Turkish military and theyre trying to increase the militarys morale. But at the same time there are also some negative things. Some people are still threatening the army, and they dont like the Turkish armys reactions.
On Tuesday nights Chopped Junior, 11-year old Christian Bondino played to win. The youngster grew up in an Italian family, watching and learning from his grandmother while she cooked. However, he was motivated to win for another family member, his 9-year old sister, Gabriella. She had open heart surgery when she was 2. And shes been like a really big inspiration for me. For her to see me on the show, I think shell be really proud. While Christians food impressed all the judges, his love and dedication for his sister moved judge Angelo Sosa in particular, whose son had heart bypass surgery at six months old. Whenever I step in the kitchen, hes my inspiration, Sosa shared to Christian, so thank you for sharing that story!
SpaceSignal thumb01.4x3

Earlier this week, astronomers were puzzling over an allegedly powerful burst of energy that seems to have emanated from the star HD 164595, located some 94 light-years away in the constellation Hercules.

"An international team of researchers has announced the detection of 'a strong signal in the direction of HD164595,'" book author Paul Gilster wrote at his blog Centauri Dreams, noting that a Russian radio telescope called RATAN-600 detected the signal on May 15, 2015.

The signal's Russian discoverers urged the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) to take a long, hard look at HD 164595.

And, as Business Insider previously reported, that's exactly what the organization started doing Sunday night.

"We looked last night with Allen Telescope Array [ATA] last night and didn't find anything," Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute who wasn't involved in the signal's initial detection, told Business Insider.

Now an official at the Russian Academy of Science (RAS) has come forward to say the "signal" is anything but alien in origin. In fact, it probably didn't even come from space.

In a statement posted Aug. 30, Yu. V. Sotnikova of the Special Astrophysical Observatory at the RAS wrote that more "processing and analysis of the signal revealed its most probable terrestrial origin."

In other words, it was us.

"It can be said with confidence that no sought-for signal has been detected yet," Sotnikova said.

'Probably not E.T.'

ratan 600 radio telescope russia

Previously, Shostak said no one was holding their breath in hopes that the signal is alien  not even Claudio Maccone, an Italian astronomer who was working with Russian scientists at RATAN-600 to analyze the signal.

For one, says Shostak, the research group took more than a year to say anything about the signal. "It's a gentlemen's agreement that if you find a signal that could be real, you call up someone else to check it out in an effort to convince yourself," he said. "The people who found it didn't think enough to tell other people right away."

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The Russian researchers, Maccone told Shostak, didn't do this because "they were shy."

"To me that says they are not so convinced it's ET [extraterrestrial]," Shostak said, noting that Maccone even told him that he thinks "it is probably not ET."

Second, Shostak says the RATAN-600 radio telescope in Russia (shown above) has a sort of "astigmatism," so it can't verify with great certainty that the signal is actually coming from a place like the HD 164595 star system.

"If you have an ordinary telescope dish, you can zero on one spot on the sky. That spot is usually fairly small, like aiming a laser pointer," Shostak said. "But their antenna is small in one direction and big in another. It's like a squished egg. When you pick something up, you don't know precisely where it's coming from."

Shostak also said the signal the RATAN-600 facility picked up is wide and "spread all over the dial," which makes it harder to verify. "It swallows 1,000 MHz of spectrum. It's like they're getting all of the TV stations at once," Shostak said. "Youd know there's a transmission in there, but not exactly where."

Which is why, when SETI looked for the signal, it may not have found it; it could be spread out and weak in every channel, or powerful in one channel but harder to zero in on.

So what was it?

allen telescope array ata seti institute

Business Insider contacted Sotnikova for more details on the probably source of the signal, but did not immediately hear back.

But SETI@Home project scientist Eric Korpela wrote in a forum on the site that it would likely turn out to be something mundane.

"[T]here's really nothing about this 'signal' that would distinguish it from a natural radio transient (stellar flare, active galactic nucleus, microlensing of a background source, etc.) There's also nothing that could distinguish it from a satellite passing through the telescope field of view. All in all, it's relatively uninteresting from a SETI standpoint," Korpela wrote.

"But, of course, it's been announced to the media. ... Someone will look at it with Arecibo, and we'll be along for the ride. ... And we'll all find nothing. It's not our first time at this rodeo, so we know how it works."

The official announcement from the Russian Academy of Science suggests that the initial skepticism was warranted. What could be more mundane than an "alien" signal that's actually coming from Earth?

NOW WATCH: The latest report of the 'alien megastructure' star might be the weirdest yet





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Hillary Clinton is making a case for American exceptionalism. The United States is an exceptional nation, she said on Wednesday at the American Legions national convention in Cincinnati. Its not just that we have the greatest military, or that our economy is larger than any on Earth, its also the strength of our values. Clinton added: Our power comes with a responsibility to lead.

The Democratic presidential nominee believes talking up her commitment to American engagement abroad will help her secure the White House. Focusing on foreign policy allows Clinton to showcase her experience as a former secretary of state and emphasize how high the stakes are in the election. Elect Trump, her campaign argues, and America hands over its nuclear codes to a man with poor judgement and a history of erratic behavior. Yet what is most remarkable about Clintons embrace of American exceptionalism is how it highlights the inverted politics of foreign policy in the 2016 presidential race.

Republicans and Democrats have championed American exceptionalismthe concept that the United States is uniquely qualified to act as a world leader. But the GOP has more forcefully made that case, often framed as a moral imperative, in recent years. The 2012 Republican Party platform outlined a commitment to American exceptionalism, defining it as the conviction that our country holds a unique place and role in human history. Now, however, Clinton is going out of her way to embrace the idea of American exceptionalism, while Trump has disavowed it. I dont like the term, Ill be honest with you, Trump once said. I dont think its a very nice term, were exceptional, youre not  I never liked the term.

The distinction between the two candidates is another indicator of how Trumps candidacy has caused the Republican party to cede a message it once featured prominently as a way to appeal to voters, only to see that message loudly taken up by the Democrats.

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Republican lament over that phenomenon was prominent during the Democratic and Republican conventions. American exceptionalism and greatness, shining city on hill, founding documents, etctheyre trying to take all our stuff, Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review tweeted during the Democratic National Convention. Watching Clinton promote American exceptionalism while their own standard-bearer shuns the concept must be uncomfortable for many Republicans, if not downright painful.

The way Trump describes it, America is under siege from immigrants and refugees. The United States has been taken advantage of by its so-called allies, and lost what made it great somewhere along the way. For Trump, America can be great again, or put another way, the country can reclaim what makes it exceptional, by putting up defensive walls and re-evaluating the extent of foreign entanglement.

For Clinton, America is already great, and as a result of that exceptional quality, the country must not shirk leadership on the world stage. When we say America is exceptional, she said on Wednesday,  it means that we recognize Americas unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity. Clinton assured the audience that the U.S. should deploy troops only as a last resort, but warned that we cant lose our military edge.

Trump makes it difficult for the GOP to credibly assert a commitment to American exceptionalism. His candidacy also makes it harder for Republicans to attack Democrats for not believing in the concept. That has been a common conservative criticism of President Obama, but it wont likely be a convincing attack of Clinton.

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Now, exceptionalism is an idea Clinton can use against Trump. My opponent in this race has said very clearly that he thinks American exceptionalism is insulting to the rest of the world, Clinton said on Wednesday. Her remarks took place the same day Trump is scheduled to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico. Clinton had a response to that too, saying you cant make up for a year of insults by dropping in our neighbors for a few hours and flying home again.

Clintons eagerness to talk about American exceptionalism draws attention to the extent to which she too represents a departure from the foreign policy vision of many Democrats. The former secretary of state is famously more hawkish than Obama, who has shown himself to be wary of what he deems unnecessary or counterproductive foreign entanglements. Clinton voted in favor of the Iraq War after all, while Obama spoke out in opposition.

For all the differences between Clinton and Obama, Obama has also signaled a belief in American exceptionalism. I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism, he said in 2009. Rather than describing exceptionalism as a distinct quality that elevates the U.S. to a position of superiority, though, Obama made it sound like a nationalist inclination common to many countries.

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Still, even if Obama and Clinton view exceptionalism differently, that distinction is not as pronounced as Trumps outright rejection of the concept relative to his partys embrace of it. Its fair to say that Trump is more of an outlier even within his party than Clinton is within hers on foreign policy, said Elizabeth Saunders, a political science professor at George Washington University.

In the end, there is no equivalence between Trump and Clinton. There are foreign policy splits in the Republican and Democratic Party, but both parties have a fairly strong internationalist core, Saunders said. That stands in contrast to Trumps apparent tendency toward isolation.

Precisely because Trump is more of an outlier, Clinton may be given a free pass by voters as she seeks to outline how she would alter the terms of Americas engagement with the rest of the world. If youre afraid Trump might start a nuclear war, you probably wont be as concerned that Clinton is more inclined to interventionism than many Democrats. But that doesnt mean Clintons foreign policy ideas, and track record, arent just as deserving of scrutiny, and it doesnt mean they couldnt be dangerous in their own right. While Donald Trumps rhetoric is being scrutinized and analyzed, Hillary Clintons actual record of support for war, war, and more war, has been sanitized, Cindy Sheehan recently wrote in an op-ed titled I Led the Anti-War Movement Against George W. Bush 11 Years Ago. Hillary Clinton Is Hardly Better published in the Independent Journal Review.

Clinton has been courting Republican foreign-policy heavyweights, and winning endorsements from members of the GOP foreign-policy establishment. On Wednesday, she made a clear pitch to Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike, framing the election not as a choice between different political ideologies, but rather a decision about who will keep the country safe.

Clinton would undoubtedly attempt to garner Republican support regardless of her opponent. But Trumps high-profile deviations from GOP norms make it easier for her to appeal to GOP voters, while Trumps tendency to strike fear into the heart of liberals makes it easier for her to take Democratic votes for granted. Clinton and Trump may have approaches to foreign policy that alienate many within their own parties. But they are the standard-bearers. Its up to voters to decide if the extent to which they diverge from the mainstream is worthy of withholding a vote.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Heavy duty equipment sector ploughs ahead

With the launch of several major infrastructure projects in the past few yearsparticularly roads, airports, irrigation systems and hydropower plantsthe country has become one of the key potential markets for heavy duty construction equipment.
Tehran (AFP) - A retired Iranian general has been killed while battling jihadists as a volunteer in northern Syria, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.

Ahmad Gholami, who had served as a senior Revolutionary Guards commander in the Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s, died on Tuesday "while fighting the takfiri terrorists in Aleppo, Syria," said the Fars news agency, which is close to the Guards.

Iran uses the term "takfiri" to describe Sunni jihadists.

Gholami went to Iraq and Syria "voluntarily" to fight Islamic State group jihadists, it added.

Iran is the principle backer of President Bashar al-Assad. It denies that any of its professional soldiers are active in Syria -- insisting its commanders and generals act purely as "military advisers" -- but it also leads large volunteer forces, comprised of fighters from both Iran and neighbouring Afghanistan.

Iran does not provide precise casualty figures for those killed in action in Syria and Iraq, but Iranian media have previously reported "hundreds" of military advisers and volunteers have died in recent years.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Iran needs to boost its offensive military capabilities. "In order to secure our population, our country and our future we have to increase our offensive capabilities as well as our defensive capabilities, he said at a military expo in Tehran where a number of top military officials gathered, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). The Shi'ite leader spoke a week after a U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots toward an Iranian fast-attack craft that had approached two U.S. ships, according to a Pentagon spokesman. The Pentagon also said that Iranian vessels had harassed a U.S. warship near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping channel, early last week. For its part, the Iranian military accused the United States of sending a drone into its air space on Monday, according to the Tasnim news agency. It said the drone left Iranian air space after a warning. President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist, has presided over a limited thaw in Iran's relations with the West, with a 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers his most notable achievement. But Iran's military and security services that answer to the hardline Khamenei continue to see Western states as adversaries. Khamenei also said that expanding defensive capabilities was necessary so that oppressive powers feel threatened, an allusion to the United States and key European allies. At the expo, held to highlight the Islamic Republics defense industry, there were displays and presentations of Iranian-made missiles and drones as well as the Bavar 373 missile defense system, according to IRNA. (Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh; editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Stephen Kalin DEBAGA CAMP, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi tribal militias are recruiting youths in their mid-teens from a camp for displaced people to fight in the battle to push Islamic State out of Mosul, the camp's manager and a rights group said. At least seven under the age of 18 have been enlisted this month by two units of a force backed by Baghdad and Washington which is made up largely of fighters from Sunni Muslim areas in Iraq's north and west, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report. An HRW representative the recruits were in their "mid-teens". A 2002 protocol of a UN convention says under-18s should not be sent into battle. Some national armies do recruit young people at 16, but not for combat duties. The manager of Debaga camp, 40 km (25 miles) south of the Kurdish capital of Erbil, told Reuters on Tuesday the reports of recruitment of the young in the camp by older fighters were accurate. "I cannot say we have controlled the situation 100 percent but we are doing everything we can," Rzgar Abed said through a translator. "The problem is the fighters live here with their family. We cannot keep them out." The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) has trained several thousand Sunni tribal fighters in preparation for a push on Mosul, the largest city in the self-proclaimed IS caliphate spanning swathes of Iraq and Syria. Iraqi authorities have pledged to retake Mosul this year. A top U.S. general said on Tuesday they were on track to meet the target. MILITIAS DRAWN FROM CAMP The Human Rights Watch report said two tribal militias in Debaga, commanded by Nishwan al-Jabouri and Maghdad al-Sabawy respectively, were made up exclusively of camp residents. The militias had been recruiting in the camp for months as the population surged from a few thousand to more than 36,000. Reuters could not immediately reach Jabouri, who does not live in Debaga. Sabawy, who lives in Debaga with his family, told Reuters in an interview that children as young as 14 had been turned away after volunteering to join the tribal militias. "Daesh (Islamic State) recruits children who are under six and seven years old to fight," he said. "So when they (under-18s) see Daesh recruiting, they expect they should enlist for this too," Sabawy added, referring to youths among the Sunni groups opposed to Islamic State. Islamic State has produced videos of child recruits executing prisoners and has used them as suicide bombers. Shi'ite militias fighting alongside Iraqi government forces have also been accused of using child soldiers against Islamic State, a charge they deny. "The U.S. should press the Iraqi government to ensure that the troops they are supporting dont have fighters under 18 in their ranks," said Bill Van Esveld, senior children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The battle for Mosul should not be fought with children on the front lines." Lise Grande, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq said in a statement the UN was "deeply concerned" by reports of boys being recruited to fight. Involving children in fighting is totally unacceptable, she said. The battle to retake Mosul is likely to start soon. Hundreds of thousands of civilians will almost certainly be at risk. Everybody has to do everything possible to ensure they live and receive the assistance they need. (Editing by Andrew Roche)
DUBLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ireland's cabinet could not agree on Wednesday on whether to appeal a European Commission ruling against Dublin's tax dealings with Apple and will meet for further talks later this week, a government source told Reuters.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has recommended lodging the appeal, saying on Tuesday he "disagreed profoundly" with the order from the Commission that the U.S. tech giant should hand over to Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) ruled to be illegal state aid.

However, the Independent Alliance - a group of independent lawmakers represented in the minority coalition government - said on Tuesday that they would need to consult further with officials and the source said Wednesday's meeting had ended without agreement.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Dominic Evans)
* Government to make a decision on Friday - press office

* Failure to back fin min could topple minority govt

* Opinion split on Dublin streets over 13 billion euros (Releads with delay)

By Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries

DUBLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ireland's cabinet could not agree on Wednesday whether to fight a European Commission ruling against Dublin's tax dealings with Apple, raising questions over any appeal and the government's stability.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has insisted Dublin would appeal any adverse ruling ever since the EU investigation began in 2014. But after over five hours of discussion, the cabinet adjourned until Friday when the government said a decision would be made.

Dublin has just over two months at the latest to make an appeal against the Commission's ruling that the U.S. tech giant should hand over to Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) ruled to be illegal state aid.

Some Irish voters are astounded that the government might turn down a tax windfall that would be enough to fund the country's health service for a year, and this appears to be complicating the cabinet decision whether to fight the ruling.

"Following the discussion, it was agreed to allow further time to reflect on the issues and to clarify a number of legal and technical issues with the Attorney General's Office and with officials," the government press office said in a statement.

Apple, one of many major multinationals whose European headquarters are based in Ireland, has said it will appeal the decision and a failure by the Irish government to join them could undermine the country's pro-business credentials.

Noonan said on Tuesday he "disagreed profoundly" with what he called a bizarre order from the Commission.

However, the Independent Alliance - a group of independent lawmakers represented in the minority coalition government - said on Tuesday that they were reviewing the EU's decision and would need to consult further with Noonan, tax officials and independent experts.

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If the Independent Alliance refused to back an appeal and pulled out of the government, Prime Minister Enda Kenny's Fine Gael party would no longer have sufficient support in parliament to pass legislation. That would prompt the collapse of the government, analysts said.

"The government can't survive without the Independent Alliance," said Eoin O'Malley, politics lecturer at Dublin City University.

"(But) the way the Independent Alliance appear to work is that they have cabinet (discussions) first and then discuss it with each other. I would be more concerned if in a week's time the cabinet hadn't agreed."

DIVIDED OPINION

As well as the Independent Alliance, Fine Gael also relies on an agreement with its biggest rival, Fianna Fail, to abstain on key votes to facilitate the minority government. Fianna Fail said on Tuesday it would back an appeal through the European Courts.

Both parties were criticised by left-wing Sinn Fein, the country's third largest party. It said the government should accept the Commission's ruling and impose the tax bill on the iPhone maker.

It also increased pressure on the Independent Alliance, which agreed to go into coalition in May only after an unprecedented 10 weeks of post-election talks and has already broken ranks on another vote.

"It is important that Irish taxpayers are represented. The Independent Alliance have an opportunity to do that. They should oppose any appeal and insist that the correct tax bill is paid by Apple," Sinn Fein's David Cullinane said in a statement.

Opinion on the government's stance was split on the streets of Dublin where some were stunned that they would give up a potential 13 billion euro tax windfall.

"They are doing the wrong thing. They don't care about the normal people," said Louise O'Reilly, 57, a full-time carer for her diabetic and partially blind mother. "There's two laws in this country, one for the rich and one for the poor."

At stake for Ireland is the lure of its low corporate tax rate, a cornerstone of economic policy for decades that has drawn investors from large multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 of the country's workers.

The Apple decision also comes as Ireland seeks to market itself as one of the top locations for any companies considering moving operations from Britain after its vote to leave the EU. Dublin has already seen a jump in inquiries, particularly from financial services firms.

The Commission's drive could check that advantage. The U.S. Treasury warned that the move threatened to undermine U.S. investment in Europe and a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said it would welcome any company that is prepared to invest in the United Kingdom.

Others on the streets of Dublin shared the government's concerns. "People need to educate themselves. If we take the 13 billion we'll have a catastrophe jobs wise," said Tracey Whelan, 46, an accountant for a private equity firm in Dublin.

"Obviously we'd love it... but it's a poisoned apple." ($1 = 0.8974 euros) (Additional reporting by Conor Humphires, and Kylie McLellan in London; Editing by Andrew Roche and David Stamp)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel approved Wednesday the construction of 463 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, the watchdog Peace Now said, drawing a sharp rebuke from the United States.

Washington said it was "deeply concerned" by the announcement, with a senior US official slamming the "pervasive advancement of settlement activity in a new and potentially unlimited way".

The approvals mostly involved new housing units, but a retroactive green light was also granted to 179 existing homes in the Ofarim settlement.

Around 50 new units received final approval, while others were given preliminary authorisation at different stages in the review process.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "continues to plan and build all over the West Bank, while also giving settlers the message that any construction done without planning will be retroactively legalised," Peace Now said.

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council on Monday that Israeli settlement expansion had surged in the past two months since a key report called for a halt.

The report by the diplomatic Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States -- said construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is eroding the possibility of a two-state solution.

In response, Netanyahu's office called criticism of Israeli settlement building "absurd", particularly related to east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians see east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, as the capital of their future state. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital.

"The claim that it is illegal for Jews to build in Jerusalem is as absurd as saying Americans can't build in Washington or the French can't build in Paris," Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes said in response to Mladenov's comments.

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- Stalled peace efforts -

The United States, has long been concerned that Israel's building on occupied Palestinian land is undermining hopes for a Middle East peace deal.

"We are deeply concerned by the government of Israel's announcement today to advance plans for over 500 new settlement units in the West Bank," a senior US official told AFP.

"This significant expansion of the settlement enterprise poses a very serious and growing threat to the viability of the two-state solution," he said on condition of anonymity.

He said Washington was also "particularly troubled by the policy of retroactively approving illegal outposts and unauthorised settlements."

"As the Quartet report highlights, we are concerned about a systematic process of land seizures, settlement expansions and legalisations," he said.

Israel has advanced plans for more than 1,000 housing units in east Jerusalem and 735 units in the West Bank since July 1, the UN envoy said.

It has also undertaken a land survey on the outskirts of Bethlehem for the establishment of a new settlement in a move that would contribute to the "dismemberment of the southern West Bank", he added.

Settlements are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land Palestinians see as part of their future state.

Peace efforts have been at a complete standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to host an Israeli-Palestinian summit to revive peace talks.

France has also been working on its own peace initiative and hopes to convene an international conference before the end of the year.

The Palestinians strongly support the French initiative, but Israel has rejected it, calling instead for direct negotiations.

Palestinian leaders say years of negotiations with the Israelis have not ended the occupation of the West Bank and have recently pursued an international strategy.

They say an Abbas-Netanyahu meeting would lead nowhere without a freeze on settlement building, the release of Palestinian prisoners and a deadline for an end to the Israeli occupation.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's police chief faced a whirlwind of criticism on Wednesday after he suggested officers would "naturally" suspect minorities, including Israelis of Ethiopian descent, of crimes more than others.

Members of the Ethiopian community in Israel, who account for more than 135,000 of the eight million population, called for police commissioner Roni Alsheich to be sacked after his comments on Tuesday.

"Ethiopian Jews are Israeli Jews in every way," Alsheich told a lawyers' conference in Tel Aviv where he was asked about police violence against Ethiopian-Israelis.

"But every criminology study worldwide shows that immigrants are more involved in crime than others."

He said that young people too were more often implicated in crimes and, that when the two factors were combined, police "naturally" suspected them more than others.

Alsheich also mentioned Arab Israelis, who account for more than 17 percent of the population.

He accepted, however, that there was "over-policing" of Ethiopian Israelis that must be addressed.

The subject is particularly sensitive among Ethiopian Israelis, who have protested against what they see as discrimination and abuse by police.

A spokeswoman for the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews called for Alsheich to resign, saying his comments were "intolerable."

"Not only are we not immigrants as he says, but he also only reinforces stereotypes that portray all young people from our community as delinquents and criminals," Hanna Elazar told AFP.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan defended Alsheich in a statement, saying his comments did not defend "over-policing" or racial profiling of Ethiopian-Israelis.

"He did exactly the opposite and courageously said that there is a problem that the police are addressing," Erdan said.

"We are working with members of the community and their leaders to address the errors of the past."

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Police spokeswoman Meirav Lapidot however told army radio that the sensitive topic "should have been explained differently."

Of the 135,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel, some 50,000 were born in the country.

The community is the result of Israeli authorities eventually officially recognising the Ethiopian Jewish community as Jews, leading to two waves of immigration in 1984 and 1991.

They have alleged discrimination and other types of mistreatment.

A video emerged last year showing an Israeli of Ethiopian origin being beaten by police, setting off a series of demonstrations around the country, some of which turned violent.
House committee to summon PM Dahal

Concerned over the delay in releasing the reconstruction aid to thousands of earthquake-hit families, the parliamentary Development Committee on Tuesday decided to summon Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal for a meeting.
Hebron (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israeli authorities have shut down a Palestinian radio station in the occupied West Bank over "incitement" to violence, the army said Wednesday, the latest in a series of such raids.

The overnight operation in Dura near Hebron led to five arrests, according to the Israeli army.

Palestinian police confirmed the detentions and said one of those held was the director of the Al-Sanabel station.

Broadcast equipment was also seized, the army said.

According to Palestinian police, the station's door was broken during the raid and a notice was given saying it was ordered closed for three months.

An Israeli army spokeswoman could not provide examples of the type of content that led to the raid.

"The radio station has repeatedly broadcast inciting content encouraging, celebrating and promoting violence and terrorism against Israelis," she said.

Israeli authorities have closed at least four Palestinian radio or TV stations since a wave of violence erupted in October.

The violence has killed 222 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP tally.

Violence has steadily declined in recent months.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.

Others were shot dead by Israeli forces during protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.

Much of the violence has occurred in the Hebron area in the southern West Bank, a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest.

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause of the violence.
By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's defense ministry on Wednesday asked for a hike in spending to record levels, as it juggles its responses to a growing ballistic missile threat from North Korea and China's assertive moves in the East China Sea. If approved, the hike of 2.3 percent will take the defense budget to 5.17 trillion yen ($51.47 billion) in the year starting April 1, for a fifth consecutive increase as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bolsters Japan's military. The nation's Self Defense Forces are pivoting away from guarding the north against a diminished Russian threat to reinforce an island chain stretching 1,400 km (870 miles) along the southern edge of the East China Sea. That means opting for fewer tank divisions as they build a mobile amphibious force from scratch. The costly rejig comes as Japan is also forced to spend more to guard against ballistic missiles being developed by North Korea capable of striking most areas. PATRIOT UPGRADE The single biggest expenditure is 99 billion yen ($970 million) to upgrade Japan's warhead-killing Patriot batteries, a last line of defense against missile strikes. The improvements will double their range to around 30 km (19 miles) and sharpen targeting to hit arriving ballistic warheads. They will take five years to complete, with the first four enhanced Patriots expected to be ready for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In June, North Korea test-fired what appeared to be two mobile Musudan rockets, one of which climbed to 1,000 km (600 miles), or enough to fly more than 3,000 km (1,800 miles) down range. On Aug. 24, Pyongyang also fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) toward Japan that traveled 500 km (311 miles). Japan's biggest defense contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) <7011.T> will upgrade the PAC-3s under license from Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co, sources familiar with the plan told Reuters last month. The budget request also includes funding to improve Aegis destroyers that are Japan's first line of defense against ballistic missiles. Japan and the United States are developing a new warhead killer, the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3), to destroy targets in space, but no decision on a full rollout has yet been made. SOUTHWEST SHIFT Other proposed defense buys will reinforce the East China Sea, where Japan and China are locked in a territorial dispute over a group of islets 220 km (140 miles) northeast of Taiwan known as the Senkakus in Tokyo and the Diaoyus in Beijing. Japanese air scrambles against Chinese aircraft are running at a record high, with Beijing's navy probing deeper and more frequently into the Western Pacific beyond Japan's island chain. Chinese military activity in the region was "escalating," Japan's Self-Defence Forces chief Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano said in June. Defence officials want 95 billion yen next year to buy six Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters, and a combined 92 billion for four Boeing Co and Bell Helicopter V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and six Boeing Chinook twin-rotor helicopters. The SDF also wants 11 BAE Systems AAV7 amphibious assault craft, and two long-range Kawasaki Heavy Industries <7012.T> C-2 military cargo jets. Other buys will include a Northrop Grumman unmanned Global Hawk surveillance drone and a new larger-class diesel-electric submarine designed by Mitsubishi Heavy and Kawasaki Heavy. ($1=102.0900 yen) (Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By Hilary Russ (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday vetoed a bill to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next five years. The legislation would have made New Jersey the third state to adopt a $15 per hour minimum wage, Christie said in a statement. State voters agreed to a previous wage hike in 2013, to $8.25 from $7.25. New Jersey's rate is tied to the consumer price index and is now at $8.38, according to a database from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). "Despite having a constitutional mandate in place, the legislature now wants to increase the minimum wage by almost 80 percent just three years later," Christie said in a statement about his veto. Christie, a close ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, said the wage bill passed by Democrats, who control both houses of state legislature, failed to consider the ability of businesses to absorb the increased labor costs. Neighboring New York State, as well as California, became the first states to lift the minimum wage toward $15 earlier this year. While California's higher rate will be in effect statewide by 2022, New York created a two-speed system, with different timetables for New York City and nearby counties, versus the "upstate" regions where incomes are lower and labor markets less robust. Some cities are also stepping up to higher wage levels. Washington, D.C.'s minimum wage will reach $15 per hour by July 1, 2020, after it enacted a law this year. The city's current level is $10.50. Washington and 29 states have set minimum wages above the federal rate of $7.25 an hour, according to the NCSL. Michele Siekerka, president of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, praised Christie's veto, saying the increase was "too much too fast." "Had this bill been signed, it would not only have hurt the New Jersey economy, but it would have hurt the exact workers the proponents of this policy are trying to help," she said in a statement. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, lead sponsor of the bill, said in a statement the wage increase is a key component to Democrats' strategy to combat poverty. "A substantial minimum wage increase will help lift countless families out of poverty, decrease government dependency and boost commerce by pumping more dollars back into the economy," he said. (Reporting by Hilary Russ in New York; Editing by Chris Reese)
The brother of JonBenet Ramsey is breaking his decades-long silence to honor his sister's memory and to ensure she's properly remembered, he told Dr. Phil.

I want to honor her memory by doing this interview. I dont want anyone to forget, Burke Ramsey, 29, said in an exclusive sit-down with Dr. Phil, a three-part series that begins September 12.

Ramsey was 9 years old when his sister, then 6, vanished from her familys Boulder, Colorado, home on Christmas Day in 1996.

Her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, reported the little girl missing after they said they found a ransom letter demanding $118,000.

Read: JonBenet Ramsey's Brother Is Asked About What Happened The Night His Sister Died in Exclusive Interview

JonBenets beaten and strangled body was found the next day in the basement.

I remember the viewing. The casket was small. Her eyes were closed, Ramsey told Dr. Phil.

The murder remains unsolved, as investigators chased down countless leads and looked at numerous suspects  including the little pageant stars parents and her big brother.

Has it ever occurred to you that your parents actually thought you did this and didnt ask you because they didnt want to know? Dr. Phil asked Ramsey.

Read: Nearly 20 Years After JonBenet Ramsey's Murder, Where is Her Family Today?

The special will feature never-before-seen footage showing Ramsey being interrogated when he was 9 and 12 years old, the show said in a statement.

I know people think I did it, that my parents did it, Ramsey told Dr. Phil. I know that we were suspects.

The Ramsey family denied having anything to do with JonBenets death and were cleared as suspects in 2008, two years after Patsy Ramsey died following a 13-year battle with ovarian cancer.

New DNA tests at the time that looked at skin cells left behind that pointed to an outsider.

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That genetic profile belongs to a male and does not belong to anyone in the Ramsey family, the Boulder County District Attorneys Office said in a statement. The unexplained third party DNA on the clothing of the victim is very significant and powerful evidence.

Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy apologized to the Ramseys after clearing them, writing in a letter to John Ramsey: "To the extent that we may have contributed in any way to the public perception that you might have been involved in this crime, I am deeply sorry. No innocent person should have to endure such an extensive trial in the court of public opinion."

Watch: 911 Operator Reveals In DocuSeries She Never Testified In JonBenet Ramsey Trial

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Josh Hartnett could be making a return to the big screen with a role in a new indie drama.

The actor is in talks to star in A Moment To Remember', directed by Ben Lewin, Deadline reports. The movie tells the tale of a couple whose marriage suffers when the woman is diagnosed with a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Actress Jena Malone has been confirmed as the star taking on the female lead role.

The script was written by Lewin and Erin Brockovich' writer Susannah Grant. Production is slated to begin in November.
(Adds comments from coalition head)

By Karen Pierog and Dave McKinney

CHICAGO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed against Illinois by a coalition of social services providers trying to force the state to pay more than $100 million in overdue bills.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Rodolfo Garcia ruled that the fiscally shaky state, which has racked up $8 billion in unpaid bills, was immune from lawsuits of this type.

He said, however, that his ruling would allow the human services organizations to take their case quickly to the Illinois Appellate Court.

Andrea Durbin, who heads the Pay Now Illinois coalition that filed the lawsuit, said the ruling should raise concerns.

"I think that this ruling calls into question any contract anyone has with the state of Illinois," she said, adding that it means the state could hold service providers and vendors accountable for their part of a contract while refusing to pay them.

An impasse between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the legislature resulted in an incomplete fiscal 2016 budget and a fiscal 2017 spending plan that covers only six months. The new fiscal year began on July 1.

Even with the temporary budget, which included some fiscal 2016 appropriations, Durbin said some members of her group remain unpaid with no clear indication of when or if state money would begin to flow.

Garcia's decision came more than three months after the group of social service providers, which included a child-welfare organization led by Illinois first lady Diana Rauner, sued to force the state to pay bills for work performed since July 2015. The coalition's website indicates the state now owes them more than $161 million.

Rauner's office declined to comment on Garcia's decision.

The 97 plaintiffs provide services for sex abuse victims, the homeless, senior citizens and at-risk youth. The plaintiffs argued they have suffered "acute financial hardship" due to the lack of payment.

The coalition contended Rauner's June 2015 veto of spending bills impaired their constitutional right to seek a legal remedy for nonpayment of their various contracts with state government.

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)
julian assange

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Wednesday shot back at claims that he was meddling in the US election in favor of Donald Trump.

Speaking with The New York Times on Facebook Live, Assange scoffed at the assertion that Trump and Jill Stein, the Republican and Green parties' presidential nominees, were being manipulated as unwitting Russian agents, an idea put forward by top officials including former CIA deputy director Michael Morell.

Assange accused Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, of "whipping up a neo-McCarthyist hysteria about Russia."

"What kind of press environment is this going to lead to post-election?" Assange asked.

He continued: "The American liberal press, in falling over themselves to defend Hillary Clinton, are erecting a demon that is going to put nooses around everyone's necks as soon as she wins the election, which is almost certainly what she's going to do."

In recent months, WikiLeaks has played a controversial and outsize role in the US presidential election.

Days before the Democratic National Convention in July, WikiLeaks released hacked internal Democratic National Committee emails showing top Democratic staffers criticizing and considering political action against Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton's main opponent in the primaries. The leaks led to a wave of convention protests and eventual resignations from top party officials.

Earlier this month, Assange promised another round of Clinton-related document released before the election, while the organization offered money for leaked information on both Clinton and Trump.

Some critics have accused Assange and WikiLeaks of maintaining an anti-Clinton bias that in essence supports Trump, though Assange has likened the election to a choice between "cholera and gonorrhea." Informal Trump adviser Roger Stone also claims to have been in indirect contact with Assange, whom he called a "hero" in August.

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In Wednesday's interview, Assange denied that he was defending Trump by claiming that the Republican presidential nominee had no significant financial ties to Russia.

WikiLeaks has also been criticized for offering a cash reward for information on the death of Seth Rich, a Democratic staffer, insinuating a potential conspiracy despite no evidence to support political foul play in his death.

NOW WATCH: Trump strikes back after 'Morning Joe' host says he sounded like 'he's had a lot to drink'





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Ketapang (Indonesia) (AFP) - Ignoring the shrieks of his rowdy, wrestling classmates, baby orangutan Otan practises swinging alone at his "jungle school" on Borneo island, switching hands and hanging upside down as he builds confidence high above the forest floor.

The three-year-old is learning to fend for himself since being found wandering a palm oil plantation, alone and suffering smoke inhalation, at the height of fires last year that razed huge swathes of rainforest in Indonesia's part of Borneo.

Otan and the other orphans must build nests, find food and avoid predators -- especially man -- to prove they're ready to "graduate" and return to the wild, but life in the real world has never been more perilous for these primates.

Last month, for the first time in history, Bornean orangutans were declared critically endangered - one step away from total extinction.

Experts warn these majestic tree dwellers -- who could once cross Borneo without ever touching the ground -- could vanish entirely from the island within 50 years as the ancient rainforest they've inhabited for centuries is felled and burned at alarming speed.

"It's heartbreaking," said Ayu Budi, a veterinarian who heads the orangutan health clinic at the International Animal Rescue centre in West Kalimantan province.

"When you see them, it's really sad. They're supposed to be with their mothers in the wild, living happily, but they're here."

- Situation 'desperate' -

The 101 orangutans under Budi's care - including the 16 playful infants - are the lucky ones, rescued near death and nurtured back to health with baby bottles in a tranche of protected forest outside the city of Ketapang.

But hundreds of thousands of their kin have died in the past four decades across Borneo, slaughtered by hunters, burned in land-clearing fires or starved to death by habitat loss.

Rampant logging and the rapid expansion of commercial-scale paper and palm oil operations across the island has reduced the species's habitat by at least 55 percent in two decades, says environmental group WWF, driving them into ever-closer contact with humans.

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The result has been wild orangutan populations in freefall. In the mid 1970s, nearly 300,000 of these great apes roamed Borneo. Today, just a third of that number remain.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature -- which changed the species's threat level to critical -- estimates a mere 47,000 will be left in the wild by 2025.

Those working at the coalface are under no illusions that efforts to arrest this decline have not succeeded, said Chris Wiggs, a conservation adviser at IAR's forest outpost in Ketapang.

"I think people on the ground working in Borneo have known for a long time that the orangutan situation was pretty desperate," he told AFP, as a wheelbarrow of baby orangutans passed on its way to the nursery.

- Fear of fire -

The number of great apes at the centre has grown nearly tenfold since 2009 as ever-increasing amounts of forest is cleared by industry.

Two of the school's newest pupils are Vijay and Moli who were found without their mothers near burned land.

They are the victims of fire, an annual scourge that's evolved into a major threat to the future of the species.

Every dry season across Indonesian Borneo -- an island shared with Malaysia and Brunei -- fires are illegally lit by land owners to quickly and cheaply clear forest for new plantations.

The fires often get out of hand, tearing through forest and smouldering relentlessly on Borneo's compact, carbon-rich peatlands.

Last year's blazes were among the worst on record.

Fanned by a prolonged dry season, fires tore through 2.6 million hectares (10,000 square miles) of Indonesian forest, laying waste to prime orangutan habitat.

The smoke turned skies yellow in Indonesian Borneo and blanketed neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia, forcing schools to shut and causing thousands to fall ill.

Conservationists fear a repeat disaster of that scale would ring the death knell for the Bornean orangutan.

I think we're all pretty scared... whether the species can take another hit like that, Wiggs said.

- 'Restore, rehabilitate' -

Under international pressure, Jakarta has promised action.

This month an Indonesian company linked to the 2015 fires was slapped with a $80 million fine - a record for slash and burn activities, a spokesman for the environment minister said.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo in April proposed a halt on granting new land for palm oil plantations, urging producers of the edible oil to use better seeds to increase their yields.

We need to restore and rehabilitate our peatlands, and fix past mistakes, Sustyo Iriono, the head of the government's conservation agency in West Kalimantan, told AFP.

Budi and her colleagues remain optimistic, teaching orangutans like Jack - a mischievous, attention-seeking seven-year-old -- to forage by hiding peanuts and honey inside plastic balls high in the treetops.

But she frets her young charge will never get the chance to prove his independence in the wild, as Borneo's lowland forests shrink ever smaller.

"I think they still have a chance, but if the forest is gone, it will be difficult," she said.
Japan agrees to provide Rs 1.83 billion grant assistance to Nepal

Japan has agreed to provide a total of around 1.752 billion Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 1.832 billion) as grant assistance to Nepal for the implementation of two different Official Development Assistance projects
From Seventeen

Instagram is kind of Justin Bieber's thing. It's where he casually drops Earth-shattering news about whoever he's currently dating. It's where he throws it back to his first love Selena Gomez. It's where he posts heartfelt statements that reveal bits of his soul. But after fans starting slinging nasty comments at him for posting nine photos in a row with his rumored new GF Sofia Richie from their trip to Tokyo, he deleted his Insta earlier this month.

Yesterday, he appeared to make a grand return to Instagram and it was beautiful!

Just woke up to see that Justin reactived his Instagram and its 5 in the morning #JustinReactivatedParty pic.twitter.com/OLzlBULWCf - Ashley (@biebers_chub) August 29, 2016

But I'm afraid I have some sad news for you: he's gone again.

That moment when you're happy that Justin is back on Instagram and you can Stan him but then he deleted it again. pic.twitter.com/u8YQCeBfyw - SadafBieberollg (@oneless20) August 30, 2016

Here's what comes up when you search for @justinbieber right now:

The Biebs is still on Twitter, though, and that's where he explained what's going on.

Still no Instagram it was an accident - Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) August 29, 2016

While it could plausibly be an accident - hey, all those buttons are close together on the screen - not every fan is buying his story.

Whatever's going on over in Bieberland, hopefully he's doing all right... and figuring out how to use his phone properly.

Story continues

Follow @Seventeen on Instagram!

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Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) - Kazakhstan said Wednesday it had arrested 21 members of radical groups plotting terror attacks in public places, after two deadly attacks that fuelled fears of rising extremism.

The security service of mainly Muslim Kazakhstan said in a statement that it had arrested 21 people from three groups after detaining them in two western regions bordering Russia.

The ex-Soviet country said it had foiled "attacks on law enforcement officers and also acts of terrorism in crowded public places" and had confiscated weapons, ammunition and TNT as well as "extremist" texts and symbols.

This summer Kazakhstan was shaken by two attacks with multiple victims that damaged its reputation for stability and led to concerns that home-grown radicalism could be on the rise in the oil-rich Central Asian republic.

On July 18, a gunman attacked a police station and a building used by the security services in the financial capital of Almaty, leaving six dead, with the authorities linking the gunman to followers of the ultra-conservative Salafi strain of Islam.

On June 5, four civilians and three soldiers were killed in the western city of Aktobe when assailants attacked gun shops and tried to storm a military base in a bus they had hijacked.

Strongman President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled since the fall of the USSR, described both attacks as "terrorist" and blamed the Aktobe violence on radical Islamists acting on "instructions received from abroad".

An estimated 300 Kazakh citizens are thought to have joined jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, including the Islamic State group and some IS propaganda videos feature Kazakh children.

On Tuesday in Kazakhstan's southern neighbour Kyrgyzstan, a suicide bomber at the wheel of a van injured three after ramming the gates of the Chinese embassy and detonating explosives.
By Humphrey Malalo NAIROBI (Reuters) - The chairman of Kenya's anti-graft body said on Wednesday he had quit after lawmakers recommended removing him from office over an alleged conflict of interest between his family business and another state-run agency. Kenyan media reported parliament's Justice and Legal Affairs Committee wanted lawmakers to ask President Uhuru Kenyatta to set up a tribunal to force out Philip Kinisu. The committee had accused Kinisu of a conflict of interest in his family company's dealings with state-run National Youth Service, which the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) that he leads was investigating over lost money. Kinisu denied any wrongdoing by him or the company. "At the same time, I am mindful that significant resources and attention are being expended by the state and public on deliberating these matters rather than to the fight against corruption," he said in a statement announcing his resignation. Kenya has a history of corruption scandals that have failed to result in high-profile convictions, angering the public who say it demonstrates top officials can act with impunity and encourages graft by ordinary employees. [nL1N13C0QT] Faced with a growing public outcry last year, Kenyatta promised to root corruption out of the government. Five ministers stepped aside in 2015 after they faced investigations and then lost their jobs in a reshuffle. Two former ministers face trial proceedings. Kinisu took up his position in January. [nL5N16H27T] The EACC is an independent state-funded institution, whose head is nominated by the president and vetted by parliament. Kinisu's predecessor, Mumo Matemu - who also quit - had faced allegations of incompetence that he denied, but said he was resigning for the sake of the campaign against corruption. (Writing by George Obulutsa; editing by Elias Biryabarema)
By Lesley Wroughton NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry experienced some of the challenges that lie in the way of India's economic rise, as monsoon floods in New Delhi became a talking point at his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "It looks like the rains this time have warmly welcomed you," Modi said as he greeted Kerry and the U.S. delegation on Wednesday for talks. Kerry's motorcade was caught in two hours of traffic chaos when he arrived in the Indian capital on Monday night for the annual U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue that seeks to deepen the bond between the world's two largest democracies. On Wednesday, on the way to deliver a speech to students after another heavy downpour, his car inched through streets that in places looked like fast-flowing rivers. At times the water reached the top of its wheels. "You guys all deserve an award for getting here today. I don't know if you came in boats or amphibious vehicles of some kind but thank you so much for making the effort," he told the students at the Indian Institute of Technology. Roads were blocked off as knots of workers battled to drain the floodwaters. As the U.S. delegation approached Modi's office, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker fell when her heel got caught in a crack on the sidewalk. Kerry came to her aid, picking up a binder she had dropped, and steadying her as they made their way into the meeting. Pritzker looked shaken but was unhurt. Earlier, she told reporters that one focus of the India-U.S. dialogue was on so-called "smart" cities and infrastructure. SMART CITIES Modi has launched an ambitious plan to build up to 100 such futuristic cities to cater for a population that has reached 1.3 billion and is expected to exceed China's by 2022, according to the United Nations. New economic figures out on Wednesday showed that India's $2.1 trillion economy grew by 7.1 percent in the quarter through June. That was the fastest of any of the world's largest economies but down from 7.9 percent in the prior quarter. India's economy is growing faster than China's but is just a fifth as large today. Modi, who needs growth to top 8 percent to create jobs for the million young people who join the workforce each month, has invited foreign investors to "Make in India" and emulate China's industrial miracle, but for now private investment remains weak. To boost economic opportunity for all, India has to attract investment capital, Kerry said. "You have to have a market defined by fairness, transparency and a level playing field," he said. "You have to have sensible regulations and your bureaucracy needs to be streamlined and effective." India announced on Wednesday a plan to allow foreign investors to settle, emulating policies in countries such as the United States and Singapore to woo investment from abroad. Despite the inclement weather in New Delhi, Kerry decided to extend his stay for a couple of days after the official part of his visit. State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry would then fly on to the Group of 20 summit in China on Sept. 4-5. The G20 gathering will be the last to be attended by Barack Obama as U.S. president. (Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine; editing by Andrew Roche)
By Lesley Wroughton NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Wednesday on China and the Philippines to abide by an international tribunal's decision on the disputed South China Sea and said there was no military solution to the problem. Kerry's remarks, made in a visit to India, came ahead of a G20 summit in China on Sunday and Monday that could be overshadowed by arguments over everything from territorial disputes to protectionism by China, diplomats say. An arbitration court in The Hague ruled in July that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea. China dismissed the case lodged by the Philippines and rejected the ruling. "The United States continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunal's recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry told a gathering of students in New Delhi. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims. China has vowed to take all measures needed to protect its sovereignty over the South China Sea and says its actions there, which have included land reclamation and construction of air fields and docks on reefs, are peaceful. China has blamed the United States and its allies in the region, such as Japan and Australia, for stoking tension. The United States and Japan have no territorial claims in the South China Sea and say their priority is freedom of navigation. Kerry said the United States supported diplomatic efforts to resolve territorial disputes to which there was "no military solution". "We are also interested in not fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes and claims through the legal process and through diplomacy," Kerry said. The United States and India, in a joint statement issued on Tuesday after security talks, reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and over flight in the South China Sea. They said states should resolve disputes through peaceful means and "exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes affecting peace and stability". U.S. ally the Philippines welcomed the tribunal's ruling in July but it is keen not to anger China. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will hold talks with China on the issue. Duterte is attending a summit next week in Laos of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which both U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are also going to. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, asked in Beijing whether Li would meet Duterte there, said it was not clear what bilateral meetings might take place. Liu did not refer directly to the United States but said interference by some countries outside the region was a challenge in China-ASEAN relations. "Frankly, some countries outside the region don't want to see China-ASEAN relations develop so quickly and become so close. Some people, some countries, are constantly interfering in the development of China-ASEAN relations," Liu said. (Additional reporting by Sanjeev Miglani, and Michael Martina in BEIJING; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel)
New Delhi (AFP) - The United States is united with its allies in upholding freedom of navigation rights in the South China Sea following a tribunal's decision on the contested waters, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday.

Speaking on a visit to New Delhi, Kerry called on China and the Philippines to abide by the arbitration tribunal's recent decision, saying "there is no military solution" to the dispute.

Kerry said the United States itself had no claim over the waters, that are crucial to international shipping, but would stand up for freedom of navigation rights.

"We have made it clear that we will stand up for our rights and we will stand with our allies," he said, referring to navigation and the rule of law.

"US and other countries are united in an alliance that respects freedom of navigation, the norms and standards of the laws of sea and rule of law with respect to access to the high seas," he said while speaking to engineering students at a college in Delhi.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea despite partial counter-claims from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan. In recent months it has built massive structures including radar systems and an airstrip over reefs and outcrops.

But the UN-backed tribunal, ruling on a case brought by the Philippines, found last month there was no legal basis for China's claims.

The US has said it will continue naval patrols near reefs and outcrops claimed by China to assert the principle of freedom of navigation, a move which has angered Beijing.

"The US continues to call upon China and Philippines to abide by the tribunal's decision. It's final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry said.

The comments come ahead of the G20 leaders' meeting in China starting on Sunday that could see tensions over territorial disputes.

Kerry is due to hold talks later Wednesday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the two nations forge closer trade and security ties, in part to check concerns over China's growing assertiveness in the region.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Pakistan had made progress in the fight against extremism in recent months, but urged Islamabad to push harder against militants hiding within its borders as tensions with neighbourng India rise amid more violence in the disputed region of Kashmir.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist activities," Kerry said on Wednesday, the second day of a visit to India.

Kerry said the United States had made it clear to Islamabad that it needs to act against groups such as the Taliban-linked Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba that are suspected of operating from Pakistan to launch attacks against its neighbours India and Afghanistan.

"In fairness, the Pakistanis have suffered greatly from terrorism in their own country," Kerry said. "All of us need to be supportive and also understanding of how difficult it is to take it on step by step."

Without elaborating, he added: "I believe that in the last months progress is being made and the Pakistanis are moving at a greater pace."

The United States accuses the Pakistani intelligence agency of supporting the Haqqani militants and using them as a proxy in Afghanistan to gain leverage there against the growing influence of India there. Pakistan denies this.

Pakistan army has launched military operations in the troubled North Waziristan region, which is said to be the base of the Haqqani group.

Kerry said on Tuesday that Islamabad should not feel isolated by fresh talks that are planned between the United States, India and Afghanistan next month in New York. The last time such trilateral talks were held was in 2013.

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Sanjeev Miglani; Writing by Krishna N. Das and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Michael Perry)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Pakistan had made progress in the fight against extremism in recent months, but urged Islamabad to push harder against militants hiding within its borders as tensions with neighboring India rise amid more violence in the disputed region of Kashmir. "It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist activities," Kerry said on Wednesday, the second day of a visit to India. Kerry said the United States had made it clear to Islamabad that it needs to act against groups such as the Taliban-linked Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba that are suspected of operating from Pakistan to launch attacks against its neighbors India and Afghanistan. "In fairness, the Pakistanis have suffered greatly from terrorism in their own country," Kerry said. "All of us need to be supportive and also understanding of how difficult it is to take it on step by step." Without elaborating, he added: "I believe that in the last months progress is being made and the Pakistanis are moving at a greater pace." The United States accuses the Pakistani intelligence agency of supporting the Haqqani militants and using them as a proxy in Afghanistan to gain leverage there against the growing influence of India there. Pakistan denies this. Pakistan army has launched military operations in the troubled North Waziristan region, which is said to be the base of the Haqqani group. Kerry said on Tuesday that Islamabad should not feel isolated by fresh talks that are planned between the United States, India and Afghanistan next month in New York. The last time such trilateral talks were held was in 2013. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Sanjeev Miglani; Writing by Krishna N. Das and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Michael Perry)
Japan pledges Rs 1.83 billion grant assistance to Nepal

Japan has agreed to provide a total of around 1.752 billion Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 1.832 billion) as grant assistance to Nepal for the implementation of two different Official Development Assistance projects in Japan's Fiscal Year 2016.
US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Pakistan Tuesday to do more to stop extremist groups operating out of its territory, saying on a visit to India there could be no distinction between "good and bad terrorists".

Kerry said it was vital that Islamabad moved to "deprive any group of sanctuary", highlighting the threat posed by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist group behind a string of anti-Indian attacks.

"We will not and we cannot make distinctions between good and bad terrorists... Terrorism is terrorism," Kerry said at a press conference alongside India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Kerry said the US government had "had conversations with all members of the region frankly about efforts they need to take against terrorism which comes out of their country", adding that he had personally raised the issue with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

India has accused Pakistan of stoking a new bout of unrest in Kashmir, the troubled Himalayan region which has been divided between the two countries since independence in 1947 and is claimed in full by both.

Around 70 civilians have been killed since the beginning of last month in the aftermath of the Indian army's killing of a charismatic young separatist leader and a curfew remains in place in many parts of Kashmir.

Swaraj said there was "a meeting of minds" during her talks with Kerry on tackling the threats posed by extremists as she reiterated long-standing accusations that Pakistan was sponsoring "cross-border terrorism".

"I briefed Secretary Kerry about the continuing problem of cross-border terrorism that India and the larger region faces from Pakistan," she said.

"We repeated our stand that Pakistan should stop providing safe havens to terror groups... We also agreed that countries must not categorise terrorists as good or bad."

Both sides said that there had been an agreement to step up cooperation on intelligence.

"We agree on additional measures to strengthen our counterterrorism," said Swaraj. "We will intensify intelligence sharing."
By Angus McDowall and Phil Stewart BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Islamic State said on Tuesday one of its most prominent and longest-serving leaders was killed in what appeared to be an American air strike in Syria, depriving the militant group of the man in charge of directing attacks overseas. A U.S. defense official told Reuters the United States targeted Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a Tuesday strike on a vehicle traveling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. The official stopped short of confirming Adnani's death, however. Such U.S. assessments often take days and often lag behind official announcements by militant groups. Adnani was one of the last living senior members, along with self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who founded the group and stunned the Middle East by seizing huge tracts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. As Islamic State's spokesman, Adnani was its most visible member. As head of external operations, he was in charge of attacks overseas, including Europe, that have become an increasingly important tactic for the group as its core Iraqi and Syrian territory has been eroded by military losses. The group reacted by saying his death would not harm it, and his killers would face "torment", a statement in the group's al-Naba newspaper said, according to the Site Intelligence monitoring group. "Today, they rejoice for the killing ... and then they will cry much when Allah will overpower them, with His permission, with affliction of the worst torment by the soldiers of Abu Muhammad and his brothers," the statement said. Advances by Iraq's army and allied militia toward Islamic State's most important possession of Mosul have put the group under new pressure at a moment when a U.S.-backed coalition has cut its Syrian holdings off from the Turkish border. Those military setbacks have been accompanied by air strikes that have killed several of the group's leaders, undermining its organizational ability and dampening its morale. A U.S. counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said Adnani's death would hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere". Under Adnani's auspices, Islamic State launched large-scale attacks, bombings and shootings on civilians in countries outside its core area, including France, Belgium and Turkey. The official said Adnani's roles as propaganda chief and director of external operations had become "indistinguishable" because the group uses its online messages to recruit fighters and provide instruction and inspiration for attacks. Islamic State's Amaq News Agency reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo." Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government forces. Amaq did not say how Adnani, born Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province in 1977, was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated Aug. 29 but gave no further details. INROADS INTO ISLAMIC STATE Adnani was a Syrian from Binish in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor, al Qaeda, more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution. He was from a well-to-do background but left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight U.S. forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said. He once taught theology and law in jihadi training camps, according to Brookings. A biography posted on militant websites says he grew up with a "love of mosques" and was a prolific reader. He had been the chief propagandist for the ultra-hardline jihadist group since he declared in a June 2014 statement that it was establishing a modern-day caliphate spanning swaths of territory it had seized in Iraq and neighboring Syria. Adnani had often been the face of the Sunni militant group, such as when he issued a message in May urging attacks on the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan, and as in Sept. 2014 when he called on supporters to kill Westerners throughout the world. Recent advances by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it. Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group meant Baghdad was on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday. AIR STRIKE Among senior Islamic State officials killed in air strikes this year are Abu Ali al-Anbari, Baghdadi's formal deputy, and the group's "minister of war", Abu Omar al-Shishani. Adnani had joined the group under its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. There were conflicting reports earlier on Tuesday as to where and how Adnani died. A senior Syrian rebel official said Adnani was most probably killed in the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab in an air strike. Citing unconfirmed reports, he said Adnani was in the Aleppo region to raise morale in the face of mounting pressure. Islamic State's territory around Aleppo is of particular significance to the group because it is also the location of Dabiq, where an Islamic prophecy holds the last battle between Muslims and infidels will rage, heralding the end of time. Iraq said in January that Adnani had been wounded in an air strike in the western province of Anbar and then moved to the northern city of Mosul, Islamic States capital in Iraq. The United States designated him a "global terrorist" this year and said he was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003 before becoming spokesman of the militant group. There was a $5 million reward on his head under the U.S. "Rewards for Justice" program. (Reporting by Angus McDowall in Beirut, Stephen Kalin in Erbil, Iraq, Maher Chmaytelli in Baghdad, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Idrees Ali, Yara Bayoumy, Warren Strobel, Phil Stewart and John Walcott in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell, James Dalgleish, William Maclean and Nick Macfie)
The leading global investment firm, KKR & Co. L.P. KKR announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Calabrio, a leading provider of customer engagement and analytics software. However, the deal is subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Notably, the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

KKR seeks to make the investment through its eleventh Americas Private Equity investment fund.

Rationale Behind the Acquisition of a Data and Analytics Company

Per a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of CEOs in 2015, data mining and analytics is considered to be the second most strategically important digital technology and organization capability. Further, it is believed that data and analytics is the most important means for delivering a better customer experience and enhancing business efficiency.

In addition, the technology sector has been an attractive industry for private equity firms, accounting for the largest share of deals in the U.S. this year. Notably, KKR has a long history of supporting technology companies, with an investment of around $17 billion of equity across the technology, media and telecom sectors since 1983. Further, the company plans to use the present acquisition as a platform for similar other deals.

Why Calabrio?

Calabrio provides products and services to help companies in understanding their customers better. The company builds software meant to enhance the call-center interactions by analyzing the sentiment or tone of the caller and thus directing the calls to the right attendant.This further helps to drive its top-line growth.

John Park, a director of KKR and a member of KKR's technology team, said, "Calabrio has become one of the fastest-growing, quality companies in workforce optimization and customer engagement. With our partnership, we hope to accelerate the company's growth even further as the world continues to move toward a customer engagement model through omnichannel integration."

Story continues

Currently, KKR carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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If youve ever visited Walt Disney World, you know it takes some time before you can navigate it easily. There are so many nuances and details to know, and when you arrive, its easy to be swept up in the meet-and-greets and parades before realizing you dont have dinner reservations, are sunburnt to a crisp, and sat down for more than 10 minutes all day.

Thats why we polled the best Disney experts out there, whose websites, YouTube series, and businesses regularly make park-going a breeze, for their all-time favorite nuggets of Disney wisdom. If youre looking for a way to add a little extra magic into your next trip to Walt Disney, park pros have got your back.

Heres how these major mouse insiders make the most out of their day in the Magic Kingdom and beyond:

Hack Your Phone for Easier FastPass Access

To help minimize the stress of remembering your FastPass reservation times, take a screenshot of your reservation times each morning in the My Disney Experience mobile app. Then, set that day's reservation photo as your cell phone's lock screen. It will now be easily accessible throughout the day with just a quick glance at your phone.  Joe and Ashley, SeeYaReelSoon

Get Your Hair Cut

Save your haircut for the Magic Kingdom's Harmony Barber Shop. This is my go-to spot when I need a cut or trim. Ask for the Pixie Dust! And the "My First Haircut" package is the perfect way to introduce your little one to their first time at the barber shop.  Denise Preskitt, Mouse Steps

Enjoy the Streetmosphere

With all of the rides and theatrical shows, Walt Disney World can get pretty overwhelming. We always make sure to set aside some time each day to relax and enjoy the streetmosphere that sets Walt Disney World apart from your standard amusement park. These are more informal shows and performances that take place all over the parks and often provide wonderful interactions between performers and guests. We make sure to never miss our favorites which include the Dapper Dans, The Notorious Banjo Brothers, and the Citizens of Hollywood!  Joe and Ashley, SeeYaReelSoon

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Plan Your Meals

"I know everyone says this, but do your research on food. There are so many wonderful restaurants at Walt Disney World. These range from typical fast food to AAA Five Diamond award-winning restaurants...and everything in between. Don't count the quick-service restaurants out as basic though. Disney has made huge leaps toward including unique cuisine from all over the world, and their inclusion of special food needs is top notch. Luckily all of this information is available online, both through Disney and fan blogs like ours."  Andrew Tipton, Disney Hipster Blog

The Best Fresh Snack Costs a Few Dollars

My favorite snack in all of Walt Disney World is a baguette from Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie in Epcot's France pavilion. While everything is excellent here, a baguette will only set you back a few dollars and is perfect every time. Baguettes are made fresh here daily, as is everything else!  Denise Preskitt, Mouse Steps

Get There Early

We strongly believe that the best way to beat the crowds at Walt Disney World is to be an early riser. The lines are significantly shorter during the first or second hour after park opening. In fact, you can typically accomplish more in those first two hours than in the four or five hours that follow. If you find you're tired, head back to your resort for a midday break when it is the hottest and the lines are the busiest.  Joe and Ashley, SeeYaReelSoon

Plan Your Day Around the Most Pleasant Lines

"If you plan on being in the parks all day, make sure you know which attractions are lengthy and air-conditioned! On both Ellen's Energy Adventure and The American Adventure you're spending 30-plus minutes sitting down in dark, air-conditioned environments...and they're tons of fun!"  Andrew Tipton, Disney Hipster Blog

Where to Go for Fireworks

"When it comes to viewing the Wishes fireworks in Magic Kingdom, most guests flock to Main Street for the dead-on view of Cinderella Castle with the fireworks in the background. This is definitely the most iconic perspective, but if you want to avoid the crowds, head behind Cinderella Castle to the area between the castle walls at the edge of New Fantasyland. There, you'll have plenty of breathing room, a castle view and are fully immersed in the show with fireworks in front of and behind you!"  Tom Bricker, Disney Tourist Blog

Trade With Jawas

One of my favorite things to do at Hollywood Studios is to trade with jawas inside the Star Wars Launch Bay. Jawas hang out in the cantina inside Launch Bay and love to trade for shiny objects, glow sticks, buttons or other dollar store toys. They love to wheel and deal and will also pose for photos.  Casey Maute, Parkbound Buttons

Snag Last-Minute Reservations

For last-minute dining reservations, try visiting Disney Dining the night before after 10 p.m. to catch people's cancellations.  Sarah Sterling, imSarahSnitch

?Take Advantage of No-Line Attractions

"Never assume that a short line means a bad attraction. Often times people are hypnotized by long lines, assuming that a 300 minute wait at Soarin Around The World equates to an awesome time yet ignoring a "walk on" attraction. Living With The Land, just steps away from Soarin rarely has a wait more than a few minutes, and is one of our favorite attractions!"  Andrew Tipton, Disney Hipster Blog

Don't Miss This Character Dining Spot

My favorite character meal at Disney World is Minnie's Seasonal Dine at Hollywood & Vine inside Hollywood Studios. There's a great variety on the buffet and love the variety of cute desserts! Book the latest reservation possible for the evening and you could have an opportunity to take a group photo with all of the characters at the end of your meal.  Casey Maute, Parkbound Buttons

Take a Break

"It is absolutely imperative to take a break in the middle of your day. Would you run around in the scorching sun for twelve hours in your day-to-day life? Of course not! Take a few hours, ideally in the early afternoon, to relax by your resorts pool. Rehydrate and recharge for your evening in the park. By then, the temperature will be much cooler, crowds will be somewhat dissipated, and you will have a much better time."  Andrew Tipton, Disney Hipster Blog

Hit Up Epcot for Souvenirs

If you are looking for unique souvenirs to bring home, Epcot's World Showcase offers merchandise from around the globe and some specifically themed items for individual countries. Even if I'm not buying, I always take a swing through some of the shops, especially the large Mitsukoshi Department Store in Japan, where the merchandise changes regularly.  Denise Preskitt, Mouse Steps

Eat a Dole Whip

Dole Whips are largely known as one of the must-have snacks while visiting Disney. If you don't make it to the stand in Adventureland, head over to the Polynesian Village Resort! Pineapple Lanai is located right outside the lobby and serves Dole Whips as soft-serve or in a float. I enjoy this stand better because you can get the Dole Whip swirl-- half pineapple, half vanilla soft-serve. Plus, the Polynesian is a beautiful resort to explore.  Casey Maute, Parkbound Buttons
Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff attends a news conference with foreign media in Brasilia, Brazil, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

Finance Insider is Business Insider's summary of the top stories of the past 24 hours.

To sign up, scroll to the bottom of this page and click "Get updates in your inbox," or click here.

It's slow going in the market right now. From stocks to bonds to currencies, nothing much is happening.

And there is a growing sense that it might just be too slow, and too quiet.

Dilma Rousseff, the president of Brazil, has been impeached for hiding the country's declining economic situation during an election year in order to win reelection in 2014.

Canada's economy just had its worst quarter since the financial crisis, and Africa's largest economy, Nigeria, has officially entered recession. In contrast, the US economy "will soon be at full employment," according to Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics.

In company news, the Department of Justice has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Deere's planned purchase of Monsanto's Precision Planting business.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has demanded that drug company Mylan's CEO Heather Bresch answer a very uncomfortable question for those in the drug industry. Mylan's decision to make a cheaper, generic EpiPen is baffling experts, meanwhile.

If you're still struggling to make sense of what is happening to Apple in Ireland, Business Insider's Dan Bobkoff has an excellent explainer for you.

Business Insider's Richard Feloni took a close look at giant hedge fund Bridgewater, finding that employees spend over an hour each week watching each other's meetings. In related news, here's the unlikely history behind one of Wall Street's iconic funds.

Lastly, here are the 19 best countries in the world for expats.

Here are the top Wall Street headlines at midday:

America's stock market is slowing down  There's a new trend in trading: going slow.

These are the stocks the worlds biggest sovereign wealth is putting its faith in  The sovereign wealth fund of Norway, officially known as the Government Pension Fund of Norway, is the largest in the world, worth more than 657 billion ($861.9 billion).

Story continues

American malls are dying faster than you think  American malls are dying faster than you think.

BARCLAYS: A lot of pros are getting these 5 things wrong about the oil industry  Barclays would like to clarify a few things about crude oil production.

BILL GROSS: The Fed has mastered 'the art of market manipulation  Bond investor Bill Gross ramped up his criticism of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, characterizing chair Janet Yellen, her predecessors, and contemporaries at other central banks of mastering "the art of market manipulation."

The bond market is 'sitting on the edge'  Treasurys have been under pressure of late.

A company that searches for Bigfoot is trying to raise $15 million  You will soon have another chance to invest in finding Bigfoot.

An Italian design firm created a wild, $2.5 million hydrogen-powered car  Italian design house Pininfarina unveiled a beautifully sleek, hydrogen-powered concept car at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and now it's officially slated to enter production.





More From Business Insider


Korean media giant CJ E&M, through its production subsidiary Studio Dragon, has signed a 3-year pact with Warner Bros. streaming video site DramaFever to co-produce a slate of original series. The output is intended for global audiences.

The agreement was announced by Craig Hunegs, President of Business and Strategy, Warner Bros. Television Group, at the Broadcast World Wide convention in Seoul, Wednesday.

Studio Dragon and DramaFever are to co-develop and produce two original dramas within the next three years. The two companies will also discuss remakes of existing films and TV series. DramaFever has previously marketed CJs Korean pop culture convention KCON and was the events exclusive drama-category sponsor last year. The two companies also signed multiyear pacts for distribution rights to top-rated Korean drama series and movies last year.

Studio Dragon is determined to become Asias No. 1 drama studio, and in order to reach the goal, we plan to work with industry leaders home and abroad to provide unrivaled content for audience. Were bolstering our competitiveness in content development, story-telling and production through various international partnerships and co-production deals, said Jinnie Choi, President of Studio Dragon.

Having been recognized in 2010 by the Korean Creative Content Agency and Koreas ministry of Culture, DramaFever was acquired by Warner from Japans SoftBank in February.

Related stories

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Aerospace and defense company, L-3 Communications LLL announced that it has received a foreign military sales (FMS) contract to supply eight WESCAM MX-10D electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) designating turrets to a Middle Eastern nations Ministry of Defense. L-3 WESCAM is well known across the globe for its stabilized and multi-spectral imaging systems.



The advanced MX-10D are configured with a series of high-sensitivity, multi-spectral sensors that enable precision engagement from tactical ranges for daylight, low-light as well as nighttime missions. L-3 Communications imaging and targeting systems range in size from 8 inches to 25 inches in diameter, and provide high-resolution, stabilized, full-motion intelligence in support of low-level tactical to high-altitude, ultra long-range persistent missions.



Utilization of MX-10Ds



The L-3 MX-10Ds will be utilized to support counterterrorism operations onboard the newly acquired UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The WESCAM has an impressive track record of providing innovative technologies which gives the companys customers a distinct advantage for security operations.



Also, the companys high-magnification imaging technology has become a useful asset for the Border Guard for its time-critical surveillance missions.

L-3 COMM HLDGS Price

L-3 COMM HLDGS Price | L-3 COMM HLDGS Quote

Other WESCAM Contracts



This July, the company received an order from the Finnish Border Guard to provide MX-15 electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) imaging systems for installation on a number of Airbus EADSY H215 twin-engine helicopters.



FMS Contracts  a Key to Future Growth



FMS contracts are a key growth catalyst for many large U.S.-based defense companies. With the U.S. government planning to trim defense expenditure in the future, these companies are looking to fill the void created by the decline in domestic orders with FMS contracts. For example, nearly 29% of The Boeing Companys BA defense revenues come from FMS contracts.



Thanks to its diverse high-quality product offerings, L-3 Communications continues to enjoy a steady stream of contracts from foreign defense establishments. The companys international and commercial sales represented about 30.3% of its consolidated net sales in 2015, compared with 29% in 2014. The company is striving to strengthen its footprint in countries like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and addresses several customers in Asia and China.



Zacks Rank & Key Picks



L-3 Communications currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked company in the aerospace & defense industry is Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. KTOS, with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



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Venice (AFP) - A bewitching musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone whipped up a frenzy on the opening day of the Venice film festival Wednesday as it kicked off the race for the Golden Lion.

Damien Chazelle's "La La Land", a tribute to the Golden Age of American musicals, reunites the stars, who appeared together in the 2011 romcom "Crazy, Stupid, Love" -- but with oodles of singing this time.

The world's top film critics, gathered on the glamorous Lido di Venezia for the 10-day fest, cheered loudly as Chazelle and Stone met the press following the screening of the joyful, quirky film which won hearts from the opening shot.

This world premier of the tale of a struggling jazz pianist and his actress girlfriend in Los Angeles is the first of 20 films in competition at the 73rd edition of the world's oldest film festival.

"Now more than ever we need hope and romance on the big screen," said the American director, 31, a former jazz musician whose second feature film "Whiplash" (2014) received five Academy Award nominations.

"There's something about musicals, they are movies as a dreamland, expressing a world in which you break into song, in which you can violate the rules of reality," he said.

- 'Brand new start' -

The film pays homage to classic musicals, with nods to scenes from "Singing in the Rain" (1952) and "Grease" (1978) as well as old-timers "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) and "Top Hat" (1935).

Stone plays Mia, a wide-eyed romantic who goes from audition to failed audition in her quest to make it big, while Gosling is Sebastian, a jazz pianist with a mission to save the medium, but who struggles to pay his bills.

The pair meet -- in one of L.A's famous traffic jams and then at a bawdy celebrity party -- before wooing each other in tap- and ballroom-dancing sequences reminiscent of American icons Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

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"We talked a lot about how to justify doing a musical today. We went back to the old traditions and tried to make it as simple as that. No-one breaks into song unless it's emotionally justified," Chazelle said.

In an auspicious start for the Golden Lion bid, the festival's artistic director Alberto Barbera described "La La Land" as a movie "that does not merely reinvent the musical genre, it gives it a brand new start".

The picture bursts with enthusiasm and happiness from the opening scene: a big dance number on a freeway with men and women dressed in sun-kissed yellows and rich reds and blues dancing on their cars.

Chazelle said he had brought the love story into the modern day by setting it in L.A., a metropolis he has lived in for almost a decade and which called "a city of loneliness when you first live there, not a city that offers itself up".

- 'Absolutely loved it' -

"The idea was to build from all the cliches we make fun of; the traffic, the terrible parties, the celebrity culture, the shallowness. But then see what was beautiful beneath the surface, and reconcile the two," he said.

"It had to feel like a dream, but one that took place in a real place," he added, explaining that to get the light right, filming only took place between 6pm and 7pm each day, "much to the frustration of the producers".

Stone said she "absolutely loved" the experience.

"I went to see Les Miserables when I was eight. Bursting into song has always been a dream of mine," she said.

Although the actress from "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Birdman" recognised her own early experiences in some of Mia's disastrous auditions, she said "I don't feel like I was ever quite as brave as she is".

Despite the rave reception, it is early days to cry victory: the musical will be competing with an array of dystopian love stories, period dramas, adventure epics, revised Westerns and sci-fi thrillers at the festival.

The beachside extravaganza has restored its reputation as an awards-season platform by premiering the last two Best Picture Oscars: "Spotlight" (2015) and "Birdman" (2014), in a challenge to the mammoth Toronto film festival.

All eyes will be on the jury, led by British film director Sam Mendes, for hints about the next Acadamy Awards.

Mendes told journalists Wednesday he had no pre-conceived ideas but would "know excellence when I see it".

"One of the most difficult things is to cut yourself off from the white noise on social media, commentaries, and meet a movie with as little knowledge as possible."

The man behind "American Beauty" (1999) and "Road to Perdition" (2002) said directing was a lonely experience.

"You're at the top of the pyramid, but you don't speak with many about what you love. I'm looking forward to talking to others, I'm here to learn, I'm relishing the opportunity to be a student again."
Editors note: This review originally was published August 31 after La La Lands Venice premiere. It opens in theaters today.

Coming off the promise of the Oscar-winning Whiplash, it will be no surprise that writer-director Damien Chazelle is a talented filmmaker, but that movie did not prepare me for the experience of seeing La La Land, his homage to the great screen musicals of French director Jacques Demy as well as MGMs golden era. But this is too smart a movie maker to just do a simple tribute to a bygone era. His film starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is a gorgeous romantic fever dream of a musical that should hit contemporary audiences right in their sweet spot.

It has been a very long time since we have seen something quite this lyrical, lovely, and most importantly, original on the screen, but at the same time it is a musical that has its feet firmly planted in the real world, even if the one up there on the wide Cinemascope screen is very stylized. As I say in my video review above, La La Land had me on its side right from the opening logo for Summit (the films distributor as part of Lionsgate) with its black-and-white square box (reminiscent of the old RKO Radio logo) which morphs magically into the widescreen Cinemascope card seen at the front of so many great 50s and 60s musicals.

La La Land is full of this kind of tip-of-the-hat to the past, but the story of an aspiring jazz pianist Sebastian (Gosling) who falls for a struggling actress Mia (Stone) has many ups and downs that will make it relatable to todays moviegoers not used to films where the characters stop every few minutes to sing and dance. Gosling and Stone are not trying to be the new Fred and Ginger, but rather people now dealing with having a relationship where their own individual dreams sometimes get in the way. In fact, you could probably take away most of the music and the story would still work on its own level. But to have the memorable new songs written by Justin Hurwitz and the Broadway lyricist team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, as well as the sensational choreography of Mandy Moore weaving in and out of these lives is, for me at least, manna from movie heaven. Gosling and Stone prove to be accomplished musically, with Gosling even learning how to be a credible jazz pianist on screen. Both are simply superb and Stone, determined in her drive to become a successful actress, will break your heart. Shes never been better and I think actors everywhere will empathize. John Legend making his thesp debut as a musician friend of Sebastian who convinces him to join his group, causing complications in the relationship, is very impressive. Chazelles Oscar winner J.K. Simmons even turns up in an extended cameo.

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But where this film really thrives is in its technical efficiency from the brilliant cinematography by Linus Sandgren, production design by David Wasco, set decoration by Sandy Wasco, costumes by Mary Zophres, the efficient editing from Oscar winner Tom Cross and every department across the board. There is clear inspiration from the musical genius of artists like Gene Kelly and Vincente Minnelli, to especially Demy and Michel LeGrand, but the style and substance is clearly owned by Chazelle who successfully brings the movie musical back to a sense of belonging in the Hollywood firmament.

Whether it is a dazzling song-and-dance opening set in a massive traffic jam on an L.A. freeway, or a spectacular sequence with Gosling and Stone flying high into the skies of the Griffith Observatory, the musical numbers soar with their own vibrancy and urgency. We live in hard times, but this is a movie worth savoring, something that entertains, enlightens and makes us feel good about being alive. It is not to be missed by anyone who still cares for the future of the American musical. Jordan Horowitz, Fred Berger, Gary Gilbert and Marc Platt produced.

Do you plan to see La La Land? Let us know what you think.

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Most Americans are planning to take a trip this Labor Day weekend, thanks to the drop in airfares and cheap gas prices. Travel is much in vogue these days, courtesy of an uptick in both personal income and wages.

Hence, it will be prudent to invest in travel and leisure companies positioned to grow on the back of this near-term surge in travel demand.

Air Travel Forecast

Airlines for America (A4A), the trade group representing the interests of U.S. airlines, projected 15.6 million flyers for the Labor Day holiday weekend this year  an increase of 4% from last years Labor Day flyer count. On a per day basis, about 2.23 million passengers will take to the sky, up approximately 82,000 a day over the same period last year.

The Labor Day holiday period stretches from Aug 31 to Sep 6, out of which Sep 1 and Sep 2 are projected to be the busiest. To meet such high travel demand, A4A stated that airlines are offering 2.54 million seats per day, an increase of more than 98,000 seats compared to last year.

Fares & Pre-Tax Profits

One of the primary reasons behind the rise in traffic this Labor Day is low airfares. Air ticket prices are down 6% so far this year, higher than the 5.2% decrease in 2015. On the other hand, airline pre-tax profits are up, according to A4A. Low fuel prices boosted profits by offsetting the increase in labor, aircraft and airport expenditures.

Collectively, all major airlines including Alaska Air Group, Inc. ALK, Allegiant Travel Company ALGT, American Airlines Group Inc , Delta Air Lines, Inc. DAL, Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. HA, JetBlue Airways Corporation JBLU, Southwest Airlines Co LUV, Spirit Airlines Incorporated SAVE, United Continental Holdings Inc UAL and Virgin America Inc VA posted a pre-tax profit of around $12 billion, up from $11.3 billion during the same period last year. This marks a profit margin of 15.5 cents on every dollar of revenue (read more: 3 Airline Stocks to Buy Despite Headwinds).

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Roadway Traffic

American Automobile Association (AAA) projects a similarly rosy fate for roadways. A significant number of passengers are expected to hit the road, banking on low gas prices. In fact, AAA Manager of Public Relations, Tamra Johnson, stated that 55% of Americans are more likely to take a road trip this year due to lower gas prices.

Even though gas prices have been on the rise over the past few weeks due to higher crude oil prices, trouble in the Gulf Coast and impending tropical storms moving into the Gulf of Mexico, they are still cheaper by 27 cents this Labor Day weekend compared to the price a year ago. In fact, gas prices this Labor Day is the lowest since the Labor Day weekend in 2004. Currently, the average price per gallon is $2.22, nationally.

4 Travel Picks

As travel volume is expected to shore up, the travel and tourism industry is poised to benefit. Airlines are an obvious choice owing to the reduced fares. Another investment option is hotel and resort companies. More travel will lead to increase in hotel occupancy rate and in turn revenue per available room will scale higher. Meantime, travelling has taken over the Internet in a big way. Hence, companies that present the easiest way to gather information online are moving to the forefront in the travel industry.

Increase in personal income and wages is also one of the reasons why Americans are up for travel this time around. While personal income rose 0.4% in July, wages increased by 0.3% while increasing 2.6% on a yearly basis. Additionally, the average workweek rose by 0.1 hours to 34.5 hours last month. This is the highest rise recorded since the month of January (read more: 5 Stocks to Buy on Encouraging Employment Data).

We have selected four travel and leisure stocks that boast a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Estimated earnings growth for the current and next quarter for such stocks is encouraging and earnings estimates have also been revised higher lately.

SkyWest, Inc. SKYW operates as one of the larger regional airlines in the United States.

The companys estimated earnings growth rates for the current and next quarter are 14.08% and 13.27%, respectively. The company has also seen its earnings estimates rise from $2.53 a share two months ago to just $2.65 right now.

Copa Holdings, S.A. CPA offers daily scheduled flights in North, Central and South America. CPA provides passengers with access to flights to more than 150 other destinations through codeshare arrangements with UAL and other airlines.

The companys estimated earnings growth rates for the current and next quarters are 34.59% and 56.62%, respectively. The company has also seen its earnings estimates rise from $3.72 per share two months ago to just $4.45 right now (read more: Why is Copa Holdings a Must-Add to Your Portfolio?)

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp VAC is a developer, seller and manager of vacation ownership and related products under the Marriott Vacation Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands. The company operates through three segments including North America, while it runs more than 60 resorts with over 400,000 Owners and Members.

Marriott Vacations Worldwides estimated earnings growth rates for the current and next quarter stand at 46.75% and 37.24%, respectively. The company has also seen its earnings estimates rise from $4.48 a share two months ago to just $4.65 right now.

Priceline Group Inc PCLN is one of the world's largest online travel agents. The companyoperates a bunch of travel sites including Priceline.com, booking.com, agoda.com and rentalcars.com.

Priceline Groups estimated earnings growth rates for the current and next quarter are 19.26% and 20.85%, respectively. The company has also seen its earnings estimates rise from $63.21 a share two months ago to just $64.87 right now (read more: Priceline Earnings Beat As Usual, Shares Up).

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Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump want to spur the economy by replacing crumbling highways, bridges, airports and transit systems.

Clinton has proposed a five-year, $275 billion plan that she boasts would create hundreds of thousands of new construction industry jobs, while Trump has vowed he would at least double Clintons proposal.

Related: Heres Why It Will Be So Hard for Trump or Clinton to Rebuild America

We will build the next generation of roads, bridges, railways, tunnels, seas ports and airports that our country deserves, Trump said during a speech early this month to the Detroit Economic Club. American cars will travel the roads, American planes will connect our cities, and American ships will patrol the seas. American steel will send new skyscrapers soaring.

But even if the next administration and Congress were to move ahead with public works spending rivaling President Eisenhowers interstate highway construction program launched in 1956, there may not be a large enough labor pool to meet the challenge, according to a new study.

The reality is that the construction industry already has all the work it can handle  and more  and may be woefully undermanned to meet the challenges of a major new national infrastructure initiative. A survey released on Wednesday by the Associated General Contractors of America finds that two-thirds of construction firms report having a hard time filling hourly craft positions that constitute the heart of the construction workforce.

With the construction industry in most of the country now several years into a recovery, many firms have gone from worrying about not having enough work to not having enough workers, said Stephen Sandherr, chief executive officer for the Associated General Contractors, in releasing the study. These shortages have the potential to undermine broader economic growth by forcing contractors to slow scheduled work or choose not to bid on projects, thereby inflating the cost of construction.

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Related: The House Resorts to More Gimmicks to Pass $325 Billion Highway Bill

During a conference call with reporters, Sandherr sought to downplay the potential adverse effect of a skilled labor shortage on another round of major government infrastructure construction. He asserted that less skilled workers probably would be needed for many of those projects  especially highway and bridge construction  in contrast to other more complicated construction projects requiring bricklayers, sheet metal workers, electricians and plumbers.

For a lot of workers who perform that type of work, there is not a requirement for the higher skills that exists on the building side of the house, he said. We dont anticipate a shortage of workers in that area if by chance there was a sudden spike in infrastructure spending.

Yet Trump and Clinton both were discussing far more challenging public works projects than simply highway paving projects, including new transit systems, tunnels, sea port and air ports, that clearly would require large numbers of highly skilled workers.

Craft Workers

Source: Associated General Contractors of America

Of the nearly 1,500 respondents to the general contractors groups survey, 69 percent said they were having trouble filling hourly craft positions. Those shortages are most severe in Midwestern states, where 77 percent of contractors say they are having a hard time filling those positions. The problem is nearly as bad in the South, where 74 percent of contractors say they are suffering severe labor shortages, and in the West, where 71 percent are experiencing similar problems.

Industry officials marvel at the dramatic transformation in the construction field, with the skilled labor shortages putting upward pressure on hourly wages and forcing some contractors to recruit less skilled or even poorly trained workers. In the depths of the Great Recession, the unemployment rate in the construction industry in June 2010 was 20.1 percent, with well more than a million construction workers without jobs. Yet in June of this year, construction industry unemployment was down to just 4.6 percent -- the lowest it has been since 2000.

Among the firms that responded to the survey, nearly a third perform highway construction work and 50 percent work on public buildings. These are the types of companies that the government would be relying on if it were to undertake a new round of infrastructure stimulus spending.

The shortages of skilled labor have forced nearly half of the construction companies surveyed to increase the base pay for crafts workers. Beyond that, companies are complaining about a dearth of construction professionals, such as supervisors and in-office staff who are responsible for making cost estimates and creating computerized models.

Related: Obamas Big Pitch for Infrastructure Falls Short

Company officials also say they worry about a shortage of government and private training programs to help get more qualified workers into the pipeline. As a result, they say, skilled workers are being required to work overtime, or employers are taking a chance by using less skilled labor, which can result in shoddy workmanship or serious accidents on work sites.

Sandherr urged federal, state and local officials to outline proposals for coping with the growing labor shortage. For instance, he urged Congress to increase funding for the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, enact immigration reform to open the borders to more skilled workers and to make it easier to set up charter schools and career academies that teach basic construction skills.

The contractors warnings that the industry might not be up to the challenge of a new round of public works projects has been met with skepticism in some quarters. Ray LaHood, the former Obama administration transportation secretary and now co-chair of the highway advocacy group Build Americas Future, believes the construction industry could absorb the increased work.

Citing the situation in his home state of Illinois, LaHood said in an interview Wednesday that when I talk to the building trades folks back here, they still believe that the highest unemployment sector is the building trades, and that if there was a big infrastructure bill, or a large chunk of money, that they would be able to provide the kind of workers needed.

Related: Experts Warn Trump and Clinton of a Big Threat to the Economy

They believe the work force is not lacking in terms of skilled folks to build roads and redo bridges, he added. Theyre hoping that either one of these candidates [Trump or Clinton] will fulfill their obligation to come forward with a big infrastructure bill.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
London (AFP) - The head of Britain's main Labour opposition party Jeremy Corbyn is set to win a crushing victory against leadership challenger Owen Smith, according to the first poll of the contest published Wednesday.

The poll by YouGov for The Times found 62 percent of those entitled to vote would back Corbyn and 38 percent Smith, meaning the veteran socialist would win by an even bigger margin than in last year's leadership election.

The survey by YouGov found 52 percent of Labour members would vote for Corbyn, along with 70 percent of registered supporters and 54 percent of trade union affiliates -- the three categories voting.

The 67-year-old Corbyn is opposed by a majority of Labour lawmakers in parliament, who are more centrist and do not believe he can win a general election.

They have also criticised him for half-hearted campaigning in favour of Britain staying in the EU ahead of the country's momentous June referendum.

Smith, 46, is a Welsh MP who has said he will fight to keep Britain in the EU through a second referendum.

The divisions in the party have raised the prospect of a permanent split after the leadership vote and the YouGov survey found 39 percent of respondents believed this was either very or fairly likely.

The survey had 1,236 respondents and was conducted between August 25 and 29 in the first polling since postal ballots began to be sent out on August 22.
A designated day for celebration of the Indian textile heritage is an unprecedented concept that was initiated under the Lakme Fashion Week banner a while back. In the beginning, the work showcased on that day oscillated between garbled and tedious but a short span of time the vocabulary has found a refinement of understanding and deep appreciation.

The sustainable fashion market was shackled in traditional zari saris and shapeless garments. A spate of talented designers with deep understanding of the weaves and a repertoire of clever cuts shifted the premise and shattered the correlation between handlooms and the jholawaalas. Now these garments are regarded as the preferred clothing for uber chic and style icons.

Sustainable Fashion and Indian Textile Day at Lakme Fashion Week has been the meeting ground of these designers from the varied parts of the country and the dazzling, glamorous runway. The empowered set of patrons of sustainable fashion now has an address.

The first show #MADEINASSAM, three diverse protagonists of Assamese heritage weaves had come together to showcase the myriad appeal of this textile.

*The first on the runway was Aagor by ANTS craft, an NGO that since 2002 has nurtured about 150 marginalised tribal women weavers of strife torn areas by teaching and providing weaving work, health care so as to afford them the freedom to stay with their families.

Keenly feeling the disparity and distance in the growing commercial success of textiles and the absence of Northeastern offerings, Pranami Kalita started her label Pariah to bridge that gap showcasing garments skilfully crafted from traditional, luxurious silks like Paat, Eri and Muga.



Anuradha Kuli of  Naturally Anuradha is an Award Winning Master Weaver with 25 years of intense hard work behind her and has risen from grass roots to a space of nurturing a growing community of weavers. She is a revivalist of forgotten weaves and boldly works with natural dyes and hand-spun Eri threads to offer saris that have an exceptional appeal. Vintage embroidery revivalist Purvi Patel teamed these saris with contemporary cut blouses.

Story continues

*An experimental innovator who emotes through fashion wears P.E.L.L.A. Priyanka celebrated her own myopic eyesight in her collection called MINUS6.5 and painted all the designs over fine hand-woven fabric without the use of her lenses.

An evolved designer with a deep commitment to handloom, Padmaja worked closely with the weavers at WomenWeave in Maheshwar for over a year to showcase a line called loom of my mind made out of natural fibers.

Runaway Bicycle took inspiration from uniforms of different professions for their Working Hours line and how their clothes were designed according to the requirement of their jobs, hard work and practicality.

Jasonanshus show called PLANET LOVE spun a sort of cinematic experience to gently draw attention towards our delicate planet and the beauty of handwork, keeping things slow and artisanal.

Pallavi Datta is a textile enthusiast on a journey to explore the myriad delicious facets of sustainable fashion in India of now and yore. She chronicles her pilgrimage on PallaviStyleDiaries.

Photo Credit: Viral Bhayani
The last remaining U.S. manufacturer of cluster bombs is ending production of the controversial weapon, citing regulatory scrutiny and reduced orders for the internationally banned munitions.

The decision by the Rhode Island-based Textron, whose subsidiary Textron Systems produces the bombs, follows a White House order last May to block the transfer of a Textron shipment of CBU-105 cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, a move first reported by Foreign Policy.

The White House had come under intense pressure by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International after those groups documented instances in which Saudi-led forces used CBU-105 munitions in multiple locations across Yemen, including in the towns of Amar, Sanhan, Amran, and the Hayma port.

The blocked transfer was the first concrete step the United States took to demonstrate its unease with the Saudi bombing campaign, which human rights activists say has killed and maimed hundreds of Yemeni civilians, including children. Cluster bombs contain bomblets that can scatter widely and kill or injure indiscriminately. Sometimes bomblets from munitions such as the CBU-105 fail to detonate immediately and can kill civilians months or even years later. The weapons were banned in a 2008 international treaty that arms sales giants, including the United States and Russia, refused to sign.

Textron spokesman Matthew Colpitts told FP on Wednesday that the decision to end production of the munitions was due to the current regulatory challenges and in light of reduced product orders.

He defended the CBU-105 as a smart, reliable air-to-ground weapon that is in full compliance with the U.S. Defense Department policy and current law.

In a filing to regulators on Tuesday, Textron noted that the sale of its sensor-fuzed weapon, or cluster bomb, requires executive branch and congressional approval. The current political environment has made it difficult to obtain these approvals, the company said.

Story continues

As a result of the decision to end production, there will be headcount reductions [and] facility consolidations, the company added.

When asked about the hold on cluster bomb shipments in May, a U.S. official cited reports that the Saudi-led coalition used cluster bombs in areas in which civilians are alleged to have been present or in the vicinity.

We take such concerns seriously and are seeking additional information, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Following media coverage of the White Houses block, peace activists picketed outside the Wilmington, Massachusetts, offices of Textron Systems, calling for an end to the production of cluster bombs.

Since March 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched its military campaign against the Houthi rebellion in Yemen, at least 6,200 people have died (though some estimates now place the death toll as high as 10,000), and nearly 3 million have been displaced from their homes. The conflict is often viewed as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government in exile, and Iran, which has provided some support to Houthi rebels, who are part of a Shiite sect.

At the moment, political talks sponsored by the United Nations have collapsed while the United States has called on all sides to stop fighting. Saudi officials have said they cannot accept Houthi control of large swaths of Yemen and noted that they have intercepted several missiles shot by the rebels.

In a statement to FP, Human Rights Watch spokeswoman Mary Wareham praised the decision. Textron was the last U.S. manufacturer of cluster munitions, so this decision now clears the path for the administration and Congress to work together to permanently end U.S. production, transfer, and use of cluster munitions, she said.

In an upbeat note to investors about the decision, Barclays analyst Carter Copeland said the production of cluster bombs limited the ownability of Textron shares among foreign investment funds due largely to interpretations of where [Textron] stood vis-a-vis international weapons treaties. As a result, the decision could expand Textrons investor base in Europe, Copeland said.

This post has been updated.

Photo credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images
Your right to leave a bad Yelp review is now legally protected

Your right to leave a bad Yelp review is now legally protected

Yelp has bestowed power upon the consumer like never before, with too many one-star reviews often aiding the demise of a specific business. In fact, Yelp has become a tool for online activists, who often leave negative Yelp reviews on establishments that have committed racial or gender discrimination toward customers.

And did you know that a Texas lawsuit attempted to strip away our right to leave a bad review on Yelp?!

Prestigious Pets, a pet-sitting business in Dallas, filed a lawsuit against Robert and Michelle Duchouquette after the couple left a one-star review, detailing specific complaints around poor communication and subpar maintenance of their pets fish bowl.

yelpreview

Prestigious Pets claimed that the husband and wife violated their customer contract  which apparently stated that customers cannot publicly criticize Prestigious Pets. (?!?!) But the judge has now dismissed the lawsuit.

Posted by Michelle Duchouquette on Sunday, May 15, 2016

Prestigious Pets had been seeking $200,000 to $1 million in damages as they report the negative press harmed their business.

The lawsuit had even prompted Yelp to set up a specific kind of consumer alert for the first time. When folks went on to the page for Prestigious Pets, they were first greeted with a message warning potential customers that the business was making questionable legal threats against those who leave negative reviews.

Posted by Robert Duchouquette on Thursday, August 4, 2016

As Paul Levy, attorney for the Duchouquettes and with Public Citizen, told BuzzFeed News: What consumer wants to hire a company that sues its customers and has a non-disparagement clause in its contract?

And the victory is certainly a relief for the Duchouquettes and consumers everywhere. Michelle Duchouquette told BuzzFeed, she is thankful to have a ruling that supports our right to free speech.

Yelp freely forever, one and all.

The post Your right to leave a bad Yelp review is now legally protected appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Nepal bans Indian police pair for 'fake' Everest climb

Nepal has imposed a 10-year mountaineering ban on two climbers who claimed to be the first Indian couple to have climbed Everest, officials say.
Tripoli (AFP) - The head of Libya's unity government on Wednesday visited the coastal city of Sirte where loyalist forces have trapped Islamic State group jihadists in their last holdout, officials said.

Fayez al-Sarraj's visit was his first to Sirte since loyalist forces launched an offensive more than three months ago to drive the jihadists from what had been their main stronghold in North Africa.

The forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) said at the weekend that they were preparing to "liberate" the entire city after seizing several IS positions, including its headquarters.

Sarraj and some of his ministers toured former front lines as well as the Ouagadougou conference centre which IS had used as its base, the government said on its Facebook page.

Field commanders briefed him on the offensive and the progress they have achieved as well as the ongoing operations to rout the jihadists from their last holdout in district Number Three, it said.

The media centre of the campaign on Tuesday said pro-GNA forces were advancing inside the district "where the Daesh remnants are entrenched", using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Reda Issa, a spokesman for the loyalist forces, told AFP on Tuesday that "preparations to liberate the entire city" were underway.

"We expect the situation to be resolved in a very short time," he said.

Sarraj issued a similar statement in Sirte, saying "we will continue to chase, with the help of God, the Daesh remnants and strike them wherever they may be in our country".

IS overran the Mediterranean hometown of Libya's slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi in mid-2015, sparking fears the jihadists would use it as a springboard for attacks on Europe.

The Sunni extremists took advantage of the chaos in oil-rich Libya after the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed Kadhafi and seized Sirte in June 2015, hoisting their black flag above the city.

More than 400 loyalist fighters have been killed and nearly 2,500 wounded in the battle for Sirte since May, medical sources say.
By Aidan Lewis SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Behind the front lines in the Libyan city of Sirte, ageing tanks crunch through the debris of battle to new positions and resting fighters drink sweetened coffee waiting for orders to advance. Ahead, Islamic state militants besieged in a single residential neighborhood and targeted by U.S. air strikes deploy mines, snipers and suicide bombers to defend their shrinking area. After three-and-a-half months, the campaign to recapture the coastal city is in its final stages. "The fact that they're using mines to such an extent shows they are weak now," said Ahmed Alramali, a field commander. "This is their last chance." Islamic State exploited Libya's divisions to seize Sirte and rule it largely undisturbed for more than a year. But after a bloody campaign, brigades from the nearby city of Misrata stand poised to win back what became the militant group's most important base outside the Middle East. The loss of Sirte would compound Islamic State setbacks suffered in Syria and Iraq. But the Sirte campaign has been halting, with onslaughts followed by long pauses as forces regroup and hospitals struggle to clear the wounded. The brigades operate under command centers in Sirte and Misrata, aligned to a U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, but on the ground, formations are fluid, fighters are ill-equipped, and progress has been costly. Ismail Shukri, head of military intelligence in Misrata, said brigades recovered copies of instructions for Islamic State fighters to stage tactical withdrawals before launching car bombs. "When our forces gather, Daesh (Islamic State) fighters stage a retreat in order to send a car bomb. When our fighters advance on foot they have been an easy target," he said. "Daesh have relied on mines, snipers and shelling, but they never use defensive lines to directly engage." On Sunday, 35 brigade fighters were killed as forces moved forward several hundred meters among emptied residential blocks in Sirte's neighborhood Number One, near the sea front, and towards the last Islamic State holdouts in Neighborhood Three. On one street corner, fighters jumped out to fire automatic rifles above their heads alongside blasts from armed cars and anti-aircraft guns as they tried to dislodge a sniping position. Just back from the front line a few blocks away, a group of fighters gathered casually near an abandoned car thought to be rigged with explosives. One rode up the street on a child's bicycle, and another sat reading on top of a tank. AIR STRIKES, WHEELBARROWS Fighters have welcomed U.S. air strikes that began Aug. 1, saying they helped dislodge snipers, foil suicide attacks and prevent Islamic State from moving. But some said the strikes came too late and were not intense enough. One fighter said IS resorted to using wheelbarrows to transport equipment at night because their vehicles were being targeted from the air. Several barrows could be seen abandoned in Neighborhood One. Ibrahim Baitulmal, the head of Misrata's military council, said some requests for strikes had not been granted, possibly due to concerns over civilians. Almost all of Sirte's estimated population of 90,000 fled the city after Islamic State took over or as the battle began. Any families that remain are those of Islamic State fighters, Shukri said. However, he said it was feared that up to 50 hostages were still in Sirte, including foreign nationals, a reason for caution in the battle's final stages. Officials and commanders say they do not know how many Islamic State fighters retreated into neighborhood Three, nor how many of the group's senior commanders  who Shukri said were predominantly Tunisian, Egyptian and Sudanese  are among them. But Shukri and Baitulmal said it was likely that a body found recently was that of Hassan al-Karami, a leading Libyan militant and preacher. By most estimates, Islamic State had 2,000-5,000 fighters before May in Sirte. Some are thought to have escaped near the start of the campaign and hundreds have been killed, though no figures are available. Not more than 15 have been arrested, none of them major figures, Baitulmal said. On the side of the fighters from Misrata, a port city about 230 km (145 miles) west of Sirte which bears the scars of a drawn out battle in the revolution against late dictator Muammar Gaddafi five years ago, casualties have steadily mounted. From an estimated force of 6,000, hospital officials say more than 500 men have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded. Individual fighters insist they are fighting for Libya, not their city. They say they hope victory will help end the conflict and political strife that Islamic State, which has struggle to win support elsewhere in Libya, exploited. "We want to fight to defend our religion and our land," said Abduwahab Abdelati, a 30-year-old commander who lost a cousin and a neighbor in a mine explosion on Sunday and had accompanied five wounded fighters to Misrata's central hospital. "These people are foreigners who came from outside and distorted our religion. But above all we want to free the people of Sirte from repression." (Editing by Patrick Markey and Anna Willard)
Lockheed Martin Corp.s LMT business unit, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., has won a modification contract from the U.S. Army for exercising an option for 14 UH-60M helicopters. The contract is valued at $158.4 million and the contracting activity is Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL.

LOCKHEED MARTIN Price

LOCKHEED MARTIN Price | LOCKHEED MARTIN Quote

Work, to be executed in Stratford, CT, is scheduled to be complete by Jun 30, 2017. The contract will use fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2010 other procurement funds.



Manufactured by Sikorsky, UH-60M Black Hawk is a twin-engine helicopter with four blades and medium-lift utility. Even amid the harshest of conditions, this aircraft is capable of providing constant, fail-safe service. Moreover, the aircraft is integrated with the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems and automated aircraft health monitoring system and has the ability to provide superior vertical lift.



Lockheed Martin purchased Black Hawk helicopter maker, Sikorsky Aircraft, from United Technologies Corp. UTX on Nov 2015. The deal boosted Lockheeds position as the worlds largest defense contractor, strengthening its military helicopter business. The purchase of Sikorsky added another well-known product  Black Hawk  to Lockheed Martins helicopter portfolio.



We remind investors that Lockheed Martin reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2016 earnings on the back of solid operational performance. A tax benefit related to the early adoption of the employee share-based payments accounting standard also added to the positives. It even boosted its full-year 2016 outlook for EPS, revenues, operating profit and cash flow. The solid outlook, impressive revenue growth and potential share buybacks are major positives.



Lockheed Martin currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Stocks to Consider



Better-ranked stocks in the aerospace and defense space include Engility Holdings, Inc. EGL and Ducommun Inc. DCO, both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



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North Korea executed top minister, South Korea says

South Korean government officials have said that North Korea executed one of its highest ranking ministers last month.
Skopje (AFP) - Political leaders of crisis-hit Macedonia agreed late on Wednesday to hold elections in December that have already been delayed twice following international pressure to ensure a free and fair vote.

Both the ruling conservatives VMRO-DPMNE and the main opposition Social Democrats (SDSM), as well as two major ethnic Albanian parties, settled on December 11 legislative polls.

"We are happy to have set the conditions for a free and fair election," SDSM leader Zoran Zaev told reporters after the meeting.

The vote, supposed to end political turmoil in the Balkan country, was initially set for April and then June, but was delayed both times as the opposition claimed press freedom restrictions and outdated electoral rolls made fair polls impossible.

Former prime minister and VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski said Wednesday he was "satisfied" that SDSM could "not avoid the elections any more."

According to the agreement, signed by all four party leaders, parliament will convene on Friday to vote in a government tasked with organising the elections.

Macedonia has been in deep political crisis since February 2015, when Zaev began releasing tapes that appeared to reveal official and widespread wiretapping, top-level corruption and other crimes.

After street protests on both sides, the European Union stepped in to mediate a deal that included early elections. Polls were due in 2018.

Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005 but has yet to open accession talks.
By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) - Better communication from doctors may help parents struggling with the decision to have their child undergo throat surgery for sleep disordered-breathing conditions, a small study suggests. About 20 percent of children have issues with breathing while asleep, such as snoring and sleep apnea, and surgical removal of the tonsils and adenoids in an adenotonsillectomy is the primary treatment. But rates of the surgery vary widely across the U.S., raising concerns that it may be overused in some populations and underused in others, the authors write in JAMA Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. We dont necessarily know that there is overuse, but there is variation we cant explain based on clinical and demographic factors, said lead author Dr. Emily F. Boss of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. We cant explain it based on patient differences alone, so we tried to elicit from parents their preferences. The researchers interviewed 11 parents of children aged 2 to 17 years who had been evaluated for sleep disordered breathing. Bosss team asked parents about their experiences leading up to the evaluation, their communication with doctors and their experiences with deciding whether to choose surgery. Four children had been treated by being put on allergy medication, nine had undergone sleep studies, two had adenoid removal surgery and six had adenotonsillectomy. Overall, parents said the severity of their childs sleep disordered breathing and the risks and benefits of the surgery were important factors in their decisions about treatment, as were their interactions with doctors. Parents were often afraid that snoring or sleep apnea would cause the child to stop breathing in the night, or to have brain development delays, which led them to feel the need for treatment was urgent. Some considered surgery a last resort, though, and were more concerned about the risks of anesthesia than of surgery itself. Interpersonal factors like parents impressions when the doctor engaged their child in conversation, diagrammed sleep disordered breathing visually and were accessible for questions were all important, the researchers found. Another thing we learned is parents are focusing on the risks of general anesthesia, and not emphasizing this to the surgeon, Boss told Reuters Health. In reality, anesthesia carries far less risk than surgery itself, she said. We as surgeons need to present balanced information, she said. There has been an enormous shift toward better communication with patients/families so that the decision to do an operation (in this case adenotonsillectomy) is made after making a thorough assessment of the clinical condition, the individuals personal situation, discussing the clinical condition, its current and potential consequences and treatment options, said Dr. Patrick Dawes of the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago in New Zealand, who was not part of the new study. This can be quite time consuming and will include weighing up the likelihood of different treatments being effective, the chance of a successful outcome, the recovery after surgery, post-surgery management and complications that may occur, Dawes told Reuters Health by email. Doctors should pay attention to the reported parent concerns and try to ensure these are addressed within the consultation and aim to provide what parents value when reaching a decision about their childs treatment, he added. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2bT07ei JAMA Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, online August 25, 2016.
From the killing of a major ISIS leader to recent military flareups in Ukraine, August has been a month of historic geopolitical interest.

The following map gives a brief rundown of the enduring geopolitical problems across the globe:

BI GRAPHICS_geopolitics map

Ukraine has seen a steady uptick in violence and militaristic posturing by Russia around its borders. In the beginning of the month, a spate of attacks between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian military led to the nation being on the verge of an all-out war.

Fortunately this has not come to pass, but tensions are still high as Russia has accused Ukraine of trying to carry out terror attacks in Crimea. Moscow has also launched snap military drills across the nation, including close to the Ukrainian border.

The South China Sea continues to heat up as China refuses to back down from its controversial territorial claims despite a unanimous ruling against it on July 12 in the Hague. Despite the ruling, Beijing continues to expand its military presence on islands throughout the sea.

Additionally, the US has made a show of force in the region to reassure its ally the Philippines. The US has also considered placing mobile artillery systems throughout the region to deter Chinese aggression.

South Sudan is facing the renewed prospect of civil war after peace talks in the country fell apart in July. The country had faced 20 months of civil before the signing of a peace agreement in August 2015. A recent report from UNICEF shows that fighting is still raging in the nation and that the South Sudanese government is recruiting child soldiers to help in the conflict.

Yemen continues to face a multi-sided civil war that shows no signs of stopping. The fighting, which consists of a Saudi Arabian-led coalition, Iranian-supported rebels backed by military members loyal to the previous government, al Qaeda, and ISIS, has done significant harm to the nation. The UN estimates that at least 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far.

Story continues

A soldier looks at people rallying to show support to a political council formed by the Houthi movement and the General People's Congress party to unilaterally rule Yemen by both groups, in the capital Sanaa August 20, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

And to make matters even worse for Yemen, the UN envoy recently said that the fighting is fueling extremism, meaning that the war could continue for an unforeseeable duration.

Libya continues to grapple with the difficulties inherent in having two competing governments and an array of armed groups operating in the country. Despite the inherent lawlessness of the state, a Danish team has successfully removed the last of Libya's stockpile of chemical weapons.

Additionally, Libyan forces have managed to oust ISIS from its stronghold in the city of Sirte. During the battle, US and western forces also played a key role in driving out the militants.

Mexico has reached a grizzly milestone as violence and competition between cartels across the country continues to spiral. In July, Mexico suffered from 2,073 homicides  the most since Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto entered office in December 2012.

Iraq is continuing to push back against ISIS throughout the country, although the country remains as divided along ethnic and sectarian lines as ever. However, a US general has stated that operations to retake Iraq's second largest city from ISIS are on track to be completed this year. And US-led airstrikes continue to hammer ISIS across the country.

Still, a new report highlighting how ISIS buried thousands in mass graves across the country shows how far Iraq needs to come to fully repair itself.

Kurdish female iraq

Syria faces an increasingly complex civil war now that Turkish forces, along with Turkish-backed rebels, have intervened in the north of the country against both ISIS and the US-supported Kurdish YPG forces. The move will only further muddy US efforts to forge an anti-ISIS coalition on the ground.

Additionally, a top ISIS official in Syria was killed. And a new report has shown that the years of war in Syria has caused life expectancy in the country to drop by 6 years.

North Korea has continued to test ballistic missiles despite UN sanctions. The reclusive country successfully tested a submarine-based missile on August 23, following a the test of two ballistic missiles shot into the sea of Japan at the start of the month.

The tests have led to a rare joint statement from Japan, China, and South Korea which stated tha the tests "simply cannot be tolerated." Japan has also pressured the UN today for a new round of sanctions on North Korea for the tests.

NOW WATCH: Rare footage shows the successful testing of the most powerful weapon known to man





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London (AFP) - Britain will seek a "unique" deal on leaving the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May's Downing Street office said Wednesday, after ministers held their first Brexit talks since the summer break.

The government wants to control immigration from the EU while retaining strong trading ties, despite warnings from other nations that single market access is incompatible with limits on the free movement of people.

Britain voted to leave the EU in a June referendum, prompting the resignation of May's predecessor David Cameron, who led the campaign to remain in the 28-nation bloc.

While May herself also favoured staying in, she has since insisted that "Brexit means Brexit".

"Several Cabinet members made it clear that we are leaving the EU but not leaving Europe, with a decisive view that the model we are seeking is one unique to the United Kingdom and not an off the shelf solution," a Downing Street statement said after the cabinet meeting at Chequers, the premier's country house northwest of London.

"This must mean controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe but also a positive outcome for those who wish to trade goods and services," the statement added.

Finance minister Philip Hammond reportedly favours retaining access to the single market on a sector-by-sector basis, while other senior ministers who campaigned for Brexit favour leaving.

- No Article 50 vote -

There is also confusion over the responsibilities of different government departments in any negotiations with Brussels, particularly between the foreign, international trade and Brexit ministries.

May has appointed a trio of anti-EU ministers to the most important Brexit departments, including Boris Johnson as foreign minister.

However, she will not trigger Article 50 -- the formal process for leaving the EU -- before the start of next year, despite pressure from other European nations to move faster.

Story continues

The statement following the meeting made clear that it was the government's decision "on when to trigger Article 50", adding there was "no need" for a parliamentary vote on the issue.

May's spokesman had already confirmed there would be no second referendum or snap general election, despite the hopes of some "Remain" campaigners that the process of leaving the EU could be stalled.

Preparations for Brexit are expected to ramp up across Whitehall as parliament reconvenes after the summer recess on Monday.

Civil servants are still being recruited to the "Brexit unit" which will do the groundwork for withdrawal.

Cameron banned key government departments from making contingency plans for Brexit -- a move described as "gross negligence" by senior MPs.
Tika R Pradhan is a senior political correspondent for the Post, covering politics, parliament, judiciary and social affairs. Pradhan joined the Post in 2016 after working at The Himalayan Times for more than a decade.
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May and her team of top ministers reiterated the government's commitment to fiscal discipline on Wednesday, her spokeswoman said.

Finance minister Philip Hammond has said he will move more slowly than his predecessor to turn the government's budget deficit into a surplus and that the extent of any fiscal stimulus will depend on how the economy copes with Brexit.

"(Hammond) provided cabinet colleagues with an update on the economic outlook. The cabinet reiterated the government's commitment to fiscal discipline and living within our means," the spokeswoman said.

"They also agreed on the vital need to increase productivity and the importance of doing more to foster economic growth and industrial development in regions up and down the country."

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Stephen Addison)
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May and her team of top ministers reiterated the government's commitment to fiscal discipline on Wednesday, her spokeswoman said. Finance minister Philip Hammond has said he will move more slowly than his predecessor to turn the government's budget deficit into a surplus and that the extent of any fiscal stimulus will depend on how the economy copes with Brexit. "(Hammond) provided cabinet colleagues with an update on the economic outlook. The cabinet reiterated the government's commitment to fiscal discipline and living within our means," the spokeswoman said. "They also agreed on the vital need to increase productivity and the importance of doing more to foster economic growth and industrial development in regions up and down the country." (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Stephen Addison)
Earlier this month, Massachusetts became the first state in the country to make it illegal for interviewers to ask job seekers how much money they currently make.

Related: Best Cities for Jobs in 2016

Now, several members of Congress want to pass similar legislation nationwide. Proponents of such laws say that theyll help close persistent pay gaps faced by women and minorities. Thats because when an employer knows that a potential employee is already earning below-market wages, its easier to continue to offer lower pay.

Women and minorities often face discrimination in the job application process and in salary negotiations, Congresswoman Eleanor Norton (D-DC) said in a statement announcing the proposed federal law. Many carry lower salaries for their entire careers simply because of wages at previous jobs that were set unfairly. Our bill will require employers to offer salaries to prospective employees based on merit, not gender, race, or ethnicity.

Norton, the first woman to chair the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, said she plans to introduce the bill, along with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), when Congress returns from recess.

Women still earn less than men, but the earnings gap gets considerably smaller when factoring in age, education and experience. In January, President Obama introduced new rules that would require every large company to report salary data based on race, gender and ethnicity. Some large companies have already started to do so.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Do you recall the first Nanoblock collection released in Singapore just few months ago? The Mcdonalds x Nanoblock food icon collection activated the queue frenzy in Singaporeans to redeem these readily built nanoblock collectibles. Fast forward to September 2016, the king of Happy Meals is back with a 2nd nanoblock collection in Hong Kong.

McDonalds x Nanoblock Round 2 features Ronald & friends - Airfrov Blog

The new Mcdonalds x Nanoblock collection features 7 nano-size figurines of Ronald & Friends. In case your forgot their names, they are (from left to right) Birdie, Officer Big Mac, Grimace, Ronald McDonald, Fry guys and Hamburglar.

McDonalds x Nanoblock Round 2 features Ronald & friends - Airfrov Blog

No, you dont have to max out your calories intake to collect all 7. The limited edition collectors box is available for HK$198 with a purchase of food items at McDonalds Hong Kong. The set of 7 also comes with 5 x $10 McDonalds HK vouchers.

The 5 iconic characters (all except Fry guys) are also available for grab at just HKD $20 each.

Sale of this collection starts at 4am on 1 Sept in major McDonalds outlets in Hong Kong. Each customer is allowed to top up maximum of HKD $60 to purchase 3 individual characters.

Will it be available in Singapore soon?

Honestly, we have no idea. The previous food icon collection was launched in Singapore during Feb 2016  6 months after Hong Kongs launch in June 2015. Our neighbours across the borders got them in Oct 2015. Now or later, you decide!

McDonald's x Nanoblock

Not going to Hong Kong? Try asking a traveller to help you buy!

Heres how it works:

1) Click on + button on this page to copy requests. It works like a job ad to travellers

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 McDonalds HK Returns with 2nd Nanoblock collection: Ronald & Friends appeared first on Airfrov Blog.
As the world mourns the loss of famed actor Gene Wilder, the comedy legend's longtime director and collaborator, Mel Brooks, took a moment to honor his late friend on Tuesday night.

Brooks, 90, appeared on The Tonight Show where he opened up about his struggle with losing Wilder.

WATCH: FLASHBACK: A Look Back at Gene Wilder's Greatest Loves, From Gilda Radner to Mary Mercier

"He was sick, and I knew it and I expected it. I expected he would go," he told host Jimmy Fallon. "But I don't know, when it happens it's still tremendous. It's a big shock, you know. I'm still reeling from no more Gene and I can't call him. He was such a wonderful part of my life."

The pair worked together on many classic films like Blazing Saddles, The Producers, and Young Frankenstein, two of which earned Wilder Oscar nominations.

"We became very good friends," Brooks said.

The New York native recalled his long struggle to get funding for his 1967 hit, The Producers, saying that Wilder never believed he'd be able to make the dream a reality. When Brooks finally got the good news, he delivered it to his friend who was backstage while performing in a play.

"He was taking off his makeup in his dressing room, and I took the script and I said, 'Gene, we got the money, we're going to make the movie. You are Leo Bloom.' He burst into tears and held his face and cried and then I hugged him. It was a wonderful moment," the Oscar winner recalled.

He also noted that Wilder came up for the idea for Young Frankenstein while the pair were working on the 1974 film Blazing Saddles.

WATCH: Mel Brooks, Russell Crowe and Other Celebrities React on Social Media to Gene Wilder's Death: 'One of the Truly Great Talents'

"He said, 'I had an idea. What if the grandson of Victor Frankenstein was a serious, brilliant surgeon and wanted nothing to do with the people that were responsible for making the monster and reanimating it? And he's fighting it, but it's in his blood,'" Brooks said. "I said, 'That's a terrific idea. You want to write it with me?'"

Story continues

The pair wrote the script and earned an Oscar nomination for the screenplay.

Wilder passed away on Monday at the age of 83 after suffering complications from Alzheimer's disease.

For more on Wilder's life and greatest loves, watch the video below!

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Mercedes AMG GLC43

Mercedes-Benz has been on a tear lately.

The three-pointed-star has thus far outsold its luxury rivals Audi, BMW, and Lexus by a solid margin.

Leading the way for Mercedes has been the brand's C-Class, E-Class, and flagship S-Class sedans.

This is particularly impressive considering the market's insatiable demand for SUVs  which is why the Stuttgart-based brand has also been hard at work beefing up its SUV offerings.

The latest SUV to arrive is the sleek GLC Coupe that's based on the GLC concept Mercedes rolled out at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show.

The GLC Coupe will be available in the US in two forms  the GLC 300 and the high performance AMG GLC43.

"The new GLC43 Coupe is characterized by a high level of agility and sporty driving dynamics," Mercedes Chairman Tobias Moers said in a statement to the press. "With its expressive design and high everyday practicality, the Coupe is able to appeal to new target audiences."

Mercedes AMG GLC 43 Coupe

At showrooms, the GLC Coupe will compete directly against BMW's X4  a fact Mercedes made very clear in its communications with journalists.

The GLC Coupe and its more conventional GLC crossover sibling are both related to the company's C-Class sedan. The three models share everything from powertrain to interiors.

Business Insider reviewed the 2016 GLC300 crossover earlier this year and came away impressed by the Mercedes' well-appointed interior and high level of refinement.

Power for the GLC300 Coupe will come from a 241 horsepower, turbocharged, 2.0 inline-four-cylinder engine while the GLC 43 Coupe will get an "AMG-enhanced" 3.0 liter, twin-turbocharged V6 producing 362 hp. Both engines are hooked up to Mercedes' 9G-Tronic 9-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive.

BMW X4

According to Mercedes, the AMG GLC43 Coupe is good for a 0-60 mph sprint in a quick 4.8 seconds and reach an electronically-limited top speed of 130 mph. Performance figures for the GLC300 Coupe have not yet been released.

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And neither have the prices for both cars which will reach US showrooms in early 2017.

NOW WATCH: Mercedes-Maybach rivals Tesla with a new jaw-dropping concept car





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By Niki Cheong

WHEN I was growing up, Hari Merdeka for my family was a household event. Before it was even named the Jalur Gemilang, our family was make sure that wed fly our national flag in front of the house.

On the morning of August 31, we would wake up and have breakfast before turning RTM on to watch the parade. Wed see royalty and Ministers sitting and waving to the participants  soldiers in uniforms, school kids in colourful costumes and more.

My favourite of the spectacle however was seeing the different cultural costumes donned  the myriad baju kurungs and baju Melayus from different states, the cheongsam, the sari and the wonderful variety that our brothers and sisters from Sabah and Sarawak had to offer among many others.

These images didnt just appear once a year. Many of us growing up in the 80s and 90s would remember the many programmes and music videos for patriotic songs wed watch on television which celebrated our diversity. Until today, Setia remains one of my favourite songs.

Sure, we can argue to the cows come home about how weve all fallen into the propaganda trap. We can also have intense discussions on how we had in the past simplified the concept of race. Indeed, we have caricaturised our social fabric to four categories  Malay, Chinese, Indian and Lain-lain. The fact is that we havent really moved on from the consequences of our colonial past.

Do I feel that all that I have mentioned the above is problematic? Definitely. But we are where we are now, and the only way is to move forward. This means ironically taking a step back, looking at the bigger picture and plotting our course.

What that entails however, remains to be seen but one thing I am extremely certain of is that it must include not just respect and understanding but also the embracing of diversity. We must aim to become a post-tolerance society.

Truth is, we already have a head start (even if it is the result of questionable policies). The idea of diversity is not a new concept introduced through rapid globalisation. Those of us who grew up remembering the Hari Merdeka parades and those music videos I mentioned earlier would have also been ingrained with the idea of Muhibbah  a term used to indicate camaraderie among those from different backgrounds.

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It is this celebration of multi-culturalism that forms our social fabric for some many decades; after all, we celebrate 59 years since independence today, and in over a couple of weeks, 53 years since Malaysia was formed.

The thing is, this reminder of our diversity wasnt just visible through our television sets. In most places across the country, we are reminded on the daily basis that our fellow countrymen and women may be different from us. This is especially so in urban areas. We may lack normalisation in many areas - women in power and LGBT prominence are just two examples - but it certainly isnt the case for race in Malaysia.

For me, the struggle in understanding why we are so polarised as a country at the moment is exactly because of this. We already have familiarity.

Just recently, I was speaking to an Irish friend who had just moved to London a couple of years ago. He was telling me how he was struggling with the temperature in his room because he had his windows closed to keep mosquitoes out. When I scoffed at him, his reply surprised me  until he moved to London, he had never encountered a mosquito in his life.

The same thing happened with several friends of mine discussing the sudden increase of spider spotting in Nottingham where I live currently. Apparently, the current weather is perfect for spiders to mate and as such they are out in full force. Whenever they scream at the sight of one, I just laugh at them.

You see, mosquitoes and spiders have been so much part of my life growing up living in a tropical climate (alongside lizards, cockroaches and other bugs that freak my friends out) that I dont even flinch.

My friends are only scared of mosquitoes and spiders because they are not used to seeing them.

Now, I realise that using bugs as an analogy for people might not be the best idea. But my point really is that Malaysians have very little reason to treat people who are different from us as foreign because all of us have grown up around each other. We have for a long time been part of each others daily lives.

So, how did we get to where we are today? Not many people will disagree with me that the nature of politics in our country has indeed caused many problems for us. To be able to see this, we need to look beyond partisan politics and look at the bigger picture.

We need to stop relying on our politicians to lead the way, we need to reclaim our country collectively as citizens. We can start by being nice to each other and embracing our differences. Its not that difficult  weve been doing it for years.

Selamat Hari Merdeka, one and all.

Niki is writer and speaker on media, digital culture and social issues. He is currently researching for his PhD at The University of Nottingham, UK.
By Dave Graham MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Within minutes of Donald Trump saying he would visit Mexico, one of the front-runners to become the country's next president hit back, saying the brash White House hopeful would not be welcome. That was just a start. Scorn rained down on both Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and the U.S. Republican presidential nominee after the two announced late on Tuesday they would meet during a brief trip by Trump to the country he has repeatedly attacked during his presidential campaign. Before it even took place, the visit was a public relations disaster for Pena Nieto as politicians and diplomats condemned him for inviting a man who has united Mexican like few others in shared disdain. Since launching his White House bid in June last year, Trump has vowed to seal off the country behind a border wall he says Mexico will pay for, tarred its migrants as rapists and drug pushers and threatened to expel millions of them, as well as saying he will revise or tear up a trade deal with Mexico if he wins office in November. Mexican cabinet ministers have called Trump ignorant and racist, and Pena Nieto earlier this year likened Trump's tilt for the top job to the rise of Adolf Hitler, so the sudden invitation to the real estate mogul was a hard sell to the public. "Mr Trump may have been invited but he knows he's not welcome," presidential hopeful Margarita Zavala, wife of former president Felipe Calderon and one of the favorites to succeed Pena Nieto at the next election in 2018, said on Twitter. "Mexicans have dignity and we reject his hate speech," she added. A few dozen people gathered beneath a soaring monument to Mexican Independence in central Mexico City on Wednesday to protest the New Yorker's visit, some holding placards emblazoned with captions such as "You are not Wall-come" and "Trump and Pena out". "Trump has badmouthed Mexicans, it's appalling that the president has invited him," said Abril Marquez, a 23-year-old law student holding a sign saying "Trump, you're not welcome!" Traditionally bitter political adversaries in Mexico have been united in their rejection of Trump, making Wednesday's hastily-arranged encounter a gamble with few obvious benefits for Pena Nieto, whose approval ratings are at all-time lows. Gang violence is at the worst levels of his term, anger over political corruption is widespread, the peso currency is near record lows and the centrist president's personal integrity is in question after a report that he plagiarized his university thesis. A government spokesman played down the accusation, saying there were "style errors" in the paper. 'UNWORTHY' OF GOVERNMENT Andres Rozental, a former deputy Mexican foreign minister responsible for North America, said he was at a loss to explain the Trump visit, describing it as a "big mistake" by the government. "Unless (Trump) comes out and makes a public statement disavowing all the things that he's said, which I doubt very much that he will do, I don't think there's really anything that Pena Nieto can get out of this," he said. Miguel Barbosa, Senate leader of the leftist opposition Party of the Democratic Revolution, who worked with Pena Nieto to push through landmark economic reforms earlier in his term, said the president was allowing himself to be used by Trump. "You don't understand," Barbosa said, directing a tweet at Pena Nieto, "the presence of (Trump) in Mexico at your invitation is behavior unworthy of the Mexican government." Even the man Pena Nieto picked a year ago to be his ambassador to the United States did not hold back. "Nobody in the last 50 years has put Mexican-U.S. relations in such danger as Trump," Miguel Basanez, an old friend of Pena Nieto who was replaced in April as ambassador after seven months in the job, said on Twitter. "I find the invitation deeply regrettable." Trump has helped stir the bad blood with comments on Twitter during his campaign. Even as he prepared for his quick visit he was in a Twitter spat with a prominent critic south of the border, Vicente Fox, another former Mexican president. (Additional reporting by Noe Torres, Christine Murray, Angela Moon and Veronica Gomez; Editing by Kieran Murray and Frances Kerry)
The response in Mexico was fast and " furious" after it was announced that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump had accepted Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's invitation to meet in Mexico City on Wednesday.



Trump  who from the start of his campaign has painted Mexicans as "criminals" and "rapists" and promised to build a wall along the Mexico-U.S. border to prevent Mexican immigrants from coming to America  has an even lower favorability rating in Mexico than he does in the U.S., The Week reports. Only 2 percent of Mexicans like Trump, while 75 percent have an unfavorable view of him and the rest either don't care or know who he is.



Many members of that 75th percentile took to Twitter ahead of Trump's visit to voice their anger over the meeting  including former Mexican First Lady Margarita Zavala de Calderon.





"Mr. Trump, although you have been invited, know you are not welcome"- Frmr 1st lady of MX, presidential contender. https://t.co/RrcmUgdKUw a Carin Zissis (@CarinZissis) August 31, 2016









"All of Mexico right now," one man tweeted along with a gif of Ryan Reynolds face-palming.





Todo MAxico en este momento: pic.twitter.com/cfslB1u5ZW a Mael Vallejo (@MaelVallejo) August 31, 2016





"Tell me where the protests against Trump's arrivals are going to be so I can prepare the sign 'Screw you,' " another woman tweeted:





DAganme dAnde serAn las protestas por la llegada del Trump...para preparar la cartulina, " Screw you " a Evangelina Amaya (@soygelis) August 31, 2016





Many also took aim at Pena Nieto, who previously compared Trump's "strident rhetoric" to Hitler and Mussolini's.





Story continues

In simple terms, today's meeting is between 2 of the most despised and hated people by millions of Mexicans on both sides of the border. a JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) August 31, 2016







I can't believe they're letting in that orange turd in the country. #EPN just committed the highest act of betrayal for the Mexican people. a Almendrita Vergara (@lorisdrita) August 31, 2016





New York Times reporter Elisabeth Malkin described the backlash:





The response in Mexico is furious. Did #EPN team expect anything else? a Elisabeth Malkin (@ElisabethMalkin) August 31, 2016







An example of the rage in Mexico: "The stupidest thing in the history of the Mexican presidency..." https://t.co/jFxUI0nqod a Elisabeth Malkin (@ElisabethMalkin) August 31, 2016





Others turned to humor to express their disapproval, CNN reports.



"An advanced look of what we'll see tomorrow," one person tweeted Tuesday night:









Mexican actress Ana Brenda suggested Pena Nieto block Trump at the border, writing, "You will be a national hero."





Venga seAor presidente, hAgale la bromita en migraciAn de que no entra a MAxico y serA hAroe nacional #TrumpEnMexico a Ana Brenda (@anabrendac) August 31, 2016





And the Trump pinatas that have been selling out since he launched his campaign last year will no doubt enjoy a sales boost.





A woman working on a Donald Trump piAata in a store in Mexico City. pic.twitter.com/Jzw48cM0SY a morrowland (@morrowland) August 31, 2016





Massive protests were planned for the GOP nominee's last-minute trip, Salon reports.



Some demonstrators took to Mexico City's historic Plaza del Angel to hold up signs that read "Go home Trump."





Anti-Trump protesters at Mexico City's historic Plaza del Angel. Our @cecysanv is there. pic.twitter.com/yuVO20LtUm a Kate Linthicum (@katelinthicum) August 31, 2016







Protest of Trump's visit planned for 11 a.m. today CDT in Mexico City. Other protests planned for later in the day. pic.twitter.com/hD2X2strzU a Stephen Browning (@BrowningStephen) August 31, 2016





Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday night to announce that he would visit with Pena Nieto on Wednesday afternoon, just hours before the candidate is scheduled to deliver a major immigration speech at Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona.



"I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow," Trump wrote.



The Mexican president confirmed the news on Twitter, writing, "I invited candidates for President of the United States to Mexico to discuss the bilateral relationship." He added in another tweet, "I believe in dialogue to promote the interests of Mexico in the world and mainly to protect Mexicans wherever they are."
Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico will not pay for any border wall built by the United States, President Enrique Pena Nieto told visiting US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday.

"At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall," Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter after meeting with Trump, in reference to a wall on the countries' shared border that the real estate magnate has vowed to build if elected US president.

Trump had told reporters after the meeting that the issue of who would pay for a wall did not come up during the conversation, despite him saying persistently throughout his campaign that Mexico would bear the financial burden for the highly controversial project.

The provocative billionaire candidate made a surprise visit to Mexico in the heat of the presidential race, seeking to seize control of the narrative and portray himself as a capable statesman on the international stage.
PM to lead sleek teams to India, US

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will be accompanied by sleek teams for his upcoming visits to India and the US, Chief Secretary Somlal Subedi said on Tuesday.
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It can be tough to stay motivated the entire time you're exercising.

So wouldn't it be great if Michelle Obama showed up to encourage you to keep going?

Nick Offerman, dressed in workout gear from several different decades while enacting the history of exercise, gets a bit tired after hitting the 1980s.

Thankfully, Michelle Obama steps in, passes him a water bottle and compliments Megan Mullally while she's at it.

Things you do when your phone is about to die

This is why you should never celebrate until you've crossed the finish line

Stan Lee may just be 'The Watcher' after all

Spike Jonze's new Kenzo perfume ad is out of this world
From Cosmopolitan

Got $15,000 to spare, and don't feel like spending it on a trip to Italy or storing it in a nice savings account? Buy yourself a Moonman from the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Jesse Helt, the homeless man who went to that year's VMAs as Miley Cyrus's date to raise awareness about youth homelessness, is selling the award for Video of the Year (which he got to keep) on eBay. According to the listing, the trophy is in "mint condition," is "very rare one of a kind," and contains "no fingerprints." See?

Photo credit: Courtesy of Jesse Helt/eBay

Jesse, who was sentenced to six months in jail shortly after the 2014 VMAs for violating the terms of his probation in Oregon, has set the starting bid at $10,000. Those who do not enjoy the stressful bidding process have the option of buying it for $15,000. Both Miley's and Jesse's names are engraved on the VMA.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Jesse Helt/eBay

Photo credit: Courtesy of Jesse Helt/eBay

According to TMZ, Jesse recently moved into a studio apartment in Los Angeles and is expecting a baby "in a few months." The site also points out that his asking price is not too out of the ordinary: Coolio once sold the Moonman he had won for "Gangsta's Paradise for $6,000, and the trophy for "We Are the World" previously sold for $72,000. I guess this means I will never be able to afford Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar, Beyonce's Grammys, or even Beyonce's one and only People's Choice Award from 2004.

Follow Peggy on Twitter.

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Mindy Kaling tweeted a list of topics she wants Michael Scott to talk about, making us wish for an Office reunion ASAP

Mindy Kaling tweeted a list of topics she wants Michael Scott to talk about, making us wish for an Office reunion ASAP

As though we havent had enough reasons to physically need a revival of The Office, now weve got Mindy Kaling twisting the knife.

This morning, she tweeted a list of things she wants to write Michael Scotts take on.

Emojis, Frozen, uber, girl squads, brexit, Ryan Lochte, these are things I wish i could've written Michael Scott's takes on  Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) August 31, 2016

mindykalingoffice

COULD THIS BE ANY MORE BITTERSWEET?

On one hand, weve got MINDY KALING, hilarious comedy goddess, tweeting about The Office which we love and miss more than Jim would miss Pam if they were forced to ever spend too much time apart (note: do NOT DO THIS, world).

On the other hand, The Office is over. So no matter how badly we want these things, we cant have them.

mindykalingoffice2

Kalings followers chimed in with many other ideas for things theyd like to see Michael Scott discuss, but one in particular pointed out that the subject on the top of OUR list has actually already been covered.

From your lips, Michael Scott, to the voters ears. He just makes people sad.

But, dear readers, maybe theres hope! Jenna Fischer, aka Pam, chimed in, saying exactly what were all thinking.

This is why we need an Office reunion. https://t.co/Q3cJKbyqG4  Jenna Fischer (@jennafischer) August 31, 2016

We might be getting greedy, but now we not only need a reunion of The Office, but it needs to be written by Mindy Kaling  who already has MULTIPLE Emmy noms for her work writing on The Office. Make this happen. Take notes, TV gods.

The post Mindy Kaling tweeted a list of topics she wants Michael Scott to talk about, making us wish for an Office reunion ASAP appeared first on HelloGiggles.
The lines are blurring regarding "Blurred Lines": hundreds of artists are voicing concern about the legal repercussions of a Los Angeles jury's decision ruling that the song, recorded in 2012, stole from Marvin Gaye's 1977 tune "Got to Give It Up." This conclusion was reached despite the fact that -- while referential -- the songs have no shared melodies, shared song structure, or shared lyrics, which many music creatives see as an overreach of copyright protection. The amicus brief filed this week supports the request of the trio (Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I.) that the court overturn the judgment.

As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, this copyright infringement ruling is being countered by 212 musicians. The names on board span Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Danger Mouse, Three 6 Mafia, Earth, Wind & Fire, R. Kelly, Tears for Fears, Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump, Frank Ocean collaborator Malay, film composer Hans Zimmer, Jennifer Hudson, and plenty more.

The 2015 outcome granted the Gaye family $5.3 million in damages and 50 percent of royalties from the song --but the ruling put in place longer-term consequences for copyright cases.

The amicus brief, penned by attorney Ed McPherson and cited on Pitchfork, states:

"Amici are concerned about the potential adverse impact on their own creativity, on the creativity of future artists, and on the music industry in general, if the judgment in this case is allowed to stand. The verdict in this case threatens to punish songwriters for creating new music that is inspired by prior works. All music shares inspiration from prior musical works, especially within a particular musical genre... The law should provide clearer rules so that songwriters can know when the line is crossed, or at least where the line is."

Following the 2015 court decision, Pitchfork contributor and musician Damon Krukowski had similarly criticized the vagaries of the legal system regarding aspects of music copyright in an op-ed: "the real problem with 'Blurred Lines' was not its plagiarism, but the lack of a legal structure for acknowledging that musical debt and repaying it in some measured way." He continued: "We need new rules for plagiarism that allow for the creativity of digital copying without making intellectual property valueless."
Paris (AFP) - The number of adult cannabis users in the United States increased by ten million from 2002 to 2014, said a study Thursday that called for better education on the potential pitfalls.

The increase coincided with a general rise in the potency of the popular recreational drug and a growing belief that it is not harmful, researchers wrote in The Lancet Psychiatry.

The findings, the US-based team wrote, "suggest a potential benefit of education and prevention messages" even as many US states are relaxing cannabis policies.

Based on a survey of over 500,000 US adults between 2002 and 2014, the study found that marijuana use rose from 10.4 percent of the population in 2002 to 13.3 percent in 2014 -- from 21.9 million to 31.9 million.

The number of daily or near-daily users was about 8.4 million in 2014, they estimated -- up from 3.9 million in 2002.

The proportion of people who said they feared great risk or harm from smoking dope once or twice a week, dropped from 50.4 percent to 33.3 percent over the same period.

The study did not find a rise in so-called marijuana use disorders such as abuse or dependence.

The study did not look at cannabis use among children or teenagers.

Critics of decriminalisation have argued it will cause more people to take up the drug, which is partly what prompted the study.

"These changes in the prevalence of cannabis use occurred during a period when many US states legalised cannabis for medicinal use, but before four states went on to legalise recreational cannabis use," addiction experts Michael Lynskey and Wayne Hall wrote in a comment also carried by the journal.

"It is probably too soon to draw conclusions about the effects of these legal changes on rates of cannabis use and cannabis-related harms, but it is likely that these policy changes will increase the prevalence and frequency of cannabis use," they said.

The trend is not a global one -- cannabis use in Britain has gone down in the last 10 years, according to Robin Murray of Kings College London, who also commented on the study.
Rights groups protest in support of Ganga Maya

Human rights activists organised a sit-in-protest in front of Prime Ministers residence at Baluwatar on Tuesday
Saudi Arabia car

A bunch of warning signs have bubbled up in Saudi Arabia's economy over the past few months.

The Saudi economy grew by just 1.5% in the first quarter compared with the year before  its slowest rate since 2013.

And while the oil sector grew by 5.1% year-over-year, the non-oil sector shrank by 0.7%  its weakest reading in at least five years.

Moreover, output in the construction sector shrank by 1.9% year-over-year in July.

And a note from Al Rajhi Capital recently pointed out that the Saudi Arabia Interbank Offered Rate, or Saibor, has nearly tripled  to about 2.3% from less than 0.8%  over the past year and is facing a "liquidity squeeze in the market."

But over the past few days, a couple of other signs have emerged that economists are keeping an eye on.

Official data reported Sunday showed that net foreign assets at the Saudi central bank dropped to $555 billion in July, down $6 billion from the previous month, according to Reuters. This was a 16% drop compared with the year before and the lowest level since February 2012.

And that's notable because the Saudis have been dipping into reserves in light of the budget deficit and lower oil prices.

Screen Shot 2016 08 30 at 11.36.11 AM

Furthermore, Capital Economics' GDP Tracker, which is constructed from monthly activity data, estimates that the Saudi economy shrank by 2.3% year-over-year in June. It also estimates that output slumped by 2% year-over-year in the second quarter.

"If our tracker is correct, this would be the first contraction in the Saudi economy since 2009, in the midst of the global financial crisis," said Jason Tuvey, Capital Economics' Middle East economist.

The firm's tracker also suggests that the non-oil sector saw output fall by about 4.5% year-over-year in June  which would be the sharpest drop since 1986. It could be worth watching the Saudis' non-oil industry as the government moves forward with its plan to diversify away from the oil sector.

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Screen Shot 2016 08 30 at 11.34.42 AM

That being said, Tuvey also argued that the rest of the year could see a recovery.

"As the authorities ease the pace of austerity, a recovery should get underway in the next few years," he said. "But it is likely to be slow-going  we expect growth of just 1.5% year-over-year in 2018, whereas the consensus and the [International Monetary Fund] have penciled in growth of more than 2%."

Official figures for the second-quarter gross domestic product will be released at the end of September.

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Aug 31 (Reuters) - The following financial services industry appointments were announced on Wednesday. To inform us of other job changes, email moves@thomsonreuters.com.

BANK OF AMERICA CORP

The investment banking unit Merrill Lynch appointed Philippe Chryssicopoulos as its head of power, utilities and renewables investment banking for Europe, Middle East and Africa, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

DEMICA

The London-based boutique capital markets firm appointed Daniel Kustrin as chief technology officer.

TILNEY BESTINVEST GROUP LTD

The financial planning firm hired Miles Robinson as head of investment management and Adam Parker as head of midlands investment management.

(Compiled by Akankshita Mukhopadhyay and Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru)
From Esquire

(Optional Musical Accompaniment To This Post)

Before discussing El Caudillo del Mar-A-Lago's impromptu Tour of the Americas '16, I thought I'd just leave this right here, in case we need it.

"Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both."

Now, I will grant you that the Logan Act has been a constitutional doormat down through the years. (There's only ever been one indictment under it, and that was in 1803, and it never went to trial.) I mean, if Richard Nixon could monkeywrench the Paris Peace Talks in 1968 and get away with it, then the Logan Act is pretty much a dead letter, although presidents have used it as a threat from time to time. But I thought I'd just put it out there as a reminder that, if Donald Trump does anything during his stopover south of the border beyond picking out something lovely at the airport gift shop, he's flirting with, you know, breaking the law.

Not that any of that would matter. What we have here is an American presidential candidate with a 60 percent unfavorable rating having a bit of a chat with a Mexican president whose approval rating is in the 20s. If they're smart, they'll both throw on disguises and head for the Caymans. I doubt that this will happen.

All that being said, this truly is a bravura stunt.

(And real props to Robert Costa of The Washington Post for a gen-u-wine scoop on Tuesday night.) If you ignore the fact that Trump has now completely abandoned almost every principle and position that helped him win the Republican nomination for president, and if you ignore the fact that he's squeezing in the visit between California fundraisers and his big immigration speech in Arizona-so it's unlikely there's going to be much time for serious violations of the Logan Act-this is a spectacular piece of campaign vaudeville designed to fool not the rubes in the country who are going to vote for him anyway, and not even the mushy Republicans who are seeking some reason-any reason!-to vote for their party's nominee, although they're important, too.

Story continues

Photo credit: Getty

No, it's primarily aimed at the suckers in the elite political press, some of whom, I guarantee you, will fall for this malarkey becauseoptics! He has a gift for dominating the news cycle! And all this on a day in which ABC and the Post are tootling the call to the post because of their new poll showing that Hillary Rodham Clinton is as unpopular as Trump is among likely voters. Whee, kids! As Fred Caposella used to say, the crowd is moving closer to the rail and that can mean only one thing-it is now post time!

(Here's ABC's explanation for these numbers: Clinton's rise in unpopularity follows renewed attention on her use of a private email server and alleged conflicts of interest over her connections to the Clinton Foundation fundraising while she served as secretary of state. It's magic!)

I'd be lying if I said I knew what was going to happen during the Trump-Nieto Something Less Than A Summit. I think Trump himself would be lying if he said he knew what was going to happen. It's possible that Nieto invited him down there to tear him a new one, thereby boosting Nieto's numbers into the low 30s. It's possible that Trump is sucking around for some extravagant protests so that he can demonstrate 15 minutes of being resolute. It's possible that the whole thing is some sort of Fletcher Knebel scam in which Trump says he's going to Mexico and hires a body double and flies off to Poland to hire more visa-less models.

Maybe Nieto can ask him about that. From Mother Jones:

Two other former Trump models-who requested anonymity to speak freely about their experiences, and who we are giving the pseudonyms Anna and Kate-said the agency never obtained work visas on their behalf, even as they performed modeling assignments in the United States. (They provided photographs from some of these jobs, and Mother Jones confirmed with the photographers or stylists that these shoots occurred in the United States.) Each of the three former Trump models said she arrived in New York with dreams of making it big in one of the world's most competitive fashion markets. But without work visas, they lived in constant fear of getting caught. "I was pretty on edge most of the time I was there," Anna said of the three months in 2009 she spent in New York working for Trump's agency. "I was there illegally," she said. "A sitting duck."

Or maybe the whole thing is just one more nutty twist in the ongoing drama. I'd like to lodge a complaint with the writer's room for 2016.

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After almost 70 years of violence, Myanmar's new civilian government is holding a major conference this week aimed at brokering peace with ethnic groups that have fought the state since its birth.

Here are four things to know about the talks:

- What are the talks about? -

Since its 1948 independence from British colonial rule, Myanmar has been locked in simmering warfare with a diverse cast of ethnic rebels fighting for control over their lands.

By getting all the main players to the table -- rebel leaders, lawmakers and the top army brass -- Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi hopes to reshape the former military dictatorship as a federal democracy.

The conference is also personal for the nobel laureate.

Suu Kyi is looking to channel the spirit of a 1947 agreement signed by her independence hero father that granted autonomy to several ethnic minority states.

This week's peace summit has been dubbed the '21st Century Panglong' in reference to that deal, which fell apart after Suu Kyi's father was assassinated, but which remains the closest modern Myanmar has come to being a unified state.

- Why are they happening now? -

Suu Kyi has stressed that peace is vital to the political and economic revival she hopes will take root in a nation pummelled by 50 years of military repression.

Many people in conflict zones live in grinding poverty, despite the rich reserves of jade and tin, and huge forests of prized teak wood that cover their lands.

Control over these lucrative resources lies at the heart of many of the battles, and could be further complicated as foreign businesses pile into the emerging nation, seeking a slice of the pie.

- What are the main roadblocks? -

After decades of fighting and tortuous debate, it is still unclear what a federal Myanmar would look like.

Several insurgent groups refused to commit to eventual disarmament ahead of the conference, as demanded by the military, while others are still actively locked in combat with state troops.

Story continues

The army's legacy of brutal warfare and repression has left many ethnic minorities wary of the generals, who still control powerful branches of the government and economy.

Many fear the Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar army is known, will renege on any deal that hurts its interests.

Meanwhile, some powerful rebel militias that run the lawless border regions, have shown little interest in any deal.

- What are the wider repercussions? -

Ending the fighting would not only be an extraordinary feat for the fledgling democracy, but a significant step towards opening up Myanmar's poor but fast-growing economy.

A peace deal could pave the way for foreign players to bring billions of dollars in aid to the conflict zones and provide the basic services now lacking in many areas.

Peace would also open up the north of the country to regional behemoth China, which has been pushing several vast energy and infrastructure projects.

But this might be a double-edged sword.

The concern is that many of these, particularly planned hydroelectric dams in Kachin and Shan states, could devastate local communities and severely damage the environment.

Some ethnic minorities also fear their culture and traditions could be further eroded by the mainly ethnic Bamar central authorities.
By Shwe Yee Saw Myint and Antoni Slodkowski NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi launched a major push to end decades of fighting between the military and myriad rebel groups with an appeal on Wednesday to the country's ethnic minorities to overcome their differences to achieve peace. Suu Kyi has made the peace process a priority for her administration, which faces sky-high expectations at home and abroad after sweeping to power in an election last November to end more than half a century of military-backed rule. Delegates in elaborate ethnic costumes, sporting silver necklaces and hats adorned with peacock feathers, mingled and took photographs with military officers, mainstream majority Bamar politicians and diplomats at the start of the conference. "If all those who play a part ... in the peace process cultivate the wisdom to reconcile differing views for the good of the people ... we will surely be able to build the democratic federal union of our dreams," said Suu Kyi in her opening remarks. "Only if we are all united, our country will be at peace. Only if our country is at peace, will we be able to stand on equal footing with other countries in our region and across the world." Myanmar has been torn by fighting between the military, which seized power in a 1962 coup, and ethnic armed groups almost without a break since the end of the Second World War. The focus on Wednesday was on the symbolic, with few concrete proposals likely to emerge from this week's talks. Delegates expect to meet every six months to discuss issues ranging from security, political representation, language and culture to control of Myanmar's rich mineral resources. "It's the Tatmadaw [military] members and our brethren members of ethnic armed groups, who have been directly suffering from ... the lack of peace in the country, sacrificing their limbs and lives," said army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. "I firmly believe that we will be able to accomplish this great process with our unity and efforts." ETHNIC TENSIONS Myanmar is home to more than a hundred ethnic groups with distinct traditions and cultures, and some representative performed a folk dance on the conference stage celebrating the Southeast Asian nation's ethnic diversity. Among those absent from the conference, however, were any representatives of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims, who face persecution and human rights abuses at the hands of their Buddhist neighbors in northwestern Rakhine State. A day before the conference started, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Myanmar to improve the living conditions of the Rohingya, underscoring the challenges facing Suu Kyi in tackling all the country's ethnic divisions. But the fact that Suu Kyi has been able to bring the vast majority of the rebel groups to the negotiating table only five months after taking power is a sign of progress, experts say. Powerful armed groups from regions bordering China, including the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), who refused to sign a ceasefire last October under the previous military-backed government, are now taking part, partly owing to China's tacit support for the talks, observers say. As Myanmar's economy opens up, China is vying for influence with the United States. President Xi Jinping pledged his country would play a "constructive role" in the peace process when Suu Kyi visited China this month. Casting a shadow over the talks is a recent flare-up in fighting in northernmost Kachin State and clashes in northeastern Shan State, which is home to several large groups operating close to borders with China and Thailand. (Additional reporting by Aung Hla Tun, Aye Win Myint and Timothhy Mclaughin; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Swaraj congratulates Mahat on his appointment as Foreign Minister

Indias Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj has congratulated Prakash Sharan Mahat for his appointment as the new foreign minister of Nepal.
National Guard teams from Alaska and California rescued a man who was washed downriver in his truck after trying to cross Cache Creek on Friday, August 26. A mining road crosses the creek, but the water level was higher due to rainfall, according to the Alaska National Guard.

The man climbed out of the cab of the truck and on to the top of the vehicle as it moved downstream, according to the guard, and a bystander with him left the scene for better cellular service to call for help.

Guardsmen hoisted the man from the vehicle with a helicopter, and the man was uninjured. Credit: Alaska National Guard
By Ulf Laessing and Lanre Ola MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's army expects to seize Boko Haram's last few strongholds in the northeast over the next few weeks, the commander in charge of crushing the jihadist group's seven-year insurgency said on Wednesday. The army missed a December deadline set by President Muhammadu Buhari to wipe out the group, which wants to set up an Islamic caliphate in the area around Lake Chad, but has retaken most of its territory - at one point the size of Belgium. Major General Lucky Irabor, commander of the operation, said the jihadists were now holed up in a few pockets of the Sambisa forest - where more than 200 girls kidnapped from the town of Chibok in 2014 are believed to be held - and two areas near Lake Chad and would be flushed out "within weeks". Despite the set-backs, Boko Haram still manages to stage regular suicide bombings in Nigeria and neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Since 2009, more than 15,000 people have been killed, 2.3 million displaced and the local economy decimated. "Almost all of the locations held by the Boko Haram terrorists have been reclaimed. We are talking only of a few villages and towns," Irabor said in an interview at his base in Maiduguri in Borno state, birth place of the insurgency. Much of the success is down to better military cooperation with Nigeria's neighbours, especially Chad, whose forces have been attacking Boko Haram fighters fleeing across the border. "There are joint operations. My commanders have an exchange with local commanders across the borders. Because of the collaborations we've had Boko Haram has been boxed in and in a few weeks you will hear good news," he said. He said the jihadists, who pledged loyalty to Islamic State last year, were still controlling Abadan and Malafatori, two towns near Lake Chad, apart from their main base in the Sambisa forest, south of Maidguri. The army was planning a new push into Sambisa after abandoning an attempt due to torrential rain, he said. "Earlier on this year we had a major operation in the Sambisa," he said. "Gains were made but unfortunately the weather conditions became such that we to pull out waiting for more favorable conditions." He said the army had rescued some 20,000 people from Boko Haram, a fraction of the 2.2 million UNICEF said last week remained trapped in the region around Lake Chad. LEADER "WOUNDED" Irabor's base on the outskirts of Maiduguri, a sprawling military complex with rows of residential blocks for officers, is the most visible sign of a shake-up introduced by Buhari, a former military ruler. Under his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, the army had a reputation for being poorly equipped and running away in the face of Boko Haram assaults. Britain and other countries have recently increased military assistance, and two Westerners wearing flat jackets could be seen jogging in the compound. U.S. officials told Reuters in May that Washington, which blocked arms sales under Jonathan amid concerns about rights abuses, wants to sell up to 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to Nigeria although Congress needs to approve the deal. Irabor has set up a human rights desk to address the issue. "The code of conduct is quite clear. Human rights issues are taken quite seriously," he said. He said that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had recently been wounded, but backed off an Air Force statement this month suggesting he had been killed in an airstrike. "Shekau was wounded. That's what I can confirm, but as to whether he is dead that I cannot at the moment confirm." Boko Haram, which normally communicates via video or audio clips posted on the Internet, has said nothing since the Aug. 24 Air Force statement about Shekau being hurt. (Editing by Ed Cropley and Louise Ireland)
By Ulf Laessing

NNEWI, Nigeria (Reuters) - At a factory in southeast Nigeria, dozens of new white buses stand at the end of the production line, apparently ready to take on some of Africa's toughest roads.

Unfortunately for Nigeria's main domestic vehicle assembly firm they are going nowhere for now.

In an economy starved of dollars because of the slump in oil prices, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) cannot buy imported components, leaving the buses without engines - a metaphor for the problems afflicting Africa's most populous nation.

GDP figures on Wednesday confirmed that the continent's biggest economy slid into its first recession in 25 years in the second quarter, shrinking by 2.06 percent after a 0.36 percent contraction in the first three months of the year.

The poor state of the manufacturing sector in particular is a blow to President Muhammadu Buhari, who has been pushing hard to wean Nigeria off its dependence on crude oil sales, which make up 70 percent of government revenues.

At IVM, whose products are intended to show Nigeria can export more than oil, workers have already been sent home because of a lack of parts from Japan, China and Germany, which account for much of the content of the vehicles they produce.

Production had stopped "as we are waiting for the imported items for which there is a forex issue," chairman Innocent Chukwuma said at the firm's plant at Nnewi, in southern Nigeria.

Launched in 2010, IVM last year raised its annual production target for 2016 from 4,000 to 6,000 vehicles due to a "Made in Nigeria" campaign that generated strong sales to the police, state agencies and churches.

Those ambitions are now looking shaky if promises of government assistance fail to materialise, Chukwuma said.

"I believe they are doing something but if they can't do anything we'll lay off some workers," Chukwuma said.

"JAPAN OF AFRICA"

Nigeria's foreign currency reserves were more than $31 billion a year ago but dropped to below $26 billion this month as the central bank stepped up its dollar sales to try to address the widespread foreign exchange shortage.

Story continues

A 40 percent devaluation of the naira in June was meant to resolve that shortage by encouraging delayed inward investment and opening up the currency market.

But trade on the official market remains thin, with many of the available dollars finding their way to the black market, where they are sold at a premium of 40 percent.

For a country that imports everything from machines to milk the impact is huge.

In the southeastern city of Aba - known as the "Japan of Africa" until the 1970s - more than 2,000 shoemakers have shut because they cannot pay for imported glue or synthetic leather, whose prices has surged due to the black market dollar rate.

"We are just managing," said Uche Okeke, who used to make 1,000 pairs of women's shoes a month before the price of glue quadrupled, forcing him to nearly halve production and lay off half his staff.

With the inflated input costs, consumers in neighbouring Cameroon, who used to buy most of Aba's shoes, are now opting for cheaper Chinese footwear.

Until recently, three trucks laden with shoes and bags left the city for Cameroon every week. Now it is one every fortnight, traders at the city's almost deserted motor park said.

POTHOLES

Government officials point to a sizeable investment this year by U.S. drinks giant Coca Cola in local juice and dairy firm Chi Ltd as evidence of a turnaround in Nigeria's fortunes, but business people say promises of government support fail to materialise.

Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said earlier this month that exporters should get tax breaks, another item in a list of proposals that have yet to make it into law.

A government source said last week that Buhari wanted parliament to grant him extra powers to speed up plans such as easing visa restrictions for potential investors.

The government under Buhari has spent 400 billion naira ($1.2 billion) on building roads or improving the power supply but that has had little impact in a country of 190 million that has suffered decades of mismanagement.

The main roads around Aba - whose shoes are said to have rivalled even Italian footwear in the decade after independence - are littered with pot-holes and in some parts are little more than dirt tracks.

"We are tired of hearing about support from the federal government. We read about it in the newspapers, hear it on television and radio. But it's just talk," said Goodluck Nmeri, head of the 6,000-strong shoemakers' association in Aba.

(Editing by Ed Cropley and Giles Elgood)
Shares of Noble Corporation NE sank to a new 52-week low of $5.70 on Tuesday before closing the day higher at $5.74.



Noble Corp. provides diversified services for the oil and gas industry. The company offers contract drilling services with a fleet of offshore drilling units. The company renders contract drilling services along with provision of labor contract drilling, engineering and consulting, and project management services. The company offers its services in the United States, the Middle East, India, Mexico, the North Sea, Brazil, and West Africa.



In the current environment, there is a severe dearth of contracts for all drillers; even for those with good rigs. However, Noble Corp.s strong management skills, farsightedness and superior capability are positives that will help the company to survive this crisis.



Earlier this month the company reported the early termination of its drilling contract for one of its jackup rig with Quadrant Energy. The contract is now expected to conclude during the second half of Sep 2016. As part of the contract, Noble Corp. will receive a demobilization fee as well as 50% of the operating dayrate through the original contract expiration date from the customer. Most underwater drillers continue to trade on oil prices that are still very volatile.



NOBLE CORP PLC Price and Consensus

NOBLE CORP PLC Price and Consensus | NOBLE CORP PLC Quote

Also, downward estimate revisions over the last 90 days added to Noble Corp.s losing value in the market. Analysts have turned bearish on the companys growth prospects and are therefore pushing down estimates. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 detriorated to earnings of 2 cents per share from 50 cents per share over the last 90 days.



Noble Corp. currently holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



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With the Supreme Courts four more liberal Justices staying together in favor of freer access to voting for black citizens, the Court on Wednesday afternoon left intact a federal appeals court ruling that nullified five new restrictions in North Carolina. The issue, in essence, split the Court 4-to-4; the order can be found here.

It would have taken the votes of five of the eight Justices to postpone the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit against a strict new photo ID requirement, plus four other limits on voting practices that are used most often by black voters.

The Court did not explain its order, other than to note the states request had been denied and that Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr., and Anthony M. Kennedy would have allowed enforcement of all but one of the five provisions, and Justice Clarence Thomas would have allowed all five to be used in voting in the general election in November.

The order did not disclose the fact of the votes of the other four Justices, but the denial of the states request for a stay meant that those four had voted to deny the states request in all respects. Those four are Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

North Carolina still has a legal right to file a full appeal to challenge the Fourth Circuit Courts ruling, and it would take the votes of only four Justices to grant review. However, the four who might favor that review might hesitate to do so because there would appear to be no realistic chance that they could pick up a fifth vote to make up a majority for a final decision.

There is no prospect that a ninth Justice will join the Court, replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia, until late this year at the earliest. If the Senate takes no action on the nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland to succeed Scalia before the end of this year, it could be next March or April before a new Justice could be on the bench.

Story continues

North Carolinas three-year-old law, besides taking away photo IDs of the kinds that tend to be available to black voters, also made these changes: It limited early voting, before election day, to 10 days instead of 17; it ended the right to register to vote on the same day that a vote was cast; it barred the counting of votes that had been cast in the wrong precinct; and it would have banned pre-registering to vote for youths before they actually reached age 18.

In its plea to postpone the Fourth Circuit Courts decision, state officials had asked for permission to enforce only the photo ID law, the limit on early voting to 10 days, and the bar to early registration for youths who are 16 years old. The pre-registration change was the only one of the five provisions that three Justices would have kept on hold.

The Justices who voted to permit any of the provisions to be used in November did not explain their reasoning for doing so, and neither did the four Justices who voted to leave the Fourth Circuit Court ruling undisturbed.

It would have been very difficult for any of the Courts four more liberal members to have voted in favor of the state laws restrictions since the Fourth Circuit Court ruled that the state legislature had adopted those measures with the specific intent to curb voting rights for black citizens. The Circuit Court had noted that state legislators moved swiftly to pass the new measure after the Supreme Court, in the 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder. That decision had brought virtually to an end the requirement that states with a history of racial discrimination in voting had to get advance clearance in Washington for any changes in their election laws or procedures.

The North Carolina controversy has been closely watched as the federal courts began dealing with a wave of new voting restrictions imposed in many states  including many that favored new photo ID requirements.

Legendary journalist Lyle Denniston is Constitution Dailys Supreme Court correspondent. Denniston has written for us as a contributor since June 2011. Denniston has covered the Supreme Court since 1958. His work also appears on lyldenlawnews.com, where this post first appeared.
By Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has executed its vice premier for education and rebuked two high-ranking officials, South Korea said on Wednesday, which, if true, would mark a new series of measures by leader Kim Jong Un to discipline top aides. Kim took power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, and his consolidation of power has included purges and executions of top officials, South Korean officials have said. South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said the government had confirmed the execution of the education official, Kim Yong Jin, "through various channels" but declined to provide details. Kim Yong Chol, the influential head of the North's United Front Department which handles inter-Korean relations, was made to undergo "revolutionary measures," Jeong told a briefing. Another ruling party official in the propaganda department was also reprimanded, Jeong said. It is difficult to independently verify news about top officials in the North or the inner circle around the leader. Some previous reports of executions and purges in the reclusive state have proven inaccurate. Vice Premier Kim Yong Jin was executed for not keeping his posture upright at a public event, a South Korean government official later told Reuters. Kim Yong Chol was punished for his overbearing demeanor, the official added, but gave no details. The execution, by firing squad, took place in July and Kim Yong Chol was re-educated at a rural farm for a month until mid-August, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said. The South's comments follow a news report on Tuesday that the North had executed two high-ranking officials for disobeying leader Kim Jong Un. Kim Yong Jin was promoted to vice premier in 2012 after serving as education minister, according to a South Korean government database on key officials of the North. Army general Kim Yong Chol headed the North Korean intelligence agency before taking his current position this year. News of the reclusive state's new purges comes after the South said North Korea's deputy ambassador in London had defected and arrived in the South with his family, dealing an embarrassing blow to Kim's regime. North Korea rarely announces purges or executions, although state media confirmed the 2012 execution of Kim's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, widely considered the country's second most powerful man, for factionalism and crimes damaging to the economy. A former defense minister, Hyun Yong Chol, is also believed to have been executed last year for treason, according to the South's spy agency. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By James Pearson and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has made considerable progress this year on weapons technology, including testing a submarine-launched missile for the first time, but it's still not clear if the isolated nation has developed a nuclear warhead. It also does not yet have a fleet of submarines that can launch the newly developed missile. Nevertheless, concerns about the threat posed by North Korea have spiraled since it conducted its fourth nuclear explosion in January and followed it up with a series of missile tests despite severe United Nations sanctions. Also, three major factories known to produce machine parts for North Korea's sanctioned nuclear and missile programs have been modernized or expanded, according to analysis of recent satellite imagery seen by Reuters, a further sign of its commitment of scarce resources to weapons. (For graphic, click http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/NORTH-KOREA-NUCLEAR/010021E53EX/NORTH-KOREA-NUCLEAR.jpg) "North Korea has dramatically increased the pace of missile testing and invested heavily in modernizing its factories that produce them, something we can see in satellite images," said Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies. "These investments have paid off with the recent test of a solid-fueled submarine-launched missile, but North Korea has not yet completed development of a submarine to carry that missile." In April, a South Korean official said the North had accomplished miniaturization of a nuclear warhead to mount on a missile, although there was no direct evidence it had done so. The United States has said the North's claim that it had miniaturized a warhead had to be taken as a credible threat. "I think North Korea is capable of miniaturizing nuclear bombs," said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum and a policy adviser to the South Korean navy. "But they don't have any standardized warhead yet to put on missiles. They keep gathering data through nuclear tests and working to standardize a warhead." Experts have predicted that the delivery vehicle for the North's first nuclear warhead would be the medium-range Rodong missile, which can fire a 1 tonne (1,100 lb) warhead up to 2,000 km (1,250 miles). Despite threats to strike the mainland United States, the North is seen as several years away from building an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can carry a nuclear warhead. EXPANDED PRODUCTION In the past year, North Korea has boasted of numerous weapons breakthroughs in unprecedented detail. Although some of it was bluster, international experts have concluded North Korea's missiles have flown higher and for longer than previously, indicating progress in the country's banned missile program. In June, after repeated failures, it successfully launched an intermediate-range missile, which can fly up to 3,500 km (2,100 miles). Analysis of satellite images shows that the North has recently expanded factories known to contribute to its nuclear and missile programs. An Aug 22 image of a sprawling plant in a rural area 60 km (37 miles) north of Pyongyang appears to show several new structures, extensive refurbishment of existing buildings and a new entrance to a probable underground facility, according to data from satellite imagery provider Planet that was analyzed by Lewis. The January 18 General Machine Plant has long been used to produce engines for tanks, missiles and other military vessels, according to experts. "This represents an enormous investment in North Korea's missile production infrastructure, something that is consistent with the propaganda offensive we have seen and the spike in missile testing," said Lewis. The Kanggye General Tractor Plant, believed by arms control experts to assemble North Koreans munitions, was also upgraded in the last year, according to imagery analyzed by Lewis. The plant is the country's "main weapons production base," a defector who worked in North Korea's secretive munitions industry told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper in 2010. For Pyongyang, however, building a new submarine fleet seems to be a top priority. A new construction hall has come up at North Korea's Sinpo submarine base on the east coast, according to images collected by Planet. An image from Aug 10 shows a new structure being built beside a refurbished pier within the base, although it was not clear if the new hall would house a new class of submarine. Perfecting submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology and having a fleet of submarines that could deploy the weapons would raise North Korea's threat to Japan and U.S. interests in the Pacific to a new level, given the ability of submarines to escape a land attack and evade missile defense shields. Leader Kim Jong Un proclaimed the SLBM test the country's "greatest success" and said North Korea was at the "front-rank of nuclear powers". Moon Keun-sik, a retired South Korean submarine captain and squadron leader, said North Korea's conventional diesel-powered submarines were a persistent threat despite their age but its SLBM-capable craft could be a game-changer. "North Korea will be or is already in the process of building a newer, bigger submarine that may happen as early as next year," he said. (Additional reporting by Yun Hwan Chae in SEOUL and Tim Kelly in TOKYO; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
If you thought your boss overreacted after that time you fell asleep during a board meeting, then at least be thankful for this much: he didnt have you executed.

On Wednesday, South Korean officials announced that last month, a North Korean firing squad shot and killed Kim Yong-Jin, a vice premier for education, for doing just that.

His audacity to either fall asleep or have such bad posture that others thought he did during a meeting run by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un earned him the pleasure of an interrogation by government officials. It was after that meeting that he was labeled an anti-party, anti-revolutionary agitator, and sentenced to death.

Kim Yong-Jin was denounced for his bad sitting posture when he was sitting below the rostrum, Seouls Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-Hee said on Wednesday.

Two other officials, including Kim Yong-Chol  the man in charge of inter-Korean affairs  were sent to reeducation programs. In North Korea, that often means work camp, and in Kims case, hell be laboring on farm indefinitely.

Its no wonder that 10 North Korean officials have defected since January of this year.

Photo credit: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
Seoul (AFP) - North Korea has executed a vice premier for showing disrespect during a meeting presided over by leader Kim Jong-Un, South Korea said Wednesday, after reports that he fell asleep.

The regime also banished two other senior officials, Seoul said, the latest in a slew of punishments Kim is believed to have ordered in what analysts say is an attempt to tighten his grip on power.

"Vice premier for education Kim Yong-Jin was executed," Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-Hee said at a regular briefing.

Kim was killed by a firing squad in July as "an anti-party, anti-revolutionary agitator," added an official at the ministry, who declined to be named.

"Kim Yong-Jin was denounced for his bad sitting posture when he was sitting below the rostrum" during a session of North Korea's parliament, and then underwent an interrogation that revealed other "crimes", the official told reporters.

The mass-selling JoongAng Ilbo reported on Tuesday that top regime figures had been punished, but identified the education official by a different name.

"He incurred the wrath of Kim after he dozed off during a meeting presided over by Kim," it quoted a source as saying.

"He was arrested on site and intensively questioned by the state security ministry".

- Fall of spymaster -

The unification ministry said two other senior figures were forced to undergo re-education sessions.

One of them was Kim Yong-Chol, a top official in charge of inter-Korean affairs and espionage activities against the South.

The 71-year-old Kim is a career military intelligence official who is believed to be the mastermind behind the North's frequent cyberattacks on Seoul.

Kim is also blamed by the South for the sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010 near the disputed sea border with the North in the Yellow Sea.

Kim was banished to a farm in July for a month for his "arrogance" and "abuse of power," the ministry official said.

Story continues

The spymaster, who was reinstated this month, is likely to be tempted to prove his loyalty by committing provocative acts against the South, the official said.

"Therefore, we are keeping close tabs on the North", he said.

Professor Yang Moo-Jin at the University of North Korean Studies said the vice premier's execution could be indirectly verified when Pyongyang's state media reveals the names of attendees at the government's anniversary ceremony on September 9.

That confirmation will be important; Seoul in February said North Korean military chief of staff Ri Yong-Gil had been executed -- only for Ri to turn up at a party rally in May.

- Uncle -

South Korea's Yonhap news agency put the number of party officials executed during Kim Jong-Un's rule at over 100.

The most notorious case was that of Kim's uncle and onetime No. 2 Jang Song-Thaek, who was executed for charges including treason and corruption in December 2013.

In April 2015, it was reported that Kim had his defence minister Hyon Yong-Chol summarily executed with an anti-aircraft gun.

Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior researcher at the private Sejong Institute, said the "reign of terror" that is characteristic of a Stalinist state showed no sign of abating under Kim.

"But the intensity of the reign of terror depends on changes to the internal and external political environment", Cheong said.

Reports of the latest execution coincide with a series of high-profile defections from the North.

North Korea's deputy ambassador to Britain sought refuge in the South with his family, the unification ministry said earlier this month.

Thae Yong-Ho was driven by "disgust for the North Korean regime" and concerns for his family's future, it said.

Twelve waitresses and their manager who had been working at a North Korea-themed restaurant in China also made headlines when they arrived in the South in April as the largest group defection for years.

About 10 North Korean diplomats made it to the South in the first half of this year alone, Yonhap said, quoting informed sources.
Do you have a question about history? Send us your question at history@time . com and you might find your answer in a future edition of Now You Know.

Ironically, considering the system is used to describe precise calendar years, its impossible to say exactly when the A.D. calendar designation first came into being, says Lynn Hunt, author of Measuring Time, Making History and professor of history at UCLA.

Though there are a few frequently cited inflection points in that historyrecorded instances of particular books using one system or anotherthe things that happened in the middle, and how and when new systems of dating were adopted, remain uncertain.

Systems of dating before B.C./A.D. was fully adopted were often based on significant events, political leaders and a well-kept chronology of the order in which they ruled. For example, the Romans generally described years based on who was consul, or by counting from the founding of the city of Rome. Some might also count based on what year of an emperors reign it was. Egyptians also used a variation on this system, counting years based on years of a kings rule (so, an event might be dated to the 5th year of someones rule) and then keeping a list of those kings.



But how did we get from that event-based organization to sticking with just one primary moment?

The history is very vague, because it takes a long time to adopt this sort of dating, Hunt says. A.D. is very easy for people to cope with because the life of Jesus is obviously incredibly important in Christian Europe. So Anno Domini, the year of our Lord, is a very easy transition to make, as opposed to dating the year an emperor had reigned in Rome. Still, even if theres logic to counting from a single incredibly important event (and dating like this was also the basis for the Islamic calendar), it took hundreds of years to catch on.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

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Christians wanted to get away from the Roman chronology, so they begin to develop a Christian chronology. In Christian Europe Jesus is the obvious point of departure, explains Hunt. One of the early writers to date this way was Dionysius Exiguus, a monk who, in 525 A.D., was intent on working out when exactly Easter would occur in the coming years. Given the importance of calculating when significant religious occasions should be observed, he formulated a new table of when the holiday would fall, starting from a year he called 532. He wrote that this method of counting with years from the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ would replace a system based on the Roman Emperor Diocletians rule which he termed the memory of an impious persecutor of Christians. But just because he used this dating didnt mean it was popular or caught on immediately, or that he was necessarily the first to or only one to do so.

Practical use of A.D., on papers like charters or church documents, began to catch on in eighth and ninth century England, as Hunt describes in her book, and from there expanded to France and Italy by the late ninth century. But, even as it grew, people continued to use other systems like the Roman calendar.



So what about B.C?

Starting with Christs birth as a single defining momentrather than using a succession of rulers one after another, or trying to count from the very beginning of creationleads inevitably to the fact that lots of stuff happened before. But, Hunt says, B.C. was much harder to implement. Terms referring to this before varied all the way through the 18th century.

Some mention Bede, an Anglo-Saxon historian and monk, as an early instance of writing about before Christ. He used the same dating system as Exiguus throughout his history of England in 731, which he started with Caesars raids (55-54 B.C.) and so mentions years before the incarnation of our Lord. Another religious writer, this one a French Jesuit named Dionysius Petavius (a.k.a. Denis Petau), used the idea of ante Christum in his 1627 work De doctrina temporum. New editions continued to be published throughout the rest of the century and it was translated into English, where the abbreviations of A.C. or Ant. Chri. were used. Another option was to use the Julian Period system invented in the 16th century by Joseph Scaliger, who combined several other calendars to come up with a master calendar that stretched nearly 5,000 years back before the year one.

A century or so after Petavius work, Isaac Newton wrote a chronology in which he used Petavius systembut with a slight change in the wording, using before rather than the Latin ante. The times are set down in years before Christ, Newton wrote, but he didnt use abbreviations.

The hinge idea, that theres before Jesus and after Jesus really only takes root in the 17th and 18th century, Hunt says.

Newtons chronology was part of a growing interest in figuring out concordanceslinks between historical events and biblical eventsduring the 18th and 19th centuries. Even as some explored these connections, scientists wondered if the geological and fossil evidence they were discovering made sense with the age of the earth supposed by the Bible. Those doubts were possible to explore because the B.C. dating system can reach infinitely far into the past. Its becoming increasingly difficult for them to believe that the earth is only 6,000 years old and that gives much more importance to the A.D./B.C. [system], Hunt says, Previously it was not that long of a period before Jesus, and now all of a sudden thats exploding and becoming a potentially huge amount of time.

And, though it took centuries for A.D. and B.C. to catch on, they stuck. Aas some people stripped the terms of some of their religious connotations by using BCE (before the common era) and C.E. (common era) instead of B.C. and A.D.especially in the past 30 yearscounting from the birth of Christ endures. But even these newly popular terms have a history. When the language of how to refer to the system hadnt yet crystallized, people used a variety of terms including common eraas early as 1708, and the Encyclopedia Britannica used common era to refer to dates, alongside Christian era, in its 1797 edition.

A significant portion of this systems staying power is due to Western colonial expansion and dominance, Hunt says, adding that part of the reason we still use this system is because its so hard to change.

You get used to a certain way of doing things, she says. Its quite similar to the problem of the metric system, which is invented in the 18th century and took a very long time before it could be taken up even in France. Now almost everybody in the world uses it.
With the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on hold, President Obama today is facing the prospect that another of his massive trade agreements will not be concluded before he leaves office next January.

The signing of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)  and indeed its very future  became less likely when the French trade minister said he would call for a halt in talks scheduled for next month. That came hard on the heels of Germanys economic minster pronouncing the talks dead.

Related: US Trade Spokesman Says TTIP Talks Making Progress

TTIP negotiations began in 2013 but have not progressed very far in two years, with both sides refusing to compromise on a range of issues, according to Reuters. One area of disagreement is food and agriculture: For example, the U.S. wants to open more markets for its farm products, while the EU wants to protect specialty foods such as Parma ham, Reuters said.

Backers of the TTIP say it could boost the economies of the EU and the U.S. by $100 billion each, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has remained a staunch ally of Obamas in trying to move the agreement forward.

But public support in Europe has been shrinking as the tide of anti-globalism washes across the Continent and as elections near in both France and Germany. A poll in April by the Bertelsmann Foundation found the German public increasingly antagonistic toward the pact, with only 17 percent seeing it as a good thing, vs. 55 percent two years earlier. Moreover, the upcoming exit of Britain from the European Union has complicated the forging of an agreement.

Related: Trump and Sanders Are Right: Obamas Trade Deal Is a Dud

French President Francois Hollande, whose backing of TTIP has been tepid compared with that of Merkel, on Tuesday said it was an Illusion to think the deal could be wrapped up before Obama leaves office.

The backlash against global trade deals has been front and center in the campaign of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has called for the Trans-Pacific agreement to be scrapped or renegotiated. His rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, who supported TPP when she was Obamas secretary of state, has now turned against the 12-nation deal.

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Any hope that TPP could be pushed through before the end of Obamas term ended last Thursday when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told a farm group in Kentucky that serious flaws in the agreement would prevent it from being considered by the Senate before the November elections.

Related: Trump and Sanders Lash Out at a Common Enemy: Free Trade

McConnell noted that the politics of trade had become rather toxic.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Roberta Rampton LAKE TAHOE, Nev. (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that preserving natural places would help the world adapt to warming temperatures as he began a 10-day trip to stress the urgency of curbing climate change and attend a G20 meeting in China. "The challenges of conservation and combating climate change are connected, they're linked," Obama said during a stop in Lake Tahoe, the deep alpine lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains on the Nevada-California border. He was interrupted by protesters yelling: "Keep it in the ground," a campaign to limit fossil fuel production. Obama, who is racing to cement his legacy on climate change before his presidency ends on Jan. 20, will venture to the Midway Atoll on Thursday, deep inside the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, where he expanded protections last week. The tour leads up to a meeting in China on Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is hosting the G20 group of leading economies. Obama and Xi worked together last year to secure a global deal in Paris to cut carbon emissions and are expected to take the next steps soon to help bring the agreement into force. At a Nevada summit on the health of Lake Tahoe, whose average surface temperature reached an all-time recorded high last year, Obama said he was proud his administration had invested in solar and wind power. "These investments have helped drive down the cost of clean power so it's finally cheaper than dirty power in a lot of places," Obama said. "It's been the smart and right thing to do," he said. Green groups have urged Obama not to rest on his laurels. The U.S. Supreme Court put his plan to slash carbon emissions from power plants on hold earlier this year. "Were hoping that he will actually withdraw the Arctic from his five-year plan on offshore drilling, like he did with the Atlantic, because its an even worse place to drill," said marine biologist Jackie Savitz of the Oceana conservation group. (Additional reporting by Timothy Gardner, David Morgan and Jeff Mason; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will call for broader fiscal stimulus from other economies and press Beijing to limit steel capacity during his final G20 summit this weekend, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Wednesday.

In an address in Washington prior to his departure for the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China, Lew also said policy makers should respond to the populist discontent among voters in the United States and Europe, saying they should heed "the message of anxious and angry citizens who feel left behind."

"The president will call on his counterparts to follow through on the G20's commitment to use all policy tools -- including fiscal policy -- to achieve robust and inclusive growth," Lew said at the Brookings Institution.

"He will underscore the importance of investing in jobs and supporting middle-class incomes," Lew said.

Obama will also ask China for steel industry reforms, highlighting an issue that has threatened steel producers around the world.

"Excess capacity distorts markets and the environment, harms our workers and runs counter to our efforts to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth," he said.

Heads of state and finance chiefs from the world's top powers will gather for the G20 summit in Hangzhou amid sluggish global economic growth and uncertainty.

Lew hailed the G20 forum as a means for achieving consensus, saying global policy makers had ultimately come around to US positions gainst an austerity response to slow growth and against competitive currency devaluations.

Analysts say the G20 summit, on September 4-5, is unlikely to produce breakthroughs, with officials not facing the pressure to act that a crisis can create.

The summit also arrives with Obama's trade agenda in grave doubt as he enters the final five months of his presidency. Two landmark international free tree agreements with Asia and Europe -- the Transpacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership -- remain in limbo.

Both presidential nominees, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, have said they oppose the agreements and Congress appears unlikely to ratify the completed TPP agreement, imperiling a long Obama effort at freer trade with 11 other Pacific rim countries.
We officially know when Tower of Terror is closing at Disneyland, so start saying goodbye

We officially know when Tower of Terror is closing at Disneyland, so start saying goodbye

Write this down: The last time youll be able to *drop* in on Tower of Terror at Disneyland is January 2nd, 2017.

Since all good (and terrifying) things must come to an end eventually, earlier today the Disney Parks Blog made the official Tower of Terror announcement. To prepare for the brand new Guardians of the Galaxy ride that will take the place of the 13-story drop, Tower of Terror will no longer be accepting new hotel guests after the start of next year.

Its certainly sad, but just think  soon well have a Guardians of the Galaxy ride!

The Guardians of the Galaxy - Themed Lands Coming to Disney

Before Tower of Terror takes the final plunge, Disneyland is rolling out a bunch of special events to celebrate the beloved ride.

Starting this Halloween season  and thats September 9th through October 31st for Disneyland  guests will be able to ride a late check-out version of the ride. What the heck is that?

Its Tower of Terrorbut in complete darkness. No lights whatsoever. Talk about ~spooky~.

Disneyland will also have special merchandise, food, and photo-stops in California Adventure to honor Tower of Terror, so get yourself to the park ASAP so you can snag these yourself.

While its always disappointing to see a classic Disney attraction transform into something brand new, you just KNOW the Guardians of the Galaxy ride will be amazing (it might also lead to an entire Marvel area of DCA, and we like the sound of that). And if youre still seriously missing The Hollywood Tower, its still operational in Disney World, Tokyo DisneySea, and Disney Studios Park in Paris. Youve still got options to ~drop~ in for a visit.

The post We officially know when Tower of Terror is closing at Disneyland, so start saying goodbye appeared first on HelloGiggles.
TRC chief Gurung warns of quitting

Rues limited resources, state apathy for streamlining laws to conclude transitional justice process on time
Scientists have found the oldest physical evidence for life on earth in the fossils of Greenland rocks that are 3.7 billion years old.

The newly discovered fossils are 220 million years older than any previously unearthed fossil evidence, researchers wrote in the journal Nature. The fossils in the rocks are stromatolites, layered formations produced by microbial communities, the researchers wrote.

The discovery indicates that life on other planets was possible at the time.

If we have got life at 3,700 million years on Earth, did it exist on other planetsbecause Mars, for example, 3,700 million years ago was wet, Clark Friend, co-researcher in the study, told The Guardian.

Researchers said the stromatolites grew in a marine environment. The fossils date back to earths Archean Eon, which lasted from about 4 billion to 2.5 billion years ago.

Finding Archean rock is rare because they tend to be heavily twisted and altered, but the researchers hit a stroke of luck when they found an outcrop of rocks under a melted patch of snow in Greenland.

Wavy lines in the rocks revealed evidence of stromatolites, formed from thin layers of the microbial communities that trap and bind sediment.
It was 15 years ago today that we said goodbye to Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Beginning on Canadian television in 1963, the show moved to PBS in 1968, and aired there until its August 31, 2001 finale. Rogers closed the episode with this heartbreaking speech:

Im just so proud of all of you who have grown up with us. And I know how tough it is some days to look with hope and confidence on the months and years ahead, but I would like to tell you what I often told you when you were much younger: I like you just the way you are.

Fred Rogers, a former Presbyterian minister with a knack for explaining tough issues to children, worked in public television as a puppeteer and performer for over a decade before his Neighborhood came to fruition. In 1975, he gave a young stagehand a shot at appearing on camera. Hed later move to Hollywood to become Batman, Beetlejuice, and Michael Keaton.

Today, wed like to say thanks, with 5 Lessons We Learned From Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

5. You Can Never Go Down the Drain

4. Channel Your Anger Into Something Positive

3. Be Yourself

2. Divorce Isnt a Childs Fault

1. Look for the Helpers

Weird Al has his own cartoon coming to Disney. Check it out!



Did you grow up with Mr. Rogers Neighborhood? What were some of your favorite lessons? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.
Organic Gatorade is officially a thing that exists, which is pretty cool

After working up a sweat during an intense fitness sesh, the last thing you should do is fill your body with unhealthy stuff that completely obliterates any progress you made from getting physical. Thats why fitness buffs everywhere will be happy to know that a new line of organic Gatorade flavors is now available to satisfy all of your health-conscious, electrolyte needs.

workout

It took two years, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture finally gave the green light to the brands Lemon, Mixed Berry G and Strawberry organic flavored recipes.

So who do we have to thank for this drastic change? According to a Gatorade representative, the idea for a recipe switch-up originated from some old-fashioned locker room banter:

We heard pretty loud through the locker rooms, through our work with nutritionists, that there is an interest and a desire among athletes to go organic. Somewhere around 10 to 12 percent of athletes are saying theyre interested in purchasing organic products.

While knowing that this product appeals to athletes who are all basically the epitome of #fitnessgoals, were kind of sold on the new drink flavors. Despite the certified organic label, the jurys still out on whether these G Organic drinks are actually as healthy as they sound, but feel free to tiptoe on over to your local Kroger supermarket, where the new Gatorade flavors are currently sold.

The post Organic Gatorade is officially a thing that exists, which is pretty cool appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Paris (AFP) - The sole surviving member of the jihadist team that attacked Paris in November 2015 has again refused to be questioned by an anti-terror judge, a source close to the case said Wednesday.

Salah Abdeslam, 26, refused questioning a second time on July 7 when his lawyer Frank Berton sought unsuccessfully to get authorities to halt his client's round-the-clock surveillance in jail, the source told AFP.

Berton declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Wednesday.

Abdeslam refused to answer questions in his first interview with a French anti-terror judge on May 20.

After four months on the run, Abdeslam was arrested on March 18 in Molenbeek, a Brussels neighbourhood notorious for being a hotbed of Islamic extremism where he grew up.

He was transferred to France to face terror charges on April 27.

Investigators have yet to pin down Abdeslam's exact role in the November 13, 2015, attacks on Paris bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the national stadium in which 130 people were killed.

After dropping off three suicide bombers at the Stade de France stadium just outside Paris, Abdeslam abandoned his car in the Montmartre neighbourhood then headed for the rundown southern suburb of Chatillon.

An unexploded suicide belt contaminated with Abdeslam's DNA was found in the area 10 days after the attacks.

The jihadist is thought to have left for Brussels at dawn on November 14 by car with two Belgian accomplices who managed to get through several checkpoints along the way.

Prosecutors believe Abdeslam was in charge of logistics for the Paris attacks, which were planned in Brussels.
Elephants in Tanzania

A first-of-its-kind census of African savanna elephants reveals that populations have declined by as much as 30 percent over the course of just seven years.

The backer of the Great Elephant Census, Seattle software billionaire Paul Allen, said the findings were deeply disturbing. The tally was laid out today at the International Union for Conservation of Natures World Conservation Congress in Honolulu.

Allen spent more than $7 million to fund and manage the survey and make the results available online.

Armed with this knowledge of dramatically declining elephant populations, we share a collective responsibility to take action, and we must all work to ensure the preservation of this iconic species, Allen said in a statement.

The two-year project took advantage of sightings from the ground and from the air, as well as standardized data collection and verification methods, to come up with a baseline for future surveys. The projects leaders figure that they counted more than 93 percent of savanna elephant populations across nearly 600,000 square miles of savanna.

The tally came to 352,271 savanna elephants in the 18 countries surveyed. In 15 of those countries, researchers could compare figures from 2014 with figures from 2007  and that comparison suggested a 30 percent decline during that time period.

The census also suggests that the decline has accelerated to a current rate of 8 percent per year.

Poaching is the primary factor behind the decline. Earlier this year, University of Washington researchers estimated that 50,000 elephants of all types are being killed annually for the illegal ivory trade.

Eighty-four percent of the elephants in the census were sighted in legally protected areas, and the remaining 16 percent were in unprotected areas. But even in some of the protected parks, researchers sighted high numbers of elephant carcasses.

Unexpectedly large declines were registered in Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania. The populations in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northern Cameroon and southwest Zambia were so small as to be close to local extinction.

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Savanna elephant population trends

In contrast, elephant populations are stable or slightly increasing in South Africa and Uganda, parts of Malawi and Kenya, and in the W-Arli-Pendjari conservation complex that spans parts of Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso. That complex now harbors the only large elephant population in West Africa, sparking a call from the census researchers to boost conservation measures there.

To conduct the Great Elephant Census, a team from Allens Vulcan Inc. collaborated with several non-governmental organizations, led by Elephants Without Borders. The effort involved more than 90 scientists, plus dozens of conservationists and volunteers.

The principal investigator for the Great Elephant Census is Mike Chase, director and founder of Elephants Without Borders. He has compared elephants to living dinosaurs.

If we cant save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africas wildlife? Chase said today. I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come.

Vulcan is now making plans for a census of Africas forest elephants, which are also facing threats from poaching. Vulcans developers have also created a visual data platform that provides real-time intelligence for protected management areas. The tracking system is being tested in Kenya.

In conjunction with the elephant project, Allens Vulcan Productions is releasing two films this year: The Ivory Game, a feature-length documentary about ivory trafficking; and Naledi: A Baby Elephants Tale, about an elephant born into a rescue camp in Botswana.

The results of the census are laid out in a research paper published by PeerJ, titled Continent-Wide Survey Reveals Massive Decline in African Savannah Elephants. Chase and 13 other researchers are co-authors. For more about the census, check out the projects final report as well as the African Elephant Atlas and updates via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Paper.li.

More from GeekWire:
Watch tons of trailers, plus free full-length movies on Yahoo View.

When Paul Verhoevens new movie Elle premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Variety called it perhaps the greatest of Verhoevens storied career. The Hollywood Reporter said the Dutch auteur has teamed up with the great Isabelle Huppert to craft a tastefully twisted mid-to-late-life crisis thriller thats both lasciviously dark and rebelliously light on its feet. And The Guardian raved that the film is utterly gripping and endlessly disturbing. Verhoeven, I fear, is pointing his film straight to Hell.

In other words, its no understatement to say that Robocop and Basic Instinct directors new movie could be one of the more talked-about films of the fall season  and its new trailer has now arrived to give moviegoers a glimpse of its provocations.

In this button-pushing psychological drama  the Dutch directors first in French and first narrative feature since 2006s Black Book  the great Isabelle Huppert stars as Michele, a high-powered videogame company CEO who suffers a vicious sexual assault. In response, she goes in search of the man who committed this crime  but her reasons for tracking him down and the relationship that develops between them is anything but expected. Based on Philippe Djians novel Oh, Elle veers off into surprising territory, and the twists it has in store for audiences are sure to provoke heated debate.

Elle  which Verhoeven told The New York Times he couldnt make in America because of Hollywood actresses skittishness about the lead role  will receive its stateside debut at the upcoming New York Film Festival in September. It will then premiere in theaters on Nov. 11.
The early bird gets the worm is a timeworn saying.

But it's not always true when it comes to shopping or booking travel. Certain retailers will discount items that don't sell, so with patience -- and a willingness to lose that item if it sells out at full price -- you can actually find a better deal by waiting.

Here are smart strategies for consumers willing to procrastinate to land a bargain.

[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]

Sign up for promotional emails. Many retailers and deal aggregators share sales via their email list, so that's a great way to stay on top of promotions. If you're worried about receiving an avalanche of email or being tempted into buying something you don't need, set up a separate email for promotional emails that you only check when you're in the market to buy something.

Mike Catania, co-founder and CTO of the savings community PromotionCode.org, says the site sees coupons for ticket sellers such as ScoreBig and Ticketmaster that are only good for the day of the event and offer savings of up to 60 percent. "If you're looking for a ticket for a particular game, simply sign up for [alerts from] the ticket vendors and you'll get information ahead of time about which deals will be offered so you can get the day-of deal," he says.

Likewise, if you need a vacation, sign up for notifications about last-minute deals on flights, hotels or cruise getaways. According to Colleen McDaniel, senior executive editor of Cruise Critic, cruise lines typically discount unsold cabins around the time that final payments are due. "That tends to be about 90 days out," she says. "That's when the cancellations happen and cruise lines have a better idea of what they have [in available cabins]." Some cruise lines, like Royal Caribbean International, do not discount unsold cabins, but many others do, McDaniel says.

[See: 11 Easy Ways to Slash Travel Costs.]

Be flexible. If you're willing to make travel plans on the fly, you can snag a heavily discounted getaway. "Travel websites such as Expedia have a Last-Minute Deals page where your procrastination or sudden change of plans can pay off," says Jon Lal, frugal shopping expert and CEO and founder of cashback website BeFrugal.com. "Often, if you can be flexible for departure times, you will get flights for a much cheaper price," adds Lal, who is also a U.S. News contributor.

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Last-minute cruise deals often require an open mind, too. "You need to be flexible in a number of categories: where you're cruising to, what kind of cabin category are you going to end up with [and] how many nights that itinerary is," McDaniel says. "If you live close to a port city, you might have some flexibility built in," she adds, since you won't need to budget for flights to your departure port.

And if you're looking for a last-minute deal on consumer electronics or other goods, you likely can't be picky about the brand, model, color or other specifications, as sale cycles tend to be cyclical and the exact item you want may not be on sale at the moment you need it.

Choose the ship to store option. If you need a last-minute gift or other item, shop online but choose the ship to store option rather than shipping to your home to optimize savings. "This way you can still reap the benefits of shopping online -- earning cash back, finding online coupon codes, searching easily for deals -- but you don't need to pay for shipping," Lal says.

Retailers make more frequent deliveries to the store and, in some cases, your item could be ready within hours if it's already in stock. Plus, this option could also mean less time driving around to different stores in search of a specific item.

Consider using apps for last-minute travel. A number of apps -- among them HotelTonight and Booking Now (travel booking website Booking.com's app for last-minute travel deals) -- specialize in helping consumers secure last-minute travel deals, so those are worth checking out if you need accommodations without much notice.

Go straight to the source. For last-minute flights, Catania says your best bet is calling the airline directly rather than using a booking agent. "The commission on third-party bookings is between 5 and 10 percent of the ticket price, so if you need to get out of town soon, there is going to be much more flexibility dealing directly with the airline," he says.

[See: 12 Frugal Ways to Save on Vacation.]

However, when it comes to cruises, McDaniel says travel agents are "really up-to-the-minute on deals." Another benefit of using a travel agent to book a last-minute cruise is that they may have access to bundled packages that provide greater value by including free beverage packages, gratuity or on-board credits.

Susan Johnston Taylor contributes to the money section of USNews.com. Her articles on business and personal finance have also appeared in or on The Boston Globe, Learnvest.com, Entrepreneur.com and FastCompany.com. You can find her on Twitter @UrbanMuseWriter.
Mexico City (AFP) - Criticism rained down on President Enrique Pena Nieto Wednesday as indignant Mexicans asked why he invited Donald Trump, of all people, to visit.

The Republican presidential candidate, who forged his campaign with insults against Mexican immigrants, surprised everyone Tuesday by taking up Pena Nieto's invitation.

He was expected Wednesday in Mexico City where a storm of protests was already underway.

"There is no explanation for a private meeting between the president and a candidate who has consistently offended Mexico and above all its people," said Jesus Zambrano, the president of the lower house of the Mexican Congress.

He said it was a "dubious way" of defending Mexico's interests.

The meeting was expected to begin at around 2:00 pm (1900 GMT) at Los Pinos, the presidential residence.

"I believe in dialogue to promote the interests of Mexico in the world and mainly to protect Mexicans wherever they are," Pena Nieto said on Twitter late Tuesday, explaining why he invited both Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to meet with him.

Former foreign minister Jorge Castaneda said, however, "without a public apology by Trump for the things he has said, he should not be welcomed in Mexico nor at Los Pinos, especially since he's not a head of state."

Margarita Zavala, the wife of former president Felipe Calderon and a possible presidential candidate for the conservative National Action Party, wrote an open letter to Trump.

"Although you have been invited, know that you are not welcome. The Mexican people have dignity and we reject your hate speech," she wrote.

Trump launched his presidential campaign with attacks on immigrants from Mexico as drug traffickers and "rapists."

His vow to build a great wall on the southern US border and make Mexico pay for it is the signature pledge of his campaign.

After meeting with Pena Nieto, Trump plans to make a major speech in Arizona, a US border state, on illegal immigration later Wednesday.

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What the Mexican president gains from meeting Trump, whom he once compared to Hitler and Mussolini, is a puzzle to many here.

Five years into a six-year term, Pena Nieto is already deeply unpopular, with his approval ratings down to 23 percent.

"I think that President Pena Nieto is taking an enormous political risk by hosting Trump," said former president Vicente Fox on CNN.

"If he's gone soft on Trump, it will hurt him greatly. He will even be considered like a traitor because we don't accept to be offended."

The leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) said the meeting "only favors the political aspirations of this demagogue."

Castaneda said it would only make sense if Trump apologized and announced in Arizona that he would no longer insist on building a border wall.
UN seeks more Nepali female peacekeepers

Visiting UN Under Secretary General Khare makes a call to increase the numbers of both female officers and those in lower ranks in peacekeeping jobs
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday told Donald Trump that Mexico would not pay for the Republican presidential candidate's proposed wall along the Mexico-U.S. border, contradicting Trump's assertion they didn't discuss payment. "What the president said is that Mexico, as he has said on several occasions ... will not pay for that wall," presidential spokesman Eduardo Sanchez told Reuters by telephone. Trump earlier told a joint news conference with Pena Nieto after their meeting in Mexico City that the pair had discussed the wall but not who would pay for it. (Reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez; Editing by Simon Gardner)
By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) - Kevin Ewing was supposed to be under house arrest on Tuesday, after he was charged last month with holding his wife hostage for two weeks, brutalizing her and threatening to kill her.

Instead, the 47-year-old Pennsylvania man apparently managed to remove his electronic monitoring bracelet before abducting his wife early on Tuesday morning. By that night, state police had found her shot dead inside a barn and Ewing gravely injured from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Ewing's defense attorney, Ben Goodwin, said in an interview that his client's chances of survival were "grim."

"The best information I have is that he's currently brain dead," the attorney said. "It's a tragedy all the way around."

Ewing had held his wife, Tierne, hostage from June 26 to July 8, according to authorities. Prosecutors accused him of holding a gun to her head, binding her hands, pistol-whipping her, hitting her with a hammer and threatening to kill her and himself.

Ewing was released on a $100,000 bond on July 11, prompting prosecutors to ask a judge to raise his bond.

Court of Common Pleas Judge Gary Gilman did not increase the amount but ordered Ewing confined to his home with an electronic ankle tracking bracelet.

Local media reported that he cut off the bracelet. It was unclear why its removal did not trigger any warning to authorities.

A woman who answered the phone at Probation Services at the Washington County courthouse declined to comment. Patrick Grimm, a court administrator who supervises the probation department, also declined to comment.

Ewing had a history of domestic violence against his wife, according to court records and filings from prosecutors.

Goodwin, Ewing's lawyer, said Tierne Ewing had refused to testify at her husband's preliminary hearing and had requested that a temporary restraining order be lifted, which a judge denied.

Assistant District Attorney Kristin Clingerman said in an interview that her office had been prepared to proceed to trial even if Tierne Ewing opted not to testify, citing the extent of her physical injuries and her initial report to investigators.

Story continues

Tierne Ewing's father, Richard Kopko, told the Pittsburgh CBS affiliate that the court system was to blame for his daughter's death.

"Oh, big deal, they put a bracelet on him and she's six miles (10 km) away," he told the television station. "Come on, give me a break."

Judge Gilman on Wednesday declined to comment through a court employee.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Scott Malone and Steve Orlofsky)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has no information to support Russia's claim that it carried out a strike against a top Islamic State official, the Pentagon spokesman said on Wednesday. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that Russian air strikes in Syria had killed one of Islamic State's most prominent leaders, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani. "We have no information to support Russia's claim that they also carried out a strike against Adnani," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a news briefing. The Pentagon on Tuesday said it had targeted Adnani, who Islamic State has said was killed in Aleppo province. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
LIMA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Peru's central bank expects economic growth of 4.3 percent in 2017, more modest than an earlier forecast, although that could be raised if a key oil pipeline resumes operations, Central Bank President Julio Velarde said on Wednesday.

In June, the bank forecast 4.6 percent growth, while the government said on Sunday the economy would grow 4.8 percent next year.

The government forecasts growth of 4 percent for 2016.

Peru's 40-year-old oil pipeline suspended operations this year after a series of spills in the Amazon. The country's new energy and mines minister, Gonzalo Tamayo, told Reuters earlier this month that fixing it was a top priority, although it may not reopen until 2018.

"If the pipeline is fixed sooner, if it starts to transport oil, the story will be a little different," Velarde told journalists after a presentations in Congress, saying that the shuttered pipeline reduces growth by 20 basis points.

(Reporting by Dante Alva; Writing by Caroline Stauffer; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he planned to meet a fugitive Muslim rebel wanted over a deadly siege, promising to ignore an arrest order in an effort to forge peace.

The announcement was the latest dramatic attempt by the firebrand leader to end decades-long insurgencies with Muslim and communist rebels that have claimed more than 150,000 lives.

Duterte said he spoke on Tuesday to Nur Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), one of the two major Muslim rebel groups based in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines.

"I told him: 'Nur, I have no intention of detaining you or putting you in the custody of the government. You can simply walk out there, ask any soldier and police to escort you to where we can talk'," Duterte said.

Duterte, 71, offered to meet Misuari, 77, in the rebel leader's stronghold in the war-torn southern island of Jolo or in the presidential palace in Manila.

But Misuari said he preferred they meet in Malaysia before representatives of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), while promising a quick peace deal, according to Duterte.

"He said in two days we can sign something and end the fighting," Duterte said.

The government of Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino, filed rebellion charges against Misuari for allegedly orchestrating a siege in the southern city of Zamboanga in 2013 that left more than 200 dead.

The offence is punishable by at least 30 years in prison, but Misuari was able to avoid arrest by remaining under the protection of his militants on Jolo, which is also home to the notorious Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom gang.

Misuari founded the MNLF in 1969 to wage a guerrilla war for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines, where most of the nation's Muslim minority live.

Misuari signed a peace agreement with the government in 1996 in return for the creation of a Muslim autonomous area.

The breakaway Moro Islamic Liberation Front then continued the rebellion, but in recent years also began negotiating for peace.

Story continues

Misuari allegedly orchestrated the 2013 Zamboanga siege because he felt the MNLF was being sidelined under the planned MILF peace deal.

Duterte is aiming to forge a final peace agreement with both groups.

The president, in power for just two months, has also launched peace talks with communist rebels. To kickstart the peace process, he released 17 jailed communist leaders.
One woman made her dream of becoming a pilot come true and now hopes to inspire other women to pursue their goals. (Photo: Stocksy)

Maria Pettersson, a 32-year-old pilot for Ryanair, has become an Instagram sensation with nearly 300,000 followers by posting cheery selfies of herself on a plane, doing yoga, swimming, and basically living a happy, healthy life. Pettersson, who worked hard to achieve her dream of becoming a pilot, hopes to use her platform to inspire other women to pursue their goals.

Selfie with my metal bird. Wish you all a great start of the week  A photo posted by Maria (@pilotmaria) on Feb 22, 2016 at 5:29am PST

Pettersson, who is originally from Sweden and now lives in Sicily, became a pilot at just 25 years old. She started posting selfies for friends and family to document her life as a pilot, and things grew from there. I loved the positive feedback I was getting and all the curious questions from young aviators asking about how to become a pilot or flight simulator pilots asking about a specific procedure, she told the Daily Mail.

Life is like a mirror, it will smile at you if you smile at it ???????????????? A photo posted by Maria (@pilotmaria) on May 30, 2016 at 2:11pm PDT

Since becoming a pilot is expensive, Pettersson thought her dream was out of reach at first. I never thought becoming a pilot was an option for me due to the high costs and the fact that most pilots were men, she said. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted it, and I knew it was the perfect fit for me. I was 24 at the time. I worked hard to save for the costs of flight training and studied even harder. Hard work pays off and my dream became reality.

Braids for messy hair days ???????? Note the registration FOY one of our brand new aircrafts, so clean and fancy to fly ???????? A photo posted by Maria (@pilotmaria) on Jun 10, 2016 at 11:07am PDT

She added: For me so far the toughest challenge has been to get that first flying job. Competition was tough and many unemployed pilots fighting for the same job. It took me years. Im very lucky to be where I am today flying a young fleet of Boeing 737 around Europe.

Story continues

These kind of days at work when you go home with pain in the stomach after all laughter. Happy crew, happy flight  A photo posted by Maria (@pilotmaria) on May 7, 2016 at 10:35am PDT

Pettersson hopes to encourage other women to go for their goals  and to realize that the skys the limit. My story is about strong females in a male dominated environment, she said. Proving that we are just as good as them. Believing in ourselves and keeping a positive attitude towards life.

Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
London's Victoria and Albert Museum will honor the trailblazers of psychedelic rock with "The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains," an immersive exhibition set to run between May and October 2017. The show, which marks the 50th anniversary of the band's first single release, will feature a laser light show and previously unseen concert footage, BBC reports.

The exhibit will include 350 objects and artifacts, including instruments and original artwork from the band, from the underground psychedelic scene in 1960s London to the present day. Highlights from "Their Mortal Remains" include band face masks from The Wall tour, Hipgnosis' original Animals cover art and the Division Bell album sleeve. Handwritten lyrics, psychedelic-era posters and vintage advertisements will round out the exhibition.

Pink Floyd have numerous archival releases in the works. On November 11th, the band will release a massive, 27-disc box set The Early Years 1965-1972. The package contains over 20 unreleased songs, seven hours of concert recordings, 15 hours of video footage and an updated version of their Zabriskie Point soundtrack.

In May, the band launched an expansive vinyl reissue campaign, with LPs scheduled for release throughout the year at regular intervals. The next installment  featuring Atom Heart Mother, Meddle and Obscured by Clouds  is out September 23rd.

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Yes, its hard to to tell when one enters the city limits

Yes, they will make the city more inviting

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Harlow (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Poland's ambassador to Britain on Wednesday condemned a rise in xenophobic attacks after the Brexit referendum, speaking where a Polish man was murdered in what police believe could be a hate crime.

"This situation is much worse after the Brexit referendum," Arkady Rzegocki said in Harlow, a working-class town northeast of London, after laying a bunch of flowers where Arek Jozwik was killed.

"It could be a hate crime but we're not sure," Rzegocki told AFP after meeting the family of the murdered man, who was attacked on Saturday.

Six local teenagers have been arrested and released on bail pending further investigation following the attack on the 40-year-old factory worker, in a run-down open air shopping centre in the town.

The man's brother Radek Jozwik, 36, was quoted as saying in The Sun daily: "The police have told us he was attacked because they heard him and his friends speaking the Polish language".

Jowzik died of head injuries on Monday.

The Polish foreign ministry said it would raise the issue of attacks on Polish citizens living in Britain when Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visits Warsaw on Saturday.

A 43-year-old man was also injured in the attack and discharged from hospital after being treated for suspected hand fractures and bruises to the stomach.

- 'Everywhere is dangerous' -

Harlow MP Robert Halfon, who visited the area with the ambassador, said the referendum was "being used by people who come from the sewers who want to exploit division and have their own racist agenda".

Police have said one line of investigation is that it was a hate crime and have appealed for witnesses.

Harlow has one of the highest concentrations of Eastern European immigrants in Britain.

But local residents in the part of town where the murder happened, known as The Stow, blamed high crime levels in the area more than racism.

"People don't really come into The Stow no more because of the youngsters," said Tom Sladden, a 24-year-old warehouse worker.

Story continues

Emily Shakeshaft, 22, a cleaner, said: "You might look at someone funny and you might get whacked in the face".

Jecek Gora, who owns a Polish shop in the area, said he did not believe Jozwik was singled out for being Polish.

"Everyone knows about the teenagers. That's the problem... Everywhere is dangerous," Gora said.

There were several xenophobic attacks in Britain before and after the June 23 referendum including graffiti daubed on a Polish cultural centre in London, which was condemned by the government.

The National Police Chiefs' Council said more than than 3,000 incidents were reported to police across the country between June 16 and 30 -- an increase of 42 percent from the same period last year.
Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis on Wednesday announced the creation of a new Vatican ministry for human development in the latest move by the reforming pontiff to put his personal stamp on the Catholic Church.

The new Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is being established by papal decree and will start work on January 1.

Francis is to retain personal oversight of Vatican policy on migration, an issue dear to his heart.

The new ministry is being created by merging four existing departments dealing with justice, health, development and migrants and itinerant people.

The move is part of Francis's drive to streamline the Vatican bureacracy and put efforts to defend and support the most vulnerable at the heart of the Church's mission.

"This Dicastery will be competent particularly in issues regarding migrants, those in need, the sick, the excluded and marginalized, the imprisoned and the unemployed, as well as victims of armed conflict, natural disasters, and all forms of slavery and torture," Francis said in a decree that creates the new ministry with effect from January 1, 2017.

In a statement the Vatican said ministry policy and activities related to migration would be under the direct authority of the pope.

Francis has regularly spoken out in defence of migrants trying to escape poverty, repression and conflict in pursuit of better lives in developed countries.

The new dicastry will be headed by Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, one of the principal authors of Francis's 2016 encyclical "Laudato Si" ("Praise Be").

The letter to believers has been described as one of the most radical documents ever signed by a pope. In it, Francis warns the planet is headed for disaster if it does not address climate change, worsening social injustice and rampant consumerism.
ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday announced major changes to the Vatican bureaucracy, slimming down the number of offices and giving himself direct charge of migration issues, continuing a reform push he promised when elected more than three years ago. In a document known as a Motu Proprio, Latin for "by his own initiative", the pope said he would merge four Vatican offices into a "Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development" starting on Jan. 1. When elected in 2013, Francis pledged to cleanse the Church's bureaucracy, which had been rocked by scandals and charges of greed and corruption. He said he wanted "a poor Church" that served the poor. The pope will oversee work on migration and refugees within the new dicastery, or department, which will absorb the offices for justice and peace, human and Christian development, immigration, and health workers. It will spearhead the Church's humanitarian work internationally, including oversight of funds allocated to charities, focusing on "migrants, those in need, the sick, the excluded and marginalized, the imprisoned and the unemployed, as well as victims of armed conflict, natural disasters, and all forms of slavery and torture," the pope wrote. Francis will "temporarily" take personal charge of migration because "there cannot be a service for integral human development without paying particular attention to the phenomenon of migration." The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, has often defended refugees and urged Catholic parishes in Europe to host them, with limited success. In April, after visiting a migrant camp in Greece, the pope brought three families of Syrian refugees back to Rome with him. (Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
From Esquire

Human bowling jacket Paul LePage seems to be of two minds about whether or not he wants to remain governor of Maine. (I would point out that saying that LePage is of two minds still leaves him within the margin of error of having none at all.) First, he goes on the radio and says he's open to the possibility of resigning. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, he tweets out a little somethin'-somethin' from Mark Twain.

Regarding rumors of resignation, to paraphrase Mark Twain: "The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated." #mepolitics - Paul R. LePage (@Governor_LePage) August 30, 2016

Twain also said, "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right." So there's that.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="Maine's Governor Isn't Racist 'You Son of a Bitch'" customimages="" content="article.48059"]

The Portland Press-Herald, which has produced coverage of this whole mishegas that is Exhibit Quadruple Q in favor of good local newspapering, has been tracking the various shifts and turns of LePage's fate over the past few days. It does seem that a lot of important forces in Maine have had quite enough of the governor.

"Today Maine finds itself in a situation where leaders and legislators of both parties agree that the governor is preventing the people's business from getting done," said House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, House Majority Leader Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, and Assistant House Majority Leader Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, in a joint statement. "A half-hearted, partial apology on a radio show does not get remotely close to addressing the core issue: Maine faces serious issues and its government is not functioning. This is not a partisan issue. People of good faith on both sides of the aisle as well as newspapers across the state are demanding the real action required to have a functioning government."

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It is possible that LePage has cracked up. If so, you can't do anything but hope he quits and gets whatever help he needs. But Maine has to look deeply into its political culture to see how this guy got elected in the first place and then, hilariously, got re-elected, and why enough people were so enamored of a) LePage's tough-guy bluster, and b) the purity of third-party candidates, that the state found itself in the mess it's in now.

If you want a microcosmic preview of what the post-Trump recriminations might be like, or what the inevitable progressive-purity disappointment with Hillary Rodham Clinton will be like, then Maine is your perfect point of observation.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.

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PPG Industries Inc.s PPG Olympic Paints & Stains brand has named soft violet Cloudberry as the Color of the Year for 2017. The color reflects the societys urge to find a space for itself, away from the constant connectedness, and to create balance by establishing the home as a place to refresh.



Cloudberry is the perfect complement to minimalist style and appeals to individuals who pull back from advertising, social media, the news cycle and other forms of information that throw life off balance and out of harmony. The color is projected as calming to people and enables them to focus on family and professional pursuits without distractions from the outside world.



Moreover, the Glidden paint brand by PPG Industries named Byzantine Blue as the 2017 Color of the Year. Byzantine Blue has the best qualities of blue and gray, and is an appealing color choice for almost any room. It appears to be more gray when paired with dark neutrals; yet it appears more bluish-purple when paired with whites. It has the unique quality to bring out certain hues based on its surroundings and is a perfect shade for all ages. It is also gender-neutral, making it easy to use in the home, irrespective of room type. Byzantine Blue can be included in all elements of home decor in 2017, from walls to furnishings to accessories.



The Pittsburgh Paints & Stains brand of PPG Industries has also unveiled its 2017 Color of the Year, Silverado, which is a deep, mystic purple that blends perfectly with trending gray tones. Subtle neutral-gray tones within Silverado add modern grace and livability. The color can be used in many spaces  childrens rooms, dining rooms or even front doors. When used with neutral finishes and earthly tones, the color promotes wellness and takes on a holistic feel, a sign of its versatility.



Silverado can be incorporated into the home by pairing it with any of the nine other colors in the Pittsburgh Paints & Stains brand 2017 color trends palette. The color fits perfectly in many different environments due to its versatility and neutral nature.



Story continues

PPG INDS INC Price

PPG INDS INC Price | PPG INDS INC Quote

PPG Industries shares closed roughly 1.7% higher at $107.60 on Aug 29.



PPG Industries adjusted earnings of $1.85 per share for the second quarter of 2016 improved 10.8% year over year. Sales in the quarter were fairly consistent with the prior-year quarter, at $4,064 million. While earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate, sales lagged the same.



PPG Industries is committed toward delivering higher organic growth, including continued commercialization of its innovative, industry-leading coatings technologies. It should also gain from healthy momentum across automotive and aerospace markets, and cost management actions.



However, PPG Industries faces significant currency headwinds and macroeconomic challenges. Some of its end-markets including heavy-duty equipment and marine still remain sluggish. It is also exposed to volatility in raw materials costs.

PPG Industries currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the chemical space include Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation MTLHY, Stepan Company SCL and Innospec Inc. IOSP, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

- Shareholders approved a 24 billion euro ($26.75 billion)takeover of Britain's biggest technology company, Arm Holdings, by Japan's SoftBank. http://bit.ly/2bYGLoJ

The Guardian

- Train operator Southern will restore more than 100 cancelled services next Monday, bringing some relief after a summer of misery for passengers. The operator, owned by Govia Thameslink Railway, said 119 services, more than a third of the 341 cancelled in July, would be reinstated. http://bit.ly/2bYH2HZ

- France's trade minister has increased the pressure on the proposed EU-U.S. trade deal by calling for the talks to be called off. Matthias Fekl, the French minister for foreign trade, tweeted that his government demanded that negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership should cease. http://bit.ly/2bYGCSg

The Telegraph

- - Investment in the UK boomed last year as firms from around the world backed a record 2,213 British projects, including infrastructure developments, manufacturing plants and life sciences projects. The number of foreign-backed projects increased 11 percent, creating 82,650 jobs. http://bit.ly/2bYHAO4

Sky News

- Co-op Group will announce this week the appointment of Rufus Olins to the new role of chief membership officer - a crucial element of a revival plan drawn up after a governance crisis in 2013 which cast a shadow over the entire movement's future. http://bit.ly/2bYHeac

- U.S. technology giant Apple Inc has been ordered to pay up to 13 billion euros ($14.49 billion) in back taxes to Ireland after a European probe. Apple faces the record bill after the European Commission ruled that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid. http://bit.ly/2bYHLcs

The Independent

- Downing Street has signalled it would "welcome any company" to the UK, just hours after an unprecedented EU tax-decision left a question mark over Apple's future in Ireland. http://ind.pn/2bYHsyh

- Theresa May has ruled out a second referendum or a general election on the terms of Britain's exit from the European Union. A spokesman for May said, "The Prime Minister is very clear there will be no second referendum." http://ind.pn/2bYHmqd

($1 = 0.8971 euros) (Compiled by Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru)
The memory of Princess Diana is very much kept alive through her children.



Her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, along with the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton,continue to honor her legacy each and every day following her death 19 years ago today.

WATCH: Prince William on Princess Diana: 'I Still Miss My Mother Every Day'

Princess Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France, on Aug. 31, 1997. She was 36 years old.

See how the royal family continues to pay tribute to their mom:

Getty Images

Prince Harry Follows in Diana's Footsteps to Raise Awareness for HIV and AIDS

Prince Harry, 31, is determined to help save lives and continue the good work that his mother was doing before her death. "His Royal Highness wants to expand his own knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in the fight against the virus around the world," a royal spokesperson said in a statement in late June. "This will see him tackling topics including testing, treatment, and prevention as well as anti-stigma efforts that were famously championed by his mother Diana, Princess of Wales."

Getty Images

Prince William Followed Diana's Advice on Love

In a recent resurfaced interview, Princess Di can be seen talking about how she told her son the importance of holding on to love. "I put it to William, particularly, that if you find someone you love in life, you must hang onto it, and look after it, and if you were lucky enough to find someone who loved you, then you must protect it," she said. Of course, William, 34, married his love, Kate Middleton, in April 2011.

Getty Images

Kate Middleton Proudly Wears Diana's Jewels

The stunning Kate wears the engagement ring given to Diana by William's father, Prince Charles, every day. Prince William explained at the time why he chose to propose with his mother's gorgeous jewel. "It's my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement and the fact that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together," he said. Late last year, Middleton donned one of her late mother-in-law's favorite tiaras to a royal engagement.

Story continues

Watching the Royal Air Force flypast in celebration of The Queen's 90th birthday #HappyBirthdayYourMajesty  copyright: Press Association A photo posted by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Jun 11, 2016 at 5:57am PDT

Expanding Their Family

While Princess Diana never got to meet her grandchildren, Prince George, 3, and Princess Charlotte, 1, those closest to her know she would have loved the role of grandmother. William and Kate honored Diana through their daughter by christening her at the same church she was baptized in at St. Mary Magdalene Church at Queen Elizabeth's Sandringham estate.

WATCH: Prince Harry Says He 'Regrets' Not Speaking Out About His Late Mother's Death

Prince Harry also recently spoke about how his mom would feel about him starting a family of his own someday. "I hope she's looking down with tears in her eyes, being incredibly proud of what we've established, I suppose," he told GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts in March. "I'm sure she's longing for me to have kids so she can be a grandmother again."

For more from the royal family, watch below:

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Beirut (AFP) - Islamic State group spokesman and top strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani has been killed in Syria, the group said, with both Washington and Moscow claiming credit.

Adnani was IS's propaganda chief, top recruiter and the reported mastermind of a string of IS-claimed attacks in the West.

In Washington, the Pentagon said US-led coalition forces had targeted Adnani in an air strike in Syria's Aleppo province on Tuesday but did not immediately confirm his death.

Russia's military said one of its air strikes had killed Adnani in a bombing raid Tuesday that left up to 40 IS jihadists dead -- a claim dismissed by US officials as "a joke".

Regardless of who was responsible, analysts say his death will be a major bow to IS, which has suffered a series of setbacks this year including territorial losses in Syria and Iraq and the killings of other top figures.

Adnani was "the most viscerally aggressive ISIS leader in the public eye," said Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, using one of several names for IS.

"Without his explosive voice, ISIS may find it hard to inspire the intense levels of violence that it has managed to inspire of late."

Adnani, a Syrian born in 1977, was one of IS's most recognised leaders, at the heart of a sophisticated propaganda and recruitment machine that produced slick videos and sustained a huge social media presence.

He was reported to have been involved in organising a series of high-profile IS attacks abroad that killed hundreds, including in Paris, Brussels and Istanbul.

- 'Principal architect' of attacks -

The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency announced Adnani's death late on Tuesday, saying he "was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo" in northern Syria.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said US-led coalition forces had "conducted a precision strike" targeting Adnani near the IS-held town of Al-Bab in Syria's northern Aleppo province.

Story continues

"We are still assessing the results of the strike but Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL," he said.

Adnani "served as principal architect of ISIL's external operations and as ISIL's chief spokesman," Cook said.

The US-led coalition began air strikes against IS in mid-2014, a few weeks after the group seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.

Washington has vowed to "systematically eliminate" senior IS leaders and has put a $10 million bounty on the group's elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Both IS's second-in-command Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli and its top military commander Omar al-Shishani have been killed in reported US strikes since March.

"Adnani's killing is a signal that IS can no longer protect its most senior leaders," said Baghdad-based expert on jihadists Hisham al-Hashimi.

He said it was clear that US intelligence had infiltrated top levels of IS and was increasingly aware of the movements of senior figures.

"I think the United States are very close to killing Baghdadi the next time," Hashimi said.

Russia started its own air war in Syria last September, backing its ally President Bashar al-Assad.

The Russian defence ministry statement on Wednesday said an Su-34 warplane had struck a group of jihadists near the village of Um Hosh in Aleppo province.

"According to information confirmed through several intelligence channels, field commander Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was among those killed," the statement said.

It was the first time Moscow claimed to have killed a top-ranking IS leader.

- Announced birth of 'caliphate' -

A US defence official dismissed the Russian claim.

"That's a joke," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operation. "It would be funny if not for the character of the campaign the Russians have undertaken in Syria."

Another US official, again speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike was carried out by a Predator drone that fired a Hellfire missile at a car in which Adnani was believed to have been travelling.

Lister said the IS announcement of Adnani's death described him as Qurayshi -- referring to the tribe to which Islam's Prophet Mohammed belonged -- in an indication of his importance.

The use of the term "would seem to suggest ISIS may have been preparing him to be Baghdadi's successor as overall leader," Lister said.

Adnani, from the western Syrian province of Idlib, joined the jihadist movement in Iraq where he served under the late local Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

He was a founding member of IS, which evolved from Al-Qaeda in Iraq to become the preeminent global jihadist movement.

It was Adnani who in a June 2014 audio recording declared IS's establishment of a "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq and Baghdadi as "leader of Muslims everywhere".
SAO PAULO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro prosecutors have asked the court supervising Oi SA's bankruptcy proceedings to suspend a shareholders meeting scheduled for Sept. 8 to give the Brazilian phone carrier time to negotiate with a minority investor.

The purpose of the meeting is to decide on changes to Oi's board as proposed by activist minority investor Societe Mondiale, according to a statement on Wednesday.

Aside from replacing all of the board members appointed by majority Oi shareholder Pharol, Societe Mondiale proposed a lawsuit against current and former managers of the company for alleged losses imposed on the carrier as a result of their actions, according to court filings.

Prosecutor Marcio Souza Guimaraes said before any shareholder action can be taken, there should be "mediation" between the dissenting parties, according to the statement.

The prosecutor's petition was submitted on Tuesday to the Rio De Janeiro court overseeing proceedings.

"Conciliation and mediation are compatible with bankruptcy, out-of-court, and insolvency proceedings as well as cases involving companies with high indebtedness," the prosecutor said in the statement.

Non-voting shares in Oi were up 6.58 percent at 2.59 reais, bringing year-to-date gains to almost 33 percent.

If the judge grants the prosecutor's request, this could be the first time mediation proceedings take place in the context of a bankruptcy proceeding, the statement said.

(Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
(Adds background on board members, adds analysis of board's impact on creditor negotiations)

By Susan Cornwell and Nick Brown

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday appointed a seven-member board to oversee a financial restructuring for Puerto Rico, a majority Republican panel that some market analysts saw as favorable for bondholders of the U.S. territory, which has been crippled by a $70 billion debt crisis.

Among the board members, who Obama appointed on the recommendation of legislative leaders, are Arthur Gonzalez, a Democrat and a retired bankruptcy judge who oversaw the Chapter 11 cases of Chrysler and Enron, and Carlos Garcia, a Republicn and the former head of Puerto Rico's Government Development Bank who now runs private equity firm BayBoston.

The other appointees are Republicans Andrew Biggs, David Skeel and Jose Carrion III, and Democrats Jose Ramon Gonzalez and Ana Matosantos.

The idea of a fiscal control board, known colloquially as La Junta in Puerto Rico, is largely reviled on the island, which has a 45 percent poverty rate and whose chronic economic slump has helped spur rampant outmigration. Among the messages by protesters and graffiti artists plastered around San Juan are: "Wake up! They're selling our homeland!" and "Say no to oppression."

But from a market perspective the board figures to be a positive for creditors of the island, said David Tawil, president of hedge fund Maglan Capital. He particularly cited Garcia, calling him "an investor guy, very intertwined with everything that has happened up until now."

And the Democrats on the panel are more moderate than expected, Height Securities analyst Daniel Hanson said in note.

Jose Gonzalez, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, may be the "key swing vote" for creditor-friendly policies, Hanson said.

Keefe Bruyette & Woods analyst Chas Tyson, in a note last week, listed Jose Gonzalez, a former Santander executive, as a potential creditor ally because of his "significant experience in Puerto Rico's banking sector."

Story continues

The board was created under the federal law known as PROMESA, passed earlier this year, which will bring Puerto Rico's finances under federal oversight and give it the authority to restructure some of its debt.

The board will be tasked with assessing and certifying annual budgets and a fiscal recovery plan presented by the island's government, as well as facilitating debt restructuring talks on the island, possibly through a bankruptcy-like process.

One interesting pick is Skeel, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Though Republicans are generally seen as creditor-friendly, Skeel, a restructuring industry veteran, has repeatedly called for a broad-based restructuring in Puerto Rico.

But he has also stressed that creditor rights should be protected in such a scenario, possibly a good sign for the fate of Puerto Rico's general obligation debt. That debt is viewed as sacrosanct in municipal debt markets, but it has no legal security under bankruptcy law, which has given some GO holders reason to fret.

Importantly, much of the negotiation tactics may be driven by the team of lawyers and financial advisers the board will ultimately select to represent it.

Restructuring consultant Martha Kopacz, of Phoenix Management Services, and veteran bankruptcy lawyer Richard Levin, of Jenner & Block, are among the professionals said to be lobbying to represent the board, according to people familiar with the situation.

House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, both Republicans, each chose two members of the board, while House and Senate Minority Leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, Democrats, made one pick apiece. Obama chose the seventh member.

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell and Nick Brown; Additional reporting by Robin Respaut; Writing by Nick Brown; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Leslie Adler)
By Steve Keating NEW YORK (Reuters) - Milos Raonic became the first major casualty of the U.S. Open when American qualifier Ryan Harrison shocked the Canadian fifth seed 6-7(4) 7-5 7-5 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the third round of the year's final grand slam. Raonic, who last month became the first Canadian man to reach the Wimbledon final, arrived at Flushing Meadows looking to take the next big step in his career but his bid was cut short by the 120th-ranked Harrison. The 24-year-old American, who beat Raonic once in their previous two meetings, came prepared to give the sixth-ranked Canadian a battle and proved the more durable during in a three hour, 37 minute match played in sweltering conditions. "The first two sets today were well over two hours, it was extremely physical," said Harrison. "When you have the crowd behind me like today you don't even realize how physical it is out there, you're just playing on adrenalin." While Harrison remained cool and collected it was Raonic, 25, who wilted and called for the trainers several times to deal with cramps and a troublesome left wrist. Harrison, who advanced to the third round of a grand slam for the first time, will next meet Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, a 6-2 6-4 3-6 6-4 winner over Frenchman Benoit Paire. "This is a tournament that you just dream of growing up," said Harrison. "The coolest thing for me this year is that me and my brother are both playing in the main draw. "As kids growing up, playing each other you always dream of playing in the Open and we both got to do it this year. "I hope to keep it going." Early in the match Harrison let Raonic know he might be in for long afternoon when he registered the early break in the opening set to grab a 3-2 lead. But Raonic hit right back with a break of his own and sent the set to a tiebreak which he won when Harrison double faulted. Harrison continued to apply pressure and went ahead 5-2 in the second set only to watch Raonic fight back to level at 5-5. Instead of collapsing, however, Harrison grabbed the momentum by holding his serve and breaking Raonic to level the match at a set each. At this point, however, Raonic's physical problems were evident and he took a medical timeout while leading 2-1 in the third with a wrist issue and later had massages for cramping. Sensing his opponents distress, Harrison moved in with the knockout punch by breaking again to take the third and Raonic had no answers as the American steamrolled through the fourth. "Halfway through the second set," said Raonic when asked when cramping became an issue. "I can't remember a single time where I've lost a match because of cramping. "But I didn't serve well to start this tournament. "That's normally my go-to. That can keep me out of situations. I think that sort of added a little bit more than I normally have to deal with." (Editing by Frank Pingue)
By Suzanne Barlyn (Reuters) - A Royal Bank of Canada unit has agreed to pay $2.5 million for causing false and misleading disclosures in a proxy statement for the sale of ambulance company Rural/Metro Corp, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday. RBC Capital Markets LCC, in settling the case, neither admitted nor denied the allegations, the SEC said. "We are pleased to resolve this matter and put this behind us," an RBC spokeswoman said. A spokesman for Rural/Metro, acquired last year by Envision Healthcare Holdings Inc , declined comment. RBC was the lead financial adviser to Scottsdale, Arizona-based Rural/Metro and received a $500,000 fee for an opinion it presented to the ambulance company's board in 2011, which was considering the company's sale to a private equity firm. An SEC investigation found that RBCs presentation included "materially false and misleading statements," making the bid look more attractive. The presentation also caused the information to be included in a proxy statement filed by Rural/Metro in May 2011 to solicit shareholder approval for the sale, the SEC said. RBC's actions leading up to the sale were challenged in a lawsuit by former Rural/Metro shareholders that triggered concerns on Wall Street about the potential liability of financial advisers in merger deals where a board mishandled a company's sale. In 2014, a Delaware court ordered RBC to pay $76 million in damages to the former shareholders, after finding the firm liable for convincing Rural/Metro's board to rush into a $438 million buyout led by private equity firm Warburg Pincus. The court, in a ruling that was later upheld by the Delaware Supreme Court, also found that RBC concealed that it was also trying to win the more lucrative role of providing financing to Warburg. The SEC, in its settlement with RBC on Wednesday, took issue with the firm's presentation of its valuations for Rural/Metro. The agency found that RBC's presentation described one of its valuations as based on Wall Street analysts' collective projections of a pretax earning figure. But the valuation did not reflect analysts' research or a collective view, the SEC said. Instead, the valuation was based on an actual 2010 adjusted earnings figure. (Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn in Washington Crossing, Pa.; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Matthew Lewis)
PENA NIETO (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Representatives of the media, good afternoon to all of you.

Next November 8th, the United States people will elect a new president of the United States. I am sure that the electoral process will continue being intense debate  idea  contrasting (ph) all of these characteristics of the grand democratic tradition of the U.S.

Just as well, Ms. Hillary Clinton, as well as Mr. Donald Trump, have publicly expressed my respect. As has been with the president and friend, Barack Obama, the next president of North America will find in Mexico and its government a neighbor that wants to work constructively to strengthen even more the relationship among our nations and to confront together all the challenges that we face together in common.

We  I believe that theres great opportunities for both countries if we decide to take advantage of this (inaudible) good friends, allies and strategic allies, beginning from a relationship based in mutual respect. Even though we may not agree on everything, I trust that together, we will be able to find better prosperity and security without losing sight of security and independence are the most important and (inaudible) value.

PENA NIETO (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Any close relationship needs to be visited and renewed from time to time. We always need to be open to discuss what has worked and what has hasnt. How can we improve things on both sides of the border? How can we clear misunderstandings and understand each other better?

So keeping that in mind, a few days ago, I sent a letter to both presidential candidates, both to Mrs. Hillary Clinton and to Mr. Donald Trump, asking them to have a meeting and to have a constructive meeting of the shared future of our countries. I have met today with Mr. Donald Trump, and in the near future, I hope to do so with Ms. Hillary Clinton, with whom I have been pleased to have discussions over here (inaudible) in the past.

We may not agree on certain topics, but his presence here, Mr. Trump, demonstrates that we have a fundamental coincidence (ph). Our respective countries are very important, one for the other. The U.S. is very important for Mexico just the same as Mexico is very important for the United States. We share the most travelled border through which every day, legally, more than a million people cross it and over 400,000 vehicles.

Commerce between our countries was (ph) over $500 billion a year. We innovate and produce together. As far as national security, the daily cooperation amongst our governments is ever more important to face all the challenges of a complex world.

So I had a very open and constructive discussion with Mr. Donald Trump. The objective of this meeting was to meet each other and to know about the bilateral relations. As far as commercial issues, I shared with Mr. Trump my conviction that the free trade of North America has done a lot of good to both the U.S. as well as Mexico. U.S. exports to Mexico are close to $200 billion a year. And according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than six million jobs in the U.S. rely on the exports to Mexico.

Our country buys more from the U.S. than Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Japan, and the U.K. together. A lot of jobs in the manufacturing industry in the U.S. were not moved to other areas of the world precisely because together, we have developed a manufacturing platform competitively (ph) in the North American continent together. Forty percent of the content  of the Mexican content is made in the U.S.

As partners, we need to work together to avoid all of the jobs leaving our region. However, this doesnt mean that the free trade agreement  North American Free Trade Agreement may not be improved to benefit both parts. (inaudible) is an agreement that was signed over 22 years ago. The next president of the U.S. will find in my government a partner willing to build the route to modernize telecom (ph) so that it will become more effective and to generate more higher quality jobs and better paying jobs in both countries.

I dont think that commerce must be considered a zero sum game, so that only one wins and the other one loses. On the contrary, it must be seen as an effort that generates value to both parts and makes our North American region the most competitive and innovative in the world.

PENA NIETO (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): With regards to border issues, I have a very clear vision. The border must transform itself in (ph) an asset for our region. We have great advances in the last few years, working very closely with the Obama administration. And with the next administration, we must accelerate these efforts so that the Mexican/United States border is more efficient and safe.

However, an important number of U.S. citizens chases (ph) the border as a real problem because undocumented persons and illegal drugs cross the border onto the U.S. Undocumented immigration  immigration from the Mexico to the U.S. had it highest point ten years ago, and it has slowed down consistently, even to the point of being negative in a net effect at this point.

Even so, we know that it continues to be a shared challenge, including the increasing number of non-Mexicans that cross our country to go to the U.S. which create in fact a great humanitarian crisis. However, this is a clearly incomplete vision of the border wishes (ph) because it doesnt account for the illegal flows that come in south bound, including weapons and cash.

Every year thousands of dollars  billions of dollars and weapons come in from the North, which strengthen the cartels and other criminal organizations that generate violence in Mexico, and obtain gains from the drug sales in the U.S. This flow must be stopped.

What we need is an integral (ph) focus regarding the border that serves the challenges of undocumented people and illegal drugs and weapon flows as cash all (ph) the same. Many lives may be saved in both sides of our borders if the criminal organizations stop receiving all the weapons and cash that today allow them to pursue their criminal endeavors.

Illegal weapons, drugs, and cash flows in both directions, have multiple negative consequences on both sides of the border. Our border must be seen as a joint opportunity. Both countries must invest more  more infrastructure, more people, and more technology to make it more  safer, and more efficient.

I do admit that the  recognize that the natural right that every country has to protect its own borders. I also believe that a real collaboration effort between friends and allied is the best route to obtain this. All the while, I express this to Mr. Trump to make a better border with Mexico, and all the friends from Central America.

Its vital  of vital importance to both Mexico and the U.S. Equally, as far as national security, both Mexico and the U.S. work together to confront all the challenges that a complex world poses. Every day the security advances (ph) of both countries are exchanging information and coordinate both (ph) actions (ph).

Independent of their results of the North American election, the next presidency of the U.S. may count on the continuing integrity of the Mexican government to make similar with the U.S.

Mr. Trump, Id like reiterate right now what a (inaudible) I expressed to you privately. My priority as the Mexican president and of my government is to protect Mexicans wherever they may be. That is my responsibility, and I will continue to comply with it my heart.

PENA NIETO (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In the United States, the Mexican population continues (ph) to with talent and creativity to development of both Mexico and the U.S. Mexican nationals in the United States are honest people, working people. Theyre people of (ph) good (ph) that respect family, they respect the life in the community, and they are respective of the law.

As such, Mexicans deserve everybodys respect. Lets continue working to solidify the relationship between Mexico and the United States based on the mutual respect, trust and the joint attention to all the common challenges that we have.

My conclusions (inaudible) that the Mexican government will be totally respectful of the electoral process of the United States. I recognize its position to sustain a constructive dialogue. A (ph) dialogue is the route that gets people closer to people who think differently. This is the route that allows for a better understanding.

Thank you very much. Lets listen to the words from the Republican candidate, Mr. Donald Trump.

TRUMP: Thank you. It is a great honor to be invited by you, Mr. President. A great, great honor, thank you.

We had a very substantive, direct and constructive exchange of ideas over quite a period of time. I was straight forward in presenting my views about the impacts of current trade and immigration policies on the United States.

As you know, I love the United States very much and we want to make sure that the people of the United States are very well protected. You equally expressed your feelings and your love for Mexico.

The United States and Mexico share a 2,000-mile border, a half a trillion dollars in annual trade and one million legal border crossings each and every day. We are united by our support for democracy, a great love for our people and the contributions of millions of Mexican Americans to the United States.

And I happen to have a tremendous feeling for Mexican Americans not only in terms of friendships, but in terms of the tremendous numbers that I employ in the United States and they are amazing people, amazing people. I have many friends, so many friends and so many friends coming to Mexico and in Mexico. I am proud to say how many people I employ.

And the United States first, second and third generation Mexicans are just beyond reproach. Spectacular, spectacular hard-working people. I have such great respect for them and their strong values of family, faith and community.

We all share a common interest in keeping our hemisphere safe, prosperous and free. No one wins in either country when human smugglers and drug traffickers prey on innocent people, when cartels commit acts of violence, when illegal weapons and cash flow from the United States into Mexico or when migrants from Central America make the dangerous trek  and it is very, very dangerous  into Mexico or the United States without legal authorization.

I shared my strong view that NAFTA has been a far greater benefit to Mexico than it has been to the United States and that it must be improved upon to make sure that workers, and so important, in both countries benefit from fair and reciprocal trade.

I expressed that to the United States and in  that of the United States, that we must take action to stem this tremendous outflow of jobs from our country. Its happening every day, its getting worse and worse and worse, and we have to stop it. Prosperity and happiness in both of our countries will increase if we work together on the following five shared goals.

TRUMP: Number one, ending illegal immigration, not just between our two countries, but including the illegal immigration and migration from Central and South Americans, and from other regions that impact security and finances, in both Mexico and the United States.

This is a humanitarian disaster. The dangerous treks, the abuse by gangs and cartels and the extreme physical dangers and it must be solved, it must be solved quickly. Not fair to the people, anywhere world wide, you can truly say, but certainly not fair to the people of Mexico and the people of the United States.

Number two, having a secure border is a sovereign right and mutually beneficial. We recognize and respect the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders to stop the illegal movement of people, drugs and weapons. Cooperation toward achieving the shared objective, and it will be shared of safety for all citizens is paramount, to both the United States and to Mexico.

Number three, dismantling drug cartels and ending the movement of illegal drugs, weapons, and funds across our border. This can only be done with cooperation, intelligence and intelligence sharing and joint operations between our two countries. Its the only way its going to happen. Improving NAFTA, number four. NAFTA is a 22 year old agreement that must be updated to reflect the realities of today.

There are many improvements that could be made that would make both Mexico and the United States stronger and keep industry in our hemisphere. We have tremendous competition from China and from all over the world. Keep it in our hemisphere. Workers in both of our countries need a pay raise, very desperately. In the United States, its been 18 years, 18 years wages are going down. Improving pay standards and working conditions will create better results for all and all workers in particular. Theres a lot of value that can be created for both countries by working beautifully together. And that I am sure will happen.

Number five, keep manufacturing wealth in our hemisphere. When jobs leave Mexico, the U.S. or Central America and go over seas, it increases poverty and pressure on social services as well as pressures on cross border migration. Tremendous pressure. The bond between our two countries is deep and sincere. And both our nations benefit from a close and honest relationship between our two governments.

A strong prosperous and vibrant Mexico is in the best interest of the United States and will keep and help keep, for a long, long period of time, America together. Both of our countries will work together for mutual good, and most importantly for the mutual good of our people. Mr. President, I want to thank you. Its been a tremendous honor and I call you a friend. Thank you.

(UNKNOWN): Donald Trump and Mexican President Pena addressing reporters, now lets see if theyre going to take calls. They are taking questions from reporters, lets listen in.

TRUMP:   President, we were actually together for quite some time. And I think, excellent, I was with, as you know, Senator Sessions and Mayor Giuliani and we had a tremendous more than an hour. I think really very good.

QUESTION: (Inaudible)

TRUMP: Say it. Yes?

QUESTION: (inaudible)

TRUMP: No, not at all. Look, we want whats good for the United States. And the President wants whats best for Mexico and in sitting down and in talking, we both realized that we, realized this from the beginning, that its good for both of us. Better for both of us actually, yes. John?

QUESTION: (inaudible)

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: We didnt discuss that. We didnt discuss who pays for the wall, we didnt discuss.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) for Mexico to take back (OFF-MIKE) very harsh words directed toward. Would you like to take back some of those and the wall is it a non-starter? Is there any chance Mexico paying (ph) the wall?

TRUMP: Well, Ill start. I mean nothing like an easy question like that. We did discuss the wall. We didnt discuss payment of the wall. Thatll be for a later date. This was a very preliminary meeting.

I think it was an excellent meeting and we are  I think were very well on our way. A lot of the things I said are very strong but we have to be strong, we have to say whats happening.

And there is crime, as you know theres a lot of crime and theres a lot of problems. But I think together well solve those problems. I really believe that the president and I will solve those problems.

We will get them solved. Illegal immigration is a problem for Mexico as well as for us. Drugs are a tremendous problem from Mexico as well as us. I mean its not a one-way street.

And we will work together and we will get those problems solved. Mr. President?

(CROSSTALK) PENA NIETO (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Absolute respect for the election process in the United States. I wanted to invite both candidates  both candidates which was responded quite quickly by Mr. Trump.

So meaning besides the issues that we just recently discussed, we also talked about the  how relevant is the relationship among our countries, how important it is to have strategic alliance in between our countries.

I also asked and showed Mr. Trump the great responsibility that I have to defend the Mexican population, both to Mexicans who are here and outside of Mexico. That there has been a misinterpretation or assertions that regrettably had hurt and has affected Mexicans and its perception of his candidacy of which I am fully respectful.

Mexican people have felt hurt by the comments that have been made. But I am sure that his genuine interest is to build a relationship that will give both of our societys better welfare.

That the willingness expressed of the Mexican presidency to get together with both candidates  both candidates of the United States based on that same premise to work together.

But above all in a mutual respect among nations. This is what I have shared with candidate Trump.

(UNKNOWN): This concludes this event and we thank all of you for your attendance.

(CROSSTALK)

(UNKNOWN): This concludes this event and we thank all of you for your attendance.
CLINTON: Good afternoon.

I am delighted to have this great honor of being here and having this opportunity to address you. I want to thank the national commander  thank you, Commander Barnett.

I want to thank Verna Jones, your executive director, and Dewey Mothe (ph), (inaudible) commander. And I want to thank a long-time friend and adviser to me, someone whom I am very grateful to, and that is your national treasurer George Buskirk.

Most of all, thanks to you, all the legionnaires here and across America. Thanks for your service in our armed forces. You wore the uniform. You took an oath. You put your life on the line to protect the greatest country on Earth.

(APPLAUSE)

There are some who may argue with that, but not around me.

CLINTON: When you came home, you joined the American Legion and by doing so, you kept serving. Just look at what the Legion does. You care for wounded warriors. You help raise the next generation of American patriots. I want to give a special shout out to Boys Nation, which meant so much to my husband when he was growing up.

And when I told him I was coming here today, he said youve got to mention Boys Nation. I told him I would, but I also have to mention Girls Nation too.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank your auxiliary, the worlds largest womens patriotic service organization.

(APPLAUSE)

I was honored to receive the auxiliarys public spirit award in 1997. And I have great admiration for the work you do. As a daughter of a veteran, as a proud American, I am grateful to you all. Now Im not going to talk a lot about politics today, but I do want to say this. Whoever America elects this fall, wont just be our next president, that person will be our next commander in chief. And every person in this room understands how great a responsibility that is.

Now I know some of you are Democrats and some of you are Republicans and some of you are Independents. I suppose there are some of you whove never voted for a Democrat before. I get that. My dad was a rock red Republican, but I learned at our dinner table that we can disagree without being disagreeable.

(APPLAUSE)

I want you to know, if I am fortunate enough to win this election. I will be a president for Democrats, Republicans, independents, for people who vote for me, for people who dont, for all Americans. That is what I think we need. We need to unify our country and go forward into the future with confidence and optimism.

(APPLAUSE)

Today I want you to know a little bit about where I stand and how I see the world and Americas place in it. I spent four years as your Secretary of State, eight years before that as Senator from the great state of New York, six years on the Senate Armed Services Committee. If theres one core belief that has guided and inspired me every step of the way, it is this. The United States is an exceptional nation. I believe we are still Lincolns last, best hope of Earth. Were still Reagans shining city on a hill. Were still Robert Kennedys great, unselfish, compassionate country.

And its not just that we have the greatest military or that our economy is larger than any on Earth. Its also the strength of our values, the strength of the American people. Everyone who works harder, dreams bigger and never, ever stops trying to make our country and the world a better place. And part of what makes America an exceptional nation, is that we are also an indispensable nation.

In fact, we are the indispensable nation. People all over the world look to us and follow our lead. My friends, we are so lucky to be Americans. It is an extraordinary blessing. Its why so many people, from so many places, want to be Americans too. But its also a serious responsibility. The decisions we make and the actions we take, even the actions we dont take, affect millions even billions of lives.

CLINTON: You know that; youve seen it.

Now all of this may seem evident, especially to men and women who have worn the uniform. You may wonder how anyone could disagree.

But, in fact, my opponent in this race has said very clearly that he thinks American exceptionalism is insulting to the rest of the world. In fact, when Vladimir Putin, of all people, criticized American exceptionalism, my opponent agreed with him, saying, and I quote, if youre in Russia, you dont want to hear that America is exceptional. Well maybe you dont want to hear it, but that doesnt mean its not true.

My opponent misses something important. When we say America is exceptional, it doesnt mean that people from other places dont feel deep national pride, just like we do. It means that we recognize Americas unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity. Our power comes with a responsibility to lead, humbly, thoughtfully, and with a fierce commitment to our values.

Because, when America fails to lead, we leave a vacuum that either causes chaos or other countries or networks rush in to fill the void. So no matter how hard it gets, no matter how great the challenge, America must lead. The question is how we lead. What kind of ideas, strategies, and tactics we bring to our leadership. American leadership means standing with our allies because our network of allies is part of what makes us exceptional.

No other country in the world has alliances like ours. Russia and China have nothing close. We stand with our allies because generations of American troops fought and died to secure those bonds, and because they deliver for us every day. Our allies share intelligence on terrorists. They provide staging areas for our military so we can respond quickly to events on the other side of the world. Other nations soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines often fight side by side with ours.

Some of you may have served and fought alongside men and women from other countries. You say them in action. You know how important these bonds are to our security. Threatening to walk away from our alliances, ignoring the importance that they still are to us, is not only wrong, its dangerous. If Im  if Im your President, our friends will always know America will have your backs, and we expect you to have ours. American leadership means bringing the world together to solve global problems, as only we can. The United States built the international coalition against ISIS. Now were working with partners to take back territory and defeat them without getting drawn in to a ground war. We brought the world together to impose sanctions on Iran and secure a deal that puts a lid on Irans nuclear program, without firing a single shot.

You dont build a coalition by insulting our friends or acting like a loose cannon. You do it by putting in the slow, hard work of building relationships. Getting countries working together was my job every day as your secretary of state. Its more than a photo op. It takes consistency and reliability.

CLINTON: Actually, its just like building personal relationships. People have to get to know that they can count on you; that you wont say one thing one day and something totally different the next.

And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again. That is not how it works.

American leadership means leading with our values in pursuance of our interests, in protection of our security. At our best the United States is the global force for freedom, justice and human dignity. We celebrate our diversity.

(APPLAUSE)

As a source of national strength, just look at our armed forces which represents all races, religions, ethnicities and yes, immigrants from other countries all fighting for the red, white and blue. We stand up to regimes that abuse human rights. We stand up for religious and ethnic minorities, for women, for people with disabilities and we comport ourselves with honor. Theres no better proof of that than what our Navy SEALs did during the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.

(APPLAUSE)

I was deeply honored to be part of that small group advising the president. I brought to those discussions my experience as a senator from New York on 9/11. And my commitment to do whatever I could in whatever role I had to bring bin Laden to justice.

Youve all seen the picture of us crowded into the smaller situation room watching the video screen, every second counted. One of the copters misgauged how high the wall was around the courtyard, clipped the tail, getting disabled. It didnt stop the SEALs from rushing out, getting into the compound, returning fire against bin Ladens body guards, taking on his adult son and finally bin Laden himself.

But the SEALs knew that they had to destroy the helicopter before they left. I was holding my breath through the entire operation because at anytime Pakistani soldiers could have arrived. This compound was in a military garrisoned city, actually the home of their military academy. So yes, every second counted, but still our SEALs took the time to move the women and children, bin Ladens family members, to safety before destroying the helicopter. That is what honor looks like, that is America at our best.

(APPLAUSE)

Maybe the soldiers of other nations wouldnt have bothered, or maybe theyd have taken revenge on those family members of terrorists, but that is not who we are. And anyone who doesnt understand that doesnt understand what makes our nation great.

And let me say something else about American greatness, theres no question we face real threats and real enemies that we need to confront and defeat. But my opponent is wrong when he says America is no longer great. Consider the record of the past either years.

CLINTON: In 2009 our global economy was collapsing, Osama bin Laden was plotting, we had more than 180,000 troops fighting two wars, Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon, many of our allies were less supportive of American leadership than they had been in decades.

Look where we are now. We have pulled the global economy out of free-fall thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the American people. We have redeployed well over 100,000 troops from Iraq and Afghanistan so they can go home, rest, and train for future contingencies.

We cut off Irans path to a nuclear weapon. We convinced Russia to reduce their nuclear weapons arsenal. We protected our ally Israel, and we brought Osama bin Laden to justice. We did that. We Americans did all of that, working together across party lines.

And there is no question, we have more work to do, but lets be clear  we are stronger together. And it will be my goal if I am fortunate enough to be your president, to bring people back together again, to set our goals and move forward to achieve them.

(APPLAUSE)

I know that we cant cozy up to dictators. We have to stand up to them. We cant contain ISIS, we must defeat them, and we will. We will do whatever is necessary for as long as it takes to bring them to justice, and end their reign of terror once and for all.

This election is about how to make things better. Now make no mistake, I believe we do have better days ahead. But things could also get worse: If more countries get nuclear weapons, if we abandon our allies, if our Commander-in-Chief orders our military to break the laws and commit torture or murder terrorists family members. That is why it is so critical we get this right.

And let me underscore what I have said throughout this campaign, we must only send our troops into harms way as a last resort, not a first choice. That must be our bedrock principle.

(APPLAUSE)

But we must be able to act decisively on our own when we need to. I completely reject anyone, including my opponent, who calls the American military, and I quote, a disaster. That is an insult to the men and women serving today and all who have served before who put their lives on the line. Its just not true. We do have more work to do to continue to have the strongest, most effective military in the world. I know this is something that matters a great deal to everyone in this room.

And here is what we have to do. We cannot lose our military edge, and that means giving the Pentagon the stable, predictable funding it needs to make smart investments.

(APPLAUSE)

Youve heard of a sequester, the arbitrary caps that Congress has imposed on our entire government for the past several years.

Look, I am all for cutting the fat out of the budget and making sure we stretch our dollars. I am proud of the fact that when my husband left office, we had a balanced budget and a surplus. And I hope that someday we can get back to doing that.

But we cannot impose arbitrary limits on something as important as our military. That makes no sense at all. The sequester makes our country less secure. Lets end it and get a budget deal that supports Americas military, our families, and our country.

And lets make reform a priority so that the Defense Department spends its budget on the right things. And by the way, the last thing we need is a president who brings more name-calling and temper tantrums to Washington. Weve got to get people listening to each other again, getting both parties actually to work together.

CLINTON: Lets modernize our Army, and Marines, our Navy, and Air Force, our Coast Guard. We need to respond to evolving threats from states like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea from networks, criminal and terrorist networks like ISIS. We need a military that is ready and agile so it can meet the full range of threats, and operate on short notice across every domain, not just land, sea, air and space, but also cyberspace.

Well invest in new technology so new breakthroughs can transform our military, just as stealth, precision weapons and advance communications did in the past.

Well make a renewed push to reduce the worlds nuclear weapons. Because that does make us all safer. And well step up our efforts to secure nuclear material around the world and stop terrorists from acquiring or using weapons of mass destruction. One of the first things I will do as president, is to call for a new nuclear posture review. We have to make sure that Americas arsenal is prepared to meet future threats.

Well invest in the next frontier of military engagement, protecting U.S. interests in outer space and cyberspace. Youve seen reports. Russias hacked into a lot of things. Chinas hacked into a lot of things. Russia even hacked into the Democratic National Committee, maybe even some state election systems. So, weve got to step up our game. Make sure we are well defended and able to take the fight to those who go after us.

As President, I will make it clear, that the United States will treat cyber attacks just like any other attack. We will be ready with serious political, economic and military responses. And were going to invest in protecting our governmental networks and our national infrastructure. I want us to lead the world in setting the rules of cyberspace.

If America doesnt, others will. So in short, we have to be ready to win todays fights and tomorrows. But you know that the most important thing isnt the size of our military or the sophistication of our weapons. The most important thing is our people, the men and women who put on the uniform and serve. We need to

(APPLAUSE)

We need to take a hard look at our militarys personnel policies to make sure we are doing everything to attract and keep the best and the brightest who volunteer. We need to support not only them, but also their families.

And as President, I will never forget the debt we owe to our veterans and your families who also served. I will never, ever disrespect gold star families whove made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.

(APPLAUSE)

Or prisoners of war who endured so much in our name.

(APPLAUSE)

To insult them is, just so wrong. And it says a lot about the person doing the insulting. In the Senate, I worked with Republicans to increase the benefit paid to gold star families, to expand access to military health insurance, to make sure all members of the guard and reserves and their families have access to health benefits. Whether theyre deployed or training at home.

I fought successfully to amend the 2007 Defense Appropriations Act. To establish a training program for family caregivers helping loved ones with traumatic brain injuries. Senator John McCain and I joined forces to personally raise money for a state of the art rehab facility at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, to help seriously wounded service members coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Like you, I was outraged by the scandals at V.A. hospitals. People waiting for months or years for wheelchairs and basic medications. Some even dying while waiting for an appointment.

I know that you heard from Secretary McDonald and I know how hard he and his team are working. We are going to build a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs that delivers world-class care, and we are not going to let anyone privatize the V.A. Were going to reform and strengthen it, not privatize it.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: We will ensure access to timely quality care for all of our veterans; improve care for women, who are often underserved; identify and treat all wounds of war, visible and invisible, including Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome, and traumatic brain injury and PTSD.

We will end the epidemic of veteran suicides by expanding access to mental health care and fighting the stigma that isolates too many of our veterans from getting the care that they need.

(APPLAUSE)

I feel passionately about this because I have looked into the eyes of too many family members who have lost their loved one to suicide. Thats why just two days ago, when I released my plan to improve mental health services for all Americans, I included a specific section about more help for veterans and their families because we know too many arent getting the help they need right now. Weve got to serve them, just as they served us.

We are also going to help more veterans looking for jobs, with expanded tax credits for businesses that hire veterans. More support to veterans who want to start their own businesses. And making it easier for veterans to get credit for the skills they learned while serving.

(APPLAUSE)

And we will crack down on for-profit schools and companies that prey on or discriminate against service members, veterans, or military families. They should be ashamed of themselves, and were going to hold them accountable.

We will also work closely with the American Legion to clean up and expedite the appeals process. Benefits should be delivered as quickly as possible, and appeals should be decided as expeditiously as possible. I thank you for the work you are doing on that.

Now a lot of what I have mentioned has support from Democrats and Republicans. Maintaining our military and caring for our veterans should never be a partisan issue. Defending American exceptionalism should always be above politics. But this is not a normal election. The debates are not the normal disagreements between Republicans and Democrats. So I hope you will listen carefully to what my opponent and I propose, consider our plans and the values behind them. And after youve given us both a fair hearing, I hope you will join the growing number of Americans, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, who are supporting our vision for the kind of future that we want for our country.

This election shouldnt be about ideology. Its not just about differences over policy. It truly is about who has the experience and the temperament to serve as President and Commander-in-Chief. Just three weeks ago 50 Republican National Security experts, who served in prior Republican administrations, wrote a letter saying that they will not vote for Donald Trump because he would be, in their words, the most reckless president in American history.

(APPLAUSE)

By contrast, I am deeply honored to have so many retired military leaders backing me, along with these Republican experts. Im supported by people on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the debates that have defined our foreign policy for the last 30 years.

They know I believe in a bipartisan foreign policy. They know I believe we should be finding ways to bring our country together around national security, our role in the world, our values. They know they can count on me to do that. And what matters to them is that we make the right choice in November.

CLINTON: The stakes this fall are as high as any election in our lifetimes. So Im going to keep raising these issues, keep telling people where I stand, laying out plans for what Id do if elected.

I have to tell you it is a little funny to me, I get criticized for having so many plans. People say, oh there she goes with another plan about mental health, about veterans. Well I have this old fashioned idea if Im asking for your vote for president I should tell you what I want to do as your president. So yes, I have laid out plans and Im going to work my heart out to implement those plans. And if I win this fall no one will work harder for our troops, our veterans, and our military families.

This is personal to me, starting with my dad. His name was Hugh Rodham, he enlisted in the Navy shortly after Pearl Harbor. He became a chief petty officer at Great Lakes north of Chicago responsible for training thousands of young sailors before they shipped out to sea, mostly to the Pacific theater.

After my dad died I received letters from men who had served under him, I treasure them to this day. My father told me how emotional he got when he accompanied his trainees to the West Coast and saw those young sailors get onboard their ships. He knew some of them wouldnt survive. But he believed in their cause, he believed in them, and they went to serve to protect our country. They knew their country needed them.

Over the course of the last years Ive also had the privilege of working with, helping and supporting so many active duty and retired military members and families. First as first lady then as senator, then as secretary of state.

Whenever I would go anywhere representing you and be privileged to meet with the men and women who serve our country. I would sit down if we had a chance and hear what was on their minds, would shake hands and take pictures, sometimes bring messages back to their loved ones. And I too knew that some of those young men and women wouldnt be coming home either. Its that kind of courage and honor that our men and women in uniform demonstrate every single day.

(APPLAUSE)

I will never forget that. And I would expect the American Legion to be my partner in the White House, to make sure I never do. You and all our veterans deserve nothing less. Our respect, our thanks, but you also disserve a country that honors your service, not just with words but with deeds. Thats why the American Legion is so critical, working everyday to make sure America lives up to that standard.

I will be doing that work right alongside you if I am given the great honor to serve as your president and commander in chief. Thank you all, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you.
Heres the reason why people are upset with Matt Bomers new role (and its totally valid)

Heres the reason why people are upset with Matt Bomers new role (and its totally valid)

Hollywood is in the midst of a diversity crisis. Earlier this year, the casting of Scarlett Johnson in Rupert Sanders adaptation of Ghost In The Shell was met with a barrage of criticism, with many accusing the director of whitewashing what is traditionally a Japanese role.

Similarly, Jared Letos Oscar winning turn as a transgender prostitute living with AIDs in 2013s Dallas Buyers Club was also heavily criticized for not giving transgender actors a voice. And now it seems that Matt Bomer is also coming under fire, too.

Earlier this week (August 29), Variety reported that Matt Bomer would be starring in the upcoming adaptation of Timothy McNeils stage play, Anything, alongside John Carroll Lynch, Maura Tierney, Micah Hauptman, Margot Bingham, and Melora Hardin.

As Variety reports, the films plot follows Lynchs character as he moves to Los Angeles from Mississippi following a string of suicidal thoughts. There he meets a transgender sex worker, played by Bomer, and the pair strike up an unlikely friendship.

While its great to see that films that include transgender characters are being made, many have criticized the decision to cast Bomer, a cisgender actor, in the role when a transgender woman could have played the role.

if you're a cisgender actor please don't take trans roles. representation matters but trans characters should be played by trans actors.  jamie (@dylanohollands) August 30, 2016

i love Matt Bomer, but WHY is he playing a trans woman? if you want a trans character, hire a trans actor!!!!  Dean J. Smith (@deanjksmith) August 31, 2016

It irks me when studios decide to make a film with transgender characters but select cisgender actors to portray them.  Ezra Pereyra (@ezra_pereyra) August 30, 2016

Get trans actors to play trans roles!! Get trans writers and directors to create the story around trans people!! It's not that hard!!  space cadet (@OBlWAN_) August 30, 2016

In an attempt to strike up a conversation with Matt Bomer and Michelle Rodriguez, whose transgender revenge thriller (Re)Assignment has also faced backlash from the transgender community, trans-actress Jamie Clayton tweeted that she hoped that both actors would also help the trans-community, before linking to an article titled Making movies with transgender protagonists is not, on its own, progress.

Story continues

I really hope you both choose to do some actual good for the trans community one day. @MRodOfficial @MattBomer https://t.co/9WHwNu7HFm  Jamie Clayton (@MsJamieClayton) August 30, 2016

Soon after tweeting that, Clayton shared the following with her followers.

It's sad that this happens instead of wanting to have a conversation about how to help. #transisbeautiful @MattBomer pic.twitter.com/k4Qpap5dLW  Jamie Clayton (@MsJamieClayton) August 30, 2016

Its sad that this happens instead of wanting to have a conversation about how to help, she wrote underneath a picture that appears to show that Bomer had blocked her on Twitter.

Writing for mic.com, journalist Mathew Rodriguez drew comparisons between Bomers role and those of Felicity Hoffman in Transamerica and Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club, writing that once again a cisgendered person, a man in this case, had been offered the role of a transgender person out of the plethora of transgender actors and actresses out there.

Here are roles Matt Bomer lost out on because hes gay. Hope he remembers these before he takes another trans role. pic.twitter.com/G8CYSSsjnU  Mathew Rodriguez (@mathewrodriguez) August 30, 2016

Of course, this feeds into a wider discussion about diversity in Hollywood, and why studios are so frightened to cast minority people in lead roles. In fact, a recent study conducted by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism concluded that women, ethnic minorities, and LGBT people were excluded at all levels of the industry, thereby creating an epidemic of invisibility.

This sentiment was echoed on Twitter, with many claiming that in order to do transgender stories justice, transgender voices need to be included from the beginning of the project.

Matt Bomer could learn from Adam Lambert pic.twitter.com/dp3aehmkv6  Closeted Teenager (@TeenageCloseted) August 31, 2016

You trying to tell a story that is best told by a trans person is you not being aware of those barriers. @MattBomer pic.twitter.com/5br5MwbtcX  Griselda Blanco (@Sanniel) August 30, 2016

I would never play the role of a transgender character simply because there a trans actors out there who want a chance in the movie industry  JOSHUA (@Jpnzel) August 31, 2016

what makes cis actors want to play transgender roles?? answer: award nominations and a pat on the back for "supporting trans people"  anna (@agentbucky) August 30, 2016

even though by playing those roles they have taken away the chance for transgender actors to play transgender characters  anna (@agentbucky) August 30, 2016

It seems that now, however, Bomer has unblocked Clayton on Twitter.

Tweeps! @MattBomer unblocked me. That's rad & Twitter is rad for creating a space for our thoughts. I loved reading yours. #transisbeautiful  Jamie Clayton (@MsJamieClayton) August 30, 2016

There is some debate about whether transgender actors and actresses necessarily want to play all the transgender roles. In an interview with SBS in Australia about the trans-communitys reaction to The Danish Girl, Kristyana Finch, president of Gender Diversity Alliance South Australia, said, The concept that any transgender actor is going to necessarily want all the transgender parts is totally absurd.

Anything is being executive produced by Mark Ruffalo, who starred alongside Bomer in HBOs adaptation of The Normal Heart. Speaking about the film, he said, Im very happy to be part of this daring project. Love is at the essence of great storytelling and transcends all discrimination and politicization.

Matt Bomer has yet to make a statement about the controversial casting choice. The 38-year-old actor has previously appeared in American Horror Story: Hotel, where he played a serial killer, and both Magic Mike films.

The post Heres the reason why people are upset with Matt Bomers new role (and its totally valid) appeared first on HelloGiggles.
From Cosmopolitan

Donald Trump, shunner of immigrants and builder of walls, has centered his entire campaign on the idea America needs to ban Muslims and deport undocumented immigrants. But, according to a new report in Mother Jones, the Republican presidential nominee does not seem to take issue with illegal immigrant labor when the workers are attractive women who help make him richer. The report comes weeks after Politico questioned the visa status of Trump's wife, Melania, at the time of her early modeling work in the United States.

Trump has an 85 percent stake in Trump Model Management, which was founded in 1999, Mother Jones reports. Mother Jones interviewed four women who moved to America to work for Trump Model Management. The models were allegedly brought to America without work visas, meaning any work they did for Trump Model Management was illegal:

Canadian-born Rachel Blais spent nearly three years working for Trump Model Management. After first signing with the agency in March 2004, she said, she performed a series of modeling gigs for Trump's company in the United States without a work visa. At Mother Jones's request, Blais provided a detailed financial statement from Trump Model Management and a letter from an immigration lawyer who, in the fall of 2004, eventually secured a visa that would permit her to work legally in the United States. These records show a six-month gap between when she began working in the United States and when she was granted a work visa. Two other former Trump models - who requested anonymity to speak freely about their experiences and who we are giving the pseudonyms Anna and Kate - said the agency never obtained work visas on their behalf, even as they performed modeling assignments in the United States. (They provided photographs from some of these jobs, and Mother Jones confirmed with the photographers or stylists that these shoots occurred in the United States.)

Mother Jones reports a fourth model, Alexia Palmer, also "worked in the United States without a work visa after being recruited by Trump's agency from her native Jamaica."

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Some of the models allege they were forced to lie to federal authorities about the nature of their visits to the U.S.:

Two of the former Trump models said Trump's agency encouraged them to deceive customs officials about why they were visiting the United States and told them to lie on customs forms about where they intended to live. Anna said she received a specific instruction from a Trump agency representative: "If they ask you any questions, you're just here for meetings."

"I was pretty on edge most of the time I was there," said Anna, about working for Trump's agency without a work visa in 2009. "I was there illegally," she said. "A sitting duck."

"He doesn't want to let anyone into the U.S. anymore," Kate told Mother Jones. "Meanwhile, behind everyone's back, he's bringing in all of these girls from all over the world, and they're working illegally."

The agency did not respond to Mother Jones for comment. Hope Hicks, the Trump campaign's spokesperson, "declined to answer questions about Trump Model Management's use of foreign labor," and said, "that has nothing to do with me or the campaign."

Read the full report here.

Follow Prachi on Twitter.

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dhaka Bangladesh

For years, experts have suggested that the human population is growing at a startling rate. But it might be accelerating at an even greater rate than previous predictions.

According to a new report by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), the world's population could swell to 9.9 billion by 2050.

There are an estimated 7.6 billion people on the planet today, so when you do the math, the global population could be 33% larger in 35 years than it is today.

That prediction is bigger than the most recent estimates in the United Nations report, which suggested the world's population would reach 9.6 billion by 2050.

There are a few reasons why the world's population is growing so rapidly. For one, people are living longer than at any other point in history, thanks to advances in healthcare, nutrition, and access to food. The UN report also adds that more people survive to reproductive age and there is increased migration to safer, more developed areas.

The region with the most rapid population growth within the next 35 years is expected to be Africa, according to the PRB report. Nigeria's population, for example, is projected to double by 2050.

The UN report also backs up these findings.

"More than half of global population growth between now and 2050 is expected to occur in Africa," the UN reported in 2015. "Of the additional 2.4 billion people projected to be added to the global population between 2015 and 2050, 1.3 billion will be added in Africa."

Rapid population growth may pose challenges for future generations, including scarcities of resources like clean water and food. With all those added people, it might really be time to start thinking about how humans could move to Mars.

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All those prayers for more Rick Ross and Skrillex collabs are about to be answered.

While Suicide Squad met with tepid reviews, the soundtrack's breakout hit "Purple Lamborgini" was an instant critic and fan favorite. We here at Billboard Dance have listened to it, like, a million times, so when we got the chance to talk to Ross in Miami, we had to ask if we'd ever hear more.

6 Songs You Didn't Know Skrillex Produced

"You are, you are, you are," he repeated. "Shout out to my big homie Skrillex. I just spoke to him maybe a week or two ago, and we talking about our next collaboration for my project."

Ross agrees that Skrillex' touch was an incredible addition to the Bawse rapper's signature sound.

Skrillex on Working With Bruno Mars: 'It Sounds Like Nothing Else That's Happened Before'

"I love how he took my heavy beat, heavy grimy sound, and he added that electricity in that chorus," he said. "As soon as I heard, it I was like, that's it."

Ross is still riding on the success of Black Market and currently reflecting on the recent certified-platinum status of his debut LP Port of Miami. He celebrated the album's 10-year anniversary Monday, Aug. 29, with a star-studded performance live streamed via Tidal.
Harare (AFP) - Shops and offices opened as usual across Zimbabwe on Wednesday despite a planned "shutdown" protest against President Robert Mugabe, who has vowed to end a series of anti-government demonstrations.

Riot police patrolled in the capital Harare and other cities, with minor clashes breaking out in the second city of Bulawayo, AFP reporters witnessed.

Organisers of the planned shutdown blamed the lack of response on intimidation by security forces.

"(Shops) received threats that they would lose their licences if they closed," Hardlife Mudzingwa, spokesman for the Tajamuka protest group, told AFP.

"We also had a heavy police presence which was intimidating to ordinary members of the public."

In Bulawayo, at least seven people were detained as police broke up a group of about 30 protesters, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights group said.

Zivanai Muzorodzi, a civil society activist in the southeastern town of Masvingo, told AFP that business was slow during the day.

"I think there is fear among the people and they feel safer watching the situation from a distance," he said.

On Saturday, Mugabe vowed to end a surge of protests that has erupted in recent months as Zimbabwe's economic crisis has worsened and the government has struggled to pay its civil servants and military.

- Ageing leader -

Last week police arrested at least 70 people including Promise Mkwananzi, leader of the Tajamuka campaign, when street protests were held in Harare to demand reform ahead of elections due in 2018.

Police used tear gas to halt the demonstration, which had been authorised by a court.

Mkwananzi was denied bail on Monday, and a court hearing due to decide whether to release the others on bail was adjourned on Wednesday.

Mugabe, 92, has ruled since the country's independence in 1980, and has vowed to stand again as president.

He has previously crushed dissent during his authoritarian rule, but speculation has grown over his succession amid increasing signs of ill health.

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"I certainly project that there is going to be bloodshed (and) that the regime is going to respond in more barbaric ways," leading activist Patson Dzamara told AFP ahead of another planned protest on Friday.

"We know in the process lives might be lost -- it's part and parcel of the struggle.

"Things are changing, we are seeing Zimbabweans finally managing to stand up and speak out against Mugabe's misrule and leadership failure -- this is a watershed moment for Zimbabwe."

This week Human Rights Watch called for the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) to act over Zimbabwe, where more than 90 percent of the population is not in formal employment.

"Economically and socially Zimbabwe is on the brink," HRW researcher Dewa Mavhinga said.

"You cannot behave like the ostrich and bury your head in the sand when Zimbabwe is burning.

"There are serious human rights abuses taking place particularly police brutality and excessive use of force."
Attorneys for ex-Fox News CEO Roger Ailes are going on the offensive against the New York Magazine journalist who penned a 2014 biography about the mogul, according to The Daily Beast.

The Tuesday afternoon story described Ailes' "war" against Gabe Sherman as "vicious" and quoted two prominent members of his legal team, Susan Estrich and Marc Mukasey. The website claims the attorneys reached out "to attack the journalist in slashing, nasty, and deeply personal terms."

This comes on the heels of a report that Ailes had a 400-page "opposition" file on the journalist.

"Gabe Sherman is a virus, and is too small to exist on his own, and has obviously attached himself to the Ailes family to try to suck the life out of them," Mukasey reportedly told The Daily Beast in an interview. "Roger is fine and doing well, and is not going to allow a virus like that to poison the atmosphere."

Estrich reportedly described recent articles by Sherman as the journalist's "last stand."

"Gabe Sherman has made clear that nothing will stand in the way of his vendetta against Roger Ailes, and he will use any woman he can find - no matter how clearly and deeply troubled she is - to try to concoct allegations against Mr. Ailes," she said. "But Gabe is running out of women he can use and abuse. Ultimately, it will be clear that the real enemy of women is Gabe Sherman."

Sherman reportedly told the website he doesn't take the comments personally and he will continue to report.

Estrich and Mukasey have not yet responded to a request for comment.
By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. senators John McCain and Marco Rubio won their party's nominations on Tuesday to seek re-election in Arizona and Florida in November, as both of the high profile politicians defeated insurgent challengers. McCain, the 2008 failed Republican presidential candidate, now faces a spirited challenge in Arizona from Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2011 and wants to move to the Senate. McCain has said this year's race could be the toughest of a political career spanning more than three decades. In advancing to the general election, the 80-year-old McCain handily beat ex-state Senator Kelli Ward, 47, a conservative Tea Party activist and a follower of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Like McCain, Rubio also is girding for a potentially tough challenge on Nov. 8. Also in Florida, U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz overcame a challenger - and the embarrassment of being stripped last month of her job as head of the Democratic National Committee - and will get a shot at a seventh House term in the Nov. 8 general elections. She beat law professor Tim Canova, an outspoken Wall Street critic aligned with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. The non-traditional campaigns of Trump and Sanders, who exceeded expectations in his failed Democratic White House bid, spurred speculation that other insurgent politicians could make an impact this year. But that didn't happen in either of the closely watched nominating races in Florida and Arizona. Rubio, who abandoned his presidential campaign in March, cleared the initial hurdle in his battle for a second six-year term in the U.S. Senate. He defeated novice politician Carlos Beruff, a millionaire homebuilder, who embraced Trump. U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy, a Democrat, won his party's Senate nomination on Tuesday, and is expected to give g Rubio a tough fight, especially if Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton leads Trump in Florida. There is speculation that Rubio might still harbor presidential ambitions after media reports this week that he had refused to commit to serving all six years of a Senate term if he were re-elected. Trump has endorsed McCain and Rubio in their re-election bids even though he has rocky relations with both. How McCain and Rubio fare could have a big say in whether Republicans can defy expectations and maintain majority control of the Senate after November's election. "The balance of the Senate and the outcome of the presidential election are all hanging on Florida," Rubio predicted in a fundraising appeal late on Tuesday. Trump offended McCain and many other Republicans last year by suggesting the maverick senator was anything but a war hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War after his airplane was shot down during a bombing mission. In March, Trump ended Rubio's presidential run by trouncing him in the Florida primary to cap a race in which the New York businessman taunted the first-term senator as "little Marco." Rubio fired back, insulting Trump on everything from his hair color and the size of his hands to misspelled words in tweets. During their re-election efforts, both McCain and Rubio have offered support for Trump as the party's White House nominee and steered clear of attacks on that might antagonize Trump's core supporters. But they have tiptoed around Trump, mainly out of concern that his provocative comments on illegal immigration, Muslims and U.S. support for NATO could alienate moderate and independent voters in their states. (This version of the story corrects McCain's failed presidential bid in second paragraph to 2008, from 2012) (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney and Simon Cameron-Moore)
Moscow (AFP) - Russia will hold a two-day competition next week for its Paralympic squad banned from Rio, a top sports official said on Wednesday after Switzerland's federal court rejected their final appeal.

"We're planning to hold on September 7-8 a series of tournaments for the country's Paralympic athletes at the training bases in the Moscow region," R-Sport news agency quoted Russia's Paralympic Committee head Vladimir Lukin as saying.

Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal aimed at overturning a blanket ban on Russia from the Paralympics over allegations of state-run doping.

The ruling -- which followed an earlier rejection by the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport -- means that Russia appears to have exhausted all legal alleyways to get back into the Paralympics before they start on September 7.

Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out against the ban, calling the decision "outside the law, morality, humanity".

But Putin vowed to give Russia's banned Paralympians a platform "to show all their skills".

A Kremlin spokesman said on Wednesday that it was still to be decided if Putin would attend the event.

Russia's Olympic squad narrowly escaped a total ban from the Rio Games, although all of their track and field team except US-based long-jumper Darya Klishina were prevented from competing due to the allegations of state-sponsored drug cheating and corruption.
By Dmitry Madorsky ARKHANGELSK, Russia (Reuters) - British and Russian World War Two veterans gathered on Wednesday in Arkhangelsk, 75 years to the day since Britain's first Arctic convoy of military supplies steamed into the northern port. Britain's Princess Anne has been among those attending events honoring those who sailed, and the thousands who died, protecting supply convoys dispatched to aid the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany. On Aug. 31, 1941, two months after Hitler's surprise attack on his erstwhile ally prompted Josef Stalin to seek support from a beleaguered Britain, the first convoy, codenamed "Dervish", sailed into Arkhangelsk, or Archangel, after a 10-day crossing. In one of the lesser known examples of British-Soviet wartime cooperation, the six British and one Dutch merchant ships which arrived under the protection of the Royal Navy carried among other supplies a force of Hurricane fighters. These would be flown by Britain's Royal Air Force in aerial battles with the Luftwaffe and the Germans' Finnish allies before being handed over to Soviet pilots. John "Tim" Elkington, who arrived as a 20-year-old with the RAF's 151 Wing in Russia, said his most frightening experience was crossing the Arctic Sea on a route that would claim more than 3,000 Allied lives over the next four years as U-boats, aircraft and mines sank 101 merchant and naval ships. "The most dangerous part was being on an Arctic convoy and not knowing what was going to happen with the submarines, the aircraft and the mines," Elkington said. "But the operation in the air, there was no real danger because we were used to fighting Messerschmitts. We were used to that. And it was quite exciting to shoot an aircraft down." ICY WATERS The convoys were "the worst journey in the world" in the words of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who used them to forge an uneasy anti-Nazi alliance with Stalin that would last until the victors fell out, ushering in the Cold War. Concern in Moscow that a standoff with NATO over Ukraine is a "new Cold War" have been accompanied by increased interest from President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin in rekindling memories of World War Two cooperation with Britain and the United States. As commemorations of Russians' wartime sacrifices reinforce national pride and loyalty to Putin at home, surviving foreign veterans have also been feted in recent years as Moscow seeks to counter what it sees as vilification in the West. In a spirit of detente, Princess Anne said: "The scale of the loss felt by the Soviet Union during the Second World War was enormous and will not be forgotten by the United Kingdom." Russians who worked on the wartime docks spoke of their pleasure at seeing again British sailors they had encountered. British veterans, especially those like the RAF air and ground crews who spent months on shore working and fighting alongside the Red Army, recalled strong bonds of friendship being formed in a land where Communist society was as exotic and alien and the frozen Arctic seas and terrain they all endured. (Writing by Alastair Macdonald; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Washington (AFP) - Russia's claim that it killed Islamic State group spokesman and top strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani is a "joke," and the strike was conducted by a US Predator drone, American officials said Wednesday.

The Russian defense ministry had earlier said an Su-34 warplane killed "up to 40" IS fighters -- including Adnani -- in a bombing raid near the village of Um Hosh in the province of Aleppo on Tuesday.

"That's a joke," a US defense official told AFP when asked about Moscow's Adnani claim, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

"It would be funny, if not for the character of the campaign the Russians have undertaken in Syria."

Russia has been flying its own bombing campaign in Syria in support of leader Bashar al-Assad since last year, but this is the first time they have claimed to have killed a top-ranking IS leader.

The United States says coalition forces had targeted Adnani, who had a $5 million bounty on his head, in an air strike in Aleppo province on Tuesday, but the Pentagon is still assessing the result.

Another US official, again speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike was carried out by a Predator drone that fired a Hellfire missile at a car in which Adnani was believed to have been traveling.

The Defense Department drone strike was conducted with help from American special operations forces working with the Central Intelligence Agency, the US official said.

The Pentagon is very cautious about confirming the identity of those targeted in strikes, as on previous occasions it has announced deaths only to later learn the individual was still alive.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook later said there was nothing to indicate Russia had killed Adnani.

"We don't have any information to support what the Russians have put forward," he told reporters.
Russian director Alexei Mizgirev, whose movie Duelyant (Duelist) is to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, has been denied a Canadian visa and is likely to miss the premiere.

The Canadian embassy in Moscow said Mizgirev hadn't explained the purpose of his visit and could remain in Canada, not returning to Russia, the online newspaper Life.ru reported.

"This is an outrageous situation, for which I don't see an explanation," the movie's producer Alexander Rodnyansky, also known for Golden Globe-winning Leviathan, was quoted as saying by Exhibitor's Bulletin trade journal.

"Canada's main film festival with an international fame and reputation invites the director of a major international movie, made in collaboration with Hollywood's Sony Pictures, and the embassy's employee believes that the director will use the invitation to stay over in Canada," he went onto say.

"While it would be inappropriate for us to speak to a specific matter, every year we work very closely with the Canadian consulates and embassies around the world to ensure our guests that require any kind of consular assistance receive it in a timely fashion," TIFF's spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Canadian Foreign Affairs department, which runs Canada's embassies and consulates, wasn't available for comment.

Meanwhile, Duelist's other producer, Gleb Fetisov, said he was willing to put up $1 million as a surety that Mizgirev will return to Russia after the festival.

Duelist, one of this year's major Russian releases, is to be screened at TIFF's Special Presentations section.

Read more: 'Rock the Kasbah' Producers Win Case Against Russian Distributor Over License Fees
By Vladimir Soldatkin, Oksana Kobzeva and Katya Golubkova

MOSCOW/UFA, Russia (Reuters) - Russia's decision to postpone the privatisation of a mid-sized oil company has sent a message to investors: for all his power, President Vladimir Putin has failed to stop political infighting getting in the way of business.

Foreigners have long been wary of buying assets in Russia because of concerns that the state has little respect for ownership rights, but the tussle between competing clans over control of Bashneft (BANE.MM) has been particularly fierce.Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said the delay in the sale of the government's majority stake in the provincial oil firm, announced on Aug. 16, reflected market conditions and investor readiness for the deal.But the battle over Bashneft is a reminder for foreign investors that winning one camp's backing is no guarantee of protection for an investment because interests and influence can shift rapidly in the Kremlin."Foreign investors ... all understand what is happening, which is an internal battle they are not involved in," Chris Weafer, a senior partner at Macro-Advisory Ltd, a consultancy that advises investors on Russia, told Reuters.On one side, sources close to the government and Bashneft say, is Igor Sechin, head of state oil firm Rosneft (ROSN.MM) and a Putin lieutenant. Opposing him are economic liberals in the government who believe Bashneft should be in private hands.Putin has avoided taking sides, the sources said.

"With Bashneft it's clear it's a political story," said one source close to talks on the company's privatisation. "Bashneft is a good company, which is worth something, and which one of the Russian players would buy. But it's clear there is no political decision on who can buy it." Foreign investors are concerned the same fate might await other assets the Kremlin is planning to privatise, including a 25 percent stake in shipping firm Sovcomflot, which the government has said was worth 24 billion roubles (281.32 million pounds).

FAMILY FEUDThere is a sense of deja vu in the Bashneft saga for long-term investors in Russia.Reflecting on how Bashneft has changed hands repeatedly in the last three decades, a source at a western bank said: "The only one way to sell Bashneft is to sell it to Russian oligarchs. Foreigners see lots of risks."Named after the region of Bashkortostan where its oil is extracted and where it operates three oil refineries, Bashneft produces around 400,000 barrels of crude oil a day -- about the same as Vietnam produces and about 4 percent of Russia's output.After the collapse of communist rule in 1991, Bashneft was in the hands of the Bashkortostan regional government based in the city of Ufa and there was little oversight from Moscow, leaving regional leader Murtaza Rakhimov to hold sway.When Putin replaced Boris Yeltsin, who resigned as president on the last day of 1999, he set about restoring central control.Rakhimov saw this as a threat and his son, Ural, persuaded him revenue from Bashneft would be diverted to Moscow and control of jobs would be lost, according to a source who worked with the regional leader at the time."Just imagine: Ufa, minus 50 degrees outside, old ladies are standing at the bus stop in felt boots. Where do they work? Only at these three refineries, there is no other place."

Murtazawas waking up with this fear every morning," said another source, a former high-ranking energy official.Rakhimov signed a decree in 2002 allowing controlling stake sin companies in the energy sector to be transferred to private entities.The assets passed to firms close to Ural Rakhimov but relations between the two men worsened when Ural opposed his father politically, according to two sources with knowledge of the company at the time.As father and son feuded, Bashneft increasingly drew the attention of Vladimir Yevtushenkov, the billionaire boss of telecoms conglomerate Sistema. Sistema gradually acquired shares in Bashneft and by mid-2009 had secured a controlling stake, at a cost of about $2.5 billion.According to a source close to Murtaza Rakhimov, it was more than a simple commercial transaction: it had political backing from influential parties in Moscow."Murtaza was pushed from above to sell Bashneft to Yevtushenkov. He was resisting for a long time," the source said.

Yevtushenkov had ties to members of economic liberals who at the time were in the ascendancy.

Under him, Bashneft ramped up its crude output and drew up plans for a secondary share offering in London in 2014.

But Yevtushenkov's star waned as the political tide turned in the Kremlin, with economic liberals losing favour.

SECHIN'S INTERESTBashneft's growth caught the eye of Sechin as he sought acquisitions to increase Rosneft's production and refining capacity.Yevtushenkov also irked him by beating Rosneft to the purchase of a small oil company, Burneftegaz, in 2014, industry sources said.Yevtushenkov may also have worried the Kremlin by holding what two industry sources said were preliminary talks with a Western oil trader.Sistema declined comment, but the acquisition of a stake by a major Western oil trader could have made it harder for the state to nationalise Bashneft.Yevtushenkov was accused in 2014 of misappropriating Bashneft shares and held for three months under house arrest.The charges, which Sistema denied, were eventually dropped but a court ruled Sistema should return its shares to the state.Sechin has denied being behind Yevtushenkov'sarrest.

A Rosneft spokesman declined to comment.

The government hopes to net around half of Bashneft's $10 billion market value as part of a privatisation drive which is intended to help plug budget holes now that oil prices have fallen and Russia is subject to Western sanctions over Ukraine.

The state also intends to sell part of its holding in Rosneft as part of this drive, and this sale is now expected to take place before Bashneft's privatisation.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Oksana Kobzeva; additional reporting by Katya Golubkova, Olesya Astakhova, Polina Devitt and Darya Korsunskaya, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Akanyaru (Rwanda) (AFP) - "Before, at this time of year, we imported beans from Burundi but now they say they don't want to sell their crops to 'the enemy'," said Evariste Ndikumana, a trader on the Rwandan side of the border.

Worsening relations between Burundi and Rwanda mean the once-bustling border town of Akanyaru is suffering, hitting the economies of both countries.

Always awkward neighbours, Rwanda and Burundi have fallen out since a domestic political crisis enveloped Burundi in April last year, while spiteful policy-making in Bujumbura has made a bad situation worse.

In Akanyaru, bored traders and mobile phone scratchcard vendors kill time on a low wall beneath a shady awning.

The nearby pavement cafes are deserted and the brand new covered market is empty. The heaving lines of travellers that once crowded the immigration offices and the long queues of vehicles are a thing of the past.

- Bad politics, poor trade -

Politics is to blame, say the idle traders.

Trade has slowed dramatically since April 2015 when Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, a move that also triggered a diplomatic crisis with Bujumbura accusing Rwanda of backing Burundian rebels.

Rwanda denies the allegations, but UN investigators say they too have found evidence to support the claims.

"When there are political problems between countries, we, the people, are the ones who are affected," said Pierre Sibomana, another trader.

In the tit-for-tat nature of Kigali-Bujumbura relations, Rwanda has in turn accused Burundi of supporting Rwandan rebel groups in the east of their shared neighbour, the chronically troubled Democratic Republic of Congo.

For the people who rely on border trade for a living, things were bad enough even before Bujumbura issued a decree suspending food exports in late July.

The reason given was food shortages due to drought, but at the same time security officers on the Burundian side of the border began stopping bus passengers too, citing unspecified security concerns.

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In theory, Rwandan exports to Burundi are still permitted, but other difficulties and dangers mean trade has slowed.

"In Burundi, if they see that you are Rwandan, the police or even ordinary Burundians insult you," said Judith, a tea seller who did not want to give her full name.

She said she prefers to speak the regional Kiswahili language, rather than Kinyarwanda, when in Burundi to disguise her nationality. In any case, she said, Burundian officials seek bribes when she brings in Rwandan tea telling her, "There's enough tea here in Burundi."

- 'Infiltrators' -

Other Rwandan traders have fared worse, accused of being "infiltrators" and arrested.

In August, Rwanda's trade minister Francois Kanimba said the result has been a 40 percent fall in the volume of exports to Burundi in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Rwanda imports cheaper Burundian fruit and vegetables, palm oil and Lake Tanganyika whitebait.

Declining supply and illegal imports mean some commodities have doubled in price, according to traders in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

Kigali has tried to fight back, describing the Burundian decision restricting trade as "illegal" under East African common market rules. But their complaints have so far only added to the angry rhetoric and bad feeling between the two countries.
In 2013, Ryan Ferguson turned 29. He also left prison for the first time since he was a teenager.



Those years changed him, he tells PEOPLE.



"Whenever those types of things happen  you see it in case after case, mine's certainly not the only one  you lose faith," says Ferguson, 31. "So I didn't know I was getting out until the second I was actually walking out of the doors and, even then, I was suspicious of our legal system. And I still am."



The story of Ferguson's wrongful murder conviction, release and fight against injustice began with a terrible night: Newspaper editor Kent Heitholt was strangled and beaten on Halloween, in Ferguson's small hometown of Columbia, Missouri, in 2001.







Two years later, Ferguson's friend, Chuck Erickson, confessed to the crime after claiming to have dreams of the scene.



He soon implicated Ferguson in the so-called robbery gone awry, fingering him as the killer, and  despite the latter's adamant denials and a lack of physical evidence  both men were charged with murder.



Erickson took a 25-year plea deal, and testified against Ferguson alongside another eyewitness to the crime. Ferguson, just 19, was found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison.



Still, he and his family never gave up, despite countless failed appeals. Their resilience ultimately attracted the attention of attorney Kathleen Zeller, who is leading Steven Avery's case, and cued a startling confession from Erickson: He was recanting his testimony.



(Erickson remains in prison, and Ferguson has spoken out about wanting him freed as well, as someone who's "been taken advantage of by those in the justice system.)



After finally being granted a new trial, the other eyewitness, a janitor, also recanted his testimony. But freedom didn't come until later, in an appellate court, which ruled that prosecutors withheld evidence in the case that could have undercut the janitor's testimony.



In November 2013, a decade after his incarceration, Ferguson's conviction was  at last  vacated.



That experience has made him jaded but also empowered: Ferguson has dedicated his three short years out of prison to helping others who've met a similar fate. Part of this work is being highlighted on MTV's new series Unlocking the Truth, which premiered earlier this month.



"We had hundreds and hundreds of cases and I get new cases every day," Ferguson says. "It's actually very difficult to read them because there's so many people reaching out for help."





Story continues

Ryan Ferguson's Stolen Life: How His Wrongful Murder Conviction Fueled a Fight Against Injustice| MTV, Crime & Courts, True Crime, Crime, TV News



On Unlocking the Truth, Ferguson and the Exoneration Project's Eva Nagao investigate the cases of three prisoners who insist they were wrongfully convicted. The cases  Byron Case, Michael Politte and Kalvin Michael Smith  were carefully selected, with some key criteria.



"What we were looking for primarily was a case that we could see that a thorough investigation had not been completed," Ferguson says.



But why, after his own experience, would Ferguson want to continue dealing with the law?





Related Video: Wrongfully Convicted Ryan Ferguson Reveals How His Friendship With Amanda Knox Helped Him in From Prison





"My main motivation is that I don't believe that anyone or any family should have to endure what myself and my family have endured," Ferguson explains. "I don't believe that the victims and their families should be having to endure what is going on when the police are lying to them and not giving them the proper facts and not getting justice for them."





Ryan Ferguson's Stolen Life: How His Wrongful Murder Conviction Fueled a Fight Against Injustice| MTV, Crime & Courts, True Crime, Crime, TV News



Ferguson  quick to cite research in noting his problems with police questioning and eyewitness testimony, as well as his "anger and disappointment with the system"  says, "I lost 10 years of my life."



"When I sit there and I think about this, you have one life and I never got to experience my 20s, they've been taken from me," he tells PEOPLE. "I'll never have the opportunity to have them back. And that time will have meant nothing if I can't come back and make a change and make sure that doesn't happen to other people."



A life of freedom hasn't come easily for Ferguson, who says he's still adjusting. Learning his place in society has been a struggle, despite much mental and physical preparation for the day he long hoped would come.



He explains, "When you're 19 and you come out when you're 29, there are gonna be scars left over. I'm trying to understand that."





Ryan Ferguson's Stolen Life: How His Wrongful Murder Conviction Fueled a Fight Against Injustice| MTV, Crime & Courts, True Crime, Crime, TV News



A long-term girlfriend has been helpful  in fact, Myka Cain has been around since before Ferguson's exoneration. They met through friends of friends in the small Columbia community. Cain sent Ferguson a birthday card, and he wrote back. A pen pal relationship developed into more, as Cain took an increased interest in Ferguson's case, creating ties with his tight-knit family.



"She was just there for me and basically supported myself and my family and became part of us," he says. Now, the couple share a dog and a life  as well as a passion.



"She just does everything she can to expose injustice as I do, and we're a great little team," Ferguson says.



Another support system? Amanda Knox, the American student infamously convicted of murdering her roommate while studying abroad in Italy. Like Ferguson, Knox's conviction was eventually vacated.



"She's just one of those people who really cares and wants to help other people," Ferguson says. "Her heart is amazing and huge. I'm just so happy for her ... and that we have each other, luckily, for all of us."





Ryan Ferguson's Stolen Life: How His Wrongful Murder Conviction Fueled a Fight Against Injustice| MTV, Crime & Courts, True Crime, Crime, TV News



Ferguson sees the net of friends and family as crucial for anyone who claims to have been wrongfully convicted. In fact, it's something he looks at when evaluating cases.



For example, the attention brought to Smith's assault case  which will be explored on Wednesday night's episode of Unlocking the Truth  has largely been thanks to his family.



"[Kalvin] is very fortunate to have such an incredible family, and it really does make a big difference," Ferguson says. "And part of the reason his case is so well known in his area is because [his] family has been there to support him and they've been his voice out in the world. Most people who are put in prison and have claims of innocence don't have voices on the street."



Bringing those stories to the small screen, with shows like Ferguson's, as well as high-profile docuseries like Making a Murderer and the podcast Serial, is also making waves.



"I would not be doing this if I did not think it had a huge impact," Ferguson tells PEOPLE. "My fundamental belief is that for our legal system to change, for it to get the accountability that I think it needs, then we as a public have to be aware of how it operates."



Ferguson finally has his whole  free  life ahead of him, and he plans to use it exposing injustice. Hopefully, he says, MTV will continue to be a platform.



"I will always be fighting against it," he says. "I'm outraged, and we all should be."



Unlocking the Truth airs on Wednesdays (11 p.m. ET) on MTV.
By Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's biggest low cost airline Ryanair is "very cautious" on its outlook for the winter as uncertainty from Brexit and security concerns from travellers persist, forcing the carrier to cut fares.

Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said Ryanair had stimulated travel demand by reducing summer prices by 9 percent after Britain's June vote to leave the EU, but was not sure what would happen from October onwards, when Europeans take fewer holidays.

That made him "very cautious" on the airline's forecast for profit to the year ended March 2017 to climb 13 percent to between 1.38 billion euros (1.14 billion pounds) and 1.43 billion euros.

"That's the impact of Brexit, we're cutting fares much more steeply than in the past," he told a news conference in London. A weaker pound risks deterring British travel to euro countries.

"If the fares in the second half of the year fall by more than 10 or 12 percent then we'll have to revisit full-year guidance."

Europe's second biggest low cost carrier easyJet said in July it was unable to give an earnings forecast in the aftermath of Brexit, while Germany's Lufthansa downgraded its profit forecast and British Airways-owner IAG trimmed its 2016 growth plans.

O'Leary also on Wednesday gave further details of a plan to scale back capacity growth in Britain, where his Irish airline is the second biggest with an 18 percent market share. He saw growth of 6 percent in the 2017-18 financial year, from 15 percent in the 12 months to March.

That growth would have been between 10 and 15 percent had Britain not voted for Brexit and the uncertainty that brought, said O'Leary, a prominent campaigner for Britain to stay in the EU bloc.

O'Leary is also worried about an EU rule which states that EU airlines like Ryanair must be 50.1 percent owned by EU shareholders. If British investors were classed as non-EU, that would put Ryanair at odds with the rules.

He urged the UK government to allow the building of three new runways at each of London's biggest airports - Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted - schemes that arouse strong local opposition in heavily-populated southern England.

Story continues

"It'll be a really good response to the whole post-Brexit, what's Britain's future in the world, are we open for business, open for trade? You can't be open for business if there's no runway capacity in the main city," he said.

Heathrow, London's biggest airport, is operating at full capacity and the government is due to make a long-delayed decision as to whether to build a new runway there or at no.2 airport Gatwick this autumn. Stansted, London's no.3 airport, is Ryanair's biggest base.

(Reporting by Sarah Young, Editing by Paul Sandle/Ruth Pitchford)
By Harro Ten Wolde

BERLIN (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics is gearing up to enable its watches to work with rival Apple Inc's mobile devices in a bid to reach a wider audience for its wearable accessories beyond its own phone users, an executive said on Wednesday.

Richard Knight, Samsung's head of global product management, confirmed media reports in South Korea which said the company is running beta tests of the latest Samsung smartwatches to ensure compatibility with Apple iPhones.

"We have a beta trial now in Korea," the Samsung executive told Reuters following the introduction of new smartwatches in Berlin. [nL8N1BC4XH] "It is completely open. It involves about 2,000 people. So we are making some real progress there."

Knight offered no timeframe for when compatible products might be announced but said it was very much in the works.

"It is absolutely our goal to make it compatible with iOS as well", he said, referring to Apple's operating system software for phones and tablets. "We don't want people who have an iOS device having a bad experience with our own devices."

Samsung is the world's largest maker of mobile phones which run on Google Android software. Samsung's line of Gear smartwatches run on in-house-developed software known as Tinzen.

The company held 22.8 percent of the mobile handset market in the second quarter, twice the share of Apple, the world's No.2 maker, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

(Additional reporting by Peter Maushagen in Berlin and Se Young Lee in Seoul; Writing by Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; Editing by James Dalgleish)
By Harro Ten Wolde

BERLIN (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics is gearing up to enable its watches to work with rival Apple Inc's mobile devices in a bid to reach a wider audience for its wearable accessories beyond its own phone users, an executive said on Wednesday.

Richard Knight, Samsung's head of global product management, confirmed media reports in South Korea which said the company is running beta tests of the latest Samsung smartwatches to ensure compatibility with Apple iPhones.

"We have a beta trial now in Korea," the Samsung executive told Reuters following the introduction of new smartwatches in Berlin.

"It is completely open. It involves about 2,000 people. So we are making some real progress there."

Knight offered no timeframe for when compatible products might be announced but said it was very much in the works.

"It is absolutely our goal to make it compatible with iOS as well", he said, referring to Apple's operating system software for phones and tablets. "We don't want people who have an iOS device having a bad experience with our own devices."

Samsung is the world's largest maker of mobile phones which run on Google Android software. Samsung's line of Gear smartwatches run on in-house-developed software known as Tinzen.

The company held 22.8 percent of the mobile handset market in the second quarter, twice the share of Apple, the world's No.2 maker, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

(Additional reporting by Peter Maushagen in Berlin and Se Young Lee in Seoul; Writing by Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; Editing by James Dalgleish)
san francisco

San Francisco's housing market is very slowly cooling down.

The city is one of the most dire examples of the current housing crunch, in which potential homebuyers are plentiful and ready but inventory is insufficient.

On Tuesday, the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index showed that San Francisco's market may become more "normal" in the coming months, though affordability would remain a problem, according to Ralph McLaughlin, Trulia's chief economist.

For now, the pace of home-price growth is slowing. The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city composite fell by 0.1% month-on-month in June, the third straight decline, while it rose 5.13% year-on-year.

June marked the fifth consecutive month in which the year-on-year increase was equal to or smaller than the prior month's print. One caveat here, however, is that the S&P/Case-Shiller index is more reflective of price changes for premium homes, McLaughlin said.

Here's McLaughlin, writing in a note on Tuesday (emphasis ours):

"Though Western markets dominate U.S. price growth, San Francisco continues to show a noticeable cool down. Home prices in the City by the Bay increased of 6.4%, which is the smallest annual gain since August 2012. The continued slowdown suggests the San Francisco housing market might start looking more 'normal' by the end of the year, but the market still has a long way to go before most Bay Area homebuyers would agree."

Home prices rose at a faster pace than wage growth.

That worsened affordability and made the US housing market great for sellers but not so much for buyers. But this disproportion is slowly balancing out in buyers' favor.

"In a handful of areas, including pricier markets like San Diego, inventory is starting to creep back up," Zillow chief economist Svenja Gudell said in note on Tuesday. "As conditions in more local markets begin to shift and become more balanced between buyers and sellers, the national market will follow suit."

Story continues

NOW WATCH: No one wants to buy this bizarre house in a wealthy San Francisco suburb





More From Business Insider


* Like-for-like sales rise 9.3 pct in first half

* Sales in France rose at same level as globally

* No change in strategy since arrival of Shandong Ruyi

By Astrid Wendlandt and Pascale Denis

PARIS, Aug 31 (Reuters) - SMCP, the group behind French fashion brands Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot, bucked the global fashion industry's sluggish sales growth trends with a 9.3 percent increase in like-for-like revenue in the first half, helped by resilient demand in France.

Maje, Sandro and Claudie Pierlot operate in the sweet spot of the accessible luxury segment of the fashion market, which enjoyed stronger demand than the high-end and similar growth to budget brands such as Inditex's Zara and Hennes & Mauritz (H&M).

The three French fashion labels sell dresses for between 150 euros and 250 euros ($167-$278) and react fast to changing consumer and fashion trends thanks to supply chain practices borrowed from retailers such as H&M.

SMCP said first-half like-for-like sales in France, where it generates half of its revenue, rose at around the same level as globally, in high single digits, contrasting with the overall French fashion market where sales so far this year have been slightly negative.

"We are winning market share in France," SMCP Chief Executive Daniel Lalonde told Reuters in an interview.

Including the impact of foreign exchange and new stores, first-half sales were up 19.2 percent at 377.2 million euros ($420.31 million) globally, while in France, reported growth was 12 percent.

Lalonde said SMCP's digital strategy was paying off and online sales now made up 10 percent of total revenue, up from 6 percent last year.

SMCP did not publish profit figures but Lalonde said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose more than the group's reported first-half sales growth of 19.2 percent.

SMCP said it planned to pursue its international expansion, particularly in greater China where it would continue to open around 30 shops a year.

Story continues

Lalonde said the strategy had not changed after majority owner KKR agreed this spring to sell control to China's Shandong Ruyi in a 1.3-billion-euro deal that made the company cancel its application for a Paris flotation.

"There will be no change in the strategy with the arrival of Shandong Ruyi," Lalonde said, adding the transaction had been approved by the Chinese authorities and was expected to close in the coming weeks.

Shandong Ruyi will own 80 percent of SMCP while KKR will retain a 10 percent stake. Founders Evelyne, Ylan Chetrite and Judith Milgrom will together share with management the remaining 10 percent.

Lalonde took the helm of SMCP in April 2014 after spending more than a decade at luxury goods industry leader LVMH and two years at Ralph Lauren.

($1 = 0.8980 euros) (Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt; editing by Susan Thomas)
BUYER: Sean Parker

LOCATION: New York City, NY

PRICE: Unknown

SIZE: more than 6,000 square feet

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: One of the latest real estate trends in Manhattan, at least for those with the finances to indulge such pricey desires, is to acquire and combine two and even three contiguous townhouses in to one urban megamansion. Madonna lives in a triple-wide townhouse on the Upper East Side scooped up in 2009 for $32 million; Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick recently shelled out $34.5 million for side-by-side turn-of-the-century Greenwich Village townhouses that together measure nearly 14,000 square feet and will surely cost several more million dollars to combine; Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was granted permission to combine three Upper East Side townhouses he bought for a total of $78 million in to one 18,000-square-foot residence with an indoor swimming pool; And, as was first revealed by the plugged in property gossip at the New York Post, billionaire Napster founder and Facebook founding president Sean Parker paid an as-yet unrecorded amount in an off-market deal for a 21-foot wide Anglo-Italianate townhouse next door to two townhouses he already owns on a prime, tree-lined block in Greenwich Village.

The first of Mister Parkers trio of townhouses, a turn-of-the 20th-century Beaux Arts style carriage house of more than 6,000-square-feet with an enviable private single-car garage, was purchased in late 2010 for $22 million from vermouth booze heir Enrico Marone Cinzano and in May of this year (2016) the 36-year-old digital media mogul and his wife, a former model he married in 2013 in an extravagant $10 million Medieval-themed ceremony, paid $16.5 million in another off-market deal for the 6,000-plus square foot townhouse next door. His latest townhouse acquisition, built in 1856 for a prominent New York banker and later occupied by Edward Godkin, founder of the progressive news magazine The Nation, was sold to a developer in early 2015 for $14 million and was in the process of being expensively converted from a four-unit apartment house to a deluxely outfitted single-family residence when Mister Parker came along and scooped it up in a third off-market deal.

The oft-bearded tech tycoon, whose net worth is pushing up on $2.5 billion according to the bean counters at Forbes, is certainly no stranger to high maintenance trophy homes or the property gossip columns on both coasts. In Los Angeless prodigiously prosperous Holmby Hills neighborhood he owns a spectacularly preserved and conscientiously updated A. Quincy Jones-designed mansion known as Brody House after its first owners, contemporary art collecting philanthropists Sidney and Frances Lasker Brody, and that he bought over the summer of 2014 for $55 million from house-flipping chat show host Ellen DeGeneres and her actress wife Portia de Rossi.

Photo: Google

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If your financial past is less than stellar, a government-backed mortgage might be your ticket to getting into a new home. Loan programs through the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and even the USDA are known for being more flexible with those whove had encounters with bankruptcy, foreclosure, or other not-so-minor slip-ups. In fact, wait times for those whove gone through foreclosure can be significantly less with a government-backed loan than a conventional loan.

But that doesnt mean getting approved will be easy.

If youre applying for a government-backed loan, in addition to the usual credit and income checks, your lender will also run a check through a specialized database known as the Credit Alert Verification Reporting System, or CAIVRS. This little-known database, which tracks things a regular credit report doesnt, could spell big trouble for your home-buying aspirations if youve run afoul of another government-backed program in the past.

Dont panic (yet). Heres what you need to know before you go after that government-backed loan.

Whats reported to CAIVRS

CAIVRS, managed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a vast database that tracks loan defaults, delinquencies, foreclosures, and many other financial issues you might have had with the federal government. A host of agenciesfrom HUD to the Small Business Administrationcontribute data.

And if youre applying for a government-backed loan, theres no way to dodge it.

All lenders are required to check CAIVRS for any FHA, VA, or USDA loan application, says Joe Parsons, branch manager with Caliber Home Loans in Dublin, CA.

So what might be on your report? Student loan defaults are common. So are FHA and VA foreclosures. But not everything is reportedthe Internal Revenue Service doesnt report tax liens or delinquencies to CAIVRS. (Dont think youve dodged a bullet there, thoughtheyre reported to the credit bureaus.)

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CAIVRS vs. credit reports

At first glance, the differences between a credit report and a CAIVRS report may not seem significant. Both reports track big financial missteps such as a defaulted student loan. But where credit reports leave off some information (not all departments report everything all the time), a CAIVRS report is highly detailed. Even if youre lucky enough to get a pass on a student-loan delinquency on your credit report, it will likely show up on CAIVRS. If youre getting a government-backed loan, youll have to pass a review of both reports.

What to do if CAIVRS reports delinquencies

Currently, borrowers cant pull a copy of their CAIVRS reportyoull have to wait for your lender to do that for you. If the report comes back with serious delinquencies, it may hurt your chances of qualifying for a government-backed loan.

But there is a way to fix things.

First, you should check to make sure the entry isnt a mistake. CAIVRS reports operate much like credit reports offered by third-party credit bureaus. And, just as with a standard credit report, mistakes can happen. It could be that you werent supposed to be listed in the database at all. Perhaps theyre reporting outdated or incorrect information.

If you do find a mistake, you can get it corrected.

If someone finds themselves on the list mistakenly, they can deal with it in the same way they would handle an incorrect credit report entry: Provide documentation to the bureau, and wait for it to be corrected, Parsons says. Your lender can help you file the right documentation with the right department to get any mistake cleared up.

But what if its not an error? You still have some options, but be aware that they could delay getting financing.

For example, if your student loans are in default, you can pay off the default entirely or enter into a payment plan with the federal Department of Education. You may also be able to consolidate your student loans and get the payments back on track faster.

If you defaulted on another loansay a business loan through the SBAyoull likely need to pay it back in full before qualifying for more government-sponsored assistance. However, you may be able to work out a payment plan for delinquencies and other smaller issues.

If the problem was a foreclosure, your options may be limited. Typically, you have to wait three years from the date the agency paid on your foreclosure before youll be eligible for another loan. Plan accordingly.

What about conventional loans?

If youre not applying for a government-backed loan, you wont have to worry about CAIVRS directlyconventional loans dont require a CAIVRS clearance.

But that doesnt mean youll be entirely in the clear. Foreclosures, student loan defaults, and delinquent payments may show up on your credit reports, which conventional lenders will use. To make sure, its a good idea to pull your credit reports yourself a few months before you apply for a loan.

The post The Secret Database That Could Torpedo Your Mortgage appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
Chris Christie may be one of the biggest Bruce Springsteen fans out there. The New Jersey Governor was spotted at a Boss concert for the second time this year Tuesday night, looking like he was having the time of his life as he rocked out to the music at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

In a video shared by Instagram user Luc Cohen, Christie is seen shaking his hips, waving his hands and shimmying his shoulders in time to the beat of Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.

Chris Christie knows all the words, Cohen captioned the clip.

Chris Christie knows all the words A video posted by Luc Cohen (@luccohen92) on Aug 30, 2016 at 9:32pm PDT

Quiz: Are You Ready for Back to School?

But Christie wasnt the only celebrity at the show. Footage of Jon Stewart getting down to Springsteens Born to Run was captured by another concert attendee. An old friend enjoying Born to Run- miss him every night this year!, Instagram user Mitch Slater wrote of the former Daily Show host.

An old friend enjoying Born to Run- miss him every night this year! A video posted by Mitch Slater (@mps1960) on Aug 30, 2016 at 8:36pm PDT

[h/t Reuters]
From ELLE

Since Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber's Instagram fight, Gomez has been off of social media. She missed the VMAs and was about to go back on tour after her break, with a performance scheduled for this Saturday in Paradise, Canada. This afternoon, however, she announced she won't be taking the stage and is taking some time off to focus on her health.

"As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways," she told People in a statement. "I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges. I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off."

"Thank you to all my fans for your support," she continued. "You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues."

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Selena on Her Lupus Recovery" customtitles="Selena Gomez: The Support 'Has Been Overwhelming'" customimages="" content="article.31045"]

A source tells People that Gomez will clear her calendar for the rest of the year and that the break is "absolutely not related to alcohol or substance abuse." Gomez just "hadn't felt like herself," over the past couple of months, something she hinted earlier this summer on her Instagram.

"Tonight I felt extremely unauthentic, unconnected to both myself and my music," she wrote after her Indonesia concert in July. "I've never really felt like my materials, wardrobe or a video could define me. I act on a moment and fear something that hasn't happened. I'm stagnant, I stay still and don't just sit with myself first and ask 'is this where I am, whole heartedly?' I've always told the truth. I'm always true to my word, I've shown who I am but I need to rethink some areas of my life creatively and personally. Had to get that out."

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It hasn't been specified yet whether the remaining Revival Tour dates will be rescheduled.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Inside Night 1 of Selena Gomez's Tour" customtitles="What a Selena Gomez Revival Concert Is Like" customimages="" content="article.36211"]

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Washington (AFP) - Key US senators John McCain and Marco Rubio won their Republican primaries, setting up high-profile re-election efforts in November as their party fights to retain control of Congress.

Freshman lawmaker Rubio of Florida easily defeated business executive Carlos Beruff, securing around 72 percent of the vote and setting up a clash with House Democrat Patrick Murphy.

The closely watched Florida matchup is considered to be among those that could tip the Republican-controlled Senate into Democratic hands in November, especially if presidential hopeful Donald Trump underperforms in the general election and drags down other Republicans on the ballot.

About a third of the 100-member Senate and the entire House of Representatives are up for grabs in November.

Rubio, 45, was a rising Republican star whose presidential bid fizzled in March when Trump, a brash billionaire real estate mogul, thrashed him in the Florida primary.

Rubio had pledged to return to private life, but reversed course and launched his Senate re-election bid, scaring nearly every challenger out of what had been a crowded Republican field.

He called it "an unusual road back" to the Senate.

"But I just couldn't be at peace with the idea that we were going to not just potentially lose the Senate seat but lose the balance of power in the Senate at this critical moment in our nation's history," he told supporters after claiming victory.

Veteran Senator John McCain of Arizona was projected to handily win his contest against a more conservative candidate and advance to the November election.

"This one has a ways to go yet, and its not going to get any easier," he said in a victory speech.

Although his rival Kelli Ward, a former state senator, is an avid Trump supporter, the Republican nominee eventually backed McCain's re-election bid, depriving Ward of much-needed political oxygen to mount a successful challenge.

Story continues

She had argued that McCain, who turned 80 on Monday, had grown too old and "weak" to serve another six-year term.

McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, has spent three decades in the Senate. He was seen as one of the senators most vulnerable to a challenge by the far right, but ultimately prevailed easily.

Tuesday also saw House Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz, an embattled Florida congresswoman who until recently chaired the Democratic National Committee, survive a spirited challenge.

She stepped down from leading the DNC in July after leaked internal emails showed that members of the organization, which pledges neutrality in presidential primaries, favored Hillary Clinton this year over her more liberal rival Bernie Sanders.
REUTERS - Indian shares rose to their highest in more than a year on Wednesday as a string of positive earnings results, including most recently from Whirlpool of India Ltd, lifted sentiment ahead of economic growth data later in the day.

Nifty rose 0.48 percent to 8,786.20 after earlier hitting its highest since April 2015. It gained 1.7 percent in August, marking its sixth consecutive monthly gain.

Sensex rose 0.39 percent to 28,452.17 after earlier hitting its highest since July 2015. It ended up 1.4 percent for the month.

(Reporting by Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
TORONTO (Reuters) - The number of sexual offense complaints in the Canadian Armed Forces will increase 22 percent this year, but that is a "positive indicator" because it means more alleged victims are speaking up, according to a military report released on Tuesday. The progress report was the second on Operation Honour, a military program to tackle the issue started in 2015 after an external investigation said the Canadian Armed Forces had an underlying sexualized culture hostile to women and gays. Western militaries are increasingly coming under scrutiny for their handling of sexual offences. A Pentagon report in May said sexual assaults in the U.S. military are still underreported. According to the Canadian report, the military saw 106 founded complaints for incidents in the first six months of this year, which it said was a 22 percent increase without providing a comparative figure. A Department of National Defence spokesman later said the number of complaints in the second half of the year will likely be the same. That means the projected total for this year, 212, will be about 22 percent more than the 174 from 2015. "This increase appears to be a positive indicator that military members are more aware of the problem and more confident in stepping forward and reporting incidents," the report said. The investigation from 2015, by a former Supreme Court justice, found a broadly held perception in the lower ranks that those higher up condone inappropriate sexual conduct or are willing to turn a blind eye. Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance said the new progress report shows Operation Honour has been working, and said he felt encouraged. He told a news conference in Ottawa that as result of investigations between April and July this year, 30 people received career-impacting punishments. "Those who do not see the wisdom of what we are trying to accomplish and choose not to modify their negative behavior will be compelled to do so or they will be released," he said. (Reporting by Ethan Lou in Toronto; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Leslie Adler)
Just when you thought the latest Anthony Weiner scandal couldn't get any creepier, a new front page headline has the disgraced former congressman sinking to a new low, calling his son a chick magnet.

Read: Anthony Weiner Reportedly Warned His Wife Huma That Raunchy Photos Were About to Be Leaked

According text messages obtained by the New York Post, Weiner allegedly sent his latest sexting partner a photo of his 4-year-old son with the message: Already back at work. Being a chick magnet.

The woman replied: Its like a puppy. Chicks love cute kids and puppies.

He allegedly sexted nine photos including one in bed with his son to the unidentified woman last year. The photos surfaced Monday and quickly became front page news.

On Monday, Weiners wife, Huma Abedin, announced the couple were separating.

In a statement she said: "After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband."

Weiner has been through this scandal twice before. In 2011, the former U.S. Congressman from New York accidentally tweeted a shirtless picture to his followers, leading to his resignation.

Read: Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner to Separate After Latest Sexting Scandal

In 2013, as he attempted a return to public service as her ran for New York City mayor, but dropped out of the race after another woman's story of sexting with Weiner emerged.

The 2016 documentary Weiner documents his failed comeback attempt and its strain on his marriage to Abedin.

Watch: Sydney Leathers Weighs In on Anthony Weiner's Latest Sexting Scandal: 'He's Quite the Egomaniac'

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IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 31, 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.

The complaint alleges that 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
By Kylie MacLellan

LONDON (Reuters) - British public companies should be required to create shareholder committees responsible for proposing executive pay, to help constrain the spiralling salaries of top bosses, said a report published on Thursday.

The report, by lawmaker Chris Philp of the ruling Conservative Party, and think-tank the High Pay Centre, said shareholders often fail to exercise their responsibilities, helping clear the way to excessive executive rewards.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who took office after Britain's June 23 vote to leave the European Union, has pledged to give shareholders more powers to curb boardroom salaries.

"The doubling of the ratio of CEO pay to employee earnings in the last 12 years is best explained as a failure of governance. Excessive pay is a symptom of a weak board and poor shareholder engagement," the report said.

A survey by the High Pay Centre last month found the average pay package for a chief executive of a company in the FTSE 100 index of leading British companies had risen more than 10 percent in 2015 to an average of 5.5 million pounds ($7.2 million), on average 140 times more than their staff.

The shareholder committee, a model used in Sweden, would be made up of the largest five shareholders who have held the stock for more than 12 months, with a company employee and the chairman of the main board also attending meetings.

It would approve pay policy and recommend the appointment and removal of directors, before both were put to a vote of all shareholders. It would also question the main company board on corporate strategy and performance, the report said.

It also calls for mandatory publication of the ratio of total CEO remuneration to median worker pay, and binding annual shareholder votes on executive pay, both also mooted by May.

Some big investors and industry analysts are sceptical about the effectiveness of such measures, with many fund managers not having big enough governance teams to scrutinise pay at all the companies in which they invest.

The report said shareholders would not be obliged to take up all positions on offer, but would be expected to serve at the companies in which they are most actively interested. If a shareholder declined to take up a committee seat it would pass to the next largest shareholder.

(Editing by David Holmes)
By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - British public companies should be required to create shareholder committees responsible for proposing executive pay, to help constrain the spiralling salaries of top bosses, said a report published on Thursday. The report, by lawmaker Chris Philp of the ruling Conservative Party, and think-tank the High Pay Centre, said shareholders often fail to exercise their responsibilities, helping clear the way to excessive executive rewards. Prime Minister Theresa May, who took office after Britain's June 23 vote to leave the European Union, has pledged to give shareholders more powers to curb boardroom salaries. "The doubling of the ratio of CEO pay to employee earnings in the last 12 years is best explained as a failure of governance. Excessive pay is a symptom of a weak board and poor shareholder engagement," the report said. A survey by the High Pay Centre last month found the average pay package for a chief executive of a company in the FTSE 100 index of leading British companies had risen more than 10 percent in 2015 to an average of 5.5 million pounds ($7.2 million), on average 140 times more than their staff. The shareholder committee, a model used in Sweden, would be made up of the largest five shareholders who have held the stock for more than 12 months, with a company employee and the chairman of the main board also attending meetings. It would approve pay policy and recommend the appointment and removal of directors, before both were put to a vote of all shareholders. It would also question the main company board on corporate strategy and performance, the report said. It also calls for mandatory publication of the ratio of total CEO remuneration to median worker pay, and binding annual shareholder votes on executive pay, both also mooted by May. Some big investors and industry analysts are sceptical about the effectiveness of such measures, with many fund managers not having big enough governance teams to scrutinise pay at all the companies in which they invest. The report said shareholders would not be obliged to take up all positions on offer, but would be expected to serve at the companies in which they are most actively interested. If a shareholder declined to take up a committee seat it would pass to the next largest shareholder. (Editing by David Holmes)
Yahoo file photo of Supreme Court



A few years before allegedly kidnapping the mother of Sheng Siong supermarket boss Lim Hock Chee, sales executive Lee Sze Yong was hatching a plan to abduct the children of billionaire Peter Lim for ransom.

This was revealed in police statements read out by Deputy Public Prosecutor David Khoo in the High Court on Wednesday (31 August), the second day of the Sheng Siong kidnapping trial. Lee, a 44-year-old Singaporean, faces one charge of kidnapping Ng Lye Poh on 8 January 2014 and if convicted, he may be sentenced to life imprisonment and caning, or the death penalty.

As Lee was mired in financial trouble, he said he became desperate and thought of ways to clear his debts. The spark for his kidnapping plan came when Lee read about the local tycoons listed in the Forbes List of Singapores richest persons.

Lee decided to target Peter Lims children and he researched about Lim on the internet. Knowing that Lim was divorced, he assumed that Lims children were staying with the tycoons ex-wife.

Lee then checked on the website of Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) and bought information about Lims ex-wife with the intention of doing surveillance of her residence. He even had a ransom sum in mind, which he saved in a mobile phone: $50 million.

But Lims children were not the only kidnap targets that Lee considered. He researched on at least 10 other rich people including Lim Kok Thay, Genting Group chairman; Koh Wee Meng, the owner of the Fragrance Hotel chain; popiah king Sam Goi, Tee Yih Jia Group chairman; and George Quek, BreadTalk Group founder.

Eventually, Lee did not make any concrete plans to kidnap the tycoons or their children.

Lees big spending plans after kidnapping

Even as he was researching on the tycoons, Lee was already thinking about living a lavish lifestyle if he were successful in carrying out his kidnapping plan. According to court documents submitted by the prosecutors, Lee had written in separate notes about his spending plans based on $10 million and $20 million ransom sums.

Story continues

Among the luxury items that Lee was considering included a multi-million dollar house, Ferrari and BMW cars and high-end furniture. But he was also planning to spend the ransom sum on business investments and to pay off his debts.

DPP Khoo revealed that Lee was struggling to pay for placing his late father in a private nursing home. Lee resorted to using credit facilities such as credit cards and bank overdrafts. But he ended up racking up huge debts, and owed over $150,000 to several banks including DBS, HSBC, Maybank and Standard Chartered.

Compounding his financial woes, Lee also borrowed tens of thousands of dollars from a friend, and thousands of dollars from moneylenders.

Despite his predicament, Lee still asked the same friend to lend him money in order to pay a loan deposit for a Volkswagen car costing about $110,000.

Items bought for kidnapping

In preparation to carry out his kidnapping plan, Lee bought several items with the intention of disguising himself, including a Halloween facemask and a skin-colour face mask. He even bought a female Malay dress and headgear from a pasar malam bazaar.

The other items that he bought included duct tapes, ropes, surgical masks and chilli powder.

The trial will resume on Thursday (1 September).


The Sherwin-Williams Company SHW has selected Poised Taupe as the Color of the Year for 2017. This earthy neutral shade is the companys modern take on the color that has been a favorite for years.

Sherwin-Williams employees traveled globally to identify customer preferences and the latest trends to arrive at this decision. Over the past few years, the ideal neutral choice was gray, which is now changing to a warmer shade. In a survey conducted by the company, almost 40% of the participants chose to bring in the softer taupe into their house decor.

Poised Taupe has been selected from Sherwin-Williams Noir palette. The shade is ideal to be combined with other shades offered by the company. These include an indigo-based Stardew, a vibrant red shade of Rave Red, a deep teal-based Marea Baja as well as a sunny yellow-based Bee.

The shift from cooler to warmer shades has also been observed in commercial areas. Commercial spaces generally house more conservative colors and the preference for more woody shades prompted Sherwin-Williams to choose this hue for the next trend. The company believes this shade will provide developers and designers with a new complex and dimensional color that is also subtle to work with. It will also be showcasing a new range of warm neutral shades for commercial spaces for 2017.

SHERWIN WILLIAM Price

SHERWIN WILLIAM Price | SHERWIN WILLIAM Quote

Shares of Sherwin-Williams closed around 0.3% higher at $286.68 on Aug 29.

Sherwin-Williams reported adjusted earnings of $3.99 per share for the second quarter of 2016, up 3.4% year over year on better operations in the Paint Stores and Global Finishes Groups. Revenues of $3,219.5 million in the reported quarter also increased 2% from the prior-year quarter on higher volumes in the Paint Stores Group. However, both figures missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Sherwin-Williams expects consolidated net sales to increase by a low to mid-single digit percentage in third-quarter 2016, compared with the third quarter of 2015. The company anticipates earnings per share in third-quarter 2016 to be in the range of $4.10$4.30. For 2016, the company expects consolidated net sales to increase by a low-single digit percentage compared with 2015. It expects earnings per share for 2016 to be in the range of $11.65$11.85, against $11.16 earned in 2015.

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Sherwin-Williams currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space include Stepan Company SCL, Innophos Holdings Inc IPHS and Innospec Inc. IOSP, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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Everyone gets ear wax from time to time, but a man in Malaysia might have the most shocking ear wax removal story ever!

The patient went to his ENT doctor after going completely deaf in one ear. The mans ear was completely blocked with a hardened ball of wax. He had tried numerous times before to dislodge it, but was unsuccessful. In order to remove the obstruction, the ENT used general anesthesia, taking him 25 minutes to eliminate the large mass. In order to successfully eradicate it, a suction pump was also used.

Watch: 17-Year-Old Neck Cyst Removal

Unlike common ear wax, plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon explains this was a case of Keratosis obturans. Its not just ear wax its the heaping up and building up of dead skin cells, combined with the wax."

8162 Current Cut National 4.28.16 Jb.Sub.108

OB/GYN Dr. Jennifer Ashton reveals that she once had a particularly troublesome ear issue, though not as intense or as large as the man in Malaysia.

I once had an obstructed ear canal and my ENT had to flush that sucker out. It was like delivering a small child. It was the size of a wine cork! she says. It was so disgusting, [and] I couldnt hear.

Watch: Removing Skin Tags

Have you had a similar ear wax horror story? Tell us about your incident below and how you treated it. As always, if you are concerned you have an obstruction in your ear or any other body opening; please seek the appropriate medical attention.
AviatoTuro4

In the HBO comedy "Silicon Valley," Pied Piper board member Erlich Bachmann drives around Palo Alto, California in a bright green-and-yellow SUV.

The car is a leftover from his first startup, Aviato, in the show's mythology. Now a real life Silicon Valley startup is using the car to promote its app  and you might be able to drive it.

Turo, a startup that's best described as "Airbnb for your car," is renting out a 2006 Ford Escape emblazoned with full Aviato branding, with HBO's permission, among other cars from popular culture, such as a vehicle "Mad Max: Fury Road."

The listing was even written by HBO writers, according to Turo.

The idea is that users can rent their car through the app to make a little bit of extra money, similar to how an Airbnb user might rent out a room.

People browsing Turo will now see the fictional Bachmann renting out his beloved Aviato Ford Escape.

I had the pleasure of driving the Aviato car last week in San Francisco. It is, true to the Turo listing, a 2006 Ford Escape. These are not the doors of a billionaire.

The air conditioning's not great, and it doesn't have modern amenities like Apple CarPlay. But what else could you expect from a car that costs $49 per day? The car will be available to rent in San Francisco at first, then Los Angeles.

One thing is for sure: This ride attracts attention. I drove it for a few short hours around San Francisco and Silicon Valley and people couldn't stop taking pictures  even ex-Googlers love the show.

Judah Friedlander was shooting a new show in San Francisco, and his crew stopped to take photos as well.

The Aviato car shows the promise of a service like Turo, which counts VCs like Kleiner Perkins, Canaan Partners, August Capital, and Shasta Ventures among its investors. It's possible to get a much wilder and more interesting car than the Zipcar or other rental services offer.

Look what I found in the @Apple parking lot! @AviatoInc @ErlichBachman @kifleswing @SiliconHBO A photo posted by Daniel Makoski (@mak0ski) on Aug 25, 2016 at 3:10pm PDT on Aug 25, 2016 at 3:10pm PDT

Aviato Selfie

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Aviato 4

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It has been falling since October 2015.

As the weak economy continue to put pressure on business, Singapore's bank lending continues to creep lower, recording a 2.2% decline in July from a year ago.

According to data from Monetary Authority of Singapore, total loans for July dipped from $610.4 billion last year to $597.23 billion.

This has been the 10th consecutive month of drops since October last year, when total loans saw a slight slip of 0.4%, from $604.4 billion in 2014 to $601.7 billion.

On a monthly basis, total loans in July saw a slight improvement of 1.1% from the previous month's $590.5 billion.

In terms of loans to businesses, general commerce saw the sharpest decline at 22% from $76.6 billion last year to $59.7 billion.

Other sectors such as manufacturing, professional & private businesses also registered slips in total bank loans.







More From Singapore Business Review


The number of confirmed Zika cases in Singapore surged past 100 late Wednesday, including the first pregnant woman to be infected by the disease which can cause deformities in babies.

The United States and Britain joined Australia and Taiwan in advising pregnant women to avoid non-essential travel to the city-state, while a local health expert warned the infection rate would rise.

The Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement late Wednesday they had identified 24 new infections plus nine more detected as a result of testing previous cases, bringing the total to 115.

A pregnant woman was among those who tested positive for the virus.

"Her doctor is following up closely with her to monitor her health and the development of her baby," the statement said.

"She will be referred to a maternal-foetal medicine specialist for counselling and advice."

The Aedes mosquito-borne Zika, which has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hardest-hit Brazil, causes only mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash.

But in pregnant women it can cause microcephaly, a deformation in which babies are born with abnormally small brains and heads.

Brazil, where the disease has become an epidemic, has reported 1,835 cases of microcephaly, the World Health Organization says.

Singapore on Wednesday urged pregnant women showing symptoms of fever or rashes to get tested.

Expectant mothers with male partners who have tested positive were also told to visit their doctors.

The environment agency also said it would expand its operations to eradicate mosquitoes and their breeding places at a potential new cluster in the suburb of Bedok North and urged residents to cooperate, warning it will enter "inaccessible premises" by force if necessary.

"Over time, we expect Zika cases to to emerge from more areas," Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said in the statement.

"We must work out a plan on the basis that there is Zika transmission in other parts of Singapore."

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Despite the rise in Zika cases, a spokesman for the Singapore Grand Prix told AFP Wednesday the Formula One race will go on as scheduled from September 16-18.

"We will continue to work with all relevant government agencies and implement any recommended precautionary measures as directed or deemed necessary," he said.

- Infections set to rise -

Since Singapore reported its first locally transmitted Zika infection on Saturday, confirmed cases have soared as authorities ramped up testing.

Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, said the number is likely to climb.

"There are very few mosquitos carrying the Zika virus but you must remember (that) for every one Zika case found, four more are asymptomatic," he told AFP.

But he said Singaporean authorities -- who spend some Sg$1.0 million ($733,000) a day on exterminating mosquitoes -- were in a good position to deal with the outbreak.

"We have a very determined government with the funds... and a rather obedient population," he said. "When told to stay home, people do stay home and follow instructions."

Despite being one of Asia's cleanest cities with high health care standards, Singapore is a densely populated tropical island with heavy rainfall. It has a chronic problem with dengue fever, spread by the same Aedes mosquito that carries Zika.

Singapore's first Zika case came in May from a man who had visited Sao Paulo in Brazil.
A lightning bolt struck and killed nearly 20 cows in Texas just days after a lightning strike left more than 300 reindeer dead in Norway.

A herd of cows was huddling under a tree during a thunderstorm near Hallsville, Texas on Sunday night when a lightning bolt hit the tree and immediately caused the cows to drop to the ground, KLTV reports.

All of a sudden, a lightning bolt came down and the cows just fell, witness Victor Benson told the news station. In the blink of an eye  a lightning bolt, and there was lightning everywhere, but just one and it was over.

Texas lightning strike kills 19 cows as they shelter under tree https://t.co/Q35TlNirOC via @DailyNewsPick pic.twitter.com/p59nBD3gOu  Ladislav Miko (@LadislavMikoSk) August 30, 2016

We kept thinking, oh, theyll get up, Benson added. Some of the animals managed to stumble away, but 19 died from the strike, according to KLTV.

The deadly lightning strike in Texas comes after 323 reindeer were found dead in the southern part of Norway on the Hardangervidda plateau, the Norwegian Environment Agency said.
A terrorist leader is dead. Does it matter? The Islamic State announced Tuesday that the head of its external operations and propaganda wing, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, was killed near Aleppo, Syria, on Tuesday. The Pentagon has confirmed that it launched a strike targeting him near the town of al Bab, though theyre not confirming his death just yet.

Its unclear what the loss of Adnani would mean for ISIS, a group already on its heels in Iraq and Syria. If the past 15 years of war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Syria have taught us anything, its that taking out terrorist leaders rarely cripples large terrorist organizations. But Adnani would rank as the highest ISIS leader to be killed by an airstrike, and has been a critical voice and leader for the group. He was the first to declare a caliphate for ISIS in June 2014, and has personally overseen plans to hit targets in Europe while encouraging followers to attack non-Muslims around the globe, as a series of illuminating New York Times exclusives from Rukmini Callimachi have shown us over the past several months.

Like ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, Adnani was in U.S. custody in Iraq from 2005 until 2010, when he was released and fled to Syria, where he again signed up with the group that would become ISIS.

Something to consider. The New Yorkers Robin Wright spoke with Hassan Hassan, the author of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, who had an interesting take on Adnanis apparent death. The transition to the second and third tiers of the group is already well under way. And this could affect the direction of the organization and how it operates, he said. Those leaders who grew up within this organization are more attuned to the local dynamics, so the decapitation of such leaders could, in fact, inject a new life into the group.

Crib sheet. Heres a very handy little report from the Congressional Research Service listing what countries are taking part in the U.S.-led fight against ISIS in Iraq, what their contributions are, and where their troops are based.

Story continues

Syria mystery. Well probably never really know if Syria destroyed all of its chemical weapons stocks, FPs Colum Lynch writes in his latest exclusive on the continuing story. What inspectors know of the countrys chemical program, and what has been delivered to weapons inspectors, leaves a yawning gap that has left inspectors questioning whether Syria may have retained a stockpile of tactical chemical munitions it has never acknowledged. Thats the conclusion of a highly confidential, 75-page report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reviewed exclusively by Foreign Policy.

Irans navies. The top U.S. general in the Middle East made a critical distinction between the Iranian navy and the hard line Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy on Tuesday, blaming the latter for the spate of recent unsafe and unprofessional incidents in the Persian Gulf. Over the past week, fast boats from the Revolutionary Guard have stepped up their harassment of American warships, leading the USS Squall to fire warning shots into the water.

The big concern here is miscalculation, U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel told reporters at the Pentagon. If they continue to test us, we are going to respond, and we are going to protect ourselves and our partners. Irans actions in the Gulf are unlike anyone elses, Votel added. No one else does what they do  go out and drive fast boats towards military vessels. Nobody else does that in international waters.

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

South China Sea

Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that there is no military solution to rising tensions in the South China Sea, but everyone sees to be arming up, anyway. Russia sending five ships to the waterway to conduct military exercises with China next month, including two anti-submarine ships  an interesting development given the rush by Chinas neighbors to modernize their underwater capabilities as recently outlined by FPs Elias Groll and Dan De Luce. And China is ready to deploy a new air defense system developed to knock incoming missiles out of the sky. The focus has shifted to anti-missile technology since Beijing now sees incoming missiles as more of a threat than hostile aircraft, experts say.

More on China

Plans for Chinas third aircraft carrier appear to have leaked online, according to imagery posted on Chinese military forums and reviewed by IHS Janes. If the images are authentic, the ship does away with the curved ski jump deck seen on the Type 001A, currently under construction, leading to speculation that it will use a catapult system to launch aircraft. Once finished, the ship will be Chinas second indigenously-produced flattop. The Peoples Liberation Army Navy purchased its first carrier, an old Soviet vessel, from Ukraine and is nearly finished building its first homemade one.

Russia

Russian bombers are putting the Kh-32 cruise missile through its final trials, according to UPI. The missile, which reportedly travels at a blazing 3,300 miles per hour and can reach the stratosphere at heights of up to 130,000 ft., is being tested aboard long-range bombers. Russian sources also claim that the Kh-32 is impervious to the latest American air defense systems, able to evade Patriot missiles.

Russia isnt kitting up its fighter jets in Syria with its latest and greatest air-to-air weapons, according to the National Interest. Once in a great while, an Su-35S Flanker E will appear in Syria outfitted with R-77 RVV-SD missiles, but more often than not, Russian air-to-air defense is provided by Su-30SM Flanker-H and Su-34. Experts say the newer R-77 RVV-SD missiles remain in relatively shorter supply and Moscow isnt in a hurry to arm its fighter jets with advanced air-to-air loads because its not sweating the possibility of a throwdown with American fighter jets in Syria.

Snowden

Maybe you thought you knew Edward Snowden. Or at least had a handle on the strange story of the international saga that followed his leaking of NSA secrets. Well, now get ready for the inside story of how Oliver Stone made a movie about Snowden, and the Russian lawyer with direct ties to Vladimir Putin who made Stone pay him whats reported to be one million dollars for access to Snowden, who remains holed up somewhere in Russia.

ISIS

The State Department on Tuesday offered a $3 million reward for information on the whereabouts of Gulmurod Khalimov, an ISIS leader who was the former commander of a police special operations unit in Tajikistan. Khalimov underwent training from U.S. special operations forces, according to reports.

Bots o war

The U.S. military isnt the only force in the Middle East using remote control weapons, according to new Army report examining insurgent use of RC armaments. The study looked at 21 such systems used in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, consisting mostly of a remote controlled firearms with some sort of camera for aiming. The Army concludes that the weapons, though rarely used and somewhat crude, are more efficient than expected. In one instance, the Islamic State used a remotely-operated sniper rifle protected by dogs to kill advancing Kurdish troops.

Qatar

Qatar has been throwing lots of money around Washington, DC on lobbyists and PR flacks in order to counter charges that its soft on terrorism, Al Monitor reports. In 2015, the Gulf monarchy quadrupled its lobbying and PR budget from $764,000 to $3.4 million. The spending binge follows anxieties in the United States that Qatar has been lax on curbing terrorist financing and Qatari citizens support for al Qaedas Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra (now Jabhat Fateh al-Sham).

Afghanistan

The Taliban released a video on Tuesday showing a Canadian and an American couple, Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman, kidnapped and held hostage by the insurgent group in 2012, Reuters reports. In the video, the couple ask the U.S. government to get the Afghan government to halt its policy of executing captured Taliban prisoners. A senior Taliban source tells the wire service that the tape was intended to put pressure on the Afghan government not to execute Anas Haqqani, the son of the powerful Haqqani network leader Jalaluddin Haqqani. Coleman has had two children since she and Boyle were kidnapped while backpacking through Afghanistan four years ago.

Navy

The second U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship in a week has gone down with engine trouble in the Pacific. USNI News reports that the USS Coronado is headed back to Hawaii after experiencing an unspecified engineering casualty. Sources tell the news outlet that sailors on board the ship witnessed electrical problems near the ships engines. Coronados problems come on the heels of problems reported with the USS Freedoms engines on Sunday.

Photo Credit should read JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images
LONDON (Reuters) - Six teenagers in a town east of London have been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of killing a Polish man in a suspected hate crime, British police said on Wednesday. Police have reported a jump in hate crime in Britain after the country voted to leave the European Union in June, following a campaign that critics said stoked xenophobia and racism. The 40-year-old man, named in local media reports as factory worker Arek Jozwik, suffered head injuries in a street attack in Harlow on Saturday and died in hospital on Monday evening, Essex Police said. A second man, 43, was also attacked and suffered suspected fractures to his hands and bruising to his stomach. He has since been discharged from hospital. Five boys aged 15 and one aged 16 were arrested on suspicion of murder, police said. One line of investigation was that the attack was a hate crime, they said. The group has been released on bail until Oct. 7 pending further inquiries. Poland's ambassador in London said in June he was "shocked and deeply concerned" about the reports of a rise in xenophobic abuse against the Polish community in Britain, which is estimated to number 850,000. (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
This week, police released a composite sketch of a possible witness in the killing of New York City jogger Karina Vetrano.



The 30-year-old jogger's body was found in a Queens park on August 2, about a dozen feet from a jogging trail she used daily. She was sexually assaulted and strangled to death, but investigators say she "put up a ferocious fight" before her death.



Police believe Vetrano bit her attacker because her teeth showed signs of cracking.



Authorities say the man depicted in the sketch may have seen something that could help them solve the case.



A police spokesperson tells PEOPLE the mystery man is not considered a suspect, but simply someone who has vital information that could lead them to Vetrano's killer.



"He was seen on the pathway of the Belt Parkway, which is in the north end of the park, Spring Creek Park," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told reporters Tuesday. "That's why weare putting it out. We want to speak to this person because we feel that he was there."



Police say a public utility worker spotted the man in the area where Vetrano was killed earlier this month. Investigators held onto the sketch for 10 days before releasing it.



 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.



"We don't know who he is, we don't know if he's a fellow jogger, what he's doing," Boyce said.



The man is described as roughly 5-foot-10 with a medium build. He was seen wearing a red T-shirt, dark pants and a wool hat, Boyce said.



Boyce commented that the presence of the wool hat was "a little unusual," considering New York was in the middle of a summer heat wave.



Boyce said Vetrano would typically run with her father, who sat out the fateful jog because he was dealing with back pain.



When she didn't return, her dad called the police, who pinged her phone. It showed that she was in the brush near the park's jogging path. The father went out with police and discovered her body 15 feet from the jogging trail, Boyce said.



Police have developed a DNA profile of Vetrano's killer using DNA recovered from her phone, neck and under her fingernails.



The DNA evidence did not return a match when run through criminal databases.



Another jogger, who frequently used the same path as Vetrano, has been interviewed by police but has been ruled out a suspect.



Anyone with information regarding Vetrano's killing is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).



The public can also submit tips through the Crime stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
Two years ago at Burning Man, Andrea tripped on ayahuasca and had visions of herself as a woman in a past life. At the time, Andrea, a 33-year-old transgender woman, identified as a man, but she had struggled with gender dysphoria since high school. Growing up I had no transgender role models, and there was nobody to tell me that what I felt was something anyone else had, she says. I was unhappy with how I was living, and I really wished I had been born with a female body.

After meeting a few transgender women at the famed music and arts festival, Andrea decided to pursue her own transition. But when she sought out feminizing hormones through clinics around her home in Philadelphia, she ran into lengthy waiting lists and high costs. So she decided to experiment on her own. She ordered Estradiol, a commonly prescribed form of estrogen, and Spironolactone, a testosterone blocker traditionally prescribed to transgender women, from an online pharmacy without a prescription.

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Andreas decision to manage her own transition outside of a doctors care is common. With a lack of transgender-related services across the country, as well as discrimination from medical professionals and insurance companies, many transgender patients are conducting their own hormone replacement therapy, a regiment of medications meant to help them develop some of the secondary sexual characteristics of their gender identity.

Online forums and blogs devoted to DIY HRTdo-it-yourself hormone replacement therapyhelp transgender people access drugs that are typically meant to be guarded by a doctors prescription and certified pharmacies. The websites members recommend online pharmacies of dubious legality and help each other navigate shipping and possessing such drugs. They monitor their own blood results and manage each others side-effectsall without the oversight of a doctor. (Because of the legal questions around these practices, we agreed not to identify the full names of some individuals we spoke to for this story.)

Story continues

For Andrea, the do-it-yourself method was only a stepping-stone towards a doctor-managed approach. But she may return to DIY to retain the independence and control it gave her, she says. It's not fun to depend on having sympathetic doctors around (or money) every two months to refill prescriptions.

* * *

My initial goal was to try a few weeks supply and see how it felt from there, says Adam, a member of r/TransDIY, a discussion pageor subredditon the website Reddit. Without insurance coverage to affordably (and legally) pursue a transition, however, Adam ended up ordering hormones for a number of months, and monitored the results through close observation of lab results and online research into the side effects of the different hormones. r/TransDIY links users to pharmacies, labs, and the clinical guidelines of the Endocrine Society. Numerous posts detail Amys Quick-And-Dirty Guide To DIY and Ellies Awesome DIY Guide, offering advice on medications and proper dosages. I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice, clarifies one tutorial. This is all stuff I've pieced together from a combination of personal experience, reading other people's posts, and discovering medical literature.

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Estradiol and Spironolactone are the most popular drugs for transgender women to increase estrogen and decrease testosterone, respectively, which help develop softer skin, feminine fat distribution in the face and body, and breasts. Transgender men are typically prescribed Depo-Testosterone, regular consumption of which helps them develop muscle, body hair, and a deeper voice. While Estradiol and Spironolactone can be acquired at numerous online pharmacies, most forms of testosterone are regulated as a steroid by both the Controlled Substances Act and the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990meaning most DIYers are transgender women.

Katherine Sterling, a woman who sought hormones online, describes how its incredibly hard to access them through traditional channels. After obtaining insurance that would cover HRT, she kept getting the same kinds of issues, she wrote to me in an email. Either they wouldn't work with my insurance (and hence declined to have me as a patient), didn't know enough about transgender HRT to even consider me, kept bouncing me around to different clinics, or just told me to see a therapist or anything elsebecause they didn't know what I needed. Months after pursuing HRT through doctors, Katherine says she found herself stuck with off-prescription medications she obtained online because it was her only option. At times I would literally be brought to tears over being rejected so much.

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According to Joshua Safer, the medical director of Boston Universitys Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, Katherines story is common. The big roadblocks are lack of providers who have been willing to provide the treatment in the first place and lack of financial support, he says. It is still the case in much of the country  that transgender individuals will reach out to their existing and logical providers and are told I dont do that. I wont prescribe you those hormones. I dont feel comfortable.

Safer believes this hesitance is less a matter of malice than it is a matter of ignorance. Still, he sees discrimination as an enormous problem within the medical community. He admitted to hearing snide jokes and honest, hostile opinions of transgender patients from his colleagues. There are still providers with outright hostility, he says. I have a patient who reported coming in for a broken limb to an emergency room and being sent out of the emergency room because the doctors determined they were transwhich is entirely unrelated to the situation.

One poster on the DIY subreddit told me that a doctor turned them down for HRT to avoid being legally responsible for the transition. Another reflected on living in the Southern United States, where trans healthcare is nonexistent and 9 out of 10 doctors are overtly hostile and antagonist [sic] toward trans patients. In a 2011 study by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, 28 percent of respondents said they avoided medical care because of discrimination from a medical professional, and 19 percent reported being refused medical care because of their gender identity. Fifty percent said they had to teach their doctor about appropriate careone reason some people may feel confident enough to manage their own transition.

* * *

A provision in the Affordable Care Act outlaws discrimination against patients on the basis of gender, a rule that Lambda Legalan LGBT civil-rights organization that regularly takes up cases of discriminationhas argued extends to transgender individuals, since HRT is typically covered for women going through menopause. When people need to have access to care and they cant get it, they use any means possible, says Dru Levasseur, Lambdas Transgender Rights Project Director.

Some states, like New York and Massachusetts, have begun initiatives to close these gaps. But for now, questionable pharmacies are filling the void left open by the health care system. Websites like InHousePharmacy, All Day Chemist, and Quality Health, Inc. offer by-mail delivery of a vast number of drugs that typically require a prescription. Taking advantage of dense international shipping and drug laws, these sites sell hormones and many other medications not listed as controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Administrationthough, as The Washington Post has reported, Deep Web traffickers can help you with that, too.

Earlier this year, the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies surveyed 30,000 online drug-sellers, and found that 96 percent existed outside of regulations or licenses typically enforced by the Food and Drug Administration, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacies, and the DEA. These rogue sites often sell unapproved drugs, drugs that contain the wrong active ingredient, drugs that may contain too much or too little of the active ingredient, or drugs that contain dangerous ingredients, warns the FDA.

According to Libby Baney, executive director of the Association for Safe Online Pharmacies and a lawyer specializing in the regulation of the healthcare supply chain, patients are rolling the dice when they order prescription medications or controlled substances through most online pharmacies. One in two of these pharmacies are selling counterfeit medicine, she says, citing a report by the World Health Organization.

Even if the drugs patients do obtain are legitimate and not counterfeit, many of these pharmacies and manufacturers do not have the same safety standards as the FDA and the U.S. government, she adds, citing India, Russia, and Pakistan as some of the more popular pharmacy locations. (All Day Chemist, an online pharmacy based in India, even has a strict as-is policy, meaning they do not claim 100-percent certainty about the products they sell.) Hormones manufactured and distributed from abroad might be contaminated, or kept out of cold storage, which is necessary to keep them from degrading. Even if youre lucky enough not to get a counterfeit, you dont know the quality of the medicine you get, Baney says.

Simply taking hormones poses health risks, too. Safer, the Boston University professor, notes that estrogen contributes to blood clots and can increase one's chances of stroke or heart disease, as well as put extra strain on the liver. Spironolactone, the most popular testosterone blocker prescribed to transgender women, is a potassium-sparing diuretic, meaning a patient with existing kidney problems might have to restrict their dose or not take the drug at all.

The moderators of r/asktransgender, the largest trans-related subreddit, with nearly 25,000 members, have made clear their position against DIY HRT. I know there are many of us who do not have access to knowledgeable doctors or have unsupportive parents. And there are many of us who have successfully gone down the road of DIY, a moderator on the forum wrote. However, please bear in mind that there ARE risks, and you should always try to transition under the support and care of a medical professional.

While r/asktransgender doesnt prohibit all talk of DIY hormones, other sites ban users helping each other administer their own HRT. Susans Place, one of the largest and oldest transgender forums on the web, explicitly prohibits any discussion of non-prescription hormones and even goes so far as to block discussion about natural hormone methods (some transgender women will pursue a diet heavy in phytoestrogens in order to enhance certain feminine characteristics of their body).

The Susans Place rule could be to avoid liability for the forum and its users, but individuals are rarely prosecuted for ordering off-prescription drugs. The pharmacies that sell them are conducting illegal activity under the federal regulations, but according to Baney, the Association for Safe Online Pharmacies lawyer, its unlikely an individual buying online is going to be prosecuted for that. The burden is on the drug seller thats selling onlineand the entities that facilitate that. She mentions a $500 million settlement between the Justice Department and Google, which failed to verify the authenticity of online pharmacies using its ad network. Similarly, in 2014, FedEx faced a $1.4 billion fine for conspiring to deliver prescription drugs from illicit online pharmacies to patients without a prescription.

* * *

In many ways, the people braving the legal landscape to obtain HRT resemble the famous buyers clubs of the AIDS crisis. When a supposedly lagging FDA and medical community made drugs hard to come by for sufferers of HIV or AIDS, local groups began harvesting experimental AIDS drugs from countries with less regulation and distributing them to eager and desperate patients. One such group, founded by Ron Woodroof in 1989, was portrayed in the Oscar-winning movie Dallas Buyers Club. Another, the People With AIDS Health Group in New York City, was profiled by journalist David France in the 2012 documentary How To Survive A Plague.

Like then, the illicit drug market has picked up the pieces where the medical system has failed those who want more legitimate care. Some, like Andrea, are happy with the experimental freedom given to them when they control their own gender identity down to the medical options in front of them. But others, like Adam and Katherine, would be delighted to find easy and affordable access to health care through safer and more verified channels.

Given the disastrously high suicide rate among transgender people, many thank their DIY hormones for their survival. I started DIY when I lived in a place where healthcare was inaccessible, says one user of the /r/asktransgender subreddit. I eventually moved to a place that had legit health care options, and told them that I was going to keep medding whether they helped me or not, so I got a prescription right away. I would not be alive right now if I hadnt started when I did.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
From Harper's BAZAAR

Photo credit: Courtesy Elyse Walker

Elyse Walker is the eye behind luxe e-comm site FWRD, but she was a brick and mortar retailer first. Walker's namesake boutique in Pacific Palisades California opened in 1999-quickly becoming a West Coast go-to for the high-fashion minded. Seventeen years later, she's back with a second store in Newport Beach that melds shopping with a cafe, a salon and a general "come hang out" vibe. "Everything is changing in this area. There has been a big resurgence and the community is so supportive of all of the new developments. From homes and hotels, to the retail stores and restaurants that are moving in, Lido Marina Village is becoming more of a destination," Walker explains. While similar in aesthetic to her original location (which recently underwent a renovation), this boutique benefits from a unique locale. "We restored an old bank with original bow truss ceiling and knew we could do amazing things with it," Walker says, "I have always loved architecture and art and this was the greatest opportunity for me to develop the space."

Photo credit: Courtesy Elyse Walker

The ultra-glam minimal space with a nod to its be achy locale was designed with LA based architects Marmol Radziner.

"The inspiration for the designer room came from the chain chandelier that Marmol Radziner custom made for usIt's strong and feminine at the same time-and I always like a little touch of rock and roll."

Photo credit: Courtesy Elyse Walker

Those glitzy chandeliers are off-set by a more cozy "beach store," home to a year-round swimsuit and resort-wear section. "The inspiration for the beach store came from a chair that I found at Shabby Chic. I took a photo and showed Marmol Radziner and they got my vision. It's light and airy and colorful."

Other standout design elements include a Harvey Probber velvet couch in the designer store, black and white dripped RETNA art and two pink velvet Bacharach swivel chairs set up in "The Vault," the store's dedicated fine jewelry area.

Story continues

Photo credit: Courtesy Elyse Walker

But it's not all diamonds and fine art for Walker, whose ultimate goal was to create a welcoming space. "When customers enter the store, I want them to be wowed but not feel intimidated. I want them to feel that they can come and hang out with us all day, get a blowout at the in-store salon, sit on the couch, drink a latte, bring their friends, their husbands, kids I also want customers to feel that they can touch everything-it's not a museum."

Photo credit: Courtesy Elyse Walker

Elyse Walker, 3444 Via Lido, Newport Beach, CA 92663, 949-612-92663

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(Reuters) - SolarCity Corp (SCTY.O) said on Wednesday it was disappointed with a decision by Nevada regulators to exclude the company from a proceeding to decide how existing customers would be compensated for the excess energy their rooftop solar panels sent back to the power grid.

Nevada's Public Utilities Commission had voted unanimously in February to require households with solar panels to move to a new, less generous rate structure.

NV Energy [VNEN.UL], a Nevada utility owned by billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), asked the commission in July to maintain previous rates for customers with solar systems installed before Dec. 31, 2015. SolarCity last week requested permission to take part in the proceeding on whether or not to grandfather these customers.

No other solar companies have sought to intervene, according to documents filed with the commission.

The commission on Monday denied SolarCity's request, saying its customers were adequately represented by the state's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

It added that the outcome of the proceedings would not affect SolarCity's existing contracts.

SolarCity said in a statement that the commission's decision deprived Nevada solar customers of the chance to help decide policies that affect them.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Richard Chang)
Washington (AFP) - Is Donald Trump softening his hardline immigration stance to a "fair and humane" policy ahead of November's presidential election? Or is he still intent on deporting millions who entered the United States illegally?

The picture has been fuzzy for weeks, with the Republican flagbearer appearing to shift his positioning.

But it could become clearer in Arizona on Wednesday, when Trump unveils immigration policy prescriptions and perhaps clears up the confusion surrounding one of the pivotal issues of his White House campaign.

Trump's son offered a hint Tuesday at the message that the brash billionaire will deliver in Phoenix.

"He wasn't softening on anything," Donald Trump Jr told CNN when asked about how his father recently appeared to survey a Texas campaign crowd over what he should do about the nation's roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Challenged on whether the Republican nominee still wanted to deport them, Trump Jr said that was "correct," but suggested a more moderate tone on the controversial issue.

"You have to start with baby steps," he added. "You have to eliminate sanctuary cities. You have to get rid of the criminals certainly, first and foremost. And you have to secure the border."

Trump's signature campaign promise has been to build a wall on the US border with Mexico, and he repeated that pledge in a Tuesday tweet.

- Promises -

"From day one I said that I was going to build a great wall on the SOUTHERN BORDER, and much more. Stop illegal immigration. Watch Wednesday!" he posted on Twitter.

But recently, Trump has distanced himself from previous vows to mount a "deportation force" to remove millions.

The Republican presidential candidate's hardline stance on repatriating undocumented immigrants in the United States has been a central tenet of Trump's White House campaign -- and a hugely popular selling point to his most ardent supporters.

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It now looms as an obstacle, however, as he seeks to expand his base in the general election contest with Democrat Hillary Clinton, who has accused Trump of fueling xenophobia and racism.

Trump's new campaign director, Kellyanne Conway, said there has been little real change in the central tenets of Trump's immigration platform, including "no amnesty" for those in the country illegally.

But she stressed Trump was committed to a "fair and humane" approach to securing America's borders.

One year ago, he issued an immigration reform plan calling for an end to automatic citizenship for those born in the United States, a right which some say is abused by undocumented migrants seeking American birthright for their children.

This past week, however, the Republican presidential candidate -- once uncompromising in his vow to use a deportation force to repatriate illegal migrants -- seemed less resolute, even suggesting he could work with law-abiding immigrants who paid taxes.

"There certainly can be a 'softening,' because we're not looking to hurt people," Trump told a Fox News town hall last week.

Trump in recent days has signaled he will focus first on removing those undocumented immigrants with criminal records. He touched on his plan in a weekend speech.

"These international gangs of thugs and drug cartels will be -- I promise you, from the first day in office... we're going to get rid of these people," Trump said Saturday in Iowa.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Troubled South African coal producer Optimum Coal Mine Proprietary Ltd has been released from "business rescue", which is similar to Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the United States, its business rescue practitioners said on Wednesday. In April, Oakbay Investments concluded a 2.1 billion rand ($145 million) deal to buy Optimum from Glencore in a transaction criticised by local media. Oakbay is owned by the wealthy Gupta family, who are accused of undue political influence with President Jacob Zuma. Business rescue practitioners Piers Marsden and Peter van den Steen said in a statement that they were "satisfied that Optimum Coal Mine is no longer financially distressed and can be discharged from business rescue". "The mine will now continue to trade under the management and control of the board of directors of Optimum Coal Mine," they said. Business rescue allows a financially distressed company to temporarily delay creditors' claims against it or its assets. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Ed Cropley)
By Joyce Lee and Se Young Lee

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd filed for court receivership on Wednesday after losing the support of its banks, setting the stage for its assets to be frozen as ports from China to Spain denied access to its vessels.

Banks led by state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) withdrew backing for the world's seventh-largest container carrier on Tuesday, saying a funding plan by its parent group was inadequate to tackle debt that stood at 5.6 trillion won ($5 billion) at the end of 2015.

Hanjin Shipping, South Korea's biggest shipping firm, announced the filing for receivership and a request to the court to freeze its assets, which the Seoul Central District Court planned to grant, a judge told Reuters, declining to be named.

The court will now decide whether Hanjin Shipping should remain as a going concern or be dissolved, a process that usually takes one or two months but is expected to be accelerated in Hanjin's case, the judge said.

A bankruptcy for Hanjin Shipping would be the largest ever for a container shipper in terms of capacity, according to consultancy Alphaliner, exceeding the 1986 collapse of United States Lines.

Global shipping firms have been swamped by overcapacity and sluggish demand, with Hanjin booking a net loss of 473 billion won in the first half of the year.

South Korea's ailing shipbuilders and shipping firms, which for decades were engines of its export-driven economy, are in the midst of a wrenching restructuring. The KDB's decision to stop backing Hanjin Shipping shows the government is taking a tougher stance with troubled corporate groups.

"The government will swiftly push forth corporate restructuring following the rule that companies must figure out how to survive and find competitiveness on their own while taking responsibility," Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said.

Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd , the country's second-largest shipping line, will look to acquire its rival's healthy assets, including profit-making vessels, overseas business networks and key personnel, South Korea's Financial Services Commission said.

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A Hyundai Merchant Marine spokesman told Reuters nothing had been decided about the potential acquisition of Hanjin assets and that the firm will hold talks with KDB. Hyundai Merchant Marine is also in the process of a voluntary debt restructuring.

South Korea's oceans ministry estimates a two- to three-month delay in the shipping of some Korean goods that were to be transported by Hanjin Shipping, and plans to announce in September cargo-handling measures which could include Hyundai Merchant Marine taking over some routes, a ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

BLOCKED ACCESS

KDB's move to pull the plug was already having an impact on Hanjin's operations.

Ports including those in Shanghai and Xiamen in China, Valencia, Spain, and Savannah in the U.S. state of Georgia had blocked access to Hanjin ships on concerns they would not be able to pay fees, a company spokeswoman told Reuters.

Another vessel, the Hanjin Rome, was seized in Singapore late on Monday by a creditor, according to court information.

"Now Hanjin must do everything it can to protect its clients' cargoes and make sure they are not delayed to their destination, by filing injunctions to block seizures in all the countries where its ships are located," said Bongiee Joh, managing director of the Korea Shipowners' Association.

Shipping industry economics have deteriorated. Charter rates for medium-sized container ships have dropped from around $26,000 a day in 2010 to $13,000 per day now, according to data from shipping consultancy Clarkson.

Container rates from Shanghai to the U.S west coast have more than halved since then, from around $2,000 per 40-foot container in January 2010 to $596 per 40-foot box last week, data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange shows.

Shares in Hanjin Shipping have been suspended after plunging 24 percent on Tuesday. Korean Air Lines , Hanjin Shipping's largest shareholder, ended 1.5 percent higher on Wednesday, outperforming a 0.25 percent drop in the broader market (.KS11), on investor relief that the flag carrier would not have to support the troubled shipper going forward.

(Additional reporting by Chang-ho Lee in SEOUL and Keith Wallis in SINGAPORE; Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's financial regulator said on Wednesday that Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd will seek to acquire healthy assets of troubled shipper Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd .

The Financial Services Commission said in a statement that Hanjin will soon file for court receivership but that the impact from the filing on domestic financial markets will be limited.

A Hyundai Merchant Marines spokesman told Reuters nothing has been decided on any potential acquisition of Hanjin assets and that the firm will be in talks with Hanjin lead creditor Korea Development Bank concerning future plans.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee and Changho Lee; Writing by Se Young Lee; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
(SEOUL, South Korea)  North Korea has executed a vice premier and banished two other top officials to rural areas for re-education, South Korean officials said Wednesday.

If confirmed, they would be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals carried out since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took power in late 2011.

North Korea is a closed, authoritarian country with a state-controlled press that often makes it difficult for outsiders, and even North Korean citizens, to know whats happening in the government.

Rival South Korea, which runs several intelligence organizations mainly tasked with spying on North Korea, has a mixed record on reporting developments across the border. In May, a former North Korean military chief, who Seoul said had been executed, was found to be alive and holding several new senior-level posts.

Jeong Joon Hee, a spokesman for Seouls Unification Ministry, told reporters Wednesday that Kim Yong Jin, a vice premier in North Koreas cabinet, had been executed.

Jeong said Kim was in charge of education affairs, but refused to disclose why and when South Korea believes he was executed. He also didnt explain how his ministry obtained the information.

Little is known about Kim Yong Jin, who was last mentioned by North Koreas state news agency on June 15, when it reported he attended an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of North Koreas taekwondo federation.

Jeong said Kim Yong Chol, a top ruling Workers Party official in charge of anti-Seoul spy operations, had also been ordered to undertake revolutionary reeducation, in a reference to the banishment at a rural collective farm or a coal mine. Jeong said another senior party official dealing with propaganda affairs, Choe Hwi, was still on a similar revolutionary re-education program.

Seoul officials believe Kim Yong Chol, director of the partys United Front Department, orchestrated two attacks that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010, when he headed the North Korean armys intelligence agency. Kim disappeared from public eye for about 50 days before the Norths state media on Sunday mentioned his name in a list of officials who attended ceremonies marking the Youth Day.

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The rival Koreas have shared the worlds most heavily fortified border since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, and they bar ordinary citizens from exchanging phone calls, letters and emails without special permission.

__

Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.
South Korea's Hanjin Shipping filed for a court-led restructuring programme Wednesday after creditor banks refused further financial help in a major blow to the country's top shipper.

Hanjin Shipping -- the world's 7th largest shipping line by capacity -- made a formal request to a Seoul court for court receivership Wednesday afternoon, the firm said in a regulatory filing.

The court will decide whether to put Hanjin under a recovery programme, in which it supervises the ailing shipper's management and reschedules debt payments, or to declare it bankrupt.

Slumping global trade and slowing growth in China has sapped demand for shipping, forcing many companies worldwide to sell assets and cut jobs to stay afloat.

Hanjin faces a cash shortage of about one trillion won ($900 million) needed to roll over debts. But major creditors including the state-run Korea Development Bank decided Tuesday not to offer more help.

They said the firm failed to present a viable plan to turn around its business, which has been in the red every year since 2011 amid slowing demand in China and rising charter fees to shipowners.

Seoul, as part of a state-led drive to restructure ailing industries, has pressed shippers like Hanjin and the number two Hyundai Merchant Marine to revamp their business and persuade creditors to extend loan terms.

Hyundai Merchant Marine avoided bankruptcy after reaching an agreement with creditors on a debt restructuring plan.

But Hanjin failed to convince creditors. It posted a net loss of more than 473 billion won in the first half of this year alone, after racking up total net losses of about 1.2 trillion won over the past three years.

Hanjin's fleet totals 132 container ships and bulk carriers, of which it owns 59. It reported revenue of 7.6 trillion won last year, about a third of total revenue for the parent Hanjin Group.

The group has a range of logistics and transport businesses including flag carrier Korean Air.
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corp (KHNP) said it signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday with Energoatom to resume construction of two reactors at a nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The two state-run companies will work together to build the reactors at the Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant, years after their construction was halted in 1990. The No.3 and No.4 units, work on which had begun in 1985 and 1986 respectively, have a production capacity of 1,000 megawatt. KHNP and Energoatom will set up a joint committee for the construction, the South Korean company said in a statement on Wednesday. South Korea, the world's fifth-biggest user of nuclear power, has largely developed its own nuclear industry, building and operating its reactors through state-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO), the parent of KHNP. KHNP currently operates a total of 25 nuclear reactors in Asia's fourth-largest economy. In 2009, a KEPCO-led consortium won a contract to build four nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates, which are under construction. (Reporting by Jane Chung; Editing by Joseph Radford and Amrutha Gayathri)
Madrid (AFP) - Spanish MPs were expected to reject the acting prime minister's bid to form a government Wednesday, deepening the political crisis and triggering a countdown to a third election within a year.

Mariano Rajoy is six votes short of securing a vote of confidence for his government in the 350-seat chamber after two elections in which his conservative Popular Party (PP) won but fell short of an absolute majority.

The opposition Socialists have steadfastly refused to back Rajoy, whom they blame for corruption scandals and steep public spending cuts.

Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez repeated his intention to vote against Rajoy, insisting the PP leader "has no credibility".

For his part, Rajoy has warned that the deadlock risks jeopardising Spain's economy and accused the Socialists of "stubbornly wanting new elections".

"It is hard to think of anything that could cause more damage to Spanish democracy than telling citizens that their vote has been useless on two occasions and that a general election needs to be held for a third time," he said.

And weary voters are growing increasingly frustrated with politicians and their inability to compromise to form a government.

Alicia Gomez, who works in a perfume shop near Madrid's central Plaza Mayor, dismissed the politicians as all "playing for time", saying she no longer trusted any of them.

"It's a joke, it's theatre. The politicians should stop right now and reach an agreement whether they like it or not!" fumed the 36-year-old.

- Christmas election? -

Should Rajoy's bid fail, as expected, on Wednesday evening, the next step in the political drama will be in two day's time when there will be a second parliamentary vote.

For the second vote, a simple majority would suffice, meaning the acting prime minister -- who has secured the backing of centrist Ciudadanos and the vote of a lone nationalist lawmaker from the Canary Islands -- would only need the Socialists to abstain.

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If there is no breakthrough in the next two months, vote-weary Spaniards will be asked to return to the polls on December 25 -- the date determined by timings laid out in Spanish election law.

But the Socialists and other parties have already proposed shortening the campaign so a repeat election could be held on December 18, in a sign that fresh polls are looming.

"Given the parties' entrenched positions, a third round of elections" is now the most likely scenario, said Antonio Barroso, a Spanish political analyst at Teneo Intelligence, a think tank in London.

- 'Painful slump' -

Spain suffered a painful economic slump when a housing bubble burst in 2008 but has bounced back to become of the eurozone's most dynamic economies, growing for 12 straight quarters.

But the political stalemate has begun to show signs of taking its toll on the economy.

Although Rajoy remains in office as acting prime minister, he has no power to propose legislation or spend on new infrastructure projects such as roads and railways.

Spain's public works ministry and the state companies it oversees spent 20 percent less on contracts in the first six months of this year than they did in 2015.

The lack of a fully-functioning government has also delayed the drafting of a 2017 budget, which needs to be approved by mid-October to comply with European Union rules.

One factor that could change the political calculus is the result of regional elections in the Basque Country on September 25.

The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), which has five seats, could support Rajoy nationally if it needs the backing of the PP to govern in the Basque Country following the regional polls.

The PNV has backed minority PP governments in the past but Rajoy angered the party during a debate in parliament by focusing on the defence of Spanish unity.

"You did not make a minimal effort to win our support," Aitor Esteban, a party MP told Rajoy in parliament.
By Jesus Aguado

MADRID, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Spain's Socialists will vote against the government of acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in a confidence vote on Wednesday, party leader Pedro Sanchez told parliament, potentially triggering the countdown to a third national election in a year.

Spain has been without a functioning government since inconclusive elections in June and December and parties are under pressure to end a political deadlock which has stalled investment and cast a pall over an economic recovery.

But, on Wednesday, Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the opposition Socialists, which trailed Rajoy's centre-right People's Party (PP) in both elections, has steadfastly refused to back Rajoy who needs his party's support to form a coalition.

"I will be very clear, the Socialist party will vote against your candidacy to the government for coherence and for the good of Spain," Sanchez told the parliament on Wednesday.

The PP is six seats short of the absolute majority of 176 seats it needs in the first investiture vote, even with the support of liberal party Ciudadanos, which was agreed on Sunday, and with the one extra seat from a minor Canary Islands party.

If Rajoy loses Wednesday's vote, a second vote will take place on Friday in which delegates can abstain. He need a simple majority only in that vote to allow him to form a government.

The PP would need just 11 abstentions to win this second vote, but a loss is also likely if the Socialists do not cede. Such a loss for Rajoy's PP in the second vote would trigger a two-month window to form a government at the end of which another election would be called, possibly on Christmas Day.

"It is difficult to think of something that could cause more damage to Spanish democracy than to tell people that their vote has been useless on two occasions and they have to repeat elections for a third time," Rajoy told parliament on Tuesday.

He said he wanted to form a government with broad support that would be able to safeguard Spain's economic recovery, with growth rates now among the highest in the euro zone, and play a leading role in the European Union.

A loss in both votes this week would shift the focus onto regional elections on Sept. 25 in the Basque Country and Galicia where the Socialists hope to avoid a further erosion of support.

(Additional reporting by Angus Berwick; Editing by Louise Ireland)
By Jesus Aguado and Angus Berwick MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's acting premier on Wednesday lost a parliamentary confidence vote for a second term after he failed to win enough support from the opposition, bringing the country closer to a potential third election in a year. Mariano Rajoy, of the center-right People's Party (PP), received 170 votes of support, falling short - as expected - of the minimum 176 needed to form a government. He needed the support of the Socialists, who voted unanimously against him, to win the required absolute majority. Spain's lack of a functioning government since inconclusive elections in June and December, and the resulting political deadlock, have stalled investment and there are signs it could be starting to limit a strong economic recovery. Government bond yields rose sharply ahead of the vote, underperforming euro zone peers, as the possibility of more months of political impasse spooked investors. Liberal newcomer Ciudadanos voted in favor of Rajoy, as did a small party from the Canary Islands region. The Socialists, anti-austerity alliance Unidos Podemos, and regional parties from the Basque Country and Catalonia voted against him. Rajoy now faces a second vote on Friday in which delegates can abstain and a simple majority would suffice to allow him to form a PP-led minority government. He would need just 11 abstentions to win this second vote, but a loss is also likely if the Socialists do not cede. If he loses Friday's vote, Rajoy has two months to try to form a government before triggering another election, which could then could fall on Christmas Day. Socialist Party leader Pedro Sanchez says Rajoy is too tarnished by a long series of corruption scandals involving the PP and the austerity policies his PP government enacted during a deep recession. SQUEEZE ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY "The problem is that you are not a trustworthy person," Sanchez said during a marathon series of speeches over two days by party leaders ahead of the vote. In the preliminary speeches, Rajoy called on the Socialists to at least abstain in the vote in order for Spain to be able to form a government and to prevent a third election. "Given the situation we are in, after two elections and the threat of a third election which you seem to want, I ask you to abstain," Rajoy told parliament on Wednesday. "We can't keep on having election after election until there is an outcome for a government that Mr Sanchez likes." Rajoy told parliament he wanted to form a government with broad support that would be able to safeguard Spain's economic recovery and play a leading role in the European Union. There are some signs that the eight months of uncertainty are starting to dampen the economy. Investment in infrastructure dropped sharply in the second quarter and economists say growth rates, although among the highest in the euro zone, are being hampered by the lack of a central administration. If Rajoy also loses in both votes this week, the focus will shift to regional elections on Sept. 25 in the Basque Country and Galicia. The Socialists may be more open to negotiations once these elections are out of the way, as the party does not want to risk losing regional votes by allowing another PP-led government. (Writing by Sonya Dowsett; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Joseph Rasanayagam jumped on his bicycle as soon as he heard rumours the army would be handing back his ancestral land in Sri Lanka's battle-scarred north to mark a visit by the United Nations chief.

But when the 59-year-old fisherman arrived at a major military compound in Jaffna, soldiers turned him away -- dashing his hopes of finally returning home.

"I can see my land over the (military) fence but I can't access it until it's released," Rasanayagam said.

"For more than 26 years I lived in seven IDP (internally displaced people) camps," said Rasanayagam, who recently decided to move his wife and four children into a relative's house, where they are crammed into a single room.

Sri Lanka's army has occupied thousands of hectares in the Jaffna peninsula -- the heartland of the country's Tamil minority -- and elsewhere in the north since the end in 2009 of a decades-long conflict with Tamil separatist rebels.

Last year it began returning plots to their original owners.

But progress has been agonisingly slow for many, especially for the thousands still living in miserable displacement camps. The camps flood during the monsoon rains and their tin roofs are unbearably hot in summer.

Many are banking on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help push the process along, with his visit to the island this week expected to focus on resettlement issues still outstanding since the end of the war.

"We want to give a petition to him to intervene and get our land back," Rasanayagam said of Ban, who is due late Wednesday in the capital. "There are about 100 people from my village who are going to sign this."

The UN secretary-general will meet President Maithripala Sirisena, who was elected in January last year on a promise to promote reconciliation with the ethnic Tamil minority.

Jaffna locals have been told Ban will also visit a village on their peninsula, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Colombo, that was recently handed back by the military.

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And he is expected to inspect about 100 small houses currently being built by the army on state land for Tamils whose own homes were destroyed in the fighting.

Rasanayagam must wait a while longer for his case to be addressed. He was forced to flee in 1990 with almost nothing when shelling and fighting erupted between troops and Tamil rebels in his village.

His land is among vast tracts still being used by the military and declared part of a high-security zone.

Activists say he is among about 100,000 still without their own homes seven years after the war ended with a final military push that claimed thousands of lives.

- 'This is a palace' -

Anthony Quinn, who liaises with authorities on behalf of displaced Tamils, said Sirisena had given them hope after defeating former president Mahinda Rajapakse, an autocrat who ruled for almost a decade.

"Although the president gave a deadline of six months (for land to be handed over), we know it is hard work that can't be completed so quickly," Quinn told AFP at his shack in Kannagi, where 138 families live in one of 32 cramped camps on the peninsula.

For impoverished widow Ravindrarasa Yogini, her nightmare has finally ended. She and her two children, aged nine and 16, have recently been allowed to return to their land just outside a military complex.

They have erected a shack with an outside kitchen, with help from an UN agency, after discovering that their home was destroyed in the fighting. But they are hopeful of a government handout to help them rebuild.

"I never dreamt that I will get my land back," she said. "This may look like a shack, but for me this is a palace."

Ahead of Ban's visit, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera toured the north asking those Tamils still waiting to go home for more patience.

"We will create conditions to ensure that people in Jaffna can return to their normal life very soon," he told residents of several camps over the weekend.

Srikumar Selvy, three of whose five children were born in a camp, said they have no choice but to be patient. They have long lived in squalid conditions where 20 families share four toilets, but have nowhere else to go.

"We don't know what it is like to be happy," the 44-year-old told AFP at her tiny grocery store inside the camp. "We want to go to our own land. Only then will we be happy."
From Town & Country

A few weeks ago, St. Paul's School filed a motion in federal court asking that the name of the victim of Owen Labrie's sexual assault be made public. This morning, that victim disclosed her identity.

Chessy Prout, who was 15 at the time of the assault-for which Labrie was sentenced to a year in jail-voluntarily revealed her identity in an interview with the Today show's Savannah Guthrie.

"It's been two years now since the whole ordeal, and I feel ready to stand up and own what happened to me," said Prout, now 17, "and I'm going to make sure that other people, other girls, other boys know that they can own it too and that they don't have to be ashamed either."

Guthrie asked Prout if she was satisfied with the jury's decision; while they found Labrie guilty on three counts of misdemeanor sexual assault and one felony charge of using a computer to solicit a minor. He was not convicted on a more serious charge.

"They said they didn't believe that he didn't do it knowingly," Prout said. "That frustrated me a lot because he definitely did do it knowingly, and the fact that he was still able to pull the wool over a group of peoples' eyes bothered me a lot and just disgusted me in some way."

Prout's father, Alexander, and older sister, Lucy, graduated from St. Paul's, and appeared by Chessy's side in the interview along with her mother, Susan. Earlier this summer Alexander and Susan filed a civil suit against the New Hampshire boarding school for "fostering, permitting, and condoning a tradition of ritualized statutory rape," seeking at least $75,000 in damages. Chessy left St. Paul's after attempting to return to the school. She's now a senior at a school in another state.

"I wouldn't be where I am today without having been able to speak up for myself during that time."-Chessy Prout

"You're talking about children and we feel an obligation that this not happen to any future kids at the school," Alexander, whose LinkedIn profile indicates he was president and CEO of a Tokyo-based investment management firm until 2012, told Guthrie.

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His wife added, "You'd think the campus would say 'Uh oh, we need to talk about what's happened' but we didn't see that happening ... unfortunately, it seems like the school's reputation became more important rather than supporting our daughter."

The school issued a statement denying any wrongdoing: "We categorically deny that there ever existed at the school a culture or tradition of sexual assault. However, there's no denying the survivor's experienced caused us to look anew at the culture and  brought about positive changes." In court documents, SPS has accused the Prout family of orchestrating "a national media campaign attacking the character, credibility and reputation of the School while simultaneously extolling [the] Plaintiffs' own character, credibility and reputation."

Chessy said that "although it was scary and although it was pretty difficult [to testify for three days at Labrie's trial], I wouldn't be where I am today without having been able to speak up for myself during that time."

"I hope he learns. I hope he gets help, and that's all I can ever hope for in any sort of process like this, because if he doesn't learn, he will do it to another young woman."-Chessy Prout

She said that she doesn't think about Labrie, who started serving his one-year jail sentence early, in March, after violating the terms of his bail. "I hope he learns," she said when asked about him. "I hope he gets help, and that's all I can ever hope for in any sort of process like this, because if he doesn't learn, he will do it to another young woman."

When reached at her office in New Hampshire, one of Labrie's attorneys, Jaye Rancourt, told T&C that "our official comment is that we remain hopeful that Owen will get a new trial so that the full truth will be disclosed."

Chessy has launched a social media campaign based on the hashtag #IHaveTheRightTo, and she hopes to make other people "feel empowered and just strong enough to be able to say, 'I have the right to my body, I have the right to say no.'"

"I can't imagine how scary it is for other people to have to do this alone and I don't want anyone else to be alone anywhere," she said.

To watch the full interview, watch the video below or head over to Today.com.

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PARIS (Reuters) - Five staff representatives on the board of EDF have filed a legal complaint seeking to annul the utility's decision to go ahead with its Hinkley Point nuclear project in Britain, EDF unions said in a joint statement on Wednesday. On July 28, EDF's board voted 10 to seven to proceed with the 18 billion pound ($24 billion) project to build two nuclear reactors. All six staff representatives and one other board member voted against, while one board member resigned in protest against EDF's strategy. The unions argue that EDF Chief Executive Jean-Bernard Levy and representatives of the French state should have informed the board that they knew the British government wanted to take more time to review the contract. Hours after EDF's board approved the project, the UK government postponed its decision until early autumn. Days later, in an email to top EDF executives, Levy admitted that the night before the board meeting he had been told new British Prime Minister Theresa May wanted a bit more time. The nuclear reactors carry huge risks for both France and Britain. EDF will assume the up-front costs, which unions say could jeopardize the firm's survival, while Britain has committed to pay a price twice current market levels for the power generated by the plant. "Some board members discovered they did not benefit from the same level of information as the CEO and government representative," the CGT, CFE-CGC and FO unions said. The moderate CFDT union did not sign the statement. The unions added there was no justification to push the board to vote on the project in a hurry. EDF declined to comment on Wednesday. Law firm Alain Levy, which represents the five union board members, said in a statement it had filed a complaint with the Paris commercial court, asking it to annul the vote because Levy had not shared essential information with all board members. A first hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept 5. The five union board members also raised conflict of interest issues because some of the EDF board members who voted in favor of Hinkley Point represent companies that are EDF customers and could benefit from the UK contract. French firms Bouygues and Vallourec have denied that members of their boards who are also on the board of EDF had a conflict of interest in their Hinkley Point vote. EDF is also being sued by its Works Council, which also wants to annul the vote because it argues it had not received the necessary documents from management to give non-binding preliminary advice to the company. ($1 = 0.7617 pounds) (Reporting by Bate Felix and Geert De Clercq; additional reporting by Benjamin Mallet; Editing by Brian Love and Susan Thomas)
From Cosmopolitan

Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer who was sentenced to just six months in prison after sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, is set to be released three months early Friday. The Dayton Daily News reports Turner will return to his parents' house in Ohio to serve his probation instead of staying in California.

The transfer was agreed upon both by Turner and California authorities, and, according to the Daily News, Turner's victim expressed her desire for him to leave the state during his trial earlier this year because he "makes her nervous."

Turner is expected to be released in "daylight hours" Friday, and both Ohio and California police are monitoring social media for threats to his safety. In Ohio, he will be required to register as a sex offender within five days of being transferred. As previously reported, Turner will also have to undergo drug and alcohol counseling during his probation.

The New York Times reports Turner's lenient sentence and early release have prompted Californians to rally for harsher penalties in cases like these moving forward. The bill passed the California Assembly earlier this week and now rests with Gov. Jerry Brown.

Follow Tess on Twitter.

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Nikola truck rendering

Nikola Motor Company is changing its tune two months after its first announcement.

The startup announced Tuesday that it's building trucks powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, allowing them to achieve zero emissions. That's a step in an entirely different direction from its announcement in May, when Nikola said it was building a hybrid semitruck.

Previously, Nikola said its 2,000-horsepower truck would come with six electric motors with a natural-gas turbine as an onboard generator. A prototype has yet to be seen, but Nikola said the truck could achieve zero emissions and go 1,200 miles on a single charge.

It was a bit strange Nikola was claiming it could achieve zero emissions when its semitruck plans involved using a natural-gas range extender.

Now, Nikola appears to be saving face for its zero-emissions claim by stating the startup was always working on using a hydrogen range extender, leaving its natural-gas range extender in the dust.

"Nikola Motor Company recently announced that it achieved zero emissions with its electric-powered drivetrain. At that time, details about how Nikola achieved zero emissions were kept confidential pending finalization of key supplier agreements," Nikola wrote in the press release (emphasis ours). "Today, Nikola is announcing that the electric drivetrain used in the US and Canadian markets will be powered by a custom-built hydrogen-electric 800V fuel cell."

Nikola truck interior rendering

Nikola CEO Trevor Milton told Business Insider that the startup is pretty much scrapping the natural-gas range extender in favor of using a hydrogen-electric fuel cell.

The truck is "zero emissions through the hydrogen fuel cell. The turbine will only be available in other countries where we don't have a hydrogen infrastructure," Milton said.

In June, Nikola announced it had received 7,000 orders for its hybrid electric truck. Milton says that number is up to 8,000, and that "99% [of the] orders will be for hydrogen only."

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Milton said Nikola is still planning to produce the original hybrid truck, but that it will be available after the hydrogen fuel cell option hits markets. Nikola decided to "filter out and eliminate any orders from other countries" outside the US and Canada so it could focus on the hydrogen-electric truck, Milton added.

"We always had this fuel cell development team working on the fuel cell. Now that we were able to achieve what we wanted to with the fuel cell, all those orders will only be hydrogen-electric," Milton said.

Nikola truck rendering

The hydrogen-electric truck will offer the same range  1,200 miles  that Nikola had promised with its hybrid semi. The hydrogen-electric truck will be unveiled on December 1, with testing starting at the end of 2017. Full production will begin in 2020.

Nikola is creating a network of more than 50 hydrogen stations to support the trucks. Milton said the stations will either be very close to existing truck stops or at current stops.

The pivot from a hybrid truck model to a hydrogen one could speak to Nikola trying to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded space. Daimler is currently testing its all-electric truck that has 124 miles of range. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also said Tesla will build an all-electric semitruck in his "Master Plan, Part Deux," published in July.

Nikola's latest strategy offers a better range than conventional electric vehicles while sticking to the "zero emissions" buzzwords.

"Tesla is really great. Their range is going to be very limited to probably under 200 miles," Milton said. "Our truck has, essentially, a total of 1,200 miles, and that's because of the hydrogen fuel cell on board. So you cannot get that range with pure electric only."

Tesla has yet to release a range for its future semitruck, but Musk is known to be a stark opponent of hydrogen-powered vehicles, calling them "incredibly dumb."

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compass cofounders

Compass, the real-estate startup trying to use tech to shake up the industry, has raised $75 million in fresh funding, bringing its total to $210 million.

The round, which was led by Wellington Management Company LLP, values the company at over $1 billion, according to a person familiar with the raise. A report last month from The Real Deal said Compass was seeking a valuation of between $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion.

While Compass functions like a traditional broker, the company's promise is using technology to reduce the time and friction of buying and selling a house or apartment.

Pushing toward this, last month Compass released an app designed to replace "stale" quarterly market reports with more dynamic information. In the app, buyers and sellers can search by standard things like neighborhood, number of bedrooms, price range, and so on. But they can also look at more advanced metrics, like year-over-year analysis of median price per square foot, days on the market, and negotiability.

This app complements Compass' established agent-only app, which is what first impressed Todd Chaffee, a general partner at Institutional Venture Partners, about the company, he told Business Insider last year when discussing his firm's investment in Compass. IVP also participated in the current round of funding.

Compass has expanded rapidly since it branched out of New York in September. It now has a presence in Washington, DC; Miami; Boston; the Hamptons; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Beverly Hills, California; Malibu, California; Pasadena, California; Santa Barbara, California; and Aspen, Colorado.

It represents about $7 billion in annual sales, according to the company.

But doubts have lingered in the industry about how much Compass is actually using tech to elevate itself beyond a traditional broker, according to The Real Deal. However, sources in that report speculated that Compass would have trouble raising $50 million, when in fact the startup was able to snag $75 million and up its valuation.

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"I like the founders, and I'm impressed with their progress," Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, a Compass investor, told The Real Deal last month.

Compass has over 900 agents and almost 300 employees.

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Pittsburgh Steelers, Ladarius Green

The Steelers finished off their first round of cuts on Tuesday by releasing three players and placing tight end Ladarius Green on the PUP list.

The moves reduced Pittsburghs roster from 90 to 75, with another series of cuts coming this Saturday by 4 p.m. in-order to get down to the mandatory 53 players for the regular season.

Obviously, the placing of Green on the PUP list was the biggest news from Tuesday, and he wont be able to appear in a regular season game until after Week 6.

The Steelers signed Green to a four-year, $20 million deal in March with the hopes that he would not only replace the just retired Heath Miller, but add to their wide-array of offensive weapons.

AROUND COVER32

Deal: The Chargers finally sign Joey Bosa

Twitter Tuesday: Kam Chancellor says put your phone down

Protest: Colin Kaepernick rocks the boat on race

Highlights: The top plays from Preseason Week 3

With his combination of size and speed that the veteran Miller didnt possess, Green was also being counted on to make up for the year-long absence of receiver Martavis Bryant, who is suspended for the entire 2016 season for violating the NFLs substance abuse policy multiple times.

It was understood that Green would miss some time in the offseason while recovering from ankle surgery he had in January, and after sitting out OTAs and mini-camp, Green was placed on the PUP list at the onset of training camp. Soon after, rumors surfaced that the real reason he wasnt participating in practice-sessions had to do with recurring headaches stemming from multiple-concussions from 2015.

Everyone involved with the story, from the player, his agent and the Steelers front-office has given conflicting reasons for the tight ends continued absence, but Pittsburghs official stance is that Green is still recovering from ankle surgery.

In-addition to the Green move, the Steelers released safety Jacob Hagen, defensive tackle Devaunte Sigler and cornerback Kevin White.

The post Steelers cut roster to 75; place Ladarius Green on PUP appeared first on Cover32.
John Oliver is on hiatus, which means Stephen Colbert has stepped up to the challenge of mocking Donald Trump. In advance of the Republican presidential nominees speech on immigrationscheduled to take place on Wednesday in ArizonaColbert took a closer look at Trumps immigration policy, which has been evolving recently. Im quoting his supporters here: Huh?, said Colbert, before noting that until a few weeks ago, Trumps immigration policy has been based on two things: Build the wall and deport em all, which Colberts chyron interpreted as Worst Dr. Seuss book ever.

Colbert notes that as Trumps poll numbers have shrunk (but are still bigger than his hands), Trump told a town hall crowd, there could be a softening towards law-abiding, tax-paying illegal immigrants. Thats where Colbert saw his entrance: There could be a softening, he said. It happens to a lot of men his age. Or as his chyron put it: Electile Dysfunction.
On Tuesday's The Late Show, Stephen Colbert tackled Donald Trump's "double vision" when it comes to his immigration policies.

Colbert revived his Colbert Report-esque "Werd" segment on Trump, mocking the Republican presidential candidate's flip flopping.

He said, "Whatever you believe, Trump agrees with you. I don't know why he's not getting 100% of the vote" as "Russian hackers will try their best" flashed on the screen.

As Colbert made fun of Trump he included more than one "softening and hardening" joke and peppered in multiple references to Anthony Weiner.

Colbert's monologue focused on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's different styles for preparing for their upcoming debates before he set his sights on Sarah Palin.

Palin fell and hit her head recently and posted pictures of her bloody injury on Facebook, alongside a long post sarcastically thanking Clinton for not talking to the media and making it sexist for anyone to ask about health issues.

"She somehow turned her own head injury into an attack on Hillary Clinton," said Colbert. He read part of Palin's statement about her injury and Clinton out loud, emphasizing how nonsensical it was.

Read more: Hillary Clinton Talking to 'Art of the Deal' Ghostwriter to Help Prep for Debates (Report)

"Glad for Hillary's protective media's precedence," Palin's statement said. "The next woman running for POTUS has no need to answer to much of anything, for we've got weddings to plan, and Down Dogs to do, and cookies in the oven! So just leave us alone, boys."

"Now, I would chalk that up to head trauma if it didn't sound like everything else she says," said Colbert. "I'd like to wish Sarah Palin a speedy recovery and I'd like to do it in a language she'll understand."

He then hit himself with a fake boulder and sent well-wishes to Palin in a completely illogical way.

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Palin's full statement is here:

Read more: John Oliver Urges Donald Trump to Drop Out, Claims Doing So Would Make Him a "Legend"
LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Sterling rose on Wednesday, boosted by improved consumer confidence and rising British house prices in August, adding to growing signs that the economy was holding up well despite a shock vote to leave the European Union in June.

Market research firm GfK said its gauge of consumer confidence rose to -7 in August from -12 in July, when it suffered its sharpest drop in over 26 years. But August's level was still the second-lowest since early 2014.

And mortgage lender Nationwide said on Wednesday that British house prices rose 5.6 percent in August compared with the same month last year and faster than July's 5.2 percent. Economists polled by Reuters had expected house prices to rise 4.8 percent.

Sterling rose to trade above $1.3101, while it was up 0.2 percent against the euro at 85.05 pence per euro.

"Overnight, we saw UK August consumer confidence bouncing back," Morgan Stanley chief strategist Hans Redeker said, adding he remained bullish on the pound in the short term. "Our bullish sterling case is more of tactical nature based on better UK data readings. Upcoming PMI data should show a bounce back."

Manufacturing, construction and services sector purchasing managers' surveys will be released at the start of September and many expect activity to bounce back a bit from the Brexit shock.

Sterling hit a three-decade low of $1.2798 in July in the wake of the vote for Brexit. It has since recovered about 2 percent, but that still leaves it around 12 percent lower than where it was before the June 23 referendum on EU membership.

Though data since the vote suggests consumer demand has been resilient, investors are anxious that foreign capital will dry up, leaving Britain's already huge current account deficit vulnerable to further widening. And much uncertainty remains over the deal Britain will strike with the rest of the EU.

Traders will eye a cabinet meeting that Prime Minister Theresa May will hold after a few weeks of holiday calm. The meeting comes amid growing speculation on when Britain will formally start divorce proceedings. May has said she will not trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty to start the exit procedure until next year.

"Brexit has become more of a gradual process," strategists at Societe Generale said. "There is a special UK cabinet meeting being convened today to discuss the Brexit agenda with the key issue being whether to continue with single market access." (Reporting by Anirban Nag; Editing by Toby Chopra)
(Reuters) - Stoke City have signed striker Wilfried Bony from Manchester City on a season-long loan, the Premier League clubs announced on Wednesday. Ivorian Bony, 27, has been a bit-part player at City since signing from Swansea City in January 2015, with Argentina's Sergio Aguero leading the line at the club. "Bringing Wilfried in was a no-brainer for us, to be perfectly honest, because he knows the Premier League and has scored plenty of goals at this level," manager Mark Hughes told the club's website (stokecityfc.com). "He has power, speed and very good physical attributes which will undoubtedly help us, and his technical and finishing skills are outstanding, too." Stoke, who are last in the league standings with one point from their opening three games, next play on Sept. 10, at home to Tottenham Hotspur. (Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru,; Editing by Neville Dalton)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Albus Harry thumbnail

Warner Bros. may not be near done with Harry Potter.

Along with releasing "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," the prequel film in the blockbuster franchise based on J.K. Rowling's novels, in November, The Daily News is reporting that the studio is thinking about making more "Happy Potter" movies.

According to a "well-placed Hollywood source," Warner Bros. is secretly trying to get the movie rights to the London stage play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," which looks at Potter's life as an overworked father 19 years after the events of the last novel, "Deathly Hallows." Warner Bros. reportedly wants to get the "Cursed Child" movie on screens as soon as 2020.

The source says actor Daniel Radcliffe, who played Potter in the movies, is the only choice to take on the adult role. However, the actor has made it clear that he wants to keep a distance for the time being from the character that made him an instant star.

"[Radcliffe] has made it clear that his mind is certainly not focused on returning to the role anytime soon  and that could be until he hits 40," the source told The Daily News.

The Daily News also reports that Warner Bros. may focus on a storyline centered on Potter's son, even launching a trilogy around him, which could free up Radcliffe's time more.

But a Warner Bros. spokesperson told Business Insider: "'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' is a stage play, with no plans for there to be a film.

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By Ransdell Pierson

(Reuters) - University of Michigan researchers on Tuesday said their own experiments undermine recent allegations of security flaws in St. Jude Medical Inc's pacemakers and other implantable medical devices.

Shares of St. Jude fell 5 percent on Thursday after short-selling firm Muddy Waters and its business partner, cyber security company MedSec Holdings Inc, alleged finding significant security bugs in the company's Merlin@home device for monitoring implanted heart devices. They said the flaws could potentially enable others to remotely speed up the heart devices or drain their power.

The university said its researchers came "to strikingly different conclusions" after generating the conditions reported by Muddy Waters.

The team consisted of several leading medical device security researchers and a cardiologist from the university, it said in a release.

Muddy Waters founder Carson Block said he shorted St. Jude shares after MedSec approached him three months ago with results of research it had conducted into the company's medical device security.

In an unusual deal, Block said he hired the cyber security firm as a consultant and agreed to pay it a licensing fee for the research and a percentage of any profits from the investment.

The University of Michigan's team reproduced error messages, or signs of a problem, which Muddy Waters cited as evidence of a successful "crash attack" into a home-monitored implantable heart device. But the messages are the same set of errors that display if the device is not properly plugged in, the university said.

"We're not saying the (Muddy Waters) report is false; we're saying it's inconclusive because the evidence does not support their conclusions," said Kevin Fu, University of Michigan associate professor of computer science and engineering and director of the Archimedes Center for Medical Device Security.

St. Jude has called the Muddy Waters report "false and misleading," saying most of the observations applied to older versions of its Merlin@home devices that had not been patched with security upgrades.

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Muddy Waters issued a statement saying the firm was not surprised that the result of the research was inconclusive.

"We deliberately did not publish detailed information on the vulnerabilities, exploits or attacks on the devices in order to avoid giving the play book to potential attackers," the statement said. "If anything, this proves that we were responsible with our disclosure."

(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson; Editing by Frances Kerry and Andrew Hay)
By Rina Chandran

MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - India's Supreme Court said on Wednesday that land acquired by West Bengal state for a Tata Motors factory must be returned to farmers, the latest twist in a decade-long battle that came to symbolise conflict over land in the country.

The process by which 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land in Singur was acquired in 2006 was "shocking" and "a farce", the top court said, quashing an earlier order by a Kolkata court that upheld the acquisition.

The land could not be deemed to have been acquired for a "public purpose" and must be returned to the farmers within 12 weeks, the Supreme Court ruled.

"We are very happy with the verdict," Kalyan Banerjee, lead counsel for the state, told reporters in New Delhi.

"People had suffered a lot," he said.

Tata Motors, one of India's top automakers, was allotted the land by West Bengal's previous government for a factory to build the low-cost Nano car.

After violent protests by farmers who did not want to surrender their land, Tata Motors moved the operations to Gujarat state in 2008.

The company has sought compensation from West Bengal for its investment of more than $300 million, and said it would not give up the land.

"We will study today's judgment in detail before commenting," a Tata Motors spokeswoman said by e-mail.

'LANDMARK VICTORY'

Conflicts over land in India have increased as one of the world's fastest growing major economies expands, and land is sought for industrial use and development projects.

While several laws have been introduced in the past decade to protect the rights of farmers and indigenous people, some laws have been diluted in their implementation and not always helped the vulnerable, activists say.

Between 1950 and 2005, about 65 million people were displaced in India by dams, highways, mines and airports, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Less than a fifth have been resettled.

Mamata Banerjee, who led protests against the Singur deal, won state elections in 2011 to become chief minister and made the return of land to farmers a central plank of her campaign.

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"The Supreme Court verdict is a landmark victory for us," Banerjee said at a press briefing in Kolkata on Wednesday.

"It is a historic verdict which acknowledges the right of the farmers over forcible acquisition of land," she said.

The protests in Singur came to reflect the wider standoff between industry in India and villagers unwilling to part with land in a country where two thirds of the population still depends on agriculture for a living.

Earlier this week, two people were killed in Jharkhand state when villagers protesting the loss of their homes to a power plant clashed with police.

(Additional reporting by Subrata Nagchoudhury in Kolkata, Editing by Katie Nguyen. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.)
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The reputation of the Karolinska Institute, one of Sweden's top hospitals that awards the Nobel prize for medicine, has been badly damaged by allegations patients died as a result of a surgeon performing experimental operations without clearance, an official report said. Criticism of the Karolinska Institute, which had employed Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, led to the resignation of the secretary of the Nobel Committee at the Institute in February and to calls for the award to be scrapped this year and next. Bjorn Hurtig, a Swedish lawyer who represents Macchiarini, could not immediately be reached for comment on the report. In the past, Macchiarini has denied any wrongdoing. Macchiarini was fired in March when Karolinska said he had supplied false information on his CV and was guilty of scientific negligence after two of his patients died. Swedish prosecutors are investigating Macchiarini on suspicion of gross criminal negligence leading to another person's death. "Patients have been injured, even died," said Kjell Asplund, head of the Swedish National Council on Medical Ethics, who headed the investigation commissioned by the institute. "Employees have suffered as has clinical research as a whole. What is needed are long term, wholehearted efforts to restore trust." In February this year, Karolinska launched a fresh enquiry into misconduct allegations, leading four professors at the Nobel Academy to step down from the prize committee while it proceeded. Bo Risberg, former head of the ethics committee at Karolinska, has called for the Nobel medicine prize to be put on ice for two years and for prize money to be used to compensate the relatives of the patients Macchiarini operated on. A world-renowned surgeon, Macchiarini was employed as a researcher into stem cell biology at the Karolinska Institute and consultant at Karolinska University Hospital in 2010. The investigation centered on three operations conducted between 2011 and 2012 in which Macchiarini transplanted synthetic tracheas coated with stem cells into patients. Asplund said Macchiarini performed the operations before sufficient study had been done on the procedure and that the operations could not be justified on the grounds of being life-saving. Two of the patients have since died while the third remains hospitalized. "The investigation has highlighted serious mistakes in the way the three patients were treated and serious flaws in the hospital's routines, system and culture," hospital director Melvin Samsom said in a statement. In 2014, Macchiarini was accused of scientific misconduct by colleagues who claim he presented too uncritical an interpretation of the results of his research. After an internal investigation Karolinska cleared him from the allegations. Karolinska also investigated allegations published in Vanity Fair that he had lied on his CV. It concluded that the document contained several falsehoods, "although none so serious as to justify his dismissal or resignation". (Reporting by Simon Johnson and Johan Ahlander; Editing by Alistair Scrutton)
By Jim Finkle

(Reuters) - SWIFT, the global financial messaging system, on Tuesday disclosed new hacking attacks on its member banks as it pressured them to comply with security procedures instituted after February's high-profile $81 million heist at Bangladesh Bank.

In a private letter to clients, SWIFT said that new cyber-theft attempts - some of them successful - have surfaced since June, when it last updated customers on a string of attacks discovered after the attack on the Bangladesh central bank.

"Customers environments have been compromised, and subsequent attempts (were) made to send fraudulent payment instructions," according to a copy of the letter reviewed by Reuters. "The threat is persistent, adaptive and sophisticated - and it is here to stay."

The disclosure suggests that cyber thieves may have ramped up their efforts following the Bangladesh Bank heist, and that they specifically targeted banks with lax security procedures for SWIFT-enabled transfers.

The Brussels-based firm, a member-owned cooperative, indicated in Tuesday's letter that some victims in the new attacks lost money, but did not say how much was taken or how many of the attempted hacks succeeded. It did not identify specific victims, but said the banks varied in size and geography and used different methods for accessing SWIFT.

A SWIFT spokeswoman declined to elaborate on the recently uncovered incidents or the security issues detailed in the letter, saying the firm does not discuss affairs of specific customers.

All the victims shared one thing in common: Weaknesses in local security that attackers exploited to compromise local networks and send fraudulent messages requesting money transfers, according to the letter.

Accounts of the attack on Bangladesh Bank suggest that weak security procedures there made it easier to hack into computers used to send SWIFT messages requesting large money transfers. The bank lacked a firewall and used second-hand, $10 electronic switches to network those computers, according to the Bangladesh police.

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SWIFT has repeatedly pushed banks to implement new security measures rolled out after the Bangladesh heist, including stronger systems for authenticating users and updates to its software for sending and receiving messages. But it has been difficult for SWIFT to force banks to comply because the nonprofit cooperative lacks regulatory authority over its members.

SWIFT told banks Tuesday that it might report them to regulators and banking partners if they failed to meet a November 19 deadline for installing the latest version of its software, which includes new security features designed to thwart the type of attacks described in its letter.

The security features include technology for verifying credentials of people accessing a bank's SWIFT system; stronger rules for password management; and better tools for identifying attempts to hack the software.

SWIFT is trying coerce members into prioritizing cyber-security by threatening to share confidential information about security lapses that banks want to keep private, said Shane Shook, an independent security consultant who advises central banks.

"That type of information sharing is something that no bank likes to see happen without their direct approval and involvement, because it can affect market confidence," Shook said.

SWIFT disclosed the new hacks after reports of previous incidents prompted regulators in Europe and the United States to urge banks to bolster cyber-security.

Other cases involving fraudulent transfer requests include the theft of more than $12 million from Ecuador's Banco del Austro and a failed attempt later in 2015 to steal money from Vietnam's Tien Phong Bank.

The attacks have prompted regulators globally to press banks to bolster defenses.

The Bank of England in April ordered UK firms to detail actions to secure computers connected to the SWIFT system, while the European Banking Authority in May said domestic authorities should stress test banks for cyber risks.

The Federal Reserve and other U.S. agencies told banks in June to review protections against fraudulent money transfers.

Six U.S. senators on Monday urged the G20 nations to agree when they meet at a summit this weekend on a coordinated strategy to combat cyber-crime at critical financial institutions.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston. Additional reporting by Jonathan Spicer in New York.; Editing by Brian Thevenot.)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels advanced further toward government-held Hama city on Wednesday, capturing a town in an offensive that threatens government loyalist areas populated by minority Christians and Alawites north of the city, rebels and a monitor said. The town of Soran, around 14 km north of Hama on the main Aleppo-Damascus highway, was taken "completely", the hardline jihadist rebel group Jund al-Aqsa said in an online statement. Since launching an offensive on Monday in the northern Hama countryside, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) alliance and other rebel groups have taken a number of towns and villages. They are pushing south from rebel-held Idlib province into a swathe of government-held land which reaches down to the capital Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the five-year conflict, said Soran had been taken and clashes and air strikes between government forces and rebels continue. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Alison Williams)
Taiwan has jailed 14 people for up to 17 years in a corruption scandal which saw railway officials accepting sex services and visits to hostess clubs in exchange for business contracts.

In the biggest ever graft case to hit the state rail sector, seven Taiwan Railway Administration officials were convicted and sentenced for corruption.

They were found to have received perks as a reward for helping firms secure contracts for eight rail projects, worth more than Tw$1.1 billion ($34.7 million), in the past six years.

A construction broker and six businessmen -- including the head of a construction company and the head of a plastics company -- were also jailed for up to five years for bribing officials.

All were convicted and sentenced by Taichung district court in central Taiwan on Tuesday.

The highest ranking defendant was Chung Chao-hsiung -- a former deputy head of the TRA -- who was sentenced to 10 years and two months for accepting banquets and paid-for hostess clubs in exchange for favourable treatment.

TRA official Cheng Wen-chung received the heaviest sentence after taking more than 100 hostess club visits.

"Cheng was implicated in more cases than other defendants and accepted the most hostess clubs visits. He seriously violated the civil servant's code of conduct," said Chuang Shen-yuan, a spokesman for the court.

TRA employee Chang Ching-tsai was jailed for 15 years for accepting paid-for sex services to help firms pass quality checks.

All the defendants can appeal their convictions.

Five officials were cleared of corruption and were instead found to have committed "administrative negligence". They were not jailed.
Dar es Salaam (AFP) - Tanzania's main opposition party on Wednesday postponed for a month promised protests against what it says are anti-democratic actions by President John Magufuli.

The Chama Cha Demokrasia (Chadema) party said countrywide "defiance rallies" against Magufuli's "dictatorial tendencies" will be held on October 1 if efforts to mediate the crisis by religious leaders fail.

"Chadema would like to announce the suspension of all planned political activities and demonstrations for one month. Our intention was not paint the country in a bad way but to help our country," Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe said Wednesday, the day before protests were due to be held.

"Religious leaders have requested us to give them three weeks to find the solution to the current political crisis but we have given them four," Mbowe said.

Kitojo Wetengere, a political analyst and lecturer at Tanzania's Centre for Foreign Relations, said it was time for dialogue. "I think this is a good time to use diplomacy to solve this misunderstanding and I think it's best for the two parties to sit down and discuss the issues," he said.

Earlier this month police banned political party meetings saying they incite violence after four police officers were killed in a shootout outside a bank in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Police said the murders were politically-motivated, a claim denied by opposition politicians.

In June, party protests were also banned after police used tear gas to break up an opposition rally.

The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party led by Magufuli -- a no-nonsense politician nicknamed 'The Bulldozer' who has been praised for cracking down on corruption and official waste -- won last November's election handily, but Chadema maintains strong support in urban centres.

Opposition leaders accuse Magufuli of squeezing democratic space, allegations dismissed by Magufuli who says election season is over and his focus is on implementing his political programme.
Richard Paterson knows his way around a whiff of whiskey.

The Scotland-based Master Distiller made his name mixing rare and expensive bottles, like a 64-year-old Dalmore that initially sold for as much as $50,000 and can now be found at auction for upwards of $200,000. Paterson, who currently works with The Dalmore, is nicknamed The Nose for his olfactory skill. He is in his 50th year of whisky tasting.

Master Distillers are members of an elite group who have spent their lives training to design craft liquors and detect the subtle flavors that the rest of us cant. And with a whisky industry thats booming, brands are beating earnings estimates as popular taste grows fond of the brown stuff. Last year, American consumption of whisky grew up to nearly 8 percent in some categories, according to the U.S. Drinks Conference. In turn, the expertise of true Master Distillers has grown in value.

Thats where Paterson comes in. A third-generation whisky blender, he grew up with the stuff, starting at eight years old when his father first introduced him to the complex, layered world of Scotch in his native Scotland.

When he opened the doors [of the warehouse], I was hit with the smell of whisky, I could see the silhouettes of the casks, Paterson said in an interview with TIME. Everything was a mystery is it sweet like a chocolate bar, or dry like the dust on the floor? At that age, Paterson may not have been drinking the hard stuff  but he was introduced to a world of nuanced scents and aromas.

Paterson spends his days monitoring the maturation of his malts, which can include nosing or inhaling hundreds of cask samples each day, one nostril at a time. In fact, he even took out a $2.5 million insurance policy on that precious nose a few years ago with Lloyds of London, although it has since lapsed.

He describes whisky almost as a perfume, with 26 different notes to analyze and mix: dry, sweet, full, fat. While many fine restaurants have a sommelier for wine  and the skill set is, in some ways, similar  whisky masters are a rarer breed. And unlike master sommeliers, who primarily taste and craft lists, Master Distillers also play the role of oenologist and vintner in the process of putting a bottle together.

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In 2011, Paterson was approached to bring back a bottle of Ernest Shackletons own 1907 whisky, discovered under the remains of the famous explorers Antarctic shed. Paterson journeyed to New Zealand and back to collect the precious cargo, carrying it to his Scottish lab by private jet under lock and key (and handcuff).

It was still drinkable after 103 years under the ice, Paterson explained; the whisky hadnt frozen in all that time. He was able to taste it by inserting a syringe through the cork and withdrawing some of the priceless liquid, which turned out to be a much more subtle, elegant spirit than many expected. After that, the Master Distiller was able to conduct an analysis and craft a Shackleton blended malt to imitate the flavor of the century-old spirit.

His considers his role both an art and a craft; much of it is about choosing the right combination of a cask that will bring the beauty out of the whisky like a good dress, while monitoring the complex aging process of his many malts.

The single malts are almost like my children, he said. You have to nurture them, you have to look after them.

The greatest pleasure I get is watching peoples faces as they drink their whisky, he added. The eyes will always be barometers. Now in his 50th year of tasting whisky, Paterson has plenty to teach the growing audience of global drinkers as the market for the craft spirit only continues to grow.
Weinstein Television is developing a miniseries to star Taylor Kitsch as the cult leader David Koresh, who led the deadly 1993 standoff with federal agents that left him and nearly 80 of his followers dead in Waco, Texas.

Michael Shannon is on board to play FBI negotiator Gary Noesener. Brothers John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle are on board to write the series, with John Dowdle set to direct.

Weinstein Television is about to shop the package for Waco to TV buyers. The series is based on A Place Called Waco, the memoir of former Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator, the book penned by Noesener.

The miniseries will recount the bizarre chapter that saw Koreshs obscure Christian sect dominate national headlines during the 51-day siege of the compound that housed his Branch Davidian followers.

FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents targeted the Branch Davidians for a raid after local authorities received reports of child abuse going on inside the compound. That effort was met by gunfire that killed four ATF agents and six Brand Davidians.

The standoff ensued until authorities began to move on the compound with armored vehicles. A fire then broke out inside the buildings that has long been the subject of debate and conspiracy theories about its cause. In the end, Koresh and 76 others were killed in the blaze.

Weinstein Television said the series would tell the truth behind this tragedy and examine how law enforcement, media and the rights of individuals collided in a manner that reflect contemporary concerns.

(Pictured: Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch)

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From Seventeen

A 17-year-old boy from Mexico City has died after a hickey on his neck led to a blood clot that traveled to his brain, Hoy Estado de Mexico and the Daily Mail report.

Julio Macias Gonzalez's 24-year-old girlfriend left a mark on his neck from kissing it. Later, he began having strong convulsions while at home with his family. His relatives called for medical help, but paramedics were unable to save him. His cause of death was determined to be a stroke.

"This situation is unheard of in my career," Dr. Julian Orenstein, a pediatric emergency physician in Maryland who has been practicing for more than 25 years, told Seventeen.com. "Strokes under the age of 18 are entirely uncommon. In the extremely few cases of stroke that I've encountered, all the circumstances were random. It's not like a blow to the head or neck will cause a stroke - it's thoroughly random."

He noted that the most pressing sign of a stroke is a "thunderclap headache, in other words, a headache that is so incapacitating, severe, and sudden that there is no mistaking this for anything but a life or death crisis."

This is the second known instance of a hickey causing a stroke. In 2011, a 44-year-old New Zealand woman suffered a non-fatal stroke after receiving a hickey on her neck. At the time, researchers referred to the incident as a "rare phenomenon," TIME reports.

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A teenager was shot dead in Indian-administered Kashmir on Wednesday as thousands of protesters engaged in fresh clashes with security forces after weeks of deadly violence, police and witnesses said.

Paramilitary troops fired live rounds as residents demonstrated against an earlier raid by soldiers searching for protest leaders in the northern village of Nadihal, a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

"The boy died in the firing. Five other protesters also received bullet injuries," the officer, who is not authorised to speak to the media, told AFP. Locals said he was aged 18.

Protesters also clashed with troops who fired shotgun pellets and tear gas in other areas of the northern Himalayan region including in the main city of Srinagar, another senior police officer and witnesses said.

"We have reports about 50 protesters were injured in Anantnag, mostly with pellets," the police officer said of the southern town.

Kashmir has been reeling from almost daily protests against Indian rule since the death of a popular rebel leader on July 8 in a gunbattle with soldiers.

Some 70 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the worst violence to hit the Muslim-majority territory since 2010. Two police officers have also died during the seven weeks of unrest.

Residents also set fire on Wednesday to a lawmaker's house in the southern area of Kulgam as they returned from a rally, a local police officer confirmed. No one was injured in the blaze.

Authorities lifted a curfew in most parts of the territory on Monday, but schools, shops and most banks remain shut and mobile internet services are still suspended.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

Several rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers -- currently numbering around 500,000 -- deployed in the territory. They demand independence for the region or its merger with rival Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.
(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O) plans to release an update of its partly automated self-driving system "in a few weeks," Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday.

Improvements to Tesla's Autopilot system, including advanced processing of radar signals, would be detailed in a blog post on the company's website later on Wednesday, the tweet said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a May 7 fatality in Florida in which a driver using Tesla's Autopilot system crashed into a truck.

Teslas Autopilot system uses cameras and radar, but not laser-based lidar as some other self-driving systems do. The company said its system would have had trouble distinguishing a white semi-trailer positioned across a road against a bright sky.

Musk was asked on Twitter why the vehicle's radar did not detect the truck. Musk tweeted on June 30 that "radar tunes out what looks like an overhead road sign to avoid false braking events."

In a tweet on Wednesday, Musk said software enhancements to Autopilot will be delivered wirelessly to owners' vehicles.

(Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
(Adds detail on Tesla's Autopilot system)

Aug 31 (Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc plans to release an update of its partly automated self-driving system "in a few weeks," Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday.

Improvements to Tesla's Autopilot system, including advanced processing of radar signals, would be detailed in a blog post on the company's website later on Wednesday, the tweet said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a May 7 fatality in Florida in which a driver using Tesla's Autopilot system crashed into a truck.

Tesla's Autopilot system uses cameras and radar, but not laser-based lidar as some other self-driving systems do. The company said its system would have had trouble distinguishing a white semi-trailer positioned across a road against a bright sky.

Musk was asked on Twitter why the vehicle's radar did not detect the truck. Musk tweeted on June 30 that "radar tunes out what looks like an overhead road sign to avoid false braking events."

In a tweet on Wednesday, Musk said software enhancements to Autopilot will be delivered wirelessly to owners' vehicles.

(Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has submitted a letter of opposition to the Dept. of Justice regarding its recent decision to change how performance rights organizations (PROs) are required to treat the licensing of some songs with multiple authors.

The controversial change, part of a two-year review of the consent decrees established in the early 1940s to govern the PROs (namely ASCAP and BMI), now requires those PROs to allow "100 percent licensing," which would give the partial owner of a song the ability to license the entire work to a user such as a streaming service, as long as they account for and pay the other songwriters.

In a letter dated Aug. 29 and addressed to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Abbott says that he feels compelled to weigh in on the controversy due to his position as head of the Texas Music Office. "The Texas Music Office is housed within my office and is charged by law with promoting the Texas music industry. As the head of that office, I must object to the DOJ's position in these cases, which is both legally flawed and threatens to harm the music industry in Texas."

Governor Abbott goes on to call the DoJ's position "legally flawed" and writes that such a "drastic change in course will have severe consequences for music artists and the music industry as a whole." Echoing concerns voiced by publishers and PROs, Abbott said he feared the change will reduce royalty rates and inhibit collaboration between songwriters who happen to belong to competing PROs.

"The DoJ claims that the plain language of the consent decrees does not permit it to reach any other conclusion" but to require full-work licenses to fractionally owned songs, he wrote. "That is incorrect."

Abbott writes that the DoJ erred in its interpretation that the "plain" wording of consent decrees should grant 100 percent licenses, arguing instead to maintain the status quo and fractional licensing.

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"It is the DoJ's new interpretation of the consent decrees that would disrupt the market, not fractional licensing," he said. "An amendment modifying the consent decrees to expressly permit fractional licensing is in the public interest, and the DoJ should reconsider its opposition to such an amendment."

On July 12, Lynch testified before Congress that the DoJ's review was not yet finalized.

The DOJ's move away from customary fractional licensing drew immediate opposition by the U.S. Copyright Office, numerous songwriting coalitions and both PROs.

In a letter to songwriters and employees, BMI CEO Mike O'Neill wrote that "the DoJ's interpretation benefits no one -- not BMI or ASCAP, not the music publishers, and not the music users." ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews said the decision "puts the U.S. completely out of step with the entire global music marketplace, denies American music creators their rights, and potentially disrupts the flow of music without any benefit to the public."

Read Gov. Abbott's letter here.
By Alisa Tang BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Thai court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 35 years in prison for trafficking ethnic Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, in a high-profile case that led to the discovery of jungle camps, mass graves and an international trafficking ring. On Jan. 11, 2015, police intercepted five vehicles at a checkpoint in Hua Sai district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, discovering 98 "very thin and tired men, women and children". Of the group, 42 were boys and girls younger than 14, and one Rohingya was dead. Sunand, also known as Ko Mit Saengthong, was arrested in connection with this case. Police evidence against him included data from mobile phones seized from the drivers of the vehicles and bank transactions linking him to a trafficking syndicate. On Wednesday, a court in southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province found Sunand guilty of human trafficking, enslavement, and harboring aliens, according to human rights lawyer Janjira Janpaew, who has been monitoring the case. In addition to the prison sentence, Sunand was fined 660,000 baht ($19,000). "We didn't think that the court was going to come down this hard, with 35 years. The punishment was more than we had expected," Janjira told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by telephone. Two other defendants in the case, Suriya Yodrak and Warachai Chadathong, were found guilty of illegally bringing aliens into Thailand and sentenced to a year in prison. The court reduced the sentence of Suriya, who pleaded guilty, to six months. The Rohingya face persecution and poverty in Myanmar, and after deadly religious violence erupted there in 2012, tens of thousands began fleeing by boat in an effort to get to Malaysia. Human traffickers, taking advantage of the lucrative smuggling operations, began holding the Rohingya for ransom in crude camps hidden in the jungle along the Thai-Malaysia border. The discovery of the mass graves spurred a massive crackdown by authorities, effectively halting the smuggling boats. There are at least eight other court cases related to the Rohingya trafficking rings, according to the Migrant Working Group, which is monitoring the cases. One of the major ongoing trials includes at least 88 defendants and some 500 witnesses. (Reporting by Alisa Tang @alisatang, editing by Katie Nguyen. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, womens rights, corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories)
(Reuters) - Blood-testing firm Theranos Inc said it voluntarily withdrew a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency clearance of its Zika-virus blood test. Theranos made the decision after the FDA said the company did not include proper patient safeguards in a study, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. "We hope that our decision to withdraw the Zika submission voluntarily is further evidence of our commitment to engage positively with the agency," Dave Wurtz, Theranos' vice president of regulatory, quality and clinical affairs said in a statement. "In my mind, this was a positive interaction with the FDA, and I'm grateful for its collaborative approach. We are confident in the Zika tests and will resubmit it." The diagnostic test for Zika can detect additional strains of the mosquito-borne virus from blood drops taken from a finger pricks from patients, Theranos Chief Executive Elizabeth Holmes said earlier this month. The company said that it collected finger-stick blood samples from patients, including from those in the Dominican Republic, and ran the tests. However, after an inspection earlier this month, the FDA concluded that Theranos had collected some data supporting the accuracy of the test without implementing a patient-safety protocol approved by an institutional review board, the Journal said. (http://on.wsj.com/2c33MFf) The FDA's inspection was triggered by Theranos' request for "emergency-use authorization" to sell its new Zika test, the WSJ said. (Reporting by Vishaka George in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Hay and Savio D'Souza)
A new study has revealed the unfriendliest places for expats to live in 2016.

The Expat Insider, an annual survey conducted by InterNations, looked at the quality of life for expats all over the world, and found the places where new residents find it hardest to settle in.

Their findings were based on factors including feeling welcome, friendliness of people, the ease of findings friends and language barriers.

Anyone who wants to find a new bevvy of pals abroad should head to Mexico, which is the worlds friendliest country, followed by Costa Rica and Uganda.

These are the 10 places where the welcome is coolest.

10. Czech Republic

The language barrier in the Czech Republic contributed to its place on the list of unfriendliest countries. (Getty Images)

9. Finland

Finland is a tricky place for new people to find friends, making it tricky for expats to settle in. (Getty Images)

8. China

Expats may find it difficult to settle into China due to big cultural differences. (Getty Images)



7. Qatar

People who moved to Qatar felt like they were not made welcome there. (Getty Images)



6. Sweden

Turns out the Swedes are pretty frosty towards expats. (Getty Images)

5. Norway

Norway was found to be the second hardest place to make friends, seeing it come in fifth in the most difficult places to settle in. (Getty Images)



4. Switzerland

Switzerland is rated 3rd in the world for the quality of its environment but falls to 4th place in the 10 unfriendliest destinations for expats. (Getty Images)



3. Denmark

Denmark is officially the most difficult place in the world for expats to make friends. (Getty Images)

2. Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia was found to be the worst place in the world for making people feel welcome. (Getty Images)



1. Kuwait

Kuwait wins the dubious honour of the unfriendliest countries for expats. (Getty Images)


By Aradhana Aravindan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A pregnant woman was among those diagnosed with Zika infections in Singapore, as the number of confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne virus in the city-state rose to 115. The Zika virus, which has spread through the Americas and the Caribbean since late last year, is generally a mild disease but is a particular risk to pregnant women as it can cause microcephaly - a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. The pregnant woman who tested positive lives in the Aljunied area in Singapore's southeast, where most previous cases have been detected. A member of her household was earlier diagnosed with Zika, the Straits Times newspaper reported. Singapore announced the first locally contracted case of Zika late on Saturday, and the number of diagnosed infections has grown steadily this week. In a joint statement with the National Environment Agency (NEA), the health ministry said it identified another potential cluster of Zika virus infection in east Singapore, involving three previously reported cases. "Over time, we expect Zika cases to emerge from more areas. We must work and plan on the basis that there is Zika transmission in other parts of Singapore and extend our vector control efforts beyond the current affected areas," Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong said in the statement. Several countries have warned pregnant women or those trying to conceive to avoid traveling to Singapore. The outbreak and travel advisories come as the tourism industry in one of the world's busiest travel hubs already faces weak global economic growth. It is also just weeks ahead of the Singapore Formula One motor-racing Grand Prix - a major sporting and entertainment attraction. Preparations for the race weekend are "on track and proceeding as per normal," the promoter, Singapore GP, said in an emailed statement. WIDER SCOPE In addition to 24 new Zika cases confirmed on Wednesday, nine were detected in the health ministry's 'look-back' testing of previous cases. The NEA said it is to widen the scope of its mosquito control operations - clearing drains and spraying potential breeding habitats with insecticide - to include the new potential cluster area. Most of the initial cases were among the hundreds of thousands of foreign workers, drawn mainly from the Asian sub-continent, who work on Singapore's construction sites and in the marine sector. These included 13 Indian citizens, said a person at the Indian High Commission in Singapore. (Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
Dr Chi Wei Ming (left) and Dr Lee Chien Chuan of Sims Drive Medical Clinic. Photo: Sharlene Maria Sanakaran

One of the doctors who first raised the alarm about the Zika virus in the Republic has urged everyone in Singapore to unite in the battle against the disease, and to avoid assigning blame for the outbreak.



Dr Chi Wei Ming, together with his colleagues Dr Lim Chien Chuan and Dr Tan May Yen of Sims Drive Medical Clinic, alerted the Ministry of Health (MOH) to a sudden spike in cases of fever, rashes and joint pain at their clinic earlier this month.

This ultimately led to the discovery of the first locally transmitted cases of Zika. Some 82 cases have been discovered by the Ministry of Health (MOH) as of Tuesday (30 August), with the majority in the Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive cluster.

In a Facebook note on Wednesday, Dr Chi noted that the discovery of the Zika outbreak had been a team effort between his colleagues, MOH and the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC).

In the next few weeks, the daily new Zika cases is critical not just in terms of the absolute numbers, but also in its demographic profile. Itll tell us whether Zika is still contained to one localized area or whether it is spreading to neighbouring districts or other parts of Singapore, said Dr Chi.

But he added that it is neither helpful nor productive to play the blame game at this critical juncture. Dr Chi stressed, Through our interactions with the relevant authorities, we know that allegations of cover up are baseless and unmerited.

On Tuesday (30 August), while Dr Chi and his colleagues combed through their clinics patients records to identify possible Zika cases they might have missed, there were many NEA (National Environment Agency) officers working in pairs under the hot sun, inspecting every nook and corner to eradicate mosquito breeding, he said.

He urged Singaporeans to play their part in preventing mosquito breeding, and to practise social responsibility in order to halt the spread of Zika in the community.

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For example, non-residents and those not working in Sims Drive, Aljunied Crescent, Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way should do their best to avoid these areas, in order to contain the outbreak and avoid the appearance of new clusters.

He also urged patients to avoid going to the CDC for Zika screening, unless they have symptoms of fever, joint pain, rash or sore eyes and are living within the affected area.

This is to ensure that our colleagues at CDC are not overwhelmed with patients and relevant cases can be attended to quickly, said Dr Chi, adding that general practitioners can assess whether screening is necessary.

Lastly, those with symptoms should be bold and see a doctor for assessment.

Breaking the chain of transmission is the key to eradicating this outbreak. For most patients, Zika is self-limiting and rarely fatal.
Nairobi (AFP) - The results of a three-year aerial survey of Africa's elephants published Thursday revealed a dramatic 30 percent decline in savannah elephant populations, largely due to poaching.

"We completed a successful survey of massive scale, and what we learned is deeply disturbing," said Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist who spent $7 million (6.3 million euros) funding the census.

The first-of-its-kind survey is the largest wildlife census ever and involved flying over 18 African countries with scientists and conservationists counting live elephants and carcasses to establish a baseline for future studies of elephant populations and how to protect them better.

"Armed with this knowledge of dramatically declining elephant populations, we share a collective responsibility to take action," Allen said as the results were published on Thursday at a meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Hawaii.

Named the Great Elephant Census (GEC), the three-year programme began in December 2013 and involved 81 aeroplanes and 286 crew flying 463,000 kilometres over 18 countries, said James Deutsch, of Allen's Vulcan Inc investment company.

A total of 352,271 elephants were counted during the survey, representing a decline of 30 percent between 2007-14 equivalent to 144,000 elephants. Currently savannah elephant numbers are declining at eight percent a year, the study said.

Poaching hotspots identified include Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania where "staggering population declines" were found. Other populations face "local extinction" in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Cameroon and southwest Zambia.

However, populations were found to be stable or even increasing in South Africa, Botswana, Uganda, parts of Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and the W-Arli-Pendjari conservation area that spans the borders of Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso.

"If we can't save the African elephant, what is the hope for conserving the rest of Africa's wildlife?" said Mike Chase, of conservation organisation Elephants Without Borders, who led the census.

Two countries are still to be surveyed: Central African Republic and South Sudan where conflict has made access tricky. Allen now also plans to launch a similar survey of Africa's forest elephants which are thought to have also suffered badly from poaching.
(Reuters) - Florida health officials on Tuesday said they were investigating three new Zika virus cases likely stemming from local mosquito bites in Miami-Dade County, including two cases outside of the known areas of active transmission. The new infections bring the state's total of non-travel-related cases to 46, according to the Florida Department of Health. Only one of Tuesday's three new cases was linked to Miami Beach, which is known to be an active area for local Zika transmission. The health department said it was investigating the other two cases to determine where they occurred, but cautioned, "One case does not mean ongoing active transmission is taking place." The department said it believes ongoing transmission is only taking place in parts of Miami Beach and the trendy Miami neighborhood of Wynwood, the site of the first local Zika transmission in the United States. Zika infections have been mounting in popular tourist areas and may have caused concern among wary vacationers. 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. Florida health department workers have been going door-to-door in Pinellas, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties to talk to residents about the virus and offer voluntary tests. The Zika virus was first 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, including microcephaly. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Rome (AFP) - Three corpses were recovered as some 1,800 migrants were rescued off Libya on Wednesday, taking the total number of people saved since Sunday to nearly 12,500, Italy's coastguard said.

The three dead bodies were recovered from a stricken rubber dinghy by Malta-based NGO MOAS, whose boat the Phoenix rescued a total of 410 people during the day.

Italian navy and coastguard boats were also in action along with a merchant tugboat that happened to be in the area.

Despite the surge in numbers this week, migrant arrivals in Italy are running slightly below last year's levels.

According to Interior Ministry figures, a total of 112,097 people had landed at Italian ports by Wednesday morning, compared with 116,149 for the same period in 2015.

Thousands more will be registered in the coming days, putting more pressure on Italy's already rammed reception centres.

Among those arriving on Wednesday was a three-month-old Nigerian baby girl who was born in Libya and baptised Noa Mary on an Italian navy boat on Tuesday.

Rear Admiral Alberto Maffeis, who acted as the little girl's godfather on board the Virginio Fasan frigate, told RaiNews her mother had asked the onboard chaplain to carry out the ceremony.

"It was like becoming a father again, I had a lump in my throat," he said.

Flavio di Giacomo, the Italy spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), said that despite this week's high numbers, the profile of departures from Libya remained similar to last year with regular spikes in numbers attributable to favourable weather conditions.

"What is astonishing is that there have been so few casualties thanks to the expertise of the rescuers," he said.

Di Giacomo said the new arrivals were manageable. "There is not a a critical situation on the Italian side, the system of reception and identification is working smoothly."

Italy is however having to house ever greater numbers of would-be refugees as its neighbours to the north move to tighten their borders and make it harder for migrants to travel to their preferred destinations in northern Europe.

According to the Interior Ministry, Italy now has 148,000 asylum seekers in reception centres, compared with 103,000 in 2015 and 66,000 in 2014.

The Greek coastguard said Wednesday it rescued roughly 30 migrants on a stricken vessel as they attempted to reach Italy.
DUISBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Several thousand steel workers at Thyssenkrupp on Wednesday protested management's plans for a merger of its European steel business with that of Tata Steel as well as possible site closures.

Carrying banners saying "Stop steel exit" and "Steel is the future" in a rally organised by powerful labour union IG Metall, they marched to the headquarters of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe in the industrial city of Duisburg, where the steel business's supervisory board is due to meet on Wednesday.

Steel-to-elevators group Thyssenkrupp is in talks with India's Tata Steel to merge their European steel operations, but a senior labour official at Thyssen said this month that any plan to close some plants could go ahead irrespective of whether there is a merger deal.

Thyssenkrupp has its 19th century roots in steelmaking but the sector is now being hit by lacklustre demand and cheap imports into Europe. Labour representatives fear the group wants to exit the sector at any cost, under pressure from activist investor Cevian, which owns 15 percent of the group.

"The workers want clarity on what is going on. They are worried," Steel Europe's works council chief Guenter Back told Reuters on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff; Writing by Maria Sheahan, editing by Louise Heavens)
Catherine Keener is a troubled mother in The Hollywood Reporter's exclusive clip of Unless, Alan Gilsenan's adaptation of late Canadian novelist Carol Shields' final book.

The Oscar nominee plays a writer whose bright and capable daughter (Hannah Gross) inexplicably drops out of college and lands on a Toronto street corner, panhandling and speechless.

"Your daughter is living on the street," says Brendan Coyle in the clip. "Is that something you're concerned about, being a public figure, and this is a story that may be exposed in a way that you don't want it to be exposed? You know, the famous author and the homeless child...? "

The interview question pushes Keener too far, leading her to walk out soon after.

Written by Gilsenan and also starring Matt Craven, Unless will make its world premiere at TIFF. Gersh is handling sales.
One Mississippi may be set in creator Tig Notaros sleepy southern hometown, but the premiere of the new Amazon scripted series was well underway across the country in Los Angeles.

Stars including Notaro, Casey Wilson, Diablo Cody and John Rothman graced the red carpet at The London in West Hollywood on Tuesday evening. The series, which released its pilot in November 2015, deals with the sudden loss of Notaros mother as she returns to her hometown to deal with the tragedy as well as other demons in Notaros life.

Cody stated that she became involved after a surprise phone call from producer Louis C.K.

He had been talking about influences for the show, she had mentioned Young Adult which was a movie I had done a few years back, Cody said. We wrote the pilot together, and Im just producing now, but Im really proud of [Notaro] and the project.

Wilson, who plays Notaros girlfriend, Brooke, noted her characters selfishness, an attribute that differs greatly with Wilsons personality.

[Brooke] is selfish, but shes trying to be supportive of Tig during her time of need, Wilson said. Shes one of those typical L.A. people trying to better themselves through wellness, but doesnt realize how selfish she is.

Notaro arrived arm-in-arm with spouse Stephanie Allynne, who also has an acting role in the series. Notaro stated that, although One Mississippi is based on her life, there are still many aspects of her life that remain a mystery to the public.

I used the pilot as a jumping-off point to touch on other real parts of my life and fictionalize a lot of it, Notaro said. People think they know my story, but they dont know where its going to go.

As guests settled into the screening room for the shows first public viewing, Notaro emphasized that the project is the result of many years of hard work and dedication. Right before the screening began, Notaro had a few words of wisdom for those who dont appreciate the shows worth.

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If you dont like it, youre wrong, Notaro joked.

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Tokyo (AFP) - Plans to move Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market -- the world's largest -- were put on ice Wednesday over fears about toxic contamination at the new facility, as the cost of the move soars.

The megacity's new governor, Yuriko Koike, said she would postpone the move set for November until at least early next year, as she awaits final groundwater testing results at the new site, a former gas plant.

Plans to uproot the more than 80-year-old market, a popular tourist attraction, have been in the works for years, with advocates citing the need for upgraded technology.

But Koike, a former TV anchorwoman elected last month as the Japanese capital's first female governor, had pledged to reconsider the plan.

"Needless to say, it is a market that handles fresh food," Koike told a press conference as she announced the delay.

"The Tokyo metropolitan government, which chiefly runs the market, is responsible for telling the world: 'It's safe.'"

Critics of the move cite contaminated soil found at the former gas production site.

The local government paid a whopping 86 billion yen ($833 million) in cleanup costs but Koike said she wants to wait for the results of water testing in January.

Koike would not say if she would consider scrapping the relocation altogether if the test results are bad.

"I want to wait for the examinations being done by the project team," she said.

Koike also questioned the 588 billion yen in relocation costs, 36 percent higher than earlier estimates.

These costs include relocating the market to a less-central location several kilometres away and building a modern facility about 40 percent larger with state-of-the-art refrigeration.

Japanese media have reported that postponing Tsukiji's move would cost about seven million yen a day, and could delay construction of a highway connecting the current site with an athletes' village being built for the city's 2020 Olympics.
PewDiePie, YouTube's biggest star, was briefly suspended from Twitter on Wednesday morning over concerns that his account had been hacked.

But it was all a big misunderstanding, a source familiar with the situation tells The Hollywood Reporter, resulting from comments that PewDiePie made in jest about ISIS and an especially graphic photo as his profile picture.

The fiasco began Tuesday when the online star, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, un-verified himself from Twitter. This means that he got rid of the blue check mark that Twitter uses to denote the real accounts for public figures. Kjellberg explained the decision to un-verify himself in a video on Wednesday morning, saying, "With the verification process being f - ing annoying, I decided to unverify myself." Instead, he added a globe emoji next to his name, prompting many of his followers to add the image to their Twitter names in a show of solidarity.

But, as Kjellberg explains in the video, his online fandom erupted in concern over why he had been unverified and quickly a fake news story appeared from a hoax Twitter account claiming that he had been unverified "due to suspected relations with ISIS."

Popular YouTuber @pewdiepie unverified due to suspected relations with ISIS https://t.co/iElCWtBzpU pic.twitter.com/x2L0INKVU5

- Sky News (@SkyNeiws) August 30, 2016

Kjellberg retweeted the story and then joked in a separate tweet that he and fellow YouTuber JackSepticEye, aka Sean William McLaughlin, had joined ISIS, adding "which is why we both got unverified." The JackSepticEye Twitter handle remains verified, however.

Kjellberg's tweets about ISIS prompted Twitter to look into whether his account had been hacked, the source says. While investigating the account, Twitter also saw Kjellberg's profile picture, a dick pic, and concluded that he must have been hacked. That led to the account's suspension. After clearing up the situation with Twitter, his account was reactivated. It was suspended for less than an hour.

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A Twitter spokesman decline to comment on Kjellberg's suspension.

Kjellberg, who has changed his profile photo to an image of a dog, has since tweeted that he's "totally fine" and that "it's actually so heartwarming to see so many people care about me."

Kjellberg, who hails from Sweden, has risen to fame for his comedic, often foul-mouthed YouTube videos of him playing popular video games. He currently has 47.6 million YouTube subscribers, giving him the largest following of any creator on YouTube. He is signed with Maker Studios but does not have any additional representation. A Maker spokeswoman declined to comment.

Here is Kjellberg's video explaining why he is no longer Twitter verified:
Heavy monsoon downpours and thunderstorms brought life in the Indian capital to a grinding halt Wednesday as hundreds of thousands of commuters -- and the US secretary of state -- were left stranded on waterlogged roads.

Early morning torrential rains inundated large swathes of New Delhi and its surrounding areas, leaving motorists stuck in massive traffic jams, including the motorcade of top US official John Kerry.

"I don't know how you all got here, you must have needed boats to get here," Kerry told students at a townhall meeting after arriving an hour late due to the traffic chaos.

Kerry's motorcade was caught up in the gridlock for the second time since his arrival in the capital Monday, with the heavy showers forcing him to cancel visits to three religious sites.

Television channels showed images of frustrated office workers and schoolchildren stuck in buses and cars while others waded knee-deep through waterlogged streets.

Local media reports said five people were injured in New Delhi's Badarpur neighbourhood after being struck by lightning.

B K Yadav, a meteorological department official, said that the capital received the highest daily rainfall of the annual monsoon season, which is nearing its end.

"We recorded 62 mm in three hours in New Delhi, the highest for this season," Yadav told AFP.

Traffic jams in New Delhi and its satellite town of Gurgaon are common in the rainy season, mostly due to crumbling civic infrastructure, clogged drains and uncontrolled construction.

The four-month-long monsoon begins in June and is vital for irrigating farmland of more than 330 million Indian farmers.

But excess rains sparking flooding in many parts of east and north India have killed at least 150 people and displaced millions.
(Updates with Trump comments during rally)

By Emily Stephenson and Ginger Gibson

EVERETT, Washington/WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - R epublican Donald Trump, who has made his criticism of a pending Pacific trade agreement central to his campaign, on Tuesday visited a Seattle suburb home to a large Boeing Co plane manufacturing facility that depends heavily on Asian sales.

Trump vowed at his rally that he would win Washington state, even though the state tends to support Democrats and that party's nominee, Hillary Clinton, leads by large margins in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

The Republican nominee, however, presents a conundrum for the unions that represent workers at Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company. He has courted manufacturing workers with vows to tear up trade agreements and scrap the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership.

"The destruction that NAFTA started will be finished off if the Trans-Pacific Partnership is approved," Trump said on Tuesday, referring to a separate deal with Canada and Mexico reached in the 1990s. He also has vowed to renegotiate that agreement.

Supporters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) point to Boeing's aircraft sales to Asia to tout the benefits of the agreement. Secretary of State John Kerry visited a nearby plant earlier this year to rally support for the pact.

Manufacturing unions agree with Trump on his opposition to TPP and the export of jobs overseas, but officials said they find his track record unconvincing.

"The fact is that Trump has had the opportunity to bring jobs to Americans, and he's chosen to outsource them," said Larry Brown, legislative and political director for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751, which represents about 32,000 workers in the state, mostly at Boeing.

Boeing produces some of its largest planes only miles from where Trump spoke Tuesday night. As they are assembled, the painted tails of the planes show the airlines that ordered them, and many are Asian. Major components of each plane come from overseas: South Korea, China and Europe.

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Over the next 20 years, Boeing projects that Asian customers will account for 40 percent of the total global jetliner's market, the company said in a recent report.

"Trade is a huge part of the success of manufacturing in Washington," said Linda Dempsey, vice president of international economic affairs for the National Association of Manufacturers, which Boeing belongs to. "They are exporting $73 billion in manufactured goods."

But Trump offers a more dire outlook, arguing that only he can keep Boeing from moving those high-paying manufacturing jobs from Washington to China.

"They'll start taking your business away, and you won't have much of Boeing," Trump told Seattle's KIRO radio on Monday.

RALLYING WORKERS

Trump has broken with the Republican Party's traditional embrace of free trade. He has vowed to rip up the TPP and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, an existing deal with Canada and Mexico which he blames for the loss of U.S. jobs.

The Republican Party's support for free trade has put it in sync with large business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Tony Fratto, a former official in the administration of Republican George W. Bush, criticized Trump as out of step with the party.

"Trump's policies in this area are really dumb generally, but are particularly dumb for a major exporting company," said Fratto, who worked on behalf of a coalition of large companies, including Boeing, that were pushing for renewal of the Export-Import Bank.

Some voters in Washington state remain divided. Kirk Hoeppner, 53, a business analyst at Boeing who lives in Granite Falls, Washington, said he will vote for Trump and he agrees with his business views. But he was not sure closer ties to other countries would hurt jobs there.

"Even if we ally with other countries, we're still going to sell more airplanes," Hoeppner said.

Corey McNally, 40, of Whidbey Island, Washington, has not decided whom he will vote for.

"The union members love Hillary just because they're supposed to because she's a liberal," said McNally. And Trump, whom he called "just kind of a big show," may be too late to change anything.

"This company's been outsourcing jobs for years," he said of Boeing.

(Writing by Ginger Gibson; Reporting by Emily Stephenson in Everett, Washington; Alwyn Scott in Seattle and Ginger Gibson in Washington; Editing by Caren Bohan and Jonathan Oatis)
By Emily Stephenson and Ginger Gibson EVERETT, Washington/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump, who has made his criticism of a pending Pacific trade agreement central to his campaign, on Tuesday visited a Seattle suburb home to a large Boeing Co plane manufacturing facility that depends heavily on Asian sales. Trump vowed at his rally that he would win Washington state, even though the state tends to support Democrats and that partys nominee, Hillary Clinton, leads by large margins in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 8 election. The Republican nominee, however, presents a conundrum for the unions that represent workers at Boeing, the worlds largest aerospace company. He has courted manufacturing workers with vows to tear up trade agreements and scrap the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership. "The destruction that NAFTA started will be finished off if the Trans-Pacific Partnership is approved," Trump said on Tuesday, referring to a separate deal with Canada and Mexico reached in the 1990s. He also has vowed to renegotiate that agreement. Supporters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) point to Boeing's aircraft sales to Asia to tout the benefits of the agreement. Secretary of State John Kerry visited a nearby plant earlier this year to rally support for the pact. Manufacturing unions agree with Trump on his opposition to TPP and the export of jobs overseas, but officials said they find his track record unconvincing. "The fact is that Trump has had the opportunity to bring jobs to Americans, and he's chosen to outsource them," said Larry Brown, legislative and political director for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751, which represents about 32,000 workers in the state, mostly at Boeing. Boeing produces some of its largest planes only miles from where Trump spoke Tuesday night. As they are assembled, the painted tails of the planes show the airlines that ordered them, and many are Asian. Major components of each plane come from overseas: South Korea, China and Europe. Over the next 20 years, Boeing projects that Asian customers will account for 40 percent of the total global jetliner's market, the company said in a recent report. "Trade is a huge part of the success of manufacturing in Washington," said Linda Dempsey, vice president of international economic affairs for the National Association of Manufacturers, which Boeing belongs to. "They are exporting $73 billion in manufactured goods." But Trump offers a more dire outlook, arguing that only he can keep Boeing from moving those high-paying manufacturing jobs from Washington to China. "They'll start taking your business away, and you won't have much of Boeing," Trump told Seattle's KIRO radio on Monday. RALLYING WORKERS Trump has broken with the Republican Party's traditional embrace of free trade. He has vowed to rip up the TPP and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, an existing deal with Canada and Mexico which he blames for the loss of U.S. jobs. The Republican Party's support for free trade has put it in sync with large business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. Tony Fratto, a former official in the administration of Republican George W. Bush, criticized Trump as out of step with the party. "Trump's policies in this area are really dumb generally, but are particularly dumb for a major exporting company," said Fratto, who worked on behalf of a coalition of large companies, including Boeing, that were pushing for renewal of the Export-Import Bank. Some voters in Washington state remain divided. Kirk Hoeppner, 53, a business analyst at Boeing who lives in Granite Falls, Washington, said he will vote for Trump and he agrees with his business views. But he was not sure closer ties to other countries would hurt jobs there. Even if we ally with other countries, were still going to sell more airplanes, Hoeppner said. Corey McNally, 40, of Whidbey Island, Washington, has not decided whom he will vote for. "The union members love Hillary just because they're supposed to because she's a liberal," said McNally. And Trump, whom he called "just kind of a big show," may be too late to change anything. "This company's been outsourcing jobs for years," he said of Boeing. (Writing by Ginger Gibson; Reporting by Emily Stephenson in Everett, Washington; Alwyn Scott in Seattle and Ginger Gibson in Washington; Editing by Caren Bohan and Jonathan Oatis)
Traveler, James Lloyd, came across a surprising flight option when searching for tickets from Chrischurch, New Zealand, to London's Gatwick Airport on Skyscanner last week: A flight through Bangkok, Thailand, had a layover of more than 413,000 hours.

Lloyd posted the find on Facebook, sparking a chain of comments and likes in response.

One of the comments came from a Skyscanner representative, who (jokingly) offered suggestions for how Lloyd could spend his 47 years in the city.

"Missed Songkran, but you've got another 46 years to enjoy it," the representative, Jen, wrote.

Some of her other suggestions included checking out the Moon Bar, taking a cruise on the Chao Phraya river, scouring through the citys floating markets, or becoming a tai chi expert at Lumphini Park.

There's a host of funny comments from Jen on the thread, which ultimately led to a happy ending for Lloyd.

Talia Avakian is a digital reporter at Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter at @TaliaAvak

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Paris (AFP) - An experimental drug cleared protein buildup in the brains of people with mild Alzheimer's disease and slowed their mental decline, the results of a preliminary trial showed.

The outcome raised hopes that a treatment may finally be within reach for the memory- and independence-robbing disease, but experts cautioned against overplaying the findings.

The drug, aducanumab, is only the latest antibody to show promise in an early, Phase I drug trial, they said. Others ended up disappointing in the decisive Phase III efficacy test.

"Although potentially this is an exciting story, it is important to temper any excitement with considerable caution," said Robert Howard, a professor of old age psychiatry at University College London.

"It would be premature to conclude that this is likely to represent an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease."

Researchers in the United States and Switzerland tested aducanumab, developed by biotech firm Biogen, on 165 people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease for a period of one year.

Some were given a monthly injection of the antibody, and others a placebo or dummy drug.

In the brains of those given the treatment, there was an "almost complete clearance" of so-called amyloid plaques, the researchers reported.

Amyloids are sticky proteins that clump together in deposits -- one of the mechanisms suspected of causing Alzheimer's.

"The effect of the antibody is very impressive," said Roger Nitsch, a professor at the University of Zurich's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, who co-authored the study.

- 'Now is the time' -

After one year of treatment, "practically no beta-amyloid plaques could be detected in patients who received the highest dose," said a university statement.

And while the trial was not designed to test drug efficacy, the team did observe slower onset of symptoms in treated patients.

This supported the hypothesis that amyloid plaques are indeed what cause Alzheimer's, the researchers said, but further tests are required to prove this once and for all.

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"Indeed, confirmation that anti-AB (amyloid-beta) treatment slows cognitive decline would be a game-changer for how we understand, treat and prevent Alzheimer's disease," commented Eric Reiman at the Banner Alzheimer's Institue in Phoenix, Arizona.

"Now is the time to find out."

The drug did have side-effects, however, including fluid buildup on the brain, and headaches.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) says affects nearly 50 million people worldwide -- with some 7.7 million new cases diagnosed per year.

Old age is the major risk factor, and there is no prevention or effective treatment for Alzheimer's symptoms, which include memory loss and disorientation, as well as anxiety and aggressive behaviour.

Like actor Gene Wilder, who passed away on Monday, people do not die of Alzheimer's itself but complications which can include infections or malnutrition.

Last year, drug-maker Eli Lilly said the drug solanezumab, also an antibody, showed promise when given to people in the early stages of Alzheimer's.

Results from further testing with both drugs will be hotly anticipated in the months to come.

Outside experts expressed cautious optimism about the new study, published in the journal Nature.

"Let's keep our fingers crossed for success in the next steps," said neuroscience professor Richard Morris from the University of Edinburgh.
As tropical storm Hermine  upgraded from a tropical depression on Wednesday afternoon  takes aim at Florida's western Big Bend this week, a number of questions remain.

Here's what we do know:

Hermine seems very likely to make landfall late Thursday night.

Floridians, who haven't seen a hurricane make landfall since 2005, should prepare for a significant storm surge.

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane watch is in effect for parts of Florida and Georgia, and a warning is in effect throughout the Big Bend. There's a real risk of the storm gaining strength in the next 36 hours, possibly to hurricane levels.

After moving through Florida, Hermine is expected to cause some trouble in the Carolinas and across the East Coast  but the details remain uncertain.

The cone in this map offers some idea of where Hermine might travel over the course of the next several days. But it doesn't offer a full picture of how uncertain things are right now.

CrN0YKhUMAAJqWn

Just look at how far west it moved since this map, released just a few hours earlier:

tropical storm hermine

Part of what's going on here is that the major hurricane-tracking weather models are in sharp disagreement with one another right now.

First, here's what the storm looks like as this article's being written, on Wednesday:

#Hermine part of complex zone of low pres. extending to rain on W coast of FL to disturbance nr NC/SC border to #TD8 pic.twitter.com/ENiOcR7L0X  Stu Ostro (@StuOstro) August 31, 2016

One model, run before Hermine grew into a tropical storm, predicts that the storm will sit off the East Coast for a long while, inscribe a little loop-de-loop in the Atlantic Ocean, then return to dump even more water on the East Coast:

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Latest (06Z) GFS has #TD9 circling off the East Coast for at least the next 16 days. Weird. pic.twitter.com/A8jazuG64O  Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) August 31, 2016

Another suggests the storm will move up the coast of the Carolinas, then crash into New York:

Latest (12Z) Euro says: Get ready, NYC. Tropical Storm #Hermine on your doorstep on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/w7pBjDW0iu  Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) August 31, 2016

And more recent predictions shift the whole system over land  something that could lead to severe weather up and down most of the East Coast, but would likely spare waterfront areas a major storm surge:

Here's your 5 PM ET brief on Tropical Storm #Hermine. Cone shifts westward. Hurricane Watch extended to Destin #flwx pic.twitter.com/w19kumkD4E  Michael Lowry (@MichaelRLowry) August 31, 2016

Here's what's going on:

Hurricanes and tropical storms are notoriously difficult to predict. Unlike broad patterns of warmth and cooling in the atmosphere, tropical storms can shift, shrink, or grow because of tiny events that models aren't very good at understanding.

NOAA hurricane specialist James Franklin told Business Insider that beyond three days out, hurricane models live in a kind of "fantasy land."

It's normal for models to look a bit chaotic that far in the future.

Thomas Downs, a meteorologist with Weatherbell Analytics, told Business Insider that some particular weather events in the middle latitudes are making Hermine especially difficult to precisely predict.

"What I see as a meteorologist is that the computer model's very confused right now," he said. "When there are shifts [from one run of a model to another] like this, we know something funky is going to happen because of the different, strange tracks."

Right now, there's an atmospheric "trough" over the Carolinas. Hermine could smack into it, intermingle, and move over land as a weaker storm that moves quickly and dissipates  more like a typical winter storm than a cyclone.

Or it could shunt out to sea, where warm water would likely help the storm maintain its power.

"Does that mean it's going to hit Washington, DC, or New York or Boston?" Downs said. "This storm especially is one that has a mind of its own. The science of meteorology hasn't really caught up to quite the way hurricanes intensify and interact. And that's quite frankly why we're seeing this right now."

If Hermine goes out to sea and holds onto its power, the current atmospheric patterns might make it hover off the coast, which would be bad news for the areas affected. (The Jersey Shore looks like a possible candidate.) But its exact path is much harder to predict.

Here's what we don't know at all right now:

How weak or powerful Hermine will get.

How wide it will grow. Downs said it could be small enough to damage the Jersey Shore but leave New York untouched, or as big as the 943-mile Hurricane Sandy that struck the US in 2012.

Follow along with Business Insider for updates on Hermine.

NOW WATCH: How to watch the most incredible meteor shower of the year





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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pastor Marks Burns, a prominent supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, apologized on Tuesday for sending out a tweet that showed a cartoon image of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in blackface. Burns, an African-American who is frequently one of the warmup speakers at Trump rallies, sent out the tweet on Monday to bolster the Trump campaign's contention that Clinton is pandering for the black vote but will ignore the community if elected on Nov. 8. "I ain't no ways pandering to African Americans," the cartoon image says. The tweet emerged at a time when Trump has been trying to broaden his appeal to African-American voters by saying he wants to create more jobs and make black neighborhoods safe so people can walk down the street without getting shot. After Burns began taking fire for the tweet, he deleted it and apologized for the image but not his message. "I'm so sorry for the offensive #Blackface image of @HillaryClinton but stand by the message that we Blacks ARE being Used by #Dems for VOTES," Burns said. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Washington (AFP) - White House hopeful Donald Trump may travel to Mexico Wednesday to meet with the country's president just hours ahead of his highly anticipated speech on immigration, US media reported.

The plans have not been finalized, and Trump's campaign has made no public announcement, but the Republican candidate is considering traveling to Mexico to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Pena Nieto's office released a statement saying he had invited Trump as well as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to meet with him in Mexico, but "there is no confirmation of meetings at this point," CNN reported.

A sudden international trip by a US presidential candidate would be a logistical and security nightmare on such short notice.

But Trump could be sensing an opportunity in the visit, as he mulls whether to soften his hard-line position on immigration, the key issue of his campaign, and in particular Trump's early call to deport some 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows in the United States.

Any Trump-Pena Nieto meeting could be an awkward affair. In rally after campaign rally, Trump has pledged to "build a wall" on the US southern border and force Mexico to pay for it.

When he launched his presidential campaign last year, he used some of the most incendiary language of his candidacy in describing some Mexicans as drug dealers, "rapists" and other criminals.

Trump is scheduled to deliver a crucial speech Wednesday evening in Phoenix, Arizona seen as an opportunity to clarify his positions on immigration.
PHOENIX  After more than a year of bashing Mexico as an enemy of the United States that endangers American jobs and safety, Donald Trump sounded a more conciliatory tone during a whirlwind visit south of the border, emphasizing the bond the U.S. shares with its neighbor.

But after a hastily arranged meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City Wednesday, the Republican presidential nominee said the two steered clear of one of the most divisive issues between them: who would pay for his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to stem illegal immigration.

Who pays for the wall? We didnt discuss it, Trump told reporters during a brief press availability with Pena Nieto after their roughly hourlong sit-down at the presidential palace in Mexico City. We did discuss the wall. We didnt discuss payment for the wall. That will be for a later date.

But an hour after the meeting, Pena Nieto said in a message posted on Twitter that he did tell Trump that Mexico would not pay for the wall, contradicting the GOP nominees claim. It was unclear why the Mexican president did not correct Trump during the press conference, and the Trump campaign had no immediate response.

At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall, Pena Nietos post read in Spanish.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Donald Trump after their meeting. (Photo: Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

Trumps call for a wall that Mexico would pay for has been a central theme of his unlikely bid for the presidency  and one he has mentioned at nearly every campaign rally hes held since entering the race in June 2015.

The meeting came just hours before Trump was set to deliver a major speech in Phoenix clarifying his immigration policies, which have been increasingly muddled in recent weeks as he has sought to expand his appeal to voters beyond his conservative base. And it raises the question of whether Trump, who has seemed to moderate some points of his immigration plan in recent days, will continue to stake out a softer tone on the issue.

Story continues

Trump has repeatedly clashed with Pena Nieto and other Mexican leaders, who have openly insisted they will never shoulder the cost of building the proposed structure. They have also been highly critical of his incendiary rhetoric toward Mexicans, including his suggestion that many Mexican immigrants illegally entering the country are rapists and drug dealers.

When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best, Trump declared in his announcement speech in June 2015, a charge he has repeated many times since. Theyre bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists, and some  I assume  are good people.

Pena Nieto has been highly critical of what he has called Trumps anti-Mexican rhetoric, even going so far as to compare it to the strident tone used by dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. But in what he said was an effort to pursue a dialogue, Pena Nieto late last week invited both Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, to meet and discuss U.S./Mexican interests.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox didnt hold back Wednesday morning when asked on CNN about Donald Trumps surprise visit to Mexico later in the day.

He is not welcome to Mexico. By 130 million people, we dont like him. We dont want him. We reject his message, Fox said on New Day.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton obliquely criticized Donald Trumps surprise foray into foreign affairs saying in a speech to the American Legion in Ohio that building alliances and coalitions takes more than a photo op.

It takes consistency and reliability, Clinton said of forming alliances. Actually, its just like building personal relationships. People have to get to know that they can count on you  that you wont say one thing one day and something totally different the next.

In a move that caught even some of his own staff by surprise, Trump accepted and announced late Tuesday that he would travel to Mexico City ahead of his immigration speech. Among those surprised seemed to be Pena Nieto, who while noting the policy differences between the two men on Wednesday, still praised Trump for making the trip.

We may not agree on various topics, but your presence here shows that we have much in common, the Mexican president said.

Still, there were occasionally awkward moments as Pena Nieto seemed to school Trump on the issues that divide them. He spoke of how Mexicans had been hurt by Trumps harsh rhetoric and argued his country deserves respect as a close U.S. ally. And he strongly defended NAFTA, a trade deal that Trump has criticized as a disaster for the U.S. that needs to be renegotiated or completely voided.

At one point, the Mexican president pointed to statistics he said suggested illegal immigration from Mexico into the U.S. had slowed since its highest point 10 years ago.

Trump, who stood stiffly at a podium a few feet away, shifted awkwardly, a sullen look on his face.

But Pena Nieto, in an attempt to strike his own conciliatory tone, acknowledged the shared challenge of illegal immigration, and insisted the border be viewed as an opportunity for both countries.

It was a tone Trump himself seemed to adopt when it was his turn to speak. Reading from written notes, the GOP nominee lavished praise on the Mexican people  speaking of the tremendous feeling he had for Mexican-Americans he calls friends and employees.

They are amazing people, amazing people, Trump said.

But he defended his call for better trade deals with Mexico and other foreign interests. And he refused to back off building a wall  casting illegal immigration as a problem that plagues both the U.S. and Mexico. Citing violence from drug cartels and others, he described the illegal trek to the U.S. border as a humanitarian disaster that is not fair to anyone.

Having a secure border is a sovereign right and mutually beneficial, Trump said.

Liz Goodwin and Colin Campbell contributed to this story.
After Donald Trump accepted an invitation to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, social media has taken the opportunity to stick it to the Republican GOP presidential candidate.

Read: Meeting of the Minds: Ivanka Trump Sits In on Her Father's National Security Summit

After famously saying that Mexicans were bringing drugs to America and calling them rapists, and threatening to build a wall across the Mexico/U.S. border and making them pay for it, Trump will seize the opportunity Wednesday in a meeting with Nieto.

Yet, the real estate moguls decision to head south of the border was trolled on social media.

Director Rob Reiner said: Clearly were not sending our best to Mexico.

Clearly we're not sending our best to Mexico. We're sending liars. We're sending narcissists. We're sending sociopaths.  Rob Reiner (@robreiner) August 31, 2016

Other users chimed in to express their thoughts.

The people of Mexico line up to greet the possible arrival of Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/CA41MhYXpl  Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) August 31, 2016

How great would it be if Trump shows up in Mexico tomorrow to what turns out to be a timeshare sales pitch?  Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) August 31, 2016

Hey Mexico, it's Donnie. Your people are rapists and murderers and I'm gonna make you pay to build a wall to keep you out. Can I come over?  Ben White (@morningmoneyben) August 31, 2016

Two words of advice for ya, Mexico, before you let Trump in: extreme. vetting.  Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) August 31, 2016

ADVISOR: FBI found new Benghazi emails. Keep the focus on that.



TRUMP: Gotcha (*steps up to mic, cues mariachi band*) GUESS WHERE IM GOING  Daniel Lin (@DLin71) August 31, 2016

Pena Nieto had invited both Trump and Hillary Clinton to Mexico for a visit. Trump announced Tuesday night that he would meet with Nieto in Mexico before attending a rally in Arizona where he will lay out a new immigration platform.

Story continues

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow, Trump tweeted.

Read: Less Than 3 Months Before The Election, Trump Shakes Up Top Campaign Staff Again

Pena Nieto later tweeted that he believes in dialogue in order to promote the interests of Mexico in the world and, principally, to protect Mexicans wherever they are.

In the past, the Mexican president has compared Trump to both Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

"Hitler, Mussolini, we all know the result," he said in June when asked about Trump during a meeting with President Obama and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. "It was only a call for reflection and for recognition, so that we bear in mind what we have achieved and the great deal still to achieve."

Watch: Trump Campaign CEO Stephen Bannon Once Faced Domestic Violence Charge

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Mexico City (AFP) - White House hopeful Donald Trump issued a stern anti-immigration warning Wednesday after visiting Mexico, saying people who cross into the United States illegally would never obtain legal status.

It was one in a series of stark declarations that framed a sweeping plan to crack down on illegal immigration following his more measured tone earlier in the day, when the Republican nominee huddled with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

"We will break the cycle of amnesty and illegal immigration," Trump declared to a rowdy crowd in Phoenix.

Immigration is Trump's signature issue as he battles Democrat Hillary Clinton ahead of the November 8 election, and he laid out a tough, 10-point plan to end illegal border crossings and abusive behavior by undocumented people in the country.

"Our message to the world will be this: you cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country," he said. "Those days are over."

The fiery speech confirmed Trump's hard line on immigration shortly after he insisted to Pena Nieto that a giant wall would be built on the US-Mexico border if he is elected.

The billionaire candidate's plan includes deporting immigrants with criminal records, cancelling President Barack Obama's executive orders protecting millions of undocumented migrants, and blocking federal funding to so-called "sanctuary cities" that bar discrimination against the undocumented.

Clinton has expressed support for a pathway to citizenship for most of America's undocumented.

Her campaign called Trump's performance part of his "campaign of hate".

"In his darkest speech yet, Donald Trump doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric and attempted to divide communities by pitting people against each other and demonizing immigrants," it said in a statement.

- 'Zero tolerance' -

Trump is said to have been mulling whether to soften his hardline policies, particularly his early call to deport some 11 million undocumented migrants living in the shadows.

Story continues

He has vacillated between reaching out to minorities and returning to the anti-immigration rhetoric admired by his most ardent supporters, mainly white working-class males.

His tense international trip on Wednesday saw Trump navigating a political tightrope just 69 days before the election.

While he insisted -- as he regularly does on the campaign trail -- that Mexico will pay for the wall, he said that he and Pena Nieto did not discuss who would fund the construction.

But Pena Nieto contradicted Trump, tweeting that he told the Republican nominee in their meeting that Mexico would not pay for such a wall.

"At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall," Pena Nieto wrote after Trump departed Mexico City for Phoenix.

Later in Phoenix, Trump painted many illegal immigrants as murderers, which served as red meat to his mainly white supporter base.

"We will issue detainers for illegal immigrants who are arrested for any crime whatsoever and they will be placed into immediate removal proceedings," he said.

Political analyst Bakari Sellers, who supports Clinton, branded the speech "nationalism on steroids".

Trump demanded an end to "catch-and-release" programs along the country's southern border, while calling for stricter enforcement of existing immigration law and "zero tolerance for criminal aliens".

He also promised to triple the number of immigration officers responsible for deportation by creating a new "special deportation task force".

But he remained unclear about exactly what would become of the 11 million people currently living in the shadows.

"For those here illegally today who are seeking legal status, they will have one route and one route only: to return home and apply for re-entry like everybody else under the rules of the new legal immigration system that I have outlined above," Trump said.

Several of Trump's major Latino supporters said they are considering dropping their backing following his speech, Politico reported.

Others predicted that the stance that enabled Trump to win the Republican primaries in a field of 17 candidates by appealing to the most conservative voters will work against him in the general election.

"The words and delivery here are an anathema to just about every voter Trump needs to move into his column," tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama.

Trump's message was a stark contrast to his relatively measured tone during his surprise visit to Mexico, where he sought to portray himself as a capable statesman on the international stage after a year of lobbing insults across the border.

- 'Failed' test -

Trump launched his campaign last year by declaring that Mexico was sending "rapists" and other criminals across the border. Afterward, Pena Nieto likened Trump's isolationist positions to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and fascist Benito Mussolini.

But the two appeared cordial on Wednesday. Trump said "Mexico will work with us" to reduce illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and cross-border weapons smuggling.

"Mexican people felt hurt by the comments made," Pena Nieto said alongside Trump. "But I'm sure that the genuine interest is to build a relationship that will give both of our societies better welfare."

But others were less interested in dialogue.

"Trump not welcome in Mexico, not by me nor the 130 million Mexicans," the country's former president Vicente Fox tweeted.
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump announced he would travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet its president, just hours ahead of giving a much-anticipated speech in Arizona on immigration.

The Republican presidential nominee's surprise trip south of the border comes as debate about his hardline immigration policies is reaching fever pitch.

Although his visit holds potential political peril, Trump could seize control of the campaign narrative at a crucial time, showing a willingness to engage diplomatically on a sensitive issue at the heart of his campaign.

"I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow," Trump posted on Twitter Tuesday.

Mexico's presidential office confirmed the visit, posting its own tweet in Spanish to say the billionaire New York real estate tycoon "has accepted the invitation and will meet tomorrow privately with the President @EPN."

Pena Nieto's office said in a statement that he had sent invitations to Trump as well as his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Her campaign has announced no plans for a visit, with an aide on Tuesday saying Clinton "looks forward to talking with President Pena Nieto again at the appropriate time."

Trump has routinely assailed Mexican immigrants who illegally cross the border into the United States. Hardline immigration policies including calls for deportations are a key plank of his campaign.

A sudden international trip by a US presidential candidate would be a logistical and security nightmare at such short notice.

But Trump could be sensing an opportunity in the visit as he mulls whether to soften his positions on immigration, particularly the call early in his campaign to deport some 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows.

Any Trump-Pena Nieto meeting could be an awkward affair. In rally after campaign rally, Trump has pledged to "build a wall" on the US southern border if he becomes president and to force Mexico to pay for it.

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Pena Nieto for his part has likened Trump to "Hitler and Mussolini" and slammed the Republican nominee for his isolationist positions.

And in a July interview, he told CNN that "there is no way that Mexico could pay for a wall like that."

Trump used some of the most incendiary language of his campaign when launching his White House bid last year, describing Mexicans as drug dealers, "rapists" and other criminals.

He is scheduled to deliver what is billed as a crucial speech Wednesday evening in Phoenix, Arizona, seen as an opportunity to clarify his positions on immigration.

In recent weeks he has expressed willingness to soften his hardline stance to a "fair and humane" policy ahead of November's election.

- 'Baby steps' -

But Trump has vacillated between reaching out to minorities and returning to the anti-immigration rhetoric that goes down well among his most ardent supporters, mainly white working-class males.

That now looms as an obstacle as he seeks to expand his base in the general election contest at the expense of Clinton, who has accused Trump of fueling xenophobia and racism.

Commenting on his Mexico visit, Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri pointed to Trump's insults directed at Mexicans and his campaign promises, including a pledge to ban remittances to families in Mexico if their country refuses to pay for a border wall.

"What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions," she said.

The recent tweaks to Trump's tone have included a change from insisting on removing millions of the undocumented to promising deportations of those immigrants with criminal records.

Trump's new campaign director, Kellyanne Conway, said there has been little real change in the central tenets of Trump's immigration platform, including "no amnesty" for those in the country illegally.

But she stressed Trump was committed to a "fair and humane" approach to securing America's borders.

Trump's son offered a hint Tuesday of the message the brash billionaire will deliver in Phoenix.

"He wasn't softening on anything," Donald Trump Jr told CNN when asked about how his father recently appeared to survey a Texas campaign crowd over what he should do about the nation's undocumented immigrants.

Challenged about whether Trump still wanted to deport them, Trump Jr said that was "correct" but suggested a more moderate tone on the controversial issue.

"You have to start with baby steps," he added. "You have to eliminate sanctuary cities. You have to get rid of the criminals certainly, first and foremost. And you have to secure the border."

Trump himself on Tuesday repeated his signature campaign promise to build a wall on the US border with Mexico.

"From day one I said that I was going to build a great wall on the SOUTHERN BORDER, and much more," he posted on Twitter. "Stop illegal immigration. Watch Wednesday!"
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Wednesday denied a US claim it had agreed a truce with a Kurdish militia targeted as part of its week-old intervention in Syria but Turkish-backed fighters confirmed a lull in the fighting.

In an unprecedented operation, Turkey sent tanks into Syria to help Arab rebels clear the border area of Islamic State (IS) jihadists and halt the westward advance of a US-backed Kurdish militia, which Ankara sees as a terrorist group.

The assault on the Kurdish-led forces has sparked international concern and Washington had said on Tuesday that the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire.

But Ankara dismissed this claim, which was corroborated on the Kurdish side. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said a truce was "out of the question".

"They will remain our target unless they retreat east of the Euphrates," he said, repeating Turkey's demand that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) a Western-backed anti-IS coalition dominated by the Kurdish People' Protection Unit (YPG), retreat to the northeast.

While Ankara maintained a defiant tone, one of the rebel factions fighting alongside Turkey said the combat had eased.

"It has been calm since yesterday on the Jarabulus southern front against SDF forces," Ahmed Othman, a commander of the "Sultan Murad" faction told AFP -- an account corroborated by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

- 'Terrorist targets' -

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday that Turkey's operation would continue "until terror elements are completely neutralised and threats to our border, soil and citizens are over."

But in the past 48 hours Turkish forces concentrated their firepower on IS, whose strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed in an air strike claimed both by the US-led anti-IS coalition and Russia.

Turkish media reported clashes Tuesday with IS west of the border town of Jarabulus taken from the jihadists last week on the first day of the intervention.

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Turkish warplanes conducted air strikes against "terrorist" targets in the area on Tuesday and Wednesday, the state-run Anadolu agency said, referring to IS.

Meanwhile, with IS apparently on the back foot, Russia's military said Wednesday one of its air strikes had killed propaganda chief Adnani.

A US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the Russian claim "a joke". The official told AFP the deadly strike was conducted by a US drone.

- 'Unacceptable' -

Turkey sees the YPG as an offshoot of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is waging a bloody insurgency against security forces in Turkey's southeast.

In the past few months, Turkey has watched in alarm as the PKK's Syrian Kurdish allies advance on the other side of the border, fearing their territorial expansion will strengthen the PKK.

The US has, by contrast, been backing the YPG with training and equipment.

Washington described weekend clashes between Turkey and the pro-YPG forces as "unacceptable" and urged them to concentrate on combatting IS.

Turkish media reported that Ankara summoned the US ambassador to protest the criticism.

A spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry, however, told AFP that there was only a "phone call" to the ambassador, John Bass.

- Syria op 'kills myth' -

Turkey's offensive has raised concerns that Ankara could be drawn even deeper into the Syrian conflict.

Iran, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, urged Turkey to quickly wrap up its campaign, calling it a violation of Syria's sovereignty.

Turkey has said Syria was informed in advance of the operation by Russia.

Meanwhile, the Turkish army, which lost a soldier last week to anti-tank fire, suffered further casualties.

Three Turkish soldiers were injured in a rocket attack on a tank near Jarabulus, according to Turkish television.

IS claimed to have destroyed two Turkish tanks in a missile attack.

The group also claimed to have carried out a suicide car bombing against Turkish-backed rebels in the same area and to have killed "dozens" of Turkish soldiers and Turkish-backed rebels.

Kalin said the Jarabulus operation had killed a "myth" that the Kurdish militia was the only effective force on the ground in the fight against IS, adding: "The moderate Syrian opposition, if supported, could put up an effective fight."
ANKARA (Reuters) - The number of visitors to Turkey fell by more than a third in July, as a suspected Islamic State attack on Istanbul airport and a failed military coup battered its already fragile tourist industry. The sector had already been hit by the diplomatic fallout with Moscow over a downed jet, which saw Russian tourists boycott Turkey, and a series of other bombings which discouraged foreign visitors. Ankara's launched a rapprochement with Moscow last month, but the number of foreigners visiting the NATO member state still fell 36.7 percent in July, year-on-year, to 3.47 million arrivals, data from the Tourism Ministry showed on Wednesday. The number of visitors from Russia fell almost 90 percent on the previous year to 231,000. Visitor numbers from European countries, the United States, Australia and Canada also fell sharply. Turkey was rocked by a failed military coup on July 15, while on June 28, 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded when three suspected Islamic State militants carried out a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport. The Turkish Touristic Hotels and Investors Association (TUROB) said in a statement that hotel occupancy rates in Istanbul fell to 36.8 percent in July, 40.6 percent lower than a year earlier. TUROB said the decline was less marked in Antalya, usually popular with Russian sunseekers, with domestic visitors propping up occupancy rates. In June, tourist arrivals fell a record-setting 41 percent. (Reporting by Nevzat Devranoglu and Dasha Afanasieva,; Writing by Dasha Afanasieva; Editing by Jon Boyle)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala has resigned, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday, following a string of bombings that prompted public criticism and concerns about intelligence failures before last month's failed coup. The prime minister did not give a reason for the resignation in his brief statement broadcast on Turkish television channels. But Turkey has faced a series of attacks blamed on Islamic State and Kurdish militants, and President Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters in July that there had been clear intelligence failures in preventing last month's failed coup attempt. The Interior Ministry portfolio has been filled by Labor Minister Suleyman Soylu, the prime minister said. Soylu said a day after the coup bid that it was clear "America is behind it", though Erdogan's spokesman later said he had spoken "in the heat of the moment". A senior official told Reuters that some of the appointments Ala had made while in post had raised concerns, as well as "his inability to meet expectations in some areas, primarily security." The interior minister has a high profile role in a nation seeking to stop foreigners crossing the southeastern frontier to join Islamic State in Syria. The minister is also on the front line of efforts to prevent militants infiltrating back into Turkey. In addition, Turkey has been battling an insurgency by the Kurdish militant group PKK that is seeking autonomy in the southeast of the country. The group has launched a series of attacks since a ceasefire broke down last year. The minister has been at the center of a campaign to root out sympathizers of the July 15 coup that sought to topple Erdogan and his government. "Erdogan expects a much more effective fight against Fethullah Gulen organization," the senior official said, adding that "Soylu is one of the names Erdogan trusts the most." The Turkish authorities have removed from public duties about 80,000 people suspected of having sympathies with the plotters and with a U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom officials accuse of masterminding the putsch. Earlier on Wednesday, the outgoing interior minister had released new figures about the number of people arrested in the Turkey's crackdown against Islamic State militants. Ala said 865 people had been arrested since the start of 2016 alone, and more than half of those were foreigners. The new labor minister was named as Mehmet Muezzinoglu, a deputy chairman of Erdogan's AK Party. (Reporting Asli Kandemir, Nick Tattersall and Orhan Coskun; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
By David Dolan JARABLUS, Syria (Reuters) - The silhouette of an Islamic State fighter on a rearing horse, a black flag in his hand and a saber by his side, is among the disappearing traces of the jihadists' grip on this Syrian border town a week after Turkish-backed rebels swept in. Murals scrawled on walls by the ultra-hardline Islamists who ran Jarablus for three years are gradually being covered with blue paint. Children play again in dusty streets, their hair matted with sweat and dirt, while women hang laundry outside buildings on the edge of town, some of them half-destroyed. "It is ecstasy," said Husyein Kakmaz, 46, a Jarablus resident who made his living as a driver before Islamic State seized the town, nestled in hazelnut and olive groves on the border with Turkey. "Life was not life. There were so many prohibitions, no smoking, women couldn't show their faces," he said, speaking Turkish and describing life under the jihadist group. Syrian rebels, mostly Arab and Turkmen, swept into Jarablus last Wednesday in an incursion backed by Turkish special forces, tanks and jets, an operation meant to drive Islamic State from the town and surrounding territory and to prevent Kurdish militia fighters from seizing control in their wake. A week on, there is little sign of the Turkish military presence. Syrian rebel fighters, some in camouflage fatigues and sandals, others in civilian clothes, are the ones in control, patrolling on motorbikes and in flat-bed Toyota trucks. Celebratory gunfire rang out as some of the young rebels shot into the air and flashed victory signs, wanting their pictures taken and showing off for a gaggle of mostly Turkish TV cameras on a visit facilitated by the Turkish government. The rebels and their Turkish backers announced they were in control of Jarablus within hours of mounting their operation last week, but the town still sits on the edge of a highly active war zone. Three Turkish soldiers were wounded on Tuesday after their tank came under fire west of Jarablus. Yasin Darvish, a doctor in a small, dingy clinic, said the jihadists had taken everything as they fled, leaving barely enough supplies to treat the wounded. Food and medical aid have been brought in from Turkey. "They took every piece of equipment so the hospital is empty. There are just emergency supplies and not even an X-ray machine," he said, adding 30 patients had been brought in on Wednesday alone, some with injuries from landmines. "THEY EVEN TOOK THE OVEN" Bread and drinkable water are in short supply in the once-thriving trading town and there is little sign of commercial life. Children burned a pile of rubbish on a street corner under the blistering heat. "There's no bread, no electricity, because they took everything when they fled. They took the generators," said one resident, Adil, 47, who had worked as a lawyer before the war. "There was one oven in the bakery and they even took that," he said. Residents were afraid to draw water from the Euphrates river on the town's eastern fringe, he said, because the jihadists had laid landmines there. Jarablus sits on the northeastern edge of a rectangle of Syrian territory some 80 km (50 miles) long, seized by Islamic State as it carved its self-declared caliphate out of a swathes of Syria and Iraq. Turkey and the United States have long hoped that by sweeping Islamic State from this border zone, they can deprive it of a smuggling route which has seen its ranks swollen with foreign fighters and its coffers boosted by illicit trade. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said on Wednesday the aim of the military incursion, dubbed "Operation Euphrates Shield", was to "cleanse" the strip of territory of all militant groups and threats to Turkish security. But this is a complex corner of Syria's five-year war. Just to the east, over the Euphrates, lies territory controlled by a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia also fighting the jihadists, but seen by Turkey as a hostile force, an extension of militants who have fought a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey. Turkish forces have clashed with Kurdish fighters as they push deeper into Syria south of Jarablus, meaning the town and its surroundings remain on the edge of an active frontline. "I am not against the Kurds, they are good guys, they give us cigarettes," said Adil, adding Kurdish fighters had come within a few kilometers south of the town. "Big countries are fighting. We are just the people under their boots." (Additional reporting by Umit Bektas; Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by Anna Willard)
By David Dolan JARABLUS, Syria (Reuters) - Turkey wants to clear Islamic State from a 90-km (56-mile) stretch of territory on the Syrian side of its border, an official said on Wednesday, a week after it launched an incursion that has strained ties with the United States. Operation "Euphrates Shield", in which Turkish troops and tanks entered Syria in support of rebels for the first time, began on Aug. 24 with the swift capture of Jarablus, a town a few km (miles) inside Syria that was held by the militant group. Turkish-backed rebels patrolled the town on motorbikes on Wednesday as children played in dusty alleys. The bulk of Turkish-backed forces have since moved further south into territory held by militias loyal to the Kurdish-aligned Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition supported by Washington in its bid to defeat the jihadists. Turkish clashes with SDF loyalists have alarmed the United States, which has described the Turkish action as "unacceptable" because it hindered the battle against Islamic State. But Turkey, which is fighting a Kurdish insurgency at home, says that, while it remains intent on clearing Islamist militants from its border region, it also wants to prevent Kurdish militias from seizing territory in their wake. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the goal was to drive Islamic State from a 90-km strip of land along the border with Turkey, which has been buffeted by a spate of bombings, blamed on the group, that have killed scores. "Starting from Jarablus, the cleansing of this region is our priority," Kalin told a news briefing. "We have already cleansed 400 square km successfully." Turkey has long said it wants a "buffer zone" in the area, although it has not used the term during this incursion. As well as driving out the ultra-hardline Islamists, it also wants to prevent Kurdish forces taking territory that will let them join up cantons they control in northeast and northwest Syria. Turkey frets that seizing such a broad swathe of territory could embolden Kurdish PKK insurgents on Turkish soil. THUD OF EXPLOSIONS U.S. officials on Tuesday welcomed what appeared to be a pause in fighting between Turkish forces and rival militias, after days when the border area reverberated with Turkish warplanes roaring into Syria and artillery pounded Syrian sites, saying it was hitting Kurdish fighters. In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters on Wednesday there had been calm in northern Syria in the past 24 hours. "We continue to work very closely with our coalition partner and ally Turkey in trying to address their concerns about this situation," spokesman Peter Cook said. "Likewise we continue to work with our partners in Syria to try and keep the focus where it should be," he added. On Wednesday only the occasional thud of explosions in the distance was audible along the Turkish frontier. Ankara has denied statements from Kurdish fighters in Syria that a temporary truce had been agreed, saying it would not make any pact with the Kurdish YPG militia, a powerful force in the SDF coalition, as it considers it a terrorist body. "The Turkish Republic is a sovereign state, a legitimate state. It cannot be equated with a terrorist organization," EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik told state-run Anadolu news agency, adding this meant there could be no "agreement between the two." Turkey has demanded that the YPG cross the Euphrates river into a Kurdish-controlled canton in Syria's northeast. U.S. officials have threatened to withdraw backing for the YPG if it did not meet that demand, but have said that the Kurdish group has mostly done so. Turkey's EU affairs minister said some Kurdish fighters were still on the western side and called that "unacceptable." Eager to avoid more clashes between Turkey and U.S.-backed Syrian fighters, the Pentagon said the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State was establishing communications channels to better coordinate in a "crowded battlespace" in Syria. As well as battling Islamic State in Syria, Turkey has been rounding up suspected militants at home. Interior Minister Efkan Ala said the authorities had arrested 865 people since the start of 2016, more than half of them foreigners, preventing them crossing through Turkey's long border with Syria and Iraq. (Additional reporting by Asli Kandemir in Istanbul, Ercan Gurses in Ankara and Idrees Ali in Washington.; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Anna Willard)
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Two small planes carrying a total of five passengers collided in mid-air in Alaska Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The crash happened around 11 a.m. local time about 60 miles north of the city of Bethel, Alaska National Guard spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Candis Olmstead said in a statement. It was not immediately clear if anyone survived.

"The aircraft involved were a Hageland Aviation Cessna 208 Caravan with three individuals on board and a Renfro's Alaska Adventures Piper PA-18 Super Cub with two individuals on board," Olmstead said.

Olmstead said the crash occurred about 6 miles northwest of Russian Mission, a remote community in the southwest of the state along the Yukon River.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

Neither Hageland, nor Renfro's Alaskan Adventures, which runs fishing and hunting charters, immediately responded to a request for information.

An Alaska Army National Guard helicopter ferrying medics was arriving at the crash site, Olmstead said. Alaska State Troopers were also en route.

A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, Clint Johnson, said two Anchorage-based investigators were headed to the scene, but said authorities were "still very much treating this as an active rescue."

Johnson had no word on survivors, and said the Board was waiting for updates from the Alaska State Troopers and the U.S. Air Force's rescue coordination center.

(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle and Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Chris Reese and James Dalgleish)
By Timothy Mclaughlin and P.J. Huffstutter

(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which had closed some offices after receiving anonymous email threats, said it reopened most with increased security on Wednesday, but others remained shuttered as further precautions were put in place.

The USDA closed offices in five states on Tuesday and is working with local and federal authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to determine the seriousness of the threats, department spokesman Matthew Herrick said in an emailed statement on Tuesday night.

Most offices, Herrick said, would reopen on Wednesday with additional security enhancements, including the presence of law enforcement or security personnel.

A USDA spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday that all but three offices had reopened.

The Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service offices in Hamden, Connecticut, as well as the USDA office in Leetown, West Virginia, remained closed.

For those remaining offices, a bit more time is needed either to get additional security enhancements in place for a safe and secure opening or to make official notifications to union representatives, Herrick said.

The agency hopes to reopen the offices as soon as possible, he added.

One email message was sent to multiple employees at USDA offices in Hamden; Fort Collins, Colorado; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Kearneysville and Leetown, West Virginia, Herrick said on Tuesday.

In West Virginia, Jefferson County Sheriff Pete Dougherty said by telephone that his office was notified of the threat on Monday by a USDA employee in the Kearneysville facility in the northeastern part of the state.

"They were going to break into the building," Dougherty said.

Dougherty said the emailed threat did not name the facility specifically, and was similar to, or the same as, electronic threats sent to other facilities.

A number of other universities were also threatened this week, school officials said.

(Reporting by Timothy McLaughlin and P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
(Reuters) - The U.S. government on Wednesday granted eight U.S. airlines permission to begin scheduled commercial flights to Havana starting as early as this fall, with American Airlines Group Inc being awarded 35 direct flights a week. JetBlue Airways Corp , Delta Air Lines Inc and United Continental Holdings Inc were among the winners, with most proposing to begin services later this year or early in 2017. The U.S. Transportation Department granted 20 daily Havana flights now after previously assigning routes to several Cuban provinces. The announcement was timed to coincide with the first scheduled commercial flight to the provinces, as JetBlue flew from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the Cuban city of Santa Clara on Wednesday. Improved air travel resulted from U.S. President Barack Obama's opening toward Cuba. The Cold War foes restored diplomatic relations a year ago following a 54-year break. However, the Communist-led island is still subject to a U.S. economic embargo that prohibits most other commerce. Wednesday's final decision confirmed tentative assignments made on July 7. American, the biggest U.S. airline in Latin America by flights, was granted four flights a day from Miami and one from Charlotte, North Carolina. Its rival for Caribbean travel, JetBlue, was granted 27 weekly flights from New York, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. The department also authorized 21 weekly flights to Havana on Delta, with daily flights from New York, Atlanta and Miami. United will fly daily from Newark, New Jersey, and weekly from Houston. Southwest Airlines Co will fly from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa; Alaska Air Group Inc from Los Angeles; Spirit Airlines Inc from Fort Lauderdale; and Frontier Airlines from Miami. In June, the Transportation Department gave airlines approval to schedule flights to other cities in Cuba for the first time in decades. Until now, private air travel to the island just 90 miles (145 km) from the United States had been limited to charter services. A U.S. ban on tourism to Cuba is still in effect, but the United States stopped prosecuting individuals for going to Cuba when Obama became president. Americans can legally travel to Cuba if they meet one of 12 criteria, such as for educational, cultural or religious purposes. Obama has expanded commerce with Cuba using executive authority, but only Congress can lift the embargo. The Republican leadership has blocked any such proposal from coming up for a vote. (Reporting by Christian Plumb and Daniel Trotta in New York; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Toni Reinhold)
(Adds background, details on service)

Aug 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Wednesday granted eight U.S. airlines permission to begin scheduled commercial flights to Havana starting as early as this fall, with American Airlines Group Inc being awarded 35 direct flights a week.

JetBlue Airways Corp, Delta Air Lines Inc and United Continental Holdings Inc were among the winners, with most proposing to begin services later this year or early in 2017.

The U.S. Transportation Department granted 20 daily Havana flights now after previously assigning routes to several Cuban provinces. The announcement was timed to coincide with the first scheduled commercial flight to the provinces, as JetBlue flew from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the Cuban city of Santa Clara on Wednesday.

Improved air travel resulted from U.S. President Barack Obama's opening toward Cuba. The Cold War foes restored diplomatic relations a year ago following a 54-year break. However, the Communist-led island is still subject to a U.S. economic embargo that prohibits most other commerce.

Wednesday's final decision confirmed tentative assignments made on July 7.

American, the biggest U.S. airline in Latin America by flights, was granted four flights a day from Miami and one from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Its rival for Caribbean travel, JetBlue, was granted 27 weekly flights from New York, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

The department also authorized 21 weekly flights to Havana on Delta, with daily flights from New York, Atlanta and Miami.

United will fly daily from Newark, New Jersey, and weekly from Houston. Southwest Airlines Co will fly from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa; Alaska Air Group Inc from Los Angeles; Spirit Airlines Inc from Fort Lauderdale; and Frontier Airlines from Miami.

In June, the Transportation Department gave airlines approval to schedule flights to other cities in Cuba for the first time in decades. Until now, private air travel to the island just 90 miles (145 km) from the United States had been limited to charter services.

Story continues

A U.S. ban on tourism to Cuba is still in effect, but the United States stopped prosecuting individuals for going to Cuba when Obama became president. Americans can legally travel to Cuba if they meet one of 12 criteria, such as for educational, cultural or religious purposes.

Obama has expanded commerce with Cuba using executive authority, but only Congress can lift the embargo. The Republican leadership has blocked any such proposal from coming up for a vote.

(Reporting by Christian Plumb and Daniel Trotta in New York; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Toni Reinhold)
From Popular Mechanics

Few things sound more 21st century than the phrase "laser weapons," but here's something you may not know. The United States government shot down a target drone with a laser in 1973, decades before laser weapons were considered ready for prime time. The incident, which took place in the New Mexico desert, happened more than 40 years before the U.S. military actually deployed a functioning laser weapon.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the Department of Defense R&D organization that later gave birth to the Internet, had begun working on weapon lasers under a project known as Eighth Card. It was part of an effort to create a laser plane that could escort bombers in a nuclear war, protecting them from Soviet interceptor jets and surface-to-air missiles.

During a series of tests undertaken in mid-November 1973, the Eighth Card laser targeted a MQM-33B unmanned drone. The laser burned through the drone's skin and damaged its control systems, sending it wildly out of control. ARPA had thoughtfully added a parachute to the drone. The frame floated back to earth where the laser's effects could be studied.

Despite the enormous amount of effort put into weaponizing lasers-vast sums of money and decades of effort-laser weapons only recently reached operational status. The AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System went to sea on the USS Ponce in December 2014, protecting the ship from smaller, low-end threats such as drones, armed speedboats, and manned aircraft.

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By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a bid by North Carolina to reinstate for Novembers elections several voting restrictions, including a requirement that people show identification at the polls. The eight-justice court, divided in most part 4-4, rejected a request made by Republican Governor Pat McCrory after an appeals court ruled last month that the 2013 law discriminates against minority voters. Five votes are needed for an emergency request to be granted. "Were thrilled. Elections in North Carolina this fall are going to be conducted under a fair and nondiscriminatory election law scheme," said Allison Riggs, a lawyer with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, one of the civil rights groups that challenged the law. The U.S. Justice Department, which has also been involved in fighting the law, did not immediately comment on the decision. McCrory said in a statement that the state "has been denied basic voting rights already granted to more than 30 other states to protect the integrity of one person, one vote through a common-sense voter ID law." The brief order noted that three of the court's conservatives, including Chief Justice John Roberts, would have allowed the voter identification provision and limits on early voting to be in effect for the election. Justice Clarence Thomas agreed on that point, but was the only justice to say he would have also allowed a requirement blocking pre-registration of 16-year-olds to stay in place. McCrorys lawyers said the status quo should be maintained so close to the election, citing court precedent in their favor. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on July 29 that the law intentionally discriminated against minority voters. The same court refused to put its decision on hold for the Nov. 8 election. Critics say such laws, passed in Republican-governed states, make voting harder for minorities such as African-Americans and Hispanics, who tend to support Democrats. Backers say the laws are necessary to prevent voter fraud. The court is currently short one justice following the death of conservative Antonin Scalia in February, which likely deprived the conservative justices of the fifth vote they needed to grant the request. The high court could yet be asked to weigh in on other voting restrictions ahead of the election, with several cases pending in lower courts. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. tax law gives the Obama administration power to double tax rates for European companies should it choose to dramatically escalate a dispute with the European Union over Apple's tax bill.

Experts said the administration was unlikely to take such a drastic measure, and even if it did, courts might strike down that action because of treaties.

Section 891 of the U.S. tax code, passed in 1934 but never used, allows the president to double tax rates for citizens and corporations of any country the administration considered was discriminating against U.S. companies.

The U.S. Treasury on Wednesday declined to comment on whether Washington was considering such drastic measures, which Democratic and Republican lawmakers have proposed putting on the table due to what they see as overreach by the European Commission in a tax grab targeting American companies.

The European Commission on Monday ordered the U.S. technology giant to pay up to $14.5 billion in back taxes to Ireland.

"This is an option that is viable only in the minds of a handful of analysts who seem willing to put the entire global trade order at risk," said Edward Kleinbard, a professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has said the European Commission action appeared highly focused on U.S. companies but did not mention measures the United States might take. A Treasury spokesperson on Tuesday said the department would work with the EU to prevent erosion of tax bases.

Legal scholars considered it highly unlikely Washington would take drastic measures against one of the country's closest allies and biggest trading partners.

"This is crazy talk," said Daniel Shaviro, professor of tax law at New York University.

Lawmakers including Republican Senator Orrin Hatch and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden have pressed the administration to consider implementing Section 891 over the European Commission moves to scrutinize how U.S. companies minimize their tax bills in Europe.

Story continues

Georgetown University law professor Itai Grinberg drew attention to the obscure tax code provision in January on the website taxnotes.com. The next month Grinberg appeared before a House of Representatives committee laying out the case for invoking Section 891.

The Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, Anne Wall, told lawmakers in a letter in March the department was reviewing the provision.

It was unclear whether treaties with European countries since 1934 would supersede the provision if it were challenged in court.

(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by David Gregorio)
By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has accused the European Union of grabbing revenue intended for U.S. coffers when it ordered Apple Inc <AAPL.O> to pay up to $14.5 billion in back taxes, a decision that could cause friction at an international summit in China next week.

The EU executive this week retroactively scrapped a tax deal Apple had with Ireland, arguing the technology giant was effectively paying a tax rate of a fraction of 1 percent on its profits.

"I have been concerned that it reflected an attempt to reach in to the U.S. tax base to tax income that ought to be taxed in the United States," U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Wednesday at an event to discuss Washington's position ahead of a meeting of the Group of 20 industrial nations in China next week.

The Apple row is the latest spat between Brussels and Washington over company regulation. Earlier this month, the Treasury issued a detailed legal argument that the EU Commission's approach went against European laws.

Lew said making Apple pay higher taxes in Ireland could let the company deduct those payments from what it owes to the United States, reducing U.S. tax revenues.

The European Commission rulings appeared to be highly focused on U.S. companies, Lew said.

"We think that it undermines the environment in Europe for international business because it creates uncertainty that ultimately will not be good for the European economy," Lew said at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution in Washington.

For now, other U.S. companies under scrutiny for their EU tax arrangements are staying in the background as Lew, Apple and certain industry trade groups lead the charge against the European Union action.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O>, for example, declined to comment on an EU investigation of the tax treatment of royalties paid by a Luxembourg unit. In the past, Amazon has said that it received no special treatment.

Story continues

However, a trade group representing U.S. technology companies said it is concerned the European Union will hit other firms with retroactive penalties.

"It appears ... they've invited folks to come forward and try and claim a piece of this settlement," said Jennifer McCloskey, director of government affairs at the Information Technology Industry Council, a business group representing more than 60 global companies, including Apple.

The EU has ordered coffee chain Starbucks Corp <SBUX.O> to pay more Dutch taxes while Amazon and restaurant group McDonald's Corp <MCD.N> are still being investigated. Also, the EU has made a series of accusations that Google, part of Alphabet Inc <GOOGL.O>, has abused its market power.

Apple has said it will appeal the ruling, issued on Monday.

Critics in the U.S. Congress have denounced the move as a predatory money grab that would encroach on U.S. government jurisdiction and ultimately add to the federal deficit.

European officials, however, have suggested that U.S. laws were encouraging companies to avoid taxes, and the EU denies it is grabbing U.S. tax receipts.

It notes that the United States has chosen not to apply tax rules that would bar Apple from earning the money tax free. Since the EUs argument is based on the fact that the income in question is earned by a subsidiary effectively not liable for tax anywhere, the EU says that if the United States did tax the money, the position would be different.

Officials from the United States, the European Union and other G20 economies will meet in Hangzhou, China next week and were due to discuss how to clamp down on international tax avoidance.

The G20 endorsed a package of measures last year to tackle corporate tax avoidance, but questions have remained about whether countries will follow through on the plans.

The Obama administration so far has failed to convince a divided Congress to overhaul U.S. business tax laws, which feature above-average tax rates, encouraging companies to be taxed overseas.

Lew said it appeared unlikely America would reform business tax laws before Obama's term ends in January, but that progress could be made early in the next administration. The United States will hold a presidential election on Nov. 8.

(Addtional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Jeffrey Benkoe and Bill Rigby)
(Adds EU position on U.S. claims of grabbing tax revenue, paragraphs 15-16)

By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The United States has accused the European Union of grabbing revenue intended for U.S. coffers when it ordered Apple Inc to pay up to $14.5 billion in back taxes, a decision that could cause friction at an international summit in China next week.

The EU executive this week retroactively scrapped a tax deal Apple had with Ireland, arguing the technology giant was effectively paying a tax rate of a fraction of 1 percent on its profits.

"I have been concerned that it reflected an attempt to reach in to the U.S. tax base to tax income that ought to be taxed in the United States," U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Wednesday at an event to discuss Washington's position ahead of a meeting of the Group of 20 industrial nations in China next week.

The Apple row is the latest spat between Brussels and Washington over company regulation. Earlier this month, the Treasury issued a detailed legal argument that the EU Commission's approach went against European laws.

Lew said making Apple pay higher taxes in Ireland could let the company deduct those payments from what it owes to the United States, reducing U.S. tax revenues.

The European Commission rulings appeared to be highly focused on U.S. companies, Lew said.

"We think that it undermines the environment in Europe for international business because it creates uncertainty that ultimately will not be good for the European economy," Lew said at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution in Washington.

For now, other U.S. companies under scrutiny for their EU tax arrangements are staying in the background as Lew, Apple and certain industry trade groups lead the charge against the European Union action.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc, for example, declined to comment on an EU investigation of the tax treatment of royalties paid by a Luxembourg unit. In the past, Amazon has said that it received no special treatment.

Story continues

However, a trade group representing U.S. technology companies said it is concerned the European Union will hit other firms with retroactive penalties.

"It appears ... they've invited folks to come forward and try and claim a piece of this settlement," said Jennifer McCloskey, director of government affairs at the Information Technology Industry Council, a business group representing more than 60 global companies, including Apple.

The EU has ordered coffee chain Starbucks Corp to pay more Dutch taxes while Amazon and restaurant group McDonald's Corp are still being investigated. Also, the EU has made a series of accusations that Google, part of Alphabet Inc, has abused its market power.

Apple has said it will appeal the ruling, issued on Monday.

Critics in the U.S. Congress have denounced the move as a predatory money grab that would encroach on U.S. government jurisdiction and ultimately add to the federal deficit.

European officials, however, have suggested that U.S. laws were encouraging companies to avoid taxes, and the EU denies it is "grabbing" U.S. tax receipts.

It notes that the United States has chosen not to apply tax rules that would bar Apple from earning the money tax free. Since the EU's argument is based on the fact that the income in question is earned by a subsidiary effectively not liable for tax anywhere, the EU says that if the United States did tax the money, the position would be different.

Officials from the United States, the European Union and other G20 economies will meet in Hangzhou, China next week and were due to discuss how to clamp down on international tax avoidance.

The G20 endorsed a package of measures last year to tackle corporate tax avoidance, but questions have remained about whether countries will follow through on the plans.

The Obama administration so far has failed to convince a divided Congress to overhaul U.S. business tax laws, which feature above-average tax rates, encouraging companies to be taxed overseas.

Lew said it appeared unlikely America would reform business tax laws before Obama's term ends in January, but that progress could be made early in the next administration. The United States will hold a presidential election on Nov. 8.

(Addtional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Jeffrey Benkoe and Bill Rigby)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday urged North Korea to pardon and release on humanitarian grounds an American student serving a sentence of 15 years of hard labor.

State Department spokesman John Kirby called for Otto Warmbier's pardon and release during a daily news briefing. Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in March for trying to steal an item with a propaganda slogan, according to North Korean media.

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Eric Beech)
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's accounting watchdog has closed an investigation into Laurie McIlwee, former chief financial officer of supermarket giant Tesco which hit a book-keeping crisis in 2014..

"The executive counsel to the FRC has concluded that there is no realistic prospect that a Tribunal would make an adverse finding in relation to the conduct of Mr Laurie McIlwee," the watchog said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) opened the probe in 2014 after accounting errors in supplier contracts forced the grocer to suspend its U.K. boss and other senior executives, and admit it had overstated expected first half profit by

250 million pounds in a previous trading update.

McIlwee stepped down that year.

The FRC said it was still investigating the "preparation, approval and audit" of Tesco's accounts in the run up to the scandal.

The grocer's accounting firm during that period was PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The events prompted a major shake-up of Tesco under a new chief executive.

The Serious Fraud Office also opened an investigation into the accounting errors.

(Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Carolyn Cohn/Ruth Pitchford)
By Nina Chestney

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government should take a tougher stance against Volkswagen after its emissions fraud, as well as increase the use of electric cars and reduce air pollution from transport, a parliamentary environment committee said on Thursday.

Almost a year after U.S regulators found that Volkswagen (VW) (VOWG_p.DE) had cheated in diesel emissions tests, the British government has yet to decide what action to take against Europe's largest automaker, even though it faces criminal investigations in the United States, South Korea and elsewhere.

The worldwide scandal, dubbed "Dieselgate", has hurt VW's reputation and business, and already cost it billions of dollars. VW last September admitted using sophisticated secret software in cars to cheat on exhaust emissions tests.

The Environmental Audit Committee, whose conclusions are not binding on the government, said VW had only just started to recall cars in Britain and UK authorities have yet to decide whether to take legal action against the company.

"There's been a worrying inertia from ministers in tackling the VW scandal and they should decide whether to take legal action," Mary Creagh, chair of the committee, said in a statement.

"They should ask the Vehicle Certification Agency to carry out tests to see whether, without the cheat devices, VW Group cars in the UK would have failed emissions tests."

The committee's advice follows similar calls from the transport select committee in July which said the government was too slow in deciding whether VW had broken the law.

The committee also said the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles such as electric cars was too low to meet Britain's climate targets.

"We need 9 percent of all new cars to be ultra-low emission vehicles by 2020 if we're going to meet our climate change targets at the lowest cost to the public but the (government's) forecasts show it will get only around half way to this target," Mary Creagh, chair of the committee, said in a statement.

The government should consider making changes to vehicle taxation, including company cars, to make electric vehicles more attractive. It should also incentivise carmakers to manufacture the next generation of cleaner cars in Britain, the committee said.

(Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
Myanmar's stateless Rohingya should be given the right to citizenship after generations living in the country, UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said on Tuesday.

Many from the million-strong Muslim minority are denied citizenship, voting and work rights and reviled as imposters in overwhelmingly Buddhist Myanmar.

More than 120,000 have been displaced, many to squalid displacement camps in western Rakhine state, after fleeing violence stirred by Buddhist nationalists in 2012.

Thousands have fled to other Southeast Asian countries on rickety boats in search of better lives, only to drown or fall victim to human traffickers.

In June, the UN said the Rohingya suffered entrenched discrimination so deep it may amount to crimes against humanity.

"This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identify," Ban told a press conference alongside Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"People who have been living for generations in this country should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else."

His comments come as Myanmar's new civilian government is seeking to tackle the seemingly intractable issue that has dogged Nobel laureate Suu Kyi for years.

Even the word Rohingya has become loaded -- with Buddhist nationalists having staged protests across the country against using the term. They instead label the group "Bengalis" and cast them as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

The veteran democracy activist has come under fire from international rights groups for failing to address the plight of the Rohingya, as she seeks to avoid stoking further unrest over the sensitive issue.

Last week, the government announced it would set up an advisory panel chaired by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan to find "lasting solutions to the complex and delicate issues in the Rakhine State".

His appointment has triggered a backlash from nationalists, including the local Arakan National Party, who denounced what they saw as foreign meddling.

Story continues

Ban said he would support his predecessor's work in Rakhine and work with Myanmar's central authorities to tackle the Rohingya issue.

"The situation is complex (in Rakhine) and the government has assured me of their commitment to address the roots of the problem," he said.

"All of Myanmar's people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony side by side with their neighbours."

Ban's speech comes on the eve of the opening of the new government's flagship peace conference to broker a deal with the country's warring ethnic minorities.

The five-day gathering is Suu Kyi's first big drive to end multiple insurgencies that have raged in Myanmar's borderlands since independence in 1948.

Organisers have been pushing for a unilateral ceasefire, but hopes have been shattered by renewed outbreaks of fighting, according to negotiators.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - A United Nations envoy said Wednesday that a return to a ceasefire in Yemen after weeks of heavy bombing and shelling was "critical" to renewing peace talks.

Three months of negotiations in Kuwait ended without a breakthrough on August 7, triggering what UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed described as a "dangerous escalation in military activities."

"In order to accelerate the path to renewed talks, the resumption of the cessation of hostilities will be critical," he told the Security Council.

A new ceasefire will "spare Yemen the further loss of life, allow the increased flow of humanitarian assistance and generate much needed confidence for the negotiation of a comprehensive and peaceful solution," he said.

The Saudi-led coalition waging a military campaign in Yemen has stepped up its air raids following the breakdown of talks and cross-border attacks from Yemen have also intensified.

Among the poorest countries in the Arab world, Yemen slid further into chaos when the coalition launched its campaign in March 2015 to push back Huthi rebels and their allies who still hold the capital Sanaa and other parts of the country.

More than 6,600 people have been killed since March last year and the war has left Yemen on the brink of financial ruin.

The envoy said a new ceasefire should begin with the deployment of a de-escalation committee in the border area of Dharan al-Janub and should include "a full end to all military activities by land, sea or air, and using any kind of weapon."

There had been some hope of a settlement when a ceasefire was agreed on April 10 and talks convened in Kuwait, but the peace process broke down over disputes on the formation of a unity government and the withdrawal of rebel forces.

During a meeting last week between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Gulf ministers, a proposed agreement was reached calling for a unity government that will include the Huthis to be formed immediately following the rebel withdrawal from Sanaa and other areas and the handover of weapons.

Story continues

Yemen's government has said it welcomes the US-backed plan in principle while the rebels have also sent out positive signals.

The envoy stressed the need for quick progress, given the worsening economic crisis.

Cheikh Ahmed warned that the lack of revenue and shortage of liquidity could make it impossible for salaries to be paid in the coming months, driving many more civilians into destitution.
(Adds airline statement, condition of passengers)

DUBLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Fourteen passengers and two crew members were injured on Wednesday when a United Airlines flight ran into severe turbulence and had to divert to Ireland's Shannon Airport, the airport said.

Ambulances were at the scene when the Boeing aircraft that was en route from Houston to London Heathrow landed at 0455 GMT. Ten of the passengers and the two crew members were taken to a local hospital, a United Airlines spokesman said.

The casualties, three of whom were children, had soft tissue injuries, minor head injuries and lacerations, University Hospital Limerick said in a statement. All but one person had been discharged by 0930 GMT.

The 207 passengers on the flight would continue their journey to London later on Wednesday on an alternative aircraft, United Airlines said.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
From Cosmopolitan

The rankings that will put an end to all "no, really, my college is siiiiick" debates are finally in - University of Wisconsin-Madison students, congratulations, you did it! According to the 2017 Princeton Review rankings, which came out on Monday, UWisconsin-Madison is the no. 1 party school.

After placing third in the rankings last year, UWM stepped up their game to steal the no. 1 spot this year. The rankings are based on student surveys distributed to 143,000 students at 381 colleges. Rounding out the top three party schools this year are West Virginia University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign respectively. Good job, everyone, you know how to celebrate! Find out if your school is fun AF in the rankings below:

1. University of Wisconsin-Madison

2. West Virginia University

3. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4. Lehigh University

5. Bucknell University

6. University of Iowa

7. University of Mississippi

8. Syracuse University

9. Tulane University

10. Colgate University

11. University of California-Santa Barbara

12. University of Delaware

13. University of Rhode Island

14. Wake Forest University

15. College of Charleston

16. University of Maine

17. University of Vermont

18. University of Florida

19. University of Colorado-Boulder

20. Florida State University

If party schools are not your thing, though, consider Brigham Young or maybe the Air Force Academy, nos. 1 and 4 on the Review's "Stone-Cold Sober" schools list.

Follow Danielle on Twitter.

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Washington (AFP) - Coalition forces targeted senior Islamic State leader Abu Mohamed al-Adnani during an air strike in northern Syria on Tuesday, American officials said, without confirming his death.

"We are still assessing the results of the strike, but Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement, using an acronym for the violent extremist group.

IS earlier said Adnani had been killed in the province of Aleppo. Cook said the strike took place in the city of Al-Bab, in the same province.

Describing Adnani as the "principal architect" of the IS group's external operations and its main spokesman, Cook said he had "coordinated the movement of ISIL fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited new ISIL members."

A US defense official called Adnani "one of ISIL's most senior leaders," in line with analysts who have described him as a key figure in the group.

The official said Adnani had played a major role in the group during some of the most high-profile attacks over the past year, including in Paris, at the Brussels and Istanbul airports, at a cafe in Bangladesh, as well as the downing of a Russian airliner in the Sinai and suicide bombings at a rally in Ankara.

The attacks have killed more than 1,800 people and wounded almost 4,000.

"Adnani was a legacy AQI (Al-Qaeda in Iraq) member, a Shura council member and the most publicly recognizable official in ISIL," the official said.

In September 2014, the US government designated Adnani a "global terrorist" and the State Department has offered a $5 million reward for anyone who supplies information that will bring him to justice.

"The US military will continue to prioritize and relentlessly target ISIL leaders and external plotters in order to defend our homeland, our allies and our partners, while we continue to gather momentum in destroying ISIL's parent tumor in Iraq and Syria and combat its metastases around the world," Cook said.
New York (AFP) - A US federal appeals court on Wednesday threw out a $655.5 million verdict against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization for damages suffered by Americans killed and wounded in six attacks in Israel.

The Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled that the lower court which issued the February 2015 verdict did not have jurisdiction over the case and ordered it dismissed.

"The terror machine gun attacks and suicide bombings that triggered this suit and victimized these plaintiffs were unquestionably horrific," Judge John Koeltl, writing for the three-member court panel, said in a 61-page ruling.

"But the federal courts cannot exercise jurisdiction in a civil case beyond the limits prescribed by the due process clause of the Constitution, no matter how horrendous the underlying attacks or morally compelling the plaintiffs' claims," it said.

"We vacate the judgment of the district court and remand the case to the district court with instructions to dismiss the case for want of jurisdiction."

The attacks, which took place between January 2002 and January 2004, left 33 people dead and wounded more than 390 others.

Later in 2004, 11 American families filed a civil suit in federal court under a US anti-terrorism law that allows victims of international attacks to pursue foreign entities in the US courts for damages.

In February 2015, after seven weeks of testimony, a jury unanimously found the two Palestinian entities liable on 25 separate counts related to the attacks, initially awarding victims and their families more than $218 million.

They apportioned individual damages ranging from $1 million to $25 million to Americans who were injured or lost loved ones.

The sum was automatically tripled in accordance with US anti-terrorism law to $655.5 million.

The bombings and shootings were carried out by Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- an armed offshoot of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party -- during the second Palestinian uprising against Israel.

Story continues

Both are blacklisted as terrorist organizations in the United States.

- 'Cruel decision' -

Last year's initial ruling fell well short of the $1 billion sought by lawyers for the 11 plaintiff families.

At the time, their attorney Kent Yalowitz nevertheless said it was a "great day for our country, it's a great day for those who fight terror."

On Wednesday, after the initial verdict was thrown out, Yalowitz lamented the "cruel decision" of the appeals court.

"The very terrorists who prompted the law have now hidden behind the US Constitution to avoid responsibility for their crimes," Yalowitz said in a statement to The New York Times.

"This cruel decision must be corrected so that these families may receive justice."

The attorney said the families were considering taking the case to the full appeals court, or even asking the Supreme Court to hear it.

At the time of last year's initial ruling, the Palestinian Authority -- facing serious financial problems -- expressed concern about the ramifications of the judgment, and said the charges were without merit. It immediately appealed.

The Palestinians said the case was politically motivated by "anti-peace factions" in Israel to block a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In August 2015, a US judge ordered Palestinian authorities to pay $10 million in cash or bond while the appeal was pending, even though the US government had expressed worries about the PA's precarious finances.
Washington (AFP) - The United States expressed deep concern over Gabon's disputed election Wednesday and added its voice to calls for results from individual polling stations to be revealed.

Official provisional results suggest Ali Bongo has been re-elected president of the oil-rich central African nation, but the tallies were close and opposition challenger Jean Ping has cried foul.

Angry protests have erupted in the former French colony and the parliament building was on fire in the capital Libreville.

"Elections must credibly reflect the will of the people," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said, urging the security forces to respect citizens' rights and protesters to remain calm.

"We call on the Gabonese government to release results for each individual polling station," he added, echoing a demand for transparency already made by France and the European Union.

"This will help give the people of Gabon -- as well as the international community -- confidence the announced vote tallies are accurate," Kirby argued.

"Anyone seeking to challenge the results must do so peacefully and in accordance with Gabon's legal justice system," he said.
Washington (AFP) - The United States rebuked Israel on Wednesday over what it said was its accelerated building of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank in the face of mounting international concern.

"This significant expansion of the settlement activity poses a serious and growing threat to the viability of a two state solution," President Barack Obama's spokesman Josh Earnest said.

"We are particularly troubled by the policy of retroactively approving illegal outposts and unauthorized settlements," he added, briefing reporters aboard Air Force One en route to China.

Washington has long been concerned that Israel's building on occupied Palestinian land is undermining hopes for a Middle East peace deal, but Wednesday's warning was unusually strongly worded.

Officials said Israel's actions ran counter to the advice laid out by the Middle East Quartet, a contact group comprising the United Nations, European Union, Russia and the United States.

"We are deeply concerned by the government's announcement to advance plans for these settlement units in the West Bank," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

"Since the Quartet report came out we have seen a very significant acceleration of Israeli settlement activity that runs directly counter to the conclusions of the report," he complained.

"So far this year Israel has promoted plans for over 2,500 units including over 700 units retroactively approved in the West Bank.

"These policies have effectively given the Israeli government's green light for the pervasive advancement of settlement activity in a new and potentially unlimited way," Kirby warned.

"This significant expansion of the settlement enterprise poses a very serious and growing threat to the viability of the two-state solution," he added, implying Israel could torpedo peace hopes.

- 'Perpetual occupation' -

The United States has urged Israel and the Palestinians to "take meaningful steps" to build trust, but Israel has instead promoted the building of thousands of new settlement homes.

Story continues

A senior US official said the building boom "fundamentally undermines the prospects for a two-state solution and risks entrenching a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict."

Another US official confirmed that the choice of language represented an American decision to toughen its tone with Israel.

Israel has defended its settlement building, arguing that Jews have lived in the West Bank and Jerusalem -- the divided city claimed by both Israel and Palestinians as a capital -- for thousands of years.

But the senior US official warned the Israeli government risks undermining its own case with its aggressive settlement program and a "dramatic acceleration" in its demolition of Palestinian buildings.
Washington (AFP) - The United States expressed horror Wednesday at reports that the South Sudan government is recruiting child soldiers to fight in its civil war and warned that officials may face sanctions.

Washington was one of the main supporters and sponsors of Africa's newest state when it gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but has been dismayed by its renewed descent into chaos and bloodshed.

Earlier this month, the UN children's agency UNICEF warned that all the factions in the civil war are recruiting children to join the fight, including President Salva Kiir's government.

On Wednesday, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was "profoundly alarmed" by the report and said halting the use of child soldiers would be a "leading priority."

"Above and beyond our calls for an end to ongoing violence in South Sudan, we insist on an immediate halt to the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers by government and opposition forces," he said.

"Individuals responsible for the unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers for armed groups or forces may be subject to sanction under US law and may be targeted for UN sanctions."

An estimated 16,000 children have been recruited by armed groups -- including the national army -- since civil war began in December 2013, according to UNICEF.

Last year, the agency managed to rescue 1,775 children from armed groups, but last month's resumption of fighting between Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar has boosted recruitment.
john deere tractor

The Department of Justice has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Deere's planned purchase of Monsanto's Precision Planting business.

The lawsuit, filed in a Chicago court, said the deal would remove competition and raise costs for farmers, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Deere, which is the world's largest maker of agricultural machinery, agreed to buy the unit from Monsanto in November. The terms of the deal were not disclosed at the time, but the lawsuit said Deere agreed to pay $190 million for the Monsanto unit.

Precision Planting would give farmers and Deere's equipment real-time planting data through Monsanto's FieldView app.

The "DOJ's allegations about the competitive impacts of the transaction are misguided and the companies intend to defend the transaction vigorously against those allegations," Deere said in a joint statement with The Climate Corporation, which entered a data-connectivity agreement in March.

"Competition in precision agriculture is strong and growing in all of these channels as companies around the world continue developing new technologies."

Shares of both companies fell by about 2% to session lows in trading. Shares of other agricultural companies including Dow Chemical, DuPont, and Syngenta also slipped on the news.

Business Insider has reached out to Monsanto for comment.

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U.S. President Barack Obama will express his strong support for South Korea's security if he has a chance to meet with South Korean President Park Geun-hye on the sidelines of the upcoming summit of Group of 20 nations, the White House said Tuesday.



Both Park and Obama are scheduled to attend the G20 summit in the southeastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Sept. 4-5. The summit comes as tensions on the Korean Peninsula are running high in the wake of North Korea's successful submarine missile test.



"I'm not aware of any formal, bilateral meeting that the president will have with President Park. But I can tell you that it's not uncommon for the president to have an opportunity to visit with some of his counterparts along the margins of some of these meetings," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said at a regular briefing.



"I don't know whether or not something like that is planned at this point but if something like that does occur, we'll certainly let you know and if there's an opportunity, I'm confident that the president will use it to express the United States' strong support for the safety and security of our allies at the Republic of Korea," he said.



After their visits to China, both Obama and Park are also scheduled to head to Laos for a series of annual regional summits led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). These multilateral summits have provided opportunities for participating leaders to meet bilaterally on the sidelines.



Tensions on the Korean Peninsula spiked after the North successfully conducted an SLBM test last week, sending the missile, designated KN-11, some 500 kilometers over the East Sea, the greatest distance the communist nation has achieved since it began SLBM tests last year.



Moreover, the missile was launched at a high angle, meaning the missile could have flown farther, possibly more than 1,000 km, if it had been fired at a regular angle. (Yonhap)




Washington (AFP) - An American journalist has been arrested in Turkey and charged with "violating a military zone" after she returned from war-torn Syria, US officials said Wednesday.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said Lindsey Snell had been detained on August 6, and that US consular officials had been able to visit her almost three weeks later on August 26.

Snell's Twitter biography identifies her as an Istanbul-based video journalist who has contributed to several western networks and news organizations including MSNBC, Vice News and ABC.

On Facebook, she describes herself as hailing from Daytona Beach, Florida and to have graduated from the University of Florida in 2005. She is a Muslim and wears a headscarf in pictures.

Her last tweets were sent on August 5, when she refered to having been imprisoned for ten days by militants from the Al-Nusra Front before escaping with the aid of a "brave man on a motorcycle."

On her Facebook page, again on August 5, she said she had been able to document her time in Nusra's captivity with her cellphone.

"It's a crazy story," she wrote.

"A cave prison (the previous tenant of my cell had marked his days in residence in blood on the walls), masked villains, motorcycle escapes and disguises. I can't wait to share the details."

There was no reference to her having arrived in Turkey, but the country would be the obvious first destination of anyone trying to flee the Aleppo region of Syria after escaping a kidnapping.

"She was detained in Turkey. As I understand it she journeyed to Turkey from Syria," Kirby told reporters in Washington. "She is currently being held at a prison facility in Hatay province.

"What we understand is that she has been charged with violating a military zone, but I can't speak to her reasons for being in Syria and traveling there," he added.

Hatay is a far southern province of Turkey that borders on Syria's Aleppo governorate, currently the scene of fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and a variety of rebel groups.

Turkish forces are deployed to the border area as part of efforts to control the flow of fighters and weapons to the civil war.
Washington (AFP) - The US Justice Department on Wednesday said it was suing to prevent farm equipment maker Deere from acquiring Precision Planting, a subsidiary of the biotech giant Monsanto.

Combining the two Illinois companies, which together control 86 percent of the market for high-speed precision planting systems, would leave US farmers exposed to higher costs without price competition, the department said.

"If this deal were allowed to proceed, Deere would dominate the market for high-speed precision planting systems and be able to raise prices and slow innovation at the expense of American farmers who rely on these systems," Renata Hesse, acting head of the Justice Department's anti-trust division, said in a statement.

Because farmers have only so much time every year to plant, precise, high-speed planting can be highly valuable.

Deere & Co and Precision Planting both introduced their high-speed precision planting systems in 2014 and a year later together racked up approximately $1 billion in sales.

Deere's plan to buy the Monsanto unit was announced last November.

Shares in Deere were down 1.1 percent on the New York Stock Exchange shortly after 1600 GMT. Monsanto shares lost 1.6 percent.
Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama named a powerful new oversight board for Puerto Rico Wednesday charged with helping restore the finances of the debt-mired Caribbean island.

The White House said the seven members of the Financial Oversight and Management Board would be charged with helping the government of the US territory restructure its $70 billion in debts and restore economic growth after a decade of recession.

The seven include a mix of figures from the banking industry, government and legal sector, four of them selected by Republicans in Congress who had fought giving Puerto Rico the right to declare bankruptcy, and three from the Democrats.

Having already defaulted on more than $2 billion in debt payments, Puerto Rico is blocked by US law from seeking protection in bankruptcy courts the way US cities like Detroit have done.

Instead, the FOMB will fill that role in a way, overseeing the Puerto Rican government's reforms and fiscal discipline as it reschedules its debt -- including possible write-downs -- with creditors.

One of the FOMB appointees, Arthur Gonzalez, was formerly chief judge of the US Bankruptcy Court in New York City and oversaw some of the largest and most complex corporate bankruptcies, including those of Enron, WorldCom, and Chrysler.

Amid fears the FOMB would be insensitive to the social needs of Puerto Rico, where the collapsing economy has increased poverty and sent hundreds of thousands of natives to the US mainland for jobs, four of the White House appointees have Puerto Rican roots.

"With a broad range of skills and experiences, these officials have the breadth and depth of knowledge that is needed to tackle this complex challenge and put the future of the Puerto Rican people first," Obama said in a statement.

Under the Promesa reorganization plan established by Congress in June, the Puerto Rican government must come up with and implement a credible multi-year plan for righting its finances and restoring growth.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew called Wednesday for the island to move quickly.

"Time is of the essence. The Puerto Rico government should bring together all of its resources to develop and submit a plan to the Oversight Board as soon as possible."
A medical emergency turned into a miracle for a Utah woman who gave birth just hours after learning she was pregnant.



Brooke Williams' husband Calvin rushed her to the hospital early Sunday after the 26-year-old suffered several seizures. A blood test soon revealed that Brooke, who had been told she was infertile due to childhood treatments for brain cancer, was 35 weeks pregnant.



"I just honestly stared at her and didn't know," Calvin, 27, of Provo, Utah told WTHR of receiving the news that he would be a father.



As soon as Brooke's condition stabilized, doctors performed a C-section and the couple welcomed a healthy baby girl.







"It's crazy, it's a miracle," he said. "Their words that without any prenatal care being a month early, she's 5 pounds 8 ounces, 18 inches long and she's great."



Calvin added that he understood why some people might be skeptical about how he and his wife could have missed any and all signs of pregnancy.



"She never had any sickness. She never felt her stomach move. Me and my wife are the ones that make fun of those people," he said with a laugh.



In addition to the fact that doctors told Brooke that she was infertile, Brooke has always had irregular periods, a family member explained on GoFundMe.



Brooke and Calvin were so certain that they wouldn't be able to conceive on their own they were in the process of adopting.



Both mother and daughter are doing well and in a few days the parents will be able to bring home their 'miracle.'



Friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe page to help the couple meet the costs of their sudden and unexpected delivery.
Moscow (AFP) - The daughter of Uzbek strongman Islam Karimov, who has suffered a brain haemorrhage, on Wednesday said public support was helping her father's recovery, as rumours swirl over his condition.

Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva posted a message of thanks on social media "for your kind words of support and best wishes for the speedy recovery of our president."

"It means the world to us, and I am sure that your heartfelt good wishes are helping in his recovery," wrote Karimova-Tillyaeva, Uzbekistan's ambassador to UNESCO.

The statement was the first on Karimov's health since his youngest daughter announced on Monday that he was in a "stable" condition in intensive care after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage over the weekend.

Long lambasted by rights groups for his brutal crushing of dissent, Karimov, 78, has ruled Central Asian Uzbekistan with an iron fist for over a quarter of a century.

While information is very tightly controlled in the ex-Soviet nation, reports have appeared in opposition media based abroad claiming that Karimov is dead.

Anonymous sources in Uzbekistan denied the reports in remarks to Russian news agencies.

Uzbek officials have made no mention of Karimov's health since a terse government statement on Sunday saying he had been "hospitalised".

- Russian doctors -

Doctors from Moscow's Burdenko neurosurgical hospital have been treating Karimov "from the very first moment," its head Alexander Konovalov told RBK news site on Wednesday, while giving no details of his condition.

Officials have cancelled some celebrations as the country marks 25 years since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tashkent authorities said fireworks planned for Thursday evening had been postponed indefinitely, saying the decision was due to the national team playing Syria in a qualifier match for the 2018 World Cup.

Karimov's press service on Wednesday also released a written message from the president for Independence Day saying the country took the "correct path" in 1991.

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He said Uzbekistan had transformed itself from a "backward" country with a one-sided economy focused on cotton to "a dynamically and stably developing powerful state."

The Uzbek presidential site on Wednesday also posted a message from President Vladimir Putin congratulating Karimov on the independence anniversary and wishing him "good health."

Karimov, who last year was re-elected to a fifth term with more than 90 percent of the vote, lacks a clear successor.

The country has never held an election judged free and fair by international monitors.

The wily leader has played off Russia, China and the West against each other to ensure strategically-located Uzbekistan -- which borders volatile Afghanistan -- has avoided total isolation.
Varian Medical Systems Inc. VAR stock has been a consistent performer over the last 12 months. Shares of this oncology treatment therapy provider have surged 22.4% as compared with S&P 500s return of 13.7%, primarily driven by its growing oncology market share and continuing international expansion.



Of late, Varian has expanded its footprint in countries like Australia, Turkey and China along with others. The company is opening up new offices in Africa and the Middle East, which shows that it is aware of the growth opportunities in the region. Moreover, the company is now focusing on improving its penetration in Latin America.



Varian recently announced the installation of a Clinac iX medical linear accelerator at Instituto Oncologico del Oriente Boliviano in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The oncology center will also use Varians Eclipse treatment planning software and ARIA information management system.



We believe the installation will boost Varians order growth in the region. In the recently concluded third quarter of fiscal 2016, order activity in Latin America continued to remain weak (down 40%) due to macroeconomic factors.



Meanwhile, international markets are too under-equipped to address the growing incidence of cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization estimates that annual cancer rates around the world will increase from 14.1 million in 2012 to 20 million new cases by 2025.



VARIAN MEDICAL Price

VARIAN MEDICAL Price | VARIAN MEDICAL Quote

Varians strong overseas presence is expected to enable it to leverage this opportunity in emerging markets. Notably, in the recently concluded third quarter of fiscal 2016, healthy gross order growth in emerging markets including Iran, Russia, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Libya was observed. In Africa, Varian won gross order worth $25 million.



We believe that Varians oncology business growth prospects remain impressive in these countries due to the strong demand for its products. The company is addressing both the tier 1 and mid-tier markets through its Edge, Truebeam and VitalBeam products. Moreover, the company believes that the Proton system has massive growth potential.



Zacks Rank & Key Picks



Currently, Varian carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Better-ranked stocks in the medical sector are Quidel Corp QDEL, Masimo Corp MASI and IDEXX Laboratories IDXX. All the three stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela on Wednesday withdrew its ambassador from Brazil and froze ties with its southern neighbor in response to president Dilma Rousseff's removal from office.

The leftist governments of Ecuador and Bolivia also recalled their top diplomats, with Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa calling the senate vote impeaching Rousseff "an apology for abuse and treason."

Venezuela's foreign ministry condemned Rousseff's removal as a "parliamentary coup d'etat."

Venezuela "has decided to definitively withdraw its ambassador in the Federal Republic of Brazil, and to freeze political and diplomatic relations with the government that emerged from this parliamentary coup," it said in a statement.

Rousseff, 68, was convicted by 61 of 81 senators of illegally manipulating the national budget.

The vote ended 13 years of leftist rule in Latin America's biggest economy, depriving Venezuela's socialist leaders of an important ally.

It comes as Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro finds himself under mounting pressure to submit to a recall election amid a devastating economic crisis.

The opposition has called for a massive march in Caracas on Thursday, raising the stakes in a volatile showdown.

In Ecuador, president Correa took to Twitter to vent his anger about Brazil.

"Never will we condone these practices, which recall the darkest hours of our America," Correa wrote, a reference to military dictatorships of the past.

Ecuador's foreign ministry called Rousseff's removal "a flagrant subversion of the democratic order in Brazil."

Bolivian president Evo Morales announced the recall of ambassador Jose Kim after threatening to do so Tuesday should Rousseff be removed from office.

He earlier condemned on Twitter what he called a "parliamentary coup against Brazilian democracy."

"We stand with Dilma, Lula and the population in this difficult time," Morales wrote, adding Rousseff's mentor and predecessor, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is facing corruption charges.

Bolivia's foreign ministry confirmed the recall in a statement, saying that the government "calls on all the countries of our region to reject these 'soft' blows to the state ... provoked by an opposition unable to achieve enough votes to form a government."
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vowed to jail opposition leaders if they incite violence during upcoming protests seeking a referendum on removing him from power.

Maduro, blamed by opponents for a devastating economic crisis, accused opposition leaders of plotting a "terrorist coup" against him before Thursday's nationwide protests.

"We must defeat the coup d'etat without impunity," he told supporters at a rally in Caracas billed as an early counter-demonstration.

"Whoever gets involved in a coup plot, or calls for violence, is going to jail, sir. Shriek, weep or scream, but you're going to jail."

Maduro accused the United States of plotting against leftist governments in Latin America.

"The threat is coming directly from American imperialism," he said.

One opposition figure, Yon Goicoechea, was arrested on charges of possessing explosives which he allegedly planned to detonate at the upcoming protests.

Opposition lawmaker Tomas Guanipa said the authorities had planted evidence against him.

"Even if you throw us all in jail, you won't stop the people from taking to the streets to fight for democratic, electoral and peaceful change," he said.

The protests are the first since electoral authorities indicated it was too late to organize a recall vote this year -- infuriating the opposition, which wants a referendum by January in order to trigger new elections.

The protests are intended to pressure authorities to let the referendum go ahead.

Venezuela is facing a deep economic recession fueled by the fall in the price of oil, its main export.

With shortages of food, medicine and basic goods, the opposition coalition behind the referendum drive -- the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) -- insists that ditching Maduro's socialist government is the only way out of the crisis.

Venezuela's neighbors are becoming increasingly wary of developments in the once-booming economy.

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The Organization of American States (OAS) on Tuesday denounced Maduro's government as a "dictatorship," criticizing its "wave of repression" against opponents before the march.

The measures "completely contradict democratic principles and values," OAS chief Luis Almagro said, calling on the government to permit the demonstration as part of a "broader framework of freedom."

Venezuela's Catholic Church also called on the government to allow Thursday's protests to go ahead freely.

The journalists' union meanwhile said conditions for the press are difficult ahead of the demos.

Masked attackers threw Molotov cocktails and flaming excrement at the offices of the opposition-leaning newspaper El Nacional on Tuesday, after the authorities denied entry on Monday to a team of reporters from Al Jazeera TV.
At the Venice Film Festival Wednesday, La La Land star Emma Stone and director Damien Chazelle talked about Ryan Gosling, delivering a modern take on old-fashioned musical, chasing your dreams and letting go of cynicism. The film, which opened the festival, received warm applause at its first press screening.

Its wonderful to work with somebody you know, trust and respect so much. Hes my buddy, Stone said about the films co-star Gosling, adding, I knew he could sing and dance. Once youve learned to ballroom dance with someone, youve learned everything you need to know.

An homage to Los Angeles as a city of dreams and the Hollywood musicals of the Golden Age, La La Land stars Gosling as a jazz pianist who dreams of opening his own club, and Stone as a barista on the Warner Bros. lot who dreams of making it as an actress.

The whole idea of the movie was to link the magic of an old-fashioned musical but make it about real life today  in real life when things dont always work out, Chazelle said.

In that, La La Land was closer to some French New Wave musicals that did channel real life than classic Hollywood musicals, he added.

What distinguishes La La Land is its hopefulness, joy and beauty, Stone said, adding that it was about dreaming, and hoping and working to achieve something.

That sentiment prompted her to put in a plea for young people to let go of cynicism.

Young people have fallen into a lot of cynicism, making fun of things and pointing out flaws in everything. This movie is anything but that. This is what I hope young people will do, she said to applause.

For Chazelle, La La Land was always a musical, even when people werent breaking into song and dance. There are non-musical parts that still feel musical, for example, in the way the camera moves, he said, praising how classical Hollywood movies choreographed their camera movement.

He added: Emma and I talked about the rhythm of her speech patterns as much as her singing.

Story continues

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Gabriele Muccino is an Italian filmmaker (The Last Kiss, Ecco Fatto) who had a high-profile moment of going Hollywood. He was handed the plum of directing two Will Smith vehicles in a row, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) and Seven Pounds (2007), and he was able to bring his earthy intelligence and humanity to at least one of them. (The less said about Seven Pounds the better.) One way to talk about Muccinos new film, Summertime, which premiered tonight at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival, is to say that he is once again an Italian filmmaker. But that wouldnt be quite accurate. Summertime is more like an American film embedded in an Italian one.

Its about Marco (Brando Pacitto), a sulky curly-haired cherub from Rome, and the fussbudget princess Maria (Matilda Lutz), also from Rome, who he doesnt know well and doesnt get along with. The two jet off to San Francisco to spend a week in the home of two Americans they barely know at all. Heres how well they dont know them: Matt (Taylor Frey), a real-estate broker, and Paul (Joseph Haro), a financial consultant, are loving partners, and when Maria discovers that her hosts are gay, her first reaction is to testily dismiss them as fags. (That, according to the movie, is how routine homophobia is in Italy. Even Maria is portrayed as having a macho attitude about it.) Matt and Paul dont take the slur too seriously, which says a lot for them. They can see how blinkered Maria is, but beyond that, both of them are strong, warm people who enjoy their lives. Under their influence, Marias kneejerk intolerance starts to melt away in about five minutes.

Other things melt away too, like inhibition. Marco, a glum and rather recessive sort, realizes that hes got a crush on Maria, and he keeps trying to figure out how to make a play for her, though its not really clear what the crush is about beyond naked hormones. Theyre travel partners stuck in the same bed, and she looks like a Continental update of Phoebe Cates. In the early scenes, the movie even gives her a pair of owlish spectacles, which she takes off and mysteriously never wears again (until the end), making you think that the whole point of the glasses was simply to give her that 1950s hottie-in-conservative-garb aura.

Beyond Marcos fumbling attempts to make a pass, the premise of Summertime  two hetero European students staying in the home of two American gay partners  would seem to offer fairly limited opportunities for hooking up. Yet that doesnt stop Muccino. Hes an honestly sensual filmmaker telling the story of four pretty young things who are grooving on the summertime high of being eager and beautiful and alive.

By far the most interesting of the four is Taylor Freys Matt, who looks like an angelic version of Funky Bunch-era Mark Wahlberg, and whos committed to his life with Paul, but he didnt get there overnight. Frey is one of those actors who can make serenity  emotional contentment  fascinating, because he communicates the complications beneath. Matt, who is bisexual, could only acknowledge the power of his gayness after he met Paul. When Summertime flashes back to that drama, its the most riveting sequence in the movie  and an indication that Muccino, if he wanted, could make a terrific mainstream drama about the complexities of gay experience that are too often left on the cutting-room floor of liberal Hollywood.

Matt, who grew up in conservative Kansas, was finding a place, and trying to normalize himself, when he moved to New Orleans and began to date Pauls sister. His slow slide over to Paul was tentative, honest, organic  a courageous discovery of who he really was. Yet the damage it caused was tremendous, in no small part because it suddenly put Paul in the position of having to steal the boyfriendof his sister. Summertime contains a coming-out drama of moving complexity. The film flows effortlessly between gay and straight drama  and part of its message is that the moment youve made that distinction, youve fallen into the trap of the old bigotry. In 2016, Love is love remains a subversive theme.

But if a part of me enjoyed Summertime, another part of me kept wishing that Eric Rohmer had made it. Theres one section of the film that deals with Paul deciding to give up the finance career he loathes in order to train horses again; it makes you think that following your career bliss, while an undeniably good idea, is turning into a movie cliche. When it comes to the issue of its commercial prospects, Summertime has what looks, at a glance, like a couple of art-house hooks  the gorgeous and talented cast, the way Muccino, at his best, works with sensitivity and intelligence. Yet the movie also has its soft-headed side. Theres never really much at stake. Summertime isnt a bad film, but its highly cultivated fluff. Its just okay enough to make you wish that Muccino would figure out a way to do something grabbier and more audacious with his talent. Like, maybe, going Hollywood again.

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There will be many documentaries on Syria. The countrys tragedies are like a million-headed Hydra, each deserving its own story, told in its own way. But the world becomes increasingly numbed, which is why a documentary like The War Show is so essential, at regular intervals. Told from the perspective of co-director Obaidah Zytoon, who left in 2013, and shaped by herself and co-director Andreas Dalsgaard (The Human Scale), the film is a highly personal yet universally affecting compilation focusing on Zytoon, her friends, and the footage they shot between 2011 and 2013, from the euphoria of protest to complete despair in the face of the unthinkable. Weaving in the tricky role of the camera  The War Show is a well-chosen title  as well as the parasitic fractiousness dividing the rebels, the film is a heart-rending attempt to document what cannot be imagined. A strong festival life is assured.

The documentary will most likely be compared with 2014s Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait, and indeed they share a number of things: Theyre too brutal for TV broadcasts, and they both contain moments of such sorrow that its impossible to view them unmoved. Neither dwell in war porn  while theyre films created to confront superficial reporting, theyre highly invested in individual responses to the horrors unfolding, and their images are chosen to challenge easy responses. Without going into the uselessness of which is better, The War Show is a more directly personal work.

A potted history of the conflict appears as text at the start and finish, while the rest is divided into chapters, all of which are listed in each section so audiences are reminded of what came before, and made aware of whats still to come. Its a sensible move, since some sections are so disturbing that its wise to let the viewer know how much more is left. Zytoon was a radio DJ in Damascus, uplifted like millions by the Arab Spring in 2011 and reveling in the sudden ability to protest: the fall of the Assad regime seemed finally thinkable. In a rally of women who use Syrian flags as face veils, an uncovered young girl, perhaps 10 years old, is asked why she shows her face: Im not demonstrating to be suffocated. Im demonstrating to breathe, is her expressive reply.

Zytoon, in voiceover throughout, introduces us to her friends, all enthusiastically embracing the revolution afoot. Theres besotted poet Hisham and his love, law student Lulu; rebel drummer Rabea; young activist Amal; dental student Argha; and Houssam, an architecture student whose beautifully infectious smile and gentle eyes will haunt the viewer for a long, long while. The two directors include just enough footage of these people to make them real, not just activists but friends. Even during the initial crackdowns by the regime they maintain their determination, with still a remnant of euphoria.

But the suppression grows in intensity, protest marches become funerals, and their understanding of how to resist becomes splintered, even in their own minds. By late 2011, the propaganda war was already trafficking in untruths, and Zytoon takes her camera to other cities, from her hometown of Zabadani, to Homs, Qassab, Saraqeb, and Kafranbel. As the conflict becomes more entrenched, she dodges snipers in streets reduced to rubble, and films little boys proudly holding semi-automatics as large as themselves.

While a number of documentaries about Syria discuss how the Assad regime specifically targets anyone holding a camera or filming with their phones (its said that filmmakers, amateur as well as professional, remain the snipers number one target), few apart from The War Show specifically address how the camera changes the battles themselves: performance as propaganda, staged skirmishes, and posturing for an audience add multiple layers of meaning, making the lens an active participant in the events it captures with a purportedly neutral eye.

Also addressed, toward the end, are the rifts between various rebel factions, humorously conveyed when a boy confusedly changes his enthusiastic chant for a civil society with one he overhears supporting a caliphate. This, like many other topics in the film, deserves a documentary of its own, but saying this doesnt mean Zytoon and Dalsgaard treat their subjects superficially. On the contrary, The War Show captures the scope of the tragedy while making the participants real  unlike the largely anonymous victims seen on news reports, here Zytoon and her friends project a humanity that carries over even into the unnamed men revealing their torture scars for the camera.

Many of the people filmed have their faces blurred to protect their identity (and one cant help wonder if those whose faces are shown are revealed because theyve been killed, as is the case with a number of Zytoons friends). While the torture and killings continue, and the refugees  half the countrys pre-war population  flow into Europe, where theyre treated like inferior beings, Western governments continue to hide under their pathetic mantra: its complicated. Far more complicated is the psychological trauma, which is why the sort of personal reaction exemplified by The War Show remains a necessity.

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Verizon Communications Inc. (ticker: VZ) isn't playing around in the great mobile wars of 2016, attempting to give consumers more of what they want in the face of bolstered competitor efforts.

The company touted new 50 percent faster peak wireless data speeds for 39 of its capable phones and tablets -- dubbed Verizon LTE Advanced -- in a news release, available in 461 cities across the U.S. The new technology funnels two or three multiple bandwidth channels into one larger one, enabling data to function most efficiently. This is referred to as carrier aggregation.

The update comes at no added cost for consumers. Engadget notes, though, the company didn't specify how the phone will actually "take advantage of these higher speeds."

This latest news from Verizon comes after major shifts from its competitors Sprint Corp. (S), T-Mobile US (TMUS) and AT&T (T) in the realm of unlimited data and the elimination of overage charges. Verizon also recently launched an attack ad featuring Jamie Foxx against Sprint after it hired away Verizon's "Can you hear me now" pitchman, Paul Marcarelli. Foxx has now appeared in a series of company ads.

Marcelo Claure, Sprint's CEO, is a particularly prolific Twitter user and shows no hesitation in calling out his competitors. In recent days, he shared Sprint and Samsung's three-channel carrier aggregation live demonstration press release on the platform and retweeted a dig at Verizon.

Sprint and Samsung Take Three-Channel Carrier Aggregation into the Field with Live Demonstration in Chicago https://t.co/IxSwNMjT3z

-- MarceloClaure (@marceloclaure) August 29, 2016

Jamie Foxx also shows map of @verizon customers with no Unlimited option. #SwitchToSprint @marceloclaure @GregPost11 pic.twitter.com/nlWQD3KJoX

-- Ken (@4GKennyG) August 28, 2016

On Aug. 18, he tweeted "Delete Your Account" at Verizon's incoming Wireless CEO, Ronan Dunne. Dunne, however, could prove a new Twitter adversary for Claure.

Story continues

Hint @ronandunneo2 Delete Your Account https://t.co/MvFbLgsQGC

-- MarceloClaure (@marceloclaure) August 18, 2016

Verizon's stock was down 0.75 percent on Tuesday, although it is up about 13 percent on the year.

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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.
If Max Verstappen attempts any more jostling with the Ferrari cars this weekend, he's going to get a rough reception from the crowd at the Italian Grand Prix.

Unlike last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, which was the closest thing to a home race for the 18-year-old Dutch driver, Verstappen will be on hostile territory in Monza - which is effectively Ferrari's home track.

There was a high-profile tangle between Verstappen and both Ferraris on the first turn in Spa, and Verstappen then infuriated Kimi Raikkonen with some aggressive blocking moves when the 36-year-old Finn tried to get past him at high speed later in the race. Raikkonen lost his cool and angrily berated Verstappen.

While Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes remain the drivers to beat, the developing rivalry between Verstappen - Formula One's rising star - and Ferrari threatens to overshadow what happens at the front.

In May, Verstappen drove brilliantly to win the Spanish GP on his Red Bull debut - joining from feeder team Toro Rosso after just four races of this season - and he followed that up with three more podium finishes. In Belgium, he became the youngest driver ever to qualify on the front row, starting from second, only to finish a disappointing 11th.

Verstappen sits sixth in the drivers' standings, just behind Ferrari's Vettel and Raikkonen.

By winning in Belgium, Rosberg moved within nine points of Hamilton at the top of the standings. While Hamilton had to start from the back row in Spa as a result of too many engine-part changes this season, he should be free of penalties in Monza.

Here are some other things to know about the Italian GP:

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CIRCUIT CONTRACT: Monza's contract with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone expires this year but the Italian Automobile Club (ACI) is prepared to offer a new three-year deal worth 68 million euros ($76 million).

Ecclestone had requested 25 million euros ($28 million) per year.

No circuit has hosted more F1 racing than Monza, which was on the inaugural 1950 calendar and has been a mainstay ever since, only dropping off in 1980 when Imola hosted the Italian GP. The track located in a royal park outside of Milan will be hosting its 66th GP this weekend.

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FULL THROTTLE: With parts of the Monza circuit still featuring long straight sections from an old oval track, it features the fastest speeds in F1.

Speeds can reach 370 kph (230 mph) on the approach to Turn 1 at the end of the start/finish straightaway.

Teams prepare low-drag configurations that are generally only seen in Italy.

While average speeds are high, cornering speeds are reasonably low, which minimizes tire wear.

Most teams will aim for a one pit-stop strategy. All the top-10 finishers in last year's race stopped once.

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DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT: ''I love the notion of coming to a racetrack that's distinctly different from the others,'' McLaren Honda driver Jenson Button said. ''People often think that Monza is all about the straights, with tight, small corners. But that's not really true. Corners like the Lesmos, the Ascari chicane and Parabolica are big, fast corners that require precision and commitment. It's a great track.''

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HARD BRAKING: Much of the action in Monza occurs at the start. The track is very wide along the start-finish straight, which gives cars plenty of room to maneuver on the long run to Turn 1. Drivers accelerate up to 300 kph (185 mph) then brake hard entering the slowest corner on the track.

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CHANGES PLANNED: Changes are planned for the Monza circuit for the 2017 race, with a new first corner bypassing the sweeping Curva Grande. So this should be the last race on the classic layout.

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Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf
Three new shows are coming to the Viceland TV channel, courtesy of controversial rapper Tyler, the Creator, podcast and web show duo Desus and Mero, and Sundance-winning documentary filmmaker Ondi Timoner.

Timoner is best known for "Dig!" and "We Live in Public," two documentaries that both won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize.

She's the only person to have attained such a distinction, and directs "Jungletown," a series about her efforts to found Kalu Yala (kaluyala.com), a sustainable town built from scratch near Panama City.

Desus Nice and The Kid Mero will host a late night current affairs and culture show for the channel, having risen up through 2014 podcast "Desus vs. Mero," reality show "Guy Code," and currently host the Bodega Boys podcast; Mero had previously contributed to Vice's Noisey.com.

Grammy-nominated Tyler, the Creator has released four albums since his 2009 debut, the most recent being 2015's "Cherry Bomb," and has directed a clutch of music videos for himself and other artists, but he remains a controversial figure for his use of homophobic language and apparent stance on women's rights.

"Huang's World" and "States of Undress" are being renewed.
Just hours before Donald Trump announced a surprise trip to Mexico, TIME spoke with former Mexican President Vicente Fox about the candidate. Fox has been openly critical of Trump throughout the election, baiting him on Twitter and famously snapping of Trumps border wall claims, Im not going to pay for that f-cking wall.

On Wednesday morning, Trump claimed on Twitter that Fox had also invited him to Mexico. Fox, who ran Mexico from 2000 to 2006, tweeted back, I invited you to come and apologize to all Mexicans. Stop lying! Mexico is not yours to play with, show some respect.

Heres what Fox told TIME about Trumps understanding of love, Trumps hair, Trumps unmanly behavior towards Hillary Clintonand what makes the perfect pair of cowboy boots.

You tweeted to Donald Trump on your wifes birthday saying he doesnt understand love. What doesnt he understand?

His character, his messages, his way of speaking, his way of dividing, discriminating. I dont see any sensibility, any compassion from him except for himself, except for his own family. Out of that, nobody deserves his consideration. Hes never spoken about the poor, about those who dont have opportunities, those who suffer I havent heard from him any compassionate thinking, any opening his heart, any love for anybody except him and his family.

You have also tweeted that Trump is a loser, that he is a lunatic and that he is not welcome in Cancun. Are these things that a former head of state can only say on Twitter?

Of course, of course. Its key and crucial to speak the truth, to communicate the truth. And I speak the way I feel, the way I perceive, the way I think. Donald, his aggressiveness has come to the worlds attention. For us in Mexico, we consider him an absolute danger, trying to break and divide what we have built for so long in the border, in the relationship of our two nations So one part of my reaction has to do with combating his aggressiveness, his discrimination. The other part has to do with his ignorance.

Story continues

After you apologized if you offended Trump, he said I accept his apology and Were going to have a great relationship with Mexico? Is he right?

That was, at a point in time, my strategy. I said one way to go is to fight him, to oppose him, the other one is my compassionate side, my commitment to a dialogue. Accepting an apology is one of the best values a human being can have. So I said let me try this approach and see if we can deal with him in a different manner, but also to test him, to test his positions, to test his character. And hes shown to be extremely weak.

So he failed the test?

Yes, of course. He has failed all along. His absolute inconsistency in his positions, this very lousy way of trying to gain votes in speaking one day badly and aggressively against African Americans and then the next day asking them for support, telling the Hispanic community youre criminals, youre rapists, Im going to throw you out of this country, and now hes trying to get through a message that hes not that bad, that he wants to do that because he loves that community because he thinks there are great people there. He thinks that everybody is stupid, especially the U.S. voters and the Hispanics and African Americans. Who is going to believe him with these dramatic and profound changes in opinion and public policies? Which is going to be the Trump of the presidency (which I hope we never get there)? And finally his obsession [and] his very unmanly behavior with his opponent Hillary [Clinton]. Thats not the way to show that youre presidential.

Its incredible that we have run so low, so vulgar, and all of this has been provoked by him. He came like the bad guy, like the street fighter, like the gang member to break everybody who stands in front of him. This nation is so great, so powerful, its such a leader. Why can Trump tell people that hes going to make America great? That poor guy with such poor thinking, how can he make America great?

Tell me something nice about Donald Trump. Is there anything you admire about him?



Unfortunately not. Not even his hair. What can you admire about a person like this? You cannot admire anything about him, hes such a poor human being that I dont see any qualities in him. So no admiration for him at all.

Hillary Clinton has also been critical of free trade, and has said NAFTA has hurt a lot of American workers. Is she right?

I am sure she doesnt believe that. I am sure shes for trade. This is what has made America great. Shes been moved to the corner because she wants to keep the center electorate, but she doesnt believe in that. She will be open for trade.

You are modeling your presidential library after Bill Clinton. Why him?

He is a champion around the world. Hes done more for the world than any individual person in relation to poverty, in relation to nutrition, in relation to health. Its incredible that theyre being attacked, but I know the [Clinton] Foundation, I know how great it is.

You have said you are for legalizing all drugs because government should not be controlling peoples lives. Are you concerned about the message that would send to kids about the harm of drugs?

I can tell you that the formula works, and works pretty well. You avoid criminals and violence, you refuse their mode of money that nourishes the cartels, and that is a great solution to the violence problem. In relation to the health problem, I have not ever heard of anybody dying from an overdose of marijuana.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife bought expensive homes from a major government contractor. Do you think what he did was O.K.?

It could have been O.K. because it was supposed to be a purchase made by his wife. What they have managed poorly is to explain what happened there [and] to put the information with transparency in front of public opinion. And now hes got that mark for the rest of his life.

Whats the most exotic animal skin you have cowboy boots made out of?

I like regular leather. I like that much better than the fancy exotic leathers. They have a great softness for your feet.

This interview has been lightly edited.
By Ian Simpson (Reuters) - Virginia Republican leaders said they will file a contempt motion on Wednesday against Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe over his efforts to restore voting rights to about 206,000 felons. The motion comes the week after McAuliffe said he had restored voting rights to almost 13,000 felons on a case-by-case basis after the state Supreme Court blocked his blanket clemency effort. McAuliffe's executive order was seen as a possible aid in tipping Virginia, a swing state in the Nov. 8 presidential election, in favor of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Opinion polls show her leading Republican candidate Donald Trump in the state. After a thorough legal review, it is clear that Governor McAuliffe has once again illegally suspended the Constitution of Virginia, House of Delegates Speaker William Howell said in a statement. He was joined in the 27-page motion by Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment and four voters. The Republican lawmakers said they would ask the high court to hold McAuliffe in contempt for his bid to work around the justices' July 22 ruling that he lacked the constitutional authority to restore felons' political rights as a group. McAuliffe criticized the motion, saying his office has complied with the order and set up a process that was in line with it. "The people who have filed it are more concerned with the impact new voters could have on Donald Trumps campaign than they are with the dignity of the people whom they continue to drag through the mud with their political lawsuits and ugly attacks," he said in a statement. McAuliffe has said his original order would move Virginia away from lifetime disenfranchisement that hits African-Americans particularly hard. Many of the convicts who benefited were African-Americans or Latinos, two groups that have voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates in the past. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, won Virginia in 2012 and 2008. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
This week the ride-hailing app Uber announced a partnership with Visa that allows users to earn free rides by swiping the Visa card tied to their Uber account. It's called Local Offers, and here's how the system works.

Customers can simply "enroll" in any of the participating businesses that interest them on Uber's app. Then, each time they spend a dollar at one of the related businesses on their Visa-branded debit or credit card, they'll earn one Uber point toward a free ride. Rack up 100 points, and they could score a free lift worth up to $10.

Local Offers has already been integrated into Uber's app, so it shouldn't be hard to find a list of places to patronize. And because there are no codes or coupons to manage, the site says, all you'll need to do is make sure you have your Visa card on hand to pay  that is, at a participating business. You can watch the points add up in the Uber app as riders' point balances increase upon swiping.

For now, Local Offers is only available in California  it's rolling out in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Playing It Safe

Remember, it's one thing to score a free ride by doing what you'd normally do with a credit card. But the last thing you want to do is tank your credit by going overboard. If you weren't planning to visit Barcito or Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que  two restaurants on Uber's list of participating businesses  you probably shouldn't go just to get the free Uber points. (Then again, barbecue is never a bad decision, if you ask us.)

Also, don't forget to read the terms and conditions of any rewards program carefully so you understand what you're signing up for. You can see how your spending habits are affecting your finances by viewing two of your free credit scores on Credit.com.



More from Credit.com


From Esquire

Vladimir Putin was arrested at a West Palm Beach supermarket on Monday, CNN reports, but the charges do not, sadly, include espionage. No, this particular Vladimir Putin found screaming at employees at a Publix grocery story was not the former KGB agent turned Russian authoritarian leader. This Vladimir Putin happens to be from the state of Florida.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Stories" customtitles="The 47 Wildest Florida Man Headlines of 2015|Florida Man Arrested for Driving 110 While Naked|Florida Man Fights to Keep Pet Alligator" customimages="||" content="article.40729|article.40288|article.46743"]

When police arrived at the scene,Putin told them he had "missed his ride," which CNN wisely points out would never happen to Russia Man Vladimir Putin. Florida Man Vladimir Putin also refused to give his name to police, according to their report, which pretty much makes sense. He was charged with "resisting and/or obstructing an officer without violence."

The whole episode prompts a disturbing question: What if Russia was ruled by a Florida Man? Can you bring your pet gator to the Kremlin?

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Breastfeeding is still a touchy subject, but at least its on its way to being desensitized, and the proof is in Vogue Brazils September issue. The cover features model Carol Trentini breastfeeding her son with nothing but a trench coat on. Has motherhood ever looked so glamorous?

Zee Nunes shot the cover during Trentinis pregnancy and after. Photos from the shoots depict the model while she was seven months pregnant and two months after she welcomed her son. The mother of two, wearing a brocade coat covered in brooches, also posed with her older son in the spread. The magazines website published a video of the shoot that will bring you to tears at the sheer beauty of this women, her family, and the message the photos send.

Photo: Zee Nunes for Vogue Brazil

Trentini shared the cover on Instagram with the caption Breast-feeding my baby boy for @voguebrasil THANK YOU. No, Carol. Thank you, for reminding us that what is too often seen as controversial is actually just beautiful.

This isnt the first time a magazine has tackled the drama surrounding public breastfeeding. In Glamours September 2014 issue, Olivia Wilde was pictured nursing her son. Breast-feeding is the most natural thing. I dont know, now it feels like Otis should always be on my breast. It felt like we were capturing that multifaceted woman weve been discussing  that we know we can be. You can be someone who is at once maternal and professional and sexy and self-possessed. I mean, I certainly dont really look like that when Im [typically] breast-feeding. And theres usually a diaper involved, she said in the magazine.

The June 2015 issue of Elle Australia featured Nicole Trunfio in a black Prada dress while holding her son. However, subscribers to the magazine opened up their mail to find an extra special surprise: a different cover, featuring Trunfio breastfeeding her baby. This wasnt a contrived situation: Zion needed a feed, Nicole gave it to him, and when we saw how beautiful they looked we simply moved her onto the set, Elles editor in chief Justine Cullen said of the cover. It was a completely natural moment that resulted in a powerful picture.

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And lets not forget the cover of Time featuring a mother with a controversially aged boy nursing. That one might not have given breastfeeding the best rap, but it made an impact. Other than that, we are so thrilled with the positive attention this natural part of reproduction has received from magazines.

Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.


By Maria Carolina Marcello and Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Senate ousted President Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday, ending an impeachment process that polarized Latin America's biggest country amid a massive corruption scandal and brutal economic crisis. Senators voted 61-20 to convict the country's first female president for illegally using money from state banks to bankroll public spending, marking the end of 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule. Rousseff's opponents hailed the removal of the former leftist guerrilla as paving the way for a change of fortunes for Brazil. But her conservative successor, Michel Temer, the former vice president who has run Brazil since her suspension in May, inherits a bitterly divided nation with voters in no mood for the austerity measures needed to heal public finances. Until just a few years ago, Brazil's was booming economically and its status was rising on the global stage. The economy then slid into its deepest recession in decades, however, and a graft scandal at state oil company Petrobras tarnished Rousseff's coalition. Millions took to the streets this year to demand her removal, less than two years after she was re-elected. A string of corruption scandals, led by the Petrobras scheme, has engulfed vast swaths of Brazils political class and business elites over the past 2-1/2 years. Temer, who was sworn in by Congress to serve the remainder of the presidential term through 2018, will likely face tough opposition from the Workers Party both on the streets and in Congress to his agenda of privatizations and reforms to Brazil's generous pension and welfare laws. Standing outside the presidential residence flanked by supporters, Rousseff insisted on her innocence and said her removal was a "parliamentary coup" backed by the economic elite that would roll back social programs that lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty over the last decade. "They think they have beaten us but they are mistaken," Rousseff said, adding that she would appeal the decision using every legal means. "At this time, I will not say goodbye to you. I am certain I can say 'See you soon'." The end of the Workers Party's long grip on power sparked angry reactions from leftist governments across the region. Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador announced they would recall their ambassadors, while Cuba's Communist government branded Rousseff's ouster part of an "imperialist" offensive against progressive governments in Latin America. The U.S. State Department voiced confidence that strong bilateral relations with Brazil would continue, adding the country's democratic institutions had acted within the constitutional framework. In an unexpected move, Brazil's Senate voted 42-36 to allow Rousseff to retain the right to hold public office - in a break with Brazil law that specifies a dismissed president should be barred from holding any government job for eight years. The move appeared to demonstrate unease among some senators, notably within Temer's own fractious Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), over whether a budgetary sleight of hand that is common in Brazil was truly an impeachable offense. Aecio Neves, leader of the center-right PSDB party that backs Temer, said the divisions within Temer's party had caused acute concern among his allies, but he denied there was any prospect of a split. "Today we turned an important page in the history of our country," said Neves, who narrowly lost the 2014 election to Rousseff. "Brazil has given itself a new chance, to look to the future and construct and agenda for reform in line with the economic crisis." HONKING HORNS, FIREWORKS Motorists honked car horns in the Brazilian capital to mark the removal of a president whose popularity had dwindled to single figures since winning re-election in 2014. In Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, fireworks exploded in celebration after the vote. Temer has vowed to boost an economy that has shrunk for six consecutive quarters and implement austerity measures to plug a record budget deficit, which cost Brazil its investment-grade credit rating last year. An upturn in corporate investment in the second quarter provided a glimmer of economic hope for Temer and economists expect a return to growth before the end of the year. Brazil's stocks and real currency slightly accelerated gains following the Senate's decision but the reaction was muted as most traders were already counting on the result. Market analysts said investors would now be looking to Temer to quickly deliver on his promises of reform, notably a constitutional change to limit spending increases in coming years. "What changes now, with Temer definitively confirmed, is that the pressure will increase on him to deliver," said Newton Rose, chief economist at Sulamerica Investimentos. "The honeymoon is over, and the market wants to know now how capable he is to govern and put the government accounts in order." Temer's government risks entanglement in the ongoing investigation into kickbacks at Petrobras, which ensnared dozens of politicians in Rousseff's coalition. Three of Temers ministers have already had to step down due to the links to the scandal, which could hobble efforts to restore confidence. Rousseff became the first Brazilian leader dismissed from office since 1992, when Fernando Collor de Mello resigned before a final vote in his impeachment trial for corruption. (Additional reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Alonso Soto in Brasilia, Bruno Federowski and Guillermo Parra-Bernal in Sao Paulo; Writing by Daniel Flynn and Brad Haynes; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Tom Brown)
Watch Stranger Things actor Gaten Matarazzo KILL the national anthem at a Mets game

Watch Stranger Things actor Gaten Matarazzo KILL the national anthem at a Mets game

Just when you thought the cast of Stranger Things couldnt get any cooler, the cutest cast member goes ahead and does something mind-blowingly awesome. Back in 2015, before Gaten Matarazzo stole all the hearts as Dustin of Stranger Things, he belted out the national anthem at a Mets game with his older sister Sabrina, and they absolutely killed it.

As reported by the New York Post, the sensationally talented sibs auditioned for the gig by singing Pinks F**kin Perfect. The judges loved them, obvs, and they sang The Star Spangled Banner in front of over 57,000 people at Citi Field on September 18th, 2015.

giphy (46)

And thats not even the first time his voice impressed the good people of the Internet. EW shared a video of Gaten singing Bring Him Home from Les Mis back in 2014, and it will give you CHILLS.

Its hard to believe this is the same kid that screechily screams with glee at the sight of a pudding-filled fridge.

giphy (44)

But thats clearly just a testament to Gatens unbelievable talent.

The best part about all of this is that hes best known as the toothless kid from Stranger Things, who loves his friends as much as he loves candy and Dungeons and Dragons, and gets picked on for his lisp and voice.

giphy (45)

Time for those bullies to bow down, because this kiddo has some serious pipes. And now well just watch this on repeat as we eagerly await Season 2!

The post Watch Stranger Things actor Gaten Matarazzo KILL the national anthem at a Mets game appeared first on HelloGiggles.
From Cosmopolitan

Sexual assault cases are often given short shrift in this country, and it's no different in my home state of Texas. In 2011, when I learned of the challenges sexual assault survivors face in the criminal justice system, my office in the state Senate, working with the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, set out to do something about it.

By the end of the 2013 Texas legislative session, we felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Over the prior two sessions, we'd pushed the passage of three important bills to benefit survivors: One, a law to determine the number of rape kits sitting untested across our state and the subsequent commitment of financial resources to test them. Our backlog numbered somewhere around 20,000 kits, a staggering sum.

We also passed a new law requiring that sexual assault survivors be kept informed of the status of the testing of their kits, so they could use that knowledge to assure that their kits weren't being shelved.

And finally, we passed an important law mandating that emergency rooms be prepared to collect sexual assault evidence - or be required to transfer a patient to another hospital that could do so.

This last law was made possible because of a courageous woman in my district named Nicole Anderson.

Anderson had been sexually assaulted in her office after staying late one night at work to have a drink with colleagues. When she didn't come home or answer her phone, Anderson's sister drove to Anderson's office, where she found Anderson facedown on the bathroom floor, her skirt pulled up and a male colleague standing over her. It seemed clear to her sister that Anderson had been sexually assaulted and drugged, because Anderson had no memory of what had happened.

The sisters drove to two different Arlington hospitals, but neither could provide a rape kit. Ultimately, they were directed to a Dallas hospital - one of only two of Dallas County's 46 hospitals that provide rape kits. After five hours, three hospitals, and a total of about 50 miles, Anderson received the exam she needed. By then, there was no trace of the drug in her system.

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When I read about Nicole Anderson's experience in the Dallas Morning News in October of 2012, only a couple of months before my third legislative session began, I understood that we had a much bigger problem on our hands than the backlog of untested rape kits that I'd been working on.

It appeared we had a broader issue with how rape is viewed and how the criminal justice system responds to it. I knew my office needed to tackle this too.

Nicole gathered all her strength and traveled to our state capitol to testify in favor of the bill, reliving the trauma of her experience as she shared it with members of the Criminal Justice Committee. When the law, Senate Bill 1191, passed successfully, we believed that we had now prevented any future experiences like Nicole's from happening again.

Until I read Dinisha Ball's story on Cosmopolitan.com last week. Three years after I'd passed a law meant to help women like her, Dinisha Ball still had to wait nine hours and drive to three emergency rooms in Houston to get a rape kit. I found myself angrily wondering, What is going on here?

Photo credit: DREW ANTHONY SMITH

Clearly, our challenge isn't just about assuring compliance with S.B. 1191, which requires hospitals to provide sexual assault evidence collection. And it's not just about providing information to sexual assault survivors that empowers them to stay involved with their own cases. Or making sure that sexual assault evidence is collected in a way that preserves an appropriate chain of custody so it can be used in court. Or ensuring that we have the financial resources to test the kits once they are prepared.

I now realize that we have much greater challenges to confront.

Why did Dinisha and Nicole experience such indignities? Why are rapists' hands merely slapped by judges who worry that anything harsher might "have a severe impact" on assailants? Why do we still have an enormous rape kit backlog around the country? And why is there a pervasive climate of sexual assault on college campuses?

Something bigger is at play here.

I believe that that something bigger is tied to the unspoken but very real idea that sexual assault doesn't rise to the level of an actual "crime." Perhaps even deeper and more unsettling than that: Could the failure to appropriately respond to and criminalize acts of sexual assault be linked to the fact that most victims are women? Could it be because of lingering beliefs around the archaic and absurd notion that rape survivors must somehow have been responsible for their own assault?

Whatever that "something bigger" is, it is widespread and deeply, deeply disturbing - and it begs of us a response to understand and resolve it.

That means getting rid of judges who barely penalize assailants. It means electing legislators who will prioritize solutions for survivors and appropriate criminal justice responses. And it means holding accountable anyone who looks the other way when assaults are occurring under their watch.

As our Vice President Joe Biden says, it's on us to force the solutions needed.

I believe we are up to it.

Wendy Davis served in the Texas State Senate from 2009 to 2015, where she focused much of her legislative efforts on issues impacting women's equality, including reproductive rights, equality of pay, and justice for survivors of sexual assault. She is the founder of Deeds Not Words, a nonprofit organization focused on connecting young women's passion for gender equality into meaningful action.

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My wife and I recently had visitors  from another planet. They said they were from North Carolina, but I knew better. One of them claimed to be an old friend. She looked and sounded just like the woman I knew, but her body had clearly been taken over by an alien from Planet Selfie.

Everywhere we went, we had to stop in the middle of whatever we were doing to take selfies. Wine tasting. Hiking. Playing with the dogs. Going out to dinner. Eating dinner. Late at night, they had this other-worldly ritual they called shag dancing to beach music. It was truly horrifying to watch.

My alien friends daughter is a millennial. Millennials were the first to go. Kim Kardashian. Khloe Kardashian. Justin Bieber. Miley Cyrus. But the creatures didnt stop there. They got Tyra Banks and Tom Hanks, too. Theyve even taken over heads of state like India prime minister Narendra Modi, who literally takes selfies with everyone.

Theres a good chance that our next president has already been subjugated. Hillary Clinton seems absolutely enthralled with the act at campaign events. If you catch a picture of her taking a selfie of herself taking a selfie, thats a sure sign. Keep an eye out.

The alien invasion seems to have left some world leaders completely void of any sense of decency and decorum. Denmark prime minister Helle Thorning actually took a selfie with Barack Obama and then British prime minister David Cameron  all smiles while attending Nelson Mandelas memorial, no less.

A recent study shows a link between compulsive male selfie-takers and psychopathy, narcissism and self-objectification. That would explain Anthony Weiners behavior. The former congressman was caught in another sexting scandal this week, prompting his wife to leave. Youve got to wonder how she remained human while married to him and working for Clinton. She must have some sort of immunity.

Most concerning, the aliens appear to be going after our children, as well. A Florida student recently took a selfie sporting an enormous grin while, in the background, his grimacing teacher is having contractions and possibly going into labor. Of course, he posted it on Twitter. The Twitterati are all selfie-obsessed aliens.

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The more bodies they inhabit, the more emboldened the creatures seem to become. Theyve flooded the planet with a potent weapon they call selfie sticks. Im pretty sure thats how they subdue humans so they can enter our bodies.

While we have no idea where the aliens come from and what they actually look like, my guess is that theyre from a world akin to prehistoric Earth and resemble dinosaurs. Clearly the latest selfie craze, T. Rex hands (invented by Instagram alien Huda Kattan) is a crude, initial attempt at morphing human hosts into their native form.

In time, I suspect that the human race will evolve one short arm (for the T. Rex hand) and one elongated arm (for selfie taking). Also our faces will probably begin to take on selfie-compatible features such as duck face, fish gape, sparrow face, side eye or smizing, which are obviously related to extraterrestrial mating rituals.

Look, I dont want to create any hysteria, but the sooner we understand the extraterrestrials invasion strategy and tactics, the better. In addition to those who are young and impressionable, their primary targets appear to be socialites, celebrities and politicians. They must find it easier to inhabit weak-minded individuals.

If youre concerned that someone close to you may be affected, of course, the big tell is compulsive selfie-taking, but there are other clues Ive noticed.

If they spend much of their time streaming movies, music and videos and binging on TV programs, that could be an early sign. If they are obsessed with the show BrainDead, cant stop listening to You Might Think by The Cars, and love cherry blossoms and vegetable smoothies, do not let them in the house. And look out for selfie sticks.

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ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - The White House does not have evidence suggesting Russia was involved in an air strike that killed Islamic State leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The United States and its coalition partners carried out a strike on Tuesday against Adnani, one of the last living senior members of the Islamic State militant group. Moscow has claimed that Russian airstrikes in Syria on Tuesday had killed Adnani, who served as a spokesman for Islamic State. "I am not aware of any facts that would substantiate a claim like that," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Air Force One. Earnest said Adnani "has been a leading proponent of a strategy that encourages individuals to carry out lone wolf attacks around the world," and that he played an active role in recruiting support for Islamic State. Separately, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters that historically Russia had not devoted "much, if any effort" to targeting Islamic State's leadership and had not used precision weaponry regularly. "If thats changing, that would be a good thing, but again we have no information at this time to support the claim that they also conducted a strike, Cook said during a regular briefing at the Pentagon. Islamic State said on Tuesday that Adnani was killed in an air strike in Aleppo province. Earlier on Wednesday, a U.S. defense official told Reuters that Russia's claim was a "joke." (Reporting by Roberta Rampton,Timothy Gardner and Idrees Ali; Editing by David Gregorio)
Photo credit: Getty

From Town & Country

Update 1/23/16: In an interview broadcast yesterday, President Donald Trump reiterated his aversion to vacations and his promise not to take a presidential salary.

"There's just so much to be done," Trump said in a 60 Minutes interview. "So I don't think we'll be very big on vacations, no."

Regarding the traditional $400,000-a-year presidential pay, Trump said: "No, I'm not going to take the salary. I'm not taking it."

Original 8/30/16: Donald Trump might be the proud owner of Mar-a-Lago, the 128-room "great estate of Palm Beach," but the presidential nominee is not a fan of taking time off to relax and unwind.

"Don't take vacations. What's the point? If you're not enjoying your work, you're in the wrong job." -- Think Like A Billionaire - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2012

When asked by the Boston Globe when the mogul last took a vacation, his spokeswoman Hope Hicks responded simply: "Mr. Trump prefers to work."

A vacation "would bore and perhaps scare him,"Abe Wallach, a former longtime Trump Organization executive, told the newspaper. "He needs constant activity and gratification."

Trump himself tweeted, "Don't take vacations. What's the point? If you're not enjoying your work, you're in the wrong job," in 2012, quoting his book Think Like a Billionaire.

Wallach said that he would speak to Trump on a daily basis, sometimes twice a day, when he took his own vacation time. Another former employee, Barbara Res, said that during the first four years she worked for the Trump Organization, she took only said she took only two vacations. During one of them, a trip to Arizona, Trump asked, "How long are you going to be there? When are you coming back?"

"Don't take vacations. What's the point? If you're not enjoying your work, you're in the wrong job."-Donald Trump

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The nominee has been critical of Barack Obama for his biannual vacations: "He takes more vacations than any human being I've ever seen," he said on Greta Van Susteren's Fox News show in 2011. "It sends a bad message. Here we have a country that really is going to hell in a handbasket ... and we have a president that's constantly, whether it's Martha's Vineyard or someplace else, constantly on vacation."

Photo credit: Getty

More recently, Trump criticized Obama for not leaving his Martha's Vineyard vacation early to tour the flood destruction in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence, visited the area on Friday, August 19). Obama arrived a week ago, on Tuesday, August 23.

For her part, Trump's rival Hillary Clinton hasn't taken a vacation during her campaign, a spokesman told People: "Might do two days later in the month but that's not scheduled yet. Even on days she isn't campaigning in public, she is doing campaign meetings so she really hasn't taken any time yet."

And while Trump has said he may take some time off if he loses the election in November, Wallach doesn't believe it for a second: "He could be very busy suing people and various organizations as a result of his loss. He has to be in the press every minute every single day. You can't do that if you're on vacation."

To read the full story, head to the Boston Globe's website.

[H/T: Time]

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Looking for a stock that might be in a good position to beat earnings at its next report? Consider Louisiana-Pacific Corp. LPX, a firm in the Building Products - Wood industry, which could be a great candidate for another beat.

This company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. In fact, in these reports, LPX has beaten estimates by at least 10% in both cases, suggesting it has a nice short-term history of crushing expectations.

Earnings in Focus

Two quarters ago, LPX expected to post earnings of 2 cents per share, while it actually produced earnings of 7 cents per share, a significant beat. Meanwhile, for the most recent quarter, the company looked to deliver earnings of 25 cents per share, when it actually saw earnings of 28 cents per share instead, representing a 12% positive surprise.

LOUISIANA PAC Price and EPS Surprise

LOUISIANA PAC Price and EPS Surprise | LOUISIANA PAC Quote

Thanks in part to this history, recent estimates have been moving higher for Louisiana-Pacific. In fact, the Earnings ESP for LPX is positive, which is a great sign of a coming beat.

After all, the Zacks Earnings ESP compares the most accurate estimate to the broad consensus, looking to find stocks that have seen big revisions as of late, suggesting that analysts have recently become more bullish on the companys earnings prospects. This is the case for LPX as the firm currently has a Zacks Earnings ESP of 20.69%, so another beat could be around the corner.

This is particularly true when you consider that LPX has a great Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) which can be a harbinger of outperformance and a signal for a strong earnings profile. And when you add this solid Zacks Rank to a positive Earnings ESP, a positive earnings surprise happens nearly 70%of the time, so it seems pretty likely that LPX could see another beat at its next report, especially if recent trends are any guide.

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By Tom Bergin

LONDON (Reuters) - The European Commission (EC) ordered Apple Inc. to pay Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) on Tuesday as it ruled the firm had received illegal state aid.

What is the EC alleging?

The European Union's (EU) executive arm has ruled that Ireland made a deal with Apple that had no basis in tax law. The Commission said this involved cutting Apple's tax bill to almost zero, in return for Apple building factories in Ireland.

The EC says that is unfair and that Apple must pay Ireland the tax it would have paid if normal tax rules were applied.

Why does the EU care if Ireland does not tax Apple?

The EU believes sweetheart tax deals help divert investment and jobs away from countries where it would normally go. Also, the tens of billions of dollars in profits which Apple enjoys tax free in Ireland each year are generated almost exclusively outside Ireland. Hence, Ireland's deal deprives other EU countries of tax revenue they might otherwise earn.

Is Ireland about to land a windfall?

Not anytime soon. Irelands finance minister said he plans to appeal the ruling in Europes highest court. That will likely take two years or more and Apple may make legal challenges and is also likely to be able to fight any demands from Ireland's Revenue Commissioners in Irish courts, tax lawyers say.

Might Apple settle?

It can certainly afford to, with more than $200 billion in cash or readily marketable securities. But since $13 billion is not a major sum for Apple, investors won't be too worried about the uncertainty it faces and consequently it won't be under pressure from shareholders to settle. The company has been aggressive in defended its tax practices, with CEO Tim Cook testifying to Congress on the issue.

What does the U.S. government think?

The U.S. Treasury and lawmakers have criticized the EU approach of using competition law to challenge tax rulings. They say the approach is targeting U.S companies, deviates from accepted international practice and threatens U.S. investment in Europe.

Story continues

A U.S. Treasury Department White Paper last week said "it continues to consider potential responses should the Commission continue its present course". U.S law allows the President to double taxes on citizens and companies from countries which apply discriminatory or extraterritorial taxes on U.S. firms.

If the EC prevails, does this means that multinationals won't be able to avoid tax in the EU?

No. The Commissions case against Ireland was helped by its ability to secure access to documents in which Irish officials were unusually frank about the agreement they made with Apple.

EU states wanting to secure investment by helping companies avoid tax will in future be more careful about leaving a paper trail which could suggest a tax ruling is a sweetheart deal.

The EUs principal legal adviser on tax, Richard Lyal, wrote in a legal journal last year that It is likely to be only in extreme cases that one can with confidence say that a particular decision reflects a misapplication of the chosen method".

Without evidence of an "extreme" deviance from accepted norms, the Commission would likely be reluctant to initiate a tax case.

(Editing by Alexander Smith)
From Esquire

If your friend-or *cough* you *cough*-can't seem to keep up with friends at the bar, there's a new study out that explains why. (And no, the report doesn't just read "YOU'RE LAME" over and over again.)

Scientists at Washington State University studied why some people can take shot after shot of tequila without even getting wobbly on their feet while others get schwasted after a beer or two. It turns out that for the former, a certain receptor in the brain called GABAA overreacts to even small amounts of alcohol, hence slurred speech and swaying. For heavyweights, that receptor takes much longer to be stimulated...which can lead to drinking problems and alcoholism.

Photo credit: Giphy

In fact, researchers believe that increasing the sensitivity of this receptor could prevent people from binge-drinking.

"If you're sensitive to the motor-impairing effects of alcohol, you don't tend to drink much," David Rossi, assistant professor of neuroscience at Washington State, said in a statement. "You're inhibiting the circuit that executes normal motor function. If you're not sensitive, you drink more."

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Uber, the ride-hailing juggernaut valued at some $68 billion, has made headlines lately by promoting pilot plans for driverless vehicles. But at the moment, the San Francisco, Calif. startup is intensely focused on shoring up its relationship with its human drivers.

Since it was founded seven years ago, Uber has taken enough investment capital to turn it into the worlds most valuable startup. Its global reach, market share, number of customers, and revenues have surged. And yet the company, to some extent, is still searching for a business model. Uber is a private company and doesnt disclose the details of its finances. But earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that the firm has lost at least $1.27 billion in the first half of 2016. Losses over the course of the firms existence, the report claimed, total at least $4 billionan unprecedented figure even compared to Amazon, whose founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is famous for being willing to lose massive sums to gain market share, as well as infamous dot-com busts like Kozmo.com, Pets.com and Webvan.

If the reports are accurate, much of those losses are due to subsidies Uber provides its drivers. Indeed, Ubers relationship to its drivers is at the center of its competition with rivals, including ride-hailing startup Lyft as well as old-line taxi and limo services  they all need drivers, after all. The firm also spends a lot to attract passengers with discounts and other perks, gaining market share and thereby making the service more attractive to prospective drivers.

Uber has been working overtime recently to woo new drivers and satisfy existing ones. For example, on August 31, Uber announced a new arrangement with Stride Health, primarily a healthcare broker for workers in the so-called gig economy who lack many of the benefits of traditional full-time employment. Stride has been offering Uber drivers access to private health plans for two years. Now the company has released a new app free to Uber drivers intended to help them log their mileage and other expenses for the purpose of increasing their tax deductions. (Drivers could, for instance, deduct the depreciation of their vehicles if they own them.)

Drivers start their day by tapping go, and were tracking their mileage throughout the day, says Stride Health CEO Noah Lang. We also plug directly into their bank account, so were tracking other expenses and your income so you can understand where youre missing opportunities and how to maximize your take-home income. In an email, Uber Director of Business Development Jeff Miller said the app would make driving for the company more rewarding and stress-free.

The deal came on the heels of a similar arrangement with Betterment, an algorithmic retirement planning platform. Uber drivers who open a retirement account with Betterment have their fees waved for the first year, after which theyll be charged at a rate of 0.25%. And earlier this year, Uber struck a deal with a major labor union allowing New York drivers to bring complaints to the company on a regular basis. That arrangement, however, stopped short of creating a formal drivers union with the power to bargain over fares, which are set by the company. (The New York guild mirrors similar groups in California and Massachusetts that were to be set up under a settlement recently rejected by a federal judge.)

Uber has billed the moves as attempts to better the lives of its drivers. The company has been criticized for not offering full-time employment to workers. Being a driver can be difficult, with take-home pay fluctuating depending on changes in fare rates, gas prices and miles driven. Several Uber drivers told TIME theyre more interested in partnerships or features that put more money immediately in their pocket, like the addition of an in-app tipping feature. Tax deductions, however, are more of a delayed reward.

Some of the partnerships are definitely more helpful than others, says Harry Campbell, who runs The Rideshare Guy, a popular blog for drivers. Generally, its a trend were seeing, but as a driver myself and somebody who listens to a lot of drivers, a lot of these partnerships dont always affect their bottom line. I think thats the biggest thingif partnerships are affecting their bottom line, then theyre something that would be welcome. Campbell also highlights new features in Ubers app for drivers, including one dubbed Instant Pay that allows workers to collect money theyve earned right away rather waiting for a weekly bank deposit.

Taken together, Ubers efforts start to look like a patchwork version of the benefits enjoyed by workers in the regular economy, who often have an easier time filing taxes, participating in employer-based retirement plans and, in many cases, the right to unionize. Yet Uber and other gig economy companies argue their workers are not employees but independent contractors. Uber has said it is merely providing a technology platform connecting drivers with paying passengers.

That stance has fueled Ubers growth but also created headaches for the company. Drivers have filed lawsuits demanding to be recognized as full employees, calling the companys model into question. Deals with companies like Stride and Betterment, as well as new features like Instant Pay, could help appease restless drivers. (Uber also maintains a delicate balance between satisfying riders and drivers by lowering fares while subsidizing drivers to make up for their losses.)

Ubers projects, meanwhile, to potentially replace some human drivers with computerswhich dont need unions, healthcare, or retirement plansare still in the earliest stages. CEO Travis Kalanick is adamant that self-driving cars dont represent a threat to jobs. I can imagine 50,000 to 100,000 drivers, human drivers, alongside a million-car network, he told Business Insider. If I was working full-time, I would be scared, says Robert Berger, a 65-year old Florida retiree who drives for Uber for extra cash. But, he adds, I dont think its going to happen quickly.
Peter Ostrum, best known for portraying Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, is remembering his late co-star and friend, Gene Wilder, who died on Monday at the age of 83.

In an interview with Variety, Ostrum opened up about what it was like working with the iconic comedian, and the legacy his beloved candy-making character, Willy Wonka, left behind.

WATCH: Iconic Comedian Gene Wilder Dies at Age 83

"He was the pro and I was a rookie," Ostrum, now 58, said of he and Wilder's relationship on set. "[The crew] would break for lunch and Gene and I would always buy a chocolate bar and share it on the way back to the set."

Starring in Willy Wonka was Ostrum's first and only film role, as he left the business to become a veterinarian. Even though Ostrum told Variety he had not seen Wilder since filming wrapped on the 1971 movie, hearing the news of his death was "kind of like losing a parent."

"You know it's going to happen, but it's still a shock," Ostrum explained. "He was not in good health at the end and it was not unexpected by any means, but when it happens, it hits you like, 'Gene is gone and there will never be anyone like him again.'"

"He was a gentle man, but he was also a gentleman. He treated people with respect and dignity," Ostrum continued. "He was so quirky. You never knew what to expect from Gene. He never let on how he was going to read a line or convey an expression. That's why the film works, because he made Wonka so unpredictable."

Looking back, Ostrum says he'll forever cherish the memories he shared with the veteran actor, as well as Jack Albertson, who portrayed Charlie's grandpa Joe.

"To have made one film and to be associated with Jack and Gene, I feel like I really found the golden ticket," he gushed. "My gut feeling is that Willy Wonka wasn't [Gene's] favorite role, but that's the role now that people across the generations remember him for."

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As ET previously reported, Wilder -- who also starred in such classics as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and The Producers -- died of complications from Alzheimer's disease, which he had been battling privately for three years.

"We understand for all the emotional and physical challenges this situation presented we have been among the lucky ones -- this illness-pirate, unlike in so many cases, never stole his ability to recognize those that were closest to him, nor took command of his central-gentle-life affirming core personality," Wilder's nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, shared in a statement given to ET. "It took enough, but not that."

"The decision to wait until this time to disclose his condition wasn't vanity, but more so that the countless young children that would smile or call out to him, 'There's Willy Wonka,' would not have to be then exposed to an adult referencing illness or trouble and causing delight to travel to worry, disappointment or confusion," the statement continued. "He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world."

"He was 83 and passed holding our hands with the same tenderness and love he exhibited as long as I can remember," Walker-Pearlman concluded. "As our hands clutched and he performed one last breath the music speaker, which was set to random, began to blare out one of his favorites: Ella Fitzgerald. There is a picture of he and Ella meeting at a London Bistro some years ago that are among each or cherished possessions. She was singing 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow,' as he was taken away."

In a world of pure imagination... R42 pic.twitter.com/R2KD3kA0RK  Coldplay (@coldplay) August 30, 2016

On Tuesday, Coldplay honored the screen legend by performing an acoustic version of "Pure Imagination," the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory anthem made famous by Wilder, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Hear highlights from the British rock band's whimsical tribute in the video above.

WATCH: Mel Brooks, Russell Crowe & More React on Social Media to Gene Wilder's Death

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Birthdays are a day to celebrate yourself, but one California woman decided to make it about a good deed for others instead.

Read: Woman Wins Free Pizza for a Year and Donates Every Last Slice to Homeless Youth Shelter

Jennifer Hubbard of Napa celebrated her 28th birthday last weekend by hosting her second annual "BBQ for the Hungry," for which she invited hundreds of less fortunate people in her community, and served them hot dogs, burgers, ribs, sodas and various other treats.

"We put out blankets and laid on the grass. We had music going. It was a couple hours of hanging out," Hubbard told InsideEdition.com. "It's been a lot more gratifying that way."

Though Hubbard said she remembers growing up in a household that struggled financially, she was baffled when she learned some people couldn't even afford a meal.

"[My parents] went Dumpster-diving for furniture and made regular trips to Goodwill, but I was always fed," Hubbard recalled. "So I never understood. It just blew my mind away that someone could go without a meal."

But Hubbard said for a few years, she, too, experienced times where the only place she had to sleep was in her car, or a friend's couch.

"I actually had a lot of bad birthdays," said Hubbard, who now works at an IT specialist for the Napa County Department of Education. "So I said, 'Forget it. My birthday's not for me anymore. I'm going to make it about other people,' and it's been a lot more gratifying that way."

On her 27th birthday, Hubbard hosted her first "BBQ for the Hungry." She distributed flyers to local homeless shelters and people on the streets, inviting more than 250 people for a day of food and fun in the park.

"Last year, we ran out [of food] and people were still coming up," Hubbard recalled, "So we went out and got more food. We ended up giving [everyone else] our leftovers."

Story continues

Last weekend, on Hubbard's 28th birthday, she prepared extra meals in advance, and had enough to feed 300 people.

"Seeing a lot more families show up this year  that really warms my heart," Hubbard said. "Just hearing people's stories and [hearing] 'happy birthday.' The whole experience, it's awesome."

Read: Boy, 5, Gifted Customized Patrol Car After Treating Cops to Lunch With Allowance Money

With the help of her GoFundMe page, she was even able to afford extras to give away, including "blessing bags" that contained toiletries and socks, and a raffle for gift cards.

"It's money to get to an interview, or the means to take a shower to be able to smell appropriately," she said. "It's just so difficult to get back on [your] feet if you have nothing."

Though she spent more than four months preparing for this year's event, she's excited for her next to be bigger than ever, which is why she's already started planning for her 29th birthday.

"It takes a lot, so this year, I'm planning all year long," she said.

To support her mission, visit Hubbard's GoFundMe page.

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Twelve years ago, Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government embarked on a top-secret mission to produce large batches of mustard gas, a crude World War I-era blister agent that Syria manufactured as part of a broader chemical weapons deterrent against militarily superior enemies, including Israel.

Between 2004 and 2007, Syria made some 385 metric tons of sulfur mustard, enough to fill thousands of artillery shells. But Syria has admitted to building only 15 Scud missiles capable of delivering 5 to 6 metric tons of the chemical agent, leaving a yawning gap that has left weapons inspectors questioning whether Syria may have retained a stockpile of tactical chemical munitions it has never acknowledged. Thats the conclusion of a highly confidential, 75-page report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reviewed exclusively by Foreign Policy.

Syrias claims raised a number of red flags. The OPCWs inspectors, as members of the watchdogs Declarations Assessment Team (DAT), initially expressed skepticism over Syrias claim that it only intended to fill Scud missiles with sulfur mustard; the blister agent is most effectively delivered through small-caliber [tactical] munitions, including artillery projectiles and battlefield rockets, they noted, not through medium-range missiles.

The discrepancy between the amount of sulfur mustard produced and the capacity of its designated munitions could indicate that some munitions and/or delivery means for sulfur mustard have not been declared, the DAT report stated.

The United States and its allies also expressed alarm over the potential for hidden Syrian stockpiles of forbidden weapons.

Syria has engaged in a calculated campaign of intransigence and obfuscation, of deception, and of defiance, Kenneth Ward, the U.S. representative to the OPCW, said at a meeting of the groups executive council in July. We  remain very concerned that [the chemical warfare agents] and associated munitions, subject to declaration and destruction, have been illicitly retained by Syria.

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The Assad regime claims it destroyed almost all the munitions. Syria said Branch 450, a secret military department responsible for filling chemical munitions, destroyed the vast majority of the stockpile  some 365 metric tons worth of sulfur mustard  in May 2012, about two months before Syria publicly acknowledged for the first time the existence of its chemical weapons program. The remaining 20 metric tons were disposed of under U.N. supervision after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov brokered a deal in September 2013 to eliminate the countrys remaining chemical weapons.

International inspectors have since confirmed through sampling that Syria did destroy mustard gas at four sites. But without an international team on the ground, the OPCW has been unable to verify the precise quantities of sulfur mustard destroyed, leaving open the possibility that the country kept more of the agent than it has let on.

And Syria has provided insufficient evidence to back up either of its claims. In April 2014, the Assad regime informed the DAT inspectors that it had destroyed most of the original documents related to its chemical weapons program to keep them from falling into the hands of anti-government armed opposition groups. The absence of original documentation on Syrias chemical weapons program has been a major barrier in corroborating much of the information provided by the Assad government, wrote OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu in the confidential summary.

The discrepancy in Syrias mustard gas inventory is only one of more than a dozen big mysteries surrounding the countrys chemical weapons program. Although the OPCW has confirmed the destruction of well over 90 percent of Syrias chemical weapons program, there remain serious questions over Damascuss claims that it has eliminated all its chemical weapons munitions, as well as precursors of deadly agents, including ricin, and nerve agents such as sarin, VX, and soman, according to the classified report. The chemical weapons inspectors suggest that without a dramatic improvement in Syrian cooperation, the world may never know for certain just how many toxic, nerve, and blister agents the Assad regime may have squirreled away. A significant amount of time and effort has already been expended in order to resolve the outstanding issue enumerated in this report, Uzumcu wrote in a two-page summary of the DAT paper. A continuation of this effort without a change of approach by the Syrian Arab Republic to resolve all the outstanding issues related to its declaration is unlikely to yield concrete results.

The DAT report, which was shared with members of the OPCW in July, provides an extraordinary glimpse into the history of a chemical weapons program kept secret for almost four decades. In late 1973, Syria established a secret agency, called Section 3600, to carry out research and development, production trials, and laboratory work on chemical weapons. The unit began a large-scale operation to procure chemical precursors abroad during the 1980s, according to a declassified report made by French intelligence. The program was primarily focused on generating highly lethal nerve agents, including sarin and VX. But Syria turned to the production of the more pedestrian sulfur mustard in 2004 as it struggled to acquire the raw materials needed to churn out nerve agents, according to the DAT report.

The current tussle to pin down the Syrian program evokes memories of the U.N. effort to disarm Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein of his chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs following the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s. Saddam secretly ordered the destruction of vast quantities of chemical and biological weapons in the Iraqi desert in the summer of 1991, making it virtually impossible to verify that the weapons allegedly incinerated had ever in fact been eliminated.

Weve seen part of this movie before; this is exactly the same kind of logic trail we went through in Iraq, said Charles Duelfer, a veteran U.N weapons inspector who went on to head the landmark CIA study that declared Iraqs weapons of mass destruction a figment of the imagination of George W. Bushs administration.

From what you describe, it sounds like there are bigger gaps in [the OPCWs] ability to verify Syrias declarations than we had with respect to Iraq, Duelfer said.

U.N. inspectors also had far greater coercive powers to compel Baghdad to cooperate, backed by the constant threat of U.S. and British jets. In contrast, OPCW inspectors must seek Syrias consent to disclose its full chemical weapons program. And the U.N. Security Council is unlikely to pressure Damascus to cooperate: The United States and Russia remain sharply divided over Syria.

Duelfer cautioned, however, that Iraq showed that misleading or inconsistent declarations dont necessarily mean there is a hidden weapons program. He said one of the greatest mistakes Americas intelligence agencies made was to assume that because Iraq lied about the status of its weapons program  which it did  it meant the country was hiding those weapons. It wasnt.

On one occasion, Duelfer recalled, the Iraqi government claimed to have buried a large batch of anthrax in the desert. The Iraqis directed the weapons inspectors to the spot where the deadly agent could be found  but when they got there, they found nothing. Years later, Duelfer interviewed the official responsible for burying the anthrax. He acknowledged lying  but not for the reason the inspectors thought. He had in fact buried the anthrax at another location, which was perilously close to one of Saddams presidential palaces; he was afraid hed be executed if the Iraqi leader found out.

Duelfer said the large gap in Syrias declaration of stores of mustard gas and munitions should rightly send up a red flag. But he cautioned against ruling out the possibility that Syria might be telling the truth and that the producers of excessive quantities of mustard gas simply made as much of the blister gas as their resources allowed.

I think perfection, in terms of their declaration and resolution of every discrepancy, may not be a realistic goal. But we can get more to the bottom of this than we are now, Rebecca Hersman, an expert on weapons of mass destruction at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told FP.

Governments, she said, should pursue incremental improvements in the worlds understanding of the program, and press the Syrians to give better explanations for what they are turning up or not. There is a lot of room to go before we have hit the brick wall.

Syria agreed in September 2013 to scrap its entire chemical weapons program, including tons of sulfur mustard. The move was a bid to avert threatened U.S. and French airstrikes, planned in response to Damascuss alleged use of chemical weapons a month earlier  U.S. President Barack Obamas famous red line. The deal, brokered with the help of Russia, led to the elimination of more than 90 percent of Syrias chemical weapons, including the removal of 1,300 tons of chemical agents.

But the United States and its European allies suspect Syria may have retained remnants of the program that could be used against its own people or its neighbors, including Israel and Turkey.

Syria initially attributed the gap in munitions to bad planning and the secretive nature of the chemical weapons program. The teams producing munitions, Syria explained, didnt know how much mustard gas was being produced. But the regime couldnt back up its story with any documentary evidence.

And its accounts of the program have been shifting over time. For instance, Syria initially claimed that only Scuds would be used for mustard gas. But Damascus subsequently acknowledged filling 113 modified hydrogen fluoride cylinders  devices typically used by insurgents to produce ground explosives  with purified sulfur mustard. But Syria said it never tested the cylinders, let alone used them in battle. Damascus also conducted tests with at least two M400 bombs filled with sulfur mustard. But regime officials insisted they never filled tactical munitions, including artillery shells, with mustard gas for use on the battlefield.

Photo credit: Anadolu Agency/Contributor
The southwest corner of Greenland is a barren place. Most of the time, the only living things you can see are moss and lichen. Occasionally though, you might also spot a few scientists, who have come to study the rocks of this desolate landscape, which happen to be among the oldest on Earth. They were created around 3.7 billion years ago, when our 4.5-billion-year-old planet was still in its childhood.

A few years ago, geologists Allen Nutman, Vickie Bennett, and Clark Friend were studying these ancient rocks when they noticed a few new outcrops that had been recently uncovered by melting snow. They walked over to one, and quickly found something unexpected: flat layers of rock with conical humps rising out of them. All of us suddenly thought: AH! We know what we think these are! recalls Nutman. We were very excited.

The trio realized that the structures looked exactly like stromatoliteslayered structures created by communities of ancient bacteria. These microbes lived in large mats, which produced sticky mucus that trapped sand grains and minerals. As the bacteria continued growing, they moved upwards, leaving layers of minerals in their wake. Over time, those minerals hardened into domes and mounds. Thats what stromatolites are: fossilized bits of bacterial architecture.

Life is not a fussy, reluctant and unlikely thing. Give life half an opportunity and itll run with it.

Until now, the oldest known stromatolites came from Western Australia, and were 3.48 billion years old. They represented the earliest convincing evidence of life on Earth. And the structures that Nutman, Bennett, and Friend discovered in Greenland are 3.7 billion years old220 million years older than the Australian ones. If the trio are reading them correctly, and they really were produced by bacteria, then they are easily the oldest fossils ever found.

If you condense the entire history of the Earth into a single calendar year, then the bacteria that created the Greenland fossils were alive in the second week of March. And since they were already sophisticated, capable of forming large colonies, life itself must have arisen much earlier, perhaps sometime in mid-February.

Story continues

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The implication is that once the Earth was born, it didnt take long for life to get going. As NASA geologist Abigail Allwood writes in an accompanying commentary, The cradle of life [might have been] ready and rocking when Earth itself was but an infant.

Stromatolites have long been controversial. Natural processes can produce structures that look very similar to stromatolites, and many scientists have become embroiled in long debates about whether a given bit of rock was really the work of microbes. Regardless, its commonly accepted that the oldest known stromatolites are from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and are 3.5 billion years old.

Stromatolites in Australia. Credit: Paul Morris

It seemed unlikely that researchers would find older ones, given that there are few other sites on Earth where older rocks actually exist. Western Greenlandand especially a coastal site called the Isua Greenstone Beltis an exception, but still a problematic one. Its rocks are certainly ancient, but theyve also been put through the wringer, warped and distorted by intense heat and pressure. They seemed unlikely to preserve the clean layers and shapes that make stromatolites so distinctive.

At first, Nutman and others searched the Greenland rocks for alternative signs, like chemical signatures that could betray the activity of living things. They found a few such signatures, but none made for a slam-dunk case. The chemical evidence could be interpreted as signs of life, but theres always been some element of doubt, says Nutman. But what we have now is something very differentsomething tangible and visible you can see, rather than a reading thats come out of an instrument.

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His team found what they think are stromatolites in three separate outcrops. These patches of rock are small, and like everything else in the region, theyve been heavily distorted. Still, the team managed to check off a long checklist of criteria that they think firmly identify them as stromatolites. For example, theres their shapesteep-sided cones or domes that look very much like the Pilbara stromatolites and unlike any structures formed through physical processes alone. These shapes represent stromatolites poking out of shallow water, as sand piles up against their sides.

They also differ from the rock around them in their structure and chemistryfor example, they contain fine layers, and high concentrations of titanium and potassium. They also harbor levels of yttrium and other rare elements that are consistent with seawater. Again, this suggests that theyre not simply portions of rock that have been folded into stromatolite-esque shapes. Instead, theyre the work of microbes, growing in a shallow ocean. When we look at these rocks, were getting a wonderful fortuitous snapshot of a very ancient time, says Nutman.

Allen Nutman and Vickie Bennet hold up a specimen of 3.7-billion-year-old stromatolite. Credit: Yuri Amelin

Nutman is a very careful worker, says Nora Noffke, a geologist who studies microbial mats. Shes on the fence about what these new structures are, given the poor quality of the preserving rock, but shes also optimistic that the Isua Greenstone Belt will yield clearer fossil evidence for early life.

Interpreting such structures will always be controversial, but their very existence is a good sign, adds astrobiologist Dorothy Oehler. It suggests that there might be even better preserved pockets of rock in the same region, where further potential evidence of such early life may be discovered.

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If Nutman is right that he has found stromatolites, microbes were already living in large and perhaps cooperative communities by 3.7 billion years ago. It suggests a certain sophistication of life, and that life originated significantly before that point, he says. This fits with the chemical evidence that he and others had already discovered in Greenland. And it fits with evidence from genetic studies, suggesting that the universal ancestor of all living things lived around 4 billion years ago. By the time the Greenland bacteria were making stromatolites, life already had a considerable prehistory, Nutman says.

The implications are staggering, Allwood writes. It means that life arose surprisingly quickly after the Earth was formed. It then persisted through a period 3.7 billion years ago, when the young Earth was regularly pelted by asteroids. If life could find a foothold here, and leave such an imprint that vestiges exist then life is not a fussy, reluctant and unlikely thing. Give life half an opportunity and itll run with it.

Perhaps it did so on other worlds, too. While the Greenland stromatolites were forming, Mars was still a wet planet. If life could have evolved so quickly on earth, theres no reason why it couldnt have evolved on Mars, which raises the possibility of detecting signs ancient life on Mars, says Nutman. Maybe the rovers of the future will beam back pictures of Martian stromatolites.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
After an already volatile week that saw the stock swing double-digit percentages in both directions, shares of SkyPeople Fruit Juice SPU were once again soaringthis time by over 35%--on Wednesday morning. While volume is high and investors are paying close attention to this nano-cap stock, do we really know why shares are moving or what this company does?

SkyPeople is a Chinese producer of fruit juice, juice concentrates, fresh fruit, and fruit byproducts. The company sells its juice under the brand Hedetang, with the majority of sales coming from its domestic business. Nevertheless, SkyPeople has exported juice to Canada, New Zealand, Mongolia, and Dubai.

According to the companys website, SkyPeople juices are available at over 20,000 retail points via about 100 distributors in more than 20 provinces throughout China. The company specializes in using the kiwifruit and owns the largest kiwifruit plantation in China.

The reason for the insane trading activity surrounding SkyPeople is a recently-released report from GeoInvesting. The research firm came across SkyPeople after discovering that it reached an agreement with the state-backed Shaanxi New Silk Road Kiwifruit Group to sell 51% of one of its subsidiaries.

With the understanding that nano-cap Chinese companies have been marred by numerous cases of fraud over the past several years, GeoInvesting dispatched an on-the-ground due diligence team to uncover the facts regarding this transaction.

SkyPeoples stock took a hit on Tuesday after various media entities reported that GeoInvestings due diligence report contained negative findings. However, the firm corrected those reports via Twitter on Wednesday morning:

The truth is that the transaction does value SkyPeoples subsidiary at $100 million, or $25 per share of SPU. With the companys market cap sitting at just $40 million, the transactionand GeoInvestings due diligencecould trigger a bullish run for the stock.

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Zacks Investment Research
On Monday afternoon, as Apple announced the date of its next hysteria-inducing press conference and product release, the European Unions antitrust regulators were preparing an announcement of their own: On Tuesday, the European Commission (EC) presented Apple with a 13 billion (about $14.5 billion) bill for back taxes covering nearly a decade of its operations in Irelandduring which the company paid an effective annual tax rate of between .005 percent and 1 percent, according to the EC.

In other words, regulators decided a multinational corporation would have to pay up for using shell companies to hide earnings and avoid paying billions in taxes. With the obvious exception of Apple, who wouldnt be happy about that?

Indeed, over at The Guardian, one columnist crowed that the ruling represented a huge victory in the fight against tax avoidance. Meanwhile, Des Cahill, the mayor of Cork, Irelands second-largest city and Apples Irish hub, immediately suggested that the money be set aside for local use. Many infrastructural projects like the Cork to Limerick motorway were cut by government during the downturn and should these funds become available Cork has to feel the benefit as Cork has been Apples epicenter, Cahill told The Wall Street Journal.

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But despite Irelands protracted austerity and looming economic uncertainty amid the impending Brexit, Cahills message, along with the announced penalty, were not embraced by the Irish government. Finance Minister Michael Noonan quickly vowed to lead an appeal against the EC ruling, lambasting it as the encroachment of EU state aid rules.

The United States also voiced disapproval of the EU decision. A spokesperson from the Treasury, which has previously characterized EU tax investigations as disproportionately focused on American companies, said the department was disappointed by the ruling. We believe that retroactive tax assessments by the commission are unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles, and call into question the tax rules of individual member states, the spokesperson added. In her remarks on Tuesday, Margrethe Vestager, the European competition commissioner, seemed to anticipate this criticism. This has to do with profits generated in Europe and recorded in Europe, she said. Whatever the issue Apple may have with the U.S. tax code is not an issue for us.

Story continues

Jeffrey Winters, a professor of political science at Northwestern University, could not muster much sympathy for Noonan and his compatriots. It is absurd for Ireland to complain that it is being forced by the EU to collect over $13 billion in taxes it should have received had Apple not abused its power and size, Winters wrote in an email. And if Ireland doesn't want the taxes, the U.S. should be arguing for claiming its share based on where Apple actually does a large portion of its business and sales.

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Winters added that he thought the United States should not be siding with Apple and Ireland. Instead of saluting the EU for this important move in favor of ordinary citizens, the U.S. government has gotten caught up in a stupid game of nationalism, claiming U.S. corporations are being unfairly targeted, Winters wrote to me. But what nationalism is Apple showing as it parks hundreds of billions of dollars in profits offshore and uses transfer pricing and shell corporations to avoid taxes?

As Tim Fernholz noted at Quartz, Tuesdays ruling hardly came as a surprise, given that in the past couple years a U.S. Senate committee and the EU each released reports signaling their disapproval of Apples tax arrangement. With hundreds of major multinational companies spread out across Ireland and the European Union, and dozens of tax investigations pending, Apples dispute with the EU may be the biggest to date, but it certainly wont be the last.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
From Country Living

If you've ever had a dog, chances are you have been convinced that Fido can speak English. After all, if you say "treat" or "squirrel" in practically another room, your dog will either zoom to your side to beg for food, or head to the nearest window to patrol for wildlife. A new scientific study proves that it's not just your imagination: your dog knows not only what you're saying, but the tone you use to say it.

Researchers at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary trained dogs to lie still in an fMRI scanner while researchers monitored their brain activity. While in the scanner, dogs listened to different combinations of words and tones that indicated praise or neutrality. Their trainers spoke praise words (like "super" or "good boy") with a neutral tone, praise words with a praising tone, neutral words (like "however" or "nevertheless") with a praising tone, and neutral words with a neutral tone. Meanwhile, the scanner was picking up the dogs' brain activity to see how they processed what they were hearing.

The study, which will be published in the journal Science, found that dogs process both the vocabulary and the intonation of the words they heard. And they process that information just like humans do, in the left hemisphere of their brains for vocabulary and the right hemisphere of the brain for intonation. Reward centers of their brains lit up the most in the scanner when praising words were met with a praising tone, which makes sense.

"This shows that dogs not only separate what we say from how we say it, but also that they can combine the two for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant," lead author Attila Andics said in a press release.

According to the New York Times, your dog still might respond happily if you say something mean in a happy voice, but that might be because she's factoring in your body language and facial expressions, too. So if you keep saying "bad dog," but in a way that appears happy, you might inadvertently be training your pet to think "bad dog" means "good dog." And then all bets are off.

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When Hong Kong goes to the polls on Sunday a new brand of politician pushing for a complete break from Beijing will be fighting for votes in a frustrated and divided city.

It is the most important election since the mass "Umbrella Movement" pro-democracy rallies of 2014, which failed to win political reform despite huge numbers and a global spotlight.

Since then, fears have grown that Beijing is tightening its grip in many areas of the semi-autonomous city -- from politics to education and media.

Some young activists now say there is only one choice: a declaration of independence from China.

Many residents still dismiss the idea as a pipe dream, but the independence movement has gathered momentum as authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing rail against it.

Government officials have slammed it as illegal and some of the most strident pro-independence campaigners have been banned from standing in Sunday's vote for members of the Legislative Council, the city's lawmaking body, known as Legco.

That only fuelled the fire, with thousands coming out in support of the five barred candidates at Hong Kong's first independence rally in early August and opinion polls suggesting as many as 17 percent of people favour splitting with China.

Some candidates advocating self-determination for Hong Kong have been allowed to stand although only one or two candidates have a chance of winning a seat in the 70-member assembly.

But even that would be a coup for a fledgling movement pushing for a notion that until recently was taboo.

Baggio Leung, 30, is one of three candidates from new party Youngspiration, campaigning for self-determination. Polls indicate he could take a seat.

"People from Beijing are trampling our values... we need to find a way out," he told AFP.

Leung says there is now little faith in the semi-autonomous "one country, two systems" model, under which the city has been governed since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 and which is supposed to protect its way of life for 50 years.

Story continues

"As the Communist Party in China is not fulfilling its promise, Hong Kong independence seems to be the only right option," says Leung.

- 'No way back' -

Nathan Law, 23, a leader of the 2014 pro-democracy rallies, is standing for office with new political party Demosisto, also pushing for a self-determination vote.

Law says he does not want to see Hong Kong become just another Chinese city.

"Since the Umbrella Revolution there is no way back," Law told AFP. "I feel a responsibility to this place."

However, a swing towards young activists on Sunday could ultimately benefit Beijing as it might tip the finely balanced Legco in the establishment's favour.

Currently, pro-democracy lawmakers hold 27 of 70 seats, enabling them to block bills, which need to pass by two thirds.

If new activists and veteran democrats, whose popularity is waning, split votes, pro-Beijing candidates may pick up extra seats.

That could further undermine the legitimacy of Hong Kong's political framework in the eyes of young campaigners.

"The younger generations and supporters of democracy may feel that fighting within the Legco has reached a dead end," says Chung Kim-wah, professor of social sciences at the University of Hong Kong.

For their part, pro-Beijing politicians argue any split from China would be a disaster for Hong Kong.

"'One country, two systems' is what brought Hong Kong here today... the pro-establishment camp needs to ensure Hong Kong's prosperity and stability," says candidate Wong Kwok-hing, of the Federation of Trade Unions.

But some in the city, where low salaries and lack of adequate housing are serious concerns, just want to see an end to the political wrangling -- and a tangible improvement in their lives.

Logistics worker Dicky Tsang, 56, accused both sides of "empty talk".

"I don't mind their background -- as long as they can get things done," he said.

That view was echoed by 18-year-old student Pau Chun-wai.

"I don't care which party they are from," he told AFP. "As long as they bring improvements to communities."
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  August 31, 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 Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB),Altria Group, Inc. (MO), J. M. Smucker Company (SJM) and Pinnacle Foods Inc. ( PF).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog:

4 Great Dividend Stocks in the Consumer Staples Sector

The consumer staples sector has been performing really well among most product categories over the past few months, despite tepid economic figures, Brexit aftershocks, the Federal Reserves reluctance to hike rates and other global growth issues.

Further, lower gas prices and increasing consumer confidence are doing the trick for these stocks. Also, the sector has the potential to counter headwinds stemming from the global market turmoil and continued volatility in the equity market.

We note that the GDP has expanded at a slower rate in the second quarter than earlier estimated, thus leading to concerns about the health of the economy. However, the largest contributor to U.S. GDP, consumer spending, experienced a significant upward revision. In fact, there is enough evidence to suggest that a strong rebound is likely in the third quarter, owing to improved residential construction and strong labor market conditions. Meanwhile, the reduction in business inventories, the primary culprit when it comes to a fall in estimated GDP, is expected to give a boost to the industry as it will result in a buildup of fresh inventories.

The Winning Strategy

In the face of prevailing economic conditions, we believe investors should be very careful about their strategy. Thus, investing in the consumer staples stocks is safe because of their defensive nature.

Story continues

With the U.S. economy picking up steam, investors should venture into dividend stocks. Not only do these stocks offer higher income in the current low-rate environment but also provide a cushion against equity market risks.

Moreover, dividend stocks are historically less volatile and are proven outperformers over the long term. These stocks are a safe bet as dividends generally act as a hedge against economic uncertainty.

4 Dividend-Yielding Consumer Stocks to Add to Your Portfolio Now

The following stocks are good bets as all of them offer a dividend yield of above 2% and flaunt a solid Zacks Rank. These consumer staples stocks provide generous dividends and possess upside potential.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB)

Delaware-based Kimberly-Clark has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and a dividend yield of 2.86%. It is one of the leading players in several consumer product categories including diapers, paper goods, and female personal care.

The company is cash rich and has a consistent track record of returning cash to shareholders in the form of dividend payments and share buybacks. It returned $2.1 billion in 2015, $3.3 billion in 2014 and $2.4 billion in 2013 to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends.

For 2016, the company expects to repurchase shares worth $600$900 million. It also expects to increase the dividend at a mid single-digit rate, consistent with the 5% growth in adjusted earnings per share delivered in 2015.

The company has increased its annual dividend for 44 consecutive years, including 4.5% in 2016, 4.8% in 2015, 3.7% in 2014, 9% in 2013, 9.5% in 2012 and 6% in 2011.

Altria Group, Inc. (MO)

Marlboro maker, Altria Group is one of the leading manufacturers of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products in the U.S.

Altria boasts a solid balance sheet and regular shareholder returns. This Zacks Rank #3 company has consistently raised its dividend and has a dividend yield of 3.42%. Last Friday, Altria Groups board 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 cigarette maker regularly returns value to shareholders and since the spin-off of Philip Morris International Inc. in 2008, 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.

The J. M. Smucker Company (SJM)

OH-based Smucker is the leading marketer of jams, jellies, preserves, and other fruit spreads in the U.S. It currently holds a Zacks Rank #3.

The company has been increasing its rate of quarterly and annual dividends consistently. Last month, the board of Smucker approved a quarterly dividend hike of 12.0%, thereby maintaining the trend of rewarding its shareholders consistently. The new dividend of 75 cents marks an increase from the previous quarterly dividend of 67 cents per share. Also, this dividend hike represents the fifteenth consecutive year of dividend growth. Currently, the food company has a dividend yield of 2.12%.

Apart from increasing dividends, Smucker also repurchases shares consistently. In fiscal 2016, the company reduced its total debt by nearly $750 million, reflecting strong free cash flow. It also returned over $750 million of cash to shareholders in the form of share repurchases and dividends.

Pinnacle Foods Inc. (PF)

NJ-based Pinnacle Foods has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a dividend yield of 2.24%. It is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded food products, primarily in North America.

Pinnacle Foods regularly enhances shareholder value through dividend payouts.

On Aug 17, the companys board approved a quarterly dividend hike of 12% to 28.5 cents per share. The new dividend is payable on Oct 10, 2016, to shareholders of record as of Aug 30. The raise brings the annualized dividend to $1.14 per share, implying an increase from the previous annualized rate of $1.02 per share.

The recent announcement reflects the companys strong cash position. Notably, this was the fourth dividend increase by Pinnacle Foods since the initiation of its quarterly dividend program shortly after its IPO in Mar 2013. The last dividend hike of 8.5% to 25.5 cents per share was announced in Sep 2015.

Now See Our Private Investment Ideas

While the above ideas are being shared with the public, other trades are hidden from everyone but selected members. Would you like to peek behind the curtain and view them? Starting today, for the next month, you can follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from insider trades to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises (we've called them with 80%+ accuracy). You can even look inside portfolios so exclusive that they are normally closed to new investors. Click here for Zacks' secret trades >>

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About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.

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Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.





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KIMBERLY CLARK (KMB): Free Stock Analysis Report



ALTRIA GROUP (MO): Free Stock Analysis Report



SMUCKER JM (SJM): Free Stock Analysis Report



PINNACLE FOODS (PF): Free Stock Analysis Report



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Zacks Investment Research
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  August 31, 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 Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), Sysco Corporation (SYY), Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN), Pinnacle Foods Inc. (PF) and Coty, Inc. ( COTY).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog:

Kraft Heinz & 4 Consumer Staples Stocks to Binge On

In the volatile global economic scenario, the consumer staples sector  normally defensive in nature  appears quite reliable.

Despite slowing growth in emerging markets like China and Brazil and fears of challenging economic/political conditions in Europe, post Brexit, the U.S. economy has remained strong this year. Improving home sales, stepped-up economic activities, robust business, higher government spending and a buildup in inventories have given a boost to the domestic economy.

However, lower crude oil prices have triggered worries like global deflation and economic slowdown. On the other hand, subsiding oil and natural gas prices mean that consumers are left with more disposable income. A rise in wages has also increased household wealth and encourage consumer spending. These positive sentiments are gradually translating into higher consumer spending in 2016.

An improving consumer spending power in-turn raises demand for goods sold by the consumer staples companies whose primary lines of business are food, beverages, tobacco and other household items.

Year to date, the U.S. consumer staples sector is a strong performer, with the S&P 500 Consumer Staples Index logging a 7.71% increase. Overall, the consumer staples sector reported modest results in the June quarter.

Story continues

With positive momentum surrounding the consumer staples sector, it is fast becoming an enticing investment choice.

However, not all consumer staples companies are doing well. Some food companies like Kellogg Company (K) , Mondelez International, Inc. (MDLZ) and The Hershey Company (HSY) are struggling with their sales due to shifting consumer preference toward natural and organic ingredients over packaged and processed food. Others like the consumer goods giant, The Procter & Gamble Company (PG) , is also seeing weak sales due to a significant negative currency impact, weak volumes, brand divestures and slowing market growth primarily in emerging markets.

As such, concerns are building up over consumer staples being overbought following an improving economic picture in the U.S. Nonetheless, here we highlight some consumer staples stocks that are still worth buying.

We have narrowed down the list of choices by looking at stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy). These stocks have also witnessed significant share price increase year to date and positive estimate revisions in the past 30 days.

The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC)

Kraft Heinz carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Kraft Heinz shares have had a good run this year, gaining 21.2% year to date. Over the past 30 days, the earnings estimates moved north by 5.5% for 2016 and 2.9% for 2017.

Though the Pittsburgh, PA, based packaged food companys sales have been relatively soft, cost savings have led to better margins, mainly in the developed markets of the U.S. and Europe.

While organic sales rose only 0.3% in first-half 2016, adjusted EBITDA surged over 25% on a constant currency basis. A portion of its savings is also being re-invested in the business for innovation, brand building and marketing to stimulate top-line growth.

Sysco Corporation (SYY)

The Houston, TX-based packaged food company carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Syscos shares have gained almost 30% year to date. Over the past 30 days, fiscal 2017 (ending Jun 2017) earnings estimates moved north by 2.2% while that for 2018 increased 2.8%.

Syscos sales have improved consistently driven by acquisitions and volume growth. The companys efforts to boost sales and margins are bearing fruit, as the company delivered positive gross margins in the last five consecutive quarters, after persistently declining for the last two fiscal years. Activist investor Nelson Peltzs investment fund, Trian Fund Management, also bolstered its stake in the company earlier this month.

Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN)

The Arkansas-based company produces, distributes and markets chicken, beef, pork, prepared foods and allied products. It carries a Zacks Rank #1. Its shares have risen almost 44% so far this calendar year.

Over the past 30 days, fiscal 2016 (ending Sep 2016) earnings estimates have risen 4% while that for 2017 have increased 9.3%.

Tyson Foods posted strong third-quarter fiscal 2016 results earlier this month, wherein both earnings and revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate. While margins were strong, the company witnessed higher sales across most of its segments like chicken, beef, pork and prepared foods.

Pinnacle Foods Inc. (PF)

The NJ-based branded food products company has a Zacks Rank #2.

Its shares have risen 20% year to date. Over the past 30 days, 2016 earnings estimates have risen 1.4% while that for 2017 have increased 1.3%.

We are impressed with the companys strong innovation program, robust acquisition strategy and effective productivity programs.

Coty, Inc. (COTY)

The New York-based beauty products company carries a Zacks Rank #1. Its shares have risen 10% so far this calendar year.

Over the past 30 days, fiscal 2017 (ending Jun 2017) earnings estimates have gone up almost 6% while that for 2018 have increased 2.5%.

Now See Our Private Investment Ideas



While the above ideas are being shared with the public, other trades are hidden from everyone but selected members. Would you like to peek behind the curtain and view them? Starting today, for the next month, you can follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from insider trades to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises (we've called them with 80%+ accuracy). You can even look inside portfolios so exclusive that they are normally closed to new investors. Click here for Zacks' secret trades >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts

Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com

https://www.zacks.com

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.





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KRAFT HEINZ CO (KHC): Free Stock Analysis Report



SYSCO CORP (SYY): Free Stock Analysis Report



TYSON FOODS A (TSN): Free Stock Analysis Report



PINNACLE FOODS (PF): Free Stock Analysis Report



COTY INC-A (COTY): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  August 31, 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 Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS.A), Statoil ASA (STO), BP plc (BP) and ConocoPhillips ( COP).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog:

Slowdown in Oil Finds Raises Alarm Over Supply Gap Ahead

The Oil and Gas sector continues to remain in troubled waters with a new report mentioning that in 2015 explorers had managed to discover only about 10% of the average level of oil found annually since 1960 and the level is expected to decline even further. This has raised apprehensions that the amount of oil discovered might be too less to meet future demand.



Oil prices have more than halved since the commodity prices started tumbling two years ago. As a result, drillers have cut their exploration budgets enormously, which in turn, has resulted in discovery of just 2.7 billion barrels of new supply. Per the figures from Edinburgh-based consulting firm Wood Mackenzie Ltd., this is the lowest level since 1947. As of the end of last month, drillers found just 736 million barrels of conventional crude.



Per the U.S. Energy Information Administration, global oil demand is expected to grow to 105.3 million barrels in 2026 from 94.8 million barrels a day in 2016. However, the slowdown in the discoveries has raised questions regarding the ability to meet this increasing demand. Though the U.S. shale boom has the potential to make up for the difference, prices locked below $50 a barrel undermine the possibility of growth in the area.



Wood Mackenzie reported that global spending on exploration  seismic studies to actual drilling  has been lowered to $40 billion in 2016 from about $100 billion in 2014. The spending level is expected to remain flat through 2018. Moreover, through August this year only 209 wells were drilled as against 680 in 2015 and 1,167 in 2014. This compares unfavorably with an annual average of 1,500 in data from 1960.



The low exploration data indicates that production might be obstructed few years down the line, which in turn, would push up the oil prices. Currently, oil prices are hovering around $50 a barrel that is less than half their 2014 peak. In a Saudi Arabia-led strategy to augment market share, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to continue pumping without limits. This pushed down the U.S. production to a two-year low.



According to the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS.A), oil companies will need to invest about $1 trillion a year to continue to meet demand. The CEO expects demands to rise by 1 million to 1.5 million barrels a day, with about 5% of supply lost to natural declines every year.



The persistent weakness in prices has forced explorers to find new resources that are less risky as well as cheap. As a result, these companies are focusing more on appraisal wells on already-discovered fields and less on frontier areas such as the Arctic. Companies that have abandoned exploration in Alaska last year include Statoil ASA (STO) and Royal Dutch Shell.



ExxonMobil Corporation (XOM) has also decided against investing further in the proposed Alaska LNG facility. The other stake owners in the project are BP plc (BP) and ConocoPhillips ( COP) holding 20% each. These companies too have indicated their possibility of withdrawing from the project.



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By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabweans on Wednesday largely ignored a strike called by political activists to protest against the government's handling of growing discontent and economic woes, with organisers accusing state security of intimidating people and businesses. Public anger is rising in the southern African nation where citizens have in the last two months used social media to organise demonstrations against President Robert Mugabe, including the largest strike since 2007 on July 6. On Wednesday, businesses, including banks, informal markets and shops were open, ignoring the strike call by social media groups #ThisFlag led by pastor Evan Mawarire and #Tajamuka, whose leader is in custody on public violence charges. The strike action was called to protest government's planned introduction of local bank notes in October, acute cash shortages, delays in payment of public sector salaries and a police crackdown that has seen law enforcement agents using teargas, water cannon and batons to break-up protests. Hardlife Mudzingwa, acting spokesman at #Tajamuka, slang in the Shona language for defiance, accused state security agents of going around the central business district and townships on Tuesday threatening to withdraw licences for businesses if they heeded the strike. Mudzingwa said three people had been arrested for carrying anti-Mugabe placards in a Harare township. "Given the little resources that we have, police brutality and threats by state security agents to businesses and around the townships, the shutdown was a success," said Mudzingwa. He said #Tajamuka was now preparing for Friday's march, being planned by opposition parties to press Mugabe and the national election agency to create a level playing field ahead of the 2018 vote, which Mugabe plans to contest aged 94. Human rights lawyers said 6 people had been arrested in the second largest city Bulawayo when they tried to protest. Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba was not available to comment, while Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo said he had no comment on Mudzingwa's allegations. There were fewer uniformed police on Harare's streets compared to previous demonstrations, and residents said they could not take part in the protest as they had bills to pay. "Schools are opening next week and I am trying to raise money for fees, how will I do that if I stay at home?" said Johanne Garikai, a 32-year-old shoe vendor in central Harare. "Life is difficult in this country and if I miss a day here I have nowhere else to get income," added Martha Chimanga, who runs a stall at a downtown informal market selling clothes imported from China. (Editing by James Macharia and Raissa Kasolowsky)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma is to appeal against a court ruling that corruption charges against him be reinstated, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Wednesday. A Zuma spokesman could not immediately confirm that the president had lodged an affidavit through his lawyers with the Supreme Court of Appeal, but the DA included a link to the document in a statement on its website. The DA has been pursuing the matter in court and so would have access to such documents. "President Jacob Zuma has this week filed his replying affidavit to the Supreme Court of Appeal," the DA said. Zuma had been expected to take this route after an earlier appeal was rejected in June by the Pretoria High Court. In April, a judge ordered a review of a 2009 decision by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to set aside hundreds of charges against Zuma, describing the original ruling as "irrational". That decision allowed Zuma to run for president. The scandals swirling around Zuma contributed to the worst election showing by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in local polls this month and have triggered calls for his resignation. The prospect of corruption charges being reinstated against Zuma follow a damning constitutional court judgment against him in March, which said he breached the law by refusing to refund some of the 240 million rand ($16 million) of state money spent on refurbishing his private residence. ($1 = 14.7086 rand) (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Alison Williams)
Mariah Havard rocks her Black Lives Matter T-shirt with pride. (Photo: Facebook)

A teenager at Buckeye Union High School in Arizona sparked a protest at her school after she was made to remove her Black Lives Matter T-shirt on picture day. Mariah Havard shared her story on Facebook, saying that she was almost immediately sent to assistant principal Helene Whitmans office upon her arrival at school.

The vice principal called the T-shirt a disruption, and Havard was asked to change into a generic white tee, which she did. Havard said she discovered the reasoning behind Whitmans request after a bit of drama that happened when she wore the shirt before. Friday, August 19th I got into a argument with a young caucasian boy who said black lives dont matter and that shirt is meaningless, wrote Havard. Apparently, the kid complained to the school and Havard was asked to remove it. Before she did, she snapped the photo above.

Havard, though she changed her shirt, believes the schools policy is unfair, considering no one batted an eyelash when one student came to school rocking a certain rebel flag. While attending Buckeye, Ive seen a young lady who wore a Confederate flag shirt that clearly supports racism, she noted, before coming with receipts for those still under the impression that flag is not a symbol of white supremacy. The creator of the Confederate flag in his own words said, As a people we are fighting to maintain the heaven-ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race.'

Another student, Genesis Santoyo, who wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt in support of Havard, backs up Havards claims, telling Arizonas 12 News, Ive seen gay pride shirts, Ive seen Confederate flags, said Santoyo. Ive actually seen a white power shirt once. Even to those who are offended by Black Lives Matter, or the notion that black lives have any value, if a white power T-shirt is acceptable to wear at school, then Havards shirt should be a nonissue. Likely realizing the hypocrisy, the school has since banned Confederate flag T-shirts as well.

On Monday, 10 students walked out of class to protest what they believe is an unjust policy from the school, according to AZ Central. When they wear their shirts that say Black Lives Matter, theyre just telling you that their lives matter too, Roxanne Havard, Mariahs mother, said, explaining for the millionth time what the phrase actually means, though it seems some people still fail to grasp the concept. Roxanne says her child has been subject to online abuse as a result of the controversy. They have made death threats to the students here on Snapchat, Facebook, social media, Roxanne said. The students that have made these threats have not had any consequences.

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Australias Great Barrier Reef has been hiding what scientists have discovered to be a massive reef in its nearby waters.

Scientists from James Cook University, the University of Sydney, and Queensland University of Technology utilized laser data via a naval aircraft to track down over 6,000 square kilometers of fields hosting donut-shaped circular mounds hidden in plain sight.

Thats three times the previously estimated size, spanning from the Torres Strait to just north of Port Douglas, said Mardi McNeil, a lead author of the research from the Queensland University of Technology, in a news release on the discovery.

The mounds, with are roughly 200-300 meters in width and 10 meters deep at their center, are geological structures formed by a type of green algae known as Halimeda.

There's a giant reef hidden next to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

When the algae die, they form small limestone flakes, which eventually form into these mounds, which are known as bioherms.

Weve known about these geological structures in the northern Great Barrier Reef since the 1970s and 80s, but never before has the true nature of their shape, size, and vast scale been revealed, said Dr. Robin Beaman of James Cook University, in a statement.

The new revelation brings increased urgency to addressing the areas vulnerability to climate change, as rising ocean temperatures and increased acidification in the waters may impact the algae.

According to Beaman, the discovery has paved the way for potential new research in the area that could include sediment coring, conducting sub-surface geophysical surveys, and utilizing autonomous underwater technology to learn more about the physical and biological functioning of these submerged structures.

Talia Avakian is a digital reporter at Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter at @TaliaAvak.

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Box CEO Aaron Levie Source: Richard Mcblane/Getty Images for SXSW

The online file storage company Box reported record second-quarter fiscal 2017 financial results that were a bit better than expected.

For the quarter ending July 31, Box reported revenues of $95.7 million, up 30% from the same period the previous year. Revenues edged out Wall Street estimates which had predicted $94.7 million. Excluding non-recurring items, the company had adjusted losses of $0.14 per share, compared to analysts forecast for a $0.19 loss.

Our excellent sales execution and traction with new products drove deals with 4,000 new customers and expanded deployments with leaders such as Pfizer, Electronic Arts and Uber, CEO Aaron Levie said in Wednesdays announcement.

Investors have scrutinized Box since the company went public in January 2015 and shares debuted at $23 before dropping to around $12-$13 in the months that followed.

Levie admitted as much in a interview with Yahoo Finance earlier this month.

Investors have two very different perspectives on our business, he told Yahoo Finance. Some investors, who are obviously bullish on the company, understand we are a disruptive technology to a very large market, which is how enterprises manage their corporate data. They share and collaborate and store all of their critical information. Then youll have investors who are a little bit more bearish. They think its very competitive and they wonder why were spending as much money as we are.

Levie strongly suggested the next few months, including its annual Boxworks conference in September in San Francisco, would see a slew of product announcements.

A lot of people think of us as just a tool for letting you share files or store your files, he added. Really, what weve been building is a platform to help you power your business and manage all the critical data in your company and connect it to all the applications and workflows that you need. So youre going to see a lot of innovation around where we see our technology going.

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JP Mangalindan is a senior correspondent for Yahoo Finance covering the intersection of tech and business. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.

More from JP Mangalindan:

Apple isnt the only giant US company being scrutinized for its overseas taxes

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PARIS (Reuters) - French telecoms operator Orange is in negotiations with Mobile Telecommunication Company of Iran (MCI), the country's largest mobile operator, "regarding a number of areas of potential cooperation and business topics," a spokesman said. "We anticipate that these discussions will be concluded within a few months," the spokesman said in a statement sent to Reuters. The statement did not elaborate on what those areas of cooperation could be. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Wednesday that Orange had entered preliminary talks to buy a stake in MCI, as well as on a commercial and technical agreement. The company did not specifically confirm or deny this but said: "Like many other international operators, Orange has been considering opportunities in the Iranian market subsequent to the implementation of the JCPOA." The JCPOA is a nuclear deal struck between Iran and six world powers. Following that deal, most United Nations sanctions on Iran were lifted in January when the U.N. nuclear watchdog confirmed that Tehran fulfilled commitments under its nuclear deal. Major international companies have been rushing to try and establish a position in Iran as the Islamic Republic re-opened for business after the lifting of international sanctions. Iran is still subject to a U.N. arms embargo and other restrictions. "We are conducting feasibility studies to understand and assess what is possible in this complex environment, particularly with regards to certain economic sanctions that continue to apply to Iran," Orange said in its statement. The French government controls 23 percent of the shares of Orange. (Reporting by Juliette Rouillon; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by James Dalgleish and Jonathan Oatis)
HELSINKI/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The head of Nokia's small, but highly profitable patent licensing division is leaving after two years in the role, the Finnish company said on Wednesday, weeks after he sealed a pace-setting patent deal with Samsung Electronics. Ramzi Haidamus, 52, is stepping down as president of the Nokia Technologies unit that handles patents and development of new consumer products. The unit also recently struck a licensing deal with HMD Global it hopes will herald the return of the Nokia name into handsets. "Given (the unit's) progress, now is the right time for me to explore new opportunities to pursue my passion for building and transforming businesses," Haidamus said in a statement. Haidamus spent a dozen years running patent licensing for Dolby Laboratories before joining Nokia, and will leave at the end of next month, Nokia said. He had remained based in Silicon Valley even after joining the Finnish company in 2014. His departure comes little over a month after Nokia announced the second of two patent licensing agreements with Samsung, the world's top mobile handset maker, and which takes effect this quarter. It is set to boost Nokia's patent and brand royalties to an annualized run-rate of around 950 million euros compared to the company's previous estimate of 800 million euros. The second deal, which covers Nokia-owned patents for use by Samsung in its future products, restored investor confidence after an initial patent pact earlier this year was considered unfavorable to Nokia and poorly received. The Samsung agreements were the first since Nokia sold its handset business to Microsoft in 2014 and potentially set the terms for future patent licensing deals with other major tech firms such as Apple, Huawei [HWT.UL] and Qualcomm, which aren't due to be renegotiated for several years, financial analysts said. Nokia Technologies, whose principal asset is its broad catalog of patents built up in the days when the company dominated the mobile handset business, contributed less than 2 percent of group revenue in the latest quarter, but 14 percent of profits. It had sales of 391 million euros in the first half of 2016. The unit is also in charge of Nokia's bid to bring the brand's mobile phones back to the market and move into other areas of consumer technology, but this push remains in its early days. "I am confident that with its strong foundation, Nokia Technologies will continue its progress without missing a beat," said chief executive Rajeev Suri. There will be no change in the unit's strategy. Nokia said it has begun the search for a successor and that Brad Rodrigues, hired earlier this year to head strategy and business development at Nokia Technologies, will assume the role of acting president. (Reporting by Tuomas Forsell and Eric Auchard; Editing by Jussi Rosendahl and Alexandra Hudson)
Nokia Corporation NOK announced that the President of Nokia Technologies, Ramzi Haidamus, will be resigning soon. Haidamus will also step down from his position in the companys Group Leadership Team, effective Sep 1, 2016. Meanwhile, Nokia Technologies Strategy and Business Development Head, Brad Rodrigues, will assume the position of acting President. Haidamus will stay with Nokia till September-end to aid a smooth transition. Meanwhile, Nokia is on the lookout for a befitting successor to Haidamus position.

Nokia under Haidamus

Per Nokias President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rajeev Suri, the company has seen growth and transformation under Haidamus management. During Haidamus tenure, Nokias patent licensing business improved significantly, mobile devices segment picked up with an agreement with HMD global Oy, growth in the digital media space with the launch of OZO virtual reality camera and the acquisition of Withings in the digital health market. Nokia has been working actively to expand its services in countries like China, Myanmar, Germany and Poland. Meanwhile, Haidamus regards his journey at Nokia as a rewarding one and intends to pursue opportunities in line with his passion to build and transform businesses.

Effective Sep 1, the Nokia Group Leadership team will comprise members namely, Rajeev Suri, Timo Ihamuotila, Samih Elhage, Federico Guillen, Basil Alwan, Bhaskar Gorti, Hans-Jurgen Bill, Kathrin Buvac, Ashish Chowdhary, Barry French, Marc Rouanne and Maria Varsellona.

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Nokia currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the wireless equipment industry include InterDigital Inc. IDCC sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Clearfield Inc CLFD and Motorola Solutions Inc. MSI, holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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ALBION  Noble Countys overall income tax rate is right in the middle of the pack compared to other counties throughout the state.

Even if the county adds a new public-safety income tax as is being discussed, the amount of tax withheld from workers paychecks still will be at a rate thats about average for Indiana counties and similar to what other northeast Indiana counties are taxing workers.

Currently, Noble County residents pay an income tax of 1.5 percent thats withheld from their paychecks. Its the same as nine other counties and sits in the middle among Indiana 92 counties.

Vermillion County, north of Terre Haute, has the lowest income tax rate, at just 0.2 percent. Rural Pulaksi County, north of Monticello, has the highest rate, at 3.38 percent.

Sixty of Indianas 92 counties have income tax rates between 1 percent and 1.98 percent. The mean rate statewide is 1.55 percent.

Noble County has the second-lowest income tax rate in the four-county area. DeKalb County sits at 2 percent, and Steuben Countys rate is 1.79 percent. LaGrange County is at 1.4 percent.

The income tax withheld from Noble County residents paychecks is split three ways.

The largest portion, 1 percent, is collected as a county adjusted gross income tax, which goes to local governments to fund general operations.

Another 0.25 percent is separated out as a county economic development income tax, which is split among the county and the cities and towns to be used for economic development projects.

The remaining 0.25 percent is set aside as a property tax replacement credit, which is used to offset property taxes for owner-occupied homes.

In LaGrange County, county adjusted gross income tax is set at 1 percent; CEDIT is 0.25 percent; and the property tax replacement credit is 0.15 percent.

The county adjusted gross income tax in DeKalb County is 1 percent, while the property tax replacement credit is set at 0.5 percent; CEDIT, 0.25 percent; and public safety, 0.25 percent.

For Steuben County, heres the breakdown: county adjusted gross income tax, 1 percent; public safety, 0.25 percent; CEDIT, 0.25 percent; and property tax relief, 0.29 percent.

The Noble County Council is discussing enacting a new income tax for public safety, which could be used to pay for police, fire, ambulance or emergency management expenses. Like CEDIT, cities and towns in the county would get their own portions of the total collection.

The county also could opt to add a matching rate for additional property tax relief, but doesnt have to. That once was a requirement to raise other types of income taxes, but not anymore, said Purdue University agricultural economics professor and state tax expert Larry DeBoer.

The links are decoupled now, and youve got freedom to do whatever you want, DeBoer said.

Noble County Council President Mike Toles said a new income tax will be necessary to keep county finances stable.

Theres no way. We cant even sustain what we have without considering it, Toles said.

He and other council members expressed concerns about new income taxes at their meeting earlier this week.

New income taxes reduce the take-home pay earned by workers, Toles said. Even though the estimated $2-$4 that would be deducted from most workers biweekly paycheck for the 0.25 percent public-safety tax might not be a huge amount, he knows many people live paycheck-to-paycheck, and every dollar counts.

Equally concerning to the council is the fact that income taxes are tied to income. Whenever the next economic downturn happens, the tax revenue local governments expect and need from income taxes will drop if unemployment rises or if workers dont get raises.

If and when we go into a recession, if people arent employed or not working or not making as much as they previously were, those funds are reduced, Toles said.

Local income tax rates

Income tax rates in the four-county fall mostly in the middle of Indianas 92 counties. Heres how much tax is withheld from paychecks in each of the counties:

LaGrange County: 1.4 percent

Noble County: 1.5 percent

Steuben County: 1.79 percent

DeKalb County: 2 percent

Source: Indiana Department of Revenue

New tax should take effect Jan. 1

Noble County should be able to begin collecting new income taxes, if approved, starting Jan. 1.

The countys financial adviser had been researching whether Noble County missed a deadline to enact the tax for next year, which would mean the county wouldnt be able to collect revenue until Jan. 1, 2018.

He received clarification from the state that the county should be OK to adopt the tax this fall and collect it beginning in 2017, Noble County coordinator Jackie Knafel said.

The Noble County Council is expected to consider authorizing the new tax at a public meeting in October, Knafel said.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. SSNLF has announced that shipments of its recently released phablet, the Galaxy Note 7, are being halted so that the company can conduct additional quality tests for their product. The company has not directly explained why they are doing additional product testing, but there is a strong chance that this action is linked to recent user claims about the Note 7 exploding while charging.

If there do turn out to be quality problems for the device, it could deal a major blow to Samsung stock. The companys latest phone was made with the hopes that it could steer smartphone buyers away from the iPhone 7 before it gets released. Apple AAPL is the well-established king of the smartphone market, and the timing of this news couldnt be any worse for Samsung because the iPhone 7 is set to be unveiled next week.

The shipment halt exacerbates problems for Samsung because it is already behind on delivering phones to customers. The corporation cited issues in the supply chain as the reason for why it is struggling to keep up with the demand for its latest device. While too much demand is a good problem to have, delays could ultimately contribute towards generating fewer sales than expected. In fact, delays were the main reason for why Samsungs Galaxy S6 Edge phone had poor sales last year.

At best, this halt will result in a longer delay for people waiting for their phones to come in. The worst case scenario is much grimmer though, since a widespread problem with the device could lead to a recall. The phone has not even been out for a month yet, so there is a chance that the Note 7 shipments are being halted because of other quality issues which Samsung needs to work out. However, given the recent reports of multiple phones exploding, this is somewhat doubtful.

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U.S. telecom giant AT&T Inc. T recently won a major legal battle as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California has dismissed a data throttling charge issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Data throttling basically means data traffic blocking and slowing any data traffic once customers hit a certain usage threshold in a month. In Oct 2014, the FTC disputed that using data throttling technique, the telecom carrier has deceived its unlimited plan customers.

On Aug 29, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California reversed a lower court's denial of AT&T's motion to dismiss the throttling lawsuit. The appeals court identified AT&T as a common carrier. Due to this, the service provider cannot be held liable for the violations of rules that the FTC brought in its case.

Notably, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) slapped a fine of $100 million for similar reason in Jun 2015. AT&T has filed a response, which is still under review by the FCC. It is worth mentioning here that the FCC had adopted the Net Neutrality rules in Feb 2015. The new laws has classified high-speed broadband (Internet) as a public utility under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act instead of section 706 of the 1996 Telecom Act.

Net neutrality implies an open-Internet atmosphere which will prohibit ISPs (Internet service Providers), especially the telecom and cable TV operators, from discriminating against applications. The enforcement of the new law has banned common ISP practices such as data traffic blocking, slowing any data traffic and paid prioritization. The FCC will closely monitor and put a check on all such deals in the future.

For the FTC case, AT&T didnt deny that it had throttled some users. However, the company defended itself citing that an exception is in place for common carriers. In Oct 2014, AT&T was a common carrier for landline phone and mobile voice service, but not for mobile Internet access. The FCC reclassified mobile Internet as a common carrier service only after adopting the Net Neutrality Rules. These arguments by AT&T likely compelled the federal court to dismiss the FTC case. The FTC is yet to take a decision whether it will appeal in a higher court.

Story continues

The U.S. telecom industry is becoming immensely competitive with cut-throat pricing. Recently, T-Mobile US Inc. TMUS and Sprint Corp. S escalated the pricing war with new unlimited data plans. Yesterday, Verizon Communications Inc. VZ announced that it completed a major upgrade of its 4G LTE networks to LTE-Advanced technology covering 461 cities in the U.S. The LTE-Advanced network will raise the data packet transmission speed by more than 50%.

At this juncture, a favorable court ruling related to the FTC case is a major respite for AT&T. AT&T currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc plans to release an update of its partly automated self-driving system "in a few weeks," Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday. Improvements to Tesla's Autopilot system, including advanced processing of radar signals, would be detailed in a blog post on the company's website later on Wednesday, the tweet said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a May 7 fatality in Florida in which a driver using Tesla's Autopilot system crashed into a truck. Teslas Autopilot system uses cameras and radar, but not laser-based lidar as some other self-driving systems do. The company said its system would have had trouble distinguishing a white semi-trailer positioned across a road against a bright sky. Musk was asked on Twitter why the vehicle's radar did not detect the truck. Musk tweeted on June 30 that "radar tunes out what looks like an overhead road sign to avoid false braking events." In a tweet on Wednesday, Musk said software enhancements to Autopilot will be delivered wirelessly to owners' vehicles. (Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
Imagine getting a medical X-ray that comes out blank  as if your bones had vanished. Thats what happened when scientists cranked up the intensity of the worlds first X-ray laser, at the Department of Energys SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, to get a better look at a sample they were studying: The X-rays seemed to go right through it as if it were not there.

This result was so weird that the leader of the experiment, SLAC Professor Joachim Stohr, devoted the next three years to developing a theory that explains why it happened. Now his team has published a paper in Physical Review Letters describing the 2012 experiment for the first time.

What they saw was a so-called nonlinear effect where more than one photon, or particle of X-ray light, enters a sample at the same time, and they team up to cause unexpected things to happen.

In this case, the X-rays wiggled electrons in the sample and made them emit a new beam of X-rays that was identical to the one that went in, said Stohr, who is an investigator with the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences at SLAC. It continued along the same path and hit a detector. So from the outside, it looked like a single beam went straight through and the sample was completely transparent.

This effect, called stimulated scattering, had never been seen in X-rays before. In fact, it took an extremely intense beam from SLACs Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), which is a billion times brighter than any X-ray source before it, to make this happen.

A Milestone in Understanding How Light Interacts with Matter

The observation is a milestone in the quest to understand how light interacts with matter, Stohr said.

What will we do with it? I think were just starting to learn. This is a new phenomenon and I dont want to speculate, he said. But it opens the door to controlling the electrons that are closest to the core of atoms  boosting them into higher orbitals, and driving them back down in a very controlled manner, and doing this over and over again.

Nonlinear optical effects are nothing new. They were discovered in the1960s with the invention of the laser  the first source of light so bright that it could send more than one photon into a sample at a time, triggering responses that seemed all out of proportion to the amount of light energy going in. Scientists use these effects to shift laser light to much higher energies and focus optical microscopes on much smaller objects than anyone had thought possible.

The 2009 opening of LCLS as a DOE Office of Science User Facility introduced another fundamentally new tool, the X-ray free-electron laser, and scientists have spent a lot of time since then figuring out exactly what it can do. For instance, a SLAC-led team recently published the first report of nonlinear effects produced by its brilliant pulses.

The X-ray laser is really a quantum leap, the equivalent of going from a light bulb to an optical laser, Stohr said. So its not just that you have more X-rays. The interaction of the X-rays with the sample is very different, and there are effects you could never see at other types of X-ray light sources.

A Most Puzzling Result

Stohr stumbled on this latest discovery by accident. Then director of LCLS, he was working with Andreas Scherz, a SLAC staff scientist, who is now with the soon-to-open European XFEL in Hamburg, Germany, and Stanford graduate student Benny Wu to look at the fine structure of a common magnetic material used in data storage.

To enhance the contrast of their image, they tuned the LCLS beam to a wavelength that would resonate with cobalt atoms in the sample and amplify the signal in their detector. The initial results looked great. So they turned up the intensity of the laser beam in the hope of making the images even sharper.

Thats when the speckled pattern theyd been seeing in their detector went blank, as if the sample had disappeared.

We thought maybe we had missed the sample, so we checked the alignment and tried again, Stohr said. But it kept happening. We knew this was strange  that there was something here that needed to be understood.

Stohr is an experimentalist, not a theorist, but he was determined to find answers. He and Scherz dove deeply into the scientific literature. Meanwhile Wu finished his PhD thesis, which described the experiment and its unexpected result, and went on to a job in industry. But the team held off on publishing their experimental results in a scientific journal until they could explain what happened.

Stohr and Scherz published their explanation last fall in Physical Review Letters.

We are developing a whole new field of nonlinear X-ray science, and our study is just one building block in this field, Stohr said. We are basically opening Pandoras box, learning about all the different nonlinear effects, and eventually some of those will turn out to be more important than others.

The study included other collaborators from SLAC and Stanford, and was funded by the DOE Office of Science.

Citations:

J. Stohr and A. Scherz, Physical Review Letters, 4 September 2015 (10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.107402)

B. Wu et al, Physical Review Letters, 6 July 2016 (10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.027401)

For questions or comments, contact the SLAC Office of Communications at communications@slac.stanford.edu.

SLAC is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, Calif., SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
HUNTERTOWN  Church place violence will be the topic of a Sheepdog Seminar hosted by Huntertown United Methodist Church on Saturday, Oct. 15. The event will take place at the church, 16021 Lima Road in Huntertown, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The cost is $79 and registration is required online at sheepdogsafetytraining.com.

The featured speaker is retired Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman, who is a former U.S. Army Ranger, West Point psychology professor, PTSD expert, and award-winning author. Grossman is a nationally recognized expert on violence and its root causes. Grossmans presentation, The Bulletproof Mind, has been heard by thousands of individuals, including police ofcers, military personnel, pastors, business owners, school administrators and more.

Carl Chinn will also speak. On two occasions Chinn has been on faith-based property when confronted by an angry gunman. He survived both incidents and now shares the details of what happened as well as the lessons learned.

Jimmy Meeks will also speak. Meeks is a 35-year veteran of police work, having retired in December. He is also a 43-year minister. Meeks has travelled the country in the last few years helping churches implement strategies that decrease the chances of victimization.

The seminar will focus on five points:

 Biblical basis for having security in your church

 Expertise in security and practical tools you can use in your organization

 Knowledge of facts versus myth and rhetoric on this topic

 Access to resources you can use once you return home

 Contacts that you can continue to dialogue with as you develop your security strategies

Individuals encouraged to attend are: church staff, police ofcers, first responders, church security teams, educators and anyone concerned about violence. Continuing education credits are available for police, emergency responders and educators.

Since 1999, over 630 people have died a violent death on church and faith based property, the church stated in a news release. In addition, thousands of sex crimes have occurred on church and faith-based locations.

In conjunction with this event, on Friday night, Oct. 14, the award-winning movie Faith Under Fire will be shown. The movie is based on a massacre at First Baptist Church of Daingereld, Texas, in the summer of 1980. Meeks and his wife, Julie, were married at this church.

For info about the seminar, including costs, and to register visit sheepdogsafetytraining.com.

The movie on Friday is open to the public and free to attend.
Coulee Region C.O.R.E. is a community group encouraging inclusion for children with disabilities and providing support for their families. This summer they applied for a SPARKS Grant funded by the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities

The purpose of SPARKS Grants is to develop local groups to work on identified changes in their communities through grassroots community organizing.

Coulee Region C.O.R.E. submitted a project called Explore Ability and received notification Aug. 19 that they were chosen as a recipient for this years grant. Members of the group will attend a kickoff event in Oshkosh, Monday, Sept. 26. Coulee Region C.O.R.E.s Explore Ability project hopes to foster the growth of self-determination skills for the Coulee Regions children with disabilities, and help them expand their connections to the community.

A large component of Explore Ability will be kits that will be assembled by the group and donated to the Winding Rivers Library System. The kits will help families access materials about specific disabilities, showcase media featuring characters with varied abilities, and provide information about activities or games related to inclusion or the disability community. Research has shown that for individuals with disabilities, family and teachers high expectations are strong predictors of post-school adult success. This includes high rates of employment and improved independence.

Coulee Region C.O.R.E. wants to give families and professionals more information and the opportunity to meet successfully employed individuals with disabilities.

Due to the success of the free community ASL classes that Coulee Region C.O.R.E. has hosted, many of the kits will include materials to assist families who want to learn or improve their signing skills. Upcoming events include:

A family sign class at the Onalaska Public Library, Monday, Sept. 26, at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, or to get involved, contact Chelsey Myhre-Foster at 608-619-0011 or email CouleeRegionCore@gmail.com.
Hokahs preliminary levy, which will be voted on officially in December, was essentially set by a unanimous vote at its Aug. 23 budget meeting, the second in a series of lengthy debates over the citys fiscal status.

That means, once its voted near the end of the calendar year, the levy for residents will total $295,583, with $21,000 for the Hokah Public Library.

The decision didnt come easily for the council, which spent hours over the two-meeting process discussing the citys financial challenges. A good amount of time was spent correcting clerical errors by new city clerk Eric Leitzen, most notably, worksheet estimates and line item placement of employees salaries.

Further discouraging news came from city administrator Rodney Blank, who said hed had an update that day from the USDA informing him that Hokah is behind on submitted reports for its wastewater treatment plant.

The USDA also wanted the citys financial statement, as well as budget proceedings from this and last year, along with other key items of information.

What Ive tried to preach before, Blank said, is that we signed, we agreed, that that fund is self-sufficient. Three different times over the last five years, Ive come to the council and asked to increase the payments, the income on the individual accounts on both water and sewer. Last year was the first time that we made an increase, and then we took half of that. And, the statement then was that we were going to look at next year, and probably take the other half next year. Thats now the time to talk about that, but the problem is now theyve got the documents, or they have what they got from me, and the rest theyll get from Eric tomorrow.

With a shortfall this year of at least $28,000, Blank said a rate increase wont be pretty, but it has to be scrutinized.

Hokah Police Chief Bob Schuldts budget also came under scrutiny, most vocally by Councilor Don Bissen.

Im questioning whether we need the extra part-time employee working on the police department, Bissen said.

He said hed like to see the part-time position cut. It would save $5,000 that was added last year, he noted, and he thinks they spend too much money there.

Schuldts answer was swift and clear.

We increased it last year because we decreased it in the history when the city was looking at LGA cuts, Schuldt said, local government aid. They were going to cut across the board throughout the cities. Hokah was worried that we were going to take huge financial hits.

Schuldt said his budget of $10,000, eight or nine years ago, was cut to the bare minimum by him, an attempt to help the city with the expected LGA cuts. They never happened.

During that time, when we cut that part-time, your crime rates were higher, he said. You didnt have people out there making traffic stops, stopping locals, getting them excited, and whatnot, but you know what? Them red lights from them part-time people, that deters crime, that deters break-ins, that creates a police presence.

Schuldt said he addressed the board last year, explaining why the part-time position funds should be increased back to what they were prior to the cuts that never happened, and he said the ICR rates match his assertions.

Hokahs a small community, he said. Per capita, Hokah is the worst community in Houston County. Per capita, Hokah is probably one of the worst communities in the state, as far as crime statistic-wise. Do you need part-time police? You betcha.

The amount of call volume the department has, he said, is close to that of Houston and Spring Grove, but they have two full-time police officers. Hokah may not have the population numbers, he said, but it has low-income rentals and the call volume and numbers back the need. Some people dont like seeing part-time cops, he said, and some do.

I think, if you cut your part-time, Schuldt said, youre going to be cutting your services to your people, and youre going to be cutting your own throat.

Eventually, Bissen withdrew his desire to cut the part-time funds, but not before challenging when the part-time officers were out on duty and what they did.

Ive got log sheets for every one of them employees, Schuldt said.

The log sheets, Schuldt said, detail everything, and every place, the part-time officers work on, and at least one of his part-time officers puts in more time than hes paid for. The red lights work on both kids and bar patrons, he said.

You know what, Schuldt said, they behave a little bit better.

He invited anyone to come into his office to see the time card log sheets. The new camera, he also noted, records everything two minutes prior to its being formally engaged, so Schuldt is able to see everything his officers are doing. Parks are being checked, he said, and local businesses, including Bissens, are being patrolled. Citizens and parents are also confirming the officers activities.

Hokahs a unique town that way, he said, it really is. Come on up and Ill show you some of the ICRs, and some of the things going on in this town, and you might be amazed. It sure aint the sleepy little town that I signed up for 10 years ago.

Councilor Rebecca Albrecht asked Schuldt what had changed since the increase last year, specifically activities for the police department. She wanted to know if getting the extra money got his department anything more.

Theres more Friday and Saturday night coverage, Schuldt elaborated, as well as follow-ups on burglary interviews.

You gain more patrol, he said. Youve got someone actually in the car versus nobody being there. If theyre not there, theyre not there.

He also said hes never been over budget, and as he keeps strict control over his records, he wont be.

I think, you know, our departments got a pretty good track record, Schuldt said.

Despite a lengthy presentation by Hokah Public Library Director Shari Carlson, and a presence of the librarys board members  one of whom, Albrecht, sits on the council  the council denied the librarys request for an additional $1,050, which wouldve gone for technological improvements, as well as other items. The last budget increase for the library was in 2013.

I get asked all the time if we need a library in Hokah, said Councilor Matt Vetsch. A lot.

Is it by anybody who ever walks in there and sees how many kids are always in there, and stuff? former Hokah librarian Barb Bissen countered.

Vetsch clarified it was libraries in general that were perhaps being questioned, and some in attendance agreed technology is changing. Bissen said many people are thinking of a library only as books.

But, the library is so much more, she said.

Cindy Pfiffner, who was once on the council but was now speaking as a resident, said she was unconvinced.

You havent give me a good enough explanation to raise it $1,000, Pfiffner said.

Prioritize the budget was her advice to the library.

Councilor Judy Lonkoski agreed.

So you work within your budget that you have, she said.

Blank reminded Bissen that, last year, the library asked for an increase of $1,000, but didnt get it. Did it falter, he wanted to know?

No, but theres less books there, Bissen said.

Mayor Mike Walsh said everyone should be treated the same, but Albrecht pointed out that the police department got an extra $5,000 last year. The library didnt get extra funds.

Walsh said when he arrived at the meeting, he intended to tell the police department, fire department, the library, and others to cut their budgets. Schuldt changed his mind, Walsh said, about taking away his part-time officer funds.

I dont see anybody getting increases, Walsh said, so I dont know why the library should get an increase. Theyre an unessential part of the city, where the services that the fire department and the police and (public works) give.

Albrecht wouldnt give her opinion, since she claimed the majority of the council was against the librarys increase.

The council did, however, agree to a cost-of-living increase for its employees of 1.5 percent.

At one point, Pfiffner offered a word of caution.

When Im sitting and listening to all the different pieces, Pfiffner said, and, you know, where you want to go, I cant see where you want to go. I dont see priorities; I dont see future. What is it going to look like five years from now?

Her question remained unanswered.
Drug abuse and its effects across Jackson Countys judicial system remain among top concerns for local and state officials.

County officials gathered last week for a roundtable with state Attorney General Brad Schimel in an event that highlighted the countys ongoing issues with heroin, methamphetamine and prescription drugs and related mental health challenges.

The issues are occurring across the state and nation but have been receiving bipartisan attention and solutions, Schimel said.

There are a lot of difficult challenges ahead of us, he said. Things can get a little partisan, but on some things weve worked really well together.

Schimel was in Jackson County for the 10th of the roundtable events planned in each of Wisconsins 72 counties to hear feedback from law enforcement, health and human services and elected representatives.

Drugs and their impacts comprised a majority of the hour-and-a-half discussion, which highlighted the countys ongoing need for mental health and substance abuse treatment. The county jail has felt the effects of the issue when drug users are booked in and require medical treatment, and those with mental health issues also present unique challenges.

The medical costs (have) really skyrocketed this year for jails, Jackson County Sheriff Duane Waldera said. Were not a mental health facility.

Jackson County has experienced an unprecedented explosion in drug cases referred to the district attorneys office for prosecution, and the court caseload remains a challenge, District Attorney Gerald Fox said.

Schimel also noted drug abuses influence on a range of crimes including property, identity theft, homicide and child neglect.

I think were doing well under the circumstances, Fox said.

Mike Johnson, chief of the Merrillan and Alma Center police departments, noted the loss of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, known as DARE, in the county years ago, which took drug prevention messages to elementary students. He said middle and high school students would benefit from similar programming.

What better place to mandate it to everybody, he said.

State Rep. Chris Danou, whose 92nd Assembly District includes a portion of Jackson County, said school resource officers are positive for districts in prevention and relationships with youth. Danou, who served as a resource officer for four years, said itd be ideal for all schools to have at least one  a comment that prompted applause from Black River Falls Mayor Jay Eddy.

Itd be nice to have one, said Eddy, who noted the Eau Claire School District has 13.

Schimel praised 17 legislative bills aimed at grappling with the prescription drug abuse epidemic and specifically noted the Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs ability to reduce abuse and diversion of prescription drugs through database tracking.

It comes as Wisconsin set a new record for the amount of prescription drugs turned in during the most recent take-back event.

(PDMP) is a change we believe will make a big difference for Wisconsin, Schimel said. Were experiencing big changes there.
The family of a former Marine who died at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2014 from a mixture of drugs that included opioids filed a wrongful death lawsuit Monday against the federal government, writing that despite accepting responsibility for his death, the VA has done nothing to act on a claim filed by the family nearly a year ago.

Jason Simcakoski, 35, died on Aug. 30, 2014, at the Short Stay Mental Health Recovery Unit in the Tomah VAs Community Living Center, where he was receiving treatment for mental health-related issues, according to the lawsuit, filed by his wife, Heather Simcakoski, in U.S. District Court in Madison.

Simcakoskis death led to the firing of the Tomah VAs chief of staff, Dr. David Houlihan. The medical centers director also was reassigned to another job away from Tomah.

According to the lawsuit, VA representatives repeatedly told Simcakoskis family that the VA intended to take full responsibility for his death. The lawsuit quotes the acting director of the Tomah VA telling reporters a year ago, We accept responsibility for any action or inaction that contributed to this mans death.

The VA has failed to follow its words with deeds, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensation for alleged negligence by the VA, along with other costs.

The Tomah VA has come under fire after an Inspector Generals report, not released until after Simcakoskis death, found that opioid painkillers were being overprescribed by doctors at the medical facility, which some called Candy Land.

Simcakoski, of Stevens Point, who was honorably discharged from the Marines in 2002, was a patient at VA facilities from 2006 to 2014 for a variety of conditions. He was admitted Aug. 10, 2014, to the Tomah VA Acute Psychiatric Unit, then transferred four days later to the Short Stay Mental Health Recovery Unit.

On Aug. 28, 2014, according to the lawsuit, Simcakoski met with Dr. Rhonda Davis, who after consulting with Houlihan, recommended starting Simcakoski on Suboxone, which is a combination of two drugs, one of which is an opioid, to relieve his chronic pain and potentially decrease his level of anxiety. It was an off-label use for the drug combination, which is approved to treat people with opioid addiction.

According to the lawsuit, the dispensing pharmacist should have warned Davis and Houlihan that Suboxone would interact with other drugs Simcakoski was already taking. When Simcakoskis family visited the morning of Aug. 30, 2014, his father, Marv Simcakoski, was concerned because his son was so sedated he could barely speak, but was told that he would be fine in a few hours.

Early that afternoon, Simcakoski was seen asleep and snoring, and had not gotten up for lunch or taken his noon medications. About an hour and a half later, a nursing staff member found him unresponsive. CPR wasnt started for another 10 minutes and was unsuccessful. Simcakoski was pronounced dead.

The Monroe County Medical Examiners Office said Simcakoski died from mixed drug toxicity. A later review by the VA Office of Inspector General found that the respiratory depressant effects of the drugs that make up Suboxone, together with diazepam, was the plausible cause of his death.

The review also found that both doctors who prescribed Suboxone failed to talk with Simcakoski about the risks of the treatment. The Inspector Generals report also noted delays in the initiation of CPR and the lack of drugs at the Tomah VA to reverse drug overdoses.

The lawsuit alleges that the VA failed to diagnose and treat Simcakoskis bipolar disorder and depression, and failed to competently diagnose and treat his substance abuse problem. It also alleges that the VA allowed Simcakoski to influence the choice and level of drugs he received, even to take an entire months supply in a week or two.

The VA, at times, would even send opioids and other drugs to Jasons home through the mail, allowing him to have access to large amounts of opioids even though he had a known opioid abuse problem, the lawsuit states.
There are 61 open positions for school psychologists in Wisconsin public schools, and one of them is in the Black River Falls School District.

Superintendent Shelly Severson doubts the position will be filled.

Were not holding our breath on that one, Severson said.

Severson, like many superintendents in Western Wisconsin, says its more difficult to fill teaching and staff support openings these days. Positions that once drew over 100 applicants now draw only 20 or 25. Some positions that were always difficult to fill might draw one or two applicants, or perhaps none at all.

Across the board, the number of applicants is down, Tomah Area School District Superintendent Cindy Zahrte said. In some areas, the applicant pool is non-existent. Its not just teaching staff, its support staff as well.

Zahrte was still searching for two special education teachers and a high school business education teacher seven days before the start of the school year, which begins this Thursday. The district also was looking to fill a permanent eighth-grade science position thats being filled by a short-term substitute.

Tomah hired 34 new teachers for 2016-17, which represents 14 percent of the 240-member faculty. Zahrte said the district has experienced a 70 percent turnover in staff since the passage of Act 10 in 2011, which stripped teachers and staff of collective bargaining rights. She believes Act 10 triggered a wave of retirements and has discouraged people from going into teaching.

There has been a decrease in the number of the students going into education programs, Zahrte said. People recognize that has, in part, to do with the climate that developed in Wisconsin after Act 10.

Severson agrees.

It breaks may heart when I hear fantastic educators discourage their children from becoming teachers, Severson said. If you feel you have to justify your profession in public, its difficult to convince other people to go into the profession.

Severson and Zahrte said Act 10 has transformed the way districts attract and retain personnel. The legislation eliminated seniority and salary scales and made it much easier for teachers to move to other districts. Supporters of Act 10 contend the law works in favor of teachers, and Gov. Scott Walker compared the movement to free agency in professional sports.

However, Zahrte said free agency puts less affluent rural districts at a disadvantage.

When we had a set pay scale, it was easier to keep people because districts couldnt say, Ill give you $10,000 more if you come over here, Zahrte said. Those days are gone because of the notion that you pay what the market can bear. Our market in Tomah cant bear as much as wealthier school districts in the southern part of the state.

Layoffs are no longer based on seniority, and Severson said that makes it less risky for a teacher to change districts.

You never wanted to be the low person on the seniority pole, Severson said.

School districts have implemented incentives to attract and retain teachers. Tomah offers a $1,250 per year retirement benefit with a vesting period of 15 years, and last month the Tomah School Board approved stipends to teachers who gain certification in special education and reading.

Zahrte also anticipates rural districts will hire more teachers with local ties. The district hired three Tomah High School graduates this year and a fourth who attended school in Tomah prior to graduation. She said the most common reason given by teachers for leaving Tomah is to return close to home.

Severson said her district is concentrating on fostering a positive work environment. She said teachers are given a staff perception survey in which they are asked to give their candid opinions about the district.

We want people to be valued, feel like theyre getting constructive feedback and that everyone is being held accountable, Severson said. Were trying to make sure our school district is one where people want to work.

She believes the efforts are paying off. After replacing 33 teachers in 2013-14, 25 in 2014-15 and 23 in 2015-16, the district replaced just 15 this year.

It could be a lucky year, but we want to think our strategies are paying off, Severson said. I do believe the attitude is starting to shift. There are things that are beyond our control, but (it) means we work that much harder.
MINNEAPOLIS (TNS)  Executives at Lifetouch Inc. like to describe their $1.5 billion company as the best-kept secret in the Twin Cities. To millions of parents and students, however, the brand is a household name.

The company is far and away the nations largest producer of school photos and IDs. It also publishes yearbooks, operates more than 600 portrait studios at J.C. Penney and Target and is the biggest player in the church directories market. In one form or another, Lifetouchs photos find their way to the wallets, refrigerators, bookshelves and picture frames of more than 48 million homes across North America each year.

But the digital age has upended the once-structured photography industry, and even market leaders like Lifetouch are feeling pressure. Inexpensive cameras, easy-to-use editing software and quality off-the-shelf printers have leveled the playing field in a fragmented industry dominated by mom-and-pop shops and solo operators.

Led by a new chief executive for the first time in nearly 20 years, the employee-owned Lifetouch is striving to modernize and stay on trend in a world where people prefer the instant gratification of selfies over staid family portraits that once hung proudly over fireplaces.

Most of our business historically has been done on paper fliers, said CEO Michael Meek, who stepped into the top job in July after serving as president and chief operating officer for 2 1/2 years. Today, the opportunities are around digital sharing, digital storage and digital enjoyment.

Meek aims to move the company from one built around capturing images into one he describes as a memory solution. The future, he believes, lies in taking the companys four distinct business lines out of their silos so consumers can buy, store, curate and archive Lifetouch images, whether they were taken at school, church, a retail studio or anywhere else.

Lifetouch took the first bold step toward that end in May when it acquired iMemories, an Arizona startup that transforms old photos, slides, home movies and audio into a modern digital format and stores it in the cloud. It has kiosks in 8,000 Walgreens stores.

Were like this massive Swiss Army knife that takes all these crazy decades of content that keeps changing because technology keeps changing, said iMemories co-founder Mark Rukavina.

Rukavina said iMemories has a broader offering than services such as YouTube, which is about videos, or Flickr, which stores digital photos. iMemories pulls together photos and videos so that they can be shared on social media or viewed on any computer or mobile device.

While the acquisition gives Lifetouch a new avenue to reach consumers, it was the untapped potential of iMemories proprietary software, e-commerce platform and established R&D team that convinced Meek the deal could become the most transformative in company history.

Since its founding in 1936 by a couple of traveling salesmen, Lifetouch has used acquisitions and technological advances to further its business ends. It expanded beyond school photos in 1983 by purchasing a company that operated portrait studios in J.C. Penney stores. Lifetouch moved into the preschool market in 1990 and launched a church directory division in 1995, both through acquisitions. Lifetouch snapped up the remaining assets of once-formidable portrait studio rival Olan Mills in 2011, having bought its school business in 1999.

The company has pushed in-house innovations in photography as well. At its sprawling headquarters campus in suburban Minneapolis, a hallway is devoted to portraits of patent holders. Its most famous invention, the Micro-Z camera, revolutionized school portraiture in the 1980s and is part of the Smithsonians permanent history collection.

With as many as 30,000 employees during its peak school portrait season, Lifetouch is one of the nations five largest employee-owned companies, according to the Washington, D.C.-based ESOP Association. Its heft makes it an influential lobbyist for tax and business policies that benefit its ownership model, and executives nurture strong ties with Minnesotas congressional delegation.

Profit figures arent public, but the company doesnt shy away from rewarding workers. At its 80th celebration in July, Lifetouch turned its parking lot into a fairground, with a Ferris wheel, fireworks and performances by Sheryl Crow, Aaron Neville, Charlie Puth and Minnesotas Chris Hawkey. Four employees scored $25,000 each in an annual photography contest.

Educators, nonprofits and other business partners credit its employee-ownership model for building an unusually loyal and community-minded workforce. Anyone who works 700 hours a year qualifies for the plan. At retirement, the company buys back shares at current market rates.

When you talk about, Were in this together, its true, said Meek, who previously spent more than 20 years in retail, including stints with Macys, Dayton Hudson and Nordstrom. If you have to cut expenses or make adjustments, were making them in the interest of us all  not some guy on Wall Street or some wealthy family.

Lifetouch donates $100 million each year in cash and in-kind services mostly to charities related to childrens development, education and safety, said spokesman Kelvin Miller.

Since 2004 it has worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to provide photo IDs for children at more than 35,000 schools. The SmileSafe program provides law enforcement a clear, current photo of the children, considered the most essential tool if a child goes missing.

Coming up with one, when parents are frantic, isnt as easy as you think, said Marita Rodriguez of the Alexandria, Va.-based nonprofit, who added that the cards have aided the safe return of children in 24 states.

Sara Sternberger, who runs Free Arts Minnesota, said Lifetouch donates $85,000 to her organization each year, a vital 14 percent of her annual budget. Lifetouch officials have assured her that should donation plans change, she would get a few years advance notice  a gesture she said illustrates the companys quiet but sincere commitment to community service.

Its in the DNA of Lifetouch that they believe its important to give back, Sternberger said. Every employee will tell you that.

As Lifetouch sets out on its ninth decade as the undisputed industry leader  its closest competitor, CPI Corp. declared bankruptcy in 2013  Meek said there is plenty of room to grab market share in every business unit.

The outlook for the $10.5 billion photography industry is challenging but far from bleak, according to a report by IBISWorld, which forecasts a 6.6 percent rise in sales this year as consume confidence rises.

Lifetouch controls about 40 percent of the market for school photos, a relatively stable industry that accounts for well over half of Lifetouchs revenue. Although Jostens, also headquartered in suburban Minneapolis, has the corner on high school yearbooks, Lifetouch leads in publishing the books for grades K-8.

Pressure is strongest on Lifetouchs portrait studio division, which is more tied to discretionary income and changing consumer tastes. Lifetouch operates studios in 475 J.C. Penneys and 140 Targets, but in the past five years has closed more than 40 underperforming studios in Target and about two dozen at J.C. Penney.

As Lifetouch strives to stay relevant, observers and some of the companys partners notice a surprising lack of racial and gender diversity in the C-suite, particularly at a time when the nation  particularly schools  are becoming more diverse. The CEO and leaders of all five business units are male, and the board of directors includes just one woman.

Lifetouch officials said the company is working to increase diversity and pointed out that women lead its human resources and accounting departments.

Paul Harmel, the newly retired CEO who spent 40 years with the company, said hes losing no sleep over the companys future under Meek, whom he described as a practical decisionmaker and strategic thinker.

Whether the output is digital or the output is film, the mission hasnt changed, said Harmel, who will remain as board chairman. How you deliver it has changed. People still want their memories protected and presented in a way that makes them feel good about themselves and their loved ones.
MADISON  Heading into Labor Day Weekend a new Marquette Law School Poll shows Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and U.S. Senate candidate Russ Feingold leading their Republican opponents by much narrower margins in the state than three weeks ago.

Clinton leads Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump by three points (45-42) in the state among likely voters. The last poll three weeks ago showed Clinton coming out of the national conventions with a 15-point lead over Trump among likely voters, those who say they are certain to vote in the Nov. 8 election.

Poll director Charles Franklin said the shift from three weeks earlier could be the result of a number of factors, including the last poll coming right after a likely bounce for Clinton after the Democratic National Convention.

We were at a high water mark in early August, Franklin said. Its not much of a surprise that we would see more competition after that convention bounce was removed.

The previous poll also came at perhaps the low-point of Trumps campaign, particularly in Wisconsin. He had spent the previous week withholding an endorsement for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, who went on to thump a right-wing challenger who had been promoted by the conservative website Breitbart.com.

Since then Trump has shaken up his campaign staff, hiring Breitbart executive Steve Bannon as CEO and pollster Kellyanne Conway as campaign manager. That move came at about the same time Trump made his second visit to Wisconsin since accepting the nomination, meeting privately with donors in La Crosse and Milwaukee, participating in a Fox News town hall with conservative broadcaster Sean Hannity and holding a rally in West Bend.

Clinton has yet to visit the Badger State since accepting the nomination. She has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks for questions about access when she was Secretary of State among donors to the global Clinton Foundation.

Clintons net favorability rating dropped from the previous poll. Three weeks ago 49 percent of likely voters viewed her unfavorably compared with 48 percent who viewed her favorably. In the latest poll, 58 percent viewed her unfavorably, and 37 percent viewed her favorably.

Trump continues to be viewed more unfavorably than Clinton, though his net negative dropped from 37 points to 29 points in the latest poll. And while a majority (55 percent) say Clinton is qualified to be president, only 26 percent describe her as honest. The same percentage (36 percent) would describe Trump in those ways.

Among registered voters, Clinton leads 42-37 in the latest poll. Adding in Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein, Clinton leads 41-38-10-4 among likely voters.

The poll also found Feingold leading Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson 45-42 among likely voters. The last poll showed Feingold with an 11-point lead among likely voters.

Among registered voters, Feingold leads 46-42. Adding in Libertarian candidate Phil Anderson, Feingold leads 45-42-6 among likely voters.

The Marquette poll was conducted Aug. 25-28 with 803 registered voters and 650 likely voters. The margin of error for registered voters was 4.5 percentage points and 5 percentage points for likely voters.

Franklin noted the sample had a more Republican lean than the historic average. There was also a shift in voter enthusiasm favoring Republicans with 82 percent of Republicans saying they were certain to vote, up from 79 percent in the previous poll, and 81 percent of Democrats saying the same, down from 84 percent in the last poll.

Monmouth University in New Jersey also released a Wisconsin poll Wednesday that found Clinton with a five-point lead over Trump (43-38) among likely voters and Feingold with a 13-point lead (54-41) over Johnson.

That poll was conducted by telephone from Aug. 27-30 with 404 likely voters. The sample has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percentage points.

The latest Marquette poll sample includes 27 percent Republicans, 30 percent Democrats and 38 percent independents, which is almost identical to the long-term trend. But factoring in which way independents lean, the latest sample was 45 percent Republican and 46 percent Democratic. Historically the average has been 42 percent Republican and 48 percent Democratic.

In the Monmouth poll sample, 32 percent were Democrats, 26 percent were Republicans and 43 percent were independents. The poll didnt identify which direction independents leaned.

We were at a high water mark in early August. Its not much of a surprise that we would see more competition after that convention bounce was removed. Charles Franklin, poll director
The John C. Bock Foundation has boosted the effort to protect the endangered bats of Kickapoo Indian Caverns with a $10,000 grant, according to Carol Abrahamzon, executive director of the Mississippi Valley Conservancy.

The conservancy, a La Crosse-based land trust that serves nine western Wisconsin counties, is more than halfway toward its goal of raising $435,000 to buy the cave complex located above the Wisconsin River near Wauzeka. Three species of bats hibernate in the cave.

The foundation, which supports preservation of woodlands and old-growth forest, said in its award letter the grant was slightly outside the foundations core mission, but the foundation recognized the importance of the project.

The 83-acre property includes native remnant prairie, limestone cliffs and rock outcrops, oak savanna, and oak-hickory forest, all located within the boundary of the Lower Kickapoo River Important Bird Area. The old-growth forest and savanna include many sinkholes, providing a direct conduit to the groundwater and cavern system, according to the conservancy.

The late John C. Bock was former president and CEO of Bock Water Heaters, an employee-owned company in Madison. He was a graduate of Northland College. The foundation has previously supported projects of other land trusts and the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute.

Abrahamzon said the grant will assist with saving one of Wisconsins top five largest hibernating bat populations and one of the most spectacular caves in the Midwest.

The cave, which includes an underground river, numerous cathedral-like chambers, beautifully colored ribbon stalactites, provides hibernacula for the federally threatened northern long-eared bat and state threatened little brown bat and eastern pipistrelle.

Abrahamzon said that without a conservation buyer the property is likely to continue in commercial operation, which threatens the bat population with continued exposure to white nose syndrome, a disease that has killed millions of bats in the northeast, Canada and central states since it emerged about a decade ago. It was confirmed in Wisconsin in 2014.

Mississippi Valley Conservancys application for the grant noted: Continued use as a commercial caving or spelunking site would both perpetuate white-nose syndrome (confirmed in Crawford County) and further jeopardize the health of the bat populations in the cave. Our acquisition of this land would strictly limit access to the cavern to guided tours outside of the timeframe in which bats are sensitive and require footwear sanitation, ensuring protection of the bats.

Asked by the foundation to explain how the property will be managed, the conservancy responded: The 83-acre property will be opened to the public for low-impact outdoor recreation including hiking, birding and snowshoeing. In addition, we will begin to use the land and the cave as an environmental teaching tool for school children and the public in general.
MADISON  An appeals court upheld the dismissal of patients privacy lawsuit, concluding that although two Gundersen Health System employees were not authorized to view a patients records, they did not violate the law because they did not disclose information to others.

The District 3 Court of Appeals opinion Tuesday upholds Trempealeau County Circuit Judge John Damons decision and defines the term release under state statutes that otherwise restricts access to confidential patient health care records without a patients consent or a legitimate reason.

Daniel Wall of Ettrick sued Gundersen, Marion Pahl of Galesville and Jacquelyn Schimke of Mindoro in 2014 after an audit trail of who accessed his records showed the two employees had done so without his consent.

Pahl and Schimke failed to follow Gundersens policies and procedures for gaining Walls consent to access the files, according to the 17-page appeals opinion.

Pahl later admitted in an affidavit that she had no business reason for viewing Walls records. Walls attorney, Lee Fehr, said she did so to learn where his client lived and other personal information.

A third employee also accessed Walls records without his authorization, but the employee is a Winona, Minn., resident and could not be included in the suit due to her Minnesota residency, Fehr said.

Fehr would not say why Wall sought an audit trail of his records but said every patient has the right and should do so.

Before suing, Wall asked Gundersen why Pahl and Schimke accessed his confidential medical records. Gundersen responded it had completed its investigation into whether Pahl and Schimke were authorized to view the records and why but did not disclose the findings to Wall.

In his suit, Wall alleged that Gundersen violated state law in blocking Wall from investigating reasons why and what authority Pahl and Schimke had in accessing his records. He also alleged that Gundersen had violated federal regulations by failing to tell him why the employees accessed his records.

Walls suit alleged that Pahls and Schimkes accessing his records without consent or a business purposed violated state statues, and he sought punitive damages.

After Damon dismissed the suit, Wall argued on appeal that the unauthorized access constituted a release of records without consent under state statutes.

Why should health care employees get to snoop on patient records if they have no business reason? If a nurse, who also was a landlord, learned that a former patient who wanted to rent from her had AIDS, she could reject him as a tenant with information the rest of the public didnt have, Fehr said.

Pahl and Schimke argued that Walls suit should be dismissed because he did not allege that his records were disclosed to someone outside of GLHS.

The District 3 Court of Appeal agreed.

State law on patient confidentiality was changed in recent years to more closely follow the 1996 federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and distinguishes between use and disclosure of protected information.

While use refers to handling of the information, release refers to disclosing the information outside the entity that keeps the records.

If the court adopted Walls interpretation of the statutes, health care organizations would be unreasonably burdened with having to install systems that verified an employees access as permissible each time a record was looked up, according to the opinion.

We cannot fathom that the (L)egislature intended to impose that type of burden (when it enacted the statute), appellate Judge Lisa Stark wrote.

Defining release to only include disseminating information outside the health care organization does not give employees unlimited access to patient records. Employees do not have carte blanche access to records for immoral reasons; instead, HIPPA governs internal use of protection information and sets civil and criminal penalties, Stark wrote.

Fehr said he would like the Wisconsin Supreme Court to define what constitutes release of patient records, but his client may not want to fund that cause. He urged area legislators concerned about patient privacy to redefine release in state law as any employee accessing confidential records without consent or a business reason.

The appeals court also found that Gundersens not disclosing to Wall why three employees accessed his records did not violate state law.

Gundersen Health System declined to comment on the decision.

Gundersen Health System has a policy to not comment on the specifics of litigation or investigation involving current or former employees, said Gundersen senior vice president Kathy Klock.

State law on patient confidentiality distinguishes between use and disclosure of protected information. While use refers to handling of the information, release refers to disclosing the information outside the entity that keeps the records.
Coulee Region CORE co-founder Chelsey Myhre-Foster was browsing the aisles of the McIntosh Memorial Library when she came across a fishing kit that would inspire a grant-winning idea.

It had a little pole so the kids could practice their fishing, and a book and a DVD, Myhre-Foster said. I thought it was a really cool idea and I wondered if we could make something similar for kids with disabilities.

Myhre-Foster and CORE co-founder Beth Hall submitted a proposal to the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and were notified last week that they had received a SPARKS Grant to bring their kits to life.

The project, called Explore Ability, will give families of children with disabilities access to games, videos and resources to foster learning, growth and inclusion. Ten kits will be assembled and distributed to libraries in the Winding Rivers System and other facilities state wide. CORE will take surveys and hold meetings to determine each kits focus, with plans for covering hearing impairment, Down syndrome and autism.

We really want to make sure the kids are part of this, Myhre-Foster said. Well take them shopping or look online so they can pick out a stuffed animal or a book to include so its not just the parents making the decisions.

We hope these kits can help people who maybe feel isolated, Hall said. Materials like these really helped Chelsea and I when we started our parenting journey.

CORE was developed from a grant two years ago, with the goal of providing skills, support and connections for individuals with sensory, cognitive or physical limitations and their families. The SPARKS grant will allow the group to continue holding community outings and classes, which often focus on the deaf community and American Sign Language. Trips to orchards and seeing plays and movies with captions are favorites, drawing up to 30 people.

Our small little group has really grown over the last couple years. It was hard to find other families with similar issues, especially hearing impairments, said Myhre-Foster, whose daughter, now 4, was born deaf, as was Halls daughter, 8. Both girls use sign language, which has been invaluable to their reading and speaking development.

Almost anyone can benefit from sign language, Myhre-Foster said. I love being able to sign with my daughter from across the yard. I dont have to yell. Shes been able to communicate so much more effectively and completely.

COREs free ASL classes have been well received in the community. Hall and Myhre-Foster found affordable classes were hard to come by, especially in the Coon Valley, Westby and Viroqua areas.

Several families had looked into it, but with financial hardship its not possible. Theyre very grateful for our classes, Myhre-Foster said.

CORE will expand their class offerings to include education and training for parents and teachers, with an emphasis on setting goals for their children.

Were trying to really show children are valuable to the community and want to support anyone looking for resources. Weve started looking at transitional ages, 14 and up, preparing kids for life after high school, employment and living independently, Myhre-Foster said. We can empower students and kids to have some control and advocate for themselves.

Upcoming CORE events will include guest speakers or entertainers with physical or intellectual disabilities to encourage focusing on possibilities, not limitations. The group also plans to host more Lunch Bunch events, where a deaf role model visits a class to sign a story, eat lunch, and teach the class signs for the pizza toppings.

Seeing someone successful sets the tone and expectations, Myhre-Foster said. We have some great people who help us.

The dedication and expertise of deaf mentor Regina McAlear, parent volunteers Zach and Christy Rieves, and sign language instructor Colleen Cudo have been huge assets to CORE. Cudo teaches ASL at UW-L and will instruct intermediate classes for CORE this fall. McAlear, who is deaf herself, has worked with Martin-Myhre, Hall and Rieves children and helped the trio write the original grant for Coulee Region CORE.

Hall hopes the SPARKS grant will help reach more families and continue to encourage those that have been with them since the beginning.

We want the kids and ourselves to have a reciprocal relationship with the community, Hall said. Were really excited to give something back.

For more information, visit Coulee Region CORE on Facebook, or email CouleeRegionCORE@gmail.com to be added to its mailing list.

We want the kids and ourselves to have a reciprocal relationship with the community. Were really excited to give something back. Beth Hall, CORE co-founder
Classes start at most local school districts including the School District of La Crosse on Thursday, and motorists will see a new lighting system on buses picking up and dropping off kids.

School buses are required to use an eight-light warning system after a new law was passed earlier this year. The new system incorporates the use of amber warning lights which will flash before the red lights as a warning the bus is preparing to stop, similar to a traffic light.

The outer red warning lights alert vehicles traveling around a school bus that they should prepare to stop. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation created a video to demonstrate how the new light system works on YouTube.
MADISON  Wisconsin election officials approved mailing postcards to more than a million people telling them how to register to vote, marking the largest mailing outreach effort theyve ever attempted.

The state Elections Commission had no choice but to launch the project. Legislators passed a law earlier this year requiring Wisconsin to join a multi-state consortium called the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, which works to identify eligible voters who havent registered. Twenty states make up the group, including Minnesota and Illinois.

The consortium requires members to reach out to eligible people who may not be registered every two years before Oct. 1. Commission staff told members Tuesday that ERIC will supply a list of those who havent registered by matching state registration records with lists of drivers license and state-issued photo ID holders.

The staff then plans to send those people a postcard telling them how to register. ERIC has told the commission to expect to mail out 1 million to 1.5 million cards based on experiences in other states, an estimate that seems to dovetail with Wisconsins demographics. Census data show about 4.4 million people of voting age here; of those, about 3.4 million are registered voters, WEC spokesman Reid Magney said.

The project is the largest mailing state election officials have ever undertaken. The next largest was 70,000 letters the commissions predecessor agency, the Government Accountability Board, sent out in 2009 to double-check registration data, Magney said.

The ERIC mailing is expected to cost about $260,000. Up to half of the cost will be funded with a grant of up to $150,000 from the Pew Charitable Trusts. Federal dollars will cover remaining costs. The commission expects to begin the mailings in late September.

Commission members approved the mailing effort unanimously after debating whether to include a notification on the postcards that voters must show photo IDs at the polls. The panel scrapped the idea after the commissions attorney, Nathan Judnic, argued that too much information on the card could muddle the registration message and Commissioner Julie Glancey pointed out the mailings are going to people who already have photo IDs.

The commission plans to begin the mailings in late September, giving recipients several weeks to take action before open registration ends on Oct. 19. People can still register at the polls on Election Day, which falls on Nov. 8.

The commission also voted unanimously to contract with a Milwaukee call center to field calls from confused postcard recipients. Magney said operators will provide 24-hour service and work from a script that commission staff prepares. The cost is unclear. The center charges 61.5 cents per minute spent on the phone, so total costs will depend on the number and length of calls. Magney said the commission will pay the center with federal Help America Vote Act dollars.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is suggesting that poor single moms take jobs in the day care centers watching their children, a practice Wisconsin restricted seven years ago after massive fraud involving government subsidies.

Johnsons solution for addressing poverty is the latest awkward comment from the freshman senator who compared voting in November to the decision by doomed 9/11 passengers on Flight 93 to storm the cockpit, criticized The Lego Movie as anti-business propaganda and appeared to suggest that a documentary could replace classroom teachers.

Johnson made the remarks on day care centers in a La Crosse radio interview on Monday. He didnt clarify his comments, putting his handlers in the position of scrambling to understand, and then explain, what their boss meant.

Elected in the tea party wave of 2010, Johnson is one of the most endangered Senate Republican incumbents this year in a rematch with the man he beat, former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold. Johnsons campaign has tried to turn an off-the-cuff style into an advantage, contrasting it with Feingolds more polished approach from 18 years in the Senate before his ouster by Johnson in 2010.

Johnson spent his career running a plastics manufacturing company before leaping into politics.

Sen. Ron Johnsons biggest impediment to re-election may be Ron Johnson himself with statements ranging from bizarre to insulting to simply ignorant, said Scot Ross with the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now.

But Johnson backer Nancy Milholland of Mount Pleasant, Wis., said she finds him to be refreshing.

Ron, to me, comes across as down to earth and genuine, Milholland said. I think he just tells the truth. Thats just how I see him.

Johnsons been repeatedly asked to clarify what he means by saying he supports, but does not endorse, Donald Trump as the Republican nominee. And last year he had to back away from an off-handed comment, again made in a radio interview, when he referred to idiot inner-city kids while criticizing liberals on school choice.

Just two weeks ago Johnson questioned the need for having thousands of history teachers and suggested that one way to improve education could be to teach the Civil War by showing students the PBS documentary by Ken Burns.

After being ridiculed for the remark, Johnson denied that he was calling for teachers to be replaced with DVDs. But thats not how Burns saw it. He reacted on Twitter, posting: Im here to support teachers, not replace them.

After the idiot inner-city kids comment a spokeswoman argued that he was being sarcastic and the senator backed equal opportunity in education.

On Monday on WIZM, he was asked how to combat inner city poverty, particularly among those who cant leave the home to work, like single moms.

Let single moms actually work in day care to support each other, Johnson said. We have prohibitions against that, providing day care for a facility that has your own children in it. I think we need to review some of these policies.

Johnson spokesman Patrick McIlheran said the senator was simply saying we need to think outside the box, while being careful to prevent the sort of misuse Wisconsin saw.

Day care centers that accept state subsidies face different state rules than those that do not. The law for those accepting state payments was tightened in 2009 after an investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed that some day care providers were collecting subsidies while watching each others kids.

Wisconsin law now prohibits subsidy payments to a certified child care provider where an employees child is getting services. Caregivers watching up to three children in their own home are not regulated.
The number of hunting hounds killed by wolves hit a record high of 28 so far this year, the Department of Natural Resources confirmed Tuesday.

The states wolf population has grown while regulation of hunting dogs has been relaxed, but its not clear what factored into the increased dog deaths, said DNR large carnivore specialist David MacFarland.

Its too early to say whats causing it, or if its really a significant difference or not, MacFarland said. It could be just one pack being more aggressive than in the past.

The wolf population estimate this year is the highest yet for the endangered species, but little growth has occurred in northern areas where almost all of the dogs were killed, MacFarland said.

Meanwhile, its true that the state has more than doubled the number of bear hunting licenses it issued in the last decade, but only 10 to 15 percent of killed bears are bagged by hunters who use dogs to tree them, MacFarland said.

And while state law was changed in 2015 to end a license requirement for the summer dog training season, its not known if more dogs are being run, he said.

The DNR issues detailed maps cautioning hunters about areas where dogs are likely to have run-ins with wolves, but alternate locations are limited, MacFarland said.

Research suggests that the number of hounds killed by wolves here is higher than elsewhere because Wisconsin law allows bear baiting for a much longer period  about 145 days each year compared to a maximum of 30 days elsewhere.

Based on a 2014 survey of more than 2,600 bear license holders, the DNR estimated that hunters the previous year had placed nearly 6 million gallons of bait material in the woods to attract bear.

The bait also draws wolves that will defend the sites, leading to conflicts with hunting dogs released in those places to pick up bear scent, according to a 2012 study by researchers from Michigan Technological University, the Michigan DNR and the University of Helsinki.

Opponents of the use of dogs for hunting have also noted that the state is the only one to compensate hunters when their animals are killed by wolves. The $2,500 payments are made even when the hunter runs the dogs in caution areas or violated game laws.

The previous record was 23 hunting dogs killed in all of 2014. MacFarland said the 2016 tally may not grow much larger than 28 because most fatalities occur in summer.

Thats when hunters set dogs loose in the woods to train them to chase bears. Its also when wolves territorial instincts peak because vulnerable wolf pups have come out of their dens and the protection of the pack is diminished by a division of labor among adults, MacFarland said.

Wolves set up rendezvous sites that are almost like nurseries, MacFarland said. Some of the adults stay and babysit while the others hunt.

By the second Wednesday after Labor Day, when the bear hunting season starts, wolf pups have grown, packs can move as cohesive units, and defensive instincts relax a little, he said.

Eleven of the 28 dogs killed this year, including four since Aug. 21, died in Bayfield County, according to DNR data.

After a wolf attacks a dog being trained for hunting, there is a high probability of further attacks involving its pack, MacFarland said.

The DNR tells hunters the farther they keep dogs from those packs, the lower the risk to their dogs.

But large tracts of land are needed for training, because dogs may chase a bear for miles before it climbs a tree to escape, MacFarland said.

To avoid trespassing, most hunters choose state and county forests, he said.

Moving to another location after a dog attack isnt always possible because most of the forestland is already in use by other hunters during the peak of the training season, MacFarland said.

The DNR received 110,000 applications for 11,520 available bear permits this year, up from 4,000 to 5,000 permits issued annually from about 2000 to 2005, he said.

While some conservationists worry about flagging interest in hunting and fishing across the country, bear hunting in Wisconsin has grown in popularity.

Weve had a record numbers of applicants every year for 30 years, MacFarland said.

Still, compared to the small army of men and woman who hunt deer each year, the number of bear hunters using dogs is small, at least in part because of the expense of purchasing, training and feeding the dogs, he said.

The use of dogs for hunting is controversial on several levels. In 2014 a state appeals court ruled that hunters can train dogs to chase down wolves, rejecting arguments from humane societies and the National Wolfwatcher Coalition that the practice led to cruel, bloody fights between wolves and dogs.

The once prolific wolf was all but extinct in Wisconsin by 1960. State and federal protected status allowed it to come back. In 2012 it was taken off the endangered list and the state had three hunts before a federal judge placed the species back on the list in 2014.

The hunt awakened a passionate dispute. Some see the wolf as harmful to the states deer herd, farm animals and hunting dogs. Others view it as an important natural predator that protects crops and important ecological balances by controlling the deer population.

A 2014 DNR survey of Wisconsin residents attitudes found wolves were viewed more favorably outside of the animals range, but most favored a growing population. Even inside the wolf range, only about one-third wanted fewer wolves.

Laurie Groskopf, who served as Wisconsin Wildlife Federation representative on the DNRs wolf advisory committee, said 34 county boards have passed advisory resolutions seeking lower wolf numbers since 2010.

Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association president Carl Schoettel didnt respond to a request for comment and vice president Lucas Withrow said in an email he wasnt immediately available. A representative of the Wisconsin Association of Sporting Dogs couldnt be reached.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Russ Feingold said they support a federal investigation into the King veterans nursing home in Waupaca County, following reports of dismal care, deteriorating facilities, medical errors and prolonged staffing shortages there.

The support echoes calls by state lawmakers from both parties for a Legislative audit of the facility and a "for cause survey" by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A "for cause survey" is an unannounced federal review to investigate an incidents, complaints, deficiencies that might jeopardize the health or safety of residents at a veterans home, according to the agency.

Baldwin wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in April requesting a "for cause survey," after state Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, brought up issues at the home, according to Baldwin's letter.

The VA responded in a letter in June. It did not respond to Baldwin's request for a specific "for cause survey" but noted that the agency conducts routine surveys at King and has found no deficiencies from those. Baldwin said she still supports additional review from the federal VA.

Our Wisconsin veterans and their families must receive the safe and high quality care that they have earned and deserve. That is why I previously called on the VA to look into the conditions at King," Baldwin said in an emailed statement Tuesday. "I support my fellow Wisconsinites in pushing for more transparency. I am committed to working together and reviewing further options into investigating the care that our veterans have received at King.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, who is in a heated Senate reelection campaign against Russ Feingold, said in a statement that he supports "ongoing efforts by the state to provide an independent review of care at the state home at King."

Johnson is "not calling for such a federal review at this time," said Patrick McIlheran, a Johnson Senate spokesman.

He is a federal elected official, he is not going to tell the state what to do," McIlheran said. "He is not going to weigh in on the specifics of how the state governments conducts a review but he supports the ongoing effort by the state to do that."

He noted that Johnson "remains committed to holding federal veterans affairs officials accountable," following a 359-page report he released in May identifying problems at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah.

Russ Feingold supports a federal investigation into King.

"Russ is deeply troubled by the conditions at King. Wisconsinites expect that our vets receive the best care we have to offer, so a full and transparent accounting is certainly necessary. Anything less fails both our veterans and the taxpayers of this state," said Feingold spokesman Michael Tyler, in an email Tuesday.

Editors note: This story has been updated to correct and clarify Sen. Ron Johnson's position on a federal VA review of the King home.
Investigations into a string of burglaries that victimized local Amish families resulted in arrests of three men by deputies from Columbia and Marquette counties.

Deputies arrested Grant G. Pulver, 21, of Portage; Alex A. Moulton, 20, of Portage; and Dylan J. Bartaczewicz, 20, of Pardeeville, Columbia County Sheriff Dennis Richards said Tuesday.

The investigations began Aug. 14 after several burglaries were reported north of Portage.

More burglaries were reported Aug. 21 in Marquette and Columbia counties followed by "numerous" additional reports in Vernon and Monroe counties, all involving the homes of Amish people, Richards said.

Based on description of suspicious vehicles in the areas where some of the incidents occurred, Columbia and Monroe sheriff's deputies searched two homes and two vehicles for stolen items.

Guns, cash, coins, jars, bows, documents and safes were all recovered, and investigators were working to return the property to its owners, Richards said.

Monroe County Sheriff Scott Perkins said several Amish families in the Cashton area told law enforcement they had been burglarized while they were away at church.

Perkins said in a Tuesday press release that two of the suspects are being held in the Marquette County Jail in Montello, and the third has been booked and released.

Richards said deputies from all four counties worked jointly on the case.

Tomah Journal editor Steve Rundio contributed to this report.
Four Iranian patrol boats made attack runs on the USS Nitze in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz, Tuesday, Aug. 23.

The Iranian boats did everything but launch weapons at the United States guided-missile destroyer.

It was one of several provocative attempts last week by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy (IRGCN) to provoke United States ships to fire on Iranian naval vessels.

The patrol craft USS Tempest and USS Squall were operating in the northern Persian Gulf when they were approached at high speed by three IRGCN boats. The three Iranian boats crossed the Tempests bow within 600 yards three times.

During all of these incidents, the Iranian ships did not respond to bridge-to-bridge communication and maritime danger signals from the ships whistle.

The incident involving the USS Nitze was captured on video. The restraint shown by the United States Navy in this incident was too much to watch. When does a United States Naval vessel get to defend itself? Its quite likely the United States ships can only return fire once they are fired upon. Thats not very comforting to the families of sailors who serve our nation on those ships.

The United States Fifth Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban told United States Naval Institute (USNI) News that the Iranian patrol craft created a risk of collision and a number of other dangers.

In the situation with the USS Squall, only after the Squall fired three warning shots from its 50-caliber machine gun did the Iranian vessel turn away.

The United States Navy makes the high seas safe for commerce. There are many areas where merchant vessels are at risk of piracy. The Strait of Hormuz is important because it is the entry and exit to the Persian Gulf. One-fifth of the worlds petroleum travels through the strait. Areas of the Arabian Sea off the coasts of Yemen and Oman south of the Persian Gulf have been known as danger zones for all sorts of vessels due to piracy.

United States citizens see a great deal of their federal tax dollars go to support the Department of Defense. Since the end of World War II, the United States and Great Britain have become the police of the high seas. People often look at the United States Navy as our nations bullying fist. In reality, the Navy provides protection to the merchant marine and international commerce.

The issue isnt just about Iran causing international incidents to grab headlines or to strike fear into the hearts of people around the world. Such crazy seamanship on the part of the Iranians is highly unprofessional and could lead to countless deaths.

The Iranian patrol boats are equipped with missiles that could damage or destroy U.S. ships. The unprofessional behavior by the Iranians is frightening.

Yet, if the United States ships were ultimately forced to defend themselves, theres a likelihood that uninformed citizens would simply blame the incident on our bullying fist.

The IRGCN is separate from the regular Iranian Navy. It answers directly to Irans sectarian leadership, according to the USNI. The IRGCN has regularly harassed United States and British naval vessels while violating maritime laws and standards since 2007.

The United States doesnt know if the IRGCNs actions are ordered by Irans government or are the coordinated actions of some of its leaders. Its a rouge outfit.

All the while Iran is collecting information on how the United States responds to such incidents, so the next time it the IRGCN can throw and new, deadly, wrinkle into its harassment.

Its difficult to watch knowing someday the foolish behavior will likely cost people their lives. Its also unfair to American families who deliver their children to serve in the navy, all of the armed services really, to see such a reckless, deadly game.
Dozens of Minnesota city council, township board and mayoral elections are missing something this year  candidates.

Around the state there are offices on the ballot in November with no one seeking the jobs. That means a few write-in votes could determine some municipal leaders or that local governments will have to find other ways to fill those posts.

Wilmont, a bedroom community 20 minutes outside Worthington, had a population of 339 people in the last census. Its where George Hoffman is running for another four-year term on the city council.

In November, his name will be the only one on the ballot  for three Wilmont government offices at stake. That includes the mayors office. The current mayor is retiring so he can travel more and visit family scattered around the country.

In his six years on the council, Hoffman has assisted the mayor, but he doesnt want the title himself.

I was not interested in taking the mayors job, Hoffman said, Im 70 years old, which is not that old I guess.

The retired John Deere service technician figures he could wind up with the responsibility anyway.

Im just afraid that as assistant mayor that I will be slid into that position if we do not get somebody that steps forward, he said. Otherwise if we get one write-in vote for mayor and one write-in vote for the other council seat, theyve got em!

MPR News analyzed candidate filings for cities and townships and found more than 250 instances where no one is seeking the job. A few of the undesired posts are in places with one thousand or more residents. But most affected cities have tiny populations.

Barry, a 16-person city in far western Minnesota, is an example. Voters are supposed to elect a mayor, city council member, clerk and treasurer this fall. There are zero candidates.

League of Minnesota Cities executive director David Unmacht said he hasnt studied the municipal ballot vacancies closely enough to declare this years number an aberration or a trend.

Either way, its hard for Unmacht to find blanket explanations.

Its really unique to each particular community, he said.

At the same time, it is a tough job. Its not always the most popular position in town. And in small towns, everybody knows everybody, Unmacht added. And often times in some of these small communities people have rotated these positions so Whos turn is it next? And it might not be the time for people to serve.

If still empty after the election, most of the cities should be able to fill their position gaps through appointments to carry them through the next election.

These communities know that there isnt anybody who has signed up to be a mayor. Theyre having conversations in the coffee shops as we speak about who should run for mayor, Unmacht said. They might even being picking someone to run for mayor in terms of being a write-in candidate as we speak.

Unmachts bigger concern is the graying of city halls and the difficulty some areas are having attracting younger blood for park boards, advisory panels and other entities that can serve as training grounds for future leaders.

In the central Minnesota city of Bowlus, Joe Sobania has the ballot all to himself as a city council candidate. Problem is, there are four jobs in all up for grabs.

Sobania, who works in manufacturing, was surprised when the filing period closed earlier this month and his name was it.

I thought there would be one or two more people, he said. Because they always can complain about stuff but nobody wants to run for city council to do something about it.

Sobania was appointed to the city council not long ago when someone else moved. He estimates that he devotes three to four hours a month to the part-time role, where things like dog-leash ordinances and public works concerns are front-and-center.

So did he set his sights too low this November by not trying for mayor?

Im just new the scene so I kind of want to take baby steps and work my way up, kind of to see what Im getting myself into and work my way up, Sobania said.

It was a fluke that left the void on the Grand Marais ballot for mayor.

Incumbent Jay Arrowsmith-DeCoux hopes to keep his job. But something went wrong.

I just didnt get the papers there, Arrowsmith-DeCoux confessed.

The mayor had been on a family trip into the Boundary Waters. In his town on the national wilderness areas doorstep, its as good an excuse as any.

The fact that nobody else filed Im kind of relieved by that, he said with a laugh.

Hes been razzed by his friends for the slip. Hes waging a write-in campaign. And the first-termer is vowing he wont make the same mistake next time.

So you can sure bet your baloney that when the next election comes up I will be the first person putting my paperwork in, Arrowsmith-DeCoux said.

Back in Wilmont, Hoffman said a write-in mayor would cut both ways  getting him off the hook but also carrying uncertainty.

Were just concerned about who we might get in there. You dont know who you would get on a write-in, Hoffman said. If they want the job and they take it, we have to accept it. We cant say No, we dont want you in there because they were duly elected.
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(8) Aug 13 (8) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (2) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (8) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (2) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (1) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (2) May 31 (2) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (5) May 27 (1) May 26 (1) May 25 (2) May 24 (2) May 23 (1) May 22 (2) May 21 (2) May 20 (3) May 19 (3) May 18 (2) May 17 (2) May 16 (2) May 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13 (1) Feb 12 (2) Feb 11 (1) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (1) Feb 08 (1) Feb 07 (1) Feb 06 (1) Feb 05 (5) Feb 03 (1) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (1) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (3) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (1) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (6) Dec 14 (4) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (5) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (3) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (4) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (6) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (3) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (5) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (6) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (2) Aug 07 (2) Aug 06 (2) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (2) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (2) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (6) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (4) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (2) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (2) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (1) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (2) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (5) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (2) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 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15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (5) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (7) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (3) Jul 12 (2) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (6) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (6) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (8) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (2) May 30 (2) May 29 (2) May 28 (2) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (3) May 24 (2) May 23 (2) May 22 (3) May 21 (5) May 20 (4) May 19 (2) May 18 (3) May 17 (3) 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(6) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (9) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (3) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (2) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (4) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (2) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (2) Jan 04 (2) Jan 03 (2) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (2) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (2) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (2) Nov 22 (2) Nov 21 (2) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (2) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (2) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (2) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (2) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (5) Sep 30 (2) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (5) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (2) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (2) Aug 25 (2) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 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(3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (5) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (3) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (5) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 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(3) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (3) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (3) Mar 07 (3) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (3) Mar 01 (3) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (3) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (5) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (3) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (2) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (2) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (2) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (2) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (1) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (1) Sep 18 (1) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (1) Sep 15 (2) Sep 14 (2) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 11 (2) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (1) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (1) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (2) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 12 (1) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (5) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (6) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (6) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (4) May 30 (4) May 29 (4) May 28 (5) May 27 (5) May 26 (5) May 25 (4) May 24 (5) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (3) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (3) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (3) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (4) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (4) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (6) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (5) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (7) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (7) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (8) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (3) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (6) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (4) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (6) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (7) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 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(4) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (3) Sep 09 (3) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (2) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (4) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (8) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (2) Jun 21 (1) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (7) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 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(4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (4) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (4) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (2) Jan 15 (2) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (2) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (2) Dec 29 (2) Dec 28 (2) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (1) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (1) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (4) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (1) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (2) Dec 10 (2) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (1) Dec 05 (2) Dec 04 (1) Dec 03 (2) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (2) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (1) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (1) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (2) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (1) Nov 16 (1) Nov 15 (1) Nov 14 (1) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (1) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (1) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (1) Nov 03 (1) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (2) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (2) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (2) Oct 25 (2) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (2) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (1) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (1) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (2) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (1) Oct 03 (2) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (1) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (1) Sep 27 (3) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (1) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (2) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (1) Sep 14 (1) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (3) Sep 11 (1) Sep 10 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English learners face a common problem: their writing often lacks clarity and cohesion.

That is according to Babi Kruchin and Alan Kennedy who teach at the American Language Program at Columbia University.

They recommend that English learners use concept maps  images that show how ideas are connected.

What is important is how you put it together

Lets consider a comparison. In some ways, the writing process is like cooking.

Gathering the ingredients for a meal requires effort. But, understanding how to put all the ingredients together is far more difficult.

Similarly, learning nouns, adjectives, and verbs can be hard to do. But, putting them together into a meaningful story, email, or essay is what is difficult.

Doing these things becomes even more difficult when you are writing in a second language.

So, writing clear, cohesive paragraphs or essays, can be hard for English learners.

To overcome this problem, Kruchin and Kennedy recommend that students make concept maps before writing.

Kennedy says concept maps show a writer when his or her writing lacks clarity.

Kruchin adds that concept maps help visual learners  people who learn better by seeing ideas.

What are concept maps?

Concept maps are tools for organizing ideas. They usually have three parts: concepts, arrows, and linking phrases.

The concepts, which are the main ideas, are in circles or boxes. They are often nouns or noun phrases.

Arrows show how concepts are connected.

Linking words or phrases go above the arrows and explain how the concepts relate to one another.

Linking phrases are especially important. They are the groups of words that show relationships between concepts.

Joseph Novak, the creator of concept mapping, says such linking phrases give meaning to statements:

"If you say dog and food, those two concepts by themselves don't mean anything. They don't make a statement about the world. But if you say "dogs need food", then you begin to express an idea that's significant."

Novak adds that the linking words or phrases should be short. "You do not want a story between two concepts," he says, "just the expression that is needed to say, 'this concept is significantly related to another concept.'"

Generally, the generic ideas are at the top of the concept map and the specific ideas are at the bottom.

Kennedy explains what this looks like:

"So, for example, if you wanted to explain that trees provide wood, and wood is used to make furniture, you could have a circle around the word trees and then you could have an arrow between the word wood and the word furniture, which would also be in a circle, and on top of that arrow it would say "is used to make""



From this starting point, writers can expand concept maps to include many concepts, arrows, and linking phrases.

Regardless of how simple or complex the map is, the most important point is that every concept has at least one arrow attached to it, and that every arrow has a linking word or linking phrase.

Building a concept map before writing an essay or email will make you think about how your ideas relate to one another.

You will realize when you are not explaining the relationships between ideas if you make a concept map that does not have arrows or linking phrases.

What can you do?

So, what can you do to start practicing concept maps?

You can start by reading and learning common linking words.

#1 Start by building a concept map of a paragraph

Kruchin recommends that English learners begin to use concept maps by studying the writing of others.

Learning how good writers have connected and developed ideas is an important starting point for learners who want to improve their own writing.

Kruchin adds that English learners should begin with a small amount of writing, such as a paragraph.

Kruchin suggests that English learners study the paragraph, or essay, by looking for the following information:

"The author's main idea is this, because of A, B, and C and here is one example to support A, one example to support B, one example to support C."

Doing this exercise, Kruchin adds, will give English learners information about how they can show relationships between ideas in their own writing.

#2 Learn common words and phrases that connect ideas

Kennedy recommends that English learners master words and phrases that show relationships between ideas. These linking phrases often show cause and effect or tell about the order of events.

English learners, Kennedy explains, should practice using a few of these phrases before moving to phrases that are more complex.

In particular, he recommends that English learners first use phrases such as "leads to", "causes", "is a type of" and "requires", before moving on to other phrases.

Read the article that goes with this story

Whether your goal is to write novels, poetry, or a message to a co-worker or friend, being able to show a relationship between ideas is an important skill.

Concept mapping might seem complicated, but Kennedy and Kruchin wrote an article that can help clarify their ideas. You can find the article on this page in PDF format. Download the article, read it, then try practicing with concept maps.

Let us know how concept maps work for you!

I'm John Russell.

John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

cohesion  n. a condition in which people or things are closely united

concept  n. an idea of what something is or how it works

ingredient  n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc.

overcome  v. to successfully deal with or gain control of (something difficult)

phrase  n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence
Emily Olivares was surprised when a friend told her she is $50,000 in debt after paying for four years of college.

I almost had a heart attack, Olivares said. Thats a lot of money.

She has no such problem.

Her tuition for four years at Western Michigan University was about $40,000. But, a program called Kalamazoo Promise paid for it all.

Since 2006, a group of secret donors provided money so students who graduate from Kalamazoo public schools can attend a Michigan state college. The money pays tuition for students in part or fully.

I dont think I would be in the same place in life right now if it wasnt for this program, said the 22-year-old Olivares.

She recently graduated from Western Michigan University, and works for Kalamazoo Promise. In the future, she hopes to set up international study programs for college students.

Hillary Clinton's Proposed Tuition Program

The Kalamazoo program is now getting more attention because of Hillary Clinton. The Democratic candidate for president is proposing a free tuition program for the entire country. Clinton wants to provide free state college tuition for families with yearly incomes of up to $125,000.

Republican Donald Trumps campaign website does not list a plan on college tuition. However, last year, Trump told The Hill newspaper that the federal government should not profit on student loans and should allow students to lower the amount of interest they pay.

In Kalamazoo, the tuition aid program is praised as a program that makes a difference in the small city in Americas Midwest. Kalamzoo has a population of 76,000 and is halfway between the cities of Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan.

Bob Jorth is the Kalamazoo Promise executive director. He said the city has about 25 percent more students attending college than it did 10 years ago, when the program began.

Kalamazoo is sending about 85 percent of its high school graduates to college. That percentage, Jorth said, is similar to the rate in much wealthier communities.

Research Group Says Promise Program Has Limits

But the Brookings Institution research group said in a 2015 report that the program has limitations. It found that only twenty percent of African-American high school graduates earned college degrees six years after graduation. Brookings said the overall college degree average for the citys public school graduates was forty percent.

What it shows, Brookings said, is that Kalamazoo has not yet come close to resolving the problem of inequality of opportunity for African-American children.

But several Kalamazoo Promise students said the program made a big difference for them.

Twenty-one-year-old Tinashe Chaponda is now attending Western Michigan University with a lot of help from Kalamazoo Promise

Not having to pay full tuition, means he does not have to spend his free time working at a paid job, Chaponda said. It has freed him to set up a non-profit group to help place students with groups needing volunteers.

Chaponda came to Michigan from Zimbabwe in time to start 8th grade in Kalamazoos school system. Today, he gets 70 percent of his tuition covered. Students who attend Kalamazoo public schools for all 12 years get their entire Michigan state college tuition covered.

Chaponda said his goal is to return to Zimbabwe some day and run for president of the southern African country.

The Promise program allows me to focus on college and still have extra time to start my non-profit, Chaponda said. I feel if people are investing in me, the least I can do is give back to the community in some way.

Other Cities Offer Tuition Aid

Kalamazoo is not the only place with free- or reduced-cost tuition for public school graduates.

The Upjohn Institute for Employment Research reported that about 30 U.S. communities have created similar programs. One of the largest is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Upjohn Institute studied graduation rates in Kalamazoo in 2015. It said there was a 12 percent increase in people earning college degrees within six years of high school graduation.

The U.S. Education Department says that is important for economic reasons. People who graduate from college in America earn $1 million more, over their lifetime, than those who only graduated from high school.

The Promise program also means Kalamazoo public school graduates can attend state colleges without owing a lot of money. The average student debt for 2016 college graduates is $37,000, according to the website, StudentLoanHero.com.

Not everyone supports the idea of free tuition. Norbert Michel, writing for the conservative Heritage Foundation, said free tuition can lead to higher education costs.

The core problem is that they remove the paying customer -- in this case the student -- from the equation, Michel said. If students and their parents are paying they will work to keep costs down, he said.

Students Know 'This Is Something Special'

Michael Rice is superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools. He said, teachers start talking about the program in early in a students education.

By sixth grade students understand that this is something special and unique, Rice said. He said the program has helped increase test scores for students who know they and their families will be able to afford college.

Jorth said it is too early to say what will happen to the program he leads if Clinton is elected and gets her tuition plan approved by Congress.

When Kalamazoo Promise was announced in late 2005, a press release said the donors wanted to give people a reason to remain in Kalamazoo or move to the city. They also wanted a more educated workforce. But the press release did not say who the donors are.

Since then, Jorth said local residents have been trying to guess who in Kalamazoo has enough money to provide the $80 million given the program since 2006.

The secret donors make Jorths job pretty special. He may be one of the few people who can say, I dont know who I work for.

Im Bruce Alpert.

Bruce Alpert reported this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.

____________________________________________________________

Words in this Story

heart attack -- n. a suddedn painful and dangerous condition in which your heart stops beating properly

tuition -- n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there

entire -- adj. complete or full

focus -- v. to put most of your attention on a matter or subject

graduate -- n. a student who complete his or her studies at a school

core -- adj. the central or major issue

equation -- n. the issue at hand

guess -- v. to form an opinion or give an answer about something when you do not know much or anything about it
The memory of a beloved pet inspires one couple's fight against injustice.
Charlie Clark, who served as Lexingtons Chief of Police from 1985 until his retirement in 2010, died Wednesday, Aug. 24 in Waverly.

Clark was a 1963 graduate of LexingtonHigh School, and upon his return to the community presided over the police department during a tumultuous period in the towns history.

He definitely saw the town change, said current Chief of Police Tracy Wolf. We were in a real downturn at that point. The Sperry-New Holland plant was basically shut down. Lexington was a lot smaller then, there were a lot of empty homes.

Mayor John Fagot said Clark handled the changes as well as could be expected.

It wasnt just a cultural change; the construction of the IBP plant brought a much younger population to town, Fagot said. Sometimes when you are 25, you feel bulletproof and have a lot of wild oats to sow. Charlie took it in stride, and dealt with it very calmly but firmly.

Fagot called Clark a man of few words. But when he did speak, you understood clearly what he meant, he said. He was very conscientious toward others. He truly understood what it meant to serve and protect. He went the extra mile, not only to enforce the law, but to give people a better understanding of and feeling about law enforcement in the process.

Wolf was the youngest officer in the Lexington Police Department in 1985 when Clark came from the Lincoln Police Department to become chief. He worked with Clark for nearly 25 years.

I have my own style of policing, but I know that he had an influence on my law enforcement philosophy, Wolf said. One cannot understand what all comes with being a police chief until you hold that position and for that reason he earned my respect of referring to him as Chief even after he retired.

Wolf said Clark was very budget-conscious and aware the department spent the citizens tax dollars. He always wanted to do more with less. He expected his officers to treat everyone the same and show no favoritism, Wolf recalled. Chief Clark loved the numbers and enjoyed tracking department statistics. He expected the officers to cover their shifts, handle calls and do follow-up investigations. He was a stickler when it came to any type of paper work or reports.

Chief Clark was a good husband, father, friend, and boss. Several of the officers and dispatchers he hired are still with the police department. He will be missed by all, Wolf added.

City Manager Joe Pepplitsch called Clark an authentic individual.

I had the pleasure to work with him for half of his 25 year career with the city. When I hear his name, I think of common sense, the kiss theory (keep it simple stupid), and a sharp wit, Pepplitsch said. I always knew where I stood with Charlie, which I admired. I learned about life and humanity from him, which I respected.

My feelings go out to his family at this difficult time. It may be cliche to say the world has lost another good one, but I believe that to be true. He will be missed, Pepplitsch continued.

In a profile that ran in the Clipper-Herald in 2010, as he neared retirement, Clark explained what motivated him to choose the career he did:

Every now and then you get to level the playing field for some people. Clark said.

With that, Clark relates a story about a young girl who was assaulted by an adult while in Lexington on an out-of-town visit. Although the parties involved were not Lexington residents, the crime occurred within city jurisdiction and Clarks team handled the complaint.

The assault was serious in nature and many people sided with the adult, because he was a pillar in the community from which he came.

There was a witness to the event, however, and eventually the truth came out and girl vindicated.

He had the whole town believing he was the victim, Clark said, shaking his head.

That one, we leveled the playing field, he continued. Thats part of the reason were here, to even the odds for victims of crime.

Fagot remembered the last time he spoke with Clark.

About nine months ago, he called me out of the blue, Fagot said. The main reason for his call was to tell me that he still considered Lexington to be home, and he was following the town in the news. He told me he was just so proud of what he was seeing and reading.

He was quite the man.
LEXINGTON,Neb. - The Lexington Chamber of Commerce sponsored a seminar on changes to overtime rules Monday afternoon at the Lexington Opportunity Center.

The seminar was given by John Hill, who has decades of experience working in human resources. Hill is the president of HR Total Solutions, a company based in Hastings.

His seminar was titled, "The New Overtime rules, who's exempt and who's not."

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor announced significant changes to rules designating overtime pay and exemptions to overtime pay, he said. Originally the DOL hoped to roll out those changes on May 18, 2016, but feedback and backlash convinced the agency to postpone the implementation of rule changes until Dec. 1, 2016, Hill said.

The rule changes updated provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, (FLSA). Hill said new rules raise the salary threshold at which an employee can be considered exempt from having to get paid overtime.

During his seminar, Hill talked about a three-pronged test he uses to gauge whether or not an employee merits an exemption. He stressed that an employee needs to meet all three of the following criteria to quality for an exemption from OT pay. The three criteria are: a duty test, meeting the salary threshold and a salary basis test.

Starting Dec. 1, the new salary threshold will be an income of $913 per week or $47,476 per year or higher. The current salary threshold is at $455 per week and $23,660 per year.

"The $913 per week was set according to the 40th percentile of full-time non-hourly paid employees in the lowest wage census region (the South)," Hill said.

The last adjustment to the salary threshold was done in 2004, when the $23,600 per year rule was enacted, he said.

Hill said a big reason the FLSA was updated was to accommodate workers in the fast food and food services industry. With the current rules in place, a manager at restaurant, who meets the salary threshold, duty test (represents the company and makes management decisions) and passes the salary basis test could have a worker call in sick, and be on the hook for working a 16-hour day without qualifying for overtime pay.

"A focus of this rule change was food service workers," and protecting them, Hill said.

There was no change to the duties test requirement of the FLSA, he said.

To meet the duty test part of the three-pronged test, an employee had to make managerial level decisions, represent the company and have some discretion to make high level decisions, he said.

The salary basis test requires that employees exempt from receiving OT receive a full-salary every week and that their pay is not subject to a reduction based on quality of work, Hill said. An exempt employee can have no fluctuation in pay, if a fluctuation happens, then the employee would lose their exemption and qualify for OT pay, he said.

Although there is a bill in the pipeline in Congress to repeal the changes set to be implemented to the FLSA, it has not won much traction and didn't look like it was going anywhere, Hill said.

Reflecting on the two presidential candidates, Hill said that Hillary Clinton was completely behind the new rules on overtime. He said although Donald Trump was for the new changes, he would be likely to ease the implementation and accommodate small business concerns.

Some tips or possible fixes to employer concerns on how to meet the new OT rules from Hill included:

- Hiring more part-time help to avoid paying full-time employees excessive overtime.

- To accommodate employees, like part-time employees who work more on Friday through Sunday, Hill said an employer can get creative about when they designate the start of their workweek for an employee. This means the DOL does not require an employer to start their official work week Monday morning, so theoretically a work week could start on Wednesday, Hill said.

- Employers can use a bonus to meet up to 10 percent of the salary threshold for an exempt employee. However, Hill said the bonus needs to be a non-discretionary bonus. This means the bonus can't be a one-time surprise bonus, he said.

- Unless an employer is willing to pay OT, employers are encouraged not to hand out assignments late in the work day and work week with asking for the work to be completed as soon as possible because employees are likely to stay in late or come in on weekends to complete it, Hill said.

For more information on changes to overtime rules visit www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/ or email john.hill059@yahoo.com.
LEXINGTON, Neb. - Pastor Anne Gahn will soon complete two months as the new pastor at First United Methodist Church in Lexington.

Her early weeks of ministry in Lexington have been filled with getting to know members of the congregation and engaging with folks in the community.

She began her duties at FUMC on July 1, 2016. She and her husband Doug are just beginning their lives as a clergy couple.

Doug has been serving as the pastor for Elm Creek, Overton and Williamsburg United Methodist churches since July 1, 2015 and they are making their home in the Overton parsonage. They have three daughters Allison, 26, and her partner Bryce Batenhorst ofOmaha; Melissa, 24, and her partner Dane tenBensel of Arapahoe; and Emmaly, 18 of Lincoln.

Having been born and raised in southwest Nebraska, Gahn graduated from Republican Valley High School before eventually moving to Lincoln to raise her family and build a life filled with serving others.

Whether Anne was operating her child care business, teaching preschool or working in a dental office, Annes gifts have always led and helped her to care for others.

Serving in parent group leadership at her daughters schools, as a Girl Scout leader, 4-H mom, and church volunteer all helped to shape Annes leadership and organizational skills in preparation for ministry, she said.

"As a child care provider, I was a partner with other parents sharing the work of raising kids. As a dental assistant I was in charge of scheduling and helping patients with the financial aspects of their care. As a volunteer in a variety of situations I had the opportunity to really get to know people from all walks of life," Gahn said.

She continued, "Every opportunity I have had in my life has taught me about the goodness of all people, and the ways that we all have our struggles."

One of Pastor Annes personal struggles was her own divorce and difficulties of life as a single mom.

"During this time, I needed to find healing, and I found that in seeking a deeper relationship with God. It was a difficult time, working my full-time job and two additional part time jobs to make ends meet. I had been away from the church for some time, and finding connections with people, Bible study, and later with service opportunities gave me a starting over point! My connection to worship and finding ways to serve others in a significant way paved the way to a new life," Gahn said.

Gahn said she is "forever thankful to my First UMC Lincoln family that welcomed me into their midst, and became a second family where my girls could feel at home."

"I believe Gods ultimate plan for all of us is that we find human connections that teach us about Gods amazing grace in a way that our eyes are opened to the unconditional, life-giving love of God who wants us to be connected first and foremost to God," Gahn said.

First United Methodist Church in Lincoln is also special for Gahn because that's where she met her husband, Doug. "He was completely a gift to our little family! I was faithfully living in my role as a parent, faithfully walking with God, and ever since we met, life has been one crazy adventure after another," she said.

Just like herself, her husband Doug's first career was outside the church, he served 34 years in the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Together they served as youth ministry leaders, Bible study leaders, on domestic and international mission teams, as well as in a variety of local church leadership roles.

"We come to full time ministry with a lot of life experiences, relationships, work experiences, and raising kids. It all gives you unique points of connection with others," she said.

Gahn started working as a part-time ministry staff person as Doug began his nine-year journey of academic training for ministry while continuing to work full time and preaching at Prairie Home UMC outside of Lincoln.

Anne moved from her part time Christian Education position to a full-time Children and Youth Ministry position at Trinity UMC Lincoln as the church prepared for a bold relocation effort to renew the congregation.

During her five years at Trinity, she had the opportunity to experience the power of developing and equipping lay servant teams, the curating of excellent worship and preaching, and the development of generous giving patterns. This all worked together to connect church and community in life-transforming ministry, she said.

Gahn earned her Master of Divinity degree from Saint Paul School of Theology in Leawood,Kan., which is a United Methodist seminary. During her time in seminary she developed a deep appreciation for religious diversity and the role of the faith community in ministries of mercy and justice, she said.

So far, her days as a pastor at FUMC have exceeded her expectations, Gahn said.

"I love the process of getting to know the congregationits rich history and the peoples hopes for their future as a faith community.Lexington is a great community, with wonderful people. There are so many good things going on in and around Lexington and I am listening and observing and together with the folks at First UMC Lexington, we hope to grow in our understanding of the ways we can connect life, faith and community in some powerful and transformative ways," Gahn said.

She continued, "We have a lot to learn from each other as people of faith, and I look forward to being a part of the conversation here in Lexington."

As a pastor, Gahn says she is well aware of the messiness of life and the challenges of living lives of faith in the world today. Her hope is for all people to find a place to worship, to open their hearts to Gods love and grace, to grow in their knowledge and understanding of God and the Scriptures, and to then share that love and extend that grace into the world by serving others.

Gahn said she hopes FUMC can bring a "sense of authentic life and authentic church to our worship and faith formation offerings for people of all ages!"

"Some of the best parts of my role as a pastor are the opportunity to walk with individuals and families through their holiest of times. Often these moments come in the midst of loss, pain, suffering, grief, mistakes, failures, and uncertainty. These can be entry points to experiencing God in a new way, understanding oneself in a different way and potentially be a place for transformation," she said.

"From my time as a preschool teacher, to patient care in the dental world, to serving in ministry, I have become a life-long student of what it means to care for people, the beauty of connecting peoples gifts with life-giving serving opportunities, and walking with people as we grow in our love for and knowledge of God," Gahn said.

For Gahn, her entire life has been a constant unfolding of Gods grace, she said.

"I am constantly amazed by Gods forgiveness and the gift of every day being a new chance to begin again!"
Lexingtons Heartland Museum of Military allows visitors to see up close many of the machines used by the men and women of the United States Armed Forces over the years.

For Boy Scout Troop 26 of Tulsa, Okla., the museum also served as a fun place to bed down for the night.

Troop 26 was on the return leg of a summer camp trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota.

Scoutmaster Bill Shaffer said the scouts visited Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument in South Dakota, and the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles was their final stop. The troop stayed at the museum the night of July 23.

The kids absolutely loved the museum. Scouts are, by nature and inclination, patriotic and the museum really fed their passion for citizenship and love of country, Shaffer said.

The American military is a personal matter to Shaffer, as his father was shot down in a bombing mission over Japan and never returned home.

I had the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings with my scouts about service and dedication and love of country, Shaffer said. The museum represented the men and women who gave up part of their life and some of them, like my dad, their very lives, to protect those things we hold dear; those things embodied in the Scout Oath and Law. It was a great visit and an excellent end to a fantastic trip.

Some of the scouts shared their thoughts on the military museum.

The Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles is a place that embodies the strength and size of the American military. The multitude of diverse vehicles is astounding, said Eagle Scout and Senior Patrol Leader Parker Plank said.

It was a great experience and I recommend it. Its a good place to take the family, especially if you love the military and air force, First Class Scout Caleb Hayes said.

Man, how I loved all of the vehicles and the volunteers who made it possible to see them. There were cool cars, planes, and helicopters, and they were awesome, First Class Scout Parker Taylor shared. The thing I liked the best was getting an appreciation for the veterans who flew and drove those vehicles. Thank you, veterans.

Gary Gifford with the museum said the scouts had the opportunity to bed down is some of the vehicles. He said the troop was well-behaved and eager to learn, and made many purchases at the gift shop.

They ran us right out of a lot of the mementos and toys we have out here, Gifford said. It was busy.

Gifford said the reason the scouts requested to sleep inside was theyd been rained on every night in the Black Hills. They slept in the trucks and other vehicles. They just had a ball, he said. One of the scoutmasters told us he couldnt imagine another museum doing that for them.

The following morning, the scouts ate breakfast outside. Before they left, they all stood in uniform out at the flag pole, and saluted as a group, Gifford recalled. They were a really great group.

The Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles is open daily except on Christmas and New Years Day. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The museum is run entirely through volunteer labor and is located just off Interstate 80 at exit 237 at Lexington.
Asus may have introduced the ZenPad 3S 10 tablet in Taiwan in July, but the 9.7 inch Android tablet got its official coming out party for the Western world at the IFA show in Berlin today.

The ZenPad 3S 10 is coming to Europe for 379 Euros (about $420).

At that price, youd probably expect some premium specs, and for the most part it looks like the ZenPad 3S 10 delivers.

The tablet ships with Android 6.0 and has a 9.7 inch, 2048 x 1536 pixel LCD display, a MediaTek MT8176 hexa-core processor with 2 ARM Cortex-A72 CPU cores and 4 ARM Cortex-A53 cores, and PowerVR GX6250 graphics.

It features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and the tablet has a microSD card slot for up to 128GB of removable storage.

While the tablet has a MediaTek processor, the battery supports Qualcomms Quick Charge 3.0 fast-charging technology. Asus says you should be able to get up to 12 hours of battery life while surfing the web over WiFi thanks to the tablets 5,900 mAh, 22 Wh battery.

Other features include 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, 24-bit/192 kHz audio, and a USB Type-C port.

Asus says the tablets metal case measures just 5.8mm (0.22 inches) thick and that the ZenPad 3S 10 has a 5.3mm (0.21 inch) bezels around the display.

Theres no word on when the tablet will be available in the US and Canada or how much it will cost in North America.
Lenovo has been offering convertible notebooks under its Yoga brand for a few years. Thanks to a 360 degree hinge and touchscreen display, you can fold the screen all the way back and use a Yoga PC like a tablet.

But the new 10.1 inch Lenovo Yoga Book takes things even further. Instead of a physical keyboard, it has a pad that can be used as a halo keyboard with virtual keys shown when you need them, or as a blank slate that you can use to draw or write notes on using a pen.

Lenovo is unveiling the Yoga Book at the IFA show in Berlin this week, where the company is demonstrating how the halo keyboard with can provide haptic feedback: the device vibrates a bit when you press a key, but theres no actual travel because theres no actual key.

Its not quite the same as the physical sensation of feeling the keys move down when you press them, but it should help you make sure youre touching the right section of the keyboard when youre not looking down at your hands.

Turn off the keyboard and the space becomes a graphic tablet. You can use a digital pen that comes with the Yoga Book for drawing without having to place the pen on the color display, where your hand could obscure what youre looking at.

The pad surface is also a little rougher than the touchscreen, so youll feel more friction as you write or draw.

Lenovo also lets you use the surface for one more thing: you can place a piece of paper on top of the pad and write notes on paper. The Yoga Book will save a digital copy of your paper notes as you write.

The Yoga Book isnt the first paper-to-digital copying device, but Lenovos version doesnt require any special type of paper and the stylus doesnt need to be recharged.

Lenovo will offer two versions of the Yoga Book: an Android model price at $499 and up, and a Windows version that starts at $549.

As you might guess from those prices, the Yoga Book is powered by an Intel Atom x5 low-power processor rather than a higher-performance chip. It has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

But the convertible notebook/tablet/thing has a few premium features. The price includes a pen that uses Wacom technology and which does not require recharging.

The tablet has a full HD display. And it weighs just 1.5 pounds and measures 0.38 inches thick.

Lenovo says the Yoga Book should get up to 15 hours of battery life.
Whats a Chabad rabbi to do if he wants to help Jews in the in the Amazon Rainforest keep kosher?

Rabbi Arieh Raichman, Chabad representative to Manaus, Brazil, has been chewing on this conundrum for some time now.

Situated on the banks of the Negro River in northwestern Brazil, Manaus is effectively cut off from the rest of the country. There are no roads leading in or out of this city, making boat or plane its only means of connection to the rest of the country.

The closest Jewish area is in Belem, 800 miles away. Inaccessible by land, its a two-hour long flight. Somehow, Rabbi Raichman, his wife Devorah Leah and their five small children manage, or make do with less. Some kosher food is imported by boat from Belem and Sao Paulo. And theyve learned to take advantage of the local abundance of seafood. We eat a lot of fish, says Rabbi Raichman. I bring my own knife and cutting board to the local fish market, and they fillet fish especially for my family.

But providing kosher food for the greater Jewish population has proved a challenge. Waiting more than a month before basic supplies are delivered is not going to make kosher-keeping popular with the citys Jews.

So the Raichmans, there since 2009, have developed a rather ingenious plan. Why should we have to import food from other cities, they began asking, which only hikes the prices and makes kosher food inaccessible? We can begin producing kosher food locally. Let kosher become a cheap and viable option for everybody.

Devorah Leah began preparing a weekly kosher menu from which people could order three-course meals to enjoy over Shabbat. Then, Rabbi Raichman turned to locals who had experience and a hand in the food industry. He reached out to Shalom Ohana, a local Jew who owns a pizza store. We discussed koshering his restaurant for a day, and offered a fully kosher menu for the Jewish community.

Ohana, an Israeli living in Manaus for the last four years, was more than happy to comply. Koshering the ovens and kitchen utensils proved to be a challenge, but when the work was done, a fully kosher breakfast menu was made available and for the first time in the history of the Manaus Jewish community, locals could eat out in a restaurant and order kosher food.

A kosher restaurant in the Amazon? Unheard of here, chuckles Raichman.

The event, said Ohana, is a reflection of the tremendous effort the rabbi and his wife invest to educate and raise awareness among local Jews. We had about 20 people coming here for kosher breakfast that day, not a skimpy number for Manaus, and more, he expects, will come next time.

Manaus first Jews arrived there in the early part of the 19th century. Fleeing poverty at home and attracted by the Amazonian rubber industry, thousands of Moroccan Jews emigrated to cities in the north of Brazil and Peru, building Jewish communities throughout the Amazon Basin. Assimilation and intermarriage to local Amazonians have since thinned these numbers out, and today, there are only several hundred Identifying Jews.

Zehev Benzaken, 35, was born in Manaus. After living abroad for a good number of years, he returned there to work on his Phd in molecular biology and was delighted by the change he observed in the local Jewish community.

Until the rabbi came here, life was really difficult for the Jews, Zehev told lubavitch.com. Many had traditions that they kept, but were not knowledgeable about Judaism. Today, he says, he notices Jews interested in practicing and becoming more educated about their heritagea result he directly attributes to the Chabad shluchim here.

Driven by the Dr. Pizza success, Raichman has plans to do more for the Manaus community. He had a local bakery made kosher for a day, providing a supply of challah and kosher bread for the community, and a shopping mall kiosk will soon begin selling kosher ice cream and sorbet.

We are creating awareness, Rabbi Raichman says. Until recently kosher food was a mitzvah associated with only big cities. Now people are seeing kosher food advertised and it has become more of a reality in their lives.

Shaul Wolff contributed to this article
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Victoria Mejia taught her granddaughter, Tishbeth, how to cook in her Guadalajara kitchen.

And now Tisbeth Mejia is honoring and passing on her abuela's legacy at Catrinas in South Tampa, where they stress authenticity in their food and drink.

"Every time that I cook, I remember her -- with the smell of the food," Tisbeth said.

As the executive chef, Tisbeth is sharing Abuela Victoria's Sopes con Camerones recipe -- Sopes with Shrimp.

"It's a very traditional dish from Mexico," Tisbeth said.



Sopes with Shrimp



Sopes

4 c. corn masa flour

2 c. water

 tsp. salt

1 small bunch epazote leaves, chopped



Shrimp Filling

1 lb. Florida shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 Florida bell peppers, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

Oil for cooking

TT sea salt and ground pepper



Sauce

1 c. tomato sauce

1 guajillo pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 c. soy sauce

1 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. pepper



Toppings

1/2 c. queso fresco

1/2 c. romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 c. tomato sauce

1/2 c. refried beans

1/2 c. radish, sliced

Directions



Sopes

Combine masa flour, water, epazote and salt.

Knead for five minutes or until masa is no longer sticky.

Divide into 20 small balls.

Flatten into thick tortillas approximately three inches in diameter.

On a hot skillet or griddle, cook each sope for one minute and then turn.

Cook until golden.

Repeat with remaining masa balls.

Hold each sope with side first cooked facing up; pinch edges to make a border.

Be careful as sopes will be hot.

Cover with a cloth to keep sopes warm and moist.

Fry sopes in a skillet with a bit of oil until lightly golden.

Remove from skillet and drain.

Spread with one tablespoon hot refried beans.

Top with the shrimp, lettuce, cheese, radish and your choice of sauce.

Serve immediately.



Sauce

Combine tomato sauce, soy sauce, guajillo pepper, garlic clove, salt and pepper.



Shrimp

Lightly coat the shrimp with butter.

Preheat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the preheated saute pan.

Carefully add the shrimp to the saute pan and cook until almost done, about 3 minutes.

Add the peppers and onions.

Cook the peppers for 4 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce to the pan.

Turn the heat up slightly.

Cook for 2 more minutes.

The sauce should thicken and the shrimp will be cooked after 3 minutes.
Tamil superstar Vikram's fans have some good news in store for them. The actor has finally joined a social media platform to increase his interaction with his followers.

The actor, who is known to lead a low profile life, joined Instagram around a week back with the handle the_real_chiyaan ahead of his September release Iru Mugan.

The Bheemaa actor has been sharing pictures from his different trips abroad with #traveldiaries.

Zebra Crossing. #odense #denmark #traveldiaries A photo posted by Chiyaan (@the_real_chiyaan) on Aug 26, 2016 at 3:40am PDT

What goes around must come around. #helsinki #traveldiaries A photo posted by Chiyaan (@the_real_chiyaan) on Aug 23, 2016 at 3:15pm PDT

Recently the actor shared a video from an event in Kochi where he promoted his upcoming film. In the caption he thanked his fans in Malayalam.

Itthra prematthikku nanni  #kochidiaries #kochi A video posted by Chiyaan (@the_real_chiyaan) on Aug 30, 2016 at 12:03am PDT

Iru Mugan, also starring Nayanthara, has been cleared by the CBFC with a U/A certificate and will hit the screens on 8 September.

While fans have excitedly welcomed him on the photo sharing app they now wait to see if the actor will also join other social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
Littlefinger a 'murderer', Jon Snow a 'bastard', Daenerys Targaryen an 'outsider'.

These are the 'allegations' Cersei Lannister has leveled against her rivals for the Iron Throne, even as she exhorts them to "confess", and the strains of the 'Light Of The Seven' plays in the background.

The brief video, which supports Cersei in her quest to be the ultimate ruler of Westeros (with Maester Qyburn as her 'running mate') has been released by HBO to promote the upcoming seventh season of the hit TV series Game Of Thrones.

And as the US heads into its presidential elections shortly, what better way to style an ad campaign than as the modern day candidates would?

So these series of "attack" ads have been unveiled on YouTube which certainly offer a fun dose of GoT as the interminable wait for the seventh season continues.

Who are the other 'candidates' standing against Cersei? There's the Baelish-Stark team (their ad comes courtesy 'Fingers and Friends Against Cersei), the Daenerys-Tyrion combination (their ad has been made by the Free People of Essos) and the Snow-Mormont duo (Jon Snow doesn't put out an 'attack ad' at all  instead, he gets lots of mass support!). Incidentally Cersei's ad comes courtesy 'Lannister Family Coffers'.

The ads have been run alongside a fun vote for the audience, where they get to cast a ballot for the team they'd like to see most on the Iron Thrones, ruling Westeros. Of the one million votes cast so far  as reported by Screenrant  has Jon Snow in the lead (with a 35 percent share of the vote), Dany and Tyrion trailing with 32 percent, and Cersei having the lowest share, with just 2 percent of the votes.

Which campaign do you like best? Watch, and then cast a vote for your candidate here.

Cersei/Qyburn: "Show what Lannisters do to their enemies. Side with Cersei to choose real power."

Baelish/Stark: "Cersei Lannister only does things because 'they feel good'. Petyr Baelish wont hesitate to do the things that dont feel good  for you."

Dany/Tyrion: "The rightful heir and leader of the people is coming, and shes got dragons."

Snow/Mormont: "The people have spoken, and their choice is Jon Snow. Election coverage brought to you by the Realm News Network."
Mumbai: Actor Ranbir Kapoor says that had Pakistani actor Fawad Khan not "opened the door" by playing a homosexual character in Kapoor & Sons, he would have perhaps turned down an offer to play a gay on screen. But now the Barfi! star is receptive to the idea.

The actor opened up about his professional as well as personal life in an interview taken by director Raja Sen for Vogue India's September 2016 issue, which is available on the stands from 3 September.

Ranbir lauds his contempories for taking up risky roles  be it Alia Bhatt in Udta Punjab and Fawad in Kapoor & Sons.

Asked if he would play a homosexual on camera, Ranbir said: "Sure, but now it's already been done. Now he's (Fawad has) opened the door and it's easy for us to walk through it. But earlier I must honestly say I might have turned it down."

He is also willing to play a second lead in a movie, but conditions apply.

He said: "Suppose tomorrow Rajkumar Hirani offers me the part of Circuit to the new Munnabhai. I would play it and try my best to do it justice."

Ranbir is currently living with his grandmother Krishna here and training for Ayan Mukerji's Dragon. He awaits Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and also has Anurag Basu's long-gestating Jagga Jasoos lined up.

In February, after Dragon, he hopes to start shooting for Rajkumar Hirani's next, a biopic of actor Sanjay Dutt.

Since his debut with Saawariya, Ranbir has seen several highs and lows.

He was applauded for films like Wake Up Sid, Raajneeti, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, Rockstar, Barfi!, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and was censured for duds like Besharam and Bombay Velvet.

Referring to his current shoot-less days, Ranbir said: "I think I could have an alcohol problem."

"It is a visual medium and I have to look after myself. When I shoot, when I work, I don't drink. But when I'm not shooting".

Directing a film is something Ranbir has for long expressed interest in. But the actor says there is still time for him to get to the director's chair.

"Look, I know how a film is made, but a director has to find the method to tell the story he has to tell. I'm not, because a) I'm lazy and b) acting is taking up my time and I don't have a story, I can't write," he said.
Nainital: The Uttarakhand High Court has stayed the arrest of Bollywood producer-director Rakesh Roshan till 19 September, an official said on Wednesday.

A Dehradun-based writer Roop Kumar Sonkar had lodged an FIR on 21 May against Roshan for copyright violation and accused him of using some parts of his novel Suardan in his movie Krrish 3 which stars his actor son Hrithik Roshan.

Roshan had requested the court to quash the FIR through his lawyer Aman Rab, which Justice UC Dhyani refused to do, asking the police not to act against him till 19 September.

The court on Tuesday said it will take a decision then if the producer should be arrested or not.

The Krrish series maker said the script was his original and that there was no copyright violation.

Reports suggest that the filmmaker was also accused of plagiarism by a model-actor for his upcoming film Kaabil.

Earlier in 2013, a Madhya Pradesh resident Uday Singh Rajput had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court claiming that he had written the script for Krrish 3 and was denied the credit for it.

Released in 2013 Krrish 3 was one of the biggest films of the year.

With inputs from agencies
Vikrams eagerly awaited action sci-fi thriller, Iru Mugan directed by Anand Shankar, was sent to the censor board on Monday and has it has been given a UA certificate.

The film has Vikram, Nayanthara and Nitya Menen in the lead with peppy music by Harris Jayaraj. The trailer of the film, which has Vikram playing a dual role as a RAW agent and a transgender villain, had gone viral and created huge buzz.

Iru Mugan was originally slated for release on 1 September to cash into the Ganesh Chaturthi long weekend, but due to post-production delays, it is now slated for a 8 September release. Kerala is a crucial market for big ticket Tamil films, and Vikram has a strong fan base in the state.

In his career in 1990s, Vikram did a lot of Malayalam films, playing second fiddle to Mammootty and Suresh Gopi, before he became a major star in Tamil with Sethu (1999). Vikrams wife Shylaja is a Malayalee from Thalassery in North Malabar, which has given him a star of the soil claim.

However the change of Iru Mugan release date from September 1 to 8, has pitch forked Vikram into a direct confrontation with Malayalam superstars. 8 to 15 September is the big Onam week in Kerala, traditionally prime time for big Malayalam films.

Shibu Thameens, producer of Iru Mugan who is also from Kerala, had said he would have gotten nearly 200 screens in Kerala, if the film had released as per schedule on September 1. Now he is left fighting with Malayalam producers for the 500 odd screens in the state during the big Onam weekend and will be lucky if he gets even 100 screens.

On Onam the Malayalam films scheduled for release are Mohanlals Oppam, Prithvirajs Oozham, Dileeps Welcome To Central Jail and Kunchacko Bobans Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho (KPAC).

On Thiru Onam day, which is 15 September, director Jude Anthany's comedy riot which explores a tussle between two grand moms, Oru Muthassi Gadha, is slated for release.

Vikram and Iru Mugan in Kerala has to get minimum 100 screens with daily four shows, if the film has to break even in Kerala. Kaimal Nanda Kumar of Priyadarsini complex in Palakkad, one of the leading exhibitors in Kerala said, Traditionally Onam is the biggest festival in Kerala and normally we prefer screening Malayalam films, as it will have the edge at the box-office especially during festival season. A big hero Tamil film gets a wider release in Kerala only if it is a solo release.

Vikram is known for the way he promotes his films like the Khans of Bollywood, and he has now flown in to Kochi to kickstart Iru Mugan promotions. The actor took a chopper from Kochi airport to Sacred Heart College in Thevara, where he attended a huge function organised by a private channel. This created a huge buzz and the actor, speaking in Malayalam, said, You guys and girls will love Iru Mugan, which has very strong content and is an Onam gift from me. I play a dual role in it  as hero as well as villain. It is a racy sci-fi thriller which will entertain you and has also some great music.

He also danced and sang songs for the fans. Later Vikram spend a day giving exclusive interviews to various Malayalam channels which will showcase it during their Onam special telecast.

A beaming producer Shibu Thameens concludes,  Vikram sir knows the importance of the Kerala market. His visit has given a recall value to Iru Mugan and we are sure we will be able to get over 100 screens in Kerala. Nothing like a racy masala Tamil entertainer as Onam Sadya for Kerala audiences.
New Delhi: The Income Tax department has seized an all-time high value of cash and jewellery, while Rs 3,360 crore unpaid taxes have been surrendered this year as part of its enhanced crackdown against black money holders in the country.

In a mammoth jump of over three times in the searches, raids and seizure action in the first seven months of this year as compared to the corresponding period of 2015, the department seized over Rs 330 crore of alleged tainted cash, jewellery and other movable and immovable assets.

Last year, this figure stood at Rs 102.50 crore.

An official report prepared in this regard states that I-T raids and searches this year have beaten all records of the last about five years in terms of number of such actions conducted, seizures made and subsequently the untaxed income brought to the government coffers.

The figures compiled in the report, which has been accessed by PTI, state that the I-T Department carried out only 55 searches between January-July 2015, while these numbers rose to 148 in the corresponding period this year, cash seized during these operations jumped thrice to over Rs 254 crore as compared to Rs 76.72 crore last year, and the value of jewellery and precious metals seized this year stands at Rs 84.59 crore as compared to Rs 21.59 crore in 2105.

"The total value of the seizures, after I-T raids were conducted between January-July this year, stands at Rs 329.93 crore as compared to Rs 102.50 crore during the same period last year. The latest figures are progressive and would go over Rs 330 crore (for Jan-July, 2016). This is a three times increase," the report said.

It said the investigation directorate of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy-making body of the I-T Department, has issued strict directives to step up these actions to unearth instances of domestic black money and go into "all the usual and unusual sectors" that generate untaxed wealth.

The department, across all the 16 regional investigation wings in the country, also got admitted or got surrendered over Rs 3,360 crore of money after searches were conducted, which was identified as unaccounted wealth, as compared to Rs 2,146.38 crore of such funds last year during the same period.

The report mentions that sleuths of the investigation wing, at some location in the country, are conducting such action every week based on "actionable intelligence developed by both human and technical means."

The maximum of the I-T searches this year have taken place in the southern states of the country, it said, adding that education, construction, pharmaceuticals and medical and infrastructure sectors have emerged as the most "notorious businesses" where the alleged black money instances were unearthed.

Officials privy to these operations said CBDT has recently asked the supervisory authorities of the investigation units to ensure that there is "no let up" in these actions and the remaining five months of the year or the the eight months of the financial year should be as "result-oriented" as the earlier ones.

"However, the instructions are clear that any such action will only be initiated after gathering solid information, intelligence and data against the entity. There will be no fishing or roving action and merit of a case is supreme," they said.
Around Rs 94,000 crore worth of mobile phones are expected to be assembled in India this year, a jump of 74 percent over the last financial year, the government said on Tuesday.

"In terms of value, it (mobile phone manufacturing) has increased by 185 percent. In the FY2014-15, mobile phones worth Rs 19,000 crore were made in India. In the FY 2015-16, it increased to Rs 54,000 crore," Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at an event in New Delhi.

The number is likely to touch Rs 94,000 crore in the FY 2016-17, he added.

In volume terms, only six crore units of mobile phones were manufactured in the FY2014-15, which reached 11 crore units in the FY 2015-16, rising 83 percent.

Prasad said the government has set up dedicated electronic manufacturing clusters in different parts of India for enhancing electronic manufacturing.

"We offered better tax regime and incentives under MSIPS (Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme) for electronics manufacturing in India," he said.

As a result of these steps, he added, foreign direct investment in electronic manufacturing touched an all-time high of Rs 1.23 lakh crore in 2016 from Rs 11,000 crore in 2014.

India is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets globally. During the second quarter of the FY 2016-17, smartphone market in developed countries grew at 4.3 percent, while that in developing markets (other than India) was up 9.9 percent.

The Indian smartphone market grew 15 percent.

Helped by various government schemes to promote local manufacturing, 25 handset makers have started their production in India.

Also, 37 new mobile phone manufacturing units have already come up, while 37,500 new jobs have been created, Prasad said inaugurating the new manufacturing facility of Chinese phone company LeEco.
New Delhi: The US on Tuesday assured that it will look into concerns related to visa fee hike after India sought "just and non-discriminatory" solution to the issue as well as on the social security pact.

The US, however, maintained that the visa fee hike was not targeted against Indian professionals, and was part of an

across-the-board policy change.

During a joint presser after Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she has sought Secretary of State John Kerry's support for resolution of long-pending issues of totalisation and the fee hike for H1B and L1 visa that impact people-to-people exchanges, "which is a vital source of strength for our relationship".

Citing data, US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said Indians were major "beneficiaries" as about 69 percent of US H1B visas and 30 percent of all L1 visas were issued to them last year.

She was responding to a question on visa at a joint press conference by Kerry, Swaraj and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"Any changes that have been made towards H1B and L1 visa applications... they are not limited or focused on Indian

nationals. They are really across the board change.

"But given the concerns expressed by Indian industry, I committed to Minister (Nirmala) Sitharaman to look into this and report back," she said.

Sitharaman on her part said the visa issue was raised during the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue

(S&CD) as well as in the CEO Forum.

"Secretary Pritzker came forward proactively and spent some time (with industry representatives) and then she has

offered that she will look into this matter definitely...," Sitharaman said.

The minister said there was a "feeling" and "impression" that probably the Indian industries are being targeted due to increase in the US visas fee.

Sitharaman further said to dispel the feeling of being "targeted", Pritzker came up voluntarily during the CEO

Forum meeting and assured to look into the visa issue.

"We did raise it (visa issue). We voiced our concerns. We gave estimates as to what damage it has given to industry,"

she added.

India has time and again raised the issue of hike in visa fees by the US. It has also filed a case in the WTO against

the US decision to impose high fees on temporary working visas.

When asked whether both the sides discussed about the bilateral investment treaty (BIT), Pritzker said a high

standard US-India BIT will provide real economic benefits to both the countries and will significantly boost India to

attract investments from America.

"But it is not in anyone's interest or neither of our interest to negotiate an agreement that does not meet those high standards," she said.

Pritzker also said the US has made enormous progress in facilitating financing for energy and infrastructure projects,

investments in smart cities, supporting small businesses, innovation and entrepreneurship.

On BIT, Sitharaman said the model text was shared with the US authorities and "we certainly want to have inputs coming from them based on that we would like to continue the dialogue towards BIT".

Giving a statement at the joint press briefing, she said a number of recommendations made during the previous two

editions of S&CD have already been acted upon. Based on the CEO forum recommendations, India and the US

have agreed to take a focused intervention in several areas.

"We have launched a transparent government e-market place (GeM). We have agreed to look at best practices exchange with GSA, Advantage which deals with government procurement in the US," she said.

India and the US will work on best practices on procurement models and will look at collaboration between the

Department of Expenditure and USTDA. Taking forward innovation and entrepreneurship work stream, both the countries agreed to focus on small and medium scale enterprises.

"We would be looking at creating a platform for sharing of best practices and technology as also address issues of

finance and market access for SMEs and thus promote their integration into global value chains," Sitharaman said.

Both the leaders also agreed on a programme called 'Silicon Valley comes to India' which will have experts from

the US coming to India to interact with start ups and provide the required momentum to Indian entrepreneurial eco-system.

During the S&CD, Pritzker and Sitharaman reviewed the progress made since the last meet under the four work streams relating to infrastructure collaboration and smart cities, ease of doing business, innovation and entrepreneurship and standards.

Both sides welcomed the addition of travel and tourism as a new work stream for future collaboration. "We have decided to work together to see how US companies and investment bodies tap the opportunity of India's infrastructure projects through mechanisms like the National Infrastructure and Investment Fund," she said.

Both sides will also facilitate collaboration in research in health sector, specifically focusing on non-communicable

diseases like cardiovascular ailments, diabetics and cancer, she added.

India and the US also discussed the National Physical Lab (NPL)and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) collaboration which would look at both developments of reference material production and collaboration on physical, mechanical, electronic standards.

"A technical delegation on standards to US is also proposed which will engage with NIST on reference material

production, conformity assessment and standards," Sitharaman said.

On travel and tourism, she said both sides recognise the huge potential for engagement in advancing bilateral trade in this area and it was agreed to observe 2017 as the 'Travel and Tourism Partnership Year'.

Given the increased tourist movement between both the countries, the cooperation in the areas of best practices in

tourism administration and marketing, public-private partnerships, diversification of travel and tourism expertise,

niche markets, and promotional activities are likely to benefit both the countries, she said.

In the India-US CEO Forum meeting, co-chaired by Dave Cote from the US side and Cyrus Mistry from India, members articulated their major concerns and recommended steps to boost economic ties between the countries.

On the mega trade deal TPP, Sitharaman said: "At this stage there is nothing that we can comment. We certainly will

wait to see how after the (US) elections, the TPP is progressing."

As regard the India-EU FTA, she said: "We have asked for dates. For India, it is the time to wait and watch, although

we are eager to continue the talks."

Further Pritzker said that the co-chairs injected recommendations and prospectives of the country's private

sector into the bilateral commercial relationship. She appreciated reform measures like GST, bankruptcy code

and FDI norm relaxation in key sectors.

India and US are now doing trade and investments than ever, Pritzker said, adding "our challenge has been to build

on that progress. I think in bigger, acting bolder and dlivering real results. And I think we met that challenge in

today's S&CD".

Over the next year, both the sides will partner to implement the new recommendations of the forum, including

facilitating financing for infrastructure and energy projects, she said.

India and US will soon sign a partnership agreement to launch the global procurement initiative in India.

About the potential in tourism sector, she said, in 2015 the US welcomed 1.1 million visitors from India, up from

nearly 6 lakh in 2008.

Last year India welcomed 1.2 million visitors from the US and "it is quite obvious that that opportunities for growth are tremendous", Pritzker said.

She added: "However, we have much more to do to reach the incredible potential that exist in our commercial

relationship".

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in a statement said that yesterday Pritzker and White House National Economic Council Director Jeff Zients participated in a discussion with NITI Aayog to discuss the current state of innovation and entrepreneurship in India, with a focus on how the US and India can work together to strengthen ties in this area.

The roundtable provided a forum to exchange ideas between the US and India on how to deliver tangible results from India hosting of the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES).

"In both the US and India, we know that a culture and laws that support innovation is critical to economic growth and job creation. The 2017 GES will be a significant opportunity to highlight how our governments can serve as a partner to entrepreneurs by promoting and enacting policies and programs that help our innovators thrive," it said quoting Pritzker .

This type of effort will create opportunities for India's most successful entrepreneurs to mentor and inspire a younger generation, leading to more creativity, innovation, job creation, it added.

Zients said that supporting entrepreneurship and innovation is vital to both the economies and it's an area

where policy makers in both the countries are making changes to support creativity and job creation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked for a report on the Odisha incident, where a tribal man reportedly had to carry the dead body of his wife for miles, reports CNN News 18.

Dana Majhi, coming from the ruins of abject poverty that plagues Odisha, made news on 25 August when he walked 10 kilometers carrying his wife Amang Dei's corpse wrapped in sheets on his shoulder, after a government hospital failed to provide him with transportation, in the backward district of Kalahandi.

The 42-year-old woman had died of tuberculosis on Wednesday night at the district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna. Majhi who lived 60 kilometers away from the hospital, could not afford to hire a vehicle.

The hospital management took no accountability of the event, and alleged that Majhi had taken the body without informing the hospital. Majhi, however, denied these allegations and stated that he took the body away when the staff forced him to remove it from the hospital premises.

Majhi's daughter too had accompanied him on his daunting journey. Local reporters had spotted the duo and had called the district collector who had then arranged an ambulance for the remaining 50 kilometers of the journey.

After this incident, the state was condemned for its apathy and drew widespread flak. In a bid to control the damage, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the "Mahaprayan" scheme to help the bereaved transport the bodies of their kin from hospitals to their residences.

The government had announced the scheme in February keeping in view the success of the Harischandra Yojana, which offered financial assistance to the poor for cremation of their kin. The Mahaprayan scheme would facilitate transport of the bodies from government and government-affiliated hospitals to the residence of the deceased across the state, said a press release by the Chief Minister's Office.

The scheme is to be monitored by General Administration (GA) and Health and Family Welfare departments.

A day after the incident, a probe too was ordered by the district collector of Kalahandi, in order to ascertain the events leading up to the incident of Majhi having to carry his wife's dead body.

"The District Collector of Kalahandi has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Sub-Collector of Bhawanipatna has been directed to conduct the probe and submit a report at the earliest," state Urban Development Minister Pushpendra Singhdeo had said in Bhubaneswar.

Majhi's news crossed international borders when Bahrain's Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa sent a donation to help Majhi and his family. Moved by Majhi's suffering, the prince 'could not just stand by and do nothing about the suffering', consequentially deciding to contact the Indian Embassy and making a donation to Majhi's family.
Vijayawada: Head of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swami was on Tuesday admitted to a private hospital after he complained of breathing problem.

His condition is stated to be stable now.

The seer has been camping in Vijayawada for the past few days overseeing the 'Chaturmasya Deeksha', a four-month religious ritual.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spoke to the Peetham people over phone and enquired about the seer's health.

He directed the Krishna district Collector to ensure better medicare to the veteran seer.
Srinagar: A 15-year-old boy was killed on Wednesday in clashes between security forces and violent protesters in Sopore area of north Kashmir Baramulla district, taking the death toll in the ongoing unrest in the Valley to 69.

Danish Manzoor and six other persons sustained injuries when security forces allegedly opened fire at stone-pelting protesters in Lodora in Sopore area, a police official said. He said Danish succumbed to injuries while being shifted to a hospital in Sopore town.

With this death, the toll in the ongoing unrest in Kashmir has gone up to 69. The fresh clashes occurred even as authorities lifted curfew from all areas of Kashmir today after 53 days.

"There is no curfew anywhere in Kashmir today. It has been lifted even from the two police station areas in Srinagar - M R Gunj and Nowhatta - the only places in the Valley where the curbs were in place yesterday," a police official said earlier.

He said the improvement in situation across Kashmir prompted authorities to lift curfew.

Security forces have been deployed in strength in sensitive areas of the Valley to maintain law and order, the official said. Greater movement of vehicular traffic and people was observed in major areas of the Valley, the official said.

In Srinagar city, where authorities lifted the curfew on Monday, private cars and auto-rickshaws were seen on roads in and around the commercial hub of Lal Chowk here. However, normal life remained disrupted in many other areas of the Valley.

Schools, colleges and other educational institutions and shops remained closed. The attendance in government offices and work in banks has witnessed improvement since Monday, the official said.

Curfew was clamped in entire Valley on 9 July following violence in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in south Kashmir s Anantnag district a day earlier.

The separatist camp, which is spearheading the agitation in the Valley, has extended their strike call till 1 September.

Meanwhile, mobile internet continued to remain suspended in the entire Valley, where the outgoing facility on prepaid mobiles remained barred.
Quick responses to distressed Indians through Twitter have earned External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj accolades from all quarters but this promptness has its own problems too. Many people, who face trouble on their domestic front, now look up to the minister for a solution even on matters which traverse beyond her ministerial responsibilities.

Recently, Sujatha Suukri, who is going through a turbulent married life if her tweets to the minister are to be believed, responded to Swaraj's tweet praising wrestler Sakshi Malik, seeking help from her. Suukri had came to India for her mother's funeral from Kuwait but the return ticket was very expensive. She tweeted to Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha asking for help.

@jayantsinha I came to India for my mother's funeral last wk frm Kuwait with my son. Now to return the airfare is 75Kper head. Pl help Sir.  Sujatha (@SujathaSuukri) August 18, 2016

When Sinha did not respond, she tweeted to Swaraj asking her to help with the Rs 75,000 airfare from India to Kuwait.

@SushmaSwaraj I came for my mother's funeral last wk frm Kuwait with my son. Now to return to Kuwait the airfare is 75Kper head. Pl help me  Sujatha (@SujathaSuukri) August 18, 2016

On Wednesday, after returning to Kuwait, she tagged Swaraj in another tweet alleging that her husband sent her son a selfie with another woman. In a series of following tweets, she sought help from Swaraj while narrating the story of her husband's love affair.

@SushmaSwaraj Mam I was in tvm airport returning to Kuwait aftr my mom's funeral wen my husband sends my son a selfie of a woman hugging him  Sujatha (@SujathaSuukri) August 31, 2016

She told Swaraj that her husband is threatening to dump her after 23 years of their marriage. Suukri also claimed that she had also found erotic messages and porn videos in his chat with another woman.

She urged Swaraj to help her trace the name of the woman her husband has been chatting with. Suukri told Swaraj that the woman calls her husband from an Uber taxi number.

@SushmaSwaraj Mam I'm married to him for 23 yrs, how can he dump me for her lust to this other woman. Please help me track her name and job  Sujatha (@SujathaSuukri) August 31, 2016

Her visa depends on her husband and she is also concerned about her son's visa. With the help of Truecaller application, she traced her husband's lover to Delhi and asked Swaraj to help her find the woman.

@SushmaSwaraj Mam I'm helpless as our residence is of dependant visa. If he leaves may sons education n my life is gone  Sujatha (@SujathaSuukri) August 31, 2016

@SushmaSwaraj Mam I saw on true caller ID Thai she's in Delhi. But can't trace hey name. I don't have anyone in Delhi. Please help me  Sujatha (@SujathaSuukri) August 31, 2016

Swaraj, however, replied to Suukri expressing her sympathies but, said that she has no power to punish or reform such errant husbands.
Although the nationwide number of rape and other cases pertaining to crime against women has plummeted marginally by 5.67 and 3.11 percent respectively, there has been a considerable increase in crime in major cities, the latest National Crime Records Bureau data records have pointed out.

Below is the analysis of number of crime cases in major cities:

Total rapes (Custodial and others)

Pune and Mumbai have again shown an increase in the number of custodial and other rapes by 40 and 17 percent respectively. The NCRB data recorded 266 cases in 2015 as compared to 189 in 2014 in Pune, while 712 cases were recorded in Mumbai.

Trailing Mumbai and Pune, the rape incidents in cities like Lucknow, Patna and Bengaluru have increased by 28.84 percent, 16.66 percent and 7.69 percent respectively.

Although the actual number of rapes cases  1,893 for 2015 and 1,813 for 2014  recorded in the national capital is higher than all the other cities, the percentage increase in the rape cases has been 4.4 percent.

Chennai has shown a considerable dip in rape cases. As per the NCRB records, 25 cases were registered in 2015 compared to 65 in 2014. Furthermore, Ghaziabad numbers have also plummeted considerably with 40 cases in 2015 as compared to 75 in 2014.

Following Ghaziabad are cities like Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Hyderabad and Kolkata, where cases of rape have dipped by 41 percent, 20.52 percent, 10.31 percent and 8.33 percent respectively.

The data, however, shows a nationwide drop of 5.67 percent and 3.11 percent in the number of rape cases and crimes against women respectively.

Kidnapping and abduction cases

The number of kidnapping and abduction cases recorded in metros like Pune and Mumbai has shown a steep rise. In Pune, the numbers have risen from 228 in 2014 to 707 cases in 2015. Comparatively, in Mumbai, 1,583 cases were reported in 2015 as compared to 541 cases in 2014.

Patna has seen a rise in kidnapping cases by 45 percent, Ghaziabad by 14 percent, Bengaluru by 9 percent and Amritsar by 8 percent. However, Delhi  notoriously called as the crime capital of India  has witnessed a rise of 10 percent in kidnapping and abduction cases with 6,630 cases in 2015 compared to 6,016 in 2014.

On the contrary Lucknow, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata have shown a drop in the cases by about 10-18 percent.

Total number of murders

There has been an overall drop in the number of murder cases in the major cities. Kolkata and Bengaluru have the highest drop with 21.99 percent and 20.27 percent respectively. Whereas, Ghaziabad and Hyderabad are trailing with 19.17 percent and 10.16 percent respectively.

Delhi has seen a slight drop  1.69 percent  in the number of murder cases. Mumbai and Pune numbers have dropped by 7.65 and 9.42 percent each.

Patna, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Amritsar have shown a rise between 7.47 to 13.79 percent respectively.

Total number of cognisable crimes

The NCRB data for the cognisable crimes states that the national capital ranks the highest with 1,73,947 cases recorded in 2015 as against 1,39,707 in 2014  a considerable 24.50 percent growth.

In 2015, about 42,940 cases of cognisable crimes have been recorded in Mumbai, which has shown a rise of 6.38 percent since 2014. Bengaluru has recorded about 35,576 cases with 11.55 percent rise while Ahmedabad has about 15,964 cases with 4.43 percent rise.

Chennai has shown a decent decline of 20.39 percent with 13,422 cases recorded in 2015 as against 16,861 in 2014. Hyderabad with 10.42 and Kolkata with 8.29 percent are trailing Chennai.

Interestingly, one can note that Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ghaziabad are among the major cities with reduced crime incidents.
By Abhishek Waghmare

After two consecutive droughts, India received normal rainfall  2 percent less than the 100-year average by the end of August 2016, but within that normality, more than a third of the country is short of rain, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.

In 610 of 641 districts for which data are available, 389 districts received normal or excess rain, while 221 received deficient or scanty rain in the first three months of the four-month-long monsoon season. This means September rainfall will now be important to make up for these widespread deficits.

WHAT THE TERMS MEAN Excess rainfall: more than 20% of normal Normal rainfall: -20% to +20% of normal Deficient rainfall: -20% to -40% of normal Scanty rainfall: less than 40% of normal

Source: Weekly Weather Report, IMD

Still, these are best rains since 2013, when India received 14 percent more than the average rainfall of the June-August period.

As much as 16 percent of the countrys area is now rain deficient, according to IMD data.

Source: Hydromet, India Meteorological Department

The sowing of kharif (summer monsoon) crop was 5 percent more than normal by August-end because more than half of Indias districts received normal rain, reiterated by the Reserve Bank of India in its 2015-16 annual report: As on 18 August, 2016, the cumulative rainfall was at its long period average (LPA) level as against 9 percent below LPA in the corresponding period of the previous year, leading to an increase of 6.5 percent in kharif (summer monsoon crop) sowing, thus far.

North East India, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat short of rain

The monsoon deficit is greatest in North East India, which is between 30 percent and 40 percent  repeating the situation in 2013  followed by Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Kerala, where the deficit is between 20 percent and 30 percent of normal.

Source: Hydromet, India Meteorological Department

Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have received 20 percent more rain than normal.

Though the area sown is more than normal, some crops have taken a hit.

While 40 percent more pulses were sown than normal till the end of August, cash crops like sugarcane and cotton were 15 percent short of normal.

Extreme rainfall events in central India, the core of the monsoon system, are increasing and moderate rainfall is decreasing  as a part of complex changes in local and world weather  according to a clutch of Indian and global studies reviewed by IndiaSpend in April 2015.

Increasingly variable rainfall implies wide deficits within a normal monsoon

Over a third of India  221 of 610 districts  is short of rain in a year when the governments weather agency, the IMD, and private weather agencies, such as Skymet and Weather Risk Management Services, and international monitoring agencies, such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, USA, had predicted an above-normal monsoon for 2016.

The three monsoon months of 2016 bettered the three deficit years of 2012, 2014 and 2015, but lagged 2011 and 2013, which were normal monsoon years, with respect to the proportion of districts facing rain shortfalls.

Rains were scarce in a fourth of districts in 2011 and 2013, a third of districts in 2016 and half of Indias districts in 2012 and 2014.

Source: Performance Sheet, Hydromet, India Meteorological Department

Kharif (summer) sowing above normal but might fall short of season average

The normal sowing area in India till August-end is 97 million hectares, against which 102 million hectares has been sown for the kharif season 2016.

Sown area by the end of the kharif sowing season is 106 million hectare, which is achieved normally by the first week of September.

Irregular rainfall in the cotton-belts of Maharashtra and deficient rains in Gujarat has resulted in less-than-normal sowing of cotton.

Source: Crop situation on 26th August 2016, Department of Agriculture, figures in million hectare

Source: Crop situation on 26th August 2016, Department of Agriculture, figures in million hectare

Source: Crop situation on 26th August 2016, Department of Agriculture, figures in million hectare

In Maharashtra, sowing of jowar (sorghum)  a traditional non-irrigated crop  dipped 20 percent, from 6.1 lakh hectares to 4.9 lakh hectares.

The sowing of soyabean, a relatively new entrant on farms, is growing. The area under soyabean in Maharashtra was 3.9 million hectare, 0.5 million above the average of 3.4 million hectare, as of August-end.

The cost of cultivation for cotton is high, and has risen especially after 2008-09, Ayaz Khan, a soyabean and tur cultivator from Vidarbha region in Maharashtra told IndiaSpend.

Unirrigated cotton produces a fourth to a fifth of the yield of irrigated cotton; 200 to 300 kg per acre against 1,000 kg per acre, said Khan. Soyabean gives you assured output in less than three months without irrigation. Further, tur and soyabean require less human effort to cultivate.

(The author is an analyst with IndiaSpend)
Congress leader and actress Divya Spandan, popularly known by her stage name Ramya, has once again landed in trouble after a case was filed against her on Wednesday for her alleged anti-RSS remarks made in Mandya, Karnataka CNN-News 18 reported.

At a media interaction after inaugurating the Tiranga Yatra organised by National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the actress-turned-politician had said that the RSS had no contribution in the freedom struggle of the nation. The Congress leader alleged that the Hindu nationalist organisation had rather sided with the erstwhile British administration, according to a report in The Times of India.

"Actually if you see, Congress was the reason behind India getting its Independence. BJP, RSS did not participate in the freedom struggle. They sided with the British," PTI quoted Ramya as saying.

Her comments on Tuesday evoked a sharp reaction from BJP which hit back at her saying she had not learnt history.

"All those who fought for the freedom were in Congress but later founded their own parties. Ramya has not learnt the nation's history," BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje told PTI.

Earlier in August, the actress had raked a controversy after a lawyer filed sedition case against her for praising the people of Pakistan.

Contradicting Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's statement that compared Pakistan with hell, Ramya had said "Pakistan is not hell."

Ramya's remarks had triggered a bitter backlash on social media while BJP and ABVP workers staged protests terming her remarks "anti-national."

However, the actress stood her ground and had refused to apologise.

"I don't think I am wrong. Its freedom of speech, also our duty to speak on inclusiveness and peace. Curbing freedoms is wrong in democracy. This is the state of affairs in this country today. Sedition is being slapped against anyone and anybody who is entitled to an opinion which should not be the case," Ramya had said.

With inputs from PTI
Justice SN Dhingra inquiry commission, which was set up by the Haryana government to enquire into questionable land deals by Robert Vadra, has submitted its report to the Haryana government on Wednesday.

#FLASH Justice Dhingra inquiry commission submits its report in connection with Vadra land deal case to Haryana Govt.  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

The enquiry commission has apparently found irregularities in the deals and has indicted both Vadra and then Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the CNN-News18 reported .

The report further states that the commission found that Haryana officials manipulated rules to favour Vadra. According to CNN-News18, action is likely to be taken soon against people connected with the case, including Hooda, who are suspected of any wrongdoing.

The one-man commission was constituted on 14 May, 2015 under Section 3 of The Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. The enquiry took under its ambit the role played by the Department of Town and Country Planning while allegedly favouring some companies, including those of Vadra, in Sector 83 of Gurgaon for developing commercial colonies.

While addressing a press meet on Wednesday, Justice Dhingra said that the report is the property of the Haryana government and the contents will only be made public if the government wishes so. He also said that his "mandate was to inquire about irregularities in grant of licenses."

Referring to the report, he added that he has tried to bring to light the manner in which irregularities were committed and the people behind it.

I have brought to light the manner in which irregularities were committed and people behind it: Justice Dhingra  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

NDTV quoted sources as saying that Hooda acted against the law and the panel did not ask Vadra to explain his role. In course of the press meet, Justice Dhingra made it clear that he named every person responsible for any illegality  private individual or government employee  in his report.

The 182-page long report contains the findings of wrongdoings in the first half while the second supplements them with evidences.

Hooda called the report as "driven by vendetta", NDTV said. The former chief minister has reportedly demanded a probe by a sitting high court judge. He even questioned the commissions constitution and called it politically motivated before the report was handed over, reported The Indian Express.

According to a report by Deccan Herald, the report of Dhingra commission was scheduled to be submitted in June, 2016 but was held back. Justice Dhingra revealed that he had received some important documents that indicated some benami transactions, which needed to be examined, the report said.
Chandigarh: On Tuesday, a teacher was killed inside a government school by some assailants who fired a volley of bullets at him in Meham of Rohtak district, police said.

The incident occurred after the school hours when the children had left, they said.

Some assailants barged in the school and targeted the teacher, said to be in his 40s, who was sitting with some other teachers and preparing to leave the premises, they said.

While the teacher was rushed to hospital in Rohtak where he succumbed, a woman teacher was also injured in the incident and was hospitalised, police said.

Police suspect some old enmity behind the incident.

A case has been registered and further investigations are on.
In what could be seen as a fresh attempt to needle Pakistan, India has reportedly given a go-ahead to All India Radio (AIR) to broadcast programmes in Balochi language. According to ANI, the government has given its nod to the state-owned radio broadcaster to include Balochi language among the 14 foreign languages that it currently broadcasts in.

All India Radio(AIR) too soon start programs in Balochi language. Govt gives approval : AIR sources  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

All India Radio broadcasts daily in 57 transmissions with almost 72 hours covering over 108 countries in 27 languages, out of which 15 are foreign and 12 Indian. The foreign languages include Arabic, Balochi, Burmese, Chinese, Dari, French, Indonesian, Persian, Pushtu, Russian, Sinhala, Swahili, Thai, Tibetan and English (General Overseas Service), according to the AIR website.

The decision is being seen against the backdrop of the recent remarks made by Prime Minister Modi on Pakistan army's alleged human rights violations in the Balochistan region. Following India's allegations that Pakistan was fomenting trouble in the Valley by pouring in funds and infiltrators in the Valley, the BJP-led Modi government in a very public and dramatise volte-face, raked up the Balochistan issue, including a mention in the Prime Minister's Independence-Day speech.

Balochistan is Pakistan's soft underbelly just Kashmir is India's Achilles heel. But Pakistan's largest province has not received as much international attention as Kashmir mostly because, the region  often described as a "black hole" is "no-go area" for journalists, unlike Kashmir. Perhaps this is why India's new move is sure to cause political earthquake across its rival neighbour. Ever since Modi's reference to the restive region in the neighbouring nation, Pakistan and even China have responded strongly.

Several Balochi leaders voiced their support for India's outreach too, but Pakistan quelled their voices as many were arrested for openly supporting the Indian PM's speech.

Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that the programs aired in the Jammu and Kashmir region are available in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and are widely popular, according to The Greater Kashmir. As Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh told the daily, the programs aired by AIR are flawlessly audible in the PoK region and beyond (areas of Punjab, Pakistan, including Lahore). The report also states that the government of India is planning to set up a radio station in Udhampur in the Valley and the transmitters at Bhanderwah stations and Patnitop stations are in the process of upgradation. The current range of programs transmitted from Radio Jammu is 300 km aerial radius and beyond, which translates into considerable territorial distance into Pakistan, the minister told The Greater Kashmir.
Thiruvananthapuram: Hitting out at the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala over its minister's allegation that RSS is trying to turn temples into storehouses of arms in the state, on Wednesday BJP said the saffron outfit is not carrying out any illegal activities in shrines.

State BJP chief Kummanom Rajasekharan challenged the government to conduct raids in temples to prove the charges of Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran.

No complaint in this regard has been received by any temple managing committees, he said.

"The operations of RSS are not confined to the four walls of temples and it has a presence everywhere. It is foolish to think that the activities of RSS can be checked by a minister of the state government," Rajasekharan said.

RSS' arm is its ideology and it is in the heart of RSS workers', he said adding the state government also has no right to transcend into the affairs of temples, run by autonomous Devaswom Board.

In an 29 August Facebook post, Surendran had alleged that the RSS was trying to turn temples into storehouses of arms in Kerala and that the government had been receiving a large number of complaints in this regard. He had warned of a stern action.

Rajasekharan also questioned the government's decision to send two Christian ministers to Vatican City to take part in the canonisation of Mother Teresa.

State Finance Minister T M Thomas Issac and Water Resources Minster Mathew T Thomas are planning to join the Indian delegation visiting Vatican City to take part in the celebrations.

The BJP alleged leader said the LDF government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had lost its secular character.

"LDF government's only achievement after 100 days in office is occurrence of 300 incidents of political violence in which CPI(M) activists are involved," he said.

Nearly 1,000 CPI(M) activists are accused in cases of political violence, he added.

Rajasekharan also claimed there is stagnation in in all sectors, including industry and agriculture in the state.

Taking potshots at LDF's election slogan "If LDF comes, everything will be made all right" he said, "There was nothing in sight to indicate that something concrete would happen in the state in the coming days".

Government was only trying to create a row to divert people's attention from crucial issues like failure to check spurt in prices of essential commodities and increase in instances of political violence.
Nowshera (Rajouri): Calling people of Jammu and Kashmir as principal stakeholders in the resolution process, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Tuesday the challenge before the leadership of the state and the country is to insulate the process from the setbacks that have derailed it in the past.

"The focus has to be on involving the principal stakeholders  the people of Jammu and Kashmir  in the resolution process to make it sustainable and productive," the Chief Minister said while addressing a public gathering after inaugurating the new building of the Government Degree College.

The Chief Minister also stressed on the revival and continuation of the process of restoring peace and confidence building process with Pakistan which had helped transform the situation in the state and along the borders between 2002 and 2005.

"The government of India must, with fresh resolve, work towards taking reconciliatory political measures through public participation for the resolution of the issue," she said, adding, Jammu & Kashmir could become a bridge of peace between the two countries and a hub of economic activity in the region given its geostrategic location.

Mehbooba called for expanding the ambit and scope of the cross-LoC movement of people and goods and the full potential can be harnessed only by opening it up and allowing all the regions to benefit from the new market economy growing in the region.

"For a lasting solution of the state's problems substantial political and economic measures have to be taken that meet the reasonable aspirations of the people in all the regions of the state," she said.

Mehbooba said even if Pakistan may be, due to own political reasons, is currently reluctant to reciprocate the peace overtures from New Delhi, whatever can be done to address the internal dimensions of the Kashmir issue must be done without delay.

"Government of India shall have to take one or more steps than our neighbouring country (Pakistan) as Jammu and Kashmir is our state and we have to apply balm on the wounds of the people," she said.

Noting that her government is giving focused attention to education sector, the Chief Minister said general education needs to be supplemented with skills to increase employability of the youth.

Urging the youth in Kashmir to focus on studies, Mehbooba said,"The rightful place for our children is in the educational institutions like IITs, IIMs, engineering, medical, dental colleges and not the streets".

"The youth in Kashmir should return to the educational institutions and concentrate on their studies instead of being on the streets or sitting idle at their homes," she said.

"Our children look good with books in their hands in the classrooms studying to be doctors, engineers and architects of our future rather than being on the streets," she said.

She also expressed dismay over the delay in timely completion of the development projects and said unfortunately infrastructure development in the state has not proceeded at the required pace.
New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Wednesday removed its Goa chief, Subhash Velingkar, for working against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.

"Velingkar has been removed from his post with immediate effect for faulting a political outfit and working against the Goa government," RSS publicity head Manmohan Vaidya told IANS.

Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM), an outfit led by Velingkar, has been demanding that regional languages (Konkani and Marathi) be made the medium of instruction in Goa's elementary schools and asking the state to stop grants of English medium schools.

Velingkar was removed from his post after BJP President Amit Shah complained against him to the RSS leadership, informed sources said.

Shah was shown black flags by members of the outfit during his recent visit to Goa. He was on his way to address a meeting of BJP workers near Panaji.

Critical of the Laxmikant Parsekar-led BJP government, Velingkar accused the state government of betraying the electorate's trust.

He also said that the chances of the BJP winning the upcoming Goa assembly elections were bleak.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has said it will contest the Goa elections, had been using Velingkar's criticism of the state government in its campaign.
(This article has been updated with Tata Motors' statement, more details and corrections.)

The much-awaited and discussed Singur land case has been settled with the Supreme Court on Wednesday asking the state government to return 997 acres of land to farmers, who are the original owners, in 12 weeks' time. The landmark verdict said the land acquisition by then Left government did not follow the rules laid by the Land Acquisition Act 1894, which has now been replaced by a new law in 2013.

The verdict, nonetheless, comes as a moral victory for chief minister Mamata Banerjee and a big jolt for the Left Front which had acquired the land in 2006, and the Tata group, for whom the land was acquired for the highly ambitious small-car project, the Nano. However, the biggest losers are the farmers for whom the land, which will be returned, is likely to remain uncultivable for a long period of time.

It was the Singur land agitation that had propelled Mamata into the political dominance in West Bengal. The agitation against the land acquisition by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Left government started with a few farmers expressing their unwillingness to part with their cultivable land for the industrial project. Mamata, who was then cashing in on every opportunity to create her own space in the Left-dominated political space of West Bengal, seized the chance to lead the agitation.

At a rally, she breathed fire challenging the government to acquire even an inch of land "without creating a river of blood". "Let them deploy a million-strong police force, there will be no retreat," she vowed.

The Left front government was projecting the deal with Tata Motors as its big victory. It was a key milestone that would have helped the Left, which had been ruling the state since 1977, ward off its industry-unfriendly image. As this article in The Economist in 2008 says, "The West Bengal government wanted the Nano plant both for the jobs it would bring and the message it would send."

But after the two-year-long agitation by farmers, lead by Mamata and strongly backed by many eminent activists and writers such as Mahashweta Devi, Aprna Sen and Medha Patkar, the Tata group was forced to pull out of the state and relocate the plant lock, stock and barrel to Sanand in Gujarat. The decision in one stroke resulted in the rise of two stars - then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as an industry-friendly politician and Mamata as a politician for the farmer and the farm land, an image until remained the monopoly of the Left.

Around 2,200 farmers were 'unwilling' to part with their land. They owned about 400 acres, as per the claim of Mamata (the government then said only 181 acres fell in the unwilling category). The other set of farmers, who were termed willing farmers, had accepted the compensation package of the government offered.

Soon after Mamata became the chief minister riding high on the wave of this and other agitation against industrial use of agricultural land, she enacted a law wresting the land from the Tatas. The company contested the claim.

According to Tata Motors, this case is still pending in the court. The case in which the judgment was delivered today, related to the acquisition of land by the State Government, before it was leased to Tata Motors. Our case relating to Singur Act of 2011, is yet to be heard by the Supreme Court. We will study todays judgment in detail before commenting further on the same, said a statement from the company.

However, it remains to be seen whether this case any standing in the backdrop of the Wednesday's verdict.

After 10 years, when the Supreme Court has rendered the government's land acquisition null and void, which Mamata claims to be a vindication of her stance, there is an irony that is hard to escape.

Mamata, as chief minister of West Bengal now, is leaving no stone unturned to change her industry-unfriendly image. She is desperately taking steps to attract investments and industry into the state. Investor summits have become a regular yearly event. In fact, in an interview to The Economic Times on Tuesday (30 August 2016), state finance minister Amit Mitra claimed that under Mamata Bengal is again becoming a favourite investment address.

Here is a stock-taking to see who actually won and who lost:

For Mamata it is indeed a win: She fought for it and though with a 10-year delay, she has won. An elated Mamata said at a rally after the verdict: Now I can die in piece. According to reports, the government plans observe 2 September as Singur Day. The celebrations have only begun.

Huge loss for Tatas: Monetarily, according to the Tata Motors' annual report for 2015-16, capital work-in-progress as of 31 March 2014, including building under construction at Singur, was Rs 309.88 crore. The management has in 2014-15 made a provision for carrying capital cost of buildings at Singur amounting to Rs 309.88 crore. So this amount has been provided for.

However, in a petition in the Calcutta High Court, in 2011, the company had claimed that the losses would amount to Rs 1,400 crore. "The petitioners' losses are around Rs 1,400 crore which includes the investment on the ground which is sought to be taken over by the government and various costs and losses such as, value of land rights and goodwill, transportation, mothballing the entire plant which needed about more than 3,300 large trucks to carry the materials, the rehabilitation and resettlement of various, vendors, cost of retaining the land till date and the security thereof as compensation," this report in The Telegraph quotes from Tata Motors' petition in the high court.

This apart, Ratan Tata, then chairman and now chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, said in 2014 that shifting the plant from Singur was a prudent move in hindsight but gave the group a high negative cost. When we created the Nano, there was a lot of global excitement that a car could be offered at a price of $2,500 and three lakh orders with a waiting period of two years was induced. But it took another year because of the shift and there was a general disbelief generated about the car, while competitors got a chance to start badmouthing the Nano. By that time, much of the excitement was lost, he said at a function in Kolkata.

After 10 long years, the Nano car continues to be a failure. Some of the brand experts even suggested that it should be killed. Tata himself regretted the cheap-car tag that eventually resulted in its downfall. For the group, the whole effort seems to be a waste of time and energy.

Death knell for the Left Front: As this article points out in The Hindu BusinessLine points out, the verdict could well be the proverbial last nail. As such the front has already been struggling to come to terms with the new political realities of cast and capital. The verdict that indicts the Left government is likely to shatter the front, particularly the CPI(M), at least in West Bengal. Interestingly, it has come at a time when the Left Front in Kerala led by the CPI(M) is now making all bids to attract industry and investments. One thing to watch out for will be whether the verdict will have any impact on Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's industry outlook.

Farmers could be the biggest losers: The simple reason is that they may have lost their land almost permanently despite the court order to return it. This is because the company had started construction of the plant in 2007. Media reports indicate that the construction that has taken place may have already rendered the land uncultivable for a long period of time. As Joydeb Das, an 'unwilling farmer' who was part of the agitation, says in this Business Standard report, "Can I till the land if I get it back? It's filled with fly ash. It will take five years to make it suitable for agriculture. That is possible only if the state compensates me for the loss."

For those who were willing to give up the land, there are neither jobs, which they were promised of, nor is the land that they are going to get back cultivable. As per the verdict, the land will have to be returned to all the farmers - willing and unwilling. While the unwilling farmers will get compensation for their losses, the willing ones farmers who had given away land by accepting the money offered by then government need not give the compensation back. However, the second lot are the most disappointed, as per this report in the Mint newspaper on Thursday (1 September 2016).

To be fair, the Mamata government has been doling out incentives for the farmers who stood with her during the agitation. But now that the verdict is out, will the state government continue the doles? If not, how are these farmers going to survive?

Practically, the state government has an Herculian task of redistributing the land and identifying who were the willing and unwilling lot. s Rabindranath Bhattacharya, MLA, Singur, has told the Business Standard that the government may still invite industrialists including the Tatas to set up projects in the land that have become unusable. But it remains to be seen when this will materialise.

In short, while Mamata will celebrate her victory and the Left parties lick their wound, the real losers could turn out to be the farmers - both 'willing' and 'unwilling'.

With inputs from Kishor Kadam
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court set aside the land acquisition by West Bengal Government in 2006 to facilitate Tata Motors to set up its Nano plant. This announcement comes as a big set-back for Tatas.

The Apex court directed the West Bengal government to take possession of the land and distribute it to the land owners within 12 weeks.

It also announced that the farmer's who got compensation from the government will not return it because they were deprived of their livelihood for the last ten years.

The SC also said that Tata had bypassed the rules while acquiring the land.

A batch of petitions had challenged the acquisition of land in West Bengal's Singur for Tata Motors' ambitious Nano small car project.

SC sets aside land acquisition by West Bengal Government in 2006 to facilitate Tata Motors to set up its Nano plant.  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

The bench of Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice Arun Mishra pronounced the judgment on a batch of petitions which were filed in 2008 by a number of people aggrieved by the land acquisition which was undertaken by the then Left government.

The land acquisition was also challenged by the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights which had contended that acquisition of the Singur land for public purpose and then handing it over to Tata Motors for its Nano project was illegal and in breach of land acquisition law.

The association had told the court that there was a separate procedure under the land acquisition law for acquiring land for a project of a private company, and that the land acquired by the government for public purposes could be given to a private company only for constructing dwelling units of the workers employed with it and no other purpose.

Almost eight years after the shifting out of Tata Motors Nano car project to Gujarat, the land and industrialisation were one of the key issues during the 2016 West Bengal Assembly Elections.

During the campaigning of the 2016 Assembly elections, keeping in mind that land continues to be a sensitive issue, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had spoken in Singur about her government's commitment to return the land to the 'unwilling' farmers. Countering her statement, CPM state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra had said that it was not possible to return the land.

The CPM argued that by driving away the Nano project, entire Bengal had lost an opportunity for industrialisation.

"If Nano project was set up here, not only Singur but entire Bengal would have got the benefit of industrialisation," CPM-Congress alliance candidate Rabin Deb had said during polling season.

The history

In May 2006, the then CPM government led by Buddhadeb Bhattacharyya announced that Tata would locate their 'Rs 1 lakh' car project  Nano project  in Singur for which some 997 acres of land would be allocated. The land would be acquired for the Tatas by a state industry promotion agency.

Mamata Banerjee then had kicked up a storm and protested the acquisition of the land by industry giants Tata. The farmers, whose land was being acquired by the company, were taking their compensation cheques, however, the agitation led by the Trinamool Congress had turned violent.

Tata soon completed the construction of the plant and amid the agitation released their model Nano car. The car was unveiled in 2008 at the Delhi auto show. However, Banerjee relentlessly protested the acquisition of the land while firmly asserting that her party was not anti-industry and the 400 acres of land belonging to the 'unwilling farmers' should be returned to them.

Her "Save Farmland" movement was supported by various environmental activists and intellectuals.

In October 2008, Ratan Tata decided to move the plant to Sanand in Gujarat citing security concerns in Bengal's Singur. A very happy Narendra Modi government in Gujarat took the Nano plant under its wings. It took 14 months to construct the Nano plant in Gujarat as opposed to the 28 months it took for the Singur plant.

When Banerjee became the chief minister of West Bengal in 2011, she announced her intent to return the Singur land to the "unwilling Singur farmers". The assembly passed a hastily drafted Singur Land and Rehabilitation Bill, 2011. Various land-return forms were also distributed to the farmers as the Tatas moved the court to protect their interest in their leasehold.



With inputs from agencies
What's there in name, they say. Well quite a lot, if you are Congress strategist and has anything to do with the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's much hyped "mega roadshow", proposed to begin from Deoria in eastern Uttar Pradesh was earlier named as Mahayatra but then someone with proficiency in Hindi and Indian traditions raised red flag, saying that Mahayatra in a term that is used by many for the last journey of a departed soul. The point instantly stirred conscience of all concerned and after some brainstorming a new socialistic name was conceived  Kisan Yatra.

After all, Rahul, as Congress claims is to travel some 2,500 km, crossing through 39 districts and 233 assembly constituencies, in relatively backward regions of the Hindi heartland. So, when the Congress vice-president lands in a village en-route his road show, he would prefer sitting on a cot or a charpoy with the farmers or whosoever interested, than climbing on a podium and have a rather relaxed Khat Sabha (charpoy meeting).

The Congress men in Uttar Pradesh are not really enthused with the party high command or its hired poll strategist's idea to push Rahul Gandhi for a lengthy roadshow. Firstpost spoke to a few Congress men, rooted in Uttar Pradesh, placed at varied levels of organisational hierarchy, tier two, tier three and tier four and got the impression that most of them were deeply concerned over the way this plan was conceived and hyped. They requested anonymity but were very critical of the idea. Here are their concerns and reasoning why it is not a good idea.

First, they wondered why should Prashant Kishor guide Rahul Gandhi and Congress strategists to hold a month-long road show during a season when parts of the state would be badly hit by rains and floods. The concerns of the people on the way would be entirely different than the lofty dreams of Congress's revival about which Rahul would in all likelihood be talking to them.

Second, some of them believe that the date for roadshow  6 September  onward was decided under pressure to start early rather than having a meticulous planning ahead of such a month-long programme.

Initially, a party leader pointed out it was said that Rahul would launch the campaign in September. Then the idea of a roadshow was reached upon rather than holding big rallies because the party was not sure what kind of response the rallies would generate. However, there was a great deal of adverse commentary after it was said that it was up to Rahul to decide the dates for the roadshow. Two days ago Ghulam Nabi Azad central party in-charge Uttar Pradesh announced the date as 6 September.

The choice of venue, Deoria as the venue of the roadshow was made after much deliberation. In the last parliamentary election, Rahul had launched Congress's campaign from Phulpur, a constituency long held by stalwarts like Jawaharlal Nehru and Vijayalaxmi Pandit till 1967 but in 2014 polls Congress lost its deposit there. From the Congress perspective, Deoria is considered to be a good seat for the 2017 assembly polls

Third, didn't Rahul do the same thing in 2002 and 2007, without any tangible results? In both these elections the Congress had been limited to around two dozen seats, around 5-6 percent of the 403-member strong Uttar Pradesh assembly. The Congress has kind of politically patented the term roadshow but it has not learnt any lessons from the past and think of something new to make people take the party and its leadership seriously.

Fourth, why a roadshow? A Congress leader made a substantive point that a roadshow can connect with people only when a leader holding that roadshow of representing an idea embodied in his persona. After all what do you do in a roadshow? Smile, wave and speak a few sentences at places where party workers plan a reception. That works only if people believe in the leader concerned. Then the mere waving of hands, an eye contact or just his looks can swing votes.

"I have been a Congress man for past 25 years. I don't really know what does he represent. Rahul Gandhi had umpteen opportunities to be a Union minister, be the Prime Minister and Congress president but he never took any such responsibility. Though he is de-facto boss of the party but officially, he is Politics, PoliticsDecoderstill Congress vice-president. Don't you know people ask these questions?" he asked.

Another party leader said the situation in 2007, 2012 and 2016 is different.

"In 2016 we are weaker than ever before. If Rahul Gandhi couldn't convince people in 2007 and 2012 of Congress' worth when the party was in power at the Centre, what new does he have to offer now? Yes, we have a new poll strategist who has some idea but ultimately it is for the leadership to see how it works," the leader said on condition of anonymity.

As for the 'Khat Sabha' is concerned, it is argued that Rahul is much better off in his meetings with smaller groups, one-to-one interactions with farmers, unorganised labourers, women, youth and so on rather than making lengthy speeches at public rallies. But public memory is short, even shorter when it concerns politicians.

Five years ago, in 2011 ahead of 2012 Uttar Pradesh elections, Rahul had landed in Bhatta Parsaul to oppose land acquisition policies of then chief minister Mayawati. It ended in his march from there to Aligarh. En-route Rahul was doing exactly what the Congress party strategists have termed today as charpoy meeting. The result was for everyone to see. Congress figured nowhere in the region when the results of last Assembly elections were announced.
Beirut/Washington: Islamic State said on Tuesday that one of its most prominent and longest-serving leaders was killed in what appeared to be an American air strike in Syria, depriving the militant group of the man in charge of directing attacks overseas.

A US defense official told Reuters the United States targeted Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a Tuesday strike on a vehicle travelling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. The official stopped short of confirming Adnani's death, however.

Such US assessments often take days and often lag behind official announcements by militant groups.

Adnani was one of the last living senior members, along with self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who founded the group and stunned the Middle East by seizing huge tracts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

As Islamic State's spokesman, Adnani was its most visible member. As head of external operations, he was in charge of attacks overseas, including Europe, that have become an increasingly important tactic for the group as its core Iraqi and Syrian territory has been eroded by military losses.

Advances by Iraq's army and allied militia towards Islamic State's most important possession of Mosul have put the group under new pressure at a moment when a U.S.-backed coalition has cut its Syrian holdings off from the Turkish border.

Those military setbacks have been accompanied by air strikes that have killed several of the group's leaders, undermining its organisational ability and dampening its morale.

A US counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said Adnani's death will hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere".

Under Adnani's auspices, Islamic State launched large-scale attacks, bombings and shootings on civilians in countries outside its core area, including France, Belgium and Turkey.

The official said Adnani's roles as propaganda chief and director of external operations had become "indistinguishable" because the group uses its online messages to recruit fighters and provide instruction and inspiration for attacks.

Islamic State's Amaq News Agency reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo." Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government forces.

Amaq did not say how Adnani, born Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province in 1977, was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated 29 August but gave no further details.

Inroads into Islamic State

Recent advances by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it.

Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group mean Baghdad is on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday.

Among senior Islamic State officials killed in air strikes this year are Abu Ali al-Anbari, Baghdadi's formal deputy, and the group's "minister of war", Abu Omar al-Shishani. Adnani had joined the group under its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

There were conflicting reports earlier on Tuesday as to where and how he died.

A senior Syrian rebel official said Adnani was most probably killed in the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab in an air strike. Citing unconfirmed reports, he said Adnani was in the Aleppo region to raise morale in the face of mounting pressure.

Islamic State's territory around Aleppo is of particular significance to the group because it is also the location of Dabiq, where an Islamic prophecy holds the last battle between Muslims and infidels will rage, heralding the end of time.

Related Coverage

Face of group

Iraq said in January that Adnani had been wounded in an air strike in the western province of Anbar and then moved to the northern city of Mosul, Islamic States capital in Iraq.

Adnani is a Syrian from Binish in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor al Qaeda more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution.

He was from a well-to-do background but left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight US forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said.

He had been the chief propagandist for the ultra-hardline jihadist group since he declared in a June 2014 statement that it was establishing a modern-day caliphate spanning swaths of territory it had seized in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Adnani had often been the face of the Sunni militant group, such as when he issued a message in May urging attacks on the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan.

The United States designated him a "global terrorist" this year and said he was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003 before becoming spokesman of the militant group.

There is a $5 million reward on his head under the US "Rewards for Justice" programme.
India and the United States signed a key pact  the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)  on Tuesday during Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's three-day visit to the country. Though both the countries clarified that it will not involve in setting up of military bases, the agreement is believed to strengthen defence cooperation between the countries.

The agreement facilitates logistical support, supplies, and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a framework to govern them. Logistical items and services related to food, water, billeting, transportation, petroleum, oils, lubricants, clothing, medical services, spare parts and components, repair and maintenance services and training services are some of the components of the agreement.

"The LEMOA doesn't have anything to do with the setting up of base. It's basically logistics support to each other's fleet, like supply of fuel, supply of many other things which are required for joint operations, humanitarian assistance and many other relief operations. It will ensure that both navies can be supportive of each other in the joint venture operations we do, exercises we do," said Parrikar, according to PTI. He had added the agreement would make it easier for the armed forces in the both the countries to carry out joint activities, such as training and exercises, as well as High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR) missions.

A statement released by the Ministry of Defence said, "Reciprocal logistic support would be used exclusively during authorised port visits, joint exercises, joint training, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts...." It further stated that: "The Agreement will significantly enhance the operational capacity of the Indian Armed Forces, including in their response to humanitarian crises or disaster relief."

India and the United States Sign the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)

Read: https://t.co/C88Z4xPqvz  PIB India (@PIB_India) August 30, 2016

The agreement is viewed as part of the US President Barack Obama administration's Pivot to Asia strategy, according to IANS. "The US is reaching west in President Obama's rebalance, India is reaching east in Modi's Act East policy, which will extend India's reach further into the broader Indo-Asia-Pacific region," said US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.

Carter said the agreement will be a "very substantial enabler" for the two countries to work together.

According to The Indian Express, the LEMOA, which has been tailor-made for India, and is a modified version of US Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), which allows the armed forces of the both countries to share logistical services. The report added that though the US has signed LSA with 60 other countries, it was amended on India's insistence.

The agreement will not only give both the countries access to military facilities, but will facilitate sharing technical know-how, reported The Hindu. The report added that both the countries have to set up "nodal points of contacts" and a process to keep track of "book-keeping and payments".

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties criticised the move, and with the Left parties claiming that it makes India formally an ally of the US. Though strategic expert and director of society for policy studies C Uday Bhaskar allayed fears that the deal will not make India a military ally, reported IANS.

Chinese state-run daily, The Global Times in an editorial said, "If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia. It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia."

Though the US has been pushing the Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA); Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for Geospatial Intelligence, Parrikar indicated that India is not in a hurry to sign these agreements.

The CISMOA permits secure communications interoperability between partners during bilateral and multinational training exercises and operations, whereas ECA allows for no-cost exchange of unclassified and controlled unclassified geospatial products, data, and services between India and the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Under this, partner governments agree to the exchange of topographical, nautical, and aeronautical data and products.

Firstpost's Prakash Nanda writes: "The LEMOA is a firm indication that the US wants to be a partner in increasing the operational outreach of Indian armed forces and that it regards India as "a rising power and a responsible global power", something China will never do."

With inputs from agencies
United Nations: Japan pushed the UN Security Council on Wednesday to consider fresh sanctions against North Korea for test-firing a series of ballistic missiles that it said were a threat to the region and the entire world.

The council strongly condemned the series of launches on Friday and agreed in a unanimous statement backed by China to take "further significant measures."

"The number of provocative actions taken by North Korea has been phenomenal," said Japanese Ambassador Kero Bessho following a closed-door meeting of the council.

Bessho stressed that the high number of launches had led to "quite noteworthy" advances in North Korea's nuclear and missile technology programs.

"This presents a serious threat to the region and the world as a whole," he told reporters.

North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006.

The council in March adopted the toughest sanctions resolution to date targeting North Korea's trade in minerals and tightening banking restrictions, after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test.

Bessho noted that 52 countries had so far presented reports detailing how they are enforcing the new raft of sanctions under resolution 2270, but added that more sanctions were necessary.

"For Japan, we feel that sanctions are necessary," he said.

"We need to implement 2270 rigorously and we feel that we can do more in terms of sanctions in order to show to the DPRK that they just cannot keep on going in this way."

North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology, but Pyongyang has carried out several launches following its fourth nuclear test in January.

The council statement was adopted after several rounds of negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally, which has insisted over recent weeks on the need to avoid an escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula.

The Japanese ambassador said many council members supported the idea of further measures, but suggested that this fell short of a consensus.

"The council should be united in taking action," said Bessho.

A previous bid by the council to condemn North Korea for firing a ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters on August 2 ran aground after China sought changes to the text.

The council was unable to agree after Beijing pressed for language in a statement opposing the THAAD missile defense system that the United States plans to deploy in South Korea.
John Kerry came and simply said what India wanted to hear. In three crucial areas of counter-terrorism, strategic ties and visa rules for Indian workers, the US Secretary of State's stance at the end of the second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD)  the final one involving the outgoing Obama administration  was music to New Delhi's ears.

Gone was the hesitation of history. Instead, it was a huge departure from the sanitised world of diplomatic statements where every comma is used with caution. Kerry shelved all ambiguities and castigated Pakistan during a joint news conference on Tuesday with Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Giving a carte blanche to India on its position vis-a-vis Pakistan on terrorism, the US Secretary of State said there cannot be a distinction between good terrorism and bad terrorism and that the perpetrators of Pathankot and 26/11 attacks must be brought to book. It sounded as if Kerry was merely reading out a briefing prepared by New Delhi.

"I made it very, very clear that United States stands in strong partnership with India against all terrorism, no matter from where it comes from, no matter what form it takes. As I said, there is no good terrorists, bad terrorists. Terrorism is terrorism," The Indian Express quoted Kerry, as saying during the news conference.

When Swaraj picked up the topic of Pakistan providing safe havens for terrorists and encouraging criminal networks to operate out of its soil including groups like Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba or Jaish-e-Muhammad, Kerry quickly echoed her line.

Kerry said, I have recently spoken to the (Pakistan) Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) and General Raheel Sharif regarding the need for Pakistan to deprive any group sanctuaries It is well known that the Haqqani network and others operated out of the western part of the country. LeT, we all know and we all spoke out against, had an impact on India, directly.

Not just on terror. The Indo-US tango was visible in a laundry list of areas including better sharing of intelligence on terrorists, working towards getting them enlisted by the UN and renewal of tripartite talks between India, Afghanistan and Washington next month in New York. Kerry even advised Pakistan to not feel "isolated" at the resumption of three-way talks which have remained suspended after two rounds in 2012 and 2013, The Economic Times reported.

This was a far cry from the time when US tended to reflexively hyphenate the two South Asian nuclear neighbours. Any nudge for talks from the US invariably tended to put the onus on India which at various times sought banning of it as the only non-aggressive response to Pakistan's cynical use of terrorism. As far as tactics go, it was the lamest of options and Islamabad was only too happy to continue with status quo, smug in the knowledge that sooner or later India would be forced to reopen dialogue.

"We told them we want to solve our problems through talks But they did things that forced us to suspend the dialogue. The least we expect is there should be action against the perpetrators. Talks can only happen if there is action on their side," The Economic Times reported Swaraj, as saying.

And Kerry chipped in: "Let me be clear, the US continues to support all efforts to bring perpetrators of Mumbai and Pathankot attacks to justice I think it is crystal clear that US and India are exactly in similar mind with respect to the issue of terror and the need to not only prevent it but to bring those to justice who perpetrate it."

This wasn't just a "meeting of minds", as Swaraj said, on terrorism. Taken together with announcement of forward movement in realising 6 Westinghouse nuclear reactors, joint action in areas of cyber crime and a promise from the US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker  who accompanied Kerry  that America will look into the issue of hike in US visa fees that has hit Indian IT companies and professionals hard, you have a bouquet of promises and underwritings from US that is stunning in width and depth.

The question is, why did Washington go out of its way to address India's concerns?

Though the path-breaking Indo-US civil nuclear deal happened between their predecessors, the Indo-US relationship has taken swift strides under the leadership of US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India is now the 'major defence partner' of the US and procures most arms from Washington.

But even for a relationship that is rapidly leaving behind cobwebs of the past and growing closer, Kerry's endorsement of India seemed stunningly bold. It must, therefore, be seen in context of what has simultaneously been taking place in Washington DC, where on Monday, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter signed the historic Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), making possible for both countries to use each others naval, air and land bases for replenishment, repair and resupply at a cost to be borne by the user.

The agreement, which India and US had 'in principle' agreed to when Carter came calling in April this year, is the culmination of a process which Washington has long set in motion.

As Prakash Nanda writes in this Firstpost piece: "Now, four months after (Caster's visit), we have that agreement; an agreement which the Americans have been pressing for 12 years, since the sixth meeting of the India-US Defence Policy Group (DPG) in June 2004, to be precise."

Though the agreement steers strictly clear of setting up of military bases, exchange of major artillery, exchange of forces or even weapons platform (which should cool the nerves of the Congress and the Left who have already started accusing NDA government of selling India out to the US), it does involve facilitation of reciprocal logistic support (which) would be used exclusively during authorised port visits, joint exercises, joint training, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, according to a Ministry of Defence statement, as carried by The Indian Express.

Moreover, these shall "only be provided on a case-by-case basis through prior mutual consent of the parties, consistent with their respective laws, regulations and policies", read the statement.

An IANS report from Washington quoted Carter as saying: "It will be a very substantial enabler for the two countries to work together. I want to make clear what it does is make possible and make easier operating together when we choose to. It doesn't by itself create those agreements"

Parrikar, mindful that it could be interpreted as India letting go of its time-tested policy of "strategic neutrality" in favour of US, was at pains to point out that "it does not have anything to do with setting up bases. It is for logistic support to each other... Like supply of fuel, supply of any other things that are required for joint operation, humanitarian assistance and many other," according to the report.

So, what's happening here? Despite Parrikar's furious attempt at downplaying the significance of the agreement India has just signed, the fact remains that US has not yet got but has been able to create, as Nitin Gokhale points out in his blog, an enabling environment that could in the future, at least theoretically, involve greater cooperation in strategic areas.

As Chidanand Rajghatta wrote in The Times of India quoting Charles Tiefer, an expert in the field: "For the US, this is one part of the much larger pivot to Asia intended by President Obama to meet a rising China. The US Navy plans to deploy 60 percent of its surface ships in the Indo-Pacific in the near future. Instead of having to build facilities virtually from the ground up, as in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US has the benefit of simple arrangements for the tremendous Indian facilities."

Under President Xi Jinping, China's stunning economic prosperity has simultaneously been accompanied by a muscular approach to diplomacy and a greater assertion of its sovereignty. Its aggression on South China Sea where it has appeared to have gone against a tribunal ruling has forced the US to up the ante. A New York Times editorial recently pointed out, Obama "has demonstrated resolve in defending Americas commitment to freedom of navigation by sending warships into the South China Sea, close to some of the disputed lands."

The LEMOA therefore gives the US a toehold. For India, it holds no less significance since it, too, is grappling with China's posturing on various issues. As Beijing and Islamabad move ever closer with China gaining strategic depth deep into Pakistan territory with the Gwadar project, India must have a deterrent.

But the problem with New Delhi is that its political climate is impulsively slanted against any tango with the US when it comes to military engagements. Which is precisely why, as The Indian Express points out, the US was forced to change the terms of the agreement which it has signed with more than 60 countries and make it more India-specific.

But still aware that it may not be enough to douse domestic fire that Modi government might be thrown into following the agreement, Washington tried to provide a further insurance through Secretary of State John Kerry, who didn't utter even one word that Indians won't like to hear.

It's a game of chess. And India and the US are playing it well. Just look at the hurt responses from Beijing and Islamabad.
Manila: The Philippines' top graft-buster, a fearless grandmother who has sued politicians from the president down in her quest to rid her country of corruption, laughs in the face of death threats  literally. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, 75, chuckled as she recounted to AFP how she was reluctantly obliged to put up a higher fence around her house after a grenade with her initials on it was discovered by her property in 2012.

"I'm not scared," she said, her eyes flashing as she thumped her hand on the desk in her office.

The people she investigates "are the ones who are intimidated  that's why they are trying to scare me".

Fighting corruption is dangerous work in the graft-plagued Philippines, where witnesses  even judges  are gunned down and convicted politicians are freed and re-elected. After four decades in the country's notoriously corrupt judiciary, Morales was looking forward to retirement when former president Benigno Aquino asked her to head a special body to prosecute corrupt officials as part of his centrepiece anti-graft crusade.

On Wednesday, her "moral courage and commitment to justice in taking head-on one of the most intractable problems in the Philippines," is set to be recognised when she will be awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award  Asia's version of the Nobel.

"She is, quite simply, an inspiring public servant," the judges said.

Indict 'sacred cows'

Born into a family of honest lawyers, Morales had a slow and tricky rise through the ranks due to her incorruptibility, but finally made it to the Supreme Court, where she became the first female magistrate to swear in a president in 2010.

A tireless worker, she now puts in 12-hour days, six days a week at the Ombudsman  Sundays are reserved for the grandchildren  and her discipline is credited with boosting the office's conviction rate to 75 percent from just 41 percent when she took office in 2011.

Despite progress under Aquino, fighting "endemic" corruption in the Philippines is an uphill battle, she said, adding that corruption flourishes when people think they can get away with it.

"We file cases against top government officials," she said.

When the "so-called sacred cows are indicted, that should give a signal to people to be more cautious," she added.

Her biggest frustration came when the Supreme Court freed ex-president Gloria Arroyo and powerful former senator Juan Ponce Enrile despite what Morales insists was solid evidence of graft.

The pair had pleaded ill-health for years and were detained in government hospitals but it was all an act, Morales said: "after you are free... you swagger!"

Her tenaciousness has earned her many enemies, including former vice president Jejomar Binay, who called her "stupid" after she charged him with taking huge kickbacks when he was mayor.

But she argues the Philippines' culture of political patronage is allowing top leaders to evade accountability.

"They act like they're Robin Hood," she said.

When her son died of cancer at 41 last year, some of her more unpleasant critics used the personal tragedy to attack her.

"They said it was my karma. See how cruel people are?" she said, adding that she was however "made of strong stuff".

Morales, who is not due to step down until 2018, will continue her work under new President Rodrigo Duterte, but said her agency will remain impartial.

"We do not take orders from anyone. We are independent. Period."
Strange it may seem, but it is true that the most important outcome of the ongoing visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to the Unites States has been grossly underplayed. And that is understandable, given the opportunity this development will provide to the Modi governments formidable critics in the days to come.

It is worth noting that over the last one year or so, Parrikar and his American counterpart Ash Carter have interacted on six occasions. This is Parrikars second official visit to the US. Carter was here in New Delhi in April.

Though Parrikars visit is strictly on at the moment, the US Department of Defence has already brought out the "joint statement" of the visit. Expectedly, the statement has mentioned how in the sphere of defence, both India and the Unites States have come a long way ever since the two countries signed the New Framework for Defence Cooperation in June 2005.

This June, the summit meeting at Washington between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June resulted in India being designated as "a major defence partner of the United States", thus adding teeth to the two countries 2012 creation of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). Being a major defence partner is a framework that is supposed to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation between India and the US.

In between, by surpassing Russia, the Unites States has become Indias biggest arms supplier. Besides, India is now a country with which the United States conducts the largest number of peace-time military exercises bilaterally every year (nearly 70). All these have fitted well into their respective big scheme of things, with United States focusing on "a rebalance to the Asia-Pacific" and India reaching east to extend its reach in the broader Indo-Asia-Pacific region (Act-East policy).

However, in my considered view, the most important part of the joint statement happens to be just two-and-half lines mentioned in its second last paragraph: "They (Carter and Parrikar) also welcomed the signing of the bilateral logistics exchange memorandum of agreement (LEMOA), which will facilitate additional opportunities for practical engagement and exchange."

To begin with, LEMOA is a term that one has heard for the first time in the vocabulary of the Indo-US defence parlance. During his India-visit in April, Carter was using the term 'Logistics Support Agreement' (LSA), which the United States, incidentally, had been pressing India since 2004, along with Communication and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). CISMOA would allow the United States to supply India with its propriety encrypted communications equipment and systems, so as to first secure peacetime and wartime communication between high-level military leaders on both sides, and then extend this capability to Indian and US military assets, including aircraft and ships. BECA would set a framework through which the United States could share sensitive data to aid targeting and navigation with India.

According to the Americans, the Indo-US strategic partnership can be really meaningful and enhanced once New Delhi signs LSA, CISMOA and BECA. Signing on the LSA has been the first step in that direction. The then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by Manmohan Singh was all for the conclusion of the LSA, but it did not have the courage to go for actual signing, afraid as it was that the opposition and Left-leaning experts will consider it as formalising a military alliance with the US by violating its traditional policy of not allowing foreign military presence (howsoever temporary it may be, on its soil except for purposes of training and joint exercises) and that China will be angered in the process.

With the coming of the Modi government, it was thought that a favourable decision would be taken at the earliest; but that did not happen. The Modi government was also being constrained by the same factors. As a result, the much-anticipated conclusion of the LSA did not materialise during carters April visit. That time, Parrikar and Carter only agreed in principle to sign a Logistics Support Agreement, the then joint statement said. Now, four months after, we have that agreement; an agreement which the Americans have been pressing for 12 years, since the sixth meeting of the India-US Defence Policy Group (DPG) in June 2004, to be precise.

What then is the LSA, sorry, now LEMOA? It is the India-specific version of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) that the US has with many of its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) allies. Under this Agreement, the US agrees to provide Logistics Support, Supplies and Services (LSSS) to military forces to countries or organisations in return for the reciprocal provision of logistics support, supplies and services by such governments or organisations to the US military forces.

The LEMOA would come into picture during joint military exercises, training requirements, deployments, unforeseen emergencies, exigent circumstances, peacekeeping and disaster relief operations, and wartime needs as well as exercises to correct logistic deficiencies which cannot be met by a nation on its own, according to available literature. It will provide military commanders' "enhanced operational readiness and cost effective mutual support". It means that the military personnel of India and the US can use each others equipment (mentioned under LSSS), including food, water, clothing, medical services, accommodation, transportation, petroleum, oils, lubricants, storage services, communication services, and base operations support.

Importantly, all these are paid-services, that is, the country using others facilities will bear the economic cost. Besides, the agreement prohibits the exchange of major weapons and weapon-platforms such as fighter aircrafts, ships, missiles and bombs, let alone nuclear weapons. Also, every request of one party would be acceded to by the other only after a review. Thus, no party is bound to agree for every respect; it can say no if its national interests dictate so.

What is most significant is that the LEMOA would not permit permanent base rights for the military forces in either country. Nor for that matter it compels one to commit its forces for the military operations by the other. In other words, contrary to what the critics say, under the LEMOA, India will not fight Americas wars and the vice-versa. In fact, this point was made very clear by none other than the then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee (currently our President). He had said: "This (LSA) does not envisage providing military facilities to US forces. Neither does it provide for unqualified Indian support to the US in any armed conflict to which India is not a party." He had also emphasised that the proposed agreement "does not carry any commitment to assist each other during periods of armed conflict".

The point that emerges is that even under LEMOA there is freedom for both the sides to decline any request for logistical support if that is not in ones national interests. So the apprehensions of all those who love US-bashing are highly misplaced. As regards the sensitivities of China and Pakistan (in fact, as I write this piece, there are angry reactions from Pakistan and China to the conclusion of the LEMOA), the lesser said the better. China can hurt Indias core national interests by denying it the access to the Nuclear Supply Group, threatening it against carrying out natural explorations in the South China Sea, intervening in Kashmir and arming Pakistan to its teeth, both in nuclear weapons and missiles, but it has a problem if we protect our long term strategic needs by collaborating with friendly countries.

All told, the LEMOA is a firm indication that the US wants to be a partner in increasing the operational outreach of Indian armed forces and that it regards India as "a rising power and a responsible global power", something China will never do.
Seoul: North Korea has executed a vice premier for showing disrespect during a meeting presided over by leader Kim Jong-Un, South Korea said Wednesday, after reports that he fell asleep.

The regime also banished two other senior officials, Seoul said, the latest in a slew of punishments Kim is believed to have ordered in what analysts say is an attempt to tighten his grip on power. "Vice premier for education Kim Yong-Jin was executed," Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-Hee said at a regular briefing.

Kim was killed by a firing squad in July as "an anti-party, anti-revolutionary agitator," added an official at the ministry, who declined to be named.

"Kim Yong-Jin was denounced for his bad sitting posture when he was sitting below the rostrum" during a session of North Korea's parliament, and then underwent an interrogation that revealed other "crimes", the official told reporters.

The mass-selling Joong Ang Ilbo reported on Tuesday that top regime figures had been punished, but identified the education official by a different name. "He incurred the wrath of Kim after he dozed off during a meeting presided over by Kim," it quoted a source as saying.

"He was arrested on site and intensively questioned by the state security ministry".

Fall of spymaster

The unification ministry said two other senior figures were forced to undergo re-education sessions.

One of them was Kim Yong-Chol, a top official in charge of inter-Korean affairs and espionage activities against the South. The 71-year-old Kim is a career military intelligence official who is believed to be the mastermind behind the North's frequent cyberattacks on Seoul.

Kim is also blamed by the South for the sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010 near the disputed sea border with the North in the Yellow Sea.

Kim was banished to a farm in July for a month for his "arrogance" and "abuse of power," the ministry official said. The spymaster, who was reinstated this month, is likely to be tempted to prove his loyalty by committing provocative acts against the South, the official said.

"Therefore, we are keeping close tabs on the North", he said.

Professor Yang Moo-Jin at the University of North Korean Studies said the vice premier's execution could be indirectly verified when Pyongyang's state media reveals the names of attendees at the government's anniversary ceremony on 9 September. That confirmation will be important; Seoul in February said North Korean military chief of staff Ri Yong-Gil had been executed  only for Ri to turn up at a party rally in May.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency put the number of party officials executed during Kim Jong-Un's rule at over 100. The most notorious case was that of Kim's uncle and onetime No. 2 Jang Song-Thaek, who was executed for charges including treason and corruption in December 2013.

In April 2015, it was reported that Kim had his defence minister Hyon Yong-Chol summarily executed with an anti-aircraft gun.

Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior researcher at the private Sejong Institute, said the "reign of terror" that is characteristic of a Stalinist state showed no sign of abating under Kim. "But the intensity of the reign of terror depends on changes to the internal and external political environment", Cheong said.

Reports of the latest execution coincide with a series of high-profile defections from the North. North Korea's deputy ambassador to Britain sought refuge in the South with his family, the unification ministry said earlier this month.

Thae Yong-Ho was driven by "disgust for the North Korean regime" and concerns for his family's future, it said. Twelve waitresses and their manager who had been working at a North Korea-themed restaurant in China also made headlines when they arrived in the South in April as the largest group defection for years. About 10 North Korean diplomats made it to the South in the first half of this year alone, Yonhap said, quoting informed sources.
Miami: Some 8,000 heads of state, policymakers and environmentalists convene in Hawaii this week for the world's largest gathering aimed at forging a path forward on the planet's toughest conservation problems.

US President Barack Obama is expected to be among the world leaders in Honolulu as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) opens its World Conservation Congress, held every four years in a different location around the globe.

This year, the conference theme of "Planet at the Crossroads" is aimed at exposing the plight of island nations that are at risk of disappearing in the coming decades due to rising seas.

It is the first major environmental meeting of global leaders since the Paris climate talks last year.

The 1-10 September conference also marks the first time the IUCN World Congress has been held in the United States since the meeting was first convened in 1948.

Arguments are expected on hotly debated issues such as what to do about domestic ivory markets which lead to the killing of elephants for their tusks, and how to feed the world's growing population without exhausting its natural resources.

"There should be a fair amount of fireworks," John Robinson, the head of the Wildlife Conservation Society's global conservation program told AFP.

Obama's visit - if it is not disrupted by Hurricane Madeline - comes on the heels of his move last week to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the northwestern Hawaiian islands, making it the world's largest marine protected area.

In Honolulu on Wednesday, Obama plans to address the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress, before departing for Midway Atoll the next day.

"The President will be discussing the role that remote islands play in the climate context, but also the importance of the intersection between conservation and climate change as we face an increasingly severe threat of climate change in these parts of the world," said Brian Deese, Obama's senior advisor.

Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security advisor, described the event as "an important opportunity to bring together not just Pacific island leaders who have been a motivating factoraround the urgency of action against climate change, but also conservation advocates from around the world.
New Delhi: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said there was no military solution to the dispute in the South China Sea and called on China and the Philippines to abide by a decision on the issue by an international tribunal.

Addressing a townhall meeting with students during a visit to New Delhi, Kerry said the ruling by the international arbitration court was "final and legally binding on both parties."

"This is a crucial opportunity to uphold the existing rules-based international order and don't for an instance underestimate the importance of that order," Kerry said.

Asked whether there was a military solution to the issue, Kerry said the US was not interested in fanning the flames of conflict but wanted to encourage parties to resolve their disputes.

"We support diplomacy in an effort to try to resolve this with an understanding that there really is no military solution, but on the other hand, we will stand up for our rights and we will stand with our allies, particularly where we have a defence agreement," and the US would protect the rights of other nations on freedom of navigation, he said.

Beijing has dismissed the July 12 ruling, which invalidated China's claims to most of the South China Sea. Although China has rejected the orde, it was interested in a negotiated resolution and had shown a willingness to engage, Kerry said.

His comments came ahead of the G20 summit which is hosted by China in its eastern city of Hangzhou from Sunday.
London: The UK government is considering further crackdowns on visas for non-EU nationals, which will include Indians, to curb its soaring immigration figures.

While no details of the plans have been unveiled yet, Prime Minister Theresa May is believed to be examining options to toughen visa rules for students and some workers from outside the 28-nation EU.

The move comes despite recent Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures indicating there has been a "statistically significant" drop in the number of students coming to the UK from outside Europe.

"There was a statistically significant decline in the number of non-EU citizens migrating to the UK to study, from 134,000 in the previous year to 111,000. There was a statistically significant decline in citizens of South Asia, with the number coming to study having almost halved," ONS said in its 'Migration Statistics Quarterly Report: August 2016' last week.

India is the third largest category in terms of student visa applications after the US and China, with 10,664 granted between June 2015 and 2016.

However, a further crackdown is likely to lead to a sharp drop in those applying to UK universities.

"Brexit, unfortunately, could compound the problem for the UK's world-class higher education sector, risking, as it does, 800 million pounds of EU research funding, top EU research talent and some 50,000 EU students enrolling every year.

"The rumours that Theresa May is planning a fresh crackdown on student visas are, therefore, extremely worrying," James Pitman, managing director for the UK's Study Group, told the 'Times'.

"If we are to maintain our position as a global education powerhouse, and protect one of our most valuable exports, the government must give both EU and non-EU students a fair deal and take overseas students out of net migration targets," he said.

India has already raised concerns about further clampdowns on visas for its students and workers coming to the UK.

It does not want to see a further toughening of Tier 2 visas as Indian migrants on the visa already have to be earning more than 35,000 pounds to remain in the UK.

"The government has taken up the matter bilaterally with the UK government at various levels and expressed concerns over the changes in UK visa rules," commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha earlier this month.

Indian nationals have accounted for 57 per cent of the UK's total skilled work visas granted (53,548 of 93,935), with the US the next largest nationality group (10,019 or 11 per cent of the total).

Any further crackdowns will undoubtedly hit Indian professionals the hardest.

"It is true that recent governments have had little success delivering on pledges to cut immigration, but using cuts in students to reduce overall numbers is at best short-sighted," said Craig Calhoun, the outgoing director of the London School of Economics (LSE).

The fresh crackdown reports follow recent ONS data revealing that net migration for the UK is still running at more than 300,000 a year despite the Conservatives pledging to cut it to the tens of thousands.

"While we wait for the outcome of Brexit negotiations, it's essential that the Prime Minster sets further action in hand on non-EU migration which is half the total. The biggest source of migration from outside the EU is clearly students, very few of whom are recorded as going home. This is where action needs to be focused," said Lord Green, chair of Migration Watch.

While control on migration from within the EU will be the key focus in the coming months as Britain begins its Brexit negotiations to leave the economic bloc, cutting figures from outside the bloc are expected to go hand in hand.
Washington: Key US senators John McCain and Marco Rubio won their Republican primaries on Tuesday, setting up high-profile re-election efforts in November as their party fights to retain control of Congress.

Freshman lawmaker Rubio of Florida easily defeated business executive Carlos Beruff, securing around 72 percent of the vote and setting up a clash with House Democrat Patrick Murphy.

The closely watched Florida matchup is considered to be among those that could tip the Republican-controlled Senate into Democratic hands in November, especially if presidential hopeful Donald Trump underperforms in the general election and drags down other Republicans on the ballot.

About a third of the 100-member Senate and the entire House of Representatives are up for grabs in November.

Rubio, 45, was a rising Republican star whose presidential bid fizzled in March when Trump, a brash billionaire real estate mogul, thrashed him in the Florida primary.

Rubio had pledged to return to private life, but reversed course and launched his Senate re-election bid, scaring nearly every challenger out of what had been a crowded Republican field.

He called it "an unusual road back" to the Senate.

"But I just couldn't be at peace with the idea that we were going to not just potentially lose the Senate seat but lose the balance of power in the Senate at this critical moment in our nation's history," he told supporters after claiming victory.

Veteran Senator John McCain of Arizona was projected to handily win his contest against a more conservative candidate and advance to the November election.

"This one has a ways to go yet, and its not going to get any easier," he said in a victory speech.

Although his rival Kelli Ward, a former state senator, is an avid Trump supporter, the Republican nominee eventually backed McCain's re-election bid, depriving Ward of much-needed political oxygen to mount a successful challenge.

She had argued that McCain, who turned 80 on Monday, had grown too old and "weak" to serve another six-year term.

McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, has spent three decades in the Senate. He was seen as one of the senators most vulnerable to a challenge by the far right, but ultimately prevailed easily.

Tuesday also saw House Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz, an embattled Florida congresswoman who until recently chaired the Democratic National Committee, survive a spirited challenge.

She stepped down from leading the DNC in July after leaked internal emails showed that members of the organisation, which pledges neutrality in presidential primaries, favored Hillary Clinton this year over her more liberal rival Bernie Sanders.
Meridian, ID  My Place Hotels of America, LLC is thrilled to announce MP Meridian, LLC broke ground on their brand new My Place Hotel in Meridian, Idaho! The event represents yet another territorial landmark for the brand as Meridian is one of two Idaho locations slated to open early 2017.

The ceremonial earth moving took place at the brand new 4-story, 85-room hotel's site, conveniently located on 3050 Jewel Street across the road from The Village at Meridian. Celebrating along-side the ownership group were Meridian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Anne Little Roberts, the chamber's Membership Development Manager Diane Bevan, and Mountain America Credit Union's Commercial Real Estate Lender Tuyen Do.

MP Meridian's managing member Daniel Pretorius said the group was very pleased to celebrate the occasion along-side community members who are instrumental to the development and prosperity of their new venture. Having set their sights on this location long before they signed with My Place, Pretorius said it's a great time to fill Meridian's need for an extended stay hotel.

"We're going to be very engaged owners and community members," Pretorius said. "We have embedded ourselves within the Meridian community and look forward to being active members within the chamber and community."

Little Roberts said it's an honor for Meridian to be chosen as one of the first two Idaho locations for the rapidly growing hotel franchise. "The Meridian Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome My Place Economy Extended Stay to Meridian," Little Roberts said. "We look forward to working with Daniel Pretorius, Aaron Lawson and their team as our newest members of the Meridian business community. The Meridian Chamber was proud to participate in their ground breaking yesterday and we look forward to watching the construction progress."

My Place Hotels of America EVP of Franchise Development Terry Kline said this event marks yet another historic milestone in the dynamic national growth of My Place Hotel locations across the country that have proven to satisfy a broad-based consumer demand in the underserved market niche.

"Today we congratulate Aaron, Daniel and the entire team at MP Meridian, LLC on the successful groundbreaking of their planned new My Place Hotel in Meridian," Kline said. "We look forward to working with Aaron and Daniel as they utilize their multiple business experiences to engage with the Meridian community and greater Boise area to provide their guests with the finest available lodging options!"

My Place Hotel-Meridian, ID is independently owned by MP Meridian, LLC. The owners recently announced the property will be managed by Channel Point Hospitality, LLC, a division of Aimbridge Hospitality. My Place Hotels of America, LLC is persistently advancing in its campaign for U.S. expansion of the recently launched franchise system. The chain currently has 25 hotels open and operating with a near-term pipeline of over 18 additional hotels and mid-term commitments for upwards of 40 more hotels to follow, planned in more than a dozen states. To book your stay at My Place, please call the toll-free reservation line at: 855- 200-5685, or visit: myplacehotels.com to book online.

About My Place Hotels

All My Place Hotels locations offer modern amenities at an affordable price including nightly, weekly and monthly rate options. Each guest room features a My Kitchen, complete with a cooktop, a microwave and a full refrigerator. My Place Hotels offer pet friendly accommodations, include on-site laundry facilities, complimentary high-speed internet service and a 24-hour My Store, located in the hotel lobby and stocked with an array of supplies for the guests' convenience.

My Place Hotels of America is a franchise company that focuses on providing a clean and comfortable facility, with modern amenities, and great customer service, all at an affordable price. The company is based out of Aberdeen, S.D., and offers franchisees a new construction brand, designed to ensure quality, consistency and the highest of standards for delivering marketplace value. The brand currently has 47 hotels open across 21 states with over 120 hotels in the pipeline. For more information on franchising with My Place Hotels, please visit myplacehotels.com/franchising or contact Terry Kline at (605) 725-5685.

To book your stay at My Place, please call the toll-free reservation line at: (855) 200-5685, or visit myplacehotels.com. In celebration of our partnership with the American Hotel and Lodging Association, we invite you to Stay Rewarded. Earn 1,000 points by enrolling using this link by Independence Day:

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Please click here to get up to date with the latest news from My Place Hotels!

Heather Schmidt

EVP Sales & Marketing

605-725-5261

My Place Hotels of America
A total of 424 double-plate cars from Macau have stayed in Zhuhai for several years without returning to Macau.

Starting from Monday, the Zhuhai transportation management police and the Gongbei Customs will work closely together in order to locate the owners, according to a report by Jornal Va Kio.

All unregistered vehicles that entered Zhuhai through the Gongbei port must return to Macau with immediate effect. Zhuhais police records indicate that more than 50 of the aforementioned owners drove to Zhuhai between 2005 and 2006.

The cars went completely unnoticed in the city after they hit mainland roads, leaving no paper trail. Zhuhai police also found the owners of the cars had incurred multiple traffic infractions.

On Tuesday alone, Zhuhai traffic police inspected five cars, with one of the owners of a vehicle fined RMB8,400 for 35 violations of transportation regulations.

Zhuhai Customs regulations state that any double-plate car from Macau with intentions of long-term usage in mainland China must return to Macau within three months of their first entry. Staff reporter
An American woman detained in China for more than a year has been indicted by prosecutors on charges of spying, a court confirmed yesterday.

The Nanning Intermediate Peoples Court in southern China accepted the case against Phan Sandy Phan-Gillis on July 11, and no date has been set yet for a hearing, said a court official who gave only her surname, Chen.

Authorities detained the international business consultant in March 2015 when she visited China as part of an American trade delegation that was promoting business opportunities in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

Phan-Gillis husband, Jeff Gillis, said that her lawyer received the indictment weeks after it was issued to the court.

He said in a statement that she is charged with being a spy for a foreign government from 1996 to 1998, and that the charges are absolutely false.

Spying convictions carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

A U.N. panel ruled in June that China was arbitrarily detaining Phan-Gillis, 56, in violation of international human rights norms because she hadnt been brought before judicial authorities or given access to legal assistance. AP
The largest Special Economic Zone in Angola, the Luanda-Bengo SEZ (ZEELB), which was built with the support of China, will open most of its industrial units to private investment in an effort to rationalise resources and stimulate economic diversification.

The latest investment project in the ZEELB belongs to CITIC Construction (Angola), which will invest USD40 million in an aluminium smelter to reduce imports of this material, with a positive impact on Angolas balance of trade.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said in its latest report on Angolas the decision was a positive step in a context of slow economic growth due to the downturn in the oil sector, as the involvement of private companies will help boost the non-oil sectors for a government which remains highly state focused.

The sale of the industrial units, 53 of a total of 73 in the ZEELB, is an effort by Angolan state oil company Sonangol, which since 2011 has managed this 8,300 hectare facility, to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

The sale will help the authorities to raise revenue in the short term and reduce maintenance costs, although it involves loss of long-term income, said the EIU.

The measure is in line with the governments wider policy response to the oil price crisis, which is to raise skills and private sector capital to help expand non-oil production and create more jobs, it added.

Funded in part with Chinese credit lines, the ZEELB was intended to support the diversification of the economy, offering preferential terms to companies that set themselves up there, such as electricity, road access, customs clearance and administrative support and tax incentives.

The project has attracted several companies and led to the creation of nearly 5,000 jobs, but, according to the EIU, various units are only half full or completely empty, in a context of adverse economic and financial difficulties facing industrial companies.

The SEZ includes plants linked to engineering, metal containers, taps, plastic bags, electroplating and metal pavilions, and for manufacture of furniture and mattresses, among others.

Published in June, the presidential order stipulated the sale of industrial units in the ZEELB by the end of August to private companies with capital, skills and enough technology to leverage those industries.

In 2006, the China-Africa Forum gave significant priority to the objective of creating up to 50 SEZ abroad, which are now being implemented, with investment of $700 million by Chinese companies in 16 SEZ, according to figures from the Chinese Trade Ministry.

In the recent study entitled The role of special economic zones in the development of African countries and Chinese foreign direct investment, researchers Fernanda Ilheu and Hao Zhang of the Lisbon Institute of Economics and Management noted that over 35 years, the special economic zones have had a decisive role in the development of places like Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Xiamen, Shantou, Hainan and Shanghai and that African countries can and should take advantage of this experience. MDT/Macauhub
Restaurants at the Sands Resorts Cotai Strip Macao and Sands Macao will be offering an array of menus to celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.

Canton at The Venetian Macao offers two menu options, available between September 16 and October 7, while North, a signature Chinese restaurant at the resort, will launch a special a la carte menu between September 28 and October 11 to commemorate the Golden Week holidays.

Dynasty 8 at Conrad Macao, home of classic and authentic high-end Chinese cuisine, will be presenting a special Dynasty 8 Mid-Autumn Festival Gift Hamper from September 9 to 18. The hamper includes delicacies from the sea such as dried abalone, dry sea conch and flower mushrooms amongst others.

The 888 Buffet at Sands Macao, on offer between September 14 to 17, will also add special delicacies to its menu this coming festival.

Shun Tak records revenue decline

Shun Tak Holdings Limited posted revenue of approximately HKD1,868 million over the first six months of 2016, showing a 12.2 percent year-on-year decline.

Excluding the unrealized fair value changes on investment properties, the profit attributable to shareholders demonstrated a 12.3 percent decline at HKD239 million for the first half of 2016, the company revealed in a statement.

The property division of the group experienced a significant year-on-year decline in revenue as the combined impact of a time lag in revenue recognition from property sales and the revaluation of investment properties contributed to a weakened profit of HKD55 million.

The hospitality division registered a HKD44 million profit, representing a 11 percent year-on-year decline while the investment division posted a profit of HKD167 million, on par with the performance of the same period last year.

According to the managing director of the group, Pansy Ho, the companys transportation division has maintained resilient despite a downturn in visitor arrivals.

The first six months of 2016 has been a trying period. Undercurrents in the macro environment and volatility in the global market has significantly impeded a wide spectrum of our economy, said Ho in a statement.
German forces have invaded Poland and its planes have bombed Polish cities, including the capital, Warsaw.

The attack comes without any warning or declaration of war.

Britain and France have mobilised their forces and are preparing to wage war on Germany for the second time this century.

Just before dawn today, German tanks, infantry and cavalry penetrated Polish territory on several fronts with five armies, a total of 1.5 million troops.

Soon afterwards German planes bombarded the cities. They have been making swift progress in penetrating Polish defences which are heavily outnumbered in artillery, infantry and air power.

The cities of Katowice, Krakow, Tczew and Tunel were attacked with incendiary bombs. Air raids on Warsaw began at 0900 local time.

Communications to Katowice have been broken but earlier reports said German planes were coming over in squadrons of 50, every half-hour, and there have been many casualties.

The German Army struck from Slovakia, East Prussia and from Pomerania into the Polish Corridor and the port Danzig, which has declared itself part of the Reich.

The 4th Army came in from East Prussia at Deutsch-Eylau supported by air raids on cities north of Warsaw. There is heavy fighting reported along the whole of the East Prussian border.

Poznan was attacked from the main body of the German Reich and border towns occupied.

The 8th and 10th armies are moving north-east from Silesia towards Warsaw; and the 14th Army struck from Slovakia towards Krakow.

The Times newspaper reports that when the air raid sirens in the capital first sounded at 0600 inhabitants reacted calmly and some even ran out onto the streets to look up at the sky and had be driven back inside by air raid wardens.

The unprovoked attack follows yesterdays report on German radio that the border town of Gliwice had been raided by a group of Polish soldiers, who had all been shot dead.

German radio broadcast a list of demands never submitted to the Polish Government.

The Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, held a meeting with King George today in Downing Street.

Later this evening Mr Chamberlain told a packed House of Commons that British and French Ambassadors in Berlin had given German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop an ultimatum.

He was to tell Berlin that unless the Nazis withdraw, Britain and France would fulfil its promise of support to Poland.

Von Ribbentrop said he would refer the message to Adolf Hitler.

US President Roosevelt of the United States has sent an appeal to the governments of Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland urging them to announce publicly their determination not to launch air attacks on civilians.

In reply the British and French governments say they intend to confine their bombing to military objectives, so long as their opponents do the same.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

Britain and France were forced to declare war after Germany ignored their separate ultimatums, delivered on 3 September 1939, demanding the withdrawal of German troops from Poland.

In the mid-1930s, Britains response to the acceleration of Germanys rearmament and the threat of war was to appease rather than confront Hitler and his generals.

By late 1938, Hitler was making speeches that furiously proclaimed Germanys right to annex the Sudetenland, a Czechoslovak territory with a significant German population.

Chamberlain flew to Germany to calm the situation, eventually signing the Munich Agreement with Hitler, giving control of the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany.

With the invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Britain was no longer acquiescent and Chamberlain warned that any further attacks would meet resistance. It took the defeat of Poland six months later to induce the British and French governments to declare war.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday hailed a new era in relations with China during his first official visit to a key trading partner, saying he aims to boost stability and regularity in their ties.

Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang agreed to annual meetings and the eventual establishment of a mechanism to discuss national security and rule of law. Trudeau said they will work together to discuss issues of common concern, including climate change, judicial training, gender equality and empowerment of women and children.

Renewing our relationship with China is extremely important to Canada, Trudeau said at a joint news conference after his meeting with Li. Until now, the China-Canada relationship has somewhat lacked in stability and regularity.

Separately, Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced that Canada will apply for membership in the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The institution, launched last year, aims to boost Chinas influence in global finance, although the U.S. has yet to join and has questioned whether it will erode global lending standards.

Trudeau and Li also announced an agreement to extend a Sept. 1 deadline that China had imposed on Canada to tighten its screening of canola exports, which had threatened to lead to major losses for Canadian farmers.

China is the biggest foreign consumer of Canadian canola, which is usually refined into an edible oil, but Li said Chinese canola producers and consumers were worried about imported canola carrying disease. Trudeau said Canada and China were working very closely toward a long-term solution in the coming days and weeks ahead.

Trudeau benefits from the association with his father, former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who in 1970 became one of the first Western leaders to establish diplomatic relations with Communist China.

Trudeaus predecessor, Stephen Harper, had a chillier reception on his first visit to Beijing in 2009, three years into his term, when then-Premier Wen Jiabao publicly berated him for not visiting sooner. Justin Trudeau took office in November.

Li also commented on the case of Kevin Garratt, a Canadian citizen who conducted Christian aid work in China for North Koreans and has been detained in China for two years over accusations of spying.

China is a country under the rule of law, and judicial authorities in China will handle judicial cases in strict accordance with the law, Li said, adding that Garratt would be treated in a humanitarian way and allowed consular visits from Canadian diplomats.

In response, the Garratt family said in a statement through their lawyer that they were extremely frustrated by a lack of progress in securing his release and enabling him to obtain critically-needed medical treatment.

Kevin should be released to allow the two countries to move forward to develop stronger ties and cooperation on many levels, the statement said.

Trudeau said the two leaders wanted to expand trade and investment in areas including energy, clean technology and agriculture, and to increase tourism and cultural cooperation.

The pair oversaw the signing of deals, including a film co-production agreement.

During his trip to China, Trudeau will also visit Shanghai and Hong Kong and attend the G-20 summit in Hangzhou on Sept. 4-5. Louise Watt, Beijing, AP
Chinas got the world puzzling over its oil hoard.

From underground caverns by the Yellow Sea to a scattering of islands in the Yangtze River delta, the government has been stockpiling crude for emergencies in a network of storage sites dotted around the country. Record purchases this year by the worlds biggest energy consumer have helped oil prices recover from the worst crash in a generation. What the country plans to do next could determine where they go from here.

The difficulty is that nobody outside China really knows for certain. The government wont say how much its holding or when the tanks will be full. Energy Aspects Ltd. says the country will probably keep buying and fill up commercial tanks if it has to, while the likes of JPMorgan Chase & Co. say the purchases may soon stop. The difference in opinion is equivalent to about 1.1 million barrels a day, or more than the Asian country buys from Saudi Arabia.

China seems to feel no obligation to report on its strategic stocks, and that might confer a genuine advantage in its favor, said John Driscoll, the chief strategist at JTD Energy Services Pte, who has spent more than 30 years trading crude and petroleum in Singapore. The scope of their purchases can dramatically affect fundamentals and prices. However, since they will likely be shrouded in secrecy, it will remain challenging to quantify the impact.

China outlined in 2009 its plans to build reserves equivalent to 100 days of net imports. But since then its only provided sporadic scraps of detail on its strategic petroleum reserves, or SPR. That stands in contrast to the U.S., where the Energy Department has been detailing data on American inventories for more than three decades.

The Asian country had about 191 million barrels of crude in its SPR as of the middle of last year, according to a statement on the website of the National Bureau of Statistics in December. But it also said at the time that total combined capacity of seven above-ground sites and one location with underground caverns was the equivalent of only 180 million barrels. The figures havent been updated since.

The government also said at the time it has leased space in commercial sites, signaling it could buy additional oil while more of its own tanks are constructed. Nobody replied to a fax sent to the press office of the National Energy Administration asking for details about the SPR.

SPR has been a China mystery due to the lack of government data disclosure, said Ying Wang, a Hong Kong-based analyst at JPMorgan. The bank estimates the amount of crude China is putting into stockpiles by calculating how much more oil the country is buying and producing than its using.

That amounted to about 1.2 million barrels a day over the first half of the year, according to JPMorgan. The bank estimates the country built up a total of about 400 million barrels by mid-2016 out of a targeted 511 million barrels. That means at the current rate of stockpiling, the storage would be filled up by August, leading to a potential drop in imports in September.

Energy Aspects looks at it differently. Because China can shift oil between commercial and strategic storage, the government may be able to increase purchases even if it runs out of its own space, said Michal Meidan, a London-

based analyst for the industry consultant. Another 150 million barrels of commercial storage space is coming online by the end of next year that can be filled, she said. That means that while reserve buying may slow, it wont fall significantly.

Even if SPR tanks only come online later in the year, more commercial tanks are starting up, Meidan said. Energy Aspects sees demand for the reserves dropping by only 100,000 barrels a day in the second half of the year to 300,000 barrels daily.

Chinas oil imports have averaged an unprecedented 7.5 million barrels a day so far this year, government data show. The purchases, along with temporary production outages in Nigeria and Canada, helped rebalance supply and demand in the market, leading Brent crude, the benchmark for more than half the worlds oil, to jump almost 90 percent from mid-January to June. Bloomberg
Sin City and Asian investors are going all in on Chinese tourism, as some of Las Vegas latest developments on and off the Strip target Chinese nationals and Chinese-Americans.

The Chinese have been regulars along the resort corridor for decades. Now officials and developers, intent on capitalizing on burgeoning Chinese wealth and Asian-American population growth, are courting them in a major way.

Nonstop flights from mainland China are planned for the first time, and two Asian-themed casinos will be among the first post-recession additions to Sin Citys glittering skyline.

The new hotel-casinos boast of plans to feature what some other resorts such as the MGM Grand, Wynn and Venetian have quietly offered for years. Guests will be treated to familiar foods, Chinese-speaking service employees and the table game of choice, baccarat.

The Chinese do quite enjoy a very Chinese experience. They do gravitate toward Asian amenities. At Wynn Macau, its mostly Chinese restaurants and menus in Chinese, said Alex Bumazhny, gambling analyst with Fitch Ratings.

The Lucky Dragon Hotel and Casino is expected to open this fall, and Resorts World Las Vegas is set to begin construction in earnest by the end of the year.

By Las Vegas standards, Lucky Dragon is a modestly sized property set on 3 acres just off the Strip. It will have 200 hotel rooms and a casino floor spanning 27,000 square feet.

Lucky Dragon executives said the new casino will focus on domestic Chinese gamblers, calling them an underserved niche market made up of Chinese-

Americans and Chinese people who live in Americas ethnic enclaves, including local Las Vegans, the reliable weekend hordes from California, and tourists from the Pacific Northwest and East Coast.

The mega resorts catering to Chinese gamblers target ultra-

high-end players, while the more casual Chinese bettors are left with more generic amenities designed for American white people, said Dave Jacoby, Lucky Dragons chief operating officer.

Were playing on the existing market that isnt served well, Jacoby said.

The developer is a privately held entity known as the Las Vegas Economic Impact Regional Center. The casino is financed with money from Chinese investors through the EB-5 visa program, which grants green cards to foreigners in return for investments of at least USD500,000 on job-creating projects. Jacoby said Lucky Dragon was an easy sell given Las Vegas appeal in China.

For the years-delayed Resorts World on the Strips northern end, the blossoming Chinese tourism business will be a bonus by the time it opens, now projected for March 2019.

The $4 billion casino resort property has been in the works since 2013, with an original opening date of 2016. It is planned to have 3,100 rooms and 100,000 square feet of gambling space, along with restaurants and shops spread across its 88-acre site. Plans for a convention center, panda habitat and 4,000-seat theater are on hold for the initial construction phase.

Resorts World marks the latest entry into the U.S. market for the Malaysia-based Genting Group, which owns resort and casino properties around the world.

Gerald Gardner, the casinos general counsel and senior vice president of government affairs, said Resorts World expects to build its Las Vegas business through its existing branding among Chinese already familiar with its Asian properties. In Sin City, the primary target will be domestic visitors because no other Asian-themed properties exist on the Strip. On the radar, though, is a plan to capture Chinese tourists as they begin to visit in greater numbers.

The real spikes in Las Vegas revenue occur when several things happen in a short period of time, Gardner said.

Chinas Hainan Airlines announced Aug. 4 that it was seeking final U.S. approval to start nonstop flights between Las Vegas and Beijing. The service is expected to begin in December with flights three days a week at McCarran International Airport. The only other direct flights to or from Asia are offered on a Korean Air route out of Seoul.

Just 16 percent of Las Vegas record 42 million tourists in 2015 came from other countries, according to the citys tourism board. The most recent figures from 2014 also show that while the Chinese account for a large share, travelers from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom make up the bulk of international visitors.

Officials said Chinese tourists largely have been undercounted because of the lack of nonstop flight service. Those travelers come to Las Vegas after entering the U.S. through other hubs, such as Los Angeles, Seattle or Chicago, according to Joel Chusid, Hainan Airlines executive director in the U.S.

The market is there, Chusid said. It just hasnt fully been touched.

Tourism officials and experts said that although Macaus casino empire remains a competitor for Las Vegas gambling revenue, the new nonstop flight will be a catalyst for the Chinese to see  and spend their money on  other parts of the state and region, such as the Grand Canyon, Lake Tahoe and Death Valley.

The growth opportunity is just so huge, said Bethany Drysdale, spokeswoman for the state tourism board, which has deployed marketing efforts in China for more than a decade. Its huge for Las Vegas, and since Las Vegas is a gateway to the rest of the state, its huge for Nevada. Sally Ho, Las Vegas, AP
Five representatives of the Power of the Macao Gaming Association delivered a letter to the government headquarters yesterday, calling for the government to continue the citys cash handout scheme in 2017.

The association praised the scheme, saying that the cash-sharing program has widespread grassroots support.

It is a small gesture that can relieve the discontent among the public, the association said, adding that it is a little encouragement given to the public under fair conditions.

In the words of a member of the association, the majority of the gaming industry  with the exception of one company  has not increased its employees salaries. Many SMEs are also maintaining the same wage levels, much like the bigger companies. The association added that this makes laborers lives more difficult, which could potentially lead to family problems and spread discontent throughout society.

Moreover, the association said families at the grassroots level needed the money most, as the cash handout scheme has been the only welfare program to benefit the public since the huge growth of the gaming industry.

The association also hopes that the government can build more affordable housing for young people. Staff reporter
Preparing for what could be the first hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii in years, residents on the Big Island are stocking up on food and water and seeking shelter for their animals.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning as the storm dubbed Madeline churned west a day ago toward the island, urging residents to rush through preparations to protect themselves and their property and expect hurricane conditions within the next 36 hours.

Peggy Beckett, a retiree and beekeeper, stopped at a Hilo supermarket to pick up some onions bagels, cheese, cold cuts and salad to add to her canned food at home. She has a cooler with ice in it plus a portable burner and batteries to get her through the storm.

Theres always a lot of disbelief on the island that the storms will really be as big and bad as forecast, Beckett said.

The Keaau resident and her partner made sure to put extra rocks on their beehives to protect them from the storm.

Noting the lines of people inside the supermarket, Beckett said she thought people were getting prepared but werent panicking.

Hurricane Madeline, which was downgraded from Category 3 to 2 yesterday [Macau time], was weakening as it approached the islands. But its expected to remain a hurricane as it passes the state, Chevalier said.

Forecasters are expecting Madeline to pass just south of the Big Island around 8 p.m. today [Macau time]. But if the storm track shifts slightly to the north, the eye of the storm could pass over land.

Hopefully our roofs stay on, and our houses dont float way or get blown away, said Big Island resident Mitzi Bettencourt, who boarded up walls of glass windows at her brothers oceanfront home. Its like, Oh my God, are we going to get flattened or what?

Bettencourt, who lives in a subdivision called Kapoho Vacationland, manages several vacation rental properties and has her own home to worry about, which sits a few blocks from the ocean. She and her neighbors were stocking their pantries, stowing away lawn furniture and preparing for power outages.

If theyre not prepared now, they should get prepared fast, said Chevy Chevalier, a meteorologist with the weather service.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which hit Kauai, Chevalier said.

A second Pacific hurricane, called Lester, is still far from Hawaii, and it is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it passes the state, Chevalier said.

Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation for both storms, which will allow the state to quickly spend money to alleviate disasters. I urge you to take immediate steps to protect your families, loved ones, employees and property, Ige said in a statement.

The state Department of Education announced public schools would be closed Wednesday and Thursday (Hawaii local time) in anticipation of severe weather, and about a dozen schools were turned into emergency shelters.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Oahu this week. The White House is tracking the weather developments closely, but it doesnt anticipate changing Obamas schedule.

The islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai were under a tropical storm watch, but there were no alerts for Oahu or Kauai.

On the Big Island, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was closing some areas, and park officials planned for the coastal lava viewing area to close by yesterday. Some camping areas were closing, but guests staying at Kilauea Military Camp and Volcano House were allowed to shelter in place.

The U.S. Coast Guard asked crews of barges and ships to prepare to leave Hilo Harbor and told ocean-going vessels to seek sheltered waters until storm conditions subside. Captain Mike Long said he expected to close Hilo Harbor to all traffic by yesterday.

Hawaii County, which covers the Big Island, urged residents to restock their emergency kits with a flashlight, fresh batteries, cash and first-aid supplies. It recommended that residents create evacuation plans and secure outdoor furniture.

Hawaiian Airlines said customers holding tickets to or from Hawaiis Big Island from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 would be allowed a one-time reservation change without a fee. Cathy Bussewitz & Audrey Mcavoy, Hilo, AP
The Seventh InnoICT Business Plan Competition, organized by the Macau New Technologies Incubator Centre (Manetic) and the Tertiary Education Services Office (GAES), has recently awarded its winners, according to a report by Jornal Va Kio.

The champion, IMMO APP, alongside the teams who took the second and third places, will be provided a platform to pursue their ideas in addition to cash amounts of MOP30,000, MOP 18,000 and MOP12,000 respectively. A business start-up fund of MOP50,000 was also provided to the creators of IMMO APP. If the group decides that their first business step will be to implement their awarded program in Macau, they will also have access to Manetic business incubation facilities and support services.

This year, the competition was attended by 24 teams in total, 13 of which came from Macau higher education institutions. The remaining 11 teams were from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. A total of 67 people registered for the competition, of which 54 were Macau residents.

Launched in 2010, the InnoICT Business Plan Competition was expected to help Macau in establishing more local companies funded by local residents, as well as promoting the development of communication technologies in the city.
A student from Macau was expelled by the National Taiwan University (NTU) after killing a second cat in Taipei, according to a report by Jornal Va Kio.

The schools Student Disciplinary Committee made the decision on Monday and announced it the following day, suggesting that the student seek medical attention immediately.

The student, surnamed Chen, has killed two cats to date. In January, The Student Disciplinary Committee punished him with two demerits and two minor demerits after he was found to have tortured and killed a stray cat last year.

Chens first case generated anger from the public, with more than 14,000 netizens signing a petition to expel him from NTU.

The second cat belonged to a restaurant in Taipei, where CCTV footage proved that Chen had captured the cat at the beginning of August. He turned himself in to the police four days after the incident.

According to a BBC report, the Macau Tertiary Education Services Office said that the office respects NTUs decision, and hopes [for] Macau students who are studying outside the territory to cherish their opportunities of studying overseas, as well as to obey local laws.

NTU stated that it had already issued course credits to Chen, even though he is no longer a student at the institution. Chen can still complete his tertiary education by applying to other schools with these credits.

NTU added that they are willing to provide counseling services for Chen. Staff reporter
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday he was ready to defend his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs, which has sparked U.S. and international concerns, when he meets with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of an Asian summit next week.

Duterte said he would demand that he be allowed to first explain the context of his crackdown before engaging Obama in a discussion of the widespread deaths. The two will meet for the first time on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Western leaders in Laos.

Nearly 1,800 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed since July 1, and U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said in Washington this week that Obama plans to raise U.S. concerns over the killings with Duterte.

They must understand the problem first before we talk about human rights, Duterte told a news conference. I would insist, Listen to me. This is what the problem is. Then we can talk. No problem.

Speaking at Manilas international airport, Duterte warned more than 120 Filipino workers who returned after they were laid off in Saudi Arabia to stay away from illegal drugs.

Avoid drugs at all costs because it could cost your life too, Duterte said, adding that more than 3 million Filipinos are drug addicts.

Criticism by the U.S. government, U.N. rights experts and human rights groups over the drugs killings have provoked angry outbursts from Duterte, who, at one point, threatened to withdraw the Philippines from the U.N.

Duterte said that the world body and the U.S. have failed to prevent genocidal killings in Africa and the Middle East but criticize his crackdown, which targets hardcore criminals who destroy Philippine society.

The U.S. has expressed concern over the extrajudicial killings and urged Dutertes government to ensure law enforcement efforts comply with human rights obligations.

We are concerned by these detentions, as well as the extrajudicial killings of individuals suspected to be involved in drug activity in the Philippines, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said. We strongly urge the Philippines to ensure its law enforcement efforts comply with its human rights obligations.

She added: We believe in rule of law. We believe in due process. We believe in respect for universal human rights. We believe, fundamentally, that those aspects ensure and promote long-term security.

Duterte has had an uneasy relationship with America and has said he will chart a foreign policy that is not dependent on the U.S., his countrys longtime treaty ally. Duterte has also tried to repair relations with China that have been strained over escalating territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

When asked by reporters about the prospects of meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Laos, Duterte said he wanted that.

I like Putin better, Duterte said, adding were alike. Bullit Marquez, Manila, AP
A popular site for Pokemon Go characters in a conservation area on the north Chicago lakefront has attracted hundreds of players and inspired legislation to protect ecologically sensitive areas.

Volunteers have spent years trying to restore the Loyola Dunes area in the Rogers Park neighborhood. They say gamers in search of a rare Pokemon have been trampling on grassland that helps prevent erosion.

Nianca, the developer of Pokemon Go, removed the PokeStop after several complaints, but not before a Chicago lawmaker introduced a bill to fine developers USD100 a day for not complying with requests to remove a location.

The National Conference of State Legislatures says the proposal is among the first of its kind. New York lawmakers are considering legislation to restrict sex offenders use of augmented reality games. AP
North Korea has executed a vice premier and banished two other top officials to rural areas for re-education, South Korean officials said yesterday.

If confirmed, they would be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals carried out since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took power in late 2011.

North Korea is a closed, authoritarian country with a state-controlled press that often makes it difficult for outsiders, and even North Korean citizens, to know whats happening in the government.

Rival South Korea, which runs several intelligence organizations mainly tasked with spying on North Korea, has a mixed record on reporting developments across the border. In May, a former North Korean military chief, who Seoul said had been executed, was found to be alive and holding several new senior-level posts.

Jeong Joon Hee, a spokesman for Seouls Unification Ministry, told reporters that Kim Yong Jin, a vice premier on education affairs in North Koreas cabinet, had been executed. Jeong gave no further details, including why and when his ministry believes he was executed and how it obtained the information.

But a South Korean official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing office rules, said Kim was executed by firing squad in July for unspecified anti-revolutionary and factional acts. The official said Kim first faced an investigation because of the way he was seated during a June meeting attended by Kim Jong Un.

Little is known about Kim Yong Jin, who was last mentioned by North Koreas state news agency on June 15, when it reported he attended an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of North Koreas taekwondo federation.

Kim Jong Un, believed to be his early 30s, is revered at the center of an intense cult of personality, with state TV occasionally showing aging senior officials kowtowing and kneeling down before him. Last year, South Koreas spy agency said Kim had his defense chief executed with an anti-aircraft gun for complaining about him and sleeping during a meeting he had presided over.

Jeong said Kim Yong Chol, a top ruling Workers Party official in charge of anti-Seoul spy operations, had also been ordered to undertake revolutionary re-education, in a reference to the banishment at a rural collective farm or a coal mine. Jeong said another senior party official dealing with propaganda affairs, Choe Hwi, was still on a similar revolutionary re-education program.

Seoul officials believe Kim Yong Chol, director of the partys United Front Department, orchestrated two attacks that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010, when he headed the North Korean armys intelligence agency. Kim disappeared from the public eye for about 50 days before the Norths state media on Sunday mentioned his name in a list of officials who attended ceremonies marking the Youth Day.

Kim Yong Chol was banished at a rural farm for about one month between mid-July and mid-August because of alleged high-handed attitudes and attempts to expand his United Front Departments authority too much, according to the South Korean official who spoke about Kim Yong Jins execution. The official said Kim Yong Chol was recently reinstated.

The rival Koreas have shared the worlds most heavily fortified border since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, and they bar ordinary citizens from exchanging phone calls, letters and emails without special permission. Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, AP


Government employees have allegedly been instructed not to sign an online petition or join a demonstration next week that will urge local authorities to legalize and regulate ride-

hailing app Uber.

According to our sources, who asked not to be identified as they are not authorized to speak to the media, the directive (sent in some cases by email and in others by SMS) instructs the employees of at least three government departments to avoid publicly supporting the company.

One of the sources said that, regardless of the instruction, he intends to stand behind the ride-

hailing app. No matter what, I am going to support Uber, he told the Times.

However, another three public servants contacted by MDT said they havent received any such instruction and two of them admitted to having signed the petition.

The Times was able to review an alleged SMS message delivered from an unidentified broadcast service number, offering a warm reminder to government employees. If this did not originate from the government, due questions must be raised how the service was able to acquire the contact details of government employees.

The alleged SMS reads: warm reminder: Public servants should not take [app-based] taxi services, otherwise the Transport Bureau, once it has discovered such acts, will make an internal report to the [relevant] department [where the employee works]. There was one case involving a guard of the prison, so please do not attempt to do so.

Ride-hailing app Uber, which is set to withdraw from Macau on September 9 if its last-ditch efforts to negotiate legalization with the government fail, has appealed to its users to sign an online petition to back the services continued presence in the region.

The service is exiting the MSAR due to hefty fines that the company says has now exceeded MOP10 million, following what is suspected to have been a police crackdown in recent weeks.

In response, residents have taken to social media to rally each other in support of the company. Some are also noting what they claim is an immediate return of traditional taxi drivers to the poor behavior of the past.

One social media user on the popular Facebook group, Macau Taxi Driver Shame, questioned how the police are so [adept at] fining the Uber drivers and not the fishing taxis, while another simply observed, now that the police [have] won the fight against Uber, they are resting.

In a statement uploaded to the Uber Macau website (https://action.uber.org/ubermacau/), the company appealed to the community to sign an ePetition calling for the services legalization and regulation under Macau law.

This is a critical moment for Uber in Macau, the statement read. Without a clear path to regulatory progress and continued impact and heavy enforcement on riders and drivers, we face a difficult decision regarding our operations in Macau.

We need your help. If you want Uber to be able to keep serving Macau, please sign [the petition] to show your support today, the statement continued. Let the government know that you believe in choice and innovation in transportation.

The statement, which is available in Chinese and English, claims that outreach attempts to the government and the submission of over 3,000 letters from the public have not been successful in creating a meaningful dialogue with the government.

A similar email was sent to Uber customers, which thanked the community for the thousands of locals who have shown support in grassroots petition and polls organized by community groups.

Now, please join us in our final push, the companys message pleaded.

A demonstration organized by the Macao Community Development Initiative (MCDI) will be held in the afternoon of September 4 in Tap Seac Square in support of the ride-hailing app. It is being led by lawmaker and MCDI vice chairman Au Kam San, who insists that the government is able to draft policies to regulate such services if it wants to.

Last month, China gave the green light to online ride-hailing services, issuing guidelines for the industry and clearing a great deal of uncertainty for firms such as Uber and Didi Chuxing. A few days later it was announced that Uber would sell its China operations to Didi in exchange for a stake in the company.
Lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong said yesterday, at the sidelines of a press conference ahead of the pro-Uber demonstration planned for Sunday, that he hopes the gathering will produce a proposal for the regulation of app-hailing services in the city, as he has no proposals himself.

At the meeting yesterday, Macau Community Development Initiative leaders including lawmakers Ng Kuok Cheong and Au Kam San, outlined what they hope to achieve from Sundays demonstration.

Ng explained that one of the primary purposes behind the demonstration is to invite the public to submit their proposals on how to regulate services like Uber. He also admitted that, at present, legislators do not have their own proposal that would see an improvement to the citys public services while balancing the interests of disputing parties.

We must let people speak out about this and to encourage more [strategizing] to help Macau move ahead [with transportation improvements], Ng told reporters.

At this stage we [the legislators] have not proposed a suitable system for how to regulate this force in Macau, how to change the institutions, while at the same time balancing the interests of the [disputing parties], he explained.

When asked if he will consider submitting his own proposal, the lawmaker said: If I receive a proposal [that I think] is suitable for Macau then I will submit it. But at the moment, I do not have a concrete proposal, adding that he doesnt currently know how to expand the citys transport options.

I need to study [the issue] more, he justified.

Ng says that the purpose of the demonstration is to gather opinions so as to draft a proposal for the government and the legislature to discuss. He is therefore not hopeful that the government will change their response to the ride-hailing app or optimistic that Uber will rescind their intent to withdraw.

I dont think that the government will [backtrack on their decision], he admitted.

We know, of course, that Uber is only one company. We do not have to accept this one company, but [we need to consider] this new kind of transport. This is important because transport is Macau is really very difficult, added Ng.

Asked whether he has been in contact with Uber and whether they have expressed any indication that Sundays gathering could reverse their decision to withdraw from the territory, Ng said: They have not directly contacted me, no.

Demonstrators will meet on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Tap Seac Square, where they will march to the Government Headquarters. Ng says that their Facebook event page suggests an attendance of at least 600.

The lawmaker also said that Sundays demonstration will be peaceful, rational and non-violent, as in the case of normal demonstrations in Macau.

Asked if the lawmaker uses the ride-hailing app in the city, Ng replied: Never.

There are many things that I never buy, but of course [question] whether they are suitable for Macau, he added to explain why he is backing the protest.

On the allegations that the government is warning civil servants from participating in the demonstration or signing the petition, Ng said that he personally has received no complaints as of yesterday. However he also stated that it was not appropriate for the government to send these instructions, as this sort of public participation is a basic liberty for Macau people.

uber drivers take unofficial petition to the streets

As of last night, more than 16,600 people have signed the official Uber ePetition to support the services continued operation in the city.

It is not only the app-based company that is gathering support from the local community, however.

Last night and over the next few days, Uber drivers are independently taking to the streets to conduct their own petitions.

One such driver on Rua do Campo told the Times last night that they already have around 2,000 signatures between them. He added that they intend to present another front in the pro-Uber movement that is gathering momentum this week.


Wynn Resorts Ltd.s USD4.2 billion Cotai resort is drawing lackluster numbers of new tourists and may be taking business from local rivals, said analysts who are tracking activity in the casinos first few days.

The part of the casino floor catering to mass market customers at the Wynn Palace felt slow relative to other recent openings, Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen said in a research note this week. The new casino has led to a marginal increase in mass-

market customers in Macau, while the VIP business in the Chinese enclave remained flat, according to Kenneth Fong of Credit Suisse.

Premium customers at the new resort could mainly be coming from Wynns older casino on the Macau peninsula, analyst Praveen Choudhary of Morgan Stanley said in a note dated Sunday.

The Wynn Palace, the most expensive property yet from billionaire Steve Wynn, opened on Aug. 22 amid a slump in gambling in Macau. Betting in the former Portuguese colony has fallen by 36 percent over the past two years after a government crackdown on corruption on mainland China prompted a sharp drop in business. Wynn and other casino operators have said they believe new casinos will attract more tourists to the region.

A spokesman for Wynn Resorts didnt return a call seeking comment, while Wynn Macau Ltd.s spokesman didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wynn Macau shares rose 1.8 percent to HKD11.28 in Hong Kong trading, while the citys benchmark Hang Seng Index gained 0.9 percent.

The 1,700-room resort features floral sculptures that move and a $100 million fountain show. A spa offers a $450 facial using gold leaf and crushed diamonds. Walk-in traffic may be impaired by light rail construction in front of the resort, Govertsen said in his note. Visitors are balking at the cost of a gondola ride to the resort and the long walk around the lake to get to the entrance, he said.

Unlike competitors such as Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson and MGM Resorts International Chairman Jim Murren, who have said they believe a turnaround is under way in Macau, Wynn was more cautious in an interview before the new casinos opening.

The last two places that opened did not cause the market to grow, did they? No. Will this one? Good question, Wynn said. Well get an answer to that in September or October. Im anxious to see it myself. Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg
TWIN FALLS  Clif Bar planned to construct two production lines in its Twin Falls bakery, with room for a third. But it didnt long to see the demand and need for a third line  and soon.

CEO Kevin Cleary said the bakery is already hiring for 67 more employees to work a third line next spring.

Clif Bars 275,000 square-foot bakery began production in May, just 13 months after breaking ground. The facility has 202 employees and produces Clif Bars and Clif Kids ZBars.

At its ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, the company and Twin Falls city officials celebrated an opportunity to learn and grow together.

This is the first time weve built a bakery, Cleary said. You helped us understand what we didnt know.

Several attendees at the ceremony were pleased with how Clif Bar fit in with Twin Falls.

The growth alone helps everybody, said Jamie Wight, whose husband works at Clif Bar. We really do enjoy it. Its a great team thats working here.

Human Resources Manager Susan Potucek said she thinks Clif Bars culture is unique, and its core beliefs about sustainability aligned with her own.

Marge Nessa attended Tuesdays celebration because it was an important event for Twin Falls, she said. Although shes worried about city growth causing traffic problems, and had never had a Clif Bar before finding out the company planned to build in Twin Falls, shes willing to give it a chance.

I went out and bought one to see what its about, she said.

Economic Development Director Travis Rothweiler told the Times-News that Clif Bar has exceeded the citys expectations as a quality corporate partner, recalling that the city asked the company to grow with us.

The city also saw Clif Bars five aspirations  sustaining business, brands, people, communities and the planet  fit in with its own strategic initiatives, said Shawn Barigar, the citys mayor and Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce president.

Normally when youre working with a company, it tends to be focused on the bottom line, Barigar said. They walk the walk and talk the talk.

Clif Bar demonstrates its values through sustainable building, employee incentives for fuel efficiency and its support of community events, he said.

Cleary said employees have already spent almost 2,500 hours volunteering in the community.

The bakery also purchases renewable energy credits through an Idaho wind farm that are equivalent to its energy usage.

The city has been helpful in accommodating Clif Bar and answering questions, General Manager Dale Ducommun said.

This has been the best experience for me as far as working with a municipality, he said.

Gov. C.L. Butch Otter said Idaho is a great place to do businesses because capital seeks security and it seeks predictability. Idaho wont change the rules, he said.

You couldnt find a better place to cook your biscuits, the governor said.

The company began hiring early and trained much of its work force at the College of Southern Idaho, Cleary said. With a local food manufacturing industry already in place, Clif Bar found talented workers locally, as well as through recruitment, Ducommun said.

While Clif Bar does not use local ingredients, that could change. Instead of bringing in organically farmed oats from the Midwest and Scandinavia, Cleary saw an opportunity in Idaho. The company hosted a summit with Idaho organic farmers, connecting them with Clif Bar suppliers.

Cleary recalled the first day he was in Twin Falls, when he insisted on going to see Shoshone Falls once hed heard about it.

We just fell in love with this community, Cleary said.

The falls were low at the time, noted Lt. Gov. Brad Little, who said I think Twin Falls and the economic development people have Moses-like powers to be able to make that impression.

Having invested more than $90 million into the Twin Falls bakery, Cleary said, he couldnt feel better about his decision.

For Clif Bar as a company, Twin Falls has really exceeded our expectations, Ducommun said.
JEROME  A Jerome man has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after he admitted to visiting a Russian website and offering to trade images of children.

Casey Gibson, 23, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

Homeland Security agents working with the Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office searched Gibson phone and email accounts in July 2015 and learned Gibson had used his email to receive and distribute child pornography. Agents found 11 images and one video. Gibson admitted to possessing the pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson.

The investigation was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative that partners federal and local officials to combat child pornography and rescue victims.

Gibson is slated to be sentenced Nov. 14. If found guilty, he could face 20 years in prison.
HAILEY  The Blaine County School District has hired a new finance manager, the district announced Tuesday.

Bryan Fletcher will begin in his new position Sept. 13.

He has a bachelors degree in business administration and masters of business administration with an emphasis in finance. He most recently worked as a controller in the private sector.

Fletcher has nine years of management experience working for General Electric Co., taught university classes in accounting and finance, and worked as the Kuna School Districts chief financial and accounting officer for six years.

Val Seamons was interim finance manager after Mike Chatterton retired June 30. She will return to her position of accounting manager after Fletcher assumes his duties.

The school district worked to fill the job since Chatterton announced his retirement in February. The vacancy was posted both locally and nationally.

After the position remained unfilled for several months, the national search firm Ray and Associates assisted in the search.

The yearly salary for the finance manager is $95,000, plus benefits. The annual budget for the Blaine County School District is about $53.6 million.
BOISE  The Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children will begin a three-year project to engage communities about the importance of early learning programs.

Its Building Idahos Early Learning Foundation project is funded by a $450,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Mich.

Access to affordable, high-quality early learning programs is a challenge for many families across Idaho, Idaho AEYC executive director Beth Oppenheimer said in a statement Monday.

The project begins by listening to parents to understand their current perception, wants, desires and knowledge around the importance of early learning. Once we know that, we can then strengthen community awareness around the importance of building foundational skills for school and increase local demand for access to high-quality programs for all children.

The project will focus on a three-year, statewide community outreach plan to research perceptions about high-quality early learning.

It also aims to educate parents, families and community leaders, and build support for investing in early learning programs.

Research will begin this year in both small and large communities across Idaho.
TWIN FALLS  The family of a baby who died last year of a medication overdose at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center has filed a wrongful death suit against the nurse who administered the drug.

Seven-month-old August Dean Elliott died Sept. 23 after a nurse gave the baby an adult dose of a saline solution infused with potassium phosphate, a drug used to treat heart conditions, the hospital said.

The drug was administered by Jeffrey Smith, a registered traveling nurse, according to the suit.

(Smith) chose not to check the label on the bag of saline before administering the drug to August, the suit said. Had he checked the label as required, he would have discovered that the saline contained potassium  which is lethal to infants such as August.

The death triggered multiple investigations and raised questions about St. Lukes training practices and medication protocols. A federal oversight board ordered the hospital to shore up its safety mechanisms and improve training for workers who arent full-time employees. That led to procedural reforms at St. Lukes, including more robust training programs and more thorough steps for checking medication.

St. Lukes was not named in the civil suit.

Smith was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in January, when the Twin Falls County Prosecutors office announced it would not file charges against Smith. Prosecutors said that while the nurses actions caused the infants death  a death that would have been avoided had Smith checked the medication  his actions did not rise to the level of criminal negligence.

We dont disagree with the prosecutors decision not to prosecute, Jarom Whitehead, an attorney representing the family, said at the time. Whitehead did not respond to calls seeking comment on the civil suit. Neither did attorneys for Smith or AYA Healthcare, the company that supplies traveling nurses to St. Lukes and was also named in the suit.

The case was moved to federal court this week. It seeks damages and attorney fees to be determined at a trial. The family initially filed the suit Aug. 8 in Twin Falls County District Court.

Traveling nurses are common at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center. About 40 were employed last fall around the time of the babys death. Theyre used primarily to fill open positions in the short-term and to keep staff nurses from burning out, the hospital said.

Travel nurses come to us properly certified, licensed and screened before starting work, hospital spokeswoman Michelle Bartlome said shortly after the babys death. They have to complete a facility and organizational orientation and are trained by another registered nurse before we consider travel nurses ready to treat patients.

At St. Lukes, travel nurses typically work 40 to 48 hours in 12-hour shifts.

The Elliotts no longer live in the Magic Valley.

This familys been devastated by this, Whitehead said in his first public statements after the incident. August was a beautiful, happy, engaging child, and its a tremendous loss as you can understand. We will do everything we can do to understand how this happened and ensure it doesnt happen again.

The baby had been suffering from heart problems before the night he died. Chance and Tiffany Elliott brought August to the emergency room about 11 p.m. Sept. 22 to treat recurring cardiac arrhythmia. A doctor ordered saline solution and heart medication for the baby.

A short time later, while in his fathers arms, the baby began arching his back and his eyes rolled back in his head, lawyers for the Elliott family wrote in the suit. He was struggling and his muscles became rigid.

At 12:25 a.m. another emergency room nurse realized the saline solution contained an adult dose of potassium. Doctors tried for hours to save the baby. He was pronounced dead just after 4 a.m.

Check Magicvalley.com for more on this developing story.
SHOSHONE  A fire ignited Wednesday near the Lincoln County Transfer Station a mile north of Shoshone.

The Transfer Fire was reported about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Kelsey Brizendine. Firefighters from the BLM, U.S. Forest Service and the Shoshone City Rural Fire District responded.

Crews responded quickly because the fire is so close to the BLMs Shoshone Fire Yard, the agency said in a statement.

The fire spread to about 10 acres, the BLM said. The fire was contained but not controlled at about 8:30 p.m. The BLM initially said the fire would be controlled by 8 p.m. but did not have an update Wednesday night.

The agencies responded with six engines, a water tender, a dozer, and several aircraft.

The fires cause is under investigation. Brizendine said it was probably human-caused because there hasnt been any lightning in the area recently.
JEROME  The city of Jerome is looking to fill a vacancy on the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Commissioner Scott Lebsack is moving soon to Jerome County, hence the vacancy, said City Planner Esmerelda Chavez  commissioners are required to live within city limits.

The commission meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. and makes land use decisions and recommendations to the City Council. People interested in serving must have lived within city limits for the past two years.

People who are interested can contact Chavez at 208-324-8189 ext. 152, or via email at echavez@ci.jerome.id.us. The deadline for the first review of applications is Sept. 16.
BURLEY  Voters approved a two-year supplemental levy for the Cassia County Joint School District on Tuesday that will be used for basic operating expenses like utilities and student programs.

The levy is for $744,244 for each year and was the same amount passed in March 2014.

The levy passed with 947 votes in favor and 475 against.

I am relieved and pleased that it passed, said Gaylen Smyer, the school district superintendent.

The measure required a simple majority to pass.

Cassia County Clerk Joe Larsen said there was a one-vote discrepancy in the count that will be corrected during an audit on Wednesday.

He said it will not affect the outcome of the election.

This levy has such a day-to-day impact on student achievement, school district spokeswoman Debbie Critchfield said.

It pays for technology and the buses running to and from school, she said.

It keeps the lights on and the doors open, Smyer said.

Smyer said the money is not used for salaries as it is in some other districts in the state.

This truly goes to the students, he said.

School district voters rejected a $14.9 million construction bond during the March election. School officials were seeking to make up for a shortfall in funds needed to complete projects under a $37 million construction bond passed in 2015.

The shortfall was discovered before construction began on many of the projects. The districts architect, Hal Jensen  who hadnt held a valid license in several years  was fired for underestimating projects, most in Declo and Burley.

Despite the setbacks weve had, this shows the community is supportive of its schools, Smyer said.

Susan Keck, Cassia County elections clerk, said register voter turnout was at 15.82 percent.

Thats probably the worst voter turnout weve had in recent knowledge, she said.

Critchfield said the district took many measures including paid advertisements to encourage patrons to vote in the levy election.

The district has had a supplemental levy in place for the past 37 years.

The district also passed a policy this year to eliminate registration fees for elementary school children and for certain core classes in high school, which reduced the district revenues by $140,000, Critchfield said.
Two months before Twin Falls voters decide wholl represent them in Legislative District 24-B, residents at the 4,000-plus doors Ive visited have repeated deep-set, apparently contradictory opinions. In a presidential election year, residents not surprisingly support changes in both representation and how to spend tax dollars. But they continue to prioritize education and public lands access in Idaho.

Rather than contradictory, I think voter opinions reflect disgust with some incumbents records. Who can defend our states education commitment as the lowest in the nation (50 out of 50!), still stuck at 2009 funding levels? That, as 16,000 more students are in Idahos classrooms. We spend 3.5 times as much per state prisoner than for each student.

Locally, our school district had 14 unfilled teaching positions two weeks before opening, as highly qualified teachers move to Wyoming and other states offering better compensation. And teachers committed to Twin Falls still pay for ordinary student supplies out of their pockets, because of misplaced priorities.

Pre-school investment can return $7 to our economy for each $1 invested, due to lower dropout rates, increased academic performance and less juvenile delinquency. Todays graduating seniors currently have significant job potential, but Magic Valley business owners tell me they need 60 percent with degrees or technical or apprenticeship certification, rather than the current 33 percent rate. Ask Clif-Bar and other new businesses about unfilled job slots.

Then theres public land access. Opponent Steve Hartgen continues to stuff money into lawyer pockets who argue about turning public lands into state grab-bags. Despite warnings by Attorney General Lswrence Wasden that they never were and never can be Idaho lands, the phony Constitutional Defense Fund spent $275,000 over three years for lawyers happy to charge by the word for a hopeless cause. Over $2 million has been squirreled away so far, without a single success reported by politicians or lawyers.

When Idaho became a state in 1890, 4.2 million public land acres were included in the statehood act. One-third of those have been sold off to private interests, resulting in permanent loss of access by the public. Today, 33 million annual visitors flock to Idaho for our legendary fishing, hunting, camping, boating and hiking access, pumping $1.7 billion annually into the states economy.

Twin Falls County alone generated $20 million in motel lodging sales in 2015, but thats endangered by Hartgen and other politicos who would ultimately sell valuable tourism attractions. Even if legal, land would likely be sold to out-of-state gas, mining and forestry corporate raiders. Then No Trespassing signs would blossom. Idaho counties, like Twin Falls, dependent on payment in lieu of taxes annual funding would suffer, cattle and sheep grazing would be forced out by high bidders, and tourism would plummet.

Idaho wildfires have cost almost $50 million this year, approaching last years $60 million record expense, and far beyond Idahos ability to protect the lands. The result, not surprisingly, would be an impetus to unload troublesome public lands to private interests.

The circle is closed among voters Ive contacted, when they learn of the fiscal and leadership failings of incumbent politicians defending the status quo. I will not defend the $32 million fees the attorney general says is owed private companies over the illegal educational broadband contract, supported by local incumbents. What about $12 million in taxpayer losses the state treasurer cost the state, due to fudging public investment data? How about defending the infamous Corrections Corporation of America that ran our prisons? The feds have revoked CCAs gladiator school prison contract because of unsafe and substandard practices.

Yes, change is in the air. After nine years, its time for holdover politicians Hartgen to be turned out to pasture, along with defenders of policies that dont improve Idahos quality of life. Why re-elect those who thrive on caucus meetings kept secret from the public, like Hartgen, who brags what goes on in private stays behind closed doors.

Its time for focused change, including: energizing Idahos educational system to improve our childrens competency in a competitive job environment, protecting public lands access for everyone, discarding indefensible policies that waste tax dollars, and not valuing transparency in state government. Id appreciate your vote Nov. 8, and have a proposal: With your support, if I cant help prioritize need changes in a couple of terms, throw me out and elect new blood to the legislative process. Because it certainly is needed this November.
Japans Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Moroccos leading Attijariwafa Bank to strengthen its presence in Africa and help develop trade and investment between Japanese and African companies.

The two banks have long cooperation ties and have both contributed to various projects in Morocco, including Jorf Lasfar 5 & 6 and Safi Energy Company (SAFIEC.)

The MoU, signed on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) which was held in Nairobi August 27-28, will enable the JBIC to expand its presence in Africa through Attijariwafa Banks networks on the black continent.

The JBIC is the international wing of the Japan Finance Corporation (JFC,) a state-owned financial institution promoting economic cooperation between Japan and overseas countries.

Headquartered in Tokyo, JBIC is present in 21 countries.

During the Nairobi gathering, Japan pledged $30 billion in support of Africas economic growth and infrastructure over the next three years.
Saudi authorities have banned 39 Ghanaian women from performing Hajj because of their young age and because they are not accompanied by a guardian, reports say.

Ghanaian hajj authorities are in talks with the Saudi embassy in Accra, Ghana to allow these women perform the ritual.

The 39 women, including nine minors, have been deported by Saudi authorities who deemed they are too young to take part in the religious pilgrimage.

Saudi authorities require that an adult male relative accompany women aged less than 40 attending the biggest annual Islamic pilgrimage.

The deportees were among the first batch of Ghanaian pilgrims who left for Mecca, reports say.

A total number of 1,500 Ghanaians are to travel to the holy shrines for the spiritual ritual.
The European Union Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) in Gabon, on Monday said the electoral process in the countrys August 27 presidential polls lacked transparency.

According to the mission headed by Bulgarian Euro-MP Mariya Gabriel, Saturdays vote in the oil-rich Central African country was managed in a way that lacked transparency.

The mission chief enumerated reasons for the EU EOMs verdict as follows: The most significant shortcomings observed are: the absence of voter lists posted outside the polling stations, failures in control of indelible ink, authentication of ballots and the use of sealed ballot boxes that lacked identification numbers.

The mission condemns the lack of transparency in the electoral bodies which failed to make essential information available to the campaigns, Mariya Gabriel told reporters in the capital Libreville.

The mission however congratulated the people for exercising their democratic right in casting their votes.

The EU EOM comprised 73 observers from the European Union.

While Gabonese await the official announcement of results by the electoral body (CENAP), main candidates in the race are claiming victory.

Opposition leading candidate, Jean Ping said Sunday that early results show he will win this central African countrys presidential election.

Earlier Sunday, the countrys interior ministry said in a statement that it was illegal to proclaim results before the electoral commissions official results are made public.
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) on Monday said it needs more aid for South Sudan refugees.

Uganda is in the middle of an unstable region and being a stable and peaceful country they are somehow compelled to receive thousands of refugees every day. In Europe the same number of new arrivals per day could bring governments down, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.

The UN official made the statement while visiting South Sudanese asylum seekers living under harsh conditions in Ugandas West Nile districts.

He called on the international community to do more to ease the refugees plight.

I want to make an appeal to your leaders [South Sudan] to behave responsibly and stop punishing innocent civilians. I hope you can go back when peace returns, he said.

UNHCR data shows that 88,533 people have fled South Sudan for Uganda since July when fighting broke out between rival factions in the capital Juba.

Uganda has been praised for hosting nearly 320,000 South Sudanese refugees as well as others fleeing political unrest and violence in Burundi and the DRC.

Uganda is the third largest refugee-hosting country in Africa after Ethiopia and Kenya. It is also the eighth largest refugee-hosting country in the world.
Washington State University researchers have found that treatments of pure oxygen in a high-pressure chamber can relieve the symptoms of opiate withdrawal.

Ray Quocka pharmacologist and Washington State University psychology professorgave morphine-addicted mice pure pressurized oxygen before they began withdrawal from the drug. The mice had far less severe withdrawal symptoms than addicted mice that did not receive the treatment.

Outwardly, said Quock, the treated mice appeared "much calmer. You can tell the difference."

Writing this month in the journal Brain Research, Quock and his colleagues say implications of the discovery are of "profound importance." While current therapies for treating heroin addiction can provide relief from withdrawal, they themselves can be addictive. Moreover, the finding comes amid a national heroin epidemic in which use of the drug has doubled among young adults over the past decade, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Meanwhile, withdrawal symptoms can be so severe that some addicts will continue taking the drug to avoid the process, said Quock.

But while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved using hyperbaric oxygen therapy for 14 specific indicationsincluding carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness and wound healingit is not approved for drug withdrawal. A physician could administer the therapy for such an off-label use, said Quock, but it would not be covered by medical insurance.

"Our research and work that we hope to do in the future should stimulate some clinical researchers to come up with clinical evidence to convince the FDA that this should be an approved indication," he said.

Quock first saw patients in withdrawal four decades ago as a volunteer at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. More recently, he has been studying the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on a range of conditions, including how it can bring relief from chronic pain for three to four weeks, "which is longer than any drug would work," he said.

Part of the therapy's pain-relief mechanism appears to involve the brain's opioid system. This got Quock to thinking, "If hyperbaric oxygen can activate the body's internal opioid systems, it should be able to alleviate opioid withdrawal."

He had also come across a paper, published in 1995 and translated from Russian for him by WSU math professor Sergey Lapin, reporting that the therapy alleviated opiate withdrawal in what the paper called "opium narcomaniacs."

The WSU researchers gave mice morphine sulfate, a drug similar to heroin, twice a day for four days. On the fifth day, the scientists induced withdrawal with an injection of naloxone, which quickly blocks the effects of opioids. They then monitored the mice for the withdrawal signs of jumping, shaking forepaws, shaking like a wet dog, rising up on their hind legs and increased defecation.

Before the naloxone, some groups of mice were given 30- or 60-minute treatments in a hyperbaric chamber with pure oxygen at 3.5 times atmospheric pressure.

Treated mice demonstrated the withdrawal symptoms far less than the untreated mice. Jumps and tremors dropped by half and wet-dog shakes even more. The numbers of fecal pelletsyes, the researchers counted themalso dropped in half for mice that had been in the chamber.

Quock and his colleagues write that their study is "the first to demonstrate this phenomenon in an animal model of opiate dependence."

The lead author of the paper is Daniel Nicoara, a recent WSU graduate in biochemistry. Other authors are Yangmiao Zhang, a WSU Ph.D. graduate at Oregon Health and Science University; Jordan Nelson, an undergraduate studying pharmacy at WSU Spokane; Abigail Brewer, WSU psychology lab manager and Ph.D. student; Prianka Maharaj, a WSU undergraduate studying neuroscience; Shea DeWald, a WSU undergraduate in engineering; and Donald Shirachi, professor emeritus at the University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy and director of research at the Chico Hyperbaric Center in California.

Funding for the study came from the National Institutes of Health, WSU Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program, Honors College Distinguished Professorship at WSU and Chico Hyperbaric Center.

The research is in keeping with WSU's Grand Challenges, a suite of research initiatives aimed at large societal issues. It is particularly relevant to the challenge of sustaining health and its themes of changing the course of disease and interventions to sustain public health.

Explore further Advocates fear more heroin withdrawal deaths in jails

More information: Brain Research, DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.08.017
The IQs of a large enough population are calculated so that they conform to a normal distribution with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Image: Wikipedia.

Two newer epilepsy drugs may not harm the thinking skills or IQs of school-aged children whose mothers took them while pregnant - but an older drug is linked to cognitive problems in children, especially if their mothers took high doses - according to new research from The University of Manchester.

Valproate, one of the most commonly prescribed antiepileptic medications, has been associated in the past with birth defects and developmental problems. However, two newer drugs - levetiracetam and topirimate - have had little or no investigations into their developmental impact until this latest research, published published in the August 31, 2016, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Lead researcher and author of the paper Dr Rebecca Bromley, of The University of Manchester's School of Biological Sciences, said expectant mothers had to know the possible impacts their drug regimes may have on unborn children.

"Over the past few years, doctors have been moving away from prescribing valproate to pregnant women, shifting them to the two newer antiepileptic drugs. But, until now, there hasn't been any definitive research to understand what implications for IQ and development these two drugs may have.

"Working with funding from Epilepsy Research UK, our team was able to undertake a rigorous set of tests on the children of 171 women who had taken one of the three drugs while pregnant. From the results, we have concluded that - at the moment - levetiracetam and topiramate have no discernable impact on childhood intellectual development.

"However promising a start our findings are, we do acknowledge larger studies need to be carried out regularly to ensure these drugs do not change the thinking abilities of children in the future."

The 171 mothers were identified using the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register; each had a child between five and nine years old. Of these 171 women, 42 had taken levetiracetam, 27 had taken topirimate and 47 had taken valproate while pregnant - an additional control group of women with similarly-aged children who had not taken any antiepileptic drug while pregnant was also included in the study.

Dr Bromley and her team performed tests on their children to measure IQ, verbal and non-verbal comprehension, and the speed at which they could process visual information.

Regardless of the level of dose of medication, the topirimate and levetiracetam-prescribed group showed no discernible difference in IQ or thinking skills compared to the control group.

However, the valproate group had an average IQ 11 points lower than the control, levetiracetam and topirimate cohort.

"Expectant mothers with epilepsy may need to continue their drug regime during pregnancy; this research may give them some reassurance that - provided they are prescribed topirimate and levetiracetam - they will a statistically good chance of normal, healthy development in their children," concluded Dr Bromley.

Explore further Epilepsy drug taken in pregnancy found safe in preschool child development
Demyelination by MS. The CD68 colored tissue shows several macrophages in the area of the lesion. Original scale 1:100. Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Marvin 101/Wikipedia

A number of common conditions are mistaken for multiple sclerosis (MS), a disabling central nervous system disease, say researchers at four academic medical centers across the U.S in a study published online August 31, 2016 in the journal Neurology.

While it has been known for decades that MS misdiagnosis is a problem, this study defines the current problems that lead patients to be misdiagnosed with MS and the possible reasons why they are misdiagnosed. The research involved 24 MS specialist neurologists at the University of Vermont, Mayo Clinic, Washington University, and Oregon Health & Science University, who identified an incorrect diagnosis of MS in 110 patients.

An abnormal response of the immune system, MS causes repeated attacks on the covering around nerve fibers and disrupts communication between the brain and the body, ultimately causing deterioration or permanent nerve damage to areas of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

But diagnosing MS can be a challenge. Unlike some other illnesses, there is no specific biomarker or blood test for the disease, which is caused by a combination of genes and environmental triggers that predispose to MS. In addition, the related nerve damage can cause a wide range of symptoms, many of which are often also associated with different ailments.

"Although many rare disorders are known to mimic MS, it appears that presently, a number of common disorders are most frequently mistaken for MS and not rare conditions," says Andrew Solomon, M.D., the study's lead author and an assistant professor of neurological sciences and division chief of multiple sclerosis at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. In the study, five primary diagnoses or syndromes were identified in two thirds of participants as the actual causes of symptoms misidentified as MS: migraine, either alone or in combination with other problems; fibromyalgia; an abnormal MRI with unexplained symptoms; a psychological condition; and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) - a disease similar to MS that affects the optic nerves and spinal cord.

According to the study findings, 72 percent of the misdiagnosed patients took medication to treat a disease they didn't have, some took these medications for many years, and 33 percent had remained misdiagnosed for a decade or longer before being evaluated by the physicians participating in the study who had informed them of an incorrect misdiagnosis. Four of the patients misdiagnosed with MS had participated in clinical trials for experimental MS therapies.

"This study suggests significant and long-term unnecessary risk for these patients," Solomon says.

Some of the treatments for MS carry serious side effects. One drug, taken by 13 percent of the misdiagnosed patients, can cause a potentially fatal brain infection, Solomon says. Other patients suffered from the discomfort and inconvenience of daily injections, others experienced side effects from medications, and finally, they lacked treatment for their actual correct diagnoses.

"Strict adherence to our diagnostic criteria for MS can help physicians make the correct diagnosis in many patients," says Solomon.

However, these criteria rely on the accurate interpretation of symptoms, physical exam findings, and testing results, such as MRI, to make the diagnosis. The study examined the possible causes for misdiagnosis in the 110 patients in the study and found that the initial clinicians may not have used MS diagnostic criteria appropriately.

"MS can be challenging to diagnose correctly" says Solomon. "Our study suggests that the misinterpretation and misapplication of MS diagnostic criteria are important contemporary contributors to misdiagnosis."

A proper clinical diagnosis relies on a rigorous evaluation that includes careful interpretation of radiological data from an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). However, MRI misinterpretation can complicate misdiagnosis. Abnormalities that resemble those of MS show up on a scan for reasons other than MS, and nonspecific abnormalities may lead to a faulty diagnosis. An overreliance on MRI abnormalities "without thoughtful consideration of history, symptoms, and neurological exam" may contribute to misdiagnosis, explains Solomon.

In patients diagnosed with MS, prompt initiation of treatment with immune modulating therapies is often appropriate, so, notes Solomon, "There is pressure to make the diagnosis of MS early, and to start patients on MS therapies quickly. But in some patients who do not meet rigorous standards for diagnosis, waiting longer and close follow-up may determine the correct diagnosis."

The study identified patients misdiagnosed by both MS specialist neurologists, as well as non-specialists.

"While there may be different reasons for misdiagnoses by subspecialists and non-specialists, this study suggests that we all make mistakes, and I think we can all do better," says Solomon, who hopes the study will encourage better education of clinicians on the proper use of MS diagnostic criteria and on the problem of MS misdiagnosis, and further study of how to recognize patients incorrectly diagnosed with MS.

Explore further Misdiagnosis of MS is costing health system millions per year
A Pakistani entrepreneur has developed a mobile game app intended to break taboos surrounding menstruation in the developing world, including beliefs that periods are "evil" or make women impure.

"MoHim", an acronym for Menstrual Health Management which also means "effort" in Urdu, arms players with a pair of panties which they use to catch sanitary pads while avoiding items unsuited to absorbing period flow such as leaves and newspapers.

As players complete levels they are awarded keys which unlock "myth-buster" doors that dispel deep-seated prejudices against menstruation in much of the developing worldsuch as the idea that women should not cook or bathe while having their periods.

The app is the brainchild of Mariam Adil, a World Bank analyst in Washington, DC. She also heads a small Pakistan-based startup called GRID that aims to use games to promote social change.

Adil told AFP Wednesday of the stigma she encountered around menstruation in Pakistan, such as "when girls skip school for a week every month out of 'shame' till they drop out from secondary school, and when women suffer from serious infections because they were told they can't bathe during their period".

"Video games can target these social constructs and prompt individuals to challenge them in a fun way," she added.

Menstruation remains a taboo subject in Pakistan, with studies showing a widespread lack of education for women on menstrual hygiene.

Marginalised girls in Pakistan also end up missing roughly two to four school days a month due to menstruation, according to UN-Habitat.

A prototype version of Mohim was launched for iOS earlier this month, and GRID will be partnering with NGO Femme International to implement use of the app in slum communities in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

If successful, the team hopes to release it on the Android store, including in Pakistanthough Adil conceded they have faced resistance from policymakers.

Explore further Menstruation the forgotten development issue, UN body says

 2016 AFP
Credit: Sasha Wolff/Wikipedia

New UBC research has found that amplified electroencephalograms (EEGs) can produce diagnostic results of a brainwave associated with migraines and epilepsy that are comparable to the current, more invasive, standarda discovery that could lead to better treatment and diagnosis of these conditions.

The low-frequency brainwave linked to migraines and epilepsy is known as cortical spreading depression (CSD) and is currently best studied by placing electrodes directly on the surface of the brain. But researchers from UBC, Germany and Iran have found that EEGsproduced by placing electrodes only on the scalpcan produce equally reliable data if a specially designed amplifier is used in tandem.

"Using this method, we found that the electrical signals acquired from the skin of the scalp were very similar to those acquired from the surface of the brain," said lead researcher Zoya Bastany, a master's student in the faculty of applied science at UBC.

Bastany designed an AC/DC amplifier to acquire electrical signals from scalp electrodes used on anesthetized rats. The amplifier detects signals in a much broader frequency range than the standard clinical EEG system. CSD was then induced in the rats, and the recordings from scalp electrodes were compared with recordings from electrodes placed on the rats' brains.

Cortical spreading depression has never before been accurately measured using EEGs, according to UBC electrical and computer engineering professor Guy Dumont, Bastany's supervisor and study co-author.

"The new method opens up uses for EEGs in studying cortical spreading depression in a non-invasive manner and without a significant increase in diagnostic costs compared to standard EEG," said Dumont.

Ali Gorji, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Munster in Germany and a study co-author, said the new analysis technique could contribute to the development of migraine drugs that target CSD, and to better understanding of other neurological disorders.

"Research is still continuing to fully understand the clinical relevance of CSD. But ultimately, having this noninvasive way of studying this brainwave could lead to better understanding, diagnosis and treatment of migraine, epilepsy and other neurological conditions such as stroke and traumatic brain injury," said Gorji.

The study is a joint research program between UBC, University of Munster, and Shefa Neuroscience Research Center and Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran.

A paper describing the results was published July 2016 in the journal Neuroscience.

Explore further Researchers show EEG's potential to reveal depolarizations following TBI
Transmission electron microscope image of negative-stained, Fortaleza-strain Zika virus (red), isolated from a microcephaly case in Brazil. The virus is associated with cellular membranes in the center. Credit: NIAID

A study supported by FAPESP and coordinated by researchers at the Sao Jose do Rio Preto Medical School (FAMERP) in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, suggests official statistics may underestimate the size of the epidemic caused by Zika virus. Some cases of Zika may be misreported as dengue, the authors also argue.

The team, led by Mauricio Lacerda Nogueira, a member of the Zika Research Network (Rede Zika), performed molecular tests on blood samples from 800 people treated as suspected dengue patients at the emergency facility of Hospital de Base, Sao Jose do Rio Preto's reference hospital, between January and August 2016.

The material was supplied by Hospital de Base, which is also FAMERP's teaching hospital, and by the city's health department.

The initial diagnosis, based on clinical symptoms and serological tests, was confirmed in only 400 samples. More than 100 of the cases analyzed were positive for Zika virus, and the virus that causes chikungunya fever was identified in one of the samples.

None of the three arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti was found in the remaining samples (almost 300). The researchers suspect these patients probably had flu or some other viral disease. Their findings were published this month in the Journal of Clinical Virology.

"These results suggest the classic division usually made between symptoms - associating conjunctivitis with Zika and joint pain with chikungunya, for example - is only for classroom use. In practice, the symptoms can't be separated like that," Nogueira said. "It's also practically impossible to distinguish between the three arboviruses with the serological tests currently used on a routine basis by laboratories and emergency services."

Although new serological methods capable of distinguishing accurately between Zika and dengue antibodies have been developed, so far they are used only in academic research, he added.

The methodologies currently available to the public health system and private labs and hospitals may also produce false positives for dengue in patients with Zika, according to Nogueira, because the two viruses are so similar.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all cases with an uncertain diagnosis should be treated as dengue because the risk of death from dengue is higher than from Zika and chikungunya.

False-positive results for dengue do not jeopardize treatment of patients but generate unnecessary costs for the health service, according to Nogueira.

"Rest and oral rehydration at home is usually sufficient for people with Zika, except pregnant women," he said. "A dengue patient, however, must return to the health service for intravenous rehydration and undergo more complex tests. In particular, platelet levels have to be monitored owing to the risk of hemorrhage."

For Nogueira, false positives are, above all, a cause for concern because they create uncertainty about official epidemiological statistics.

Uncertainty about the statistics tends to undermine the effectiveness of public policy to prevent and treat diseases, Nogueira added, in addition to hindering studies of the cost effectiveness of dengue vaccines and (in the future) Zika vaccines.

"If the estimated number of cases is wrong, vaccine cost effectiveness estimates will also be wrong," he said.

Explore further Costa Rica has first case of Zika-associated syndrome

Provided by Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo
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Turkish foreign economy experts visit Georgia

A delegation from one of the leading business organisations in Turkey is visiting Georgia to pave the way for developing bilateral economic, commercial, industrial and financial relations.Georgias Economy Minister Dimitry Kumsishvili welcomed the guests from the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK), headed by the chairman of DEIKs Turkish-Georgia Business Council Jemal Yangin.Established in 1986 the DEIK is one of the strongest institutions in Turkey that is responsible for managing the foreign economic relations of the Turkish private sector across a range of sectors particularly foreign trade, international investment and services, international construction activities and logistics.DEIK has 104 founding institutions and 133 Business Councils, approximately 1,000 member companies and 2,000 representatives.On August 23, the Turkish guests and Georgian officials agreed strengthening cooperation between Georgian and Turkish business sectors was important for developing the regional economy.On another note Yangin thanked the Georgian Government and Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili for reacting to the attempted military coup in Turkey. He stressed it was "very important for Georgia that the democratically elected government of Turkey was not under threat.The Turkish business sector was very satisfied and happy with the reaction of Georgias Prime Minister. This was an unprecedented act of support that one country could express towards the other country, said Yangin.The Georgian and Turkish sides both praised the increasing tourism and investment ties.
Education Minister says school bags are too heavy

By Messenger Staff

Georgias Minister of Education, Alexander Jejelava, has promised that from 2017, the bags of Georgian schoolchildren would be lighter as currently they are too heavy for children to carry.The Minister stressed that heavy bags could also cause some health-related problems, and the issue must be addressed.It is a serious problem that our children have to carry very heavy school bags. One of the reasons of this is that the children have to take several big and thick school books daily to school. The issue of the heavy bags has never been addressed before, but it is important, the Minister said.The Minister said some steps are being planned that would reduce school bag weight from the next academic year.As parents write on social networks and in various petitions against the heavy bags, the weight of the school bag with all necessary books for different age categories weighs between four and nine kg.It is a very serious problem as it affects the health of future generation, especially their posture and gait.In case parents are unable to accompany their children to school, the children have to carry the heavy bags to and from school themselves.Tbilisi Mayors Office has a special programme through which it monitors the situation in terms of scoliosis and flatfeet.This years diagnostics revealed that 13,100 of the 18,000 children who were tested suffered from one of the conditions.A heavy bag can be one of the causes of scoliosis, which is a serious health problem which can have serious consequences if ignored.It will be good if the government keeps its promise and looks into the problem, though this is contingent on the minister not being replaced by the current government (of which the ruling party have made a disturbing habit) or the government being re-elected in October.
The News in Brief

Ukraine and Georgia to possibly get visa-free regime starting from 2017



Final decision by EU Council and European Parliament expected to be made in October 2016.



Ukraine and Georgia are set to get visa-free regime from January 2017. This is according to Rikard Jozwiak, a correspondent of Radio Liberty in Brussels.



"The EU diplomats are awaiting the final decisions of the European Parliament and EU Council concerning visa-free travel for Ukraine and Georgia in October 2016 with its launch next year," wrote Jozwiak on his Twitter account. (ipn)







Georgian drivers can now check if their car is radioactive



Georgian drivers can now get their car examined for radioactivity. But why would they want to do that?



A new radiation control service became available on Wednesday and will be handled by the agency for nuclear and radiation security of the Environment Ministry.



The ministrys unusual concern for radioactive cars is related to the fact many of the vehicles seen driving along Georgian roads have been imported from Japan, which experienced a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima power plant in 2011.



Vasil Gedevanishvli, head of the agency, told DFWatch that even though cars are examined at the border control, it will now be possible for drivers to voluntarily approach the agency and re-check their car.



Checking the car for nuclear radiation cost 50 laris and takes 15-20 minutes.



Gedevanishvili says that after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, there have been 40-50 cars in Georgia that were found to be radioactive. In most cases, the radiation level was insignificant, but the cars were cleaned nonetheless.



In one case during the last year, a car had a relatively serious radiation level and was impossible to clean. That car remains in port.



He says that many people are interested in examining their cars, even though they are checked at the border.



The nuclear and radiation agency at the Environment Protection Ministry was created in fall of 2015. (df watch)







There is no gap between us and the population  PM



Georgias Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has presented majoritarian candidate Valeri Gelashvili in Khashuri and familiarized them with the plan of the countrys further development.



According to him the upcoming four years will be the period of fast and fundamental changes.



There is no gap between us and our population. We are ordinary people like each of you. Therefore we appreciate everything that is done in the country. We plan to pass the upcoming for years with great responsibility, by implementing important, fundamental changes in economy, education system More than 5 billion USD need to be spent in the next years than it is today, - Kvirikashvili has said.



The party head referred to the significance of conducting elections in free and open environment remarking the main priority of Georgian Dream is dignity and liberty of people. (IPN)







Solidarity Fund: Two years of activities at a glance



The Government-initiated Solidarity Fund is continuing its effort to raise public awareness and seek donations so no child with cancer in Georgia dies because of lack of funds for life-saving medicine.



In the past 24 months private companies and the public have donated funds worth more than seven million GEL to fund vital cancer treatment for 276 children and adults under the age of 22.



These finances included:



 1,722,252 GEL;



 $2,552,871 USD;



 1,246,053.



The Fund said that 121 of the 276 patients had been treated locally, while 155 received medical treatment at hospitals in Germany, Spain, Turkey, Japan, Israel, Italy and France.



To raise further awareness about the Solidarity Fund, attract more donations and involve more people in charity activities, the Solidarity Fund has opened a charity hotline which people can call and donate.



People who want to offer a small donation to help children and young adults living with cancer can phone the hotline number 901 12 12 12, and have 1 GEL removed from their phone accounts and transferred to the Solidarity Fund.



Also, the Solidarity Fund has launched a mobile application under the name Solidarity Fund/??????????? ??????, which is available on the Google Play store and Apple store, which people can download and donate to the cause.



The Solidarity Fund was created in 2014 through an initiative of former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, which encouraged the public sector to donate funds that are then distributed to cover the cost of treatment for ill children and other priority social needs.



As word spread about the creation and purpose of the Solidarity Fund, the number of donors increased to 27 private companies and more than 60,000 public sector employees, who have donated more than 7,195,089 GEL so far. (Agenda.ge)




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A Lolo man who pleaded guilty to raping a 6-year-old girl last year was sentenced to 25 years in the Montana State Prison, with none suspended, on Tuesday as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Under the agreement, a second case from May 2016 in which Lance Matthew Ring was accused of raping another woman while he was awaiting sentencing for raping the child, was dismissed.

Ring was arrested in May 2015 and charged with sexual intercourse without consent after the 6-year-old girl told a forensic examiner he had taken her to a bedroom, blindfolded her and put something in her mouth. When he was interviewed by law enforcement officers, Ring admitted to forcing the girl to perform oral sex.

In May 2016, Ring pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse without consent as part of a plea agreement that dismissed a second charge for sexual abuse of children. That plea agreement, since withdrawn by prosecutors, called for a 25-year prison sentence with 15 years suspended.

Despite multiple requests by prosecutors to revoke his release, Ring was out of custody on pretrial supervision during his change of plea hearing. District Court Judge Karen Townsend warned him she had heard allegations he had contact with a minor, prohibited by the terms of his release. Townsend declined to take him into custody on the violation in May, allowing him to remain released until sentencing.

Two weeks after pleading guilty, Ring was arrested again and charged with a new count of sexual intercourse without consent after he allegedly offered a woman a ride home, but instead took her to a parking lot and offered to pay her for sex. The woman reportedly tried to take the money and leave, after which Ring allegedly strangled the woman and forced her into multiple sex acts.

As part of Rings latest plea agreement, assistant chief deputy county attorney Jennifer Clark dismissed the May 2016 rape case.

Ring will not be eligible for parole until he completes the first two phases of sex offender treatment. He also received credit for 98 days already served in custody.

According to the Montana State Prison, inmates typically enter the first phase of treatment, which lasts approximately four months, within two years of incarceration. Inmates generally enter phase two treatment, which takes between 15 and 24 months to complete, within two years of completing phase one.
In the last fiscal year that ended in July, Missoula spent only a fraction $192,998  of what the other six largest cities in Montana pay for controlling the pollutants that enter public waterways through stormwater runoff.

For example, Great Falls spent more than $2 million, and Kalispell spent over $1.8 million. City leaders are taking steps to change that very soon, however. A new hydrodynamic separator is in the works to greatly improve the quality of water that is drained into the Clark Fork from a 62-acre portion of downtown.

And in an effort to further protect and enhance the water quality of the streams and rivers surrounding Missoula, the citys Public Works Department proposes creating a stormwater utility. It would cost residential property owners $9 per year and commercial property owners $23 per year, which would appear on existing sewer bills.

The City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. at 140 W. Pine St. to discuss creating a new ordinance to establish the utility. The grand total for the first-year implementation of the system to control pollutants from entering waterways would be $250,000  generated by the fees  according to Public Works director John Wilson.

Under the proposed ordinance, Missoula would hire a full-time stormwater coordinator and an administrative assistant.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality will require additional attention to stormwater discharges within Missoula effective Jan. 1. Stormwater facility maintenance and illicit stormwater discharge monitoring is currently conducted by various city staff as they have time to address it, with the assistance of the Missoula Water Quality District. The new regulations will require very specific tasks, such as public outreach and extensive pollution monitoring and record keeping.

Wilson said the purpose of the ordinance would be to create prohibitions on illegal discharges, and requirements on controlling and reducing stormwater pollutants. It also would give the city power to regulate and enforce rules on construction activity and create a mechanism for appeals and adjustments. It also would fund the continuing construction, upgrades and maintenance of stormwater facilities.

Within the city, Wilson said there are roughly 50 outfalls that drain stormwater into the Clark Fork River and other waterways. The Clark Fork is listed as an impaired waterbody by the state because it has high levels of copper, iron, lead, nitrogen, sewage indicators and phosphorous.

***

The Caras Park Stormwater Project aims to greatly clean up the amount of contaminants that drain into the river. The Missoula County Water Quality District is gearing up to install a hydrodynamic separator that will handle a 62-acre drainage area north of the outfall drain just below Brennan's Wave.

"Right now, if you dump something on the street, whether it's a cigarette butt or coffee or a gallon of motor oil, it's going to end up in the river in minutes if it rains," said Peter Nielsen, supervisor of the Water Quality District. "We've been working on this for quite a few years, and it's going to be a big improvement."

Nielsen said the first phase of the project is to install the separator and the second phase will be to take all the stormwater and infiltrate it into soil before it hits the river.

"No other community in Montana has done as much for water quality as Missoula," Nielsen said. "The stormwater part of it is just the last piece. It's the right thing to do."

The project is 90 percent designed, and will be put out to bid this fall. Construction should start by next spring. The project is being financed by a $125,000 state grant, and $25,000 each from the Water Quality District, the Missoula Redevelopment Agency and the Missoula Parking Commission.

Simply preventing sediment from accumulating in places like Grant Creek and Rattlesnake Creek also would be a top priority, Wilson said.

Mitigating and preventing pollution from sedimentation is a significant effort, he said.

Wilson said his staff went through a long process to determine the fee structure, but he admitted that having the same fee for a small business and large businesses like Walmart is not exactly ideal.

In the end we admit that there are inequities in this, he said. In the end we decided that its such a small fee that it will generate some revenue to develop a more complete rate strategy.

Wilson said that in the future, the city would pay for a more in-depth rate study to come up with a better fee structure. Several city councilors pressed him on what constitutes a residential unit, because there are places like mobile home lots and condos that have a lot of units on not a lot of surface area.

Many concerns and issues will still have to get ironed out after the public hearing when the issue gets sent back to the Public Works committee, which discussed the issue last Wednesday.

Walmart should pay a higher rate because they are producing a tremendous amount of pollution on the concrete, said committee member Julie Armstrong, who advocated for basing the fee structure on square footage of non-permeable surface.

Wilson said his staff simply doesnt have the resources to generate the huge amount of data it would take to measure the square footage of all the impervious surfaces at every business and residential area in town. He also said some commercial enterprises could potentially see a $10,000 bill under that system.

His recommendation was to adopt this fee structure as an interim solution until the city can afford to hire a specialist to do a thoughtful rate study. He said the request for a proposal for a consultant to do that is already underway.

In every plan we came up with, there were inequities, he said. But with the square footage structure, there were some huge inequities. I dont think anyone is harmed by paying $23. The impact is so small that its a good way to get started.

Committee member John DiBari said in the long-term, he hoped the city would switch to basing the fee structure based on the square footage of impervious surfaces.
Today a Missoula City Council committee will again take up a discussion about how best to regulate short-term vacation home rentals, a discussion that is proving much more complicated and controversial than it seemed at first.

The proposed ordinance is still being adjusted in response to feedback from both council members and members of the public, but in general, it aims to allow property owners who want to rent their homes on a limited basis to do so legally, while also encouraging them to meet basic permitting requirements.

According to the city of Missoulas planning office, more than 200 homes located within city limits are advertised on websites like Airbnb and HomeAway.com. However, there is no firm number because many of these property owners do not obtain any permits of licenses or pay associated business taxes.

Nearly half of the rentals within city limits are in residential neighborhoods, meaning they are not legal under current zoning regulations. Rather than go after well-meaning property owners for zoning violations, city councilors John DiBari of Ward 4 and Bryan von Lossberg of Ward 1 offered an ordinance that would allow such rentals in all but industrial zones. The proposal limits the number of rentals allowed in any given area so that unscrupulous landlords cannot operate entire apartment buildings as short-term rentals. And, perhaps most importantly, it requires property owners to buy a business license and pass an inspection.

The proposal has prompted an interesting discussion about just what constitutes a vacation home, and how such definition differs from bed-and-breakfasts, hotels and long-term rental properties, all of which are duly licensed and taxed.

Earlier this month the city's Land Use and Planning Committee took up this discussion and found it would take longer than the one hour that had been set aside. Today, the committee is leaving three hours for discussion of this issue, starting at 1 p.m. (Editor's note: This meeting has been canceled. The city is working on rescheduling it.)

But rather than get tangled up trying to make the ordinance overly specific, the committee ought to get back to basics. It should clearly define short-term vacation rentals, of course, and require that those wishing to offer such rentals fill out a simple application and pay a minimal fee to cover a basic safety inspection. Thats it. Violators should be heavily fined to discourage opportunists from trying to pass off long-term rentals as short-term vacation homes, but violations should be obvious.

In this, Missoula can take a page from the many other cities throughout the nation that have enacted their own ordinances, and in fact, the city planning board has done extensive research on successful compliance in other municipalities.

Under state law in Montana, tourist homes are considered complete dwelling units rented for 29 days or less at a time. Thats also where many cities, like Boulder, Colorado, draw the line. Other places, like Park City, Utah, for instance, have created a separate license for short-term renters. And some cities, such as a handful in Arizona, tried to ban such vacation homes altogether, until the state legislature passed a bill earlier this year prohibiting such bans and setting up a system to tax them. The Airbnb website keeps a list of 50 cities regulations, none of which are located in Montana.

Missoulas proposed changes should allow short-term rentals city-wide without requiring property owners to go through an arduous process  but they must clearly define what is a vacation home and what isnt to prevent abuse and promote voluntary compliance. Lets have reasonable, limited requirements for those that fit this limited definition. Violators can then be fined as appropriate  instead of simply continuing to operate illegally, as theyre doing now.
The election officials have let down the citizens of Montana.

Flathead County lost the Safe Montana petition signatures and the Secretary of State flip-flopped on policies on the last day due to political pressure.

It is unfortunate that Initiative 176, No To Illegal Drugs, will not be able to compete with Initiative 182, More Pot Shops in Montana.

SafeMontana knows the majority of Montanans do not want illegal drugs being sold on their street corners.

We will continue our fight to keep Montana families safe!

We will continue to make sure medical marijuana is handled by the Food and Drug Administration, doctors, pharmacists and hospitals and not by unregulated pot shops.

Steve Zabawa, director,

Safe Montana,

Billings
It was around Christmas. It was cold, with lots of snow on the ground, and a Hmong family moved in across the street. They moved here from a refugee camp in Thailand - never seen snow and never felt the cold of a Montana winter. I got to help them shovel sidewalks, learn English, shop for food and cope with living in America. But I also got to learn about their culture, witness a Laotian New Year celebration, see a wedding, learn a few Laotian phrases, and become friends with some very incredible people.

The Hmong refugees changed Missoula. We became more diverse, more colorful and we got to hear a different language as we walked down the street. Our kids got to experience a new culture. We got new foods, new celebrations, and beautiful embroidery work. These people from Laos brought new life to Missoula, made us more cosmopolitan and brought a vibrance not seen before. We became more understanding, more patient and more inclusive. The refugees from Laos made Missoula a better town.

Now Missoula has the honor to welcome refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We will learn about a new culture, we will learn about life in Sub-Saharan Africa, experience new foods, hear a different language and become more patient, understanding and compassionate. We will become more diverse, more accepting of other people and more colorful. These women, men and children from the Congo will change us and make Missoula a better town. And I am very very proud to live here.

Loren Pinski,

Missoula
HELENA (AP)  The Supreme Court has overturned a man's drug conviction due to the lack of a speedy trial in Roosevelt County.

Justices sent the case back to District Judge David Cybulski to dismiss the charges against Hilario Martin Velasquez. The justices said Tuesday that the state didn't pursue other avenues for testing evidence after learning the state crime lab had a 9-month backlog.

Velasquez was arrested for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia in September 2013. He was unable to post the $5,000 bond and spent more than 10 months awaiting trial.

Justices also found that Velasquez was held in oppressive conditions because he was not allowed to go outside for at least five months, he couldn't contact his family because jail phone calls cost $1 per minute and mail sent to his family and attorney was not always delivered.
BUTTE  The Nez Perce fire, 15 miles north of Butte near Elk Park, gained momentum and grew to 69 acres as of Tuesday morning, said Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest officials.

The Forest Service ordered a helicopter from Salmon, Idaho, to drop water on the blaze. Two engines and one attack crew from Whitehall and one engine from Butte monitoring the fire are also on scene.

About 10 to 15 people live within one mile south of the fire. Butte district ranger Dave Sabo said the Forest Service is in contact with the residents.

The lightning-caused fire began around Aug. 7, when the area registered more than 1,000 lightning strikes from a storm, said Sabo. The fire smoldered for almost a full week and was reported by a passing motorist on Interstate 15 on Aug. 13. Due to the steep, rocky terrain, crews could not reach the fire safely.

Sabo said heavy fuels and current weather conditions have enabled the fire to grow. Sabo said the Forest Service will continue to monitor the fire daily but residents may see smoke from the blaze until the first snow falls.
DEER LODGE  Gordon Sellner, the anti-government extremist who shot Missoula County Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Bob Parcell in 1992, will remain in prison for at least another three years, the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole ruled Wednesday.

Parcell, a deputy based in Seeley Lake, traveled to Deer Lodge to speak against parole for 77-year-old Sellner, as did Missoula County Sheriff T.J. McDermott, Undersheriff Jason Johnson, and former sheriff Doug Chase.

No one at the hearing spoke in support of parole.

Sellner "is a fanatical, delusional individual," Parcell told the parole board Wednesday, adding that he believed the man lived in fear and paranoia of the government.

In prison, Sellner "is cared for, he is housed, he doesn't have to worry about that nasty, bad government," Parcell said.

Sellner was convicted in 1996 of attempted deliberate homicide in Parcell's shooting. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years for the use of a weapon.

On June 27, 1992, Parcell stopped the vehicle in which Sellner was riding to talk to him about an assault Sellner allegedly witnessed. Sellner got out and ran into the woods before turning and shooting at Parcell with a .41-caliber pistol, hitting him once in the chest. Sellner said a voice from God told him to shoot the deputy, who was wearing a ballistic vest.

Sellner lived at his home in the Swan Valley until he was arrested more than three years later in July 1995. Law enforcement officers were hesitant to raid Sellners property, because they feared possible injury to his family members, including several children, who lived on the property. On Wednesday, Chase said Sellner also threatened to use his guns to defend himself if law enforcement officers came to his property.

Parcell said he's had a good relationship with other members of Sellners family since the shooting, adding that some of Sellners daughters taught his children and another currently serves on the county search and rescue team.

McDermott read a prepared statement that he said was on behalf of all the officers in his department. He asked the parole board to deny Sellners request in part to send a message to anyone considering harming law enforcement officers.

Gordon Sellner is a violent criminal who needs to remain in prison for the rest of his life, he said.

On Wednesday, Sellner said he wanted to be paroled on his attempted deliberate homicide case so he could begin serving his federal prison sentence and eventually be able to go home to his wife.

In September 1997, U.S. District Court Judge Don Molloy sentenced Sellner to an additional three years in federal prison after he was convicted of illegal weapons possession for a variety of guns recovered from his home.

What happened 24 years ago is a long time ago, Sellner said. I would be no threat to no one.

At the time of the shooting, Sellner hadnt paid his taxes for more than 20 years, ever since the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade abortion decision. He filed a declaration renouncing his citizenship and declaring himself a soldier for Christ.

At his hearing, Sellner repeated a contention he made following the shooting, saying Parcell had been pointing a gun at him when he fired. He said it was a terrible misjudgment that he did not realize Parcell was a sheriffs deputy, believing instead that he was a federal agent sent to kill him.

Parole board members Sandy Heaton and Bill McChesney said Sellner had been a good inmate at the prison but denied his parole, with McChesney adding The potential is still there for Sellner to re-offend if placed in a similar situation.

The Montana Board of Pardons and Parole also denied Sellners parole request during his first hearing in August 2011. He will be eligible for parole again in another three years.

After the hearing, Parcell said he appreciated the boards conclusion.

You cant be happy about something like this, but Im satisfied.
KALISPELL  Thunderstorms Monday night over northwest Montana started several new wildfires on the Flathead National Forest.

All were in the Swan Lake Ranger District, according to Janette Turk, a public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service, and were relatively small as of Wednesday.

There also was the possibility of more thunderstorms over Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness on Wednesday afternoon, with gusty winds expected, Turk said.

The largest of the new starts was the Cold Lake fire, on a ridge just south of Lower Cold Lake, which covered approximately 10 acres. Seven smokejumpers and a 21-person Initial Attack crew are on the scene, Turk said, and two helicopters have been doing bucket drops to help suppression efforts.

Thirteen firefighters are assigned to the Jim Lake fire, three-quarters of a mile east of Jim Lake, which is one acre. Turk said they are dealing with numerous snags and heavy fuel loads. They are working on installing a hose lay to expedite suppression efforts.

Good progress is being made on the 1.5-acre Hall Lake fire west of Hall Lake, Turk said. There are 22 firefighters assigned to it, and the fire is expected to be contained by Thursday.

Another Monday start, in the Van Peak area, was declared out Tuesday afternoon. The Van Jackstraw fire didnt grow beyond a tenth of an acre.

Meantime, the lightning-cause Piper Creek fire in the Mission Mountains Wilderness, which started on Aug. 5, continues to burn in steep, dangerous and inaccessible terrain.

It was recently estimated to be 11 acres, and is being managed with a confine and contain strategy due to concerns for firefighter safety. Turk said fire managers have a plan in place to take action on the fire when ground resources can safely mitigate the hazards.

Crews continue to monitor the fire closely, she added.

Elsewhere, the spokesman for the Roaring Lion fire west of Hamilton issued his last daily update on Wednesday. After burning 8,533 acres since it started on July 31, Roaring Lion nears 70 percent containment and has moved into the relatively inaccessible upper end of the canyon. Its crew of 58 firefighters are mainly working on revegetation and repair of hand lines and dozer lines on the fire perimeter.

Not to be confused, the Roaring fire near Salmon, Idaho, has blackened 5,439 acres and continues to burn actively near the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Because it's deep in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, the fire is mainly monitored for landscape improvement. Smoke from that fire and two other wilderness blazes has contributed to air quality problems in the Bitterroot and Missoula valleys.

The Copper King fire east of Thompson Falls has burned more than 27,000 acres and continues to threaten homes along its northeastern flank. Crews there were working on both direct and indirect fire line between the Little Thompson River and the ACM Road. Its Type I team has 878 firefighters and other personnel attached.

***

Missoulian reporter Rob Chaney contributed to this article.
BILLINGS  The U.S. government agreed Tuesday to decide over the next several years if federal protections are needed for a small, fanged predator of the Northern Rockies, massive alligator snapping turtles in the South and seven other troubled species that in some cases have awaited action for years.

Deadlines for the decisions were detailed in a legal settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The Center for Biological Diversity had sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March, alleging agency officials repeatedly missed previous deadlines despite determining protections may be warranted.

The settlement must be approved by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan before it goes into effect.

One of the first species to be decided on, by October 2017, is the Northern Rockies fisher. The cat-sized predator once ranged across at least five states. It's now limited to a much smaller area straddling the Montana-Idaho border.

Montana allows the trapping of seven fishers annually  activity banned elsewhere in the West.

"Alongside habitat loss, trapping is one of the primary threats to Northern Rockies fishers," said Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. She said federal protections "are the only way to curb this ongoing threat."

The Fish and Wildlife Service rejected protections for fishers in 2011, concluding that trapping by humans did not appear to be harming the overall population, though their precise numbers are unknown. But the agency agreed to take another look earlier this year after wildlife advocates provided details on fishers killed by trappers seeking other species.

That change followed a study that found the animals "are more vulnerable for survival than previously thought, and may still be impacted by trapping," Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Serena Baker said Tuesday. She said the species will be included in its upcoming endangered species list national workplan for a decision in fiscal year 2017.

Fishers remain relatively abundant in parts of the Midwest and New England.

A decision on the alligator snapping turtle is due in 2020. The hard-biting, spike-studded a turtle can grow to more than 2 feet long and top 200 pounds, making it North America's largest freshwater turtle.

Other species included in the settlement were the California spotted owl, an Alabama mussel called the Canoe Creek pigtoe and the Beaverpond marstonia, a tiny freshwater snail that advocates say is found only in one Georgia creek.

Two fish were included  the Virgin River spinedace, a desert minnow once common in the Virgin River basin in northwestern Arizona, southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah, and the Barrens topminnow in Tennessee's Barrens Plateau.

There was one amphibian, the foothill yellow-legged frog, once found from Oregon to possibly as far south as Baja California, Mexico, and an insect, the cobblestone tiger beetle, which survives only in a handful of rivers from New England to Alabama.
KALISPELL  To demonstrate the importance of health care to Kalispells economy, Bryce Ward asked local people on Tuesday to imagine the city without it.

Subtract 6,300 jobs directly associated with health care, he said, and another 6,700 indirectly tied to it.

Take away the patients who travel from surrounding areas to Flathead County for their health care services, and the money they bring in. Then, figure out how much local money would leave town as county residents traveled elsewhere for their health care needs.

If you want to cut to the chase, just suck $1 billion in personal income directly or indirectly attributable to health care in Flathead County out of the local economy.

Its never going to happen, Ward, the associate director at the University of Montanas Bureau of Business and Economic Research, told a large crowd at a Kalispell Chamber of Commerce luncheon. But if it did, you could also figure on people like me moving somewhere else.

Health care and schools are two of the most important factors people consider when choosing a place to live, said Ward, who authored a new report on the contributions of health care to the Flathead Valley economy for the Chamber.

His analysis produced some eye-catching figures.

***

The biggest number, literally, was that $1 billion in total personal income directly or indirectly attributable to health care, but there were plenty of others for the Chamber crowd to sort through:

 Wards report says that $147 million will be spent building new doctor offices, hospital facilities, nursing homes and the like between 2012 and 2018.

 The total payroll paid to health care workers in the county is $313 million. The 6,300 workers represent 16 percent of Flathead Countys total employment, and the payroll is 21 percent of the countys total payroll.

 Thirty percent of all the jobs in the county  13,000 of them  are directly or indirectly attributable to health care.

 If Flathead County grows at the nationally forecasted rate  and it will almost certainly exceed this, according to Wards report  another 1,300 health care jobs will be added in the next 7  years alone.

 The number of health care jobs in the county has already grown by 180 percent since 1990.

***

All those numbers point to health care playing an even bigger role in Kalispells future, according to Ward.

There will be more health care, which means more economic activity, and more money thats not leaking out of the local economy, Ward said. That means people are more likely to stay here, and others are more likely to move here.

Kalispell Regional Healthcare, which includes Kalispell Regional Medical Center, has gone from 928 full-time equivalent jobs in 1999 to 2,725 today, President and CEO Velinda Stevens told the luncheon crowd.

She also showed how the economic impact reaches beyond Kalispell. Of those employees, 2,108 live in Kalispell, 313 in Columbia Falls, 284 in Whitefish, 158 in Bigfork and 108 in Kila and Marion.

Another 92 live in Somers or Lakeside, 48 in Polson or Ronan, 39 in Eureka and 17 in Missoula.

Dr. Federico Seifarth, a pediatric surgeon who relocated to the Flathead Valley from Cleveland this spring, talked about Kalispell positioning itself as a leader in neonatal health care in Montana, and spoke of other projects, including a major expansion of the hospitals emergency room, from 8,000 square feet to 37,000 square feet.

At the other end of the lifespan, Jason Cronk, CEO of Immanuel Lutheran Communities in Kalispell, told the crowd about the multiple multi-million-dollar constructions and expansions under way at its senior housing campus just south of Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

By 2030, one-quarter of Montanas population will be seniors, Cronk said, and their residential and health care needs will play a major role in Kalispell.

Our state is growing older than the national average, Cronk said, and we live in a county that is growing older than the state average.
WHITEFISH  Police here shot and killed a mountain lion in a residential neighborhood late Sunday night when the animal showed little interest in leaving a yard, even as more vehicles and humans arrived on the scene.

A family returning to their Sixth Street home found the mountain lion, an adult female, in their yard and called 911 from their driveway at approximately 10:30 p.m., saying they were afraid to get out of their vehicle and go into their house.

Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial said responding officers hollered at the cat, which turned and meandered down a trail for a bit.

Then she turned around, walked back up the trail and treed herself, Dial said. Usually, if you see a mountain lion, theyre gone, but this one had no fear.

Its always a judgment call on our part, when were dealing with a mountain lion or bear. This one was so close to so many residents, and the biggest factor was the obvious habituation to people. It was just not afraid.

It was the third time in about three years his officers have killed mountain lions in Whitefish, Dial said. In the first incident, the mountain lion had killed and eaten a pet.

And about a year and a half ago, there was a mountain lion looking in peoples windows, which is totally out of character for them, Dial said. Its nothing we relish having to do, but mountain lions can be dangerous. There have been numerous incidents in the United States where they have attacked people.

His department receives lots of reports of mountain lion sightings in town, Dial said, but usually the animals move off quickly.

A lot of times its young ones that den up under decks of vacation homes, the chief said, but theyre gone by the time we get there.

Just two weeks ago, Dial added, officers responded to a report of a grizzly bear that had been under a cherry tree in a yard, and left the yard and began approaching a man who was walking his dog on the street.

Officers scared off the grizzly, Dial said, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks then successfully trapped and relocated the bear.

The mountain lion that was killed Sunday night weighed approximately 100 pounds.
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The latest snafu over the Parrot tailings waste removal could prevent shovels moving dirt this year.

The plan to move Parrot tailings waste to Montana Resources leach pad has fallen through, say officials with MR. Liability issues related to Superfund regulations were blamed for the change in plans.

Natural Resource Damage Program director Harley Harris called the latest twist in the states effort to remove the Parrot tailings a setback. Harris said he doesnt know if the state can start moving dirt this by this fall, as was previously planned.

The state and MR, in conjunction with Atlantic Richfield Company, tentatively reached an agreement in July for the Parrot waste to go behind MRs office on Shields Avenue. MR proposed that it would then, at its own expense, take the waste to a leach pad elsewhere on its property.

The plan was projected to save the state $400,000.

The Parrot waste  and its removal  has been a contentious issue for at least a decade. The Environmental Protection Agency says the 50-foot-deep deposit of tailings  which is smelter waste  does not need to be excavated. The state says that by not removing the source of pollution, located behind the Civic Center, Silver Bow Creek will be under threat of recontamination for years to come.

Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock ordered to have the bulk of the Parrot tailings removed last year. The state has set aside $18.5 million for the project.

Bullock said last year he wanted shovels moving dirt by this summer, but repeated obstacles have delayed the project. Several sites to which Butte-Silver Bow planned to move its vehicle and maintenance shops fell through for various reasons, including public outcry, and no site has yet been selected.

The state had originally planned to remove the waste and dump it into the Berkeley Pit. That plan changed to putting the waste into a repository built near the edge of the Berkeley Pit.

Then MR offered to essentially take care of the waste by taking it to the leach pad on its property. NRD environmental science specialist Pat Cunneen previously told The Montana Standard that the soil containing the tailings does not leach easily, so MR would not have seen a return on leaching it for another 20 to 40 years.

I am extremely disappointed by this delay in the process," Bullock said Tuesday. "I have directed the state to immediately move forward to secure access to the edge of the Berkeley Pit, so we can get dirt moving. Butte has waited long enough.

The reason MR pulled out of the deal, said MR manager of environmental affairs Mark Thompson, is because of the nature of the regulations surrounding the material, which falls under Superfund law. Those regulations became insurmountable, he said.

"It's disappointing to MR we couldn't work this deal through. We know this is a very important community issue," Thompson said.

Harris said there were some very difficult liability, risk and management issues.

Thompson said MR is still here for this project in whatever capacity in the future.
The Butte School District shines in English and language arts, but like many other Class AA schools, it could use help in math.

The district scored 14 percentage points higher than the state average in the English/language arts portion of the online standardized testing program called Smarter Balanced.

Statewide, 50 percent of students in grades 3-8 tested proficient or above in ELA. In comparison, 64 percent of Butte students scored proficient or above.

Its extremely difficult, said Curriculum Director Jim ONeill about the online test. The ELA consists of a lot of reading, a lot of writing, listening and students have to listen and watch videos, then answer questions, then write about them.

Last March was the second year for the online test. It includes rigorous test problems that align with Common Core standards, implemented in 2015.

Notably, Butte scored higher than four other Class AA schools: Billings, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula.

Only Butte, Kalispell and Bozeman are in the 60s, said ONeill.

So you can see, we were 14 points above the state average, which we are really proud of. Our teachers work so hard and our kids work so hard.

Math is no cake walk, either.

In math, Butte tested out at 44 points, three points higher than the statewide percentage of 41 of students testing proficient or above.

Schools traditionally throughout the state are lower in math, he said.

While Buttes score bests only one other AA school  Billings at 40  ONeill concedes that students in his district need improvement. The math test is demanding.

Students must be able to understand how they arrived at an answer  and write about it.

In math, theres a lot of performance tasks, multi-task, real-world problems, ONeill said. Not only do you have to solve the problems, you have to explain in writing your reasoning and how you solved it. Its at a very, very high level.

Arriving at the right answer, then defending it takes a lot of persistence.

But he has a plan  and innovative ideas  to bolster math proficiency.

Were hoping grants at East Middle School will help us. We need to rewrite our performance tasks  we want to be more rigorous. I think we need to beef them up.

Grants include a $75,000 annual Title I School Support Grant math grant and a $50,000 21st Century Rockies grant for elementary students for 2016-17.

Plus, he hopes to garner a $20,000 OPI homeless grant since 21.5 percent of children live in poverty in Butte-Silver Bow, according to census figures Action Inc., or Human Resources Council, monitors.

If we get the homeless grant, wed like to use the money for after-school tutoring for kids and school supplies, added ONeill.

In reading, teachers study updated data every week, then adjust lessons to fit student needs.

I think thats why our scores are so high, ONeill said. We need to do that with math, too.

But math approaches need tweaking. As district teachers delve into two days of training this week at East Middle School, elementary teachers will eventually train in the following math courses:

 FASTT Math, a supplemental intervention program to help redirect student learning early on;

 EDReady Math, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation online program that gives teachers extra direction; it is used to check mastery of a subject,

 Eight Common Core practices in math.

Our math scores arent on a level with ELA, but well get there, said ONeill. We have really good teachers and well have even more emphasis on data.

Superintendent Judy Jonart said a library science and technology program in grades kindergarten-through-sixth, plus a Project Lead the Way curriculum in design and modeling helped boost test scores.

Learning how to test online, too, is in itself a set of learned skills.

The little ones embraced the whole project and testing  the programs that weve started at the elementary have definitely helped them become more comfortable, said Jonart.

Overall, school leaders seem pleased with the scores, as the statewide math scores are up 3 points in the first year of testing  2014/2015  and ELA scores are up 5 points.

Any time you implement a new test or new standards, your scores are going to drop, which they have throughout the state, ONeill said.

He said he's a "huge advocate" of Common Core.

"We continue to align our curriculum with the standards," he added, "because there's a huge emphasis on writing, which I think is critical in everyone's life."
The Nez Perce Fire, 15 miles north of Butte near Elk Park, gained momentum and grew to 69 acres as of Tuesday morning, said Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest officials.

The Forest Service ordered a helicopter from Salmon, Idaho, to drop water on the blaze. Two engines and one attack crew from Whitehall and one engine from Butte monitoring the fire are also on scene.

About 10 to 15 people live within one mile south of the fire. Butte district ranger Dave Sabo said the Forest Service is in contact with the residents.

The lightning-caused fire began around Aug. 7, when the area registered more than 1,000 lightning strikes from a storm, said Sabo. The fire smoldered for almost a full week and was reported by a passing motorist on Interstate 15 on Aug. 13. Due to the steep, rocky terrain, crews could not reach the fire safely.

Sabo said heavy fuels and current weather conditions have enabled the fire to grow. Sabo said the Forest Service will continue to monitor the fire daily but residents may see smoke from the blaze until the first snow falls.
Americans are once again experiencing hurricane season. Throughout most of American history our Presidents did not visit the sites of hurricanes and other natural disasters. That practice did not really began until our 36th President, Lyndon B. Johnson.

On September 9, 1965, a massive storm front sped across the Gulf and, rolling across Grand Island, barreled into New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana at 160 miles per hour. Hurricane Betsy, a Category 4, raised the ocean surge 10 feet devastating low-lying neighborhoods.

Within two hours of having discussed the disaster with Louisianas U.S. Senator Russell Long and the Majority Leader, Montanas Mike Mansfield, the President was boarding Air Force One on his way to the severely damaged area. Most of the authorities in the state and virtually none of the storm victims knew the President was on the way and more important was determined to help as only LBJ knew how. A former long-serving Congressman, Senator, and Vice President, Lyndon Johnson was perhaps the most experienced President in history; no one understood government better. As a protege of President Franklin Roosevelt, LBJ knew the levers of government power like the back of his hand, and his knowledge of the Congress has never been surpassed.

Air Force One landed at New Orleans in the rain that evening; all the electric grids and lines were down and darkness was reaching into in the city. Johnson ordered to be taken to the refugee center and the shacks and tents that had been thrown together to move people out of the rain. Told that would be too dangerous, he insisted his aides round up flashlights because he was determined, darkness or no, to see and talk with those thousands who urgently needed help from the only institution big enough to provide it -- their federal government

The President went tent to tent, refuge to refuge, with flashlight and car lights to show the way. He would stand in the rain outside a tent and ask if those inside would mind if he talked with them for a minute and then he would open the tent flap, shine the flashlight on his own face and say, Hello, Im the President and I am here to help you. He would assure them that their government was on the job and he would personally manage the effort to be certain they got help quickly.

The President was back in Washington very late that evening and he worked the phones for days and nights, held personal meetings, gave orders, pulling at old friends and allies to drop what they were doing and come to the rescue of these needy victims. He brought to his office the heads of both public and private relief agencies, cajoled, threatened, demanded and, as only a President can, cut through red tape like a bayonet through butter. He ordered federal funding to Louisiana, federal equipment to New Orleans and Baton Rouge and clean water flown in. Worried the water wouldnt reach the thirsty victims in time, he had calls made to Louisianas Coke, 7Up, and Orange Crush bottlers asking them to immediately send thousands of cases of bottled soft drinks to those suffering of thirst saying, In those soda bottles there is no fear of contamination. He oversaw the weeks and months of federal and state cleanup and, with federal loans and grants, came the governments successful effort to rebuild

Although always a hard worker, those close to him feared for his health. He had little sleep, worked nonstop, cut corners on the federal rules saying, Well patch that up later, right now people need help so get to it. His enormous stamina and determination saw him through just as it did those he was trying to help.

President Johnson had two essential capacities: First, he was entirely determined to help those who needed it. Second, he was one of those establishment people who know how government is supposed to work.

-- Pat Williams served Montana for nine terms as U.S. Congressman and is affiliated with The University of Montana.
The Butte School District Board of Trustees recently approved a proclamation recognizing September as Attendance Awareness Month. This proclamation is part of the Butte School Districts Graduation Matters initiative, Attendance Matters: All Day Every Day! The purpose of the initiative is to raise public awareness about the importance of school attendance and the effects of chronic absenteeism.

Chronic absence from school, which is defined as missing at least 10 percent of the academic year or two days per month, is a major predictor of low academic achievement and student dropout. National research has demonstrated that children who are chronically absent from preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the third grade. Students who do not read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than proficient readers to drop out of high school. On the high school level, poor attendance is a better predictor of school dropout than test scores. A recent study conducted in Utah found that chronically absent students in grades 7-12 are seven times more likely to drop out of school.

Results from the Butte School District 2016 state assessment data align with the national research. For example, 90 percent of our middle school students who were present 98 percent of the academic school year scored on or above proficiency in English/Language Arts as compared to only 68 percent of students who were present 90 percent of the year. Among third and sixth grade students missing 10 percent of the school year, only 69 percent of those students scored on or above proficiency in English /Language Arts. This data sends a powerful message: regular school attendance is paramount to student success.

Chronic absenteeism also has a negative influence on other students. Each child brings to the classroom a wealth of ideas, perspectives, and abilities that contribute to the learning environment of all students. The Butte School District values the contributions of each of our students and understands that all students benefit when everyone is present and actively engaged in the learning process.

The good news is that by working together we can solve the problem of chronic absenteeism. Throughout the month of September, the Butte School District has pledged to raise awareness of the importance of regular school attendance and focus on reducing chronic absenteeism in the new school year.

During Attendance Awareness Month, we are asking local businesses and public entities to display posters and messages promoting school attendance. Additionally, we will be providing information on how community organizations, agencies, businesses, and individual community members can get involved in promoting regular attendance throughout the school year.

Everyone in our community can make a difference by helping students and families understand that going to school all day, every day, is critical to their academic achievement. Lets make school attendance a community priority so that all our students achieve success!

-- Judy Jonart, superintendent, Butte School District
As a retired teacher, I am deeply offended by the misinformation being mailed to Montanans by the out-of-state group Americans for Prosperity.

The mailer claims Governor Bullock turned his back on special needs children by vetoing HB 322.

HB 322 was a terrible bill. Im glad Governor Bullock vetoed it.

HB 322 would have pulled millions of dollars out of Montanas public schools for the benefit of private schools. It applied not just to children with special needs, but to their siblings and children of military parents as well.

I have nothing against private schools. I just dont think I should have to pay for them with my tax dollars, especially when there is no public accountability. HB 322 specifically said the private schools that received public funds wouldnt have to meet standards of educational quality.

Governor Bullock has been a champion for ALL our children, including those with special needs. One example: Montanas public schools have struggled with insufficient funding for decades. Gov. Bullock secured a major funding increase for our schools  without raising taxes.

These critically needed funds help ALL Montana children. Unlike so many private schools (including Greg Gianfortes Petra Academy) that pick and choose which students they admit, our public schools accept, cherish, and educate ALL children, including those with special needs.

-- Kristy Michael, Bozeman
The majority of Silver Bow County's 782 registered medical marijuana patients as of Wednesday are cut off from further access to their medicine for at least 10 weeks  when voters on Nov. 8 will determine the outcome of a new ballot initiative.

But as of now, with Senate Bill 423 finally kicking in, Montana's medical marijuana providers are limited to just three patients, effectively gutting the program but keeping it around on paper.

Meanwhile, patients are stocking up and rationing, said one provider.

Silver Bow County's 18 providers will only be able to serve a combined total of 54 patients, leaving the other 728 in the county  93 percent  with only the option of growing their own medicine or buying it on the street.

JJ Thomas, owner of the Marijuana Company, 2040 Harrison Ave., said no company can operate with a three-patient cap now mandated by the state. The Marijuana Company is closing, further reducing the number of Butte patients with access. Thomas said they plan to reopen in November, banking on the voters approval of Initiative 182 allowing his 100-plus patients to return.

"Until then, they're on their own," Thomas said.

According to state health department spokesman Jon Ebelt, 35 percent of providers are closing shop statewide.

George Zachary, a clerk at the Marijuana Company, said most of the providers patients aren't able to grow for themselves because they rent their housing or they're disabled by chronic pain. He said that's why patients come to dispensaries in the first place.

Of the 13,170 patients enrolled in the Montana Marijuana Program as of July, over 70 percent use marijuana for some kind of chronic pain, statistics show. Others use marijuana to enable them to eat, or to mitigate epilepsy.

"I watched a girl go from 14 seizures a week down to three," Zachary said, "and next week I get to see who's not going to eat."

He said business ramped up as the Aug. 31 deadline got closer, but after the store shuts down he'll work labor jobs and hope the vote turns out in his favor. He's confident, as I-182 to repeal the patient ceiling overshot on signatures to get it on the ballot.

That ballot would also add Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana in Montana, where almost 10 percent of the population is comprised of military veterans.

"We're going to be seeing a lot more of our boys," Zachary said. "No use shoving pills down their throat and messing with their brain chemistry."

If passed, I-182 would also add governmental oversight for the medical marijuana industry, correcting a lack of regulation that makes Montana unique among states that have legalized medical marijuana.

"Montana sets the standard right now for what an unregulated system looks like," said Chris Lindsey, an anti-prohibition attorney and senior legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project.

According to Lindsey, the process of becoming a provider in most states involves a lengthy bureaucracy of licenses, product testing, workplace inspections and other hoops to jump through. Lindsey said those institutional controls don't exist in Montana, and that the federal government's leniency in prosecuting medical marijuana providers comes only from an understanding that states regulate themselves.

Lindsey knows the dangers of this gray zone well  his medical marijuana business was raided in 2009 and Lindsey was charged with violating federal law near the height of provider enrollment in Montana's program.

The law that went into effect Friday was originally passed in 2011 as a reaction to the explosive growth of Montana's medical marijuana industry. Immediately challenged in court, certain provisions still cut provider and patient populations down to their current levels, while the injunction preventing the law's full implementation expires Wednesday.

With almost all patients now cut off from their medicine and no strong regulatory institution in place to handle the confusion, Lindsey said this is the worst-case scenario for patients, law enforcement, providers and legislators.

"There's no guidance from the state on what patients should do during this time," he said.

Lindsey has faith I-182 will pass.

According to the Montana branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the majority of Montana citizens support medical marijuana, and even regulated commercial sale. He said the 2011 backlash was legislators acting against the wishes of the majority of the state.

Strong support for marijuana reform puts Montana closer to Washington, Oregon and California than its immediate neighbors of Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota. Those states do not have medical marijuana programs, and according to polls most citizens don't support them.

"Montana shows no sign of being an exception to strong support for medical marijuana," Lindsey said.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  A Muscatine man has been arrested in Illinois and charged with residential burglary.

Jacob J. Howerton, 26, was arrested on Aug. 17, in alleged connection with a burglary, according to the Mercer County Sheriff's Department.

Howerton and Michael Holmes, 20, Keithsburg, were taken into custody in Aledo, Illinois, by the Aledo Police Department, on a Mercer County warrant, according to Mercer County Sheriff David Staley.

Howerton and Holmes allegedly stole a washer and dryer from a residence in Keithsburg that was awarded to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office and the State of Illinois following a drug raid at the residence, according to Staley.

Both have been charged with one count of residential burglary, a class 1 felony, according to Staley.

Emily Wenger of the Muscatine Journal
MUSCATINE, Iowa A Lord Nelson Victory Tug passing through Muscatine stopped for about a day to let her passengers off to explore.

Dave and Vicki Howell, of Cambridge, Maryland have been making their way up the Mississippi River on their tugboat, the Nellie D.

They have been traveling for almost a year, beginning in Florida last November, until they paused in Muscatine Monday evening. They will be leaving to continue their journey Wednesday morning.

"We'll keep chugging up," Vicki Howell said.

She said they began their cruising 20 years ago in a sailboat.

"You have to have a little bit of wanderlust, a little bit of adventure, and you have to be willing to learn in order to do it," Dave Howell said.

The Howells said they are typically on the water four to six months out of the year, although this trip has been longer.

"You meet people that know things that you don't know and mentor you and help you," Vicki Howell said.

She said they love learning about history along the rivers they explore, and were intrigued by their visit to the Muscatine History and Industry Center.

"So it's kind of fun here to hear all about the button industry," she said.

Dave Howell said at a previous stop, on the Tennessee River, they saw a display of a flat-bottom boat that was used to collect mussels.

"We asked what did they do with the mussels, and they said 'Oh they sent them some place to be turned into buttons,' so we sort of closed the loop on what happened to them," he said.

The Nellie D. was made in Taiwan in 1987, and the couple said the almost 30-year-old boat has been with them for 10 years.

The outside of the boat is composed of fiberglass, but Dave Howell said the wood interior was created by woodworkers, often a family who would stay on the boat to finish.

The wooden floors, furniture, and decoration have a lot of detail, surrounding the occupants of the boat with beautiful teak.

With river levels high, they said they travel around five miles per hour up the river, so they take turns steering.

Navigating through the locks and dams along the river can take time as well, they said, as they may have to wait for barges to pass through before they can.

"So if the water's calm we drop anchor and wait," Vicki Howell said.

Although they were not able to stay long, the Howells said they look forward to stopping in Muscatine as they travel back down the Mississippi next year.

"Everyone's been so friendly," Vicki Howell said.
MUSCATINE, Iowa,  The City of Muscatine will host a virtual public surplus auction that will start on Sept. 5 and run through Sept. 16. The auction may be viewed on www.publicsurplus.com beginning Sept. 5. Participants must select the region Iowa and agency City of Muscatine to view items for auction. Registration on the website is required for bidding.
MUSCATINE, Iowa A fire at the Muscatine Power and Water power plant Tuesday afternoon was caused by an equipment failure.

Around 12:35 p.m., an equipment failure at the power plant caused lubricant to leak onto hot pipes, causing a fire, according to a press release from Brandy Olsen, director of legal and regulatory services at Muscatine Power and Water.

The Muscatine Fire Department was called to the power plant at 1700 Dick Drake Way around 1:37 p.m., and the fire was declared under control around 3:13 p.m., according to Mike Hartman, assistant chief and fire marshal with the Muscatine Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived on scene, they found light to moderate smoke throughout the building. The fire was contained, but still smoldering, according to Hartman.

Because water could have caused further damage, Hartman said three different types of fire extinguishers were used.

"The trick with that was utilization of fire extinguishers, and getting the equipment cooled," he said.

Olsen said no employees were injured, but one complained of heat exhaustion.

They were treated at the scene and recovered quickly, according to Hartman.

Unit Nine, the building in which the fire occurred, will be offline for several days for repairs, although Olsen said customers will not experience any decline in services.

The Fruitland Fire Department assisted at the scene, and approximately 20 firefighters responded to the fire, according to a press release from the Muscatine Fire Department.

Off-duty firefighters staffed the main fire station and covered for emergencies while crews were on the fire scene, according to the press release.

The cause is under investigation, and the Muscatine Fire Department is working with Muscatine Power and Water staff to assess options to decrease or eliminate the possibility of any further fires.

"The MPW is grateful to the Muscatine Fire Department for their assistance with the fire today," Olsen stated in a press release.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Members of the Muscatine County League of Women Voters (LWV) toured Lock and Dam 16 Tuesday evening.

Susan Johannsen, the president of the Muscatine County LWV, said the purpose of the tour was to learn more about the function of the Mississippi River.

"I would say what it has done is it's given me a local understanding of the lock and dam, and it'll give me a springboard for understanding water quality in the upper river system," she said.

Cindy Klebe, a ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, lead the tour. As a barge moved through the lock, she explained how barges transition through the nine foot drop from above the lock and dam to below.

The lock chamber, she said, can hold nine barges, and one barge holds around 70 semi-trucks worth of material.

"That takes a lot of wear and tear off the roads," Klebe said.

Jan Noll, who was on the tour, said understanding the amount of material being moved on the Mississippi River was important.

"When you have 70 truckloads in one container then you really understand the volume of what's being moved," Noll said.

Klebe said the lock chamber is similar to an elevator, with valves letting water flow in from above, then out once the upper valves are closed to lower the barge around nine feet, matching the river level below the lock and dam.

Moving a whole barge, Klebe said, can take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. The barge moving through on Tuesday evening had not finished by the end of the tour, mainly because it was too large to fit all at once.

Of the 29 locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi River, Klebe said the first one built by the Corps of Engineers was Lock and Dam 15 in Rock Island, Illinois in 1933.

Lock and Dam 16, in Muscatine, was built between 1933 and 1937.

Klebe lead the tour across a non-functional auxiliary lock to look at the tainter gates, currently lifted out of the Mississippi River to allow water to pass freely, because the water levels are currently high.

Although the gates are open, Klebe said passing through them instead of through the lock is illegal, and dangerous.

Many were visiting the lock and dam for a tour for the first time. The Upper Mississippi River Region, an inter-league organization, Johannsen said, is working to learn more about the river.

The region includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa.

"All four states are working on this particular project, learning about the health of the river and the watershed that feeds it," Johannsen said.

Jean Clark said she enjoyed learning about the function of the river.

"It's not just recreation it's commerce," she said.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Ryan Tatum has joined the Information Technologies group at Kent Corporation as an Application Developer. Tatum served a summer internship with the company while attending the University of Iowa where he recently graduated with a BS degree in Software Engineering.
The chairperson of a companys board has many responsibilities, including providing guidance and leadership to the business.

The board chairperson acts as a liaison between the companys executive team, other board members, and shareholders.

This person is typically a non-executive director, which means they are not involved in the day-to-day running of the company.

Despite not having daily operational responsibilities, the board chairman is an important component of a successful enterprise.

The challenges local state-owned enterprises face due to conflict within their boards and against their chairs illustrate the importance of a strong and capable chairperson.

It is therefore not surprising that the position of chairperson comes with respectable remuneration.

The table below shows the annual remuneration of chairpersons of South Africas largest tech companies.

SA Tech Chairperson Annual Pay Packages Person Company Pay Package JP Bekker Naspers R7,214,000 PF Nhleko MTN R3,485,000 WP Venter Altron R3,400,000 MP Moyo Vodacom R1,900,000 SS Mncube ICASA R1,580,909 JA Mabuza Telkom R1,250,000 BMC Ngcobo Broadband Infraco R783,000 TJA Mongake Sentech R716,000

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The third unit at Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme was brought into commercial operation on Tuesday, Eskom CEO Brian Molefe announced on Wednesday.

Each unit adds 333 MW of peak power to the grid, which is key in the power utilitys ability to cope with peak demand, especially during winter.

Addressing Parliaments Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprise, Molefe pointed out that all four units were synchronised on March 3, March 25, May 21 and June 16, which meant 1 332 MW was being fed into the grid in winter. However, the commercial handover is the end date for the completion of the project.

Units 4 and 2 went into commercial operation on June 10 and August 22, while unit 1 went live on Tuesday night.

Unit 3 had a breakdown during synchronisation and would be up and running by the end of the year, Molefe said.The repairs of damaged unit 3 are progressing, he said. It is the only unit that is expected to come into commercial operation during this financial year.

In addition, Molefe said Medupi unit 5 is on track for commercial operation in the first half of 2018.

With commercial operation of Ingula and the coming on stream of Medupi unit 5, it will be very hard to go into load shedding, Molefe said.

His positive sentiment about Eskoms finances and operational successes comes as his battle with Treasury reached a turning point on Tuesday evening, when Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown pushed the utility to hand over documents to Treasury over its probe into coal contracts.

We will submit the information even though the board has not sat down to formally consider the outcome of the report, spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe told Talk Radio 702.

After our discussions this morning with the public enterprises minister, the decision was we would submit the information (to Treasury).

Eskom is on a firm financial and operation footing, Molefe said. Our financial position has improved and our operational performance has stabilised. We do not anticipate load shedding and the new build programme will meet its deadlines. We are prepared to meet excess supply of electricity.

Almost a miracle

We have stabilised Eskom coming from a very poor base with a fleet that was faltering, Eskom chair Ben Ngubane told Parliament on Wednesday. Plant availability is 80% and more, which is almost a miracle, considering where we were a year ago.

Molefe said there has been a reduced reliance on open cycle gas turbines in 2016, which cost billions to run during South Africas load shedding crisis. This has resulted in a decrease from R9.5bn in 2014/15, to R8.87bn in 2015/16, to R0.09bn in 2016/17 to date, Molefe explained.Eskom is striving for no further use of diesel to meet demand for the remainder of the year, he said. The use of diesel in July was zero.

Eskom has come under scrutiny once again over the turbines, as they are massively over budget and delayed, with all four turbines originally meant to go live in 2013.

Carte Blanche interviewed an insider and a mining expert who worked at Ingula, who said the underground contractor was paid billions more than they should have in bonuses, advances and flimsy compensation events, even as the contractors skimped on safety.

The contractor  CMI Joint Venture  comprises two Italian companies, which allegedly have a track record of over-runs and corruption. The third company is PG Mavundla Engineers, which is owned by Philani Mavundla, a friend of President Jacob Zuma who offered to pay for his Nkandla homestead, according to Carte Blanche.

Fin24

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Eskom under fire as Ingula costs said to balloon to R36 billion
One of the most difficult questions to answer in an interview is: Where do you see yourself in five years?

CareerJunction has provided guidance on the topic, and advises job-seekers to have a prepared response if asked the question during a job interview.

The company said the interviewer wants to find out if you have given your career path any thought, if you are ambitious, and if any of your goals conflict with the company.

The interviewer doesnt want to hear that you dont plan to stay at their company for long. Neither do they want to hear that you plan to start your own business, go to school, or live on a beach in Greece, said CareerJunction.

It advised job-seekers to get across that they are willing to make a commitment to the company and that they are not too rigid with their goals.

I want to be promoted within a year, and be managing a team six months after that was an example of a bad answer.

This can automatically take you out of consideration if the position has little growth opportunity. And if you are applying for an entry-level position, this seems presumptuous and the company may go with a different candidate who has more realistic goals.

A good answer will show that you are willing to learn and grow at the company, and will focus on your strengths.

Id like to continue progressing in the marketing field, and see myself in a more senior marketing role. Judging by our conversation so far, this position would give me the opportunity to gain new skills and techniques that would help me to advance, is an example of a good answer, stated CareerJunction.

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WASHINGTON  When Bill Clinton left the White House, he was popular but tainted by scandal, struggling to find his footing. He eventually channeled his energy into the global philanthropy that bears his name and is shaping so much of his post-presidential legacy.

Now, he faces the prospect of walking away from the Clinton Foundation. Hes promised to step down from the board if Hillary Clinton wins the White House in November, a commitment made amid swirling questions  pushed along by Donald Trump  about her ability to separate herself from the foundations wealthy contributors at home and abroad.

For the Clintons, the decisions surrounding the foundation are the latest chapter in an unprecedented partnership of personal and political ambitions. While political spouses  Hillary Clinton among them  often put aside their own goals, never before has that been required of a former president.

Friends and associates say Bill Clinton has accepted that his role in the high-profile charity has to change. But hes also said to be deeply frustrated with the criticism that is shadowing his potential exit.

Were trying to do good things. If theres something wrong with creating jobs and saving lives, I dont know what it is, he said last week.

Mark Updegrove, the director of the Lyndon B. Johnson presidential library and author of Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House, said that while the foundation has unquestionably done good work around the world, the president has no choice but to step aside if his wife wins the White House.

Bill Clinton is smart enough to know that as much as the Clinton Foundation might help to augment his legacy, Hillary Clinton becoming presidency will be a far greater legacy than anything he himself can do as a former president, Updegrove said.

The foundation made some adjustments after she became secretary of state, but it has still faced numerous questions about how rigorously firewalls were upheld that were meant to separate donors from her government work.

An Associated Press review of Clintons calendars from a two-year stretch show that more than half of those she met with from outside of government had made contributions to the foundation.

For Trump and other Republicans, the Clintons overlapping worlds are rife with potential ethical lapses. And for some Democrats, even that perception is worrisome in an election year where control of the White House and Congress are at stake.

Meanwhile, theres a unique reality of modern American politics: What presidents do after leaving the White House can shape their legacy almost as much as their tenure in the Oval Office.

It can be an opportunity to bolster presidential successes and try to make up for failures. And those who leave office relatively young  Clinton was 54  can spend many more years on these legacy projects than they did in the White House.

Jimmy Carter, who was seen by some as an ineffectual one-term president, has dramatically reshaped his image with decades of work on global issues. George W. Bush left office deeply unpopular, but has been applauded for dedicating his post-White House years to HIV programs in Africa and work with wounded military veterans. President Barack Obama has been discussing plans for his White House afterlife with confidants for months.

Theres a certain expectation that you stay involved, you dont totally get off the scene, said Anita McBride, a longtime Bush family aide.

Bill Clintons foundation began largely to support the building of his presidential library in Little Rock, Arkansas. As his post-White House ambitions grew, so did the foundation, ballooning into a $2 billion charity focused on global health, climate change and other international efforts.

The former president has played an active role, leveraging his contacts to fill the foundations coffers and traveling around the world to meet with people helped by its work. Hes the star of the annual Clinton Global Initiative meetings in New York, a mingling of international power players and celebrities that has become the hottest invitation in the philanthropic community.

The work of the foundation is as important to him as anything hes ever done in a lifetime of public service, said Matt McKenna, who worked as Clintons spokesman until last year.

Perhaps reluctant to let go, the Clintons waited until this month to announce a blueprint for the foundations future in the event she wins in November. The plan involves the former president stepping down from the board, though daughter Chelsea Clinton will remain. Foreign and corporate donations will be halted, though the foundation is looking for ways to spin off some programs and keep them running.

The prospect of Bill Clinton stepping away from the foundation that has been the main outlet for his energy and intellect has renewed discussions about how he would fill his time in his wifes administration. Though hes now 70 and slowed by health issues, people close to the Clintons say they fully expect him to seek a prominent role. Hillary Clinton has even raised the prospect of putting her husband in charge of revitalizing the economy.

He just has to feel productive every single day, said Susie Tompkins Buell, a longtime Clinton friend. If he gets into another situation where hes going to have that ability, hes going to be fine.
Laura Boozer said shes at home in the technology industry because shes a naturally curious person.

I want to know how things work, she said.

After years of working in Silicon Valley, today, Boozer is now in charge of business development at FormaTech IT Services in Napa.

1. What exactly does FormaTech do?

FormaTech manages all aspects of information technology for small- to medium-size businesses. We handle network administration, systems infrastructure and architecture, hardware and software, consulting and help desk, phone systems and tablets/mobile devices.

2. Whats your favorite thing about the tech business?

Im always learning.

3. Do you have a favorite tech leader?

Steve Jobs obviously. Mainly because he had such elegant products. And Bill Gates.

4. What was your first job?

My father ran a Mexican food restaurant chain in the Southwest during my childhood. My brother and I started at the bottom learning the ropes. I was a hostess/cashier and he was a busboy. I also assisted in the opening of several new locations throughout Texas during the summers in high school.

5. Whats the worst job you ever had?

MCI Worldcom. This was during the Internet boom when technology companies and startups were draining all bandwidth resources and supply vendors and ISP (Internet service providers) couldnt keep up.

6. Whats on your to-do list?

Piano lessons. Never too old to learn.

Sommelier. Seems appropriate with my last name and living in Napa.

Sky diving. I have heard it is thrilling.

7. What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime that you havent yet?

Detaching from my PDA. Complete satisfaction with work/life balance.

8. Whats something people might be surprised to know about you?

My mother was the first Mexican-American woman to directly serve a president in the White House. She was secretary to Lyndon Johnson from 1953-1968 and worked in the White House during his administration. She then followed him back to Texas as his assistant helping him with his affairs and his memoir Vantage Point until his death in 1973. I grew up on the LBJ ranch in Stonewall, Texas.

9. What was your childhood ambition?

To be an astronaut and come back from an Apollo mission splashing in the ocean.

10. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?

On a speed boat on the Amalfi Coast. Its awesome.
Famous wineries, as well as those that call to be uncovered and discovered by lucky tasters, will be pouring their wines at the Calistoga AVAs inaugural Calistoga Wine Experience on Sept. 10 in Pioneer Park featuring Tuscany-style food and gypsy-jazz live music.

Most of the wineries pouring at the event are not open to the public, making this event a unique opportunity to taste boutique wines that might be found only at a restaurant or retailer. Many vintners and winemakers will be personally pouring their wines, sharing stories of their wines and how their wineries came to be.

Winery owners such as Jim Knighton, a biotechnology executive who set out only to find a tiny Napa Valley home with no maintenance or vineyards for weekend getaways from San Francisco, will be there to tell you how he wound up owning a property with no home and acres of vines and then starting his own winery, Knighton Family Vineyards.

And Homage Vineyard owner Avia Hawksworth, a professional chef, butcher and forager, who practically begged her husband to agree to buy their Napa River property with a then-neglected five acres of cabernet sauvignon on Foothill Boulevard, can share with guests the sheer delight of learning that the first time she entered a wine competition  the San Francisco Chronicle competition in 2013  their Homage Vineyard 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon brought home a gold medal.

The wine tasting experience will also have its share of famed winemakers such as Heidi Barrett, of Screaming Eagle fame, who will be pouring wine from her own label, La Sirena, and industry legend Tom Eddy, who will be representing and pouring his wines that carry his name.

Among the lesser-known boutique wineries that will be pouring are 2880 Wines, Bragg Vineyard, Canard Vineyards, Chateau de Vie, Hindsight Wines, Homage Vineyard, Jack Brooks Vineyard, Knighton Family Vineyards, Next Door Wine, Olabisi, Sebright Cellars, Voros Cellars, Weplar Vineyards and Ziata Wines.

Included among the wineries with tasting rooms with regular open hours are Chateau Montelena, Clos Pegase, T-Vine, Larkmead Vineyards, Summers Estate Winery, Tamber Bey and others.

The wineries will be spread throughout the shaded park along with nibbles and bites prepared by Calistoga Kitchen owner and Chef Rick Warkel. There will also be a variety of goodies from local businesses scattered about, said Larry Arnoff, president of Calistoga Winegrowers Association (CWG), which is hosting the event. Live music in the parks new gazebo will be performed by Hot Club of San Francisco.

Arnoff said CWG developed this Saturday event as an add-on to the wildly popular Harvest Table, which takes place on Sunday, Sept. 11, so folks attending the Harvest Table can make a whole weekend out of it.

This will be the third Harvest Table  a food and wine event held in the middle of closed-off Lincoln Avenue with a 1,000-foot-long table for dining  which has sold out each year, this year in just over a day.

CWG holds an annual event in partnership with Solage called Calistoga Food and Wine where about 30 Calistoga wineries typically participate. That event, held in April, has grown in size and scope since its inception three years ago.

Calistoga Wine Experience will be held in Pioneer Park, 1308 Cedar St., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and tickets ($65) can be purchased at EventBrite.com. For a full list of participating wineries go to CalistogaWineGrowers.com.
Author Bruce Bradley has kindly agreed to participate in a book signing and Meet the Author event at the Sharpsteen Museum on Sept. 17. Currently residing in Nevada City, Bradley lived, worked, and continued to write during his 20-plus years living in Calistoga. His book titles are numerous, including Seeds of Darkness and The Last Jaguar, with our celebrated event title Hugh Glass inspired by Bradleys youth growing up in Alaska.

The true story of mountain man, fur trapper and pathfinder Hugh Glass is brought to life in a book of the same name authored by Bradley. Glass was born in the late 1700s and had lived most of his 37 years as a normal seaman, but in 1817 his ship was captured and he was given the choice to join a pirate crew or die. From that moment on his life became an adventure that ranged from the edges of the Caribbean to the heart of the American wilderness.

Mauled by an enraged grizzly, then robbed and left to die by his comrades hundreds of miles from civilization, Hugh Glass is the story of one man whose will to live despite all odds is a testimony to anyone who ever had to face peril and adversity.

Working for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in the early 1800s, Glass became so knowledgeable of the Great Basin, Missouri Territories and west to California, he was often used as a scout. His familiarity and friendship with many of the Indian tribes throughout the countys wilderness was paramount to the success and livelihood of the fur trappers.

During this period, he met and worked alongside other early pioneer figures such as Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith and Caleb Greenwood. (Greenwood himself settled for a time during the late 1800s in Calistoga, hence the naming of Greenwood Avenue.)

Pioneer Geo. C. Yount, who had met and befriended Hugh Glass, once wrote of him: In point of adventure, dangers, and narrow escapes; and capacity for endurance, and the sufferings which befell him, this man Hugh Glass was pre-eminent. He was bold, daring, reckless, and eccentric to a high degree but was nevertheless a man of great talents and intellectual as well as bodily power.

Author Bradley is widely considered an expert on the true history of Hugh Glass. Most recently, Bradley was interviewed by True West Magazine, an article titled 13 Major Facts The Revenant Got Wrong. (In reference to a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and based on the life of Hugh Glass, released earlier this year.)

A variety of movies have used pieces of the life of Hugh Glass, most recognized being the Robert Redford film Jeremiah Johnson. Little did Glass know what his life would inspire.

Bruce Bradleys personal history is nearly as exciting as that of Hugh Glass. Bradley was never a man of the sea, nor was he mauled by a bear, but growing up in Alaska seemed to set him on a trail of his own, one that he continues to this day. Aside from being an accomplished author of various titles, he is a screen writer, actor, has been a Napa Valley winemaker, private investigator, bartender, adventurer, explorer, outdoorsman, and more. (By the way ladies, he is single.)

Please join the Sharpsteen Museum in hosting this accomplished writer and historian of Hugh Glass; learn of that piece of time in our country when the mountain men were known as the bravest of them all.

A brief lecture will begin at noon, followed by a question and answer period. Bradley will be on hand until 1:30 p.m. to autograph copies of Hugh Glass, which will be available for purchase for $14.95 (less 10 percent for members).

This event is too good to miss, hope to see you all there!

Editors note: Kathy Bazzoli is a Sharpsteen Museum board member and regular contributor to The Weekly Calistogan.
Aug. 20

12:33 a.m.: Officers responded to a report of a vehicle accident on Foothill Blvd near Madrone. Upon arrival, it was determined to be a non-injury accident with only one vehicle involved. Officers confirmed there was no alcohol or drugs involved and remained on scene while a tow truck recovered the vehicle.

4:04 a.m.: Calistoga Police Department received a report of fraudulent credit card usage from an outside agency. A suspect was identified and Officers are investigating the reported theft.

9:41 a.m.: Officers responded for a report of three dogs wandering in the area of Foothill Blvd. and High St. Officers checked the area, however they were unable to locate the cavorting canines. Apparently they either hitched a ride or reached their destination before officers arrived.

12:47 p.m.: Citizens in Calistoga are still receiving the previously reported IRS scam. Everyone is reminded that the IRS will never call citizens directly and demand payment. Please check the IRS website at www.irs.gov for more information on various phone scams.

7:27 p.m.: Officers responded for a disturbance in the 1700 block of Reynard Ln. Officers located a residence playing loud music and had them turn the music down.

9:23 p.m.: Officers responded for a disturbance in the 1100 block of Spring St. Officers located a residence playing loud music. Due to multiple contacts at the residence for loud music, Code Enforcement was contacted to investigate possible violation of Calistoga Municipal Code.

11:14 p.m.: Fire, EMS and officers responded for a medical call in the 1300 block of Lincoln Ave. The involved party was evaluated by medical personnel and transported to an area hospital.

Aug. 21

2:02 a.m.: Officers responded for a disturbance in the 1300 block of Spring St. Callers stated there was loud music coming from somewhere in the area, possible a vehicle. Officers checked the area however the music was turned off before they could locate the source.

2:26 a.m.: Officers responded for a disturbance in the 1800 block of Lincoln Ave. Officers arrived on scene and located the subjects involved in the disturbance. One of the subjects left prior to officers arrival and the other party confirmed it was verbal only in nature.

2:39 a.m.: Officers responded for a disturbance in the area of Cedar St and Spring St. Officers located a group of subjects who had been creating the disturbance. Several subjects were hanging out in a vehicle and had a verbal argument. The subjects were separated and went on their way home.

2:53 a.m.: Officers responded to a disturbance in the 1800 block of Lincoln Ave. The subject from the previous disturbance had returned and was yelling again. Officers contacted the subject, determined the nature of the problem and assisted in relocating all involved parties.

3:19 a.m.: Officers responded for a suspicious subject in the 1400 block of First St. An unconscious subject was found inside a vehicle. Officers and medical personnel confirmed the subject was intoxicated and not able to care for himself. The subject was taken into custody until he sobered up and then released.

5:38 a.m.: Officers responded for a possible prowler at Chateau Calistoga Mobile Home Park. Officers contacted the resident, who thought they heard a subject in the area. Officers checked the area and were unable to locate any signs of a prowler.

10:52 a.m.: Officers took a report for a stolen bicycle from the 1300 block of Fair Way. The bicycle is described as a red one-speed cruiser with a black seat. If located, please contact the Calistoga Police Department.

4:44 p.m.: Officers responded for an intoxicated subject at the Napa County Fairgrounds. Officers determined the subject was too intoxicated to care for himself. The subject was taken into custody until sober and then released.

7:20 p.m.: Officers responded for a juvenile problem in the 1400 block of Lake St. Two juveniles were involved in a dispute. Officers contacted the parents and assisted with mediation between the juveniles.

8:35 p.m.: A black wallet was found in the 1700 block of Lincoln Ave and brought into the Calistoga Police Department. Dispatchers were able to identify and locate the owner.

9:04 p.m.: While on routine patrol, officers were contacted by security at the Napa County Fairgrounds. Officers determined that two subjects had been involved in a physical altercation. Officers spoke with the involved parties and placed one of the involved subjects under arrest for suspected assault.

Aug. 22

2:27 a.m.: Officers responded for a possible prowler heard in the 1300 block of Berry St. Officers checked the residence, found no sign of a prowler and contacted the residence owner.

2:32 a.m.: Officers responded for a disturbance in the 1400 block of North Oak St. Officers located two subjects in a vehicle and had them keep the noise down.

8:17 a.m.: Officers responded for a suspicious subject near Pioneer Park. Officers contacted a subject who was homeless. The subject was provided information on available resources nearby and left the area.

Aug. 23

8:18 a.m.: Officers responded to a barking dog complaint in the 2700 block of Foothill Blvd. Officers located the residence, contacted the involved parties and forwarded the information to Code Enforcement.

8:47 a.m.: Officers responded to a report of an abandoned vehicle in the area of Brannan St and Lincoln Ave. The vehicle was located, tagged and referred to vehicle abatement.

8:56 a.m.: Officers responded to a report of an abandoned vehicle in the 1300 block of Spring St. The vehicle was located, tagged and referred to vehicle abatement.

8:59 a.m.: Officers responded to a report of an abandoned vehicle in the area of Berry St and Cedar St. The involved vehicle was located, tagged and referred to vehicle abatement.

9:07 a.m.: Officers responded for a parking complaint in the area of Gold St and Myrtle St. The involved vehicle was located and a citation was issued.

9:15 a.m.: Officers responded for a report of an abandoned vehicle in the area of Myrtle St and Lillie St. The involved vehicle was located, tagged and referred to vehicle abatement.

5:38 p.m.: Citizens have reported receiving a phone scam claiming to be from PG&E. Please refrain from providing any personal or private information to suspicious callers.

5:41 p.m.: Officers responded for a report of two dogs in the area of Lincoln Ave and Brannan St. Officers located the two canines which refused to stand still for officers. The dogs were able to flee the area before officers could detain them. It appears the canines may have returned home, as officers checked the area and could find no signs of the dogs.

6:17 p.m.:

Fire, EMS and officers responded for a medical call in the 1300 block of Lincoln Ave. The involved party was contacted by medical personnel and transported to an area hospital.

6:38 p.m.: Officers responded to assist Napa County Sheriffs Deputies with several loose cows in the area of Evey Rd and Bennet Ln. The owner of the cows was located and the animals were secured.

9:50 p.m.: Officers responded for a disturbance in the 1800 block of Lincoln Ave. Officers located both parties involved in a verbal argument. Officers mediated and both parties separated for the evening.

Aug. 24

8:46 a.m.: Officers responded for a report of a loose dog in the area of Grant St and Centennial Cir. An Officer located the canine, but was unable to catch the dog and it fled the area.

8:48 a.m.: Officers responded for a report of a vehicle accident in the 1400 block of Washington St. Officers remained on scene to assist with the exchange of information.

Aug. 25

11:25 a.m.: Officers responded for a report of possibly intoxicated subjects in the 2400 block of Foothill Blvd. Two subjects, possibly homeless, were reported yelling at cars and other subjects. Officers checked the area and were unable to locate the subjects.

6:13 p.m.: Officers responded for a possible theft report in the 1400 block of Lincoln Ave. Officers contacted the suspect and victim. The victim declined to press charges and the suspect was admonished.

8:03 p.m.: Officers responded for an abandoned vehicle in the 700 block of Washington St. The vehicle was located, tagged and referred to vehicle abatement.

8:55 p.m.: Officers responded for a report of vandalism in the 2400 block of Foothill Blvd. The victim vehicle had been keyed sometime during the day. Officers took a report and are investigating.

Aug. 26

1:59 a.m.: Officers responded for a disturbance in the 20 block of View Rd. Several subjects were heard yelling at each other. Officers located the residence, determined the disturbance was verbal only in nature and mediated the situation for everyone.

8:13 a.m.: Officers responded for a parking complaint in the 1500 block of Lake St. Officers located the vehicle, contacted the registered owner and cited them for blocking a driveway.

9:24 a.m.: A citizen found a loose puppy in the 100 block of Foothill Blvd and brought him into the Calistoga Police Department. The puppy was dehydrated, suffering from malnutrition and in need of medical attention. Animal Control responded out to take the puppy in for medical care. Officers are investigating the ownership of the canine and are waiting on information from the veterinarian for possible neglect charges.

9:44 a.m.: Officers responded for a parking complaint in the 1700 block of Lincoln Ave. The vehicle left the area prior to officers arrival.

2:26 p.m.: Officers responded for a parking complaint in the 1700 block of Lake St. Officers located the vehicle and issued a citation.

7:58 p.m.: Officers responded for a report of a barking dog in the 2700 block of Foothill Blvd. This is an ongoing issue and has been forwarded to Code Enforcement.
U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson, representative of Californias Fifth District, held an informal coffee klatch in the Calistoga Roastery on Lincoln Avenue on Aug. 24, offering free coffee and conversation.

Thompson, who is seeking another term in the House of Representatives, used the opportunity to listen to the concerns of the Upvalley residents.

On hand was Thompsons constituent services representative, Lorena Barrera, who was promoting the services that are offered through the congressmans Napa office. Standing by a sign that read Coffee isnt a drug. Its a vitamin, Barrera reminded everyone as they entered that the mornings Cup-a-Joe was this day a Cup-a-Mike, offering to put the coffee on the congressmans tab.

Barrera said that  besides coffee  Thompsons Napa office specializes in assisting residents in dealing with the complex federal agency system such as Social Security, Medicare, immigration, federal worker injury compensation, tax issues and the Internal Revenue Service. His office also deals with small business concerns, grants, student loans, military academy applications and veterans resources.

Sitting at the front table of the coffee shop  an area visited regularly by locals and often called The table of knowledge by its denizens  Thompson held an informal court, chatting easily with the men, women and children who sat down beside him. Meanwhile, Barrera jotted down names, addresses, and emails of those who wished to take advantage of Thompsons offer of free coffee.

The Fifth District of California encompasses one of the most diverse counties in the state, including Napa and Lake counties, parts of Solano and Contra Costa counties and much of Sonoma County.
The popularity of wireless technology has prompted the city of American Canyon to address the issue of adding telecommunication antennas to the tops of streetlights, something other cities in California are wrestling with, according to city officials.

In June, the company Mobilitie approached the city about installing a three-foot antenna to the top of a streetlight at 100 Benton Way as a way to improve area wireless services.

The streetlight is situated near two homes in the neighborhood of Victoria Faire, and located across the street from the community swimming pool.

The request for an encroachment permit caught city planners off-guard. American Canyon has no existing standards for the addition of antennas, or wireless telecommunication facilities, to light poles in the public right-of-way.

Although the application from Mobilitie was for just one antenna at a specific location, the request carried the potential for more equipment to follow.

Mobilitie, based in Newport Beach, is a leading provider of wireless infrastructure used by companies like Sprint and others.

In fact, Mobilitie is reportedly Sprints primary vendor for rolling out as many as 70,000 small cells in cities across the country, according to the website FierceWireless.

Unprepared to act on Mobilities permit application, the Community Development Department asked the City Council for help.

The council responded on Aug. 16 by adopting an emergency 45-day moratorium on the development, establishment, and operation of wireless telecommunication facilities in the public right-of-way.

Community Development Director Brent Cooper said the temporary ordinance would give his staff time to research how other cities are dealing with such requests from wireless infrastructure companies, and to craft a permanent ordinance.

Certainly this issue is happening perhaps all over the country, Cooper told the council, and were aware of it happening all over California.

Communities concerned about aesthetics have been adopting ordinances that take a look at working with the companies to make sure these installations are the most unobtrusive and appropriate for their surroundings as possible, Cooper added.

He said without a new ordinance, American Canyon would have no ability to control the aesthetics of these installations.

Cooper used Southern California as an example of what the city doesnt want to happen.

He showed the council a photo of a city street from the greater Los Angeles area with a 120-foot tall wireless facility.

The streetlight on Benton Way, even with the proposed antenna, would only reach 28 feet into the air.

He also said the new ordinance would address aesthetics, but not safety-related concerns stemming from wireless infrastructure in neighborhoods.

We can look into the issue, but I believe the [safety] issue is largely preempted by Federal and State law, Cooper said in an email to the Eagle.

Council members did not express any reservations with Coopers plan, and approved the temporary moratorium 5-0.

Mayor Leon Garcia said the issue of wireless facilities came up at a League of California Cities workshop, where some unsightly examples of cell towers were presented.

Its timely for us to consider this, said Garcia.

Vice Mayor Joan Bennett asked about the regulation of wireless infrastructure on private property since the moratorium only addresses areas in the public right-of-way.

Cooper said the city already has an ordinance that deals with antennas on private properties. However, It maybe isnt the best ordinance, and it is something we can take a look at, he said.

But the city does have discretionary authority over these sort of facilities on private property, said Cooper.

Councilmember Mark Joseph wondered if there was a way for the city to make money off the addition of wireless antennas on streetlights, if it decides to allow them.

Is there a way if theyre on a public right-of-way that we can charge some kind of service fee or licensing fee so we have an ongoing revenue stream as a result of these things? Joseph asked.
Turning 50 is often marked by big birthday celebrations, the kind that pay tribute to a person who has made it through a half-century of living.

Some such parties, however, do more than that. They become opportunities to serve notice that the birthday guy or gal still has a lot of life left to live.

For Shelly Ross of San Francisco, her 50th birthday party was all of the above and more. It was a chance to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations

Ross was born in August 1966, only weeks before Star Trek first aired on NBC. She is part of a generation that grew up on Star Trek reruns, fell in love with its kitschy effects and optimistic outlook, and helped propel it to popular success for decades to come.

She shares more than a birth year with the most famous sci-fi television series of all time. Ross also has an unbridled love of Star Trek and all it represents: hope, idealism, discovery, humanity, friendship.

So, when it came time to plan her 50th birthday bash, Ross decided to share it with Kirk, Spock, Picard, Riker, Tribbles and more, and go boldly where few parties have ever gone before.

Live Long and Prosper as Star Trek and Shelly both turn 50! was how the party was billed.

In reaching out to her friends, Ross acknowledged the numerical elephant in the room, while at the same time shrugging off the significance that society and culture place on age, particularly for women.

50, how is it possible Im turning 50? Ross wrote in her invitation. I remember when 50 sounded OLD.

She went on to explain that she was in good company by reaching 50, as Star Trek is only 15 days younger than me.

Although technically older than the show, Ross is in no way old.

The woman has more youthful energy and spirit than an entire class of Starfleet Academy cadets.

She could take on the fiercest of Star Trek nemeses (the Gorn, the Mugato, even the Crystalline Entity) and come out of it without a scratch, or her lipstick smeared.

Her exuberance has a tractor-beam like quality, and was just one of the reasons why so many people were drawn to her party on a Thursday night, with and without uniforms and costumes.

The party was a chance to dress up as starship commanders, science officers, yeomen and even short-lived security officers.

If you dont have a costume, just wear a red shirt, Ross informed her invitees in a humorous homage to Star Treks (Original Series) penchant for killing off security personnel.

Some of the female guests wore costumes provided by Ross, who has a bounty of Star Trek attire.

The party itself was held at the Cat Club in San Francisco, a venerable locale in the citys South of Market nightlife scene.

The Cat Club, as Ross put it, was turned into Ten Forward for the night (the bar/lounge on a starship).

The venue featured Star Trek decorations  including a wall-sized schematic of the U.S.S. Enterprise  and videos of Star Trek scenes and characters, both live action and animated.

There were two specially crafted birthday cakes: one in the shape of the Borg, the other of the Starfleet insignia.

The drink menu was interstellar, if not whimsical.

Those who sidled up to the bar were advised to use the code phrase Shut up, Wesley! (again, Google it) while ordering Klingon Bloodwine, a James Tea Kirk, Mind Meld, Raktajino, Warp Core Breach, Romulan Ale, or Synthehol (bottled water).

It was only logical for Ross to have her birthday party at the Cat Club.

She regularly attends the clubs many nights devoted to 80s music. Everything from New Wave to pop to gothic and industrial can be heard bouncing off the brick-and-mortar walls and wood floors four times a week.

The music at Live Long and Prosper was an orchestral blend of 80s genres, with Star Trek sound effects, including phaser blasts, spliced into the music playing on two dance floors.

Ross alternated between the two rooms to mingle with her guests, bask in the revelry, and most definitely to dance.

If dancing were a criteria for promotion in Starfleet, Ross would have made admiral.

Her stamina is remarkable, and not just for someone who turned 50, but for anyone of any age.

Put on some Front 242 or Nitzer Ebb and the woman turns into an unstoppable whirling dervish of the galaxies.

Music seems to be the sustenance of her life force, which shown brightly on this night.

It was an evening to rejoice a span of time totaling 50 years, for both a human and a creation of the human imagination, and neither one showed any signs of getting old.
Dozens of notable Republicans have said that they will not vote for Donald Trump, including at least six Republican senators, two Republican governors, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and a group of 50 former national security officials who served Republican presidents from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, among others.

So where are the #NeverHillary Democrats?

Hillary Clinton has lied to the American people so frequently that multiple polls now show that almost 7 in 10 of our fellow citizens say she is not honest or trustworthy, while only 11 percent say she is, according to an NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll. Fifty-six percent say they believe Clinton should have been charged with a crime in the FBI investigation of her use of a private email server. And 60 percent say Clinton believes she does not have to play by the same rules as everyone else.

They are right. The FBI director found Clinton to have been extremely careless and the definition of negligent in handling classified information. We recently learned that the FBI recovered some 14,900 emails she did not turn over, after assuring Americans I turned over everything I was obligated to turn over. We now know the Clinton Foundation sought favors for foreign donorslike a meeting for the crown prince of Bahrain (hes a good friend of ours, a longtime Bill Clinton aide said) after he had trouble securing one through official channels. The Associated Press has reported, after an analysis of meetings from about two years of her State Department calendars, that more than half of the people outside the government whom Clinton met with while she was secretary of state gave money to the Clinton Foundationa collective $156 million in donations.

Every day, more evidence emerges that Clinton is morally unfit to occupy the Oval Office. But so far, no leading Democrats have come out and said they will not vote for her.

Democrats are clearly worried about the optics of the Clinton scandals. That is why the Clinton Foundation announced it will no longer accept donations from corporations or foreign entities if Hillary Clinton is elected president. But where are the senior Democrats asking why it is wrong to take such donations if she becomes president, but it wasnt wrong to take millions from corporate and foreign donors when she was secretary of state? Where are the Democrats asking why the Clinton Foundation should continue to rack up such donations right up until Election Day? You wont find them.

Politico reports that Democrats are dismayed by the timing of the three-day [Clinton Global Initiative] conference Sept. 19-21a week before the first national debate and seven weeks before Election Day. Note that they are not dismayed because amassing donations from foreign and corporate donors a few weeks before the election is morally wrongonly that it will give the GOP ammunition just days before Hillary Clinton defends herself against pay-to-play accusations from Donald Trump in their first debate.

For Democrats, the Clinton Foundation is a PR problem, not an ethics problem.

Indeed, its hard to find any senior Democrats who are even publicly conflicted about her. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., famously took weeks after Trump secured the GOP nomination before finally agreeing to support him, telling reporters Im not there yet. Has any leading Democrat of Ryans stature said Im not there yet when it comes to supporting Clinton?

The hypocrisy is particularly rank, because Democrats have made taking on the Wall Street special interests and the pay-to-play culture in Washington a centerpiece of their political agenda. Now they have a kleptocratic nominee who epitomizes everything they claim to opposeand they seem to be completely fine with it.

Where is the Democrats outrage over the deal then-Secretary Clinton cut with the Swiss bank UBS, which let tens of thousands of tax-dodging Americans off the hook, while the Clinton Foundation got a cumulative $600,000 in UBS donations and Bill Clinton got $1.5 million for Q&A sessions, which the Wall Street Journal reports made UBS his biggest single corporate source of speech income disclosed since he left the White House.

Crickets.

In June, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said, Do I have a problem when a sitting secretary of state and a foundation run by her husband collects many, many dollars from foreign governmentsgovernments which are dictatorships? Yeah, I do have a problem with that. Apparently not that big of a problem. Hes now supporting Hillary Clinton unreservedly.

Or take Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who tweeted that Government should be accountable to the people, not Wall Street lobbyists, deep-pocketed donors on the very same day she endorsed Clinton for president. Talk about a lack of moral courage.

The Clinton saga has exposed the Democrats as completely mercenary. So when you hear Democrats talk about how billionaires and special interests have rigged the system, remember that they supported a nominee whose foundation took billions from those special interests. When you hear Democrats talk about gay rights and womens rights, remember that they supported a nominee whose foundation took tens of millions from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and other countries that openly persecute gays and deny equality to women.

As Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., has said of Trump, I cant support someone that I dont think would take the oath of office in good faith. Will even one Democrat stand up and say the same of Clinton?

Dont hold your breath.

Thiessen writes a weekly column for The Washington Post on foreign and domestic policy and contributes to the PostPartisan blog. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush.
I've never seen a half penny, have you? From the very beginning this voter initiative has been dishonest (Measure D, creating a half cent sales tax in St. Helena).

Our local government has a poor reputation because of how they already mishandle our tax funds, and now they want more? Now, even their request for more money is dishonest.

The REAL tax is 1 cent. Yes, some retailers have cash registers that can calculate 1/2 cent but in ALL cases, they round up.

Our city government complains that they need a new city hall because it needs a new roof and the police department uses a stool to have people sit on. How can they afford a new city hall if they can't even figure out how to "afford" a roof or a stool?

Our city government uses wage comparisons from other cities to set St. Helena city worker wages. That system works great when there isn't a deficit. In our case, we can't afford that standard -- at least until we get our financial house in order. In the meantime and in this economy, we are more than able to find qualified workers for less. This is what we should do. If the city government "wants" a new building, then switch buildings with the library.

In the meantime, who wants to put up additional tax money unless or until we get people who can run our city government properly? If they can't even be honest about the REAL tax they are asking us to pay, they are not yet ready to deserve our trust -- or an extra "1/2 cent" tax.

Von Boyenger

St. Helena

Editor's Note: The Register asked the California Board of Equalization, which collects the sales taxes for all municipalities. Board spokesman Paul Cambra said retailers do not always round up when there is a fractional cent. State law requires that fractional cents under one half to be rounded down and one half or over to be rounded up. For example, for an item costing $85.11 with an 8.5 percent sales tax, the tax bill would be $7.23435, so the consumer would pay $7.23 in sales tax. An item costing $85.12, meanwhile, would result in a tax bill of $7.2352, so the consumer would pay $7.24 in sales taxes.
An ordinary tract home in normally bucolic Browns Valley has become the center of an extended neighborhood spat  one including a cage of chickens on top of a car, a pair of freed rabbits, mocking yard signs, late-night parties, crowds of visitors and illegal outdoor cooking.

The homeowner of 3366 Linda Mesa Way has been cited for being an unpermitted short-term vacation rental, with fines accruing at $1,000 a day.

Property records list Stephanie Duhau as the owner, but according to their attorney Jamie Keeton, Duhau and tenant Sean G. Sheen are the co-owners of the house.

Since April, the city has cited Duhau approximately eight times for non-permitted vacation rental activity and advertising such a rental.

Until Friday, she was being fined $1,000 each day, totaling more than $10,000, according to city of Napa Community Development Director Rick Tooker.
Environmental groups say theyre worried a recent Napa County court decision will make it harder for them to get new initiatives on the ballot.

Backers of the Water, Forest and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative are asking the state Court of Appeals to overturn the rejection of their initiative, allowing their measure to go to the voters, whether this election or next. Their measure increases the restrictions on development around streams on the countys hillsides. They filed their formal appeal to the First District Court of Appeals last week.

An amicus brief filed with the court by five environmental groups supports the overturn of the Napa decision. This brief contends that [a]ll of our appellate courts have consistently held that the Constitutions initiative and referendum provisions should be liberally construed to maintain maximum power in the people and that any doubts should be resolved in favor of the exercise of these rights.

Proponents Mike Hackett and Jim Wilson collected more than 6,000 signatures for the initiative. Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur certified the signatures, but subsequently refused to place the initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot after the Countys legal counsel, Minh Tran, determined that an eight-page appendix from a previous county plan was missing. That appendix was a list of Sustainable Best Management Practices from the 2010 Voluntary Oak Woodland Management Plan.

Hackett and Wilson said that the appendix was never intended to be part of the initiative, but was referenced merely as an example. They took Tuteurs decision to Napa Superior Court, but Judge Diane Price sided with the county registrar.

Now, in their amicus brief to the appellate court, the five environmental groups said that Judge Diane Price failed consider the legal standards and precedents that should have guided her decision. These five groups are Forests Forever, Inc., The California Wildlife Foundation, Corporate Ethics International, Forests Unlimited and The California Native Plant Society.

They said they feared the potential legal precedent if the Napa Superior Courts decision is upheld based upon this extreme interpretation of the full text rule. They, too, want the appeals court to overrule the lower court.

According to their understanding, the decision by the Napa Superior Court would become a legal precedent, if upheld by the appellate court, creating confusion about the precise requirements necessary to successfully create any voter-sponsored initiative.

David A. Carrillo, executive director of the California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law, examined the question of precedent and said, By itself, this trial court decision does not make new law. Absent an appellate decision upholding the (Napa) Superior Court order on the merits, it is not binding on any other judges or cases.

However, Carrillo added that judges on the Napa bench may adopt the decision as a matter of local practice. This is the potential obstacle for future Napa County initiatives.

Hackett said the move to the appellate court is to preserve the certifications of signatures collected, and that if the Napa court decision is overturned, he expects the initiative will appear on the 2018 ballot.

A date for the appellate court hearing has not yet been published.
The innovative solution to drawing and retaining employees who live in Santa Rosa by offering a shuttle service has been discontinued for now, a Calistoga Chamber of Commerce official said.

Its suspended as of early August, said Chris Canning, executive director of the chamber.

Canning, who is also Calistogas mayor, worked with businesses and employees in the city to develop the Employee Shuttle Program (ESP), which kicked off on June 13, to shuttle employees from specific stops in Santa Rosa and bring them to Calistoga for work.

Even after the shuttle offered free rides to employees, it never took off. Shuttle rides were $7.50 each trip to both employees and employers. But no more than three employees took advantage of the service.

There needs to be more employee participation and employer support, before it resumes, Canning said.

But hes not giving up on the concept, which he said is based on Silicon Valley tech companies that provide employee shuttles.

St. Helenas Chamber of Commerce took notice of the program because businesses there, too, have difficulty drawing qualified employees to the city. Like Calistoga, St. Helena is plagued by high housing costs, making it difficult for middle-level managers and line-level employees to find a place to live near where they work, said Pam Simpson, executive director.

St. Helena is very interested in seeing how the Calistoga shuttle program goes, Simpson said. We have invited St. Helena businesses to meet with the Calistoga Chamber to see if (Calistogas) shuttle could be rerouted for St. Helenas use.

We are still investigating options but at some point St. Helena will engage in a deeper conversation about it, she said.

Our issue here is quality workers who can live in St. Helena. Obviously its a problem we see statewide not just in St. Helena and its not going to get solved overnight, Simpson said.

Simpson said she is also speaking with the Napa Valley Transportation Authority to expand Vine buses. St. Helena has a lot of employees who ride the Vine from their Napa homes to work, but unless the employers business is located near the main thoroughfare of Main Street where the bus stops are, employees have no way of getting to jobs at places such as St. Helena Hospital.

Getting people out of their cars and on to a bus will help alleviate traffic that clogs up Main Street daily. But getting people to give up their cars is asking for a mindset change, too, she said.

People are afraid of being stuck at work without means of transportation in case of an emergency, or adhering to a restrictive schedule that might be inconvenient. There are plenty of jobs in Napa where more affordable housing can be found and is closer to cities such as American Canyon, Vallejo and Fairfield, which offer lower rents, too.

Theres enough jobs in the south not to commute. Commuting is just inhibiting, she said.

The ESPs use was targeted at commuters and those who might not have a car at all, or share a car with a family member, Canning said in previous interviews. Looking into the future, Calistoga businesses are also concerned about employee retention when two new high-end resorts open up. Already anecdotal stories are told of one restaurant desperate to hire dishwashers raised its hourly wage causing another restaurant to lose its staff to the highest bidder.

The Santa Rosa job market is healthy giving residents there no real incentive to make the commute to Calistoga or St. Helena, Canning said.

The onus is on employers to incentivize employees to take a job in these Upvalley cities, Simpson said. Because of the unemployment rates in the two cities, a shuttle program is a great retention tool.

We are seeing the crunch. Everybody here has jobs open. But it feels like a statewide issue, not just our valley, Simpson said.
Freemasons dedicated the cornerstone of the new St. Helena Performing Arts Center on Friday, in a rare public display of one of the secretive organizations centuries-old rituals.

More than 30 Masons participated in the ceremony, which was led by M. David Perry of American Canyon, the 150th Grand Master of the Free and Accepted Masons of California. It was the same ceremony that President George Washington, Master of his Masonic lodge, performed at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 18, 1793.

Wearing ceremonial aprons and collars decorated with Masonic symbols, the Masons marched through the parking lot outside the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at St. Helena High School, next to Vintage Hall.

Stewards lifted gold-tipped rods to form the familiar Masonic inverted V, which represents the compass used by masons and architects.

Members of St. Helena Boy Scouts Troop One presented the American flag. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Perry explained how a buildings cornerstone must be laid with great care, since it serves as a reference point for the rest of the building.

The concept of the cornerstone took on greater significance when people began seeing the construction of a building as a metaphor for building ones life upon proper foundational principles, Perry said.

Perry encouraged people to listen carefully to the ensuing ceremony and ponder, What is my cornerstone, and what would I build to build a better world for all of us?

Perry ordered the Grand Treasurer to deposit a time capsule beneath the cornerstone, in hopes that ages upon ages will pass ere it be seen again.

Perry then summoned the next Mason. Brother Deputy Grand Master, what is the jewel of your office?

The square, Grand Master, the Mason replied, bearing the 90-degree square used by carpenters and masons.

Perry replied, Then you will apply the jewel of your office to those portions of the stone which should be square.

The Mason did as commanded, holding the square up to the cornerstone, which is inscribed with the year 2016 and the Masonic square-and-compass symbol. He returned to Perry and replied, I have obeyed your order, Grand Master, and find that in that respect, the craftsmen have done their duty.

Then Perry commanded a Senior Grand Warden to use the jewel of your office  in this case a level  to confirm that the stone had been laid in a manner credible to our ancient craft. The Senior Grand Warden confirmed that it was.

Finally, Perry summoned a Junior Grand Warden, who carried a plumb as the jewel of his office. Perry commanded him to apply the plumb to the stone and confirm it has been properly adjusted. It had.

The cornerstone having passed all three tests, Perry tapped it with what appeared to be a ceremonial mallet and declared it well-formed, true and trusty.

Perry called for symbolic offerings of corn, wine and oil, which were poured from chalices into saucers. The building was dedicated with a prayer, with Perry calling upon the Great Architect of the Universe to bless the construction of the building, ensure its long-term beneficial use, and grant to all of us that ever-bountiful supply of the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment and the oil of joy.

Perry then presented the tools of construction to the Masonic Principal Architect, encouraging him to construct the building to the highest standards worthy of Freemasonry.

The ceremony ended with less formal remarks by Grand Orator Marc Newman about the role education plays in developing each students character and integrity, and preparing them to be responsible citizens of a democracy that works for the common good.

Each student represents a symbol of hope, he said. Like a stone, they need to be shaped, molded and tested for a purpose greater than themselves.

Newman said the Masons participation in Fridays ceremony reflected their gratitude and appreciation for all of the teachers, administrators and volunteers who dedicate their lives to educating the future of our country.

The Masons also announced a donation of $1,000 to the St. Helena Unified School District.
From Vidovich Avenue to Andrea Way, property owners and members of the Tree Committee are celebrating the planting of trees they say will help beautify St. Helena, provide shade and gobble up carbon dioxide.

Its privacy, its shade, its lower temperatures, said Dan Hale, who planted four crepe myrtles in front of his Andrea Way home. It makes the whole street look more friendly.

Scott Gay of Velo Vino said he hopes that the four maples he recently planted along Vidovich will provide more shade, attract business and enhance the propertys aesthetics. The property is irrigated by a well, so the trees wont use city water.

The idea is to increase the greening of our public spaces as much as we can, he said. The whole thing cost about $300, which is relatively nothing.

This is the perfect time to start planting, according to Edie Kausch, a landscape designer and chair of St. Helenas Tree Committee. Trees planted in the fall tend to grow the fastest, and the leaves that fall from other trees provide free fertilizer.

Trees are good for the whole city, Kausch said. They reduce the temperature around them by preventing sunlight from reflecting off the sidewalk or road surface. The more trees you have, the more shade you have. The more shade you have, the lower the temperature is and the more oxygen you have.

The Tree Committee strives to protect the St. Helenas tree canopy. However, the city has limited resources available to plant trees, and regulations proposed by the committee to protect trees on private property are still under staff review. So the committee is instead hoping that property owners will see the benefits of planting their own street trees.

Trees should be chosen carefully to suit the place where theyre being planted, Kausch said. The city has a list of ideal street trees, based on factors like size and root systems.

Deep-rooted trees are preferable to trees that spread their roots outward and tend to damage sidewalks, foundations and sewer lines. The root system also depends on the size of the tree. Tall trees with big canopies tend to have correspondingly large root systems.

When buying from a nursery, Kausch usually advises her clients to buy small young trees, not because theyre cheaper than big older ones (although they are) but because the buyer will still have a chance to shape their structure and development.

Velo Vino went with maples that can thrive in direct sunlight  not the Japanese maples that need shade. The Andrea Way location has power lines overhead, so the homeowners chose low-growing crepe myrtles.

The new trees on Vidovich and Andrea are the first ones on their respective sidewalks, and Kausch hopes they will start a trend.

The Tree Committee also encourages the preservation and planting of oaks, which can sometimes be suitable as street trees. Environmentalist and former postmaster Peter Mennen has pledged up to $50,000 to fund the re-oaking of St. Helena.

Young 15-gallon trees other than oaks are typically cheap, costing between $55 to $150. Trees planted in the public right-of-way require a $75 city permit, which Kausch said is not difficult to obtain.

Property owners looking to plant inside the public right-of-way should contact the city or go to cityofsthelena.org for a tree permit.
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President discusses latest foreign political developments around Artsakh

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

Quake hits Armenia-Turkey border zone

Armenia ruling party adopting new vision regarding Karabakh conflict settlement

Russia MOD: Ukraine carried out terrorist attack on Black Sea Fleet ships, civilian ships in Sevastopol

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

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YEREVAN.  The Special Investigation Service (SIS) of Armenia on Wednesday issued a statement in connection with the ongoing investigation within the framework of the case into the clashes that occurred in Sari Tagh district of capital city Yerevan, in the late evening hours on July 29 and early morning hours on July 30.

As per the SIS statement, it was found out that, allegedly, 99 people, 23 of whomjournalists, have suffered from these events.

As of Wednesday, 74 people were questioned along the lines of the said criminal case, 63 of them were recognized as injured party, and 11 persons were questioned as witnesses.

A total of 21 of 23 journalists also were questioned, 19 of them were recognized as injured party, and two were questioned as witness, whereas two others refused to come to the respective investigative body.

In addition, 47 persons sustained fragment injuries, 36 were subjected to physical violence, and 5 others received burns in the aforesaid clashes.

Furthermore, criminal proceedings are conducted against 6 persons, and on charges of committing apparent crimes, including the obstruction of the lawful professional activities of journalists.
Relatives of the Avetisyan family, which was brutally last year in Gyumri, Armenia, do not believe that Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in Gyumri and who has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of this family, had committed these murders all by himself, and they are dissatisfied with the murder trial that wrapped up in the said Russian military base.

Lusine Avetisyan, a relative of the slain family, on Wednesday told reporters that the trial gave no answer to any question. In her words, the relatives of the Avetisyan had faith that justice would be served because some people had given a mans word, but they did not keep their promise.

Yegor Adamyan, a son-in-law of the murdered family, for his part, noted that they had sent a letter to the President of Armenia, and asked that he take the murder trial under his auspices and make everything known. But, as per Adamyan, the President did not help them.

In turn, Lusine Avetisyan expressed a view that Permyakov had not acted alone, and that is why he keeps silent when he is asked why he had committed such a crime. Avetisyan added that Permyakovs commanders are also guilty, since they had brought him to Armenia and let him serve here.

Artur Kshotyan, another son-in-law of the murdered family, said the Armenian side likewise did not wish to reveal the truth. Otherwise, it would have demanded that other Russian military servicemen also be brought and tried.

When asked what will be their future course of action, Lusine Avetisyan responded: We have filed a civil suit so that Russia will be dealt even a small blow; we have done [this] so that they will be punished. We hope that this case will be [truly] solved at least one day, years later. If they tell us even from the European Court [of Human Rights] that we conduct a reopening of the graves [of the slain family in order conduct an investigation], Im ready for it, as long as everything is revealed. We will protest all the way to the European Court.

The tragic incident took place on January 12, 2015. According to the indictment, Valery Permyakov entered the Avetisyan family home on that day, and he killed home residents Aida Avetisyan, Hasmik Avetisyan, Seryozha Avetisyan, Armen Avetisyan, Araksya Poghosyan, and little girl Hasmik Avetisyan. Subsequently, he stabbed 6-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan five times. The baby boy died in the hospital one week later.
The Permanent Representative of Armenia to the Council of Europe (CoE) Paruyr Hovhannisyan met with the Deputy Secretary General of the CoE Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Hovhannisyan deposited the Armenian ratifications of the EU Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism and Protocol No. 15 amending the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

According to the Protocol, a tete-a-tete meeting took place, during which the sides referred to the issues on the CoE agenda, as well as regional ones.

The process of the implementation of Armenia-CoE Action Plan for 2015-18, which was launched on May 21 in Yerevan, was also discussed.

Apart from this, the sides reconfirmed the efforts aimed at the efficient implementation of the Action Plan, which aims to support the continuous reforms in Armenia in the area of democracy, human rights and rule of law.
Moscow is observing the activities of the Turkish armed forces in the northern Syria and urges Turkey to coordinate the military actions with the Syrian authorities, announces the Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova, reports the TASS.

"We are monitoring the actions of the Turkish armed forces in the northern Syria. We undoubtedly share the wish of Turkey to struggle against the international evil - against the IS. However, we would like to draw attention of Turkey to the international law and the need to coordinate any military action on the territory of a sovereign state with the legitimate government of that country, "she said.

At the same time, Zakharova urged not to blow strikes against the Kurdish positions. " We urge our Turkish colleagues to be more careful about the selection of targets for conducting anti-terrorist operations and not to attack the opposition and ethnic groups, including the Kurds living in Syria who fight against the IS," she said. According to Zakharova the most important task at the moment is to fight in a united front, combining the efforts of all stakeholders.

The Russian Foreign Ministry representative also said that the main issue of the dialogue between Russia and the United States on the Syrian issue is determining the demarcation line between the opposition and the terrorists.
YEREVAN. - The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) doesnt rule out the possibility of making new amendments to the countrys Electoral Code.

RPA spokesperson Eduard Sharmazanov told the aforementioned to journalists after the RPA Executive Body meeting on Wednesday.

According to him, the meeting addressed the upcoming local self-governance elections and the situation related to the Electoral Code. As a result of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) session, the changes which we had accepted thanks to the consensus are no longer effective. But this doesnt mean that new amendments are not possible. I officially announce that the RPA will do its best to introduce confidence mechanisms so that the public confidence towards the electoral process and its results can grow. We dont rule out the introduction of additional mechanisms. I dont exclude the publication of post-election voter lists and making the punishments against election fraud more stringent, he said.

Sharmazanov assured that they have a political will and will thus do everything possible for the mechanisms to be in place, this practically ruling out any election fraud. If amendments are needed to be made to the Electoral Code, we will do that.

Responding to the question on the chances of RPA during the municipal elections, the spokesperson said that unlike certain opposition forces, we dont speak of chances.

In Sharmazanov s words, if everything is clear in the power field, there are many old and new parties in the opposition camp, who want to win votes.
Russia is concerned about the actions of Turkey in northern Syria, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov told the aforementioned to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu during a phone conversation on Wednesday.

The conversation took place upon the imitative of the Turkish side.

The sides discussed pressing issues in the Russian-Turkish relations, including the implementation of the agreements reached between the Russian and Turkish presidents in Turkey and Saint Petersburg on August 9 in the context of common understanding and gradual restoration of bilateral cooperation, the press-service of the Russian MFA reports.

Apart from this, views were exchanged on the situation in Syria. The Russian side expressed concern about the actions of the Turkish armed forces and opposition detachments subordinated to Ankara in the northern part of this country and their consequences on the process of the Syrian conflict resolution.

The interlocutors agreed to continue the expert consultations in the interests of cooperation in implementing the UN Security Council resolution on Syria.
Militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, whose attacks have caused a huge dip in Nigeria's oil exports, forcing the economy into a big crisis, said last night that they were done with the hostilities.

The Avengers also called for continuous dialogue to preserve the union.

The news was broken in a letter adressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, which was posted on the group's website by its Spokesperson, Mudoch Agbinibo.

The letter stated, "We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to put away the garb of a stooge to the imperialists, whenever he speaks outside Nigeria.

"We have listened carefully and halted hostilities in the Niger Delta. We expect a genuine and positive attitude to restructuring and self-determination for every component unit of Nigeria.

"Dear President, what makes those countries (Japan, Germany, France, USA, Britain etc.) great is the ability of their governments to accommodate internal protestations and conflicts for the greater good of their nations over the years, they said in the statement.

"Nigeria is not a one-man personal property. We must have these talks every time if this union must continue to work as one. The people of the Niger Delta have been living here from time immemorial, so we have the secret of the terrain and survival of amphibious operations.

"No amount of troop surge and simulation exercises will make you win the oil war; you can only win battles. You cannot apply the might of the state to restore the people's confidence in your leadership when you cannot differentiate between genuine demands and being mismanaged by disorganised characters and tribal lords around you in your government that are playing the court jesters' role as well as counting the days that is left in your four years term.

"You can deceive the whole world but we cannot be deceived by the so glamorized ongoing military operations in the creeks of Ijaw communities in the Delta coded "Operation Crocodile Smiles"... the world should knows that with your pronouncement in Kenya and your attitude to the military build-up in the Niger Delta, it is crystal clear that the military has nothing less than a pre-determined genocide in Niger Delta and burn more already scared national resources to the pockets of those that have failed to locate the missing Chibok School Girls.

"Please also tell those foreign nations that your troops are about carrying out extrajudicial killings in the Niger Delta in violation of Article Four of the Geneva Convention with "OPERATION CROCODILE SMILE". All sane minds know the meaning of "CROCRODILE TEARS" so by code-naming your military operation CROCODILE SMILES only betrays your motives and attitude to the whole world about the Niger Delta question."

Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina, welcomed the cessation of hostilities by the Avengers as "a good development which is in the interest of the country and especially the Niger Delta people."

He said "Anything that portends peace is always good," adding that "we hope that it cuts across board and it is sincere."




The embattled factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, on Tuesday rejected the leadership of the party's Board of Trustees, thereby taking the ongoing crisis within the party to a whole new level.

In a statement signed by his deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh, the former Borno State Governor said that the outcome of the meeting held by the BoT in Abuja on Monday, was not in tandem with the decision he claimed his faction reached with the Dickson/Mantu reconciliation committee.

Sheriff, however agreed with the BoT that the next National Convention must hold in Abuja.

Sheriff also accused the BoT Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, of perpetuating himself in office.

The statement said, "The BoT Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin has brought crisis to the party.

"In any case his tenure has expired as he has spent more than 10 years as the Secretary and Chairman BoT which runs contrary to the constitution (of the party)."

According to Sheriff, the agreement his faction had with the peace panel was that the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the party, Ahmed Makarfi, should resign from office.

Apart from this, he also said that it was agreed that he (Sheriff) would preside over the party's National Executive Committee meeting where he said, a new National Convention Committee would be named.

He, therefore called on Makarfi to resign his appointment in order to save democracy.
14:39

Just in: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi withdraws his plea from the Supreme Court for quashing of the defamation case against him. Says he will face trial in the lower court.



Rahul Gandhi's counsel Kapil Sibal tells the court that Rahul stands by his statement "RSS ke logon ne Gandhiji ko goli mari" and that Rahul will not withdraw his words and will "repeat what he said."



Dismissing suggestions that he had made a U-turn on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's role in killing Mahatma Gandhi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi last week insisted that he stood by 'every single word' said by him.



'I will never stop fighting the hateful & divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said,' he tweeted.



His tweet came after media reports said that he took a U-turn when he told the Supreme Court that he did not ever blame the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but had only said that a 'few individuals in the organisation' were responsible for it.



Before Rahul's tweet, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said in the morning that wisdom had prevailed upon the Congress vice president.



'Good, Rahul finally admitted before Supreme Court that the RSS is not accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.



'Wisdom has prevailed. It may be a U-turn but a good turn. The RSS a patriotic organisation. RSS - Ready for Self Service anywhere any time (sic),' Naidu tweeted.



Rahul had tried set the record straight by telling the top court that he had never blamed the RSS as an institution for killing Mahatama Gandhi but persons associated with it were behind the assassination.



He buttressed his stand by citing paragraphs from his affidavit filed in the Bombay high court, while challenging the summons issued to him as an accused for his alleged defamatory statement in a 2015 election rally in Maharashtra.



Senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal, appearing for Rahul, 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.



'I never made the statement that RSS killed Mahatma Gandhi but persons associated with the RSS killed him,' the senior advocate had told the Court.


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BENGALURU: Facebook is advancing towards automation of the "trending" stories feature. This shift will minimize human input to thwart personal bias from determining the stories that get highlighted.

A Facebook blog post states that the social media company will greatly swear on an algorithm to get the feature running. This will enable enlisting of news and events which are hot topics instead of manual input wherein people enter the descriptions. Earlier this year, this feature instigated controversy, where critics alleged Facebooks new curators on purposefully skipping stories from politically conservative outlets. Facebook explains that by depending largely on software will let the feature encompass a broader scale and at the same time reduce the risk of any personal bias controlling the list of trending topics.

"We looked into these claims and found no evidence of systematic bias," Facebook restated in its blog post Friday, adding that "making these changes to the product allows our team to make fewer individual decisions about topics."

Once the change is established, rather than seeing story summaries in the trending list, users will be able to see trending topics and the number of people who are talking about these topics. When the cursor is brought over a certain topic, it will automatically show selected original news story with a citation from the top article itself. It does not completely avoid human intervention though, experts are involved in the process to make sure that topics are real-world news and have no emphasis on internet trends like #dinner. In May, Facebook applied the changes and aimed at steering political bias out of its "trending" stories list despite the fact that an internal investigation clearly showed zero evidence stating that it was an issue.

Terminology in Facebooks guidelines were updated by the company for clarity and it also provided reviewers refresher training that underlined content decisions may not be politically biased, stated the letter.

Additional oversight and controls were put on the review team and Facebook had stopped relying on lists of external news outlets and websites to measure the significance of topics in stories.

We've built Facebook to be a platform for all ideas," Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg averred on his social network page after a meeting at the company's California headquarters to talk about the allegations about anti-conservative bias.

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Class takes linguistics students on cultural journey

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- One of the first calls Vicki Carstens makes during a new academic year is to the Center for International Education to find out what nationalities are represented among new-to-SIU international students.

Carstens, professor and chair of the linguistics department at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, teaches a field methods class in which students learn to document and analyze an unfamiliar language. Carstens relies on the universitys international student population for native speakers of languages appropriate for the field methods class.

She and several graduate students recently wrapped up the first part of an unexpected project born from the field methods class, one that is leading to advanced study and future research projects -- the Nafara Language Project.

Aminata Coulibaly came to SIU from the West African nation of Cote dIvoire, also known as the Ivory Coast, to study biological sciences. She speaks French, the official language of Cote dIvoire, but her first language is Nafara, an indigenous, minority language spoken in her country. This variety of Nafara, Carstens found, has perhaps never been formally researched. Coulibalys agreement to participate in the field methods course presented Carstens students with the opportunity to document an understudied language -- without leaving campus.

Her students worked with Coulibaly first to gather nouns -- names for animals, foods, household items, and so on. They collected singular and plural, definite and indefinite forms of the nouns and from this sample began mapping the phonetic inventory of the language, or the sounds used in making Nefara words. They went on from there to collecting adjectives and verbs, then simple and progressively more complex sentences.

The linguistics department has sophisticated recording equipment software that the students used to record and edit sound files. These sound files and written documents provide a detailed record of the language, the first of its kind. There are no Nafara grammar books, no style guides. This may be because the language is mostly oral. French is used for anything official in Cote dIvoire; Nafara is a language used at home among friends, family and neighbors.

Despite its minority status and lack of scholarly attention, Nafara is not an endangered language. Approximately 60,000 people speak it and a comfortable percentage of those speakers are youth. An endangered language is one where there is reasonable expectation it will cease to exist within 50 years, generally because of an aging and dwindling pool of native speakers.

Some languages, notably Gaelic and several American Indian languages, have been brought back from the brink of extinction. Unlike those languages, Nafara is not subject to linguistic oppression. It must compete against French, but so far it is holding its own.

Id never thought seriously about Nefara, Coulibaly said. I grew up speaking it, I take it for granted -- it didnt seem like something someone would study. Im happy this happened at SIU, and my family is proud that I was part of it.

When languages such as English or French replace the languages originally spoken in far-flung places, this destroys linguistic diversity, Carstens said. Its a side-effect of globalization. Documenting languages helps preserve them and the diversity of cultures. If we fail to preserve a record of languages, we have an incomplete picture of linguistic diversity. When we talk about diversity, we need to include languages in that discussion.

The Nafara Language Project at SIU is now concluded, but the story isnt quite over for Carstens. This summer, she taught a two-week comparative syntax course in the African Linguistics School. Though the school travels to various African universities, this year it was in Cote dIvoire. While there, Carstens organized follow-up research trips for future work on Nefara.

I was very pleased to be invited to teach in the African Linguistics School for a number of reasons, Carstens said. It was an honor to be part of such a high-quality instructional team. I was glad to gain some first-hand knowledge of the country where Nefara is spoken. I also strongly support the African Linguistics School goal of helping and encouraging native speakers of African languages to become linguists.

Formal linguistics is like the math of language, Carstens said. Its technical -- its an exploration of structure and underlying organizational principles. Much work of this kind is done by researchers without any working knowledge of the language, like me and my Nafara field methods class. We expect great advances to follow from increased involvement of native speaker linguists.
US Secretary of State John Kerry here on Wednesday sent out a strong message to China over its dispute with the Philippines on the contentious South China sea and warned that the "international order" should not be underestimated. The US diplomat cited India as an example in abiding by the international order when it accepted a decision of a UN tribunal on its maritime boundary with Bangladesh. "...India's decision to accept an international tribunal's judgment over its maritime border with Bangladesh actually stands apart from other choices made by other countries," Kerry said, during a lecture he delivered at the premier technical institute Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. "This is the kind of policy that supports rule of law, and in my judgment (it) reflects confidence and a sense of responsibility." "It is a model how a potentially dangerous dispute can be resolved peacefully, including the South China Sea where the US continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunal's recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry added. "This is a crucial opportunity to uphold the existing rules in the international order, and don't for an instant underestimate the importance of that order," he said. Bejing, on the other hand, had rejected a recent decision by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Attribution (PCA) over strategic reefs and atolls that Beijing claims would give it control over disputed waters of the South China Sea. The judgment was in favour of the Philippines. Kerry added that the "bottom line" was that "deep cooperation between India and the US matters a great deal to both of our countries, but it also matters to the rest of the world". Kerry is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Wednesday. He arrived in New Delhi on Monday on a three-day official visit. --IANS ao/ahm/vt ( 324 Words) 2016-08-31-14:11:57 (IANS)
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change was signed by 178 countries including Sri Lanka at the UN headquarters on April 2, Xinhua news agency quoted Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilleke as saying.

Sri Lanka has been identified by the agreement as an island state that face the impacts of climate changes such as prolonged droughts, flash floods, rise in the sea level, landslides, and inundation of lowlands.

Accordingly, the proposal by President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment, to ratify the Paris Agreement was approved by the Cabinet, Karunathilleke said.

--IANS sm/dg

( 135 Words)

2016-08-31-18:07:58 (IANS)
The White House has termed the European Commission's order for tech giant Apple to pay 13 billion euros in taxes to Ireland as unfair. According to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, the decision is amounted to a "transfer of revenue from US taxpayers to the EU". Earnest said the White House was concerned about a "unilateral approach" that threatened to undermine progress that had been made to try to make the international taxation system "fair", rte.ie reported on Wednesday. The White House will continue to monitor the case and others being investigated by "the Europeans", he added. Apple officials have been in contact with the Obama administration on the issue. In a setback to Apple just before the much-awaited launch of iPhone 7, the European Commission on Tuesday announced that Ireland must demand 13 billion euros in taxes from the Cupertino, San Francisco-based company. "We have concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion euros to Apple. This is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid," an EU statement read. Following an in-depth state aid investigation launched in June 2014, the European Commission concluded that two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple have substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by Apple in Ireland since 1991. "The rulings endorsed a way to establish the taxable profits for two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group (Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe), which did not correspond to economic reality: almost all sales profits recorded by the two companies were internally attributed to a head office," the statement said. The commission's assessment showed that these "head offices" existed only on paper and could not have generated such profits. In an earlier white paper, the US Treasury Department warned the EU about taking any action against Apple and other US companies like Amazon and Starbucks. According to the paper, the EU investigations could "create an unfortunate international tax policy precedent". --IANS na/py/ ( 354 Words) 2016-08-31-10:15:56 (IANS)
Microsoft said on its official blog that it had signed an agreement to sell MSN China, effective from September, reported Chinese website caixin.com.

The financial terms were not disclosed.

Xichuang Technology was co-founded late in 2015 by Liu Zhenyu, MSN China's former General Manager.

According to the report, Microsoft's MSN China portal never took off owing to government regulations and stiff competition from local rivals.

MSN China has strong rivals like Sina and Tencent but according to Microsoft, China is still one of its strategic markets.

"After selling off the unpopular unit, Microsoft will continue to invest in China in other businesses, including computing and cloud services," the statement said.

--IANS na/ss/py/

( 151 Words)

2016-08-31-10:23:56 (IANS)
US industry executives from the US-India Business Council (USIBC) met with the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan here today for a discussion about investment opportunities in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Encouraging participation at the 'Invest Madhya Pradesh Global Investors Summit' to be held in October, Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan engaged with senior business executives on important topics that have dominated the bilateral commercial relationship in recent months and addressed areas such as Madhya Pradesh's comparative edge as an investment destination and regulatory reform measures that have been undertaken by the government to promote ease of doing business in the state such as the concept of single table clearance. The discussion focused on key areas for investment promotion in the state that includes Aerospace and Defense, automobiles, electronics, food processing, Information Technologies, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy. Madhya Pradesh also has the maximum number of cities (Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur) included in the list of first 20 Smart Cities shortlisted by the Government of India. "With agricultural production at 20 percent per annum, industrial growth at 8 percent per annum, 24/7 electricity, as well as the largest solar energy generator in Asia, Madhya Pradesh is a dynamic state with burgeoning opportunities across all sectors for investors," said Chouhan. "The central location of the state, skilled manpower, robust industries spanning every sector of the economy makes it an ideal destination for investment. Recent measures by the state government to improve its ease of doing business by fast-tracking decision-making processes, ratification of the GST Bill, numerous smart city projects, innovative solar energy projects and joining the UDAY scheme are indicative of an entrepreneurial mindset, and are likely to reap economic benefits for the state. We are hopeful that the Madhya Pradesh Global Investor Summit will see participation from American investors," said Mukesh Aghi, President of USIBC. The event was attended by companies and senior leaders from every major sector of business including MasterCard, Pfizer, Xylem, John Deere, Herbalife, Vanguard, and Skypower. (ANI)
The new partnership aims to introduce one more brand HAKKO, an insecticide for BPH for paddy crop in India.

Under the tie up, IIL would market SUZUKA, the new generation insecticide flubendiamide 20 percent SG of Nihon Nohyaku, Japan, which is an effective solution for control of lepidopteran pests in different crops like paddy, vegetables and pulses.

This will add another feather to tractor brand range of products, further strengthening the product kitty with latest technology products.

Other product Hakko, Buprofezin 25 percent SC, an insecticide for control of BPH in paddy will also be launched in tie up with the Japanese major.

"We always endeavor to bring the new technology products to the farmers within their reach. We are very pleased to partner with Nihon Nohyaku Co. Ltd., Japan, for launching SUZUKA, for the benefit of our farmers. This is another prestigious addition to our product range," said Managing Director Insecticides (India) Limited, Rajesh Aggarwal.

He further said that the partnership aims to reinforce the company's commitment towards Indian farmers, and help them with new solutions for crop protection. (ANI)
The US on Wednesday reaffirmed its support to India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) by redoubling efforts for an early entry. A joint statement issued following the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue here said that "in a further effort to strengthen global non-proliferation and export controls, both sides committed to redouble their efforts towards India's early entry" into the NSG. India's bid for membership in the NSG plenary in Seoul in June this year was blocked by China on the ground that for a country to be part of the 48-member bloc it should be a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Tuesday's talks were co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also in attendance. "The United States urged participating governments to support India's candidacy in their common interest. The United States also re-affirmed its support for India's early membership of the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement," Wednesday's joint statement also said. The Australia Group is an informal group of countries to help member countries to identify those exports which need to be controlled so as not to contribute to the spread of chemical and biological weapons. The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies, commonly known as the Wassenaar Arrangement, is a multilateral export control regime with 41 participating states. According to a separate section of the joint statement, in support of India's quest for clean energy, both sides "noted the progress made in bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and applauded continued engagement between Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. toward finalising the contractual arrangements by June 2017 to build six AP 1000 reactors that will provide clean, reliable energy to millions of people in India". "They also looked forward to the immediate commencement of work on engineering and site design and the early conclusion of a competitive financing package based on the joint work by India and the US Export-Import Bank," it said. The US also extended support for the International Solar Alliance launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Conference of Parties (CoP)-21 climate summit in Paris in November last year. "The United States affirmed its support for pursuing its membership of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), recognising the critical role it can play in the development and deployment of solar power," the statement said. "The sides also recognised the continued significance of efficient power generation technologies to address the challenges of climate change." --IANS ab/dg ( 448 Words) 2016-08-31-18:11:57 (IANS)
The Justice A.P.Shah Committee on the gas migration dispute between the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp and Reliance Industries has faulted both the entities for errors of omission and commission, even as the government promised appropriate action by mid-September. The report, made available late on Wednesday, said Reliance Industries did benefit unduly -- terming it as enrichment -- from the gas that migrated to its fields in the Krishna-Godavari basin in the Bay of Bengal from those of the state-run firm. But the committee also said it was not able to ascertain in clear terms if the two companies, indeed, have prior knowledge. "I wanted this to be probed further," the single-member panel said. Yet, it observed, based on some reports of 2003, it appeared that Reliance Industries had prior knowledge about the connectivity, while also not bringing it to the notice of the regulator. At the same time, it added, ONGC, it seemed, also had some understanding but did not act promptly, and took up the matter six years after it first obtained the relevant information. "On the question of unjust enrichment, the committee concludes that the Government of India, and not ONGC, is entitled to claim restitution from Reliance Industries for the unjust benefit it received and unfairly retained," the report uploaded on the Petroleum Ministry's Web site said. "ONGC has no locus standi to bring a tortious claim against Reliance Industries for trespass/conversion, since it does not have any ownership rights or possessory interest in the natural gas." Soon after the report was handed over, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said his ministry would take "appropriate action" in the matter by end-September. "The report has confirmed gas migration from ONGC's block to Reliance Industries' block. We will now study the report in detail and then take appropriate action before September 30," Pradhan told reporters here. "We need more time to study the report." Justice Shah said it was now up to the government to act. "I have submitted a comprehensive report, which covers all the terms of reference and also suggests a future course of action," said Justice Shah, a former judge of the Delhi High Court. The government had constituted the single-member committee last December under Law Commission Chairman Shah to recommend compensation to ONGC to protect the government interest, following some reports from American consultants on migrating of gas. The committee was asked to submit by its report by July 31 and subsequently extended the tenure by three months. The American consultants had concluded that 11.122 billion cubic meters of ONGC gas had migrated to the blocks of Reliance Industries. They said of the 58.68 billion cubic meters produced since 2009, some 49.69 billion cubic meters belonged to the private company and 8.981 billion cubic meters could have come from ONGC's side. At the current gas price of $4.2 per million British thermal unit, the volume of gas belonging to ONGC which the private player has produced is worth around $1.7 billion (Rs 11,055 crore). The committee also made several generic statements: - The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons must become more proactive in exercising its regulatory authority. - This must encompass better vigilance, more incisive technical skills, and stronger enforcement powers. - This is particularly necessary in a sensitive and vital sector like petroleum. - The role of ONGC in the Indian oil and natural gas sector must be assessed with great scrutiny. - A mechanism is required to amicably resolve disputes among parties, as and when they arise. - This will allow smoother functioning of the energy sector, and ultimately serve the nation's interests. - The way the oil ministry handles the matter can chart the future course of India's energy industry. --IANS ap-bc/vd ( 629 Words) 2016-08-31-22:57:55 (IANS)
Social media was showered with posts related to Gene Wilder, after his demise due to complications from Alzheimer's on August 29 at the age of 83. While celebs like Jim Carrey, Stephen Fry, and Ben Stiller paying tribute on Twitter, multiple late night hosts in the US shared stories about him, reports the Independent. James Corden shared a rather brilliant anecdote about the time the comic legend rejected his advances to appear on his 'The Late Late Show.' The story follows that the two were sitting backstage in New York when they began chatting, which left the door open for Corden reaching out to Wilder, asking him to appear on the very first 'The Late Late Show.' However, the response was rather brilliant. "Dearest James, I don't do or go where you were hoping, but I'll be looking for you. With my love, Gene" Speaking about this rejection letter, Corden reportedly, said, "In the history of people saying no to things, it couldn't have been nicer." Wilder was best known for his role as Willy Wonka in the 1971 big screen version of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'. He also played memorable roles in Mel Brooks' films 'The Producers', 'Blazing Saddles' and 'Young Frankenstein.' The actor, who made his acting debut in 1960's, was twice nominated for Oscar for his role in 'The Producers'and for co-penning 'Young Frankenstein.' Wilder also worked in television in 1962's 'The Sound of Hunting', 'The Interrogators', 'Windfall' and in the 1966 TV production of 'Death of a Salesman' with Lee J. Cobb. In total he has worked in over 30 big screen and television productions. Describing, his final moments, his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman, in a statement gave fans the details of his demise and wrote: "He was eighty-three and passed holding our hands with the same tenderness and love he exhibited as long as I can remember. As our hands clutched and he performed one last breath the music speaker, which was set to random, began to blare out one of his favorites: Ella Fitzgerald. There is a picture of he and Ella meeting at a London Bistro some years ago that are among each or cherished possessions. She was singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," as he was taken away." (ANI)
Actor Ranbir Kapoor says that had Pakistani actor Fawad Khan not "opened the door" by playing a homosexual character in "Kapoor & Sons", he would have perhaps turned down an offer to play a gay on screen. But now the "Barfi!" star is receptive to the idea. The actor opened up about his professional as well as personal life in an interview taken by director Raja Sen for Vogue India's September 2016 issue, which is available on the stands from September 3. Ranbir lauds his contempories for taking up risky roles -- be it Alia Bhatt in "Udta Punjab" and Fawad in "Kapoor & Sons". Asked if he would play a homosexual on camera, Ranbir said: "Sure, but now it's already been done. Now he's (Fawad has) opened the door and it's easy for us to walk through it. But earlier I must honestly say I might have turned it down." He is also willing to play a second lead in a movie, but conditions apply. He said: "Suppose tomorrow Rajkumar Hirani offers me the part of Circuit to the new Munnabhai. I would play it and try my best to do it justice." Ranbir is currently living with his grandmother Krishna here and training for Ayan Mukerji's "Dragon". He awaits Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", and also has Anurag Basu's long-gestating "Jagga Jasoos" lined up. In February, after "Dragon", he hopes to start shooting for Rajkumar Hirani's next, a biopic of actor Sanjay Dutt. Since his debut with "Saawariya", Ranbir has seen several highs and lows. He was applauded for films like "Wake Up Sid", "Raajneeti", "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year", "Rockstar", "Barfi!", "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", and was censured for duds like "Besharam" and "Bombay Velvet". Referring to his current shoot-less days, Ranbir said: "I think I could have an alcohol problem." "It is a visual medium and I have to look after myself. When I shoot, when I work, I don't drink. But when I'm not shooting". Directing a film is something Ranbir has for long expressed interest in. But the actor says there is still time for him to get to the director's chair. "Look, I know how a film is made, but a director has to find the method to tell the story he has to tell. I'm not, because a) I'm lazy and b) acting is taking up my time and I don't have a story, I can't write," he said. --IANS sug/rb/bg ( 421 Words) 2016-08-31-14:49:59 (IANS)
The main Opposition Congress has assured support to the Laxmikant Parsekar-led government on the floor of the House to ratify the Bill.

Parsekar, during the recently concluded monsoon session of the assembly, had announced that a special session would be held to ratify the GST.

The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (Goods and Services Tax) Bill was passed by the Parliament on August 8, marking a historic step for tax reforms which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said was 'crucial' for ending tax terrorism besides reducing corruption and black money while making the consumer 'king'.

The government has set a deadline of April 2017 for the GST rollout. (ANI)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on his fourth visit to India, will interact with students of the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi on Wednesday morning. Following this, Kerry is expected to visit Rajghat to pay homage to Father of The Nation Mahatma Gandhi. In the afternoon, Kerry will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official 7, Racecourse Road residence. On Tuesday, India and the United States agreed to tackle challenges of terrorism and to strengthen the bilateral intelligence sharing mechanism. Addressing a joint press conference with Kerry after the conclusion of the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said nations must not act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations. She said that she had apprised Kerry of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan and categorically said that there are no good or bad terrorists. Swaraj said Pakistan should withdraw safe havens provided to the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and D-Company. Swaraj said she and Kerry agreed that Pakistan needs to book perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai terror attack and 2016 Pathankot airbase attack. She also thanked Secretary Kerry for United States's constant support for India's membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Kerry said there cannot be distinction between good and bad terrorists as terror is terror no matter where it emanates from or who carries it out. Saying that Pakistan must act against terrorists in its territory, he said, U.S. will continue to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attacks to justice. Briefing media, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government has launched a transparent government e-market place, developed by Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal. She said both India and the United States have agreed to look at best practices exchange. U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said she will look into India's concerns over the hike in visa fees for professionals. (ANI)
Hailing the joint statement of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the involvement of Pakistan in encouraging terrorism, the Janata Dal (United) on Wednesday expressed hope that America changes its relative neutrality policy with Islamabad. "I don't know whether the assurances Kerry gave were equivalent to the emphasis with which the matter seems to have been made by Sushma Swaraj. I hope the United States changes its policy of relative neutrality as far as Pakistan is concerned, without understanding that terrorism is terrorism and is a danger to the world...be it India or the United States," JD (U) leader Pawan Verma told ANI. Expressing happiness that Swaraj spoke "bluntly" on the question of terrorism, Verma said this is a subject that India needs to discuss with the United States frankly and seek U.S. intervention in leveraging and pressuring Pakistan to stop its support to terrorism. Resonating similar sentiments, another JD (U) leader K.C. Tyagi also welcomed the joint statement. "I welcome the joint statement of John Kerry and Sushma Swaraj. Through Kerry, I would like to request the U.S. Government to be careful while helping Pakistan so that it does not fall into bad hands," Tyagi told ANI. The United States and India have agreed to boost counter-terrorism cooperation by expanding intelligence sharing about known or suspected extremists and terrorist threats. Speaking after conclusion of the second US-India Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi with visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday said both countries also renewed their commitment to track down and prosecute perpetrators of several terrorist attacks on Indian soil, including the 2008 strike in Mumbai and a January 2016 attack on the Pathankot Air Force base. India has blamed Pakistan-linked groups for the attacks. Swaraj said the two sides had agreed on the "urgent necessity for Pakistan to disable safe havens and terrorist networks" and "on the need to Pakistan to do more to bring the perpetrators of (the two attacks) to justice quickly." "We reaffirmed the urgent necessity for Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminals networks, including LeT, JeM and the D-Company," she said. On his part, Kerry said, "The U.S. continues to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attacks to justice." Echoing the Indian foreign minister's remark, Kerry also said that the U.S. can't and won't make a distinction between good and bad terrorists. "U.S. stands with India on all matters of terrorism, no matter where it comes from; it's crystal clear we are on the same view over it," he said. But he did say he had spoken recently with Pakistani officials about "the need for Pakistan to deprive any (terrorist) group of sanctuary." He specifically named the Haqqani network that operates in Afghanistan as well as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been blamed for attacks in India. "It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in tackling this challenge, and in fairness, in recent weeks and months they have been moving more authoritatively," Kerry said. (ANI)
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday hailed the efforts by the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to eliminate terrorist activities which are being emanated from Pakistan. NCP leader Majeed Memon told ANI that it was good for India that U.S. has openly acknowledged truth with regards to complexity of Pakistan in the act of terror. "Kerry's statement supportive of our External Affairs Ministers and pledging support to fight terrorism and expose Pakistan, which is entertaining, promoting, harbouring terror activities and therefore I think it is a good move that by joint conference, both this great countries namely the U.S. and India together has spoken in one voice to eliminate terrorism which is emanating from Pakistan," he added. India and the United States has agreed to tackle challenges of terrorism and to strengthen the bilateral intelligence sharing mechanism. Addressing a joint press conference with Kerry after the conclusion of the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday said nations must not act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations. Swaraj said she and Kerry agreed that Pakistan needs to book perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai terror attack and 2016 Pathankot airbase attack. She also thanked Secretary Kerry for United States's constant support for India's membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Kerry said there cannot be distinction between good and bad terrorists as terror is terror no matter where it emanates from or who carries it out. Saying that Pakistan must act against terrorists in its territory, he said, U.S. will continue to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attacks to justice. (ANI)
The crime branch of Delhi Police has busted a human trafficking syndicate run by one Afaq Hussain and his wife Saira, being operated with the help of traffickers, managers, nayikas and other associates. According to police, the accused controlled and undertook the illegal business of human trafficking and prostitution, at Delhi's notorious red light area GB Road and have been receiving earnings from the business of commercial sexual exploitation since year 1999 to till date. Police said they have trafficked over 5,000 women over 20 years and forced them into prostitution. The couple in Delhi built a sprawling empire. Three brothels were allegedly ran by them and owned a third of the business in the area. Six of their assistants have also been arrested. It has been revealed that the victims, most of whom are minor and from poor families, are trafficked from Nepal and various other parts of the country by some agents in an organized manner. "The girls are brought to Delhi on the pretext of providing lucrative jobs, sight seeing, fake promise of soliciting marriage with them by the agents, etc. They are sold to the kotha owners at G.B Road for 1 to 2 lakhs," Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Yadav said. The victims are thrashed, confined in hidden cells, intoxicated and kept starved for many days to force them in this nasty commercial activity. While the victims are compelled to live in hell like circumstances, their distressed family members keep running from pillar to post to trace them. Police said they have amassed disproportionate wealth to the tune of crores of rupees from this illegal and immoral trade. The police team started conducting in-depth investigation of the case to bust the racket and monitored movements of the accused persons. On August 25, raids were conducted at different locations in Delhi and accused Afaq Hussain, Saira Begum, Ramesh Pandey and Vasudev Pandey were arrested. UNI SM RSD 0048 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911662.Xml
The Delhi government today withdrew its suspension order of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar, sources said here. Rajendra Kumar , who was arrested by CBI on July 4 this year in an alleged corruption case, was soon suspended through a Home Ministry order, sources said. In its order, the Home ministry had said that the order was being issued as he(Rajendra Kumar) was in police custody for more than 48 hours. However, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had issued another order to suspend his Principal Secretary on July 6. "Kumar was placed under deemed suspension with effect from July 4 by Ministry of Home Affairs being the competent authority in terms of Sub-Rules (2) & (3) of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Disciplinary) & Appeal) Rules, 1969 vide order No. 14033/06/2016 UTS -I dated July 6." "Accordingly, the order number 397 dated July 6 issued in this regard by the Services Department (of the Delhi government) is hereby withdrawn... This issue with the approval of the Lt Governor in Delhi," the services Department of the delhi government said in its order. Earlier too, when the Chief Minister had issued suspension order of Kumar, the MHA had said that there was no enabling provision under the Service Law Jurisprudence for existence of two suspension orders for one and the same cause of action. "The existence of two suspension orders is likely to be used by the delinquent officer to his advantage in any litigation or proceedings that might ensue. "Therefore, the Delhi government has been advised to withdraw the suspension order issued by the Chief minister,''the MHA officials had said. The latest order by the Delhi government came after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung said that the CM doesn't have the power to suspend an IAS officer.UNI AR RSD 0121 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911672.Xml
The Gabon governmen accused President Ali Bongo's challenger, Jean Ping, of trying to destabilise the country, and warned French ruling party officials against "interference" in its affairs.With both sides trading accusations after a bitter election campaign, there was concern the results, when they came, would trigger unrest. People stockpiled food, police manned major crossroads and soldiers deployed at petrol stations and banks.Ping, a former foreign minister, African Union Commission chairman and longtime political insider, is the main challenger to Bongo, whose family has ruled the oil-producing central African nation for half a century.In a statement late yesterday, he said that election results his team had collated from almost all of the country's regions showed he had defeated Bongo."Jean Ping's victory is no longer in doubt," the statement signed by him said, adding he had received 59.32 per cent support in the eight out of the nine provinces for which they had data, with Bongo getting just 37.97 per cent.Government spokesman Alain-Claude Nze told a news conference earlier in the day that "Jean Ping seems to be the instigator of a destabilisation that threatens the democratic process."Bongo's supporters say he is on track to win. The president was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ran Gabon for 42 years.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the issuance of premature results and called on Ping and Bongo to urge their supporters to show restraint.Bongo's allies are also furious about a statement from France's ruling Socialist Party on Sunday declaring that early results showed Ping to be the winner.They accused French officials of carrying on the old politics of 'La Francafrique' - an intricate, shadowy web of diplomacy and commerce that for decades kept African presidents in its former colonies, like Bongo's father, in power in exchange for privileged deals for French companies."The Socialist Party by this interference, coming from the same members of La Francafrique, shows once again their inability to understand how African democracies function," Nze said. "The French Socialist Party is advised to respect our sovereignty."FEARS OF UNRESTAuthorities have also reacted angrily to an app set up by an Ivorian citizen that allegedly gives live results by region.Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya said he would announce results starting on Tuesday evening after a meeting of the electoral commission and warned that any attempts at destabilisation by publishing results would not be tolerated."Any other so-called results released before, during or after the official declaration are nothing but a lie and a violation of the law," Moubelet-Boubeya said in a statement."Anti-democratic forces both inside and outside the country are looking for ways to provoke trouble in Gabon."The French Embassy advised its citizens to stay indoors.Gabon's first-past-the-post system means the winner only needs more votes than any other candidate. In 2009, Bongo won with 41.73 per cent.The European Union's observer mission on Monday criticised a "lack of transparency" among the institutions running the polls and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media. Nze accused the EU of overstepping its mandate.Ping's supporters called on the electoral commission to publish the results polling station by polling station. But electoral commission head Ren Aboghe Ella rejected that, telling Radio France International "to do so would excessively delay the publication of the results".Bongo, 57, also benefits from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse.But oil output and prices have fallen, forcing budget cuts despite Gabon having one of the biggest revenue streams of all Africa's oil producers.Gabon's economic troubles have provided fodder for opposition charges that its 1.8 million inhabitants have struggled under his leadership, and Bongo's ruling party has experienced a series of high-profile defections.REUTERS RSD 0557 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911715.Xml
"Velingkar has been removed from his post with immediate effect for faulting a political outfit and working against the Goa government," RSS publicity head Manmohan Vaidya told IANS.

Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM), an outfit led by Velingkar, has been demanding that regional languages (Konkani and Marathi) be made the medium of instruction in Goa's elementary schools and asking the state to stop grants of English medium schools.

Velingkar was removed from his post after BJP President Amit Shah complained against him to the RSS leadership, informed sources said.

Shah was shown black flags by members of the outfit during his recent visit to Goa. He was on his way to address a meeting of BJP workers near Panaji.

Critical of the Laxmikant Parsekar-led BJP government, Velingkar accused the state government of betraying the electorate's trust.

He also said that the chances of the BJP winning the upcoming Goa assembly elections were bleak.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has said it will contest the Goa elections, had been using Velingkar's criticism of the state government in its campaign.

--IANS bns/mr

( 222 Words)

2016-08-31-13:59:58 (IANS)
In a joint statement after the conclusion of the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, the US urged the members of the NSG to support India's candidacy in their common interest.

The United States also re-affirmed its support for India's early membership of the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.

The US also extended its crucial support for India's permanent membership in the reformed UN Security Council.

"India and the United States reaffirmed their support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member," the statement said.

Both sides committed to ensuring that the Security Council continues to play an effective role in maintaining international peace and security as envisioned in the UN Charter.

The two sides committed to continued engagement on Security Council reform in the UN Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council Reforms.

They also looked forward to discussing these issues in further detail at the upcoming dialogue on UN and multilateral issues.

The two countries noted the progress made in bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and applauded continued engagement between Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. towards finalising the contractual arrangements by June 2017 to build six AP 1000 reactors that will provide clean, reliable energy to millions of people in India.

They also looked forward to the immediate commencement of work on engineering and site design and the early conclusion of a competitive financing package based on the joint work by India and the U S Export-Import Bank.UNI MK SV SS

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Touching a raw nerve, US Secretary of State John Kerry today said polarisation anywhere is not good as it reflects intolerance, frustration with governance. Interacting with students at IIT, Delhi, Mr Kerry said, "We have to respect rights of all our citizens irrespective of creed and allow them to protest in peace without fear that they will be jailed for speaking." He said beauty of India and the US was the history of making the impossible a reality. "This is a country with remarkable ethnic, religious complexity. A lot of people thought it was impossible to make the largest middle class. Our two nation's possibilities are limitless. I look forward to what America and India can achieve together," he said. Mr Kerry said his country wants India to move faster in two areas. He said India has to improve regulatory process and bureaucracy needs to be streamlined and effective. "It has to become a partner in making decisions, not an expert in setting up roadblocks," he said. On the issue of terrorism, he continued to push Pakistan to act against the menace. "It's clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups," he said, adding that the US has been urging Pakistan to crack down on terror camps. ''We have talked about the sanctuaries in the country. Pakistanis have suffered greatly from terrorism.50,000 Pakistanis have been killed as a result of terrorism. They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors, " said Mr Kerry. UNI NAZ-MK SV ADG 1330 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-912022.Xml
Puducherry government would constitute an enquiry committee to go into the alleged irregularities in the now defunct government owned Anglo-French Textile (AFT) mills here, Minister for Industries M O H F Shajahan told the Assembly today. Replying to a question, Mr.Shajahan said the accumulated loss of the mill has reached to Rs.572.26 crore. Apart from this, there is a liability for about Rs.100 crore. A sum of Rs.158.99 crore deposit is immediately required to revive the mill, he said, adding that steps are being taken in this direction.Steps are also being taken to assess the financial and technological status of the mill presently and to submit a Rapid Financial Study report. The Minister also said that the machinaries and accessories which could not be used were sold in scrap and the fund used to disburse the gratuity and retirement benefits of the workers who left the mill on VRS. AIADMK member A Bhaskar who posed the question, alleged of wide spread corruption in the mill and said that machines worth Rs.400 crore was sold for Rs.2.85 crore under the guise of scrap and the same machines are now running perfectly in Cuddalore. He also charged that the irregularities occurred during the N R Congress regime when Mr Bhalan was the Chairman of the mill. With several member including Anbazhagan (AIADMK) R Siva (DMK) and Welfare Minister M Kandasamy stating that the member(Bhaskar) had clearly stated about the irregularities and that it was during the last N R Congress regime, why should there be a hesitation on the part of the government to order for a probe,and pressed the government for a probe. Mr.Shajahan then announced that the government would constitute a committee to enquire the alleged irregularities in the mill. Speaker V Vaithilingam directed that the enquiry committee be constituted within one month.UNI PAB CS 1244 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-911951.Xml
The Puducherry government would introduce free of cost body check up at the government general hospital here, Chief Minister V Narayansamy informed the Assembly today. Replying to a question ,the Chief Minister said the number of heart patients coming to the GH was on the increase due to life style change, change in food habits and among others. Proper treatment is being given to the patients coming to the hospital, he said, adding that necessary operations were also being couducted by the specialist doctors from Frontier Life Line hospital ,Chennai as per an agreement with them. As a precautionary measure, people of above 30 years of age are being freely checked for diabetes, Blood pressure, Heart diseases and cancer under the Central Scheme 'National Programme for prevention and control of Cancer ,Diabetes,Cardiovascular diseases and stroke',he said. When Mr.M N R Balan who posed the question pointed out that Rs.250 is being collected for a whole body check up, the Chief Minister assured that free check up would be introduced. AIADMK member A Anbazhagan pointed out that there is no specialists to take care of the convalazing patients after major heart surgeries and asked the government to appoint specialists. He also said when the government is spending Rs.One lakh for a surgery, a specialist could be appointed here with the amount. Mr.Narayansamy then assured to consider appointment of specialist doctors.UNI PAB CS 1346 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-911993.Xml
A family of four succumbed to injuries at Ramanthapur and another three family members - a mother and two girls, were killed in wall collapse at Bholakpur in Musheerabad in the city.

Victims at Bholapur were identified as Bilkis Begum (25), her two daughters Zeba (5) and Mariya (2) while the dead in Ramanthapur were Balaswamy, Chinnamma, Parvathy and Shekar.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal corporation (GHMC) Mayor Bonthu Rammonhan, who was monitoring the situation from control room established in Corporation, announced an en-graita of Rs one lakh each to those who killed in the wall collapse.

Predicting more rains, the Mayor directed the town planning officials to evacuate all those who are living in dilapidated and old buildings.

Water logging of roads, and inundation of several slums were witnessed at different parts of the city.

Chief Secretary Rajeev Sharma reviewed the situation with GHMC Commissioner on the inundation of localities in the city.

GHMC Commissioner Janardhana Reddy appealed to the citizens, except municipal employees and other emergency teams, not to travel for another hour in the city. Managements of private schools declared a holiday.

GHMC monsoon teams were clearing stagnation points in several places including at Nampally, Mettuguda, Police Control room and Secunderabad Railway station.MORE UNI KNR SMS CS 1325

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The Puducherry government would consider setting up of a Health Insurance Scheme for the benefit of the public, Chief Minister V Narayansmay told the Assembly today. Replying to a question from Congress member Anantharaman, the Chief Minister said that the government proposed to set up an insurance scheme for the retired government servants. However, members who posed supplementary questions, cutting across party lines, demanded that the government should go for one as in Tamil Nadu. To this, the Chief minister said following demands from several members and Agriculture Minister Kamalkannan, the government would take steps to introduce a health insurance scheme after due consultations. It would be on the lines of the one introduced by Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Welfare Minister M Kandasamy was swift enough to the demand that the scheme be named after Sonia Gandhi.UNI PAB CS 1341 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-912056.Xml
Repatriation of Mizoram Bru tribal refugees, sheltered in seven camps in northern part of Tripura for the last 19 years, shall start from the first week of November, said a senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs. He informed this to the media after a meeting with the representatives of the refugees, Mizoram Government and Tripura Government. MHA Special Secretary M.K. Singla, Join Secretary of MHA in-charge of northeast S.K. Garg along with Lalbiakzama Additional Secretary (Home) Mizoram, Bru refugee representative, Vanlalruata Vice President Central YMA (Young Mizo Association) Mizoram, Elvis Chorkhy Chairman of Bru Co-ordination Committee Mizoram and officials of Tripura Government took part in the meeting held at the State Guest house here. Singla informed the talks have been fruitful, adding the repatriation process should start from the coming month of November. The Special Secretary MHA said that there should not be any hurdle in the repatriation process as most of the demands of the refugees have been accepted this time. Meantime, Additional Secretary (Home) of Mizoram Lalbiakzama informed that the state government has prepared a road-map and submitted it to the MHA for the repatriation of the Bru refugees. He added that the number of refugees is not static and constantly increasing with birth of children in the camps and hence the number of identified refugees should not be a hurdle to the impetus in the repatriation process going to start in the first week of November. Meanwhile, the representative of the YMA Vanlalruata viewed that the Mizo society wants the Bru's to return to their home state and at present the number of Bru people in Mizoram outnumber those staying in refugee camp in Tripura and which proves that there is no problem for the Bru to stay with the Mizos. He added that this time it is a golden opportunity for the Brus to return to Mizoram and hoped that they shall take the maximum advantage out of it. Bru Co-ordination Committee of Mizoram chairman Elvis Chorkhy also appealed to inmates to return to Mizoram and join a normal life instead of living in camps where the children are deprived of education and employment scope. The MHA officials would go to Mizoram on Wednesday and talk to the tribal leaders and state government officials there to finalise the ways and means of the much-awaited repatriation of refugees. The MHA officials visited Tripura and Mizoram earlier in June and July and persuaded the 31,300 Reang tribal refugees to return to their homes at the earliest. The MHA undertook serious efforts after the Supreme Court's directives about the repatriation of the refugees. The Mizoram Government submitted a roadmap to the Centre on how it plans to rehabilitate the displaced people. The Tripura official said the Supreme Court had asked the Union Home Ministry and the Mizoram and Tripura Governments to jointly work for the return of the tribal refugees to their homes in Mizoram. About 35,000 Reang tribals, who call themselves 'Bru', have been living in seven makeshift camps in North Tripura's Kanchanpur area adjoining Mizoram since October 1997. They had fled ethnic violence in western Mizoram following the killing of a Mizo forest officer at the Dampa Tiger Reserve. Despite several initiatives by the Mizoram Government to bring them back, the refugees have been reluctant to go back to their villages unless their demands for food and security are met. (ANI)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said the process of India's UNSC bid is complicated and it will take time. "There is a way but it is complicated (India's UNSC bid). We are working on it. We are in support of some of the reforms (in UN). But it is going to take a while and one has to work through that," Kerry said while interacting with the students at the IIT, Delhi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday said India is looking to work closely with the US to secure membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and permanent membership of the UN Security Council. "I thanked Secretary Kerry for his reiteration of continued US support to India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and permanent membership of the UN Security Council. We both agreed that India's enhanced global role is in mutual interest," she said at the joint press interaction during the second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Kerry, who is presently on a two-day visit to India, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence in New Delhi later today. (ANI)
All India Radio (AIR) will soon start programs in Balochi language for the people living in Balochistan province of Pakistan and other areas. According to AIR sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has given the approval for the same. Responding to this latest development, Congress leader Meem Afzal said, "I think it is part of the government's policy. Let's see what kind of bulletins they run. I believe there is nothing to objection to it as there are other languages also that are being run in AIR." Prime Minister Modi in his independence speech raked up the issue of human rights violations in Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK, inviting a sharp reaction from Islamabad. "The people of Balochistan, the people of Gilgit, the people of Pak-occupied Kashmir have thanked me in such a manner, from places that I have never been and never had a chance to meet, they have sent wishes to the people of India and thanked us," Modi said. "I am grateful to them." (ANI)
Asserting that Tamil Nadu has secured a special place in industries and that the State was the most preferred destination for investors to invest because of the steps taken by her government, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said of the total Rs 2,42,160 crore investments attracted through 98 MoUs at the Global Investors Meet last year, 64 companies have started their work. Making a statement under Rule 110 in the State Assembly,she said 64 companies have commenced their work to set uptheir businesses in the State at an investment of Rs 87,601 crore. She said Rs 25,020.48 crore have been invested by them so far and the remaining companies have started theirpreliminary works to start their businesses in the State. Making a series of announcements for the industriessector, she said a Biotechnology Incubation Centre will be set up at a cost of Rs 20 crore at the Ticel Biopark at Taramani in the city. She said the 12,000 square feet facility will pave way for startups, scholars, scientists and individuals to plan and execute their inventions. She said Rs 30 crore worth infrastructure works will be taken up at the 245 acre Aeorspace Park, which was coming up at Sriperumbudur Sipcot complex in Kancheepuramdistrict. ''It will be done on par with international standards'', she added.MORE UNI GV 1605 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-912392.Xml
Uttar Pradesh government today informed the state assembly that electricity on demand would be enforced in the state from 2019. "Government was committed to providing 24 hours power to all the consumers by 2019 while from October 2016, the rural areas would get at least 16 hours power," said Minister of State for Energy and Planning Shailendra Yadav alias Lalai. Replying to a question, the Minister said during the past over four years, the SP government has added over 7800 megawatt of power and in next two years, the production of electricity in the state itself will go up to 10,000 megawatt. Mr Yadav keeping in mind the problems of the rural consumers, this year, the state government has not hiked the tariff in the villages. However, members of the opposition bench slammed the government for not providing adequate power in the smaller cities and rural areas. BSP member Dharampal Singh said in Agra, which is a load-shedding free zone as per the order of the Supreme Court witnesses seven-eight hours power cut every day. Similarly, BJP leader Suresh Kumar Khanna alleged that in Shahjahanpur, there is a power cut every night from 2300 hrs to 0330 hrs thus forcing the people for a sleepless night. In another question, the Minister admitted that 9969 consumers in the state have not paid their bill due of over Rs 10 lakh each for which the department has initiated action under section 5 by issuing them notices. State Irrigation Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav admitted that 29 districts of the state were affected with floods but said the loss would be assessed only after a team from Centre comes here. "A joint team of the Centre and UP government will visit the flood-affected areas and will assess the loss," he said responding to a question of Mr Singh. The Minister said the floods in UP occurred due to release of water from Nepal and other adjoining states like MP and Rajasthan. He said to prevent the annual occurrence of floods in UP, the state has sent a memorandum to the Centre to talk with the Nepal government.UNI MB SW RSA AN1736 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0136-912600.Xml
Italy's largest coffee school Lavazza India today announced the launch of its first Training Center in India. Spread across 800 sqft, this one-of-its-kind Training Center in Chennai will provide training and information on the Italian coffee culture to Baristas. It will also provide training on the perfect coffee preparation, according to Italian tradition. The Center will showcase the art of preparing coffee in order to preserve the excellence of the product both at the moment of preparation and consumption, at home or away from home. ''It will also offer coffee roasting workshops and seminars for baristas, bartenders and caterers'', a company release said. The Center will also organize various courses in coffee tasting, coffee cultivation and processing, espresso preparation, cappuccino, latte art and coffee design. Inaugurating the Center, Mr Mauro Mantovani, Group Chief Commercial Officer at Lavazza, said "India is an important market for Lavazza, globally. With the growing network of Training Centers around the world and since it is the largest coffee study center of its kind, we shall bring the world class Italian coffee culture of Lavazza to Indian coffee lovers',he added. UNI GV 1745 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-912625.Xml
Total 199 unemployed youths of Goa, who have undergone rigorous training of all security aspects under the Pradham Mantri Koushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) will be deputed tovarious government agencies, installations and commercial establishments as professional security guards. Out of 199 cadets, 40 are women security guards who will work at hospital and other installations of private and public sector. The attractive passing out parade held Belagundi village witnessed the show case of martial arts, rescue operations, crowd controlling and room intervention security approach towards any incident. Speaking on the occasion, Police commissioner Krishna Bhatta pointed out, ''The training academy is run by retired Army, central reserve police and police officers is laudable, in just 8 weeks these cadetshave become disciplined citizen having the responsibility of society,'' he said. Retired Lieutenant Colonel, general manager of Goa Human Resource Development Corporation (GHRDC) said, GHRDC had been established with the objective to adopt a complete and dynamic approach totackle the unemployment and exploitation of youths by private entities under the guise of job placements, most of all the privatesecurity agencies exploit the security guards especially Goanyouths. Hence, GHRDC came up with concept of development of skilldevelopment under the central government program of PMKVY, he stated. Brigadier Subodh Koul, concept of providing security aspects tothe security guards felt aftermath of the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai,when the terror attack was going on nobody was prepared, theunpreparedness resulted in heavy casualties. ''The Indian Eye Security Limited which is aimed to provide advanced training to police forceto tackle the any situation,'' he said.UNI HVN RS PR 1904 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-912874.Xml
Pazhayanghadi police today arrested an Arabic language teacher belonging to Bihar, for showing disrespect to the national flag in front of school children in a classroom. One of the girl student aged nine studying in third class questioned it and led to arrest. According to police, they arrested Irphan Ali (32) of Purnea district in Bihar today morning from his residence, after a case was registered under section of Prevention of insults to National honour Act 171 (2). He was produced before the Payyanur JFCM court, today and has been remanded for 14 days at Kannur special jail. Irphan Ali, who was employed as a Arabic teacher in Neruvambaram Pullianghida peace school for the last six months. Police said, Irphan Ali insulted the tricolor on August 16 by cleaning the face and nose. The school authorities had hoisted the national flag on Independence day ( August 15 ), but due to the rains the flag was completely wet, so the school staffs kept the flag inside a class room to dry. On next day, Irphan Ali came to the class room and insulted the flag in front of school children. At that time one girl student, Ayesha (9) questioned the act of teacher and also informed another teacher in this regard, for which she was humiliated and beaten by the teacher. Later , the girl narrated the incident to her uncle who rushed to the school and questioned the authorities The school principal assured that action would be taken against Arabic teacher,but no action was taken by the school authorities even after ten days. Later , the parents of school girl filed a complaint before the police . Accordingly, the Principal also lodged a complaint on last day when the school authorities knew the incident of complaint by parents was put before the police. Police arrested the teacher today morning and the local court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days. UNI AK CJ 1935 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-912898.Xml
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu would inaugurate tomorrow a two-day Regional Editors' conference for Southern states to apprise the participants of the key programmes and road map for the future pertaining to flagship schemes. Around 80 senior mediapersons from Southern states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry would be participating in the conference. The conference would aim to discuss the policies and initiatives of key Ministries such as Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Information and Broadcasting, Road Transport and Shipping, Commerce and Trade, Information and Communication Technology and Home Affairs. The focus of deliberations during this session would be on the Information Technology Hub connecting Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. Besides, the editors would be informed of the ambitious project of the union government to spread the IT network to rural areas and its plans to link it to citizen services of union and state governments. The conference would also include discussions on Disaster Management in which the efforts of the Disaster Management apparatus of the government since Chennai Flood in December 2015 and other climate change related calamities that had taken place in the region would be highlighted. The projects related to infrastructure in the Southern states by National Authority of India would also be discussed during the conference. Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad would also address the conference on different issues like government's efforts to give a filip to automobiles, textiles, spice products and services. UNI XC SW SB 1928 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-912917.Xml
BJP national Secretary H Raja today said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government would be able to salvage Kerala, which was ruined by the ''misrule'' of both United Democratic Front and Left Democratic front in alternative terms. Talking at a function to constitute Reception Committee for his party National Council beginning here on September 23, he said Congress and the CPI (M) ruined the state economically. He said the national Council would set in motion changes in political sphere desperately needed by Kerala. Addressing a gathering, party state President Kummanam Rajasekharan said the LDF government, which was completing its 100 days in office tomorrow had achieved nothing. Stating that during the 100 days they had involved in an equal number of criminal cases, he said there was no district in the state without such incidents. They can also claim the credit for forfeiting the rights of Dalits as no land was given to the landless among them. No scheme for providing drinking water, food shelter was implemented by the government during the period, he said. Calling for a second land reform in the state, he said the national council of the party was expected to bring drastic changes in the political scenario of the state. Prices of essentials were skyrocketing and corruption were rampant in the state due to their misrule. Government employees needed to act on their finger tips as the offices were functioning as per direction from CPI (M) offices, he said. The national council would become a people movement as the vast crowd gathered at the Reception Committee formation hall was any indication, he added. Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha leader C K Janu inaugurated the RC formation meet by lighting traditional lamp at the function. Senior leaders and Mangluru MP Nalin Katil, P S Sreedharan Pillai, P K Krishna Das, M T Ramesh, K Surendran, A N Radhakrishnan, among others, were present.UNI PCH PR 1938 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-912928.Xml
The Congress party held Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K. Tarakarama Rao responsible for the havoc caused due to heavy rains in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad today. The party also expressed their deep condolences over loss of seven lives in rain-related incidents. Accompanied with senior Congress leaders, Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir visited Bholakpur of Musheerabad this evening and offered condolences to Mohammed Nadeem who lost his wife and his two daughters due to collapse of house. Speaking to media , Shabbir Ali pointed out that a heavy spell of rain has turned many areas of the city into pools. He said that MA&UD Minister has failed to do his job properly. "The water logging, submergence of low-lying areas and collapse of weak structures causing seven deaths clearly exposes the failure of not only GHMC and other authorities, but also KTR. The Minister has been making tall claims of turning Hyderabad into a global city. But all his statements have proved to be mere publicity stunts. The citizens of Hyderabad have suffered due to the negligence of GHMC which failed to chalk out and implement 'Monsoon Emergency Plan. "What happened to KTR's 100 Days Action Plan which he announced immediately after TRS won the GHMC elections in February? There were no Emergency Teams or Special Squads when people cried for help from their submerged houses. The situation would have been different if GHMC would have acted on time. Despite forecast of heavy rainfall, the State Government took no measures to handle a possible crisis," Shabbir Ali said. He said that the State Government has miserably failed to handle complaints of water logging, power failure or traffic jams. He alleged that the desiltation of nalas and repair of storm water drains was not done in a proper manner which deteriorated the situation. He said that the government should have shifted the people living in low-lying areas to safer places after it received heavy rainfall warming from the Met Department. He said that the State Government should properly assess the damages and pay adequate compensation. The Congress leader said that the ex-gratia amount of Rs. 4 Lakh (Rs. 2 lakh from GHMC & Rs. 2 lakh from State Govt) to the families of those killed due to rain-related incidents was not adequate. He demanded that the government increase the ex-gratia amount to Rs. 10 lakh each. UNI VV CJ 2008 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-913002.Xml
Mohan Lal Raikwar, 63, resident of Ward Number 13, district Macha, ChattarPur, MP this morning suddenly fell unconscious at Ardhkuwari when he was on his way to Bhawan, police here said.

They said he was immediately shifted to a nearby dispensary, where doctors declared him as brought dead.

The body was shifted to Katra hospital for further legal formalities.UNI VBH PR 1948

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The victim, who is posted as a teacher in Government Middle School Moar Bhatodi of tehsil Billawar in Kathua district, lodged a complaint with the police that on August 23 stating that her colleagues with common criminal intentions outraged her modesty in the far-flung area.

''The victim narrated the incident to her husband who got the matter reported to the police for stern action against the culprits,'' police here said, adding that a case under Sections 354, 452 of RPC was registered. Both the accused identified as Ramneek Basotra posted as Headmaster at Govt Middle School, Moar Bhatodi and Krishan Chand posted as teacher in Govt High School Sadrota were arrested, police added.

Meanwhile, locals have appreciated the bold step taken by the victim and showed utmost courage to get the culprits booked for the criminal act.UNI VBH PR SB 2010

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US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him on the Second India-US Strategic & Commercial Dialogue that concluded here yesterday. Mr Modi conveyed to them that he looked forward to rapid progress and successful completion of the decisions taken with President Obama at the recent Summit Meeting in June. They discussed progress in bilateral engagement since Prime Minister's visit to US in June 2016. Secretary Kerry also shared US perspective on developments in the region and beyond with Mr Modi. Mr Modi conveyed satisfaction at the expanded and strengthened strategic partnership between India and the United States over the past two years that has opened up new vistas for collaboration. The PM conveyed that he looked forward to meeting President Obama at the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China. UNI NAZ PY SB 2125 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-913226.Xml
BJP chief Amit Shah today asked the party's Rajya Sabha members to work hard in those lok Sabha constituencies where it had lost in 2014 polls and nurse it with all the resources in their command. ''The BJP chief, while addressing a meeting of these MPs here, said they should adopt one Lok Sabha constituency where the party had lost in the last polls and work for winning the seat with a zeal they should have shown if they themselves had contested from the constituency,'' Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said here while briefing the media about the meeting. Mr Javadekar said Mr Amit Shah emphasised that the RS MPs should be equal participants in the work of widening the base of the party and strengthening its ideology. Now top ministers like Arun Jaitley, Venkiah Naidu and Manohar Parrikar, who hail from the Rajya SabhaWill adopt a constituency in the state they represent in the Upper House. Today's meeting, which was also addressed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was the third in a series of top party leadership's communication with state leaders. The party had, on August 27, called a meeting with Chief Ministers of the states ruled by it, over issues and strategy for furthering the agenda of the party and its government at the centre in view of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat and Odisha due next year. In the meeting, the BJP decided to prepare a draft agenda for the welfare of weaker sections of society and Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the chief ministers of the party-ruled states to execute the pro-poor schemes of the government in letter and spirit. Earlier on August 23, the party leadership held discussions between the leadership and the members of the state core committees. The core issue at that meeting too, was more effective implementation of the party's political and governance plank .UNI NAZ SB 2230 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-913164.Xml
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked BJP's Rajya Sabha MPs to extend their arena beyond the Upper House and spread party's base and ideology in their states. The Prime Minister said this in his closing remarks while addressing BJP's Rajya RS MPs meeting at NDMC Convention Centre here. He said all the 52 RS MPs, apart from actively performing their job as Parliamentarians, must also contribute in strengthening the party in their native states or wherever party requires their services. Briefing mediapersons about the meeting, Union Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the PM also stressed that the party MPs should not just raise issues related to their states but also ensure engagement of poor and marginalised sections with the party. Mr Modi told the MPs to actively participate in Parliament's debates, raise relevant issues and highlight the NDA government's achievements. He also acknowledged the role of party workers in spreading the BJP with their hard work and commitment and taking it to a position, where it was at present. Earlier in the day, BJP chief Amit Shah asked them to work hard in those Lok Sabha constituencies where it had lost in 2014 polls and nurse it with all the resources in their command. Now top ministers like Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Manohar Parrikar, who hail from the Rajya Sabha, will adopt a constituency in the state they represent in the Upper House. In the meeting, the BJP decided to prepare a draft agenda for the welfare of weaker sections of society and the Prime Minister asked the chief ministers of the party-ruled states to execute the pro-poor schemes of the government in letter and spirit.UNI RG SB 2248 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0377-913267.Xml
Pena Nieto last Friday invited both Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to visit Mexico, the Washington Post cited his office as saying on Tuesday.

Trump, sensing an opportunity, decided to push for a visit this week, said sources in the US and Mexico who are familiar with the discussions.

Trump and the Mexican president on Tuesday night confirmed on Twitter that they will meet on Wednesday.

"I have accepted the invitation of President Pena Nieto and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow," Trump tweeted on Tuesday night.

The New York billionaire's tweet came shortly after, Pena Nieto's office wrote that "El Senor" Trump has accepted the invitation and will meet the president.

The visit comes after Trump has wavered for weeks on whether he will continue to hold his hard-line positions on the central and incendiary issue of his campaign, in particular his call to deport an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the US illegally.

According to the Washington Post, the people informed of Trump's plans spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding the matter.

Talks between the Trump campaign and Mexican officials are ongoing, with security concerns still being sorted out, they said on Tuesday.

Trump will hold fundraisers on Wednesday morning in California and deliver his immigration speech in the evening at the Phoenix Convention Centre. His trip to Mexico would come between his events.

--IANS py/

( 278 Words)

2016-08-31-09:23:57 (IANS)
In a bid to highlight the ongoing Baloch genocide and human rights violations and the disappearance of Baloch people through the hands of Pakistani military and intelligence agencies in Balochistan, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) Germany chapter held demonstrations in different cities. The demonstrations were held in Dusseldorf, Berlin and Munich on August 30, which is also marked as "The International Day of the victims of the enforced disappearance" by the Baloch people. The protesters were seen holding placards which read "stop #enforced disappearance in Balochistan." Some were also seen enacting the human rights abuses by Pakistan with chains tied in their hands and blood stains on their shirts. The protesters also sought the attention of United Nations, the U.S. and the EU in order to act for the safe recovery of those missing, which amounts to thousands. The BNM activists highlighted that silence of the International community is aiding Baloch genocide by Pakistan. BNM's deputy secretary Germany Zone, Nadeem Saleem said that in 1948, Balochistan was unlawfully occupied by Pakistan through a military invasion in violation of International Law and against the wishes of the Baloch nation. Highlighting that Pakistani military occupation in Balochistan has deprived its people to develop into a democratic society with rights to education, economic freedom, cultural progress and social justice, he said that country's military is promoting proxy Islamist terrorist groups in Balochistan. "Pakistani military establishment is promoting proxy Islamist terrorist groups in Balochistan as a policy to crush the secular Baloch freedom struggle and to transform the society into a bastion of Taliban, ISIS, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi to be used against neighbouring Afghanistan and India," Saleem told ANI. He said that since 2003, more than 23,000 activists, students, lawyers, women, journalists, writers and human rights defenders have been enforced disappeared by the Pakistani army and its death squads. Asserting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the atrocities committed against the people of Balochistan by the Pakistan, he hoped that the United Nation, U.S., U.K., Germany, and the European Union will raise their voices to save his people. Protesters were also seen holding placards reading, "PM Modi Balochistan loves you, needs you." Jaleel Ahmed Baloch, unit secretary of Gottingen unit, Germany requested the world community to take notice of the atrocities against the people of Balochistan. "There are more than 30, 0000 Baloch activists, Baloch teachers, Baloch students who are under Pakistani torture cells, who are bearing inhuman torture in Pakistani torture custody. We request to the United Nation, European Union, India and the rest of democratic countries please take notice of that," he told ANI. The protesters also highlighted that Pakistan's Gwadar port in Balochistan, developed with Chinese assistance, key part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project is raising tensions in the Indian Ocean. Described as an economic "game-changer" by Pakistan and China, CPEC has strategic implications for India and Afghanistan. The Baloch Republican Party (BRP) activists were earlier seen holding protest rally in Kolwa area of Awaran district against military operations and Chinese intervention in Balochistan. Earlier media reports have also highlighted the manner in which the CPEC project was being constructed against the will of the local population in Balochistan, leading to the heavy presence of Pakistani military and police apparatus in the area. The Pakistani Army has also been alleged of forceful evacuation of people from their traditional homesteads and farmlands in several areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan so as to make the land available for the CPEC. (ANI)
The Islamic State group announced today that one of its longest-serving and most prominent leaders, responsible for attacks overseas, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, had been killed in Aleppo province in Syria.Adnani had been one of the last living senior members, along with self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, that founded the group and stunned the Middle East by seizing huge tracts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.As Islamic State's spokesman, he was its most visible member. As head of external operations, he was in charge of attacks overseas, including Europe, that have become an increasingly important tactic for the group as its core Iraqi and Syrian territory has been eroded by military losses.Advances by Iraq's army and allied militia towards Islamic State's most important possession of Mosul have put the group under new pressure at a moment when a US-backed coalition has cut its Syrian holdings off from the Turkish border.Those military setbacks have been accompanied by airstrikes that have killed several of the group's leaders, undermining its organisational ability and dampening its morale.A US counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said that Adnani's death will hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere".Under Adnani's auspices, Islamic State has launched large-scale attacks, bombings and shootings, on civilians in several countries outside its core area, including France, Belgium and Turkey.The official said Adnani's role as propaganda chief and director of external operations have become "indistinguishable" because the group uses its online messages to recruit fighters and provide instruction and inspiration for attacks.Islamic State's Amaq News Agency reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo". Islamic State holds territory in the province of Aleppo, but not in the city where rebels are fighting Syrian government forces.Amaq did not say how Adnani, born Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province in 1977, was killed. Islamic State published a eulogy dated August 29 but giving no further details.INROADS INTO ISLAMIC STATERecent advances by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it.Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group meant that Baghdad was on track to retake Mosul from it by the end of this year, the head of the US military's Central Command General Joseph Votel said earlier on Tuesday.Among senior Islamic State officials to have been killed in airstirkes this year are both Abu Ali al-Anbari, Baghdadi's formal deputy, and the group's "minister of war", Abu Omar al-Shishani. Adnani had joined the group under its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.There are conflicting reports as to where and how he died.A senior Syrian rebel official said Adnani was most probably killed in the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab in an air strike. Citing unconfirmed reports, he said Adnani was in the Aleppo region to raise morale as the group comes under mounting pressure.Hisham al-Hashimi, a security analyst who advises the Iraqi government on Islamic State, said Adnani was injured in a coalition strike on August 17 near al-Rai, north of Aleppo, where Islamic State is fighting Turkish and US-backed Syrian rebels.Hashimi said he died from his wounds on Monday.Islamic State's territory around Aleppo is of particular significance to the group because it is also the location of Dabiq, where an Islamic prophecy holds the last battle between Muslims and infidels will rage, heralding the end of time.FACE OF GROUPIraq said in January that Adnani had been wounded in an air strike in the western province of Anbar and then moved to the northern city of Mosul, Islamic State's capital in Iraq.Adnani is a Syrian from Binish in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor al Qaeda more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by US forces in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution.He was from a well-to-do background but left Syria to travel to Iraq in order to fight the US forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said.He has been the chief propagandist for the ultra-hardline jihadist group since he declared in a June 2014 statement that it was establishing a modern-day caliphate spanning swaths of territory it had seized in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.Adnani has often been the face of the Sunni militant group, such as when he issued a message in May urging attacks on the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan.Adnani is likely to be succeeded in his military role by the financial comptroller of the group, Iyad al-Obaidi, also known as Saleh Haifa, a security officer and Saddam, Hashimi said.The United States designated him a "global terrorist" this year and says he was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003 before becoming spokesman of the militant group.There is a 5 million dollars reward on his head under the US "Rewards for Justice" programme.REUTERS RSD 0139 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911679.Xml
The US State Department said today that authorities were assessing the validity of a video released by Afghan militants that depicts US hostage Caitlan Coleman and her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, who were seized four years ago.State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was concerned about the welfare of the couple and their family and "continue to urge for their immediate release on humanitarian grounds."Coleman and Boyle vanished a few days after arriving in Afghanistan while on a backpacking trip near the Pakistani border in 2012. Coleman, who was pregnant at the time, has given birth to two boys while in captivity, ABC News reported earlier this year, citing her parents.The Daily Beast online news organization said on Tuesday it had obtained the new video, which depicted Coleman saying her captors were threatening to kill the family if Taliban prisoners were executed in Afghan jails. Coleman pleaded for US intervention, the newspaper said.The Daily Beast said the Haqqani network, a Taliban affiliate operating in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, was holding the family captive and made the video and posted it online.Kirby said the United States was "regularly engaged with the governments of both Afghanistan and Pakistan at the highest levels to emphasize our commitment to seeing our citizens return safely to their families." REUTERS RSD 0212 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911683.Xml
Apparel retailer Gap Inc said there was a "serious" fire at its distribution center in Fishkill, New York.All employees at the site were safe and an investigation was underway, Gap spokeswoman Debbie Felix said yesteray."While it will take time to understand the full impact and cause of the fire, we have contingency plans in place and are working across our North American network of distributions centers to continue to serve our customers," Felix said.REUTERS RSD 0214 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911684.Xml
A Libyan navy boat fired warning shots at a search and rescue vessel operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) earlier this month because it thought it was involved in smuggling, a spokesman said.MSF says the Bourbon Argos, which has long been conducting rescue missions for migrants trying to cross from Libya to Europe, was fired on and boarded by unidentified assailants on August 17.It said some of the shots hit the boat, which was patrolling about 24 nautical miles off the Libyan coast, and that armed men spent about 50 minutes aboard as the crew sheltered in a safe area. There were no migrants on the boat that day, MSF said yesterday.Libyan navy spokesman Ayoub Qassem said the navy patrol boat had taken action after the Bourbon Argos failed to respond to calls and tried to change its route."The boat was spotted in international waters and it's known to be an oil smuggling route, so that's why our costal guards had to intercept it," Qassem said. "But the crew tried to flee to the north.""The guards shot in the air to warn them but because our boat is small and was swaying due to heavy waves there might have been a hit to their boat. I confirm that it was not directly targeted."MSF said there was no "clear identification and communication or any radio answer" from the Libyan boat and that it had found out 10 days later about the navy's involvement from Libyan media."MSF is currently engaging with the Libyan authorities in order to clarify what happened exactly during the incident and to ensure that similar events, that can put people in physical danger, do not occur in the future," the humanitarian group said in a statement issued on Saturday.Tens of thousands of migrants have crossed the central Mediterranean to Europe this year, most of them leaving from Libya.Traffickers generally provide flimsy rubber boats, and more than 2,700 have died attempting the journey. In recent days there has been a surge in departures.Qassem said the incident involving the Bourbon Argos took place off the coast near the western Libyan towns of Sabratha and Zuwara, an area where many boats have left in recent months. Fuel smuggling is also reported to be rife in the area.Libyan coastguard or naval vessels sometimes stop boats before they reach international waters and return migrants to Libya. The European Union is preparing to train Libyan coastguards in an attempt to help stem the flow crossings.REUTERS RSD 0445 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911696.Xml
R epublican Donald Trump, who has made his criticism of a pending Pacific trade agreement central to his campaign, was to visit a Seattle suburb that is home to a large Boeing Co plane manufacturing facility that depends heavily on sales to Asian markets.Trump's campaign has booked the Xfinity Arena, which seats thousands of people, in anticipation of a large crowd. The Republican presidential candidate, who has courted manufacturing workers with vows to tear up trade agreements, is due to speak at 7 p.m. Pacific Time.The rally is likely to attract workers from Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company. Supporters of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) point to Boeing's aircraft sales to Asia to tout the benefits of the agreement. Secretary of State John Kerry visited a nearby plant earlier this year to rally support for the pact.Trump presents a conundrum for the unions who represent those workers. The unions agree with Trump on his opposition to TPP and the export of jobs overseas, but officials said they find his track record unconvincing."The fact is that Trump has had the opportunity to bring jobs to American, and he's chosen to outsource them," said Larry Brown yesterday, legislative and political director for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751, which represents about 32,000 workers in the state, mostly at Boeing.Boeing produces some of its largest planes only miles from where Trump will be speaking. As they are assembled, the painted tails of the planes show the airlines that ordered them, and many are Asian. Major components of each plane come from overseas: South Korea, China and Europe.Over the next 20 years, Boeing projects that Asian customers will account for 40 percent of the total global jetliner's market, the company said in a recent report."Trade is a huge part of the success of manufacturing in Washington," said Linda Dempsey, vice president of international economic affairs for the National Association of Manufacturers, which Boeing belongs to. "They are exporting 73 billion dollars in manufactured goods."But Trump offers a more dire outlook, arguing that only he can keep Boeing from moving those high-paying manufacturing jobs from Washington to China."They'll start taking your business away, and you won't have much of Boeing," Trump told Seattle's KIRO radio on Monday.RALLYING WORKERSTrump has broken with the Republican Party's traditional embrace of free trade. He has vowed to rip up the TPP and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, an existing deal with Canada and Mexico which he blames for the loss of US jobs.The Republican Party's support for free trade has put it in sync with large business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.Tony Fratto, a former official in the administration of Republican George W. Bush, criticized Trump as out of step with the party."Trump's policies in this area are really dumb generally, but are particularly dumb for a major exporting company," said Fratto, who worked on behalf of a coalition of large companies, including Boeing, that were pushing for renewal of the Export-Import Bank.Visiting Washington state is also unlikely to get Trump much closer to victory on November 8. Clinton leads by large margins in the state, according to opinion polls.But voters there remain divided. Corey McNally, 40, of Whidbey Island, Washington, has not decided whom he will vote for."The union members love Hillary just because they're supposed to because she's a liberal," said McNally. And Trump, whom he called "just kind of a big show," may be too late to change anything."This company's been outsourcing jobs for years," he said of Boeing.REUTERS RSD 0448 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911697.Xml
Russia questioned a report by the United Nations and a global chemical weapons watchdog that blamed Syrian government forces for two chlorine gas attacks, saying the UN Security Council could not use the conclusions to impose sanctions.A year-long UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inquiry, unanimously authorized by the 15-member Security Council, also found that Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas.The UN Security Council began talks on Tuesday on how to respond to the inquiry. When asked if he thought the report was enough to impose sanctions on Syria, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin yesterday said: "Frankly, I don't, but we continue to analyze the report.""There are two cases that they suggest are the fault of the Syrian side; we have very serious questions," he told reporters after the council met behind closed doors to discuss the issue.The report set the stage for a Security Council showdown between the five veto-wielding powers, pitting Russia and China against the United States, Britain and France."The sorts of things we will be looking at are the imposition of a sanctions regime and some form of accountability within international legal mechanisms," said British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft on his way into the meeting.Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a deal brokered by Moscow and Washington. The Security Council backed that deal with a resolution that said in the event of non-compliance, "including unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone" in Syria, it would impose measures under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter.Chapter 7 deals with sanctions and authorization of military force by the Security Council. The body would need to adopt another resolution to impose targeted sanctions - a travel ban and asset freeze - on people or entities linked to the attacks."It is incumbent on the council to act swiftly to show that when we put that Joint Investigative Mechanism in place we were serious about there being meaningful accountability," US Ambassador Samantha Power said on her way into the meeting."I can't specify or get ahead of where the council's going to be," she said.Russia, a close Syrian ally, and China have previously protected the Syrian government from council action by blocking several resolutions, including a bid to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court."We need a resolution and we need a resolution with teeth," said French UN Ambassador Francois Delattre yesterday.REUTERS RSD 0452 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911699.Xml
The chief of Chicago's police department recommended that five officers be fired over their role in the 2014 shooting death of an black teenager, an incident that heaped national scrutiny on the nation's second largest police force.Superintendent Eddie Johnson recommended to the Chicago Police Board that officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot Laquan McDonald 16 times, be fired, along with another four officers.The shooting made headlines across the country and sparked protests after the release of a dashboard video more than a year after the incident. The video shows the officer continued to fire after McDonald, 17, had fallen to the ground.It also comes amid a string of high-profile killings of black men by police in various US cities in the past two years which have renewed a national debate about racial discrimination in the American criminal justice system and given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.Johnson's recommendation marks the start of formal proceedings in the officers' firing. The Police Board, whose nine members are appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, must consider it and then make the decision on firing the officers.Van Dyke is facing charges of first-degree murder and is on unpaid leave. He has pleaded not guilty.Sergeant Stephen Franko, and officers Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian and Ricardo Viramontes, are named along with Van Dyke. According to charges released on Tuesday, all allegedly made false or inaccurate statements about the circumstances surrounding McDonald's death."The Superintendent has recommended that each of the five officers be discharged from the Chicago Police Department," a statement from the Police Board said. "The public is reminded that the filing of charges is not evidence of guilt."An initial status hearing for the cases is scheduled for September 19.The police reports on the October 2014 shooting conflicted with video footage of the incident, sparking accusations that Van Dyke's fellow officers were trying to cover up an unjustified shooting.Emanuel fired police Superintendent Garry McCarthy in the wake of the video release, and thousands of protesters took to the streets of Chicago over McDonald's death and the subsequent handling of the case.Initially Johnson recommended that 10 officers be terminated, a number that dropped to seven because some officers retired, among other reasons, the Chicago Tribune reported. It was unclear why that number dropped to five officers.Yesterday, Emanuel unveiled a proposed Police Accountability Ordinance to overhaul current oversight in a move to ensure "investigations of officers are independent, fair, timely and transparent." Chicago City Council will vote on it on September 29.REUTERS RSD 0507 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-911706.Xml
Responding to question related to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's remark that Pakistan is taking strong action against the Haqqani (terror) Network, and as to why there seems to be a different view being projected by the U.S. Defense Department at the Pentagon, a State Department spokesman said there is no dissonance between the two government departments on the issue of terror, or how to deal with terrorist outfits like the Haqqani Network. When asked, "Sir, I've just seen Secretary Kerry's statement in India. He just said that Pakistan in recent months has taken strong action against Haqqani Network. But if we see the Pentagon, they have different views about the Pakistani action against the Haqqani Network. Why are the State Department and the Pentagon not on the same page?," U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said, "Well, I - I'm not going to just presume that your implication is correct there, that we're not. I don't know what comments you're talking about from the Pentagon that differ from what we're saying here at the State Department. Look, I'd just say that we all recognize that the continued security threat that is posed by the Haqqani Network and by other terrorist groups that operate inside Pakistan and along that border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the Pentagon is obviously well aware of that, as we are here, and it's a conversation that we continue to have and will continue to have with our partners in the region. I'm not aware that there's any dissonance here in terms of the way we're seeing it." When Kirby further asked whether there is a particular comment that was being referring to, and was informed that the BBC has quoted Kerry, as saying, Kirby said, "No, I know what my Secretary said. You're saying there - that's a difference opinion that's expressed at the Pentagon, and there is a constant conversation that we are having with our Pakistani partners about the threat posed by Haqqani and by other extremist groups there in the region and certainly operating inside Pakistan." He further stated, "And we make these decisions routinely and they're based on active, fluid, dynamic conversations that we have with Pakistani leaders. I don't know of any difference. I think the United States Government is viewing this very much all in the same - in the same light." He also said that he did have any details regarding Secretary Kerry's talks with Prime Minister Sharif and General Raheel Sharif in Pakistan. Kirby said, "I don't know - let's see if I have a recent call. I don't have a recent call to read out, so I'd have to find out when the last discussion was." On the issue of resumption of a trilateral dialogue with India and Afghanistan, Kirby said, "I think the movement forward - I think we have to work through those details. And I think what matters is that, as the Secretary said, those discussions are important and they are going to continue." "And he talked about the constructive role that India has played inside Afghanistan and wanting to see that - see that role continue. So, we're focused on the future here. I'm not going to get into a debate or a discussion about what happened in the past and the degree to which those talks didn't continue. What matters is they are going to continue going forward, and that's why - one of the reasons why the Secretary's there in New Delhi today," he added. (ANI)
The death toll from a car bomb blast in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Tuesday that exploded outside the Presidential Palace has risen to 22, police said today."We have confirmed from various hospitals that at least 22 died and 50 others were wounded. Death includes wounded people who died in hospitals," police officer Major Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters.The attack has been claimed by al Shabaab militants. REUTERS AKC RAI1235 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-911952.Xml
European equities steadied in early trading on Wednesday after setting a two-week high in the previous day, with gains in companies such as Commerzbank and Bouygues offsetting weaker miners.The pan-European STOXX 600 index was trading flat in percentage terms by 0726 GMT after climbing to its highest level since the middle of August on Tuesday. The index headed for its second straight month of gains.Commerzbank rose around 4 percent, the top gainer in the STOXX 600, after German Manager Magazin reported that Deutsche Bank had in the past considered the idea of a merger with Commerzbank. Deutsche Bank was up 1 percent.French construction-to-media conglomerate Bouygues gained 3 percent after the company named two new deputy CEOs and reiterated its pledge to improve its profitability this year after first-half earnings were boosted by an improved performance at its telecom arm.However, miners were on the back foot, with the European sector index falling 1.3 percent, tracking weaker metals prices. Shares in Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto fell 1.5 to 2.3 percent. REUTERS AKC RAI1331 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-912023.Xml
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi launched a major push to end decades of fighting between the military and myriad rebel groups with an appeal today to the country's ethnic minorities to overcome their differences to achieve peace.Suu Kyi has made the peace process a priority for her administration, which faces sky-high expectations at home and abroad after sweeping to power in an election last November to end more than half a century of military-backed rule.Delegates in elaborate ethnic costumes, sporting silver necklaces and hats adorned with peacock feathers, mingled and took photographs with military officers, mainstream majority Bamar politicians and diplomats at the start of the conference."If all those who play a part ... in the peace process cultivate the wisdom to reconcile differing views for the good of the people ... we will surely be able to build the democratic federal union of our dreams," said Suu Kyi in her opening remarks."Only if we are all united, our country will be at peace. Only if our country is at peace, will we be able to stand on equal footing with other countries in our region and across the world."Myanmar has been torn by fighting between the military, which seized power in a 1962 coup, and ethnic armed groups almost without a break since the end of the Second World War.The focus today was on the symbolic, with few concrete proposals likely to emerge from this week's talks.Delegates expect to meet every six months to discuss issues ranging from security, political representation, language and culture to control of Myanmar's rich mineral resources."It's the Tatmadaw members and our brethren members of ethnic armed groups, who have been directly suffering from ... the lack of peace in the country, sacrificing their limbs and lives," said army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing."I firmly believe that we will be able to accomplish this great process with our unity and efforts."ETHNIC TENSIONSMyanmar is home to more than a hundred ethnic groups with distinct traditions and cultures, and some representative performed a folk dance on the conference stage celebrating the Southeast Asian nation's ethnic diversity.Among those absent from the conference, however, were any representatives of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims, who face persecution and human rights abuses at the hands of their Buddhist neighbours in northwestern Rakhine State.A day before the conference started, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Myanmar to improve the living conditions of the Rohingya, underscoring the challenges facing Suu Kyi in tackling all the country's ethnic divisions.But the fact that Suu Kyi has been able to bring the vast majority of the rebel groups to the negotiating table only five months after taking power is a sign of progress, experts say.Powerful armed groups from regions bordering China, including the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), who refused to sign a ceasefire last October under the previous military-backed government, are now taking part, partly owing to China's tacit support for the talks, observers say.As Myanmar's economy opens up, China is vying for influence with the United States. President Xi Jinping pledged his country would play a "constructive role" in the peace process when Suu Kyi visited China this month.Casting a shadow over the talks is a recent flare-up in fighting in northernmost Kachin State and clashes in northeastern Shan State, which is home to several large groups operating close to borders with China and Thailand. REUTERS AKC VP1335 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-912060.Xml
Responding to question related to China expressing concern about India and U.S. signing a logistic agreement, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said at his media briefing that while he had not seen the details of the said agreement, no country should have any fears about such pacts. "Broadly speaking, "a deepening, stronger, more cooperative bilateral relationship with India is nothing that anybody should fear or worry about. We both are democracies; we both have incredible opportunities and influence on the global stage, and a better relationship between the United States and India is not just good for our two countries, not just good for the region, it's good for the world," Kirby said. Kirby's response was to a question related to the United States and India signing a major military deal to facilitate the bilateral use of naval bases, and allow Washington to boost its military presence on China's doorstep. The signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) this week after over a decade of preparation; was a highlight of Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's three-day visit to Washington. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter praised the agreement, saying it would aid the "overall maritime security" and contribute to "freedom of navigation" across the world. The deal allows the US Navy to use India's naval bases to re-supply during military exercises, humanitarian missions and disaster operations. The same rules would apply to India, but in reverse. However LEMOA does not allow for the deployment of troops on the base; Washington or New Delhi would have to seek a separate agreement for that. Before the agreement was signed, the American and Indian navies had to ask for permission to enter one another's military bases, with requests having to be reviewed by the 'host' side in each individual case. LEMOA is removing these barriers, allowing Washington in particular to increase its operational capabilities in the South China Sea. The US Navy beefed up its presence and patrols in the area over the past months, adding to the already tense relations between America and China. Beijing is currently involved in a territorial row over parts of South China Sea, including the Spratly and the Paracel Islands. The territories are also claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines. On July 12 the International Hague Tribunal ruled that "there is no legal basis for China to claim historic rights" for the contested territories. Beijing defied the ruling saying the territories are its exclusive economic zone. It has also accused Washington of taking sides in the dispute. The US has launched several navy drills in the South China Sea, including in June this year. Its war ships and aircraft operated in a close proximity to the Spratly Islands during the exercises. Washington also repeatedly sent its warships on patrols near the territories contested by Beijing, which on its part launched navy drills in the area as well. The US is seeking to assert its right to freely sail in the South China Sea under the so-called "freedom of navigation" campaign. The region is one of the busiest maritime traffic routes and Washington does not want to be required to seek prior permission to sail past the many islands in the sea. (ANI with inputs)
Reiterating his gratitude to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the issue of atrocities on the people of Balochistan by Pakistan, Baloch separatist leader Brahamdagh Khan Bugti blasted Pakistani media for not highlighting the issue and said that the strategy of authorities in Islamabad is to finish the Baloch people. The Baloch Republican Party (BRP) chief stressed that the reactions which came Pakistan government and its media was not surprising and instead termed their reaction as cheap one. "The strategy of Pakistan Government, army and its media is to finish Baloch people. The evidence can be seen time and again," he told ANI. Taking pot-shots on Pakistani media, he said that they hardly cover any news on Balochistan. But, when it comes to Pakistan, even small incidents are covered. "If we talk on the oppression and operation in Balochistan, once in a year or in 6 months these references are made reference in media shows that too it all censored. So far no anchor of any media house has even spoken Balochistan," he added. He questioned, "Every single day many men and women are murdered. Many are dragged out of their house, Many go missing. They are even tortured and then their bodies are thrown on roads. Did any media pay attention to it ?. " Stating that Pakistan media twists the statements made by Baloch only to spread confusion and fool their people, he pointed out that its only because of their negligence that others have started to started to raise the issue. Hitting out at Pakistani Army for trying to divert and suppress the Balochistan issues after people has started talking it, he said that Baloch people are ready for talks provided authorities leave their region. "I recently saw my interviews and then the authorities said that they want to talk, We never said no to talks. This is the Pakistani military who by force is trying to suppress any issue. The army is trying to captive people by operation and by using force. We are ready for talks if army retreats from Balochistan like it has done from Bangladesh in 1971," he said. Warning the Pakistan army to leave to leave Balochistan, he said the consequences will be worst than what happened in Bangladesh in 1971. Accepting that it was a mistake on their part that for the last 50 years of trying to be part of Pakistan to live in equality, Bugti said that we have decided that we cannot live with Pakistan forcefully. "Pakistan has never been our country and will never be. We have been forcefully joined to it. I have been called a traitor. I think that when I am not even a Pakistani national, how am in a traitor?, " he said. On the First Information Report (FIR) being filed against him for hailing Indian Prime Minister, he said, "It's foolishness on Pakistan's part to do it. We have no relations with Pakistan. Pak authorities say that you have filed FIR. I would say not just one but file hundreds of FIR's against me. Your FIR cannot harm even a strand of my hair." He also thanked Afghanistan and Bangladesh for hailing their cause. Thanking Indian authorities, media, people for their support, he hoped the support continues in the future as well. (ANI)
Turkey will press on with its offensive in northern Syria until all threats are removed and the nation's national security is guaranteed, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said today.Turkey launched an incursion into Syria a week ago, saying it aimed to drive away Islamic State and prevent Kurdish militias seizing more territory near the Turkish border. Clashes with Kurdish-aligned militias that have US backing have raised tensions with NATO ally Washington.REUTERS AKC AN1441 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-912177.Xml
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull came under pressure over same-sex marriage and from within his own party today as parliament returned for the first time since a poor showing by his coalition government in elections last month.Turnbull's Liberal-National coalition was reduced to a razor-thin one-vote majority in the lower house after an early poll to break a deadlock in the upper house Senate backfired.The centre-left opposition Labor Party immediately dug in its heels over the government's proposal to hold a national plebiscite on same-sex marriage, which it considers expensive and unnecessary.Labor, which wants a vote on the issue in parliament, has garnered enough support to block the plebiscite."We would not be true to ourselves if we said 'we think this is a terrible idea but, all right, have a plebiscite'," Labor Party Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen told Sky News."We can recognise marriage equality, that's our job."But while Labor's push for a vote on gay marriage was expected, less so was an embarrassing public rift with right-wingers within Turnbull's Liberal Party, who want to alter the country's race hatred laws.Liberal Senator Bernardi, who is leading the push, has secured support from every backbench coalition senator save one to tone down the wording of the Racial Discrimination Act, according to a letter circulated by his office.Some on the right argue that the current language barring speech that "insults" or "offends" is too vague and prioritises political correctness over freedom of speech."The government is entitled to set its own priorities but as am I, for my own constituency, and that's the Australian conservatives who want to see reform in this space," Bernardi told the Australian Broadcasting Corp late yesterday."Now, I'm saying it's on the agenda."The conservatives' push has exposed deep divisions within the government, which have been festering since the progressive Turnbull ousted conservative prime minister Tony Abbott in a 2014 party coup.Under pressure from what Labor called in a press release "open revolt", Turnbull showed no signs of backing down."We have other more pressing, much more pressing priorities to address," he told reporters. REUTERS AKC AS1450 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-912208.Xml
Highlighting that media should be one of the pillars of democracy, Marc-Andre Franche, the former country director for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan, has pointed out that Pakistani media is manipulated. Franche, who had been the UNDP country director for the last four years, bid farewell to Pakistan to take up the position of Chief of Financing at the United Nations Peace building Fund. He made the remarks during an interview to a Pakistan daily shortly before his departure. "Media is of course a business. But a business that does not contribute to the public good has very little utility. It is important that the media makes money, but the media is one of the pillars of democracy and the media has to educate the public. Unfortunately, the level of dependence of the government on military authorities, and the degree by which a lot of media in this country is manipulated by powerful sources, are sources of erosion of democracy and erosion of the institutions that are the foundations of this country, " Franche said. His reply was based on the question about UNDP's engagement being checked by limited economic discourse in the media. On being asked if he would recommend his successor to develop a programme for nudging the media towards setting the economic agenda, he replied, "We wouldn't do a special programme on that. But as part of our different programmes, such as climate change, poverty, etcetera; we have a lot of emphasis on engaging the media." He pointed out that a critical change Pakistan can happen only when the elite, the politicians and the wealthy sections of society sacrifice their short term goals and stop abusing their power to enrich themselves, or favour their friends and extended families. He asserted that the apartheid of opportunities in Pakistan is horrible and the country needs more opportunities. "The apartheid of opportunities in Pakistan is horrible, which is why so many young people are trying to leave the country," he said He added that Pakistan will not be able to survive with gated communities where you are completely isolated from the societies, where you are creating ghettos at one end and big huge malls for the rich at the other end. He said the political and economic elite must also try to build a consensus so that Islamabad progresses. "You cannot have a political class in this country that uses its power to enrich itself, and to favour its friends and families. This fundamental flaw needs to be corrected if Pakistanis to transform into a modern, progressive developed country. The political and economic elite must also try to build a consensus," he added. Asserting that it is not his role to say what Pakistan should or should not do, he, however, pointed out that the basic human rights of the minorities, women and the people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are not respected. "The fact that even in 2016, Pakistanhas 38 percent poverty; it has districts that live like sub-Saharan Africa; that the basic human rights of minorities, women and the people of FATA are not respected; that this country has not been able to get its act together and hold a census, or that it has not been able to push for reforms in FATA, an area that is institutionally living in the 17th century," he said. Franche also said that it was also frustrating for him to see that people are so capable and intelligent but not making more progress than they should in terms of poverty reduction, inequality, modernising the state and functioning institutions.(ANI)
Addressing a conference on the Future of Police in Afghanistan, CEO Abdullah said that Kabul is facing a fight that is against humanity, reports the Tolo News.

He added the terrorist groups fighting in Afghanistan have no faith in peace and stability.

Emphasizing to increase the number of female service members among the Afghan police ranks, he said that such move could bring the communities closer to police.

The CEO said the Ministry of Interior and senior level commanders has been instructed to take extra measures to reach out to the police who are sacrificing their lives for the citizens.

He later thanked the international community for their support to rebuild the Afghan Police, specifically mentioning the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL's) contribution. (ANI)
A refugee centre in western Switzerland burnt down early on Wednesday, but nobody was injured and the cause of the fire was still unclear, police said.The fire brigade in the town of Biberist was able to put the fire out quickly after an alarm at 3 a.m. local time. All 10 residents of the centre were able to leave the buildings unharmed, police in the canton of Solothurn said in a statement.A police spokesman said it could take two to three days for results of the investigation to emerge.Cases of violence against refugees have been rare in Switzerland, where the number of people seeking asylum rose last year to 39,523. REUTERS CJ PM1517 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-912277.Xml
Russia's Defence Ministry said today that Russian air strikes in Syria had killed one of Islamic State's most prominent leaders, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani.The ministry said that Adnani was one of up to 40 rebels killed by the air strikes in Syria's region of Maaratat-Umm Khaush, in the Aleppo province.On Tuesday, a US defence official told Reuters the United States targeted Adnani in a strike.REUTERS CJ BD1719 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-912532.Xml
Germany's military counter-intelligence agency is investigating 64 suspected "extremist Islamists" working for the armed forces, a spokesman for the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.The 64 could include civilian as well as uniformed employees, the spokesman added. People judged to be "extremist Islamists" are not permitted to work for the military.Between 2007 and 2016, 30 "extremist Islamists" went to Syria or Iraq after being employed in the armed forces, the spokesman said. Nineteen people were discharged from the forces for being "extremist Islamists" during that period.Germans have been unsettled by a series of violent attacks on civilians, two of which were claimed by Islamic State.The agency is currently only allowed to run checks on people who already work in the armed forces. The cabinet on Wednesday approved proposals to change the law to permit such checks to be made on applicants to join.On Sunday Welt am Sonntag newspaper said a draft document justifying the changes said there were indications Islamists were trying to get into the military for training.The armed forces employ 250,000 people.REUTERS CJ GC1835 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-912782.Xml
Thirteen Indian citizens are among those infected in an outbreak of the Zika virus in Singapore, according to a person at the Indian High Commission in the city-state.Foreign construction workers have been hit hardest in the first days of the mosquito-borne disease's outbreak. Singapore announced the first locally contracted case of Zika late on Saturday.Of the first 56 cases of Zika identified by late Monday, three dozen were foreign workers on a property development site where they worked and lived with more than 450 others.Total Zika infections had increased to 82 by late Tuesday, but the Singapore government has not disclosed whether any of the more recent cases involved foreign workers. It did not respond to Reuters questions about the nationality of those infected.The person at the Indian High Commission did not know if the Indian citizens affected were in the construction industry.India's Ministry of External Affairs said it had asked the Singapore government if any of its nationals were among those diagnosed with the Zika virus, but had yet to hear back.Many of the 360,000 or so foreign workers in Singapore's building industry are from the Indian sub-continent, including India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. While many are paid as little as S$2 an hour ($1.47), work 12-14 hour days and rarely take days off, they can still potentially earn significantly more in Singapore than at home."MOST SUSCEPTIBLE"Some dormitory rooms where workers live can house more than a dozen people and have no working fans, increasing their potential exposure to mosquitoes as windows are often left open, rights groups and some foreign workers told Reuters.Government regulations already require employers and dormitory operators to take efforts to avoid mosquito breeding habitats as part of a long-standing battle with dengue, another mosquito-borne virus, but rights groups say they are concerned that these rules are not always followed.Heena Kanwar, executive director of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, says foreign workers are "the most susceptible group" for infections "because of their living conditions."Reuters was unable to gain access to workers at the construction site which was the focal point of the initial Zika infections. A spokesperson for Woh Hup, the main contractor at the site - which is under a "stop work" order - directed queries to the authorities "as the case is still under investigation."A spokeswoman for the site's owner, Guocoland, said the company was unable to comment "beyond what has been released by the authorities."Only local media were invited to a site visit by Minister of State for Manpower Teo Ser Luck on Tuesday, reporting that those diagnosed with the Zika virus were still living on site, but were separated from other workers, in rooms with internet access and delivered meals.Debbie Fordyce, member of the executive committee of the group Transient Workers Count Too, noted that Singapore doesn't release a nationality breakdown of foreign workers in its construction industry, so it's not surprising it has not disclosed where workers with the Zika virus are from."It could either be for the protection of the foreign workers, so that certain groups are not ostracised and identified as carriers of the virus, or to avoid drawing further attention to the poor living conditions," she said.Dormitory operators, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said government agencies carry out regular site inspections, and this week sprayed insecticide and looked for potential mosquito breeding habitats.They say the government acts quickly if conditions are sub-standard, and operators are required to have at least one sick bay available or contingency plans for infectious diseases.One dorm operator said it was hard to monitor the spread of infectious diseases, noting there were as many as 240 workers on just one level of his premises.Manpower Minister Teo told local media on Tuesday that action would be taken against operators who don't take preventive measures "because this is a very serious issue."It's still not known where the other foreign workers with Zika are from.The High Commission of Bangladesh and the Thai embassy said they did not have any workers among those who tested positive. A Sri Lankan foreign ministry official said it had not been informed of any infections, and the Chinese foreign ministry said in Beijing it had no information about any of its nationals in Singapore having Zika. REUTERS CJ PR1930 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-912946.Xml
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu briefed his Russian counterpart by phone about Turkey's military operations in Syria, Turkish foreign ministry sources said today.Cavusoglu told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that progress was being made by the Syrian opposition against Islamic State, the sources said. The two ministers also discussed humanitarian aid and efforts towards a political solution in Syria, the Turkish sources said.REUTERS CJ NS1945 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-912992.Xml
British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew has said that no substantial evidence has been provided by Pakistan to carry out legal action against Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain against whom a treason case has been registered for his recent provocative speech that led to violence in Karachi on August 22. "We need solid evidence from Islamabad against Altaf Hussain [in regard to inciting people to violence in Pakistan] to take a legal action against him," the British High Commissioner was quoted as saying by the Dawn. Acknowledging the dossier dispatched by Islamabad, Drew told Leader of Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah in a meeting at the Parliament House that it does not carry enough material that can help in taking any legal action against Altaf. Urging Drew to convince British authorities to act against Hussain, Shah said that the MQM chief was 'causing problems for Pakistan while sitting in London'. Shah said that they want an immediate and stern action against Hussain. "The MQM chief's derogatory remarks against Pakistan and anti-Pakistan slogans are totally unacceptable to each and every person here," added Shah. The Pakistan Interior Ministry had yesterday dispatched a reference against Hussain to United Kingdom Government, accusing the former of inciting people to violence in Pakistan. The reference talked about MQM's 'disassociated' chief's 'vicious speech' and contains evidences related to inciting people to create chaos, read a statement issued by the ministry. Altaf Hussain's diatribe last week took many by surprise who were convinced that state institutions will use the speech as a justification for a strong action against MQM activists. Parts of Hussain's speech that went viral on social media showed that while addressing MQM workers protesting outside the Karachi Press Club against "enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings", he raised anti- Pakistan slogans and also called the country "a cancer for [the] entire world". Regretting the violence against media houses by the party workers aftermath his speech, he asked the authorities to release of MQM leaders who were arrested. Media houses were ransacked by the MQM party workers on Monday evening after listening to his provocative speech before clashing with police, leaving at least one person dead and over half a dozen injured. (ANI)
Photo taken on Aug. 30, 2016 shows the night view of Gongchen Bridge stretching over Jinghang Canal, or the Great Canal in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. The G20 Summit will be held in Hangzhou on Sept. 4 to 5. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

BRUSSELS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Against the backdrop of weak economic recovery and multiple political uncertainties, the European Union (EU) has high hopes the upcoming G20 summit in China will push forward its main priorities.

The leaders of the world's 20 largest economies, including the EU and four of its member states -- Germany, France, Britain and Italy -- are scheduled to meet in China's eastern city of Hangzhou on Sept. 4 and 5, to try and take the global economy out of a low-growth trap.

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will represent the EU, the biggest union of developed countries in the world, at the summit.

Ahead of their departure to China, the EU leaders released a joint letter to its member states, highlighting the bloc's priorities at the G20 summit and calling for political support and collective action.

TACKLING REFUGEE CRISIS

Foremost, the EU expected the upcoming Hangzhou summit could generate a comprehensive global response to address the unprecedented refugee and migration crisis and its root causes.

More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe last year, sparking a crisis as EU countries struggled to cope with the influx, and creating division in the EU over how best to deal with the challenge.

In the joint letter, the leaders said they would urge the G20 countries to continue to support international efforts, and contribute to achieving successful outcomes at the forthcoming summit on addressing the refugee crisis.

"We will call for scaling up humanitarian and development assistance, resettlement, support for refugees and their host communities through international financial institutions and tackling irregular migration," stated the letter.

As a multilateral platform to tackle the common challenges facing the world economy, the EU leaders said they believed the G20 had the expertise to make practical contributions through trade, development cooperation, and access to education and job opportunities for refugees.

BOOSTING JOBS, GROWTH AND INVESMENT

Almost a decade after the global financial crisis rattled the EU's economy, European countries have been struggling to get back to pre-recession levels.

However, Europeans still do not feel the benefits of growth, generally taking a depressed view of the economic outlook.

Therefore, the EU leaders said they would underline the importance of a credible narrative for sustainable and inclusive growth at the summit, which puts to work all available policy tools: monetary, fiscal and structural.

In this regard, a key deliverable will be the G20 Hangzhou Action Plan and the updated Growth Strategies, according to the letter.

"We will call for accelerating the implementation of these strategies, keeping in mind the objective the G20 set in Brisbane to lift global growth by 2.0 percent by 2018."

The EU welcomed the "Enhanced Structural Reform Agenda" set by China during its first presidency of G20, with principles and indicators to measure progress on structural reforms.

Noting that the European Investments Plan was firmly on track to deliver the objective of mobilizing at least 315 billion euros(351.08 billion U.S. dollars) in additional investments in the real economy by mid-2018, the letter said "there are strong synergies between the investment priorities of the EU and the G20."

OPEN TRADE AND INVESTMENT

As the world's "economic steering committee," the G20 will discuss how to reverse the slowdown in the growth of trade and foreign investment.

The EU leaders said they hoped the G20 summit would reinvigorate efforts to open markets and level the playing field, and to communicate the benefits of trade to citizens while addressing their concerns.

Amid sluggish economic performance and slumping global trade, a tendency of free trade skepticism has been on the rise in Europe recently.

"The G20 has a particular responsibility to buttress the multilateral trading system. It should therefore provide genuine guidance for the future global trade and investment agenda," stated the letter.

The EU stressed the pledge to resist protectionism should not only be renewed but reinforced in practice.

Noting the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement should be ratified this year and fully implemented, the EU said it was time to open up discussions in the WTO to new issues such as digital trade, investment, and export restrictions.

"As a first step towards greater policy coherence in the area of investment, we will endorse the G20 guiding principles for global investment policy-making," the letter said.

Furthermore, the EU said it expected the G20 to give a strong push for concluding the environmental goods agreement in 2016, which will be good not only for global economic growth but also for the environment.

Besides, the EU leaders list three more priorities of the bloc at the upcoming summit, which were: pushing forward the work on international tax transparency and combating the financing of terrorists, building a resilient international monetary and financial system and taking forward the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

In the joint letter, the EU leaders said they were resolved to ensure the Hangzhou summit would be another important milestone in strengthening the global economic recovery.

"The EU looks forward to discussing key international challenges with its G20 partners in Hangzhou," the letter said.
A poster for 1982 American science fiction fantasy movie "E.T". (Web pick)

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Researchers with a collective term for the scientific search for intelligent extraterrestrial life have pointed their telescopes in the direction of a star system 94 light-years away for possible intelligent inhabitants.

The star system, HD 164595, is a few billion years older than the Sun but centered on a star of comparable size and brightness. It is the purported source of a signal found with the RATAN-600 radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, at the northern foot of the Caucasus Mountains, by a group of Russian astronomers.

"This system is known to have one planet, a Neptune-sized world in a very tight orbit, making it unattractive for life," said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, northern California, wrote in a blog on the institute's website. "However, there could be other planets in this system that are still undiscovered."

The signal from the constellation Hercules was received on May 15, 2015, and first reported in recent days on the Centauri Dreams website, which covers research on deep space exploration.

It has been discussed in a presentation given by several Russian astronomers as well as Italian researcher, Claudio Maccone, the chair of the International Academy of Astronautics Permanent SETI Committee.

About whether the signal could be a transmission from a technically proficient society, Shostak acknowledged that "at this point, we can only consider what is known so far."

Shostak noted that there are a number of questions to be answered, about the direction of the signal and the characteristics of the signal itself, plus whether and why it is targeted at our solar system.

The wavelength of the reported signal is 2.7 cm, equivalent to a frequency of 11 GHz; the beam is about 20 arcsec by 2 arcmin.

The artist's impression shows the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closet star to the Solar System. The double star Alpha Centauri AB also appears in the image between the planet and Proxima itself. Proxima b is a little more massive than the Earth and orbits in the habitable zone around Proxima Centauri, where temperature is suitable for liquid water to exist on its surface. (credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser)

"The chance that this is truly a signal from extraterrestrials is not terribly promising, and the discoverers themselves apparently doubt that they've found ET," Shostak wrote, "nonetheless, one should check out all reasonable possibilities, given the importance of the subject."

ET, short for Extra-Terrestrial, is the name of a popular American science fiction fantasy film released in 1982, and the scene of the story was set at a suburban California location on the U.S. west coast.

To pursue the lead of what researchers call "a candidate signal," the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) was swung in the direction of HD 164595 beginning on the evening of August 28. However, according to Shostak, it has so far not found any signal anywhere in the very large patch of sky covered by the ATA.

Parkes Observatory, New South Wales, Australia. (credit: Ian Sutton)

The ATA, formerly known as the One Hectare Telescope (1hT), is a radio telescope array situated at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, 470 km northeast of San Francisco, California. The project was originally developed as a joint effort between the SETI Institute and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory (RAL) at the University of California, Berkeley.

Shostak said researchers intend to cover the big swath of the radio frequencies in the next day or two and continue to monitor the star system with the telescope array.

"So what's the bottom line? Could it be another society sending a signal our way? Of course, that's possible," Shostak wrote, adding that "however, there are many other plausible explanations for this claimed transmission - including terrestrial interference. Without a confirmation of this signal, we can only say that it's 'interesting.'"
Donald Trump Republican Presidential Candidate holds campaign rally in Altoona. (Photo Credit:Rudy K/SIPA/1608160808)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his stance on building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border amid speculation that he may soften his hard-line position on immigration in the upcoming speech on the issue.

"From day one I said that I was going to build a great wall on the SOUTHERN BORDER, and much more. Stop illegal immigration," the New York billionaire developer tweeted.

The remark came one day before Trump was to deliver what his campaign had billed as a major immigration speech, the latest of a series of steps designed to put an end to Trump's trailing behind his Democratic counterpart Hillary Clinton in polls.

After a bruised and chaotic primary season, where his hard-line immigration stance played a pivotal role in routing all other Republican contenders, Trump had recently been signaling that he may be open to a "softening" of his extreme immigration positions, including his previous pledge to deport an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the country.

"There certainly can be a softening because we're not looking to hurt people," Trump reportedly said on Aug. 23 during a town hall with Fox News in Austin, Texas. "We want people- we have some great people in this country."

The town hall event was closed to the press.

According to BuzzFeed, an Internet media outlet, during his meeting with Hispanic leaders early this month, Trump also indicated an openness to legalization for undocumented immigrants, a claim later denied by the Trump campaign.
Syrian ambassador to the United Nations and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari delivers a press briefing after a meeting with United Nations Syria envoy on Syria Peace Talks on April 18, 2016 in Geneva. (AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI)

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The conclusions made by a UN-led probe report which accuse Syrian government force of using chlorine gas lack "physical evidence," said Syrian Ambassador Bashar Jaafari here on Tuesday.

"The conclusions contained in the report were totally based on statements made by witnesses presented by the terrorist armed groups," said Jaafari. "Therefore these conclusions lack any physical evidence, whether by samples or attested medical reports that chlorine was used."

The report, provided by a Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said "information suggests the involvement of both the government and other actors" in alleged chemical attacks in Syria.

The report notes that the Islamic State has used sulfur mustard in one attack. And the Syrian government is responsible for two chlorine gas attacks, one in 2014 and one in 2015.

Chemical attacks are believed to have taken place in several areas in Syria over the past years. In August, 2015, the UN Security Council established JIM to identify the perpetrators of the deadly chlorine gas attacks in Syria.

Virginia Gamba, head of JIM, said after a Security Council discussion on the report that "the Mechanism conducted an independent, impartial and objective investigation as a sub-organ of the Security Council."

"The perpetrators must be identified and held accountable to deter such actions in the future," she added.
A girl rides past a G20 themed poster in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 27, 2016. The 11th G20 summit will be held from Sept. 4 to 5 in Hangzhou. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

by Matt Goss

MELBOURNE, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Protectionism is slowing the world economy and the upcoming Group of Twenty (G20) summit in China's Hangzhou needs to focus on international cooperation that enhances free trade between nations, a leading bank executive said.

Huang Xiaoguang, CEO of the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) in China, said the summit, which features leaders from the leading 20 economies, would focus on combatting slow economic growth.

"I think cooperation to tackle the global issues together will be the major agenda item," Huang told Xinhua at ANZ's global headquarters in Melbourne.

"Today (in) the world economy, for example, you see protectionism and that will slow down the world economy and create a lot of issues.

"I think G20, representing the most important countries in the world, should be in the position to work together to make our world better."

Huang praised China's Belt and Road Initiative, dubbed "the modern silk road" a great solution to counter sluggish growth.

"Well, I think One Belt, One Road is a great idea," Huang said.

"Traditionally, we trade through marine routes, and that's still very important, but One Belt, One Road will create another solution or opportunity for the rest of the world to trade and be better off together.

"One Belt, One Road will help countries along the road be better off together, so why not (support it)?"

The initiative would require extensive infrastructure networks being built in around 60 countries in Asia, Europe and North Africa at an estimated cost of 8 trillion U.S. dollars.

The initiative would connect Asia and Europe's major economic powers on land, as well as via the sea, and is aimed at fostering economic collaboration in the area.

If it becomes reality, the efficiency of trade between countries in the region could double, supporters say.

"If you take a train from Chongqing, in the mid part of China, to Hamburg in Germany, it takes you two weeks, much shorter than the marine route," said Huang, a former executive at Citibank China and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

"So for high-value products, the railway is actually much more efficient. So it depends on the loading, if you go and come back fully loaded, the cost will come down.

"I think China has been successful in building up infrastructure and that experience can be shared with the countries along the road. So that is why China took the initiative to set up an Asia infrastructure investment bank to let the global partners work together to help those less developed countries."

In his interview with Xinhua, Huang said despite a recent slowdown, China's economy continued to grow. It was problems in the European and U.S. markets that had contributed to slow global growth.

"Europe is not doing well, the United States has not recovered and these two are the major markets in the world," he told Xinhua.

"If these two are not doing well then the global economy is not going to be good. China has been slowing down but still deliver 6.7 percent growth, and only one engine is not enough (to drive a healthy global economy).

"I would say Europe should recover and the United States should completely recover then the world economy will pick up again. Otherwise it is going to be slow."

Not only will the G20 summit prove important for solving the world's economic issues, it is also a key opportunity for China to showcase itself to the world as a great place to do business, Huang said.

"I think it's a good opportunity to introduce China to our partners and find a way to rebuild the global economy," he said.

"It's a good opportunity for the rest of the world to understand China more and for China to understand them more and find a common area in which we can work with each other to help each other and rebuild the global economy."

The G20 summit will take place on September 4 and September 5 and will be attended by the leaders of the world's 20 economies.
CANBERRA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Australia must develop a foreign policy to accommodate China and the globalizing modern world, former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating has said.

Keating, who was in office from 1991 to 1996 and currently sits on the advisory council for the China Development Bank, told the Australia China Relations Institute that Australia's global influence was "waning" and the government should shift its foreign policy to reflect "seismic shifts" in global power over the last 20 years.

He said the Australian government must fully realize it is not the global power it once was, as the rise of Asian nations such as China, Japan and India was going to naturally lower the influence of a small, Western nation of just 24 million people.

"The fact is Australia needs a foreign policy and it needs it urgently and Australia does not have a foreign policy, that's the biggest problem," Keating said on Tuesday night.

"We both need and deserved a nuanced foreign policy which does take account of these big seismic shifts in the world."

Keating said Australia had to realize it was becoming a "much more marginal power" than it was 20 years ago, but added there was much to gain by stepping back and being "more interested" in the development of China.

"Our influence is waning and therefore I think we should be more interested in the world around us," he said.

Keating added that Australia should not put "all its chips" in the relationship it currently holds with the United States, as Washington does not have the total global influence it once had.

Keating was a Labor prime minister who was succeeded by John Howard in 1996.
MELBOURNE, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Australia's iconic marsupial, the Tasmanian devil, is developing resistance to a cancer that has nearly wiped out the species, a study has found.

Since being discovered in 1996, devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) has killed more than 80 percent of the Tasmanian devil population, making the marsupials an endangered species.

An international 17-year study, published on Wednesday in the highly respected journal Nature Communications, identified genetic changes in the devils that are associated with fighting cancer.

"The main result of this study is that the devil is evolving at a genomic level," Menna Jones, a co-author of the study and a professor from the University of Tasmania's School of Biological Sciences, told the ABC.

"The regions (in its DNA) that are changing in response to the disease are those that are associated with cancer and immune function.

"It indicates that the devil is adapting, it's responding to the disease in ways that it may be able to beat the cancer and save itself."

Griffith University's Hamish McCallum, another study co-author, said that while the devil was expected to build resistance to the cancer, the research team was surprised by how quickly it had adapted.

"Tasmanian devils have got very low genetic diversity. Evolution can happen rapidly but it needs genetic variation to work from," McCallum said.

"To find this rapid change in populations with very low genetic diversity is something we didn't expect. I published modeling seven years ago that suggested these populations should be extinct by now and they're not."

Researchers are hopeful that studying the Tasmanian devils' adaptation will help scientists understand cancers in humans and other species.

"We're seeing a cancer in its very early stages, in its first 20 years of life as a cancer, so we're able to watch the evolution of the cancer and the evolution of the animal it's infecting," Jones said.

"It provides us with an amazing opportunity to study how cancers evolve and how hosts can evolve to overcome cancer."
SYDNEY, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- An Australian mother was expected to face court on Wednesday after her 21-month-old baby boy allegedly consumed the drug "ice" while in her care.

New South Wales police said the boy was admitted to Sydney's Wollongong Hospital after suffering seizures on January 25.

The baby had tested positive to having consumed methylamphetamine, also known as "ice."

"Police were told the boy had slept alone in his mother's room the previous evening, where it was possible he had access to prohibited drugs," an NSW police statement said on Wednesday.

"Detectives from the State Crime Command's Child Abuse Squad commenced an investigation, executing a search at the boy's home."

"Officers located and seized methylamphetamine, cannabis, cathinone, buprenorphine and drug paraphernalia."

"Following an extensive investigation, a 27-year-old woman was issued a future court attendance notice to appear at Port Kembla Local Court today (on Wednesday)," the statement said.

The woman, from the suburb of Koonawarra, was charged with abandoning or exposing a child under the age of seven, causing danger of death and six counts of possessing a prohibited drug.

Police said the young boy is currently in the care of the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have arrested a man suspected of stabbing a doctor to death in northern Hebei Province, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Wednesday.

Li Gang was attended by the doctor, but his leg became disabled when it was infected after being hospitalized due to a car accident in 2003.

Blaming the doctor's negligence, Li stabbed him to death in the hospital with a jackknife on July 21, according to the SPP's statement.

The doctor died from excessive blood loss.

Further investigation is underway, the SPP said.
Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2016 shows the Xixing Bridge across the Qiantang River in Hangzhou City, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. The 11th G20 summit will be held from Sept. 4 to 5 in Hangzhou. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Argentine media on Tuesday spotlighted China's role as the host of the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Summit, as President Mauricio Macri said he would take the message that his country was ready "to work together" with fellow members of the bloc.

Just hours before his departure, Macri told reporters he would attend the Sept. 4-5 gathering in Hangzhou "with humility."

"I am going to tell them that Argentinians understand ... that our future depends on us and on our capacity to work together. We are no longer going to go to these gatherings to tell them what it is that they have to do, but to humbly tell them that we want to work together with them," said Macri.

Meanwhile, the daily La Nacion said in an article headlined "China Takes Center Stage Again," that "the Asian giant wants to relaunch the forum and give emerging countries a greater role."

"The countdown has begun: in five days China will play host to the heads of state and government of the G20, a kind of international club that concentrates 85 percent of global GDP, 80 percent of (global) trade and two-thirds of the population of the planet," the author wrote.

The article, in the daily's business section, reported on a seminar offered by China's Ambassador to Argentina Yang Wanming on the "Opportunities and challenges for South-South cooperation within the framework of the G20," which was organized by the embassy in conjunction with the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth (Cippec).

Photo taken on Aug. 1, 2016 shows a bullet train running in Qinzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

At the seminar, the ambassador highlighted the central themes of the summit -- including finding a new path to growth, devising effective global financial governance, and promoting inclusive development -- and underscored the need for consensus to advance on any of those issues.

While the gathering of the world's 20 largest economies is set to tackle such problems as the global economic slowdown and financial market instability, the daily said "it is clear that the summit ... is an exceptional opportunity for China to reaffirm its global economic and political leadership."

Ambassador Yang noted that China and Latin America's emerging economies, such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, "have similar positions towards international issues related to global financial and economic governance."

"We are willing to strengthen the communication and coordination of policies with emerging economies such as Latin America in the framework of the G20, to acquire the right to a larger voice and greater institutional power, and inject new vitality ... in South-South cooperation," said Yang.

According to the daily, "with just days to go before the summit, the G20 is shaping into an exceptional showcase for China to strengthen its global leadership."

Argentina is to host the G20 Summit in 2018.
Image taken on April 14, 2016 shows tourists visiting Old Havana, in Havana city, capital of Cuba. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)

HAVANA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's senior Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday that the direct scheduled flights from the United States, which will resume from Wednesday, will only have real potential when the U.S. government puts an end to the economic blockade against the Caribbean island.

"Scheduled flights (from) the U.S. will reach real potential only when the travel ban to Cuba, which is still in place due to the blockade, comes to an end," wrote Josefina Vidal, director general for U.S. affairs in Cuba's Foreign Ministry, on her official Twitter account.

U.S. airline JetBlue will have the honor of officially starting up commercial flights between the U.S. and Cuba. The company will open a route between the Fort Lauderdale international airport in Florida and the "Abel Santamaria" terminal in Santa Clara, in the centre of the island, putting an end to over 50 years of suspension.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx will arrive in JetBlue's Airbus A320, kicking off his official visit to Cuba which will include holding conversations with his Cuban counterpart Adel Yzquierdo and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Workers unload the correspondence upon the arrival of the inaugural flight of the direct mail service between Cuba and the U.S., at Jose Marti International Airport, in Havana, Cuba, on March 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Abel Padron Padilla/Cuban News Agency)

Resuming scheduled flights between Cuba and the United States is one of the most important advances in the normalization process, after the official renewal of bilateral relations in July 2015.

U.S. companies JetBlue, Silver Airways, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines were authorized in July by the U.S. Department of Transport to run a total of 110 flights a day to Cuba. Out of this number, 90 land in cities that are not Havana and 20 flights a day go to the Cuban capital.

Since the thaw in relations between Havana and Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, has adopted a series of measures to ease the trade restrictions with the island. However, the U.S. Congress, of Republican majority, remain unwilling to lift the trade embargo imposed by the White House in 1962.

This policy, which Cuba sees as the main obstacle towards the total normalization of bilateral relations, includes banning U.S. citizens from travelling to the Caribbean island for tourism purposes.
by Dong Hua, Tao Jun

HO CHI MINH CITY, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Many farmers in Ca Mau, Vietnam's southernmost province, which may see 30 percent of its land submerged by sea water in the future, have intentionally broke four seawater encroachment-preventing dykes, killing rice paddy fields.

In Ca Mau and some other rice-producing hubs in the Mekong delta provinces, many rice paddies have now been inundated with saltwater.

"We know that it is illegal to intentionally break the dykes, but we just want to breed prawns to escape poverty. We are as poor as a church mice if we only grow rice," Nguyen Thi Bi, 60, told Xinhua as she was standing on the edge of a rice field-turned-to-aquaculture pond in An Xuyen commune in Ca Mau city.

With over one hectare of rice paddies, Bi's family used to earn several hundred U.S. dollars from harvesting two crops a year.

"However, when natural disasters strike, like this year's prolonged drought and saltwater encroachment, we are empty-handed," she said, while feeding prawns and crabs.

Now, Bi's family has 0.3 hectares of aquaculture ponds made from agricultural land, which brings them several thousands of U.S. dollars from four or five prawn and crab-raising crops a year.

In Khanh Hoi commune in the U Minh district of Ca Mau province, wearing an old green, broad-brimmed hat, Phan Ngoc Lan was removing weeds, collecting rubbish and cleansing an inlet sluice hidden in a long road-cum-dyke, which prevents seawater encroachment and keeps freshwater for rice cultivation.

"When building this road-cum-dyke, farmers like us placed this inlet sluice and pipes inside to bring saltwater to fields to breed prawns," the middle-aged man with weather-beaten skin said, smiling.

Bien Bach commune in the Thoi Binh district of Ca Mau province, meanwhile, has an area of 4,200 hectares, most of which are designed to only grow rice, but now, up to 3,500 hectares are being used by local farmers to both grow rice and raise prawns.

"We know that many farmers are breaking rules, but we have to ignore them, because the design is not suitable to climate change, rice output and prices are low, and many residents are poor," a communal official told Xinhua.

According to the Ca Mau Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province's farmers have intentionally converted nearly 2,700 hectares of rice-growing area into aquaculture ponds in the last three years.

Now, every year, they grow one rice crop and then breed one prawn crop.

Similar situations are occurring in other Mekong Delta provinces. The combined rice-growing and prawn-raising areas in Kien Giang province's coastal districts annually increased output by an average of over 7 percent in the 2010-2015 period.

Bac Lieu province currently has nearly 30,000 hectares of combined rice-growing and prawn-raising areas, that are rapidly expanding in the four districts of Hong Dan, Phuoc Long, Gia Rai and Vinh Loi, said the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A local agriculture expert, Prof. Vo Tong Xuan, rector of South Can Tho University, said Mekong delta provinces should not set aside areas that are too big for rice growing.

According to him, allowing people to both grow rice and breed prawns, crabs and other kinds of seafood, will ensure national food security and help farmers get rich.

"I visited many foreign countries, and people there said they don't have to grow rice, just import Vietnamese rice at low prices. They grow fruit trees or do other things to get rich," said the professor.

Vietnam produced 45.2 million tons of rice from 7.8 million hectares of fields in 2015. Meanwhile, it exported 6.8 million tons of rice worth 2.9 billion U.S. dollars, up 7.7 percent in volume, but down 1.1 percent in value, due to lower prices, according to Vietnam's General Statistics Office.

Now, Vietnam in general and the Mekong Delta, the country's biggest rice hub, are suffering from climate change.

Vietnam is regarded as one of the countries most affected by climate change. Its Mekong Delta is one of the world's three most vulnerable deltas to rising sea levels, together with the Nile Delta in Egypt and the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh.

If the sea level rises by 1 meter, about 40 percent of the Mekong Delta area, 11 percent of the Red River Delta and 3 percent of coastal provinces will be inundated, and more than 20 percent of Ho Chi Minh City will be flooded.

This will affect 10 percent to 12 percent of Vietnam's population directly, according to Vietnam's National Strategy on Climate Change.

Without effective synchronous solutions, some 30 percent of Ca Mau province's land area will be submerged by sea water in the future, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said Monday.

To minimize climate change's effects, the province is focusing on raising public awareness about the issue, planting more coastal protection forests, assisting farmers to grow crops and breed animals which easily adapt to climate change, and relocating residents in areas prone to floods and landslides.

Each year, Ca Mau loses some 900 hectares of land, including over 120 hectares of coastal land, in landslides.

"Our houses don't fall into the sea or rivers due to landslides like our compatriots' elsewhere. Now, the sea water level is high, but not high enough to make us swim to survive. But, to run away from poverty, we have to swim upstream, meaning breaking rules to overcome our difficulties," Phan Ngoc Lan said, while sighing.
SUVA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) said Wednesday it conveys its gratitude and acknowledgment to Tonga for its commitment to ratifying the Paris agreement last week and strengthening the voice of the Pacific island countries.

An official statement that has been sent by the PIDF's Secretary General Francois Martel to all member countries reiterated the call for Pacific island countries to remain united and urged them to ratify the Paris agreement at its earliest, according to the forum's Suva-based secretariat.

"The ratification by the Kingdom of Tonga on Sept. 21 is most welcome as it reaffirms the voice of Pacific islands on the urgency of action on climate change," Martel said.

"The devastating impacts of climate change are already a reality for all Pacific islands. Being at the front-line means, we need to remind the world nations of their collective responsibilities and urge all parties to do their part and fully implement the Paris agreement," he added.

Tongan King Tupou VI has consented to the decision to ratify the Paris agreement. The Pacific island kingdom is scheduled to ratify the agreement on Sept. 21.

The Paris agreement, reached in 2015 by parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is aimed at holding the global average rise in temperature below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and preferably below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited world leaders to submit their ratification documents of Paris agreement on climate change at a special event on Sept. 21.
Photo taken on Aug. 30, 2016 shows a scene of a Senate session in Brasilia, Brazil. Starting on Tuesday, Brazilian senators will decide whether Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff will be impeached or not. The impeachment requires a two-thirds vote, or 54 of the 81 senators. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The impeachment trial against suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday night entered the final phase as senators debated about her fate before the final vote.

Out of a total of 81 senators, 35 have spoken so far, with 21 of them in favor of the impeachment, 12 against and two not declaring their intention.

Another 36 senators have signed up to speak, meaning the session will go on through the night and continue on Wednesday morning.

For Rousseff to be removed from office, at least 54, or two-thirds of all 81 senators, must vote in favor of the impeachment.

Rousseff is charged with spending without congressional approval and manipulating government accounts in the run-up to her 2014 re-election.

Her impeachment is widely regarded as inevitable by local politicians and mainstream media.

Earlier in the day, Rousseff's lawyer Jose Eduardo Cardozo made a heartfelt call for senators not to vote in what he called "a parliamentary coup."

Rousseff, who defended herself in the Senate on Monday, was interrogated by senators for over 12 hours, till midnight. She denied any wrongdoing and labelled the impeachment as "a coup."

Though Rousseff's defense at the Senate was regarded as firm and coherent, it is unlikely to turn the tide, analysts said.

If found guilty, Rousseff will be removed from office definitively while her former Vice President and acting President Michel Temer will be confirmed as the new leader for the rest of Rousseff's four-year term through 2018.

Related:

Brazil leader's impeachment trial enters final stretch

BRASILIA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The impeachment trial of Brazilian suspended president Dilma Rousseff entered the final stretch on Tuesday morning, with the defense and prosecution set to present their closing arguments. Full story

Brazil's Rousseff denounces attempted "coup" at impeachment hearing
A worker sprays insecticide at a residential area in Singapore's Paya Lebar Way area, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)

SINGAPORE, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday confirmed 26 more cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection, bringing the total number of infected cases to 82.

Of the 26 newly reported cases, 17 of them live or work in Sims Drive and Aljunied Crescent, while five live or work in Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way, north of the first detected area.

The health ministry on Tuesday also highlighted 111 individuals were tested negative over the last 24 hours.

MOH and the National Environment Agency (NEA) are investigating the remaining four cases for their links to the affected area.

A worker sprays insecticide at a residential area in Singapore's Paya Lebar Way area, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)

NEA has inspected about 5,000 premises out of an estimated 6,000 premises in the Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive cluster to check for mosquito breeding, and also conducted ground checks in the vicinity as of Monday.

It is reported that 39 breeding habitats, comprising 23 in homes and 16 in common areas/other premises have been detected and destroyed.

Flyers have been distributed to raise general awareness of Zika virus and precautionary measures.

MOH also urged all pregnant women here with symptoms of Zika, such as fever and rash, as well as those with male partners who are Zika-positive to be tested for the virus. This is regardless of whether they have been to Zika-affected areas.

A total of 56 cases were confirmed in Singapore on Monday. The first case of locally transmitted Zika infection was reported on Aug. 27.

A worker sprays insecticide at a construction site in Singapore's Sims Drive area, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- An airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition in Syria on Tuesday targeted Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani, the longtime Islamic State (IS) spokesman, according to the Pentagon.

"We are still assessing the results of the strike, but Al-Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook in a statement, using another acronym of the extremist group.

Meanwhile, the Amaq News Agency of the IS announced on Tuesday that the group's spokesman was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo," Syria's fiercest battleground.

Al-Adnani was known for his calls for lone-wolf attacks in the West and his call to intensify attacks this summer had so far resulted in one of the bloodiest months of Ramadan in decades.

Born in the countryside of the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, al-Adnani was also among the first group of foreign fighters against U.S. invasion in Iraq in 2003.

Related:

IS spokesman killed in Syria's Aleppo
SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- South Korean survivors from the U.S. atomic bombings of two Japanese cities to end the World War II were defeated once again on Wednesday in damages claim lawsuit against the South Korean government.

The lawsuit had been filed by 141 South Korean victims from the U.S. dropping of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. They had demanded 10 million won (about 9,000 U.S. dollars) per person in damages from their government.

The Seoul Northern District Court ruled that the government's actions were not sufficient for the victims, but it said the government is making diplomatic efforts to garner damages from Japan, according to Yonhap news agency report.

About 70,000 South Koreans, who forcibly or voluntarily moved to Japan during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, are known to have been victimized during the U.S. atomic bombings of the Japanese cities.

The South Korean victims failed to receive proper cure and rewards from both the South Korean and Japanese governments, dragging down their survival rate to about 3.5 percent. It was much lower than the Japanese surviving rate of some 30 percent.

South Korea's constitutional court ruled in August 2011 that the government should make efforts to help the atomic bomb victims receive damages from the Japanese government.

Two years later, 79 victims filed a damages claim lawsuit against the South Korean government, but the court dismissed the suit in June last year.

A Similar lawsuit was filed by 230 victims against the government, but they lost the case in the Seoul Southern District Court.
TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran is concerned over Turkey's intervention in Syria as it would complicate the situation in the Arab state, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Wednesday.

Turkey's presence and continued military operations in Syria is a source of concern, Qasemi was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.

"Although fighting terrorism and struggling for stability in the region are the policy of peace-loving countries, it cannot be an excuse for violating the integrity of another country by a military operation on its soil without prior coordination with its government," said Qasemi.

"Resorting to any act... which would undermine the political sovereignty and legitimacy of the central government of a country is not acceptable," he said.

Turkey's continued military operations in Syria will complicate the situation, and will result in the death of more innocent people, he said, adding that the Turkish army must swiftly halt its operations in Syria.

Last Wednesday, Turkish troops crossed into northern Syria and drove Islamic States (IS) militants out of the Syrian border town of Jarablus.

The other objective of the operation was believed to roll back recent advances by Syrian Kurdish forces in the region.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- UN relief chief Stephen O'Brien on Tuesday reiterated his call on all the warring parties in Syria for "the immediate lifting of sieges of civilians" in the war-torn country.

In a statement issued here Tuesday night, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs also urged all the parties to take all necessary measures to protect civilians as required under international humanitarian and human rights law.

"I once again call on all parties for the immediate lifting of sieges of civilians in Syria, including Madaya, Deir-Ez-Zor city, Douma, Foah and Kefraya and other besieged locations, for an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilian-populated areas and civilian infrastructure," he said.

"The people of Syria have suffered long enough, the civilian population, the most vulnerable, children, women, disabled and the elderly are the ones caught in the middle of fighting," he said in the statement.

The senior UN official's appeal came after the Aug. 26-27 evacuation of the entire population of the besieged town of Darayya under an agreement between representatives of Darayya and the Syrian government.

O'Brien, who is also the UN emergency relief coordinator, said in the statement that "the UN was not a party to this agreement, and was not informed of the evacuation until a few hours before it took place."

He expressed worries about any forced displacement as a result of the evacuation, noting "all sieges, a medieval tactic, must be lifted" without "any type of agreement which results in the forced displacement of the civilian population."

All those displaced should be allowed to return voluntarily, in safety and in dignity, to their homes as soon as the situation allows it, he said.

Darayya has been out of the government control since 2012, but was later put under a tight siege by the Syrian government forces.

Under the deal, more than 4,000 civilians will be evacuated to displacement shelters in government-controlled areas, while 700 rebels will hand over their heavy and medium weapons, which will be transferred to the northwestern province of 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.

The civilians who want to stay will be provided with medical aid, it added.




Daniel Kritenbrink, senior director for Asian affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, attends a press briefing on preview of U.S. President Barack Obama's travel to China for the G20 summit, in Washington D.C. Aug. 30, 2016. The upcoming meeting between Chinese and U.S. leaders will focus on narrowing and managing differences, and expanding practical cooperation between the two countries, Daniel Kritenbrink told the press briefing. The G20 summit will be held in Hangzhou City, east China, on Sept. 4-5. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming meeting between Chinese and U.S. leaders will focus on narrowing and managing differences, and expanding practical cooperation between the two countries, a U.S. official said Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama will have an "extended" bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the G20 summit in China, Daniel Kritenbrink, senior director for Asian affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, told a press briefing in Washington.

Obama will make clear as he has in the past that the United States welcomes a rising China that is peaceful, stable and prosperous, and is a responsible player in global affairs, Kritenbrink said.

The U.S. president will also make clear that when China invests itself in resolving regional problems, the United States and the world will benefit, the official said.

Kritenbrink recalled the previous engagements between the two presidents, including their first informal summit held at the Sunnylands estate in California in 2013, Obama's state visit to Beijing in 2014 and Xi's state visit to the United States in September last year.

"The high frequency of leaders-level engagement with Chinese counterparts has been a deliberate part of our strategy for building a more constructive and productive relationship with China," Kritenbrink said.

The 11th G20 summit is to be held in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Sept. 4-5, under the theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is again in global news headlines Wednesday as the country starts a landmark peace conference, dubbed the 21st Century Panglong Meeting, in reference to a historic gathering in 1947 that led to the country's independence from Britain.

The conference, attended by the government and 11 ethnic armed groups, is the most inclusive peace talks the country has ever seen since it slid into a long-running civil war some 60 years ago.

Generations of Myanmar national leaders have tried various means to resolve the ethnic issues at the heart of the protracted war, but such attempts failed to bring lasting peace.

Nowadays there is consensus in the Myanmar society that political dialogue is the only way forward to national reconciliation and peace.

The ruling National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, has made national reconciliation a priority, and Aung San Suu Kyi herself said on various occasions that "without peace there can be no sustained development."

Despite a lack of official data on civil war casualties in Myanmar, it is estimated that armed conflicts claimed tens of thousands in the country in the past several decades.

And some 220,000 people are currently displaced by ongoing fighting in Kachin and Shan states and in the western state of Rakhine, according to UN figures released this week.

Continued armed conflicts also cost the national economy dearly, as the country, blessed with rich natural resources, is now one of the least developed nations in the world.

Reform measures introduced by the Myanmar government since 2011 have indeed provided powerful boost to national economy and according to the World Bank and the IMF, the Southeast Asian country is poised to become the world's fastest growing economy this year and remain in the high-flying club for the next few years.

However, Myanmar's hope for an economic takeoff may be dashed should the country continue to be burdened with constant armed conflicts.

The truce signed by the army and eight of the largest ethnic groups last year is in line with the aspiration for peace inside the country and beyond, and Wednesday's longer-than-expected attendee list indicates that the country is making progress toward the final goal of national reconciliation.

China, as a close neighbor and the largest trading partner of Myanmar, has made clear its intentions to play a constructive role in promoting Myanmar's peace process.

It is hoped that the various parties involved in Myanmar's peace process could grasp the opportunity of the ongoing peace conference, show utmost sincerity and choose a path that heals war wounds from the past and leads to a promising future.
MANILA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday that he is ready to explain to his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama his campaign on illegal drugs during their scheduled bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit to be held early in September in Laos.

Duterte said he is open to discuss with Obama any topics during their first bilateral meeting.

Asked if he is willing to discuss the human rights issue if this is raised by the U.S. president, Duterte said "It depends to what degree because they must understand the problem first before we talk about human rights."

"I would insist 'listen to me. This is what the problem is.' Then we can talk. No problem," he said.

The United States has raised concern over the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines involving drug suspects. Duterte reacted by reminding the United States of the killing of African Americans by U.S. law enforcers.

Over 2,000 drug suspects have already been killed in the all-out war against illegal drugs that Duterte declared. Most of those killed were outside the police operations or allegedly done by "vigilantes."

Duterte's attendance at the ASEAN summit on Sept. 6-8 will be his first since he assumed office on June 30.
NAY PYI TAW, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) has been a steady partner to support the reform and reconciliation process of Myanmar, UN chief Ban Ki-Moon told the 21st Century Panglong Ethnic Conference in Nay Pyi Taw Wednesday.

Marking the conference as a historic transition, Ban pledged in his address that the UN will continue efforts to smooth the differences, lower tensions and move parties towards better understanding and dialogue in line with the goals and values of the UN Charter.

The Secretary-General urged the participants to accept that no party involved in the reconciliation process can expect to achieve all its aims. Conversely, every side must win something if the process is to succeed.

Ban said he was encouraged that different ethnic armed organizations with divergent interests and aspirations came together to form a single team to negotiate the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) last year.

The new government has undertaken efforts to make it more inclusive and the Panglong Conference is representing the results of those efforts, he underlined.

The 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference of Myanmar, which aims to unite with all ethnic nationalities and build a democratic federal union through dialogue, kicked off in Nay Pyi Taw Wednesday.

The four-day historical Panglong Conference gathered representatives of the government, the parliament, the military, invited political parties, ethnic armed and non-armed organizations and civil society totaling about 1,600.
SUVA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Timoci Natuva, Fiji's minister for immigration, national security and defense has resigned, the government announced Wednesday.

In a brief statement disseminated by the Department of Information on Wednesday evening local time, Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said Natuva has resigned from both government and parliament for "personal reasons", on which Bainimarama did not further elaborate.

"I have personally assumed his ministerial duties for the time being and an announcement about a permanent replacement will be made in due course," Bainimarama said.

Natuva, 59, who has spend some 40 years in public service, was appointed as Fiji's minister for immigration, national security and defense after the Bainimarama-led FijiFirst party won a landslide victory in the country's latest general election, held in September, 2014.

The former minister told local news website Fijivillage that he had handed his resignation letter to both Prime Minister Bainimarama and Parliament Speaker Dr. Jiko Luveni.

Natuva said he had been talking about his resignation intention with his family and they also agreed that he should resign from the post. He said he wants to spend more time with his wife and children, and also wants to get into farming in his home province.
COLOMBO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena is to launch a macro program in order to prioritize alleviating poverty from the island nation, Cabinet Spokesperson, Rajitha Senaratne told reporters here on Wednesday.

"The government has paid its attention on alleviating poverty according to the pledge given in Presidential Election 2015 and according to the UN sustainable development goals," Senaratne said.

He added that the government had also recognised that economic development should consider social security, minimizing income differences, marginalized communities due to various reasons and development diversities in provincial and district levels.

Accordingly, the proposal made by President Maithripala Sirisena, to declare the year 2017 as the 'Year of Alleviating Poverty' by recognizing the need of a macro programme and giving priority to a collective approach and to supervise the programme by a Committee comprised of relevant ministers and partners and headed by the President and the Prime Minister, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
COLOMBO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan cabinet on Wednesday agreed to ratify the Paris agreement in order to minimize the impact and risk of climate change.

Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilleke told reporters in the capital that the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was signed by 178 countries including Sri Lanka at the UN headquarters on April 2.

Sri Lanka has been identified by the agreement as an island state that face the impacts of climate changes such as prolonged droughts, flash floods, rise in the sea level, landslides, and inundation of lowlands.

Accordingly, the proposal made by President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment, to ratify the Paris Agreement, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, Karunathilleke said.
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Charity Law, passed by national lawmakers in March this year, will take effect on Thursday in a move to ease restrictions on the fundraising and operational activities of charity groups.

The new law will also include strict regulations to prevent fraud and impose tighter supervision on the management of charity groups.

China had about 670,000 registered social organizations as of the end of June, including 5,038 foundations, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

By the end of 2015, registered social organizations had received 61 billion yuan (9.12 billion U.S. dollars) in donations.

Charity organizations should be recognized by authorities before they solicit public donations, and organizations raising funds from the public without a license may face fines of up to 20,000 yuan.

Internet fundraising has become an easy platform for fraud, so the law requires online charities to work with 13 websites approved by civil affairs authorities, including www.gongyi.net under the Tencent Foundation.

The law also promises tax benefits to encourage more enterprises and wealthy people to donate to charity projects.
BEIJING, Aug. 31(Xinhua)-- The 34th World Congress of Art History will be held in Beijing from Sept.16 to 20.

The congress has accepted around 1,000 papers and nearly 300 art historians from 43 countries and regions, will deliver speeches at the event, said organizers.

Sponsored by the International Committee of the History of Art, China Central Academy of Fine Arts and Peking University, the congress will promote China's art and culture, said Fan Di'an, president of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts at a press conference Tuesday.

The international congress will also help China learn from overseas developments in museums, exhibition and arts promotion as well as heritage protection, he added.

The theme of the congress is "Terms."

Art and cultural historians from various disciplines and fields will discuss ways of seeing, describing, analyzing and classifying art works.

The important global cultural event, held every four years, has run for more than 140 years.
KATHMANDU, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Nepal's import from China increased by 15.5 percent in the last fiscal year 2015-16 that ended in mid-July while exports to China suffered a decline of 24.6 percent, Nepal's central bank has said.

Nepal imported goods worth 1.07 billion U.S. dollar (Nepalese Rupee 115.69 billion) from China while Nepal's export to its northern neighbour stood at just 15 million U.S. dollar (Nepalese rupee1.68 billion), according to Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the central bank.

China is the second largest trading partner of Nepal after India but trade balance is heavy skewed in favour of China as Nepal has a limited export basket.

Exporters said as the main inland trade route between the two countriesTatopani-Khasa (Zhangmu) has remained closed since the last year's deadly earthquake; Nepal's export to China has suffered.

As Nepal is heavily import-based country, traders continued to import from China through the sea route as well as newly opened second inland trade routeRasuwagadhi-Kerung (Geelong port) to some extent which kept imports of the Chinese goods rolling.

Handicraft, woolen carpet and tanned skin were top three export items of Nepal to China whose combined worth stood at 7.7 million U.S. dollar (Nepalese Rupee 832 million), according to NRB.
MOGADISHU, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The top UN envoy for Somalia on Wednesday condemned truck bombing of the SYL Hotel in Mogadishu on Tuesday in which 22 people were killed and 30 others injured.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) in Somalia, Michael Keating, also wished those who were injured in the attack quick recovery.

"Violent extremists have once again bombed a hotel in the Somali capital," Keating said, noting that Tuesday's bombing marked the third such attack on the SYL Hotel since the beginning of 2015.

Keating said the attack on Syl Hotel provides powerful evidence of the extraordinary resilience of the Somali people, who refuse to be cowed by Al-Shabaab's campaign of terror.

Several senior government officials and members of the federal parliament were attending a meeting inside the hotel at the time of the blast, but none was among the fatalities.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims who perished in today's attack," said the SRSG. "We wish the injured a full and speedy recovery."

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place in the vicinity of the presidential palace and the federal parliament building.
NEW DELHI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- India is likely to launch a record 68 foreign satellites in one space mission next year, a top official has said.

"There are many launches. There is one particular launch we are planning about 68 satellites, that's also there, that is yet to be finalised," the head of the state-owned Indian Space Research Organisation's commercial arm Antrix, Rakesh Sasibhushan, told the media Tuesday.

"We got orders to launch 68 satellites from various countries, including 12 from PlanetiQ, a US-based weather forecasting satellite firm," he added.

The Indian space agency had scripted history in June when it successfully launched 20 satellites in a single mission on board its workhorse PSLV-C34 from the southern spaceport of Sriharkota. It's earlier record was in 2008 when it had launched 10 satellites at one go.

And the space agency had launched 74 foreign satellites, including many from advanced countries like Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Israel and the U.S. over the past 15 years, using its most reliable workhorse -- the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Moreover, India's low-cost and quick turnaround satellite missions have been attracting a lot of global attention from the scientific community as well as other countries.
ANKARA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's EU Minister Omer Celik on Wednesday denied reports of a cease-fire between Ankara and Kurdish groups in Syria, local media reported.

Celik was referring to reports that Turkey had reached a cease-fire agreement with the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG).

"The Republic of Turkey is an independent, lawful state," Celik said. "It cannot be evaluated as if they (Turkey and PKK/PYD) were equal and there was an agreement between them."

Celik said the PYD's activities in northern Syria benefit terrorists rather than the Kurdish people.

YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, has been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria.

Celik said some PYD fighters have not moved to the east side of Euphrates, as demanded by Turkey.

This is unacceptable, he said.

Also on Wednesday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara will press on with its offensive in northern Syria until "all threats" are removed and the country's national security is guaranteed.

Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the YPG's activities along the Turkish border and has been adment on preventing the emergence of any kind of de facto Kurdish state in northern Syria.

The Turkish government says the PYD has close connections with the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), a group designated as terrorist by the United States, the European Union, and Turkey.
by Xue Lei, Nguon Sovan

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- As ASEAN-China leaders are due to meet next week in Laos, analysts in Cambodia say the upgrade of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) will boost trade and investment ties between the two sides.

ASEAN and China signed a framework agreement to establish the mega-free trade area during a summit in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, in 2002, and the pact came into effect on Jan. 1, 2010.

China in 2013 called for an "upgraded version" of the ACFTA, pledging economic and trade cooperation of "a greater scope and higher quality." In August 2014, ASEAN and China decided to upgrade the ACFTA.

The negotiations towards the upgrade of ACFTA are expected to be concluded by the end of 2016.

"It will scale up bilateral trade exchanges and investment flows between China and ASEAN. However, it needs to increase trade and investment among smaller participants," Chheang Vannarith, chairman of the Cambodian Institute for Strategic Studies, told Xinhua.

He said China should provide technical support and assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in ASEAN in order to enable them to be part of the regional production network.

The expert added that with the upgraded ACFTA, Cambodia's export market and capacity will be strengthened, as there will be more opportunities for SMEs in Cambodia to join regional supply chains, particularly in the fields of agriculture and the agro-industry.

Sharing his observation about the progress in negotiations towards the upgraded version of the ACFTA, Vannarith said the negotiations have gone smoothly so far.

"The main challenge is the lack of political trust between China and some ASEAN member countries, which perceive China as a threat if they rely too much on China for economic development," he added.

Mey Kalyan, senior adviser of Cambodia's Supreme National Economic Council, said the ACFTA was very important since ASEAN and China economies are complementing each other, so the two economies need each other in order to prosper further.

He said ACFTA would also provide a lot of advantages to Cambodia, however, the country needs to work harder to improve its competitiveness, quality of products, logistics infrastructure, and upgrade its trade system and institutions.

"Cambodia will need the Chinese market, its foreign direct investment, and Chinese tourists, and China will also need the Cambodian market and its resources," he told Xinhua.

Joseph Matthews, director of ASEAN Education Center in Phnom Penh, said the ACFTA has played a very important and positive role in promoting economic and trade relations between China and ASEAN so far.

"The upgrade of the ACFTA will bring about the greater prosperity for the peoples of the region and development of economies," he said.

Matthews said that he observed that both sides seem to be positive and committed to implementing the ACFTA in letter and in spirit.

He said the upgrade of ACFTA would help all signatories move closer towards realizing the twin goals of two-way trade and investment of 1 trillion U.S. dollars and 150 billion U.S. dollars, respectively by 2020.

ACFTA is the largest free trade area in the world in terms of combined population, and third largest in terms of nominal GDP, trailing the European Economic Area and North American Free Trade Area.

Under the free trade agreement, tariffs will be reduced to zero on 7,881 product categories, or 90 percent of imported goods.

According to the agreement, the average tariff rate on Chinese goods sold in ASEAN countries would be decreased from 12.8 percent to 0.6 percent, meanwhile, the average tariff rate on ASEAN goods sold in China would be decreased from 9.8 percent to 0.1 percent.

"This is undoubtedly a win-win agreement, which benefits all kinds of businesses from manufacturing goods to services sector across the board," Matthews said. "In my view, the upgrade of the ACFTA will help the countries restructure their economies upward, and further consolidate the China-ASEAN strategic relationship," he added.

According to the expert, China has continued its support for ASEAN integration as well as ASEAN efforts in realizing its ASEAN Community Vision 2025, through narrowing the development gap and enhancing ASEAN Connectivity through the Maritime Silk Road initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
SINGAPORE, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Singapore shares closed 0.28 percent lower on Wednesday as investors dumped blue chips amid concerns that U.S. Federal Reserve may hike rate as early as next month.

The growing prospects of an early rate hike lifted U.S. dollar against many major currencies. Investors were waiting anxiously for the U.S. job report due this Friday for clues of possible rate hike either next month or later this year.

If the August employment data on Friday turn out stronger than market expectation, investors fear a rate hike as early as at the Federal Reserve's next policy meeting on Sept. 21.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index fell 7.8 points to 2,820.59 points. Trading volume was 877 million shares worth 925 million Singapore dollars. Decliners outnumbered advancers 195 to 168, while 545 stocks did not move.

CapitaLand closed flat at 3.07 Singapore dollars. Its wholly-owned shopping mall business, CapitaLand Mall Asia Limited, has signed a management contract with Chinese state-owned developer Changsha Pilot Investment Holdings Group to manage the retail component of the landmark Fortune Finance Center in Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan in Central China.

Changsha Pilot Investment is the owner and developer of Fortune Finance Center, covers asset planning, pre-opening and retail management for a total gross floor area of 95,000 square meters excluding car park. Currently under construction, the mall is targeted to commence operations in end 2018. The management contract marks the beginning of CapitaLand's enhanced asset-light strategy to enlarge its mall network through third-party management contracts to complement its core strategy of developing, owning and managing malls.

Among the top gainers, Jardine Cycle and Carriage rose 1.7 percent to 42.50 Singapore dollars, whereas Jardine Matheson became one of the top losers by falling 0.8 percent to 59.85 U.S. dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals to 1.36 Singapore dollars)




Border guards pass sand bags to reinforce flood defences along the Tumen River, a cross-border river, in northeast China's Jilin Province, Aug. 31, 2016. Typhoon Lionrock brought heavy rain here, which raised water levels on Tumen River to record highs. (Xinhua/Zhang Biao)

CHANGCHUN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Lionrock brought heavy rain and forced more than 33,300 people to be displaced from their homes in northeast China's Jilin Province on Wednesday.

Rain started to batter Yanbian prefecture in Jilin, close to China's border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on Monday. Average precipitation in the prefecture in the last three days reached 102 millimeters.

Yanbian flood control authorities said water levels on the Chinese section of the Tumen River, a cross-border river, reached record highs.

Eight reservoirs also swelled. Flood alarms sounded in Tumen City around 2 p.m. on Wednesday for residents of low-lying areas to leave their homes.

More than 3,580 people are fighting floods.
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A young man was killed and many others injured Wednesday after Indian forces fired on protesters in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The youth was killed at Nadihal village in Baramulla district, about 60 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"A youth by the name of Danish Manzoor succumbed to firearm injuries at the hospital here," a health official at Baramulla hospital said. "He was among the six injured brought to the hospital. Out of them three have been referred to Srinagar for specialized treatment."

Local media reports quoting residents said the stone-throwing clashes erupted in the area after government forces ransacked houses and thrashed people, besides denying passage to the fruit-laden trucks in the area.

"The police and paramilitary troopers responded by firing tear smoke shells, pellets and bullets," locals told media. "The police firing has led to killing of the youth."

There seems to be no let up in street protests challenging New Delhi's rule in the region on the fifty-fourth straight day Wednesday, despite authorities withdrawing curfew throughout the Indian-controlled Kashmir. Shops, schools and offices remained closed, besides movement of traffic hampered due to a protest strike called by region's separatist groups.

Large-scale protests against New Delhi's rule are going on in the Muslim majority areas of the restive region since July 8. The protests broke out following the killing of a top militant commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) Burhan Muzaffar Wani.

Reports of fresh clashes between youth and government forces poured in from Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Bandipora. So far, over two dozen people are reported injured in the clashes in these areas.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the psyche of majority of Kashmiris. Irate residents defying curfew and restrictions took to roads at several places and clashed with police. The youth throw stones and brickbats on contingents of police and paramilitary, who respond by firing tear smoke shells, pellets and bullets, which often proves fatal.

Local newspaper reports said on Tuesday over 100 protesters including two minors and a few women were injured in day-long clashes across the region. Reports said government forces use force to disperse people from assembling at pro-freedom rallies.

Wednesday's killing has pushed the toll of civilians in the ongoing unrest to 69, besides injuries to thousands of others including government forces personnel.

Every killing pushes the cycle of violence further and fuels more protests.

Indian-controlled Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti strongly defends the government forces and claims only five per cent people in restive region were resorting to agitation and remaining 95 per cent people want to resolve the Kashmir issue through peaceful means.

An all-party delegation headed by Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh from New Delhi is scheduled to visit Srinagar on Saturday for talks aimed at cooling tempers in the region. Officials in New Delhi said the lawmakers (delegates) would be briefed about the contours of the visit by top officials of the Indian home ministry before their departure.

Authorities have placed separatist leaders under detention fearing their participation in rallies and demonstrations would intensify anti-India protests across the region.

A separatist movement and guerrilla war challenging New Delhi's rule is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

The weeks of turbulence in Indian-controlled Kashmir has added a new confrontation in the already strained relations between the two countries.


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BEIRUT, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A roadside bomb explosion killed two people and injured seven others on Wednesday in Lebanon, local media reported.

The blast occurred near a bus on a highway linking Beirut, the capital, and the eastern Bekaa city of Zahle, LBCI TV reported.

The bus, carrying members of the "Amal" movement, was on its way to south Lebanon to attend an event marking the anniversary of the disappearance of the movement's Shiite spiritual leader Moussa Sadr.

Sadr and his two companions, Sheikh Mohammed Yacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine, went missing on Aug. 31, 1978, while on an official visit to Libya.
MALE, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives government said on Wednesday that an arrest warrant had been issued against former President Mohamed Nasheed for his failure to return back to the island country to serve the remaining of his 13 year sentence.

Officials from the President's Office in Male told Xinhua that although Nasheed had been granted medical leave to visit Britain, he had failed to return back to the Maldives to serve his sentence.

Officials added that they hoped to convey news of his warrant to the British government in the coming weeks.

A statement issued by the government earlier on Wednesday said that the order against the former president is in conjunction with investigations, pursuant to a 2011 Audit Report, being carried out by the Maldives Police Service in relation to amounts in excess of MVR 1.8 million as well as the Maldives Correctional Service seeking to have him brought back to serve the remainder of his 13 year sentence from which he was initially granted extraordinary medical leave.

The statement added that arrest warrants were also issued against former Vice President of the Maldives Mohamed Jameel and two others.

Nasheed was granted a political refugee status by Britain in May after he left to undergo an urgent back surgery in January.

Nasheed was last year sentenced to 13 years in jail by a Maldives court on charges of terrorism.

The Maldives government said the former president had signed an undertaking to return after his treatment and had left his brother to act as a guarantor.

Nasheed was elected into office in 2008 and in February 2012, he was ousted in a coup.
President of Xinhua News Agency Cai Mingzhao (R) meets with Saudi Arabia's Culture and Information Minister Adel Al-Toraifi in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Xinhua News Agency President Cai Mingzhao said Wednesday that his organization was ready to improve exchanges and cooperation with Saudi Arabia's media outlets.

During a meeting in Beijing with Saudi Arabian Culture and Information Minister Adel Al Toraifi, Cai spoke of Xinhua's long-term friendly cooperation with Saudi Arabia's media outlets, lauding the role the cooperation has played in promoting relations between the two countries.

China and Saudi Arabia enjoyed extensive cooperation, Cai said, and media outlets in the two countries should increase coverage of bilateral cooperation so as to push forward cooperation in other fields.

He also introduced the achievements that the news agency had made in new media development, saying that xinhuanet.com and Saudi Press Agency intended to expand cooperation.

Cai said Xinhua is willing to conduct cooperation and exchanges with more Saudi media outlets, to contribute to the construction of the Belt and Road and enhance friendship between the two peoples.

Toraifi said he hoped the improved media cooperation could help increase Saudi Arabia's exposure to Chinese culture and make the two peoples closer.
SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Three children were injured as a bomb went off in a wedding ceremony in Shiberghan. the capital of northern Jauzjan province on Tuesday, provincial police chief Rahmatullah Turkistani said.

"A bomb blast ripped through a wedding party in a local hotel in Shiberghan city at around 03:30 p.m. local time today injuring three innocent children," Tukistani told Xinhua.

"The reason for the gruesome incident is apparently enmity," the official said, adding those behind the crime have been identified and efforts are underway to arrest and bring them to justice.

Similarly, governor of Jauzjan province Lutfullah Azizi in talks with Xinhua confirmed the incident, saying it was a sticky bomb and the obvious target, the groom, has escaped unhurt.

Investigation has been initiated to determine the reason for the bomb attack in a wedding hall in the relatively peaceful Jauzjan province, the governor added.
TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov arrives here on Wednesday for talks with Iranian officials on the construction of nuclear plants in Iran, local media reported.

"Mr. Ryabkov will exchange views with his counterpart, Abbas Araqchi, during the visit," Russian ambassador to Tehran, Levan Dzhagaryan, was quoted as saying by Tehran Times in its Tuesday editions.

Last week, a spokesman of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said that President Hassn Rouhani had approved the funding of two nuclear power plants planned to be built by Russia.

"In the coming weeks, we will try to hold the final talks (with the Russians), and soon after we will announce a date for starting the construction of the power plants," said the spokesman, Behrooz Kamalvandi.

Also on the agenda during Ryabkov's Tehran trip could be the signing of a deal under which Moscow will purchase heavy water from Iran.

"The talks to sell heavy water to Russia are almost in their final stages," Kamalvandi was quoted as saying.

Iran's first nuclear power plant, the Bushehr plant, was first constructed in 1975 by several German companies. However, work was halted when the United States imposed an embargo on hi-tech supplies to Iran after the 1979 revolution.

Russia signed a contract with Iran in 1998 to complete the construction.




Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that China welcomed Canada's decision to apply to be a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

While meeting with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Xi said that China was willing to improve communication and coordination with Canada, protect an open and inclusive multilateral trade system with the country and deepen cooperation in areas such as climate change, peacekeeping and marine protection.

Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced Canada's decision to apply to be a member of the AIIB, at a press conference in Beijing Wednesday.

Xi also called for more high-level visits between China and Canada. Leaders of both countries should pursue communication and coordination in a variety of ways on issues of mutual concern, Xi said. He added that both sides should enhance dialogue and cooperation in various fields with existing bilateral mechanisms.

This is the first official visit by Trudeau since taking office in November 2015. His father, former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, was the first Canadian prime minister to visit China after the establishment of diplomatic relations.

After his stay in Beijing, Trudeau will fly to Hangzhou to attend the G20 summit.

Related:

China Focus: AIIB gets another vote of confidence as Canada applies to join

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Canada announced Wednesday that it had decided to apply for membership of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a sign of growing international confidence in the China-initiated multilateral bank.

If Canada joins the AIIB, it will be the first North American member of the bank, which already has 57 founding members including Australia and the United Kingdom. Full story

Canada to apply for AIIB membership

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Canada has decided to apply for membership of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced at a press conference in Beijing Wednesday.
COLOMBO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government on Wednesday said it had no concerns over the activities of former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed.

There have been reports that Nasheed was working from Sri Lanka to topple the current Maldives government.

Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne however said that Nasheed was raising democratic issues and so it cannot be seen as an attempt to topple the Maldives government.

A Maldives court had issued an order to arrest Nasheed in conjunction with investigations, pursuant to a 2011 Audit Report, being carried out by the Maldives Police Service.

The Maldives Correctional Service is also seeking to have Nasheed brought back to serve a remainder of his 13 year sentence from which he was initially granted extraordinary medical leave.

Senaratne said that Nasheed carried out all his activities from Sri Lanka before he became President and he had even thanked the then Sri Lankan government for accommodating him.

"He thanked the then Sri Lankan government for allowing him to do his propaganda and activities from Sri Lanka against the then President Gayoom. He must be doing the same thing even now," he said.

The Minister said that allowing Nasheed to work from Sri Lanka did not have a negative impact on Sri Lanka's relationship with the Maldives at the time and should not even now.

Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison last year after he was found guilty of ordering the arrest of a judge while in office.

He was initially cleared of the charges but was re-arrested and charged under anti-terrorism laws.




Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meet journalists after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China-Canada relations are facing broad opportunities, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday.

While meeting visiting Canadian Prime minister Justin Trudeau, Li said that he hopes to see further progress in relations with Trudeau's visit providing the impetus.

Trudeau said that strengthening the friendship and potential of the relationship between the two will open a new era in China's engagement with the rest of the world.

While meeting journalists with Trudeau, Li said that they have agreed to maintain close contact between high-ranking officials, and establish an annual dialogue mechanism between the Chinese Premier and Canadian Prime Minister.

The Chinese Premier said that the two sides have discussed establishing a dialogue mechanism on national security and law, and agreed to making full use of an annual meeting between foreign ministers.

Li added that they have agreed to launch a feasibility study of a China-Canada free trade area as early as possible.

Li admitted to historical differences between the two countries, but maintained that mutual interests outweigh the differences.

Trudeau said that the two sides will step up trade and investment. Canada will take specific measures to improve people-to-people communication with China, he said.

The Canadian prime minister added that the two countries will cooperate in areas of mutual concern, including climate change, judge training and UN peacekeeping.

Li encouraged Canadian businessmen to come to China with high-quality products.

This is the first official visit of Trudeau to China since taking office in November 2015. His father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, was the first Canadian prime minister to visit China.

After his stay in Beijing, Trudeau will fly to Hangzhou to attend the G20 summit.
S enegalese President Macky Sall (2nd L) talks with Liu Xianfa (2nd R), Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, at a construction site of China-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug. 29, 2016.

DAKAR, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese President Macky Sall said he would push for funding of African economies, equity and fight against tax evasion during the upcoming G20 Summit.

The president will attend the 11th G20 Summit, to be held between Sept. 4 and 5 in China's Hangzhou, in his capacity as the chairman of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

"There should be more investments than aid for African countries," Sall told Chinese media in Dakar.

"Three years ago, I appealed for measures that would help to bring growth to Africa. Africa needs more investments and partnerships," the Senegalese president said.

It must be ensured that the partnerships between Africa and other G20 countries are built on mutual interest and in a manner that will allow Africans, African businesses and African governments to access long term financial resources that should be less expensive to allow for development, Sall noted.

"Everyone wins, because Chinese enterprises can work just like other international firms. Africa will achieve development and it will also invest in itself. The funding will enable our economies to recover from the delays witnessed in the priority sectors such as infrastructure and energy," he said.

The second issue that the NEPAD chairman will be raising during the summit of 20 largest economies in the world will be equity and the fight against tax evasion in Africa.

"Africa is a continent which, often, has unfortunately been exploited. Multinationals that operate in capitalistic sectors have always benefited from legislations that totally exonerate them from paying taxes. And yet today, to fund development on the continent, we first need to count on internally mobilized resources," Sall said.

We should therefore change international taxation regime so that wealth created in a country can generate revenue for those countries that have the natural resources, the Senegalese president said.

"We can reverse the trend and Africa will not need to ask for aid, because the generated tax resources will positively fund development on the continent."

Sall further expressed hope that the G20 "will help the international community and especially Africa" to be able to achieve growth based on new technologies and investments.

In this regard, he hailed the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, whose last summit was held in Johannesburg where China promised to give Africa financial support of 60 billion U.S. dollars over the next three years.
CHENGDU, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The first locomotive designed for a railway renovation program in Argentina was completed Wednesday, CRRC Corp. Ltd. said.

The first meter-gauged locomotive, built in Ziyang City in Sichuan Province, was completed and the first 20 will be made and exported to Argentina, said Yu Weiping, vice president of CRRC, China's largest rail transportation equipment maker.

The locomotives will be supplied to Belgrano Cargas, an Argentine operator of cargo railway services. China has provided financing, equipment and services for the renovation of the railway, which runs through Argentina's important agricultural regions.

The railway will greatly reduce transportation costs.

Upgrading rail services will help lower the cost of grain in Argentina and boost their international competitiveness, said Ezequiel Lemos, president of Belgrano Cargas, who was present Wednesday when the first locomotive rolled off the production line.

The Ziyang CRRC branch has made locomotives for Vietnam and Thailand. The new locomotive has been customized for Argentina's particular needs, said Yu.

CRRC will establish a regional center in South America, headquartered in Argentina, said Yu.

In 2013, China South Railway (CSR) won a contract worth 1 billion U.S. dollars to provide 709 carriages to renew Argentina's commuter system.
COLOMBO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's anti-graft commission on Wednesday charged former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and seven others, including three ex-navy commanders, for illegally allowing a private floating armoury, local media reported.

The Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption filed action against Rajapaksa and seven others for allowing private Avant Garde Maritime Services to operate the armoury and provide sea marshal services.

The head of Avant Garde, retired major Nissanka Senadhipathi is also being charged under tough bribery and corruption laws.

The case of the floating armoury had surfaced after the Sri Lankan Navy boarded the vessel in October last year to discover a massive stash of weapons on board.
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Nepalese media outlets are willing to boost cooperation with their Chinese counterparts via the exchange of reports, executive director of the Radio Nepal Suresh Kumar Karki told Xinhua Wednesday.

Karki, who also heads a Nepalese mainstream media and friendship delegation, is visiting China under the invitation of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The visit is the third of its kind in three consecutive years. During previous visits, they filmed documentaries on the development of Tibet Autonomous Region and China's Belt and Road Initiative.

"The people of Nepal now better understand China through the documentaries produced by Nepalese media outlets, and this will help boost mutual understanding and close relations between the two peoples," he said.

As this year marks the 95th founding anniversary of the CPC, the delegation is making a new documentary to reflect the history of the CPC and enormous changes that China has witnessed over the past 30 plus years, he said.

After visiting the headquarters of Xinhua News Agency, he said Xinhua's exploration of the potential of new media was "impressive and worth learning."
(Xinhua photo)

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner warned Wednesday that challenges remain in investment and trade, and meeting annual growth targets will require "arduous efforts."

It is estimated that pressure will still remain in economic development in the second half of 2016, said Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, during the top legislature's ongoing bimonthly session.

While delivering a report to the session, Xu expressed confidence that the country could meet its major annual targets in economic growth, employment, commodity prices and residents' income.

He also said it was expected that targets for poverty reduction, energy consumption, environmental protection and renovation of substandard housing would be met.

"Great difficulties remain in meeting goals for investment and trade," Xu said, while elaborating on a national economic and social development report.

"Currently, the foundations for stable economic development are not solid enough and downward pressure remains."

The international economy has not recovered as expected, and trade protectionism has gained ground, Xu told lawmakers, adding that geopolitical risks and the increasingly complicated regional security situation will disturb economic stability.

On the domestic front, difficulties remain for the stable growth of demand, and regional polarization has evolved, with potential risks in sectors such as finance and employment needing attention, Xu said.

He also cited farmers' incomes, the increasing number of environmental incidents, severe production safety situation and the arduous tasks of disaster prevention, reduction and relief as difficulties the country must address.

Wednesday afternoon's plenary session was attended by Zhang Dejiang, the chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

STABILIZING MACROECONOMIC POLICY

According to Xu, China will continue to design and implement targeted and flexible macro-control measures, and pursue a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy.

The country will further reduce tax burdens for enterprises and closely follow the implementation of the replacement of business tax with VAT, said Finance Minister Lou Jiwei while delivering a report during Wednesday's legislative session.

China plans to formulate a pilot policy on commercial pension insurance with individual tax preferences offered to applicants, Lou said.

Also, the country is mulling an increased export rebate rate for some mechanical and electrical products and hopes to fine-tune the policy for individual income tax for equity incentives, Lou said.

The central government will promote public-private-partnerships (PPP) and accelerate the PPP legislation procedures, he added.

Meanwhile, China has promised to review government investment, promoting the use of funds to support startups in emerging industries, according to Lou.

ADVANCING KEY REFORMS

During the session, Xu said China was determined to further cut the number of items needing government approval and advance reforms in key sectors including state-owned enterprises, finance and taxation.

The central government will roll out assessment measures for environmental protection and improve intellectual property protection for enterprises, Xu added.

As China's economy settles into the "new normal," which features slower growth, the country will continue to boost development of emerging industries, said Xu.

The central government will formulate a "negative" list for the country's "Internet Plus" strategy and other supporting measures for the "Made in China 2025" plan, according to Xu.
TUNIS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and 51 others injured in a collision between a heavy truck and a bus in northwestern Tunisia on Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said.

The accident occurred on the Kasserine road when the truck skidded due to brake failure and collided first with a bus before hitting a high-voltage-electric pole that fell, causing a dozen cars to catch fire, the ministry said.

The injured have been rushed to local hospitals and rescue operations are underway.
by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Greek Coast Guard vessels were rushing to the sea off Paxoi island on Wednesday to assist a boat carrying 30 passengers, according to local authorities.

One of the passengers called the port of Corfu to notify the Coast Guard while the boat was sailing about 30 nautical miles west of Paxoi, Corfu island's harbor master Spyridon Kontomaris told Greek national news agency AMNA.

It has not been clarified whether it was a tourist boat or a vessel transferring undocumented migrants or refugees.

According to Coast Guard sources, the boat was either experiencing an engine failure or has run out of fuel.
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Minister of Supervision Huang Shuxian on Wednesday ordered the continued "cranking up of pressure" to snub out extravagance and other undesirable work styles, especially with the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays just around the corner.

Huang, who is also deputy head of the Central Commission for Discipline and Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said the crackdown was a "major political task."

Huang called for intensified supervision against undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance, as well as stern penalties to those who dare transgress.

Party committees at all levels should increase inspections, Huang said, adding that graft-busting and supervision authorities must spare no effort in this regard.

The central authorities in late 2012 issued the "eight-point" anti-bureaucracy and extravagance guidelines, and in June 2013, a "mass line" campaign was launched to bridge the gaps between officials and the public, while cleaning up undesirable work styles.

Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept. 15 this year, is a major Chinese festival. It is common for families to spend time together before the seven-day National Day holiday, which starts on Oct. 1.
by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Greece raised on Wednesday 1.14 billion euros (1.27 billion U.S. dollars) in the latest six-month treasury bills auction, according to an announcement by the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA).

The T-bills were priced to yield 2.97 percent, unchanged from the previous similar sale carried out on August 3, when PDMA raised 812 million euros.

Shut out of international markets since 2010, Greece runs a monthly treasury bill auction program in parallel to bailout aid to cover maturing debts and meet its financing needs.

In the new round of negotiations with lenders on the the release of further rescue loans to the debt-ridden country this week, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has expressed confidence Greece can return to the international markets in 2017.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand based Manuka Health, one of the country's leading manuka honey producers, on Wednesday signed a three-year distribution agreement with Beijing-based Chao Pi Commercial & Trading., LTD.

The strategic partnership agreement was signed at the Auckland offices of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and attended by the Minister for Trade Todd McClay.

"This announcement is a demonstration of the many and increasing opportunities available to New Zealand and Chinese businesses through valuable cooperation," said McClay.

He said China is now New Zealand's second-largest trading partner, with total goods and services trade having more than doubled since the Free Trade Agreement entered into force, reaching 22 billion New Zealand dollars (16 billion U.S. dollars).

Chao Pi will distribute the full range of Manuka Health NZ honey products to major retailers, and via online sales in China.

Manuka Health NZ CEO John Kippenberger estimates the agreement will see Manuka Health's exports to China equate up to a quarter of the company's volume within three years.

Chao Pi is the agent for more than 20,000 commodities and its distribution covers 20,000 retailers, as well as large online shopping providers.

Founded in 2006, Manuka Health NZ was purchased by Pacific Equity Partners in December 2015.
MOSCOW, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Abu Muhammad al-Adnani al-Shami, a senior leader and the official spokesperson of the Islamic State (IS), was killed in a recent airstrike in Syria's Aleppo province, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

Based on multiple intelligence channels, al-Adnani was killed during an airstrike by a Russian Su-34 warplane on Tuesday, in which up to 40 terrorists were also eliminated, the ministry said in a statement.

"Abu Muhammad al-Adnani was considered the number two leader in the IS after its head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and was renowned for his calls for terrorist attacks in Western Europe and the United States," the statement added.
MOSCOW, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- No meeting in the Normandy format regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is planned at the upcoming G20 summit in China, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

"Such a meeting is not in the plans at the moment, but there will be separate meetings with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel," the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The G20 summit will be held in China's eastern coastal city of Hangzhou on Sept. 4-5.

The Normandy format is comprised of a diplomatic group of leaders from Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine set up to resolve the crisis in eastern Ukraine in accordance with the peace agreement reached in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

He added that contacts on Ukraine are continuing as all the countries involved see no alternatives to the Minsk arrangements to achieve a settlement of the conflict.

Earlier this month, an agreement on a trilateral joint meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit was reached during a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Merkel and Hollande, according to a Kremlin statement, but Peskov gave no reasons for the change of the plan.

However, he expressed regret about the "absence of any progress on the part of Kiev in the implementation of the Minsk agreement."

Peskov also ruled out the possibility of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, saying that Moscow was not part of the conflict between the Kiev authorities and the main rebel stronghold of the Donbass region.
TUNIS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a road accident involving a heavy truck and a bus in northwestern Tunisia on Wednesday rose to 16, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

The accident also left 85 others wounded and caused 15 cars to collide.

It occurred on the Kasserine road when a truck skidded due to a brake failure and collided first with a bus before hitting a high-voltage-electric pole that fell, causing a dozen cars to catch fire, the ministry said.

The injured have been rushed to local hospitals and rescue operations are underway.
JERUSALEM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Wednesday approved the construction of hundreds of new housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, according to Peace Now, an Israeli organization that monitors settlement building.

The approval was made by the Civil Administration's High Planning Committee, Israel's official regulator for construction projects in the occupied West Bank.

According to the committee's decision, the new plans include 234 housing units in the settlement of Elkana, south of Nablus city, which will served the elderly.

The committee also approved 31 housing units in Beit Arie, in central West Bank, and 21 units in Givat Ze'ev, a settlement neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

The committee also retroactively legalized 179 housing units in Beit Arie that were built in the past without permits.

Ahead of the decision, Peace Now said that since January 2016, plans for 2,706 new units in West Bank settlements have been promoted, 756 of them are retroactive approval of previously unauthorized construction.

"Not only that the Netanyahu government does not believe in a two states solution, it is actively trying to kill it by building more and more in the settlements," a spokesperson with Peace Now said in a statement.

"This policy contradicts the very essential interests of the state of Israel," the statement said.

The Jewish settlements, built on lands that Israel occupied in 1967, are illegal under international law.

On Monday, Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations' coordinator for the Middle East, told the UN Security Council that construction in the settlements had surged in the past two months.
TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said here Wednesday that it would be a "mistake" to think that Iran and the United States would reach an "understanding and common point."

"My insistence on avoiding negotiations with the United States is based on the experience that the Americans are after imposing their demands rather than reaching an understanding in the talks," he said.
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said here Wednesday that its ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is entering the "period of maturity."

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will attend the 19th China-ASEAN (10+1) leaders' meeting, the 19th ASEAN-China, Japan and Republic of Korea (10+3) leaders' meeting, and the 11th East Asia Summit in Vientiane, Laos, from Sept. 6 to 9, Liu told a news briefing.

Li will also pay an official visit to Laos.

Liu said Li's upcoming visits will help deepen China-ASEAN relations, promote the integration of East Asia and maintain regional peace and stability.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, Liu said, and developing ties with ASEAN is a priority of China's peripheral diplomacy.

He said the two sides have deepened political mutual trust and achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation such as the new China-ASEAN free trade area agreement.

Moreover, China is the largest trading partner of ASEAN, and ASEAN is China's third largest trade partner, Liu said, adding that bilateral trade volume in the first half of 2016 reached 209 billion U.S. dollars.

He said Premier Li will suggest making people-to-people exchanges a new pillar for China-ASEAN cooperation, and will stress China's constant support for ASEAN common community building as well as a bigger role for ASEAN in international affairs at the China-ASEAN leaders' meeting.

At the ASEAN-China, Japan and ROK leaders' meeting, Li will urge all parties to enhance cooperation in areas such as financial security, trade and investment, agriculture and poverty relief, connectivity, capacity and people-to-people exchanges, Liu said.

As for the East Asia Summit, Liu said the premier will introduce China's views on the summit's future development, and emphasize adherence to the positioning of the summit as a strategic forum, adherence to principles such as ASEAN-led, negotiations for consensus and accommodating all sides' comfort level.

China will urge the related parties to continue implementing the "Plan of Action to Implement the Phnom Penh Declaration on EAS Development Initiative", advancing cooperation in six key areas and sticking to the "two-wheel drive" of economic development and political security, so as to promote the sound and stable development of the summit, Liu said.
Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang (R) meets with Andre Desmarais, honorary chairman of the Canada-China Business Council (CCBC), in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang met with Andre Desmarais, honorary chairman of the Canada-China Business Council (CCBC), here on Wednesday.



Wang praised the role played by the CCBC in promoting bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation as well as friendly exchanges.

Wang expressed his hope that the CCBC will boost cooperation between enterprises of the two countries and contribute more to bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

The CCBC, founded in 1978 as a private, not-for-profit business association, is dedicated to supporting its members to grow their businesses in China and Canada.
NAIROBI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an appeal for 670,000 U.S. dollars to help more than 40,000 refugees from South Sudan in Uganda over the next six months.

In a statement received in Nairobi on Wednesday, the Red Cross said interventions will focus on water, sanitation, hygiene promotion, emergency shelter and health, calling for immediate support to ensure that these families receive the life-saving assistance they need.

"The vast majority of people who are crossing into Uganda from South Sudan are women and children, or people with special needs, such as the elderly and those with complex health issues," said Andreas Sandin, IFRC's Operations Coordinator for Eastern Africa.

"After having traveled more than 400 km from Juba, they arrive exhausted, hungry, and in need of shelter. With more families arriving daily, we need to ramp up our activities quickly," Sandin said.

Since early July, when deadly violence erupted in South Sudan's capital between groups loyal to the president and those loyal to the vice-president, more than 80,000 people have fled to neighboring Uganda -- more than the number of South Sudanese refugee seekers seen in the previous three years.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) attends the opening ceremony of the Confucius Institute in Stralsund Aug. 30, 2016. Angela Merkel on Tuesday inaugurated Germany's 17th Confucius Institute in the Baltic town. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

BERLIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel inaugurated on Tuesday Germany's 17th Confucius Institute in the Baltic sea town of Stralsund.

Stralsund, located in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, is the place Merkel calls as political home.

Speaking at the plaque-unveiling ceremony, "I am pleased that there is such an institute now also available in my political home," said Merkel.

Stralsund Confucius Institute which is operating in collaboration with Stralsund University of Applied Sciences and Hefei University, identifies transmission and training of traditional Chinese medicine as its main characteristics.

In Germany, more and more people are interested in traditional Chinese medicine, and are trying to cure diseases by "combination of Chinese and Western medicine", Merkel said.

"Germany has a rich culture and traditions. We also know that China has a long history of five thousand years of civilization. Confucius Institute can contribute to promote communication and understanding between the two peoples," she added.

Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde said that China and Germany have established a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Even though political, economic and trade relations are important, youth exchange and interaction between the two countries are equally important, or even more important.

"This is the best investment in the future," he said.

Given the turbulent developments in the world, China and Germany set an example for peace, stability and stable development for the whole world with their good cooperation, of which significance goes far beyond the bilateral framework, he added.

Xu Lin, Chief Executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters and Director General of Hanban, said that Confucius Institute has become an important platform for the world to understand China, and made important contributions to promoting understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and people around the world, as well as to pluralistic development of the world civilization.
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua)-- Chinese companies listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, most of which are state-owned enterprises (SOEs), showed positive structural changes despite shrinking profits in the first half of this year.

A total of 1,124 Shanghai-listed enterprises earned about 11 trillion yuan (1.64 trillion U.S.dollars) in H1, slightly up 1.3 percent year on year, while their net profits shrank by about 5.7 percent to about 1.14 trillion yuan, according to the statement released by the stock exchange on Wednesday evening.

In breakdown, listed firms in the agricultural sector saw strong revenue and profit growth while the tertiary sector's total revenue accounted for about 42 percent of the total, indicating some optimization of China's economic structure.

The country's efforts to reduce excess capacity paid off as listed companies in overcapacity sectors such as steel and coal saw the value of their stockpiles dropping by 17 percent and net profit rising by about 250 percent. The number of loss-suffering companies also fell from 24 last H1 to 13, the statement showed.

Emerging sectors such as telecommunications and consumption-intensive industries like tourism posted strong financial performance.

Meanwhile, companies in different regions fared differently as coastal areas such as Shandong and Zhejiang provinces saw their listed companies rise fast in profits while counterparts in resource-intensive central regions like Shanxi Province saw shrinking profits.

A total of 177 listed companies suffered losses in H1, dropping by 11 companies year on year, the statement showed.
COLOMBO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday on a three-day official visit, the Foreign Ministry said.

During his visit, the UN chief is expected to meet Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and other members of the government and the parliament.

Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief is likely to discuss the issue of having foreign judges in Sri Lanka's domestic accountability process on the war.

The secretary general will also visit the southern town of Galle as well as Jaffna in the north, before concluding his visit on Sept. 2.
SARAJEVO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- After several months of negotiating and harmonizing at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the nation signed an agreement on operational and strategic cooperation with the European Police Office (Europol) here on Wednesday.

After signing the agreement with Europol director Rob Wainwright, BiH Minister of Security Dragan Mektic said this act represents the biggest step of BiH on the path to European integration when it comes to the security sector, as it makes the security agencies of BiH part of the European security system.

Mektic added he was pleased that BiH will be able to contribute to overall European security, and that thanks to cooperation with Europol, BiH will obtain new tools and mechanisms in the fight against all security challenges.

"We live in dangerous times when the threat of terrorism in Europe is the largest in the last 20 years, with an unprecedented migrant crisis and new forms of organized and cyber crime. This is why the agreement is particularly important. Our cooperation will make both BiH and the EU safer," Wainwright said during a joint press conference.

Wainwright added that as of today, all resources of Europol will be made available to BiH in its efforts to improve the security situation and to fight against terrorism and crime.

The agreement will expand cooperation between Europol and BiH in combating cross-border criminal activities by exchanging information, including personal data of suspected criminals, and jointly planning operational activities.

The text of the cooperation agreement between Europol and BiH was approved by the Council of the European Union earlier this year. The agreement will be applicable in BiH once it is ratified by competent national authorities.

After the joint press conference, Wainwright and Mektic visited the BiH Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies, where they met with its director Mirsad Vilic.

Vilic stressed that the signing of the agreement allows for more efficient cooperation with the member states of Europol to combat international organized crime, especially terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, cyber-crime and other forms of crime that are within the competence of Europol.

Vilic added that police agencies in BiH will now be able to exchange strategic and operational information, including personal data with member states of Europol.
BUDAPEST, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called for Serbia's earliest possible admission to the European Union(EU) in the interests of Balkan stability, after talks here Wednesday with Jadranka Joksimovic, the Serbian minister in charge of European Integration.

Szijjarto called on the responsible EU bodies to wrap up accession talks by 2020 at latest, "since regional instability will fail to contain a possible wave of immigration."

Szijjarto said the second-tier fence Hungary was building on the Serbian border was not against Serbia but against people who "dishonestly violate our laws, sovereignty, and our borders." He was referring to the influx of asylum seekers coming from southern Europe through Serbia.

Joksimovic voiced her thanks for Hungary's proven support of her country's European integration and its attention to the West Balkans.

She called for the EU to come up with a clear and comprehensive policy on protecting its outer borders and reducing the amount of traffic coming north through the West Balkans. That would improve Serbia's situation as well as Hungary's, she said.

Szijjarto said that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban would be traveling to Belgrade on Monday, and that an intergovernmental commission on Budapest-Belgrade railway line would meet next Friday in Serbia.
SOFIA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday held a phone conversation on the migration crisis in Europe, according to an official press release.

The phone conversation was part of Tusk's initiative to hold initial consultations with the members of the European Council.

Tusk noted that the migration crisis in Europe and the search for a single European solution would be the major topic of the forthcoming meeting of the state and government leaders of the European Union(EU) member states, which will take place in Bratislava on Sept. 16.

Borisov presented information about the current situation along the Bulgarian border, as well as about the actions the country takes to restrict the entrance of illegal migrants on the territory of the EU.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister repeated his position that EU countries and Turkey should show mutual understanding to problems and make joint efforts to implement agreements made and keep engagements undertaken so far.

The two leaders agreed that the implementation of the migrant agreement from March was the groundwork of the partnership between the EU and Turkey.

Tusk said that during the discussions in Bratislava he would insist on reaching a united position in support for the Bulgarian state, which had been hampering the expansion of the migration crisis being an external border of the EU.

Bulgaria, a Balkan country in southeast Europe, joined the EU in 2007.
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday agreed to reopen one of its busiest border crossings after 14 days of closure that caused huge financial losses to traders and badly affected the cross-border movement, officials said.

Pakistan shut the Chaman border in southwestern Balochistan Province on Aug. 18 after some demonstrators torched a Pakistani flag at the Afghan border town of Spinboldak.

Security officials of the two sides had been involved in a series of meetings and agreed to reopen the border on Thursday, spokesman for the Pakistani paramilitary force Frontier Corps Khan Wasay said on the phone from Quetta.

"I can confirm that the Pakistani and Afghan officials have agreed on the reopening of the border on Thursday," the spokesman told Xinhua.

Wasay said both sides also agreed that border officials will hold a "flag-meeting" every month to avoid any problem at the border and to work for the removal of the mistrust.

Afghan embassy sources also confirmed the border re-opening.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share nearly 2,600 km of border, mostly porous. There are several official crossings including Chaman which is called "Friendship Gate."

Chaman is the second largest crossing after Torkham. Thousands cross the border every day.

Locals in Chaman say hundreds of vehicles are stuck up on both sides of the border during the closure, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars losses to the traders, mostly Afghan exporters of fresh fruit.

The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries' deputy chief Khan Jan Alokozay was quoted by reports as saying that importers have to pay 200 U.S. dollars daily per container, which are stuck on both sides of the border.
NICOSIA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus and Egypt on Wednesday signed a framework agreement for the transfer of natural gas from a Cypriot field via pipe to Egypt's liquefaction terminals.

The gas field, about 85 km off Cyprus' southern shores, is managed by Texas-based Noble Energy. It is estimated to contain 4.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

The agreement was signed at the Cypriot Ministry of Energy in Nicosia by visiting Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla and Cypriot Commerce and Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis.

They said in a joint statement that the deal provides for the construction of a pipe from the Aphrodite field in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone to either Egypt's shores or to an existing pipe system which was used for the transfer of Egyptian gas to two terminals at Idku and Damietta.

The agreement allows Egypt to use gas for domestic consumption or re-export.

The actual transfer of Cypriot gas to Egypt would require further commercial agreements between private companies for the construction of the pipe system and the sale of the gas.

"In essence, today we signed an agreement which stipulates that the two countries will respect the provisions of any trade agreements that may take place," Lakkotrypis said.

"We hope that this agreement will facilitate and expedite trade agreement, creating a secure investment framework for the sale of natural gas from Cyprus to Egypt," he added.

Though Egypt has discovered a mammoth gas file called Zohr next to Cyprus' EEZ blocks recently licensed for gas exploration to international energy companies, it has said that it could buy as much gas as Cyprus could allocate.

The Egyptian minister said the current planning is part of the development of the east Mediterranean gas as a whole.

"Our strategy is optimally to position ourselves as an energy hub in the region," El Molla said referring to an agreement locking into cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt.

Cyprus is about to announce new licensing for gas exploration to energy companies, including Italian ENI, French Total, Norwegian Statoil and Exon Mobil in association with Qatar Petroleum.

This will be additional to licenses already awarded for other offshore blocks to ENI in association with South Korean KOGAS and Total.
CAIRO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's state-owned Telecom Egypt (TE) has signed a deal to buy a fourth-generation (4G) mobile license to be the country's first provider of the service, government-run Ahram online website reported Wednesday.

The contract was signed by Egypt's telecom regulator, the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and TE on Wednesday in the presence of Egypt's Communications and Information Technology Minister Yasser Al-Qadi.

NTRA is offering licenses of the high-speed 4G mobile technology to the three companies currently offering mobile services, Orange Egypt, Vodafone Egypt, Etisalat and TE, which holds the landline monopoly, according to the report.

TE said in a statement on the stock exchange website that the 15-year license will cost the company 7.08 billion Egyptian pounds (1 U.S. dollar= 8.88 pounds) of which 5.2 billion pounds were paid in advance, half of which in dollars.

The Egyptian government says the introduction of the new technology aims to maximize revenues for the state coffers and improve the speed of services to mobile customers.

The landline monopoly owns a 45 percent stake in Vodafone Egypt but will now be able to provide mobile phone services itself within 6 months, following the introduction of mobile technology in Egypt, it added.

The company can pay 2 billion Egyptian pounds to renew the license for an extra five years when it runs out after 15 years.

Egypt is selling 4G licenses as part of a long-awaited scheme to reform the country's telecoms sector.

The reforms will also allow Egypt's three mobile operators to offer fixed-line telephone services for the first time.
ANKARA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday signed a normalization deal with Israel, which was recently passed by parliament, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

According to a statement issued by Turkish presidency's press office, Erdogan approved "the procedural agreement about compensation between the Republic of Turkey and Israeli State."

Under the deal, Israel will fund 20 million U.S. dollars in compensation for the families of the victims of an Israeli raid on a humanitarian aid ship in May 2010.

Turkey's parliament approved the normalization deal on August 20.

The agreement will come into force when both sides notify each other through diplomatic channels that the internal legal procedures have been fulfilled.

The deal is expected to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries, which will exchange ambassadors in the next few weeks, Daily Sabah reported.

Relations between Israel and Turkey soured following a deadly 2010 raid by an Israeli naval ship against a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara. The incident left 10 Turkish nationals dead.

Israel formally apologized in 2013 for what it called operational mistakes.
ANKARA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkish president's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin Wednesday strongly condemned the claims saying Turkish military operation in northern Syria is against Syrian Kurds and their achievements, Turkish Anadolu Agency reported.

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara, Kalin stressed that "Turkey had no problem with Kurds in Turkey, Iran, Iraq or Syria, or any Kurd in any part of the world."

"Turkey's problem is the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its Syrian offshoot, the Democratic Union Party (PYD)," Kalin said.

The spokesman stated that the Euphrates Shield Operation, launched last week, is against the Islamic State (IS) and other terror organizations with an objective of eliminating the terror threat along Turkish border.

Kalin said that Turkish military offensive would continue until "all threats to Turkish citizens" are eradicated from the whole region.

He also said that "agreement with the PYD is out of question."

Meanwhile, Turkish Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Omer Celik refuted Wednesday allegations that there had been a cease-fire agreement between Turkey and the PKK/PYD.

While Turkey considers the PYD to be the Syrian offshoot of the terrorist PKK organization, the U.S. sees the group as its ally in the fight against IS.
SANTA CLARA, Cuba, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The first regular direct commercial flight from the United States arrived in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, marking an important new step in thawing ties between the former Cold War foes.

The JetBlue flight touched down at 10:57 a.m. local time at the Abel Santamaria International airport, carrying 150 passengers, including numerous airline executives and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx.

JetBlue will now fly three times a week to Santa Clara until Oct. 29 before scheduling a daily flight.

Other carriers like American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines will begin flights in the coming months to cities such as Holguin, Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara and Varadero.

Both countries signed an agreement in February this year that allowed up to 110 daily flights between several cities in the U.S. and 10 Cuban international airports, including the capital city of Havana.

A total of 20 daily round-trip flights to Cuba's capital Havana are allowed but are still awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

An average of 18 charter flights from the U.S. already arrive at Cuban airports daily, but that number should substantially decrease with the start of regular flights.
LAGOS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian socio-cultural group on Wednesday commended the willingness of the government to dialogue with Boko Haram insurgents on the release of the Chibok girls.

The Kubaku Area Development Association, the umbrella body of the various communities in restive northeast Chibok town, in a statement sent to Xinhua in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, said the hope of the parents to reunite with their children was redeemed following the pronouncement of the federal government to negotiate with Boko Haram.

Scribe of the Association Muhammad Askira lauded President Muhammadu Buhari's empathy, commitment and political will to fight against the insurgency.

"If the Boko Haram leaders are sincere with what they have said, we believe our girls would be rescued," he added.

"We commend the military in doing a very good job in rooting out the insurgents from their hideouts," Askira said.

"We have the hope that sooner or later, our girls would be released and they will reunite with their families," the scribe added.

President Buhari had on Sunday said his government has concluded plans to discuss the release of Chibok girls with Boko Haram insurgents.

The Nigerian leader said his government had since expressed its readiness to dialogue with bona fide leaders of the terror group, who know the whereabouts of the girls.

Buhari maintained that the terror group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS, had been largely decimated by Nigerian military with the support of immediate neighbors of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin.

A faction of Boko Haram militants, which seeks to impose strict Islamic law in northern Nigeria, recently released a new video showing the abducted Chibok girls.

The video showed a masked armed man standing in front of several girls, who, he claimed, were among the over 200 girls abducted from their school hostel at Government Secondary School, Chibok, in 2014.

The man said the video was released to send a message to the parents of the girls to beg the Nigerian government to release Boko Haram members in various detention centers in exchange for the girls.

The man said about 40 of the girls were already married while some were dead. Boko Haram has been blamed for some 20,000 deaths in Nigeria since 2009.
LAGOS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Wednesday re-instated all the commercial banks that were banned from the foreign exchange market.

The decision was reached after a series of meetings with the body of bank chief executive officers (CEOs) and the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Tokunbo Martins, a director with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) told reporters in Abuja.

"Well, we have had engagements with the body of CEOs and they have been interacting among themselves and I am happy to tell you today that the banks that were hitherto banned have been released from the ban," he added.

"And the reason is because all of the banks after discussions and engagements under the auspices of the body of CEOs and the CIBN have all submitted credible repayment plans which we the CBN found acceptable," he said.

"So as a result of that, all those banks have been re-instated in the foreign exchange market," the apex bank official told reporters.

Earlier, Herbert Wigwe, the Managing Director of Access Bank, said the body of bank CEOs under the auspices of the CIBN, aims to get banks to work together.

He said this would ensure that anytime there was a serious issue in the market, bank CEOs could meet to look for a way to resolve them.
BRASILIA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian Senate debated on Wednesday morning the final matters before voting on the impeachment of suspended President Dilma Rousseff.

At 11:15 a.m. local time (1415 GMT), the president of the Supreme Court, Ricardo Lewandowski, reviewed the main accusations against Rousseff and allowed senators representing the prosecution and defense to have the floor.

The main evolution of the morning's debate is that Rousseff's supporters demanded that the vote to impeach the president should be held separately from a vote to determine whether she will be suspended from standing for public office for eight years.

Senator Lindbergh Farias, from Rousseff's Workers' Party, said that there is a clear difference between the two issues, since impeachment is a criminal matter yet the suspension from public office is an internal, subjective right of the Senate.

He was supported by Senator Cristovam Buarque, from the opposition Popular Socialist Party. Buarque accepted that the two matters should be voted on separately, adding that he would vote against Rousseff on both.

"I would like for this separation to be permitted. One thing is to take care of Brazil, and it is another to punish a person," Buarque said.

Lewandowski accepted the defence's request for splitting the two matters. However, the Senate must now vote on whether to accept this division, delaying the final impeachment vote.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for joint efforts with Saudi Arabia to make sure the G20 Summit in Hangzhou will succeed in boosting world economic growth and perfecting global governance.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Beijing.

He said the international society looks forward to seeing the G20 Summit play a positive role in boosting the global economy and enhancing international economic cooperation.

China and Saudi Arabia are both important G20 members and emerging economies. They should work together to ensure G20 functions well as the major forum for international economic cooperation, Xi said.

Mohammed, also Saudi Arabia's defense minister, will attend the G20 Summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, scheduled for Sept. 4-5.

Xi welcomed Mohammed's visit to China and congratulated him on the success of the first meeting of a high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation.

China takes Saudi Arabia as an important partner in the Belt and Road Initiative, he said, adding that China is ready to work with Saudi Arabia to enrich their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Underlining the importance of cementing strategic mutual trust, Xi said China supports Saudi Arabia's efforts in safeguarding its own security and stability.

He called on the two countries to step up the alignment of each other's development strategy, so as to deepen the integration of common interests.

"We should use the Belt and Road Initiative to lead bilateral pragmatic cooperation," he said.

The president said China is willing to expand cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the sectors of infrastructure, manufacturing, finance, investment and energy.

China has a large amount of industrial capacities, equipment and innovative technologies that are internationally competitive, and can be a partner of Saudi Arabia as the latter seeks to diversify its economy and develop its manufacturing sector, Xi said.

Mohammed said Saudi Arabia and China enjoy broad common interests and share similar positions in international affairs.

Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to developing relations with China and views China as an important strategic partner, he said.

Saudi Arabia firmly supports China's stance on Taiwan, South China Sea and other issues, he stressed.

The prince said Saudi Arabia hopes to deepen political and economic ties with China through the high-level steering committee and is willing to link its development strategy with the Belt and Road Initiative.

On the sidelines of the meeting, foreign ministers of the two countries also held talks.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir strongly condemned the attack on the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan, saying Saudi Arabia will "firmly stand together with China in the fight against terrorism".

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China was ready to work with Saudi Arabia to strengthen international cooperation on anti-terrorism.

Adel al-Jubeir also vowed to make joint efforts with the Chinese side to implement the consensus reached by the high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation, which held the first meeting on Tuesday.
Photo shows Balazs Ujvari,research fellow at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations, during an interview with Xinhua on 25 August, 2016. (Xinhua/Diao Ze)

BRUSSELS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- To promote innovation-driven growth for the global economy, the upcoming G20 summit needs to coordinate national efforts and share best practices, a foreign policy expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Balazs Ujvari, research fellow at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations, said alongside the G20 summit themes of finance and trade, there is a special focus on innovation as a driving force of growth.

"By putting innovation as the foremost priority on the G20's agenda, China seeks to ensure that growth across G20 countries (economies) is increasingly led by innovation," he said.

Ujvari said it is important to encourage the members to improve their domestic environment to support innovation first.

On Sept. 4-5, leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) will be gathering in Hangzhou, capital city of China's Zhejiang province, seeking solutions for the sluggish global economy.

China has set out the main theme of the G20 as "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."

China has already acted domestically on this, the expert said. The G20 host province of Zhejiang, for instance, is home to some of China's most innovative companies such as Alibaba and Geely, Ujvari pointed out.

However, any action that aims to render domestic environments more conducive to innovation has to be done at the national level, he stressed, adding that opinions may differ on modus operandi.

"The G20 in Hangzhou may serve to co-ordinate national efforts and share best practices," he said, "it is an opportunity for China to push participants to come to joint approaches."

Meanwhile, Ujvari, whose research area concentrates on global governance and the approaches of key international actors to multilateral issues, suggested China align innovations with former commitment make by G20 members.

In the G20 meeting in 2014 in Brisbane, Australia, members aimed to lift the G20's GDP by an additional 2 percent by 2018.

"China may initiate an inquiry into whether the 20 members are complying with the objective, so as to ensure that growth strategies are innovation-centered," he said.

However, given that innovation policies tend to yield results in the long term, contrasting with the G20's focus hitherto on immediate crisis management, a key challenge for the major economies will reside in striking a balance with expedient policy options, Ujvari said.
A picture taken on August 31, 2016 shows a bus that crashed at dawn with a lorry, 30km from the central Tunisian city of Kasserine, killing at least 16 people. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

TUNIS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a road accident involving a heavy truck and a bus in northwestern Tunisia on Wednesday rose to 16, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said.

The accident also left 85 others wounded and caused 15 cars to collide.

It occurred on the Kasserine road when a truck skidded due to a brake failure and collided first with a bus before hitting a high-voltage-electric pole that fell, causing a dozen cars to catch fire, the ministry said.

The injured have been rushed to local hospitals and rescue operations are underway.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends a ceremony at the Ataturk mausoleum to mark the 94th anniversary of Turkey's Victory Day in Ankara on August 30, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

ANKARA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday signed a normalization deal with Israel, which was recently passed by parliament, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

According to a statement issued by Turkish presidency's press office, Erdogan approved "the procedural agreement about compensation between the Republic of Turkey and Israeli State."

Under the deal, Israel will fund 20 million U.S. dollars in compensation for the families of the victims of an Israeli raid on a humanitarian aid ship in May 2010.

Turkey's parliament approved the normalization deal on August 20.

The agreement will come into force when both sides notify each other through diplomatic channels that the internal legal procedures have been fulfilled.

The deal is expected to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries, which will exchange ambassadors in the next few weeks, Daily Sabah reported.

Relations between Israel and Turkey soured following a deadly 2010 raid by an Israeli naval ship against a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara. The incident left 10 Turkish nationals dead.

Israel formally apologized in 2013 for what it called operational mistakes.
BRATISLAVA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Slovak Defence Minister Peter Gajdos visited the Czechoslovak Army Corps Memorial and the military cemetery in Dukla to commemorate victims of the Battle of the Dukla Pass in 1944 on Wednesday.

Dukla Pass was the venue of one of the bloodiest battles in the former Czechoslovakia in autumn 1944.

"It was exactly in these places where the toughest battles for our freedom took place during WWII. This is a beautiful location that is inherently bound to our history, which we have to cherish as a nation. Many men fell in the struggle for our freedom and our serenity in peace," emphasized Gajdos, adding that "our freedom came from the east" -- reiterating the fact the Russian Red Army liberated Slovakia.
TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Iran should grow powerful militarily, and in the meantime, he is against the possession and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

"We consider restrictions on the expansion of our defense industry," Khamenei said, according to the supreme leader's website. "The WMDs, such as chemical weapons and nuclear weapons, are forbidden based on our religious beliefs."

Iran had been under the sanction pressures of the West over its nuclear program for years. The western countries suspected of weapon grade dimensions of Iran's nuclear activities; however, the Islamic republic said it was against the WMDs and its nuclear program was for civilian purposes.

The Iranian leader stressed the increase in Iran's "defensive and aggressive" power as an "inalienable right of the country" in the face of threats and insecurity in the world.

"Iran will be secure when the powers feel the might of the country," he was quoted as saying.

Khamenei disapproved of what he called the "anger" of the western countries over Iran's purchase of some defensive weapons, and said that they are talking of "moral goodness" for possessing advanced weapons, while "they themselves are not committed to any moral codes."

Iran recently imported the long-awaited S-300 air defense system from Russia, but some western comments cast doubts on whether S-300 sale to Iran was against the UN Security Council's resolutions about military deals with the Islamic republic.

Besides, the White House has been critical of Iran's missile program and considers it as a threat to regional and international peace.

However, Iran has reiterated that its missile program is totally for peaceful purposes and no measure can strip the Islamic republic of its legitimate and legal right to boost its defensive capabilities and safeguard national security.

"The United States lacks any moral qualifications to talk about the Islamic republic," Khamenei said Wednesday, adding that both of the main political parties in the U.S. "suffer from lack of moral qualifications, since both of them have committed myriad of crimes" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Khamenei accused the U.S. Democratic Party of supporting terrorist groups, saying that "the capital sin of the ruling party in the U.S. administration is creation of dangerous terror network" in the world.

"We are facing these governments in the U.S., and it would be a "mistake" to think that Iran and the U.S. would reach an "understanding and common point," he said.

"My insistence on avoiding negotiations with the U.S. is based on the experience that the Americans are after imposing their demands rather than reaching an understanding in the talks," he added.

Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., reached an agreement in July 2015 over Tehran's nuclear program after almost one and half years of intensive negotiations.

Iran later said that it would not sit with the U.S. to discuss other prickly matters between them.
Men carry girls that survived double airstrikes on the rebel held Bab al-Nairab neighborhood ofAleppo, Syria, August 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A major agreement is imminent on settling the situation in Syria's Aleppo, the visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Iranian Tasnim news agency on Wednesday.

"We are a couple of steps away from what I hope would be a ground-breaking deal on resolving the particular situation around Aleppo," Ryabkov said.

"Our (Russian and American) military officials will meet again in the next few hours to finalize the deal. We are not there yet," he said without elaborating on the ongoing talks between the two world powers.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani attend Supreme Leader's meeting with authorities of the country and ambassadors of Islamic countries, in Tehran, Iran July 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Iran should grow powerful militarily, and in the meantime, he is against the possession and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

"We consider restrictions on the expansion of our defense industry," Khamenei said, according to the supreme leader's website. "The WMDs, such as chemical weapons and nuclear weapons, are forbidden based on our religious beliefs."

Iran had been under the sanction pressures of the West over its nuclear program for years. The western countries suspected of weapon grade dimensions of Iran's nuclear activities; however, the Islamic republic said it was against the WMDs and its nuclear program was for civilian purposes.

The Iranian leader stressed the increase in Iran's "defensive and aggressive" power as an "inalienable right of the country" in the face of threats and insecurity in the world.

"Iran will be secure when the powers feel the might of the country," he was quoted as saying.

Khamenei disapproved of what he called the "anger" of the western countries over Iran's purchase of some defensive weapons, and said that they are talking of "moral goodness" for possessing advanced weapons, while "they themselves are not committed to any moral codes."

Iran recently imported the long-awaited S-300 air defense system from Russia, but some western comments cast doubts on whether S-300 sale to Iran was against the UN Security Council's resolutions about military deals with the Islamic republic.

Besides, the White House has been critical of Iran's missile program and considers it as a threat to regional and international peace.

However, Iran has reiterated that its missile program is totally for peaceful purposes and no measure can strip the Islamic republic of its legitimate and legal right to boost its defensive capabilities and safeguard national security.

"The United States lacks any moral qualifications to talk about the Islamic republic," Khamenei said Wednesday, adding that both of the main political parties in the U.S. "suffer from lack of moral qualifications, since both of them have committed myriad of crimes" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Khamenei accused the U.S. Democratic Party of supporting terrorist groups, saying that "the capital sin of the ruling party in the U.S. administration is creation of dangerous terror network" in the world.

"We are facing these governments in the U.S., and it would be a "mistake" to think that Iran and the U.S. would reach an "understanding and common point," he said.

"My insistence on avoiding negotiations with the U.S. is based on the experience that the Americans are after imposing their demands rather than reaching an understanding in the talks," he added.

Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., reached an agreement in July 2015 over Tehran's nuclear program after almost one and half years of intensive negotiations.

Iran later said that it would not sit with the U.S. to discuss other prickly matters between them.
Men carry girls that survived double airstrikes on the rebel held Bab al-Nairab neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, August 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A major agreement is imminent on settling the situation in Syria's Aleppo, the visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Iranian Tasnim news agency on Wednesday.

"We are a couple of steps away from what I hope would be a ground-breaking deal on resolving the particular situation around Aleppo," Ryabkov said.

"Our (Russian and American) military officials will meet again in the next few hours to finalize the deal. We are not there yet," he said without elaborating on the ongoing talks between the two world powers.

Ryabkov arrived in Tehran on an official visit Wednesday to meet with senior Iranian officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi, to discuss topics of mutual interest.
ANKARA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced Wednesday that Efkan Ala resigned as Interior Minister and replaced by Suleyman Soylu, Anadolu Agency reported.

Former Labor and Social Security Minister Suleyman Soylu, 47-year-old, a Justice and Development (AK) Party lawmaker for Trabzon on Turkey's Black Sea coast, was appointed as the sixth Interior Minister serving during AK Party government.

Before joining the AK Party in 2012, Soylu was the chairman of center-right Democratic Party between 2007 and 2009. He had been holding the post of Labor and Social Security Minister since November, 2015.

Mehmet Muezzinoglu has been appointed as new Turkey's Labor and Social Security Minister, the report said.
by Mahmoud Fouly, Wang Xue

CAIRO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Egypt is confident that the G20 summit to be held in China's Hangzhou will succeed in working out ways to promote world economic growth, and Cairo's ties with Beijing will grow stronger, said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Wednesday.

"I am confident that the results of the upcoming summit will meet the aspirations of our peoples and the international community as a whole," President Sisi said in an interview Wednesday with Xinhua and other Chinese media based in Cairo.

Sisi's remarks came ahead of his upcoming visit to China's eastern city of Hangzhou to attend the G20 summit scheduled for Sept. 4-5 as a guest of honor at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The Egyptian president hailed China's "great and creative efforts" in leading the G20 this year and preparing a bunch of key initiatives and work plans in various fields to be highlighted during the summit.

Held under the theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy," this year's summit is expected to redraw the map of world economy that has been facing decline over the past few years through balanced, inclusive economic development-based policies to benefit big and small economies alike.

Sisi said that the theme "summarizes Egypt's vision on the methods of world economic administration."

"The theme honestly reflects what the world economy needs today, as it stresses building a world economy where all efforts combine. Developing countries need the economic expertise and finance capabilities of developed countries, which in turn need promising markets in developing countries to absorb their products," said the Egyptian leader.

It is the first time for Egypt, which is not a G20 member, to be represented in such a massive international economic event, known by experts as the board of the world's economy, and the Arab, African developing country is expected to seize the opportunity to present its economic map and investment environment to attract foreign investors.

Sisi hoped Egypt's participation in the G20 summit will enhance the country's practical cooperation with members of the group, stressing that Egypt seeks close cooperation with China to achieve the goals of the summit.

Describing Egypt's ties with China as "strong and extended," Sisi noted that the historical ties between the two countries provide promising chances for their further cooperation and coordination.

Sisi has visited China twice since he came to office in mid-2014 and was invited to the G20 summit during Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Egypt in January.

The two leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December 2014.

Sisi said that his invitation to the summit embodies the depth of friendship and partnership between the two countries.

"Egyptian-Chinese relations grow stronger day after day and extend to include various fields of cooperation at all levels, given the technological and finance capabilities of China and the promising investment and business opportunities provided by Egypt," the Egyptian leader said.

He also emphasized that Egypt's unique strategic location can make it "China's portal to Africa."

"Egypt welcomes Chinese investments that can export their products to the African states with which Egypt has free trade agreements," Sisi said, noting Egypt hosted in June 2015 the signing of a tripartite free trade agreement between the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Being the portal for the Arab world, Africa and also Europe through the Mediterranean Sea, Sisi believes that Egypt can play a key role in the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi in 2013.

"Egypt supports the Chinese president's initiative to revive the Silk Road, and is keen on supporting such positive initiatives that seek to achieve cooperation and interests of peoples, bearing in mind that Egypt can be a main focal point for the implementation of this initiative through the Suez Canal projects," the Egyptian leader pointed out.

"Egypt is interested in learning from China's pioneering experience in different fields," the Egyptian president continued, citing China's successful experiences in the fields of administrative development, e-government, scientific research, communication and information technology, agriculture, technical training and rehabilitation and small medium enterprises.

Over the past few years, which saw the ouster of two heads of state in 2011 and 2013, security issues caused Egypt economic recession featuring a growing budget deficit, declining foreign currency reserves, ailing tourism and fleeing foreign investments.

The challenges led the most populous Arab country to seek a 12 billion U.S. dollars loan recently from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to implement a tough, three-year economic reform program.

During his visit to Cairo, Chinese President Xi Jinping made an important speech at the Arab League headquarters where he highlighted "development" as the key to resolve most Middle East problems including growing terrorism and chaos.

"Amid all challenges rises the role of the Group of 20, especially China. The group is qualified to play an active role at the international level in different international issues, topped by fighting terrorism," the Egyptian president hoped, stating that the G20 states represent two-thirds of the world population, 85 percent of the world GDP and more than 75 percent of the world volume of trade.

Sisi emphasized that maintaining security and stability requires providing a suitable environment for economic growth, creating job opportunities and settling growing disputes," which are all conditions used by terrorist groups to recruit new elements."

He also stressed the necessity for uprooting the resources that provide terror groups with funds and arms, calling for punitive measures against the countries that assist them.

"Egypt is keen to enhance its cooperation with China in various fields including fighting terrorism, which Egypt believes has to be done through a comprehensive strategy that is not restricted to military and security cooperation but is extended to involve economic and social dimensions," said the Egyptian president.
Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2016 shows the Xixing Bridge across the Qiantang River in Hangzhou City, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. The 11th G20 summit will be held from Sept. 4 to 5 in Hangzhou. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

CAIRO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Egypt is confident that the G20 summit to be held in China's Hangzhou will succeed in working out ways to promote world economic growth, and Cairo's ties with Beijing will grow stronger, said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Wednesday.

"I am confident that the results of the upcoming summit will meet the aspirations of our peoples and the international community as a whole," President Sisi said in an interview Wednesday with Xinhua and other Chinese media based in Cairo.

Sisi's remarks came ahead of his upcoming visit to China's eastern city of Hangzhou to attend the G20 summit scheduled for Sept. 4-5 as a guest of honor at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The Egyptian president hailed China's "great and creative efforts" in leading the G20 this year and preparing a bunch of key initiatives and work plans in various fields to be highlighted during the summit.

Held under the theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy," this year's summit is expected to redraw the map of world economy that has been facing decline over the past few years through balanced, inclusive economic development-based policies to benefit big and small economies alike.

Sisi said that the theme "summarizes Egypt's vision on the methods of world economic administration."

"The theme honestly reflects what the world economy needs today, as it stresses building a world economy where all efforts combine. Developing countries need the economic expertise and finance capabilities of developed countries, which in turn need promising markets in developing countries to absorb their products," said the Egyptian leader.

It is the first time for Egypt, which is not a G20 member, to be represented in such a massive international economic event, known by experts as the board of the world's economy, and the Arab, African developing country is expected to seize the opportunity to present its economic map and investment environment to attract foreign investors.

Sisi hoped Egypt's participation in the G20 summit will enhance the country's practical cooperation with members of the group, stressing that Egypt seeks close cooperation with China to achieve the goals of the summit.

Describing Egypt's ties with China as "strong and extended," Sisi noted that the historical ties between the two countries provide promising chances for their further cooperation and coordination.

Sisi has visited China twice since he came to office in mid-2014 and was invited to the G20 summit during Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Egypt in January.

The two leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December 2014.

Sisi said that his invitation to the summit embodies the depth of friendship and partnership between the two countries.

"Egyptian-Chinese relations grow stronger day after day and extend to include various fields of cooperation at all levels, given the technological and finance capabilities of China and the promising investment and business opportunities provided by Egypt," the Egyptian leader said.

He also emphasized that Egypt's unique strategic location can make it "China's portal to Africa."

"Egypt welcomes Chinese investments that can export their products to the African states with which Egypt has free trade agreements," Sisi said, noting Egypt hosted in June 2015 the signing of a tripartite free trade agreement between the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Being the portal for the Arab world, Africa and also Europe through the Mediterranean Sea, Sisi believes that Egypt can play a key role in the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi in 2013.

"Egypt supports the Chinese president's initiative to revive the Silk Road, and is keen on supporting such positive initiatives that seek to achieve cooperation and interests of peoples, bearing in mind that Egypt can be a main focal point for the implementation of this initiative through the Suez Canal projects," the Egyptian leader pointed out.

"Egypt is interested in learning from China's pioneering experience in different fields," the Egyptian president continued, citing China's successful experiences in the fields of administrative development, e-government, scientific research, communication and information technology, agriculture, technical training and rehabilitation and small medium enterprises.

Over the past few years, which saw the ouster of two heads of state in 2011 and 2013, security issues caused Egypt economic recession featuring a growing budget deficit, declining foreign currency reserves, ailing tourism and fleeing foreign investments.

The challenges led the most populous Arab country to seek a 12 billion U.S. dollars loan recently from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to implement a tough, three-year economic reform program.

During his visit to Cairo, Chinese President Xi Jinping made an important speech at the Arab League headquarters where he highlighted "development" as the key to resolve most Middle East problems including growing terrorism and chaos.

"Amid all challenges rises the role of the Group of 20, especially China. The group is qualified to play an active role at the international level in different international issues, topped by fighting terrorism," the Egyptian president hoped, stating that the G20 states represent two-thirds of the world population, 85 percent of the world GDP and more than 75 percent of the world volume of trade.

Sisi emphasized that maintaining security and stability requires providing a suitable environment for economic growth, creating job opportunities and settling growing disputes," which are all conditions used by terrorist groups to recruit new elements."

He also stressed the necessity for uprooting the resources that provide terror groups with funds and arms, calling for punitive measures against the countries that assist them.

"Egypt is keen to enhance its cooperation with China in various fields including fighting terrorism, which Egypt believes has to be done through a comprehensive strategy that is not restricted to military and security cooperation but is extended to involve economic and social dimensions," said the Egyptian president.
French photographer Marc Riboud took photos at the opening ceremony of his personal photo exhibition in Shanghai. (Xinhua/ Zhu Liangchen)

PARIS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Marc Riboud, a French veteran photographer, died in Paris on Tuesday at age 93 from a long disease, his family announced Wednesday.

The late photographer, best known for his extensive reports on the East, was one of the first European photographers to go to China. In 1957, he published his first photograph of China, depicting a fatigued but elegant Chinese woman traveling from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. From then on, Riboud went back and forth to China over 20 times, observing and recording the dynamic country.

A visitor walks past a photo during a retrosepctive exhibition of French photographer Marc Riboud in Guangzhou, May 25, 2012. (Xinhua/ Chen Yehua)

"In the 1980s and 1990s, he returns regularly to Orient and Far East, especially in Angkor and Huang Shan, but he also follows the rapid and considerable change of China, a country he has been looking at for 30 years," according to Riboud's website.

Born in 1923 in Saint-Genis-Laval near Lyon,central France, Riboud took his first pictures at the age of 14 using a small vest pocket Kodak that his father gave him on his birthday. Studying engineering, he switched to photo journalism at the age of 30 and became in 1976 president of Magnum agency, an international photographic cooperative who has offices in Paris, New York, London and Tokyo.

Riboud received many awards including Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sony World Photography Awards in 2009.
GENEVA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said considerable progress have been made to contain the yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a meeting of WHO Emergency Committee held in Geneva.

The Committee noted the concerted efforts and progress made by affected countries and partners to contain the yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and the DRC.

No confirmed cases have been reported in Angola since June 23 and in the DRC since July 12.

Despite there being no confirmation of cases in the Republic of Congo to date, there was concern that intense population movements between the DRC and Congo pose a risk of expansion of the outbreak.

The Committee was reassured to hear that the outbreak in Uganda is now over, and the imported cases in China and Kenya have not led to further transmission.

The Committee noted that the exceptional use of the fractional dose strategy for yellow fever vaccination during the recent campaign in Kinshasa, DRC, achieved very high population coverage.

After discussion and consideration of the information provided, it was the view of the Committee that the current status of the yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and the DRC does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

However, the Committee concluded that the outbreak remains a serious public health event which warrants continued national action and international support.

Furthermore, the imminent onset of the rainy season will intensify vector activity, thus raising subregional risks of yellow fever transmission.
MADRID, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Spain faces a third general election after acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy failed to gain enough support on Wednesday in the investiture.

The People's Party (PP) leader Rajoy obtained 170 votes in favor and 180 against after 11 hours of debate at the Spanish Congress of Deputies. He needed an absolute majority in this first attempt, the support of 176 members of the Congress of Deputies.

Rajoy had the support of centre-right party Ciudadanos (32 seats) and regional party Coalicion Canaria (one seat) while on the other hand, another six political parties voted against, including the main opposition party, Spain's Socialist Party (PSOE), whose leader Pedro Sanchez had already announced his opposition to a government led by Rajoy.

Left wing Unidos Podemos (71 seats) and regional parties ERC (nine seats), PDC (eight seats), PNV (five seats), EH Bildu (two seats) voted against.

Members of the Congress of Deputies will meet again on Friday in order to vote again when Rajoy would need absolute majority or the abstention of 11 deputies. If he has not got enough support, Spanish King Felipe VI could start another round of meetings in order to choose another candidate.

If it is impossible to form government, Spain would hold general election for the third time in a row which is scheduled for Dec. 25.

Rajoy had asked the Socialists for abstention but Sanchez has always said that his party would vote against Rajoy.

"You will be responsible for forcing Spain to hold a third general election," Rajoy said to Sanchez during the debate.

He reminded the leader of the Socialists that the PP had won the elections twice (in 2015 and 2016) with more votes and seats than the PSOE, which had the worst results in history.

Meanwhile, Sanchez said that "nobody can ask us to support what we want to change", assuring that his party votes against because of "coherence, commitment and for the sake of our country".

He said Rajoy had not got enough support because of "a lack of credibility and the policies implemented" over the last four years.

Pablo Iglesias, from Podemos, thanked Sanchez for not supporting Rajoy and encouraged him to say whether he wanted a third general election or forming an alternative government without Rajoy.

Spain held general election for the second time in six months last June after December, 2015. The results left a hung parliament with political parties unable to reach agreement in order to form government.
HARARE, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The European Union on Wednesday urged the Zimbabwe government to speed up alignment of laws to the new constitution that was adopted in 2013.

The EU said the pace of realigning the laws should move faster since the bloc together with Switzerland and Norway had provided funding and technical assistance for the process.

The three partners launched the project called "Strengthening the Constitutional Legislative Process" worth over 2 million Euros early last year to help Zimbabwe align its laws to the new supreme law.

The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the Centre for Applied Legal Research (CALR).

Through the project, the much needed financial and technical support is available, government lawyers have been trained while CALR has a network of senior lawyers available to provide assistance, the EU said.

There are about 400 pieces of legislation that need to be realigned of which 159 have so far been completed as at June this year.

"The EU calls upon the Government to step up the process of alignment of laws in order to make the Constitution an uncontested reality for the people, and to relieve the courts of unnecessary cases challenging the constitutionality of existing acts and laws," said EU ambassador in Zimbabwe Van Damme at the launch of an information portal in order to inform citizens on progress in the alignment process.

The country's new constitution replaced the 1979 Lancaster House Constitution that was adopted prior to Zimbabwe's independence from Britain in 1980.
JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- South Africa was elected on Wednesday as the incoming Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

This came at the SADC's 36th summit taking place in Mbabane, Swaziland.

"We are extremely honoured to have been elected as the incoming Chairperson of SADC. This is a responsibility we take very seriously," President Jacob Zuma said.

Zuma commended and congratulated Seretse Khama Ian Khama, President of Botswana for his sterling work during his tenure.

"We appreciate his contribution to the well-being of our Community by convening several Ministerial Workshops on poverty eradication and food security, access to energy and water and illegal trade in wildlife," Zuma said.

Under Botswana's stewardship, the SADC last year adopted the Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (2015-2020) together with the Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap, which is seen as a key milestone in the SADC's march towards regional economic integration.

"What we now need is not only to work on an implementation mechanism of these important instruments, but we also need to pay a particular focus on prioritization and sequencing of identified projects in order to have maximum regional impact," Zuma said.

For this to happen, it is critical that the SADC identifies high priority cross-border projects that are bankable and financed, he said.

"Our abundant natural resources should enable us to create regional value chains, to enhance industrialization, growth and development," said Zuma.

Critically important is a need to capacitate the SADC Secretariat to drive its regional integration agenda, he added.

The SADC chairmanship, on a one-year-term basis, rotates among the bloc's member states. South Africa will host the 37th Ordinary SADC Summit in August 2017.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Fund strengthened their partnership with additional funding of 143 million U.S. dollars to help scale up the fight against HIV in Zimbabwe, a press release said here Wednesday.

HIV remains a major public health challenge in Zimbabwe with 1.4 million people living with HIV at the end of 2015. Even though the African country has seen one of the sharpest declines in HIV prevalence in the region, at 15 percent it remains among the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world.

The HIV grant aims to increase access to HIV treatment, with a particular focus on the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, expanding HIV testing and counselling services, and scale up of prevention for adolescents and in and out of school youth.

"This timely new funding will sustain and strengthen existing HIV prevention and treatment services in Zimbabwe," said Bishow Parajuli, UN resident coordinator and UNDP resident representative in Zimbabwe.

"Significant advances have been made in recent years but we must not be complacent," Parajuli said. "Services must continue if we are to further reduce the rate of new HIV infections while also increasing the number of people initiated on to HIV treatment."

Implemented by UNDP, in partnership with the Zimbabwean Ministry of Health and Child Care, the National AIDS Council and civil society organizations, the new funding will run from January 2017 through December 2017, said the press release.

The 143 million dollars are additional funding to the Global Fund's existing HIV grant to Zimbabwe, taking the grant total to 611 million dollars, the press release said.

Zimbabwe has made great strides in the fight against AIDS, with the support of UNDP, the Global Fund and other development partners. The existing HIV grant supports 880,000 people in Zimbabwe to access life-saving HIV treatment.

Between 2014 and 2015, retention of patients on HIV treatment has increased from 87 percent to approximately 90 percent, while the proportion of HIV-positive infants born to HIV-positive mothers has declined from 18 percent to 4 percent in the same period, corresponding to 14,000 new HIV infections of children being averted.

The grant will be key to reducing the impact of the HIV epidemic and ensuring healthy lives for all, contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 on ensuring health and well-being for all.
KIGALI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda and Benin Wednesday expressed support for the candidature of Jim Yong Kim as President of the World Bank Group for a second term.

Speaking at a news conference in Kigali, Benin President Patrice Talon, and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame said both governments recognize the achievements of Dr. Kim during the last four years.

"Dr. Kim has strived to make the World Bank a partner of choice for African countries. The Bank has provided significant development support in key sectors of priority to Africa, including health, energy, infrastructure, social protection, urbanization, environment, agriculture and education," a Rwandan government statement said.

Under Kim's leadership, according to the two heads of state, the World Bank has shown unwavering commitment to stabilization and progress of the Great Lakes Region through regional projects that have brought together governments and the private sector.

"The Bank also took the lead in the response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, through a multinational, multifaceted and localized approach. Dr Kim's continued leadership of the World Bank will consolidate gains achieved in our countries and foster even greater collaboration to end poverty and improve livelihoods," according to the statement.
DAMASCUS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- At least 50 rebels were killed and over 70 others wounded on Wednesday, when the Syrian army foiled militants' attacks in the central province of Hama, state news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian army was engaged in violent clashes with the rebels in the northern countryside of Hama on Wednesday, said SANA, adding that the rebels foiled several attacks on the towns of Soran and Taibet al-Imam.

The northern countryside of Hama has returned under the spotlight after the rebels carried out repetitive attacks on government positions in that area.

No clear reason why the rebels carry out such attacks, but it's part of their effort to get the army busy with more than one front to reduce the pressure on rebels in other parts of northern Syria.

Recent reports said the rebels in the northern province of Aleppo are reeling under fresh pressure by the Syrian army, which has reportedly closed the routes to the besieged rebel-held areas in the eastern part of Aleppo city.

The northern region in Hama is also close to the northwestern province of Idlib, a key stronghold for the rebels' Jaish al-Fateh, or the Army of Conquest.

SANA said the rebels there unleashed their attacks from areas close to Idlib.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Swedish government on Wednesday pledged an additional contribution of about 23 million U.S. dollars to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in 2016.

The UN deputy secretary-general, Jan Eliasson who is currently on official visit to Stockholm, expressed the UN's appreciation for the strong financial and political support of Sweden to CERF, including of its support to the UN secretary-general's initiative to double the CERF to one billion U.S. dollars by 2018, said a press release issued here.

The commitment to provide an additional contribution of 200 million kroner (approximately 23.4 million U.S. dollars) to CERF in 2016, subject to parliamentary approval, aims to support the world's most vulnerable children, women and men.

Noting that the top 10 donors of CERF provide 87 percent of the funding, Eliasson called on other member states to contribute in solidarity with the CERF.

"Yesterday the CERF faced a funding shortfall of 50 million (U.S.) dollars. With the incredibly generous additional pledge from Sweden, we have cut that shortfall in half," said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O'Brien.

"We are now well on the way to meet the funding target of 450 million dollars in 2016 which will allow us to effectively and promptly address the urgent life-saving needs of some of the world's most vulnerable people."

"The countdown has started to fill the remaining gap," said O'Brien, who is also the UN emergency relief coordinator. "We hope that other countries will come to the UN General Assembly with new pledges, so we can meet if not surpass the target."

The General Assembly established CERF in 2005 and on average each year, the global emergency fund helps humanitarian partners deliver critical healthcare to more than 20 million people; food assistance to 10 million people; water and sanitation to eight million people; livelihood support to five million people; protection to four million people; and shelter to one million people.

CERF also finances services for refugees and migrants, nutrition programmes, mine action, emergency education and camp management.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to host a high-level conference on CERF to secure pledges for 2017 on Dec. 13, at UN Headquarters in New York.
Michel Temer (front) takes oath at the senate in Brasilia, Brazil, Aug. 31, 2016. Temer was sworn in as the new president of Brazil on Wednesday afternoon, after Dilma Rousseff was stripped of the presidency by the Senate in an impeachment trial. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

BRASILIA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A few short hours after Dilma Rousseff was impeached as president of Brazil, her former vice-president and political ally-turned-enemy, Michel Temer, was sworn in as her successor.

At a special session of Congress, after the playing of the national anthem, Temer was sworn in. He was surrounded by the president of the Supreme Court, Ricardo Lewandowski, the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, and the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia.

Temer will serve as president until Dec,31, 2018.

The new president did not make a speech but has already recorded an address to be broadcast live to the nation Wednesday evening.

Temer twitted on his account, saying that "I swear to uphold, defend and fulfill the Constitution, observe its laws, promote the well-being of the Brazilian people, sustain the union, integrity and independence of Brazil."

After the swearing-in ceremony, Temer was set to host his first cabinet meeting as full president. After this, he is to fly to China, where he will participate in a number of events, culminating in the G-20 Summit, to be held in Hangzhou on Sept. 4-5.

Shortly before the swearing-in, Dilma Rousseff vowed "a firm and energetic resistance against the putschist government."

Speaking from the presidential palace, accompanied by allied politicians and union leaders, Rousseff said the Senate "had taken a decision which enters into the history of great injustices."

"They condemned an innocent and validated a parliamentary coup. Politicians seeking to desperately escape from the grasp of Justice appropriated power through a coup d'etat," she emphasized.

Rousseff added this was the second coup she had faced after the military coup of 1964 which she resisted as a young woman.

According to the former leader, the government of President Michel Temer would attack the rights "to work, a fair retirement, housing, land, health, education and culture, the rights of young people, blacks, indigenous, LGBT people, and the right to protest without being repressed."

However, she vowed that the political work begun in the government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2002-2010) "is not over. We will not return to satisfy our desires and vanities, we will return to continue our quest for a Brazil where the people rule."
The first commercial flight from U.S. receives water salute at the Abel Santamaria International Airport in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara, Aug. 31, 2016. The first regular direct commercial flight from the United States arrived in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, marking an important new step in thawing ties between the former Cold War foes. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

by Gretel Heredia

HAVANA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Cubans welcomed the arrival on Wednesday of the first regularly scheduled direct commercial flight from the United States, as a sign of normalizing ties between the two former adversaries.

The flight linking Fort Lauderdale, Florida with the central Cuban city of Santa Clara "seems to me an important step for the re-encounter between the two neighboring countries, cultures and governments, which can coexist peacefully as long as there is respect," said Havana resident Juan Carlos Gomez, 60.

"The prolonged enmity between Cuba and the United States has been frustrating and draining for both peoples, especially for Cubans, who have suffered firsthand the hardships of a more than half-century embargo, which continues to be an obstacle to efforts to normalize bilateral ties," said Gomez, who works as an electrician.

Commercial flights between the two countries were canceled more than 50 years ago as part of trade and economic sanctions imposed by Washington to punish Cuba's then fledgling socialist government.

One of the immediate impacts of severed ties between the two countries was that many Cuban families became divided by distance, as many left the Caribbean island to live in the United States, recalled Maria Gutierrez, 80 and retired.

In 1963, all of Gutierrez's uncles and cousins emigrated to Miami, home to the largest Cuban community abroad.

The flights, she said, "provide the opportunity" to bring families closer together, as the children and grandchildren of those who left many years ago will now find it easier and cheaper to visit Cuba, "as long as Washington allows it, of course."

Existing sanctions still prevent U.S. citizens from traveling freely to Cuba for tourism, though Cubans are given greater leeway.

Michel Garcia, 21, agrees with Gutierrez. That the young university student is aware of the year flights stopped is an indication of the impact the event had for Cubans, who suddenly found themselves isolated from their closest neighbor.

"Hundreds of thousands of Cuban families are divided by the Straits of Florida, and resuming direct flights suspended in 1961 is very good, both for those who can go to visit their relatives in the United States, and for those who are there and want to visit us," said Garcia.

Garcia said she hopes to meet students from other countries in Cuba or abroad, if she gets the chance to travel, perhaps to the United States. Though she considers Cuba her home, and would always return.

"I am one of those who dream of a flourishing Cuba, and that's why I want to work from here, where everything I most love is," she said.

As with most people old enough to remember the decades of U.S. hostility toward Cuba, Roberto Madrigal, a retiree and resident of the southern city of Cienfuegos, welcome the flights, but cautioned Cubans against letting their guard down.

"We Cubans must be careful and not erase our historical memory, that is, promote bilateral ties, welcome resumed flights with the United States, but sleep with one eye open, like dolphins," Madrigal said in a telephone interview.

U.S. officials recently authorized up to 110 daily flights between the two countries, 20 to the capital Havana and the remaining 90 to nine regional airports.

However, flights to Havana still await final authorization, since applications from airlines wanting to cover the route surpassed the number allowed threefold.
Michel Temer (R) is seen at his investiture ceremony as President of Brazil at Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, on Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/AGENCIA ESTADO)

BRASILIA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A few short hours after Dilma Rousseff was impeached as president of Brazil, her former vice-president and political ally-turned-enemy, Michel Temer, was sworn in as her successor.

At a special session of Congress, after the playing of the national anthem, Temer was sworn in. He was surrounded by the president of the Supreme Court, Ricardo Lewandowski, the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, and the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia.

Temer will serve as president until Dec,31, 2018.

The new president did not make a speech but has already recorded an address to be broadcast live to the nation Wednesday evening.

Temer twitted on his account, saying that "I swear to uphold, defend and fulfill the Constitution, observe its laws, promote the well-being of the Brazilian people, sustain the union, integrity and independence of Brazil."

After the swearing-in ceremony, Temer was set to host his first cabinet meeting as full president. After this, he is to fly to China, where he will participate in a number of events, culminating in the G-20 Summit, to be held in Hangzhou on Sept. 4-5.

Shortly before the swearing-in, Dilma Rousseff vowed "a firm and energetic resistance against the putschist government."

Dilma Rousseff delivers a statement at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Wilton Junior/Agencia Estado)

Speaking from the presidential palace, accompanied by allied politicians and union leaders, Rousseff said the Senate "had taken a decision which enters into the history of great injustices."

"They condemned an innocent and validated a parliamentary coup. Politicians seeking to desperately escape from the grasp of Justice appropriated power through a coup d'etat," she emphasized.

Rousseff added this was the second coup she had faced after the military coup of 1964 which she resisted as a young woman.

According to the former leader, the government of President Michel Temer would attack the rights "to work, a fair retirement, housing, land, health, education and culture, the rights of young people, blacks, indigenous, LGBT people, and the right to protest without being repressed."

However, she vowed that the political work begun in the government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2002-2010) "is not over. We will not return to satisfy our desires and vanities, we will return to continue our quest for a Brazil where the people rule."
Passengers step down from the first commercial flight from U.S., at the Abel Santamaria International Airport in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

by Gretel Heredia

HAVANA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Cubans welcomed the arrival on Wednesday of the first regularly scheduled direct commercial flight from the United States, as a sign of normalizing ties between the two former adversaries.

The flight linking Fort Lauderdale, Florida with the central Cuban city of Santa Clara "seems to me an important step for the re-encounter between the two neighboring countries, cultures and governments, which can coexist peacefully as long as there is respect," said Havana resident Juan Carlos Gomez, 60.

"The prolonged enmity between Cuba and the United States has been frustrating and draining for both peoples, especially for Cubans, who have suffered firsthand the hardships of a more than half-century embargo, which continues to be an obstacle to efforts to normalize bilateral ties," said Gomez, who works as an electrician.

Commercial flights between the two countries were canceled more than 50 years ago as part of trade and economic sanctions imposed by Washington to punish Cuba's then fledgling socialist government.

One of the immediate impacts of severed ties between the two countries was that many Cuban families became divided by distance, as many left the Caribbean island to live in the United States, recalled Maria Gutierrez, 80 and retired.

In 1963, all of Gutierrez's uncles and cousins emigrated to Miami, home to the largest Cuban community abroad.

The flights, she said, "provide the opportunity" to bring families closer together, as the children and grandchildren of those who left many years ago will now find it easier and cheaper to visit Cuba, "as long as Washington allows it, of course."

Existing sanctions still prevent U.S. citizens from traveling freely to Cuba for tourism, though Cubans are given greater leeway.

Passengers from the first commercial flight from U.S., pose for pictures with national flags of Cuba and the U.S., at the Abel Santamaria International Airport in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara, Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

Michel Garcia, 21, agrees with Gutierrez. That the young university student is aware of the year flights stopped is an indication of the impact the event had for Cubans, who suddenly found themselves isolated from their closest neighbor.

"Hundreds of thousands of Cuban families are divided by the Straits of Florida, and resuming direct flights suspended in 1961 is very good, both for those who can go to visit their relatives in the United States, and for those who are there and want to visit us," said Garcia.

Garcia said she hopes to meet students from other countries in Cuba or abroad, if she gets the chance to travel, perhaps to the United States. Though she considers Cuba her home, and would always return.

"I am one of those who dream of a flourishing Cuba, and that's why I want to work from here, where everything I most love is," she said.

As with most people old enough to remember the decades of U.S. hostility toward Cuba, Roberto Madrigal, a retiree and resident of the southern city of Cienfuegos, welcome the flights, but cautioned Cubans against letting their guard down.

"We Cubans must be careful and not erase our historical memory, that is, promote bilateral ties, welcome resumed flights with the United States, but sleep with one eye open, like dolphins," Madrigal said in a telephone interview.

U.S. officials recently authorized up to 110 daily flights between the two countries, 20 to the capital Havana and the remaining 90 to nine regional airports.

However, flights to Havana still await final authorization, since applications from airlines wanting to cover the route surpassed the number allowed threefold.
LONDON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Pregnant women in the workplace in Britain face increasing discrimination, with many forced out of their jobs, a hard hitting report revealed Wednesday.

The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee says there has been a shocking increase in workplace pregnancy discrimination over the past decade.

MPs who serve on the committee have demanded urgent action, calling on the government to publish an ambitious, detailed plan within the next two years or risk a further rise in pregnant women and mothers being forced out of their work.

Research carried out by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has revealed that pregnant women and mothers now face more discrimination at work than they did a decade ago.

The study reveals 11 percent of women reported being either dismissed, made compulsorily redundant when others in their workplace were not, or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their job. The committee wants a change in the law to give new and expectant mothers additional protection from redundancy.

They say there must be changes to health and safety practices, preventing discriminatory redundancies and an increase in protection for women employed in casual or agency jobs as well as those employed on zero-hours contracts who only get paid for the hours they work, rather than receive a weekly salary.

MP Maria Miller who chairs the committee said: "The arrival of a new baby puts family finances under extreme pressure yet, despite this, thousands of expectant and new mothers have no choice but to leave their work because of concerns about the safety of their child or pregnancy discrimination.

Shockingly this figure has almost doubled in the last decade, now standing at 54,000.

"There are now record numbers of women in work in the UK. The economy will suffer unless employers modernise their workplace practices to ensure effective support and protection for expectant and new mums," said Miller.

"The government's approach has lacked urgency and bite. It needs to set out a detailed plan outlining the specific actions it will take to tackle this unacceptable level of discrimination. This work must be underpinned by concrete targets and changes to laws and protections to increase compliance by employers to improve women's lives," urged Miller.

Miller backs Britain introducing a system similar to that used in Germany where women can only be made redundant in specified circumstances. There, Germany bosses can only dismiss an employee in very rare cases and they need government approval to do so.

Miller also wants the law extending to ensure women in casual or zero-hours contracts jobs are also given more rights.
by Chris Dalby

BRASILIA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Fora Dilma. Dilma Out. The battle cry of the enraged right-wing of Brazil, which rang out around the streets for months, has come to pass. On Wednesday afternoon, the Senate voted to strip Dilma Rousseff of the presidency by 61 votes to 20.

This brings 13 years of leftist rule in Brazil to an end, leaving behind a complex legacy. Under the leadership of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), the economy was transformed with the middle-class steadily expanding and the country's foreign debts virtually vanishing. His policies and that of his successor, Rousseff, were marked by broad public spending, through flagship programs such as Bolsa Familia (Family Grant) and Mi Casa, Mi Vida (My House, My Life).

However, the allegations which led to Rousseff's fall Wednesday began to appear. Allegations of corruption and cronyism marred Lula's terms in office before exploding into the light during the second term of his chosen successor, Rousseff.

The depth of the corruption revealed within Petrobras brought down or raised suspicions about leaders in every corner of Brazilian landscape. Last week, Lula was indicted on charges of corruption and money laundering. Today, Rousseff was brought down.

Yet, the end of this Workers' Party dynasty is unlikely to bring much respite. Operation Lava Jato continues to uncover evidence against leaders.

New President Michel Temer, who will rule until 2018, has been accused of soliciting bribes from a Petrobras subsidiary to fund his allies' political campaigns. His ally, Eduardo Cunha, has resigned as President of the Chamber of Deputies after being accused of holding illegal accounts overseas and soliciting bribes

Within a month of assuming power, three ministers had resigned from his interim government, due to facing corruption or bribery charges of their own.

Despite these challenges, Temer and his Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) have tried to portray themselves as the opposite of the Workers' Party.

The government is easing up on business regulations and loosening labor rules instead of favoring unions and tightening environmental laws. State companies such as Petrobras are seeing some of their assets privatized or are being encouraged to team up with the private sector. Markets have responded well to these moves, with investor confidence up. Convincing the Brazilian people may prove far tougher.

However, Temer cannot ignore the part that he played as vice-president to Rousseff. Seen as the manipulator behind Rousseff's impeachment, his poll ratings are not enviable either. A poll in July showed him to have an approval rating of just 14 percent, barely above the 13 percent Rousseff enjoyed prior to her suspension in May.

The rift scarring the Brazilian landscape was laid bare in the Senate during the impeachment vote.

Prior to the vote on Wednesday, one of Rousseff's most fervent supports, Senator Lindbergh Farias, made a final, impassioned plea to save his leader.

Slamming his opponents, he said that there are "those who know there is no crime of responsibility and who vote against impeachment, and the others, who also know there is no crime of responsibility but who vote for impeachment. Those should think of history, of the legacy they leave their children ... this day will be seen as a day of infamy."

Farias vowed to the Brazilian people that "we will never forget this date. A new generation of patriots and democrats will fight to delete this session of the Senate. Senators will end up apologizing to Dilma Rousseff. "

The venom was no lesser on the other side. Ronaldo Caiado, a senator from the Democrats, stated that "the Bolivarian populism of the removed Rousseff and her predecessor, Lula, led the country to its situation... with millions of unemployed."

"It is the moment to correctly define the real crooks of the Brazilian politics, crooks who attacked Petrobras, crooks who enriched themselves illegally for public funds ... crooks who left 12 million unemployed," he continued, targeting all public officials involved in sweeping corruption investigations.

While the PMDB senators mostly voted to impeach Rousseff, however, the party made the controversial decision to not support an effort to bar her from public office for eight years. This immediately drew criticisms from other opposition parties after the vote, who said the PMDB had "trampled the Constitution" by not punishing Rousseff to the full extent.

The scenes in the Senate were a microcosm of a Brazil where the lack of trust in politicians and an absence of cooperation threaten to swallow up any new ideas proposed for the government's future.

It falls to Temer to try and mend these woes. On Wednesday evening, he will address the Brazilian people in a pre-recorded speech to begin that process.

Temer clearly has an eye on the future. Mere hours after the vote and his swearing-in, he will already be flying to China for the G20 Summit in Hangzhou on Sept. 4-5, to woo investors and convince partners that Brazil has a steady hand at the helm.
JAKARTA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian central bank, Bank Indonesia, said on Tuesday that the country's economy will expand at a faster pace next year amid contraction in some countries.

Governor of Bank Indonesia Agus Martowardojo said that the Southeast Asia's largest economy is expected to expand 5.1 to 5.5 percent next year compared with the lender's projection of 4.9 to 5.3 percent for this year.

Martowardojo said that the acceleration is driven by domestic sources such as spending of development budget and consumption.

Although the global growth is expected to remain subdued next year, but it is projected to create higher demand of the country's exports, he said.

The central bank has imposed a policy supporting inflows of capitals into the country amid the government efforts to improve investment climate.

The forecast of faster GDP growth next year is expected to help lure foreign capitals into Indonesia as many other nations are projected to witness slower GDP growth.

The IMF has forecast the global economy to grow 3.1 percent in 2016 and 3.4 percent in 2017, both 0.1 percent lower than its forecasts in April.

Investors are monitoring the realization of the country's relaxation on tax program in September.

President Joko Widodo has unveiled a raft of stimulus packages, including reregulation, incentives and simplification on investment procedures since September last year as he expects more investment to come into the country amid his efforts to construct infrastructure projects to pursue higher GDP growth.
SHENYANG, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Construction has begun on a power transfer project linking China's resource-rich northeast to its energy-thirsty eastern regions.

The 800-kv ultra-high voltage (UHV) direct current (DC) power transmission project, connecting Jarud in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to Qingzhou in Shandong Province, will transfer the abundant coal, wind and solar power in Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning in northeast China and consume more than half of the local surplus power.

With total estimated spending of 22.1 billion yuan (3.1 billion U.S. dollars), the 1,234-km line is expected to transmit 55 billion kwh of power, reducing coal consumption in north China by 25 million tonnes every year.

A launch ceremony for the project was held in Beijing on Friday and construction is expected to be completed next year.

It was the first project to be included in a national multi-billion-dollar plan to boost northeast China's flagging economy.

The three-year revival plan, announced by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Aug. 22, involves a total of 127 major projects in the northeast from 2016 to 2018, plus major work in 137 areas.

The wide-ranging plan covers sectors including transportation, energy, water conservation, agriculture, as well as urban and rural development.

More than 1 trillion yuan will be invested in the projects, financed by private companies as well as central and local governments, said Zhou Jianping, an NDRC official.

The money will not be spent on industries that suffer overcapacity, but go to key areas to create growth, such as infrastructure and emerging industries, he said.

The northeast, which includes Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and part of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was among the first regions in China to be industrialized, relying largely on heavy and chemical industries, energy resources, raw materials and a large number of state-owned enterprises.

Amid an economic slowdown in the last two years, the region has experienced more difficulties than the rest of the country. According to NDRC data, the region's economy grew 2.2 percent in the first half of 2016, much lower than the 7.6 percent, 7.8 percent and 8 percent for the east, central and western regions of the country, respectively.

Economic observers believe the projects will help "stabilize" a staggering economy, winning breathing space for the region's ongoing structural reform and economic transformation.

According to a recent statement by Shenyang United Assets and Equity Exchange, Liaoning Province will sell stakes in some of its state-owned enterprises, an important step for the structural reform of SOEs. The province was the country's worst economic performer in H1 as its gross domestic product contracted by 1 percent in the period.

Experts expect local governments to be offered more rights to explore so that more measures will be put in place to free the market and eradicate the negative influence of the region's previously planned economy.

Liang Qidong, vice president of the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, advised the central government to approve establishment of a free trade zone in Dalian as soon as possible to play an experimental role in the region's reform.

According to the five-year plan of Liaoning, the province plans to apply for establishment of the Dalian Free Trade Zone before 2020.

Other suggestions to stimulate the local economy include supporting hi-tech enterprises to gain easier access to financing in the capital market.

"Rather than rely on central government investment, the northeast should step forward to promote structural reform with enduring efforts," said Jin Fengjun, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Drama "The Last Supper" is performed in Beijing, capital of China, on Aug. 26, 2016. (Photo provided by the author)

BEIJING Aug. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- "The Last Supper" produced by Hong Kong Repertory Theater returned to Beijing on Friday evening at the invitation of the National Center for the Performing Arts for its 2016 International Theater Festival.

The one-act realistic-style drama told the story of a mother and son having supper together after years of alienation. With the missing role of the father in the family, dialogues at the table though at times interrupted by the TV advertisements gradually revealed the story behind this less affluent family.

It is also the story that lies behind many families in especially modern cities. The concept of family is used to be considered as the common basic unit of a society. Quite like a single cell to the whole body in biology. However, people gradually come to realize how fragile that structure has become as the generation gap kept being deepened and widened by any attempts to bridge it instead of the other way round.

Most of the paradox is attributed to the crazy tempo of modern life and the fast rhythm of social development, which are believed to have made it even harder for people of different generations to keep pace with each other. When out in the society striving for ones own life, the outside pressure is tearing the bonds even among the family members of the same generation by problems as family violence, marriage or relationship crisis.

Finally the internal and external troubles drive people to more apparent alienation. And the supper in front of the audience turned out to be a long-planned farewell rather than a family reunion.

Such stories about common people might not be on the stage everyday but commonly seen in everyday life. Therefore, the audiences felt not difficult to understand their pressure and feel their depression. The play goes on just like the time and our life. Sometimes people may gather their courage to face the problems though. Or they might not be brave enough to face their incapability to solve them.

The mother and son stopped pouring out their own sorrows on the stage, talking instead of finding out the father and killing him who they blamed all their problems on. However, when the unexpected father suddenly returned home, a deep calm instead of any fights or quarrels filled the room. When the lights faded out, the audiences were left in an open ending wondering where they should go and where we shall go.

A question raised by one of the audience after the show also raised my interest  if there were any different feedbacks among the audiences along their tour to different places. From the experiences shared by the play director Fang Junjie, most of the audiences despite of which city or which theater they visited turned to reach the consensus that the mother and son did not kill the father. At this moment the narrowest point along the gap among generations or areal variations were almost found.

Maybe one disagreeable fact that people have to agree with is that those problems cannot be that easily solved. Life has to go on. Hopefully, tough things never last but tough people do. Hopefully art in whether drama, music or literature can one day bridge the communications among generations and across regional disparities and lead people to the final compromise.
AmCham wants detailed plan in 2017 Budget

This as AmCham, on Monday, expressed appreciation for Governments incremental attempts to curtail spending while balancing economic growth and social stability, in the context of a drastic fall in energy prices. However, Am- Cham said Government should engage in revenue-generating measures and pursue aggressive structural reform geared towards cost-cutting and operational efficiency. In addition to its recommendations on the budgeted prices for oil and gas, AmCham said that in the current price environment, the Supplemental Petroleum Tax being applicable at prices of US$50 a barrel and higher is not appropriate. AmCham also called for a review of the margins afforded to petroleum dealers, peddlers, and retailers. It said that in the context of a heavily price-regulated industry where pricing structures have been stagnant for over a decade, the Government should consider the margins afforded to petroleum dealers, peddlers and retailers and the implementation of a mechanism to calculate these margins based on the local environment. AmCham said these measures, plus others aimed at increasing accountability, transparency and efficiency for a more favourable business environment, should be part of a detailed action plan for the new fiscal year.

Regarding the need for increased accountability and efficiency, the business association is urging Government to rationalise expenditure across all areas of Government spending and to operationalise procurement legislation to further this objective. Prioritisation of Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds and the correction of inefficiencies in the administration of VAT, which would allow for more efficient collection and refunds, was another of AmChams seven recommendations on this issue. The others include improving the effectiveness and efficiency of tax administration, such as the approval process for exemption on severance payments and a timeline for implementation of the Revenue Authority.

AmCham also wants Government to promote investor facilitation by fast-tracking projects over $250 million and/or the creation of 50-plus permanent jobs and, among others, prioritisation of transfer pricing legislation.

As we continue to look at international best practice with a focus on international trade and attracting foreign investment, transfer pricing regulation becomes increasingly important.

These taxation rules will also affect BIR (Board of Inland Revenue) efficiency and efficacy, along with the implementation of a Revenue Authority. AmCham then expressed concern about the overall quantity of public debt and the absolute size of the obligations that the country can comfortably service in years to come.

The association said it believes there must be some urgency in articulating a plan of public debt management, as the ballooning of government to government financing arrangements, the overdraft utilisation at the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago over the last several years and the apparent absence of these numbers from our external debt position are alarming.
Murdered woman to be buried today

Quamina, who was employed as a supervisor at the Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB), was murdered while staying at a friends home at Edinburgh South, Chaguanas.

Reports said Quamina was doing laundry when a man wearing a mask stormed into the house. Quamina, her co-worker, Josanne Allen and her (Allens) boyfriend, Christopher Heerah, were at the home when the intruder entered. The man struck Heerah with his gun and ordered that he tie Quamina and Allen with duct tape. The man, according to reports, then asked Allen for her brother but she refused to answer. The man, Allen said, proceeded to beat her boyfriend until he collapsed in an unconscious state.

It was only when the gunman left the house, Quaminas body was found in the bedroom.

An autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre revealed that Quamina died as a result of chop wounds to her neck.

Days before she was murdered, Quamina had sent a text message to her sister Abigail, 31, via her cellular phone, informing her that she wanted to meet with the family to discuss something important.

Relatives believe that Quamina was in trouble and wanted to reach out to them for help but was killed before she could do so. Yesterday a close family friend told Newsday that the relatives were struggling to come to terms with the young womans death. When everyone would be celebrating Independence, we would be burying Apphia.

The police are questioning people and all we are asking is that justice be served. She did not deserve to die like this, he said.
Swimming instructor guilty of having drugs near school

Ron Mario Paul Julien, of Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain, appeared before Magistrate Christine Charles, shortly after 11am.

He was represented by attorney Richard Clarke-Wills.

Julien was charged under Section 5 (7) of the Dangerous Drugs Act. The charge stated he was found with marijuana within 500 metres of the Eastern Girls Government School. The drugs, which totalled about 532 grams, were for the purpose of trafficking.

Julien was arrested on Monday 29 August on George Street, Port-of-Spain. The court heard that he had a previous matter and was fined for simple possession.

However, the matter was stood down by the Magistrate before a sentence could be imposed.

Charles, who had to cover at least three different courts due to officials being on vacation, had to rush to hear another matter in an adjoining court.
Think about TT

National holidays allow for short work weeks and time to lime, but what recollecting is actually being done? With 54 years of Independence, for many, the highlight of August 31 are the fireworks and food.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying and celebrating the day with family and friends and everything that makes a good party, but think about how many more years it will take before the nation, as a whole, reflects on where it has come from in order to progressively move forward.

His tone, smooth yet stern, somewhat fatherly, rang over the airwaves of household radios.

Day one, of year one, August 31, 1962 started with Dr Eric Williams addressing Trinidad and Tobago, welcoming it to nationhood and providing a blueprint on how to grow and develop successfully.

That day and the ones to follow, for the next 19 years, impacted the beginning of TTs free existence. Being educated of his presence as prime minister is important to understanding where this nation is and where it needs to be, which is understood as soon as you step foot through the doors of the Eric Williams Memorial Collection (EWMC). Tucked neatly behind a mahogany door adorned with bold, gold letters resides the EWMC in The Alma Jordan Library of the University of the West Indies (UWI). As you enter, a warm aura greets you despite the cold blaring from the air conditioning.

Though every piece of memorabilia is protected behind spotless glass, they fight for the attention of your eyes, begging for your trip back in time to begin with them.

Wrapping her scarf tighter around her, Lorraine Nero, UWI librarian and one of the collectors for this collection said, People come, and especially if they came from an era where he was the prime minister, they reminisce.

They remember different things. Maud-Marie Sisnette, also on the librarys staff and collector for the memorial added, One woman she was from Aruga originally and she remembers him coming to this shop, her father owned a shop she remembers he always talked to her, and his shiny shoes. Despite the instant trips down memory lane that theyve witnessed, the goal of the memorial will remain to educate and preserve the history of the people.

Williams was known as a man of the West Indies. His international impact geared TT to stand strong for self and alongside its neighbours, Let us take our stand in the international family on the basic principles of international rectitude. When our time comes to vote, let it always be a vote for freedom and against slavery, for self-determination and against external control, for integration and against division. These sister islands have a rich history of overcoming the acts of others which work to stifle its strength. To move forward as a nation, remembering TTs foundation will maintain and grow that rare quality.

Though the memorial collection has plans to move to the old public library in Port-of-Spain, when its reconstruction is complete, it is ready to teach about the past and possibly inspire for the future of this nation. Williams words can redirect certain mentalities for the better: One of the most serious difficulties we have to contend with is the national character, the shared individualism of the place is absolutely unbelievable. Everyone is out for his own interest, the interest of a particular constituency, the interest of a particular industry, the interest of a particular village, the interest of a particular family. Nobody thinks of the national interest. TT is home to many individuals but if sankofa isnt absorbed, then Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve and August 31 are merely six words and a date that need not to be celebrated.
Secure pets tonight

In a release from the office of the Mayor of San Fernando, Alderman Kazim Hosein stated, Given that loud noises may be upsetting to animals, the mayor and members of Council (San Fernando City Council) urge citizens to secure their pets at least 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the display to ensure the safety and comfort of all our fourlegged family members.

The Council expresses sincere thanks to Petrotrin for its generous sponsorship, and to Firepower Fireworks for hosting the display.

Their contribution to the commemoration of Independence Day is truly demonstrative of their pride in our nation, and is a great example for all citizens of the spirit of volunteerism that makes up the lifeblood of the city of San Fernando.

The fireworks display begins at 8.30 pm in celebration of the nations 54th year of Independence
Fireworks keeping their spark?

However, though their prices have remained the same and sales are pretty okay for the year so far, they are not as good as last year. In light of this, they are positive that patrons will remain excited for their displays, which began in 2007.

Speaking on their most popular fireworks, they said that popularity varies with each occasion and person.

For example, kids would like things like the starlight and smaller stuff like that.

Adults like the larger ones and even in weddings and other events they would use bigger stuff. Though they are positive that the displays will keep the public interested in fireworks, they are hoping for a boost in sales.

Well everybody wants to sell but we are hoping for a bump in year-end sales, they said.

Its not just kids, its adults as well. Everybody enjoys them. Some consumers told Newsday they arent buying fireworks this year either due to lack of funds or interest. Others prefer to simply watch the display instead of actually buying the products.
Carmona ponders schols to China

Carmona made this suggestion to new Chinese ambassador to TT, Song Yumin, after Yumin presented his letters of credence to Carmona on Monday at the Office of the President in St Anns, Port-of-Spain.

The President told the ambassador he could personally attest to the skills of Chinese medical personnel, having seen the quality of their treatment in healing the ailments of many people in south Trinidad.

He said apart from TT nationals seeking to study medicine in countries such as Cuba, opportunities should be offered to citizens of this country to study in China if they wished.

Carmona noted this would have to be the subject of conversation between the Governments of TT and China.

As he disclosed that five members of staff at the Office of the President were enrolled in courses at the Confucius Institute at the University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus, Carmona said the teaching of foreign languages must begin at the pre-school level and not from secondary school.

He suggested this teaching should not be restricted to Spanish and French but other languages as well, such as Mandarin.

Carmona observed that while TT is in close proximity to Venezuela, it was a serious indictment that Spanish was not the second language in this country.

The President explained that by learning a second language, the people of this country would be able to foster a closer togetherness with people from other countries.

Carmona praised China for the leadership role it plays in the world and the efforts of the Chinese in assisting in the national development of TT.

He identified infrastructure as one example of this assistance.

In response, Yumin thanked Carmona for the strong diplomatic ties which have endured over the years between TT and China.

Yumin, who previously served in TT ten years ago, noted that this country was one of the first to support the One-China Policy.

He praised Carmona for an initiative he started, whereby secondary school students attended functions at the Office of the President and had the ability to interact with foreign diplomats.

As he fielded questions from the students, Yumin told them he came from humble beginnings and his parents were both school teachers.

The ambassador urged them to set life goals and develop a discipline to work towards the achievement of their goals.
PM: Time for responsibility

In his first Independence Day message to the nation since his election as Prime Minister last September, Rowley said 54 years as an independent nation also marks a time when citizens must learn to work with and through others to achieve goals.

He said while TT may be considered economically buoyant and a politically stable country, the question is, have we really matured as a people? He explained that as a people matures we realise that with independence comes great responsibility, hope and expectation. Observing the country celebrates this milestone at a time when international developments are seriously impacting upon the economy, the Rowley said the population is all too aware of the fall in the prices of oil and natural gas, resources which TT is heavily dependent on for needed revenue.

We find ourselves at a crucial point in our development when we are being asked to make some tough choices, he said.

However, he expressed confidence in the strength of our people to navigate these turbulent waters. The Prime Minister said the capacity of citizens for innovation, their understanding of international events, their creativity and characteristic sense of humour are but some of the qualities which will help TT overcome any adversity that it faces.

He called on resident and non-resident TT nationals to play their part in ensuring that the country remains on a steady path of sustainable development. He declared, TT is my home, it is your home and we all have a responsibility to protect, to cherish and to make this country the kind of home of which we can all be proud. Rowley also said after 54 years of independence, TT enjoys excellent bilateral relations with its Caricom, Latin American and international partners and neighbours.
Gopeesingh: Remove Garcia from office

Gopeesinghs call, made yesterday at a press conference held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Charles Street, Port-of- Spain, was in response to Garcias reasons for scrapping the distribution of free laptops to students entering first form, which was introduced by the previous Peoples Partnership government.

Garcia, he said, by his actions in the ministry, has set back the countrys education programme in its entirety.

On Garcias claims that laptops bought by the PP government were overpriced, Gopeesingh said that the initial set, procured through a bidding process by the Central Tenders Board (CTB) in 2010, was in the sum of $4,136 a unit.

However, the last set procured in 2014 was at a cost of $2,249 a unit.

Total cost for 96,400 laptops for students, teachers and principals was $306.1 million over the five-year period.

He said at no time did any laptop cost between $12,000 to $15,000 as reported by Garcia.

Noting that Garcia, on Monday, said that Government will buy 12,500 laptops at a cost of $62 million, which means that one laptop will cost about $5,000, Gopeesingh said it was disconcerting to know that even before the CTB has completed the process, the minister was quoting costs.

Something is fishy about that, he said.

For Garcia to say that the laptops provided by the previous administration, were of poor quality, Gopeesingh said, was to cast aspersions on the companies Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo, two of the top six companies manufacturing laptops.

On Garcias claim of no internet or limited access in the schools, Gopeesingh said that in over 125 secondary schools, there was bandwidth ranging from one megabyte to 100 megabytes, with one school having one gigabit.

Under the Secondary Education Modernisation Programme (SE MP) inherited from the previous Peoples National Movement administration, he said, that FLOW, the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), Greendot and Digicel provided internet access.

This untruth, he said, was enough for Rowley
Not freeness but volunteerism says Sando Mayor

Ragoonanan of the Congress of the People (COP) aired his concerns just as Hosein was in full flight reporting to council and spectators on the number of projects contractors were engaged in since PNM took over the SFCC in 2013.

Among the free of charge projects identified were the jersey barriers near Gulf City, road paving, construction of a homeless shelter, drop off center, beautification of the Harris Promenade and, Marabella Roundabout.

Yes your Worship, Ragoonanan intervened.

I am very concerned about everything free of charge. I cant understand that times when the economy is not of the best, contractors are crying out for money yet still.... But Hosein who would have none of it, ordered Ragoonanan to take his seat even as he stumbled through to try and finish his contribution.

Before Hosein could have said his piece, outgoing Councillor Shaka Joseph (Mon Repos/ Navet) rose to his feet, reminding Ragoonanan that for five years, money was squandered left right and centre. Joseph explained that contractors who had made money in the past were now prepared to give back to the country and made reference to a company (identified) in Port of Spain that had a stock pile of excess material and offered it to San Fernando.

He added: If we in the city of San Fernando are finding ways to get donations from the business community for us to save money, I dont know how a sitting councillor could come here and question that. Joseph said there was no uproar when they were giving out millions of dollars and millions of toys to children in Skinner Park and all over the country. Nobody questioned where the money coming from. Jankie responded that all he did was ask a question.

Hosein remarked the word is not freeness - is volunteerism but Jankie advised him to check the dictionary for the meaning of freeness and volunteerism.
Busy day in court for AG

Though the courts are currently on vacation, proceedings in which the Attorney General plays a key role came up at both the High Court and at the Magistrates Court.

The Attorney General spent several hours at the High Court asking Justice Eleanor Donaldson- Honeywell to approve applications to have a list of about half-a-dozen entities declared as terrorist organisations under anti-terrorism law.

All of the ex parte applications were granted by the judge.

As a result, the organisations will be published in the Gazette in coming days.

The States anti-terror mechanisms will now kick in. Mere hours earlier, another matter involving the Attorney General came up at the Port-of-Spain Eight Court before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar.

The Magistrate heard ongoing extradition proceedings against Eduardo Gregario Azocar, 45, a Venezuelan national wanted by US authorities in relation to charges that he sought, while in this country, to traffic cocaine and heroin into the US.

Attorneys for the Central Authority, led by Graeme Mc- Clean, submitted an authority to proceed document signed by Al-Rawi in relation to the matter.

The Attorney General had reviewed the matter the day before and signed the document.

Also appearing in court, on behalf of the US, were attorneys Pamela Elder SC and Netram Kowlessar. According to officials, the Venezuelan was arrested on June 16, during a sting operation near Tenth Avenue, Barataria.

The authority to proceed document references six counts, namely: attempting to traffic a dangerous drug; conspiracy to traffic a dangerous drug, namely cocaine; trafficking in a dangerous drug, namely cocaine; trafficking in a dangerous drugs, namely cocaine and trafficking in a dangerous drug, namely heroin.

The Venezuelan, who was represented by attorney Keith Scotland, is also on local charges.

These include trafficking in hashish (cannabis sativa) and conspiracy to traffic heroin.

The Attorney Generals document will now be reviewed by the court. The matter was adjourned to October 5.
Garcia: Shanghai workers not our business

Newsdays question followed yesterdays lead story which indirectly raised concerns about the conditions of life and work of Chinese workmen at the NAPA site.

Garcia replied, Quite frankly that is not a question for Udecott. How Shanghai organises its business, once it falls within the ambit of the law, is Shanghais business. He said that as far as Udecott is concerned, Shanghai adheres to the laws of TT, and so how it then conducts it business is up to the company.

Newsday asked if SCG must obey the International Labour Organisations (ILO) standards while in TT, a nation that subscribes to the ILO conventions.

We have no evidence that the Shanghai Group is in violation of any of the ILO laws, replied Garcia.

Saying he was a little disturbed by yesterdays Newsday story, he said, How Shanghai organises its business is not really the (business of) the Government or Udecott.

Once they observe international and Trinidad laws we let them proceed, and we at Udecott are satisfied they are observing the laws of TT.
Minister: Global jobless youth to hit 71M

She said, This situation poses challenges for families, communities and indeed young persons themselves. She added that the importance of having young people constructively engaged, whether in education, skills training or employment, cannot be over-emphasised. Bapt i s te-Primus made the statements as she delivered the feature address to launch a day-long National Forum on the Future of Work in TT at the Teaching and Learning Complex on the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies.

She said the ILO had asked member States to hold such national dialogues on the Future of Work and the outcome of the consultation will be incorporated into a report to the ILO to inform its planning and programming, as well as serve as a guide to the ministry in developing national labour policies and programmes.

Bapt i s te-Primus said, It is my hope therefore that todays social dialogue platform will stimulate new ideas, imagination, creativity and thinking outside of the proverbial box. It is for that reason, symbolic though it may be, that we selected a seat of higher learning, the University of the West Indies, for todays forum. On the other hand, the minister said the issue of aging populations and vulnerable groups creates a situation where our policy and programme development must, of necessity, be nationally coherent and aligned to global development goals. She said among other things, this country had made commitments in the Official Policy Document of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for sustainable economic growth, a clear framework of rights and responsibilities in the workplace and enhanced tripartite and stakeholder engagement.

In a feature presentation, Dr Camille Wardrop Alleyne, described as a space scientist, rocket engineer, writer, educational leader and science ambassador, said that in discussing the future of work, young people must be involved and allowed to say what matters to them and an effort must be made to understand the world in which they live.

The NASA said, The context of their world is one where technology, connectivity, access to information and knowledge is at their fingertips, so it is not like when we were growing up...theirs is a very connected world, they understand a world in which there is great movement in areas of biology, biotechnology and genetics research.

There are revolutionary things happening in the area of robotic technology and artificial intelligence, the state of our world with climate change, they understand that we need to look for alternative energy sources and they live in a world where space technology is everyday technology and they are not going to inherit a world without being a part of space technology. Alleyne, who was born in Trinidad, said it was time for TT and the Caribbean to start thinking about how the region can become part of that sector  developing satellites for the purpose of sustainable economic development.

And as we talk about all these technical areas and new sectors that we can go into, how do we transform the education system, especially in science, technology, engineering and math to be able to educate the type of analytical and critical thinkers and problem solvers that we need. We also need to incorporate in our education system the tenents of innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship because those innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs are not born, they are often made. She said that the country and the region need to be committed to gender equity and parity in these technical fields.
Was the Chinese invasion of Japans Senkaku islands a dress rehearsal for war?

(NationalSecurity.news) In recent days a massive 230-ship flotilla of Chinese fishing boats escorted by 28 Coast Guard and other law enforcement vessels nearly surrounded Japans Senkaku islands in what some analysts say could be a dress rehearsal for war.

As reported by Real Clear Defense, the islands  which are claimed by Japan, historically, but also by China in recent years  are frequent targets for Chinese intrusion, which happens at least once every couple of weeks. But usually those incursions involve a few Chinese vessels that depart after a few hours.

This latest incursion, however, lasted for days and prompted Japan to respond very publicly  also rare  by summoning the Chinese ambassador to Japans foreign ministry, where television cameras were waiting to record and broadcast the encounter.

It wasnt immediately clear what message China was attempting to send to Japan, though Tokyo has been very vocal in its support of the Philippines in that nations legal action against China, which resulted in a July 11 ruling affirming Manilas territorial claims in the South China Sea.

That said, some believe that the massive Chinese incursion could be a prelude to war.

The various scenarios for war in the East China Sea, and possibly in the South China Sea, usually fall into two main categories, writes Todd Crowell, author of the upcoming book, The Coming War Between China and Japan, for Real Clear Defense. There is the accidental fight scenario. A Chinese destroyers radar locks onto a Japanese warship. The Japanese captain fires back in self-defense and the incident spirals out of control.

A second scenario, he writes, which is potentially more realistic, is the swarm scenario, where several hundred fishing boats sail from ports in Zhejiang for the Senkaku. They then overwhelm Japanese Coast Guard vessels by their sheer numbers.

In the latter scenario, the fishing boats land several hundred commandos disguised as fishermen or settlers. Since the Senkakus are not garrisoned by Japanese troops, no shots would be fired. It would then be incumbent upon Japan to fire the first shot as China would claim it is not using force, but merely taking possession of what it claims as its own sovereign territory.

Tokyo would feel obliged to respond  as would the United States, which has a defense agreement with Japan  though the Chinese landing force is too big and well-armed to be dislodged by simple law enforcement methods.

This scenario would put Tokyo in the position of having to fire the first shots, and possibly invading with elements of the Western Infantry Regiment, created and trained specifically to recapture islands. Japan would most assuredly turn to the U.S. in consultation, seeking assurances that Washington will honor its commitment to helping defend Japan.

That is likely to happen. On several occasions President Obama himself has said that the Senkaku belong to Japan and fall under the provisions of the join security treaty because they are administered by Japan.

China knows the U.S. has a mutual defense agreement with Japan. The only question becomes whether Beijing believes that Washington would actually honor its commitment to Tokyo and risk a regional conflict.

The U.S. most very likely would, given the defense assets the Pentagon has deployed in and around Japan and the area in general, along with the strategic importance of keeping the East and South China Seas open for business.

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(c) 2016 USA Features Media.

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'Putting the people first' is the guiding philosophy of India-Myanmar development cooperation partnership, says President

New Delhi, Wed, 31 Aug 2016 NI Wire

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee (August 29, 2016) received His Excellency U Htin Kyaw, the President of Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Daw Su Su Lwin at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He also hosted a banquet in their honour.

Welcoming the President of Myanmar, the President thanked him for choosing India for the first bilateral overseas visit as the Head of State of Myanmar. He said this is fitting, considering the bonds of friendship, culture, spirituality and history that unite India-Myanmar. He congratulated the Myanmar President on the historic victory of the National League for Democracy in the general election held in November 2015 and expressed delight at the peaceful and orderly transfer of power.

The President said India shares a longstanding historical and cultural relationship with Myanmar which has been cemented by our shared struggle against colonialism. India has been consistently supportive of Myanmars progress from military rule towards democracy in recent years guided by the wisdom of its civilian and military leaders and the political sagacity of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who led the democratic forces. As a close friend and a country whose democratic institutions have matured over the years, India celebrates Myanmars success and will continue to support Myanmar in strengthening democracy in their country. India is committed to assist in any way that India can in the development and initiatives for the progress of the people of Myanmar.

Subsequently, in his banquet speech, President Pranab Mukherjee said as a friendly neighbour and development partner, India has always stood beside the people of Myanmar with support and assistance when it was required. Putting the people firstis the guiding philosophy of India-Myanmar development cooperation partnership. Going forward, India looks forward to working with Government of Myanmar in areas that it has prioritised  such as infrastructure development, connectivity, capacity building, education, healthcare and the setting up of small development projects.

The President said India sees Myanmar as a key partner in its Neighbourhood First and Act East policy. As Government of India looks eastward to rejuvenate historical, cultural and commercial links between India and Southeast Asia, Myanmar is the first on our horizon. India attaches high value to Myanmars contribution and further role in achieving our shared vision of stability, peace and progress in the region.Government of India welcomes the bold step taken by State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in initiating an inclusive process for peace through the 21st Century Panglong Conference. With regard to our common security concerns and our joint efforts in the area of border management, we have agreed to accord special attention to the economic progress of our border areas  that will transform them into zones of peace and prosperity. We would like to see Myanmar as Indias gateway to ASEAN and India as Myanmars bridge to South Asia.

The President said the State Visit of President of Myanmar is opportune as it is taking place at the very beginning of the Governments term  as Myanmar embarks into a promising new chapter in its history. Government of India stands ready to extend unstinting support whenever, wherever, and however Myanmar desire it for achieving the aspirations of its people and the policies of Government of Myanmar.

Source: PIB
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Bharti Airtel (News - Alert) has deployed LTE-Advanced in Mumbai, India, which supports speeds up to 135mbps.





The service provider first brought 4G to Mumbai in May of 2015 on the 2300MHz band using TD LTE (News - Alert) standard. This expansion on that involved adding capacity on 1800MHz band.

The carrier plans to bring 4G Advanced to other areas in the coming months. The company previously launched such services in Kerala using Nokia (News - Alert) gear.

Elsewhere in India, Nokia this month said it has been working with Vodafone SuperNet to build the worlds largest home location register. It will serve 200 million subscribers and will employ the Nokia subscriber Data Management solution, featuring Nokias One-NDS (News - Alert)

We believe we have executed the world's fastest and largest subscriber database migration without any network or services disruption, said Vishant Vora, director of technology for Vodafone India. Further, our customers will benefit from faster, more efficient provisioning. The increase in network resiliency will help us recover quickly in case of natural disasters.

Also, earlier this month Nokia announced it has signed an agreement with China Telecom (News - Alert) to expand its 4G deployment in 19 provinces in China.

The job will employ the Nokia Flexi MultiRadio 10 Base Stations. Nokia will also provide China Telecom with its Care hardware and software maintenance services, network design and installation, and project management as part of the engagement.

China Telecom had nearly 207 million mobile subscribers and 90 million 4G device users as of the end of June.

This month Nokia also posted a blog talking about how spectrum refarming can be used to address demand for additional capacity. In the blog, Vishal Agnihotri, who handles GSM and TD-LTE marketing at Nokia, writes about how a major operator in the Middle East refarmed GSM spectrum to free up spectrum for LTE use.

Edited by Alicia Young
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"This is my 15th Booster, hopefully this is it."



Les Brummett

was this week's winner.



The winner's name will be put into a drawing for a free month subscription or extension.



Look for a new photo Monday.
Moroccos geographic location, political stability and promising macroeconomic indicators, coupled with its longstanding ties with African countries and increasing investments in the continent make it an attractive partner for countries willing to invest in Africa, such as Japan, which has just convened a summit with African leaders pledging largescale investments in infrastructure.

Japan sees in Morocco a partner that can facilitate its investments in Africa. In this respect, Tokyo is willing to build on Moroccos expertise and know-how in doing business in the continent, notably in western African countries where Morocco has been engaged in win-win partnerships with African peers in fields ranging from industry, telecommunications, Phosphates and finance to infrastructure, training and education.

In this regards, Japan is looking forward to build on the network of Moroccos banks in Africa where they have been funding multiple infrastructure projects. To that end, an agreement was signed between the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Moroccos Attijariwafa Bank to facilitate Japanese investments in the continent and boost trade.

During the Japan-Africa economic summit (TICAD V), held in Nairobi August 27-28, Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that his country would invest $30 billion in support of Africas economic growth and infrastructure over the next three years.

The pledged amount includes $10bn in infrastructure growth, while an extra $20bn will be invested by Japans private sector. In this respect, Tokyo will cooperate with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to boost private sector investment on the continent struggling with intermittent power outages, dilapidated infrastructure, poor sanitation and grinding poverty.

Some 30 African heads of state took part in the two-day Japan-Africa summit, which ended Sunday with the signing of about 70 agreements.

The goal of the conference, organized jointly by the United Nations, the African Union, the World Bank and Japan, is to boost trade and aid to Africa, with Japan hoping to increase its influence in the continent.
Morocco will be the honorary guest of the Paris book fair of 2017 to be held next march 24-27 at Expo Porte de Versailles, according to Moroccan press reports.

The exhibition has grown in size and importance over the years. It is now considered one of major world venues for publishers, booksellers, rights agents and media trend-spotters.

The event will be an opportunity for visitors to discover Moroccan literature, contemporary writers and famous novelists such as Fouad Laroui, Abdellah Taia or Tahar Benjelloun.

The Paris Book fair will also exhibit the works of young writers such as Reda Dalil, Mohamed Nedali, Lamia Berrada, Sonia Terrab, Issam-Eddine Tbeur, Driss Ksikes ou Youssouf Amine Elalamy.

According to organizers, the fair will shed lights on the Moroccan-French longstanding relations, friendship and cooperation which are gaining momentum and expanding in all sectors.

Launched in 1981, the Paris Book Fair is regarded as one of the biggest publishing trade fairs in Europe. More than 250,000 publishers, booksellers, authors, literary agents, librarians, and media and industry suppliers attended the fair last year.

South Korea was the guest of honor for the fairs 2016 edition. Paris and Seoul celebrate this year the 130th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

The Paris book expo features book signings, debates, conferences, meetings with renowned authors, painting exhibitions It is a popular event where book lovers meet, share experiences, discover new books, cultures, trends of book industry and latest publishing technologies.
Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton has never had a better chance of becoming the president of the United States. Shes also never been more widely disliked by American voters.

So suggests a new Washington PostABC News poll, which finds that 41 percent of the country views Clinton favorably, while 56 percent sees her unfavorably  the highest such percentage in her decades-long career in national politics.

Clinton's unfavorable rating now higher than at any point in 25 years in national politics https://t.co/BUmwxpHWa4 pic.twitter.com/N2z65wNvP0  Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) August 31, 2016

That headline finding is a tad misleading: Clinton is only one percentage point more unpopular today than she was in June, well within the polls margin of error. The real story of the survey, then, is that the Democratic National Convention failed to fundamentally transform Americas impression of the Democratic Nominee.

In the immediate wake of Team Blues four-day infomercial in Philadelphia, Clinton saw a dramatic improvement in her favorable numbers, with 48 percent of the public giving her the thumbs-up, and just 50 percent pointing em in the other direction. Those gains have now been erased.

The most intuitive explanation for Clintons declining popularity is that all the recent headlines about emails and foundation donors have affirmed voters widespread suspicion that Clinton is untrustworthy. Its also possible that voters have the (misguided) perception that Clintons recent attacks on Trumps racist ties were unfair, or else that the 2016 election has become so nasty and exhausting, Americans have simply soured on everyone associated with it  a full 63 percent of the country dislikes Donald Trump.

And yet, as the Posts Aaron Blake notes, Clinton has lost the most support among the demographics who like her best.

ABC/WaPo poll also shows Clinton's numbers have dropped among women, Hispanics, liberals: https://t.co/LYHL2ES2Lq pic.twitter.com/zFYAKf4lEi  Hannah Chanpong (@hannahfc) August 31, 2016

Regardless, the publics antipathy for Clinton is the one thing keeping Trumps candidacy (mathematically) alive. While Clinton posts a sizable lead over Trump in national polls, she consistently comes in below 50 percent. And despite the amount of time and media attention the 2016 campaign has occupied, the number of voters still claiming to be undecided is historically high for this point in an election cycle.

However, an analysis of such voters by Real Clear Politics suggests that they are extremely unlikely to turn en masse toward Donald Trump. When forced to choose, voters who are undecided tend to cast their lot with Clinton  except for the 10 percent who refuse to even express a hypothetical preference because they despise both candidates so thoroughly.

All of which suggests that Hillary Clinton has a very good chance of becoming the least popular president-elect in modern American history.
Photo-Illustration: Photo: Michael Krinke Photography/Getty Images

Like many desperate Americans who have run out of options, Donald Trump is fleeing to Mexico. Trumps run for the border is not a meticulously planned, Shawshank-style escape, but instead a last-minute jag, hastily announced last night with details being filled in, where he will be joined by his buddies Jeff Sessions and Rudy Giuliani. Trump will presumably return afterward to his home country, where he faces a wrathful electorate and a lawsuit persuasively charging him with massive fraud. The question is what he believes he will accomplish on the trip.

Trump has built his campaign on nationalistic and racist attacks on many subjects, Mexico most prominently. He has repeatedly attacked the country and its political institutions.

Mexicos court system is a dishonest joke. I am owed a lot of money & nothing happens.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 16, 2015

I have a lawsuit in Mexicos corrupt court system that I won but so far cant collect. Dont do business with Mexico!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2015

In recent weeks, Trumps campaign has faced up to the reality that the racism that propelled him to the Republican nomination has become a liability in the general election. To win, he needs to Balkanize the electorate along racial lines and activate unprecedented levels of white turnout, while at the same time reassuring some white people he is not completely racist. This delicate, and perhaps impossible, bind has left Trumps message toward Mexico and immigrant communities toggling between conciliation and abuse. On the one hand, Trump promises a softening of his nativist stance. On the other, he insists immigrants take jobs from hardworking African-Americans and Hispanic citizens.

That tension is on display in Trumps visit to Mexico today. Kellyanne Conway, who is Trumps campaign manager this month, promises the candidate will act very presidential and make nice. He wants to establish a conversation with a neighboring country, a leader, and also to discuss the common problems and challenges that our countries face, she promises of the country where people literally buy pinatas in Trumps likeness to smash.

The Trump campaign appears to have convinced itself that the candidate will face not merely a polite reception but will win actual policy concessions for his lunatic agenda, reports Politico:

Trump realized this would be a brilliant time to do it and is trying to pull it together last minute, according another person close to the campaign who has been briefed by a campaign staffer. Would be a major power play. Its like hes already negotiating on behalf of America. The person suggested that the meeting could, for example, allow Trump to agree to deport only criminals if the Mexican president offered some sort of concession in return.



Sure, it makes tons of sense for Mexicos president to offer up concessions to somebody who is not the sitting president, has a low probability of ever becoming president, continually changes his own stances, does not understand public policy in general, and is also probably the most hated person in Mexico since James K. Polk.
The scene at Stanford Universitys 2016 commencement. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie/AFP/Getty Images



Earlier this year, Stanford University student Brock Turner was sentenced to six months in jail for raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. In justifying a sentence far shorter than the six years sought by the prosecution, Judge Aaron Persky cited the severe impact and adverse collateral consequences a lengthy prison term would have on the young man. To many observers, this extension of compassion toward Turner served to devalue the suffering of his victim, who detailed the adverse consequences of his crime in a heartrending letter that was published by BuzzFeed and read by millions.

The ensuing outrage fed a movement to remove Judge Persky from the bench and to eliminate the distinction in California law that allowed Turner to escape a three-year mandatory-minimum sentence for his assault. That movement has proven successful.

After over 1 million people signed an online petition demanding Persky be recalled, the judge filed a request last week to be transferred to civil court, where he will no longer have the power to sentence criminal defendants. Then, on Monday, California lawmakers passed a bill mandating prison time for the act of raping an unconscious or incapacitated victim. Previously, minimum sentencing was reserved for instances in which a rapist overpowered a conscious victim through physical force.

For those who want to advance the security and equality of women in our society, there are many heartening aspects to these developments. When a star college athlete rapes an intoxicated woman at a party, it is not typical that a national outpouring of support for his victim  and for political action aimed at providing victims like her with greater justice  follows in its wake. The fact that it did in this case is a testament to the work of feminist activists, and to the bravery and eloquence with which his victim made her trauma known.

Whats more, by bringing the punishment for Turners crime in line with that of rape by force, Californias legislature has declared that an intoxicated or unconscious human being has as much right to bodily autonomy as anyone else. Which is to say: Rape is rape.

It makes sense, then, that many progressive feminists see Californias new law as a precious acknowledgment of the horror of sexual violence  and the necessity of political action to support its victims, while reducing their ranks.

But there are less destructive  and more effective  ways of accomplishing those goals than by making our exceptionally punitive justice system even more draconian.

If we accept the premise of Californias law  that combating rape culture requires imposing longer prison terms on rapists  then progressives will be forced to chose between their commitments to achieving gender equality and ending mass incarceration.

The United States imprisons a higher proportion of its population than any other developed country. The American incarceration rate is roughly 3.5 times as high as the median rate in Europe, according to a 2013 report from the European Council of Annual Penal Statistics. This is not because Americans commit more crimes  victimization rates in the United States are comparable to those in Western Europe. Nor is our outsize prison population solely the product of our drug war. As the Marshall Project notes, 54 percent of the 1.3 million Americans in state prisons are there for violent crimes. Even if we freed every nonviolent offender in an American prison, we would still jail a far higher percentage of our residents than do our European peers.

The primary reason for Americas exceptional incarceration rate is that its voters are more comfortable with condemning their fellow citizens to cages for long periods of time than are those in other democracies. America doesnt just impose unusually long sentences on shoplifters and nonviolent drug offenders. In other parts of the world, life sentences for murder are the exception; in the United States, they are the rule. Our penalties for sexual predation are already the most severe in the developed world. Today, sex offenders constitute the fastest growing segment of Americas prison population.

Rape is enabled by cultural norms; so is mass incarceration. Global surveys have found that America ranks higher than any other nation on the public punitive attitude scale  a measure of public appetite for inflicting punishment on criminals.

The most harmful thing about Californias bill may be the way it encourages this culture of incarceration. If one focuses narrowly on the laws immediate effects, a reasonable case can be made for its virtues: A three-year minimum sentence for raping an unconscious person is not wildly out of step with global standards. Its true that mandatory minimums transfer discretion from judges to prosecutors, thereby making it impossible for the justice system to weigh mitigating factors in individual cases, as Tara Culp-Ressler notes at Think Progress. But it isnt unreasonable to argue that, in the case of sexual violence, such discretion is undesirable, as it allows a predominately male judiciary to make excuses for perpetrators of a historically under-prosecuted crime. And, anyway, Californias bill contains a provision allowing judges to exercise discretion in unusual cases where the interests of justice would best be served if the person is granted probation.

On the other hand, it is unlikely that many judges would take on the political liability of exercising such discretion. And the specter of a minimum three-year jail sentence has the potential to intimidate innocent defendants into plea agreements  a phenomena that is more likely to disadvantage the most-vulnerable members of our society, who can least afford to mount a compelling defense (social scientists have estimated that the rate of false reporting for sexual assault is between 2 and 8 percent).

Nonetheless, the problem with Californias law lies less in its immediate, legal implications than in its cultural and political ones. To end mass incarceration, progressives will need to persuade their fellow citizens that we can reduce penalties for violent crime without reducing our concern for its victims. The movement inspired by the Brock Turner case argued the opposite  it equated a judges decision to spare Turner a lengthy jail sentence with a callous indifference to the woman he victimized.

In calling for Judge Perskys repeal, the movement fostered social and political stigma against the exercise of judicial leniency. People who look like Brock Turner will not be the ones most affected by such stigmas. Nor were they, necessarily, the principal beneficiaries of Perskys own mercy: According to public defenders in the area, Persky was viewed as a thoughtful and responsible jurist. As one such attorney wrote in reaction to the recall effort, My only outrage about Judge Perskys decision would be if similarly situated public defender clients, particularly minorities, receive harsher sentences than Mr. Turner from Judge Persky; but no one has cited any such example. In fact, many colleagues in my office that appear before Judge Persky believe that a public defender client who wasnt white or affluent would have received the same type of sentence from him.

If there were strong evidence that longer prison sentences make a critical difference in deterring violent crime, then Californias law might still be worthwhile. But there isnt. According to the 2014 findings of the National Research Council, applying a mandatory minimum to a given offense does not reduce its prevalence. The certainty of apprehension has a far greater deterrent effect than the severity of punishment upon conviction. Which makes sense: It is hard to imagine that Turner would not have been deterred from his crime by the thought of spending six months in jail and a lifetime on the sex-offender registry  but would have had second thoughts, if hed known that the jail sentence would run at least three years.

Therefore, even if we bracket its implications for mass incarceration, channeling public outrage over sexual violence toward more punitive sentencing would remain ineffective. There are more transformative ways for our policymakers to serve the interests of rape victims. As Sarah Cate, a political scientist at the University of Southern Mississippi, recently wrote for Common Dreams:

When someone experiences sexual assault there are a number of protections that are needed for their healing that punishment does not fulfill. Victims of assault experience physical and psychological consequences that require adequate health care, financial support and paid leave time if they are employed. Maintaining employment and thereby economic security and access to health care is critical to helping someone recover from assault. About half of all sexual assault victims lose their jobs or are forced to quit their jobs after their victimization. Workplace flexibility, providing time off and medical care coverage are all essential ways to support sexual assault victims. We leave women on their own every day by not providing for everyone a safe workplace, housing, public transportation and employment with adequate pay and benefits.

There is a culture of rape; but also, an economics. Women are disproportionately represented among our nations poor. And impoverished women suffer a disproportionate share of our nations sexual violence: Women at the bottom of the income ladder are six times more likely to be sexually abused than those at the top. Policies that reduce the number of low-income women who are economically dependent on their partners will do much more to prevent rape than increasing jail sentences for offenders like Brock Turner.

To combat the cultures of rape and mass incarceration, progressives will need to convince the country that there are better ways to measure our societys compassion for victims of sexual violence than in the number of years we lock up their abusers. But first, theyll need to convince themselves.
Photo: LUIS ROBAYO/Getty Images

The number of pregnant New Yorkers infected with Zika has now risen to 56, and the total number of people living in the city who have tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus has ticked past 530, according to a new report from the NYC Department of Health.

These cases are mostly linked to travel to a Zika-infected hot spot, and a few are from sexual transmission  including the first known case of a woman passing on the virus to a man. None are from local city mosquitoes, though health officials have doubled down on preventative measures  an increase in spraying, adding more mosquito traps, draining subway puddles and other standing water  to stop the potential spread of the disease. Sections of Miami are the only places in the continental United States where indigenous mosquitoes have passed on the disease to humans. Florida health officials confirmed that three more people have been infected, bringing the total number of local cases up to 46.

In July, the first baby with microcephaly, a Zika-related birth defect that shrinks the head and brains of babies, was born in the city. New York City health officials have continued to warn pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant from traveling to Zika-affected areas, including Miami Beach. New York City Blood Center said it will also begin screening for Zika, following the FDAs recommendations, as a much-needed precaution.
Rubio victorious. Photo: Joe Burbank/TNS via Getty Images

Incumbents prevailed in some of the most closely watched primary contests yesterday. Marco Rubio, who just a few months ago vowed to quit politics, managed to hold on to his seat  though it may have been a bittersweet victory, given reports last year that Rubio hates working as a senator.

John McCain also trounced his opponent, Kelli Ward, who questioned McCains conservative credentials and recently said that he was too old  McCain is 80  to serve for a sixth term.

If McCain and Rubio were facing challengers from the right, Debbie Wasserman Schultz was facing an opponent from the left: the outspoken progressive Tim Canova, who scored an endorsement from none other than Bernie Sanders.

Despite having to step down from her position heading the Democratic National Committee after emails released by WikiLeaks suggested that she was biased in favor of Hillary Clinton, she still managed to beat Canova with 57 percent of the vote.

Four incumbents did lose their seats: Republicans Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, Randy Forbes of Virginia, and Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, as well as the Democrat Chaka Fattah, who is facing an indictment in Pennsylvania.

This years primaries were under increased scrutiny due to the potential of disruption from Trump/Sanders-affiliated candidates. In the end, the Establishment carried the day.
Boarding the first commercial flight to Cuba in more than 50 years. Photo: Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images

Shortly after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, JetBlue Flight 387 took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to land in Santa Clara, Cuba. It is the first scheduled U.S. commercial plane to depart for Cuba since 1961, when airlines were still operating propeller planes.

Join us on Instagram & Snapchat today for live coverage of our historic first flight to Cuba! #HolaCuba #JetBlueSNU pic.twitter.com/f1R18q96z6  JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue) August 31, 2016

#jetblue cuts the ribbon on the first regular commercial flight to #Cuba. Wheels up #Santaclara pic.twitter.com/trRcY8DdQd  Christina Ruffini (@EenaRuffini) August 31, 2016

& I'm of too Cuba for the 1st time in 17 years w/ @JetBlue on their inaugural flight! #holacuba #jetblue pic.twitter.com/MGK3uDrLyi  Bren Herrera  (@BrenHerrera) August 31, 2016

The close-to-150-passenger flight will land in Santa Clara  about 175 miles east of Havana  around 11 a.m. Its the first of what should be many more flights under new rules that loosened travel restrictions after the Cold War enemies restored diplomatic ties. In May, the first U.S. cruise ship docked in Havana for the first time more than 50 years.

The first flight to Cuba getting a water cannon salute from @FLLFlyer just before departure.



via @NBC6 pic.twitter.com/Oz0RuLIj6J  Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) August 31, 2016

Door closed. Time to go to Cuba. JetBlue 387 is about to begin its historic flight to Santa Clara, Cuba from FLL pic.twitter.com/hHnZrxVR9k  Kris Van Cleave (@krisvancleave) August 31, 2016

According to the New York Times, six carriers have been approved for commercial flights to nine Cuban cities, though all the schedules havent been set yet. Silver Airways is next up, beginning flights on Thursday. American Airlines will follow suit next week. Previously, travelers to Cuba needed to charter expensive and time-consuming flights to get to the island nation. And though, technically, American tourism in the I want to sit on the beach and do nothing sense is still not allowed, the United States government broadly expanded the categories of people who can now visit Cuba, so theres wiggle room among things like educational activities and workshops.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will be onboard the historic Cuba flight, and the JetBlue pilot, First Officer Frank Barreras, is the son of Cuban immigrants; according to CBS News, his father fled on one of the last commercial flights bound for America decades ago.
Soros. Photo: ChinaFotoPress/VCG via Getty Images

George Soros is trying to buy elections  for district attorneys who support criminal-justice reform. Politico reports that the billionaire financier and right-wing bogeyman has channeled more than $3 million into seven local district-attorney races over the past 12 months, a sum that exceeds the total spent on the 2016 presidential campaign by all but a handful of rival super-donors.

Soros has channeled that loot to would-be district attorneys in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas, with the aim of electing prosecutors who will prioritize the reduction of racial disparities in sentencing, and the expansion of alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders.

Most of Soross fellow civic-minded oligarchs have concentrated their donations on high-profile national campaigns. Which is a sound enough strategy for winning invitations to parties and access to legislators. But in terms of maximizing ones chance of immediately impacting policy, its hard to imagine a better investment than the one Soros is making.

As good-government liberals have long bemoaned, big-money donors have a much easier time influencing elections on the local level, where cash and media attention are scarce commodities. Soros has proven no exception. Since he began bankrolling a network of state-level super-pacs in 2015, he has already elected reform-minded DAs in Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, and New Mexico.

And district attorneys have far more autonomy to reshape criminal-justice policy in their communities than individual state legislators, congressional representatives, or senators. With their unilateral authority to chose which charges to bring  and what sentences to pursue  district attorneys have played a central role in the rise of mass incarceration.

Over the last three decades, American prosecutors became increasing draconian. According to research by Fordham University criminal-law professor John Pfaff, in 1994, roughly one of every three arrests led to felony charges; by the end of the first decade of this century, it was two out of every three.

This increasing punitiveness was likely inspired by Americas historic fondness for tough-on-crime policies. In the last few years, our nations political winds have shifted somewhat, as heightened awareness of inequities in our justice system  and heightened pressure on state budgets  have fostered some bipartisan interest in reducing incarceration. But when 85 percent of American prosecutors run unopposed, it can take a while for that change to be felt at district attorneys offices.

Soross millions seem to be hastening that change  advancing progressives agenda on criminal justiice, while illustrating the failure of their agenda on campaign finance.
Comin for you, Mexico! Photo: Darren Hauck/Getty Images

Donald Trump really doesnt mind an awkward meeting.

Following a report by the Washington Post that Trump was planning a last-minute trip to Mexico, Trump confirmed the rumors, tweeting yesterday that I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

Soon after, the Mexican presidents office tweeted that he would in fact be meeting with Trump today. Or as the Bing translation of his tweet aptly put it: Tomorrow I get to Donald Trump.

Invite a Mexico a los candidatos a la Presidencia de EEUU, para conversar sobre la relacion bilateral. Manana recibo a Donald Trump.  Enrique Pena Nieto (@EPN) August 31, 2016

In fact, the trip wasnt Trumps idea. He only decided to go after Pena Nieto extended invitations to both Clinton and Trump last week  and apparently needed some pushing from his new campaign chief executive, Stephen Bannon.



Once he warmed to the idea, it seems Trump proceeded in his usual fashion, ignoring warnings from officials who said that the trip could pose a security risk and would take time to plan, and insisting that the visit take place immediately: scheduled between his fundraising events in California this morning, and his immigration speech in Arizona tonight.

Though Trump and President Pena Nieto have never met, they do have something of a relationship. Trumps vows to build a wall across the Mexico-U.S. border (and make Mexico pay for it), disband NAFTA, and his description of Mexican immigrants as criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc. have often left the Mexican president no choice but to respond.

Like Trump, Pena Nieto has not minced his words, saying point-blank that there is no way that Mexico can pay [for] a wall like that, and referring to Trump as both Hitler and Mussolini.

While the meeting will be private, Trump is likely steeling himself for what may be a rocky reception. Trump is widely despised across the country, especially in the capital Mexico City, where it is not unheard of for people to burn effigies of him in the streets.

Its clear what Trump has to gain from tomorrows meeting: attention in the media, a sign that foreign governments take him seriously, and increased credibility for his immigration policy. But, Pena Nieto also has a lot to gain. The Mexican presidents approval ratings are slipping and he is in the midst of a scandal after it emerged that he plagiarized his thesis in law school. A change of topic could do him some good.
Hillary Clintons bid to win over Republican elites reached a new level at an American Legion conference in Cincinnati. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

When she planned a big foreign-policy speech for a meeting of the American Legion in Cincinnati today, Hillary Clinton could not have possibly known that Donald Trump would suddenly step all over it with a strange day trip to Mexico.

It may well be that the only thing anyone remembers from Clintons speech was her snarky comment that diplomacy consisted of more than a photo-op or dropping in on a neighbor.

That would be a shame, because what Clinton undertook in Cincinnati was her most ambitious effort to date to appeal to Republicans  elites if not actual voters  with themes near and dear to their crusty conservative hearts. In this case it was American exceptionalism  the idea (embedded most famously in Ronald Reagans shining city on the hill characterization of America, which Clinton dutifully quoted) that the USA has a special leadership role because it has avoided many of the pathologies that poisoned the old (e.g., European) world. Clinton proclaimed herself a proud believer in American exceptionalism, and charged Donald Trump with rejecting that creed.

In doing so, Clinton certainly knew that Barack Obama has often been accused of rejecting American exceptionalism itself, or of reducing it from a world-historical loud-and-proud claim of superiority to the mere patriotic sentiment common everywhere (I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.)

In fact, the 44th president has become reasonably adept at a distinctively liberal adaptation of American exceptionalism: that it is our diversity, our willingness to change, and our commitment to liberal values and institutions at home and abroad that make us exceptional. But you did not hear a lot of this nuanced approach from Clinton in Cincinnati. It was focused heavily on Americas obligation of global military leadership, and her unapologetic willingness to exercise it.

Republican fears that Donald Trump is at heart an isolationist, and does not value traditional diplomacy and alliances, are very real, of course, so in some elite foreign-policy circles Clinton may be pushing an open door. But to serious conservative advocates of American exceptionalism, theres something crucial missing from her siren song: Its that recognition that America has earned its exceptional role in world affairs by eschewing the socialism and secularism that have crippled Europe.

The classic conservative formulation of American Exceptionalism was penned by National Reviews Ramesh Ponnuru and Rich Lowry in 2010.

The late Seymour Martin Lipset [usually credited with inventing the term] defined it as liberty, equality (of opportunity and respect), individualism, populism, and laissez-faire economics. The creed combines with other aspects of the American character  especially our religiousness and our willingness to defend ourselves by force  to form the core of American exceptionalism.

Obviously no Democrat is going to bend the knee to an American exceptionalism that includes laissez-faire economics as a nonnegotiable element of the creed. Beyond that, many conservatives look at other countries in a way that is alien to, say, Barack Obama and his former Secretary of State. Heres Ponnuru and Lowry again:

In Europe, we see a civilization that is not willing to defend itself: nations that will surrender their sovereignty, cultures that will step aside to be supplanted by an alien creed, peoples that will no longer make the most meaningful investment in the future by reproducing. There is a sense that history is over and Europeans are just waiting for someone to turn out the last light in the last gallery of the Louvre.

Hmm. Sounds a little like you-know-who (if you-know-who was more literate), doesnt it? And then theres this EU-bashing:

Brussels is arrogating more decision-making to itself, removed from the locus of democratic accountability in individual nations. When important EU questions are put to the voters in referenda, there is only one correct answer, and when nations vote the wrong way, elections are held over and over again until they succumb. This European-style politics of bureaucratic, elite high-handedness is dangerous in its undemocratic nature and anathema to the American character.

Again, theres a certain American presidential candidate who has been saying this sort of thing, and it hasnt been Hillary Clinton.

My argument here is not that Republican believers in American exceptionalism all think like Donald Trump (certainly Ponnuru and Lowry, both NeverTrumpers last time I checked, do not). Its that Democrats cannot just intone American exceptionalism and expect Republicans to swoon. It is already an open question as to whether Team Clinton has exerted too much energy trying to attract elite Republican defectors to her banner, particularly in the absence of clear evidence that it is earning her rank-and-file Republican votes. And at some point progressives who hear this sort of talk and fear that Hillary Clinton really is more militaristic than Barack Obama may have a legitimate point.

One does not have to associate with any creed of exceptionalism to articulate the case that Clinton is more knowledgeable and temperamentally suited to foreign-policy leadership than her opponent. Beyond that, appeals to Republicans may be a waste of time  and misleading to Americans and others who associate super-patriotic rhetoric with bad memories of bad wars.
Is Trumps black outreach focused on that one lady in the audience, or the white folks around her? Photo: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images

Donald Trumps much-ballyhooed outreach to African-Americans doesnt seem to be doing him much good among African-Americans, who are inclined to vote for his opponent in proportions nearly matching those achieved by the first African-American president, Barack Obama.

There are a couple of reasons Trumps outreach could be not only failing but backfiring. For one thing, he is rather conspicuously conducting it via nearly all-white campaign appearances in nearly all-white communities. Yes, hes going to Detroit next weekend to attend services at a black church. But hes not risking an actual speech to the congregants there; he will instead do a one-on-one interview with the churchs televangelist minister.

But just as damaging as the medium is Trumps message itself. Its heart is familiar to those accustomed to conservative agitprop on race: Black folks are dupes for a Democratic Party that has enslaved them on a plantation where they give up their freedom and any chance at dignity or equality in exchange for the idle life of welfare beneficiaries. According to this revisionist theory, the modern welfare state is just a continuation of slavery and Jim Crow, with the Democratic Party serving as the continuous oppressor from antebellum days until now, and Republicans offering a continuous option of liberation via self-sufficiency and capitalism.

As Jamelle Bouie observes, the plantation theory may be comforting to Republicans who want to deny their partys incorporation of white racists from 1964 on, but its deeply and inherently insulting to African-Americans:

Beyond incoherent, the ideas underlying Trumps narrative are racist, full stop. If plantation theory is true, then black voters are the mindless drones of American politics. Nefarious Democrats gave them a taste of government, and they never abandoned the hand that fed them. White voters, by contrast, are active citizensnoble republicans in the best tradition of the founders. Its ironic: For as much as they disdain Democrats as the real racists, its the proponents of plantation theory who echo the arguments and propaganda of the pro-Southern, anti-emancipation Democrats of the Civil War era. The Freedmans Bureau! sang one poster from the 1866 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, advocating on behalf of Hiester Clymer and his white-supremacist platform. An agency to keep the Negro in idleness at the expense of the white man.

To put it another way, its probably not a coincidence that Trumps view of black people as lazy freedom-despising dependents living in a hellish prison built of their own pathologies happens to coincide with that of white racists everywhere, past and present. Black people do tend to notice that.

And then, of course, there is this question of the political leader who, according to the plantation theory, is the chief straw boss for the Man, the great betrayer of African-Americans: Barack Obama. Bouie puts it well:

Tens of millions of black Americans hold the president and his family in high esteem as exemplars of the black community. For them, he deserves respect regardless of your politics. And if theres anything that defines the GOP in the present age for black voters, its the outsized disrespect for Obama, from South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilsons you lie to the birther crusade pursued so vigorously by Trump and others. Black Americans see this, and they remember.

Observers who are mystified by Trumps low standing among African-Americans do not seem to grasp the deeply racist subtext of birtherism: that the first African-American president must by definition be an alien and the product of a white-hating, anti-colonialist point of view, injected into the mainstream of U.S. politics by subterfuge. That first impression of Trump as a political figure was searing and enduring for voters who are intensely proud of Obama and what he represents.

So the failure of Trumps African-American outreach so far is not very surprising; when you talk smack about people to their suspected despisers (conservative white voters) and then aggressively peddle a theory that reduces them to an easily duped collection of scary predators and helpless dependents, they do not respond well. The transparent nature of the whole exercise may even be apparent to its actual target: white voters who are made uneasy by the white identity politics Trump has so notably championed.
Airplanes were grounded on the tarmac at LAX on Sunday night after reports of gunfire in the airport terminal. Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Around 8:45 p.m. on Sunday night in Los Angeles, Brent Pope and his wife, Tressa, exited LAXs Terminal 6, when someone in a uniform began yelling at the top of his lungs to start running. And so, of course, they did.

Its crazy how quickly you go from [thoughts of] just walking, to protecting my wife and myself, Pope told me. Thats all youre thinking about.

Being outside and exposed, Popes immediate instinct was to pay attention to a bridge overpass looming above. You think of Dallas, where they had snipers shooting down at people, he said. So, lets get under an overhang, where if were being shot at were not such easy targets. The couple quickly became part of a group of about 50 people who crossed the street and ducked into a parking garage, scrambling the short walls and running from the unseen threat in that awkward half-jog motion that comes with not entirely knowing where to go, but knowing its not here. I saw people leave their bags behind, but thought, [Others] are going to see the unattended bags and itll be a whole other problem.

In the garage, they approached a group heading in the opposite direction, making their way inside to catch a flight. We were like, They told us to run, says Pope. I was like, I did my job. I told you what I know. Good luck. In an attempt to get information about what was going on, Pope checked social media and discovered vague reports about an active shooter, mentions of some dude dressed as Zorro, chatter about a ninja. Then came warnings about which terminal to avoid. I heard, its 4. Or 6. Or 7 or 8, he says. There was no real consistent  anything.

About 15 minutes later, at the edge of the airports entrance, Brent and Tressa found a fortuitous cab with just enough room to U-turn out of the airport entryway and speed away from LAX. They were safe from the danger, whatever it was. On their way home, they discovered the thing they were frantically running away from was nothing at all.

***

By now, the facts of what happened Sunday night are mostly known, yet utterly mysterious. Around 8:40 p.m. at Terminal 7, police approached a man wearing a Zorro costume with their guns drawn. The man was detained, questioned, and when it was discovered his sword was made of plastic, he was released. Around the same time, loud noises were heard. That person (or, those people) confused the noise with a gunshot, or an explosion, or some other weapon that implied impending danger. And then, someone posted on social media mention of an active shooter at the airport.

Thus began the chaos.

The LAX false-alarm stampede is the most recent example of this recent trend of false-alarm freak-outs. Two weeks ago, around 40 people were injured whenfirework noises led to a stampede at a resort on the French Riviera. A few days before that, panic overtook New Yorks JFK Airport amongst reports of an active shooter; rumor is that applause during Usain Bolts 100-meter dash in the Olympics was the loud noise that sparked the chaos. Unlike mass evacuations initiated by an external cause  a phoned-in bomb threat, someone bumping into a fire alarm  what makes these stampedes so dangerous is that theres no inciting event on which to place the blame.

Any crowd at any time has the potential to explode. It just needs the right igniter.

A loud noise is often all it takes to spook that first agitator, an important moment that well come back to in a bit. Once theyre panicked enough to shout about seeing a gun, or bomb, or whatever threat the unreliable eyewitness most definitely saw, the predictable actions of crowd mechanics take over. It doesnt matter that people are running from literally nothing once that alarm sounds.

Rumors of danger spread in waves like heat from a fire, with successive groups of bystanders catching and advancing the alarm. Fear can travel from person to person through body language alone, and that chaos is compounded by the presence of smaller groups within the crowd (say, families) who stick together despite their varying levels of mobility. Add to that the constant presence of social media, which works like a huge gust of wind, exacerbating the spread of fear to places beyond vocal range.

If crowds have room to maneuver  such as the airport scenarios so far, where no major injuries have been reported  risk of physical harm is minimal. But if space is cramped, the simple physics of our bodies take over, and crushes occur. If there are seven people per ten square feet, and if the back of the crowd does not move in sync with the front, the physical limits of the space can result in tragedy; a stampede during the 1990 Hajj pilgrimage ended with 1,426 dead.

So, why are are these happening in airports? Frankly, its an anxious space. People are nervous because theyre about to board a flight. (Twenty-five percent of Americans suffer some nervousness at the prospect.) But its also an intense environment, with metal detectors, and drug-sniffing dogs, and a constant police presence. Throw onto that emotional powder keg constant news of terrorist attacks in large crowds, and you can see why people are on edge.

Before, it was noise that one wouldnt recognize  a construction worker drops his hammer or sheet of metal, says Paul Wertheimer, founder of Crowd Management Strategies, a Los Angelesbased crowd-safety consulting service. But now, were heightened. Is it a bomb? Is it a shooting? Are we under attack?

Wertheimer knows because its his job to study crowds, a role thats placed him in a wide range of roles: testifying how Walmarts poor crowd-control measures led to deadly Black Friday stampedes, for one; throwing elbows at Iron Maiden shows to examine the inner workings of the mosh pit, for another. To Wertheimer, the LAX stampede is indicative of the training gap that management of many large spaces have when it comes to knowing how to handle crowds.

This is going to occur again, says Wertheimer. Its not a new phenomenon, not a new problem, not something thats developed since this active-shooter period were going through. The issue is less about the inciting incident that starts the pandemonium, but what to do when the growing panic begins. When the public is in danger, you may modify [an emergency evacuation process] from a fire to a shooter to a stabbing, he says, but you have to have a process.

To find out what a process like this looks like, you dont have to look far. One of the first moments that happens on a flight is the announcement of what to do in the event of an emergency, including how and where to exit. (Pay attention to the preflight safety demonstration, and you may avoid being among the 30 percent of plane-crash deaths that are avoidable.) This pre-announcement sets the table for what to do in the event of an actual emergency, during which the in-the-moment delivery of instructions is necessary.

Evacuation procedures are not simply security telling people where to go. Theres an art in delivering those directions in the midst of panic. The speed at which the message is delivered must be right, allowing the crowd to digest whats being said, while making sure it gets through to those who dont speak English. And the security personnel must be given tools to further deliver those instructions. They should have access to amplification like bullhorns or megaphones, says Wertheimer.

Its worth pointing out what a safe evacuation process doesnt look like. When I told Wertheimer about Popes story above  when he was told to run by a person in an unknown uniform  Wertheimer responded, Yelling at people is amateurish. Running, especially in a crowd, is dangerous to the person running as well as other people. Running should only be encouraged when there are no other options available.

In fact, for Wertheimer, this type of run! evacuation message during emergency situations is indicative of a more troubling trend. Fifteen years after 9/11, the country has done little to nothing about crowd safety and security, he says. Warnings have been ignored or trivialized. Training is either nonexistent or poorly executed. Educating the public about their role and options in emergencies is nonexistent. Now, were paying the price for our lack of preparedness.

These failures arent to be blamed on the crowds, he says, but rather the people that invite others to gather in a place of public assembly. Any media portrayals that view the disturbance through the frame of it being caused by bystanders is little more than victim-blaming. There is little you and I can do to protect ourselves  or our children  when we are in an unmanaged crowd that has been left to its own devices during an emergency, says Wertheimer. Those portrayals are also maddening for those who lived through the event. On the news, they were like, People were panicking because they heard a noise, Pope tells me. No, we were stampeding because police told us to run!

Focusing on airports seems wrong, as theyre not the only spaces where large groups mass; sporting events and concert venues take place in a more confined space. And laying the blame on security officials seems misplaced; their goal at the point of panic is to evacuate as many as quickly as possible, a valid act in the case of a real terrorist attack or mass shooting.

But, well, these recent cases arent real.

Rather, the cause of these false-alarm freak-outs takes us back to that initial agitation, right after someone hears an innocent noise and believes it to be danger, when they mistake fog for smoke and shout fire! Those worrywarts have always been around; thats not going to change. But whats different now is how ready everyone else is to take their lead and bolt at the first sign of trouble. Despite Americans living in an era where violent crime and murder rates are lower than they have been since 1970, enough of us have a sort of secondhand posttraumatic stress disorder that manifests in a general uneasiness among crowds; while DSM-5 doesnt consider PTSD to include indirect non-professional exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, a constant barrage of negative news stories truly do stress us out.

These false-alarm stampedes, then, are perhaps among the actual effect of 9/11, and the decade-plus of terrorist attacks, and the mass shootings, and security responses, and wall-to-wall media coverage of it all. When that first domino of composure topples, the rest of us are already primed to follow suit.
Amber Rose is the new face of Estee Lauders Flirt Cosmetics. Photo: Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Image

A few weeks ago, Amber Rose, Donald Robertson, and Estee Lauder walked into a bar. Theres no punch line for this seemingly unlikely trio  theyve all partnered to launch Lauders first social-media-powered beauty brand, Flirt. Robertson is the brands creative director, and Rose is its new face. You can see her all over the brands site demonstrating their latest launch, a staple gun for false eyelashes that helps reduce the risk of misplaced lashes. The Cut talked to Rose about shea butter, loving cheeseburgers and tacos when youre a celebrity, and Donald Trump.

What is your nighttime beauty routine?

I honestly dont do much. I use a Chanel brightening cleanser and raw African shea butter. I lather my entire body, including my scalp, from head to toe. Its a routine that Ive been doing for at least 15 years. I often tell people I have a shea-butter robe. Ill get robes from Marshalls, because raw African shea butter stains everything. Ill put the air on because it can get very hot in there.

I highly suggest it. I did it my entire pregnancy. My mother is worked up [with stretch marks] and Im her only child. I was worried because its hereditary. But I have no stretch marks. Its amazing.

To some people, you and Estee Lauder may seem like an unusual pairing. Yet at the event, you said that although you were initially surprised, you came around to it. Could you explain?

[Estee Lauder] came to my house to have a meeting, and Ive always looked at them as a conservative company. But they came for a full meeting and were like, Amber, we love you, we love your SlutWalk, your tattoos, and your bald head. I was like, What? Are you sure? They just loved my look and my feminism, my Amber Rose foundation, and my tattoos. Ive been waiting for a company to get me, and they got me. We came out with the last applicator and hopefully a few more things.

What are your favorite lipstick shades?

I love a mauve lip, a dark purple, a classic red or orange, nude, and I even like black. I like Cyber by M.A.C, and I love Ruby Woo  even though its a little dry, I still love the color. I love the red from the new M.A.C Retro Matte Lipstick Lipcolor stains. And I love Mars and 2 AM by Coloured Raine.

You put out a strong message of empowerment, owning the way you present yourself to the world. How do you think about beauty as it relates to empowerment?

Confidence and knowing who you are is power. Its hard for me to be a judge for shows like Ru Pauls Drag Race or Americas Next Top Model. I love those shows and I love watching. But Im the type of person who thinks if you feel comfortable in what you have on, then thats the beauty of it. Its about being confident, individual, and doing your own thing when it comes to beauty and makeup. It doesnt have to be a trend. Whatever makes you feel pretty. Everyone doesnt have to do the same thing.

What do you think about the beauty myth  the idea of women being forced to try and achieve an unattainable standard of beauty?

People have to realize that the supermodels we see represent 5 percent or 3 percent of women in the world. Its not realistic. Its very realistic to have cellulite and saggy boobs  its part of just being a human.

Its something I try to put out with my SlutWalk. Theres no body-shaming. And it really is very difficult. When you see these images, you think I dont look like that. Embrace the skin that you are in. If you really do want to change, put your mind to it. Try to work out and eat better. I love cheeseburgers and tacos. Those are my two favorite things. Ill probably never have the perfect body and Im okay with that. As a celebrity now, I embrace it and I embrace my curves. I have a platform to help other women embrace it as well.

Amber Rose for Flirt Cosmetics. Photo: Courtesy of Flirt Cosmetics

How do you feel without makeup?

I feel so beautiful and so pure. Its so funny, because I personally wear pounds and pounds of it because I do TV. Sometimes, it really feels good to have a fresh clean face with nothing on it besides shea butter.



I read in an interview that you said you always feel confident. Is that true?

Yeah, I do. If I wake up and Im like, Shit, this is going to be a tough day, or Im doing something Ive never done before, I talk myself out of it. I tell myself Im capable, great, and even if I mess up, I get better over time.

Even with my body, Im not getting any younger. Like I told you, I like to eat. Its my favorite thing to do. I know when I do gain weight, Im less confident. Thats when I work out and take the initiative to do things that make me feel better. And like I said, thats for me, personally. Everyone is different.

You identify as a feminist. What do you think of the saying Theres a special place in hell for women who dont help other women?

Well, I think thats a bit extreme. Everything comes with education. As a society, weve been programmed not to be feminist and put the man first  stay at home, cook, clean, and be the girl that society told us to be. You have to talk to women and they have to do whatever makes them happy. If it is that, then thats fine as well.

I mean, there are so many girls and celebrity women that wont help me with SlutWalk. Its a simple google to figure out what it is, but they dont want to take the time to do it. I think its because their husbands or boyfriends will think theyre crazy. How could you not want to help me? But I know that inevitably, hopefully, theyll come around and understand what they are doing. Its not the end. Its all about learning.

What do you think of Trumps comment that Clinton only gets support from non-hot celebrities?

Hes a fucking idiot. Hes just such an idiot. Hes so weird. I really hope hes not president.

Are you really moving to Canada if he does become president?

I doubt it. Im just stuck here. I got my baby here. Canada is way too cold. I love living in L.A.

This interview has been condensed and edited.
Photo: FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images

My girlfriend, Maya[*], grew up in Algeria. She wears Vans covered with cats, her hair is cut short, she defines herself as agnostic  she is not immediately recognizable as part of Frances North African immigrant community. Yet, her origins shape her life here. Maya and I are both foreigners in Paris, but our experience of otherness is not the same. When I tell her how much I enjoy having an American accent in French, how many liberties I feel it allows me, she tells me how important it was that she scrub her voice of her own accent. She feels ill-at-ease in large groups of what she deems the Franco-Francais, the French-French, who can never seem to remember that she eats pork and drinks wine. She tells me that because she is a good Arab, which is to say one who follows no religious restrictions, she is embraced by certain French people with a readiness she finds discomfiting, held up in their minds as a model of integration, a word I hear used far more often than equality.

Through her eyes, I struggle to understand the nuances of a racist society whose structures are completely different than my own. Recently, Frances Burkini bans  laws prohibiting women from wearing a modest wetsuit and headscarf on Frances beaches  have been the subject of fierce debate at nearly every social gathering Ive attended. A few French people told me they supported the ban on the basis that it made them uncomfortable to see such overt displays of religion on a public beach. I felt they were once again using the excuse of laicite  the French Republics founding principal of strict secularism  as a thin veil for their racism. But when Maya, who had been fiercely against banning the headscarf in Frances public schools, told me she supported these bans on the beach, I listened more closely.

Growing up, Maya could see the beach from the window of her bedroom in Algiers. It was only ten minutes away by car. Her mother had felt the first contractions of her first pregnancy on that beach. Even after winning its independence from France in 1962, Algeria retained an open, Western way of life. When Maya was young, headscarves were relatively rare, the garment of older or more rural women. But in the 90s, Algeria plunged into a violent, decadelong civil war, one that introduced the world to the terrorist tactics we are all now familiar with: mass shootings of civilians in marketplaces and bombs in airports. The terrorist revolutionaries advocated a fundamental strain of Islam, Wahhabism, which they had imported from Saudi Arabia. Women began to adopt rigidly modest dress, sometimes out of fear, sometimes out of faith, most often as a response to growing social pressure. The revolutionaries presented religion as a way of restoring their culture from the decadent influence of the West, but this radical, politicized Islam was new to Algeria  even before the French colonization in the 1830s, Algerian women had dressed in a wide variety of ways, according to their region, their personal beliefs, and their age. The growing feminist movement in Algeria, where women had fought alongside men in the war for independence, now came abruptly to a halt.

In the early 90s, Mayas family still went to the beach often. There were men there who, one could sense, refused to bring their wives, men who glared in ways that might be uncomfortable; still, families like Mayas remained in the majority. But as Mayas body changed, so did the beach. The decade progressed, and the bearded men began to outnumber the women in bathing suits, until there were none left at all. By 1997, Mayas beach became nothing more than a horizon for her, glimpsed from behind the protective bars of her fourth-floor window. Her father used his connections to get them access to the private beaches reserved for military personnel, but of these, there were only two, several hours away by car. More often, her parents took their three children on short vacations abroad  but for the rest of the four, long, scorching summer months, the beach was a place only her brother could go.

Maya grew up hearing stories  stories of how her parents had once stayed at a friends weekend home by the shore, drinking and smoking and eating, in the middle of Ramadan. Now, when her father drank wine, he wrapped the empty bottles in three huge newspapers, placed them in a plastic bag, the plastic bag in the regular trash, and drove it to a dump far away from their home.

Frances municipal beaches are not free spaces, Maya told me. There are rules to follow. You cant swim outside the buoys. You cant be naked. Theres a correct way to dress, one that allows everybody to be comfortable. I would not want to have to one day explain to my child why the woman next to us thinks that her body is so impure it requires a Burkini. These sentiments were similar to what several French friends had told me, but from Mayas mouth, I understood it better.

Imagine, Maya continued, what its like to come to France, to believe so strongly in this better world, where each persons religion is kept contained to their private lives, where you dont have to worry about your parents not coming home each time they go shopping, and to feel that the same nightmare could begin again, even here? In Mayas lifetime, Algerias neighbors underwent similar Islamic revolutions. In Egypt, in Syria, in Libya, in Tunisia  feminist movements were stopped in their tracks and replaced by a regressive fundamentalism.

But do you really think, I asked her, that something similar could ever happen in France?

Well, no, she said. But  even if its not all of Europe. Even if its just one town, just one neighborhood, just one beach. I know that in todays political climate, it isnt best for me to say openly that I support these bans. But I do. It pains me to watch the political right take possession of this subject in a way that leaves the left no other option but to defend a regressive garment.

Maya feels the way the debate has been framed leaves no room to critique the dangers of extremist Islam. As an American, I can neither shake my belief that religious freedoms should not be restricted, nor my belief that the French impose these rules out of xenophobia rather than out of concern for womens rights. But I understand Mayas point of view  a necessary and nuanced discussion of racism in this country is being polarized into two extremes, one that leaves the left and the larger, moderate Muslim community no choice but to align themselves with those who believe women must be hidden from sight.

There are so many other conversations we could be having. Why not talk about how hard it is to get a job when you have an Arabic name? Why not talk about how public schools refuse to serve lunches that are Halal? Or how difficult they make it to learn Arabic? Or how France refuses the construction of new mosques? The headscarf is not one of the five fundaments of Islam. Those who insist on wearing it belong to a particular strain of the religion; one we need to allow ourselves to question. And nothing obliges these women to go to the beach. When they go in their Burkinis, its political. Theyre demanding respect. And they didnt respect me, when I wanted to swim in my bathing suit.

In Mayas ideal world, sections of Frances public, un-lifeguarded beaches would be reserved for those who wished to bathe in Burkinis, the same way they are for nudists. And even more ideally, she continued, the nudist beaches and the Burkini beaches would be next to each other.



[*] Her name has been changed.
Photo: Craig Sjodin/ABC

Last night, we learned that Nick Viall  the twice-dumped, three-time Bachelor franchise contestant  beat out our old friends, metrosexual Will Forte, bargain-basement Calvin Harris, and Nicholas Sparks stock cowboy, for the coveted role of Bachelor on the upcoming season of the long-running reality dating show.



Nicks anointment is being billed as an exciting shakeup, given that the show usually picks one of the runner-ups from the previous season. Its also being positioned as a heartwarming redemption story. As you may recall, Nick called out Bachelorette Andi Dorfman for having sex with him at the After the Final Rose ceremony (If you werent in love with me, Im just not sure why you made love with me, he told her, saying she led him on with fiance-type stuff), setting off a wave of (admittedly problematic) slut-shaming accusations and establishing him as a franchise villain. He came back again to woo Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe, where he was rejected again after a season spent beefing with eventual winner Sean. But after a redeeming stint on Bachelor in Paradise (not hard, given how awful everyone else on that godforsaken island is), good ol Nick V. is being given another shot at love.



He has just become that perennial second-place guy who wants to find love and is as sincere, if not more sincere, than anybody about finding it, host Chris Harrison told People. Its about giving him his chance to find love. Who deserves it more than him?



We just were talking and thought, You know what, this makes so much sense. Why arent we doing this? Harrison continued. The good thing is, with our casting, theres no rules. Theres no rules that say we cant use somebody thats been on the show or hasnt been on the show or whatever.



The weird thing, though, is that ABC is pretty willing to invoke the rules when it suits them; namely, whenever anyone suggests introducing even a smidgen of diversity into the franchise. Heres what ABC president Channing Dungey said when asked about the possibility of finally getting a nonwhite Bachelor on the show. Part of what ends up happening as we go along is there just arent as many candidates that [get to the end and could end up in] the role of the next Bachelor or Bachelorette, she told a crowd at TCA. Basically: Since the show always picks the suitor from from the pool of runners-up, a nonwhite contestant would have to get far enough as a contestant in order to then be considered for the title slot. The show has been very much in a cycle where the first runner-up in one cycle becomes the person who leads the next cycle, she continued. And its worked very well for us because the audience feels really engaged in helping to choose that candidate.



Sure  whatever. The fact is, The Bachelor is a franchise that thrives on shakeups and twists and surprises while still being deeply committed to enforcing the status quo, spoon-feeding people the same confection theyve been ingesting for years. It reminds me of the shakeup that happened two season ago, when Chris Harrison announced that there would be two Bachelorettes  Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson  instead of one, and that the men would get to vote on who stayed. What was billed as a fresh twist on the format was actually well in keeping with the shows consistently backwards-looking gender politics, serving only to deprive the prospective Bachelorette of the limited agency she has on what is supposed to be the franchises feminist corollary.



Nick is being billed as a surprising choice, but having seen his dopey face on TV basically nonstop since spring 2014, is it really surprising to see him back at it again? There is nothing The Bachelor franchise likes more than bringing back people from earlier seasons (see you soon, Chad!) particularly if they can package the return as some sort of redemption narrative. And bringing back people who have willingly forsaken their lives to become recurring characters on this series, like Nick has  in series parlance, contestants who are here for the wrong reasons  continues to suck any last shred of authenticity out of a show whose success relies on at least pretending to have authentic emotions at its core.



The upside to Nick, I guess, is that he is actually willing to address sex  even if he doesnt talk about it very well  while almost everyone else on this series continues to pretend it doesnt exist. So even if theres no hope for the shows racial politics, maybe, just maybe, a Nick-led season could continue to advance the way we talk about hooking up on the franchise. To his credit, Nick supported Kaitlyn, The Bachelorettes very own Katniss Everdeen, when she was publicly shamed for being open about her sex life, tweeting that sex is not shameful and both men and women have an equal right to have sex without judgement. Its hardly a battle cry for the revolution, but its a start.


the helicopter people are okay thought right?



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Hopefully the guy got some snacks and a comfortable chair, and who cares about Lisette tbh

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Don't forget Carol, she ain't shit.

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finally

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i'm trying not to get too excited about this because even if he is guilty, there still a huge chance they'll be like lol here's another three months of probation.

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pretty much

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I searched Chris Brown on Twitter earlier and couldn't believe how many people were pissed, and turning this into a race issue.



He has assaulted a handful of woman, and most aren't white. He's a punk and woman beater. I'm glad he's finally getting what he deserves. People should not be defending him anymore. This is not what Black Lives Matter is about.

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yes but all those women are liars according to them and rihanna provoked him and forgave him so it's okay~~~~

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A lot of people were saying shit like, "this is what you get for hanging out with white bitches" like???????

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I've never seen him hanging out with white women. That makes no sense.

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people reaalllly gotta stop with this "i can use the word white infront of woman or gendered slur to mask my misogyny".

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The WoC he's victimized are just wenches brainwashed and planted by white supremacists out to take down a talented black man. /Twitter

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I couldn't agree more

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Someone told me that I needed to be quiet because I don't know him. I told her that by that logic, so should she.



There's only one thing I don't buy, and that's the whole 'he pulled a gun because I looked at some jewelry.'

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What a piece of shit

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when is his team gonna drop him and see he's never gonna change?

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i think the better question is, when will his fans?

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When do teams ever drop their acts for being pieces of shit? If money is involved, everyone turns a blind eye to the fuckery.

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He still makes his team money why would they drop him

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Mike G, his manager, dropped him after Chris assaulted him. Chris's publicist also dropped him after he texted her calling her a do nothing bitch and other gross things. His tour manager dropped him after he threatened to beat her up like he did to Mike G.



I think the only person who's still with him is the attorney who was on the scene with him

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Because he makes money. When he was blacklisted by labels and radio, he didn't hesitate to do everything independently.

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when he doesn't pay them , so basically when his fans give up on him he is done

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Lock him up, throw away the key.

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"Chernobyl" his ass! Put him in a cell and pour concrete all around it.

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"What a time...to be alive" - Drake

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damn man. he needs some serious help. this is some cosmic karma too. not excusing anything he's done.

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Brown took to social media claiming he was being painted as a victim.



Wait, what?

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and unforch. people believe that shit.

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this sentence doesn't make sense

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Lol look at his Instagram. He said black lives matter. Like, how dare he conflate this nonsense with the BLM movement

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I know he's trying to make himself out to be a victim. That sentence implies that he's complaining about being painted as a victim by others (which makes no sense), so I'm wondering if that's a typo.

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He is seriously trying to hijack the BLM movement?! He is even more disgusting than I thought he was. And that speaks VOLUMES.

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sad. shame on him

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He also talked about farts a lot. Seriously. It was interesting.

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i think they meant villain

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People always think they're the good guy.

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I think it ended, but California laws are still pretty strict about gun possession. Felons are banned for life from gun ownership and people found guilty of certain violent misdemeanours are banned for ten years. He could get in serious trouble. Fingers crossed!

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and don't forget about the drugs!

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Brown took to social media claiming he was being painted as a victim.

But wouldn't he want to be painted as the victim of someone making up lies? and not the offender of what she is claiming?

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I think OP just mistyped, source says "unfairly portrayed as a villain."

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So she unknowingly saw something not too legal going down and he got paranoid and pulled a gun on her basically.

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Yeah that's what it sounds like. Unless the NDA was just about him pointing a gun.

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Did that helicopter ever crash or....

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nah, they left just in time and finally got their snacks...bless.

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What kind of snacks tho

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snacks being apart of any party/birthday are the determining factor if i'm going tbqh.

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The 20 (4) Most Anticipated Films Of The 2016 Venice Film Festival

USA, 115Suki Waterhouse, Jason Momoa, Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, Giovanni Ribisi, Jim Carrey, Diego LunaA romance with a cannibalistic element to it from the director of, the eclectic cast plus the promise shown in the directors previous film makes this one to watch out for.USA, Chile, 95Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, John HurtFocusing on the four-day period before and immediately following the assassination of her JFK, this is one of the few films with end of year awards potential coming from the more traditionally off beat Venice. Star Natalie Portman claims the film reveals how much the former First Lady helped shape JFKs legacy: He was in office such a short time and didnt really have time to accomplish much. But many Americans still call him their favorite president. And that was largely [due to] her storytelling. She invented Camelot.USA, 127Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, J.K. Simmons, Finn WittrockAlready amassing quite a bit of hype from its trailers, this one opened the festival to pretty ecstatic reviews so far, as seen in this previous post USA, 115Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Laura LinneyTom Ford turned quite a few heads with his previous film, A Single Man, establishing himself as a director with an eye for beautifully composed shots - his follow up, the seemingly more ambitious Nocturnal Animals delivers a stacked cast and centers on an art gallery owner (Adams) who is haunted by her ex-husbands (Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent thriller
The oil industry only discovered about 2.7 billion barrels of new supply in 2015, a tiny fraction of the annual average for the past fifty years. The dismal result was one of the worst performances from the oil industry in decades. 2016 could be even worse.

The 2015 figure is about one tenth of the annual average dating all the way back to 1960, according to Wood Mackenzie. Shockingly, 2015 saw the least amount of oil discovered in a calendar year since 1947. But with the massive spending cuts extending into 2016, this year the industry is on track to discover even lower volumes. As of the end of July, the global oil industry has only reported 736 million barrels of new oil discovered.

Of course, with oil prices trading at less than $50 per barrel, many of the oil fields around the world that have yet to be explored are not economically viable. New discoveries are at rock bottom, Nils-Henrik Bjurstroem, a senior project manager Rystad Energy AS, told Bloomberg. Rystad Energy published similar findings earlier this year, concluding that 2015 was the worst year for new oil discoveries in over sixty years. There will definitely be a strong impact on oil and gas supply, and especially oil.

In another damming statistic from Rystad Energy, the oil industry is very far from even replacing the oil that they are currently producing: in 2016, only about one barrel out of every 20 barrels consumed will be replaced with new discoveries.

The shortfall in upstream investment could be a presage of a supply crunch somewhere down the line. The oil industry has slashed about $1 trillion in investment for the period between 2015 and 2020, Wood Mackenzie said a few months ago.

The supply gap will only grow over time as demand continues to rise. The EIA expects oil demand to expand to 105 million barrels per day (mb/d) by 2026, up from just 94.8 mb/d this year. Obviously, forecasts that far out are inevitably off the mark, but the estimate at least gives the sense of the problem. If demand continues to increase by more than 1 mb/d annually, as it has for a long time, the oil markets could quickly swing from supply glut to a deficit. Bank of America Merrill Lynch already predicts a deficit next year of about 800,000 barrels per day.

Normally, a supply deficit would lead to higher prices, which would incentivize companies to bring supply back online and balance the market. But large-scale drilling in deepwater  the types of projects that have been scrapped during the oil price downturn  take many years to develop. Projects cancelled over the past few years would not have come online until the end of the decade at the earliest. The pain is not being felt all that much today, but will only start to bite in the future. Krisitin Faeroevik of Stockholm-based Lundin Petroleum told Bloomberg that it will take five to eight years probably before we see the impact of todays cancellations. Related: The Magic Number For Oil Bulls Remains In Sight

Estimates vary, but some say supply could fall short by about 4 mb/d by 2018-2020 compared to previous estimates from 2014. For an oil market only suffering from a surplus of less than 1 mb/d currently  and only as much as about 2.5 mb/d at its worst  a supply drop off of that magnitude could be enormous. Sure, crude oil and refined product inventories will take time to get worked off, but once that buffer is gone, the global economy could find itself a little short on crude oil. Prices would subsequently spike because the projects that have been cancelled wont come back online at a moments notice.

Of course, this all assumes that demand will inevitably rise at the consistent pace of 1 mb/d per year or so. While oil demand has consistently increased practically every year for the past century, leaving aside economic recessions, the future is not as certain  the oil market is starting to see the outlines of an existential crisis. Electric vehicles and renewable energy are starting to take a bite out of oils market share. And the EV revolution could cripple the oil industry sooner than many think.

If EVs permanently cut into oil demand, that would head off the oil price spike that is in the offing because of the supply cuts. But if EVs fall short and oil demand continues to rise, the massive cutbacks in drilling will mean that the oil industry will be unable to keep up in a few years time.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Russia still has supremacy over Central and Eastern Europe, especially over its crude oil market. However, Middle-East countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran, have recently entered this traditional Russian trade because every oil producing country is searching for new markets and bigger market share regardless of the price.

Last year, oil from the Saudi Kingdom arrived in Poland for the first time, and in August this year Iranian crude came back to the Polish market after being absent for a couple of years. Hungary, the second biggest export destination for Russian oil in the region, has increased the import of fuel from Iraqi Kurdistan, while Ukraine, the greatest adversary of Russia, is trying to become the gate to Eastern and Central Europe for National Iranian Oil Company. It appears that the energy supply security has increased in the region, but will oil from the Middle East be a real secure alternative to the Russian Urals oil?

This summer Iranians shipped 2 million barrels of oil to Poland. The August arrival of the supertanker Atlantas to the Polish port in Gda?sk was greeted as a political game-changer, just like the Aprils opening of the new oil Terminal Naftowy PERN. Polish and German refineries depend on Russian oil coming mainly through a pipeline from Russia. The Naftowy PERN Gda?sk Terminal allows Poland to import oil from other countries if oil supplies from Russia are disrupted.

The diversification of energy supply sources has always been the main topic in the political discourse in Central-Eastern Europe and the arrival of oil from the Middle-East to Poland is important news. However, there are some conditions without which the import of Saudi or Iranian oil could not be possible; that may not last forever.

First, the oil price is still low, as oil in storage is at record highs, every producer is trying to dump as much oil as possible into the market. Iranians are said to sell their crude at half the price of their competitors in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Second, the cost of shipping is extremely low nowadays. If shipping prices increase and the export of crude oil from Iran or other Middle-East countries to the Baltic Sea stop being profitable, Poland will still be dependent on Russian oil supply.

Even under current favorable market conditions, Central and Eastern Europe energy diversification is hard to achieve: The National Iranian Oil Company has already rejected Hungarys MOL refinery request to deliver light crude oil, as Iran is not ready () at the moment. Related: Yemeni Rebels Claim Unconfirmed Second Strike On Saudi Aramco Oil Facilities

The political situation in the Middle East is still escalating. Energy exposure to Iraq and Iran adds new uncertainties to Polands energy security.

The transport of oil by sea has always been riskier than by pipeline. Even if Ukraine and Iran reach an agreement regarding the usage of the Ukrainian pipeline infrastructure, the oil still has to be shipped to the port in Odessa through Bosphorus (Turkey) and the Strait of Hormuz, which remains a flashpoint between the U.S. and Iran. Is it reasonable to claim that the supply by sea from the unstable Middle East is more secure than delivery by the Druzhba pipeline from an unfriendly but still business-oriented Russia? Maybe for Ukraine

The Baltic Sea has its limits, too. The supply of 2 million barrels of Iranian oil to Gdansk is enough for only 3 to 4 days of Polish oil consumption. Two million barrels is a massive sea delivery for Poland. However, to achieve this, the Atlantas had to travel 22 thousand kilometres (half of the length of the equator), going around the Horn of Africa. Because of natural conditions in the Danish straits, 700 thousand barrels had to be reloaded into a second tanker Calidy. Therefore, a permanent sea bound supply of large volumes of crude to Gdansk seems a mirage.

However, Iranian oil in Gda?sk is a signal to Russia, and they should be concerned, as they were last year when Poland received its first oil supply from Saudi Arabia. Oil exports make up 50 percent of the Russian federal budget, and Poland is the fifth biggest destination for Russian oil, after China, Germany, the Netherlands and Belarus. Rosneft has long-term contracts for the oil supply with Polish refineries PKN Orlen and Lotos S.A., but Saudi Aramco signed the first ever long-term deal with PKN Orlen for oil delivery to Poland, Czech Republic and Lithuania. Before the signing of this contract last April, Saudis and Poles had only arranged spot contracts. Related: The Magic Number For Oil Bulls Remains In Sight

The cooperation with Saudi Aramco has a better prospect than the agreement with Iran for geopolitical reasons: the government in Warsaw may prefer to support the U.S. ally House of Saud or may be forced to do so. Importing oil from the Middle East is important for Central-Eastern Europe because it provides an alternative to the Urals and enhances the negotiating position with Russia. But in reality, the Russian share in oil delivery to these countries will drop by only few percent.

By GEFIRA

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
In research there is evolution, revolution and sometimes, what I call retro revolution, which happens when old methods have new applications. All three are in play in the world of electricity, and they are having an extraordinary effect on energy storage.

The inability to store electricity has been a challenge since the time of Thomas Edison. Electricity is made and used in real time, putting huge pressure on utilities at particular times of the day. For much of the East Coast in summer, for example, the peak is in the evening, when people come home from work or play, crank up the air conditioning, flip on the lights, the TV and start cooking. In many cities, the subways operate at peak and the electricity supply is stretched.

Traditionally, there have been two ways to deal with this. One is that utilities have some plant on standby, in what is called spinning reserve, or they have gas turbines ready to fire up.

Solar and wind power, an increasing source of new generation, have made the need to store and retrieve power quickly more critical. The sun sets too early and the wind blows willy-nilly. Also the quality of the power reaching the grid varies in seconds, necessitating a quick response to ease supply or increase it.

Until now, the best way to store large amounts of electricity -- it is never really stored, but has to be generated afresh -- is known as pump storage. This occurs when water is pumped up a hill during low demand times, at night and early in the morning, and released through generators to make new electricity during peaks.

It has gotten harder and harder to get permission to install new pumped storage because the best locations are often in scenic places. In 1962, Consolidated Edison Company proposed building a pump storage facility on the Hudson River at Storm King Mountain near Cornwall, NY. After 17 years of environmental opposition, it gave up. Related: Colorado Drillers See Share Prices Spike As Anti-Fracking Campaign Falters

Now battery technology has reached a point where utilities are installing banks of lithium-ion batteries to help with peak demand. They also play an important part in smoothing out the variable nature of alternative energy.

Batteries are not the only play, but because Mr. Battery, entrepreneur Elon Musk, is a showman, they tend to get more public attention.

Other mechanical methods hold as much promise and some dangers. One is flywheels, which would be wound up at night and would release power when needed. It is an old concept, but one that has new proponents -- although there are concerns about when things go wrong and that super-energetic device flies apart. What happens if it gets loose and goes to town? asks a wag.

Another method is compressed air in underground vaults. Natural gas already is compressed routinely for storage. The technology exists, but the compression would have to be many times greater for air, and there are concerns about the impact of this air bomb. Related: Ambitious Nuclear Expansion Is Causing Problems For China

Yet another method involves a column of water with a heavy, concrete weight pressing down on it.

My own favorite -- and one likely to appeal to many because of its safety and mechanical efficiency -- is an electric train that stores energy by running up a track and then down to generate power. A Santa Barbara, Calif. company, Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES), is planning to run a special train 3,000 feet up a mountain track in Pahrump, Nev., and then have the train come down the mountain, making electricity as it does so. They plan to use hopper cars loaded with rock or other heavy objects. The Economist magazine has dubbed it the Sisyphus Railroad.

The train will go up or down the track depending on the needs of the California grid to which it will be linked. The developers claim an incredible 85-percent efficiency, according to Francesca Cava, an ARES spokeswoman. Thats what you get with steel wheels on steel track, she says.

The company has received Bureau of Land Management approval for its 5.5-mile track, and construction of the energy train starts next year. All aboard the Voltage Express making stops at Solar Junction, Wind Crossing and Heavy Goods Terminal. Choo-choo! Back to the future.

By Llewellyn King for Oilprice.com

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I returned from an unexpectedly-extended trip in the Zambian Copperbelt to find that one of the years most-anticipated oil and gas happenings is nearly upon us.

Thats the award of new petroleum projects in Iran, with the government saying yesterday that it is nearly ready to start handing out licenses under a brand new fiscal structure for the country.

Local news sources quoted Ali Kardor, managing director of state-owned National Iranian Oil Co., as saying that Irans new contracts are now ready to go, with Kardor adding that the government will issue tenders for several oil and gas fields during the week of October 15.

The details on the fields to be offered should be available even sooner than that. With Kardor saying that letters describing the available areas will be sent to international oil companies starting September 3.

Officials have indicated that one of the prizes from this bid round will be the South Azadegan oil field. A proven project that Iranian authorities claim could host over 5 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

Up until now, production from South Azadegan has held at around 50,000 barrels per day. A mark that the Iran government claims can be increased to as much as 600,000 b/d through a development program in concert with foreign investment.

The project however, has already failed to gain traction under joint ventures with both Japanese and Chinese backers. Raising the question of which companies might bid for the field as part of the upcoming licensing round. Related: Yemeni Rebels Claim Unconfirmed Second Strike On Saudi Aramco Oil Facilities

Equally interesting will be to see the exact terms Iranian officials will offer to foreign companies here, with there having been a lot of speculation about details on the countrys new contract model  but few concrete numbers released yet.

In fact, its not clear if Iranian officials actually know the details yet. Managing director Kardor told the press that the new contract model had been approved by Irans national cabinet in recent days. He also added that the framework for the new model is still to be worked out.

All of which makes this a potential down-to-the-wire race to get these deals done. Watch over the next six weeks to see if the government can do it, and what the terms might be. If they can pull it off, watch for the identities of the winning bidders  which will reportedly be determined before the end of the year.

Heres to getting er done,

By Dave Forest

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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Tuesday that the country would support a freeze in oil production during the next meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in September.

We are with freezing production at the OPEC meeting," he told reporters at a news conference in Baghdad.

The 12 OPEC members will meet informally in Algiers at the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF).



The meeting will be newly minted Oil Minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibis first IEF event representing Iraq.

Iraq is the second largest oil producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the trade cartel.

Al-Luaibi called on international firms operating in Iraq to ramp up production in order to boost national revenue, according to an email obtained by Bloomberg last week.

Any ramp-up in production before the meeting would give Iraq leverage to freeze output at a higher production level during the OPEC summit. The nations oil production has been slowly declining since the beginning of this year.

(Click to enlarge)

Iraqs production rate peaked at 4.51 million barrels per day in January 2016 - a month before barrel prices crashed to $26.21. Last month, Iraqi fields generated 4.36 million barrels a day.

The Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have been embroiled in an oil war against each other and against the Islamic State. With the latest victories being around the town of Qayarrah, where ISIS has flooded the streets with crude oil in an attempt to slow down Iraqi troops. Related: Why Wall Street Is Throwing Billions At The Permian

Qayyaras oil fields have already been captured late last week, and Iraqi forces are now trying to complete an offensive to recapture nearby Mosul  the largest city still under ISIS control  in the coming weeks.

Baghdad and the KRG have been at odds over the terms of oil revenue-sharing deal that would allow the unilateral export of oil from Iraq. Currently, Kurdistan exports approximately 500,000 barrels per day of oil via Turkey, to Baghdads dismay.

While Iraq may have decided to freeze its oil output for now, it will no doubt continue to pursue its ambitious target of 6 million barrels per day in 2020. A goal that seems out of reach for OPECs no.2 that continues to struggle to pay the international oil companies it works with while fighting out a war with ISIS.

By Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com

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The Bureau of Land Management faces a problem and wants to shake up the rules around wind farm approvals. The problem is straight-forward on its face, but difficult to reconcile logically: Why are so few new large-scale wind projects being built? Despite the fact that nearly everyone  environmentalists, government regulators, and business interests wants to build more wind farms, precious few are making it over the goal line.

Since 2009, the Obama Administration has approved 46 wind farm projects that would cover a proposed 216,356 acres of public land. Yet only 15 of these 46 projects have made it into operation. The rest are stuck in limbo with years of mandatory environmental analysis ahead or have been cancelled outright.

Against this backdrop, it is little wonder that renewables are still only a tiny fraction of total power output. The Power Company of Wyoming exemplifies exactly this issue with its massive 1,000 turbine windfarm still waiting for construction to begin almost a decade after it was proposed and with $50 million in administrative costs sunk into the project.

The BLMs solution to this issue is to change the way it deals with land allocation. Essentially the government has two methods for dealing with private use of public land: first-come, first-served, and competitive bidding. The former method is used for cases like power line right of ways and engineered ditches. The latter is used for natural resource leases like oil and gas rights. Currently, wind farms operate on the former system. The BLM is proposing to switch to leasing windfarm acreage under the latter system as it does with O&G properties.

Essentially, the BLM believes this will speed up the process of building windfarms because it can pre-select areas most likely to get a quick environmental project approval and then auction off those properties in a competitive process. In theory, that may speed up the process, but it also means that the lease tracts will cost significantly more, which in turn will likely lead to fewer project proposals in the first place.

The proposed new rules virtually guarantee more revenue for the government, assuming that agreeable tracts can be found to build wind farms on. Part of the problem with renewable projects have consistently been a NIMBY attitude. Nearly everyone likes the idea of renewable solar and wind farms, as long as they are located somewhere else. Local environmentalists have consistently risen up time and again to protest about new local area renewables projects despoiling local views or hurting local frogs, turtles, bugs, and birds. Related: Proving Them Wrong: How The U.S. Oil And Gas Industry Survived

The BLM system can only address that to a degree  in order to actually auction off tracts of land for lease, regulators must identify which tracts they are willing to see renewable energy farms built upon. Thus far, the BLM has identified 19 proposed tracts for solar power, but none for wind.

Environmentalists are generally supportive of the new rules from the BLM as those rules would theoretically identify the least objectionable areas for development. By contrast, the industry is predictably against the new rules given the increase in costs associated with those rules. Its unclear what the eventual rule will be, but with only 15 of 46 approved wind farms actually making it into operation in the last 7 years, it is clear that the current system is not working.

The alternative to the BLM system is instead what many wind power producers appear to be banking on  wind power development is increasingly being done on existing private lands like farms which have wind open space and are likely to face far fewer environmental hurdles. It is possible then that the BLM is building a system and no one will come to use it. Only time will tell.

By Michael McDonald of Oilprice.com

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The Libyan navy on 17 August fired shots against a rescue boat run by Medicines Sans Frontieres (MSF), which they mistook for oil smugglers, according to the Libyan Gazette on Wednesday.

The boat was spotted in international waters and its known to be an oil smuggling route, so thats why our coastal guards had to intercept it but the crew tried to flee to the north, said Libya navy spokesperson Ayoub Qassem on Tuesday.

Qassem claimed a naval patrol boat issued a call to the crew of the MSFs boat, the Bourbon Argos, but no response was given. In addition, he noted that the boat used for MSF rescue missions between Libya and Europe was changing routes when the navy intercepted it.

The guards shot in the air to warn them but because our boat is small and was swaying due to heavy waves there might have been a hit to their boat. I confirm that it was not directly targeted, Qassem mentioned.

An MSF statement issued on 20 August alleged that the humanitarian group was unaware of the Bourbon Argos being shot at and boarded until it was mentioned ten days later in the Libyan press.

MSF alleged the Bourbon Argos was some twenty-four nautical miles from the Libyan coast when it received gunfire and was subsequently boarded by armed men for approximately an hour. No migrants were on the vessel at the time of the incident, MSF noted.

MSF is currently engaging with the Libyan authorities in order to clarify what happened exactly during the incident and to ensure that similar events, that can put people in physical danger, do not occur in the future, the groups communique read.

According to The Wall Street Journal last March, officials in Libya and Western nations have attempted to crackdown on oil smuggling from the North African state. They believe eliminating routes used for the smuggling of oil can also hurt human trafficking networks that transport migrants from Libya to European countries.

By Erwin Cifuentes for Oilprice.com

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Two renowned oil industry experts from Scotland have vigorously criticized Shells plans to leave major parts of four platforms in the Brent field standing when it decommissions the aged field that gave the name to the most widely used international price benchmark.

Professors Alex Russell and Peter Strachan, respectively chairman of the Scottish Oil Association and researcher at the Robert Gordon University, noted in a paper that the concrete structures will take hundreds of years to disintegrate and represent a potential hazard that local people will have to pay for, rather than the field operator.

The structures in question include platform legs  gravity-base structures  and the storage cells located within them. The storage cells serve to collect water and other fluids produced in the process of oil and gas extraction. The authors of the report, however, acknowledge that Shell has made the effort to clean the cells as best as possible.

The international oil major will start the decommissioning of the Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta platforms after it gets the official go-ahead from the UK government. Specific plans for the decommissioning procedure should be filed with the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department by the end of the yearanother point of contention for the two experts.

According to Russell and Strachan, the decision about the decommissioning of the Brent field should depend on the approval of the Scottish government, not just the central government in London. Also, the decommissioning of the platforms should take place in Scotland, as close to Brent as possible, rather than anywhere else, as the future decommissioning of topsides being undertaken outside Scotland smacks of rubbing salt into the wound.

The papers authors also caution against the effect that a decision in favor of leaving the GBSs in place would have on the overall policy of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, or OSPAR.

OSPAR is the authority that will make the ultimate decision about the Brent decommissioning, and as Shell has pointed out, it has already granted other offshore platform operators approval for leaving GBSs in place after the decommissioning of the platform to which they belong. Russell and Strachan argue that this kind of approval turns its own policy on its head, with the exception becoming the norm.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Reprinted from The Nation



Arizona voters experienced long lines at the polls Tuesday, leaving many people discouraged from voting.

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The uneven and unequal electoral structures of the United States -- which allow local officials to set different standards for voting from jurisdiction to jurisdiction -- have long been understood as a disaster waiting to happen.

In Arizona, on March 22, it happened.

Because of one local official's stunning missteps and misdeeds, the state's presidential primary voting turned into a fiasco.

Voters in Arizona's largest county waited as long as five hours to cast votes. Polling places ran out of ballots. Television networks began calling primaries for front-runners (Donald Trump for the Republicans, Hillary Clinton for the Democrats) as voters were still waiting outside polling places. Voters who stuck it out actually found themselves casting ballots on the day after the election.

"It's a national disgrace that people have to wait hours to cast a vote in any election," declared Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, whose name was on the primary ballot that day.

The state's largest newspaper headlined an editorial on the fiasco: "A five-hour wait to vote in Arizona primary? That's shameful."

Shameful it was.

Yet the official who was responsible for the mess, Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell, essentially said "oops" and refused to resign. The presumption on the part of many was that she would be above or beyond accountability.

That presumption may turn out to have been wrong, however.

Purcell is a Republican elected official. On Tuesday she faced her own reelection primary. And early Wednesday morning, The Arizona Republic reported that...

"Aaron Flannery, a human-resources consultant who campaigned on a promise to bring a 'fresh pair of eyes' to the office, held a razor's-edge lead over Purcell early Wednesday morning after trailing by an equally slim margin through much of Tuesday night."

Flannery, who ran a low-key and strikingly gracious campaign, was ahead by just 300 votes out of more than 250,000 cast. Thousands of early ballots and provisional ballots still must be counted. That will take several days. And if the race remains this close, a recount will be required. (A spokeswoman said Purcell would not be involved in the process, though it would be conducted by her office.)

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This article was sparked by the editorial and writing brilliance of Dave Lindorf, who also submits articles on OEN. Dave wrote a fantastic and insightful article, "Hard to Believe People Can Write Such Crap: The Dumbed Down NY Times Columnist."

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Hard-believe-people-can-wr-by-Dave-Lindorff-Corporate-Media_Crimea_Ignorance_New-York-Times-160830-328.html#comment615618

Is this true to you: "A dumbed down New York press?" Does New York reflect a dumbed down culture in general? How about the majority of the United States citizenry? Are we as humans going backwards and not evolving? I believe so. Thus I am taking Dave's thesis further.

Why do you think the Bush era brought forth the "No Child Left Behind" act by ordering standardized tests and teaching requirements? Independent thinking and study by both students and teachers was sacrificed to standardized indoctrination. Enforced standardization kills diversity in thought and thus discourages creativity.

It's a "dumbing down" of the population. God forbid someone should learn something that deviates from the "approved" curriculum.

In Nature, diversity is one with unity. Thus our Nation's motto states "E Pluribus Unim", meaning diversity (pluribus) within unity (unim). Ever walked in the woods? Have you noticed different parts of the woods have microclimates? Don't the various animals, climates etc. reflect this "E Pluribus Unim"? Could "E Pluribus Unim" be the mindset we need to kindle to allow evolution?

How has our current dumbed down population come into being? How did we ever get a Trump for a potential president? Are we "trumping" and trampling potential evolution? Meanwhile, what kind of intelligence is going to vote for the man? You answer that one. I am assuming you are not Trump oriented if you're reading OEN.

George Bush JR came around with the brilliant idea of increasing standardized testing while fostering the "No Child Left Behind Act." One article on Wikipedia states the goal of this "No Child Left Behind Act" is:

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Reprinted from Mike Malloy Website



Brock Turner

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As students return to college this semester, it might be a good time to revisit the Stanford rapist Brock Turner, who was just released from prison a mere 90 days after his already appallingly brief six-month sentence. You remember Brock, he raped the unconscious girl behind a dumpster and molested her so severely they had to dislodge pine needles and debris from her vagina. Brock only stopped his assault when confronted by two grad students passing by, who were shaking and sobbing when they reported the horror they witnessed to the police.

Brock first denied the rape, then said the sex was consensual. Finally, he faced three sexual assault charges with penalties totaling 14 years in prison, but judge Aaron Persky gave the former swimming star a slap on the wrist, his heart softened by Brock's father Dan Turner's lament that his son didn't even enjoy eating ribeye steak anymore, since his arrest, and that a jail term seems awfully severe for "20 minutes of action" in his 20-years of life.

Lucky for Brock the good Samaritans interrupted his assault before it reached an hour, or left the victim for dead.

20 minutes of action. Rape is not an "action," Dan, like walking, talking, or swimming. Rape is an act of unspeakable violence that leaves permanent emotional and often physical scars. Sadly, Daddy's callous attitude is not that unusual anymore. Our culture has become so accepting of violence -- gun violence, police violence, sexual violence -- it's not difficult to believe that Brock's daddy really believed that his son was the true victim here.

The rape victim also made a statement to judge Persky. So the judge had two entreaties to weigh against each other. Let's take a look at some of the impact statements in those two missives. Here the victim describes waking up on a hospital gurney with no memory of how she arrived there:

"I was shuffled from room to room with a blanket wrapped around me, pine needles trailing behind me, I left a little pile in every room I sat in. I was asked to sign papers that said 'Rape Victim' and I thought something has really happened. My clothes were confiscated and I stood naked while the nurses held a ruler to various abrasions on my body and photographed them. The three of us worked to comb the pine needles out of my hair, six hands to fill one paper bag. To calm me down, they said it's just the flora and fauna, flora and fauna. I had multiple swabs inserted into my vagina and anus, needles for shots, pills, had a Nikon pointed right into my spread legs. I had long, pointed beaks inside me and had my vagina smeared with cold, blue paint to check for abrasions. "After a few hours of this, they let me shower. I stood there examining my body beneath the stream of water and decided, I don't want my body anymore. I was terrified of it, I didn't know what had been in it, if it had been contaminated, who had touched it. I wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else. "On that morning, all that I was told was that I had been found behind a dumpster, potentially penetrated by a stranger, and that I should get retested for HIV because results don't always show up immediately. But for now, I should go home and get back to my normal life."

And here is an excerpt from Dan Turner:

"I am writing this letter to tell you about my son Brock and the person that I know he is. First of all, let me say that Brock is absolutely devastated by the events of January 17th and 18th 2015. He would do anything to turn back the hands of time and have that night to do over again. In many one-on-one conversations with Brock since that day, I can tell you that he is truly sorry for what occurred that night and for all the pain and suffering that it has caused for all of those involved and impacted by that night. He has expressed true remorse for his actions on that night. Living under that same roof with Brock since this incident, I can tell you firsthand the devastating impact that it has had on my son. Before I elaborate more, I would like to share some memories of my son that demonstrate the quality of his character. "Brock has an easygoing personality that endears him to almost everyone he meets. He has always been a person that people like to be around whether they are male or female. This has been true from the time Brock was in pre-school to today. I have never seen Brock raise his voice to anyone and he doesn't pre-judge anyone. He accepts them for who they are no more, no less. He has a very gentle and quiet nature and a smile that is truly welcoming to those around him."

And back to the rape victim:

"I was not ready to tell my boyfriend or parents that I may have been raped behind a dumpster, but I don't know by who or when or how. If I told them, I would see the fear on their faces, and mine would multiply by tenfold, so instead I pretended the whole thing wasn't real. "I tried to push it out of my mind, but it was so heavy I didn't talk, I didn't eat, I didn't sleep, I didn't interact with anyone. After work, I would drive to a secluded place to scream. I didn't talk, I didn't eat, I didn't sleep, I didn't interact with anyone, and I became isolated from the ones I loved most. For over a week after the incident, I didn't get any calls or updates about that night or what happened to me. The only symbol that proved that it hadn't just been a bad dream, was the sweatshirt from the hospital in my drawer. "One day, I was at work, scrolling through the news on my phone, and came across an article. In it, I read and learned for the first time about how I was found unconscious, with my hair disheveled, long necklace wrapped around my neck, bra pulled out of my dress, dress pulled off over my shoulders and pulled up above my waist, that I was butt naked all the way down to my boots, legs spread apart, and had been penetrated by a foreign object by someone I did not recognize. This was how I learned what happened to me, sitting at my desk reading the news at work. I learned what happened to me the same time everyone else in the world learned what happened to me. "That's when the pine needles in my hair made sense, they didn't fall from a tree. He had taken off my underwear, his fingers had been inside of me. I don't even know this person. I still don't know this person. When I read about me like this, I said, this can't be me, this can't be me. I could not digest or accept any of this information. I could not imagine my family having to read about this online. I kept reading. In the next paragraph, I read something that I will never forgive? I read that according to him, I liked it. I liked it. Again, I do not have words for these feelings."

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The impeachment of the Brazilian President marks a first in a series of successful steps the US is taking to bring the world back under its firm direction. Why? Because the largest country of the American southern hemisphere is also one of the BRICS, the largest emerging countries that came together starting in 2006, adding South Africa in 2010, in order to encourage commercial, political and cultural cooperation. In June 2012, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa pledged $75 billion to boost the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on condition it implement key reforms.Since this did not happen, during the fifth BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa in 2013, members agreed to create a global financial institution intended to rival the IMF and the World Bank, which hitherto had been developing countries' main sources of funding.

In 2016, with the world still in dire economic straits, the BRICS represent a significant challenge to US global dominance. US activities aimed at weakening Russia and China have almost become routine, and while the countries of Africa as well as the continent's colonial history, are far too diverse for one country to stand out, very differently, since the Cuban Revolution, Latin America has organized itself into several independent organizations, including Mercosur and ALBA. The Neocons in Washington have pounced - or created -- the first occasion to weaken Brazil, as membership in other Russia/China led clubs, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization foremost among them, grows. Most recently, Iran has been invited to join the SCO, as has Turkey, in the wake of the failed coup to oust President Erdogan.

Simultaneously with these developments, European leaders are increasingly daring to balk at signing the TTP, while grumblings grow louder in Asia against the TTIP. Clearly, Washington has to take down whoever it can, to shore up neo-liberalism, starting with Brazil's left-wing president, a seventy-year old woman, while continuing the transformation of Europe's welfare state into an obedient neo-liberal puppy.
Son, Keep Your Eye on the Ball

 Fathers to sons everywhere

While the presidential campaign rages on between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) and businessman Donald Trump (R), critical focus is off President Barack Obama (D). And yet Mr. Obama continues a nearly unbroken string of international mistakes, misunderstanding and betrayals. The latest comes in the form of Turkey and Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

In a July column immediately following the failed coup detat in Turkey, I wrote:

President Barack Obama called upon people to resist the attempted coup and to support the democratically elected government of Mr. Erdogan. Mr. Obamas decision will continue an unbroken line of mistakes and missteps on both the foreign and domestic fronts.

The reasons for that warning are growing increasingly self-evident. First, in the immediate aftermath of the coup Mr. Erdogans government announced the arrest of nearly 6,000 police and 8,000 military and civilian leaders. Had the coup attempt actually involved 14,000 people it would have succeeded without question. The people arrested were and are primarily Mr. Erdogans political opponents or members of groups opposing Mr. Erdogan and his repressive regime.

Then last week, Mr. Erdogans government announced that it had freed 38,000 prisoners  not the political prisoners that were previously seized but rather common criminals in order to make room for Mr. Erdogans political prisoners. Obviously the recriminations are not over and Mr. Erdogan is intent on punishing anybody and everybody that may have looked cross-eyed at him during his sixty-two years on earth.

All of that makes Mr. Erdogan not the pillar of secular governance in the Muslim Middle East (a view championed by Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton and echoed by their apologists in the mainstream media), but rather just another Middle East despot intent on eliminating dissent. Cruelty, depravation and death await those who disagree with Mr. Erdogan as he transforms a once promising secular democracy into another dictatorship wrapped in a gown of phony elections.

But that isnt the end of it. In the past several days there have been stories covering a bold lightening strike by Turkish forces against ISIS in the area surrounding Manbij in northeast Syria. US forces were supposed to be involved in a joint operation with Turkish forces in this push into Syria but Turkey launched the attack without notice or concurrence while Mr. Obama dithered over the plan. And for good reason. The incursion by Mr. Erdogans ground forces was simply a prelude to a pivot against Kurdish forces encamped near the Turkish border.

The Kurdish forces have proven to be the only continuously effective indigenous fighting force against ISIS in the region. Presumably, we are allied with the Kurdish forces albeit the half measures of support by the Obama administration belie that expectation. On the other hand Turkey has been engaged in conflict with Kurdish tribes for decades (if not centuries) regarding tribal autonomy.

Mr. Erdogan was well aware of the feckless nature of Mr. Obamas resolve on any issue involving conflict and that he could move without fear of retribution against the Kurds. The Kurds likewise are aware of Mr. Obamas nature and realize that they cannot trust him to intervene. The result will be a heightened state of conflict between Turkey and Kurdish forces that will distract from the attention necessary to combat ISIS. But on a larger scale, it will reinforce for all parties involved in the Middle East that impression that they cannot trust Mr. Obama and need not fear warnings by Mr. Obama.

So disingenuous is Mr. Obamas response that there is a strong likelihood that he will succumb to pressure from Mr. Erdogan and turn over Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric, who has been in self-imposed exile in America since 1999, which will result in his almost certain execution by Mr. Erdogan.

When the history of the Obama years is finally written (by others than sycophants) it will not be kind. It will acknowledge the uniqueness of being the first African American president but will thereafter condemn his transformational presidency as resulting only in a willingness to ignore the Constitution and the collaborative system between the President and Congress envisioned by the founders, as well as his degradation of our standing in the international community from leadership to perfidiousness.

In the meantime, there are still five months to go in Mr. Obamas presidency and someone needs to keep an eye on him.
Way back in 2000, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government mooted the idea of selling off Hindustan Photo Films and Manufacturing Company, a Central public sector enterprise (CPSE). Nestled in South India's picturesque hill station Ooty, the company was still operational, though it was making losses and had been referred to the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR). Hindustan Photo Films used to manufacture black & white films, though there were few takers for the product, given that almost everyone had started using colour films and digital photography was just beginning to catch on.

Arun Shourie, minister for disinvestment in the Vajpayee government, thought that the company could go out of business if it continued on its path. But he also thought a private, professional management could perhaps revive the unit, while its prime real estate assets would fetch the government a premium during the stake sale. His plans, though, never worked. "All sorts of letters came, saying that it was necessary for defence, it is being used in satellites and it had medical use, for X-Rays," Shourie recalls. Even though none of these claims withstood scrutiny, the allegation that the disinvestment plan was a deliberate attempt to "kill Hindustan Photo Films to help multinationals produce the same damn thing" scuttled the stake sale plan.

Just three years later, in 2003, Hindustan Photo Films' operations had deteriorated so much that BIFR recommended winding it up. A similar suggestion was also given in 2013 by the Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises (BRPSE), a body set up in 2004 to suggest revival and restructuring measures for loss making PSEs.

Today, 16 years after Shourie's proposal, BIFR and BRPSE themselves are about to shut shop as they don't have any place in the Narendra Modi-led NDA government's new scheme of things. While BRPSE is officially shelved and the Department of Disinvestment, now renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), is about to shoulder that role, BIFR is expected to become redundant after the provisions of the new Bankruptcy Act, passed by the Parliament early this year, get implemented.

Ironically, Hindustan Photo Films, the company that BIFR and BRPSE wanted to close, continued to bleed the central exchequer till recently, and is yet to be completely shut down. Niti Aayog has once again recommended its closure, but the government will take some time to complete the task. Even after stopping production in 2012, it registered a Rs 2,164-crore loss in 2014/15, which is 8 per cent of the Rs 27,360 crore cumulative loss incurred by 77 loss-making PSEs in 2014/15. As in the case of several other CPSEs, employee protests and ongoing litigations were the major hurdles before the disinvestment of its assets.

"For the first time, we managed to close down five companies without inviting employee wrath by offering attractive severance packages"

The zombie existence of Hindustan Photo Films - the fourth highest loss-making entity after BSNL, Air India and MTNL (which together accounted for Rs 16,987 crore losses, or 62 per cent of the cumulative losses of 77 CPSEs in 2004/15) - is proof of how ineffective successive governments' plans and programmes for restructure, revival or disinvestment of PSEs have been.

"We have submitted two reports. First one on enterprises which should be sold lock, stock and barrel; second on strategic sales"

And that is why, except for the disinvestments that happened during a brief period under the Vajpayee regime - which saw Bharat Aluminium Company becoming part of Anil Agarwal's Vedanta Group, Tata Sons acquire majority stake in CMC Ltd, Indian Petrochemical Corporation getting merged with Reliance Industries, Maruti Udyog Ltd turning into a subsidiary of Japanese Suzuki, etc. - governments, Central as well as state, have never succeeded in letting go of their PSEs. India's CPSEs are once again in the limelight after the Narendra Modi government announced the setting up of DIPAM. The government has also got a detailed CPSE asset management (including disinvestment and stake sale) proposal made by the apex think-tank Niti Aayog two months ago. While it considers the Niti Aayog proposal, there is no clear indication that it may pursue the structured disinvestment path laid out by the advisory body. On the contrary, Prime Minister Modi seems to be keen to flog the dead horse and is trying to revive many PSEs.

Why Disinvestment?

The Central government has been spending a lot of money every year on CPSEs, though the returns have never been equally impressive. The total investment made by the government in 298 central PSEs till March 31, 2015 was Rs 10,96,057 crore, approximately the amount that is needed to develop India's 7,500-km long coastline through its ambitious Sagarmala infrastructure development project. Around the same size of investment is what is sought to solve India's energy and infrastructure problems by achieving the coal production target of 1.5 billion tonne by 2019/20. The plan investment for CPSEs for 2014/15 alone was Rs 1,92,683 crore, higher than the Rs 1,50,000 crore India's biggest corporate house Reliance Industries has earmarked for the national roll-out of its ambitious telecom venture Reliance Jio. Handsome dividend cheques handed over to the government by profit-making CPSEs annually, thus tell only half the story (see The Giver).

The latest Public Enterprises Survey (PES) shows that the performance indicators of the 235 operational Central government companies (63 more are yet to commence commercial operations) have not been all that positive. The total income of all CPSEs on a year-on-year basis reduced 4.43 per cent, profits (of profit making ones) declined 12.88 per cent, losses of loss making entities shot up 28.2 per cent, and the contribution of CPSEs to central exchequer declined 9.23 per cent (see 10 Numbers That Matter) in 2014/15.

The 14th Finance Commission also has its share of scary statistics as CPSEs are not the only ones that burden the public exchequer. The Commission's report points out that all long-term debt of State PSEs accounted for 4.6 per cent of GDP in 2011/12. When this was combined with the aggregate public debt of states, the extended debt of all states for that year ballooned to 26.4 per cent of GDP. Similarly, in the case of the Union Government, extended debt defined as the sum of Union public debt and the long-term debt of CPSEs stood at 52.4 per cent of GDP in 2011/12.

Privatisation of state-run enterprises or a phased roll-back and reduction of public investments in businesses was also a common phenomenon in countries that moved towards open economy and liberalised markets. The UK witnessed a disinvestment spree under the Margaret Thatcher government in the 1980s, and Russia experimented with it after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Even in China, privatisation was attempted, though without much success. Last year, China announced a comprehensive plan for its hugely inefficient public sector by bringing in mixed ownership in the sector. China's State Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) declared that the objective was to reorganise and merge some of the loss-making units, while disposing off less-efficient and non-performing assets. The divestment was scheduled to happen through stock exchanges and other capital markets. China's public sector is dominated by 111 Central government owned conglomerates.

Government think-tank Niti Aayog created a record of sorts when it came out with a report for a disinvestment strategy for India's PSEs in just two months. Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog, talks about the broad recommendations given by its PSE Committee and their rationale, in an interview to Joe C. Mathew. Excerpts:

Niti Aayog was asked to identify the PSEs that should be considered for strategic disinvestment and suggest a future path for loss-making and sick units. What was your recommendation?

This has been driven with passion and conviction by Mr Panagariya (Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, Niti Aayog), because of his belief that governments should only be (running PSEs) in strategic areas and that, too, if it can be done profitably. So, we began with a broad view that unless and until the PSEs are functioning in the areas of national interest, or in areas of huge strategic importance, the government should not be in the business of running businesses. And if you run them, you should run them profitably. Based on this guiding principle, we recommended the sale of 74 sick and loss-making units and recommended 44 profit-making units for strategic disinvestment.

Which are those companies?

I am not giving you the names. We are like a disinvestment commission. We have examined the issues on merit.

It took just two months for Niti to submit its report. Did you have any international models to look at? We have looked at all models. We also consulted all stakeholders. In the case of loss-making and sick units, there were no issues (in the selection of companies, as Niti picked all of them). In the case of identifying the 44 profit-making companies for strategic disinvestment, we had to consult all stakeholders. We held eight rounds of meetings within 45 days. We consulted every department and ministry before making this recommendation.

What next?

We are only a recommending body. It is for the government to take that call. It is for the concerned departments to take up the case of units that need to be closed. The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) will have to drive the strategic disinvestment.

Disinvestment, thus, has been a mantra for long, for multiple reasons. While getting rid of loss-making PSEs, and thereby reducing the financial burden it brings in, has been an obvious reason, governments also wanted to monetise the assets to generate more funds. For instance, despite repeated failures to achieve pre-fixed targets, the Modi government is hoping to raise Rs 56,500 crore from disinvestment proceeds in 2016/17. The third argument that favoured sell-off of both loss-making and profitable CPSEs was the viewpoint that government had no business to run businesses in an open economy. "Privatisation frees scarce resources, which are sub-optimally used by inefficiently run public enterprises," says Pradip Baijal, former disinvestment secretary. Government role, the proponents of privatisation argue, should be limited to the governing and regulation of businesses managed by private enterprises. Especially the non-strategic businesses, where there is well-developed and competitive private sector presence. It was this principle that led the Vajpayee-led NDA government to roll out India's first comprehensive disinvestment policy. While it saw some early results, protests derailed the process soon. "In privatisation, one needs to deal with powerful groups within the public sector that have vested interests in maintaining status quo," says Baijal.

Even though the disinvestment process was on in India since the early days of economic liberalisation, the outright sale of public assets mostly happened during a brief period during Atal Bihari Vajpayee government's time. In an interview with Business Today's Joe C. Mathew and Sumant Banerji, Arun Shourie, who was the disinvestment minister under Vajpayee, talks about the rationale that drove disinvestment agenda in those days. Excerpts:

What was the principle behind disinvestment during your time in government?

The idea was that the role of the State should be reduced, and society should get greater latitude in doing things. In India, the society has been held back by the dead end of the State for long, due to the licence quota raj. So, as the licence quota raj got dismantled, the idea was that the monopoly of many large public sector enterprises, like the MMTCs, or the STCs, should end. Secondly, inefficient public enterprises were giving the more efficient private sector enterprises in those sectors unearned rents. For instance, if you have an inefficient public sector plant producing steel, you are giving a private sector company, which produces steel at low costs, an unearned rent. The third thing (which drove disinvestment) was that in many areas, because of the monopoly given to the public sector, the capacity which had been built up outside the public sector was not being fully utilised. The fourth was, of course, the cost to public exchequer. It was a big drain on the public exchequer.

As a matter of policy, should the government not be in the business of doing business at all?

That is not the criteria. There can always be some space for the public sector. The ISRO or Tata institute of Fundamental Research, in spite of being public enterprises, are doing wonderfully well. Also, in several sectors, it is good to have countervailing power. Take telecom for instance. Even though I was also the minister of state for telecom, it never crossed my mind that MTNL and BSNL should be privatised. One reason was that BSNL was so large, and nobody could have bid for it. But BSNL was also necessary to beat down other private operators, to lower their rates. So a countervailing power is good; but sometimes it doesn't work. Air India has not worked, because of the culture of the organisation.

The Modi government's 'strategic disinvestment' policy differs from Vajpayee's in that it lacks the daring approach of the earlier policy. Strategic disinvestment for the present government is "the sale of substantial portion of the government shareholding of a Central public sector enterprise of up to 50 per cent, or such higher percentage as the competent authority may determine, along with transfer of management control", as defined by DIPAM. In other words, it wants the acquirer to manage the company, but with a maximum of 50 per cent stake, under normal situations. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley spelt out the broad contours of the government's CPSE disinvestment plan during his 2016/17 Budget speech when he said that the government intends to encourage CPSEs to divest individual assets like land, manufacturing units, etc. to generate resources for investment in new projects.

Niti Aayog took two months to prepare its first set of recommendations. The principle that it adopted was more or less the same as the original disinvestment plan of the Vajpayee government. "The principles of disinvestment are very similar to that earlier period. The problems are very similar, except that the world has changed quite a bit. There are things that you can now do that were a little more difficult then," notes Niti Aayog member Bibek Debroy. Declining to divulge specific details, Debroy says that the think-tank will submit a series of reports. "We have submitted two. The first one is on certain enterprises which should be sold lock, stock and barrel. The second report is on strategic sales."

Incidentally, Niti Aayog did not approach CPSE disinvestment from a revenue generation perspective, the focus with which Jaitley's finance ministry would have looked at it. "Target is not important for us. You look at the same problem with different spectacles. Our lens is really efficiency, and it is not so much fiscal. In the process, of course, the fiscal thing happens," Debroy says.

Government officials who did not wish to be named, however, inform that the companies that came under Niti Aayog's scanner in the first phase were the ones that were the worst performers. "All 74 CPSEs that were chosen had been low performers that have sought government's financial support to stay afloat," says a finance ministry official. It is known that Niti Aayog had recommended the closure of 26 of these loss-making units. It suggested five companies to be given on long-term lease and three subsidiary firms to be merged with parent entities. The agency also recommended strategic disinvestment in the case of 10 CPSEs and wanted six companies to be handed over to state governments It also wanted to revive 22 units before they could be considered for disinvestment.

Progress So Far

The Modi government may not have gone exactly by the Niti Aayog script, but it is moving in that direction. Months before Niti Aayog submitted its first report, on January 6, 2016, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the decision to close down five chronically sick CPSEs - Tungabhadra Steel Products Ltd. (TSPL), HMT Watches Ltd., HMT Chinar Watches Ltd., HMT Bearings Ltd. and Hindustan Cables Ltd (HCL). What made this decision significant was the development that followed the closure decision. Unlike Hindustan Photo Films (whose closure was approved earlier, though the process got delayed due to employee protest and subsequent court intervention), all the 72 employees of TSPL availed the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) package that was offered and got relieved on March 9, 2016. Similarly, 79 employees of HMT Chinar and HMT Bearings opted for a peaceful exit by accepting the VRS package. Out of 961 employees in HMT Watches, 776 employees had also opted for VRS by that time while the rest - 185 employees mainly from the Ranibagh, Uttarakhand unit - were contemplating the same. The government considers this as a great beginning.

"For the first time, we have managed to close down five companies without inviting employee wrath," says Anant G. Geete, Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. According to him, what made all the difference was the government's decision to offer very attractive severance packages. "All the workers who were on the rolls of these five companies were being paid according to the 1997 pay scale. The VRS package that we offered was based on 2007 pay scale. So the workers were entitled to get more than what they would have got if they had worked till retirement on the earlier pay scale," Geete explains. "On average, it was Rs 25-30 lakh package for each worker." There were about 4,000 workers across five companies who availed the package. The government had paid about Rs 7,000 crore as salaries to the employees of these companies during the 2007-15 period. The decision has put an end to this recurring expenditure.

The government has also attempted to get rid of some CPSEs by handing over the assets to the state governments. The recent decision to hand over the Kerala unit of CPSE Instrumentation Ltd to the state government is one such example. Similarly, of the 16 hotels run by India Tourism Development Corporation, 14, except Delhi hotels Ashoka and Samrat, have been put on the block. Wherever possible, the government wants to sell off the hotels. In case the land is owned by the state government, it may even be handed over to the states.

"In privatisation, one needs to deal with powerful groups within the public sector that have a vested interest in maintaining status quo"

The government is implementing plans to consolidate CPSEs. The merger of major PSE banks to form a handful of public sector financial behemoths is the most talked about consolidation plan. The merger of five associate banks with State Bank of India has already been approved. Similarly, in May, the Cabinet asked the National Buildings Construction Corporation to take over the loss-making Hindustan Steel Works Construction Limited to pave the way for consolidation of two PSEs in the civil engineering sector.

If these are measures meant to reduce the quantum of public investments in CPSEs and also raise some additional resources, Prime Minister Modi's penchant for revival of loss-making CPSEs is bringing in more public investments into the sector.

On July 22, Modi laid the 'foundation stone' for the 'revival' of a PSE fertiliser plant in Gorakhpur. While a normal revival would mean opening up, modernising or turning around a loss-making unit, this particular urea manufacturing plant of Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd (FCIL) needs to be rebuilt from scratch and hence the 'foundation stone' laying ceremony. The plant has remained closed since 1990, and the decision to rebuild a new urea facility here was more political than 'strategic asset management' as it was a promise given by the PM during one of his election campaigns in the locality. If FCIL was a loss-making entity under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, the new project is a joint venture involving profit-making CPSEs of several ministries. That is because the project is being implemented by Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd, a joint venture of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Coal India Ltd (CIL). The government is committed to pump in over Rs 6,000 crore into it to generate 1.27 million tonnes of urea in a year. According to the government's plan, profit making PSEs - NTPC, CIL and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) - will also be shelling out money to revive the FCIL's long defunct fertiliser unit in Sindri (Jharkhand) and the Barauni (Bihar) unit of Hindustan Fertilizers Corporation.

One could argue that indigenous manufacturing of urea is needed as the country is heavily dependent on its imports. But the question remains whether public sector units, which have often failed to survive in open markets, should be given that task. The new practice of handing over sick CPSEs to profitable CPSEs can work both ways. It could help revive the sick unit, but it could also pull down the profitability of the better managed ones. The government has preferred it because Modi, as Gujarat's chief minister, had tried, sometimes successfully, to emulate this model. "It is Mr Modi's confidence that he can turn around public sector enterprises because he turned around one or two units in Gujarat. He is not realising the size and complexity of India, and the very deep interests that are vested in these enterprises," says Shourie.

Despite all the tall claims surrounding the turnaround of Gujarat PSEs, these public-sector entities were not free from charges and accusations. The government auditor Comptroller and Auditor General has in the past pulled up several Gujarat PSEs for their sub-optimal operational efficiencies and for alleged favouritism to some private sector entities.

To be fair, one should also acknowledge the fact that CPSE turnaround has been happening, though few and far between, after Modi took over. For instance, the Chennai Petroleum Corporation (CPC; erstwhile Madras Refineries), the largest refiner in South India, was quoting at Rs 52 on the bourses in November 2013. In just two and a half years, it is at life-time highs with its closing price on July 28, 2016, being Rs 260. From making losses of Rs 1,766.84 crore in 2012/13, (the company has been making losses for three years in a row) it made a net profit of Rs 265.6 crore in the quarter ending March 2016. While things like lower global crude prices have definitely helped as CPC mainly supplies motor spirits, aviation turbine fuel, naptha, lube base, bitumen and other value-added products, the execution by the management has also been good. CPC has improved on things like reducing credit period to one of its main customers IOC from 16 to 10 days, and better inventory management. All these have led to better utilisation of working capital.

While CPC did not respond to an email request for comments from Business Today, analysts have been commending the steps taken by the company to improve its profitability and performance.

The Team

Modi could not have chosen a better team of bureaucrats and ministers to carry out the CPSE strategic disinvestment plan. Many of the key people who had given solid support to Vajpayee's historic disinvestment initiative are in the government today. Jaitley, in charge of disinvestment today, was heading the department of disinvestment in 1999. As heavy industries minister, Suresh Prabhu (currently Railway Minister) oversaw the Maruti stake sale. Former disinvestment secretary Baijal acknowledges the contribution of Amitabh Kant (present CEO of Niti Aayog), as a joint secretary in Ministry of Tourism, which made ITDC hotel sales possible.

Even Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman of Niti Aayog, is known for his supportive views on disinvestment, which reflected in the book Reforms and Economic Transformation in India he co-authored with Jagdish Bhagwati. The authors argued that their research showed that selling both partial and majority equity stakes is associated with significant improvements in profitability and efficiency of public-sector entities. They had concluded that full privatisation may have a greater impact on profitability of firms, without requiring lay-offs or a decline in worker compensation. Given the profile of pro-disinvestment people stacked in the government, Modi could not have had any problem in going on a disinvestment spree, had he wanted it.

But is real disinvestment even planned today? "Now they are saying enterprises will themselves buy their shares, and that will be called disinvestment. Also, they are asking each enterprise to buy the shares of another enterprise and call it disinvestment. Third, the state owned financial institutions will buy stake (in PSEs) and that is termed disinvestment," says Shourie. According to him, "It is a fraud because you are taking it from one pocket, putting it in another and giving it a big name."

Shourie was also critical of the most common practice of selling minority shares and calling it disinvestment. "Minority shares are being sold. Even this is not good enough. Minority shareholders are not active enough to enforce, improve management," he said, adding that minority shares being sold to general public make no sense at all as the enterprise remains the same. "Genuine disinvestment is strategic sale. Let somebody who can use these assets - maybe its real estate, maybe its old equipment - somebody who has the confidence and ability, bid, in a transparent process, and take it."

But the government seems to be in no mood to go by Shourie's definition of disinvestment. The new strategic disinvestment plan is the same mix of things that has been happening in the name of disinvestment all these years. The dream to revive CPSEs is something that completely goes against the spirit of disinvestment. In fact, the Prime Minister's vision is to be clearly in favour of supporting and re-investing in PSEs.

It is high time the government learnt from the past. Hindustan Photo Films was just one example. And not all politicians want to play to the gallery. The current state of Triveni Structurals Limited (TSL), situated across the Yamuna River in the industrial township of Naini in Allahabad, is worth recalling, given the advice Shyama Charan Gupta, the BJP Member of Parliament representing Allahabad, had to offer.

In its hey days back in the 1980s and 90s, TSL was a fledgling company that was involved in building rocket launchers at Sriharikota. Today, there is little evidence of that history. Awaiting a final winding down since 2003, with less than 100 employees (who continue to resist closure) left, the only sign of activity in the factory is the jatropha plantation inside its premises. Watered regularly, the plants are the only ones that grow, while everything around them crumble. Of the nearly 2,700 acres of land that was acquired for industries like TSL in Naini, only a handful was actually set up. Around 1,000 acres of the land could never be utilised and are today encroached by various settlements and small villages.

"You cannot have industries everywhere. Either you need a market and consumers should be close by, or you need raw materials. Here you have nothing," says Gupta, himself a businessman. "Government should not be in the business of doing business. Today the market is open. Let private players take over and decide wherever they want to set up factories."

Is the PM listening?

PSUs in our country are merely set up for loss-making units or for turning into sick units slowly and steadily or for disinvestment. This has been the common practice in the past. Today, I can point out in satisfaction that we have succeeded to turn the operation of socalled notorious Air India into an operational profit-making undertaking during the last year," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 70th Independence Day speech recently. Modi's eloquence painted a rosy picture for the struggling Air India, which has posted around Rs 100 crore of operating profits in 2015/16.

However, it cannot be labelled a turnaround story. The government has pumped Rs 22,280 crore into the airline over the past five years. An additional Rs 8,000 crore will be invested as per its turnaround plan approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in 2012. Besides, the operating profit is just 1.8 per cent of the net losses that it posted in 2014/15. The national carrier has to start generating net profits to pay back the government - in the form of dividends - for the taxpayers' money it has spent on the airline's revival. But that looks a distant reality. Air India's debt stands at a whopping Rs 51,000 crore as on March 2016, a result of its faulty policy of buying aircraft instead of leasing them, like most airlines do.

The operating profits were helped by an estimated Rs 700 crore savings in FY16 due to low ATF (aviation turbine fuel) prices, which are beyond the control of airlines. In fact, low fuel prices give elbow room to airlines to reduce internal costs and increase non-passenger revenues.

But Air India's complex cost structure comprising fuel costs, finance costs and staff costs, has lesser scope for improvement. Its aircraft-toemployee ratio stood at 211 in 2014/15 compared to IndiGo's 112 and Jet Airways' 126. And the airline has consistently topped the charts when it comes to passengers affected due to delays and cancellation.

The government is now considering a proposal from Niti Aayog to group operations of Air India and its subsidiaries into three entities with one focusing on transport services, and the other two on engineering services and ground handling. Over the years, Air India has reduced its subsidiaries - from seven in 2008 to five in 2014. By reducing it further to three entities, a major impact is unlikely, not least because the subsidiaries have very little revenue compared to the parent.
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...
" " There have been more than 11,000 attempts to alter the U.S. Constitution. Most of those, obviously, have fallen flat. Visions of America/Contributor/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Every time you turn on cable news, there's a good chance someone is yelling about the need for an amendment to the United States Constitution. You're probably familiar with some of the more recent attempts, including proposals to require a balanced federal budget, define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, guarantee equal rights for women, ban flag desecration and reform the Electoral College. What you might not know is there have actually been more than 11,000 proposed constitutional amendments introduced in or recommended to Congress since the country's founding document was enacted in 1789 [source: Bernstein and Agel]. Like those listed above, many of them were politically controversial. Others, however, were just plain weird.

If it's been a while since your last civics class, here's a quick refresher on the constitutional amendment process. A two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures, is required to formally propose an amendment. Then the amendment must be ratified by three-fourths (38) of the 50 states [source: National Archives]. The founding fathers designed the process to be difficult but not impossible, which is why, of the thousands of proposed amendments, only 27 became enshrined in the Constitution. Considering our list of some of the weird things politicians and activists proposed over the years, that's probably a good thing.
Through RNA sequencing, researchers can measure which genes are expressed in each individual cell of a sample. A new statistical method allows researchers to infer different developmental processes from a cell mixture consisting of asynchronous stages. This finding has been published by researchers of Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen in collaboration with colleagues from Technical University Munich in the journal Nature Methods.

Today, cell biology no longer focuses only on static states, but rather seeks to understand the dynamic development of cells. One example for this is the formation of various types of blood cells, such as red blood cells or endothelial cells from their precursors, the blood stem cells. To understand how this process is genetically controlled, scientists analyze which genes are expressed by means of transcriptome analysis.

"To me, it's still amazing that we are now even able to determine the transcriptome of single cells," said lead author Laleh Haghverdi, "especially when one realizes that a typical cell contains only a few picograms of RNA." The availability of these data is now beginning to revolutionize many fields of research, but new statistical methods are required to interpret these correctly. "For example, all cells of a sample never start their development synchronously, and their development takes different lengths of time. Therefore, we are always dealing with a dynamic mixture," added Haghverdi, doctoral student at the Institute of Computational Biology (ICB) at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen. "It is immensely difficult to construct multiple steps of a process from this, especially since the cells are only available for one measurement."

Welcome to the era of pseudotime

To decrypt developmental processes from the measurement of a single time point, quasi a snapshot measurement, the researchers led by ICB Director Prof. Dr. Dr. Fabian Theis developed an algorithm called diffusion pseudotime to interpret single cell sequencing data. This algorithm orders cells on a virtual timeline  the pseudotime  along which they show continuous changes in the transcriptome. Thus, it can be reconstructed which genes are expressed sequentially. By means of this method, researchers can graphically display the branching lineages of the developmental paths of different cell types.

"For example, we can show how a relatively uniform cluster of blood stem cells develops into different cell types," said study leader Theis. "While some become red blood cells, others differentiate into endothelial cells. We can trace these fates based on the transcriptome data of the single cells." In addition, the scientists obtain information about which gene switches underlie the developments. The relatively diffuse mixture of cells which were found to be at different stages of their development can be disentangled on the computer and, after the analysis, provides a clear picture of the ongoing individual steps.

However, this is only the beginning for the researchers because the processes of blood formation are relatively well understood. They served only as a test object to determine how well the method works. "In the future we want to focus on processes that have remained elusive until now or which may not have been discovered at all," said Theis.

Explore further A new tracking and quantification tool for single cells

More information: Laleh Haghverdi et al. Diffusion pseudotime robustly reconstructs lineage branching, Nature Methods (2016). Journal information: Nature Methods Laleh Haghverdi et al. Diffusion pseudotime robustly reconstructs lineage branching,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.3971
US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Wednesday reiterated the Obama administration's frustration with European authorities over their decision this week to impose back taxes on Apple.

The European Commission this week said Apple, the world's most valuable company, owed Ireland $14.5 billion because Dublin had offered the iPhone maker illegal and unfair tax arrangements.

"Our concern with the European Commission action is that it is using a state-aide theory to make tax law and it is doing it in a way that is retroactive and that overrides national tax law authority," Lew said following a speech in Washington on this weekend's G20 summit in China.

Lew's remarks followed a reaction from the White House on Tuesday, which described European authorities' actions as "unilateral" and "unfair."

The Obama administration has sought to prohibit corporations from virtually eliminating their entire tax burdens through overseas moves and so-called corporate inversions.

Lew said that, while US tax reforms may not have been realized, the European actions created economic uncertainty, unfairly focused on US firms and were an attempt to reach into the US tax base.

Lew also said he had told corporate leaders that driving companies' tax burdens to an absolute minimum carried risks to their reputations.

"I have said to many CEOs that you need to be more careful when you think about only maximizing tax advantage," Lew said. "I have been very clear on issues like inversion, that it's legal but it's wrong."

Former US senator Carl Levin, a Democrat who oversaw Congressional investigations into corporate tax avoidance, said in a statement on Tuesday that European authorities were understandably attempting to recoup taxes that the US Internal Revenue Service had failed to collect and that Apple wrongly avoided.

"The IRS has failed to stake a claim for US taxes on those revenues for a decade or more," Levin said.

"It has been passive and so Europe attempts to fill the vacuum. Shame on Apple for dodging US taxes. Shame on the IRS for failing to challenge Apple's tax avoidance."

Explore further Apple says will appeal EU tax ruling

 2016 AFP
Because forest elephants are one the slowest reproducing mammals in the world, it will take almost a century for them to recover from the intense poaching they have suffered since 2002. Credit: Andrea Turkalo/WCS

Because forest elephants are one the slowest reproducing mammals in the world, it will take almost a century for them to recover from the intense poaching they have suffered since 2002. Not only does it take more than two decades for female forest elephants to begin reproducing, but they also give birth only once every five to six years.

The findings are from a first-ever study of forest elephant demography published Aug. 31 in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

There are two species of elephants in Africa. Savannah elephants make up the majority across the continent, with smaller numbers of the more diminutive forest elephants restricted to tropical forests. Forest elephants have experienced serious poaching, driving an estimated population decline of 65 percent between 2002 and 2013 according to a study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Their reported low birth rates mean that it will take forest elephants at least 90 years to recover from these losses, according to researchers from the WCS, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Elephant Listening Project, Colorado State University, and Save the Elephants. The team used decades of intensive monitoring data that recorded births and deaths of the elephants using the Dzanga Bai in Central African Republic, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sangha Trinational area. (Dzanga Bai translates roughly as "village of elephants.")

"This work provides another critical piece of understanding regarding the dire conservation status of forest elephants," said the study's lead author Andrea Turkalo, WCS Associate Conservation Scientist, who over several decades collected the detailed data on the Dzanga elephants despite tough logistical challenges and political instability.

Using data Turkalo collected from 1990 to 2013 during nearly daily visits to a mineral rich forest clearing, or bai, that attracts elephants and other wildlife, the authors were able to uncover the age at which the forest elephants had their first calves, the length of time between calves, and other behaviors.

The team found that forest elephants begin breeding later and have much longer calving intervals than other elephants, which means the population takes much longer to increase.

"Female forest elephants in the Dzanga population typically breed for the first time after 23 years of age, a markedly late age of maturity relative to other mammals," Turkalo said. "In contrast, Savannah elephants typically begin breeding at age 12. In addition, breeding female forest elephants only produced a calf once every five or six years, relative to the three- to four-year interval found for Savannah elephants."

The authors believe that the low birth rate is due to the challenges of living in a tropical forest, where new plant growth is mostly limited to the canopy.

Said Peter Wrege, a Behavioral Ecologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Elephant Listening Project: "While we think of tropical forests as incredibly productive areas, most production occurs in the high canopy inaccessible to ground-dwelling species. In addition, vegetation in tropical systems are laden with compounds to defend their leaves from herbivores, including elephants. This means accessing resources is challenging for terrestrial fauna."

George Wittemyer, chair of the Scientific Board of Save the Elephants and a professor in Wildlife Conservation at Colorado State University, said the findings are essential to assessing the status of forest elephants and projecting population decline in the face of illegal killing.

"Legislation regarding ivory trade must consider the collateral effects on forest elephants and the difficulties of protecting them," Wittemyer said. "Trade in ivory in one nation can influence the pressures on elephants in other nations."

The paper's findings show that the forest elephant is particularly susceptible to poaching - vital information in the push to close domestic ivory markets, which will be debated at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, which runs from Sept. 1-10 in Hawaii, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which meets in Johannesburg in late September.

The authors also highlight the importance of the results for interpreting carcass data collected through the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants program, which has shown high levels of poaching across central Africa.

"Only by understanding the basic biology of forest elephants and other species, can we properly determine the level of threats they face from human activities," said Wittemyer.

Forest elephants have critical ecological roles in these forests, and many tree species rely on the elephants to disperse their seeds. Continued decline in forest elephant numbers and range is likely to drive severe changes to these ecosystems, making their conservation status a significant global issue.

Failing to protect forest elephants would also damage Central African forests, which are important for absorbing climate change gases.

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Researchers at The University of Western Australia are urging ecologists to increase the use of large-scale natural and manmade disasters as experiments to help solve the greatest environmental challenges facing the planet.

Earthquakes, tsunamis and oil spills such as Deepwater Horizon have created experiments, known as Large-scale Unreplicated Natural Experiments (LUNEs), that scientists have used to understand how the world works.

A paper by UWA researchers Dr Shanta Barley and Professor Jessica Meeuwig, published today in the journal Ecosystems, says using the results of LUNEs is critical, especially at a time when investment in science is increasingly constrained.

Lead author on the paper, Dr Barley, said humans have caused the rapid demise of wildlife on Earth by altering the climate, cutting down forests and overfishing the oceans.

"Scientists recently named humans as a 'super predator' in recognition of our voracious consumption of the planet's wildlife: we are, for instance, 14 times more efficient than any other predator," Dr Barley said.

"Yet our understanding of how human activity influences ecological processes remains poor. This is partly due to overreliance on small-scale experiments, which lack the complex feedback loops found in real ecosystems."

Dr Barley and Professor Meeuwig said one solution is to let nature and/or human activity do the "dirty work" in terms of creating large-scale experiments. Shark fisheries, for example, have largely removed the predators on some coral reefs, allowing researchers to test hypotheses about their ecological role in marine systems.

"Large-scale natural experiments have many advantages in the current financial climate where investment in science is constrained  they're low budget, they're more ecologically realistic than lab experiments and they're often the only way to ethically and practically study some subjects," Dr Barley said.

However, LUNEs come with a catch: they are impossible to exactly replicate. The authors of the paper said this should not be viewed as a drawback but an evolution of the scientific method.

"There is a need to recognise that large-scale experiments provide relevant insights not captured by small-scales experiments," Professor Meeuwig said.

For instance, algal blooms caused a decline in North America's freshwater systems in the 1960s. Whereas small-scale experiments implicated nitrogen and carbon, a large-scale "whole-lake", unreplicated experiment ultimately persuaded the Canadian government and several US states to ban phosphorus, the real culprit.

Similarly, it took the discovery of a single large hole in the ozone layer to drive a global consensus to ban chlorofluorocarbons.

The researchers concluded that LUNEs have played and will continue to play an important role in galvanising policy change, at a time when the planet urgently needs it.

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More information: Shanta C. Barley et al. The Power and the Pitfalls of Large-scale, Unreplicated Natural Experiments, Ecosystems (2016). Journal information: Ecosystems Shanta C. Barley et al. The Power and the Pitfalls of Large-scale, Unreplicated Natural Experiments,(2016). DOI: 10.1007/s10021-016-0028-5
Elements of Galileo's specially-customised Ariane 5 being unloaded from the MN Colibriroll-on/roll-off ship at French Guianas Pariacabo Port on 22 August 2016. Credit: ESA-CNES-Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG/Jourrenberger

The first Ariane 5 rocket modified to carry four Galileo satellites into orbit has arrived at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana for a November launch.

So far, 14 Galileo satellites have been launched two by two on Soyuz rockets from French Guiana. This inaugural launch by Ariane 5 will boost that number to 18.

The MN Colibri roll-on/roll-off ship, built to transport European rocket elements, reached French Guiana's Pariacabo Port on 22 August.

The cargo included Ariane's cryogenic core stage, its upper stage and payload fairing. This Ariane variant is based on the launcher previously used to place ESA's 20 tonne Automated Transfer Vehicle supply vehicle into low orbit.

This version has to carry a lower mass  four fully fuelled 738 kg Galileo satellites plus their dispenser  but needs to take it up to the much higher altitude of 23 222 km.

The target orbit is actually 300 km below the Galileo constellation's final working altitude: this leaves Ariane's upper stage in a stable 'graveyard orbit', while the quartet of satellites manoeuvre themselves up to their final height.

The four satellites to be launched by this Ariane 5 are due to be flown to French Guiana next week from ESA's technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

The EPS upper stage of Galileo's Ariane 5 being transferred by road from French Guianas Pariacabo Port to Europe's Spaceport on 22 August. Credit: ESA-CNES-Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG/Jourrenberger

The Galileo satellite bus is built by OHB in Bremen, Germany, with the navigation payloads coming from Surrey Satellite Technology in the UK, involving supplied from all across Europe. They are then tested in simulated launch and space conditions in Noordwijk before being accepted for launch.

About Galileo

Galileo is Europe's civil global satellite navigation system. It will allow users worldwide to know their exact position in time and space with great precision and reliability. Once complete, the system will consist of 24 operational satellites and the ground infrastructure for the provision of positioning, navigation and timing services.

The cryogenic core stage of Galileo's Ariane 5 being driven from French Guianas Pariacabo Port to Europe's Spaceport on 22 August 2016, preparing for a planned four-satellite launch in November. Credit: ESA-CNES-Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG/Jourrenberger

The Galileo programme is funded and owned by the EU. The European Commission has the overall responsibility for the programme, managing and overseeing the implementation of all programme activities.

Galileo's deployment, the design and development of the new generation of systems and the technical development of infrastructure are entrusted to ESA. The definition, development and in-orbit validation phases were carried out by ESA, and co-funded by ESA and the European Commission.

The European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency (GSA) is ensuring the uptake and security of Galileo. Galileo operations and provision of services will be entrusted to the GSA from 2017.

A Galileo Full Operational Capability (FOC) satellite, following on from the first four Galileo satellites already in orbit. A total of 22 FOC satellites are on the way, built by OHB in Germany with navigation payloads from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in the UK. Credit: ESA-P. Carril

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Investigators led by Elephants Without Borders director Mike Chase say the Pan-African Great Elephant Census shows that for savannah elephant populations in 15 GEC countries for which repeat counts were available, populations declined by 30 percent, or 144,000 animals, between 2007 and 2014. Credit: EWB

Results of the two-year, $8 million Great Elephant Census (GEC) of African savannah elephants led by Elephants Without Borders (EWB) were released today at an international wildlife conference in Hawaii, confirming massive declines in elephant numbers over just the last decade. The researchers report the current rate of species decline is 8 percent per year, primarily due to poaching.

Investigators led by EWB director Mike Chase say the Pan-African survey shows that for savannah elephant populations in 15 GEC countries for which repeat counts were available, populations declined by 30 percent, or 144,000 animals, between 2007 and 2014. Billionaire philanthropist Paul G. Allen and his sister Jody Allen are the primary funders of the survey. Chase and colleagues presented results at the World Conservation Congress in Honolulu on Sept. 2, and findings were published on Sept. 1, in the peer-reviewed open access journal PeerJ.

Wildlife ecologist Curt Griffin at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with postdoctoral researcher Scott Schlossberg, are members of a research team that compiled the data, conducted statistical analyses and applied new data analysis techniques to help Chase and EWB estimate the abundance and geographic distribution of savannah elephants across Africa using the most accurate, up-to-date statistical methods to analyze the survey data. Results provide a baseline that governments and wildlife conservation organizations can use to coordinate conservation efforts.

Chase was Griffin's graduate student at UMass Amherst when Chase founded the Botswana-based EWB in 2007. The GEC is the first continent-wide aerial survey of African elephants. Griffin, who visits Africa every year to conduct research with Chase and EWB, says, "We at UMass Amherst are very proud to be a key partner in this great elephant count. We continue to advocate and work hard for the conservation of elephants in the face of the slaughter they are caught in."

Until now, Griffin says, there has not been a coordinated continent-wide survey of elephants, and "we really didn't know how accurate the estimates were, coming in from the various countries." For this work, EWB worked with dozens of elephant researchers, government wildlife agencies and conservation groups to conduct aerial surveys from small planes and helicopters to count elephant herds across African savannahs. These surveys covered 463,000 km, equal to flying to the moon and a quarter of the way home.

Overall, 90 scientists, six non-governmental organization partners and two advisory partners collaborated in the GEC. EWB partnered with park biologists and rangers, game wardens and organizations including the International Union for Conservation of Nature's African Elephant Specialist Group, Wildlife Conservation Society, Save the Elephants, The Nature Conservancy, Frankfurt Zoological Society and African Parks Network.

"An important question we wanted to answer in our research," Griffin adds, "is how many elephants are being missed by observers on aerial surveys. To answer that we did a double observer study to understand the sources of error, so we can develop more accurate estimates of elephant population numbers."

Further, Schlossberg conducted unique statistical trend analyses that yielded the first quantitative model of elephant population trends across Africa. "Although these statistical tools were out there," Griffin notes, "they had never been applied before to elephant populations. Results from the GEC now provide us benchmarks to gauge if elephant conservation efforts are successful and to identify areas where more work is needed to conserve habitat and stop poaching."

Overall, GEC researchers estimate the savannah elephant population is 352,271 in the 18 countries surveyed to date, representing at least 93 percent of savannah elephants in these countries. They say the rate of decline increased from 2007 to 2014.

In their surveys, they sighted 84 percent of the elephants in legally protected areas compared to 16 percent in unprotected areas. However, large numbers of carcasses were counted in many protected areas, indicating that elephants are struggling both within and outside of parks. Experts say that poaching and the ivory trade pose serious threats, and if not stopped, savannah elephants could disappear from many parts of Africa.

The GEC was launched in late 2013 and the first flights were in February 2014 over the Tsavo National Park in Kenya. The census has completed 18 country surveys with two countries still to be completed, organizers say. South Sudan and the Central African Republic are to be flown by the end of 2016, depending on safety conditions.

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Williams grew up in Saratoga Springs and volunteered with Project Lift during high school and came back as an intern while attending college. She graduated from Vassar College in 2014 with a bachelors degree in sociology. After graduating, she taught at Esperanza Academy, a tuition-free independent middle school for girls in Lawrence, Massachusetts through an AmeriCorps Social Justice Teaching Fellowship.
A Corinth man who told police he worked at the Great Escape amusement park was jailed Tuesday in Vermont for allegedly going to Burlington, Vermont, to meet a 13-year-old girl to have sex, court records show.

Brett C. Ferrell, 31, was charged with federal felony counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and attempt to induce a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity after an investigation by law enforcement officers in Vermont that began when he posted a classified ad on the Cragislist website.

In that ad, he wrote that he was "looking for a girl under the age of 18 to have sex with," federal court records show.

A detective with the Vermont Attorney General's Office spotted the ad, starting an 11-day investigation that ended Tuesday morning when detectives arrested Ferrell at the Anchorage Inn in South Burlington, Vermont, where he had rented a room to meet the girl, authorities allege.

The investigation included days of online conversations between an undercover female U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent and Ferrell in which he made it clear he wanted to have sex with the person he thought was 13 years old, who identified herself as "Lexi."

"I'm pretty young ... don't know if it matters to you I'm 13," the agent wrote at one point, according to court records.

"No it doesn't," Ferrell is alleged to have responded.

Ferrell also wrote that he was "not typically the type of guy that wants to go under 20 years of age," but he had known 15-year-olds who had sex with men in their 30s and 40s, and girls "make themselves look older" these days, court records show.

"I feel like I need something bigger, and that's where this taboo comes into play," he is alleged to have written on Craigslist.

Court records show that law enforcement officers followed him with a federal Customs and Border Patrol aircraft from the Great Escape on Monday afternoon to Vermont.

He told investigators he works as a ride operator at the park.

Great Escape spokeswoman Rebecca Close, in an email to The Post-Star on Wednesday afternoon, said the park has "zero tolerance for unlawful behavior," and added that Great Escape officials are "working with local law enforcement regarding this matter."

Before he left for Vermont, Ferrell purchased condoms at Wal-Mart on Route 9 in Queensbury, according to court records. When confronted by detectives at the hotel and asked whether the condoms were to be used with the girl, he responded, "If it got to that," according to court records.

Ferrell was arraigned in U.S. District Court on Tuesday and sent to Northwest Correctional Facility in Swanton, Vermont, pending a detention hearing Friday. He was represented by the federal public defender's office, and a call to the agency was not returned Wednesday afternoon.
QUEENSBURY  Warren County taxpayers wont pay for a county employees public speaking class in college.

In the latest twist to a debate over how much continuing education the county should fund, the Board of Supervisors Public Works Committee decided last week to reject the request to reimburse a county Department of Public Works employees request for reimbursement for an introduction to public speaking course at SUNY Adirondack.

County taxpayers would have paid $261, which was 50 percent of the classs $522 tab. In all, the worker  who is an assistant to the public works superintendent and backup bookkeeper for the DPW  put in for $2,346 in reimbursement for a course load toward an accounting degree.

The rest of the courses includes math, bookkeeping and economics courses.

County Treasurer Michael Swan said the reimbursement request appeared to violate the countys labor contract with its workers that allows for 50 percent reimbursement for work-related courses, with Board of Supervisors approval.

The public speaking course is an elective class toward the degree, but supervisors questioned whether taxpayers should be paying for the whole degree or just the work-related classes.

Public Works Superintendent Jeff Tennyson said the worker is a member of management in his office, and the degree was being sought as the department prepares for upcoming retirement.

Im trying to get her to a point where she has that accounting degree for future succession plans as people are retiring and she takes on additional duties, he said.

He said the board has paid for courses needed for degrees in similar situations in the past, and the public speaking course does have a benefit for her work duties because she has to address employees in a large department. The county policy should be clarified, Tennyson added.

Warrensburg Supervisor Kevin Geraghty, the county Board of Supervisors chairman and acting administrator, said he heard from a number of residents after the issue was the subject of a Post-Star report in July, however.

Ive heard if from a few taxpayers and Im relaying it to this community, Geraghty said. I still dont think this request was proper. I dont think it has anything to do with the job this person has to do at DPW.

Hague Supervisor Edna Frasier said she had a concern about a county employee getting reimbursement for a degree and questioned what the courses have to do with her county job.

I dont have any problems whatsoever if we are paying for courses that have to do with her job. But if we are going to get a degree simply because the county is going to pay you back 50 percent on it, I guess thats my concern, Frasier said.

Some also questioned whether the county should pay the workers SUNY Adirondack parking fee, but supervisors were told the parking fee is mandatory for all students at the Queensbury community college.
LAKE GEORGE  The Lake George Town Board is expected to make a decision Thursday on a proposal to buy a firetruck to replace an aging vehicle that has cost thousands of dollars in repairs over the past couple of years and is currently out of service.

The board will hold a special meeting at 1 p.m. at Town Hall.

The Lake George Volunteer Departments ladder truck, which is a 1994 model, has been out of operation since the end of July with cracks in the aerial lift cradle. The third aerial boom section needs to be replaced. There is also corrosion and a leaking pump, according to Fire Chief Jason Berry.

The work is estimated to cost between $32,000 and $41,000, according to Berry. He said once the truck is taken apart, more repairs could be needed.

The vehicle is reaching the end of its useful life, as firetrucks are only supposed to operate for 25 years, according to National Fire Prevention Association guidelines. Berry said the department already has spent nearly $30,000 since 2014 to fix various problems including replacing the aerial swivel unit and the platform controls.

We believe putting more into this current aerial would be pointless considering the amount of repairs needed, he said Wednesday at a special meeting of the Lake George Town Board.

Berry presented a proposal to purchase a truck from Ferrara Fire for $955,000. This vehicle is a demonstrator truck, which is used to show off the vehicle across the country to prospective buyers.

This comes fully loaded  ready to go, he said.

The Ferrara model was the least expensive of three demonstrator truck models he researched. A new truck would cost about $1.1 million, according to Berry.

Another important difference is the Ferrara truck would have a 100-foot ladder. The current truck has only a 75-foot ladder. Berry pointed out that buildings are getting taller in the village, with the renovated Surfside Motel and the new Courtyard Lake George. For example, the current ladder truck would only be able to reach the second floor of the Courtyard hotel with the way it is set back from the street.

Berry said a longer aerial ladder truck also could have helped out Aug. 13 when a car went down an 80-foot embankment. Luckily, the person was able to walk away from the accident. If extrication was needed, Lake George would have needed to call Queensbury to access the vehicle. That could take 30 to 35 minutes.

I think thats a ridiculously long time to have to wait, especially if someone is in need of help, he said.

Berry said if the town decides to hold off, it is rolling the dice that more repairs will not be needed.

If you want to dump fifty grand in the truck and hope we get another five years out of it, thats your call, he said. It all depends on how much risk you want to take.

Also, the price of a new or demonstrator truck will have gone up during that time, Berry added.

His proposal consists of a $150,000 down payment. Ferrara is willing to forego two years of payments, which would allow the town and village to save up the funds. When the payments kick in, $30,000 of the roughly $66,000 payment on a 15-year bond would come from the capital reserve and the rest would be split between the town and village.

Because of the current assessment ratio, the town would pay 77 percent of the cost and the village 23 percent. That amounts to $28,000 for the town and $8,000 for the village. The impact on the fire tax would be about a 5 cent increase per $1,000. On a $200,000 house, it would be an additional $10 per year.

The cost sharing would change every year based upon the assessment, according to Village Mayor Robert Blais. When the new development shows up in the new assessments, the villages share would go up.

Berry said he has also spoken to a donor who would be willing to donate up to $50,000 to help with a truck payment.

With this purchase, Berry said the departments front-line fleet would be all new, reducing the budget needed for maintenance. The truck would be under warranty.

Some board members were worried that since the department has purchased other new vehicles in the past year, the taxpayers would be uncomfortable with another purchase.

I know you need a truck. I just cant put that out to the taxpayers because you got two new trucks, you got a firehouse, said board member Nancy Stannard.

Board member Dan Hurley was in favor of repairing the current truck because the town has other expenses, such as repairing ambulances.

Board member Vincent Crocitto suggested using the savings in the repair budget to put toward the capital reserve.

From the taxpayer standpoint, they see us spending a million dollars. Its a lot of money and we have to be careful. Your argument is compelling, he said.

Marisa Muratori said it is a shocking amount of money, but she realizes expenses are going up. She said she was leaning toward purchasing the truck.

Supervisor Dennis Dickinson appeared to be the swing vote, but he did not say how he felt. The board needed more time to think about it. The subject already has generated interest.

Weve gotten some emails from a small faction of the community who is diabolically opposed to it, he said.

He pointed out that town taxes have gone up a minuscule amount in the past few years.

Dickinson said the board would decide later this week.

Berry said people with questions about his proposal could email him at jberry@lgfd.org.
Queensbury Senior Citizens are planning a nine-day trip to Iceland, from Sept. 17 to 25, and an additional eight-day trip to Cowboy Country from June 13 to 20. The latter includes Jackson Hole Wyoming, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Rapid City and the Badlands.

An informational meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Sept. 26 for the Cowboy Country trip, and one at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 26 for the Iceland trip.

Call 745-4439 or 761-8224 for pricing and Itineraries. Preregister if you are planning to attend either meeting. The trips are offered to all, ages 55 and older.
WHITE CREEK  The state Department of Environmental Conservation is sampling the Hoosic River and its tributaries to assess how PFOA contamination may have spread to Washington County.

DEC officials on Aug. 25 collected samples from the Eagle Bridge area of the river and its tributaries, including the Walloomsac River, according to spokesman Sean Mahar.

DEC will collect an additional 13 samples once the river system returns to low flow conditions, Mahar said in an email.

The initial results are expected in mid-September, Mahar added.

Environmental officials are trying to determine the source of PFOA, a chemical known as perfluorooctanoic acid, which was used in nonstick coating.

The chemical has been found in Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh, and the state in May reached a settlement with the Saint-Gobain and Honeywell companies to clean up the contamination found in the Hoosick Falls area and pay for the cost. PFOA also has been found in White Creek and Cambridge.

Concentration levels above the Environmental Protection Agencys advisory limit of 70 parts per trillion were found in 27 of the 126 well samples in southern Washington County.

The state DEC has installed point-of-entry-treatment systems, which used a granular-activated carbon to remove the PFOA. Twenty-six were installed in White Creek and two in Cambridge.

Prolonged exposure to the chemical could result in risk of cancer, birth defects or problems with the liver, immune system and thyroid, according to the EPA.

White Creek is holding a meeting to discuss the PFOA issue. It is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 14 at Cambridge Central School.

Officials do not know how the contamination spread to Washington County. Some residents have cited the Hoosic River, which flooded a few years ago in the Eagle Bridge section of White Creek.

Some of the homes where wells tested positive for PFOA were along River and Turnpike roads, where there was flooding.

In addition to the river, state officials are also looking at landfills as a potential source. DEC this week identified the nearby Hoosick Falls landfill site as a potential state Superfund location.

The states preliminary investigation has found that the landfill site, and municipal landfills in the towns of Petersburgh and Berlin, may contain PFOA.

Monitoring wells at the Hoosick Falls landfill site found PFOA concentrations of up to 21,000 parts per trillion, according to a news release.

Further study will determine if there is evidence of hazardous materials.

Designation as a Superfund site allows the state to implement expedited remediation and get the responsible parties to pay for the cleanup costs.

The Hoosick Falls landfill was owned by the village and operated from the mid-1930s until it stopped accepting waste in 1993 and closed the following year, according to the state.

DEC is asking residents with concerns about illegal dumping to call 402-9676.

The agency continues to take requests for private well sampling and installation of water filtration systems. Residents can call the Hoosick Falls Water Hotline at 1-800-801-8092.












The US State Department has expressed concern at recent reports that Iran has deployed an advanced air defense system to guard a secretive nuclear site.





On Sunday, Iranian state television claimed Tehran had stationed a recently delivered a Russian-made long-range missile system to central Iran to protect its Fordo nuclear facility, suspected to have housed nuclear arms development work.









State Department spokesman John Kirby told a press briefing Monday that the US was unhappy with the sale of the S-300 system as well as its placement at Fordo. Weve seen the reports of this deployment. Obviously, thats of concern to us because we have long objected to the sale of Iran  of these kinds of capabilities, Kirby said.









"Weve seen the reports of this deployment. Obviously, thats of concern to us because we have long objected to the sale of Iran  of these kinds of capabilities, Kirby said. The Russian-made missile defense system is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world, offering long-range protection against both airplanes and missiles. The first shipment arrived in Iran in April. Kirby said the US would be in contact with allies regarding the deployment of the battery. As we get more information, obviously, were going to stay in close consultation with partners going forward,"





Israel has long sought to block the sale to Iran of the S-300 system, which analysts say could impede a potential Israeli strike on Tehrans nuclear facilities. Other officials have expressed concern that the systems could reach Syria and Hezbollah, diluting Israels regional air supremacy.





















































The Obama administrations Department of Homeland Security is contemplating a special declaration that will allow it to control Americas elections, according to a new report.





The federal agency would declare the election a critical infrastructure in such a case, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday, noting the move would give DHS the same control over security it has over Wall Street and and the electric power grid. The news comes just two days after the FBI revealed foreign hackers broke into state election systems in Illinois and Arizona





According to the Examiner, those attacks increase the likelihood of DHS making the special declaration in time for the upcoming election. We should carefully consider whether our election system, our election process, is critical infrastructure like the financial sector, like the power grid, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said. Theres a vital national interest in our election process, so I do think we need to consider whether it should be considered by my department and others critical infrastructure, he said at media conference in August hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

DHS currently has a security role in 16 facets of critical infrastructure. Other sectors may reveal what DHS and Johnson would have planned for election oversight.

































A leaked document from George Soross Open Society Foundations exposes the billionaires level of involvement in attempting to build what his organization describes as a national movement to reform local police forces across the U.S. The reform largely consists of federal guidelines for local police forces.





The document identifies an opportunity in the police killings of African-American men in Ferguson, Staten Island, North Charleston, and Baltimore. It relates that the U.S. contingent of Open Society held a planning meeting titled, Police Reform: How to Take Advantage of the Crisis of the Moment and Drive Long-Term Institutional Change in Police-Community Practice.









The extensive memo further documents that Soros-financed groups and personalities influenced President Obamas Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which last May released a final report consisting of 60 recommendations providing guidance to localities on how to modify policing practices. The information was contained in a 59-page report on an Open Society Foundations U.S. Programs board meeting in New York from May 7-9 of last year. The document states that the Foundations U.S. Programs (USP) was seeking to use this moment  meaning the so-called crisis in policing following high profile shootings and charges of racism  to create a national movement for police reform.

































With hundreds of millions of dollars poured into presidential and congressional elections in the United States it can be difficult, even for mega donors like George Soros, to truly understand how much influence is being "bought." That's why Soros is pursuing a new strategy to dump millions into the campaigns of local district attorneys, a position which "exercises the greatest discretion and power in the system." So far, Soros has funneled $3 million into seven local DA races over the past year but his support is "expected to intensify in the next few years, thanks to longer-term planning and candidate recruitment." In general, Soros looks to fund progressive DAs running on platforms to "reduce racial disparity in sentencing" and support prison "diversion programs" for drug offenders instead of trials that could result in jail time. As Politico points out:









Soros has spent on district attorney campaigns in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas through a network of state-level super PACs and a national 527 unlimited-money group, each named a variation on Safety and Justice. (Soros has also funded a federal super PAC with the same name.) Each organization received most of its money directly from Soros, according to public state and federal financial records, though some groups also got donations from nonprofits like the Civic Participation Action Fund, which gave to the Safety and Justice group in Illinois.

Soros spending started on these races about a year ago, when he put over $1 million into Safety and Justice groups that helped elect two new district attorneys in Louisiana and Mississippi and reelect a third  Hinds County, Miss., DA Robert Shuler Smith  who has since been charged by the Mississippi attorney general with improperly providing information to defendants.

After the Louisiana and Mississippi races, Soros next piled money into two of the biggest jurisdictions in the country: Houstons Harris County (his lone losing effort so far) and Chicagos Cook County, where he funded one of several groups that helped Kim Foxx defeat incumbent states attorney Anita Alvarez in a high-profile primary campaign dominated by the 13-month delay between the police shooting of Laquan McDonald and the indictment of the police officer involved.

In late spring, $107,000 from a Soros-funded New Mexico super PAC helped Raul Torrez win his Democratic district attorney primary by a 2-to-1 margin in Albuquerques Bernalillo County. Torrezs Republican opponent dropped out of the general election soon after, citing the potentially exorbitant cost of opposing the Soros-backed candidate in the general election.





But, for those of you worried that Soros isn't doing enough to "reshape the American justice system" please know that the plan is to "invest" far more in these races going forward. In fact, as Politico points out, the only hold back so far has been a lack of good puppets candidates.





While Soros has spent heavily in 2015 and 2016, a broader national push into local prosecutor campaigns is expected to intensify in the next few years, thanks to longer-term planning and candidate recruitment. A Safety and Justice group has already organized in Ohio, according to campaign finance filings there. But it has not yet disclosed raising or spending any money.

Theres been a realization that theres not very much we can do this year, when youre coming up to an election, said Steele. You have to have the right candidates. Thats a big piece of the puzzle and why Im part of this conversation. ... A lot of the conversations Im having are about 2017 and 2018, about looking forward to next year in Virginia and other places.

That means more local candidates should prepare for the shock of one of the biggest donors in American politics flooding their neighborhoods with ads.












































































Currently, around 10 million hectares are planted with oil palm worldwide, predominantly in Indonesia and Malaysia. Oil palm producetwo types of oils: palm oil from the fibrous mesocarp (flesh) and lauric oil from the palm kernel.

Ghanas first international commercial trade in oil palm took place in 1820. Starting from the wild palm harvesting, oil palm evolved into an agricultural crop and plantations were established by 1850 with the resultant effect that palm oil became the principal export from the then Gold Coast at the time. By the 1880s, palm oil accounted for 75% of the Countrys export revenue.

The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has over the years invested about US$20.0 million in the oil palm value chain in view of the importance of the sub sector to the economy of Ghana and its potential to alleviate poverty in the rural areas.

READ MORE:Ghana Banking Awards 2015 ADB adjudged best Agric Bank of the Year

This investment has greatly contributed in the sustenance of many public and private companies engaged in various activities in the oil palm industry.

Major actors such as Ghana Oil Palm Development Company Limited, Benso Oil Palm Company, Juaben Oil Mills, Apino Oil Palm Company Limited engaged in both production of the crop and subsequent processing have at one point or the other received financing from the Bank. Also primary producers such as Essilfua Farms Limited as well as processers such as Needs West Africa have been financed by the Bank. Support to the major processors has been the reason for the increase in the primary production of the crop as their production becomes market driven.

The bank reckons the recent trend in the use of crude palm oil as energy source for electricity plants and increasingly as biofuel and biodiesel and is ready to partner farmers, entrepreneurs and researchers to explore potential of oil palm as an energy crop.

Palm oil and palm kernel oil have a wide range of applications. About 80 percent is used for food applications while the rest is feedstock and usage in soap, detergents and cosmetics. Among the food uses are refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) olein used mainly for cooking and frying oils while RBD stearin is used for the production of shortening and margarine. Unfractionated palm oil is used for producing margarine, shortening, vegetable ghee, frying fats and ice cream.

In many parts of Africa including Ghana, palm oil is often consumed in its unrefined state, as an ingredient of traditional dishes.

Palm oil and palm kernel oil are also ingredients for the production of specialty fats, which include cocoa butter equivalents (CBE) and cocoa butter substitutes (CBS) and general purpose coating fats.

Global production of palm oil, the main product, has doubled over the last decade to a current level of over 36 million metric tonnes per year  with Malaysia and Indonesia accounting for about 87%.

Worldwide demand for palm oil is expected to double by 2020 and to meet this high demand, new plantations are being developed and existing ones being expanded in Indonesia, Malaysia and other Asian countries, and to a limited extent Africa and Latin America.

Ghana produces 243,852 metric tonnes of crude plam oil (CPO) but the local demand is 295,000 metric tonnes showing a deficit of about 51,000 mt annually.

in Ghana, the supply is made up mainly of local production and some imports. The major local producers are the Ghana Oil Palm Development Corporation (GOPDC), Twifo Oil Palm Plantation (TOPP), and Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP).
In a statement Tuesday, the IMF mission chief to Ghana, Mr. Joel Toujas-Bernate, said:"Discussions between staff and the authorities are currently ongoing to update macroeconomic projections, firm up the fiscal outlook for the remainder of 2016 and ascertain that financial pressures in SOEs will not pose additional risks to the central government budget. Subject to a quick and positive conclusion of these discussions, staff expects the third program review to be considered by the IMF Executive Board around mid-September.

It follows request from journalists to know the status of the programme after parliament rejected the zero-financing of the central government, and the re-introduction of energy subsidies to consumers.

The Fund has twice postponed its third review of the programme citing "outstanding issues."

Ghana in 2015 signed onto a three-year aid package with the IMF to, among other things, ensure fiscal consolidation, policy credibility and stability of the economy.

There has been calls for government to abandoned the programme with groups such the Trades Union Congress leading the charge.
He told the Finder Newspaper that in the months of July and August, parents can confirm or change the choice of schools and programmes for their wards.

READ ALSO: SHS placement

Mr Anokye said interested parents should text the 10-digit index number of their wards to the short code 1060 on MTN, Tigo, Airtel and Vodafone, and they would receive a message on the four schools selected by the candidate and the selected programme.

He added that parents who wish to change the school and programme of their wards can then contact their junior high schools (JHS) to write to CSSPS for the changes to be effected.

Private candidates, children of foreigners and Ghanaians who acquired basic education outside Ghana but want to attend senior high school (SHS) in Ghana all have the chance to be included in the CSSPS, Mr Anokye said.
This call was made by the President National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) Christian Addae-Poku.

At a press conference in Accra today [Tuesday] Addae-Poku mentioned that government has not been able to provide adequate funding to continue running the social intervention programmes they introduced.

President of NAGRAT also called on the government to pay subvention arrears to the District Directorates of Education. He mentioned that government has not paid subventions for the past four years.
If the economy is challenged, the insurance industry, just as other industries, is also challenged as most of our clients are from the manufacturing, service and industry sectors of the economy who feel the harsh impact of the economy.

So it is very important for insurance companies to look at the informal sector and bring innovative products to attract them to expand their clientele base, he said.

The insurer also called for the diversification of the economy and the stabilisation of the local currency to make key sectors of the economy such as manufacturing, service and industry to pick-up to boost the insurance business.

He said the practice where some companies undercut premiums to gain customers is not best practice as it is gradually crippling the growth of the industry and affecting solvency and ability to pay claims. He urged players to desist from it and develop innovative products that are tailor-made for customers.

If you undercut you charge a lower premium for a higher risk so you are not able to raise enough to pay claims and this bring about loss of confidence in the industry.

He called on industry players to intensify the campaign of educating the public to understand the policies of their products to inform customers decisions to go for the right insurance policies.

Low penetration of insurance is as a result of limited knowledge of the general public about insurance. As practitioners, we have not educated the public well and this has also resulted in the seeming loss of confidence in the insurance industry because people have had bad experiences with the industry, he said.

At NSIA Insurance we are doing our best to educate the public while selling our products. We try to educate them about the products as well as the policy details and tell them how it works, and the processes one can use to get his claims.

Before we give you the policy, we explain and give you the terms of the policy so when an event occurs you will know whether you are entitled to a claim or not, he added.

In Ghana, the National Insurance Commission (NIC) has begun the implementation of a number of policies in a bid to boost confidence and trust to grow the industry. Among others, the regulator has been championing micro-insurance  which targets low-income economic sectors  as a strategy to improve penetration and is currently working on a new industry law that takes cognizance of this little explored area.

It has also been trying to boost confidence through policies to strengthen claims-payment capacity of insurers. Since April 2014, it has been implementing a No premium, No Cover policy that prohibits the sale of insurance on credit. The NICs objective is to enable cash-strapped insurers promptly respond to claims  at least within a month when they fall due and all necessary documentations submitted.

Mr. Adoteye-Asare said NSIA Insurance Ghana is well-positioned to increase its market share, being the most solvent insurer currently on the market with over 660% solvency ratio as at July 2016. NSIA Insurance Ghana recently launched an online communication campaign, Insurance Made Easy to help demystify insurance for its clients and the general public, whilst bringing the real value of insurance to the fore.
What would most Ghanaians have done without power banks during the intense periods of Ghanas energy crisis.

Ghanaians needed such nimble but highly-effective solutions for the countrys three-year protracted energy crisis, as things as vital as mobile phone use was heavily affected. There was the need for supplementary power sources, but not all Ghanaians could afford a generator or a solar panel.

Four young men, Daniel Kwame Osafo, Nii Lantei Mills, Joseph Gyamerah-Ako and Leslie Okyere who, on their own,were nurturing a desire to start their own company after their university education were laying the ground work for the single business move that would change the lives of Ghanaians for a long time to come..

Nana Boafo Gyamarah-Ako co-founder of Cap Limited tells Meet The Boss, he and his three childhood friends came together to start Cap Limited in 2013, without clearly knowing what to do as a business.

We had always talked about starting our own business, but frankly we did not know what we were going to do exactly as a business.

However, when people saw adversity in the energy crisis, they saw great opportunity.

We met up one evening talking about how the power crisis was affecting everyone and how we could help with a solution that was cost effective but will be high-effective to everyone. We were asking about what people were most concerned about when the power goes off, and we found out that answer was mobile phones. That was how we introduced Pisen Power banks into the Ghanaian market.

After mulling over the idea of manufacturing the power banks in Ghana, the four friends rather settled on the more feasible idea of acquiring a franchise from one of the worlds biggest power bank brands, Pisen. This move, in itself was an incredibly uphill task for four young men who had barely finished their National Service.

Is it safe to say Cap Limited introduced Ghanaians to power banks

Yes, categorically. Prior to us bringing Pisen to Ghana I would say there wasnt any brand or any business doing power banks the way we have done in the past twenty months, Nana Gyamarah-Ako says.

How difficult was it to get a franchise from Pisen

He says networking was key.

To be successful, some amount of luck plays a part and you have to be properly prepared in order to get that luck to succeed. Networking was key, Pisen was not ready to work with us, or even interested in the African market, but we had an individual who had connections to Pisen and so he facilitated our engagement with the company and also helped with the franchisee fee.

Today Cap Limited has the Pisen franchise for the whole West Africa

 We are preparing to enter the West African market rather strategically. We will like to replicate the success in Ghana in Nigeria as well, so plans are advanced in establishing key distribution channels, and so in no time, we will be in Nigeria and other countries.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in this business

Our biggest challenge has been an effective management structure. For us we were enthusiastic, but we had to make a lot of mistakes. But we have learned from those mistakes. One of them was finance, but we found a key partner who helped in that regard.

Marketing the idea of power banks to Ghanaians

I think Ghanaians are one of the most difficult to sell to, especially a new brand. But we used more social media to sell our products, and key partnerships with gadget dealers that really helped.

Nana Gyamarah-Ako reveals Cap has sold close to 100,000 power banks so far through those channels

Today, the company deals in other Pisen mobile accessories, the most popular of which is the Bluetooth speaker. But there are also Bluetooth earpieces, USB chords amongst others.
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Mary and her infamous aunty, 'Aunty Lillian', come together once again, but this time to talk about much needed issues. In this short skit, they discuss sex and getting tested.

ALSO READ: undefined

"Shuga" focuses on relevant issues like stigma, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, gender based violence, first sex, and disclosure of HIV status.

The fifth season is being set in South Africa after its first and second season was in Kenya, and the third and fourth in Nigeria.
PRESS RELEASE 31/8/2016. FRIENDS OF NATIONAL UNITY (FONU)_________THE CRIMINALLY MINDED " PROFESSOR EMMANUEL MARTEY SHOULD BE ARRESTED AND INVESTIGATED Touch not my anointed" and they hide under this phrase and commit all manner of crimes"We the above mentioned group is calling on the security agencies to as a matter of urgency arrest Professor Emmanuel Martey for interrogations and investigations.The revelations by the so-called man of God is so damning to the extent that, sweeping it under the carpet, with an a excuse that, he is a man of God will amount to doing a lot of disservice to this great nation of ours.Just a few days ago, his colleague man of God, Bishop /Angel, Daniel Obinim was accused of defrauding someone of gold, juxtaposing that with the outburst of professor Emmanuel Martey, one can only afford to come to conclusion that, indeed God alone is a Christian and as such, we should not think that people in cassock are incapable of committing crimes.We also want to state it clear without fear or favour that, in our 1992 constitution, both the giver and the taker of a bribe are both guilty of the same offence. It is in this vein that, we think the so-called man of God should have done what is Godly by reporting these people to the appropriate authorities for justice to take its full scale on the culprits instead of indulging in the media to prosecute those quacks if indeed he wants Ghanaians to take him serious.Now that, he has fallen short of living up to this basic civil responsibility, then we sincerely think he has reneged his responsibility as a patriotic citizen and in that light, he is equally guilty of the crime that, he is accusing others of and we think this is unacceptable and unbecoming of a man of God of his calibre.We also want to add that, Friends of National Unity (FONU) as our name suggests, are peace loving individuals who have the country at heart and we cherish peace and unity so dearly that, we would not sit down with our hands folded for self-seeking individuals like professor Emmanuel Martey to plunge this country into chaos. This is a man who is on retirement so when this country is set ablaze, he indeed has nothing to lose.Since his unfortunate outburst yesterday, he has succeeded in driving a wedge further deep into an already polarised country of ours. One may ask, what prevents a man of God to be forthright with the truth? Your guess could be as good as ours.We have painstakingly decided to ask the following questions which are begging for answers.1. Which political party attempted to bribe him?2. What prevents him from mentioning the said political partys name?3. Is he not fueling more tension in the country with this reckless and irresponsible comments of his?4. If he knows that he did not want Ghanaians to know the specific political party that is involved in trying to bribe him, then why must he come out to spew such scandalous pronouncements? In summary what did he intend to achieve by such comments, if not for the purposes of naming and shaming?It is in view of the above mentioned questions that, we think the so-called man of God should do Ghanaians good by coming out to mention the political party that is involved in this bribery allegations, so that a chill could be put on the on-going acrimonious banter that has seen the two major political parties being on each others throat since he went public with these allegations, thanks to professor Martey for setting up the two major political parties to be on each others throat.We the above group wants to assure him that, if by close of tomorrow 1/9/2016 nothing tangible is heard from him, we would not hesitate to force him to come out and name the said political party that is involved in this bribery scandal. We will use him as scape goat for like-minded individuals to desist from this trajectory of just saying things with impunity because for now his motive is still not clear and it is about time peace loving individuals stand up to some of these Nation wreckers who seek refuge in religion to foment troubles in this our rather peaceful country.Long live mother GhanaLong live Friends for National Unity ---------signed--------------Convener
The move he said will deepen good governance and also help electorates in making their decisions during elections.

Mr. Boateng who spoke on Kumasi-based Abusua FM stated that presidential candidates and their running mates must be compelled to reveal their medical records prior to their acceptance as candidates for the parties they seek to represent.

He added that it will be unfair for the country to spend millions of Ghana cedis on elections only to hear unfortunate news after the elections.

READ MORE:Election 2016 New voting booths to be introduced on Election day

The EC use tax payers money to run its programmes, implement policies and others, because they are serving the interest of Ghanaians, their activities are public in character, hence its very political. So its necessary for the electorate to be privy to information of candidates especially their medical details. Its seriously political, I dont know why some people are so emotional and that its wrong to disclose that, its not everybody who wants to be president, besides nobody has forced them to be presidents.
READ ALSO: Fulani herdsmen

The assembly member for the communities had earlier on gone to the police to find out why a Fulani man arrested for destruction of a farm was released.

David Gyimah was subsequently put behind bars following a confrontation with a police officer over the issue.

The incident angered the residents who came out in their numbers to protest over the issue.

Residents marched through the streets with war songs in a directionless procession.
READ ALSO: GJA Awards

In an internal memo, the two groups said: "It is sad to note that the president took the decision to decide who becomes Journalist of the Year without discussing with the other five members of his team at the national level.We recall that after a chaotic emergency general meeting, some members picked up information that Mr Monney wanted to change who becomes the next Journalist of the Year contrary to what was recommended by the award committee made up of eminent members.It should be on record that the president unilaterally threw aside the recommendations of a committee and changed the Journalist of the Year to Anas without consulting anyone, more so when it was on record that Anas did not enter the awards.

But in a response, the other regional branches of the GJA said their colleagues must desist from denigrating the work of the Association, especially in relation to the organisation of the award.

The statement from the group said: It is worth indicating here that the regional executives of the Western and Central regions were part of an Emergency Meeting held a day before the 21st awards night but didnt raise any of the issues raised in their statement during the meeting.The attitude of colleague journalists throwing mud at leadership of the Association every year after the flagship event to award hard working journalists in the country must cease.

We the undersigned regional executives want to state that:1. The Journalist of the Year award goes to the journalist whose work made an exceptional impact and caused change in society2. Anas Aremeyaw Anass investigation in the judiciary made a greater impact in the judiciary and influenced a total cleansing, leading to the dismissal of some judges from the judiciary.

3. It is not automatic that the journalist who wins more awards becomes the journalist of the year.

4. We wish to reiterate that Anas did not breach any code of ethics of the GJA in his judicial corruption expose.
Affail Monney was responding to a petition brought before GJA by embattled High Court Judge Justice Paul Dery, to withdraw the award which was conferred on Anas since the investigative work is being challenged at the Supreme Court.

Anas Aremeyaw Anas was crowned the 2015 Best Journalist and took home a Hyundai SUV and a plague for his expose which was titled Ghana before the eyes of God'.

In his 12-page petition, he stated that: By the GJA Award, are you not prejudicing the outcome of the case before the courts, especially the Supreme Court? Is it not contempt pendent lite?

I am, therefore, by this letter drawing your attention to the consequences of the award GJA gave to Anas Aremeyaw Anas while I give you and your honourable association the opportunity to rectify a blatant wrong that has been inflicted on the whole of the Ghanaian public by the conferment of the said award.

Your response to my letter will determine my next line of action since I am determined to use all lawful and legal means at my disposal to ensure that the provisions of the 1992 constitution are upheld and complied with by all persons.

I would conclude these sentiments of mine by correcting misinformation going around in both print and electronic media that I am on suspension arising out of the Tiger Eye PI petition. I am not on suspension. No prima facie case has been made against me to warrant my suspension. I am on administrative leave which I applied to enable me to use the legal process to clear my name and reputation which Anas Aremeyaw Anas has sought to tarnish.

Meanwhile, president of GJA Affail Monney has indicated its readiness to face anybody who has issues with Anass award as 2015 best journalist of the year in court.

Our lawyers are ready to back us up in court if it really becomes necessary.

He argued that they are ready to defend the decision either in the law court or anywhere. We will refer the matter to our lawyers who are ready to address it.

Justice Dery remarked in his 12-page petition: By the GJA Award, are you not prejudicing the outcome of the case before the courts, especially the Supreme Court? Is it not contempt pendent lite?

I am, therefore, by this letter drawing your attention to the consequences of the award GJA gave to Anas Aremeyaw Anas while I give you and your honourable association the opportunity to rectify a blatant wrong that has been inflicted on the whole of the Ghanaian public by the conferment of the said award.

Your response to my letter will determine my next line of action since I am determined to use all lawful and legal means at my disposal to ensure that the provisions of the 1992 constitution are upheld and complied with by all persons.

I would conclude these sentiments of mine by correcting misinformation going around in both print and electronic media that I am on suspension arising out of the Tiger Eye PI petition. I am not on suspension. No prima facie case has been made against me to warrant my suspension. I am on administrative leave which I applied to enable me to use the legal process to clear my name and reputation which Anas Aremeyaw Anas has sought to tarnish.
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The Loss Control Coordinator at the Accra East regional office, Jonathan Asante said the controversial pastor owed a total of GH27,000 before the blockage.

According to Accra-based TV3, Obinim did the illegal connections in his guest house, television station OB TV and residence, after ECG cut power supply to him because of the non-payment of bills.

Jonathan Asante said by their calculations from March to August this year, Obinim owes GH217,000 from the illegal meters. Asante explained that even if Obinim pays the debt they would still have to arraign him before a special court.

Obinim will be arraigned before a special court on Saturday, September 3.
Every constituency in Ghana, every year from this programme, will get the equivalent of US$1 million to spend on priority infrastructure. You can use this US$1 million a year to deal with the problems of the constituency in the rural and deprived areas. It is up to the local people to decide what their problems are and what to use that US$1 million for, Dr. Bawumia said.

Dr Bawumia made this known on Tuesday in Bunkpurugu, on the first day of Nana Akufo-Addos 4-day tour of the Northern Region.

He said that the money for this programme will be drawn out of the capital budget of the country, which, according to the 2016 budget, stands at US$1.6 billion.

We are going to put resources at the disposal of the rural communities and the poorest communities in every constituency, he said.

Bawumia explained that in the capital budget of the country, we are going to be spending US$1.6 billion on capital expenditures this year. Our new programme of infrastructure for poverty eradication, is therefore going to take US$275 million from the capital expenditure budget.

He believed that after four years of Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo, with every constituency getting US$4 million, you will see growth in infrastructural development and poverty alleviation.

The NPP had earlier revealed that it has budgeted 55 million cedis for its one village one dam policy.

The flagbearer during a tour of the Upper East region said that he will set up an irrigation dam in every village in the northern part of Ghana should he win the 7 December polls.

According to him, his 1 village, 1 dam policy is to help Ghana produce more food for its citizens and for export to the sub-region.

You have been hearing me talking about 1-District-1-Factory. As far as this part of the country is concerned, I even want to go further and talk about 1-village-1-dam, to make sure that in every village, we have a functioning dam to support agriculture. If Ghanas agriculture is working well, the nation is capable of feeding West Africa, he indicated.

The NPP flagbearer made this known while speaking to the Bolgatanga Traditional Council in the Upper East Region about his plans for Ghanas agriculture under his government.
...He (Dr Mahama) is supposed to name whoever he wants to be his running mate but it is supposed to be in a quiet way where we, NEC, will decide to accept our vice-presidential candidate or not. But then he went ahead and will be doing all these things. The NEC itself is not [concerned] about announcing the vice presidential candidate, that is not what we want. We want PNC to be more vibrant to compete with NPP and NDC, not announcing the vice-presidential nominee, the PNC Chairman for Greater Accra, Bala Maekanka has told Class FM.

He is sleeping; he is totally sleeping. When you look at the terrain, look at the proliferation of television stations, check all the TV stations, what are we doing? He is the flag bearer and the leader of the party, but seriously we in the Greater Accra Region have been quiet for almost two months because we dont even have a manifesto to campaign on and then we dont even have logistics. You claim to be the leader and flag bearer and you dont even have one pick-up for yourself, he stated.This is not the first time that Dr Mahama has been a flag bearer. He was there since 1996, 2000, and 2004. So, for 20 years, if he couldnt do it, how will he be able to do it now? I am one of those who put him there, I was the main ingredient why he became the flag bearer of the PNC, so if today we say he must resign, he has to, because there are a lot of things that this man is supposed to do for us that he is not doing. He is much busier taking care of his hospital and taking care of his patients. Even though it is a good thing altogether, he should let us know that he wants to concentrate on his hospital than being the president of this nation, he added.
As the 2016 elections draw closer, it may be helpful to remember how close the nation came to disaster after the 2012 elections and to recognize that peace has to be engineered on all fronts. We must note that since elections are fundamental building blocks of democracy, free and fair elections are central to the legitimacy of democratic governance. We therefore wish to advise the EC to perform to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, he said.

He added: We cannot ignore the numerous hiccups that cast doubtful clouds over the ECs performance during the past several months in relation to the production of a credible voters register. We only hope that the Commission would live up to its responsibility as a transparent, accountable and credible institution.

The outspoken Moderator also urged all and sundry to avoid intemperate language, saying We should not forget that we have a common destiny and need to be wary of what we say to and about one another.
Depositors will earn between 1.5% to 7% interest on their deposit.

The first quarter of 2016 interest payment is therefore on September 11, 2016, and second quarter payment is due on September 18, 2016.

Total interest accrued on the float [deposit] as at June 2016 was GH15.19million.

The announcement comes as mobile money transactions in the country reached a total of 679.17 million Ghana Cedis.

This figure represents a 20% growth for the mid-year figure, compared to the 547.96 million Ghana Cedis recorded for the end of 2015.

The mobile money subscribers are entitled to at least GH12.15million representing 80% of the total float balances that will be distributed to mobile money subscribers in line with Paragraph 10(5) of the E-Money Issuers Guidelines (2015).

Meanwhile, banks have been urged not to see the mobile money operators as competitors but as an important channel for financial inclusion.

Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Asiama, said mobile money operators have deployed technologies and infrastructure that is driving financial inclusion as envisaged.

So lets leverage the technology and agent network to promote financial inclusion without risking the general safety and soundness of the financial system, he said.

Mobile money deposit, according to data from the Bank of Ghana, at the end of June 2016 stood at GHC679.2 million compared to GHC341.3 million in 2015.

The data also shows that there are some 108,531 registered mobile money agents in June 2016 compared to 38,400 in June 2015.
The brand shows off matching print pieces for mothers and their daughters for the interesting collection (with styles appropriately modified for the kids).

'And Co' is a common Nigerian phrase describing matching styles/where two or more people wear the same fabric or outfit.

Offerings from the collection includes dresses; cold shoulder ruffled hem dress for mother and baby doll ruffled hem for daughter, top over flared print midi skirts, floral print peplum top paired over denim for the mother and daughter duo.

Other styles include panelled top over print dresses for mother and daughter, sleeveless form fitting dress for mum and sleeveless dress for the baby girl. Cold shoulder lace tops over peplum hem skirts for mother and child, matching shorts print and more were amongst the styles for the collection.

The styles are playful/fun, casual and very versatile done in Ankara prints. The brand's creative director Ayotunde Omitogun described the bond between a (stylish)mother and her child as well as creating memorable fashion moments as inspiration behind the collection.
It was gathered that the Edo State Ossai who was employed as a guard in a private residence on Teslim Elias Close, was nabbed by the Victoria Island Police Division for allegedly assaulting the girl sexually by inserting his finger into her private parts as well as sucking her breasts.

According to a police source, the suspect was caught red-handed in the act by the father of the minor who promptly reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the guard.

The source narrated:

The incident happened at about 11.30pm on Saturday, August 27, 2016. The guard allegedly lured the girl to a secluded spot in the house and sucked her breast. He also dipped his left finger into her private parts. He has confessed to the crime.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed the arrest of the suspect, said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Fatai Owoseni, has directed that the case is transferred to the gender unit of the command.

The matter was reported and the suspect has been arrested. The victim has been taken for a medical examination.
His arrest was facilitated by a non-governmental organisation, National Council of Women Society (NCWS), who reported the matter to the security agency.

Muhammad Gidado Fari, the state commandant of the NSCDC revealed this in a statement he released to the press.

According to Fari, a 10-year-old student of his helped deliver the baby to the accused, who subsequently defiled it.

The deaf teacher has however denied any involvement in the rape, despite being identified by the student.

Daily Post reported that the matter has been transferred to the Ministry of Justice, for more resources on the case.
Police have pressed abduction and sexual assault charges at an Ikeja Chief Magistrates' Court against the security man, who lives at 12, Esuola St., Oko-Oba, Agege, a suburb of Lagos.

Prosecutor Rafael Donny told the court that the offences were committed between July 25 and July 28 at the residence of the accused.

Donny said the accused lured the 14-year-old girl, who was sent on an errand, into his house and shut the door before assaulting her sexually.

"The accused abducted the girl for four days and assaulted her sexually.

"It was one of her relations who sighted her in front of the accuseds house that reported to the police," Sgt. Donny said.

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene Sections 141(a) and 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused, who entered a `not-guilty plea, risks 18 years or life imprisonment on conviction.

Chief Magistrate Tajudeen Elias admitted the accused to a bail of N100, 000 in addition to two sureties in like sum.
Members of the gang including Akin Ayotunde, Isaac Ogbonna, Sola Dede and Sodiq Lawal, were arrested in the Ikorodu area of the state by a team of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), of the state command.

The robbery suspects were arrested on Thursday, August 25, 2016, when they invaded the apartment of one Bello Hakeem in the Igbe area, where they had spent six hours ransacking his house, before making away with his car, generator, phones, ATM cards, modems, laptops, cash, and jewelry.

They later withdrew the sum of N100,000 using one of the ATM cards they had stolen from Hakeem.

The leader of the gang, Ayotunde, 27, while confessing to their activities, said:

I used to sell garri with my grandma in a market before a former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, demolished shops in the market. I tried another job, but it didnt work.

I then sold the idea of robbing houses to my friends and we agreed to use only knives and not guns. We always lurk around developing areas in Ikorodu at night, look for any house that had its generator on, scale the fence and put off the generator."

"When the occupants of the house come out to check the generator, we attack. We made N60,000 from our first operation in March.

I was arrested when the man whom I had given the mans car to called me that he had found a buyer. He said the buyer had paid N700,000 for the vehicle and that I should come for my share.
According to Akwaoku, she has not set her eyes on the estranged husband since he left their house ten years ago.

She explained that Patrick abandoned her and the children following an incident of fraud which occurred at his office in the year he disappeared.

My husband disappeared from the house 10 years ago to an unknown destination, he refused to either call or come home to see me and his children",

When his company was to arrest him, he ran away from the house and abandoned us."

When his company could not found him, I was arrested and detained so that my husband can come out of hiding."

Despite this, my husband did not surface, it was my family that came to bail me."

The complainant told the court that her husband often nags her and their children when they tried to contact him over the phone.

At other times, his phone was unreachable.

Patrick was always shouting at us whenever we called; later, his phone numbers were no longer reachable. Its been 10 years now; I dont even know anything about him.

When I contacted his uncle on phone, he told me that my husband was in Port-Harcourt."

Lamenting, Akwaoku stated that she had been handling the sole responsibility of catering for their children which has been an arduous task.
He said  He was unconscious when he was brought in and was in a coma, we tried to resuscitate him by putting him on life support.

But despite our efforts, we could not save him in one hour thirty minutes that he was brought in.

We could not save the life of the young boy because he was not responding as the damage on him was really high."

Guney also discouraged Nigerians from travelling abroad to receive medical treatment, saying  It is better for such Nigerians to keep the money in the country rather than taking it abroad.

But unfortunately, a large number of Nigerian patients fly to Indian, United Kingdom and the United States sometimes to treat very simple medical cases.
The spokesman for the air force, Ayodele Famuyiwa had on Tuesday, announced that the force successfully destroyed a new Boko Haram camp located between Malam Fatori and Kangarwa in northern Borno, during a night operation.

"The new camp is about 4-6km away from the BHT location attacked earlier on 20 August 2016 by NAF Mi-17 helicopter within the same vicinity in a similar night operation that led to the death of about 300 insurgents, he had said.

The post-strike battle damage assessment (BDA) mission had revealed that surviving BHTs converged at the new location.

ALSO READ: 500 people benefit from Nigerian Air Force medical outreach
Abdullahi made the comments on Tuesday, August 30, 2016, during a book launch in Abuja.

If we find truly that we cannot peacefully develop this country, the solution is to go our separate ways, why not? Even now, we are not happy with the kind of standard of security that is being applied in the country, he said.

If you are not going to fight Avengers, you should stop fighting Boko Haram. Any government that fails to ensure the wellbeing of its people has the least legitimacy, it is not worth being a government.

Nigeria has not made the kind of progress that was expected of it since its independence after 56 years. We must take into account that we are responsible for these, he added.

ALSO READ: Buhari says FG will deal with militants if dialogue fails
Fayose signed the bill into law on Monday, August 29, 2016, in the presence of more than 3,000 traditional chiefs in the state.

The OPCs comments were contained in a statement released by National Coordinator, Otunba Gani Adams.

The statement reads:

Going by the wicked records of Fulani herdsmen who have turned the clean and clear rivers of their host communities in the southwest area of the country into rivers that flow with human blood, the action of Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose and the state House of Assembly to pass the anti-grazing bill in the state is highly commendable.

The bill, which prevents herdsmen from carrying weapons is indeed a good step in the right direction and should be applauded by all right-thinking people across the country.

It is no longer news that the herdsmen have been acting with impunity in communities across the southwest. They have killed, robbed and raped hapless citizens without any action taken against them by the security agencies. This seeming sense of insecurity and helplessness by the people is a dangerous trend that portends danger for the peaceful coexistence of Nigerians.

These days, not a day passes without a fresh news about the dastardly activities of these men breaking. From the killing in Enugu, to Kaduna and other parts of the country, it is the same sad story every day.

Ekiti State has set the pace and showed us how to stop the senseless killings. I want to implore other state governors, especially in the southwest, to follow this laudable example and pass similar law that will restrict these herdsmen from their wicked and evil actions. We all must remember that cattle business is a private business with private interest.

Therefore, it should not be made to look to enjoy any special favour by the government. The carrying and use of automatic weapons by herdsmen should be outlawed and Ekiti State has shown the way.

Under the law, herdsmen are forbidden from carrying arms and indiscriminately moving cattle from one location to the other.

ALSO READ: Ekiti Government set for showdown with Fulani herdsmen
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Onipede had submitted a petition to the house entitled: Dismissal from Civil Service seeking reversal of his sack by LASTMA.

Onipede said in the petition that he was on a patrol around Ojota axis when he observed that vehicles were parked indiscriminately at the Bus Stop resulting in gridlock.

The dismissed officer said that he instructed driver of the vehicle in front to move to ease the traffic but refused.

In the petition, Onipede said that he took photograph of the vehicle with his phone after which the bus conductor held his hand and pleaded for deletion of the pictures.

"In the process of holding my hand while pleading, a passerby took the photograph and shared same on the social media which LASTMA authority came across and accused me of extortion from a bus conductor.

"All attempts to explain what transpired between me and the bus conductor to LASTMA authority was rebuffed, he said in the petition challenging his sack.

Presenting the report on the floor, Mr Dayo Famakinwa, Chairman, House Committee on Establishment, Training, Pension and Public Service, said that relevant stakeholders were invited while investigating the matter.

Famakinwa said that the committee concluded its investigation and adopted the position of the Civil Service Commission to the effect that Onipede should be dismissed from the service.

Oduntan (APC-Alimosho II) said, ``The fear of LASTMA is the beginning of traffic wisdom in Lagos State.

"Now there are many bad ones among them who have become allies with the commercial bus drivers thereby extorting money from them.

"I can recall one LASTMA officer tried to extort money from a danfo driver, but pleaded for forgiveness after I accosted him.

"I think it is nemesis that caught up with the man in question.

"It will serve as a deterrent to other LASTMA officials who indulge in such disgusting behaviour, he said.

\In another development, the House has announced the online streaming of its plenary and other activities live.

Majority Leader of the House, Mr Sanai Agunbiade, informed members of the development, and that they should as well inform members of the public about it.

According to him, members of the public can now access the plenary of the house via www.lagoshouseofassembly.gov.nglivestreaming.
The police shot four workers out of which two later died in the rally on July 29.

Shooting occurred as a delegation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) began talks with the state government over the protracted labour crisis rocking the state.

Gov. Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa State made this known during a reconciliatory meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

The NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and representatives of Nasarawa Government attended the meeting facilitated by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige.

Almakura, represented by Alhaji Yusuf Usman, Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, said the compensation would be according to the Employees Compensation Act.

He said the state government would invoke "no work, no pay" policy on the workers for the months of July and August.

He also said that the state government had since maintained the status quo, adding that both labour and the state government need themselves.

"We have also agreed to pay the shortfalls of the salaries during which the contentious new salary scale was being implemented, he said.

Earlier, the minister in his remark, said President Muhammadu Buhari frowned at the situation in Nasarawa State.

"So, Mr President in consonance with his power has mandated me to intervene with a view to resolve the crisis. More so, when the issue has resulted in the loss of two lives.

"He has asked me to do the needful so that we can get peace back to Nasarawa State," he said.

Ngige said the gathering was the Federal Government first leg of conciliatory meeting, adding that it had become necessary because the in-house mediation had failed.

The minister described the death of the two workers during the seeming demonstration in Nasarawa State as unfortunate.

He said he was open to listen to the officials and government of Nasarawa State, take their brief and all supporting document, after which it would meet with the NLC and TUC in the same way.

"If we discovered that the workers do not take procedural steps to embark on strike, it had its own penalties.

"We will appreciate the strike, the Trade Union Act given the power to apprehend the strike. I am sure that after this, we will get peace back to Nasarawa State," he added.

The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said employment was a contract where both employers and employees have their rights.

He said it was unfortunate that the state government allowed the crisis to escalate, adding that NLC and TUC tried to nip the crisis in the bud without success.

"All of us must therefore must subject ourselves to the rules and regulations. It is a dispute of rights not of interest.

"It is on issues that border on remuneration and other labour issues. We pledged that the organised labour will cooperate. We are committed to due process and the laws," he said.
An official of the agency, Alhaji Aliyu Shinkafi, gave the warning at a seminar for intending pilgrims in Lagos on Wednesday.

He reminded the intending pilgrims that drug trafficking attracted death penalty in Saudi Arabia, adding that the consequence of such act before God was equally huge.

The official, who is also in charge of hajj operations, said that those arrested recently at the Ilorin International Airport injected the substance, explaining that the airport lacked scanning machines to detect illegal substances.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other agencies participating at the seminar also warned intending pilgrims to abide by the laws of their host country.

The Managing Director of Med-View Airlines, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, said the airline had saved the intending pilgrims the stress of going through Dubai on other airlines.

For the intending pilgrims, the good thing God has given us is that we are the only Nigerian air carrier that operates scheduled flights to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The militant group also threatened to carry out more attacks on pipelines along Port-Harcourt and Warri.

It also called on oil companies at the Port-Harcourt refinery to evacuate their staff, to avoid loss of lives.

The group, through its spokesman, Aldo Agbalaja, said At about 0300hrs of today, Tuesday, August 30, 2016, the uproot team B of the NDGJM brought down the Ogor-Oteri major delivery line Operated by NPDC/Shoreline.

NDGJM also said To this end, we are alerting all those working in the UQCC/UPS Erhomukokwarien in Ughelli, Eriemu Pigging Manifold in Agbarha, Otorogun Gas Plant, Olomoro Flow Station, Warri Refinery, Port Harcourt Refinery, Eleme, Ob-Ob And Obite Gas Plants in Omoku to evacuate because what is coming to those facilities are beyond what anybody has seen before.

We do not want innocent blood being spilled; therefore, we advise all indigenes living in the vicinities of the facilities to relocate for the time being.

Those in the field, just for the money, will quickly rush to align with the Pa E. K. Clarks arrangement because they were, as a matter of fact, created by some of the people co-travelling with Clark.

We want to reiterate our lack of confidence in the Clark-led arrangement. Chief Clark is not the leader of the whole of Niger Delta; he can hold the front for the Ijaw nation but definitely not for all the ethnic nations in the region.
Major militant groups in the area are said to have declared a ceasefire pending the outcome of the negotiation.

The governments position was revealed by the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

The President has charged some people with engaging the various militant groups, and now that they are waiving the white flag, there will definitely be formal talks, Adesina told Vanguard on Tuesday, August 30, 2016.

But before that, the NSA, service chiefs and all those involved need to bring their reports, they will be assessed before dialogue will kick-off, he added.

ALSO READ: Niger Delta militants attack NPDC facility
For today, August 31 2016:

THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

N2.2tr oil loans upset banks

Nigerian banks have become very stringent in funding oil and gas projects owing to a doubtful balance sheet position and inability of firms to service previous loans worth more than N2.2 trillion.

Nigeria, UK okay deal on return of looted assets

Nigeria and Britain have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the modalities for the return of stolen assets. READ MORE

Zuckerberg meets developers, entrepreneurs on first trip to Nigeria

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday visited Nigeria on his first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa, using his time in the country to visit the Yaba technology hub in Lagos where he met with developers and partners. READ MORE

THE VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Photos: Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg visits Nigeria to understudy startups

The Chief Executive Officer, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, on Tuesday arrived in Nigeria to understudy rising startups in the country. READ MORE

Were working with new attorney, U.S to repatriate N218.3b Abacha loot  AGF

Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, last night, cleared the air on the claim by a U.S-based Nigerian lawyer that he would frustrate the repatriation of N218.3 billion Abacha loot unless he was paid his legal fees. READ MORE

Fight Avengers before fighting Boko Haram  Abdullahi

ABUJA  Former Adviser on Food Security to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof Ango Abdullahi, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to fight the Niger Delta Avengers before taking on Boko Haram.

THE NATION NEWSPAPER

Boko Haram: Kids battle malnutrition in IDPs camp

Children who escaped the terror of Boko Haram are now facing starvation in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.

$200m Halliburton cash blown on presidential helicopter

Detectives probing the whereabouts of the $200m (N81.4billion) fines paid by five companies involved in the $180million Halliburton bribery scam have made a major discovery.

Nigeria, Britain join forces against treasury looters

LOOTERS who plan to hide their illicit wealth in Britain will face a hostile host, with the signing yesterday of a pact by the two countries.

THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Nigerias unity negotiable, says Prof. Ango Abdullahi

A former Minister of Education and member of the Northern Elders Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has said if Nigerians has found it difficult to live together in peace, the component units should find it convenient to go their separate ways.

Herdsman arrested with AK 47 rifle, live ammunition in Enugu

A herdsman has been arrested with an AK-47 assault rifle and 24 rounds of live ammunition in Enugu. READ MORE

N23bn Diezani bribe: EFCC arrests Ebonyi govs brother
According to the statement, Wike said the Late literary icon deserved a befitting burial for his contributions to the development of the state, Nigeria and humanity.

The governor inaugurated a State Burial Committee for the burial at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

During the inaguration, Wike urged the family to cooperate with the committee to ensure that the late literary icon got the deserved befitting burial.

He warned against the politicisation of the burial, adding that the state government would not struggle with any group on who should organise the burial.

He said,``if the family do not want Rivers State Government to participate in the burial, it should make its position known."

He urged the committee to ensure the burial took place in 2016 and weather the state should play a part in the date for the burial.

Responding, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Frank Ohwor, assured the Governor that members of the committee would work towards a befitting burial for the literary icon.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those inaugurated by the governor are Mr Frank Owhor, Chairman; Mr David Briggs, Secretary and Mr Paul Wonodi, Deputy Chairman.

Mr Monday Mgbor, Mr Hope Ikiriko, Mr Chris Orji and Chairman, Ikwerre Local Government Area are also members of the committee.

Others are Henry Wordu, Dr Preye Elechi Amadi, Mr Carl Amadi , Mr Azubuike Elechi-Amadi, Prof S.C. Achinewhu, Mr Ben Ugo and Mr V. Amadi.

NAN reports that the late Elechi Amadi born on May 12, 1934, and was a Nigerian author who had written five African novels - The Concubine, The Great Ponds, The Slave, Isiburu and Estrangement.

Born in Aluu in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers, he attended Government College Umuahia and the University of Ibadan where he obtained a degree in Physics and

Mathematics.

Amadis novels are generally about African village life, customs, beliefs and religious practice, as they are all set before contact with the Western world.
Produced by Adonaija Owiriwa and Izu Ojukwu, and directed by Ojukwu, the story in the film is told from two points of view: that of a young pregnant woman, and that of her husband, a soldier accused of being involved in the 1976 military coup and assassination of General Murtala Mohammed.

ALSO READ:

Synopsis:Six years after the civil war, a young officer from the middle belt gets entangled in a romantic relationship with a beautiful O-Level student from the Southeastern part of Nigeria.

Their budding romance was almost ruptured by endless military postings. Now heavily pregnant her walls came crumbling when the news of her husband's involvement in a botched coup attempt hits the headlines.

ALSO READ: undefined'76' celebrates the quality of the true African woman by exploring the usually invisible pain of a soldier's wife; it highlights the enduring Nigerian cultural values of courage, resilience, patience, loyalty, faith and family. It is visually pure, emotionally engaging and amorously therapeutic.

The anticipated movie stars talented actors like Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Chidi Mokeme, Memry Savanhu, Adonijah Owuruwa, Daniel K. Daniel, Nelly Ekwereogu and Shuaibu Ebenehi Adams.

Cast and crew of anticipated Nigerian historical fiction drama recentlyheld a special screening for former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.

Olusegun Obasanjo is a former Nigerian Army general who was President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.
The reality on ground is that if the previous government were in power by now Nigeria would have virtually packed up, Oni said according to ThisDay.

Maybe many of us would be refugees by now. So it is very easy not to remember where we are coming from. Yes, we are elected to do the impossible, we will do our own best. I just want to plead that people should give us more realistic expectation, he added.
The Rivers APCs comments were made by Deputy Chairman, Peter Odike while speaking in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, August 30.

Most importantly, we know that last week, late Aswuete threatened on a radio programme that he would (this week) expose how the PDP in Rivers State obtained a forged court order restraining INEC from releasing the Tai re-run election results, a court order the PDP has been parading, Odike said according to Vanguard.

He promised to present proof that such a court order did not exist and that the judge that purportedly gave that order was not a vacation judge as he had been on vacation in the United States, he added.

ALSO READ: Police confirm assassination of APC lawyer in Rivers
Once I got there though, I was met with less enthusiasm because I wasn't invited (only 60 people in all of Nigeria were) and could not even get past the gate.

So what do I do? I get myself to the Eko Hotel and Suites - also in V.I - to watch the press screening. At least if I cannot speak to the man himself or watch him speak in person, I should be able to watch him do it on a large screen with air conditioning and great food.

One strong takeaway from watching Mark Zuckerberg speak is that he is by and large a very normal guy. He wore a dark grey shirt with jeans and not-so-stylish Nike trainers. Just a regular guy.

He also spoke like you would expect of any average person. There were no needless big words, no ignorant references. He was descriptive, affectionate, and straight to the point.

Ime Archibong, while kicking off the Q&A session said: "When I came to Lagos back in May this year I was really struck by the energy of the tech scene here and by how many people were building. As someone with strong links to Nigeria, I've been trying to expose Mark to this ecosystem for a while so I am very excited for him to be able to come here and meet some of Nigeria's top entrepreneurs and developers today."

ALSO READ: 5 reasons good enough to make Mark Zuckerberg visit Nigeria

As for Zuckerberg, he answered questions ranging from if he has had a taste of Nigerian Jollof and pounded yam to the plans that Facebook has for WhatsApp in the future.

According to him, "I decided to come to Lagos first because of the vibrant developer and entrepreneurial ecosystem you guys have here - I think the world needs to see that."

Zuckerberg also acknowledges that Nigeria is experiencing a lot of drastic change, citing the fact that the economy is becoming less resource based and more entrepreneurial and knowledge-based economy.

Did you know that every Friday, at the Facebook Headquarters, Mark Zuckerberg holds a town hall Q&A with Facebook staff and anyone else that wants to have a chat with him? No? Neither did I but Zuckerberg was happy to share at the Q&A event.

At the end of the Q&A, Zuckerberg had given us with more knowledge that we went in with, an abundance of funny anecdotes, and genuine inspiration.
With both sides trading accusations after a bitter election campaign, there was concern the results, when they came, would trigger unrest. People stockpiled food, police manned major crossroads and soldiers deployed at petrol stations and banks.

Ping, a former foreign minister, African Union Commission chairman and longtime political insider, is the main challenger to Bongo, whose family has ruled the oil-producing central African nation for half a century.

"Jean Ping's victory is no longer in doubt," the statement signed by him said, adding he had received 59.32 percent support in the eight out of the nine provinces for which they had data, with Bongo getting just 37.97 percent.

Government spokesman Alain-Claude Nze told a news conference earlier in the day that "Jean Ping seems to be the instigator of a destabilisation that threatens the democratic process."

Bongo's supporters say he is on track to win. The president was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ran Gabon for 42 years.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the issuance of premature results and called on Ping and Bongo to urge their supporters to show restraint.

Bongo's allies are also furious about a statement from France's ruling Socialist Party on Sunday declaring that early results showed Ping to be the winner.

They accused French officials of carrying on the old politics of 'La Francafrique' - an intricate, shadowy web of diplomacy and commerce that for decades kept African presidents in its former colonies, like Bongo's father, in power in exchange for privileged deals for French companies.

"The Socialist Party by this interference, coming from the same members of La Francafrique, shows once again their inability to understand how African democracies function," Nze said. "The French Socialist Party is advised to respect our sovereignty."

FEARS OF UNREST

Authorities have also reacted angrily to an app set up by an Ivorian citizen that allegedly gives live results by region.

Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya said he would announce results starting on Tuesday evening after a meeting of the electoral commission and warned that any attempts at destabilisation by publishing results would not be tolerated.

"Any other so-called results released before, during or after the official declaration are nothing but a lie and a violation of the law," Moubelet-Boubeya said in a statement.

"Anti-democratic forces both inside and outside the country are looking for ways to provoke trouble in Gabon."

The French Embassy advised its citizens to stay indoors.

Gabon's first-past-the-post system means the winner only needs more votes than any other candidate. In 2009, Bongo won with 41.73 percent.

The European Union's observer mission on Monday criticised a "lack of transparency" among the institutions running the polls and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media. Nze accused the EU of overstepping its mandate.

Ping's supporters called on the electoral commission to publish the results polling station by polling station. But electoral commission head Rene Aboghe Ella rejected that, telling Radio France International "to do so would excessively delay the publication of the results".

Bongo, 57, also benefits from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse.

But oil output and prices have fallen, forcing budget cuts despite Gabon having one of the biggest revenue streams of all Africa's oil producers.
Gordhan said last week he had done nothing wrong and had no legal obligation to obey a police summons over the inquiry into whether he used a surveillance unit set up when he was head of the tax service to spy on politicians.

State prosecutors have denied suggestions in local media that Gordhan could be charged over the investigation; but the speculation has hit South African assets.

The main opposition party Democratic Alliance said last week the police investigation into Gordhan was a "witch-hunt".

Political commentators say the probe is supported by a faction allied to President Jacob Zuma, who is said to have been among the politicians spied on by the tax surveillance unit.

Zuma - who has said he backs Gordhan but cannot stop the investigation - has denied warring with the finance minister.

"The ANC reaffirms its unreserved confidence in the Minister," the African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said, warning that speculation over the minister was hurting the economy and the case could be dealt with better.

The rand gained after Mantashe expressed confidence in Gordhan but then went into reverse, falling 0.6 percent to a session low, after he said the minister must obey the police summons.

"The minister must cooperate with processes. If he has no case to answer he can only prove that through processes," Mantashe told a news conference.

Mantashe said the investigation into Gordhan should be carried out in a manner that does not embarrass the minister.

"All we are saying is that please deal with this matter in a decent way. We don't say Pravin Gordhan must be untouchable," he said, adding the probe should be conducted without "having an element of humiliating this minister."

Analysts said the ANC was split on how to handle the fallout from the Gordhan investigation.

"The ANC is also divided on the question of whether the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan should remain or should be removed which ever way it turns it will affect the ANC," said Professor Shadrack Gutto, a law lecturer at the University of South Africa.

TREASURY, ESKOM ROW

Mantashe also said the ANC was concerned about a dispute between the Treasury and state-owned power utility Eskom.

The Treasury on Monday accused Eskom executives of blocking the probe of coal contracts between the utility and a company linked to the wealthy Gupta family that is accused of holding undue political sway over Zuma.

Eskom said it was cooperating with investigations and had not been involved in any wrongdoing.

The Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown said she was concerned that the row could lead to the utility being downgraded by credit rating agencies and ordred the utility to provide a report to facilitate the probe.

The utility later said it sent the report to the Treasury.

"It has been unfortunate that Eskom and National Treasury have also taken their disagreement to the public domain on matters relating to procurement issues," Mantashe said.

In another public spat between the Treasury and a state-run company, South African arms maker Denel said late on Tuesday it would fight a bid to halt a joint venture it has been pursuing called Denel Asia.

Local media have reported that the company is linked to the Gupta family but Denel said this was not the case and there were no grounds for the Treasury to block the joint venture.
This month, the Security Council approved a 4,000-strong protection force for South Sudan's capital of Juba as part of the UNMISS peacekeeping mission that had its mandate extended in July.

There is no definite day that I will tell you but they are coming at the end of this week. We will confirm it by Friday," Mawien Makol told Reuters.

Fierce fighting in the capital Juba last month has increased fears that the five-year-old nation could relapse into civil war and prompted the United Nations to authorise the deployment of the extra troops for the 12,000-strong U.N. mission there.

"We will have together with the government and the minister of foreign affairs to work out programmes so that the members of the Security Council can meet the President and government of South Sudan (and) continue discussing how we improve the situation making sure we have peace," UNMISS head, Ellen Margrethe Loej, said on state-run TV after meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Deng Alor on Tuesday.

South Sudan's government had initially said it would not cooperate with the newly enlarged protection force, but since then it has said it was still considering its position.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011, but by December 2013 the longstanding political rivalry between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar, had led to fighting that often followed ethnic lines.
Rashid al-Maktoum was said to haveconducted an unannounced inspection of some government offices and found out that some top employees were absent.

Report said Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, thanked the nine retired officials for their service but said he wanted to allow a new generation of young leaders to take control and provide top-quality services to the public.
So, you go to 5th Avenue to try out Moline's newest farmers market.

You look around Mercado on Fifth, home to roughly 20 vendors on its opening night Friday, and see vegetables grown 20 miles away next to purses imported from Morocco and tortilla-shaped candy shipped from Mexico.

You can watch pizzas sizzle under the Streets of Italy food tent and try cheesy popcorn prepared out of Missy Sweeney's home in Rock Island while sampling honey made in Hampton, Illinois, and a snow cone from the Don Monicos stand.

And you realize something: Mercado on Fifth isn't a farmers market  it's more than that.

"We just needed something like this; it's like it's filling a hole," said Lupe Cruz, who lives in the Floreciente neighborhood of Moline. "It's a social thing and a food thing  we didn't have anything like this to do on a Friday night."

And now they do.

Mercado on Fifth is slated to run from 5-9 p.m. every Friday through Oct. 28 at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 12th Street in Moline.

This season is just a starting point for the market, according to organizer Bob Ontiveros.

"This year is about getting it off the ground, seeing what works and what doesn't," he said. "In the winter, we'll announce some things that are bigger and better."

Ontiveros, the chairman and founder of Group O, a multi-faceted global business headquartered in Milan, initially thought up the idea for a community market in 2007.

Nearly 10 years later, with motivation from his granddaughter, Maria Ontiveros, the market is finally here.

"I wasn't going to let him push it off another year," said Maria Ontiveros, 26.

Since May, after she returned home from a year-long stint teaching English in Thailand, Maria Ontiveros has recruited vendors for Mercado on Fifth.

"There are so many small businesses that need a kicking-off point that can't make it on their own," she said. "We want to showcase them and their cultures, which are slices of their homes."

That goes for Jorge Lopez, 18, and his family's candy store called Dulceria La Michoacana, which opened last year on 4th Avenue. He manned a table packed with some of the store's best-sellers, including spicy corn sticks, on Friday.

"I want more people to know how good our candy is, and that you can't get it anywhere else," said Lopez, a senior at Moline High School. "And here, everyone can get together in one place, which doesn't ever happen."

While the Floreciente neighborhood is predominately Hispanic, Maria Ontiveros says the market is a multi-cultural space.

"I'm a huge farmers market person and I'm passionate about local food," she said. "And I see how diverse the Quad-Cities is and how much we can all learn from each other. This is a way to bring the world to one street."

She has booked live music and outdoor movies, ranging from "Hook" to "The Goonies," through the end of October.

"This year, it's experimental, and it seems like we add a new vendor every day," she said. "So, who knows where it could go from here and what could be next."

For market-goers such as Demetria Flaka, of Davenport, one thing's for sure: They'll be back next week.

"I love all the different smells and all the foods. It's something completely different than any other farmers market," she said. "I like it because I can try one type of food one Friday and then next Friday, I'll try something else."
July 16

1. A Ford F150 collided with a Mazda CX7 in the 3800 block of State Street, resulting in $3,300 in damage.

July 19

2. Burglary and theft of $15 were reported in the 2100 block of 23rd Street.

July 21

3. In an incident from April in the 2600 block of Magnolia Drive, Justin Jamal Anderson, 26, 2418 Pershing Blvd., Clinton, Iowa, was arrested at the Scott County Courthouse, Davenport, on suspicion of contempt, eluding, and driving while barred.

July 22

4. A BMW 328 collided with a Honda Accord and a Ford Escape at Devils Glen Road and State Street, resulting in $5,000 in damage.

July 26

5. A Ford F150 collided with a Buick Regal in the Hy-Vee parking lot, 2900 Devils Glen Road, resulting in $1,200 in damage.

6. A Toyota Corolla collided with a Ford Escape on a private drive near the 2500 block of 53rd Avenue, resulting in $5,000 in damage.

7. Theft of a motor vehicle was reported in the 6300 block of Dodds Drive.

8. A Ford Fusion collided with a Volkswagen Beetle near Utica Ridge Road and Utica Ridge Court, resulting in $11,000 in damage.

9. Burglary from an unoccupied vehicle was reported in the 2700 block of Bellevue Avenue. Electronics valued at $100 were reported stolen.

10. Burglary from an unoccupied vehicle was reported in the 5900 block of Dodds Drive.

11. Theft of building materials, valued at $963, was reported in the 4700 block of Mason Run.

12. Burglary from an unoccupied vehicle was reported in the 4000 block of Valley View Drive. Nothing was reported stolen.

July 27

13. Burglary from an unoccupied vehicle was reported in the 3600 block of Chateau Knoll. Credit cards and electronics, all valued at $500, were reported stolen.

July 28

14. A Ford Edge collided with a Dodge Charger at Grant Street and the Interstate 74 onramp, resulting in $8,000 in damage.

15. Shoplifting was reported at Burlington Coat Factory, 1431 Kimberly Road. Clothing, valued at $386.57, was reported stolen.

16. Ana L. Mejia, 35, 3806 W. 15th St., Davenport, was arrested at Elmwood Lane and Elmwood Drive on suspicion of driving while license is revoked and possession of drug paraphernalia.

17. A SMC Sierra collided with a Chrysler Sebring at Grant and 6th streets, resulting in $900 in damage.

18. Bryant Adam Smith, 25, no address given, was arrested in the 400 block of 12th Street on suspicion of trespassing.

19. Shoplifting was reported at Dollar General, 1224 State St. DVDs, valued at $44.75, were reported stolen.

July 29

20. A hit-and-run accident was reported in the 1300 block of 14th Street.

21. A Toyota Tacoma collided with a Chrysler Sebring at Calvert Street and Kimberly Road, resulting in $10,000 in damage.

22. Arson, with $600 damage, was reported at Riverdale Heights School, 2125 Devils Glen Road.

July 30

23. Jamie Lavon Winborn, 35, 2712 Magnolia Court, was arrested at the same address on suspicion of public intoxication, second offense, and interference with official acts.

24. Burglary from an unoccupied vehicle was reported in the 500 block of 8th Street. Vehicle accessories, valued at $20, were reported stolen.

25. Burglary from an unoccupied vehicle was reported at the Ramada Inn, 3020 Utica Ridge Road. A money clip and its contents were reported stolen.

26. Criminal mischief of $600 was reported in the 3800 block of Creek Hill Drive.

27. In an incident from October, Aubriana L. Carey, 24, 1810  State St., No. 2, was arrested in the 1800 block of State Street on suspicion of assault.

28. Criminal mischief, with damage valued at $600, was reported in the 3800 block of Creek Hill Drive.

July 31

29. Criminal mischief was reported in the 2200 block of 23rd Street. Two vehicles were damaged, totaling $2,600.

30. A Chevrolet Cavalier collided with a Ford Fusion at Grant Street and Interstate 74, resulting in $3,500 in damage.

31. A hit-and-run accident was reported at 14th and State streets, which resulted in Ian Matthew Lopez, 27, 3234 Heatherton Drive, being arrested on suspicion of public intoxication, second offense, failure to maintain control, driving while license is revoked, and leaving the scene of an accident.

32. Burglary from an unoccupied vehicle was reported in the 1900 block of Central Avenue. Nothing was reported taken.

 Compiled by Patty Martin
For the second consecutive year, Hillary Clinton will be at the Salute to Labor picnic in the Quad-Cities on Labor Day.

Clintons campaign announced tonight that the picnic, at Illiniwek Park in Hampton will be one of the Democratic presidential candidates Labor Day stops.

Earlier in the day, shell be with running mate Tim Kaine at a Labor Day festival in Cleveland. Kaine will not be joining her in the Quad-Cities.

Clinton, the former secretary of state, headlined last years picnic, a tradition in the Quad-Cities, in the runup to the Iowa caucuses.

Clinton is in a close battle for Iowa with Republican nominee Donald Trump, according to public opinion polls. And while the picnic is in Illinois, a traditionally Democratic state, it also draws a significant number of activists from Iowa. it also draws news coverage in both states.

This year, Clinton will join a lineup of other Democrats at the picnic, which include Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Chris Kennedy, the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, who is rumored to be a possible candidate for governor in Illinois.

Also at the picnic will be the heads of the United Auto Workers union and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

The picnic is sponsored by the Rock Island County Democratic Party.
A Long Grove woman accused of stabbing a man while he slept has been found fit to stand trial.

During a brief hearing Wednesday, Scott County District Judge John Telleen accepted the findings of a competency exam and reinstated the proceedings against Patricia J. Oster, 63.

Oster is charged with attempted murder and willful injury resulting in serious injury.

In June, Telleen granted defense attorney Harold DeLange IIs request to have her evaluated to determine whether she understood the proceedings and could assist in her own defense.

The evaluation was conducted at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital at the Iowa Medical & Classification Center in Coralville.

A report, which was filed under seal on Aug. 22, indicated that Oster is competent to stand trial.

DeLange told Telleen Tuesday that he thinks that she superficially understands the charges against her and noted that the evaluation indicates that she suffers from a major mental illness.

Im somewhat concerned in that regard, he said. Im not sure she completely grasps the gravity of the charges against her.

DeLange filed a notice earlier this week that he will seek a defense of diminished capacity or insanity.

He also filed a motion seeking to hire Moline clinical psychologist Kirk Witherspoon to evaluate Oster and review a defense of diminished capacity or insanity. DeLange also asked Telleen to authorize $1,000 to pay Witherspoon. The judge granted the motion Wednesday.

Just before 1 a.m. May 3, the Scott County Sheriffs Office received a 911 call from a man who said he was stabbed in a home in the 400 block of Woodlawn Drive, Long Grove.

The man, 64, said he woke up to Oster stabbing him, according to the sheriff's office.

Deputies observed two stab wounds to his chest. When approached by deputies, Oster said the man had tried to rape her, according to the sheriffs office.

Deputies observed that neither the man nor Oster appeared to have any other injuries or defensive marks.

A knife, with about an 8-inch blade, was located in a garage sink. The brown-handled knife appeared to have blood on the blade, according to the sheriffs office.

The man was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.

The Quad-City Times has a policy not to identify victims of domestic violence.
An Indiana man who fled to Cuba before he was supposed to plead guilty in federal court to stealing firearms from several homes and then selling some of the weapons in the Quad-Cities was sentenced Monday to 12 years in federal prison.

Shawn Michael Wegmann, 39, pleaded guilty March 11 to three counts of felon in possession of a firearm, one count of possession of a stolen firearm and failure to appear.

According to his plea agreement, Wegmann was involved in three burglaries where numerous firearms were taken along with a boat and other personal property.

According to a news release from the Department of Justice for the Southern District of Iowa, in January 2015, Wegmann burglarized a home in Long Grove, Iowa, stealing 12 guns and a bass boat.

Wegmann sold five of those firearms to a retailer in Davenport and sold another gun to an acquaintance in Muscatine.

On Feb. 17, 2015, Wegmann burglarized a home in Morrison, Illinois, and stole about 11 firearms. Several of those stolen weapons were sold to a person in Muscatine County.

On Feb. 23, 2015, Wegmann burglarized a home in Bennett, Iowa, and took a large safe containing about 15 guns. Wegmann and others pried open the safe and the guns were distributed among the participants. Wegmann then helped push the safe into a river.

Before the burglaries Wegmann already had a felony record.

On July 21, 2015, Wegmann was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and three counts of possession of a stolen firearm.

On Aug. 26, 2015, Wegmann was released from the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on the conditions that he wear a GPS monitoring device and reside in Kirklin, Indiana.

On Oct. 23, 2015, three days before he was to plead guilty to charges in federal court, Wegmann cut off his GPS ankle monitor and attached it to a van in Lafayette, Indiana.

On Oct. 31, 2015, Wegmann landed in Cuba and was taken into custody by Cuban customs officials. He was expelled from Cuba and sent back to the U.S. on Dec. 8.

In addition to his term in prison, Judge Stephanie Rose sentenced Wegmann on Monday in U.S. District Court, Davenport, to three years on supervised release once he completes his prison sentence. He also must pay restitution in the amount of $2,811.

There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Augustana College and the Scott County Health Department have come out with the first set of maps to identify areas most susceptible to lead contamination.

Representatives of the Rock Island college and the county revealed their preliminary results and outlined the next steps in the process Wednesday afternoon at the Col Ballroom in Davenport.

The partnership, announced earlier this year, is part of the second Sustainable Working Landscapes Initiative organized by Augustana's Upper Mississippi Center for Sustainable Communities.

Dr. Michael Reisner, director of the Upper Mississippi Studies Center, said this year's project was based upon identifying how Augustana could help cities and counties overcome real-life problems.

"We asked them in a time of very limited and scarce resources, oftentimes dwindling resources, to tell us what challenges they were facing," Reisner said.

The college chose to tackle lead contamination, which Scott County Health Department director Ed Rivers said poisoned an average of 50 children per year.

While there is an effort to abate homes poisoning children, this initiative represents a more proactive approach so that help can be provided before it's too late.

"Post lead abatement and remediation is reactionary," Reisner said. "That means that a child has to be poisoned before the remediation occurs."

An estimated 40,000 homes in Scott County were built pre-1978, the year lead paint was banned, meaning they have the potential to have lead paint.

As part of the first step, the partnership with the help of Augustana student Tanner Osing, assessed the risk for homes built pre-1955.

Risk assessment was based on several factors, but housing age and socioeconomic status of the neighborhood served as the strongest risk factors.

Other factors included ownership status, predominately populated African-American neighborhoods and nutritional status.

Based upon the preliminary results and mapping, 659 pre-1955 homes were classified at the highest risk.

One of the other major objectives of the project was to begin to identify local, federal and alternative sources of funding to help combat the problem.

The city of Davenport discovered some of the challenges with federal funding when it received a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant for lead abatement. After all the other costs were deducted to administer the grant as well as difficulties going into some homes, it had to go back to the federal government to ask if it could apply more funds to fewer homes because there just wasn't enough per home.

Using Rivers' minimum cost estimate of $12,000 to abate a home, Reisner said the highest-risk homes would cost a minimum of nearly $8 million and that's a generous estimate.

Of the 40,000 homes built pre-1978, 21,000 were built before 1959 and using the same cost methodology, it would cost $252 million to abate.

The next steps in the process are developing maps of vulnerable areas up to 1978.

Reisner also said the project will overlay a map of sick children with the risk map to better understand the magnitude of each risk factor.

For the large number of students who will be involved in the process, Augustana president Steven Bahls and provost Pareena Lawrence championed the project not only for its impact on the community, but its real-life application of skills learned in the classroom.

"This is not a hypothetical problem," Bahls said. "This is not a problem in class. Your work here will make a difference."
Frustration with the Illinois financial picture roiled on Wednesday when Don Benson, East Moline, slapped his hand on a table and said to state Rep. Mike Smiddy: "How will you pay for that? Your math doesn't compute!"

Benson's eruption came during a discussion on state support for hourly wages of home health care workers.

Smiddy, Hillsdale, is a Democrat representing the state's 71st District. He and Mike Halpin, Rock Island, the Democratic candidate in the 72nd District race, were the only two candidates to show up at a political forum on Wednesday sponsored by the Quad-City chapter of the Alliance for Retired Americans.

Neither of the Republican opponents showed up for the event at the UAW Hall in East Moline. Savanna Mayor Tony McCombie, a Republican challenging Smiddy, submitted a letter to apologize for her absence. Halpin, a Democrat running for retiring Pat Verschoore's seat in the 72nd District, is opposed by Brandi McGuire, a Republican from Milan.

Benson said he was disappointed Smiddy wasn't able to work with Gov. Bruce Rauner, who has been in office less than two years.

"You can't lay this all on Rauner," he said. "It's time for a change."

Finger-pointing is not helpful, Smiddy said, adding that Rauner has a off-putting leadership style: "My way or the highway."

Leadership on both sides of the aisle is intransigent and that makes compromise difficult, he said. Smiddy argued for campaign finance reform and for a fair process to draw up political districts in Illinois.

Both Democratic candidates agreed on several issues brought up by about 15 participants, including not taxing individual pensions, providing affordable transportation for elderly residents in rural areas, supporting the budgets of social services agencies, providing appropriate care to those with mental health issues and moving to a progressive form of taxing residents of the state.

Being a politician is not an easy job, said Halpin, who was an assistant to the late U.S. Rep. Lane Evans. He is going door-to-door in his campaigning and said most people care about Illinois and "getting the job done."

Smiddy, also a former assistant to Evans, invited anyone who has questions or needs help to contact him or stop by his offices, mentioning one that is located in Port Byron.
Jaryn Franklin, Miss Illinois 2016, has been selected as a top five finalist for the Miss America STEM Scholarship.

Franklin, 23, of East Moline, was announced as a finalist Tuesday during the first day of the Miss America program in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Franklin will interview with the four other finalists for the scholarship on Sept. 7.

Of the five finalists, three will be selected to receive $5,000 STEM scholarships to further their education in the STEM field of their choice.

STEM is an acronym for the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Franklin is the daughter of Danny and Kyle Franklin of East Moline. She is a registered nurse and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in nursing.

 Thomas Geyer
Good afternoon. Here's the latest from the National Weather Service.

This afternoon will gradually become sunny with a high near 80 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 56 degrees.

Thursday will be sunny with a high near 76 degrees. Northeast winds will be 5-10 mph.

Thursday night will be mostly clear with a low around 53 degrees. Northeast winds will be 5-10 mph.

The rest of the week will features highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s.

You say toe-mate-toe, I say a big mess

Thousands of people pelted each other with tons of ripe tomatoes this week creating a red, mushy mess in the annual "Tomatina" street battle in eastern Spain.

At the fiesta in Bunol, 160 tons of tomatoes were offloaded from six trucks into the crowd packing the town's streets for the hour-long battle that attracts many foreigners among the around 20,000 participants.

People cheered and jumped in the party atmosphere, with some people wearing fancy dress but most in T-shirts. As the trucks pulled into the narrow streets, the revelers chanted, "Tomato! Tomato!"

To avoid injuries, revelers are instructed to squelch the tomatoes before throwing them. Even so, many donned swimming goggles to protect their eyes. People on balconies overlooking the festivities also were pelted, and tomatoes left red blotches on buildings' white walls.

The paid-entry event was inspired by a 1945 food fight between local children in the tomato-producing region.

Car of missing Illinois woman found

The car of an Illinois woman reported missing has been found, according to the Illinois State Police. Authorities say Deborah K. Dewey's gray 2007 Buick La Crosse was located earlier this week at the TA Truck Stop on Illinois 47, just north of Interstate 80. Dewey, 62, was last seen on Aug. 22 in Spring Valley, Ill. Read more.

World Series of Drag Racing stalls out in Memphis

Don Doxsie was hoping to chat with someone who attended the World Series of Drag Racing when it was held at Memphis International Raceway last weekend. As expected, Memphis didnt exactly wrap its arms around the World Series and give it a warm hug. Not the way the Quad-Cities did when it was held in this area for six decades. Read more.

From our archives

Looking for a blast from the past? Here are some images from around the Quad-Cities, fresh from the Times' archives.
His name doesn't even appear in the book.

But make no mistake. "Hillbilly Elegy," the new best-seller by J.D. Vance, is, in a very real sense, about Donald Trump. More to the point, it's about the people who have made his unlikely run for the presidency possible.

It is also, not coincidentally, a book about being invisible. Not H.G. Wells invisible, with objects seeming to float in mid-air. Rather, Ralph Ellison invisible, when you are right there in three dimensions, but somehow, unseen.

First and foremost, though, Vance's book is a memoir about growing up hardscrabble and white in clannish, insular communities in Kentucky and Ohio. It was a tough, unstable life. Vance was in and out of his mother's house -- she was a drug user with a procession of boyfriends and husbands -- and was raised mostly by his grandparents -- "Papaw" and "Mamaw."

Mamaw was no June Cleaver. A gun-toting "lunatic" with a menthol cigarette forever dangling from her lips, she was rumored to have once almost killed a man who stole from her family. Her favorite descriptive term was the verb form of the F-word. But her love for her grandson was iron.

That grandson did a hitch in the Marines, went to college, went to law school at Yale. But he never lost a certain tough-minded pride of people and place.

"I may be white," writes Vance, now a Silicon Valley investment executive, "but I do not identify with the WASPs of the Northeast. Instead, I identify with the millions of working-class white Americans of Scots-Irish descent who have no college degree. To these folks, poverty is the family tradition -- their ancestors were day laborers in the Southern slave economy, sharecroppers after that, coal miners after that, and machinists and mill workers during more recent times. Americans call them hillbillies, rednecks, or white trash. I call them neighbors, friends and family."

In other words, Vance's people are Trump's base. And the book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand Trump's appeal. "Hillbilly Elegy" is a compelling and compassionate portrait of a people politicians seldom address and media seldom reflect.

They love Trump because he sees them.

Yes, he's a racist clown who lies like bunnies copulate. Yes, he appeals to their lowest selves, to their hatreds and fears. But he sees them and speaks to them, something neither Democrats nor Republicans do. When you feel yourself forgotten, when work and hope have fled, when you live by a tough-minded pride of people and place, yet also by a whisper of embarrassment that your people and place are so often sick, unschooled and hungry, the simple fact of being seen and spoken to is powerful.

The one great flaw in Vance's book is a disingenuous near-silence on his kinsmen's attitudes about race. And a passage wherein he claims their antipathy toward Barack Obama has "nothing to do with skin color" but rather, with the fact that he is "brilliant, wealthy, and speaks like a constitutional law professor" is flat out intellectually dishonest.

Obama is hardly the first politician to be smart, rich and well-spoken. He is, however, the first to be hounded into producing his long form birth certificate.

Still, that flaw does not outweigh Vance's triumph, which is to give substance and dimension to those America has made invisible. Democrats, Republicans and media struggling to comprehend the forces that have upended politics should be asking themselves a question. Donald Trump shattered the paradigm because he sees J.D. Vance's people.

Why is he the only one who does?
Hillary Clinton's emails: A never-ending stream of bad optics and embarrassment. But the latest revelations about donors to the Clinton Foundation is a classic example of the Democratic presidential nominee's unwillingness to address reasonable questions about her past ethical foibles.

Only the family's total and immediate separation from the Clinton Foundation and its affiliates will do.

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump isn't wrong when he says it's nearly impossible to tell where Secretary Clinton began and the Clinton Foundation ended. An exhaustive Associated Press investigation found that more than half of Clinton's meetings with non-governmental foreign interests were with big-time Clinton Foundation donors. Foundation staff regularly peppered the State Department with requests for favors. Contrary to Trump's pay-to-play allegations, no evidence exists to suggest that the foundation provided special favors to donors, either foreign or domestic, beyond an open ear. Some were even ignored or rebuffed.

U2 front-man and regular foundation backer Bono hoped to have his music beamed directly to the International Space Station, State Department emails show. That request was rejected. If only Apple showed the same wisdom before uploading U2 onto basically every iPhone in existence.

What is clear is that constant, high-dollar support of the organization founded in 2001 by Bill Clinton is a sure-fire path to accessing one of the country's most powerful dynasties. The Obama administration knew the risks, particularly the potential from foreign actors to wield power over the State Department. Clinton signed a conflict of interest declaration prior to joining Barack Obama's cabinet. And, on at least one occasion, she appears to have broken the administration's reporting requirements outlined in the declaration.

Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea are deeply involved with the Clinton Foundation and its affiliates. They serve on boards. They oversee staffing and leadership. They are a direct link from foundation donors to Hillary Clinton.

Clinton Foundation has done a significant amount of laudable work worldwide, too. HIV treatment and prevention in Africa. Empowering women in Haiti. The moral standing of the organization itself isn't in question. And that's why calls to shutter the organization outright are non-starters.

But the closeness of the Clintons and the foundation that bears their name is a legitimate concern. Clearly, Clinton's emails show that the Clinton Foundation has been, in some regard, a gate leading directly to the Clintons through which the world's wealthy can pass. That's an obvious problem, especially when Clinton says her husband, a former president, would have significant influence in her White House.

Clinton's emails will dog her through November. The constant trickle of email-related information has kept close a presidential race that should be a blow out. It feeds the narrative that she's just another plutocrat. The emails are likely to dog her for years, should she become president. But, repeatedly, Clinton has proven incapable of responding to well-founded criticism. Her instinct to circle the wagons and chastise those seeking answers is not only unbecoming, it's unacceptable.

Trump is correct. Clinton is hiding. She hasn't held a media conference in 270 days. Say what you want about Trump, but he doesn't typically run from a fight. Clinton will only deflect, even when her commitment to transparency is under scrutiny.

History's second most mistrusted presidential candidate is refusing to answer questions.

The Clinton Foundation cannot continue as is. Clinton's insistence that the organization's structure would change if she assumes the presidency isn't good enough. Clinton is seeking trust from skeptical Americans without taking steps to earn it. Only an immediately and complete family-wide break from the Clinton Foundation will do.
Now that state Rep. Mike Smiddy is in a close race against Savanna Mayor Tony McCombie, hes all of a sudden concerned about the dire fiscal situation facing Illinoiss taxpayers.

Mr. Smiddy now believes that it would be prudent for members of the General Assembly to forgo their per diem reimbursements, thereby saving the state thousands of dollars. And I for one couldnt agree more.

But Mr. Smiddys chest thumping is nothing more than a cheap, election year facade.

Mr. Smiddy has been part of the political class since his days working for U.S. Rep. Lane Evans. Hes been in the General Assembly for the past three years, and while there has voted in lockstep with Speaker Madigan.

If Mr. Smiddy is so concerned about per diem reimbursements, why didnt he introduce this legislation three years ago? Could it be hes concerned that he might be shown the door by the voters and now he needs to pretend that hes with us?

Or could it be that with the Democrats controlling both houses of the General Assembly, he knows this bill will never see the light of day. There are no co-sponsors for this bill. Not even Democrats are on board.

Just like everything else Mr. Smiddy does, this is all about posturing for the press to make himself look good.

Gary Snyder

Rock Island
BOONE, Iowa  Thirty people were arrested Wednesday at a construction staging area as they protested a crude oil pipeline being built in Iowa.

It may be the first of many protests, according to the events organizer.

About 100 people joined in the protest at the staging site near the Central Iowa Expo Center. A few dozen protesters blocked four entrances to the work area that housed heavy machinery and construction workers vehicles.

Because they were on private property and were asked to move, those who would not move to make way for vehicles entering and leaving the staging area were arrested by law enforcement officials with the Boone County Sheriffs Department and Iowa State Patrol.

The 30 people who were arrested were transported to the Boone County jail and charged with trespassing, according to the sheriffs department.

The protest was organized by the advocacy group Bold Iowa and its leader, former state legislator Ed Fallon. Protesters want to halt construction of the pipeline being built by Texas-based Dakota Access.

When completed, the $3.8 billion, 1,168-mile underground pipeline will carry up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakotas Bakken oil fields to a distribution hub in Illinois. The pipeline will cross Iowa from northwest to southeast, spanning 347 miles and 18 counties.

Those opposed to the pipeline mainly cite concerns for environmental damage caused by leaks or spills and state governments use of eminent domain to force landowners to cede land to a private company project.

Fallon called Wednesdays protest, which lasted roughly two hours, a success and a prelude of more to come.

We actually shut down traffic for a little while, and we certainly made our point, Fallon said. (Protesters) are going to continue to fight this thing. With state government failing us and our courts failing us, this is our only option.

Fallon said he plans to protest again and subject himself to possible arrest on a property through which the pipeline project is passing.

One of the people arrested at Wednesdays protest was Adam Mason, state policy director for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement.

At an organizing meeting earlier Wednesday, Mason said those protesting think the state regulatory process failed them.

The project was approved by the Iowa Utilities Board, which is comprised of three gubernatorial appointees. Opponents unsuccessfully petitioned the board to overturn its ruling, and they have a lawsuit pending in district court.

Committed activists willing to take an arrest for the movement has been a way to advance our cause, Mason said. And thats what were here for today, is to send a message to more Iowans, to politicians and to Dakota Access that were not giving up. We dont want this pipeline. Its not good for our communities, and its not good for our planet.

Also arrested was Miriam Kashia of North Liberty, a member of 100 Grannies, an activist group that opposes the pipeline.

Weve actually used up all of our other options. We have had dozens and hundreds of letters and petitions and demonstrations and letters to the editor  and they have not made a dent, Kashia said earlier Wednesday. So we are resorting to direct action, because history tells us thats what works.  We are totally committed to nonviolent, peaceful, respectful action.

There were no violent events during the protest, and law enforcement officials at the site expressed pleasure with how the protest unfolded.

Dozens of law enforcement officials  from Iowa State Patrol, the Boone County Sheriffs Department and private security  kept a watchful eye on the protest.

Among the protesters was Dick Lamb, who owns land just a few miles from the protest site through which the pipeline is passing.

They are tearing through (our property), separating the precious topsoil, Lamb said. We feel betrayed by our state government, all three branches of it. They didnt stop (the pipeline). They enabled it.

The protesters stated their support for the Standing Rock Sioux, who have been protesting the pipeline in North Dakota. Hundreds have protested there, and Standing Rock Sioux chairman Dave Archambault is among the dozens who have been arrested, according to the Bismarck Tribune.
State Rep. Dan Dryden of Rapid City  a respected lawmaker and former school administrator  died Tuesday morning after a long battle with cancer.

Dryden, 72, a retired Rapid City school system business manager, had represented District 34 in the state House of Representatives since 2011 and was the vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

South Dakota has lost a true public servant. Dan Dryden was respected in the Legislature for his steady, common-sense approach, Gov. Dennis Daugaard said in a news release confirming Dryden's death.

Former Rapid City mayor Ed McLaughlin first became acquainted with Dryden while serving as an adjunct faculty member of the South Dakota State University West River Graduate Center where he taught courses in public school administration and instructional law.

Dryden completed his graduate level courses and went on to a long career with the Rapid City Area Schools as finance officer. In 2011, he succeeded McLaughlin as District 34 state representative.

He was one of my star students, McLaughlin said. He was very, very capable and always had the best interests of the community at heart, and the students when he was with the schools.

He was an excellent finance officer and probably knew more about public school finance than about anybody Ive ever talked with, McLaughlin added.

Daugaard has ordered flags to fly at half-staff statewide in honor of Rep. Dryden on the day of his funeral, set for 10 a.m. Friday at Canyon Lake United Methodist Church in Rapid City.

He was committed to sound financial management, and was an expert in school finance. Like many others, I admired Dans dedication to serving our state, even as he quietly fought his battle with cancer. Linda and I offer our condolences to Judy, the Dryden family and Dans many friends at this difficult time, Daugaard said.
Rapid City high school seniors continue to achieve scores above the national average on the ACT college entrance exam, but this years scores were below the state average, and the lowest the district has seen in 10 years.

In the wake of the dip in scores announced last week, district officials are analyzing the test scores and educational practices to find ways to reverse the down year and better prepare students for college as a new school year kicks off today.

I am concerned, said Rapid City Superintendent Lori Simon. We do need to look deeper into the data to see what may have contributed to the drop in scores, so that we can plan to take action, both at the district and the school level.

The average ACT (American College Testing) composite test score for South Dakota in 2016 was 21.9, the same for the fourth year in a row, and a little more than a point above the national average of 20.8.

In Rapid City, the average score for 2016 was 21.47, a whole point down from last years score of 22.56, which was the highest achieved in the district over the last decade.

Sioux Falls, the only school district in the state that is larger than Rapid City, had an average ACT score of 22.87 this year. Indeed, average ACT scores in Sioux Falls have not dropped below 22 in the last 10 years, and hovered at or above 23 between 2007 and 2010.

The ACT measures readiness for college by gauging a students proficiency in English, math, science, reading, and in some states, writing, which is an optional category of testing. According to the ACT website, the number of correct answers translates to a score from 1 to 36. Ivy League schools are typically looking for a student to score at least a 30 on the ACT, while most other colleges and universities are looking for a minimum score above the national average, or within the high twenties, according to the Princeton Review.

We dont ever want to lose, we want to keep climbing, said Rapid City School Board President Jim Hansen, who expressed confidence that Simon is already working to understand and address the dip in ACT scores.

Shes the leader of the school district, Hansen said of Simon, who has been serving as Rapid Citys new superintendent for about two months. And we need to make sure she and her team have all the resources they need to succeed.

The specific cause  or causes  of the lower scores this year remains unknown. There are so many possible contributing factors, Simon said.

Perhaps the decrease was caused by a cohort of graduating seniors who have consistently needed, yet, for one reason or another, failed to receive sufficient academic help. Some negative aspect of the specific day the test was administered could also have proved detrimental.

In her analysis of the data thus far, Simon has discovered that individual ACT scores were three to four points higher for those Rapid City students who consistently studied English, math, and science throughout their four years in high school, beyond the requirements to graduate.

Simon would therefore like teachers to challenge their students to take more rigorous coursework. Working to increase student attendance could also help, Simon said, as could taking a harder look at the curriculum.

Are we implementing our curriculum the way it was intended? Simon said. Are we providing the correct amount of professional and career development training for our teachers to implement curriculum well? Those are all things were taking a look at.

The district provides after-school ACT preparation study sessions and online tutorials. But, Simon said, What were finding is we dont have as many kids taking advantage of those programs, especially the ones that dont cost families anything.

Simon said she is taking the drop in scores seriously, and is already laying plans to make sure Rapid Citys high school students are better prepared for college upon graduation next year. Certainly we dont want to see this to continue to trend downward, Simon said, We want to reverse it back up.
PIERRE | One week after a community meeting drew 300 people to the Avon gym and revealed how deeply they were split over a proposed wind farm, the backers of the Prevailing Winds project asked Tuesday to withdraw their application for a state permit.

Chris Nelson, chairman of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, described the request as unexpected. The filing came shortly before the commission began its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday.

One of the items on the agenda called for deciding who could intervene in the case. That was put aside after receiving the withdrawal filing.

Nelson suggested the withdrawal motion be considered at the commission meeting on Sept. 13.

Lee Magnuson, a Sioux Falls lawyer representing Prevailing Winds, spoke to the commission by telephone and said the decision to withdraw was made just very, very recently.

Magnuson said the pending requests to intervene by opponents and supporters might be a moot point.

The project called for constructing up to 100 wind towers north of Avon in Bon Homme and Charles Mix counties.

Among the local people arguing against the development was former Rep. Ed Van Gerpen, R-Avon. One of his complaints was that none of the investors from the area lived within the project area.

He also disputed some of the tax benefits that the projects supporters promised.

The project would have produced an estimated 200 megawatts or more of electricity. State law requires PUC approval for wind projects that generate more than 100 megawatts.

After the meeting, a reporter contacted by Magnuson and asked whether the project might be broken into smaller pieces that could move forward under the 100-megawatt threshold without PUC permission.

Magnuson referred the question to Roland Jurgens, project manager for Thorstad Companies, a construction company from Chokio, Minn.

In his email response, Jurgens wrote: Prevailing Winds, LLC does not intend to split the project as you suggest. Prevailing Winds is a community wind project and community is very important to the Prevailing Winds Investors and Board of Governors.

Unfortunately, misinformation has been circulated about the project. Keeping the interests of the community and the project in mind, Prevailing Winds has withdrawn the application to allow Prevailing Winds to better inform the community on the wind project and allow Prevailing Winds to revisit its options regarding the project.

Magnusons motion asked the PUC to dismiss the application without prejudice, meaning the opportunity would remain open to apply again for a state permit.

Van Gerpen was among more than 70 people who applied to the PUC for party status, meaning they could intervene by presenting evidence and witnesses and participating in questioning of witnesses.

Thats interesting, Van Gerpen said when told that Prevailing Winds didnt plan to try to use the 100-megawatt exemption. I didnt know what their next move might be.

The commission took testimony for about four hours during a public input hearing held recently in Avon.
The Belle Fourche Irrigation District will be dredging near the South Canal Outlet Works intake structure at Belle Fourche Reservoir according to a news release from the Bureau of Reclamation.

Dredging work will begin Sept. 1, and continue through the end of the year, or until work is completed. Work will be performed 24 hours a day or as weather permits.

Belle Fourche Reservoir and the surrounding lands are owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks is the managing partner of the Rocky Point Recreation Area.

The South Canal Outlet Works has large amounts of sediment deposited around the water intake structure, said Jeff Nettleton, manager of facilities and engineering for Reclamations Dakotas Area Office. Dredging will remove sediment from around the intake to ensure proper water flow, and operation and function of the Belle Fourche Dam Outlet Works.

The dredging barge and equipment will be surrounded by buoys which have solar powered lights for visibility at night.

Boaters should stay at least 300 feet away from the dredging equipment and buoys to avoid accidents and for the protection of any divers that may be in the water.

The reservoir is open to the public during the scheduled work, however, boaters and recreationists should be cautious and careful when approaching and driving their water craft near the construction equipment that will be onsite, said Nettleton.

Veit & Company, Inc. of Rogers, Minn., has been awarded the contract bid by the Belle Fourche Irrigation District. Veit & Company, Inc. will be performing the work themselves.

RESPEC Engineering of Rapid City, South Dakota has been awarded the contract management of this project.

For dredging information, please contact Steve Bareis with RESPEC Consulting and Services at (605) 381-0387.

For recreation information, please contact Brad Nelson with South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks at (605) 641-1864.
The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association will celebrate the organizations 125th Annual Convention on Sept. 22 and 23 in Rapid City.

Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in the celebration themed, Old Hats and New Boots to honor the history and celebrate the future of the South Dakota livestock industry.

The convention will feature several opportunities to celebrate the history and past of the organization as well as to honor the leaders of the organization including recognition of past presidents, board members, and staff.

Speakers will present throughout both days, and include Bill Bullard of R-CALF USA, Beth Adamson discussing multi-generational family business planning, Brian Fuchs of the USDA Drought Monitor, SD Game Fish and Parks, and several others.

Registration forms and details about the convention schedule will be available on the SD Stockgrowers Association website by visiting www.southdakotastockgrowers.org or by calling the office at 605-342-0429.
DEADWOOD | Lawrence County voters Tuesday resoundingly rejected a proposed second rock, sand and gravel quarry along historic Crook City Road in scenic Centennial Valley.

After votes were tallied Tuesday, 1,103 voted against the quarry and 646 voted in favor of the proposed 192-acre quarry, according to Lawrence County Deputy Auditor Brenda McGruder.

The owner of the quarry wanted to expand, but opponents said the operation didn't fit into the scenic region, arguing it could impede access to state trails, damage roads through truck traffic, and create dust and noise pollution.

In earlier testimony, permit applicant Eric Hoffmen, of Rapid City, said his company would operate on only 10 acres at a time and reclaim lands as work at the quarry progressed. The operation, he said, would produce an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 tons of sand, gravel and rock per year, operate in summer, and require a truck hauling material on Crook City Road every half-hour.

About 11 percent of the registered voters in the county cast ballots in the special election at polling places in Nemo, Lead, Deadwood, Spearfish and Whitewood, with the latter experiencing the highest turnout, McGruder said.

Mountain View Ranches LLC, owners of the proposed quarry, filed suit in late July in Fourth Circuit Court to block the election, which was set after residents who oppose the quarry gathered the necessary signatures to refer the matter to a vote.

But Fourth Circuit Court Judge Randall L. Macy denied the request for a writ of prohibition by Mountain View Ranches earlier this month after finding that the Lawrence County auditor had verified the petitions and had the authority to set the special election.

Over the objections of hundreds of local residents and after conducting three public hearings in as many months, the county commission approved the permit on a 3-2 vote in June. Banding together as the Save Centennial Valley Association, in mid-July residents of Spearfish, Centennial Valley, Whitewood and along Crook City Road made good on their pledge to refer the issue to a public vote when they submitted petitions bearing 820 qualified signatures.
There's an affront to the democratic process that South Dakotans can correct in November. By voting "no" on Referred Law 19, voters can veto permanently Senate Bill 69 that limits independent candidates circulating their petitions to signatures gathered only from voters who are registered as independents.

There are other restrictions in the law (linked in my blog), but this is the most obnoxious. It was signed into law last year by Gov. Daugaard after a transparently self-serving effort by straight party-line voting Republicans who control our Legislature to stifle the gathering power of South Dakota's registered Independents/Unaffiliateds, now numbering 112,000.

Within days of the governor's signature, I supported a petition-signing effort to get this law referred to the people. It didn't take long for us to succeed. Why do I find this law obnoxious? Because in Section 7 it "prohibits a person registered with a recognized political party from signing a petition nominating an independent candidate for office."

It denies me, a Republican, the opportunity to put an independent candidate on a ballot even though I just might be likely to vote for that candidate. That I'm a Republican by registration does not in any way mean that I vote exclusively for Pubs.

I voted for Larry Pressler, the independent U.S. Senate candidate, in 2014 and intend to vote for Libertarian Gary Johnson for president in November. That this is symptomatic of a trend in which the GOP is rapidly moving in a direction I reject is one thing (and probably a matter for another column), but that it declares me independent of party coercion is another.

If I saw an attractive independent candidate coming down the pike before the next election, I'd want to make every effort at getting that person on the ballot, including signing a petition. Denying me the chance to do so is denying my ability to support a candidate just because I'm a Republican. I think that's an abrogation of my rights, and I think it stinks.

This autocratic and arbitrary limitation on the potential pool of petition signers for an independent candidate significantly reduces the chances of that candidate making the ballot. That isn't right. More to the point, similar restrictions haven't held up in the courts. Frequently cited (Wall Street Journal, CNN and other national media) ballot-access expert Richard Winger has examined SB 69 and questioned whether it will hold up in court if challenged.

Winger notes that a similar ban on party registrants signing independent candidate petitions in Arizona was invalidated by a federal district court in 1999 (Campbell vs Hull). Winger cites a similar New York decision by a three-judge federal court that found no state interest in stopping voters from signing an independent's petitions  a decision that was summarily upheld in 1970 by the U.S. Supreme Court.

I'd be amazed if an expensive and unnecessary court challenge to the South Dakota law didn't materialize if voters let this thing survive. Educated voters, regardless of party affiliation, should be able to detect the inherent unfairness of this measure and resoundingly reject it by voting "no" on Referred Law 19 in November.
WASHINGTON | The Russians have just given us an August glimpse of a potential October surprise.

We learned earlier this summer that cyber-hackers widely believed to be tied to the Kremlin have broken into the email of the Democratic National Committee and others. The Washington Post's Ellen Nakashima reported Monday night that Russian hackers have also been targeting state voter-registration systems. And, in an apparent effort to boost Donald Trump's presidential candidacy, they're leaking what they believe to be the most damaging documents at strategic points in the campaign.

Last week, we learned something else: The Russians aren't just hackers  they're also hacks. Turns out that before leaking their stolen information, they are in some cases doctoring the documents, making edits that add false information and then passing the documents off as the originals.

Foreign Policy's Elias Groll reported last week that the hackers goofed: They posted both the original versions of at least three documents and their edited versions. These documents, stolen from George Soros' Open Society Foundations, were altered by the hackers to create the false impression that Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny was funded by Soros. A pro-Russian hacking group, CyberBerkut, had inserted Navalny's name, bogus dollar amounts and fabricated wording.

This raises an intriguing possibility: Are Vladimir Putin's operatives planning to dump edited DNC documents on the eve of the presidential election?

Perhaps they'll show that the Clinton Foundation has been funding the Islamic State, or they'll have Hillary Clinton admitting that she didn't care about those Americans who died in Benghazi after all. Maybe they'll show that she really did lose most of her brain function in that fall several years ago and is now relying on Anthony Weiner to make all of her decisions.

Russian "dezinformatsiya" campaigns such as this go back to the Cold War; the Soviet portrayal of AIDS as a CIA plot was a classic case. But this type of cyberwar  email hacking and, now, the altering and release of the stolen documents  is a novel escalation. It's tempting to wonder how differently the Cold War might have gone had there been cyber-hackers back then. We'll never know, of course, because the Soviet Union crumbled before Al Gore invented the internet.

But it's clear that Russia's disinformation wars are as active as ever. On Sunday, Neil MacFarquhar wrote in The New York Times about Russian attempts to undermine a Swedish military partnership with NATO. The campaign is spreading false information that there's a secret nuclear weapons stockpile in Sweden and alleging that NATO soldiers could rape Swedish women with impunity. This Russian use of "weaponized information" helped cause confusion in Ukraine in 2014, when conspiracy theories spread by the Russians about the downing of a Malaysian Airlines jet helped Russians justify their invasion of Crimea.

So does this point to a Putin-sponsored October surprise?

Putin has meddled in domestic politics in France, the Netherlands, Britain and elsewhere, helping extreme political parties to destabilize those countries. He appears to be doing much the same now in the United States, where, in addition to the DNC and state voter system hacks, there have also been reports this summer about Russia hiring internet trolls to pose on Twitter and elsewhere in social media as pro-Trump Americans. Trump and Putin have expressed their mutual admiration, and even after the departure of Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, Trump and several top advisers have close ties to Moscow.

The hyper-competitive American media environment is vulnerable to the sort of technique the Russian hackers used in the Soros case  stealing documents, altering them, then releasing them as the original. If Putin's hackers were to release such a doctored document smearing Clinton in, say, late October, it's likely that competition would lead outlets to report on the hacked documents before they had a chance to see whether and how they were altered.

We don't know what, if anything, Putin's hackers have planned for this fall. But the doctored Soros documents could be a clue.
IKEAs slippery slope in Russia

It took four days for a court in the Smolensk region to examine the crucial information disclosed by Joakim Virtanen, former manager at IKEAs Russian division, who had turned himself in to investigators.

Virtanen told the law enforcement officers that in 2011 through 2014 he gave false testimony against businessman Konstantin Ponomarev and companies under his control, including Sistemy Avtonomnogo Energosnabzheniya (SAE). At the time several criminal cases were brought against Ponomarev while his companies were embroiled in litigation with IKEAs Russian division over rented diesel generators.

Last week, Virtanen presented his arguments before the Smolensk court as a witness. Having spent over 10 hours in the court, he kindly agreed to answer some questions in an exclusive interview to RAPSI.

- Mr. Virtanen, what made you give false evidence and then turn yourself in to investigators? Does it have anything to do with the recently enacted law on active repentance?

- I was interrogated after I turned myself in. I told investigators that the evidence against Konstantin Ponomarev I knew to be false had been gathered by Semyon Shevchenko, a lawyer at Monastyrsky, Zyuba, Stepanov & Partners, who acted for IKEA.

I was dragged into all this gradually being deceived. Five years ago at a notary office I was offered to sign a paper claiming that I did not sign some documents. IKEA, for its part, promised to pay my salary arrears. I signed the paper because I didnt consider it to be of great importance.

At some point I gave a sample of my signature that had to be examined in court. Thereafter I was asked to testify in a commercial court and say that documents which I signed on IKEA behalf had been forged. I was going to refuse to do it because it was ridiculous and everybody knew that. I agreed only after they told me that I was facing deportation and might be banned from entering Russia.

I was assured that I would have no problems with doing what I was told to do. I was told that there was a deal with commercial courts that wouldnt check the sample of my signature and would declare the documents in question to be forged. In the end, it turned exactly this way.

Later, a probe was launched into suspected fraud, a criminal case opened against Ponomarev. I was asked to deny that I had signed generator rental agreements in order to avoid payments for 2009 and 2010. Then it was alleged that the money paid to Ponomarev in 2007 and 2008 were stolen.

Every time I met with investigators I was asked to tell lie against Ponomarev. I have a feeling that by that time IKEA lawyers did their best to take everything Ponomarev owned and put him in jail.

I was forced to tell lie and say that I didnt sign documents accusing Ponomarev of wrongdoing for several years. I received no money or bonuses for this. I was supposed to live in fear as they could make me leave Russia. I decided to tell the truth after the bill on active repentance was signed into law and I received a residential permit.

- Who do you think might be interested in causing delays in the litigation between IKEA and Konstantin Ponomarev?

- I believe that Semyon Shevchenko along with other Russian lawyers working for IKEA have been living off the dispute for eight years now. They are leading the situation into a deadlock.

IKEA opted to retain generators in 2009 and 2010 after the lawyers persuaded top management of the company that they would be able to terminate the generator rental agreements through courts and avoid payments. If its possible to use the generators for free whats the point in getting them back to Ponomarev? The lawyers even suggested to get rid of the generators instead of getting them back.

IKEA had to pay for generators rented in 2007 and 2008 after Russian courts scrutinized the terms of the rental agreements and found no faults. However, the issue of payments for 2009 and 2010 remained unresolved due to recommendations made by IKEA lawyers. It is clear that IKEA should pay Ponomarev, but lawyers should be held liable for the losses of the company. The lawyers earn on these delays while IKEA is losing points.

- You decided to turn in to investigators after you read about the murder of lawyer Dmitry Kurochkin in Finland. Do you think that somebody on IKEA side might be involved in this murder?

- There is no evidence at my disposal that IKEA might be involved in the murder of the lawyer. Moreover, I knew about the murder from mass media. The only fact I am aware of is that Kurochkin also testified against Ponomarev. Probably he also wanted to tell the truth.

After I turned myself in Semyon Shevchenko on a number of occasions proposed to meet with him in Finland. He told me that there was no opportunity to arrange a meeting either in Moscow where he resides and works or in St. Petersburg where I live and work.

When I was summoned to testify as a witness upon IKEA petition I came across six men, some of them armed with assault rifles, at the entrance to the court. These people were led by IKEA lawyers. I applied to the court for my protection.

- IKEA has a zero-tolerance policy regarding corruption and fraud. Dont you think that it failed taking into account what has happened to you and Ponomarev?

- IKEAs code of conduct was proposed personally by Ingvar Kamprad. It has always been a top issue. However, its not IKEA top managers who have put in place the strategy against Ponomarev but Semyon Shevchenko and other Russian lawyers. This strategy is being realized in accordance with their views on ethics and not in accordance with the code proposed by Kamprad.

False testimony in court, slander directed at Ponomarev, unlawful criminal cases, intimidation of witnesses It is not the Kamprad's way.

Mr. Virtanen has answered to RAPSI questions in writing. The interview was duly signed by him. IKEA representatives, Mr. Shevchenko will be given an opportunity to answer Mr. Virtanen or comment on his interview on the RAPSI website at their prompt request.
State border embezzlement case defendant put on wanted list

MOSCOW, August 31 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  Investigators have put Oleg Senkevich, charged with embezzling 490 million rubles ($7.5 million) allocated for Russias state border infrastructure development, on the wanted list, Yuliya Bocharova, spokesperson for the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow, told RAPSI on Wednesday.

Senkevich did not appear in court; the case against him was severed and shelved because of his search, Bocharova added.

During investigation Senkevich has been released on condition not to leave the city. However, he failed to attend preliminary hearings twice.

Earlier, the Prosecutor Generals Office of Russia reported that five individuals, including Senkevich, Danila Vavilov, Sergei Kozlenkov, Sergei Sazonov and Boris Khaitovich, as well as several managers of commercial firms would stand trial in the case. Depending on their role, they were charged with membership in a criminal gang, embezzlement and money laundering, the statement reads.

According to investigators, former Federal Border Development Agencys head Dmitry Bezdelov has conspired with Senkevich and others to embezzle public funds allocated for the construction of checkpoints on the state border. From September 2009 to May 2013, they stole and laundered budget funds valued at 490 million rubles.

Investigation into Bezdelov, extradited from Italy in the spring of 2016, is underway.

Bezdelov resigned from his post in October 2013 after a probe revealed inappropriate use of budget funds by the agency. He was arrested in Rome in October 2014 after he had been put on the international wanted list. Italy's court of appeals upheld the decision to extradite Bezdelov to Russia in October 2015. The Supreme Court has left the judgment intact.
Ban on Russian athletes participation in Rio Paralympic Games upheld

MOSCOW, August 31 (RAPSI)  The Swiss federal court has dismissed an appeal filed by the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) against ruling to ban the national team from participating in Paralympic Games in Rio, R-Sport agency reported on Wednesday.

On August 7, the International Paralympic Committees (IPC) banned 268 Russian athletes from competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games following the country's doping scandal. Russian team was suspended due to its alleged inability to fulfill its responsibilities and obligations to comply with international anti-doping regulations.

RPC challenged the ruling in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). On August 23, the CAS dismissed the complaint.

The court ruled that the International Committees ruling was made in accordance with the IPC rules and was proportionate in the circumstances. According to the CAS, the Russian Committee did not provide any evidence contradicting accusations brought against it.

The Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro will be held from September 7 to 18, 2016.
Five cases on extremist propaganda opened in Crimea in summer 2016 - official

MOSCOW, August 31 (RAPSI)  Crimean authorities launched five criminal cases over calls for terrorist activity in the summer of 2016, head of the republics Counter-Terrorism Commissions Office, Alexander Bulychev, told journalists on Wednesday.

According to Bulychev, criminal cases were opened against individuals who had pushed for terrorism and extremism on the Internet. Moreover, eight groups of extremist websites containing in particular calls for entry into Islamic organizations including the Islamic State banned in Russia were blocked.

He added that intelligence services during the past holiday season also found criminal actors and individuals who were staying in Russia illegally.
Statewide, small grain harvest was progressing ahead of normal, according to the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.In the north central region of the state, Mitch Konen, Montana Grain Growers Association, reported that barley, spring wheat and winter wheat harvest have all had exceptional yields.In the eastern region, producers are also finding a good crop, but some crops were damaged by hail.Our malting barley and wheat harvest is finishing up and producers in Dawson County are reporting good yields, said Bruce Smith, Montana State University Dawson County Extension agent in the eastern region of the state. However, some producers were hit with hail three weeks ago, some damaging to crops.Hail also damaged crops in the region last year, and this summer some of the same fields were again hit with hail, as well as others.Hail cut a good swath here, but other than that, crops look good, Smith said.According to the NASS report, hailstorms continued periodically in portions of the northeast as well over the past week, causing additional damage to crops.In Valley County many pea fields were destroyed due to hail.Producers in eastern Montana will be chopping corn for silage soon, trying to get it before they need to be digging beets.Sugarbeets also look good around south central and eastern Montana, with 87 percent in good to excellent condition.In Garfield County, reports suggested good yields and test weights for the recently harvested wheat crop.Around the state, harvest continues with 66 percent of barley, 42 percent of durum, 69 percent of oats, 53 percent of spring wheat, and 97 percent of winter wheat harvested by weeks end.Precipitation totals varied drastically across the state during the week, with just a trace accumulating in western locations, while over an inch fell in many south central and southeastern areas.Daytime high temperatures for the week ranged from the mid-80s to 100 degrees in Jordan and Mizpah. Overnight lows ranged from the mid 20s to the upper 40s.Statewide, topsoil moisture remained above last year with 62 percent of topsoil rated adequate to surplus and 58 percent of subsoil rated adequate to surplus, compared with 47 percent and 48 percent last year, respectively.Pasture and rangeland conditions continued to deteriorate under hotter and drier than normal weather, with just 33 percent rated good to excellent, which was better than last years 23 percent but below the five-year average of 38 percent.Producers continue to move animals off summer pastures with 19 percent of cattle and 19 percent of sheep moved, well ahead of the five-year average for both.
Two Hamilton men were arrested Monday after both allegedly succumbed to an alcohol-induced rage that resulted in a strangling and shots being fired.

Ravalli County deputies were first dispatched to a home at 2150 Highway 93 South near Hamilton at 8:30 p.m. for a report of a disturbance.

The woman who met them there said her son, Christopher Michael Dallas, 36, began acting psycho after the two had argued over his alcohol consumption and taking prescription medicines, according to a court affidavit.

The woman said Dallas began threatening suicide before shoving her down on the couch and putting both hands around her throat and squeezing.

The woman told an officer she slapped her son twice and then kicked him in the groin to free herself. She said Dallas had told her that he was going to drink of bottle of alcohol, kill her and then kill himself.

Dallas had disappeared by the time the officers arrived.

When they found him a little later, Dallas had himself been a victim of an assault.

In attempting to locate Dallas, the officers had gone next door to talk with Cheyenne Hawk Gleim, 33. At the time, an affidavit said the officers noted that Gleim was highly intoxicated and upset over the situation unfolding at his neighbors home.

At 10 p.m., Dallas mother called to report that her son had returned home. The officers found Dallas in the backyard bleeding from what looked to be a broken nose and complaining about broken ribs.

Dallas told the officers that he had gone next door to his neighbors trailer and knocked on the door. When Gleim answered the door, he allegedly fired two rounds from a semi-automatic .45 caliber pistol, the affidavit said.

Dallas reported that he had to dodge to get out of the firing zone as he attempted to explain himself to Gleim. Instead of listening, Dallas said Gleim head-butted him and repeatedly punched him. Dallas fell to the ground where Gleim continued to punch and kick him.

Initially, Gleim admitted to head-butting, punching and kicking Dallas, but denied having a gun. The affidavit said Gleim eventually admitted that he fired two warning shots and then put the pistol in the dryer or washer of his trailer home.

Gleim told the officers that he was angry at Dallas for what he had done to his mother.

Dallas told the officers that he actually hadnt strangled his mother or threatened to kill anyone. He said he only shoved her after she slapped him.

Both men appeared before Ravalli County Justice Jim Bailey Monday.

Dallas was charged with felony criminal endangerment and misdemeanor partner or family member assault. Bailey set bail at $5,000.

Gleim was charged with attempted deliberate homicide and aggravated assault, both felonies. His bond was set at $25,000.
With an appreciative eye, Brian Stearns watches the delicate dance being performed on the hillside just above him by a large, dust-covered excavator.

Inside the machine, Dean Ehmann of the Sula-based Rocky Mountain Aggregates is carefully repairing the bulldozer-created rip in the ground that served as a fire line to stave off the Roaring Lion fire.

Ehmann lightly feathers the machines huge shovel from one side to the other to pull the dirt back into the trench. Every so often, he uses the shovel to pick up some branches or a couple of rocks to drop on the repaired fire line.

Stearns smiles as he watches Ehmanns skill on display.

He could probably open a coke can with that bucket, Stearns said.

Crews have been busy rehabilitating the fire lines that were dug in haste as the Roaring Lion Fire threatened to roar out onto the valley floor a month ago.

Stearns is the superintendent of the Huron-Manstee National Forests wildland fire module crew that spent some long days and nights keeping the fire from spreading west.

Camping high on the mountainside, the crew directed helicopter water drops and did a good deal of hand work along that remote section of the fire. Now, with that area relatively stable, the firefighters from Minnesota have been working to rehabilitate fire lines built both by bulldozers and men down closer to the valley floor.

So far, almost five miles of bulldozer fire line has been rehabilitated between Sawtooth Creek on the most northern end and Whispering Pines Road to the south. Most of that work has been done on private lands.

Bitterroot National Forest hydrologist Ed Snook said that initial fire line rehabilitation work is occurring on the north and northeastern edge of the fire because the fire has been quiet along that section for a long time.

As we work toward the southern end of the fire, well hit more federal land, Snook said.

Federal rules allow national forests to spend funds to repair work that was done for fire suppression.

It always seems like a good neighbor policy that we do that work on private lands, too, he said. We like to get it done while there are still some resources here. When you have two sizeable fires like we did this summer, it would be quite a workload for it all to fall on local folks.

Once the initial work is completed repairing fire lines, Snook said the focus will be on addressing longer-term issues that fall under the Burned Area Emergency Response.

The BAER work focuses on addressing the effects of the fire itself, with the potential for flooding and debris flows the main issues that need to be addressed.

On this fire, with its proximity to so many homes along the eastern edge, Snook said the Natural Resource and Conservation Service will play a large role in assisting private landowners.

Snook has supplied the NRCS with all the Forest Services hydrology reports, which that agency uses to determine the homes and roadways that may be in the line of danger.

The Forest Service will focus its efforts on protecting roads and trail system from erosion. Snook said 7.5 miles of trail may require some storm-proofing work.

NRCS District Conservationist Matt Whithead said letters have already been mailed to local landowners and many have been contacted during site visits over the past couple of weeks.

We have been out there talking to people about their concerns after the fire, Whithead said. Were looking at how the potential increase in run-off might impact their properties or bar their access. There are a lot of smaller culverts out there that might be overwhelmed.

So far, Whithead said it doesnt appear that there are many homes that might be impacted directly by increased run-off or mudflows.

There are some situations where there is a home that survived the fire that could be in harms way if we have a 10-year-rain event. There are certainly some road crossings that could be impacted.

Besides providing technical assistance to people, Whithead said his office will also make a request for funding to help people pay for projects needed to protect their homes.

Funding may also become available through different agencies for reforestation efforts.

Whithead encouraged anyone interested in learning more to stop by the USDA Service Center in Hamilton. The NRCS office is housed with several other agencies that could potentially offer people impacted by the fires with some help.

John Portis is thankful that his wife, Nina, has been so diligent in working to keep their 50-acre forest managed around their home.

All of the thinning that shes done over the last 15 years probably saved our home, Portis told Stearns after coming outside to thank the firefighters for their efforts both during the fire and afterward. You guys just did a fabulous job. I thought we were cooked.

While some landowners ask that their repaired fire lines be seeded, Portis said his wife wants theirs to stay bare.

She likes having that there, Portis said. She is really into fire protection. I think her efforts really made a difference here.
America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance!
Kathmandu, Nepal: Mr. Kuber Prasad Sharma, the first Chartered Accountant (CA) of Nepal, has announced scholarship to the CA students.

According to Sharma, a male and female CA student from Kathmandu valley and backward community will be eligible to get the scholarship. The scholarship will be distributed annually.

To manage the scholarship, Mr. Sharma has deposited Rs. 20, 00000.00 naming the scholarship as CA Kuber Prasad Sharma scholarship Fund.

It is said that 75 percent income made from the fund will be spent as of scholarship while remaining 25 percent will be deposited in the fund.

Nepal Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal, Satdobato, Lalitpur, will manage the scholarship.
Kathmandu, Nepal: The Japan has pledged to extend a grant assistance of Rs 1.832 billion to Nepal for implementation of two different ODA Projects in Japans Fiscal Year 2016.

The grant assistance was announced amid a function organized in Kathmandu on Wednesday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Nepal.

Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Masashi Ogawa and Finance Secretary Lok Darshan Regmi signed in the agreements.

Likewise, at the same function, JICA Nepal Chief Jun Sakuma and Joint-Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Baikuntha Aryal also signed the grant agreements for smooth implementation of the projects.

The Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu has informed that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobuo Kishi were present on the occasion.

It is stated that Rs 1.518 billion of the grant would be spent for the implementation of the Project for Improvement of Aviation Safety Facilities in Major Airports.

For the improvement of aviation safety facilities in Nepal, the Project will install a Localizer (LOC) with Terminal Distance Measuring Equipment (T-DME) at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA); install VHF Omni-directional Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) at Chadragadhi and Dhangadhi Airports; install VOR/DME Test Rack at the Navigation Aid Maintenance Section at Sinamangal, Kathmandu; supply and replace equipment to enhance capacity at the Civil Aviation Academy, Sanothimi, and install other necessary equipment, such as Runway Threshold Identification Lights, Runway Threshold and End Lights, Runway Edge Lights, and Solar Power Supply Systems at Lukla, Jomsom, Jumla, Rara and Simikot Airports, based on the plan/design envisage by this Project, The Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu has informed.

Likewise, Rs 313 million of the assistance would be spent for the implementation of the School Sector Development Program (SSDP).

It is said that the purpose of the assistance is to improve the safety and efficiency of air transport in Nepal. As a result of this project, aviation safety will be significantly enhanced at the eight selected airports, reads the statement issued by the Japanese embassy in Kathmandu.
CHITWAN, Aug 31: Minister for Defence Bal Krishna Khad has stated that the restructuring the Nepal Army (NA) would take place as per the need of the nation.

Speaking to the journalists at Chitwan on Tuesday, Minister Khad commended the role of NA in safeguarding the national integrity and sovereignty.

On a different note, Khad pledged that the genuine demands of the disgruntled Madhesh-centric political parties would be heeded. "The government has already started homework towards this end," he said.

On the occasion, Khad reaffirmed the commitment of the government to hold the local bodies' election within the stipulated time. RSS
Kathmandu, Nepal: The Gorkha Samaj, an association of Nepali migrants in India, has withdrawn its case filed against an online shopping company- Flipkart after it agreed to rectify its advertisement.

According to the reports the company has made a commitment to correct the advertisement and with the saying that it had no intention to insult the Nepali Diaspora on the ground of ethnicity.

We had no intention at all to insult the Nepali Diaspora. We apologize for the insult the advertisement inflicted on the Nepali people living around the globe. We will immediately change the Bhadgaule cap and the voice of the minor and represent the advertisement in a new way in a few days, reads the press statement issued by the Flipkart.

Gorkha Samaj had moved to the court claiming that the advertisement of the online shopping company Flipkart which has presented a Nepali minor wearing a Bhadgaule cap, insulted the Nepalese community.
What is the most worrying relationship in Asia today? Where is there the greatest potential for the most destructive conflict? Would it be from North Korea, with its burgeoning and almost incessant nuclearization program, perhaps, or the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India? Is a more urgent issue Chinas ongoing clashes with the other competing parties in the South China Sea and the potential that this might lead to direct conflict with the United States? Or the real possibility of instability and fragmentation in, for instance, a young democracy like Indonesia, with its internal complexity and lack of institutional strength?

All of these are worrying problems. But if we look at history, the longest standing tensions  the area most strewn with competing, and frankly incompatible, visions for the region is found in the relationship between China and Japan. It is this relationship that poses the most worrying problems for the future.

Though it is obviously a very complex issue, we can boil the Sino-Japanese conundrum the world and the Asian region have to sort out down to one simple question: in view of their inability to harmoniously exist side by side for the last millennia or so, can we really see ways in which a strong China and a strong Japan manage to exist alongside each other without conflict in the 21st century? If they do achieve this, they will be going against the pattern of their whole history with each other.

And what a terrifying history this has been. As American scholar June Teufel Dreyer shows in Middle Kingdom and Empire of the Rising Sun, a book just published by Oxford University Press, the fight for regional dominance stretches back 1,500 years. Japanese and Chinese imperial disdain for each other manifested itself very early on in prickly protocol, with the Chinese dynastic courts always trying to present Japan as a semi-vassal state, and the Japanese returning the contempt in the earliest dynasties. The documents Dreyer uses in her overview of the first thousand years of this history give ample testimony to this phenomenon. But the real clashes occurred when Japan undertook its rapid, and impressive, modernization in the late 19th century. Its victory in war not just with Qing China in 1895, but against the Russians in 1905, were preludes to a rampant nationalism that engulfed the whole region during World War II.

A long term view of this history shows a clear pattern: fractious troughs followed by warm peaks, before the troughs reoccur again. There were warm moments in the 1970s and into the 1980s, with the odd, short sunny period in the 1990s and mid-2000s. But the recent dip in relations has been a long one, continuing for almost a decade. Such dips and peaks are connected by an internal logic  they are evidence of strategic competition between the two. But the recent downturn occurs in a context in which, for the first time ever, both are modernized, globally significant economies. The risks arising from their inability to create long term, balanced, sustainable relations with each other have therefore escalated.

We know one of the main sources of this recent ill feeling on the Chinese side  the continuing anger over what is seen as Japanese unwillingness to confront their history of aggression in World War II. For Japan, where the vast majority of its people were born long after the tragic events of eight decades ago, however, this persistence by China for greater, continuing penance has clearly started to grate. Japanese irritation toward the Chinese is more recent, and stems from the ways in which former prime ministers from the early 1970s onward into the 1980s made a clear strategic decision to engage and work with China in its modernization process but received a poor return for it. Dreyer quotes one staggering statistic in her book that illustrates this  70 percent of Japanese aid went to China in the 1980s. But the relationship was about more than mere money; Japan was a major technology and knowledge partner. Chinese reform and opening up would not have succeeded as quickly, and as extensively, without this assistance.

In Japan, the consensus has been growing that the whole gamble of engagement with China is starting to look like it was a mistake. Their neighbor has not changed politically, nor has it developed grateful or friendly feelings toward Japan. On the contrary, it has come increasingly to look like Japans worst nightmare  a strong, Communist led one party state, angry and harboring revengeful sentiments toward Tokyo. Most worrying of all, China is now building up naval military assets that look increasingly like they are pointed directly at Japans interests.

The ancient Greek historian Thucydides showed long ago that the price for peace is perpetual preparation for war. Complacency about China and Japan being able to just muddle along and never clash with each other again would run against the long history where these clashes and fights happened all too often  with disastrous results for the region, and the two countries themselves. Those that blithely counsel the United States to simply withdraw from Asia have to give reassurances that in the vacuum Japan and China wont immediately fall directly on each other. Such reassurances are impossible to give. As Dreyers book shows, the history of Sino-Japanese relations has proved a terrible and bloody one. Creating a sustainable framework in which, at the very least, they can both manage their problems toward each other without resorting to fighting is the single greatest challenge, and the source of the most worrying instability, in Asia today.
[Likely to appear in aMainstreama Weekly]

I recently wrote the following letter to newspapers:

aIt is deceitful to describe pellet guns as non lethal. While they may not kill, they have maimed people permanently, specially by causing loss of vision. Breaking up a public gathering by blinding those in it is inhuman. Tear gas is at least as effective and does no long term damage.a

An English friend reacted thus: aI find it outrageous that the situation in India has deteriorated to the point at which you are advocating the use of tear gas.a I pointed out that tear gas had been used extensively in India for decades as a form of crowd control and said that he should not compare India and England.

My friend responded with: aMaybe Iam just too naive when I see the use of tear gas condoned as an acceptable form of crowd control. This is no reflection on you, but a comment upon the times in which we live: in many parts of the world protesters expect to be met with water cannon, batons and tear gas...a .

Minister Rajnath Singh said, during his visit to Kashmir on 24-25 August, aIn the coming few days, we will give an alternative to the pellet guns. These guns were earlier considered non-lethal but some incidents have taken place... We formed an expert committee a month ago which was expected to give report in two months but it will be coming very soona (Hindu, 29 August 2016).

And what is this alternative? aThe pump action guns from which pellets are fired are here to stay. From now on, the pellets will not be of metal but of soft material like polymer, soft plastic, rubber and even paper. The Ordnance Factory Board, which manufactures the pump action guns has been asked to produce the other types of pellets as well,a said one of the members of the committee (same source).

It is a matter of common sense that tightly rolled or crumpled paper becomes hard, and that a projectile of such material which travels at high velocity can cause considerable damage to human tissue. At school in the early 1960s, we boys would fire pieces of rolled up paper at one another with stretched rubber bands. This asporta was banned after a boy lost the vision of the eye in which he was hit. It cannot be said that the proposed alternative is any less damaging than metal pellets.

I do not know if the apellet gunsa are ordinary shot-guns (12 bore or other), but even if they are not, they work on the same principle. What we have is guns with cartridges which are ordinarily used to kill birds being used against humans. So much for anon-lethala .
Not too long ago, we announced the slate of programming for San Diego's Horrible Imaginings Film Festival, which starts next week. Now the festival wants to entice you with a compelling event both gruesome and forbidden --- cannibalism.

Explored in films and tales such as Alive, Ravenous, Moby Dick's Queequeg, Robinson Crusoe, Silence of the Lambs, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and even Looney Tunes cartoons, cannibalism is a topic that continues to shock and repel us.

At 6:00 pm on Friday, September 9th, the festival will explore our society's fascination with the topic. Dr. Emily Anderson, the curator for the San Diego Museum of Man's "Cannibals: Myth & Reality" exhibit, will lead a panel on the phenomenon of cannibalism in pop culture and the real-world contexts that fuel it. Festival goers will learn about the historical realities of cannibalism, reasons why cannibalism has been present in storytelling for so long, and why this topic remains unexhausted.

Dr. Anderson's "Anthropophagia" panel will take place at The Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. Immediately following the discussion, the short film Survival Type (based on the titular Stephen King short story) will screen.



For tickets, passes, schedule, films, and more, head to the HIFF website.
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This seems really, really stupid, but the SFPD is now investigating the August 18 appearance of that Trump statue in the Castro  and several other locations around the nation  as a case of felony vandalism. And they're holding the artwork hostage while they try to find the individual(s) responsible for installing it. As CBS 5 reports, the issue is that the industrial glue they used to affix it allegedly caused $4,000 in damage to the sidewalk.

As we learned the day of its unexpectedly prompt removal, August 19, Union Square bar Lefty O'Doul's wanted to take custody of the thing, and this was supported by Supervisor Scott Wiener who also became a fan of the piece  a move some saw as ironic given the nudity ban he sponsored related to the very plaza next to which the statue stood.

Who would've thought @realDonaldTrump would be so popular in the Castro? pic.twitter.com/Ju6F5tmkfk  Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) August 18, 2016

Lefty O'Doul's owner, Nick Bovis, has offered just to pay the four grand so he can take the statue to the bar for a planned event this Friday. For publicity's sake, Bovis was planning to fly in the artist behind the statue, a Las Vegas-based haunted house and theatrical artist who goes by the name Ginger, whom he thinks deserves more credit for the work. They were also only planning on displaying the statue for a couple of days, and then sending it home with Ginger.

Lee Houskeeper, who serves as spokesperson for the bar and several other longtime SF businesses, said in an email to SFist today, "Hopefully [DA] Dennis Herrera will tell us today if pending SFPD charges will be dropped in time for [us] pay the fine and safely bring the artist to San Francisco to receive the controversial political protest art piece he created as a gift from Lefty's at a free to the public event planned for this weekend."

The grotesque, naked depiction of Trump caused some delight for locals and tourists alike, but it also  because: San Francisco  prompted calls of transphobia and, sort of strangely, transphobia. The latter may be a leap for many, but the Chron's C.W. Nevius is actually sympathetic to this charge, saying, "My theory of whats offensive is if someone feels offended, it should be considered."

That seems antithetical to the regularity with which Nevius himself offends local progressives and homeless advocates especially, but he goes on to relay that one trans male activist, Shane Brody, took to the streets last week to put his own naked body on display in the spot where the statue stood, proclaiming with a sign, "I love my fat body."

My response to the bodyshaming and transphobia represented by the #trumpstatue in SF. We can't let this go. pic.twitter.com/BdiY2nnvUZ  Shane Brodie (@ShaneHBrodie) August 27, 2016

While it's unarguable that the group behind the statue was looking to be controversial, and to poke fun at Trump's presumed naked form, sans balls, I think we should probably look to intent here, and politics, rather than try to make a leap here between an adolescent joke about a baby dick and perceptions about trans bodies  though, sure, anyone has a right to feel offense to anything. Gothamist spoke with one of the members of INDECLINE, the group behind the statue effort, who responded thusly to the calls about body shaming. "America wants to see his tax returns. INDECLINE wants to know if hes got a small dick. Simple as that."

Trump, meanwhile, has refused to utter a peep in response to the statues, which Nevius attributes to the fact "that one thing a bully cannot stand up to is being laughed at."

And that, in itself, might be the greatest power of the statues as a work of guerrilla political art  for all the publicity the one-day stunt garnered, the usually defensive and publicity-obsessed Trump went totally silent.

Meanwhile, as Lefty O'Doul's continues to try to give the statue one last exhibition, Trump just landed in the Bay Area Monday evening for a Republican fundraiser at a private home in Woodside, and another happening maybe today, in the Napa Valley.



ABC 7 got a Chopper 7 shot of tents set up outside the home of Saul Fox, the CEO of a private equity firm, and they report that the $25,000-a-head event also featured Rudy Giuliani, who arrived with Trump, and only about 40 wealthy guests.

Fmr NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani attended @realDonaldTrump fundraiser which included roughly 40 guests. #Woodside pic.twitter.com/MAhmCKv4E2  Lilian Kim (@liliankim7) August 30, 2016



And here's what his arriving SUV motorcade looked like at 7:05 p.m. last night.



Previously: Nude Trump Statue Removed, May Get New Home At Lefty O'Doul's
Google may have hoped to wade gently into the ride-hailing waters jealously guarded by San Francisco's Uber and Lyft, but news today that its Waze-based carpool app will be expanding to San Francisco is threatening to make a serious splash. The Wall Street Journal writes that the expansion could "portend a clash," particularly with Uber, a company valued at $68 billion in which Google once invested $258 million.

Google dipped a toe into matters with its carpooling service this May, launching a small pilot program based around its Mountain View headquarters called Waze Rider. The service stems from the Israeli traffic-reporting maps app, Waze, that Google bought in 2013. Waze Rider somewhat informally began to pair existing Waze users with similar driving destinations, encouraging them to ride together, either for no charge or for a small reimbursement fee, of which Google wasn't asking for a cut.

In the coming San Francisco Waze Rider pilot program, any and all Waze users can sign up as drivers, no vetting necessary. However, passengers must be employees of a group of specific local companies, including Adobe and Wal-Mart, headed to a particular set of offices. Their numbers will be capped at 25,000 and they'll also be limited to just two rides a day  i.e. to and from work.

The initial competitive advantage of Google's Waze is price  free is pretty cheap  but its focus is, for now, incredibly narrow. It's still possible the company will face unforeseen obstacles as it enters the new space. I dont think theyve had any significant experience in a lot of the issues that will surely arise around [Waze Rider]" one analyst, Ben Schachter, tells the Journal.

The coming era of driverless cars is where the calculus becomes particularly complex. Pedal to the metal, Uber is debuting autonomous vehicle service for customers in Pittsburgh, PA, in just weeks (what could go wrong?!) while Google is gearing up to be a key player in the field with its own cars. Those plus Waze Rider could promise a completely new way and inexpensive way to get around.

Waze, which operates as a separate unit within Google (a company itself enveloped in the larger Alphabet Inc. network of companies) has 65 million active users. Its draws are the ability to report  and see live reports of  traffic accidents or other changes. Some of the most loyal users of Waze? Why, Uber and Lyft drivers, of course.

Previously: Google-Owned Waze Gets In The Ride-Hail Game, Launches New Carpooling App
The locally famous Bernal Heights rock, a frequently painted and re-painted neighborhood gem, is starting to get sh***y. During primary season, you may recall, the landmark was claimed by fans of Bernie Sanders and then reclaimed by supporters of Hillary Clinton in a protracted back-and-forth. Eventually, it turned purple upon the death of Prince.

Spotted a huge  on the top of Bernal Hill. pic.twitter.com/S19dcFlc0H  Troy Holden (@troy) August 28, 2016

Most recently, a few days ago, it took on a new incarnation as the popular "poop emoji," which, one has to assume, neighborhood children were forced to explain to their parents. San Francisco photographer Troy Holden was first to make note of the scene, and soon local blog Bernalwood was hip to matters, declaring the work "Genius!" yesterday.

Actually, it's a piece of crap.

Related: Bernie Or Hillary? This Bernal Hill Rock Remains Undecided
Police are on the lookout for two thieves they say have gone on a mail-stealing spree across San Francisco. According to Fox 2, the man and the woman appear to have obtained a USPS master key  the thing that allows mailmen to gain access to apartment building lobbies and open mailboxes  and are using it to steal credit cards, passports, and other valuable documents.

Video surveillance from one building on Van Ness Avenue depicts the alleged criminals at work during what is one of the three times they are accused of striking that very same building. "I was amazed they were totally relaxed [when] they walked in," resident Caxton Rhodes explained to the channel. "[They] knew exactly what they were doing especially when they're carrying  they both have cups of coffee! These guys had stolen [a new credit card] on Thursday, well, on Saturday, they charged like $5000 in charges to local businesses."

What makes this case so crazy is that unlike with your run-of-the-mill package thieves, possession of the USPS master key means this duo can physically enter multi-unit apartment buildings  so even things left inside by your neighborhood deliveryman are still vulnerable.

Officials say buildings in Japantown, Cow Hollow, and Fort Mason have all been targeted, and that they can't immediately do anything about it  changing all the vulnerable locks would cost at least $200,000 and will take some time. Mailboxes in the 94109 zip code are believed to be specifically at risk.

"The mere possession of one of those keys is a federal felony, [and the] potential penalty is up to 10 years in federal prison," U.S Postal Service Inspector Jeff Fitch told Fox 2.

Somehow, we don't think that fact will be much of a deterrent. But hey, at least they're not stealing entire mail trucks.

Related: Video: Thief Steals Child's Birthday Present, Gleefully Dances Away
For years now there's been all this public back-and-forth about George Lucas and his plans for a big museum, named for himself, that would house a collection of what's alternately been referred to as illustration, graphic art, film memorabilia, and "narrative art." It being still a privately held collection, not many people have seen it, but as the museum begins hiring its first full-time employees and prepares to push forward with a proposal to build a permanent home on Treasure Island (among possible other bids), Lucas decided to grant some access to the collection to Chronicle art critic Charles Desmarais, the seeds of which are being kept in a building on Lucas's Marin County estate.

Desmarais is, on a whole, impressed with what he saw, which included "55 original drawings and paintings, as well as eight thick notebooks containing more than 700 photographic reproductions" of pieces in the collection, including major works by famed American illustrators Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, and Beatrix Potter.





The peek at this "seed collection," as they're calling it, also includes original works by lesser known artists that provide glimpses of earlier periods in American life. One of those is Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874-1951), who like Rockwell illustrated covers for the Saturday Evening Post, and whose cheeky election-year image Republicans vs. Democrats is just one of these rarely revisited pieces that Lucas has acquired.

Says Desmarais of some of these stylized depictions from popular culture, "Even idealized and sentimental narratives reveal something about how we want our world to be, how we wish to be depicted."



Images of Maxfield Parrish's "Air Castles" (1904, via eBay print); and NC Wyeth's "The Storybook," which was originally a Ladies' Home Journal cover, both of which original paintings Lucas now owns.

Newly hired director of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (which has a new website linked there with more about the collection), Don Bacigalupi, explains to the Chronicle, "Narrative art is, simply stated, visual art that tells a story. It manifests itself in every kind of medium, in every culture, in every form that you can imagine." And, he adds, regarding Lucas's vision for his museum to elevate illustrative and popular forms like animation, "The museum world has often ignored ... some of the most compelling narrative art forms. So they tend to be relegated to the status of low art, or popular art or media art  all the binaries that we set up with high and low, and popular and fine.'"

Lucas is seeking to upend those binaries, and Desmarais grandly states that the Star Wars creator's collection "may just be the core of a great museum," and the beginnings of a larger institution devoted to popular forms that so far have remained the purview of some of these artists' estates alone  like the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, near the Wyeth family home.

And to be fair, Rockwell's works especially have been garnering fine-art prices in recent years  two pieces, "The Gossips" and Rockwell's even more famous "Saying Grace" (1951) set record prices at a 2013 Sothetby's auction of $46 million and $8.45 million respectively, and it turns out that Lucas was the winning bidder for both.

Lucas now owns 147 original Rockwells, and 41 original paintings by Parrish, and those numbers are likely growing in preparation for being exhibited in the eventual museum, which is still a few years (at least) from becoming a reality.

But Lucas's collection also includes more diverse items like a copy of underground comic book artist R. Crumb's 2009-completed, 50-chapter retelling of the Book of Genesis, first exhibited at the Venice Biennale; objects and memorabilia from the Star Wars franchise; and "newspaper strip mockups for Little Orphan Annie, Dick Tracy, Pogo, [and the] Peanuts."

SF remains just one bidder for the Lucas's longtime dream of a museum legacy, after he already failed to convince the Presidio Trust to take his money in 2013-2014, and as activists and others fought a plan by Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel to give Lucas a home on the waterfront there.

Previously: Rumors Ramp Up About George Lucas's Treasure Island Museum, Which Will Have Same Architect As Chicago Plan


A Muni bus rider was left with wounds to the face Tuesday, when a mugging team assaulted him and stole his cell phone.

It was a brazen mid-morning attack, police say, at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on a Muni bus near 30th and Mission Streets. According to a report from the San Francisco Police Department, the 34-year-old male victim was seated on the bus "while holding his cellular phone in his hand."

Police say that a male suspect aged between 18-20 then distracted the victim from the front, saying "something unknown" as a second male suspect, aged 25-30, "approached from behind."

That second man, police say, then struck the Muni rider "over his head with a bottle and stole his cellular phone."

The thieves then fled in an "unknown direction," police say, and the victim was left with a non-life-threatening bloody nose.

As of Wednesday morning, the bus menacing bottle bashers remain at large, and no arrests have been made in the case.
Never before in the 41-year history of the Marine Mammal Center have its experts had occasion to examine a Baird's beaked whale. This week they're doing so, but under unfortunate circumstances: A highly deteriorated, 35-foot-long carcass of one such beaked whale washed up on North Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore, CBS 5 reports. The whale was likely a victim of an all-too-common collision with a ship, as indicated during the necropsy. Its body showed severe hemorrhaging and part of its tail was severed.

Whale carcass found on beach in Point Reyes. https://t.co/0VkFg5EZ86 [Photos via @TMMC] pic.twitter.com/cLFChuv2ia  NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) August 30, 2016

According to Bay City News, fewer than a dozen beaked whales have been reported stranded on shorelines across California, Oregon, and Washington. The Marin Independent Journal adds that the beaked whale family, of which the Baird's are the largest member, are at home in the deep channel waters off the continental shelf in the North Pacific ocean.

Beaked whales are a very interesting family of toothed whales that mostly live off the continental shelf edge, foraging in deep canyons to feed on squid, Marine Mammal Center Chief Pathologist Dr. Padraig Duignan told the news channel. To perform the necropsy, she worked with 10 other scientists from the center, the California Academy of Sciences, and Point Reyes National Seashore. The opportunity to perform a necropsy on such a unique animal that we rarely have the opportunity to examine will help contribute to our baseline data on the species.

Related: Bill To Promote Whale Safety Amid Rising Fishing Gear Entanglements Heads To Governor's Desk
A criminal couple remains on the loose Wednesday, following a mugging in SoMa that left its victim shocked and bruised.

Police say that the 59-year-old male victim was attacked and robbed at 9 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Fourth and Bryant Streets.

According to the San Francisco Police Department, the man was approached by a male and female suspect, who "then tased him 19 times." Stunned and unable to fend off the robbers, the victim says the duo took his wallet, which contained cash and his identification.

The victim was bruised in the attack, and was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with injuries police say are not life threatening. The Taser-wielding couple fled on foot, and haven't been seen since. As of Wednesday morning, police say, no arrests have been made in this case.
You've heard it before: San Francisco "empties out" the week of Burning Man, leaving trendy bars and restaurants less crowded and that hot brunch spot free of lines. However, as the Chronicle points out, the talk of Burning Man Rapture is mostly just that. Talk.

The proof, as the paper sees it, is in the numbers. The annual festival in Black Rock City is currently capped at 70,000 attendees by the Bureau of Land Management. And while that sounds like a lot (heck, it is a lot), those people come from all over the world  not just San Francisco. According to the 2015 Burning Man survey of attendees (they call it a census, but it isn't), roughly 39 percent of burners came from California. So, even if 100 percent of those Californians hailed from SF  which they clearly didn't  we're talking about a total of just over 27,000 people.

The US Census Bureau estimates that San Francisco's population last summer was 864,816. In other words, at most the population declines by roughly 3 percent during the Burn. And, again, as not all California burners originate from SF, that number is likely much lower.

A three percent decline in population, though, can be noticeable, and the last decade and a half of talk about the Great Exodus has to be rooted in some perceived fact  though it should be noted that Burning Man was capped at 25,000 people back in 2000.

If there is any attrition for our regular diners, thats filled up by tourists, which is wonderful, says Elizabeth DePalmer to the Chron, speaking of the notoriously popular State Bird Provisions. Other restaurant owners agreed, and noted that while clientele might change, the number of diners typically remains constant during the festival week. (The Chronicle neglects to recognize, though, that a hot reservation remains a hot reservation, it's just that this week there are generally a few more of them readily available.)

So, in summation, your brunch line may be shorter this weekend, but it probably won't be that much shorter.

Related: Burning Man 747 To Begin Shutting Down Roads Today En Route To The Playa
In the 1997 movie Contact, based on a novel by late astronomer Carl Sagan, scientists work to decipher messages they believe were sent by intelligent life from deep space.

On Tuesday, inhabitants of Earth learned of a possible real-life Contact.

According to a story on cnn.com, astronomers involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) are focused on a star some 94 light years from Earth after a very strong signal was detected by a Russian telescope.

An international team of researchers is examining the radio signal and its star, HD 164595, in hopes of determining its origin.

"The signal from HD 164595 is intriguing because it comes from the vicinity of a sun-like star, and if it's artificial, its strength is great enough that it was clearly made by a civilization with capabilities beyond those of humankind," astronomer Douglas Vakoch, president of METI International, which searches for life beyond Earth, told CNN.

To read more about the search for life elsewhere in the heavens, visit space.com. Here are some stories you might find interesting:
Pizza. In many ways, it is the perfect food.

It contains all the main food groups. Its almost as delicious cold as it is hot, but not really. It is equally loved by the snootiest of gourmands (Id like one with wood-grilled octopus and burrata, please) and the most average of joes (Gimme a slice with pepperoni). Kids adore it, adults crave it and college students basically live on it.

According to one survey, more than half of all millennials have taken a picture of pizza and posted it online.

Beginning with three basic ingredients  crust, sauce and cheese  pizzas have developed a near-infinite number of variations.

And I dont just mean the now-familiar Thai-duck pizza, the Canadian-bacon-and-pineapple pizza or even the Brussels-sprouts-and-pancetta pizza. Im talking about pizza with smoked reindeer meat, which you can get in Iceland. Im talking about kangaroo-and-emu pizza, which of course is available in Australia. Im talking about baked beans pizza, which is a British thing.

Actually, baked beans pizza sounds kind of good. And I wouldnt turn up my nose at smoked reindeer pizza, but I wouldnt go to Iceland to try it.

Pizza is available on practically every corner, and a phone call or app brings it to your house in a half-hour or less. So why would you even think of making it yourself?

For one, homemade pizza is better than nine-tenths of the stuff that is commercially available. And it is almost certainly going to surpass anything that is delivered to your door. The time it takes for delivery and the aroma of a cardboard box take their toll on even the best of pizzas.

You can customize a homemade pizza to be exactly the way you like it, and it is less expensive than store-bought pizza.

If you dont make the crust yourself, it is faster, too.

But try making the crust yourself. You can buy premade crusts that are just fine  and some that are better than fine  and many pizzerias will sell you their dough, which is better still. But there is something special about a crust you made yourself. Call it a pride of craftsmanship.

Though the crust I make is simple, it has a nice, robust flavor that complements the toppings rather than competes with them. It makes the perfect backdrop for everything that is to come.

Particularly the sauce. The crust may be the part of a pizza that you notice the most, but the heart of a pizza is its sauce.

Some people like their sauce sweet. I dont. Some like it spiced with a lot of herbs. I dont. Some go the other way and want it bland, the better to focus on the toppings.

I dont.

A few years ago, my wife and I experimented to try to create the best homemade pizza sauce we could make. The one we came up with is, to our taste, just right. Its got enough flavor to stand up to cheese and crust and toppings, but it does not overwhelm.

One of the secrets of our sauce is stolen directly from Mario Batali, who makes his out of nothing but Pomi brand strained tomatoes right out of the box. That feels a little bit like cheating (they charge money for that?), but the Pomi strained tomatoes do make an excellent beginning.

So I start with the boxed strained tomatoes and add a bit of oregano, garlic and crushed red pepper. But the other two ingredients make our sauce truly stand out.

The first is shredded Parmesan cheese stirred right into the sauce, which gives it extra heft and a shock of salt that is very much needed. And the other is a single anchovy fillet.

I know that many people roll their eyes and make little gagging sounds at the very thought of anchovies, but this sauce does not leave even a hint of anchovy flavor. You wont even know it is there. Even so, it adds an essential complexity to the sauce that really brings it to life.

Once you have the crust and the sauce, all you need is the cheese. I have a tip about the cheese, too. This one comes from my favorite pizza at pretty much my favorite restaurant: Put the cheese under the sauce.

Self-proclaimed pizza aficionados will object. I dont care. Its better this way. The cheese keeps the sauce from making the crust soggy, and the sauce keeps the cheese from browning or burning.

Its the best way to keep the perfect food perfect.
Watermelon and Cantaloupe Gazpacho takes advantage of the wonderful melons that are abundant at this time of year. It's a refreshing end-of-summer soup and a choice dish with which to launch a Labor Day party.

I call it a gazpacho, but I'm using the term very loosely because it makes no use of tomatoes. What puts it within shouting distance of the classic Spanish soup is that it's served chilled and it's chunky.

There are a few key steps in the making of it. Start by looking for the ripest melons you can find.

The watermelon should have a large yellow or white mark somewhere on its skin. This tell-tale spot is the one on which the melon rested as it grew. The more pronounced the spot, the more time the melon has spent ripening. The cantaloupe should boast a rich golden color and smell strongly of, well, cantaloupe when you take a whiff of its stem end.

To achieve the smoothest possible texture, you will need to puree the melon in a blender. No other machine produces so creamy a result. To point up and counterbalance the melon's natural sweetness, start with the suggested amounts of lemon and lime, although you may decide to add more if your melon is exceptionally sweet.

Heat, like acid, is another way to balance sugar, which is why I've built some chopped chiles into this recipe. But I also happen to be a fan of the hot stuff. If you're not, leave them out. The feta cheese contributes not only to the unique flavor of the soup, but also adds a dose of saltiness, providing some welcome contrast to the sweetness of the fruit.

But feel free to swap in sour cream if that's what you'd prefer. The mint is a strong accent all by itself, but you could replace it with basil and/or cilantro  or add them to accompany the mint. However you adjust the flavorings, be sure to serve the finished product chilled.

Sara Moulton is host of public television's "Sara's Weeknight Meals." She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows, including "Cooking Live." Her latest cookbook is "Home Cooking 101."
SIOUX CITY | Rose Mouw knows Austin McCloud won't get a second chance.

But after spending three months in prison for selling McCloud the synthetic marijuana that killed him, Mouw asked District Judge Patrick Tott Wednesday to give her a chance to show that she has learned from her mistake.

"After seeing prison life and how people there think, I want to go to school and get a job and do good things with my life," Mouw said.

Tott said it was a difficult decision, but he decided to release Mouw from prison, suspending the remainder of her 10-year prison sentence and placing her on probation for four years.

"A life is over. He doesn't get a second chance, but I also agree that doesn't mean that your life has to be over, either," Tott said.

Mouw, 19, was sentenced to prison in May after pleading guilty in Woodbury County District Court to involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance. She admitted that she bought the K2, a type of synthetic marijuana, at a Lincoln, Nebraska, smoke shop and sold it to McCloud on April 16, 2015. Later that night, McCloud, an 18-year-old West High senior, smoked it with three other teenage boys. They were in a car when they stopped near the entrance to War Eagle Park to call 911. All four were hospitalized, and McCloud died.

Mouw's attorney, David Reinschmidt, filed a motion to have Tott reconsider Mouw's initial sentence. Reinschmidt cited Mouw's young age, her minimal criminal history and clean disciplinary record while in prison. Mouw had started taking classes at Western Iowa Tech Community College before pleading guilty, and she plans to resume her studies, Reinschmidt said.

Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Michelle Venable-Ridley said Mouw should remain in prison. She told Tott that Mouw waited for two hours to call 911 for McCloud, hid evidence and didn't tell medical personnel what McCloud had ingested.

"The state maintains its position that a period of incarceration is justified," Venable-Ridley said.

McCloud's family was unable to attend the hearing, Venable-Ridley said. She told Tott that McCloud's mother did not want to see Mouw go to prison in May and had believed the girl deserved a second chance.

That seemed to sway Tott, who said he was concerned that Mouw had not taken part in any drug treatment programs while in prison, although she was on the waiting list for those classes.

"There's no question in my mind that (substance abuse) is the underlying problem we have to deal with," Tott said.

As terms of Mouw's probation, Tott said she must immediately get a substance abuse and mental health evaluation and be subject to random drug tests from her probation officer. Tott told her there would not be a third chance if she violated her probation because of drugs.

"This wasn't an easy decision for me," Tott said. "I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity because you won't get another one."
SIOUX CITY | After winning the most votes in a seven-candidate primary in June for a Woodbury County supervisors seat, Gary Niles lost his bid for the party's nomination at a special convention.

Niles has now shifted gears and now will run as an independent, setting up a three-man race this fall for the seat being vacated by veteran Democratic supervisor Larry Clausen.

Niles, 62, of rural Sioux City, told the Journal Tuesday he had filed a petition with enough signatures to run as an unaffiliated candidate for the District 5 position, which includes the east edge of Sioux City and county territory to the east. Wednesday is the final day for people who are being nominated by petitions to become independent county candidates and make it on the Nov. 8 ballot.

While Niles, the chief juvenile court officer for the 3rd Judicial District, got the most votes in a June 7 primary vote, he didn't reach the state-required 35-percent threshold to automatically win the nomination. Niles led with 1,157 votes, or 23 percent, while Rocky De Witt, of Lawton, finished second with 1,070 votes, or 21 percent.

At a special county Republican Party nominating convention in Sioux City three weeks later, De Witt won support from 65 percent of the roughly 190 delegates to become the nominee.

Since that time, Niles said he's heard from people unhappy that he was sidelined after winning the most votes in the primary.

"(The primary participants) who voted spoke pretty clearly about who should move forward, and I don't think the convention was as representative of the people as the primary was," he said.

Niles said the primary results showed he is "the best person" to watch that property taxes are kept low and that the supervisors make wise decisions.

In the November election, he will compete with De Witt, who works for the county Sheriff's Office, and Bruce Garbe, a rural Sioux City man who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Niles said he recognizes that several thousand people will vote straight-party ballots for either the Democratic and Republican parties, which puts him at a disadvantage. He contended he can win the District 5 seat by nabbing the votes of Republicans, Democrats and independents.

"I can draw all those," he said.

The step by Niles makes for a second three-candidate race on the ballot, a rarity in Woodbury County. Iowa does not have a so-called sore loser law, so people who lose in party primaries can file to run later as independents.

The other three-candidate field is for the supervisors District 3 race, where the candidates are Republican Brian Miller, Democrat Marty Pottebaum and independent Mark Monson.

Monson, a Democrat and a three-term incumbent, lost to Pottebaum in the June primary. Monson filed his papers to run as an independent on Aug. 16. Like DeWitt, Miller was nominated by acclamation by Republicans at the June 29 special convention, after no Republican had filed for the post prior to the June 7 primary.

Pottebaum is a retired Sioux City police officer and former Sioux City councilman and Miller is a former commander of the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City.
SIOUX CITY | A Siouxland man sought by the U.S. Marshals Service Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force was captured by local authorities Tuesday evening in Morningside.

Rand Michael McConnell, 32, was arrested after attempting to flee from authorities on foot following a traffic stop in the 3800 block of Transit Avenue.

The Fugitive Task Force had issued a request to the public for aid in locating McConnell in late July. McConnell was wanted by the Woodbury County Sheriffs Office for violation of his parole. He was on parole for assault causing injury.

According to court documents, McConnell was located by authorities at 8 p.m. Tuesday during a traffic stop in the 3800 block of Transit Avenue. He was apprehended after a brief foot pursuit and found to be in possession of 15.6 grams of methamphetamine.

McConnell has been charged with violation of probation, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, and eluding. He is being held in the Woodbury County Jail on $120,300 bond.
DES MOINES | The effort to try to keep an underground crude oil pipeline from being built in Iowa is moving from court action to civil disobedience at construction sites.

Ed Fallon, a former state legislator and candidate for governor and Congress who now serves as Bold Iowa's state director, said he will be among 50 to 100 people who plan a nonviolent "direct action" Wednesday in Boone County to protest Dakota Access' project to place 346 miles of pipeline in 18 Iowa counties, crossing the state on a diagonal from northwest to southeast.

Fallon called the direct action a "last resort" after a district judge denied a motion Monday by 14 affected Iowa landowners to temporarily stop construction of the Texas-based company's Bakken pipeline while a lawsuit remains pending in Polk County District Court challenging the use of government sanctioned-eminent domain to take their land.

In denying a temporary stay, District Judge Jeffrey Farrell said the Iowa Utilities Board had conducted a thorough vetting of the issues before granting Dakota Access a state permit and eminent domain authority and it appeared the petitioning landowners "are not likely to prevail on the merits of their constitutional claim" based upon his cursory review of U.S. Supreme Court case law.

However, Fallon said he believes the $3.8 billion project to transport up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota's Bakken oil fields through Iowa to a distribution hub at Patoka, Ill., is illegal and violates an eminent domain law he helped pass as a legislator in 2006 and wants to see it halted until the legal challenges are resolved by the Iowa Supreme Court.

"I don't know anybody who wants to risk getting arrested, but you get to the point in many struggles for justice where people have to take that stand," Fallon told a news conference called to discuss an analysis of Bakken oil samples indicating the presence of benzene and other cancer-causing compounds that would potentially flow through the Dakota Access pipeline.

"Dakota Access is just pushing ahead with this as if it's a done deal and we have to do everything we can to stand on the side of justice," Fallon told reporters. "We can't stand back and do nothing. We have to take action.

"We're really passionate about making sure that landowners are protected, that our water is protected, and we'll do what we have to do non-violently to respond to the continued efforts to construct this pipeline, especially where landowners have said no," he added.

Fallon's comments came one day after Dakota Access filed a motion in federal court seeking a restraining order against Bold Iowa and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) to keep the protesting groups and their leaders at least 25 feet away from right-of-way easements allowing pipeline construction to proceed in Iowa.

However, Adam Mason, CCI's state policy director, said protesters scored "a small victory for free speech" Tuesday when a federal judge denied Dakota Access' motion for a temporary restraining order and separately a hearing was scheduled for Friday in U.S. District Court to determine whether a preliminary injunction to halt the project should be issued.

"We have been in this pipeline fight for over two years, and have vowed to use all of the tools available to us in our fight," Mason said in a statement. "We will not be deterred or bullied by Big Oil."

Fallon said he did not like to risk arrest but added he opponents would not be intimidated by the pipeline company.

"I feel we're up against the wall at this point and it is a last resort," he said. "We're not going to back down. We're not going to let this company intimidate us. They've been trying to intimidate landowners all along and they have been successful in intimidating some into signing easements against their better judgment."

Protesters expressed disappointment with President Obama and Gov. Terry Branstad for not coming to the aid of Iowa landowners, but Branstad spokesman Ben Hammes issued a statement Tuesday saying Iowa law clearly gives the responsibility to the Iowa Utilities Board to decide where pipelines should be approved and he believes the panel was "careful and thoughtful" in granting the permit and "respects the decision made."

During his weekly news conference Monday, the governor indicated state law enforcement authorities would "do what is necessary" to protect the safety of Iowa citizens and construction workers.

At opponents' news conference Tuesday, retired farmer Tim Hooper of Boone said he obtained samples of Bakken oil from an undisclosed well location during a trip to North Dakota and had it analyzed by Iowa State University's Chemical Instrumentation Facility., which found benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and several other volatile organic compounds that are known to cause cancer and other negative health issues.

Hooper expressed concern over the potential health risks of a pipeline break and the fact that the project "goes right through the very best" farmland and soil in Iowa and cuts existing tile lines.

Donnielle Wanatee, a member of Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa, said the project poses a threat to Iowa's land and water with no benefit for the residents of the state, while Keith Puntenney, one of the landowners who brought legal action against Dakota Access, said called the pressurized pipeline "a bomb waiting to go off" near a number of Iowa water sources.
WINTERSET, Iowa -- If quilters have a Mecca it has to be Winterset. The small town of a little over 5,000 just southwest of Des Moines has a quilt shop, a Ben Franklin Store with a fabric department, and now a quilt museum.

The Iowa Quilt Museum opened its doors this year on May 21. The museum is on the south side of the town square in an historic building that began as a hardware store in 1886. In the early 1900s the building was home to a dry goods store. From 1931 to 1997 the J.C. Penney Department store occupied the site. In 1997 the structure was occupied by an appliance store and later a gift shop and then a photo studio.

Marianne Fons, board member of the museum and co-host of the popular public television show Fons and Porters Love of Quilting, said although theyve managed to keep the historic look of the building, they have made some improvements. Its a beautiful building that had been gutted and rehabbed years ago for retail space, said Fons.

One unique feature that was added to the building is moveable walls. Fons said the walls can be rearranged to accommodate the quilts on display. The walls were made by a local cabinet maker and we can change the way our exhibit space is laid out. We can change things to fit whatever exhibit we may have. Its very flexible. Fons said they plan on changing the displays of quilts three times a year.

Another unique feature that was added to the building is a modern heating and cooling system. It keeps the ground floor at 50 percent humidity and a constant temperature, Fons said. She said the system is designed so there is never any rushing air.

For quilters the names of Fons and Porter are linked with everything quilting. Over the years theyve written books and provided instruction on the art of quilting with seminars and their weekly quilting program on TV nationwide. The show has been on the air since 2003 and was originally hosted by Marianne Fons and Liz Porter. Mariannes daughter Mary began co-hosting with her mother after Porter went into semi-retirement.

Fons and Porter first got together while in their twenties. We took a beginning quilting class, remembered Fons. Thats how we got started. We were young mothers looking for a way to make money for diapers and milk. One thing leads to another and youre on public TV for 20 years. Both Fons and Porter are now semi-retired. My daughter Mary is now hosting many of the episodes.

Fons said the art of quilting goes back many years. Quilted clothing and bedcovers go back many centuries in many countries in the world, but patchwork, applique, and quilting came together in a unique way in pre-Revolutionary and early America, pursued, at first, by wealthy women who could afford cotton cloth imported from India, via Europe.

Megan Barrett, director of the museum, said the current exhibit is called Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts. We have 30 quilts representing three centuries from 1849 to 2016, said Barrett. Twenty-four quilts are hanging on our walls and six are displayed on an antique walnut four poster bed on loan from the Madison County Historical Museum. All of the quilts are red and white, a very popular genre in the quilt world.

The oldest quilt on display is a Feathered Star made in 1849. The quilt is hand-pieced and hand-quilted by Mary Susan Van Metere from Berkley County, Virginia.

Fons said that although quilting goes back centuries, a resurgence began around the American Bicentennial of 1976. Quilts were viewed as art for the first time on the walls of the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1971, said Fons. Quilting today is an annual $3.76 billion industry.
SHARON TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but this is ridiculous.

Lois Csontos-Nielsen and Freda Jones have been friends for 70 years. They have been in each other's presence exactly four times -- an average of once every 17  years.

This odd friendship is the equivalent of an arranged marriage.

In 1946, when Lois was 12, she saw a story in the Weekly Reader that said young people in England were looking for pen pals in the United States.

British officials appreciated the sacrifices Americans had made for their country during the just-ended World War II, and young folks were being encouraged to form bonds with young Americans to strengthen the alliance.

Once the matchmakers hooked them up, Freda wrote a note to Lois.

Lois still has it. Seventy years later.

She fished it out the other day for some visitors to her home in Sharon Township, where she has lived for half a century.

Dated July 1, 1946, the introductory greeting covers several pages of tiny stationary. Lois agreed to read it aloud.

"I'm afraid I do not exactly answer to your wish because I am 15, not 12. But I have wanted a pen pal in the USA for such a long time.

"Yes, I have got a pet. He's a dog. He is all white except for one black patch over his left eye. He also likes meat and cake."

Lois laughs, as do her visitors.

"Have you got any brothers or sisters? I have only one sister who is 17. She is going to take up nursing as a career....

"Have you got a picture of yourself I could have? Would you like one of me?

"I noticed that your father is a clergyman. My father owns large lorries. I believe you call them 'trucks.'

"I used to know a lot of American soldiers when they were over here.

"I will close for now. From your pen pal and friend,

"Freda Woolley"

Fast-forward to 2016. Freda's most recent letter arrived not by boat, not by plane, but with the push of a button. The tone is as different as the delivery method.

"Thank you for my birthday greetings. I had a lovely day. Pat took me to a stately home near Shrewsbury. We had a couple of hours looking round at all the old furniture and then we had a delicious afternoon tea.

"Since then I have been doing very poorly. I was rushed off to hospital in an ambulance. I had an infection in my kidney again like I had three years ago and again ended up with sepsis.

"For three days I was right out of it. I was in hospital for a week and I have been home a week. They put in a stent. ...

"I am feeling a little better but very weak. ...

"Lots of love to you and all the family.

"Freda"

The arc of time changes the tone of everyone's letters. But nothing has changed this friendship.

Write on

Writing at least three or four times a year, they kept at it through three collective marriages and the deaths of all three husbands -- two for Lois.

They kept at it through the birth of five kids, three for Lois. Now they not only have grandkids, but also great-grandkids, three for Freda and a fourth on the way for Lois.

The women wrote their way through the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, through the first human on the moon, through Korea and Vietnam and all those other miserable wars, through JFK and all those other awful assassinations, through the conquering of polio and the terrorism of 9/11.

Through 14 prime ministers and 12 presidents. Through a population growth from 49 million to 65 million in Great Britain and 141 million to 323 million in the States.

And through seemingly half a million moves by Lois.

Because of her father's different ministry assignments, "I grew up everywhere," she says with a laugh.

Born in a little mining town in western Maryland, her homes were as far afield as Africa. When the pen pals first connected, Lois was in Duquesne, Pa. Her first move to Ohio came when her father took over a pulpit in East Palestine.

From there Lois moved to Cleveland to attend the Carnegie Institute, studying to be a medical technician. She spent most of her career working for doctors in Lodi who had a private practice and an in-house lab.

The two women didn't meet in person until 1977 -- 31 years after the first letter.

Lois went first

After visiting Sweden, Lois and her husband took a boat to Britain, arriving at an eastern port. Freda, who lived in west-central England in a small town called Bridgnorth, warned Lois that she was in for a "very long" car ride. The distance: about 200 miles.

"I said, 'In my country, that would not have gone across the top of my state."

A visitor asks what surprised Lois the most about her friend the first time they met.

Not much.

"We were just friends already," she says. "It was very comfortable.

"Her husband was a farmer. They were very nice."

A few years later, Freda and her husband came to the States, requesting a visit to Niagara Falls and a friend's house in Toronto. Then they were treated to Northeast Ohio attractions, including something most folks don't have access to.

"At the time, I had an Amish friend in the Middlefield area," Lois says. "She arranged for us to go to the Amish school, which was so neat for Freda. The kids had pieces they recited, and they sang for us.

"Freda said later she thought the best part of the whole trip was going to that school."

The highlight of Lois' second trip to England came in Lake District National Park: "We drove up and actually saw where Peter Rabbit lived" -- aka the 17th-century farmhouse once occupied by author Beatrix Potter.

"My daughters and I were so excited. Freda's husband said, 'I can't believe how excited you are over a rabbit!' I said, 'You just don't understand.'?"

New love

Lois' first husband died after 45 years of marriage. She met her second husband at a traditional pickup spot: a cemetery.

"Not usually where you think of," she says with a laugh.

He was involved with the formation of the Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman, Ohio, and she was volunteering (still does, twice a week, mending flags and answering phones). They met the day the cemetery opened and were together for five years before he died in 2005.

Meanwhile, Lois and Freda live on. The relationship has survived because "we were compatible. We just had things in common to write about. We both enjoyed handcrafts."

The walls of Lois' house are covered with quilted hangings she has made and taken to shows.

"If it had been someone else, it might not have lasted as long."

Almost anyone else, probably.
SHELDON, Iowa | Katherine Steen thinks of something her husband, John Steen, says at home when tackling a new activity.

"He likes to say, 'Go big or go home,'" Katherine says.

She makes the statement while enjoying an afternoon break from class and being a mom. Steen is enrolled in the nursing program at Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, heading back to school some 17 years after graduating from Sioux Central High School.

"I'm 35," she says. "I have a son, who is a high school senior, and three daughters, ages 11, 9 and 8."

And, now she's the one who might have the most homework in the house. The stack of texts she purchased for the fall semester measure a couple of feet tall, at least.

Earning adequate marks in courses like anatomy and physiology and medical terminology can be daunting for a student juggling motherhood, marriage and more. The workload seems to agree with Steen, who earned 91 percent on her final exam to certify as a CNA. She earned 99 percent in her medical terminology class, a 97-percent mark on anatomy and physiology.

Going back to school does have advantages. Steen says she's a much more focused student than she was two decades ago.

"I look back now and wish I would have paid closer attention when I was in school," she says. "John's mom talks about the stages of life and how when you get to a certain age, you realize you better get it figured out."

Katherine laughs at the statement, which hangs in the air of a nursing classroom. "I'm starting over at 35. Actually, that's true," she says.

Steen didn't see herself working in this field a few years ago. She went back to school the first time about eight years ago, earning a degree in criminal justice in 2009 from the University of Phoenix.

"I never did get into law enforcement, she says. "I don't think that's what God wanted me to do."

Instead, she worked as a supervisor, a subcontractor of sorts who aided workers at a rural processing plant in Buena Vista County. Along the way, she picked up a second language: Spanish.

Being bilingual, she says, may serve her well in a hospital or medical clinic setting in the future. There is demand for Spanish speakers across all categories of work in the medical community.

Steen, in fact, may see herself working as a traveling nurse at some point. She likes the adrenaline push she gets from both the emergency room and in being in a new area of the country. She and John, she says, may one day purchase an RV and hit the road in different parts of the country as Katherine toils in her new career.

First things first, though: Steen must complete this year of classes in order to become a nurse practitioner. Then, she'll set her sights on becoming an RN.

"I was self-employed for 16 years and wasn't really fulfilling my career purpose," she says. "John suggested that I look to NCC as it's a great nursing school. As a nurse, I'll be able to fulfill those personal needs. I want to be a 'salt and light' nurse."

Jesus, she says, was the "salt and light" for many, metaphors for His level of care.

"Many people are stripped of their dignity as they age (or their health fails)," Steen says. "I want to make a difference for those people. I want to treat them and restore their dignity."
Theres an overabundance of public relations agencies and despite their high costs  or maybe because of them  theyre not trusted. If you do hire one, youll get no guarantees.

There are 29 million businesses in the U.S., but fewer than one percent are represented by PR agencies.

When you come from the agency world, you know where inefficiencies, mistrust, and disconnects with the non-PR world come from, said Matthew Bird in an interview with Small Business Trends. Bird is a digital media industry veteran who intends to shake up the industry he worked most of his life in.

In contrast to PR, large retailers are an example of a trusted sector. People gravitate to stores with buyer-friendly return policies and prices, such as 1-800-FLOWERS.

Consumers have certain expectations when they buy from chains and franchises, thanks to standardization in quality control and sourced products, among other things.

With this in mind, Bird wants America to get familiar with a concept he calls fractional PR and a new franchise model. His new company 1-800-PublicRelations Inc. allows small and medium sized businesses to get the highest level of PR service (Tier 1, in industry parlance), but on an a la carte basis. Businesses getting a la carte services from the franchise would get what they request, nothing more, nothing less, and everybodys happy, he added.

Whats Different Compared to PR Agencies?

In old PR models, clients could burn through retainers quickly and without much to show for it. In the franchise model, if services arent needed, loss of investment is a non-issue. Clients only pay for the services they use.

The majority of businesses want this type of transaction-based, low-risk model, Bird added. In 2014, their first year of business, more than 290 companies used 1-800-PublicRelations, Inc.

The company is using cloud-based tech to parse and sort PR teams and coordinate efficiency and revenue sharing. One benefit of the franchise is that if a franchisee feels under-equipped to execute on a specific deliverable, he or she can reach out and revenue share with other franchisees, working together as one company to honor a client request which might have been beyond the scope of just one.

When you see an industry about to change, its because a precipice has been reached, Bird said A lot of companies are frustrated with PR and IR agencies because theyre not getting the value they were expecting.

Whats PR Good For, Anyway?

PR agencies operate on a few basic foundations. On one side, theres research, consulting, strategic messaging and branding. Many agencies are strong on these, but then theres an execution side, which many agencies arent great at.

Smaller agencies, often called PR boutiques, are typically started by ex-employees of larger firms striking out on their own, but with the support systems, infrastructure and other aspects common in a large agency go away, making boutique or solo PR execution a nightmare in many cases.

Buying new technologies and learning special cloud functions are examples of challenges Birds franchisees (regardless of tier) wont need to spend time or energy on, because the corporate side would provide continuity and stability on the backend. This allows the franchisees to focus on account management and fulfilling customer requests, such as media bookings and content development.

Is This the Future of Small Business Public Relations?

Maybe.

There are big players in the PR world today, but lately, even theyve been questioning what their future is going to look like. Trends are changing and theres a growing need to serve small businesses, and to gain their trust for the long haul.

Boutique PR companies by themselves havent been the solution. Many boutiques and big agency initiatives offer isolated strengths and tout them as unique selling propositions. But isolated strengths are not cohesive solutions, even if tech-based. One ironic pain point is that theres a wealth of technology to execute social media and content marketing plans, yet for PRs workflow, theres no cohesive glue or protocol to leverage it all.

When you have a lot of technology, you need a fleet of people to manage it too, Bird said. Our idea is to streamline whats important and whats not important, and to consolidate traditional and digital pieces of PR in one turnkey solution. Everyone wins.
The continuing trend of full-featured and cheap Chinese smartphones is disrupting the segment, as the sales of premium flagship brands keeps declining. While the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is not as cheap as the ZTE Zmax, which came in at $99, its $239.99 and $179.99 price tags are still considerably lower than the high-end versions. This is welcomed news for small businesses looking to integrate mobility as part of their overall collaborative and remote workforce initiatives.

Redmi Note 4 Smartphone Details

The Redmi Note 4 has two versions, and they both pack some impressive specs and what appears to be a quality build. The metal unibody design and curved glass edge which the company calls 2.5D glass gives the phone an expensive look that makes it very hard to distinguish from any other flagship device. This despite the fact that these devices are still cheaper even than the mid-range smartphones called flagship killers.

The specs on both models are the same, except the $239 version has 3GB RAM and 64GB of storage, while the $179 version has 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage. The storage can be increased up to 128GB via microSD card for both.

The 5.5-inch full-HD (10801920 pixels) curved glass display has 401ppi pixel density powered with a deca-core MediaTek Helio X20 coupled with Mali-T880 MP4 GPU. A large 4100mAh battery is another impressive feature that again exceeds what might be expected given the price point of this phone.

Images and videos can be captured with the 13-megapixel PDAF (phase detection autofocus) and f/2.0 aperture rear camera with a dual-tone LED flash, and a 5-megapixel front camera. According to Xiaomi, the phone can take 85-degree wide angle shots and record 1080p videos at 30fps.

As with other Xiaomi phones, the device runs the MIUI platform based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. For this model, the MIUI 8 will provide a phone separation function to deliver two independent space systems with two different gestures to unlock them. This essentially creates two phones in one, so companies can separate the personal and business functions to protect corporate data.

The sensors include a fingerprint scanner, infrared, ambient light and hall sensors along with the general gyro, acceleration and proximity functions. The connectivity for the phone includes GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth, GPS, Micro-USB and Glonass.

Chinese smartphone makers now take up three of the top five global brands. According to Gartner, following Samsung and Apple, which are in first and second place respectively, Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi complete the top five. The report also revealed Apple experienced its first double digit decline in 2016, and Samsung also showed some weakening, although it wasnt as bad. On the other hand, the Chinese brands are continuing to grow, making up 17 percent of the market compared to 11 percent the previous year.

The one drawback of the affordable Chinese phones is they are not always readily available in the US. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 can be purchased in China and the companys website, with no announcement if it will be sold by US carriers or retailers.
Indigenous, USA  August 31, 2016  Brian Ward

Some 1,000 Native American activists from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and across the country faced off against police and security forces protecting the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline project. Dozens of people have been arrested and assaulted by police while attempting to stop the project, and many more continue to risk arrest to protest the pipeline.

The Dakota Access pipeline, which is being built by Energy Transfer Partners, is planned to stretch 1,172 miles from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa, before ending in Illinois.

The $3.8-billion project was begun in 2014 and is supposed to be completed by the end of the year. Once finished, the pipeline will carry a daily load of 570,000 barrels of oil extracted through hydraulic fracturing. It will cross 209 rivers, creeks and tributaries. Unless, that is, activists have anything to say about it.

Legal and Activist Challenge

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST), members of the Hunkpapa Lakota Nation, has been leading the resistance. The current stage of pipeline construction has reached a segment that runs only a half-mile away from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, located in North and South Dakota.

In response, the Nation has put together a legal and activist challenge to the pipeline. The SRST filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which quietly approved the pipeline without proper consultation with the tribe. The SRST says the route of the pipeline, through the Missouri River and Lake Oahe, will disturb tribal burial grounds and affect the Nations drinking water. In a statement, Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II said:

The Corps puts our water and the lives and livelihoods of many in jeopardy. We have laws that require federal agencies to consider environmental risks and protection of Indian historic and sacred sites. But the Army Corps has ignored all those laws and fast-tracked this massive project just to meet the pipelines aggressive construction schedule.

In April, protesters set up a camp, named the Sacred Stone Spiritual Camp, at the Cannonball river, which meets the Missouri River and is the border of the reservation. Jon Eagle Sr., SRSTs tribal historic preservation officer, explained the historic and cultural significance of the site:

The land between the Cannonball River and the Heart River is sacred. Its a historic place of commerce where enemy tribes camped peacefully within sight of each other because of the reverence they had for this place. In the area are sacred stones where our ancestors went to pray for good direction, strength and protection for the coming year. Those stones are still there, and our people still go there today.

Before the protests, 31 Lakota youth from various reservations in North and South Dakota participated in a relay run more than 1,600 miles to Washington, D.C., to hand over a petition condemning the pipeline signed by over 160,000 people.

The camp has swelled to approximately 1,000 activists, both Native and non-Native, anxious to continue the fight for indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice.

The protests have been nonviolent, but that hasnt stopped Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier from making absurd claims that the protesters were about to physically destroy the pipeline. They were preparing to throw pipe bombs at our line, M80s, fireworks, things of that nature to disrupt us, Kirchmeier claimed.

Work on the pipeline was halted on August 19 over what officials claimed were safety concerns caused by protesters. A judge is currently considering whether to grant an order halting construction while various arguments can be heard in court.

Treaty Rights

Dave Archambault II invoked treaty rights in his call to halt the pipeline, stating, We dont want this black snake within our Treaty boundaries.

In 1851 and 1868, the Lakota (Sioux) signed the Fort Laramie Treaty with the U.S. government, creating the Great Sioux reservation, which included all of South Dakota west of the Missouri river. The treaty also protected hunting rights in the surrounding area, including where the pipeline is set to go through.

While numerous violations of the treaties have displaced the Lakota, there is also a history of resistance  which we are seeing again today with the struggle against the Dakota Access pipeline and the breaking of treaty rights and denial of sovereignty to the Native community.

The struggle is also a continuation of the successful fight waged by Native activists and environmentalists against the Keystone XL pipeline. Much like that fight, Native Americans are leading the way  but it has created the opportunity to build a multiracial movement against climate change.

One resounding message from Native American activists has been the power of solidarity. During the fight against the Keystone XL pipeline, for example, Natives and non-Natives formed the Cowboy-Indian Alliance. Similar coalitions are being forged in the current struggle.

Crow Creek Sioux Tribal Chairman Brandon Sazue explained in a Facebook statement why he and his tribe were offering support:

We will stand with you, my relatives. Whether we are Native, white, African American, etc. Our water is our most precious resource along with our children. We must all stand together in this most urgent of times. This is not about race, but about the human race! What we do today will make a difference tomorrow! If there was ever a time to stand united, that time is now!

This sentiment is widespread in Indian Country. Oglala Sioux Tribal President John Yellow Bird Steele sent supplies and buses of people from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to Cannonball to support the protesters. Currently, over 60 American Indian Nations are represented at the camp.

Farmers in Iowa are also putting up a fight against the pipeline and asking the courts for an injunction against eminent domain proceedings.

The SRST has been calling on the Obama administration to halt the pipeline. Obama is only the fourth sitting president to make an official visit to an Indian reservation, and he chose to come to the Standing Rock Reservation. But Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton have been silent on the issue of the Dakota Access pipeline. The Democratic Party continues to promote an all of the above energy strategy that includes fracking and the new oil fields in North Dakota. The only presidential candidate who is opposing the Dakota Access pipeline  and all new pipelines  is Green Party nominee Jill Stein.

Energy Transfers Dakota Access LLC recently filed a law suit against protesters at the site, including SRST Chairman Dave Archambault. The company claims protesters have created and will continue to create a risk of bodily injury and harm to Dakota Access employees and contractors, as well as to law enforcement personnel and other individuals at the construction site.

A North Dakota federal court recently granted a temporary restraining order against protestors who are interfering with pipeline construction. But activists say the real threat comes from the pipeline and the environmental damage it will cause, not from the efforts to halt it.

As Hunkpapa Lakota medicine man Sitting Bull once stated:

We have now to deal with another race  small and feeble when our fathers first met them, but now great and overbearing. Strangely enough they have a mind to till the soil and the love of possession is a disease with them. These people have made many rules that the rich may break but the poor may not. They take their tithes from the poor and weak to support the rich and those who rule.

Today, those pushing for the Dakota Access pipeline are steamrolling through Indian treaty land without concern for the earth or the people whose land they are invading.

It took a strong movement to halt the Keystone XL pipeline. We will need to continue that struggle to halt other pipelines and the system Sitting Bull described and fight for a society that puts people and the planet first over profits. 
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. (Aug. 30, 2016)Donna Miller, Calvert County Public Schools Teacher of the Year, has been named one of seven finalists for the 2016-2017 Maryland Teacher of the Year.



Miller teaches science at Windy Hill Middle School. She received a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 1996 and Administrative I Certification in 2009 from McDaniel College, as well as her Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Houghton College in 1982. She won the SMECO Outstanding Science Teacher award and is a Maryland Master Teacher who engages students in science and engineering practices to build conceptual understanding. She infuses real-world science applications from her work as a NASA Goddard STEM coordinator and Northrop Grumman Teacher Fellow. Her passion for teaching transcends her classroom as she leads teachers in applying innovative and technology-based lessons that build student success in 21st century skills.



The finalists were selected by a panel of judges from key Maryland education organizations representing principals, teachers, school boards, teacher unions, parents and higher education. Finalists were measured against rigorous national criteria that include teaching philosophy and results, community involvement, knowledge of general education issues, and suggestions for professional and instructional improvement.



The 2016-2017 Maryland Teacher of the Year will be announced during a gala reception and dinner at Martin's West in Baltimore on October 7. The winner will receive cash awards, technology equipment, national travel opportunities, and a new car valued at more than $25,000, donated by the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association.
ANNAPOLIS (Aug. 31, 2016)Governor Larry Hogan today signed an Executive Order that will require Maryland's public schools to start classes after Labor Day, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. Citing the benefits of a post-Labor Day school start for families, students, teachers, and the economy, the governor made the announcement on the Ocean City Boardwalk, where he was joined by Comptroller Peter Franchot, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, Senator James Mathias, Delegate Mary Beth Carozza, education advocates, and other longtime supporters of a post-Labor Day school start.



"Starting Maryland public schools after Labor Day is not just a family issueit's an economic and public safety issue that draws clear, strong, bipartisan support among an overwhelming majority of Marylanders," said Governor Hogan. "Comptroller Franchot and I believe, and the people of Maryland strongly agree, that this Executive Order puts the best interests of Marylanders first, especially the well-being of our students. This action is long overdue, and it is simply the right thing to do."



The Executive Order signed today will require that Maryland's public schools begin after Labor Day, complete the 180 days that are required under state law, and adjourn by June 15, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. The executive order does permit for a waiver to be applied for with the Maryland State Department of Education to be exempt from the post-Labor Day start date. For the 2017-2018 school year and beyond, local school systems will have to apply annually for a waiver based on compelling justification. Furthermore, the State Department of Education will establish procedures and standards for school districts and individual schools seeking special waivers to accommodate non-traditional schedules.



"I applaud Governor Hogan for signing today's executive order," said Comptroller Franchot. "This sensible, long-overdue adjustment of Maryland's public school calendar will be a lifeline for those small, locally-owned businesses that are the backbone of our state's economy and have struggled in the midst of the slowest economic recovery in our nation's history. It will generate new state revenues that can be reinvested in our classrooms and for other vital priorities. It will spare tens of thousands of teachers, students and school employees from having to return to sweltering, unhealthy classrooms in the hottest days of August.



"And finally, it will give families throughout our state time to enjoy those final days of summer the way they were meant to be enjoyed, whether it is taking that final vacation to the beach or the lake, visiting the Inner Harbor or catching an Orioles game, enjoying an evening at the Maryland State Fair, or just relaxing a bit at home. As a father myself, I know that kids grow up far too fast and the time that families have together, in this day and age, goes by in an instant. The action taken today by Governor Hogan will give our families the priceless gift of time, and for that I am personally grateful."



In recent years, the effort to start schools after Labor Day has garnered overwhelming support across the state. Two independent polls by Goucher College, conducted in 2014 and 2015, showed that more than 70 percent of Marylanders support this initiative. Additionally, a petition in favor of a post-Labor Day school start has collected nearly 25,000 signatures.



The significant economic benefits of a post-Labor Day school start have been well documented. A 2013 economic impact study by Maryland's Bureau of Revenue Estimates found that a post-Labor Day school start could generate an additional $74.3 million in direct economic activity, including $3.7 million in new wages and $7.7 million in state and local tax revenue.



In 2013, a nonpartisan task force, which included teachers, administrators, school board members, PTA members, and other public stakeholders, was convened by the General Assembly and chaired by the Maryland State Department of Education to examine the effects of a post-Labor Day school start on Maryland's education system, as well as its economy and tourism industry. In a report that was issued on June 30, 2014, the task force stated "there was no compelling evidence that showed there was any impact on education starting post-Labor Day." The task force voted 12-3 to recommend that schools begin after Labor Day.



Longtime supporters of this effort were pleased with today's announcement.



"Starting school after Labor Day gives families more time to enjoy the last few weeks of summer and provides small businesses a significant economic boost when they need it most," said Mayor Meehan. "It also creates jobs and generates revenue for our state's economy. After a lot of hard work and tremendous effort, I am thrilled to see an executive order to start school after Labor Day, not because it is good for Ocean City, but because it's good for the entire state. Maryland can finally 'Let Summer Be Summer.'"



"I'm grateful to Governor Hogan for his action today," said Senator Mathias. "I've worked on this effort for a long, long time, and I can't wait to see the faces on the kids and families enjoying themselves the way they should on the boardwalk the weekend before Labor Day. This is a win for the families and for the economy."



"Starting school after Labor Day is good for Maryland families and Maryland's economy by giving that last stretch of summer for families and friends to spend together, either at home or on vacation," said Delegate Carozza. "I've heard from many families, teachers, and our small business owners who have long supported a later start school date, and after talking to school administrators and personnel, I am confident that the calendars will be well managed by our local boards."
Craig Jungwirth, the now infamous organizer of Beach Bear Weekend appeared to have a meltdown this past week repeatedly calling one man a nigger and threatening to launch a Pulse-like massacre over Labor Day Weekend.

My events are selling out cause you faggots are total patsies. None of you deserve to live, a man wrote on Facebook with the profile name Craig Jungwirth. If you losers thought the Pulse nightclub shooting was bad, wait till you see what Im planning for Labor Day.

Multiple people shared a screenshot of that message to SFGN. And even though Craig Jungwirths name is attached to this message SFGN could not independently verify whether it came from Jungwirth since he is known to create multiple fake profiles to promote his Beach Bear Weekend.

Meanwhile another Craig Jungwirth profile launched a racist attack against Gary Thomas of Philadelphia.

And no cares about you, Gary. You really do need some new material, nigger, he wrote. Im not wasting any more white man time with a nigger.

Thomas told SFGN he has never met Jungwirth. But this past weekend he accepted a friend request from Jungwirth on Facebook before remembering who he was. Jungwirth started spamming his page with messages promoting Beach Bear Weekend.

Its a scam run by him, Thomas said. Hes been creating multiple fake profiles to promote this.

Thomas said Jungwirths verbal assaults do not phase him.

Ive gone through a lot worse in high school. Ive been called the n-word growing up, he said. I feel sad that people go to such a low point and insult them based on their race. It bothers me. Obviously the guy has mental problems and needs help.

Heres a sample of one such message hes using to promote his event.

Free pass for you to BeachBearWeekend.com and FortLauderdaleBearWeek.com! But Jeff B. Black is trespassed because he defaulted on his mortgage and he's vectoring HIV.

SFGN first reported on Craig Jungwirth in January when it revealed Jungwirths past legal troubles. From the initial SFGN report:

the new director had a permanent injunction and restraining order entered against him by a former employer, for conduct alleged to have been threatening, erratic and violent, according to court filings. Additionally, Jungwirth, who was once arrested for stalking, is presently facing misdemeanor charges in Broward County Court for defrauding an innkeeper.. The stalking charge has since been dropped. HoweverSFGN learned that separate from that incident, circuit courts from three different states \ have entered restraining orders against Jungwirth for threatening behavior. They include representations that Jungwirth would bankrupt his ex-employers, and they would soon be facing heart attacks. Additionally, at least four former colleagues from his job in Massachusetts have filed individual petitions for restraining orders against Jungwirth, expressing fear for their personal safety.

In March SFGN reported that it appeared Jungwirth was running a fraudulent Internet campaign promoting his event.

What Jungwirth is doing is perpetrating a fraud and theft on unsuspecting people thinking they are going to come to Fort Lauderdale for a great weekendbut the truth is he is tainting our community, acting alone, not part of an organization, and doing it with bullying and threats, local resident Jeff Black said last week, in an email.

Thats the same Jeff Black that Jungwirth is now disparaging in his current promotions. Black has met with local authorities and he said he was told on Tuesday that threats from Jungwirth are now being forwarded to the FBI.

SFGN also previously reported on Jungwirth using fake profile to harass people in the community. Despite the continued harassment and multiple allegations of fraud the Beach Bear Weekend website is still up and running.

Black said beware of clicking on any links going to the website.

There is no Beach Bear Weekend, or weeks or events, he said. Im warning people to not follow these links. Black believes the website will attempt to hack into your computer. Its not something to be trifled with.

Neither of Jungwirths Facebook profiles mentioned above can be found on Facebook any longer and he could not be reached for comment as of press time.

Jungwirths actions have not only been threatening personally, however. They have also included spurious lawsuits against numerous local nightclubs filed in Orlando. They are demanding compensation for purportedly sponsoring the Beach Bear Weekend. One such claim against Hunters, a local nightclub in Wilton Manors, has already been dismissed. SFGN Publisher Norm Kents law office handled the phony claim. He even bounced the check to the Orlando court, Kent stated.

Other club owners, such as Nick Berry of the Courtyard Cafe in Wilton Manors, have filed criminal complaints against Jungwirth for petty theft, doing a dine and dash from the restaurant. He ordered food and did not pay for it, was arrested, pled no contest, and failed to make restitution.

He is a loose and dangerous cannon, commented Bob Young, who sold the Beach Bear name to Jungwirth, and is now suing for rescission to get the name back. He never paid for it, Young stated.He even bounced the check to the state to put the corporation in his name.

Meanwhile, Black is pursuing a restraining order against Jungwirth in Circuit Court, but the case was not heard initially because Jungwirth was not served. It seems the twice evicted Jungwirth wound up giving a self-storage warehouse as his home address.

PREVIOUS STORIES INVOLVING JUNGWIRTH:

Angry Bears Expose Beach Bear Weekend Fraud

OpEd: Revelations and Ruminations from Chairman Norm
If you love The Pride Center at Equality Park so much that you want to live there, you may soon get the chance to.

Almost four years ago, the City of Wilton Manors approached The Pride Center about working on affordable housing for LGBT seniors. Today, that project is one step closer to reality.

Last week, The Pride Center and Carrfour Supportive Housing announced their joint undertaking: The Residences at Equality Park  a housing option not just for seniors, but with services and support specifically for LGBT seniors.

The Pride Centers CEO Robert Boo said the community has been looking for this option for a long time.

Theres been community dialogue for years talking about the need for senior affordable housing, Boo said. People throughout the county are isolated because they dont want to go into any type of assisted living or independent living because theyll have to go back into the closet.

Related: Pride Centers Senior Health Expo Continues to Grow

This housing project is the first of its kind in Florida that is specifically geared toward LGBT seniors. Nationally, there is a growing trend of affordable housing being built in conjunction with LGBT community centers. Other cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia are also taking on similar projects.

According to the LGBT+ National Aging Research Center, 2.7 million adults aged 50 and older identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in the U.S. That number is expected to nearly double by 2060. Among the biggest issues among LGBT seniors is limited access to health and support services.

Stephanie Berman, president and CEO of Carrfour Supportive Housing, said The Residences at Equality Park will offer a multitude of services specifically geared toward LGBT seniors.

For the disabling conditions, there will be on-site supportive services like case management, healthcare navigation services and other safety net services, she said. If theres an issue for insurance or access to healthcare, there will be someone to help navigate those services.

Related: Pride Center Founder Dies: Cancer claims Alan Schubert

With some illnesses being ignored due to stigma or fear of discrimination, many LGBT seniors dont address health concerns that could be debilitating.

We see it in other senior populations. Its very easy for one little thing to happen that could have been so easy to fix, Berman said. Sometimes those things that start out as relatively small start spiraling to other problems.

Carrfour Supportive Housing is Floridas largest nonprofit affordable housing developer that has been serving Miami-Dade for 23 years. This is their first venture into Broward as well as their first LGBT senior-specific project.

The project will have two phases: the first will include 48 apartments with a mix of studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units. Of those, 34 apartments will be designed for low-income seniors living with disabling conditions, like physical illnesses or disabilities due to complications from HIV/AIDS. The other 14 units will be low-income housing for seniors earning less than 60 percent of the areas median income, around $35,000 a year. According to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, rents range from $381 for a studio to $979 for a 2-bedroom, depending on the tenants income.

Construction is set to break ground in late 2017. The second phase, which could include as many as 74 more units, doesnt have a finalized date yet.

Robert Boo said that since there was so much community support for this project, The Pride Center transformed their Master Plan to include affordable senior housing.

Related: Bruce Williams: A Lifetime of Service to Seniors

We were looking at what we needed to do in 5, 10, and 20 years. Senior affordable housing scored the highest, he said. The Residences at Equality Park, coupled with The Pride Centers ever-growing seniors programming  the largest LGBT seniors program in the nation  will help give these residents a permanent and safe place to live along with the supportive services they need to stay there.

According to Boo, Carrfour and The Pride Center will share net proceeds for the next 65 years. We wanted to make sure there was annual income that the center would benefit from for a very long time.

On the Equality Park campus, The Residences will be built along Dixie Highway. Eventually, the current parking lot will be replaced with housing and within that, structured parking, Boo said. Plus, the setup will put future residents closer to the surrounding amenities, like grocery shopping, doctors offices, and other convenient services. The more benefits that seniors have access to, the better.

Stereotypically, that generation is not as accepting of the LGBT community, so people are staying in their apartments longer than they should, Boo said. So if we can provide that safe environment where seniors and allies can cohabitate and they can safely get to amenities and other sister organizations that provide supportive programs, its a great opportunity!

Carrfour will serve as the projects developer, operator, and service coordinator. For The Pride Centers part, theyll be able to provide residents with supportive services, like healthcare navigation and coordination, senior support groups, counseling and recreational activities.

Related: The Pride Center Offers Nationally Renowned Senior Services Programs

The Centers Senior Services Coordinator Bruce Williams said that during the weekly Coffee and Conversation gatherings, many LGBT seniors are already looking to move in.

Everyones asking, can I get on the list? The list isnt even out yet! Theyre ready to move in! he laughed. Its so wonderful, LGBT seniors and seniors in general will have a central area thats within walking distance of a drug store and a grocery store. Thats a big thing that everyone across the nation is finally catching on to.

Williams said its not just about affordable housing options, but it gives seniors so much more in terms of overall well-being.

Theyll have socialization and interactions with different generations and all walks of life, he said. Itll help LGBT seniors to remain engaged and contribute to our wonderful society.

Aside from The Residences at Equality Park, other developments in phase 1 include a new multi-use center, a new outdoor pavilion and a new boathouse cafe and picnic area, along with new parking structures.
My name is Harvey Milk, and I am here to recruit you.

-Harveys most famous words

It was November of 1978 when the first openly gay office holder in California, Harvey Milk, was slain by a disgruntled colleague on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

In 2009, a chronicle of his life and death came to the big screen, a mainstream studio film starring a renowned actor, Sean Penn. Rapidly winning critical acclaim, the historically accurate film was riveting and compelling. It still is, and every person defining themselves as members of our community should see it.

The film was playing on HBO last week while I was in San Francisco to attend a ceremony naming a United States Navy Ship after the late Mr. Milk.

Related: U.S. Navy Names Ship After Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk opened the doors yesterday that invite gay men throughout our community today to run and serve openly on city commissions, in the judiciary, or even in law enforcement.

America has appropriately honored Harvey Milk. SFGN featured a city street named after him in, of all places, Salt Lake City, last month. New York City has a high school named after him, and San Francisco, a park. But Milks legacy is global.

In the past four weeks, the Lithuanian LGBT community center has been named after Harvey Milk. And if you want to send them a letter congratulating them, you can mail it with an American postage stamp bearing Harveys image.

The significance of a U.S. Navy ship bearing the name of Harvey Milk cant be overstated. It sends a message into every community in America that being gay is not an obstacle to achievement, but potentially a path to honor. It means that your dedication and determination to serve your country in the military might be met with decorations rather than discharge.

Related: The Legacy of Harvey Milk

The USNS Harvey Milk will sail across the world as an ambassador for America. Hopefully, that ship will land in ports from Qatar to the Ukraine, where gays are still sodomites and criminals, treated with discrimination and injustice. Maybe, in some small way, it will speak out that our country represents liberty, diversity, and equality.

The USNS Harvey Milk was named in a ceremony on Treasure Island, sitting on the sunlit bay of San Francisco. It will be built in San Diego. It will sail the world with an American flag on its mast, but it will be one of many colors. It will be the rainbow of liberty heralding the rise and respect, the decency and dignity of the LGBT community.

There was also a major news revelation in the ceremony announcing the naming of a ship after Harvey Milk. It has not gotten enough attention from the national press. It has been foolishly underplayed even by the LGBT media.

Simply, the secretary of the Navy, Ray Maybus, issued an unexpected announcement, declaring that any American soldier, anywhere, anytime who has been discharged dishonorably from the military for being gay should apply for reconsideration of that severance. I wish my old friend, Frank Kameny, was around to have heard that pronouncement.

Many Americans who had served honorably in the military were forced out because of their homosexuality. They were disgraced, demeaned, and discharged. The recognition that this was wrong and that the evil will be repaired is worth writing about.

Related: The Heart of Mormon Country Honors Harvey Milk

The bullets of a deranged man may have taken away Harvey Milks life, but the foundation bearing his name carries on his legacy locally and globally. Nearly forty years may have passed, but we still have legislatures that seek to discriminate against us, from boardrooms to bathrooms. We still need judges to protect us from unconstitutional laws and lawmakers to ensure equality is real, not artificial.

The fight for civil rights equality did not end with an emancipation proclamation or a judicial declaration that you can marry. It is a struggle you incorporate into your soul and carry with you every day, standing up to injustice whenever it confronts you.

Time and again, we have met challenges. We have learned to fight back, be proud, and stand up. Harvey Milk paid the ultimate price. We all owe him a debt we can only pay forward by fighting that same fight in our own lives, every day and in every way.
UPDATE: Netflix has confirmed "Sense8: A Christmas Special" will premiere Friday, Dec. 23. The episode is set to be a two-hour special. Season 2 will premiere on May 5, 2017 with a total of ten episodes.

A Netflix original that stars a trans pansexual woman, a closeted gay man and more is finally returning for its second season.

Sense8 is an American science fiction drama about eight strangers from around the world brought together through a mental and emotional connection that allows them to communicate and share their knowledge and skills telepathically. It is scheduled to premiere in December 2016, according to GamenGuide.

Among the eight individuals, known as sensates, is Nomi Marks. Played by Jamie Clayton, Nomi is a social justice hacktivist and trans woman living in San Francisco with her girlfriend, Amanita.

Fans seem to love Nomi and her girlfriend.

Sense8 is actually the greatest show on Netflix and Nomi and Amanita are fucking goals, wrote user @jskladd on Twitter.

Lana Wachowski, co-creator and writer, used her own experiences as a trans woman to create Nomi.

It has some very intense, autobiographical scenes, and that was very difficult and surreal, she told Chicago Magazine.

One of Claytons biggest reasons for playing Nomi was to work with Wachowski as a trans character. Theres more opportunity thats being presented, especially really recently, for trans characters on television, but I thought, Shit, when am I going to get to play one thats actually written by someone whos trans, she told Collider in an interview.

Related: Matt Bomer to Play Trans Sex Worker in New Film, Twitter Reacts

Wachowski did not return to write for season two after undergoing her gender transition and wanting to take time off, co-creator, writer and executive producer J. Michael Straczynski told Awards Daily in an interview.

Returning with Nomi is Lito Rodriguez (played by Miguel Angel Silvestre Rambla), a famous actor in Mexico City who is also in the closet with his boyfriend, Hernando.

Lito and Nomi share a moment of connection during the initial season, discussing their struggles of self-discovery and coming out of the closet.

Nomi & Lito sharing their stories of growing up gay/trans is making me cry (sweat emoji), wrote user @emilycpower on Twitter.

The cast of Sense8 made a statement back in May during the Sao Paulo Pride in Brazil. Their message? Spread pride and love.

Throughout the event  which had over an estimated 2 million people in attendance  the cast was caught on camera celebrating pride and locking lips.

According to NewNowNext, actors Max Riemelt (who plays main character Wolfgang Bogdanow), Silvestre, Clayton and Brian J. Smith (Will Gorski) were seen all making out together on a float.

The biggest reason to watch the show is diversity, according to Clayton.

I cant think of any show, or anything, that touches the amount of diversity that we have, she told Collider. Its nine cities in eight countries. Theres ethnic diversity, gender diversity, sexual diversity, and everything.  Everybody just is, and were all human. And then, we show up to help one another, and we dont even have to ask. There are no questions asked. We just help.

Season two was renewed in August of last year and is set to premiere with a Christmas special later this year. The full season is scheduled to air in 2017, according to ScreenCrush and confirmed by Clayton on Twitter.
Here's what you need to know this week for lesbian, transgender and asexual news!

LESBIAN - After Lesbian Couple's Home is Egged, Mass. Suburb Shows Support with Pride Flags

(EDGE) A lesbian couple who live in Natick. Mass., about 10-miles west of Boston, was devastated after the Pulse gay nightclub massacre in June. To show solidarity for the LGBT community and those impacted by the Orlando attack, Lauri and Cari Ryding put up a Pride flag on their home.



After going away on vacation the women, who had lived in the neighborhood for 23 years, returned home to find their flag stolen and their house had been egged.



The Boston Globe reports neighbors of the couple came together to show support for the women. Children riding bikes delivered Pride flags to several houses in the area on Sunday; about 40 in total.



The flags transformed the neighborhood "into a brilliantly colored declaration of pride and solidarity, displayed on picket fences, garages, doorways, and decks," the Globe wrote.



"It just happened so quickly - the whole neighborhood said, 'Get me a flag. Get me a flag. Get me a flag,' " Penni Rochwerger, a neighbor of the Rydings, told the Globe. "If we can stop whatever hate is out there, I think that's really important."



WCVB notes about two-thirds of the neighbored have donned the Pride flags

BISEXUAL - Bisexual Man Denied Asylum after Judge Doubts Bisexuality

(SFGN) Ray Fuller will be deported to Jamaica after an immigration judge denied Fullers request for asylum stating that Fuller cannot be bisexual because he married a woman.

Fuller told the immigration court that he had been attacked and stoned by college students, had his face slashed, and had been shot in the back and thee buttocks all due to his sexuality. Fuller said he was kicked out of his home after one of the violent incidents outted him, NewNowNext reports.

Despite Fullers testimony, the judge denied Fullers request, citing that Fuller could not be bisexual because he married a woman, and because none of Fullers male lovers would testify on his behalf. The case lost on appeal due to Fullers inability to prove his bisexuality in court. Fuller is expected to be deported within days.

TRANSGENDER - NYC Rally Addresses Anti-Trans Violence

(EDGE) Elected officials and community members gathered in Woodside, Queens, NY Thursday night for a rally in support of a transgender woman who was assaulted with a hammer by a man who made anti-LGBT remarks and stole her purse. WABC 7 News reports.



"We will never ever accept or tolerate violence against the trans community in Woodside or anywhere in the city of New York," said City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer. "We are a diverse, and very, very loving community."



"One attack against the trans community is an attack against every single one of us, we can never allow an attack on the trans community to go unmet without a furious response," Van Bramer added.



Jackson Heights Post reports that Public Advocate Letitia James brought up other [incidents] of anti-trans violence including the beating death of Islan Nettles in 2013. James pointed to the sobering statistic of 18 murders of transgender persons in the United States this year alone.



"This type of hate has no place in our city, and for the trans community and the LGBT community, and for all marginalized community, we stand together against hate and there are more of us than those who hate," James said to the gathered crowd. "Hate always, always, always loses, and love always wins," she added.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




Galaxy Formation Carnegie Institution for Science

An international team of astronomers, including Carnegies Eric Persson, has charted the rise and fall of galaxies over 90 percent of cosmic history.

heir work, which includes some of the most sensitive astronomical measurements made to date, is published by The Astrophysical Journal.

The FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey (ZFOURGE) has built a multicolored photo album of galaxies as they grow from their faint beginnings into mature and majestic giants. They did so by measuring distances and brightnesses for more than 70,000 galaxies spanning more than 12 billion years of cosmic time, revealing the breadth of galactic diversity.

The team assembled the colorful photo album by using a new set of filters that are sensitive to infrared light and taking images with them with the FourStar camera at Carnegies 6.5-meter Baade Telescope at our Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. They took the images over a period of 45 nights. The team made a 3-D map by collecting light from over 70,000 galaxies, peering all the way into the distant universe, and by using this light to measure how far these galaxies are from our own Milky Way.

The deep 3-D map also revealed young galaxies that existed as early as 12.5 billion years ago (at less than 10 percent of the current universe age), only a handful of which had previously been found. This should help astronomers better understand the universes earliest days.

Perhaps the most surprising result is that galaxies in the young universe appear as diverse as they are today, when the universe is older and much more evolved, said lead author Caroline Straatman, a recent graduate of Leiden University. The fact that we see young galaxies in the distant universe that have already shut down star formation is remarkable.

But its not just about distant galaxies; the information gathered by ZFOURGE is also giving the scientists the best-yet view of what our own galaxy was like in its youth.

Ten billion years ago, galaxies like our Milky Way were much smaller, but they were forming stars 30 times faster than they are today, said Casey Papovich of Texas A&M University.

ZFOURGE is providing us with a highly complete and reliable census of the evolving galaxy population, and is already helping us to address questions like: How did galaxies grow with time? When did they form their stars and develop into the spectacular structures that we see in the present-day universe? added Ryan Quadri, also of Texas A&M.

In the studys first images, the team found one of the earliest examples of a galaxy cluster, a so-called galaxy city made up of a dense concentration of galaxies, which formed when the universe was only three billion years old, as compared to the nearly 14 billion years it is today.

The combination of FourStar, the special filters, Magellan, and the conditions at Las Campanas led to the detection of the cluster, said Persson, who built the FourStar instrument at the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena. It was in a very well-studied region of the skyhiding in plain sight.'

The paper marks the completion of the ZFOURGE survey and the public release of the dataset, which can be found here: http://zfourge.tamu.edu/DR2016/data.html.

This work was supported by the George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, the National Science Foundation, the Australian Research Council, an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, and a NASA Hubble Fellowship awarded by the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA. Australian access to the Magellan Telescopes was supported through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy of the Australian Federal Government.

The ZFOURGE survey was conducted with the FourStar camera on the Magellan 6.5-meter telescope in Chile and further involved data collected by many of the worlds most powerful observatories, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Very Large Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Herschel Space Observatory.

The Carnegie Institution for Science is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science.
(From left) Hurricanes Lester, Madeline and Gaston are seen from the International Space Station on Aug. 30. Credit: NASA. NASA.

Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins are two days away from their second spacewalk in as many weeks.

The duo are reviewing the tasks they will perform outside the International Space Station for 6.5 hours of maintenance work beginning Thursday at 8 a.m. EDT. Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi will assist Williams and Rubins from inside the space station.

They will retract and cover an out-of-service thermal control radiator and install lights and a high-definition camera for better views of the station structure and the Earth below. If time allows, the spacewalkers will perform get-ahead tasks including photographing the condition of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

In the Russian segment of the station, the three cosmonauts concentrated on a variety of human research experiments and crew departure activities. Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka collected blood and saliva samples to explore how bones and the immune system are impacted by living in space. The pair also practiced an entry simulation drill today inside the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft they will return home in with Williams on Sept. 6.

The space station cameras spotted three hurricanes today, two in the Pacific Ocean and one in the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricanes Lester and Madeline were seen in the Pacific potentially threatening the big island of Hawaii. Hurricane Gaston was seen in the open Atlantic.

On-Orbit Status Report

Cardio Ox Ultrasound Operations: With remote guidance from the Cardio Ox ground teams, the crew conducted an ultrasound scan after they configured the VOX, attached the ECG Electrodes, and marked the arteries; followed by blood pressure measurements using the Cardiolab Holter Arterial Blood Pressure Unit. The goal of the Cardio Ox investigation is to determine whether biological markers of oxidative and inflammatory stress are elevated during and after space flight and whether this results in an increased, long-term risk of atherosclerosis risk in astronauts. Twelve crewmembers provide blood and urine samples to assess biomarkers before launch, 15 and 60 days after launch, 15 days before returning to Earth, and within days after landing. Ultrasound scans of the carotid and brachial arteries are obtained at the same time points, as well as through 5 years after landing, as an indicator of cardiovascular health.

Dose Tracker: The crew completed entries for medication tracking on an iPad today. This investigation documents the medication usage of crewmembers before and during their missions by capturing data regarding medication use during spaceflight, including side effect qualities, frequencies and severities. The data is expected to either support or counter anecdotal evidence of medication ineffectiveness during flight and unusual side effects experienced during flight. It is also expected that specific, near-real-time questioning about symptom relief and side effects will provide the data required to establish whether spaceflight-associated alterations in pharmacokinetics (PK) or pharmacodynamics (PD) is occurring during missions.

Fine Motor Skills: A series of interactive tasks were completed for the Fine Motor Skills investigation. This investigation is critical during long-duration space missions, particularly those skills needed to interact with technologies required in next-generation space vehicles, spacesuits, and habitats. The crewmembers fine motor skills are also necessary for performing tasks in transit or on a planetary surface, such as information access, just-in-time training, subsystem maintenance, and medical treatment.

Habitability Human Factors Directed Observations: The crew recorded and submitted a walk-through video documenting observations of life onboard ISS, providing insight related to human factors and habitability. The Habitability investigation collects observations about the relationship between crew members and their environment on the ISS. Observations can help spacecraft designers understand how much habitable volume is required, and whether a missions duration impacts how much space crew members need.

Trailing Thermal Control Radiator (TTCR) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: The EV crew continued the EVA tool configuration in preparation for the TTCR EVA on Thursday. The IV crew accessed the Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics (DOUG) software and completed additional robotics reviews of Space Station Remote Manipulator System support plan for the EVA.

External Television Camera Group (ETVCG) Troubleshooting: The crew performed a procedure to verify that the heaters on the spare ETVCG Light are functional. They utilized the two jumpers that were built from pin kit materials and tested the ETVCG light and heaters. After the troubleshooting, the crew confirmed a functional camera light and heater circuit on the ETVCG. This light will be used to replace the degraded light at the P1 Lower Outboard location during Thursdays TTCR EVA.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities completed unless otherwise noted.

NEUROIMMUNITET. Saliva Sample Collection

NEUROIMMUNITET. Closeout Ops

KORRECTSIYA. NEUROIMMUNITET. Blood Collection

KORRECTSIYA. NEUROIMMUNITET. Venous blood samples processing using Plasma-03 centrifuge

NEUROIMMUNITET. Venous blood samples processing (smear)

Russian Experiments (RUEXP) FE-2 Blood Sample Handover for MELFI Insertion (KORRECTSIYA, Neuroimmunitet)

KORRECTSIYA. NEUROIMMUNITET. Handover to USOS for MELFI Insertion

KORRECTSIYA. NEUROIMMUNITET. Closeout Ops

KORRECTSIYA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake

Fine Motor Skills (FINEMOTR) Test

Respiratory Support Pack Checkout

USND2 Activation of Ultrasound Equipment

CARDOX Ultrasound Equipment Setup

Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Hardware Setup and Activation

OTKLIK. Hardware Monitoring

CARDOX Ultrasound Scan Operations

NEUROIMMUNITET. Psychological Test

On-orbit hearing assessment using EARQ

Soyuz 720 Stowage Ops

NEUROIMMUNITET. Hair Sample Collection

UDOD. Experiment Ops with DYKNANIYE-1 and SPRUT-2 Sets

CARDOX Battery Installation

CARDOX Blood Pressure Operations

Multi Omics. Item gathering

CARDOX Post-ops hardware stowage

Removal of one of two [???-?] Navigation Modules from Progress 432

PAO Event

EVA Tool Config

Water Recovery System (WRS) Drain Waste Water Tank

CEVIS Isolator Checkout

Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Payload Closeout Ops

KORRECTSIYA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake

Soyuz 731 Kazbek Fit Check

Soyuz 720 Descent Drill and Return Equipment List & Stowage Consultation

Flushing Multi-Filtration Unit (???) Prior to its installation in ???-?2?

US EVA Tool Preparation

EVA Tool Config

HABIT Questionnaire Completion

External TV Camera Group (ETVCG) Troubleshooting part 2

Crew Departure Prep

On-board Training (OBT) Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT)

IMS Delta File Prep

SPLANH. Preparation for Experiment

KORRECTSIYA. NEUROIMMUNITET. Experiment setup

DOUG Software Review

EVA Procedure Conference

DOSETRK Questionnaire Completion

NEUROIMMUNITET. Saliva Sample Collection. Psychological test (evening)

NEUROIMMUNITET. End of ECG Recording. Closeout Ops, Data Downlink

KORRECTSIYA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake

NEUROIMMUNITET. Saliva Sample Collection

NEUROIMMUNITET. Starting 24-hr ECG Recording. BP measurement

Completed Task List Items

None

Ground Activities

All activities completed unless otherwise noted.

??? Restart

DOUG review

Lab CDRA Activation

Nominal ground commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Wednesday, 08/31: CBEF reconfig, EVA preparations

Thursday, 09/01: TTCR EVA

Friday, 09/02: EVA Debrief, EMU H2O Recharge, Post EVA PHS, Soyuz Descent Training

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component  Status

Elektron  On

Vozdukh  Manual

[???] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  On

[???] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  Off

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Operate

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Standby

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Idle

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Norm

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Off

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Full Up
Quaoar NASA

NASAs New Horizons is doing some sightseeing along the way, as the spacecraft speeds toward a New Years Day 2019 date with an ancient object in the distant region beyond Pluto known as 2014 MU69.



New Horizons recently observed the dwarf planet Quaoar (Kwa-war), which  at 690 miles or 1,100 kilometers in diameter  is roughly half the size of Pluto. This animated sequence shows composite images taken by New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) at four different times over July 13-14: A on July 13 at 02:00 Universal Time; B on July 13 at 04:08 UT; C on July 14 at 00:06 UT; and D on July 14 at 02:18 UT. Each composite includes 24 individual LORRI images, providing a total exposure time of 239 seconds and making the faint object easier to see.

New Horizons location in the Kuiper Belt gives the spacecraft a uniquely oblique view of the small planets like Quaoar orbiting so far from the sun. When these images were taken, Quaoar was approximately 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometers) from the sun and 1.3 billion miles (2.1 billion kilometers) from New Horizons. With the oblique view available from New Horizons, LORRI sees only a portion of Quaoars illuminated surface, which is very different from the nearly fully illuminated view of the dwarf planet from Earth. Comparing Quaoar from the two very different perspectives gives mission scientists a valuable opportunity to study the light-scattering properties of Quaoars surface.

In addition to many background stars, two far away galaxies  IC 1048 and UGC 09485, each about 370 billion times farther from New Horizons than Quaoar  are also visible in these images. Unlike the galaxies and stars, Quaoar appears to move across the background scene due to its much closer distance. Other objects which appear to move in these images are camera artifacts.

In June the New Horizons mission received the go-ahead to fly onward to 2014 MU69  considered one of the early building blocks of the solar system  with a planned rendezvous of Jan. 1, 2019.
Thu, 27.10.22 - 11:04

The temperatures will fall in the Murcia Region but the weekend still promises to be warm and sunny Autumn has ye...
Just because the girls are black, they are wrong #stopracismatpretoriagirls pic.twitter.com/DMPQ3mDJfL  Snapchat: NutYourBae (@Yung_btee) August 29, 2016

News of the protest soon spread locally and then wider across social media worldwide, where the hashtag #StopRacismatPretoriaGirls started gaining momentum on Twitter.

For Pretoria High School girls.

Lots of love and pride,

Your big sister from Nigeria.  pic.twitter.com/l9V1NCJL1J  Ijeoma Umebinyuo (@ijeomaumebinyuo) August 31, 2016

The policy at Pretoria High School is said to imply that hairstyles that are not straightened, do not give the "conservative" impression as required by the school.

My sister in law teaches at pvt girls school in Pretoria  oh most definitely, Afros are not allowed, she says  Karin Morrow (@rinmor) August 30, 2016

Local reports also claim that the school is said to discourage its children from speaking in any native South African languages and that there have also been alleged incidences of teachers even using derogatory language towards some non-white pupils.

As a former PHSG pupil, I am so proud of these girls. We too experienced similar things #PretoriaGirlsHigh #stopracismatpretoriagirls  Ash Wednesday (@Ashlee411) August 29, 2016

In addition to protesting at the school, one student even launched her own online campaign, utilizing people-powered media to highlight the issue.

The page has had nearly 30,000 signatures, and not just locally but from around the world.

As discussions continue locally, if anything else, what this incident has done is proven the speed at which news can travel online to gain global attention. Apart from this, it's highlighted the strong need for open dialogue in order for racially sensitive incidents in any country to be resolved as sensitively as is always required.

Many people are commending the action of the girls for using online mediums and what is described as "peaceful methods" for getting their voices heard.
Moscow, Sputnik Press-Office  Sputnik online news and radio broadcasting service has signed a cooperation agreement with leading Chinese research media outlet Keji Ribao/Science and Technology Daily (wokeji.com). The document was signed during a visit by a Chinese delegation led by Chief of Science and Technology Daily Li Ping.

Both parties have agreed to promote bilateral professional ties in order to strengthen Russian-Chinese relations in science, technology, and the media. Sputnik and Keji Ribao will focus on covering and promoting the results of innovative Russian and Chinese research.

"The agreement with Keji Ribao will allow us to inform our multimillion audiences about the latest Chinese inventions, discoveries and research achievements. It is also a wonderful opportunity to tell the Chinese public about the accomplishments of Russian researchers and the research and experiments that make us proud," said Sputnik Deputy Editor-in-Chief Sergei Kochetkov.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Malaysian counterterrorism units have detained three alleged militants of the Daesh terrorist group suspected of planning terror attacks across the country on the eve of the country's independence day celebration, local media reported Wednesday.

The suspects, detained in an operation on August 27-29, had been planning to carry out attacks against police stations, a Hindu temple as well as against other venues across the country ahead of Malaysia's National Day, celebrated on Wednesday, the Star newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, police reported that the suspects had been receiving instructions and orders from Malaysian terrorist Mohamad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi affiliated with Daesh.
At the ceremony, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, Treetod Sonjance, reported to the Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, that the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) aircraft are fully ready for their missions.

Both aircraft will be used by Thai royal family members as well as by leading governing bodies.


New Delhi (Sputnik)The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has set a new aim in the satellite launching business. Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of ISRO, plans to launch 68 satellites in one mission next year. A spokesperson from ISRO told to Sputnik, "Our commercial arm, Antrix Corporation, is in talks with companies where we may launch 68 smaller and nano satellites in one mission."

Antrix has also bagged an order to launch a heavier earth observation satellite from an overseas customer, revealed a source.

Rakesh Sasibhushan, Chairman and Managing Director of Antrix Corporation, says, "We have fresh orders to launch 68 satellites from various countries, including 12 from PlanetiQ, a US-based weather forecasting satellite firm."


New Delhi (Sputnik)For the second day in a row, heavy rains plagued John Kerry on his visit to India. Kerry, who is in Delhi for the second Indo-US strategic and commercial dialogue, had to cancel many of his engagement's in Delhi including visits to three religious places on Wednesday.

Kerry quipped to students at an engineering college he visited, "You guys deserve an award for being here today. I don't know if you came in boats or amphibious vehicles of some kind."
Police arrived after the woman, 45, called police around 5:20 PM local time Tuesday, claiming someone was trying to open her locked apartment door. They found Harkless standing in an area outside the apartment. Investigators say he refused to answer any questions.

The arrest comes on the heels of several instances of criminal sexual assault and murder by US servicemen stationed on the Japanese island, inciting residents to claim that the American military as a form of foreign occupation and seek their ouster.
Working with the US Department of Homeland Security and the Canadian Border Service Agency, Australian Federal Police and border agents boarded the MS Sea Princess as it reached Sydney Harbour after a two-month journey across two oceans.

Quebec residents Andre Tamine, 63, Isabelle Lagace, 28, and Melina Roberge, 22, were arrested after police searched the 2,000 compartments on the ship and found the massive drug stash.

The two women documented their journey together extensively on social media, though it remains unclear whether they knew Tamine.
Roughly 84 billion yen will be used for patrols in the East China Sea, where Tokyo is in a territorial dispute with Beijing over the Senkaku islands. The previous year saw a 19-percent increase in the maritime patrol budget.

The United States has pressured its Pacific allies to help stymie Chinas growing influence in the region. This has been the primary driver behind Japans increasing militarization, including a change to its pacifist constitution allowing Japan to post troops overseas for the first time since World War II.

Washingtons influence also explains the 75 billion yen that will be set aside to purchase a fleet of Lockheed Martins F-35 Joint Strike fighters.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Mitsui & Co is expected join the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in the deal on purchase of treasury stock, to the Nikkei Asian Review newspaper reported.

The media outlet added that this sale of shares would be the first sale of the company's treasury stock to the foreign company.

According to the newspaper, the companies are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding at the upcoming a memorandum of understanding.
BEIJING (Sputnik)  President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Jin Liqun on Wednesday welcomed the Canadian decision to apply for membership of the bank, the AIIB said in a press release.

"The decision of Canada to apply to join AIIB is very welcome and shows its confidence in the strong foundations the Bank has built in our first few months. Canada has a remarkable track record of multilateral engagement, and I believe it will contribute significantly to the development of this Bank," Jin said at a joint press conference with Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

The minister replied that success in the global economy requires strategic partnerships and membership of the AIIB is a perfect opportunity to achieve this.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russias Gazprom company forecasts over 165 billion cubic meters of natural gas exports to Europe this year, the top manager at the firm's subsidiary Gazprom Export said Wednesday.

"Revenue projections have not changed. In terms of volume, we also have every reason to expect as before that the volume will be slightly higher than the previously announced 165 billion [cubic meters]," export department deputy head Mikhail Malgin said.
So at the heart of the G20 we will have the two projects which are competing head on to geopolitically shape the young 21st century.

China has proposed OBOR; a pan-Eurasian connectivity spectacular designed to configure a hypermarket at least 10 times the size of the US market within the next two decades.

The US hyperpower  not the Atlanticist West, because Europe is mired in fear and stagnation  proposes the current neocon/neoliberalcon status quo; the usual Divide and Rule tactics; and the primacy of fear, enshrined in the Pentagon array of threats that must be fought, from Russia and China to Iran. The geopolitical rumble in the background high-tech jungle is all about the containment of top G20 members Russia and China.

It doesnt take an oracle to divine which project is intriguing  and in many ways seducing  the Global South, as well as an array of G20 member-nations.

That connectivity frenzy

Shuttling between the West and Asia, one can glimpse, in myriad forms, the graphic contrast between paralysis and paranoia and an immensely ambitious $1.4 trillion project potentially touching 64 nations, no less than 4.4 billion people and around 40 per cent of the global economy which will, among other features, create new innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive trade horizons and arguably install a post-geopolitics win-win era.

An array of financial mechanisms is already in place. The AIIB (which will fund way beyond the initial commitment of $100 billion); the Silk Road Fund ($40 billion already committed); the BRICSs New Development Bank (NDB), initially committing $100 billion; plus assorted players such as the China Development Bank and the Hong Kong-based China Merchants Holdings International.

Chinese state companies and funds are relentlessly buying up ports and tech companies in Western Europe  from Greece to the UK.

Cargo trains are now plying the route from Zhejiang to Tehran in 14 days, through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan; soon this will be all part of a trans-Eurasia high-speed rail network, including a high-speed Transiberian.

The $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has the potential to unblock vast swathes of South Asia, with Gwadar, operated by China Overseas Port Holdings, slated to become a key naval hub of the New Silk Roads.

Deep-sea ports will be built in Kyaukphyu in Myanmar, Sonadia island in Bangladesh, Hambantota in Sri Lanka. Add to them the China-Belarus Industrial Park and 33 deals in Kazakhstan covering everything from mining and engineering to oil and gas.

Back in February, PwC was already detailing $250 billion in OBOR projects that had been built, recently started or agreed on and signed.
Ira Rothken, Dotcoms lawyer, said he was happy with the decision. "It provides everybody in the world with a seat in the gallery of the New Zealand courtroom," he said, "It's democracy at its finest." Livestreaming will begin Wednesday on YouTube, according to Rothken. The appeal is expected to last six weeks, and the stream will be on a 20-minute delay to prevent protected evidence from being made public.

The judge hearing the appeal, Justice Murray Gilbert, did not receive an objection after asking about Dotcoms request. Rothken said there was opposition from the US, based on claims that the stream could potentially taint the jury pool and impair the courts ability to control evidence.
Walesa, who visited the catholic church to participate in the act of worship protested against Duda's move and walked out.

"If someone leads to the civil war, then the second side will follow suit I have warned about the possible civil war from the very beginning and if these people continue to behave themselves in such a reckless manner, than we will inevitably move in this direction," Walesa told the Polish TVN24 news channel on Tuesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Group of Seven (G7) will be ready to discuss Russia's return to the informal bloc, making it the G8 again, if there is significant progress on the Syrian and Ukrainian conflicts, the German foreign minister said on Wednesday.

"The conflicts in Syria and Ukraine show that it is not in our interest to exclude Russia from a close negotiation format of the world's biggest economies If there is at last substantial progress in eastern Ukraine or in the talks on ceasefire in Syria, G7 partners will be ready to discuss this question with Moscow," Frank-Walter Steinmeier told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland news outlet.

He added that return to G8 the format depends on Russia.
According to the Finnish Institute of Foreign Affairs, Finnish decision-makers must stay alert to Russia's use of energy issues to uphold its geopolitical agenda, as well as Russia's increasingly forceful foreign policy, Finnish newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet wrote.

The Finnish security researchers warned of a growing politicization of the country's energy policy, aimed at creating dependencies, as well as a "menacing and aggressive foreign policy under the guise of the defense of Russian interests. According to the report, external actors find it increasingly difficult to influence Russia's policies and its business logic."

The predictable recommendation in light of Russia's supposed "aggression" is, according to the Finnish researchers, to increase cooperation with partners in the West "at all levels" and to bolster the nation's defense capability. It is also important to openly discuss security policy and retain the possibility of applying for NATO membership, which has been a tricky question in light of Finland's traditional non-alignment.
According to the database, 109 people are presumed dead, although there has been no official confirmation of their deaths. The paper also notes that 104 people on the list are females.

According to the newspaper, the first person on the list joined jihadist ranks in the Middle East in 2012, followed by 12 people per month, with the figures staying the same for 2013. In 2014, 11 people tried to go to Syria or Iraq every month, while in 2015 the numbers reduced to six per month. This year, none of the potential extremists left for the war zone from Belgium, the paper reported.

The paper cited OCAM head Paul Van Tigchelt as saying that about 20 suspects on the list have participated in the preparation of terrorist attacks, including seven who are thought to be linked with the attacks in Paris in November 2015 and in Brussels in March 2016.

The article also provided information on regions of the terror suspects residence on the Belgian territory. According to the paper, the largest number of potential jihadists closely watched by OCAD live in the Brussels capital region (56), the provinces of Antwerp province (27), Liege (17), Flemish Brabant (17) and Limburg (13).

The newspaper also noted that the majority of the jihadists in the database are young  in their teens or twenties. The list includes 48 teenagers and 372 people in their twenties.

According to the paper, the database is currently being tested and is not yet being used for operational purposes.

Belgium's terror alert level remains high since the bomb attacks on a Brussels airport and a metro station that killed 32 and injured over 300 people in March. The Daesh jihadist group, outlawed in many countries including Russia, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Many living in this camp are trying their best to illegally enter the United Kingdom via the Port of Calais or the Channel Tunnel by stowing away on trucks, ferries, cars, or trains traveling to Britain.

The camp grabbed global headlines during the European refugee and migrant crisis when its population started to grow and the French authorities carried out evictions.

In an interview with Sputnik, Sebastien Rivera of France's national haulage federation, said that even though over the past 15 years local long-haul truck drivers have grown used to the presence of migrants in the region, they cannot tolerate what is currently going on.

He said that in their drive to enter the UK, migrants have become more and more brazen, and that in the past six months they have been storming the A16 motorway between Calais and Coquelles which leads to the entrance to the Channel Tunnel.

"They block traffic using trees and tires which have been set on fire. There were cases where vehicles [had been torched] with Molotov cocktails; migrants penetrate inside trucks by breaking wind shields and cutting tents; truck drivers are being threatened. Although cases of theft are not uncommon, migrants are never brought to court," he said.

In an interview with Sputnik, Francois Guennoc, deputy chairman of the Migrants' Shelter association, for his part, described the September 5 action as a politically motivated event.

"It is obvious for us that this is a political maneuver by Calais City Hall and the right-wing opposition. In other words, it is a political operation, and we will soon decide on how to respond to this action," he said.

He also described the upcoming protest as "extremely dangerous" because it may further exacerbate what is already a tense situation in the Calais Jungle.
In an interview for the EU-financed Ukrainian newspaper Evropeyskaya Pravda on Monday, Scherba blamed Russian foreign language media for strengthening Austrians' pro-Russian feelings. Furthermore, the ambassador even alluded to a conspiracy within Austrian media itself for what he suggested was pro-Russian coverage.

"Russian propaganda has an effect," the ambassador said. "But I think that it doesn't so much form pro-Russian sentiment as it cements it. When I arrived in Austria, these feelings were already present. It's hard for me to say when these sentiments were formed." Scherba was appointed ambassador in November 2014.
In April 2016, a French woman asked police officers to assess the quality of the mysterious product. As it turned out, all three packages were filled with cocaine. As the French resident exclaimed, she wanted to make sure that the goods are not spoiled as she was afraid that someone might die of an overdose. The woman was arrested, and in January 2017, she will be brought to court.
As part of the Danish government's newly released, so-called 2025 Plan, a total of 44 immigration initiatives were introduced. Despite its pledges to "work for Denmark to remain open," Copenhagen has announced plans to further tighten its immigration procedures, Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten reported.

Despite plummeting immigration figures, the Danish government is sparing no effort in making Denmark less attractive to asylum-seekers. The most spectacular of the proposals, presented by Denmark's Immigration Minister Inger Stjberg is the Norwegian-inspired proposal dubbed "emergency brake," which allows the Danish government to completely seal off the Danish border, if the influx of asylum-seekers suddenly escalates. This proposal will allow Danish police to blankly reject refugees directly at the border and completely refuse to address their cases. According to the authorities, this is aimed to prevent any repetitions of last year's migrant crisis, which saw hundreds of refugees walk along Danish motorways en route to Sweden.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Kievs lack of effort in fulfilling a set of measures to resolve the two-year conflict in eastern Ukraine impedes progress in settling the crisis, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

"There is no feeling of progress on the Ukrainian matters. We still express with regret the absence of any progress on the part of Kiev in implementing the Minsk agreements," Peskov told reporters.

Kiev launched a military operation in the country's east in April 2014 after the local residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions refused to recognize new Ukrainian authorities, which came to power after the coup earlier the same year.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow is set to arrive in Helsinki on September 1 to meet with top Finnish officials and to take part in a panel discussion at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, the Alliance said in a statement Wednesday.

"On Thursday 1 September 2016, NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow will participate in a panel organized by the Center on US Politics and Power at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki," the statement reads.

According to the statement, Vershbow is expected to deliver a keynote speech at the event.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russia regrets the failure on the part of Washington and Kiev in divulging all relevant data to the investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

"Russia has consistently advocated and continues to advocate for very close cooperation in the investigation. Russia has repeatedly said that it had provided all the necessary data, and regrets the fact that a number of parties, including those mentioned, are not following this example," Peskov told reporters.

The spokesman was responding to a request for comments after Dutch media reported that family members of the MH17 victims appealed to the EU foreign policy chief for assistance in retrieving missing radar and satellite images of the flight. The relatives reportedly allege that Washington, Kiev and Moscow have thus far failed to share "all the relevant information" in connection to the crash.
The "wir schaffen das" slogan has since been jumped on by Merkel's political rivals, who have been highly critical of the chancellor's "open-door" refugee policy, while Merkel's conservative CDU party is suffering from a significant drop in support in the opinion polls ahead of next year's federal election.

Merkel Admits Refugee Distribution U-Turn

Merkel's rather frank self-critique also saw the chancellor admit that Germany, who is now a leading proponent of a refugee redistribution system across the EU, was originally against the idea, preferring in the past to let Spain and other EU periphery countries deal with the issue of refugees on their own.

"Back then, we also rejected a proportional distribution of the refugees," Merkel said, admitting that Berlin has since performed a U-turn in its support for EU-wide border agencies such as Frontex to deal with the issue.

Reminder that Merkel, faced with the refugee crisis, performed a u-turn and did what she thought was right, at huge political cost.  Jonathan Rothwell (@jrothwell) August 15, 2016

"We said we would deal with the problem at our airports since we don't have any other external EU boundaries. But that doesn't work.

"We didn't embrace the problem in an appropriate way [] That goes as well for protecting the external border of the Schengen area," she said.

The issue of refugee distribution is now a matter of huge divide across the bloc.

While Germany, Sweden and other countries support the idea, a number of other member states, including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have vehemently rejected any such proposals.

State Sec Csaba Domotor says EU's plans mean a huge risk to #Hungary, that's why everyone should vote no in #referendum on quotas  Krisztina Bolczek (@Kriszti_Bolczek) August 23, 2016

There have also been concerns over the future of EU-Turkey refugee deal, for which Merkel was a strong supporter, with fears diplomatic disputes between Brussels and Ankara could lead to the agreement's collapse, and see another migration wave enter Europe.

Berlin Stands Firm

The admissions come as Merkel's government stands firm on its "open-door" refugee policy, and is likely to give political opponents more ammunition ahead of upcoming regional elections and next year's German federal election.
Immigration is going to be the major issue when negotiations eventually begin with Brussels. One of the central tenets of the EU is the freedom of movement of people, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have made clear must continue to be at the heart of any trade agreement with the UK.

Although the UK is not part of the Schengen zone  the borderless EU area, which has been thrown into disarray by the migrant crisis  it still has obligations to allow for EU workers to travel and work in the UK. However, there has been a huge public outcry in Britain over EU migrant workers arriving, taking on lower wage jobs and being able to claim generous welfare handouts.

Any new deal with the EU over trade will almost certainly come with an obligatory requirement for Britain to accept EU migrant workers. Although the EU has a history of fudging issues, the UK may be able to negotiate a deal that says all incoming EU migrant workers must be able to support themselves and may be limited to taking jobs where there is a shortfall in the UK workforce.

Financial Freedom

The other major area of concern will be "passporting" in the financial sector, which is responsible for a major tranche of UK GDP. Under the provisions of the single market, a firm authorized in a European Economic Area (EEA) state is entitled to carry on permitted activities in any other EEA state by either exercising the right of establishment of a branch and/or agents, or providing cross-border services.

The EEA comprises all the 28 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland is not in the EU or the EEA, but is part of the single market. Complicatedly, the passporting scheme does not apply to Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man all of which are tax havens.
According to a comprehensive new report on the Iraqi minority in Finland which was published by the country's Labor and Economy Ministry, most Iraqis who arrived in Finland during last year's refugee crisis were young men under 25, who belong to the "Facebook generation."

The report listed Iraq's unstable security situation, acts of terrorism and lack of basic services like water and electricity as among the most obvious reasons for fleeing. In 2015, however, a new phenomenon emerged that made the decision to leave easier. Reportedly, more Iraqi parents began to urge their children to leave in order to prevent the youth from becoming victims of violence and crime or being recruited by terrorists.

According to the report, fears of leaving the country have abated due to a huge number of online trip reports.' As more and more Iraqi asylum-seekers opened discussion groups on Facebook and other social media, photos and other visual material were shared, thus giving rise to a new phenomenon: "Hijrat al-Facebookiyin" or Facebook generation emigration, Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported.
PARIS (Sputnik)  French President Francois Hollande is set to announce his decision on whether to run for a second term in office at the end of December, French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron announced his resignation. There was media speculation that the move was timed to clear the way for a presidential bid, as Macron said in his resignation speech that he wanted to begin a new chapter in political struggle and bring changes to France "already next year."

"This [resignation] will not prevent Francois Hollande from running for office," Le Foll was quoted as saying by the radio station Europe1, adding that the incumbent president would announce his decision "at the end of December."
The Congress of Deputies, Spains lower house of parliament, will vote on Wednesday on the candidacy of acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

If Rajoy fails to score the necessary 176 votes, a second round of voting will be held on September 2, where a simple majority of "yes" votes would serve to approve his candidacy.

Earlier this month, the PP, the centrist Citizens-Party of the Citizenry and the conservative Canarian Coalition agreed to support Rajoys candidacy, which would give him 170 votes, six short of the minimum required.

In June, Rajoy's PP won the most seats in the parliamentary election, with Spanish Socialist PSOE finishing second. None of the political forces have an absolute majority and thus cannot form a government on their own.
According to Danish newspaper Dagbladet Information, papers from the Danish Business Authority reveal export licenses for BAE Systems Applied Intelligence A/S, giving the UK defense contractor the go ahead to sell "IP monitoring and data analysis system relating to national security and the investigation of serious crimes," to the United Arab Emirates government.

This is exceptionally disappointing coming from Denmark!!



BAE Systems sells internet surveillance gear to UAE https://t.co/Qiassj3rTJ  Ahmed Mansoor (@Ahmed_Mansoor) August 27, 2016

The new license is for "extension service, support, testing and maintenance," suggesting that BAE Systems have already delivered a spy system to the UAE.

According to documents obtained by Lasse Skou Anderson of Dagbladet Information, the Danish Business Authority's ongoing contract between UK defense group, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence A/S and the UAE dates back to December 2014.
"Already, in 2004 and 2005 there were a lot of refugees, and we left Spain and others at the external borders to deal with it. And yes, then we were against a proportional distribution of the refugees."

Merkel said she "can't deny" that after taking a relatively large number of refugees from wars in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s, Germany was relieved to leave migration problem for others to deal with.

"For a long time, we thought this issue did not affect us." Merkel said.

While appearing defiant in the face of criticism of last year's decision to open the country's borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants, Merkel did make reference to the challenge German society faces in integrating more than a million new arrivals.

"Germany will remain Germany, above all, that which we hold dear (will remain). But Germany has always been changing, since the foundation of the Federal Republic. Change is not a bad thing. It is a necessary part of life," the German hancellor said.

Merkel announced the open-door policy on August 31, a few days after a briefing from Germany's federal Ministry of the Interior had reported almost 7,000 migrants arriving daily in Germany, mostly via the Balkan migration route, and predicted a total of 800,000 arrivals over the course of the year.
Fortunately, none of the castles guests were injured; however, violent flames have destroyed a priceless lithograph by the Russian painter Marc Chagall.

According to the womans son, earlier in the month the lady was hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital due to mental illness.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  More than 5,300 migrants have been given shelter on Greece's Eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, local media reported on Wednesday, citing the governments coordinating agency for the refugee crisis.

According to the agency's figures, 98 migrants and refugees have arrived on the island in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number to 5,307, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.

As Lesbos refugee camp can host only 3,500 people, local authorities urged immediate government action to free up places in the facilities.
"This deal is a threat to the very concept of public services. It is a turbo-charged privatization pact, based on the idea that, rather than serving the public interest, governments must step out of the way and allow corporations to get on with it,'" Nick Dearden the director of Global Justice Now told Sputnik.

"Of particular concern, we fear TiSA will include clauses that will prevent governments taking public control of strategic services, and inhibit regulation of the very banks that created the financial crash. TiSA will also affect countries that haven't even had the opportunity to develop decent public services like Pakistan. No wonder Uruguay has already walked away from the talks. We urge MEPs to tell the European Union to do the same."

#TISA the trade deal could be greater threat to public services than #TTIP

Our new briefing https://t.co/bSNxAdFzcP pic.twitter.com/ifkrceqEui  Global Justice Now (@GlobalJusticeUK) 31 August 2016

Secrecy

The EU has admitted that the talks have been secretive, stating on its website that:

"Like any other trade negotiations, the TiSA talks are not carried out in public and the documents are available to participants only."

According to Global Justice Now, the main mechanism for this in the deal is what is called a "ratchet clause." Once a country has unilaterally liberalized a services sector  such as health or postal services  by giving foreign companies the same or better treatment than national ones, it cannot reverse that measure for companies from TiSA member states. This means that while no country will be forced to privatize a public service, once foreign companies are allowed in to provide a service, it becomes much more difficult to reverse.

#TTIP is dead. Now we're being told the big threat to democracy is called #TISA https://t.co/im76Hn3Lc0 via @MidWalesMike  Quest4Truth (@VvsTyranny) 31 August 2016

Data protection regulation is also a controversial area. Big business wants more control of the Internet and flows of data.

Specifically, many US firms want to be able to move data across borders at will. This would allow companies like Google and Facebook to move personal information to the USA where data protection laws are far laxer than in the EU, according to Global Justice Now.
Reports of controversial deals with regimes who have appalling human rights records  such as in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia  have been uncovered, going back as far as 2013 onwards. Now, human rights groups are demanding clarity.

A training deal with both Bahraini and Saudi based forces has been confirmed  countries both notorious for their harsh crackdown on Arab unrests in the region, as well as numerous instances of human rights violations, such as the high profile cases of prisoners Nabeel Rajab and Mohammed Ramadan in Bahrain, who are two of many said to have been tortured to gain confessions for alleged crimes committed.

It is reported that in response to a letter from international human rights campaign group Reprieve, the college outlined general parts of its training program since 2013, admitting it had seconded staff to both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in that time, but there was a refusal to disclose any specific details concerning the nature of its task in countries with a very murky, long-standing reputation of human rights violations.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The majority of UK residents, 57 percent, would support burka ban in the country, a poll revealed Wednesday.

"New research from YouGov suggests this would be a popular policy with a majority of the public (57%) supporting a ban on wearing the burka in the UK, whilst just 25% are against outlawing it," the survey carried out on August 24-25 among 1,668 adults revealed, according to the pollster.
MEXICO CITY (Sputnik)  Brazilian police started dispersion of the rally right after the blast, the Folha de Sao Paulo news website reported Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, a group of Rousseff supporters was attacked by her opponents.

People started gathering in Sao Paulo, as well as in other cities across the country, on Monday, the day when the impeachment process against Rousseff opened. Earlier in the day, protesters burned tires, blocking several streets in Sao Paulo.
The portal added that if 54 senators voted for the impeachment, Rousseff would be removed from office, otherwise the impeachment would be terminated and she would resume the presidency.

In May, the upper house of the Brazilian parliament voted 55-22 to start impeachment proceedings against Rousseff after she was accused of concealing the countrys budget deficit ahead of the 2014 election. Rousseff regards the impeachment proceedings as an illegal coup attempt.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The restored service marks the latest milestone in the slow and cautious thaw in US-Cuban relations. In February 2016, US President Barack Obama announced that regular commercial airline service would be re-opened, reaching up to ten international airports on the Caribbean island nation.

"Santa Clara airport ready to receive Aug. 31, 1st US scheduled flight to Cuba since 1961," Josefina Vidal, head of the Cuban Foreign Ministrys US department, said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx is expected to travel on the first flight to Cuba, the Havana Times reported, where he is set to meet with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and Transport Minister Adel Yzquierdo.
Earlier on Wednesday, 61 senators voted to remove her from office, with only 20 senators voting against. Acting president Michel Temer will be sworn in as her replacement later on Wednesday.

The Brazilian leader faced accusations of corruption, though she denied the charges, calling them politically motivated.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs Omer Celik denied recent US statements on Wednesday that Ankara had reached a ceasefire agreement with Syrian Kurdish forces.

On Tuesday, media reported citing US diplomatic sources that a ceasefire was achieved between Turkey and Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG).

"Turkey is a sovereign country. Therefore, there can be no talk of Turkey reaching any sort of deal with a terrorist group, considering it an equal. Syrian defense forces are not pursuing the interests of ethnic Kurds, but rather their own," Celik told Anadolu.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has voiced concern over the military operation being carried out by Turkish troops in Syria, a statement published Wednesday revealed.

"Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi on Tuesday evening expressed concern over the continuation of the Turkish military operation in Syria," the ministry's statement reads.

They continued Turkish presence on Syrian soil will lead to further complication of the situation in the region, the statement cited Qassemi as saying.
On August 24 the Turkish military began an operation in the region of Jarabulus, a Syrian city on the border with Turkey. Jarabulus has been in the hands of Syrian opposition groups since 2012, and in 2013 the Daesh terrorist group took control of the city.

Two days before that, Ankara had started shelling Daesh positions in northern Syria close to Jarabulus, as well as shelling positions of the Kurdish YPG. Turkish representatives said the shelling of Daesh-controlled areas was in response to mortar fire from Jarablus, which landed in the town of Karkamis in Gaziantep Province of Turkey.

Turkey sent 20 tanks and infantry across the border to assist the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) in an offensive against Daesh at Jarabulus. Turkey's Defense Minister Fikri Isik told NTV that Ankara wants to rid the area of Daesh and help the FSA to gain control, rather than Kurdish forces.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  The Syrian Kurdish militia has largely withdrawn from the west bank of the Euphrates River, Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Omer Celik said on Wednesday.

"Today's reports say that the majority of the Syrian Kurdish self-defense forces have left the west bank of the Euphrates River, however, their withdrawal is incomplete, and that is unacceptable," Celik was quoted as saying by the NTV broadcaster.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  The Turkish authorities have detained 5,803 people on suspicion of having links to the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) jihadist group since the start of the conflict in Syria, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said Wednesday.

"Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, 5,803 people, of which 2,200 were foreigners, have been detained in Turkey on suspicion of involvement in IS activities. Since the beginning of the year, 815 people, most of whom were foreigners, have been arrested. As part of the fight against terrorism, 52,075 people have been refused entry to the country [Turkey]," Ala told reporters.

Daesh, outlawed in Russia and many other countries, controls large areas of Syria, which has been mired in civil war since 2011, and Iraq. The group has been spreading their influence to other countries and is notorious for recruiting jihadists, mainly young people, from all over the world via social media.
Furthermore, it appears that there were some foreign nationals among the militants who left for Idlib. A source in the Syrian Red Crescent told Sputnik that one of the conditions for the truce was to allow these people to travel to Idlib via Homs without the buses theyre traveling on being searched.

Some militants torched their homes before leaving, seeking to destroy any evidence that might implicate them as members of militant opposition groups.

Currently the Syrian army is clearing the roads of the devastated city from mines and booby-traps.

Estimates on the amount of property damage inflicted during the fighting for Darayya are so far unavailable.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Syrian Kurds are interested in preserving friendly relations with Russia because it plays an important role balancing various powers engaged in the Middle East, Rodi Osman, the head of Syrian Kurdistan's representative office in Moscow, told Sputnik Wednesday.

"We do understand that Russia has its own interests and policies in the Middle East. Actually, it plays an important role balancing the sides [of the conflict] and it greatly contributes to the fight against the Islamic State. This is why we hope for the preservation of the friendly relations between Russia and the Kurds," Osman said.

He added that the Russia played a vital role in putting an end to the August 16-23 clashes between the Kurdish militia and the Syrian army in the eastern city of Hasakah.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Turkey's military operation in northern Syria to clear the city of Jarabulus of Daesh fighters is an open aggression against the Syrian sovereignty, Mais Krydee, one of the leaders of the Syrian internal opposition Hmeymim group, said Wednesday.

"Whatever they call this operation, it is an aggression against the sovereignty of Syria, an invasion. The solution to the Syrian problem is an internal Syrian issue. All the patriotic forces in Syria reject and condemn this intervention," Krydee told reporters.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A retired Iranian general who used to serve as a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was killed while fighting militants in northern Syria, Iranian media reported.

According to the Fars news agency, Ahmad Gholami was seriously wounded during the fight against terrorists in Aleppo and died a few hours later.
The radio station is accused of supporting attacks on Israelis and praising those who carried out acts of terror. The station also called for reconstructing the homes of two extremists responsible for the Panorama stabbing attack in Tel Aviv and the killing of Micki Mark. The station hailed those responsible as heroes.

Palestinian media has repeatedly been accused of incitement and providing support for terrorism.
According to Osman, after taking control of Jarabulus, the Turkish troops will advance toward Aleppo, capturing the cities of Al-Rai and Al Bab on the way.

"The City of Al Bab is very important, as it opens the way to Aleppo, because Turkey's main goal is Aleppo. It is necessary for the realization of Turkey's neo-Ottoman plans," the Kurdistan spokesman said.

Such advancement to the south would allow Ankara forces and Turkey-supported Syrian opposition groups to unite with other militants south of Aleppo, he said.

Without such a corridor, the Syrian rebels south of Aleppo are doomed, as the city might be taken by [Syrian President Bashar] Assad's troops, Osman said.

According to Osman, Daesh militants left the town of Jarabulus before the Turkish forces arrived there, as there is no real confrontation between Daesh and Ankara.

"IS militants either retreat in advance  the way they did in Jarabulus, when they simply gave up the town  or change clothes. Today they are IS militants, tomorrow they are the Free Syrian Army or some other armed group," Osman said.
Therefore, the analyst suggested, "although we do not quite know exactly what has been agreed to, the existence of the agreement in itself marks a strategic shift" in China's strategy. This, he noted, has to do with the fact that for a long time, Beijing, wary of a response from Washington, "has refused to engage in any form of cooperation" with Damascus which the US "might interpret as military aid."

"Thus, China has not only refused to deliver weapons, but also civilian materials needed for war, such as tunnel detectors."

Now, Guan's visit, and the discussion of growing military cooperation between the two countries, may mean that changes are afoot. Russia, Meyssan recalled, had also reached the point of intervening into the Syrian conflict in stages, carrying out negotiations and signing agreements with Damascus long before making the decision in late September 2015 to assist Damascus militarily in the fight against Daesh. Accordingly, the analyst noted, it's logical to ask whether "China too is also preparing to deploy."

"It's probable that the answer to that question will depend on the speed of the US deployment in the South China Sea, and on [any] provocations by Washington's allies in the region."
The two children, who were playing on the balcony of their home in the besieged city of Al Fu'ah in northern Syria's Idlib province, were severely wounded by a sniper from the terrorist group Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham, Sputnik Arabia reported.

A 6-year-old Syrian named Laith and his 4-year-old brother Mohammed were playing on the balcony when the Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham sniper opened fire on them from his safe haven about 800 meters from the house.
On Wednesday morning the Turkish military sent eight more tanks and armored vehicles to assist its "Euphrates Shield" operation in northern Syria.

A Sputnik correspondent in Jarabulus reported that the Turkish tanks and armored vehicles were sent from the village of Soylu in southern Turkey, and arrived at Jarabulus via the border checkpoint at Karkamis.

The correspondent also reported that Turkish fighter jets have been carrying out airstrikes on Daesh positions in the region.
A local resident of Mosul told Sputnik, that Daesh has spies around town who report on citizens who talk about the victories of the Armed Forces of Iraq. Anyone caught discussing the enemy' is punished in public. The militants are seriously concerned by the growing belief amongst the public that Mosul is on the brink of liberation after a series of failures by Daesh in other cities around the country.

"Four of our residents were discussing the success of the army in a casual conversation about politics, when another man suddenly joined in. He casually discussed with them the defeat of Daesh and offensive operations in Nineveh. Later, all four people were caught. Right where they were standing, their mouths were sewn up with metal wire," said the resident, whose name has not been disclosed for obvious security reasons.

The terrorists put their victims into the open trunk of a car, showing their sewn up mouths to everyone, in an attempt to intimidate the population and prevent and talk of the victories of the government troops and the people's militia.
ALEPPO (Syria) (Sputnik)  The Syrian army and local militia regained control of over half of the territory of an air force school in Southern Aleppo, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Wednesday.

The militants' resistance has reportedly weakened considerably compared to previous days but the fighting continues.

Earlier in the day, Syrian army soldiers continued the offensive in the south and southwest of Aleppo near the military academy for artillery and logistics, as well as the air force school. The vanguard managed to free a number of key buildings.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Turkish police detained three more journalists on Wednesday out of 35 ordered to be detained in Turkey a post-coup crackdown on media in the country, local media said.

According to the Turkish Minute newspaper, Atilla Tas was detained in Bursa's Gemlik district, and Mutlu Colgecen and Gokce Culhaoglu in Istanbul for promoting the US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen movement in the media.

On Tuesday, the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office issued warrants for 35 journalists, and later on the same day, police detained nine journalists from Istanbul, Ankara and Kocaeli province.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday expressed Russia's concern over the ongoing military operation by the Turkish army and Ankara-backed Syrian opposition in northern Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu briefed Lavrov in a phone call on the progress of the Euphrates Shield operation to clear Syrian town of Jarabulus of the Islamic State jihadist group, outlawed in Russia.

"The sides exchanged opinions on the situation in Syria. Lavrov expressed Moscow's concern over the actions by the Turkish army and Ankara-backed opposition units in northern Syria and their potential impact on peace efforts in the Syrian conflict," the ministry said in a statement.
ALEPPO (Sputnik)  The Syrian army and local militia repelled attacks by militants on villages in the north of the Syrian province of Hama, about 50 terrorists have been killed, a source in the militia told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

"Yes, the Syrian Army and the militia managed to repel the terrorists' attacks in the north of Hama. Some 40-50 terrorists have been killed, several our soldiers sustained serious injuries, they are now in military hospital," the source said.
Meanwhile, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently declared that air defense systems are extremely important and "must be on the frontline, ready to repulse any aggression launched by an enemy that seeks to undermine the countrys defense potential."

Ahmad Vakhshiteh, chief editor of Iranian analytical web portal RussiaViewer, told Sputnik that the sale of S-300 by Russia to Iran is a perfectly legal deal, and that the US has no right to interfere. He pointed out that while several years ago the shipment of these weapons was put on hold due to sanctions enforced via a UN resolution, the Iranian nuclear deal effectively helped resolve that issue.

"The US interference in this issue is illegal. But why does the US protest so vehemently against these shipments? One should pay attention to the growing Saudi influence. Ever since Iran started purchasing these systems, the countrys aerial borders became better defended. So if some countries conflict with Iran  ideologically or geopolitically  or if they seek to destabilize the region to ensure their dominance, they dont want such an influential state as Iran to improve its military might and increase its defense capabilities," Vakhshiteh explained.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala has resigned, his office is taken by Labor and Social Security Minister Suleyman Soylu, local media reported citing Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

Yildirim made an announcement following a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier in the day, the Daily Sabah newspaper reported.

Ex-Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu in turn takes Soylu's previous office,
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The United States tries to tarnish Damascus' image by revisiting the issue of the Syrian government's alleged involvement in chemical weapon attacks, while being unable to create a solid opposition list for the next round of Geneva talks due to fighting between the Kurds and the Turkish forces, member of the internal opposition Hmeymim group Tarek Ahmad told Sputnik on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a number of UN Security Council (UNSC) members suggested imposing sanctions on Damascus, implicated in involvement in two chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015, according to the report by the UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said the report results could have been falsified by forces opposing Damascus and terrorist structures, possibly with the foreign assistance.

"I agree with Vitaly Churkin that the report is based on falsified data. I think that the United States started talking about it because the Americans found themselves in a complex situation when their loyal allies in the region  the Turks and Kurds  fight against each other. As a result, the United States and HNC [High Negotiations Committee] opposition are not ready for new talks and will fail to form another delegation," Ahmad said.
The nations strict Sharia law defines atheism as terrorism, and the man refused to take back his words, insisting that he has a right to express his lack of belief.

Saudi religious police who monitor social networks found over 600 tweets from the man, mocking the Koran and stating that teachings of the prophet Muhammad's lies stokes cultural hostility.

In addition to imprisonment and violent punishment, he was also fined 20,000 riyals (over $5,300).
As some claim that Turkey is distancing itself from its Western energy-business partners after the failed coup attempt of July 15, the country appears to be increasing focus on its technological capabilities and access to clean energy, as a means of becoming energy independent.

Ankara has opted to cooperate with Beijing, ratifying an agreement which includes not only nuclear power plant construction on Turkish territory, but also joint nuclear power development with China and the US.

The Chinese State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation will implement technologies obtained in collaboration with US-based Westinghouse Electric company. The potential technological tripartite arrangement could result in significant regional and global political clout, according to the Asia Times.
Under the conditions that the world's bullying powers have spread their umbrella of power and show no mercy and openly attack wedding ceremonies and hospitals on the pretext of combating terrorism and shed the blood of hundreds of innocent people without being accountable to any organization or body, Iran's defensive capability and power must be increased so that the bullying powers would feel threatened," Khamenei stated.

The announcement comes in a wake of a chain of incidents involving US and Iranian militaries.

On August 24, a US Navy vessel fired three warning shots at an Iranian fast-attack boat that had traveled within 200 yards of it. A day earlier, US Central Command reported two Iranian ships had approached the American destroyer USS Nitze at a distance of 300 yards, near the Strait of Hormuz, an important oil trade route.
The newspaper added that Moscow made it clear for Washington that Russian Aerospace Forces were not involved in aerial operation over Aleppo and the United States should be engaged in a dialogue on the issue with Syria itself.

The media outlet added that Russia had no objections to coordination of its efforts with the United States, but only at a distance of several dozens of miles around Aleppo.
"Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation [of] Stratford, Connecticut, was awarded a $158.4 million modification contract to exercise an option for 14 UH-60 aircraft," the release stated on Tuesday.

The sandy, hot and high-altitude conditions that define combat in Afghanistan and Iraq exposed the limitations of the Black Hawk and the US Army has called for a new design to travel higher, farther and faster, while carrying heavier loads.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  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.

"Within the framework of snap combat readiness inspections' events at the Black Sea Fleet, Saratov, Caesar Kunikov, Azov and Yamal large landing ships have trained activities aimed at creation of a landing group and landing of amphibous assault landing, backed by aviation," the statement said.

The statement added that the crews of the Caspian Flotilla's corvettes had participated in missile-landing drills, as well as in range practices.
"North Korea," Kashin noted, "seems to be going along the same path. Sooner or later they will whip their missile subs into shape, and they will remain in the fleet in small numbers as a demonstration of the country's technical capabilities, but the land-based version of this missile will begin to be produced more widely."

This, the expert says, has to do with the fact that the country's existing missiles take a long time to prepare for launch  roughly one and a half ours, if not longer. That, in turn, makes them vulnerable. But with the KN-11, a solid-fueled system, "Pyongyang will be able to carry out a strake 15-20 minutes after receiving the order. And that's what South Korea fears most," Kashin noted.

"There's something else worth paying attention to," the expert added. "Until now, this class of weapon  a solid-fuel [medium-range] missile, could only be developed and produced by the permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus India. Pakistan and Iran's solid fuel missiles remain much more underdeveloped."

And here, North Korea, driven into a corner by sanctions and trade restrictions, suddenly develops these weapons, which it can sell on the global weapons market. "Of course, a ban on the export of missiles and missile technology from North Korea formally exists, and they really are being watched very closely," Kashin noted. "But while the export of the missiles themselves could be stopped, the transfer of the technology behind them may very well take place, and this is quite serious."

In fact, the expert suggested, Pyongyang may have developed the missiles for maritime launch explicitly as a form of marketing the new weapon, since it would have made more sense for them to concentrate on the creation of a land-based solid-fuel missile from the beginning, which they could effectively hide inside their territory. "After all, we must remember that the country's navy has a huge technological gap with those of Japan and South Korea, making the sub difficult to keep from being immediately sunk in case of conflict."
"Its probably not the way we would have wanted it, [but] we want to exploit fifth-generationWeve been after this a long time."

The Marines will be the first US military branch to deploy the fighter jet in an operational capacity. Next year, 16 F-35Bs will move to Iwakuni Air Station in Japan before being stationed aboard the USS Wasp.

"We will learn from that, and see what capabilities we need to further develop," Walsh said.

"A lot of its going to be the school of hard knocks."

From there, a second contingent of fighters will be deployed aboard the USS Essex.
"The enemys aircraft carriers will capsize even if a nuclear backpack is detonated at a distance," the source said. "This is aimed at reinforcing the psychological armament of North Korean soldiers and to prevent them from being afraid of war."

But the same source also asserted that the packs will not create large nuclear blasts, but will instead contain nuclear material that can be sprayed over the enemy.

"Once the uranium has been sprayed [in an area], people cannot live there for several decades because of radioactive contamination," the source claimed.

Tensions have been running particularly high on the Korean peninsula. In January, Pyongyang began conducting nuclear and ballistic missile tests that resulted in the implementation of harsh new sanctions by the United Nations. The North further threatened to destroy the United States using "nuclear hammers of justice."
Bayoumi may have been interrogated later in Saudi Arabia by the US Central Intelligence Agency, Graham posited. "If he was, we dont know that, andwe dont know what was in that interrogation," he added.

Graham, who helped write the 2002 congressional inquiry into the 9/11 attacks, has fought for years to have the declassified chapter of the report released. He has also demanded the declassification of additional materials, including information that would show whether important leads were followed into possible connections between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 hijackers.

The declassified 28 pages represent an initial estimate of possible Saudi connections to the 9/11 hijackers and possible investigative leads. Graham, who was authorized to access to sensitive information during his time on the Senate Intelligence Committee said he is unaware whether the investigative leads were ever pursued.
"Right now we [the United States and Turkey] are working at complete odds against each other, and we are not  the US objective is to focus on the Islamic State [Daesh] and this is not happening," Conley said.

Obama and Erdogan are scheduled to meet on September 4 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Beijing. Conley said she hopes both leaders come out the meeting publicly expressing "a much stronger statement on Syria" and indicating some kind of agreement on a path forward.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)  On August 24, the United Nations and the OPCW released the results of a joint probe into chemical weapons attacks in Syria in 2014 and 2015 that said the Syrian government was allegedly involved in two and the Daesh jihadist group, outlawed in Russia, in one attack. On Tuesday the UN Security Council (UNSC) discussed the report for the first time.

"At this stage, we have a number of questions in regard to the conclusions of the JIM as for several incidents. The grounds for the conclusions contained herein cause significant doubts. They could have been falsified by forces opposing to the Official Damascus and terrorist structures, possibly with the foreign assistance," Churkin said at the UNSC session, as quoted by a statement released by the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations.
The negotiating parties will likely have to work out a repositioning after 2018 when we see what the French and German elections brings us, [and] where Brexit is, Conley explained, referring to the British plans to leave the European Union.

On both sides of the Atlantic, there is growing public skepticism over the TTIP free-trade agreement, the details of which have not been released to the public.
"The European Commission and EU member state leaders have clearly reiterated their commitment to moving negotiations forward. We share that commitment and throughout the summer the United States has been focused on identifying pathways to an agreement that address the priorities of both sides," McAlvanah said. "Ambassador [Michael] Froman is looking forward to continuing that work when he meets with EU Trade Commissioner [Cecilia] Malmstrom in the coming weeks."

According to Gabriel, the TTIP negotiations had effectively failed as Brussels has refused to go along with some of Washingtons demands that could violate environmental legislation, banking procedures and investment rights.
The ban was mainly influenced by the World Anti-Doping Agencys (WADA) McLaren report on the widespread use of performance enhancing substances by Russian athletes. The report, however, hardly mentioned Russian Paralympic athletes, apart from in relation to a list of 35 allegedly disappeared doping samples.

"We will not keep it [the situation with Russia's Paralympic athletes] the way it is. Courts have already started legal proceedings. We will also discuss such activities in the United Nations, because the principle 'sport out of politics' approved by the UN General Assembly has been violated. Sport can not be a sphere, where discrimination of any kind is applied. And here is an obvious national origin discrimination, discrimination against one's citizenship," Lavrov said Tuesday.
Radio Sputniks Brian Becker discussed with Margaret Stevens, on the advisory board of Veterans for Peace and history professor at Essex County College, and Ben Becker, co-editor of Liberation News, how the current political environment makes John McCain appear moderate.

Both guests on the Loud & Clear program agreed that the idea that McCain, a chief war hawk, who is also an anti-abortion crusader who opposed Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday, could be termed to be a moderate is laughable and could be accurate only within the concept of relativism.

He has been hailed in this country as a hero, but he always has been a war criminal, Stevens remarked, saying that insight into McCains origins and early years are necessary to understand what sort of a politician he is.
"I do not believe that the mandate should be necessarily extended," Virginia Gamba told reporters on Tuesday, answering a corresponding question.

She added that following the revelation of the report, the UN Security Council should decide on what to do with the conclusions of the report.
Iran wanted to preserve its strategic interests in the Middle East where Syria is the gate to the region.

However this year Erdogan has realized that his pro-jihadist strategy has turned against him: and Turkish citizens have been regularly falling victims to Daesh terrorists and the Kurds, who have been outraged by Ankara;s fight against their Syrian counterparts.

He understood that the Islamists whom he backed are now not only threatening his leadership in his home country, but have also driven a wedge between Turkey and Russia. And he cant allow the full breakup with Moscow due to economic, energy and military-political reasons.

As a clever and pragmatic politician, more flexible and capable than many think, Erdogan then made a U-turn.

Hence, Del Valle concluded, the main feature of the evolving partnership is pragmatism.

Besides, the three countries have common attitude towards the West, which they commonly regard as arrogant and prone to interference.

They are not friends, but they do understand that for the sake of realpolitik they need to start negotiating and improving their partner relationship despite clear differences in their local interests.

The geopolitical analysts noted that it is not a rapprochement but an acknowledgment that it is in the interests of each of them to find a common solution.
Steve Symonds, Amnesty International UK's Refugee Program Director, said that people are being smuggled and forced into dangerous situations whilst UK and French politicians neglect to discuss how to keep refugees and migrants safe.

"Rather than providing the safe and legal routes that more refugees need to escape violence, child labor, sexual exploitation and destitution, the UK is more concerned with putting up real and metaphorical fences to keep people out. Tragically, those who continue to profit are the very smugglers that governments  including the UK  say they are most anxious to shut down," Mr. Symonds told Sputnik.

UK too low and too slow on Syrian refugee resettlement https://t.co/msNKVz35yA  AmnestyUK Media Team (@NewsFromAmnesty) August 26, 2016

"The UK and French authorities have failed to deliver on their shared responsibility for refugees and migrants in Calais for years now and this latest exchange of words is a stark reminder of their failure to live up to their responsibilities."

Numbers Keep Rising

The latest figures on people smuggling, provided by the French police, show a significant surge compared to official data.

The figures reveal that the number of those who came to the UK illegally has doubled over the last year, reaching a staggering 6,400, according to a report released by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in July (2016).
Meanwhile, Fesyun added, the candidates for the US presidency haven't offered Tokyo any reassurances, with Hillary Clinton and especially Donald Trump indicating that the US will have to reevaluate its relationship with its global partners, toward a reduction in the US global role.

Effectively, the analyst suggested, this kind of rhetoric by Tokyo's partners in Washington "is forcing Japan to look around  if not for a search for new partners, then at least for countries on which it could bank on without expecting something unexpected and negative. And in this regardRussia could serve as a very reliable partner for Japan."

First and foremost as an economic partner, Fesyun clarified. Russia, he noted, does not have any aggressive plans toward Japan or any of its neighbors. Accordingly, in the analyst's view, while Japan will never abandon its position on the territorial issue, it is expected that it will become less of a centerpiece to future cooperation. And then, major economic projects would no longer be held back, to the benefit of both countries.

"Economic relations between our countries depend on the flagships of Japanese business. And they, up to this point, have been in no hurry to make any overarching, comprehensive decisions. This has not prevented the attempts of small and medium-sized enterprises from entering the Russian market, as evidenced recently by the major project on gas processing on Sakhalin, or the creation of a tourist and spa complex on the island But until now, [cooperation] has not been of the scale that we would like to see."
At the same time, the chancellor never tried to influence the policy of the USSR, the Russian Federation's predecessor, and maintained diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, he remarks.

Adenauer's successors followed in his footsteps, restraining "militarism" and building bridges between Germany and Eastern European countries, which suffered a lot from the Nazi occupation of the 1940s.

They were reluctant to join the wars of the major global players and focused mostly on Germany's domestic matters, the political scientist narrates.

Things changed drastically with the collapse of the USSR and the re-unification of Germany, Dittberner writes.

"Then the arrogance came. Germany was reunited, and Gerhard Schroder became a chancellor. Although he entered a war in Yugoslavia and engaged in Afghanistan, but when the Americans attacked Iraq, he refused to join them, together with the French. He was uncertain. What should be the role of the united Germany in the world? He regarded the Russian President Putin as a friend and Washington was alien to him," the political scientist writes.

In contrast, it seems that Chancellor Angela Merkel has neither doubts nor qualms, according to Dittberner.

Despite the fact that Merkel initially maintained good ties with the Kremlin, she has become one of the fiercest critics of Moscow after Crimea's reunification with the Russian Federation.

"Mrs. Merkel's heart beats for America, and she is one of the toughest critics of the Kremlin since the Crimean crisis," Dittberner stresses, adding that Merkel has even gone so far as attempting to influence Russia's policy.


New Delhi (Sputnik)The two visiting US Secretaries briefed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue that concluded in New Delhi. They discussed progress in bilateral engagement since the Prime Minister's visit to the US in June 2016. Secretary Kerry also shared the US perspective on developments in the region and beyond with Prime Minister Modi.

Modi conveyed satisfaction at the expanded and strengthened strategic partnership between India and the US over the past two years that has opened up new vistas for collaboration. He said that he looked forward to rapid progress and the successful completion of the decisions taken with President Obama at the recent Summit Meeting in June.

During the meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Prime Minister Modi said that he looked forward to meeting President Obama at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China.
Hall points out that US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are discussing two major issues: a 48-hour truce which would allow the parties concerned to provide humanitarian aid to the Syrian civilians; and a Russo-American military cooperation in Syria against Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) and other terrorist groups on the ground.

Although there was a glimpse of hope that the agreement on the ceasefire and the military cooperation would be struck on Friday, the talks have stalled.

A number of key issues are yet to be solved: first and foremost, it still remains unclear how to separate "moderate" rebels from jihadists in Syria.

The issue has been hanging in the balance since January 2016 with Washington appearing to be unable to sort things out on the ground.

Last Thursday Lavrov called attention to the fact that the White House should do what it promised to do regarding separating the Syrian moderate opposition from terrorists.

"They should do what they have been promising to do since January  to separate the opposition which they consider loyal from terrorists. They cannot do this, they are either unable to do this or do not want to do it," Lavrov told reporters.
"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically condemns the parliamentary coup against Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to safeguard international law and solidarity with the people of Brazil, has decided to permanently withdraw its ambassador in the Federative Republic of Brazil and to freeze political and diplomatic relations with the new government," the ministry said in a statement.

Rousseff's impeachment violated the Brazilian constitution and the will of the Brazilian people, the statement stressed, expressing Venezuela's solidarity with Rousseff.
Earlier in August, Turkeys parliament, the Grand National Assembly, ratified the bill which stipulates that Israel should transfer $20 million to Turkey within 25 days for a 2010 raid on a Turkish flag-bearing vessel that killed 10 Turkish activists.

Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated after the Freedom Flotilla incident in May 2010, when a convoy of six ships, including one sailing under a Turkish flag, tried to approach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and activists on board. The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeli forces.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Kirby added that discussions between the United States and Russia will not be hindered by the dispute over who killed the Daesh spokesman in Syria.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed Russias Su-34 fighter-bombers killed up to 40 Daesh militants including the terrorist groups spokesperson Abu Mohammed al-Adnani.

The US Department of Defense said it had no information to support Moscows claim.
TTIP seeks to establish a free trade zone between the United States and Europe. The US government started discussions on the draft deal with the European Union in 2013. The details of TTIP, including specific rules of market access, have not been released to the public. The TTIP agreement has drawn severe criticism for the lack of transparency in the negotiations as well as for the tremendous power it would potentially give to international corporations.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest announced on Tuesday that President Barack Obama would send US trade ambassador Michael Froman to Europe in September to continue negotiations on TTIP ahead of the 15th round of talks expected to take place in October.

France is expecting a two-step presidential election on April 23 and May 7, 2017. Germany's federal elections to the Bundestag are yet to be scheduled but they should take place no later than October 22, 2017.
With Hillary Clinton well ahead of Trump in the polls, there has been talk of the Trump campaign modifying its views on immigration, with Trump himself speaking of "softening" his position. But does this make Trump any less of a bigot?

France has called on an end to talks on the TTIP  which has been strongly criticized by labor and consumer groups  days after Germanys economy minister said the deal had failed. Political leaders in Germany and France are blaming the U.S. Becker is joined by Nick Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now to discuss if TTIP is really dead.

Today marks six years since the United States combat mission in Iraq officially ended. Becker talks to legendary British parliamentarian and anti-war fighter George Galloway about the policy of endless war in Iraq.
Then, the FCC recently announced that it wont be changing rules governing media ownership. While industry lobbyists decried the move, activists, too, had criticism of the FCC  for not analyzing the impact of rules on minority media ownership. Jessica Gonzalez from the National Hispanic Media Coalition joins us to discuss.



Also, the FBI Director noted that the encryption debate has been put on ice until next year. And, a federal immigration agency is being sued for violating FOIA laws. Those stories coming up in a Classified Session.
Todays main stories: The President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has suggested that a Senator leading the probe into alleged extra judicial killings under his administration should resign and "hang herself". We talk to Chito Gascon, Chair of the Human Rights Commission of the Philippines.

Demonstrations are planned this week in Venezuela amidst the ongoing economic crisis and the potential recall of President Nicolas Maduro, but government sources are concerned that the protests could escalate into a destabilising event or even a coup. We speak with Francisco Dominguez, a senior lecturer at Middlesex University, where he is head of the Centre for Brazilian and Latin American Studies, and secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign.

You can find previous editions of World in Focus here.
MOSCOW, August 30. The strategic area of cooperation is the fuel and energy complex

Ushakov mentioned the successful implementation of the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 oil and gas projects (Japanese companies own 30 and 22.5 percent of shares in them, respectively). Novatek is building a LNG plant under the Yamal LNG project with the participation of the GJC and Chiyoda corporations. The Arctic LNG 2 project is about to be launched.

Rosneft and Gazprom are conducting talks with Japanese companies on new joint hydrocarbon projects, said Ushakov.
According to Nigmatullin, no one had ever attempted this feat of strength before, and it took him three months to train and prepare for it.

Despite looking quite innocuous, carrying a heavy piano is actually very dangerous. This is why the athlete was secured by two assistants on each step of the way. On wrong step and the heavy musical instrument would have squashed Elbrus flat into the tarmac, almost certainly causing spinal injuries. However, Nigmatullin managed to avoid any accidents along the way.
The Russian jewelry brand LeDiLe has created a collection of four mandala-like pendants. Mandala is a popular spiritual and ritual symbol representing the universe.

The center of each piece of jewelry is incrusted with a semiprecious stone: purple amethyst, blue topaz, yellow citrine or green chrysolite. All the products are hand-made from sterling silver.

To create your own unique masterpiece, which will match your manicure, outfit and mood, you can paint special sections at the base of the mandala using any nail polish without the risk of damaging the jewelry. In order to erase the painting, usual nail polish remover can be used.

LeDiLe specializes in the production of charms: small separate pieces that are attached to a bracelet. In May 2016, the brand presented a collection of jewelry dedicated to one of the oldest circuses in Russia, Nikulin's Circus in Moscow. It included leather bracelets, red pendants and charms of rabbits in hats, clowns, retro bikes, gymnasts' figures and others.
The Wests ban on Russian oil companies acquiring foreign equipment for oil exploration has been a major contribution to the recent technological development of the Russian oil industry.

Gazprom Neft has become the first Russian company to apply the full cycle of technologies used worldwide for the exploration and production of shale oil, says the press-release on the companys website.

The advanced technologies of hydraulic fracturing have been tested in the wells of the so-called Bazhenov formation (a stratum in the West Siberian basin formed from sediment deposited in a deep-water sea in Tithonianearly Berriasian time).
While the agreement is that they need only implement these measures for three years, Yahoo reckons it will be so difficult and costly it may as well leave the measures in place forever.

The company will also be updating their "Terms and Conditions," but this may prove a little useless as non-Yahoo users will have no reason to read this information.

The best part about the whole case however, is that the lawyers representing "the people" against the tech giant will get a hefty sum of US$4 million for their efforts.
In 2004, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) listed the many side-effects of steroid use, including mood swings, impaired judgment, depression, increased aggression, extreme irritability, hostility, and delusional behavior.

Endemic steroid abuse could go a long way to explaining the aggressive and violent behavior used by American police, especially in situations that could easily have been safely de-escalated, according to the Free Thought Project. As with methamphetamine abuse, steroids bring a sense of invincibility, making the user feel indestructible.

According to the DEA, The idea of enhanced physical strength and endurance provides one with the invincible mentality when performing law enforcement duties.
After reports that a student had complained, Harvard was ordered by school administrators to remove her shirt as it could "disrupt the education process." She complied, but only after writing about the incident on her Facebook page and posting a photo of herself wearing the shirt.

She said the reason she wore the shirt was because of an argument with another student a few days earlier in which she was told, "black lives dont matter," and that she had seen other students wear political T-shirts that could be considered offensive, including shirts featuring the Confederate flag.
According to a company assessment , at least a hundred colonists would be required to be sent to Mars at one time to make a permanent settlement practical.

Current space transportation technology allows sending to space fewer than a dozen people at a time. This limitation greatly increases the cost of a potential Mars mission, diminishing prospects to colonize the Red Planet in the near future.

The journey to Mars, lasting some six to nine months, is also hard on the human body, both mentally and physically.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Opinion polls this week showed Trump still trailing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, but narrowing the gap.

"Remember: the Republican Party is the Party of Lincoln  not bad," Trump said in a speech on Tuesday night. "It is the Democratic Party that is the party of slavery, the party of Jim Crow [the century long policy of racial segregation, discrimination and race hatred across the US South], the party of oppression."

Trump said the Republican Party had to build on the heritage of Lincoln, who freed the AfricanAmerican slave population in the US Civil War 150 years ago and give African-Americans and other racial minorities the opportunities they had been denied for so long.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  As soon as on Wednesday, FBI could release the report that was sent to the Justice Department in July with recommendations not to lay charges on Clinton, the CNN broadcaster reported citing multiple local officials.

The broadcaster added that the report, as well as the document containing the information obtained during the interviews with Clinton conducted by the agency's staff.

During the FBI probe of Clintons use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state, investigators discovered 110 email that contained classified information at the time they were sent or received.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A number of US Democratic Party members believe the Clinton family should cut its ties to the Clinton Foundation in light of the ongoing presidential campaign, a US newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Earlier in August, the legal group Judicial Watch stated that a batch of 725 US State Department emails supported claims that the Clinton Foundation provided big donors with special access to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton while she was in charge of the agency.

"The foundation has become a distraction, politically speaking. Cut the ties to the family. Whats at stake is the big prize. The big prize is not the Clinton Foundation. Its the presidency of the United States," Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva told The Wall Street Journal.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton vowed on Wednesday to initiate a new Nuclear Posture Review as one of her first steps as president if she takes the White House in 2017.

"One of the first things I will do as president is to call for a new Nuclear Posture Review," Clinton said in a speech to the American Legion Convention in Ohio.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for an end to sequestration, the US budget spending caps, in a Wednesday campaign speech to the American Legion veterans convention in Ohio.

The sequester makes our country less secure. Lets end it and get a budget deal that supports Americas military, our families and our country, Clinton said.

Clinton demanded that more must be done to ensure the United States does not lose our military edge, by giving the Pentagon the stable, predictable funding it needs.
Clinton claimed that the nation needs to solve global problems, as only we can, again painting a stark contrast to her opponents repeated statements against globalism and focusing on unorthodox methods to solve problems at home.

Clintons track record of solving global problems, is a lengthy list of destabilized regions, including Honduras, Haiti, Syria, and Libya.

We cant cozy up to dictators, we have to stand up to them, Clinton stated, reminding many of her push to take down Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. That gambit left Libya in absolute chaos, Daesh rising in power, and an estimated 400,000 people displaced as a direct result of the intervention.

Clinton then listed the nations she considers to be a threat, stating that the US needs a military that is ready for them, explaining that she believes that the United States must embrace new tactics, including treating cyber attacks just like any other attacks, a pointed statement as she continues, despite of evidence to the contrary, to paint Russia as a nation of hackers.

We need to respond to evolving threats, from states like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, Clinton stated, also mentioning the terror group Daesh. We need a military that is ready and agile so that it can meet the full range of threats  and operate on short notice across every domain  not just land, sea, air, and space, but also cyber space.

She reasserted unsubstantiated claims that state-operated Russian intelligence services were behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The Kremlin has strongly denied any involvement in the breach.

Youve seen reports  Russia has hacked into a lot of things, China has hacked into a lot of things  Russia even hacked into the Democratic National Committee! Clinton repeated. Maybe even some state election systems, so weve gotta step up our game.

Clinton, her campaign, and her party, have continuously claimed that Russia was behind the DNC hack, and have accused WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of working with Putin to meddle in the US election, despite multiple officials and experts pointing out that there is no evidence that Russia was involved in the hack.
Residents, both children and adults, have claimed that "clowns stay in a house located near a pond at the end of a man-made trail in the woods," according to a police report. Police searched the home in question, but found "no signs of suspicious activity or characters dressed in clown attire."

One woman, walking home in late evening, saw a clown with a blinking nose waving at her while standing under a street light by a dumpster. Another resident claims that she saw clowns run away after her son told her that he saw clowns with green laser pointers. Other local children have claimed that a clown offered them money to follow them into the woods.

The spooky reports led police to issue a warning to residents of the Fleetwood Manor apartments, where the sightings allegedly occured.
BEIJING (Sputnik)  The statement was issued by China's State Council amid Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's first official visit to the country . On Wednesday, Trudeau met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.

According to the statement, the sides agreed that the meetings will be held on an annual basis and that a so-called 'dialogue mechanism' has been created. In addition, Trudeau and Li agreed to establish a "new era" of practical cooperation between the countries in various fields.

Trudeau's visit to China kicked off Tuesday and will last through September 6.
BEIJING (Sputnik)  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on a eight-day visit to China that kicked off Tuesday. On Wednesday, Trudeau met with Li in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

"China and Canada have multi-vector cooperation in trade and economy, the parties have agreed to prepare a feasibility study for the establishment of a free trade zone between China and Canada as soon as possible," Li said at a joint press conference with Trudeau.

According to Li, the sides must jointly send a signal to the global community to defend the liberalization of international trade and promote simpler implementation of investments.
On Sunday German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said that negotiations between the US and EU on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) had come to a halt, putting an end to the plan.

"In my opinion the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, because we Europeans did not want to subject ourselves to American demands," Gabriel, who is also Minister for Economic Affairs, told German broadcaster ZDF.

However, on Wednesday an "irritated" Froman told Der Spiegel that TTIP is still very much alive, and contradicted Gabriel.

"I do not share the assessment of Minister Gabriel. The reaction from the Chancellor's office and the European Commission shows that they also see things differently. In trade talks, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Progress is not measured by how many negotiating chapters have been closed, but by whether both sides can find solutions to all problems," Froman said, and expressed surprise at the negative discourse around TTIP in Europe.

Froman said that TTIP negotiations have made good progress in some areas, and cited the lifting of customs duties as one area of agreement.

"We are already agreed on the elimination of 97 percent of customs duties," Froman said.

"We have agreed to harmonize the regulations and make them more transparent, and maintain high standards in health and safety, the environment and labor," said Froman, listing some of the concerns expressed about the TTIP deal.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The first regular flight from the United States to Cuba scheduled for Wednesday marks a new advancement in the Washington-Havana relations, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

"8/31/2016:The 1st US commercial flight to #Cuba since 1961, just over a year after raising the flag at US Embassy Havana. Another step fwd. [forward]," Kerry said on Twitter.

Cuban Deputy Transport Minister Eduardo Rodriguez announced earlier in the month that regular commercial flights between Cuba and the United States would be re-launched on August 31.
He is now an ISIL member and recruiter. In May 2015, he announced in a 10-minute propaganda video that he fights for ISIL and has called publicly for violent acts against the United States, Russia, and Tajikistan, the press release says.

The document however does not mention that the person whom it designates as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist had undergone training on US soil.

In the same very video where he is sitting against a backdrop of palm trees, brandishing a gun and surrounded by bearded, armed men, Khalimov reveals that he had spent years at US military training bases.

In 2003, I went to Baton Rouge in Louisiana, to undergo special training with the US Special Forces, the man says.

In 2008, I also underwent special training, again at Baton Rouge, he continues.

From 2003 to 2008, I had special training in America at a Blackwater military base, he further reveals, adding that there they were trained to fight against Muslims and Islam.

Back in 2015, RT news channel contacted the US institutions involved in his training for information.

The US training organization The Academy, which is the current owner of the facilities where Khalimov was taught, answered that they did everything with the explicit approval of the appropriate US Government department or agency.

The Pentagon then responded that the individual services would track foreign military personnel, who have received training, and advised the channel to contact them.

Therefore it remains unclear what kind of extensive training spans 5 consecutive years.

According to the US media, the State Department has confirmed this claim.

"From 2003-2014 Colonel Khalimov participated in five counterterrorism training courses in the United States and in Tajikistan, through the Department of State's Diplomatic Security/Anti-Terrorism Assistance program," said spokeswoman Pooja Jhunjhunwala.

The program is intended to train candidates from participating countries in the latest counterterrorism tactics, so they can fight the very kind of militants that Khalimov has now joined.

A State Department official said Khalimov was trained in crisis response, tactical management of special events, tactical leadership training and related issues.

Long before his training in the US, Khalimov also claimed that he underwent training with the Russian Special Forces, back in 1997.

Several months after the release of the video, in September 2015 the US Department of State designated Khalimov as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)On August 24, Ankara announced that Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, had begun a military operation dubbed Euphrates Shield to clear Jarabulus of the Daesh jihadist group, outlawed in Russia. Syrian Kurds and Damascus accused Ankara of violating the territorial integrity of the country.

"Any armed actions on a territory of a sovereign state [should be] agreed with this countrys government. We are urging to exercise selectivity in picking targets and avoid attacking locations of opposition and ethnic groups, including Syrian Kurds," Zakharova told a briefing.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  Moscow and Ankara are in talks on the use of national currencies in bilateral trade, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said Wednesday.

"Technical negotiations with the participation of the central banks of both countries on the possibility of using the ruble and the lira in mutual trade are currently underway," Zeybekci said, as quoted by the Anadolu news agency.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Inaction on the part of international organizations leads to violence against journalists in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

"The situation with the safety and favorable working conditions of media representatives in this country have been a matter of deep concern for a long time. Numerous cases of direct or indirect psychological violence against journalists are the result of the appeasement and inaction by specialized international organizations," Zakharova said at a briefing.

Zakharova spoke to reporters three days after police in Kiev said it found the body of Russian journalist Alexander Shchetinin, founder of the Novy Region (New Region) news agency, in his apartment with a gunshot wound to the head. She stressed the need for authorities to investigate Shchetinins death objectively and transparently.
"It's official: first regular flight departs from Fort Lauderdale to Cuba," Cabanas said in a message on Twitter.

It's official: first regular flight departs from Fort Lauderdale to #Cuba @JetBlue pic.twitter.com/MxJx4Ff8bu  Jose Ramon Cabanas (@JoseRCabanas) August 31, 2016

The first direct flight, run by US airline JetBlue, will fly to the Cuban city of Santa Clara.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Talks on the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) are most likely to fail unless concluded before the end of 2016, Foreign Trade Associations Head of International Trade Policy Pierre-Michael Groening told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"There is still chance of success for TTIP but the window of opportunity is rapidly closing with the end of the term of President Obama approaching and the uncertainty about his succession. Negotiations have not reached an impasse but are likely to fail in case there is no political deal by the end of this year," Groening said.

On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande and German Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel suggested in separate statements that it would be impossible to conclude the TTIP agreement before the end of the year.
Last Sunday, German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said that negotiations between the US and EU on the TTIP deal had come to a halt, putting an end to the plan.

Commenting on Christina Segal-Knowles' remarks, political analyst Andrei Volodin of the Russian Foreign Ministry' Diplomatic Academy, made it plain that he did not share her optimism.

"In its current form, this idea does not work and has no chance of success. As for China, the flop of this project shows that Beijing needs new forms of mutually advantageous relations with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. And the example of the US is of importance to China because it may help Beijing find a way to develop these new relations," he said.

Some experts even suggested that when voting for the withdrawal from the EU, perennial US ally Britain could think that the TTIP agreement might undermine their national sovereignty and vital interests.

Mikhail Belyayev, an expert from the Institute of Stock Market and Management, told Sputnik that China, for its part, can use the opportunity related to Brexit.

He recalled that several decades ago, Japan considered the UK as its own channel and as sort of a Trojan horse to enter Western Europe's markets.

"Now that Brexit occurred, China can use political powerhouse Britain as a global Trojan horse in order to further strengthen its influence in the world and carry out a strategy of globalizing its own economy," Belyayev said.

In the meantime, media reports said on Tuesday that China and Canada had agreed on the speedy preparation of a feasibility study on the establishment of a free trade zone between China and Canada.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations might be resurrected despite German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel's recent statement that they are essentially dead and be even less transparent in the future, representatives of the several European organizations opposing the TTIP told Sputnik.

Gabriel's statement on Saturday that the TTIP negotiations are de facto dead were followed by French Minister of State for Foreign Trade Matthias Fekl's announcement on Tuesday that Paris would call for a halt to the current negotiations on the TTIP.

"We fear that a new US administration  or indeed, French or German  may well resurrect TTIP, likely under a different name. TTIP is not tied to any individual, but is the product of neoliberalism and the championing of big business profits above all else," Mark Dearn, a senior trade campaigner with the War on Want charity, said.
Popular downunder pacer Karloo Mick passed away on Tuesday afternoon.

Often referred to as The Peoples Champion or the Dubbo Destroyer, Karloo Mick was humanely euthanized after suffering from a suspected brain aneurysm.

Naturally owners Barry and Ronda Lew are devastated.

I came home from the farm yesterday afternoon and Mick was crook in the paddock, Barry stated. I called the vet straight away and apparently he had a brain aneurysm.

He was suffering so at 6pm we decided it was best to put him down.

We just buried him (Wednesday) standing up as warhorses dont lie down.

He is buried with all of his harness on including his shadow roll and Murphy blind.

Karloo Mick ran his last race at Tabcorp Park Menangle on January 26, 2013, which he won. Yet even though he has not raced in all this time, Mick still had his fans.

Just two weeks ago people from Victoria flew to Newcastle then hired a car and drove all the way to Dubbo just to see Mick, Ronda said.

They knew everything about him and that was Mick, he was the peoples horse.

Just yesterday he was galloping around in the paddock with a young horse so it is hard to believe this has happened.

Barry lay with him until he took his last breath . . . the horse just loved Barry.

Mick is buried in our backyard facing the house so will be with us forever.

He was a great horse that was part of the family.

Karloo Mick (Panorama - Miss Jogalong) had many great achievements in his career which spanned from when he was three until he was a 12-year-old.

Passing away just over a day shy of turning 16, Karloo Mick raced in all the major races and even came close to winning a Miracle Mile in 2011 when finishing second to Smoken Up.

He won an Inter Dominion Consolation at Globe Derby in 2007 and two years later finished third in an Inter Dominion Final behind the likes of Mr Feelgood and Blacks A Fake.

Racing against the best of them, Karloo Mick had 159 starts in Australia for 64 wins and 59 placings, earning $1,493,155 in purses.

He also raced twice in New Zealand which included his win in the Group Two Ashburton Flying Stakes.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Karloo Mick.

(with files from HRNSW)
Labor Day Teresa Canonization Contrasts with Hillary Presidential Campaign, says John Snyder

Contact: John Snyder, 202-239-8085, gundean@gmail.com TITUSVILLE, Fla., Aug. 31, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- "The canonization of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta on the day before Labor Day contrasts sharply with the abortion promoting presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton," John M. Snyder of Telum Associates said here today."The moral differences between these two prominent women bring to mind a core meditation in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus," Snyder continued."This is the meditation on two standards, the standard of Christ and the standard of Satan," Snyder added. "The defense of the right to life and opposition to abortion by St. Teresa as a follower of Christ contrasts with the promotion of abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage by Hillary as a puppet of the devil.""Catholic bishops should take note," Snyder declared. "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and individual bishops have a moral obligation to inform parishioners they cannot vote in good conscience for a political candidate who supports abortion. That means Hillary Clinton."Snyder noted, "St. Teresa told attendees at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. in 1994 that, 'The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself.'"Among the attendees was First Lady Hillary Clinton, who did not applaud, but 'glistened in the lights and moved not a muscle, looking at the speaker in a determinedly semi-pleasant way,' recalled Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan."Snyder noted Life News indicated Hillary would "make Christians change their religious views to support abortion."He said an American Values Action video showed Clinton stating: "deep seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed," "the unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights," and "the only people that I would ever appoint to the Supreme Court are people who believe that Roe v. Wade is settled law.""Clinton Supreme Court justice nominees would rule to undermine freedom of religion," Snyder warned. "A Hillary presidency would persecute individual Catholics and the institutional Catholic Church."Catholic bishops should stop acting like weasels and accept their moral responsibility to tell parishioners they may not vote in good conscience for abortion promoter Clinton. Voters could select the Trump-Pence right to life ticket."
It's Election season and our editor's mailbox is overflowing. Who do your neighbors support? Read about it here.
Bernie Altman, 92, a retired school teacher and well-known advocate for mental health services in Cowlitz County, remained in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon after he was stabbed and beaten last week in his Kelso home.

Altman suffered a fractured skull and is being treated at the Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver for a subdural hematoma, which is a collection of blood under the skull caused by a burst brain vessel.

Kelso police on Thursday arrested David Altman, 52, on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, third-degree assault and resisting arrest. He was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and is being held without bail.
CATHLAMET  More than 50 anglers buzzed with anticipation at midmorning Tuesday, Aug. 30, as they dipped their lines into the gray Columbia River, waiting for a snag.

Some had been there since 6:30 a.m. Others arrived even earlier.

Rushing wind accompanied the sound of boat engines. Occasionally, the excited shout of a fisherman pierced the din, a signal that a fish was tugging on a line.

All the anglers were veterans or active military men from all over the state. Several were war widows. They all were participating in the second annual Warriors and Widows salmon derby, a competition to catch the largest Chinook salmon.

Competition, though, took a backseat to bolstering camaraderie, because the contest was meant to honor soldiers who served in Afghanistan or Iraq and comfort the spouses who lost husbands during active duty. And it was a way for boat owners to give back to people in the military.

Dane Betts, who actively serves in the Army, said he couldnt pass up the opportunity to fish among other military men and women.

Its a lot of fun, he said, adding that everyone was very welcoming.

Tiffany Burgess, 34, of Bonney Lake, Wash., was among those who reeled in a salmon Tuesday morning. Burgess, who lost her husband during active duty five years ago, said it was calming to be fishing among veterans.

It makes me feel normal, she said.

Stephanie Groepper, founder of Washington Warrior Widows, echoed Burgess sentiments. Groeppers husband died in Iraq eight years ago. She said military men and women  and their spouses  share a special connection, and events such as the fishing derby are a reminder of that relationship.

Being out here with veterans, its that bond, she said.

Both Groepper and Burgess reeled in a salmon before 9:30 a.m. Groepers fish  which weighed in at 17.8 pounds  was the largest caught by any of the women fishing. Burgess chinook was the third largest, weighing in at 14.4 pounds.

The largest catch of the day  by veteran Israel Augilla  was 24.1 pounds.

While Burgess said she was proud of her catch, she had no plans to eat it.

I dont eat em. I dont touch em. I just like to fish, she said with a smile.

Army veteran Justin Bowen, nearby Burgess, also snagged a catch, which he estimated to be about 21 pounds. As the fish began tugging his line, though, his friend, Army veteran James Wolfe, shouted predictions of a much larger catch.

Thirty seven pounds! Wolfe shouted as Bowen coaxed the fish closer to the boat. Thirty seven pounds. Im calling it.

After a few minutes, the fish was netted. It was smaller than Wolfe predicted, but large enough to put smiles on both their faces.

Bruce Peterson, a captain on one of the boats, and Lucas Beaton, a deckhand, said they were excited to be working with the military men and women Tuesday. Beaton said he felt it was a way to say thank you.

(I like) that I can come out here and take these guys out after what theyve done for us, he said.

You cant put a price tag on (their service), Beaton added.
The inventions of science have benefited human civilization as well as deprived it of the inherent gift of nature. The proliferation of weapons beginning from the Stone Age has led to the massive hoarding of nuclear weapons. Government all over the world must address this rising menace in order to present a sustainable and secure environment for the future generations.

The most profound example of Governments undertaking initiatives to inhibit the risks of nuclear weapons can be observed in the case of Kazakhstan, who is going to celebrate its 25th anniversary for global security. 25th years ago, in this December Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayevs end the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Weapons Test Site, which facilitated the first Soviet trial of an atomic weapon in 1949 and 455 take after on tests.

Nazarbayevs announcement started the nations way far from atomic arms and dispatched what might get to be more than two many years of promotion for the extreme assignment of averting nuclear and biological fighting. Kazakhstan delivers an exceptional width of counter-WMD activities led by a single nation. It surrendered nuclear weapons, destroyed a substantial scale organic weapons program, and took various ways to deal with atomic security, not only for its own nation but for ensuring the global security.

It also includes the removal of perilous materials and securing other setups. In order to expand its previous attempt to bring up tranquility, Kazakhstan adds to territorial and worldwide endeavors to diminish present and future WMD dangers by facilitating a global atomic fuel bank and a sickness control lab extraordinarily intended to lessen organic and well being security risks.

To recall this occasion, everyone should take a look back at Kazakhstans 25 years of effort for plummeting weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threats.
Is this star too young or too old? NASA astronomers puzzled over age of this star

Is this star too young or too old? No one actually knows as NASA astronomers are puzzled over age of this age-defying star. Earlier, scientists believed it to be a fully grown and old star but new study suggests that the star is still under making. The star has both the sign of being young and old which is confusing the scientists.

Astronomers recognized this object as noteworthy around the year 2000 and have been trying ever since to decide how far along its development is, said Martin Cordiner, an astrochemist working at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He is the lead author of a paper in the Astrophysical Journal describing the teams findings, from observations made using NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope and ESAs Herschel Space Observatory.

Located more than 12,000 light-years from Earth, the object named IRAS 19312+1950 first stood out as peculiar when it was observed at particular radio frequencies. Several teams of astronomers studied it using ground-based telescopes and concluded that it is an oxygen-rich star about 10 times as massive as the sun. The question was: What kind of star?

Some researchers favor the idea that the star is evolved  past the peak of its life cycle and on the decline. For most of their lives, stars obtain their energy by fusing hydrogen in their cores, as the sun does now. But older stars have used up most of their hydrogen and must rely on heavier fuels that dont last as long, leading to rapid deterioration.

Two early clues  intense radio sources called masers  suggested the star was old. In astronomy, masers occur when the molecules in certain kinds of gases get revved up and emit a lot of radiation over a very limited range of frequencies. The result is a powerful radio beacon  the microwave equivalent of a laser.

One maser observed with IRAS 19312+1950 is almost exclusively associated with late-stage stars. This is the silicon oxide maser, produced by molecules made of one silicon atom and one oxygen atom. Researchers dont know why this maser is nearly always restricted to elderly stars, but of thousands of known silicon oxide masers, only a few exceptions to this rule have been noted.

Also spotted with the star was a hydroxyl maser, produced by molecules comprised of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom. Hydroxyl masers can occur in various kinds of astronomical objects, but when one occurs with an elderly star, the radio signal has a distinctive pattern  its especially strong at a frequency of 1612 megahertz. Thats the pattern researchers found in this case.

Even so, the object didnt entirely fit with evolved stars. Especially puzzling was the smorgasbord of chemicals found in the large cloud of material surrounding the star. A chemical-rich cloud like this is typical of the regions where new stars are born, but no such stellar nursery had been identified near this star.

Scientists initially proposed that the object was an old star surrounded by a surprising cloud typical of the kind that usually accompanies young stars. Another idea was that the observations might somehow be capturing two objects: a very old star and an embryonic cloud of star-making material in the same field.

Cordiner and his colleagues began to reconsider the object, conducting observations using ESAs Herschel Space Observatory and analyzing data gathered earlier with NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope. Both telescopes operate at infrared wavelengths, which gave the team new insight into the gases, dust and ices in the cloud surrounding the star.

The additional information leads Cordiner and colleagues to think the star is in a very early stage of formation. The object is much brighter than it first appeared, they say, emitting about 20,000 times the energy of our sun. The team found large quantities of ices made from water and carbon dioxide in the cloud around the object. These ices are located on dust grains relatively close to the star, and all this dust and ice blocks out starlight making the star seem dimmer than it really is.

In addition, the dense cloud around the object appears to be collapsing, which happens when a growing star pulls in material. In contrast, the material around an evolved star is expanding and is in the process of escaping to the interstellar medium. The entire envelope of material has an estimated mass of 500 to 700 suns, which is much more than could have been produced by an elderly or dying star.

We think the star is probably in an embryonic stage, getting near the end of its accretion stage  the period when it pulls in new material to fuel its growth, said Cordiner.

Also supporting the idea of a young star are the very fast wind speeds measured in two jets of gas streaming away from opposite poles of the star. Such jets of material, known as a bipolar outflow, can be seen emanating from young or old stars. However, fast, narrowly focused jets are rarely observed in evolved stars. In this case, the team measured winds at the breakneck speed of at least 200,000 miles per hour (90 kilometers per second)  a common characteristic of a protostar.

Still, the researchers acknowledge that the object is not a typical protostar. For reasons they cant explain yet, the star has spectacular features of both a very young and a very old star.

No matter how one looks at this object, its fascinating, and it has something new to tell us about the life cycles of stars, said Steven Charnley, a Goddard astrochemist and co-author of the paper.

NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission, whose science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center. Spacecraft operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado.

Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led principal investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.
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The United States is furious at the European Union for handing Apple Inc a $14.5 billion tax demand on Tuesday but EU officials say it was Washington which put them on to the scheme in the first place.

It was a US Senate report in May 2013 revealing the tech giant's deal with the Irish government to rule a big slice of its global earnings untaxable that prompted the European Commission to launch its own inquiries the following month.

The US Treasury said the Commission's order that Apple pay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland - which the company and Dublin are appealing - endangers EU-US economic relations just as efforts to reach a transatlantic free trade pact unravel.

A senior Democratic senator said Brussels had made "a cheap money grab" for U.S. revenues.

But his party colleague who chaired hearings into Apple's taxes three years ago, Carl Levin, said the Europeans were only trying to take what US authorities had failed to claim by not closing loopholes that allowed firms to hoard profits overseas.

"The IRS has failed to stake a claim for US taxes on those revenues," he said in a statement, referring to the US Internal Revenue Service. "So Europe attempts to fill the vacuum. Shame on Apple for dodging US taxes. Shame on the IRS for failing to challenge Apples tax avoidance."

For Marcel Fratzscher, president of leading German economic think-tank DIW Berlin and author of a new book on growing inequality, the mudslinging between politicians reflects how global corporations have exploited competition for investment to blunt states' efforts to co-operate against tax avoidance.

"Companies are playing one government against another," he told Reuters.

EU listened to Senate

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, a straight-talking Dane who dismisses talk of leading an anti-American crusade, says the hearings at the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chaired by Levin were what gave her Spanish predecessor grounds to demand disclosure by Apple and Ireland.

"The Commission listened and decided to look deeper into the matter," Vestager said in June, crediting media reporting and hearings in the British parliament for also providing evidence to help break secrecy around nearly 1,000 cases across Europe.

The Commission said in its judgment on Apple that the United States and other countries were welcome to try and claim some of the unpaid taxes for themselves - highlighting just the complaints of Levin and other senators three years ago when they skewered Apple CEO Tim Cook for failing to bring cash home.

As well as Apple, Starbucks Corp was ordered to pay more Dutch taxes and Amazon.com Inc and McDonald's Corp are still being investigated; a series of EU accusations that Google, part of Alphabet Inc, has abused its market power have also fuelled complaints from U.S. President Barack Obama's administration that Europe is out to punish American success.

Competition lawyer Pierre Sabbadini said political pressures drove different responses by different authorities. Leaks and public hearings on tax deals had created pressure among voters for the EU to act in 2013, he said, while the size of the companies targeted gave them clout with political leaders, too.

"When investigation-target companies have grown to the size of Apple, they can reach out for political support," he said.

The Obama administration has taken its own action to curb tax avoidance schemes lately. In April, amid public controversy over drug company Pfizer Inc's proposed merger with Allergan Plc of Ireland, it announced plans to curb so-called "tax inversions", by which U.S. firms have undertaken cross-border mergers in order to switch to a domicile abroad and so avoid U.S. taxes.

Pfizer abandoned the merger.

Reuters
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Despite knowing that e-mails and Facebook messages from unknown senders can contain dangerous links, most people click on them anyway mainly due to their inability to contain their curiosity, says a study. The researchers found that up to 56 per cent of e-mail recipients and around 40 per cent of Facebook users clicked on a link from an unknown sender although they knew of the risks of their computer becoming infected with a virus.

For the experiment, Zinaida Benenson from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) in Germany and her team sent around 1,700 students e-mails or Facebook messages under a false name. They adapted the fake messages to the target groups by signing them with one of the ten most common names for the target group's generation. The text claimed that the link in the message was to a page with images of a party the previous weekend.

If the recipient clicked on the link they were directed to a page with the message 'access denied'. This enabled the researchers to register the click rates. They then sent a questionnaire to all of the participants which first asked them to rate their own awareness of security before explaining the experiment and asking them about the reasons they did or did not click on the link.

The researchers found that 56 per cent of the e-mail recipients and 38 per cent of the Facebook message recipients in the study clicked on the links. "The overall results surprised us as 78 per cent of participants stated in the questionnaire that they were aware of the risks of unknown links," Benenson said. When asked why they clicked on the link, the large majority of participants said that it was due to curiosity about the content of the photos or the identity of the sender.

IANS
Naina Khedekar

After Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Mobile World Congress (MWC), IFA is considered to be the next big trade show for consumer electronics to take from from 2 to 7 September in Berlin. With the usual flow from smartphone companies, we could also see new emerging technologies come to the forefront this year. With IFA 2016 just around the corner, here's everything that you can expect at the consumer electronics trade show in Berlin.

Samsung Gear S3, smart home appliances

Samsung has gone ahead and already sent out invites for its press briefing at the IFA 2016. The invite doesn't mention any product, but clearly points out at a watch, which is speculated to be the Samsung Gear S3. The event is scheduled for 1 September. A recent report had pointed out at a rotary bezel for the watch. Now, IFA is where we've earlier seen the company unveil flagship products, but looks like the Watch will be the highlight this year. Besides, the company is also expected to showcase its connected home appliances such as Twitter-connected fridges.

Huawei trio: Nova, Nova Plus, MediaPad M3

Huawei also has a press meet slated for 1 September, and going by prolific tipster that company has a trio of devices planned for the event. Huawei Nova, Nova Plus and MediaPad M3 will be unveiled at the tech show. Now, not much is known about Nova or Nova Plus, but both are said to be aimed towards women buyers.

https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/770322476014460928

AndroidAuthority points out at the possibility of the device leaked as Mate S2 to be the Nova instead. In that case, the specs would be 5.5-inch Full HD display, Kirin 960 SoC, 4GB RAM, 16MP rear snapper, 8MP front camera and a 3500mAh battery.

On the other hand, the MediaPad M3 would be the successor to the M2 10 that made its debut at the CES earlier this year.

Lenovo and Motorola

Lenovo and Lenovo-owned Motorola will be sharing a conference slated for 31 August, a pre-IFA event. Post that, the company will put on display a slew of products including Moto Mods and an all-new Moto 360 watch.

The IFA 2016 teaser video by the company gives a sneak peek into some of the interesting products that the company has planned. Apart from the highly-anticipated watch, thanks to the upcoming Watch 2 launch, one can't help but notice bendable display and a hybrid-tablet device probably to take on the Microsoft Surface. Moreover, a new Tango phone is also speculated to be the highlight of the press meet.

Sony smartphones

While most companies seem to be focusing on devices that are not smartphones, Sony has planned new Xperia XR and X Compact for a 1 September event. The Xperia XR is likely to pack in a bigger 5.2-inch display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 4GB RAM. On the other hand, Sonys 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.

Asus

Asus is also expected to put on shelf a new wearable.The company has teased a Zenolution for a pre-event to take place on 31 August, so we can expect some big announcements there.

LG

The company has already disclosed its plans for the 21:9 aspect monitors. However, we wonder if the rumoured LG G Flex 3 will make its presence felt. The special feature of LGs G Flex series was always the flexible form factor and the fact that it also packed in a self-healing back cover.
tech2 News Staff

The age of flip phones has long gone but looks like Samsung doesnt want to let it go. The company launched the Galaxy Golden back in 2013 and gave it a new life last year in the form of the Galaxy Folder. This year might see another model from the Korean smartphone maker as a bunch of images of the device have leaked.

The new Galaxy Folder 2, or so it is assumed, has leaked in a set of live images in a gold colour variant. According to the TENAA listing, the Samsung Galaxy Folder 2 will feature a 3.8-inch WVGA display (800x480 pixel resolution), a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor, Adreno 308 GPU, 16GB onboard storage, microSD card slot expansion of up to 128GB, 2GB RAM, and a 2000mAh battery. It will run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and come with an 8MP rear camera and 5MP front-facing camera.

Rest of the features include dual SIM card support, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Theres no mention of 4G/LTE networks but it probably will offer the connectivity option. In terms of size, the smartphone will measure 122 x 60.2 x 15.5mm, weighing at 155g.

The launch of the new smartphone is expected to happen soon in China. If you are expecting the smartphone to launch in India then youll be disappointed to know that it is highly unlikely since none of the older flip smartphones from Samsung were officially launched here.
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SWIFT, the global financial messaging system, on Tuesday disclosed new hacking attacks on its member banks as it pressured them to comply with security procedures instituted after February's high-profile $81 million heist at Bangladesh Bank. In a private letter to clients, SWIFT said that new cyber-theft attempts - some of them successful - have surfaced since June, when it last updated customers on a string of attacks discovered after the attack on the Bangladesh central bank.

"Customers environments have been compromised, and subsequent attempts (were) made to send fraudulent payment instructions," according to a copy of the letter reviewed by Reuters. "The threat is persistent, adaptive and sophisticated - and it is here to stay." The disclosure suggests that cyber thieves may have ramped up their efforts following the Bangladesh Bank heist, and that they specifically targeted banks with lax security procedures for SWIFT-enabled transfers.

The Brussels-based firm, a member-owned cooperative, indicated in Tuesday's letter that some victims in the new attacks lost money, but did not say how much was taken or how many of the attempted hacks succeeded. It did not identify specific victims, but said the banks varied in size and geography and used different methods for accessing SWIFT. A SWIFT spokeswoman declined to elaborate on the recently uncovered incidents or the security issues detailed in the letter, saying the firm does not discuss affairs of specific customers.

All the victims shared one thing in common: Weaknesses in local security that attackers exploited to compromise local networks and send fraudulent messages requesting money transfers, according to the letter. Accounts of the attack on Bangladesh Bank suggest that weak security procedures there made it easier to hack into computers used to send SWIFT messages requesting large money transfers. The bank lacked a firewall and used second-hand, $10 electronic switches to network those computers, according to the Bangladesh police.

SWIFT has repeatedly pushed banks to implement new security measures rolled out after the Bangladesh heist, including stronger systems for authenticating users and updates to its software for sending and receiving messages. But it has been difficult for SWIFT to force banks to comply because the nonprofit cooperative lacks regulatory authority over its members. SWIFT told banks Tuesday that it might report them to regulators and banking partners if they failed to meet a November 19 deadline for installing the latest version of its software, which includes new security features designed to thwart the type of attacks described in its letter.

The security features include technology for verifying credentials of people accessing a bank's SWIFT system; stronger rules for password management; and better tools for identifying attempts to hack the software. SWIFT is trying coerce members into prioritizing cyber-security by threatening to share confidential information about security lapses that banks want to keep private, said Shane Shook, an independent security consultant who advises central banks.

"That type of information sharing is something that no bank likes to see happen without their direct approval and involvement, because it can affect market confidence," Shook said. SWIFT disclosed the new hacks after reports of previous incidents prompted regulators in Europe and the United States to urge banks to bolster cyber-security. Other cases involving fraudulent transfer requests include the theft of more than $12 million from Ecuador's Banco del Austro and a failed attempt later in 2015 to steal money from Vietnam's Tien Phong Bank.

The attacks have prompted regulators globally to press banks to bolster defenses. The Bank of England in April ordered UK firms to detail actions to secure computers connected to the SWIFT system, while the European Banking Authority in May said domestic authorities should stress test banks for cyber risks.

The Federal Reserve and other U.S. agencies told banks in June to review protections against fraudulent money transfers. Six U.S. senators on Monday urged the G20 nations to agree when they meet at a summit this weekend on a coordinated strategy to combat cyber-crime at critical financial institutions.

Reuters
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The New York Mets got an 8-4 victory over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night at Citi Field, and have now won eight of their last 10 games. As a result, theyre right in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, just 2.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second Wild Card slot.

However, all of the good vibes didnt stop Mets star starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard from tweeting out a message about something he wasnt very happy with from the teams fans Tuesday night. Syndergaard tweeted that he wants the name and the address of the person who started the wave tonight, and followed with the hashtags #banthewave #resisttheurge:

Very happy we won.but I want the name and address of the person who started the Wave tonight. #banthewave #resisttheurge  Noah Syndergaard (@Noahsyndergaard) August 31, 2016

I certainly support this message from Thor, and Id imagine most people reading this do as well. Lets get #BanTheWave trending on Twitter.

But, if the wave isnt banned, dont expect Syndergaard to want to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers down the road in free agency, as he probably wouldnt enjoy playing in Dodger Stadium too much.

[@NoahSyndergaard]
Risha`s killer Obaidul captured from Nilphamari

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Obaidul, alleged killer of Willes Little Flower School and College student Suraiya Akhter Risha, from Sonahar village in Domar upazila of Nilphamari district early Wednesday. Additional Superintendent of Police Abu Baker, commanding officer of Rab-13, said tipped off, a team of the elite force launched a drive in Sonahar village and tracked down Obaidul around 4.00am. Details about the drive will be disclosed at a press briefing at about 11.00am, said the ASP. Earlier on Monday, police arrested a sister and brother-in-law of Obaidul from Niratongi village in Birganj upazila of Dinajpur. The arrestees were identified as M Khadiza Begum, 36, and her husband Khadimul Islam, 46, of the village. Suraiya Akhter Risha, 14, daughter of Md Ramzan Ali of Bangshal of old Dhaka and an eighth-grader of Willes Little Flower School and College, was stabbed by her stalker Obaidul in front of her educational institution at Kakrail in the capital on Wednesday (August 24). She succumbed to her wounds at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Sunday morning. --Dhaka, Aug 31 (UNB)
Supreme Court grants Shafik Rehman bail for three months

The Supreme Court has granted journalist Shafik Rehman conditional bail for three months in a case over an alleged plot to 'kidnap and kill' Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. He has been asked to hand over his passport, Rehman's lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali told bdnews24.com on Wednesday Once he submits his passport, he will be able to stay out of jail until police submit the chargesheet in the case. A five-strong Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha on Wednesday granted Rehman's appeal against a High Court decision scrapping his bail petition. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the state during the hearing. A junior lawyer for Rehman also said that there was no more legal hurdle for his release as there was no other case against him. In May last year, police had started the case, in which Rehman was accused. The case followed the conviction of an expatriate BNP leader`s son, along with two other Americans, in the US for bribing a former FBI agent to get confidential information on Joy with the intent to 'scare,' 'kidnap' and 'hurt' him. Shafik Rehman was arrested in this case on Apr 16 this year from his home in Dhaka. Police later said the former Daily Jaijaidin editor had admitted to holding several meetings with those convicted by the US court and handed over 'confidential FBI documents`, related to the plot to abduct Joy. Joy advises his mother Hasina on information and communication technology issues. But Rehman's wife Taleya Rehman claimed that her husband had collected those documents as an 'investigative journalist' to write a report. On Jun 7, a High Court bench had scrapped Rehman`s petition after he was denied bail by the trial court. The top court on Jul 17 cleared him to file an appeal against the High Court order. --bdnews24.com
World concerned about Rohingyas, Ban Ki-Moon tells Myanmar

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi before the talks between the government and ethnic minorities.

AP, Naypyitaw :UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Myanmar today that the world is very concerned about the tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who have been living for more than four years in camps in northern Rakhine state after fleeing violence from the Buddhist majority."They deserve hope," Ban said at a joint news conference with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "All of Myanmar's people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony, side by side with their neighbours."Ban is in Myanmar to attend peace talks aimed at ending half a century of conflict between the government and the country's many armed ethnic minority groups. The talks begin Wednesday in Naypyitaw, the capital. About 2,000 delegates and guests are expected to attend the opening ceremony.Suu Kyi, who leads Myanmar with the title of state counselor and is also foreign minister, said, "We are doing what we can to make sure that all groups can attend, but to attend or not is up to them."Ban also said there is a "heightened expectation" of faster progress under Suu Kyi's leadership on issues facing the country, and that the international community and Myanmar's government should work together to overcome them.He spoke of the country's remarkable journey from military dictatorship toward democracy, but warned too of the many challenges Myanmar faces, including the plight of the Rohingya Muslims.More than 100,000 Rohingya have been living in unsanitary camps since fleeing their homes in Rakhine state starting in 2012, following deadly violence driven largely by Buddhist mobs. Many Buddhists view Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though many have been living in Myanmar for generations.Even the word "Rohingya" is extremely controversial in Myanmar, though Ban used it without hesitation during the brief news conference. Suu Kyi's government has said it would rather that the term "Muslims in Rakhine" be used.While saying he understood the need for patience in tackling the problem, Ban reiterated that the international community is concerned about the Rohingya's situation. He commended the government for setting up a special advisory commission on the situation in Rakhine state that will be chaired by Ban's predecessor, Kofi Annan. It is to convene for the first time next week in Yangon.Another report adds: Human rights advocates have called on Myanmar to investigate the death of a young woman from the country's persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority, who died this month after being found naked and unconscious near a military base.
Turkey denies reaching ceasefire with Kurdish forces in Syria

AP, Istanbul :Turkey on Wednesday dismissed reports of a cease-fire deal with Kurdish rebels in northern Syria, and vowed to continue its week-old military incursion into the neighboring country until all "terror entities are eliminated."In comments made to the state-run Anadolu news agency, Turkey's European Union affairs Minister Omer Celik said that "Turkey is a sovereign state ... a legitimate state" and that "to suggest it is on a par with a terrorist organization and suggest there are talks between them, that a deal has been reached between them, this is unacceptable."Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish forces an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a domestic group that Ankara has declared a terrorist organization.Last week, Turkey sent its troops and warplanes to back Syrian rebels in their advance on Jarablus, a town near the Turkish border and the next IS-stronghold after Manbij. Turkey's incursion helped the rebels take Jarablus from the Islamic State group, but clashes subsequently broke out in the area between Turkish and Kurdish forces - both U.S.-allies.Turkish troops clashed with the U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian forces around Jarablus to try to halt their advance and form a contiguous corridor on the border between Turkey and Syria.On Tuesday, the Kurdish-backed Jarablus Military Council said in a statement that it had agreed to a cease-fire following consultations with the U.S.-led coalition leading a fight against Islamic State militants.The Pentagon has denied reports it was monitoring a cease-fire but said Turkish forces had moved to the west, while Kurdish forces had moved east of the Euphrates River, as per the insistence of Turkish and U.S. authorities.
Japan`s military seeks record spending to counter North Korea, China moves

A Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force AH-1S helicopter fires anti-tank missile during an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji training field in Gotemba, west of Tokyo.

Reuters, Tokyo : Japan's defense ministry on Wednesday asked for a hike in spending to record levels, as it juggles its responses to a growing ballistic missile threat from North Korea and China's assertive moves in the East China Sea.If approved, the hike of 2.3 percent will take the defense budget to 5.17 trillion yen ($51.47 billion) in the year starting April 1, for a fifth consecutive increase as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bolsters Japan's military.The nation's Self Defense Forces are pivoting away from guarding the north against a diminished Russian threat to reinforce an island chain stretching 1,400 km (870 miles) along the southern edge of the East China Sea.That means opting for fewer tank divisions as they build a mobile amphibious force from scratch.The costly rejig comes as Japan is also forced to spend more to guard against ballistic missiles being developed by North Korea capable of striking most areas.The single biggest expenditure is 99 billion yen ($970 million) to upgrade Japan's warhead-killing Patriot batteries, a last line of defense against missile strikes.The improvements will double their range to around 30 km (19 miles) and sharpen targeting to hit arriving ballistic warheads.They will take five years to complete, with the first four enhanced Patriots expected to be ready for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.In June, North Korea test-fired what appeared to be two mobile Musudan rockets, one of which climbed to 1,000 km (600 miles), or enough to fly more than 3,000 km (1,800 miles) down range.On Aug. 24, Pyongyang also fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) toward Japan that traveled 500 km (311 miles).Japan's biggest defense contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will upgrade the PAC-3s under license from Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co, sources familiar with the plan told Reuters last month.The budget request also includes funding to improve Aegis destroyers that are Japan's first line of defense against ballistic missiles.Japan and the United States are developing a new warhead killer, the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3), to destroy targets in space, but no decision on a full rollout has yet been made.Other proposed defense buys will reinforce the East China Sea, where Japan and China are locked in a territorial dispute over a group of islets 220 km (140 miles) northeast of Taiwan known as the Senkakus in Tokyo and the Diaoyus in Beijing.Japanese air scrambles against Chinese aircraft are running at a record high, with Beijing's navy probing deeper and more frequently into the Western Pacific beyond Japan's island chain.Chinese military activity in the region was "escalating," Japan's Self-Defence Forces chief Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano said in June.Defence officials want 95 billion yen next year to buy six Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters, and a combined 92 billion for four Boeing Co and Bell Helicopter V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and six Boeing Chinook twin-rotor helicopters.The SDF also wants 11 BAE Systems AAV7 amphibious assault craft, and two long-range Kawasaki Heavy Industries C-2 military cargo jets.Other buys will include a Northrop Grumman unmanned Global Hawk surveillance drone and a new larger-class diesel-electric submarine designed by Mitsubishi Heavy and Kawasaki Heavy.
Kerry opposes military solution to South China Sea dispute

Reuters, New Delhi :

US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Wednesday on China and the Philippines to abide by an international tribunal's decision on the disputed South China Sea and said there was no military solution to the problem.

Kerry's remarks, made in a visit to India, came ahead of a G20 summit in China on Sunday and Monday that could be overshadowed by arguments over everything from territorial disputes to protectionism by China, diplomats say.

An arbitration court in The Hague ruled in July that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea. China dismissed the case lodged by the Philippines and rejected the ruling.

"The United States continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunal's recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry told a gathering of students in New Delhi.
BD yet to start work in Bay to achieve SDG

Gazi Anowarul Hoque :

Bangladesh has not yet shown any visible performance to cope with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to conserve marine resources and to earn benefit from them, sources said.

There is a big scope Bangladesh to develop through utilizing ocean resources-cum-Blue Economy, but no taskforce or commission has yet been formed in this connection till date, they said.

The UN has in total 169 targets and 17 goals to guide the transition of sustainable development by 2030. Of the goals, No 14 goal deals with oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

According to UN declarations, Bangladesh needs to restore marine and coastal ecosystems in appropriate cases and science based management plan for marine fisheries by sustainable way to be achieved by 2020. It needs to significantly reduce marine debris and nutrient pollution by 2025 and to ensure full access of marine resources to small-scale artisanal fishers by 2030.

But National Environment Policy, National Fisheries Policy, Coastal Zone Policy, Bio-safety Guidelines of Bangladesh and National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) are not performing to meet the demand of Ocean SDG, the sources said.

Professor Dr Md Kawser Ahmed, Chairman of Oceanography of Dhaka University told The New Nation on Tuesday, "To achieve SDG at the Sea, we need coordinated effort. Firstly it is needed to form a task force or commission which supervise the SDG."

"We want to get benefit from ocean recourses cum Blue economy, but there has been no survey in the Bay of Bengal about water life. Besides there is no endeavor to build skilled manpower,'' he said.

The UN study says that oceans cover three quarters of the Earth's surface, contain 97 per cent of the Earth's water, and represent 99 per cent of the living space on the planet by volume. Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.

Globally, the market value of marine and coastal resources and industries is estimated at $3 trillion per year or about five percent of global GDP. Oceans contain nearly 200,000 identified species, but actual numbers may lie in the millions.

Oceans absorb about 30 per cent of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming. Oceans serve as the world's largest source of protein, with more than three billion people depending on the oceans as their primary source of protein. Marine fisheries directly or indirectly employ over 200 million people.

Subsidies for fishing are contributing to the rapid depletion of many fish species and are preventing efforts to save and restore global fisheries and related jobs, causing ocean fisheries to generate US$ 50 billion less per year than they could.

Dr Anisuzzaman Khan, Chairperson of Biodiversity World Foundation said "Coordination between government agencies and private sector should be institutionalized for full observation of SDG at the sea."

"Considering present scenario, the priority targets are restoring marine and coastal ecosystems, science based management for sustainable marine fisheries, significantly reducing land based marine debris and nutrient pollution, and ensuring full access of marine resources to small-scale artisanal fishers," he said.
Risha`s killer captured

To be produced before Dhaka court today

NILPHAMARI: Tailoring shop employee Obaidul (28), the killer of Suraiya Akhter Risha, a student of Class-VIII of Willes Little Flower School and College in Dhaka is seen in police custody in Domar Police Station. A special police team along with RAB membe

Nilphamari Correspondent :Mohammad Obaidul, alleged killer of Suraiya Akter Risha, a student of class-VIII in the city's Willes Little Flower School and College, was arrested from Sonahar village in Domar upazila of Nilphamari district on Wednesday early morning."Acting on a tip off, a special squad of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in association with the members of elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and local police arrested Obaidul, a 28-year-old alleged killer of Risha,"Ahmed Raziur Rahman, officer in charge (OC) of Domar Police Station told the journalists on Wednesday. After stabbing Risha in the city's Kakrail area on August 24, Obaidul went into hiding and took shelter at a jungle at Sonahar village of Nilphamari district. Risha succumbed to her injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) on August 29 after the brutal attack. Obaidul, son of late Abdus Samad, hailing from Miradangi village under Mohonpur Union of Beerganj police station in Dinajpur district, was a cutting master of a tailoring shop in the capital city.Raziur Rahman said at first Obaidul went to his Miradangi village home to take shelter from where he went to Sonahar village in Domar upazila of Nilphamari district to avert arrest. Earlier on Monday, police arrested Obaidul's sister M Khadiza Begum and brother-in-law Khadimul Islam from Miratongi village in Birganj upazila of Dinajpur. According to the police officials, based on information extracted from the sister and brother-in-law of Obaidul, the members of law enforcing agencies conducted the raid at the village where Khademul's younger brother Khusbul Islam works at Brac office at Domar upazila branch in Nilphamari district.

"As Obaidul came to Khusbul's office on Tuesday night to stay there, police raided it. But dodging the police, Obaidul managed a good escape from the scene and took shelter in a jungle," the OC of Domar Police Station said. On Wednesday morning as soon as Obaidul came out of the jungle where he stayed at night and came to Sonarai Bazar to flee the scene by a battery run three-wheeler, law enforcers in plainclothes nabbed him and took him to Domar police station.Risha's killing led to street agitation by the students and guardians of Willes Little Flower School and College in the last few days.As the news of her death spread, hundreds of students launched demonstration, pressing for immediate arrest of the attacker.In the face of massive protest, police on Tuesday pledged to arrest Obaidul within 48 hours.Risha's mother Tania Hossain already filed a case against Obaidul under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act with Ramna Police Station.Office-in-Charge (OC) of Ramna Police Station M Moshiur Rahman told that Obaidul is now being taken to capital Dhaka for interrogation.

"He (Obaidul) will be produced before a Dhaka court on Thursday," he said.Talking to journalists on Tuesday Masudur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (media) of DMP said Obaidul is being brought to Dhaka till filing of this report on Wednesday night.Suraiya Akhter Risha, 14, daughter of Md Ramzan Ali of Bangshal of old Dhaka was stabbed by Obaidul in front of her educational institution at Kakrail in the capital on August 24.Earlier the alleged killer Obaidul offered a love proposal to Risha near a foot over adjacent to the institution. As she refused him, Obadidul became furious and stabbed he.
Capsized trawler with 7 bodies recovered

Business Standard :A capsized Bangladeshi trawler was found with seven bodies inside it from the core area of Sudarbans on Wednesday. The trawler 'FB Noor Alam' had perhaps drifted into Indian waters and capsized during a heavy storm on August 8, West BengalUnited Fishermen Association chief Jaikrishna Haldar said. Bangladeshis being informed about the finding of the trawler, Sundarban Development Minister Manuturam Pakhira said. While returning to the shore of South 24 Parganas district today, Indian fishermen found the tip of a capsized trawler at Chhaimari in the core area of Sundarbans, Haldar said.Without realising that the trawler was from Bangladesh, the fishermen tied it to their own trawler 'FB Jai Tara' and pulled it to Brajaballabhpur 'chara' under Patharpratima police station. It was then found out that the capsized trawler was from Bangladesh. The seven bodies were discovered when water was being drained out from the trawler, he said. However, the water could not be fully drained as tide was high and it is apprehended that more bodies could be there inside. Haldar said the police have been informed about the Bangladeshi trawler and the bodies. fishermen died while a large number of fishermen were rescued by the Coast Guard following the storm of August 8.
New currency notes to be released today

Staff Reporter :

Bangladesh Bank (BB) will release new currency notes worth Tk 23,000 crore today (Thursday) on the occasion of upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, the second biggest religious festival of the Muslims.

People will be able to collect new bank notes from the BB's head office at Motijheel Commercial Area and 14 branches of commercial banks in the capital changing old notes.

"The central bank starts releasing fresh banknotes of different denominations from Thursday to meet the huge demand for such currency notes ahead of the Eid festival", BB spokesman Subhankor Saha told The New Nation yesterday.

He said, individuals will be able to collect new notes from the central bank and the branches of the commercial banks in the capital.

Three booths will remain open at BB's Motijheel office for smooth disbursement of new banknotes. Fourteen branches of different commercial banks have been assigned to distribute fresh banknotes. National Bank's Jatrabari Branch, Agrani Bank's Elephant Road Branch, SIBL's Basundhara City Branch, Bank Asian's Dhanmondi Branch, Dhaka Bank's Uttara Branch, Janata Bank's Abdul Gani Road Branch, City Bank's Mirpur Branch and Shahjalaj Bank's Malibagh Chowdhurypara Branch will distribute bank notes of Tk 10 and Tk 20 denominations, while Mercantile Bank's Banani Branch, Sonali Bank's Ramna Branch, One Bank's Bashabo Branch, IFIC's Gulshan Branch, Rupali Bank's Mohakhali Branch and First Security's Mohammadpur Branch will distribute Tk 100, Tk 500 and Tk 1000 bank notes.

Outside Dhaka, branch offices of the central bank at Bogra, Mymensingh, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, Rangpur and Barisal will also distribute new currency notes.


Cruelty to students

School authorities minting money: They even did not attend bleeding Risha

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

Guardians and students on Wednesday criticized the Willes Little Flower School and College authorities for their role after stabbing of Suraiya Akhter Risha.

Risha, a class-VIII student of the school who was stabbed by stalker Obaidul in front of the institution at Kakrail on August 24 succumbed to her injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Sunday.

"Risha was stabbed in front of us. After the incident we first took her inside the campus for seeking help of school authorities. But they denied to do so saying that it's a police case. Even they refused to arrange a transport for Risha to take to the hospital," a fellow student of Risha told The New Nation yesterday, seeking anonymity.

The student said, later, we took her to a nearby hospital by a rickshaw. The on duty doctors gave her primary treatment. As her condition deteriorated further, they immediately arranged an ambulance and sent her to Dhaka medical college Hospital for better treatment.

Expressing utter frustration over the role of school authorities, he said, "It's an utmost cruelty we cannot accept it. The principal cannot escape the responsibility over the issue. He failed to perform his duty and he must go".

Accusing the school authorities, Risha's mother Tania Hossain said, "My daughters' friends were crying for help when she was stabbed by Obiadul but they refused to do so. Even the principal of the school denied providing transport facility to bleeding Risha saying that it's a police case and he cannot do anything in this regard".

"Such irresponsibility of the authorities is inhuman. They must take all the responsibilities when a student is enrolled to their institutions," she said.

A guardian alleged that most of the school and colleges in the capital minting money from the students without taking their responsibility. "Risha died due to negligence of the school authorities. They must be punished for such an inhuman act," he added. He feared that irresponsible role by the school authorities could lead similar incident in future.

Rosy Rahman, a guardian told this correspondent that like Willes Little Flower School, most of the institutions are doing business in the name of education. They do not take care of their students properly and even do not concentrate on counseling about social unrest and safety and security.

"Every year they are increasing hefty tuitions fees, ignoring welfare of the students," she added.

She requested the government to take steps to provide security around the Willes Little Flower School and other educational institutions in the city to avert further untoward incident. Many also blamed the role of guardians for their silent mood even after the brutal incident and irresponsible activities of the school authorities.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said, it was a very pathetic incident. Negligence of school authorities would not be tolerated if they found guilty.

The ministry will investigate into the matter, he said.

He hoped that the killer should get capital punishment so that no one can dare to commit such crimes in future.

Brushing aside the allegation of negligence, Abul Hossain, the Acting Principal of Willes Little Flower School told The New Nation on Wednesday night that a group of teachers and guardians have been trying to defame reputation of the school authorities.

He also claimed that the school authorities provided all the necessary helps to send Risha to the hospital.


Mir Quasem seeks time for mercy plea

No decision before my son`s return: Wife

Staff Reporter :Jamaat-e Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali, convicted for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971, on Wednesday sought time from the Kashimpur jail authorities to take decision whether he will apply for presidential clemency. Jail super Proshanto Kumar Banik of Kashimpur jail read out the Supreme Court's verdict to Mir Quasem Ali, rejecting his petition for review of its earlier judgment giving him death penalty for his wartime crimes.Mir Quasem, after listening the verdict, said that he needed time from the jail authorities to decide on whether he would apply for presidential mercy, said the jail super.Proshanto Kumar Banik and Nashir Ahmed [jailor of jail-2] entered the condemned cell at around 7:30pm with a copy of the full text of the verdict where Mir Quasem Ali has been kept. The copy of the SC verdict rejecting the review plea of Mir Quasem Ali reached the Central Jail around 9.10pm on Tuesday. Earlier on the day, after the SC released the full text of the verdict, it was sent to the International Crimes Tribunal.Meanwhile, Khandaker Ayesha Khatun, wife of Mir Quasem Ali, told the journalists that he [Quasem] will not take any decision about presidential clemency instead of knowing whereabouts of his "missing" son. She conveyed her husband's desire to the journalists after meeting with Quasem at Kashimpur jail. Ayesha Khatun along with eight family members went to jail to see Quasem at 2:45 pm yesterday."A group plain clothed people picked up my son Barrister Ahmed Bin Quasem from my house about 22 days ago. We need him for taking any sort of family decision. My husband will not give any decision about presidential, clemency without consulting my son. No family member can give such decision," Khandaker Ayesha Khatun said. Apart from wife, Quasem's two daughters Tahera Tasneem and Sumaiya Rabeya, two daughter-in-laws Shaheda Tahmida Akhter and Tahmina Akhter, nephew Hasan Jaman and three children were present there, said Jailor of part-2 Nasir Ahmed.Sources said if the convict decides to beg presidential pardon, then he'll get seven days time for that, but if he decides not so, then arrangements will be made to carry out the sentence. In this situation, Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin said that prison authority will allow maximum seven days time to the death row inmate Mir Quasem Ali to file a mercy petition."He [Quasem] will be given reasonable time but that is not more than seven days to file a mercy petition," the IG of Prisons said in response to a quarry while talking to reporters at Prisons Headquarters in Dhaka yesterday. It is to be noted that, Mir Quasem was the president of Chittagong Chhatra Sangha's unit. He was the general secretary of East Pakistan Islami Chhatra Sangha. Al-Badr was a paramilitary force composed of Jamaat-e-Islami's, the then student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, to support Pakistan army and crackdown on pro liberation groups.The Supreme Court on August 30 upheld the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali by rejecting a petition filed by him seeking a review of its earlier verdict that upheld his death sentence. Now the only option remains for Mir Quasem is to apply for presidential clemency. If that appeal is denied, then there will be no obstacle to carry out his sentence. Before the execution, the convict will get a chance to meet his family. A speculation is around that Mir Quasem is set to meet the same fate any moment as his five comrades-Jamaat leaders Abdul Quader Mollah, AHM Kamaruzzaman, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Motiur Rahman Nizami and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.
The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.
If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs.
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?

You voted:
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
SPRINGFIELD  When Gov. Bruce Rauner announced during last months Illinois State Fair that a nonprofit foundation had formed to help pay for upkeep of the state fairgrounds in Springfield and Du Quoin, he touted it as an effort of private individuals in agriculture and business.

This is not going to be a government agency in any regard, Rauner said in announcing the foundation on Agriculture Day at the fair. This is all private money, all private management, all private control.

But emails and other records released to the Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act show that officials with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Rauner administration were heavily involved in the groups formation.

The state withheld some requested records, citing exemptions for preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda, and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated and communications between a public body and its attorneys.

Records show that state officials have been meeting since at least early June to discuss the foundation and played a role in assembling the organizations board. State officials also put together a Facts & FAQs document detailing how the foundation would function and set the agenda for a conference call with board members five days before the effort was publicly announced.

Thank you for your consideration to service on the Board of Directors of the soon to be established Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation, Grant Hammer, chief of staff for the Department of Agriculture, wrote in an email to board members Aug. 9, a week before the announcement.

He continued, These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of preparation, but we are pleased to share the news that the foundation will officially launch during this years Illinois State Fair in Springfield.

Hammer invited board members to an Aug. 11 conference call, and the agenda for that meeting, with Illinois Department of Agriculture printed at the top, begins with introductions from the governors office and the department.

Hammer said he couldnt comment because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Department spokeswoman Rebecca Clark didnt respond immediately to a request for comment.

The foundations articles of incorporation were filed with the secretary of states office Aug. 15, the day before the announcement.

John Slayton, a vice president at U.S. Bank in Springfield who has long been involved with the Governors Sale of Champions auction at the state fair, is one of the foundations board members, and he spoke at the fair on the day of the announcement.

Slayton said hes been involved in many conversations over the years about establishing a private group to raise money for much-needed repairs at the fairgrounds.

The most recent attempt, I would say, came from Department of Ag, who basically put the group together, Slayton said Wednesday. Its truly something thats needed out there. It wasnt done as an end run around the Legislature.

Several bills that would have created a similar foundation have stalled in the General Assembly, most recently one that Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, sponsored this spring. In his announcement at the fair, Rauner said: Were not going to wait.  The General Assembly wont do it; private citizens are going to do it.

The state has identified a $180 million backlog of repair projects at the two fairgrounds. While most of the work is needed in Springfield, at least $12 million worth of the projects are in Du Quoin.

Once the foundation is up and running, the Department of Agriculture will inform the board of its priorities, and it will be up to the board to evaluate the needs and match them with the available resources, according to the Facts & FAQs document.

Rauners announcement raised questions about whether projects the foundation pays for will subject to competitive bidding requirements, but the document says the Department of Agriculture will continue to comply with all state and federal laws pertaining to procurement and prevailing wage.
Rome is still burning. Nero is still fiddling.

Thats old news.

Other headlines that could be added to that list: Illinois still without a budget; and School funding plan remains in limbo.

Little is certain in state government, but Illinois taxpayers can put this is the bank  nothing will be done on either issue until after the election. The General Assembly is not scheduled to be back in session until November.

The likelihood of either issue being addressed in the lame duck session? Remote at best.

The most frustrating thing about both issues: Republicans and Democrats agree they are vital to the interests of the state. Yet, politics seems to trump reason and urgency in these polarized times.

Passing a budget is a basic requirement for the men and women elected to the General Assembly. It seems mind-boggling that the people sent to Springfield to represent the best interests of each and every taxpayer cannot, or will not, fulfill one of their primary roles.

Just as exasperating is the legislatures inability to act on measures to reform state funding for schools. Again, both parties agree something must be done.

Prior to the recent passage of a stopgap budget several local school districts reported they lacked funding to operate this year.

So, why not do it?

Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton) was blunt in a recent interview with The Southern Illinoisan. He asked if anyone in the room had ever served on a governing board? He then suggested imagining getting 177 people to agree on anything.

Point taken.

Yet, a plan for updating Illinois school funding system has been proposed by Sen. Andy Manar (D-Decatur). We understand the sausage-making process that occurs in any legislative body. Nothing comes out looking exactly as it did going in.

Local districts will still levy property taxes under the Manar plan. The measure calls for prioritizing how General Revenue funds are distributed to various districts based on a needs assessment program that looks at numbers of students living in poverty, no of special needs students, number of bil-lingual students, transportation costs and other factors.

Manar says there is enough money in the system to address inequities. The solution is distributing the money more equitably. On paper, that seems like something reasonable people could agree on.

The snag  depending on your definition, the funds wouldnt be distributed equitably. Wealthier districts, districts meeting the needs of their students, would receive a lower percentage of funds than impoverished districts.

As a state, Illinois has to decide the definition of equitable.

Do we believe its fair to give a smaller percentage of General Revenue funds to wealthy districts? Or, do we believe its fair for the quality of education to be determined by zip code?

Manar has heard the arguments. He suggests that reprioritization of funds, while distasteful to some school districts, will have a positive overall impact on the state. In essence, hes appealing to the better angels of Illinois taxpayers.

Again, that sounds good on paper, but using the terms better angels and taxpayers in the same sentence suggests an uneasy alliance. It will take work to move from this framework to a plan that will move through the legislature.

It wont be easy. But, thats why we send representatives to Springfield?

Our schools need to be fixed. The legislators have the tools they need. They have to do their job.
You folks have got to stop running over stuff you see in the road.

I know some of you fellas think that possum and pickup truck go together like oatmeal and cream pie but, dude, come on.

It seems that every day now as I drive from the big metropolis  Norway  into work, theres some convention of buzzards or vultures or whatever the heck they are sitting on the side of the road, eating the tasty entrails of some victim of a country boy game of tag.

Birds of prey creep me the heck out. Especially the big ones, their black feathers shimmering in the morning sun. The way they carry on when theyre snacking is just nasty.

Nothing sets the tone for a bad day like seeing birds of prey.

They are so engrossed in their meal, they dont want to move when you drive toward them. Instead, they take off slowly, hovering only inches away from your vehicle, as if theyre going to gorge themselves on steel and plastic next.

My car is small enough that they could take it, if they wanted.

I asked Stephen Schabel Jr., who knows about such stuff, why they dont seem to be afraid. Hes the educational director for the International Center for Birds of Prey in Charleston.

He said the birds are actually very intelligent. Theyre very aware of things around them. Theyve gotten used to seeing cars and people.

In my opinion, its  seeing something over and over again when theres food around. Theyre leery of strange things, he said.

Unlike other birds of prey, like the bald eagle, they werent hit as hard by pesticide use. Schabel says they are the most common of the birds of prey we see in South Carolina.

Why are there so many? Schabel speculated the amount of dead stuff in our woods and roads.

Did you hear that, you rednecks? Dead stuff. Quit playing tag with possums. Youre feeding the buzzards. Oh, thats me saying that, not Schabel.

But Schabel did say theyre not actually buzzards. What we see here in South Carolina are turkey vultures, which are the ones with red stuff on their heads, and black vultures, which have black stuff on their heads.

And although I think theyre as creepy as that time I found your mama in my bushes, theyre helpful. Because they eat all that stuff yall run over, which would otherwise breed bacteria that gets in our water supply and be icky and stuff.

In India, theyve seen a decline in vultures, Schabel said. And thats led to an increase in wild dogs who eat carrion. And the increase in the number of wild dogs has led to an increase in the number of rabies cases.

Rabies is  are?  bad.

Overall, Schabel says those birds are very important. People shoot them all the time and thats a federal offense.

They are a protected species. There is no time when it is legal to shoot one. Without them we would be in a world of trouble.

Been reading about this tough group of guys, MS-13, thats come to Orangeburg. If I join, do you think Ill get a nifty fez and one of those cool little cars?

T&D City Editor Gene Crider can be reached at gcrider@timesanddemocrat.com and 803-533-5570.
Tropical Storm Hermine is forecast to bring heavy rain and perhaps even flooding to The T&D Region.

The National Weather Service says increasing moisture will flow into the area Thursday night into Friday.

The chance of rain is expected to increase from 60 percent Thursday night to a 100 percent chance of heavy rainfall Friday.

Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities spokesman Randy Etters said the utility is waiting to see what the storm is going to do, but it had not triggered any of its response plans by Wednesday afternoon.

"The storm track is not such that we are confident we need to that yet," Etters said. "If we do see that it will increase or the threat will increase, our threat level will increase here too."

Orangeburg County Emergency Services Director Billy Staley said, "The track is still uncertain.

The county is monitoring the storm and conferring with other officials across the state, he said. Routine preparations, such as checking equipment and drainage, are being made.

NWS Meteorologist Chris Rohrbach said The T&D Region can expect to see heavy rainfall beginning most likely after noon Friday.

The total rainfall for the Orangeburg area and eastern Midlands could reach between 4 inches to 5 inches, although amounts could be higher in thunderstorms, Rohrbach said.

Sustained winds are expected to reach 15 mph to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph possible.

Rohrbach hesitated to compare the rainfall forecasts with the historic October 2015 flooding event. He said Hermine is expected to be a much faster-moving event, meaning rainfall totals and flooding should not be as severe.

"We are not at this point issuing flash flood watches, but there is a potential for flooding," he said.

Rohrbach said there could also be isolated tornadoes.

"It depends on the track of the storm," Rohrbach said. "If it shifts more to the west, the threat will increase for the area."

The storm is expected to move out by Friday night. The Labor Day weekend is expected to be sunny with cooler and much drier conditions.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is preparing for the storm.

SCDOT maintenance units across the state are preparing their staffing plans, checking their road-clearing equipment for readiness and monitoring the weather forecasts.

SCDOT District 7 Resident Maintenance Engineer David Brandyburg said the local department has been making sure all flood-prone roads and drainage areas are free of obvious impediments.

"We have also been making sure all equipment is ready, chainsaws are sharpened," he said. "We don't know what we are going to get, but we are trying to be prepared for everything."

SCDOT urges motorists to use caution at all times, particularly in stormy conditions.

If the storm leaves significant levels of standing water on roadways, drivers are warned not to attempt to drive through it. Standing water can be life-threatening.

Motorists are also urged not to drive around any barricades SCDOT uses to close roads. Roads are closed when they are damaged or present hazardous situations.

Staley encouraged residents to have a disaster plan in place and review it ahead of the storm.

The American Red Cross is also urging residents to prepare for the potential storm.

People should:

 Build an emergency kit with a gallon of water per person, per day; non-perishable food; a flashlight; battery-powered radio; first aid kit; medications; supplies for an infant if applicable; a multi-purpose tool; personal hygiene items; copies of important papers; cell phone chargers; extra cash; blankets; maps of the area and emergency contact information.

 Be informed. Conditions can change quickly. Listen to local weather advisories and stay informed about the storms through local media.

In the event of flooding, stay away from floodwaters. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood danger.

 Because standard homeowners insurance doesnt cover flooding, its important to have protection from the floods associated with hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy rains and other conditions that impact the U.S.
Following the arrest of a 17-year-old accused of slapping a 5-year-old on a school bus, Bamberg County School District 1 officials say theyre working to ensure children are safe.

Some districts transport elementary and high school students on separate buses, but Superintendent Phyllis Schwarting says Bamberg 1 has always transported students of all ages together.

Theres never been such an incident in the 46 years shes been in the district, she said.

The district is doing all it can to protect students, she said. Small children are assigned seats at the front of the bus while the older students are seated at the back. The older they are, the farther back they are seated.

We dont have an option to have kids of different ages on different buses, she said. There just arent enough buses and the district doesnt have the money to pay monitors to ride each bus.

The Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School student has been charged with third-degree assault and battery, a misdemeanor. Bond was set at a $1,000 cash or surety on Tuesday by Judge R.C. Threatt.

The 17-year-old male was accused of slapping the 5-year-old female in the face on the school bus last Thursday afternoon. A warrant for his arrest was issued on Aug. 25, and he surrendered to police early Tuesday.

The incident came to the attention of the community over the weekend when a picture of the girl, with what appeared to be a slap mark on her cheek, was posted on Facebook.

A warrant alleges the 17-year-old slapped the 5-year-old on her right side near her ear on the Bamberg 1 bus.

The offense was videotaped by the bus camera system, the warrant says.

A Bamberg police incident report claims the 17-year-old used another childs hand to strike the girl three or four times on the right side of the head. It also says the 17-year-old and another child tried to comfort the 5-year-old.

The report says theres, no evidence that the victim was hit on the left side of the face where the marks were visibly shown on the left side of the face.

Schwartings not convinced the incident happened on the bus. Obviously, the child was slapped in the face, but school bus video does not show any slap that would have affected the left side of her face, she said.

She said the district followed procedure in allowing the 17-year-old back into school this year even though hed been put out of school last year.

He had to appeal to come back to school and go through a hearing before being readmitted, Schwarting said.

She also noted that the youth had never been in trouble on the bus.

Terry Peters, the girls father, spoke to the media following the bond hearing.

He said it was devastating to see his child come home with a slap mark on her face and to see her slapped by another student on a video.

Shes so upset by it that shes afraid to ride the school bus, he said. Even though he has to be at work early, hes been taking her to school and has had to get other people to help him on the days he cant do it.

I dont want to see that happen to no other child in the future. Were standing up for those in the future so that more monitoring can take place, he said.

We need more than cameras, Peters said. We need to make sure theyre clear. We need to make sure theyre up to date. We need monitors. If it takes another adult to ride on the bus with the children, then thats what we need.

The 17-year-old appeared at Tuesdays hearing via video conference from the jail.

His attorney, Carl Grant, said the defendant and his family had had received threats against the youth and had urgent concerns for his safety between the jail and the court.

Bamberg Police Chief George Morris and the girls attorney, Charlie Williams, called the defendant a flight risk and asked the judge to consider his alleged propensity for violence before granting bail.

Morris asked the judge to consider the difference in age, size and sex of the victim and the defendant. This is a 5-year-old female and a 17-year-old male, he said.

Also he has a juvenile past, Morris said. I dont have those records, but it has violence in those past records 

Williams said that the defendant is a danger to the community. If he behaved the way he did on the bus when he knew he was being videotaped, it shows he has a propensity for violence, the lawyer claimed.

Morris noted that the 17-year-old left the county over the weekend and was found by law enforcement in Columbia. Therefore, he fears the defendant might prove to be a flight risk.

However, Grant said the youth will not run from his court date.

Following the hearing, he reported that his client was not running from the court.

He was just trying to be safe considering the sensational nature that this scenario has garnered in the media and the social media, Grant said.

The incident has stirred emotions in the community that could make it hard to get his client a fair trial, he said.

Any type of pretrial publicity can indeed poison the minds of the jury if its the wrong type of pretrial publicity, he said. I want the emotions in the community to calm down and people need to make sure that they respect the judicial system and trust the judicial system.

While he understands how upsetting the incident is, his client is still a kid because hes not 18 yet, Grant said. In addition, he is innocent until proven guilty and deserves the protection of the law.

After the hearing, Williams said hell be looking at whether district policies were followed properly. At this point no lawsuit is being filed, but that could come at a later date, he said.

Peters wasnt notified about the incident and that was inappropriate, Williams said.

Its been a big concern of his. If he hadnt seen those marks on her face, he would have never known to look at those cameras. He would never have known that an incident happened.
A 66-year-old woman has been arrested in the dragging death of a puppy.

The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of Rita Mintz on a charge of ill-treatment of animals.

This arrest comes as a result of numerous community-based tips identifying Mrs. Mintz as the person responsible for the dragging death of the German shepherd puppy the sheriffs office said in a release. We would like to thank all the community members who came forward with both information and support during this investigation.

A Swansea woman said she was driving home Friday when she saw a Chevrolet car with a small puppy running behind it.

When the woman looked more closely, she said that the driver of the Chevrolet had a rope dangling out of the window and at the end of the rope was a puppy.

The puppy eventually quit running and the driver continued dragging it down Kennerly Road, the woman said.

The woman attempted to stop the driver of the Chevrolet and the vehicle eventually pulled to the roadside.

The driver told her that the puppy was a good dog but that he tried to bite at the grandkids on occasion, the woman said.

On Tuesday, the Humane Society of the United States offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the dogs death.
Will Hillary Clinton ride her current polling lead to the White House? Or can Donald Trump still win?

The answer will be determined, ultimately, by the arithmetic of the Electoral College, that vintage institution created by the Constitution to elect presidents.

National polls, we should be reminded, measure popular votes and reveal broad trends, but dont tell us much about state electoral votes  the building blocks of a winning presidential campaign. Remember when Al Gore won the popular vote nationwide but lost the electoral vote?

To understand the state of play, we have to look at the possible paths to victory each candidate has, and that means focusing on swing states that will draw the most campaign activity.

In 2012, Barack Obama won 26 states, plus the District of Columbia, for a total of 332 electoral votes, which exceeded the 270 needed to win. Mitt Romney that year won 24 states for 206 Electoral College votes.

For Trump to reach 270, he must lock down every Romney state and concentrate on turning enough blue states red to add 64 electoral votes to Romneys base of 206.

Trumps first target is Florida, a state Obama carried four years ago by only 1 percentage point. While the Sunshine State has voted Democratic in three of the last five presidential elections, its 29 electoral votes are a must win for Trump. He has no realistic path without them.

Up next is Ohio, with 18 electoral votes, a state won by Obama last time by only 3 percentage points. Since 2000, Ohio voted Democratic twice and Republican twice  siding with the national winner every time. No Republican has ever won the presidency without Ohio. And, its unlikely that Trump will be the first.

Trumps third target is Pennsylvania, a state Obama won by 5 points in 2012. Always seen as an opportunity for the GOP ticket, Pennsylvania usually swings to Democrats in the end  at least in every election since 1992. But Trump is hoping his appeal to blue-collar voters will change that, and win for him its big basket of 20 electoral votes.

If Trump wins Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania on top of all 24 Romney states, hed capture the presidency with 273 electoral votes. But recent polls show Clinton ahead by a sizable margin in Pennsylvania and narrower margins in Ohio and in Florida. That means Trump may need an alternate route.

Enter Virginia, with 13 electoral votes. Its a state Obama carried twice, although by only 4 percentage points in 2012. A Southern state geographically, Virginia is politically a combination of New Jersey and South Carolina, with the New Jersey part getting bigger. Its also the home state of Clintons running mate, Tim Kaine. Recent polling puts the Democratic ticket well ahead.

After Virginia, Trump will need to look for life rafts in Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire and Wisconsin with their total of 35 electoral votes  states Obama carried by modest margins in 2012. Iowa and Nevada now seem to be Trumps best bets.

Even if Trump wins all the Romney states plus Florida, Ohio, Iowa and Nevada, he would still be five electoral votes short. That means hed also need either Colorado or Wisconsin, a very heavy lift.

Another state on Trumps wish list is Michigan with 16 electoral votes. But Michigan is tough territory for a Republican to conquer, even with a populist trade message. It has voted Democratic in the last six presidential elections and Obama won it by 10 points against Romney, who was born in Detroit. A recent poll has Trump down by a similar margin.

At this point, Trumps path to an electoral vote majority is complicated and difficult. The building blocks he needs are getting further out of his reach.

Clintons path is much simpler: Win most of the Obama states. She can even afford to lose Florida, Ohio and Virginia  the three states Obama won by his smallest margins in 2012  as long as she holds the rest of his 272 electoral votes.

As cushion, Clinton will try to nab a few Romney states such as North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia. Combined, these states have 42 electoral votes and polls show Clinton has a chance in all three. Trumps campaign is forced to play defense  he cannot afford to lose any of them.

So who wins?

At this point, Clinton has a much clearer path toward an electoral vote majority. But one never knows what unexpected event could reset these numbers  especially in a year when unexpected events happen all the time.
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By Azertac





Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing additional funding for the construction of Ashagi Goynuk-Bash Goynuk-Bash Shabalid highway in the city of Shaki.





Under the presidential order, 1.5 million manats were allocated from the 2016 State Budget for the completion of the construction of the road, which links three residential areas with the total population of 18,000 people.
By Azernews





By Amina Nazarli

Japan puts particular emphasis to the development of comprehensive cooperation with Azerbaijan.



Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Motome Takisawa stressed this as he met with Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on August 30.

During the meeting, the sides expressed their satisfaction with the current status of the cooperation between the two countries and stressed the great potential and political will for further development of relations.

Mammadyarov noted the successful activity of Japanese companies in different areas in the country and provided opportunities for expansion of the cooperation.

The Azerbaijani FM expressed his hope that Takisawas visit will contribute to the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Japan.

The sides also exchanged views on the opportunities for strengthening cooperation in various fields of the economy, including oil-gas, high technologies, agriculture, pharmacy, education, tourism and other areas.

The parties mentioned the visa facilitation envisaged for the citizens of Japan at the international airports of Azerbaijan with satisfaction. They also stressed the importance of increasing efforts for signing of the agreement on exemption of visa for the persons who hold diplomatic and service passports.

Takisawa hailed Azerbaijans support to Japan at the elections within the international organizations.

On the same say, the Japanese delegation visited the Azerbaijani Parliament (Milli Majlis), where the sides expressed satisfaction with development of economic and political ties between the two states.

Leader of the parliamentary friendship group Mukhtar Babayev said that the mutual visits and meetings give impetus to the development of Japan-Azerbaijan relations. He noted that the bilateral relation of Azerbaijan and Japan has deepened over the past 25 years.

The use of Japanese technologies in Azerbaijan has received a wide scope. The use of Japanese technologies in energy field in our country is 60 percent, he said.

Babayev said that, currently, Azerbaijan is the most developed country in the region, noting that alongside diversification of the economy, the country creates new production areas. Now important steps are taken for the development of non-oil sector. These measures are carried out by both the state and private business, he said.



The Japanese official, in turn, noted that Azerbaijan is a country with very rich natural resources and emphasized the mutual interest in the development of a wide range of relations between the two countries.



Earlier, President Ilham Aliyev received the Japanese diplomat. Pointing to strong political ties between the two countries, the head of state said that many Japanese companies were involved in various projects in Azerbaijan, and that there were good prospects for relations between business circles.

Our relations are multifaceted, President Aliyev said, expressing confidence that the cooperation will be developed and strengthened in the future. He also stressed the importance of this visit in terms of identifying ways of further development of relations.

During the conversation, they noted that there were favorable conditions for elevating the economic relations between the two countries to a new level, and exchanged views on cooperation in the fields of oil and gas, high technologies, agriculture, pharmaceuticals industry, and education.
By Azertac





Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Rasim Rzayev has met Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.





The Secretary General shared his pleasant memories and positive impressions of his visit to Azerbaijan.





Ambassador Rzayev informed Secretary General Zayani about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and told him about the results of the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan. During the meeting, the flow of tourists from the GCC countries to Azerbaijan was highlighted. This flow sharply increased as a result of simplification of visa procedures for citizens of the GCC member states arriving to Azerbaijan, which has led to the creation of a framework for cooperation in the tourism sector.





During the meeting relations between Azerbaijan and the GCC, the development of fruitful cooperation between the parties, as well as future prospects of bilateral relations were discussed.





On 09-13 June, 2013, the delegation headed by the Secretary General of the Cooperation Council of Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani visited Azerbaijan. During the visit delegation was received by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. During the visit a Memorandum of Understanding on the mechanism of consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf was signed. Moreover, the GCC delegation also visited Gabala region of Azerbaijan, where guests were interested in the tourism potential of the region and carefully studied the production process at a number of industrial enterprises.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili in Baku on August 31, Azertac reported.

Welcoming the guest, President Aliyev said he is glad to see the Georgian PM, who has quite frequently been visiting Azerbaijan.



"Now you are visiting as a Prime Minister. I am very glad. I am sure that this visit will promote the strengthening of our relations. Our relations are based on history, fraternity and close neighborhood of our people, he said.

The president emphasized that the two states today maintain an active dialogue in all areas  in the political and economic fields.

We are linked with successfully developing projects in transport and energy fields that benefit our countries and peoples. We are very pleased with the progress of bilateral relations between our countries. I am confident that your visit will contribute to deepening and strengthening our relations. We are bound together by ties of history, geography, coincidence of interests and, as I already noted, by transnational energy and transport projects. Well-being of our countries and peoples, stability in our region depends on the realization and success of those projects. Once again welcome," said the President.

Kvirikashvili, in turn, thanked President Aliyev, saying he is really glad to be in the brotherly country.

"Our nations are bound together by the centuries-old friendship. We are fully supporting further development of our relations that are indeed of strategic nature. As you already noted we are linked with the global-scale, friendly, strategic and regional projects that is a key point for improving the well-being of our nations and strengthening friendship between our peoples," said Georgian PM.

After the meeting, a working dinner was hosted on behalf of the Azerbaijani President in honor of Georgian Premier.
By Azernews





By Rashid Shirinov

The conference to be organized by Armenia under the pretext of the 25th anniversary of independence of the separatist regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan has been cancelled, said Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Armenia together with the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs was planning to organize a conference on September 2-3 in Yerevan under the pretext of 'the 25th anniversary of independence' of the separatist regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan for provocative purposes, Hajiyev told Trend on August 31.

Former statesmen, MPs and civil society representatives were supposed to attend the event. It was also planned to organize a trip to Azerbaijani occupied territories for them. However, Chairman of the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs Fabian Baussart made a statement about cancellation of the initiative, Hajiyev said.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani side issued a statement urging persons invited to the conference to respect the rules and principles of international law, refrain from illegal visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and from participation in that forum, which obviously pursues provocative purposes.

Diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan abroad, particularly in France and the UK, conducted explanatory work with people invited to the conference and told them that holding of such an event harms the negotiation process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

Many of the invited persons, taking into account the sensitivity of the situation in the region, refused to participate, Hajiyev said.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.
Everton complete signing of Blades prospect

, 31 August,



The 19-year-old has been a target for the Blues for most of the summer and looked to have been secured weeks ago but the deal didn't come to fruition when it was first reported by the Liverpool Echo.

Calvert-Lewin underwent a medical today before signing a four-year contract with the Blues and his transfer was completed shortly before the deadline.

Described as being physically strong with good aerial presence, Calvert-Lewin has just been named in England's U20 squad, having made it into the Blades' senior squad last year following a loan spell at Northampton Town.

He will go straight into Everton's Under-23s under David Unsworth who said: "This is an opportunity of a lifetime for him. To go from League One to the Premier League is a massive jump but he certainly has all of the attributes to make that jump, given time, hard work and the desire I know he has.

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Egypts New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) has launched a project valued at EGP16 billion ($1.8 billion) to build 116,000 housing units in 6th of October City for the middle-income segment, a report said.



A total of 42,700 units are being built in the Bahariya Oasis, Minister of Housing Mustafa Madbouly as quoted as saying in the Daily News Egypt report.



The project includes four schools, four healthcare units, four units related to social service issues, a hall for special occasions, and places of worship alongside a playgrounds, a hospital, parking areas, two police stations, and a public market, he added.



A number of main roads in the city are also being developed, including the Bahariya Oasis road and South Dahshour road, he highlighted.



The development process includes replacing all surface intersections with bridges, in addition to expanding the South Dahshour road. The development of the roads in the area is estimated to cost EGP2.1 billion.



The second phase of the water plant in 6th of October City, which will be capable of processing 400,000 cu m per day, is being implemented and is scheduled to enter operation in 2018, said the minister. The plant will meet the needs of the expansion projects and support development projects in the city, as well as feed all social housing project areas.
Despite the low oil prices impacting the Middle East, the construction industry remains upbeat with about 960 major projects in the residential, commercial, healthcare, hospitality, smart buildings and education sectors in the pipeline, said a report by IDE, the organisers of the upcoming Rescom Summit Middle East in Doha.



The inaugural event, which aims to address the latest developments and challenges in the construction, architectural, interior design, engineering and technology segments of the real estate industry in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, will run from September 27 to 29.



This summit will connect key decision makers of the real estate fraternity through structured, positive and specialised networks that aims to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals, remarked Ganesh Babu, the director of India and the Middle East, IDE.



Qatar Airways has signed up as the event's official airline partner and Colliers International, the robust knowledge partner.



"Choosing right suppliers or catering to the right projects, the right decision always requires careful planning and extensive market research," stated Babu.



"We understand the business value of such decisions, which is why we work closely to identify and offer the best match for the industrys requirements and specifications from events such as Rescom Summit Middle East," he said.



"Despite the low oil prices impacting the region, the construction industry remains optimistic about its prospects. We see positive market fundamentals in 2017, including infrastructure investment and connectivity, offering potentially good prospects in the real estate market for well-specialised developments to continue their growth path," noted Babu.



Unlike other peer events which emphasise on panels and presentations, Rescom gives more prominence to face-to-face meetings and knowledge-sharing sessions. It will provide unparalleled service and dedication, to ensure our attendees get the best return on investment (ROI)," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi's Al Jaber Group plans to raise up to Dh2.35 billion ($640 million) by the end of 2017 by selling its stake in a construction company and using a prime hotel in the emirate as collateral for a loan, informed sources said.



The moves are part of an attempt by the family conglomerate to seal a new restructuring deal with creditors after missing a payment on its existing $4.5 billion debt plan in March.



Creditors of the group, best known for construction but with interests in a host of other sectors, are currently studying the proposed debt plan, with four sources indicating they are confident an agreement could be in place by year-end.



This would avert the collapse of the company and subsequent contagion for thousands of suppliers, subcontractors and customers.



A spokesman for Al Jaber - which borrowed extensively at the end of the last decade to expand only to be caught out by a local economic slowdown - declined to comment.



Asset sales had been slated under the previous restructuring plan, agreed in 2014, but difficult market conditions and the family's reluctance to relinquish control of businesses meant these did not happen.



The plan includes specific time frames for asset sales to be completed in, and greater corporate governance controls - including independent board members - to ensure it happens.



If the new plan is implemented, Al Jaber must raise Dh1.5 billion ($408.3 million) by the end of this year, with a three-month extension possible, and a further Dh2.4 billion ($653.2 million) by the close of 2017, according to two of the sources, both of whom are based in the UAE.



Of the Dh1.5 billion ($408.3 million) needed by December 31, around Dh500 million ($136 million) is earmarked to come from selling real estate assets, with further cash from offloading shares in listed companies including global ports operator DP World and redemptions from fund investments.



Between Dh300 million ($81.6 million) and Dh350 million ($95.3 million) will come from a loan raised against the five-star Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank lined up to provide the cash, the two UAE-based sources said.



An ADCB spokesman declined to comment.



Of the Dh2.4 billion ($653.2 million) needed to meet the 2017 target, Al Jaber expects as much as Dh2 billion(544.3 million) to come from selling its 80 per cent stake in construction joint venture Alec.



Alec is working on a number of high-profile projects in Dubai, including expanding the emirate's second airport Al Maktoum International and developing a manmade island upon which the world's largest Ferris wheel is being built.



UAE-based boutique investment firm Stirling Financial Services has been chosen to advise Al Jaber on the Alec sale, the UAE-based sources said.



Local firm Ardent Advisory & Accounting has been working with Al Jaber since March on the restructuring process, they added. Ardent declined to comment.-Reuters
Abu Dhabi Ports has partnered with Abu Dhabi Chamber to establish a representative office of the Chamber at the Business Centre of Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad) in Al Taweelah.



The office was launched by Mohamed Helal Al Muhairi, director general of Abu Dhabi Chamber, in the presence of Capt Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports, Mana Mohammed Saeed Al Mulla, CEO of Khalifa Industrial Zone as well as senior officials from both parties.



The representative office will be dedicated to businesses operating within Khalifa Port and Kizad, with a view to establishing direct communication channels between the Chamber and customers benefiting from its services. The office will also serve customers from the neighbouring community including Al Shahama and Al Rahba.



Al Muhairi said: The opening of our new office at Khalifa Industrial Zone comes as part of our continuous efforts, aiming to provide businesses and investors operating in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi with the best services the same way they are offered at our headquarters. Kizad is well known for its commitment to attracting investors and foreign industrial companies which play a vital role in supporting our governments plan of growing the sector and its contribution to the GDP.



Al Mulla said: We are delighted to welcome Abu Dhabi Chamber to Kizad. The opening of Abu Dhabi Chambers representative office at our headquarters in Al Taweelah today marks yet another step towards a solid value chain that provides convenience and ease of doing business to our clients and investors. In addition to Abu Dhabi Chambers representative office, Kizad is now home to Enjazat Services which opened its service desk in July. This allows businesses operating at Khalifa Port and Khalifa Industrial Zone to complete government-related transactions in one place.  TradeArabia News Service
The steam turbines market is projected to grow from an estimated $14.8 billion in 2014 to $19.2 billion by 2020, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4 per cent, according to a recent report.



The report, titled Steam Turbines Market by Type (steam cycle, combined cycle and cogeneration), by Rated Capacity (1-120 MW, 121-350 MW, 351-750 MW and Above 750 MW), by Exhaust Type (condensing and non-condensing), by Application (coal, nuclear, biomass and others) and by region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East and Africa) - Global Trends and Forecasts to 2020, defines and segments the global steam turbine market with an analysis and forecast of the market size.



The growing demand for electricity and corresponding increase in investments for capacity expansions are driving the market for steam turbines across the globe, said the report.



The report analyses the steam turbines market with respect to four regions, namely, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia-Pacific leads the world in terms of market demand for steam turbines, as thermal power forms the core of the regions electricity generation infrastructure, it added.



Nearly three quarters of all new demand for steam turbines is set to emanate from the fast-growing economies of Asia-Pacific, particularly China and India, as these countries lay out ambitious plans to expand generation capacity, it stated.



To provide an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes profiles of some of the leading players in the steam turbines market including Alstom (France), Siemens (Germany), General Electric (US), Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (Japan), and Toshiba Corporation (Japan) among others.



Dominant players are trying to grab a strong footing into developing economies and adopting various methods to grab the market share, with contracts and agreements, and partnerships (joint-ventures, collaborations) being their most favoured strategies, it said.



Market share analysis, by revenue, of the top companies is also included in the report. The scope accordingly aids market participants to identify high growth markets and help managing key investment decisions.



For this report, major players in the steam turbine market have been identified using various primary and secondary sources, which include annual reports of top market players, interviews with key opinion leaders such as CEOs, directors, and marketing executives. Based on this research, the market shares have been evaluated and validated, it added.  TradeArabia News Service
Mumzworld, a leading mother, baby and child online retail platform in the Middle East, has launched an Arabic e-commerce app to assist customers in their parenting needs.



Delivering quick, easy access from the convenience of a mobile phone to more than 120,000 baby and child products up to 12 years old, mothers can find everything they need from maternity wear and products, to diapers, strollers, award winning toys, baby feeding devices, school books and more, a company statement said.



Everyday low prices and a best price guarantee means mums can be certain they are choosing from the widest range of products at the best prices year round, it added.



Mumzworld also offers a speedy door to door delivery service within two to three days for UAE residents and within five days for Saudi Arabia and GCC markets, as well as free next day delivery for all diapers ordered on the app.



With over 70 percent of visitors on e-commerce websites now being mobile based, this is the perfect time for us to take our success as the pioneers of the mother baby and child e-commerce segment in the Middle East to mobile, where more and more mothers are turning, said Mona Ataya, chief executive officer and co-founder of Mumzworld.



We launched the English Mumzworld App two months ago and now the Arabic App will also open a world of opportunities to millions of Arabic speakers eager to be connected with more products, services, and information than ever before.



With a strong Arabic reach across the entire GCC including leadership status in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, its imperative for us to provide Arabic speaking mums with the same convenient shopping experience in their native language across all our platforms, and to demonstrate first-hand just how easy Mumzworld can make life for busy mums. And as a special introductory offer, were offering 10 percent off all purchases through the Mumzworld App to enable even more savings,  Ataya added.



The new App allows mums to use their phones to browse and shop from the complete mumzworld.com product range, easily search and compare products, save must-have items to an in-app wish list, and learn everything they need to know in order to make an informed decision.



New unique features designed to make a mothers life easier will be added to the app every two weeks, the statement said.



The app also offers a streamlined experience for iOS customers and comes equipped with advanced security tools and SSL data encryption systems to keep orders safe, and details private. Payments can be made via credit or debit card, as well as cash on delivery and PayPal.  TradeArabia News Service
Famoco, an emerging leader in Android transactional devices, has announced the worldwide release of its FX200 and FX300 devices.



The devices will complement the existing FX100+, the company said.



The FX200 has a larger 4.5 screen suited to advanced applications while the FX300 is a ruggedised device with integrated barcode scanner.



Our primary focus is to offer a solution for businesses to digitalise their transactions securely, said Lionel Baraban, co-founder and CEO, Famoco. Following the success of the FX100+ device, we have extended our hardware range to meet more advanced needs in all markets from field services to transportation.



FX200: This device has a large, high quality display with front and back autofocus cameras which is perfect for workers who use advanced applications and are required to enter significant amounts of data. The slim design makes it lightweight at just 137g. Other features include NFC, Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, 2G and 3G connections as well as a Secure Access Module to secure sensitive data.



FX300: This is a ruggedized device that integrates a barcode scanner and NFC antenna. Its sturdy format and easy grip has been designed for continuous use by field workers. Tamper resistant but lightweight for its category, the FX300 weighs just 260g. The device is perfectly adapted to the logistics market and transportation industry and has been chosen by a prominent European rail network to equip controllers.



Both the FX200 and FX300 run Famocos secure version of Android that is controlled remotely through the Famoco Management Suite.



The two new devices will be showcased at the upcomning Gitex show from October 16 to 20. - TradeArabia News Service
Amruda Nair, a scion of the iconic Leela Group, is introducing a completely new brand of hospitality with her recently launched Aiana Hotels and Resorts.



A third generation hotelier and coming from a family of entrepreneurs, Nair is looking to inject freshness into the hotel sector with her Hospitality 2.0 concept, and plans to create a presence across The Middle East and South East Asia.



The new independent brand, which is based in Qatar, has been created in response to the needs of tomorrows traveller. Every aspect of the brand  from its intuitive service and local inspired design to its engaging operating philosophy is geared to exceed the expectations of a new generation of savvy travellers, she tells TradeArabia.



Our guest will be the global traveller who is a smart user of technology, environmentally and socially conscious, and expects exceptional value. We aim to cater to the growing demand of this segment for value added offerings in the upper upscale hospitality segment. We are looking at achieving a positioning into that niche market because we can offer a slightly more consistent product offering across multiple locations, she says.



With nine properties currently under its portfolio, Aiana Hotels and Resorts will see its flagship hotel open in Makkah next year, with the 611-room Aiana Makkah opening in the first quarter of 2017. The hotel, which has been designed specifically for families and groups that visit Makkah for Holy pilgrimage, will provide travellers with adequate amenities, efficient and friendly service as well as a varied cuisine featuring signature dishes from the Middle East, Indian sub-continent, Far East and North Africa.



Doha will see the opening of the brands second property in Q2 2017. Aiana Suites and Residences, Doha will be located in the prestigious central business district of West Bay, surrounded by embassies and government offices, and with attractions like the Majestic Corniche Promenade and the famous City Centre Mall being a short walk away.



The location is ideal and will also catch the eye of tourists and future residents of Doha, as the Hamad International Airport is a mere 25 minutes away. Currently under construction, the project will consist of 180 keys with sea-facing and city views, and will measure between 73-sq-m to 250-sq-m.



What this property offers in terms of uniqueness to this region, is that it meets all the requirements for contemporary living and includes some India-inspired facilities such as a specialty Indian restaurant and modern Indian spa concept, in addition to a fitness centre and pool, she adds.



Other properties in the pipeline are Munnar, India (1 hotel opening in 2017), Karnataka, India (5 hotels. First hotel opening in 2019) and Agra, India (1 hotel opening in 2019).



When asked about collaborating with the legacy family group, she said: Aiana Hotels & Resorts is an independently owned company. I am a member of the Nair family, the promotors of The Leela, and it shall remain my legacy, heritage and continual source of inspiration. As of now my energies are focused towards building Aiana Hotels & Resorts to be a global hospitality player.



Nair, who finds a spot among the role models for women in executive positions, concludes with a word of advice to young women entrepreneurs in the region: In a work environment, you must never hesitate to grab an opportunity. Raise your hand, ask for what you want, share an idea or like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg says in her book Lean in, take a seat at the table, - TradeArabia News Service
The number of visitors to Turkey fell by more than a third in July, as a suspected Islamic State attack on Istanbul airport and a failed military coup battered its already fragile tourist industry.



The sector had already been hit by the diplomatic fallout with Moscow over a downed jet, which saw Russian tourists boycott Turkey, and a series of other bombings which discouraged foreign visitors.



Ankara launched a rapprochement with Moscow last month, but the number of foreigners visiting the NATO member state still fell 36.7 per cent in July, year-on-year, to 3.47 million arrivals, data from the Tourism Ministry showed on Wednesday.



The number of visitors from Russia fell almost 90 per cent on the previous year to 231,000. Visitor numbers from European countries, the US, Australia and Canada also fell sharply.



Turkey was rocked by a failed military coup on July 15, while on June 28, 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded when three suspected Islamic State militants carried out a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport.



The Turkish Touristic Hotels and Investors Association (TUROB) said in a statement that hotel occupancy rates in Istanbul fell to 36.8 per cent in July, 40.6 per cent lower than a year earlier.



TUROB said the decline was less marked in Antalya, usually popular with Russian sunseekers, with domestic visitors propping up occupancy rates.



In June, tourist arrivals fell a record-setting 41 per cent. - TradeArabia News Service
The first regularly scheduled commercial flight between the US and Cuba in more than half a century departed on Wednesday.



The first of several US carriers to begin serving Cuba in the coming months, JetBlue Airways was due to fly from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Santa Clara, a central city known for its monument to revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara.



US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, JetBlue chief executive officer Robin Hayes, other officials and journalists were set to travel on the 150-seat Airbus A320. Regular travellers, including some of Cuban descent, were to occupy nearly half the seats on a route that may be a commercial challenge, at least initially.



Lazaro Chavez, a 49-year-old pharmacist who lives in Miami and returns frequently to his homeland, said at the Fort Lauderdale airport that he was taking the flight for two reasons. "One, I am going to see my family. Two, I want to be on this historic flight."



Cuba and the US began normalising relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. The countries had been hostile for more than five decades, since Fidel Castro ousted US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in a 1959 revolution that steered the island on a communist course and made it a close ally of the Soviet Union.



Despite the opening, which has included a landmark visit to the Caribbean island by Obama in March, the US president has been unable to persuade Congress to lift a longstanding trade embargo on Cuba.



US citizens are still prohibited from visiting as tourists, although there have long been exceptions to the ban, ranging from visiting family to business, cultural, religious and educational travel. The Obama administration has further eased the restrictions.



Despite the travel limitations, US airlines have rushed to start flights - adding a lot of capacity and setting themselves up to lose money on the trips in the short run, said industry consultant Robert Mann.



"Most carriers look at international markets that have been restricted and are just opening up as an investment," Mann said. "You need to get your foot in the door."



Services on regional carrier Silver Airways and American Airlines Group from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area to Cuba's outlying provinces are the next to start, in September. Three other carriers will follow.



Mann said the companies probably offered to fly to Cuban cities that are unfamiliar to many American travellers, so that US officials would look favorably on their applications to fly to Havana.



A memorandum of understanding between Cuba and the US will limit Havana flights to 20 round trips per day. US officials have yet to announce a final decision on which companies will get those coveted routes.



"The Havana competition was one of the most over-subscribed competitions that I've been a part of," Foxx said in an interview. "I think that speaks to the interest on the part of the American people, and it also speaks to the level of commercial interest in the US that exists." - Reuters


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The operator of Wyomings largest uranium mine has been ordered to halt all shipments of radioactive waste after two spills occurred during trips from the mining site north of Glenrock to a Utah disposal facility, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Wednesday.

Cameco Resources has agreed to end shipments until an investigation is conducted and steps are taken to prevent future leaks, said NRC spokesman Victor Dricks.

The first spill took place in August 2015 and the second occurred in March, both apparently outside the disposal facility in Blanding, Utah. Cameco representative Ken Vaughn said the company had voluntarily suspended future transports following the March incident. The company says its found no evidence that the sludge contaminated roads in Wyoming.

Dricks said the agency required Cameco to cease shipments because the company failed to take proper action following last years spill.

They took some corrective action which, in hindsight, were not adequate, he said.

During an investigation into the leak, the regulatory agency also identified a series of other violations by Cameco. In addition to the repetitive nature of the leaks, regional regulatory commission administrator Kriss M. Kennedy said the company had failed to properly package the toxic materials, failed to accurately describe the material and exceeded the legal shipment size for such material.

Camecos Smith Ranch-Highland facility, the nations largest uranium mine, has faced penalties for regulatory violations in the past. In 2008, the company paid a $500,000 fine after the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality documented years of repeated violations. At the time, DEQ noted routine spills at the mine.

This particular facility  has multi-decades of issues  everything from spills and leaks at the facility to now on the transportation route, said Shannon Anderson of the Powder River Basin Resource Council.

Anderson said it was surprising to see the NRC take action given what she described as understaffing at the regulatory agency.

We welcome the NRC doing what they did here, she said. Its actually pretty unusual for them to carry out this level of oversight of a facility in Wyoming.

Vaughn said the company was investigating both the leaks and other violations identified by regulators and would work to ensure the firm was in compliance going forward. The two leaks came from different parts of the shipping containers, which he said explained why the initial changes after last years leak did not prevent the March spill.

We were addressing an issue with the bottom of the container [then] we understood we had an issue with the top of the container, Vaughn said. Following the leaks, the company sent investigators to check for radiation along the route of the transport truck and found no signs that any of the sludge had contaminated Wyoming roads or spilled anywhere other than outside the Utah disposal site, Vaughn said. Were not aware of any impact on the environment or public health, he said. According to the letter from Kennedy, Cameco officials have agreed to seek written approval from the NRC before resuming radioactive shipments and conduct an independent review of their transportation program. The letter, dated Tuesday, requires action to be taken within 45 days. Vaughn said the priority was getting things right rather than speed, and declined to give a timeline for when the company believes it would be able to be able to start shipping radioactive waste again.Cameco generally makes two shipments per year from the Smith Ranch facility.There is always the potential for human error, Anderson said. It just gets a little more problematic when that human error can contribute to a leak or spill of radioactive material.
WASHINGTON  The Agriculture Department said Tuesday it had closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats that it considered serious.

USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said the department had received several anonymous messages late Monday that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. He said offices in six locations in the five states were closed Tuesday morning until further notice.

Herrick said the threat was one email message sent to multiple employees at all of the locations.

Without getting into detail of the email message, USDA continues to work closely with federal and local law enforcement, including the FBI, to determine whether the threat is credible, Herrick said.

The closed facilities are in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; Kearneysville, West Virginia, and Leetown, West Virginia.

They include offices for eight USDA agencies, including the Forest Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Among the sites affected was USDAs sprawling agricultural research center and library in Beltsville, where employees were informed of the threat Tuesday morning and sent home. In Fort Collins, four buildings at the Natural Resources Research Center  a campus where over 1,000 people work  were closed.

In an email to employees, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said USDA is closing the offices due to the serious nature of these threats. He did not characterize the threats, but asked employees to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity. He said employees could telework or take authorized leave.

White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said the Department of Homeland Security is working with USDA to ensure the safety of their offices and the personnel that work there.

The temporary closures may affect some tourists. In Colorado, the Forest Services Canyon Lakes Ranger District tweeted that their information center is closed.
The Donald Trump campaign is opening an office in Casper in the next two weeks, its first presence in the deeply red state, the White House hopeful announced in a statement Wednesday.

Trump named Bonnie Foster of Casper, a longtime leader in the local and state Republican Party, its Wyoming director.

Foster will open the office in Casper.

Additionally, she will be in charge of communicating Trumps message across Wyoming and recruiting volunteers who can call voters in Wyoming, Colorado and elsewhere. Some volunteers will also travel to Colorado to knock on doors for Trump.

Its unknown whether the New York business mogul or his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, will visit Wyoming. In the weeks before the general election, battleground states such as Colorado, Ohio and Florida receive the most attention from presidential candidates.

I dont know what those chances are, Foster said of a potential Trump appearance. I put in a request this week on my weekly tracker that I have to send in, so it will go in on Friday morning. The energy sector has made a request to see if they can get him or Gov. Pence here to attend an energy summit.

The Trump campaign hired Foster in late July. The announcement that there was a state Trump organization was delayed, she said. But as more Wyomingites have called the Wyoming GOP, inquiring about a campaign presence, Foster and the Trump organization decided it was time to announce it.

A number of states already had a state director in position during the primary. Wyoming wasnt one of them, and there were a couple of others, she said. Their goal was to put a state director in every state to do the ground game, in conjunction with the (Republican National Committee) to get the message out. They know Wyoming will hopefully vote for Trump and support Trump. But Wyoming can also be of assistance to help go door to door in Colorado, which weve helped in (U.S.) House races and Senate races in the past.

The majority of the Wyoming delegates who went to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July supported Trumps opponent, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

Trump has come under fire for his comments about Mexican immigrants, Muslims, women and an assortment of other topics. But Foster said hes the best candidate for Wyoming.

The thing about Donald Trump is hes a businessman, hes not a career politician, she said. He doesnt owe anybody any favors.

Trump is expected to cruise to victory in Wyoming and gain the states three electoral college votes. In the Aug. 16 primary, nearly 69 percent of Wyoming voters were registered Republicans.

Foster touched on a remark Clinton made in March about putting coal miners and coal companies out of business. She later apologized and highlighted her plan to help mining communities affected by job loss.

We already know Hillary said she was going to shut down every coal mine in the country, Foster said. The Clintons and Hillary, in particular, havent been in private business. You have to have someone who has been in private business to understand business. I think Donald will be a benefit to the state.

The Trump camp also named Steve Bennett of Casper its state chairman. Bennett, a real estate broker who was an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention in July, pledged to Trump.

Bennett is a volunteer who will assist Foster in Trumps campaign, she said.

The Clinton campaign has had a presence in Wyoming since May 2015.

Bruce Palmer, vice chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party, said Trump is not good for Wyoming. While Trump has released statements showing positions on various issues, including energy, he hasnt shown actual proposed policies. And hes waffled on issues, most recently on immigration, Palmer said.

But its larger than Trumps success at business, Palmer said. Trumps personality is not in alignment with Wyoming  the statements hes made about women and non-whites do not line up with values in the state, he said.

I think were about hard work, about respect for one another, Palmer said. I dont see any of that coming from Donald Trump through this campaign.
GILLETTE  A woman charged with crashing into a motorcyclist in Gillette and causing injuries that later killed the man has been ordered to serve 13 days in jail.

Merri Stetter was sentenced to one year in jail, but a judge suspended 350 days of the sentence and gave her credit for two days served.

Stetter had been driving a pickup truck when she struck Steve Augerot on his motorcycle in July 2015. Augerot suffered severe injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Stetter's attorney argued that the crash was "a tragic accident."

The judge declined to let Stetter go without jail time, citing the woman's history of driving violations and the fact that she left the scene of the crime.
Regular international commercial airline service is scheduled to return to Tucson International Airport Oct. 3, when Mexican carrier Aeromar launches service to Hermosillo, Los Mochis, Mazatlan and Guadalajara in Mexico.

Andres Fabre, Aeromar Director General and CEO, was in Tucson Wednesday for the official unveiling of the airline's ticket counter space at the airport and to meet with local officials.

The flights will be the first international flights to TIA since the last Mexico flight was dropped in 2008.
Whether there are tears or joy at tonights election-night party for Ally Miller and members of the Oro Valley GOP, it won't be documented in the annals of Tucson media.

Thats because journalists aren't allowed to cover the gathering at the Fox & Hound, 7625 N. La Cholla Blvd. Thats an unusual move for politicians on election night.

An Arizona Daily Star photographer was not allowed entry to the Tucson restaurant. A sign at the entrance of the restaurant said that no members of the media would be welcome.

Miller has had a tense relationship with many local media outlets, including the Star, and generally avoids reporters.

In recent months, the Star and other outlets have reported on an ongoing controversy surrounding her use of private email to conduct public business, something she has denied doing.

However, emails obtained by the Star through public records requests show Miller regularly corresponding with staff via private email accounts, one of several measures she wrote were necessary to avoid the "prying eyes" of county officials.

In mid-July, Miller submitted her own records requests for over 131,000 emails, among other materials. Several county officials said it was likely the largest request ever received by the county and would take significant time and resources to respond to.
When Donald Trump speaks about illegal immigration Wednesday evening in Phoenix, we know pretty well what the policy ideas will be.

We can expect him to double down on the plan to build a beautiful border wall, and we should expect him to be firm on deporting criminals who are illegally in the country. But we shouldnt be surprised to see him soften his longstanding idea of mass deportations.

On that, Trump said last week, We are going to be out with a decision very soon.

It turns out, theres pretty good consensus in the United States on what to do about these issues  and if he wants to improve his chances of beating Hillary Clinton, he needs to at least appear to overlap with that consensus.

Just as interesting as Trumps policy pronouncements is what hell say between the lines. When he is talking about undocumented people, border enforcement and immigration generally, what will he be trying to communicate?

From the primary campaign all the way up to the Republican convention, Trumps rhetoric on immigration and the border was hot and pointed. Its what got the crowds riled up and energized him in turn. What he said was not just that we need to enforce our laws, but that our nation is under grave threat because of outsiders.

The word is getting out that we have to stop illegal immigration. We have to, he said in Phoenix in July last year. We have a situation thats absolutely out of control.

Thats not true: Border apprehensions nationwide were at their lowest point last year since 1972. While the borders may not be under firm control, neither are they absolutely out of control.

Trumps underlying point, though, seems to be broader.

He has also suggested America is falling apart because of refugees pouring in from Muslim countries, Latin American criminals coming across the Mexican line, and legal immigrants harming the well-being of native-born Americans by draining our resources and taking our jobs.

My plan is the exact opposite of the radical and dangerous immigration policy of Hillary Clinton, Trump said at the Republican National Convention last month. Americans want relief from uncontrolled immigration. Communities want relief. Yet Hillary Clinton is proposing mass amnesty, mass immigration, and mass lawlessness.

What you typically get from Trumps pronouncements is more of a feeling than a detailed policy. On borders and immigration, the feeling is that of an American homeland and identity at risk.

Thats what the wall idea is about  a symbol of resistance to change as much as a practical solution  and its what Trumps core supporters have responded to.

The truth be told, theyre right: The old America is not only under threat, but doomed. A deeply multicultural USA is coming into being, even if we guard every gap in all our borders. To the extent that this is the threat Trumps supporters feel, they will be disappointed no matter who wins the election. The change in who we are will keep coming.

In any case, Trump needs more than his natural constituency if hes going to avoid a loss in the presidential election.

Thats probably why you could see last week the softening in his position on people living illegally in the country who have been law-abiding and productive residents. Previously he talked about using a deportation force to remove them, but no longer.

Trump even polled the audience last week during a raucous town hall hosted by his favorite media personality, Sean Hannity of Fox News. It was as if he were trying to convince himself his new position would work with his own supporters.

The Pew Research Center, which has done years of deep analysis of these issues, found in a March survey that most Democrats and Republicans believe undocumented people should be allowed to stay in the country provided they meet certain requirements.

Overall, 75 percent of the population shares that opinion. Only 19 percent of those surveyed want every undocumented person in the country thrown out. So as much as that idea may rile up crowds, Trump needs to ditch it in Phoenix to attract more voters.

If he can moderate his policy while still cultivating the feeling of defending an American homeland under attack, maybe he can, at least, win the traditionally safe Republican state of Arizona.
PHOENIX  Arizona voters will get to decide if they want to be able to use marijuana just to get "high.''

In a brief order this afternoon, the Arizona Supreme Court rebuffed arguments that both the summary of the initiative and the text itself was too flawed to send to the ballot. Chief Justice Scott Bales said Arizona law requires only that ballot measures be in "substantial compliance'' with legal requirements. And he said Proposition 205 fits within that definition.

While today's ruling clears the way for a vote, it may not end the legal problems for the measure.

Challengers contend that the initiative does not comply with a constitutional amendment that requires any new program created by voters to have its own new source of revenues. While the initiative will create a 15 percent tax to fund enforcement, it will have to borrow money initially from the existing medical marijuana fund.

The justices sidestepped that issue, saying challengers can raise those objections if the measure is approved in November.

Today's ruling came just hours after a trial judge ordered a change in how Secretary of State Michele Reagan is describing to voters the effects of a measure to legalize marijuana.
Barbara LaWall has defeated her Democratic challenger in the heated primary race for Pima County attorney.

Joel Feinman conceded in a news release early Wednesday morning, thanking his supporters and reiterating his dedication to reforming the justice system.

"After a long hard fight, it is evident the election did not go the way we had hoped, said Feinman. This doesnt mean we will lose heart. Mass incarceration is still a problem in our community, and the Pima County justice system still needs reform to better serve us all."

LaWall came out ahead as early election results rolled in Tuesday night, maintaining a steady lead.

During his campaign, Feinman said that LaWall puts too many nonviolent offenders in jail, as opposed to offering diversionary programs. He also has implied that she's soft on crime, choosing to prosecute drug offenders over cases such as sexual assault.

LaWall defended her record, arguing that data supports that the right people are going to prison, and that more than 90 percent of the people in Arizona prisons are violent or repeat offenders.

LaWall will face Green Party candidate Cyndi Tuell in the Nov. 8 general election.
PHOENIX  The Republican state utility regulator who is leading the fight to force Arizona Public Service to disclose its political donations is probably going to get a chance to keep his seat.

Preliminary results Tuesday night in the GOP primary for Arizona Corporation Commission showed that incumbent, Bob Burns, among the top three vote-getters in the five-way race for the three seats up for grabs.

Tuesdays preliminary results showed Andy Tobin was also likely to be nominated, with Boyd Dunn running third in the GOP primary, though not that far ahead of current state Rep. Rick Gray and former state Sen. Al Melvin.

The three top Republican vote-getters will face two Democrats in the November general election, Tom Chabin and Bill Mundell, who advanced without opposition in their partys primary Tuesday.

Burns has made himself an outcast of sorts among the other four Republicans on the Corporation Commission with his demand  now reduced to a subpoena  that APS, the states largest electric utility, surrender all of its records detailing how it spent its money on political, charitable and lobbying expenses. He also wants the same information from Pinnacle West Capital Corp., APSs parent.

Tobin was appointed in January by Gov. Doug Ducey. And like the other four Republicans on the commission, he has been opposed to Burns efforts to force APS to open its books.

Dunn, a former Chandler mayor and retired judge, has taken a less clear position on the issue during the campaign.

The issue of outside influence on the commission, which sets what customers pay for utilities, was a major issue in the primary and promises to continue to be so in the upcoming general election. Burns, Mundell and Chabin contend the commission has the legal right to demand public disclosure. The other commissioners have balked at that idea; APS officials have argued they cannot be forced to make their donations public.

Another issue in this years election: APS and other utilities are asking permission to impose additional charges on their customers who generate their own power.
Blomo does not have much time to make a decision: Roberts said the ballots and the brochures are set to go to the printer Thursday.

The pro-205 forces are not the only ones unhappy with Reagan. Opponents of the initiative filed their own objections Tuesday, asking Blomo to rewrite the measure in a way they contend is more accurate.

That means adding some other points, ranging from protection for employees who smoke marijuana outside the workplace to limits on the number of places that will be able to sell the drug until 2018.

The new legal challenges come as the Arizona Supreme Court considers whether Proposition 205 gets to go to voters at all.

Foes are appealing an earlier ruling by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry refusing to throw the measure off the ballot.

Foes contend the 100-word description of the measure on petitions is misleading because it did not include certain facts that opponents said would be important to voters. Gentry said that, by definition, a summary cannot include every point.

The Supreme Court also needs to rule on a separate challenge to Proposition 206 that if approved in November would hike the state minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020.

On Twitter: @azcapmedia
PHOENIX  A trial judge today ordered a change in how Secretary of State Michele Reagan is describing to voters the effects of a measure to legalize marijuana.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge James Blomo rejected arguments that Reagan was factually correct when she said that the drug would be available only to those "over 21. Assistant Attorney General James Driscoll-Maceachron told the judge that "over 21 can mean the same thing as being 21 or older.

"I guess I disagree with that, Blomo responded, saying it runs contrary to a plain understanding of the English language.

"If I hear you have to be over 21, that means 22, he said. Blomo, in his ruling, called the language "clearly misleading, as the measure would allow anyone at least 21 to buy and use the drug.

But Blomo refused to make two other changes sought by proponents of Proposition 205: that voters be told a 15 percent tax on the drug would help fund education, and that some drug offenses would remain felonies.

Supporters of Proposition 205 are arguing about the verbiage because Reagan's description of what the measure would do appears not only on the ballot but also in a pamphlet mailed to the homes of all registered voters.

What Blomo ruled today, however, could be academic.

The Arizona Supreme Court is expected to rule later today whether voters get a chance to decide the issue at all.

Opponents charge that both a required 100-word description and the initiative itself is misleading and should not be allowed to go on the ballot. But that argument already has been rebuffed by a trial court judge.
In District 3, Democratic incumbents Sally Ann Gonzales and Macario Saldate will be challenged by Green party candidate Trey Cizek.

In District 4, Democrats Charlene Fernandez and Jesus Rubalcava will be the only names on the ballot. Republican Richard Hopkins is running as a write-in candidate.

And in District 11, incumbent Republicans Mark Finchem and Vince Leach will face Democrat Corin Hammond.

Gabriella Vukelic is a Star apprentice and University of Arizona student. Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@tucson.com. On Twitter: @BeckyPallack
MEXICO CITY  On Mexican soil for the first time as the Republican presidential nominee, a firm but measured Donald Trump defended the right of the United States to build a massive border wall along its southern flank, standing up for the centerpiece of his immigration plan in a country where he is widely despised.

Trump, who previously derided Mexico as a source of rapists and criminals, praised Mexicans Wednesday as "amazing people" following a closed-door meeting at the official residence of the country's president, Enrique Pena Nieto. Trump and the Mexican president, who has compared the New York billionaire to Adolf Hitler, addressed reporters from adjacent lecterns before a Mexican flag.

The trip, 10 weeks before America's presidential Election Day, came just hours before the Republican nominee was to deliver a highly anticipated speech in Arizona about illegal immigration. That has been a defining issue of his presidential campaign, but also one on which he's appeared to waver in recent days

With political risks high for both men, Trump stayed on script, declining to repeat his promise to force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border between the two countries when pressed by reporters.

"Having a secure border is a sovereign right and mutually beneficial," he said, reading from prepared remarks. "We recognize and respect the right of any country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders to stop the illegal movement of people, drugs and weapons. Cooperation toward achieving this shared objective  and it will be shared  of safety for all citizens is paramount to both the United States and to Mexico."

Trump's presence on Wednesday, his first meeting with a head of state abroad as a presidential candidate, sparked anger and protests across Mexico's capital city. A former Mexican president bluntly told the celebrity businessman that, despite Pena Nieto's hospitality, he was not welcome.

"We don't like him. We don't want him. We reject his visit," former President Vicente Fox told CNN, calling the trip a "political stunt."

Pena Nieto was less combative as he addressed reporters alongside Trump. He acknowledged the two men had differences and defended the contribution of Mexicans working in the United States, but he described the conversation as "open and constructive." He and Trump shook hands as the session ended.

After saying during his Republican primary campaign he would use a "deportation force" to expel all of the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally, Trump suggested last week he could soften that stance. But he still says he plans to build a huge wall  paid for by Mexico  along the two nations' border. He was under pressure to clarify just where he stands in the speech that had been rescheduled several times.

Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, told CBS earlier in the day that Trump would make clear "that there will be no path to legalization, no path to citizenship. People will need to leave the country to be able to obtain legal status or obtain citizenship."

The buildup to the speech was abruptly interrupted Tuesday night by the news that Trump would visit Mexico, accepting on short notice an invitation offered last week by Pena Nieto. The newspaper El Universal wrote in an editorial that Trump "caught Mexican diplomats off guard."

Campaigning in Ohio earlier in the day, Democrat Hillary Clinton jabbed at Trump's Mexican appearance as she promoted her own experience working with foreign leaders as the nation's chief diplomat.

"People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you won't say one thing one day and something totally different the next," she told the American Legion in Cincinnati. "And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again."

He has promised, if elected, to deport millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally, force Mexico to build a wall to secure the nearly 2,000-mile border and renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement to make it more favorable to the United States.

Pena Nieto suggested there was room to improve the trade deal, which Trump described as unfair to American workers. The New York businessman promised to promote trade deals that would keep jobs in the Western Hemisphere.

Pena Nieto made his invitation to both Trump and Clinton, who met with him in Mexico in 2014. The inclusion of Trump puzzled many in Mexico, who said it wasn't clear why their own unpopular president would agree to meet with someone so widely disliked in his country.

Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's immigration policies, particularly the Republican's plans to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it. In a March interview, he said that "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would do so and compared Trump's language to that of dictators Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Pena Nieto did not repeat such criticism on Wednesday, but acknowledged Trump's comments had "hurt and affected Mexicans."

"The Mexicans deserve everyone's respect," he said.
Help India!

By IANS,

London : British Hindus celebrated a White Diwali amid unseasonal snowfall Tuesday, but refused to allow the chill to dampen spirits.

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Snowflakes mixed with fireworks as up to two inches of snow settled in parts of Britain  a rare occurrence in October  and nighttime temperatures fell to minus four degrees Celsius in the eastern parts of the country.

Thousands of homes in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire were left without power after the cold weather damaged high voltage cables.

But tens of thousands of Hindus poured out of their homes in Asian-inhabited areas of London and its suburbs to shop and eat out on lamp-lit high streets.

And a note of warmth was added by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England, in his traditional Diwali message to the Hindu community.

In both Christianity and Hinduism, we dedicate times of the year to the renewal of our lives and of our faith, Rowan Williams said Tuesday.

We seek to reflect on what has gone before and to reconnect with the light which lies within us and which is at the heart of all that is, he said.

My hope for this year ahead is that in this spirit of looking to the light, we shall be able to find reconciliation where there has been division and hurt; to work for peace and the rejection of all resort to violence Williams added.
Help India!

By Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net,

Mumbai: The communitys verdict on the Supreme Court verdict on Haj subsidy is vertically divided. From common Muslim to clerics to leaders  the division is clear. Only yesterday, many Muslims came out in this city welcoming the SC order to phase out Haj subsidy. Today another set of community members have taken exactly opposite approach  Haj subsidy is not prohibited in Islam, it should continue, and Supreme Court should withdraw the phase-out order.

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Subsidy given by the government of India on airfare of Haj pilgrims is not prohibited in Islam, its our right in India, declared clerics and Muslim NGOs at a press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.



Maulana Ejaz Kashmiri, Farid Shaikh, Maulana Mehmood Daryabadi, Maulana M.B Qasmi, Harun Mzawala addressing the press on 10th May 2012 in Mumbai



Maulana Mahmood Ahmad Khan Daryabadi, general secretary, All India Ulama Council, announced, Subsidy given on airfare to Indian pilgrims is not Haram (prohibited). In fact it is of great help for poor Muslim majority to attain their dreams of Haj, once in a lifetime. He argued that every community living in India is getting government funds directly or indirectly for their religious duties, then why this discrimination against Muslims only.

Corruption in Hajj programme and misuse of subsidy should be investigated and resolved rather than axe it, he added.

NGOs termed the Apex Courts verdict against Hajj Subsidy as Uncalled for and sought immediate review petition to be filed by the government of India. None of the petitioners or the respondents in the cases has sought for an order either the Union of India should or should not grant subsidy for the Hajjis in the airfare, they said.

Maulana M Burhanuddin Qasmi, director of Markazul Maarif complained, The case was between Government of India and the Private Tour Operators regarding the new Hajj Policy but the Apex Court in its own wisdom willfully gone beyond and brought about an order which will undoubtedly adversely affect millions of Muslims in days to come.

He referred to the ruling in the case of Praful V. Union of India, on 28th January, 2011 where the Honble Court upheld the constitutional validity of the subsidy.

He said that Honble Court wisely stated in the ruling while ordering phasing out of the Hajj Subsidy, We are also not oblivious of the fact that in many other purely religious events (other than Muslims) there are direct and indirect deployment of state funds and state resourcesThis Court has no claim to speak on behalf of all Muslims of the country  what is for them a good or bad religious practice. Then why and how the Honorable Apex Court became a Mufti (an Islamic jurist) which quotes and explains Quranic verses to justify its decision of axing Hajj subsidy? he asked.

Issuing fatwa or explaining Quranic verses are the work of religious scholars, and Indian Muslim are performing Hajj far last 19 years on subsided Hajj arrangement, no authoritative Muslim institute has ever objected to it. Condemning the quotation given by the Judges from the Quran Maulana Mehmood Daryabadi said, Its better for the judges to leave the religious matter and its interpretation to the religious scholars.

Answering a question about the use of subsidies for the educational and economical upliftment of Muslims, Farid Shiakh, Mumbai Aman Committee said, Let the Ministry of Minority spend the allocation of Rs.750 Crore which remained idle and lapsed. He argued its the experience that funds meant for minorities remain underutilized and in majority of the cases are retuned.

Leaders argued that our national annual budget is of lacs of crores of rupees and other communities are getting thousands of crore. These few hundred crores of subsidies dont make any difference.

Those who addressed the press conference were Maulana Mahmood Ahmad Khan Daryabadi, general secretary, All India Ulama Council, Mr. Farid Shaikh, President, Mumbai Aman Committee, Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi, Director, Markazul Maarif Education and Research Centre. Prominent NGO heads like Haroon Muzawala of Khar-e Ummat Trust, Dr Azimuddin of Movement for Human Welfare and Maulana Ejaz Kashmiri.


Help India!

By Shiva Thorat, Twocircles.net

On Friday, Hindus celebrated Gokulalakshmi, also known as Janmasthami as the birth of Lord Krishna, across the country. In Mumbai, the day is celebrated as Dahi Handi,marked by breaking a pot of curd and buttermilk hung at a considerable height. Devotees form a human pyramid to reach the pot, often putting their bodies at great risk. Given the dangers involved, the Supreme court recently banned children below 18 years from participating in the event.

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However, this has done little to deter the residents of Mumbai, who continue to participate with great fervour. But it is not as if the continuance of a religious tradition is the only reason here.

Take for example, the Dahi Handi celebrations in Airoli, a residential suburb of Navi Mumbai located on the Thane-Belapur road. The attraction for the people who had gathered was the prize money of Rs 2.5 lakh announced by the local leader Vijay Chougule, who is city chief for Navi Mumbai for Shiv Sena.





Dahi Handi celebrations in Airoli, Navi Mumbai



Deepak Akhade, a 23-year-old member of Sahyog Mitra Mandal-Bhimnagar Navi Mumbai, who sometimes participates in Dahi Handi celebrations, told TCN, People just need to hear about the money. They can go crazy over that. Dahi Handi celebrations in Airoli have always involved huge crowds, since it involves a big cash prize along with music and other festivities. All this of course means that the preparations begin much before the festival itself. Harish More, Chief of the Sahyog Mitra Mandal, Bhimnagar, said, To make a successful and substantial pyramid, we begin practice two months before of Dahi Handi festival. We need energy and people to practice and sometimes, members have to skip work. It takes time but it is also our culture. But when prodded over the cash prize, he says, Since the time I became the chief of the group, we have broken the pot three times, but we did not get any money. All we got was medals and a trophy.

Akhade who broke the pot two years ago, said, It is really hard work. When I broke the pot, I was studying in graduation and had to bunk classes in order to practice. I didnt regret not getting the money; my only regret is that I was hurt so many times, and my family scolded me a lot.

The prize money ensures that communities show a great interest in it. Akhade said, Agri Koli (fisheries communities) are a dominant community at these celebrations. This year, they have won Rs 2.5 lakh, but I doubt they will get it. I never got the prize money.

Drought in state put question mark over celebrations

Sudhakar Sonawane, who is a corporator for the area of Rabale, Navi Mumbai, belongs to the Nationalists Congress Party (NCP). Last year, in wake of the state-wide drought, he stopped celebrating Dahi Handi. Shashi Mhatre, a follower of Sudhakar Sonawane and peon at Ekta Vidyalaya, Bhimnagar, Rabale said, Since Sonawane stopped celebrating the Dahi Handi, now the people of Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) are trying to step in and offer money.

They are not even concerned about the drought and are instead celebrating this festival. Mhatre explains the issues that have cropped up as a result of the drought. Because of drought, people are migrating to Mumbai amidst growing unemployment and homelessness. Instead of giving offering them a place to stay and/or work, political parties make them celebrate Dahi Handi, he says. The idea of stopping celebrations because of drought is not limited to this area. Jitendra Avhad, MLA of Thane-a distant suburb of Mumbai-also stopped the celebration of Dahi Handi in light of the recent drought.

Bhai Kokani, a member of Kannada Mitra Mandal of Bhimangar Rabale and a well-known political figure, said, There is a competition between Raj Thakre (MNS) and Uddhav Thakre (Shivsena). After Avhad put a stop on the celebrations, they got a chance to polarise people in the name of Dahi Handi. The supreme court orders regarding the height of the pyramid and the age limit are frequently flouted. This shows how political parties use Dahi Handi for their personal gains.

Akhade offers an interesting insight into the celebrations. All the drama of Dahi Handi is the for the preparation of celebrating of Ganpati festival. For local leaders, this is an attempt to impress everyone of the top. I have decided to not attend such events any more, he says.

When asked the reasons behind it, he says, Two years ago, I broke my leg. My mother fel down when she saw me up on the pyramid. My group has the backing of the NCP; the Agri Koli is supported by the Shiv sena and BJP. The festival of Dahi Handi might have religious origins, but that sense is completely lost amidst the fight for political gains. To impress the high commands, we have to hanged up ourself in the air, he says.
Help India!

By Masood Peshinam for TwoCircles.net

Thomas Malthus was the first economist to propose the systematic theory of population. In his essay on the principle of population, Malthus proposed that human population expands in geometrical progression while food production grows in arithmetic ratio. This scenario of arithmetic food growth simultaneous with geometric human population growth predicted a future when humans would have no resources to survive on.

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To avoid such a catastrophe, Malthus urged control on population growth. He considered that the population increase should be kept down to a level which could be supported by the operation of various checks.

Then there is Charles Darwin who is best known for his theory of evolution. His theory of evolution has been discussed in much greater detail on numerous platforms, so I shall refrain from repeating the same. But to sum up, he believed in the survival of the fittest. He found the solution of the problems in coinciding and reconciling with the environment-be it natural, social, political, economic so on and so forth. To him, adaptation would lead to natural selection. Greater the adaptability, greater are the chances of survival.

However, notwithstanding the concept of adaptability propounded by Darwin, the fact remains that adaptability has a limit. Beyond that, adaptability leads to a merger where the very identity of the entity can be threatened.

Take for example, the Sindhi language. It is to save the identity of the Sindhi language that the Sindhis, despite having gone through the traumatic experiences of partition did not go for the Devnagri script and retained the Arabic script. The Sindhis asserted their Sindhi identity retaining the Arabic script.

With the Malthusian theory of population and Darwins theory of evolution in vogue , a new theory of population has come thanks to the RSS Chief Mohan Baghwat and his theory of population. The narrative of Mohan Baghwats theory of population is that the population of Hindus is on decline and the population of Muslims in India is on increase. He visualises that the expansion of Muslims population in future would disturb the demographic balance to the frightening proportion. Hence he suggests Hindus to have more children.

His apprehension that Muslim minority in the country would outnumber the Hindu majority is unfounded and imaginary. The imagined upswing in the Muslim population is not explained in terms of logic and reasoning, and has more to do it with politics than any attention to reality. The concept of expansion of population cant be explained in religious connotations. There can be the economic interpretation, of course, even though they still remain open to debate: the ideas that poor look at more children in order to increase the means of earning and not availing of the facilities of family planning, early marriages and other factors may have the potential to expand population.

It is painful to see Mohan Bhagwat developing a communal stance to the growth of population which underlines the hollowness of the political discourse with an intent to incite the hatred against Muslims.

But more importantly for RSS, this is just one more issue in its kitty to complicate the situation for Muslims, a politically orphan community already suffering victimisation on one count or the other. Now the situation has come to such a pass that speaking of the victimhood of Muslims in India may also attract some harsh response. In the prevailing situation, forget secular Muslims: even secular Hindus are not tolerated. The dissent the hallmark of vibrant democracy is being stifled in the shouts of ultra nationalism.

The political class in the country particularly the Sangh Praviar keeps floating the issues with regular consistency for forcing its agenda on others and promote the interest of the corporate culture. To counter this, it is for the Muslims to see that non opportunist liberal class rises to the occasion thus contributing to the social secular ethos.

Rigid communalism irrespective of any side would not benefit any one, more particularly the middle class which is fighting the battle of survival every other day. The strength of the nation lies in Hindu Muslim unity which is an answer to our multiple problems.

The author is an advocate from Kalyan, Maharashtra
Help India!

By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter

New Delhi: CAFAU, Campaign Against Fascist Attack on University, a united front comprising of progressive and democratic organisations, students and teachers held a public meeting in Batla House, New Delhi on Wednesday to mark the International Day for Disappeared People of Kashmir.

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Professor Uma Chakravarty from University of Delhi, who was present as a guest speaker, shed light on the history of struggle of the oppressed nationalities as well as a history of repression by the Indian state machinery, made possible through draconian laws like AFSPA that allow the state agents to kill, maim, blind and rape with impunity.

Supreme Court advocate Warisha Farasat termed the unexplained disappearances a crime against humanity. She questioned the legality of trying such criminal offences as rape and murder by members of armed forces under court martial. She pointed out that court martial was meant to maintain army discipline and try related minor offences. She maintained that trial of criminal offences in court martial, as happens frequently in Kashmir, is a travesty of justice.

Parveena Ahangar, chairperson, Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), also addressed those present via phone from Kashmir. She sounded extremely worried and in rage over the recent happenings in Kashmir. She told that the situation in Kashmir was grave. More worryingly, as a report in Kashmir Reader pointed out, For the first time, International Day of Disappeared (August 30) was not observed in Kashmir Valley. Despite the lifting of curfew from most parts of Srinagar, restrictions imposed by the government have prevented the annual gathering of families of disappeared persons in city centre Lal Chowk.

Every year, families of persons who have disappeared, mostly after being picked up by army or paramilitary troops, would gather at Lal Chowk The families would display identity cards and photos of the disappeared persons to keep demanding information of their whereabouts and to express the sense of limbo they have left behind.

Today we could not organise any programme. It was impossible for the victims to come from far-flung areas because of the restrictions. Even families from Srinagar could not be brought together. In this situation I decided to hold a demonstration alone but was unable to do so because of the restrictions, said Parveena Ahangar in the report from Kashmir Reader.

At the Delhi event, Professor Vijay Singh from the University of Delhi shed light on the history of the formation of the states of India and Pakistan, clarifying that none of the two states was formed on the basis of peoples choice.

He said, At the time of accession to India, the people of Kashmir were promised a plebiscite which never happened. He stressed that Kashmiri people therefore have the right to determine their future, they should be given a chance to decide if they want to be a part of India, Pakistan or independence from both.

Basharat Hasan, a PhD scholar, suggested that we must reflect on why are the armed forces are creating enforced disappearances in Kashmir when they can easily kill with impunity. He also warned Indians that whenever the problem of Kashmir is resolved, this impunity and the mindset that one can kill without being accountable for it will come back to us. He maintained that Indians will have to take the responsibility for what the Indian state is doing in their name in Kashmir by ensuring the accountability of their governments actions in Kashmir.

Related: The half widows of Kashmir
Mu

hammad Aslam inhabits what he describes as an absence of place.





Aslam migrated from Afghanistan to Pakistan as a teenager in 1981 after the Soviet invasion of his country. He got an education, becoming a doctor in the northern city of Peshawar, married and had a family.





One of millions of Afghans scattered by waves of civil war spanning more than three decades, Aslam made a life in his adopted country with every intention of staying.





Now he and others may be forced to go back to Afghanistan, a country in turmoil and one they know little about, because Pakistani officials are describing Afghans as a security and economic threat at a time of worsening militant violence.





"It's like becoming a refugee again, Aslam, 49, said recently in an interview.





Pakistan has announced that the 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees in the country must leave by Dec. 31 as part of get-tough measures to combat terrorism, fueling fresh fear and uncertainty among families who have spent almost their entire lives in their adopted country.




These days, various colleges and universities around the world garner fame for producing computer, biology, and physical science experts. After completing their degrees, the computer science students get high chances of career growth on the basis of their academic performance. Computer science is the name of the scientific and practical approach to computers and their multiple applications. This systematic study opens the doors to endless job opportunities for graduates and post-graduates. The field has been divided into different disciplines. These include computational complexity theories, programming languages, Humancomputer interaction, and others.

It would not be wrong to say that the computer nerds are ruling the world. If your dream is to become a computer expert in the near future, then these universities are offering the best programs.

National University of Singapore (Singapore).

For long, Singapore has been known for its marvelous beaches, exotic food, and exceptional lifestyle. A few of us know that here you can find many top ranked institutions too. Singapore is known to offer one of the best computer science programs globally. It's National University of Singapore welcomes applicants from all parts of the world. So, if your plans are to learn and obtain the degree within the exotic environment, the Singapore university is worth a try.

Admission is granted on the basis of merit.

ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Switzerland).

Once in a lifetime, everyone dreams to visit Switzerland. There have been many people who chose this amazing country for their honeymoon. The Hollywood and Bollywood stars often spend their summer holidays in Switzerland.

If you are interested in the elegance of Europe, then you should look no further than the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. This is a highly reputed institution in the world. Besides the fact that it offers the wide range of top-notch computer science programs, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is known for its engineering alumni too.

Admission is granted only when you prove that youve firm grip over the four official languages.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong).

For anyone who is in continuous search of acomputer science degree at an institution that is known for its cultural diversity, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is the right option. We are aware of the fact that Hong Kong is a place with vibrant traditions, and delicious cuisines. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is funded by both government and private bodies. Financial assistance is also provided to brilliant and deserving students. Once you gain admission, you can apply for scholarships too.

University of Oxford (England).

There are only a couple of institutions in the world that can share the prestige and historic character of the University of Oxford, England. Not only the computer nerds but also students of all other disciplines are provided with the best Education and research facilities. This university has a lot to inspire you as a student. So, if you want to be another Stephen Hawking of computer science, then this is the right place for you.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA).

Without any surprise, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is the finest place for computer science and IT students. It offers the worlds best computer programs. Massachusetts might not have tasty cuisines like Hong Kong or Singapore, but MIT certainly paves the ways for future leaders towards real career growth.
Earlier this month, A-level and GCSE students over the country received results for a range of subjects.One subject area that has been on the decline, however, is Languages. The number of students taking language subjects at GCSE and A-level has been falling every year.

This year, the BBC reported further decline in the number of students taking languages, stating that entries for French [GCSE] had more than halved in the past two decades.Lower numbers of modern languages entries compared to other subjects, such as sciences and maths, has been attributed to school funding pressures.

It is challenging to find qualified teaching staff for languages, leaving institutions unable to fund smaller class groups.

Why is language-learning on the decline?

One reason that students are less likely to take languages is the attraction of higher paid career paths in the scientific and industrial sectors.Another reason is that languages simply arent textbook-friendly subjects. They dont consist of learning facts; languages require practice, building vocabulary, and an open mind to different cultural values.

These aspects of language-learning dont lend themselves particularly well to exam preparation, but are the very aspects that make foreign language-learning such a crucial 21st century practice.

Aside from the evident career opportunities and international prospects, being able to speak a foreign language widens your perspective, allowing you to unlock possibilities.

Speaking a foreign language makes you a welcome exception

When visiting a different country, being able to speak the language makes you a welcome exception; different from the majority of British tourists.

This summer, I travelled to Greece, and found myself trying to communicate with a shop assistant who couldnt speak English.

The struggle of the interaction made me realise the extent to which British people depend on foreigners language skills in English. Without their efforts, cultural exchange becomes suddenly impossible, leaving only confusion and silence.

The inability to communicate in another language is a barrier

Humans have a natural tendency towards othering; that is, to consider other human beings in different groups to our own, such as those in different countries, as nameless strangers whom we cannot identify with.This othering is what makes it easy to consider unknown people as outsiders.

It is the reason why the death of a protagonist in a book is more upsetting than the death of irrelevant characters, and the same is true in real life. The ability to sympathise only with those whom we know is a coping mechanism of humanity.

An inability to communicate in another language, therefore, is a barrier. It is an excuse to estrange yourself from others, and detach yourself from sympathy towards them.

Over half of the British public voted for Britain to leave the European Union in June. It is undeniable that a lack of knowledge of foreign languages has contributed to the barrier that England is forcing between itself and other countries.This is why the future of our ability to understand others depends upon language-learning.

Communication allows us to unlock the intentions, values and beliefs of others, and combine their thoughts with our own.

Growing numbers of institutions are pushing aside the importance of languages as part of education, and consequently as part of Britains future. But it is crucial that languages should be made a priority, not a side option.
Iranian naval boats have been harassing American warships this week in what Washington describes as maneuvers that could escalate tensions. On Tuesday, a U.S Navy warship, USS Squall, fired warning shots at Iranian vessels when they veered too close to American ships in the Persian Gulf. This came in the wake of another incident on Tuesday when Iranian naval vessels made provocative maneuvers around USS Nitze, an American destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian vessels ignore warnings

During the Tuesday incident, 4 Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vessels engaged in a high speed intercept .The Iranian vessels passed close to the Nitze as it transited international waters.

William Urban, spokesman for the 5th fleet said that in spite of repeated radio, flare and whistle warnings from Nitze, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the IRGC vessels continued approaching the destroyer. They only slowed down when they got within 300 yards of the U.S naval ship. During the Tuesday intercept, Nitze was flanked by the USS Mason, a destroyer armed with guided missiles.

Iran engaging in risky behavior

According to Peter Cook, Pentagons spokesman, these incidences are unsafe and carry the risk of escalating of tensions. Cook says that the U.S does not desire to engage in any activity that could escalate tensions in that part of the world.

Similar incidences occurred on Wednesday when 3 Iranian ships veered close to USS Tempest and Squall in the Persian Gulf.

Tempest shot flares while Squall fired 3 warning shots from the vessels .50-caliber gun .At this juncture, the IRGC vessel left. Later in the day, the same ship engaged in dangerous moves by crossing the bow of the USS Stout, a guided-missile destroyer on 3 different incidences.

Irans capture of U.S sailors embarrasses the Obama administration

The warship intercepts are the latest among several incidences indicating the friction between Iran and the U.S. In January, the Obama administration found itself in an awkward situation when a group of U.S sailors were held overnight by Iranian personnel when their boats strayed into Iranian waters. The Navy claimed that the sailors were unprepared and poorly led which led them to make many errors.
China will escape middle income trap: Former Australian PM Updated: 2016-08-31 11:12 (Xinhua)

SYDNEY - China will escape the middle income trap over time as it deals with the "hangover" of stimulus measures introduced to combat the global financial crisis, former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating said.

China is currently unwinding overcapacity in the industrial sector, funding inventories and dealing with the overleveraging that came out of the fiscal stimulus post the global financial crisis but it's a balancing act, Keating, who is an advisor to the China Development Bank, told an audience at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) on Tuesday night.

"The Chinese are now quite mechanically working their way through the overhang of the (global financial crisis)," Keating said in a conversation with eminent Australian journalist Kerry O'Brien, hosted by the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI).

"These sorts of changes are important on the pathway to the higher order economy.

"I think they'll get there. It may be messy, it may be a bit slower, but they'll get there."

Keating said China will become a tertiary economy, a research and development economy not based on Western technology, as evidenced by the e-commerce platforms spurring the consumer economy.

"We're going to see a massive shift from state owned enterprises to private enterprise in China by way of the connectivity of the internet and open sourcing," Keating said.

Australia has the ability to maximize the opportunities afforded by China's consumption economy, Keating said.

Keating said China's rise as a strategic power is in a context where it wants an international political system that isn't exclusive.

"What China wants to see is a new international economic and political order which is not part of the order produced by the victors of World War II," Keating said, adding China is not seeking hegemony but a "democratization of the international system" where it is not managed by any one state.

"The Chinese are smart enough to know there can never be one power in the world ever again."

Thus Australia needs a nuanced foreign policy to manage its strategic position and not get caught up in the U.S. ambition to maintain hegemony in the Asia Pacific, Keating said, adding becoming a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would be important.

"(Australia's) membership of ASEAN would make a great difference to ASEAN, and would give us a home," Keating said.

"It's in (Australia's) interest to see ASEAN succeed," Keating said, adding membership allows Australia to maintain its waning influence while preserving the opportunities afforded in Asia.
Xi encourages leading group to meet goals set for reform Updated: 2016-08-31 02:06 (XINHUA)

President Xi Jinping called on Tuesday for solid efforts to press ahead with the country's planned reforms in accordance with the established timetable and road map.

The country should focus more on economic system reforms and improve fundamental mechanisms that support these overhauls, according to a statement released after a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform that was presided over by Xi.

During the meeting, policies were passed concerning such issues as green finance, intellectual property rights, resource allocation and poverty relief.

Policymakers promised to "significantly reduce" the government's role in the direct allocation of resources and to rely instead on the power of the market, and also to improve protection of intellectual property rights.

More will be done to encourage private investors to explore opportunities in environmentally friendly sectors, according to the statement.

Authorities at all levels were ordered to fulfill their poverty relief responsibilities and to improve land reforms for rural areas.

As part of efforts to improve the environment, a pilot environmental damage compensation system will be rolled out in Jilin, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces and in Chongqing municipality.

According to the statement, science and technology institutes should adopt a salary system and pay raise process that reflects the value of such work and provides motivation for scientists.

The income distribution policy should take into consideration the differences between natural and social sciences as well as differences between jobs in basic research, technological development and commercial application of technology, the statement said.

Regarding health reform, medical institutes were urged to learn from successful models while exploring reform measures that would suit their own situations.

The statement called on the health industry to improve the operation of State-run hospitals, medical insurance management, medicine supply and supervision and to develop effective personnel management and salary systems.

While acknowledging the progress already made in major fields, it said that inspections were needed to review the implementation and results of the reforms.

Over the course of the 27 meetings convened by the leading group since December 2013, hundreds of measures have been designed and released to address various issues, including urbanization, poverty alleviation, innovation and the market's role in resource allocation.

The latest emphasis on reform comes nearly three years after the key Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2013, which featured a comprehensive reform package.

China vowed that it would achieve "decisive results" in major reform areas by 2020.
Central and Eastern Europe turn pages at fair Updated: 2016-08-31 07:59 By China Daily(China Daily USA)

A 5-year-old Chinese boy was quietly reading a book written in Czech with his mother sitting beside him.

Zhang Jun, 42, and her son were visiting the Beijing International Book Fair. "Choosing a good book for children is very important," says Zhang.

"When my son doesn't behave well, I read stories to him to let him know what is right and wrong."

She says she personally favors children's books from Europe. "When I was about 10, I read a Czech fairy tale called The Mole. I found the story quite warm and interesting, so now I like to bring children's books from European countries for my son to help him build a better self," says Zhang.

It's the first time for 16 Central and Eastern European countries, including Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Romania and the Czech Republic, to be invited as the joint countries of honor to the book fair.

Martin Hosek, second secretary of the embassy of the Czech Republic, who was in charge of the Czech's book exhibition at BIBF, says his team purposely focused on books for children for the show.

"There are many illustrations in children's books, and kids may like them even though they don't understand the words," he says.

Andrea Huseinovic from Croatia brought her picture books, which she painted together with her 13-year-old son, to Chinese readers with the cooperation of Guangxi Normal University Publishing Press (Group).

As well as the books exhibition, various activities such as films, cultural speeches, literature salons and dances were organized to serve the theme of "Kaleidoscope of Diverse Cultures" at the book fair.

Sarkozy Bence, general manager of Jelenkor Kiado Kft, one of the three key publishers in Hungary, says: "We got a Hungarian version of Jiang Rong's Wolf Totem and works written by Yu Hua. But the problem is, we lack translators to help us read more."

Hosek agrees on the importance of translators.

"The cultural and literature communication between the Czech Republic and China has a long history, because we have some very good translators," he says.

There are about 500 Czech books that were translated into Chinese, and Chinese novels like that by Mo Yan and Su Tong have been translated into Czech.

China's Belt and Road Initiatives have offered greater momentum for more publishing and cultural exchanges, says Lin Liying, vice-president of China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation, one of the BIBF organizers.

A view of European publications on display at the Beijing book fair. Zou Hong / China Daily

(China Daily USA 08/31/2016 page8)
Chance for East Asia to move on from the past Updated: 2016-08-31 07:26 (China Daily)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, January 28, 2016.[Photo/Agencies]

When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe committed $30 billion to African infrastructure development, it was with the intention of competing with China for influence there.

When the government of Japan decided to boost military spending and maritime law enforcement, China was the reason.

When the Republic of Korea chose to deploy THAAD, the United States' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system, Chinese missiles are among the birds that the US stone is being aimed at.

When the US cozies up to Vietnam and India, or President Barack Obama visits Laos, China is the imaginary rival in mind.

Yet when China upgrades its defense capabilities in response, it is apparently viewed as a threat to everybody else, in the region and beyond.

Like it or not, an arms race seems to be in the making across East Asia, which reminds people of the Cold War era.

With more and more countries being dragged in for fear of real or perceived threats, the region is on a dangerous path toward becoming a giant powder keg.

Some stout-minded strategists keep fanning fears of the worse-case scenario, and war or even an ever-escalating arms race would put an abrupt end to Asia's story of enviable growth.

But it has not taken a war to put the whole region at odds with one another.

With Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo bogged down in endless conflicts over history and territory, regional economic integration, once a hot topic among the three, now sounds hollow. Pyongyang, on the other hand, has developed unprecedented will to pursue its nuclear ambitions.

Chinese, Japanese and ROK leaders may eventually maneuver meetings on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou. But even if they do manage the "sincere dialogue" that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon anticipates, finding the path to denuclearization remains slim.

Yet Ban has voiced again his hope that "the region will move beyond long-standing differences, border disputes and conflicting interpretations of history", because those are the very reasons for where it now stands.

East Asia needs to break the deadlock.

If the Hangzhou meetings take place, they will come at the right time, because they will serve as crucial first steps toward thawing the frozen ties.

We have not lost hope about the common future the East Asian three had once envisaged together, because they seem willing to sit down and talk.
All countries should work together to cut steel overcapacity Updated: 2016-08-31 07:54 By Xu Man(China Daily)

A worker checks steel product files at a cold rolling mill of Tangsteel Group Ltd in Tangshan, Hebei province. [Photo/China Daily]

China's steel sector, like those in the rest of the world, faces the problem of falling demand because of the feeble global economic recovery, although measures taken by the Chinese government to eliminate overcapacity seem to be working.

But some countries have turned a blind eye to these facts and still blame China for the excess supply of steel products in international markets, and have launched anti-dumping investigations into Chinese steel products with the aim of using protectionist measures to solve the problems of their steel sectors. But instead of falling prey to prejudice, these countries should join China to work out targeted measures to reduce overcapacity in the steel industry.

For a long time, China's steel industry focused on domestic demand, not on exports. China's accelerating urbanization, the development of its manufacturing sector and its expanded infrastructure construction mean the demand for steel in the country is till healthy. China became a net steel exporter from a net steel importer only 10 years ago, and exports have accounted for only 10 percent of its total steel output in the past decade, far lower than the 40 percent ratio of some developed countries. To restrict the export of a high energy-consuming product like steel, China has even raised its export tariffs and reduced export tax rebates, becoming the world's only major steel producer to have such a measure in place.

So, reckless protectionist measures will not help resolve the global steel overproduction issue. But in May, the United States started an anti-dumping investigation into some of China's major steel manufacturers, claiming they use unfair means to export steel products to the US. Some other economies, such as the European Union, Chile, Vietnam, Australia, India, Colombia, Canada and Malaysia followed suit. Such restrictive trade measures contravene the principle of fair market competition.

China's steel exports to the US and the EU account for only a small part of their steel imports. Therefore, the imposition of anti-dumping duties on China's exports will only help protect their backward production systems without solving the problem of their steel enterprises' weak competitiveness.

China's steel enterprises are highly competitive in the global market and their products are valued for their high cost to performance ratio. A large part of Chinese steel exports have formed a deeply complementary relationship with the steel producers of the importing countries and thus have promoted local economic development.

The Chinese government has never denied the overcapacity in its steel industry. Instead it has implemented policies and regulations since 2013 to guide local governments and enterprises to digest their production surplus.

In February, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a guideline to make overall policy arrangements to reduce the country's steel overcapacity, vowing to cut 100 million to 150 million tons of crude steel capacity in the next five years from the level mapped out during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) period. For this year alone, the plan is to reduce 45 million tons of overcapacity, and by the end of July, 47 percent of the target had been realized. Now the government plans to take forceful measures to ensure the full-year goal is realized.

The Belt and Road Initiative advocated by China, too, is aimed at strengthening infrastructure construction in the countries that become a part of it and at promoting interconnectivity among them. The smooth implementation of the initiative will help drive up the global demand for steel products and thus promote cooperation and realize win-win results. Given that in the era of globalization, steel overcapacity is not a problem of any one country, be it the highest producer, all countries should play their respective roles and work together to address this thorny issue.

The author is a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce.
The well-known second century AD Han bronze sculpture titled Pacing Horse Poised on a Swallow with Wings Outstretched may hold a clue to one of the many mysteries of the horse - How did it spread throughout Eurasia: East to West or vice versa?

Animal scientists have been looking closely at the genetics behind a particular gait that not all horses can pull off. Most horses have basically four gears - walk, trot, canter and gallop.

But some, most notably Icelandic horses, have a fifth speed, called variously the tolt, amble, or smooth ride. It is like a fast walk, and can be faster than a trot, but unlike the trot, does not lift the horse into the air or bounce the rider up and down in the saddle. It's more like sitting on a jiggling washing machine during the spin-dry cycle.

Han Dynasty bronze "Pacing Horse Poised on Swallow with Wings Outstretched" could hold secrets. Provided to China Daily The smooth tolt gait is ideal for covering long distances in the saddle and, as can be imagined, shooting bows and arrows or using any other weaponry. Other breeds of horses can learn the tolt, with extensive training, but for some, it just comes natural because it's in their blood, something that was noticed and suggested by William Bateson, one of the fathers of genetics, in 1907.

The Vikings brought the smooth gait horses to Iceland 800 years ago (supposedly pillaged from England) and have been fiercely protective of the breed ever since. To this day, no other breed of horse is allowed to set hoof on the island nation, and once an Icelandic horse leaves the country, it may never return.

This protectionism has led to a breed that is incredibly well-adapted to the terrain, but it is not the only breed that can perform the tolt - the Brazilian Campeiro, the Indian Marwari, the Puerto Rican Paso Fino, even the Tennessee Walker are a few examples.

In 2012 scientists isolated the talent to tolt to a single gene mutation called DMRT-3, quaintly nicknamed the "gait-keeper" gene.

In a follow-up study just published, a team set out to map the worldwide distribution of the gait-keeper mutation and the results, in that great way science has of stirring things up, raise more questions than they answer.

The scientists collected DNA samples from 141 breeds of horse ancient and contemporary, from Hokkaidos in Japan to Kirgiz in Kyrgyzstan to Warmbloods in Sweden and Timor Ponies of Indonesia.

The study showed that the mutation was spread all over the world, showing up in just under half (68) of all the samples.

"It is still unclear where the mutation arose," the study concludes. "A large-scale analysis of the whole haplotype should she more light on this intriguing question."

One suggested scenario has the Vikings trading their horses at ports of call along the Caspian Sea and Middle East and buyers, prizing the advantages of the smooth gait, breeding them with their herds to bring out the trait.

"This study is a good example of how horse and human history are inexplicably intertwined," Samatha Brooks, a professor of horse physiology at the University of Florida told The New York Times.

The Viking story is considered the most plausible interpretation of the data, but the study's lead author himself says not so fast.

Lief Andersson, professor of animal genetics at Uppsala University in Sweden, said it's possible that the mutation arose in East Asia and spread westward from there.

"We had access to Mongolian and local Japanese horses," Andersson wrote in an email to China Daily. "We tried to get access to samples from local Chinese breeds but there were no Chinese colleagues that were able to send us any."

Andersson did note that a group of Chinese scientists had recently found the mutation was in some Chinese horses.

"Furthermore there is a very famous bronze sculpture of a pacing horse that was found in a tomb from 200 AD," he said. "Of course this does not prove that the mutation was present in China already 2000 years ago, but I think it is quite likely."

Contact the writer at chrisdavis@chinadailyusa.com.
Li welcomes Trudeau to China Updated: 2016-08-31 11:12 By Hu Yongqi in Beijing and Chen Weihua in Washington(China Daily USA)

Premier gives Canadian prime minister tour of Forbidden City prior to talks

Forty-three years after joining his prime minister father on a visit to the Forbidden City, Justin Trudeau, now the Canadian prime minister himself, was welcomed by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday at the UNESCO World Heritage site as he started an eight-day visit to China.

The wooden chairs and tea tables in traditional Chinese style might have reminded Trudeau of his previous private visits to the Forbidden City. On Tuesday, he wore a red tie, a color often interpreted as a token of luck in China, to dine with Li in a rare arrangement at Jianfu Palace inside the Forbidden City.

Premier Li Keqiang joins his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on Tuesday during a visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Feng Yongbin / China Daily

Trudeau will also visit Shanghai and Hong Kong and attend next week's G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

This is Trudeau's first visit to China since taking office in November. In 1973, his father, Pierre Trudeau, was the first Canadian prime minister to visit Beijing, three years after diplomatic ties were established.

Since the establishment of ties, the two countries have greatly deepened political, economic, trade and people-to-people links, Li said.

China is now Canada's second-largest trade partner, second-biggest source of imports and second-largest export market, and both countries have bright prospects for bilateral relations and cooperation, the premier said.

Both countries advocate diverse cultures, Li added, and China is willing to work with the Canadian government to take bilateral relations to a new stage of development and achieve mutual benefits.

Trudeau said his administration will continue its traditional friendship with China and look to enhance their positive, stable and strong relationship.

In the first 11 months last year, bilateral trade between China and Canada reached $50.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.6 percent, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Trudeau's private visits to Beijing, including as a toddler with his father 43 years ago, might have influenced his friendly policies toward China, said Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies. "His visit is expected to restart relations with China, as the new government wants to expand economic ties and trade with us."

Canadian Ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques said, "Our prime minister wants to be very supportive of China and wants to make a success of the summit."

Saint-Jacques said Canada's new government is putting a lot of effort into expanding its relations with China in all fields, including trade and the economy, because Trudeau wants to have "a robust and comprehensive relation with China".

He also said the Canadian government is considering ways to increase trade.

Regarding a free trade agreement between the two countries, the ambassador said there is a lot of work being done to speed up negotiations.

Christopher Sands, senior associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the trip is an important one for both governments, each eager for an improvement in bilateral relations.

The United States, the largest economic and strategic partner for both, has an important stake in the outcome too.

"On paper, China and Canada appear to be natural partners. Canada is a resource-rich, export dependent developed economy with a substantial Chinese population. China is resource poor, but with an enticing domestic market and a need for partners in the developed world," said Sands, also a senior research professor and director of the Center for Canadian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

This symmetry of interests led Trudeau's father, who was Canada's prime minister for all but 10 months from 1968 to 1984, to open diplomatic relations with China in 1970, two years before the Nixon administration in the US did so, according to Sands.

Sands believes that after his predecessor Stephen Harper had a testy relationship with Beijing, Trudeau hopes the visit will reset the relationship and lead to mutual investment, tourism, and trade.

"Closer China-Canada relations are beneficial to US interests, promoting China's engagement in the international system with a close ally of the United States. As China hosts Trudeau, the welcome for the young Canadian leader will send signals to markets and world capitals that will provide an indication of Xi's foreign policy direction and the potential for the next US president to engage with Beijing," Sands wrote.

Mo Jingxi in Beijing contributed to this story.
Google's Waze an Uber challenger for car pool Updated: 2016-08-31 11:12 By Associated Press in San Francisco(China Daily USA)

Google is preparing to expand a San Francisco carpooling program in a move that could that could set up a showdown with its one-time ally, the popular ride-hailing service Uber.

The plans will build upon a test service that Google's navigation app Waze launched three months ago in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The program allows anyone using the Waze app to offer a ride to a limited pool of people trying to get to work or home.

Now, only people working at six companies, including Google, Wal-Mart Stores and Adobe Systems, can request rides. The tests have worked well enough to encourage Waze to move into the next phase and allow anyone in the Bay Area with its app to request a ride by the end of this year, spokeswoman Julie Mossler said.

Inviting more people to hitch rides could undercut Uber, which allows people to request drivers who provide a taxi service using their own cars.

Unlike Uber, Waze isn't trying to make money for itself or the drivers offering to share a ride. Instead, Waze sets a variable fee of up to 54 cents per mile to reimburse the drivers for gas and upkeep on their vehicles. The riders pay that fee.

Waze also limits trips to a rider's work or home, with a maximum of two trips per day. Although riders can request a ride at any time, Waze is focusing the service on providing trips during peak commute times in the mornings and evenings. Only one rider is allowed per vehicle.

In contrast, Uber touts its around-the-clock service as a way for its drivers to make a decent living or supplement their incomes. Uber also hopes to eventually turn a profit itself to justify its financial backers' belief that the privately held company is worth more than $60 billion.

Google, now a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., was among Uber's early investors. It invested $258 million in Uber in 2013.

But the two companies now appear headed down a road more likely to make them foes than friends. Things already have become tense enough to prompt David Drummond, Alphabet's senior vice president of corporate development, to resign from Uber's board because of potential conflicts with Google's ambitions in transportation.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick confirmed Drummond's departure from the board Monday in a statement that described him as a sage adviser and great personal friend. Kalanick also said he looked forward to "continued cooperation and partnership" with Alphabet.

Uber declined to comment Tuesday on the planned expansion of Waze's service in one of its biggest markets.

Besides testing the Waze carpooling service, Google has been building self-driving cars for the past seven years. Uber is now designing its own robot-powered vehicles and is using some of the autonomous cars to provide rides in Pittsburgh.

Google has previously gone to battle with its former allies. In the most prominent instance, then-CEO Eric Schmidt served on Apple's board for three years, but stepped down in 2009 as Google's Android operating system for smartphones began to undercut sales of Apple's iPhone.




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The State Administration of Cultural Heritage announced on Tuesday that a local government in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, is responsible for the recent demolition of an old residence of a late general.

The property, including seven immovable cultural heritage relics, was once lived in by Liu Yalou (1910-1965), a general who was awarded citations of merit for his role in the founding of the People's Republic of China, and functioned as a command post for the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army in the 1930s.

Although the residence was registered as a cultural heritage site in 2013, it was demolished for renovation on June 25 this year by the local government of Shuangcheng district in Harbin.

"The architecture has great historical significance, and the loss is huge," said Liu Mingwei, head of the inspection department under the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

"Criminal law violation is suspected in the case."

Public security authorities are investigating the case, while restoration of the original appearance of the buildings is also being considered, Liu added.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed a decision to conduct a general economic census across the country in March 2017.  Photo vneconomy.vn

HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed a decision to conduct a general economic census across the country in March 2017.

The census will include information about economic establishments, labourers income, production and business activities, enterprises technological application and their access to loans.

It will be carried out in two phases.

The first phase, implemented from March 1 to May 30, 2017, will survey production and business establishments in the business sector, administrative offices, branches and representative offices of foreign enterprises, and foreign non-governmental organisations.

The second phase will take place July 1-30 to collect information about religious and belief establishments, and individual non-agricultural, fishery and forestry business and production establishments.

Preliminary data will be released in December 2017, while the official results will be announced in the third quarter of 2018.

The censuss objectives are to help assess the countrys socio-economic development, and to help the Party and State build development policies.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment is assigned to establish a Steering Committee on the census, develop questionnaires, propose estimated funds for the census and conduct a pilot survey to gain insight and fix possible shortcomings.

Other ministries, including defence, public security, information and communications, plus relevant agencies and localities, are asked to co-operate.

According to the General Statistics Office, by the end of last year, more than 941,000 enterprises were established in Viet Nam, 57 per cent of which were operating at that time.

Another 16,673 enterprises suspended their operations, more than 271,200 stopped operations without registering to relevant authorities and 117,000 enterprises dissolved.

In the first seven months of this year, about 64,000 enterprises were created with a total registered capital of nearly VN497 trillion (US$22.36 billion). Newly-established firms rose by 23.3 per cent in number and 54.7 per cent in capital value year-on-year. The adjusted capital in the reviewed period posted VN894.9 trillion, raising the total registered and adjusted capital to VN1.4 quadrillion.

More than 16,700 enterprises, which suspended their activities due to difficulties, have resumed operations, up 67.5 per cent from the same period last year.

In July, the number of new firms exceeded 9,600 with a total registered capital of VN69.2 trillion, a slight decrease from June.

In mid-May, Viet Nams Government issued a resolution to support and develop Vietnamese enterprises with a goal of having about one million enterprises by 2020. Up to 35 per cent of the enterprises are expected to hold innovation activities yearly.  VNS
Cuba and Viet Nam are seeking to boost investments, which are still at a modest level despite the two countries long-standing friendship.  Photo kinhtevadubao.vn

HA NOI  Cuba and Viet Nam are seeking to boost investments, which are still at a modest level despite the two countries long-standing friendship.

Speaking at the investment forum held yesterday in Ha Noi, ang Xuan Quang, deputy director of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, said Viet Nam had only one project worth VN9.5 billion (US$424,000) in Cuba, while the Caribbean island nation had two investment projects in Viet Nam, till date.

There is large untapped potential, Quang said.

The modest investments are due to the limited access to market information and investment policies of enterprises from both sides.

Quang said he hoped the investment cooperation between Viet Nam and Cuba would be leveraged to a new high.

At the conference, Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Herminio Lopez Diaz called for investments from Viet Nam. Although firms would encounter initial difficulties when investing in Cuba, as the country was embarking on the implementation of a privatisation model, the long-standing relationship between Viet Nam and Cuba would help overcomes difficulties, he said.

A representative from the Special Economic Development Zone of Mariel said the zone was seeking investments in high and clean technologies from major industries, such as logistics, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and food industry.

He said tax incentives were provided for wholly foreign-invested firms in the zone.

Vu Quoc Huy from the ministrys Economic Zone Management Department shared the opportunities to invest in Viet Nam with Cuban firms.

Huy said Viet Nam was striving to improve the investment climate by simplifying administrative measures and introducing tax incentives and land fee reductions to promote investments.

Viet Nams economic zones have attracted 329 foreign direct investment projects, so far, worth $40 billion and another VN784 trillion from local investors has been put into nearly 1,000 projects.

Cuba and Viet Nam celebrated the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship last year.  VNS
Viet Nam is developing a corporate governance code for listed firms in order to help local firms attract more capital and make them more competitive in an environment of increasing regional economic integration.  Photo cafef.vn

HA NOI  Viet Nam is developing a corporate governance code for listed firms in order to help local firms attract more capital and make them more competitive in an environment of increasing regional economic integration.

With the aim to improve corporate governance in Viet Nam, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is helping the State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC) to develop such code, said the two sides in a workshop on August 29 in Ha Noi, to kick off the development process.

Participants included representatives from SSC, the two stock exchanges HNX and HOSE, and other stakeholders. The workshop provided an update on corporate governance codes from around the world and facilitated discussion on the relevant approach for Vietnam.

Pham Hong Son, SSC deputy chairman said "the corporate governance code will help strengthen competitiveness of Vietnamese listed firms through adoption of internationally recognized corporate governance practices."

Son also said the code would guide listed firms on how to adopt best corporate governance practices that go beyond regulatory compliance for better capital-market integration with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and globally.

Participants heard experiences of code development from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and regional nations such as China, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Chris Razook, IFC Regional Head for Corporate Governance Advisor, East Asia and the Pacific said though some firms in Viet Nam were doing really well, compared to the region, the markets corporate governance was still lagging behind in scorecard rankings in areas such as disclosure practices, board structure and functioning, and controlling and risk practices.

According to the ASEAN corporate governance scorecard, Viet Nam ranked the lowest among six regional countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand between 2012 and 2014.

To the local firms, the code would provide them with a benchmark, said Chris, adding that good governance standard was the attraction that eye investors, boost their confidence to invest in the firm, especially when they want to have more international business partners, who would watch the change closely for their investment.

"We will work with the SSC to set up the code as well as to educate about it to the market," said Chris, who thought more than just setting the code, it was more important to encourage firms to apply the code for their better future, and to "make it really work in a company"

The code is expected to be launched by mid-2017. IFCs support for the development of a corporate governance code is part of its overall efforts to promote corporate governance in Vietnam in partnership with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO).

IFC has contributed to the adoption of 95 corporate governance codes, laws, and regulations in more than 30 countries worldwide.  VNS
The European Union (EU) will offer Vietnamese rice exports duty-free tariff rate quotas when the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) comes into effect.  Photo cafef.vn

HA NOI  The European Union (EU) will offer Vietnamese rice exports duty-free tariff rate quotas when the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) comes into effect.

Therefore, the rice industry has been urged to change production practices to fully take advantage of these quotas. According to the Guide to EVFTA issued by Delegation of the European Union to Viet Nam, the EU will allow the import of 80,000 tonnes of Vietnamese rice -- 30,000 tonnes of milled rice, 20,000 tonnes of husked rice and 30,000 tonnes of fragrant rice -- every year at zero per cent duty. The EU will also offer a 50 per cent duty cut at entry and then linear reduction over five years for broken rice.

Insiders said the preferential tax rate would help Vietnamese enterprises to save 17 million euros (US$20 million) in taxes each year.

ang Hoang Hai, head of the industry and trade ministrys European Market Department, said though Viet Nam had been hailed as the worlds third largest rice exporter, its rice shipments to the EU market remained modest.

He said in recent years, Vietnamese rice exports even fell because the country still focused on planting high-yield rice. Meanwhile, other countries are accelerating high-quality rice production.

The Viet Nam Food Association said rice exports to the EU market dropped from an annual average of 24,000 tonnes to 20,000 tonnes in 2014 and 18,000 tonnes in 2015. The association attributed the slump to the loss in market share of Vietnamese rice.

The EU was a demanding market with strict requirements in factors ranging from product quality to environmental standards, enterprises prestige and production process, Hai said.

In addition, though not being regular rice eaters, the EU customers prefer rice of higher quality than that of Vietnamese rice. Thats why Viet Nam has become less competitive against other rice exporting nations.

It was undeniable that European consumers were familiar with Thailands fragrant rice, while Vietnamese rice was just starting to promote its image, Hai said.

Professor Vo Tong Xuan, a leading rice expert, said it was hard for Viet Nam to share the same rank as Thailand, but the country could learn from the experience of Cambodia, which has been emerging thanks to its rice winning the worlds best rice title for three consecutive years.

He said if Vietnamese people insisted on growing high-yield and short-term rice varieties -- for example, varieties that can yield four to six tonnes per hectare and allow harvest after 95 days-- the production practices could not help create savoury varieties.

Therefore, to compete with its rivals, Viet Nam should speedily shift from high-yield to high-quality rice varieties, Xuan said.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the country exported 432,000 tonnes of rice for $191 million in August, bringing the total volume and value in the first eight months of this year to 3.37 million tonnes and $1.51 billion.

The figures represented decreases of 16.6 per cent in volume and 13.1 per cent in value compared with the same period last year.

Last year, rice worth $2.68 billion was exported, an almost 4 per cent fall from 2014.  VNS
NINH THUAN  The construction of a 37MW wind power plant began in Phuoc Dinh Commune, Thuan Nam District in south central Ninh Thuan Province yesterday.

The Mui Dinh plant costs nearly VN1.3 trillion (US$57 million), invested by Germanys EAB Company.

With 16 turbines spanning across 12ha, the plant is scheduled to be completed in 2017.

This is the second wind power project launched in the province.

On the occasion, the EAB Company donated $10,000 to the Association for Sponsorship of Poor Patients of Ninh Thuan Province and the Fund for the Poor in Phuoc Dinh Commune. -- VNS
HA NOI  Shares extended gains to four days in a row yesterday as investors continued to collect large-cap stocks, particularly shares to be sold by the Government.

On the HCM Stock Exchange, the VN-Index added 0.3 per cent to close the session at 674.6 points. The Index has increased nearly 2.5 per cent in the last four sessions.

The HNX-Index on the smaller exchange in Ha Noi was up 0.8 per cent to end at 84.4 points. It rose 0.6 per cent on Tuesday.

Large-cap shares were mixed. The shares which would be sold by the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) to reduce the State holdings in big companies like dairy firm Vinamilk (VNM), software producer FPT Corp (FPT), Bao Minh Insurance (BMI), Binh Minh Plastic (BMP) and Tien Phong Plastic (NTP) rose strongly.

The biggest listed stock Vinamilk gained 2.5 per cent while others climbed between 3 per cent and 4.5 per cent.

In mid-August, the Government asked SCIC to draw up a roadmap for selling State holdings in 10 big State-owned enterprises, of which eight businesses are listing shares on the two national stock exchanges with a combined market capitalisation of around US$4.5 billion.

On the other end of the spectrum, some blue chips declined and restrained the market. Big losers included real estate giant VinGroup (VIC), Masan Group (MSN), insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) and lender BIDV (BID).

Besides blue chips, many investors focused on realty and steel stocks with eight of the top 10 most active codes from property and steel manufacturing firms. Each of these shares saw between 2.7 million shares and 5.9 million shares change hands. Prices of these shares also increased 1-4 per cent.

Market development remained positive and facilitate trades in the short- and medium-term period, stock analysts at Maritime Bank Securities Co wrote in a report.

Growth of leading shares in real estate, consumer goods and insurers, as well as improvement in liquidity showed a sign of a longer rise, the report said. However, it warned a short downward correction when the VN-Index approaches the 680 point level, driven by rising profit-taking selling pressure.

A total of nearly 157 million shares worth VN3.5 trillion (US$157 million) were traded in the two markets yesterday, up 12.1 per cent in volume and 20.7 per cent in value over Tuesdays figures.

Foreign investors remained net sellers in the HCM Citys market but their net sell value decreased to VN31 billion from VN117 billion seen on Tuesday. They remained net buyers in the Ha Nois market for a net value of VN14 billion.  VNS
HA NOI  The peaceful beauty of Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago and the life of the soldiers and people there are depicted through 70 photos taken by Nguyen My Tra, a journalist from the Voice of Viet Nam Radio.

Her exhibition, Truong Sa, Where We Come displays photos taken during her trip to the archipelago in June.

As a journalist who has written many stories about national sovereignty, Tra had always dreamed of travelling to Truong Sa, though she knew the trip was very hard and tough for women.

The dream came true when she was assigned to join a 12-day trip to the islands. The short trip left many unforgettable moments and emotions in her.

The sea and islands are very beautiful and imposing, however the life of the people and soldiers on islands is very hard, she said.

During the trip, I had the chance to witness splendid sunrises and sunsets at sea, flowers floating in the water to commemorate those who had fallen protecting their country and the patriotism in the soldiers eyes when they salute the flag.

Tra said she opened the exhibition with the aim of spreading love for Truong Sa and bringing the islands closer to the people on the mainland.

Among the photos I took, what I like the most is the one capturing the Truong Sa sea territory as seen through a window frame, said Tra. That photo brings me a feeling that Truong Sa is so close to me, that I can just open a window and touch Truong Sa.

Nguyen The Ky, director of the Voice of Viet Nam Radio, said the photos showed the astonishing landscape of Truong Sa and the daily activities of the soldiers who are protecting the countrys sovereignty over the sea and islands. They help raise awareness among all Vietnamese people, particularly the younger generation, of patriotism, national unity and a sense of responsibility, he said.

During our career, we may have a chance to go abroad many times, but Im sure that there is no trip like the one to Truong Sa Archipelago, he said.

Anyone who goes there would feel proud to be Vietnamese, and proud to have a chance to visit the furthest land of the country.

Its not easy to get there, so this exhibition helps people visit Truong Sa through a visual tour.

The exhibition is being held to raise funds for a mid-autumn festival for island soldiers children.

The exhibition will be open until September 6 at the Exhibition House, 45 Trang Tien Street, Ha Noi.  VNS
President Tran ai Quang addressed the 38th Singapore Lecture held by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)  Yusof Ishak Institute on Strengthening Partnership for Regional Sustainable Development in Singapore yesterday during his State visit.  Photo thanhnien.vn

SINGAPORE  President Tran ai Quang addressed the 38th Singapore Lecture held by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)  Yusof Ishak Institute on Strengthening Partnership for Regional Sustainable Development in Singapore yesterday during his State visit.

Some 550 leaders, politicians, cabinet members, professors, scholars and academics listened to the speech by the President, who is the first Vietnamese leader to attend and address the Singapore Lecture.

In his speech, the leader stated that peace, stability and cooperation for development had become an inevitable demand of all nations and a major trend in todays world.

He also noted grave difficulties and challenges facing the world, naming armed conflicts, disputes over resources, territorial and maritime disputes, and international terrorism as traditional security challenges. He also listed non-traditional security challenges, especially cyber-warfare, migration, water, energy and food security, pollution of the environment and climate change.

The seriousness of these challenges is extremely worrying as long as the might makes right mindset and the resort to the use of force still exist, the President emphasised.

He said "the Asia-Pacific, including Southeast Asia, continues to be a dynamic development hub with a growing geo-strategic, economic and political importance in todays world, and the East Sea not only brings many important benefits to nations in the region but is also a vital route for maritime and air transport in the world."

"The entire region is exerting its best efforts to rise," he affirmed, pointing to recent worrying developments in the region and the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) as having had negative impacts on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight, threatening to erode trust and affecting the co-operation process of the region.

Should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winner nor loser, but rather all will lose, he stated.

The Vietnamese leader spoke of the passionate desire for peace, security and sustainable development in the region, calling for all nations to stand united, act together and promote cooperation on the basis of international law, equality and mutual interest. He quoted the late Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kwan Yew as saying that you are not just making promises or pleasantries, you mean what you say.

Regarding ASEAN, he said with a vision beyond its own interests, the bloc had been expressing its voice, ever stronger and more responsibly, over the common concerns of the international and regional community, and had been very successful in drawing the strategic engagement of major powers in the common interest of peace, stability, sustainable development in the region and the world over.

A multi-polar, multi-layered regional architecture in which ASEAN plays a central role is conducive to and can satisfy the interests of all parties, he said.

To maintain peace and stability, promote co-operation and fortify itself in the face of hardships and challenges, ASEAN should strengthen political coherence, promote economic and cultural-social integration, uphold the responsibility and the awareness of a shared destiny, and steady the aim of an ASEAN of the people, he stressed.

Turning to Viet Nam, he asserted that "solidarity, including international solidarity is a valuable tradition and major lesson that have helped the Vietnamese people rise from the yoke of oppression, ruin, poverty and backwardness in the 20th century."

After thirty years of reform, Viet Nam had overcome social and economic crisis and the state of underdevelopment, but still faced such challenges and difficulties as a developing yet unstable economy: mounting public debt, an unbalanced human resource structure, and low workforce quality, he reminded the audience.

In that situation, we have been continuing to uphold the spirit of patriotism, make use of all resources and the creativity of the people while strengthening comprehensive reform so as to speed up national development in a sustainable way, he stressed.

"In foreign relations, Viet Nam pays close attention to developing traditional friendly relations with neighbouring countries, promoting co-operative relations with major and important partners, improving effective integration, and accomplishing all international commitments," he told participants.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the Vietnamese leader reiterated the consistent position to remain resolute and persistent in the defence of national independence, sovereignty and territorial unity and integrity.

We seek to settle disputes by peaceful means through political, diplomatic and legal processes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, he noted.

The President he also noted the admirable development of Singapore over the last fifty-one years as a valuable lesson for Viet Nam in its national construction and defence.

We hold in high regards and pay great attention to learning from Singapores successes in the planning and implementation of the policy prioritising investments in science and technology, and education and training, in making use of training and the use of a high-quality workforce to rapidly and sustainably develop your nation.

Viet Nam wishes to work together with Singapore to promote and further deepen the Strategic Partnership across all areas, centered around economics, trade, investment, defence, security and maritime co-operation, and co-operation at regional and international forums.

After the speech, President Quang fielded questions raised by researchers and academicians on measures to enhance ASEANs role and voice together with orientations to bolster Viet Nam-Singapore ties across politics, economics, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)  Yusof Ishak Institute was established under a parliamentary act in 1968, and has grown into a leading research institute in the fields of economics, security, and socio-political issues in Southeast Asia.

It began organising the Singapore Lecture in 1980, bringing together world leaders to address regional and international issues, such as former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  VNS
National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan receives Saysomphone Phomvihane, Politburo member and Chairman of the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) Central Committee in Ha Noi yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Dan

HA NOI  National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan yesterday received Saysomphone Phomvihane, Politburo member and Chairman of the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) Central Committee in Ha Noi.

The top legislator praised the Fronts role in Laoss political system and the active co-operation between the Vietnamese and Lao agencies, which helps to consolidate the traditional solidarity, friendship and co-operation between the two countries.

Congratulating the successful 10th national Congress of the Lao Front for National Construction, Ngan said she hoped the Chairman would continue to uphold the Fronts achievements to contribute to national development.

In addition, Pham Minh Chinh, who is a Politburo member, secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party Central Committees Organisation Commission, held meetings yesterday with Politburo member and NA Chairman Pany Yathotou and former Lao Party General Secretary and President Chummaly Sayasone as part of his ongoing visit to Laos.

At the meetings, Chinh congratulated Laos on the successful 10th National Congress of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and 8th National Assembly Election, expressing his belief that under the sound leadership of the Party, the Lao people will gain more fruitful achievements in their renewal process.

The Vietnamese official updated the hosts on the recent socio-economic development of Viet Nam, the Viet Nam-Laos relationship and the outcomes of his meeting with Lao counterpart Chansy Phosikham on recent Party building activities.

He urged them to increase the exchange of experience, particularly in human resources training and new-style rural area building.  VNS
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives IMF Resident Representative in Viet Nam Jonathan Dunn in Ha Noi yesterday.  Photo VGP

HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has expressed his hope to receive more macro-economy policy consultations from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the time ahead.

He told IMF Resident Representative in Viet Nam Jonathan Dunn in Ha Noi yesterday that he appreciated the funds effective and pragmatic support for macro-economic stabilisation and socio-economic development in Viet Nam, particularly in financial and banking reform, public debt management and State-owned enterprise restructuring.

Since early this year, Viet Nam had suffered from severe natural disasters that had seriously affected the countrys agriculture, the PM said, also noting difficulties caused by global economic uncertainties.

However, he said the country had consistently pursued its goal of stabilising the macro-economy and forex rate, and ensuring sustainable growth.

The Vietnamese Government pledged to improve its investment and business climate to create the best possible conditions for investors in the country, he said, stressing that Viet Nam would pair economic development with environmental protection.

For his part, Jonathan Dunn hailed the Vietnamese Governments efforts in keeping the macro-economy and forex rates stable and restructuring State-owned enterprises, especially its support for small- to medium-sized enterprises and the private economic sector.

The IMF would closely partner with competent Vietnamese agencies to give advice on macro-economic policy, helping guide local economic development on the right track, he promised.  VNS
Vietnamese Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich meets with his Chinese counterpart Sen. Lieut. Gen Chang Wanquan in Beijing yesterday as part of Lichs official friendly visit to China.  VNA/VNS Photo Hai Yen

BEIJING  The Defence Ministers of China and Vietnam have agreed to deepen defence ties between the two countries, thus bringing pragmatic interests to their people and contributing to peace and stability in the region and the world at large.

Vietnamese Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich and his Chinese counterpart Sen. Lieut. Gen Chang Wanquan held talks in Beijing yesterday as part of Lichs official friendly visit to China.

The ministers cherished the fruitful developments of the relationship between the two armies, with strategic dialogues, delegation exchanges, border guard cooperation, joint maritime patrols, the sharing of experience in joining the UN peace-keeping operations, and especially the Viet Nam-China Border Defence Friendship Exchange Programme.

They emphasised their resolve to successfully organise the fourth programme slated for April 2017, expand the border guard cooperation model, maintain the exchange of high-level meetings, implement defence strategic dialogues at the deputy defence ministerial level, and increase exchanges between the two countries young officers.

They held that defence collaboration is an important factor of the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and a pillar promoting links between the two Parties and States.

The host said General Lichs visit to China was of significance as it helped elevate the bilateral defence ties to a new level and significantly contributed to the friendship between the two Parties and States.

Minister Lich, who is Politburo member and Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission, highlighted that "Viet Nams defence policy is self-defence, not allowing other countries to set up their military bases in its territory and not using or threatening to use force to address disputes, affecting the stability and security of the entire region."

In its foreign policy, "Viet Nam prioritises relations with countries sharing its border," he said, noting that "the Vietnamese Party, State and army aim to build solidarity, friendship, mutual trust and a stable, long-term and comprehensive relationship with China."

Regarding the East Sea issue, Lich affirmed Viet Nams consistent stance that the two countries should observe common perceptions reached by their high-ranking leaders and solve disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

They should seriously follow the Viet Nam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related matters and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and work to reach a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) as soon as possible.

The two sides should take no actions that complicate and expand the disputes, particularly not use or threaten to use force to address the disputes, and maintain peace and stability in the East Sea.

According to the Vietnamese official, ASEAN always regards China as one of its important partners.

However, sovereignty disputes in the East Sea are posing challenges for the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.

Lich, therefore, underscored the need to enhance cooperation between the ten-member group and China in an effort to seek solutions to the East Sea issue.

Sen. Lieut. Gen Chang Wanquan stressed that China always attached importance to the time-honoured relations with Vietnam and wished to solve disputes satisfactorily so as to protect peace and stability in the East Sea.

At the end of their talks, the two ministers witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese Institute for Military Strategy and Chinas Academy of Military Science.

During the visit, Viet Nams military delegation also paid a courtesy call to Politburo member and Vice President of China Li Yuanchao at the Great Hall of the People.

General Lich said his visit aimed to implement the two countries high-ranking agreements while solidifying the traditional friendship, political trust and comprehensive cooperation between the two armies in a result-orientated manner. It also looked to enhance the healthy and solid development of relations between the two Parties and States, actively contributing to peace, stability and development in the region.

He said Viet Nam appreciated the assistance of China, the former Soviet Union and other socialist countries for its struggle for national independence and reunification in the past.

The Vietnamese Party, Government, people and army always treasured the Viet Nam-China friendship, which was set up and nurtured by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong and following leaders.

Viet Nam wanted to sustainably develop its comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China and considered this the top priority in its foreign policy, he added.

Briefing the host on the fine cooperation between the two armies, Lich said he hoped Chinas Party and State leaders would continue fostering the defence relationship so as to turn it into an important pillar in bilateral ties.

For his part, Vice President Li affirmed that his country also attached importance to its time-honoured amity with Viet Nam and wished to develop bilateral cooperation in a more practical and deeper manner.

He suggested both sides increase high-level delegation exchanges, adding that he looks forward to visits to China by the leaders of Viet Nams Party, State and National Assembly.

He also noted growing defence cooperation with such activities as dialogues at all levels, personnel training, cross-border exchanges, border guard cooperation and joint patrols at sea.

"The Chinese Party and Government support stronger connections between the two armies, which will help reinforce the countries comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership," Li stressed.

During the visit, Lich met Vice Chairman of Chinas Central Military Commission Fan Changlong and told him that China was a major neighbour and leading economic and trade partner of Viet Nam.

Fan said "friendly neighbourliness and mutually beneficial cooperation are the only sound choices for Viet Nam and China."

Both sides discussed major orientations for cooperation between the two armies in the time to come as well as regional and global issues of shared concern.

On the East Sea issue, Lich told his hosts that "Viet Nam always sincerely wants to settle disputes together with China on the basis of equality and respect for each other and international law."

Lich said the two countries should promote mechanisms on negotiating issues at sea while directing their maritime forces to exercise restraint to avoid conflicts and treat Vietnamese and Chinese fishermen humanely in accordance with international practices and the tradition of friendship between the two nations.

While in China, the Vietnamese delegation paid a floral tribute to the late President Mao Zedong and visited Chinese army units.  VNS
Milk cartons packaged at the Thong Nhat factory, an affiliate of dairy giant Vinamilk.  VNA/VNS Photo Trang Duong

Ha Noi  Three mega programmes covering agricultural restructuring, fisheries and forestry development and disaster prevention have been allocated VN640 trillion (US$29 billion) in a five-year investment boost approved by the cabinet yesterday.

The three programmes fall under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The resolution passed yesterday covers investment plans for 21 targeted programmes during the 2016-2020 period.

Other major allocations in the plan include VN42 trillion ($2 billion) to the Ministry of Health for developing public health care programmes at the grassroots level.

The Ministry of Public Security will manage an investment of VN9 trillion ($414 million) to improve traffic safety, fire-fighting and crime prevention, including drug abuse.

The plan allocates VN27 trillion ($1.2 billion) to the Defence Ministry for developing the national defence industry and the Ministry of Investment and Planning will manage four programmes worth nearly VN282 trillion ($13 billion) to develop coastal infrastructure, high-tech industrial zones and border economic zones.

The development of education in remote and mountain areas as well as a programme to promote vocational training and labour safety nation-wide have been allocated around VN5 trillion ($225 million) and VN27 trillion ($1.2 billion) respectively. These projects will be managed by the ministries of Education and Training (MoET) and Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

Others ministries including the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; Information and Communication, and Trade and Industry will manage a total investment worth about VN58.5 trillion (US$2.6 billion) for environmental protection, electricity supply to islands as well as rural and mountainous areas, and Information Technology development.

Yesterdays cabinet meeting also discussed amendments and supplements to trade and investment laws, and to laws supporting small and medium enterprises.

These discussions covered several areas including investment, land use, construction, environmental protection, tax administration, advertising, mining and urban planning.

SOE equitisation

Ministries, the State Capital Investment Corporation and relevant agencies must be aware of group interests and act against corruption in the equitisation of State-owned enterprises (SOEs), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said.

Ministries and relevant agencies should perform their duties in a strict manner to avoid corruption in order to develop a transparent and incorruptible government, Phuc said at a meeting on Monday.

The meeting was organised to discuss the State divestment of SOEs such as the Sai Gon Beer Alcohol Beverage JSC (Sabeco), Ha Noi Beer Alcohol Beverage JSC (Habeco) and Viet Nam Dairy Products JSC (Vinamilk).

The issue has recently been the focus of the people and public media as the State holds a large value of ownership in those companies, with 90 per cent in each of the beverage producers and nearly half of Vinamilk.

The equitisation of SOEs must follow the Enterprise Law and the Law on Securities to bring the best benefits to the State and the country, the Prime Minister said.

The State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), is now managing the States holdings in the SOEs such as Vinamilk on behalf of the government.

Ministries, sectors and government agencies must keep a close watch on SCICs operations, help the corporation seek the best opportunities to sell the States ownership in SOEs at the highest prices and prevent the loss of state capital in those companies, according to the prime minister.

Regarding the States divestment from Sabeco and Habeco, the Prime Minister said that the two beverage producers must be listed on the stock exchange before the rest of the States holdings are sold.

The evaluation of the two beverage companies must be determined by the public bidding competition and the value of land property must be calculated separately from the firms values, Phuc said, while adding that highly reliable consultancy firms are needed to prevent the loss of the States investment in the firms.

The State divestment of Sabeco and Habeco should be competitive and equal between Vietnamese and foreign investors, while the national brand of Sai Gon Beer and Ha Noi Beer must be preserved after the divestment.  VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday hosted a banquet for diplomatic delegations and international organisations to celebrate the 71st anniversary of Viet Nams National Day.

On September 2, 1945, late President Ho Chi Minh made the historic Independence Declaration at Ba inh Square, officially giving birth to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

That remarkable event ushered in a new era in the glorious history of the nation, Phuc said in his speech.

The Southeast Asian nation ended wars with the French and the US poor and underdeveloped, he said, yet Viet Nam has become a middle-income country with average income per capita at about US$2,200 in 2015.

The figure increased by at least 25 times from the average income per capita of $86 in 1988, when Viet Nam kicked off its oi moi (Renewal) economic revolution.

The Government of Viet Nam is committed to building an enabling government that is instrumental to development, a government of integrity with strong actions in service of the people, the PM said.

Viet Nam will strengthen frienship and co-operation with all countries and friends around the world, particularly countries with whom we share a border.

The country will also make efforts to sustain peace and stability in the region and to settle disagreements and differences by peaceful means on the basis of international law, Phuc said.

Viet Nam is one of the claimants of the East Sea (South China Sea) where territorial disputes have been simmering of late and are a hot spot for potential conflict in Asia.

Heroic mothers

At least 444 mothers have been honoured as Vietnamese heroic mothers for their sacrifices and contributions to the countrys liberation fight in honour of the 71st National Day.

The central Thanh Hoa Province granted the honourary title to 347 mothers, while Thua Thien-Hue and Tay Ninh Provinces earlier awarded the title to 78 and 19 mothers, respectively.

Thanh Hoa Peoples Committee Deputy Chairman Pham ang Quyen said at the awards ceremony on Tuesday that the title of Vietnamese heroic mother expresses the gratitude of the Party and the Government to women who lost their husbands and sons on the battlefield for the cause of national liberation and freedom.

Heroic mothers each receive a monthly stipend and other financial support from the Government for the rest of their lives.

Government pardon

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said yesterday morning that there will be a pardon this year on the occasion of the National Day. Further details on when and how many incarcerated people will be released will be announced soon.

So far, Viet Nam has allowed 81,807 people convicted of crimes to walk free ahead of their prison terms. Another 920 had their sentences suspended. Ngo uc Hung, Deputy Director of the MoPSs Department of Rehabiliatation and Community Education, also known as C86, announced these figures at a press conference this morning.

These freed convicted criminals were granted amnesty in six government pardons since 2009, a year after the Law on Special Amnesty went into effect.

A total of 20,599 prisoners were released in two mass pardons in 2009, followed by 17,520 and 10,535 people respectively for the next two years. The number of freed prisoners increased to 15,523 in 2013 and reached 18,537 last year.

Government amnesty helps citizens and the international community learn more about Viet Nams clemency policy, Hung said.

Ha Noi Amnesty Council yesterday also announced it would pardon 120 prisoners in detention facilities under the authority of the Ha Noi Department of Public Security.

Free wifi

Communications behemoth VNPT announced they will install 18 free wifi stations in Ha Nois centre district of Hoan Kiem by September 1.

Public wifi stations will be located across 10 spots during the first stage of the Ha Noi Department of Tourism plan. Another 13 stations will follow in 11 more places by September 20 around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake, a tourist favourite.

The city Peoples Committee Chairman Nguyen uc Chung also asked for further area assessment to decide whether to set up extra public wifi spots on Cau Go Street.

The free wifi installment comes after the city Peoples Committee approved a pilot plan for the area around Hoan Kiem Lake to become vehicle-free from 7pm to midnight from Friday to Sunday every week. The plan will go into effect starting tomorrow.  VNS
LONG AN  Long An Province has busted 1,250 cases of smuggling and over 1,000 cases of commercial fraud so far this year, and collected fines of VN57 billion (US$2.55 million).

Tobacco and sugar were the most commonly smuggled items, provincial authorities told a conference on combating smuggling, trade fraud and fake goods last week.

Anti-smuggling authorities have confiscated over 1.6 million cigarette packs and 600 tonnes of sugar that were illegally transported over the Cambodian border.

According to Colonel Pham Huu Chau, deputy chief of the province police, the smuggling situation is complicated and worsening.

The fight against smuggling and fraud faces many difficulties since smugglers are smart, he said.

Besides, since smugglers pay people well to transport contraband, many poor people are lured into it, making the situation harder to deal with, he said.

Thus, in most cases, authorities are only able to catch henchmen and not the smuggling kingpins, he said.

The smuggling tends to peak before Tet (lunar New Year), when demand for certain items skyrockets.

Nguyen Van uoc, vice chairman of the Long An Peoples Committee, has urged various authorities to improve co-ordination, step up inspections and come up with measures to prevent cross-border smuggling and reduce counterfeit goods.

He called for more programmes to generate jobs in border areas and raise public awareness of smuggling.

District peoples committees are responsible for implementing the measures and reporting to the province Peoples Committee, he added.  VNS
HA NOI  Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh yesterday asked the Ha Noi Peoples Committee to verify information according to which nearly 5,000 people risked having their homes destroyed.

The information was reported in a story in the Lao ong (Labour) newspaper, published on August 19. According to the story, nearly 1,000 households, in which 5,000 people resided, in inh Cong Ward, Hoang Mai District in Ha Noi, were asked to tear down their houses.

The land on which their homes were constructed would then be transferred to the Sao Vang Joint-stock Company.

The company would use the land to build a complex containing an ecological park, villas, high-rise residential quarters and a plaza.

The story said nearly 1,000 households were unhappy with the project because many of them had been issued land use right certificates and had lived there for dozens of years.

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh asked the Ha Noi Peoples Committee to verify the facts and report to the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc before September 15.

Research of the Lao ong (Labour) newspapers correspondent showed that in May 1972, the Ha Noi Peoples Committee licensed for the inh Cong vegetables farm to widen the farm in inh Cong Ward, Hoang Mai District.

In June 2003, the Sao Vang Company signed contract with the Ha Noi Agricultural Development and Investment Co Ltd to use land of the inh Cong vegetable farm to build parks, ecological areas and amusement area.

In May 2004, the municipal peoples committee asked the Ha Noi Fruit, Vegetable and Technology Centre, which managed the inh Cong vegetable farm, to set up projects of ecological park.

In December 2005 the Ha Noi Peoples Committee approved a detailed scheme of Hoang Mai District. And concerned organisations joined hand with the Sao Vang Company to set up related scheme.

After many years of delaying, by the end of June this year, deputy chairman of the Ha Noi Peoples Committee Nguyen The Hung said that setting up scheme of the ecological park was too slow.

But local residents said that the scheme was not suitable to the lands function which was approved by former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in the Decision 108/1998/Q-TTg issued on June 20, 1998.  VNS
A view of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel plant in central Ha Tinh Province. The Government has announced how compensation will be paid to people affected by the toxic discharge by a steel plant owned by Taiwanese firm Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation that caused Viet Nam's biggest ever environmental disaster along the central coast.  Photo thoibao.today

HCM CITY  The Government has announced how compensation will be paid to people affected by the toxic discharge by a steel plant owned by Taiwanese firm Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation that caused Viet Nams biggest ever environmental disaster along the central coast.

It has agreed to add those who suffered indirect losses -- like owners and crews of fishing boats with over 90HP engine; owners of seafood warehouses and their workers; owners and workers of plants producing products from seafood like fish sauces; and aquaculture farms affected by the pollution in the four central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue.

But it has put off to September 15 the deadline for reporting total losses and suggesting compensation levels by the four provinces to the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Rural Development.

Frozen seafood that are in stock and cannot be sold will be tested.

Safe seafood will be issued certificates and unsafe products will be destroyed and compensated.

Fisheries products from the affected area produced after August 22, when the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced that the seawater was no longer toxic, will be tested by the Ministry of Health to reassure both domestic and foreign consumers.

Deputy Primer Minister Truong Hoa Binh instructed the Ministry of Health to cast the new wide to do the tests and collate information from various official sources to reassure consumers about safety.

Based on the results, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will advise localities about consuming these products.

Based on guidelines to be issued by the two ministries, leaders of the four provinces will instruct local officials to promote sales of the seafood stocks that have piled up.

Binh also instructed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to publicise the co-ordinates of three areas that remain polluted (in Son Duong  Ha Tinh Province, Nhat Le river gate  Quang Binh Province, Son Cha island  Thua Thien Hue Province) and continue to carefully monitor the marine environment and make regular public announcements and assist localities with destroying unsafe seafood.

He instructed the Ministry of Planning and Investments Statistics General Department to work with local authorities to fix compensation criteria.

The Ministries of Finance and Agriculture and Rural Development and other related authorities should submit the compensation plan to the Government by late September, he said.

The Ministry of Information and Telecommunication should proclaim information about the marine environment in these four central provinces and the safety of their seafood, he added.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has requested that tuition fees at all education levels should be made public.

In a document sent to the peoples committees of provinces and cities nationwide, the ministry said the tuition fees for public education in kindergartens, primary, junior and high schools will be adjusted according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the 2016-2017 school year.

Accordingly, the peoples committees of the provinces and cities can decide the tuition fees for public kindergarten and primary schools based on the economic conditions of the localities and their areas social standard of living.

With regard to tertiary education and vocation training under the MoET, the collection will be based on the tuition fee cap regulated under Decree 86/2015/ND-CP, which prescribed the collection and management of school fees of educational institutions under the national education system.

Tuition fees for full time education and short-term training classes will be collected based on a consensus between students and education institutions to ensure transparency.

Tuition fees for public higher education at university and self-financed vocational training schools should be collected according to the economic and technical standards and their expenditure should be decided by responsible management authorities to ensure their operation. However, it must not go higher than 150 per cent of the fees of institutions which have the governments financial support.

Students with special circumstances, such as those whose families contributed to the revolutionary cause or who reside in border provinces, mountainous and disadvantaged areas or orphans with disabilities will still be granted tuition exemption, the MoET said.

The increase of tuition fees should not take place at the same time as the hike in health care service to limit its effect on CPI.

The MoET also asked local authorities to closely supervise the operation of extra classes and the monitor the illegal collection of school fees. Strict punishment should be imposed on organisations and individuals that violated the rules, it said.  VNS
BEIRUT  One of the Islamic States top leaders, Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, described by the US as the "principal architect" of the groups attacks on the West, has been killed in Syria, the jihadist organisation announced.

The United States said coalition forces had carried out an air strike targeting Adnani in Aleppo province yesterday and that it was still assessing the results of the raid, but that his death would be a major blow to the group.

One of ISs most recognised figures, Adnani had called for lone-wolf attacks on civilians using weapons including knives and even vehicles, as happened in Nice on July 14, when a jihadist drove a truck through crowds of revellers, killing 86 people.

IS news agency Amaq said Adnani "was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo" and pledged to avenge his death.

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Adnani "has served as principal architect of ISILs external operations and as ISILs chief spokesman," using another name for the group.

"He has coordinated the movement of ISIL fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited new ISIL members," he said.

Adnani, who had a US$5 million US bounty on his head, was originally from the western Syrian province of Idlib and joined the jihadist movement in Iraq, where he served under late Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Aymenn Jawad Tamimi, an expert on jihadist groups, said his death was "significant symbolically and in pointing to the wider decline of the Islamic State".

"If a coalition air strike hit him, it shows intelligence penetration by the coalition is very high," he said.

A US defence official described him as one of ISs most senior leaders and far more significant than simply being the groups spokesman.

"Most notably, he served as ISILs chief of external operations, directing and inspiring major terrorist attacks outside of Iraq and Syria," he said, linking Adnani to a string of high-profile attacks that have killed hundreds, including in Paris, Brussels and Istanbul.

"If confirmed, this is a very significant blow for ISIL, and will degrade its ability to direct and inspire terror attacks on the West," said the official who declined to be named.

Focusing on the IS threat

Adnanis death came as Kurdish-backed militias in northern Syria agreed to a US initiative to stop fighting Turkish forces, whose week-old incursion in the country has stoked tensions between Washington and Ankara.

The truce was announced separately by a senior US defence official in Washington and the Kurdish-backed Syrian fighters, but Turkey neither confirmed nor denied it had agreed to hold fire.

Turkey launched an unprecedented cross-border offensive into Syria last Wednesday, its most significant move since the start of Syrias bloody civil war more than five years ago, saying it was aimed at ridding the frontier of both IS jihadists and a Kurdish militia.

Kurds have carved out a semi-autonomous region in Syrias north and northeast, with their Peoples Protection Units (YPG) becoming a key partner of the US-led coalition fighting IS.

The YPG is also a key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which groups diverse factions battling the jihadists.

Ankara fears the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria would bolster the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) across the border in southeastern Turkey.

At the weekend, Turkish forces killed several Kurdish fighters while its tanks rolled across the border to help Syrian Arab rebels rout IS from the frontier district of Jarabulus.

The military operation triggered alarm bells in Washington, which is trying to contain the violence between its Turkish and Kurdish allies.

"In the last several hours, we have received assurance that all parties involved are going to stop shooting at each other and focus on the ISIL threat," US Central Command spokesman, Colonel John Thomas, said.

Clearly there is a smoking gun

At the United Nations, Russia questioned the findings of a UN-led investigation that blamed the Syrian regime for chemical attacks, saying they were not conclusive enough to trigger sanctions.

Britain and France have called for sanctions after the investigative panel found that President Bashar al-Assads forces had carried out at least two chemical attacks, one in 2014 and one in 2015.

Following a closed-door Security Council meeting to discuss the report, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he had serious questions about the findings and suggested the panel should continue its work.

"Clearly there is a smoking gun. We know that chlorine was most likely used, but there are no fingerprints on the gun," he said.  AFP
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar  Peace talks between Myanmars government and warring ethnic minorities kicked off today in a bid to end decades of conflict that have claimed thousands of lives and kept the country mired in poverty.

A sea of colour filled the vast conference hall in the capital Naypyidaw as delegations from Myanmars myriad ethnic groups mingled with stony-faced military officers decked out in full regalia.

The summit is veteran democracy activist Suu Kyis much-trumpeted effort to reshape Myanmar as a federal democracy following decades of oppressive military rule.

The Nobel laureate has made bridging the ethnic fault lines that have fractured the nation since its mid-century independence a priority of her new government, which took power in March.

"So long as we are unable to achieve national reconciliation and national unity, we will never be able to establish a sustainable and durable peaceful union," she told delegates.

"Only if we are all united will our country be at peace. Only if our country is at peace will we be able to stand on an equal footing with the other countries in our region and across the world."

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is attending the talks, described the gathering as a "historic" moment for the country following its transition towards democracy.

"The long civil war has cost numerous lives and robbed successive generations of their dignity, tranquillity and normalcy," he said during a speech to delegates.

"It is now clear that there can be no military solution to your differences."

Few expect a concrete deal to emerge from the five-day talks, which are seen as the start of a peace process that could take years.

Seventeen rebel groups have joined the talks in the capital, but others have not laid down their arms and some remain locked in combat with the military.

Tragic drift

Any hope of a nationwide ceasefire has been snuffed out by fresh flare-ups of violence in some northern states ahead of the summit.

Khua Uk Lian of the Chin National Front, which has its own ceasefire with the military, said he was optimistic but warned fighting would be hard to stop on the ground.

"You have local commanders fighting about local problems," he said.

"Its been like this since we have been fighting."

Communities in the conflict zones live in stark poverty despite the rich jade, tin and teak wood forests that dot their lands and lie at the heart of many of the battles.

Bringing peace could rejuvenate economies in the war-ravaged regions, and open up investment to foreign powers who are keen to scoop up its vast

resources.

But distrust of the Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar military is known, runs deep among minorities after decades of oppression, marked by torture, rape and mass killings.

Negotiators from Suu Kyis government have said privately they are hamstrung by working with the army, which still controls borders, defence and a quarter of parliament seats.

Commander in chief Min Aung Hlaing urged ethnic groups to join the ceasefire the previous military-backed government signed with eight groups last year.

"We need to end this tragic drift," he told the conference, according to an English transcript.

But he also warned against drawn out peace talks.

"If the peace process takes longer than the appropriate time, there may be more outside instigations, interferences and manipulations disturbing the process," he said.

Todays meeting comes almost 70 years after Suu Kyis father, independence hero Aung San, signed a landmark agreement to devolve powers to some ethnic groups after independence.

The deal collapsed after he was assassinated, before Myanmar broke from Britain in 1948, triggering the civil wars that have rumbled across the countrys borders ever since.

Suu Kyi has dubbed her summit the 21st Century Panglong in reference to the agreement brokered by her father, who remains a deeply revered figure.  AFP
After a decade of arguing over words, commas and full stops, India and the US have finally inked an agreement that will allow their militaries to replenish from each others logistic facilities, including bases.
Mauritius-based was in limelight this week after picking a big chunk in listed broadcaster NDTV on Monday. According to data compiled by BS Research Bureau, the foreign portfolio investor has at least 20 investments where it holds one per cent or more. The 9.75% stake in NDTV is the latest entrant on the list. These holdings are together worth Rs 535 crore. GMR Infra, Infibeam and Visa Steel are large holdings.
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.
WATERLOO  Before he was accused of killing two nuns in Mississippi, Rodney Earl Sanders lived in Black Hawk County, according to court records.

Sanders, 46 and recently of Kosciusko, Miss., was arrested Friday for two counts of capital murder in rural Durant, Miss., in connection with the deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both 68, who were found in their home the day before.

Sanders is being held at the Holmes County Sheriffs Office in Lexington, Miss.

Before he moved to Mississippi, Sanders had lived in Waterloo and Cedar Falls in the 1990s, and had minor brushes with the authorities in Black Hawk County, court records show.

A trooper with the Iowa State Patrol arrested Sanders for operating while intoxicated in October 1992 in connection with a crash in front of then IBP on Elk Run Road in Waterloo.

He allegedly triggered the crash when he made an unsafe U-turn in front of another vehicle. He failed preliminary breath tests and blew a .182 on a breath test, according to court records.

Then in November 1992, Sanders, declaring a Waterloo Road address in Cedar Falls, was arrested for misdemeanor theft.

He was accused of taking a $65 coat from Wal-Mart on Flammang Drive in Waterloo.

In April 1995, Waterloo police arrested Sanders for operating while intoxicated and driving while revoked after he was found with bloodshot eyes and a .133 blood-alcohol level during a traffic stop on Broadway Street for a malfunctioning tail light. At the time, he had an East Fourth Street address.

Court records show Sanders was also convicted of second-degree robbery in a knifepoint holdup in Linn County in 2004 and was sentenced to prison, finally gaining release in February 2011 and discharging parole in May 2012.
CEDAR FALLS  The Iowa Board of Regents plans to ask the Legislature for $12.7 million for its public universities in the 2017 session.

That funding request represents a 2 percent increase from the current levels at the University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa and Iowa State University, as well as an additional $2.5 million for UNI. The total request for UNI in fiscal year 2018 would be $4.4 million.

The UNI funding includes a request for a new appropriation of $250,000 for its Center for Violence Prevention, as well as a $500,000 increase to its ongoing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or STEM, efforts.

The board will discuss its fiscal year 2018 appropriations request when it convenes Sept. 7 and 8 at the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City.

As a result of a strategic plan the regents adopted in July, the board will discuss a two-year budget and tuition model. The 2019 request also would include a 2 percent increase for the universities.

We want to provide as much predictability as possible to our students and their families, Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter said in a statement about the funding request. By going to this new model, students and parents will know tuition rates well in advance, and the state will know our thinking on funding for two years.

He said it also will help the universities to plan.

The board initially froze tuition for a historic three years in a row. It ultimately raised tuition at Iowa State and UNI in the second semester of that third year, and then due to lower than anticipated legislative dollars last year, increased tuition for the three institutions in the fall 2016 semester that just got underway.

The board will vote on the funding request at its September meeting. It will consider the first reading of tuition rates for the 2017-2018 academic year during its October meeting, where the regents will discuss a 2 percent increase in each of the next two fiscal years.

Student leaders at UNI have been vocal in their support for incremental increases in tuition so students are not overwhelmed with late hikes as they consider their next semesters tuition.

Tuition rates make up about 62.5 percent of the regents universities general funding, with appropriations accounting for 33.1 percent. It was almost exactly reversed as recently as 2001.

During the September meeting, the board will also address the following UNI-related items:

The board will get an update on the UNI presidential search committees efforts. The regents will approve the duties of the hired search firm and the volunteer search committee, as well as approve the timeline for the search. The update is likely to include additional details about what content will be included in the advertised position.

The board will appoint Patrick Pease as the interim dean of UNIs College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He will fill the role of Brenda Bass, who is now serving as provost. UNI Provost Jim Wohlpart took over as interim president after former UNI President Bill Ruud left for another position.

The board will name the bargaining teams for its bargaining units, including UNIs United Faculty, for the 2017-2019 agreements.
WATERLOO  The Cedar Valley community is invited to attend Rally for the Valley, Cedar Valley United Ways annual campaign kick-off.

The luncheon event will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the RiverLoop Amphitheatre, Waterloo.

The 2016 campaign chairs, Don and Michelle Temeyer, will kick-off the campaign. Community members will have the opportunity to learn more about the needs here in the Cedar Valley as well as help raise money to kick start the campaign.

During the event, guests will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive experience to spend a day in the life of a person in the Cedar Valley. Similar to a poverty simulation, guests will be given a new life where they will have to make difficult life choices based on the resources available to them. The interactive experience showcases various programs funded by Cedar Valley United Way to help people in need.

Guests also will have the chance to be entered into a raffle drawing by completing the interactive experience. Additional raffle tickets can be purchased for $5 or 3 for $10. Prizes include tickets to Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, Waterloo Black Hawks, Waterloo Community Playhouse, and YWCAs Women of Persimmon Luncheon; gift certificates to Barmuda Companies, Cedar Falls Community Theatre, Fareway, Hy-Vee, Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo, Jiva, Newtons Paradise Cafe, Scheels, and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare; and items from John Deere and Next Generation.

Tickets for the event are $20 per person or $150 for a group of eight and may be reserved by calling 235-6211 or online at www.cedarvalleyunitedway.org.
With the United States No. 1 in the world in incarcerating people, privately operated prisons have been a growth industry  a run that may soon end.

An undercover expose in Mother Jones magazine in June detailed horrific conditions at a state prison in Louisiana.

A report earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Justices inspector general criticized safety, security and costs at federal privately operated prisons. The Justice Department subsequently announced contracts with private-prison operators wont be renewed or will be reduced in scope.

That decision involves 13 prisons housing 22,000 of the 193,000 federal prisoners  mostly low-security aliens with fewer than 90-months left on sentences. It does not involve the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service, which do not come under the federal Bureau of Prisons.

In a somewhat related story, the Washington Post revealed the Department of Homeland Security  attempting to quell the political outcry as Central American immigrants poured across the border in 2014  authorized a no-bid, $1 billion contract at outrageous rates for a private detention center.

According to a 2013 study by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, the U.S. led the world in inmates with 716 of every 100,000 people incarcerated  or 22 percent of all the prisoners on the planet (down from 24.7 percent in 2008).

The biggest spike came after Congress passed legislation in 1986 related to the War on Drugs, including mandatory sentencing, and the states followed suit. Since 1980, the federal prison population alone increased by 790 percent.

Contrary to popular perception, Fordham University law professor John Pfaff recently argued in the Harvard Journal on Legislation the increase was not due to nonviolent drug offenses.

In reality, a majority of prison growth has come from locking up violent offenders, and a large majority of those admitted to prison never serve time for a drug charge, at least not as their primary charge, he wrote.

The nonpartisan Vera Institute of Justice estimated in 2010 it cost $31,307 per year to house each prisoner. Extrapolated nationally, the bill came to $63.4 billion. The Brookings Institute says your bill to house prisoners comes to $260 annually.

The federal government and states turned to privately operated prison companies to do the job less expensively  notably the Corrections Corporation of America (66,000 inmates) and the GEO Group (70,000).

The bottom line intervened as Steven Bauer of Mother Jones described in My Four Months As a Prison Guard, while serving at CCAs Winn State Prison in Louisiana, a medium-security facility with 1,500 inmates.

CCA charged Louisiana $34 per inmate  compared to $52 in the state system  but the cost-saving deficiencies were glaring.

Winn was understaffed. Reports of violence were significantly understated. Work, hobby, classes and recreational opportunities for inmates were virtually nonexistent. Mental health counseling was available through one social worker and a part-time psychiatrist. Rather than incur hospital bills, one inmate lost his legs to gangrene. Winn charged inmates for state-supplied toilet paper and toothpaste. Louisiana eventually revoked CCAs contract.

As for privately operated federal prisons, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates stated the Bureau of Prisons during the next year would be well on our way to ultimately eliminating the use of private prisons entirely.

On the other hand, the government bestowed a four-year, $1 billion, no-bid contract on CCA  $20 million  per month  in 2014 to operate a 2,400-bed detention facility in Dilley, Texas, to house immigrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador seeking asylum from countries among the top five in the world in murder rates.

An estimated 61,000 family units  mostly mothers and children  were detained during a 12-month period in 2014 and held in communities where they had settled.

The Obama administration, criticized for being too lenient by political opponents, saw the detention center as symbolizing a get-tough-approach to stem the tide, a warning of the futility of trying to cross the border.

Then two court decisions intervened, ruling ICE couldnt detain asylum seekers simply to deter others and requiring children to be held in the least restrictive environment possible.

Yet the CCA contract, which circumvented transparency for political expediency, still guaranteed $285 for each bed or $20 million monthly. The Post reported the facility is usually half full and occasionally empty. Cost for other detention centers range between $60 and $85 per detainee, although higher for children because of educational expenses.

CCA cant be blamed for that political boondoggle. But, as for privately operated prisons, you get what you pay for, particularly when oversight is lacking. That isnt to say all government facilities are model operations  Veteran Affairs hospitals have proven otherwise. But, theoretically, the profit motive is at least removed as an incentive to lower standards beyond the pale as occurred in Winn.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been arrested for allegedly luring two teens from Chicago and then forcing them to work in the sex trade and shoplift.

Lawrence Edward Campbell Jr., 35, of 210 Clearview St., was arrested Tuesday morning for two counts each of human trafficking and using a juvenile to commit an offense. He was taken to the Black Hawk County Jail, and bond was set at $40,000.

Waterloo police discovered the scheme Monday when one of the girls was detained for shoplifting at Target in Waterloo.

Both girls are 16 years old, and one was listed as a runaway, said Capt. David Mohlis with the Waterloo Police Department. He said the parents and guardians have been notified to come to Iowa to pick up the girls.

According to investigators, Campbell met the two through the internet, telling them to come to Waterloo for a better life. He bought bus tickets for the girls, and when they arrived he told them they would have to engage in sex acts for money, court records state.

Campbell had the girls pose for photos, which were posted on an internet page that offered their services, police said.

Campbell arranged several contact between male and both (girls) in when they would engage in sex acts with each other and the male in exchange for money, records state.

The girls also were directed to steal from local stores, and the merchandise would be resold on the streets.

Officers searched Campbells home and found clothing with tags and security devices, and they found clothing the girls wore on images posted on the webpage. They also discovered bus ticket stubs.

Man arrested in counterfeit case

WATERLOO  Black Hawk County sheriffs deputies arrested a Waterloo man who allegedly passed fake $100 bills at a motel over the weekend.

Benjamin Ray Shadow, 29, of 1520 Forest Ave., was arrested Sunday on Beverly Drive for forgery.

Authorities said Shadow had a clerk at Motel 6, 2343 Logan Ave., make change for two $100 bills Sunday afternoon. The employees later realized the $100 bills were fake and had for motion picture use only printed on them, court records state.

Shadow also was arrested for interference and possession of methamphetamine after he allegedly ran from deputies and was found with a bag of meth in his shorts pocket, according to court records.

Police have investigated several incidents involving similar fake $100 bills in recent months. The bills are available for sale on the internet and are legal to possess because they arent identical to real cash, but it is illegal to attempt to spend it, according to police.

Man gets three years reentry

WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been sentenced to prison for returning to the United States after he had been removed from the country.

Authorities said 46-year-old Manuel Sanchez-Rojas had been deported in 1992, 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2005. In April 2016, he was arrested in Waterloo as part of a theft investigation, and when immigration agents took custody of him, he allegedly threatened to shoot them, according to court records.

On Tuesday, Judge Leonard Strand sentenced Sanchez to three years and one month in prison on a plea to a charge of illegal reentry following a felony conviction.

Court records indicate Sanchez has been convicted of 11 crimes in the United States between 1991 and 2016. Charges include assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, possession of a firearm, escape and theft in California and Illinois.

His most recent arrests came in 2015 for stealing beer from the Kwik Star on Franklin Street in Waterloo and a camera from the Waterloo Wal-Mart in 2016.

Woman arrested in phone robbery

WATERLOO  A Waterloo woman has been arrested for allegedly beating another woman and taking her cell phone in March.

Waterloo police arrested Mardia Sarwah, 19, of 218 Glenwood St., on Monday on East Orange Road for robbery. She was later released from jail.

According to court records, Sarwah approached Sara Pulec outside 424 Locust St. and punched her in the mouth. When Pulec fell to the ground Sarwah allegedly continued hitting her and kicked her in the head, records state. She then took Pulecs phone and left, records state.

Sarwah also was arrested for fifth-degree theft for allegedly taking items from Wal-Mart on Flammang Drive on May 16 and disorderly conduct for allegedly slapping a man in the lobby of Waterloo City Hall on May 2.
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Canl Bahis siteleri sektoru son derece onu ack ve farkl ozelliklere sahip bir sektordur. Elbette bahis secenekleri arasnda yuksek kazanc getiren alan kuskusuz canl bahistir. Peki, canl bahis nedir?

Canl Bahis Nedir?

Canl bahis adndan da anlaslacag gibi devam eden musabakaya bahis yapmaktr. Bu bahis musabaka devam ederken de yaplabilir olmasdr. Basta futbol olmak uzere voleybol, tenis, hentbol, basketbol, buz hokeyi ve masa tenisi gibi spor organizasyonlarna canl bahisler yaplabilmektedir. Canl bahis siteleri bu oyunlarn hepsine yuksek oranlara bahis yapmanza imkan tanr. En fazla tercih edilen futbol canl bahisleri diger alanlara gore daha fazla on plandadr. Siteden siteye degisen sartlar ve uygulama esaslar soz konusu olsa da kurallar sabittir.

Canl bahisi populer klan ve heyecan katan en onemli ozellikle musabakann basladg ana dek bahis yapabilmedir. Canl bahis icerisinde yer alan secenekler kazanma sansnz da dogrudan arttrmaktadr. Ilk korneri kim kullanr, ilk tac, gol, sar kart, krmz kart gibi futbol musabakas icerisinde olabilecek hemen hemen her seye bahis yaplabilmektedir. Normal bahisegore de son derece yuksek oranda olmas avantajl yonlerini ortaya koymaktadr. Nitekim dogru secenek ksa surede kazancl ckmanza etki edecektir.

Strateji ve dogru analizle 90 dakika gibi bir surede anaparanzkatlayabilirsiniz. Tabi bunu basarabilmek icin mutlaka musabakaya dair ayrntlar iyi degerlendirmek gerekir. Soz konusu musabakann detaylarn inceleyip, cezal, sakat oyuncu veya performans dusen takm oyunu gibi detaylar bilmek canl bahiste kazanc belirleyen onemli unsurdur. Guvenilir Canl bahis hem heyecanl zaman gecirmeyi hem de musabakalar takip ederken para kazanmay saglamaktadr.

Canl Bahis Nasl Oynanr?

Bahislerinizi guvenilir sitelerden gerceklestirdiginiz zaman herhangi bir sekilde para cekme de sorun yasamazsnz. Guvenilir bahis siteleri tespit edip sonrasnda da uyelik islemlerini tamamlamanz gerekmektedir. Belirlenen uyelik sartlarn yerine getirip hesabnza da paray aktardktan sonra bahis islemlerini sorunsuz yapabilirsiniz. Peki, canl bahis nasl oynanr?

Oncelikle bahis konusunda mutlaka dogru site arastrmas yapmalsnz. Yapacagnz arastrma neticesinde buldugunuz site uzerinden canl bahisislemlerini gerceklestirebilirsiniz. Bunun icin uye olup, hesaba para atp, canl bahis bolumune girmelisiniz. Sonrasnda dahil olmak istediginiz musabakann saatini ogrenip, gerekli analizleri yapmalsnz. Tahminlerinizi belirledikten sonra karsnza ckacak olan bahis sayfasndan istediginiz hamleyi yapmalsnz. Bahis tutarn belirledikten sonra musabaka baslayacaktr.

Canl bahis diger normal bahis esaslarna gore farkllklar icermektedir. Bunlardan en onemlisi musabakann gidisatna gore islem yapabilir olmaktr.Ayrca musabakann 2. Yarsna gore hamle yapp ayr bir bahisin soz konusu olmas da ciddi avantajdr. Dogru hamle ile sizde istediginiz bahisi yapp kazanc elde edebilirsiniz. Nitekim canl olarak yapacagnz bahis icin mac oncesi raporlara gore hareket etmek onemlidir. Cunku takmlarn durumlarn analiz etmek tahmin gucunu arttracaktr. Misal tamnn en iyi oyuncusu sakat ya da kart cezals ise takmn performansnda dusus yasanacaktr. Buna ek olarak takmn deplasman performans ile evinde ki performans ayr olacaktr. Burada da takmn musabakay nerede yaptgna bakmak gerekir. Bu ayrntlar da iyice analiz ettikten sonra bahsinizi yapp kazanmann keyfini yasayabilirsiniz.

Canl Bahis Siteleri

Son derece yuksek getiriye sahip bahis sektoru uzun zamandr faaliyet gostermektedir. Cok ciddi rakamlarn soz konusu oldugu bu sektor zamanla sanal ortamlara donusmustur. Elbette guvenli ve bir o kadar da avantajl olan bu siteler cok yonlu frsatlar sunmaktadrlar. Canl iddaa siteleri gerek yeni uyelere gerekse de hali hazrdaki uyelerine bolca bonus frsatlar vermektedir. Yatracagnz tutara gore belirlenen bonuslar site icerisinde rahat hareket etmenizi de saglayacaktr.

Canl bahis sitelerini kullanmadan once mutlaka guvenli olup olmadgna goz atmalsnz. Zira baz kullanclar guvenli olmayan sitelerden yaptklar islemlerden dolay magdur olmaktadrlar. Nitekim guvenli ve sorunsuz hizmet sunan yurt ds site tercih etmek en dogru secenektir. Sektorde uzun yllar faaliyet gosteren siteleri tercih edebilirsiniz. Bu alanda yer alan yabanc siteler musteri memnuniyetine onem vermektedir. Oncelik site kullanclarn sorunsuz sekilde bahislerini yapabilir olmasn saglamaktr. Bahis sitelerinde amac hem daha fazla kullancya hizmet vermek hem de sektorde emin admlarla ilerlemek onceliklidir. Dogru site tercihi ile sizde canl bahislerinizi sorun yasamadan gerceklestirebilirsiniz. Sizler icin hazrlams oldugumuz canl bahis siteleri listesi su sekildedir;

Mobilbahis Tempobet Bets10 Bahigo 1xbahis Betboo Youwin Superbahis

Sralams oldugumuz bu siteler sektorde basarl islere imza atms sitelerdedir. Canl bahis konusunda beklentileri karslayacak olan bu siteler sizlere kolaylk sunmaktadrlar. Bol bonuslu secenekle de sizlere farkl bahis yonlerini sunacaklardr. Sistemsel etki icerisinde her zaman etkin sonuc alabilmek icin surekli olarak faaliyet icerisindedirler.

Canl Bahis Taktikleri

Bahis sektorunun en fazla dikkat edilmesi gereken hususu dogru taktik ve dogru tahmindir. Elbette dogru tahmini yapabilmek icin analizi cok iyi yapmak gerekir. Canl bahis taktikleri arasnda ilk sra analiz gelmektedir. Analiz yapamadgnz zaman basarl tahminlerde bulunmanz pek de mumkun degildir. Cunku bahiste onemli olan konu musabakann analizini cok iyi yaplmas gerektigidir. Canl bahisin ozelliklerini iyi bilmek ve nasl bir hamle yapacagnz bilmek gerekir. Ozellikle riskli maclarda yaplacak degerlendirmeler cok daha onemlidir.

Canl bahis yapacaklarn takip edecegi degerler takmlarn durumlar ile alakal olmaldr. Performans uzerine kurulu bahis sisteminde takm degerlendirmesine iyi bakmak gerekir. Iki takmn son 5 macta nasl bir sonuc ortaya koyduguna bakarak hareket etmek onemlidir. Ayrca hangi takm evinde daha iyi performans sergiliyor diye de ayrca bakmak gerekir.

Analizlerle alakal puan durumlarna da goz atmak cok onemlidir. Puan degerlendirmesinde oncelikle takmlarn ihtiyaclar ile dogru orantl hareket etmek gerekir. Cunku olusturulan performans takmn da durumunu ortaya koymaktadr. Nitekim istenilen sonucu elde edebilmek icin tum ayrntlar bilmek gerekir. Takm ici duzenden tutunda da takmn son durumuna kadar her ayrnt onemlidir. Iki takmn birbirleri arasnda ki sonuclar da incelemek gerekir. Burada dikkat edilecek detaylarn basnda maclarda kac gol oldugu ve gollerin hangi dakikalarda atldgdr. Cekismeli gecen musabakalarda bazen goller ilk yarda daha fazla olurken baz maclarda da ikinci yarda daha cok gol olmustur. Iki takm arasnda ki maclarda gollerin cogunlugu ilk yarda geliyorsa buna gore bahis yapabilirsiniz.

Canl Bahis Siteleri Bonuslar ve Kampanyalar

Bahis yapanlar veya yapmay dusununler sitelerin sunmus olduklar frsatlar merak etmektedirler. Cunku siteler daha fazla kullancya erismek icin her donem kampanyalar duzenleyerek kullanc odakl hamleler yapmaktadrlar. Canl bahis bonuslar ve kampanyalar oldukca populer olup, siteler bu konuda adeta birbirleri ile yarsmaktadrlar. Birbirinden farkl ozelliklere sahip olan kampanyalar size frsatlar sunmaktadr. Daha cok kazanma ihtimalinizi arttran bu bonuslar daha cesur olmanza da dogrudan etki edecektir. Nitekim bonuslar sitelerin cekiciligini ve avantajlarn arttrmaktadr. En cok kazandran canl bahis siteleri bedava bonuslar ve kampanyalar icin http://www.milano2018.com/canli-bahis-siteleri-2022/ linkinden yardm alabilirsiniz.

Hos geldin bonusu ile baslayan ve sonrasnda para yatrdkca bonus veren cok sayda site bulunmaktadr. Canl bahis bonusu veren siteler yeni uyelere sunduklar frsatlar farkl kampanyalarla mevcut uyelerine de sunmaktadrlar. Hali hazrda siteyi kullananlarn da bonus frsatlarndan yararlanmalar icin donemsel kampanyalar olusturmaktadrlar. Boylece baska sitelere gidisler olmayacag gibi site de daha keyifli zaman gecirmek mumkun klnmaktadr. Bu tur eklentiler yapan sitelerde musteri memnuniyeti daha fazladr.

Bahis siteleri ozellik ve uygulama bakmndan farkllklar bunyelerinde bulundurmaktadrlar. Verilen bonuslarn olusturulmas ve kullanclar aktarlmasnda yatrlan para miktarlar belirleyici olmaktadr. 1.000 TL yatran bir kullanc yuzde 20 bonus frsat olan bir kampanyadan 200 TL bonus kazanabilmektedir. Yatracag tutar 10.000 TL oldugunda bu bonustutar 2.000 TL olabilmektedir. Gerceklesen ve uygulanan esaslar tamamen donemsel olarak yaplan kampanyalarla alakaldr. Iyi Canl bahis siteleri bonuslar ve kampanyalar icin sitelerin vermis oldugu oranlar takip edebilirsiniz.

Canl Bahis Siteleri Para Yatrma

Online Canl bahis yapacaklarn merak ettigi konulardan bir digeri de para yatrma islemleridir. Oldukca onemli olan bu konuda hata yapmamak cok onemlidir. Canl bahis sitelerine para yatrma islemi sanlann aksine son derece basittir. Oldukca basit ve uygulama esas dogru etki olusturan bu yapda sizde islemi rahatca tamamlayabilirsiniz. Para yatrma konusunda su yolu izleyebilirsiniz.

Guvendiginiz ve herhangi bir sekilde aklnzda soru isareti kalmayan bahis sitesine uye olmanz gerekmektedir. Uyelik islemini sorunsuz sekilde tamamladktan sonra para yatrma islemine gecebilirsiniz.

Kullanacagnz siteye uye olduktan sonra karsnza kullanc ad ve sifresini gireceginiz yer gelecektir. Buraya giris yaptktan sonra site icerisine islemlere devam edebilirsiniz.

Sitede yer alan para yatrma sekmesine tklayp sonrasnda karsnza gelen sayfay inceleyebilirsiniz. Para yatrma bolumunde yer alan ksma ne kadar para yatracagnz yazp devam tusuna basmalsnz.

Yatrmak istediginiz tutar girip sonrasnda da devam tusuna bastktan sonra karsnza kart bilgilerinizi gireceginiz sayfa gelecektir. Kredi kart kullanarak para gondermek isteyenlerin tercih ettigi bu sayfa tum bilgiler girilip islem onaylanmaldr.

Canl bahis sitelerine para yatrma islemini gerceklestirmek icin hesaba havale secenegini de kullanabilirsiniz. Site icerisinde musteri hizmetleri ile iletisime gecerek banka hesap numaralarn ogrenebilirsiniz. Belirtilen IBAN numarasna istediginiz tutar havale edebilirsiniz. Havale ederken acklama ksmna yazlacak bilgilere dikkat etmelisiniz.

Kredi kart veya banka havalesi ile gerceklesen para yatrma islemi sonucunda site hesabnzdan bakiyenize bakabilirsiniz. Bakiyenize gore dilediginiz sekilde bahislerinizi gerceklestirebilirsiniz.

Canl Bahis Siteleri Para Cekme

Canl bahiste dogru hamleler ve dogru tahminler sonucunda kazandgnz bedeli geri almak isteyebilirsiniz. Kazanclarnz istediginiz banka hesabnza cekebilmek icin uymanz gereken kurallar soz konusudur. Oncelikle bahis sitelerinden para cekebilmeniz icin uye olurken dogru bilgi paylasmnda bulunmanz gerektigidir. Cunku canl bahis sitelerinden para cekme islemi icin kullanc hesab ile talep edilen banka hesap bilgilerinin ortusmesi gerekir. Yani uye olurken verilen bilgi ile banka hesab kime ait ise o bilgiler ayn olmaldr. Bu uygulama sitenin hem kullancsn hem de kendisini guvene alma politikasdr. Ayrca frsatclarn onune gecerek yeni bir uye olusumunun da onune gecmek amac gutmektedir. Uye olan kisi farkl para cekilme talebi verilen hesap farkl oldugunda para cekme islemi gerceklesmeyecektir.

Bahisleriniz sonucunda kazanc elde edebilir ve bu kazancnz da hakknz olarak almak isteyebilirsiniz. Burada son derece basit uygulama soz konusu olurken siteler aras farkl gorunumler soz konusu olabilir. Fakat yine de tum sitelerde uyenin site icerisinde para cekme bolumune girmesi yeterlidir. Burada cekilecek olan tutarn belirlenmesi ve hesap numarasnn girilmesi ile birlikte islem onay gerekecektir. Para cekme taleplerinde sizden gerekli bilgiler istenmekte ve havale islemi istenilen bilgiler esliginde yurutulmektedir. Dogru bilgi paylasmak sorunsuz para cekebilmeniz en onemli kuraldr. Istenilen bilgiler girildikten sonra site sorumlular gerekli kontrolleri yapp herhangi bir sorun yoksa ksa surede hesabnza gerekli paray aktaracaklardr.

Canl Bahis Sitelerinden Para Cekmek Icin Istenen Belgeler

Bahis sitelerine uye olduktan sonra baz kullanclar para cekme taleplerinin karslanmadg konusunda sikayetlerde bulunmuslardr. Bu sikayetlersektorde uzun zamandr bulunan guvenilir bahis siteleri de yer almaktadr. Fakat sikayetlerin dayanaklarna bakldgnda ise islerin tamamen farkl oldugu gorulmektedir. Yasanan bu durum kullanclarn hatal bilgi girmesi ve uyelik bilgileri ile banka bilgilerinin uyusmamas ile dogru orantldr. Birde canl bahis para cekmek icin istenen belgeler eksik ya da hatal olarak sunulmus olabilir. Ortaya ckan karsklar neticesinde para cekme talebinde bulunan kisi istedigini alamadg icin sikayetci olmaktadr. Oysa ki istenilen bilgiler dogru ve istenilen evraklar eksiksiz sunulsa para cekme islemi sorunsuz olacak.

Sitelerin para cekme konusunda dikkatli hareket etmesi hilelerin ve illegal faaliyetlerin onune gecmek adnadr. Cunku baz kullanclar farkl bilgiler vererek ikinci hesap acabilmektedirler. Bazen de bilincsizce hatal bilgi girilebilmektedir. Hatal islemlerin cozumu konusunda islem yaptgnz sitenin musteri temsilcileri ile gorusebilirsiniz. Talepleriniz dogrultusunda para cekme islemlerinde ki sorunlar giderilecektir. Canl bahis para cekmek icin istenen belgeler listesi su sekildedir;

Kullanc bilgileri ile banka bilgilerini karslastrmak icin kimlik fotokopisi

Banka hesap bilgileri

Ikametgah ve kisiye ait herhangi bir fatura.

Kacak Iddaa

Turkiyede dogrudan bahis yapmak icin resmi kanallar kullanlabilmektedir. Fakat tercih edilen ve oran olarak cok daha fazla frsatlar sunan kacar iddaasiteleri bulunmaktadr. Bu siteler kanunlara aykr sekilde yaplmakta olup, yasal bir dayanag yoktur. Elbette bu sitelerin kurulus merkezi Turkiye olmayp, ds ulkelerdedir ve faaliyetler belirlenen siteler uzerinden yaplmaktadr. Kacak Iddaa oldukca riskli olup, cok dikkatli olunmas gerekir.

Kacak Bahis

Kanunlar cercevesinde istediginiz gibi bahis yapamayabilirsiniz. Bahis yapabilmek icin ya kanuni olarak sorun olmayan ulke dsnda ki kumarhanelere gitmeniz veya kacak bahis sitelerinden islem yapabilirsiniz. Zira bu durum tehlikeli olsa da cok sayda site guvenli sekilde bu alanda hizmet vermektedir. Kacak bahiste oldukca fazla secenek bulunurken yuksek oranda kazanc sunuyor olmas da ragbeti arttryor.

Illegal Bahis

Bahisin bircok alanda yasak oldugu Turkiyede bu alanda cok sayda yabanc merkezli siteler hizmet vermektedir. Illegal bahis sektorunde faaliyet gosteren siteler guvenli hizmet anlays ile kullanclarna frsatlar sunmaktadr. Yurt ds merkezli bu siteler sorunsuz sekilde hizmetlerini surdururken bulunduklar ulkelerde kanunlara uygun sekildedir. Elbette faaliyet noktasnda bulunduklar ulkelerde sorun teskil etmese de Turkiyede faaliyet gostermeleri kanunin yasaklanmstr.

Yasads Bahis

Gerek olusturulan etkenler gerekse de ortaya konulan riskler yasads bahis de oldukca tehlikelidir. Kanunlarn mudahil olduklar bu alanlar da hem kullanclar hem de populer bahis yaptranlar tum riskleri goze almaktadrlar. Fakat yasaklardan uzak sekilde guvenli hizmet sunan siteler de bulunmaktadr. Takipler neticesinde kapatlan sitelerin muhakkak alternatifleri kurularak yollarna devam etmektedirler.

Canl Iddaa Siteleri Nelerdir?

Dunya genelinde kabul gormus cok sayda guvenli hizmet veren populer bahis siteleri bulunmaktadr. Elbette bu siteler dunyann bircok ulkesinde faaliyet gosterse de Turkiyede yasaktr. Sektorde yer alan cok sayda legal iddaa siteleri bulunmaktadr. Herhangi bir kanunsuzlugun olmadg bu sitelerden hzl ve guvenli islem yaplabilmektedir. Tabi bu sitelerde uygulanan oranlar yasal olmayan sitelere gore daha dusuktur. Illegal sitelerin tercih edilme sebeplerinin en onemli etkeni de olusturulan oranlardr. Peki, Iddaa siteleri nelerdir? Faaliyetleri ve uygulama esaslar nelerdir?

Turkiyede faaliyet gosteren yasal iddaa siteleri listesi su sekildedir;

Iddaa

Bilyoner

Tuttur

Birebin

Oley

Nesine

Misli

Iddaa

2004 ylnda hizmet vermeye baslayan Iddaa Spor toto tarafndan kurulmus olup, ilk etapta bayilik seklinde calsmaya baslamstr. Elbette zamanla gelisen teknolojiye ayak uydurarak internet uzerinde de populer bahis severlerin hizmetine sunulmustur. Kuruldugu donemde devletin resmi kurumu olarak faaliyet gosterirken gelinen yeni donemde ozellestirilmistir.

Bilyoner

Turkiyede faaliyetine 2006 ylnda baslayan Bilyoner ilk ozel yasal bahis sitesi olma ozelligine sahiptir. Guvenilir bahis siteleri Turkiyede bunlardr. Ksa surede populer olan site halen faaliyetlerini sorunsuz sekilde surdurmektedir.

Tuttur

Ksa surede adndan bahsettirmeyi basaran Tuttur 2009 ylnda faaliyetlere baslamstr. Guvenilir bahis siteleri arasnda yerini almstr. Gunumuze dek bircok alanda populer bahis yapanlara frsatlar sunarken avantajlar ile de begeni toplamstr.

Birebin

Kullanc odakl calsmalar surdurse de 2011 ylnda sektore giren Birebindiger sitelere gore daha az ragbet gormektedir. Bahis oynamak ise bu sitede oldukca kolaydr. Elbette farkl yaklasmlara sahip olmasndan dolay ilerleyen sureclerde adndan sklkla bahsettirecek gibi gorunuyor.

Oley

2009 ylnda Dogus yayn gruplarnn istiraki olarak kurulmus olup yasal olarak herhangi bir sorunu olmayan sitelerdendir. Bahis siteleri arasnda hzl cks yapms bir sitedir. Oley yapms oldugu yenilikler ile kullanclarn da dikkatini ksa surede cekmeyi basarmstr.

Nesine

Birbirini takip eden surecte Nesine de yine 2006 ylnda hizmet vermeye baslamstr. Yasal bahis siteleri arasnda yerini almay basaran firma ksa surede sevilen ve ragbet goren bir site olmustur.

Misli

2009 ylnda sektore cok hzl giris yapan Misli cok sayda reklam filmi ile on plana ckmay basarmstr. Internet uzerinden hem yasal hem de sorunsuz hizmet veren bahis sitelerinden bir tanesi olmustur.

Canl Bahis Siteleri Kayt ve Uyelik Islemleri

Her zaman populerligini koruyan ve surekli gelisim gosteren canl bahis gun gectikce daha da gucleniyor. Bahis oynamak icin ise sitelere uye olunmas gerekir. Yuksek getirisi ve begeni toplayan faaliyetleri ile cok sayda site bu alanda faaliyet gostermektedir. Elbette sorunsuz sekilde uye olmanz ve faaliyetler gostermeniz de oldukca kolaydr. Canl bahis siteleri kayt ve uyelik islemleri dakikalar icerisinde gerceklestirilecek yapya sahiptir.

Uye olacagnz siteyi belirledikten sonra siteye girmeniz gerekmektedir. Girdiginiz sitenin ana sayfasnda uye ol ya da kayt ol bolumu bulunacaktr. Siteler arasnda degiskenlik gosteren bu alanda temel unsurlar bulunmaktadr. Elbette farkllklar olsa da temelinde benzer bilgiler uye olmak isteyen kisilerden talep edilmektedir.

Uye ol bolumune tkladktan sonra karsnza uyelik bilgi formu ckacaktr. Bu formda sizin kim oldugunuzu ogrenmek ve sitenin guvenligini saglamak adna islemler yaplmaktadr. Uyelik formunda yer alan ad soyad bolumunu eksiksiz ve dogru sekilde doldurmalsnz. Sizden bu formda istenen bilgilerin tamamn girmeniz istenecektir. Istenen bilgiler mutlaka dogru ve eksiksiz sekilde olmaldr. Eksik veya hatal bilgi uyelik islemlerinde sorun teskil edebilir. Yine de yanls bilgi girisine ragmen uyelik islemleri tamamlanabilir. Fakat boyle bir yol izleyenler sonrasnda buyuk skntlarla karslasabilirler. Bu skntlarn basnda da para cekme islemlerinde yasanan sorunlardr.

Uyelik islemleri dikkatli ve ozenle doldurulmas gereken yapdadr. Canl bahis siteleri kayt ve uyelik islemleri gerceklestirilirken verilen bilgiler site yonetimi tarafndan muhafaza edilmektedir. Herhangi bir sekilde 3. Sahslarla paylaslmas gibi bir durum soz konusu degildir. Bu faaliyetleri surduren sitelerin guven unsurlar arasnda bu nokta onceliklidir.

Bahis sitelerine uye olurken hatal bilgi paylasmnda bulunmak size faydadan cok zarar verecektir. Diyelim ki bilgileri hatal girdiniz ve uyelik onayland. Uyelik tamamlandktan sonra siteye para yatrdnz ve kazanc elde ettiniz. Kazancnz sonrasnda hesabnza almak istediginizde karsnza banka bilgileri bolumu gelecektir. Para cekme talebi gerceklestikten sonra site uyelik bilgileri ile banka hesap bilgileri ortusmez ise paranz alamazsnz. Boyle bir durumla karslasmamak adna bu hususa ayrca dikkat etmelisiniz.
We want to work together to build a sustainable middle class, that's inclusive of all Americans.

WASHINGTON, DC, August 31, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Base 11 is joining forces with STEMconnector to double down on efforts to fill the pipeline of qualified talent in the so-called STEM fields - science, technology, engineering and math.



The White House estimates that the U.S. needs to increase the number of students graduating with STEM degrees by 1 million over the next decade. Many also worry about the lack of diversity - particularly of women and minorities - in well-paid STEM jobs. Both are issues the partnership between STEMconnector and Base 11 aim to address.



"Industry has such an urgent need for tangible solutions to increase the pipeline of diverse individuals with the STEM 2.0 skills necessary to prosper in the 21st century," said Edie Fraser CEO of STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors. "That's why we're so excited that our partners, including Base 11, have arrived on the scene. They have the programs, the people and the potential to make a significant impact."



STEM 2.0, a concept developed by STEMconnector, refers to the set of skills that students need to succeed in current and future STEM jobs. These go beyond academic knowledge to include the ability to innovate with a team, fluency with digital technology, and skills in communication and leadership.



"Base 11's STEM Accelerator model gives high-potential, low-resource students exposure to a range of resources that build their technical know-how, as well as their employability skills," said Landon Taylor, CEO of Base 11. "At the end of the day, Base 11 students represent the total package to an employer - someone who's innovative, has business acumen, knows how to work on a team and can make a difference within their organization."



Base 11 offers a STEM Accelerator program to community colleges with three tracks:



* Academic-year internships and paid summer fellowships provide community college students with experiences at world-class research institutions such as Caltech, University of California, Irvine, Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, and University of Southern California. The internships and residency-based fellowships offer exposure to high-tech labs, one-on-one mentorship from PhD students, and hands-on, experiential learning with graduate-level research and capstone projects.



* The STEM Entrepreneur program provides community college students with a 16-week curriculum, hands on experiential learning in Fab Labs housed in Base 11 Innovation Centers, and culminates in a national pitch competition for cash prizes. Students gain leadership skills, business acumen and engineering innovation skills that they can apply within their own startup and/or bring with them on day one of their new STEM job at a major employer.



* The workforce development program provides job-specific training and apprenticeships for STEM careers at companies such as Ellie Mae and Visa. The program also includes leadership development, life skills training and mentorships to support the students' overall success.



"While the end goal of this partnership is to close the STEM talent gap and provide opportunities to those traditionally underrepresented in STEM, our vision is much larger than that," said Taylor. "We want to work together to build a sustainable middle class, that's inclusive of all Americans."



About STEMconnector

STEMconnector is "the one-stop-shop" for STEM information. With several products and services, STEMconnector supports its members design, implement and measure their STEM strategies. Since its launch in 2011, STEMconnector has been the leader in leveraging a network of STEM stakeholders and "making things happen." STEMconnector 's charge is to identify, inform and connect entities working in STEM Education/Careers to assess smart STEM investments and results.



About Base 11

Base 11 is a non-profit public benefit corporation focused on empowering high-potential, low-resource community college students with hands-on education and training in STEM-related enterprises. Base 11 partners with community colleges and their feeder high schools to provide high-potential, low-resource students with real-world training, experience and mentorship in STEM-related enterprises, delivering to employers a pre recruitment pipeline of well-trained, highly skilled STEM employees and entrepreneurs. For more information, please visit www.Base11.com. Base 11 is a DBA of the Center for Innovations in Education, a nonprofit 501(c) 3 - IRS exemption EIN# 26- 4365936.



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SAN ANTONIO, TX, August 31, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- HomeTown Buffet restaurants throughout California will make a donation to the American Red Cross (ARC) to support those who have been displaced as a result of the recent state-wide fires. On August 31, 2016, all of the 44 HomeTown Buffet locations in California will be donating ten percent of its pre-tax sales to ARC. Each person who purchases a meal on August 31st will be contributing to the cause.



"With forty-four locations throughout California, supporting our community is extremely important to us," said Mike Griffith, Director of Marketing for Ovation Brands, the parent company of HomeTown Buffet. "We are honored to assist those affected by previous and current fires throughout the state."



HomeTown Buffet and Ovation Brands is encouraging local communities to join them in this initiative for American Red Cross in hopes of assisting those affected by the area fires throughout California.



For more information about HomeTown Buffet, visit http://www.HomeTownBuffet.com.



About American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.



About Ovation Brands

Ovation Brands currently operates 124 restaurants in 32 states, principally operated under the Old Country Buffet , HomeTown Buffet and Ryan's brands. Visit http://www.OvationBrands.com for more information.



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If we lose truckers, everybody loses.

GULFPORT, MS, August 31, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New EPA regulations will cut emissions on semi-trucks but at a steep cost for America's truckers, according to executives at American Truck Showrooms. While reducing emission of greenhouses gases should remain a priority for the federal government, the latest regulations shift an unfair share of the financial burden to independent operators. American Truck Showrooms calls on Candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to rescue truckers from this discriminatory policy by the current administration.



Last week, the Obama administration finalized the second round of greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards for commercial trucks, known as Phase 2. Some estimates suggest that by 2021, the new regulations will cost truckers as much as $14,000 more to purchase the truck that drives their livelihood and keeps American commerce moving to keep our citizens clothed and fed.



"Believe me, truckers care about the environment, but these regulations place a huge and unfair financial burden on independent owner operators," said Louis Normand, CEO of American Truck Showrooms, a leading heavy duty truck dealer serving drivers nationwide. "Truckers have been scapegoated by this policy, and we need Candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to realize that truckers are now shouldering more of the responsibility than the airline, train and shipping companies."



The government says the Phase 2 initiative could save vehicle owners about $170 billion in fuel costs, but the payback to truck and trailer owners for this technology will be about two years. There is also no certainty as to future fuel costs impact on the fuel efficiency purported savings. According to Normand, "the upfront costs could cripple some truckers long before they see any efficiency savings".



"My fear is that we will lose truckers who won't be able to afford the new, compliant vehicles compounding the current driver shortage," said Normand. "If we lose truckers, everybody loses."



For more information about our coverage, visit us at AmericanTruckGroupPhoenix.com.



See also AmericanTruckShowrooms.com to read more about our program.



American Truck Showrooms recently purchased 75, Kenworth T700 semi-trucks, all equipped with the new DEF Selective Catalyst Reduction system; which reduces nitrous oxide gasses (NOx) that are harmful to the atmosphere. American Truck Showrooms is a DBA of American Truck Group, LLC. The corporate headquarters is located in Gulfport, Mississippi. Entrepreneur Louis J. Normand Jr., CEO founded American Truck Group, LLC. in 2000. The company currently has more than 75 employees and manages a fleet of hundreds of late model Class 8 semitrucks nationwide. The selection of trucks includes Peterbilt, Kenworth, Volvo, and Freightliner. The company also offers maintenance, repair and customization services.



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Aug 31, 2016 | By Tess

While 3D printing trends may come and go, this one is sure to stick and could even help to renew life and save underwater ecosystems. The trend I am referring to is that of 3D printing coral, an effort which was first tried and tested by the Reef Design Lab (RDL), an Australian organization dedicated to finding new ways to save coral reefs. With the success of the 3D printed coral in places such as Monaco and Bahrain, another organization, this time based on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire, is following suit.

Bonaire, which has become known for its innovative efforts towards preserving and restoring the Caribbeans threatened coral reefs, is hoping to introduce 3D printed coral into the region to help replenish the fragile ecosystems which are being depleted by global warming. The 3D printing coral project itself is an initiative between ocean preservationist (and Jacques Cousteaus grandson) Fabien Cousteau and Bonaires Harbour Village Beach Club.

Together, the two parties plan to 3D design and print pieces of artificial coral that bear the same shape, texture, and even chemical makeup of organic coral in the hopes that they will attract floating baby coral polyps and other species who rely on the coral reefs for protection such as algae, anemones, octopi, crab and many fish species.

Eric Ewoldt, Executive Director of Harbour Village, said of the project: We are pleased to use advanced knowledge of prominent sea issues to make Bonaire an example for the Caribbean and other areas of the world. We know 3D printing efforts have worked in Monaco and the Gulf States among others. With the development of our Ocean Learning Center, now is the perfect time to launch this technology in Bonaire.

Whats more, the 3D printed coral will be printed locally on the island through the Harbour Villages Ocean Learning Center, which will reduce and effectively eliminate transportation pollution and costs. So far, the precise locations for testing the 3D printed coral have not been determined.

3D printed corals can generate real change and establish real growth for reefs, one of the key attractions for visitors and divers alike in Bonaire, explained Fabien Cousteau. This technology is less labor-intensive that current coral restoration processes creating a larger impact in a shorter amount of time.

The 3D printing coral project is part of a larger collaborative initiative between Cousteau and the Harbour Village Beach Club to raise awareness about ocean conservation, primarily for tourists and visitors in the Caribbean. Cousteaus Ocean Learning Center, headquartered in New York City, was also expanded to Bonaire through the partnership and now offers a number of educational programs and events for guests.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Carlos Lozada in The Washington Post:

Secret Muslim. Socialist. Amateur. Anti-American. Criminal.

Throughout the presidency of Barack Obama, and even before it, a chorus of writers has stood stage right, reinterpreting the era but mainly eviscerating the man. Obama, initially little known, became a literary subgenre and publishing obsession, with countless volumes attacking the president, promising to unmask who he really is, what he really thinks and why he does the things he does. And for a while, at least, the books sold well. Selecting a representative set among dozens and dozens of titles in the Obama hatred literature is not easy. Do you go with Impeachable Offenses or The Manchurian President? Divider-in-Chief or The Obama Nation? Culture of Corruption or The Roots of Obamas Rage? A sample of such books, spanning 2008 to 2016, shows that, while the anti-Obama canon can be predictable, it is by no means static. The aversion to the president is always growing, and the nature of that aversion is always evolving toward harsher conclusions. In the beginning, there was ignorance, and the void of our Obama knowledge was filled with speculation, bits of autobiography and family lore. The senator from Illinois was deemed dangerous for all that he might be: distant, unfamiliar, foreign in so many ways. Once he sat in the Oval Office, however, the attacks shifted, and the president became that most recognizable of political creatures: unprincipled, corrupt, Chicago. As conservative disdain intensified throughout his first term, Obama came to be seen as a bungler, in over his head (think the Libya intervention or Operation Fast and Furious). Yet soon he was redefined once more, this time as a brilliant subversive: Its not that Obama doesnt know what hes doing but that he knows all too well. That leads, inevitably, to the final and most damning judgment  that this president is a criminal.

Donald Trumps rise in GOP presidential politics has drawn sustenance and inspiration from the anti-Obama literature, regardless of whether its authors support the candidate. Indeed, the arc of Trumps criticisms of the president, from his birtherism in 2011 to his more recent charge that Obama is the founder of ISIS, traces, in a distorted and exaggerated way, these portrayals of the president, from unknown outsider to recidivist lawbreaker. These books and writers do not necessarily agree with one another. But they do build upon each other. And if the 2016 Republican presidential nominee has succeeded in tapping into right-wing anger, it is an anger that has been chronicled, reflected and stoked by the anti-Obama literary canon.

More here.
Andy Extance in Nature:

It was Wednesday 16 February 2011, and Goldman was at a hotel in Hamburg, Germany, talking with some of his fellow bioinformaticists about how they could afford to store the reams of genome sequences and other data the world was throwing at them. He remembers the scientists getting so frustrated by the expense and limitations of conventional computing technology that they started kidding about sci-fi alternatives. We thought, 'What's to stop us using DNA to store information?' Then the laughter stopped. It was a lightbulb moment, says Goldman, a group leader at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) in Hinxton, UK. True, DNA storage would be pathetically slow compared with the microsecond timescales for reading or writing bits in a silicon memory chip. It would take hours to encode data by synthesizing DNA strings with a specific pattern of bases, and still more hours to recover that information using a sequencing machine. But with DNA, a whole human genome fits into a cell that is invisible to the naked eye. For sheer density of information storage, DNA could be orders of magnitude beyond silicon  perfect for long-term archiving.

We sat down in the bar with napkins and biros, says Goldman, and started scribbling ideas: What would you have to do to make that work? The researchers' biggest worry was that DNA synthesis and sequencing made mistakes as often as 1 in every 100 nucleotides. This would render large-scale data storage hopelessly unreliable  unless they could find a workable error-correction scheme. Could they encode bits into base pairs in a way that would allow them to detect and undo the mistakes? Within the course of an evening, says Goldman, we knew that you could. He and his EBI colleague Ewan Birney took the idea back to their labs, and two years later announced that they had successfully used DNA to encode five files, including Shakespeare's sonnets and a snippet of Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech1. By then, biologist George Church and his team at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, had unveiled an independent demonstration of DNA encoding2. But at 739 kilobases (kB), the EBI files comprised the largest DNA archive ever produced  until July 2016, when researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington claimed a leap to 200 megabytes (MB).

More here.
Your guide to the tastiest foodie happenings going down this week. Bon appetit!





Nightbird Opens in Hayes Valley



Chef Kim Alter (formerly of Daniel Patterson Group) opened the doors to her long-awaited restaurant Nightbird last Thursday. The restaurant is named after Alter's love for owls (which thankfully won't be on the menu), and will have a rotating $125 multicourse tasting menu that reflects fine technique, whole animal cooking, and support of local farmers. Highlights include hearts of palm, chanterelle, and summer truffle and rabbit with peach, summer squash and vadouvan. Also open is a small 6-seat cocktail lounge, the Linden Room, adjacent to the restaurant. // Open Tuesday-Saturday, 5pm-10pm, 330 Gough St. (Hayes Valley), nightbirdrestaurant.com





4505 Launches New Line of Chicharrones

4505 just got a lot more delicious. The meat company recently launched two new flavors of their crispy chicharrones jalapeno cheddar and smokehouse bbq. The new flavors will be worked into dishes and specials at the restaurant, and will be available for purchase at local groceries such as Bi-Rite and Whole Foods. As the great AC Slater once said, "oink oink, baby." // Open daily, 10:30am-10:30pm, 705 Divisadero (NoPa), 4505meats.com





(Courtesy of Homestead)

Sunday Supper BBQ at The Homestead

Ready to get your barbecue on? The Homestead in ushering in fall with a Sunday Supper BBQ for Labor Day weekend. Expect heaping amounts of brisket, baby back ribs, corn on the cob, Texas toast, strawberry shortcake, and more. Children's half portions are half price and sodas, fresh lemonade, ice tea, beers and wine, will be available for an additional charge. // $55, Sunday, Sept. 4, 4:30-8:30pm, 4029 Piedmont Ave. (Oakland), homestedoakland.com





Labor Day BBQ at Hog & Rocks

Didn't get enough at Homestead? Hog & Rocks bids farewell to summer with a Big Ass BBQ Brunch this Labor Day. As a final installment of his weekly BBQ series, chef Pierre Tumlin will offer various styles of barbecued alongside the regular brunch and dinner menus until they run out. The $45 special for two will include a tray with barbecued chicken, beef, pork, sausage, house-made BBQ sauce, pickles, and bread; along with a side of baked beans. Yum! // Monday, Sept. 5, 11am-2:30pm, 3431 19th St. (Mission), hogandrocks.com





(Zejian Shen)

Old Bus Tavern Launches Brunch

Old Bus Tavern celebrated its one year anniversary this summer by officially launching brunch service. Headlining the menu is oatmeal-maple pancakes with brown butter syrup, seasonal berries, praline, and oatmeal crunch, pulled pork eggs Benedict with poached eggs, English muffins, and brown butter hollandaise, plus cured salmon on house toast with citrus mascarpone, pickled fennel, red onion, and watercress salad. Where do you even begin? // Saturdays, 11am-2:30pm, 3193 Mission St. (Bernal Heights), oldbustavern.com





Two New Chefs Take the Helm

Desco in Old Oakland introduced Joey Rachel as the restaurant's new Chef de Cuisine last week. He will maintain the restaurant's signature ingredient-driven regional Italian menu while introducing additional offerings. Prior to joining the Desco team, Rachel was the Chef de Cuisine at Dopo in Oakland. // 499 9th St. (Oakland), descooakland.com







Bluestem Brasserie's new Executive Chef John Griffiths is also stirring things up on Market Street. Chef John recently joined the team from The Advocate in Berkeley, where he was the opening executive chef, and didn't hesitate in unveiling an entirely new menu, including the most delicious cauliflower we've ever tried. // 1 Yerba Buena Ln. (Mid-Market), bluestembrasserie.com





Grazing at the Kitchen Table Fundraising Dinner

Kitchen Table Advisors, an Oakland-based non-profit that provides business expertise to small-scale farmers, is partnering with some amazing Bay Area chefs for a fundraising event. Get your ticket to a night of drinks and bites from Cala's Gabriela Camara, Nick Balla and Cortney Burns from Bar Tartine, Sophina Uong from Calavera, and others. Produce will come from Fifth Crow Farms, JSM Organics, Ground Stew Farms, and more. // $150, Thursday, Sept. 22, 6:30-9:30pm, 2455 3rd St. (Dogpatch), Get tickets here.





La Cocina's Voices from the Kitchen Tickets on Sale

Tickets are now on sale for La Cocina's latest storytelling series F&B: Voices from the Kitchen at the Swedish American Hall. The theme is brains, and will feature La Cocina's Nite Yun and Maria Del Carmen Flores, foodwriter Kat Kinsman, and Three Twins Ice Cream's Neal Gottlieb. At just 250 seats, tickets will definitely sell out, so act now. It's a no-brainer. // $45, Friday, Sept. 30, 6pm-8:30pm, 2174 Market St. (Duboce Triangle). Get tickets here.




Are there object lessons here? At least three, I'd say.

The first is how little we understand about the nature of sexual compulsions. Weiner's exhibitionism, like other addictive-type behaviors, is extremely difficult to overcome. (The Center for Internet Addiction cites sexting as the most common online addiction.) And as I've learned to my dismay in the course of a 45-year career in sociology and social psychology, even excellent in-depth therapy may be powerless to help: Most  though certainly not all  child molesters, for example, are doomed to reoffend unless they submit to some form of chemical castration, which undermines their sexual desire and ability.

The second lesson has to do with recognizing the urgency of course corrections within a relationship. When an obsessional drive takes hold of someone you love, basic human decency compels you to pity that person. But does that mean you must suffer the consequences of that compulsion alongside them? Abedin's answer was no.

Perhaps she had already glimpsed lesson three, which involves facing up to what you can and cannot change about someone you love. Sadly, if your partner is suffering from a debilitating sexual compulsion, your odds of changing that person are relatively low. Certain people  especially if an offense has landed them in some kind of legally mandated program  go through addiction therapy and come out whole. But they remain a minority.

In an era when technology threatens to eradicate privacy, did the self-styled "Carlos Danger" truly believe he could escape detection? Doubtful. What's likelier is that Weiner's sexual compulsion so thoroughly eclipsed his fear of discovery that even the prospect of total ruin could not keep him from it.
Gao Xiaosong. [Photo/China.org.cn]

A Chinese talk show host has blasted the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) for allegedly attempting to censor his show.

Host and musician Gao Xiaosong said on his Weibo account that the release of an episode of his show on iQIYI, an online video platform, had been "delayed indefinitely" because of "strong obstructions" from the CTC.

The episode was supposed to be available on iQIYI on Friday. After a preview of the episode, which includes content about aboriginal people in Canada, the CTC objected to its release, Gao said on Weibo, where he has nearly 40 million followers.

Pictures posted by Gao include e-mails written in Chinese from people who appear to be CTC staff.

"We have always emphasized not to mention the aboriginal peoples because it's a very sensitive subject, and the preview includes history that is not to be proud of," said one e-mail.

According to Gao, another e-mail from CTC staff stated: "No matter from the history or human rights aspect, we have in the meeting again emphasized to avoid the aboriginal peoples...This is really serious. If not worked out properly, it could be upgraded to political levels and cause very serious consequences."

Gao also questioned the CTC's standing regarding the show's content, saying he did not sign any contract with the CTC and the organization is not a sponsor.

The episode in question is the second in a four-episode series. The first episode in the series hosted by Gao aired earlier.

The first episode "achieved great results and strengthened our confidence," said the CTC in a Weibo post on Monday morning.

"As a promotion agency for a tourism destination, we hope the show focuses on promoting the destination," the CTC said. "We have only provided opinions on amending the priorities of the episode."

"A Chinese tourism company recommended the show to CTC and signed cooperation papers with us," said the CTC, without providing the company's name or details of the contract.

Derek Galpin, CTC China Managing Director, said he had nothing to add when reached via phone by a Xinhua reporter.

"I believe our recently issued statement on our corporate Weibo fully states and explains our position," wrote Galpin in response to an email inquiry.

Gao was apparently unsatisfied with the response.

"The CTC is not in any way a direct party to the show," he said in a recent Weibo post. "The changes and omissions that CTC demanded account for up to 20 minutes. Even if we had a contract, which we don't, the harm to the episode would be unacceptable," Gao wrote.

CTC, Canada's national tourism marketing organization, was created by the Canadian Parliament and is wholly owned by the Canadian government. It reports to Parliament through the Minister of Industry, according to the Canadian government web site.

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China's new film law stresses celebrity ethics
Laws crafted by those elected should do most good for most people
Vietnam  August 30, 2016  The Buyezee phenomenon continues to take the e-commerce world by storm. After recently crossing the 100 million products milestone and forming multiple partnerships, the company has launched a Comparison Shopping Website service in Vietnam. The website was launched by Richdad Loc, Chairman of ONNET JSC, and has generated a huge interest, and Buyezee is due to enter into negotiations with interested parties throughout South East Asia during September.

The announcement was made at the Ho Chi Minh City in front of a 600 strong audience, and comes on the wake of a recent visit to Vietnam by the company CTO Antony Spear and President of Sales, Asia, Frederick Arnhoelter.

South East Asia comprises a major market for Buyezee, whose German store has recently expanded to over 3 million products. The company has also expanded its team, appointing Maurice van Ophoven as the chief marketing officer.

Talking about the opportunities in Asia, Antony Spear, CTO, Buyezee, said, We have been very pleased with the growth and enthusiastic approach that we have witnessed over the past few weeks and have been working around the clock to lay the foundations to move forward rapidly with our ongoing commitment and belief in our Asia expansion plan.

Frederick Arnhoelter said, We have been very fortunate to find great leadership in Vietnam, who immediately saw the big picture that the Buyezee business model offers.

Richdad Loc, Chairman of ONNET JSC, said, Buyezee will be very successful when applying the three most increasingly developing trends in the world, namely: Online shopping, Global Advertising, and Home Business.

Visit www.buyezee.net to learn more.

About Buyezee

A global provider of fully serviced e-Commerce shops that can empower individuals and companies alike to immediately brand, promote and profit from the Multi Trillion Dollar marketplace with little or no previous knowledge or experience. BUYEZEEs innovative e-Commerce products are marketed person-to-person by independent Shopreneurs on a global basis.

From its conception, BUYEZEE have chosen and consulted the most competent people available, thus ensuring that no beta testing is carried out at the expense of the network. Much time, money, planning and resources has been invested into product development to make this a powerful and leading global opportunity.

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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.

Electric Water Heater Market Size By Application (Residential, Commercial), By Product (Storage, Non-storage/Tankless/Instantaneous), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, China, India, Mexico, Brazil), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024

Industry Trends

Global Electric Water Heater Market size was evaluated at $17.6 billion for 2015 and is predicted to register a CAGR of 7.51% during forecast timeframe. Rising demand from household applications like bathing, space heating, cleaning and cooking is predicted to increase product demand during forecast timeframe.

Growing demand for hot water from hospitals and hotels is also predicted to be key factor driving industry growth. Development in construction industry coupled with substitution for aging device in different segments due to increasing disposable income can propel electric water heater industry expansion in future.

Electric water heater market price trend can inhibit industry growth owing to related operating expenses. However, these systems provide price advantage over fuel fired systems related to maintenance, design and deployment. Further, rising need to be equipped with new technological features is also predicted to drive industry growth.

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Product Trends

Global electric water heater market is segmented into products like tankless or non storage based products and storage based products.

Tankless products segment is predicted to expand rapidly in future and growing acceptance of these products all across the globe is credited to segment expansion.

Storage based products segment was evaluated at $11.7 billion for 2015 and is predicted to register CAGR of 6.81% during forecast timeframe. These products are installed in regions with limited or broken power supply and are primarily installed in residential sectors. All these factors are predicted to contribute towards segment growth.

Today, consumers prefer high-end products due to fast changing lifestyles and increasing disposable incomes.

India Electric Water Heaters Market share, by product, 2013-2024 (Million Units)

Application Trends

Global electric water heater industry is segmented into commercial and residential applications.Commercial applications segment is predicted to expand rapidly during forecast timeframe.

Residential application segment contributed more than 80.1% of overall electric water heaters market share for 2015 and is projected to register CAGR of 6.91% during forecast timeline. It is anticipated to experience average development along with heavy industry penetration.

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Regional Trends

Global electric water heater market is segmented into geographical regions like APAC, Latin America, North America, MEA and Europe.

APAC, with heavy demand from India and China electric water heater market share, contributed more than 28.1% of total consumption for 2015. This region is predicted to register CAGR of about 10.8% during forecast timeline. Growth in nations like Japan, China and India is forecast to promote product demand in the region.

U.S. electric water heater industry is predicted to experience growth due to rising investments in commercial as well as residential construction sectors. North American industry has contributed substantially to overall revenue generation as compared to low product demand. High selling costs can be one of the factors for significant revenue generation of the region.

Browse key industry insights spread across 125 pages with 82 market data tables & 72 figures & charts from the report, Electric Water Heater Market Size By Application (Residential, Commercial), By Product (Storage, Non-storage/Tankless/Instantaneous), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, China, India, Mexico, Brazil), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024 in detail along with the table of contents:

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/electric-water-heater-market



Competitive Trends

Key industry participants profiled in the report include Reliance Holmes Heating Incorporation, Bradford White Corporation, Atwood Mobile Products, Venus Home Appliances, Ariston Thermo, AO Smith Corporation, Hubbell Incorporated, General Electric, AquaMax Private Limited, Haier Electronics, Eemax, Kenmore, Midea Group, Bosch Thermotechnology, Racold, State Water Heaters, Whirlpool Corporation, Rheem Manufacturing Company, Marey Heater Corporation, Stiebel Eltron, Zenith Water Heaters and Havells.

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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Smart Syringes Market Analysis by Therapeutic Category (Auto-Disable Syringes, Active Safety Syringes, Passive Safety syringes), By Application (Drug delivery, Vaccination, Blood Specimen Collection), By End-use (Hospitals and HMOs, Diabetic Patients, Family Practices (Physicians), Psychiatrists) And Segment Forecasts To 2024

Some key factors driving the Smart Syringes market include the rise in the patient population, the increasing number of needle stick injuries, and the spread of diseases due to unhygienic injection practices. The injection practices and healthcare delivery standards are not uniform across the globe. The use of disposable syringes has been strongly advocated by various healthcare organizations across different countries; however, adherence to the patient safety guidelines is not adequately implemented in the LMIC (Low and Middle Income Countries).

For further inquiries, about Smart Syringes Market Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast up to 2024, click on this link  http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/smart-syringes-market

As per the WHO records, the re-usage of syringes has boosted the infection cases of Ebola, malaria, Marburg virus, HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases in LMIC; these countries have been suffering with a huge infectious diseases burden due to the high transmission rates of blood-borne virus infections. Increasing awareness regarding the usage of smart syringes with safety mechanisms amongst the patients and the healthcare providers is anticipated to fuel the expansion of the smart syringes market over the forecast period.

As per the data published by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), nearly 5.6 million workers in the healthcare sector are at a high risk of occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens, mainly on account of needle stick injuries and other metal injuries. The data also indicates that on an average 1,000 injuries occur per day in the U.S. hospitals, which translates to 385,000 needle stick and other injuries per year.

Browse All Reports of This Category @ http://www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/medical-devices

Some previously reported outbreaks due to the re-use of syringes include the following:

In 2007, hepatitis C outbreak in Nevada, U.S.

In 2009, more than 400 people were infected with Hepatitis B in Gujarat, India

In 2014, a group of more than 200 people(children and adults) living near Battambang, Cambodia, tested positive for HIV

Hence, in order to improve the healthcare outcomes and reduce the burden of infections, the healthcare practitioners and hospitals are expected to adopt the usage of smart syringes,which would significantly boost the smart syringes market over the forecast period.

Further key findings from the study suggest:

In 2015, the auto-disable syringes segment dominated the smart syringes market with revenue of over USD 3.0 billion. The established presence of the auto-disable syringes in the market is one of the crucial reasons for its high share.

The passive safety syringes segment is expected to emerge as the fastest growing market during the forecast period

North America accounted for the largest share in 2015 on account of very high healthcare standards, the presence of well-developed hospital and primary healthcare networks, high patient awareness, and the rising demand for sophisticated drug delivery techniques.

Asia Pacific is identified as the most lucrative market. Increase in the disease burden, the rising population levels, and the growing demand for vaccination are the key market drivers in this region. Furthermore, high investments to improve the patient care services and to curb the risk of needle stick infections are expected to spur the smart syringes market over the forecast period.

Some key players of the market include Medtronic Plc (Covidien), Terumo Medical Corporation, Braun Melsungen AG, Unilife Corporation, Becton, Dickinson and Co., Revolutions Medical Corporation, Baxter International, Inc., Retractable Technologies, Inc., and Smiths Group plc.

Read more related reports by Radiant Insights:

 Blood Testing Market

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 Smart Parking System Market

http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/smart-parking-system-market

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The global MEK market share is concentrated with top four industry players catering to over 50% of the total demand. Major industry participants include ExxonMobil, Zibo Qixiang, Maruzen Petrochemicals and Sasol Solvents.

Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) Market Size By Application (Paints & Coatings, Adhesives, Printing Inks), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Landscape & Forecast, 2015  2022

Industry Overview

Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) market size was evaluated at more than 1.41 million kilo tons for 2014 and predicted to surpass 1.91 million tons by end of forecast period registering CAGR of more than 4%. Rise in demand for paints & coatings due to increase in construction expenditure in APAC and MEA is predicted to drive the industry trend during forecast timeframe. size was evaluated at more than 1.41 million kilo tons for 2014 and predicted to surpass 1.91 million tons by end of forecast period registering CAGR of more than 4%. Rise in demand for paints & coatings due to increase in construction expenditure in APAC and MEA is predicted to drive the industry trend during forecast timeframe. It is generally used as a solvent in coatings & paints applications due to its characteristics like high rate of evaporation, low viscosity and strong solvency. Rise in automobile sales during last few years and predicted increase in vehicle production globally during forecast timeframe is anticipated to promote industry growth for coatings & paints applications.

Methyl Ethyl Ketone is used in alcohol to produce products like lotions, anaesthetics, medical drugs and antiseptics for pharmaceutical sector. Growing medicine penetration and breaking quaternary protein structure are the key factors for its utilization in pharmaceutical applications. Increasing downstream and crude petrochemical supply is predicted to increase Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) market price trend during forecast timeframe.

However, strict ecological norms related to health issues are predicted to inhibit the industry expansion. U.S environmental protection agency implemented 33/50 program which makes it mandatory for a firm to reduce emission of particular type of high priority toxic chemical like Methyl Ethyl Ketone.

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Application Overview

The industry is segmented into two key areas of applications like paints & coatings and printing ink.

Paints & coatings application led the industry by contributing greater than $1.2 billion revenue for 2014. It is predicted to experience substantial gains during forecast timeframe. The segment includes solvent- borne technologies, powder coatings, specialty coatings and waterborne coatings. Growing demand for powder coatings from electronics as well as automobile sectors is predicted to promote the demand for Methyl Ethyl Ketone.

Printing inks application contributed more than 14% of total segment size for 2014 and is predicted to experience substantial expansion till end of forecast period. Methyl Ethyl Ketone is widely utilised in printing sector due to benefits like permitting specialized ink formulation, exceptional drying times and adhesion with substrates like metals, glass and plastics offered by it. Expansion of end use industries like cosmetics, food processing and pharmaceuticals are predicted to promote the demand for this application.

Regional Overview

APAC Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) market dominated the global industry for 2014 with Chinas contribution being maximum to the industry growth in the region. It contributed about more than 35% of total deployed capacity. Expansion of end use industries like electronics, construction and automobiles is predicted to promote the demand in the region.

APAC construction segment was led by Indonesia, China and India. It was the biggest segment for 2014 and contributed about 40% of the total size during that year. This is predicted to be a key factor contributing to industry growth during forecast timeframe.

North American industry was led by U.S. Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) market which contributed more than 18.1% of the industry share for 2014. North America is predicted to experience moderate growth during forecast timeframe due to factors like stringent ecological norms set up by respective governments and heavy emphasis by government on firms to use green solvents.

MEA contributed small industry share with nations like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) industry size predicted to experience rise in demand from paints & coatings application due to expansion of construction sector.

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Competitive Trends

Key industry players profiled in the report include Maruzen Petrochemicals Company Limited, Lanzhou Petrochemicals, Ineos Solvents, Tonen Chemicals, ExxonMobil, Sasol Limited, Zibo Qixiang, Shell Chemicals, SK Energy Company Limited, Idemitsu Kosan Company Limited, Tasco Chemicals, Fushun Petrochemical Company, Arkema and Petro China.

Read our insightful industry blogs https://gminsights.wordpress.com/ http://www.fractovia.org/ 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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Resources and Technology Investment Capacity Clarification

Perth, Aug 31, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Strategic Elements Ltd ( ASX:SOR ) would like to address enquiries regarding its strategy for the historic high grade Golden Blocks project in New Zealand, in view of the ongoing success with the Nanocube memory technology investment.



It is apparent there may be a misunderstanding amongst some parties about the ability for the Company to back resources as well as technology companies and projects. The Company would like to clarify that each Pooled Development Fund (PDF) has an approved investment plan which outlines the scope or sectors it is eligible to invest into.



Strategic Elements Ltd has an approved investment scope, which allows it to "invest into small and medium companies providing them with patient equity capital to assist in development and expansion in accordance with the provisions of the Pooled Development Funds Act 1992 (Cth)".



Hence the scope is not restricted to any particular sector and the Company is eligible to continue backing both resources and technology projects simultaneously.



The Company also confirms that although it has been approached by a number of parties investigating whether the Golden Blocks project may be for sale or Joint Venture, it has not entered into any firm discussions to date.



The Company's current strategy is to develop the project itself, unless a well funded and qualified partner made a compelling offer of greater benefit to shareholders.



The Company is yet to receive approval from the New Zealand government for a Mineral Exploration Permit. Under this permit, the Company would have the exclusive right to explore the area for gold for an initial period of 5 years.



The Exploration Permit would enable the Company to conduct drilling for the purposes of identifying mineral deposits or occurrences and evaluating the feasibility of Golden Blocks. An Access Agreement would be sought from the Department of Conservation (the landowner) to confirm the basis of access to conduct drilling.



The outcome of the Mineral Exploration Permit application is expected shortly. Likewise, the Nanocube technology is progressing well and the development team is on track as per recent announcements. The ability to provide investors exposure to multiple sectors is a strength of the Company.



About Strategic Elements Ltd





Strategic Elements (ASX:SOR) shares are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange under the code SOR. The Company is registered under the Pooled Development Program run by the Australian Federal Government to encourage investment into SMEs. To assist Pooled Development Funds to invest and raise capital, the Federal Government enables most shareholders in a Pooled Development Fund to make capital gains and receive dividends tax-free.


Byte Power and Wimobilize Extend Exclusive Partnership into Singapore and Malaysia

Sydney, Aug 31, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Byte Power Group Limited ( ASX:BPG ) is pleased to announce through its fully owned subsidiary Byte Power Pty Ltd ("Byte Power Australia") the signing of an Exclusive Partnership Agreement with Wimobilize Singapore Pte Ltd ("Wimobilize"). This gives Byte Power Australia the exclusive rights in Australia and New Zealand to sell and implement Wimobilize Big Data solutions.



This agreement acts as supplementary to the agreement signed and announced on 26 August 2016, which was for an Exclusive Partnership with Wimobilize through a BPG fully owned subsidiary, Byte Power Pte Ltd ("Byte Power Singapore") enabling Byte Power Singapore to sell and implement Wimobilize Big Data solutions exclusively in Singapore and Malaysia.



Big Data is a term for data sets that are so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. Big Data can be defined as high-volume, high-velocity and/or high-variety information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information processing that enable enhanced insight, decision making, and process automation.



Wimobilize's Big Data solution provides companies with the capability to identify correlation and valid models to facilitate more accurate decisions from multi-structured data, such as marketing and transactional data, and unstructured data such as social conversations and news.



Australian organisations expect to leverage on Big Data and Advanced Analytics projects to deliver outcomes that will improve competitive advantage, enhance customer service and support, and aid with customer acquisition and retention. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), the Australian IT services market is projected to grow to reach $19.7 billion at the end of 2019, and the New Zealand IT Services market projected to reach NZ$3,574.3 million in 2019.



This opportunity has provided Byte Power Australia to partner with a truly innovative company, Wimobilize, allowing the group to be part of a rapidly growing industry.



Mr Alvin Phua, Chairman and CEO of Byte Power Group commented: "The partnership between Byte Power Australia and Wimobilize gives us the opportunity to tap into the IT services market both in Australia and New Zealand with strong projected growth over the next few years."



Mr Stephen Lee, Executive Chairman of Wimobilize commented: "We are excited to launch the Wimobilize Hybrid Advance Big Data Technology Platform through our new partnership with Byte Power Australia. We are pleased to offer our Augmented Cyber Intelligence & Security, Predictive Analytics as well as other Big Data solutions through the extensive, established network of Byte Power Australia within Australia and New Zealand. Together, we can accelerate and leverage on these new exciting, available markets in these regions."



About Byte Power Group Limited





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.


2016 Financial Year Results

Sydney, Aug 31, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Pacific Environment Limited ( ASX:PEH ) ("The Company") today released the Annual Report for the Group for the 2016 Financial Year. A summary of the results can be viewed in the link below.



Results Summary



- Revenue from continuing operations up 20.4% to $17.8m



- Full year loss of $1.6m



- Net cash at 30 June 2016 of $1,338,000



Operational Summary



- Increased investment in international marketing of EnviroSuite



- Momentum in international sales of EnviroSuite



- Streamlined executive management



- Restructured consulting and services to improve profitability



FY16 has been a year of transition for Pacific Environment with increasing focus and investment in the Group's world class EnviroSuite technology platform. This increased investment has offset the underlying profitability of the Consulting Group.



This investment is being rewarded with a number of landmark sales during 2016 including Thames Water (UK), the large Correjon coal mine (Colombia), mines in Indonesia and Australia, and the first water-oriented application, along with a growing pipeline of opportunities and strong interest in EnviroSuite from potential reseller partners.



The Group has moved to consolidate the Consulting arm of the business through the closure of unprofitable offices and a flattening of the management structure through redundancies and reorganisation. Strong leadership and an emerging recovery is assisting the restructured consulting and services businesses to exploit new opportunities across a range of sectors including resources, waste, infrastructure and health.



The new General Manager Australasia has been tasked with unifying the entire Group in support of the Group's EnviroSuite technology in order to maximise sales of the platform in FY17.



The primary objective for the year ahead is the growth in sales of the EnviroSuite platform. The board and management are focused on several key initiatives that present step change opportunities to achieve this. The steps taken in FY16 include preparation for the opening of sales offices in the US and Europe, increased presence in relevant global conferences, and addressing approaches from a number of international partners capable of assisting in the globalisation of the EnviroSuite platform. FY17 will see focus on making significant progress from these foundation steps, with the primary objective of increasing sales.



Growing international interest in the world-leading software platform is now translating to reseller agreements and MoUs with significant companies in the broader engineering and environmental services sectors.



Robin Ormerod, Managing Director of Pacific Environment, said:



"We are hugely excited about the growth potential of our world class EnviroSuite SaaS platform. We are also focused on ensuring our Australian environmental consulting business continues on a trajectory of improved profitability to support the growth of the Group. We look forward to exploiting the significant opportunities facing the Group in FY17".



To view the full Annual Report, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/0R2ODG3G



About EnviroSuite Limited





EnviroSuite Limited (ASX:EVS) (FRA:57P) is an environmental management technology company that has developed a leading Software-as-Service platform which translates data into action in real-time.

Using proprietary algorithms built on more than 30 years of environmental consulting experience, Envirosuite's platform provides a range of environmental monitoring, management and investigative capabilities.

Envirosuite's platform is used worldwide by a range of clients in the mining, oil refining, transportation and water management industries and by governments looking to regulate industry in accordance with community well-being.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.envirosuite.com
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.
Avalara has launched an online resource for companies, and also announced that manufacturing and warehouse management solution Fishbowl will join its community as a certified solution partner.

The small business community center is an online location where companies can look up tax rates, learn more about where sales tax need to be collected and remitted, download white papers, register for free webinars, browse a directory of accounting firms, test drive Avalaras solutions TrustFile and AvaTax, and discover connector integrations with e-commerce, mobile commerce, accounting and invoicing applications.

Fishbowl is a QuickBooks and Xero solution that also provides a standalone capability for tracking assets. Avalaras solution partners are software publishers that integrate Avalaras Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering for sales tax management directly into their own applications.

Avalaras leading tax compliance solution is a natural fit for Fishbowl, said David Williams, CEO of Fishbowl, in a statement. Fishbowl helps manufacturers, wholesale distributors and ecommerce businesses selling to customers across the U.S. and beyond. Its essential they include the correct sales-tax figures to their sales orders; Avalara does that, and more. Were excited to partner with Avalara to help our customers automate sales-tax calculations and simplify that complex side of doing business.

Fishbowl is the No. 1 requested manufacturing and warehouse management solution for QuickBooks, so integrating with them is a big win for our mutual customers, said Marshal Kushniruk, executive vice president of product and business development at Avalara.
Small businesses continued to add jobs in August at roughly the same pace as July, according to the latest figures from Paychex.

The Paychex | IHS Small Business Jobs Index, which the payroll giant compiles with the research firm IHS, grew slightly in August by 0.02 percent. At 100.70, the national index increased 0.22 percent from a year ago.

August was about flat to July, but thats still a 0.22 percent increase over a year ago, said Paychex president and CEO Martin Mucci. Year to date the pace of job growth is up about 0.33 percent in 2016.

The Mountain region led the way among parts of the U.S., pushing the South Atlantic to the No. 2 spot. Washington State continued to top other states, with an index level of 104.30, while California declined 0.82 percent compared to a year ago, nearing a five-year low.

It is a tale of two coasts, meaning the East Coast is really showing the best growth rate now, said Mucci. From the Northeast down to the South Atlantic, theyre having the best job growth rate. Most of their job growth rates have increased about a percent over last year. Yet the Pacific Region, really California, has been down about 0.7 percent from last year. The issue with California, I think, is they recovered faster out of the recession, and their job growth rate peaked around 2014. Theyre at kind of a five-year low right now in many of the major cities in California. From a state perspective, Washington State continues to hold the top spot, but the rest of the top five are all in the South Atlantic. Theyre Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and even Virginia, which has seen some pretty strong growth in the last year for small business, around security and defense spinoffs from government jobs.

Seattle increased its lead among metropolitan areas, showing the strongest one-month gain in August of 0.92 percent. There was little movement among the various industries in August, although the manufacturing industry continues to struggle, declining 0.85 percent in comparison to a year ago.

Mucci believes accountants can help their small business clients grow, especially in those parts of the country with the most job growth and in industries that cater to discretionary spending, such as personal care, which continues to see strong job growth month after month. One of the areas where small businesses will need help is the Labor Departments new overtime rule, which takes effect in December, enabling millions more workers across the country to qualify for overtime pay. Minimum wage laws have also been changing in several states and cities in recent years.

What were finding in our surveys is that the vast majority of small businesses are not aware of these overtime rules or of paying attention to the minimum wage changes, said Mucci. I think accountants could play a great role in keeping them away from being in a penalty situation.

Thanks in part to the minimum wage increases, average wages overall are picking up. We do see wages in small businesses up about 3.7 to 3.8 percent over last year, so its a pretty healthy increase, said Mucci.

One exception was New Jersey Governor Chris Christies veto Tuesday of a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour. Christie refused to follow the lead of New York State and California, which raised their minimum wages to $15 per hour this year. New Jersey already allows for more modest minimum wage increases pegged to the consumer price index and now stands at $8.38.

We havent seen it vetoed too many times, said Mucci. Its been pretty much supported from the federal right across to the states to some cities. Even some cities like Seattle have made it a requirement. Thats actually a little bit of an exception, at least from what weve seen in the last few months.

Small business startups have also been growing in recent years thanks to the economic recovery. Based on the Small Business Administration numbers, the number of new small business startups is certainly back to pre-recession levels, said Mucci.
(Bloomberg) The European Unions finding that Apple Inc. owes Ireland more than $14 billion in back taxes reveals the high cost the U.S. Treasury may pay by failing to keep pace in a global effort to stem corporate tax avoidanceand Apple might represent only the first major U.S. loss.

The EU commissioner for competition said Tuesday that Apples tax arrangement with Ireland constitutes anti-competitive state aid to the company. If Apple ultimately has to pay billions in taxes to Ireland, the iPhone maker may be able to reduce its U.S. taxes by using foreign-tax credits available under U.S. law. Apple executives and Irish officials have said they plan to challenge the EUs order.

The EU is already conducting similar investigations of other major U.S. corporations, including McDonalds Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. Additionally, legal experts say that if the precedent for such EU orders is upheld on appeal, regulators may give harsher scrutiny to the hundreds of tax ruling letters that Luxembourg issued to major U.S. companies, including the Walt Disney Co. and Koch Industries Inc.

Some of those agreements gave companies a chance to slash billions from their tax liabilities at home and abroad.

No Special Deals

Amazon, through a spokesman, declined to comment. Representatives for McDonalds, Disney and Koch didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Apples chief executive officer, Tim Cook, said in a statement: We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals.

At stake for the U.S. Treasury Department is some of the potential tax revenue on more than $2 trillion in profit that U.S. multinationals have parked overseas. While the EU isnt directly targeting that cash hoard, the state-aid cases could significantly reduce the revenue that the U.S. government could collect from it. The U.S. tax code, which sets a top corporate income tax rate of 35 percent, allows companies to defer paying that tax on their foreign income until they decide to bring it home via repatriation. Over the past few years, the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obamas administration have been unable to agree on a plan to induce companies to repatriate their earnings at a reduced tax rate. Obama has proposed 14 percent; House Republicans this year proposed 8.75 percent.

Revenue Transfer

The delay may be costly: Federal law also gives companies credits for the foreign taxes theyve paid, which they can use to reduce their U.S. taxessubject to certain restrictions. The precise effect is unclear, but U.S. Treasury officials have voiced concern that if U.S. companies are forced to pay large new tax bills to European governments, they may be able to use such creditseffectively transferring revenue from U.S. to European coffers.

The prospect that EU regulators might force U.S. multinationals to pay taxes to countries that helped them avoid taxes at home prompted displeasure from Obamas White House and from members of Congress Tuesday. But if U.S. policy makers saw new urgency in the large tax bill that was handed to Apple, there was little immediate sign of compromise.

Instead of standing by and allowing other countries to deliver multibillion-dollar tax bills to American companies, Washington should act now to ensure this doesnt happen again, said U.S. Representative Kevin Brady, the chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. Brady, a Texas Republican, called the EUs decision a predatory and naked tax grab that took advantage of what he called a broken U.S. tax code.

Awful Decision

Thats why House Republicans are moving forward with our tax reform blueprint built for growth that will allow more companies to operate in our country, hire our workers and help grow our economy, Brady said. House Speaker Paul Ryan called the EU decision awful and said it should be a spur to action.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, meanwhile, said Obama would continue, over his next four months remaining in office, making his case and pushing Congress to address the issue.

The EUs decision was surprising for its blunt language and high assessment of Apples Irish tax liability, but its far from certain that Apple will ever pay the $14.5 billion bill. The company, along with the Irish government, has announced plans to appeal the ruling to the European Unions general court. Legal experts say the EUs use of antitrust statutes to regulate tax avoidance is a novel enough strategy that it could be struck down.

Dutch Appeal

Already, the Dutch government is appealing an earlier EU order that it collect 30 million euros in taxes from Starbucks Corp. Linda Mills, a spokeswoman for the coffee chain, said in an e-mail that the difference was that todays Apple decision is in the billions vs. ours which (pre appeal) scaled only in the millions.

But with the potential for a continued EU crackdown, tax specialists expect pressure will escalate for the U.S. government to take action before overseas governments take major bites from companies offshore earnings.

Since the U.S. has been very slow to enact reform and get revenue, the status quo has allowed the Europeans the opportunity to move in and get tax money for their governments, said Kimberly Clausing, a professor at Reed College and an expert in international taxation. I cant imagine that this is going to be allowed to continue indefinitely.

Make Everything Worse

But if the EUs actions spur American officials to action, they may have the opposite effect on international cooperative efforts. Already, pressure from corporate lobbyists has helped make the U.S. the only major country that hasnt signed on to a plan devised by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development aimed at limiting aggressive tax-avoidance strategies.

The EUs Apple decision is going to make everything worse for the prospects of international cooperation, said Edward Kleinbard, a professor at the University of Southern California and the former chief of staff for the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. Its leading to finger pointing and will upset the OECDs work on the issue, he said.

For businesses, the rulings long-term impact was unclear. Because its subject to appeal, many accountants and corporate tax lawyers said it was too soon to tell whether it would encourage changes in U.S. multinationals tax strategies. For example, the effect on corporate inversions, in which U.S. companies move their tax addresses offshore by merging with foreign firms, remained undefined.

Singapore-Bound

But Raymond Wiacek, an international tax lawyer at Jones Day in Washington, said the decision would prompt some multinationalsparticularly technology and pharmaceutical companies with valuable intellectual propertyto seek out new offshore tax havens.

You dont have to use Ireland as your base countrypeople are moving to Singapore, Wiacek said. That shift will accelerate unless Congress lowers the U.S. corporate tax rate from 35 percent, which is one of the worlds highest. Singapore taxes companies on profit derived both in Singapore and elsewhere at 17 percent.

Amazons Change

Amazon, which awaits the European commissions finding on whether its own tax deal with Luxembourg constituted improper state aid, has stopped using its shell company there. That company had received royalty payments from Amazons subsidiaries in other European countries, effectively moving their profit to Luxembourg. Amazon officials have declined to say what motivated that change.

With the U.S. presidential election two months away, its likely that any U.S. effort to overhaul its international tax system will take place during the administration of Obamas successor. Republican Donald Trump has proposed to tax companies offshore earnings at a reduced rate of 10 percent. Trump also proposes to cut the top corporate tax rate to 15 percent, while ending companies ability to defer U.S. taxes on overseas earnings. Democrat Hillary Clinton hasnt offered a specific proposal on international taxation.

Neither campaign immediately responded to a request for comment on the issue Tuesday. Regardless, some observers believe the U.S. will move to enact a new repatriation tax rate no matter who wins the Nov. 8 election.

Inevitable Feature

Theres a fair amount of general agreement that repatriation would be a feature of broader tax reform under a new president, which I would say is inevitable, Jon Traub, the managing principal of tax policy at Deloitte Tax LLP, the tax arm of accounting firm Deloitte LLP told Bloomberg News last week.

As one of the most popular and recognizable brands in the U.S., Apple has thus far avoided congressional action that would alter its tax planningdespite a U.S. Senate panels investigation that focused on accounting strategies the company had used to avoid what officials called billions of dollars a year in federal taxes.

The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations held hearings in which then-chairman Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, chastised Apple for seeking the Holy Grail of Tax Avoidance. They ended with committee members telling Apple CEO Tim Cook how much they loved their iPhones. The hearings led to no substantial legislative changes to the tax code. According to EU officials Tuesday, the effective tax rate for Apples main Irish subsidiary has dropped since the Senate hearings: from 0.5 percent in 2011 to .005 percent in 2014.

Completely Made Up

Apple CFO Luca Maestri disputed those figures Tuesday, saying that the commissions depiction of Apples effective tax rate was completely made up. Maestri said the EU had calculated incorrectly by neglecting to include all of the $400 million in taxes the company paid in Ireland in 2014 and by improperly attributing offshore profit to Apples Irish subsidiaries.

In Europe, the Apple case is likely to bring heightened pressure to continue the crackdown. While the state-aid cases might slow cooperative international efforts to reach agreement on comprehensive tax policies, they have nonetheless appealed to the populist sentiment in Europeand may spur U.S. companies and policy makers to take action.

The arguments are poorly construed, and often target the wrong entities or the wrong countries, but the cases nonetheless are spectacular political statements, said Romero Tavares, an economics professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He recently published a paper titled, The Intersection of EU State Aid Cases and U.S. Tax Deferral: A Spectacle of Fireworks, Smoke and Mirrors.

Therefore I do believe more cases will come up, more companies will be scrutinized and not only in the Silicon Valley, but across the board, Tavares said. The amounts involved are astronomical.

With assistance from Leslie Patton, Christopher Palmeri and Spencer Soper
By Matt Agorist

On Monday, an official FBI alert from August 18 was leaked to Yahoo News. The alert stated the FBI had uncovered evidence showing that at least two state election systems were penetrated by hackers in recent weeks. The FBI quickly issued warnings to election officials across the country to ramp up security on their systems.

It appears from the Flash Alert that the public was not supposed to know about it.

This FLASH has been released TLP: AMBER: The information in this product is only for members of their own organization and those with DIRECT NEED TO KNOW. This information is NOT to be forwarded on beyond NEED TO KNOW recipients.

The FBI then goes on to describe the nature of the attack and lists the IP addresses associated with the intrusion.

Summary The FBI received information of an additional IP address, 5.149.249.172, which was detected in the July 2016 compromise of a states Board of Election Web site. Additionally, in August 2016 attempted intrusion activities into another states Board of Election system identified the IP address, 185.104.9.39 used in the aforementioned compromise. Technical Details The following information was released by the MS-ISAC on 1 August 2016, which was derived through the course of the investigation. In late June 2016, an unknown actor scanned a states Board of Election website for vulnerabilities using Acunetix, and after identifying a Structured Query Language (SQL) injection (SQLi) vulnerability, used SQLmap to target the state website. The majority of the data exfiltration occurred in mid-July. There were 7 suspicious IPs and penetration testing tools Acunetix, SQLMap, and DirBuster used by the actor, detailed in the indicators section below.

This is a big deal, said Rich Barger, chief intelligence officer for ThreatConnect, a cybersecurity firm, who reviewed the FBI alert at the request of Yahoo News. Two state election boards have been popped, and data has been taken. This certainly should be concerning to the common American voter.

According to the FBI, the hack is the work of a foreign entity. However, they have not named the country of origin. This has not stopped other officials from quickly blaming the Russians.

Also absent from the alert are the names of the states involved in the hack.

According to the report from Yahoo News:

The bulletin does not identify the states in question, but sources familiar with the document say it refers to the targeting by suspected foreign hackers of voter registration databases in Arizona and Illinois. In the Illinois case, officials were forced to shut down the states voter registration system for ten days in late July, after the hackers managed to download personal data on up to 200,000 state voters, Ken Menzel, the general counsel of the Illinois Board of Elections, said in an interview. The Arizona attack was more limited, involving malicious software that was introduced into its voter registration system but no successful exfiltration of data, a state official said.

The FBI is requesting that states contact their Board of Elections and determine if any similar activity to their logs, both inbound and outbound, has been detected, the alert reads. Attempts should not be made to touch or ping the IP addresses directly.

While the alert lists the IP addresses from which the attacks originated, it is highly unlikely that the hackers would use any traceable address.

This is a wake-up call for other states to look at their systems, said Tom Hicks, chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission.

This news comes on the heels of a report earlier this month in which a professor from Princeton University and a graduate student proved electronic voting machines in the U.S. remain astonishingly vulnerable to hackers  and they did it in under eight minutes.

Professor Andrew Appel, a Princeton University computer science professor who has studied election security, and grad student Alex Halderman took just seven minutes to break into the authentic Sequoia AVC Advantage electronic voting machine Appel purchased for $82 online  one of the oldest models, but still used in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia.

Appel notes that the only reasonably safe voting method is paper ballots as they can be counted alongside the electronic tally. However, crucial swing states, as Appel notes, rely on more vulnerable paperless touchscreen voting which does not back up any of the numbers.

Then whatever numbers the voting computer says at the close of the polls are completely under the control of the computer program in there, Appel wrote in a recent blog post entitled Security Against Election Hacking. If the computer is hacked, then the hacker gets to decide what numbers are reported.  All DRE (paperless touchscreen) voting computers are susceptible to this kind of hacking. This is our biggest problem.

The fact that the FBI is now admitting to the vulnerability of the election should raise serious concern for Americans. Before 2016, talk of vote rigging, or hacking elections, remained on the fringe  in spite of whistleblowers showing the easily provable insecure nature of electronic voting machines.

As the famous quote, often attributed to Joseph Stalin, notes:

The people who cast the votes dont decide an election, the people who count the votes do.

And now, with electronic voting and this news of how easily hackable it is, even the vote counters may not decide.

Matt Agorist is the co-founder of TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared. He is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world.

Follow @MattAgorist
FlipSpaces, a young Startup by IIT alumni and gaming experts is pioneering the concept of Virtual Reality for Interior Designing in India and has generated a revenue worth $ One million in a short span of only 3 months time. The venture has been able to gain this traction without any external aid or funding according to its core team.

FlipSpaces, headquartered in Mumbai, is Indias first revolutionary Virtual Reality Tech Company which enables people to visualize how products they are seeking to buy for their home or office look like in virtual environment similar to their own. FlipSpaces aims at being a major change catalyst in redefining the product buying experience in Office/Home decor & improvement section. It gamifies the interior designing experience for the consumer putting the control of interior-design in the hands of the consumer, said Kunal Sharma, Founder-Director, FlipSpaces Technology

To answer how the venture has been able to achieve the revenue target without external funding, Ritesh Ranjan / Prafful Sahu, Partner and Head of Technology says, We believed right from the start in going against the tide and making our end consumers our funders. We are in a market of high ticket transactions and it was just about making a product which could truly address the pain points of the enterprise consumer. If you have a powerful idea you can generate good business without funding too. All you have to do is, prove your mettle and revenue follows automatically

FlipSpaces currently targets technology led interior design and execution for the office real estate which alone is an estimated $ 3 billion plus market in India with eyes on the residential and hospitality interiors market in the future, said Vikash Anand, Director Sales and Marketing.

The core team measures the success of the product as the client feedback for FlipSpaces both in terms of Design and execution.

FlipSpaces Virtual Reality Application was a key decision influencer in choosing FlipSpaces as our Interior Design Partner to create a truly world class office, said Rajan Parasuraman, Managing Director, GyanMatrix.

Mr. Smeet Gala, Founder, CEO Workamp, an emerging co-working space in Mumbai added, Office design by FlipSpaces and Gloob was great for a co-working concept. They worked on the psyche of a potential co-worker and helped design spaces that could promote collaboration in spaces which has worked out really well for us. In the first 25 members itself we are looking at member companies doing business with each other. A general feedback has also been about the space infusing creativity and helping each co-worker to increase their productivity of work while working from WorkAmp.

FlipSpaces allows users to choose from over a lakh of products and a mind boggling trillion room environments on a floor plate which is a replica of their office or home. The application can generate photorealistic images of spaces at a speed which is 500 times faster than any other used applications in the domain.

Interior products and services chosen by users through the application are supplied and sourced from own manufacturing unit and a curated set of service and product vendors allowing for process driven scale. FlipSpaces also allows users to generate the exact cost-estimate for services and products chosen by them real-time thus letting them have a check on their budget.

This also helps do away with the huge physical catalogues, which decor companies have to handle.

The web based application is designed exclusively for home/office decor market targeting new office buyers and tenants, developers, architect and interior designers among other industry players. It can also emerge as a strong platform for all vendors, suppliers and other major stake-holders in home decor industry.

The Venture is looking to generate $ 15 Million in a year in terms of gross revenues and is on its way to announcing tie ups with major builders and industry leaders towards VR-Led Design and Execution.

FlipSpaces is a brainchild of Gloob Interior Design, a 4 years young leading Interior Design Venture by entrepreneurs with the pedigree of IIT and successful ventures behind them. Gloob has a majority market share in startup market in Mumbai and Bangalore and is a fast growing Interior Design and Contracting Venture in the Startup and MSME segment.
LATAM Airlines Group (LATAM) took delivery of its first A320neo on Monday, 29 August, at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse.





Above: (left to right) Roberto Alvo, Senior VP International & Alliances, LATAM Airlines Group, Fabrice Bregier, CEO & President, Airbus, Enrique Cueto, CEO, LATAM Airlines Group, Rafael Alonso, President, Airbus Latin America & Caribbean and Jose Maluf, VP Fleet & Engines, LATAM Airlines Group.



LATAM Airlines Brasil will become the first airline in North and South America and the fifth operator in the world, to operate the A320neo.



Executives from LATAM and Airbus attended a delivery ceremony, which also marked the delivery of LATAMs fourth A350 XWB -- the first with the airline groups new brand livery. LATAM was also the Americas first A350 XWB operator.



The aircraft is configured in a 174-seat layout with 18 wide seats and equipped with the innovative Space-Flex cabin configuration. LATAM was the first in Latin America to order the A320neo in 2011, shortly after the programme was launched. The airline group has a total of 67 A320neo Family aircraft on order.



Initially, LATAM plans to fly its first A320neo on Brazilian domestic routes to Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Campo Grande, Curitiba, Florianopolis, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro (Galeao) and Sao Paulo (Guarulhos). In November, LATAM will begin to fly regional routes throughout South America. The second LATAM A320neo, to be delivered later this year, is also expected to operate regional flights. The airline group has more than 250 Airbus aircraft in operation.



We are pleased to offer our passengers the opportunity to fly the first A320neo in the Americas, said Enrique Cueto, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group. The A320 aircraft family has long served an important role in our fleet, supporting the operation of our unrivalled domestic and regional network in Latin America. With the latest in technology, efficiency and passenger comfort, the A320neo is a welcome addition and will help us to continue to offer one of the most modern and efficient fleets in the industry.



Over the years, Airbus and LATAM have grown together to become partners in building todays dynamic aviation market in Latin America, which is why we are especially proud that the first A320neo in the Americas will be flying in LATAM livery, said Fabrice Bregier, Airbus President and CEO. We are certain that this aircraft will complement their existing fleet and further their success in the region.
LONDON, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Two thirds of British adults prefer to go exploring on their h olidays according to a new poll

The national carrier of the UAE is offering a 50% sale on selected routes until 6 September 2016 , as well as a prize draw to win one of one hundred experiences on etihad.com

Fly from London to Australia (via Abu Dhabi ) from just 594 return, Abu Dhabi from just 352 return and Bangkok (via Abu Dhabi ) from just 406 return

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has today announced its annual global sales campaign, targeted at business and economy class guests with up to 50% off on selected routes until 6 September 2016, for travel until June 2017, as well as a prize draw offering $200 credit to one hundred lucky winners. The sale comes at the perfect time as British holidaymakers start to plan their winter sun escape.

To encourage people to make the most of their holidays, Etihad Airways surveyed more than 2,000 British adults through YouGov*, to ask what they would spend their money on when travelling.

The research has shown that over two thirds (69%) of the people sampled, said they prefer to explore their destination in ventures beyond their accommodation whilst abroad - and almost half (49%) said they would spend a competition windfall on cultural tours or dining out.

Additionally, almost a quarter (22%) of the respondents would rather have a shorter stay packed with experiences rather than a longer stay with fewer experiences - suggesting many travellers desire to make the most of being in a new destination.

Etihad Airways' limited edition global sale offers up to 50% off fares to forty-five of the world's most popular destinations, from destinations across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Americas. In addition, members of the airline's loyalty programme, Etihad Guest, will continue to earn miles on all fares in the sale. The one-off offer is valid for just 7 days, and fares can be booked on Etihad.com between now and 6 September 2016.

James Harrison, General Manager for Etihad Airways in the UK, said: "The UK is a hugely important market to Etihad Airways and so such valued insight into the type of experiences that travellers embrace when abroad, has resulted in us creating a sale offer and prize draw to gratify that quest for exploration."

The sale will cover a wider range of cities including those served by the Etihad Airways Partners. With a combined network of over 400 destinations across six continents, the partners provide even greater access across the combined destinations of Etihad Airways, airberlin, Alitalia, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Etihad Regional, Jet Airways and NIKI.

As well as the 50% sale, there is also a chance for those in the UK and Ireland to enter into a prize draw (with no purchase necessary), by simply sending one email describing their dream travel experience to experiences@etihad.ae - for the chance to win a $200 Visa gift card, to enjoy on any experience - all with compliments of Etihad Airways. Those who have booked a ticket can also enter the competition via a pop up window after completion of the booking on etihad.com.

Opportunities to add extra value to the holiday could include access to Etihad Airways premium lounge, seat upgrade, spa treatment or dinner for two at a gourmet restaurant - or simply using to stock up on travel essentials at Duty Free prior to or after the flight. The list of experiences travellers can enjoy is endless.

The prize draw will be made on 10 September 2016 and winners will be notified by email by 18 September 2016. For more information and to access the full list of destination fares on offer, please visit etihad.com

Fares from London Heathrow

Destination Economy Class return (LON) Abu Dhabi GBP 352 Bangkok GBP 406 Perth GBP 594

Fares from Manchester

Destination Economy Class return (MAN) Abu Dhabi GBP 384 Bangkok GBP 422 Perth GBP 584

Fares from Edinburgh

Destination Economy Class return (EDI) Abu Dhabi GBP 384 Bangkok GBP 375 Perth GBP 599

Notes to Editors

* All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2072 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22nd - 23rd August 2016. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

Terms and conditions

No purchase is necessary for the prize draw. By entering the Promotion, customers agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.

The prize is stated as an "individual experience" consists of a $200 (USD) "Just for you Visa gift card" to be spent on any experience by the individual winner to the value of $200 USD . The prize is non-refundable, non-transferable and non-re-routable and cannot be exchanged for cash.

(USD) "Just for you Visa gift card" to be spent on any experience by the individual winner to the value of . The prize is non-refundable, non-transferable and non-re-routable and cannot be exchanged for cash. All data used from the booking to notify the customer will be in line with Etihad Airways privacy policy - http://www.etihad.com/en-us/legal/privacy-policy/

The individual $200 USD gift card will be valid for one year, winners will be able to book & spend the voucher on any experience to the value of $200 USD .

gift card will be valid for one year, winners will be able to book & spend the voucher on any experience to the value of . Etihad Airways is only providing a voucher to buy an individual experience. This does not cover any visas, insurances or cancelations with the experience provider. Etihad Airways is only providing the monetary value to the winner to buy the experience, not the experience itself.

About Etihad Aviation Group

Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) is a diversified global aviation and travel group comprising four business divisions - Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Engineering, Hala Group and Airline Equity Partners. The group has minority investments in seven airlines: airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional.

From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to, or has announced plans to serve, 117 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 122 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s. For more information, please visit: Etihad.com
Personnel with the Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters assigned to the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi are flying missions in the Atlantic and Pacific this week.

Today, one team is on its way to Hawaii to fly data-gathering missions into Hurricane Madeline while the other is headed out to the Atlantic for a mission into Tropical Depression Eight, which off the coast of North Carolina. The unit has also been flying missions into Tropical Depression Nine, which is projected by the National Hurricane Center to develop into a tropical storm and head toward the Florida Coast later this week.

The Pacific team is scheduled to arrive in Hawaii today and fly their first mission Tuesday.

As of this morning, Hurricane Madeline was a category-three storm about 700 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, and is projected to pass near Hawaiis Big Island Thursday, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center forecast.





The Hurricane Hunters are typically inside a storm for about six hours collecting data including changes in pressure, movement and wind speed, said Maj. Nicole Mitchell, 53rd WRS aerial reconnaissance weather officer. That data gives forecaster a more complete picture of whats going on in the storm so they can improve models and present more accurate forecasts.

During a fix mission, the aircraft flies around 10,000 feet above the surface of the ocean and collects weather data such as temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, and surface pressure. Aircrews fly through the eye of a storm four to six times to locate the low-pressure center and circulation of the storm. During each pass through the eye, they release a dropsonde, which collects weather data on its descent to the ocean surface, specifically gathering data on the surface winds and pressure. An automated data package is sent out every 10 minutes while manual observations, such as the dropsonde data, are sent as necessary.

To keep up with the Hurricane Hunters mission, check out the plan of the day, follow missions on Google Earth or visit the National Hurricane Center. For more Hurricane Hunters and 403rd Wing updates follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more information contact the 403rd Wing Public Affairs at 228-377-2056 or 403WG.PA2@us.af.mil.
F-35A continues fifth-generation tradition of air superiority against legacy aircraft

Years ago, Lt. Col. Brad Bashore flew against the F-22 Raptor as an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot. Now, as an F-35A Lightning II pilot at this years exercise Northern Lightning, it was his turn to deliver fire from the clouds.



Its not a fair fight, and thats exactly what we want for our adversaries, said Bashore, the 58th Fighter Squadron commander. To be on the offensive side this time and getting a chance to employ (those capabilities), I couldnt ask for anything better. Its like fighting somebody with their hands tied behind their back.



Bashore and his wingmen at the 58th FS, which belongs to the 33rd Fighter Wing, have been employing the capabilities of the F-35A, scoring as many as 27 kills in a single sortie at Northern Lightning, a large force exercise where fifth- and fourth-generation aircraft engage in a contested, degraded environment.



I remember the first time I flew against (fifth-generation aircraft), Bashore said. Its a change in mindset because you cant target anything on your radar because its not there, and by the time you do potentially find something, its too late and they have already shot you.



Its frustrating, but at the same time understanding that its our asset is invigorating and gives you a lot of hope for the future as far as how successful this platform is going to be.



While sharing many similarities with the F-22, the F-35As main advantage is its robust suite of sensors that give it the ability to process and share information with other players in the battlespace. These capabilities make the F-35A more lethal and survivable than any legacy aircraft, and eliminate any safe space for the enemy to hide.



We took off out of Madison (to join the fight), said Lt. Col. Bart Van Roo, the commander of the Wisconsin Air National Guards 176th FS, which has F-16 Fighting Falcons. We went to our simulated airfield out in the far part of the airspace. As the two ship from the northern half of the airspace we turned hot, drove for about 30 seconds and we were dead, just like that. We never even saw (the F-35A).



Van Roo has been flying the F-16 since 2001 and as red air during Northern Lightning for 13 years. Red air is a formation of aircraft acting as the enemy for air-to-air tactics training.



For us, as a capable fourth-generation fighter, we are used to being able to see and counter most adversaries that we have out there when we are playing red air, Van Roo said. Versus the F-35, its completely different. The most difficult thing is we just cant see them like they can see us. It can feel like you are out there with a blindfold on trying to find someone in a huge space.



We have been reliant on visual pickups of the aircraft only, which is extremely difficult to do, and at those ranges we are already dead before we could shoot back.



Fortunately, the red air pilots at this years Northern Lightning can take solace that the F-35A is on their side for future combat deployments and will help ensure their ability to fly, fight and win against possible near peer adversaries.



The significant increase in situational awareness that it gives us on the battlefield, the information sharing between jets, radar capability and of course the capability that we will have with our opponents not being able to see us will be a game changer, Van Roo said.
For the first time in 12 years, the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance program is having an open season, which will run from Sept. 1-30.During the open season, eligible federal employees can enroll in FEGLI or increase coverage up to the maximum offered by the program, including Option C coverage on the lives of spouses and eligible dependent children under age 22. In order to participate in the open season, employees must be in a retirement covered position authorized for FEGLI coverage.The federal government established the FEGLI program on Aug. 29, 1954. The largest group life insurance program in the world, FEGLI covers over 4 million federal employees and retirees, as well as many of their family members.Opportunities for federal civilians to enroll in the FEGLI program or to pick up coverage that was waived are normally limited to newly hired/newly eligible employees, rehired employees with a break of 180 days or more, open season, provision of medical information, a life event or designation as emergency essential in the Defense Department, and deployment in support of a contingency operation in a civilian capacity.Enrolled employees can cancel or reduce coverage or change beneficiaries at any time without waiting for an open season. Elections or changes made during the 2016 FEGLI open season are effective Oct. 1, 2017.Employees will make their elections in the Employee Benefits Information System via the AFPC Secure website More information on FEGLI is available on the OPM website For more information about Air Force personnel programs, go to the myPers website . Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one by following the instructions on the Air Force Retirees Services website
-- On this look around the Air Force, the enlisted remotely piloted aircraft program opens to all career fields, the Air Force is making the upgrade to Windows 10, and the Air Force officially welcomes its new vice chief of staff. Hosted by Staff Sgt. Traci Keller.For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.Related links:
Security agencies will carry out an extensive examination of the speeches of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who has been accused of promoting extremist and radical views.



The move comes after a fresh legal opinion suggested that more information should be gathered by security agencies to nail Naik, who has been away from the country ever since allegations surfaced against him, official sources said.

The security agencies have been asked to go deeper and examine more speeches of Naik delivered in last few years and the alleged irregularities committed by him, the sources said.

Naik has come under the scanner of the security agencies after Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Star had reported that one of the attackers of the July 1 terror strike in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.

He in a lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly urged all Muslims to be terrorists.

Naik, a popular but controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation, is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.

He is popular in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preachings often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects.
An NRI was sentenced to probation in Kansas for trying to kill his wife with a pocketknife after his attorney argued that sending him to prison could cause the mans family to be ostracised as part of their Hindu culture.

Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild said the cultural considerations weighed into his sentencing decision for Navinkumar Patel.

The 46-year-old pleaded no contest to felony charges of attempted second-degree murder and criminal threat for the June 2015 attack on his wife at the Super 8 Motel in Lawrence, which he owns.

His lawyer, John Kerns, told the judge that in the Hindu culture of Patels family, his wife and children would suffer if he were sentenced to prison.

The cultural part of it is very significant in this case, Judge Fairchild said. He sentenced Patel to probation but wont announce the terms until next month.

Patels wife had sat down to eat a bowl of cereal in the motel on June 24, 2015, when her husband began yelling that she was fat and he was going to kill her, police said.

The wife retreated to an office area, where Patel stabbed her twice in the abdomen before she broke away and ran for help.

When officers arrived, Patel directed them to the office, handed an officer the pocketknife he was holding and stated that he had stabbed his wife, police said. The wife was treated at a hospital.

A doctor testified this week that Patel suffers from bipolar disorder, which was made worse by his alcohol addiction, the Lawrence Journal-World reported

If Patel stops drinking and continues to take his medication, he is at a low risk for a repeat offence, Dr Bradley Grinage said.
They threaten to hold demonstrations if the accused responsible for killing constable Vilash Shinde roams scot free.

When Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had gone to meet the family of deceased constable Vilas Shinde he had to face the wrath of wives of police personnel as they demanded justice for Shinde. They encircled Fadnavis and urged him to speed up the investigation process and offer better amenities to police personnel . Many of them also called for enhancing security for police during duty hours. Police officials often have to undergo huge hardships while discharging their duties. Often they have to work for long hours and are deprived of sleep and hence they are prone to depression. Many of them have ended their lives due to erratic working hours.

Shinde who was assaulted by two brothers in Khar (west) while discharging his duties died on Wednesday in the ICU of Lilavati Hospital. He was battling for life for over a week. MNS chief Raj Thackeray had met Shinde at hospital on Tuesday. He condemned the attack against Shinde and said that steps must be taken to avert such incidents in future.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, It is a really an unfortunate incident. Strict action will be taken against the accused responsible for killing Shinde. If any police passes away in similar manner then they will be considered as martyr. The government will offer compensation and provide job to a member of Shindes family.

RTI activist Anil Galgali said, The accused should be awarded death sentence and this case should be fast tracked.

Police Commissioner of Mumbai Dattatray Padsalgikar tweeted, My heartfelt condolences to the family of our brave Head Constable, Late Vilas Shinde and may his soul rest in peace. His death is a huge loss to the police department. Shinde remained true to his service, risking his life.

This year several police officials have died while performing their duties. What mistake did Mr Shinde commit as he was only doing his job? The government must take stern action against the accused responsible for committing this crime. If he roams scot free then we will hold protests, said the wife of a police constable on the condition of anonymity.

The incident took place on Tuesday last week when the Constable Vilas Shinde (50) from Bandra traffic division was discharging his duty at a petrol pump when he spotted a biker without helmet approaching the petrol pump.

The biker had indulged in a verbal argument with Shinde when he was asked to produce vehicle documents and the license. The biker then called his 21 year old brother and informed him about the incident. The elder brother identified as Ahmed Mohammad Ali Qureshi reached the spot and attacked the constable from behind on the head with a wooden stick.

Shinde then collapsed and was rushed to Lilavati Hospital by his colleagues. Khar Police nabbed the duo within 24 hours. The minor was sent to a correction home in Dongri and Ahmed was sent to police custody. Both were booked for attempt to murder under IPC section 307,which now be converted into IPC section 302.
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]fter 69 years of Indias Independence, BJP is still blaming Jawaharlal Nehru for Kashmir issue and terming it as Historic Blunder. Now, governments in both  Centre as well as in state  are in BJPs hand, why cant they start working towards setting it up right. I voted for BJP and sure that many others also voted for Modi because of his development issue and assumed that he will perform better than previous government, however its getting a bit tedious to listen to the same blame game. BJP needs to be serious and understand the fact that Nehru is no more, and after independence even RSS, Jansangh to BJP, never raised this issue. Now, they are passing the buck. I feel sorry for them; they have an absolute majority government after 30 years. They should stop legacy arguments. Whole nation voted for BJP after understanding complete political history during general election rhetoric in 2013-2014. They should take some solid steps to resolve this issue now. Otherwise, even my great grandchildren will be listening to their politicians blaming BJP and Amit Shah for present inaction. Please do not equate them to Nehru.

Referring to the declaration of truce when Pakistan-backed tribal raiders in 1948 were being repulsed in Kashmir, he said if such a decision was not made, the Jammu and Kashmir problem would not have existed today. He claimed that this decision was taken to improve ones (Nehrus) personal image, and lamented that because of this, a part of Kashmir is now with Pakistan. He also raised questions over the circumstances that led to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjees death but he forgot that Mookerjee was INC member then.

Mookerjee was a politician, who served as the Minister for Industry and Supply in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrus cabinet. After falling out with Nehru, Mookerjee quit the Indian National Congress and founded the right wing nationalist Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later evolved into BJP. Mookerjee was given platform in politics by Congress and Nehru gave him position in the party but his ambitions led him to turn rebel.

Mookerjee joined the Hindu Mahasabha in 1939, becoming its president in 1944. He became the leader of the opposition when the Krishak Praja Party  Muslim League coalition was in power from 193741 and joined the Progressive Coalition Ministry headed by Fazlul Haq as a Finance Minister. On 11th February 1941, Mookerjee told a Hindu rally that if Muslims wanted to live in Pakistan they should pack bags and baggage and leave India wherever they like. He also supported the partition of Bengal in 1946 to prevent the inclusion of its Hindu-majority areas in a Muslim-dominated East Pakistan.

His views were strongly affected by the Noakhali genocide in East Bengal, where mobs belonging to the Muslim league massacred Hindus in large numbers. Shyama Prasads hate speeches invited many riots between Hindus and Muslims.

Mookerjee resigned from the Cabinet on 6th April 1950 over a disagreement about the 1950 Delhi Pact with Pakistani Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. He was firmly against Nehrus invitation to the Pakistani PM, and their joint pact to establish minority commissions and guarantee minority rights in both countries. He wanted to hold Pakistan directly responsible for the terrible influx of millions of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan, who had left the state fearing religious suppression and violence aided by the state. Mookerjee translated and propagated Nehrus actions as appeasement, and was hailed as a hero by the people of India.

After consultation with M. S. Golwalkar of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) on 21st October 1951 in Delhi and he became its first President. In the 1952 elections, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh won three seats in the Parliament of India including Mookerjees own seat. He had formed the National Democratic Party within the Parliament, which consisted of 32 members of parliament and 10 members from the Rajya Sabha, which, however, was not recognised by the speaker as an opposition party. The BJS was ideologically close to the RSS and widely considered the political arm of Hindu Nationalism. It favoured a uniform civil code governing personal law matters for both Hindus and Muslims, and wanted to ban cow slaughter and end constitutional autonomy given to the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJS founded the Hindutva agenda, which became the wider political expression of Indias Hindu majority. His legacy still remains influential among the conservative members within the BJP and that is what we can smell from Amit Shahs speeches.

Mookerjee was arrested after entering Kashmir in 11th May, 1953. Thereafter, he was jailed in a shattered broken house. He had suffered from dry pleurisy and coronary troubles, and was taken to hospital. He was administered penicillin, despite having informed the doctor-in-charge of his allergy to penicillin, and he died on 23rd June, 1953. His death in custody raised wide suspicion across the country and demands for an independent enquiry were raised, including earnest requests from his mother, Jogamaya Devi, to Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru declared that he had inquired from a number of persons who were privy to the facts and, according to him; there was no mystery behind Mookerjees death. Atal Bihari Vajpayee claimed in 2004 that the arrest of Mookerjee in Jammu and Kashmir was a Nehrus conspiracy. The BJP president claimed that Mr Mookerjee was kept in an inadequately equipped safe house near Srinagar and then not provided medical facilities as he was admitted to a gynaecological ward even though he had a heart ailment.

Even though more than 69 years have passed since independence, but BJP still lingers on the past but never dared to correct the present.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)








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Two hurricanes have been reported to be approaching Hawaii between Wednesday and Sunday. Hurricane Madeline which strengthened its course on Sunday getting on with maximum sustained winds at 130mph turning into a category 3 hurricane. Another one, hurricane Lester was classify as category 4 storm which is expected to loom around on Saturday or Sunday. Hurricane Madeline was 515 miles east of Hilo late on Monday night and was moving west-northwest at 9 mph that time.

The Hawaii County Civil Defense has cautioned the citizens to stock up on supplies, including a full week of food and water for each person in a household. The county of Hawaii which covers the Big Island has also advocated the population to replenish their emergency kits with a flashlight, fresh batteries, cash and first aid supplies in case of any emergency. They also recommended that residents create successful evacuation strategies and secure their outdoor furniture since the anticipated storms would be strong.

The Center's advisory on Madeline stipulated that the hurricane Madeline will pass dangerously close to the Big Island on Wednesday. Also some weakening in the storm strength is forecast through late Wednesday.

The centre also said that the residents of Hawaii could experience hurricane force winds, heavy rain and high surf.

A High Surf Forewarning has been issued for east-facing shores of Maui in advance of Hurricane Madeline.

"This looks like potentially the strongest tropical cyclone, which includes hurricanes and tropical storms, to approach very close to the coast in the past several years," said meteorologist Chris Brenchley with the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

The warnings have been issues that these hurricanes would bring storms even worse than the storm Iselle in 2014. Tropical Storm Iselle brought down hundreds of Albizia trees on the Big Island and set off an estimated $79 million in damage.

Ed Teixeira with Hawaii County Civil Defense said, "We're thinking things in the worst case scenario. We all have a tendency to think that the storm is going to weaken and old timers believe our mountains are going to be buffers."

The crews have prepared for the Tropical Storm Darby involving lot of tree trimming, helping in reducing damage in case the hurricanes, Madeline and Lester make a landfall. The National Hurricane Center has published instructions on what general public can do to set up their homes for the hurricanes.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2016  Several major agricultural and food companies are combining resources with environmental groups to support on-farm conservation and improve soil health.

The Midwest Row Crop Collaborative was launched today at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. The initiative is designed to accelerate the Soil Health Partnerships leadership in helping farmers adopt practices such as cover cropping and the use of no-till techniques that protect natural resources while potentially increasing profits, according to a release from the National Corn Growers Association. SHP is a farmer-led initiative of the NCGA established in 2014.

Through healthy soil, farmers can play a major role protecting water quality and the environmentwhile also optimizing their crop yields and economic returns, said Nick Goeser, director of the SHP. Were honored to welcome the Midwest Row Crop Collaborative to our program. Their support will amplify our research and communications efforts in helping farmers find practices that work best for them.

The Collaboratives founding members include Cargill, the Environmental Defense Fund, General Mills, Kellogg Company, Monsanto, PepsiCo, The Nature Conservancy, Walmart and the World Wildlife Fund. The overall shared goal is to help achieve a 45 percent nutrient loss reduction by 2035 across the Upper Mississippi River Basin  chiefly nitrogen and phosphorus.

Like what you see here? Agri-Pulse subscribers get our Daily Harvest email and Daybreak audio Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website. Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.





As part of this effort, the Collaborative has committed to raise $4 million over five years to augment the Soil Health Partnership, NCGA said. SHP has already enrolled more than 65 farm sites in nine Midwestern states, and the new alliance will help SHP achieve the goal of enrolling 100 farms a full two years earlier than planned.

NCGA says the new funding commitment recognizes SHP as the leader in field-scale testing and measuring of management practices that improve soil health.

As a farmer, I am committed to soil health because I know we have to constantly improve how we care for our land and how we farm it, said Roger Zylstra, a SHP-enrollee from Lynnville. This funding commitment is significant to me because now we have more support from the large food and ag companies as well as environmental groups pushing for change. Theyre showing us we dont have to do it alone.

#30

For more news, go to: www.AGri-Pulse.com
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2016 - Jim Matheson, a Democrat who was elected to seven terms in the U.S. House from a reliably Republican district in Utah, knows something about what it takes to work across party lines and buck political headwinds.

Hell need that experience in his new job as CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which argues that the Obama administrations climate regulations will drive up consumer costs and put some of its many coal-dependent co-ops out of business

President Obamas Clean Power Plan is the cornerstone of the U.S. pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris accord. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has pledged to implement the regulations if shes elected, and has called for taking additional steps to reduce carbon emissions. Donald Trump opposes the regulations.

For now, the Supreme Court has put a hold on the plan while lower courts consider a lawsuit in which NRECA is a lead plaintiff. But if the courts eventually allow the rules to take effect, the threat to co-ops is so serious that NRECA may have to go to Congress, or to the next administration, to seek some form of relief, Matheson says.

Our argument is, How are we going to have our members avoid massive economic disruptions? Thats where were coming from. I think thats a legitimate issue and I would think anyone would want to talk to us about it, whatever they think about climate change, he said.

The aid that NRECA would seek could come in the form of an extension of compliance deadlines or possible financial help to co-ops that are burdened with coal-fired plants that the Clean Power Plan has turned into stranded assets, Matheson says. That would almost certainly require working across party lines with a divided Congress  and a Democratic president, if Clinton is elected. Republicans are expected to retain control of the House in November, but Democrats have a good chance of taking control of the Senate.

Matheson cites his own experience in winning election in deep-red Utah as proof that he can build the kind of political coalitions that NRECA will need. He was first elected in 2001 and was re-elected six more times until he retired in 2015.

I had to reach out and build a consensus around, in this case  electing me, said Matheson in an interview in his 11th floor office at NRECAs headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. A bookcase in one corner of the office holds four pairs of well-worn cowboy boots  a reminder of his Western roots  and hes wearing a fifth pair.

With so many Republican constituents, I had to overcome some initial predispositions that might have led them in a different direction, namely their party. I think that capacity to facilitate some level of stakeholder engagement, if you will, is what I learned during my political life, he said

Matheson won re-election in 2008 by 28 points even as GOP presidential candidate John McCain carried Mathesons district by 18 points.

A big part of his success was his voting record, one of the most conservative among House Democrats. In 2009, he voted against both of Obamas chief first-term legislative initiatives, the Affordable Care Act and the cap-and-trade proposal to lower greenhouse gas emissions

Mathesons decision to retire didnt come until after he was put into a new district and narrowly won re-election in 2012 over Republican Mia Love, who went on to win the seat in 2014.

As for his legislative successes, he cites a measure with the parochial title of the Washington County Lands Bill. Its original aim was to free up some federal land badly needed for development and infrastructure in Utahs fast-growing Washington County, home of Zion National Park. But the complex deal that Matheson forged in partnership with the states then-Republican senator, Bob Bennett, required a series of compromises with environmental groups, an Indian tribe, and a range of other interests.

The legislation that ultimately passed in 2009, after five years of negotiations, created 2 million acres of wilderness nationwide and was seen by many as a model for how to protect sensitive lands across the country.

There were 23 groups of stakeholders, including the county commissioners, who had varied interests, Matheson said. They thought they couldnt even talk to each other. It was hard to get (them) into the room to start with, but in the end nobody got everything they wanted but we succeeded.  They all got something.

Matheson says hes still familiarizing himself with the co-ops issues, drawing on a background in energy policy that stretches back to before he came to Washington. He worked for several different companies in the energy sector and later started an energy consulting firm.

Hes already well familiar with the climate issue, and no sector of the power industry probably has more at stake in the Clean Power Plan than the electric cooperatives. As an industry they get an estimated 58 percent of their power from coal, versus just 12 percent from natural gas, which has significantly lower carbon emissions. When the regulations were proposed, NRECA said the co-ops would raise rates on some of their consumers by as much as 33 percent in 2020 and 46 percent in 2025.

Matheson says the litigation has already bought the co-ops some time by getting the Supreme Court stay on the rule. But, he said, At some point that clock is going to run out. Im not naive about that.

In the interest of avoiding exposure to the taxpayer, which ultimately could happen here if you went to the most extreme case, theres going to have to be some discussion about how were going to mitigate the stranded cost issue and give co-ops the appropriate and reasonable running room for whatever transitions theyve got to take. That may be a legislative strategy, quite frankly. Thats probably the most obvious path to take. But there may be an effort to negotiate with the agency (the EPA) as well.

Matheson says the co-ops have a powerful political weapon in the form of their 42 million consumers, who are spread out across 47 states. Political leaders should care about what that many consumers are thinking, he says.

I would like to think that in the current political world were in right now, where there is a heightened degree of populism, which weve seen affect both political parties, by the way, a distrust of big anything, I think our position is even stronger to be a voice. And so I welcome the chance, whoever is the administration, to sit down and say, Look, our motivation is were looking out for 42 million consumers.

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Whether you have a state with a lot of co-ops, or with none  because there are three that have none  that consumer perspective is still of real value. Id like to think that a Clinton administration or a Trump administration would want to hear from us.

Matheson hasnt talked to either of the presidential campaigns yet. He believes Clinton has an understanding of electric co-ops going back to her experience in Arkansas, where her husband was governor.

She knows something about us. Were not going to come in to somebody who is a stranger when we walk into the door because shes familiar with the co-op community, and so I would like to think that puts us in a good position to come in and represent the energy industry and what I would like to think is a pretty powerful position.

Switching to natural gas is impractical for many co-ops, in part because of the time it takes to build the necessary pipelines, he says.

These pipelines dont get tossed into the ground and up in operation in a couple of months, he said. Co-ops in Florida, for example, already have trouble getting access to gas. There are serious transportation and delivery bottlenecks that are going to have to be addressed.

#30

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August 31, 2016

Hamas-Egypt relations are hanging by a thread amid the instability and tension between them, which some fear could result in a complete severing of ties.

The latest flare ignited Aug. 22 when Al Jazeera broadcast a photo of Hamas members who had been abducted a year ago by unknown armed men in the Sinai Peninsula after passing through the Rafah crossing.

Hamas said the men  Yasser Zanoun, Hussein al-Zabda, Abdullah Abu al-Jabin and Abdel Dayem Abu Labda  were traveling to Turkey to seek medical treatment or to pursue their studies. Egypt claimed the men were members of Hamas' military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and were on their way to Iran for military training.

The photo shows two of the four men locked up, along with many others, at the headquarters of the Egyptian State Security Intelligence. In the photo, all the men were shown in their underwear and seemed to be in a miserable state. Some of them were emaciated.

Al Jazeera would not reveal the source of the photo, although Huffington Post Arabi cited its own anonymous source as saying the photo is a still from prison camera footage that Palestinian leaders obtained a few months ago through intermediaries. It appears the photo was leaked to Hamas, which eventually allowed Al Jazeera to publish it, perhaps in an effort to reignite the abduction issue because of pressure from families to get their sons released.

Al Jazeera released the photo just days after dozens of Palestinians participated in an Aug. 18 protest in front of the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza to demand that Egypt reveal the fate of the four men. There has been no word since their abduction. The day before the photo was broadcast, Abu Obeida, spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, announced the brigades have been following up on the case and making constant efforts to bring the men back.

Mohammad Abu Labda, a member of the Popular Assembly for Solidarity with the Palestinians Kidnapped in Egypt, expressed that group's frustration with the lack of progress.

A year after the abduction of our four youths while on their way to the Egyptian territories, we are still living on the hope that they are fine. We have asked Egypt to take action quickly to reveal their fate, he told Al-Monitor. Abu Labda is an uncle of one of the abducted men, Abdel Dayem Abu Labda.

Hamas spokesman and leader Salah Bardawil told Al-Monitor the young men had been abducted "in front of the Egyptian authorities in the security zone of the checkpoints of the Rafah crossing.

Therefore, Egypt is held accountable, and it should reveal their detention place. But, so far, it has refused to disclose any information about their whereabouts and their fate," he added.

Hamas sources told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Egypt is putting tough conditions on Hamas in return for revealing the fate of the abducted men. Egypt wants Hamas to cooperate with it to control the security situation in Sinai, but Hamas has repeatedly refused this demand because it does not want to meddle with the affairs of any Arab state, mainly Egypt.

Hamas-affiliated al-Resalah newspaper revealed Aug. 25 more of Egypts demands: First, Hamas should intervene in Sinai to fight the Islamic State and deploy additional security forces along the Rafah-Sinai borders. Hamas should hand over to Egypt Palestinians who are allegedly involved in Sinai violence. And, finally, the movement should turn over certain men in Gaza who are wanted by Egyptian security forces.

Also fueling tension between Hamas and Egypt is a statement Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry issued Aug. 21, saying he doesn't consider Israeli military operations against Palestinians to be acts of terrorism. The statement obviously was not well-received.

Whoever does not see the Zionist crimes as acts of terrorism must be blind," Husam Badrana, a Hamas spokesman who lives in Qatar, told Al-Monitor in response to Shoukry's statement, which coincided with Israel's shelling of Gaza on Aug. 21. Shoukry's comments infuriated Palestinians and Arabs, who took to social media to express their anger. It is noteworthy that Shoukry had said May 15 that Hamas-Egypt relations had not seen any progress recently, and he denied claims about Saudi endeavors to alleviate tension between them.

Hani al-Masri, the director of the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies (Masarat) in Ramallah, told Al-Monitor, Hamas-Egypt relations are heading downhill, and nothing on the horizon indicates imminent improvement. Egypt has also been trying to instill internal reconciliation in Fatah between Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas and dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan, who have been at odds since 2011. Consequently, Egypt is not interested at the moment in rectifying relations with Hamas, although it does not want to reach a point of no return with the movement. So it is trying to control the situation, even if that means pressuring Hamas.

Also deteriorating the relationship is Egypt's continued blocking of the Rafah crossing, which has been closed since July 5. This has worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, especially among the increasing number of people who urgently need to travel. The Ministry of Interior in Gaza announced Aug. 27 that Egypt does not intend to open the crossing soon, although the ministry hopes that Egypt will ultimately open it permanently without impediments.

Mushir al-Masri, spokesman for Hamas parliamentary bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council, briefed Al-Monitor on relations between Hamas and Egypt and their future. "Hamas wants to build a strategic relationship with Egypt  by directing their efforts against their common enemy  Israel. Although Egypt and Hamas are still in contact, relations deteriorated because of Egypt. The recent events, including the abduction of the four men [a year ago], Shoukrys statements and the ongoing closing of Rafah crossing have added insult to injury, although Hamas wants to mend its relations with Egypt, but not as a result of blackmail and pressure.

It's no longer a secret that Hamas-Egypt relations are closer to disintegration than repair. As long as the reasons behind the crisis  including a worsening rivalry between Hamas and Fatah  remain unaddressed, the relations are unlikely to reach the hoped-for detente. Egypt and Hamas could enter a vicious circle of pressure from Egypt and condemnation from Hamas, with both sides ignoring the potential outcome.
August 31, 2016

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  The local elections scheduled for Oct. 8 in Gaza and the West Bank  the first following the Hamas-Fatah split in June 2007 and including the majority of the factions  has created a buzz on the Palestinian street. The Central Elections Commission announced in a July 14 statement on its website that it had begun receiving requests for accreditation by potential election observers. Given the great interest in and importance of these elections, the commission had issued a call for observers July 10. The deadline for applications is Oct. 1.

Hisham Kahil, executive director of the elections commission, told Al-Monitor that the commission had officially called on several international organizations, embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions to Palestine to take part in supervision and monitoring. He said the US-based Carter Center, the National Democratic Institute and the Jordanian government had agreed to supervise the elections. He anticipates that the commission will be receiving additional volunteers in the upcoming days.

The goal behind calling on international institutions is to promote the credibility of the elections and their results, Kahil said. International participation will be similar to that for the 2006 legislative elections. That election had 17,611 observers, 850 of them from abroad.

Salah Abdel Ati, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies (Masarat), told Al-Monitor that the international and local monitoring of the electoral process will help put Fatah and Hamas officials at ease given their mutual trepidation.

The electoral process transparency and fairness through the presence of observers promotes the fairness and credibility of the elections, Abdel Ati said. This does not only apply [in the eyes of] Palestinians, but rather to the world. He noted that interest in local elections in other places tends to be less than that for parliamentary and presidential contests, but the Oct. 8 elections are of great interest because they are taking place in both Palestinian territories, where the democratic process has been obstructed since 2007.

Kayed al-Ghul, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, told Al-Monitor, We support the highest possible level of monitoring by civil society organizations (CSOs), international institutions and any actors relevant to the democratic process in order to guarantee that the elements for their success are present. Such participation will limit harmful interference in the electoral process.

Ghul stressed that the involvement of international institutions will show to what extent the elections are fair and Palestinian voters are granted full freedom in casting their ballots. He noted that the internal split has cast a shadow over the electoral process and called on all parties to abide by the electoral law and the code of conduct signed by the political factions on July 17. The major concern, he said, is that Hamas and Fatah will take advantage of their authority in Gaza and the West Bank, respectively, in campaigning to influence voters.

Ismail al-Ashqar, a Hamas leader and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, told Al-Monitor that his movement also welcomes the participation of international bodies and local CSOs in supervising the elections because it will lend greater transparency and fairness to the process.

He stressed that Hamas believes elections to be the best way for people to choose their representatives and views the upcoming elections as the Palestinian people delivering a message to the world that they are able to exercise the democratic process and freely select their leaders.

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission issued guidelines in October 2012 that included a code of conduct and obligations for observers, including candidates representatives, during the electoral process.

Maan Daiis, head of the Monitoring of National Legislation and Policies Department at the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), a local agency monitoring the elections, told Al-Monitor, The ICHR has received many complaints since the start of the electoral process and is constantly working with the Central Elections Commission to resolve [them].

He said that the ICHR had signed a memorandum of understanding with the elections commission Aug. 24 to work together to produce a favorable environment to conduct free and fair elections and to enable and motivate the people to exercise their constitutional right to run in the elections.

The ICHR took part in monitoring the elections held in 2005, 2006 and 2012. Daiis stressed that the ICHR focuses on all phases of elections  beginning with the registration phase, campaigning, voting and announcement of the results  to determine whether the environment guarantees the participation of all those eligible to vote.

Palestinians hope to repeat the experience of the strong and effective participation and a fair democratic process as in the 2006 elections in the West Bank and Gaza.
August 31, 2016

In the lead-up to the Sept. 4-5 G-20 summit in which Saudi Arabia will participate, Deputy Crown Prince and head of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs Mohammed bin Salman arrived in China Aug. 29 for an official two-day visit. His trip came at the invitation of Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China Zhang Gaoli for the purpose of promoting economic integration and trade exchange, which reached $51 billion between the two countries in 2015.

Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Li Huaxin reiterated on Aug. 29 Chinas interest in Salmans visit and in supporting the kingdoms Vision 2030, a plan prepared by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company that calls for nonoil investment expansion. During the visit, 15 agreements were signed in the sectors of energy, oil storage, minerals and housing.

Salmans foreign visits succeeded in attracting international interest in the kingdoms Vision 2030 and in convincing several industrial states like Russia, France, the United States and Japan of the usefulness of economic partnership with Saudi Arabia. His efforts have resulted in several investment agreements with these countries this year. Ambitious and progressive economic promises accompanied the introduction of Vision 2030, including cutting unemployment rates from over 11% to 7% and climbing to a top position in the Global Competitiveness Report.

Despite the media campaign praising Vision 2030, many Saudi citizens are worried by the state imposing new tariffs and increasing old ones. There is also a financial crisis that has hit several companies operating in Saudi Arabia, caused by the general budgetary deficit and the decline in governmental spending on development projects.

Saudi activists and writers have been protesting the rise in electricity costs in the kingdom with an Arabic hashtag that translates to #electricitybillincrease. The problem surfaced when the citizens received their July electricity bills for double their usual amounts. One citizen, Khalid Mulla, tweeted on Aug. 7 that his electricity bill had risen to 750 Saudi riyals (about $200) from 300 ($80) previously.

Since July, the Saudi Electricity Company has been advising citizens over social media to adjust their refrigerator temperatures, in an attempt to link the bill increase to consumer misuse. But the Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority  a public organization that monitors the quality and performance of electricity services  tweeted on July 13 that it blames the power company after receiving thousands of complaints from citizens over the bill increase and poor service.

In a July 29 press statement, the head of the authority, Abdullah al-Shehri, said that the electricity tariff should be adjusted to cover the increasing expenses of the electricity company as a result of the rise in fuel prices. But the undersecretary of electricity affairs at the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Minerals, Saleh Alawaji, said during a call to a television show on Aug. 21 that the electricity bills increased with increases in power consumption over the summer.

The conflicting statements of Saudi electricity officials have long frustrated economic journalists and many citizens who suffered due to the rise in their electricity bills. On June 21, 2014, the Saudi newspaper Makkah published an article about outstanding bills of many prominent figures that reached 2.6 billion riyals (about $690 million) in 2013 and 2.5 billion riyals (about $670 million) in 2012. Although the newspaper did not name these people, it is well-known in the kingdom that princes do not pay public service bills.

Although there have been conflicting views expressed on Twitter, it seems that all people agree the government is to blame for the increase in electricity bills. Saudi economic journalist Barjas al-Barjas tweeted on July 19 that the citizens will pay the price of the Finance Ministry's failure. Meanwhile, Omar al-Zuhairi, another Saudi citizen, tweeted on Aug. 4 his call for the government to reduce its electricity waste on lighting streets and highways. Shiite Saudi blogger Zeinab Haji was bolder, tweeting July 30, The electricity company decided to rob its citizens to settle the debt of prominent figures.

The Saudi government has taken various austerity measures in the past, such as lifting oil, gas, power, water and sewage subsidies in December 2015, and later imposing the airport embarkation tax in early 2016. The kingdom also seeks to impose the VAT in early 2017 and municipal fees for trash services that will apply to all Saudi residents in the upcoming months.

Salman told Bloomberg in April that the aim of these measures is to cover the governments financial deficit, which has been accumulating since 2015 and has reached $38 billion, and to establish an investment fund worth $2 trillion to help end Saudi reliance on oil and to raise nonoil revenues over $100 billion by 2020.

McKinseys plan did not include political reform as a gateway to economic reform. It did not take into consideration the nature of the nepotism in Riyadh and the influence of princes and kings on the Saudi economy, either. Regardless, there is no mechanism to oblige the princes and kings to follow the governments rules for all other citizens. For instance, the Saudi government imposed an annual fee of 2.5% of the value of undeveloped urban lands of 10,000 square meters or more if the land owners were not working to develop these lands. Most of these owners are princes. The positive effects of the decision will be limited because its implementation will only involve land owned by regular citizens, despite the governments reassurances that it will fine all citizens without exception.
August 31, 2016

The Justice and Development Party (AKP), which accustomed Turkey to tumultuous celebrations of any occasion it could think of, including to show respect for those killed in last months coup attempt, opted for a low-key observance to mark the 15th anniversary of its founding Aug. 14. The AKP came to power only 15 months after its establishment and has been the sole ruling party for 14 years. Has the party been successful?

To many, it might seem superfluous to ask such a question about a party that has won 12 consecutive elections. Also, let's not forget, Turkey's gross domestic product has increased threefold. Thousands of kilometers of highways, hundreds of schools and hundreds of thousands of dwellings have been built. Accession negotiations began with the European Union, the militarys political power was curtailed, and important advances were made in human rights and freedom of expression. The party also experienced a number of disturbing episodes during its years in power.

When the AKP first won power, in 2002, the party leader at the time, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was legally banned from politics. In 2007, just before Abdullah Gul was elected Turkey's first AKP president, the military issued a warning to the party on its website. A year later, the AKP was confronted with a court case seeking to close it down. In 2012, the public prosecutor summoned the chief of national intelligence, Hakan Fidan, to account for secret contacts with the Kurdistan Workers Party. Protests that began at Gezi Park in Istanbul spread to 80 cities in 2013. That same year in December, allegations of corruption surfaced, with 25 graft probes resulting in the resignation of four government ministers.

The question of whether the AKP has been successful, however, is not how it has dealt with tough issues in the past, but what the picture is today. To free prison space for the tens of thousands of people detained after the failed coup, the government is releasing convicted criminals before their sentences are complete. Thousands of judges, scores of journalists, academics and businessmen have been jailed. Torture has made a comeback, and EU membership appears a distant dream.

Tensions with the United States have peaked. The Kurdish issue has reached an impasse, with related bloodshed from the past year being the worst of the past decade. Islamic State terrorists have hit city squares, the biggest airport in the country and now weddings. Unemployment is on the rise, and tourism, one of the largest sectors of the country, is in deep trouble.

Despite these negative developments, the popularity of AKP co-founder Erdogan continues to grow. Public support for him is estimated at more than 60%. Is this incredible amount of backing a success story?

According to Yasin Aktay, the AKP deputy chairman and spokesman, No doubt, it is. Aktay recalled that in Novembers snap elections, the AKP received about 50% of the vote and maintained the trend of increasing its vote share.

These are signs that our people support what we have been doing, and we are far ahead of all other parties when it comes to responding to popular demands, Aktay said. No matter from what perspective you look, ours is a success story.

Journalist Ali Sirmen, however, believes the AKP's base is sufficient to win elections only as long as it steers clear of trying to find solutions to problems. Responding to questions from Al-Monitor, Sirmen said that the biggest obstacle to the resolution of the Kurdish issue is this constituency.

The AKPs lack of sufficient support to tackle problems, for example the Kurdish issue, prevents the AKP from acting independently, he said. The AKP base does not support autonomy and cultural rights on the Kurdish issue.

The AKP had expedited the EU process after taking power, initiating full accession negotiations in 2005. Today, negotiations have been suspended, and things can only get worse, as Erdogan has repeatedly warned that unless Turkish citizens are granted visa-free travel to EU states by the end of October, Turkey will retract its agreement on controlling the flow of refugees to Europe.

According to Aktay, the Europeans are not responding to Turkeys efforts. We realize they dont want Turkey, but they are not saying that explicitly, he said.

After the AKP took power, its foreign policy goal was zero problems with neighbors. Today, although efforts have been made to resolve troubled relations with Russia and Israel, Turkey cannot point to a single problem-free relationship with any of its neighbors. Aktay blames the neighbors.

You have to look at what these countries are doing themselves, he said. We have every right to blame them. Should we be on better terms with [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad, who has killed hundreds of thousands of people? Is the United States acting properly by sheltering a terrorist? The problem in Iraq is not only our problem. Turkey has lived through a major coup attempt and did not receive proper support. If the countries we want to solve our problems with are happy with the situation as it is, there isnt much we can do about it. Nevertheless, our goal is still zero problems.

Sirmen says the AKP is experiencing isolation because it has lost the support of Europe and the United States. This situation is forcing the party to seek reconciliation with the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Action Party.

Among the risks experts cited after the July 15 coup attempt was danger to the economy, but the uneasiness of the markets did not last long. The "hot money" that Turkey's economy came to depend on in recent years is coming back. There is no panic in the markets despite endless terror acts. On Aug. 25, the day after Turkish tanks entered Syria, there was an attack on the convoy of CHP opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and the Turkish lira made gains.

Economics expert Ege Yazgan told Al-Monitor that during the AKP's years in power, the party performed well in terms of the economy. Except during the 2008 global economic crisis, the Turkish economy grew. Growth stood at 6.5% for 2002-2007, 9% for 2010-2011 and 3.5% in the following years. Per capita income today is a little more than $9,000, but there were years when it rose above $10,000.

Yazgan attributes the AKPs electoral support to economic growth. People who couldnt afford a glass of tea at a coffee house now go to malls, he said. This growth mostly benefited the low-income brackets, that is, the AKPs base, its constituents. This is the real reason why the AKP still enjoys the formidable support of the people.
August 30, 2016

LAAYOUNE, Western Sahara  Though the United Nations peace mission in Western Sahara lies lifeless, the struggle of the Sahrawi people is very much alive.

As the indigenous Sahrawis strive for independence from Morocco, progress and setbacks are intertwined. In July came progress: Moroccos highest appeals court ordered a new trial for 24 Sahrawi activists who had been arrested after a mass protest in 2010 at the Gdeim Izik camp. Yet on Aug. 21, political activist Sukain Jad Ahlu was leading a peaceful protest at the Fem El Oud beach when she was attacked by police and badly beaten.

Ahlu, the head of the Future Forum for Sahrawi Women, told Al-Monitor, I was peacefully demonstrating and repeating slogans calling for an independent Western Sahara when the Moroccan gendarme forces intervened against me. They beat me very hard on my back. I was personally targeted and my flag was confiscated.

Ahlu, who had spent 12 years behind bars as a political prisoner, said she still suffers from the recent beating. I cannot even move to pray, she said.

Despite a media blackout during the protest, Sahrawi journalist Nazha El Khalidi covered the peaceful event. But as soon as she started working, she said, she was attacked by Moroccan forces.

I was taking pictures when Moroccan gendarme men began running toward me. I ran and threw my camera in a passing truck, but they stopped it, Khalidi told Al-Monitor. The armed men, who were dressed in civilian clothes, told her to follow them if she wanted to get her camera back, but instead she was arrested and beaten, she said. When I entered the office, or what Moroccos state agents called an office, I found out that it was a place for torture and insult. I found four minors and six Sahrawi human rights activists.

Khalidi says it is very difficult to assemble in the Moroccan-occupied territories of Western Sahara.

Since 1975, an estimated 50,000-160,000 Sahrawi refugees have lived in the Tindouf area of southwestern Algeria. They were forced to flee to Algeria after Spain withdrew from the region and Morocco and Mauritania laid claim to the territory. In 1976, the Sahrawi liberation movement, the Polisario Front, declared the area the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and in 1979, Mauritania recognized it and retreated.

The Polisario and Morocco continued fighting over the mineral-rich region until they agreed on a UN-sponsored cease-fire in 1991 that was supposed to grant Sahrawis their right of self-determination in a referendum and to choose whether to become part of Morocco or opt for an independent state. But Morocco refused any vote that would include the option of independence. It still controls 75% of the territory, while the Sahrawi independence movement administers the remaining 25%. As a result, the Sahrawi people are either living in exile or behind the worlds longest minefield, seeded by Morocco during the 1980s.

Since the stalemate began, the people of Western Sahara have been peacefully fighting for their right to self-determination. In October 2010, Sahrawi independence supporters living in the Moroccan-occupied territories of Western Sahara established the Gdeim Izik protest camp to demand their socio-economic rights.

Mohamed Mayara is a Sahrawi media activist who was present in the Gdeim Izik camp. He told Al-Monitor the protest started with dozens of unemployed, married Sahrawis who took their families to the southeast of Laayoune and lived in tents while they protested and demanded their right to work. The camp expanded little by little. Within weeks, an estimated 20,000-25,000 Sahrawis had joined the protest. As the camp grew, so did the protesters aspirations. Soon people began raising the issue of an independent Western Sahara.

Argeibi Yousef is one of the Sahrawi youth volunteers who helped run the Gdeim Izik camp. There were young Sahrawi men and women who distributed food and water throughout the month, Yousef told Al-Monitor. He said Sahrawi donors bought all the necessary supplies for people in the camp. Yousef described the protest as an unforgettable experience. American scholar and political activist Noam Chomsky cites the event as the start of the Arab Spring.

After a month, the protest was violently dispersed by the Moroccan army.

Afterward, the 24 Sahrawi political activists accused of killing Moroccan policemen were tried in a military court. Some received life sentences. However, on July 27, a Moroccan appeals court decided the political prisoners should be retried, this time in a civilian court.

The decision came after intense pressure from human rights organizations calling for a fair civil trial for the defendants. Human Rights Watch argued, The bereaved families of those who lost their lives in November 2010 have a right to see justice done. However, justice is surely not done by locking up a group of Sahrawis following a guilty verdict by a military court, based on confessions allegedly obtained under coercion or torture, without any other evidence linking them to these killings.
lawler's.jpg

Athens-based LawLers Barbecue. (Kelly Kazek/kkazek@al.com)

Nearly 1,000 business and community leaders visited the U.S. Space & Rocket Center on Tuesday night to honor the area's top entrepreneurs.

The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County's 31st-annual Small Business Awards, normally held at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville, took place this year at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration.

The black tie gala included several new SBA Awards categories, including Brewery of the Year, Culinary Business of the Year, Medical Practice of the Year, Retailer of the Year and Woman-Owned Business of the Year.

The Chamber said a panel of judges from Vail Valley Partnership determined the winners in 14 different categories from more than 1,700 nominations.

Here is the list of 2016 SBA Awards recipients:

Brewery of the Year

Straight To Ale

Business/Professional Services Business of the Year

Transcend

Culinary Business of the Year

LawLers Barbecue

Emerging Business of the Year

Cintel Strategies

Government Contracting-Business/Professional Service Business of the Year

Media Fusion

Government Contracting-Technology Business of the Year

Avion Solutions

Medical Practice of the Year

BrookeMD Primary Care

Nonprofit of the Year (2 Awards)

Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County

Neighborhood Concepts

Retailer of the Year

Signs By Tomorrow Huntsville

Service Business of the Year

Southern Construction & Design

Technology Business of the Year

AAL USA

Women-Owned Business of the Year

Kids to Love Foundation

Russell G. Brown Executive Leadership

Tim Thornton, nLogic

Young Professional of the Year

Alana Parker, Rocket City Drywall & Supply
BLOOD BROTHER COVER.jpg

A new biography of Jonathan Daniels gives a detailed account of his civil rights activism, which ended with him being shot to death in Hayneville, Ala., in 1965.

(Calkins Creek Publishing)

Civil rights martyr Jonathan Daniels is known best for how he died.

But how did he live?

Rich and Sandra Neil Wallace, co-authors of a new biography of Daniels called "Blood Brother" (Calkins Creek, $18.95), answer that question. Daniels, a white Episcopal seminary student, was shot to death in Alabama on Aug. 20, 1965, in Hayneville after a spring and summer of civil rights activism.

The authors used Daniels' diary, photographs he took that had never been published and other records and letters that Daniels wrote and received, along with interviews of his contemporaries, to paint a portrait of an activist who believed in racial equality and was willing to risk his life to make a stand for it.

Many of the photographs he took are now published in the book for the first time. "Jonathan was an amateur photographer," Sandra said.

The authors also interviewed activists who knew Daniels well. "We were able to locate about a dozen protesters who were teenagers and they'd never been interviewed before," she said.

The authors were able to document that when Daniels was a cadet at Virginia Military Institute, he marched in the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in 1961.

They were also able to identify him in a photograph taken at the March on Washington in 1963. Although he was a seminary student and not an ordained priest, he was wearing an episcopal collar. "He wanted to make sure there was a white clerical presence at the rally," Rich Wallace said.

He also wore his episcopal collar while registering black voters in Dallas and Lowndes counties in Alabama. He requested and received permission from the Episcopal Society of Cultural and Racial Unity to wear the clerical collar, again to make a statement.

"Jonathan did his own thing in a lot of ways," Sandra said. "He was adamant about showing a different side of the church."

A 1965 photo of Jonathan Daniels with fellow activists Judy Upham and Ron Fuller at a Selma gas station. Fuller was a student activist at R. B. Hudson High School. Upham lent a red Volkswagen to Jonathan to drive as he registered voters during the voting rights campaign. Judy was also a student at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and became one of the first women Episcopal priests.

Daniels, of Keene, N.H., was a student at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass. "He was this brilliant intellectual," Sandra said.

Daniels answered a call for assistance from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., after the beatings of Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965, in Selma. Daniels and the Rev. James Reeb, a Unitarian minister who would also be killed, were both on a chartered airplane that left Boston on March 8, 1965. They arrived in Selma on the morning of March 9. After eating at an integrated restaurant in Selma, Reeb was severely beaten on March 9 and was taken to a hospital in Birmingham, where he died on March 11, the first white civil rights worker killed in 1965.

Daniels worked in Dallas County until mid-May, then returned to seminary to take his exams. He returned by July, with a red Volkswagen Beetle that he drove around on country roads, encouraging black farmers to register to vote.

The voter registration workers lived meagerly. "If you look at the pictures, his weight loss during the time he was there is pretty incredible," Sandra said. "They were always hungry, without money."

They were also always in the shadow of danger, threatened by people who resented Daniels and others as outside agitators. "He fully understood the risks," Rich said. "The killings of Jimmy Lee Jackson, James Reeb and Viola Liuzzo happened within a few days of each other and he knew what the danger was. Jonathan fully understood the risks."

Daniels took a leading role in bringing black worshippers to the Episcopal church in Selma in April 1965, He wrote letters to Bishop C.C.J. Carpenter in Birmingham asking him to allow the church to be integrated.

Daniels and others protested outside the Alabama Episcopal Church headquarters office in Birmingham, now called Carpenter House, demanding that Carpenter allow integration. "He held a sign that said, 'Slave Gallery Revived,'" Sandra said. "Jonathan Daniels wasn't going to go away."

Back in Selma, he helped wear down the segregationist resistance.

"He was a leader in a group that wanted to integrate that church," Rich said. "He was part of a mixed-race group that came to the church on Sundays to worship."

After a month of refusals, on Palm Sunday, April 11, they were allowed into the worship service at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. "They finally let them in and put them in the back row," Rich said. "He felt they were working against Episcopal law by not allowing the church to be integrated."

Daniels was one of 30 people arrested Aug. 14, 1965, for joining a picket line in Fort Deposit on charges of "parading without a permit" and "picketing to cause blood" -- later changed to disturbing the peace. Bail was set at $100 apiece, and the activists decided none would leave until all could be bailed out.



On Aug. 20, Daniels and his companions were unexpectedly released from they Hayneville jail, though no bail had been paid and no arrangements made for their pickup. Four of them walked to Varner's Cash Grocery, where they were met by a man with a shotgun.

Daniels died from the first shotgun blast while protecting a black teenage girl named Ruby Sales.

Richard Morrisroe, then a 26-year-old Catholic priest, was wounded by a second gunshot.



Thomas Coleman was acquitted of manslaughter by an all-white jury.



Sales was 17 at the time Daniels was killed. She has become a nationally-recognized human-rights activist and social critic and the founder and co-director of Spirit House, an organization that promotes a spiritual approach to racial, economic and social justice.

"Not a day goes by that she doesn't think about what Jonathan did," Sandra said.

Daniels' courage had been on display long before that day. "That wasn't the first dangerous situation they were in," Rich said.

Daniels joined the Selma-to-Montgomery march on March 21, 1965 and took part in the rally at Alabama's capitol. Liuzzo, a white civil rights activist from Michigan, was killed March 25 in Lowndes County by Ku Klux Klansmen as she attempted to shuttle marchers back toward Selma. Daniels shuttled marchers back to Selma and stood guard at Brown Chapel AME Church, where some marchers stayed the night.

On April 5, Daniels joined students from Camden High School who marched on Camden City Hall in a protest for their parents' voting rights. The mayor threw a smoke bomb. Daniels marched with them the following day. Marchers carried an American flag. Police rushed them and a can of tear gas landed near Daniels. He helped shuttle wounded to a first aid station set up at the high school. Though he was angry at police, "I saw that the men who came at me were themselves not free," he wrote.

"The color of his skin didn't determine his activism," Sandra said. "He loved so many people, particularly in Selma, and made a difference in that community. He had supporters who were white, who were silent supporters, but he would be the last one to judge someone for not being on the front lines. He was willing to do that, but he understood there were circumstances where some people could not."

A 1965 photo of Jonathan Daniels outside the Washington Carver Homes in Selma with Episcopal volunteer Marc Oliver from California, left, and SNCC worker Eugene Pritchett (in overalls).

Daniels' work included handing out sandwiches to long lines waiting to register to vote, tutoring students and shuttling people to doctors' appointments.

"It's obvious Jonathan needed to live out his convictions and he was willing to die for his convictions," Sandra said. "We don't think in any way Jonathan wanted to die. He was definitely fearless and he wasn't going to be intimidated."

The authors of "Blood Brother" believe Daniels' life should be an inspiration for the current generation as it continues to struggle for racial justice.

"(U.S. Rep.) John Lewis (who was beaten on Bloody Sunday) says Jonathan Daniels gave his soul for Alabama," Rich said. "Jonathan's story is pertinent for everyone. When you see an injustice, do something about it."
A Calhoun County circuit court jury has awarded a man $500,000 compensation for a 2010 accident at Anniston's Union Foundry.

According to court documents filed today, the jury awarded the money in compensatory damages last week to Gregory Bell, and his wife, Althea.

Bell, a furnace operator at Union Foundry, lost part of his right foot as a result of an accident on Sept. 28, 2010. According to the suit, Bell stepped into an unguarded opening and onto hot molten iron.

Bell's lawyers argued the furnace was defectively designed, as it did not have a guard that would have prevented the accident. Lawyers for DISA Industries contended the company was not liable for damages because it did not manufacture the platform Bell tripped on.

"Employees have a reasonable expectation that when they go to work, they will be able to do their jobs safely," said Kendall Dunson, a lawyer representing the Bells. "It is our hope that this verdict will lead to safety changes that will prevent any other workers from having to suffer a similar injury."

Joseph Duncan, an attorney for plaintiff DISA Industries, had no comment on the jury's verdict.
By year's end, Frios Gourmet Pops will have 30 locations, stretching from Texas and Oklahoma to Georgia and Florida.

The Gadsden-based company is in the process of opening nine new stores, including locations in-state in Huntsville, Daphne and Boaz.

Nationwide, the company plans to open stores in Katy and Sugarland, Texas, Tulsa, Okla., Oxford, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., and Rome, Ga. And that's in addition to a distribution partnership with Gigi's Cupcakes which extends the brand into 24 states.

"There's a lot of things happening," company founder Andy Harp said. "A lot of it is due to the popularity of the product. It's a fun brand. We've managed to double in size almost every year since the beginning."

Some of that expansion can be linked to the company's new 16,000-square-foot production facility, which the company is still moving into on Gadsden's Airport Road.

The new facility has a walk-in freezer about as big as as the total space at Frios' former production offices in a Broad Street storefront in Gadsden. Frios plans to open a "concept" store this Friday in a new Broad Street location, along with another store in neighboring Rainbow City.

Matt Robinson of Rome, Ga. is opening his own Frios store later this year. He said he had been considering his own gourmet pop business until he heard about Frios.

"All I had to do was talk to Andy to see that he was doing things exactly the way I would if I owned my own business," Robinson said.

All that growth may be one reason why Frios was named Retailer of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association last month.

"We've got a lot of stuff on the table right now," Harp said.
The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama appointed a new chief executive officer last week.

Kathryn Strickland will take over as CEO on October 3.

Strickland, who is coming from the Food Bank of North Alabama, led the Huntsville organization to donate 8 million pounds of food annually. She said that she is excited to work collaboratively with the North Alabama non-profit and function as sister-organizations.

"Kathryn will bring an extraordinary level of skill, experience and energy to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama," David Bell, Chairman of the Food Bank Board of Directors, said.

"She is the ideal person to help us fully realize the Food Bank's aspirations and engage the community in addressing food insecurity throughout central Alabama."

The Birmingham native said she is excited about coming back to the Magic City.

"I hope to capitalize on the tremendous momentum the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama has. I'm delighted to be coming home."

The Food Bank opened on December 1, 1982, with a $100,000 grant from the Greater Birmingham Foundation.

"With over 80,000 children in central Alabama at risk of hunger, I'm eager to join the Food Bank's phenomenal staff to further its vital mission... I believe we can meet this challenge," Strickland said.

Since its formation, the organization now serves 12 counties and donates food to 240 agencies.

Strickland said the Food Bank takes a two-prong approach to ending hunger by donating directly to the public through programs like the Mobile Food Pantry and the Weekenders Program.

Primarily, the organization donates food to its partner agencies, which include local shelters and programs.

In the 2015 fiscal year, the organization provided ten million meals.

Food donated to the Food Bank comes from grocery stores like Target, Publix, Wal-Mart, and Winn Dixie, and from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Food Bank also purchases some of its food, including items for children.

The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama is a member of Feeding America and an agency of United Way of Central Alabama.

"I am highly motivated... and feel so privileged to work in a role dedicated to serving others," Strickland said.
Friends and family are mourning the loss of two people killed in a fiery Walker County crash on Tuesday.

Chris Allen Leberte, a 56-year-old truck driver, and 17-year-old Kai Destiny Russell, a Dora high school senior, were killed in the crash. A 12-year-old was hospitalized.

The accident happened at 7:10 a.m. Tuesday on old U.S. 78 near Sipsey Road and Warrior River Bridge. Alabama State Trooper Reginal King said a 2001 Peterbilt dump truck collided with a 2003 Ford Focus. Leberte was driving the truck; Russell was driving the Ford. The truck caught fire after the collision.

Authorities said Russell wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Both she and Leberte were pronounced dead on the scene.

Kai Russell

Russell's friends and classmates gathered outside her school Tuesday to hold a vigil for the teen.

Leberte's sister, Marie Leberte Annello, said her brother's death has devastated the family. She described Leberte as caring and loving. "He is one of nine brothers and sisters and the most joyful storyteller of all,'' Annello said. "He always had a smile and never let you know his worries of the world."

"God be with my family during this tragic time,'' she said. "Our prayers do go up to all involved and mourning the loss of their loved one."
A Dothan man is accused of pouring alcohol on a turtle and lighting it on fire on Wednesday.

Dothan police said James Terrance Allen broadcast the act via Facebook Live.

According to police, the video showed Allen pouring alcohol on a turtle and saying "give me 100 views and I'll light it."

After igniting the turtle, Allen went on to say "give me 200 views or this (expletive) is gonna die."

Numerous citizens reported the offense to Dothan police. Officers were able to locate Allen and take him into custody. He is charged with aggravated animal cruelty.

The turtle, who was named Leonardo, is expected to make a full recovery, police said. The turtle is now in the care of the Wiregrass Humane Society until it can be released back into the wild.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday.

Trump announced the meeting on Twitter Tuesday night.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

Pena Nieto's office later confirmed the visit and said an invitation had also been extended to Trump's Democratic presidential challenger, Hillary Clinton.

Bloomberg News reported Trump will be accompanied by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions. Sessions, the first Senator to endorse Trump, has advised the candidate on foreign policy and immigration matters.

The visit will come on the same day as Trump is expected to deliver an address in Phoenix to expand on his much-debated immigration policy. The business mogul-turned-politician has proposed building a wall at the U.S./Mexican border to stem the tide of people entering the country illegally.

Trump has maintained Mexico will pay for the wall's construction, something Pena Nieto has scoffed at.

The Mexico visit will be sandwiched between a fundraising trip Wednesday morning in California and Trump's Arizona speech that night.
Need proof Alabamians love their guns? Here you go:

There were 2.1 million background checks performed on prospective firearms buyers in July, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. That figure represents a whopping 38 percent increase from the numbers from the same time a year ago and is just the latest record-breaking month as more Americans purchase guns.

Those skyrocketing numbers are seen in Alabama, too.

The number of federal firearm background checks more than doubled in Alabama from 2010 to 2015. A Bloomberg analysis showed there were 308,607 firearm background checks performed in Alabama 2010. By 2015, that number had grown to 737,509, an increase of 139 percent.

Nationally, Alabama saw the third greatest rate of increase, behind only Indiana (212 percent) and Delaware (162 percent).

Alabama's figures work out to more than 129 firearms background checks for every 1,000 residents. So far this year, more than 377,414 firearm background checks have been performed in the state.

Welcome to Wednesday's Wake Up Call. What's up?

John Lennon's killer denied parole

The man who killed John Lennon will remain in prison.

Mark David Chapman was denied parole for a ninth time on Monday. Chapman shot the former Beatle on Dec. 8, 1980 outside the Manhattan apartment building where he lived with his wife, Yoko Ono.

Parole board members denied the 61-year-old Chapman's request for release on the grounds his crime was premeditated and celebrity-seeking in nature.

Minnesota gun buyback program misfires

A Minneapolis gun buyback program took in mostly antiquated, unused or homemade firearms and collected few weapons that could be used in street crimes, critics said.

Two Minneapolis locations collected about 150 firearms last week but were forced to shut down after they ran out of $25,000 in gift cards that were being exchanged for the guns. The program allowed people to turn in guns anonymously and receive $15 to $300 in gift cards depending on the type of weapon submitted.

The weapons gathered during the buyback program will be decommissioned and given to artists to create anti-violence pieces.

Family sues Disney over bedbugs

A California family is suing Disneyland over claims they were bitten by bed bugs while staying at the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.

Joseph and Danielle Jones said they brought their three daughters - ages 4, 9 and 16 - to the theme park in August 2014. While staying at the Grand Californian, the family said they experienced bites later identified as coming from bed bugs. The family had to throw out all clothes and luggage taken to the hotel and their youngest daughter suffered permanent scarring from the bites, they said.

The suit alleges battery, negligence, fraudulent concealment, nuisance and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress and seeks unspecified damages.

Russian man volunteers for head transplant

A Russian man has volunteered for the first human head transplant.

Valery Spiridonov suffers from Werdnig-Hoffmann Disease, an often fatal genetic disorder that breaks down muscles and kills nerve cells. He is confined to a wheel chair.

Italian neuroscientist Dr. Sergio Canavero announced last year he plans to perform the first human head transplant in 2017. Canavero said the operation would require 80 surgeons and cost tens of millions of dollars but would have a 90 percent chance of success.

Skeptics aren't convinced.

Until tomorrow.
barton academy.JPG

The Barton Academy Foundation has been awarded a $1.25 million challenge grant from the Ben May Charitable Trust to help restore Alabama's oldest public school building as Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies. (File photo)

The Barton Academy Foundation announced Wednesday that it has been awarded a $1.25 million challenge grant from the Ben May Charitable Trust. The gift is the largest to date toward restoring Alabama's oldest public school building as Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies.

The academy for grades six through 12 will teach global commerce, international relations and foreign language skills through rigorous coursework aligned with international standards.

"The Ben May Charitable Trust has a long history of supporting some of Mobile's most successful civic, cultural and educational organizations - including the expansion of the downtown library," Jaime Betbeze, president of the Barton Academy Foundation board, said in a news release. "We are very proud to have their endorsement and support."

The foundation is working with Mobile County Public Schools to secure private, business and foundation funding to update Barton's interior as a state-of-the-art school, according to the release. Work was recently completed on a $4.2 million MCPSS project to renovate the exterior of Barton and adjacent Yerby School.

"The Ben May grant will be a major boost to our fundraising goal of $12 million," Betbeze added. "This project is a great example of how a public-private partnership can bring value and innovation to Mobile."

"Barton Academy has a long history of education excellence and innovation," the Ben May Charitable Trust said in a prepared statement. "We are pleased to continue this legacy of supporting Mobile's future by backing a project that will return a vibrant school to the heart of downtown and prepare a new generation to succeed in a global economy."

"The new Barton Academy will do more than prepare students for success in the world; it will make our area more attractive to foreign investment and help secure our position as the Gulf Coast's international economic leader," Betbeze said.

MCPSS Superintendent Martha Peek said Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies will build on the success of the system's Signature Academies. "We have established programs throughout the system to ensure that students graduate career- and college-ready," she said.

"This academy will challenge some of our best and brightest students to obtain the foreign language and global commerce skills needed to become leaders on the world stage."

Recently, the Barton Academy Foundation received a $200,000 pledge from the Monte L. Moorer Charitable Trust. The foundation also has received a $250,000 grant from the Hearin-Chandler Foundation.
Dean Young, known for his Republican political campaigns and conservative stances, has joined forces with former Alabama Attorney General Troy King to challenge what he calls an assault on property owners' rights in Gulf Shores.

King has sent a letter to the city on behalf of Young, asserting that the city is overstepping its bounds on its enforcement of two ordinances, "decidedly changing the rights of property owners on their own property." In plain language, Young says that in an overzealous use of ordinances intended to keep the beaches clean, the city is improperly coming onto private property and stealing people's belongings. (Click here to read the complaint in full.)

Young is better known as a developer in Orange Beach, which has at least one similar ordinance. He said he has two reasons for directing his complaint at Gulf Shores. The first is that he owns two Gulf-front rental homes in Gulf Shores, where his guests have had belongings taken under the law, and he owns no Gulf-front property in Orange Beach. The second is that he feels Orange Beach leaders have been more judicious about applying their enforcement to the public beach, rather than private owned beach.

One of the disputed ordinances, usually referred to as the "Leave Only Footprints" rule, was enacted by Gulf Shores in October 2015. It applies to tents, shelters and other beach equipment left on "the public beach and certain other portions of Gulf front beaches." The rule states that with some exceptions, beach equipment can't be left out overnight, and if it is, the city can confiscate and dispose of it at will.

The definition of affected areas is somewhat complex. (Click here to see the ordinance.)

Young argues that the law is applied selectively, so that some beach service companies are allowed to leave chairs, kiosks and other gear out on the beach while others, such as the one owned by his son Jonathan, must take in and set out their equipment every day. But his biggest complaint is that a homeowner (or his renters) can leave coolers, chairs or beach umbrellas out on privately owned property only to have city agents swoop in and haul everything off overnight.

"This is the equivalent of your city government deciding they don't want you to have a picnic in your own back yard," Young said.

Another ordinance that is part of the complaint concerns what the city can do on easements related to beach replenishment work.

Thus far, Gulf Shores leaders have had little comment on the complaint. Mayor Robert Craft has said that "we have received a letter and referred it to the City Attorney for review."

Grant Brown, the city's director of recreation and cultural affairs, declined further comment directly on the letter. But he said that the "Leave Only Footprints" policy has worked to good effect. "We feel like the success has been great," he said. It has made for a cleaner beach as intended, he said, and may be a contributing factor in higher numbers of nesting sea turtles seen this year.

As for King's involvement, Young said the former attorney general was "not just a regular lawyer," and that he'd come to team with King in part because "I just know he's a great lawyer."
Tropical Storm Hermine got stronger on a path for Florida's Gulf Coast late Wednesday, and forecasters said it would likely be a hurricane by the time it makes landfall on Thursday.

The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for part of Florida's Gulf Coast late Wednesday after earlier extending a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning to the west to Destin.

And Geneva, Houston and Henry counties in southeast Alabama were added to a tropical storm warning. The hurricane center said winds approaching tropical storm force would be possible in those areas in the next 36 hours.

As of 10 p.m. CDT, Tropical Storm Hermine (her-MEEN) was located about 295 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Fla., and was moving north-northeast at 10 mph.

Hermine's winds increased to 60 mph from 40 mph earlier Wednesday. The hurricane center said the storm will likely get stronger before coming ashore Thursday night.

Hermine had a big wind field as of Wednesday night. The hurricane center said tropical storm force winds extend about 125 miles from the center, mainly on the southeast side of the storm.

Forecasters said the Florida coast should start feeling some of the effects from Hermine starting on Thursday afternoon.

The hurricane center urged those on the coast not to focus solely on the point of landfall. Some of the storm's worst effects -- including storm surge -- will occur well to the south and east of the center.

A hurricane warning was issued late Wednesday for the Florida coast from the Suwnanee River westward to Mexico Beach.

A hurricane watch was in effect from the Anclote River to the Suwannee River as well as from west of Mexico Beach to Destin.

A tropical storm warning was in effect late Wednesday from the Anclote River to the Suwannee River and from west of Mexico Beach to Destin.

A tropical storm watch was also in effect for the Atlantic coast from Mainland, Fla., to Altamaha Sound in Georgia

Could Hemine become a hurricane before making landfall? It seemed likely, the hurricane center said.

A storm has to have sustained winds of 74 mph to become a hurricane according to the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.

The hurricane center's intensity forecast has Hermine's winds maxing out at 75 mph before moving onshore.

Forecasters said the storm will encounter lower shear and will be moving over very warm water for the next 24 to 36 hours.

The hurricane center was particularly worried about storm surge in the Big Bend area of Florida, a low-lying area that is vulnerable to it.

There was concern about the threat of "life-threatening inundation" within the next 36 to 48 hours along the Gulf coast of Florida from Aripeka to Indian Pass.

If Hermine's peak surge coincides with high tide, water levels could rise 1-3 feet from Destin to Indian Pass, 4-7 feet from Indian Pass to Chassahowitzka, 2-4 feet from Chassahowitzka to Aripeka, and 1-3 feet from Aripeka to Bonita Beach, including Tampa Bay.

The hurricane center issued its prototype storm surge watch and warning graphics depicting the areas of most concern from Hermine:

The areas in pink will be the most at risk of storm surge as Tropical Storm Hermine moves closer to the coast. (National Hurricane Center)

Hermine will raise the risk of tornadoes starting late tonight in central Florida. The Storm Prediction Center has placed a slight risk of severe storms over part of the peninsula and northern Florida for Thursday.

Hermine could also bring a lot of rain.

Storm total rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches are possible over portions of northwest Florida through Friday, according to the hurricane center. Isolated spots could get up to 20 inches.

And the rain won't be limited to Florida. The Georgia and Carolina coastal areas could get 4 to 8 inches, with local amounts of 10 inches possible through Saturday morning.

Westward shift in heaviest rainfall for 1-3 day fcst. Moderate risk of #flashflooding; see https://t.co/XHWMInANM9 pic.twitter.com/9T7sX2kxie  NWS WPC (@NWSWPC) August 31, 2016

Alabama beaches were feeling some of the effects of Hermine on Wednesday.

Rip current warnings and red flags were in place along some Alabama and northwest Florida beaches, and a coastal flood advisory was in effect until 7 p.m. Friday.

After landfall in Florida, where will Hermine head next?

The hurricane center said Hermine's path once inland will depend on how it interacts with an area of low pressure that develops over the northeastern United States.

The official forecast path shifted to the west earlier Wednesday, then back a bit to the east later that night, keeping Hermine inland into South Carolina, and transitioning it to a post-tropical storm by Saturday.
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Residents of Northern Mariana Islands, Americas best kept secret, recount their woes far from the worlds attention.

Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands  Time moves with a stoic certainty in the Northern Mariana Islands, as if that part of the Pacific is so far removed from the rest of the world, that it pulsates to its own rhythm outside the frenzy of manically digital 21st century space.

It breathes slowly with a confidence that belies the ease with which the islanders let life unfold.

Some will say it was that easy approach to living that led the native people to be ill-treated. Over centuries, they were colonised, corralled and displaced. Europeans, Asians, Americans  they all came as overlords in varying degrees.

The splatter of islands was in the middle of one of the worlds most important waterways, linking East and West. It was strategic and as such was trapped between their battles and power plays.

Paradise for the haunted

The islands are part of the United States now. They pretty much have been since World War II.

US planes took off from Tinian, the second largest island in the Northern Mariana chain, to drop the first atomic bombs on Japan.

Locals feel it is all they are known for  if their island home is known by outsiders at all.

Mostly war veterans , the mayor told us. They come to revisit the places that haunt them.

But the people of Tinian dont want to be ghosts. There is a life they want to claim as their own that they feel powerless to grasp.

Yes, great, we are part of the United States, but what does that ultimately serve us? one islander said.

The US military holds a 99-year lease on two-thirds of Tinian. They were supposed to build a base to develop the island and bring progress.

Some of us were even just looking forward to the movie theatre they promised!

The military base was never built, and with half the time still left on its lease, the US now wants to use the island for live firing drills.

Can you imagine? one islander asked. How do we even know they wont test another nuclear weapon here?

We may not number more than 3,000, offered another. But there are still people here and this goes against their original intention for Tinian, doesnt it?





The native people were relocated by Spanish colonisers centuries ago, but the US let their descendants move back after World War II to re-populate and re-civilise what had become a painful wound in world history.

And now what are we good for, yet another resident said sadly. Target practice?

The US government has said it will take the islanders concerns into consideration, and that it will review its plans. But many on Tinian remain fearful.

When has the US ever not got what it wants? one resident said.

Because they agreed to become a US commonwealth, Tinian residents are US citizens  US citizens, however, without the right to vote in national elections.

Humanitarian crisis

As if Tinians problems werent unique enough, in Saipan  the largest island, and the capital  local officials say they are facing a potential humanitarian crisis.

The federal government took over immigration and border control a few years ago. This after numerous accusations were made of poor labour practices, and abuses, under the local government.

Since then, thousands of long-standing migrant workers risk losing their livelihoods and having their families ripped apart.

Not that it was better before, they say, but at least then, they didnt have to leave the commonwealth when they had to process the renewal of their work permits.

Its as if we are dried leaves fallen from dead trees, one Filipino migrant said. We go where the wind blows, and we are stepped on. Either way, we dont have a choice.

He has been in Saipan for nearly 25 years, but he is still considered a guest with no hope for residency.

Why does he stay?

He said he had no prospects where he came from in the Philippines, and his Saipan-born child  a US citizen  has access to a better future here.

In time, that child can petition for his parents to be granted citizenship too. Its a far-off dream, but one that thousands of guests are willing to make sacrifices for.

If the native islanders feel like second-rate US citizens, their guest workers often feel like second-rate residents.

They all share the islands that tourism brochures have called Americas best kept secret.

The commonwealths own secrets are barely hidden by its facade: the waters that sparkle a transparent crystal blue, the mountains that entice with an emerald lushness pregnant with possibilities and the smiles on its peoples faces that cloak a painful isolation.

The islands can seem paralysed in time, an incongruous 21st century throwback to a decaying colonial age.

But creeping in, unhurriedly, deliberately, performing a very different colonisation  investors and tourists from nearby China, Japan, and Korea.

Many islanders hope the influx will bring opportunities for development that have otherwise escaped them.

Its easy to feel isolated here. Time still moves slowly, taking steady breaths with a certainty that belies the changes that may be about to unfold.
The revolution will begin and I know you wont want to miss it, Mohamed whispered, urging me to go to Tahrir Square.

It was January 5, 2011 and Mohamed, whom Id first met as a 12-year-old in 1993, when hed visited me at my office in downtown Cairo to appeal to me to take him with me to Bosnia, was on the other end of the telephone line. Many years had passed since our first meeting and Mohamed was now a 29-year-old civil engineer, but he spoke with the same passion I recalled from all those years before.

Only this time he spoke in hushed tones about a revolution in our own country: Egypt. It would happen in just a matter of days, he insisted.

I agreed that something was brewing, but I dismissed his notion that it could happen so soon.

Mohamed, you will never change, you will always be carried away by emotion, I told him.

But he continued, unfazed.

I want you to be with us in Tahrir Square on January 25th. This is when the revolution will begin and I know you will not want to miss it, he whispered.

For a few seconds I did not respond, reflecting instead on his unusual quietness. Then, I said: If you are correct, then it should be your revolution, the youths revolution, not my generations.

We were about to hang up, but Mohamed had a few final words he wanted me to hear. I know you have always loved war coverage, he said, but I have also felt that you continued because you knew how much it meant to me, and how I loved following you.

It was partly my incitement that took you to remote and dangerous places around the world. Im sure Tahrir Square is closer than those places; you will be there, he concluded.

Driving home, I recalled my conversation with Mohamed and his friends 17 years before when theyd asked me to take them to the besieged city of Sarajevo so that they might help defend the Bosnians from the Serbs. When I politely refused, they had asked me to take money instead  two years worth of savings from their allowances. As Id watched them leave my office, Mohamed leading his friends from the middle, Id wished that he would one day grow up to lead our country. Now, I wondered, could it be time for Mohamed  or one of his friends  to make that wish come true?

As I left my office at around midnight on January 25, I noticed a crowd of young people at Tahrir Square. They were surrounded by a massive police presence. I feared for Mohamed.

I took a detour to avoid the Square and called Mohamed. It took several attempts until he answered. Again, his voice was quieter than usual. But I could hear the shouting crowd around him. That was the first time I heard what was to become the slogan of the revolution: Bread, freedom and social justice.

I questioned him about the number of people in attendance and what they planned to do next. Would they stage a sit-on or disperse after the demonstration? No, we are not leaving, he answered.

My sense of fear deepened. Whatever violence the security forces use, do not reciprocate, I warned him.

His response recalled our first meeting when he was just 12. Remember when you insisted 17 years ago that I should not fear the security forces when meeting you at Al-Ahram [the newspaper where I worked]? he said. From that day, I quit fearing the security.

We will not reciprocate no matter how violent they become, but we will not go home without restoring the dignity of the people.

I later heard on the radio that the security forces had used force to disperse hundreds of the demonstrators, injuring many of them. I tried to call Mohamed, but his mobile phone was switched off.

The following day, I had agreed to appear on a late-night television programme. I had a few hours between finishing work and the show, so I decided to see what was going on in Tahrir Square.

The moment I stepped into the Square, I was overwhelmed by the sense of enthusiasm that pervaded it. Some people were standing, others were sitting, all were singing and cheering.

At that point and for the next two days, there were no demands that the regime be toppled. The calls were for social justice and radical reforms. Still, the police clearly outnumbered the demonstrators  who were by now in their thousands.

I moved from one group to another, listening, discussing, sometimes arguing, all while trying in vain to call Mohamed. Then it dawned on me that Id completely lost track of the time. I had just minutes until I was supposed to be on air. It was a 10-minute walk from Tahrir to the television building overlooking the Nile where the show was to be filmed; I ran it in four.

As I ran, I reflected on what Id seen and heard. Most of the young people demonstrating belonged to the upper or upper-middle class. Many had been educated in private universities. They came from families that had not suffered from the social and economic injustices inflicted upon the poor. That they should be driven to protest amazed me. Most Egyptians had expected the poorest and least privileged to be at the heart of any revolution. But the people I saw at the Square had resembled Mohamed. Would we finally get what I had dreamed of all those years ago, I wondered; a revolution that combined Mohameds bravery with Mordechais freedom?

I got to the television studio on time and the show went ahead as planned. But we got halfway through without the anchor even alluding to what was unfolding just a few hundred metres away in Tahrir Square. When I interrupted her to express my dismay about that, she seemed both angry and embarrassed. Why not [talk about it]? she responded. Its a free country and you are talking to a free media.

At first, I spoke about the youth in the Square, risking their lives for the rest of us, demanding bread, freedom and social justice for the underprivileged, not for themselves.

But then I began to address the president directly. I appeal to you to set your strategies and to draw your policies to the heartbeat of these youth; it is their right, it is their country, it is their future, I said.

In order to meet the demands of the youth, you, the president, must dismiss the rigged parliament and hold elections that are internationally observed. You should reshuffle the government whose cabinet ministers are limited to wealthy businessmen from your own entourage.

Glaring at me, the anchor asked: Dont you think the Muslim Brothers are behind the mobilised youth in the Square?

Not unless we are all liars, I responded. We must remember that just the day before yesterday the government claimed that the Muslim Brothers failed to win even one seat in the parliament due to their loss of influence with the public. We cannot say one thing, and at the same time say the opposite: two days ago the Muslim Brothers lost all influence, yet today they have all of a sudden gained it back?

The next morning I received a call from the anchor, who had been a friend for many years. Regrettably, you are banned from appearing on state TV as of today, she told me. You should be grateful its just a ban.

I thanked her and decided at that moment to side with the future, to side with the youth.

Chronicle of a Caged Journalist is a series of excerpts from an upcoming book.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policies.
What further strained relations is that the Mauritanian president began to give this tension a personal dimension.

Samir Bennis is a political analyst with more than eight years of experience as a political adviser.

Following a meeting of the government on August 18, Mohammed Lamine Oueld Cheikh, spokesman of the Mauritanian government, denied that there was any diplomatic tension with Morocco.

While this statement can be understood as an attempt to defuse the tension between Morocco and Mauritania, the facts suggest otherwise.

The unprecedented latent tension between Morocco and Mauritania has caught the attention of observers in recent years amid the almost total absence of channels of dialogue at the highest level.

The latest sign of this discord emerged in recent months when Mauritania raised its flag in Lagouira last December. Because Lagouira is regarded as a symbol of Moroccos full territorial integrity, this action marked an increase in tension between the two countries.

Fearing that the Polisario would exploit this incident and gain a foothold in the region, Morocco dispatched a high-level delegation to Nouakchott on December 12, 2015, which requested an explanation of the decision to raise the Mauritanian flag in Lagouira.

Moroccos decision to send security forces to the Guerguerat area at the border between Morocco and Mauritania to fight illegal trade in the region on August 14, 2016, also stressed poor relations between the two countries.

Following this decision, Mauritanias President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz ordered a military state of alert and deployed missiles at the Moroccan border.

These moves disprove the statement made by Mauritanian officials rejecting the suggestion of diplomatic tension and, on the contrary, demonstrate that the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation between the two countries have been broken.

The signs of these sour relations emerged less than two years after President Aziz took office in 2009.

In December 2011, Mauritanian authorities ordered the director of the Maghreb Arab Press office in Nouakchott to leave Mauritanian territory within 24 hours, accusing him of being an agent of Moroccos foreign intelligence service.

Distrust between the two countries deepened after Mauritania concluded that Morocco was behind the failed assassination attempt targeting Aziz in October 2012.

Moving closer to Algeria and the Polisario

While Mauritania has worked for several decades to maintain balanced relations with both Morocco and Algeria, President Aziz began to move away from this approach, showing a clear sympathy with the Polisario and more openness towards Algeria.

The Mauritanian presidents insistence on keeping his countrys relations with Morocco in limbo and the new orientation of his foreign policy suggests that he does not wish to see an end to Moroccos Sahara conflict.

Rather, Aziz seems to prefer the establishment of a weak state on its northern border. In this scenario, Mauritania would avoid being encircled by Senegal, a country with which it also has strained relations in the south, and Morocco, a strong state, in the north.

Despite Morocco's efforts to bring relations with Mauritania back to normal, Mauritanian authorities have showed no interest in easing tensions between the two countries. by

Mauritanias president has regular contact with the leadership of the Polisario, and his meetings with some of its leaders leave no doubt as to his sympathies with the separatist movement and his wish for the establishment of an independent state in Western Sahara.

For instance on August 11, Aziz met Mhamed Khadad, a member of the Secretariat of the Polisario Front, who delivered a message from Polisarios Secretary General, Ibrahim Ghali, regarding the latest developments concerning the Sahara.

In the same vein, one of the most significant meetings the Mauritanian president held with the Polisario leaders was on March 21 with Bachir Mustapha Sayed, a member of the Secretariat of the Polisario.

What gave this meeting significance, and clearly indicates President Azizs intent to escalate tensions with Morocco, is that it came during the diplomatic crisis between Rabat and the Secretariat of the United Nations, following UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons statement in which he described Moroccos presence in the Sahara as an occupation.

Aziz retaliates against Morocco

What further strained the relations between the two countries is that President Aziz began to give this tension a personal dimension.

Through this escalation, he has sought to convey his displeasure at the fact that Morocco has not included Mauritania in the strategy King Mohammed VI has adopted in the past 10 years to promote Moroccos economic presence in sub-Saharan Africa.

While the Moroccan monarch has visited Senegal, Gabon, Ivory Coast and other African countries more than once, he has not visited Mauritania in the past 10 years.

Regardless of the perception the lack of any visit by King Mohammed VI to Mauritania has caused, it appears that the Mauritanian president has political convictions and orientations that do not include Morocco as a prominent strategic ally.

In addition to not only sending a message of condolence after the death of Polisario leader Mohamed Abdelaziz, but describing him as a president, sending a high-level delegation to attend his funeral, and announcing national mourning for three days, he refused to receive a Moroccan delegation before the 27th African Union summit in July.

This refusal may have been merely a personal response to King Mohammed VIs inability to receive Mauritanias Foreign Minister, Isselkou Ould Ahmed Izid Bih, who was carrying a message from the Mauritanian president to the Moroccan monarch ahead of the Arab League summit.

OPINION: Conflict in Moroccan Sahara  Myths and realities

Moreover, during the Arab League summit that was held in July in Nouakchott, Mauritanian authorities displayed a map of Morocco without the Sahara, in a flagrant violation of the traditions of the Arab League.

Before all these moves, Aziz made a phone call to the former leader of the Polisario on November 6, 2015. The phone call took place at the same time as King Mohammed VIs visit to the region to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Green March.

That the phone conversation occurred just a few days after Aziz was declined a meeting with the Moroccan monarch during the India-Africa summit in New Delhi in October 2015, suggests that the Mauritanian president may have taken the snub personally and sought to retaliate against Morocco.

No normalisation in sight

Despite Moroccos efforts to bring relations with Mauritania back to normal, Mauritanian authorities have showed no interest in easing tensions between the two countries.

One indication is that the position of Mauritanias ambassador to Morocco is still vacant after nearly five years, and Mauritania has reduced its diplomatic presence in Rabat to its lowest level ever.

Mauritanias decision to prevent the entry of trucks loaded with agricultural products into its territory and its refusal to renew the residence cards of some Moroccan employers working in foreign companies are definitive signs that this country, under the policies of President Aziz, has chosen a political orientation that does not consider maintaining a good relationship with Morocco among its top priorities.

Instead, Mauritania appears bent on giving importance to consolidating its relations with Algeria, the Polisario Front, and certain sub-Saharan countries.

In light of Mauritanias apparent growing hostility to Morocco, the latter should act strategically with foresight, show composure, and avoid opening up a new front at its southern border that the Polisario may use to isolate Morocco in the region and portray it as a country that does not abide by international law and does not respect its international commitments.

Samir Bennis is a political analyst with more than eight years of experience as political adviser in New York. He is the editor-in-chief of Morocco World News, and an expert on Moroccos foreign policy, UN-related issues and the Maghreb.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The continents savanna elephants are in danger of being wiped out as poaching thrives, new research warns.

The number of savanna elephants in Africa is dramatically declining and the majestic animals are in danger of being wiped out, largely due to poaching, the results of a three-year aerial survey have revealed.

The continents savanna elephant population plunged by about 30 percent from 2007 to 2014, and is declining at about 8 percent a year, according to the Great Elephant Census, published on Wednesday.





If we cant save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africas wildlife? elephant ecologist Mike Chase, the lead researcher, said in a statement.

I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come.

The aerial survey covered 18 countries using dozens of airplanes to fly the equivalent of going to the Moon and partway back.

The study, which was funded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen, estimated the population of savanna elephants at 352,271.

Overall, researchers spotted about 12 carcasses for every 100 live elephants, indicating poaching at a high enough level to cause population decline.

But the rates differed from country to country.

Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania experienced greater population declines than previously known, and elephants face local extinction in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Zambia, according to the study.

However, populations were found to be stable, or even increasing, in South Africa, Botswana, Uganda, parts of Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and the W-Arli-Pendjari conservation area that spans the borders of Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso.

READ MORE: Malawi to relocate 500 elephants to new home

Results of the study, which involved 90 scientists, were announced before the International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Honolulu.

Allen, who provided $7m for the effort, said he decided to launch the census after hearing three years ago that there had not been a comprehensive count of African elephants in decades.

I took my first trip to Africa in 2006 and have been fascinated by elephants ever since, he said. They are intelligent, expressive and dignified  but not to be underestimated. So, as this latest poaching crisis began escalating, I felt compelled to do something about it.
Sixty-one of 81 senators vote against Rousseff in impeachment trial, but do not ban her from seeking office again.

Dilma Rousseff has been removed as Brazils president following a long-awaited vote in the countrys Senate.

Sixty-one of 81 senators voted to impeach Rousseff on Wednesday after a five-day trial and a lengthy overnight debate.

Today is the day that 61 men, many of them charged and corrupt, threw 54 million Brazilian votes in the garbage, Rousseff said in a message on Twitter minutes after the decision.





In a separate vote later on Wednesday, senators decided not to ban Rousseff from seeking a public office for the next eight years.

Al Jazeeras Lucia Newman, reporting from the capital Brasilia, said Rousseff, who was watching the session from the presidential palace, was expected to hold a press conference later on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after the vote, Jose Eduardo Cardozo, Rousseffs lawyer, said the former president would appeal her impeachment.

But several motions filed to the countrys highest court throughout the impeachment proceedings have failed.

Rousseffs former vice president turned rival Michel Temer, 75, will be sworn in as president on Wednesday until the next scheduled election in late 2018.

WATCH: Is Brazils Dilma Rousseff a victim of a coup?

Rousseff, from the leftist Workers Party, is accused of taking illegal state loans to patch budget holes in 2014, masking the countrys problems as it slid into its deepest recession in decades.

She told the Senate that she was innocent, saying the impeachment trial amounted to a right-wing coup detat.

Rousseff asserted that impeachment was the price she paid for refusing to quash a wide-ranging police investigation into the state oil giant Petrobras, saying that corrupt politicians conspired to oust her to derail the investigation into billions in kickbacks at the company.

She said it was an irony of history that she would be judged for crimes she did not commit, by people accused of serious crimes.

The Workers Party under Rousseff and her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is credited with raising around 29 million Brazilians out of poverty.

But many now blame the party, and Rousseff in particular, for the countrys multiple ills.
Republican presidential nominee who has called Mexico source of rapists and criminals meets President Pena Nieto.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has arrived in Mexico, making a surprise visit to meet the president of a nation he derided at the start of his White House campaign as a source of rapists and criminals coming to the United States.

Trumps visit on Wednesday follows an invitation from President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has repeatedly criticised Trumps immigration and border policies and compared him to Adolf Hitler.

It came just hours before Trump was set to give a major speech on immigration in the border state of Arizona.

After a closed-door meeting, Pena Nieto told reporters that the Mexican people have been hurt by comments made by Trump.

But he added that he was sure that Trump is genuinely interested in building a relationship that will benefit both countries.

Trump, for his part, said he and the president had discussed his call for a border wall during their meeting, but did not talk about Trumps insistence that Mexico pay for it. He said, Thatll be for a later date.

Al Jazeeras John Holman, reporting from Mexico City, said both were keen to appear statesman-like. The rhetoric that Trump had in the past about Mexicans being rapists was very much abandoned.

Protesters gathered in Mexico City at the famous Plaza de San Angel statue, while other Mexicans vented their anger over the visit on social media.

"You are not wall-come" Mexicans protest Trump during his visit to Mexico & meeting w president @EPN pic.twitter.com/9YucRZeltG   (@Andalalucha) August 31, 2016

Both a former Mexican president and first lady bluntly told Trump that he was not welcome, despite Pena Nietos hospitality.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox called the trip a political stunt.

Trump not welcome in Mexico, not by me nor the 130 millions Mexicans.  Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) August 31, 2016

Margarita Zavala, wife of former president Felipe Calderon, also wrote on Twitter: We Mexicans have dignity, and we reject your hate speech.

After saying during his Republican primary campaign that he would use a deportation force to expel all of the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally, Trump suggested last week he could soften that stance.

But he still says he plans to build a huge wall  paid for by Mexico  along the two nations border.

The border is wide open for cartels & terrorists. Secure our border now. Build a massive wall & deduct the costs from Mexican foreign aid!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2015

Trump announced on Tuesday night that he would make the Mexico visit, accepting at short notice an invitation offered last week by Pena Nieto, who also invited Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Campaigning in Ohio, Clinton jabbed at Trumps Mexican visit as she promoted her own experience working with foreign leaders as the nations chief diplomat.

READ MORE: Will Trumps minority outreach work?

People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you wont say one thing one day and something totally different the next, she told the American Legion in Cincinnati.

And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbours for a few hours and then flying home again.

Trump has promised, if elected, to deport millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally, force Mexico to build a wall to secure the 3,000km border and renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement to make it more favourable to the United States.

I love the Mexican people, but Mexico is not our friend. They're killing us at the border and they're killing us on jobs and trade. FIGHT!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2015

He responded to Vicente Foxs criticism on Twitter, saying the former president had, like Pena Nieto, invited him to come.

Fox shot back with a tweet of his own, saying he had invited Trump to come and apologise to all Mexicans. Stop lying! Mexico is not yours to play with. Show some respect.

Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trumps immigration policies, particularly the Republicans plans to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it.

In a March interview, he said that there is no scenario under which Mexico would do so and compared Trumps language to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

He had a different tone late on Tuesday, tweeting: I believe in dialogue to promote Mexicos interests in the world and, principally, to protect Mexicans wherever they are.
Protests erupt as supporters of presidential challenger Jean Ping say the vote was stolen.

Gabons incumbent President Ali Bongo has won a closely fought presidential election, the countrys interior ministry has announced.

Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya said on Wednesday that Bongo had obtained 49.80 percent of Saturdays vote, beating rival candidate Jean Ping who received 48.23 percent.

Bongo won by only 5,594 votes, of a total 627,805 registered voters.





Election commission members belonging to the opposition immediately denounced the result, with one commissioner for Pings party, Paul Marie Gondjout, saying the vote had been stolen.

They say [Pings camp] they will not accept this result at all, Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi, reporting from the capital Libreville, said.

Moments after the announcement, anti-government protests erupted in parts of Libreville.

Protests have started [and] are expected to continue, Al Jazeeras Soi said, adding that clouds of smoke and tear gas could be seen over parts of the city where clashes were taking place.

Jean Ping has been telling his supporters not to accept a vote that is not favourable to him  He is telling his people to defend their vote, to defend their choice, Soi said.

They say that they have been cheated.

READ MORE: Jean Ping lays claim to Gabon presidency win

Security forces used tear gas and stun grenades against protesters shouting Ali must go!, who tried to reach the headquarters of the election commission, AFP news agency reported.

Never seen results like these

Presidential elections are held in a single round in Gabon, with the candidate with the most votes winning outright. The constitutional court now must finalise the provisional results.

Any appeal by Ping would be likely to focus on disputed results in one of the countrys nine provinces  the Haut-Ogooue, where Bongo won 95.5 percent of the vote. Results from the province showed a turnout of more than 99 percent, compared with a nationwide turnout of 59.46 percent.

Its going to be difficult to get people to accept these results, one member of the electoral commission told AFP, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Weve never seen results like these, even during the fathers time, he added.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission boycotted a vote to approve the results on Wednesday and they have vowed to fight for a recount.

A spokesman for Bongos campaign, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, called the vote free, democratic and transparent, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Second term

Bongo, 57, has now won a second term as head of the tiny oil-rich state, previously ruled for 41 years by his father, Omar.

In 2009, Bongo was declared winner of the presidential election after his fathers death. The result was disputed and in the ensuing clashes several people were killed, buildings looted and the French consulate in the economic capital Port-Gentil was torched.

Prior to becoming Bongos bitter rival, Ping, a 73-year-old career diplomat well known on the international scene, worked with Bongo senior for many years.

Before the interior ministrys announcement, the European Union, which monitored the election, renewed a call for Gabon to publish detailed results for every polling station, urging all actors to help keep peace.

We invite all stakeholders to exercise restraint, work to maintain civil peace in the post-electoral context and make use of legal channels to resolve any dispute, the EU said.
A view of European publications on display at the Beijing book fair. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

A 5-year-old Chinese boy was quietly reading a book written in Czech with his mother sitting beside him.

Zhang Jun, 42, and her son were visiting the Beijing International Book Fair. "Choosing a good book for children is very important," says Zhang.

"When my son doesn't behave well, I read stories to him to let him know what is right and wrong."

She says she personally favors children's books from Europe. "When I was about 10, I read a Czech fairy tale called The Mole. I found the story quite warm and interesting, so now I like to bring children's books from European countries for my son to help him build a better self," says Zhang.

It's the first time for 16 Central and Eastern European countries, including Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Romania and the Czech Republic, to be invited as the joint countries of honor to the book fair.

Martin Hosek, second secretary of the embassy of the Czech Republic, who was in charge of the Czech's book exhibition at BIBF, says his team purposely focused on books for children for the show.

"There are many illustrations in children's books, and kids may like them even though they don't understand the words," he says.

Andrea Huseinovic from Croatia brought her picture books, which she painted together with her 13-year-old son, to Chinese readers with the cooperation of Guangxi Normal University Publishing Press (Group).

As well as the books exhibition, various activities such as films, cultural speeches, literature salons and dances were organized to serve the theme of "Kaleidoscope of Diverse Cultures" at the book fair.

Sarkozy Bence, general manager of Jelenkor Kiado Kft, one of the three key publishers in Hungary, says: "We got a Hungarian version of Jiang Rong's Wolf Totem and works written by Yu Hua. But the problem is, we lack translators to help us read more."

Hosek agrees on the importance of translators.

"The cultural and literature communication between the Czech Republic and China has a long history, because we have some very good translators," he says.

There are about 500 Czech books that were translated into Chinese, and Chinese novels like that by Mo Yan and Su Tong have been translated into Czech.

China's Belt and Road Initiatives have offered greater momentum for more publishing and cultural exchanges, says Lin Liying, vice-president of China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation, one of the BIBF organizers.

Related:

Far beyond print
Protests in capital Libreville turn violent as supporters of opposition leader Jean Ping say the vote was stolen.

Violence has erupted in the Gabonese capital after President Ali Bongo was declared winner of a presidential election.

Opposition leader Jean Ping said on Thursday that two people were killed and many wounded when the presidential guard and police attacked his partys headquarters overnight.

They attacked around 1:00 am (0000 GMT). It is the Republican Guard. They were bombarding with helicopters and then they attacked on the ground. There are 19 people injured, some of them very seriously, said Ping, who was not at the party headquarters.

Ping supporters had clashed with security forces in Libreville after Bongo, the incumbent, was named the winner of the closely-fought election.

Moments after the poll results were announced, anti-government protesters shouting Ali must go! tried to storm the offices of the election commission, according to AFP news agency.

The president of the opposition National Union party, Zacharie Myboto, who was inside the besieged building, said security forces were hurling tear gas canisters and had opened fire.

For nearly an hour the building has been surrounded. They want to enter the building it is extremely violent, he said shortly after the siege began.

A resident said government forces also attacked the RTN opposition radio and television station.

State television reported that Bongos ministers would meet on Thursday morning.

Looting and clashes also followed Bongos last election win in 2009, when he came to power after the death of his father, longtime ruler Omar Bongo.

Bongo won this election with 49.8 percent of the vote, while Ping had 48.23 percent. The constitutional court must finalise provisional results, which came a day later than expected.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged political leaders and their supporters to refrain from further acts that could undermine the peace and stability of the country. He also called on security forces to exercise restraint.





Election commission members belonging to the opposition immediately denounced the result, with one commissioner for Pings party, Paul Marie Gondjout, saying the vote had been stolen.

They [Pings camp] say they will not accept this result at all, Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi said, reporting from inside the electoral commission compound in Libreville.

Protesters came right outside this compound, many of them lighting tyres and chanting anti-government songs, Soi said, adding that explosions could be heard in the distance.

They were dispersed by the police. Jean Ping has been telling his supporters not to accept a vote that is not favourable to him  He is telling his people to defend their vote, to defend their choice. They say that they have been cheated.

Never seen results like these

Presidential elections are held in a single round in Gabon, with the candidate with the most votes winning outright. The constitutional court now must finalise the provisional results.

Any appeal by Ping would be likely to focus on disputed results in one of the countrys nine provinces  the Haut-Ogooue, where Bongo won 95.5 percent of the vote. Results from the province showed a turnout of more than 99 percent, compared with a nationwide turnout of 59.46 percent.

Its going to be difficult to get people to accept these results, one member of the electoral commission told AFP, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Weve never seen results like these, even during the fathers time.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission boycotted a vote to approve the results on Wednesday and they have vowed to fight for a recount.

A spokesman for Bongos campaign, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, called the vote free, democratic and transparent, according to the AP news agency.

READ MORE: Jean Ping lays claim to Gabon presidency win

Before becoming Bongos bitter rival, Ping, a 73-year-old career diplomat well known on the international scene, worked with Bongo senior for many years.

Before the interior ministrys announcement, the European Union, which monitored the election, renewed a call for Gabon to publish detailed results for every polling station, urging all actors to help keep peace.

We invite all stakeholders to exercise restraint, work to maintain civil peace in the post-electoral context and make use of legal channels to resolve any dispute, the EU said.
Kurdish forces say they fear an increase in ISILs chemical attacks to weaken the frontlines as Mosul offensive looms.

Jaralla, near Mosul  For a good while, it felt like another tedious guard shift for Chato Saeed, a Peshmerga soldier on the Kurdish frontline against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS). In the blistering afternoon of that mid-August day last year, the flat plains in this part of southern Nineveh resembled a mirage as heat waves simmered above the ground. Suddenly, Saeed, 34, and another fellow guard heard the whistling sound of a mortar attack.

As they ducked behind the sandbags erected to protect them from enemy fire, they heard a shallow explosion. A few seconds later, they peered through gaps between the sandbags and saw something like a yellowish or whitish smoke arising from the spot where the rocket had landed.

My friend shouted, Its a chemical attack! and ran down to take cover in the room below, Saeed told Al Jazeera. Saeed hastily untied the checkered white and black turban he was wearing around his neck and poured some water on it and covered his face hoping to protect himself from the gasses that the wind was sweeping towards him.

Soon, he ran out of breath. I started feeling dizzy and then fainted, said Saeed.

He and 13 other wounded Peshmerga troops were taken to a small health facility in the nearby town of Makhmour. To this day, Saeed says he still suffers from an infection in his left ear and if exposed to strong sunlight my face turns red and I feel like my skin thickens and I get rushes.

READ MORE: The US, the Peshmerga and Mosul

The gas attack that Saeed endured in Jaralla was just one of a rising number of such attacks launched by ISIL against Kurdish forces.

They know about the preparations for retaking Mosul, so they're resorting to chemical attacks more often than before to show their capabilities and power. by Mahmoud Ali, head of a Peshmerga engineering unit

According to figures gathered from multiple military sources in Iraqs Kurdistan, ISIL used chemical attacks fewer than 10 times in the first year and a half after its dramatic expansion in northern and western Iraq began in June 2014.

But since the start of 2016, the group has staged at least 13 chemical attacks against Kurdish forces, utilising materials such as chlorine and sulfur mustard in these attacks.

Kurdish sources say the attacks have not been lethal but believe the increasing use of chemical attacks is designed to weaken the frontlines.

As Iraqi and Kurdish forces set their eyes on Mosul, where a military offensive is expected to attempt to retake northern Iraqs largest city from ISIL by the end of the year, more chemical attacks by ISIL are expected, according to sources in the Peshmerga forces.

They know about the preparations for retaking Mosul, so theyre resorting to chemical attacks more often than before to show their capabilities and power, and prove that they can protect and defend their area, General Mahmoud Ali, head of a Peshmerga engineering unit, told Al Jazeera.

His unit is the first one that arrives at a scene of a chemical attack to remove the shells and do an initial clean up of the site.





Despite the recurring attacks, Kurdish forces were until recently in dire need of gear to protect themselves against gas attacks by ISIL. During a visit in late May to Kurdish-controlled Makhmour, one of the areas most affected by ISIL chemical weapons, the officers and soldiers complained that, two years into the war, they were still ill-equipped and highly vulnerable to chemical assaults.





Major Luqman Abdulaziz said that his battalion of about 500 people had only a few dozen gas masks for protection. The masks were donated by Germany that had earlier in the year provided about 1,000 masks to the Kurdish forces, but Abdulazizs unit managed to get only a few dozen.

So far we have been relying on primitive ways of protection, using water tanks, towels or jamadani [traditional Kurdish head turbans] to protect ourselves every time theres a chemical attack, Abdulaziz told Al Jazeera back in May.

The problem is not only about protection, but also treatment of wounded personnel. In the Makhmour area, a barely equipped general-purpose health centre is the only facility to provide first aid to incoming wounded troops.

We can only provide oxygen and hydrocortisone [a medication to treat skin conditions that reduces swelling, itching, and redness], said Aso Aziz, administrative head of the Makhmour health centre.

IN PICTURES: Life on the frontline in Iraq

While ISILs use of the internationally prohibited weapons has been mostly concentrated in the areas in the vicinity of Mosul, it also launched a gas attack in March on the Shia Turkmen-dominated town of Taza in Kirkuk province. As many as 50 civilians were wounded in that attack, according to Iraqi authorities.

Under the former regime of Saddam Hussein, Iraq had an active chemical weapons programme for years. The regime infamously used chemical weapons against its own Kurdish population as well as Iranian troops and civilians during its eight-year war with the neighbouring country.

Some of the veterans of Saddams chemical weapons programme, such as Abu Malik, are believed to have played an important role in building ISILs arsenal. Abu Malik, who joined ISILs chemical weapons programme in the summer of 2014, was killed in an air strike by the US-led coalition near Mosul in January 2015.

General Ali says that ISIL has mostly relied on the chemistry labs at the University of Mosul, once one of Iraqs finest centres of higher education, to develop its chemical weapons programme.

But recently, ISIL appears to have moved the bulk of their chemical activities from Mosul University to residential areas to avoid attacks, says Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a chemical weapons adviser to NGOs working in Syria and Iraq and former commanding officer of the UK Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Regiment and NATOs Rapid Reaction CBRN Battalion.

The US-led coalition has taken serious note of ISIL chemical endeavours and targeted two of its chemical facilities near Mosul in March. According to De Bretton-Gordon, Kurdish security sources said that ISIL was also using the Mishraq chemical factory in southern Mosul as a centre for producing chemicals.

They [ISIL] have a very high level of expertise but I doubt [that they have] the facilities to make anything but a small amount of chemical weapons, De Bretton-Gordon told Al Jazeera.

Iraq: Kurds increase pressure on ISIL near Mosul

Kurdish officials also tend to agree that, at least so far, ISIL doesnt have the means to build sophisticated chemical weapons with large scale impact. They weaponise the chemicals by putting them into mortar shells or in some cases even cooking gas cylinders, says General Ali. These shells are only effective if they land very close to the target, like a few metres.

However, the Australian Foreign Secretary Julie Bishop warned in June that ISIL might have among its recruits the technical expertise necessary to further refine precursor materials and build chemical weapons.





With the battle of Mosul looming, the United States has donated more than 10,000 masks since last autumn to two Kurdish brigades trained for the Mosul operation, a coalition spokesman who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, told Al Jazeera.

This is the first major provision of such anti-chemical gear to the Kurdish forces, which perhaps indicates serious concerns that ISIL might launch chemical attacks on the forces advancing towards its largest stronghold in Iraq and Syria.

In the Sultan Abdullah hills, a couple of kilometres to the east of Jaralla where Chato Saeed was wounded, a chemically polluted room is a standing testament to ISILs experimenting with deadly gasses. The area was targeted by ISIL last summer. Since then, only 40 gas masks have been provided to a battalion of 400 members at this outpost.

One fighter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, expressed deep concern that he and many other fellow fighters along the sprawling 1,000km Kurdish-held frontline remain vulnerable to gas attacks.

For its part, ISIL has signalled that it will not have second thoughts about using such weapons. The groups latest chemical attack in northern Iraq occurred on July 22 in Tal Afar area west of Mosul and wounded three Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.
Each woman used as sex slave by Japans troops during WWII is to receive $90,000, a move they consider inadequate.

Twelve South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese military during World War II have sued the Seoul government over a deal it reached with Tokyo to pay the victims, saying it does not go far enough to establish Japans responsibility.

The women are seeking $90,000 each from the South Korean government, which they say failed to hold the Japanese government legally responsible when it agreed to the settlement in December, a spokesman from the Seoul Central District Court said on Wednesday.



Women protest about the Comfort women foundation

The lawsuit was submitted days after South Koreas Foreign Ministry said the surviving victims will each be eligible to receive around $90,000 from a foundation funded by the Japanese government.

The ministry said families of deceased victims will receive about $18,000 and added it expects the Japanese government to soon transfer a promised $9.9m to the Seoul-based foundation that was launched in July.

Many in South Korea believe the Seoul government settled for far less and that Japan still has not acknowledged legal responsibility for atrocities during its colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

Several South Korean victims, including at least six of the women who sued the South Korean government, said they will reject payments offered from the foundation.

Under the December agreement, described by both governments as irreversible, Japan pledged to fund the foundation to help support the victims.

However, it added that it did not consider the promised fund as compensation, saying such issues were settled in a 1965 treaty that restored diplomatic ties and was accompanied by more than $800m in economic aid and loans from Tokyo to Seoul.

South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticising Japan over the issue and will try to resolve a Japanese grievance over a statue of a girl representing victims of sexual slavery that sits in front of the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul.

Historians say tens of thousands of women from around Asia, many of them Korean, were sent to frontline military brothels, where they were dubbed comfort women, and used by Japanese soldiers for sex.

At the time of the sex-slave deal, Seoul said there were 46 surviving South Korean victims.
Delegates gather in Naypyidaw for meeting aimed at ending separatist insurgencies that have claimed thousands of lives.

Hundreds of representatives of Myanmars ethnic minorities have gathered in the countrys capital for peace talks with the government aimed at ending decades of separatist insurgencies that have claimed thousands of lives.

The delegates, dressed in traditional garb and headgear, entered the conference hall in Naypyidaw on Wednesday for the five-day talks called by the new government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Although her title is state counsellor, she is seen as the countrys real leader.





Aung San Suu Kyi, UN chief Ban Ki-moon and General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmars armed forces, are scheduled to give speeches at the opening of the talks to determine the fate of the countrys various ethnic minorities, who make up about 40 percent of the population.

All our people around the country want peace. So I do believe we will be successful in getting it at the conference, said Khun Than Myint, the facilitator of the meeting, which is titled Union Peace Conference  21st-Century Panglong.

The title is is a reference to the Panglong Agreement brokered in 1947 by Aung San Suu Kyis late father, independence hero General Aung San, in a town called Panglong.

The 1947 deal granted ethnic minorities autonomy and the right to secede if they worked with the federal government to break away from Britain together.

Aung San was assassinated the following year and the deal fell apart. Since then, ethnic groups have accused successive, mostly military, governments of failing to honour the 1947 pact, just before Myanmar gained independence from Britain the next year.

READ MORE: Rohingya may be victims of crimes against humanity, says UN

Al Jazeeras Scott Heidler, reporting from Naypyidaw, said the process of change following the talks will be a lengthy one.

Youve got several decades of conflict in this country and to move forward and get to a peace accord on certain issues. It is going to take quite some time because youre going to have a lot of going back and forth, he said.

This weeks conference is being attended by 17 of the 20 main armed groups, including the Karen, Kachin, Shan and Wa, along with other stakeholders.

Khua Uk Lian, assistant general secretary with the Chin National Front, said he was optimistic about the talks but warned that fighting would continue until a myriad of local issues  from drug addiction epidemics to resource tussles  were settled on the ground.

You have local commanders fighting about local problems, he told AFP news agency. Its been like this since we have been fighting.





The first uprising  launched by the ethnic Karen  began shortly after independence.

Since then, other ethnic groups have also taken up arms. Skirmishes, particularly in northern zones, have displaced more than 100,000 civilians since 2011.

At least 100,000 more have sought refuge in squalid camps in neighbouring Thailand, and are unlikely to return home until true peace takes hold.

The rebel armies control a patchwork of remote territories rich in jade and timber that are mostly in the north and east along the borders with China and Thailand.

Aung San Suu Kyi promised that bringing peace would be her top priority when her government assumed power earlier this year after decades of military rule.

The previous military-backed government brokered individual truces with various insurgent groups and oversaw a ceasefire covering eight minor insurgencies last year that fell short of a nationwide deal.
South Korean officials say Pyongyang executed the vice premier of education by firing squad last month.

North Korea has executed one of its vice premiers, according to South Korean officials.

Pyongyang also banished two other senior officials, Seoul said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of punishments North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to have ordered

Vice premier for education Kim Yong-Jin was executed, said Jeong Joon-hee, spokesman for South Koreas unification ministry.





Kim was killed by a firing squad in July as an anti-party, anti-revolutionary agitator, an official at the ministry, who declined to be named, according to the AFP news agency.

Kim Yong-Jin was denounced for his bad sitting posture when he was sitting below the rostrum during a session of North Koreas parliament, and then underwent an interrogation that revealed other crimes, the official told reporters.

Unverified reports

The unification ministry said two other senior figures were forced to undergo re-education sessions.

One of them was Kim Yong-chol, a top official in charge of inter-Korean affairs and espionage activities against the South.

The 71-year-old Kim is a career military intelligence official who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Norths frequent cyberattacks on Seoul.

Kim was banished to a farm in July for a month for his arrogance and abuse of power, the ministry official said, according to AFP.

READ MORE: Hidden state  Inside North Korea

It is difficult to independently verify news about top officials in the North or the inner circle around the leader. Some previous reports of executions and purges in the reclusive state have proved inaccurate.

In February, the chief of the general staff, General Ri Yong-gil, was reportedly executed on charges of corruption, according to South Koreas Yonhap news agency.

In May, however, he reportedly reappeared on a list of attendees of a Workers Party of Korea congress.

Kim Jong-un took power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il.
MQMs Waseem Akhtar was arrested in Pakistani city on charges of sedition and terrorism before being elected mayor.

The mayor of Pakistans largest and most populous city has vowed to run his office from prison after being arrested on charges of sedition and terrorism.

Waseem Akhtar, of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), has been in prison since his arrest in July but was elected Karachis mayor last week.

A former minister and parliamentarian, Akhtar won the poll by a landslide, bagging 196 of the 294 votes cast by the citys municipal authorities. He was allowed out of the prison and escorted to the oath-taking ceremony on Tuesday.





We know Karachi is plagued by a number of issues and these problems are our problems, Akhtar said in his oath-taking speech.

These are all false charges. After taking oath, I have decided to move a bail application in court. And I am sure I will get justice.

He vowed to seek his freedom in court but said if he is denied, he will solve the publics problems from jail.

Under Pakistani law, politicians can govern while in police custody but it is not yet clear how Akhtar will be able to work as mayor from prison.

He said he would ask the chief minister of Pakistans Sindh province to allow him to open an office in jail and make new rules so that people would be granted access to him.

No propaganda can kill MQM

MQM has dominated Karachis political scenario since the 1990s but a paramilitary crackdown since 2013  and a more recent one this year  has undermined its power base in the port city that is home to 20 million people.

The partys chief, Altaf Hussain, is living in self-imposed exile in London where he was granted political asylum in 1992.

MQM activists clashed with police and ransacked a private TV station in Karachi last week, leaving at least one man dead and seven injured. The clashes came after Hussain gave a telephone address to supporters in which he castigated the media for its coverage and told protesters to storm the offices of TV channels.

Security forces arrested MQM officials while demolishing its illegal offices and sealing the head office, accusing them of torture, murder and racketeering.

MQM denies having any links to criminal activities and accuses paramilitary forces of a series of extra-judicial killings of its members.

Akhtar is Karachis mayor, he carries a lot of responsibilities. How can he be put in jail? Barrister Saif Ali Khan, an MQM leader, told Al Jazeera.

How can they suspect him of fleeing or committing any crime? They [the government and paramilitary forces] are conducting these arrests to satisfy their egos and to crush MQM. This is taking us nowhere. No propaganda can kill MQM.

Hussains second-in-command, Farooq Sattar, was forced to disown Hussain at a press conference last week and vowed that the party will be run from Karachi without any input from the London secretariat.

READ MORE: Explainer  Pakistans main political parties

On Tuesday, Pakistans Ministry of Interior said that it was seeking legal action against Hussain in London.

A ministry statement said that the government had sent a dossier on Hussain to British authorities, with allegations of inciting violence and disturbing the law-and-order situation in Pakistan.

I think they [MQM] will have to work really hard to dissociate themselves from the criminal elements, Sharmila Farooqi, Pakistan Peoples Partys member of Sindh provincial assembly, told Al Jazeera.

It will take some time for them to get back on track and to clean their image. If the party wants to survive, it has to focus on internal cleansing.

Analysis  Hamza Ameer, political analyst

MQM has been on damage control by detaching itself from the London secretariat and endorsing itself as a Pakistan-based political party.

Its leadership in Pakistan is also shrinking as a lot of MQM members, including sitting members in the provincial and federal assemblies, have parted ways and joined rival political parties.

But the major setback to MQM has been the arrests of its party workers on terror charges and closure of many of its offices across Karachi and Hyderabad.

Despite that, MQM still has a lot of backing and a lot of people are still ready to vote for it, with or without Hussain. This is because the party has provided them basic facilities and financial support.

This remains the only hope for Sattar and whatever is left of the who continue their efforts of bringing MQM back on track in the political race.
MPs reject the acting PMs bid to form a government, bringing the country closer to a potential third vote in a year.

Spains acting prime minister has failed to secure enough votes in parliament to form a new government, bringing the country closer to a potential third election in a year.

Mariano Rajoy, the leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), lost Wednesdays vote of confidence after receiving 170 of the 176 votes needed for an absolute majority in the 350-member body.

He was backed only by his own party, the centrist Ciudadanos and a lone MP from the Canary Islands.

Spaniards voted for the second time within a six-month span at the end of June, after the four main political parties failed to agree on a coalition when Decembers general election resulted in a hung parliament.

The PP, in power since 2011, won the most seats in December and Junes elections but fell short of an absolute majority both times as voters angry over corruption and austerity supported new formations.

READ MORE: Tension and suspense as polls open in Spain elections

Another confidence vote will be held on Friday, in which Rajoy will only need more votes in favour than against.

The Socialists, who came second in the polls, have steadfastly refused to back Rajoy, with leader Pedro Sanchez telling the assembly that the acting prime minister had no credibility.

If there is no breakthrough, voters will be asked to return to the polls on December 25, the date determined by timings laid out in Spanish election law.

Socialists and other parties have already proposed shortening the campaign so a repeat election can be held on December 18.
Russia questions evidence from independent inspectors who hold both government forces and ISIL responsible for attacks.

Calls have been made for sanctions against Syria following findings by a UN team that government forces twice used chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war.

The UN investigators also found evidence that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group used mustard gas at least once in the conflict.

However, the UN Security Council failed during a closed-door session on Tuesday to agree on any action, with Russia questioning the evidence from the independent commission.

The international team of inspectors has determined that both the Syrian government and ISIL were responsible for chemical attacks carried out in 2014 and 2015.

Vitaly Churkin, the Russian ambassador, said it was too early to consider implementing a September 2013 Security Council resolution authorising sanctions that can be militarily enforced for any use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Russia has been a close ally of the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad since the crisis began there in 2011.





Clearly there is a smoking gun. We know that chlorine most likely has been used  that was already the finding of the fact-finding mission before  but there are no fingerprints on the gun, Churkin said after the closed-door session.

There is nobody to sanction in the report which has been issued, he said. It contains no names, it contains no specifics  If we are to be professional we need to question all the conclusions.

Churkin said, however, that he was pleased the report had confirmed the use of chemical weapons by ISIL, also known as ISIS.

Syrian rejection

For his part, Bashar Jaafari, Syrias UN ambassador, also dismissed the reports findings as biased.

The conclusions contained in the report were totally based on statements made by witnesses presented by the terrorist armed groups, he said.

Therefore, these conclusions lack any physical evidence.

Heading into the meeting, Samantha Power, the US ambassador, called the report a landmark and said she expected a Security Council resolution soon.

It is the first official independent confirmation of what many of us  have presented substantial evidence of for a long time, and that is a pattern of chemical weapons use by the Syrian regime, she said.

It is incumbent on the council to act swiftly to show  we were serious about there being meaningful accountability.

In September 2013, Syria accepted a Russian proposal to relinquish its chemical-weapons stockpile and join the Chemical Weapons Convention.

That averted a US military strike in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.

Possible punishment

Russia has blocked sanctions and other council action against Assads government.

However, it did support the establishment of the Joint Investigative Mechanism, charged with determining who was responsible for the attacks and paving the way for possible punishment.

The inspectors investigated nine cases in seven towns and determined that the Syrian government was responsible for two attacks involving chlorine gas and ISIL, which is already under UN sanctions, for one attack involving mustard gas.

They said three more attacks pointed towards government involvement but were not conclusive, and described three others as inconclusive.

Al Jazeeras Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, said the mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism ends on September 23 and its work is not yet complete.
Minister rejects US announcement of ceasefire deal between Turkish military and Syrian partners with Kurdish YPG forces.

A Turkish minister has said that his country does not accept US claims that its military has reached a ceasefire deal with Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

The statement came after US officials said that Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and Kurdish forces had agreed on a temporary pause in fighting in northern Syria.

The US has been warning the sides to focus on fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group elements there.





We do not accept in any circumstances  a compromise or a ceasefire reached between Turkey and Kurdish elements, Omer Celik, EU affairs minister, told the state-run Anadolu news agency in a live interview on Wednesday.

The Turkish republic is a sovereign, legitimate state.

US officials had claimed on Tuesday they received assurance that all parties involved were going to stop shooting at each other and focus on the ISIL threat.

It is a loose agreement for at least the next couple of days and we are hoping that will solidify, Colonel John Thomas, spokesman for the US Central Command, was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

Thomas said Turkey and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up largely of Kurdish fighters from the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), had opened communications with the US and between each other with the goal of limiting hostilities.

Thomas called the reported agreement between the two groups encouraging.

INSIDE STORY: Does Turkey trust Washington?

The White House also praised the apparent halt in fighting between anti-ISIL forces in Syria.

The US welcomes the overnight calm between the Turkish military and other counter-ISIL forces in Syria, Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, said on Tuesday.

It continues to encourage these moves as a way to prevent further hostilities and loss of life between all counter-ISIL forces operating in the area.





Polat Can, the YPG representative to the global anti-ISIL coalition, also said the forces had reached a truce with Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.

We have reached a temporary ceasefire between the Jarablus Military Council and the occupying Turkish army in the Jarablus area under the supervision of the global coalition, he said on Twitter.

These conflicting reports could be a further indication of mounting tension between Turkey and the US about how to deal with northern Syria, said Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border.

We have been talking to [Free Syrian Army] factions operating on the ground. They are basically saying that as far as they are concerned there is no truce.

They told me that they have been shelling some areas under YPG control north of Manbij.

Their strategy basically is to continue the fight until they push YPG across the Euphrates River.

Turkish forces launched last week a two-pronged operation in the town of Jarablus inside Syria against ISIL fighters and the YPG, shelling more than a dozen targets.

The US has long been trying to avert an escalation in violence between Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army forces operating in and around Jarablus and YPG fighters in the same region.

Both sides are backed by the US in their fight against ISIL, but Turkey, a key NATO ally, views the YPG as a threat because of its close links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting Turkish forces for the past three decades.

On Monday, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels said they were advancing towards Manbij, a city on the West Bank of the Euphrates, captured earlier this month by Kurdish forces.
University Police is hiring a third victim advocate this Fall.

The departments Victim Services Program has had two advocates since its founding in 1993, said Annie Carper, a UPD victim advocate. But over the last five years, the number of people asking for victim advocates has risen.

Its been a steady climb, she said.

Victim advocates help those who have experienced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, identity theft or are experiencing grief, Carper said.

In the past year, the two advocates have helped more than 260 people, she said. UPDs Office of Victim Services serves all UF students and faculty, UF Health Hospital patients and non-students who are victimized on campus.

By having a third advocate, Carper said she hopes UPD will be able to expand education efforts to tell students about the resources available to them if they are victims.

Our campus as a whole has worked incredibly diligently to create a culture of support, Carper said. Weve been operating as two, so the third person will be incredibly helpful.

Nicole Bowen, a UF finance freshman, said shes glad UF is getting another advocate.

I think its cool that the school is kind of engaged with the national conversation, the 17-year-old said.

Those interested in applying can go to explore.jobs.ufl.edu/cw/en-us/job/498494/victim-advocate.

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University Police arrested a man Wednesday morning after they said he exposed his penis to a female UF student in the Norman Hall Parking Garage, located near Sorority Row.

At about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Alexander Purcell Jones, 31, was arrested after at least one witness saw the man touching himself in the southwest corner stairwell of the garage and called University Police, said Maj. Brad Barber, a UPD spokesman.

Jones stared at the woman and her female friend while masturbating, according to a UPD report. The incident occurred at 11:18 a.m.

This is an excellent example of individuals who witnessed that crime taking place and then notifying law enforcement, Barber said.

Jones has been charged with exposure of sexual organs and disorderly conduct, according to the report. Authorities took him to the Alachua County Jail, where he remains, as of press time, without bond.

Earlier this year, three instances of an unknown man masturbating in the Norman Garage were reported to UPD, according to Alligator archives. This happened twice in January and once in February.

Officers will investigate to see if Jones is connected to those.

Its something were going to look into, Barber said.
Starting today, Alachua County residents can pick up sandbags to prepare for a tropical depression.

As Tropical Depression Nine follows its projected path toward Florida, Gainesville and UF officials have set up an area for residents to pick up sandbags at 11855 NW U.S. Highway 441 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Members of the emergency operation center met Tuesday morning to discuss and prepare for the tropical depression that may hit Gainesville, Alachua County spokesman Mark Sexton said. Sandbags are used to prevent flooding in buildings.

Its always a good idea to hope for the best and prepare for the worst, Sexton said.

He added the depression may become a tropical storm named Hermine.

Sexton said citizens should stock up on food and water and stay updated on the tropical depressions path via social media or radio.

The UF websites homepage has a banner that links to weather updates and preparation instructions.

The universitys Department of Emergency Management is reminding students to prepare for the likelihood of a tropical storm through social media, said Kenneth Allen, the director of the department.

Now is the time to take action, Allen said. What we dont want is students going into a storm unprepared.

Allen said students should put together a hurricane kit, which can include a flashlight, first aid supplies and pet care items.

UF Housing and Residence Education will also reach out to on-campus residents, Allen said.

Sharon C. Blansett, the assistant to the associate vice president for Student Affairs, wrote in an email that housing staff and resident assistants are trained in crisis management procedures, including weather-related emergencies.

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UF Housing began its emergency plan Friday in preparation for the depression, Blansett said. In case of flooding, housing staff has plans to mitigate excess rainwater on campus locations, she said.

Blansett suggests everyone be self-sufficient by planning for three to seven days worth of water, food and medicine.

That being said, UF has a partnership with Gator Dining Service to support the campus  staff and students  during weather emergencies, Blansett said.

Benjamin Narzissenfeld, 20, said he is not prepared for the storm because he was not aware one is heading toward Gainesville.

The history junior, said he thinks Floridians are reluctant to prepare for storms or hurricanes.

He said he will consider buying an umbrella and a raincoat for the upcoming storm.

If it becomes a hurricane, then Ill be scared shitless, he said.
           2005     ..        
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed rules on small-dollar loans are significant not only because they are sprawling, complex and tough, but also because they are the first rules the CFPB has issued pursuant to its powers to prohibit unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices.

Before the small-dollar proposal, the consumer bureau had used this authority only as the basis of enforcement actions against specific companies, not industrywide rules. Proponents of the CFPB extol its so-called UDAAP powers as being among the bureau's most versatile and potent weapons. Indeed, they assert that these authorities are crucial to ensure that the CFPB can be nimble in addressing developments and innovations in consumer finance markets without having to wait for Congress to decide what conduct or products the agency may target.

Critics of the CFPB, meanwhile, view its UDAAP powers with dread. They fear that the expansive, malleable and often subjective nature of these powers, when combined with the CFPB's unique autonomy and broad discretion in wielding them, allows for the prospect of unchecked regulatory overreach.

Such overreach is not without precedent. Congress famously chastised the Federal Trade Commission in the late 1970s for misusing its own "unfairness" authority when the FTC sought to ban all advertisements aimed at children on the nebulous grounds that such advertising was immoral, unscrupulous and unethical. In response to the FTC's actions, Congress shut down the FTC for several days and restricted its authority to issue new unfairness regulations. Congress ultimately amended the FTC Act to require the FTC to engage in economic analyses of unfairness and to limit the role of subjective public policies when making unfairness determinations.

Fears that the CFPB may overstep the boundaries of its UDAAP powers arguably have already been realized in the proposed small-dollar rulemaking. For instance, to support its assessment that small-dollar lenders act unfairly, the CFPB alleges that these lenders ensnare consumers in "debt traps." But the bureau plays down the comparative harms that consumers suffer when they lack access to these loans, such as when they confront emergency medical expenses or unexpected shortfalls in their income. This type of dismissive attitude suggests that what is really driving the CFPB's unfairness determination is not statutory factors, but rather moral distaste for the "high costs" of small-dollar loans and for small-dollar lenders preying on financially distressed consumers. But the Dodd-Frank Act, like the FTC Act, prohibits moral sentiments from serving as a primary basis for the CFPB's unfairness rulemakings.

The CFPB also overreaches in its proposed prescriptions for "preventing" the UDAAPs it identifies. Even if the CFPB properly assesses that it is unfair and abusive for small-dollar lenders to make loans without first assessing borrowers' ability-to-repay, the CFPB's proposed remedies go far beyond what is reasonably necessary to "prevent" this unfairness and abuse. Such remedies include imposing stringent underwriting requirements, restricting repeat borrowing and prescribing alternative loan products.

The CFPB has casually ignored proposals for different solutions  such as enhanced disclosures that would warn consumers about potential debt traps  which might achieve the CFPB's ends at lower costs to consumers and industry. In fact, the CFPB has even favored prescriptions that have at best a tenuous relationship with the underlying UDAAPs the agency identifies. This includes the bureau's proposal to create "registered information systems."

In sum, the CFPB's proposals seem to be directed at smashing and then remaking the small-dollar lender industry to its liking, rather than preventing particular harmful acts and practices.

One cannot fault the CFPB for wielding its UDAAP powers forcefully on an industry that the bureau believes it is charged with bringing to heel. Nevertheless, the CFPB's lack of restraint could very well lead to legislative blowback similar to what the FTC faced more than 30 years ago. Such a reckoning could ultimately impose enduring limits on the CFPB's UDAAP powers that could impact not only its rules governing small-dollar lenders but also other rules it contemplates for the future.

Perhaps in recognition of this, the CFPB does not rely solely upon UDAAP for its authority to issue its small-dollar rules. As a backstop, the CFPB shrewdly cites its general rulemaking power, set forth in the Dodd-Frank Act to prescribe rules as "may be necessary or appropriate to enable the Bureau to administer and carry out the purposes and objectives of the Federal consumer financial laws, and to prevent evasions thereof."

Such grants of general rulemaking power are not unique to the CFPB; rather, they are common features of many if not most enabling statutes for federal agencies. These powers also are not inherently dangerous. Instead, they typically serve the sensible purpose of allowing agencies to fill inadvertent gaps that Congress often leaves in such statutes.

However, when agencies resort to general rulemaking powers for more ambitious purposes, including filling gaps that Congress intended to leave in their enabling statutes or circumventing directives or limitations that Congress expressly imposed upon them, courts have repeatedly invalidated their actions. In doing so, these courts have reasoned that the use of general rulemaking powers in this manner would frustrate congressional intent and render superfluous detailed legislative schemes that reflect delicate negotiation and compromise.

One may reasonably ask why Congress would have drafted complex criteria for determining a UDAAP if it intended to permit the CFPB to regulate or ban conduct for any reason, or none at all, provided only that the CFPB determines such rules are necessary to accomplish its general consumer protection mission.

As the CFPB arms itself for regulatory duels with the small-dollar industry and others, it has a formidable arsenal from which to choose. However, the mere fact that the CFPB possesses UDAAP authority does not guarantee its victory in these fights. Firing weapons with abandon not only risks missing targets. The CFPB may well end up shooting itself in the foot.

Brett Kitt is of counsel in Greenberg Traurig's Financial Regulatory and Compliance Group in Washington. Gil Rudolph is a shareholder in the firm's Washington and Phoenix offices and co-chairman of the firm's Financial Regulatory and Compliance practice.
Australian banks are pushing Apple to loosen its grip on the technology that enables mobile payments. The result could bode well for U.S. banks as they look to re-up agreements with the tech giant.

Apple has maintained tight control over Apple Pay since its October 2014 launch, forcing participating U.S. banks to pay a toll of 10 to 15 basis points per transaction to access the near-field communication antenna, or controller, according to industry sources. Banks grumbled, but they paid up.

Many of the contracts U.S. banks initially signed to support Apple Pay are coming up for renewal, and financial institutions hoping to renegotiate terms are closely watching the Australia situation for signs of a thaw in Apple's policy of blocking third-party access to its mobile payments solution.

"Some believe Apple has been courting conflict with the payments industry by acting monopolistically in the way it restricts access to its NFC controller, and Australia is turning out to be the most public of these collisions," said Doug Parr, chief revenue officer at Prairie Cloudware, a software developer based in Omaha, Neb.

Apple declined to discuss the matter and U.S. banks continue to be tight-lipped about their arrangements with the tech company.

But the issues are stirring up familiar tensions surrounding the tug of war over who ultimately controls mobile payments  banks, device makers or merchants  and it's too early to predict a winner, Parr says.

So far NFC has emerged as the dominant channel for mobile wallets, because of its smooth user experience and the security it offers when combined with tokenization from payment networks like Visa and Mastercard. Plus, it's minimally invasive to merchants by riding on existing payment infrastructure rails, Parr pointed out.

But merchants like Walmart are developing their own apps using alternative approaches like QR codes, and because consumers still have not broadly embraced NFC-based wallets, the future direction of mobile payments isn't certain.

"At some point, consumers will vote with their feet, but the parties supporting mobile payments will need to cooperate, and that's what's at the heart of the goings-on in Australia," Parr said.

Australia's largest banks recently applied to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to fast-track a request for permission to collectively negotiate with Apple, claiming the company's restrictive policy around Apple Pay is stifling mobile payments innovation in the country.

The Australian Retailers Association pledged support for the banks' request, along with the Australian Payments Clearing Association.

On Aug. 18 the regulator responded that it needed time to consult with parties and said it would issue a draft decision on the matter in October.

U.S. banks are closely watching the outcome, Parr said, because it could provide clues to how much leverage Apple can exert over banks in various markets.

"Banks in the U.S. don't like paying a toll to use Apple Pay, but it's worse in other markets where interchange is skimpier," he said.

U.S. banks typically earn about 200 basis points in interchange on each transaction, but outside the U.S. interchange often ranges between 40 and 70 basis points per transaction, Parr said. "In many countries, there isn't much interchange left, and if Apple is potentially asking banks to give up a third of it, they are going to push back."

Third-party developers like Prairie Cloudware are busy building mobile wallets for banks that leverage host card emulation (HCE) to store payment card credentials in the cloud, but their solutions can only support mobile payments for Android devices because Apple requires banks to confine Apple Pay within an app that uses a secure element built into the handset.

As a result, banks like Capital One and Wells Fargo that have developed HCE-based mobile wallets are forced to offer Apple Pay as a separate service.

"If I'm a Wells Fargo customer with an iPhone, I don't get the full functionality of the bank's mobile app, because I can't use it to make an NFC payment," Parr explained.

In backing Australia's banks, local retailers struck a similar note. "In our view, for as long as Apple Pay remains the only app that can use the iPhone's NFC functionality, the potential for innovation in mobile wallets and mobile payments will be limited."

Apple shot back in its response to Australian regulators that local banks were exhibiting "cartel-like" behavior and attempting to stifle competition and create security risks.
Swift is warning its member banks to quickly upgrade their software and security protocols for the global financial messaging system following a wave of recent hacks that triggered more bank losses.

The Brussels-based organization notified its clients this week of a series of a fresh series of cyberattacks on banks that have occurred since June, the last time Swift provided a broad update on risks following the $81 million theft at the Bank of Bangladesh earlier this year, a Swift spokesperson confirmed.

Reuters was first to report on Aug. 31 that Swift sent a private letter to its member banks alerting them to a new level of risk. Swift, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, connects 11,000 financial services companies with its messaging platform for transfers.

Swift declined to release its letter, but a spokesperson said the missive warns banks that the latest cyberthreat is "persistent, adaptive and sophisticated," and criminals are tailoring attacks to each individual target.

Thieves attacking Swift members have used diverse methods to connect to banks and applied a variety of interfaces from different vendors to break into systems and send fraudulent transactions, the spokesperson added.

In the wake of the Bangladesh incident, Swift hardened its security protocols and has urged its member banks to adopt new, beefed-up processes for authenticating transactions and managing passwords. Swift also is urging banks to install the latest version of its more secure software by Nov. 19, or it will report its members' security lapses to banking regulators and the industry at large, according to reports.

Industry providers echoed the need for banks to reinforce their systems, noting that simply complying with Swift's requirements may not be enough protection against criminals that have already penetrated banks' defenses.

"Even if banks upgrade and improve their current security tools and procedures, as recommended by Swift, it's important to highlight that these attacks are not primarily machine-based, and current security tools won't spot them, as the attackers have already gained a foothold behind the defense perimeters," said Istvan Szab-, product manager for BalaBit, an international cybersecurity firm based in Hungary.

High-level bank executives are often the target of cyberattacks involving international funds transfers, and criminals increasingly are finding ways to intercept their credentials. "The better method is for participating organizations to monitor their privileged users, build specific profiles and apply behavior analytics on top of that," Szab- suggested.

Small banks may mistakenly believe they're not targets for cyberattacks like those Swift is warning against, said Mark McArdle, chief technology officer at eSentire, a Canada-based firm that detects international cybercrime.

"The Bangladesh bank was a smaller institution, with minimal cybersecurity and significant access to both monetary assets and larger targets like the New York Federal Reserve," McArdle pointed out.

Swift said in July that it had engaged the services of the British defense contractor BAE Systems and the Dutch security firm Fox-IT to enhance information sharing and threat monitoring for member banks.
The chief financial officer of Green Bancorp will leave the Houston company in October, although he will maintain ties to it.

John Durie will resign as CFO of the $3.8 billion-asset company and Green Bank effective Oct. 31. After his departure he will join Green Bank's board.

Green Bancorp named Elizabeth Vandervoort, its chief accounting officer, as interim CFO.

Durie is leaving to become chief executive of Redstone Group, a Houston real estate investment firm whose affiliates "are significant customers of the bank and shareholders of the company," Green Bancorp said in a news release. Durie joined Green Bancorp in 2006 when it began operations with its acquisition of Redstone Bank in Houston. Steven Lerner, a director of Green Bancorp, is chief executive of TRC Capital Partners, formerly the Redstone Cos.
Coastal Banking Co. in Beaufort, S.C., promoted Charles Wagner to president and hired Thomas Flournoy to be its new chief financial officer.

Wagner remains the president of CBC National Bank, Coastal's subsidiary in Fernandina Beach, Fla., a title he has held since June 2015. As part of a succession plan, he took over the presidency of the holding company this month from Michael Sanchez, who remains CEO of the bank and its $615 million-asset parent.

After joining the company in 2007, Wagner helped establish its mortgage division, which he ran for a time. He has also supervised the bank's human resources, information technology and operations, marketing and strategic planning. He sits on the boards of the bank and the parent.

Since Wagner was named president of the bank last year, he has "continued to ably demonstrate the acumen and proven performance" that led the company to promote him once again, Sanchez said in a press release Tuesday.

Flournoy was the CFO and a senior vice president at First Bank of Georgia and its parent company, Georgia-Carolina Bancshares, from 2009 until that company merged into State Bank Financial of Atlanta in January 2015.

At Coastal, he also holds an executive vice president title. He succeeded Paul Giarrigues, who left "to pursue other opportunities" after roughly nine years as CFO, a company spokesman told American Banker.
Shareholders of Bank of Princeton are learning just how valuable good internal controls are  $2.5 million in this case.

Investors Bancorp in Short Hills, N.J., agreed in May to buy the $1 billion-asset Bank of Princeton for $154 million in cash and stock. But Investors revealed this week that it was originally willing to pay more  before it noticed "certain internal control issues" in Bank of Princeton's annual report.

Those issues involved two unnamed bank officers who, in January, "circumvented established internal controls regarding the proper reporting and authorization" of the expense reports, Bank of Princeton disclosed in an April filing. The breakdown in controls was discovered through the bank's accounts payable procedures and no loss was incurred.

But it almost killed the deal. On April 17, Investors terminated talks to buy Bank of Princeton. The break-up was short-lived; Investors returned to the bargaining table three days later, reducing its offer by 2%, to $30.50 a share. Based on Bank of Princeton's shares outstanding, that equaled a reduction of roughly $2.5 million.

Bank of Princeton did not disclose the specific issue with the two expense reports, nor did it detail any consequences for the officers. A call to Bank of Princeton wasn't returned; a spokeswoman for Investors said its executives were not immediately available to comment.

The matter was serious enough that Bank of Princeton also amended its procedures to make sure that only the audit committee will receive whistleblower complaints and alleged code of conduct violations.

"Management failed to consistently maintain an effective control environment, specifically as it relates to the tone at the top of the organization," Bank of Princeton's filing said. "We believe that certain actions of bank officers did not demonstrate the appropriate level of control consciousness."

The bank also drafted an expense reimbursement policy and began training sessions tied to each of those policies.

Investors' registration statement, filed Tuesday in conjunction with the pending deal, also disclosed that the $22 billion-asset company wasn't Bank of Princeton's first choice for a buyer.

In September, an unnamed company made a bid that exceeded Investors' initial offer by about 6%. The other bank spent four weeks conducting due diligence on Bank of Princeton before requesting more time to evaluate the deal.

Bank of Princeton terminated talks with the other bank due to a "potentially extensive delay and pricing uncertainty," the registration statement said.

Investors also provided an update on its efforts to address an informal agreement it reached with regulators in August tied to Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money-laundering compliance matters.

Under the agreement, Investors agreed to implement internal controls to ensure full BSA compliance and to review certain transactions and accounts for BSA and AML compliance, among other things.

So far, Investors has restructured reporting lines, improved technology and increased staff, including hiring senior personnel, the latest filing said. While the Bank of Princeton application remains "under processing" by the FDIC, Investors said it should be able "to demonstrate substantial compliance" with the informal agreement.

Still, Investors cautioned that it could not assure that it would receive regulatory approval for the Princeton acquisition.

When the deal was announced, Investors said it expected to complete the acquisition by the end of this year. Under that timetable, Investors had projected 6% earnings accretion in 2017.
Green Dot Corp. has tapped one of its board members, Mary Dent, to take the helm of its banking unit.

Dent succeeds Lewis Goodwin as chief executive of Green Dot Bank, an $818 million-asset institution based in Provo, Utah. Goodwin will stay on as president of the bank, the company said in a press release Wednesday.

Green Dot, with headquarters in Pasadena, Calif., is one of the country's leading issuers of prepaid cards. The firm purchased its Utah-based bank in 2011.

"Mary will be focused on generating greater revenue from the bank through various initiatives focused on monetizing its bank charter, its balance sheet and its deposit product and lending capabilities," Green Dot Corp. CEO Steve Streit said in the press release.

The company recently received regulatory approval to offer a secured credit card, the firm noted in its press release. "Green Dot Bank is such an important institution because it sits atop a fintech powerhouse holding company that potentially allows it to do things on a nationwide scale few other banks could do," Dent said.

Dent spent seven years as general counsel of SVB Financial Group, the holding company for Silicon Valley Bank. Most recently, she served as general counsel at San Francisco-based Insikt Inc. She joined Green Dot's board in 2013.

In connection with her appointment as CEO of Green Dot Bank, Dent stepped down from Green Dot Corp.'s board of directors, the company said in a regulatory filing.

Green Dot also said in the filing that it is reducing the size of its board from 10 members to nine.

The contraction follows the addition of two board seats in April 2016, when an activist shareholder was trying to elect its own slate of candidates. Two of those three candidates were elected in May, but Streit also retained his board seat.
Hillary Clinton would have us believe that Trump is a scary member of the white supremacist radical fringe. Democrats are happy to believe her, even though Trump has zero relationship with hate groups. None, nada, zilch. Their only evidence is gotcha questions from liberal reporters asking Trump to repudiate David Duke over and over, tarring him by association. But there is no association, except in liberal minds that see Republicans, that is, the majority of whites in this country, as hate-filled kooks.

In contrast, Hillary actually does support BLM, a racist organization that promotes murder of whites. She repeats the cop-killing lie that we have a racist justice system. This lie was first promulgated by President Obama before the Zimmerman trail because Obama was hemorrhaging black voters during his 2012 e-election bid. Hillary is repeating it for the same cynical purpose.

We are living through the results -- cops afraid to police high crime neighborhoods, leaving their residents to be murdered. Now cops being assassinated in cold blood.

Hillary has blood on her hands, destroying the country with this demagoguery. There is no institutionalized police racism. There are have no facts on her side, just a false abuse of statistics.

Yet Hillary keeps piling on her accusations that Americans are racist. She has ginned up black fear, pain and victimization for her political benefit and provided legitimacy to the anti-cop radicals. Hundreds of black lives have been lost as a result. Real lives, real people, real dead.

Hillarys support of BLM and other radical left groups is not new or out of character. This is not guilt by association, but actual associations.

Hillary actually was an acolyte of Marxist Saul Alinsky, whom she idolized. Young Hillary was thrilled to meet personally with Alinsky, a meeting so successful that he offered her a job at his Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF).

She turned him down, but only to chose a far-left, one might say Communist, law firm for her internship in law school. Stanley Kurtz:

Hillarys newly discovered letter to Alinsky was written while she was doing a summer internship at the left-wing law firm of Treuhaft, Walker, and Bernstein.  of the firms four partners, two were communists, and others tolerated communists.  They represented some of the Black Panther Party leadership and other left-wing causes as well. There was no reason except politics for a girl from Yale to intern at the firm, Treuhaft told Bernstein. She certainly . . . was in sympathy with all the left causes, he continued.

Hillarys association with Alinsky didnt end there. Frontpage magazine reports that as First Lady, all those years later, Clinton raised money and attended events at the Washington IAF organization, and even lent her name to projects endorsed by them, the same Alinsky group that had offered her a job in 1968.

President Obama, even more than Hillary, also had decades-long relationships with hateful, anti-American radicals  which the media never asked about and doesnt care about, even though they forecast much of Obamas subsequent policies.

Obama was a member of the American Socialist party, and writes, in Dreams From My Father, of the moment at a Socialist convention when he learned of their new strategy to take over the Democratic Party with a stealth black candidate, a community organizer  saying it was the night he developed his lifes goal. Stanley Kurtz again:

It was at this Socialist conferences in New York in the mid-'80s that Barack Obama encountered the groups, the strategies, and the mentors who would guide him throughout his entire political career. Now, what do I mean? Well, for one thing, these Socialist conferences touted community organizing as the key to the future for American Socialism. in the 1980s when Socialists decided, hey, we're going to get control of the economy not by formal nationalization from above, but through  community organization, ACORN. What did ACORN do? ACORN actually gained a kind of control over the banking industry in the United States. They would flood into the lobbies of banks or they would besiege the home of an officer of a bank, and basically intimidate the bank into giving them a pot of money to give loans on behalf of the bank to customers with risky credit histories, the kind of customer who would never have gotten a loan under ordinary circumstances. And of course, this was the beginning of the subprime mortgage crisis that ironically brought Barack Obama into the presidency. (snip) ...this dramatic moment Obama describes in Dreams From My Father, his memoir theme at these conferences  minority political leaders, particularly African Americans, were the key to the future of Socialism in the United States.

Socialism was not something Obama picked up and abandoned in college.

Obama hired Peter Dreier, a speaker he first heard at that 1983 Socialist conference, as a campaign advisor in 2008. Dreier proposed to bring down American capitalism from below by swamping governments with entitlement programs: "the process leads... to fiscal crisis in the public sector.

Unlike Trumps non-relationship with radicals in word, thought or deed, Obama has had lifelong radical ties. His beloved teenage mentor, the odious child molester Frank Marshall, was an actual Communist. As an adult, Obama was plucked from obscurity by terrorist Bill Ayers, who recruited Obama to join him on the Board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, where they distributed $100 million to radical causes.

Not to forget Obamas racist, anti-Semitic and openly Marxist pastor for decades, who led his congregation to cheer 9/11. (Remember how you felt the week after 9/11? Can you imagine staying in a church that cheered the bombing of the World Trade Towers?) Wright is a man who Obama loved, praised, quoted and invited to campaign with him. Now we have Obama inviting to the White House the radical, cop-hating BLM movement that cheers assassination of cops.

The contrast between the baseless accusations that Trump is a fringe candidate and the reality of Obama and Hillary Clintons lifelong radical associations could not be clearer. Thanks to the liberal propaganda press, their voters will never know.
Back in May, recently divorced Congressman Alan Grayson, who was running to be the Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate in Florida, married Dena Minning, one of the candidates running for his congressional seat. She immediately changed her last name to capitalize on his name recognition. On Tuesday night, both were crushed. Alan Grayson came in a distant second in a five-man race with only 18% of the total votes cast. Dena Minning Grayson came in third in her race with almost 28% of the vote.

So what is next for the political newlyweds? Alan Grayson is a polarizing figure. He infuriates his political rivals and embarrasses his political friends. But no one seems to be ready to predict that this crushing defeat means Florida voters have seen the last of him.
Mr. Kaepernick is a coward, but not for sitting down during the national anthem. Not because he disrespected millions of black veterans like Revolutionary War hero Crispus Attucks, whose soil-mixed blood undergirded America's foundation.

Not because he disrespected the Massachusetts 54th Regiment  the first detachment of black Civil War soldiers, who fought and died under the American flag trying to recapture Fort Wagner.

Not because he disrespected Dorie Miller, a black WWII Navy cook who earned the Navy Cross on December 7, 1941 by saving his captain and manning an anti-aircraft gun after the USS West Virginia was torpedoed by the Japanese.

Not even because he disrespected the Tuskegee Airmen  black flyers who had to fight their own country for the right to fight for their country.

Kaepernick is a coward because if he really cared about black Americans, he would bring attention to the major problems confronting them instead of a minor one. The police are not the worst problem facing black Americans; liberal policies and black-on-black crime are!

The Public Broadcasting Station's Tavis Smiley recently stated that blacks have lost ground in every major economic category during the two terms of President Obama. As reported by Sean Hannity, under this president, black poverty increased by 8%. Blacks on food stamps increased by 58%. Blacks out of the workforce increased by 19.6%, and black home ownership is down 4.6%. Where is Kaepernick's outrage concerning the crumbling black middle class?

President Obama firmly supports giving Planned Parenthood, whose abortion centers are primarily located in minority communities, $500 million of taxpayer money annually. The kill ratio of Planned Parenthood versus police is a thousand to one! According to blackgenocide.org, blacks make up less than 15% of the population but account for 35% of abortions. Where is Kaepernick's outrage concerning the lives of unborn black babies who will never see the light of day?

Black-on-black crime makes cities like Chicago nothing less than killing fields. In 2015, there were a total of 2,988 shootings and 491 homicides in Chicago. As of August 30, 2016, there were 2,800 shootings and 487 homicides in that city alone. Is Kaepernick angered only if a police officer misuses his authority? Does he feel any compassion for mothers and fathers wondering if this is the day their children will not return from school? Has he ever questioned the liberal policies of the killing field cities like Chicago and Baltimore, or do only black lives killed by police matter?

Whatever police problems we have are minor compared to the ongoing genocidal destruction of the black community. Let's deal with the big problems first! If Kaepernick stands against counter-productive liberal policies, and the acceptance of black-on-black crime, I will applaud him for taking a stand instead of taking a seat.

Samuel E. Tolley, III CPM , B.A., M.A. is the author of Enemy of Christ: Revelation 21:8. Follow Samuel on his website, inhimfirst.com; email inhimfirst@sbcglobal.net. Facebook and Twitter.
The black-on-black killings in Chicago were the subject of a famous column by Mike Royko, of the Chicago Tribune, on November 30, 1993, titled "Politically Incorrect, But Right on Target." The column is included in The Best Of Mike Royko, One More Time (University of Chicago Press, 1999).

Royko praises Jesse Jackson for calling attention to the black-on-black homicides in Chicago. Royko reports the famous Jackson quote:

There is nothing more painful to me at this stage of my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then I look around and see someone white and feel relieved.

But the thrust of the column is about the failure of government to be able to do anything about the problem and the need for people to act. The more relevant and important Jackson quote is:

We've got the power right now to stop killing each other.There is a code of silence, based on fear. Our silence is a sanctuary for killers and drug dealers. There must be a market revolt. The victim has to rise up.

That's right. Jesse Jackson is exhorting the blacks in Chicago to stop killing each other, to report crimes to the police, and to act to help themselves.

Now, 26 years later, and the carnage in Chicago reflected by the black-on-black crime numbers is the big daily news. Donald Trump has highlighted the carnage as one more failure by Democrats and specifically Obama. Trump has a point. Obama has done nothing about the Chicago carnage. He was a community organizer in Chicago, a state representative for Chicago, a U.S. senator for Illinois, and president of our country. Yet what has he done or said about the carnage except to call for even stricter gun controls than Chicago already has? Jesse Jackson said more 23 years ago than Obama has said in 23 years as a representative of the city and as president.

Similarly, Hillary Clinton was co-president for eight years, U.S. senator from New York, secretary of state, and current candidate for the presidency, and she controls billions in the Clinton Foundation. What has she done or said about black-on-black crime? Again, nothing, except to blame guns and racism when convenient to push for more gun control.

The situation in Chicago is analogous to the war on terror. Obama and Hillary refused to identify the terrorists as Islamists or Muslim terrorists. Similarly, they refuse to identify the problem as black-on-black crime. As the first black president, Obama could have used the bully pulpit of the presidency to call on blacks to stop killing each other and report crimes to the police and cooperate with the police. Instead, he has blamed crime on the police and racism. As co-president, Hillary could have done something but did not. As presidential candidate, she will be forced to say something, because Trump has raised the issue by his appeal to black voters.

Royko said in 1993 that the biggest physical threat to a black is another black. This was clear to Jesse Jackson on 1993, but it does not seem clear to Obama and Hillary in 2016.
Donald Trump announced on Tuesday night that he had accepted an invitation from President Enrique Pena-Nieto to visit Mexico today in advance of his speech on immigration.

CNN:

A meeting between Trump and Pena Nieto would be extraordinary, given Trump's continued pledges to build a wall on the border with Mexico and make Mexico pay for it. Trump has also stoked fierce criticism in Mexico and in the Hispanic community at large for his at-times inflammatory rhetoric in discussing illegal immigration. The Washington Post first reported Trump was mulling a meeting with Pena Nieto before Trump confirmed it. At a Tuesday night rally, Trump stuck to his tough-talking rhetoric. "We are also going to secure our border and stop the drugs from pouring in and destroying our country. And I'll be talking about that tomorrow night in Arizona, big speech on immigration," he said in Everett, Washington. The visit follows months of warring words between Trump and Mexico's leaders, including when Pena Nieto compared Trump to brutal dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Trump in the early months of his campaign also leveled unfounded accusations that the Mexican government was intentionally sending its unwanted citizens across the border and into the United States. But both Trump and Pena Nieto have publicly expressed a willingness in recent weeks to meet with one another. "Mrs. Hillary Clinton and Mr. Donald Trump, I would like to express to both of them my greatest respect, my deepest respect. And from right now, I propose going into a frank, open dialogue with whomever is elected," Pena Nieto said in July during a joint news conference with President Barack Obama at the White House.

This is a fascinating twist that presents an unknown dynamic into the campaign. Trump's legendary ability to shmooze and win over people will be put to the test with Nieto.

The Mexican president is a wily politician with far better political skills than Trump. Given the rhetoric that has flown back and forth between the two, the possibility that Nieto is laying a trap for Mr. Trump cannot be dismissed. The level of dislike of Trump in Mexico is very high. He is seen as public enemy #1. It is entirely possible that Nieto will ambush Trump, using his own words to pander to the anti-American, anti-Trump elements in Mexico.

They won't be agreeing about much. There is a chasm between them that suggests that either Trump will offer a dramatically different plan on immigration later today when he delivers the speech, or Nieto will heavily criticize Trump in any statement after the meeting. Nieto has already indicated he opposes the wall, he refuses to even consider paying for it, and he will continue to push Mexican citizens to cross the border illegally into the U.S. These are all policies popular with the Mexican people, so Nieto has no reason to change them.

Trump, on the other hand, needs to alter the perception that he is anti-Mexican and anti-immigration. That's a tall order, given his past statements. But softening his positions will lose him votes only with his base, making it vital that his speech this afternoon hit the bullseye.

With the Nieto meeting and the immgration speech. today marks one of the critical days of the campaign.
The whole Kaepernick anthem affair confirms two things:

1) He is no longer making headlines by throwing TDs.

2) Worse, he does not have a clue of what repression really is.

My friend Humberto Fontova told me about Kaepernick holding a press conference wearing a T-shirt with a picture of Fidel Castro. It explained everything I needed to know about this clown named C.K. who can't play QB anymore.

Furthermore, it also proved that Kaepernick does not even understand what is going on in U.S. cities, especially as it relates to the minorities that he is suddenly so worried about. Maybe he should get out of his mansion and spend a few days living in the inner city.

As Heather McDonald pointed out:

Blacks are killed by police at a lower rate than their threat to officers would predict. To cite more data on this point: in 2013, blacks made up 42 percent of all cop killers whose race was known, even though blacks are only about 13 percent of the nations population. Less than one-third of all homicides by police involve black victims. Moreover, there is a huge, unacknowledged measure of support for the police in the inner city: Theyre due respect because they put their lives every day on the line to protect and serve. I hope they dont back off from policing, a woman told me on the Staten Island street where Eric Garner was killed. (This was two nights before Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were assassinated in Brooklyn.)

It ain't happening, Colin. You are reading our society's problems as poorly as you do the defenses intercepting your passes or the receivers you are constantly overthrowing!

Here is the worst part: his message of black victimology was unchallenged. No one in the Congressional Black Caucus stood up and called Collin out. No one in the Democratic Party defended the police from the outrageous lies that Kaepernick said.

In the meantime, Chicago has recorded 487 homicides and more than 2,800 people shot so far this year. My guess is that the people in those communities are happy to see "the blue team"!

At the end of the day, who cares whether Kaepernick salutes the national anthem. Let him sit down! However, he has no right to attack the integrity of our police officers or pretend to be enlightened by wearing a Fidel Castro T-shirt!

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Everyone is wondering whats in the 30 previously unknown emails related to Benghazi the FBI managed to discover on Hillarys server and turned over to the State Department for potential redaction. But the manner by which they escaped destruction may tell us a lot, no matter how much redaction takes place.

The very fact that the emails were recoverable has got Hillary and her team of lawyers in a lot of trouble. Ed Morrissey of Hot Air explains:

All along, Hillary and her team insisted that they had nothing responsive to investigators and those filing FOIA demands, and that the entire Benghazi probe consisted of rehashed questions already answered. The new admission from State raises even more questions about the e-mail scandal. The claim from Hillary and her team that the lawyers checked all of her e-mail individually to determine whether they related to official business has long since been debunked. However, one would have expected Hillary and her team to specifically look for materials responsive to Congressional investigations in progress, especially on Benghazi and Libya, even if they were segregating other material by keyword search. Given that the State Department repeatedly argued in court that no such records existed until Hillarys private e-mail system became public knowledge, the judicial branch may hold State and Hillary to those expectations.

Hillary misrepresented to Congress the thoroughness of the search process. Lets use that word instead of lied, because it leaves open the door of scapegoating the lawyers. Bad things often happen to people who work with the Clintons when they are no longer useful.

So how on Earth did those emails escape the highly touted ability of BleachBit to make data inaccessible to God Himself? Presuming for the sake of discussion that BleachBit really works, that leaves two possibilities. Keep in mind that the 30 emails were found in a batch of 14,900 emails the FBI recovered through various methods.

The FBI recovered the emails through its thorough search of the records of every recipient of an email from the secret email account. Somehow, an error was made, and the 14,900 emails were not deleted with BleachBit.

If number two is true, that was a highly incompetent effort at sanitizing. Honestly, it seems unlikely. So we are likely facing 30 emails that were sent to computers and accounts the FBI gained access to.

If the emails were sent to official government accounts, they are probably pretty innocuous. Hillary had to have realized that anything sent to those accounts was going to be subject to discovery. The very purpose of her email server was to evade discovery, so she knew that .gov accounts are discoverable.

The reason these emails were deleted from the records she handed over probably is that they included a keyword like Benghazi. Instead of being marked to hand over, they were marked for destruction, even if the contents were comparatively innocuous. Non-incriminatory emails should have been handed over but werent because the destruction was too inclusive.

But if some of these emails were sent to confidantes like Sidney Blumenthal and recovered via their failure to BleachBit everything, then Katy bar the door. Assuming they are not completely redacted by the State Department.
In the grand palace of Catherine I, the second wife of Peter the Great and Empress of Russia, there once existed a magnificent golden room adorned from floor to ceiling with precious amber, gold and other semi-precious stones. For nearly two hundred years the Amber Room dazzled visitors to the Catherine Palace near St. Petersburg. But then the Nazis invaded, and the Amber Room, with its 6 tons of amber valued between $140500 million, vanished without a trace.

The Amber Room was originally installed at the Berlin City Palace, the winter residence of Frederick I, the first King of Prussia. The room was designed by German baroque sculptor Andreas Schluter and constructed by the Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram, and later by Ernst Schacht and Gottfried Turau from Danzig. When Peter the Great of Russia paid a visit in 1716 and showed interest in the Amber Room, King Frederick I's son Frederick William I, who prized his military prowess over his late fathers artistic endeavors, gifted the room to Peter to cement the Prussian-Russian alliance against Sweden.

Hand-colored photograph of the original Amber Room, 1931. Photo credit: public domain

The Russians installed the Amber Room in the Winter House in St. Petersburg before Peters daughter, Czarina Elizabeth, decided to move the Room to the Catherine Palace in 1755. The room was restored and enlarged throughout the 18th century. It became Catherine the Greats private meditation chamber and a gathering room for her intimate circle, and later Alexander II (1818-1881) used the Room as a trophy room for his amber collection.

In 1941, the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, and began looting tens of thousands of art treasures across the country. They had already set their eyes on the Amber Room, which they believed rightfully belonged to the Germans. The curators of the Catherine Palace tried to disassemble and hide the Amber Room, but over the years the amber had dried out and started to crumble. So a half-hearted attempt was made at hiding the room behind a wallpaper. But it didnt fool the Nazis. Within 36 hours they tore down the room and shipped it to Konigsberg, Germany, in present-day Kaliningrad, where it was reinstalled in Konigsberg's castle museum.

Konigsberg Castle and Courtyard, c. 1900. Photo credit: United States Library of Congress/public domain

Towards the end of the war, as Soviet forces pressed towards the city, the Germans dismantled the room once again, packed it into crates and hid it. Shortly thereafter, the Soviets bombed the castle to ruins. Based on reports that the crates containing the panels of Amber Room was hidden within the castle itself, the Soviets concluded that the Amber Room was destroyed.

But the story of the Amber Room didnt rest there. Rumor persist that the Nazis managed to move the crates out of the castle into some secret location before the Soviets bombed the city. There are several theories about what may have happened to the precious amber crates. The most popular theory is that it still hidden in some old bunker.

In 1979, the Soviet government began to construct a replica of the Amber Room based on original drawings and old black-and-white photographs. The project took 24 years to complete, largely because it required artisans to re-learn the old and forgotten art of amber craftsmanship. A generous donation by a German company helped financed the project.

While a replica Amber Room is back in its rightful home, the search for the original will continue to grip the imagination of historians and treasure hunters. Just two months ago (June 2016), some researchers were digging at some old German bunkers in Poland. Their initial claim that they had located the Amber crates created a lot of buzz in the media. But the trail has gone cold once again.

Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg. Photo credit: Florstein/Wikimedia

Photo credit: Larry Koester/Flickr

Photo credit: Larry Koester/Flickr

Photo credit: Byron Howes/Flickr

Photo credit: Ron Kikuchi/Flickr

Sources: Wikipedia / The Daily Beast / Smithsonian Mag / www.amberroom.org
Chromebooks have come a long, long way since they Chrome OS was first introduced, and while theyre not capable of doing everything everyone needs, theyve begun to offer some compelling features at ever-decreasing price points. Acer has been onboard with Chromebooks since the very beginning, partnering with Google along with Samsung to produce and market the very first Chromebooks. Now, Acer is a well-known brand in the world of Chromebooks, and during IFA 2016, they have yet another Chromebook to introduce. This time around, its the 13.3-inch Chromebook R 13 that we got wind of quite some time ago.

The Chromebook R 13 features a 13.3-inch IPS touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, and can be folded back on itself to become a tablet of sorts. Under-the-hood, theres a MediaTek MT8173C quad-core CPU as well as 4GB of RAM. As for storage, there will be options up to 64GB of onboard storage, but the base model is likely to ship with the Chromebook standard of 16GB. As for connectivity, the usual WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac  including MIMO 22  is here, and Acer is moving to USB Type-C for charging and data transfer. However, unlike some laptop manufacturers out there, Acer is still shipping a full-size USB 3.0 port, as well as a full-size HDMI port as well as a headphone socket. Acer says that this will support the Google Play Store and Android apps that Google announced back in May, too. At 1.49KG its not the lightest thing in the world, but its also not the heaviest out there.

Starting at $399 in the United States, and 399 in Europe, the Chromebook R 13 will be shipping in October. Different sizes and models will be available in different regions and their pricing will vary, but at least Acer is offering a fairly affordable device with a quality display that doesnt take away all of our beloved ports. With Android apps now available for a lot of different Chromebooks, theyve become a little more useful for a lot of users, and as Chrome OS itself matures over time, it should start to offer users more options to get things done on the move, as well as fulfill the average users needs.
Smart devices have gradually become more prevalent in the daily lives of consumers. So much so that consumers can become confused by the the various 4G LTE smartphone solutions that are available. When it comes to MediaTek, this is a company who has already released three popular mid-range octa-core processors that support 4G LTE. These are the MT6755, MT6750 and MT6753 and here we will discuss them all in a little bit more detail.

The MT6755 is a third-generation integrated 4G WorldMode modem with LTE Cat-6 which supports 220 carrier aggregation with 300 / 50 Mbps data speeds, allowing for incredible fast levels of connectivity and rates of transfer. Clocked at 2 GHz, the MT6755 makes use of a 64-bit Cortex-A53 CPU for one of the fastest performances in the mainstream segment. With a powerful dual-core 64-bit Mali-T860 graphics core, the MT6755 is able to deliver an uncompromised user experience. The MT6755 also supports full HD displays at 60 FPS with MediaTeks suite of MiraVision 2.0 display technologies, including UltraDimming, BluLight Defender, and Adaptive Picture Quality. As for camera performance, the MT6755 supports 21MP single cameras, 16MP + 8MP dual cameras with TrueBright ISP engine (which offers greater sensor light capture). This greatly enhances color resolution with less than a 200ms shot-to-shot delay. Last but not least, Hi-fidelity, hi-clarity audio with 110dB SNR & -95dB THD enable the MT6755 to meet consumer demand for superior audio performance.

Compared to the MT6755, the MT6753 is designed for the super-mid market and is equipped with a lower configuration which aims to help provide consumers with a wider choice of smart devices and at more affordable price points. Based on the ARM Cortex-A53 64-bit processor with ARM Mali-T720 graphics, the MT6753 supports 1080p Full HD displays. With a 16-megapixel image signal-processor, the MT6753 is also able to support high-quality smartphone camera applications.

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The newly released MT6750 perfectly combines all the benefits of the MT6755 and the MT6753. In terms of the modem, the MT6176 radio-frequency module complementing the MT6750, covers the worldwide 4G spectrum and enables Carrier Aggregation. On the processing side of things, the MT6750 outperforms previous solutions in terms of power-efficiency and performance thanks to its octa-core CPU based on Cortex A53 (clocked at 1.5 GHz) and also includes the Mali T860 dual GPU (up to 650 MHz with the MT6750T variant). In addition, the MT6750 supports as much as 4GB of LPDDR3 memory (up to 833 MHz with the MT6750T variant). Not to mention, the MT6750 makes use of MediaTeks superior MiraVision display improvements, advanced image-signal processing technologies and full Cat-6 LTE support and in more devices than ever before. The MT6750 is also compatible with MediaTek PumpExpress 2.0 which is designed to speeds up device charging.

In general, the MT6750 strikes a good balance between the extraordinary performance of the MT6755 and the tempting price/performance ratio of the MT6753. The OPPO R9 adopts the MT6755 solution and has been praised for its outstanding performance. Although its comparatively high price means the OPPO R9 does price out some consumers. In contrast, the Bluboo Maya Max is a smartphone which includes the world debut of the MT6750 and is currently available to pre-order. For further details, head through the link below.
Lenovo is no stranger to introducing products that are a little out there compared to the norm, and their Yoga line of devices have been at the forefront of this. During IFA 2016, the Chinese company is introducing their latest in the line of Yoga products, and as far as Android tablets go, we havent seen anything like this before. The Yoga Book is Lenovos 10.1-inch foldable, 2-in-1 Android tablet  with a Windows 10 version also available  that features 2,048 points of pressure sensitivity for taking notes and drawing diagrams, as well as a keyboard thats not quite like any other weve seen.

At its core, the Yoga Book is a 10.1-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Android tablet, currently launching with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but this is about where the similarities with other Android tablets stop. The Yoga Book is named as such because it is essentially the 21st Century version of a note pad. The device is just 9.6mm thick when laid out as two displays, and this second display has a number of tricks up its sleeve. The second display is called the Create Pad and is practically where all the magic happens. With the included Real Pen, the Yoga Book allows users to lay a piece of A4 paper on the other display and write real notes onto paper, as well as draw whatever they want, and then also have it recorded by the Android tablet for digital notes. It can also be used without paper, turning the Yoga Book into a sort of graphics tablet, and with 2,048 pressure points, this isnt a drawing tablet to be sniffed at, either. A 2-in-1, as the Yoga Book is being marketed as suggests a device with a keyboard. The Yoga Book does indeed have a keyboard, dubbed the Halo keyboard, which is a sort of touch keyboard that offers haptic feedback as people type on it like a laptop. This means that the Yoga Book doesnt come with a physical keyboard, and given that the device folds over to become a full-blown Android tablet, attaching one could be difficult.

On the inside of this interesting machine is a quad-core Intel Atom Z8550 which can hit clocks speeds of up to 2.4 Ghz as well as 4GB of RAM. As for storage, users get 64GB of onboard storage as well as a microSD card slot for expansion. Keeping all of this awake is a sizeable 8,500 mAh battery. There is an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing camera rounding the specs out with the Yoga Book. As Lenovo is aiming this at the productivity market, its good to see that there will also be a version with a SIM card slot included, as a lot of people need to get online while on the move, and simply cant rely on there being WiFi everywhere they go. The Yoga Book will be available in either Gunmetal Gray or Champagne Gold and while pricing hasnt been confirmed, it should go on sale towards the end of the year in earnest. Included in the box is the Real Pen stylus-cum-pen as well as 3 ink cartridges for it and the Book Pad, which allows users to create real notes as well as digital ones at the same time. Both the ink cartridges and Book Pad refills will be available separately, too.
OnePlus 3 is the third-generation flagship smartphone from Chinese smartphone brand, OnePlus. The device comes with flagship specs and an affordable price-tag, and is often said to be one of the best value for money smartphones there is. However, even as the device continues to do brisk business around the world, it is now facing intense competition in India from the likes of the Xiaomi Mi 5, which also offers similar hardware at a very similar price-point. Faced with growing competition, OnePlus is now making it even more lucrative to own the handset by announcing the OnePlus Carnival in India that promises to give buyers guaranteed cashback, gift cards and more. The promotional period started at Noon IST on August 31st and will end at 11:59AM on September 2nd.

Amazon India is the exclusive retailer of OnePlus devices in the country, and buyers can choose from a number of different gift options that are being offered as part of the new OnePlus promo. First off, those who buy the OnePlus 3 through their ICICI Bank debit or credit cards will get a guaranteed cashback of Rs. 1,000. Those looking to buy the device through the monthly installment option will get an Amazon gift card equivalent to the amount of the total EMI interest, basically making it an interest-free purchase. Buyers can choose to pay their installments over a period of 3, 6, 9 or 12 months, which should get them gift cards worth Rs. 650, Rs. 1200, Rs. 1800 or Rs. 2350 respectively. One lucky winner will also get a 100% cashback on the device in the form of an Amazon India gift card.

The OnePlus 3 costs Rs. 27,999 ($417) in India, which is a bit higher than its cost in the U.S., but still lower than what E.U. and U.K. residents have to pay for it. As mentioned earlier already, its the new flagship smartphone from OnePlus and comes with flagship hardware. The device features a 5.5-inch 1080p display panel and is powered by a Snapdragon 820 Soc. The phone also comes with 6GB of RAM and has Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow pre-installed in the form of OnePlus proprietary Oxygen OS ROM. The device comes with a fingerprint scanner on the back, with a 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera taking care of the imaging duties.
After a number of rumors, leaks and teasers from Samsung themselves, the South Korean giant is ready to unveil their next-generation of smartwatch, the Gear S3. This time last year, Samsung announced the Gear S2, radical new design that reinvigorated Samsungs wearable line of products. Along with the Gear Fit 2, Samsung has turned the Gear line of devices into something as recognizable and important to Samsungs business as their Galaxy S line. If you thought last years Gear S2 was a device that resembled a traditional watch, the Gear S3 takes that look and feel to new heights.

With a 1.3-inch fully-circular Super AMOLED display, covered up with Cornings new Gorilla Glass SR+, a raft of sensors, an improved look and feel and a simplified duo of just two models, the Classic and the Frontier, the Gear S3 is a huge improvement over last years model. The Gear S3 Classic is 12.9mm thick with a more streamlined and understated feel, with two prominent buttons on the right-hand side of the device. Meanwhile, the Gear S3 Frontier shares a similar 12.9mm thick casing, but where the Gear S3 is more understated and classic, the Gear S3 Frontier appears to be a little more edgy, with more design elements on the rotating bezel and a silicon watch strap. Both share IP68 water and dust-resistance, an optical heart rate sensor, 4GB of storage and 768MB of RAM, as well as Samsungs own Tizen 2.3.2. A dual-core CPU clocked at 1.0 Ghz keeps everything ticking here, and 3G and LTE connectivity is included, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, GPS and NFC. This standalone LTE connection allows users to listen to Spotify wherever they are as well as make calls without their smartphone. Battery life has always been something that wearables have struggled with, but the Gear S3 will now offers users three-to-four days worth of battery life from a single charge. All of this is just from a 380 mAh battery, which supports wireless charging.

That inclusion of NFC will allow users to pay for things using Samsung Pay at participating stores, as well as stores that dont support it thanks to Magnetic Secure Transmission with your watch simulating the mag strip on a credit card strip. Built-in GPS allows users to track their runs and get directions without a smartphone nearby, and of course, users can still make and take calls on the Gear S3 with the built-in speaker and microphone. Samsung have partnered with BMW to include functionality with supported BMW models that allow people to control certain elements of their car straight from their watch.

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To design the Gear S3, Samsung partnered with Yvan Arpa, a renowned Swiss-based watch designer, and Samsung is really pushing the whole craftsmanship avenue with the new Gear S3. With a 46mm face and a sizeable 1.3-inch display, the Gear S3 isnt the smallest watch in the world, but its not too big, either. Using the same stainless steel that high-end Swiss names use, the Gear S3 is perhaps the most traditional smartwatch thats available. In keeping with this, Samsung has chosen to use standard 22mm watch strap fittings on both the Gear S3 Classic and the Gear S3 Frontier, while also offering a range of different colors and textures of their own.
The original Samsung Galaxy A8 was released in August 2015, and assuming that the South Korean smartphone maker has any plans in mind for a sequel, then, needless to say, the clock is ticking and the 2016 model should technically be just around the corner. Nevertheless, Samsung has been keeping quiet about its plans for the Galaxy A8 lineup, but recent leaks and rumors have placed the device on the radars numerous times already. After brief appearances in various locations online, including GFXBench, Geekbench, and Zauba, the launch of a new Samsung Galaxy A8 now seems closer than ever before thanks to the FCC.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2016) was submitted for certification yesterday, August 30, and was spotted in the database of the Federal Communications Commission rocking model number SM-A810S. The Samsung Galaxy A8 is generally identified by the SM-A810 model number, so the S indicates that this is a carrier variant, most likely designed for SK Telecom in South Korea. The handsets connectivity options include UMTS 850, UMTS 1900, GPRS 1900, LTE Band 5 and Band 17, as well as Bluetooth, NFC, and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. Otherwise, the FCC documentation doesnt say much else in regards to the smartphones specifications, but that is to be expected from an FCC application. Luckily this isnt the first time the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2016) rears its head through channels other than the South Korean manufacturer itself, and according to previous data gathered from GFXBench and Geekbench, the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2016) might be equipped with upper-mid-range to high-end internals, including a 5.1-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, or a larger 5.7-inch panel in line with the previous model. But unlike the 2015 Galaxy A8, the 2016 edition is expected to sport an Exynos 7420 system-on-chip as opposed to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC. In addition, the upcoming model should take advantage of 3 GB of RAM, a Mali-T760 MP7 (8-core) graphics chip, 32 GB of internal memory, and a 16-megapixel main camera coupled with a 5-megapixel front-facing sensor.

Theres no official word in regards to when the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2016) might be unveiled and released, but once again, more than a year has passed since the 2015 model was introduced and in theory, the sequel should be just around the corner. If the rumors are correct, the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2016) should be released soon enough to rely on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and aim for an update to Android 7 Nougat down the line after its market debut.
Marianne and the burkini ban

Frances prime minister, Manuel Valls, wants French women to be like Marianne. Marianne has a naked breast because she is feeding the people, he declared. She is not veiled, because she is free! That is the republic!

As the Guardian notes, Marianne officially became a symbol of the French Republic in 1848, after the fall of the monarchy, who preferred crowns and fur-lined robes.

The paper than quotes the oft-ridiculous UN then wades into the debate over burkini bans  the UN Human Rights Committee features some unlikely members.

The UN human rights office welcomed a decision last week by Frances highest administrative court to suspend one of the burkini bans, ruling it manifestly illegal. This decision is likely to set a legal precedent. But most of the mayors who have banned burkinis are still refusing to withdraw the restrictions and four face further legal action from rights groups this week.

Is it manifestly illegal to make a woman wear a headscarf in Saudi Arabia, then, and ban them from wearing certain items of clothing in public?

Nora Mulready takes a view:

I have by now read countless tweets, articles, facebook posts etc with reference to some variation of a woman was forced to strip at gunpoint by the French police. Im sorry, but this didnt happen. The French police carry guns. If they give you directions, did they tell you to tourner a gauche at gunpoint? No, of course not. There was never any threat that the woman would be shot, and to suggest there was is either deliberately dishonest or genuinely daft. This is France, where they subscribe to Human Rights law, its not the wild west of an ISIS caliphate. She was never in any danger from the police. Further, there was no force. A woman was asked to comply with a publicly advertised dress code, or leave the beach. She was given a choice. She choose to stay on the beach. In Venice recently I wasnt allowed to enter St Marks Basilica without covering my shoulders. I had a choice, wear a shawl given by the church security, or dont come in. I wanted to go in, I made a choice, I complied. Its infantilising to suggest that women are incapable of making such a choice without feeling mortally offended, feeling vulnerable, feeling violated. Were pretty robust, rational creatures these days, capable of weighing up our options and making decisions.

The Enlightenment continues.

Anorak

Posted: 31st, August 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Transfer balls: Moussa Sissoko to Spurs, Chelsea show late interest and Odemwinge II

Transfer balls: Moussa Sissoko is on his way to Spurs from Newcastle. Hes been allowed to leave the France training camp at Clairefontaine to seek a new club.

Newcastle want 30m for him. Spurs are offering tuppence and an IOU. Well, not quite. Sky Sports says Newcastle will accept five payments of 6m each for Moussa Sissoko. The Guardian wonders, Is it six payments of 5m each or, hang on, now its 15 payments of 2m each? Can we get to 30 million payments of a quid each before the midnight deadline?

Or as Harry Redknapp tells Talksport: If Newcastle are asking for 35million Daniel (Levy) will bid 5m.

The paper adds that Chelsea are also talking with Sissoko.

As for Newcastle, for whom Sissoko still plays, the fans are unimpressed.

@NewcastleStats looks at Moussa Sissokos career:

15/16: 37 apps, 1 goal, 7 assists

14/15: 34 apps, 4 goals, 2 assists

13/14: 35 apps, 3 goals, 6 assists 30m

People are saying Daniel Levys a genius for bidding 16m for Sissoko. Hes not. Its the prices that are insane.

And finally Sissokos gone all Odemwinge:

Never mind. Theres always China.

Anorak

Posted: 31st, August 2016 | In: Back pages, Sports, Spurs Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Rome, August 31 - Italy is not about to collapse under the weight of incoming migrants and asylum seekers, Premier Matteo Renzi said Wednesday after a summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. However it is an issue "that must be dealt with", Renzi said, adding that Europe must arrange for the repatriation of those migrants who don't have a right to political asylum "with more determination".

Not only that, but repatriated migrants "must be inserted into a European, EU-guaranteed project... allowing them to return to their homes in conditions of safety," he said.

Renzi has in the past proposed an EU Migration Compact, involving massive investments in migrant countries of origin in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Italian premier also thanked the island nation of Malta, which has agreed to let some of Italy's ships carrying rescued migrants and asylum seekers dock in its ports.

"I spoke with Premier Joseph Muscat today," Renzi said. "In this phase, a small portion will dock in Malta instead of (Italy's island regions of) Sicily and Sardinia. These are small signs of solidarity".

The European Commission said earlier that 1,020 migrants presently in Italy have been relocated to other countries so far. Destinations include France (231), Holland (178) and Portugal (171). Germany has taken in 20. A total of 39,600 people are supposed to be transferred elsewhere in Europe by September 2017. Another 3,435 out of 66,400 have been relocated from Greece, the Commission said.


(see related)(ANSA) - Rome, August 31 - Finance police on Wednesday seized paperwork at Lazio regional offices in a probe into the renovation of a school in the mountain village of Amatrice, which collapsed in last week's devastating earthquake.

The elementary and middle school was renovated in 2012, and was supposed to be anti-seismic. Investigators are scrutinizing how the renovation was contracted out as well as the firms that got the contract, the firms that actually did the work, and the authorities that certified those companies as being fit to bid on that particular job, Lazio region, Rieti province, and Amatrice city authorities had oversight over that process.


Francis Bacon, the 16th Century British statesman, observed that: "Time is the greatest innovator". Two months ago, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, and both Europe and the rest of the world felt the shock. Post-Brexit Britain is now in a time of adjustmentwith the coming of a new prime minister, a new government and new policies. The China-UK relationship is also entering an important historical period with new development opportunities.

I have had the honor to have been China's Ambassador in the UK for the past six and half years. From this unique vantage point, I have been deeply impressed by the extraordinary progress made in China-UK relations in recent years. This progress was highlighted by President Xi Jinping's successful "Super State Visit" to the UK last year, which greatly advanced bilateral exchanges and cooperation across the board. During that visit, the two countries agreed to build a global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century together.

Such a strong relationship and close friendship between China and the UK has extensive popular support in both countries, since it serves the fundamental interests of our two peoples and benefits world peace and development. Both countries have worked hard to come this far and both should cherish what has been achieved. Experience tells us that the important fundamentals for a healthy and stable China-UK relationship have remained unchangedour two countries need to respect each other, treat each other as equals and attach importance to each other's core interests and major concerns.

Next year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations between China and the UK. As I reflect on what this relationship has gone through and envision its future, I am convinced that a number of steps need to be made in order to maintain the momentum in the relationship and bring more benefits to our peoples. Below is a course of action I believe the two countries should follow.

First, we must make continuous efforts to build stronger political mutual trust. Mutual trust is the foundation for cooperation. Progress in China-UK bilateral ties is always powered by mutual understanding, support and friendship between our two peoples.

It is natural that our partnership will be accompanied by differences of views, as China and the UK differ in political systems, development stages and cultural traditions. But the old Chinese saying, "truth does not fear contention", embraces the spirit that can be followed to advance relations. Being fair in a dialogue requires the ability to "stand in others' shoes". Candid and in-depth communication and thinking from the perspective of one's interlocutor will help to build trust, expand consensus and clear misgivings.

Since the new British government took office in July, China has reiterated its unchanged commitment to growing ties with the UK. The new British government has also stated its position of attaching importance to relations with China.
TUNIS - A massive anti-terrorism operation has concluded in the Hay el Karma neighbourhood in Kasserine, where in recent days Tunisian armed forces have been fighting jihadists who on Monday ambushed a military patrol on Mt. Sammama, killing three soldiers.



Official sources confirmed shootings between jihadists and military soldiers with two jihadists and a 16-year-old civilian killed.



One of the terrorists killed could be Jihad El M'barki, wanted by authorities and brother of well-known terrorist Mourad Gharsalli, who was killed by special forces in 2015.



He was the lieutenant for Lokman Abou Sakher, killed in March 2015 and leader of the Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade, which claimed responsibility for the ambush on Mt. Sammama.



Residents in Hay El Karma took to the streets singing the national anthem, local media sources said.
Bus-lorry crash in Kasserine kills 14 51 injured after vehicles plunge into public market

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, AUGUST 31 - At least 14 people were killed and 51 wounded after a public bus crashed into a lorry near an open market in Khmouda in the Kasserine Governorate on Wednesday, said the Tunisian Interior Ministry.



One of the vehicles severed an electrical cable, causing a fire that involved 17 other vehicles, 15 of which were completely destroyed.



The drivers of both the bus and the lorry were killed in the crash.



Tunisian Civil Protection described the scene as "apocalyptic".



The wounded were taken to the Kasserine regional hospital.(ANSAmed).




Clashes between terrorists and Tunisian army in Kasserine Sources say two jihadists and a 16-year-old civilian killed

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, AUGUST 31 - A massive anti-terrorism operation has concluded in the Hay el Karma neighbourhood in Kasserine, where in recent days Tunisian armed forces have been fighting jihadists who on Monday ambushed a military patrol on Mt. Sammama, killing three soldiers.



Local media sources report shootings between jihadists and military soldiers with two jihadists and a 16-year-old civilian killed.



One of the terrorists killed could be Jihad El M'barki, wanted by authorities and brother of well-known terrorist Mourad Gharsalli, who was killed by special forces in 2015.



He was the lieutenant for Lokman Abou Sakher, killed in March 2015 and leader of the Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade, which claimed responsibility for the ambush on Mt. Sammama.



Residents in Hay El Karma took to the streets singing the national anthem, local media sources said.(ANSAmed).




ISTANBUL - ISIS conducted a suicide bombing against Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels in a village west of Jarablus, said ISIS news agency Amaq.



Jarablus is the strategic northern Syria town taken from ISIS at the start of operations launched by Turkey last week.



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the attack, speaking of victims without providing details.



This was the first attack of its kind since the beginning of Turkish operations in Syria.

Turkey vows to continue Syria op 'until threat eliminated'. Denies ceasefire with Kurdish YPG militants

ISTANBUL - The Turkish military intervention in Syria "will continue until all terrorist elements have been neutralised and all threats to our borders, our territory and our citizens are eliminated," said Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning Turkish Minister for European Affairs Omer Celik said there would be no ceasefire with Kurdish militants of the YPK, which was announced yesterday by the United States
Paris to open first refugee camp by September To be followed by a second, in area around Gare du Nord

(ANSAmed) - PARIS, AUGUST 31 - Paris's first refugee camp is expected to open by the end of September, with a second to follow, said Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Wednesday.



"Two refugee camps will soon be open, one for men and another for women and children," Hidalgo told France Inter radio.



Hidalgo first announced the camp in May, and work to build it began at the end of June, but its opening date had thus far been uncertain.



Authorities regularly evacuate unsanitary makeshift camps in the city's north, and in July alone more than 2,500 migrants were expelled. (ANSAmed).




(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, AUGUST 31 - Israel has approved the construction of 285 new housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and retroactively approved 178 others built in the 1980s, Haaretz reported on Wednesday.



In particular, the newspaper said that the civil administration's High Planning Committee - which oversees services for West Bank residents - approved the construction of 234 homes in Elkana, designated as a nursing home, 31 homes in Beit Arye, and 20 homes in Givat Ze'ev. In addition, 178 housing units built in Beit Arye the 1980s were legalized.



Haaretz said the plan was ''approved at a political level''.



(ANSAmed)
Maranello - Italy is not about to collapse under the weight of incoming migrants and asylum seekers, Premier Matteo Renzi said Wednesday after a summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. However it is an issue "that must be dealt with", Renzi said, adding that Europe must arrange for the repatriation of those migrants who don't have a right to political asylum "with more determination".



Not only that, but repatriated migrants "must be inserted into a European, EU-guaranteed project... allowing them to return to their homes in conditions of safety," he said.



Renzi has in the past proposed an EU Migration Compact, involving massive investments in migrant countries of origin in sub-Saharan Africa.



The Italian premier also thanked the island nation of Malta, which has agreed to let some of Italy's ships carrying rescued migrants and asylum seekers dock in its ports.



"I spoke with Premier Joseph Muscat today," Renzi said. "In this phase, a small portion will dock in Malta instead of (Italy's island regions of) Sicily and Sardinia. These are small signs of solidarity".



The European Commission said earlier that 1,020 migrants presently in Italy have been relocated to other countries so far. Destinations include France (231), Holland (178) and Portugal (171). Germany has taken in 20. A total of 39,600 people are supposed to be transferred elsewhere in Europe by September 2017. Another 3,435 out of 66,400 have been relocated from Greece, the Commission said.


Syria: Iran asks Turkey to stop military intervention Foreign ministry, violation of sovereignty unacceptable

(ANSAmed) - Rome, August 31 - The Iranian foreign ministry, through spokesman Bahram Ghasemi, has expressed concern for Turkey's military intervention in Syria, defining it as an unacceptable violation of sovereignty and asking Turkey's armed forces to withdraw from the country.



''Although fighting terrorism and acting for stability and security in the region'' is important, Ghasemi was quoted as saying by Mehr, ''this fact can't and must not be used to justify violations of territorial integrity and lack of respect for another country, conducting military operations without previous coordination with the central government''.



''Using the word unacceptable'' for this fact, the Iranian diplomat said that the permanence of military forces in Syria would further complicate the situation and lead even more civilians to die. (ANSAmed)
Once certification is complete, the PC-12 would be added as an additional model to Advents existing STC for the system on the Eclipse EA500/550 and the King Air B300/300C series aircraft.



Advent eABS benefits for the PC-12 operator include: improved braking in all runway conditions without the risk of flat spotted or blown tires, reducing risk to the aircraft and flight schedules; an alternative to the use of reverse thrust to reduce prop erosion and the risk of FOD ingestion; and the ability to confidently apply the brakes immediately after touchdown or in situations where hard braking is desired, such as a rejected takeoff.



Tom Grunbeck, Advent VP of marketing and sales, 203 233-4262, said: This is the first anti-skid braking system ever offered for the PC-12 and we believe the demand for it will be significant. The incentive program is meant to reward early buyers for their confidence in our product and for helping Advent build backlog during certification. We have eABS kits ready to go and look forward to supporting our dealers and their customers with inquiries and orders.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh says the Azerbaijan forces made over 30 ceasefire violations at Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Ministrys announcement reads: Overnight August 30-31 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime over 30 times by firing more than 200 shots from various caliber weapons at the Armenian positions in Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Defense Army forces are in full control of the situation in the frontline and continue confidently carrying out their military duties.
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Canadians who grasp that their money, intended to support Canadian storytelling, is going into the pockets of non-Canadian writers and actors  for-hire players with no connection to Canada  should be infuriated and scandalized. Very few will be in a lather about it, though. The problem for the creatives affected by the CRTC decision is multifold.
A Candidate's Death Could Delay or Eliminate the Presidential Election

"There's nothing in the Constitution which requires a popular election for the electors serving in the Electoral College," says John Nagle, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, meaning the body that officially elects presidents could convene without the general public voting.





"It's up to each state legislature to decide how they want to choose the state's electors," Nagle says. "It may be a situation in which the fact that we have an Electoral College, rather than direct voting for presidential candidates, may prove to be helpful."











Both major parties do have rules for presidential ticket replacements, however, and Congress has the power to change the election date under Article II of the Constitution, which allows federal lawmakers to set dates for the selection of presidential electors and when those electors will vote.

But Congress would be up against a de facto December deadline, as the Constitution's 20th Amendment requires that congressional terms expire Jan. 3 and presidential terms on Jan. 20. Though it's conceivable to split legislative and presidential elections, they generally happen at the same time. And if the entire general election were to be moved after Jan. 3, Congress effectively would have voted themselves out of office.









Yale Law School professor Akhil Reed Amar considers in a 1994 article in the Arkansas Law Review the possibility of a special presidential election being pushed to after Jan. 20, with the speaker of the House serving as acting president until an election could pick "a real president for the remainder of the term." But he tells U.S. News that scenario probably is far-fetched.

Is it possible for the election to be delayed until after Jan. 20, leaving both the offices of president and vice president temporarily vacant? Perhaps, Amar says, but "it wouldn't make sense if it were permissible, given there actually are answers. Why would you ever do that?"





Amar recommends an up to four-week postponement of Election Day if a candidate dies just before voting, or even if there's a major terrorist attack.





The possible last-minute replacement of a candidate attracts some cyclical coverage, but this year the scenario would play out after consistent conjecture about the health of Democrat Hillary Clinton and hidden agenda of Republican Donald Trump.





Trump, 70, would be the oldest person elected president, but his health has received less coverage over the election cycle than apparently unfounded speculation he will drop out. Clinton, 69 in October, would be the second oldest president-elect, months younger than Ronald Reagan in 1980.





Old age doesnt rule out a full presidency. Reagan served two terms before dying at 93 in 2004. Other recent officeholders have lived beyond the life expectancy for the general population. Gerald Ford died in 2006 at 93. George H.W. Bush, 92, and Jimmy Carter, 91, are still

living.



If something were to happen to Clinton or Trump before the election, rules established by the Republican and Democratic parties do offer guidelines for what to do.



If Clinton were to fall off the ticket, Democratic National Committee members would gather to vote on a replacement. DNC members acted as superdelegates during this year's primary and overwhelmingly backed Clinton over boat-rocking socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.







But the party rules for replacing a presidential nominee merely specify that a majority of members must be present at a special meeting called by the committee chairman. The meeting would follow procedures set by the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee and proxy voting would not be allowed. DNC member Connie Johnson, a former Oklahoma state senator who supported Sanders, says it would be most appropriate for the DNC to give the nomination to the runner-up if Clinton were to die or drop out before the election.



"I believe that's why Sen. Sanders stayed in the contest," she writes in an email. "As to whether the party would adopt what would appear to be a common sense solution in the event of [Clinton] no longer being able to serve  that would remain to be seen. There was so much vitriol aimed at Sen. Sanders and his supporters by [Clinton supporters] that they would likely want 'anybody but Bernie' in order to save face and maintain control."







The Republican National Committee's rules potentially allow for greater democratic input, but don't require it. If a vacancy emerges on the ticket, the 168-member RNC would decide whether to select a replacement on its own or "reconvene the national convention," which featured 2,472 voting delegates, that met over the summer. If RNC members make the choice themselves, the three members representing each state, territory and the nation's capital  a committeeman, committeewoman and the local party chairman  would jointly have "the same number of votes as said state was entitled to cast at the national convention." RNC rules allow for state delegations to split their vote and for members to vote by proxy.





Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News and an expert on presidential election history, says state election officials likely would be compelled to accept a major party's request to swap candidates, citing precedent set in 1972 when states allowed Democrats to replace vice presidential nominee Thomas Eagleton, who was revealed to be a shock therapy patient, with Sargent Shriver. Winger says every state but South Dakota also allowed the prominent 1980 independent candidate John Anderson to swap his vice presidential candidate Milton Eisenhower for former Wisconsin Gov. Patrick Lucey.



Still, if the central party organizations were to upset electors with an unpalatable pick, it's possible many could bolt.



Edward Foley, a law professor at Ohio State University, says "the Supreme Court has never ruled that electors can be forced to obey their pledge" to vote for a particular presidential candidate, leaving open the door for mass defections or, in the event of a post-election candidate death, an en masse vote flip.



John Fortier, director of the Democracy Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center, says he's not certain that Congress would reach consensus on moving an election date if a candidate died, meaning parties would need to formally  or informally  decide on a replacement. If the election date was moved by Congress, Fortier says ongoing absentee or early voting would make for a mess.



Though not legally required, Fortier says parties may decide on an easy fix and loudly encourage electors to support their existing vice presidential nominee. A party legally could pick someone else, but he says a desire for legitimacy in the eyes of the public may force its hand.



With more than two centuries of history, the U.S. does have some examples of candidate deaths, though none with a catastrophic impact.



In 1872, presidential candidate Horace Greeley died about three weeks after winning about 44 percent of the popular vote as a Liberal Republican supported by Democrats against incumbent Republican Ulysses S. Grant. Presidential electors chose between various alternatives, but because Greeley had lost, his death did not sway the election's outcome.



In another case, Republican running mate James Sherman died six days before the 1912 general election. He wasn't replaced on ballots and the matter was rendered moot by the GOP's crushing defeat.





Amar, author of a forthcoming book touching on candidate death, outlines four distinct scenarios that would warrant special consideration because of the wording of the 20th Amendment: a death before an election, a death after an election but before electors meet in December, a death between electors voting and Congress counting votes in January, and the time between Congress confirming the election and the Jan. 20 inauguration. The three post-election time frames identified by Amar are distinguished by whether the candidate technically is considered "president-elect." That designation is covered by the 20th Amendment, which allows in case of a president-elect's death that he or she be replaced by the vice president-elect. But in their narrowest sense, those amendment terms only cover part of January.



Though all considerations accounting for a candidate's death are hypothetical, they could at some future point become less so.







http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-08-30/candidate-death-could-delay-or-eliminate-presidential-election "We should never forget 9/11 was a local election day in New York," Amar says.

DNC spokesman Mark Paustenbach says there currently are 445 committee members  a number that changes over time and is guided by the group's bylaws, which give membership to specific officeholders and party leaders and hold 200 spots for selection by states, along with an optional 75 slots DNC members can choose to fill.

Although Clinton's coughs and stumbling have earned speculative headlines on the news-driving Drudge Report, her doctor, Lisa Bardack, said she "is in excellent physical condition and fit to serve." Trump physician Harold Bornstein, meanwhile, wrote he would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."

This article seems to foreshadow the coming events of the USA Corporation Presidential Election. What if the USA Corp. Presidential Candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Drop Out of the presidential race? ~enerchi*******************************************Chaos would ensue if a vacancy emerges near Election Day.By Steven Nelson | Staff Writer Aug. 30, 2016, at 4:55 p.m.The presidential election could be delayed or scrapped altogether if conspiracy theories become predictive and a candidate dies or drops out before Nov. 8. The perhaps equally startling alternative, if there's enough time: Small groups of people hand-picking a replacement pursuant to obscure party rules.The scenarios have been seriously considered by few outside of the legal community and likely are too morbid for polite discussion in politically mixed company. But prominent law professors have pondered the effects and possible ways to address a late-date vacancy.
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.
Chinese communities in Prato and Florence deliver five vans with basic supplies sent to the affected areas, whilst Romes Filipino community is collecting money and medicines. In a letter to President Mattarella, the Tibetan Parliament expresses thanks for "Italys ever-strong support for the Tibetan issue, says will try to do its best. In Erbil, displaced Iraqis in refugee camps raise money.

Rome (AsiaNews)  Refugees from the plain of Nineveh, who fled the murderous madness of the Islamic State and have been living for years in tent cities and refugee camps, have launched a fundraising on behalf of the victims and survivors of the earthquake that struck central Italy on 24 August, said Bishop Bashar Warda, who spoke to the director of Caritas Italy Fr Francesco Soddu about the initiative.

Once raised, the money will go to Amatrice, Accumoli del Tronto and Pescara, devastated by a 6.4 quake that brought down dozens of buildings at 4 am.

The official death toll has almost reached 300, whilst about 250 have been pulled from the rubbles alive.

Rescue workers are still at work and will not stop until everyone known to have been in the towns is not found. The gesture of Iraqi refugees, said Fr Soddu, "is moving in its generosity. Even if they raised only ten euros, those funds help in a way that I cannot measure.

However, Asian solidarity does not stop in Iraq. About 20 young people from the Chinese communities in Prato and Florence left for the quake zone with food bought wholesale and mattresses and blankets provided by Chinese-owned factories in Campi Bisenzio and Osmannoro.

With five rented vans, after contacting Misericordia della Toscana (Mercy of Tuscany) and preparing a big solidarity banner, they reached the disaster area where they handed out basic necessities. They all wore a white T-shirt that said Chinese Florentines for Amatrice. Pray for Amatrice.

Romes Filipino community is also involved in raising funds and collecting medicines to help survivors. All the money and food that will be collected will go to Caritas Rome. We hope we can do enough, said the group's chaplain, Fr Ricky Gente.

In Manila, Card Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of the capital and president of Caritas Internationalis, has expressed his sorrow for what happened. "I call on all Filipinos to join me in prayer for those who are suffering."

In Dharamsala (India), the President of the Tibetan Parliament in exile wrote to Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

On behalf of all the Tibetans in and outside Tibet, the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile expresses our condolence to all the victims of the recent earthquake in Central Italy that has taken so many lives.

We are thankful of Italys ever-strong support for the Tibetan Issue. In such period of hardship, our solidarity is with you and your people.

AsiaNews also received messages of condolences from a number of prominent Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist leaders across Asia offering their prayers for the Italian people touched by the earthquake.
A signed article in the online international magazine of the People's Daily, the newspaper linked to the Beijing government, points out that there are still two main stubling blocks that hinder diplomatic relations: the appointment of bishops and the Taiwan question. According to analysts, China "is not in any hurry" to establishing relations with the Vatican.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - The appointment of bishops in China and relations between the Holy See and Taiwan are still two main stubling blocks to diplomatic relations between Beijing and the Vatican. This is according to some experts interviewed by the Global Times, the online international magazine of government People's Daily, which published an article entitled "Obstacles continue to stall China-Vatican ties: experts" on August 29. The text is signed by Leng Shumei.

Obstacles remain in the way of diplomatic ties between China and the Vatican, experts said, as the Vatican expressed its hope Saturday of establishing formal relations with China.

"There is much hope and expectation that there will be new developments and a new season in relations between the Holy See and China," Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin was quoted by Reuters as saying on Saturday.

"[This] will benefit not just Catholics in the land of Confucius, but the whole country," Parolin said, adding that it also serves world peace.

China, however, is not eager to establish formal ties with the Vatican, the only European country that has not established such relations with China, because it is not an urgent issue which will affect China's international status if it is not dealt with immediately, Yan Kejia, director of the Institute of Religious Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Yan said formal Sino-Vatican ties could materialize if the Vatican cuts off official ties with Taiwan.

"The Vatican should stop its political relations with Taiwan and focus on religious matters with the island," Yan noted.

Taiwan's deputy leader Chen Chien-jen will visit the Vatican next month for a ceremony declaring Mother Teresa a saint, Reuters reported.

China has said countries should be prudent when dealing with Taiwan-related issues, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a daily briefing on Thursday and stressed the one-China principle when asked whether China had lodged a protest with the Vatican over the visit of Taiwan's deputy leader.

Another major dispute between China and the Vatican involves the appointment of bishops, Hu Benliang, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The Vatican expressed its deep regret to China after the latter consecrated several bishops in 2010 without its approval, saying that it was a "painful wound upon ecclesial communion and a grave violation of Catholic discipline."

The situation improved when Zhang Yinlin, a coadjutor bishop in the Anyang diocese in Central China's Henan Province, became the first bishop recognized by both Beijing and the Holy See in August 2015.
The Caliphates official magazine attacks Popes Francis and Benedict XVI, calls to break the Vaticans cross. For Mar Sako, this is an attempt to "put pressure" on the West. Muslims who seek dialogue and reconciliation are at risk. Islam cannot know Christianity from the Quran. The Chaldean primate writes an open letter to Muslims to turn against the Islamic State cancer.

Baghdad (AsiaNews)  The direct attack and death threats made by the Islamic State (IS) in recent days against Pope Francis are part of a "propaganda strategy" to "exert pressure on the West using the figure of the pope, Chaldean Patriarch Mar Louis Raphael Sako told AsiaNews.

This comes in the latest issue of Dabiq, the official magazine of the Islamic states holy war. The latter is also known as Daesh, from its Arabic acronym. From the cover titled break the cross to its inside pages, the publication is a hymn to the struggle against Christianity and its best-known symbols, including the Vatican and the pope himself.

Carried across the Internet, with an English version for the international jihad, the magazine says why Muslims "hate and fight"  according to the Caliphate ideology  the "Crusaders. As the leading Islamic extremist groups, Daesh uses propaganda for a personal attack on the pope in a probable attempt to respond through words to the military siege under which it finds itself in Iraq and Syria.

The latest issue of Dabiq, in addition to an article about the barbaric killing of Fr Jacques Hamel, 86-year-old French priest slain in his church by two young men, the paper attacks Francis for his concern for homosexuals and his work of dialogue with the moderate Muslim world. The magazine shows a picture of the pope with Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb, who heads Cairos Islamic University, branded an "apostate" for calling Christianity a religion of peace.

Along with Bergoglio (and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), moderate imams and Muslim leaders open to dialogue are targeted. This is followed by attacks against Sufis and more calls for "holy war" with images of the recent violence in France, Bangladesh and Germany.

Last but not least, it shows children under ten parading in uniform, ready to fight, as the Caliphates "new generation".

"They want to intimidate the West using the pope's figure, the primate of the Chaldean Church told AsiaNews. In his view, jihadists "do not distinguish between the secular state and the Christian religion, because for them there is no distinction between the political and religious realms."

"They have in mind a plan for a theocratic nation, based on Islam, mixed with basic ignorance, the prelate said. They believe that Christians have a theocratic state, which is the Vatican." They do not understand that "this is a different entity," whereas "the West is based on the principle of secularism."

Regardless of the direct attack, the pope "is not the real target. This is just propaganda for political purposes and objectives." It is different, however, with respect to moderate figures in the Muslim world who are in favour of dialogue, like the imam of al-Azhar.

"These are the direct targets, the patriarch warns, because they have a different, conciliatory ideology, open to others. Threats and attacks are one of the reasons why the Muslim world and Islamic authorities are afraid to speak openly against the Islamic State and firmly condemn its deeds."

For the primate of the Chaldean Church, a "strategy" is unfolding to "weaken" and "change the face" of the countries where there is an ongoing war. "There is a clear responsibility of the international community, the United States and Russia, who certainly know who is financing IS where it is getting its weapons," the patriarch said.

We are facing a global danger and even if it is defeated as a military force, it will last in the form of an ideology," powered by "corruption and poverty" in a "deformed vision of jihad."

Muslims "must take a courageous and clear position," Mar Sako added. Jihadists have nothing to do with religion and their verses are extrapolated out of context".

It is necessary to improve the level of education, the educational quality of schools, counter extremist media and channels that disseminate the extremist ideology, as well as help Muslims know "the truth" about Christianity encouraging interaction and dialogue" because "what they know comes only from the Quran."

Finally, there must be unity among Iraqis to defeat Daesh, putting aside "interests and ambitions. This is a time of union. For politics and resolving ethnic and religious issues there will be time in the future.

Recently, the Chaldean Patriarch also appealed to the international community, national and international authorities, and Muslims against the IS "cancer". Here is Mar Sakos letter to AsiaNews:

It is time to stop spreading the cancer of the so-called Islamic State and similar organisations.

The world was taken by surprise when, in the name of Islam, the Islamic State (IS, Daesh) and similar organisations restricted human freedom, displaced and killed civilians or burnt them alive, took women captive and enslaved them, and demolished religious as well as cultural monuments. This kind of extreme ideology has ruined relationships among people within the same country and in the region.

Such events lead to the following question: Is it not time for Muslims and non-Muslims of good will around the world to deal seriously, not superficially, with this situation? Especially, when we know that the majority of Muslims are neutral or unbiased, open-minded and willing to work hard for the benefit of their countries and their fellow citizens.

Their initiative should be a united and strong stance, with which they can together stop the spread of the IS cancer, against isolation, extremism, hatred, violence as well as the rejection of coexistence, citizenship and advanced technology (modernity). They should put an end to what the Islamic State is proclaiming, namely that the only way to guarantee heaven is to kill innocent people whether with an explosive belt, a car bomb, or a knife, etc. This is truly the destruction of reason.

Muslims should show the real face of Islam to the world and confirm that extremism is contrary to their beliefs. On the other hand, they ought to explain the meaning of Islams message, which is different from what IS claims. As we know, the mission of all religions is love, tolerance and forgiveness and should be understood by considering the spirituality of the text and its indications. Therefore, we believe that Muslims have to show commitment to the core message of Islam, respecting God and other religions.

In conclusion, Christians are waiting for governments and religious authorities to work together to confront and dismantle terrorism and extremism through a culture of freedom, reason, openness, tolerance, coexistence, love, as well as respect for human rights and diversity.

This can be achieved through reforms to school curriculum (which is currently the major source of teaching extremism), establishing the foundations of peace, stability, cooperation and justice; adopting civilised, calm and courageous dialogue to resolve crises that affect and devastate people and their countries; and establishing a state of law and institutions.

Finally, people have the right to enjoy a stable and secure life and are entitled to equal rights and duties with a reasonable level of services.

To prove what I am saying about injustice and constraining human freedom in addition to the misuse of religion, I am listing below excerpts from some religious sermons and fatwas that attack Christians and that must be dealt with decisively:

- Every religion other than Islam is infidelity and off track, and every place of worship other than Islams is the house of heresy and deviation . . .

- Those who believe that churches are places where God is worshiped, or that what Jews and Christians do is some sort of worship, are considered infidels . . .

- Prohibition extends to warning Muslims against greeting Christians at Christmas and Easter.

- Pray that God may make all Christians' wives widows and their children orphans.

Such speeches and attitudes produce, no doubt, people who translate the hatred carried by these words into action against those classified as infidels by certain fatwas.

Christianity was born and bred here, in the East, and Christians are the owners of this land, forming an essential part of the fabric of Middle Eastern society. They built and developed Arabic culture and civilisation. It is unfortunate that they have been unfairly attacked throughout history and their existence in the region has been repetitively threatened.

For this reason, there is an urgent need to formulate a brave, clear and official stance to support and encourage them to stay in the Middle East since the majority of them represent the most skilled people in education, economics, culture, etc. This can be done by providing security and legitimate rights to every human being, so as to achieve equality, consolidation of co-existence, etc.
by Sumon Corraya

Khaled Hasan organised the attempted murder of Italian missionary. Fr Piero survived bullets that entered his neck and a bad fall that broke several ribs. Guns, hand-made bombs and bomb-making material were found in the terrorist hideout. PIME missionaries still live under police protection.

Bogra (AsiaNews)  Police in Bangladesh killed two militants yesterday, including the "mastermind" of the attack against Fr Piero Parolari, missionary with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), and a long-time resident in the country.

The man behind the attempted murder of the Italian priest was identified as Khaled Hasan, 30, whilst the second terrorist killed was Ripon, alias Golam Tareque, 29.

Police in Bogra confirmed the deaths. Superintendent Gaziur Rahman said, "Khaled Hasan was the military commander in the northern region, and masterminded the attack on the missionary."

The militants fell in a shootout with agents at Noluabari intersection, Bogra District (north-western Bangladesh).

In their hideout, police seized foreign made guns, bullets, two homemade bombs and other bomb-making material. Two police officers were wounded in the incident, and are now hospitalised.

Fr Parolari, 64, survived an assassination attempt in Dinajpur on 18 November.

Local authorities realised immediately that Islamists were behind the attempted murder, which was confirmed by the subsequent arrest and confession of one of the perpetrators.

The latter said he was a member of the fundamentalist Islamic group Jamaat-ul-Mujiahideen, founded in 1998 and banned by the government in 2015.

Following the attack, Fr Piero went back to Italy for a long period of convalescence. In Bangladesh, his confreres still live under escort, arranged in the first hours after the attack.

The measure has been confirmed in recent days, reflecting a climate of ongoing insecurity.
by Shafique Khokhar

On 19 August, a group of Muslims stormed Faisalabads Christian Quarter of Khusal Town for trivial reasons, and beat up residents, landing four in hospital. After two weeks of meetings and negotiations, the two communities reconciled. For human rights activist, this is the first time something like this happens in the city."

Faisalabad (AsiaNews)  A violent incident that involved Christians in Khushal Town, Faisalabad district, ended in an apology from the Muslim community. Two weeks ago, a group of Muslims attacked local Christians, but after a series of meetings and discussions, the two communities reconciled.

On 19 August, Adnan Masih, a Christian worker of 22, accidentally hit a Muslim as he rode his motorcycle. The victim is the brother-in-law of an influential local Muslim leader, Muhammad Umer Hayat.

Despite repeated apologies from the Christian man, the Muslim man started beating him along with other people, and then the mob stormed the Christian quarter attacking residents. At least four people ended up in hospital. Adnan suffered fractures and 16 stitches.

Three days after the incident, on 22 August, some Christian leaders together with human rights activist Robin Daniel and former MP George Clement went to the police station to file a complaint in connection with the attack and to ask protection for Christians.

On 26 August, the leaders from the Christian communities living in the colonies near Khushal Town gathered at the meeting to discuss the issue. On that occasion, they set up two legal committees and decided that the whole community would meet the officer of the special police at the station, to ask him to enforce the criminal code on mass attacks and trespassing with criminal intent.

On 28 August, Provincial Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Khalil Tahir Sandhu arrived on a visit to Faisalabad. Community leaders told him about the tensions between Muslims and Christians in Khushal Town. The minister spoke in favour of normalising relations, and that evening the leaders of the two religious communities came together.

Christians warned Muslims that Catholics are now better prepared to respond to incidents such as those of Shanti Nagar, Gojra and Sanglahill. The international community, they said, can be alerted within minutes and Pakistan is committed to protecting minorities according to the principles of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Two days after this meeting, yesterday, 30 August, Muslims and Christians met again to finalise the peace agreement in the presence of witnesses and city dignitaries.

The perpetrators of the attack apologised in public and eight Muslim leaders said that they guaranteed the durability of reconciliation.

Christian victims accepted the apology and today the official documents were delivered to the responsible committee.

Speaking to AsiaNews Robin Daniel, president of the National Minorities Alliance Pakistan, described the outcome of negotiations as something extraordinary.

"This is the first time in the history of the city that 60 Muslims apologise in public for their violent acts and promise not to offend verbally Christians living peacefully. I thank all the Christian leaders who supported us on this path of reconciliation."
by Bernardo Cervellera

On the eve of the canonization and the AsiaNews symposium on Mother Teresa of Calcutta, learning from her message and experience. She overcomes the "globalization of indifference"; her work has redefined poverty: poverty is not just material, but also human, lives devoid of love. The memory of Princess Diana. Her "haste" to respond to the poor. Her work as a response to the love of Jesus Christ. Mother Teresa is the icon of mission in the twenty-first century and the example of how to be Church after Vatican II: She united contemplation of Christ, and action in the world, tradition and development. The program of our International Symposium.

Rome (AsiaNews) - Mother Teresa, the saint of the poorest of the poor of Calcutta, the abandoned and the unloved of east and west will be canonized by Pope Francis on September 4. To celebrate this event, AsiaNews has scheduled for September 2 an international symposium with the presence of Sr Mary Prema, the current superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, Fr. Brian Kolodiejchuk, postulator of the Mother's cause, along with personalities from various parts of the world, showing the impact of her life on the life of nations, especially China and the Islamic world.

Moreover, "to canonize" means to indicate a canon, model, a measure. Mother Teresa is to be proclaimed a saint not for herself, she was already considered a saint during his lifetime, but for us, so that we may absorb the wealth of her message and experience. We Christians in first place, but also the entire world.

Our age, that is marked by a "globalization of indifference", can learn a lot from this humble and petite nun who was, nonetheless, full of energy and above all ready to tackle situations that we would gladly allow slip to the periphery of our lives. There is no situation that Mother Teresa did not welcome and help: the dying, starving, abandoned children, single mothers, lepers, the poor, AIDS patients, alcoholics, rich people with a meaningless life. Through her poverty was redefined: Her compassion was not just aroused by material and economic poverty, but also by the poverty of emptiness, lives devoid of love, selfishness. It would suffice to recall here all the love that Mother Teresa had for Princess Diana Spencer, whom she called "the unhappy Diana".

The only difference between the two forms of poverty is that the poverty of the poor is more evident, more confessed, in supplication. The poverty of the rich is often masked, veiled by our consumerism, health, hidden to ourselves so as not to not cry out our fragility and need for love.

Mother Teresa responded "with haste" to the needs of those she encountered. She always told her sisters that the poor can not wait until tomorrow for an answer, because it can be too late. We, who often live a "virtual" life, amid the confusion of posts, videos, dreams in which we imagine we are close to people, this "haste" pushes us to be concrete and respond. It demands humility. Very often, we respond to the needs of those we meet with our analysis, projects, studies, weighing pros and cons, looking for the perfect and definitive solution while people who are asking for our help are drowning in their poverty. Even speaking to the directors of Caritas International, this great Catholic multinational institution that operates so well, she said: "Come and touch the poor", do not be content to study them or to create projects for them, which may be good and effective but keep you distant from them, because above and beyond the immediate needs of the poor is their need to be loved by someone.

The poor are also peoples marked by tragedies, natural disasters and wars. In the name of these poor the minute woman tried to stop the siege of West Beirut in 1982; the Gulf War in 1990-91; to push for aid to the flood victims of Andhra Pradesh in the 1970s; to stop the scourge of abortion asking women not to kill their child but to give them to her, asking states to build peace in the world starting with the defense of the right to life.

God knows how much need there still is in the world for people like Mother Teresa - in Africa, the Middle East, but also in our jaded West - where the powerful continue to play with the people crushed by blind policies, wars, where we are increasingly dominated by a kind of megalomania, without any respect even for the elderly, women and children.

In taking Mother Teresa as a "canon", copying her zeal without entering into the depths of her heart is impossible. In this context, it is worthwhile to take note of two aspects of her witness. The first is personal responsibility. When faced with the problems of society and the world it is far easier to blame one or the other, ask for the commitment of one or another institution, to be superficially scandalized or remain in blissful indifference. Mother Teresa would always advise people: We should ask ourselves: What can I do? The world will only change if something changes in me and in you.

The other element is love of Jesus Christ the Savior. Mother Teresa began and fulfilled her mission as a direct response to his asking her to "bring him" to the dark and empty places of those many who do not know Him.

The hours she spent in contemplation and prayer before the consecrated Bread pushed her to bring the physical bread and the presence of Jesus to the people she met. This familiarity with the Body of Christ allowed her to recognize her Lord in the flesh of the poor, it made her able to treat them as brothers and sisters.

Only then, is Mother Teresa - as Pope John Paul II said - "the icon of the twenty-first century mission", bringing Christ to the world not out of the need for a religious colonization, and where you help the poor without the risk of being reduced to being just an NGO operator.

From this point of view, the Mother is also the full image of the mission and the Church after Vatican II. Still today, two interpretations of the Council are at loggerheads: A vision based on"identity", which wants to save the tradition moving away from the world, and a more "progressive" vision, which mixes with the world often forgetting its mandate.

Mother Teresa is the perfect example of an active faith and a love for Christ that is poured on the world. For this she was loved by all the popes: Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis.

Bernardo Cervellera

The International Symposium for AsiaNews in 2016, will have as its theme:

"Mother Teresa, Mercy for Asia and t3-7 pm in the John Paul II Hall at the Pontifical Urban University, Via Urbano VIII, 16 - 00165 Rome

The following will be present:

Sr. Mary Prema, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity

Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, postulator of Mother Teresa's cause

Card. Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai

Card. Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide

Fr John A. Worthley, the influence of Mother Teresa in China

Faisal Edhi (Pakistan) on the influence of Mother Teresa in the Islamic world.

Fr Ferruccio Brambillasca, superior general of PIME
by Melani Manel Perera

Patricia converted to Hinduism to marry the man she loved. But because of this "self-imposed love she denied Gods love". After her husbands death, she was left alone with three children. Welcomed by the Missionaries of Charity, she recently went to confession and received the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  The Missionaries of Mother Teresa " are the only ones who have comforted, forgiven and accepted me back into the Catholic Church, Patricia Kilominda told AsiaNews.

The Tamil mother of 48 left her faith and rejected the love of Jesus Christ when she met her Hindu husband. Her biggest mistake, she said, is that I praised my husband as my God. But when he died I was left alone, no one wanted to help me. My life became depressing. Only the sisters of Mother Teresa listened to my pain."

In telling her life story, full of suffering and pain, Patricia found fulfilment again when she met God through the Missionaries of Charity.

She is originally from Negombo, about 30 kilometres away from the capital of Sri Lanka. Her mother was Catholic, from Mannar (northern province of the country), whilst her father was Hindu, director of a company, and born in India.

When civil war broke out in 1983, Patricia and her family were forced to flee to India, to Rameshwaran (in Tamil Nadu), where she began to study. There she met a young man from Batticaloa, who also had been forced to flee. The two fell in love and started a relationship. Patricia's family, and in particular one of her two brothers, opposed the bond because the young man was Hindu.

In 1989 the family returned to Sri Lanka and settled in Mannar, her mothers home town. At that time, her brother arranged her a marriage but she refused to marry a man she did not love.

A week before the wedding, Patricia received a postcard from her Hindu boyfriend and fled to Colombo, where he had moved. Together they went to Batticaloa and she decided to send a letter to her family explaining that she would not return home.

At that point, Patricia said that the young mans parents consented to the wedding on one condition, that she convert to Hinduism. Blinded by a love that she had idealised, she agreed and went through what she described as an "artificial" conversion.

"I studied Hinduism for six months, she said, then there was a simple ceremony. Later I married and moved to Colombo."

Years went by and Patricia found out that her family had burnt all of her belongings, including her identity card and birth certificate, and moved back to India.

Like her own kin, her husbands relatives turned their backs when he died. "I was a good Catholic but I left God to give priority to a self-imposed love, she said.

Alone with three children, she struggled on for three years facing a number of problems. Until on day, four months ago, as she regretted having abandoned God and tormented herself for her mistake, she met the Sisters of Mother Teresa. "I am sure it was the mother who wanted this meeting," she said.

The missionaries listened to her story and welcomed her and her children at Shanthi Niwasa, the Institute of the Sisters in Colombo. They helped her find a job and rebuild their lives. Above all, "they offered me a new chance to return to the true Christian life".

"In addition to activities for the canonisation of Mother Teresa, we have prepared a spiritual journey to welcome a new Patricia back in the Church," said Sister M. Johannes, the regional superior.

Twenty-seven years after leaving the faith, Patricia went to confession again and received the sacrament of the Eucharist on 23 August. Along with the sisters she went to the shrine of Our Lady of Lanka in Tewatte to receive Marys blessing.

The meeting with the sisters brought new joy in Patricias life. She now shares it with her children, whom she hopes one day will discover the faith.

To AsiaNews, she says: "Never abandon Jesus Christ, the one who gave his life for us."
The most important talks since 1947. 17 ethnic groups who agreed to government's conditions attending. Today the inaugural speech of Ban Ki Monn, UN Secretary. Rohingya issue will also be addressed by a commission headed by Kofi Annan. The Catholic Church: "Let's ensure collaboration to all those who seek justice and peace".

Naypyidaw (AsiaNews) - Today the XXI Century Panglong Conference, the largest peace assembly of organized in the country since 1947, begins. Willed by the League for Democracy government, the assembly will start with a speech by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, and aim to ensure peace in a country for decades the scene of clashes between different ethnic groups and the central government.

17 ethnic groups are participating, including the armed factions of Karen, Kachin, Shan and Wa. Only three minor groups were not invited because they refused to accept the conditions imposed by the government.

The talks are scheduled for the next five days, but diplomats work will continue for the next few months, if not years. The aim of the government, de factoheaded by Aung San Suu Kyi, is to demilitarize armed groups guaranteeing their participation in the management of the country through a federal system.

Myanmar is in fact made up of over 135 ethnic groups, who have always struggled to live together in a peaceful manner, in particular with the central government and its majority Burmese constituent . In October 2015, the ruling military junta had launched peace talks that led to the signing of a cease-fire with eight national minority ethnic armed groups. But the signing of the agreement did not bring lasting peace and the army continues to fight in more areas.

The first Panglong Conference (Shan State town) was held on February 12, 1947, and on that occasion the General Aung San, Suu Kyi's father, was able to unite the different ethnic minorities for the creation of Myanmar, which gained independence on January 1, 1948. The assassination of Aung San undermined their achievements, leading the country to slip back into chaos.

Another issue to be discussed concerns the Rohingya, a Muslim minority of Bangladeshi origin not recognized by Myanmar and held in refugee camps in Rakhine State. The government has announced the creation of an advisory committee to address the issue which also includes Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general. The presence of the latter was the subject of harsh criticism from public opinion, particularly those who see the Rohingya as a domestic issue to be resolved by Burmese leaders.

A Catholic delegation will also attend. In their intervention, shared with AsiaNews, Church representatives want to emphasize the role of religion in the future development of the country. "Myanmar  they write - is a religious nation, and has never experienced atheism". Realizing the importance of the faith for the people, "the religious leaders have shown admirable collaboration of in the initiative for the creation of Religions for Peace ', which work together to deal with natural disasters".

Pope John Paul II, conclude the representatives, "has defined peace as something that comes from justice. We must move from the past and work for peace and justice [...]. The Catholic Church assures all people of good will their collaboration for the creation of a prosperous nation".
Canadas planned moves to attract hundreds of thousands of new immigrants is worrying several Asian nations as they rush to plug an ever-worsening brain drain.

From the Philippines to Taiwan and China to Malaysia, efforts are underway to stop their best and brightest from moving to West say news reports.

Last month, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, John McCallum touted Canada as the go to place for Asians, especially Filipinos and Chinese nationals during a tour of Asia.

The Trudeau government is already seeking to admit between 280,000 and 305,000 new permanent residents in 2016  a record increase from the 260,000 to 285,000 newcomers the previous Conservative government had planned to welcome by the end of 2015.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (CanCham) President Julian Payne said there would be no brain drain in the Philippines just because they are encouraging Filipinos to find employment or pursue an education in their country.

We are helping the employment situation in the Philippines. They will work overseas and add to their skills and experience. Then, they will eventually go back, Payne said.

Payne added that Filipinos returning to the Philippines at the prime of their careers would be assets when they work again in the country because of what they have learned, while those returning in their old age could serve as advisors based on their experience.

On the other hand, Payne said inviting Filipino students to further their education in Canada would provide benefits on both sides.

Students are the lifeblood and future of a country. There are schools that need to be filled. It will be an enriching experience, Payne added.

Canada needs immigrants. We have a low birthrate and an expanding economy. We need to fill in jobs, Payne said.

Payne said Filipinos are a logical choice to fill in jobs in Canada because of their work ethic and good moral background.

Filipinos are good workers and they better themselves at work. They are also good citizens and they pay their taxes, he said.

Payne also added that Filipinos are good fit for integration in Canada because they are fluent in English, practices Catholicism and are family oriented.

He said Filipinos who have migrated to Canada have found work as blue- and white-collared workers.

Filipinos, along with the Chinese and Indians, are the fastest-growing ethnic groups in Canada.

For decades, Asia's best students flocked to Western nations in pursuit of internationally-recognized degrees with many staying on to work afterwards. The issue, known as brain drain, hindered economic development in emerging Asia.

In a 2014 report, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said international study is often the first step towards eventual settlement in a foreign country. Asians accounted for over half of the international students in OECD nations between 2005 and 2011 with over 30 percent remaining in the country after completing their studies, data shows.

However, as more foreign universities open international branch campuses (IBCs) in Asia  the bulk of which are in China, Singapore and Malaysia  local students have an opportunity to attain a top-ranked education at home.

This shift in access to education could play a big role in reversing brain drain, experts say.

China, the worlds second-largest economy and one of the fastest-growing, sees a need to bring home more of its brightest as it works to transform its largely labor-intensive, low-tech economy into one fueled by innovation in science and technology.

Forbidden to study abroad until the 1980s, Chinese students have been attending foreign schools in growing numbers. More than 300,000 studied in the U.S. alone in the 2014-2015 school year.

Most of those students return to China, but the country has had difficulty regaining the most coveted graduates  those with advanced degrees and experience in science and engineering.

A 2014 report by Oak Ridge Institute shows 85 percent of the 4,121 Chinese students who received doctorates in science and engineering from American universities in 2006 were still in the U.S. five years later. Still, that marked an improvement for China: The stay rate had been 98 percent a decade earlier.

The 1,000 Talents program offers recruits salaries several times more than what a Chinese-educated local hire would receive, as well as heavily subsidized education for children and millions in startup research funds. The sign-up bonus alone can be as much as $150,000.
Guest Commentary

By Stewart Beck

Moving day in West Vancouver  after two years of leasing and realizing the market wasnt going to plateau, we bought a home in North Vancouver. Our soon to be old hood is busy: Down the street, a home is being demolished, the third in the two years weve lived here.

The dump trucks and the construction are an aggravation but you can rationalize this with the employment generated by the new builds.

However, the two houses already built have been empty since their construction was finished. Not the best for the neighbourhood.

Vancouvers real estate market has captured the attention of the world. Thanks to the media, everyone knows that the value of the citys real estate has grown at an unrealistic and unaffordable rate. Local residents are being crowded out, both geographically and financially.

And, no matter who you are and how you describe it, the out-of-proportion escalation in the cost of real estate is being blamed on the movement of Chinese money, legal and/or illegal (those who are politically correct use the term foreign investors) into the Vancouver and Toronto markets.

The staggering growth in Chinas middle class, the current Chinese political environment, the Chinese investors penchant to speculate, and Vancouvers reputation as among the most liveable cities in the world have contributed to these rising prices.

Something needed to be done and Premier Christy Clarks announcement of a 15-per-cent tax on non-Canadians buying residential real estate was one way to deal with this politically volatile issue.

The new tax will likely achieve what it sets out to do.

It should cool the market and reduce the discriminatory effects of foreign investment. Foreign speculators will be given a framework in which to operate, and will pay their fair share to the provinces treasury. Meanwhile, legitimate investors will build the new costs into their decision models.

The tax is likely to help keep home ownership within the realm of possibility for middle-class families living in Metro Vancouver. This will level the playing field for citizens, creating a more balanced environment between citizen and foreign buyers.

This announcement has been a long time coming.

The reality of a self-regulated market is that foreign speculators are going to use the regulatory framework to their advantage. It is not up to foreign governments to control how their citizens invest; rather, it is the responsibility of Canadian leaders.

The new tax is unlikely to come as a surprise to the Chinese government or Chinese investors. Indeed, Chinas consul-general in Vancouver addressed the matter last year, saying that B.C. regulators, not Chinese investors, should be blamed for rising prices.

She suggested a number of policy options, including improved oversight of the real estate development community and a luxury tax on overseas investors. Essentially, she was saying that if we provide the environment for speculators from Mainland China or other countries to operate, they will do so.

No one likes tax increases, though, and an argument can be made that a 15-per-cent tax will create a disincentive to investment.

However, with an election looming next year, a policy that has the potential to improve the domestic political environment will be welcomed.

That said, the new tax will only be effective if its properly enforced. The province will need to ensure that foreign investors are not using resident family and friends to bypass the tax, and will need to verify that buyers are truthfully disclosing their citizenship.

If the government can address these concerns, and work out the wrinkles along the way, then this new policy will succeed in its mission.

By addressing the issue directly and creating a fair playing field, the province will also cool the rhetoric around Chinese investment and economic relations, paving the way for closer economic ties in the future, backed by public opinion unaffected by a real estate dilemma.

Stewart Beck is president and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
New Research Supports 3-Day Weekends, 4-Day Work Week

Trending News: Science Says We Should Get 3-Day Weekends All The Time

Why Is This Important?

Because working five days a week is just inhumane.

Long Story Short

A professor at the University of Leeds has outlined a range of compelling arguments that suggest we should get three-day weekends every week and indicate that our working lives are unhealthy.

Long Story

For generations it has been taken for granted that we work 9-5 Monday to Friday, or some variant on that pattern. But is that actually whats best for us in terms of productivity, health and happiness?

Over the last few years there have been an increasing number of scientific studies that question whether we should be working differently, and now David Spencer, Professor of Economics and Political Economy at the University of Leeds, has written an article for The Conversation titled "Why we should get three-day weekends - all the time in which he makes a very good case for four-day weeks.

Spencer cites research published in The Lancet which states that working more than 55 hours per week (as many of us do, sadly) comes with a whole range of health problems, including a 33% higher risk of stroke than people working 35-40 hours and a 13% increased risk of coronary heart disease.

According to Spencer, the root of the problem is that our modern society has become work obsessed and needs to change its mindset.

He writes: Work does not set us free, rather it hems us in and makes it more difficult to realise ourselves. All this speaks to the need to work less. We should challenge the work ethic and promote alternative ways of living that are less work centred.

As reported by Bloomberg, Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo recently offered employees the chance to work four-day weeks with the catch that they had to work 10-hour shifts to make up the 40-hour week.

But Spencer goes further and in his London School of Economics blog The Case For Working Less he cites economist John Keynes theory that by 2030 people would only be required to work 15 hours per week because working less was part of his vision of a "good society."

Spencer writes: For us to reach - and enjoy - a three-day or ideally four-day weekend, we need to reimagine society in ways that subvert the prevailing work ethic. We need to embrace the idea of working less as a means to life well lived. We need to reject the way of living that sees work as the be all and end all of life.

Many companies in Sweden recently introduced six-hour working days while paying the same wages in an attempt to give employees a better work-life balance, so maybe the next step is to make the four-day working week a norm, not a holiday.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Could we really maintain productivity with shorter weeks?

Disrupt Your Feed

More and more research is showing how our work-life balance is wrong, but something tells me it'll be a while before the every weekend is a three-day weekend.

Drop This Fact

In 2015 the average American worked 1,790 hours per year, according to the Organisation For Economic Co-Operation And Development.
Going through the process and the accompanying extreme anxiety got me thinking. It would seem that for a typical religious convert, when rejected or disowned, their new religious community extends support to them. This alleviates the pain somewhat by providing comfort and understanding, but most importantly it affirms that their decision to convert was right and good.



This is not the case for atheism. We have no churches, and our population is low enough that communities are small and disjointed. There is no immediate support for an atheist spurned by family in a society in which the majority cannot understand a lack of a deity.

In the United States, atheists are passing, riding the security of identifying through agnosticism, espousing phrases to appease their religious contacts saying, Im agnostic, I believe there may be a God but I havent found it. This gives the impression that religion is waiting to snatch them up and bring them to the light. Having been in this situation, I know that these phrases were never about what I believed, but about avoiding the persecution and attention that accompanies godlessness.

One of the main reasons I started writing the Mississippi Atheists blog in the first place was that I felt that it was important to do something about the immense social stigma associated with atheism in Mississippi. The demonization of atheists by the evangelical fundamentalist Christian majority leads many of us to keep quiet out of fear. While this was not unique to Mississippi by any means, it seemed worse here in some ways. It seemed that many atheists in the state end up feeling alienated because we have few opportunities to learn something as basic as the fact that there are other atheists in our local communities. I wanted atheists, even those in Mississippi, to know that they are not alone. Putting something out there that I mistakenly called Mississippi Atheists was my attempt at doing that. Mississippi is not exactly known for being a socially or politically progressive place. It makes sense that the experience of coming out as an atheist might be a bit less comfortable here. And yet, it is important to recognize that Americans living in more progressive regions of the country may still experience many of the same obstacles to living openly as atheists.In 2008,wrote a wonderful article, which no longer appears to be available online, in the University of Washington'spaper. Now, Western Washington is known as a fairly progressive place. This is especially true in the Seattle area where the University of Washington is located. And yet, here is what McLellan wrote about his decision to reveal his atheism to his family:For some people, coming out as an atheist to one's family may lead to a complete severing of familial ties . This is more dependent on one's family, and so it can happen anywhere. This is a sobering reality and an important reason why I must disagree with those who boldly encourage all atheists to come out regardless of their individual circumstances. Even those fortunate enough to receive acceptance and understanding from their families may encounter rejection by the larger community. Thus, the question becomes what the rest of us can do to step in and offer support Prior to the explosion of atheism on the Internet, there was nowhere an atheist could go in many communities to find like-minded individuals for support. The fact that this has changed due to the Internet goes a long way toward explaining the phenomenal growth we have witnessed in atheist blogs, forums, websites, and the like. Moreover, this online activity has spawned meetup groups in many communities where atheists actually congregate offline. Believe it or not, a few such groups can even be found here in Mississippi.I have little question that coming out as an atheist today, even in Mississippi, is easier than it was in 2008. There has been progress, especially in the area of informational support (i.e., the opportunity for people to go online and learn about atheism), and that is great to see. At the same time, I think it is important to recognize that different people in different family situations and in different communities are going to vary in the amount and type of support they need. I suspect that many people coming out in Mississippi today may need more support than what many people coming out in Washington or other more progressive states need. What I am really not sure of is how best to make that support available.We atheists occupy an interesting place among other minority groups. Unlike many others, we have the advantage that we can easily pass for members of the Christian majority when necessary. As McLellan noted,And yet, this sort of "passing" often comes at a cost. We can end up feeling disingenuous and increasingly alienated from ourselves. Many in the LGBT community have long advocated coming out not only because there is strength in numbers but because it is healthier to live an authentic life. I suspect the same may be true for atheists.When I think back over all the drama and the assorted rifts that have divided and continue to divide many atheists, I cannot help but feel saddened by the realization that such nonsense has stood in the way of our ability to form some sort of a community for the purpose of providing meaningful support to one another. I don't mean to suggest that we haven't had some success in doing that, but it does seem that our infighting may have limited our success to some degree.
There are certain foods that strike a craving within that simply cant be satiated by any other food. The donut is one of them. When the mood 
Police officers gather near the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, after a car bomb attack on Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

China said it strongly condemns the "severe terrorist attack" on its embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which injured three people and killed the attacker, and it reiterated its determination to crack down on terrorism.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remarks on Tuesday after confirming that the embassy was hit by a car bomb on Tuesday morning, slightly injuring three embassy staff members.

Calling terrorism "the common enemy to the international community and the most severe threat that countries of this region face", Hua said China will strengthen counterterrorism cooperation with countries in the region including Kyrgyzstan, both on the bilateral level and within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Through such cooperation, China will firmly crack down on all forms of terrorism, protect Chinese in other countries and maintain regional security and stability, Hua said.

"China has asked Kyrgyzstan to adopt whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety of China's organizations and Chinese people in Kyrgyzstan, have a rapid and thorough investigation of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice," the spokeswoman told a daily news conference.

The attacker was killed by the explosion, which caused damage to the embassy door, and local police were trying to identify the assailant using DNA, Xinhua reported.

Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the attack will encourage China and Kyrgyzstan to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation, as well as lead Kyrgyzstan to strengthen efforts to maintain its security.

International cooperation is "one of the most effective ways to crack down on and contain terrorism", he said.

"The international community should join efforts to fight terrorism, no matter where it takes place or whom it targets," Li said.
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International law firm Hogan Lovells is hoping to tap the vast potential of mainland China through an association with a local law firm.Its regional managing partner for Asia Pacific, Patrick Sherrington, told Bloomberg that a tie-up with a Chinese partner would be the holy grail for the US-headquartered firm and it is actively seeking the right match.Currently less than 10 per cent of Hogan Lovells revenue comes from Asia and the Middle East.The bar association in the Chinese province of Shaanxi is stepping up its scrutiny of human rights lawyers which could mean tough penalties for those who negatively affect society with improper acts and words.According to Global Times, the bar association will monitor online activity by lawyers and law firms with a new supervisory team.The move has been criticized by Chen Youxi from Jingheng Law Firm who said that the association is meant to protect lawyers interests rather than curb them.Australian oil explorer Lakes Oil is considering suing the Victorian government following its announcement that it is permanently banning fracking.Victoria is the first Aussie state to take action against the burgeoning industry and the news saw Lakes Oil shares slump 50 per cent on the ASX on Wednesday.Lakes is now looking at the potential for a lawsuit against the state but a partner at Ashurst told Reuters that it may be hard to win a case for compensation as mining and petroleum rights are not property rights but administrative agreements."As a general rule, when governments take away entitlements under mining and petroleum legislation, then there's not a right to compensation," Ashursts Jeff Lynn told Reuters.
The estate of slain Melbourne lawyer Joseph Pino Acquaro will be split between his three sons and his nieces and nephews.



However, the lawyer famous for representing gangland personalities has left nothing to his partner of 20 years, a report from the Herald Sun revealed.



Acquaro had a fortune of about $3.7m before he was killed while his insurance policy was worth over $700,000. The lawyer had debt of just over $2m.



The lawyer wrote his will in August 2015 after learning he would be killed. His remaining fortune was divided into equal portions and he appropriated two portions for each of his estranged sons and a portion each for his nieces and nephews.



He reportedly had a strained relationship with Marisa Di Lisio, his partner of 20 years, in the months before he was killed. He left nothing to her.



Acquaro, who was 55, was gunned down in the early hours of March 15 while he walked to his car after he closed his Lygon Street gelato parlour Gelobar.



Police have since learned that a bounty of $200,000 was initially taken out on Acquaro, but was increased to $500,000 shortly before he was killed.



Acquaro represented Frank Madafferi and Pasquale Barbaro in the 2007 case where the two were accused of importing 1.2 million ecstasy tablets into Australia from Italy. Madafferi was jailed for 10 years and Barbaro is serving a life sentence.



According to reports, Madafferi and Acquaro reportedly had a falling out leading authorities to suspect the mafia boss of ordering the hit. Madafferi has denied any link to the lawyers murder.



The Purana Taskforce, Victoria Polices gangland unit, is investigating the murder.


By Brett Neilson, Professor of Culture and Society, Western Sydney University

Equinix

Without data centres, todays world stops. Flights are grounded, Wall Street closes, and the internet grinds to a halt. Yet despite their emergence as nerve centres of the global economy, data centres have drawn almost no attention in debates about globalisation and nor are they often discussed outside of business and IT publications.

Even the recent debate on the bungling of the digital census managed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics focused on questions surrounding possible distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

This was despite mention of hardware failures as well as inadequate redundancy and load testing, which are problems that stem from operations within data centres.

Data centres provide governments and industry with advantages in terms of improving website and internet service speed, providing access to technical and security services and expertise, and cutting labour and hardware costs.

Consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan forecasts that the Australian data centre services market will grow by 12.4% a year to 2022.

Much of this growth will be driven by regular internet users. If you use social media sites, Google applications, web-based mail services, or just carry a smartphone, you have your data stored in a data centre.

Even if you only very occasionally use the internet, you still have data stored about you: all metadata of people residing in Australia is now legally required to be stored by internet service providers for two years.

Wheres your data?

But where are these data  your data  being stored? Ask someone in Australia where everything theyve ever uploaded to social media is actually located, and they are more likely to say in the cloud than in a data centre.

Although cloud technologies make it difficult to pinpoint data to a particular data centre, the reality is that data centres are never too far from us.

They are in our cities, suburbs and occasionally in rural and remote locations. In order to investigate the data centres near us we began looking in the inner Sydney suburb of Alexandria.

Most Sydneysiders are aware of the ongoing transformation of Alexandria, which includes parts of the urban renewal project called Green Square.

In the 1940s it was the countrys densest industrial area: more than 22,000 people were documented to be working in 550 factories that were crammed into a 4km-square boundary.

Today the suburb is best known for its warehouse apartments, tech industries, offices, commercial businesses and showrooms. The industrial look of the suburb has largely been retained thanks to a large number of heritage-listed buildings.

A lesser-known fact about Alexandria is one that is shaping its current development phase: it is one of the places you need to be if you want the fastest connectivity in Australia.

Alexandria, along with Brookvale on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, is where the Southern Cross Cable network lands in the country. This cable is one of five that sit above the ocean floor to connect Australia with the rest of the world.

As New York Universitys Nicole Starosielski has explained on The Conversation, undersea cables transport almost 100% of transoceanic data traffic.

Few people know that Alexandria plays a role in connecting them to rest of the world, transmitting data through telecommunication networks.

This is not surprising. Neither the landing port nor the suburbs cluster of data centres are easy to find.

Taking a walking tour around the data centres of Alexandria requires research and planning. Data centres generally do not have a company name on their front gates. They are secured by guards and surveillance technologies.

We decided to explore Alexandria by focusing on one company that has four data centres in the area, including a recently opened facility that will become one of the countrys largest data storage and processing plants.

Equinix is a US corporation that operates some 145 data centres across five continents. These data centres are carrier-neutral, which means they operate independently from the companies that interconnect within them.

Among Equinixs clients are cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.

Equinix bills its data centres as international business exchanges. Peering services like those offered by Equinix allow companies to enhance speed and obtain a competitive advantage by connecting directly with each other inside its facilities rather than having to establish links over the much slower public internet. High-frequency trading is one financial sector that benefits from such arrangements.









Equinix





Equinixs four Alexandria data centres are spread along Bourke Road. One is housed in a refurbished warehouse designed by renowned architect Harry Seidler in the late 1960s.

The recently opened facility, dubbed SY4, will almost double the companys capacity in Australia. A development application submitted in 2014 details plans for power supply, water management and noise control.

The document states that the data centre is to provide 24/7 mission critical services to business customers by providing a secure and reliable location for the co-locating of their equipment.

Bricks and mortar

An argument can be made that the public doesnt really need to know where data centres like those in Alexandria are located. After all, much of the data they store, process and transmit are private and confidential.

However, since data centres comprise a growing global industry that provides critical social and economic infrastructure we think they warrant research.

Governments spend a great deal of resources safeguarding critical infrastructure. The protection of data and information systems is now included in this work.

However, the focus for data security is on the development of software, as though we have forgotten that data storage happens in real places on the ground  and not in virtual clouds.

Not knowing where data centres are located, or indeed what they actually do, prevents us from having conversations about how this infrastructure is governed, supported and protected.

We need to ask how data centres can and will impact on the economy, different industries, government policy, society and the environment.

Becoming acquainted with these facilities is a first step to understanding their role in shaping how digital communication and content are stored, used and moved around the world.

Brett Neilson receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Ned Rossiter receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Tanya Notley receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Originally published in The Conversation.
Hi Katie and thank you for taking the time to answer my question - My partner and I have been in a relationship for over 4.5 years - we lived together for 3 years in France and i came back to Australia 1.5 year ago (my grown up children live in Sydney).

My partner and I have visited each other a few times since I came back but have lived separately for the the last 18 months.

I was told that he could get into Australia on a tourist visa then apply from Australia for a partner visa - he would be granted a bridging visa A to remain here and work until a decision was made on his application.

He doesn't know whether he should be honest and answer "yes" as he intends to stay here longer than 3 months - I think this would be the right thing to do but do not want to jeopardize his partner application.
Hello,



Probably like a lot of you, I am trying to get my partner visa 801/820 sorted. This is causing me already so much stress so I wanted to take a migration agent to help me a bit.



The problem is he says I haven't been in a de facto relationship with my Australian boyfriend.

We met in Australia, lived together for 3 weeks. I went back to Belgium for 11 months but we stayed in touch daily and he visited me twice in Belgium. Since November 2015 I came back on my 2nd year holiday visa and we have been living together. By the time I apply for the visa we will have 2 years a relationship: 1 year long distance and 1 year living together. But when we were living together I went back to Belgium for 5 weeks, just by myself to visit family and friends. He came after for 2 weeks and we took the same flight back to Australia. So the migration agent claims we are 5 weeks short of the de facto relationship.



So I would have to leave the country and come back on a tourist visa. But I thought you weren't allowed to come on a tourist visa and then apply for a permanent visa. Because then you are not a real tourist.



Has anybody have similar experiences?

Help would be much appreciated! Thanks
The new Honda City-based hatchback, Genia is a China-only model; will debut at the Chengdu motor show next month.

The new Honda Genia has been officially revealed in China at the Chengdu Motor Show. The Genia gets a notchback-like design and is based on the current-gen City sedan sold in India.

The new hatchback gets Hondas signature styling up front, partly inspired by the Concept B, shown in 2014. It gets Hondas Solid Wing Facedesign, also seen recently on the Avancier SUV. The thick gloss black grille holds the large Honda logo and has a chrome strip that runs across it which lowers down to the chin in the centre. The headlights get projector units along with LED daytime running lights. They do resemble the ones seen on the City sedan sold in India.



The side profile of the Honda Gienia is City-like but features a truncated boot design. The Gienia looks very stylish when viewed from the back, thanks to the new boomerang tail-lamps like those on the Civic, a neatly sculpted bumper with subtle chrome accents and a distinct rear spoiler as well. The hatchback will be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol motor and will get the option of a CVT gearbox.

While the hatchback is expected to launch in China sometime in the near future, there is no news about Honda bringing this model to India as of now.

Source
If you want to buy a tiny car, the i10 has got to be in your top 3 picks. It's got the biggest boot around, and it's well built. For 2017, there will be a few noticeable changes.At the front, there's a redesigned grille that integrates two circular projectors. Don't be confused into thinking these are fog lights, as the i10 has a pair of those already. No, they are daytime running lights and remind us of both recent generations of the Renault Twingo.On the rear, the new i10 hatchback is also characterized by an evolved bumper design, refinements of the taillights, a new black inlay as well as round rear fog lamps mirroring the new front design.Down the side, we only see new molding trim and slightly refreshed 14-inch alloy wheels. Inside, we see that Hyundai has devised a new red color combination.Unfortunately, the i10 will not join the Volkswagen Up! in offering a small turbo engine. That means that, like the outgoing model, it's available with two petrol engines, the basic 1-liter, and a 1.25-liter.On the tech side, the updated infotainment system seems like a big deal. It uses a 7-inch touchscreen and offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and navigation with free updates for seven years.In a rare move for this segment, Hyundai has fitted the i10 with active safety systems, two of them. Front Collision Warning System (FCWS) and a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) both use front camera sensors and work up to speeds of 60 km/h.New i10 showcases strong build quality and our passion for detail, while also including many features from the segments above, said Tony Whitehorn, President & CEO Hyundai Motor UK Ltd. The impressive package has made the i10 one of the best-selling cars in its class and popular with customers across the UK - a success story that the New i10 is set to carry on.
SUV

Here's a photo of the first Mokka X that rolled off the assembly line, finished in the same golden color we saw during its debut. Every employee at the factory participated in the group shot, and they were joined by Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, who was the one to drive #1 it off the line.He had a lot of kind words to say about people working at the factory and how the adaptation of the line went. However, unless you actually work there, you probably won't care. What might interest you is the fact that Opel has sold over 600,000 units of the Mokka in Europe.Even they must be surprised by how high demand is. After all, the Mokka was originally produced and developed in South Korea, but they have subsequently moved it to Spain for a more fluid supply network.The Mokka X is a major mid-life facelift that was introduced in March at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, which is where most of the photos in the adjacent gallery come from.So why is it called Mokka X? Well, Opel says that the letter will be added to every crossover ormodel in the future to differentiate them from regular hatchbacks and sedans. Besides that, the car has a completely different identity to the old Mokka.Starting from the front, we notice that full-LED headlights have been installed, along with a new grille and a bumper that's designed to look upmarket rather than rugged. New colors and wheel choices also contribute to the novelty factor.Inside, they used more soft-touch materials and improved the ergonomics of the dash. The new 8-inch IntelliLink system comes fully loaded with Apple CarPlay and a Wi-Fi hotspot for your mobile devices. If you want it, the Mokka X is already on sale from 18,990 in Germany.
While the Kodiaq is preparing for its public unveiling at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Skoda is already working on improving two recently launched models through facelifts.The first of them is the Fabia Combi , which has a facelift in development. The second Skoda model spotted by our friends at SB-Medien is the Superb , which also appears to prepare for a facelift The prototype of the upcoming Superb facelift has been spotted while driving on European roads, and one of the vehicles was also towing a trailer. Skoda engineers were kind enough to write Testfahrt on the prototype, in case there was someone unsure whether the vehicle in question is on a test drive or is just a Superb with weird camouflage. As you can observe from the images in the photo gallery, the modifications are focused on the front and the rear of the vehicle.The mask partly covers the front fenders and rear quarter panels, but we suspect it does not have much to do with design changes for them, but to better conceal the design of the elements that are joined to them.You do not have to be an expert in Skoda vehicles to observe that the front end has a revised bumper. The new element has a different grille on its lower half, while the top half has also been redesigned.The front grille has also been modified, while the headlamps appear to be standard, but are probably changed around the edges. The fog lights and daytime running lights might get new shapes for their housings.The rear of the Skoda Superb has also been modified. However, its changes are harder to spot than on the front. Regardless, we observe a discrete modification of the rear bumper, and the trunk lid seems to have been changed. The tail lights are bound for a little restyle, even though there was nothing wrong with those of the current model.
Aside from the whole Autopilot situation, Tesla Motors wants to raise additional cash this year, so that it could fund the development of the Model 3 Sedan, and complete the construction of the Gigafactory.Both are tremendous investments, and the company is willing to perform a debt offering or and equity proposal to obtain the supplementary funds it desires.News of Teslas plans has emerged after Tesla Motors had filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as Automotive News informs.It is worth noting that the company had this plan in the making for some time, as Elon Mus k, Tesla' CEO, had previously stated that the corporation might need a small equity capital raise, but his statement was referring to 2017.According to reports, Tesla closed the second quarter of this year with almost $3.25 billion in cash, but the automaker is reportedly left with approximately $2.15 billion after it repaid a credit line and a redemption of $422 million in convertible notes.While these financial decisions are not that important to car enthusiasts, it is relevant to note that the automaker had previously announced a plan that will include spending $1.75 billion in the second half of this year.The sum would be required for its facilities and appropriate equipment, which would be needed for the Model 3, a car that is planned to enter production in 2017.At the same time with the development of the Model 3 Sedans production version, Tesla has also been granted approval to purchase SolarCity , and the corporation is also in the process of building a massive facility in Reno, Nevada, which is called Gigafactory.Analysts believe that the small capital infusions described by Elon Musk might have to be larger than previously explained by Teslas CEO. However, Musk never specified what small means to him.
The old Cinquecento, made from 1957 to 1975, is an example of stylish simplicity , which still has a few lessons for modern cars. Also admired worldwide is Lego, the Danish brand known for its famous building blocks that can be configured in seemingly infinite combinations. At this point, you see where this is heading  someone combined the two iconic products.Since building a working Fiat 500 out of Lego bricks is close to impossible, the creators of this project, which was posted on Lego s Ideas section, have made a realistic scale model of the Italian icon.With all the add-ons included, the kit consists of 1,157 pieces, which can become tricky if you are not organized while building the model car, but more things need to happen before that becomes reality.The impressive number of parts comes because the design is finished with details like foldable seats, removable luggage rack, sunroof, openable trunk, hood, and doors, printed Fiat logo, and many interior parts that have been custom printed.Inside, there is even a speedometer and a handbrake lever. That kind of detail is impressive even for Lego fanatics, so you must appreciate the work put into this proposal.The project was proposed by Lego Ideas user Saabfan, which is not at his first submission on the Lego Ideas portal. However, he got help from an Italian named Gabriele Zannotti, who was responsible for the photos of the resulting model, as well as the presentation video you can see below. After watching it, we believe you will be interested in supporting the project.After all, the Volkswagen Beetle and the Mini Cooper already have their Lego versions, why shouldnt the Fiat 500 have one? We cannot think of a reason to deny this project. At the moment, there are 358 days to support this project on Lego Ideas, but we would not wait that long. If the proposal is successful, Lego will offer the kit for sale.
When JetBlues Flight 387 took off this morning from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, headed for Cuba, it was the first commercial airline to fly that route since 1961. For First Officer Frank Barreras, the trip held an extra level of poignancy  his father, Frank Sr., fled Cuba 55 years ago, aboard one of the last commercial flights to the U.S. I never thought this day would come in my lifetime, Barreras told CBS News. Its an amazing, amazing time. JetBlue is the first U.S. airline to resume service, but its expected that 10 airlines will soon be offering more than 100 flights per day to nine Cuban cities.

Private pilots flying to Cuba still must cope with a morass of regulations, restrictions, fees and limited facilities. Private jets and charter operators will now have to compete with the airlines. For now, the airlines may have to fly at a loss, according to Reuters, because the countrys infrastructure isnt ready to cope with an influx of U.S. visitors. And U.S rules still prohibit citizens from visiting Cuba as tourists  travelers must cite a reason to visit such as an educational interest, or a visit with relatives. While all of the flights are unlikely to operate at capacity, the airlines want to plant their respective flags, said John Kavulich, head of the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council Inc. It will take several years, at least, Kavulich told Reuters, before those flights are full.
The Weekender is looking forward to long Labor Day getaways, plus breakfast destinations found on SocialFlight.com. The Arizona Pilots Association invites all for a long backcountry weekend in Young, starting with dinner Friday, followed by breakfast Saturday, an evening Corn-Fest and a chili cook-off. Camping and other accommodations are available for the weekend.

EAA Chapter 1365 will host a breakfast fly-in/drive-in at the Mauston-New Lisbon, Wisconsin, airport on Saturday. The event kicks off with breakfast served by the Mauston Lions, followed by an FAA Safety Team seminar, judging for RV best of show and an antique auto and farm equipment display.

Also Saturday, the first Portage Wings and Wheels Fly-in/Cruise-in will take place in Ohio. Everything with an engine  especially airplanes, helicopters, antique cars and tractors and motorcycles  is welcome, with judging in each category.

EAA Chapter 1466 in Prosser, Washington, will host a Saturday fly-in with contests for the entire family, kicking off with a greaser landing contest for early arrivals. Come Friday night for a barbecue and on-field camping, and stay for the long weekend to see the locally famous parade on Labor Day.
This redesign is just the start of a series of new features and improvements for awwwards, here's a look at the evolution of the platform.
A Russian national detained in Armenia late last week was allowed to return to Moscow on Wednesday, avoiding extradition to the United States where he is wanted on charges of money laundering and illegal arms trade.

Sergey Mironov was detained by the Armenian police when he arrived at Yerevans Zvartnots international airport with his wife on Friday. The police said U.S. law-enforcement authorities issued an international arrest warrant for Mironov in May.

The 30-year-old engineer working for a Russian information technology (IT) company was set free on Monday after an Armenian court refused to allow law-enforcement authorities to keep him under arrest pending a decision on his extradition. His lawyers said immediately after the court ruling that Mironov cannot leave Armenia for the time being.

But they told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) on Tuesday that the ruling does not bar their client from returning home. Armenias Office of the Prosecutor-General did not deny this, saying that it is up to the court to decide whether the Russian must remain in Armenia.

Law-enforcement officers at Zvartnots did not stop Mironov from a boarding a plane that flew him back to Moscow the following day.

Mironov praised Armenian law-enforcement authorities on his arrival at Moscows Vnukovo airport. In effect, they treated me like a guest, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as telling reporters.

One of his lawyers, Karen Nersisian, said on Tuesday that U.S. authorities have not yet presented the Armenian side with any evidence of money laundering or illegal transfer of military technology from the U.S allegedly committed by Mironov. Nersisian insisted that the latter is facing prosecution in the U.S. for an attempted online purchase of a night-vision device worth $50,000.

The lawyer also alleged that the U.S. authorities are keen to arrest Mironov only because he knows an awful lot about electronic security systems of Russias railways and Moscows subway network.

The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan has refused to comment on the case.
31 August 2016 09:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Gubadli, the ancient land of Azerbaijan with majestic mountains, beautiful forests, wild rivers and fertile soil, was occupied by Armenian invasion troops 23 years ago - on August 31, 1993.

Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan starting 1988. After the occupation of Lachin, Agdam, Fuzuli and Jabrayil regions, Gubadli has been under a siege.

All 93 villages of the region fell under the control of the enemy. As a result, more than 30,000 residents of the region became IDPs in their Motherland.

Some 283 people heroically died while defending Gubadli, and seven of them were awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan. Those, who survived the Armenian aggression, now live in 47 regions of the country.

Before the occupation there were 21 public secondary schools, including 26 eight-year schools, 15 primary schools, 1 part-time school, as well as 4 hospitals and 33 medical centers, and 111 cultural-educational institution, 60 libraries, 10 cultural centers, 28 cultural clubs, 6 auto-clubs, 23 film projectors were functioned in Gubadli.

The cultural heritage of Gubadli included archeological monuments like a residential area of the late bronze-early iron ages in the old part of Gubadli town, two castles of the late bronze-early iron ages in Aliguluushagy village, one more castle of the same period in Murdakhanly village, havens of the IV century in the Aliguluushagy, Balahasanli and Zor villages, a IV century cave in Gavur gorge and a XIV century cemetery in the territory of Yazy flat, blue castles of the V century in Aliguluushagy and Eyvazly villages, the XIII-XIV century tombs and XVI century spring in Damirchilar village, the XVIII century tomb in Gurjulu village, defence castle of IX-XII centuries in Ashaghy Khojamsaghly village and Albanian temples of middle ages in Basharat, Mazra and Yukhary Cibikhly villages, as well as a number of other monuments. Unfortunately, the cultural values of Azerbaijani people were looted.

There was unused agate deposit, marble resource, as well as a lot of springs that are rich with natural minerals in Gubadli. After the occupation, Armenian invaders destroyed large tracts of forest with valuable tree species, mineral springs, unique beauty of natural landscapes located in the region.

Azerbaijan is confident that for the lasting peace, security and stability in the South Caucasus, Azerbaijans occupied territories must be liberated and refugees and IDPs must return to their native lands.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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31 August 2016 10:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Doleful situation in the Armenian economy not only harms vulnerable residents of this poor country, but also worsens its state budget. Thus, this year Armenia lost almost $5 million in comparison with the same period of 2015.

In the first seven months of the current year, revenues of the Armenian state budget made up approximately 633.4 billion drams ($1.33 billion), while the expenses were 717.2 billion drams ($1.51 billion), according to the official statistical data.

Thus, the results of January-July 2016 show that the revenues of Armenian state budget decreased by 2.2 billion drams ($4.64 million) or 0.3 percent compared to the same period of last year. Today, the state budget expenditures of Armenia are much higher than in 2015.

If this trend continues, and revenues of the state budget keep on declining, it will eventually turn out that the budget deficit is higher than it is predicted, stated Armenian newspaper Zhoghovurd.

In the meantime, a mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will visit Armenia in the near future to analyze the execution of the state budget for the current year and consider its program for the next year, noted newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak.

It seems like Armenian government does not feel happy with the coming visit IMF delegation ,as the government will be forced to present the figures, which will not please the representatives of the Fund.

There is no doubt that the structure that provides main impact to Armenian financial system will require the government to increase tax revenues and reduce budget expenditures. However, this task is unsolvable for our government, stated the newspaper.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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31 August 2016 11:04 (UTC+04:00)

The Armenian armed units violated ceasefire with Azerbaijan a total of 9 times throughout the day, Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry reported on August 31.

Armenian armed units, stationed in the Vazashen village of Armenia's Ijevan region and in the nameless hills of the Krasnoselsk region, opened fire at the positions of Azerbaijani armed forces located in the Bala Jafarli village of Azerbaijan's Gazakh region, as well as on nameless hills of the Gadabay region.

Along the contact line, Azerbaijani positions also came under fire from Armenian positions situated near the Horadiz and Gorgan villages of the Fuzuli region, as well as on nameless hills of the Goranboy region.

For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Two decades of talks mediated by the OSCE MG group have failed to produce a breakthrough, and the renewed hostilities, the worst since the ceasefire deal signed in 1994, were assessed as the result of inactivity of the international community.

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31 August 2016 10:02 (UTC+04:00)

By Elizabeth Drew

Donald Trump, the US Republican Partys presidential nominee, has again shaken up his campaign organization. In doing so, he is revealing more about himself and his so-called management style than he may want people to see. Few presidential campaigns have featured such evident chaos and churn in personnel.

Two people who have never run a presidential campaign, and whose political instincts contradict each others, are now running Trumps operation.

Kellyanne Conway, his new campaign manager, is a pollster who has been mining survey data from the mainstream Republican right for years (the partys right wing is its mainstream, because its center is essentially gone). During the Republican primary, she worked for the super PAC that backed Trumps bitter rival, Ted Cruz. Conway is a smart, tough partisan who is expected to be a steady and sensible influence in the campaign. If she prevails  and Trump can stick to a theme  well see a more reasonable Republican candidate.

On the other hand, Trumps decision to appoint Steven Bannon as his campaign CEO foretells anything but steadiness and sensibility. Prior to his appointment, Bannon was the executive chairman of Breitbart News, a far-right, hyper-nationalist  indeed white supremacist  online publication. He is known to be a combative nihilist who will stoop to any depth to win.

Bannons appointment caused mainstream Republican jaws to drop. Trump, trailing Hillary Clinton badly in August polls, has come under growing pressure to move closer to the Republican Party establishment. Unless he adopts a more mainstream approach, he will not be able to attract white suburbanites  a key constituency still up for grabs.

But Bannon is no fan of the Republican establishment. Under Bannon, Breitbart News routinely assailed Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Earlier this summer, it attacked Ryan for supporting an omnibus spending bill that funds President Barack Obamas Syrian refugee program, and for sending his children to a private Catholic school. It even backed Ryans Wisconsin congressional primary opponent, a Trump supporter whom Ryan defeated in an 84-16% landslide.

Breitbart News also condemned the Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, publishing a column that accused McConnell of being soft on Clinton to remain in the good graces of donors who oppose Trump.

What has the Conway-Bannon dichotomy produced? Early signs suggest that Conway is sanding down some of Trumps rougher edges. For example, Trump, who never apologizes, recently expressed vague regret for offending people. More important, Trump has been moving away from his tough anti-immigration stance, such as his pledge to establish a special deportation force to round up all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US. What Trump is moving toward, however, remains unclear, as is whether his supporters will let him get away with this shift.

By contrast, Bannon apparently wants to let Trump be Trump. He seems to support Trumps refusal to pivot from the divisive rhetoric of the primary season to a more presidential approach. Presumably, he hopes to free Trump to follow his basest instincts, spewing vile invective against Clinton as the election contest heats up. That wont go down well with the constituency that Conway is trying to win over to Trump.

There is little reason to think Trumps new staffing arrangement will yield a new, more coherent candidate. Throughout the campaign, he has vacillated wildly between poise and pugilism, sometimes in the same day.

Trumps appointment of Bannon, in particular, suggests that he is desperate, scared, and lost. Although it still isnt clear how much Trump actually wants to be president, we know that he hates to lose.

And yet he doesnt seem to understand the basics of presidential politics, nor the difference between the primary season and the main event. He still boasts that he defeated all of his Republican opponents, though, given how the primary process works, its easier to beat 16 rivals than one or two.

Trump also confuses the enthusiastic supporters who attend his rallies with the presidential electorate. He seems not to comprehend that what he says to his ardent fans is heard by a much larger, and less sympathetic, public. This is a key reason why his poll ratings were plummeting by mid-August. And so he did what flailing candidates often do: he shook up the staff.

Bannon replaced Paul Manafort, who was close to the elites Bannon despises, and who had tried to strengthen Trumps ties to them. Manafort made the major misstep of trying to compel Trump to change, and of telling mainstream Republicans that he could manage the candidate. Even politicians without Trumps outsize ego would bridle at such talk.

By the time Manafort was replaced, Trump was ignoring his advice, and Manafort had essentially given up. In the meantime, Manaforts past as an adviser to and lobbyist for unsavory dictators around the world was catching up with him. In one instance, he had worked for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a proxy for Russian President Vladimir Putin who fled to Russia after being driven from power in 2014.

The US Justice Department has now started to scrutinize Manaforts lobbying activities in the US on behalf of Yanukovych, which posed yet another threat to the campaign. While Trumps influential children had initially favored Manafort, that changed when he started to attract the wrong kind of media attention, including questions about Trumps so-far inexplicable affinity for Putin. Manafort may be gone from the Trump campaign, but his Ukrainian ties will be a matter of press interest for some time to come.

The 2016 presidential election isnt over, so its still possible that Trump could end up in the White House. His poor judgment in people, glaringly apparent in recent weeks, is yet another reason why that is a dangerous possibility for American democracy.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: Trumps Train Wreck

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31 August 2016 18:47 (UTC+04:00)

What has long been an integral part of the WU Executive Academy's MBA programs has now been scientifically proven by Prof. Nikolaus Franke, the head of WU Vienna's Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation: He recently carried out a research project examining the effects of moving from one cultural setting to another. The results speak for themselves: Intercultural experience significantly improves people's ability to spot entrepreneurial opportunities.

Andrew Carnegie (steel tycoon), Sergey Brin (Google) and Attila Dogudan (Do&Co) are only a few examples of successful innovators and entrepreneurs with migration backgrounds. According to recent research findings, their achievement of extraordinary success can be attributed mainly to selection effects. Those who emigrate and embrace new lives are also more inclined to take entrepreneurial risks.

Intercultural experience is important in itself

In a remarkable first, Prof. Nikolaus Franke and Dr. Peter Vandor of WU Vienna's Social Entrepreneurship Center have explored a different explanation: They hypothesized that intercultural experience had an effect in itself. The more people get into contact with different cultural settings, the larger a pool of knowledge and experience they can draw from, and this in turn is the single most important asset as far as the ability to recognize entrepreneurial opportunities is concerned.

In order to test their hypothesis, the two researchers developed a special test method and measured the entrepreneurial skills of WU Vienna students before they went to study abroad for a term and after they returned. More than half of WU Vienna's students spend a term abroad as part of their training. Dr. Vandor and Prof. Franke also measured the skills of controls who had stayed at home during the same period of time. The results of the comparison speak for themselves: While the entrepreneurial skills of the first group had improved by 17%, those of the second had even gotten slightly worse.

In order to find out more about the reasons for this increase, the researchers carried out a so-called priming study with entrepreneurs from migrant families. In the test group, they used a small task to make the entrepreneurs remember their intercultural backgrounds. In the control group, they did not. At 26%, the difference between the two groups was even bigger than that in the first study.

Two effects make intercultural experience so important: First, you have more experiential building blocks at your disposal that you can combine in novel and creative ways, and, second, you can transfer from abroad products, services and business models that already exist there but whose potential has not yet been harnessed in your country, explains Prof. Franke, who is also the academic director of the WU Executive Academy's Professional MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

The MBAa classroom-based microcosm

In Prof. Franke's view, the two studies clearly show why the special setting of the WU Executive Academy's MBA programs is hugely beneficial in terms of fostering students' innovative spirit and entrepreneurial mindset:

The MBA is a microcosm, if you like, that brings together executives from various cultural, industrial and functional backgrounds. Basically, we simulate what it means to move from one culture to another and to embrace new experiencesand we do this in a very intense and highly structured manner.

Rana Grillberger, Research Scientist in Exploratory and Preclinical R&D and an alumna of the Professional MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation, on an idea she recently had while talking to one of her former MBA colleagues:

Recently, I met an MBA classmate who comes from Iran. He told me that he enjoys pressing oranges with old manual machines to drink freshly made drinks and that in his childhood he liked to watch his mother pressing delicious fresh oranges. I told him that in the souks of Tripoli, a city in Lebanon where I come from, local farmers have mobile cars where they transport kilograms of local oranges and press on demand fresh oranges and sell the juice for cheap prices. This service was very normal for me but turned out to be very attractive for my Austrian husband who enjoyed this service during the hot summer holidays in Tripoli. We came with a funny business idea that is installing a distributor of oranges and an old fashioned manual orange pressing machine along the WU campus where students purchase their own oranges and enjoy pressing by themselves their fresh oranges. Now, with the help of an Austrian beverage company, this business idea could be easily implemented at the WU Campus. When I analyze the way we identified such an opportunity I can say that exchanging ideas about various cultures can indeed generate potential business opportunities in new markets.

Tomasz Pilewicz, Public Affairs & Government Relations Manager at Philips and an alumnus of the Professional MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation, has had the same experience:

It was really amazing to see what happens when more than 100 students from over 30 countries get together to share their professional experience, cultural characteristics and personal views with one another: The quality of the discussions in general and the results of the individual projects in particular have provided me with completely new perspectives, giving my career a big boost.

Prof. Franke again: Internationality is fundamentally important in this context: This applies to students and lecturers as much as it applies to curricula. During international residencies, for instance, our students vastly broaden their horizonsthey get to discover fresh perspectives and develop a completely new understanding of entrepreneurial opportunities. Moreover, they learn to take cultural differences into account and can familiarize themselves with the special characteristics of local markets in the course of company visits. Lecturers are crucial too: The more international the expert faculty, the greater the variety, the impetus for thought and the inspiration. This in turn boosts participants creativity and motivation to implement (professional) ideas together. Experiencing the familiar from an unfamiliar perspective requires students to readaptand thus reflects the realities of today's business world.

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31 August 2016 12:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijans state oil fund SOFAZ is not planning to participate in the purchase of shares of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is formally known as one of the largest oil producers, Trend reported.

The government of Saudi Arabia is planning to hold an IPO (Initial Public Offering) of Aramcos shares in 2018 and attract some $100 billion by means of the sale of 5 percent of its shares. The Saudi government engaged JPMorgan and ex-banker of Citigroup Michael Klein for the implementation of IPO.

The planned Aramco IPO is considered to be a part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which was initiated by Prince Mohammed bin Salman to reduce the countrys oil addiction. IPO is designed with a view to create a new revenue stream for the country, which seeks to diversify its economy and adapt to post-oil era.

Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Khalid Al-Falih earlier announced that initial IPO of Saudi Aramco mainly depends on oil and stock market conditions, underlining that the size and complexity of IPO would require a great deal of internal preparation

The actual IPO timeframe will be subjected to a number of external factors including equity market conditions, oil price outlook, and domestic capital market readiness, Asharq Al-Awsat quoted him as saying.

Shahmar Movsumov, SOFAZs executive director, earlier explained why the company preferred to invest in other assets rather than in shares, saying that the company was traditionally adhered to more conservative investment policy.

Main factor, which influences long-term profitability of asset management, is, as it is known, the ratio of the share of high (for instance shares) and low-risk (such as bonds with high credit ratings) instruments in the investment portfolio. It also depends on the level of the risk that an investor is ready to take. We have been traditionally following a more conservative investment policy as compared to other world sovereign funds, therefore investments made by us into shares and similar instruments are lower. Nevertheless, we will continue increasing the share of these assets in the portfolio, he said.

Some 79.6 percent of the SOFAZ investment portfolio was placed in bonds and instruments of the money market, while about 3.8 and 5.5 percent was placed in gold and property respectively. The total volume of SOFAZs investment portfolio stood at 96.1 percent as of July 2016, and amounted to $33.76 billion in the currency term. The Funds assets as of July 2016 reached the level of $35.1 billion.

SOFAZ was established in 1999 with assets of $271 million.

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31 August 2016 13:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

The Iranian Parliament has approved a bill on joint construction of two power plants with Azerbaijan.

The construction of hydropower plants will be implemented near the Araz River borderline in the Iranian town Marazad and Azerbaijans Ordubad, Iran Ambassador to Baku Mohsen Pak Ayeen told Trend August 31.

The bill was passed with a majority of votes with 180 voters being for, 9 against and 5 abstentions.

The two energy-rich neighbor countries signed a MoU, which covers cooperation in some 12 different spheres of economy, including energy in December 2015.

The document envisages cooperation in construction of power plants at Khoda Afarin and Qiz Qalasi dams on Araz river as well as construction of Ordubad power plant on the Azerbaijani side and Marazad power plant on the Iranian side. Moreover, the agreement stipulates for implementation of joint guideline operations on border rivers' water management.

The agreement promises new opportunities and prospects for economic cooperation between the two countries, in particular in the sphere of energy.

Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian previously said that cooperation with Azerbaijan in water and electricity sectors should be boosted. He also said that Tehran and Baku have held talks over construction of geothermal and wind power plants in Iran's Meshkin Shahr and Khaf cities respectively, and the projects were said to kick off soon.

Iran, which is considered to be the largest exporter and importer of electricity in the Middle East, currently ranks 14th in the world in terms of electricity generation. The country exports electricity to such countries as Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan.

There has also been talk of linking the electricity networks of Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia. The issue is among Iran's priorities in the energy sector.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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31 August 2016 17:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

About 10 large state-owned enterprises in Azerbaijan will be privatized through investment contests. The companies are OJSCs Daskesen Filizsaflasdirma", "Baki Elektroavtomat", "Mingecevir Texniki Rezin", "Mingecevir Regenerat, etc.

Their presentation was held on August 31 for such international consulting companies as KPMG, E&Y (Ernst&Young Holding), Delloite, PWC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers), MCKinsey&Company, Baker&MCKenzie and other foreign financial and investment organizations.

A total of 190 state enterprises and projects in Baku and different regions of the country were exhibited at auctions within the new phase of privatization. Some 30 percent of controlling stake is planned to be sold at 75 OJSCs. These companies operate in various sectors of the economy, including mining, chemical, metallurgical, machine-building industry, agriculture, construction, transport, and other.

89 properties offered for the privatization are small state enterprises and objects, the rest are vehicles. These enterprises cover areas of services, public catering, trade, vehicle repair, etc.

Both local and foreign investors can engage in the privatization of state shares at these enterprises.

The full list of OJSCs can be found at the following link http://privatization.az/index.php/az/sas-s-hif/2016-05-24-10-18-36/mue-ssis-l-r/uemumi-siyah

Applications for participation in the privatization process are also accepted in electronic form.

The first auctions under the new program of privatization of state property in Azerbaijan will be held on September 14, 20 and 27. The main innovation is that potential investors, representatives of the press and the public will be able to observe the auction in person.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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31 August 2016 10:25 (UTC+04:00)

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has issued a statement, where it called on persons who are invited to the activities under the pretext of 25th anniversary of the independence of illegal regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan to respect the norms and principles of international law and to refrain from attending these provocative events and visiting the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

The statement reads: The Armenian side under the pretext of so-called 25th anniversary of the independence of illegal regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan plans to organize the conference in Yerevan on September 2-3 and take the participants to the seized lands. There are also plans to organize the international youth conference in Khankandi on September 15-18, and other provocative events.

It is well known that Armenia has unleashed war against Azerbaijan, by using force occupied twenty percent of Azerbaijans territories and ethnically cleansed about one million Azerbaijanis from those areas, and committed numerous other war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the acts of genocide.

The illegal regime established by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is ultimately nothing other than the product of aggression and occupation; it is under Armenias direction and control and survives by virtue of its military, political, financial and other support, as was also confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights in its judgment of 16 June 2015 on the case of Chiragov and others v. Armenia.

The international community has consistently deplored, in the strongest terms, the use of military force against Azerbaijan and the resulting occupation of its territories. In 1993, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993), condemning the use of force against Azerbaijan and occupation of its territories and reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the inviolability of its internationally recognized borders. In those resolutions, the Security Council reaffirmed that the Nagorno-Karabakh region is part of Azerbaijan and called for immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Other international organizations have adopted a similar position.

Instead of taking constructive steps towards the resolution of the conflict further provocative events planned by Armenia under the pretext of so-called 25th anniversary of the independence of illegal regime are contrary to the spirit of Vienna and Sankt-Petersburg meetings of the Presidents, undermine the negotiation process mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and detrimental to the efforts to build the durable peace in the region. They only serve for futile efforts of propagating the illegal regime and deliberate provocation.

The visitors to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan violate the national legislation of Azerbaijan and will be addressed by the Government of Azerbaijan accordingly, including a ban will be put on their future visits to Azerbaijan.

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31 August 2016 11:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The frontline defense of Azerbaijani Armed Forces in areas liberated from the Armenian occupation in the April clashes will be strengthened.

This was stated at a board meeting held in the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on the results of combat training of the countrys Armed Forces on August 30, the ministry reported.

During the meeting, deputy defense ministers and commanders of military formations of Azerbaijan reported about the state of combat readiness and discipline in the countrys Armed Forces, completed tasks, ongoing activities, achievements, problems and their solutions. Moreover, there was held an extensive exchange of views on short and long term prospects.

Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov stressed that the Azerbaijani people and the leadership of the country highly appreciate the activities of the army.

Hasanov gave officials further instructions on equipping military units with advanced weapons, ammunition and armed vehicles, improving the combat readiness of the personnel, strengthening their psychological condition and discipline, as well as enhancing their social conditions.

At the end, proposals presented at the board meeting were discussed and the draft decision adopted.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces freed more than 2,000 hectares of land, and even a larger area from an operational point of view came under the control of Azerbaijani armed forces during the April clashes.

The situation on the frontline aggravated on April 2 after the Armenian military units in the occupied lands began shelling Azerbaijans positions with large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces liberated important heights and territories of strategic significance in Agdere district, as well as in the Fizuli and Jabrail districts from the occupation during the counter-offensive following the enemy's attack.

Azerbaijan and Armenia declared a truce brokered by Russia on April 5. But, still Armenia continues to breach the ceasefire, firing the worst violence in more than 20 years in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

The OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, proceeding talks based on the renewed Madrid principles.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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31 August 2016 14:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The conference to be organized by Armenia under the pretext of the 25th anniversary of independence of the separatist regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan has been cancelled, said Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Armenia together with the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs was planning to organize a conference on September 2-3 in Yerevan under the pretext of 'the 25th anniversary of independence' of the separatist regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan for provocative purposes, Hajiyev told Trend on August 31.

Former statesmen, MPs and civil society representatives were supposed to attend the event. It was also planned to organize a trip to Azerbaijani occupied territories for them. However, Chairman of the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs Fabian Baussart made a statement about cancellation of the initiative, Hajiyev said.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani side issued a statement urging persons invited to the conference to respect the rules and principles of international law, refrain from illegal visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and from participation in that forum, which obviously pursues provocative purposes.

Diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan abroad, particularly in France and the UK, conducted explanatory work with people invited to the conference and told them that holding of such an event harms the negotiation process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

Many of the invited persons, taking into account the sensitivity of the situation in the region, refused to participate, Hajiyev said.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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31 August 2016 17:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

All the main issues of topical agenda are planned to be discussed at the informal meeting of the OSCE foreign ministers, said German Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The meeting will be held on September 1 in Potsdam [Germany], RIA Novosti reported on August 31.

In the current crisis-ridden world, the OSCEs role is probably more important than ever with regard to crisis management in the east of Ukraine, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh and other conflicts in Europe, just as with regard to ensuring peace and security, German Foreign Ministrys press service quoted Steinmeier as saying.

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.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministrys spokesman Maria Zakharova announced that scheduled consultations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with participation of the OSCE Minsk Group (MG) will be held on September 8.

The OSCE MGs co-chairmen from Russia, USA, France and the personal representative of the OSCEs chairperson-in-office will take part in the meeting, - Zakharova said.

The main purpose of the event is coordination of efforts on the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Zakharova noted.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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31 August 2016 12:17 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) have considered ways of expanding ties, as countrys Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Rasim Rzayev has met Secretary General of the Council, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Azertac reported.

The relations between Azerbaijan and the GCC, the development of fruitful cooperation between the parties, as well as future prospects of bilateral relations were discussed.

The Secretary General shared his pleasant memories and positive impressions of his visit to Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, the flow of tourists from the GCC countries to Azerbaijan was highlighted. This flow sharply increased as a result of simplification of visa procedures for citizens of the GCC member states arriving to Azerbaijan, which has led to the creation of a framework for cooperation in the tourism sector.

Rzayev also informed Zayani about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and told him about the results of the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan.

A delegation headed by Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani visited Azerbaijan this June. During the visit delegation was received by President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

A Memorandum of Understanding on the mechanism of consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf was signed.

Moreover, the GCC delegation also visited Gabala region of Azerbaijan, where guests were interested in the tourism potential of the region and carefully studied the production process at a number of industrial enterprises.

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31 August 2016 12:44 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

The upcoming constitutional referendum will reflect the will of the people and have a positive impact on the overall development of Azerbaijan, said MP Fuad Muradov.

Muradov, talking to Day.Az, noted that over the past ten years President Ilham Aliyev did everything systematically and step by step to strengthen and improve the governance mechanism.

During all these years, the process of building a strong state was going on in the country. Now its time to make some reforms that only positively impact the country, said the MP.

Constitution is a document that can be changed and developed when the country moves to a higher level of development, according to Muradov. Today, Azerbaijan is not one of the former republics of the USSR, but the country that stands firmly on its feet. Hence, it is necessary to make changes in order to maintain further large-scale reforms, which President Ilham Aliyev started long ago in 2003, he added.

Muradov noted that there are different models to improve governance mechanism and one of them is the distribution of executive power.

"The proposed amendments to the Constitution, regarding the increase of the presidential term and the introduction of the vice-president post, fully fit with the current status of our country. These changes will create an opportunity to introduce reforms needed to improve the state and political systems, he said.

Previously, MP Asim Mollazade stressed that the management structure requires further reforms.

"The main purpose of the referendum is to reform the system of executive power, management structure and form a more flexible, reliable and consistent policy in this system, Mollazade 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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31 August 2016 11:48 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Japan puts particular emphasis to the development of comprehensive cooperation with Azerbaijan.



Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Motome Takisawa stressed this as he met with Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on August 30.

During the meeting, the sides expressed their satisfaction with the current status of the cooperation between the two countries and stressed the great potential and political will for further development of relations.

Mammadyarov noted the successful activity of Japanese companies in different areas in the country and provided opportunities for expansion of the cooperation.

The Azerbaijani FM expressed his hope that Takisawas visit will contribute to the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Japan.

The sides also exchanged views on the opportunities for strengthening cooperation in various fields of the economy, including oil-gas, high technologies, agriculture, pharmacy, education, tourism and other areas.

The parties mentioned the visa facilitation envisaged for the citizens of Japan at the international airports of Azerbaijan with satisfaction. They also stressed the importance of increasing efforts for signing of the agreement on exemption of visa for the persons who hold diplomatic and service passports.

Takisawa hailed Azerbaijans support to Japan at the elections within the international organizations.

On the same say, the Japanese delegation visited the Azerbaijani Parliament (Milli Majlis), where the sides expressed satisfaction with development of economic and political ties between the two states.

Leader of the parliamentary friendship group Mukhtar Babayev said that the mutual visits and meetings give impetus to the development of Japan-Azerbaijan relations. He noted that the bilateral relation of Azerbaijan and Japan has deepened over the past 25 years.

The use of Japanese technologies in Azerbaijan has received a wide scope. The use of Japanese technologies in energy field in our country is 60 percent, he said.

Babayev said that, currently, Azerbaijan is the most developed country in the region, noting that alongside diversification of the economy, the country creates new production areas. Now important steps are taken for the development of non-oil sector. These measures are carried out by both the state and private business, he said.



The Japanese official, in turn, noted that Azerbaijan is a country with very rich natural resources and emphasized the mutual interest in the development of a wide range of relations between the two countries.



Earlier, President Ilham Aliyev received the Japanese diplomat. Pointing to strong political ties between the two countries, the head of state said that many Japanese companies were involved in various projects in Azerbaijan, and that there were good prospects for relations between business circles.

Our relations are multifaceted, President Aliyev said, expressing confidence that the cooperation will be developed and strengthened in the future. He also stressed the importance of this visit in terms of identifying ways of further development of relations.

During the conversation, they noted that there were favorable conditions for elevating the economic relations between the two countries to a new level, and exchanged views on cooperation in the fields of oil and gas, high technologies, agriculture, pharmaceuticals industry, and education.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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31 August 2016 12:08 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order on the 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements in the South Caucasus region.

To ensure a decent celebration of the German page of Azerbaijans history, the president instructed the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Foreign Ministry and the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan to jointly develop and implement a special program dedicated to the actions on the 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlement in the South Caucasus, in view of their significance in promoting Azerbaijan as a place of centuries-old center of tolerance with multicultural traditions.

The 200th anniversary of the first settlement of Germans in Azerbaijan will be marked in 2017 and this date will be marked by UNESCO as well.

The 19th century found Germany economically weak and politically split into a multitude of independent feudal dominions. The political map of Germany resembled a poor mans patchwork quilt. As the economy suffered, so did the people.

The unstable situation forced some Germans to leave their homelands. Landless German peasants left their native German principality of Wurttemberg at the beginning of the 19th century, and found shelter many thousands of kilometers away in Azerbaijan, which was then part of the Russian empire.

A number of colonies were created across the country. The first Germans were for the first time settled in the countrys cities of Tovuz, Astara and Ganja in 1817. In early 19th-20th centuries, three of eight German colonies, Eigenfeld, Annenfeld and Georgsfeld, were located in the west of Azerbaijan -- Shamkir.

These colonies were a shelter for German colonists, who created a little Germany here with cozy houses built in German style and tidy streets, with pear and plane trees along them.

But, the World War II destroyed the peaceful life of the colony. Germans were exiled from their second home by Josef Stalin. In October 1941, more than 20,000 German colonists were living in Azerbaijan, and almost all of them were deported to Siberia.

After being allowed to return in 1953, few did, and now the community is a fraction of what it once was and largely assimilated. However, Many German buildings and churches are still extant, with some turned into museums

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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31 August 2016 14:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The proposed amendments and additions to the current Constitution indicate the development of Azerbaijan, believes MP Aydin Mirzazade.

He told Trend that the changes and amendments to the Constitution cover three directions.

The first direction is the extension of human rights and freedoms, the second  improvement of the state administration mechanism, and the third refers to clarification of terminology. All of them are requirements of the present day, the MP said.

Mirzazade noted that the improvement of the state management is linked to the population growth and huge tasks that Azerbaijan faces.

The number of countrys population is expected to reach 10 million in a year and a half, and Azerbaijan will join the group of countries with a large population. From this point of view, a new mechanism required to manage a big state, said Mirzazade, further elaborating that one of such mechanisms is to ensure permanent control of the president over some issues.

At present, many issues are resolved at the level of ministers or prime minister. The establishment of the vice-presidency institution will allow to keep certain issues in constant focus of the president and create conditions for operational decisions. This practice is common in many countries, said MP.

Mirzazade further noted that Azerbaijan is a Presidential Republic, and there are a number of questions over relations between president and parliament that need to be addressed.

The president has no powers to dissolve the Parliament. However, there may be occasions when Parliament fails to approve candidates appointed by the President for a long time. In this case, some spheres can for a long time remain without a head, and strategic issues remain unsolved. From this point of view, in case of disagreements between the President and Parliament, the President gets the right to dissolve the Parliament, said Mirzazade.

The MP said such issues have not been on the agenda since 1992 because they did not require such attention.

But we already have over 20 years of experience as a democratic and legal state. Azerbaijan is known everywhere, Azerbaijani citizens know their rights,and our Constitution is a serious, effective mechanism. Now there is a need for introduction of innovations in such issues, said the MP.

Amendments are proposed to 29 articles of the 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.

Additionally, according to the proposed amendments, persons who have the right to participate in the parliamentary elections (at the age of 18) can be elected to the Parliament. Previously, the age limit for being nominated for the participation in parliamentary elections was 25 years.

The Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan approved the draft amendments to the Constitution at its meeting on July 25. The Court concluded that the changes proposed by President Ilham Aliyev are in line with the requirements of the Constitution of Azerbaijan and may be put up for a nationwide vote.



President Aliyev has signed a decree on holding a referendum on amendments to the countrys constitution on September 26, 2016. 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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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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31 August 2016 17:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade received his Georgian counterpart Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who visited Baku with one-day official visit on August 31.

At first the premiers had a face to face meeting, then the meeting continued with the participation of delegations.

Rasizade underlined that Azerbaijani-Georgian relations are developing successfully in all areas, including political, economic, and humanitarian fields. He noted that the visit of the prime minister and the negotiations will contribute to the development of ties between the two countries.

Touching upon the importance of preserving the international peace and stability, the Azerbaijani prime minister attracted the attention of visitors to the aggressive policy of Armenia. He reminded that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has led to serious consequences in the whole region.

Expressing satisfaction with his Baku visit, Kvirikashvili, for his part, noted that Azerbaijan is Georgias fraternal country and strategic partner.



Speaking about the friendly and fraternal relations existing throughout the history between the two peoples and countries, the Georgian top official said that his government is committed to deepen further relations.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.

Previously, President Ilham Aliyev received the Georgian PM.

Kvirikashvili completed his visit to Azerbaijan on Wednesday.

At the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Georgian PM was seen off by Azerbaijans Deputy Prime Minister Ali Ahmadov and other officials.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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31 August 2016 17:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Azerbaijan will continue taking necessary steps against the members of the FETO terrorist organization (movement of Fethullah Gulen).

Azerbaijans Interior Minister Ramil Usubov, who embarked on a visit to Turkey on August 31, made the remark at the meeting with his Turkish counterpart Efkan Ala in Ankara, Ihlas News Agency reported.

We will continue addressing this issue at the highest level, said Usubov.

The Turkish minister, in turn, noted that joint fight against terrorism is one of the common topics for Azerbaijan and Turkey.

He said that Azerbaijan and Turkey successfully cooperate in the fight against terrorist organizations.

We also continue our collaboration on the complete elimination of the FETO terrorist organization in Turkey, the minister said.

He added that in the future Azerbaijan and Turkey will share a single stance in such issues in addition to the exchange of information.

In mid-August, Azerbaijans General Prosecutors Office filed a criminal case with regard to supporters of Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of organizing the July 15 military coup attempt in Turkey.

The case was filed under several articles of the Criminal Code at the Department for Investigation of Grave Crimes of Azerbaijans General Prosecutors Office in order to prevent illegal activities of supporters of Fethullah Gulens terrorist organization in Azerbaijans territory.

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.

The July 15 coup attempt occurred when rogue elements in the Turkish military tried to overthrow the country's democratically elected government.

Turkey's government has repeatedly said the deadly plot, which martyred at least 246 people and injured more than 2,000 others, was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen.

---

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31 August 2016 11:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Irans foreign ministry expressed concern over Turkeys ongoing military operations in Syria, IRNA news agency reported August 31.

However, fighting against terrorism and the attempts to maintain stability and security in the region are the main principles in the foreign policy of peace-loving regional countries, but the principles can not justify violation of another countrys territorial integrity, Bahram Ghasemi, spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, said.

He called Turkey to halt its military operations in Syria immediately, saying that continued military presence of Turkey in the Syrian territories without the Syrian governments permission will make the situation more complicated in the region.

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 Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) terrorist group militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city.

The operation was carried out under the name Shield of the Euphrates.

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.

---

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31 August 2016 11:59 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Turkey will not fulfill its part of the refugee deal with the EU if the bloc does not lift its visa requirements for Turkish citizens by October, said Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkeys Foreign Minister.

Turkeys fulfillment of its commitments under the refugee deal with the EU depends on the lifting of visa requirements for our citizens that is also a subject of the agreement, Cavusoglu said during an exclusive interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The minister also stressed that the Turkish government is waiting for a specific deadline to be set for the lifting of visa requirements. It can be early or mid-October but we wait for an exact date, he said.

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".

The European Commission has proposed in May that the European Parliament and EU Council will lift visa restrictions for citizens of Turkey, if Ankara will fulfill the remaining conditions for the abolition of visas until the end of June.

Cavusoglu stressed that Turkey will not be able to stop the flow of refugees to Europe alone, if the EU fails to fulfill its obligations.

Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if the EU 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.

Earlier Ankara abolished visas for citizens of all 28 EU countries. However, visa-free regime will come into force only after the EU abolishes visa regime for Turkish citizens.

In accordance with the agreement reached between Turkey and the EU, the citizens of Cyprus will also be able to take advantage of visa-free regime with Turkey.

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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31 August 2016 12:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Normalization of the Turkish-Russian relations will have a positive impact on the processes in the world; Anadolu Agency quoted Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Omer Celik as saying on August 31.

The minister noted that Turkey's relations with Russia are not an alternative to the relations with other countries.

The crisis in relations between Turkey and Russia began after the incident with the downed Russian plane. After the incident, the Russian president signed a decree on measures to ensure national security and launch special economic measures against Turkey.

The relations began to recover after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to his Russian counterpart, where he expressed condolences to the family of the deceased pilot of SU-24 and regret over the incident with the Russian aircraft.

Later, after months of enmity between the two countries the Presidents of Turkey and Russia met in St. Petersburg on August 9.

The meeting between Erdogan and Putin moved the relations between Turkey and Russia to a new positive direction and served as the beginning of restoration of friendly relations between Ankara and Moscow.

Different aspects of further cooperation in the spheres of energy, trade and investment were discussed at the meeting.

---

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31 August 2016 14:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Five Turkish servicemen were wounded in a shootout between the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in the countrys south-eastern Hakkari province, the Turkish TRT Haber TV channel reported on August 31.

According to the TV channel, two PKK militants were killed in the shootout.

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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31 August 2016 16:47 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Energy-rich Iran is currently in talks with companies from Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, which have already expressed their willingness to work with Tehran on oil and gas projects in the Caspian Sea.

They have requested a chance to explore the area and develop possible fields, regarding which a number of meetings have been held, IRNA agency quoted Deputy CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company Qolamreza Manuchehri as saying.

However, no contract has yet been signed in this regard.

Iran has offered as many as four projects, which include blocks 24, 26, and 29 as well as Sardar-e Jangal oil field in the Caspian Sea to foreigners for exploration and development.

Block 24 and 29 are located 130 kilometres north of the Nowshahr port and have a depth of 600 and 800 meters respectively.

Block 26, with a depth of 850-900 metres and area of 384 square kilometers is situated 100 kilometres north-east of the Anzali port .

Sardar-e Jangal field is located at block 6 in the water depth of 750 meters. Iran has drilled two exploration wells and reportedly the field holds 2 billion barrels of crude.

Iran divided its exploration area in the Caspian Sea to 46 blocks, with 8 of them being of priority. Iran carried out 3D seismic operations in 4,000 square kilometers of the Caspian Sea at blocks 6, 7, 8, and 21 from 2003 to 2005.

Iran also announced in 2012 that while drilling a 1,000-meter well below the surface of the Caspian Sea by Amir Kabir drilling rig, the country found a gas field at the depth of 700 kilometers. A year later Tehran announced the field (Sardar-e Jangal) was in fact an oil field with a gas layer.

NIOC (National Iranian oil Company), which is conducting projects to launch oil and gas exploration activities in the Caspian Sea, has recently offered several investment projects to international oil firms.



Manouchehri also said that more hydrocarbon reserves are likely to be explored in the offshore Sardar-e Jangal field in northern Iran as rigs have been installed in the second well of the Caspian Sea reservoir.

Moreover, the country is also negotiating with Eni, Italian multinational oil and gas company on investing in Shiraz Pars Refinery project (with estimated capacity of 120,000 barrels a day) Mehr Agency reported.

One of the most important issues for the country following fading of sanction pressures, is the development of a number of oil and gas fields, offered to foreigners within the framework of a newly designed oil and gas contract, also known as Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC), which the country sees as a tool to improve its energy sector.

A new model, which offers more flexible terms and investment risks, is expected to make the sector financially attractive to foreign investors.

The contract will allow foreign companies to resume their operations in Iran, following years of sanctions that have profoundly affected Iran's energy sector, restrained its production and export of oil and gas.

--

Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
31 August 2016 16:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Presidents of the Russian Federation and United States, Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama may discuss the situation in Syria "on the sidelines" of the G20 summit in China, said Russian president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov, RIA Novosti reported.

Currently a separate full-fledged meeting is not planned. However, there is a probability that Putin and Obama will have an opportunity to hold talks on the sidelines of G20 summit, Peskov said.

We can certainly assume that a brief or more in-depth exchange of views will be held, he added, answering the question about the possibility of discussing the situation in Syria by Putin and Obama in China.

U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting Ben Rhodes said earlier that Obama and Putin are likely to speak on the sidelines of the G20 despite having no formal meeting scheduled.

Earlier, Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held negotiations at the President Wilson Hotel in Geneva (Switzerland).

The main topic of discussions was the coordination between Russia and the U.S. in the fight against terrorists in Syria.

The 2016 G20 summit of the worlds 20 biggest economies will be held on September 45 in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

---

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31 August 2016 17:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Turkey and Russia may create an investment fund for financing of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project, said Turkeys Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci in his interview with TRT Haber news channel on August 31.

Zeybekci said that other joint projects can also be financed through this fund.

The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey on cooperation in construction and operation of the Turkeys first nuclear power plant Akkuyu near the city of Mersin was signed in 2010.

The Akkuyu NPP is projected to generate about 35 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The project cost nears $20 billion.

Previously, Russian presidential aide Yuri Usakov said that Russias President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan plan to discuss the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power plant and the Turkish Stream pipeline at the G20 summit in China.

The construction of the NPP was frozen after the crisis in relations between Turkey and Russia.

The crisis in relations between Turkey and Russia began after the incident with the downed Russian plane. After the incident, the Russian president signed a decree on measures to ensure national security and launch special economic measures against Turkey.

Later, after months of enmity between the two countries the Presidents of Turkey and Russia met in St. Petersburg on August 9.

The meeting between Erdogan and Putin moved the relations between Turkey and Russia to a new positive direction and served as the beginning of restoration of axis of friendship and clean slate between Ankara and Moscow.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
31 August 2016 17:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The secretary-general of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mohammed Barkindo, will pay an official visit to Tehran next week to convince Iran to join the oil output freeze plan.

Barkindo is scheduled to visit Tehran Sept. 5 to meet with Irans oil minister, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, an oil ministry official said on condition of anonymity, Mehr news agency reported on August 31.

The oil freeze plan as well as reviewing the market situation and outlook for supply and demand in the oil market are expected to be discussed during the meeting.

OPEC members will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria on Sept. 26-28.

Iran's oil minister has confirmed that he will take part in the upcoming meeting, aimed at "common action" to support the global oil prices.

It is expected that the talks on oil production freeze will be held between OPEC and non-OPEC countries.

Iran has been earlier called on by many countries, the rival Saudi Arabia in particular, to cooperate with the proposal to hold outputs at the January levels.



Tehran has rejected the idea as an imposition of a new set of sanctions on Iran after the country was freed of economic sanctions in January.

---

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31 August 2016 17:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has approved a compensation payment agreement by Israel to Turkey for the Freedom Flotilla incident, Haber 7 newspaper reported on August 31.

This agreement was previously ratified by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, according to the newspaper.

Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag earlier said that Israel will pay Turkey a compensation of $20 million for the Freedom Flotilla incident.

Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated after the Freedom Flotilla incident in 2010, when a convoy of six ships, including one flying Turkey's flag, tried to approach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and activists on board. The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeli forces, with eight Turkish citizens being killed as a result.

Turkish President Erdogan denounced the killing as state terrorism and withdrew the Turkish ambassador from Israel and later expelled Israels ambassador to Ankara.

Turkey and Israel began talks to restore diplomatic ties in December 2015.

Agreement on the normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel was signed on June 28, 2016. Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim then said Israel accepted all the conditions of Turkey for repairing relations. He said Israel also agreed to end the blockade of the Gaza Strip with Turkeys mediation.

---

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At the request of her public defender, a Shafter woman accused of killing her newborn two years ago will again be examined by a psychiatrist i
Tesco has bought the remaining stake in Euphorium Bakery, British Baker can reveal.

The supermarket giant first twinned with the bakery chain in October 2012 when it opened a concession in its Kensington store. The following year it bought a larger stake in the company and began a rollout of the brand in its stores.

However, with recent sales woes for the supermarket and the change of senior management, there were fears the supermarket would abandon the Euphorium project or that it would take a hiatus.

Euphorium currently has 59 concessions within Tesco stores, as well as six standalone sites, along with a bakery to service the Tesco stores in Weybridge in Surrey.

A spokesman for the retailer told British Baker: Wed like to thank Danny Bear for all his hard work and dedication in making Euphorium the business it is today. Euphorium is a great brand and where we have extended it into stores, it has proved really popular with customers. Our priorities remain the colleagues working for Euphorium and providing a great service to customers."

The news Tesco has acquired the whole of Euphorium comes just weeks after it was revealed that Michael Holmes, the man charged with heading up Euphorium and Harris + Hoole had left the supermarket.

Last May Tesco said it would create 1,000 new roles for bakers within the Euphorium project, after it planned to shut 100 in-store bakeries.

Euphorium was founded by Daniel Bear in Islington in 1999.
The Ballymena-based Moditions bakery will be supplying its gluten-free ranges to Asda stores across Northern Ireland, the company has announced.

The products that will be on offer for Asda consumers will be: jam-and-coconut cake, sticky tealoaf fruitcake, gingerbread cake, coffee cake and an Irish soda-bread mix.

The company was set up by Christine Shaw, who wanted to create gluten-free cakes using family recipes. Over the last two years, the business has grown from baking in Shaws kitchen to a production unit.

Shaw said: The business we have secured with Asda has been invaluable, helping to propel Moditions from a home-based operation to a recognised commercially viable enterprise supplying major supermarkets.

I have been blown away by the support, professionalism and friendliness of the Asda team: their knowledge of the free-from sector and consumer needs is second-to-none. I am really looking forward to developing the relationship with Asda as we continue to add to our product range.

The bakery has previously been a winner at the Great Taste Awards 2014 with its coffee-and-walnut cake.

This is not the first time that Moditions has been part of a large retailers listing. In May, the bakery signed a 220k deal with Tesco to supply its range to 15 stores across Northern Ireland.
Margate-based Speciality Breads has appointed Simon Cannell as the firms new managing director, following the announcement that current MD Peter Millen will retire later this year.

Cannell will take up the role on 5 September following four years at fresh produce business Chingford Fruit. Prior to that he spent seven years as head of bakery at Brakes, where he was responsible for creating and launching the La Boulangerie bakery brand.

Speciality Breads chairman Tony Markland said: Were delighted to welcome Simon to the company as he has an incredible skill-set and a proven track record in the bakery and foodservice sectors. With the new bakery, an ever-growing premium portfolio and an incredibly skilled and hard-working team, Peter has left the company in an amazing place so we are confident Simons experience, expertise and ideas will only help us improve and grow further.

Millen, who became managing director in 2012, has been instrumental in turning Speciality Breads into one of the leading premium bakery brands in foodservice, said the company, with turnover increasing threefold and the companys breads playing a starring role in the 2012 Olympics in London. More recently, he has overseen the launch of the companys new 3m state-of-the-art bakery.

He will remain at Speciality Breads until Christmas to ensure a smooth handover and transition.

Speciality Breads has just "revolutionised" the palletising of artisanal loaves.
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210 Ugandan SMEs graduate with business management training

Some 210 Ugandan SMEs have graduated from a training sponsored by Stanbic Bank which focused on growing and sustaining businesses.

Concentrating on the fundamentals of business operations including leadership and governance, finance and customer care among others, the training sought to solidify the growing role of SMEs in growing the countrys economy as big players increasingly look for bailouts.

We have begun to see large enterprises start to seek for bailout. But what is causing giants go through this stress is failure to address the normal basic fundamentals. These are leadership and governance, talent management, operations, marketing and customer care and finance, said Mr Charles Ocici, executive director of Enterprise Uganda.

Negation by the giant businesses in Uganda to address the other basic fundamentals of running enterprises and only consider finances as crucial is the reason many are crumbling.

According to the 2015 Global Entrepreneurs Monitor report, Uganda had the best entrepreneurship growth rate at 28 per cent.

However, the country faces a big challenge of sustaining these businesses, as more than half of the businesses started dont live to celebrate their first anniversary.

Mr Ocici said many giant companies think the only rescue to their crumbling businesses is finance but the key to this was to address all the other pillars outside finance.

When you talk about hard economy, its hard for everybody but despite certain enterprises continuing to thrive and yet others are collapsing. If these fundamentals are not addressed then many businesses will continue collapsing, he said.

Mr Ocici said SMEs were becoming key for enterprise success in Uganda, adding that there cannot be a strong economy in agriculture without a strong SME sector because they stand in the gap to bring the micro-entrepreneurs and grow them big.

He advised the 210 SMEs to pass on their businesses to the next generation, who will expand locally, regionally and internationally.

If this is not followed now, we are running giant enterprises that are standing on clay feet which will not survive because they have forgotten the basic fundamentals, Mr Ocici said.

Mr Kevin Wingfield, Stanbic Bank head of personal and business banking, said they supported the SMEs training to tighten the loose knots in the way they operate.

www.enterprise.co.ug

www.stanbicbank.co.ug
Bay area residents flocked to the polls Tuesday for primary Election Day.

There were a wide variety of races, from federal to state and, of course, county-by-county campaigns that we recapped below.



Rubio will face Murphy in November election; both won primaries

Amendment 4 passed overwhelmingly, offering solar energy exemptions

Timestamped updates, county results below



COMPLETE ELECTION COVERAGE: Headlines | Live Election Results | Florida Decides Voting Guide

9:45 p.m.



Sen. Marco Rubio criticized Democrats and his newly-minted challenger, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy in Rubio's acceptance speech.



"I was prepared to become a private citizen and not just prepared to be so, but I was excited about what that meant... time with our family and other opportunities," Rubio said.



"But I just couldn't be at peace with the idea that we were going to not just potentially lose the senate seat, but lose the balance of power in this critical moment in our nation's history."

8:55 p.m.



Orange-Osceola County State Attorney Jeff Ashton has been defeated by challenger Aramis Ayala in the Democratic primary.



Ayala beat Ashton, 57 percent to 43 percent. Ayala faces only a write-in candidate in November.



Ashton, the incumbent, is best known for unsuccessfully prosecuting Casey Anthony.

8:50 p.m.



Amendment 4 -- the Solar Device Tax Exemption, has been approved, according to the Associated Press. The measure was approved by a 73 percent vote. More than 1.8 million voted yes. More Florida state races



8:45 p.m.

Patrick Murphy thanked supporters as he advanced to face Marco Rubio in November. "I know that Florida is ready for a senator that works for them, who is always going to put them first," Murphy said.



Murphy lambasted Rubio's record in the Senate, particularly his attendance record, which suffered during his presidential run. Murphy also criticized Rubio's recent statement that it was tough to commit to a six-year Senate term.



"I've got two words for you, Senator -- I can," Murphy said.

8:30 p.m.

Republican Wayne Liebnitzky defeated Wanda Rentas (68 percent to 32 percent) to win the District 9 primary. Darren Soto was leading Dena Grayson in the Democratic primary.



In District 10, Democrat Val Demings defeated her closest challenger, Geraldine Thompson, and two others. In District 11, Republican Daniel Webster was leading Justin Grabelle.



Republican David Jolly was the District 13 winner, beating Mark Bircher. The District 16 primary winners were Vern Buchanan (R) and Jan Schneider (D). | More Florida state results



8:05 p.m.

Sen. Marco Rubio is the winner of the Republican primary for his Senate seat, according to the Associated Press. He beat two candidates, including Tampa builder Carlos Beruff. Rubio decided to enter the race after losing the presidential nomination.



Rubio will face Democrat Patrick Murphy in November. Murphy scored 61 percent of the votes in Tuesday's primary, with Alan Grayson second at 16 percent.

Meanwhile, in the U.S. House District 13 race, Republican David Jolly defeated challenger Mark Bircher with 75 percent of the vote. Jolly, the incumbent, received more than 40,400 votes. | More Florida state results



PINELLAS COUNTY

In Pinellas County, Eileen Long won the School Board District 4 race, defeating Ken Peluso in a narror win. Long had 51 percent of the vote, and Peluso had 49.



Republican Mike Twitty won the Propery Appraiser race, defeating Jim Frishe by a 60 percent to 40 percent margin.



Dora Komninos won the County Judge Group 8 vote. In Group 9, Myriam Irizarry and Dwight Dudley were separated by less than 1,300 votes with 99 precincts reporting. Irizarry received 78,148 votes, and Dudley had 76,889.

Jason Latimer, the communications director at the Supervisor of Elections Office, said turnout was about 25 percent by 4 p.m. Turnout by that time had already surpassed voter turnout in the 2012 and 2014 primary elections. | More Pinellas County results



MANATEE COUNTY

In Manatee County, Priscilla Trace was declared the winner of the GOP Commission District 1 race, defeating Ron Reagan and Corie Holmes.



Republican Vanessa Baugh won the Commission District 5 decision, beating Kathleeen Grant with 53 percent of the vote.

Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett said Tuesday afternoon that the 23 percent voter turnout was about what was expected by that hour. He said the office was most impressed with the votes that came in by mail, with over a 50 percent return. | More Manatee County results



HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

In Hillsborough County, GOP candidate Tim Schock defeated Jim Norman, 62 percent to 38 percent, in the Commission District 6 race. On the Democratic side, Pat Kemp defeated three challengers, creating a Schock vs. Kemp showdown in November.



Susan Valdes won the School Board District 1 race, Cindy Stuart took District 3, and Cathy James had a narrow lead (23 percent to 20 percent) over Lynn Gray with 99 percent of precincts reporting.



Miriam Valenburg took the decision in the County Judge Group 10 race.

About 81,800 mail-in votes were submitted in Hillsborough County. Turnout by Tuesday afternoon had already passed the primary turnout in 2012 and 2014. There are about 100,000 more registered voters than in 2012, officials said. | More Hillsborough County results

PASCO COUNTY

In Pasco County, Republican Ron Oakley was the Commission District 1 winner, defeating Debbie Wells and Rachel O'Connor. In Commission District 3, Kathryn Starkey beat Randy Evans, with 56 percent of the vote. And in Commission District 5, Republican Jack Mariano garnered 52 percent of the vote for a narrow victory over Chris Cooley.



Gary Joiner won the property appraiser race, with 56 percent of the vote to Ted Schrader's 44. Debra Roberts won the County Judge Group 4 race, defeating two challengers.

Shirley Anderson, the county's supervisor of elections, said Tuesday afternoon that everything had gone smoothly. About 28,000 mail-in votes were submitted. | More Pasco County results

POLK COUNTY

In the Polk County Commission District 3 race, Republican Bill Braswell garnered 66 percent of the vote, to J.C. Martin's 34 percent.



Lori Cunningham won the School Board District 2 race, while Billy Townsend (District 1) and Becky Troutman (District 4) had commanding leads with 99 percent of precincts reporting.



Susan Barber was the winner in the County Judge Group 8 race.

By Tuesday afternoon, officials had predicted turnout would be about 20 percent. No problems were reported. | More Polk County results

CITRUS COUNTY

In Citrus County, Republican Michael Prendergrast took 53 percent of the vote, defeating Chuck Kanehl (34 percent) and Steven Burch (13 percent).



Republican Jeff Kinnard bested Rhonda Distel in the Commission District 1 race, while Brian Coleman defeated two challengers in the Commission District 5 race.



In the School Board Referendum vote, 55 percent of voters said yes to the measure. By Tuesday afternoon, turnout was what election leaders expected. There were more than 15,000 mail-in votes. | More Citrus County results

HERNANDO COUNTY

In Hernando County, Nick Nicholson won the Republican primary for Commission District 1, defeating Michael LaRocca and Joe Swilley. Steve Champion won the Republican primary for Commission District 5, defeating Dave Russell.



Linda Prescott took the School Board District 2 victory, while Gus Guadagnino had a 10 percent lead with 99 percent of the precincts reporting.



Kristie Ruppe cruised to a victory in the County Court Judge primary. | More Hernando County results
Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front row taxi ridesymbolic of the shows content as a fun ride that takes audiences from point A to point B. Gabina VOAs main goal is Enlightening young people, introducing them to cutting-edge technological innovations, exposing them to new processes and ideas so they can be productive, informed and self-governing citizens.
I 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
A man who went missing in Liberty County on Aug. 15 has resurfaced in Las Vegas, where he reportedly was using the assumed identity of a dead man.

Charles Roger Edgell, 42, of Cut and Shoot in Montgomery County, Texas, reportedly will be charged later this week with crimes related to using the dead man's identity and Social Security number, according to Sgt. Billy Knox with the Liberty County Sheriff's Office



Knox added that the case in Las Vegas is being investigated by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, which handles cases related to the fraudulent use of licenses.

Edgell's disappearance on Aug. 15 began with a mystery. He reportedly dialed 911 and reached the Liberty County sheriff's dispatch center.

During that call, "He told the dispatcher he had lost his job and things weren't going well for him. He gave his location and said his cell phone battery was going dead and was beeping," Knox said.

Edgell's vehicle, a white Ford Mustang, was found on the eastbound shoulder of SH 105 at the Trinity River bridge in Moss Hill around 11 p.m. Aug. 15. Edgell was nowhere in sight.

Deputies searched for him by flashlights and vehicle lights until the early morning hours but they were unable to locate him.

The next day, investigators returned to do a more thorough search by boat and foot, using search dogs later in the week when Edgell's whereabouts remained unknown.

Early on in the investigation, Knox began to suspect that Edgell had staged his disappearance. First came the report that another vehicle had been seen at Edgell's vehicle around the same time he disappeared. Then during interviews with people related to the case, Knox said his suspicions grew.

"I had a feeling about this case based on phone calls and talking to his girlfriend's parents. I knew he would turn up eventually and, sure enough, he did," Knox said.

With the Nevada DMV handling the case as it goes forward, Liberty County will move on to other cases, the veteran detective said.

A source with the Nevada DMV confirms that Edgell is under investigation and that multiple felony charges, including burglary and forgery, are expected to be filed next week.

Edgell is also facing a charge of sexual assault of a child in Montgomery County where he currently is out on bond.

Calls to the investigator handling the case in Las Vegas have been made. Updates will be posted as warranted.
About two months after Shalala Fletcher was shot and killed as two suspected beer thieves fled from a Port Arthur convenience store, an off-duty security guard was indicted for criminally negligent homicide in her death.

Michael Turner, 67, was arrested Wednesday after a Jefferson County grand jury charged him with the state jail felony, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

Turner's attorney, Scott Renick, said his client wants to put on a defense for the community to understand his actions.

"Mr. Turner has always been very distraught about the fact there was a loss of life. That was never his intent," Renick said. "In no way trying to compare this to what (Fletcher's) family has had to deal with, this has also been a very hard time for Mr. Turner."

Turner arrived July 2 at the Exxpress Mart on Jimmy Johnson Boulevard in Port Arthur as two men suspected of stealing cases of beer tried to drive away from the parking lot, according to a statement released by the district attorney's office.

Fletcher, who did not go into the store, was a passenger in the car with the suspects, according to the DA's office.

Turner tried to use his vehicle to block in the suspects and prevent them from leaving, the statement said.

As they pulled away, Turner fired multiple shots from his 9 mm handgun, according to the statement.

Assistant District Attorney Cory Kneeland said Turner tried to shoot out the tires but another bullet went through the vehicle, striking Fletcher, 36, in the back.

An autopsy report showed a bullet was recovered from Fletcher's lung.

Turner was arrested at his Port Arthur home, Kneeland said. He was still at the Jefferson County jail as of Wednesday.

Fletcher's death spurred calls for justice from local ministers and NAACP chapters.

Last week, more than a dozen leaders gathered at the courthouse's front steps demanding answers from law enforcement officials.

The grand jury considered higher charges against Turner, including manslaughter and murder, according to Kneeland.

"We tell the grand jury all of the law, all of the different possibilities and they decide," Kneeland said. "So in a case where there could be more than one charge, we always tell them all of their options. Going higher to manslaughter would require the standard of recklessness and this is what they came back with."

Tyrus Germaine Williams, who was charged with theft, and Fletcher had a dating relationship, Kneeland said.

Still, Fletcher was left for dead at the Community Bank of Texas on Turtle Creek Drive, a few blocks from the store, according to the statement.

Williams, 42, was arrested July 7 and faces multiple theft charges, jail records show.

The other suspected thief, who Kneeland said made the 911 call with a false name, was not in custody as of Wednesday.

"It's particularly heartbreaking in that (Williams) left her," Kneeland said.

Williams and the other suspect could have also been charged in the homicide if the original crime was "inherently dangerous," Kneeland said, adding that theft does not fall under that category.

"Theft is not dangerous enough to where you would think someone gets shot and killed for stealing a beer," Kneeland said.

BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott
During the filming of "Free State of Jones," a Civil War-era movie released in June, Matthew McConaughey did double the work, both acting for the movie and shooting videos for his class at the University of Texas at Austin in between takes.

In conjunction with an instructor and the director of the movie, McConaughey is serving as the teacher for an advanced producing class, both on campus and remotely. The university announced McConaugheys new role at the end of June.

On the first day of the semester, McConaughey dropped in on his class, making a surprise visit. Despite the UT alums Oscar-winning status, there was no fanfare around the actor on campus, a spokesman said. In fact, he didnt even have to sneak into the class to avoid rabid admirers.

It was totally casual, Paul Stekler, chair of the Radio-Television-Film Department at the university, said about his experience walking the actor through campus. Nobody passed out or anything as far as I could tell.

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey will teach a film class at the University of Texas at Austin this fall

McConaughey surprised the 35 students in the course during the last hour of the 3-hour class, Scott Rice, the instructor for the course, said in an email Tuesday. McConaughey could have been a student at the university if one did not know who he was he wore a ball cap and a T-shirt to class.

Although it was a surprise, the students in the class are serious film students, and didnt scream in shock when the actor arrived, Stekler said.

During the last hour, where no photos of the actor were allowed except for one posted to the colleges Twitter account Monday, McConaughey spoke with students about the intersection of creativity and business in the filmmaking industry.

I am so taken with what Matthew has initiated to be able to do a class that really helps students understand the reality of filmmaking, he said. Its not only a creative art but its also a business.

RELATED: UT film school ranks No. 10 in the nation

The actor wont be back on campus until the end of the semester, Stekler said, but that doesnt mean hell be absent from the classroom. Gary Ross, the director of "Free State of Jones," and McConaughey have pre-recorded videos ready to go for the semester and plan on video conferencing into the class.

It also looks like this wont be a one-time class eitherStekler said he fully expects McConaughey to be back for multiple semesters.

(The class was) his idea that we helped him work on, Stekler said noting the class was McConaugheys original idea.

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey, a new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

He said students were riveted by what McConaughey had to say. The actor discussed script-writing, rewrites and the budgeting process among telling the students what he wanted them to learn during the semester.

McConaughey also chose an interesting day to visit his alma mater on the first day of class, students were protesting the campus carry law that went into effect Aug. 1 with dildos. The protest, known as #CocksNotGlocks, brought national attention to the university from the likes of The Daily Show. But, Stekler said, McConaughey wasnt close to any dildos.

We didnt get anywhere near the protest, he said. He actually parked a car and we walked over to class.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia Hermien Naghdalyan met with the Vice President of the Sejm of Poland Ryszard Terlecki on August 30 in the sidelines of the parliamentary meeting in Warsaw Solidarity and sovereignty, Armenpress was informed from the press service of the National Assembly of Armenia.

The interlocutors mutually highlighted the role of inter-parliamentary interactions as an important component of inter-state relations. Hermine Naghdalyan stated that Poland is a vital partner for Armenia in its relations with the EU. Being a EAEU member state, Armenia continues to consistently expand its partnership with the EU.

Attaching great importance to this format of European discussions, Naghdalyan hoped that it will serve to the goal of outlining ways to overcome current challenges facing Europe, such as use of double standards, injustice, migration, terrorism and so on.

Referring to one of Armenias top priority foreign issues, Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Hermine Naghdalyan drew the attention of her Polish counterpart on the military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan in early April that claimed numerous lives, including civilian casualties.

Under such conditions the realization of the right to self-determination of Nagorno Karabakh people cannot cause doubts, since the physical existence of the people is jeopardized, Hermine Naghdalyan stated, adding that though Armenia positively assesses the condemnation of the ceasefire regime violations by the international community, a general and unaddressed condemnation is not enough to restrain the side responsible for a large-scale armed confrontation.

Hermine Naghdalyan mentioned that Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) has been building its statehood for already 25 years, which many-fold surpasses Azerbaijan by all democratic criteria and today people of Artsakh have only one goal: to ensure its peaceful life and natural development in their motherland.

The Vice President of the Armenian parliament stated that Azerbaijani aspirations in relation to Artsakh bear an aggressive nature, which can be evidenced by Azerbaijans attempts to wreck and block any constructive and humanitarian proposal during the entire negotiation process.

At the end of the meeting Hermine Naghdalyan expressed gratitude to her Polish counterpart for the cordial reception and the meeting.

Parliamentarians from over 10 countries, including from Georgia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Belarus, Turkey, and Azerbaijan participate in the meeting that will continue on August 31.
Kentucky is the latest state to see the choices in its insurance exchange decrease to only one, Insider Louisville reports.

Here's what you need to know.

1. After Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and WellCare all left Kynect, the only plan that remains for residents throughout half the counties is Anthem.

2. According to data the Kentucky of Department of Insurance obtained, consumers should not see an impact by the companies entering and leaving the exchange.

3. Higher-than-expected costs were the reasons the insurers left the exchanges.

4. The federal government is modifying elements of the plan to help mitigate some of the risk onto higher-usage patients.

5. Baptist Health and CareSource are both expanding their footprint in the Kentucky exchanges, but it will not be enough to offset the lost providers.

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Healthcare organizations must implement solid compliance programs if they want to avoid healthcare fraud charges. RevCycle Intelligence investigates what actually happens during a healthcare fraud investigation.

Here are seven insights:

1. In a healthcare fraud case, the prosecutor looks into why a healthcare organization's compliance program did not stop the fraud from occurring.

2. Prosecution will dive into the compliance program's design and structure as well as if it was labeled as a "paper compliance program or a real compliance program," according to RevCycle Intelligence.

3. In essence, healthcare prosecutors decide whether an organization executed an impact compliance program, or if they were doing the bare minimum to meet requirements.

4. "Real" compliance programs will include a compliance officer who ensures the organization is acting legally and ethically.

5. A prosecutor's assessment of an organization's compliance program's robustness will influence whether a criminal charge will be brought against the organization. That is, did the organization set up a program to effectively catch and stop potential healthcare fraud?

6. In addition to deciding whether to bring a case against the company, the government must also decide whether to mandate the organization implement monitors to stop potential healthcare fraud.

7. Ultimately, healthcare organizations should continuously monitor their compliance programs, to avoid potential criminal charges brought by healthcare fraud.

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New Albany (Ohio) Surgery Center is among some of the first centers to use the NAVIO Surgical System during robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty, according to IT News Online.

Here are five things to know:

1. Mark Gittins, MD, performed the procedure on Aug. 23.

2. Dr. Gittins practices at Ohio-based OrthoNeuro.

3. With the NAVIO system, surgeons build a 3D model of the patient's knee by collecting patient-specific data during the procedure.

4. NAVIO system facilitates greater precision and accuracy, improving patient outcomes.

5. Smith & Nephew manufactures the system.

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Here are the five most popular Becker's ASC Review gastroenterology and endoscopy stories for the week of Aug. 22 to Aug. 28, 2016.

1. Who is Donald Trump's gastroenterologist Dr. Harold Bornstein: 5 things to know

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2. Revenue per GI/endoscopy case in ASCs: 18 statistics

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3. 15 statistics on gastroenterologist salary, net worth, jobs and more

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4. ACLU may sue Colorado over lack of hepatitis C treatment coverage: 5 notes

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5. 3 GI-driven ASCs and facilities in the news: August 19, 2016

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As patients take on more responsibility for their healthcare costs, many experience problems paying their medical bills. This has serious repercussions on their daily lives, including postponing care, and can lead to mounting medical debt.

Here are 10 statistics and findings on medical debt.

1. One in five working-age Americans with insurance encountered problems paying medical bills in the past year, which often led to serious financial challenges and changes in employment and lifestyle, according to a comprehensive Kaiser Family Foundation/New York Times survey. Among the uninsured, 53 percent reported problems paying medical bills.

2. Among those facing problems paying medical bills, almost identical shares of the insured (44 percent) and uninsured (45 percent) said the bills had a major impact on their families.

3. Of insured individuals who reported problems paying medical bills, 26 percent received unexpected claim denials; and 32 percent received care from an out-of-network provider their insurance wouldn't cover.

4. Among those with private insurance, those enrolled in higher deductible plans were more likely to report medical bill problems than those in plans with lower deductibles (26 percent compared to 15 percent).

5. Among the insured and uninsured with medical bill problems, 31 percent said the total amount of the bills they had problems paying reached at least $5,000, including 13 percent who say the total hit at least $10,000. One in four (24 percent) said their bills totaled less than $1,000.

6. Thirty-one percent of insured Americans took money out of retirement, college or other long-term savings accounts to pay medical bills in the past year; 17 percent of uninsured reported the same. An additional 17 percent of insured and 11 percent of uninsured patients took out another type of loan to pay medical bills.

7. Although more than 90 percent of patients reported satisfaction with their primary care physician across several categories in a survey commissioned by the Physicians Foundation, many communicated concern regarding healthcare costs and medical debt.

8. According to the survey, 62 percent of participants reported concern regarding their ability to pay for medical care if they were to fall ill or become injured. More than a quarter  28 percent  reported skipping a medical test, missing a follow-up appointment or not seeking treatment for a medical problem in the last year due to insecurities regarding the cost of care.

9. Medical debt is sold very cheap because it is difficult to collect on. Craig Antico, co-founder of RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit based in Rye, N.Y., told STAT a dollar of debt can be bought for less than a cent. "It only takes $14.45 million to abolish $1 billion in debt," he said.

10. Men and women in the armed forces are nearly twice as likely to file complaints about debt collection than the general population, according to a report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Of the roughly 19,200 complaints from servicemembers the CFPB received last year, about 8,900 were related to debt collection. In 2015, medical debt concerns comprised 13 percent of servicemember debt collection complaints, with a majority of the medical debt complaints coming from the veteran population.

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Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System plans to issue $1.1 billion of tax-exempt municipal bonds to fund its purchase of Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield and to upgrade other facilities, according to the Marshfield News-Herald.

About $800 million of the bond proceeds would be used to renovate Saint Joseph's and for capital projects at facilities across Wisconsin in Wausau, Stevens Point, Eau Claire and Menomonie.

Remaining funds would be used to refinance Marshfield Clinic's existing debt, according to the report.

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The Vermont attorney general's office has asked 10 pharmaceutical companies to defend their prices for certain products, reports VT Digger.

Under the state's new drug price transparency law, the Green Mountain Care Board used state Medicaid claims data to assemble a list of drugs whose sticker prices have gone up by 15 percent in one year, or by 50 percent in five years.

As a result of GMCB's investigation, the attorney general's office has asked 10 pharmaceutical companies by Oct. 1 to submit information that justifies their prescription price increases to the state.

Below are the 10 drugs being investigated and their rate-of-increase during the last five years. They have been listed alphabetically.
Epic Systems filed a petition in equity April 6 against the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City seeking to bar the health system from disclosing certain documents Epic seeks to declare as confidential.

In May 2015, an Epic employee sent UIHC a report produced by healthcare technology research firm KLAS Enterprises regarding software developed by Epic. The report was called the EpicConnect Report. KLAS gave Epic permission to distribute the EpicConnect Report to its customers. The employee who sent this report to UIHC also attached eight other documents to the email.

UIHC then told Epic a third party filed an open records request for correspondence from Epic to UIHC about KLAS services and products. The health system said it released a copy of the employee's email without any of the attachments, but now the party requesting the information has asked to see an original copy of the email with all the attachments included.

UIHC told Epic it planned to release the employee's email and all attachments unless Epic filed an action to prevent the disclosure, which Epic did.

According to the filing, Epic does not object to disclosing the EpicConnect Report, but the health IT vendor believes the additional attachments should not be released for three reasons. First, the attachments are not within the scope of what the requesting party sought because they are not correspondence between Epic and UIHC about KLAS services or products. Second, Epic argues the attachments are not public records for the purpose of the Iowa Open Records Act, which defines public records as "all records, documents, tape, or other information, stored or preserved in any medium, of or belonging to this state or any county, city, township, school corporation, political subdivision, nonprofit corporation other than a fairwhose facilities or indebtedness are supported in whole or in part with property tax revenue."

Further, Epic argues in the filing that even if the attachments are public records, they should not be released because they constitute "confidential records" as defined by the same Iowa Code. The documents, according to Epic, contain proprietary information about the software's functionality, delivery and implementation methods, sales strategies and other "highly sensitive information."

"This and other highly sensitive information gives Epic competitive advantages by not being generally known or to readily ascertainable by Epic's competitors in the industry," according to the filing.

Releasing the records would irreparably harm Epic and give Epic's competitors an unfair advantage, according to the filing.

Epic asked the court to declare the attachments are not public records, or declare they are confidential records, and to prohibit UIHC from disclosing them to third parties.

On April 12, UIHC filed its answer to Epic's equity case. The health system said the requested documents are part of an open records request and it will release the documents unless the court intervenes. The health system said it "will comply with any court order regarding the records at issue."

In a statement to Becker's Hospital Review, UIHC said, "The documents at issue were requested under the state's open records law. The University of Iowa notified Epic of its intent to comply with the law. Epic believes that the documents are protected and should not be released, and thus has followed the appropriate channels to assert its position in the district court. The University will comply with the court's decision on the matter."

Editor's note: The article was updated at 2:07 pm CT to include a statement from UIHC.



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Boston Medical Center is the largest safety-net hospital and busiest trauma and emergency services center in New England and provides essential care to Boston's most vulnerable patients. The strip just outside its doors has been dubbed the "Methadone Mile," indicating the burden of care placed upon this hospital's shoulders regarding the treatment of opioid addiction.

Opioid-related overdose deaths in the state of Massachusetts have been steadily rising since 2000. In 2015, an estimated 1,659 deaths were related to opioid abuse in the state.

BMC is a forerunner in establishing best practices for the care of drug addicted patients. The hospital has also taken substantial efforts to change the way clinicians prescribe pain medication. In 2014, BMC's Safe and Competent Opioid Prescribing Program received a National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area award for Outstanding Prevention Effort from Michael Botticelli, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Kate Walsh has led BMC as CEO since 2010. Ms. Walsh is a graduate of Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and prior to her appointment at BMC, she served as executive vice president and COO of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston for five years. Recently Ms. Walsh spoke with Becker's about the opioid epidemic.

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Question: What are the biggest challenges your hospital faces in relation to the opioid epidemic?

Kate Walsh: Like all providers, we are challenged by providing care during one of the greatest public health crises of our time. We at Boston Medical Center are in a unique position to address this because of the programs we have built. We have created groundbreaking substance abuse programs for people literally from all walks of life. We have received more than $19 million in state and federal research grants in the last five years to study treatment for substance abuse disorders.

Q: What unique measures does Boston Medical Center take to treat opioid addicted patients?

KW: Among the many addiction programs at Boston Medical Center, we have project ASSERT, founded in 1994. It is the first program of its kind in the nation. The program provides screening for addiction as soon as patients walk into the facility. We want to provide them with support to quit, because any day could be that day. Project RESPECT provides pregnant women with opioid abuse disorders access to social workers, nurse practitioners and addiction specialists.

We aim to deliver integrated care to addicted patients. We work hard to train our physicians on all the challenges that come with caring for patients with substance abuse disorders. Integration is the key word. It's not a separate thing. Because we are a national leading research institution on root causes of addiction and efficacy of treatment models and interventions, we can both create and implement addiction treatment programs. As an academic medical center and the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine, we are educating the next generation of doctors in these innovative approaches.

Q: How helpful do you think recent actions taken by the federal government will be in curbing the rates of opioid abuse? What is the state of Massachusetts doing to fight opioid abuse? Is it enough?

KW: We applaud any effort made to end this epidemic. We received an award from the White House for treating pain in a manner that reduces addiction incidence. We feel we have been well supported by the federal and state government to give our patients the treatment they need. I think Gov. [Charlie] Baker and his team have been pushing healthcare to be more responsive to this health crisis. They've helped our industry broadly destigmatize this.

Q: Does Boston Medical Center have enough access to the antioverdose drug naloxone?

KW: Our clinics, pharmacy and security personnel are equipped and trained in overdose prevention and response with naloxone rescue kits. Overdose prevention training and naloxone rescue kits are available to all patients and staff at minimal or no cost through the retail pharmacy on campus. In Massachusetts, we've been okay in regards to the naloxone supply.

Q: What is the best way for the nation to combat the opioid epidemic?

KW: Reduce the stigma. These are our children, these are people's parents, these are our friends. This isn't happening to somebody else, this is happening to us. We must reduce the stigma and provide access to services. This is a chronic, potentially fatal disease that affects many people. This effort is going to take a lot of hard work from everyone to fully alleviate an enormous public health crisis.

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YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Armenia says the provocative information spread by certain Azerbaijan media (haqqin.az, politika.az, meydan.tv), which says that on August 30 the Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire regime at the south-western part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border towards the direction of Nakhijevan as a result of which an Azerbaijani soldier has been killed, does not correspond to the reality.

The Armenian Armed Forces strictly follow the maintenance of the ceasefire regime and take appropriate measures only in case of violations and gunfire made by the Azerbaijani side.
The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that hundreds of people from 35 states who claim they were harmed by the Plavix blood thinner have the right to sue Bristol-Myers Squibb in the state court system, according to STAT.

In a 4-3 decision, California's high court held that although Bristol-Myers isn't headquartered in California, it does enough business in the state for California courts to serve as a venue for the out-of-state residents' lawsuits. The suits allege Plavix caused heart attacks and strokes, among other conditions.

This was a favorable decision for the plaintiffs, as California has strong consumer protection laws, according to the report.

A Bristol-Myers spokeswoman told STAT the company disagrees with the decision in the case and is evaluating its options.

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The House Committee on Veterans Affairs is investigating Northport VA Medical Center on Long Island, according to The New York Times.

The hospital 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 form air ducts.

The closing of the hospital's ORs will be among the issues investigated by the House panel. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) addressed the issue in a July 29 letter to VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald. Rep. Miller wrote that the most troubling part of the situation was that hospital management "reportedly became aware of the problem in mid-February yet took no effort to notify the public or Congress until after numerous media reports emerged."

Rep. Miller wrote the letter prior to a veteran committing suicide in the hospital's parking lot in late August. The FBI is investigating that incident.

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A lockdown at Tucson (Ariz.) Medical Center has been lifted following a shooting in an adjacent parking area, reports 3TV.

The hospital was locked down until around 11 p.m. Tuesday night after authorities said a woman was shot in the northeast parking garage, according to the article.

The woman, who was not identified, was taken to a Banner-University Medical Center campus for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Affordable Care Act marketplace choices are diminishing. An updated Kaiser Family Foundation analysis  requested by The Wall Street Journal  found that 62 percent of 2017 marketplace enrollees will be able to choose from three or more insurers, down from 85 percent in 2016.

And approximately 1.7 million enrollees living in urban counties will face single insurer marketplaces next year, or about 15 percent of all enrollees in urban counties. This is up from 2 percent in 2016.

The thinning marketplace is pressuring federal regulators to stabilize the system, lower costs for consumers and reduce risks for insurers, reports USA Today.

CMS' recently proposed HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2018 included recalibrating its risk adjustment models and creating a high-cost enrollee risk pool, in which an adjustment to insurers' transfers would finance 60 percent of costs when individual costs top $2 million.

"The focus of this rule is clearly stabilizing the market," Elizabeth Carpenter, senior vice president at Washington, D.C.-based healthcare consulting firm Avalere, told Becker's Hospital Review. "It focuses less on benefit issues that are directly impacting consumers."

Moving forward, federal officials still must make changes to the ACA amid fierce partisan opposition to the health law, according to USA Today. In other words, solutions requiring Congressional action before the November elections is not expected, the report states.

"This is probably the most frustrating public policy dilemma weve got right now in the country," Wayne Goodwin, North Carolina's Democratic insurance commissioner, told USA Today. "Businesses and health insurance companies have invested so much into the ACA, there is a tremendous urgency to having Congress and whoever the new president is fix the law."

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The University of California, Davis will institute the U.S.'s first state-funded gun violence research center, with California appropriating $5 million to the center over the next five years.

The University of California Firearm Violence Research Center at the university's Sacramento campus will be led by Garen Wintemute, MD, an internationally known epidemiologist and emergency department physician. An advisory board including scholars, law enforcement officials, elected officials and other firearm violence experts will also be created to provide research input.

UC Davis will develop a multicampus plan for the research center proposing and prioritizing initial research projects, developing a small grant application timeline, outlining ways to increase philanthropic funds to sustain research and defining an annual operating budget and reporting structure. The plan will be submitted for approval Oct. 15.

"The state's decision to provide public funding for a center to study firearm violence demonstrates great leadership by the state and presents a unique opportunity for the University of California to be at the forefront of researching a growing public health issue," UC President Janet Napolitano said.

Ms. Napolitano said the center is the first state-funded institution of its type and will supply unbiased data and recommendations to policymakers. Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University and Cambridge, Mass.-based Harvard University have similar privately-funded centers.

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Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C., has completed its initial spine case series with Mazor Robotics' Renaissance Guidance System.

Here are four highlights:

1. Grand Strand Medical Center installed the Renaissance system on July 6.

2. Grand Strand Medical Center is the second hospital in the state and the ninth Hospital Corporation of America-affiliated facility to install the Renaissance system.

3. The 301-bed acute-care hospital offers the only cardiac surgery program, neurosurgery program and pediatric intensive care unit in the Horry and Georgetown counties.

4. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the American College of Surgeons designated the hospital a level II trauma center.
Michael Boyle, MD, a regional director of ECI Healthcare Partners, discusses his experiences with emergency medicine and urgent care.

Question: What led you to specialize in emergency medicine and urgent care?

Dr. Michael Boyle: I have always been interested in emergency medicine, starting as an EMT in 1978 and volunteering for several years in a local fire department. In 1994, I developed an occupational medicine program and fast track that started my interest in urgent care. I started managing urgent care programs, along with emergency departments, in 2008. In 2011, my MBA study began with a focus on healthcare. It was then that I decided to author the text, The Healthcare Executive's Guide to Urgent Care Centers and Freestanding EDs, published by Healthleaders Media in 2012. I still practice clinically  and love to!  in the emergency department and urgent care.

Q: How does your experience as a physician inform your administrative management role at ECI Healthcare Partners?

MB: Clinical practice helps me stay in touch with the "trenches" and provides credibility among the fellow physicians that I manage. It also gives me a first-hand look at challenges and flow issues related to the emergency department and hospital that are invaluable to my administrative duties.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing emergency medicine and urgent care today?

MB: The biggest challenge for emergency medicine is hospital flow related to admitted patient boarding in the emergency room. This reduces our ability to care for other patients, resulting in prolonged waits, poor patient satisfaction and reduced potential income to the practice. Urgent care has the challenge of being a new specialty, and needs to have room at the table among other specialties. It is the most cost effective alternative for minor episodic illness and injury, which makes it an ideal option for population health. There has been a significant increase in orthopedic urgent care in several larger cities, opening up a new business model for many orthopedic practices. The greatest economic challenge for urgent care will be the impact of telemedicine and potential reduced volume related to these services

Learn more from Dr. Boyle at the 15th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference + The Future of Spine in June 2017! Click here for more information.

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In Columbus, Ohio, Capital University Law School third-year students are teaming up with OhioHealth Grant Medical Center physicians to prepare for potential malpractice cases, according to The Columbus-Dispatch.

Here are three points:

1. During the mock depositions, the law students are graded on how well they probe the physicians, who are participating in OhioHealth Grant Medical Center's family-medicine residency program.

2. Sarah Sams, MD, associate director of OhioHealth Grant Medical Center's family medicine residency program, spearheaded the mock depositions and called Capital's dean about the potential program.

3. While the law students previously would enact different roles during mock trails, bringing in physicians brought a realistic element to the trials. One law student said, "They add real factual knowledge. It makes our jobs a little trickier."

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Through the Children's of Alabama Global Surgery Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham pediatric neurosurgeons have established a partnership with Vietnamese surgeons.

The Global Surgery Program at Children's of Alabama is intended to coordinate the development of multidisciplinary programs for surgical diseases through collaboration with pediatric hospitals in the developing world.

Here are five things to know:

1. UAB began a relationship with Vietnamese surgeons in 2013, after Brandon Rocque, MD, visited Ho Chi Minh City with Jerry Oakes, MD, chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Children's of Alabama.

2. This summer, UAB's neurosurgery division welcomed two Vietnamese physicians as visiting fellows in the Global Surgery Program.

3. The collaboration dove into enhancing epilepsy care for both Alabaman and Vietnamese patients. UAB neurosurgeons advised the visiting surgeons on how to establish standardized management protocols for complicated surgical diseases.

4. Through the collaboration, UAB neurosurgeons will visit Vietnam, as well.

5. Once they return home, the Vietnamese surgeons may still interact with their Alabama counterparts via Virtual Interactive Presence in Augmented Reality technology. The technology allows UAB neurosurgeons to offer their guidance to Vietnamese surgeons in the operating room.

6. Five pediatric neurosurgeons serve Alabama's population of 4.5 million, while four pediatric neurosurgeons serve Vietnam's northern district population of about 50 million.





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YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on August 31 received the Japanese delegation led by Chairman of Japan-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship League Seishiro Eto, press service of the Presidential administration told Armenpress.

Welcoming the delegations first visit to Armenia, the Armenian President said Japan has its unique role in Armenias relations with the countries of Eastern Asia, and our country seeks to develop comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with friendly Japan.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed hope the Japanese delegations visit to Armenia will give a new impetus to the intensification of inter-parliamentary ties of the two states raising the Armenian-Japanese cooperation to a qualitatively new level in that field.

At the meeting the sides remembered the Armenian Presidents official visit to Japan in 2012 which gave new opportunities for further expansion and deepening of the bilateral cooperation.

Seishiro Eto expressed his readiness to do everything possible to make more active the contacts between the parliamentarians and to contribute to the strengthening of the Armenian-Japanese inter-parliamentary ties, as well as to make all these as a strong base for the development of bilateral economic ties.

The sides discussed the cooperation development opportunities and the existing potential in various mutually beneficial sectors, as well as within the framework of international organizations.
US generator maker Caterpillar is to announce job losses at its Northern Ireland operations, which employ 1,800 people.

There are fears of cuts of up to 40% among its workforce, which is spread between its base at Larne, as well as Newtownabbey and Springvale.

Caterpillar reported a lower profit during the second quarter of 2016, as sales of new machinery remained sluggish. But it said a weak pound could mean a boost to its exports from the UK.

A spokesman for Caterpillar said: "Caterpillar is committed to communicating regularly and directly with our employees about the business environment and any resulting changes.

Sinn Fein MP Paul Maskey has said staff at Caterpillar need to be kept up to date on any developments on the future of the company.

The West Belfast MP said: "Uncertainty over the future of Caterpillar's operations in the North will be no doubt distressing for workers and their families.

"Staff have been told to expect an announcement later in the week and there has been much speculation about what it will entail.

"It is vitally important that management at Caterpillar keep all employees up to date with the latest information as soon as possible."
Nearly two million UK companies could have experienced a cyber security breach in 2015, a new report claims

Cybercrime stands to cost the UK economy more than 147 billion per year, a new report claims.

Data compiled by the Greater London Authority (GLA) Conservatives says that as many as 1.8 million companies in the UK could have experienced a security breach in 2015, and the subsequent costs to business are rising.

Between 2014 and 2015, hacking increased 9% among large businesses, and 14% among small organisations, accounting for viruses, denial of service attacks or unauthorised infiltration by hackers.

Meanwhile, the price tag associated with cybercrime has more than doubled for large organisations, costing each business as much as 3.14 million in 2015, up from 1.5 million a year earlier.

For small organisations, hacking cost individual businesses as much as 311,000 each last year, up from an upward estimate of 115,000 in 2014.

Gareth Bacon, a GLA Conservative London Assembly Member said: "Data is the true currency of modern society and hackers are making a mint because companies are leaving the metaphorical door unlocked.

"This is theft on a massive scale with conservative estimates putting the potential cost of online data theft in the UK at 147 billion a year," he added.

The concentration of businesses in London means the British capital alone is being deprived of about 36 billion per year, the report explains.

GLA Conservatives are now calling on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to develop a new cybersecurity standard that would inform businesses of simple security measures that could help keep their operations safe.

Meanwhile, demand for cybersecurity experts is already on the rise.

PwC earlier this month unveiled plans to hire more than 1,000 new tech specialists by 2020 to address growing online security concerns among UK businesses.

It follows a number of high profile hackings at British companies in recent months, including TalkTalk, HSBC and Sage.

Thousands of customers' bank account and contact details were accessed after a cyberattack at TalkTalk, the telecoms firm announced in October.

Banking giant HSBC was later hit by a denial of service attack that temporarily shut down its online banking service in February.

Software accounting firm Sage said earlier this month that the employee details for about 280 companies were accessed by an unauthorised user via an internal l ogin.
Hinkley is also expected to be discussed at the G20 summit in China at the weekend (Artist's impression/PA)

The long-running saga over a planned new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point has taken a fresh twist after French union officials started legal action against a decision by energy giant EDF to go ahead with the project.

Five directors of EDF, representing workers, started proceedings in Paris aimed at annulment of the group's investment in the 18 billion scheme.

EDF's board voted last month to press ahead with building the power station in Somerset, but the UK government made a shock announcement that it wanted time to study the already-delayed scheme.

A decision is now expected in the autumn, following speculation that Prime Minister Theresa May is concerned about the involvement of Chinese state-owned CGN in the project and any further agreement for China to build reactors in Bradwell, Essex.

Hinkley is expected to be discussed at the G20 summit in China at the weekend.

Greenpeace's UK chief scientist Dr Doug Parr said: "This latest legal move shows that Hinkley Point is not even a convincing project to people right at the top of EDF.

"How often have board members of a major international company openly taken their firm to court to annul a decision of this kind? It emphasises just how right Theresa May was to call a pause on the UK government signing up to this deal.

"She now needs to resist pressure from Chinese and French governments at the upcoming G20 to be rushed into going ahead.

"The UK's best interests are served by getting into the global race on increasingly cheaper clean power and the smart technology revolution that's transforming energy systems around the world."
Researchers suggest an upturn in fortunes for people in Northern Ireland

People in Northern Ireland are more prosperous overall than a year ago, analysts said.

Average annual pay, the proportion of households donating to charity, business rates and exam scores were used to form the Barclays Prosperity Map.

Despite uncertain economic conditions due to volatile stock markets, China's slowdown and the lead up to Brexit, Northern Ireland saw average earnings increase by almost a 10th.

GDP per person grew faster than in London. Unemployment reduced and exam results were the best across the UK, the report's authors said.

The number of millionaires stands at 13,000 - 2% of the UK total.

The growth in Northern Ireland's housing market has exceeded that experienced in Wales and Scotland, as well as northern regions of England.

The average house price in Northern Ireland is 119,500, a rise of 4% on the previous year's figure of 114,465.

Jonathan Dobbin, head of wealth and investment management Northern Ireland at Barclays, said: "It is very encouraging to see that prosperity in Northern Ireland is on an upwards trajectory.

"In 2015, we had the highest levels of educational attainment right across the UK regions; an increase in GDP and average earnings, and a reduction in unemployment.

"It's clear that we have the skill set to compete with other regions when it comes to providing the right conditions to start and grow a successful business and drive prosperity more widely.

"With positive growth in prosperity recorded across the UK, it is clear that Northern Ireland is playing a key role in this trend.

"It is more important than ever that business leaders and policy makers continue to create new opportunities to keep our region, and the UK as a whole, 'open for business' and continuing on this trajectory."
'By growing its market share in Northern Ireland, Asda has bucked the trend felt in the UK as a whole'

Supermarket Asda is continuing to increase its market share in Northern Ireland despite a UK trend for falling sales, latest figures show.

Kantar Worldpanel's statistics for the year to August 14 said the Walmart-owned company's share was up 1.8%, so that it now claimed 17.5% of spending in supermarkets and multiples.

German discounter Lidl also increased its market share, but at the slightly lower level of 1.6%, giving it a slice of the total market of 5.1%.

Sainsbury's recorded a market share of 17.5%, putting it in joint second position with Asda, although Sainsbury's market share continues to fall and was down by 0.6% on the 12 months to August 2015.

Tesco remains Northern Ireland's dominant supermarket player, with its share of the market steady at 34.6%.

By growing its market share in Northern Ireland, Asda has bucked the trend felt in the UK as a whole.

The chain posted a 7.5% fall in like-for-like sales in the second quarter of this year - its worst quarterly performance on record.

A spokesman for Asda told the Belfast Telegraph that Northern Ireland, where it has 17 stores, is one of its strongest markets.

Lidl has 38 stores here - though its regional director Conor Boyle has said the market is big enough to open another 12. Tesco has around 50 stores of varying sizes, while Sainsbury's has 13.
Co Down manufacturer UPU Industries has landed a 1.5m, three-year contract to supply products to South Africa.

Dromore-based UPU Industries will sell its 'Reflectornet' stretch pallet netting to NNZ for the Cape's food and fresh goods market.

The first container has been dispatched to South Africa, with the item primarily used by food co-operatives and wholesalers.

Earlier this year the company said it would create 12 jobs as part of a 1.2m investment in its production facilities.

"As a major global producer and exporter of fresh fruit and vegetables, South Africa offers us an exciting new market opportunity, hence we welcome this new business extension with our valued customer NNZ," said Gary Millar, international sales director for UPU Industries.

Jan Zwier from NNZ said: "We've been dealing with UPU Industries for a number of years now and have confidence in the quality, reliability and consistency of their products."
Karen Gillan has been welcomed to the cast by co-stars Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart

Former Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan has been cast in a leading role in the sequel to 90s family film Jumanji.

The Scottish actress, 28, was welcomed to the "Jumanji family" by co-stars Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, who both posted a picture of her on Instagram.

Johnson wrote: "Between myself, @kevinhart4real, Jack Black and @NickJonas we've searched far and wide to find the one person to complete our #JUMANJI family.

"This isn't just any role, but in many ways the most important role of the movie."

He continued: "I'm proud to announce a girl who's playing the most important role in our movie - the talented, beautiful and down for a Scottish fight at any time, Ms @KarenGillanOfficial.

"And yes, this is the girl who is so bad ass she shaved her freaking head for Guardians of the Galaxy."

The film is a follow-up to the 1995 classic, which starred the late Robin Williams and centred around a magical board game.

Johnson said: "This isn't a remake or reboot, but a continuation of the awesome Jumanji story we love."

Comedian and actor Hart said: "I want to welcome @karengillanofficial to our Jumanji family...

"This is such a incredible role & we are so lucky to have such a amazingly talented actress to play the part.

"Congrats... I can't wait to get to work. This movie is shaping up to be something really special!!!!"

The film is being directed by Jake Kasdan.

Production is due to start in Hawaii next month.
Netflix has confirmed that its hit show Stranger Things will be back for a second series.

Nine new episodes of the programme will debut on the streaming service in 2017.

Starring Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine, the first eight instalments follow the search for a young boy who vanishes in small-town Indiana in 1983.

The child's mother (Ryder) opens an investigation into his disappearance that unravels a series of mysteries involving top secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and a strange little girl.

The second season was announced with an eerie video on Twitter.

It announces that it will be set in 1984 and g ives a series of headings including "The pumpkin patch" and "The secret cabin", leading fans to speculate that they are episode titles.

The horror/sci-fi series was created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer.
As they walked again through the gates of the Victorian prison that contained so many ghosts of the Troubles, the ex-IRA prisoners uttered the same word to describe their time-travelling experience - "surreal".

Former hunger striker Gerard Hodgins and the IRA prisoners' Press officer in the H-Blocks during the 1981 death fast Richard O'Rawe returned to Crumlin Road Gaol this summer.

This time, however, they were not forced to wash with carbolic soap in an iron bath before having their personal details taken down and then shown to a prison cell. The pair went back to the prison where they spent time in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties to dine at Cuffs, the jail-turned-museum's new gourmet restaurant.

For Hodgins it was a reluctant sentimental journey, as he had previously turned down an offer to visit the gaol as a tourist. But when he eventually accepted this invitation he ordered food that reminded him of his incarceration there in the 1970s - a liver-based pate that recalled his favourite prison dish of liver and bacon while an IRA inmate on remand.

Hodgins said: "It was surreal being able to sip on fine Jameson Special Reserve (whiskey) and engage in pleasant conversation in a place with so many horrific memories of pain and anguish. The grub is good, the liver is even better than the old Crumlin Road Gaol stuff, which I loved!"

O'Rawe, whose grandfather and great uncle served time for IRA activities in Crumlin Road during the 1940s, said that while the fare in the Belfast jail was far better than that served to inmates in the H-Blocks, there was one particular reason why time inside the Victorian slammer went much slower.

"I hated my two times in the Crum because from the first day I went in there I would be able to see something daily that reminded me of freedom and my wife and family on the outside. I could look up from, say, the exercise yard and there would be the Belfast Mountains. I knew that my wife was there at the end of the Divis Mountain and the sight of it reminded me of being away from her and the family. When you are miles outside Belfast, in somewhere with no view of those mountains, as was the case in Long Kesh, on the blocks, the reminder of home wasn't visible."

The author of the controversial Blanketmen book on the 1981 hunger strike also used the word "surreal" when asked what he thought about fine dining in the jail he and his old comrades were under orders to break out of, and which contained so many haunting memories.

Sipping a glass of Chilean red as tourists filed into Cuffs from the walking tour of the facility - which ends in the condemned prisoner's cell and then the former execution room, O'Rawe said: "It's the first time back, and to be honest I hoped I would never be back here again.

"There wasn't even hooch let alone red wine when I was in here, the most you could hope for was a clean glass of water. By the time I was put inside the Crum they'd stopped using a prison shop so you couldn't even get a Coke."

Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Martin McGuinness leaves after serving a sentence for failure to pay fines in 1985 The rows of cells inside the jailhouse Crumlin Road Gaol in 1971 Damage to the roof after a protest by inmates in 1990 / Facebook

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Like Hodgins, O'Rawe ordered fish and chips, because it had been the one meal he looked forward to while a prisoner in the jail, and always on a Friday for the Catholic inmates.

For dessert they tucked into lemon posset and fresh raspberry mallot tart, which were wholly different from the pudding offered up when they were behind bars.

"Desserts were basic, like yellow cake and custard or else a rice dish that was not actually made out of milk," Hodgins recalled.

As they polished off their meal with more whiskey and wine, O'Rawe noticed an aspect of the decor above their dining table.

"That is an original lock they put on the cell door. I wonder if that was the actual one where the screws locked me into!"

Asked if there were any notable loyalists mixing on wings and landings when he was held in Crumlin Road in the late 1970s, Hodgins said: "I saw Lenny Murphy in here (the leader of the Shankill Butchers gang) and those boyos that were up for murdering the Miami Showband, they were on remand ready for trial. My one vivid memory passing them by was that most of the loyalists were grown men but most of ours, we were mainly teenagers, 17, 18, 19. There were whole wings of teenagers in the republican side."

Looking around Cuffs as a family from Leicester settled down to order lunch, Hodgins added: "When you think about some of these characters you were locked up with, such as Murphy, apart of course from my own comrades in the jail, I think I prefer today's company."
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. Ten recipients of the Gratitude Scholarship program from Syria, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon will begin their studies at United World College (UWC) schools around the world in September. These students have been chosen based on their high academic performance. Each is either a refugee or displaced, living in extreme poverty, or living with the loss of a parent or a guardian. Seven of the students will attend UWC Dilijan in Armenia, an international co-educational boarding school which hosts students from more than 60 countries, Armenpress reports.

The Gratitude Scholarship program, valued over $7 million, is a joint undertaking of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the Near East Foundation. Over the duration of the program, 100 promising students from countries affected by conflict, displacement and poverty in the Middle East will benefit from the opportunity to study at one of the United World College international schools and colleges. The program was established to thank the people of the Middle East who offered shelter and food to those displaced by the Armenian Genocide a century ago.

The Co-Founders of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative have also announced the continuation of the Amal Clooney Scholarship. Now in its second year, the scholarship offers one female student from Lebanon free enrollment in a two-year international baccalaureate program at UWC Dilijan. The student is selected based on her exemplary academic performance and interest in the promotion of human rights and international issues. The scholarship was established to strengthen cross-cultural education and understanding, in honor of the scholarships namesake, esteemed international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

We are proud to offer education and international experience to deserving students from the Middle East, home to so many Armenians during the last century, said Ruben Vardanyan, Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. By bringing together young people from across the world, we seek to promote international dialogue and understanding at an early age, when relationships are formed and values are instilled. Our hope is that this reinforces a sense of compassion, understanding and the willingness to help each other, even in the face of adversity.

This year's Amal Clooney Scholar was selected from more than 43 short-listed applicants for her stellar academic performance, positive energy and passionate sense of social responsibility, which she plans to put to good use by studying law at university.

We are proud to be able to help empower our next generation of female leaders and humanitarians through this program, Vardanyan added. And were excited by the possibilities this scholarship holds for the young women of Lebanon and the region.

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative aims to advance collaborative social and philanthropic projects on behalf of the global Armenian community. Its flagship project is the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, a $1 million global humanitarian prize which honors those who put themselves at risk to enable others to survive. George Clooney, Co-Chair of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee, presented the inaugural Aurora Prize to Ms. Marguerite Barankitse during a ceremony in Armenia on April 24, 2016.

Nominations for next years Aurora Prize are open until September 9, 2016. Members of the public are encouraged to nominate inspiring humanitarians who are saving lives and advancing humanitarian causes in all parts of the world. To nominate an eligible candidate, please visit https://auroraprize.com/en/prize/detail/nominatenow.
Two west Belfast teenagers are to deny allegations that they stole a flag commemorating the Battle of the Somme

Two west Belfast teenagers are to deny allegations that they stole a flag commemorating the Battle of the Somme.

Joseph Donnelly and Padraig McCabe, who are both aged 18, pleaded not guilty as they appeared together in court yesterday.

The pair are charged with theft of the flag, valued at 10, from a location in the city on June 12 this year.

Donnelly, of New Barnsley Drive, and McCabe, from Westrock Park, confirmed their pleas at Belfast Magistrates Court.

No further details of the alleged offence were disclosed during the brief hearing.

CCTV recordings are expected to feature heavily at their trial, to be held at a later date.

District Judge Fiona Bagnall said the prosecution case will "stand or fall" on footage from the alleged scene.

A date for the contested hearing is due to be fixed next month, and Donnelly and McCabe were both released on continuing bail.
A teenage boy allegedly raped in west Belfast described a tattoo on the chest of the man accused of attacking him, the High Court heard today.

Prosecutors also claimed the 16-year-old youth was trailed into bushes and subjected to a predatory sexual assault as he screamed for help.

Details emerged as bail was refused to a 39-year-old painter and decorator charged with carrying out the attack in the Falls Park area early on July 16.

Gerard Scannell, from Ballymurphy Road in the city, denies three counts of rape and a further offence of sexual assault.

His lawyers challenged the strength of case, insisting no DNA evidence has yet been established.

The court heard the boy was allegedly attacked after leaving friends to walk home. He told police that he passed a man wearing dungarees and a T-shirt who asked his name and shouted "Yo" in a bid to attract his attention.

It was claimed the man then followed him into the park before grabbing him by the neck and repeatedly raping him.

Prosecution counsel said: "He described this to police as being sore he said he was screaming and shouting for help."

During the alleged ordeal the attacker took his top off, revealing a tattoo on his chest, the court was told.

According to the prosecutor a tattoo on Scannell's body matched the description provided by the teenager.

Police were alerted shortly after the youth returned to his mother's home. Mr Justice Maguire was told a T-shirt found close to the scene of the alleged rape belonged to the accused.

Opposing bail, the Crown lawyer claimed Scannell had shaved off his beard before handing himself in to police.

During interviews he said he had been drinking heavily at two different bars on the night of the alleged attack.

He claimed to have taken the T-shirt off because he had spilled a pint over it and was going to see his mother.

But the prosecution contended that he failed to provide a full account of his whereabouts.

It was accepted that intimate samples taken from the teenager found no traces of the accused's DNA.

The results of forensic tests on samples from Scannell will not be available until November.

Scannell could also flee if released due to anger and threats towards him from within the local community, the court heard.

However, defence counsel Mark Farrell questioned the reliability and independence of a Viper identification procedure where the alleged victim picked out his client.

Mr Farrell claimed the teenager was involved in a Facebook exchange with someone linked to Scannell on the day before the process. "It's clear that this applicant was known, or his name certainly was known, to the injured party," the barrister said.

"The problem for the Crown is the entire case has been presented as an unprovoked, predatory rape involving people who do not know each other."

Arguing that Scannell faces "a thin enough circumstantial case" that could take a year to get to trial, Mr Farrell suggested the accused could live at an address outside Northern Ireland.

Denying bail, however, Mr Justice Maguire held there was a risk Scannell could then flee.
New Secretary of State James Brokenshire has treated his family to a whistle-stop tour of Northern Ireland's top attractions.

The recently-appointed NIO chief took his wife Cathy and three children on a four-day road trip to see popular hotspots including Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the Dark Hedges in Co Antrim, the Fermanagh Lakelands and Titanic Belfast.

Mr Brokenshire swapped politics for photography on his bank holiday weekend break, posting a range of pictures on Twitter with the hashtag #VisitNI.

The Conservative MP also snapped an exclusive selfie for the Belfast Telegraph, posing on Northern Ireland's most famous landmark, the Giant's Causeway.

"Since my appointment as Secretary of State I've been keen to explore and enjoy some of the world-class tourist and visitor sites in Northern Ireland," said Mr Brokenshire.

"The bank holiday weekend provided the perfect opportunity and the glorious sunshine only enhanced the beauty of these very special places."

Throughout their weekend tour of the province, the family were shadowed by their PSNI bodyguards, who provide security to the minister at all times.

His 'staycation' delighted tourism bosses, who are trying to drive up visitor numbers and spending. Last year saw an 18% slump in overnight visitors from the Republic, although overall tourist numbers were up by 5% to 2.3m, including people travelling here from Britain and abroad.

"It's great news that the Secretary of State and his family recently enjoyed a short break here and got to see the beauty of the Fermanagh Lakelands, our stunning north coast as well as Titanic Belfast and other attractions for themselves," said John McGrillen, chief executive of Tourism NI.

"He's also been helping to spread the word on social media, just like the increasing numbers of visitors who have come here this year from across the world.

"I hope he continues to discover the scenery, heritage and culture of Northern Ireland and enjoy even more leisure time here in future."

Travel expert Simon Calder praised Mr Brokenshire for his decision to take a family holiday here. "Of course, some will say that it's a political stunt, but every little bit of publicity helps and he'll have learned a huge amount about tourism in Northern Ireland which, sadly, is still a country that under-performs in tourism terms," he said.

"I bet they had a great time and that will ripple outwards.

"I don't recall any previous Northern Ireland Secretaries taking a local holiday like this so soon after being appointed, and hopefully he will persuade others to do the same."

Mr Brokenshire - who was previously a Home Office minister and right-hand man to Prime Minister Theresa May - has two daughters and a son aged under 16.

They usually take summer holidays in Europe, but are likely to be frequent visitors to historic Hillsborough Castle, the Secretary of State's official residence in Northern Ireland.

Mr Brokenshire, MP for the Greater London constituency of Old Bexley and Sidcup, has been clocking up the miles around the region since he was appointed to the Northern Ireland Office in July, replacing Theresa Villiers.

Shortly after arriving here he declared his intention to meet business owners, justice campaigners and members of the public to "understand their concerns and hopes".

As he prepares for fresh political talks on resolving an impasse over mechanisms to deal with the legacy of the Troubles, the minister has held a number of meetings with organisations representing victims and survivors of terrorism.

A spokesman for the South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF), said it had a "positive yet robust" meeting with Mr Brokenshire and was "heartened" by his approach.

He also held talks with a delegation from the Pat Finucane Centre during a visit to Londonderry that included a tour of the city's walls.

Mr Brokenshire's agenda at the NIO includes the major issue of Brexit and its impact on business and the border.

Over the summer he has been visiting a number of companies and factories, including Bushmills Distillery on the north coast, Mash Direct in Comber and Thompson Aero in Portadown.

He also met farmers and took a trip along the south Down coast on a Kilkeel fishing boat accompanied by the local MP, Margaret Ritchie.

In a statement earlier this month Mr Brokenshire said: "I have seen first-hand the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Northern Ireland's businesses and spoken about the UK Government's priorities here - political stability, economic prosperity and keeping people safe and secure."
A police officer at the search scene in Larne yesterday

Police have carried out fresh searches in Larne as part of a dissident terrorist investigation that led to the arrest of a Royal Marine.

Ciaran Maxwell (30), from the port town, was detained by Metropolitan Police officers in southern England during a swoop last week.

The operation was linked to the discovery of two dissident republican arsenals in woodland in Northern Ireland earlier this year.

Yesterday's searches were being carried out not far from the scene of one of last Wednesday's operations on the Old Glenarm Road. Police sealed off Larne Town Park and the Inver area during yesterday's searches.

The searches came a day after police arrested a 27-year-old man in the town.

Detectives from Serious Crime Branch investigating dissident republican terrorist activity took the man to Musgrave PSNI station for questioning.

A PSNI statement said: "Police are conducting a search in the Inver Road area of Larne linked to the ongoing investigation into Northern Ireland-related terrorism which has resulted in the arrest of a 30-year-old member of the armed forces in Somerset last week."

Maxwell is being detained on suspicion of preparation for acts of terrorism.

His arrest followed the discovery of two arms dumps at Carnfunnock and Capanagh earlier this year.

Last Friday a London court extended the period the Marine could legally be detained until today.

Last Wednesday's counter-terror operation also involved searches at a house and wooded area in south Devon.

Searches at the property in Exminster and nearby Powderham New Plantation woods continued the following day.

While the threat posed by violent dissident republicans in Northern Ireland has been classified as 'severe' for a number of years, in May the UK intelligence services raised the threat level in Britain from 'moderate' to 'substantial'.

An armour-piercing improvised rocket and two 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 two barrels contained a variety of bomb-making components, including wiring, toggle switches, circuit boards, partially constructed timer power units, ball bearings and explosives.
Eva Herzigova at the Anthropoid UK film premiere at the BFI Southbank

Noomi Rapace at the Anthropoid UK film premiere at the BFI Southbank

Jamie Dornan and wife Amelia Warner attend the Anthropoid UK film premiere at the BFI Southbank

Co Down heartthrob Jamie Dornan showed off his casual-cool style as he posed on the red carpet for the UK premiere of his new film.

The star was joined by his wife Amelia Warner. They were making their first public appearance together since the birth of their second child.

Dressed down in white Adidas Stan Smith trainers and a pair of charcoal grey chinos teamed with a grey blazer over a white T-shirt, the 34-year-old oozed casual style.

Anthropoid, directed by Sean Ellis, tells the story of the World War II operation to assassinate high-ranking Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich by Czech and Slovak patriots on May 27, 1942.

The Fifty Shades Of Grey star portrays a Czech resistance fighter who was part of the team sent to kill the architect of the Final Solution.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that a French version of Belfast-based crime drama The Fall - in which Dornan plays serial killer Paul Spector - will be made in the coming weeks.

The BBC2 thriller will return to our screens in November.

Jamie Dornan and wife Amelia Warner attend the Anthropoid UK film premiere at the BFI Southbank. Also there were Eva Herzigova (top) and Noomi Rapace Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Jet2.com is seeking pilots, cabin crew and engineers across the UK

Jet2.com is to create up to 50 new jobs in Belfast.

The leisure airline is seeking pilots, cabin crew and engineers across the UK.

It flies to 17 destinations from Belfast International Airport.

Steve Heapy, chief executive officer of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: "Our family-friendly formula is clearly working with customers and it means that we're one of the UK's fastest growing airlines.

"We have exciting plans to expand the number of destinations we fly to, as well as the number of UK bases we fly from, and this means that our team is growing all the time too."
Memory: Lee posted a picture of him with his dad on Twitter as a tribute

Lee Johnston and his dad Everett together at the race track

Northern Ireland motorbike rider Lee Johnston has paid tribute to his dad Everett, who has died after a battle with cancer.

The North West 200 and Isle of Man TT star paid tribute to the "best dad any boy could wish to have" and said he was very lucky to have been his son.

He posted a tribute to his father on social media and said: "Last night I lost my best friend and also my dad. He has fought with all his heart but now he is at peace."

Everett, from Maguiresbridge, had been battling the disease for several years, but sadly passed away at the South West Acute Hospital on Monday night.

In a family notice, his wife Audrey, daughter Natalie and Lee paid tribute to a "beloved husband and dear father".

Following his diagnosis, Lee set up a charity called F13K Cancer in honour of his father.

The double North West 200 winner auctioned helmets and other memorabilia from the circuit for charity over the last few years.

In June he said that the charity had raised more than 30,000 for Marie Curie, and was aiming to raise 50,000 by the end of the year.

When he set up the fund, he said: "One of the worst feelings in the world is not being able to help people close to your heart, so that's why I decided to set up F13K Cancer and raise money for Marie Curie - who provide support and care for people living with a terminal illness."

The name included the number 13 as that is Lee's racing number.

Friends from across the racing community have posted tributes and messages of support for the family online as news of Everett's death spread.

Lee said that he and his family were very grateful for all the support.

He said: "It has been nice to see so many messages. It makes me realise just how much everyone liked my dad. Everyone that knew me knew him, and everyone has been very supportive."

Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea said: "Thinking about your and your family buddy!"

One friend said: " I'm sorry to hear your sad news buddy your dad was one in a million and was such a gentleman may he rest in peace and our deepest condolences to the whole family circle."

Another said: "A real privilege to have known your dad and regard him a friend. One of life's true gentlemen. Draw some comfort from the affection that is and will be shown to you on his behalf. Sincere condolences to you all Lee. Rest In Peace Everett."

"Terrible news to hear", another comment said. "Your Dad was one fine man. Always enjoyed his company and quick wit. He was very proud of you. Cling tight to that. Deepest sympathy to you and all the family."

His funeral will take place tomorrow at 2pm at St Mark's Parish Church, Aghadrumsee.
Parts of Larne in County Antrim remain sealed off for a second day while police continue to search for evidence of dissident republican terrorism. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye - Wednesday 31st August 2016

Parts of Larne in County Antrim remain sealed off for a second day while police continue to search for evidence of dissident republican terrorism. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye - Wednesday 31st August 2016

Parts of Larne in County Antrim remain sealed off for a second day while police continue to search for evidence of dissident republican terrorism. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye - Wednesday 31st August 2016

Parts of Larne in County Antrim remain sealed off for a second day while police continue to search for evidence of dissident republican terrorism. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye - Wednesday 31st August 2016

Parts of Larne in County Antrim remain sealed off for a second day while police continue to search for evidence of dissident republican terrorism. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye - Wednesday 31st August 2016

Parts of Larne in County Antrim remain sealed off for a second day while police continue to search for evidence of dissident republican terrorism. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye - Wednesday 31st August 2016

Parts of Larne in County Antrim remain sealed off for a second day while police continue to search for evidence of dissident republican terrorism. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye - Wednesday 31st August 2016

Parts of Larne in County Antrim remain sealed off for a second day while police continue to search for evidence of dissident republican terrorism. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye - Wednesday 31st August 2016

Detectives have been given another week to question a Royal Marine arrested as part of a Northern Ireland terrorism investigation.

Ciaran Maxwell, 30, from Larne, Co Antrim, was detained by Metropolitan Police officers in southern England in a planned swoop last week.

The investigation is linked to the discovery of two dissident republican-related arsenals in woodland in Northern Ireland earlier this year.

Police are again searching Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne as part of the probe. T hey found bomb-making items there in March.

Last Wednesday's arrest operation involved searches at a house and wooded area in south Devon. Searches at the property in Exminster and nearby Powderham New Plantation woods continued the following day.

Officers searched a number of properties in Larne last week and carried out fresh inquiries this week.

Maxwell is being detained on suspicion of preparation for acts of terrorism.

While the threat posed by violent dissident republicans in Northern Ireland has been classified as severe for a number of years, in May the UK intelligence services raised the threat level in Britain from moderate to substantial.

Two separate hauls of weapons were discovered in Carnfunnock and Capanagh parks within three months of each other.

Police said four barrels were unearthed at Carnfunnock - two were empty but two contained a variety of bomb-making components, including wiring, toggle switches, circuit boards, partially constructed timer power units, ball bearings and a small quantity of explosives.

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An armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines were among the cache recovered at Capanagh in May.

Several pipe bombs, magazines and ammunition for an assault rifle, and bomb component parts and command wires were also concealed in barrels in purpose-built holes in woodland.

Larne is predominantly unionist/loyalist, so the finds led to initial speculation that they could be linked to loyalist paramilitaries. However, after assessing the weaponry, police concluded they most likely belonged to dissident republicans.

The extremists intent on bringing about a united Ireland by violent means are small in number and capacity compared with the republican paramilitary organisations of the Troubles, but they still launch deadly if sporadic attacks on security forces.

Since 2009, dissidents have murdered two soldiers, two policemen and two prison officers in Northern Ireland.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government has never considered and isnt planning to consider the option of selling the Yerevan TPP for paying off the debt to Gazprom Armenia.

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources commented on the issue.

The Ministry said the recent reports on the possible sale of the Yerevan TPP are false, and the debts of natural gas of the TPP are not new at all.

The Ministrys announcement further reads that the debt has been presented in detail back in May 12 in the loan agreement between the Government and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The IBRD provided a 30 million USD loan, and a part of this loan would be directed for partial payment of the debt.

In recent months a significant part of the debt has been paid. Currently the debt comprises 33,8 million USD not 52,3. The rest of the debt will be paid soon.
Michelle and Barry Rocks at Belfast Coroner's Court where an inquest for their still born daughter Cara is being held.

The parents of a baby girl who died in the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine have been told her death could have been avoided.

Michelle and Barry Rocks from Magherafelt said the loss "turned their lives upside down" after baby Cara was stillborn on June 26, 2013.

At an inquest in Belfast Coroner's Court yesterday, the Northern Health Trust apologised and admitted failings in its care contributed to the infant's death.

It accepted there had been inadequate medical advice for her birth plan, and an earlier emergency Caesarean section during labour could have saved the baby. Mrs Rocks - supported yesterday in court by her husband, parents and sister - sat in the witness stand as a clerk read her statement.

"Following Cara's death our lives were turned upside down," she said.

"I didn't think that we would ever get over the loss. It's all so clear and feels like a bad dream.

"I was in shock, I was angry and unsettled. I was apprehensive to go anywhere apart from Cara's graveside for months."

She added that she became afraid of meeting people and "I was distressed when I saw other babies".

Mrs Rocks had previously undergone a C-section with her first son, followed by a complicated natural birth with her second son.

For baby Cara she said she firmly believed a Caesarean to be the safer option.

She said medical staff at the Causeway Hospital had made her optimistic, but at 36 weeks' pregnant she was "in tears" when a doctor advised against the procedure, assuring her she was "more than capable" of delivering the baby herself.

Despite her distress, she accepted the decision, telling the court: "Who was I to argue?"

By 3pm on June 26, 2013, Mrs Rocks was in labour.

She said the doctors assured her "everything was fine".

"At this stage I think an emergency C-section could have saved Cara's life," Mrs Rocks said.

"But they made the decision to break my waters. I was in excruciating pain."

Difficulties in breaking her waters and finding baby Cara's heartbeat meant 20 minutes had passed before an emergency C-section was ordered.

"I think it was time wasted," said Mrs Rocks.

At 4.33pm Cara was stillborn, weighing just over 10lbs.

The following day Mrs Rocks said her consultant Dr Jacek Obrycki told her "everything had been done by the book".

A hospital investigation into the death, which led to the Northern Trust's apology yesterday, later ruled this to be incorrect.

Mrs Rocks said a female doctor who performed one of her pregnancy scans later informed her the umbilical cord had been wrapped around Cara's neck three times, and believed a Caesarean section "definitely" could have saved her life.

Mrs Rocks said the trauma had shaken her faith.

"I wondered why God let this happen," she said.

"I was angry about the medical treatment and lost faith in the medical profession.

"We have been robbed of our daughter, our sons of their sister and our parents of their granddaughter. We will never forget out little angel Cara, we only wish she would have got the chance to live."

Mrs Rocks also informed the court that since baby Cara's death three years ago the couple now had an 18-month-old daughter Megan-Rose, who was delivered by c-section.

A midwife, Lisa Richmond, told the court she was not aware of a situation where a woman's preference for an elective C-section had been refused.

The inquest is expected to continue for four more days with witness testimony from more medical staff at the Causeway Hospital.
An independent review is to be held into child safeguarding at troubled De La Salle College in Belfast.

An incident last October has already been described by experts as a significant turning point which disrupted the normal functioning of the school.

It is the subject of legal proceedings.

An expert panel led by Professor Sir Robert Salisbury has outlined serious problems at the west Belfast establishment including claims of bullying following leadership difficulties.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said: "The Department can confirm that an independent external review of safeguarding policies, practice, training and understanding in relation to safeguarding issues at De La Salle is planned to take place as soon as possible.

"It has not yet been confirmed who will carry out the review."

Sir Robert's panel said it was unacceptable that broken relationships were allowed to affect pupils at the school.

The panel received extensive submissions about the handling of the aftermath of the safeguarding incident.

It wrote: "Overall, however, the panel records that it is not in keeping with normal standards and requirements for the management of a child protection/safeguarding incident for a wide group of staff and others to become involved in discussions and actions relating to that incident.

"It is also our view that many of the actions and reactions by all parties were influenced by the pre-existing underlying lack of trust and confidence in school working relationships."

It said school management considered actions by staff unacceptable.

But the expert group heard that the staff's response was in part strongly motivated by growing concerns that the school management would no longer support any staff member in dealing with difficult situations with pupils.

A group of parents noted the safeguarding review.

A statement said: "The Concerned Parents Committee have been advised that following the concerns that were confirmed regarding the serious child protection issues there will now be a full and thorough independent investigation into child protection safeguarding procedures and responsibilities.

"All those authorities and persons responsible for safeguarding our children will be subject to this investigation."

Last week's damning report revealed allegations of a "culture of fear" among staff.

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.

The three-person panel led by educationalist Sir Robert wrote: "The panel was disturbed that so many submissions to us raised the issues of bullying and intimidating behaviour within the school.

"These were not confined to any one section or level. Individual staff described a culture of fear."

A staff wellbeing survey confirmed the poor state of working relationships, very low morale and distrust, the review said.

The expert report added: "The matter was raised so many times with us that it cannot be ignored and it is difficult to see how a situation such as this could possibly foster a culture which develops the skills of younger members of staff, shares good practice, encourages professional challenge, and invites participation in the day to day running of the school by all staff."

The report made 40 recommendations centred on providing stable leadership and protecting children's interests, which were accepted by the authorities.
The mother of a baby stillborn at a Northern Ireland hospital had been a good candidate for a planned caesarean section, an inquest has been told.

The revelation came as harrowing details about the circumstances of Cara Rocks' death emerged during the second day of her inquest at Belfast Coroner's Court.

Barrister Fiona Doherty QC, representing Cara's parents Barry and Michelle Rocks, of Moneymore, Co Londonderry, cross-examined middle grade obstetrics specialist Dr Joanna Krystowska.

She said: "There was a history of a previous c-section. You had determined that the baby was big and in addition the baby was presenting as breech.

"This was a good candidate for a planned c-section."

Cara was stillborn at the Causeway Hospital, in Coleraine, on June 26 2013.

Dr Joanna Krystowska, who assessed Mrs Rocks at 32 weeks pregnant, acknowledged she had been "keen" for an elective c-section.

The medic, who had more than a decade of experience at the time, conceded that while she could not have predicted the future of the pregnancy, Mrs Rocks would have been a prime candidate for the planned surgical procedure. She added that the final say on a mode of delivery should always lie with the patient.

When pressed on the issue of choice by coroner Joe McCrisken, the doctor replied: "My role is to express all pros and cons regarding both modes of delivery.

"The last decision is for the patient."

Later, Dr Krystowska claimed everyone involved in the case had been left "traumatised" by Cara's death.

She also accepted that she may have told the family that the baby had been "hanged" during complications at delivery involving the umbilical chord.

She added: "I think this couple and the people involved were traumatised by this event. Out of my sympathy I might have said something like that."

On Tuesday, the Northern Health and Social Care Trust that runs the hospital apologised for Cara's death and admitted a series of failings in the care provided to the baby's mother.

The hearing continues.

The inquest is the first in Northern Ireland to focus solely on the examination of a stillbirth.

Mr McCrisken said the significance of the case should not be understated and added the region has legal powers that are the envy of other jurisdictions.

Among the midwives in the witness box was Mary Mullin, who conducted a booking-in appointment when Mrs Rocks was 12 weeks pregnant.

She said: "I wouldn't have put her low risk because of her history of a c-section."

Although the experienced midwife could not confirm who had recorded "low risk" on Mrs Rocks' written notes, she acknowledged it was normally done by the doctor on duty at the booking-in clinic.

A midwife who wrongly recorded Cara's heart rate as "suspicious" following induction of labour also gave testimony.

Brigeen Downey described having a vivid memory of the case but could not explain why stickers indicating heart rate traces had been incorrectly filled in.

Ms Doherty asked: "You accept it was a pathological trace and accept it was not filled in properly. Can you give an explanation as to why?

"You must have thought about it?"

Ms Downey, who has 27 years' experience, replied : "I suppose we were taking into consideration the clinical picture."

The court heard Ms Downey had attributed a lengthy deceleration in baby Cara's heart rate to the position in which her mother had been lying.

It rose again almost as soon as Mrs Rocks moved, it was claimed.

Ms Downey said: "The mother was lying flat on her back, very low down the bed. I was shocked at the way she was lying.

"Pregnant women do not tend to lie flat on their back - they put pillows behind them. It can make them faint, so, naturally, they turn to the left side or sit up.

"I remember it distinctly and I know in my heart that, when I turned her, the baby responded."

The stickers, designed to help flag up concerns, were countersigned by a doctor, Ciara Daly, who is expected to give evidence at a later date.

Ms Downey added: "She never queried it at any stage."

Meanwhile, a barrister acting for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust said Ms Downey had asked for the most senior doctor on the ward to be alerted to Mrs Rocks' situation.

David Dunlop told the court: "Whatever your views were as to the cause, you acted in accordance with protocol and escalated the matter on the basis of what you could see."

The lawyer also pointed out that anyone looking at the stickers also had the benefit of reading a printout of the heart rate trace.

The hearing continues on Thursday.
The interior of Salterstown Orange hall, which was extensively damaged in an arson attack

Amnesty International has called for an end to the "ugly trend" of attacks on Orange halls.

The organisation's Northern Ireland director Patrick Corrigan made the call as a report revealed that almost eight hate crimes or incidents were reported to the PSNI every day.

The number of such cases reduced slightly to 1,133 in the 12 months to June, but remained one of the highest tallies since records began in 2004, according to PSNI statistics.

One area of concern is the large number of sectarian attacks on Orange halls.

Salterstown Orange hall in Co Londonderry was recently extensively damaged in an arson attack - the 21st reported incident targeting Orange property this year.

"Attacks on premises such as Orange Halls have grown - an ugly trend which must be ended," said Mr Corrigan.

Last week, senior members of the Orange Order had a face-to-face meeting with the PSNI to tell the force of their concern over ongoing attacks.

Amnesty said the level of crime inspired by hatred was highly disturbing.

"These hate crime figures are worryingly high," added director Mr Corrigan.

"Overall, there are eight hate-motivated incidents or crimes reported to the police every day in Northern Ireland.

"Three times a day there is a racism-motivated incident or crime - almost as high as the figures for incidents motivated by sectarianism, despite the relatively small numbers of people in Northern Ireland coming from ethnic minorities or from other countries."

There were 1,208 sectarian incidents, including 874 crimes, as well as 324 incidents, including 201 crimes, with a homophobic motivation, according to a PSNI report to the end of June.

Mr Corrigan said: "Homophobic hate crime remains disturbingly high with figures almost identical to those of the last two years - the highest ever recorded by the police.

"The police figures show that fewer than one in five racist crimes result in any specific outcome, suggesting that more than 80% of such hate crimes result in no prosecution or even warning for the offender."

They offences in question included theft, assaults and criminal damage.

This month, a rock was thrown through the window of a Slovakian family's house in Belfast.

Last year, an African pensioner whose house was targeted by racists in a paint bomb attack left his home.

Mr Corrigan said: "We welcome the publication of these figures by the PSNI and the slight decrease in some forms of hate crime they show.

"But overall, the response must be of concern, given that almost 3,000 such incidents were recorded by the police last year."

The authorities have introduced a range of measures to support victims, including assistance in securing social housing, and have conducted anti-racism training.
Government talks on whether to accept an eye-watering 13 billion euro in unpaid tax from Apple have ended without any agreement.

The Cabinet said it would meet again later this week as it puzzles on what to do over the unprecedented windfall ordered by the European Union.

Speculation is mounting about disharmony within the minority government, which is made up of a shaky alliance between Fine Gael and some Independents, and which depends on the backing of the Opposition.

Several Fine Gael government ministers had insisted Ireland would fight the EU's ruling that Apple got illegal state aid from the country over two decades, effectively turning down the billions.

But Independents on the Cabinet are reportedly demanding a recall of the Dail to hold a national debate on what the country should do about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

An hours-long Cabinet meeting about the unprecedented EU ruling on Wednesday broke down without any agreement.

In a statement, the government said it would resume its talks on what to do on Friday.

"The Government had a thorough discussion of the European Commission decision with regard to Apple, based on a Memorandum from the Minister for Finance proposing that Ireland lodge an appeal to that decision," a government spokeswoman said.

"Cabinet received a detailed briefing from Minister Noonan.

"Ministers also had an opportunity to examine the full text of the European Commission decision, which is a lengthy and complex document.

"Following the discussion, it was agreed to adjourn the meeting to allow further time to reflect on the issues and to clarify a number of legal and technical issues with the Attorney General's office and with officials."

A spokeswoman for the Independent Alliance, of which Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross is a leading figure, said there were hopes agreement would be reached on Friday.

"The Independent members of Cabinet are asking questions and getting more detail," she said.

"There's a considerable amount to get through and discuss."

Sinn Fein, the third largest party in the parliament, has also demanded a recall to debate the issue while leftist groupings have insisted the billions should go towards public services.

Controversy has raged across the country on whether to pursue the unpaid tax and risk the wrath of multinationals, which the Irish economy depends heavily upon, or to fight the EU finding.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's landmark ruling into the iPad and iPhone maker's tax affairs found it paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014.

Two years ago that worked out at 50 euro on every million in profit, she said.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook dismissed the EU's three-year investigation and went directly to his customer base with a message on apple.com and a vow to fight the order in what will likely be years of courtroom battles.

He also claimed: "We have become the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the largest taxpayer in the United States, and the largest taxpayer in the world.

"In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe."

Meanwhile, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has weighed into the tax dispute saying the Irish government should write a letter to the EU telling them to "f*** off".

Dubbing the EU's ruling "bizarre", the outspoken Irishman said: "One of the fundamental principles of the European Union is that each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions.

"Frankly the Irish government should turn around - they shouldn't even appeal the decision - they should just write a letter to Europe and tell them politely to f*** off.

"The idea that you have the state aid mob - who've had more court verdicts overturned than any other department in Europe in the last 20 years - come along 10 years after the fact and say, 'no we didn't like that, we think you should have done something else', is frankly bizarre."
There are few things in life that are more shocking than this. Or more incomprehensible. The murder of a wife and three children by the husband and father.

Those you love the most. Your family, your life, your future. All gone in an instant. It flies in the face of some of our deepest instincts.

To cherish those we love, to protect our children, to protect them no matter what. Our children carry our genes into the future, they carry our own lives forward. Everything gone, not just for now but for all-time.

What happened in the early hours of Sunday morning has not just shaken the local community of Castlerahan in Co Cavan, it has shaken all of Ireland. You see the smiling faces of the boys and their father in the newspaper photos.

A slight, shy smile on the face of the father. The parents were pillars of the local community. The father was the deputy principal of the local school; the mother was a teacher; the boys all happy with bright futures ahead of them, all taken away by the one they loved, by the person they trusted most, by the father who should have protected them.

Murder-suicide is a very rare crime indeed, although any occurrences of it come across as extremely shocking. In the last few years, both psychologists and criminologists have tried to collect more systematic data on this phenomenon in a range of countries to give us some understanding of how and why it might occur.

Marieke Liem and her colleagues from the University of Utrecht, for example, reviewed all of the incidents of murder-suicide in the Netherlands between 1992 and 2006. There were 106 murder-suicides in that period, involving 149 deaths. Ninety-six cases were perpetrated by men, 10 were perpetrated by women.

Murder-suicides accounted for 4% of all murders and 0.5 of all suicides in the Netherlands in that period. The commonest type of murder-suicide was the killing of a partner, followed by the killing of children. Cases involving the murder of a partner and children - called familicide by criminologists - were less common. There were nine cases in the Netherlands in that total period.

Their analyses show that murder-suicides differ from both murders and suicides with regard to the characteristics of the individuals and the events themselves.

They concluded that murder-suicide should be "considered as a distinct phenomenon from both homicide and suicide". In other words, the typical perpetrator is not your typical murderer nor your typical suicide victim, but something quite different, and with different circumstances leading up to it. They often involve apparently very ordinary people. On the outside at least.

Expand Close A Garda technical officer lifts tape as a hearse leaves the scene at Oakdene, Barconey, Ballyjamesduff in Cavan, where a family of five were found dead in their countryside home. PA PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp A Garda technical officer lifts tape as a hearse leaves the scene at Oakdene, Barconey, Ballyjamesduff in Cavan, where a family of five were found dead in their countryside home. PA

Criminologists have attempted to statistically identify common factors in terms of background issues. One study conducted in Adelaide, South Australia, by RW Byard and his colleagues, which reviewed the evidence over a 29-year period from that state (although the sample size was still small) and which focused on all cases of murder-suicide involving children, found that although "reasons for murder-suicides are often unclear" depression was "specifically described" in the perpetrator in about a third of cases, a third of the perpetrators had recent disputes about the relationship, and a proportion of the fathers were described as "possessive" and "jealous" individuals.

Some 20 years ago a Professor of Criminal Justice at Wayne State University in Detroit, Steven Stack, attempted to summarise what we know about the psychology of those who commit murder-suicides and the nature of their relationships with those they kill. He identified a number of factors, including an "ambivalent" relationship between the partners. He wrote: "The person in this state of ambivalence often feels a dependency on the love object. At the same time, the person experiences a rage at her or him. Persons caught up in this chaos often feel that they cannot live with their love object, but at the same time, they have equally strong feelings that they cannot live without the love object."

He also says that a common triggering event is either separation or a threatened separation from one's partner, and a feeling of helplessness - the perpetrator "cannot get his wife/lover back; she is gone. On the other hand, he cannot perceive how he can go on living without her". Stack says that the suicide of the perpetrator is a way of dealing with the enormous guilt generated by the act. He suggests that suicide is even more likely when the father also murders the children.

Mark Whiteley and colleagues from Arizona State University very recently took a fresh look at the accumulating psychological evidence and concluded that the two commonest elements in murder- suicide were the "despondent" father who felt that he could no longer care for his family because of financial issues and felt great shame as a consequence, and the angry father punishing the wife in an act of emotional revenge. Killing the children can, on occasion, be part of that act of revenge. The subsequent guilt leads to the suicide.

Of course, no theories from the past can tell us with any certainty what happened in that ordinary family home in Co Cavan, and of course the existing theories are clearly not definitive, nor even in agreement. Some of the theories are pointing to characteristics of the perpetrator (depression, possessiveness etc.), some to the nature of the relationship (ambivalent, under threat), and some to broader issues like economic factors. Most try to include emotional factors like anger, shame and guilt, which is presumably necessary because of the nature of the act (remove everything you know or will ever know). All may contain an element of truth.

What, I think, is clear is that we still don't have enough psychological understanding of this most heinous of crimes. We clearly need more research into this uncommon act, which seems beyond our comprehension, as we go home and hug our own families, and pray for families everywhere.
Coffins are taken to hearses at the scene in Oakdene on Monday

Coffins are taken to hearses at the scene in Oakdene, Barconey, Ballyjamesduff in Cavan, where a family of five were found dead in their countryside home. PA

A Garda technical officer lifts tape as a hearse leaves the scene at Oakdene, Barconey, Ballyjamesduff in Cavan, where a family of five were found dead in their countryside home. PA

The hearses and a Garda car leave the scene of the tragedy in Ballyjamesduff

Five hearses arrive at the house at Barconey, Ballyjamesduff, in Cavan to remove the bodies for post-mortem

The three sons of Irish school vice principal Alan Hawe were all in their pyjamas when they were murdered by their father in a frenzied attack at their home.

The boys and their mother were killed by their father using a hatchet and knife, it emerged last night.

Gardai investigating the Co Cavan deaths of Alan Hawe (41), his wife Clodagh (39) and their sons Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) have been left completely mystified as to the motive behind the horror deaths at the family home in Ballyjamesduff.

Investigating gardai are satisfied Mr Hawe did not suffer any mental health issues, had no contact with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and had no major financial problems.

Sources said that officers would search the family home where the tragedy took place for any evidence that might shed light on Mr Hawe's state of mind when he carried out the murder-suicide.

"They were a very normal, outwardly happy family and there is nothing to suggest any kind of financial problems or other issues that might have caused him distress. Mr Hawe was never the subject of any kind of complaint and there were no events which might suggest that he was in distress, his family wanted for nothing," a source said.

"The three boys were found in upstairs bedrooms and were wearing their nightclothes at the time they were killed. The boys and wife suffered horrific injuries."

The knife and hatchet were among a number of items taken away for detailed forensic tests by the gardai.

Deputy State pathologist Dr Michael Curtis carried out post mortem examinations on the bodies of three of the victims yesterday.

It is expected that the other two will be completed this morning and relatives of the family will then be briefed on the tragedy by senior officers.

It has also been learned that the person who discovered the note at the back door of the home was Clodagh's mother.

It is understood that she had arranged to go to their home on Monday morning to mind her three grandchildren.

Their parents were set to be busy preparing for the start of the new term at the local Castlerahan Central National School, where Alan was vice principal, and Oristown National School, outside Kells, where Clodagh was a teacher.

However, after phoning the house several times and failing to get an answer, Mrs Hawe's mother drove to the family home.

When she arrived at the house, the grandmother saw a note with the words "Don't come in, call the Guards" placed inside the glass frame of the door.

Further Reading

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Five hearses arrive at the house at Barconey, Ballyjamesduff, in Cavan to remove the bodies for post-mortem The hearses and a Garda car leave the scene of the tragedy in Ballyjamesduff Assistant Commissioner Jack ODriscoll during a Press briefing in Ballyjamesduff yesterday A Garda technical officer lifts tape as a hearse leaves the scene at Oakdene, Barconey, Ballyjamesduff in Cavan, where a family of five were found dead in their countryside home. PA PA Coffins are taken to hearses at the scene in Oakdene, Barconey, Ballyjamesduff in Cavan, where a family of five were found dead in their countryside home. PA PA Coffins are taken to hearses at the scene in Oakdene on Monday PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Five hearses arrive at the house at Barconey, Ballyjamesduff, in Cavan to remove the bodies for post-mortem

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Gardai arrived at the scene at 10.45am and made the gruesome discovery of the brothers' bodies in two bedrooms upstairs while the parents were found downstairs.

"He still had the composure and presence of mind to write this in order to prevent his mother-in-law witness what he had done in the home," a source said.

A forensic examination was being carried out by garda experts last night on a second note left in a sealed envelope by Mr Hawe before he took his own life. The property will be searched further today by gardai after forensic examinations conclude.

The pathologist's report will indicate the injuries inflicted on the victims and also help gardai establish the time of their deaths. Detectives are to interview family members, friends and neighbours in a bid to find out if there had been anything unusual about Mr Hawe's behaviour in the days leading up to the tragedy.

Source Independent.ie
Lord Dannatt said his son Bertie had suffered mental health problems after taking two doses of Lariam before visiting Africa

The former head of the British Army, Lord Richard Dannatt, has apologised to troops who were given a controversial drug which members of the Irish Defence Forces still use.

Speaking to the BBC, Lord Dannatt said the anti-malarial drug, Lariam, left his own son extremely depressed. He also apologised to soldiers who took the drug when he was the Chief of General Staff between 2006 and 2009.

Lord Dannatt's son, Bertie, took two doses in the mid 90s. He was not in the armed forces at the time, but was prescribed them by his father's army doctor.

Lord Dannatt said Bertie became severely depressed after the doses and who knows where it would have gone if he had gone untreated.

He said: "Because Bertie had that effect, whenever Ive needed anti-malarial drugs, Ive said, Ill take anything, but Im not taking Lariam,'" and added that he is "quite content to say sorry" to soldiers who took the drug.

Among the side-effects allegedly associated with use of the drug are insomnia, restlessness, vertigo, dizziness, aggressive outbursts, memory loss, severe anxiety, depression, psychosis, and suicide ideation.

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Lariam has also been linked with causing permanent brain injury and suicide.

Despite this reputation, members of the Irish Defence Forces are still administered it and the Republic's Department of Defence confirmed that 50 personal injury legal actions have been lodged against the State over its use.

It was first prescribed to Irish soldiers for the mission in Eritrea in 2001 and is one of a number of anti-malarial drugs used.

Roche Pharmaceuticals removed the drug from the Irish market in Ireland on July 31, but the Defence Forces are still able to buy the drug from international wholesalers.

The Irish Defence Forces were contacted for comment.

Independent.ie
Apple ordered to pay Ireland staggering 11bn in back taxes by EU Commission

Dozens of apples have been placed outside the headquarters of Fine Gael party in Dublin following the Apple Tax scandal.

The European Commission has ordered Ireland to recoup 13 billion euro (11.1 billion) from tech giant Apple over a sweetheart tax deal.

A three-year investigation by Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager found the arrangements dating back to the early 1990s were illegal under state aid rules.

She said it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses - 1% on its European profits in 2003 and 0.0005% in 2014.

Protesters cover Fine Gael head office with apples as row over 13billion in taxes owed by software giant Apple sour pic.twitter.com/7T79AwffSH  GLOBAL RIGHTS MAG (@GLOBALRIGHTSMAG) August 31, 2016

Protesters cover Fine Gael head office with apples as row over 13billion in taxes owed by software giant Apple sour pic.twitter.com/UkXDlPXNUS  orsola casagrande (@orsola23) August 31, 2016

The Republic of Ireland's tax inspectors have been told to recover the unpaid billions.

The Republic of Ireland's Cabinet is meeting to discuss the ruling with Finance Minister Michael Noonan, saying the Irish Government will appeal it.

Protestors dumped the apples outside Fine Gael's officers on Wednesday.
Gnash my father wore: Nicola Saunderson, 38, was jailed her for seven months after biting the Orangemen's legs

Grandmother Nicola Saunderson has been jailed after biting two Orangemen during a row at a fairground ride in Scotland.

Saunderson, 38, was pushing children out of the way in an attempt to get on the bucking bronco ride during a fun day in Drongan, Ayrshire.

The Daily Record reports two members of the Young Conquerors Orange Band then attempted to stop her.

Robert Logan, defending, said: "She was pulled to the ground and held there by both men  who were sitting on her. That is how she managed to bite their legs."

The court heard she was intoxicated at the fun day on August 3.

Saunderson, of New Cumnock, admitted assaulting the two men. She also admitted;

assaulting her ex-partner Derek McCracken and his brother William in Cumnock on June 1

driving without insurance

failing to give a breathalyser test

struggling with police officers after being stopped in New Cumnock on May 22

Mr Logan said: When she is drunk, she gets involved in these situations and gets the worst of it.

Saunderson, who has 16 previous convictions, was jailed her for a total of seven months.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Expatriates' Affairs Hassan Qashqavi announced that eight Iranian convicts will be extradited from Armenia later on Wednesday, Tasnim reported.

Based on follow-up measures taken by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the countrys embassy in Armenia and the approval of the minister of justice of the Republic of Armenia, the Iranian poisoners will be transferred to the country, Qashqavi said on Tuesday night.

He added that the eight convicts will arrive in Iran within the next 24 hours.

Back in March, six Iranian nationals imprisoned in Armenian jails were also extradited to the country.

Taking the recent extradition into account, the total number of the Iranian prisoners in Armenia extradited since the beginning of the last Iranian calendar year (began on March 21, 2015) would reach 27.

The majority of them were convicted of carrying illicit drugs in their trips to Armenia. Currently 32 other Iranian nationals are still imprisoned in the neighboring country.
Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was unfit for a hero's burial, said lawyers for his regime's victims as they argued over petitions against a presidential directive for Marcos to be buried at a heroes' cemetery.

Such a burial "would glorify a dictator" and "aggravate the injustices to human rights violation victims," lawyer Edcel Lagman told the Supreme Court.

Mr Lagman's brother was a victim of involuntary disappearances during Marcos's rule,

President Rodrigo Duterte has remained firm in his decision to allow the burial despite growing opposition.

Mr Duterte said he is only following the law, which allows former soldiers and presidents to be buried at the military-run Heroes' Cemetery in Manila.

Marcos, who was ousted in a 1986 "people power" revolt, died in exile in Hawaii in 1989.

His remains are displayed in a glass coffin in his hometown, but his family wants him buried at the Heroes' Cemetery.

Marcos's son Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr was cited by a newspaper as saying September 18 was being considered for the burial date.

Mr Lagman told the court that the late strongman's cardinal sins against Filipinos included declaring martial law to perpetuate his power, jailing perceived enemies of the state without trial, padlocking Congress, forcibly closing media outlets and amassing billions of dollars of ill-gotten wealth.

He said the Supreme Court had confirmed the Marcoses' plunder in previous cases, and that Switzerland had turned over 356 million dollars hidden by the Marcoses in Swiss banks.

He also noted that the US District Court of Hawaii validated the brutalities of martial law when it ruled in 1992 that Marcos was culpable of human rights violations against around 10,000 claimants and held the Marcos estate liable for damages.

The Marcos family's agreement 23 years ago with then-President Fidel Ramos' administration that his remains be flown directly to his northern hometown and be given a quick burial also remains binding, said Mr Lagman.

The president's discretion on the burial is not absolute and is bound by the people's deposing of Marcos in 1986, and by the constitution and numerous Supreme Court decisions, said Ibarra Gutierrez, a lawyer for another group of petitioners.

He pointed to findings by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines that Marcos's military record is fraught with myths and lies, including lying about receiving US medals.

He also noted that some of his actions as a World War II soldier were characterized by the US military as malicious criminal acts.

Allowing the burial would be unfair to the petitioners, who are recognized by law as being victims of human rights abuses during Marcos's rule, said lawyer Ephraim Cortez.

Several petitioners were allowed to speak about their experiences before the court.

Loretta Ann Rosales, the former head of the Commission on Human Rights and one of the petitioners, said she suffered 24 hours of continuous torture, including electric shocks.

Hundreds of Marcos supporters mostly wearing red shirts banged on drums during the hearing to drown out chants by dozens of activists opposed to the burial who shouted "Marcos, Hitler, Dictator, Puppet!" from across the road.

AP
The UN wants local officials in France to immediately lift bans on burkinis, saying they do not increase security (AP)

A French court has overturned a ban on burkinis issued in Cannes - the first in a series of bans on the swimwear this summer that set off a heated controversy at home and a wave of outrage abroad.

The court in Nice concluded that the Cannes decree violated basic freedoms and was illegal because there were no proven risks of disruption to public order, or reasons of hygiene or decency, for the ban in the famous Riviera resort.

The decision followed a ruling by a top French court regarding a similar ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet that set a legal precedent.

After the Council of State overturned that ban last week, human rights groups said they would challenge similar bans issued in 30 or so municipalities.

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 Villeneuve-Loubet ban at the top court, saying the orders infringed basic freedoms and that mayors had 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: "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 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 read.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, said women who had already received fines could appeal against them based on the decision.

He said the group planned to ask all French mayors who banned burkinis to withdraw their orders and, if they refused to do so, he would systematically take each case to court.

"It is a decision that is meant to set legal precedent," Mr Spinosi said.

Many officials - including prime minister Manuel Valls - have argued that burkinis oppress women, b ut two ministers of Mr Valls's cabinet - education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and health minister Marisol Touraine - have said banning burkinis is not a good option.

Ms Vallaud-Belkacem, a feminist with North African roots, argued that while she does not like the burkini, banning the garment amounted to a politically driven act that encouraged racism.

The conservative mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet, Lionnel Luca, said that "far from calming, this decision can only heighten passions and tensions, with the risk of trouble we wanted to avoid".

Mr Luca denounced "rampant Islamisation" in the country and said: "They've gained a small additional step."

Earlier on Tuesday, the UN human rights office condemned local bans in France on burkini swimwear as "a grave and illegal breach of fundamental freedoms" and a "stupid reaction" to recent extremist attacks.

Rupert Colville, spokesman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on local officials to immediately lift the bans, saying they do not increase security.

Mr Colville said the bans "fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims", and "have only succeeded in increasing tensions".

He said people who wear burkinis or any other clothing "cannot be blamed for the violent or hostile reactions of others".

AP
Turkey sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels retake the key Islamic State-held town of Jarablus (AP)

Islamic State has said that its spokesman and senior commander has been killed while overseeing military operations in northern Syria.

The IS-run Aamaq news agency said Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo".

His death, if confirmed, would be the latest blow to the group, which has been on the retreat in Syria and Iraq, where it has declared a self-styled Islamic caliphate straddling both countries.

Adnani, a senior leader in the group, has been the voice of IS over the past few years, and has released numerous, lengthy audio files online in which he delivered fiery sermons urging followers to carry out attacks.

Earlier this year, he called for massive attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

He has also called for attacks in Western countries, telling Muslims in France on occasion to attack "the filthy French" in any way they could, including "crush them with your car".

He has also disparaged Saudi Arabia and its influential clerics for failing to rally behind the rebels that the monarchy supports in Syria like they did decades ago in Afghanistan.

Aamaq vowed to gain revenge for the killing.

IS has suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks, including in Syria's northern Aleppo province, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels drove the group out of the border town of Jarablus last week.

In Iraq, the group has lost its strongholds in Fallujah and Ramadi, in the western Anbar province. It still controls Mosul, but Iraqi forces are gearing up for a long-awaited operation to retake the country's second largest city.

(AP)
The appalling desecration of 13 Jewish graves in Northern Ireland last week should shame us, both north and south of the border. The gravestones were smashed and knocked over on Friday at a municipal cemetery in west Belfast. When police arrived at the scene, they found smashed pieces of glass on the overturned headstones.

Eight young people are said to have carried out the attack with hammers and blocks, with a larger crowd looking on, according to Northern Ireland Assembly member William Humphrey.

The hatred exhibited towards long dead members of the Jewish community is a stark reminder of a visceral contemporary anti-Semitism, which sadly, seems to have resurfaced in elements on both sides of the border that conflate and justify this ancient hatred as an appropriate response towards modern day Israel.

This is of course a nonsense, some Irish Jews do indeed support Israel, although many more do not; just as some Irish Muslims support radical Islam, it is also clear many more do not.

To universally portray a vulnerable ethnic minority as responsible for the actions of a state, whether real as in Israel's case, or imagined as in the case of an Islamic caliphate, is racism of the worst kind. As an island of people who condemn prejudice, we should loudly call out these thugs who have sent ripples of fear through Ireland's small remaining Jewish community, just as we would vociferously condemn an attack on the gravestones of Protestant or Muslim citizens of our country.

Dr Kevin McCarthy

Kinsale,

Co Cork
The retirement of Sue McAllister as the head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service has highlighted the whole issue of prison reform. Sue McAllister is stepping down in October after four constructive years in the post, having been appointed by the former Justice Miniser, David Ford.

Her appointment followed in the wake of Dame Ann Owers's prison reform report, which laid out the blueprint for the overdue reform of our prisons. She was a good appointment, having had considerable experience of being a prison governor in England.

Strangely, and given our history, surprisingly, for a long time prison reform was neglected, even forgotten about. The Good Friday Agreement rightly concentrated on the most pressing reform of all, that of policing.

From 2000 onwards there was a mighty transformation of policing here and the creation of a new police service in the shape of the PSNI, in accordance with the recommendations of Chris Patten.

The happy emergence of the PSNI from the old RUC is one of the finest achievements of the Agreement. Now we have a police service that enjoys the overwhelming and natural support of the community that it diligently serves.

The issue of prison reform is fraught with difficulty anywhere in the civilised world, not least here in Northern Ireland. There are very few votes to be got in advocating an overhaul of traditional prison regimes. The popular view is to lock criminals up and forget about them, given the damage and misery that criminals have caused to individuals and society at large.

This is a natural but mistaken view, as one of the main points to be made is that our present way of dealing with prisoners is simply not working.

Prisoners currently serve their time but are inevitably released and sadly many re-offend.

A successful modern prison system must reverse this high level of recidivism and truly reintegrate former offenders into society, giving them at least an opportunity of building a new life without crime.

Without giving prisoners purposeful activity in the form of productive work or training while in prison, is to keep repeating the failure of the past.

It is also an expensive waste of money. Therefore, attempting radical reform based on rehabilitation is to be preferred.

Sue McAllister experienced significant difficulty in fully implementing the Owers Report, due to political opposition primarily from the DUP and internal reluctance to change by some prison staff, who thought that the traditional security approach to dealing with prisoners was sufficient.

She and her senior management team did much to overcome these political and institutional challenges by pushing ahead with substantial restructuring of prison staff and attempting to change the internal culture from security to rehabilitation.

Much good work has taken place to change the regime in Hydebank, where the former Young Offenders' Centre has become a college, where young men can have the opportunity to be educated and trained for a new and constructive life outside detention.

What could be better for our society than young offenders transforming themselves into good and responsible citizens repaying society through their contribution in the workplace?

Apart from the appalling murders of two serving prison officers by dissident republican terrorists, the biggest challenge that McAllister and her colleagues had to grapple with was Maghaberry Prison - and therein lies the very heart of the problem. Maghaberry has disappointingly received recent poor inspection reports that have been unfairly seized upon by those against reform.

But Maghaberry is a high security prison with a complex mixture of prisoners and problems.

Not only does it hold both republican and loyalist terrorist prisoners, but there are a wide range of other offenders.

There are short term as well as long term prisoners, some serving life sentences. There are also many on remand awaiting trial. Our level of remand prisoners is quite significantly higher than in other neighbouring jurisdictions.

There are also many short term prisoners serving sentences for fine default.

This latter category is being addressed by recent Assembly legislation and should reduce substantially in the near future.

There is also a wide mixture of offenders serving medium term sentences for a variety of crimes. Clearly, with such a mixed population one size cannot fit all.

Therefore, what is advocated is the building of mini-prisons within the overall complex at Maghaberry. Without such a solution the work of reform cannot be properly addressed.

But to create these mini-prisons requires substantial public investment, which the Executive must provide.

Sadly, however, given the Executive's priorities and pressures, it is unlikely that this will be forthcoming in the near future.

But if reform is to be meaningful and ultimately successful, Clare Sugden, the current Justice Minister, must be given the capacity to complete the task that Sue McAllister so ably started in 2012.

Prison reform may have been neglected and forgotten in the past, but should not now become a Cinderella.
Kenya enlists Africa Development Bank support to refurbish old hotels

The Kenyan government is looking at raising $100 million to establish a fund that will go into refurbishing old hotels as soaring tourism numbers put a strain on available facilities.

To this end it is enlisting the support of African Development Bank with the fund allowing investors access to credit to give their establishments a makeover.

According to Tourism cabinet secretary Najib Balala, the fund will specifically be meant for old hotels in need of a facelift and will be accessed as credit with a six per cent interest on repayment.

In the next few weeks, we will make the announcement, the older you are, the more you are entitled to approach this fund, so that it can be able to help you we are not going to fund new hotels with this fund, he said.

This is part of the transformation of the tourism sector in a bid get it back on a recovery path that will include new product development.

The hotels at the coast region they have been built and planned well and the beaches are appropriate but now they are old and tired. I appreciate the investors and the people who own hotels here because of volatility of the sector, you are scared to invest or whenever you invest the returns are not appropriate, he added.

He highlighted infrastructure as the major contributor to better tourism performance.

Other infrastructure plans for the tourism sector include the construction of a convention centre at the 80 acre piece of land at the Bomas of Kenya through Private-Public Partnership.

The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) is also set for refurbishment with an extension of another Tsavo Room to be built near COMESA grounds so as there are more meeting rooms to be held at the KICC.

We want to create opportunities of restaurants, cafes and bars so as to make the Central Business Districts to be more active and not a dead CBD, he added.

In the latest economic report from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics the tourism sector appears to be recovering as it was the most improved sector growing by 12.1 percent in the first quarter of 2016.

In the period under review the number of tourist arrivals at major airports increased from 231,038 in the first quarter of 2015 to 261,404 in the quarter under review attributable to mitigation measures that were instituted to boost tourist arrivals.

www.tourism.go.ke
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs that on August 31 the USD exchange rate was 474.75 AMD which is an increase of 0.02 drams compared to the previous day.

Armenpress reports that the Euro decreased by 1.12 drams forming 529.11 drams. British pound increased by 2.59 drams forming 623.35 drams, Russian ruble decreased by 0.03 drams forming 7.28 drams on August 31.

The prices for precious metals are as follows: the price for silver per gram is 284.96 AMD, gold-20,127.98 AMD, and platinum-16,438.17 AMD.
Mir Quasem Ali, a leader of Bangladeshs opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party, waves as he enters a van at the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka, Nov. 2, 2014.

Bangladeshs Supreme Court Tuesday cleared the way for the hanging of another senior opposition leader  a main financier of the faith-based Jamaat-e-Islami party  by dismissing his final appeal of a war-crimes conviction.

The execution of tycoon and senior JeI leader Mir Quasem Ali may now be days away after Tuesdays ruling exhausted his last legal step. The only option left that might spare him from the gallows is for Quasem to ask for presidential clemency, the countrys top lawyer said.

We are happy that the court has upheld Mir Quasem Alis death sentence. We have got justice, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told BenarNews.

If Quasem hangs, he would become the sixth senior opposition figure and fifth one from Jemaat executed for crimes allegedly committed during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan out of which Bangladesh was born, and since the Awami League-led government established a war-crimes tribunal known as the International Criminal Court (ICT) six years ago.

The five executions of convicted war criminals so far have taken place since 2013. The last one, the hanging of Jemaat party chairman Motiur Rahman Nizami, occurred on May 10.

In November 2014 the ICT convicted Quasem, of wartime-related charges, including the alleged fatal torture of a young pro-independence supporter 45 years ago, while pro-Pakistani forces held him at a prison camp in Chittagong then commanded by Quasem.

Quasem, 63, a member of JeIs highest policy-making body, has amassed a fortune as the founder of Bangladeshs largest private bank, Islami Bank. He also started a real estate company, hospitals, shipping lines, pharmaceutical companies and other enterprises, which have created jobs for thousands of members of Jemaat and its student wing.

On Tuesday, a five-member bench of the Supreme Courts appellate division upheld Quasems death sentence.

This is the verdict of the Supreme Court; so I cannot term it injustice. We have to accept it, Khandaker Mohbub Hossain, Quasems chief defense counsel, told reporters afterwards.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said that Quasem would get a death warrant as soon as possible, which would signal that his execution is imminent.

If he does not apply to the President for mercy, there will be no legal bar to execute him and we will do it accordingly, Huq told BenarNews.

Divisive issue

During the war in which three million people were killed, according to the governments official statistics, those who went on to become top leaders of the party known today as Bangladesh Jemaat-e-Islami were opposed to independence from Pakistan, when Bangladesh was known as the province of East Pakistan.

In his youth Quasem served as president of the Islami Chhatra Sangha, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. During the nine-month war in 1971 the group evolved into Al-Badr, a notorious pro-Pakistani force that allegedly committed mass killings and rape.

Four and half decades later, the war remains an issue that has created bitter political and social divisions in Bangladesh, between pro-independence and pro-Pakistani supporters and between pro-secular and pro-Islamic supporters.

The pro-secular side has called for the executions of war criminals and has accused Jemaat of fanning religious extremism, such as a wave of killings of secular bloggers, intellectuals, religious minorities and others since February 2013.

The issue of the war is so sensitive that the leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda Zia, was charged with sedition in January for publicly questioning the conflicts official death toll.

Last week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas cabinet approved a law that contains a provision that would make it an offense to spread propaganda about the war. The provision threatens life sentences for those who spread false information about the war or who criticize the nations founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman  Hasinas father.

Awami League led the countrys war of independence while Jamaat opposed Bangladeshs birth, political commentator Afsan Chowdhury told BenarNews.

Millions of people witnessed the killing spree of the Pakistan army and their local collaborators like Jamaat. Mir Quasem Ali is one of the killers, he added.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan hosted on August 31 the students who won medals at international Olympiads.

Armenpress reports the President congratulated the students and wished new achievements.

For a number of years in row students that differ from others by their knowledge, study well and leave the school with gold medals, participate in International Olympiads, receive awards and of course, winners of Kangaroo and Meghu contests are invited to this hall. For many of them this is the first achievement, but dont doubt, with your contribution, as well as the contribution of others who have been invited to this hall during these years to hear words of encouragement, we will shape the history of future Armenia, the President said in his speech.

The student had the opportunity to address questions to the President. The questions mainly referred to educational issues, such as tuition fees or opportunities for medalist students to study abroad.

At the end of the meeting Minister of education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan awarded the students with medals.
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YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. Brazils first female president Dilma Rousseff has been thrown out of office by the countrys senate after a grueling impeachment trial that ends 13 years of Workers party rule, Armenpress reports, citing The Guardian.

Following a crushing 61 to 20 defeat in the upper house, she will be replaced for the remaining two years and three months of her term by Michel Temer, a centre-right patrician who was among the leaders of the campaign against his former running mate.

In a separate vote, the senate voted 42 to 36 not to bar Rousseff from public office for eight years.

Despite never losing an election, Rousseff  who first won power in 2010  has seen her support among the public and in congress diminish as a result of a sharp economic decline, government paralysis and a massive bribery scandal that has implicated almost all the major parties.

For more than 10 months, the leftist leader has fought efforts to impeach her for frontloading funds for government social programmes and issuing spending budget decrees without congressional approval ahead of her reelection in 2014. The opposition claimed that these constituted a crime of responsibility. Rousseff denies this and claims the charges  which were never levelled at previous administrations who did the same thing  have been trumped up by opponents who were unable to accept the Workers partys victory.

In keeping with her pledge to fight until the end for the 54 million voters who put her in office, Rousseff  a former Marxist guerrilla  ended her presidency this week with a gritty 14-hour defence of her governments achievements and a sharply worded attack on the usurpers and coup-mongers who ejected her from power without an election.

Her lawyer, Jose Eduardo Cardozo, said the charges were trumped up to punish the presidents support for a huge corruption investigation that has snared many of Brazils elite. This follows secret recordings of Romero Juca, the majority leader of the senate and a key Temer ally, plotting to remove the president to halt the Lava Jato (car wash) investigation into kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras.

While Rousseff was in the upper chamber, her critics heard her in respectful silence. But in a final session in her absence on Tuesday, they lined up to condemn her. As in an earlier lower house impeachment debate, the senators  many of whom are accused of far greater crimes  clearly revelled in the spotlight of their ten-minute declarations. Reflecting the growing power of rightwing evangelism, many invoked the name of God. One cited Winston Churchill. Another sang. Another appeared to be in tears.
Mewing is a TikTok trend that has blown up in the last few months. It is claimed that it can help shape your jawline as well as cure other ailments by actively pressing your tongue to the roof
NAIROBI, Kenya - On August 28, 2016, 'Agreement between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Republic of Kenya for the Promotion and Protection of Investment' was signed by Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Henry K. Rotich, Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury of the Republic of Kenya, in Nairobi, Kenya, on the occasion of the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI).

Image by 123RF

This agreement aims at further protection and promotion of investment between the contracting parties. The agreement stipulates the treatments accorded to investment activities and investments when an investor (an enterprise, etc.) of a contracting party invests in the other contracting party, such as national treatment, most-favoured-nation treatment, fair and equitable treatment, free transfers requirements, conditions for expropriation and compensation and procedures for dispute settlements.

Kenya is an economic power in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the transportation hub with Mombasa port functions as a gateway to the East Africa region, and attracts a growing number of Japanese companies. In response to the anticipated further promotion of infrastructure projects in Kenya, including those of the energy sector, more Japanese companies are expected to launch their business there.

In this regard, the Japanese private sector is strongly requesting the improvement of the investment climate in Kenya.
Celebrating creativity and the power of cinema as an advertising platform through a showcase of best practice in brand communications is the promise of the 2016 edition of Cannes Lions Edit.

Hosted by Ster-Kinekor and Cinemark, this edited version of the 63rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity highlights the award-winning campaigns from around the world that took top honours, and presents exclusive industry insights from this years panel of jurors.

The Cannes Lions Edit events take place in Johannesburg at Ster-Kinekor The Zone, and at Cinema Nouveau V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on 8 and 15 September respectively, from 9am till 10:30am. Bookings for both events are now open, and tickets are available at R150 each.

Advertising veteran Andy Rice will act as the MC at both events. Together with Ann Nurock, they will introduce and facilitate the panel of speakers and jurors from 9am, before introducing the screening of the winning works from 9:30.

This is an amazing opportunity for anyone working in the advertising, marketing and brand communications industry. Not only will they be able to view the winning work from this years Cannes Lions, but they will also have the chance to interact with the South African creative experts who joined the panel of 387 international judges to decide the fate of thousands of creative entries from across the world. We will hear firsthand from them what they were looking for in the awarded creative campaigns, says Tshireletso Yvonne Diogo, Ster-Kinekors general manager of promotions and trade marketing.

The panel of speakers at the Johannesburg event comprises Jenny Glover (Cannes Lions juror and executive creative director of TWBA/Hunt/Lascaris); Nathan Reddy (Cannes Lions juror and founder/CEO of Grid); Fran Luckin (Cannes Lions juror and chief creative officer of Grey Africa in JHB); and Suhana Gordhan (Cannes Lions Juror and creative director of FCB Africa).

In Cape Town, the audience will be entertained, informed and inspired by a panel of speakers and jurors including Emma Carpenter (Cannes Lions juror and creative director of Accenture Interactive SA); keynote speaker Ann Nurock, Bizcommunitys roving reporter who was on the ground at this years Cannes Lions festival; Jonathan Beggs (Cannes Lions juror and chief creative officer of Saatchi & Saatchi); and Eoin Welsh (Cannes Lions juror and chief creative officer of Havas Worldwide JHB).

We are privileged to have this calibre of industry expertise on one panel. We encourage everyone in the industry to attend this years Cannes Lions Edit events to share in their creative insights and expertise, before enjoying the big-screen experience of the award-winning work, conclude Diogo.

For more information about the Cannes Lions Edit events at Ster-Kinekor The Zone on 8 September from 9am, and at Cinema Nouveau V&A Waterfront on 15 September from 9am, and to make bookings, visit the Ster-Kinekor website at www.sterkinekor.com or www.sterkinekor.mobi. Download the SK App on your smartphone for the latest news.

For other news and updates, go to Facebook: Ster-Kinekor Theatres and follow Ster-Kinekor on Twitter: @sterkinekor. For all queries, call Ticketline on 0861-Movies (668 437).

Register for Cannes Lions Edit
An initiative to establish the country's first academic hospital specialising in paediatric and maternal health has been launched in the Free State.

As part of a multi-faceted initiative under the auspices of the University of the Free State (UFS), the 350-bed mother and child hospital will support the objectives of the countrys strategic development goals.

L-R: Dr Khotso Mokhele, chancellor of the UFS, Rolene Strauss, Miss World 2014 and patron of the Mother and Child Academic Hospital, Prof Andre Venter, head of the department of paediatrics and child health, and Dr Riaan Els, CEO of the Fuchs Foundation South Africa. Photo: Charl Devenish

In line with development plans

In addition, it will further the Free State strategic transformation plan (STP) by improving access to healthcare for the most vulnerable members of the population, thus reducing paediatric mortality and improving maternal health.

Another objective of the project is to develop academic excellence, and improve the environment in which medical specialists and subspecialists develop their skills according to international standards.

Blueprint for other specialist facilities

Under the leadership of Professor Andre Venter, the University of the Free State department of paediatrics and child health serves over 250,000 children of the southern regions of the Free State at secondary care level, and is responsible for the tertiary care of nearly one-million children from the whole of the Free State and Northern Cape provinces, as well as some children from Northwest and Eastern Cape provinces and Lesotho.

Venter, leader of the project, hopes that it will serve as a blueprint for other academic hospitals in the country, and mark the beginning of an era of highly specialised medical care for the most vulnerable of people.

Dreams do come true

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Fuchs Foundation, donated R2,25m towards building the hospital, a contribution which will bring the project a step closer to its realisation.

Sometimes dreams do come true, and finally, this institution is starting to dream big dreams, says Dr Khotso Mokhele, chancellor of UFS.
In his keynote address at the Sikuvile Awards, held in Sandton at the Green Venue recently, the group chief executive of the Standard Bank Group and the chief executive of Standard Bank South Africa, Sim Tshabalala, made the call to all the country's citizens.

As citizens it is our duty to make a substantial contribution that goes beyond paying taxes. Business needs to work together with labour and government to build institutions and social partners, have an open dialogue and work together when the national interest demands it.

While there is not a single recipe for a successful accountable government, the one ingredient that is a necessary is a free press. It fosters debate and analysis before decisions are taken, makes citizens part of the decision making process and scrutinises decisions and compels leaders to response on these decisions, whether right or wrong. A free press also has a direct bearing on the economy. It tackles corruption.

The past period has provided ample evidence of the strength of the South African press. The period gone by has been huge in South African politics and the men and women of the press have been instrumental in keeping us up to date on what has been the most important event in this country since the 1994 elections.

Paula Fray, convening judge for the Awards, expressed her concern at the event, on what was currently taking place in the industry. It is hard to celebrate without acknowledging that many of our colleagues have been served with notice letters.

She adds that the environment that journalists have to function is not only uncertain, it has also become increasingly dangerous. Our external plight is mirrored by our internal plight. Dozens of journalists were attacked recently in Tshwane. The work of photographers in these conditions is more dangerous than ever. It is in times such as these that we need to find that courage and commitment to continue to seek out the truth and to be fair, independent and accountable.

The industry was grateful to Standard Bank for its sponsorship of the Awards over the past five years, says Ishmet Davidson, Media 24 GM distribution and board member of the Publishers Support Services (PSS), which hosts the Awards. It is only through this sponsorship that we are able to honour the people who work and contribute every day to one of the cornerstones of democracy, the media. This industry is an important element in our country and we cannot afford to not have the diverse and strong media we currently have.
The cool thing about a trend is setting it, not playing catch-up. And South African craft gins are right at the front of the pack, leading the revival of the white spirit.

Distilleries now sell handcrafted gins with infusions of everything from grapefruit, rosemary and lime peels to cream, seaweed, olives, basil and truffles.

For South Africa's small distilleries, infusions of buchu, rooibos, honeybush and fynbos make unique statements.

Rob Heyns, alcohol buyer for Yuppiechef, says interest in craft gins has exploded in the past year.

"It may be because we started off at a low base, but we have literally just seen sales take off - and this is for handcrafted premium products that are more expensive than ordinary gins," says Heyns, who is also the founder of League of Beers.

"I think the rise and success of craft beers over the last few years is one of the main reasons people have become accustomed to different taste profiles and are willing to experiment."

Heyns says South Africa has keenly joined the world's new gin craze. Interest in uniquely South African infusions is picking up. Cape Town has been at it longest and has many distilleries, dedicated gin bars and gin festivals, but Johannesburg is catching up fast.

Duncan Armstrong of Jenever Montane, a fynbos gin, says it's exciting that the local market is still small enough to allow new players to enter and experiment.

"Inverroche was the first and now we have several small producers making excellent products. Hope on Hopkins has gins with basil and olives, for example, and we see products coming onto the market all the time - it's great. We're even seeing the rise of different tonic waters that offset different gins. And, like all things, some will last and some won't," says Armstrong.

Armstrong's background is in brewing. His interest in tweaking taste profiles, as he learnt with craft beer, led him to try the same thing with craft gin and fynbos.

It's the right time for craft gin, the right time for South African products to be frontrunners, and the right time to settle down for a craft G&T.

Heyns has some tips on how to drink the new local gins:

Premium gins are "soft, warm and smooth", so you can drink them neat with a block of ice to cool it slightly and dash of water to cut the alcohol.

Gin, though, loves tonic. Heyns says the effervescence "wakes up" the gin, giving the G&T its reputation as a drink of refreshment. The next step is about mixology - playing around to make the perfect cocktail.

Wait, there's more

Inverroche and Hope on Hopkins are not the only artisanal gins on the block. Try these:

Musgrave Gin: Distilled by different owners on the Hope on Hopkins distillery, this gin has lovely ginger and cardamom notes.

Gin Mare: A product of Spain, this immigrant is distilled with black olives and rosemary.

Gin is Monkey 47: Hard to find and rather expensive, this German gin is made with 47 different botanicals.
It's definitely premature for South Africans to pack their bags and head for Perth. In fact, if we can look beyond the negativity of daily news reports, this country is still a great investment destination for foreign investors scouting the globe for strong socio-political structures supporting their investments.

Yes, our democracy is facing very serious challenges. But we will probably be OK, said political commentator Eusebius McKaiser at the 2016 i3 Summit hosted by Sanlam Investments and Glacier by Sanlam.

Provided we do a certain number of things to entrench our fledgling democracy and the institutions needed to sustain it. Politics are complex and mercifully the quality of a democracy cannot be influenced by the ruling party alone.

He went on to provide three arguments to support his view.

Designed wins and lawfare

Firstly, we are a society that is respectful of law and recognises the independence of the judicial system and the supremacy of the constitutional court. According to McKaiser we have some designed wins originating from the CODESA talks of the early 1990s.

If we compare our democracy with other democracies around the world, we come out pretty good. Strife between the state and the court can be expected. Democratic states worldwide routinely try and fight court judgements that force them to act in the best interest of the citizens. Lawfare is not a reason to despair. Our judicial system remains a bulwark against the democratic failures of the state.

Well-functioning civil society organisations

Secondly, we have excellent civil society organisations in all the important sectors, putting pressure on governments  and corporates  to behave in the interest of the citizens. The TAC is one such an example. Another one is pressure group, Equal Education, which got the government to agree on minimum standards for a functioning school.

When you have well-functioning civil society organisations they are as good as a strong opposition party, and we have those, said McKaiser.

Competitive politics

Finally, opposition politics is the lifeblood of a democracy. Competitive politics is becoming entrenched and making it harder for the encumbent party to become arrogant. As the results of the municipal elections on 3 August showed, South Africa is well on its way to becoming a true democracy, with some of the metropoles in particular ending very close to a tie.

Private sector not doing enough

While we have the three most important components of a democracy in place, it is also vital for the private sector to step in to bolster our democratic strength. Yes, we still have strong civil society organisations. But the weakness is that many of these organisations are seriously underfunded. We see more and more Scandinavian funders withdrawing funding, reasoning justifiably that our democracy is now mature. This creates an opportunity for the private sector in South Africa to step in.

The private sector is not yet doing enough. And it really starts with how we structure our BCom degrees in this country. There is still too much of a focus on profit and efficiencies and not enough on justice and fairness, concluded McKaiser.
South Africa's women winemakers are making news headlines and clinching top awards and recognition for their wines internationally, making great strides in producing some of the best wines in the country. In celebrating the top women in wine, CyberCellar compiled a list of top female winemakers to watch:

Riani Strydom

Rianie Strydom - Haskell Vineyards (Cape Winemakers Guild Member)

Strydom, a member of the esteemed Cape Winemakers Guild, has travelled extensively through Europe, America, and Australia to soak in as many foreign processes as she could. A graduate from the University of Stellenbosch, she began her career working in Burgundy in 1996, followed by moving to St Emilion, Bordeaux, in 1998.

After ten years as the winemaker at Morgenhof Estate, Strydom took up the mantle of general manager and winemaker at Haskell and Dombeya Wines in 2004.

Strydom combines her love for science and nature in her winemaking and pours her passion into making distinctive, elegant wines that are totally unforgettable but still affordable. She has judged various wine shows and is passionate about improving South African wine.

Andrea Mullineux

Andrea Mullineux - Mullineux Family Vineyards (Cape Winemakers Guild Member)

Mullineux, also a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild, moved from the US to South Africa in 2004 from the famous Napa Valley. Born and bred in San Francisco, Andrea had studied Viticulture and Oenology at UC Davis and gained all of her experience at Cakebread, Viader, and El Molino wineries. She began her South African journey with six months at Waterford Estate.

It was during a trip to Chateauneuf that she met her husband, Chris, at a wine festival in Champagne. Her passion for South Africa, Chris and being in the cellar brought her back to the country and Mullineux Family wines were born in the Swartland.

Andrea focuses specifically on dry farmed Mediterranean varieties and insists on it being produced as naturally and classically as possible. She is passionate about harvest and aims to one day win the Pichon Longeville Comtesse Laland trophy.

Ntsiki Biyela

Ntsiki Biyela - Stellekaya Wines

Biyela, the first black female winemaker in South Africa, entered the wine industry by chance. Before earning her scholarship at the University of Stellenbosch and making the move to Cape Town to study Oenology, she had never tasted wine.

Nevertheless, she excelled and settled at Stellekaya in 2004 as the resident winemaker. After her first production, she took a bottle back home to show her grandmother who wasnt too impressed by the taste of it but was incredibly proud of her granddaughter who was clearly making major leaps and bounds in the industry.

Stellekaya, a small boutique winery, has received various international awards thanks to Biyelas genius. She has won the Landbouweekblad Woman Winemaker of the Year and currently judges various wine competitions. She has just come back from the US where she was a part of an African Women Entrepreneurship Programme. Her next step is establishing herself as an independent winemaker.

Marelise Nieman

Marelise Nieman - Momento Wines

Nieman started her illustrious career in 2007 at Beaumont Wines in Bot River as the estates assistant winemaker. During these years, she spent a lot of time travelling and completing internships abroad in Burgundy (France), Priorat (Spain), Duro (Portugal) and Rhone (France). In 2011, she started her own label called Momento.

Nieman searches for the perfect fruit and method combination, uses a gentle hands-off approach to the making of her wine and injects as much passion as she can muster into the creation of her passion. She is passionate about the uniqueness of the South African soils and vines and trying out new and different methods of winemaking, such as open concrete tanks, whole bunches, and natural yeasts.

Erika Obermeyer

Erica Obermeyer - Graham Beck

Entrenched in a childhood belief of doing whatever you do to the best of your ability, Erica has led Graham Beck into award-winning status on more than one occasion. Her first harvest in fact, which she claims to be her pride and joy, produced the Pheasants Run Sauvignon Blanc in 2005. This wine remains to be the only one featured in the Wine Magazines Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 Awards since 2007. Her Ad Honorem earned a five-star Platter rating as well as landed her the title of the Landbouweekblad South African Woman Winemaker of the Year in 2008.

She began her career in 1999 at Kleine Zalze, where she worked for five years with trips to France, America, and Australia. She joined Graham Beck in 2005, a few days before harvest, and took over the terroir insisting on getting to know it like the back of her hand. She describes her style as elegant, earthy yet touched with finesse. She makes use of the old world elegance of wine making and delicately pairs it with new world fruit, styles and sunshine.
BUDAPEST: South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI said Tuesday it will build an electric car battery plant in Hungary as it expects "explosive growth" in the sales of electric vehicles on the continent.

BMW i8 electric supercar.Source: Aaron Aldridge via 123RF

The firm, an affiliate of the world's top smartphone maker Samsung Electronics, counts BMW, Volkswagen, Jaguar, and Land Rover among its European clients. The company said it will invest 100 billion forints (325 million euros) in the construction of the plant in the small town of God, 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of the capital Budapest.

The factory is expected to be fully operational by 2018 and produce batteries to power 50,000 electric vehicles (EVs) a year, Samsung SDI vice-president Jung Se-woong said in a joint press statement with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in Budapest.

"In the near future, explosive growth in sales of electric vehicles is expected. This is why the company is making great efforts to boost its European manufacturing, it wants to strengthen its presence on the continent," Jung said.

The factory will create 600 jobs, Szijjarto added. Big car makers like BMW have made electric cars a strong focus of their development strategy.

Earlier this summer, Samsung SDI announced it would invest 408 million euros in the China's leading electric car maker BYD, co-owned by Americain billionaire Warren Buffet.

Source: AFP
Picture Cape Town. Now picture Cape Town in 1662 - an untamed frontier with wild animals roaming the lands and often forming a filling meal, if they didn't get to you first. This is the basis of the 'wild' new tasting menu served at Catharina's on Steenberg Estate.

On the first truly sunny Saturday in months, we were swiftly seated outside at the farm-turned-hotels rustic wooden tables and chairs and presented with the bread platter before even perusing the menu.

We may have gone hungry otherwise, as thats the ideal backdrop for reading up more about South Africas first female land owner Catharina Tryn Ras, with the only background noise was that of birdies chirping in the trees, peacocks calling from further along the grounds and geese squabbling to break the green peacefulness. Its happy background noise that made me settle deeper into the comfy chair, pull the blanket tighter around my shoulders (yes, it was still chilly but we werent going to turn down our outside table), and read up on how the world-renowned wine and cuisine of Catharinas serves as tribute to the woman whose spirit gave rise to Steenberg Estate's enduring legacy.

Catharina's Restaurant. Catherina's Restaurant. Steenberg tasting room. Beautiful surroundings at Steenberg Farm. Chef Archie MacLean in action.

From the story peppered throughout pages of the menu, we learned that Catherina outlived all but one of her five husbands, through times of both poverty and prosperity in the 17th Century Cape. As a 21- or 22-year-old widow from Germany, (with her first husband thought to have either succumbed to scurvy along with the bulk of their fellow travel companions on the t' Hoff van Zeeland or died before the journey, where she may have been a stow-away dressed as a man), we were soon immersed in the legend of how shes said to have shot the lion that mauled her second husband while on horseback. Her third was murdered by marauding tribesmen, with her fourth husband crushed by an elephant while out hunting for hippo. This wild, animal-rich history lives on in todays civilised times, with origami swans and 3D paper cut-outs decorating the internal dining area as well as the spotted eagle owl family often spotted in the oak trees outside over breakfast as testament to this. With all this before even giving a thought to what wed be eating on our lazy lunch that day, its little surprise my husband went for the eight-course wild tasting menu.

His three starters varied wildly, starting with salmon, shaved fennel and horseradish risotto served in a miniature green Le Creuset pot; followed by a pleasing portion of cauliflower steak with parmesan gnocchi, mushroom ragout and beetroot in various forms  tiny shiny maroon blocks and a blur of pink foam that tasted like air; followed by seared yellowfin tuna with grilled pear salad and pea puree.

Comfort food out your comfort zone  crocodile or zebra, anyone?

Deciding to live up to my inner Obelix I went for the a la carte option, my eyes lighting up at the chance to fulfilling a somewhat nerdy childhood dream of the wild boar mains those Gauls often feasted on as I ate up everything on those colourful pages with my eyes. It was everything Id expected: A somewhat overwhelming portion of slow-cooked rashers that tasted a little like pork belly but slightly fattier and served to perfection on ashy cauliflower rice, sauteed Jerusalem artichoke, broccolini and baby carrots with a splash of butternut puree and blue cheese jus to keep things interesting. That description is quite a mouthful, as was my serving. It was such a huge portion that it kept me going throughout my husbands two mains from the tasting menu  the equally wild crocodile of the whitest, softest tail flesh with garlicky creamed leek and blackened corn salsa, and mains plate two: Tiny turns of smoky grilled zebra loin on smoked aubergine maize meal with chickpeas and toasted pine nut/coriander dressing. Both were beautifully plated and the true stars of the day.

Cauliflower and gnocchi. Zebra. Crocodile. Langbaken Karoo cheese. 'The Coffee' pana cotta.

Executive chef Archie MacLean, also responsible for front of house duties at Catharinas and the exceptionally busy man behind the meals since April this year, found the time to quickly wipe his hands and regale us with tales of all the produces provenance: The boar is a pest on a farm near Ceres, the crocodile from a farm north of Pretoria where its seen as a by-product of that lust over leathery skin. MacLean was a true treat to talk to, enthusiastically explaining in his soft Scottish accent that his new menu may seem a little outlandish to some but it ties in with the story of Catharinas day and what she would have probably eaten  making it all the most pleasurable to savour those flavours. He dubs it contemporary heritage, and theres nothing fussy about it, with traditional favourites like jewel-bright chakalaka and maize meal also making an appearance, albeit with a slight twist.

Appetites somewhat revived, we were presented with dessert portions of the suitably named Langbaken Karoo sunset: mature cheese with mustard cracker and baba ganouche of sour fig and goji berry, all the colours of a sky on fire; as well as the Coffee panna cotta with Amarula brulee and cocoa nib ice cream. Feeling less adventurous by now and somewhat defeated by the boar I just went for the Chocolate, comprising mousse-y triangles of cremeaux offset by creme fraiche sorbet  that may sound out of place but it was so very moreish, especially when washed down with a strong cappuccino.

With warm sunshine on our backs and all that rich food was resulting in "magies vol, ogies toe", we bravely forged on through a final dessert platter carefully curated by Chef Archie to showcase the Lemon in a tiny triangular dome of tangy posset, the Guava through a crisp-yet-jammy guava macaron, and the Chocolate in a deliciously fudgy chocolate-ball and the sweetest strawberry capped in crisp chocolate.

Deliciously wild and elegant. We didnt even sample Steenbergs award-winning wine list Sacrilege!

*Leigh Andrews was a guest of Catharinas. The a la carte and tasting menus are both available for lunch and dinner and guests at the same table can order from either menu, seven-days a week. The eight-course tasting menu is R795 without wine pairing and R1100 with. For bookings, contact +27 (0)21 713 7178 or email az.oc.tnaruatsersanirahtac@snoitavreser. For more on Catharinas history, click here.
South African Express (SA Express) is seeing a rapid increase in the number of females holding key positions - from the board of directors to the pilots and the ground crew technicians - leading to CEO Inati Ntshanga announcing the carrier as one "the most transformed companies in South Africa".

Beating industry targets for transformation

One might think that women would not want to train as technicians or pilots, but we are training an increasing number of women in previously male-dominated positions. This reflects the broader opportunities available for women at SA Express.

It is with pride that within just the last year we have increased the number of females in management positions from 26% to 34%, and pilots from 11% to 14.2%. These statistics are crucial and important as it means that we have beaten the industry targets of 8% for management positions and 3.2% for pilots. Furthermore, it has increased the total number of female employees at SA Express from 38% in 2015 to 38.91% in 2016, says Ntshanga.

This achievement is even more monumental as the aviation industry is a traditionally male-dominated environment and remains largely so as women are often subliminally discouraged from entering. We are doing what we can to change perceptions that women cannot have careers in the aviation industry, continues Ntshanga.

Tackling the aviation gender perception

Tackling the aviation gender perception extends beyond the organisation itself and Ntshanga says it is important for SA Express to educate the youth on the matter. In addition to our internal initiatives, we are also passionate about raising awareness among young schoolgirls that aviation not only offers a viable career but that it is a highly attractive option for them. This remains true at all levels of the industry, whether in flying, technical support or administration.

For the past three years, SA Express has supported Southern African Women in Aviation and Aerospace Industry as a gold sponsor of its Girl Fly Programme in Africa (GFPA). Each year GFPA hosts an Aviation and Space Camp for high school learners. Through our sponsorship of GFPA, we hope to attract new talent into the aviation industry, and in particular to our company, so we look forward to these young women flying our commercial aircraft in the coming years, says Ntshanga.

A diverse and empowered workforce

He explains that a key transformation performance indicator for SA Express is its ability to develop a diverse and empowered workforce, with a special emphasis on women. This is implemented through various human capital initiatives such as its mentorship programme. The programme gives junior staff the opportunity to accelerate their development by being exposed to different areas of the operation as they shadow managers. This has been specifically encouraged in the technical environment, with the aim of permanently eradicating perception barriers, he continues.

SA Express is also consistently increasing its proportion of spend and enterprise development in favour of black-female-owned suppliers, with almost R50 million having been spent with these suppliers over the past financial year.

Women in technical jobs can still face a tough time compared to their male counterparts. With five black women on the SA Express board, our aim is that any form of discrimination and gender inequality will soon be a thing of the past, concludes Ntshanga.
Following the royal launch of its business insurance offering on 7 July 2016, King Price has just unveiled its new Let's Get Down to Business TVC. With a majestic tone and motivational script, the King's latest TVC wastes little time getting down to business - seizing attention from the opening line.

We talk to Natalie Bisset, GM of marketing at King Price to discuss the creative inspiration behind the making of the TVC, in collaboration with Xfacta and Team Best Productions.

Watch the Let's Get Down to Business TVC below:

1. The TVC has an intense yet playful feel. What was your mandate from a strategic perspective?

Our directive was to maintain King Prices character, while clearly communicating that we are moving into business insurance; taking on a slightly more serious tone compared to our characteristic informal, cheeky tone of voice.

The commercial is designed to speak to business owners who are both proud and protective of the company they have nurtured and grown. Through the TVC, King Price is aligning us with business owners. We are saying, Hey, if anyone can understand what it means to be passionate about business, we can. We have worked hard to achieve our imperial track record and we take business as seriously as you do. Lets knuckle down and get things moving. It is an approach that resonates with our make it happen target market.

2. The TVC is filled with muted tones, dramatic slow frames and close ups of individuals. Please explain the creative or artistic process behind the TVC.

We wanted this business insurance announcement to be aimed directly at the owners of both large and small businesses. We wanted to zone in and visually represent a sense of understanding.

The treatment was intentionally muted to show that the company is not painting an unrealistic picture of business. We know that every business has its ups and down. The real world cannot be accurately represented with an oversaturated, veneered treatment.

3. Were the scenes shot at real work sites around South Africa, in studio or a combination of both?

All scenes are actual work sites. The range of businesses was intentionally broad to show that the company is equipped to handle any business  from the small coffee shop to the massive mining operation. The cast included real business owners and actors. We wanted to represent the South African entrepreneur demographic accurately.

4. The TVC voiceover is loud and powerful, with almost a preaching tone. Along with the intense background music, what was the inspiration for the tone of voice, instruments used and overall sound of the TVC?

In this time of economic uncertainty in South Africa, it is important to encourage our brave entrepreneurs. They go out there and get their hands dirty in order to make a success of their businesses and in turn grow our economy. We imagined the speech being delivered to an audience in a community hall. It had to be inspirational and energetic. Entrepreneurs know how important it is to be motivated and encouraged to keep pushing and putting in the effort, because one day the sweat is going to yield results. Our voice over was intended to do this.

The sound effects and music contain industrial sounds that build in the background to enhance the visuals and voice over.

5. Ultimately what are you hoping viewers will take away from the TVC?

We hope that viewers will look at the brand as a serious player in the business insurance market. It is the same business with the same characteristics that customers have come to know and love, but now we are adding an extra ability  and we are ready and willing to get down to business. This does not mean we will now wear suits and ties. What clients are interested in is a reliable product offering, at the cheapest possible price and a company that they can relate to, which is exactly what we offer, to both business owners and the man in the street.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has announced its short list of candidates to be interviewed for appointments as judges, with four candidates vying for one appointment to the Constitutional Court.

Candidates for the highest court are Supreme Court of Appeal justices Ronnie Bosielo, Stevan Majiedt and Malcolm Wallis and Gauteng High Court Judge Jody Kollapen.

The short list may mollify, but is unlikely to completely allay, concerns about an apparent lack of interest in appointment to the highest court, with few candidates coming forward in previous nomination rounds. In March the JSC had to re-advertise to fill the Constitutional Court post after failing to get enough nominations - part of a pattern that has developed where posts are either re-advertised or where there are just enough candidates to fulfil the requirements under the Constitution, which requires that there be three more candidates than the number of appointments to be made.

This time around the JSC has enough candidates, but only just.

The commission also decided to fill only one vacancy, despite there being two vacancies in the Constitutional Court.

The short list may raise eyebrows for being all-male.

After a lot of criticism, the last appointment made to the Constitutional Court - Justice Nonkosi Mhlantla - was made from an all-female short list after a good deal of hard work by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in inviting women judges to act at the highest court.

Current candidates

Bosielo has been interviewed for appointment to the Constitutional Court a few times before and in 2013 was one of the four recommended to the president, but he lost out to Justice Mbuyiseni Madlanga. He is the most senior of the candidates, having been appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2009.

Majiedt, appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2010, is most famous for being one of the panel of appeal court justices that found Oscar Pistorius guilty of murder, overturning the high court's culpable homicide verdict.

While acting on the Constitutional Court, he penned the groundbreaking judgment that found that the South African police had a duty under international law to investigate allegations of torture by Zimbabwean police and emphatically rejected the argument that a good reason to refuse to investigate was the potential harm to SA-Zimbabwe political relations.

Wallis was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2011, after two years on the High Court in Durban bench. At the Supreme Court of Appeal, he penned the judgment that confirmed that the government had acted unlawfully when it failed to detain Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir - wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity - when he visited SA last year.

When he was acting on the Constitutional Court, Wallis wrote the unanimous judgment on the Tlokwe by-election, saying that the Electoral Commission had failed to live up to the high standards the Constitution imposed.

Kollapen was appointed to the high court in 2011 after heading up the South African Human Rights Commission. Of the candidates, only Kollapen has not acted on the bench of the highest court.

Having acted is not a requirement, but it is widely viewed as an advantage. Kollapen is known for taking a human-rights bent in judgments, even when they are not directly implicated.

The JSC also announced candidates for a vacancy on the Competition Appeal Court, two vacancies on the Electoral Court as well as vacancies in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo divisions of the high court.

Source: Business Day via I-Net Bridge
Design flaws and a series of problems over six years led to the collapse of a mine dam and the loss of 19 lives in Brazil's worst environmental disaster.

A technical report commissioned by the world's biggest miner and Brazil's Vale - the co-owners of the mine's operator Samarco - found a chain of events from 2009 to 2015 caused the November 5 catastrophe, which unleashed a tsunami of toxic waste and buried a nearby village.

Samarco is facing billions of dollars in legal claims for clean-up costs and damages.

The 76-page report by an expert panel led by Canadian geotechnical engineer, Norbert Morgenster, did not assign blame.

"It is a very detailed, technical report 10 months in the making," BHP's chief commercial officer, Dean Dalla Valle, said.

"Given the legal proceedings, it wasn't appropriate that we actually try to use this process to attribute blame," he said, adding that "we have no reason to believe that anyone at BHP had any information that indicated that the dam was in danger of collapsing".

The report said the original dam design was robust. But construction difficulties led to design changes that eventually caused "liquefaction", where sediments lose their strength and act like a liquid - and the dam's rupture.

"Together with the revised design there was a fundamental change in the design concept whereby more widespread saturation was allowed and accepted," the report said.

"This increase in the extent of saturation introduced the potential for sand liquefaction."

A series of three small seismic shocks that occurred some 90 minutes before the rupture was also "likely to have accelerated the failure process that was already well advanced", the report added.

Valle added that there was "no evidence that I'm aware of that anyone put production over safety" when asked if cost-cutting measures in recent years, which have been taken by BHP and other miners amid a commodity price slump, affected the dam's management.

"The events that started in 2009, it was a long chain of events that built up... I don't think that that was an issue," he said.

BHP said last month it would appeal a Brazilian court's decision to reinstate a 20bn reals ($6,2bn) civil claim for clean-up costs and damages. The company has argued the claim was superseded by a separate government settlement.

BHP has so far booked a US$2,2bn charge relating to the failure and conducted a separate review of its other significant mining dams.

Work at the Samarco mine has been halted since the disaster and BHP and Vale have said operations are unlikely to restart this year.
amaSocial, a social media monitoring tool that allows marketers to track brands, conversations, profiles and topics across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, has now added Instagram.

Businesses cannot afford to ignore Instagram, as there has been a change in the way people communicate, which now extensively includes visuals. Instagram has embraced this new visual-first era and therefore it has become increasingly important for brands and corporates to monitor the platform.

The mobile photo and video sharing social network continues to capture audiences by giving them a space for bold creativity, to present their creations (and themselves) to the world. Increasingly, brands and corporates are embracing the platform for the very same reason. Therefore, it is essential that PR and marketing professionals have the platform on their radar and amaSocial makes this easy to achieve.

Tracking ROI on social media is easy and convenient with amaSocial, allowing for the optimisation of strategies in terms of their implementation, performance and measurement. Tailored reports can help to identify potential influencers and advocates  invaluable information in any social media landscape, especially on a network with over 500 million active users.

No business can afford to have social media blind spots anymore, especially with platforms that influence audiences with the power that only images can carry. It is no longer just about listening and being heard, today people want to see and be seen.

For more information, go to www.amasocial.co.za.
#WomensMonth: Women in entrepreneurship

Zimkhitha Peter, head of programmes at Allan Gray Orbis Foundation and a firm believer in effecting social change through entrepreneurship, discusses the underrepresentation of women in the industry and how to cultivate young entrepreneurs in South Africa.

Peter is mainly responsible for the Foundations Scholarship Fellowship Association Programme as well as their support programme called Programmes Management and Data Centre. Her role focuses on ensuring the strategic alignment of the Foundations scholarship and fellowship in association programmes to ensure that they can achieve their ultimate vision of cultivating a community of high growth, responsible entrepreneurs. Zimkhitha Peter Who or what inspired you to enter your field of work? Who or what inspired you to enter your field of work? I was born in Red Location, New Brighton, PE, and I was in Grade 9 when my grandmothers sister from Lesotho visited our family. When she saw the circumstances, she supported me and paid for me to go to boarding school and finish matric. She also made a contribution towards my tertiary education. What she did inspired me to do this work, because I realised that once people have potential and someone is willing to share their resources and create an enabling environment for that person, that person can succeed. I thought that if someone could do that for me, I wish to spend the rest of my life doing it for other people. In your opinion, in what areas does SA succeed at entrepreneurship and in what areas does it need to improve? In your opinion, in what areas does SA succeed at entrepreneurship and in what areas does it need to improve? Ill probably be biased with this one, but I think we need to improve on really cultivating that mindset at an early age. Most countries where people are entrepreneurial dont start at a late age, they start at a very early age. The more we can see that happening at a primary school level and at a high school level, that will help us to go far. I think we start too late in SA or we dont even have it in our consciousness.

For instance, Israel is considered to be one of the most entrepreneurial countries, despite being a relatively young country. As a leader in entrepreneurship, in recent years the Israeli Foreign Ministry has hosted delegations of leading educators from around the world to learn the "secrets" that have made a small country into a start-up nation, how Israel encourages entrepreneurship education from an early age, and how to educate young students in entrepreneurship. There is an Entrepreneurship for Kids Programme in Israeli schools.

As for where we are doing well, I think we have started to talk about entrepreneurship a bit more. I think the government setting up a small business strategy, which has a dedicated minister, shows some intentionality of trying to make entrepreneurship high up and even on the government agenda. Minister Lindiwe Zulu once said, The establishment of Centres for Entrepreneurship is consistent with our vision of building a nation of entrepreneurs.

In addition to this, the Foundation was part of the Enabling Entrepreneurship Task Team of the South African Human Resource Council that sits with the presidency.

There is also a slight increase in Incubation Support Programmes. Two centres of Entrepreneurship at FET colleges have been established, such as the False Bay Campus.

How can greater representation of women in entrepreneurship be achieved? How can greater representation of women in entrepreneurship be achieved?

I think that we still have a long way to go in this regard. I think that we need to engage directly with female entrepreneurs and the aspiring entrepreneurs, so that we are able to design support programmes that are geared directly to solve the challenges that female entrepreneurs are facing. Whilst I do not have immediate answers on this issue, I am convinced that there is a need for a focused approach and focus interventions. At the Foundation, we have now put this issue on our agenda for 2017, as to how do we create an enabling environment for our aspiring female entrepreneurs (both candidate Fellows and Fellows).

What skills and values do you intend for Allan Gray Orbis Foundation's entrepreneurs to possess? What skills and values do you intend for Allan Gray Orbis Foundation's entrepreneurs to possess?

The biggest value we try to cultivate in our fellows and hope that they espouse is this entire notion of responsible entrepreneurship. There are debates on what being a responsible entrepreneur means. On one side it means clean business and doing things ethically, but for us, its more than that, we believe that all business can be for social good. Fellows are encouraged and supported to start businesses that will create value for society through their products and services, that will be profitable and sustainable and also offer meaningful employment to South Africans.

We encourage an entrepreneurial mindset, which is built around our foundations values, including intellectual imagination. This means that we want our fellows to possess the skill of being innovative and creative.

We also want our fellows to be empowered with the right skills and processes to be able to understand what idea generation means in depth and what it means to take an idea, validate it and make sure theres a market/need for it and that it creates value.

We encourage personal initiative, which is really bias for action. We try to inculcate in the fellows the need to come up with ideas by themselves and come up with a plan for execution. Disciplined Entrepreneurship by Bill Aulet has been a great resource, which has helped enforce disciplined action amongst the entrepreneurs by laying down the actions that each entrepreneur needs to take. This helps people first respect entrepreneurship as a discipline and also become disciplined entrepreneurs, because outside of that hard work, tenacity, courage and risk-taking, nothing is going to succeed.

So its not about the glitz and glamour of entrepreneurship or it being a buzzword. We want people to know that we as a foundation are not following entrepreneurship because its the latest fad, but because we deeply believe that it will help us solve some of the social issues and therefore we want Fellows to be able to do it and do it right.

What advice can you give to young aspiring entrepreneurs? What advice can you give to young aspiring entrepreneurs?

They say youre not an entrepreneur until you are one. So, I think my biggest advice is that if you have an idea for something that you think will work, just go out there and test it. Failure isnt the opposite of success, especially in entrepreneurship; failure is part of the success. If youre afraid to fail, you probably wont move anywhere. Even in your loss, you still cant lose.

What is your message for Women's Month? What is your message for Women's Month?

The most important thing is that we dont have to be like men to win. As women, we dont have to change ourselves and learn from the rules of the man. I feel that we have the potential and something unique that we bring to boardrooms, businesses and everywhere in life. If we try to change to be like men to win, then society will be poorer, because it loses what we wouldve brought in as women.

We dont need to fight to be like men, we rather need to fight for the space to be created for us to be women entrepreneurs in that space.
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple on Monday sent out invitations to a "special event" on September 7 in San Francisco, where it is expected to unveil a new iPhone model.

In the company's usual enigmatic style, it provided little more that the date, time and place to the invitation-only gathering set for the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium near San Francisco City Hall.

Apple has maintained a rhythm of introducing updated iPhone models on an annual basis, timing introductions to coincide with the year-end holiday shopping season.

Rumors include talk of an 'iPhone 7' that will boast improvements to software, cameras and processing speed along with doing away with jacks for plugging in wired headphones.

California-based Apple could also use the event to showcase updates to other products, such as its smartwatch and laptop computers.

Source: AFP
Internet access and availability are not enough to get people online, says a new Internet Society study released at the African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) taking place from 30 August to 1 September in Tanzania.

The 'Promoting Content in Africa' report reveals that while significant improvements have been made in internet infrastructure, most notably in mobile networks, internet adoption rates are slowing in many countries because users lack compelling reasons to connect.

Local content

According to the study, content and services are the main factors in making the internet desirable, especially when the subject matter is relevant and in a language that users can easily understand. A lack of local content and services is affecting the number of new online users in Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa in particular, local language content is key to bringing new users online, as many are not comfortable reading in English or French.

The report outlines the barriers to the development of local content and offers recommendations to improve local content availability and distribution. In the sub-Saharan countries studied by the Internet Society, the majority of international and locally developed content is hosted outside the country, typically overseas. This results in slow internet speeds and higher access costs. In Rwanda for example, of all websites using the .RW domain name, only a small fraction are hosted in Rwanda. The majority of sites are hosted in Europe and the U.S. Hosting content locally is key to making the internet faster and more affordable for users.

As mobile financial services are becoming increasingly available in the African continent, monetising mobile content is still a major challenge. Faster and better internet access can help entrepreneurs create new local content including services and apps, but developers face barriers when it comes to payment mechanisms in order to monetise content, said Bastiaan Quast, Internet Society fellow and co-author of the report.

The region faces a combination of barriers, including the inability to pay and receive payments for mobile apps, which serve as a major channel for content distribution in most African countries.

Internet peering

Detailed results of the report will be presented at the seventh annual AfPIF which began yesterday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Hosted by the Internet Society in partnership with the Tanzania Internet Service Providers Association (TISPA), the event serves as a platform to expand internet infrastructure and services across Africa by bringing together key players to address the opportunities in interconnection, peering, and traffic exchange on the continent.

Internet peering is a business relationship whereby two internet service providers agree to provide access to each others customers at no cost. Internet users throughout Africa benefit from peering, which enables faster and more affordable access. Removing barriers to content availability and distribution will have significant impacts on the internet ecosystem in Africa. It will help to make existing international content more accessible, explained Dawit Bekele, Internet Society regional bureau director for Africa.

AfPIF aims to build cross-border interconnection opportunities by facilitating discussions on internet infrastructure challenges including capacity building, development of Internet Exchange Points (IXP) and local content. Previous editions of AfPIF have been held in Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, Senegal and Mozambique. Last years event featured 232 participants from 57 countries and an online participation of 978 people in 77 different countries.
When Democratic congressional candidate Colleen Deacon released her first television ad of the general election campaign, she shared a personal story.

Her father, Ross, was laid off from his job when she was 12 years old. It was a difficult time for the family. But Deacon, D-Syracuse, knows it wasn't a unique experience.

"I think it's so much more of a common story," she said in an interview with The Citizen. "We've lost Bombardier, McQuay. We lost Chrysler, GM, GE, Carrier. Big manufacturers ... These are big, big manufacturing companies that have just left and I think that the message is there.

"That's what I care about. I care about the people of this district and I want to fight for the people of this district to make sure that there are opportunities so our families can stay or my son, after he graduates from college, can stay here and raise a family here and be close to his mom, his grandparents and his aunts and uncles."

The TV commercial, Deacon said, is also a message to 24th Congressional District voters who have told her that this is the number one issue  creating jobs and boosting the region's economy.

"I wanted people to know that we're listening, we're serious," she said. "We want to fight hard to make sure there's opportunities in this district."

Here is the full interview with Deacon on the topic of jobs and economy:

The Citizen: Throughout your campaign for Congress, you have said that we need to establish partnerships between community colleges and businesses. Some of these partnerships already exist, but certainly there's room for more of these joint efforts. In your view, why are these partnerships important for the region's economy?

DEACON: Public and private partnerships are so important. I mentioned this story all the time about how when I worked in the senator's office we were successful in helping bring some federal dollars back to Onondaga Community College for training programs for the craft food and beverage industry, which is a growing sector that's actively creating jobs. There's opportunities that are available for people and we can have the training at our community colleges or any of our colleges. What can the federal government do to help bridge that gap and to help make it happen? I think doing things like providing funding for training, identifying industries right now, identifying sectors that are hiring for open positions. Let's all work together with public-private partnerships, including higher education, so we are able to provide people with opportunities.

Here in this district, eds and meds is our biggest employer  education and health care. We have to do more to provide students with opportunities. Figure out where are the jobs, what training can we help, what can we do to get folks the skills that they need to be able to apply for these jobs and work their way up in health care facilities or what have you.

The Citizen: You've railed against bad trade deals, namely the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Beyond TPP, do you think we should review other trade deals we've made  NAFTA, for example  and determine whether we should pull out of these agreements?

DEACON: I think that anything that negatively impacts working people, hardworking people of the United States of America is something we should take a look at. If we are not leveling the playing field and we are taking jobs out of this country and shipping them overseas, I think that is a problem. I think with NAFTA and the Korean trade agreement a few years back and with the TPP, it's not a level playing field. You're talking about maybe exporting some more goods to other countries, but at the same time importing many, many more goods so the trade deficit exists. It makes it hard for the United States to compete when you have other countries that don't have the same environmental standards we do. There are countries that don't have the same health and safety standards that we do. And we have other countries that don't have the same salary and benefits that we do. I'm all for trade, but we have to make sure it's fair trade and everyone is playing on the same field.

The Citizen: On your website, you say you want to push for investments in clean energy technology. What are some specific examples of that that could work in central New York?

DEACON: I'm all for renewable energy. I think we need to go in the direction of renewable energies for our energy. We're not there yet, but I'd love to see ... Central New York is really a leader in this field. When I worked in the senator's office, there was a company who was talking about building wind turbines in the old New Process Gear facility. That's a great way that we can utilize our old manufacturing plants like Chrysler, like McQuay, like Bombardier that's sitting there vacant.

Let's build wind turbines. Let's build solar panels. Let's promote our region as a way to get new renewable energy products and to help add jobs to our region. On the federal level, we can help incentivize through tax incentives and tax credits for businesses to come and move in and manufacture these products here locally. We can provide grants and loans to companies that want to be able to produce these companies. It's a great opportunity for us right now to transition into this next sector  these future jobs that can be available.

The Citizen: The Democratic Party's platform states that the party is "unified in their strong belief that every student should be able to go to college debt free, and working families should not have to pay any tuition to go to public colleges and universities." Is that a position you support? If so, how could we make that a reality?

DEACON: I just paid off my student loans last year. I've been paying on my student loans for the last 15 years. Every month I got that bill. When I first graduated, it was very, very challenging. There were very limited job opportunities. So I can understand what it's like for students who graduate and have this huge burden on their backs  student loan debt  with limited job opportunities in kind of a sluggish economy. Since I've graduated, the cost of college has quadrupled. I felt like it was a challenge when I graduated. Now it's even harder for our students who are just getting out of college.

What we can do is look at things like student loan interest. Reduce student loan interest so that students aren't paying more than they have to pay. We need to make sure that we're allowing students to be able to refinance, to consolidate, maybe even work in the public sector. I know that there's some programs out there right now that will forgive loans after a number of years. I think those are great. Let's do everything we can to make it easier for students to pay for college.

My son goes to a school in the city of Syracuse and they have the program called the Say Yes to Education program. I think we should expand that all over the country so that students who apply to college and if any of these colleges are in the compact, they are able to go to school tuition free. I think that is phenomenal. I think we need to do more of that to make sure kids have an option to go to school so that our students don't have to worry about 'How am I going to pay for school?' and then end up not going because they can't afford it. I know the president has talked about having free community college. That's great. Let's look at that. Let's do everything we can to make sure that if a student wants to go to college they have the ability to go and not have to be burdened with enormous debt.

The other thing, too, I will add is it's not that everybody should go to college. I think we need to make sure we're giving kids and students opportunities  other technical skills, trades, other jobs that might just require a certificate and not necessarily a four-year degree. Let's make sure we're providing opportunities. And let our students understand what they're signing up for. Maybe they don't need to go for four years, but they don't understand that. I think there's a number of things that we can do and we absolutely should do to make sure students have an opportunity to go to school, but that they don't feel that they need to do if they have a specific career path they want to take.

The Citizen: What's needed at the federal level to fund infrastructure projects throughout the district?

DEACON: I've been talking about infrastructure since I've started this campaign. It's something that matters to everybody. It's something that we need to address. We have to invest in our infrastructure. These problems aren't going to fix themselves. Here in the city of Syracuse, we have water and sewer pipes that are made out of wood that are over 100 years old. We see water main breaks all the time.

These problems aren't going to fix themselves. Our roads, our bridges are crumbling. We have to do more. The government built our highway system and now we need to maintain it. I think there's a number of ideas on the table. Specifically, I think we need to look at things like closing tax loopholes to the wealthiest corporations. Looking at things like the Buffett Rule so that the wealthiest individuals are paying their fair share. I think it's about spending decisions. It's about priorities. It's about where we put our money, where we put our time. Where we look at where we can invest. Things like the infrastructure bank, public-private partnerships. Let's look at ideas to figure out where we can budget our money efficiently and look at things like infrastructure where the need is so high and the funding just keeps staying pretty much the same. Everybody is using our roads and our bridges. Everybody uses water. These are not things that are just used for wealthy individuals or middle class individuals. This is something that everybody uses and we've got to invest more in our infrastructure.
The first U.S. commercial flight to Cuba in more than 50 years arrived in Cuba Wednesday, but U.S. Rep. John Katko says he continues to have concerns about Cuban airport security and whether the island nation has the resources to properly screen passengers.

Katko, who chairs the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security, said Cuba and the Transportation Security Administration haven't publicly disclosed important details about airport security, including whether the Cubans have body scanners in all airports, what canine operations exist at these facilities and if the scanning equipment works.

"They haven't told us whether or not there have been any inspections done," Katko, R-Camillus, said during an editorial board meeting Tuesday with The Citizen. "They haven't told us anything."

In May, Katko chaired a subcommittee hearing on the agreement reached between the United States and Cuba to resume commercial air travel. He invited officials from the Department of Homeland Security and TSA to testify on the state of Cuba's airport security.

However, the officials declined to publicly discuss any information about Cuba's airport security equipment, including whether there were body scanners, canine teams and explosive trace detection systems available at these airports.

A TSA representative said that information was considered sensitive and secure, so it couldn't be disclosed in a public setting.

One month later, Katko and other members of Congress planned a trip to Cuba to inspect the airports themselves. But the Cuban government didn't issue visas so the congressional delegation could enter the country.

Katko introduced a bill in July that would place a moratorium on all commercial flights between Cuba and the United States until the TSA can verify whether Cuban airports have the necessary security equipment in place.

There are other concerns. Katko said Tuesday that the only people who will be allowed to work at Cuban airports are "communist government employees." All of the employees, from the clerk working at a JetBlue counter to baggage handlers, will be Cuban government workers.

"We have no idea whether they're screened," he said. "We have no idea whether they checked to see if any of these employees have any animus to the United States. We have no idea whether they've been trained, whether they allow criminals to work there. We don't know anything because they haven't told us, and they won't tell us."

Katko added that you won't see any TSA employees in Cuban airports. There may be a TSA employee who's embedded at the U.S. embassy, he said. But there won't be anyone based at the airport.

"That's the best we're going to have," he said. "That's pretty scary."

Resuming commercial flights between the U.S. and Cuba is a "legacy issue" for President Barack Obama, Katko said. He believes that's why the administration is pushing forward with the flights only months after reaching the agreement.

Obama, who is serving the final year of his second term in office, leaves the White House in January.

"I think it's insane that we don't take our time and do this," Katko said. "If they were so open about it and they were so unconcerned about it, why did they not let us go down there?"

While Katko has many concerns about the flights and Cuban airport security, he's not opposed to resuming relations. But he noted that Cuba was listed as a state sponsor of terrorism up until last year.

"You've got to understand we've had 60 years of complete animosity with them and just flicking a switch overnight is dangerous," he said.

UPDATED: In addition to his comments Tuesday, Katko issued a statement on the United States resuming commercial air travel to Cuba:

In spite of concerns about the security of Cuban airports, the Obama Administration continues to push political goals at the expense of the safety and security of the traveling public by moving forward with commercial flights between Cuba and the U.S. This premature, and ill-advised opening represents a direct threat to our national security.

Cuba has long been tied to criminal and terrorist enterprises. The discovery of forged Cuban passports, used by Afghans and manufactured by Iranians, illustrates the dire need for additional, strictly enforced security measures before the resumption of commercial air travel.

Recent tragedies have shown us that insider threats to aviation are real  and it is clear that the U.S. government currently lacks sufficient information to ensure that Cuban airports are not vulnerable to the external and internal threats that prevail in todays sensitive security environment. Nor has sufficient information been provided to U.S. air carriers about the ideological sentiments, criminal history, or foreign ties of Cuban airport workers. Further, the airlines will not be permitted to hire their own workers and all airport and airline functions will be performed by Cuban government employees.

The unilateral action by this Administration to open commercial air travel to Cuba completely disregards Congresss oversight, and instead, prioritizes an ideological goal over the safety of the American public."
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer isn't letting Canada off the hook.

For months, New York's senior senator has railed against proposed rules that would hurt the state's milk producers, including Cayuga Milk Ingredients in Aurelius and farms throughout upstate.

Schumer, D-N.Y., visited Cayuga Milk Ingredients in March to outline why the rules would have a negative impact on New York's dairy producers. Kevin Ellis, the company's CEO, said the policy could cost Cayuga Milk Ingredients $30 million in lost exports.

Canada recently adopted the rules, which Schumer's office says encourages Canadian companies to avoid using imported dairy products from the United States.

One of the products affected by the regulation is ultra-filtered milk, which is produced by Cayuga Milk Ingredients. Schumer said U.S. companies, including those in upstate New York, previously had duty-free access for ultra-filtered milk under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"It's clear that Canada's new restrictive dairy trade and pricing policies is a blatant attempt to clamp down on American dairy products  and that flies directly in the face of the fair trade agreement signed by the U.S. and Canada," Schumer said Wednesday.

Schumer sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilseck and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and urged them to investigate Canada's new dairy trade policies.

Joining Schumer as a co-author of the letter is U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin.

The senators outlined their concerns and specifically highlighted the impact it would have on exports of ultra-filtered milk.

"Companies from our states inform us that they have already lost considerable export sales as a result of the Ontario dairy policy introduced this past spring," the senators wrote. "These reductions in export sales impact dairy manufacturers and their supplying farms in areas of our states that are unfortunately already struggling with depressed milk prices."

Schumer added that fair trade practices must be preserved.

"Our New York dairy producers work hard every day to provide for their families and export quality products to the world  and they deserve to know that everyone's competing on a level playing field," he said.
The Prague municipal office will not ban an islamophobic event which is being planned for 11th September

31. 8. 2016

cas cteni < 1 minuta





"There are no legal reasons" to ban an islamophobic event, planned by the hate speech group The Martin Konvicka Initiative for 11th September. The islamophobes will stage an event entitled "To Mecca with Humour" in front of the Saudi Embassy in Prague.

The Czech Foreign Ministry has asked the Prague municipal office to ban the event or to move it elsewhere, pointing out that the Ministry was responsible for the security of international diplomatic staff in Prague, but the request was refused.

"The local authority must respect the law and there are no legal reasons to ban this event," said Vit Hofman, the spokesperson of the Prague municipal office.

Articles 355 and 356 of the Czech Penal Code do outlaw hate speech directed against a religion or an ethnic group, but these offences are prosecuted rarely in the Czech Republic.

On 21st August, 2016, Martin Konvicka and his followers staged a mock Islamic State invasion on the Old Town Square in Prague. A number of passers by were injured.

Source in Czech HERE

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Once a source of controversy over the past year, the Auburn Police Department's Emergency Response Team is rounding back into shape.

The 15-member squad is designed and equipped to respond to high-leverage situations. Deputy Chief Roger Anthony said the team's roster is established, with state-certified training pending for seven members.

The police department will host a SWAT school program in December, welcoming agencies across the region to participate. For the ERT, Anthony said the goal is to have the training done by early winter.

The squad is reforming after it was disbanded last year, in part, due to equipment needs.

Parts of the team's gear, such as ballistics vests and gas masks, were deemed obsolete. Leaders of the Auburn Police Local 195 publicly challenged former Police Chief Brian Neagle to replace the gear with a portion of federal Asset Forfeiture funding under department control.

Union leaders later cited the team's continued disbandment in a vote of no confidence against Neagle, calling for his removal from office. The former chief eventually retired in June; around a month later, the city was permitted by the Department of Justice to purchase the gear, overriding a spending freeze on the police department's forfeiture accounts.

Anthony said members are waiting on some equipment to arrive, which was purchased with around $38,600. Meanwhile, officers needed to work off-days for training will be reimbursed through compensatory time to keep overtime costs down, according to the deputy chief.

While the team was inactive, Auburn police relied on other emergency response squads for aid, such as the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office unit. Mutual aid through the sheriff's office has been requested at least three to four times this year, Anthony said.

The deputy chief said Auburn's ERT has also responded to community mental health calls when necessary. With the team shelved over the last few years, Anthony said it wasn't always clear how officers would respond to those situations without readily available resources.

"It gives that safety net there that impacts that morale substantially," he said.
Han Gyi, coordinator for the Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma (ND-Burma), told KIC News that out of the 98 violations reported in Burma from January to June this yearan increase from 84 recorded last yearhis organization counted 54 cases in Shan State in their new report.

As most of the military conflicts took place in northern Shan State, human rights violations rank the highest in these conflict areas. We mostly found tortures and killings, he explained.

The violations included cases of civilians in conflict zones being tortured by the Burmese military under the pretense of collaboration with armed groups, with some interrogations ending in death.

The report also found ethnic armed groups were responsible for committing human rights abuses.

Violations were classified as: arbitrary/illegal arrest/detention; confiscation/destruction of property; disappearance; forced labour; forced relocation; human trafficking; killing; obstruction of freedom of expression/assembly; rape; other sexual violence; torture; use of child soldiers; and arbitrary taxation.

Kachin State held the notorious title of having the second highest occurrences of human rights violations.

The report detailed the on-going conflicts taking place in both statesmainly, between the Burma Army and armed groups, Taang National Liberation Army; the Kachin Independence Army; and Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army.

However, it also recorded rights abuses that have resulted from fighting between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army and Taang National Liberation Army.

Information about the two villagers that were killed by Burma Army in Ye Township in Mon State was included in the report.

The ND-Burma is urging for the government to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment and its Optional Protocola commitment that was made under the previous U Thein Sein administration.

The ND-Burma that was formed in 2004, drawing members from ethnic groups, youth and women organisations, and other human rights watchdog organisations, monitors human rights violations in Burma, sometimes seeking justice for victims.

Reporting by Sa Isue for KIC News

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited by BNI staff
MNPs Sub-headquarter Implementing Committee also selected the partys township-level executive committee members on August 28.

We opened a branch office in Rangoon because there are many Mon people in Rangoon. This move is intended to gather them. We opened this office with the purpose of involving Rangoons Mon people in politics, too. We welcome every Mon person in Rangoon. We would like them to cooperate with us as members, said Nai Ngwe Thein, the partys chairman.

Nai Ngwe Thein delivering a speech at MNPs Tamwe Township office opening (Photo: MNA)

The Tamwe Township-level executive committee is comprised of 15 members, including Nai Mya Maung as chairman, Nai Tin Htay as vice-chairman and Min Pay Than as secretary.

Mon people in Rangoon have been afraid of involving themselves in politics in the past, especially those working as government staff and businesspersons. However, now the situation has changed. The population of Mon people in Rangoon is quite big. Therefore, we opened this first branch in this township as we want to gather all Mon people in the city, said Min Banyar San, secretary of MNPs sub-headquarter committee.

The MNP plans to continue to open more branch offices in other townships across Rangoon, also known as the Yangon Region.

I am Mon but speak very little Mon language. However, I would like to work for the Mon people and that is why I am now working at MNP, said Mi Nwe Nwe Linn, member of MNPs central executive committee.

50 MNP candidates competed in the 2015 elections for their respective constituencies in Mon State, Karen State and Tenasserim Division. However, of the 50 candidates, only 3 won seats; one for Amyotha Hluttaw and 2 for Mon State Hluttaw.

MNP was initially founded as the Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF) in 1988, and competed in the 1990 elections. However, it was dissolved by the then military government in 1992, while the partys senior leaders were put in prison by the military. After the quasi-democratic government took office, the MNP then registered as Mon Democracy Party in 2012, and then changed the name MNP in 2014.
Sai Leik, a SNLD spokesperson, told SHAN that the chairperson decided not to join after three armed groups--the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA)--were excluded from attending, despite expressing interest in taking part in peace talks in a recent joint statement.

Our chairman Khun Htun Oo received the proposal by the UNFC to attend it but he has earlier announced that he will not attend and sign anything (at the peace conference) if it is not all-inclusive, Sai Leik said.

Led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Union Peace Conference that started today and goes until Sunday is expected to draw 1,800 attendees from members of the government, the Burma Army, ethnic armed groups and civil society.

Sai Leik, who is currently in Naypyidaw, has found that the conference is poorly planned.

They still havent been able to negotiate the sitting plan yet, he explained.

Regarding the Burma Army, he said that it doesnt have a precise policy on peace process or the willingness to treat us equally.

The Burma Army and government told the AA, MNDAA and TNLA that they need to agree to surrender their arms as a precondition for attending the peace conference.

Predictably the three ethnic armed groups have refused to disarm without guarantees from the government or the Burma Army.

Reporting by SHAN

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited by BNI staff
Mai Mai, a member of NEYA, said that because they received the invitation so late, and they had to pay their own travel costs, they could only field nine members.

Youth member, Min Naung Htaw said its unclear exactly what input youth will be able to contribute during the conference since it was decided that the dialogue will be trilateral--the government, ethnic armed groups and Burma Army.

The invitation to attend as observers, and just before the peace conference begins, feels a bit forced, he explained.

In days preceding the conference, some civil society groups have criticized the conference for not being inclusive enough.

This has prompted Yanghee Lee, UN Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, to write that ignoring the input of important stakeholders during the conference would negate its effectiveness for creating positive change in the country.

In a recent article penned by Lee herself, she wrote: Youth, as the future of the country, must also play a role and I was disappointed to hear comments from senior individuals that the outcomes of the recent ethnic youth summit will not be considered in the process.

Input from women, grassroots organizations and civil society are crucial for the conference to have the ingredients for a sustainable, inclusive process which can propel the country forward and into the prosperous future for all wrote the UN rapporteur.

Mai Mai said: We are only being invited as observers, explaining that in order to properly represent concerns of the youth, a more active role at the table is required.

The NEYA was formed in late July following the National Ethnic Youth Conference in historic town Panglong in Shan State.

Reporting by Hwan Hein for S.HAN

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited by BNI staff
As the West Onondaga County Journal marks its 10th anniversary in 2016, we take a look at the people, places and events that made headlines around the community over the past decade.

With the help of the Skaneateles Historical Society, we have compiled a list of the biggest stories of the past 10 years for this week in history:

Aug. 30, 2006

 Former Skaneateles Town Supervisor Bill Pavlus says he filed reports with the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office regarding incidents of vandalism at the town Conversation Area on Guppy Road.

 The body of Patrick Kendrick, 55, of Syracuse, is discovered in shallow water near Clift Park in Skaneateles by a woman walking her dog, though sheriff's office officials do not suspect foul play.

 A new temporary sign directing visitors to the village of Skaneateles to Fennell Street businesses will be allowed on weekends and holidays, but the village board wants to consider changes to that rule.

Aug. 29, 2007

 Skaneateles Police Department officials are hopeful new in-car cameras and other updated technology will help to make better cases by allowing juries to see exactly what happened during incidents and arrests.

 The Skaneateles village board authorizes Syracuse engineering firm Environmental Design & Research to draft some conceptual drawings for a West Lake Street road reconstruction project.

 State Sen. John DeFrancisco is among the local and state officials calling upon the governor to name an agency to supervise, coordinate and approve highway routing designations for hazardous materials.

Aug. 27, 2008

 Incumbent Skaneateles Town Justice Charlie Major, a Republican, and challenger Paul Fiutak, a Democrat, vie for the justice seat that Major has held for the last four years and 12 years before that.

 Bob Werner, the treasurer for the Tri-County Skaneateles Lake Pure Water Association, says a lack of funding cut short the second year of a project to remove Eurasian watermilfoil from the lake water.

 The public will weigh in on the Skaneateles Town Board's pending decision whether to repeal the current mining regulations in favor of a floating mining zone during an upcoming public hearing.

Sept. 2, 2009

 Cayuga County Highland Search and Rescue conducts recertification and training exercises in the Skaneateles Conservation Area to ensure dog handlers and their animals know the necessary skills.

 Groups with a stake in the pending truck traffic regulations are calling on the public to comment on the proposal to keep trucks off certain rural, scene byways during the 45-day public comment period.

 Barbara Clary, president of the Upstate Safety Task Force, will join the ranks of state officials on Gov. David Paterson's coalition to improve public relations with the transportation industry on truck traffic.

Sept. 1, 2010

 Skaneateles residents Kayla, 11, and Jill Ramsden are among the 35 girls and women who are members of the Erie Canal Cloggers that hosted a series of dance performances at the state fair.

 The Syracuse water department agrees to send a letter to the Skaneateles Village Police Department authorizing it to start moving boats parked illegally in the Skaneateles Lake outlet on city property.

 The village of Skaneateles is about to spend half a million dollars eliminating two microscopic disease-causing pathogens from Skaneateles Lake drinking water under orders from the federal EPA.

Aug. 31, 2011

 Taxpayers in the towns of Skaneateles, Marcellus and Sennett are looking at a 3.89 percent tax levy increase in their Skaneateles school district taxes because of changes in the Spafford equalization rate.

 The Skaneateles village board agrees to consider placing six stop signs in residential areas of the village after receiving a petition supporting more traffic control from 30 Academy Street residents.

 Approximately 200 people attend the Champagne and Sliders at Thom Filicia's Lakeside Work-in-Progress party to benefit the Skaneateles Historical Society following a recent museum expansion.

Aug. 29, 2012

 After a year and a half of working in their studio in Skaneateles Junction, Keith Traub and Thereas Daddona-Traub are bringing their Unite Two Design work to a village space on Fennell Street.

 As she begins her one-year appointment as Skaneateles interim superintendent, Judith Pastel sees plenty of time to ensure the district remains on track as it prepares for its next top administrator.

 Local lawmakers, business representatives and area farmers gather at Twin Birch Farms in Skaneateles to see the debut of a system that removes hydrogen sulfide from the biogas it produces at the dairy farm.

Aug. 28, 2013

 President Barack Obama and his motorcade pass through the Skaneateles on Route 20 while traveling from Auburn, where he stayed overnight, to Binghamton during the president's central New York tour.

 In the wake of the defeat of a $22.7 million capital improvement project, the Skaneateles Board of Education considers a $2.5 million proposal to improve five building and grounds areas in need.

 Skaneateles Village Director of Municipal Operations Bob Lotkowictz reports that water pressure in village fire hydrants is at optimum levels because two elevated chlorine tanks are no longer needed.

Sept. 3, 2014

 Race officials announce the that swim portion of the final Skaneateles Triathlon is canceled because of safety concerns in the water, leaving just the biking and running portions of the event for competitors.

 Skaneateles Village Mayor Marty Hubbard removes Trustee Jim Lanning from his assignment as the village board's liaison to the fire department after Lanning's actions related to a public parking debate.

 The Skaneateles village board approves spending up to $15,000 for phase one design work for the new village hall project to renovate the entrance and exist between the building, credit union and post office.

Sept. 2, 2015

 Following a community tradition in Skaneateles, volunteers gather at State Street Intermediate School throughout the weekend to build the school's new playground funded by the Parent Teacher Committee.

 The consensus regarding a Skaneateles village local law is that closing an alleyway between the Village Square building and the RE/MAX real estate office would create safer passage for pedestrians.

 Spafford Planning Board member Chris Kozub will challenge incumbent Supervisor Mary Bean for her position, while newcomers Cherry Randall and Luke DeWitt will seek the two councilor seats.
Longer shelf-lives for dairy products may be around the corner





Dairy producers may soon be able to improve the quality of their products, including extending product shelf-life, thanks to the work of a group of US scientists.

Published in volume seven, issue four, of the MBio journal, the scientists have discovered the bacterial flora in each batch of raw milk is unique and that it changes with the weather.

With this new knowledge, the scientists say they can now try to better understand and control the microbes coming into processing facilities and thereby avoid some food waste.

The ultimate goal in all of this research is to get dairy products with longer shelf life, less spoilage, and less waste, said one of the scientists, Dr Maria Marco, from the University of California-Davis.

We dont know what kind of influences the environment has on the microbiome on our foods, and this study is a step forward in that direction, she said.

The microbial component of raw milk inevitably has an impact on the quality, shelf life and the safety of processed milk and other dairy products.

While harmful bacteria rarely reach the consumer as they are destroyed during pasteurisation, other bacteria can cause spoilage or defects in the product, such as off-flavours in cheese, which can result in product having to be discarded.

How the study worked

During the study, the scientists studied raw milk collected for large-scale processing in California.

California is the largest producer of milk in the United States, producing 20 per cent of the total U.S. milk production.

The scientists analysed the bacteria in raw milk arriving in 899 tanker trucks at two different dairy processors in the California Central Valley in the autumn of 2013 and the spring and summer of 2014.

The scientists found that the bacteria were highly diverse with changes according to season.

By being aware of the types of microbes present in foods, scientists can devise ways to manage or get rid of spoilage microbes, so they do not make their way into the final product where they may cause quality problems.

This study was an exploratory mission to find out what types of bacteria are in our raw milk and what happens to them when they reach the built-environment, said Dr. Marco.

We now need to tackle the bigger problem of how can we control those microbes in an effective way, she stated.
LONDON, UKEroticon, the sexual authors' and pleasure products expo, previously held in Bristol, is moving to its new home in Camden, London, and will have sessions that range from advice on blog promotion and working with adult industry companies, to panels and workshops on writing and campaigning. The speakers so far reflect the breadth of topics that will be covered at the event.

Myles Jackman is the obscenity lawyer helping to drive the UKs fight against porn censorship. Hell be speaking about the current landscape of censorship in the UK and how writers can help to join the fight.

Paisley Gilmour will join a panel comprised of writers and editors from the mainstream press, giving sex writers tips on how to promote their work outside the adult industry.

Malin James, erotic writer and essayist, will be giving a workshop on how to write narrative sex,- giving attendees tools and advice to help them write incredible short stories.

Other speakers include The Big Gay Review, a hugely popular sex toy reviewer who has achieved extraordinary traffic growth in the two years hes been blogging. Hell be giving advice on affiliate schemes, and how sex toy reviewers can make the most of them. Ruby Goodnight is dropping in from the States to give bloggers and companies advice on how to use social media. And the ever-popular KinkCraft team will be hosting hands-on workshops for attendees who want to try their hand at crafting their own kinky toys.

Eroticon has always appealed to a broad range of influential writers, but this year the organizers say it will be bigger than ever. Its new venue in Camden, London, can hold up to 200 people as well as provide plenty of space for sponsors to exhibit their products and mingle with the attendees.

As for sponsorship, the first companies to come on board are those whove benefited from Eroticon attendance in the past: Doxy, who credit Eroticon with much of their success when they first entered the market, and HotOctopuss, who have seen the huge impact that working with writers can have on reviews and press.

Winning brand and product recognition among the attendees has allowed our small enterprise to compete on an equal basis with established industry names," said William Garland, director of Doxy. "We couldn't be happier that our association with Eroticon will be continuing next year.

When we launched as a small start-up just three years ago, the sex blogging community welcomed us with open arms," noted Adam Lewis, co-founder of Hot Octopuss. "It was sex bloggers support that made it possible for us to make such a mark in the sex toy world when we were completely new to it and had very little marketing budget, and it was the feedback of sex bloggers (among others) that helped us develop PULSE II. The sex positivity of the community also helped inspire our ongoing #SexNotStigma campaign.

2017 is going to be a huge year for us because we have three new toys coming out, so we also couldnt possibly miss the opportunity to show off these products to some of the most important influencers in the sex toy world. We cant wait to find out what you all think!

Eroticon's new organizersMolly Moore (who runs the hugely popular Sinful Sunday project as well as her own blog mollysdailykiss.com), Michael Knight (Mollys partner and tech guru for over 50 sex bloggers), and Girl on the Net (ETO erotic journalist of the year), explained that their focus for this year is on accessibility:

We want to make it as easy as possible for people to attend. Alongside our new venue, were also running a ticket pool for writers who couldnt otherwise afford to come, and discussing ticket sponsorship options with companies who want to help out. There will also be more day tickets available, so that those who cant come for the whole weekend can still drop by to take part in the talks and meet sponsors. Its working so far; we sold out early bird tickets within 24 hours of making them available.

For more info about the event, go to Eroticon.co.

To discuss sponsorship options, email [email protected].
PARISAffil4you, a leading mobile traffic solution provider, on Tuesday announced industry veteran Ines Petersen as its new Director of Sales.

In her new position, the respected industry veteran will assist Affil4you with continued expansion, management and international support.

Affil4you representatives indicated they've been searching for someone with the kind of managerial skills and ethics that Petersen has for quite some time.

"We are thrilled to have Ines on board as her professionalism, experience and pristine reputation that she's built over the past decade is of great asset to our company," said Joey Gabra, managing director of Affil4you. "It is an honor to have her with us for this next chapter in her life and we're pleased to welcome her into the Affil4you family!"

Petersen commented, "I'm excited about the new adventures that await me with Affil4you as I love a good challenge and am confident that collaboration with a company such Affil4you will provide the adrenaline that I've been longing for!"

Affil4you has won numerous awards, including YNOT's Best Mobile Brand, Best Mobile Revenue Program and Company of the Year in 2015. An industry fixture since launching in 2003, Affil4you offers affiliates a vast array of options for which to promote high-converting products to a worldwide audience using intuitive tools and advanced technology.

For more information, email [email protected] or visit affil4you.com.
The final concert in this year's Summer Concert Series at the Arboretum at Flagstaff will be a performance Saturday, Sept. 3, by the Honey DewDrops. The annual concert series is sponsored by the Arboretum and the Flagstaff Arts Council.

The Honey DewDrops, made up of duo Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish, have performed across North America sharing one mic. Their music features tight harmonies and a musical ensemble that includes clawhammer banjo, mandolin and guitars.

Concertgoers can bring their own picnic, or purchase food from Good Times Rolling Kitchen. Lumberyard Brewery beers, Titos Vodka cocktails and a variety of wine will all be for sale.

Tickets can be purchased at Arizona Music Pro (122 E. Route 66), on the Arboretum website or at the door the day of the show. Tickets are $14 for members of the Arboretum and Flagstaff Arts Council; $18 for non-members; and $9 for kids 6-16.

Visit www.thearb.org for more information.

Volunteers and donations needed for 9/11 events

The Civic Service Institute invites the public to help honor and remember the lives lost in 9/11 in three different ways.

First, on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 8 a.m., volunteers will meet at the lawn in front of Flagstaff City Hall to honor lives lost by displaying 2,997 American flags, one for each of those who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The public is invited to help put up the display, and then at 4:30 p.m. that same day, to take down the display.

Secondly, CSI is putting together goodie boxes for first responders. Due to health and safety concerns, the organization is asking for donations of pre-packaged food for the boxes and volunteers to help decorate the boxes. If a club or group would like to decorate a box, email Tyler.Barnard@nau.edu for specifications. To donate food, pre-packaged (or individually packaged) cookies, brownies, cakes, licorice, candies, fruit, etc., contact Tyler at the email address above to arrange for a drop-off or pick-up for food.

Finally, the public is invited to sponsor a flag in honor of a life lost on 9/11. Flag sponsorship is $10 per flag or two flag sponsorships for $15. Money from flag sponsorships will be used, if needed, to purchase food for the first responder boxes and to purchase bigger and nicer flags for the annual 9/11 flag display. The goal is to raise $3,000 which will allow for purchase of the new flags for display next year and goodies for first responders this year.

Tax deductible donations can be made online at https://alumni.nau.edu/giving.aspx  select an amount to give, select Click Here to Search Funds, type in Fund 4188 and then select Civic Service Institute.

If help is needed, contact Carole.Mandino@nau.edu or call 523-6584.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/08/2016 (2250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Aseneskak Casino in northern Manitoba has announced plans to relocate to a larger centre within the province and the organization says it has not ruled out a move to Westman.

The First Nations-run casino opened in Opaskwayak Cree Nation near The Pas in 2002, but has seen a downturn in profits in recent years.

Its a very well-managed casino  its just that we dont have the resources, the people, Aseneskak CEO Suzanne Barbeau-Bracegirdle said. Were only using 172 (gaming machines) and we have a licence for 600 and were only using four table games and we have 30.

While news of the possible relocation comes on the heels of Omnitraxs closure of the Port of Churchill and Tolko Industries pulling out of The Pas, Barbeau-Bracegirdle says the situations are not connected.

We started this process five years ago and weve been working with the government on this, she said, adding that there is a relocation clause in the casinos gaming agreement with the province.

A statement from Heather Stefanson, minister responsible for the Manitoba Liquor and Gaming Authority, says the number, size and location of casinos are negotiated between First Nations and the provincial government, but adds that the province must give written approval before a casino can relocate.

There are currently six casinos in Manitoba, and results of the 2016 Manitoba Gaming Market Assessment show that the provinces gaming revenue has increased by $133 million since 2005.

Stefanson says the provincial market is oversaturated and any changes in capacity have to be backed by a solid market analysis and business plan.

The new Conservative government is also reviewing gaming legislation put in place by the NDP.

The previous NDP government signed one-off, politically motivated agreements. Our government is currently conducting a broader review of the implications of relocated or expanded gaming in Manitoba, Stefanson said.

Barbeau-Bracegirdle believes there is room for another casino near Winnipeg, but says Aseneskak is considering all our options.

Winnipeg or Brandon, it doesnt really matter to us. We want a location where we can get good profits, she said. We want to make sure that they get the investment returns back in dividends.

The Aseneskak Casino is owned by six First Nations in northern Manitoba and Barbeau-Bracegirdle says the organization would be interested in getting more reserves involved in the venture.

Brandon residents voted against the construction of a casino within city limits during plebiscites in 2002 and 2008. However, the citys director of economic development says a public vote is not actually mandatory if a gaming centre wants to open in the city.

I know its an impossibility to separate whats happened in the past  but there is no legal requirement for city council to have a plebiscite, Sandy Trudel said.

Development is good for a community, jobs are good for a community so those things go hand-in-hand.

If they can meet the requirements of the day then development should occur.

While the Aseneskak move is still contingent on provincial approval and likely wont happen for several years, Trudel says she will be watching the situation as it unfolds in northern Manitoba.

Any downturn that happens within the Manitoba economy is something that we follow closely  and then on the flip side, youve always got your ear out for opportunities.

 ewasney@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @evawasney
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/08/2016 (2250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation is reminding groups seeking to help Manitobas homeless population that the deadline is looming for federal funding grants.

Funding is available through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy in three streams: Brandon, Rural and Remote and Aboriginal Undesignated. The closing date is Sept. 19 at 4:30 p.m.

We are looking for projects to complement our already existing Housing First delivery, so that would be capital investments, support services, co-ordination of resources, those kinds of things, Susan Spring, Homelessness Partnering Strategy co-ordinator, said in a previous interview.

As part of the federal governments support for social infrastructure, Budget 2016 is providing an additional $111.8 million to enhance services to address homelessness through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy over two years, starting in 2016-17.

The additional investment will provide communities across Canada with the flexibility and support they need to help prevent and reduce homelessness.

The primary goal for Brandon as a designated Housing First community is to spend a minimum of 40 per cent of its budget on Housing First delivery, Spring said, which is to assist chronically and episodically homeless people to get them off the streets of Brandon into housing. Housing First, and then the necessary support services for the individual.

For funding applications, visit brandonhomelessness.ca.

 The Brandon Sun
Bill Ring held a 250-vote lead over Gary Pearlmutter in the Democratic primary for Coconino County attorney but the race was still too close to call Tuesday night.

According to the unofficial election night results posted by the Coconino County Recorder's Office at approximately 10 p.m., Ring had received 51.2 percent of the vote, compared to Pearlmutter's 48.6 percent, with all polling locations counted.

County Recorder Patty Hansen said as many as 3,000 provisional and absentee ballots still had to be counted. It is possible those votes could make a difference, considering there were fewer than 9,500 votes included in the Tuesday night total.

The winner of the primary will head into the November General Election without a Republican opponent and no one else on the ballot. Libertarian Jonathan Apirion is on the official primary write-in candidate list. The winner of the General Election will succeed outgoing County Attorney David Rozema, who has decided not to run for reelection after eight years in the office.

Ring raised far more campaign funds than Pearlmutter during the primary showdown. According to the pre-primary campaign finance reports filed with the County Recorders Office, Rings campaign had received $22,887 in donations as of Aug. 18  more than double Pearlmutters $10,181.

Ring also received an endorsement from Rozema. Pearlmutter, meanwhile, received campaign contributions from former Coconino County Attorney Terry Hance.

Both Ring and Pearlmutter have had prominent careers as attorneys in the county, though they have different specialties.

Ring spent a short time as a criminal prosecutor but is better known for his work as the senior civil attorney for the Coconino County Attorneys Office, where he has been for a total 15 years, and as the face of the legal challenge to The Hub student housing project in Flagstaffs Southside. He said he saw the impacts growth as the largest civil issue facing the county and the justice system.

Pearlmutter has served 11 years as the director of the Coconino County Legal Defenders Office, one of two county agencies that offer legal services to criminal defendants. He touted his background as both a law enforcement officer for the National Park Service and as an attorney with trial experience during the campaign. He also called for enhanced charging for violent crimes and rehabilitation over incarceration for low-risk offenders.

The Coconino County attorney serves as the countys public prosecutor. Only licensed attorneys at law in good standing are eligible. Salaries for county attorneys are codified in Arizona law. The next Coconino County attorney will make a yearly salary of $123,678.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/08/2016 (2250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  On university campuses, rape cultures existence is still an open question.

In Ottawa, an ongoing debate concerns the use of the term rape culture in a draft policy on sexual violence. Carleton University student activists and union representatives support its inclusion; university administrators reject the terms incorporation. The lack of consensus is a strong indication the idea of rape culture remains an open question on Canadian campuses. This is largely because of conflicting and dubious methodological approaches in research.

If rape culture can be defined as a society in which sexual violence is pervasive and normalized, then it is important to demonstrate how widespread and socially acceptable such violence is on university campuses. More importantly, the evidence to support these claims cannot be generalized from anecdotal cases (sexual assaults by athletes), the experiences of other subgroups (sex workers or First Nations women) or society at large (national surveys). The context under analysis concerns the university campus.

In terms of statistics, one that is often forwarded concerns how nearly 20 per cent of women experience sexual violence or rape while attending university.

If taken at face value, thousands of female students are violated annually on every Canadian campus, a claim supported by Dawn Moore, an associate professor of law and equity chair of the Carleton University Academic Staff Association. She notes how about one in six women will experience sexual violence at university. However, since there is little consistency in how Canadian post-secondary institutions collect and report sexual assault data, Moore fails to reveal how this figure can be accurately applied to all campuses and regions.

Too often, research is borrowed from other jurisdictions or studies. Tyee columnists Toula Drimonis and Ethan Cox relied on American statistics of sexual violence and then attribute these results to Canadian university campuses. Although the Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. concluded one in five women have been raped, Drimonis and Cox make no mention of the fact the one in five figure concerns a nationally representative survey of adults, not a representative sample of university students. The contexts differ widely.

The same statistic was forwarded last year by Celeste Orr, a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa in the Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies. As with Drimonis and Cox, Orr supports the claim nearly one in five women will be sexually assaulted as students, a statistic that appeared in Macleans magazine without a link to verify its source.

So how widespread is rape and sexual assault on Canadian campuses? According to reported cases, it appears rather rare. In 2015, a CBC News exclusive found the number of sexual assaults reported to Canadian post-secondary schools is surprisingly low.

In fact, the CBC News survey showed over the course of five years, only 10 students reported an assault to the (University of Ottawa). If one relied solely on reported cases to universities, it would seem there is a de minimis risk of being sexually assaulted or raped at the University of Ottawa, meaning the odds are so low they may as well be zero. Yet even this assumption is problematic because cases often go unreported to both police and university authorities. A rape crisis centre would produce vastly different statistics concerning rates of sexual assault.

More recently, Holly Johnson, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa, highlighted research that broadened the debate over rape culture and sexual violence in the Ending Sexual Violence at the University of Ottawa report. The data showed 44 per cent of women reported experiencing unwanted touching, hugging or kissing while attending the University of Ottawa. Does this kind of face-to-face harassment qualify as rape culture? It depends on how wide or narrow one defines rape and/or sexual violence.

Perhaps the most damning evidence in the report relates directly to male attitudes toward rape. For example, 21 per cent of men agreed, women tend to exaggerate how much rape affects them, a one-in-five result that is itself worthy of further inquiry.

What the latest controversy at Carleton University proves is the debate surrounding rape culture is ongoing. The discussion is worthwhile, but it must continue to be supported by credible studies highlighting statistically significant experiences of women and men on Canadian university campuses.

 Stuart Chambers, PhD, is a professor in the faculties of arts and social sciences at the University of Ottawa. His column also appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press. schamber@uottawa.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/08/2016 (2250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

By settling out of court this week, the Brandon University Students Union has tacitly admitted that it erred when its board decided to revoke an anti-abortion groups club status.

Or perhaps it couldnt afford the legal bills to fight it.

Either way, BUSU had to face an uncomfortable truth  that it had discriminated against a group based on the content of that groups core beliefs.

As a result of that decision, the pro-life group Students for Life is now recognized as an official student group for the 2016-17 school year, and will be able to book meeting rooms, take part in student club days, apply for club event reimbursement and generally receive free access to BUSU services.

No doubt, there will be some unhappy people on campus as a result of this settlement. In a country where a womans right to choose has become the norm, showing tolerance for a differing opinion has become unfashionable in universities across the country. Brandon is not unique in this.

Its also not the first battle that Students for Life has faced  and won  on campus. Back in 2012-13, the group was banned as a campus club, a move that prompted the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms to get involved. That decision was reversed at the time under threat of court action.

Fast-forward two years later, and SFL filed a lawsuit against the student union this summer alleging that BUSU revoked the clubs student group status in November 2015 and didnt advise the group until Jan. 22, when SFL was denied an application to set up an information table in the Knowles Douglas Student Union Centre on campus.

SFL had appealed that decision at a BUSU council meeting on Feb. 12, where the revocation was upheld.

On behalf of the club, the JCCF filed an application in the Manitoba Court of Queens Bench, seeking a court order for BUSU to reinstate the club, on grounds of BUSUs own policies and bylaws in support of freedom of expression.

In response to the out-of-court settlement, and the reversal of the clubs status revocation, JCCF president John Carpay said he was happy with the outcome, but saddened with the fact that it took a court action for a student government to see reason.

The student union should never have removed club status from this group in the first place, and the student union was quite clear that the only reason why they removed this clubs status was because the student union did not like, or did not agree with their opinions, Carpay said.

There are times when BUSU should have a right to revoke the status of a club. But this was not one of those times.

As weve said before, so long as this group  or any other group is abiding by the law, and taking its message to the student body in a peaceful, respectful tone, there should be no reason to bar it from operating on campus. Universities must be institutions that uphold our basic rights and freedoms, even when opinions clash  especially when opinions clash.

How else can ideas be debated and arguments sharpened, both for and against any specific issue?

It took decades of effort, tears, anger, argument and marching for women in Canada to finally have the legal right to choose. These were hard-won battles that should not be forgotten. But in their haste to defend those rights, universities and student unions have sometimes forgotten that the need for healthy debate on issues of importance is never ending.

We can only hope that future renditions of the student union keep a little institutional memory on file, so that situations like this can be avoided in the future.
No one was shot during a fight first reported as a home invasion in the Doney Park area Monday night.

According to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, the local 911 dispatch center received multiple 911 calls regarding a truck that had crashed off Slayton Ranch Road, as well as a home invasion and assault reported a few minutes later at a nearby residence at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday.

"The call originally came into the Sheriff's (Office) as two separate 911 calls that appear related," according to a Sheriff's Office press release.

Sheriff's officials have not yet determined the cause of the crash. What they do know is at least one individual involved was then accused of entering the nearby home of an acquaintance.

"From initial investigation, it appears the act was not random and that the assailants and victims know each other," said Sheriff's Office spokesperson Erika Wiltenmuth.

She confirmed that at least one shot was fired during the fight in the residence.

"We don't, at this time, have the information about who fired the shot," Wiltenmuth said. "That's still being sorted out."

No gunshot wounds were reported.

She said at least two people were involved in the altercation, though Sheriff's officials are still investigating where additional suspects may have been involved in the altercation or crash.

"Detectives are currently working to determine all of the involved parties and interview them," Wiltenmuth said. "The event is still under investigation."

They are not currently conducting any type of manhunt in the area and the Sheriff's Office has not connected any other home invasions in the Doney Park area to the Monday night altercation and crash.

One person was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries sustained during the altercation inside the residence. That person was treated and released.

An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter responded to the scene to search for possible suspects during the initial investigation overnight. Investigators do not believe there are any suspects at large who would pose a danger to the public.

"We don't want to create any undue fear," Wiltenmuth said. "That's the information that we want to get out, that this was not a random act, not a random home invasion."

The crash and altercation are both under investigation. So far, no criminal charges have been filed.

"We do not have reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to residents in the area," the press release said. "But as always citizens are asked to be aware of their surroundings and report anything suspicious."
Urine in teacher's drink

Flagstaff police arrested a teenager on suspicion of urinating in his teacher's water bottle.

According to the police report, an officer responded to Flagstaff High School approximately 8:30 a.m. this past Friday after school officials investigated the incident, which had occurred the previous week. The teacher told police she had seen one of her students get up during class to fill his water bottle. The teacher asked the student to fill her water bottle, too.

When the student returned with the water bottle, the teacher took a drink. She said the water tasted "funny" but believed it was because the student claimed to have used a water fountain the teacher had never used before.

This past Thursday, another student informed the teacher that the boy who had filled her water bottle was bragging about urinating in it.

The student later admitted to urinating in the water bottle, according to the report, but he claimed he rinsed out the contaminated water bottle before refilling it and giving it to his teacher. He told police he was mad at his teacher for frequently threatening to send him to the school's Response to Intervention disciplinary program and for talking to him in a way that made him feel stupid.

The police completed a juvenile referral charging the 17-year-old suspect with aggravated assault of a school employee.

City and county residents who want to report a crime but wish to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest.
Nineteen Irish people have pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering in the US state of South Carolina.

It is reported the group from the well known Murphy Village have been indicted as part of an FBI investigation into widespread allegations of fraud.
The use of renewable electricity in Ireland increased significantly in 2015, according to a report published today by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

It contributed a quarter of all electricity used and avoided three million tonnes of fossil-fuel related CO2 emissions.

The report, Renewable Electricity in Ireland 2015, shows that renewables contributed the second largest source of electricity last year behind gas and ahead of coal.

More than 80% of renewable electricity generated in Ireland came from wind power accounting for three quarters of the avoided CO2 emissions.

The remaining renewable electricity came from a range of technologies, including hydropower, biomass, waste and landfill gas.

Dr Eimear Cotter, SEAI Head of Low Carbon Technologies, said: "Ireland is making significant progress in decarbonising our electricity system.

"In addition, the economy benefits from the use of local and indigenous renewable energy which brings with it local jobs and enterprise opportunities.

"We know that renewables in electricity generation helps to lower CO2 emissions, but we still have an electricity system that is heavily reliant on carbon emitting fossil fuels. With 2020 renewable electricity targets approaching, we need to intensify action to increase the contribution of all renewables in our electricity mix."
The family of Pat Hickey has met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan to express concerns about his treatment by the Brazilian justice system.

Mr Hickey, who has stepped aside as OCI President, was released on bail from the high security Bangu Prison yesterday.
The Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan is due to meet with Pat Hickey's family this afternoon.

Mr Hickey was released from Bangu Prison yesterday.

As a condition of his release authorities remain in possession of his passport to prevent him leaving Brazil.

The Olympic Council of Ireland President says there is "no substantive proof of any wrongdoing on his part".

Minister Flanagan said his priority is Mr Hickey's safety as an Irish citizen abroad.

Mr Flanagan said: "Like any other Irish citizen, the matter of his welfare and his wealth is one of fundamental importance to me as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

"One of my fundamental duties is the protection of the welfare of Irish citizens abroad."
The Government will decide today whether to formally appeal the EU's 13bn tax ruling against Apple.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan responded to the ruling by saying the State must respond to attempts by the European Commission to dictate Ireland's tax policy, and by denying any illegal State aid.

"Our tax system is founded on the strict application of the law ... without exception," he said.

Mr Noonan is to seek formal government support at an emergency cabinet meeting today to effectively decline the lucrative windfall and to appeal the decision to the European courts.

If it came down to a straightforward Dail vote, an appeal against the European Commissions ruling on Apples back taxes would be easily passed.

Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour are all in favour, granting a vote to appeal the ruling easily 100 votes.

However, the decision rests with the Cabinet, where the position is not so straightforward.

The Independent Alliance was last night unable to agree on its position, and is to hold another meeting this morning to finalise its stance.

It is believed their ministers are deeply unhappy at the idea of turning down a 13bn tax payment.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook accused competition chiefs in Brussels of targeting his global brand with laws that did not exist and simultaneously putting every business on the continent at risk.

The tech guru launched the broadside after Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's landmark ruling into the iPad and iPhone maker's tax affairs found it paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014.

Two years ago, that worked out at 50 on every 1m profit, she said.

Fianna Fail and Labour say they will support an appeal, but all other opposition parties have hit out at the plan.

European officials have spent three years looking at whether Apple channeled all of its European sales through Ireland to benefit from tax incentives here.

Ms Vestager dismissed threatened court challenges from Apple and the Government, saying she had a "very concrete case".

She also said that despite initial Government claims to the contrary, Ireland is free to use the tax cash on public services, and it is not limited to repaying the national debt.

Euan Rellie from BDA Partners - a banking firm based in New York - said Apple would have to pay some of the tax bill.

"There's a huge pressure now arund the world on big corporations to be seen to be doing their share, whether or not in their mind they undertook valid tax avoidance measures. There's huge political pressure on them," he said.

Meanwhile, Apple dismissed suggestions that it will have to pay 6bn interest on top of the 13bn tax bill, while it suggested the legal challenge to the case will take several years.
An injured American tourist, who broke her hip while attempting to drive a mobility scooter up the gangplank of a cruise ship in Cobh more than three weeks ago, has finally been airlifted home.

Robyn Coyle, a 66-year-old former lawyer, left Cork University Hospital at around 7am on Saturday, accompanied by her husband Richard, a retired IT worker.

The couple boarded their transport back to the US at around 9am. Robyn, a California native who is partially deaf, said she is relieved that her nightmare is finally coming to an end.

She first came to Cork at the start of the month via cruise ship. Incredibly, it was the fourth time the woman had attempted to book the trip.

The first time she was forced to cancel due to work, the second time she cancelled due to injury after being in a bad car crash, and the third time it was due to bereavement.

Robyn thought the fourth time, having actually boarded the vessel, would be the charm  until disaster struck mere days into the cruise.

The woman and her husband took a day trip to Blarney and, on the way back, Robyn tried to board the vessel on her mobility scooter, which she has used ever since she was injured in a bad car crash.

Her scooter hit the lip of the gangplank, however, and overturned.

Robyn was flung to the ground and ended up breaking her hip.

Initially, said Robyn, doctors at CUH told her she would have to have surgery, but said they were not comfortable doing the operation at the facility.

As such, Robyn was taken to Tallaght Hospital and was scheduled for surgery there.

Doctors at Tallaght Hospital were also cautious, however, and decided not to operate. Robyn was sent back down to CUH.

At the time, the woman and her husband hit out at the Irish health system, saying communication was very poor and that staff members at both hospitals failed to outline her exact diagnosis to her or a clear and concise treatment plan.

Robyn also said facilities were not up to standard, and spent the last three weeks with not even a TV to take her mind off the intense pain and said in three weeks not once had anyone asked her if she wanted her hair washed.

She said her stay in hospital had been demoralising, embarrassing, and humiliating.

Financially, Robyns insurance will pay for some of the costs of her accident, including roughly $60,000 for an air ambulance to the US, while her husbands insurance will cover others and savings will make up the rest.
Update 8.50pm: Communications Minister Denis Naughten says its a case of Europe attempting to dictate Irish tax law.

He says the Government should appeal the ruling.

"I think the Government are right to appeal it. I think there is a broader issue here of the Commission dabbling into Ireland's ability to actually set corporate tax rates and I think it is important that the Irish Government appeal this decision."

Update 4.50pm: The Cabinet has failed to reach a decision on appealing the Apple tax ruling, and Ministers are to meet again on Friday.

Independent Alliance Ministers have moved towards agreeing to an appeal, but only if they get a recall of the Dail.

While Fine Gael Ministers were clear that the ruling had to be appealed to the European Courts of Justice, Independents around the Cabinet table need convincing.

However Independent Alliance Ministers Shane Ross and Finian McGrath have reportedly signalled they would support a decision to launch an appeal if the Dail is recalled and debates a motion on tax policy that is strongly worded.

In a statement, Children's Minister Katherine Zappone says she welcomes the fact the Cabinet did not rush to a decision, adding she believes there should be greater scrutiny by the Oireachtas to ensure no such issues arise again.

A Cabinet statement said the Government had a thorough discussion of the European Commission decision with regard to Apple.

The statement said: "Cabinet received a detailed briefing from Minister Noonan. Ministers also had an opportunity to examine the full text of the European Commission decision, which is a lengthy and complex document.

"Following the discussion, it was agreed to adjourn the meeting to allow further time to reflect on the issues and to clarify a number of legal and technical issues with the AGs Office and with officials.

"The Government meeting will resume on Friday at 11am to make a decision on the matter."

Update 1.05pm: Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has weighed into the tax dispute between Apple and the European Union, saying the Irish government should write a letter to the EU telling them to "f**k off".

Dubbing the EU's ruling "bizarre", Mr O'Leary said: "One of the fundamental principles of the European Union is that each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions.

"Frankly the Irish government should turn around - they shouldn't even appeal the decision - they should just write a letter to Europe and tell them politely to f**k off.

"The idea that you have the state aid mob - who've had more court verdicts overturned than any other department in Europe in the last 20 years - come along 10 years after the fact and say, 'no we didn't like that, we think you should have done something else', is frankly bizarre."

Apple is set to challenge the decision, and Mr O'Leary added: "I think there's no chance of this surviving a court ruling in Europe. There's certain things that Europe has no competence in."

Update 12.25pm: Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has described the European Commission's 13bn Apple tax decision as "baffling", writes Elaine Loughlin of the Irish Examiner.

Cabinet is today meeting to discuss the ruling which has a caused major split between Fine Gael and members of the Independent Alliance who have differing views on the ruling.

"There are a number of glaring inconsistencies in what the Commission says," he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan "fundamentally disagrees" with Apple ruling which is "baffling" #iestaff pic.twitter.com/jL9NuqaF7B  Elaine Loughlin (@Elaine_Loughlin) August 31, 2016

Speaking before the Cabinet meeting Mr Flanagan said: "I fundamentally disagree with the analysis of the European Commission, the Irish Government takes this most seriously."

He said the government had co-operated fully with the Commission in its investigation and added that "we have always fully enforced our tax laws".

Speaking of the differing views held by members of the Independent Alliance he said: "Of course we have to realise political reality not only do we not have a Fine Gael government, but we don't have a majority government.

"So this issue will be subject to discussion, I hope we will be in a position to have an agreed decision, that's what the Cabinet meeting is all about, to facilitate the reaching of a certain consensus."

Update11.15am: Minister for Jobs Mary Mitchell O'Connor has insisted Ireland will appeal the European ruling forcing it to recoup back taxes from Apple.

Her comments come despite Independent ministers still being unclear about whether to support an appeal against the 13bn ruling.

Minister Mitchell O'Connor said there should be "no question marks" about Ireland's 12.5% corporate tax rate.

She said: "We will be appealing it. It's really important to send out the message loud and clear that there was no criticism on the 12.5% corporation tax (and) no levies or fines imposed on Ireland. Ireland is open for business."

Meanwhile, economist David McWilliams has said the ruling is "political".

"It's about the US on one hand and the EU on the other. Ireland got caught in the middle," he said.

On his way into Government Buildings this morning, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny said everybody needed time to properly digest the 150-page ruling, hinting a decision on the appeal may not be made today despite expectations to the contrary.

Update 11am:The Government body in charge of attracting foreign investment into Ireland has added to the criticism of the European ruling on Apple.

The IDA's chief executive Martin Shanahan said that interfering with our tax laws would make the IDA's job much harder.

"This is a situation where the Commission is retrospectively imposing its 2016 view of tax on an historic international tax context in Ireland. It's very unhelpful," he said.

Earlier:

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe has said Ireland must be allowed set its own taxes, as the fallout continues from the Apple tax ruling.

Minister Donohoe said the Government was not complicit in tax avoidance following the European Commission's ruling yesterday that Apple owes 13bn in back taxes.

The tech giant could be forced to pay Ireland up to 19bn to Ireland when interest is taken into account as a result of the decision.

The cabinet is set to hold a special meeting this morning to discuss the ruling. It is expected that the Government and Apple will both lodge formal appeals.

Minister Donohoe said all Ministers, including those in the Independent Alliance, would be given the opportunity to understand the issue at this morning's gathering.

"The heart of all of this is Irish jobs, and the right that a country has to have the ability to set its own tax policy in an area like this and trust its national institiutions to implement their law," he said.
Police are searching a country park in the North as part of a terrorism investigation which prompted the arrest of a British Royal Marine.

Ciaran Maxwell, 30, from Larne, Co Antrim, was detained by Metropolitan Police officers in southern England in a planned swoop last week. He is still being questioned.

The investigation is linked to the discovery of two dissident-related arsenals in woodland in the North earlier this year.

Officers have returned to Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne, where they found bomb-making items in March.

Last Wednesday's arrest operation involved searches at a house and wooded area in south Devon, England. Searches at the property in Exminster and nearby Powderham New Plantation woods continued the following day.

Officers searched a number of properties in Larne last week and carried out fresh inquiries this week.

Maxwell is being detained on suspicion of preparation for acts of terrorism.

While the threat posed by violent dissident republicans in Northern Ireland has been classified as severe for a number of years, in May the UK intelligence services raised the threat level in Britain from moderate to substantial.

Two separate hauls of weapons were discovered in Carnfunnock and Capanagh parks within three months of each other.

Police said four barrels were unearthed at Carnfunnock - two were empty but two contained a variety of bomb-making components, including wiring, toggle switches, circuit boards, partially constructed timer power units, ball bearings and a small quantity of explosives.

An armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines were among the cache recovered at Capanagh in May.

Several pipe bombs, magazines and ammunition for an assault rifle, and bomb component parts and command wires were also concealed in barrels in purpose-built holes in woodland.

Larne is predominantly unionist/loyalist, so the finds led to initial speculation that they could be linked to loyalist paramilitaries. However, after assessing the weaponry, police concluded they most likely belonged to dissident republicans.

Maxwell has been detained in custody for another week.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "We have a warrant for a further detention from a court for seven days."
With the November elections coming up, Coconino Community College has been working to get the word out on their proposed property tax override.

Proposition 410 will be on the Nov. 8 ballot asking voters to help the college fund programs for vocational skills and replenish staff numbers through a property tax increase.

An endorsement of the proposition from the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce recently came on the heels of CCCs 25th anniversary celebration.

The chamber has weighed in on that and will be advocating for its passage, said Stuart McDaniel, vice president of government affairs at the chamber. Education, and especially workforce development, is something that the chamber is very much in support of.

Everyone in the county benefits from a safer community and a stronger economy, and the key to a stronger economy and a safer community is a well-trained, educated workforce, CCC President Colleen Smith said in a press release.

A handful of employers in Flagstaff have indicated that they need employees with a more specific skill set, McDaniel said. CCC wants to fill that need by using the funds from the property tax override to bring back some of the programs that they had to drop due to budget cuts and put more money into others that have proven to be successful.

For example, a partnership between the college and Goodwill Industries of Northern Arizona has found people jobs for the past three years. Their Certified Apartment Maintenance Technician certification program trains adults in building maintenance, fair housing rules, customer service skills and more. Several of last years trainees were even offered positions on the spot at a job fair that was held prior to their graduation.

If the override passes, the funds will go toward helping more programs like that get off the ground.

The college proposed overrides in 2006 and 2013, but both failed.

The last time we got an override (on the ballot), we described it as, if it doesnt pass, this is what youre going to lose, explained Scott Talboom, executive director of institutional advancement at CCC. This time around, what were looking at is an approach thats more positive, explaining that this is what you will get with your money, and I think that people will want to hear that.

They hope to hire more full-time instructors and enhance their veteran programs as well as provide more programs to teach the vocational skills needed in the community.

CCC will be holding several open houses leading up to the election for community members to discuss Prop 410 with representatives or learn anything else about the college. The first will be Saturday, Sept. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Summit Fire Station 37, 5500 N. Fort Valley Road, and the second will be held Thursday, Sept. 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Flagstaff Public Library, 300 W. Aspen Ave.
Update 1am: Donald Trump was told that Mexico would not pay for the tycoon's proposed border wall, President Enrique Pena Nieto has said.

The Republican presidential nominee said after meeting Mr Pena Nieto that they discussed the massive wall on the US-Mexico border, but not paying for it.

However the Mexican president later tweeted: At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made clear that Mexico would not pay for the wall."

The two men met privately in Mexico City on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Trump is due to give a major speech on immigration in Arizona later.

Update 10.15pm: Donald Trump has defended the right of the United States to build a massive border wall along its southern flank as he arrived in Mexico to meet the country's president.

However, he declined to repeat his frequent promise to force Mexico to pay for it as he stood alongside Enrique Pena Nieto.

Mr Trump, the US presidential candidate who is widely despised across Mexico, also side-stepped his repeated criticism of Mexican immigrants following a closed-door meeting at the official residence of the president.

Mr Trump and Mr Pena Nieto, who has compared the New York billionaire to Adolf Hitler, addressed reporters from adjacent podiums flanked by a Mexican flag.

Donald Trump's precursor to speech on immigration _ a meeting with Mexico's president. https://t.co/WNPHAZs0q0 pic.twitter.com/yBmjRwjMFP  AP Politics (@AP_Politics) August 31, 2016

"We did discus the wall. We didn't discuss payment of the wall," Mr Trump said.

In his announcement of his presidential candidacy last year, Mr Trump derided Mexico as a source of rapists and criminals coming to the US, and his presence on Wednesday sparked anger and protests across the capital city.

A former Mexican president bluntly told the celebrity businessman that, despite Mr Pena Nieto's hospitality, he was not welcome.

"We don't like him. We don't want him. We reject his visit," former president Vicente Fox said, calling the trip a "political stunt".

Mr Pena Nieto was less combative as he addressed reporters alongside Mr Trump. He acknowledged the two men had differences, but he described their conversation as "open and constructive". They shook hands as the session ended.

The trip, a politically risky move for Mr Trump 10 weeks before election day, came just hours before the Republican nominee was to deliver a highly anticipated speech in Arizona about illegal immigration. That has been a defining issue of Mr Trump's presidential campaign, but also one on which he has appeared to waver in recent days.

In Mexico, @realDonaldTrump met President @EPN, but kept mum on the border wall and who would pay for it. https://t.co/tlufW548qc  Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) August 31, 2016

After saying during his Republican primary campaign he would use a "deportation force" to expel all of the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally, Mr Trump suggested last week he could soften that stance.

But he still says he plans to build a huge wall - paid for by Mexico - along the two nations' border. He is under pressure to clarify just where he stands in a speech that has been rescheduled several times as he and his staff sent varied and conflicting messages on the issue.

"The American people are going to see more clearly that there's one candidate in this race who's prepared to take the steps necessary to end the flood of illegal immigration," Mr Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, said.

The build-up to the speech was abruptly interrupted on Tuesday night by the news that Mr Trump would visit Mexico, accepting on short notice an invitation offered last week by Mr Pena Nieto. The newspaper El Universal wrote in an editorial that Mr Trump "caught Mexican diplomats off guard".

Earlier:Donald Trump has arrived in Mexico to meet the president of a nation he derided at the start of his White House campaign as a source of rapists and criminals coming to the United States.

The trip, a politically risky move 10 weeks before Election Day, puts Mr Trump in a country where he is widely despised alongside a foreign leader who has compared him to Adolf Hitler.

It also comes hours before the Republican presidential nominee delivers a highly anticipated speech in Arizona about illegal immigration, a defining issue of Mr Trump's presidential campaign - but also one on which he has appeared to waver in recent days.

The visit follows an invitation from President Enrique Pena Nieto, but protests are expected.

Both a former Mexican president and first lady bluntly told the billionaire New Yorker that, despite Mr Pena Nieto's hospitality, he is not welcome.

"We don't like him. We don't want him. We reject his visit," former Mexican President Vicente Fox told CNN, calling the trip a "political stunt."

Added former first lady Margarita Zavala on Twitter: "We Mexicans have dignity, and we reject your hate speech."

After saying during his Republican primary campaign he would use a "deportation force" to expel all of the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally," Mr Trump suggested last week he could soften that stance.

But he still says he plans to build a huge wall - paid for by Mexico - along the two nations' border.

He is under pressure to clarify just where he stands in a speech that has been rescheduled several times as he and his staff has sent varied and conflicting messages on the issue.

"The American people are going to see more clearly that there's one candidate in this race who's prepared to take the steps necessary to end the flood of illegal immigration," Trump's running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, said on CNN.

Mr Trump will also make clear, Mr Pence later told CBS, "that there will be no path to legalisation, no path to citizenship. People will need to leave the country to be able to obtain legal status or obtain citizenship."

Here's a brief history of Donald Trump's long-running feud with Mexico https://t.co/RMa4RIwuIF  NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 31, 2016

The build-up to the speech was abruptly interrupted on Tuesday night by the news that Mr Trump would make the visit, accepting on short notice an invitation offered last week by President Pena Nieto.

The newspaper El Universal wrote in an editorial that Mr Trump "caught Mexican diplomats off guard."

More than 100 members of the Mexican press were gathered at Mr Pena Nieto's residence, where Mr Trump and the Mexican president were scheduled to make a joint appearance after a private meeting.

Campaigning in Ohio, Democrat Hillary Clinton jabbed at Trump's Mexican visit as she promoted her own experience working with foreign leaders as the nation's chief diplomat.

"People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you won't say one thing one day and something totally different the next," she told the American Legion in Cincinnati.

"And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbours for a few hours and then flying home again."
The last surviving prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials has donated $1m to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's genocide prevention centre.

The museum announced on Wednesday that Ben Ferencz will donate the sum to the Simon-Skjodt Centre for the Prevention of Genocide.
A former hospital administrator stabbed his elderly father to death and tried to kill two young children to spare them from "torture and crucifixion", a court heard.

Mentally ill Suluk Ahmed, 32, from Bethnal Green, east London, quit his job just weeks before the attack on 79-year-old Jamil Ali and a boy and girl, aged two and 12.

At the time of the stabbings in August last year, Ahmed believed he was "doing the right thing, saving them from a fate worse than death", jurors were told.

Ahmed, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, denies the manslaughter of Mr Ali and the attempted murder of the children, who cannot be identified, by reason of insanity.

Opening his Old Bailey trial, Zoe Johnson QC said all three victims were stabbed in quick succession at a house in Tower Hamlets on August 23 last year.

She told jurors: "Mr Ahmed admits killing his father and attempting to kill (the two children) and the only issue in this trial will be a psychiatric one."

Ahmed was so "out of touch with reality", he believed his vulnerable victims were going to be tortured and crucified, she said.

Before the attacks, twice married Ahmed was regarded as an "ordinary outgoing man" who got on well with his father, she said.

He had worked as an administrator at St Mary's Hospital in London for five years but about a year before the stabbings, a new manager was appointed who he felt bullied him, the court heard.

He took sick leave and was prescribed anti-depressants by his doctor before returning to work in July last year.

But by then, he felt he was being "persecuted" and he became "paranoid and anxious", believing his computer had been hacked and the manager wanted to blow him up, jurors were told.

A few weeks before the stabbings, he resigned from his "beloved" job and his second marriage also ended as Ahmed thought his wife was in "cahoots" with the manager, Ms Johnson said.

On August 23 last year, paramedics went to a house in Tower Hamlets where they disarmed Ahmed, who had tried to stab himself as well as his three victims, the jury was told.

The toddler had a chest wound, just centimetres from his heart, and the older girl had suffered two stab injuries to her back.

Mr Ali had been knifed in the heart and was discovered lying in his bed, the court heard.

Ms Johnson told jurors that two psychiatrists had agreed on Ahmed's mental state and would give evidence in the trial.

If Ahmed is found not guilty of the charges by reason of insanity he is likely to be made the subject of a hospital order.

The trial was adjourned until Thursday.
A Russian air strike killed the Islamic State group's spokesman and chief strategist, says Russia's defence ministry.

The ministry says its intelligence confirmed that a Russian air strike on Aleppo province killed 40 IS militants, including spokesman Abu Muhammed al-Adnani.

His death is a major blow to the extremist group, which has been retreating in Syria and Iraq.

The United States said it launched an air strike targeting al-Adnani in the Syrian city of al-Bab, which is north-east of Aleppo.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said on Tuesday the US was "still assessing the results of the strike."

Al-Adnani persistently called for attacks against the West.
LONDON: OPEC is likely to maintain its view world oil demand will rise for another decade, longer than many other...
Elected officials tend to pass laws they believe will appeal to the median voter. A politician on the left or right usually can win more votes by moving to the center, a theory you can see in action by watching how presidential candidates soften their policies after the primaries.

The median voter wields great power over what politicians ultimately do. But  and heres the problem  the median voter would fail economics or Political Science 101.

For 60 years, political scientists have studied what voters actually know. The results are depressing. Hundreds of different surveys, such as the American National Election Studies, find that the median voter is ignorant or misinformed not only about the social sciences needed to evaluate candidates policy proposals, but even of basic facts and trends, such as what the unemployment rate is and whether its going up or down.

This isnt because public schools fail us. Its not because Fox News or MSNBC (take your pick) bamboozles poor voters with well-crafted lies. Its not because people are inherently stupid or unable to think for themselves. Its because democracy gives us the wrong incentives.

How we vote matters, but how any one of us votes does not. The chance an individual vote will make a difference is vanishingly small. Thus, we have little incentive to gather relevant information so that we can cast our votes in careful, thoughtful ways. Votes are like lottery tickets. Winning the lottery changes everything, but an individual lottery ticket is nearly worthless. If a philanthropist offered to pay you $10 million if you could pass Economics 101, youd probably learn basic economics. But if the same philanthropist offered you a 1 in 100 million chance of winning $10 million if you could pass Economics 101, youd stay ignorant.

While not everything governments do is decided by voters  bureaucracies, parties and officials have significant independence  what voters want makes a difference. And since voters are generally uninformed, we get worse policies that we would with a better-informed electorate. For instance, high-information voters (regardless of race, income or gender) tend to support free trade, while low-information voters have the opposite view; the latter may well force politicians to squelch the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which most experts agree is good for the global economy.

We cannot fix this problem because its a built-in feature of democracy. So maybe its time to consider an alternative to democracy called epistocracy. In a democracy, every citizen gets an equal right to vote. In an epistocracy, voting power is widespread, but votes are weighted: More knowledgeable citizens votes count more.

Relatively speaking, representative democracies function rather well: They are in general more prosperous and protect citizens rights better than other forms of government. An epistocracy would try to copy what makes democracies work, but do it better. Epistocracies should keep some things  like our basic rights  off the bargaining table. They should make power widespread because concentrating power among the few invites abuse. Epistocracies should have constitutional limits on power, judicial review, checks and balances and a bill of rights  just like representative democracies.

Epistocracy comes in many forms. An epistocracy might give everyone one vote, then grant extra votes to citizens who pass a test of basic political knowledge (such as the citizenship exam). Or it might grant the right to vote only to citizens who pass such a test. Or it might instead hold an enfranchisement lottery: Immediately before an election, choose 10,000 citizens at random, and then those citizens, and only those, are permitted to vote, but only if they first complete a competence-building exercise.

Or, an epistocracy might govern through what I call a simulated oracle. In this system, every citizen may vote and express his or her policy preferences through public polls. Citizens would not only be asked which candidates they support, but also which policies they support. When citizens vote, we would require them to take a test of basic political knowledge (such as which party controls Congress or what the unemployment rate is) and disclose their demographic information.

Having collected this information  who citizens are, what they want and what they know  any statistician then could calculate the publics enlightened preferences, that is, what a demographically identical voting population would support if only it were better informed. An epistocracy might then instantiate the publics enlightened preferences rather than their actual, unenlightened preferences.

Dont confuse epistocracy with technocracy. In a technocracy  a system of governance espoused by many progressives  small panels of expert bureaucrats engage in massive paternalistic social engineering. Technocracy is more about what the government does rather than who the government is.

One major question is what counts, and who decides what counts, as political competence or basic political knowledge. We dont want selfish parties rigging a political exam for their own benefit. One solution would be to use widely accepted existing tests, such as the American Citizenship Exam. Another, almost paradoxical sounding idea, is that we could allow the qualification exam itself to be chosen though a democratic process. The idea here is that voters might be competent to answer the easy question of what counts as a good voter, even if they are not competent to answer the hard questions about the economics of international trade or immigration.

Some would object that epistocracy is essentially inegalitarian. In an epistocracy, not everyone has the same voting power. But whats so wrong with that? Only some people have plumbing or hairdressing licenses because we accept that only some people are qualified to fix pipes or cut hair. Perhaps only some people, rather than everyone 18 and over, are truly qualified to decide who will lead the most powerful country on earth.

Another obvious complaint is that in an epistocracy, some demographic groups would have more voting power than others because some demographic groups have more measurable political knowledge than others. In our society, advantaged people are more knowledgeable, and advantaged people are more likely to be old and white than young and brown. Epistocracy could therefore take us back to the bad old days when middle-aged white professionals had more sway at the ballot box than everyone else. But at least some versions of epistocracy  such as the enfranchisement lottery or simulated oracle  avoid this problem.

Any epistocratic system would face abuse. Epistocracy would work better in high-trust, low-corruption societies  such as New Zealand or Denmark  rather than low-trust, high-corruption societies, such as Russia or Venezuela. In the latter, whoever designed the voting requirements would be more likely to rig it in favor of certain outcomes, and citizens would be more likely to suspect unfairness, even if there were none. But thats also true of democracy.

The interesting question isnt which system is perfect, but which system would work best, warts and all.
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Next year, Canberra audiences will finally get the opportunity to experience one of the most successful hit musicals in their home town. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Andrew Barr announced the new professional production of Mamma Mia! will premiere at the Canberra Theatre in November 2017 at the start of its Australian tour.

The musical  which features hit songs by ABBA including Dancing Queen, Money, Money, Money and SOS  will run for three weeks in Canberra before moving on to five other Australian capital cities. No creative or casting announcements have been made yet.

Mamma Mia co-producer Louise Withers at the Canberra Theatre for the announcement of Mamma Mia!. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

Louise Withers, who is producing Mamma Mia! with Michael Coppel and Linda Bewick, has been in the theatrical business for three decades both on and off stage. She was executive producer of the first Australian production of the show in 2001-5 and co-producer of the 2009-10 revival and is currently co-producing the Australian productions of Matilda and Fawlty Towers. Her productions of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap (2012) and A Murder is Announced (2014) had come to Canberra but this was the first time she had brought a musical to the national capital.

"Some productions couldn't play the Canberra Theatre Centre but there are many that could," Withers said.
Politicians arriving at Parliament House on Wednesday morning were greeted by 300 coral sculptures placed on the lawns overnight by activists.

The cutouts were planted by Greenpeace to send a message to the nation's leaders to choose the Great Barrier Reef over the coal industry, Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Nikola Casule said.

Coral reef cutouts were placed on the Parliament House lawn by Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists. Credit:Dean Sewell

A sign that said "choose the reef, not coal" was also on display.

The act was in response to new research undertaken by ReachTEL for Greenpeace Australia Pacific that showed more than two-thirds of Australians want the government to prioritise the Australian environment over the coal mining industry.
APAs are an agreement between the agency and the company about future taxes they are expected to pay and based on what terms. 'The vast majority of our profits are taxed in the United States': Apple chief Tim Cook. Credit:AP Technology giants like Apple have used such agreements with governments all over the world for decades. It has allowed tech giants to legally shift profits to lower tax jurisdictions to avoid paying tax locally. But now the government revenues have dried up, those special deals are off the table, and companies are being made to pay up. The ATO issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon saying that while "Australia's tax system is not immediately comparable with European Union nations" the federal government's tougher anti-avoidance laws are "designed to counter the erosion of the Australian tax base".

This is aimed at stopping "multinational entities using artificial and contrived arrangements to avoid the attribution of profits to a permanent establishment in Australia". This is just the beginning, governments around the world are closely watching this decision. It noted that while it was "generally acceptable" for nation's to have incentives for companies to invest and do business there, it was "unacceptable" to "transfer mis-price to artificially boost profits in lower taxed countries". "This is even more critical where countries provide 'tax holidays' to particular companies or industries," its statement said. The ATO also noted that "APA's are only entered into where the ATO has a constructive working relationship with the company based on full disclosure", and that APA's are not simply rolled forward, but "regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain relevant and appropriate to the business actually being carried on in Australia". How it all began

Brussels launched an inquiry into Apple's tax arrangements in Ireland in 2014, following a series of other cases targeting major US corporations. The EU's investigation concluded that two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple have "substantially and artificially" lowered the tax paid by Apple in Ireland since 1991 and did not "correspond to economic reality" and has ordered reland to recover the unpaid taxes in Ireland from Apple for the years 2003 to 2014. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said in a statement that this "selective treatment" had allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 per cent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 per cent in 2014." The move has angered Washington, which according to an Associated Press report, says the "Obama administration is concerned that American taxpayers will ultimately bear the brunt of the European Union's decision requiring Apple to pay billions of dollars in back taxes". At issue is where companies should be attributing profits. The EU says Apple's decision to record all sales in Ireland rather than in the countries where the products were sold is wrong.

'No factual or economic justification' It is true that Apple and other US firms leave much of their foreign earnings overseas to avoid higher US tax rates. But now everyone wants a share of the pie. Treasury officials have said they're working to get companies to repatriate those funds. Source: European Commission. What that means is that previous rulings issued by sovereign governments - in this case, taxable profits of Apple sales International and Apple operations Europe in Ireland were determined by a tax ruling granted by Ireland - will continue to be disputed.

"The role of EU state aid control is to ensure member states do not give selected companies a better tax treatment than others, via tax rulings or otherwise," the EU said. It added Apple's "head offices" existed only on paper and could not have generated such profits. "These profits allocated to the 'head offices' were not subject to tax in any country under specific provisions of the Irish tax law, which are no longer in force," it said. This, it says, "enabled Apple to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales of Apple products in the entire EU single market". Therefore, only a small percentage of Apple sales International's profits were taxed in Ireland, and the rest was taxed nowhere. This is artificial, the EU says, with "no factual or economic justification". 'It's not about how much Apple pays in taxes'
Uber drivers fear they will bear the cost of the Victorian government's decision to introduce a levy on ride sharing.

The $2 levy is part of the state government's plan to legalise ride-sharing services like Uber, while compensating existing taxi drivers and funding a $378 million buy-back scheme for taxi licences.

All commercial passenger vehicles will have to pay the tax, which the Andrews government expects will raise $44 million a year.

The Ride Share Drivers' Association of Australia said it is concerned Uber will simply shift the cost to drivers, who were often low-paid workers.
A leading provider of workplace drug tests unfairly sacked an employee because she refused to take a drug test after her neighbour accused her of using heroin, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.

The workplace tribunal has ordered Dorevitch Pathology to pay the worker almost $30,000 in compensation after she was sacked in April and has not been able to find a new job since.

The worker said she did not want to take the test because it breached company and industry standards. Credit:REUTERS

The woman's ordeal started when her dog bit her neighbour's child, causing a dispute that escalated to the point where she sought an apprehended violence order.

On March 17, the neighbour called Dorevitch and alleged the woman and another employee were under the influence of drugs including heroin, and had company property at the house they shared.
The jousting between the political parties over whether to have a plebiscite or a parliamentary vote over same-sex marriage is not just important in itself, but also might be an indication of the likely dynamics of politics in this term of Parliament. It shows that it is not just the ultimate numbers in the Senate on any issue that will matter, but also how they emerge.

The extraordinary emphasis until now on the small parties and individuals among the 11 members of the Senate crossbench has conjured up an image of typical parliamentary decisionmaking in which the two major parties and the Greens stake out their position first and then bargain with the crossbench for support. This puts the pressure on the crossbench, which can be seen to make or break government legislation.

Senator Nick Xenophon says his team won't support a company tax rate reduction for any firm with an annual turnover of more than $10 million.

That's how it turned out in the last Parliament when Tony Abbott condemned the Senate for being "feral". In fact, Abbott was referring not just to the crossbench but to all those senators, including Labor and the Greens, who were obstructing his government's program. The Coalition, like any government, always wanted to put the heat on the major opposition party rather than the crossbench, because for them that is the main game. That is how two-party politics works between Labor and the Coalition.

But in fact, as the battle over same-sex marriage shows, the reality is not always like that. In this case, the course of events has ensured that the focus is now not on the crossbench specifically but on Labor. This brings attention, but also potential discomfit.
The manager of Opposition business in the Senate has been hypocritical in accepting China-linked financial support on a number of occasions.

When it comes to acceptance of funds from Chinese interests, however, his credibility is flimsy.

Labor helicoptered Sam Dastyari into a Senate vacancy in 2013 to reward his power in the NSW head office. He was subsequently assured of another six years when given top spot on the party Senate ticket for NSW.

Labor's policy is to ban foreign donations, on strong grounds. Offshore money and influence can jeopardise Australian sovereignty and the independence of our MPs. While Senator Dastyari's support might involve Chinese-Australians rather than Beijing directly, it raises issues about his donors' links to the communist government and state enterprises. As such he has undermined his ability to argue Labor's case for donations reform.

What's more, when Senator Dastyari was sued by an advertising firm in 2014, one of the largest donors to NSW Party, a Chinese property group called Yuhu, picked up the $5000 tab. Yet that same year the Senator was raising questions about the security risks involved in NSW electricity privatisation. He demanded that the Abbott government disclose what spy agency ASIO thought, presumably about the potential dangers of foreign ownership. Treasurer Scott Morrison recently blocked two Chinese bidders for Ausgrid on advice from security agencies.

If Senator Dastyari was concerned about electricity security then, he should have baulked at letting a China-linked company pay the bill for a $1670 overrun on his taxpayer-funded office travel expenses last year. The Senator's generous benefactor, the Top Education Institute, is run by Minshen Zhu, a board member of the Confucius Institute at the University of Sydney and a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing in 2014.

Senator Dastyari only conceded the TEI funding was an error after Fairfax Media reported on Tuesday that the payments appeared in his register of member's interests. Presumably he would have said nothing more had no-one noticed. Having been caught out, he can hardly expect voters to think that his paying the equivalent amount of money to charity somehow lessons the mistake.

Given the doubts about Senator Dastyari's approach to his expenses, it is hard to see how he can credibly prosecute Labor's case for an inquiry into the pros and cons of a federal ICAC. A so-called national integrity commission would stop MPs fessing up to breaches of entitlement and donations rules only when they are caught out.
A massive Reachtel poll of 10,271 people has found a thumping majority of Australians oppose the government cutting $1 billion from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

And there is even stronger support for an emissions intensity scheme that would force high emissions power plants to reduce their emissions.

The poll showed strong support for an emissions intensity scheme to force high emissions power plants to reduce their emissions. Credit:Paul Jones

The poll, commissioned by the progressive Australia Institute think-tank and conducted across the country on Tuesday evening, has been released as the Climate Change Authority released a final report that backed some kind of market mechanism - such as an emissions intensity scheme - as part of the push to reduce the nation's emissions.

The Authority's report stated that an emissions intensity scheme "should be part of Australia's toolkit" and that "mechanisms of this type are capable of making significant emissions reductions in a way that is both flexible and scalable".
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is under pressure on the world stage to take substantial new action on the migrant crisis after Australia scored a coveted invitation to a refugee summit hosted by US President Barack Obama.

Fairfax Media has learned the United States has extended the invitation to Australia to attend the Leaders' Summit on Refugees, to be held on September 20 at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, at which Mr Obama will urge nations to increase their refugee intake and humanitarian funding.

It had been unclear if Australia would be asked to attend the event, and the invitation avoids a potentially embarrassing snub that would have fuelled criticism that this nation is courting pariah status through its tough asylum seeker policies.

It is understood Mr Turnbull is likely to take up the invitation, and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who will also be in New York, may also attend.
When honesty, integrity, faithfulness, and hard work in women are actually punished as a crime today in the 21st century in this land of the American Dream, the U.S. Founding Fathers will feel aggrieved over the RIGGED system for its blatant mockery of the principles enclosed in the Declaration of Independence and in the U.S. Constitution they fought for in the 18th century.

On July 15, 2016, the Athens County Court of Appeals journalized its denial of my appeal. The conclusion from the appeals court, however, is critically questionable regarding the validity and soundness of its argument that features logical pitfalls and factually flawed premises during the process of reasoning.

A. The appeals court neglects facts.

During the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015, Dr. Ostermann testified that (1) he met me around 9 am on July 2, 2015 in the ARC Room 227, that (2) I told him about the domestic violence I suffered and my need to work long hours to regain independence, and that (3) he told me that he would let me know about my study at ARC later after his meeting with others.

This fact, purposefully neglected in the appeal opinion, is very important in the sense that it sets the tone for a series of happenings: Given the 9 am meeting with Dr. Ostermann, how is it possible that Ms. Bowman reported to OUPD with bias, lies, and misleading information at 10:24 am, July 2, 2015?

B. The appeal opinion distorts facts.

The appeal opinion states that Dr. Ostermann informed me on July 2 that I could not stay in the building regardless of whose permission I got. With no chronological order and circumstances specified, the appeal opinion distorts facts without any consideration given to Dr. Ostermanns testifying to the contrary during the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015.

During the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015, Dr. Ostermann testified that I called him at 3:17 pm, July 2, 2015, that he told me he was not sure about my use of the other space in the ARC, and that he provided me with the phone number to the OU legal counsel for further information.

Although the Public Defenders Office could not locate the specific legal counsel whom I talked with, I submitted my cellphone calling history to the jury court that consistently indicated that I placed a subsequent call to the OU legal counsel at 3:31 pm on July 2, 2015.

As I stated during the jury trial, after the OU legal counsel told me that a specific concern was expressed over Room 227, that he had no answer as to whether I could study in the other publicly open space in the ARC, and that I needed to inquire with the person in charge, I accordingly went to see Ms. Bowman, who brought two policemen to Room 227 around 2 pm and told me that I could not study there.

Dr. Ostermann testified that I met Ms. Bowman in the hallway around 4 pm, that he joined us later, and that I was told that I could not study in the ARC because I am not affiliated with OU. When I questioned Dr. Ostermann at the court whether Ms. Bowmann said that I could study in the ARC if I get permission from the OU faculty, Dr. Ostermann stated, instead of acknowledging or denying it, that he could not remember it.

Given that Dr. Ostermann testified that (1) he met me on the morning of July 2, 2015, (2) he told me on the afternoon about his uncertainty about my study in the other space than Room 227, (3) he gave me the phone number to the OU legal counsel for further information, despite his evasive attitude towards Ms. Bowmans agreement, I was wondering how the appeals court reaches a counterfactual opinion that Dr. Ostermann informed me on July 2, 2015 that I could not stay in the building regardless of whose permission I got?

C. The appeal opinion hides facts.

During the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015, Ms. Bowman testified that: (1) around 4 pm on July 2, 2015 (after my phone call to the OU legal counsel), she met me in the hallway with Dr. Ostermann standing beside us, (2) that she told me that I cannot use the ARC publicly open space because I am not affiliated with OU, and (3) that I explained my need for long hours of work to regain independence as a domestic violence victim of an OU professor and physician. When confronted with her agreement that I can use the ARC with permission from the OU faculty, however, she refused to acknowledge her promise.

Despite her denial of the fact, I pursued further with her by reminding her that the reason both she and I should remember her words clearly is the scene on the afternoon of July 2, 2015: Following your statement on my use of ARC with permission, I immediately clarified with you Do you mean that I can study here if I get permission from the OU faculty? You responded at the time, Yes, you can use the ARC if you get permission, but I doubt you can get itAt your arrogant attitude, I kept silent at that time despite a hurt feelingIn front of my description of the scene, Ms. Bowman did not contradict any more during the jury trial; instead, she retorted but you did not tell them (two professors who gave me permission to study in Room 303) you are prohibited from entering the building

FACT IS CLEAR: She did say that I can study in the ARC if I get permission from the OU faculty, but she believed that I got permission without telling the two professors about the prohibition.

D. The appeal opinion ignores facts.

When cross-checking data from multiple sources converges that Ms. Bowman lied about her own saying about my use of the ARC with permission, the appeals court simply ignores the direct source of information from the police report that clearly validates my words despite all the lies of the other party during the jury trial (two policemen were on duty on the day of my arrest, July 7, 2015, but only one of them turned up during the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015).

During the jury trial, the policeman testified that between 5 and 6 pm, July 7, 2015, they saw me in the hallway outside Room 303, that I was very polite, obedient, and cooperative, and that I acknowledged I received the letter from Dean Irvin, and that I showed them the letter from Dr. Irvin on my laptop computer.

However, the policeman denied that: (1) I showed them the permission email from Dr. Aili Guo and that (2) they placed any call to confirm with Ms. Bowman. I tried to help him to remember the scene: When you two questioned me if I received the letter from Dr. Irvin, I answered yes while pulling up the prohibition letter and the permission letter at the same time. When you read the email from Dr. Aili Guo, one of you went out of the room to confirm with Ms. Bowman. When he came back, he explained that Ms. Bowman said that it is ok that I use the professors own office if I get permission, but the conference room 303 is a common space, so I cannot use it even if I get permissionDespite my effort to elicit his memories, the policeman still denied that I showed them the permission letter. Moreover, he reiterated his opinion that the permission I got from a professor of the College of Medicine is invalid in front of the prohibition letter issued by the dean of the College of Engineering.

The police report of July 7, 2016, however, was written in black and white that reveals the truth: I explained the reason we were there and asked her about the letter she received from Dean Dennis Irwin. She acknowledged she received it and even pulled it up on her laptop computer that was sitting on the conference room table. I then pointed to the part of the letter that showed she was not allowed to be in ARC. She responded by telling me Dean Irvin was over the Engineering Department and a professor (unable to recall any name if given) who was with the College of Medicine let her into the conference room. I verified she was not allowed to be in any common/shared areas and I explained the letter cover the entire ARC building

Is the truth clear enough?

a) When two policemen approached and asked me if I knew I was prohibited, does anyone think that I would refuse to show the permission letter and instead I pulled up the prohibition letter to show how guilty I am (esp. considering that the permission email and prohibition letter stored in the same email address: dawn.dusk808@gmail.com)? Please resort to your common sense.

b) When they read the permission letter, do you think I would refuse to tell them about Ms. Bowmans words that I can study in the ARC if I get permission from the OU faculty?

c) When they told me that the prohibition letter is from the dean and my permission letter is from a professor, what would you think I would respond? Yes, I told them that I studied in the area of the College of Medicine with permission from the College of Medicine professors, while the prohibition letter is from the College of Engineering dean.

d) Under that circumstances, what do you think the policemen would do? Yes, one of them went out to call Ms. Bowman to make a confirmation. Consistently, the police report said that I verified she was not allowed to be in any common/shared areas and I explained the letter cover the entire ARC building

The truth is self-evident now: Ms. Bowman did agree to my use of ARC with permission from the OU faculty on July 2, 2015. She even conveyed an edited version on the day of my arrest (July 7, 2015) to the policemen to convince them that her promise covers only the professors office but not the conference room 303: With my consistent words and behaviors, I was wondering what Ms. Bowmans intention is when she excluded me from Room 227 (unlocked and open area) and any other publicly open space in the ARC on July 2, 2015, from non-publicly open space (locked area) even with permission from authorized agents on July 7, 2015, and from the whole building during the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015?

E. The appeals court manipulates facts

Beside my previous argument concerning the situation (https://www.facebook.com/help.li.fight.for.justice/posts/1033774220037450), I would like to address some questions the appeals court has raised concerning the authority over Room 303.

The appeals opinion makes an analogy between the joint authority of parents over their kid and that of the College of Medicine and College of Engineering over Room 303. The blurred distinction between Room 303 and Room 227 definitely facilitates any intention to prove my guilt regardless of what the evidence suggests.

Room 303 (which I got permission to use after July 2, 2015): Locked area, a College of Medicine conference room that only the College of Medicine faculty have access to with their keys.

Room 227 (which I used a lot before July 2, 2015): Unlocked area that is open to the general public.

The Academic and Research Center (ARC) consists of three parts: (1) the space dedicated to the College of Medicine, (2) the space dedicated to the College of Engineering, and (3) the common/ shared space that is unlocked. While the two colleges may serve as parents for the publicly open and shared space in the ARC, each of them understandably has their own unique authority over their own space.

Neither the jury trial of Sep. 29, 2015 nor the appeals court of July 15, 2016 respects the objective fact and truth by focusing on all the relevant evidence. On the contrary, for the purpose of proving what a blunder I committed to Ohio University as a domestic violence victim by an OU professor, both courts have tried to either belittle something important or to make a fuss over something trivial:

(a) My ignoring the letter from Dr. Irvin: Around 6:30 pm, July 2, 2015, I wrote an email to Dr. Irvin the dean of the College of Engineering to request any document clarifying whether I could use ARC or not. The email was not answered until 3:35 pm, July 7, 2015. Around 3:35 pm, July 7, 2015, Dean Irvin from the College of Engineering responded to my July 2 email. The email explained that because I was not an Ohio University student, I was not permitted to use the ARC facilities. I sent a responsive email to Dr. Irvin, one around 4:01 pm and the other around 5:26 pm, to inform him that I got permission to study in the area I used and to ask him if there was any problem. I have never received any response. Two days later, human resources sent an email to Ohio University employees in the ARC instructing them not to allow me into the ARC.

(b) My noon nap taking: Taking a 30-minute nap is not a phenomenon uncommon among students in the library. When Ms. Bowman showed some concern over my noon nap, she has never taken any other students noon nap seriously.

(c) My waiting beside the vending machine: When Ms. Bowman complained about my waiting beside the vending machine in order to talk to some OU professor and request permission, she seemed to get annoyed at my following her direction to get permission before I can study there.

(d) The storage of my book luggage near the ductwork: When I repeatedly stated at OUPD and in the jury trial that it is the OU employee in charge of the ARC 2nd and 3rd floor that directed me to put it there while I went out for food, why not confirm with the employee before making an issue out of my constant law-abiding behavior?

(e) My closeness to International Space University: My question is how to identify the level of confidentiality of the camp---If it is so important and confidential, do you think it should be set in the ARC that is open to the general public 24/7; If it is not so confidential, why did Ms. Bowman make a fuss by wronging me as a spy?

(f) My appearance in front of the ARC on July 8, 2015: I explained clearly to the court during the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015 that I went to the ARC on July 8, 2015, standing outside the building with a professor helping me take a picture of Room 303 as the evidence. If I entered the building to take the picture myself, why should I have troubled someone else?

On July 8, 2015, I went to the College of Medicine office to explain to the staff about my arrest the day before. Two office ladies were so nice that they stated that the College of Medicine would never make any decision for the College of Engineering, that the College of Medicine would never report to OUPD concerning anyone who studies in the area of the College of Engineering...They helped me print the permission email from Dr. Aili Guo. They suggested that I take a picture of Room 303. Instead of going inside the building, I waited outside and asked a professor who happened to pass by to help take a picture of Room 303.

Instead of focusing on all relevant clues, the appeals court seems to rack their brains to figure out how guilty I am, despite all the evidence that demonstrate that I have stood steadfast to truth, principles, and facts.

F. The appeals court supports and commits logical fallacies

During the jury trial, both Dr. Karen Coschigano and Dr. Aili Guo testified that I requested a permission respectively on July 2, 2015 and July 6, 2015, that they told me that there are a lot of publicly open space outside, that I made it clear that I was told I could not use the publicly open space in the ARC because I am not affiliated with OU, and that I told them that I need to get permission to study there.

Both professors further attested that (1) they opened the door to Room 303 with their own key for me, (2) they gave me permission to study there, and (3) they have authority to do so. They certified that they did not feel cheated by me when they gave permission, although Dr. Aili Guo stated that she would not give permission if there was really an official prohibition: If there is an official prohibition that bans me from the use of ARC regardless of from whom I get permission, why should I have taken any trouble to request a permission?

It seems that Ms. Bowman enjoys playing a Catch-22:

*I cannot use the ARC public open space because I am not affiliated with OU, but I can use the publicly non-open space if I get permission from the OU faculty.

*I get permission from the OU faculty to study in the authorized area.

*The permission is invalid, because I should have informed the professors that I was prohibited from using the ARC so that I could never get permission.

When the whole world is speechless at such a logic, the Athens County Municipal Court and Athens County Court of Appeals accept this Catch-22 game! Their argument, justifiably, begs the question when it reasons in a circle or presupposes the truth of the very thing it is intended to prove. It appears that the rigged system concludes that my trespassing must be true in virtue of what they want to be true instead of what the evidence suggests.

Summary:

My case actually boils down to one question: When I was told on July 2, 2015 that I cannot study in the publicly open space (i.e. Room 227) in the ARC because I am not affiliated with OU and that I can study in the non-publicly open space if I get permission, does my study in the College of Medicine locked area (Room 303) with permission from the College of Medicine professors constitute a crime?

Can any conclusion be valid and sound when it is reached on the basis of logical pitfalls and factually incorrect premise of the argument?

With a belief that principles, facts, and truth will prevail, I sincerely request the American people to stand with me on my way to fighting for justice and to reject any attempt to waste taxpayers dollars on the aggravation of a domestic violence victims personal injury.

Relevant Documents:

1. Appeal opinion from the Athens County Court of Appeals

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Appeal%20opinion/1.%20Ouyang%20Appeal%20Opinion.pdf

2. July 2, 2015 police report:

A) I studied in the ARC instead of living there

B) I had never squatted anywhere

C) I had never been to my ex-fiances place, let alone reportedly sleeping on his couch

D) I had never lived in My Sisters Place before Sept. 2015

E) I told Dr. Oxxxxxx around 9 am about domestic violence I suffered and my need to work hard to regain independence and self-estee, but why did the police make a report like this around 10:24 am on July 2, 2015.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/criminal%20charge%20of%20trespassing/3.%20July%202%20Police%20Report.jpg

3. July 7, 2015 Police Report: They did check with Ms. Bowman. Ms. Bowman even delivered a revised version of her promise: Even with permission from the OU faculty, I can only use the relevant professor's own office instead of "common space".

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Appeal%20opinion/Police%20Report%20on%20July%207%2C%202015.jpg?

4. My calling record: On July 2, 2015, I talked with Dr. Ostermann at 3:17 pm and with the OU legal counsel at 3:31 pm.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Appeal%20opinion/Calling%20History%20on%20July%202%2C%202015.jpg

5. My email sent around 6:30 pm on July 2, 2015 to inquire about the document concerning my ability to study in the ARC

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/criminal%20charge%20of%20trespassing/4.%20My%20email%20July%202%2C%202015.jpg

6. July 2, 2015 Permission I got from Dr. Coschigano, a few minutes after I sent the email: The email was sent on July 8, 2015 to remind her of her permission on July 4 when I felt something dangerous would happen to me after being arrested and charged with trespassing on July 7, 2015. The professor testified everything during the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/criminal%20charge%20of%20trespassing/5.%20Permission%20on%20July%202.pdf

7. July 6, 2015 Permission I got from Dr. Aili Guo

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/criminal%20charge%20of%20trespassing/6.%20Permission%20on%20July%206.pdf

8. ARC Room 303 photo: College of Medicine Conference Room

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/criminal%20charge%20of%20trespassing/7.%20Photo%20of%20Room%20303.jpg

9. July 7, 2015 Response from the College of Engineering to my July 2, 2015 email

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/criminal%20charge%20of%20trespassing/8.%20July%207%20Response%20to%20my%20July%202%20email.jpg

10. July 7, 2015 Notification from the College of Engineering

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/criminal%20charge%20of%20trespassing/9.%20July%207%20Notification.jpg

11. My Response to the Notification around 4 pm on July 7, 2015

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/criminal%20charge%20of%20trespassing/10.%20My%20first%20reponse%20July%207%2C%202015.jpg

12. My Second Response to the Notification around 5 pm on July 7, 2015

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/criminal%20charge%20of%20trespassing/11.%20My%20second%20reponse%20July%207%2C%202015.jpg

13. Merit Brief

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Appeal%20opinion/2.%20Ouyang%2C%20Li%20Merit%20brief.docx

14. Replyb Brief

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Appeal%20opinion/3.%20Ouyang%2C%20Li%20reply%20brief.docx?

15. State Brief

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Appeal%20opinion/4.%20Ouyang%2C%20Li%20State's%20brief.pdf
Former Health Services Union leader Kathy Jackson is facing dozens of fraud related charges and the prospect of a jail term over allegations she misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars of union funds.

Ms Jackson was charged on Wednesday via summons in NSW with 70 counts of obtaining property by deception and other fraud related offences.

She refused requests to be interviewed by Victorian detectives, despite rising to fame as a union whistleblower who had assisted police in investigating her former union colleagues.

Fairfax Media has confirmed some of Ms Jackson's closest former union allies have agreed to testify against her.
Tip off Fairfax Media's investigative unit at nmckenzie@fairfaxmedia.com.au or via this secure, totally anonymous online link

A Rolex-owning federal government biosecurity officer is accused of trafficking speed and buying designer brands with the proceeds of crime following a major investigation by Australia's corruption watchdog.

Documents released on Wednesday by the Melbourne Magistrates Court detail allegations that biosecurity official Richard Vong and his colleague Nilmini Hemachandra dealt with the proceeds of crime.

Bio-security official Richard Vong is charged with trafficking amphetamines. Credit:Justin McManus

Mr Vong is separately facing three charges of trafficking methylamphetamines stemming from a six-month surveillance operation run by the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, which is responsible for overseeing the nation's policing and border security agencies.
More on missing Victorian couple Mark and Jacoba Tromp.

Their adult children hold "serious concerns" for their welfare, NSW police say.

Police have been told Mr and Mrs Tromp, 51 and 53, travelled with their three children to Bathurst and the Jenolan Caves area in the NSW central tablelands early yesterday.

The couple then separate from the children, who reported missing.

In a strange development, Victorian Police said the couple left personal possessions, such as bank cards and mobile phones, in their home in Silvan, in Melbourne's outer east.

In an even more bizarre twist, their grey Peugeot station wagon, with Victorian registration WRG-756, was seen following a young couple in Wangaratta late last night.

The type of car Mark and Jacoba Tromp were last seen driving. Credit:7 News

The young couple saw a man jump out of the car and bolt into parklands. A subsequent search failed to find him.

Mark Tromp is described as Caucasian, 185 centimetres tall, with a dark brown crew cut, clean shaven face and brown eyes.

Jacoba Tromp, also known as Coby, is described Caucasian, about 168 centimetres tall, medium to heavy build, with a fair complexion and blonde shoulder length hair.

Here is a photo of Mark. The original photo police released includes a woman, but it is unclear whether it is Jacoba or one of the couple's children, so we have made the decision to crop the photo at this stage.
A video has emerged of a far-right activist threatening to bring "a rain of s--t" to Fremantle unless the city's council restores Australia Day fireworks cancelled after being deemed 'culturally insensitive.'

Fremantle councillors voted to scrap the annual celebrations from 2017 and replace the event with a family-friendly event on a different date yet to be finalised.

"There has been a growing movement that January 26 is increasingly becoming a day that is 'not for all Australians'," Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt said after the decision was passed.

"For many Aboriginal Australians it is indeed a day of sadness and dispossession."
WA's mining boom may be over but as mining companies switch contracts and change up their operations there is a silver lining.

Pallet after pallet of new and barely used linen from mining projects in WA's north is being shipped to charities in Perth and overseas - and it's all thanks to the quick thinking of a bloke who went on holiday then found himself at the centre of a web of laundry logistics.

Rotary Club of Mill Point is distributing thousands of surplus mining sector linen to charities in Perth and beyond. Credit:Rotary Club of Mill Point

Chris Herrmann is a member of the Rotary Club of Mill Point and was on a sabbatical in the Pilbara when he got a tip off that a batch of bed linen from a nearby mining camp had become surplus to needs.

"I would have been just another voice up here bemoaning the possibility of more wastage if it wasn't for the enthusiasm and professionalism of the Rotary Club of Mill Point members to make it all happen", Mr Hermann said.
Acting Kalgoorlie Mayor Allan Pendal has called for community unity as the Goldfields town wakes up to the aftermath of Tuesday's riots.

The sale of takeaway alcohol in the town was banned on Tuesday night as hundreds of people gathered at a peaceful vigil overnight to mourn 14-year-old Elijah Doughty who died on Monday.

A notice on the outside of the closed Exchange Hotel on Tuesday night...and the violent scenes on Hannan Street during the day. Credit:Heather McNeill and John Wilbberley/ABC

The Aboriginal teenager died after the scooter he was riding, which was allegedly reported stolen on Sunday, was involved in a crash with a Nissan Navara being driven by a 55-year-old man.

The man has since been charged with manslaughter, after police confirmed he was linked to the alleged stolen scooter.
New York: A white nationalist group called White Lives Matter, an opponent of the Black Lives Matter movement, has been declared a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organisation that tracks extremist groups in the United States.

"The White Lives Matter website says their movement is dedicated to the preservation of the white race. That tells you all you need to know," said Heidi Beirich, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Centre in Montgomery, Alabama. "They're against integration, immigration. This is standard white supremacist stuff."

People with a White Lives Matter sign demonstrate in front of the NAACP office in Houston, Texas. Credit:Houston Chronicle/AP

The group, which grew out of a social media meme, argues that white Americans are victims of a genocide caused by factors like the immigration of non-white people and marriage between white Christians and non-whites or Jews, Beirich said. The law centre's designation is meant to draw attention to and increase scrutiny of the group's activities.

Its co-founder, Rebecca Barnette, once said "I wish Hitler were here alive and well today".
Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, I was notified on July 22, 2016 that the Athens County Court of Appeals journalized its denial of my appeal on July 15, 2016. Given that the appeal conclusion arises from a defective process of logical reasoning and premise of argument that is factually flawed, it seems that the justice system not only flagrantly violates the rule of law and justice by manipulating fact and logic, but also makes no effort to cover/ conceal this desecration of principles and truth.

With regards to the appeal opinion, I feel obliged to talk about the eviction that both the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015 and the appeals opinion of July 15, 2016 take seriously as the background for their decision-making.

Before August 2013, I had worked as an on-campus teaching assistant at MU. In July, 2013, my ex-fiance promised both in verbal and written form (affidavit of support) that he would be responsible for me and that he will do so either until we get married, or until I graduate if we have not yet married then.

On reception of the affidavit of support and bank statements from my ex-fiance, MU agreed that I can leave my campus to join my ex-fiance in Ohio while doing my dissertation. Since I came to Ohio in August 2013, I have relied on his promise, because it is illegal for an international student to work off campus.

On Feb. 18, 2014, my ex-fiance broke our engagement as a result of his own unfaithful behaviors. From Feb. 2014 to Nov. 2014, my ex-fiance, an Ohio University professor and physician, exerted intentional infliction of starvation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The domestic violence not only made me hospitalized in late Oct. 2014, but also left me a record of eviction and ultimately resulted in my dismissal from my doctoral program and current illegal immigration status.

In Sept and Oct. 2014, my ex-fiance filed a revengeful eviction in response to my request for his fulfilling the affidavit of support. In early Oct. 2014, Judge Grim supported my ex-fiances eviction and in the meantime decided that my ex-fiance owed me a net payment of approximately $300 ($4500 in total, with $4200 as an attorney fee). During the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2016, Judge Grim stated that he still remembered me because he supported the eviction by my ex-fiance against me one year before and that I should be inflicted with a severe punishment given my bad history. The same judge made a record in my life: The first civil case record and the first criminal case record during my four decades life.

Due to my ex-fiances refusal to pay my school tuition since 2014 spring semester, my school account had been placed on hold for two semesters (2014 summer and fall) up to Nov. 2014. At the same time, with OU students coming back to school. I lost the opportunity for exchanging my labor for food in a Chinese restaurant where I worked from July 2014 to early Oct. 2014.

In Oct. 2015, with the attorney fee of over $2000 pending (I paid $500 in early July 2014 and $1500 in late July 2014) and two semesters tuition of around $5000 unpaid, my ex-fiance refused to pay the court judgement of $4500 in Oct. 2014. Instead, he went to Miami for a romantic vacation. During his vacation, I had no way but to try various means to borrow a loan with attempts to resolving my situation.

Before I received the loan from my sisters ex-husband (both of them in China), the long-term domestic violence led to my ultimate loss of consciousness twice a day and temporary blindness for both eyes on Oct. 31, 2014, and then I was sent by ambulance to OBleness Hospital. I was diagnosed as anemia, gastritis, depression, and anxiety, given an overnight blood transfusion, and hospitalized for five days.

On Nov. 4, 2014, I was discharged from the hospital. When I came back home from hospital, my ex-fiance notified me of an eviction. With nowhere to move to and with no money to pay the rent (I had been waiting for the loan in hospital with no knowledge that the loan arrived on Nov. 4, 2015), I requested my ex-fiance to give me some time and to pay me the court decision as soon as possible. Instead of responding to either of these request, my ex-fiance carried out the eviction immediately with a lady from Athens Municipal court the next day.

After I moved out of my ex-fiances place on the eviction, I lived subsequently in three different living-rooms shared with some Chinese students. When I paid off the tuition with the loan I received from China and the hold was taken off my school account, I resumed focus on my academic work in Nov. 2014.

My effort to regain independence, however, resulted in my being handcuffed, arrested, and charged with trespassing in 2015 when I worked hard on my academic paper in the authorized area with permission from authorized agents. These experiences led to my dismissal from my doctoral program on the same day of the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015 and to my current illegal immigration status.

During the jury trial of Sept. 29, 2015 (Case No: 2015CRB01552), the Athens County Municipal Court decided that I am guilty for the criminal charge of trespassing. My case was submitted to the Court of Appeals of Ohio Fourth Appellate District Athens County in Oct. 2015.

On July 15, 2016, not unsurprisingly, the appeals court affirmed my conviction. The post I publised in Wenxuecity last night is dedicated to my argument against the appeal decision that has been made on the basis of defective logic and factually flawed premise of argument. I filed my case to Ohio Supreme Court on August 29, 2016.

Relevant Documents:

1. On the day of my discharge from hospital as a result of domestic violence by my ex-fiance, Nov. 4, 2014, I received the notification of eviction and in the meantime he refused to pay the court decision.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/1.%20Eviction%20Writ%20of%20Restitution.jpg

2. After a loss of weight by 30 pounds within half a year, the long-term intentional infliction of starvation and intentional infliction of emotional distress made me lose consciousness twice a day on Oct. 31, 2014.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/2.%20Hospitalization.JPG

3. Medical record

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/3.%20Hospitalization%20record.jpg

4. Letter from anti-domestic violence organization

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/4.%20My%20Sister's%20Place%20letter.jpg

5. From late Feb. 2014, my ex-fiance refused to provide food and any other relevant living expense despite the affidavit of support he signed.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/5.%20Intentional%20infliction%20of%20starvation.jpg

6. In Sept. 2014, my ex-fiance filed a revengeful eviction when I had no way but resort to the lawsuit against his contract breaking behaviors.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/6.%20Revengeful%20eviction.jpg

7. In June 2014, I requested my ex-fiance to fulfill the affidavit of support when my school failed to receive my tuition and I could not register for the summer semester.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/7.%20My%20Ex-finace's%20Refusal%20to%20fulfill%20the%20Affidavit%20of%20Support.jpg

8. In May 2014, my ex-fiance notified my school of his refusal to fulfill the affidavit of support.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/8.%20My%20letter%20to%20my%20ex-fiance%20to%20request%20him%20to%20pay%202014%20Spring%20semster%20tuition.jpg

9. The letter from my school that proves that I worked as a teaching assistant before I came to Ohio.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/B12.%20letter%20from%20MU.pdf?

10. Witness' Proof of my virtues

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/10.%20Witness's%20proof%20of%20my%20virtues.jpg?

11. My letter sent to my ex-fiance's family in May 2014

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/Letter%20to%20My%20ex-fiance's%20sister.jpg?

12. My letter sent to my ex-fiance in April 2014

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/12.%20Gmail%20-%20Lao%20gong%2C%20we%20all%20love%20you%20and%20our%20home%20is%20always%20open%20for%20you%20O(%E2%88%A9_%E2%88%A9)O-.pdf

13. Affidavit of Support my ex-fiance signed

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/13.%20isss-affidavit.pdf

14. My ex-fiance refused to pay any food or other expenses despite his promise both in verbal and written documents. When my school account was placed on hold for over two semsters, I had no way but to borrow a loan from my sister's ex-husband in late Oct. 2014. Before I got the loan from China, this long-term intentional infliction of starvation and emotional distress made me lose consciousness, suffer from temporary eye blindness, and hospitalized for five days.

On the day of my discharge from hospital, I received the loan. One week later, my ex-fiance finally made a final payment of $300 in mid Nov. 2014, $4500 in total with $4200 as an attorney fee.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/1.%20Notarized%20Loan%20Certificate%20from%20Li%20Ouyang.pdf

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8069065/Aug.%208%20Domestic%20violence/B11c.%20Money%20transfer%20from%20Li%20Ouyang's%20Sister%20in%20Nov.%202014.pdf




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Ever wondered which restaurants in the city serve delicious halal dishes? We have rounded up the best

More and more establishments in Bristol offer halal options for their Muslim diners.

From Indian and Latin American to Lebanese and national chains like KFC, here's a list of some brilliant restaurants and takeaways offering halal food.

Please note, that while these restaurants serve halal dishes, they are not necessarily halal restaurants.

For a guide to halal restaurants, check out www.GoHalal.co.uk , which is an online halal directory that helps Muslims locate halal businesses all over the UK. Launched by Bristol-based Sohail Osman, the website lists more than 800 verified halal businesses.

Sohail says: "Having grown over the last four years, GoHalal now attracts users from all over the UK wishing to find out about Islamic businesses and events."

Lona

This Lebanese Grill House doesn't serve alcohol but it has its own juice bar and a range of healthy fresh juice cocktails. The extensive menu features hot and cold Lebanese mezze dishes, grilled steaks and seafood and a number of charcoal grill dishes including lamb kofta, marinated chicken wings and shish kebabs.

281-283 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, BS7 8NY. 0117 9426100. www.lonagrillhouse.com

Old India

Occupying the grand building that was once Bristol's Stock Exchange, Old India specialises in Mogul dishes with a contemporary twist. A starter of tender pomegranate-infused lamb chops might be followed by chicken korma with rose petals.

34 St Nicholas Street, BS1 1TL. 0117 9221136. www.oldindia.co.uk

Raj Bari

Open since 1991, this long-established Indian restaurant serves a range of curry house staples, including balti dishes, king prawn main courses and chef specials such as garlic tikka chicken bhuna and Bombay honey lamb.

183 Hotwell Road, Hotwells, BS8 4SA. 0117 9227617. www.rajbaribristol.co.uk

Chopping Court, Halal Steak House

This new restaurant claims to be Bristol's only halal steakhouse and it also serves burgers. There is no alcohol on the premises but they serve mocktails and shakes instead. The restaurant also offers 10% off for students and 5% off for Instagram followers.

88A Queens Road, Clifton, BS8 1SA. 0117 9741700. www.choppingcourt.com

Urban Tandoor

Tucked away in Small Street, just off the city centre, this modest looking restaurant is widely regarded as one of the best Indian eateries for miles and has been nominated in the British Curry Awards. Try the Goan fish curry or guinea fowl jalfrezi.

13 Small Street, BS1 1DE. 0117 9299222. www.urban-tandoor.com

Curry House

Established in 1983, which makes it one of Bristol's longest-running Indian restaurants and takeaways, the Curry House is well known for its tandoori grill dishes and chef specials such as butter chicken and lamb achari.

393 Bath Road, BS4 3EU. 0117 9779090. www.curryhouse-bristol.co.uk

Nando's

Nando's has 367 restaurants, 67 of which serve only halal chicken, including the branch at Aspects Leisure Park. The halal chickens are supplied by Cargill Freemans of Newent, one of the UK's leading suppliers of halal chicken. All the more reason to order a whole flame-grilled spatchcock peri-peri chicken.

Aspects Leisure Park, Longwell Green, BS15 9LA. 0117 9672631. www.nandos.co.uk

Ambala Curry House

This popular Eastville restaurant and takeaway serves an extensive menu of Indian dishes prepared with freshly ground spices and halal meat in main courses such as the tandoori mixed grill and seekh kebab.

371 Stapleton Road, BS5 6NE. 0117 9514273. www.ambalafood.co.uk

Curry Kings

From a mild and creamy chicken korma to the 'very hot' meat vindaloo, this busy Indian restaurant and takeaway is a popular local for Kingswood curry fans. Try one of the specials such as Bengal lamb with chopped green chilies and garlic.

243 Two Mile Hill Road, Kingswood, BS15 1AY. 0117 9676064. www.currykings.co.uk

Mehfil Indian Cuisine

Traditional curries, tandoori dishes and biryanis are the go-to dishes at this Fishponds restaurant and takeaway, which also has an online ordering system and delivers throughout the area.

615 Fishponds Road, BS16 3BA. 0117 9656666. www.mehfil-fishponds.co.uk

Subway

Of the 2,000 Subway stores in the UK and Ireland, 202 are halal stores selling only certified halal meats. The two halal stores in Bristol are in Montague Street and Stapleton Road.

The Corner House, Hamilton Court, Montague Street, BS2 8NY. Tel: 01179 581581 (also at 201-205 Stapleton Road, Easton, BS5 0PA, tel: 01179 518460) www.subway.co.uk

KFC

The Union Street branch is one of several KFC stores across the UK to be chosen as part of a trial to provide halal food in stores where the fried chicken giants anticipate strong demand for halal products. This means halal certified chicken will be used in your Mighty Bucket.

15-29 Union Street, Bristol, BS1 3DD, www.kfc.co.uk

Mezze Palace

This subterranean Lebanese restaurant is well known for its grilled lamb and chicken dishes, all of which use halal meat. Popular choices include the spicy Lebanese lamb sausages and the grilled whole chicken breast with tomato sauce and oregano.

13a Small Street, BS1 1DE. Tel: 0117 9277937, www.mezzepalace.com

Afendi

Just past the arches on Cheltenham Road, this Lebanese restaurant specialises in Middle Eastern favourites like chicken shish kebab and mixed grills, but look out for the special peri peri chicken platter for three people to share.

217 Cheltenham Road, BS6 5QP. Tel: 0117 9248927. www.afendirestaurantcafe.co.uk

Las Iguanas

Apart from the kids' chicken bites dish, all chicken, lamb and duck are halal at all branches of this Bristol-based Latin American restaurant chain. Try the spicy barbecue jerk chicken wings or the pato taquito (shredded roast duck and caramelised onion in a flour tortilla with spicy cranberry salsa).

South Building, Anchor Square, BS1 5UH. Tel: 0117 927 6233, www.iguanas.co.uk (Also at 113 Whiteladies Road and Cribbs Causeway)
Latest News Lendi Group settles $33.6 billion in FY22 Ambitious target of a deal a day for brokers

APRA announces new appointments The prudential regulator has a new chair, deputy chair, and members

New residential home loans originated through the third party channel increased by 25% in the quarter to June 2016, according to APRA statistics.The quarterly property exposure statistics released by the banking regulator showed that new home loans settled through brokers increased by $9.5 billion over the three months ending June, totalling $47.4 billion.As a percentage of total residential home loans approved by all Australian deposit taking institutions (ADIs), brokers were responsible for 48%, up from 46% in the March 2016. A total of $98.4 billion residential home loans were approved in the June 2016 quarter, according to the APRA figures.Owner-occupied mortgages accounted for the vast majority of the total (65%). However, the share of owner-occupied mortgages dipped slightly from the previous quarter, when this type of loan accounted for 68% of total loans approved.Interest-only lending also jumped in the quarter, by 25%, with $35.6 billion worth of interest-only loans approved. However, the March figure was unusually low with interest-only lending plunging by 20% over that quarter.Meanwhile, mortgages with a loan-to-valuation ratio (LVR) between 60% and 80% increased by the most by value over the June quarter, up $9 billion, or 21%, from the March quarter. The share of loans above 90% LVR increased by 16% over the three months to July 2016 while the share of loans below 60% LVR increased by $4.4 billion, or 22%, over the quarter.
Latest News Lendi Group settles $33.6 billion in FY22 Ambitious target of a deal a day for brokers

APRA announces new appointments The prudential regulator has a new chair, deputy chair, and members

Approvals for new residential housing in New South Wales has hit an all-time high, according to official figures.The figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show 6,545 new housing developments were in approved in July.Chris Johnson, the CEO of property development lobby Urban Taskforce, said the drive was driven by an uplift in apartment approvals.The apartment market is taking over NSW and Sydney housing numbers with 4,178 approvals in July compared to 2,367 house approvals. Apartments are clearly the way of the future in terms of urban living in Sydney and NSW towns, Johnson said.The uplift in apartment approvals compares to 5,495 approvals in November 2015 when NSW was slowing down with approvals. The apartment market can go up and down as big projects get approved in a particular month.The approvals data will come as welcome news to the Eastern seaboard state which has been facing undersupply issues. However, Johnson warns that the data isnt always as it seems.While approvals are looking good for NSW this does not necessarily mean that they will all convert to completions as further detailed approvals are required from concurrence agencies and the buyer market may slow down, he said.
Different universities may apply the terms commencement and convocation differently, but the definitions of the words are similar and connected. For example, Arizona State University and the University of Texas respectively honor all graduates during their universities annual commencements. Given the number and variety of graduates and guests in attendance, these commencements address broad audiences with general inspiration and information applicable to the universities as a whole. Academic deans at these universities preside over separate, smaller convocation ceremonies during which graduates receive specific recognition. Commencements are large, while convocations are intimate.

However, Rochester Institute of Technology hosts a university-wide academic convocation ceremony. It holds separate commencements for the various academic colleges that are part of the larger university, such as the College of Liberal Arts.

Convocations are frequently a part of university graduations. By definition though, convocation may apply to any ceremony involving a school's administration and faculty. A welcoming convocation might address all incoming students at the beginning of year. The concept of commencement, as it to relates to schools and universities, always refers to graduations.
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October 3, 2022

Dee Gambit

Hundreds  if not thousands  of new and returning TV shows and movies are released every month  your options of what to watch are endless. Variety, they say is ...
ODELL  Our Savior Lutheran Church, Odell, is celebrating the 90th anniversary since its founding with a celebration on Sunday, Sept. 18. Everyone is invited to join in the festivities.

Morning worship service is at 9 a.m. with a special anniversary celebration service at 2 p.m. at the church. Services will be led by Pastor Greg Stuckwisch. The Rev. Richard Snow, president of the Nebraska Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, will preach at the 2 p.m. service, with select members from Concordia Choir-Seward, providing music. Cake will be served following the afternoon service.

The 4-meat buffet, catered by Rickys Cafe, will be served from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Odell Community Building. Advance reservations are needed. The meal cost is $10 for adults and $6 for children ages 10 and younger. Checks (payable to Our Savior Lutheran Church) may be sent to Marlys Koch, 597 E. State Hwy 8, Wymore, NE 68466. (Please include the number of people attending, and your phone number.) Marlys can also be reached at 402-766-3603. Reservations are being accepted through Labor Day. For reservations after that date, contact Marlys for availability.

Church pictorial directories and souvenirs will also be available for purchase.

Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran congregation was organized on Ascension Day, May 13, 1926. Members contributed toward a building site, and in September 1926, a location was purchased for $600. In October 1926, work began to build the church with stucco on the outside and plaster on the inside. The church was dedicated on June 26, 1927.

Our Savior congregation continues its mission outreach, supporting missionaries serving in the field, as well as organizing Mercy Meals, a mission outreach involving feeding the hungry. The feeding program was implemented in 2014 under the guidance of Pastor Stuckwisch, who had worked with the feeding program in his previous assignment.The first packaging of meals was shipped to the Philippines, through the Orphan Grain Train, after a massive typhoon devastated the country. Around 200 volunteers from 15 communities assisted in the effort.
The A P Shah committee on Wednesday asked the government to claim restitution from Reliance Industries (RIL) for the unjust benefit it received from the migration of gas from state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporations (ONGC) block in the Krishna-Godavari basin to the adjacent fields owned by the Mukesh Ambani-led company.

However, it states that ONGC has no right on the restitution and no locus standi to bring a tortious claim against RIL for trespass/conversion since it does not have any ownership rights or possessory interest in the natural gas. The committee did not quantify the restitution, leaving it to the government to decide. It said whatever benefit RIL received in terms of the migrated gas is liable to be returned to the government.

The panel said it faced limitations in providing a figure to the final value of the migrated gas produced by RIL during the term of its lease, because of the lack of data and the committees inherent technical limitations. While the D&M (DeGolyer and MacNaughton) Report has to form the basis for the migration of gas up till 2015, subsequent migration of gas post-2015 has to be inquired into by the Government of India, it said.

The one-man panels report agreed with the findings of D&Ms report submitted in November 2015, which stated that about 11.12 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas worth about Rs 11,000 crore had migrated to the RIL fields from ONGCs idle fields.

The Shah panels observation that RILs production of migrated gas and retention of the ensuing benefits amounted to unjust enrichment was based on the premise that in the absence of an order on joint development under the production sharing contract (PSC), a contractor was not permitted to produce and sell migrated gas. There is also no other extra-contractual right granted to the contractor that enables it to produce gas, regardless of its source. It also highlighted that though RIL had the option to go for joint development, it did not pursue this.

It had not been given the migrated gas as a gift or largesse, its actions had no lawful justification and amounted to unjust enrichment, said Shah in his report.

A BRIEF HISTORY Jul 2013: State-run ONGC alleges that Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries intentionally extracted gas from its blocks in KG-D6

State-run ONGC alleges that Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries intentionally extracted gas from its blocks in KG-D6 May 2015: ONGC moves Delhi High Court and states that its Godavari Block and discovery block KGDWN-98/2 are contiguous to RIL-owned KG-D6

ONGC moves Delhi High Court and states that its Godavari Block and discovery block KGDWN-98/2 are contiguous to RIL-owned KG-D6 Nov 2015: Consultant DeGolyer & MacNaughton submits report, establishes natural gas worth over Rs 11,000 crore had migrated from ONGCs idling KG fields

Consultant DeGolyer & MacNaughton submits report, establishes natural gas worth over Rs 11,000 crore had migrated from ONGCs idling KG fields Dec 2015: A P Shah panel set up to look into the legal and economic implications of the migration issue

A P Shah panel set up to look into the legal and economic implications of the migration issue Feb 2016: RIL and Niko agree to participate in inquiry

RIL and Niko agree to participate in inquiry Aug 31, 2016: Shah panels report confirms migration of gas from ONGCs fields to RIL

Shah also asked the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) to review and strengthen the disclosure system by imposing penalties for deliberate suppression of material information. Training guns on ONGC, the panel said the role of ONGC in the Indian oil and natural gas sector must be assessed with great scrutiny. The long periods of alleged inactivity on the part of ONGC in this case particularly must be examined further, it added.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the report confirms that there was migration of gas from ONGCs fields to RILs. We will look into the recommendations of the report and take a call by September 30.



The report says RIL had knowledge about the possible migration in 2003, ONGC too had prior understanding about the continuity way back in 2007 and took up the matter only six years later. The Shah panel recommended further inquiry into the prior knowledge.

The panel concurred with the recommendation made by BP regarding the creation of a mechanism to amicably resolve disputes among parties as and when they arise. Such a mechanism will help reduce the occurrence of disputes between parties, and allow for smoother functioning of the energy sector, which is ultimately in the interest of the nation, the report said. The government would have to take a decision by September 30. The Delhi High Court had last year ordered the government to take an action within a month of submission of the report. The court was hearing an ONGC petition filed in May 2014, days before the National Democratic Alliance government assumed office. ONGC had made both RIL and the government a party to the case. The mandate of the panel was to quantify the amount of migration of gas from ONGCs field and recommend actions based on that. It was also tasked with looking into any acts of omissions and commission committed by any of the stakeholders. The panel was to quantify unfair enrichment if any by RIL and recommend ways to compensate ONGC.

The Shah panel, set up on December 15, 2015, had got a months extension after it failed to meet the deadline of July 31. This was the second extension that the panel had got, as the initial deadline was March 31. The delay occurred after RIL and its partner Niko Resources questioned the constitution of the panel and declined to participate. However, both agreed to join the inquiry in February.

According to ONGC, RIL benefited from gas flow between their adjacent fields between 2009 and 2013. It was in 2013 that ONGC came out with the claim that RIL intentionally drilled wells close to its blocks, through which the gas had migrated. Subsequently, D&M was appointed by both RIL and ONGC to study the issue. According to D&Ms report, the reservoirs in ONGCs KG-DWN-98/2 (KG-D5) and the Godavari-PML are connected with Dhirubhai-1 and 3 (D1 & D3) fields located in the KG-DWN-98/3 (KG-D6) block of RIL. The estimate of ONGCs loss was based on a gas price of $4.2 per million British thermal unit.

D&M said out of the 58.68 bcm of gas produced from the KG-D6 block since April 1, 2009, 8.98 bcm could have migrated from ONGCs fields. RILs D1 and D3 fields had estimated reserves of 80.70 bcm, while ONGCs Godavari-PML had 14.21 bcm of reserves and KG-D5 another 11.86 bcm.
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manufacturers on Wednesday urged the Union Government to put a Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) order making it mandatory for them to use specific reflectors from September 1, 2016 at abeyance for at least six months.
The (CCI) has imposed more than Rs 6,700 crore penalty on 11 cement - UltraTech, Binani, Ramco, Jaiprakash Associates, JK Cement, Lafarge, India Cements, ACL, ACC, Century, Shree Cement, besides Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA)  for cartelisation.

The final order has been passed by CCI, pursuant to the directions issued by the Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) remanding the matter back, while setting aside the original order of the fair trade regulator, which had had also imposed fine on cement .

The CCI said that the cement used the platform provided by the CMA and shared details relating to prices, capacity utilisation, production and dispatch, thereby restricting production and supplies in the market. Further, the CCI also found the cement companies to be acting in concert in fixing prices of cement.

Penalties of Rs 1,147.59 crore on ACC, Rs 1,163.91 crore on ACL, Rs 167.32 crore on Binani, Rs 274.02 crore on Century, Rs 187.48 crore on India Cements, Rs 128.54 crore on JK Cement, Rs 490.01 crore on Lafarge, Rs 258.63 crore on Ramco, Rs 1,175.49 crore on UltraTech and Rs 1,323.60 crore on Jaiprakash Associates were imposed by CCI. In addition, a penalty of Rs 73 lakh was slapped on the CMA.

Penalising the companies, the CCI said the actions of the companies and the CMA are not only detrimental to the interests of consumers but also to the whole economy, as cement is a critical input in construction and infrastructure industry, and vital to economic development.

Through a separate order, the regulator has slapped Rs 397.51 crore fine on Shree Cement, for unfair businesses practices.

The CAT had, in late 2015, revoked CCIs order, imposing a combined penalty of Rs 6,316 crore on cement companies for allegedly forming a price cartel.

The tribunal quashed the commissions order after observing that Ashok Chawla, then CCI chairperson, was party to the order, despite not being present during hearings. The tribunal also allowed the cement companies to withdraw the Rs 630-crore deposited by them in compliance of its interim order. The interim order, in May 2013, had stayed the penalty but asked the companies to deposit 10 per cent of its pending disposal of their appeal.

In June 2012, the commission had fined ACC, Ambuja Cement, UltraTech Cement and Jaiprakash Associates a little over Rs 1,000 crore each for forming a cartel. The other companies fined included Madras Cements, Century Cement, Binani Cement, Lafarge India, JK Cement, India Cements and Grasim Cements (now merged with UltraTech). The CMA was also a party in this case and it was fined a token amount.





CEMENTING THE TRUTH



Cartelisation penalty on cement companies
A division bench of the Delhi High Court on Wednesday heard arguments on behalf of Ajay Singh, managing director of Ltd against a single judge order directing the airline to deposit Rs 579 crore with the registrar of the court.

The July 29 order to deposit the Rs 579 crore sum in five installments beginning on August 7 arose out of a Section 9 (interim measures) application under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 (the Act), filed by Kalanithi Maran and his airline KAL Airways against the alleged non-fulfillment of a 2015 share purchase agreement by .
Pharma major GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals has revived its plans to sell 60 acre land parcel in Thane, on the outskirts of Mumbai, almost after two years.

The company invited bids for its land parcel recently, said a source. The land parcel is valued between Rs 1400 crore and Rs 1800 crore, said a television channel report today.
Infosys, the country's second largest information technology services company, saw the worth of new contracts in the past four quarters jump 53.7 per cent to $2.9 billion, driven primarily by deals in cloud and infrastructure services that it won from larger global peers.
Job-marketplace Saral rozgar, a startup incubated at Tech Mahindra which is in process of being hived off as a separate firm, is looking to expand its user base from 6 million to 100 million over next 4 to 5 years.
on Wednesday announced the launch of its first training centre in India. The new centre located in Chennai is spread across 800 sq ft, and will provide training and information on the Italian coffee culture to Baristas.
With the central government restricting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidy to consumers earning less than Rs 10 lakh per annum, a ready-made market is now available for private oil companies. This, coupled with the lure of higher margins, is pushing them to aim for a larger pie of the cooking gas market in India.
It has been a mixed bag for & Retail, earlier known as Pantaloons Fashion & Retail, in the first quarter of the current financial year.
Noida is becoming a hub for smartphone makers to set up their offices and R&D centres, with India turning out to to be a sweet spot for them.
Even as Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, currently on a three-day visit to the US, assured American and Indian industry that the New Delhi is opening doors for business, two US defence giants  Raytheon and Lockheed Martin  announced they would partner Tata Power in manufacturing the Javelin anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) in India.
A report by Justice A P Shah commission confirmed on Wednesday that there was a migration of gas from state-run ONGC's block in Krishna Godavari basin to the adjacent fields owned by Mukesh Ambani-led Ltd.
In a major setback to Tata Motors, and a victory for now Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, the Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the acquisition of 997 acres by the Left Front-led West Bengal government in 2006 to help Tata Motors set up its Nano plant in .

The court has directed the state government to take possession of the land and re-distribute it to land owners within 12 weeks.

In 2006, Tata Motors said that it would set up its global small car project, Nano, in Singur, West Bengal, an announcement that coincided with the beginning of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's second innings as chief minister.

ALSO READ: The Singur Saga: A timeline However, rumblings against acquisition of land in Singur, which happened to be a multi-crop agrarian region, started soon after the land was selected. Around 2,000 farmers of 13,000 farmers that accounted for the project area of 997 acres started an indefinite agitation backed by Opposition leader, Mamata Banerjee, which ultimately led to the pullout of the project by Tata Motors in 2008.

The apex court also said that those who got compensation and thereby became 'willing' farmers will not have to return the money because they were deprived of their livelihood for the past 10 years.

The West Bengal government had invoked the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 to acquire 997 acres for the project -- 647 acres for Tata Motors and the balance for ancillary units associated with the project --on the grounds that it was for 'public purpose'.

The Supreme Court, however, noted that land acquired for a private companys project cannot be termed 'public' project, essentially reversing a Calcutta High Court judgement of 2008 that had declared the project as being for 'public purpose'. The basic premise of the Calcutta High Court judgement was that it was for economic activity and employment generation.

Today's Supreme Court verdict is a victory for Mamata Banerjee who has steadfastly fought to return 400 acres to the 'unwilling' farmers of .

Hours after assuming the role of chief minister, Mamata Banerjee had announced the Cabinet had decided to return 400 acres to hold-out farmers, fulfilling one of her pre-electoral pledges.

Tata Motors had moved Calcutta High Court against the Singur Land Act soon after the Act was passed in the Legislative Assembly.

A single judge order had observed certain shortcomings of the Singur Act, but rectified it by 'purposive interpretation of the provisions of Act' and declared it valid. But Tata Motors moved a higher bench against the order.

In 2012, a Division Bench of Calcutta High Court had struck down the Singur Land Act and termed it unconstitutional and void which led the West Bengal government to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.
Consistent growth in demand for motorcycles and scooters and a huge aftermarket potential has drawn four tyre-making into the segment in the past six months.



The worlds biggest tyre company, Bridgestone, and homegrown Balkrishna Tyres are the latest to enter the segment, joining Apollo Tyres and Michelin. All four have traditionally focused on tyres for cars and trucks.



Japans Bridgestone, which claims to be the leader in car tyres, launched tyres for motorcycles and scooters as a new brand, Neurun. Apollo and Michelin have launched own brands, too.





ALSO READ: Govt staff showered with 2-wheeler discounts


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."
Asserting that the proposed visit of all-party delegation to the Kashmir Valley later this week wasas a positive outcome of the initiatives of Opposition-PM meet, NC today said the opportunity should be availed to highlight the political issues in right perspective.

Conference Provincial President Devinder Singh Rana referred to the proposed visit of all-party delegation to the Valley later this week and described it as a positive outcome of the initiatives of Opposition-Prime Minister meet.

He said the opportunity should be availed to highlight the political issues in right perspective and called for consensus over solving the Kashmir problem hoping that myopic or reactionary political approach will not prevail over the discourse.

Rana called on for a collective approach to restore peace and normalcy in the Valley by addressing its political problems, saying it is necessary for peace in the state.

"The spirit generated by the Omar Abdullah-led united opposition's meeting with the Prime Minister needs to be sustained and carried forward to end the sufferings of people in the Valley and to create an atmosphere of trust, which can pave way for finding a last solution as expressed by the Prime Minister during the meet," Rana said while interacting with party workers in his Nagrota Assembly Constituency.

He said reconciliation and not confrontation was the only way out to steer the Valley from the present grave situation.

"The pain of Kashmir is felt equally in Jammu and we want the political parties to appreciate the gravity of the situation and rise above party politics and work together to find out a solution acceptable to all stake-holders, which could lead to sustainable peace in the state," he said, adding that Conference would continue to play its assigned role in this behalf.

He said the administrative inertia is galore due to lack of political direction and people were suffering with their chosen representatives in the government showing immense degree of indifference.

"Except for photo-ops the presence of political executives is nowhere to be seen," he said.
Over one kg heroin, allegedly being smuggled into Bangladesh from India, was seized in Lalgola area in Murshidabad district, the Border Security Force said on Wednesday.

BSF had received specific information about movement of smugglers along with consignment of narcotics near the border area under Lalgola Police Station on Tuesday.

The BSF search party observed some movement along the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) road and noticed that some person was trying to throw a bag over the International Border Fence from India to Bangladesh, it said in a statement.

The search party challenged the person but he managed to escape taking advantage of darkness, it said.

"On thorough search of the area, the search party recovered a polythene bag in which there were 13 small plastic packets containing 1300 gramme brown colour powder suspected to be . The seized item has been handed over to Lalgola police for further investigation," the statement said.

During this year, BSF South Bengal Frontier has seized total 3,765 gramme of Narcotics and has apprehended three narcotics smugglers.
The Congress on Wednesday attacked retired judge S N Dhingra who probed controversial land deals in Haryana, including that of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of party president Sonia Gandhi, saying he took favours from the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government in the state.
Congress leader Saifuddin Soz on Tuesday advocated the four-point formula suggested by former Pakistan President as a solution to the Kashmir issue, saying it can be fine-tuned to the present needs of the stakeholders.

"While all the stakeholders will express ideas as they wish, we could also subject the ideas of reviving Delhi-Agreement within the framework of what was known at one point of time as Manmohan (Singh)-Musharraf four-point Formula for the resolution of Kashmir dispute," the former Union Minister said here.

He said the elements of the formula were actually initiated during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Musharraf deliberations but then in Singh's tenure, the talks could not be taken forward due to the internal situation of Pakistan in 2007.

The former president of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), said the formula can be fine-tuned to the needs of the stakeholders.

"The discussions around this point of time can also lead to fine-tuning of the formula to the needs of the stakeholders. It could now be characterised as (Narendra) Modi-Nawaz (Sharif) formula.

Fortunately, this formula does not entail defeat for the either of the parties to the dispute," he said.

The Congress leader, apparently referring to separatists, said we must adopt democracy as our tool for achieving the necessary goal.

"It does not suit our present day needs and our future requirements, in political terms, to appear to be supporting extremism, much less the violence, as an instrument for seeking solution to our political problems," he said.

He suggested discussions among the people of Kashmir followed by a discussion with people of Jammu and Ladakh to address the issue.
Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, who is serving a jail term here, was on Tuesday admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after he complained of breathing problems.

According to hospital sources, he has been kept in the pulmonary medicine department under the observation of Randeep Guleria, who is also the head of the department.

On Saturday, Chautala was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital after he had complained of uneasiness.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here on January 22, 2013 had sentenced Chautala, his son Ajay, and eight others to 10 years in jail after finding them guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained teachers in 2000.

The high court had upheld the punishment given by the trial court, while the Supreme Court on August 3 dismissed the plea of Chautala and his son Ajay, upholding their conviction and sentencing in the scam.

Chautala belongs to Indian Lok Dal (INLD) and served as Haryana's chief minister more than once.
legislators got a hefty hike in salary and allowances as the 90-member state Assembly here on Wednesday unanimously passed the Bill in this regard.

The monthly salary and allowances of a legislator will jump to Rs 1.5 lakh.

According to the Bill, keeping in view the rise in cost of living, it was proposed to increase salary of MLAs from Rs 30,000 per month to Rs 40,000 per month.

Constituency allowance will be doubled from Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000 per month, office allowance from Rs 10,000 per month will now be Rs 25,000, sumptuary allowance will double from Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000.

Daily allowance will go up from Rs 1500 to Rs 2000 for a maximum of 15 days in a month.

Free travelling facility at the rate of Rs 2 lakh per year will now be Rs 3 lakh per year.

Telephone allowance at the rate of Rs 15,000 per month for a telephone at residence is being substituted to a telephone and a mobile phone for residence.

The proposed increase in salary, constituency allowance and office allowance etc will entail an extra expenditure of approximately over Rs 9 crore per year from the State exchequer, the State Assembly was informed.

The Bill introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, was passed on the last day of the State Assembly's brief monsoon session.

The Legislative Assembly (Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill, was tabled yesterday.

However, the daily allowance cannot be ascertained at this stage as this will depend upon the tours of the MLAs, it was further informed.

Notably, on Wednesday, after the Bill was tabled in the Assembly, BSP's Tek Chand Sharma had said that though in protocol the MLAs were above the state chief secretary, yet the salary hike proposed in the Bill had "disappointed" the elected representatives. After this Ram Bilas Sharma assured the House a "consensus" would be evolved on the issue in consultation with the Speaker.

The House then decided to discuss and take up the Bill on Wednesday.
Visiting US Secretary of State on Wednesday said India can sustain its impressive growth trajectory if its bureaucracy becomes a facilitator and stops being an expert in setting up roadblocks.
With New Delhi signing a historic defence logistics agreement with Washington, the US has described India's presence in the Asia-Pacific region as "important" in the backdrop of China's disputes in the South China Sea region.

"Discussing tensions in the Asia Pacific region is something that's not uncommon when we're meeting our Indian counterparts, and there's certainly a lot there because India does have a purpose and a presence in the Pacific that's important," US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in his daily press briefing here on Tuesday.

Kirby's remarks followed the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry in New Delhi.

India and the US signed an agreement on sharing military logistics, in a major step forward in closer bilateral defence cooperation.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (Lemoa) was inked here by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during his latest visit to the US, and his US counterpart Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.

The agreement, viewed as part of the Obama administration's pivot to Asia strategy, was criticised by a leading Chinese state-run English daily, warning that New Delhi might irritate Beijing if it "joins the US alliance system".

"If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia," Global Times said in an editorial.

"It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia," it added.

Asked about China's reaction to the new US-India defence agreement, Kirby said that ties between Washington and New Delhi were not only good for the two countries but for the world as well.

"Broadly speaking, a deepening, stronger, more cooperative bilateral relationship with India is nothing that anybody should fear or worry about," he said.

"We both are democracies; we both have incredible opportunities and influence on the global stage, and a better relationship between the US and India is not just good for our two countries, not just good for the region, it's good for the world."

Last month, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) under the UN Convention for the Law of the Seas (Unclos) in The Hague ruled in favour of the Philippines in its dispute against China over the South China Sea.

India recognised the authority of the PCA and asked all parties to abide by its ruling.

An international arbitration tribunal in the PCA ruled on July 12 that China violated the Philippines' rights in the South China Sea, one of the busiest commercial shipping routes in the world.

The court accused China of interfering with the Philippines' fishing and petroleum exploration, building artificial islands in the waters and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone.

The tribunal held that fishermen from the Philippines had traditional fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and that China had interfered with these rights by restricting their access.

The court held that Chinese law enforcement vessels unlawfully created a serious risk of collision when they physically obstructed Philippine vessels in the region.

China is locked in disputes over the Spratly and Paracel groups of islands in the South China Sea with other countries of the region.

The US stand on India's role in the Asia-Pacific region comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to Vietnam, another country Beijing has disputes with, on his way to China for the G20 Summit early September.

Vietnam has appreciated India's position on the PCA ruling.

After Tuesday's bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in New Delhi, Sushma Swaraj said India and the US have decided to strengthen their cooperation in the area of maritime security.
Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has expressed serious concern over the airspace violation by Pakistan in R S Pura sector yesterday.

Strongly condemning Pakistan for violation of Indian Air Space, JKPCC spokesperson has termed it a serious matter and asked the Central government to take strong notice of Islamabad's activities.

The spokesman said this kind of "illegal and mischievous" provocations against India "on all fronts" caused serious concern.
Calling people of Jammu and Kashmir as principal stakeholders in the resolution process, Chief Minister on Tuesday said the challenge before the leadership of the state and the country is to insulate the process from the setbacks that have derailed it in the past.

"The focus has to be on involving the principal stakeholders - the people of Jammu and Kashmir - in the resolution process to make it sustainable and productive," the Chief Minister said while addressing a public gathering after inaugurating the new building of the Government Degree College here.

The Chief Minister also stressed on the revival and continuation of the process of restoring peace and confidence building process with Pakistan which had helped transform the situation in the state and along the borders between 2002 and 2005.

"The Government of India must, with fresh resolve, work towards taking reconciliatory political measures through public participation for the resolution of the issue," she said, adding, Jammu & Kashmir could become a bridge of peace between the two countries and a hub of economic activity in the region given its geostrategic location.

Mehbooba called for expanding the ambit and scope of the cross-LoC movement of people and goods and the full potential can be harnessed only by opening it up and allowing all the regions to benefit from the new market economy growing in the region.

"For a lasting solution of the state's problems substantial political and economic measures have to be taken that meet the reasonable aspirations of the people in all the regions of the state," she said.

Mehbooba said even if Pakistan may be, due to own political reasons, is currently reluctant to reciprocate the peace overtures from New Delhi, whatever can be done to address the internal dimensions of the Kashmir issue must be done without delay.

"Government of India shall have to take one or more steps than our neighbouring country (Pakistan) as Jammu and Kashmir is our state and we have to apply balm on the wounds of the people," she said.
Accusing the government of "misleading" workers, unions on Wednesday said the central advisory board did not discuss any proposal of hiking to Rs 350 per day as announced by the government on Tuesday and the meeting on Monday was inconclusive.

"There was no proposal to hike to Rs 350 per day. The meeting of the Central Advisory Board held on Monday remained inconclusive," All India Trade Union Congress Secretary D L Sachdev told PTI.

"During the meeting, the employees' unions had demanded a minimum monthly wage of Rs 18,000 and asked the government to amend the Act to make a provision for universal wage."

At present, the minimum wage fixed by the Centre is not universally applicable as labour is on the concurrent list of the Constitution. Thus, states can fix either higher or lower rate of minimum wage fixed by the Centre.

The Board is an advisory body with representative of employees and other stakeholders, which recommends the rate of minimum wage and matters related to it to the government.

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who heads an informal ministerial group on labour issues, made several announcements, including a hike in minimum wage for non-farm workers by 42 per cent to Rs 350 for unskilled non-farm workers of the central government.

In a letter addressed to Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya on Wednesday, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) General Secretary Tapen Sen said, "You have stated that based on deliberations in the meeting of the Minimum Wage Advisory Board held on August 29, 2016, the government has decided to fix minimum wages for the central sphere at Rs 350 per day."

"... In the press conference addressed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on August 30, 2016, where you were also present, Jaitley stated on camera that the government has accepted the recommendation of the Minimum Wage Advisory Board regarding minimum wage. I would like to state that both the statements are not factually correct."

The letter stated that the fact is the meeting of the advisory board held on August 29, 2016... Remained inconclusive and all the workers' representatives said in one voice that their proposal on minimum (monthly) wage of Rs 18,000 is based on modalities of fixing minimum wage decided by the Indian Labour Conference.
Suburban commuters in the Greater Mumbai region were left scrambling on Wednesday morning as more than 80,000 auto rickshaws stayed off the roads to protest against cab aggregators such as Uber and Ola.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday hailed the efforts by the US Secretary of State John Kerry and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to eliminate terrorist activities which are being emanated from Pakistan.

NCP leader Majeed Memon told ANI that it was good for India that US has openly acknowledged truth with regards to complexity of Pakistan in the act of terror.

"Kerry's statement supportive of our External Affairs Ministers and pledging support to fight terrorism and expose Pakistan, which is entertaining, promoting, harbouring terror activities and therefore I think it is a good move that by joint conference, both this great countries namely the US and India together has spoken in one voice to eliminate terrorism which is emanating from Pakistan," he added.

India and the United States has agreed to tackle challenges of terrorism and to strengthen the bilateral intelligence sharing mechanism.

Addressing a joint press conference with Kerry after the conclusion of the US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said nations must not act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations.

Swaraj said she and Kerry agreed that Pakistan needs to book perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai terror attack and 2016 Pathankot airbase attack. She also thanked Secretary Kerry for United States's constant support for India's membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Kerry said there cannot be distinction between good and bad terrorists as terror is terror no matter where it emanates from or who carries it out.

Saying that Pakistan must act against terrorists in its territory, he said, US will continue to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attacks to justice.
Asserting that there is no military solution to dispute in the South China Sea, US Secretary of State on Wednesday said Washington will stand up for its allies.

"What is cooperating in the defence agreement that we just signed in Washington...the trade in goods that we are engaged in....all of this is the result of the last few years of the increased engagement between the countries. There is no military solution to dispute in South China Sea, but US will stand up for its allies," Kerry said while interacting with the students at IIT, Delhi.

Kerry said the United States and India are cooperating in their approach to the tribunal and their recognition of rule of law with respect to the South China Sea.

"We both understand that the decision is legally binding. We are not interested in fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes through the legal process," he added.

The US Secretary of State's remark assumes significance as it comes ahead of a G20 Summit to be attended by global leaders in China on September 4 and 5.

As far as the territorial dispute related to the South China Sea is concerned, New Delhi has been a firm advocate of the 'Right to Freedom of Navigation' for all six countries located in its vicinity i.e. Brunei, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, The Philippines and Vietnam.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the acquisition of land in by the Left Front government of West Bengal in 2006 for Tata Motors Nano car project was illegal and it had violated the procedure laid down by law.

The court ordered a survey of the land in 10 weeks so it can be returned to the owners. The entire exercise is to be completed in 12 weeks.

This is a landmark victory, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee said at a press conference. The state administration will meet on Thursday to work out a mechanism for returning land. The verdict is a shot in the arm for Banerjee, who has been fighting for the return of 400 acres of land to unwilling land owners of since 2006.

Also Read: The Saga: A Timeline



In 2006, the Left Front government had invoked the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 to acquire 997 acres in Singur for the Tata Motors project. However, of the 13,000 project-affected farmers, 2,000 refused to accept compensation cheques. An indefinite agitation backed by Banerjee, then Opposition leader, followed for return of land to unwilling farmers, which ultimately led to Tata Motors moving out of Singur.

Two judges, V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra, wrote separate but concurring judgments. Gowda wrote that the acquisition was in favour of Tata Motors and it could not be construed as being for public purpose. The acquisition was a colourable exercise of power, his judgment said. Misra, however, said it was for a public purpose, the fund coming from a government corporation and the project would generate employment in the state. But both agreed that the procedures were flouted in acquiring the land.

Officials close to the development explained that two batches of petitions were before the Supreme Court. Wednesdays judgment was on the special leave petitions filed by farmers and some public interest organisations challenging a Calcutta High Court order of 2008 on the process of land acquisition. In 2008, the high court had dismissed the petitions and upheld the land acquisition, following which leave petitions were filed in the apex court. The second petition was filed by the West Bengal government against the order of a division bench of the High Court, which had struck down the Singur Act of 2011 in 2012. This is yet to be heard. Whether the verdict makes the Singur Act of 2011 null and void is not clear. Officials close to the development said, there was no communication from the apex court to Tata Motors that the Act was null and void.

The Tata group had argued in court that it wanted to retain the land for other projects. But for all practical purposes, it appears that the court has nixed such an ambition. However, during the last hearing in the apex court, Tata groups counsel had raised the issue of compensation which could be taken up by the company now. The onus of handing over a clear title of the land to the company was after all with the state government. The Supreme Court has laid down clear directions for compensation to land owners. Compensation paid to land owners and cultivators shall not be recovered and the state government shall compensate others who have not been able to enjoy their land for 10 years.
A procession of around 100 people, mostly women and children with their foreheads smeared with green gulal, proceeds through the narrow alleys of Beraberi in with a placard of Mamata Banerjee and the sound of conch shells fills the air. For the people of Beraberi village, Wednesdays Supreme Court verdict setting aside the land acquisition by the West Bengal government for Tata Motors' Nano plant in 2006, marks the end of their decade-long struggle for land rights and everyone is in the mood to celebrate. About a decade ago, the village had seen a violent struggle over forcible land acquisition for the Nano factory in .
The India-United States joint statement issued at the end of their second Strategic and Commercial Dialogue had the US commit to "redouble" its efforts towards India's early entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
The Centre on Tuesday increased the minimum wages and bonus for its employees to pacify trade unions that have called a nationwide strike on Friday.

The Minimum Wage Advisory Board on Tuesday announced a hike in the lowest wage for unskilled central government workers to Rs 350 a day from Rs 246. The increase will also be effective for central public sector undertakings.

The government has effected a 43 per cent increase in the minimum wage. This was a major demand of the trade unions, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya (pictured) said.

Dattatreya has held meetings with trade unions over their charter of demands. The issues have been taken up by an inter-ministerial committee headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The bonus entitlements for 2014-15 and 2015-16 will be released on revised norms. This was pending for two years. After this, the bonus will be covered under the Seventh Pay Commission, Jaitley said.

The Payment of Bonus Act, 2015, doubled the statutory bonus paid to central government employees and made more workers eligible by raising the salary ceiling from Rs 10,000 a month to Rs 21,000. The Bill was to be effective from April 2015 but was made applicable from April 2014 on a personal intervention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The likely financial implications of the higher bonus could be Rs 1,920 crore per annum.

On the opposition to the governments plans to merge associate banks of the State Bank of India with the parent, Jaitley said, The merger is not a subject for trade unions.



There will be no impact of the merger on the service conditions of any employee. If the government decides that we need strong banks, then unions will have to change their approach to the whole issue, Jaitley said.

The issue of providing social security benefits to the unorganised sector like anganwadi, mid-day meal and Asha volunteers will be examined by a committee that will submit its report at the earliest.

Jaitley said the registration of contract workers and their staffing agencies was mandatory and states would be advised to strictly implement it. Contractors would face appropriate action for any violation, he warned.

The Bharatiya Janata Partys trade union wing Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) said it would not participate in this weeks strike. The BMS is withdrawing from the strike as the government has taken progressive steps, said V Upadhya, general secretary of the BMS.

Left-leaning trade unions, however, said they would proceed with the strike. The announcement on daily wages merely maintains the status quo, said Tapan Sen of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions. No major demand has been accepted. There is no question of calling off the strike, he added. As many as 10 central trade unions had given the call for a one-day pan-India strike on September 2 to protest against the governments labour reforms.

LABOUR LOVE
Aiming to boost farm incomes, the government will launch a scheme with financial grant to set up and expand existing units to increase processing level and value addition.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries has issued draft operational guidelines for implementation of the proposed scheme for creation/expansion of food processing and preservation capacities.

The scheme proposes to provide financial assistance of up to Rs 5 crore for a food processing unit.

The ministry has sought comments from all the stakeholders on its draft guidelines by September 13.

Based on the guidelines, an expression of interest (EoI) will be called for inviting proposals to take up new food processing projects for grant of financial assistance, an official statement said.

"The main objective of the scheme is creation of processing and preservation capacities and modernisation/ expansion of existing food processing units which will help in increasing the level of processing, value addition and thereby lead to reduction of wastage and enhancement of farmer's income," the draft guideline said.

The scheme envisages financial assistance to food processing units in form of grant-in-aid. It proposes to provide 35 per cent of the eligible project cost subject to a maximum of Rs 5 crore in general areas and 50 per cent of the eligible project cost subject to a maximum of Rs 5 crore in north eastern states including Sikkim, Himalayan states, island areas and ITDP areas.

Areas eligible under this scheme include fruits & vegetable processing, milk processing, meat/poultry/fish processing; ready to eat/ready to cook food products, breakfast cereals, snacks and other food products; flour/pulse oil milling; rice milling only in eastern and north eastern states; other agri-horti sectors including spices, coconut, mushrooms; wines and hops and food flavors and food additives.

The activities related to manufacture of aerated water, packaged drinking water and soft drinks (carbonated) would not be considered for financial assistance under the scheme.

For giving impetus to food processing sector, government has sanctioned 37 Mega Food Parks out of which 8 have been operationalized. In the Budget 2016-17, the government has also allowed 100 per cent FDI in marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India.
Press Release:

Transcript:

Contact: Crystal Feldman

Crystal Feldman govpress@nc.gov

Raleigh, N.C. Governor Pat McCrory is welcoming students and educators back to school. In a video message, Governor McCrory remembers his former teacher Ruth Revels from Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, North Carolina, who inspired him to earn his education degree in college.The governor also highlights efforts to improve education, including raising average teacher pay to $50,000, tripling funding for textbooks and connecting all North Carolina classrooms to high speed Wi-Fi. To build on the progress, the governor also discusses investments for community colleges and efforts to make college more affordable.Watch the video here Hi this is Governor Pat McCrory and you know it's been a long time since I was a student in Jamestown, North Carolina.But after all these years I am still thankful for all of my teachers, especially Ruth Revels.Even after I graduated from Ragsdale High School, Mrs. Revels continued to influence me, and this was occurring even after I became the 74th governor of the great state of North Carolina.Sadly we lost Mrs. Revels this year, but I will never forget the impact she had on my life.In fact it was Mrs. Revels that inspired me to get my teaching degree when I went to Catawba College in Salisbury.And while a lot has changed since I was a student-teacher, I have never forgotten the lessons I learned and have respected teachers ever since that great experience in Spencer, North Carolina.That's why as teachers and students go back to school, I'm proud of what we have accomplished to improve education in North Carolina.We have boosted average teacher pay to more than $50,000 for the first time in state history.You know when I entered office, teachers had not had a meaningful raise in five years and our teacher pay ranking had fallen from 19th to 47th in the nation.That was unacceptable, and I'm proud of the progress we have made to respect our teachers and pay our teachers even more.To help our students succeed, we have also tripled funding for textbooks since 2013 and we are connecting every North Carolina classroom to high-speed Wi-Fi by 2018.These investments have helped our state achieve the best high school graduation rate in history.But we know that it doesn't stop there.That's why we have invested in our community colleges and we are making college more affordable by freezing tuition and capping fees at our universities.This not only makes college more affordable but also provides stability for families and students planning how to pay for college.Together we have accomplished a lot for education in our state. But we know there is a lot more to do.So as you begin a new school year, I look forward to continuing to work with teachers, parents, administrators and students to build on our success.On behalf of our entire state, and in honor of my teacher Ruth Revels, I want to thank our teachers for helping to make North Carolina the best state in the nation.Best wishes to everyone on a new school year and may God bless you and the great state of North Carolina.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation has said that the Centre is keen to renovate several unused airports, built during the World War II, across the north-eastern states to improve the regional connectivity.

Sinha, who was here on a one-day visit, had a long discussion with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Tuesday to work towards improving the Agartala airport into an international airport with an investment of Rs. 400 crores.

"There are large numbers of airports in the northeast which were built during the World War II that are not being used. So, now what we plan to do with these 50 airports is to go rehabilitates many of these airports that are in a state of disrepair right now and build them up so that they can be used for regional connectivity," Sinha told a press conference.

Stating that the people of this region take a long time to go from one place to another through the hilly terrain, he added, "It will be a great-great service because they will be able to go from one point to another point very conveniently in 40 minutes to one hour time."

Sinha, however, informed that the government is at present emphasising on reconditioning the unused airports in the region and not working towards constructing of innovative highway-cum-runway in the northeastern region, where the national highways may also be used as airstrips as and when required, and as proposed by the Ministry of Highways.

One such airport, which will be renovated under this project, is the Kailasahar airport in North Tripura, he informed.

Emphasising that the government is also trying to improve air connectivity among the north-eastern states and adjacent countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand, Sinha said the ruling dispensation is, therefore, investing for improving the infrastructure of the airports in the north-eastern states like Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram.

"With the improving airports we are also working towards connecting international flights from Dhaka, Bangkok after the completion of the international terminal," he added.

The Minister of State for Civil Aviation informed some private airlines shall introduce more flights in the north-east besides starting air ambulance and low cost airliners for the region by coming October.

The Tripura Government has been demanding for flights between Bangladesh capital Dhaka and other important cities like Chittagong and Sylhet from the Agartala airport.
In a first of sorts, New Delhi Television (NDTV) has filed a petition before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), asking for the Indian coastline to be protected. In its petition before the tribunal, the company that runs one of Indias prominent bouquet of TV channels, has asked for work to be stopped on all new ports of the country, till the tribunal gives a decision on the case to the coastal environment and livelihoods of coastal communities.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to issue the final guidelines for peer to peer (P2P) lending in the next few days. It is expected to concede to lending firms suggestion for a nodal agency.This was one of the focus areas of outgoing RBI governor Raghuram Rajan. People familiar with the development say the final guidelines are expected to come out before he demits office on Sunday.A firm allows an individual to lend or borrow money to or from others, without assistance from financial intermediary. This is mainly done through an online platform that connects lender and borrower. In the past couple of years this space had been gaining momentum, and about 30 entities had come up in the space. After the draft guidelines were released in April, almost all players had suggested there should be a nodal agency to track money transferred from a borrowers account to a lenders, and vice versa. RBI, on the other hand, had said funds should move directly from one account to the other. The central banks rationale was to avoid the risk of money laundering.The P2P entities also suggested they should be given access to credit bureau data, which could get RBI approval. They say this will help improve the quality of borrowers. Apart from structural guidelines, the rest would be more suggestive in nature. This is because the sector is still evolving and they dont want to clamp on it, said one player.Some had asked the minimum capital requirement of Rs 2 crore be relaxed. While bigger entities wanted the amount to remain, smaller ones had reservations, saying they were not lending or accepting deposits, and it shouldnt apply to them. Now the players are also expecting a clarification on this.

A firm allows an individual to lend or borrow money to or from other unrelated individuals without assistance from any financial intermediary. This is mainly done via an online platform that connects lenders and borrower. In the last couple of years this space had been gaining momentum and about 30 players had come up in the space.
Acting upon the directive of the Prime Minister to conduct Annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercises, the Armed Forces in collaboration with Central Armed Police Forces and civil administration have started conducting Joint HADR exercises in different places of the country. While the first Joint Exercise JALRAHAT on flooding in Urban Areas was conducted by the Army at Narangi Cantt, Guwahati, Assam from 28th to 30th June with other stakeholders like NCC, Civil Administration, municipal corporations and communities, the second exercise PRAKAMPANA by Indian Navy is now under progress. .

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The exercise PRAKAMPANA which started yesterday at Eastern Naval Command Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh is primarily based on super cyclone in the coastal region and will conclude tomorrow. During this exercise different stakeholders actively conducted mock drills and demonstrations on rescue and relief which pointed out the nuances and important lessions of HADR operations. .

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The third such HADR exercise SAHAYATA will be conducted by Indian Air Force from 14 to 16 September 2016 at Air Force Station Bhuj, Gujrat. This exercise is primarily aimed at preparing the Forces to undertake rescue and relief operations during major earthquakes of Western region. .

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DM/NAMPI/RK
The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 20th May, 2016 between Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and Ministry of Cabinet Office, UK (as represented by CERT-UK, a unit of the Cabinet Office on Cyber Security). .

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The MoU intends to promote closer cooperation between India and the United Kingdom for exchange of knowledge and experience in detection, resolution and prevention of security-related incidents. .

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Cyber Security was one of the agenda items for discussion during Hon'ble Prime Ministers visit to UK in November, 2015. With this MoU, participating countries can exchange technical information on Cyber attacks, response to cyber security incidents and find solutions to counter the cyber attacks. They can also exchange information on prevalent cyber security policies and best practices. This MoU helps to strengthen cyber space of both countries, capacity building and improving relationship between them. .

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Earlier CERT-In signed MoUs with counterpart/similar organizations in about seven countries - Korea, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Uzbekistan. Ministry of External Affairs has also signed MoU with Cyber Security as one of the areas of cooperation with Shanghai Cooperation Organization. .

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AKT/AD/SH
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to create a Project Development Fund (PDF) with a corpus of Rs 500 Crore for catalysing Indian economic presence in the Cambodia, Laos Myanmar and Vietnam. .

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The PDF shall be housed in Department of Commerce and operated through the EXIM Bank. The PDF shall be governed by an Inter-Ministerial Committee under the chairpersonship of the Commerce Secretary. .

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Background: .

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CLMV countries namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have a unique position in the regional value chains and offer a gateway for market access to China/EU and other markets due to various trade agreements. The key advantage of positioning India on the regional value chains is securing on a long term basis, a dedicated market for Indian raw materials and intermediate goods besides a dedicated source for inputs and raw materials for Indian industry. While opportunities are a plenty in CLMV region, Indian entrepreneurs' endeavors in these countries have, thus far, been limited due to limited information, infrastructure and other contingent risks. The PDF shall benefit India's industrial community for business expansion, and to maintain cost competitive supply chains, besides integrating with global production networks. .

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The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has extended his greetings and felicitations to the Government and people of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the eve of their Independence Day (September 1, 2016). .

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In a message to His Excellency Mr. Islam Karimov, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the President has said, On behalf of the Government and the people of India and on my own behalf, it is with great pleasure that I extend warm greetings and felicitations to you and to the friendly people of Uzbekistan on the occasion of your 25th Independence Day. .

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During these 25 years Uzbekistan, under your leadership, has made great strides of progress. In June this year, Uzbekistan successfully hosted the SCO Summit in which India signed the historic Memorandum of Obligations towards membership of SCO. .

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Our two countries are bound by our close historical and cultural linkages built over centuries of continuous interaction between our respective peoples. I am confident that the India-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength in the coming years in the jointly identified areas of mutually beneficial cooperation. .

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I take this opportunity to convey my best wishes for your Excellencys good health and success and for the continued progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Uzbekistan." .

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Press Release:

Elizabeth Knox of Pinetown has received the Tayloe's Hospital Pharmacy Scholarship and the ADN Class of 2016 Scholarship. Knox, 31, attended Washington High School and is working toward an Associate Degree in Nursing. Mother of two and the wife of Michael Knox, she also holds a bachelor degree in health care management. She plans to continue her education at ECU with the goal of becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner.Christopher Leaver of Washington has received the James Franklin & Hannah Roberson Bagwell Endowment Scholarship. Leaver, 24, attended Southside High School and is a mechanical engineering technology student. Son of Bonnie and Russell Leaver, husband of Alexis Fraley and father of one, he plans to acquire an apprenticeship at Cherry Point and attend ECU for a bachelor's degree. He currently works as a skilled craftsman/machinist at Oak Ridge Metalworks.Amy Manning of Greenville has received the Irwin & Frances Hulbert Endowment Scholarship and the Louise & Dorsey Welch Endowment Scholarship. Manning, 25, attended South Central High School and is a nursing student. She is the daughter of Kenneth and Nicole Manning of Greenville and Angie and Bertis Tyson of Greenville. She plans to obtain a bachelor's degree from ECU and transfer to UNC-Chapel Hill for a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.Carter O'Neal of Washington has received the Coca-Cola Scholarship. O'Neal, 19, attended Washington High School and is working toward an Associate in Science. Son of Jenny and Johnnie O'Neal of Washington, he plans to transfer to ECU. He is currently employed at Philips Wright Furniture.Linnie Rinker-Henry of Washington has received the Bunyan Ruritan Club Scholarship. Rinker-Henry, 27, attended Artesia High School in Artesia, NM, and is pursuing an Associate in Arts in Cosmetology. Mother of two, she plans to work in a salon.Gabrielle Singleton of Pinetown has received the Archbell/Wilkinson Endowment Scholarship. Singleton, 18, attended Washington High School and is pursuing an Associate in Arts. Daughter of Barbara and Elmer Singleton of Washington, she plans to transfer to ECU. She is currently employed as an assistant manager at Little Caesar's.Winnie Washington of Greenville has received the James Franklin & Hannah Roberson Bagwell Endowment Scholarship and the Archbell/Wilkinson Endowment Scholarship. Washington, 33, attended Ayden Grifton High School and is a human services student. Daughter of Sherry and Benard Hill and mother of three, she plans to attend ECU.Ashley Watson of Wilson has received the Irwin & Frances Hulbert Endowment Scholarship. Watson, 23, attended Washington High School and is pursuing an Associate Degree in Nursing. She plans to obtain her MSN and begin a family while working in the ER. Daughter of Joe Cox of Washington and Lisa Woolard of Bath, Watson is currently employed as a sales associate at Omega Sports.Jessica Woolard of Washington has received the Washington Rotary Club Scholarship. Woolard, 32, attended Washington High School and is working toward an Associate Degree in Nursing. She is the daughter of Debbie Deal, wife of Joshua Woolard and mother of two. She also holds an associate degree in medical office administration. She plans to work as an orthopedic or operating room RN at a local medical facility. She is currently employed at Vidant orthopedics as a surgical coordinator.Olivia Woolard of Washington has received the Robert Farish Endowment Scholarship. Woolard, 31, attended Washington High School and is a criminal justice student. She is the daughter of Pamela and Frank Sheldon, and Holton and Brenda Woolard. She also holds a medical assistant degree from Pitt Community College. She plans to find her dream job in the criminal justice field that will keep her motivated as part of a team to solve crime and build a safer community. She is currently employed at Carolina Physical Therapy as an administrative assistant and at the Washington Crab and Seafood Shack as a server.
Following is the statement of the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas regarding India-Russia cooperation in the oil and gas sector: India and Russia have strong and historical cooperation in the oil and gas sector. This cooperation, which dates back to Russias involvement in ONGCs Bombay High asset in 1970s and Indias investment in Sakhalin in the 1990s, has now been further strengthened in the last two years. ONGC Videsh Limited acquired 15% stake in Vankor in May this year. A consortium comprising Oil India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Bharat Petro Resources Limited is in the process of acquiring an additional stake of 23.9% in Vankor and 29.9% in Tass-suyarkh. It is a high priority for the Indian Government to encourage two way investments. We welcome Russian companies to invest in the rapidly growing Indian oil and gas sector in India including upstream, midstream and downstream sectors." .

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A two-day Regional Editors Conference for Southern States organized by Press Information Bureau will be inaugurated by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu at Chennai tomorrow. The two day conference will disucss the policies and initiatives of key Ministries such as Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Information and Broadcasting, Road Transport and Shipping, Commerce and Trade, Information and Communication Technology and Home Affairs. The participants will be apprised of the key programs and roadmap for the future pertaining to flagship schemes. .

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Around 80 senior media persons from Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Union Terretories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry will be participating in the Conference organaised by the Press Information Bureau. .

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Following the inaugural session by the Urban Development Minister, the conference will be addressed by the Union Minister for Law and Justice and Information & Communication Technology Shri. Ravi Shankar Prasad. The focus of deliberations during this session will be on the Information Technology Hub connecting Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. The Editors will be informed of the ambitious project of the Union government to spread the IT network to rural areas and its plans to link it to citizen services of Union and State Governments. .

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The afternoon session will be dedicated to discussions on Disaster Management. The efforts of the Disaster Management apparatus of the government since Chennai Flood in December 2015 and other climate change related calamities that have taken place in the region will be the highlight of the session. .

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The session on Urban Development will be addressed by Shri. Venkaiah Naidu who will apprise the Editors on the initiatives of the Ministry with specific reference to Smart Cities project across the country, issues related to the urbanization challenges in specific cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi and the Metro Rail development plans in Kochi and Hyderabad. .

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Shri. Rajive Kumar, Secretary Shipping and Shri. Raghav Chandra, Chairman National Highways Authority of India will brief the Conference on the infrastructure projects in the Southern states. These five states have ambitious programmes of improving the road network which when fully implemented would speed up the overall development of the region giving fillip to the economy. Further this region forms part of the Sagar Mala plan of the Union Government with its vast coast line and numerous ports catering to the industries in the vast hinterland of the peninsulas. .

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The afternoon session on the second day will be addressed by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, who will speak on new iniatives that seeks to push Make In India project. The Mnister will highlight governemnts efforts to give a filip to automobiles, textiles, spice products and services the sectors which are performing well in the southern states, constitute major exports from the region and provide employment to a large sections of the population. .

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Press Information Bureau had successfully hosted a Social Editors Conference in Jaipur earlier this year. .

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CP/AD
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said the decline in State funding in the key social sector programmes, including education, is a matter of particular concern. He said this after inaugurating the 4th phase of the Vidyadhanam project at Kochi, Ernakulam in Kerala today. The Governor of Kerala, Justice (Retd.) P. Sathasivam and the Minister for Forests, Animal Husbandry and Zoos, Kerala, Shri K. Raju were present on the occasion. .

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The Vice President said that in addition to increasing the government investments in education, it is also essential to maintain the funding levels of other social welfare schemes, especially those operating in the rural sector- to ensure that that falling incomes of parents do not impact the educational prospects of in-school children. .

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The Vice President said that the Vidyadhanam was a unique project, as it not only provides financial incentive and scholarship to bright students from Government and aided schools, but also encourages cultivation of life skills, such as thrift and financial inclusion. .

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The Vice President said that the spread of education in Kerala has led to enhancement of individual freedom, created a better climate for gender equity and led to much faster reduction in income poverty than in many other States of India. Shri M. Hamid Ansari said the remarkable performance of Kerala on the various socio-economic indicators, which approximate more those of the developed countries than developing ones, is a testimony to the transformative power of mass education. .

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Following is the text of Vice Presidents address: .

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It is a pleasure to be here today to inaugurate the fourth phase of the Vidyadhanam project, piloted by Prof. K. V. Thomas Vidyadhanam Trust. .

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Prof. Thomas has been a member of Legislative Assembly and a Member of Parliament for the last 30 years. Throughout his public life, and in his various capacities, he has championed the cause of the socially and economically disadvantaged sections of our nation, particularly by enhancing equitable access to education. It is but natural given his love for teaching and for this beautiful land of Kerala. This audience is well acquainted with Prof. Thomas achievements. I am informed that in addition to the present Vidyadhanam project, Prof. Thomas has also spearheaded several other projects aimed at improving the quality and accessibility of education in the district of Ernakulum. One of these includes setting up of a digital library to make available online journals and books to the needy students of the district. .

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The Vidyadhanam is a unique project. It not only provides financial incentive and scholarship to bright students from Government and aided schools, but also encourages cultivation of life skills, such as thrift and financial inclusion. I am informed that in the fourth phase of the project, some 2,000 school children who pass their higher secondary School examinations with a grade of A+, will be provided with a corpus amount of Rs. 2,500 each, which would be deposited in an account in their name with the State Bank of India. The students are then encouraged to save and augment this seed amount, which in turn, becomes available to them when they seek to pursue higher education. .

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A familys financial condition should not discourage motivated youth from trying to receive higher education. Expanding financial support is indispensable in enabling students from low-income families in accessing quality education. Scholarships are a boon for students, especially for those belonging to the weaker sections of the society, who are unable to further their education for lack of resources. Scholarship programmes are, thus, a potent platform, promoting equity by offering all deserving students the opportunity to realize their potential fully. .

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Public services like school education are the key to nurturing participatory growth. Despite the well documented relation between spending on school education and the growth of nations, financing of Education in India remains inadequate. The total public expenditure for education, at less than 3.5% of GDP, is presently well below the 6% commitment made in various National Education Policies. At 52%, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) received more than half the money under school- education allocation in the latest budget, but over the last five years, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan budget has declined by 6%, from Rs. 23,873 crore ($4.4 billion) in 2012-13 to Rs 22,500 crore ($3.3 billion) for 2016-17. While school education is primarily the responsibility of states, the central government directly finances 60% through programmes such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. As many as 66% of Indias primary school students attend government schools or government-aided schools. .

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In this backdrop, the decline in State funding in the key social sector programmes, including education, is also of particular concern. The money allocated for key centrally sponsored social schemes like the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and National Health Missiondeclined by about 8%, 6% and 3%, respectively, over the last two years. In addition to increasing the government investments in education, it is also essential to maintain the funding levels of other social welfare schemes, especially those operating in the rural sector- to ensure that that falling incomes of parents do not impact the educational prospects of in-school children. .

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The spread of education in Kerala has led to enhancement of individual freedom and capacity for asserting ones rights such as for better health care, demands for more public services and monitoring their delivery, created a better climate for gender equity, and above all, led to much faster reduction in income poverty than in many other States in the country. The remarkable performance of Kerala on the various socio-economic indicators, which approximate more those of the developed countries than developing ones, is a testimony to the transformative power of mass education. .

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The impressive march of Kerala on education, and other socio-economic fronts, is deeply rooted in Kerala's intellectual history that unleashed the progressive forces against backwardness, superstition, conservatism and casteism in the State. Leaders from the state, cutting across political lines, undertook the challenge of combating social inequalities through public activism and spread of education. The contribution of religious reformers such as Sree Narayana Guru, the Nair Service Society, the Muslim Educational Society (MES) and the Christian church to the expansion of educational facilities in Kerala, also helped in inculcating and sustaining spread of education as a social movement. .

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It is heartening, therefore, to see the spirit and passion for providing quality education for all being sustained in Kerala. New and innovative programmes are being tried and implemented. Only yesterday, I launched a programme aimed at attaining 100% e-literacy in the State. The result of these seeds being sown today will undoubtedly become manifest in the coming years, and perhaps ensure that Kerala continues to shine as an example of human development model that other states could do well to emulate. .

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I, once again congratulate Prof. K.V. Thomas Vidyadhanam Trust, the Central and State Government education departments, the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and the State Bank of India for taking this wonderful initiative. Moreover, I congratulate the people of Ernakulum District and the State of Kerala for selecting this enlightened path for themselves. I wish this progamme all the success it so richly deserves. .

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Jai Hind." .

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European Commission ordered tech behemoth Inc to pay a record $14.5 billion unpaid tax to Ireland, terming it as an illegal state aid. The news in itself did not create shock waves as much as the response of Ireland did. Ireland does not want the money.
Pakistan's Supreme Court today rejected as "frivolous" a plea by opposition leader Imran Khan seeking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's disqualification from his office and the National Assembly for alleged involvement in corruption.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party chief's lawyer had filed the plea in the top court yesterday after millions of documents leaked from a Panamian law firm in April disclosed Sharif's daughter and two sons owned properties in the UK that were not shown on his family's wealth statement.

The top court said prima-facie the petition appeared to be "frivolous" and the petitioner did not approach a high court before coming to it for addressing their grievances.

"The petitioner has not approached any other appropriate forum available to him under the law for the same relief. He has also not provided the justification for not doing so," it said.

The order stated the petitioner directly invoked the extraordinary jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Article 184 (3) of Constitution, which is not permissible in view of the judgment.

Stung by the rebuke, Ishaq Khan Khakwani of the PTI said since the plea had been knocked down on technical grounds, the party would refile it after removing the legal lacunae.

The 11.5 million leaked documents from Mossack Fonseca in Panama showed several world leaders, including Sharif's three children - sons, Hassan and Hussain, and his daughter, Maryam - owning at least three offshore companies.

Sharif has been under fire since the leak.

The allegations that Sharif hid his offshore wealth to avoid taxes has called his credentials into question.

The allegations had led to panic among the top members of the ruling PML-N party. Sharif had left for London soon after the leak on an unscheduled visit for medical treatment.

He returned to Pakistan after eight weeks and following an open heart surgery on May 31.

Sharif has dismissed the leaks calling it a work of people "targeting me and my family for their political aims". He also suggested that those "who use ill-gotten wealth don't keep assets in their own names".

The 'Panama Papers' - as the leaks came to be known - revealed details of dodgy offshore financial dealings gleaned from millions of leaked documents from the Panamanian firm.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is considering a trip to Mexico to meet that country's president, hours before his long-awaited speech on immigration today, a media report said.

The Washington Post, in a lead story, said Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has invited Trump to Mexico City to discuss campaign issues. Trump reportedly accepted the offer, the daily said.

So far, there has been no word from the Trump campaign on his possible Mexican trip.

Notably, Nieto has been highly critical of Trump's plan to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.

Trump argues this would stop the flow of illegal immigrants coming into the US.

Nieto had invited Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton too for a meeting. Both campaigns received the invitation on good terms, the president's office told The Post in a statement.

"Trump, sensing an opportunity, decided over the weekend to accept the invitation and push for a visit this week, according to the people familiar with the discussions," the newspaper reported, adding that the Trump campaign is still in talks with the Mexico government on the logistics of the meeting.

If Trump indeed meets the Mexican President, this would be his first formal interaction with a foreign head of state after he jumped into the electoral arena last year.
Just when you thought the European Union was down, it's delivered a blow that shows you can't count it out. In taking a bite out of Apple, the beleaguered bloc has gone where the US feared to tread and demonstrated that it still has clout when it comes to taking on corporate giants. The move is a powerful reminder to the UK that in patrolling the terms of access to its half a billion consumers, the EU punches its global weight. There's something else as well. By ordering the world's richest company to pay Ireland a record 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in back taxes, ...
Spain's caretaker Prime Minister today urged lawmakers to back him for a second term, arguing ahead of a confidence vote which he appears set to lose that the country "urgently" needs a government.

If there is no breakthrough two months after Wednesday's parliamentary ballot, vote-weary Spaniards will be asked to return to the polls on December 25 due to the timings set out in Spanish election law.

Rajoy, whose conservative Popular Party (PP) has ruled since 2011, warned Spain's economic recovery could be jeopardised if it once again fails to form a government after two inconclusive elections in December and June.

"Spain needs an effective government, and it needs it urgently," he told lawmakers as he opened a two-day parliamentary debate before a vote of confidence on his proposed second term.

"My proposal is the only real possibility for Spain to have a moderate government, that is not an adventure in radicalism, inefficiency and uncertainty," he said, referring to the option of the Socialists forming a government with new radical-left party Podemos.

The corruption-tainted PP won both elections but failed to reach an absolute majority.

To secure a new term, Rajoy needs the support of an absolute majority of 176 lawmakers in the 350-seat assembly in Wednesday's planned confidence vote.

His Popular Party clinched a deal with Ciudadanos, an upstart market-friendly party, as well as with a lone nationalist lawmaker from the Canary Islands, giving him 170 votes -- six votes short.

Rajoy therefore needs the support of the Socialists, his traditional rivals, who finished second in the last election with 85 seats. So far they have refused to help him.

If he fails to garner the needed votes, Rajoy will face a second confidence vote on Friday in which he only needs to secure more votes in favour of his government than against, meaning he could only prevail if the Socialists abstained.

The Socialists have been adamant in their opposition to Rajoy, who they blame for corruption scandals tainting the PP and for the steep public spending cuts imposted by his government.

Socialist parliamentary spokesman Antonio Hernando said Rajoy had provided no reason to back him during his address to parliament.

"We have heard the speech of a tired candidate, with an exhausted political project," he said.
Over 33,300 people have been displaced from their homes following heavy rain brought by Typhoon Lionrock in China's northeastern Jilin Province.

Rain started to batter Yanbian prefecture in Jilin, close to China's border with North Korea on Monday.

Average precipitation in the prefecture in the last three days reached 102 millimetres, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Yanbian flood control authorities said water levels on the Chinese section of the cross-border Tumen River reached record high. Eight reservoirs also swelled.

Flood alarms were sounded on Wednesday in Tumen City for residents of low-lying areas to leave their homes. More than 3,580 people are fighting floods, the report said.
Trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been badly hit due to the closure of Chaman border point in the restive Balochistan province for the past 13 days after a group of Afghans held anti-Pakistan protests.

Dar Khan Achakzai, former chairman of the Chaman Chamber of Commerce, said the daily transit of 500 to 600 vehicles carrying perishable goods have been put on hold.

"A lot of cottage industry goods from Gujranwala and Wazirabad in Punjab and other items go daily to Afghanistan," he said.

"The closure of the border gate has badly affected business between the two countries," Achakzai said.

The border trade point was shut by Pakistani authorities after some Afghan nationals burnt the Pakistani flag and pelted stones at security personnel from across the border to express their anger over protest rallies held in Balochistan's tribal areas against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his supportive words to Balochs in his Independence Day address.

A security source said Southern Commander, Brigadier Arshad, has visited Chaman and four flag meetings have been held between the border forces of the two countries.

"The Afghan authorities have conceded that some anti-Pakistan elements had instigated the trouble at the border gate 13 days back and they were being rounded up. There is hope the gate will be reopened in two or three days time," the source said.

Achakzai said up to 10,000 skilled workers, labourers and traders cross over to Afghanistan for trade and work.

"They go early morning work there and return by sunset. Similarly 4,000 to 5,000 Afghans also cross into Pakistan on daily basis for trade and work," he said.

Achakzai said Pakistan's exports to Afghanistan has already dropped by 30 per cent from 300 crore rupees to 180 crore rupees in the past over an year.

They are only two transit routes between the two countries - the Chaman border and Torkham border - and both mostly "remain busy with business," he said.

Another businessman from Quetta said Pakistani traders have suffered the most since they invested heavily in the perishable industry in Afghanistan.

"Pakistani traders provide the investment for growth of fruits and vegetables in Afghanistan which are then imported into Pakistan and sold in the market or exported abroad," he said.

Pakistan had closed the Torkham border crossing in the north-west in June after deadly clashes with Afghan forces. It was later reopened after talks between high officials of the two countries.
Retailers could apply for grants to buy refrigeration units, though research shows programs have little effect on eating behavior

North Carolina is initiating an effort to provide healthier food in areas of the state where people may have trouble finding fresh produce, though a federal study of similar efforts in other locations have found they had a "negligible" effect on the amount of produce sold in areas called "food deserts."During the 2016 short session of the General Assembly, lawmakers set aside $250,000 for a Healthy Food Small Retailer Program to increase access to fresher food.said Morgan Whittman Gramann, managing director of the North Carolina Alliance for Health Gramann said.The program will be administered by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The money primarily will pay to install commercial grade refrigerators for fresh produce at convenience stores or similar retailers.Brian Long, a spokesman for the department, said that the agency is still working on some of the details of the new program and hopes to be in the position to accept grant proposals from small retailers by late fall.Long said.The legislation authorizing the program limits a single retailer to a maximum $25,000 grant. But both Long and Gramann say they believe retailers will be able to find equipment for less than $25,000, allowing the overall allotment to be spread to more retailers.Retailers also must agree to accept payments from Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (aka Food Stamps) and the Women, Infants and Children program to be eligible for a grant for refrigeration.The law also requires the department to report back to a legislative oversight committee by Oct. 1, 2017.Gramann hopes that if the program, which they dub the "Healthy Corner Store Initiative," is successful, lawmakers will increase its funding.Gramann said.Gramann said the North Carolina program is modeled after program in the Philadelphia area initiated by the Pew Charitable Trust.The purpose of the program is to provide access to healthy food in an effort to combat obesity.The North Carolina effort comes after a 2014 study found that food deserts tended to be in lower income and minority neighborhoods where residents had limited transportation options, making it difficult to get to a full-service grocery store if one wasn't nearby.Some recent studies have questioned the effectiveness of initiatives attacking food deserts. Factors such as cultural traditions and consumer choices are a bigger contributor to unhealthy eating habits than proximity to healthy produce, they suggest.noted a recent post at Reason magazine's website The Reason report cited a USDA study of the purchasing habits of SNAP benefit recipients.the Reason report said.An commentary from December 2010 by John McWhorter posted on National Public Radio's website argued that a person's upbringing influences food choices.McWhorter writes.Andy Ellen, president and general counsel of the N.C. Retail Merchants Association , said his organization followed the legislative study committee but has not taken a position on the program.Ellen said.Ellen noted that the retail merchants are a free-market organization and that the market forces usually take care of demands.Southeast Raleigh was considered a food desert after two grocery stores left the area, Ellen said, but two new grocers subsequently have opened there.Ellen also cited plans for a grocery store to move into downtown Raleigh now that there are many new residences downtown.Ellen said.Gramann noted that a handful of communities in North Carolina had received federal grants to implement programs in food deserts. In a video on the alliance's web page, a storeowner discussing the program said it is good for retailers because produce has a high profit margin, even higher than soft drinks.operations, Gramann said, adding that a lack of refrigeration equipment or contact with distributors may pose afor selling fresh produce. She said the state agriculture office would have the expertise to help the store owners display the merchandise in parts of the store with more traffic so that customers would be aware that fresh produce is available.
Russia has questioned the findings of a UN-led investigation that blamed the Syrian regime for chemical attacks, saying they were not conclusive enough to trigger sanctions.

Britain and France called for UN sanctions after the investigative panel found that President Bashar al-Assad's forces had carried out at least two chemical attacks, one in 2014 and one in 2015.

Following a closed-door Security Council meeting to discuss the report, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Tuesday he had "very serious questions" about the findings and suggested the panel should continue its work.

"There are a number of questions which have to be clarified before we accept all the findings of the report," Churkin said.

Previous reports from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had concluded that toxic gases have been used as weapons in Syria's five-year war, but stopped short of identifying the perpetrators.

The panel of inquiry, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), for the first time pointed the finger of blame at the Assad regime for chemical weapons use after years of denial from Damascus.

The British and French ambassadors described the use of chemical weapons against civilians as a war crime, while US Ambassador Samantha Power called for quick action to ensure those responsible "pay a price."

Churkin, however, made clear he was unconvinced by the JIM report.

"There is nobody to sanction in the report," Churkin told reporters. "It contains no names, no specifics, no fingerprints."

"Clearly there is a smoking gun. We know that chlorine was most likely used, but there are no fingerprints on the gun," he said.

The panel found that the Syrian regime had dropped chemical weapons on two villages in northwestern Idlib province: Talmenes on April 21, 2014 and Sarmin on March 16, 2015.

In both instances, Syrian air force helicopters dropped "a device" on houses that was followed by the "release of a toxic substance," which in the case of Sarmin matched "the characteristics of chlorine."

Chlorine use as a weapon is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which joined in 2013, under pressure from Russia, Assad's ally.

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Jaafari rejected the findings, saying the panel lacked "physical evidence" to support its conclusions that chlorine barrel-bombs were dropped on civilians.

The report was "totally based on witnesses presented by terrorist armed groups," Jaafari told reporters.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre called for a "quick and strong Security Council response" that would include "imposing sanctions on those who are responsible for these acts."

The council will be "looking at the imposition of sanctions and some form of accountability within legal mechanisms," said British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft.

The report also found that Islamic State jihadists had used mustard gas in an attack on the town of Marea in northern Aleppo province in August 2015.

Human Rights Watch called on the council to refer to the Criminal Court for war crimes and to urgently impose sanctions.

Britain, France and the United States said such a step remained an option, even though Russia and China blocked ICC referral in 2014.

"Russia and China don't have a leg to stand on by continuing to obstruct the Security Council on sanctions and ICC referral," said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch.

"The Security Council diminishes its importance if it doesn't take strong action against demonstrated use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.
Senator Marco Rubio, the former Republican presidential candidate, has won the party's Senate primary in Florida.

Rubio, who had pledged to exit when his presidential bid failed earlier this year, defeated businessman Carlos Beruff in the Republican Senate primary. He now faces Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy in the November general elections.

According to media reports, Rubio is expected to win the November elections, helping the Republican party retain its majority in the US Senate.

If elected, this would be Rubio's second term.

Former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz also won her Congressional primary in Florida.

A Senator is elected directly by the people for a six-year term. Every two years, one-third of US Senators are up for election.

In the US Congress, each of the 50 states has two representations in the Senate, irrespective of their size and population.
The Sri Lankan cabinet on Wednesday agreed to ratify the Paris agreement in order to minimise the impact and risk of climate change.

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change was signed by 178 countries including at the UN headquarters on April 2, Xinhua news agency quoted Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilleke as saying.

has been identified by the agreement as an island state that faces the impacts of climate changes such as prolonged droughts, flash floods, rise in the sea level, landslides, and inundation of lowlands.

Accordingly, the proposal by President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment, to ratify the Paris Agreement was approved by the Cabinet, Karunathilleke said.
SWIFT, the global financial messaging system, on Tuesday disclosed new hacking attacks on its member banks as it pressured them to comply with security procedures instituted after February's high-profile $81-million heist at Bangladesh Bank.
The US has said it is having a constant "conversation" with Pakistan on the threats posed by terror organisations like the operating in the region.

"There is a constant conversation that we are having with our Pakistani partners about the threat posed by Haqqani and other extremist groups in the region and certainly operating inside Pakistan," State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday.

The spokesperson said there is no difference between the Pentagon and the US State Department on this issue.

"We make these decisions routinely and they're based on active conversations that we have with Pakistani leaders. I don't know of any difference. I think the United States government is viewing this very much all in the same light," Kirby said.

Earlier, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter had refused to give the necessary Congressional certification to Pakistan and had blocked military aid worth $300 million to Pakistan for not taking sufficient action against the .
Britain and France called today for UN sanctions to be imposed on after a UN-led investigation found the regime had carried out chemical attacks.

The UN ambassadors from London and Paris described the use of chemical weapons against civilians as a war crime ahead of a council meeting to discuss the investigation's findings.

"France favours a quick and strong Security Council response," said French Ambassador Francois Delattre.

This would provide for "imposing sanctions on those who are responsible for these acts, which are constitutive of war crimes and crimes against humanity," he told reporters.

US Ambassador Samantha Power did not specify what measures should be taken, but called on the Security Council to act swiftly to ensure those responsible for using chemical weapons "pay a price."

An investigative panel set up by the Security Council said in a report last week that President Bashar al-Assad's forces had carried out at least two chemical attacks, one in 2014 and one in 2015.

Previous reports from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had concluded that toxic gases have been used as weapons in Syria's five-year war, but stopped short of identifying the perpetrators.

The panel of inquiry, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), for the first time pointed the finger of blame at the Assad regime for chemical weapons use after years of denial from Damascus.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the council will be "looking at the imposition of sanctions and some form of accountability within legal mechanisms."

Rycroft said it was "essential that we have a robust response" to impose "measures under chapter 7" of the UN charter, which provides for sanctions.

The push for sanctions against is expected to face resistance from Russia, Syria's ally.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin praised the JIM for its professionalism, but declined to say what measures might be taken to follow up on the panel's findings.

The panel found that the Syrian regime had dropped chemical weapons on two villages in northwestern Idlib province: Talmenes on April 21, 2014 and Sarmin on March 16, 2015.

In both instances, Syrian air force helicopters dropped "a device" on houses that was followed by the "release of a toxic substance," which in the case of Sarmin matched "the characteristics of chlorine."

Chlorine use as a weapon is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which joined in 2013, under pressure from Russia.
The Islamic State's spokesman and strategist of external terror operations, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, was killed in the Syrian province of Aleppo, the group has announced, as the US confirmed it had targeted him in an airstrike in the same area.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that it had targeted the prominent ISIS leader in a precision strike near the town of Al Bab and was still assessing the results.

The terror group had announced Adnani's death through its news outlet, Amaq, on Tuesday. He was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo", Amaq said, and vowed to avenge his death, according to media reports.

Adnani had served as principal architect of the terror group's external operations and as its chief spokesman.

"Today coalition forces conducted a precision strike near Al Bab, Syria, targeting Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani, one of ISIL's most senior leaders.

"We are still assessing the results of the strike, but Al-Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.

Adnani had coordinated the movement of IS fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited new members, the Pentagon spokesperson said.

"The US military will continue to prioritise and relentlessly target ISIL leaders and external plotters in order to defend our homeland, our allies and our partners, while we continue to gather momentum in destroying ISIL's parent tumour in Iraq and Syria and combat its metastases around the world," Cook said.
The White House has expressed concern over the European Union asking to pay $14.6 billion in back taxes to Ireland, saying the burden would ultimately affect the American taxpayers.

"...The kinds of payments that were contemplated by the EU decision are merely a transfer of revenue from US taxpayers to the EU. I think that is the crux of our concerns about the fairness of this kind of approach," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference yesterday.

Such a measure wouldn't be fair to US taxpayers, he said.

The EU had said had avoided virtually all tax on its business in the bloc by illegal arrangements with Dublin which gave the company an unfair advantage over competitors, according to media reports.

Earnest said the US shares the goal articulated by the EU of preventing unfair erosion of the tax base.

"We don't have an interest in seeing European taxpayers or the European economy suffer from the erosion of their tax base, and we're certainly going to do everything we can to prevent that from happening here," he said.

The Press Secretary cautioned against "unilateral" measures by the EU, that "threaten to undermine" collaborative progress they have made to make the taxation system fair.

"And when I say 'fair', I mean fair primarily to taxpayers, but also fair to that are trying to do business around the world. That ultimately benefits the economies in countries on both sides of the Atlantic.

"If there are concerns that the Europeans have about some of these mechanisms, then we should continue to make progress by working through those issues jointly as opposed to a more unilateral approach, like a state aid investigation," he said.

"The issue is that the consequences for that transfer would be that it could be treated in the US tax system as a current tax payment that would allow to deduct that EU tax payment from their US taxes," he said.

In a statement, the Department of Treasury said retroactive tax assessments by the EU Commission "are unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles and call into question the tax rules" of the individual countries in the EU.

The department said the ruling could threaten to undermine foreign investment and business climate in Europe besides affecting the "spirit of economic partnership between the US and the EU".

In a letter on the company's website, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company never asked for or received "special deals" on its taxes from Ireland. Apple plans to appeal against the EU decision.

Information Technology Industry Council president and CEO, Dean Garfield also expressed concern over the move, saying the imposition of unforeseeable and retroactive penalties, risks chilling transatlantic commerce and investment and growth in the EU at the expense of US taxpayers.
It takes very little to start a fire on the internet. Ask India's new economy companies that seem to have mastered the art, with the latest controversy being stirred by India's largest e-commerce marketplace Flipkart. Its recent campaign has offended the Gorkha community - they have objected to being cast in a stereotype that they have long struggled to overcome. The protests first erupted on the Internet and then, following a by now familiar trail, stepped offline and ended up as a plea in the courts.
prices in Kochi have by Rs 5-7 and industry representatives have attributed the hike to the decision of traders in the city to join the pan-India electronics auction system. Another factor that pushed prices was recent flood in Assam, which impacted local production and fostered demand-supply mismatch. Industry is expecting prices to go up by another Rs 2-3 as the festival season is round the corner in the south.

Kochi traders had so far been boycotting the auction and an inventory of four million kg had piled up.

J K Thomas, chairman, Tea Trade Association said that traders have decided to join the system after Tea Board agreed to revise the rule on division of lots. Under the original pan-India rules, only lots above 20 bags could be divided between two buyers and lots above 35 bags between three buyers. Since Kochi caters to smaller buyers, the Tea Board made an exception in its case, by allowing a lot of 10 bags to be divided between two buyers who bid for it at the auction. Similarly a lot of 15 bags can be divided three ways and more than 20 bags can be divided four ways.

The Tea Board also agreed to allow splitting of lots after the auction, to facilitate part payment for a lot and part delivery of the lot but changes in the software have not been made as yet, said Thomas.

The other factor, which is pushing the tea price is flood in Assam, which in turn affected the production of tea in the state. As per tea industry estimates, the crop loss in July would be in the range of 21-30 per cent. Assam produced 91 million kg tea in July last year and if that is taken as a benchmark, the dip would be around 20-27 million kg this month.

Assam produced 631 million kg of tea in 2015 and contributed 52 per cent to the country's total tea production.

The Assam Tea Planters' Association (ATPA) has said that this year, the prices of the higher quality tea has come down, which could be attributed to the shift of auction system from regional auction to the pan India.

"The prices for certain high quality tea, at the Rs 175-220 a kilo price range has fallen almost Rs 20-30 per cent here, which is contrary to the general principle of higher quality getting higher value," said Arun Thekedath, chairman of ATPA. There was lot of uncertainities related to the shift in the auction system and there were other global issues, which could be the reasons for the fall. He also observed that the price fall is at a time when certain other teas in the price range of Rs 120-150 a kilo has seen a price increase.
These are trying times for conservatives. Revered institutions are facing existential challenges: the family and church by cultural transformation facilitated by policy and legal decisions; the nation by globalization and the power of supranational institutions led by a technocratic elite that holds little regard for sovereignty; and markets by the growing administrative state and an expansionary fiscal policy.What should be done?I don't believe leaders like Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, who spearheaded the successful Brexit campaign in June, have the answers. They believe they own some kind of time machine, capable of turning back the clock to the 1950s, when social mores were very different and America and Britain were less pluralistic societies capable of succeeding economically from positions of relative isolation.Instead, conservatives need to accept that we live in an interconnected world where goods, capital, and human beings will continue to move somewhat freely and fewer people will share their traditional values. In that context, the institutions that matter should be protected and a thoughtful defense of them articulated to the public.They are as important in this era of high technology, globalization, cultural liberalism, and demographic transformation as they always have been. Adaptation to the 21st century is essential.Let's take the nation-state first. Many Brexiters supported the United Kingdom's membership in the European Union when the organization was merely a single market, designed solely for the free transnational exchange of goods and capital. Immigration, of course, was a sticking point for many others, but I believe there still would have been a comfortable majority for "Remain" if not for the thousands of meddlesome regulations crafted by unaccountable EU bureaucrats to manage and homogenize the everyday lives of European citizens.The lesson is that people want extensive interaction between sovereign and autonomous nations that share classically liberal values like natural rights, the kind of world imagined by intellectual fathers of this country such as John Locke and Adam Smith.Trump is wrong to interpret Brexit sentiments - and, although polls are all over the place on this issue, I believe the views of most Americans - as consistent with his desire to scrap trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and build a wall to effectively shut out the rest of the world.Trump is correct, however, when he says markets are not currently working for the average person. He has won popular support by claiming the system is rigged and resembles a "cronyocracy," not a meritocracy.Some economic sectors, firms, and individuals are subsidized, and others enjoy exceptions from regulations, for reasons that can be explained only by politics. Conservatives need to communicate that, as Milton Friedman eloquently argued, markets are the most democratic and efficient mechanism for distributing resources when they are permitted to incentivize risk, generate productivity, and deliver economic growth.We need greater transparency in our economy and to reward strategic investment, work, and talent. "Simple rules," to quote the title of libertarian law professor Richard Epstein's book on the topic, will provide the public with greater confidence than multiple layers of complex and uneven regulations they must navigate.When regulations are light, brief, clearly visible, equitably applied, and derived from broadly accepted underlying principles, markets work.Next is family. It is difficult for many conservatives to adapt their traditional understanding of this institution to the huge cultural and attitudinal shifts American society is currently experiencing. But they can recognize that government presents a greater challenge to the nuclear arrangement than same-sex marriage.A library of research demonstrates children are better off, physically, intellectually, and emotionally, in a two-parent stable family than in other arrangements. An admittedly much smaller but nevertheless growing literature reports same-sex couples can deliver similar gains to their children.Many current tax and welfare policies, however, penalize marriage at a time when economic and cultural pressures on the institution are, as demonstrated most spectacularly by the experiences of the white working class, rising to intolerable levels.Such a recalibrated defense of nation, markets, and the family is not just good policy rooted in core conservative values. It makes sense politically.Trump has virtues, not least his ability to energize white working-class voters. But, in the face of an extraordinarily unpopular Democratic opponent, he has also revealed the limits of assembling a coalition attracted more to the policies of 1956 than 2016.If Republicans want to govern, they need to welcome Americans of all demographic types - so long as they are virtuous, hard-working people who see the value in ideas like American exceptionalism, free enterprise, and the family unit.By adapting the institutions that have delivered the country its freedom and prosperity over the past 2 1/4 centuries, the party can permit them to do the same for 2 1/4 more.Andy Taylor is a professor of political science at the School of Public and International Affairs at N.C. State University. He does not speak for the university.
Ever since the government announced a 10% import duty on and 15% on jewellery, jewellers had been looking for loopholes in free trade agreements which allows import of jewellery at 1% duty. This, too, was plugged in March when the government imposed countervailing duty on jewellery.
turned choppy in late noon trades after a bout of profit booking intra-day with infrastructure stocks gaining the most after the Cabinet toward annouced changes in arbitration norms in an effort to re-start stalled projects.
Tata Motors' stock remained largely unaffected on Wednesday after the Supreme Court quashed the acquisition of land made in 2006 by the West Bengal government for the company's Nano car project.
Taxi aggregator supported commuters affected by the heavy rainfall and water-logging in Delhi NCR; by deploying volunteers and shuttle buses in key affected areas.

The volunteers helped in clearing the traffic congestion and enabled swift movement of travellers. More than 100 volunteers were stationed at key traffic junctions and waterlogged areas like Rajiv Chowk, Dhaula Kuan, Mahipalpur, Huda City Centre, Cyber City in Gurgaon, Jasola, Govindpuri, Noida City Centre amongst others.

In an attempt to come to the stranded people's recue, also deployed shuttle buses in some of the badly affected areas to ferry commuters including office goers and students to the nearest metro stations. These shuttle rides were voluntary and totally free of cost. Hundreds of people across the region benefited from Ola's efforts.

"The heavy rains in Delhi NCR earlier today led to water-logging and flooding which caused a lot of traffic snarls across Delhi NCR. In our endeavor to enable mobility, more than 100 volunteers from Ola worked in tandem with the Traffic Police in affected areas to channel traffic," said Business Head - North Ola, Deep Singh.

"We also deployed Ola Shuttles in several areas across the region to ferry people to their nearest metro stations, so they could travel while avoiding the water-logged roads and continuous rainfall. Hundreds of people benefited from the free Ola Shuttle rides today," added Deep Singh.

Earlier, Ola had initiated similar flood relief operations in Allahabad, Varanasi and Guwahati where it deployed boats to help people in affected areas across the two cities in Uttar Pradesh.

Ola had also sent veterinary doctors from Guwahati to Kaziranga to help Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in its rescue operations. Similarly, in Chennai floods last year, Ola had deployed boats in water logged and partially submerged areas, basis information provided by the Fire and Rescue Department of Tamil Nadu.
In a bid to highlight the ongoing Baloch genocide and human rights violations and the disappearance of Baloch people through the hands of Pakistani military and intelligence agencies in Balochistan, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) Germany chapter held demonstrations in different cities.

The demonstrations were held in Dusseldorf, Berlin and Munich on August 30, which is also marked as "The Day of the victims of the enforced disappearance" by the Baloch people.

The protesters were seen holding placards which read "stop #enforced disappearance in ."

Some were also seen enacting the human rights abuses by Pakistan with chains tied in their hands and blood stains on their shirts.

The protesters also sought the attention of United Nations, the US and the EU in order to act for the safe recovery of those missing, which amounts to thousands.

The BNM activists highlighted that silence of the community is aiding Baloch genocide by Pakistan.

BNM's deputy secretary Germany Zone, Nadeem Saleem said that in 1948, was unlawfully occupied by Pakistan through a military invasion in violation of Law and against the wishes of the Baloch nation.

Highlighting that Pakistani military occupation in has deprived its people to develop into a democratic society with rights to education, economic freedom, cultural progress and social justice, he said that country's military is promoting proxy Islamist terrorist groups in Balochistan.

"Pakistani military establishment is promoting proxy Islamist terrorist groups in Balochistan as a policy to crush the secular Baloch freedom struggle and to transform the society into a bastion of Taliban, ISIS, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi to be used against neighbouring Afghanistan and India," Saleem told ANI.

He said that since 2003, more than 23,000 activists, students, lawyers, women, journalists, writers and human rights defenders have been enforced disappeared by the Pakistani army and its death squads.

Asserting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the atrocities committed against the people of Balochistan by the Pakistan, he hoped that the United Nation, US, UK, Germany, and the European Union will raise their voices to save his people.

Protesters were also seen holding placards reading, "PM Modi Balochistan loves you, needs you."

Jaleel Ahmed Baloch, unit secretary of Gottingen unit, Germany requested the world community to take notice of the atrocities against the people of Balochistan.

"There are more than 30, 0000 Baloch activists, Baloch teachers, Baloch students who are under Pakistani torture cells, who are bearing inhuman torture in Pakistani torture custody. We request to the United Nation, European Union, India and the rest of democratic countries please take notice of that," he told ANI.

The protesters also highlighted that Pakistan's Gwadar port in Balochistan, developed with Chinese assistance, key part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project is raising tensions in the Indian Ocean.

Described as an economic "game-changer" by Pakistan and China, CPEC has strategic implications for India and Afghanistan.

The Baloch Republican Party (BRP) activists were earlier seen holding protest rally in Kolwa area of Awaran district against military operations and Chinese intervention in Balochistan.

Earlier media reports have also highlighted the manner in which the CPEC project was being constructed against the will of the local population in Balochistan, leading to the heavy presence of Pakistani military and police apparatus in the area.

The Pakistani Army has also been alleged of forceful evacuation of people from their traditional homesteads and farmlands in several areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan so as to make the land available for the CPEC.
Madhya Pradesh Women and Child Development Minister Archana Chitnis on Wednesday said the two-year old girl, who was raped in Bhopal city this morning, is now out of danger and has gained consciousness.

Chitnis told the media that the girl has now been shifted to the ICU.

"Her parents, mother Jyoti and father Rampal, are in the hospital. They hail from Uttar Pradesh's Mahoba district and visit Bhopal frequently to collect leaves for their goats," Chitnis said.

"She will be in the ICU for two to three days and the administration is on their toes to catch the perpetrators of the crime," she added.

The Minister said that Jahangirabad Sub-inspector Jitendra Chandariya brought the victim to the hospital along with a person named Manoj, who found the girl when he was going to the washroom.

"He (Manoj) immediately informed the police... He and his wife Jyoti did not wait for any emergency vehicle and directly took her to the hospital in an auto-rickshaw," she added while informing that the untoward incident took place in Aishbagh.

Dr Karan Pipre, the superintendent of Sultania Zanana Hospital, said the victim has been given medical treatment and is presently being treated in the ICU.

"Doctors have been given her medication and at the moment the child is fine and undergoing further treatment," Dr Pipre said.

"We have given her antibiotics so that she can recover fast. When she will be fine completely, we'll discharge her with full grace and will provide her with all the medication required for her to be fine in the future," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Pakistani citizen has been ordered to leave Romania on charges of promoting 'extremist Islamism' online, causing a threat to national security by a court in Bucharest.

The Court of Appeal ruled that the man, identified only by his initials, S.A, should be expelled for 10 years on Tuesday, reports the Express Tribune.

The man is said to have entered the country illegally in 2015 and then married a Romanian woman, according to Romania's main domestic intelligence agency.

On the basis of marriage, he then sought to obtain a residency permit.

The agency said that the man was kept under surveillance and it was found that he was involved in spreading propaganda online for Pakistani "terrorists."

Earlier this year, a Milan Court had sentenced a Pakistani and a Tunisian to six years in prison for threatening terror attacks in Italy via social media.

They were deported to their respective countries after serving their sentences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Asserting that New Delhi is blessed with the fastest growing major market in Asia, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said India will be globes most populous nation with a rising middle class and a huge reservoir of entrepreneurial talent by 2030.

"My friends sky is the limit and it's not just because of our close cooperation in aviation and space, nobody should be satisfied, even as we know the greater connectivity helps build prosperity and strength and regional trust," said Kerry while interacting with the students of IIT Delhi.

"And even though we are witnessing impressive gains in India's economic growth, there is still a real question whether or not we are doing so quickly enough and that comes down to some pretty basic arithmetic in order to just keep pace India has to create 13 million jobs a year. By any standards that's an enormous task and to meet that goals the young entrepreneurs urgently need the freedom to go out and pursue ideas, they need to be allowed to start a new business without a lot of red tape, they need to be able to access infrastructure that makes it easier to translate fresh concepts into successful companies," he added.

The US Secretary of State called for a market, which is fearless and full of transparency.

"You have to have sensible regulations and anybody's bureaucracy has to become more streamlined and effective, it has to become a partner in making decisions. You will have to adopt policies. The government has passed now the GST Bill, bankruptcy laws and made changes in foreign regulations and enacted sound macroeconomic reforms," said Kerry.

"The government has issued key initiatives like Start Up India or Digital India and next year India will co-host the Global Entrepreneur Summit, which will help showcase India's talent in global reform. Ultimately the goal is to ensure that the growth is not only impressive but sustained, leading to healthy competition, more jobs, less poverty and broad based expansion," he added.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The two visiting Secretaries briefed the Prime Minister on the second India-U.S. Strategic & Commercial Dialogue that concluded yesterday in the capital.

They discussed progress in bilateral engagement since Prime Minister Modi's visit to U.S. in June 2016.

Secretary Kerry also shared U.S. perspective on developments in the region and beyond with Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Modi conveyed satisfaction at the expanded and strengthened strategic partnership between India and the United States over the past two years that has opened up new vistas for collaboration. He conveyed that he looked forward to rapid progress and successful completion of the decisions taken with President Obama at the recent Summit Meeting in June.

Prime Minister conveyed that he looked forward to meeting President Obama at the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on his fourth visit to India, will interact with students of the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi on Wednesday morning.

Following this, Kerry is expected to visit Rajghat to pay homage to Father of The Nation Mahatma Gandhi.

In the afternoon, Kerry will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official 7, Racecourse Road residence.

On Tuesday, India and the United States agreed to tackle challenges of terrorism and to strengthen the bilateral intelligence sharing mechanism.

Addressing a joint press conference with Kerry after the conclusion of the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said nations must not act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations.

She said that she had apprised Kerry of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan and categorically said that there are no good or bad terrorists.

Swaraj said Pakistan should withdraw safe havens provided to the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and D-Company.

Swaraj said she and Kerry agreed that Pakistan needs to book perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai terror attack and 2016 Pathankot airbase attack. She also thanked Secretary Kerry for United States's constant support for India's membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Kerry said there cannot be distinction between good and bad terrorists as terror is terror no matter where it emanates from or who carries it out.

Saying that Pakistan must act against terrorists in its territory, he said, U.S. will continue to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attacks to justice.

Briefing media, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government has launched a transparent government e-market place, developed by Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal.

She said both India and the United States have agreed to look at best practices exchange.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said she will look into India's concerns over the hike in visa fees for professionals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals of the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will jointly host the ninth edition of 'India Chem 2016 - Exploring Opportunities' at the Bombay Exhibition Centre from September 1-3.

The aim of the three-day event is to further develop the Indian chemical and petrochemical industries and enhance trade between India and foreign partners, besides promoting the government's signature 'Swachh Bharat' campaign.

It will commence with an inaugural address by Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar, while Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh L. Mandaviya will deliver a special address.

Ananth Kumar will also release a handbook on the Indian chemical industry and launch the PCPIR logo and website. The handbook launch will be followed by a CEOs forum, where leading opinion makers will focus on key challenges and opportunities of the chemical industry in India.

Senior government dignitaries such as Odisha's Minister of Industries Debi Prasad Mishra; Deepak C. Mehta, Chairman- FICCI National Chemical Committee, and Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Deepak Nitrite Ltd; Anuj Kumar Bishnoi, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals and more than 300 representatives from the industry are likely to attend the event.

Mehta said, "We thank our partner country, industry both in India and overseas and the Bangladesh delegation to be a part of India Chem. We are very optimistic on the partnership with Iran and participation of other South East Asian countries at the exhibition and conference. The partnership will give further boost to the Indian Government's initiatives to promote trade ties with the global communities that could spur the further investment into Indian chemical industry and provide immense encouragement to the growth of other Indian industries such as fertilisers, pharma and agriculture."

He added, "The past eight editions of India Chem have contributed immensely to accelerate the growth of the Indian chemical industry and unlock opportunities for global partnerships. We are looking forward to have another successful year of India Chem and are hopeful of India becoming an emerging leader in the global chemical industry in the near future."

Iran is the partner country for this year's India Chem exhibition and conference and will be putting up a pavilion as well.

The vital partnership is expected to give a further boost to the bilateral trade agreement between the two countries.

Besides leading companies from India and others from around the world, including China, Japan, Iran, Turkey, United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Spain and Germany, besides South East Asian countries are participating as exhibitors, delegates and visitors.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said there is a need to strike at the root causes of extremism, adding that the battle to counter and defeat these extremists is a global cause requiring consistent focus and persistent action.

"There is other evidence in our cyber frame work which is focused on reducing cyber crime and encouraging responsible behavior in cyber space. The threats we face today are not traditional kind of threats. We face adversaries who have no air force, no navy, they don't wear uniforms but they are deadly none the less and chief among them are terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, LeT, Jais-e-Mohammad and others," said Kerry while interacting with the students of IIT Delhi.

"The battle to counter and defeat these extremists cannot and will not be one by one nation alone, it is a global cause requiring consistent focus and persistent action and the willingness to adapt our tactics as the threats evolve," he added.

Asserting that both India and the US know the pain of terrorism, Kerry said the intelligence agencies of the two sides now exchange information constantly to avoid repeating the tragedies.

"Our security personnel are learning from one another. We recently signed special agreement to share terrorist screening data and we are untied in our efforts to dispel extremist propaganda and ties. Now together we recognize that those who commit terrorists' acts fundamentally have no respect for human life and certainly not for the dignity of other people. Their goal is to kill, sell fear and division," said Kerry.

"But we learnt long ago in World War II, when we said the words never again, that we would not accept people killing people because of who they are or what they belief. So, we must not and we will not allow them to succeed. We also recognize that we must respond to spurge not only with full force of our militaries and our justice system but we must strike at the root causes of violent extremism itself. And we have to work hard to understand the different variations of the causes because it does vary country to country, location to location even though they are constants in those causes," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
They are privileged to share a frame with Prime Minister who is committed to improve the Agriculture Sector and in which Nirmal contributes with its technology.

One drop more crop or more yield per acre is no more a need to depend on foreign technologies as India too has a Make in India, Made by an Indian to improve the soil conditions by treating the water source.

Taking Technology to the farmer means treating the root cause of his problems, it increases his production facilitates multiple crop growing leading to a farmers economic development. The device requires no maintenance and reduces most dependency on fertilizers and urea, conserves water as lesser water is required to hydrate plants, the is no consumption of electricity by the device, zero maintenance and has a product life of over 12 years.

After growing several Nirmall Happy Farmers in Maharashtra and Gujarat, Nirmall is increasing their Pan India Presence. The strong Vortex field in a section of pipe breaks oversized water molecule clusters and also breaks down minerals into smaller particles making them more bio available for all living beings.

The restructured water is tendered soft as the physical and chemical characteristics of water under go changes. Decrease in surface tension, increase in solubility of minerals, ensures better absorption of nutrients by living beings and a better osmotic pressure in plants, improvement in seed germination, lesser water usage all these and many more factors benefit agriculture.

Nirmall Vortex water treatment device is changing the soil conditions of farmers in Maharashtra and Gujarat by improving their soil, which results in a larger quantity yield and of better Quality.

Bakul Shah, Partner Nirmall with Furia of Madhuban Farms Kutch who is one of Nirmall's success stories. The Vortex Treatment device improved the soil conditions, yielding a higher qualitative and quantitative cotton crop, facilitating multiple crop growing. There was removal of 80 percent algae formation in his pond and the fruits and vegetables taste better (tomato, chilly, dudhi)

In a nearby farm Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Mundra) documented a growth of 52.7 percent growth in its wheat crop. VRTI (Mundra) Vivekanad Research Technical Institute who are providing knowledge, counseling, research, farm aids to over 50 villages have monitored improvements in soils, better crop, lesser impact of salt on soils treated by Nirmall device, healthier crops surrounding fields etc.

Nirmall Vortex water treatment device qualifies as applied sustainability, an application of science and innovation to meet human needs while indefinitely preserving the life support, eco systems and environments that are necessary for the humans and other organisms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is on a five-day visit to the US to address business leaders, executives and analysts, paid an 'emotional' visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum here on Wednesday .

The Chief Minister took to his official Twitter handle to describe the visit.

"Most unthinkable inhuman act of violence perpetrated by terrorists in modern history, walking thru the @Sept11Memorial was heart wrenching," he tweeted.

"Salute men & women who sacrificed their lives saving others on the line of duty on 9/11, fills my heart with great pride for selfless acts," he added.

The purpose of Chouhan's visit is to invite American companies to invest across sectors in Madhya Pradesh to give a boost to revenue generation and job creation.

He also invited the investors for the 'Global Investors Summit' to be held in the state on October 22 and 23.

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With the goal of establishing a robust innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem through a partnership between US and India, Wadhwani Chair in US India Policy Studies announced the launch of the US-India Innovation Forum.

The launch event was marked by a special address from His Excellency Richard Verma, US Ambassador to India and Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Deputy Secretary, US Department of Energy.

Top experts on the role of innovation in an economy who also addressed the launch proceedings included Dr. Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, Eric Alexander, Head of Business, Uber Asia, Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, Executive Chairman, Qualcomm Inc, Dr. Devang Khakhar, Director IIT-Bombay, Dr. Ajay Kela, President and CEO, Wadhwani Foundation and Richard M. Rossow, Senior Fellow and Wadhwani Chair in U.S. India Policy Studies, CSIS.

The launch event formally recognized the Steering Committee chaired by Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, Founder Chairman of the Wadhwani Foundation and Chairman, Symphony Technology Group (STG) and other eminent members like Dr. Mukesh Aghi,President, US India Council, Amitabh Kant, CEO - NITI Aayog, Government of India, Dr. Devang Khakhar, Director, IIT Mumbai, Dr. Subra Suresh, President, Carnegie Mellon University and Venktesh Shukla, Chairman, TIE Silicon Valley among others.

While recounting Wadhwani Foundation's journey on creating entrepreneurship and innovative ecosystems at the launch event of US-India Innovation Forum, Dr. Ajay Kela, President and CEO, Wadhwani Foundation also dwelt on the need for Govt. support for private innovation research.

"Innovation has become a key driver of economic prosperity and job growth especially in knowledge economies like India and U.S. Hence it is critical for the Governments to catalyze innovations. Past U.S investment in innovation has led to game-changing industries such as the creation of the Internet (DARPA) and the Internet economy, the Biotech Industry and Human Genome System (NIH), and global corporations such as Google (NSF funded the search algorithm), Apple (many components including touch-screen and SIRI have roots in US Govt. investment) and Uber (DARPA investment in GPS). In a globalized economy, joining hands to scale and leverage innovation capabilities is imperative and given the strong U.S-India relationship, the U.S-India Strategic and Commercial Dialog Initiative of our two Governments suggested this partnership last year, and the initiative was launched at the anniversary of this year's meeting. This is a phenomenal first step in transforming the global economy through cross-border innovation partnership," said Dr. Kela.

The launch proceedings of the forum included three panels featuring some of the world's leading experts in the three work streams of one) Startup and Small Innovation Ecosystems; two) University Research Networks; and three) Govt. Support for Private Sector Innovation Research. The Forum will now seek to present a focused policy agenda that will accelerate the growth of high-impact innovation partnerships between American and Indian institutions on five dimensions of Innovation: innovation by large enterprises, innovation by small and medium enterprises, technology and non-technology start-ups, academic institutions, and government funded research.

One of the highlights from the event was on how The United States and India are natural innovation partners. As both countries look to grow their economies and increase jobs, successful innovative approaches to these challenges, even those that challenge existing concepts of a country's development path, should be highlighted, and governments should make sure that any unnecessary regulatory barriers are removed. There is simply too much at stake. However, this forum will have a high powered expert panel with luminaries that are already showing leadership in the US-India innovation space.

The launch of the US-India Innovation Forum will precede the start of the 2016 US India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S and CD) being held in India this year. The work of the Innovation Forum is expected to be reflected in the S and CD deliberations.

The Primary Work Streams of the Forum will be working towards building a US India Research and Innovation Network, establishing a US India partnership to build regional innovation ecosystems and incubators, create a targeted small innovation research fund program in India and highlight policy constraints to innovation partnerships.

In the secondary work stream, the forum will focus on leveraging CSR funding for scaling innovation, guide Indian innovators to invest and collaborate jointly with the American institutions and boost exports of innovative products.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to create a Project Development Fund (PDF) with a corpus of Rs 500 Crore for catalysing Indian economic presence in the Cambodia, Laos Myanmar and Vietnam.

The PDF shall be housed in Department of Commerce and operated through the EXIM Bank. The PDF shall be governed by an Inter-Ministerial Committee under the chairpersonship of the Commerce Secretary.

Background:

CLMV countries namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have a unique position in the regional value chains and offer a gateway for market access to China/EU and other markets due to various trade agreements.

The key advantage of positioning India on the regional value chains is securing on a long term basis, a dedicated market for Indian raw materials and intermediate goods besides a dedicated source for inputs and raw materials for Indian industry. While opportunities are a plenty in CLMV region, Indian entrepreneurs' endeavors in these countries have, thus far, been limited due to limited information, infrastructure and other contingent risks. The PDF shall benefit India's industrial community for business expansion, and to maintain cost competitive supply chains, besides integrating with global production networks.

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Hindustan Copper rose 2.76% to Rs 67.05 at 11:58 IST on BSE after the company said it has executed a joint venture agreement with Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation for copper mining.

The announcement was made during trading hours today, 31 August 2016.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was up 76.76 points, or 0.27%, to 28,419.77.

On BSE, so far 2.35 lakh shares were traded in the counter, compared with average daily volume of 1.83 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 69.40 and a low of Rs 65.10 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 73.60 on 22 August 2016. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 42.30 on 24 May 2016. The stock had outperformed the market over the past 30 days till 30 August 2016, rising 4.74% compared with 1.21% rise in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 39.57% as against Sensex's 6.10% rise.

The mid-cap company has equity capital of Rs 462.61 crore. Face value per share is Rs 5.

The joint venture company (JVC) will undertake exploration, mining and beneficiation of copper and its associated minerals in Chhattisgarh. In the JVC, the equity share holding of Hindustan Copper will be 74% and Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC) will hold the remaining 26% stake. Initially the JVC will be formed with an authorized paid up capital of Rs 10 crore to meet the cost of exploration. CMDC will be allotted 26% equity in the JVC for consideration other than cash which would be against the services to be provided by CMDC for facilitating the varied licenses and approvals from Chhattisgarh state government. Any further capital requirement in JVC for development of mine & beneficiation plant may be structured on mutual consent, depending on the project viability post exploration. CMDC is a Chhattisgarh state government enterprise.

Hindustan Copper reported net loss of Rs 2.88 crore in Q1 June 2016 as against net profit of Rs 20 crore in Q1 June 2015. Net sales declined 12.2% to Rs 205.99 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015.

Hindustan Copper (HCL) is a vertically integrated copper producing company encompassing mining, beneficiation, smelting, refining and casting of refined copper metal. The Government of India holds 89.95% stake in Hindustan Copper (as per shareholding pattern as on 30 June 2016).

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Kotak Mahindra Bank rose 2.1% to Rs 802.05 at 10:40 IST on BSE after the Reserve Bank of India granted its approval to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to hike its stake in the private sector bank.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 30 August 2016.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 78.82 points or 0.28% at 28,421.83

On BSE, so far lakh 81,000 shares were traded in the counter as against average daily volume of 1.80 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 807 in intraday trade so far, which is record high for the counter. The stock hit a low of Rs 791 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 586.50 on 29 February 2016. The stock had outperformed the market over the past 30 days till 30 August 2016, rising 4.18% compared with 1.21% rise in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 5.4% as against Sensex's 6.1% rise.

The large-cap bank has equity capital of Rs 918.19 crore. Face value per share is Rs 5.

Kotak Mahindra Bank said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has informed the bank that it has granted approval to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for acquiring shares in excess of 5% and below 10% of the paid up capital of the bank. CPPIB, a registered foreign institutional investor in India, already owns 4.89% stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank (as per the shareholding pattern as on 30 June 2016).

Kotak Mahindra Bank net profit rose 290.96% to Rs 741.97 crore on 11.7% growth in total income to Rs 5120.03 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015.

Kotak Mahindra Bank is one of the leading private sector banks in India.

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Evening Under the Big Sky, a fundraiser for the Montana Audubon Center, is 5 to 10 p.m. on Sept. 17 at the Audubon Center, 7026 S. Billings Blvd.

Evening Under the Big Sky is an opportunity to celebrate another year of success and program growth at the center. Tickets are $75 per person or $550 for a table of eight. Food and beverages will be served and bluegrass music will be performed. For more information or for tickets, call the Montana Audubon Center at 294-5099.

Many interesting auction items are up for bid, including two eco-vacations. One vacation is to Africa's Zulu Nyala Heritage Lodge & Tented Camp, located in the wildlife-rich countryside of South Africa. This prize has been a favorite at past Evening Under the Big Sky events.

The other eco-vacation up for bid is in Costa Rica. The Global Travel Alliance has donated a seat on their upcoming trip to Costa Rica in February 2017. This bird-focused eco-tour will be led by professional bird guide and author Brad Warrick.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been signed between the IALA (The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities), Paris, France and DGLL (Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships) on 11th August, 2016 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

With the signing of this MoA, the DGLL Training Centre at Kolkata will be in position to deliver a professional training course on the management of marine aids to navigation in line with IALA model course itself.

Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships (DGLL) is primarily responsible for providing Aids to Navigation service for safety of mariners in the Indian waters.

Apart from upgrading the skills and capacity of AtoN (Aids to Navigation) personnel in the country, this Training Centre would also attract AtoN personnel from SAARC countries and North Indian Ocean Region countries for training.

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CRPF play a crucial role in Skill Training of J&K youth, Says Shri Rajnath Singh

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Central Reserve Police Force and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in the presence of Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh here today.

Shri Rajnath Singh expressed his pleasure in the collaboration of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) along with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. He said that both the Ministries should join hands together to make India a Skilled Nation.

Referring to the MoU, Shri Rajnath Singh said that CRPF has its presence even in the remotest areas of the country and it can play a pivotal role in extending the benefits of Skill Development Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna to the tribals of Naxal affected areas, where few trainers dare to venture due to security reason. CRPF can also play a crucial role for Skill Training of J&K youth and even in the disturbed areas of North-Eastern region of country, he added. The Minister said that the MoU will also help the retired CRPF personnel, widows of martyrs, disabled personnel, unemployed CRPF wards and family members of CRPF personnel by providing them Welfare and gainful employment.

The Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (I/C), Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy said on this occasion that his Ministry is honoured that the MHA has recognised the efforts of Skill Development initiatives and also for giving an opportunity to work with CRPF jawans. He said that both the Ministries realise the value of such a knowledgeable, passionate and experienced workforce and also the contribution that their families make towards the country. Shri Pratap Rudy said that it is our endeavour and chance to give back to these personnel by training them on skill sets and creating opportunities for them which are equivalent to their current capacity and also creating training and job prospects for their family members.

The beneficiaries of the Skill Development Programme would be spouses of CRPF personnel, disabled personnel, widows of martyrs, wards of CRPF personnel or interested civilians. They would be trained in apparel making, automobile, beauty and wellness, food processing, IT, etc in various CRPF Group Centres/ establishments across the country. The Force would also extend the requisite security and support to skill development trainers who would be visiting the hitherto inaccessible interior areas in remote villages to impart the skills to the tribal population.

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TCS announced that it has developed an innovative digital solution to connect Intelligent LEDs, to GE's Predix operating system for the industrial Internet through Intel Atom-based gateways, providing critical analytics to save significant time and costs in the manufacturing process. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 30 August 2016.

RBL Bank debuts on the secondary equity market today, 31 August 2016. The bank had priced the initial public offer (IPO) at the top end of the Rs 224 to Rs 225 per share price band for the IPO. The initial public offer (IPO) of private sector bank RBL Bank, erstwhile Ratnakar Bank, ended with overwhelming response on 23 August 2016. The IPO received bids for 263.87 crore shares. The IPO was subscribed 69.62 times.

Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) said it is aiming to raise Rs 500 crore by issuing Rupee denominated bonds to overseas investors. The issue will open today, 31 August 2016 and will close tomorrow, 1 September 2016. The bonds will be listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 30 August 2016.

UltraTech Cement will be watched. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) notified yesterday, 30 August 2016, that Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)/Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors (RFPIs) can now invest up to 30% of the paid up capital of Ultra Tech Cement under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS). The purchases could be made through primary market and stock exchanges. RBI stated that the company has passed resolutions at its Board of Directors' level and a special resolution by the shareholders, agreeing for enhancing the limit for the purchase of its equity shares by FIIs/RFPIs.

Cox & Kings' consolidated net profit fell 23.67% to Rs 108.07 crore on 3.46% decline in total income to Rs 2076.56 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 30 August 2016.

Indraprastha Medical Corporation's net profit rose 18.86% to Rs 8.38 crore on 3.42% growth in net total income from operations to Rs 194.01 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 30 August 2016.

Maruti Suzuki India turns ex-dividend today, 31 August 2016, for final dividend of Rs 35 per share for the year ended 31 March 2016.

ONGC turns ex-dividend today, 31 August 2016, for final dividend of Rs 3.25 per share for the year ended 31 March 2016.

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At least 16 civilians were killed on Wednesday in airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led Arab coalition against the northern Yemeni city of Saada, a stronghold of the Houthi rebel movement.

The victims, mostly women and children, were in a house in Saada where three families lived, Efe news reported.

The work of rescue teams to find survivors under the rubble was hampered by continuous and intense coalition airstrikes.

Residents of al-Baraka neighbourhood in the city, which was home to the victims, told the media that the search for casualties under the rubble still continued.

In another coalition bombing on Tuesday in the capital city Sanaa, at least four civilians were killed.

These attacks targeted homes in the neighbourhood of al-Rawda and a military academy.

--IANS

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After two consecutive droughts, India received average rainfall -- 2 per cent less than the 100-year average -- by the end of August 2016, but within that range, more than a third of the country is short of rain, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.

In 610 of 641 districts for which data is available, 389 districts received average or excess rain, while 221 received deficient or scanty rain in the first three months of the four-month-long monsoon season. This means September rainfall will now be important to make up for these widespread deficits.

The sowing of kharif (summer monsoon) crop was 5 per cent more than the average by August-end because more than half of India's districts received average rain, reiterated by the Reserve Bank of India in its 2015-16 annual report: "As on August 18, 2016, the cumulative rainfall was at its long period average (LPA) level as against 9 per cent below LPA in the corresponding period of the previous year, leading to an increase of 6.5 per cent in kharif sowing, thus far."

The monsoon deficit is the greatest in northeast India, which is between 30 per cent to 40 per cent -- repeating the situation in 2013 -- followed by Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Kerala, where the deficit is between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of the average.

Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have received 20 per cent more rain than average.

Though the area sown is more than the average, some crops have taken a hit.

While 40 per cent more pulses were sown than average till the end of August, cash crops like sugarcane and cotton were 15 per cent short of the average.

Extreme rainfall events in central India, the core of the monsoon system, are increasing and moderate rainfall is decreasing -- as a part of complex changes in local and world weather -- according to a clutch of Indian and global studies reviewed by IndiaSpend in April 2015.

Over a third of India -- 221 of 610 districts -- is short of rain in a year when the government's weather agency, the IMD, and private weather agencies, such as Skymet and Weather Risk Management Services, and international monitoring agencies such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, USA, had predicted an above-average monsoon for 2016.

The three monsoon months of 2016 bettered the three deficit years of 2012, 2014 and 2015 but lagged 2011 and 2013, which were average monsoon years, with respect to the proportion of districts facing rain shortfalls.

Rains were scarce in a fourth of districts in 2011 and 2013, a third of districts in 2016 and half of India's districts in 2012 and 2014.

The average sowing area in India till August-end is 97 million hectares, against which 102 million hectares has been sown for the kharif season 2016.

Sown area by the end of the kharif sowing season is 106 million hectare, which is normally achieved by the first week of September.

Irregular rainfall in the cotton-belts of Maharashtra and deficient rains in Gujarat have resulted in less-than-average sowing of cotton.

In Maharashtra, sowing of jowar (sorghum) -- a traditional non-irrigated crop -- dipped 20 per cent, from 6.1 lakh hectares to 4.9 lakh hectares.

The sowing of soyabean, a relatively new entrant on farms, is growing. The area under soyabean in Maharashtra was 3.9 million hectare, 0.5 million above the average of 3.4 million hectare, as of August-end.

"The cost of cultivation for cotton is high, and has risen especially after 2008-09," Ayaz Khan, a soyabean and tur cultivator from Vidarbha, told IndiaSpend.

Unirrigated cotton produces a fourth to a fifth of the yield of irrigated cotton; 200 to 300 kg per acre against 1,000 kg per acre, said Khan. "Soyabean gives you assured output in less than three months without irrigation. Further, tur and soyabean require less human effort to cultivate."

(31.08.2016 - In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform, with whom Abhishek Waghmare is an analyst. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. Feedback at respond@indiaspend.org)

--IANS/IndiaSpend

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At least 97 Taliban militants were killed and 24 injured as the Afghan security forces pressed ahead with offensives in restive provinces, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

In one operation, 57 Taliban militants were killed after joint Afghan security forces launched a cleanup operation in Jani Khel district of Paktia province, Xinhua news agency quoted the ministry as saying.

Sporadic clashes continue in outer sides of the district over the past days as security forces tried to regain control from militants who seized the area over the weekend.

In northern Baghlan province, 15 militants were killed and three wounded during clashes with the security forces in Baghlan-e-Markazi district, according to the statement.

Some 25 militants were killed, 21 injured and three captured during separate operations in Helmand, Zabul and Kunduz provinces, the statement added.

It also confirmed loss of 12 army soldiers during the operations.

Joint Afgan security forces also seized weapons, defused several roadside bombs and landmines planted by the militants, the statement said.

The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants since April after Taliban militants started their annual spring offensive.

The Taliban has yet to make comment on the latest losses of their cadre.

--IANS

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American actor Stephen Lang says he would be visiting India as he has a lot of friends in the country.

Asked if he has visited India in the past and if he will be visiting anytime soon, Lang told IANS in an email interaction: "I'll be going there again. I did a film in Sri Lanka this year, so I was in Sri Lanka for quite a while.

"At least half the crew were Indian, so I have a huge number of friends from India and Sri Lanka."

For now, the "Avatar" actor's fans can watch him as an intimidating blind man in Fede Alvarez's "Don't Breathe", which will release in India on September 2.

Of his character in the film, he said: "My character as a blind man is sort of an urban legend - partly truth and partly fiction. Much of what people say about him is based in fact, but it's not the whole story.

"He is frighteningly capable. He can more than survive, he is master of his universe."

Lang said he found the film's "moral ambiguity intriguing".

"The character is undeniably a victim. But it's much more complicated than that. He struck me as a wonderful combination of real strength and absolute vulnerability.

"For an actor and a director to be able to explore that tension is fascinating," Lang said.

He also recently revealed that he will be seen doing a Bollywood dancer number in the upcoming Hollywood film "Solar Eclipse: Depth of Darkness", based on true events that led to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

--IANS

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Akshay Kumar has along with Huma Qureshi started shooting for "Jolly LLB 2", a sequel to the 2013 popular courtroom comedy drama "Jolly LLB", in Lucknow. And the actors say they are having a "jolly good time".

Akshay took to Twitter on Wednesday to share the update. He posted: "Greetings from Huma Qureshi and me this morning straight from Lucknow station. Jolly indeed is having a jolly good time."

Akshay will be seen playing the role of a lawyer in the sequel. The film is slated to release on February 10 next year.

Huma also shared "with the one and only Akshay Kumar on set every moment is a 'jolly' good moment."

The 2013 film, directed by Subhash Kapoor, told the story of Jolly, a struggling lawyer, who comes across a hit-and-run case and decides to fight for the victims.

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Chunky Pandey excited about his new project

Chunky Pandey, who was last seen on the big screen in "Housefull 3", is looking forward to his next project. The actor says he will be seen in a different avatar.

"Yes, it's a very big film. It's a very big banner and a very big star cast film. Unfortunately, I can't talk about it now. But yes, it's releasing in December and I am playing something really different," Chunky said in a statement.

Chunky was seen essaying the role of an astrologer in "Housefull 3", which will air on Star Gold on September 4.

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Why did Kajol decide to marry Ajay Devgn?

She decided to get married to actor Ajay Devgn at peak of her career. And actress Kajol says she decided to settle down as she wanted to calm down and take it easy on the professional front.

Kajol and Ajay, who got married in 1999, are the parents of two children -- daughter Nysa and son Yug. After the birth of her daughter in 2003, she has done a few films such as "Fanaa", "U Me Aur Hum", "My Name Is Khan", "We Are Family" and "Toonpur Ka Superrhero". She was last seen in "Dilwale".

The actress says she was always clear that she will do "one film a year" after marriage.

"It was the right thing for me to do at that point of time. I had been already working for around eight and a half to nine years. So, I was ready to kind of calm down on my work front and kind of take it easier," Kajol said in a statement.

She added: "I was doing four to five films a year. I didn't want to do only that and to only live like that. That wasn't what I had set out for. So I assumed that I would get married and do one film a year. I'll be happier and be more settled."

The actress took the journey down memory lane, highlighting personal and professional incidents during an episode of "Vogue BFFs". She became a part of the show with her mentor and close friend Mickey Contractor.

Talking about her signature unibrow look, Kajol said: "Actually Mickey was the one who convinced everybody that I should go with this unibrow."

Apart from Kajol, many other Bollywood style icons are expected to appear on the show with their mentors and best friends including Sonam Kapoor and Atul Kasbekar. The show is all set to air on COLORS Infinity from September.

--IANS

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A Maldives criminal court on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for exiled leaders of the Maldives United Opposition (MUO), including former President Mohamed Nasheed.

The warrant for Nasheed's arrest was sought over an investigation into the alleged misuse of state funds during his term as the Pesidenct, Maldives Independent reported a police official as saying.

The prisons authority has also asked the police to bring Nasheed back to Maldives to serve the remainder of his 13-year jail term on a terror conviction.

The court also authorised the police to arrest and bring back former Vice President Mohamed Jameel and Akram Kamaldeen, a senior official of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) who refused to obey August 4 police summons that ordered their return to the country within two weeks for questioning over unspecified charges.

The police had attempted to summon the pair in June on suspected links to a forged warrant for President Abdulla Yameen's arrest.

Akram recently resigned as the Chairman of the opposition-aligned Raajje TV.

Nasheed and other opposition leaders travelled to Sri Lanka after several months of exile in Britain, fuelling speculation of Yameen's imminent ouster.

The MUO has vowed to arrest Yameen on charges of corruption, money laundering, and abuse of power. He has denied any role in a corruption scandal involving theft of some US $80 million from state coffers.

Asked whether the police is seeking the help of Sri Lankan authorities, a spokesman refused to comment.

"We will not be making public the process in which we carry out the court order," the media official said.

Nasheed was granted political asylum in Britain in May 2015 after he was authorised to travel for medical treatment. The opposition leader's imprisonment on charge of terrorism in March 2015 drew widespread international condemnation and triggered an ongoing political crisis.

Jameel has also been granted political refugee status by the British government as he fled from Maldives in July, 2015, days before the Parliament impeached him in a controversial vote. He has since been living in self-imposed exile in the UK.

It is unclear whether Jameel and Akram have joined other MUO leaders in Sri Lanka.

The police said on Wednesday that Nasheed is wanted in connection with an investigation of "a case involving more than MVR1.8 million that was flagged in a 2011 audit report."

According to the 2011 audit report of the President's office, MVR1.8 million (US$116,731) was spent on Nasheed's trips to 88 islands ahead of the February 2011 local council elections.

Last week, the Finance Ministry also ordered Nasheed and six senior officials of his administration to repay "misused" state funds.

A Finance Ministry spokesperson said the figures were based on reports by the auditor general's office and investigations by the anti-graft watchdog.

The MDP insisted that officials acted in accordance with the public finance law during Nasheed's three-year administration.

"If there is a case in relation to an audit report, the state or the government must act in accordance with the rules," the party said in a brief statement.

--IANS

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An Australian mother was expected to face court on Wednesday here after her baby boy allegedly consumed a drug while in her care.

New South Wales police said the 21-month-old baby was admitted to Sydney's Wollongong Hospital after suffering seizures on January 25, Xinhua news agency reported.

The baby was tested positive for having consumed methylamphetamine, also known as "ice".

"Police were told the boy had slept alone in his mother's room the previous evening before he consumd the drug, where it was possible he had access to prohibited drugs," an NSW police statement said on Wednesday.

"Officers located and seized methylamphetamine, cannabis, cathinone, buprenorphine and drug paraphernalia."

The 27-year-old woman, from the suburb of Koonawarra, was charged with abandoning or exposing a child under the age of seven, causing danger of death and six counts of possessing a prohibited drug.

--IANS

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With Montana's upland game bird season opening Sept.1  and the bow hunting season set to open Sept. 3  remember that slow moving, quiet and camouflaged hunters will soon be sharing the landscape with the state's even stealthier bears that may be stalking similar prey.

It may not be an encounter one hopes for, but all hunters must be aware there is that potential.

Grizzly bears are found throughout western and central Montana, from the Sweet Grass Hills to the Elkhorn Mountains, not just the Rocky Mountain Front, Bob Marshall Wilderness complex and the Yellowstone ecosystem. Hunters and recreationists should be prepared to encounter grizzly bears when theyre out hunting:

Carry bear spray and know how to use it

Hunt with a partner and let someone else know your plans

Get harvested big game out of the woods quickly

Upon returning to a site where harvested game is left unattended, study the site at a distance for any movement or changes and signal your approach by making plenty of noise

Never attempt to frighten or haze a bear from a carcass

Contact FWP if a bear has consumed a carcass or covered it with debris rendering it unsalvageable

For more on bears, visit FWP's website at fwp.mt.gov; then click Be Bear Aware. Bear resistant products are described on the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee's website at www.igbconline.org. A How to Hunt Safely in Grizzly Country brochure is also available at FWP regional offices.
Scores of Baloch activists staged protests in the German cities of Dusseldorf, Berlin and Munich against the "human right crisis and forced disappearances" of Baloch people in Pakistan, said a representative of the activists.

The protests on Tuesday -- marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances -- were held by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) with demonstrators holding placards thanking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the issue of human rights violations in Balochistan.

"Protests were held against enforced disappearances by Pakistani forces in Balochistan on International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on Tuesday," Faiz Muhammad Marri of Baloch National Movement told IANS on Wednesday over phone.

The Baloch protestors carried placards reading "Thank you Narendra Modi for your support", "United Nations send fact-finding mission to Balochistan", "Stop Baloch Genocide", and "Pakistan China Economic Corridor intensified brutalities in Balochistan".

Marri alleged that more than 25,000 Baloch people have gone missing by the hands of Pakistani forces while more than 3,000 Baloch missing persons have been found killed and dumped in various parts of Balochistan and Sindh.

"Three mass graves were found in Tootak area of Khuzdar in 2014 containing 169 dead bodies. Only two of them were identified by their clothes and ID cards. They had been abducted by the Pakistani army during earthquake relief operations in Awaran in September and October 2013," Marri told IANS.

Earlier, protests were held against the China Pakistan Economic Corridor outside the Chinese embassy in London on Sunday evening when slogans like "No to CPEC" were raised.

--IANS

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India and the US on Wednesday called upon Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack to justice.

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday following Tuesday's Second Strategic and Commercial Dialogue here, the two sides reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their commitment to dismantle safe havens for terrorist and criminal networks such as the Islamic State (IS), Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company and its affiliates and the Haqqani Network.

Tuesday's talks were co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also in attendance.

"The sides called on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice," the joint statement said.

"The sides will continue to review and consider other organisations that warrant terrorist designations including those that engage in cross-border terrorism," it stated.

Both India and the US resolved to build on the 2015 Joint Declaration on Combating Terrorism by expanding their practical cooperation to increase their capacity to address the worldwide terrorist threat.

"The sides noted the discussions held on the full range of counter terrorism issues during the India-US Counter Terrorism Joint Working Group meeting held in July 2016 in Washington, DC, welcoming initiatives to expeditiously exchange terrorist screening information, enhance coordination on proposed UN designations of terrorist entities, and expedite mutual legal assistance requests," the statement said.

Stating that both sides were developing more joint counter-terrorism exchanges, programmes, and initiatives to deepen the bilateral partnership, it said. "The sides reaffirmed their support for a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that advances and strengthens the framework for global cooperation to counter terrorism and reinforces that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism."

In a joint press interaction following Tuesday's bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, both Sushma Swaraj and Kerry called upon Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminal networks while saying that there can be no difference between good and bad terrorists.
China's dissidents have urged US President Barack Obama to confront his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over the latter's worst human rights crisis since the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, during his visit to the country for G20 economic summit in Hangzhou this week.

During a meeting at the White House on Tuesday, prominent Chinese activists told Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser, that Xi had presided over a dramatic offensive against opponents of the Communist party since taking power in late 2012.

Teng Biao, an exiled human rights lawyer who was among those invited to address Rice, told the Guardian that he had called on Obama to publicly speak out on his final presidential visit to Asia, the Guardian reported.

"China is experiencing its worst human rights crackdown since the Tiananmen massacre in 1989," Teng said.

"Especially since Xi came to power, many human rights lawyers and activists were detained and disappeared; many, many NGOs were shut down; and other civil society organisations, universities, media, internet, Christian churches and other religious groups were also targeted. It is obvious that the Chinese government has violated human rights and the current situation is very, very worrying," he said.

World leaders will fly to Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, later this week to attend the two-day summit which kicks off on Sunday.

Obama and Xi will meet for the first time on Saturday for what the White House called "an extensive bilateral meeting".

Officials said the pair would then share a "small dinner" on Saturday night.

Speaking on Monday, Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the US President would use his time with Xi to review "all of the issues that have been front and centre in the US-China relationship for the last seven and a half years" including flash-points such as the South China Sea, cyber espionage and "our longstanding differences on human rights".

Teng, who fled China in September 2014 and lives in exile in New Jersey with his family, said White House officials had summoned a small group of activists "to talk about the G20 summit and what Obama should do when he is in Hangzhou".

Zhang Qing, wife of the democracy activist Guo Feixong, who has been on hunger strike in a prison in China, was also present.

Speaking after the meeting, which lasted about 80 minutes, Teng said he had told Rice he hoped Obama would publicly call for the release of a series of "political prisoners" and activists.

They included the jailed Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti and Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo as well as Li Heping and Wang Quanzhang, two civil rights lawyers caught up in a Communist party crackdown on their trade.

Teng also urged Obama to highlight the plight of dissidents being held in prisons in Hangzhou, the G20's host city, and to draw attention to local political activists who have been placed under house arrest to prevent them speaking out ahead of the summit.

Rice had not indicated to her guests how Obama planned to handle human rights issues during his visit to China, Teng added.

Political opponents also urged Obama to confront Xi over human rights abuses, although an anticipated joint announcement that the US and China will ratify the Paris climate agreement makes it unlikely he will be overly critical of his hosts.

In a statement, Republican senator Marco Rubio said: "I am glad the Obama administration is meeting with men and women who can speak authoritatively about the Chinese government's gross human rights abuses, but I urge the President to meet these freedom fighters himself and then press Xi directly at the G20 summit regarding his government's failure to uphold the rule of law and its violations of the Chinese people's basic human rights."

Chris Smith, a Republican congressman who chairs the congressional-executive commission on China, said: "[Obama] should consider doing something radically different on his last trip to China, something that will give hope to Chinese dissidents and freedom advocates. Mildly raising human rights issues is important, but not enough anymore."

--IANS

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The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to consider enhancing the salaries of Delhi police personnel to bring them on par with Chandigarh Police.

A division bench of Justice G.S. Sistani and Justice I.S. Mehta asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to consider the petition of constable Babu Lal Mitharwal for equal pay for equal work.

Disposing off the plea, the bench asked the Delhi Police Commissioner to forward the constable's representation to the Centre for its consideration which will pass a reasoned order within three months.

Constable Mitharwal had moved the High Court saying Chandigarh Police personnel were being paid more salary despite similar duties.

Police constables in Delhi and Chandigarh hold identical posts under the same cadre controlling authority with similar responsibilities, said Mitharwal adding that constables of Delhi Police get a pay band of Rs 5,200-20,200 and grade of Rs 2,000, while their counterparts in Chandigarh Police were getting a pay band of Rs 10,300-34,800 and grade pay of Rs 3,200.

Advocate Gyanant Kumar Singh, appearing for Mitharwal, told the court that the basic qualification, method of recruitment and level of physical standard being the same for Delhi Police and Chandigarh Police, no discrimination can be made.

The nature of the job of Delhi Police is much more arduous as compared to Chandigarh Police owing to enhanced risks in discharge of duties, said the plea.

Mitharwal had approached the High Court after the Central Administrative Tribunal turned down his plea.

--IANS

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The team of "Thinking of Him", an Argentine Indian co-production, may have to suffer financial loss after their upcoming movie's negative film was stopped at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.

On Tuesday, a luggage containing the negative film was stopped as the security guards at the airport thought it had "suspicious metal".

"They (security) kept our luggage. They are not technically qualified to open it. Once the negative gets exposed to sunlight, it will get destroyed. It happened yesterday (Tuesday) morning. When we reached Kolkata, we realised that our stuff was in Delhi airport. We got our bag yesterday night. We still have to check whether it is okay or not because the bag has been opened," the film's co-producer Suraj Kumar told IANS.

"Thinking of Him", a joint project of Johnsons-Suraj Films International, India and Caesar Production, Argentina, stars veteran actor Victor Banerjee, Raima Sen, Argentine actor Hector Bordoni and Eleonora Wexner.

The team, including the technical team from Argentina, flew from here to Kolkata to shoot the film in Shantiniketan, Kolkata and Sunderbans.

"If all goes well, the shooting will begin from September 5. The film negative came from Argentina. It has been specially manufactured for us. The stock isn't available in India. If it's ruined, we will not be able continue our shooting. There will be financial loss. It will take another month to get a new stock," Suraj Kumar said.

"We have a 120-member crew and the stock itself costs about Rs 50 lakh," he added about the film, to be helmed by Argentine filmmaker Pablo Cesar.

To be made at a budget of Rs 45 crore, the film is also due to be shot in Argentina and Paris.

"After India, we plan to shoot in Argentina from October 15 and then in Paris. We plan to release it in July or August next year. But if the shooting gets pushed, every plan will be extended. We won't be able to participate in major film festivals, including Cannes. We wanted to have our first cut in March," said Suraj Kumar.

The film is a tale of great scholar Rabindranath Tagore and Victoria, a woman whose impact made a drastic change in Tagore's life.

--IANS

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A Delhi court on Wednesday acquitted dreaded crime suspect Neeraj Bawana of trying to kill policemen in a 2015 shootout but convicted him for illegally possessing arms.

Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh acquitted Bawana of the charges dealing with attempt to murder, obstructing, assaulting a public servant and deterring him while discharging his duty.

But the court convicted him for illegally possessing arms and fixed September 8 for hearing argument on the quantum of sentence. The court acquitted his associate Mohmmed Rashid of all charges.

Bawana, one of Delhi's most dreaded criminals who ran extortion rackets targeting businessmen and was wanted in many cases of murder, was arrested on April 7 last year from Mundka in west Delhi.

Police alleged that the 28-year-old was arrested after he tried to escape by opening fire at a police team but was overpowered.

Several other cases against him are pending in various courts of Delhi.

--IANS

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The Delhi government on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court August 4 order giving primacy to the Lt Governor in the city state's governance.

The Delhi government filed a Special Leave Petition against the central government and others, tweeted Delhi government's Standing Counsel Rahul Mehra.

After the high court verdict, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung said his office would review all decisions and orders taken by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government since February 2015.

Jung on Tuesday transferred several officials of the Delhi government including the Health Secretary and PWD Secretary who were involved in the work of Mohalla Clinics and construction of classrooms, both pet projects of the AAP government.

The High Court ruled that decisions taken by Delhi's council of ministers had to be communicated to the Lt Governor, and if he took a different view on the issue, a reference to the central government was required.

--IANS

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"For god's sake, kiss". That's how director Fede Alvarez, whose new film "Don't Breathe" is releasing in India on Friday, reacted when he chanced upon a Bollywood film.

Alvarez, who had helmed the "Evil Dead" reboot which hit the screens in 2013, said he still loves Bollywood for its "maturity".

Talking about his perception of Indian cinema, Alvarez told IANS in an email interview: "Yes, I love it. I wish I could remember the title (of a Hindi movie I've seen)! But it's difficult to remember their titles.

"But there was one in particular I loved. I saw it when I was studying films and getting my masters in screenwriting in Ottawa back in 2004-2005. I can't remember the title, but it was sort of, it was like the 'Titanic' of Bollywood."

He added: "What I love the most (about Bollywood) is the maturity of the story... You know just, the more you believe in your imagination and actually the beautiful stream, the better it is.

"The big Bollywood love story have me fascinating that through three whole hours of just love and in the end they don't even kiss. I am like for god's sake, KISS!"

Perhaps Alvarez saw an old Hindi movie, but of what he remembers of the first time he saw a Bollywood movie, he says "I couldn't believe it".

"But of course I understood it and I was like 'Oh my god, they're so powerful and so interesting for film in general. Right? They leave audience to want it more. It's always the audience who wants it more!"

A Uruguayan filmmaker, Alvarez tells a tale of a group of friends who break into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they will get away with the perfect heist, through "Don't Breathe".

The film stars Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto and Stephen Lang in key roles.

There's nothing in particular that the director feels would appeal to Indian audiences, but he says his movie is "universal" in its theme and treatment.

"That's one of the beauties of Hollywood movies, it's one those things like when I'm sitting down and I'm going to write a story, I always have to have in mind that I'm not talking to just my friends and the movie is not just for me.

"I know that I'm making a movie and that I have to make a movie for the world and that means in this case that the scenes and the ideas that we are talking about are just universal. Everything you see in this movie is nothing of the American culture or the Uruguay culture. It's going to be something that's universal."

He stressed how movies must always be about themes that are about humanity in general.

--IANS

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US President Barack Obama and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte will meet next week amid international concern over a three-month-old crackdown on drugs that has claimed more than 2,000 lives, officials said on Wednesday.

White House Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said on Monday that during a meeting on September 6 Obama was expected to bring up issues of human rights and the recent arbitral ruling on the South China Sea maritime dispute, EFE news reported.

The two will meet on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Laos next week.

"The meeting would encompass both concerns about statements made by the President of the Philippines and our commitment to supporting human rights, and all efforts that are undertaken bilaterally, and ... discussing the regional picture, particularly with a focus on the maritime issues," Rhodes said.

Duterte on Monday announced he would place a bounty of 2 million Philippine pesos (around $43,000) on those police officials protecting the drug trade and said he would take full responsibility for his war against illegal drugs.

According to police data submitted to a Senate investigation on August 23 by Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald dela Rosa, at least 756 persons were killed during anti-drug police operations and 1,160 more by unknown assailants -- many of whom were vigilantes -- between July 1 and August 23.

The crackdown and resultant extrajudicial killings have drawn widespread international criticism, with the UN calling on Duterte to end the wave of killings.

The US State Department has also expressed "deep concern" over the killings and cited the need for the Philippines to uphold the rule of law.

--IANS

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The first regularly scheduled commercial flight between the United States and Cuba since 1961 landed on Wednesday at this central city's Abel Santamaria airport at 10.57 a.m. local time (2.57 GMT).

JetBlue Flight 387 took off at 10:06 a.m. local time from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with tourists, journalists and US authorities, including Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, on board, an event broadcast live by US English and Spanish-language media.

The 220-seat Airbus A320's arrival in Cuba marks a new milestone in the diplomatic thaw between the former Cold War enemies, which in December 2014 announced the start of the process of normalising relations.

Foxx told members of the media, including EFE, on board the plane that the flight was a tangible example of the Obama administration's efforts to mend decades of animosity.

The plane landed in Santa Clara ahead of schedule despite a 20-minute delay in Fort Lauderdale and, just as occurred at take-off, was greeted with a ceremonial water cannon salute.

Foxx was the first person off the aircraft and was welcomed at the bottom of the steps by Cuba's Deputy Transportation Minister, Eduardo Rodriguez.

The US official is scheduled to board a second flight for Havana, where he will meet Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, and Transportation Minister Adel Yzquierdo.

Cuba's Ambassador to the US, Jose Ramon Cabanas, said after taking part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes amid a festive atmosphere at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport that the resumption of commercial flights between the two countries was "historic".

He recalled in his remarks to reporters that the bilateral agreement was signed just months ago -- in February -- but that all sides involved had worked efficiently to make the flights a reality, adding that they would "benefit everyone".

Mirtha Rodriguez, a Cuban woman who has settled in the United States and was one of the 150 passengers on board the flight, told EFE prior to take-off that neither she nor her family wanted to miss this historic occasion.

Like other passengers, she had travelled to Cuba on charter flights but said the commercial service was cheaper and also more convenient because of the option of making reservations online.

Wednesday's direct flight to Cuba was the first of 110 daily round-trip flights authorised in 2016 by the US Department of Transportation, which also gave American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines permission to provide service to nine cities on the Communist-ruled island.

No flights to Havana were authorised because the amount of requests exceeded the number of slots agreed by the two governments.

American citizens may travel to Cuba if their trip falls under one of the 12 US government-authorised categories, including family visits and those related to cultural, journalistic and professional activities.

But tourist visits to the Caribbean island by American citizens are still prohibited under the 54-year-old US economic embargo on the island, which only Congress can lift.

--IANS

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A former top executive of RightNow Technologies, the Bozeman company founded by Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte, said incumbent Democrat Steve Bullock is her pick for governor.

Over the past month, Susan Carstensen has written two letters to the editor in which she states her former boss is not the right person to lead Montana. She worked at the company for almost 13 years as chief financial officer, chief operating officer and senior vice president.

I dont believe that his success in business translates to success in public service, the letter said.

Carstensen said her public opposition is unusual for the small, tight-knit business community in Montana. It also highlights the political involvement of former RightNow leaders. Republican Sen. Steve Daines, once a vice president at the company, has campaigned in support of Gianforte.

In an interview, Carstensen said she did not intend to attack Gianforte, whom she called a great businessman.

My goal is to say hes not the only voice of business, Carstensen said. Weve always had very different points of view. It never changed our working relationship, and I wouldnt expect it to in the future.

Aaron Flint, Gianforte's campaign spokesman said the fact that Gianforte worked alongside Carstensen so well for so long was evidence of his management ability. He also criticized Bullock for a public falling out with his former lieutenant governor, Angela McLean, late last year.

"Susan Carstensen's liberal politics are no secret in Bozeman, and the fact that Greg promoted someone with differing political beliefs to such a prestigious position in the company is testament to Greg Gianforte's leadership and ability to motivate a diverse team, Flint wrote in a statement. What a contrast between a high-wage job creator like Greg Gianforte and a career politician like Steve Bullock, who locked his female Lieutenant Governor out of her Twitter account, and forced her out of office.

Carstensen, the interim CEO of Utah-based software company Workfront, joined RightNow in 1999 as CFO and left the company as the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience after it was bought by Oracle in 2012 for nearly $2 billion. She has long donated to Democratic campaigns, finance records show, and volunteered for political causes. In the last year she worked for Early Edge Action, an advocacy nonprofit organized to support Bullocks proposal for pre-kindergarten education. She also was a speaker at an Equal Pay Summit organized by the governors office to discuss the gender wage gap.

She also is one of seven Montana business leaders who founded OpenSourceMT, an independent political action committee, to support Bullocks re-election. Other members include Senior Director of Mergers at Oracle and former RightNow Vice President of Operations Kim Scurry, Submittable CEO Michael FitzGerald of Missoula and NorthFork Financial President Bill Stoddart of Bozeman.

To create the right conditions for better jobs and economic futures, the groups said the state needs to support public education, promote inclusion and diversity, protect the environment and public access, and invest in infrastructure. On its website, the group states that Bullock has more clearly supported those policies.

After Carstensen wrote a short letter published in the Bozeman Chronicle earlier this month, replying to writers who touted Gianforte as a business leader, she said some members of OpenSourceMT, as well as other Montana businesspeople hesitant to identify themselves as Democrats had urged her to write a more detailed letter.

She also said she had sat down with members of Bullocks campaign staff to ask what else I could do to be helpful (and) we settled on a letter. She said campaign staff helped her gather and confirm stats about the state economy and Bullocks record on business issues.

Montana campaign finance law allows campaigns and committees to assist or direct volunteers, as was the case with Carstensens letter. Even if she had been paid for the letter or written it as an OpenSourceMT representative, the strategy conversations would be legal, said Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl.

Campaigns can pay grassroots organizers for their work and coordinate with independent committees, so long as that time and expense is properly reported on state election disclosure forms and, if it qualifies as a contribution, does not exceed limits.

Carstensen signed her letters to the editor as an individual rather than as a founder of the independent committee, but the parallel messages are clear.

Governor Bullock understands what attracts companies, big and small, to Montana: a strong public education system, access to public lands, fiscal discipline, responsible investments in infrastructure, and a culture that welcomes all perspectives, she wrote. Greg has a record of opposing these things. Regardless of where he is from or how long he has been in Montana, he doesnt share those values or support those policies.

Among other criticisms, she decried Gianfortes opposition to a nondiscrimination ordinance in Bozeman, saying that those protections are needed, in part, to draw LGBT workers and inclusive-minded companies to Montana.

She also said that his business credentials do not translate into a preparedness for public office. For insance, Carstensen said RightNow was built upon a model of cutting costs for companies by eliminating and outsourcing jobs overseas. RightNow offered customer service software that automated and centralized some aspects of customer interaction that previously might have been handled by call centers or on-site staff.

Just because he was part of a business that created 500 jobs in Montana, I dont think theres any direct connection that he therefore could create jobs as governor. Theres just no correlation, she said.

Flint did not respond to criticisms in Carstensens letter.

His statement did include a link to a 2013 Bozeman Chronicle story about the Montana Democratic Party apologizing to Gianforte for false claims it made in mailers about the company itself outsourcing workers to India. The fliers targeted Steve Daines, a former RightNow vice president, in his bid for U.S. Senate. Still at the helm of RightNow, Gianforte sued the party for false claims but requested the judge drop the case after the party sent the apology letter.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dropped contempt proceedings against senior lawyer of Gujarat High Court Yatin Narendra Oza after he tendered an "unconditional apology" for calling two high court judges close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Accepting Oza's unconditional apology, a bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice C. Nagappan said that the contempt proceedings before the Gujarat High Court stands dropped.

Tendering unqualified apology, Oza, in a fresh affidavit, said that except in the proceedings before court, he would not speak on the issue in public.

Contempt proceedings were initiated against Oza before the high court after he in a letter to the Chief Justice of India, he had said that Justice M.R.Shah and Justice K.S. Jhaveri owned their allegiance not to the Constitution of the country but same was "mortgaged" at the residences of Prime Minister Modi and BJP President Amit Shah.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for Oza, told the bench that the lawyer has tendered unqualified apology and in the light of it the matter should be put to rest.

Senior counsel K.K.Venugopal appearing for Gujarat High Court Advocate Association told the bench that bar association has reservation about what is happening. "If everything comes out it is not good for judiciary," he said, telling the bench that the feeling of the bar can't be disregarded, since, after all, it is also a member of the judicial family.

Senior counsel Harin Rawal, appearing for complainant Khemchand Rajaram Koshti, told the bench that Oza had, on an earlier occasion too, tendered a similar kind of apology but betrayed it and again spoke on the issue.

Doubting the sincerity of Oza in really putting a lid on the issue raked by him, Rawal wondered if apology was a tool to get out of contempt.

Seeking to put the issue at rest, senior counsel Venugopal said: "It is a wound that is being turned again and again. This should be closed and let there be peace and harmony."

Another senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that Koshti wants to keep the pot boiling, and described him more loyal than the king.

--IANS

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President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday extended his greetings to the Republic of Uzbekistan on the eve of its Independence Day and expressed confidence that bilateral relations with the Central Asian nation would continue to grow.

In a message to Islam Karimov, the President of Uzbekistan, Mukherjee said, "It is with great pleasure that I extend warm greetings and felicitations to you and to the friendly people of Uzbekistan on the occasion of your 25th Independence Day."

He said that during the last 25 years, Uzbekistan has made great strides of progress.

In June this year, Uzbekistan hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tashkent where India signed the historic Memorandum of Obligations towards membership of SCO.

"Our two countries are bound by our close historical and cultural linkages built over centuries of continuous interaction between our peoples. I am confident that the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength in the coming years," Mukherjee said in his message.

--IANS

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At least 10 Bangladeshi nationals, including two minors, lodged in a detention centre at Silchar in Assam's Cachar will be deported to Bangladesh soon, official sources said on Wednesday.

The Cachar district Deputy Commissioner has been informed about the Bangladesh government's decision to take back the Bangladeshi nationals after verifying their identities.

The deportation will take place after the paper work from New Delhi, Dhaka and from the Assam government is complete, sources said.

Having improved bilateral relations, India and Bangladesh in 2015 took up the issue of deporting the detention centre inmates.

The Cachar district officials and local magistrates at Moulvibazar in Bangladesh had held a meeting in 2015 in this regard.

From the Indian side, a list of detainees was also handed over to the Bangladesh government officials, sources said.

Bangladeshi nationals often languish in Indian prisons or in detection centres in the absence of paper work.

In July, there were reports that a Bangladeshi Hindu mother, sentenced to two months in jail, has been languishing in Silchar Central Jail for 23 months as the paper work required to ensure her release was not complete.

--IANS

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Members of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which looks after the upkeep of Sikh and Hindu shrines in Pakistan, on Wednesday held a meeting here and condemned the recent statement made by Indian Defence Minister that ''going to Pakistan is like going to hell''.

The ETPB asked the Indian Minister to apologise and withdraw the statement as they feel it was an insult to them.

The meeting was held under chairmanship of Sardar Tar Singh and Siddiqul Farooq, who told the meeting that they will ask Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to pass a resolution in Punjab Assembly against the Minister's statement.

The ETPB is a key Pakistani Government Department which administers evacuee properties attached to educational, charitable or religious trusts left behind by Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India after Partition. It also maintain and upkeep places of worship belonging to Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan.
The 3,500 people who lost their homes a week ago in the earthquake that shook Central Italy and were sheltering in tents must now brave rain, cold and, above all, a fear of being forgotten.

There is a growing concern about coping with the looming months of winter with only a tent, while they await more suitable accommodation, EEE news reported.

"Don't abandon us" is an often repeated phrase by earthquake survivors whenever government authorities visit their shelters.

Since Tuesday, the weather conditions have worsened in the disaster-hit area that suffered a magnitude 6 earthquake and completely devastated villages in the Apennines Mountain range.

It rained on Tuesday night and the weather forecast indicates worsening of conditions.

"Rain! This is just what they needed!" said Franco Santini of the Confederation of the Misericordie d'Italia, the Catholic Italian Voluntary Service Organisation that has dispatched 120 volunteers to assist the Italian Civil Defence and has also erected and manages two tent camps for 500 persons in Amatrice.

Santini, is a lawyer who has shortened his holidays and sent his wife and three daughters home to come and help.

He explained the rain has made things such as cooking or simply passing the time a lot more difficult in the camps, as everything is now caked in mud.

Santini said survivors are slowly coming to terms with what happened.

"Now they sit down and tell you how lucky they have been, they speak of friends they have lost and also their hopes for the future," said Santini.

"Solidarity has really worked," and the camps "have got everything, blankets, toys, nappies", despite difficult times, said Santini.

Santini explained the camps were well stocked with food and there was a doctor on call 24 hours a day for each camp.

"Now, our biggest fear is the snow," an old lady who lost her home in Arquata told EFE.

"We hope it will fall as late as possible while they search for more suitable winter accommodation."

The Deputy Mayor of Arquata, Michele Franchi, said, "In a month they will have to supply us with more adequate housing as it gets cold and we cannot stay here."

The tents are waterproof and now have heaters to warm them up but in the last hours they also had to install gang-walks and cover unpaved roads with gravel due to the mud.

Another concern for survivors was their belongings, left behind in their old homes and at risk of looters.

Hence, many have opted to ensure no one walks in and out of their houses, volunteers told EFE.

Santini said that, although the situation was good for now, and the evacuees were being properly looked after, they would not be able to stay where they are "much longer than a month".

Authorities were studying their re-location, but some of them refused to abandon their old homes.

The big question being weighed up was whether pre-fabricated wooden houses would arrive in time, as promised.

But one thing remained clear, the imminent arrival of the cold Apennine Autumn.

--IANS

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US Secretary of State John Kerry, who arrived in India on a three-day visit on Monday, will be extending his stay here, it is reliably learnt.

Kerry was scheduled to leave New Delhi for Washington on Wednesday evening but is now likely to stay back here at least for a day more.

Kerry on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here following Tuesday's Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

Earlier on Wednesday, he addressed a town hall meeting at the Indian Institute of Technology here.

He was also scheduled to visit the Sisganj Gurdwara, the Jama Masjid and a Hindu temple but the programme got postponed as heavy rain lashed the city on Wednesday morning.

Tuesday's bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue was co-chaired by Kerry and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also in attendance.
India is a key strategic partner of the US with the war against terror and stability of the Indian Ocean Region in focus, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday as he interacted with students at the premier Indian Institute of Technology here.

Kerry, who reached Delhi on Monday evening, faced Delhi's rain woes for the second time, as his motorcade had to negotiate a waterlogged road right in front of the institute.

He, however, chose to joke about it and asked the audience in the almost packed IIT hall if they had come by boats.

"I don't know if you came in boats or amphibious vehicles of some kind," Kerry asked, provoking laughter.

His programme to visit a few holy places in the national capital was, meanwhile, cancelled even as the American Embassy preferred to say it was "postponed" because of the torrential rain.

In a lighter vein again, Kerry also said that the Computer Science programme at the IIT was so competitive that those rejected here were taken by institutes like MIT.

At the same time, he chose the platform to send out a strong message to China asking it to abide by an international tribunal's decision on claims to some reefs and atolls in the South China Sea, citing India as an example.

"India's decision to accept an international tribunal's judgement over its maritime border with Bangladesh actually stands apart from other choices made by other countries," Kerry said.

"It is a model how a potentially dangerous dispute can be resolved peacefully, including the South China Sea where the US continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunal's recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry added.

Beijing has rejected the decision by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration over strategic reefs and atolls in the South China Sea. The judgment was in favour of the Philippines.

He also mentioned Pakistan and stressed it needs to work more against the terror network there.

"I have had many conversations with the Pakistan President, Prime Minister, particularly Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif), about how to focus on sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal with the Haqqani network, deal with Lashkar-e-Taiba," Kerry said.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist terrorist activities....

"And it must work with us to help clear sanctuaries that are affecting relationship between Pakistan and India and also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," said Kerry.

He emphasised that India has a larger role in resolving global conflicts.

"Rising India will play a very critical role in resolving global challenges," Kerry said adding that the challenges included extremism, terrorism, extreme poverty, uneven and unsustainable growth, among others.

In his around 40-minute-long speech, which was followed by a 30-minute-long question-and-answer session, Kerry also welcomed the passage of the bill on Goods and Services Tax and bankruptcy law in Parliament.

Touching upon the issue of climate change, Kerry emphasised that India is the only country which is going to increase the use of coal instead of decreasing it, though he added that the Indian government is making efforts to change this.

"The choices we make in our energy policy will decide whether our planet survives or not," Kerry said.

He pointed out how the last decade has been the hottest, the previous one the second hottest and so on.

--IANS

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Madrid Zoo announced on Wednesday that it had welcomed a female giant panda cub into the world.

It is the first ever female panda to be born in the Spanish capital, Efe news reported.

As per records, four male cubs have been born in the zoo: Chulin (1982), twins Po and De De (2010) and Xing Bao (2013).

Officials reported that the newest cub was born on Tuesday and it weighed 180 grams and was "very active and showed excellent vital signs."

Madrid's newest panda cub joined only 15 giant pandas currently residing in European menageries.

The new mother and her cub are to remain under the observation of specialists during the first "vital" week or the cub's life.

The latest success came about through collaboration between the Madrid Zoo and the Fundacion Parques Reunidos panda research programme.

Two panda specialists from Chengdu, China, were present to conduct medical assessments on the cub immediately after its birth.

Officials said they hoped the cub would be introduced to the public within the coming months.

Until then, the zoo planned to make information about the cub's life available through its social media outlets.

--IANS

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A Maoist commander who carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh for capture surrendered to the police here on Wednesday.

Deepak alias Tilakman surrendered before Jharkhand Director General of Police D.K. Pandey.

He was given Rs 50,000 under the surrender policy of the state and handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh -- the reward money announced for his arrest.

This year, a dozen Maoists have surrendered in Jharkhand.

--IANS

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that her country has long ignored the refugee crisis and defended the current policy to handle the issue, a year after her government decided to open the door to refugees to file for asylum.

In an interview to a local newspaper, Merkel said "We in Germany have also long ignored the problem. In 2004 and 2005, many refugees came and we let Spain and others at the outer borders deal with it."

Merkel also admitted that back then Germany refused the option of a proportional allocation of refugees, Efe news reported on Wednesday.

Exactly a year ago, when thousands of refugees started their European journey towards Germany and Austria, Merkel said "We can do this" a phrase that still haunts her to this day.

"If you asked me before if I would introduce a distinctive phrase that would be quoted many times over, I would not have thought of this phrase," she explained.

The chancellor also added that she used the phrase with "deep conviction... and with the awareness that we were dealing with a difficult and big task."

A significant sector of German society has concerns about the influx of refugees into their country, of which Merkel said "Germany will remain Germany with all that we love and hold dear."

Merkel also rejected the notion that there was a direct connection between terrorism and accommodating so many migrants in the country.

"It is simply false that terrorism only first came here through refugees. It was already here, especially with the suspected terrorists that we have been monitoring," she said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mike Fellows, Montana's Libertarian candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, has been hospitalized.

Fellows checked into St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula on Monday because of kidney problems.

Fellows told The Gazette he won't be able to attend Thursday's congressional debate in Billings. He also missed Monday's congressional debate in Frazer, which he considered attending before he was hospitalized.

"Monday's debate, I felt like driving eight hours on two-lane roads, if something did happen, it was a danger to me and a danger to someone else," Fellows said. "I just wouldn't risk it."

Fellows said he expects to participate in a Great Falls debate Oct. 5.

For 20 years, Fellows has almost single handedly kept Libertarians legally recognized as a "major political party" under Montana law.

A political party has to receive at least 5 percent of the vote in a statewide election to automatically qualify for future ballots. Parties that don't make the grade have to collect 5,000 valid signatures of support from Montana voters to qualify for the ballot.

The distinction assured Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson automatically qualified for Montana's general election ballot, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein had to gather signatures of support and meet a mid-August deadline to make the cut.

Fellows, 58, ran for state Legislature in 1996, facing off against Missoula Democrat Tom Facey.

In 1998, Fellows ran for the U.S. House for the first of five election cycles.

Fellows also ran for Montana secretary of state in 2000. His best performance was in 2012 when he ran for state Supreme Court clerk and received 45 percent of the vote.

A video editor by trade, Fellows said it's no small matter that the Libertarian Party has automatically qualified for the Montana ballot since 1980.

Fellows said he expects Gary Johnson to do well in Montana this year. Johnson, who is nearing the 15 percent polling threshold for inclusion in nationally televised presidential debates, has rekindled interest in the Libertarian principles of free-market economics, personal freedom and non-intervention in foreign affairs.

"We've been getting good response at the office about Gary Johnson because a lot of people don't like Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump," Fellows said. "In Missoula, they always laugh about Gary Johnson being anti-drug, anti-war and a Second Amendment person. I guess you don't see that much."
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states received the most number of complaints against police personnel in 2015, the rate of prosecution was quite low in all the states, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows.

Madhya Pradesh tops the list with 10,089 complaints made against the police personnel, followed by Maharashtra at 8,004 cases.

Uttar Pradesh comes third with 4,659 complaints lodged against policemen, followed by Kerala (4,634 complaints), Punjab (3,107), Rajasthan (2,947), Chhattisgarh (2,806), Haryana (1,900) and Gujarat (1,025).

Among these states, only Uttar Pradesh and Kerala are not ruled by BJP or a BJP-led coalition.

Among the Union Territories, Delhi tops the chart with 12,913 complaints made against policemen in 2015. Notably, Delhi Police administratively works under the Union Home Ministry and not the state government.

As many as 6,189 of the total complaints lodged against police personnel in Madhya Pradesh were found false or unsubstantiated.

In Maharashtra, the number was 3,962, followed by Uttar Pradesh (2,257), Chhattisgarh (1,999) Rajasthan (1,831), Punjab (1,319), Kerala (599) and Delhi (346).

Kerala initiated a judicial inquiry in most number of cases (55), followed by Gujarat (31), Maharashtra (22) and Rajasthan (11).

In Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, only two cases each were subjected to judicial probe, while Uttar Pradesh subjected only three cases to judicial probe.

The highest number of policemen arrested for various crimes were in Maharashtra (454 arrests) followed by Gujarat (128), Uttar Pradesh (102), and Punjab (93).

In Madhya Pradesh the figure of arrests was 88, in Kerala it was 50, in Rajasthan 18 while in Delhi no police personnel was arrested during the year 2015.

--IANS

mak/lok/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said Pakistan needs to push harder to fight against terrorism and to deal with groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

In response to a question at the IIT Delhi about terror emanating from Pakistan, Kerry said: "I have been working on this issue very hard."

"I have had many conversations with the Pakistan President, Prime Minister, particularly Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif), about how to focus on sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal with the Haqqani network, deal with Lashkar-e-Taiba," Kerry said.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist terrorist activities...

"And it must work with us to help clear sanctuaries that are affecting relationship between Pakistan and India and also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," said Kerry.

"In fairness, Pakistanis have suffered greatly due to terrorism in their own country. Fifty thousand people have been killed," he said.

"All of us need to understand how difficult it is to take it on step by step. We all need to work hard to help each other in order to get rid of non-state actor disruptors who are greatest challenge to security of all of us in world today," he added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilots made history by becoming the first pair of sisters in Pakistan to fly Boeing-777 airplanes at the same time, the media reported on Wednesday.

Maryam Masood and Erum Masood are both first officers who fly different planes, PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani told Dawn.com. They are junior only to the plane's captain, who are often very experienced pilots, Gilani said.

"There is no known record of two real sisters having flown the same weight category aircraft concurrently," the PIA spokesman said.

Erum Masood was recently upgraded to fly a Boeing-777, leading them both to achieve this feat.

--IANS

ahm/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The house of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Rajya Sabha member was set ablaze by a mob on Wednesday, witnesses and police said.

Nobody was present in the house when arsonists torched the residence of Nazir Laway in Chawalgam village of Kulgam district in south Kashmir, some 60 km from here.

Police said the incident took place hours after security forces fired pellets at protesters shouting anti-government and pro-freedom slogans in a nearby Katrusoo village. Dozens of protesters were injured in the clash.

Violent protests returned on Wednesday after two days of relative peace in the Kashmir Valley that has been on the boil since the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

At least 72 persons, including two policemen, have been killed in an unending cycle of violent clashes between protesters and security forces since then.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actress Priyanka Chopra, who is shooting for American TV series "Quantico" in New York, has quashed rumours that she is shifting her base to Los Angeles, saying Mumbai is her home.

With her career in the West going in the right direction, media reports mentioned that Priyanka was planing to shift to Los Angeles. The amused actress took to Twitter to set the record straight.

"I really wake up to such amusing news sometimes. I am filming 'Quantico' in NYC (New York City)... My home is Mumbai. No LA in the pic!".

After making waves internationally with her musical talent, the actress took the small screen route to Hollywood. She made her international TV debut as an FBI agent in "Quantico" last year.

Now, with the series heading towards its second season, Priyanka will be seen portraying the role of a CIA agent. The first season of "Quantico" is being telecast in India on Star World and Star World HD.

The former beauty queen will also be seen as a guest judge for season 15 of American TV series "Project Runway", hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum.

Priyanka will join the series as one of the few guest judges on the show, which will air from September. The show focuses on budding designers who are given an opportunity to create a collection for New York Fashion Week.

She will also make her Hollywood debt in a negative role in "Baywatch" -- the big screen version of the globally popular TV series featuring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.

--IANS

sug/rb/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Ranbir Kapoor says that had Pakistani actor Fawad Khan not "opened the door" by playing a homosexual character in "Kapoor & Sons", he would have perhaps turned down an offer to play a gay on screen. But now the "Barfi!" star is receptive to the idea.

The actor opened up about his professional as well as personal life in an interview taken by director Raja Sen for Vogue India's September 2016 issue, which is available on the stands from September 3.

Ranbir lauds his contempories for taking up risky roles -- be it Alia Bhatt in "Udta Punjab" and Fawad in "Kapoor & Sons".

Asked if he would play a homosexual on camera, Ranbir said: "Sure, but now it's already been done. Now he's (Fawad has) opened the door and it's easy for us to walk through it. But earlier? I must honestly say I might have turned it down."

He is also willing to play a second lead in a movie, but conditions apply.

He said: "Suppose tomorrow Rajkumar Hirani offers me the part of Circuit to the new Munnabhai. I would play it and try my best to do it justice."

Ranbir is currently living with his grandmother Krishna here and training for Ayan Mukerji's "Dragon". He awaits Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", and also has Anurag Basu's long-gestating "Jagga Jasoos" lined up.

In February, after "Dragon", he hopes to start shooting for Rajkumar Hirani's next, a biopic of actor Sanjay Dutt.

Since his debut with "Saawariya", Ranbir has seen several highs and lows.

He was applauded for films like "Wake Up Sid", "Raajneeti", "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year", "Rockstar", "Barfi!", "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", and was censured for duds like "Besharam" and "Bombay Velvet".

Referring to his current shoot-less days, Ranbir said: "I think I could have an alcohol problem."

"It is a visual medium and I have to look after myself. When I shoot, when I work, I don't drink. But when I'm not shooting?".

Directing a film is something Ranbir has for long expressed interest in. But the actor says there is still time for him to get to the director's chair.

"Look, I know how a film is made, but a director has to find the method to tell the story he has to tell. I'm not, because a) I'm lazy and b) acting is taking up my time and I don't have a story, I can't write," he said.

--IANS

sug/rb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Ranbir Kapoor says that had Pakistani actor Fawad Khan not "opened the door" by playing a homosexual character in "Kapoor & Sons", he would have perhaps turned down an offer to play a gay on screen. But now the "Barfi!" star is receptive to the idea.

The actor opened up about his professional as well as personal life in an interview taken by director Raja Sen for Vogue India's September 2016 issue, which will be available on the stands from September 6, read a statement.

Ranbir has lauded his contempories for taking up risky roles -- be it Alia Bhatt in "Udta Punjab" or Fawad in "Kapoor & Sons".

Asked if he would play a homosexual, Ranbir said: "Sure, but now it's already been done. Now he's (Fawad has) opened the door and it's easy for us to walk through it. But earlier...I must honestly say, I might have turned it down."

He is also willing to play a second lead in a movie, but conditions apply.

He said: "Suppose tomorrow Rajkumar Hirani offers me the part of Circuit in the new 'Munna Bhai', I would play it and try my best to do justice."

Ranbir is currently living with his grandmother Krishna in her bungalow here and training for Ayan Mukerji's "Dragon". He awaits the release of Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", and also has Anurag Basu's long-gestating film "Jagga Jasoos" lined up.

In February, after "Dragon", he hopes to start shooting for Hirani's next, a biopic of actor Sanjay Dutt.

Since his debut with "Saawariya", Ranbir has seen several highs and lows.

He was applauded for films like "Wake Up Sid", "Raajneeti", "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year", "Rockstar", "Barfi!", "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", and was censured for duds like "Besharam" and "Bombay Velvet".

Referring to his current shoot-less days, Ranbir said: "I think I could have an alcohol problem."

"It is a visual medium and I have to look after myself. When I shoot, when I work, I don't drink. But when I'm not shooting...".

Directing a film is something Ranbir has for long expressed interest in. But the actor says there is still time for him to get to the director's chair.

"Look, I know how a film is made, but a director has to find the method to tell the story he has to tell. I'm not, because I'm lazy and acting is taking up my time and I don't have a story, I can't write," he said.

--IANS

sug/nn/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Ranbir Kapoor says that had Pakistani actor Fawad Khan not "opened the door" by playing a homosexual character in "Kapoor & Sons", he would have perhaps turned down an offer to play a gay on screen. But now the "Barfi!" star is receptive to the idea.

The actor opened up about his professional as well as personal life in an interview taken by Vogue India journalist Raja Sen for the magazine's September 2016 issue, which will be available on the stands from September 6, read a statement.

Ranbir has lauded his contempories for taking up risky roles -- be it Alia Bhatt in "Udta Punjab" or Fawad in "Kapoor & Sons".

Asked if he would play a homosexual, Ranbir said: "Sure, but now it's already been done. Now he's (Fawad has) opened the door and it's easy for us to walk through it. But earlier...I must honestly say, I might have turned it down."

He is also willing to play a second lead in a movie, but conditions apply.

He said: "Suppose tomorrow Rajkumar Hirani offers me the part of Circuit in the new 'Munna Bhai', I would play it and try my best to do justice."

Ranbir is currently living with his grandmother Krishna in her bungalow here and training for Ayan Mukerji's "Dragon". He awaits the release of Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", and also has Anurag Basu's long-gestating film "Jagga Jasoos" lined up.

In February, after "Dragon", he hopes to start shooting for Hirani's next, a biopic of actor Sanjay Dutt.

Since his debut with "Saawariya", Ranbir has seen several highs and lows.

He was applauded for films like "Wake Up Sid", "Raajneeti", "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year", "Rockstar", "Barfi!", "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", and was censured for duds like "Besharam" and "Bombay Velvet".

Referring to his current shoot-less days, Ranbir said: "I think I could have an alcohol problem."

"It is a visual medium and I have to look after myself. When I shoot, when I work, I don't drink. But when I'm not shooting...".

Directing a film is something Ranbir has for long expressed interest in. But the actor says there is still time for him to get to the director's chair.

"Look, I know how a film is made, but a director has to find the method to tell the story he has to tell. I'm not, because I'm lazy and acting is taking up my time and I don't have a story, I can't write," he said.

--IANS

sug/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actress Rhea Chakraborty, who was shooting for the upcoming film "Half Girlfriend" in Cape Town, South Africa, had a fan girl moment when she got a chance to meet "Game of Thrones" star Liam Cunningham.

The actor is seen playing Davos Seaworth in the popular American fantasy drama TV series.

"I'm a huge 'Game of Thrones' fan and watch every episode twice. I was in Cape Town at a sushi bar when I saw Davos trying to be incognito," Rhea said in a statement.

"I understood his sentiments and went up to him containing all my excitement and told him that if he lets me sit with him and get a few photographs, I wouldn't make a big deal about it at the bar," she added.

And the "blackmail" worked.

"He was amazing and even bought me a glass of wine," Rhea, best known for her roles in films like "Mere Dad Ki Maruti" and "Sonali Cable", said.

Directed by Mohit Suri, "Half Girlfriend" is based on the novel of the same name written by Chetan Bhagat.

The film stars Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.

--IANS

sas/nn/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Wednesday removed its Goa chief, Subhash Velingkar, for "working against" the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.

The RSS said that Velingkar was sacked because the language agitation he was leading -- against the BJP-led coalition government -- was taking a political turn.

The formal statement issued by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Konkan region Chief Satish Modh said that while the RSS backed the premise of the language agitation, which Velingkar and his group Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) were leading, going political was never an option with the RSS.

"As part of the agitation, BBSM has made announcement about formation of a political party. RSS, since its inception, has never been involved in politics, and hence, RSS would have no role in the political endeavour of BBSM," Modh said.

"With this background, it has been announced in a recent meeting of senior RSS office-bearers that convenor of the BBSM Prof Subhash Velingkar has been relieved from his responsibilities as the Goa Vibhag Sanghachalak," he added.

However, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar expressed regret over the decision, saying as a swayamsevak he would say it should not have happened.

"Velingkar has been removed from his post with immediate effect for floating a political outfit and working against the Goa government," RSS publicity head Manmohan Vaidya told IANS.

The Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) has been demanding that regional languages (Konkani and Marathi) be made the medium of instruction in Goa's elementary schools and asking the state to stop grants of English medium schools.

Velingkar was removed after BJP President Amit Shah complained against him to the RSS leadership, informed sources said.

Shah was shown black flags by members of the outfit during his recent visit to Goa. He was on his way to address a meeting of BJP workers near Panaji.

Former Speaker and Environment and Forest Minister Rajendra Arlekar said that Velingkar was a guru and an idol for BJP leaders in Goa, but refused to comment, when asked if he was disappointed with the state RSS chief removal.

"See I have said again and again. RSS is an organisation which is competent to take their own decisions. To all of us he is a (Guru). There is no other guru in RSS (in Goa). He has been our idol," Arlekar said.

A day earlier, Velingkar said that the BJP may not win the next state assembly elections since it had "betrayed" the electorate's trust by going back on its promise to back the use of regional languages as a medium of instruction in the state's primary schools.

"This government should not be too sure that they are going to be back in power after the elections, because they have betrayed the trust of the people in the issue of regional languages," he told a press conference.

Velingkar, also said that the BBSM, along with the RSS unit in Goa, were in the process of floating a new regional party to defeat the BJP in the state polls, which are likely to be held in March 2017.

Velingkar and the BBSM are protesting against, what they claim are, anti-regional languages policies of the BJP-led coalition government, especially its failure to cut government grants to schools operated by a society run by the influential Roman Catholic Church, where English is the medium of instruction.

"The BBSM will float a new political party to contest the forthcoming elections," Velingkar said, adding that the RSS cadre would be backing the new political outfit, whose agenda would be to ensure that education in primary schools, which avail financial grants from the state government will be conducted in regional languages of Konkani and Marathi.

He also did not rule out a tie-up with the regional Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, currently an alliance partner in the state government, if they quit the ruling coalition by September 30.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has said it will contest the Goa elections, had been using Velingkar's criticism of the state government in its campaign.

Velingkar has not commented on his removal yet.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PARK CITY  Students at Park City High can tell you why they think the small community off Interstate-90 should pass a $9.4 million bond to build a new school and renovate current buildings.

There are the grungy locker rooms that no one showers in, said junior Haley Harper.

There are the crowded classes where teachers cant get enough one-on-one time with students, said sophomore Kasidy Robins.

Theres the portable building that gets so warm from body heat when packed with students that it doesnt need a heater, said sophomore Andee Baker.

Those students can also tell you why they think previous bonds havent passed.

People dont want to pay that sort of money, Baker said.

The sort of money that you need to renovate a school or build a new one falls heavily on a small tax base like Park City, where residential homeowners shoulder the majority of the tax burden. The current proposal would raise taxes on a $100,000 home about $230 a year, a figure that could exceed $500 for more expensive homes.

I wouldnt want to pay an extra $500, said senior Peyton Moe, who also said hes frustrated with lack of seating in the gym and cramped shop classes. But if its for a good cause  

Its not the first time Superintendent Dan Grabowska pitched renovations. A $7 million 2015 bond that focused on renovating the existing building failed. Grabowska hopes that a larger project, accounting for more future growth, will be more appealing for residents. A new fourth-through-sixth grade building would be built on a parcel of land the school has owned for 13 years.

Most people in this town were wanting us to do something with the land, he said.

The plan encompasses a 1,000 seat gymnasium, three locker rooms, a weight room, a district kitchen, a commons area, nine classrooms, an additional academic workspace, administrative offices and a community conference room.

A new paved parking lot would replace the handful of graveled parking spaces

The local Parent-Teacher Association is running a Vote Yes campaign. Ballots are mailed out Sept. 7 and must be returned by Sept. 27.

Its something that needs to be done so bad, said Krystal Emineth, a parent of two young children who works at the post office in Park City.

Park City, like much of eastern Montana, isnt a levy-passing machine. Montana law lets local tax bases vote to raise taxes to increase year-to-year budgets for schools above a state-mandated floor. Park Citys budget hovers just above the minimum mark, though the district does have a technology levy.

The town has deep agricultural roots  the majority of students still participate in vocational or agricultural elective classes  but its growth is driven by commuters who work in Billings but want to live outside the city.

Agriculture is still huge, but its changing into a bedroom community, Grabowska said.

The district office, which is housed in a portable building with a classroom, was home Wednesday to a pair of students taking classes through Montana Digital Academy, an online portal that has classes taught by state-certified teachers.

We actually dont have a classroom, senior Heidi Froelich said. Theyll usually use the teachers lounge once the school year gets revved up, seated at a small table next to a water cooler.

A first-day-of-school shiny wooden floor gleamed in the gym, but seating in the 411-person capacity gym is a major problem, Grabowska said.

I think thats 1950 butt size, he said.

The school had previously applied for money from the Quality Schools Grant Program, which the legislature didn't fund in 2015. The school had been about 12th on the list of projects that would get money.

Recent enrollment has varied from year to year, but Grabowska said the district is growing overall, and its not expected to stop.

In the past, we just kept adding a little pod here and a little pod there, Grabowska said. Having that plan out for a 50-year plan, is a really important goal.
People with Crohn's disease -- a serious bowel condition -- are more likely to experience a recurrence after surgery if they continue to smoke, new research has found.

Crohn's disease occurs when the immune system attacks the lining of the gut and bowel to cause severe inflammation. It results in abdominal pain, urgent diarrhoea, sickness and profound lethargy.

Doctors recommend people with the condition stop smoking to avoid their illness worsening.

"Our study confirms that the most important thing somebody with Crohn's disease can do for their health is not to smoke," said Jack Satsangi, Professor at University of Edinburgh in Britain.

Most patients with Crohn's disease require surgery to remove the affected section of their bowel. Surgery is not curative, however, and the condition often relapses.

The researchers also assessed whether a drug treatment that is commonly used in treating the disease is effective at preventing it from coming back after surgery.

They found that the therapy had limited beneficial effects for non-smokers in preventing relapse after surgery. It did, however, offer protection for smokers.A class of drugs called thiopurines have often been prescribed to patients after surgery to try to prevent relapse but until now, it was not clear whether the therapy offers any benefit.

The researchers conducted a trial of the therapy involving 240 people with Crohn's disease.

Patients were monitored for three years after they had undergone surgery. Some 128 patients were treated with a drug from the thiopurine family called mercaptopurine and 122 were given a dummy medicine.

Only three of 29 smokers treated with the therapy experienced a relapse compared with 12 of 26 who received the dummy drug.

The rate of relapse in the non-smoking group was much lower and was unaffected by treatment with the medicine, showed the findings published in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

"There is an unmet need to identify therapies or life-style changes that prevent Crohn's disease recurrence after surgery to avoid patients having to undergo multiple operations," Satsangi said.

--IANS

gb/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the wake of the ruling by an international arbitration tribunal in favour of the Philippines in a dispute with China over the South China Sea, India and the US on Wednesday urged all parties concerned to respect international law.

In a joint statement issued following Tuesday's Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, the two sides "stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight, and unimpeded lawful commerce throughout the region, including in the South China Sea".

Tuesday's talks were co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also in attendance.

"They (India and the US) urged the utmost respect for international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos)," the statement said.

"They reiterated that states should resolve disputes through peaceful means, and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes affecting peace and stability."

An international arbitration tribunal in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the The Hague ruled on July 12 that China violated the Philippines' rights in the South China Sea, one of the busiest commercial shipping routes in the world.

The court accused China of interfering with the Philippines' fishing and petroleum exploration, building artificial islands in the waters and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone.

The tribunal held that fishermen from the Philippines had traditional fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and that China had interfered with these rights by restricting their access.

The court held that Chinese law enforcement vessels unlawfully created a serious risk of collision when they physically obstructed Philippine vessels in the region.

China is locked in disputes over the Spratly and Paracel groups of islands in the South China Sea with other countries of the region.

While the other claimants over the Spratly islands are Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, the Paracel islands are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

The most heavily contested are the Spratlys, a group of 14 islands, islets and cays and more than 100 reefs that are strategically located.

The South China Sea is a resource-rich strategic waterway through which more than $5 trillion worth of world trade is shipped each year.

The Philippines, which brought the dispute to the tribunal in 2013, welcomed the ruling while China reacted angrily.

China said it has historic rights over the resource-rich sea and declared that the tribunal award "is null and void and has no binding force".

"China neither accepts nor recognises it," Beijing stated.

India has said that its official position on the issue was a principled one, deriving from India being a state party to the Unclos.

According to the External Affairs Ministry, as a state party, India believes that all parties should show utmost respect to the Unclos which establishes the international legal order of the seas and oceans.

In Wednesday's joint statement, India and the US also reaffirmed their commitment to work together as priority partners in the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean regions in accordance with the road map for cooperation under the India-US Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region.

"In this regard, they welcomed the convening of the inaugural Maritime Security Dialogue in May 2016 and engagement on maritime domain awareness, including through a White Shipping Agreement," the statement said.

"They also decided to strengthen cooperation in the area of connectivity."

--IANS

ab/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A teenager was killed and over 100 persons were injured in firing by security forces as fresh violence erupted across the Valley on Wednesday, prompting the authorities to re-impose a curfew that was lifted two days ago for the first time in nearly two months after improvement in the security situation.

Police and witnesses said Danish Manzoor, 18, was killed after he sustained bullet injuries in a clash between stone-pelting protestors and the security forces in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, some 60 km from here.

Kashmir's Divisional Commissioner Baseer Khan said in a statement that a mob "of more than 900 people attacked an army convoy" with stones at Baramulla's Ladoora village. The army opened fire as the protestors refused to disperse after tear smoke shells and pellets were fired at them.

Six others were also injured in the clash. Three of them were said to be critical and removed to a hospital in Srinagar. Khan said the police has initiated a probe into the incident.

Anti-government and pro-freedom protests also took place in various areas across the valley, including the Srinagar city.

A police spokesperson said security forces stopped demonstrators from marching on the main streets by firing tear smoke shells and shotgun pellets at the stone-throwing protestors. Nearly 100 protestors, including 60 in south Kashmir, were said to have been injured in the clashes.

Protestors set ablaze the house of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Rajya Sabha member, Nazir Laway, in Chawalgam village of Kulgam district in south Kashmir, some 60 km from here. Nobody was present in the house when arsonists torched it.

Police said the incident took place hours after security forces fired pellets at protestors shouting anti-government and pro-freedom slogans in nearby Katrusoo village.

Violent clashes also erupted in Aishmuqam after security forces removed a marquee installed for a proposed protest sit-in on a road to the Pahalgam tourist resort. At least 40 protestors received injuries when security forces fired pellets to disperse them.

The fresh violence came two days after the authorities partially lifted the curfew following improvement in the situation in the Valley that has been on the boil since the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

The curfew restrictions were re-imposed on Wednesday with heavy presence of police and security forces on the main roads. But there was no official announcment about it.

Divisional Commissioner Khan said the "curfew was lifted from the entire Valley" following an "overall improvement" in the security situation.

The militant commander's killing has triggered an unprecedented wave of violent protests with people defying security restrictions to stage demonstrations and hurl rocks at security forces on a daily basis.

At least 72 people, including two policemen, have been killed in nearly two months of unrest that has paralysed normal life in the valley amid the government-imposed curfew and separatist-called shutdown.

Education institutions, private offices, shops and other business eatablishments remained closed on the 53rd day in a row after the strike called by the separatist Hurriyat Conference.

Separatists on Wednesday extended their shutdown call till September 8, asking people to march on roads for pro-freedom demonstrations.

--IANS

sar/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Tobacco Institute of India (TII), the only representative of India's legal cigarette industry, on Wednesday urged the government to include tobacco farmers and other industry stakeholders in the official Indian delegation to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Conference of Parties (FCTC COP7).

TII has said that it is important that policy development during COP 7 is not left to the tobacco control activists and NGOs alone.

"We are concerned that at the behest of vested interests NGOs and anti-tobacco activists in India through their relentless and biased campaign are influencing the government's tobacco control policy and promoting extreme regulations that are already hurting tobacco farmers and the legal industry in the country and causing widespread growth of illegal trade in cigarettes," said Syed Mahmood Ahmad, Director TII in a statement.

"We appeal to the Indian Government to include Industry Stakeholders and representatives from the Tobacco Farming Community in the official Indian delegation to the Conference," Ahmad added.

FCTC COP 7 Meeting is being hosted by India in Noida between November 7 and 12, 2016.

"We are apprehensive that NGOs, who are allowed access to the FCTC COP7, will carry a strong voice during the Conference and attempt to impose their biased agenda on the meeting and may even succeed in ensuring adoption of excessive anti-farmer proposals by the Parties to the Conference causing further distress to tobacco farmers in the country," Ahmad noted.

According to the preamble to the FCTC, there is a need to consider the livelihood and economic interests of tobacco growers and workers while making policies. TII has said that it is to be taken care.

"The Conference of Parties organised under the aegis of FCTC which is a framework convention under the World Health Organization, a UN agency, should therefore, be carried out in an inclusionary manner and in line with the basic tenets of democratic process adopted by the UN and its various bodies," said TII quoting the preamble.

According to TII, the growth of illegal cigarettes and the sharp decline in legal cigarette industry consequently has led to the drop in demand for locally grown tobacco and is having a devastating impact on Indian tobacco farmers and their livelihood.

TII has stated that tobacco is an extremely important commercial crop for the India as it contributes more than Rs 30,000 crore in tax revenue annually besides earning about Rs 6,000 crore in foreign exchange.

"It is a matter of great concern for us that FCTC decisions in the past are made behind closed doors, with the media, the public and tobacco farmers excluded from the process," said TII.

--IANS

rup/ask/dg

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It is too early to calcuate the effect of GST on automobile prices and strategise unless the GST Council fixes the rate, Hero MotoCorp CMD and CEO Pawan Munjal said here on Wednesday.

"Too early to do calculations until (GST) Council fixes the rate. I have my doubts on the April 1, 2017 deadline for GST (Goods and Services Tax), though we have done our homework," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers' 56th annual conference.

"Implementation of GST requires huge amount of digitisation, for which I have my doubts, can be completed in such a short span of time."

Hero MotoCorp is at the forefront and at an advanced stage for implementation of GST, but he cannot say the same for other companies, he said.

"But GST is going to happen and it is a good thing. Companies, traders, economy, all will benefit from it," he added.

On his company's plans, Munjal said that it is eyeing double digit growth in the current fiscal banking upon increased sales in the upcoming festive season.

At home front, the company is also starting a new plant in Gujarat in the third quarter of this fiscal and another in Bangladesh.

"The Bangladesh plant's capacity is not much but the Gujarat one is big enough. We are also waiting to get possession of land for a plant in Andhra Pradesh," he said.

Globally, the country's largest two-wheeler manufacturer is soon starting exports to Nigeria, Argentina and Mexico, he said.

Munjal said that the (Bharat Stage) BS-IV norms are round the corner but the real challenge is BS-VI norms that need to be adopted by April 1, 2020.

The government from BS-IV has decided to directly skip over to BS-VI norms by 2020, altogether skipping BS-V.

"We have accepted the challenge of BS-VI. The task is enormous," he said.

On the effect of BS-VI on the pricing, he said that there is a cost to the technology.

"We do not know how much investment will go into the technology and how much can be passed on to the customer. It is too early to comment on the effect on prices," he said.

--IANS

mm/vd

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A Turkish judge has escaped to Greece on a migrant boat and sought political asylum, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The 50-year-old judge on Tuesday embarked on a boat carrying six Syrian migrants bound for the Greek island of Chios, Xinhua news agency quoted Greek Coast Guard officials as saying.

The judge sought to apply for political asylum in Greece and will face charges of illegally entering the country. Greek media reported that the judge would be transferred to Athens for his asylum proceedings.

--IANS

py/mr

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Two medical students, who threw a dog off the rooftop of a three-storeyed building and filmed the gruesome incident, were fined Rs 2 lakh each by a committee formed by the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University.

According to the committee's recommendation, the two students -- Gowtham Sudarshan and Ashish Paul -- of the Madha Medical College, should pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh each to the Animal Welfare Board.

The committee was formed as per the orders of the Madras High Court.

Last month, the video of the two students -- one throwing the dog down from the rooftop of a building and the other filming the gruesome act -- went viral and drew much revulsion.

Animal welfare activists made a police complaint and the two students were later arrested. The two got bail immediately.

The activists then moved the court for compensation for the dog that suffered a leg fracture.

University Vice Chancellor S. Geethalakshmi and Dean of Students S.V. Senthilnathan on Tuesday signed the penalty order as recommended by the committee.

--IANS

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After fighting a deadly lung condition for nearly seven years, Igor Kravchenko from Ukraine now breathes easy, thanks to a challenging surgery of lungs transplant performed at a hospital here.

The 46-year-old successfully underwent a double lung transplant at Fortis Malar Hospital here, doctors announced on Tuesday.

Igor started feeling weak and found it difficult to walk in 2009 at his home town of Odessa port. Doctors there were unable to diagnose his problem accurately and were giving treatment for the symptoms of breathlessness and fatigue.

Later in the year 2014, it was diagnosed that he had an Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), in which he had developed extensive fibrosis of his lungs which prevented them from functioning properly.

Due to this, the oxygen saturation in his blood circulation had dropped below 70 per cent despite oxygen support, which in turn made him very weak, making his lungs deteriorate further.

Igor's condition deteriorated, needing mechanical ventilation, and he became septic with low blood pressure when he was admitted to Fortis.

"Despite a ventilator, his oxygenation was very poor and he was placed on a 'Veno-Venous ECMO' (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) where his blood stream was diverted from the veins to an external machine that would oxygenate the blood outside of the body," K.R. Balakrishnan, Director, Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Malar Hospital, said in a statement.

The purified blood was then sent back to the vein itself from where it reached the heart and pure oxygenated blood was supplied to the entire body via the arteries. On ECMO and ventilation, he was barely alive and three times had a near cardiac arrest due to machine clotting.

The Veno-Venous machine did its job perfectly well for almost 30 days and Igor was kept alive.

However, like any other end-stage disease, only an organ transplant surgery was the final solution to Igor's problem. The painful wait was finally over on June 3, when a pair of lungs suitable for Igor became available from a donor family.

Though the expert team made sure the transplant was successful, his weakened respiratory muscles were not able to support normal breathing.

A tracheotomy was performed and he was made to breathe through an incision made in the wind pipe through the neck.

A leakage developed between Igor's bronchi and the newly implanted lung. The doctors immediately performed an 'Endo-Bronchial Stenting' to repair the air leakage.

The hospital authorities added that the patient is doing well and breathed normally without artificial support after 10 months.

--IANS

som/gb/vt

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The sequel to the popular 2009 horror comedy film "Zombieland" is still happening as Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese have revealed that they are currently writing the screenplay for the film.

"That is breaking news that we're on 'Zombieland 2' right now," Wernick and Reese said on talk show "Geeking Out", reports aceshowbiz.com.

They added that they will discuss the next step with actor Woody Harrelson.

"We're sitting with Woody tomorrow and are going to sort of walk him through some of the stuff we want to do. All the cast is pretty excited."

It is unclear whether the original cast including Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin will return to the sequel as the two screenwriters haven't given any comments.

Wernick and Reese, who just finished writing the screenplay for "Deadpool 2", also spoke about working with actor Bill Murray in "Zombieland". They explained that before Murray took the role, several legendary actors including Mark Hamill and Sylvester Stallone were eyed to take the role.

--IANS

sas/rb

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The number of agents with public sector behemoth Corporation (LIC) of India declined by about 76,000 over the one-year period ended July 2016. For the industry as a whole, the number of agents declined by 27,000 over the same period (private sector insurers added around 50,000 agents). companies terminate agents when the latter are unable to fulfil their minimum sales target for the year. If your agent was among those who quit the industry, here is how you should deal with the situation.
ExxonMobil is denying a published report that it has begun seeking a potential buyer for its Billings refinery. The Tuesday report by Reuters even speculated that the 60,000-barrel-per day plant would be worth between $500 million and $700 million.

Reuters, quoting sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reported that potential buyers have even visited the refinery this summer.

In response, ExxonMobil spokesman Dan Carter said the company would not comment on rumors or speculation about the Billings refinery. However, Carter said the company regularly evaluates its global portfolio of businesses and opportunities for growth, restructuring or divestment, in accordance with the companys overall strategic business objectives.

ExxonMobils statement said the company remains committed to conducting business in Montana, as it has for more than 40 years.

Industry sources quoted by Reuters said that major refiners, including Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil, are seeking to unload their smaller refineries that arent associated with petrochemical manufacturing, which can be more profitable.

The Billings ExxonMobil refinery is the companys smallest and it isn't associated with petrochemical manufacturing.

Rumors that ExxonMobil is interested in selling its Billings refinery have surfaced in industry publications in past years, but so far have proven unfounded.

Exxon sold its refinery in Torrance, Calif., to PBF Energy last month. Last year, PBF bought the Chalmette, La., refinery from ExxonMobil and Petroleos de Venezuela, which had owned it jointly, Reuters reported.

The refinery is one of the highest quality plants in the Rocky Mountains, with a fluidized coking unit for refining heavy oil, Reuters reported.

The plant primarily processes crude either imported from Canada or transported from nearby Wyoming.
BJP President appointed Union ministers J P Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan as party incharge for the Assembly polls in Uttarakhand where it is striving to return to power by defeating ruling Congress.

He also appointed Union minister Prakash Javadekar as election in charge for the Manipur Assembly election.

The polls in Uttarakhand due next year, have assumed an added significance after the saffron party's determined bid to topple the Harish Rawat government failed.

While BJP's ranks have been strengthened after a number of rebel Congress MLAs joined it, Chief Minister Harish Rawat believes that he will have sympathy of voters after he manged to keep BJP at bay.

BJP is carrying out a mass campaign there, accusing the Rawat government of corruption.

In Manipur, which also goes to polls early next year, Congress has been in power for the last 15 years and BJP is working towards putting up a strong fight.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been trying to expand its footprint in West Bengal at the expense of a shrinking Communist Party of India (Marxist), has found the Supreme Court verdict on land acquisition an opportunity to embarrass the Left parties.BJPs West Bengal in-charge Sidharth Nath Singh said the judgment exposed the CPI(M)s doublespeak on land acquisition. The Left opposed our (central) governments land acquisition Bill. It said land should be acquired only for public purpose, but in its government had acquired it for a private purpose. So, the Left must explain.The CPI(M), however, ruled out any apology for the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led governments acquisition of the 997.1 acres of land for the Tata Groups Nano car manufacturing plant at in 2006 and the Congress said it welcomed the judgment.While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed the apex court verdict a landmark victory, its principal rivals in the state  the CPI(M) and the Congress sensed an opportunity to consolidate their respective positions since implementing the order might be a minefield for the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led government in the state.Sources in these parties said there was likely to be heartburn among those who had heeded Trinamools call and didnt accept compensation and had resisted acquiring of their lands. The Supreme Court order has allowed those who had accepted the compensation to retain it.Several small ancillary units have come up in the area in the past 10 years and it remains to be seen how the state government evicts them, said a BJP leader. The state government taking possession of land might lead to tension in the area and buttress West Bengals anti-industry image.In Kolkata, CPI(M) state Secretary Surya Kanta Mishra said the land was acquired according to the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.We were never opposed to returning the land... Now the question will be how the land will be returned and in what condition. What will happen to those who had taken the compensation and returned the land? Mishra asked. He said there was no question of an apology from his party. We have said it clearly earlier that the land cannot be acquired against the wishes of the farmer, he said.The Congress, which had a seat-sharing pact with the Left parties in the recent Assembly elections in West Bengal, said it welcomed the verdict but refrained from being excessively critical of the Left parties.
Eleven Bangladeshi nationals including two minors currently lodged in the detention centre here, will be deported back to Bangladesh soon, Cachar Deputy Commissioner S Viswanathan said today.

"The Bangladesh government has agreed to take back nine nationals of their country from Silchar detention centre and they will be deported after final clearance of the state government along with the two minors," he said.

The issue of deporting inmates staying in detention centres was discussed at length during the Deputy Commissioners/Magistrates meeting last year at Moulvibazar in Bangladesh and a list of detainees were handed to the deputy commissioners of both Sylhet and Moulvibazar.

Bangladesh government has verified and agreed to take back their nine nationals along with two minor children of one Arati Das.

"With this initial step we are confident that the rest of the detainees will also be deported back and though the process is slow, we are happy that the issue is being sorted out to its logical conclusion," Viswanathan said.

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Twelve people, including three children, were injured today when a flight bound for London encountered "severe and unexpected turbulence", forcing the United Airlines plane to make an emergency landing in Ireland.

Ten passengers and two crew members were taken to hospital from Shannon Airport shortly after the flight from Houston, Texas landed.

All have now been discharged with the exception of one flight attendant, the BBC reported.

Shannon Airport officials initially said 16 people needed hospital care, but later indicated only 12 people were treated after the incident.

The flight UA-880 was travelling from Houston to London Heathrow when it diverted to the airport in County Clare.

The injured were taken to University Hospital, Limerick, with cuts, bruises and minor head injuries.

"As of 10:30, one patient was still being assessed and the remaining 11 were discharged," said the hospital.

"Hospital staff are working with the airline to transport the passengers back to Shannon Airport to continue their onward journey to London."



The Boeing 767-300 jet had 207 passengers and 13 crew members on board, and had been due to arrive at Heathrow.

"The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland where it was met by medical personnel," said the airline.

"United Airlines is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA-880.

"Customers will be departing Shannon to London Heathrow shortly on an alternative aircraft," it added.

In-air turbulence is the leading cause of injury to people on flights, according to America's Federal Aviation Administration, and on average 58 people in the US are injured during turbulent flights when not wearing seat-belts every year.

Most accidents involving turbulence happen at 30,000 feet or above.

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At least 12 labourers, including four women, were today injured after boundary wall of a farm house collapsed due to rain, police said here today.

Meena (45), Kishori (65), Laloo (60), Bhai ji (25) Maneesh (18), Kanchan (14)and six others sustained injuries when wall of the farm house collapsed and fell on their shanties, Deputy Superintendent of Police Manish Mishra said.

The injured, all hailed from Madhya Pradesh, were rushed to a government hospital, he said, adding six of them have been discharged after treatment.

Legal action will be taken against the farm house owner in case police will receive a complaint, the DSP said.

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At least two members of an inter-state dacoit gang were arrested by police here following separate encounters with them, police said today.

The two have sustained injured in their knees during the encounters at Bhairabi Road under Golanthara and Pathara under Gopalpur police station limit last night.

The police seized one country-made gun and three rounds of ammunition, a looted motorcycle and a mobile phone set from the duo identified as Dipak Mandal (20) and Asthama Mandal (24) hailing from Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

Police said the first encounter took place at Bhairabi road at about 8.30 PM where Dipak was injured, while the second encounter occurred at Pathara at about 10 PM where Asthama sustained injuries.

The encounters took place as the youths tried to flee after firing at a police team.

Police said at least 15 dacoity cases were pending against each of them in different police stations of Ganjam and Berhampur police districts.

They were also wanted in dacoity cases in Ludhiana in Punjab, Murshidabad in West Bengal and Cuttack railway police.

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Two more Mississippi universities have stopped flying the state's flag featuring the Confederate battle emblem, decisions that drew rebukes from the governor.

Mississippi State University and the Mississippi University for Women confirmed yesterday that they removed the flag from outdoor flagpoles over the summer.

The universities' actions came after state lawmakers failed to act on changing the flag this year.

"The university community supports a flag that unites everyone in the state behind it," said Jim Borsig, president of the Mississippi University for Women.

Delta State University is the only public Mississippi university still flying the flag. A statement from that school yesterday opened the door to removing it if the university cabinet votes to do so.

Gov Phil Bryant told reporters yesterday that he disagrees with the universities' decision to remove the flag.

He cited a state law calling for Mississippi's flag to "receive all of the respect and ceremonious etiquette given the American flag" if displayed. The law doesn't require public agencies to fly the flag. K-12 schools are required to, but some ignore it.

"Whether you like the flag or not, the state law calls for it to be treated with equal respect," Bryant said.

In a 2001 referendum, Mississippi voters strongly supported keeping the flag, which has included the Confederate battle emblem in its upper left corner since 1894. But agitation against the flag resumed following the 2015 massacre of nine black worshippers at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. The white suspect in that case posed for photos with Confederate flags.

After the church shooting, Bryant had said he wanted to give voters another chance to decide whether to change Mississippi's flag. He repeated that position yesterday.

"I believe the people have the right to speak on this," he said.

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Two teachers of a government school, including a headmaster, were today arrested for allegedly outraging the modesty of their female colleague in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Headmaster Ramneek Basotra and Krishen Chand were arrested for outraging the modesty of the female teacher at the school in Moar Bhatodi belt of the district on August 23, SSP Kathua Neeva Jain said.

The victim lodged a complaint on August 23 following which a case was registered.

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File photo of Sandeep Kumar who was removed as Cabinet Minister by the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

The sacking of Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar over an 'objectionable' CD on Wednesday triggered sharp reactions from BJP and Congress, with the saffron party demanding resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while the latter asked why such members were not expelled.

Reacting to the development, Delhi BJP said Kejriwal must resign accepting responsibility for picking up a "morally corrupt" MLA in the Cabinet.

"He must be rewarded for handing over Delhi's governance to people with corrupt values," city BJP leader Vijender Gupta said in a sarcastic tone, adding "This has never happened in any government."

DPCC president Ajay Maken too attacked the AAP, saying three of the six ministers who were initially inducted were caught for alleged "fake degree, corruption, moral turpitude".

"But who chose them? Why aren't they expelled from Party?," he asked in a tweet.

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said, "It is the privilege of the CM to keep the ministers or sack them for whatever reasons, he thinks or believes. I don't know because Kejriwal has a style of diverting attention from other problems by taking some actions."

"Privilege of CM but neither I support it nor condemn it. He is trying to divert attention ... And comes out with something sensational," she said.

Another Congress leader Mukesh Sharma also hit out at and sought the resignation of Kejriwal.

"Prior to this other ministers have also been removed, and now this scandal only shows, that it's the story of Ali Baba and forty thieves, as there are several others in AAP government, against whom cases are due," he alleged.

"This government is corrupt and Arvind Kejriwal should immediately resign from his post on moral grounds," he said.

Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav said, "This is not moral rectitude but a damage control exercise."

He alleged that the AAP only sacks people when the information becomes undeniable. He said that in case of AAP leader Asif Ahmed Khan, the information was received twenty days ago, but he was sacked only when his case became public.

On Sandeep's case, he said, he was "shocked" as he was the WCD minister. Yadav said he is ashamed that he was associated with "this gang" at one point of time.

"Not surprised, because the way in which candidates and ministers were chosen, every ethical norm was put in dustbin, and this was expected to happen sooner or later," he alleged.
Army Design Bureau (ADB), which will give a better understanding of the requirements of army to the academia, research institutions and the industry for development of defence products, was launched here today.

Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag, who announced the launch of the ADB and its website, said the army will come out with a compendium which would help the reaserch and development fraternity in developing indigenous solutions for the force's modernisation needs.

ADB will also be a "single point contact" and a platform for an interaction between the army and academia, the defence public sector units (PSU), private players to understand the requirements of the army, he said.

More importantly, Singh said, "the programme will also help in realising the 'Make in India' initiative".

The army had identified several projects, including 125 mm Smooth Bore Barrel with Gun Article, improved ammunition for T-72 and T-90 tanks, 1000 HP engines for T-72 tanks and auxiliary power, 10 months ago and uploaded the information for industry and the research agencies on the website of Ministry of Defence.

Singh said when he was the Vice-Chief of the Army, he had realised that there was a need to do a lot on indigenisation and the 'Make in India' drive helped in giving a boost to that initiative.

It was not that the industry was not providing equipments to the army for trials, but at several instances, the products did not meet the force's requirements, he added.

Singh also informed that Deputy Chief of Army Staff (DCAOAS) and senior army officers have been interacting with industry bodies with a view to promote awareness on army's modernisation needs, discovering capabilities of the industry and encouraging long terms research in academia at various industrial hubs across the country.

Accordingly, interactions were also held with several IITs, he said.

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Montana Gov. Steve Bullock was back in the classroom Tuesday, exploring dual-credit offerings at the Billings Career Center in human growth and development as well as web design.

Its day four and youre already designing things? Bullock asked Kirby Andersons 15 or so first-year web design students. While they werent quite ready for that, they explained, they were researching how to begin the design process.

In Lori Wilsons early childhood education class, students read childrens books to one another in order to, as Skyview High School Junior Paige Conyers told the governor, learn to keep childrens minds going while were reading to them.

Bullock, Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney and Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau were on hand to speak to students and learn more about the Career Centers dual enrollment program, where students can receive college credit for about 15 classes without paying tuition.

As the school year begins, Bullock, a Democrat, is on a statewide Innovate and Educate tour designed to highlight his education policy. One point of emphasis is dual enrollment, which has grown statewide from 2,500 enrollments four years ago to 4,100 during the most recent school year. Bullock wants to add another 1,000 students during the coming school year, which would save families about $5.5 in tuition payments.

Bullock said his biggest priority for the upcoming legislative session  should he win re-election against Republican challenger Greg Gianforte  is securing up to $200 million in cash and bonds for infrastructure spending, some of it on schools. Other items high on Bullocks agenda are passing early learning legislation and spending $1 million on fiber and high-speed internet connectivity for Montanas schools.

Were one of five states that dont fund preschool, Bullock told Wilsons students. If students arent reading at grade level by third grade, theyre four times more likely to drop out of high school. Its so important to get kids off to the right start."

Billings Career Center Principal Scott Anderson said enrollment this year will be up to 1,000 students who come to the Career Center from all three Billings public high schools  West, Skyview and Senior.

As part of the tour, Bullock unexpectedly encountered a simulated murder scene, part of an introduction to biomedical sciences class.

By examining a victim shielded against passers-by by yellow police tape, students will spend weeks investigating just how the victim  a mannequin  died.

Juneau had to leave before Bullock arrived, but not before praising the work done at the career center.

Its been great to see this program grow, and thats happening all across the state, Juneau said. But here in Billings, things are really getting beefed up.

After his Career Center tour, Bullock took a flag flown above the Capitol following the April 3 death of Joe Medicine Crow over to the new middle school that bears the name of the Crow historian and scholar.

Bullock presented the flag to students during an assembly.
Ahead of the impending commercial launch of Reliance Jio services, India's largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel today said it has deployed 4G Advanced technology in Mumbai that enables faster data speed and better coverage for those with 4G Advanced handsets.

The technology will allow customers with 4G Advanced mobile devices to enjoy data speeds of up to 135 mbps, a company release said.

"The deployment will result in a superior 4G experience for Airtel customers through faster data speeds and better coverage - indoor and outdoor," it added.

Airtel launched its 4G services in Mumbai in May 2015 on the 2,300 MHz band and recently-added capacity on the 1,800 MHz slot. Essentially, 4G Advanced will combine 2,300 MHz and 1,800 MHz bandwidth capacities to enable better spectrum utilisation and efficiency.

"With the additional network capacity, customers in Mumbai can look forward to considerably improved data speeds and better coverage. We will extend the deployment of 4G Advanced in other geographies in coming months," said Ajai Puri, Director, Operations (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel.

Airtel had deployed 4G Advanced network in Kerala in February 2016. 4G Advanced handsets include Samsung Galaxy Note5 and Moto G (3rd generation) Android smartphones.

Faced with the impending commercial launch of RJio's 4G services, telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, have slashed data tariffs and offered sweeteners to retain customers. Operators are also wooing users through higher data speeds, high-definition quality and superior experience on their networks.

Yesterday, Reliance Communications claimed that its 4G LTE network on 850 Mhz spectrum band will provide high-definition quality, instant connectivity and blazing data speeds.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 25-year old female teacher was allegedly hacked to death today at a church by a man, who later ended his own life, for spurning his love, police here said.

Francina had rejected the proposal made by 26-year old Jegan and was to get married to another man next month.

Enraged over this, Jegan fatally attacked her while she was offering prayers in the church.

The incident came a day after an engineering student was clubbed to death in a private college in Karur district by her senior on similar ground.

Francina was rushed to a hospital where she died without responding to treatment, police said.

Jegan committed suicide by hanging himself in an abandoned building nearby, police said, adding that further investigations were on.

This is the third such brutal killing in a public place by jilted lovers in the state in the last three months.

A 20-year-old engineering student was allegedly beaten to death in her classroom in a private college in Karur district by her senior yesterday for spurning his love.

Woman techie Swathi was hacked to death by a young man at a railway station in Chennai on July 24 in full public view for the same reason.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Expressing concern over the decline in state funding in social sector, including education, in last two years, Vice President M Hamid Ansari today pitched for enhanced allocation for key welfare schemes so that falling incomes of parents do not impact their children's education.

Noting that public services like school education were key to nurturing participatory growth, he said despite the well documented relation between spending on school education and the growth of nation, financing of education the country 'remains inadequate'.

"Total public expenditure for education, at less than 3.5 per cent of GDP, is presently well below the six per cent commitment made in various National Education Policies," he said inaugurating the fourth phase of the Vidyadhanam project, piloted by Prof K V Thomas Vidyadhanam Trust here.

He said at 52 per cent, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) received more than half the money under school education allocation in the latest budget, but over the last five years, funding for it has declined by six per cent, from Rs 23,873 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 22,500 crore for 2016-17.

Ansari said while school education was primarily the responsibility of states, the central government directly finances 60 per cent through programmes such as the SSA.

As many as 66 per cent of the country's primary school students attend government schools or government-aided schools, he said.

"In this backdrop, the decline in state funding in the key social sector programmes, including education, is also a particular concern."



"The money allocated for key centrally sponsored social schemes--Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and National Health Mission--declined by about 5 per cent, 8 per cent and 3 per cent respectively, over the last two years," the Vice President said.

He said in addition to increasing the government investments in education, "it is also essential to maintain the funding levels of other social welfare schemes, especially those operating in the rural sector-to ensure that falling incomes of parents do not impact the educational prospects of in-school children."



Ansari said the Vidyadhanam project, launched by Lok Sabha member K V Thomas in his constituency Ernakulam, is a unique project.

"It not only provides financial incentive and scholarship to bright students from Government and aided schools, but also encourages cultivation of life skills, such as thrift and financial inclusion," he said.

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US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew today reiterated the Obama administration's frustration with European authorities over their decision this week to impose back taxes on Apple.

The European Commission this week said Apple, the world's most valuable company, owed Ireland USD 14.5 billion because Dublin had offered the iPhone maker illegal and unfair tax arrangements.

"Our concern with the European Commission action is that it is using a state-aide theory to make tax law and it is doing it in a way that is retroactive and that overrides national tax law authority," Lew said following a speech in Washington on this weekend's G20 summit in China.

Lew's remarks followed a reaction from the White House yesterday, which described European authorities' actions as "unilateral" and "unfair."



The Obama administration has sought to prohibit corporations from virtually eliminating their entire tax burdens through overseas moves and so-called corporate inversions.

Lew said that, while US tax reforms may not have been realized, the European actions created economic uncertainty, unfairly focused on US firms and were an attempt to reach into the US tax base.

Lew also said he had told corporate leaders that driving companies' tax burdens to an absolute minimum carried risks to their reputations.

"I have said to many CEOs that you need to be more careful when you think about only maximizing tax advantage," Lew said.

"I have been very clear on issues like inversion, that it's legal but it's wrong."



Former US senator Carl Levin, a Democrat who oversaw Congressional investigations into corporate tax avoidance, said in a statement yesterday that European authorities were understandably attempting to recoup taxes that the US Internal Revenue Service had failed to collect and that Apple wrongly avoided.

"The IRS has failed to stake a claim for US taxes on those revenues for a decade or more," Levin said.

"It has been passive and so Europe attempts to fill the vacuum. Shame on Apple for dodging US taxes. Shame on the IRS for failing to challenge Apple's tax avoidance.

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Amid a row over the proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act (MAPISA), Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar today said some areas which are not covered by the existing laws, will be brought under the purview of the new legislation.

"There are so many issues which probably require regulation or legislation...And that is being worked out. Some areas, which are not covered by other laws, will be covered under this (MAPISA). But it's still at a very early stage," he told reporters during an interaction here.

The Maharashtra government has proposed to bring in MAPISA to deal with the challenges of terrorism and communal and caste violence. The legislation would be the first such state-level act for internal security, which will give more power to the police department, if implemented.

Among other things, it proposes 'special security zones' where movement of arms, explosives and inflow of unaccounted funds will be prohibited.

However, after severe battering from ally Shiv Sena and the Opposition over proposed law, the BJP-led government has removed the controversial draft of the Act from the public domain (which was put up for suggestions and objections) and decided to form all-party committee to discuss the issue first.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the draft will be put in public domain once again, but only after an all-party consensus on the issue.

Meanwhile, talking about the security arrangements in the city in view of the upcoming Ganesh festival, Padsalgikar said, "Regular internal alert is there...There is nothing specific. But it's an important festival, which lasts for 10 days and there is large gathering of people, so naturally we have to be extra cautious."



"Wherever I went, all the mandals have volunteered in making their members participate in the security exercise," he added.

Replying to a query over pending extradition process of some gangsters, the city top cop said, "To bring back Kumar Pillai (wanted gangster), efforts were on for about four to six months. It is governed by the law of country where the person is residing. I am governed by our laws and whatever we have in terms of extradition arrangement."



Pillai, with several cases against him in Mumbai, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion etc, was taken into custody in Singapore after a Red Corner Notice (RCN) was issued against him by Interpol and was extradited to Mumbai in June this year.

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To create awareness about the importance of car pooling, Baroda-based artist Amarnath Sharma has created two of the largest public art sculptures on the issue in India.

Besides using the "power of art to send subliminal messages and reiterate the importance of car pooling," the installations also attempt to serve as "landmark works of art in the city and bring art to the public."



Titled "In-transit" and "Make Over," the sculptures sized 30 feet by 12 feet and 12 feet by 4 feet respectively are located in Phoenix Marketcity here.

Even though the installations focus on the grim problem of traffic jams, Sharma has made the works bright and colourful to make them interactive and appealing to the viewers.

'In-transit' serves as a mirror to the society by showcasing the alarming situation of road traffic, while also warning about the impending problems if one does not watch out. The art work showcases a vertical wall with innumerable cars moving haphazardly creating a chaotic situation on road.

The other installation delves into the "concept of jam versus freedom" by showcasing jammed road going upwards at an angle ending abruptly.

"It urges us to take necessary action today. Our uncertain future is waiting for us at the end of the road. Cars are falling from the top of the road and getting converted into scrap pieces," says Gajendra Singh Rathore, Centre Director, Phoenix Marketcity.

Rathore has also curated the two art installations.

"We try to create awareness on various social causes and environmental sustainability initiatives for our patrons. We believe in promoting causes which require immediate attention and have always favoured the artistic route to do so," he says.

According to the local police authorities traffic jams not only add to public menace but also degrade the environment.

"Traffic jams are a common scenario in Bengaluru and other metros as well. Along with being inconvenient to the public, frequent traffic jams also cause huge dents in our pockets and on the environment.

"Carpooling is one of the ways in which people can benefit both as individuals and as a community as a whole. We are delighted where art is being used to send the message," says Sachin P Borpade, Assistant Commissioner of Police - Traffic East.

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Arunachal Pradesh is all set to get an NCC battalion and academy soon.

This was stated by NCC Commander of Group HQ 4 Corps Tezpur, Brig M S Jodha during a meeting with state Education Minister Honchun Ngandam here yesterday, an official release informed here today.

The NCC Battalion would be raised shortly at Tawang while an NCC Academy is proposed at the state capital, Brig Jodha informed.

He informed about necessary infrastructures such as office space, living accommodation for the new Battalion headquarters as well requirement of manpower in the new establishment.

For the NCC Academy 20 acres of land is required, he said while adding that there is shortage of manpower at 22 (I) Coy Pasighat, 26th Assam (I) Coy Digboi and 73 Assam Girls (I) Coy NCC Tezpur.

The Minister assured that state government would provide the required infrastructure and manpower for the new battalion at Tawang, the release said.

"For the proposed NCC Academy, the state government will provide the land in Itanagar or if not available in the state capital, will propose an alternative site," Ngandam said adding, the government would also provide the staff to meet up the shortage of manpower in various locations of NCC establishment.

The Brigadier was accompanied by Commanding Officer (NCC), 1st APBN, Naharlagun Col Jaswal and Deputy Commandant Lt Col N K Bishnoi, the release added.

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Union Minister Ramdas Athawale today said the government should consider handing over the probe into the Una Dalits flogging case to the CBI.

"Handing over the inquiry into the Una (Dalit flogging) case to CBI should be considered," Athawale told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

At present, Gujarat CID-Crime is investigating the case and has arrested 37 persons so far.

The Union Minister of State for Social Justice also said the issue of atrocities on Dalits cannot be linked to any government.

"The issue of atrocities on Dalits cannot be linked to the government in power here. Around 45,000 cases of Dalit atrocities take place every year across India (irrespective of the party ruling the states). The main reason behind such incidents is casteism," he said.

The minister also expressed anger and disappointment that those involved in the crime at Una, had made a video clip and circulated it on social media platforms.

"In the past, people facing atrocity charges used to tell police that they were not involved in it. People had a sense of fear. They used to disown what they did. But in this case, a video of thrashing of Dalit youths was made by the accused and circulated across the country," said the minister.

On July 11, seven Dalits of Mota Samadhiyala village of Una taluka in Gir-Somnath district were allegedly thrashed by cow vigilantes when they were found skinning a dead cow.

Later, four of these Dalit youths were taken to Una town, where they were tied up with a vehicle and allegedly thrashed by the 'gau rakshaks'.

The matter came to light after a video of flogging, allegedly made by the cow vigilantes, went viral on social media platforms.

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A 55-year-old auto-driver died after being hit by a police vehicle in Nalgonda district of Telangana this evening, police said.

The incident occurred at around 5 pm near Kurmed village under Chintapally mandal when the police vehicle was returning to the headquarter after following the convoy of Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy that had already left for Hyderabad, a police officer said.

One G Jangaiah, who was driving an auto-rickshaw, was injured after the police vehicle hit the three-wheeler. He was shifted to a hospital in Hyderabad where he succumbed to his injuries, the police office said.

The police vehicle was not in the convoy, he said, adding "the mishap occurred after the Minister's convoy passed."



"The vehicle (involved in the mishap) was not convoy vehicle. After the Minister crossed the limits of the district area, the vehicle went back to the district police headquarters," a release from Home Minister's office said.

Action will be taken in the case as per law, it added.

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Bangladesh suspects two top leaders of a reorganised Jamaat-ul Mujahideen (JMB) took secret refuge in neighbouring India to mobilise weaponry and financial support for the banned outfit to carry out the July 1 terrorist attack on a Dhaka cafe, according to reports today.

One of the two JMB leaders, Shariful Islam Khaled, is also blamed for hacking to death his liberal university professor, who was on way to work, in April.

Mamunur Rashid Ripon alias Jahangir and Khaled left for India in April, days after the murder of the Rajshahi University professor, the Daily Star reported.

"(Mamunur Rashid) Ripon and Khaled went to the neighbouring country in April and they have been hiding there since then," it quoted police's counterterrorism and transnational crimes (CTTC) unit chief Monirul Islam as saying.

He said Bangladesh has already informed India about the militants' possible stay in Kolkata.

Quoting an unnamed official, the newspaper said the two militants might have gone to India to ensure supply of firearms used in the July 1 attack on Holey Artisan Bakery that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners including an Indian girl.

"We have also come to know the address of the Kolkata hotel where they boarded after going to India. Later, they left the hotel," the report said, quoting another top official.

The mass circulation Samokal newspaper said the two were influential leaders of the neo-JMB, ideologically inclined to the ISIS, and after their top organiser Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Chowdhury was killed in a security raid last week, they could appear as conduits of international terrorist links.

A three-member team from the CTTC and the police headquarters recently visited India and interrogated detained Indian national and suspected ISIS operative Abu Al-Musa Al-Bangali.

He had connections with Ripon and Khaled, police sources were quoted as saying.

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Charlie Johnston, a Denver man who says he has received prophetic visitations all his life, will speak Friday in Billings.

Johnston's free talk will begin at 6 p.m. at the Elks Club, 934 Lewis Ave.

Johnston is a former newspaper editor, radio talk show host and political consultant. The converted Catholic says he has received prophetic visitations, which he has vetted through a trio of Catholic priests over the past 20 years.

Over 18 months in 2011 and 2012, he walked 3,200 miles across the United States, sleeping in the woods, meeting people and praying as he went.

He will speak about his ministry during his talk in Billings.
Hitting out at the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala over its minister's allegation that RSS is trying to turn temples into storehouses of arms in the state, BJP today said the saffron outfit is not carrying out any illegal activities in shrines.

State BJP chief Kummanom Rajasekharan challenged the government to conduct raids in temples to prove the charges of Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran.

No complaint in this regard has been received by any temple managing committees, he said.

"The operations of RSS are not confined to the four walls of temples and it has a presence everywhere. It is foolish to think that the activities of RSS can be checked by a minister of the state government," Rajasekharan said.

RSS' arm is its ideology and it is in the heart of RSS workers', he said addingthe state government also has no right to transcend into the affairs of temples, run by autonomous Devaswom Board.

In an August 29 Facebook post, Surendran had alleged that the RSS was trying to turn temples into storehouses of arms in Kerala and that the government had been receiving a large number of complaints in this regard. He had warned of a stern action.

Rajasekharan also questioned the government's decision to send two Christian ministers to Vatican City to take part in the canonisation of Mother Teresa.

State Finance Minister T M Thomas Issac and Water Resources Minster Mathew T Thomas are planning to join the Indian delegation visiting Vatican City to take part in the celebrations.

The BJP alleged leader said the LDF government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had lost its secular character.

"LDF government's only achievement after 100 days in office is occurrence of 300 incidents of political violence in which CPI(M) activists are involved," he said.

Nearly 1,000 CPI(M) activists are accused in cases of political violence, he added.

Rajasekharan also claimed there is stagnation in in all sectors, including industry and agriculture in the state.

Taking potshots at LDF's election slogan "If LDF comes, everything will be made all right" he said, "There was nothing in sight to indicate that something concrete would happen in the state in the coming days".

Government was only trying to create a row to divert people's attention from crucial issues like failure to check spurt in prices of essential commodities and increase in instances of political violence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Brazil's Senate today voted to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the culmination of a yearlong fight that paralysed Latin America's largest nation and exposed deep rifts among its people on everything from race relations to social spending.

While Rousseff's ouster was widely expected, the decision was a key chapter in a colossal political struggle that is far from over.

Rousseff was Brazil's first female president, with a storied career that includes a stint as a Marxist guerrilla jailed and tortured in the 1970s during the country's dictatorship. She was accused of breaking fiscal laws in her management of the federal budget.

"The Senate has found that the president of the federal republic of Brazil, Dilma Vana Rousseff, committed crimes in breaking fiscal laws," said Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, who presided over the trial.

Opposition lawmakers, who made clear early on the only solution was getting her out of office, argued that the maneuvers masked yawning deficits from high spending and ultimately exacerbated the recession in a nation that had long enjoyed darling status among emerging economies.

Nonsense, Rousseff countered time and again, proclaiming her innocence up to the end. Previous presidents used similar accounting techniques, she noted, saying the push to remove her was a bloodless coup d'etat by elites fuming over the populist polices of her Workers' Party the last 13 years.

The opposition needed 54 of the 81 senators to vote in favor for her to be removed. They got many more, winning in a landslide of sorts, 61-20.

"Today is the day that 61 men, many of them charged and corrupt, threw 54 million Brazilian votes in the garbage," Rousseff tweeted minutes after the decision.

Rousseff won re-election in 2014, garnering more than 54 million votes.

In a second vote about 30 minutes later, Rousseff won a minor victory as a measure to ban her from public office for eight years failed. The 42-36 vote fell short of the 54 votes needed for passage.

In the background of the entire fight was a wide-ranging investigation into billions of dollars in kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras.

The two-year probe has led to the jailing of dozens of top businessmen and politicians from across the political spectrum, and threatens many of the same lawmakers who voted to remove Rousseff.

Rousseff argued that many opponents just wanted her out of the way so they could save their own skins by tampering with the investigation, which Rousseff had refused to do.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Brazil's sacked president Dilma Rousseff today branded the vote to remove her from office at an impeachment trial a "parliamentary coup" and vowed a comeback by her Workers' Party.

"They decided to interrupt the mandate of a president who had committed no crime. They have convicted an innocent person and carried out a parliamentary coup," she said.

She spoke surrounded by supporters after a majority of senators voted to remove her from office on the grounds she broke state accounting laws.

Her conservative rival Michel Temer was due to be sworn in as her replacement later today.

"Temer out!" Rousseff's supporters yelled.

The impeachment vote ended 13 years of government by the leftist Workers' Party in Latin America's biggest economy.

But senators fell short of the majority vote needed to bar Rousseff from public office.

"We will be back. We will be back to continue our course towards a in which the people are sovereign," Rousseff vowed.
State-run telecom firm has completed installation of 2,199 mobile towers in naxal- affected regions across 10 states, as part of efforts to strengthen security mechanism to combat insurgency in those areas.

"We had time till December 2016 to complete the project but all the 2,199 solar powered mobile towers have been installed and they are operational. This project sets an example for excellent coordination between government and private agencies," Chairman and MD Anupam Shrivastava told PTI.

The project was conceived by the Home Ministry along with Department of Telecom (DOT) to combat insurgency in the most-affected regions by the left wing extremists across ten states.

It was first approved by the Cabinet in June 2013 after a Maoist attack at Bastar, Chattisgarh in which 27 people, including senior Congress leaders, were killed.

It was again sent for the Cabinet approval due to change in cost structure and was cleared in August 2014.

The project was executed by with the help of domestic vendors Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL) and HFCL.

"We have touched life of people in these area. Our channel partners have done tremendous job by taking up this challenging project," Shrivastava said.

There are 106 districts across 10 states which have been identified by the government as the naxal affected districts across states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

In the tender floated by BSNL for this project, bids were received by these two companies while big players operating in the segment stayed away from it.

"We take pride in accomplishing the daunting task of world's largest solar telecom tower installation in the most hostile terrain of the country, with practically no roads, power or security. Against such imposing challenges, 1,315 telecom network towers have been setup in a record time," VNL Chairman Rajiv Mehrotra said.

He said VNL, on its part, has accomplished connectivity in ten states, 90 districts, 12,700 villages with 39 lakh mobile connections. The total project cost was Rs 3,567.58 crore, which was funded by the DoT arm USOF.
Canada, one of the closest allies of the US, will apply to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a coup for the Communist giant after Washington discouraged major Western powers from joining it.

Canada, whose Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is currently visiting China said it wants to join the Beijing-backed in which 57 countries, including India, joined as founding members on April 15 last year.

Ottawa's move is regarded as a coup for Beijing as the US along with Japan refrained from joining the Bank as founding member even though some of its European allies like the UK and Germany joined it disregarding Washington's reservations.

As Trudeau held talks with top Chinese leaders during his maiden visit to Beijing, Canadian Minister Bill Morneau said in a statement here that "Canada is always looking for ways to create hope and opportunity for our middle class as well as for people around the world. Membership in the is an opportunity to do just that".

Reacting to Morneau's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here that while the decision to admit new member rests with the which has its own governing structure, China supports Ottawa's application.

Trudeau held talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang here and both spoke highly about their bilateral ties, she said.

The AIIB is an independent institution with its own secretariat.

For its part, China will certainly hope that Canada's membership into the AIIB can help bring in more members so that the bank can play a bigger role in enhancing connectivity to make greater contributions in the regional economic development, Hua said.

AIIB President Jin Liqun, who was former Vice Minister of China welcomed Canada's decision saying that it "shows its confidence in the strong foundations the bank has built in our first few months".

The AIIB was officially established late last year with 57 founding members.

With an authorised capital of $100 billion, China is the largest shareholder with 26.06 per cent voting shares. India is the second largest shareholder with 7.5 per cent followed by Russia with 5.93 per cent and Germany with 4.5 per cent.
Credit Analysis and Research Ltd (CARE Ratings) today said it has signed agreements with two companies to set up a credit rating agency in Nepal.

"CARE Ratings today singed a Memorandum of Understanding, subject to regulatory approvals in India and Nepal, with Vishal Group Ltd and Emerging Nepal Ltd to start a credit rating agency in Nepal to be called CARE Ratings (Nepal) Ltd," the company said in a regulatory filing.

As per the MoU, CARE Ratings will hold 51 per cent equity worth Rs 2 crore while Vishal Group will own 19 per cent and Emerging Nepal 10 per cent.

The balance 20 per cent would be held by banks, insurance companies, FIs and corporate bodies in Nepal subject to a maximum of 9 per cent legal entity, it added.

Vishal Group is a public limited company in financial services. Emerging Nepal is a company engaged in venture capital activities.

The rating agency has started CARE Ratings Africa in 2015, and it also partnered with ARC Ratings as part of its global ambition.

"This is another small step in our global foray plans and we do see a lot of opportunity in not just growing the market but also developing different avenues for rating, grading, training, research and information services," said Rajesh Mokashi, Managing Director and CEO, CARE Ratings.

CARE Ratings stock closed 1.97 per cent higher at Rs 1,247.65 on BSE.

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An Anti-Corruption Bureau court (ACB) here today issued summons to Telangana TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy and two others in a cash-for-vote case, directing them to appear before it on September 29.

Taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Telangana ACB on July 28 last year, the court summoned Reddy, Bishop Sebastian Harry and Rudra Udaya Simha, seeking their appearance.

The charge sheet has named Reddy, Harry, Simha and Mathaiah Jerusalem, all booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC in connection with the case.

The Hyderabad High Court had earlier quashed an FIR against Mathaiah, which was challenged in the Supreme Court by the ACB.

The ACB today filed a memo in court following the court's directive on August 29 to investigate all allegations made in a complaint filed by YSR Congress MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu regarding the case.

The bureau told the court that it was already investigating the case and there was no need to file a separate FIR.

"The matter is still under investigation for collection of evidence. As and when the investigation is completed, a supplementary charge sheet will be filed before the court. The transaction (is) the subject matter of probe by ACB Telangana and the subject matter in the complaint filed by Alla Ramakrishna Reddy are one and the same and the same is under investigation," the memo said.

"It is to further submit that ACB Telangana is conducting investigation in the case and is probing the role of all the persons involved in the crime," it said.

In his complaint, Ramakrishna Reddy has alleged that Naidu was the main conspirator in the case.

The court had subsequently directed ACB to probe all allegations levelled against the AP CM and submit a report before September 29.

The charge sheet had mentioned Naidu's name, but not as an accused.

In May last year, Telangana nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson had lodged a complaint with the ACB alleging that he was offered Rs 5 crore by Revanth Reddy to vote in favour of a Telugu Desam MLC nominee in the Telangana Legislative Council polls held on June 1.

An audio tape of Naidu's purported conversation with



Stephenson over phone on May 30, a day before the ACB arrested Revanth, found its way to the media.

In his plaint, Ramakrishna Reddy had alleged that Naidu was involved in a criminal conspiracy with Revanth and others to offer the bribe to secure the vote of Stephenson, who represents Anglo-Indian community in Telangana Assembly.

A case was subsequently registered and the ACB arrested Revanth along with Harry and Simha on May 31 when they were allegedly handing over an advance of Rs 50 lakh to Stephenson.

TDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah was also arrested later.

All of them were subsequently granted bail.
The Hyderabad High Court today issued a bailable warrant against TRS nominated MLA and complainant in the cash-for-vote case, Elvis Stephenson in a case seeking initiation of contempt proceedings and directed him to surrender before Commissioner of Police here by September 30.

Justice B Siva Sankara Rao issued the order on a suo motu contempt case initiated by himself against Stephenson for attributing "malafide" when the court was hearing a petition filed by Jerusalem Mathaiah, one of the accused in the cash-for-vote case, seeking quashing of the FIR against him.

The judge directed that Hyderabad Commissioner of Police shall release Stephenson on furnishing two sureties of Rs one lakh.

The HC had last year dismissed Stephenson's plea for recusal of Justice Sankara Rao from hearing the petition filed by Mathaiah.

While dismissing Stephenson's plea, Justice Rao had held that the petitioner was liable to be punished for criminal contempt of court.

In May last year, Stephenson, a nominated MLA who represents Anglo-Indian community in Telangana Assembly, had lodged a complaint with ACB alleging that he was offered Rs 5 crore by TDP MLA Revanth Reddy to vote in favour of a Telugu Desam MLC nominee in Telangana Legislative Council polls held on June one.

A case was subsequently registered and on May 31, ACB arrested Reddy along with Bishop Sebastian Harry and Rudra Udaya Simha while they were allegedly handing over an advance of Rs 50 lakh to Stephenson.

TDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah was also arrested in the case later.

All of them were subsequently granted bail.

Telangana ACB had last year filed a charge sheet against Revanth Reddy, Harry, Simha and Mathaiah, all booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC, in connection with the case.

The charge sheet also named Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, but not as an accused.

In his complaint, YSR Congress MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy had alleged that Naidu was the main conspirator in the case and that the latter was involved in a criminal conspiracy with Revanth and others to offer the bribe to secure the vote of Stephenson.

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Days after accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting "gau rakshaks" for dubbing them as "anti-socials", VHP today said the Centre should ask states not to harrass authorised people and agencies engaged in cow protection.

VHP international president Praveen Togadia also lauded the government for issuing an advisory to states for ensuring a complete ban on beef exports and expressed confidence that the "gau-bhakts" in the Central government and BJP have taken a pledge for cow protection.

"VHP welcomes the government of India's action to ensure a complete ban on beef exports. We are confident that there are many 'gau-bhakts' in the Central government and BJP who have taken a pledge for cow protection. The meaningful steps taken by the BJP-ruled states in this direction are also laudable.

"We suggest that the Union Home Ministry's advisory to state administrations should also clarify that authorised people and entities working for the important task of cow protection should not be harassed. We are confident that the Centre will take the work of saints and organisations towards cow protection to newer heights," Togadia said in a statement.

He had earlier taken strong exception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks against cow vigilantes, saying by dubbing them as "anti-social" he had insulted them and demanded that the government talk to them.

Togadia said that Modi's directive to states to create dossiers of cow vigilantes amounts to "racial profiling" of Hindus as they are the ones who give their lives for protecting the animal.

Expressing "utmost dissatisfaction and agony" over Prime Minister's remarks, he also questioned as to why the "head of the country" has given a clean chit to "cow butchers" and victimised cow protectors, who have been his avid supporters and helped him getting elected.

Rather than appreciating efforts of Hindus to save cows and initiating a sincere dialogue with "these simple, non-fancy gau-rakshaks", Modi had termed 80 per cent of them as "anti-social", he said.

That was an "insult not only of Mother cow but also of Hindus and all those who gave their lives for protecting cows," he told reporters.

In a strong rebuke to cow vigilantes, some of whom flogged Dalits in his home state Gujarat, Modi had this month said that he felt enraged at such "anti-social elements" who indulged in crimes by the night and masqueraded as cow protectors during the day.

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I am supporting Steve Bullock for governor because he has the skills, experience and policy positions to foster a robust economy that allows entrepreneurs to create high-wage jobs across Montana and to make Montana a great place to live and work.

I spent 13 years at RightNow Technologies working closely with Greg Gianforte as chief financial officer, chief operating officer and senior vice president for customer experience. I am proud of what we built at RightNow and give Greg enormous credit for founding the business. That said, I dont believe that his success in business translates to success in public service.

Under Bullock, Montana is ranked as the No. 1 state for entrepreneurship four years in a row. Our wages are the sixth fastest growing in the nation, and more Montanans are employed today than ever before. In the past four years under Steve Bullock, Montana has created 20,000 new jobs. Our unemployment rate is about a full percentage point below the national average. This is because Bullock understands what attracts companies, big and small, to Montana -- a strong public education system, access to public lands, fiscal discipline, responsible investments in infrastructure, and a culture that welcomes all perspectives.

Greg has a record of opposing these things. Regardless of where he is from or how long he has been in Montana, he doesnt share those values or support those policies. Technology companies in particular rely on employees who arent discriminated against. Yet Greg personally fought a non-discrimination ordinance in Bozeman and has donated more than $1 million to extreme anti-LGBT organizations. Many of the organizations Greg helps fund are behind the job-killing discrimination laws in Indiana and North Carolina. These harmful policies cost those states tens of millions of dollars. Let me be clear, those out of touch positions would deter companies, especially technology companies, as well as technology employees, from moving to Montana.

We have seen Gregs position when it comes to public access near his house. He hasnt committed to keep Montanas public school funds in public schools or to expand our public school system to the Pre-K level, something almost every other state in the country already has implemented. His tax proposals would eliminate Montanas fiscal surplus. That surplus has been the underpinning of Montanas highly favorable credit rating, which has translated to very strong bond ratings.

While Greg is spending millions of his own fortune to tout his business credentials, he should be clear with Montanans about RightNow Technologies business model. The purpose of our business was to cut costs for companies, by eliminating and outsourcing jobs overseas with technology solutions for customer service. In conversations with RightNow investors, Greg explained that one of the biggest drivers in our business has been the movement toward outsourcing. In fact, Forbes Magazine actually praised RightNow Technologies for taking the concept of outsourcing to new levels. And while it is true that we had approximately 500 employees in Montana we had another 700 employees in other states and countries as well as outsourced jobs in Armenia and India. This was a very successful business model and produced profits for our owners, including Greg and myself, but it just doesnt provide a model for governing our state.

Montanas business climate is strong and getting stronger. Im proud to have been a part of it and will continue to help it grow. And Im proud to support Steve Bullock, the candidate who has a proven record of getting things doneespecially when it requires putting political differences aside and supporting common sense policies and investments to keep Montana great for future generations.
Century Plyboards today said it has decided to prepone commencement of Rs 390-crore medium density fibreboard (MDF) plant at Hoshiarpur in Punjab to March next year after a request from the state government.

"The MDF plant was earlier planned in June 2017 but with request from Punjab Chief Minister, we had preponed the plan to March next," Century Ply Chairman Sajjan Bhajanka said.

Recent imposition of anti-dumping duty on MDF imports also prompted the company to begin work on the plant early.

"Anti-dumping duty of about 25 per cent makes import unviable," Bhajanka said, adding the company has backed out from a JV in Laos for manufacturing MDF.

Century has proposed to have a plyboard facility in the MDF plant but a lot would depend on GST rollout which could lead to a spurt in demand.

"If GST is rolled out as planned, we would also require more capacity and we have plans to add 1.5 lakh sq metres of plyboard facility at Hoshiarpur," he said.

Century has almost two lakh sq metres of plyboard capacity and is currently operating at around 80 per cent capacity.

Meanwhile, unable to succeed in its furniture retail venture 'Nesta', Century has decided to close all nine stores within the current fiscal.

Century MD and CEO Sanjay Agarwal said, "We will retain the Nesta brand and try something in furniture segment from our plyboards like do-it-yourself in the near future.

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The condition of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, who was admitted to AIIMS after complaining of breathing problems, is now "stable", hospital authorities today said.

The 81-year-old INLD chief, who is serving a 10-year-jail term, was shifted to AIIMS last night, two days after he was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital Hospital due to an infection. He has been kept in the Pulmonary Department under the observation of its head Dr Randeep Guleria.

"Dr Guleria has said his (Chautala) condition is now stable. It has not yet been decided as to how long would he would be kept at the hospital," the authorities said.

Chautala was earlier admitted to RML Hospital on August 27 and shifted to the trauma section of the ICU a day later. His Total Leukocyte Count (TLC) had increased a lot indicating some sort of infection.

"He (Chautala) was shifted to AIIMS from RML last night," an official said.

According to sources, the former Haryana Chief Minister was referred to RML Hospital from the central jail dispensary.

On January 22, 2013, a special CBI court had convicted and sentenced Chautala and his son Ajay along with seven others to 10-year jail term each for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior teachers in the year 2,000.

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China's economy, currently on a slowdown mode, is facing challenges in investment and trade and may have to make "arduous efforts" to attain 6.5 per cent to seven per cent growth target for this year, China's top economic planner warned today ahead of the G20 summit.

It is estimated that pressure will still remain in economic development in the second half of 2016 in the world's second largest economy, Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the planning body of the country, told lawmakers here.

In his report on the state of the economy to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Xu said it was expected that targets for poverty reduction, energy consumption, environmental protection and shanty town renovation would be met.

"Great difficulties remain in meeting goals for investment and trade," Xu said, elaborating on a national economic and social development report.

"Currently, the foundations for stable economic development are not solid enough and downward pressure remains large," state-run Xinhua agency reported.

His comments came ahead of the G20 summit being hosted by China in Hangzhou city early next month where issues relating to halting the slowdown of the global economy and boosting international trade were expected to be high on the agenda.

China's economy mostly based on exports and manufacturing suffered as exports fell due to global economic slowdown.

The Chinese economy itself slipped to 6.9 per cent last year and Xu indicated that the official target of 6.5 to seven per cent may be difficult.

Xu, however, expressed confidence that the country could meet major annual targets in economic growth, employment, commodity prices and residents' income.

Internationally, the global economy has not recovered as expected and trade protectionism has gained ground, Xu told lawmakers, adding that geopolitical risks and the increasingly complicated security situation in China's periphery will disturb economic stability.

On the domestic front, difficulties remain large in the stable growth of demands, and regional polarisation has evolved, with potential risks in sectors such as finance and employment calling for great attention, Xu said.

He also cited farmers' incomes, the increasing number of environmental incidents, severe production safety situation and the arduous tasks of disaster prevention, reduction and relief as difficulties the country must address.

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Underscoring the "tremendous bilateral economic potential" between India and the US, Chief Minister rolled out a red carpet for American companies to invest across sectors in Madhya Pradesh to give a boost to revenue generation and job creation.

Chouhan, who is currently on a five-day visit to the US, addressed business leaders, executives and analysts here on touting his state as an "ideal investment destination" that has a conducive business environment, investor-friendly policies and no red-tapism.

"India and America are deep friends. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi share a personal friendship. The two nations are the world's greatest democracies.

"In America's development and prosperity, people of Indian-origin have made significant contributions and the Indian diaspora is strengthening ties between the US and India," Chouhan said in a spirited address to industry leaders at a seminar organised by industry body CII and US-India Business Council in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh government.

"India and the US share tremendous bilateral economic potential and will continue to forge deeper ties and move ahead, contributing to global peace and economic prosperity," he said.

"With an atmosphere of terror and uncertainty gripping the world, the strong partnership between India and the US will help combat that and establish peace and prosperity in the world," he said in his address in Hindi.

Rolling out the red carpet for American investors, Chouhan said his state offers "infinite investment opportunities" in sectors such as IT, textile, food processing, pharma, tourism, infrastructure, health, real estate, minerals and education.

"I have come here to invite you to visit Madhya Pradesh, which is the ideal state for investment in India. We have come here to invite investment because we not only want to generate revenue but also create jobs opportunities for our youth," he said, adding that he has a "passion and determination" to take his state forward.

He also expressed confidence that the next leader of the US, which is in the midst of a crucial election cycle, will be a friend of India, while taking a potshot at America finally getting a woman presidential nominee while in his state, women have been elected for posts at various levels of government.

"In America after so many years, a party decided to make a woman its presidential candidate," he said amid laughter from the audience, adding that in his state, 50 per cent reservation is there for women in local government structures.

"True women empowerment will happen when women have the power to govern a state. They will govern much better than men," he said to a round of applause.

He also invited investors for the 'Global Investors



Summit' to be held in the state on October 22 and 23.

He outlined that his government has taken various steps to provide a conducive business environment to foreign investors and to ensure ease of doing business.

He said while a "single window" system may not necessarily help investors as many may have to run from pillar to post, his government has adopted a "single table" concept where issues are discussed and decided upon instantaneously.

"We have not opened a single window but the entire door for investment," he said.

"There is no red-tapism and no sluggish attitude and we believe in taking fast and efficient decisions," he said assuring the investors about quick decisions to allot land and 24/7 availability of electricity.

Describing Madhya Pradesh as the "heartland of India," Chouhan outlined that his state has been achieving double digit growth rate, has a strong agricultural sector, is power and revenue surplus, has land availability and is investing in improving urban and rural infrastructure.

"We want to make our cities world class and we want your support and investment in infrastructure development across our villages and towns," he added.

He also outlined the measures taken by his government towards women empowerment and ensuring girls' right to education.

Outlining the central government's ambitious programmes such as 'Make in India', 'Digital India' and 'Clean India', Chouhan said under Modi's leadership India is growing at a faster pace, there is no policy paralysis and decision making has improved.

Chouhan is accompanied by senior ministers and officials from the state government, including Minister of Commerce, Industry and Employment Rajendra Shukla and Principal Secretary Commerce, Industry and Employment Mohammed Suleman.

Suleman gave a detailed presentation at the CII-USIBC seminar on Madhya Pradesh's growth trajectory, the various investment opportunities in the state and policies in place to provide a conducive business environment.

On the occasion, the state government and companies from MP signed some MoU with US firms for cooperation in various sectors.
Gabon's president Ali Bongo was declared winner today of contested weekend elections, extending half-a-century of rule by the Bongo family which sparked clashes in the Central African nation.

Protesters shouting "Ali must go!" tried to storm the offices of the election commission shortly after authorities announced his re-election by a narrow majority.

Security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to push several hundred protesters back.

Bongo won 49.80 of the vote against 48.23 percent for his rival Jean Ping, or a razor-thin 5,594 votes of a total 627,805 registered voters, Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya.

Bongo, whose father held onto power for four decades, sought relection after winning a first term in 2009 in a poll that was marred by violence.

His rival, half-Chinese ex-diplomat Jean Ping, had also claimed victory, sparking fears of violence and the deployment of anti-riot police around the capital Libreville.

Any appeal by Ping would be likely to focus on disputed results in one of the country's nine provinces - the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

In Saturday's vote, turnout was 59.46 per cent nationwide but soared to 99.93 per cent in Haut-Ogooue, where Bongo won 95.5 per cent of votes.

"It's going to be difficult to get people to accept these results," one member of the electoral commission confided to AFP, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.

"We've never seen results like these, even during the father's time," he added.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission boycotted a vote to approve the results on Wednesday and they have vowed to fight for a recount.

As fears rose of a contested result and violence, the electoral commission and Bongo came under pressure from fellow politicians and the international community to deliver a fair outcome.

"The European Union repeats the call made by the head of its observer mission that results should be published for each polling booth," a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

The ruling party's number two, Faustin Boukoubi, also broke ranks, calling for "fundamentally credible results" in order to maintain peace, "the most precious acquisition of the last decades.

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The government needs to ensure its policy on cloud computing maintains a balance between national security and easy data flow between international borders, said industry lobby group BSA.

Asked about his suggestions on cloud computing, BSA Senior Director (policy) (APAC) Jared Ragland listed out smoother global data flows and ensuring co-ordination and recognition of international norms as his priorities.

He also pitched for minimum government intervention in areas that are best left to market forces.

In June this year, Trai floated a consultation paper seeking stakeholders' views on cloud computing issues such as data security, service quality and legal and regulatory frameworks.

Ragland added, "What we want is a lubricated international global market for cloud computing-related services. That is what gives the benefits. That is what people are buying."



In cloud computing, resources like computing power and infrastructure, application platforms and business processes are provided through the Internet in an on-demand manner.

Ragland suggested that India should look at the best practices from other countries before finalising its own policy structure.

"India has the potential to attract investments that a lot of countries may never have, and the reason it is not as attractive is because of the infrastructure part, which will get better over time," he said referring to a previous study by BSA.

According to the BSA study, India was ranked 18 out of 24 countries on the ground that legal and regulatory environment for cloud computing in India is not keeping pace with cloud innovation.

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Congress today targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of violating constitutional norms in the wake of reports that for the first time an ordinance was sent to the President without the Cabinet clearing it.

The party's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala told reporters that the move was "unfortunate" and "smacks of growing authoritarian tendencies".

His remarks came in the wake of reports that President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday signed an ordinance or executive order for the fourth time to amend a law that the government has been unable to pass in Parliament, but is reportedly upset as it was sent to him this time without being routed through the Union Cabinet.

The Prime Minister used Rule 12 of business and transactions to send to the President the ordinance, which amends the Enemy Property Act, a 48-year-old law to guard against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan or China after wars.

This is the first time since Independence that an ordinance has been sent to the President without the Cabinet first clearing it



Lok Sabha had passed a bill to amend the act earlier this year, but opposition parties want it reviewed and have stalled it in Rajya Sabha, where the government is in a minority, forcing it to keep it alive by issuing ordinance after ordinance.

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The Congress government in Karnataka today decided to convene a special session of the state legislature on September 14 to ratify the the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill. "One day special session of both the houses of the state legislature will be held on September 14 at 11 am in Bengaluru to table the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill," Law and Parliament Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said in a statement after a Cabinet meeting here. The Parliament earlier this month had passed the long pending bill to amend the Constitution that would facilitate roll-out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Seen as single biggest tax "reform" in a long time, it needs to be ratified by at least 15 state legislatures before the President can notify the GST Council which will decide thenew tax rate and other issues.

Maharashtra and Haryana had on Monday ratified the GST bill taking to 11 the number of states which have cleared the landmark tax reform.

Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Nagaland are the other states that had earlier ratified the Bill.

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The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to consider enhancing the salaries of Delhi police personnel to bring them at par with the Chandigarh Police.

A bench of justices G S Sistani and I S Mehta told the Ministry of Home Affairs to consider Delhi police constable Babu Lal Mitharwal plea for 'equal pay for equal work' as a representation and take a decision on it within three months.

With the direction, the court disposed of the plea of Mitharwal, who had contended that Chandigarh Police personnel were being paid more salary despite undertaking similar duties.

He had said that police constables in Delhi and Chandigarh hold identical posts under the same cadre controlling authority with similar responsibilities.

While the salaries of constables of Delhi Police fell in the pay band of Rs 5,200-20,200 and grade of Rs 2,000, their counterparts in Chandigarh Police got Rs 10,300-34,800 and a grade pay of Rs 3,200, his plea had said.

The petition had also said the basic qualification, method of recruitment and level of physical standards being the same for both forces, there can be no discrimination.

It had claimed that the nature of the job of Delhi Police was much more arduous as compared to Chandigarh Police owing to the enhanced risks in discharge of duties.

The constable had moved the high court after the Central Administrative Tribunal had turned down his plea.

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A police officer, who deposed in a special court here today, recorded his statement and said that a haul of ammunition and inflammatory literature was recovered from SIMI leader Safdar Nagori and his 10 accomplices, who were arrested from Indore in March in 2008.

Burhanpur City Superintendent of Police (CSP) B P S Parihar, who appeared as a prosecution witness during hearing in the sedition case filed against the banned SIMI activists, corroborated that Nagori and other activists were arrested from Indore on the intervening night of March 27 and 28 in 2008, government prosecutor Vimal Mishra told reporters.

Parihar was posted as the incharge of Pithampur police station in Dhar district and had also probed the case lodged against the SIMI activists.

Mishra said that Parihar told Special Sessions Judge B K Paloda that a pistol, cartridges and "inflammatory literature" were seized from Nagori and others.

The officer said that the subject matter of the literature seized from the accused appeared to be "anti- national", Mishra said without divulging more details.

The accused have been charged with waging a war against the state, sedition, among other sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Those who appeared before the court included Nagori, Aamil, Quamruddin, Shahduli, Ansar, Kamran, Ahmad Baig and Yaseen.

Security inside and around the court was tightened in view of the hearing in the case.

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HELENA  A Montana legislative committee is trying to find a way to prevent air ambulance patients from being stuck with huge bills without violating a federal law that exempts air carriers from state regulation.

Members of the Economic Affairs Interim Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to support legislation that would leave patients out of the bill negotiations between their insurance program and out-of-network air ambulance providers. Some Montana residents had received so-called "balance bills" for tens of thousands of dollars from out-of-network providers after their insurance payment was made.

The interim committee created an Air Ambulance Working Group to gather information and propose legislation.

Jesse Laslovich, chief counsel in the state Auditor's Office, told lawmakers Tuesday that the working group was unable to reach consensus. But he said he did come to the following conclusions: The out-of-network air ambulance providers are submitting bills that are too high and insurers can raise their reimbursement rates.

"The key with all of this is trying to find that balance, trying to find that sweet spot between the air ambulance provider and the insurer  and we haven't gotten there. What we are saying with this proposed legislation ... is 'find the damned sweet spot,' " Laslovich said, expressing his frustration. "Don't put this on consumers and their families."

Over the past few months, representatives of insurance companies and benefits managers argued that some air ambulance companies would not negotiate a contract with them and were sending exorbitant bills, some for more than $100,000. Private air ambulance companies countered that insurers wouldn't negotiate a fair market rate and government reimbursement rates were even lower.

The proposed bill, supported on an 8-0 committee vote, sets up a framework to settle the reimbursement issue while holding the patient harmless.

The draft bill initially would require the patient's insurance company to pay at least what it would pay an in-network provider for the same service. If the air ambulance company does not believe that is adequate, the two sides can negotiate a payment, agree to binding arbitration to determine a fair price, or they can take the issue to court. The patient would only be held responsible for their deductible and co-pay.

Five other states have attempted legislation that was challenged by air ambulance companies and overturned by courts that ruled the efforts violated the Airline Deregulation Act.

On Tuesday, it was insurance companies and benefit managers arguing the legislation would violate federal law regarding price regulation. Laslovich argued it did not because both sides would have to agree to binding arbitration for it to be put into play.

Jennifer Hensley, a lobbyist for PacificSource Health Plans, said the proposed bill effectively rewards companies that have refused to negotiate in-network contracts and are a disincentive to future network contracts, which are needed to keep health care costs manageable.

Bill Lombardi, speaking on behalf of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, said the issue should be addressed by Congress.

Ron Walter with REACH Air Medical Services said he supports the legislation. "From our position, you have the solution that we think will work in the state to take the patient out of the middle," he said.

Bill Bryant, a health care consultant who represented a coalition of non-hospital air ambulance companies, acknowledged rates for air ambulance transfers are high and "I wouldn't want to pay for one." But he said the rates are consistent with what is being charged, and paid for, elsewhere in the country.

The interim committee also voted to send another letter to the state's congressional delegation urging them to promote changes to the Airline Deregulation Act and address shortfalls in Medicare reimbursement rates for air ambulance services.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana has introduced an amendment to an appropriations bill that calls for a Government Accountability Office to determine what factors are leading to growing air ambulance costs. The bill has passed the Appropriations Committee, and it is awaiting a vote in the Senate. Tester also is working on a piece of stand-alone legislation to address high air ambulance costs, spokesman Dave Kuntz said.
Keith Urban, Little Big Town and Dierks Bentley are joining forces to pay a musical tribute to David Bowie at the upcoming Stand Up To Cancer telecast in America.

The rock icon lost his battle with cancer in January and has been the subject of many musical tributes in 2016, and now three of country music's biggest acts will perform a cover of his classic Heroes for the TV charity drive, according to Taste of Country magazine.

The live performance will be taped during the 2016 ACM Honors ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, but it won't air until the Stand Up To Cancer telecast on September 9.

The cancer organisation holds a special place in the hearts both Urban and Little Big Town's Jimi Westbrook, who have both lost loved ones to cancer in the past year.

Urban's father, Robert, lost his battle in December last year, while Westbrook's sister, Joyce Marie Westbrook Morgan, passed away from the disease in November 2015.

In addition to the country trio, Celine Dion is also slated to perform at the telecast, paying tribute to both her husband Rene Angelil and brother Daniel, who died days apart in January this year, while her brother-in-law, Guy Poirier, is currently fighting cancer in her native Canada.

Stand Up To Cancer will be broadcast live from the Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and executive produced by actor Bradley Cooper, who lost his father to cancer in 2011.

Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Emma Stone, Anna Kendrick, and Ken Jeong have also signed up to appear.

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Online education leader took aim on Wednesday at workplaces with a version of its platform tailored for advancing employee careers and skills.

for Business was designed to let companies, for a price, tap into courses created by universities or other educational institutions to address training needs in a fast-changing world.

The launch marked Coursera's official entry into a multibillion-dollar market for online learning at businesses.

Companies signed up with for Business at launch included L'Oreal, Boston Consulting Group and Axis Bank in India.

"Our goal is to touch 100 per cent of L'Oreal's employees every year whether they work in our corporate offices or one of our factories," said Laurent Reich, governance and digital learning director at the French cosmetics colossus.

"We love that the Coursera platform will allow us to provide a breadth of high quality programs and a learning experience that our employees can self-select into to drive their own personal development."

The online courses run a broad gamut from liberal arts and people management to artificial intelligence, big data and software development.

"You can really be trained to do something; it is not just a video giving you an insight," Coursera chief executive Rick Levin said of what the learning platform has to offer.

"Employers recognise that in today's workplace, industry-specific skills can go from relevant to obsolete within months."

More than 21 million people have registered globally for Coursera online classes, which are free. Coursera charges for education certificates, which Levin said were the second most cited credentials on career-focused social network LinkedIn.

Coursera for Business is a paid product, with companies charged per user, usually $79.

Coursera sprang from on a vision in which anyone, no matter how destitute, can expand their minds and prospects with lessons from the world's top universities.

Schools offer online versions of classes at Coursera.Org, a website launched by two Stanford University professors who told AFP at the time that they saw education as a right, not a privilege.

Coursera backers include the investment arm of the World Bank and Russian venture capitalist Yuri Milner.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accused of giving false information in an affidavit filed in run up to 2013 assembly polls, was today directed to to appear before a city court on December 24 which granted him a day's exemption from personal appearance.

Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria directed the AAP leader to personally appear before the court on the next date of hearing, considering that bail proceedings were pending.

"Considering that bail proceedings are pending, therefore accused (Kejriwal) is directed to appear in the court on next date of hearing for bail/miscellaneous proceedings...

"Put up for bail/miscellaneous proceedings, appearance of the accused and arguments on framing of notice on December 24," the court said.

The court allowed exemption to Kejriwal, noting the submission made by his counsel that the politician could not appear in the court due to "exigencies of work and some important meetings and discharge of his duties".

In the application seeking exemption for today, advocate Rishikesh Kumar also claimed that there was no absolute necessity for personal attendance of the accused and that the proceedings could go on unhampered in his absence, without any prejudice to the complainant Maulik Bharat Trust, an NGO.

Advocate Rahul Raj Malik, appearing for the complainant, opposed the application, saying "it was filed by Kejriwal to undermine the majesty of justice and the accused himself being the part of the legislative body, was trying to evade from law and the law for every person was the same".

The court had summoned Kejriwal in February this year on a criminal complaint filed by Neeraj Saxena and Anuj Agarwal on behalf of the NGO, noting that the politician had prima facie "willfully concealed" and "suppressed" the details.

It had noted that there was "sufficient ground" to proceed against him on allegations that he had concealed his correct address and suppressed the market value of his property in his affidavit to the Election Commission.

Earlier, the NGO had approached Delhi High Court with a plea seeking quashing of Kejriwal's nomination papers on the ground of "illegalities" in his affidavit.

High Court had refused to entertain the plea and directed the petitioners to approach a magisterial court for remedy.

The NGO in its petition before the high court had alleged that Kejriwal had violated provisions of the Representation of the People Act by submitting an affidavit which had incorrect details of his assets and income at the time of filing of the nomination.

The offence under section 125-A of the Act entails a punishment of six months' jail term and/or fine or both.

The complaint was filed under several sections of RP Act and IPC for the alleged offences committed by him before holding the office of the Chief Minister of Delhi.

The complaint alleged that Kejriwal falsely gave the address of Delhi so as to qualify for contesting the polls in the capital though he was living at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

This prima facie amounted to wilful concealment, suppression and furnishing of false information, the complainants claimed.
A court here today rejected a petition filed by former IAS officer Sanjay Gupta, an accused in multi-crore Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro rail scam case, in which he sought interest on Rs one crore, which he had deposited as security money in the high court as bail condition.

Gupta is an accused in the Rs 113-crore metro rail scam. He was granted bail by the Gujarat High Court on April 5 this year, on condition that he deposits security money of Rs one crore.

He had recently moved a sessions court here seeking interest money on Rs one crore deposited by him in the high court. However, Sessions Judge H J Joshi rejected the plea by upholding the argument made by the government pleader that the matter was not under the jurisdiction of the local court.

The government pleader had argued that the money deposited by Gupta is in the custody of the high court, which had granted him bail in the case, and hence the sessions court was not the right authority.

Gupta, who served as the executive chairman of the state-owned Metro-Link Express for Ahemdabad and Gandhinagar (MEGA), was arrested by the CID-Crime last year on allegations that financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 113 crore took place during his tenure in MEGA in 2012.

The CID had booked Gupta and seven others for siphoning off around Rs 113 crore by presenting forged bills and bogus documents related to ground filling work carried out near Bhat village for Metro project in 2012.

He is also an accused in another scam of Rs 2.62 crore related to MEGA, in which the company's former manager Radhesh Bhatt was charged with siphoning off Rs 2.62 crore through forged invoices from 2012 to 2013. His bail plea in this particular case will be heard at a Gandhinagar court tomorrow.

Gupta cannot be released from jail till he gets bail in the second case.

He had quit IAS in 2003 to start his own business. He was appointed in MEGA by the Gujarat government after he quit government service.

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RBI has given approval to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) to acquire up to 10 per cent stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank, the private sector lender said.

"The Reserve Bank of India has informed that it has granted approval to CPPIB for acquiring shares in excess of 5 per cent and below 10 per cent of the paid up capital of the bank," Kotak Mahindra Bank said in a regulatory filing to stock exchanges.

CPPIB picked up stake in the bank from Japanese multinational Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) through open market operation earlier this year. CPPIB bought 1.81 crore shares from SMBC.

As per norms, a foreign investor cannot own more than 10 per cent stake in a private sector bank.

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As BJP seeks to woo Dalits ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, party general secretary P Muralidhar Rao today said their empowerment was part of the NDA government's national agenda but Dalit-Muslim unity was not sustainable.

He said whenever such an experiment was carried out, Dalits were at the receiving end and cited condition of people from the community in Pakistan.

The comments assume significance as there were reports that Dalit families in some part of Tamil Nadu have decided to convert to Islam allegedly due to refusal by upper caste people to give them right to worship in temples.

Talking about social experiments by some political parties for Dalit-Muslim unity, Rao said, "Some people say Muslims and Dalits are united. Historically it has been proved that it is unsustainable. It has never happened and it will never happen....Whenever this experiment was tried Dalits were beaten up."



He said, "In the name of this unity, Dalits were converted to Islam. Where are Dalits in Pakistan? What has happened in the name of this unity in Pakistan. Now there is no Dalit entity in Pakistan."



The BJP has been facing heat from Dalits in Gujarat after four people from the community were brutally assaulted by cow vigilantes last month when they were found skinning a dead cow. The incident had sparked widespread outrage.

"Divisive powers in the country say whatever they want to say but for our party and government Dalit empowerment is a national agenda. The Indian growth story is incomplete without their empowerment," he said.

Rao said there have been social conflicts in India in the "context of Dalits but there has not been any threat to their existence."



"In India the Dalit population has grown whereas in Pakistan it has diminished. What it shows is that Indian social unity is paramount, the overall Indian social unity can promote, protect and empower them," Rao said, adding "without Dalits there is no India".

Listing the Modi government's initiatives for the community's welfare, he said in coming days the way for dalit empowerment is Dalit entrepreneurship.

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Hospitals in the national capital are bursting at the seams, as a large number of people are visiting vector-borne fever clinics daily, with AIIMS itself confirming nearly 200 blood test samples for chikungunya per week.

From mohalla clinics to private hospitals, many adults and children have been flocking to these with complaints of high fever, joint pain and rashes, as the city continued to grapple with the twin menace of chikungunya and dengue.

"Chikungunya cases are rising steadily. If we had to say as to why is it happening, that would be purely speculative, but at AIIMS we are confirming nearly 200 blood test samples for chikungunya cases every week," a senior doctor at AIIMS told PTI today.

According to a municipal report, 432 chikungunya cases have been diagnosed in the national capital this year till August 27.

However, experts said the number could be actually much higher.

Meanwhile, 487 cases of dengue have so far been reported in the national capital this season, with 368 of them being recorded in August.

Till August 20, 311 cases of the vector-borne disease were reported while 176 cases came to light in the last week alone, marking a rise of nearly 57 per cent.

Safdarjung Hospital has reported nearly 250 chikungunya cases and 263 dengue cases till August 29.

"OPD (Out Patient Pepartment) is filled with patients. Besides, many of our technicians and doctors themselves are down with the vector-borne fever, affecting the services," Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr A K Rai said.

Dr Vikram Bhaskar at Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital under the Lady Hardinge Medical College, said, "In our hospital, OPD gets about 1,000 people daily and 20-25 suspected chikungunya cases are being reported every day while there are 10-15 dengue cases. Of course, these are child patients, but in the LHMC general ward several adult cases are being reported."



The Centre and the Delhi government have appealed to the people not to panic, saying chikungunya is not life- threatening, and also advised them to take measures to prevent mosquito-breeding in and around their households.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has said, "We have 10,000 beds and the number of fever clinics has been increased from 55 last year to 355. People should not panic."



With the death of an 18-year-old boy on Sunday of dengue at Apollo Hospital in south Delhi, the toll has gone upto five due to dengue.

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Delhi reeled under massive traffic snarls today due to waterlogging caused by heavy rains with motorists stuck on roads for up to five hours in some areas.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was 40 minutes late for an event at the IIT as his convoy waded through waterlogged roads from his hotel, otherwise a 15-minute ride.

On Monday too he and his convoy were stuck in the massive traffic near Satya Marg due to rain-induced waterlogging caused by heavy rains.

Bumper to bumper traffic was witnessed on arterial roads in several parts of the city including Dhuala Kuan, ITO, South Extension, Badarpur-Mehrauli Road, Laxmi Nagar and Janakpuri in the morning hours following heavy rains.

Massive traffic jams also severely affected vehicular movement on road stretches in other areas including IIT Delhi-Munirka, Press Enclave Road, Chirag Delhi to Nehru Place flyover, BRT to Moolchand, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, Nehru Place to Zamrudpur, Maharani Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Lado Sarai T-Point, West End Marg near Saket Metro Station and AIIMS Loop.

Long tailbacks were witnessed in and around Gymkhana towards Teen Murti Marg, Bhairon Road towards Mathura Road Roundabout, Gol Dak Khana, Kali Bari Marg, Leela Palace Hotel, Okhla Underpass, Chandni Chowk, Barapullah flyover towards DND, IP Flyover towards Sarai Kale Khan, Panchsheel Marg from Sardar Patel Marg to Shanti Path.

"It took me nearly three hours to drive from Dhaula Kuan to Connaught Place," said Anil Saxena, who is working with a private firm.

Water stagnated mostly in mouths of flyovers, underpasses and low-lying areas, giving commuters a harrowing time.

"PWD deployed 296 portable pumps besides the permanent installation of 529 pumps along with 1,078 workmen and 178 fully-equipped maintenance vans with the required material, tools and plants at strategic locations all over Delhi to deal with the situation," an official said.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken blamed the AAP government and BJP-led MCDs for the waterlogging and alleged that desilting of drains were not finished by the May 15 deadline.

In some places vehicles were stuck on roads and underpasses due to breakdown. A few buses broke down in the flooded Jakhira underpass stranding dozens of passengers who were later taken out as water starting reaching up to the vehicle's seats.

Commuters also had a tough time due to traffic spillover caused by VIP movements on certain roads.

As per Safdarjung observatory reading, the city received 63.1 mm rainfall while the Palam observatory recorded 55.6 mm rains. With MeT department forecasting rains on tomorrow as well, traffic woes are feared to continue.

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All central government ministries have been asked not to take policy decision unilaterally and carry out inter-ministerial consultations.

The move come after it was noticed recently that on issues related to macroeconomics, trade and commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was not consulted even though the matter or commodity relates to the agriculture sector.

The Cabinet Secretariat has earlier advised all the departments to circulate the proposals for consideration of Cabinet or Cabinet Committees to all the ministries concerned, whose business is likely to be impacted by the proposal.

"In this context, it has been observed that in some cases, on issues related to macroeconomics, trade and commerce, sometimes the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is not consulted even though the matter or commodity relates to the agriculture sector.

"Accordingly, it may be ensured that the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is invariably consulted in all matters related to the agriculture sector," the Secretariat said in an order issued to secretaries of all central government departments seeking "strict compliance".

It said that existing rules provide that when the subject of a case concerns more than one department, no decision be taken or order issued until all such departments have concurred, or failing such concurrence, a decision thereon has been taken by the Cabinet or by an appropriate authority under it.

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As summer temperatures soared outside, the world's largest indoor theme park, featuring popular Marvel and Cartoon Network-branded rides, opened its doors to the public on Wednesday in the Middle East's tourist hub of Dubai - the latest in a myriad of new attractions here.

The first visitors at the 1.5 million square foot (140,000 square meters) -park reflected the diverse crowds that visit and live in Dubai, home to the world's tallest skyscraper, the Middle East's largest mall and a man-made island in the shape of a palm tree that is dotted with luxury hotels.

Saudi women dressed in abayas, the traditional loose black robes, and the full face-veil, rode alongside tank-top wearing British tourists and Indian families on the park's roller coasters and attractions.

Several families with young children complained that some of the rides stalled several times. Others said they were thrilled by the adventure park's indoor boulevard that leads visitors through Marvel and Cartoon Network zones, a "Haunted Hotel" and a Lost Valley Dinosaur zone.

The IMG Worlds of Adventure park recorded about 3,000 visitors today as temperatures rose to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) outside.

Ali al-Subai, a visitor from Saudi Arabia, said he was happy the Gulf region has a place like this to visit during the summer. The 26-year-old said he visits Dubai at least four times a year and hopes his country too can one day open similar theme parks.

"It's very, very nice. Better than I imagined," he said. "We wish for this in Saudi Arabia - the rides, the cinemas."



Dubai ruler and United Arab Emirates Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid toured the more than USD 1 billion park earlier today.

The adventure park is one of two major theme parks opening this year in Dubai, part of an effort to attract 20 million tourists annually by 2020, when the emirate is to host the World Expo. Last year, some 14 million people visited Dubai, according to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

The highest share of visitors came from neighboring Gulf countries, with Saudi Arabia topping the list.

Teens Abdullah Jameel and Sultan al-Suweidi, both from Dubai, said they enjoyed the park more than Universal Studios in Singapore. They said the IMG Worlds of Adventure park wins in their opinion - because of shorter lines and more exciting rides.

They beamed after riding the Velociraptor roller coaster that swoops through the indoor park, then juts out into the Dubai desert surrounding the park before going back inside. Another main attraction is the Predator roller coaster, with its sharp, vertical drop.

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MISSOULA  A Lolo man who pleaded guilty to raping a 6-year-old girl last year was sentenced to 25 years in the Montana State Prison on Tuesday as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Under the agreement, a second case from May 2016 in which Lance Matthew Ring was accused of raping another woman while he was awaiting sentencing for raping the child, was dismissed.

Ring was arrested in May 2015 and charged with sexual intercourse without consent after the 6-year-old girl told a forensic examiner he had taken her to a bedroom, blindfolded her and put something in her mouth. When he was interviewed by law enforcement officers, Ring admitted to forcing the girl to perform oral sex.

In May 2016, Ring pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse without consent as part of a plea agreement that dismissed a second charge for sexual abuse of children. The plea agreement called for a 25-year prison sentence with 15 years suspended.

Despite multiple requests by prosecutors to revoke his release, Ring was out of custody on pretrial supervision during his change of plea hearing. District Court Judge Karen Townsend warned him she had heard allegations he had contact with a minor, prohibited by the terms of his release. Townsend declined to take him into custody on the violation in May, allowing him to remain released until sentencing.

Two weeks after pleading guilty, Ring was arrested again and charged with a new count of sexual intercourse without consent after he allegedly offered a woman a ride home, but instead took her to a parking lot and offered to pay her for sex. The woman reportedly tried to take the money and leave, after which Ring allegedly strangled the woman and forced her into multiple sex acts.

As part of Rings latest plea agreement, assistant chief deputy county attorney Jennifer Clark dismissed the May 2016 rape case.

Ring will not be eligible for parole until he completes the first two phases of sex offender treatment. He also received credit for 98 days already served in custody.

According to the Montana State Prison, inmates typically enter the first phase of treatment, which lasts approximately four months, within two years of incarceration. Inmates generally enter phase two treatment, which takes between 15 and 24 months to complete, within two years of completing phase one.
Justice (Retd) R V Easwar, who heads a high-level committee on income tax laws, today said the panel is looking into aspects of accountability of tax officers.

The 10-member panel had in January this year submitted its first report.

Some of its members, including Easwar, were here to meet industry representatives, before finalising the second report due in October.

"The first report was submitted in January and it was received well. The second report, which is due in October, is to deal with many other substantive provisions of the income tax laws," Easwar told a gathering organised by the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"As we move from place to place meeting people, I am able to see the urgent need for accountability on the part of tax officers. And this is something on which we are exercising our mind. From now onwards, I think we should focus more on accountability aspects, and hopefully after discussions and deliberation, something will come out," he said.

Dhinal Shah, who headed the panel of chamber members that made its submission, said while the Centre is moving in the right direction at the policy level, as far as simplification of direct tax is concerned, it is yet to reflect at the ground level.

The January report called for an across-the-board hike in the threshold limits for TDS and halving of withholding tax in most cases.

It also suggested levying lower short-term capital gains tax on annual earning of less than Rs 5 lakh from trading of shares and not treating it as business income, among other recommendations.

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Ahead of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi's maiden visit to India, Egyptian newspapers have highlighted the importance of the trip by analysing the economic, political and cultural aspects of the bilateral ties.

Sisi, the 61-year-old former Commandar-in-Chief of armed forces, will embark on a three-day trip to India from tomorrow.

El-Gomhuria official newspaper published a special page last Sunday that featured the historical relation between India and Egypt and an interview with India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya, in which he discussed different subjects, including the economic, politics and cultural issues.

During the interview, the Ambassador said that India aims at supporting Egypt in different aspects and offering its experience in the fields of education, technology, science as well as the medical field.

He added that there are about 100 Egyptian students that come to India every year to study management.

The paper also explained the huge Indian investments and projects established in Egypt.

On its front page, Al-Ahram, the semi-official daily newspaper published a lead story about Sisi's visit to India and then to China.

It mentioned that an Egyptian delegation from the Ministry of Industry and Foreign Trade will visit India soon to discuss ways of establishing Indian industry area in Egypt.

The state-owned Akhbar el-Youm published a lead story last Saturday about the historical visit and quoted Saeed Abdullah, Chairman of the Trade Agreements and Foreign Trade Sector at the Ministry of Trade and Industry as saying that Sisi is expected to sign a number of agreements on the sidelines of his visit to India in different fields.

Rosa-el-Youssef weekly magazine also published a special coverage for a recent seminar held at the Maulana Azad Center for Indian Culture in Cairo (MACIC) on 'India-Egypt Relations: Transforming Historic Ties to a New Partnership' and quoted Bhattacharyya as saying that the presidential visit will boost investments between the two countries.

Sisi will visit India at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee.

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi will arrive here tomorrow on a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step up engagement in areas of security, counter-terrorism and trade.

With both India and Egypt grappling with terrorism, both the leaders are expected to deliberate on ways to deal with the menace effectively.

Sisi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising of Ministers, top officials and business leaders.

He will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Modi on Saturday. Both sides are set to sign a number of MoUs after the talks.

Sisi will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari.

India and Egypt have a strong economic relationship.

India is the sixth largest trading partner of Egypt -- the second largest export destination. India's imports from Egypt were worth USD 1.74 billion during 2014-15.

Indian businessmen have invested nearly USD 3 billion in about 50 companies in Egypt and have given employment opportunities to around 35,000 Egyptians.

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Eight persons were killed and another injured when a car they were travelling in was involved in a mishap near a toll gate at Medchal on city outskirts, police said today.

The incident occurred last night when the four-wheeler hit a stationary lorry even as another speeding lorry hit it from the rear side after which the car got crushed between the two lorries resulting in the death of eight occupants, Medchal Police Station Inspector S Rajashekar Reddy told PTI.

"One person suffered injuries in the incident and has been shifted to a hospital," he said.

The deceased, who were in their 20s and 30s, were from Sadashivpet in Medak district of Telangana, police said, adding they were on their way to attend a function to Kompally here.

Further investigation is on.

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The tussle between JDA and the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur today saw 'rajmata' Padmini Devi appealing for people's support against the sealing of the main entrance to the Raj Mahal palace here by the civic body.

Lashing out at Jaipur Development Authority for "insulting her husband's patriotism", she urged people to assemble in her support at 11:45 AM tomorrow at Tripolia gate.

"Our family stands committed to continue working for the betterment of the people as well as the city. The city's history is witness to the fact that all the important monuments and buildings which once belonged to the family are now with the Government. Be it the hospital, colleges, schools and museum," Devi said.

"My late husband Maharaja Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh ji served in the Indian Army and was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for valour in the 1971 war but the JDA Commissioner while insulting my husband's patriotism took such a condemnable action which has hurt my family and the people of the city," Devi, whose daughter Diya Kumari is a BJP MLA, said.

On August 24, JDA had sealed the main entrance to the royal family's Raj Mahal Palace hotel and installed a board stating it as "JDA property".

The family has already moved the court terming JDA's action as discriminatory and in violation of Court order.

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The seventh edition of the EU-India Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Cooperation Days will be organised at the Goa-based CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography from September 21.

The aim of the two-day event is to support new research and business networks on issues of priority for both regions and to promote funding opportunities offered by the India-EU bilateral cooperation programmes and by the industry, a senior official said today.

"Participants from research organisations, small scale enterprises and policy maker institutions are expected to attend the event," said a spokesperson of NIO.

"The event will be focused onbio-economy, including marine and maritime research to maximise future scientific and business collaboration in this field," the spokesperson said.

"It will bring together researchers, SMEs and policy makers to discuss the latest policy, research and innovation developments in the field of bio-economy and offer extended networking opportunities in various fields," he added.

The EU-India STI Days is organised in India and Europe by the Indigo Policy and Inno-Indigo projects with support from the European Commission.

It was first organised in 2009.

"Over the years, it has become an important forum where stakeholders can discuss ongoing and future cooperation in the fields of science, technology and innovation. Each event focuses on a specific theme of mutual interest," an official said.

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scheme offering incentives for hybrid and electric vehicles will help in annual saving of fuel worth Rs 60,000 crore besides containing pollution, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete said on Wednesday.

"The biggest challenge for the auto sector today is related with environment. Under the scheme, the government has decided to invest Rs 14,000 crore. Due to this investment, we would be able to save fuel worth about Rs 60,000 crore. This means, definitely it will help in controlling pollution also," the minister said at the SIAM convention here.

However, he said it is a proven fact that burning of fuel is not the only reason for pollution.

To promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government had last year launched the India scheme offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.

India - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India - is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan. The scheme envisages Rs 795 crore support in the first two fiscals starting last year.

The minister further said the FAME scheme is for the entire country and any consumer can take advantage of this.

Assuring full support to the auto industry, the minister hoped the implementation of GST law will help the sector most.

The auto industry will be benefited from the ease of doing business and reduction in excise duty, Geete added.

Further, he said India is a country of young population and the auto industry should take benefit of this demographic dividend.

He also asked the auto industry body SIAM to indulge in continuous dialogue with the government to raise their issues and concerns.

"We should meet once in every six months. There should be a continuous dialogue," he added.

This morning, when Geete reached the venue, it was waterlogged and his security staff offered to help him cross the area. The minister refused to take help while quipping that he doesn't want his picture to be flashed like that of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

A few weeks back, Chouhan was seen in a picture lifted by his security officials while crossing a waterlogged area during his visit to flood-affected regions of his state. The picture had gone viral on various social media platforms and also published in major newspapers.
Five persons, including two women and as many children, today sustained minor burn injuries when they were struck by lightning during rain at Hiranke village in north west Delhi.

The injured, identified as Kiran (37), her two sons -- Himanshu (14) and Mohit (12), Sashi (30) and Jaikishan (35) had taken shelter in a field during the rain when the lightening struck them around 10.15 AM, a senior police officer said.

Police received information about the incident about 20 minutes later and rushed to the spot from where they sent the injured to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela.

The victims, who received minor burn injuries, were stated to be in a stable condition.

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She lost her battle for life after meeting an accident a week ago, but 5-year-old girl Aishwarya from the district has gifted vision to two persons after her last wish to donate her eyes was fulfilled by her parents.

Aishwarya was critically injured after a municipality hired garbage pick-up van hit her school van on August 23.

She was rushed to hospital from where she was later referred to Delhi.

The girl, however, succumbed to her injuries during treatment at R M L hospital in the national capital.

"Before dying, my daughter had expressed her will to donate her eyes," said Laxminarayan.

Moved by her noble wish, Aishwarya's father and her mother Laxmi reached AIIMS and donated her eyes to two persons there.

It took around six hours for the operation to transplant the cornea after which the two persons were able to see.

"We had never imagined that we will ever be part of such a pious act because of our daughter," the bereaved father said.

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Foreign investors bringing in at least Rs 10 crore capital will be eligible for residency status, easier visa regime and employment for family members among other benefits under a new policy approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday to attract more overseas funds.

"A certain threshold if you invest in India, then there will be availability of visa, the availability of the right to purchase assets, the availability of employment for family members, there is a detailed policy that has been approved by the Cabinet today," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said after the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, here.

The scheme is expected to encourage foreign investment in India and facilitate the Make in India programme. Under the scheme, suitable provisions will be incorporated in the Visa Manual to provide for the grant of permanent to foreign investors.

An official statement said permanent will be granted for a period of 10 years with multiple entries. This can be reviewed for another 10 years if the holder has not come to adverse notice.

The scheme will be applicable only to foreign investors fulfilling the prescribed eligibility conditions, his/her spouse and dependents.

"In order to avail this scheme, the foreign investor will have to invest a minimum of Rs 10 crore to be brought within 18 months or Rs 25 crore to be brought within 36 months. Further, the foreign investment should result in generating employment to at least 20 resident Indians every financial year," the statement said.

The permanent will be granted for a period of 10 years initially with multiple entry facility, which can be renewed for another 10 years.

The status will serve as a multiple entry visa without any stay stipulation and holders will be exempted from the registration requirements.

This status holders will be allowed to purchase one residential property for dwelling purpose. The spouse/ dependents will be allowed to take up employment in private sector (in relaxation to salary stipulations for Employment Visa) and undertake studies in India.
The U.S. government agreed Tuesday to decide over the next several years if federal protections are needed to help a small, fanged predator of the Northern Rockies, massive alligator snapping turtles in the South and seven other troubled species that in some cases have awaited action for years.

Deadlines for the decisions were detailed in a legal settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The Center for Biological Diversity had sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March, alleging agency officials repeatedly missed previous deadlines despite determining protections may be warranted.

Representatives of the Fish and Wildlife Service did not immediately comment on the settlement. It must be approved by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan before it goes into effect.

One of the first species to be decided on, by October 2017, is the Northern Rockies fisher. The cat-sized predator once ranged across at least five states. It's now limited to a much smaller area straddling the Montana-Idaho border.

Montana allows the trapping of seven fishers annually  activity banned elsewhere in the West.

The Fish and Wildlife Service rejected protections in 2011, concluding that trapping by humans did not appear to be harming the overall population, though their precise numbers are unknown. But they agreed to take another look earlier this year after wildlife advocates provided details on fishers killed by trappers seeking other species.

"Alongside habitat loss, trapping is one of the primary threats to Northern Rockies fishers," said Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. She said federal protections "are the only way to curb this ongoing threat."

Fishers remain relatively abundant in parts of the Midwest and New England.

A decision on the alligator snapping turtle is due in 2020. The hard-biting, spike-studded turtle can grow to more than 2 feet long and top 200 pounds, making it North America's largest freshwater turtle.

Other species included in the settlement were the California spotted owl, an Alabama mussel called the Canoe Creek pigtoe and the Beaverpond marstonia, a tiny freshwater snail that advocates say is found only in one Georgia creek.

Two fish were included  the Virgin River spinedace, a desert minnow once common in the Virgin River basin in northwestern Arizona, southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah, and the Barrens topminnow in Tennessee's Barrens Plateau.

There was one amphibian, the foothill yellow-legged frog, once found from Oregon to possibly as far south as Baja California, Mexico, and an insect, the cobblestone tiger beetle, which survives only in a handful of rivers from New England to Alabama.
Nepal's former deputy prime minister and pro-Hindu Rastriya Prajatantra Party chief Kamal Thapa today demanded reinstatement of the country's Hindu state status in the proposed constitutional amendment.

"If the government tables a bill to amendment the constitution in order to address the demands of the Madhesi parties, a provision to end secularism and reinstatement of Nepal as a Hindu state should also be included in the amendment bill," Thapa told reporters.

Nepal was converted into a secular state through a Parliament declaration shortly after the success of the People's Movement of 2006 that ended absolute monarchy.

"Any proposal to the constitution amendment for the greater interest of the people will be acceptable for our party," said Thapa, the leader of the fourth largest party in the Parliament having 25 Lawmakers.

He accused the ruling alliance of trying to deceive the people by talking about constitution amendment without making any serious homework.

The government is only using the Madhesi parties and they are fooling the Madhesi ethnic groups by talking about constitution amendment.

Prime Minister Prachanda has said his government would table the constitution amendment bill before he embarks to New Delhi on a goodwill visit in two weeks, which is just a trick to fool the agitating Madhesi parties and to deceive them, Thapa claimed.

Regarding the issue of restoring monarchy in the country, he said the monarchy could be reinstated only if the Nepalese people wishes so.

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Angry protesters torched Gabon's parliament today after President Ali Bongo was declared winner of what he claimed was a "peaceful and transparent" election, but which the opposition said was fraudulent.

It only took a few minutes for the announcement to sink in before several of Libreville's poorer neighbourhoods erupted in anger, with thousands of people taking to the streets to express their fury.

According to official results made public shortly after 1500 GMT, Bongo won Saturday's presidential poll by just 5,594 votes, taking 49.80 per cent to 48.23 per cent for his rival Jean Ping, a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official.

The results will remain "provisional" until they are approved by the constitutional court.

By nightfall, protesters vented their fury by setting fire to the parliament building, sending skyward a plume of flame and black smoke, witnesses and AFP correspondents said.

Fires were visible in other parts of Libreville and explosions were heard as protesters faced off against heavily armed security forces.

"The whole building is catching fire," a man outside parliament who gave name as Yannick told AFP.

The parliament lies on the same road as the state TV headquarters, senate, town hall, oil ministry, several embassies and the French cultural centre.

As soon as Bongo's victory in today's poll was announced Wednesday, people took to the streets of the city's slums, chanting "Ali must go."



As helicopters flew overhead and smoke rose above poorer neighbourhoods, soldiers, police and gendarmes stopped traffic on the main highway where protestors braved tear gas to set tyres alight.

Protestors shouted, "Jean Ping president!" and "They stole the election."



Ping, a half Chinese career diplomat has rejected the results, and before they were announced had declared it was he who won.

There was also trouble today in the economic capital Port Gentil, which saw the worst of the violence that followed Bongo's 2009 election victory.

That contested vote followed the death of Bongo's father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the oil-rich country for 41 years.

Any appeal by Ping would likely focus on disputed results in one of the country's nine provinces - the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

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Goa government is mulling not to permit the crowd-pulling dance music festivals in the state between December 15 and January 15 which is the peak tourist season, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said today.

"We are seriously thinking not to allow mega events like EDM festivals between December 15 and January 15 every year as the state witnesses rush of tourists during that time who arrive here to usher in the New Year," Parulekar told PTI.

If the organisers want, they can have their event before December 15 or after January 15, when the peak time for rush of tourists is not there, he said.

Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals -- Sunburn and VH1 Supersonic are held annually in Goa in the last week of December.

The state police had earlier objected to these events pointing out that it creates pressure on the law and order machinery.

Parulekar said the state-level permission panel held its first meeting yesterday and expressed reservations on allowing the music festivals during the peak season.

The government is of the view that it is not possible to allow two EDM festivals at the same time from the security point of view, he said.

Both the organisers have already moved an application seeking permission to host the festival this year.

"The panel has asked them to submit their proposed dates for holding the event. We have also conveyed the organisers to consider holding the events before December 15 or post January 15 to reduce further pressure on the state machinery," the minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RSS today removed its Goa chief Subhash Velingkar who had crossed swords with ruling BJP government over the medium of instruction issue with members of his outfit even showing black flags to party chief Amit Shah recently, for trying to engage into "political activity" which is contrary to Sangh tradition.

Velingkar, the convener of Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) which is fighting for withdrawal of grants to English medium schools and for the cause of promoting regional languages as Medium of Instruction (MOI) in the coastal state, has been at loggerheads with the saffron party as well as Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.

However, Sangh said they will continue to support BBSM "to strengthen the system for primary education in mother tongue."



"He (Velingkar) has been relieved from his responsibilities. He wanted to get into some political activity. Being a Sangh leader, he cannot do that," RSS' All India Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya told PTI today.

Vaidya said the decision on new organisational head for the coastal state, where elections are due next year, is yet to be taken.

RSS' Konkan prant Sanghachalak Satish Modh said, "As part of the agitation, BBSM had announced formation of a political party. RSS, since its inception, has never been involved in politics and hence, RSS would have no role in the political endeavour of BBSM.

"With this background, it has been announced at a recent meeting of senior RSS office-bearers in Goa that convener of BBSM, Subhash Velingkar has been relieved from his responsibility as Goa Vibhag Sangh chalak."



Backing BBSM's stand on MoI, Modh stated that RSS is of the view that all efforts should be made to strengthen the system for primary education in mother tongue across the country.

"RSS has supported and will continue to support the cause of agitation in Goa by BBSM which is in consonance with the aforesaid opinion of RSS," Modh said in a statement.

As part of their agitation, BBSM had announced formation of a political outfit to contest the polls, due next year.

Velingkar courted controversy earlier this week by reportedly saying that BJP may not win the election in Goa since it has "betrayed" people's trust by going back on its promise of making regional languages as a medium of instruction in schools.

BBSM had waived black flags to Shah during his visit to Goa on August 20 to launch the party's campaign for state polls.

Shah had reportedly raised the issue with RSS top brass at a meeting last week in Bhopal which was attended by the RSS second-in-command Bhaiyaji Joshi and joint general secretary Krishna Gopal.

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Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today expressed serious concern over the "irreparable damage" suffered at all levels, particularly school students, due to the closure of the entire educational system as a result of the prevailing unrest in the Valley.

He chaired a meeting at Raj Bhavan here where issues relating to making the educational system functional in the next few days were discussed, an official spokesman said.

Education Minister Naeem Akhter briefed him about the prevailing functional status of the educational institutions in the Valley.

Principal Secretary to Governor P K Tripathi, Vice Chancellor University of Kashmir, Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi, Vice-Chancellor Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology Kashmir, Nazeer Ahmed, Vice Chancellor Central University of Kashmir, Mehraj-ud-Din, Vice Chancellor Islamic University of Sciences and Technology, Mushtaq A Siddiqi, Commissioner School Education, Shaleen Kabra and Director School Education Kashmir, Shah Faesal, attended the meeting, the spokesman said.

The Vice-Chancellors brought out the situation in respect of their universities and the meeting deliberated various possible steps which could be taken to make up for the loss in studies, the spokesman said.

The minister accepted the Governor's suggestion that the Departments of School and Higher Education shall work out a plan of action for every possible step being taken to make up for the loss of working days in the schools and regarding the schedules of the forthcoming examinations at all levels.

The Vice Chancellors also apprised Vohra and the minister about to-date status of admissions in the present academic session.

During discussions, the Governor and the minister stressed on the need to critically identify and devote sustained attention towards the planned improvement of the quality of school and higher education to ensure that the entire learning process is made more relevant, interesting and meaningful.

Kashmir Valley is on the boil since July 9 following widespread protests over the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

A total of 69 people have been killed in the ongoing unrest which has paralysed normal life.

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The Kerala government today filed an affidavit in the high court, saying that it has decided to examine whether a government order granting in-principle sanction to Aranmula airport project could be cancelled.

In its affidavit, the government also said it has decided to take immediate steps to cancel its decision to notify approximately 500 acres of land in Aranmula as an industrial area.

The state government affidavit said it was found that the proposed project area constitutes large extent of paddy and wetland which cannot be legally converted for the purpose of a private company in view of existing legal provisions.

The project, promoted by KGS Group, had run into trouble after it was mooted nearly seven years ago with environment groups and people in the area holding that it would cause environmental hazards.

The Expert Appraisal Committee under the Environment Ministry had permitted KGS group to conduct an environment study at a meeting on July 29.

The permission was to hold a fresh study on various issues, including seeking the opinion of people on the need for an airport.

The National Green Tribunal had in 2014 set aside the environmental clearance given by the UPA government to the project and directed KGS Aranmula International Airport Ltd, the promoters, to stop construction at the site.

The tribunal passed the order on a petition filed by the Aranmula Heritage Village Protection Action Council.

The project also faced stiff resistance from devotees of Sri Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple, who have said that the airport would cause structural damage to the temple.

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A special court today sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment the project officer of District Urban Development Authority for taking Rs 20,000 bribe from an NGO six years ago.

Special Judge J P Singh also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict Nirmal Kumar Jain.

Jain has been convicted under Prevention of Corruption Act for taking a bribe of Rs 20,000 from the director of a local NGO in October 2010, a Lokayukta police officer said.

"Jain had accepted the bribe from the NGO to facilitate payment to it in connection with a government project," he said.

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Government today suggested the auto industry to widen its portfolio into various other specialised sectors such as in mining and infrastructure.

Joint Secretary in Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Ministry Abhay Damle suggested the industry to look into the special purpose vehicles besides the traditional passenger and commercial vehicles.

"If you look at special purpose vehicles, whether its mining equipments or infrastructure machinery, we do lack. The portfolio of the auto industry is narrow. Probably, we feel that it needs to be more widened," Damle said.

He said, currently, the industry is focusing on very few categories of vehicles.

Future of the industry is in having more vehicle on the diverse use, he said, while addressing SIAM's annual convention here.

"The portfolio of the auto industry is narrow. Probably, we feel that it needs to be more widened," he said.

Besides, he hailed the industry for accepting the challenge to implement BS-VI emission norms from April 2020.

Damle further added that one of the biggest challenges for the industry is fuel efficiency norms.

"This is one area where everybody is concerned... Another one area is scrapping policy," he added.

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Security agencies will carry out an extensive examination of the speeches of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who has been accused of promoting extremist and radical views.

The move comes after a fresh legal opinion suggested that more information should be gathered by security agencies to nail Naik, who has been away from the country ever since allegations surfaced against him, official sources said.

The security agencies have been asked to go deeper and examine more speeches of Naik delivered in last few years and the alleged irregularities committed by him, the sources said.

Naik has come under the scanner of the security agencies after Bangladeshi newspaper 'Daily Star' had reported that one of the attackers of the July 1 terror strike in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.

He in a lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly "urged all Muslims to be terrorists".

Naik, a popular but controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation, is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.

He is popular in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preachings often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects.

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The government will review the 'creamy layer' criteria for Other Backward Classes (OBC) by the end of this year, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawarchand Gehlot said on Wednesday.

At present, 27 per cent in government jobs and educational institutions is given to OBCs, provided the annual income of the family is up to Rs six lakh. Those with higher earnings are referred to as the 'creamy layer' and are not eligible for reservation.

"There is a provision to review the creamy layer definition and other criteria for reservations after every three years. And the last review of the OBC reservation was done in 2013," Gehlot told PTI here.

Minister of State for Social Justice had yesterday pitched for extending the reservation limit from the present 50 per cent to 75 per cent, with an additional 25 per cent for economically backward classes in all castes.

Gehlot's comment comes in the backdrop of a large number of vacancies in government jobs meant for OBCs remaining unfilled for want of candidates.

According to sources, the Social Justice Ministry is working on a proposal to raise the annual income ceiling of OBCs to Rs eight lakh.

Raising the ceiling would result in a larger pool of candidates being eligible for government jobs and seats in educational institutions.

Earlier, the Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had recommended more than doubling this income ceiling to Rs 15 lakh.

"Even two decades after reservation (was introduced), out of the 27 per cent allocated quota, it has been seen that only 12-15 per cent gets utilised. According to our analysis, the major reason behind this is the ceiling on annual income," NCBC member Ashok Saini had said.

As per the Mandal Commission report, in 1980 OBCs constituted 52 per cent of India's population. The panel's report was based on the 1931 census. The Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) had in 2006 pegged the OBC population at 41 per cent.
HELENA  Wildlife advocates seeking federal protections for a fish found in Montana told a judge Tuesday that state efforts to improve conditions for the Arctic grayling won't be enough to save it from the effects of climate change.

The advocates, led by the Center for Biological Diversity, are suing to reverse the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision in 2014 not to list the Artic grayling as a threatened or endangered species. The cold-water fish is threatened by warm waters and low stream flows, and rising global temperatures will only make the problems worse without federal protections, attorney Jenny Harbine said.

"The threats to these fish are real and dire," Harbine said. "Water temperatures are going from bad to worse."

Arctic grayling are abundant in Alaska and Canada. In the Lower 48 states, the fish can only be found in Montana's upper Missouri River drainages, particularly the Big Hole River and the Ruby River. Previously, the fish also was found in Michigan, but that population is extinct.

In a hearing before U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon in Helena, attorneys for the Fish and Wildlife Service stood by the federal agency's conclusion that the grayling is not at risk of extinction in Montana or of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future.

That conclusion, first made in 2014, is a reversal of the Fish and Wildlife Service's determination in 2010 that the Montana fish warranted federal protections but that other species took precedence.

Since then, new genetic data added 15 Arctic grayling populations to the five previously identified, and nearly all of those populations are on federal lands with the protection of existing federal regulations, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Nicole Smith said.

In addition, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has been enrolling landowners along the Big Hole River since 2006 in a voluntary program to improve water flows and repair the habitat along the river and its tributaries.

As a result, 19 of the 20 identified Arctic grayling populations in the state are stable or improving, Smith said.

"There's nothing that the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to consider," Smith said. "This boils down to a difference of interpretation in the record."

The voluntary program has done more to improve conditions than if the fish had been listed as threatened or endangered, Fish, Wildlife and Parks attorney Bill Schenk said. Water temperatures have been reduced in the Big Hole, stream flows have been reduced and structures that restricted the fish's movement have been removed, he said.

Harbine lauded the state program, but said it's not enough. "Notwithstanding these efforts, grayling are still in trouble," she said.

The federal decision did not take into account that climate change will only make the water temperatures warmer in the future, despite the improvements to the habitat, she said.

Haddon did not make an immediate ruling Tuesday.
Even as the Maharashtra legislature has unanimously ratified the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday sought to warn the government that those who have tried to levy the taxation system could never return to power again.

"One harsh reality is that countries that had accepted the GST, had to repeal it subsequently as the taxation system had failed. Also, governments that have imposed this form of taxation have never come to power again as they have miserably lost elections," said an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

The ruling alliance partner in the state said along with it, leaders of other political parties too have expressed apprehensions about the autonomy of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after the comes into effect.

"BMC will suffer an annual revenue loss of around Rs 7,000-8,000 crore. This may cause a financial imbalance to Mumbai and the city, which generates the maximum revenue for the country, may become dependent on the Centre for money," it said.

The Sena questioned whether imposing was "another attempt" by the Centre to make Mumbai "financially dependent on it".

"These apprehensions cannot just be thwarted off by mere words. Though the Chief Minister has assured that there would be no revenue loss to the state exchequer, the BMC will not have to depend on the Centre or, there will no loss of autonomy to the BMC. As far as Mumbai is concerned, we have to be extra careful," it said.

The state government on Monday unanimously ratified the Constitutional Amendment Bill, joining a clutch of states which have already approved the legislation that will pave the way for roll-out of a single and unified tax system in the country.
Israel was inching towards the possibility of a civil war, a former head of the country's spy agency Mossad has said warning that the "existential threat" to the Jewish state is growing internal division rather than external aggression.

"There is no outside existential threat to Israel, the only real existential threat is internal division," former Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo said at a press conference ahead of an event commemorating fallen Druze soldiers.

"If a divided society crosses a certain threshold, you can reach phenomena such as civil war, in extreme cases," he said adding that the distance between the present-day situation in Israel and a civil war is growing smaller.

"I'm afraid we're in that direction," Pardo said in response to a question from a reporter in his first public appearance after leaving office earlier this year.

Touching upon the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the former top spy said that "we will never be able to achieve normalisation with our Arab neighbours" without a diplomatic solution to the vexed problem.

The comments came amid repeated claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's diplomatic relations with moderate Arab countries in the region were improving.

Responding to a comparison drawn by Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman between the nuclear accord with Iran reached by the six world powers (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) and the 1938 Munich Pact that allowed Nazi Germany to annex portions of Czechoslovakia, Pardo said it was like comparing "zucchinis and pears".

"What happened at the end of the 1930's is different from what is happening today. History does not repeat itself [in such a way that justifies] such an analogy," he said.

Asked about Lebanese Shi'ite group Hizbullah, he said that the Lebanese faction was never an existential threat to Israel, "but it can pester us and cause pain, and spur our internal divide - but there is no threat."



Pardo however said that he remained optimistic about Israel's future "for the sake of our children and grandchildren," adding that Israel has failed to create equal opportunities for all of its residents and citizens.

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a senior police officer of the level of ADGP/ IGP, would be constituted to investigate all aspects of the Mewat incident.

The Chief Minister, who was speaking on the concluding day of Monsoon Session of Vidhan Sabha here today, said four accused have already been arrested and further investigation is in progress.

It may be recalled that two persons were killed and two women, including a minor, were raped in village Dingerhedi.

The Chief Minister warned of stern action against police officers if found guilty of dereliction of duty.

A compensation of Rs three lakh has been given to the members of the affected family as per the provisions of victim compensation fund. Efforts would be made to further compensate the family members, he said.

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The Madras High Court today quashed a Tamil Nadu government order declaring all the sub-jails in the state as borstal schools and suggested it to repeal the Tamil Nadu Borstal Schools Act, 1925, saying it has outlived its purpose.

A five-member special bench comprising Justices A Selvam, M Sathyanarayanan, B Rajendran, R Mala, and N Prakash, quashed the Tamil Nadu government order passed on August 12, 2008.

Borstal school is a special institution, in which adolescent offenders aged between 18 and 21 are lodged and given industrial training and other instructions.

The special bench was constituted to answer several legal questions such as whether the Act casts a duty upon the court to examine if an adolescent convict would be entitled to the benefits of the law and would the failure of the court to examine this aspect at the time of conviction and sentence, give a vested right to the offender to claim the benefits retrospectively, even after crossing the age of 21.

The bench said the borstal school concept has outlived its purpose and it suggested to the state government to consider repealing it.

Sections 8 and 11 of the Act do not cast a duty upon the court to examine whether an adolescent offender would be entitled to the benefit of the Act and it is for the offender to avail the privilege after his conviction and before the passing of sentence, it held.

However, the convicted person does not have a vested right to claim the benefits of the Act after crossing the age of 21 years, it further said.

It was open to the magistrates to remand the accused between the age group of 18 and 21 to prisons and not to borstal schools, the bench said.

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Heavy downpour in Hyderabad today left seven people, including four children, dead in two rain-related incidents, while traffic movement was thrown out of gear due to waterlogging in most parts of the city.

The rains caused a chaotic situation with huge traffic blocks in many parts of the city till afternoon. Several low-lying areas were inundated forcing people to vacate their houses.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased, while an equal sum will be given by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Rs 50,000 under 'Apathbandhu' scheme, as applicable.

Rao held a meeting with state Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao, senior officials of GHMC, police and other departments concerned and reviewed the situation, a statement from the CM's office said.

Four members of a family, including parents and their two children, were killed when an under-construction wall collapsed on their hut in Ramanthapur area, K T Rama Rao said.

The victims were asleep when the mishap occurred, a police official said.

In the other incident, three members of a family, including a woman and her two daughters, died when a part of their house collapsed in Bholakpur area, the minister said.

Another building collapsed at Lal Darwaja in Old City, but no one was injured.

GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy instructed officials that people staying in old and dilapidated buildings be evacuated immediately.

Due to heavy rains, water-logging was reported at several places and GHMC teams were clearing stagnated points at Nampally, Secunderabad station, Khairatabad and other areas. Tree branches also fell in some areas due to rains.

Officials released 120 cusecs of water from the swollen Husain Sagar lake which received huge inflow of water due to the heavy rains.

Later addressing a press conference, KTR said over 1,000



old buildings have been identified by GHMC in dilapidated conditions and ought to be demolished.

So far, 940 buildings have been demolished by the municipal authorities and another 95 were razed by the owners themselves.

"We need about Rs 11,000 crore to set right the sewerage system in the entire city," he said.

Following heavy rains, massive traffic congestion was reported between L B Nagar and Malakpet, Moosarambagh, Yakutpura, Uppal, Tarnaka, various localities in Secunderabad, the Secretariat, Mehdipatnam, Lakadi-ka-Pul and Punjagutta, among other areas.

Office-goers had a tough time commuting to work with several roads waterlogged, while many residential areas in low-lying areas also got inundated due to the heavy rains.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) A V Ranganath said there were reports of traffic blockade in some areas which were waterlogged due to heavy rains in the morning.

"We are diverting traffic wherever it is necessary to ease the movement of vehicles. Due to overflowing of drainages there was waterlogging on some of the main roads leading to slowing down of traffic. With the help of GHMC, we are trying to clear the blockades," the DCP said.

Due to heavy rains and waterlogging in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, 10 MMTS (local) trains between Hyderabad-Lingampalli were cancelled and 3 MMTS services between Hyderabad-Lingampalli were partially cancelled.

However, on restoration of normalcy, four MMTS special trains were run between Hyderabad-Lingampalli to clear the rush of stranded passengers, South Central Railway officials said.

Amberpet received the maximum 118 mm rain in the city.

"The MeT department has predicted more rains in next 24-48 hours," KTR said.

Telangana Chief Minister and Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma are monitoring the situation, he added.
BJP National President Amit Shah today expressed gratitude to Prime Narendra Modi and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya for raising the minimum wages of unskilled and non-agricultural labourers to Rs 350 per day.

He said poor workers across the country stand to benefit directly from this decision of the Modi-government and it shows the commitment of the government to "bringing smiles on the faces of every poor worker and labourer".

"I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreyaji for this concrete step towards bettering the lives of poor labourers, and express my sincere gratitude on behalf of the BJP to them," he said in a release.

He also welcomed the decision to provide the arrears for financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16 to central government employees and form a committee to ensure that volunteers of Anganvadis, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, ASHA and other unorganised sector workers have access to the government's social security programmes.

Welcoming the decision, Union Minister M J Akbar tweeted, "We must all congratulate Hon'ble PM @narendramodi for the quantum leap in worker wages."



The government had yesterday raised the minimum wages of unskilled and non-agricultural labourers under Category C to Rs 350 per day from the current Rs 246, a 43 per cent hike.

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Hours after Justice S N Dhingra Commission submitted its probe report to the Haryana government, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda termed it as "political vendetta and witch hunt" by the BJP government.

"The institution of commission is politically motivated and is a political vendetta," Hooda, who ruled the state for two consecutive terms, said.

"The government has set up the commission to probe the land deals of only one sector...The enquiry is nothing but witch-hunting against political opponents by the BJP," he said.

Reiterating that he gave "no undue favours" to anyone, Hooda said that the probe should be held by a sitting judge of the High Court.

The commission was set up by the Manohar Lal Khattar government last year to probe grant of land licences to some companies, including that of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Gurgaon.

He said not only in Sector 83 of Gurgaon, but across the state, no extraordinary favours were given to anybody.

Reacting to the report, he said: "I can't say at this moment what the report has. I will only be able to say something once I see it."



He said the policy of Haryana government was same for every sector.

"My government had not come with a new policy (in grant of Change of Land Use). When the BJP who was also part of the state government with Bansi Lal or Om Parkash Chautala that same policy was followed that time also," he said.

He said that the BJP want to target one person of an important family so the constitution of commission was politically motivated.

"It was all legal what my government did. There was no irregularity. No special favour was extended to anybody, not only in sector 83, but everywhere across the state," he said.

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Global hospitality company InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) today said it has signed a global partnership with China's leading third-party online payment solutions company Alipay.

IHG has become the first global hotel company to give Chinese guests the ability to pay via Alipay through all of the hospitality group's online and mobile channels, as well as across its full estate of hotels globally.

The new partnership, which has been agreed with Alipay's parent company Ant Financial, will initially apply to IHG's existing estate of over 270 hotels in Greater China, as well as a number of hotels around the world that participate in IHG's China Ready Programme.

The global rollout of Alipay will begin in 2017.

"IHG has always been a leader in providing advanced payment solutions to guests through our direct booking channels. We are thrilled to be partnering with Alipay to strengthen our ever-evolving travel experience for our guests globally," IHG Chief Commercial Officer Keith Barr said.

The partnership will allow IHG to further capitalise on the significant increase in Chinese outbound travel.

According to IHG's Future of Chinese Travel Report published in 2015, nearly 90 million Chinese households will be able to travel overseas by 2023, fuelled by a growing middle class and increasing propensity to travel.

IHG, which has franchises, leases, manages or owns over 5,000 hotels in almost 100 countries and have more than 1,400 hotels in its development pipeline.

Besides, it has a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, among others.

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India and China should put aside their "antagonistic feelings" over gaining an upper hand in Myanmar and back Naypyidaw's efforts to bring peace in the country, a state-run Chinese daily said today.

As the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference between Myanmar government and rebel groups kicked off in Naypyidaw, an article in the official Global Times said both India and China expressed willingness to play a role in Myanmar's peace process.

"Hopefully, the two countries can put aside any antagonistic feelings and work together to support this process," it said.

"It is quite likely that Myanmar's peace process will require a lot of financial support including helping Myanmar's discharged military return to economic production and constructing public facilities to improve living standards in regions where ethic armies wields a great influence in a bid to obtain local support," it said.

Auxiliary efforts including providing farm tools, fertilizer, seeds and farm machinery may be needed to promote this process, but it may not be easy for Myanmar's government to complete such tasks alone, it said.

"Promoting Myanmar's peace process is in accord with the basic interests of, not only the Southeast Asian nation, but the whole region. After promising its support, India may need to think about how it can work with other countries, China and ASEAN members included, to provide economic assistance to Myanmar," it added.

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State-run cybersecurity bodies of India and the UK have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for close cooperation on counter cyberattacks these countries face.

"The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been apprised of the MoU signed on May 20, 2016, between Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and Ministry of Cabinet Office, UK, as represented by CERT-UK, a unit of the Cabinet Office on Cyber Security," an official statement today said.

The MoU intends to promote closer cooperation between India and the UK for exchange of knowledge and experience in detection, resolution and prevention of security-related incidents, it added.

"With this MoU, participating countries can exchange technical information on Cyber attacks, response to cyber security incidents and find solutions to counter the cyber attacks. This MoU helps to strengthen cyber space of both countries, capacity building and improving relationship between them," the statement said.

Earlier CERT-In signed MoUs with counterpart/similar organisations in about seven countries - Korea, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Uzbekistan. Ministry of External Affairs has also signed MoU with Cyber Security as one of the areas of cooperation with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

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While the Albuquerque City Council wrestles with municipal governance, some of the issues currently facing the Bernalillo County Commission include a new megadevelopment on the edge of the metropolitan area, long-standing claims of abuse and mismanagement at the Bernalillo County Detention Center, and dealing with and attempting to ameliorate a growing, county-wide mental health crisis. Among a myriad of other things, the Commission oversees operations at the MDC, provides stewardship and administers development of miles of vacant land on the West Side, and also advises on the use of millions in revenue collected by county taxes, like those from the mental health tax, implemented about a year ago.

Bernalillo Who?

Bernalillo County was established under Mexican rule as one of three prefecturas. In 1852 it became one of the original nine counties in the territory. It was named after the Gonzales-Bernal family that settled here in the 17th century. It is the most populous and the third smallest of New Mexicos 33 counties. Bernalillo County consists of only 1,167 square miles with Albuquerque, the county seat, making up about 83 percent of its population. Bernalillo County incorporates a wide variety of landscapes, from dense forests to the Rio Grande Bosque, to sand-swept mesas. Despite the fact that the city and county share so many of the same issues, in 1959, 1973, 2003 and 2004, city and county voters rejected ballot initiatives to merge the two governments into one comprehensive municipality.

Working Together

The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Government Commission is a quasi-legislative body the two government councils and the mayor meet to discuss issues that impact both city and county. Four members are from the City Council and four members are from the County Commission, and along with the mayor, they make up the nine-member body that meets once each month. They dont decide things but do hear presentations, discuss them, and then go back to their respective municipal tables with recommendations on issues of common stake. The issues shared can be controversial and have wide-ranging impacts. Here are a few of those shared interests currently simmering.

Santolina Sprawl?

In June 2015, the largest master development plan ever approved by the Bernalillo County Commission was passed on a tight, 3-2 vote. Santolina sits on 13,700 acres on the citys edge, atop the West Mesa near 118th Street and I-40. If it is fully built out over the next 40 years, developers say Santolina could be a self-sustaining community of 90,000, with 75,000 new jobs. Opponents say the megadevelopment will strain already fragile water resources and is not needed. Opponents point to the still mostly vacant Mesa del Sol south of Albuquerque. Santolina developers must get future approval of specific detailed plans before actual dirt can be moved. The primary developer, Western Albuquerque Land Holdings, is currently in negotiation with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority for water related issues. Santolina has caused quite a bit of hub-bub within political circles, with ethics allegations being flung between two candidates who are vying for a key open seat on the Commission up for grabs in the November election. This district two County Commission race pits Democrat Steven Michael Quezada against Republican Patricia B. Paiz.

Albuquerque City Councilors have no official say in the countys decisions regarding Santolina development plans, yet the development will absolutely impact the citys infrastructure and economic activity. Its potentially like adding another Rio Rancho to the edge of Albuquerque. Stay tuned.

Jail House Blues

Bernalillo County is responsible for the annual budget and management of the huge 1,950 inmate capacity jail on the West Side. Albuquerque Police Department puts the bulk of people in the slammer so its operations are of concern to Albuquerques mayoral administration and city politicos, too. A recently released video showed unnecessary and cruel mistreatment of a female inmate by several Metropolitan Detention Center guards. The West Side lock-up has a history riddled with problems, from a shortage of guards to overcrowding to rampant allegations of poor treatment. A US District Court 1995 lawsuit filed by inmate Jimmie McClendon said that the jail, then Downtown in a decrepit building, was operated in a manner that violated the State and the US Constitution. The case was finally settled 20 years later in June 2016, which is just about the time the video was recorded of a jail supervisor telling his guards to twist an inmates arm until she stopped crying. This incident along with several others, plus the never-ending stream of lawsuits filed against the detention center, are causing the county to rethink their management plan. The city does not pay the county to house its inmates instead contending that a portion of each city residents county taxes go towards funding the jail. Under state law it is the obligation of the counties to provide jail services; this allows them to charge a fair daily rate per inmate to those dropping off arrestees. All are problems, but all are problems that can be collaboratively addressed.

Mental Health Tax

In 2014, Bernalillo County voters passed a one-eighth of one percent tax to go toward solving the countys mental health crisis. A county study said that about 50 percent of the county and citys residents are in need of some sort of mental health care. At the recent June 6 meeting of the City County Government Commission, Bernalillo Countys Director of Substance Abuse Programs, Katrina Hotrum, gave an update how the Task Force on Behavioral Health is envisioning spending the $17 million so far collected. She said ideas include single site supportive housing, helping to provide mental health services to entire families, and setting up mobile crisis teams to respond to emergency mental health calls to deescalate situations, especially if law enforcement is involved.

Due to recent tragic and horrifying alleged homicides against children in Bernalillo County, the City County Government Commission is set to meet on this Tuesday, Aug. 30. at 5pm to discuss ways to use tax money to prevent child abuse-related deaths and in general to raise awareness of significant issues in the fabric of our civic culture.

Meet Ups

Albuquerque City Councilors meet on the first and third Monday of each month. Bernalillo County Commission meets on the second and fourth Monday. The City County Government Commission usually meets on the fourth Thursday of the month. All meetings are streamed live on GOV TV, the local government channel 16.
The Montana Highway Patrol said the van the boy, Riley Baublitz, was riding in drifted off Secondary Highway 243 at about 12:15 a.m. Tuesday. The driver overcorrected, causing the van to go off the road and roll several times.
India and the US today resolved to use the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) mechanism to further elevate mutual trade and investment, while noting that strong commercial ties have defined their growing partnership.

In an otherwise sluggish global economy, bilateral trade between India and the United States has held steady, and bilateral investment flows have grown over the last two years, their joint statement released after the 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue here.

They noted the "significantly increased" government-to- government engagement on economic and commercial topics undertaken in the past year under the S&CD.

"They resolved to continue to institutionalise and use the S&CD to elevate their ambitions and accomplishments in mutual trade and investment," the statement said.

External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry of India Nirmala Sitharaman co-chaired the dialogue with US Secretary of State John F Kerry and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

Recognising the importance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to spur growth and create jobs, India and the US also committed to creating a platform for sharing of best practices and technology, in addition to access to finance to promote integration of these SMEs in global value chains.

Recognising the success of the ongoing smart city collaboration in Visakhapatnam, the two sides resolved to launch a follow-on phase that will deliver an integrated master plan.

They resolved to continue reverse trade missions from the MOU partner cities (Ajmer, Allahabad and Vishakhapatnam) to look at smart solutions for their respective cities.

The sides looked forward to working on the Plan of Action developed for mutual technical cooperation for issuance of municipal bonds by Pune, the statement said.

The leaders noted the recommendations of the US-India CEO Forum and acknowledged the crucial role of the Forum in strengthening our partnership on commercial and trade related issues. They acknowledged the value of closely integrating the CEO Forum with the Commercial track of the S&CD.

"In line with the CEO Forum recommendations, a number of concrete measures have been undertaken," the statement said.

Taking note of the India's 'Startup India' initiative to foster greater entrepreneurship and innovation, the two sides committed to further collaboration between Indian and the US startups, venture capitalists and other stakeholders.

The statement said the two sides also look forward to



co-hosting the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India, which will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, educators, government officials and business representatives from around the world, creating new opportunities for investments, partnerships and collaborations.

To move forward on this engagement, they signed a Statement of Intent to Co-Host GES 2017.

India plans to launch an initiative which deploys leading Indian entrepreneurs to advance Startup India and inspire the next generation of successful innovators.

The two sides also noted President Obama's US Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship Initiative, about which the US. Side intends to share information.

The countries also expressed satisfaction at the useful exchange of information and best practices on improving the ease of doing business (EODB).

They resolved to continue to exchange information and discuss best practices on trade facilitation, licensing and permitting, insolvency, public procurement, transparency and other relevant topics.

In addition, they announced the launch of an EODB Private Sector Outreach Series, to raise industry awareness of key economic policy developments and gather feedback from stakeholders. The Sides also resolved to launch a 'US-India State Spotlight Webinar Series' to highlight business opportunities and key EODB reforms in select U.S. And Indian States for private sector stakeholders.

To encourage the broader adoption of value-based procurement methodologies in India's civil sector, the countries resolved to take forward an MOU between the Indian Department of Expenditure and the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), and also look at the best practices of USTDA's Global Procurement Initiative.

They also welcomed the collaboration between NIST and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on sharing of best practices on WTO-Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) enquiry points.
Indian-American Mary Thomas, a government attorney in Florida, narrowly lost her bid to enter the US House of Representatives in the closely contested Florida Republican Congressional primary.

38-year-old Thomas, lost the party's primary in Congressional District 2 of Florida, by just 1700 votes, to surgeon Neal Dunn.

"Congratulations to our next Congressman Neal Dunn. Together we will work to Make America Great Again. Thank you to our many volunteers who were so passionate about our conservative cause," Thomas wrote on her Facebook page after conceding her defeat.

If elected, she would have made history as the first Indian-American woman to serve in Congress. Her parents arrived in America from India in 1972.

The Thomas family eventually settled in Pinellas County, where they started a successful small business.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Thomas has been a member of Governor Rick Scott's administration since he was sworn into office in January 2011.

She currently serves as the General Counsel at the Department of Elder Affairs where she manages and oversees the legal department of an agency that administers a USD 900 million budget.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 46-year-old Indian-origin man in the US who stabbed his "overweight" wife twice in the abdomen has been spared a prison sentence because the judge agreed that his family would face "ostracism" as part of their Hindu culture.

Navinkumar Patel, from Kansas City, stabbed his wife with a pocketknife as she ate a bowl of cereal, and subsequently told police he had done it because his wife was "overweight".

The cultural considerations weighed into his sentencing decision for Patel, Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild was quoted as saying by the local newspaper LJWorld.

Patel was arrested in June 2015 after he stabbed his wife at Lawrence's Super 8 Motel, which he owns. He pleaded no contest to felony charges of attempted second-degree murder and criminal threat in March.

Patel's attorney John Kerns called the case "unusual to say the least".

Kerns, told the judge that in the Hindu culture of Patel's family, his wife and children would suffer if he were sentenced to prison. They would essentially be "ostracised," he said.

"The cultural part of it is very significant in this case," Judge Fairchild said. He sentenced Patel to probation but will not announce the terms until next month.

In court, the doctor who evaluated him, Bradley Grinage, testified that Patel suffers from bipolar disorder, an illness that was exacerbated by alcohol addiction.

If Patel stops drinking and continues to take his medication, Grinage said he is at a low risk for a repeat offence.

More than a dozen family members, including his wife, appeared in court to support him, while others wrote letters to Judge Fairchild asking for a lenient sentence.

"The cultural part of it is very significant in this case," Judge Fairchild said, adding that he did not want a prison sentence for Patel to further harm the family.

Instead, he was sentenced to serve probation, but was ordered to remain in jail until a plan is established to help prevent a repeat offence, the report said.

His family said they were willing to ensure he remains sober and follows a strict medication schedule.

Addressing the family, Judge Fairchild said, "It's going to take a community to make his sobriety stick. You cannot accept the fact that just because he's clean now he's going to stay that way."



Patel is scheduled to next appear in court on September 8.

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A retired Iranian general has been killed while battling jihadists as a volunteer in northern Syria, Iranian media reported today.

Ahmad Gholami, who had served as a senior Revolutionary Guards commander in the Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s, died yesterday "while fighting the takfiri terrorists in Aleppo, Syria," said the Fars agency, which is close to the Guards.

Iran uses the term "takfiri" to describe Sunni jihadists.

Gholami went to Iraq and Syria "voluntarily" to fight Islamic State group jihadists, it added.

Iran is the principle backer of President Bashar al-Assad. It denies that any of its professional soldiers are active in Syria -- insisting its commanders and generals act purely as "military advisers" -- but it also leads large volunteer forces, comprised of fighters from both Iran and neighbouring Afghanistan.

Iran does not provide precise casualty figures for those killed in action in Syria and Iraq, but Iranian media have previously reported "hundreds" of military advisers and volunteers have died in recent years.

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Iraq today hanged seven men of various Arab nationalities who were convicted of belonging to the Al-Qaeda network, officials said.

The seven were detained more than four years ago and found guilty of terrorist activities with the organisation that later formed the backbone of the Islamic State group.

"Death sentences by hanging were carried out today against seven terrorists from Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Palestine, Syria and Jordan in Nasiriyah prison," said Dakhel Radhi.

Radhi is a member of the provincial council of Dhiqar, the southern Iraqi province of which Nasiriyah is the capital.

An official in the Nasiriyah prison administration speaking on condition of anonymity said the seven had all been jailed for more than four years but could not provide further details.

He said around 60 other convicts from Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Libya and Algeria were still held in Nasiriyah prison on similar charges.

He did not say how many of them had been sentenced to death.

On August 21, Iraq hanged 36 men convicted over the 2014 massacre by Sunni jihadists and allied militants of up to 1,7000 military recruits.

Rights group Amnesty International said at the time that the hangings brought to at least 81 the number of executions carried out by the Iraqi state this year.

Amnesty and other rights organisations had also criticised the hangings as resulting from botched trials.

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N K Amin, an accused in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case who is currently serving as superintendent of police in Mahisagar district, was today granted one-year extension by Gujarat government, days after he was discharged in fake encounter cases of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati by a CBI court in Mumbai.

As per a notification issued by the state Home Department, Amin, who was due to retire today, has been given an extension of one year, starting September 1.

With this, Amin will continue to serve as the SP of Mahisagar district for one more year, it stated.

On August 18, a special CBI court in Mumbai discharged Amin in the 2005 fake encounter cases of Sohrabuddin and Prajapati. However, he still is an accused in the Ishrat case.

Amin, granted regular bail by the special CBI court last year, was reinstated as Deputy Superintendent of Police in State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) in May 2015, before he was made SP.

Ishrat, a teenage girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, her friend Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Sheikh and two others were gunned down by city crime branch officials allegedly in a fake encounter on June 15, 2004 on the outskirts of the city.

Police's contention was that Ishrat and others were on a mission to kill Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Sohrabuddin was killed allegedly in a fake encounter near Gandhinagar in November 2005. His wife who went missing after the incident is also believed to have been killed.

Prajapati, an aide of Sheikh, a gangster, and an eyewitness to the encounter, was allegedly killed by police at Chapri village in Banaskantha district in December 2006.

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Israel today approved the construction of 463 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, the watchdog Peace Now said, drawing a sharp rebuke from the United States.

Washington said it was "deeply concerned" by the announcement, with a senior US official slamming the "pervasive advancement of settlement activity in a new and potentially unlimited way".

The approvals mostly involved new housing units, but a retroactive green light was also granted to 179 existing homes in the Ofarim settlement.

Around 50 new units received final approval, while others were given preliminary authorisation at different stages in the review process.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "continues to plan and build all over the West Bank, while also giving settlers the message that any construction done without planning will be retroactively legalised," Peace Now said.

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council on Monday that Israeli settlement expansion had surged in the past two months since a key report called for a halt.

The report by the diplomatic Quartet - the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States - said construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is eroding the possibility of a two-state solution.

In response, Netanyahu's office called criticism of Israeli settlement building "absurd", particularly related to east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians see east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, as the capital of their future state. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital.

"The claim that it is illegal for Jews to build in Jerusalem is as absurd as saying Americans can't build in Washington or the French can't build in Paris," Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes said in response to Mladenov's comments.

The United States, has long been concerned that Israel's building on occupied Palestinian land is undermining hopes for a Middle East peace deal.

"We are deeply concerned by the government of Israel's announcement today to advance plans for over 500 new settlement units in the West Bank," a senior US official told AFP.

"This significant expansion of the settlement enterprise poses a very serious and growing threat to the viability of the two-state solution," he said on condition of anonymity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli authorities approved 466 settlement homes in the occupied West Bank today, settlement watchdog Peace Now said, despite growing international criticism over such projects.

The approvals mostly involved new housing units, but a retroactive green light was also granted to 179 existing homes in the Ofarim settlement.

Around 50 new units received final approval, while others were given preliminary authorisation at different stages in the review process.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "continues to plan and build all over the West Bank, while also giving settlers the message that any construction done without planning will be retroactively legalised," Peace Now said.

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council on Monday that Israeli settlement expansion has surged in the two months since a key report called for a halt.

The report by the diplomatic Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States -- said construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is killing off prospects for a peace deal based on a two-state solution.

In response, Netanyahu's office called criticism of Israeli settlement building "absurd", particularly related to east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians see east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, as the capital of their future state. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital.

"The claim that it is illegal for Jews to build in Jerusalem is as absurd as saying Americans can't build in Washington or the French can't build in Paris," Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes said in response to Mladenov's comments.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special MCOCA court today framed charges against gangster Chhota Rajan in the journalist J Dey murder case, nearly eleven months after he was deported to India.

"The court has framed charges against Rajan under various charges of MCOCA; section 302 (murder) and 120-b (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code," said a CBI official.

After Special Judge Samir Adkar explained the charges to Rajan, he pleaded not guilty. The court then posted the matter for September 7.

The framing of charges against Rajan paves the way for the trial, five years after the veteran investigative journalist was shot dead in suburban Powai in 2011.

Rajan, currently lodged at high-security Tihar jail, was produced before the judge through video-conference.

Earlier this month on August 5, the central probe agency had filed a supplementary charge sheet against the gangster claiming that he had the journalist murdered because Dey's articles and a planned book portrayed Rajan as 'chindi' (a small fry).

The chargesheet stated that Rajan thought that Dey was working for his arch rival and underworld fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim and the ISI.

According to the CBI, Rajan told one Manoj on phone that journalist Jigna Vora, a co-accused in the case, used to tell him "repeatedly" that Dey "is writing wrong things and is in touch with the other gang and was a traitor."



Dey's wife told CBI that for a month before his murder, he was very upset and he told her that he was going to die but not due to illness.

Dey had planned a book, titled 'Chindi-Rags to Riches', wherein he was going to write the stories of 20 gangsters with humble origins.

"Dey was going to expose the fake patriotic mask used by



him (Rajan) to secure himself and to accumulate wealth for his family. The book was to have that Rajan had no concern for those who made him big," the charge sheet had said.

The book was also to portray Dawood, Rajan's friend-turned-foe, as being superior to him.

According to the charge sheet, Rajan, who was reportedly hiding in Malaysia, had called Dey for a meeting but the journalist refused, CBI said.

Vora, now on bail, is the one who instigated the murder, CBI said.

Last month, adjourning the hearing in the case, the MCOCA court had said it would go ahead with framing of charges as per the charge sheet earlier filed by Mumbai police's crime branch if the CBI failed to do so by August 5.

However, the agency stepped up and filed a 300-page charge sheet on the day.

Rajan was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25 last year and deported to India.

He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, all now handed over to CBI.

Dey was shot dead in suburban Powai on June 11, 2011 allegedly at the behest of Rajan.

The first charge sheet filed in the case in 2011 names Satiah Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia (all arrested).

Another charge sheet was filed against Vora the next year. She is accused of instigating Rajan against Dey owing to her own professional rivalry.
Japan today announced a grant assistance of Rs 1.832 billion (USD 18.32 million) to Nepal for implementation of two projects related to education and enhancing airport safety in the mountainous country.

The grant was announced in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Nepal, according to a statement issued by the Embassy of Japan here.

Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Masashi Ogawa and Nepalese Finance Secretary Lok Darshan Regmi signed the agreements to this effect.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Japanese State Minister for Foregin Affairs Nobuo Kishi, who was on a brief visit to Nepal, were also present on the occasion.

During the function, Jun Sakuma, chief of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Nepal and Baikuntha Aryal, joint secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Nepal also signed the grant agreements for smooth implementation of the projects.

According to the press statement, Rs 1.518 billion of the grant would be spent for the implementation of the Project for Improvement of Aviation Safety Facilities at major Airports, with the purpose of improving the safety and efficiency of air transport in Nepal.

"As a result of this project, aviation safety will be significantly enhanced at the eight selected airports," said officials.

Nepal has witnessed a number of aircraft accidents in the recent past, claiming the lives of many.

Similarly, Rs 313 million would be spent for the implementation of the School Sector Development Programme (SSDP).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After slicing nearly $250 million from Wyoming agencies budgets, Gov. Matt Mead will not make any new cuts to state government between now and the January legislative session, he said Tuesday.

Mead cautioned during a news conference that if the Legislature implements new cuts, that would likely result in layoffs of state employees. Fewer than 10 state workers lost their jobs in the last round of cuts, announced in late June.

The governor also said he opposed raising taxes on wind energy, groceries and property  ideas that have been bandied about by lawmakers to increase revenues.

Mead told reporters the solution to the states revenue slump from declining oil, gas and coal production is dipping into state savings.

The governor said he is not pushing lawmakers into a corner, forcing them to make tough decisions on their watch rather than his own.

I am not trying to play a game of chicken, he said. But Ill just say the cuts need to be viewed in the same way as additional taxes are: How are we going to use the rainy day fund? Before you cut this program that affects my community, my state, my family  what is the rainy day fund for?

A panel of economists and number-crunchers representing the legislative and executive branches is expected to release a report in October that will project revenues from minerals, which the state heavily relies upon to fund government.

I will not make additional cuts before the session as I did in June, depending on the October CREG, Mead said, referring to the panel, the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group. I may make recommendations for additional cuts for the Legislature. But I will not make those cuts until the Legislature meets.

The cuts Mead announced in late June are being felt throughout the state. He said his office has received calls from concerned members of the public about the elimination of people and programs.

If we have to make additional cuts  I think that would require layoffs, he said. And so it is yet another reason that Ive said Im not going to make more cuts before the Legislature meets.

Mead said lawmakers are also likely receiving calls from constituents who are concerned about the cuts.

Its not just painful to those individual people, its services they provide to the state of Wyoming, he said.

At $1.8 billion, the states rainy day fund is the largest in the country relative to general fund expenses. In March, the Legislature agreed to tap into it and spend about $221 million to balance the $3 billion, two-year budget. That means by June 2018, the fund will hold about $1.6 billion.

Mead had recommended the Legislature spend more of the rainy day fund.

Before we go that route (of more cuts), I think we need to continue to look at the rainy day fund  how were going to use that? Whats the appropriate amount to use, recognizing the cuts are felt by all of Wyoming? he said.

Mead said he will continue to push lawmakers to accept federal money to expand Medicaid expansion to 20,000 low-income adults if Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is elected to the White House. Clinton has said she will continue to support the Affordable Care Act. Republican Donald Trump said he will get rid of the law and replace it with another set of reforms.

Last week, Mead said he told state agency directors to prepare for further budget cuts. But on Tuesday, he clarified he does not expect those cuts to happen before the Legislature convenes in January and that he doesnt believe there should be cuts.

Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, said that the longer the state delays cuts, the deeper they will be. Harshman is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the first committee to adopt the state budget.

If he made cuts in October, were only into the budget a few months, he said, referring to Wyomings fiscal year beginning July 1. But if he waits for us, itll be March, April. You lose five or six more months.

Harshman doubts the Legislature will increase taxes. Although lawmakers are sensitive to layoffs, cuts may be needed, depending on the states revenue picture, he said. Harshman noted that even though only a handful of state employees lost jobs in the June cuts, hundreds of people in the private sector lost jobs when contracts with the state were reduced.

You could spend all the rainy day fund in about two and a half years, he said. Were going to have to spend less. Theres no doubt about it.

Sen. Chris Rothfuss, the Democratic leader in the Senate, said he doesnt blame Mead for leaving the hard decisions to the Legislature. After all, lawmakers left Cheyenne earlier this year without giving the governor flexibility to shore up funds through tools such as rainy day fund. That forced him to announce the cuts in June.

But the Legislature is supposed to pass the budget, said Rothfuss, of Laramie.

Were supposed to make all those hard choices, and theyre politically not easy choices, he said. Its an election year.

Mead said this fall, he will unveil a long-term plan to diversify the economy, with help from the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Business Council and other entities.

I think where I may have made a mistake, and some previous governors have made a mistake, is they looked at diversity in terms of a four-year plan or an eight-year plan, he said. It needs to be a 20-year plan, so that we can, through administrations, continue this effort that is most needed in the state.
A judicial inquiry into the controversial land deals in Haryana allegedly involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra today submitted its report to the state government, apparently finding irregularities in the deals.

Justice S N Dhingra, a former judge of Delhi High Court, presented a 182-page report to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, 15 months after he was appointed to probe land deals in Gurgaon during the tenure of the then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

While refusing to give details of the contents of the report, Justice Dhingra indicated that he clearly found irregularities in the grant of land licenses in the area. The land deals became a major issue in 2014 during the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in Haryana.

Asked by newsmen whether the commission found any irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, "Had there been no irregularity I would have given one sentence report mentioning there is no irregularity. My report has 182 pages. Without it (irregularity), I did not have any reason to write 182 pages."



To a query about the companies involved in the irregularities, he said, "I do not know about which particular company you (media) are talking. My mandate was to inquire about irregularity in grant of licenses."



The Khattar government had on May 14, 2015 set up the one-man Commission to probe issues concerning the grant of license(s) for developing commercial colonies by the Department of Town and Country Planning to some entities in Sector 83, Gurgaon including mutation of land deal between a firm M/S Skylight Hospitality owned by Robert Vadra and realty major DLF.

Justice Dhingra said that it is for the government to act on the report, including making it public after laying it in the state assembly.

"I cannot disclose the contents of the report. It is the property of the state government which is to decide the timing of making public the report," he added. The Commission had been given three extensions so far.

Asked whether any government official or private persons were involved in irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, "I have probed irregularity in grant of licenses and the manner in which these irregularities were committed and the persons who were benefitted from it.

"Rest, indictment, is for the state to proceed against whatever it considers against whom it is to proceed and against whom it is not to proceed. That is the state's prerogative.

"I have named each and every person who is responsible whether private or government. Any person who was involved in irregularity has been mentioned (in the report) and role has also been mentioned. Beyond that I would not tell you who were they and what was the role," he further said.

Justice Dhingra said his report was in two parts which



contained findings and evidence.

"The report has two volumes. One is findings and second part has evidence of findings. The third part has some documents which I received on June 30 which needed to be investigated and I have mentioned for its investigation in the report," he said.

"This report is about all the subjects which were handed over to me and handled all the issues in my report in detail and whatever evidence I have got from files, I have mentioned in it."



However, he declined to share details of the findings of his report, saying it is up to the government to make it public. "If the government wants to make it public then you (media) will get it," he said.

"I cannot talk about contents of the report as it is legally government's property. Till it takes any decision after going through it or make it public I cannot say on it," he said.

Asked whether this report could be challenged, Justice Dhingra said, "if you know the law of this country any order which is perfectly legal can also be challenged.

"Is there any bar on challenging perfectly legal orders? If you do not know a perfectly legal order of the lowest court can be challenged right up to the Supreme Court even it is upheld in SC."



On action against how many people mentioned in the report, Justice Dhingra said, "I have told Mr Khattar what I told you that here is my report. The first part is the findings and second part is annexure and third part is documents which you need to investigate."



To a further query, he said, "CAG report if you have read it I will say CAG report was for small aspect. This is a detailed report which covered all the aspects."



Asked whether senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka was called, Justice Dhingra said, "If I had to call Khemka, I would have called him. I did not require him. Whosoever was required, I called him."



Asked about Congress allegations that the report was made public deliberately and that he had taken benefits from Haryana government, Justice Dhingra said, "you (media) can run those allegations...What can I say."



The Dhingra Commission had been given three extensions.

(REOPEN DEL 65)



On June 30, the BJP government had extended the term of the Dhingra Commission for the third time by two months till August 31, 2016 after he had sought six weeks more time to submit its report to go through some documents from a person stating "that they are documents of benami transactions of who benefitted from the grant of license."



The Rs 58-crore deal related to 3.5 acre land in Gurgaon's Shikohpur village which was sold by Vadra to DLF.

The Commission was to probe transfer or disposal of land, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules, and other connected matters, bringing the Vadra land deal under the scanner.

Thereafter, on August 28 last year, the Commission's scope was extended to four villages which included Shikhopur, Sihi, Kheri Daula and Sikanderpur Badha bringing Gurgaon's sector 78 to 86 under its ambit.

In October, 2012, senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka had cancelled the mutation of the land deal between Skylight Hospitality and DLF on the ground that assistant consolidation officer who had sanctioned the change of title, was not competent to do so. It was also mired by controversy over allegations of undervaluation.

BJP had made the land deals under the previous Congress government in Haryana a major poll issue during the 2014 Lok Sabha and the state Assembly polls, alleging rules were relaxed to favour a few including Vadra.

Justice Dhingra Commission had examined about 250 files related to the grant of commercial licenses, besides examining several government officials.

Congress had, earlier, attacked Justice Dhingra, alleging, "he sought favors from government of Haryana, making him incompetent and unsuitable to deliver any verdict or report in the matter."



Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had also sought scrapping the Dhingra Commission of Inquiry, pointing out that it was "contrary to established rules and norms, without due cabinet approval and prompted by malice and political considerations".
After the death of a 12-year-old boy due to alleged apathy of doctors in Kanpur Medical College, district authorities today asked all government hospitals to improve their facilities within three days, failing which they could face action.

"After visiting various hospitals in the city, directions have been issued to the hospitals to improve their facilities within three days, failing which action will be taken against the Chief Medical Superintendents (CMS) of the faulty hospitals," District Magistrate Kaushal Raj told PTI today.

He admitted that government hospitals in the district lack in facilities to match the rush of patients and said while the administration is making efforts to provide help, industrialists, traders and factory-owners have also been asked to help under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

"This will help in betterment of the hospitals and some of the businesspersons have agreed to help," Raj said.

Sunil Kumar brought his son Anshu, who was suffering from fever, to the emergency ward of Hallet hospital of JSVM Medical College here on August 28 and alleged that doctors asked him to go from one department to another which he did while carrying his son on his shoulders and the boy died later, a charge which the hospital authorities have refuted.

"The Additional City Magistrate and Additional Chief Medical Officer's two-member committee to inquire in to the incident was formed yesterday. They have recorded statements of Hallet hospital's doctors, ward boys and the boy's father. The committee will submit the report to me and I will then give it to the UP government in Lucknow," the DM said.

A meeting has also been called of CMS of the all the hospitals and other officials by the DM.

Following the death of the boy, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has suspended the Chief Medical Superintendent of the Kanpur Medical College.

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Extending support to local OBC leader Alpesh Thakor in his fight to seek tougher prohibition laws in Gujarat, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said the liquor industry which got farmland at cheaper rates, should provide 80-85 per cent of jobs to locals.

The Gujarat unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today released a three-minute-long video message, in which Kejriwal praised Thakor over his fight against alcoholism and "weak" prohibition law in the state.

"Some people from Gujarat met and told me that liquor is available in the state in such abundance that it seems a river is flowing. When I asked them about the prohibition law, they said it is just on paper. They told me that police and administration take money and make home delivery of whatever amount of liquor you order," Kejriwal said in the video message.

The AAP leader added that the people also told him about spurious liquor being available on a large scale in the state, which is claiming lives.

Thakor, who is the convener of Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena, recently announced to hold a mega rally in Gandhinagar on November 6 to demand tougher prohibition laws in Gujarat.

He had also said that before the rally, district-level meetings were planned and would be organised at different places in the state to drum up support on the issue.

"Alpesh Thakor is doing the right thing in this direction. The way he has launched his anti-alcohol drive in villages and a movement against (weak) prohibition, is commendable. He has done the right thing to mobilise people on the issue," the AAP leader said.

"On the one hand he is putting pressure on government to ensure prohibition law is made tougher, on the other he is persuading people in villages to give up alcohol. In some villages, people impose penalty on those who consume alcohol. Prohibition law is implemented in the real sense if society starts opposing it," he said.

Kejriwal also alleged that cheap farmland has been made available to the industry on the promise that 80-85 per cent jobs will be provided to the locals, which is not being honoured.

"People told me that BJP-led government in Gujarat provided land to industrialists at a very cheap rate by procuring it from farmers, on condition that 80-85 per cent jobs will be reserved for local people. But they have not yet provided jobs to locals," he said.

If such an agreement was made before taking land at cheap rates, then it should be honoured, he said.

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For the second time in three days, visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry got stuck in the Delhi's traffic jam today, while Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag was also caught in the massive vehicular congestion, following heavy rains in the national capital.

Kerry was caught in the traffic snarls when he was heading towards IIT in south Delhi for participating in an event, while Suhag got late for an army event due to the jam.

The US Secretary of State had a similar experience Monday evening while travelling to his hotel room at Chanakyapuri from the IGI airport.

He had to also cancel his visit to religious sites today as heavy rains lashed the national capital since morning.

Kerry was scheduled to visit the Gauri Shankar temple, the Jama Masjid and the Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib in the old Delhi area.

Meanwhile, Army Chief Dalbir Singh was also caught in traffic jam. He was to reach the India Habitat Centre for an army event, but couldn't make it in time because of the traffic congestion.

Several parts of the Lutyens' Zone, a VVIP area, witnessed a serpentine queue of vehicles.

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US Secretary of State John Kerry today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared with him US' perspective on developments in the region and beyond.

Kerry, along with US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, also discussed progress in bilateral engagement since Prime Minister's visit to US in June 2016 apart from briefing him on the 2nd India-US Strategic & Commercial Dialogue that concluded yesterday, according to a PMO release.

"Secretary Kerry also shared US perspective on developments in the region and beyond with Prime Minister," it said.

The US Secretary of State, yesterday as well as today in his speech at an event, had asked Pakistan to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against "indigenous groups" operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistan's peace and stability.

"Prime Minister conveyed satisfaction at the expanded and strengthened strategic partnership between India and the US over the past two years that has opened up new vistas for collaboration. He conveyed that he looked forward to rapid progress and successful completion of the decisions taken with President Obama at the Summit Meeting in June," the PMO said.

Modi also conveyed that he looked forward to meeting President Obama at the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China.

Tweeting on his meeting, Modi said, "Glad to meet you, Secretary @JohnKerry. We had fruitful discussions on India-USA ties."



Kerry had earlier tweeted: "Pleased to sit down with @narendramodi, reflect on successful S&CD and our ever- deepening relationship with #India.

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US Secretary of State John Kerry today postponed his departure from India by at least two days, prompting speculation about the reasons for the sudden decision.

Kerry, whose official engagements here ended with a call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi this afternoon, was scheduled to leave at 5.30 pm. However, he may now leave either on Friday or Saturday for China where he will join President Barack Obama for the G-20 Summit.

Deputy Spokesperson in State Department Mark Toner, who is travelling with Kerry, said, the visit has been extended to enable him to travel to China for G-20 Summit this weekend.

"Kerry would now remain in the Indian capital until Friday or Saturday, when he will leave for the summit in Hangzhou. Kerry's schedule for his remaining time in India is still to be determined," Toner told the accompanying media.

It was not clear that whether Kerry's decision to travel to China was taken at the last minute or whether he was planning to visit any other country in the region which may have been called off.

Kerry arrived here on August 29 to co-chair the 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue during which the two sides discussed key issues including terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

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Sri Lanka today said it will set up a secretariat with Japan to expand cooperation in several areas including agriculture, science and technology for industries and advanced infrastructure.

The Japan - Sri Lanka Joint Comprehensive Partnership Secretariat will be set up in Colombo and Tokyo to facilitate a co-operation arrangement with Japan agreed upon during the official visit of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to Tokyo in October 2015.

The two governments had agreed to work on cooperation covering the areas of advanced agriculture, science and technology for industries, advanced infrastructure and regional development, education and human resources development, and civil security and safety.

The Cabinet of ministers approved the proposal to establish the Joint Comprehensive Partnership Secretariat in Colombo and Tokyo for facilitating the cooperation, the Government Information Department said.

The Cabinet has also approved a proposal by the Prime Minister to sign exchange notes with the government of Japan to obtain a development policy loan facility.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has agreed to provide funds for the development process of the government considering the sectors of achieving the economic stability of Sri Lanka through financial stability of Sri Lanka, improvement of public resources management and facilitating public-private competition.

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The people of Ladakh have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a Union Territory status for the region.

"On behalf of the tribal people of Ladakh, the heads representing the Buddhist communities, the Shia community, the Sunni community and the Christian community Leh hereby appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for grant of Union Territory Status with legislature for the frontier region," a memorandum submitted by four major organisations submitted to the Prime Minister said.

The President Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), Anjuman Imamia, President Christian Community Leh and Moin Ul Islam of Leh district, said they submitted the memorandum to the Prime Minister last week.

"Ladakh was once an independent Himalayan kingdom. The political history of Ladakh dates back to 930 A.D. When several small, sovereign principalities outlying the Western Himalayas were integrated and given a unified polity by Lha-Chen-Palgigon.

"Ladakh as an independent kingdom gained political status during 15th-16th century when the Namgyal dynasty came into power," it said.

The memorandum said that the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the "territorial limits of which never formed a natural geopolitical entity in its real sense", still "suffers from geopolitical crises and disorder".

"Indian Nationalism remained a dominant ideological creed and became a rallying force among the Ladakhis to fight back the Pakistanis and the Chinese who made frequent bids of conquer our land in 1948, 1962, 1965, 1971 and 1999 wars.

"The jawans of Ladakh Scouts played an exemplary role in decisively foiling the enemy's misadventures. The people of Ladakh always stood for national unity and integrity of the country. We always supported the Government in Delhi, irrespective of the political party in power," it said.

"We are left with no choice but to reiterate our longstanding demand for granting Union Territory status to Ladakh, which would guarantee us an administrative set-up to run our own affairs and safeguard our interests, it said.

"It is absolutely erroneous to equate Kashmir valley with the rest of the State. Ladakh constitutes 69.6 % of the total J&K territory with a distinct geo-political and geo-cultural identity of its own," it said.

"The aspirations of the people of Ladakh and their national outlook are different from those of the people of Kashmir.

"We strongly feel that the Union Territory with an elected legislature is the only instrument through which the present political ambivalence can be ended and by which we can achieve our aspirations. We place trust in your sagacity and urge upon you to fulfil our demand without any further delay.

"We are committed to continuing our joint struggle for our collective honour and dignity," the memorandum said.

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Noted banker Deepak Parekh today attributed the "very poor" quality of city roads to the government's bidding process, saying that the lowest bidder will always make a "shabby road".

"Quality is very poor and every monsoon after rains, we have to redo the roads. This is because state governments have to award to L1, to the lowest tender because their rules and regulations don't permit... So the lowest contractor, lowest price bidder will always build a shabby road because he underbid it and so every year you have to spend," he said.

Citing the example of Mumbai, he said, the authorities have blacklisted five contractors who will not participate after monsoon because their quality has been poor.

His comments come after the visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry this morning remarked about Delhi rains and the ensuing traffic jams.

"I don't know if you came in boats...But I salute you," said a smiling Kerry to a packed audience at IIT, Delhi, after his motorcade was once again stuck in Delhi traffic as heavy rains led to waterlogging.

"You guys deserve an award for being able to get here today. I don't know if you came in boats or amphibious vehicles of some kind. But I salute you," said Kerry who was forced to cancel his trip to three religious sites today in the city after incessant rains in the national capital.

Parekh also observed that the car population in India has grown much much faster than what government can manage.

"In Delhi, you tried odd and even car, it didn't work. In Mumbai and Bangalore, we had the problem of not only traffic but quality of road," he said.

Parekh, who is the chairman of the country's largest mortgage lender HDFC, said the government needs to pay proper pricing for infrastructure building.

"We need better contractors. The government and states must pay proper pricing. They don't have the resources, they go for the lowest bid. We have to build more permanent roads which, don't get damaged after every monsoons every year," he said.

Besides, he also made a case for Public Private Partnership (PPP) model for construction of urban roads.

"I think some (PPP) experiment could be done with city roads," he added.

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Referring to NHAI, Parekh said: "It has given major road contracts but they are connecting to cities, connecting a port and a capital but we are not looking at the urban roads that are in major metros how can we improve roads in major metros and how do we ease the traffic.

"If this is the position in Delhi in two days, it has paralysed everything. What will happen 3-5 years later when the number of cars in the city will increase? So we have to put our minds together, get adequate funding from states so that they can build better quality roads."



Delhi has been experiencing massive traffic jams over past few day due to heavy rainfall.

Making a case for allowing municipal authorities to raise fund by issuing bonds, Parekh said, it will help create quality urban infrastructure.

"Funding roads and urban infrastructure, we must equip our municipalities to be able to borrow or access bond markets. Worldwide municipal bonds are issued and subscribed by private institutions, insurance companies financial institutions sovereign wealth funds, mutual funds," he said.

In India, Parekh said, "we do not have any municipality floating public bonds because the municipal balance sheet is stretched".

They cannot not tap bond market unless some of them are capitalise or they are professionalised, he said.

As municipality is a part pf the state government guarantee by state governments can also help them to tap bond market, he added.

If municipalities float bond issues, there will be liquidity in the system, he said, adding that if they have a reasonable rate, its a government guarantee paper, people will buy, financial institution like HDFC will buy, infrastructure companies will buy.

"We want long term assets. It is the reluctance of municipalities...They are not issuing bonds because they don't know if the revenue will come, whether they will be able to pay back on time, pay interest. We will have to do some financial re-engineering," he said.

The problem is participants of the bond markets are not sure about the revenue model of municipalities, and state governments to permit municipalities to raise money from bond markets, he added.

Besides, he said, there should be longer term maturity, withdrawal facility over a period of time.
A Maldivian criminal court has issued arrest warrants for Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected president who was toppled in 2012, and other exiled leaders of the Maldives United Opposition.

Nasheed, 49, was granted political asylum in the UK last May after he was authorised to travel for medical treatment while serving the sentence for a terror-related offence.

"The warrant for Nasheed's arrest was sought over an investigation into the alleged misuse of state funds during his presidency," the police said in a statement yesterday.

"The Maldives correctional service is seeking to have him brought back to serve the remainder of his 13-year sentence on a terror conviction," The Maldives Independent reported, citing the statement.

Nasheed was sentenced to jail in March 2015 after he was convicted on a terror-related charge, inviting widespread international condemnation.

The police were also authorised to arrest and bring back Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and Akram Kamaldeen, a senior official of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, for refusing to obey a police summons on August 4, which ordered the pair to return to the Maldives within two weeks for questioning over unspecified charges, the paper said.

Jameel, who fled the Maldives in July last year, has also been granted political refugee status by the UK government. He has since been living in self-imposed exile in the UK.

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The Maldives government said today it was seeking the arrest of former president Mohamed Nasheed for failing to return to the archipelago to complete a prison sentence after receiving medical treatment in Britain.

Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically-elected leader, recently won political asylum in Britain after being granted permission to travel there for treatment while serving a 13-year sentence for a terror-related offence.

"A court order (has been) issued for arrest of former president Mohamed Nasheed," the government said in a statement, issued after Nasheed flew to neighbouring Sri Lanka.

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Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today announced that a thorough probe would be conducted into allegations of malpractice and corruption in the now defunct Anglo French Textile (AFT) mill owned by the government.

He was responding to AIADMK member A Baskar's query, during the question hour in the assembly, on malpractices that had caused serious setback to the operations of the mill.

Baskar alleged that the machinery installed in the mill several decades ago, had been disposed of by the then Chairman of the mill for a measly sum.

"The entrepreneur who had purchased the machinery was now using it in neighbouring Tamil Nadu," he said while seeking a probe into the modalities adopted in selling the machinery.

Members cutting across party lines demanded that the Puducherry government order an inquiry into the various complaints of corrupt practices in the mill during the previous regime.

Industries Minister M O H F Shah Jahan told the members that a probe would be conducted into the allegations of corruption in running the mill.

Speaker V Vaithilingam intervened and asked the Minister to ensure that the investigation commenced in a month's time.

Meanwhile, replying to the complaints raised by members of both ruling and opposing blocks regarding poor quality of water available to the residents, Public Works Department Minister A Namassivayam informed that a major project involving an investment of Rs 1400 crores, to ensure augmented and quality drinking water to residents of the Union Territory, is on the anvil.

"The project would be implemented with the funds from the French government," he added.

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A group of three masked youths today looted about Rs 15 lakh from a bank at Kausalyagang under the jurisdiction of Pipili Police station, the police said.

The incident took place this afternoon when the youths came in separate motorbikes to the bank and snatched away money from the staff.

"The private security guard deployed by the bank was seriously injured as the youths beat him up before entering the building," said Pipili Police Station inspector in-charge (IIC) Sushil Kumar Mishra.

Mishra said the gang members threatened the five bank staff before decamping with the money from the cash counter.

The police has launched a search for the gang members, he added.

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President Enrique Pena Nieto awoke to a storm of criticism from Mexicans over his decision to meet with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is widely reviled in Mexico for referring to its migrants as rapists and criminals.

Blogger Diego Garcia stood with a handful of protesters at Mexico City's Independence Monument, wearing a green professional wrestler's mask and holding aloft a sign reading "Stop Trump's Insults!"



"This man has called Mexicans a burden on society, so for the president to invite him here in a friendly way, and what's worse, to meet with him in private, well I consider that an insult," said Garcia.

Artist Arturo Meade stood nearby with his two-and-a-half-year old son Mariano and shook his head in disgust.

"This is an insult and a betrayal," Meade said. "What can this meeting bring us, except surrealism in all its splendor?" Former President Vicente Fox told local media that Trump was trying to boost his sagging campaign. "He fooled him (Pena Nieto) ... He's using him to try to recover lost votes."



Former first lady Margarita Zavala, wife of ex-president Felipe Calderon and herself a potential presidential candidate, aimed a tweet at Trump, saying: "Even though you may have been invited, we want you to know you're not welcome. We Mexicans have dignity, and we reject your hate speech."



Leading historian Enrique Krauze also addressed a tweet to Trump in English: "Listen ... We Mexicans expect nothing less than an apology for calling us 'criminals and rapists.'"



He compared Pena Nieto's meeting with Trump to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signing of a 1938 peace pact with Germany. "Tyrants are to be confronted, not pacified," Krauze told the Televisa TV network.

Even Pena Nieto has made such such comparisons. Asked about Trump in March, Pena Nieto complained to the Excelsior newspaper about "these strident expressions that seek to propose very simple solutions." He said that sort of language has led to "very fateful scenes in the history of humanity."



"That's the way Mussolini arrived and the way Hitler arrived," Pena Nieto said.

Many Mexicans felt the Republican candidate had left Pena Nieto flat-footed by accepting an invitation the Mexican president had made simply for appearances' sake.

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Supermodel Miranda Kerr has revealed that her ex-husband Orlando Bloom made sure to give her a heads up before his nude photos of paddleboarding with girlfriend Katy Perry surfaced on the Internet.

Kerr shared that fun tidbit while on "The Kyle and Jackie O radio" show and she said Bloom had actually told her about the racy pics, reported E! online.

The 33-year-old beauty, who shares five-year-old son Flynn with Bloom, said, "Oh my god, he texted me and he was like, 'Um, I'm really embarrassed. Some photos are coming out. Just thought I should let you know'," Kerr recalled.

"I was like, 'Hmm, right... What were you thinking? Seriously, what were you thinking?' Obviously he wasn't."



Kerr then jokingly told the hosts that she's going to send Bloom some pants or board shorts. "Yes, I'm going to send Orlando a pair of both because he, you know, might like either of those," she said.

Bloom's nude photos emerged online during his and Perry's vacation in Italy earlier this summer. The pair have been dating for months now. Meanwhile, Kerr is now engaged to Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel.

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The two-day emergent session of the Mizoram state legislature was today adjourned sine die by speaker Hiphei.

The assembly today passed the Mizoram Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2016 as introduced by state Transport Minister John Rotluangliana which replaced the Ordinance issued by the state governor in July.

Elections to the three assembly financial committees, Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Estimates and Committee on Public Undertakings, were held after which Hiphei said that they would soon appoint the chairmen of the committees.

The assembly had ratified the 122nd amendment to the Constitution by adopting an official resolution moved by the state finance minister Lalsawta yesterday.

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Agriculture scientists today said that Mizoram has high potential for horticulture production though its vast potential remained untapped.

Assistant Director General of Indian Council for Agriculture and Research (ICAR) Dr T. Janakiram told reporters here that high quality vegetables and flowers could be produced in the state.

Making special mention of Anthurium, Janakiram said that the centre's Horticulture Mission was successful in the state as Mizoram has become 'the Anthurium state'.

The Centre of Excellence in the state should provide good technology and high quality seedlings and planting materials to the farmers, he said, suggesting that it should initially concentrate on citrus fruits, especially Assam lemon and avacado.

"We would slowly diversify our crops after taking up the two crops," he said, adding that local varieties of vegetables should also be promoted.

He also said that contingency plans should be made to overcome constraints in transportation, labour and water management so that the farmers would have a good market linkage.

Counsellor of the International Development Cooperation (Mashav), Science and Technology, Israel Embassy in Delhi Dan Alluf expressed the hope that Mizoram would become a leading partner of Israel in the Indo-Israel partnership of agriculture and horticulture sector.

While Israeli experts would come to the state, people from the state would also visit Israel to receive training, he added.

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State-run MOIL is set to enhance production of manganese ore up to 2.5 million tonnes by 2020-21, a top company executive has said.

Manganese Ore India Ltd (MOIL) is the single largest producer of manganese ore in the country with an annual production of 1.1 million tonnes (MT).

It is planning to increase the number of mines in central India by 2020-24 which will help it to increase the production.

"MOIL is set to enhance production of manganese ore up to 2.5 MT 2020-21. India is producing two million tonnes of manganese ore while we are importing 10 MT from other countries, to meet the requirement," MOIL Chairman-cum -Managing Director G P Kundergi said.

A day before his superannuation Kundergi told reporters yesterday that the Centre is planning to increase the production which will help to reduce import.

"The company has already taken up mining development projects to sustain and enhance the production level. In this direction, two new vertical shafts have already been commissioned at Mansar and Ukwa Mines of company while deepening of the existing shafts has also been undertaken in Balaghat and Kandri Mines," Kundargi said.

He further said the company is planning to enter into the field of power generation through non-conventional sources such as wind and solar.

MOIL operates about 10 mines - six in Maharashtra and four in Madhya Pradesh. Balaghat Mine is the largest mine of the company which produces one of the best quality of manganese ore in the country and is also the deepest underground manganese mine in Asia.

On the welfare front, MOIL takes care of miners health by conducting different projects and workshops for their health.

"MOIL is planning to work with National Institute of Miners Health (NIMH) for better health of miners," Kundargi added.

He said MOIL is working for waste management along with NEERI and Engineering institution, VNIT to utilise manganese waste.

The company planted about two lakh saplings near the mines to maintain the environmental balance.

He also revealed that MOIL got exploration licence



from the Centre which will help to get more information about manganese in the region.

MOIL identified few places like Jhabua, Jabalpur and Chhindwara for exploration and the work will start soon. This licence is a big achievement for MOIL because it will help to increase the production in future, Kundargi added.

To a question, Kundergi said the wind energy unit of MOIL was producing about 20 MW of power and company was selling 15 MW to Madhya Pradesh government and retaining five MW for running its own offices.

The new CMD designate Mukund Chaudhari, Director (Commercial), T K Pattnaik and Executive Director (Tech), Deepankar Shome were also present.
MRN Cane Power India has received green nod for setting up a new industrial complex comprising sugar, co-generation power and alcohol units in Bagalkot district, Karnataka at a cost of Rs 401.23 crore.

A newly incorporated company has proposed to establish an integrated sugar unit with a crushing capacity of 5,000 tonnes cane per day, 35 mw co-generation power plant and 65 kilo litre per day (KLPD) molasses-based distillery at Kallapur village.

"Based on the recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), the Environment Ministry has given accord to MRN Cane Power India Ltd's proposal," a senior government official said.

The clearance given to the proposed sugar project is subject to certain conditions, the official added.

The capital investment for the proposed project would be Rs 401.23 crore. About 233 acres of land has already been acquired, and raw material, especially sugarcane, would be procured from within the district.

Among conditions specified, MRN Cane Power India has been asked to provide electrostatic precipitator along with stack of adequate height to bagasse and coal fired boiler to control particulate emissions.

The company has been asked to construct 'pucca' approach road to the project site prior to commencement of the construction activity of the main distillery to avoid fugitive emissions.

According to the conditions, total fresh water requirement from Malprabha river should not exceed 505 cubic metre (m3) per day for the sugar unit, 308 m3/day for co-generation and 560 m3/day for distillery. No ground water should be used without permission.

The company has been asked to adopt 'zero discharge' and ensure no effluent from sugar, distillery and co-generation power plant is discharged outside the plant premises.

It has also been asked to develop green belt in over 33 per cent of land within the plant premises.

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A delegation of prominent Muslim leaders will visit Jammu and Kashmir soon as part of an unofficial initiative to help bring peace in Kashmir Valley, which has been witnessing unrest for more than 50 days.

The Muslim leaders of various parts of the country had met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on two occasions recently and expressed their willingness to visit Jammu and Kashmir to help bring peace.

Sources said Singh has conveyed to the Muslim leaders that they were free to visit anywhere and if their trip to Kashmir Valley helps bring peace, it would be a welcome step.

However, the sources made it clear that the Muslim leaders were not authorised to carry out any 'Track-II' dialogue with any stakeholder in the Kashmir Valley.

The visit of the Muslim leaders has nothing to do with any 'Track-II' initiative but a goodwill initiative as all right thinking people are concerned over the situation in Kashmir, they said.

The Muslim leaders are free to meet anyone, can interact with any individual, groups or separatists whomever they wish to meet, the sources said.

The Muslim leaders will undertake the visit after the two-day tour of an all-party delegation on September 4-5.

Those who could be part of the Muslim delegation are former Rajya Sabha MP Shahid Siddiqui, former interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir M M Ansari, defence analyst Qamar Agha, senior journalist Zafarul Islam Khan besides others.

Kashmir Valley has been witnessing turmoil ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8. So far 69 people have lost their lives in the 53 days unrest in Kashmir Valley.

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JACKSON, Wyo.  One wolf from a pack that recently attacked cows to eat them on private land near Grand Teton National Park has been killed and three more have been targeted to be killed, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

The wolves have killed two adult cows and injured four calves over the last week, said Mike Foster, the Wyoming director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a report published Tuesday by The Jackson Hole News and Guide. One calf had to be put down because of its injuries.

"It became clear that we need to do something," said Tyler Abbott, the Fish and Wildlife Service's deputy field supervisor for Wyoming.

The four wolves were wearing GPS collar devices that had data collected by the park linking them to the livestock attacks. Authorities plan to use traps to catch them or shoot them.

Abbot said ranchers in the area had tried some deterrents without providing further details, but the efforts were not enough to stop the attacks that are called depredations.

"We felt like everything was being done within their means to limit depredations," Abbott said. "It's at that point where we have to make a decision to do more."

Conservationist Franz Camenzind said he supports lethal wolf control as long as all other nonlethal methods have been explored but said he had unanswered questions about attempts to use nonlethal methods.

"What have they done to try to prevent this?" Camenzind asked. "Have they changed their operations at all? Have they instigated range riders? Would they accept volunteer range riders?"
The nationalism debate, sedition row at JNU and events like "eulogizing Yakub Menon" at Hyderabad Central University will be highlighted by RSS' student wing ABVP in its campaign for the upcoming Delhi University Student Union polls.

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) which has been bagging the four crucial posts of the DUSU panel for last two years is aiming to complete a hatrick of its clean sweep in the keenly contested polls this year.

"The February 9 event at JNU should not be seen in isolation, but as a series of event by leftists. We will continue to oppose events which eulogize Yakub Menon or protest hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru," Saket Bahuguna, Media coordinator, ABVP said at a press conference.

"We will highlight these anti-national activities by left groups as bigger national issue during the DUSU polls and ABVP will continue to protest against them," he added.

Construction of more hostels, passing of Room rent control act, special buses for DU students are some of the other issues on party's poll agenda.

The student outfit will release its official manifesto on September 5, four days before the varsity goes to 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.

(REOPENS DES 24)



Meanwhile, the Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) today announced that it is forming an alliance with student group Chanakya Chhatra Parishad for the upcoming polls.

The party which had released its first ever women manifesto for the student polls last week also announced that it will release a special manifesto for North East students.
Normal functioning of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) was affected today as students demanded immediate removal of a professor who allegedly sexually harassed a research scholar.

The students complained that a Dean of the School of Social Sciences sexually harassed a research scholar of the History department on August 26.

Following the alleged incident, she made a written complaint to the university authorities that referred the case to the NEHU Women's Cell.

The students under the banner of the North Eastern Hill University Students' Union (NEHUSU) brought out a protest march to the office of the vice-chancellor demanding action against the professor.

In a memorandum submitted to the VC, NEHUSU president Tyrchain Lypon said, "We demand immediate removal of the professor as the Dean, School of Social Sciences. His service as a teacher should also be terminated."



Professor Manmohan Singh, who spoke on behalf of the VC, assured the agitating students that action will be taken once the Women Cell submits its report and recommendation on the issue.

The NEHUSU has served a two-day deadline to the varsity authorities for completing the investigation into the case.

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" means Brexit", Prime Minister Theresa May asserted on Wednesday, rejecting a second referendum as she held a brainstorming session with her ministers on Britain's withdrawal from the EU amid reports of major divisions among key figures in the Cabinet.

The Prime Minister stated her position before chairing a Cabinet meeting at her country retreat, Chequers on after the June referendum in favour of Britain leaving the European Union (EU).

She once again reiterated that " means Brexit", ruling out any second referendum on Britain's withdrawal from the the 28-nation bloc.

"We will be looking at the next steps that we need to take and we will also be looking at the opportunities that are now open to us as we forge a new role for the UK in the world," May said in a statement as she chaired the meeting.

"We must be clear that we are going to make a success of it - that means no second referendum, no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door. That we are actually going to deliver on it," she said.

She has indicated that the UK government will not trigger Article 50 - the official mechanism for beginning the process of leaving the EU - until the start of 2017 at the earliest.

From that moment, discussions over the terms of the UK's exit will conclude in two years unless all 28 members of the EU agree to extend them.

The UK voted to leave the EU, by a margin of 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent, in a referendum on 23 June and May, who had backed staying in the EU, became prime minister after David Cameron resigned in its aftermath.

Two months on from the vote, the relationship the UK will have with the EU after its exit, in terms of access to the EU internal market and obligations in regard to freedom of movement, remains unclear.

Today's meeting at the Prime Minister's country residence is being billed as the most significant since the referendum vote in June and comes amid reports of tensions and diverging priorities among key figures in the Cabinet charged with implementing the UK's exit.
The army's Northern Command Chief Lt General D S Hooda today met Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra and discussed the security situation along the Line of Control and the hinterland in the Valley.

"Lt General Hooda called upon the Governor N N Vohra during his day-long visit to the Valley and discussed the prevailing situation," an army spokesperson said.

"The Governor was apprised about the measures taken by the Army along the LoC and hinterland to ensure security," he added.

During the meeting, Vohra was also informed about the steps taken for restoring normalcy in the valley, the spokesperson said.

Earlier in the day, Hooda, accompanied by Chinar Corps Commander Lt General Satish Dua, visited Khanabal in Anantnag district and Haiderbeg in Baramulla district where he interacted with the army personnel.

"He took first hand account of the ground situation during his interaction," the spokesperson said.

"While he stressed on the continued need for positive engagement with the people to alleviate their hardships and help bring back normalcy at the earliest, he also impressed upon all to re-invigorate the security matrix in conjunction with other government agencies," the spokesman added.

The Army commander appealed to the people to maintain calm and contribute towards restoration of peace in the Valley.

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President has cut short the sentences of 111 federal inmates in another round of commutations for those convicted of nonviolent drug offences.

Obama yesterday has long called for phasing out strict sentences for drug convictions, arguing they lead to excessive punishment and incarceration rates unseen in other developed countries.

White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said the commutations underscored the president's commitment to using his clemency authority to give deserving individuals a second chance. He said that Obama has granted a total of 673 commutations, more than the previous 10 presidents combined. More than a third of the recipients were serving life sentences.

"We must remember that these are individuals sons, daughters, parents, and in many cases, grandparents who have taken steps toward rehabilitation and who have earned their second chance," Eggleston said. "They are individuals who received unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes."

Eggleston noted that Obama also granted commutation to 214 federal inmates earlier in the month. With yesterday's additions, Obama has granted the greatest number of commutations for a single month of any president.

Eggleston says he expects Obama to continue using his clemency authority through the end of his administration. He said the relief points to the need for Congress to take up criminal justice reform. Such legislation has stalled, undercut by a rash of summer shootings involving police and the pressure of election-year politics.

Two goals of the legislation are to reduce overcrowding in the nation's prisons and save taxpayer dollars. In 1980, the federal prison population was less than 25,000. Today, it is more than 200,000.

But the legislation's supporters have encountered opposition from some Republicans who argue that changes could lead to an increase in crime and pose a greater danger to law enforcement.

Eggleston said Obama considered the individual merits of each application to determine that an applicant is ready to make use of their second chance.

One of those granted relief was Tim Tyler, who at 25 was sentenced to life in federal prison for possession with intent to deliver LSD as he followed the Grateful Dead. He is now set to be released on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrolment in residential drug treatment. Families Against Mandatory Minimums, an advocacy group, said it had been working on the Tyler family's behalf.

"We applaud the president for using the clemency power to free people who fully expected to die in prison and for shining a light on the excesses of federal drug sentencing." said Julie Stewart, the group's president.

The release dates for the inmates vary. Most are set to be released December 28.
World oil prices fell sharply today on that US commercial crude inventories rose by more than expected last week, indicating weakening demand and stoking supply glut concerns.

At around 16.45 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in October recoiled USD 1.55 to USD 44.80 per barrel.

Brent North Sea crude for the same month lost a hefty USD 1.30 to USD 47.07 a barrel compared with the closing level yesterday.

The US government's Department of Energy (DoE) reported that commercial crude inventories rose by 2.3 million barrels in the week to August 26.

That easily outstripped market expectations for a smaller gain of 1.3 million barrels, according to analysts polled by Bloomberg News, and followed a 2.5-million gain the previous week.

Last week's increase also exceeded an estimated rise of 900,000 barrels from industry body the American Petroleum Institute.

"Oil prices added to early declines after DoE inventory data showed a build," said CMC Markets analyst Jasper Lawler.

Rising US stockpiles tend to send oil prices lower because they add to the global supply glut - and indicate weakening demand in the world's top consumer of crude.

The DoE added today that gasoline or petrol reserves fell 700,000 barrels, while distillates - including diesel and heating fuel - rose 1.5 million.

Prices also fell on the back of the stronger greenback, which makes dollar-denominated commodities more expensive for buyers using weaker currencies.

Ahead of the US inventories data, the market was roiled by oversupply worries as Iran's oil minister reportedly stated his country planned to boost output.

The comments by Bijan Zangeneh, carried by Iran's official agency yesterday, added to a feeling that an informal OPEC meeting with Russia in September may not result in a deal to boost prices.

Zangeneh said Iran needed to raise its output to regain the market share lost while it was under international sanctions, which were lifted only in January.

Iran has struggled to raise production above four million barrels per day since the sanctions were removed, according to the report, which said it is currently producing 3.8 million.

"Many speculators are now just waiting to find out whether Saudi Arabia and other members of OPEC will agree next month to a production freeze deal with some non-OPEC producers, led by Russia," added City Index analyst Fawad Razaqzada.

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Over four lakh foreign students, including around 13,000 from India, studied in China last year, an increase of 50 per cent compared to 2010.

The higher education courses registered an increase of 17.5 per cent from 2010 as access to higher education has expanded constantly, Education Minister Chen Baosheng told legislators during the ongoing bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC).

About 36.47 million overseas students studied higher education in the country.

Chinese universities and colleges attracted nearly 400,000 overseas students from 202 countries and regions last year, a 50 per cent surge from 2010, he said.

This included around 13,000 students from India. Over 8000 Indian students study medicine in Chinese colleges, according to Indian officials.

The gross enrollments ratio for higher education, a gauge for education opportunities, was 40 per cent in 2015, 13.5 percentage points higher than in 2010, exceeding the average level of medium-to-high income countries, Chen said, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), over 45 per cent of the new work force had received higher education, Chen said in his report to the NPC.

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Pakistan and Afghanistan today agreed to re-open a friendship gate from tomorrow at a border crossing in Balochistan that was closed for two weeks after Afghan protesters burned the Pakistani flag at a border rally.

The decision was made after the fifth flag meeting between Pakistan and Afghanistan border force officials in Chaman in Balochistan province.

The border crossing, also known as Bab-e-Dosti (Friendship Gate), was closed on August 18 after some Afghan nationals gathered near the border gate and raised anti-Pakistan slogans. The Afghan protestors also started pelting stones at the gate and burned Pakistani flag.

After today's meeting, the Pakistani delegation chief Lt Col Muhammad Changez said the Afghan delegation submitted a written apology over the August 18 incident which led to the closure of the gate by the Pakistani authorities.

He said Col Muhammad Ali, who led the Afghan delegation, admitted that some anti-Pakistan and anti-Afghan elements were responsible for raising anti-Pakistan slogans and burning the Pakistani flag at the border this month.

Trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been adversely affected since the closure of the friendship gate, according to Dar Khan Achakzai, a former Chairman of the Chaman Chamber of Commerce and a local businessman.

Achakzai said that due to the closure of the border the daily transit of 500 to 600 loaded trucks and containers carrying perishable items like fresh fruit and vegetables had been put on hold for last 13 days.

On daily basis around 600 trucks and containers cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan carrying fruits and vegetables.

Similarly a lot of cottage industry goods from Gujranwala and Wazirabad in Punjab and other items go daily to Afghanistan, he said.

Also, every day between 10,000 and 15,000 Pakistani and Afghan traders cross into Chaman in Balochistan and Vesh Mandi in Kandhar province of Afghanistan.

The closure of the gate has badly affected the export and import business between the two countries, Achakzai said.

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The United States on Wednesday, said that it is clear that Pakistan has to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against "indigenous groups" operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistan's peace and stability.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on a three-day visit here, said that he has discussed with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of taking stronger action against groups such as the Haqqani network and LeT.

Addressing a session at IIT-Delhi here, he said terror groups like Daesh, Al Qaeda, LeT and JeM can't be fought by a single nation alone.

"We are working on it. I have been working on this issue very hard. I have had many engagements with Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities. They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India- Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," Kerry said.

Kerry said Pakistan has fastened the process in the recent months.
Noted poet, novelist and short story writer Kashmiri Lal Zakir passed away this evening, a state government release said.

He was 97.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar condoled the death of Zakir who was also the Chairman of Haryana Urdu Academy.

Khattar said, "With the death of Dr K L Zakir, a Padma Shri awardee, Urdu and Hindi literature have lost a doyen.

"He had been conferred with the honour of Fakhr-e-Haryana by the state government. His contribution to the world of literature will be remembered for long. My heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family. May his soul rest in peace."



Zakir's career, which started with his first ghazal published in Adabi Duniya in the 1940s a publication from Lahore, encompasses novels, dramas, short stories and travelogues. He served the Punjab Education Department during British rule.

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Tata Motors has raised concerns over policy changes in automobile sector, saying these cannot only be driven by a group of NGOs and activists.

The auto major said the industry should be made a stakeholder while dealing with the policies as it has the right expertise and technical knowledge about the industry.

"There is nothing wrong in change of policies and even nothing wrong if the policies are changed in the very challenging period of times.

But I think we need to be a part of the policy making process because the policies cannot only be driven by a group of NGOs and activists," said Tata Motors CEO and MD Guenter Butschek today.

He further added: "The policies are needed to be based on the knowledge and on the expertise."



According to him, the automakers are trapped in this and might loose their competitiveness in the global market.

"We get trapped somewhere in the middle and we might loose the ability to take the next level of the competitiveness as far as the global map is concerned," he said while addressing SIAM annual convention here.

Butschek's remarks has come in the ongoing debate in the backdrop of the diesel fuel policy.

In August, the Supreme Court has lifted the over six months ban on sale of diesel cars above engine capacity of 2000 cc in Delhi region after levying 1 per cent 'green cess' from carmakers.

It had also ruled that Central Pollution Control Board will set up a separate account in a public sector bank to collect this green cess.

Butschek said auto industry would remain one of the major drivers of the GDP, however, he also added there are plenty of challenges in future.

"These challenges would give us positive aspirations and open new horizons. We have to identify the opportunities for the industries to grow," he said, adding that we have to do it with positive mindsets.

According to him, some polices as vehicle scarping would have huge contribution to the environment and safety.

"Let the government finally decide how it work as whether it is voluntarily or its going to forced or subsidised. At the end of day we just need the clarity, then we would trust accordingly and the contribution is going to be huge in the industry and finally to the economy," he said.

Butschek further added that GST, which is expected to be implemented soon, would help the auto industry.

"This is something which is going to help us as industry, which is in particular help our customers also... This is a welcome move," he added.

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While the global economy will dominate at this weekend's summit of the Group of 20 industrialised and emerging-market nations, politics and security issues form the backdrop to the gathering of world leaders in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Terror attacks in Europe, the looming US presidential election and bloody ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq are among the issues making the world an uncertain and unsettling place.

World leaders including President Barack Obama, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are expected to take up such topics, either when gathering as a group on Sunday and Monday or during bilateral meetings held on the summit's fringes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has grown closer to China following the imposition of Western economic sanctions, will be in attendance, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French Prime Minister Francois Hollande and new British Prime Minister Theresa May.

May will face questions about Britain's decision to leave the European Union and its impact on the global economy amid rising economic nationalism.

Despite the wealth of controversial issues, China seems determined to deliver a non-confrontational, even uneventful summit, having endowed it with the middle-of-the-road theme of: "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."



"Accounting for two-thirds of the world population and more than 80 per cent of global economic output, G-20 nations deserve, and are expected, to play a bigger role in the managing the world economy," the official Xinhua Agency said in a recent commentary.

"The upcoming summit is undoubtedly a prime opportunity." Climate change, human rights and the fight against the Islamic State group will also feature during the meetings, with Obama and Xi expected to offer an update on progress toward ratifying the Paris agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

White House officials have said they hope the historic climate change pact could enter into force by the end of the year.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be present at his first major multinational gathering since a failed summer coup added new tensions to an already complex relationship with the US and its allies.

Though no breakthroughs are expected, the gathering offers a chance for leaders to discuss disagreements ranging from China's claim to Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea to NATO's concerns over Russia's seizure of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine.

The G-20 includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

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A powerful IED planted by Naxals was today recovered near an under-construction culvert in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, police said.

The Improvised Explosive Device (IED), weighing about 10 kg, was unearthed by a team of CRPF's 217 battalion underMaraigudapolice station limits when they were patrolling to ensure security to the under-construction Maraiguda-Golapalli road, a CRPF official told PTI.

Security forces had launched the operation from Maraiguda towards Golapalli, located around 450 km from the state capital Raipur, late this morning.

At around 11.45 AM, they spotted the explosive placed in a steel container hidden on a side of the road just ahead of the under-construction culvert on a rivulet, about four km away from Maraiguda, he said.

The explosive was immediately destroyed by the bomb disposal squad at the spot, he said.

It was meant to harm the security personnel during their operations in the area, he added.

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The number of confirmed Zika cases in Singapore surged past 100 late today, including the first pregnant woman to be infected by the disease which can cause deformities in babies.

The United States and Britain joined Australia and Taiwan in advising pregnant women to avoid non-essential travel to the city-state, while a local health expert warned the infection rate would rise.

The Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement late today they had identified 24 new infections plus nine more detected as a result of testing previous cases, bringing the total to 115.

A pregnant woman was among those who tested positive for the virus.

"Her doctor is following up closely with her to monitor her health and the development of her baby," the statement said.

"She will be referred to a maternal-foetal medicine specialist for counselling and advice."



The Aedes mosquito-borne Zika, which has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hardest-hit Brazil, causes only mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash.

But in pregnant women it can cause microcephaly, a deformation in which babies are born with abnormally small brains and heads.

Brazil, where the disease has become an epidemic, has reported 1,835 cases of microcephaly, the World Health Organization says.

Singapore today urged pregnant women showing symptoms of fever or rashes to get tested.

Expectant mothers with male partners who have tested positive were also told to visit their doctors.

The environment agency also said it would expand its operations to eradicate mosquitoes and their breeding places at a potential new cluster in the suburb of Bedok North and urged residents to cooperate, warning it will enter "inaccessible premises" by force if necessary.

"Over time, we expect Zika cases to to emerge from more areas," Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said in the statement.

"We must work out a plan on the basis that there is Zika transmission in other parts of Singapore."



Despite the rise in Zika cases, a spokesman for the Singapore Grand Prix told AFP today the Formula One race will go on as scheduled from September 16-18.

"We will continue to work with all relevant government agencies and implement any recommended precautionary measures as directed or deemed necessary," he said.

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Two Eritrean baby boys were recovering well at a hospital in Palermo today, a week after they were born prematurely in Libya and then - at only 5 days old - put on a cramped boat headed to Europe's shores.

The twin boys were lucky survivors of a dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean that has claimed more than 3,000 lives to date this year, a journey that many continue to take in a desperate effort for a better life.

The tiny infants, bundled in towels and with a white bonnet covering the head of one, were rescued off the Libyan coast by non-governmental groups on Monday.

They were among thousands of migrants, mostly Eritreans and Somalis, who piled into boats in Libya before dawn and traveled for several hours before being picked up.

The babies were in an open wooden boat carrying about 650 people who were exposed to the sun and wind and who had no food or water, said Nicholas Papachrysostomou, the field coordinator of rescue operators on Dignity I, a Doctors Without Borders ship that played a leading role in the rescue.

"Can you picture two 5-day-old babies on this boat?" Papachrysostomou told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

"It's hard to even imagine how the babies could be held by their mother without being squashed."



He said that one of the boys was at first in a "very vulnerable state," suffering from hypothermia, fatigue and showing low responsiveness.

The medical team on board the ship determined that the baby needed immediate medical attention and arranged to have both twins and their mother evacuated. They were first taken by boat to the island of Lampedusa, where they were stabilized, and then airlifted to a hospital in Palermo, where the boy was admitted to the neonatal ward.

"Both of them are doing well. The vulnerable one is stable. The developments of the story justified the decision" for the emergency medical treatment, Papachrysostomou said.

The mother, Merhawit Tesfamamrim, a 26-year-old from Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, was also recovering in the Palermo hospital, and appeared to be in good shape.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said that 3,167 people have either died or gone missing crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Europe from the Middle East and Africa to date this year in unseaworthy boats and dinghies.

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Punjab police has issued notices to various e-commerce portals for violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act by selling e-cigarettes.

"Punjab police's cyber crime wing has issued notices to different e-commerce portals for selling e-cigarettes," an official spokesperson said.

"It becomes significant to prohibit these internet sites from selling e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) devices containing nicotine in chemical form which is addictive and lethal," the spokesperson said.

E-cigarette have been declared as an "unapproved drug" by State Drug Controller since 2013.

"Court cases have been initiated in Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Mohali district against vendors selling e-cigarettes," the spokesperson said.

Earlier, State Tobacco Control Cell had also issued awareness notices to e-commerce sites that were violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act by selling unapproved drugs like e-cigarettes.

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In the backdrop of growing resentment against BJP among the Patidars in Gujarat, on Wednesday held interaction with leaders from the community to formulate strategy for the Assembly elections next year.

The meeting by the Congress Vice-President was significant as the BJP is battling a growing trust deficit with the Patels, as Patidars are known all over.

The community has been a strong supporter of the BJP for long which had ensured a smooth run for the party in successive elections.

BJP, which is in power in the state for the past over two decades, has been losing grip over the powerful community which has been demanding reservation.

Former president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee Siddharth Patel, projected as the party's Patel face in the state, was prominent among those present at the meeting.

Siddharth is the son of the late chief minister Chimanbhai Patel.
The brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was among eight persons against whom the Sri Lankan graft commission filed a corruption case today for causing a loss of nearly USD 75 million to the country.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, 67, was the powerful secretary to the Ministry of Defence under his brother's rule. He and seven others were implicated in the case they had caused a loss of over 11 billion Sri Lankan rupees (USD 74.93 million) to the state.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery Or Corruption has filed a case in Colombo magistrate court. The case involves illegal setup of a floating armory in the southern port of Galle during the period August, 2012 and January, 2015.

The floating armory operation through a private company was alleged to be a violation of the law when the Sri Lankan Navy ought to have been the state agency to carry out the operation.

The floating armory was seized by the police after Rajapaksa lost the presidential election in January, 2015 and the operation was later handed back to the navy.

The Rajapaksa family has faced many cases of alleged wrongdoings during the decade when they were in power. They have dubbed all cases as politically motivated to extract revenge from them.

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Rajasthan's Minister of Public Health Engineering Department(PHED) Kiran Maheshwari today refuted the charges the corruption allegations levelled by Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi, saying it is Congress which "patronises scams."



"Corruption has always been patronised by Congress. Before making any allegation, Congress should have looked at themselves first," Maheshwari said.

"In the last six months of previous Congress rule, tenders were issued hastily and certain firms were favoured. The previous government issued work order on around 25 per cent inflated rates," Maheswari alleged in a statement.

Yesterday, Dudi has demanded a debate on corruption in public health and engineering department, medical and health department and also cow deaths in Hingaunia Gaushala in the monsoon session of Rajasthan assembly which is beginning tomorrow.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today reviewed the progress of the the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), a robust intelligence gathering mechanism being set up to track terror suspects and incidents.

In a meeting, the Home Minister emphasised the importance of NATGRID in assisting the intelligence and law enforcement agencies in countering national and transnational crimes.

While noting the progress in the implementation of the project so far, Singh desired NATGRID to roll out the projection in a phased manner, focusing on early deliverables.

Home Minster stressed upon the need for NATGRID solution to use state-of-the-art technologies, including big data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Singh was also apprised of the new technology framework recommended by the advisory group, comprising the top technologists in research and academia in the country.

Expressing satisfaction over the progress made in the physical infrastructure, the Home Minister directed the officials to induct the best available talent in the field of Information Technology and cryptology for quicker implementation of the secure solution.

He emphasised that NATGIRD should enjoy a very robust security framework.

The meeting was attended by MoS-Home Hansraj Ahir, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and other senior officers of the Home Ministry.

The NATGRID, which is still in nascent stage, in different phases, will connect data providing organisations and users besides developing a legal structure through which information can be accessed by the law enforcement agencies.

In the first phase, 10 user agencies and 21 service providers will be connected, while in later phases about 950 additional organisations will be linked and another over 1,000 organisations in the subsequent years.

These data sources include records related to immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions and telecommunications. The agencies include the Intelligence Bureau, local police and revenue and customs departments.

While the clearance for Rs 3,400 crore project from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) came in 2011, execution of the project slowed down after the exit of the Home Minister P Chidambaram in July 2012.

There are around 70 personnel, drawn from both the government and private sectors, in NATGRID.

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The fishermen here today announced a series of agitations from September 2 pressing their charter of demands, including release of four of their colleagues and boats detained in Sri Lanka.

A resolution to this effect was adopted at a meeting of various fishermen's associations here, president of Harbour Mechanised Boat Fishermen's Association P Devadass told reporters.

He said the fishermen would stand in neck-deep water in 'agnitheertham' (the sea here) and stage a demonstration on September 2.

They would launch an indefinite fast from September 12.

The fishermen demanded restoration of their traditional rights to fish in the Palk Strait.

Besides, they sought compensation from the Sri Lankan government for damage caused to their boats due to idle anchoring.

The fishermen from the island town had resumed fishing operations only on August 3 following a week-long protest after Sri Lanka set 77 of their colleagues free. It, however, refused to release more than 100 seized boats belonging to the fishermen from Tamil Nadu.

Subsequently, four fishermen from Pudukottai were arrested earlier this month.

On August 8, the Tamil Nadu government had informed the state Assembly that retrieval of Katchatheevu, ceded to Sri Lanka in the 1970s, and restoration of traditional fishing rights of the fishermen in the Palk Bay area were its topmost agenda.

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Wading into a fresh controversy, actress-turned-politician Ramya, who is facing a private complaint on sedition charge for her "pro-Pakistan" remarks, has questioned the role of BJP and RSS in the country's freedom struggle.

"Actually if you see, Congress was the reason for India getting its Independence. BJP, RSS did not participate in thefreedom struggle. They sided with the British," she told reporters at Mandya.

Her comments yesterday evoked a sharp reaction from BJP which hit back at her saying she had not learnt history. "All those who fought for the freedom were in Congress but later founded their own parties. Ramya has not learnt the nation's history," BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje said. Another Lok Sabha member Pratap Simha described her comments as "absurd" and said she had betrayed that she lacked even the elementary knowledge of history.

Ramya, a former Congress MP, is facing a private complaint on sedition charge for her "pro-Pakistan" remarks recently.

After a recent visit to Islamabad as part of a SAARC delegation of young lawmakers, Ramya had reportedly said at a meeting in Mandya, which she represented from 2013 to 2014 in Lok Sabha, "Pakistan is not hell. People there are just like us. They treated us very well."



Her remarks had come as an apparent counter to comments of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who while lashing out at Islamabad for promoting terror, had said last week, "Going to Pakistan is same as going to hell."



The 33-year-old multilingual actress' comments had triggered a bitter backlash but she stood her ground saying that she would not apologise for her position.

An advocate has filed a complaint in a court at Somwarpet in Kodagu district, seeking action on sedition and other charges against Ramya for "insulting" Indian patriots by her remarks.

Advocate K Vittala Gowda in his complaint before the Somwarpet Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court has sought a direction to police to book Ramya under IPC sections 124(a)(sedition), 344 (wrongful confinement for ten or more days) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment). The issue kicked up a controversy with questions being raised over invoking a colonial-era law to curb free speech. Ramya's remarks triggered a bitter backlash on social media and BJP and ABVP workers staged protests terming her remarks "anti-national".

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Concerned over the plight of an 18-month old rape victim, a city court today asked a forensic science laboratory (FSL) here to expedite the process of analysing the samples in the 2015 case.

Additional Sessions Judge Raghubir Singh passed the direction while hearing the case in which a toddler was sexually assaulted by one Ram Preet last year in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar area.

"Let a request letter be sent to the Director, FSL to expedite the analysis as the victim in this case is merely one-and-a-half-year old," the judge said.

The court has framed charge against the accused for the offence under section 6 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

It had earlier granted interim compensation of Rs 50,000 to the child for her rehabilitation.

The accused has claimed that he had not committed any wrong with the child and no case was made out against him.

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A retired Army Colonel has been arrested in connection with the alleged bogus recruitment racket at the Artillery Centre here, police said today.

Colonel (retd) Sukhpritsingh Arjunsingh Randhawa (59), a resident of Noida in Uttar Pradesh, who is alleged to be the mastermind of the bogus Army recruitment racket, was arrested yesterday from Noida by a team of the city's Upnagar police station.

The personnel, who recently retired from the Army, will be brought to Nashik for further probe in the case, Deputy Commissioner of Police Shrikant Dhivare said.

Police had on July 11 arrested four men claiming to be Army recruits -- Balbir Ramchandra Gurjar, Sureshkumar Shivcharan Mahanto, Sachinkumar Kishansingh and Tejapal Motiram Chopada -- all hailing from Rajasthan, for allegedly submitting fake documents for joining the Artillery Centre here.

They were held following a complaint lodged by an Artillery Centre official.

A case was registered against them under sections 420, 465, 468, 471, 120-B and 34 of IPC, Upnagar police station in charge Ashok Bhagat said.

During interrogation, the four men confessed that they paid Rs six lakh each to get entry into the Army by using fake documents, police said.

Later, the Upnagar police arrested jawan Girirajsing Ghanshyamsingh Chouhan, of Rajputana Rifles regiment, posted in New Delhi, and agent Tekchand Meghawal, a resident of Rajasthan's Alvar district, on August 23.

According to Bhagat, seven persons, including the retired Colonel and an agent, have so far been arrested in connection with the case.

The interrogation of Randhawa is expected to throw light on how many youths were cheated and recruited in the Army on the basis of fake documents, he added.

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Policies and initiatives of the Centre will be showcased at a two-day Regional Editors' Conference for Southern States organized by Press Information Bureau in Chennai which will be inaugurated by Minister for Information and Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu tomorrow.

The two day conference will discuss the policies and initiatives of key Ministries such as Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Information and Broadcasting, Road Transport and Shipping, Commerce and Trade, Information and Communication Technology and Home Affairs, a statement released here said.

The participants will be apprised of the key programmes and roadmap for the future pertaining to flagship schemes, it added.

Around 80 senior media persons from Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry will be participating in the Conference organaised by the PIB.

Following the inaugural session by Naidu, the conference will be addressed by Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad. The focus of deliberations during this session will be on the Information Technology Hub connecting Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi.

The afternoon session will be dedicated to discussions on Disaster Management. The efforts of the Disaster Management apparatus of the government since Chennai Flood in December 2015 and other climate change related calamities that have taken place in the region will be the highlight of the session, the statement said.

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also speak on new initiatives that seeks to push Make In India project. PIB earlier hosted a Social Editors' Conference in Jaipur earlier this year.

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The Justice A P Shah Committee has opined that Reliance Industries should pay the government for the natural gas it has drawn from an adjacent block of ONGC in the KG basin of the Bay of Bengal in the past seven years.

In a 'comprehensive report' submitted to the Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on the gas dispute between Reliance and ONGC, the one-man panel said the Mukesh Ambani firm should pay for the gas from the ONGC block it has produced.

"RIL's action of producing and selling gas migrated from ONGC block is unjust enrichment," the report said, adding that over 11 billion cubic metres of gas had flowed from the ONGC block to RIL's fields between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2015. Of this, RIL has already produced about 9 bcm.

"The committee believes that the allegations of prior knowledge on the part of both RIL and ONGC must be enquired into further, with particular emphasis laid upon the failure of both parties to present the information they had to the DGH at the time they allegedly obtained the information."



The committee said further: "The Government of India, and not ONGC, is entitled to claim restitution from RIL for the unjust benefit it received and unfairly retained. ONGC has no locus standi to bring a tortuous claim against RIL for trespass/conversion since it does not have any ownership rights or possessory interest in the natural gas."



The one-man committee headed by Ajit Prakash Shah, former chief justice of the Delhi High Court, in the report detailed not just how compensation has to be paid, but recommendations for avoiding such disputes in future.

As much as 11.122 billion cubic metres of ONGC gas had migrated from its Godavari-PML and KG-DWN-98/2 blocks to adjoining KG-D6 of RIL between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2015. At prevailing prices, the gas was worth Rs 11,000 crore.

While ONGC's reservoirs have almost emptied, RIL continues to produce gas from D1&D3 fields in KG-D6 block, some of it belonging to ONGC.

Refusing to divulge the contents of his report, Shah said the report is "comprehensive" and addresses all terms of references. "The committee has also recommended future course of action for the ministry," he said.

Pradhan said the ministry has one month to decide on the report. "The government will take appropriate action," he said.

"Justice A P Shah has submitted a comprehensive report on the gas migration issue. He has preliminarily briefed us on report," he said without elaborating.

The panel has given "some observations" on the report of the independent expert DeGolyer & MacNaughton (D&M) that established reservoir continuity between the KG-D6 and contiguous ONGC-operated blocks.

Asked if the Shah panel, like the D&M report, had established that gas from ONGC block had migrated to KG-D6 fields, Pradhan said, "Yes.

The Shah committee has "detailed economic and legal



implications" of the gas migration under the signed production sharing contract, he said, adding that the report will be made public after the ministry studies it.

"Allow me to get back to you with detailing of the report," he said.

D&M had in its November 2015 report indicated that as on March 31, 2015, 44.32 per cent of the gas initially in place in Godavari PML and 34.71 per cent in KG-DWN-98/2 (both of ONGC) had migrated to KG-D6 of RIL. The report projected a higher proportion of gas migration and its production through RIL operated KG-DWN-98/3 (KG-D6) block by the end of 2019.

Pradhan said the Shah Committee was asked to look into legal, financial and contractual provisions on the gas migration row.

It was also asked to report any "acts of omission and commission" on part of all the stakeholders, including RIL, ONGC, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) and the government.

RIL has 60 per cent interest in KG-D6 block while Niko Resources of Canada holds 10 per cent. BP of UK holds the remaining 30 per cent.
A Pakistani national in Romania has been declared persona non grata for allegedly spreading "jihadist propaganda" in online forums and will be expelled from the country, authorities said today.

The suspect, who entered the European Union country illegally in late 2015, is "in police custody and proceedings are under way to send him back (to Pakistan)," an immigration official dealing with the case told AFP.

The man will be banned from re-entering Romania for 10 years, the official added.

In a statement released late yesterday, secret service officials said the man had drawn attention after spreading "online propaganda backing several terrorist groups active in his home region, supporting Islamist extremism, and calling for global jihad".

He is also accused of researching bomb-making instructions on the internet.

The Romanian government is seeking to tighten its anti- terror legislation following deadly Islamist attacks in France and Belgium.

On Monday, Romanian lawmakers introduced a parliamentary bill aimed at making it easier to expel foreign citizens suspected of extremist activities.

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Russia's military today said its air strikes had killed top Islamic State group strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, after Washington said coalition forces had targeted the jihadist propaganda chief.

In a statement, Russia's defence ministry said an Su-34 warplane yesterday killed "up to 40" IS fighters in a bombing raid near the village of Um Hosh in the province of Aleppo.

Russia has been flying its own bombing campaign in Syria in support of leader Bashar al-Assad since September but this is first time they have claimed to have killed a top-ranking IS leader.

"According to information confirmed through several intelligence channels, field commander Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was among those killed," the statement said.

The IS-affiliated Amaq agency announced propaganda chief Adnani's death late on Tuesday, saying he "was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo" in northern Syria.

The United States said coalition forces had targeted Adnani, who had a USD 5-million bounty on his head, in an air strike in Aleppo province yesterday and that the Pentagon was still assessing the result.

His death will be a major blow to IS, which has suffered a series of setbacks this year including territorial losses in Syria and Iraq and the killings of other top figures.

Adnani, a Syrian born in 1977, was one of IS's most recognised leaders, at the heart of a sophisticated propaganda and recruitment machine that produced slick videos and sustained a huge social media presence.

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Russia will hold a two-day competition next week for its Paralympic squad banned from Rio, the country's committee chief said today, just as the official Games start in Brazil.

"We're planning to hold on September 7-8 a series of tournaments for the country's Paralympic athletes at the training bases in the Moscow region," R-Sport agency quoted Russia's Paralympic Committee head Vladimir Lukin as saying.

Russia looks set to miss the Paralympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week dismissed an appeal against a blanket ban over allegations of state-run doping.

The country has appealed to a federal court in Switzerland against the ruling but there appears little hope of overturning the suspension before the start of the Paralympics in Rio on September 7.

Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out against the ban on the country's Paralympians, calling the decision "outside the law, morality, humanity".

Putin pledged that Russia instead would organise competitions for the banned Paralympians "to show all their skills".

A Kremlin spokesman said Wednesday that it was still to be decided if Putin would attend the event.

Russia's Olympic squad narrowly escaped a total ban from the Rio Games, but its track-and-field team was suspended over evidence of state-sponsored drug cheating and corruption in the country.

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Vernon Doll, 77, Mandan, passed away Aug. 29, 2016, at Jacobson Memorial Hospital, Elgin. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at Christ the King Catholic Church, Mandan, with the Rev. Josh Walz as celebrant. Burial will be at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at a later date. Military honors provided by the Mandan VFW Post No. 707 and American Legion Post No. 40.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan, with a rosary/parish vigil at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue at the church one hour prior to the service on Friday.

Vernon was born May 28, 1939, in Mott, where he was raised on a farm by his parents, Christ and Kathryn (Boehm) Doll. Vernon graduated from the Assumption Abbey in Richardton in 1958.

After high school, he went on to the military and joined the Air Force serving in the supply field until he was honorably discharged in 1963. Following his service, he returned to North Dakota and worked at the Heskett Power Plant from 1963 until he retired in 1998.

Vernon married Sheryn Eggert in 1968 and they began their lives together in Mandan. They have two sons, Terrance and Shannon, who were the pride and joy of their lives.

Vernon enjoyed spending time with his family, traveling the country and visiting family and friends. He enjoyed the outdoors, playing cards and spending time with his grandchildren. Vernon was a kind man and decided later in life to become a donor to the UND School of Medicine Program. He was devoted husband as his wife was diagnosed with MS in the early 1990s, and she became wheelchair bound. Vernon was her primary caregiver after his retirement; he built a handicapped accessible home for them. Vernon and Sheryn were married for 48 years.

Vernon will be deeply missed by his wife, Sheryn; his sons, Terrance (Kate), Blair, Minn., and Shannon, Mandan; his grandchildren; his sister, Linda (George) Feist, Florence, Mont.; his brother, Armon (Kathy), Oregon; and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery.

Go to www.weigelfuneral.com to sign the online guest book and view tribute photos.
With a view to tackle the depletion of ground water in the state and to adopt measures of water conservation, the Haryana State Preservation of Sub Soil Water Act, 2009 has been enacted, which prohibits sowing of paddy before May 15 and transplanting of paddy before June 15.

Besides, a State Plan Scheme- 'Accelerated Recharge of Ground Water' -has been introduced to recharge the ground water in water-deficit areas of the state, Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister O P Dhankartold told Assembly today while replying to a question on the last day of its monsoon session.

He said the department was encouraging farmers to adopt drip and sprinkler irrigation.

"As many as 1,65,166 sprinkler sets have been installed till date since the inception of the scheme in the state," Dhankar said.

He said subsidy was being provided to the farmers for laying underground pipeline system in their fields from 2002-03 to reduce seepage and evaporation losses.

An amount of Rs 242.645 crore has been spent for laying underground pipeline system and an area of 2,06,223 hectares has been brought under cultivation till 2015-16, he said.

The minister said use of laser land levelling technology was being promoted and 5,150 laser land levellers have been provided to the farmers of the state on subsidy from 2007-08 to 2015-16.

To a separate question raised in the House, Haryana Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Krishan Kumar said a new beneficiary under the 'Old Age Allowance' scheme should be 60 years of age or above, be a domicile and resident of Haryana, and income from all sources together with that of the spouse should not exceed Rs two lakh per annum.

Kumar said in case the person was receiving pension from any government or local statutory body or any organisation substantially financed by any government or local statutory body, he would not be eligible to receive allowance under the scheme.

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A 24-year-old nursery school teacher, who was to get married next month, was hacked to death allegedly by her jilted lover when she was offering prayers at the church on the school premises here today.

The teacher, whose wedding was fixed for September 8, was hacked by Seegan, who allegedly made several proposals to her which she had turned down, police said.

Angered about her wedding with another person, the accused entered the church where she was praying and allegedly hit in her head, neck and shoulders, police said.

On hearing the woman's screams, her colleagues came to her rescue and rushed her to Tuticorin government hospital, where she succumbed to injuries, police said.

Police later found Seegan's body hanging at his brother's house.

The teacher's relatives said they had made several complaints to the police about the woman's harassment by Seegan, but "no action was taken".

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Singapore's no-frills airline Scoot will launch flight from Jaipur to the city state with a plane -- called 'Kamascootra' -- from October 2 as it expands services from the country.

Scoot, an arm of full-service carrier Singapore Airlines, has flights from Chennai and Amritsar.

Scoot's India chief Bharath Mahadevan said the airline will be getting its 12th aircraft, Dreamliner, in the first week of September and it will be named in a unique way.

"To commemorate India services launch, we have decided to call the aircraft 'Kamascootra'," he said.

"This is the first time that Scoot has named an aircraft in honour of a particular country other than our home base Singapore."



The name 'Kamascootra' is inspired by Vatsyayana's text 'Kamasutra'.

The "first ever non-stop flight" connecting Jaipur and Singapore will be launched on October 2, he added. The plane will have 335 seats, including 21 premium economy.

"With Jaipur, we take another step towards the target of steadily increasing our operations in India," Mahadevan, Scoot's Country Head (India), told reporters here.

There will be three flights every week from Jaipur to Singapore till October 29 and afterwards, the frequency will be increased to four.

Scoot operates wide-body aircraft while Tiger Airways flies narrow-body planes. The two carriers were merged into one entity -- Budget Aviation Holdings Pte -- which is part of Singapore Airlines.

However, Scoot and Tiger Airways continue their services under their own brand names.

According to Mahadevan, Scoot and Tiger Airways together will have 50 weekly flights connecting eight destinations with Singapore from October 29 onwards.

Scoot began operations in May this year while Tiger Airways has been present in India since 2007.

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Scotland Yard is coordinating a UK-wide investigation after identical death threats were sent to at least 25 British MPs via email since last week.

A photograph of a decapitated man was accompanied with the words: "Warning, I am going to kill you and kill all of your family."



Scotland Yard said it was not treating the emails as a terrorist related incident.

"The Metropolitan Police Service are investigating a linked series of threatening e-mails which have been received by a number of MPs since Friday, August 26. All of these emails have been received via MPs' parliamentary email accounts," a Metropolitan Police statement said.

"No arrests have been made. Enquiries are ongoing. This is not being treated as a terrorist incident," it adds.

Police Scotland is one of the other police forces involved in the investigations.

Chief Superintendent Craig Naylor said: "I can confirm that a number of threats were sent to several politicians on Friday evening, and which have been reported by them or their staff.

"Police are following a positive line of inquiry. Appropriate advice has been given concerning personal safety and security for the politician, their families, staff and premises."



Labour MP Chris Bryant disclosed the threats to the media, saying he along with at least 24 other MPs had received the emails over the weekend.

"In the last year there has been a slew of these, I've received five or six so far this year. It is difficult to know how seriously to take them, but when they mention your family, you have to take them seriously," he said.

The threats come in the wake of the brutal murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was shot three times and stabbed to death outside her constituency office in Birstall, West Yorkshire, in June this year.

There have been calls for increased security measures for politicians following the killing.

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The Islamic State's chief spokesman and strategist of external terror operations, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, was killed in a US precision strike while overseeing military operations in northern Syria.

The dreaded outfit vowed to avenge the death of one of its most prominent and longest-serving leaders, according to media reports.

The Pentagon said it had targeted Adnani in a precision strike near the town of Al Bab in Aleppo province and was still assessing the results.

"Today, coalition forces conducted a precision strike near Al Bab, Syria, targeting Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani, one of ISIL's most senior leaders," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.

"We are still assessing the results of the strike, but Al-Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL," he said.

The terror group had announced Adnani's death through its outlet, Amaq, yesterday, saying he was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo".

Adnani had served as principal architect of the terror group's external operations and as its chief spokesman.

Adnani had coordinated the movement of ISIS fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited new members, the Pentagon spokesperson said.

"The US military will continue to prioritise and relentlessly target ISIL leaders and external plotters in order to defend our homeland, our allies and our partners, while we continue to gather momentum in destroying ISIL's parent tumour in Iraq and Syria and combat its metastases around the world," Cook said.

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Justice AP Shah Committee today submitted a 'comprehensive report' on the compensation Reliance Industries should pay to ONGC for producing state-run firm's gas for the past seven years.

The one-man Committee headed by Ajit Prakash Shah, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, submitted to Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan a report containing not just the compensation to be paid for ONGC's gas migrating to adjacent KG-D6 block of RIL in the Krishna Godavari basin, but also recommendations for avoiding such disputes in future.

As much as 11.122 billion cubic meters of ONGC gas had migrated from its Godavari-PML and KG-DWN-98/2 blocks to adjoining KG-D6 of RIL between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2015. At prevailing prices, the gas was worth Rs 11,000 crore.

While ONGC's reservoirs have almost emptied, RIL continues to produce gas from D1&D3 fields in KG-D6 block, some of it being of ONGC.

Refusing to divulge contents of his report, Shah said the report is "comprehensive" and addresses all terms of references.

"The Committee has also recommended future course of action for the ministry," he said.

Pradhan said the ministry has one month to decide on the report. "Government will take appropriate action," he said.

"Justice AP Shah has submitted a comprehensive report on gas migration issue. He has preliminary briefed us on report," he said without giving details.

The panel has given "some observations" on the report of the independent expert DeGolyer & MacNaughton (D&M) that established reservoir continuity between the KG-D6 and contiguous ONGC operated blocks.

Asked if the Shah panel, like the D&M report, had established that gas from ONGC block had migrated to KG-D6 fields, Pradhan said, "Yes."



The Shah Committee has "detailed economic and legal implications" of the gas migration under the signed Production Sharing Contract, he said, adding that the report would be made public after the ministry has studied it.

"Allow me to get back to you with detailing of the report," he said.

D&M had in its November 2015 report indicated that as on March 31, 2015, 44.32 per cent of the gas initially in place in Godavari PML and 34.71 per cent in KG-DWN-98/2 (both of ONGC) had migrated to KG-D6 of RIL. The report projected a higher proportion of gas migration and its production through RIL operated KG-DWN-98/3 (KG-D6) block by end of 2019.

Pradhan said he had asked the Shah Committee was asked to look into legal, financial and contractual provisions on the gas migration row.

It was also asked to report any "acts of omission and commission" on part of all the stakeholders including RIL, ONGC, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons and the government, he said.

RIL has 60 per cent interest in KG-D6 block, while Niko



Resources of Canada holds 10 per cent stake. BP plc of UK holds the remaining 30 per cent.

Government constituted the Shah panel on December 15, 2015 to look into the dispute between RIL and ONGC. The panel was to submit its report in three months but was given two extensions.

DeGolyer and MacNaughton (D&M), had in its November 30 report, established that reservoirs in ONGC's Krishna Godavari basin KG-DWN-98/2 (KG-D5) and the Godavari-PML are connected with Dhirubhai-1 and 3 (D1 & D3) field located in the KG-DWN- 98/3 (KG-D6) Block of RIL.

It states that as much as 11.122 billion cubic meters of ONGC gas has migrated from Godavari-PML and KG-DWN-98/2 to KG-D6. Of the 58.68 bcm of gas produced from KG-D6 block since April 1, 2009, 49.69 bcm belongs to RIL and 8.981 bcm could have come from ONGC's side, D&M said.

At gas price of USD 4.2 per million British thermal unit, the volume of gas belonging to ONGC which RIL has produced comes to USD 1.7 billion (Rs 11,055 crore).

When ONGC learnt of the gas migration in 2013, it sought government intervention. Failing to get a favourable action, it moved the Delhi High Court seeking compensation from RIL.

The Delhi High Court last year asked the government to decide on the issue within six months of receipt of the report of the independent consultant.

While KG-D6 is under production since 2009, field development plan for KG-DWN-98/2 or KG-D5 is yet to be approved.

On July 22, 2013, ONGC wrote to the Director General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) that there is a evidence of lateral continuity of gas pools of the ONGC blocks with KG-D6 pools. After discussions D&M was appointed in 2014 to carry out a third party study.

ONGC claimed that RIL had deliberately drilled wells close to the common boundary of the blocks and that some gas it pumped out was from its adjoining block.

RIL, on the other hand, has maintained that it has "scrupulously followed every aspect of the production sharing contract and has confined its petroleum operations within the (boundaries of its) KG-D6 block" in Krishna Godavari basin.

D&M estimated that ONGC's Godavari-PML had 14.209 bcm of gross in-place reserves and KG-D5 another 11.856 bcm. RIL's D&D3 fields held 80.697 bcm gross in-place reserves.

Of these, 12.80 bcm of Godavari-PML, 8.01 bcm of KG-D5 and 75.33 bcm of KG-D6 are connected, it said.

It estimated that 11.89 bcm of gas from ONGC blocks would have migrated to KG-D6 by January 1, 2017. This volume would rise to 12.713 bcm by May 1, 2019.

The volume of gas remaining after this would not be economically viable for ONGC to develop.

D&M was jointly appointed by ONGC and RIL to find if the neighbouring fields are connected.
The sheer size of non-performing assets in the banking system as well as profligacy of some Indian promoters are "making headlines almost every day", according to Banks Board Bureau Chairman Vinod Rai.

The former comptroller and auditor general (CAG), who is also working to address the bad loan menace, has said the country has become all too familiar with the nexus between "big business and politics" even as he believes that there is a new wave of transparency.

"Yet even in the midst of these imperfections, I believe that there is a new wave of transparency and good governance that is, slowly but surely, disrupting the old way of doing business," Rai has written in the foreword to the book titled 'Unusual Billionaires'.

Old business models, in India and elsewhere, are seemingly disrupted by a new wave of technological innovation, he added.

Penned by Saurabh Mukherjea, the book, which was released earlier this month, is about the seven "unusual companies built by unusual billionaires" that were picked from 5,000 listed firms.

Referring to bad loans problem, Rai in the foreword has said the sheer size of non-performing assets in the Indian banking system and the profligacy of some Indian promoters are making headlines almost every day.

"Clearly, the old order has not yet fully given way to the new, and in India, we have become all too familiar with the nexus between big business and politics," he said.

Rai noted that the author has used filters such as '10 per cent revenue growth' and '15 per cent return on capital employed for every consecutive year over the past decade' to identify great Indian companies.

Citing the data crunching done by the author, Rai said over 99 per cent of the 5,000 companies that are listed in India simply fail to fulfil the filters over the past decade.

Further, Rai noted that if the purpose of business is to grow consistently and grow in a profitable manner, an overwhelming majority of Indian companies have failed.

"Is it any surprise then that our banking system is clogged with loans that will never be recovered?" Rai asked.

"Can we now conclude that Indian promoters focus more on lining their pockets than achieving profitable growth?" he wondered, adding that these were some of the difficult questions he was left asking after reading the book.

Rai is chairing the Banks Board Bureau, which is working on ways to address the bad loan issues and also advise the government on senior appointments at public sector banks, among other responsibilities.
Auto industry body on Wednesday urged the government to increase the outlay under the FAME scheme and also bring other leftover cities in the country under its purview to push the demand for hybrid and electric vehicles.

"We request the government to come out with the much larger outlay. It is important that the very scheme, which is today applicable only in some cities, is extended to the entire country," President Vinod Dasari said at the 56th Annual Convention of here.

This is the second year of the two-year pilot FAME scheme and the industry has seen quite encouraging response from the customers, he said.

"More than 80,000 electric and hybrid vehicles have been sold till now," he added.

To promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government had formally launched the FAME India scheme last year offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.

FAME India - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India - is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan

Dasari also asked the government to create a roadmap for reducing carbon emissions, ensuring safety and bringing fuel efficiency, in consultation with the industry.

"There is an urgent need for creating a roadmap on emissions, safety and fuel efficiency regulations that can provide us a clear direction for 5-10 years," Dasari, who is also the Managing Director of Ashok Leyland, said.

The roadmap should be prepared after consultation with various stakeholders and not be changed due to any external influence, he added.

He also demanded for a single ministry and a single agency to deal with the issues related to the auto industry, saying that at present multiple ministries are involved and most of them have little knowledge about the sector.

On Goods and Services Tax, he said the industry is waiting for the clarity on GST rates. The government should not fix more than two rates for passenger vehicles.

Dasari, in a lighter vein, told Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete, "Let me assure you that the auto industry will not 'take panga' with the courts."

On Tuesday, Geete had advised the auto industry not to "take panga" (mess) with the courts.

The minister's remarks followed the comments made by Dasari, who said the industry lost Rs 4,000 crore in eight months following the ban in Delhi-NCR, which was lifted by the Supreme Court earlier this month.
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), which is spearheading the green building movement in the country, is in talks with the trustees of city-based world famous Siddhivinayak Temple to make it more energy efficient.

"So far, we have been focusing on government institutions, residential and commercial buildings, hotels, among others. But now we want to extend our programme even to places of worship. In Mumbai, we are in talks with the trustees of Siddhivinayak Temple to make it more energy efficient," IGBC Chairman Prem Jain told reporters here today.

IGBC certifies government institutions, IT parks, offices, residential buildings, banks, airports, convention centres, institutions, hospitals, hotels, factories, special economic zones, townships, schools, metros, among others.

"Our endeavour will be to ensure that temple building is energy efficient. We also want proper waste management system to be implemented. We are hopeful that the trustees will support us and in the next 6-7 months, we hope some of our ideas will be implemented," he said.

Jain also said the Badriya Masjid in Karnataka is the first IGBC certified green structure.

"For this structure, cooling of the building has been achieved by using elements of nature. The building orientation minimises solar heat gain, thus making it more energy efficient. We will implement similar initiatives in many such places of worship across the country," he added.

IGBC 'Chair Policy and Advocacy Committee' said, "With several states offering incentives to green building projects, our rating system is evoking excellent response from the stakeholders. In days to come, IGBC will play a more important role in building a greener and healthier India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Budget carrier SpiceJet today claimed in Delhi High Court that its decision directing the airline to deposit Rs 579 crore within 12 months in connection with a share transfer dispute with its previous owner Kalanithi Maran was "erroneous".

The submission was made before a bench of justices Indira Banerjee and V K Rao during the hearing of the airline's appeal contending that the dispute has to be decided by arbirtration and the single judge of the high court had exceeded his jurisdiction.

The single judge's decision had come on a plea of Sun Group chief Kalanithi Maran and his Kal Airways for issuance of stock warrants in SpiceJet to them, as per a sale-purchase agreement (SPA) of 2015 that had led to the transfer of ownership of the budget carrier to its co-founder Ajay Singh.

Senior advocate C A Sundaram, appearing for the air carrier, said "this matter needs to be decided in arbitration. The final decree cannot be passed by the court. It can only be done by arbitrator".

"How can a court pass an interim order when it cannot pass the final order," Sundaram argued and added that "the approach taken by the single judge was erroneous. He exceeded his jurisdiction. There is an error committed by the single judge."



The arguments, which remained inconclusive, will resume tomorrow.

Maran and his airline had alleged before the single judge that despite giving Rs 579 crore to SpiceJet, the carrier had failed to issue them the warrants or allot tranche 1 and 2 of Convertible Redeemable Preference Shares and that the amount was not utilised for paying statutory dues due to which they were also facing prosecution.

Apart from ordering deposit of the amount in the court,



Justice Manmohan Singh had earlier asked Spicejet and Maran to appoint an arbitral tribunal to decide the share transfer dispute between them in a year.

The amount was to be deposited in five instalments with the first one in August this year, the court had said.

Market regulator SEBI had earlier expressed its inability before the single judge to approve the board resolution passed by SpiceJet for issue of warrants in favour of Maran and his Kal Airways.

The board resolution was passed on the court's direction.

Under the sale and purchase agreement (SPA), Maran and Kal Airways had transferred their entire 350,428,758 equity shares (58.46 per cent stake) in the airline to Ajay Singh.

According to the SPA, Maran and Kal were to receive the redeemable warrants in return for around Rs 679 crore that they were to give to the airline towards operating costs and debt payment, Maran had said in his plea.

SpiceJet had earlier told the court that the change of ownership was effected as a rehabilitative measure to address the liability of Rs 2,000 crore incurred by the airline when it was under the management of Maran.

It had also claimed that every penny had been utilised towards operations and discharge of liabilities.
The late August sun is a smoky red ball, reminding Montanans of the fires that have destroyed homes and curtailed business in the West this summer. Its so dry in parts of Montana, Wyoming, California and other Western states that big fires are likely to burn until autumn snow falls. If lightning storms and wind persist, the fires will be bigger and more numerous.

The destruction is costly, and so is the firefighting. One year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on the rising cost of fire operations and how it affected the Forest Services other work. The numbers indicate that the Forest Service ought to be called the fire service because thats how the agency spent most of its budget. The USDA summed up the problem of the depletion of non-fire programs to pay for the ever-increasing costs of fire." This has resulted in:

 Less money for restoration work that would help prevent catastrophic fires.

 Less protection of watersheds and cultural resources.

 Reduced upkeep of programs and infrastructure that support thousands of recreation jobs and billions of dollars economic growth in rural communities.

 Reduced support for the range of multiple uses, benefits and ecosystem services.

 Less research and technical assistance.

Firefighting staff has increased from 5,700 in 1998 to more than 12,000 in 2015. Meanwhile, the non-firefighting forest workers have been reduced by 39 percent  from 18,000 employees in 1998 to fewer than 11,000 last year.

Every non-firefighting program has been slashed. Forest road-building has been reduced 46 percent. Deferred maintenance funding was cut 95 percent despite a backlog of more than $5.1 billion in dam repairs, roads, sewer and water system improvements.

Lack of funding for everything but fires has prevented the agency from doing things that would save money in the long term. Energy efficiency projects have been deferred. Funding hasnt been available for partnership programs that generate private matching funds.

The report concluded with the solution that Congress has been delaying for years: Change the way we pay for wildfire fighting. Treat wildfires as the natural disasters they are.

In June, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., spoke on behalf of draft legislation called the Wildfire Budgeting, Response and Forest Management Act. The first thing it would do, according to a Daines news release, is end the unsustainable practice of fire borrowing by enabling a transfer of limited funds to the Forest Service and the Department of Interior through a budget cap adjustment when all appropriated suppressions funding (100 percent of the 10-year average) has been exhausted.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., reaffirmed his support for the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act. Both he and Daines are co-sponsors of the act, which would pay for catastrophic wildfires through separate emergency funding, allowing the Forest Service to devote more resources to proactive forest management like trail maintenance and timber harvest.

If S.235, which both of our U.S. senators are co-sponsoring, had been enacted and funded last year, the Forest Service would have $1.4 billion more to fight wildfires this year. But it didnt pass, so the Forest Service will again have to rob all its other operations to pay for the fiery disasters this year.

Montanas senators are in a good position to promote this bipartisan solution. Among many proposals for forest management involving timber harvest, recreation and conservation, nothing else is going to work well if the budget continues to be diverted to wildfire.

Lawmakers must stop the fire borrowing before another wildfire season begins. We call on Daines and Tester to work together to unite other Western senators and pass wildfire disaster legislation this year.

 Billings (Mont,) Gazette
Farmers whose land was acquired for the Tata Motors Nano car factory at Singur and their families burst out in jubilation today after the Supreme Court held the acquisition illegal.

Hundreds of people, who were waiting for the apex court's verdict since the morning, erupted in joy as soon as the flashed on their television screens.

They stepped out of their houses to congratulate each other. Men, women and children clapped, danced and cheered together and greeted each other with green gulal and sweets.

Rallies were taken out with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's posters.

Slogans like 'Mamata Banerjee zindabad', 'Mamata Banerjee tomay amra bhulchi na, bhulbo na (we will never forget you)' echoed in the air.

"It is because of 'didi' that we have seen today's victory...We are very happy today. Didi's perseverance and our faith in her have finally reaped this victory," they said expressing gratitude to Banerjee who had fought an unflinching battle for months at Singur and in Kolkata, including a 26-day hunger strike.

It was her anti-land acquisition movement at Singur in November, 2006 that had brought Banerjee back to prominence after her party's huge setback in the Assembly elections earlier that year.

Riding on the Singur movement and the one at Nandigram in January 2007, Banerjee turned the table on the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which began losing political ground in the state starting the 2008 panchayat and the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, culminating in their defeat in the 2011 Assembly election in the state after 34 years.

After coming to power in 2011, Banerjee's first legislation was the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011 for returning land to the unwilling farmers.

The villagers of Singur, located off Durgapur Expressway, about 40 km from Kolkata, were happy with the Supreme Court's directive that compensation paid to them would not have to be paid back and those who had not taken the compensation, would now get it at the same rate.

Asked what would they do after getting their land back, the farmers said they could decide only after seeing the condition of it as construction activities were carried out there and no cultivation was done in the vacant portions for 10 years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Several industrialists have said that today's Supreme Court verdict on Singur land acquisition would have a national impact.

The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industries said: "This landmark judgement will have an impact on the whole country. The West Bengal government has triggered an issue which has a national impact.

"The long-term impact on industrialisation will have to be assessed. Any industrial activity must be in sync with the laws of the land. The judgement gives a direction," it said.

MCC Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Manish Goenka hailed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her defence of the rights of poor farmers.

"At the same time the state is in need of investment and we hope that the government of West Bengal will devise a way to attract investment in Singur," he said.

MCC, he said, is pleased with the Supreme Court verdict today which set aside the land acquisition by West Bengal government in 2006 asking it to take possession of the land and distribute it to the original land owners within 12 weeks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hailing the Supreme Court judgement on as "victory of the masses", the Trinamool Congress on Wednesday said those who had been involved in forcible land acquisition there should apologise to the people.

"The verdict is a victory of the masses. We are happy that our fight for last 10 years under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee has borne fruit today. On September 2 we will celebrate Divas throughout the state," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee told reporters.

"Those who had used brute force to acquire land should tender an apology to the masses and hang their head in shame ... It is victory for farmers, victory for truth and victory for Maa-Maati-Manush," he said.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the acquisition of 997.11 acres of land at Singur in 2006 by the then Left Front government in West Bengal to set up Tata Motors' Nano car manufacturing plant.

Asked whether the country-wide central trade unions strike on September 2 would create problems in the celebrations of the Singur Divas, Chatterjee said "What strike? People have already rejected them. The people will give them a befitting reply by staying on the streets.
The bureaucrats handpicked by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung are neither attending meetings nor listening to their ministers, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today alleged, while putting the onus of water-logging and traffic gridlock across the city on them.

Sisodia along with Delhi Home Minister Satyender Jain also targeted the Prime Minister over the "shunting" out of top bureaucrats and setting up of the LG-constituted panel to examine files, alleging that it was formed at the "behest" of Narendra.

Sisodia's attack on Jung came on a day rains pounded the national capital, crumbling the city's civic infrastructure. The municipal bodies in Delhi are BJP-ruled while Police comes under the Centre.

Venting his fury, Sisodia said that since the appointment of the panel yesterday, Delhi government has had to focus on "appeasing LG's officers" and not the welfare of its residents.

Jung has deployed officials "starting from peons to the Chief Secretary" to scrutinise the files of the last one-and-a-half-years and due to that "three of my meetings had to be cancelled", Sisodia said.

"Why is the LG, who gave over 50 interviews on his officers, not speaking on water-logging and traffic jam in the city? Your officers are neither coming to the meetings called by ministers, nor listening to them. Few even say that they have been barred to do so.

"I request the LG to go out like the ministers, taking along officers appointed by him, and solve the water-logging and traffic woes of the residents," Sisodia said in a series of tweets, promptly shared by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Sisodia also lashed out the BJP-led Centre over the "transfer" of "committed officials", who he said worked tirelessly to implement pro-people policies.

The officials, including the PWD and Health Secretaries, were transferred despite Sisodia's public request to Jung to not do so as they were involved in the execution of AAP's flagship projects like mohalla clinics and construction of 8,000 new classrooms.

"Committed officials who worked tirelessly to implement pro-people policies have been shunted out...LG should make officers of his choice work as well. The Constitution has a chapter on duties apart from rights," Sisodia said.

Interestingly, Chandrakar Bharti, whom the government had blamed for the delay in imposing ban on Chinese Manja in his capacity as Environment Secretary, has been made the Health Secretary.

Yesterday, a three-member panel was formed by Jung to fix responsibilities, including criminal liability, in "omissions and commissions" while clearing 400 files relating to a large number of decisions without his approval.

Jain, who holds top important portfolios such as Health



and PWD, said Jung must focus on the law and order situation instead of creating "hurdles in governance".

He alleged the three-member panel announced by LG was actually formed at the "behest" of the Prime Minister as the members of the committee cannot even be "called" by Jung.

Jain also said that LG has "primary responsibility" to focus on law and order situation in the national capital instead of creating hurdles in the functioning of the Kejriwal government.

"The names which are in the committee (to examine government's 400 files) even cannot be called by LG. Prime Minister has formed this committee. Mr Modi should allow Delhi government to work," the Delhi Home Minister said.

The minister also sought to know detail of works done by LG when Delhi was under the President's rule.

Citing National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) figures, that has put the number of last year's rape cases in Delhi at 2,199--highest among the union territories, Jain said, "They have made Delhi a rape capital and stalking capital.
To increase consumption of steel in India, Steel Ministry is talking with the ministries of road transport, shipping and railways to explore ways to raise demand for the metal, a top government official said today.

The official also said per capita steel consumption in the country needs to be doubled in the shortest possible time and for this the industry also has to chip in.

"We have been talking about increasing the demand and we have been in dialogue with the concerned ministries of infrastructure as to how to get into it.

"We have to come up with modular structures for bridges, smaller bridges. Because if you come to modular, the cost will come down, which is very practical," Steel Secretary Aruna Sharma said at an event said here.

The Secretary added that Steel Ministry is talking to the Ministries of Rural Development, Road Transport & Highways and Shipping and Railways in this direction.

The ministry will talk to real estate sector association CREDAI among others in this regard, she said.

On consumption, Sharma said it is only 60 kg per capita, which is very low and needs to be increased.

"We must double it as early as possible. At the shortest timeline and this conference should come out with suggestions on how to do it and the Ministry is completely in support of this," She told the steel industry.

She stressed on the point that the percentage of steel used in the construction sector is low and needs to to increased.

"What question we need to ask ourselves is that what percentage of steel is used in the infrastructure expenditure that is happening in the country. Unfortunately, we have not got in to the discipline of having heavy steel-based structures in the country," she added.

Sharma further said: "That is where we lose the deal and that is where we all stakeholders have to put our thoughts together as to whatever money is going into infrastructure of that what percentage is flowing into steel."



Ministry is very clear on this account and that entire policies and efforts will be to enhance the contribution of the steel sector in infrastructure, she assured the industry.

On the Quality Control Order on Stainless Steel, the Secretary said more than 12 domestic manufacturers have been registered, 14 international are in pipeline and 8 more are in process.

"Our target to Bureau of India Standards (BIS) was that 50 per cent of the suppliers must be registered before the D-date of September 9, 2016.

"So that we get into the discipline of quality, get into the discipline of quality standardisation and we get into the discipline of marking the quality of the products that we have," she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Holding Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik responsible for the four ruling MLAs allegedly demanding illegal gratification from industries, the opposition BJP on Wednesday a police complaint here.

BJP state unit Vice-President Sameer Mohanty filed a complaint against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and four MLAs at the Capital police station here.

Four MLAs - Susant Kumar Behera (Chhendipada), Seemarani Nayak (Hindol), Anam Nayak (Bhawanipatna) and Bijay Kumar Nayak (Karanjia) - were purportedly shown in a sting operation by a private news channel two days ago seeking bribes from industries.

"They (the MLAs) have been shown asking money as bribe in the name of Chief Minister of Odisha who is the president of BJD. The Chief Minister of Odisha and the BJD MLAs are public servants and come under the purview of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988," Mohanty said in his complaint.

"Since the matter relates to the interest of Odisha, I, on behalf of BJP state unit, register an FIR against those MLAs and Chief Minister under Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and other offences," Mohanty said.

When contacted, Capital police station authorities said the complaint of Mohanty has been received as a station dairy.

"Since the state government has already ordered a vigilance probe, there is no need of a police investigation. The allegation is made under PC Act, 1988. Only vigilance can undertake such cases," an official of the Capital police station said.
Leading project management and engineering firm Technip India has contributed Rs 23.64 lakh to 'Naam Foundation', set up by noted actor Nana Patekar to support the drought affected people in Maharashtra.

Patekar formed the NGO last year to address the problems of drought-hit farmers in 22 districts of Maharashtra facing water crisis since many years.

The Technip employees from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai offices came together and raised Rs 11.82 lakh and the same amount was put in by the company and a cheque of Rs 23.64 lakh was given to the foundation as a token of humanitarian gesture, Technip India's HR Director Nikhil Shahane said in a statement.

"The feeling of oneness was at the forefront of our 2,700 employees in India as they came forward and voluntarily contributed to the fund raising campaign for the foundation," Technip Mumbai office COO R Jayasankaran said.

"We tried to extend our help to support the foundation which is taking care of farmers' widows, promoting alternate livelihood by conducting cluster sewing classes, group farming and building houses for the bereaved families of the farmers who committed suicide," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A teenager was killed in army firing today as protests erupted in various parts of Kashmir where authorities claimed curfew was lifted from all the areas of the Valley after an overall "improvement in situation".

As the state government was gearing up to receive an all- party delegation on Sunday, separatists today extended their strike call till September 8 and directed the people to occupy roads connecting the Srinagar airport with the city.

The day started with protests in Rafiabad, 45 km from here, during which 15-year-old Danish Manzoor was killed when army personnel were trying to chase away a stone throwing mob.

With this, the toll rose to 69 in the unrest which has been continuing for last 53 days since July 8 when Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter. There were no casualties in the last three days and protests had also subdued during this period.

In other parts of the Valley, protesters attacked the residence of PDP Rajya Sabha member Nazir Ahmad Laway at Chawalgam in Kulgam district by pelting stones and setting ablaze the guard room.

Two police security guards of the MP were injured in the incident while three to four service weapons of the policemen were reported missing, a police official said, adding the MP and his family were not present at home when the incident took place.

Giving details of the day's incidents, Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir Baseer Ahmad Khan said some shots were fired at the Army convoy at Ladoora in Rafiabad area of Baramulla district.

"As per a report from the police, a mob of more than 900 people attacked an army convoy at Ladoora, Rafiabad and amid stone pelting some shots were fired on the army convoy (which was) on way to Kupwara.

"The Army fired some rounds in air to disperse the mob. In the incident four persons were injured and one of the injured identified as Danish Manzoor succumbed to injuries," Khan said and added that police has initiated investigation in the matter.

He claimed that with the improvement in overall situation, curfew has been lifted from all the areas of Kashmir today. "Curfew was today lifted from Nowhatta and Maharjgunj areas of Srinagar. With this curfew has now been lifted from entire Kashmir valley as no area in any district of Valley is under restrictions," the Divisional Commissioner said.

Increased movement of vehicular traffic and public was witnessed in almost all towns and Srinagar city, he said, adding barring stray stone pelting incidents, the situation remained peaceful across the valley.

However, according to sources clashes took place between protesters and security forces at several places in which over 100 people were hurt.

Dozens of protesters, who were taking out a rally in Ashmuqam area of Anantnag district, were injured in the action of law enforcing agencies, the sources quoted reports reaching here. The protesters resorted to stone-pelting on security forces after they fired tear smoke shells.

Similar clashes were reported from Qaimoh area of south Kashmir where over two dozen people were hurt. In Pulwama district's Muran area, at least 15 people were injured in clashes with security forces.

In Kaloosa area of Bandipora, 11 people including a girl were injured in security forces action against protesters. Sopore town also witnessed clashes between protesters and security forces after the latter allegedly did not allow the fruit dealers to load the apple produce onto trucks for delivery terminal markets outside the state.

The separatists, who are spearheading the ongoing agitation, have extended the shutdown programme till September 8 and also people to occupy the Srinagar Airport road on the day Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to lead the all-party delegation to the Valley.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TERI has inducted three new members in its governing council which includes Laurence Tubiana who was a key French negotiator at last year's crucial Paris climate change summit.

TERI has also ended its last major association with R K Pachauri who has been facing sexual harassment charges with former Finance secretary Ashok Chawla replacing him as the Chancellor of the university.

The announcement of Chawla replacing Pachauri was conveyed to the students of the university yesterday by its pro vice chancellor Rajiv Seth.

"In its last meeting on August 19, 2016, the Governing Council of TERI appointed Ashok Chawla as the new Chancellor of TERI University. Chawla is the Chairman of TERI since February 2016," TERI said in a statement today.

Earlier named as the chairman of TERI, Chawla replaced Pachauri who had proceeded on leave after communicating that he will skip the institution's convocation in March after a group of students refused to receive degrees from him.

On February 13 last year an FIR was registered against Pachauri on charges of sexual harassment of a former employee while in February this year another woman came out in public making similar allegations against Pachauri.

TERI in its statement said that the appointment of Chawla, reflects the organic linkage between TERI and TERI University, since TERI is the settlor of the TERI University Trust and has supported the growth of the university into one of the leading institutions of higher learning.

Chawla is also the former head of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the chairman of the National Stock Exchange and has work experience of over 40 years in various sectors of government and international agencies.

"During the meeting, the Council also inducted three new members into the Governing Council - Naushad Forbes, Co-Chairman, Forbes Marshall, Basabi Bhaumik, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi and Laurence Tubiana, Founder, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, Paris," the statement said.

In May 2014, Laurence Tubiana was appointed Special Representative of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius, for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference.

She is also the professor and director of the Sustainable Development Center at Sciences Po Paris. She is also professor of international affairs at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Holding that there lay no military solution to the South China Sea problem, US Secretary of State John Kerry today asked China and the Philippines to abide by the recent ruling of an international tribunal on the dispute.

An enormous amount of energy has been spent in establishing the international order after the World War II and it should be respected, he said.

Citing the resolution of maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and India, Kerry said the world can learn from India to abide by international tribunals' orders.

"India's decision to accept an international tribunal judgement regarding its maritime border with Bangladesh actually stands apart. This is the model to help potentially dangerous disputes in different danger spots...These can be resolved peacefully, including the South China Sea (dispute)," he said at IIT Delhi.

Kerry said that states should resolve disputes through peaceful means, and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes.

China has been getting increasingly assertive in South China Sea notwithstanding the verdict of an arbitration court in The Hague that China had no historical title over the South China Sea.

"The United States continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunal's recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry said.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than USD 5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have challenged China's claim.

Replying to questions, Kerry said the US supported diplomatic efforts to resolve territorial disputes to which there was "no military solution".

"We are also interested in not fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes and claims through the legal process and through diplomacy," he said.

He said even for an instant, one should not underestimate the importance of the world order.

"We have spent enormous energy in the aftermath of World War 11 in order to (build it). It has served us well. It has helped us bring an end to the cold war and it has helped us set on a new course in the 21st century. So it is important to us to respect the international order, to show respect for international law and to support regional stability and prosperity," Kerry said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eight Dakota Access Pipeline protesters have been arrested as of 2:05 p.m. today, and Highway 1806 has been temporarily re-opened as a result of a protest on Highway 6, which has been closed to through traffic.

Deputies spent hours removing one man, who is known as Happy and had bound himself to the construction equipment, from the work site. Problems in taking apart the equipment slowed his release into custody.

A protest organizer, Dallas Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network, said today's act by members of the Red Warrior Camp to chain themselves to Dakota Access Pipeline equipment fits with the theme of protest by nonviolent action.

This was well thought out and fully planned. The whole purpose is to delay construction and stop the pipeline. We are committed to nonviolent direction action and thats what we have been using with our demonstration on the bridge and our marches," he said.

There is a belief that if someone is arrested that means its wrong, but were not seeing anything wrong with people using acts of civil disobedience as long as its thought through," he said.

Goldtooth said the Red Warrior Camp is made up of Dakota and Lakota people residing within the original Sacred Stone spirit camp on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

The Morton County Sheriff's Department said a call came in at 7:22 a.m. of people crawling on construction equipment on the west side of Highway 6 south of St. Anthony.

Sheriff deputies reported about 50 protesters at the site, and two men were bound to construction equipment.

Among those arrested was a 47-year-old Missouri woman for preventing arrest, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and obstruction to a government function.

According to responding deputies, the woman was standing on equipment. She is in the custody of the Morton County Sheriffs Department.

A 25-year-old Cannonball man also was arrested for criminal trespass and obstruction to a government function, and he is also in custody of the sheriff's department.

Highway 6 is closed at the junction of Highway 6 and 138A and Highway 6 and 21. Traffic is temporarily being diverted to Highway 1806.

Morton County deputies, Burleigh County deputies, Mandan police, Bismarck police, North Dakota Highway Patrol, Parole and Probation officers and state parks officers are on scene at the protest.

Bismarck Tribune reporter Caroline Grueskin contributed to this report.
Three corpses were recovered as some 1,800 migrants were rescued off Libya today, taking the total number of people saved since Sunday to nearly 12,500, Italy's coastguard said.

The three dead bodies were recovered from a stricken rubber dinghy by Malta-based NGO MOAS, whose boat the Phoenix rescued a total of 410 people during the day.

Italian navy and coastguard boats were also in action along with a merchant tugboat that happened to be in the area.

Despite the surge in numbers this week, migrant arrivals in Italy are running slightly below last year's levels.

According to Interior Ministry figures, a total of 112,097 people had landed at Italian ports by today morning, compared with 116,149 for the same period in 2015.

Thousands more will be registered in the coming days, putting more pressure on Italy's already rammed reception centres.

Among those arriving today was a three-month-old Nigerian baby girl who was born in Libya and baptised Noa Mary on an Italian navy boat yesterday.

Rear Admiral Alberto Maffeis, who acted as the little girl's godfather on board the Virginio Fasan frigate, told RaiNews her mother had asked the onboard chaplain to carry out the ceremony.

"It was like becoming a father again, I had a lump in my throat," he said.

Flavio di Giacomo, the Italy spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), said that despite this week's high numbers, the profile of departures from Libya remained similar to last year with regular spikes in numbers attributable to favourable weather conditions.

"What is astonishing is that there have been so few casualties thanks to the expertise of the rescuers," he said.

Di Giacomo said the new arrivals were manageable. "There is not a a critical situation on the Italian side, the system of reception and identification is working smoothly."



Italy is however having to house ever greater numbers of would-be refugees as its neighbours to the north move to tighten their borders and make it harder for migrants to travel to their preferred destinations in northern Europe.

According to the Interior Ministry, Italy now has 148,000 asylum seekers in reception centres, compared with 103,000 in 2015 and 66,000 in 2014.

The Greek coastguard said today it rescued roughly 30 migrants on a stricken vessel as they attempted to reach Italy.

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A three-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly abducted and raped by an unidentified person before being dumped near a bridge here today, police said.

The girl has been admitted to a hospital and is in a critical condition, police said.

"The minor, who lives with her parents in a slum near the railway station, had gone missing around 11 pm last night. Though her parents carried out a thorough search, they failed to find her," Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rajesh Singh Chandel said.

"However, the minor was found crying near the bridge - Pul Patra - under Aishbagh police station area here this morning by people, who alerted the police," the officer said.

The minor was admitted to Sultania hospital in a critical condition, where the doctors treating her confirmed that she has been raped, Chandel added.

Unidentified accused has been booked under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 363 (kidnap) and under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

According to the officer, the victim's family had come to Bhopal in search of livelihood from Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh a fortnight ago.

The officer said that the girl, whose father is a Dalit and mother a tribal, was in a state of shock.

"We are trying to talk to her to get information about the accused so that he can be nabbed at the earliest," he said.

Further investigation into the case is on.

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Japanese carmaker Toyota is "unlikely" to launch any new models in India till 2020 when the new emission norms kick in and will mange with its existing portfolio till then in the country.

The company, which operates in India through a joint venture with Kirloskar group, plans to bring in hybrids and latest technology vehicles in the country as part of its long term strategy.

"We can't bring in a technology whether petrol or diesel vehicles and then have Euro-IV suddenly kick in that they have promised by 2020. So right now up till 2020 atleast it seems very unlikely that we will bring in any of the gasoline and diesel models," Toyota Kirloskar Motor Vice Chairman and Whole Time Director Shekar Viswanathan told PTI.

Once the government brings in new fuel pan-India then the company will be in a position to bring in new models, he added. "Till then we will mange with our existing portfolio".

He, however, felt hopeful that with the lifting of the ban on 2000cc and above vehicles, the company is in a better position to talk to the parent firm.

"We are hopeful that with the ban removed we can talk to our principals and tell them this is now the available opportunity to bring in new models. That decision will however be of Toyota Motor Corporation," Viswanathan said.

"What those newer models are going to be we don't know. I can hazard a guess that those newer models are going to be in the direction of hybrid and later technology vehicles," he said.

Elaborating on the investment freeze in the country, Viswanathan said: "There will no fresh investment in plant and machine, but there could be further investment in introducing models... That part will continue."



When asked about the long-term plan, Viswanathan said Toyota globally has got a plan of introducing hybrid vehicles, hydrogen vehicles.

"But this doesn't mean we will stop making diesel or petrol vehicles in the country. We will continue that also but that would fade away after a while and the emphasis will then become only towards hybrid, hydrogen and electric vehicles," Viswanathan said.

When asked about India specific plan, he added: "In India in the next 10 years if the government puts emphasis on incentivising hybrid vehicle manufacturing, we will do it much faster."



He added that its Camry Hybrid has been well received in the Indian market place.

"So are we going to bring in hybrid vehicles in the next one two months, the answer is no. But will we have one-year, two-year plan to bring hybrid vehicles, the answer is yes. So what those models would be, I am not in a position to tell right now," Viswanathan said.

When asked about the Supreme Court levying 1 per cent cess



on 2,000cc and above vehicles in Delhi-NCR, Viswanathan said: "We are not happy with this 1 per cent levy simply because we have not done any crime."



The government had framed rules and the company was fully compliant with the emission norms and therefore there is no rationale in charging even this 1 per cent, he added.

"However, we are happy that the ban has been lifted and we are allowed to do business because many people have got back their livelihoods and there is a large segment of people who depend on these sales," Viswanathan said.

On road ahead on the matter he said: "We will go back and say this not done because I can't see any rationale why 2,000cc vehicles be targeted. If diesel is bad it has to be bad across. In that case you levy cess on diesel fuel itself."



"Frankly, I don't believe diesel is polluting, but I believe old engines are polluting and all these cars which are plying with Euro I Euro II engines, they must be first removed from the road," he noted.

Toyota was among the worst hit by the Supreme Court ban in Delhi-NCR that lasted for eight months.
Donald Trump arrived in Mexico today for a meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto that has aroused controversy because of the Republican White House candidate's past references to Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and criminals.

Trump arrived at 1:09 pm local time in a plane that parked at the presidential hangar at Mexico City's international airport, an airport spokesman said.

Local media said Trump would fly by helicopter to the presidential residence Los Pinos for the meeting with Pena Nieto and would later make a statement to the press.

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Standing alongside the president of Mexico, a measured Donald Trump defended the right of the United States to build a massive border wall along its southern flank, but he declined to repeat his frequent promise to force Mexico to pay for it.

Trump, the US presidential candidate who is widely despised across Mexico, also sidestepped his repeated criticism of Mexican immigrants following a closed-door meeting yesterday at the official residence of the country's president, Enrique Pena Nieto.

Trump and Pena Nieto, who has compared the New York billionaire to Adolf Hitler, addressed reporters from adjacent podiums flanked by a Mexican flag.

"We did discus the wall. We didn't discuss payment of the wall," Trump said yesterday.

In his announcement of his presidential candidacy last year, Trump derided Mexico as a source of rapists and criminals coming to the US, and his presence yesterday sparked anger and protests across the capital city.

A former Mexican president bluntly told the celebrity businessman that, despite Pena Nieto's hospitality, he was not welcome.

"We don't like him. We don't want him. We reject his visit," former President Vicente Fox told CNN, calling the trip a "political stunt."



Pena Nieto was less combative as he addressed reporters alongside Trump. He acknowledged the two men had differences, but he described their conversation as "open and constructive." They shook hands as the session ended.

The trip, a politically risky move for Trump 10 weeks before America's presidential Election Day, came just hours before the Republican nominee was to deliver a highly anticipated speech in Arizona about illegal immigration.

That has been a defining issue of Trump's presidential campaign, but also one on which he's appeared to waver in recent days.

After saying during his Republican primary campaign he would use a "deportation force" to expel all of the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally, Trump suggested last week he could soften that stance. But he still says he plans to build a huge wall -- paid for by Mexico -- along the two nations' border.

He is under pressure to clarify just where he stands in a speech that's been rescheduled several times as he and his staff has sent varied and conflicting messages on the issue.

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Turkey today said it did "not accept" US claims that it had agreed a truce with Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria.

"We do not accept in any circumstances ... A 'compromise or a ceasefire reached between Turkey and Kurdish elements,'" EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik told state-run Anadolu agency.

"The Turkish republic is a sovereign, legitimate state."



Celik said Turkey could not be put on an equal footing with a "terrorist organisation", referring to the US-backed Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

A US defence official told AFP in Washington yesterday that the Turkish and Kurdish-led forces had reached a "loose agreement" to stop fighting each other.

Last week, Turkey launched a two-pronged offensive against Islamic State jihadists and the YPG in northern Syria.

After a weekend of Turkish clashes with YPG-allied forces, Washington expressed alarm and urged both sides to stop fighting each other and concentrate on combatting IS.

Turkey sees the YPG as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged a bloody war against the Turkish state since 1984.

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Two Nepalese women were today arrested after over 8 kgs of cannabis was allegedly seized from their possessionat Indo-Nepal border post at Banbasa in Champawatdistrict here.

Asha Pun (36) and Man Kumari (38), belonging to Kapilbastu and Rupendehidistricts of Nepal, were arrested by the Sashstra Seema Bal (SSB).

Each of them were caught carrying over4.25 kgsof cannabis tightlypacked to their waists, said GautamSagar, a SSB officer at the Banbasa border post.

"After quizing them about thenetwork of cannabis smugglersacross the border, we handed them over to Champawat police," he added.

According to a SSB source at Banbasa, with this seizure, a total of 13.1 kg of cannabis has been seized fromsmugglers belonging to the neighbouring country.

"Only last week, we seized over 4.6 kg of charas from a couple, who were carrying the drugs on their motorbike," the source added.

ChampawatSP D S Kunwar said the women have been booked under various sections of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and sent to jail.

The arrest comes just a day after the meeting between the representatives of bordering districts of India and Nepal, where they agreed to cooperate with each other to stop increasing number of smuggling activities at this part of Indo-Nepal border.

"We havebeen instructedto run a information based campaigntocontrol thenarcoticsand drug smugglers at this part of Indo-Nepal border," said K C Rana, commandant of 57th battalion of SSB at Banbasa border post.

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Uber, the app-based cab aggregator, is collaborating with Telangana government to help members from backward classes and scheduled tribes become full time commercial drivers by providing them training and imparting required skill sets.

The US-based company, which connects drivers and riders, today announced its association with Backward Classes Welfare Corporation and Tribal Welfare Corporation in this regard.

According to an Uber release, the Telangana government will provide 60 per cent upfront subsidy on the on-road price of a commercial car (select models only), while the company, under its scheme "Own Your Car", will assist the corporations in selection of the beneficiaries.

It will coordinate with financiers and dealers for better pricing of the car and subsequently provide training to them on technology, navigation, driver etiquette and other soft skills.

Deepak Reddy, General Manager, Uber (Telangana and Andhra Pradesh), said the cab aggregator is committed towards encouraging micro-entrepreneurship and building skilled labour across cities.

"We look forward to this collaboration with the government of Telangana to assist the beneficiaries with necessary training and vehicle financing. Additionally, to empower them with technology and digital innovation. We're excited to be a part of their entrepreneurial journey," he said.

To ensure steady business to the selected beneficiaries, the government will mandate them to register and drive with Uber. On a pilot basis, the government has identified 25 beneficiaries from Hyderabad for the subsidy.

The government will then monitor their performance on Uber for a period of one month before expanding the scheme to other districts in Telangana, the release said.

The Tribal Welfare and BC Welfare Departments aim to sponsor a total of 1,000 cars under this scheme in 2016, it added.

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Churches across the UK have been issued counter-terrorism advice, including using CCTVs and hiring bouncers at the door during services, following the murder of an elderly Catholic priest by two Islamic State militants in France last month.

"Every church should have CCTV and someone stood on the door. Firstly, to welcome people; secondly, to act as a spotter if someone is approaching the church carrying a weapon," said Nick Tolson, chief of the UK's National Churches Trust who has drafted the guidance released this week.

"People looking to attack will often carry a weapon openly because they believe they are going to be killed anyway, so why hide them? The churches should also have doors that can be closed securely," he said.

The measures follow the murder of 85-year-old Catholic priest Jacques Hamel by two ISIS militants in France last month amid fears that similar attacks against priests could be launched in the UK as well.

Tolson is a former police officer and has advised the UK Home Office on counter-terrorism measures since 2012.

He has drafted the measures for National Churchwatch, which produces personal safety advice for people who work at places of worship.

As well as advising religious leaders how to avoid being targeted, the measures give directions about what to do if an attack takes place.

It reads: "If someone produces weapons during a service (and this will usually be a knife or blunt instrument) then you will need to get people out of the church.

"They are at risk, it only takes seconds for someone to stab a large number of people as we have seen."



Last month, the UK government announced a 2.4 million pound fund to protect churches and other religious institutions from hate crimes.

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The UK government is considering further crackdowns on visas for non-EU nationals, which will include Indians, to curb its soaring immigration figures.

While no details of the plans have been unveiled yet, Prime Minister Theresa May is believed to be examining options to toughen visa rules for students and some workers from outside the 28-nation EU.

The move comes despite recent Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures indicating there has been a "statistically significant" drop in the number of students coming to the UK from outside Europe.

"There was a statistically significant decline in the number of non-EU citizens migrating to the UK to study, from 134,000 in the previous year to 111,000. There was a statistically significant decline in citizens of South Asia, with the number coming to study having almost halved," ONS said in its 'Migration Statistics Quarterly Report: August 2016' last week.

India is the third largest category in terms of student visa applications after the US and China, with 10,664 granted between June 2015 and 2016.

However, a further crackdown is likely to lead to a sharp drop in those applying to UK universities.

"Brexit, unfortunately, could compound the problem for the UK's world-class higher education sector, risking, as it does, 800 million pounds of EU research funding, top EU research talent and some 50,000 EU students enrolling every year.

"The rumours that Theresa May is planning a fresh crackdown on student visas are, therefore, extremely worrying," James Pitman, managing director for the UK's Study Group, told the 'Times'.

"If we are to maintain our position as a global education powerhouse, and protect one of our most valuable exports, the government must give both EU and non-EU students a fair deal and take overseas students out of net migration targets," he said.

India has already raised concerns about further clampdowns on visas for its students and workers coming to the UK.

It does not want to see a further toughening of Tier 2 visas as Indian migrants on the visa already have to be earning more than 35,000 pounds to remain in the UK.

"The government has taken up the matter bilaterally with the UK government at various levels and expressed concerns over the changes in UK visa rules," commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha earlier this month.

Indian nationals have accounted for 57 per cent of the UK's total skilled work visas granted (53,548 of 93,935), with the US the next largest nationality group (10,019 or 11 per cent of the total).

Any further crackdowns will undoubtedly hit Indian professionals the hardest.

(Reopens FGN 26)



"It is true that recent governments have had little



success delivering on pledges to cut immigration, but using cuts in students to reduce overall numbers is at best short- sighted,"said Craig Calhoun, the outgoing director of the London School of Economics (LSE).

The fresh crackdown reports follow recent ONS data revealing that net migration for the UK is still running at more than 300,000 a year despite the Conservatives pledging to cut it to the tens of thousands.

"While we wait for the outcome of Brexit negotiations, it's essential that the Prime Minster sets further action in hand on non-EU migration which is half the total. The biggest source of migration from outside the EU is clearly students, very few of whom are recorded as going home. This is where action needs to be focused," said Lord Green, chair of Migration Watch.

While control on migration from within the EU will be the key focus in the coming months as Britain begins its Brexit negotiations to leave the economic bloc, cutting figures from outside the bloc are expected to go hand in hand.
Uttarkhand government is mulling making public before the state Assembly polls next year the findings the two commissions formed by it to probe the alleged irregularities during the BJP rule.

The S C Tripathi and K L Bhati commissions have submitted their reports to the government and Congress has now decided to discuss the reports in the cabinet meeting so that they can be made public before the state Assembly elections in 2017.

"The state government will soon call a meeting to discuss the reports," reliable sources in Congress told PTI.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Congress Coordination Committee held in New Delhi last week.

State Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay had recently written a letter to Chief Minister Harish Rawat demanding action on the probe reports.

Retired IAS officer Bhati had initiated the probe in 2012 and had submitted the reports on the alleged irregularities in the Uttarakhand Seeds and Tarai Development Corporation.

Following the resignation of Bhati, the government had formed the Tripathi Commission which submitted its probe report last year.

These commissions were asked to probe alleged irregularities in as many as 56 Hydroelectricity projects' allocations, Mahakumbh Mela and central government maintained projects, among others.

In the run-up to the 2012 Assembly polls, Congress had in its manifesto promised probing the alleged irregularities and taking action against the guilty.

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe here as he began his second Sri Lanka visit focussed on reconciliation efforts since 2009, when the Lankan troops Tamil Tigers and came under close UN scrutiny for its warcrimes accountability.

The UN chief and the Lankan premier held close-door talks soon after Ban arrived in Colombo, officials said.

"The two men were likley to focus on peace, reconciliation and reconstruction," they said but did not give the details.

Earlier today, Ban was received at the Bandaranaike International Airport here by Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva.

The UN chief, who is on a three-day visit, would call on President Maithripala Sirisena tomorrow and visit the Sinhala-majority southern city of Galle.

And on Friday, he will visit the camps of persons displaced by the conflict in the northern district of Tamil-dominated Jaffna, also a former LTTE bastion.

He is scheduled to speak at an event in Colombo on September 2 on 'Sustaining Peace - Achieving Sustainable Development Goals'.

This is Moon's second visit to Sri Lanka in seven years.

He visited the country days after the Sri Lankan troops defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and ended the nearly 30-year separatist campaign in May 2009.

Since that visit, Lanka came under close UN scrutiny for its warcrimes accountability during the war with the LTTE.

It triggered an internal probe into UN's conduct during the final stages of the war during which the top world body estimated that nearly 40,000 civilians were killed.

The UN has been pushing for a special court to investigate the allegations.

Sri Lanka dismissed the figure as "excessive" but the UN human rights council passed three consecutive resolutions since 2012 demanding accountability for warcrimes blamed on both the government troops and the LTTE.

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today began his second visit to the country since 2009, when the Sri Lankan troops defeated the Tamil Tigers and came under close UN scrutiny for its warcrimes accountability.

He was received at the Bandaranaike International Airport here by Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva.

The UN chief, who is on a three-day visit, will first meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe before the premier leaves for Singapore late tonight, officials said.

Tomorrow, Ban would call on President Maithripala Sirisena and visit the southern city of Galle. And on Friday, he will visit the camps of persons displaced by the conflict in the northern district of Jaffna, also a former LTTE bastion.

This is Moon's second visit to Sri Lanka in seven years.

He visited the country days after the Sri Lankan troops defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and ended the nearly 30-year separatist campaign in May 2009.

Since that visit, Lanka came under close UN scrutiny for its warcrimes accountability during the war with the LTTE.

It triggered an internal probe into UN's conduct during the final stages of the war during which the top world body estimated that nearly 40,000 civilians were killed.

Sri Lanka dismissed the figure as "excessive" but the UN human rights council passed three consecutive resolutions since 2012 demanding accountability for warcrimes blamed on both the government troops and the LTTE.

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Uttar Pradesh's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is expected reach 12 per cent from 10 per cent at present, on good monsoon in financial year 2016-17, according to Assocham.

The industry body also said that if UP implements even 70 per cent of the reforms suggested by the World Bank, the state would move up to the 6th spot on the "Ease of Doing" index.

UP is marching ahead with a GSDP of 10 per cent in the 12th five year plan, but due to good monsoon it will reach the level of 12 per cent in the financial year 2016-17, Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat told reporters here.

He said the World Bank has suggested reforms for "Ease if doing business" in India, of which UP has implemented 47.3 percent, if it could implement even 70 per cent, its ranking would improve from 10th to 6th position.

Assocham further suggested the state government to improve the level and extent of digitisation of processes to ensure smooth operations in shorter timeframes and reduce scope for corruption.

"The UP government should conduct a detailed study using primary research methodologies to quantify total results of government initiatives in improving ease of doing business in the state," suggested an ASSOCHAM-Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI) study titled 'Ease of doing business in UP'.

The study, released by Rawat and Kshama Kaushik, Director, TARI, also said that "the administration should constantly monitor systems and processes of state machinery, revamp or discard outdated processes and set up new ones in keeping with modern business ethos."



Rawat said, "UP being India's most populous state, improving ease of doing business will have a positive impact on employment even beyond its borders."



He said that regulatory reforms and initiatives taken by UP government like setting up a single window system of Nivesh Mitra, online industrial grievance redressal mechanism, issuance of VAT registration certificate in a single day and e-stamping facility.

Uttar Pradesh holds enormous industrial potential, which was yet to be fully realised and considering that the state has set an average growth rate of 10 per cent in the gross state domestic product (GSDP) in the 12th Plan (2012-17).

It said the state also needs to attract large scale



investment in manufacturing, infrastructure and services sectors to generate more employment opportunities for its large working population.

"Improving regulatory framework for business is a key pre-requisite for increasing investment and thereby creating jobs, as such the role of state in ensuring 'Ease of Doing Business' holds utmost importance for growth of manufacturing and services sector and generate employment," the ASSOCHAM-TARI study suggested.

Though various industrial policies of the UP government provide concessions and incentives like stamp duty, entry tax exemptions, interest free loan, capital interest subsidy and others, however, availing the same was often cumbersome and time taking involving many administrative processes and checks.

"The UP government may consider developing a standard checklist of documents and standard operating procedures (SOP) for entrepreneurs availing these incentives and publicise them through website and other channels to bring transparency and efficiency in processes," it said.

Besides, a clear timeframe may be established for completion of various process and granting approvals for availing these incentives, it said.
The US today reaffirmed its support to India's membership bid of the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement, two of the four key non- proliferation regimes, even as both sides agreed to "redouble" their effort for India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

On the six atomic reactors, which will be built with US collaboration, the two countries batted for immediate commencement of work on engineering and site design.

Reflecting shared objectives in combating the threat from terrorists accessing and using nuclear and other radiological materials, both the sides reaffirmed their commitment made at the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC.

"In a further effort to strengthen global non- proliferation and export controls, the (two) sides are committed to redouble their effort towards India's early entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)," said a joint statement issued after the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

The US urged participating governments to support India's candidature in their common interest.

"The United States also reaffirmed its support for India's early membership of the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement," the statement said.

The US had backed India's membership of the 48-member NSG and even asked participating governments to support its candidature. India's entry to the elite club was opposed primarily by China.

Of the four major non-proliferation regimes, India has already gained entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

The two sides noted the progress made in bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and applauded continued engagement between Westinghouse Co. And the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPICL) toward finalising the contractual arrangements by June 2017 to build six AP 1000 reactors.

High-level talks between the officials of the NPICL and WestingHouse Co. Are on.

The two countries said they looked forward to the immediate commencement of work on engineering and site design and the early conclusion of a competitive financing package based on the joint work by India and the US Export-Import Bank.

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A delegation led by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Director Leocadia I Zak today called on Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and discussed about the smart cities for which Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been inked.

"The discussion was centred on the three smart cities - Visakhapatnam, Ajmer and Allahabad - for which MoUs has been signed between the respective state governments and USTDA," an official release said.

The process of smart city challenge (a competition among cities for inclusion in the project) is "very scientific, transparent and participative" and has become a "role model" for other schemes, Naidu said.

The government has adopted a proactive approach to move forward on the Smart Cities Mission, he said, and informed that the training of mayors and CEOs of smart cities in the US has to be finalised.

Resources must not be a constraint for the Smart Cities Mission, Naidu said, and emphasised on the participation of people in development of smart cities.

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A 63-year-old Vaishno Devi-bound pilgrim today died of cardiac arrest in Katra town of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.

Koushal Chand, a resident of Delhi, fell unconscious en route to cave shrine at Ardhakuwari and was taken to a nearby dispensary by his relatives, a police officer said.

The doctors him declared him brought dead and said the apparent cause of the death seems to be heart attack, he said.

The body of the deceased will be handed over the his family after post mortem.

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announced today it was withdrawing its ambassador from Brazil and freezing ties with its neighbour in response to the removal from office of president Dilma Rousseff.

The foreign ministry condemned Rousseff's being stripped of office after an impeachment trial in the Brazilian Senate as a "parliamentary coup d'etat."

"has decided to definitively withdraw its ambassador in the Federal Republic of Brazil, and to freeze political and diplomatic relations with the government that emerged from this parliamentary coup," it said in a statement.
In fresh trouble for Kerala Congress (M) chief K M Mani, the vigilance wing today filed an FIR in a court charging him with giving tax exemptions to poultry farmers and an ayurvedic medicine manufacturer abusing his position as the then finance minister in the previous UDF government.

Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) submitted the FIR in the Vigilance Court in Muvattupuzha following a quick verification undertaken by it on a petition filed by an advocate.

The filing of the FIR comes close on the heels of a Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram on August 27 ordering further probe against Mani in a bar bribery scam case on a petition by the investigating officer.

In its report filed before the Muvattupuzha court, the probe agency said the quick verification 'revealed' Mani had abused his official position as a public servant in allegedly favouring one Thomson group in the matter of demand of penalty for tax evasion.

The VACB FIR also charged Mani with abusing his official position and without any authority ordered a stay on proceedings to recover Rs 65 crores from poultry dealers favouring them by hatching a criminal conspiracy.

The FIR said the quick verification had revealed that Mani as the finance minister gave retrospective effect to the reduction of tax on ayurvedic cosmetic products from 12.5 per cent to 4 per cent.

"It is revealed that the Commissioner of Commercial Taxes as well as subject committee (Finance Matters) rejected the request of ayurvedic product manufacturers to give retrospective effect to tax reduction for cosmetic products. In spite of these objections, the (then) finance minister had considered their plea and gave retrospective effect to tax reduction as per Finance Bill, 2014," it said.

The VACB said it was prima facie revealed that Mani had taken "undue interest" in granting retrospective effect to tax reduction in favour of ayurvedic cosmetic manufacturers.

The allegation of corruption involved in this deal needs detailed investigation by registering the FIR, it said.

In his petition, advocate Nobel Mathew alleged that Mani gave illegal tax concessions to poultry traders and ayurveda medicine manufacturers during his stint as the state finance minister.

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A wanted criminal and extortionist involved in firing and injuring a Delhi Police constable has been arrested along with two of his associates from Sector 9 in Dwarka, police said today.

Roshan Gupta known as Khalla was involved in firing on a police constable at Kakrola Mor picket in 2011, injuring him in the shoulder.

He was declared a proclaimed offender in two cases involving the attack on the policeman, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch).

Roshan extorted protection money from betting operators in west Delhi and roamed around with an armed bodygauard.

His arrested associates include his bodyguard Pradeep and another criminal Rafiullah who was convicted and sentenced to 7-year jail term in a train robbery at New Delhi railway station in 2010, said the officer.

Roshan was involved in more than 14 cases of attempt to murder, possession of illegal arms and criminal intimidation, the officer added.

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Terming the Aam Aadmi Party "a band of anarchists and opportunists", Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal today said the "civil war" going within AAP was just a "trailer" and the battle would intensify after allocation of tickets.

"AAP is a band of fugitives, opportunists, anarchists and confrontationists...Civil war is going on in the party which will further intensify after allocation of tickets," he said.

He said the squabble for power had exposed that AAP leadership was totally "undisciplined" and "bereft of any ideological commitment".

"People should not expect anything good from these greedy politicians who are dreaming to attain power just for minting money rather than serving the people," said Badal.

"This party (AAP) neither has any history nor any contribution for the state but the opportunists and turncoats are joining this party just for the lust of attaining power," he added.

Citing an example of Delhi, he said the AAP leaders were not concerned about the welfare of people and instead believed in "politics of confrontation".

"They have a track record of fighting everywhere which is not good for the state or its people," said Badal.

Badal also called for a probe into the party's funding from outside India.

"It is really a serious issue if any party gets funding from abroad and must be investigated thoroughly," he said.

The Chief Minister welcomed the announcement of NDA government to set up Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe 1984 anti-Sikh carnage.

"Congress which had perpetuated this carnage has ensured that perpetrators of this crime were not punished but this SIT is a welcome step as it would bring the guilty to book," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress today slammed the AAP government and BJP-ruled municipal corporations for the chaos caused due to water-logging in Delhi and claimed that such a situation has not been witnessed in the national capital in the past seven years.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ajay Maken also accused the AAP government of not completing the work of desilting of drains.

"Only 30 per cent desilting of drains had been done till July 5. According to norms, the desilting exercise should have been completed by May 15.

"There has to be 100 per desilting of drains before the arrival of monsoon because even if 5 pc desilting work is left, the entire exercise would fail as the blocked drains would allow the rain water to flow back into the streets," Maken said at a press conference.

Hitting out at Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi government, he said "It was very irresponsible on the part of PWD that out of a total of 317 drains in East Delhi, desilting of only 35 were done by July 5, while in North Delhi, desilting work was carried out on only 267 drains, out of 432".

He claimed that when Congress was in power in Delhi, desilting work used to be completed way ahead of monsoon season.

Maken also alleged that both BJP and AAP were playing the blame game to escape from the responsibility.

"Delhi being the national capital, gets more funds, should have been the role model for other cities, but Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers are touring Punjab, Goa and Gujarat to feather their political nests, ignoring the problems of Delhi.

"BJP and AAP clash and indulge in blame game on each and every issue for the past one-and-a-half years, ignoring the pressing problems of Delhi," he added.

Heavy rains lashed the national capital today, leading to excessive water-logging on major roads, severely affecting the traffic movement across the city.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi PWD Minister Satyendra Jain today blamed "unplanned drainage system" for the massive water-logging of roads the city witnesses after heavy rains.

"Delhi's sewerage system has not been designed for heavy rains and that roads are water-logged whenever the capital witnesses heavy rains," he said.

Management of drainage in the city has been divided among the Public Works Department (PWD) and three civic bodies.

The PWD has put in service 825 water lifting pumps on various roads which were water-logged due to incessant rains.

Bumper to bumper traffic was witnessed on arterial roads in several parts of the city including Dhualakuan, Badarpur- Mehrauli Road, ITO, South Extension, Laxmi Nagar and Janakpuri during the morning rush hours following a spell of heavy rains.

Massive traffic jams also severely affected vehicular movement on road stretches in other areas including IIT Delhi-Munirka, Press Enclave Road, Chirag Delhi to Nehru Place flyover, BRT to Moolchand, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, Nehru Place to Zamrudpur, Maharani Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Lado Sarai T-Point, West End Marg near Saket Metro Station and AIIMS loop.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry's convoy was also caught in the traffic jams caused by water-logging when he was heading towards IIT in south Delhi to participate in an event.

Kerry had a taste of Delhi's traffic mess on Monday evening while commuting between IGI airport to his hotel in Chanakyapuri.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari today said it will soon seek the Union Cabinet's nod for the proposed vehicle scrapping policy.

Gadkari said the ministry is trying to bring the scrapping policy of commercial vehicles and it has been presented to all the stakeholders.

If the central and state governments would work together on this, it will also help in reducing the pollution levels, he said.

"We are seriously studying its implementation issues and soon we will approach the union Cabinet on this and we will surely get the positive support from them," he said here in a video message.

The video message was shown during a session in the SIAM convention here.

The minister also said the government is taking steps to give a boost to the sector.

Automobile industry is a labour intensive sector, so the ministry is looking at ways to give it a boost besides promoting exports, Gadkari said.

"We are trying to reduce the logistics cost," he said, adding recently in the river Ganga, Maruti vehicles were transported from Varanasi to West Bengal and it has helped in reducing the transportation cost.

Gradually, he said, the government is trying to develop 111 rivers as transport routes besides using the 7500 km of coastline to reduce the logistics cost.

Further he said pollution is a major problem and to deal with this the government has decided to make Euro-VI norms mandatory from April 1, 2020.

"I am happy that the sector is helping us. There are some difficulties but with the help of the industry and the oil ministry, I am sure, we will implement that," he added.

He also said road safety is the biggest concern as 1.5 lakh people die in 5 lakh road accidents every year.

Seeking support from the industry, he said "we have decided to save about 50 per cent of the people. I urge you all to support us in this mission".

In the next 10 years, he hoped that the auto industry will become number one.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A woman passenger was robbed and thrown off a Lucknow-bound express train by unidentified persons near Chitbaragaon railway station on Chappra-Varanasi section, police said today.

The victim, Poonam Maurya, has been admitted to the district hospital where her condition was stated to be serious, GRP Superintendent of Police S A Pankaj said here.

The incident occurred on the Chappra-Lucknow Express train late last night when Poonam was going to Varanasi along with her husband for his treatment, the SP said.

A case of loot and attempt to murder has been lodged and efforts were being made to arrest the robbers, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 20-year-old employee of an IT company has been allegedly raped at knife point by an unidentified man at her paying guest accommodation here, a top police official said.

"The victim, who hails from Tamil Nadu, was raped at knife point in the wee hours between 2.30 am and 2.50 am in her paying guest accommodation in Parapanna Agrahara police station limits on August 25 and the case was registered on August 27," South-East DCP M B Boralingaiah told PTI.

The incident took place when the victim was alone as her room mate had to attend her night shift duty in a company, Boralingaiah said.

The unidentified man made his way into the room easily as she had left the door unlocked and had gone to sleep, he said.

The accused first demanded gold and then money, but not finding them he raped the victim and escaped. Police have made several teams to hunt down the criminal, he added.

Expert Committee on Prevention of Sexual Violence against Women and Children Chairman V S Ugrappa paid a visit to the victim and collected first-hand information of the alleged crime.

"I paid a visit to the victim yesterday and collected information on the crime. The police have set up teams and in a day or two would nab the culprit," he said.

Ugrappa said he has suggested to the police to file complaints against the paying guest owner and the builder for abetting the crime.

Ugrappa has written a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asking for setting up of a regulatory authority to control the paying guest accommodations which are about 6,000 to 8,000 in Parapanna Agrahara police station limits.

During his visit, Ugrappa said he was astonished to find out that there were no permissions sought by building owners to run paying guest accommodations.

"The buildings also did not have adequate infrastructure like lights, CCTV and other security related things," he said.

He also suggested that the Chief Minister should take adequate step to regulate rent, which is exorbitantly priced at Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500 per month.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition hit a house in the northern city of Saada in the early hours today, killing at least 16 civilians, Yemen's rebel-controlled state agency reported.

The airstrikes were part of an ongoing air campaign led by Saudi Arabia that aims at dislodging Shiite rebels, known as the Houthis, from the Yemeni capital and northern regions of the country.

They came as security and medical officials in southern Yemen said that the death toll from Monday's suicide bombing by the Islamic State group in Aden had risen to 72, marking the deadliest attack on the southern city this year.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press.

IS claimed responsibility for the Monday attack, in which a suicide bomber detonated his pick-up truck among a crowd of pro-government military recruits.

The recruits were signing up to join a new unit that Saudi Arabia hopes will ultimately be made up of 5,000 fighters.

SABA agency reported today that the overnight airstrikes targeted the district of al-Sahan in Saada, a Houthi stronghold.

It said most of those killed were from three families, and that children were among the victims.

The agency said that rescue work had been hindered by fighter jets who continued to fly over the bomb site.

It said the death toll is expected to rise, with more bodies being pulled from the rubble.

It was not immediately possible to verify the SABA report because of the difficultly establishing communications with the city of Saada.

The Saudi-led coalition began launching airstrikes in Yemen in March 2015.

It is supporting the internationally-recognized government against the Houthis, who overran the Yemeni capital in 2014 and are allied with army units loyal to a former president.

The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an IS affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the country's south.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Lesley Wroughton

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry experienced some of the challenges that lie in the way of India's economic rise, as monsoon floods in New Delhi became a talking point at his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(Rising waters in India | See pictures http://in. .com/news/picture/rising-waters-in-india?articleId=INRTSJIWL)

"It looks like the rains this time have warmly welcomed you," Modi said as he greeted Kerry and the U.S. delegation on Wednesday for talks.

Kerry's motorcade was caught in two hours of traffic chaos when he arrived in Delhi on Monday night for the annual U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue that seeks to deepen the bond between the world's two largest democracies.

On Wednesday, on the way to deliver a speech to students after another heavy downpour, his car inched through streets that in places looked like fast-flowing rivers. At times the water reached the top of its wheels.

"You guys all deserve an award for getting here today. I don't know if you came in boats or amphibious vehicles of some kind but thank you so much for making the effort," he told the students at the Indian Institute of Technology.

Roads were blocked off as knots of workers battled to drain the floodwaters.

As the U.S. delegation approached Modi's office, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker fell when her heel got caught in a crack on the sidewalk. Kerry came to her aid, picking up a binder she had dropped, and steadying her as they made their way into the meeting.

Pritzker looked shaken but was unhurt.

Earlier, she told reporters that one focus of the India-U.S. dialogue was on so-called "smart" cities and infrastructure.

SMART CITIES

Modi has launched an ambitious plan to build up to 100 such futuristic cities to cater for a population that has reached 1.3 billion and is expected to exceed China's by 2022, according to the United Nations.

New economic figures out on Wednesday showed that India's $2.1 trillion economy grew by 7.1 percent in the quarter through June.

That was the fastest of any of the world's largest economies but down from 7.9 percent in the prior quarter. India's economy is growing faster than China's but is just a fifth as large today.

Modi, who needs growth to top 8 percent to create jobs for the million young people who join the workforce each month, has invited foreign investors to "Make in India" and emulate China's industrial miracle, but for now private investment remains weak.

To boost economic opportunity for all, India has to attract investment capital, Kerry said.

"You have to have a market defined by fairness, transparency and a level playing field," he said.

"You have to have sensible regulations and your bureaucracy needs to be streamlined and effective."

India announced on Wednesday a plan to allow foreign investors to settle, emulating policies in countries such as the United States and Singapore to woo investment from abroad.

Despite the inclement weather in New Delhi, Kerry decided to extend his stay for a couple of days after the official part of his visit.

State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry would then fly on to the Group of 20 summit in China on Sept. 4-5. The G20 gathering will be the last to be attended by Barack Obama as U.S. president.

(Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine; editing by Andrew Roche)

(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.)
North Dakota Highway Patrol troopers working near the Dakota Access Pipeline protests are not wearing name tags, due to concerns about officers being threatened online.

"Early on when the protests were starting, there were numerous incidents of social media posts identifying officers by their name and posting of specific threats towards those officers on social media," Lt. Tom Iverson said.

Iverson said officers also were advised to monitor their social media accounts to make sure they were not providing identifying information for "someone that would want to do harm to you or your family."

Troopers were notified by email on Aug. 13 and the change took place the following Monday, he said.

They are still wearing badges with their numbers, which would allow anyone to report an officer who acted badly.

Iverson said the threatening posts were found through simple keyword searches on social media sites, such as Facebook. He would not share the posts with the Tribune, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.

"It makes no difference what they take off; they're still here," said Frank White Bull, a tribal councilman on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

-- Bismarck Tribune reporter Lauren Donovan contributed to this article.
Odisha is gearing up for roll out of the Goods & Service Tax (GST) scheduled for the next financial year.
State-run telecom firm BSNL has completed installation of 2,199 mobile towers in naxal-affected regions across 10 states, as part of efforts to strengthen security mechanism to combat insurgency in those areas.

"We had time till December 2016 to complete the project but all the 2,199 solar powered mobile towers have been installed and they are operational. This project sets an example for excellent coordination between government and private agencies," BSNL Chairman and MD Anupam Shrivastava said.

The project was conceived by the Home Ministry along with Department of Telecom (DOT) to combat insurgency in the most-affected regions by the left wing extremists across ten states.

It was first approved by the Cabinet in June 2013 after a maoist attack at Bastar, Chattisgarh in which 27 people, including senior Congress leaders, were killed. It was again sent for the Cabinet approval due to change in cost structure and was cleared in August 2014.

The project was executed by BSNL with the help of domestic vendors Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL) and HFCL.

"We have touched life of people in these areas. Our channel partners have done tremendous job by taking up this challenging project," Shrivastava said.

There are 106 districts across 10 states which have been identified by the government as the naxal affected districts across states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. In the tender floated by BSNL for this project, bids were received by these two companies while big players operating in the segment stayed away from it.

"We take pride in accomplishing the daunting task of world's largest solar telecom tower installation in the most hostile terrain of the country, with practically no roads, power or security. Against such imposing challenges, 1,315 telecom network towers have been setup in a record time," VNL Chairman Rajiv Mehrotra said.

He said VNL, on its part, has accomplished connectivity in ten states, 90 districts, 12,700 villages with 39 lakh mobile connections. The total project cost was Rs 3,567.58 crore, which was funded by the DoT arm USOF.


In a major setback to the Tata Group, the Supreme Court has set aside the Calcutta High Court order upholding the land acquisition for Nano plant at Singur in West Bengal.

The land acquisition process has not been dealt with properly, the apex court said and ordered the acquired land to be returned to the cultivators within 12 weeks from today.

The court said land acquisition collector has not properly conducted the inquiry into the complaints of cultivators with regard to acquisition of plots. The acquisition of land by the State for a company does not fall under the purview of public purpose, it added.



The Tata Group shifted the factory out of West Bengal to Gujarat in 2008, owing to stiff opposition by Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.

The Left government was in power when some 997 acre was acquired in 2006 by the Tata Group.

The state government had termed Banerjee's protest as anti-industry and anti-development. Mamata had received support from environmentalists and social groups in support of aggrieved farmers.






The Goa government on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Google India to promote digital literacy and drive the digital transformation in the state.

Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Vice President, Google South East Asia and India Rajan Anandan signed the MoU here.

"As a first step, the Goa government will launch internet safety education for students in association with Google India," Parsekar said. It will be a part of curriculum for classes 9th to 12th in the government schools.

ALSO READ: Why proposed Sept 2 strike may bring country to a standstill

"Google has created a curriculum in consultation with experts. Google India has initiated teacher trainings and it will soon expand to cover 460 schools, teaching over 80,000 students how to stay safe online," Parsekar said.

The scope of this tie-up with Google will be expanded to launch a digital literacy drive for women and introduce programmes to help the small and medium businesses and a mobile app development skilling programme for start-ups, he said.

"This step will be a turning point in the field of information technology in Goa. It's important that students understand how to use the internet responsibly and stay safe online," he said.

Anandan said Google was committed to invest in India's digital transformation.

A senior government official told reporters later that the MoU also envisages collaboration with Google to make all the government sites mobile-friendly and introduce programmes to help the small and medium businesses stay safe online.
The Small Firms Association (SFA) yesterday urged Dublin Bus workers to call off six days of strike action scheduled for the month of September.



The Association claims that over 330,000 journeys will be disrupted on each day of the strike and that the impact will be significant at what should be a busy time for many small businesses.



SFA Director, Patricia Callan commented, "The Labour Court has made a recommendation on this matter for an 8.2% increase over 3 years, which is generous and should be accepted by the workers. The level of increase demanded by the Unions is completely out of line with wage trends in the economy."

She added, "In small private sector businesses, only 60% of companies can afford to give pay rises, of on average 2%. On behalf of the thousands of small businesses whose employees and customers will be affected by the dispute, I call on workers to call off the strikes."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
It was announced today that DoneDeal.ie has raised 36,777 through its most recent charity month initiative.

The proceeds from money raised over the last two months will go to Merchants Quay Ireland, Compassionate Friends Ireland and GROW.

Merchants Quay Ireland is the largest non-profit drug service provider in Ireland, providing residential drug and alcohol treatment for homeless men and women. Compassionate Friends Ireland was set up to support families where a child has died and also supports families that have a terminally ill child. GROW is a national community-based organisation providing support and education around emotional and mental wellbeing, hosting 120 peer-to-peer support groups nationwide.



Each charity received 12,259 from DoneDeal to invest in important projects over the coming months. Merchants Quay Ireland will use the donation to fund many of the essential services that it offers across the country.



Every second month a charity is chosen by three members of staff at DoneDeal and for the duration of that month, 10% of the cost of placing a paid ad with DoneDeal goes directly to the designated charity. The money raised is divided equally between three worthy organisations.



Commenting on the donation, Marketing Manager at DoneDeal, Agnes Swaby said, "This was another very successful charity month, and its great to see yet another three charities receive donations to continue their essential work across Ireland."

She added, "The team at DoneDeal are so proud to see the benefits of our charity month programme in action, and we are looking forward to seeing how our donations and the money raised have a positive impact on these worthy charities."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
University College Dublin (UCD) today presented Professor Kevin OConnor, a leading green technologies researcher and innovator, with the NovaUCD 2016 Innovation Award.

The Award was presented to Professor OConnor, a professor at the UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and a principal investigator at the UCD Earth Institute by UCD President Professor Andrew J. Deeks during an event held at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs.

The NovaUCD Innovation Award was established in 2004 to highlight University College Dublins commitment to innovation. The Award is presented annually to an individual, company or organisation or group in recognition of excellence in innovation or of success achieved in the commercialisation of UCD research or other intellectual activity.

Professor OConnor, who has already secured over 16 million in research funding, is the lead principal investigator in the UCD Biocatalysis Group. This Group is focused on the synthesis of bio-degradable polymers as well as small bioactive molecules. The Group also investigates the ability of bacteria and their enzymes to convert waste or inexpensive starting materials into value added products.

On receiving the NovaUCD 2016 Innovation Award, Professor Kevin OConnor said, "I am honoured to receive this prestigious University College Dublin award. The Award recognises the huge effort, commitment and intellect of the current and past researchers and students in my research lab in UCD and in Bioplastech to develop and commercialise our technologies. They, like me, strive to combine excellent science, innovation and collaborations with industry to improve the quality of our environment and to impact the Irish and international economy."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
The EXIM Summit, Irelands Export-Import & Global Trade Conference, will be coming to Dublin on September 29 next.



The conference is targeted at Irish and international exporters, importers, global traders and professional service providers and aims to provide a platform for international business growth and networking.



The unique event incorporates a conference featuring influential industry business leaders including former Minister for European Affairs and currently International Business Consultant - Lucinda Creighton, Harry Hughes - CEO of Portwest, Liam OSullivan - Mails Operation Director of headline sponsor, An Post and Bernice Moran - Airline captain and Founder of luxury confectionary brand, Be Sweet Company which is backed by billionaire Richard Branson.

There will also be a Brexit-focussed panel discussion during the conference at Croke Park featuring leading international business experts including Stephen Brewer, former CEO of Vodafone and Digicel and Ms Creighton.



Programme Director for the EXIM Summit, Kapil Khanna said, "Our aim is to help Irish businesses overcome post-Brexit challenges and more importantly, how they may seek to adapt and capitalise on Brexit. At EXIM our panel of experts will share insight to companies seeking to exploit new global opportunities & learn best practices."

He added, "EXIM Summit is not to be missed for anyone trading in the global marketplace. Participants will have the opportunity to network with 500+ professionals across a wide range of industries and sectors, and meet their target audience face-to-face."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
A European Commission order requiring Apple Inc to pay $13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes on Tuesday drew swift and angry rebukes from the Obama administration and lawmakers in Congress, while reigniting calls for international tax reform.

The U.S. Treasury Department, which enforces federal tax policy, warned that U.S.-EU economic relations could be affected by the stunning decision by the European Commission. Critics in Congress denounced the move as a predatory money grab that would encroach on U.S. government jurisdiction and ultimately add to the federal deficit.

The Treasury had previously warned that making U.S. companies pay back taxes in Europe could hit the United States' own coffers because tax payments overseas can be deducted against U.S. taxes.

But it was not clear what Washington could do to counter the regulatory order, which ruled that Apple had received illegal state aid under its tax agreement with Ireland and must pay back the taxes plus interest.

Analysts said the move could add a compelling new dimension to the tax reform debate surrounding the treatment of more than $2.1 trillion in U.S. corporate profits held offshore to avoid U.S. taxes.

"The European Commission's decision is a predatory and naked tax grab," U.S. Representative Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, fumed in a statement.

The sum is 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission. Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and fast-food company McDonald's Corp face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros ($33 million) to the Dutch government.

Apple and Ireland said they would appeal the decision.

A Treasury representative said on Tuesday that the ruling could "threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU."

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said lawmakers would examine the EU decision but warned that it was inconsistent with international standards.

"It appears the European Commission has issued an extraordinary decision that targets U.S. business by rewriting already existing tax policies," the Republican said in a statement.

Senator Charles Schumer, the chamber's No. 3 Democrat, called the move "a cheap money grab."

"The EU is unfairly undermining our ability to compete economically in Europe while grabbing tax revenues that should go toward investment here in the United States," he said. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Was the EU's ruling on Apple's taxes in Ireland fair?

Published on August 31, 2016

Story by euro topics Translation by: euro topics

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On Tuesday, the European Commission ruled that tech giant Apple must pay Ireland 13 billion euros in back taxes which it received in tax benefits from the Irish government. Both parties say they'll appeal the decision. But was it the first step to fairer taxation, or will the EU find itself at a disadvantage?

EU stands up to US -Tages-Anzeiger, Switzerland

With its decision, the European Commission has resisted the pressure from the US and set an example for other regions of the world, the Tages-Anzeiger comments: "African countries, states in the Middle East and also India may now take action, because they too missed out on taxes that Apple shifted to Ireland. But the biggest impact of the decision will be on relations with the US. Not long ago the US government openly threatened the EU with a tax dispute and warned it not to try to siphon off the profits made by US multinationals in Europe. It looks like the Treasury Department has become a self-appointed advocate of the multinationals and wants to prevent plans for the international coordination of business taxes. The first impression may be deceiving, but it seems that with its decision the EU Commission has come up with an effective answer to the Americans' bluff." (31/08/2016)

Even giants are not above the law - Pravda, Slovakia

Pravda welcomes the tax ruling against Apple: "The key message sent by the European Commission is: 'We'll get you'... Ireland may not be a tax haven but its tax rates are among the lowest... Apple has exploited this for years, paying only 0.005% taxes on its profits in Europe in 2014. The confrontation over this may go on for years. But the EU Commission has the European public, which pays its taxes without special benefits and is constantly tightening its belt for a better tomorrow, on its side. Meanwhile the governments are being held to ransom by huge companies that dictate their own laws and rules." (31/08/2016)

Harmonise taxes in Europe now - El Mundo, Spain

The Apple case faces the EU with a major decision regarding tax policy, El Mundo explains: "The 13 billion euros are not just a problem between the Irish government, Apple and Brussels. In an economic union like the European Union this affair affects the legislation of all the other member states too: it's about harmonisation... Regardless of what the judiciary rules, the Apple case underlines the need to make decisive progress in harmonising European taxes. Because there won't be a true economic union as long as governments are free to pursue a low-tax policy to attract investment. The EU member states should either adopt a uniform tax model that prevents cases like that of Apple or they should accept the fiscal sovereignty of the individual states with all the consequences this entails." (31/08/2016)

Ireland's image badly damaged - The Irish Times, Republic of Ireland

Ireland's reputation as a secure and predictable investment location hangs in the balance, the Irish Times fears: "Ireland has always presented itself as having a tax system with a clear legal underpinning, offering certainty to companies. Rightly or wrongly the judgment casts doubt over the way we taxed at least one major corporation  and this carries with it reputational damage for Ireland... The Government will argue - and there is a basis for this - that rule changes in recent years have closed off some of the tax arrangements central to the Apple case. However, the damning verdict by the commission on how tax was applied in the Apple case leaves the Government with little option but to lodge an appeal, given the central importance of foreign direct investment to our economy." (31/08/2016)

Brussels totally off the mark again - The Daily Telegraph, Great Britain

The EU Commission's decision is not only unwise but also presumptuous, the Daily Telegraph rails: "The European Commission's dealings with Apple and Ireland are a textbook example of what is wrong with the EU, both economically and politically. Economically, a punitive approach to the taxation of highly mobile international corporations is an act of self-harm: such firms can and will relocate to countries that do not seek to milk them for every penny of tax they can. Politically, it is an affront to democracy that the unelected Commission in Brussels should presume to dictate to Ireland's government what taxes it should levy. Nor is this an approach only applied to smaller states: last week, some EU leaders warned Britain against further cuts in corporation tax." (31/08/2016)

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30 Countries, 300 Media Outlets, 1 Press Review. The euro|topics press review presents the issues affecting Europe and reflects the continent's diverse opinions, ideas and moods.

Story by euro topics

Translated from Steuerparadies Irland: Fur einen Apple und ein Ei
WILLISTON -- A Williston woman was arrested for carrying more than $13,000 worth of drugs after police say they fell out of her clothes while she was being questioned on other charges.

Bags of drugs fell from the groin area of Stephanie White, who was being questioned at the county jail in connection with alleged retaliation for a robbery, police say.

White, 33, told detectives she wanted a cigarette, but as she was walking toward the smoking area at the Williams County Correctional Center, small bags containing drugs began to tumble out of her clothes, according to police.

Authorities say she was carrying more than 40 grams of black tar heroin and smaller amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine worth a total of about $13,000.

She was charged with possession of heroin with intent to deliver, a Class A felony, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

White, whos lived in Williston for a short time, was being questioned last week along with three other people after an altercation between the group over thousands in stolen cash threatened to become violent.

According to records, four acquaintances in two separate cars clashed that night, following each other on Williams County and Williston roads until officers intervened.

They didnt try to run from the police, they were engaged in their activities, said Sgt. Detective Amy Nickoloff of the Williston Police Department said Monday. No gun was located, but there was believed to be a gun involved.

Tyler McGirt, 20, of Watford City, was also arrested and charged with theft of property, a Class B felony, for allegedly stealing about $12,000 on Aug. 20 from one of the men involved.

McGirt was in a car with Heather Scallion, who was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

White was in the other car along with Larry Norwood, 25, who was charged with two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Allegations against Scallion and Norwood were based on police searches of the cars and Norwoods apartment.

More charges are expected in the coming days, Williams County prosecutor Nathan Madden said Monday.

White is being held on $50,000 bond at the Williams County Correctional Center. McGirts bond was set at $5,000, and Norwoods at $7,500.

All three are due back in court Oct. 20 for a preliminary hearing. Scallions next court date is Sept. 23.
MINNEWAUKAN -- A 73-year-old man who survived the night floating in the water of Devils Lake has his lifejacket and an empty gas can to thank after his fishing boat sank this weekend.

Leroy Throlson of Sheyenne has been released from hospital care and is doing fine after the ordeal, Benson County Sheriff Steve Rohrer said Tuesday. He said the fisherman is lucky to be alive.

We were preparing the family for the worst, Rohrer said. Its just incredible.

The story of survival began Friday night after Throlson launched his fishing boat into Devils Lake about an hour before twilight, Rohrer said.

Throlson had been traveling in his boat somewhere east of Minnewaukan, a Benson County town of roughly 200 residents about 20 miles west of the city of Devils Lake, when the back of the watercraft caught a wave and started foundering, Rohrer said. The boat sank, leaving Throlson stranded at night in the middle of the lake.

The surface area of Devils Lake is massive with 330.2 square miles. Temperatures dipped into the mid-50s Friday night into early Saturday morning.

Finding the shoreline would have been difficult at night. The water was likely warmer than air temperatures, but Throlson still would have been cold floating in the lake overnight, Rohrer said.

When asked what the chances were of someone surviving a night in the waters of Devils Lake, Rohrer said probably slim to none.

A search and rescue mission was launched about 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning after the Sheriffs Department received a call that Throlson hadnt returned from his fishing trip.

But around 11 a.m. Saturday, Rohrer received another call. The reporting party said Throlson had floated to shore near North Dakota Highway 19 northwest of Minnewaukan and had been taken to CHI St. Alexius Health in Devils Lake for treatment.

Other than feeling sore from the night in the water, Throlson was doing well, Rohrer said.

He was released Sunday.

Luckily for Throlson, an empty 5-gallon gas can was floating nearby, so he grabbed onto it and hung on throughout the night.

Rohrer credited the lifejacket and gas can for Throlsons survival, adding he didnt start wearing a lifejacket until recently at the request of his family.

His family got on him a few weeks ago to start wearing his lifejacket, Rohrer said.

The tale of survival emphasizes how important it is to wear a lifejacket while boating and to let someone know about your travel plans when heading out on the lake, Rohrer said, including when you are leaving and when you plan to return.
The front of the Alamo (Mission San Antonio de Valero) in 1936, 100 years after the improvised Texan stronghold was attacked and captured by Santa Anna's army. One-hundred-eighty-eight Texans and 1,555 Mexican soldiers died in the battle and aftermath on March 6, 1836. Library of Congress

The days passed from February to March with Santa Anna's red flag flying from San Fernando Church. His army occupied San Antonio while beleaguered Texans under the command of William Travis watched from the Alamo. Travis sent appeals for help, signed "Victory or Death!" while Mexican gunners bombarded the bastion and Santa Anna planned his attack.

The Alamo celebrated when 32 men from Gonzales slipped past Mexican lines to join the defenders. Davy Crockett played his fiddle and another man played the bagpipes.

Travis sent a final appeal on March 3: "This will be the last man we can send out." Next day, Santa Anna and his generals held a strategy meeting and agreed to attack within 48 hours. Santa Anna repeated orders that no prisoners were to be taken. The Texans were pirates, unprotected by rules of warfare.

On Saturday, March 5, a warm clear morning, wounded men in the Alamo were carried out into the courtyard. Every man, except those on guard, heard Travis address the 188 men and, according to legend, use his sword to draw a line in the sand. They were outnumbered 20 to one, he said, and their only option was to die fighting, to sell their lives dearly. If they had to die they would die hard. Every man but one crossed the line to join Travis. Only an old private named Louis Rose, a Frenchman who had fought in Napoleon's Army, declined to stay. He slipped over the wall and disappeared.

Santa Anna's plan of attack was brutally simple. Ranks of infantry, en masse, would charge entrenched artillery protected by expert marksmen in strong defensive positions. It was a recipe for slaughter. Santa Anna would overwhelm the garrison by sheer numbers, whatever the cost in lives of his men.

In the early hours of Sunday, 4,000 assault troops in five battalions moved into position. Four columns, 40 men per rank, 20 lines deep, would attack the four walls. The fifth column would be held in reserve. Cavalry troops would cut off any escape.

The men lay on the ground waiting for the signal. Snoozing Texas sentries were killed and bugles sounded the attack at dawn. The bands of the army, across the river, played the "Deguello," the "cutthroat" tune meaning no prisoners. As they rushed forward the attackers yelled "Viva Santa Anna! Viva Mexico!"

The Mexican columns were so dense that only the first ranks could fire their weapons. Some carried ladders and ropes to scale the walls. The Texans hardly had to aim. If they missed one man they would hit another. The 21 guns of the Texas artillery decimated the close ranks of Mexican infantry with shrapnel made of nails, chopped-up horseshoes and door hinges. It was butchery.

The first charge broke up. No Mexican soldier got within 10 yards of the walls. The defenders cheered as Mexican officers reformed the lines for a second charge, which was also beaten back. Texans on the walls had a half dozen loaded rifles each. Many of the slain Mexican soldiers were shot in the head. Travis, one of the first Texans to die, was shot in the forehead and fell down an earthen ramp.

Santa Anna ordered his reserves to join the third assault. The northwest corner of the wall had been breached by cannon fire and Mexican forces concentrated there. The infantry charged from four directions but the west and east columns veered and joined the attack on that northwest corner. They overwhelmed the defenders and streamed into the Alamo, firing at Texans from the rear.

The defenders fell back to prepared defensive perimeters, their backs to the wall. Literally. They gave ground stubbornly, using clubbed rifles and Bowie knives to parry bayonets. The plaza filled with Mexican troops. The defenders retreated to the long barracks, which had been made ready for a last stand, with sandbags and loaded shotguns inside. A cannon on top of the long barracks fired shrapnel into the Mexican ranks before the gunners were shot down. The doors were blasted open and each room taken by musket and bayonet. The Texans died hard.

The chapel was the last to fall. On top of the building was the main artillery emplacement with guns manned by Almeron Dickenson, James Bonham and others. The artillery position was ripped by musket fire and the gunners killed. The biggest gun the Texans had, an 18-pounder, was captured by Mexican troops and used to blast away the doors of the chapel.

By 8 a.m. it was over. Santa Anna and his aides ventured into the Alamo. The supreme leader was fuming when prisoners were brought forward. Didn't the men understand his orders? They were to die, every one of them.

Six wounded Texans were killed by bayonet. Jim Bowie, who had been too ill to fight, was killed in bed. Some revisionist accounts maintain that Davy Crockett and five or six of his men were captured and brought before Santa Anna, who ordered their immediate execution, and his aides fell on them with swords and hacked them to death. Other accounts say it didn't happen that way, that Crockett died fighting, with slain Mexican soldiers around him, that he never surrendered, that the word itself was no part of his character.

Santa Anna released three survivors, Susanna Dickenson, whose husband was killed firing the guns, her baby, and Travis's slave Joe. He wanted Susanna to spread the word, to sow panic among the Texans, but it only strengthened Texas resolve.

The alcalde of San Antonio was ordered to dispose of the bodies, which lay thick on the ground. When the cemetery was full, the remaining bodies of the 1,544 slain Mexican soldiers were dumped into the river until it became choked with corpses. The 188 Texan dead were stacked in a pile, layered with kindling, and set afire. The pile burned all day and throughout the night. The air was filled with the sickening stench of burning bone and flesh.

After the fighting was over, after the injured and the few who were captured were slain, with the huge funeral pyre burning and the bloody ground around the Alamo hardly dry, Santa Anna turned to an aide and said, "It was but a small affair."

(This is the sixth of eight columns on the battles of the Texas Revolution.)
(Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times) Cunningham Middle School teacher Lori Lopez works with eighth-grade students who passed the social studies portion of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam on Tuesday, May 3, 2016.

On Thursday Cunningham Middle School, one of the oldest schools in the district, will be hosting its open house for the fall semester. Parents will meet their children's teachers, principal and staff members.

Those parents will likely be finding out for the first time that their middle school is slated to be closed.

That's because a week ago Monday, the Corpus Christi Independent School Board decided that the planned consolidation of Cunningham and South Park Middle School will be on the November bond ballot.

Having to choose between putting the expansion on either the South Park campus or the Cunningham property, the trustees chose South Park. That put Cunningham on the chopping block should the bond issue pass.

The disclosure of the staff's choice was made for the first time at the Aug. 22 meeting.

Neither Cunningham parents nor parents at South Park were informed of the pending decision.

The distance from the front door of Cunningham, 4321 Prescott, to the front door of South Park, 3001 McArdle Road, according to MapQuest, is about two miles, but that includes crossing the Crosstown Expressway.

Trustee John Marez warned the board that the Cunningham community might be surprised by the decision given the lack of notification.

"No one is here for this meeting," Marez said, "but they might be here at the next one."

Like South Park, Cunningham's student body is heavily Hispanic and the overwhelming portion of students at both schools qualify for free lunches.

Like many long standing schools, Cunningham has a legacy that is embedded in the community. Marez noted that his parents had attended the school.

"To say it's not going to be there anymore ... there may be some concerns," Marez said.

Superintendent Roland Hernandez said the teaching staff and principal had been informed but no communication had been made with parents.

"There could have been more notice," he said, but the decision had to be made by the meeting date to place the $194 million bond issue on the 2016 November ballot. Hernandez said there will be outreach to the community in advance of the bond vote.

But that's after the bond issue has been packaged for approval by the voters.

Compare that with the approach the district took last year when Windsor Park School for the Gifted and Talented was proposed to be moved to the South Park location.

The contrast between the demographics of Windsor Park, a magnet school, and Cunningham is stark.

A place at Windsor Park is highly coveted. Recent profiles say about 40 percent of the student body is Anglo. Many parents have the means and are willing to hire tutors for their children so they can test their way into the selective school. Far fewer kids at Windsor Park qualify for a free lunch than at Cunningham.

When notified of the proposed move, Windsor Park parents mobilized in opposition. An advocacy group was formed. Parents and students showed up in force before the school trustees.

Some parents threatened to take their children out of the magnet school. They cited concerns about safety at the South Park campus, though reports showed little crime in the neighborhood.

In the end, the trustees chose to rebuild Windsor Park at its present location on Alameda Street on the city's south side.

Obviously, the parents of Windsor Park knew how to work the system. But they first had to have a chance to voice their opinion.

The Cunningham/South Park project, at $51 million, is part of a major effort on reconstructing middle schools. Also included is a replacement of Baker Middle School and consolidation of Haas Middle School with Cullen Middle School. The middle schools portion alone of the bond package totals $111.7 million.

District officials told the board that Cunningham was chosen for elimination if the bonds pass because the proximity of Martin Middle School, which is about a mile away, gives the district much more flexibility to change attendance zones.

Hernandez said later that one point in favor of the choice of South Park campus was that the area has not had a new school in years, while a new elementary, Garcia, opened in the Cunningham neighborhood just three years ago.

Both schools were built in the 1950s and suffer from declining enrollment.

Trustee John Longoria said the South Park choice was the best one.

"People will have a lot of questions (about how the site was chosen) and we will have a lot of good answers."

Yes, but it would have been good to have those answers for parents and community members before the decision was made.

Nick Jimenez has worked as a reporter, city editor and editorial page editor for more than 40 years in Corpus Christi. He is currently the editorial page editor emeritus for the Caller-Times. His commentary column appears on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Contributed photo Photo showing Port of Corpus Christi, Harbor Bridge, SEA District.

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By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times

Testimony and historical keepsakes from residents living in areas that could be affected by the Harbor Bridge replacement project will be shared publicly.

The Northside History Project, produced by Austin-based historian Lynn Smith, will be shown during an open house Sept. 12 at the Oveal Williams Senior Center, 1414 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

The Northside History Project consists of three components: a Northside history photo book, a collection of 10 Northside history banners and a Northside History Report.

Smith was hired in November 2014 by the Texas Department of Transportation to chronicle stories of the Hillcrest and Washington-Coles as told by the people who live there.

Life in those two neighborhoods is expected to drastically change during the $930 million bridge replacement project, which broke ground in early August.

Smith recorded audio interviews with residents during open houses in November and December 2014 for the production. She also collected photos and other neighborhood memorabilia for portable displays.

Built during the late 1950s, the Harbor Bridge has a vertical clearance of 138 feet above the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. Transportation officials want to replace it with a six-lane cable-stayed span with a minimum 205-foot vertical clearance.

Construction is expected to last five years.

Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam
SHARE Robert Anthony Trevino

By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times

The federal indictment of nearly 20 accused gang members show the inner workings of the illegal organization in South Texas.

Authorizing violence to collect membership fees, switching phones to avoid law enforcement interference and claiming territories for drug sales are some of the behaviors described in the indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Twelve of the 19 people indicted appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington in a line that stretched across the federal courtroom. The courtroom gallery was near full with family members, including a girl who spent most of the hearing sitting in a woman's lap.

Each is charged with conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influence Corrupt Organization  commonly called RICO  statute and, if convicted, faces as much as 20 years in federal prison and a fine as much as $250,000. All but Silvia Rodriguez Walton, April Diane Petruska, Daisy Cruz Ortiz and Doroteo Gonzales III are accused of being gang members. The activity is said to have occurred between November 2013 and May 2014.

One of the indicted men, Robert Anthony Trevino, who is also called "Pelon," remains on the loose and is considered a fugitive. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477 or the Houston FBI office at 713-693-5000. A $5,000 award is being advertised for information that leads to Trevino's arrest.

Another man, Gilberto Garcia of Corpus Christi, has a pending murder charge against him in state district court. He is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 20 in the 2014 shooting death of Gregorio Gonzales Lucio behind the Corpus Christi Trade Center.

Each will remain jailed without bail until their arraignments Tuesday morning.

The indictment describes leaders and extortionists discussing prospective gang members and punishment of members or rival gangs. It also accuses several people of selling and obtaining drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.

Twitter: @CallerKMT
In this Aug. 4, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama answers a question during a news conference at the Pentagon. President Barack Obama has cut short the sentences of 111 federal inmates in another round of commutations for those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

Juan Benito Calbo-Gomez was sentenced to 15 years and 6 months in prison for a drug conviction. Henry Deleon was sentenced to life in prison also for a drug conviction.

Both Corpus Christi men will be leaving prison sooner after President Barack Obama commuted their sentences, according to a news release from the White House.

On Tuesday, Obama granted commutation of sentences for 111 federal inmates, according to the release.

Calbo-Gomez was convicted in 2006 of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana. In 2007, 18 months was added to his sentenced after a supervised release violation, according to the release. His sentence will expire on Dec. 28, according to the news release. Calbo-Gomez was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Texas.

Deleon was convicted in 2006 for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 2.22 kilograms of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. His sentence was shortened to 20 years. Deleon was prosecuted in the Southern District of Texas.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
Carlos Cascos

SHARE JOHN MORITZ/CALLER-TIMES Cascos

By John C. Moritz

AUSTIN  Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos plans to travel the state over the next two months to help educate voters about the forms of identification they'll need to cast ballots in November.

The outreach effort has taken on added urgency now that a federal appeals court has ruled that Texas' 5-year-old voter-identification law is racially discriminatory.

"Texans have another option if they don't have one of the seven approved forms of voter ID," said Cascos, Texas' chief elections official, after speaking to a class Wednesday at the University of Texas at Austin. "They still have to some kind of a document with their name and an address on it."

And, affected voters must also sign a document that explains why they were unable to acquire an approved photo ID, said Cascos, a former Cameron County judge appointed in 2015 by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

This month, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of Corpus Christi signed an agreement between state officials, the federal government and civil rights plaintiffs that clears the way for voters without photo ID to cast their ballots as long as they sign a declaration stating they have a "reasonable impediment" to obtaining one of the types of photo identification required in Texas' voter ID law.

The agreement stems from Ramos' 2014 ruling that the law "creates an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote, has an impermissible discriminatory effect against Hispanics and African-Americans, and was imposed with an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose." The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals this year agreed that the law unconstitutionally impedes voting rights.

Speaking to the undergraduate students in a U.S. history class, Cascos sidestepped questions about why Texas adopted its strict law governing voter ID.

"I'm going to have to punt that to the Legislature," he said.

His main message was to encourage young Texans to participate in the upcoming elections and to make voting a lifelong habit.

Texas' voter ID law was enacted in 2011 and put into effect in 2013. Democrats, outnumbered in the Texas Legislature, argued unsuccessfully that the measure undermines the voting rights of minorities and elderly Texans. Republicans argued that the law was necessary to combat voter fraud.

Cascos said his stop at UT, where he graduated in 1974, was his first of many he and his office plans during the run up to the Nov. 8 elections. While he said he wants to carry the message to as many Texans as possible, he declined to commit to meeting with any specific groups in any specific region of the state.

Lawmakers have allocated $2.5 million to educate Texas voters about all aspects of election law and to encourage voter registration and participation.

"We're still planning our schedule," he said. "But, you know, there's 254 counties in this state and it's a huge population. We're going to try to be as efficient with our time to make sure that we try to reach out to as many voters as possible during the next two months."

Twitter: @JohnnieMo

NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE?

To vote in Texas, you must be registered. You are eligible to register to vote if:

You are a United States citizen;

You are a resident of the county where you submit the application;

You will be at least 18 years old on Election Day;

You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and

You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

Source: Texas Secretary of State

GET REGISTERED

Nueces County Voter Registrar's Office

Where: 901 Leopard St., Suite 102, Corpus Christi

Information: 361-888-0404 or visit http://www.votetexas.gov/ for an application.

ELECTION KEY DATES

Last Day to Register to Vote

Oct. 11 (First business day after Columbus Day).

Early Voting 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 24 - Nov. 4

Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail

Oct. 28 (Received, not Postmarked)

Last Day to Receive Ballot by Mail

7 p.m. Nov. 8 (election day; unless overseas deadline applies)

Election Day

Nov. 8
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David K. Owen

Overblown wind farm fears

Nick Jimenez fails to consider the facts in his column, "Wind Farm or the Navy?" (as if that was the choice). Fact: the Navy has already agreed the Chapman Ranch wind farm will not harm the missions of either Naval Air Stations Corpus Christi or Kingsville. Fact: the FAA determined that this wind farm will not be a hazard to air navigation. Fact: residential development encroaching upon NAS-Corpus Christi and outlying airfields are a larger threat to our NAS closing. Please consider that the technological fix to area radar that the wind developers offer as mitigation to building these wind farms may be the solution to the Navy staying in the Coastal Bend! After all, bases with improved radar are not likely to be closed in the next BRAC. Also, aviators from NAS-Corpus Christi traveled to Travis Air Force Base to try and hide their aircraft amongst the hundreds of wind turbines within four miles of that base. They failed because the radar mitigation works! The closest turbine at Chapman Ranch will be more than seven miles from any runway. I am grateful that there are five members of City Council who understand these facts, and who respect my family's private property rights.
Negotiations to permanently remove the Highway 1806 roadblock between Mandan and a Dakota Access Pipeline protest encampment are underway, according to Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier.

While the decision to remove the traffic control point has not been decided, I feel the negotiations are a strong indication of the mutual commitment to public safety, the sheriff said of talks among his department, other safety officials and camp leaders.

Angela Bibens, a volunteer attorney for the protest encampment near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, confirmed that camp leaders are involved in the negotiations. She said the camp agreed to move dozens of tribal nation flags from the pipeline construction site near the highway to the protest encampment about a mile south. On Tuesday, volunteers had brought in tall wooden posts and posthole diggers and hung the tribal nation flags along the camp entrance road.

She said the idea was to remove the colorful visuals along the highway that were enticing passers-by to stop or be distracted.

Safety and camp leaders are talking about ways to reduce pedestrian traffic and parked vehicles along the highway, Kirchmeier said.

There have been no active protests at the construction site since Aug. 18, when the sheriff stepped in to stop work after continued arrests and after protesters surrounded earth-moving equipment. New No Parking signs are posted on both sides of the highway at the protest site, traffic speed has been reduced to 45 mph and digital read boards advise caution in the area.

The sticking point has been the roadblock that was set up Aug. 17 about 25 miles north of the protest site. Reservation-bound traffic is detoured to Highway 6 to the west, while anyone traveling north of the reservation is allowed through.

Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II said he has been turned aside at the roadblock several times.

Rerouting the traffic is an attack on our economy, our schools, our nation and our race. Its not fair, and its not right, said Archambault, who maintains safety has never been threatened on the highway, so other safety measures, such as simply slowing traffic, would suffice.

Amnesty International was on scene calling for the roadblock to be removed, and the American Civil Liberties Union has said it may litigate the issue.

With the state declaring a state of emergency and all those resources, county commissioners have to be asking: Is this really necessary? Archambault said.

Kirchmeier, who has said law enforcement is costing about $100,000 a week, explained the traffic control point was set up for the safety of the protesters, motorists, local residents, emergency vehicles and first responders.

Those interested in gathering with other protesters at the campsites are not being prohibited from going there. They simply need to take an alternate route that will minimize traffic through the protest area," he said. "This is down Highway 6 to Highway 24 and adds approximately 13 miles to the detour."
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As the dust settles after GCSE results day last week, eyes are already being cast to the future as from next year it will be all change in terms of how the exams are graded.

For this years results are the last time GCSEs will be solely marked with the existing A* to G system as the government pushes forward with its new numerical marking model.

The system will first come into action in next years English literature, English language and maths results after new exams were brought in for these subjects in 2015.

Instead of receiving A* to Gs, pupils will instead be given scores of 1 to 9, with 9 being the highest  with all subjects expected to be graded in this manner by 2019.

But are we prepared for whats in store? Kate Evans, head of Bottisham Village College, said the Government had a good deal of work to do to communicate the changes clearly.

Ms Evans said she felt the new grades were introducing further significant complication to an education system which has already undergone much change.

She said: The reality for students next summer is that they will receive results based on two different grading systems, with numbers for English and maths and the existing grade system of letters continuing for all other subjects, and with no direct correlation between the two systems.

Ofqual have made a commitment that students in this first cohort will not be disadvantaged by these changes and it is imperative that this is the reality.

She added: The challenge for those of us working within schools is to ensure that all of our students and parents understand these changes, whilst not being distracted by them.

We all need to ensure that our time and efforts remain focused on helping each individual to aim high and achieve the best results that they can.

While there is no direct comparison between the A* to G and 1 to 9 systems, broadly speaking a grade 7 and above in the new system equates to receiving an A or A*.

Meanwhile grade 5 will be positioned in the top third of the marks for a current grade C and bottom third of the marks for a current grade B. The bottom of grade 1 will align to the bottom of grade G.

(Image: David Johnson)

For Jodh Dhesi, head of Parkside Community College, change is nothing to fear  the school is among those which adopted the International Baccalaureate  but he admitted people might be daunted.

But he added: Fundamentally, whatever the system, the principles remain the same.

Students need to work hard, teachers need to teach well and exam boards need to ensure there is sufficient information about what is needed to achieve certain grades for students to be able to do so.

There will need to be some education for employers about the new system, particularly as they will begin to receive some CVs with old style GCSEs, some with both systems and, eventually, some with just the numerical one.

This is something which Ofqual has sought to address, with chief regulator Glenys Stacey saying care would be taken sure ensure no student was disadvantaged and that people understood the changes.

Alistair Day, head of St Bedes Inter-Church School, said another challenge of the new system could come in the form of teachers predicting grades before the first students have sat the exams.

He said: In previous years, teachers could confidently assess a piece of work as a grade C, for example, whereas there is no basis by which a teacher can confidently assess between a grade 4 or 5 until a cohort has taken the new exams and grades can be compared with expected or predicted grades.

With an enhanced focus on progress, however, the key task for all teachers is to ensure high expectations are set and students accurately track their progress against defined skills and knowledge criteria and have a clear idea of what is required in order to improve.

The emphasis on timely, accurate and well-structured feedback is more important now than ever.

Lucy Scott, head of Chesterton Community College, said that despite the confusion she was confident schools fully understood the changes.

She added: As a consequence of the new grading system we recognise that gaining top grades will be harder and the new 5 is harder to achieve than a C.

Schools and students already work very hard so this will be a challenge but as ever Im sure all schools will endeavour to do the very best for their students.
| BY Ricki Green |

Gold Coast-based hotel operator Mantra Group has appointed McCann Australia to its advertising account.

The win caps off a successful six months for McCann, including being the most awarded Australian agency at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards and bringing home four Cannes Lions in June, and bolsters the agencys recent push into the Queensland market.

Mantra Group, the largest Australian based hotelier with 127 properties across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Hawaii, chose McCann Queensland to help develop a new strategic and creative vision for the local group.

Says Matt Granfield, executive director of marketing and digital, Mantra Group: This is an exciting time of growth and development for Mantra Group and the ongoing drive for the internationalisation of our brands, while building on our strength in the Australasian market. McCann Queensland understands the strategic vision we have for the next phase in the journey of our brands and we are confident in this partnership to realise our vision.

Says Vicky Watkins, brand and marketing communications manager for Mantra Group: Our three consumer brands  Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree  resonate well within their target markets and now is the time for us to capitalise on the marketing synergies that operating three successful brands can offer. We are very pleased to partner with McCann Queensland on this and work with a team showcasing an excellent track record in strategic marketing and creative execution. Supporting an agency with a Gold Coast base, like Mantra Group, is an added bonus.

Says Phillippa Netolicky, general manager, McCann Queensland: Matt and Vicky are both incredibly passionate about the Mantra Groups potential as they face this critical juncture in their brands evolution. Its a challenge we meet with equal energy as we bring our finest minds to the table.
ST. ANTHONY  A Sioux Falls, S.D., man spent more than six hours attached to a digger at an active Dakota Access Pipeline worksite along Highway 6 on Wednesday.

Dale "Happy" American Horse Jr. was one of eight arrested at the protest, which drew about 50 people and at least as many law enforcement officers.

During the past several weeks, people have traveled from all over the country to rally against the oil pipeline that's intended to cross below the Missouri River just north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, which many worry could contaminate the community's water supply. Protests were staged in mid-August at a different worksite near the river, where construction has been temporarily halted.

Highway 6 was closed at the junctions of Morton County Road 138A and Highway 21 for several hours because of Wednesday's events. Highway 1806 was briefly reopened as an alternative route for the first time in nearly two weeks.

A long process

American Horse stood on the digger with his arms secured in a curved PVC pipe contraption known as a lock box, which encircled the equipment. Wearing a red bandanna, he was silent at times, then chanted "Mni wiconi," meaning "water is life."

Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier later said at a news conference that the pipe was secured with tar, grease and chicken wire.

Officers spent hours removing the protester. First, they secured him with a harness and tried to take apart the equipment. When that didn't work, they steadied him on a ladder and sawed the pipe off his hands.

During the process, officers gave him drinks of water and a person identified by highway patrol as a family member was permitted to climb up the ladder and visit.

"All this for clean water," American Horse said as he was arrested and escorted to the transport van. "Why does it have to come down to this?"

A protest organizer, Dallas Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network, said today's act by members of the Red Warrior Camp to attach themselves to company equipment fits with the theme of protest by nonviolent action.

This was well-thought-out and fully planned. The whole purpose is to delay construction and stop the pipeline. We are committed to nonviolent direction action, and thats what we have been using with our demonstration on the bridge and our marches," he said.

Goldtooth said the Red Warrior Camp is made up of Dakota and Lakota people residing within the original Sacred Stone Spirit Camp on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

Kirchmeier said a second man  a 25-year-old from Cannon Ball  attached himself to the frame of a dirt truck. Officers had an easier time removing him, because he was on the ground. A 47-year-old Missouri woman also was arrested for standing on equipment.

Protesters stand by

Early in the day, supporters -- many with scarves or sweatshirts over their faces -- stood directly by the equipment and watched as deputies tried to secure American Horse. Many people, including law enforcement, held up cellphone cameras to document the scene.

Around 11:15 a.m., officers toting zip-ties ordered the protesters to move away from the site or they would be arrested. At least two were taken into custody.

"Let's move or you're going to jail," one officer said to the crowd.

"No worries, our legal team is all over this," a protester called back.

The group moved several hundred feet away after a few of their fellow protesters called on them to retreat.

Kirchmeier said protesters were asked to move from private property where the equipment stood because they were hindering legal work at that point, and any law enforcement efforts.

Holding signs that said "#NODAPL" and "For all generations," demonstrators cheered, sang and beat drums just a few feet from a line of officers.

Protesters threw taunts and called officers names, but there was no violence. Kirchmeier said no weapons were seen.

After American Horse was removed, the protesters began to disperse. One of them, Warrior Wanbli Wicasa, said he thought the protest was a success.

"We cost them money; we cost the state money," he said.

Though he believed officers should have allowed protesters to stay near the construction site, he said they had been "cooperative" overall and "just doing their job."

Officers from the Morton County Sheriff's Department, Burleigh County Sheriff's Department, Mandan Police, Bismarck Police, North Dakota Highway Patrol, Parole and Probation, State Parks, Mercer County Sheriff's Department and Beulah Police were on scene at the protest.

Since mid-August, 37 people have been arrested in connection with the pipeline protests.

Highway 6 was reopened after Wednesday's protest and Highway 1806 was closed again, though Kirchmeier said he is in talks with tribal leaders to remove the blockade on that road.

Tribune reporters Lauren Donovan and Blair Emerson contributed to this story.
Guyanas minister for public telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, is visiting Huawei in China to discuss extending the existing network, which was built by Huawei along the countrys coastal plain.

The plan is to extend the network to cover unserved areas, said Hughes, quoted in Caribbean media. The main objectives are to secure the long-term viability of Guyanas telecommunication networks, and to acquire technical assistance and training capacity, said the Antigua Observer. The existing network cost $32 million.

Guyanas president, David Granger, appointed Hughes as public telecommunications minister at the start of 2016. In July she proposed a new law to Guyanas parliament to set up a regulator, the Telecommunications Agency, and to open up the market to competition. Guyana is one of the few countries in South America without a competitive fixed telecoms market.
Looking west from atop the Monomoy Lighthouse. In the distance is the disputed area west of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. TIM WOOD PHOTO

CHATHAM  Town officials and representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are scheduled to meet today to discuss a proposed memorandum of understanding regarding the western boundary of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.

There may be some give on the part of the federal agency in the latest draft of the memorandum of understanding (MOU). Scott Kahan, regional chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System, said the agency is willing to agree in principle to joint management with the town of the shellfish resources within the disputed area. The town had rejected an earlier MOU because officials wanted an equal say in management of resources west of the island.

Kahan said the agency hopes to expand the MOU to include the state, which manages other resources in the disputed area. State officials have been invited to today's meeting.

We recognize that the service, the town of Chatham and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have overlapping jurisdictions, mutual interest and a long history cooperatively managing coastal resources in the submerged lands east of the refuge's western boundary, Kahan said in a statement.

Control over those submerged lands  more than 3,000 acres in Nantucket Sound west of the barrier island 

became an issue earlier this year when the Fish and Wildlife Service finalized the 15-year management plan for the refuge. The comprehensive conservation plan asserted federal authority over the area, including jurisdiction over fish and shellfishing resources that the town and state have overseen for years.

While the agency says that the submerged lands in question are within the original 1944 area of taking for the refuge, town and state officials counter that the taking only referred to lands above mean low water. To clarify the western boundary at the mean low water mark, the town has asked Rep. William Keating to file federal legislation. Keating has said he will do so when Congress returns to session after Sept. 6, but has asked that the town and Fish and Wildlife Service try to negotiate a solution in the meantime.

He would prefer that we hold hands and sing 'Kumbaya' down on Monomoy, Chairman of Selectmen Jeff Dykens said at last week's board meeting. Town officials, however, have to have a full vote at the table. We're not going to just cooperate. We have to join in, he added.

The Fish and Wildlife Service appears to be on the same page, at least when it comes to managing shellfish resources, a key concern of town officials. In the past, the flats west of Monomoy have been among the town's richest shellfishing grounds.

In his statement, Kahan, said the agency believes it's time to come together with the town to outline how we will collaboratively implement management called for in the [CCP]. We believe this agreement should be long-term and run for the length of the CCP (15 years).

Among the other aims of the MOU are to establish regular communications between the Fish and Wildlife Service, the town and the state through collaboration, bringing the best science to bear to manage the resources we all care about. Along with shellfish, Kahan cites management and protection of eelgrass, horseshoe crabs and mussel beds as critical. The CCP prohibits harvesting of horseshoe crabs and mussels; the town is concerned about the latter, since in the past commercially harvestable quantities of mussels have existed near the refuge. The agency wants their harvest banned because they are a food source for sea ducks and other avian species.

The MOU could also outline how all parties would coordinate management of any new or emerging fisheries, ensuring a public process where all have a voice, Kahan's statement continues.

Natural Resources Director Robert Duncanson said the town's working group on the Monomoy situation had not yet met to review the latest MOU and had no comment on it.

Meanwhile, town officials took aim at critics of the proposed federal legislation, whom they say misrepresent the town's position as an attempt to wrestle federal land away from the Fish and Wildlife Service. They say that it is the agency that is illegally taking submerged land that was never part of the refuge; the claim in the CCP, they assert, is a reversal of service's position of the past 70 years. In previous documents, the refuge has always been referred to as constituting less than 3,000 acres; now it asserts the refuge encompasses more than 7,000 acres, town officials say.

Selectman Seth Taylor cited specifically an op-ed piece by Massachusetts Audubon Director Jack Clarke. The claim, he said, flies in the face of all the historic precedent and actions of everyone.

He urged residents and property owners to write to Keating or their own federal representatives to support the legislation.

This is serious business to us, that [Keating] shouldn't be cowed and he should continue to demonstrate the leadership, cooperation and support he has so far, said Taylor, who authored a guest editorial on the topic in this week's Chronicle.

Sometimes I feel it's a little bit of Don Quixote tilting at windmills, or David and Goliath, Dykens added, but we feel very strongly that we have a strong legal argument that we will press should we not get satisfaction elsewhere.
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According to sources, there will be a steep increase in tuition fee for MBBS courses from the upcoming academic session. In Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the Admission and Fees Regulatory Committee (AFRC) has approved about 33% to 53% increase in the MBBS course tuition fee in private colleges of the state.

As per the fee hike, students getting into first year MBBS course will have to pay about Rs 5.72 lakh as tuition fee which is a steep increase from the last year's fee which was Rs3.5 to 4 lakhs.

In some premier institutions, students joining MBBS courses this year will end up coughing up at least Rs 28 lakh for the complete MBBS course of four-and-a-half year, this fee is excluding the illegal capitation fee.

Top Medical Institutions In India

According the above decision made by the AFRC, this fee structure will be effective for the next 3 years for the students who will be taking admission in 2016 session. There is also a possibility of another fee hike in 2019.

If assumptions are to be made as per the last 6 - 7 years data, there is a fee hike of about 100% which has anguished both students and parents.

The AFRC, after considering the proposal from private colleges has announced the revision of fee structure for the MBBS course.

Few colleges that have formed into private universities recently are yet to announce their fee structure as these private universities are regulated by the Madhya Pradesh Private University Regulation Commission.

Ever since the supreme court has mandated NEET for admissions into medical courses, all private universities and colleges across the country have started increasing the tuition fee for MBBS course. The SC has also mandated the admissions into medical courses to be made on merit basis only.

The unfriendly and uneven hike in the fee structure has invited strong opposition from students and student unions against the decision of the AFRC.

Will the colleges continue taking admissions with the same tuition fee or will they consider students and the unions demands to reduce the ridiculously high fee structure is a question yet to be answered by the authorities. Stay tuned for more updates on the medical education fee hike.
Before some cutting-edge online retailer can use a drone to drop granola bars on your doorstep, a railroad born when Abe Lincoln was in Congress will first have to iron out the kinks.

BNSF Railway Co. is flying drones as far as 150 miles (240 kilometers) along the New Mexico desert to inspect tracks, helping the Federal Aviation Administration develop rules for operating unmanned aircraft beyond the pilots line of sight. Thats an essential step for expanding use to such commercial endeavors as deliveries by Amazon.com Inc. and other companies.

We had to invent a lot of what were doing from scratch, said Todd Graetz, head of the drone team at Fort Worth, Texas-based BNSF, which traces its roots back to the Aurora Branch Railroads founding in 1849 and is currently controlled by billionaire Warren Buffett. It sets the stage for a number of other users.

The Holy Grail is flying drones beyond what ground-based operators can see, said John Walker, co-founder of the Padina Group Inc. aerospace consulting firm. The potential uses  from track inspections, to spotting criminals on the lam, to organ deliveries for hospitals  will rival what happened a century ago, when airplanes became indispensable tools instead of stunt machines at county fairs, he said.

Its been barnstorming, said Walker, a former FAA program director. Now were getting into what is the commercial market.

Missed Deadline

The FAA is eager to expand rules for long-distance drone flights, said Earl Lawrence, the agencys director of the office of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration. The agency missed a congressional mandate to allow full integration of drones into U.S. airspace by last year, citing safety concerns.

Until recently, the FAA had allowed commercial drone flights only under a cumbersome, case-by-case application process. On Monday, the agency began permitting daytime flights within line of sight, no higher than 400 feet (120 meters), no faster than 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour) and, generally, not above people. Those interim rules set a framework eventually to allow night flights, operations over populated areas and service beyond line of sight. The agency expects to introduce those rules next year, Lawrence said.

How do you eat the elephant? One bite at a time, he said. Were taking it in bites. Were going from the less complex to the more complex.

For more coverage of FAA rules on drone safety, click here.

Industrys Help

The agency has enlisted assistance from BNSF and other companies to tackle the challenges in an airspace crowded with the most private planes in the world.

The FAA itself cant really move this forward on its own. It needs industry, said Joanna Simon, an associate at Morrison & Foerster. The San Francisco-based law firms clients include Facebook Inc., which wants to use drones to provide internet service.

BNSF, owned by Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is particularly suited for the task. The railroad operates 32,500 miles of track crisscrossing sparsely populated areas along a well-defined right of way, which eases planning. Communications towers that are part of a safety system for trains can be used to help guide drones.

Bad Track

The railroad also has a compelling business case. The Latitude HQ-40 drone that Graetz supervises has a six-foot wingspan and is equipped with cameras that when paired with special software can potentially detect track anomalies more quickly, possibly preventing derailments. The flights, from just outside of Playas, New Mexico, lay the groundwork for drone inspections of other fixed infrastructure, such as pipelines and power lines.

The more we fly, the more imagery we collect, the more we run it through the analytics, the better things get, Graetz said.

Another company, PrecisionHawk Inc., is working with partners to use satellite data to build three-dimensional maps so drones by themselves can avoid objects such as grain silos and tall trees, says Tyler Collins, the director of business development. PrecisionHawk has developed drones and software to monitor the health of crop fields.

One of the most exciting things is that the FAA is fully invested in figuring out how to do this, he said.

Extending Coverage

Harris Corp., which operates a network that helps the agency monitor manned aircraft, is developing systems that would extend the coverage to below 500 feet for drones, including through use of the cellular telephone network.

The challenges of moving beyond visual line of sight shouldnt be underestimated, said Carl DAlessandro, president of critical networks at Harris, which is assisting PrecisionHawk.

Companies including Google Inc. and Amazon, which has received permission to test flights beyond line of sight in the U.K., have pushed the FAA to move more quickly. Dominos Pizza Enterprises Ltd. last week said it teamed up with drone operator Flirtey to deliver a pizza in New Zealand and plans to test the service there later this year.

We work with regulators and policy makers in many countries and will continue to do so, Kristen Kish, a spokeswoman for Amazon, said by e-mail. We look forward to using drones to safely deliver parcels in 30 minutes to customers around the world.

Crop Dusters

The risks of flying autonomous planes long distance are substantial. The drones must be able to detect other aircraft and objects, such as crop dusters or hot-air balloons, and then take action to avoid them. Operators also have to determine how drones can land safely if they lose communications with people on the ground.

BNSF isnt ready to reveal how it plans to overcome these challenges, said Graetz, an airplane pilot. The company and its partners are working on the final proposal to the FAA for full operation beyond line of sight, he says. Today, some of the railroads methods are low tech, such as e-mails, phone calls and visits to small airports along the rail route to warn people of drone flights.

Theres the process of good old shoe leather to get to know the airport managers and spreading the news about what were doing, he said.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
Audis SUV family is getting ready to welcome a new member, after the brand with the four rings has secured the Q4 moniker.



Essentially a smaller sibling to the upcoming Q6 e-tron, the production model will reportedly draw inspiration from the TT Offroad Concept, according to AutoExpress, creating this way a direct rival to the likes of the BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe.

Getting the study all dolled up for assembly will be just the initial phase, as the sporty SUV could also adopt the plug-in hybrid technology, with batteries supplied by Samsung SDI.

Samsung will invest 400 billion won ($357 million) in a new battery factory in Hungary, planned to open in the second half of 2018. The new facility is only 90 minutes away from the Gyor plant, where Audi is producing the TT. This info is backed up by Audis statement that Samsung SDI will team up with LG to supply the necessary battery cells for its upcoming EV projects.

Aside from the regular Audi Q4, the German automaker also owns the S Q4 badge since late 2013, when it was trademarked with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, suggesting that a high-performance variant of the SUV is also on the cards.

Note: Audi TT Offroad Concept pictured

PHOTO GALLERY
During a trip to Russelsheim, General Motors President Dan Ammann took the upcoming Opel Ampera-e out for a short test drive, accompanied by the German brands CEO, Karl-Thomas Neumann.



Driving the zero-emission vehicle around Opels headquarters, Ammann says he was impressed with the 204 PS (200 HP) and 360 Nm (266 lb-ft) of torque produced by the electric motor, which allows the car to go from 0 to 50 km/h (31 mph) in 3.2 seconds and from 80 to 120 km/h (50-75 mph) in 4.5 seconds.

Acceleration is pretty good, the GM chief said. There must be good demand for this car. Yes, I am absolutely convinced of that, Neumann added, with both men believing that the zero-emission compact vehicle will shake up the electric car market when it goes on sale across Europe next year, following its world premiere at the 2016 Paris Auto Show this fall.

A re-badged version of the Chevrolet Bolt, the Opel Ampera-e will benefit from a 322 km (200 miles) of range on a full charge. Pricing details are yet to be revealed, but in the US, the Bolt starts from $37,500 (33,275) before government rebates.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO
The covers have been taken off the facelifted Hyundai i10 before sales of the tiny city car commence in the UK in January,



Set to debut publicly at next months Paris Motor Show, the refreshed i10 is the first time the model has been updated since the second-generation car launched in 2013. While the updates are minimal, the company hopes they will help the i10 better rival the Kia Picanto, Volkswagen Up, Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo.

At the front, the 2017 Hyundai i10 includes a tweaked grille and a new set of LED daytime running lights. These changes are complemented with a new bumper design and a set of 14-inch steel or alloy wheels. Styling tweaks to the rear end include a new bumper, different materials on the taillights, round rear fog lamps and a subtle black inlay.

The biggest changes to the new car come in the cabin. For starters, a seven-inch touchscreen navigation system is standard in high-end models and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The navigation system also comes with a seven year free subscription to the companys life traffic monitoring system.

Additionally, Hyundai has added a front collision warning system to the car as well as a lane departure warning system, both of which work thanks to front camera sensors.

In terms of engines, the 2017 i10 will maintain the current cars 1.0-liter and 1.25-liter petrol engines mated to either a five-speed manual transmission as standard or a four-speed automatic box.

PHOTO GALLERY
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has confirmed reports that thieves used its DealerConnect system to steal dozens of its vehicles from the Houston area, reports Left Lane News.



Last month, the two thieves were arrested by local police and the Houston Police Department discovered during its investigations that the pair had stolen over 100 Jeep Wrangler, Cherokee and Dodge pickup truck models and transported the vehicles across the Mexican border.

While speaking with the Houston Chronicle, a spokesman from FCA revealed that during one incident, the thief broke into the vehicle and used a laptop to enter the cars VIN into an FCA database, before stealing the car.

That database is called DealerConnect and allows dealers to simply reprogram a vehicles computer to accept a new key fob.

Its not yet known how the thieves obtained the software, but it is reported that FCA has revised its disclaimer for DealerConnect to threaten civil or criminal proceedings against those who supply the software to unauthorized individuals.

PHOTO GALLERY
If you want a small retro hatchback in North America, your choices essentially come down to the Mini, Fiat 500 or VW Beetle. But back in Japan there are more on offer, like the new Toyota Pixis Joy.



Toyotas latest Kei car, the Pixis Joy takes aim squarely at the Honda N-One with its fashion-forward styling and compact form.

It comes in three different forms, each distinguished by its alternative take on the same cutesy design theme: the Pixis Joy C with a rugged appearance and taller ride height, the Pixis Joy F that takes a more elegant approach, and the Pixis Joy S with a sportier appearance. Each gets its own bumpers, rocker panels, wheels and more to carry the theme forward.

Regardless of chosen trim, the Pixis Joy is powered by a 660cc engine driving the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission. A turbocharged version is offered on the C and F versions and comes standard on the sporty S model, with all-wheel drive offered across the range as an option.

The Joy models join others in the Pixis range, including the Pixis Space wagon, Pixis Mega minivan, Pixis Van, Pixis Truck, and Pixis Epoch hatchback  all of them manufactured by Daihatsu, which Toyota recently acquired specifically on the strength of its small-car expertise.

Theyll be sold through an array of 211 dealers across Japan, with prices ranging from 1,220,400 to 1,620,000 yen  or about $12-16k at current exchange rates.

Toyota Pixis Joy C

Toyota Pixis Joy F

Toyota Pixis Joy S
A lot has happened since my last blog post more than seven months ago. In the fall I made several trips - in October to Wyoming for the annual meeting of ...

3 years ago
Automakers are known to turn to famous poets from time to time to market their latest products, and now, its Volvos turn to do sow with the S90 discovering the open road.



Part of the brands North American campaign for the executive sedan, the footage uses American poet Walt Whitmans Song of The Open Road, narrated by actor Josh Brolin, and showcases a writer in search of inspiration, away from confined spaces.

Were delighted by the buzz the S90 has created. Its a beautiful car, thoughtful and thought through with Volvos unique Scandinavian design. We love the simple beauty of the Walt Whitman poem and find it, and the intriguing production, a perfect match to our car, said Bodil Eriksson, VP for Product, Marketing and Communication.

Launched in the US this spring with a choice of two powertrains, the 250 HP T5 turbocharged Drive-E and the T6 AWD Momentum with 316 HP, the all-new Volvo S90 carries a price tag of $46,950 for the entry-level model and $52,950 for the more potent version. Some of the safety gizmos equipping it are the Run-Off Road Mitigation, Large Animal Detection and the semi-autonomous driving tech, which works at speeds up to 80 mph (130 km/h), allowing it to accelerate, brake and steer on its own.

VIDEO
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

The Penticton RCMP dealt with two bear spraying incidents within minutes of each other last week.

Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth said in the first, officers found a naked man in front of the Chevron pouring homogenized milk on his genitals.

The man claimed he had been bear sprayed, but the spray pattern was consistent with him carrying his own can.

The man was uncooperative with the police.

Shortly thereafter, officers were called to an address on Fairview Road where they found five people yelling and causing a commotion.

All of them had apparently been bear sprayed by a man known to them over money owed by the victims.

The group was uninterested in providing any further information on what happened.
Photo: Jennifer Zielinski

A man facing second-degree murder charges will soon be released on bail after his conditions were changed Tuesday.

Daniel Ruff, 63, was charged in the death of his roommate, 51-year-old Warren Welters, who died June 14, 2015.

Welters died in his home, which he shared with Ruff, on Bernard Avenue.

Ruff was arrested on June 29 and has remained in custody since.

On Jan. 4, 2016, Ruff was granted bail, but there hasn't been space available at the home the judge had ordered him to enter, so he has remained in custody.

On Tuesday, Ruff's defence lawyer applied to have his bail conditions changed, so he could be released from jail into the custody of a surety as he awaits trial.

A surety is someone who takes responsibility for a person who is out on bail.

The bail condition change was granted by the judge.

Ruff's trial by jury is scheduled to begin Nov. 21.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Friends and relatives of patrons trapped in a gay Florida nightclub where a mass shooting left 49 people dead asked police dispatchers why it was taking so long for their loved ones to be rescued.

Audio recordings of 911 calls released Tuesday by the Orange County Sheriff's Office show mounting frustration by friends and family members who were texting, calling and video-chatting with trapped patrons of the Pulse nightclub where Omar Mateen opened fire in June.

"My friend was shot in the club. ... He is still in the bathroom. He is bleeding, and he got shot and nobody is going in for him," said one caller to 911, almost three hours after the shooting began. "Nobody is doing anything for him."

The dispatcher told him that a SWAT team was about to go inside the nightclub.

More than an hour and a half after the shooting started, another man called dispatchers a second time, clearly frustrated that his ex-girlfriend hadn't been rescued from a bathroom where she was trapped with almost 20 others, including two dead people.

"People are shot and dead. ... Are you guys sending anybody there?" the man said. "They are all scared to death, and they all think they are going to die."

The caller then said that his ex-girlfriend was texting that the gunman was there. The dispatcher told him to text back, asking if his ex-girlfriend meant in the bathroom or the club in general.

"She's not answering," he said. He waited for more than five minutes on the line with the dispatcher, getting no response from his ex-girlfriend, before the dispatcher told him she needed to free up the line.

The sheriff's office took overflow 911 calls when Orlando Police Department dispatchers were inundated. The recordings show sheriff's dispatchers mostly got busy signals when they tried to transfer calls back to police.

The Orlando Police Department has yet to release its 911 calls. A dozen news media companies including The Associated Press are suing for access to these public records as well as the communications between Mateen and the Orlando Police Department, during which authorities say Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
Photo: Google Maps

A police spokesman in the Dominican Republic says a 15-year-old girl has been arrested in the slaying of a Canadian man living in the Caribbean country.

Nelson Rosario says the girl is in custody and will be prosecuted as a juvenile.

Rosario said Tuesday that the girl has admitted fatally stabbing 81-year-old John Verne Ward at his home in the coastal town of La Romana on Aug. 24. He says she told authorities that she was in a relationship with Ward and that she stabbed him after they got into a fight when he tried to prevent her from leaving.

Ward's hometown in Canada was not available. The girl's name was not released because of her age.
Photo: Contributed

Just in time for the long weekend, DriveBC has added new highway cameras to several Southern Interior roadways.

For those who might travel the Coquihalla to metro Vancouver before school is back in session, new cameras have been added to the areas of Britton Creek, the Summitt, Zopkios, Box Canyon and Portia.

For motorists headed east toward the Kootenays, a new camera is located on Highway 3 at the Salmo-Creston Summitt and Leadville Road, as well as on Highway 6 at Whitewater Ski Hill Road.

Along Highway 97C, one new camera has been installed at Elkhart facing east.

If the Shuswap is where youre spending the last days of summer, new cameras have been placed at Hoffmans Bluff, Eagle River, Griffin Lake, Boulder Hill and One-Mile Hill.

The BC HighwayCams website allows travellers to check highway conditions, traffic and weather information.

A MyCams page can be customized with selected cameras for specific regions.

Click here for more information.
Photo: Contributed

Kathryn Newman-Renwick is this week's Volinspire volunteer of the week.

What inspired you to volunteer?

I became involved with volunteering with social justice causes and the marginalized of our community from a young age with my family and was involved with outreach at the First United Church of Kelowna. I have continued on my own and assist with their New Years Day dinner for our downtown neighbours and members of the community. My mother instilled in me the belief that it doesn't take a lot to make someone's day brighter. Seek always to do some good. Through the church, I became a regular volunteer at Inn From the Cold and have been volunteering there for 11 years. I have also recently become a member of their board of directors.

Which cause are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about the marginalized, as well as bridging connections with those in need, whom often are disregarded and undervalued in our community, and the organizations and services that can provide the best support.

Which organization do you most commonly volunteer for?

I mostly volunteer for Inn From the Cold as an overnight supervising volunteer. Being involved with how our services are run and organized gives me great insight into how the organization works within the community, how to better approach the services we offer, and how I can best contribute my time.

What does a typical volunteer shift look like?

At the Winter Shelter, each shift has two volunteers plus a staff person. Evening reception welcomes the guests and assists the staff. Food service purchases and prepares the evenings meal and helps serve and clean afterwards. Overnight Stay, which is what I do, arrives for change over after the meal service and stays until morning, completes kitchen cleaning, makes lunches for those who work, assists those who cant sleep, provides support for the overnight staff in case of emergencies, and preps for morning. Morning shift helps wake the guests, prepares/serves breakfast, assist guests to exit for the day and helps clean the shelter.

What impact have you seen volunteers make in the community?

Without our numbers of extraordinary caring and willing volunteers, we wouldnt be where we are today. It is through their hard work and commitment that we can continue to provide and grow the services we offer. We come together as a great team that believes in the necessity of altruistic care for those in need.

What is the most memorable experience you've had while volunteering?

Getting to know our guest, Arthur Cottie, who played a huge part in the creation and organization of our largest fundraiser and awareness celebration, the annual Arthur Cottie PUSH to End Homelessness. The event joins residents and businesses in a fun-filled decorated shopping cart race to show Kelowna cares about the homeless. Arthurs presence is missed, but his outlook on life, even when he had little for himself, was the greatest gift he could have left us with.

How can people learn more or get involved?

We are always in need of volunteers and staff members. Our shelter relies largely on donations and the generosity of the community to stay open. We receive very little government funding and any contribution  material or financial  is appreciated. In September, we will be starting the interview process for staff and volunteers in preparation for the November opening. We also have other opportunities for volunteers beyond the shelter that run throughout the year.

Is there anyone else you would like to recognize?

We get such wonderful support from so many in the community in so many different ways. All of those wonderful volunteers and staff, great and small, who donate their time or other means to be involved with Inn From the Cold really are the glue that holds our organization together. Jan Schulz, our executive director, deserves a nod of appreciation as she is the sail of this tall ship and keeps us on course.

Check out more volunteer opportunities at Volinspire.com.
Photo: Getty Images

A Second World War veteran who went on to represent British Columbia's Okanagan region in Parliament has died.

Fred King died at a hospice in Penticton, on Tuesday morning. He was 93.

Born and raised in Kaleden, King joined the Royal Canadian Air Force after high school and served in Burma during World War II. He had a number of varied careers when he returned, including fruit farmer and postmaster.

In 1979, King was elected member of Parliament for the riding of Okanagan Similkameen as a Progressive Conservative.

He retired from politics in 1988 after being defeated by New Democrat Jack Whittaker.

Dan Albas currently represents King's old riding, and said the politician always took the time to listen to the concerns of his citizens and believed in serving his community.

"I always appreciated Fred's smile and his advice and they were always delivered in that order," said the MP for Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola. "I will greatly miss him."

King stayed active in his community after leaving politics, working as a director with the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation and spearheading a project to recognize local veterans.

King and his wife, Audrey, were married for 65 years before her death in 2013. The couple had three children, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Surrounded by smoke and flames, the sound of gunshots echoing around him, the young man crouched in the creek for hours, listening to the men in his family die.

On the other side of the mountain, another survivor peered through binoculars as the handcuffed men of neighbouring villages were shot and then buried by a waiting bulldozer. For six days he watched as the extremists filled one grave after another with his friends and relatives.

Between them, the two scenes of horror on Sinjar mountain contain six burial sites and the bodies of more than 100 people, just a small fraction of the mass graves Islamic State extremists have scattered across Iraq and Syria.

In exclusive interviews, photos and research, The Associated Press has documented and mapped 72 of the mass graves, the most comprehensive survey so far, with many more expected to be uncovered as the Islamic State group's territory shrinks. In Syria, AP has obtained locations for 17 mass graves, including one with the bodies of hundreds of members of a single tribe all but exterminated when IS extremists took over their region. For at least 16 of the Iraqi graves, most in territory too dangerous to excavate, officials do not even guess the number of dead. In others, the estimates are based on memories of traumatized survivors, Islamic State propaganda and what can be gleaned from a cursory look at the earth.

Still, even the known numbers of victims buried are staggering  from 5,200 to more than 15,000.

Sinjar mountain is dotted with mass graves, some in territory clawed back from IS after the group's onslaught against the Yazidi minority in August 2014; others in the deadly no man's land that has yet to be secured.

The bodies of Talal Murat's father, uncles and cousins lie beneath the rubble of the family farm, awaiting a time when it is safe for surviving relatives to return to the place where the men were gunned down. On Sinjar's other flank, Rasho Qassim drives daily past the graves holding the bodies of his two sons. The road is in territory long since seized back, but the five sites are untouched, roped off and awaiting the money or the political will for excavation, as the evidence they contain is scoured away by the wind and baked by the sun.

"We want to take them out of here. There are only bones left. But they said 'No, they have to stay there, a committee will come and exhume them later,'" said Qassim, standing at the edge of the flimsy fence surrounding one site, where his two sons are buried. "It has been two years but nobody has come."

IS made no attempt to hide its atrocities. In fact it boasted of them. But proving what United Nations officials and others have described as an ongoing genocide  and prosecuting those behind it  will be complicated as the graves deteriorate.

"We see clear evidence of the intent to destroy the Yazidi people," said Naomi Kikoler, who recently visited the region for the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. "There's been virtually no effort to systematically document the crimes perpetrated, to preserve the evidence, and to ensure that mass graves are identified and protected."

Following the release of the AP research, the State Department noted that it is providing assistance to Iraqi authorities for the investigation of mass graves.

"Sadly, we anticipate that additional mass graves will be discovered as additional lands are liberated from Da'esh," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Fire officials say a wildfire tearing through brush east of Los Angeles has forced 700 people from their homes and destroyed a small building.

The Riverside County Fire Department says the fast-moving fire has prompted the evacuation of at least 200 homes as it raced through a square mile of drought-dry hills near Banning.

One firefighter was treated for a non-life threatening injury.

The blaze erupted shortly before 12:30 p.m. in the unincorporated Cherry Valley area and has thrown up a line of 25-foot-high flames. Winds gusting to about 20 mph and tinder-dry fuel are helping propel the blaze, which is 5 per cent contained.

A mobile home park and scattered homes on large properties have been evacuated.

More than 300 firefighters and more than a dozen aircraft are battling the flames.
Update: Thomas D. Williams at Breitbart now has a report on the Soros donations, based on the Sirico essay.

George Soros Open Society Policy Center recently had a large set of documents exposed by the international organization, WikiLeaks. It turns out that these documents revealed information of how Mr. Soros organization made large monetary donations to two faith-based organizations in the amount of $650,000. Acton Institute president, Actons Rev. Robert Sirico talks about the Open Society Policy Center leaks and the significance of these donations in a recent article for the Washington Times. Sirico says:

On their surface, the donations seem benign. As the president of a less-activist and nonpartisan group, I understand that it takes money to disseminate an organizations ideas to people of faith. Whats disconcerting is the crass political intention to manipulate church leaders that is evident from the leaked documents. One gets the impression that Mr. Soros and his fellow travelers view the leadership of the religious community generally and the Catholic Church in particular as mere useful idiots to be manipulated to further their own political and, frankly, secularist agenda.

What doesnt make sense about these donations is why a faith-based organization would take money from someone who, judging by Mr. Soros various charitable enterprises, see the Catholic Church and other traditional religious groups as a great part of the social problem they seek to eradicate.

Father Sirico continues in his article, explaining some of the specific details from the leaked documents and how Soros was deliberately using religious groups and the Catholic Church as a means to promote a very political agenda. The article concludes with Sirico saying:

This isnt education. Its political manipulation in order to focus the Catholic Church on Mr. Soros political agenda; a well-funded, cynical effort to exploit the faithful to achieve dubious moral and political ends. Mr. Soros should be condemned for using his money in this way, and the faith-based organizations that took it should be ashamed.

You can read Siricos full article on the Washington Times here.
Photo: Contributed

There was a time when an accused was considered innocent until proven guilty.

An organization called Creep Hunters, at least a couple of local media, and quite a few media watchers forgot all about that this week.

They convicted a man without a trial. The vigilante group from Kelowna claims to have entrapped a Kamloops man trying to prey on someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Monday, two local media published stories about it that included the mans name. One published his photo.

And the comments started coming, assuming the mans guilt and offering up judgment.

Other media outlets published stories about the allegations but they correctly blurred the photos to hide the mans identity and did not publish his name.

But the damage is done.

Maybe the man did what the Kelowna posse claims he did, or not. Its not for a self-appointed vigilante group, nor the media, nor the public to decide.

If police investigate, if charges are filed, if the matter gets to court, if a guilty verdict is delivered, then we can have our say and rightly express our outrage (and we should all be outraged about sexual predators).

But In the meantime, lets be fair, lets resist the urge to go rushing to judgment and so readily ruining somebodys life.

What do you think? Send your opinion to [email protected]
 USA Today Report Shines Light on Terrorist Motivations, Israeli Responses | Main | Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust: UN Hosts anti-Semitic, anti-Israel Hate Groups 

August 31, 2016

The Intensifying War in Syria - How is the Media Covering It?

The Daily Mail on Aug. 30, 2016 carried a large detailed expose of Iran's "covert war" in Syria.

The article describes a not so hidden escalation of Iranian involvement in Syria. According to the Daily Mail, Iran now directly commands 60,000 Shia troops from its headquarters in Damascus. In addition, the dwindling Syrian army still possesses 50,000 troops.

The article also calculates that Iran has spent $100 billion in the Syrian war since 2011. This is considerably higher than Western estimates of $15 billion.

The Daily Mail piece comes on top of significant recent developments. Fighting in Syria's largest city, Aleppo, continues. In the north,Turkey has launched ground operations against the Kurds. Turkey's actions pits it against the United States, which now supports the Kurds. This despite the fact that both the United States and Turkey are NATO members.

It was recently reported that Russia has also begun to send in ground troops.

In the Southwest front, a realignment is underway, where American-backed "moderate" insurgents have joined with ISIS fighters in an offensive against Syrian and Shiite forces.

There are no accurate casualty figures, but the reporting points to an intensification of the fighting.

Coverage of the war has suffered because it is such a dangerous place journalists don't dare to venture there anymore. The Internet site, Syria Deeply, has a piece on this problem of coverage noting that there are fewer journalist deaths in Syria recently because there aren't many left. An Internet site, SyriaDirect, provides human interest stories. These and other websites provide more continuous and expansive coverage than the traditional mainstream news sources.

There are websites that focus on specific groups. The Kurds have several internet newspapers following events and life in Kurdistan.

It would be interesting to find out what Americans know about the conflict in Syria. A Gallup poll in February, 2016 found that 80 percent of Americans view Syria unfavorably. But what does that even mean? Syria is a fractured country. Americans were evenly divided on what to do. A third favored increased involvement, a third favored less involvement and a third thought American involvement was just right.

Posted by SS at August 31, 2016 12:25 PM

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Dangote exports Ethiopian cement to Kenya

ICR Newsroom By 31 August 2016

Kenya's cement market is now being supplied with cement from a new source as Dangote has started exports from its 2.5Mta Ethiopian plant to the east African country.

Industry sources said the majority of the exports are destined for road construction projects in the north of Kenya.

The step is expected to drive down prices in a market that has seen virtually no price changes in the past decade. Dangote said that the cement exported to Kenya is priced at around KES7400 (US$74)/t or up to 40 per cent below the price charged by domestic cement producers.

The entry of the Nigeria-based cement maker into the Kenya market heralds a prelude to the company gaining a firmer foothold with a 3Mta local cement plant in 2019. When commissioned, the company is expected to replicate its strategy applied to the Tanzania market.

Earlier this year, Dangote started selling cement in Tanzania following the completion of its cement plant in Mtwara, some 400km from the capital, Dar es Salaam. The company cut prices of cement, rapidly gaining market share at the expense of local competition. It is reported that cement prices in Tanzania fell by nearly a third since the entry of Dangote into the market. In June Dangote cement sold for around US$80/t, some 20 per cent less than competitors. "We estimate that in June we achieved 23 per cent market share across Tanzania and were the leading supplier of cement in the key market of Dar es Salaam," Dangote said.

Published under
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- According to dash cam footage acquired by the Sun Herald, Moss Point Chief of Police Art McClung was pulled over on July 29 after driving 109 mph in his city assigned police cruiser.

Within the video, an officer can be seen walking to video and identifying the man in the video as the "Chief of Police." McClung told officers he had "three vodkas" and after walking back to his cruiser, the officer can be heard saying, "he's toasted."

According to the Sun Herald, Pascagoula Chief of Police Kenny Johnson told his officers to drive McClung home and a report about the incident was not filed. Johnson said a report was not filed "out of an abundance of caution because alcohol had been consumed."

The Mississippi Press contacted Moss Point Mayor Billy Broomfield for comment but was told he was out of the office. When he returned, Broomfield later said he does not have enough information about the story to comment.

McClung said he doesn't feel like this is a story.

"I was stopped and released and this is a story?" McClung asked. "There was no arrest made and there were no summons, so I don't think this is a story. If I was arrested, there should have been a story written on my actions, but I did not receive any of those. This ain't nothing but a witch hunt, that's what this is."

The Sun Herald's story can be read here.
Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure.

WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more.
Between 2007 and 2014, the number of elephants in the African savanna dropped by a startling 144,000. Photo by Great Elephant Census for hsus

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The number of elephants in the African savanna is in drastic decline, their population having dwindled by 30 percent between 2007 and 2014, according to the Great Elephant Census, the first-ever pan-African survey of savanna elephants. The report, released today, was funded by philanthropist (and HSUS supporter) Paul G. Allen.

This extraordinarily detailed and comprehensive effort, which required the participation of 90 scientists doing on-the-ground work in 18 countries, paints a deeply disturbing picture for the future of this iconic species. Between 2007 and 2014, the number of elephants dropped by a startling 144,000. Continent-wide elephant populations are shrinking by eight percent each year. Some of the worst declines are in Angola, Mozambique, and Tanzania. In certain parts of Cameroon and Zambia, elephant populations could be facing local extirpation. In Zimbabwes Sebungwe region  on the Zambezi River and Lake Kariba north of Hwange National Park  populations are down by a sickening 74 percent.

The cruelty that is associated with the decline is soul-numbing. Mike Chase, the scientist who led the survey, told CNN that in just two days, his team counted the remains of more than 20 elephants in a small area in Botswana. In one case, poachers had hacked off the face of a bull elephant in his prime.

The survey results were released just ahead of two international forums where the stakes are high for elephants: the World Conservation Congress, which starts in Hawaii this week, and the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which is scheduled to take place in a few weeks in South Africa. Delegates at WCC and CITES will vote on a variety of elephant protection measures, including resolutions on the closure of domestic ivory markets. CITES member countries will also debate a proposal submitted by the African Elephant Coalition (AEC) to uplist all African elephant populations to CITES Appendix I, essentially affording the species the highest level of international protection possible.

Many might think that these measures should pass easily, given the dire plight of the African elephant, but it has been an uphill battle. Pro-trade countries in southern Africa, the conservation organization World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the European Union have opposed these measures for a variety of reasons. An op-ed in The Guardian by the WWF last month titled The EU is right to oppose a global ivory ban baffles many in the conservation community and provides ammunition for pro-trade interests.

These pro-trade groups argue that some African elephant populations in southern Africa do not meet the criteria for Appendix I. They ignore the fact that many of the elephant populations in southern Africa are experiencing severe population declines, including in Angola and Mozambique. The Great Elephant Census results confirm a continent-wide population decline and reinforce the urgent need to include all African elephants on CITES Appendix I to eliminate any potential to reopen the international commercial ivory trade. The HSUSs global affiliate, Humane Society International, will be at the meetings working hard to defeat any pro-trade measures and assist the 29 member states of the AEC in their campaign to secure passage of elephant protection proposals and resolutions.

There is also much we can do here in the United States to shut down the destructive trade in ivory and other imperiled species products. The HSUS is backing a ballot measure in Oregon, YES on 100, that would prohibit the sales of 12 iconic and imperiled animals, including elephants, sea turtles, and leopards. Paul Allen has endorsed YES on 100, which has provisions closely aligned with a successful ballot measure that he and his Vulcan Foundation championed in Washington state last year. While the federal government recently implemented new regulatory changes to restrict the ivory market in the United States, state measures are a critical tool to complement the federal enforcement effort and close any gaps that the federal statutes cannot address. YES on 100 would ensure that Oregon does not provide a marketplace for ivory and other endangered species goods, and eliminate incentives for wildlife smuggling. If YES on 100 passes, Oregon would be on track to join other west coast states, including California, Washington, and Hawaii, in the broader effort to shut down the trade in endangered and threatened species products.

The Great Elephant Census makes it hard to remain optimistic about the survival of this majestic species. But the news should only cause us to put our shoulder to the problem in a more concerted way, since the very existence of the species is at stake. The research results are a blaring siren for all of us to see and hear, and to rush to help the emergency personnel already deploying to help the elephants.

While the news on the ground for elephants is more than discomfiting, lets remember that weve seen good actions during the last two years, both from states and from numerous countries, including the United States, China, and France, that have taken steps to close their domestic ivory markets. Increasingly, stakeholders realize that elephants provide economic benefits through eco-tourism ventures for local communities. We must do all that we can to guarantee the survival of the largest land mammal and the icon of Africas natural heritage. Thanks to Paul Allen for bringing clarity to the challenge, and for reminding us of the stakes.
During its weekly business meeting on Thursday, Sept. 15, the Board of County Commissioners will convene a public discussion on Ballot Measure 97.

Commissioners welcome thoughts from their constituents on the measure. The Board of County Commissioners will consider taking a position on the ballot measure.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on the fourth floor of the county Public Services Building at 2051 Kaen Road in Oregon City. An accompanying information packet can be found online one week prior to the meeting.

For more information, members of the public can contact Community Relations Specialist Dylan Blaylock at 503-742-5917.
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Fear Spreads Of A Housing Crash In Canada

Submitted by Wolf Richter via WolfStreet.com,

More Canadians sour on their Magnificent Housing Bubble.

Canadians have been gung-ho about their magnificent housing bubble, feeding it with an endless willingness to pay every higher prices, even as regulators and international institutions issued warnings, as short sellers began circling, as subprime liar-loan scandals made their reappearance, and as a generation was getting priced out of the hottest housing markets in Canada, the metros of Toronto and Vancouver, and as locals came up with an acronym to describe what has fired up the market: HAM  Hot Asian Money.

But the Vancouver housing bubble, the hottest even in Canada, hit rough waters in early summer. By July the first serious troubles appeared.

Even as apartment prices soared 27% year-over-year and detached house prices 38%, overall sales plunged 19%, while sales of detached homes plummeted 31% [Vancouver Housing Bubble, Meet Pin].

Then on August 2, British Columbias notorious 15% transfer tax on home purchases involving foreign investors took effect. Preliminary data indicate that sales over the first two weeks in August plunged 51% year-over-year, with sales of detached homes down 66%.

And this flood of news on the Canadian housing bubble and speculations about a Canadian housing crash have now begun to slice into the previously imperturbable confidence of regular Canadians in their housing miracle.

The housing related part of the Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index just had its worst spill in the history of the monthly data series, going back to May 2013: The percentage of the respondents who expected a decline in local home prices jumped from 12% to 20.5% in one fell swoop.

The percentage of those who expected home prices to rise dropped 2.3 percentage points to 41.4%, and the percentage of those expecting little change dropped 5.3 percentage points to 36.3%.Bloomberg:

The reading marks a change from almost unbridled consumer optimism in a housing market that has carried the Canadian economy since the 2008 global financial crisis, even as policy makers warn price gains in some cities are unsustainable.

That list of fretting policy makers, regulators, and other organizations now includes:

The IMF (January 2015), the Bank of Canada (most recently in June 2016), the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which found strong evidence of problematic conditions, and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (July 2016), which said that it would require smaller banks to stress-test their mortgage portfolios to ensure they could withstand a drop in Vancouver home prices of 50%.

Plus, warnings about record levels of household debt have been circulating for a couple of years.

So when Nik Nanos, Chairman of Nanos Research Group, commented on the soaring expectations of home price declines in the Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index, he said it showed Canadians increasing concern about the value of real estate.

The monthly data didnt exist during the Financial Crisis. The quarterly data available at the time showed that expectations of price declines soared by 24 percentage points at the end of 2008. But it was just a blip. Two quarters later, optimism was higher than before, and Canadian home prices resumed their surge, particularly in Vancouver and Toronto.

Canadians have been bombarded with news about their housing bubble and by warnings about a potential housing crash, and by even more numerous and vigorous counter-arguments larded with hype that everything was hunky-dory, that now was the best time to buy or else youll be forever priced out of the market.

This summer, famed short seller Marc Cohodes came out of retirement (he now raises chickens on a farm in Sonoma County, CA, and sells the eggs for a fortune in San Francisco) and jumped into ring with a number of interviews on TV and in the print media, and this too rattled some nerves  largely because it hit home.

I think its a money laundering-induced market, he said as we reported at the time. Where the local politicians, or the BC Liberals, are kept or in cahoots with the real estate brokers, developers, lawyers, that angle. And they have sought Chinese money to keep the market propped up and it wont last, he said. China has capital controls on, and Vancouver has become the money laundering mecca of either the world or North America, and something is going to change and change drastically.

Hes shorting the housing market not by shorting the banks but by going after alternative lender  in US Financial-Crisis English subprime lender  Home Capital Group, the same company I lambasted over a year ago.

Despite industry assurances that the hottest housing markets in Canada, particularly Vancouver, will always remain hot, and that it is physically impossible for prices to decline in this miracle economy,Canadians are now becoming aware that those assurances have just been another load of industry hype. And a larger share of them are starting to grapple with a new reality  a reality in an over-leveraged, inflated housing market where prices have come to rest on the edge of a cliff.

In Vancouvers once white-hot commercial real estate market, the hunt is now on for Chinese buyers as big institutional investors are trying to unload. Read Suddenly Scared of Vancouvers Commercial Property Bubble?
Foreign Entrepreneurs: Start Up Your Immigration Under This New Rule

International entrepreneurs starting businesses in the U.S. may see a few impediments to immigration removed under a new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rule. The International Entrepreneur Rule would grant qualifying foreign nationals temporary immigration relief if their entry into the country "would provide a significant public benefit through the substantial and demonstrated potential for rapid business growth and job creation."

While the Obama administration's proposed rule is not yet final, it also does not require Congressional approval. So to whom would the International Entrepreneur Rule apply and how would it work?

Public Benefit

Immigration officials will be able to admit entrepreneurs for parole (temporary permission to be in the country) on a case-by-case basis if presence in the U.S. would be a public benefit to the country. So how is that decided?

Foreign entrepreneurs must have a significant ownership interest of at least 15 percent in the startup and have an "active and central role to its operations." The startup must have been formed in the United States in the past three years, it must have a "substantial and demonstrated potential for rapid business growth and job creation." Entrepreneurs can demonstrate this potential if the startup has:

Received a significant investment of capital (at least $345,000) from certain qualified U.S. investors with established records of successful investments;

Received significant awards or grants (at least $100,000) from certain federal, state, or local government entities; or

Partially satisfied one or both of the above criteria, and can provide other reliable and compelling evidence of the startup entity's substantial potential for rapid growth and job creation.

Private Boon

If approved, a foreign entrepreneur would be granted "parole" status for an initial two-year period, with renewals possible for three more years if the new business remains active, has received significant additional investment or funding, and has annual revenue of at least $500,000 per year. The business must have added at least 10 full-time jobs to its payroll and continue to demonstrate substantial potential for growth and job creation. Oh, and the entrepreneur must still own at least 10% of the company to qualify for the extended entry period.

The proposed International Entrepreneur Rule isn't final yet: the public may comment on the proposal for 45 days, and then USCIS will address those comments before publishing an effective date. But for foreign entrepreneurs looking to get their startups off the ground in the U.S., this is welcome news.

If your small business needs immigration help -- for employees or founders -- contact an experienced immigration attorney in your area.

Related Resources:
How to Sue a Charter School

There are few topics more politically polarizing at the moment than charter schools. One side of the argument claims that bad teachers have too much job security and we need to run public schools more like private businesses. The other contends public schools are underfunded, teachers are underpaid, and the solution is not diverting public funds to schools lacking public oversight.

No matter which side of the fence you're on, there is little debate that the quality of charter schools varies greatly, and some have been used as schemes to pocket millions in government funds. So what if this happens at a charter school in which your child is enrolled? Or a charter school made unfulfilled educational promises? Do you have any legal recourse? Here's a look.

The Same, but Different

The legal liability of charter schools is often governed by state law, and in most cases charter schools (and their employees) are treated like public schools. Virginia's Charter School Code, for instance, notes, "Public charter schools shall be immune from liability to the same extent as all other public schools in the Commonwealth, and the employees and volunteers in a public charter school are immune from liability to the same extent as the employees and volunteers in a public school." And in South Carolina, "[e]mployees of charter schools must be relieved of personal liability for any tort or contract related to their school to the same extent that employees of traditional public schools in their school district."

So in many ways, suing a charter school will be similar to suing a traditional public school. But there is one main difference: almost all states limit or remove public school district liability entirely. Under California law, as long as public school officials meet their monitoring requirements, they cannot be sued: "If a county superintendent of schools monitors or investigates a charter school pursuant to this section, the county office of education shall not incur any liability beyond the cost of the investigation." South Carolina's law is similar: "A local school district, sponsor, members of the board or area commission of a sponsor, and employees of a sponsor acting in their official capacity are immune from civil or criminal liability with respect to all activities related to a charter school they sponsor."

Education Insurance

Because the majority of state laws limit legal liability to the governing body of the charter school, they also require charter schools to carry insurance policies to cover lawsuits and damages. The Indiana Charter School Board, for example, mandates that individual charter schools carry insurance indemnifying the Board, and covering things like workers' comp, general commercial liability, and even educators' legal liability for "claims arising from wrongful acts, errors or omissions with regard to the conduct of their duties related to operation and management of the school."

In general, if you're suing a charter school, you're probably dealing with just that school (as opposed to the school district) and you're probably dealing with their insurance carrier. State laws, charter school boards, and insurance carriers, however can vary widely. So your best source of information is an experienced education attorney -- contact one in your area today.

Related Resources:
Chief Justice Sharon Lee presented the Tennessee Supreme Courts initiatives to Chief Justices from supreme courts across the country at the National Conference of Chief Justices during their annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wy. The gathering was a joint conference with the Conference of State Court Administrators, which Administrative Office of the Court Director Deborah Taylor Tate also attended.

Chief Justice Lee spoke about an outstanding legislative session resulting in appropriations for the judiciary for the largest technology project ever undertaken by the judiciary, the launch of electronic filing, across-the-board raises for staff and seven historic bills to ensure consistency of process and procedures across every juvenile court in Tennessee.

As part of her overall initiatives to modernize the court system, Chief Justice Lee described the top-to-bottom review of the judiciary with particular emphasis on a review of the technology division that serves judges in 31 judicial districts and the appellate courts across the state.

In order to move the entire court system toward integrated and data accessibility as well as internal and external efficiencies, it is crucial to have the right skillsets in the right seats, she said. Whether providing the information for data-driven decisions by the legislature or clearing old dockets, IT and high tech is now critical to the judiciary's role and interaction with the bar as well as our citizens.

Justice Lee highlighted several major initiatives during her tenure as Chief Justice:

The Supreme Courts Access to Justice Initiative continues to be a national model. Tennessee was recently ranked ninth in the nation for providing access to its courts. Each year Tennessee lawyers provide more hours of free legal services to individuals who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

Tennessee ranks ninth in United States and first in the Southeast for providing access to its courts, according to the 2016 Justice Index, a nationwide study that ranks states according to their adoption of selected best practices for ensuring access to justice. Chief Justice Lee had the opportunity to share Tennessees success at a White House Forum, a U.S. Senate Briefing and a national conference at New York University Law School.

The Supreme Court continued its efforts to educate students about government and the role of the judiciary. In 2016, the Court received the Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education from the National Center for State Courts. This national award recognized the Courts continued efforts and support of the SCALES program for students at high school and college level to see firsthand the work of the Supreme Court.

A highly successful business court docket was established to handle complex commercial litigation. Even though Tennessee ranked No. 1 in the U.S. last year for new jobs resulting from foreign-direct investment and received accolades for its business-friendly environment, until 2015, it lacked a specialized complex commercial court docket. The docket has been well-received by the legal community and litigants and to date, nearly 80 cases have been assigned to the court docket.

In a tight budget year, the Judiciary received additional funding, including a $1.7 million appropriation for a general sessions data repository that will allow for the collection and analysis of data to enable wise, data-driven decisions to be made regarding allocation of resources and needs.

An indigent representation task force was appointed to review Tennessees system of providing constitutionally-mandated representation to indigent parties counsel. The current system costs taxpayers almost $35 million per year and the Task Force was charged with determining how these legal services could be delivered more effectively and efficiently. The Task Force has held listening tours across the state and will make recommendations to the Supreme Court and the legislature. The Court is also implementing an updated payment software system that will more timely pay attorneys for their work, increase efficiencies inside the Administrative Office of the Courts, and enhance audit functions.

Recovery Courts, including drug courts, veterans courts, and mental health courts, continue to expand and in 2016, over $1.4 million was appropriated for the expansion of recovery courts in Tennessee. A human trafficking court docket was created in Davidson County following participation by the Chief Justice, the AOC Director, the Director of the TBI and representatives from the Davidson County District Attorneys office at a National Summit on Human Trafficking and the State Courts in New York City.

Tennessee was represented by a multi-disciplinary team of judges and health care professionals at a regional opiate summit in Cincinnati, Ohio to coordinate efforts to combat an epidemic that kills more people in Tennessee than vehicular accidents. The Tennessee judiciary is integrally engaged with all branches of government in seeking to find solutions whether prevention, legislation, or services.

The MacArthur Foundation has selected Nashville as the site for its 2017 southern region juvenile justice summit, and is one of eight states to participate in developing strategies to reduce child fatalities through the Three Branches Institute. Also, the board of directors of State Justice Institute will hold their board meeting in Nashville in 2017 following the announcement of a grant for Tennessees human trafficking court to create the first assessment tool for children.

Chief Justice Lee participated in Gov. Bill Haslams summit on Adverse Childhood Experiences. Chief Justice Lee later hosted the court systems own summit during the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges annual conference.

For greater transparency and accessibility, Supreme Court dockets and case summaries were released before each Court session to provide more information to the public about cases that were being heard by the Court.

Trial and Appellate Judges worked closely with court clerks to review court dockets to ensure timely hearing and resolution of cases.

Efficiencies of the court system, outreach to the public, modernization of technology statewide, innovative legal services for citizens in need and utilization of statistics for better data driven decisions and concentration of attention to specialty and juvenile courts to better serve our citizens have been the touchstones of my tenure and initiatives this year, said Chief Justice Lee. I am proud of the Courts support and leadership, the implementation of these initiatives by our Administrative Office of the Courts and all those citizens who volunteer to advise and assist us to better serve the public in new and very innovative ways.

The University of Tennessee College of Law will honor Chief Justice Lee and her tenure as chief justice at a reception at The Howard Baker Center for Public Policy on Sept. 23. Click here for more information and reservations.
The push to legalize marijuana is in full force and a look at just how swiftly attitudes are changing nationwide is nearly enough to make anyone start buying pot penny stocks left and right. Though there has been both disappointing and encouraging signs from the federal government in regard to eventual reclassification or legalization of cannabis, were still seeing a state-by-state domino effect take place.

What started in Washington and Colorado spread to Oregon and Alaska. From there, to Nevada, California, Maine, and Massachusetts.

Legalize marijuana? Not everyones on board

Even with resounding successes in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, many people still arent convinced that ending cannabis prohibition is a good idea. There are still concerns, to be sure, and we still dont have a full grasp on what the endgame will look like for many years. But even so, many states and groups are steadfastly against the notion of legalization, and its unclear as to what, if anything, will change their minds.

For that reason, there are some states that may never see legalization, unless it comes from a change at the federal level. As for which states specifically, we looked at statewide polls (prior to the 2016 election) and research into the harshness of penalties related to marijuana to compile a short list. Here are six states that may never legalize marijuana on their own.

1. Georgia

Though Hotlanta is home to many rappers and liberal-minded folks who would likely fall squarely into the support legalization camp, Georgia is still a pretty conservative place. With that comes some strong resistance to cannabis legalization. A 2015 poll shows that less than half of the states residents support ending prohibition (though that may have changed), and punishments for possession are still among the worst in the country.

2. Nebraska

Nebraska finds its way onto the list due to the fact that it is another state with consequences for cannabis use and possession. Nebraskas a rural state, and its residents still have very conservative views when it comes to drug use  as seen by its rather harsh treatment of offenders. It was also one of the states that sued Colorado for its legalization law, citing increased law enforcement costs and drug trafficking. Needless to say, Nebraskans are still coming around to the idea of legal pot.

3. Oklahoma

Oklahoma was another state (along with Nebraska) to sue Colorado in federal court, in an effort to undermine its neighbors legalization law. Its also a largely rural, conservative state where many people are still not comfortable with the idea of ending cannabis prohibition. Oklahoma has been named the worst state for getting caught with pot by some sources, largely due to its incredibly harsh punishments for cultivation and possession. You could be sent to prison for life, in some circumstances.

4. Idaho

Though its bordered by two states with legal pot in Oregon and Washington, Idaho is still firmly against legalization, by and large. Conservative culture and values play a large part in that, and a 2015 poll proves it. Only 31% of Idaho voters said that they would support legalization last year. The Marijuana Policy Project says there is little hope for change in the near future, as well.

5. Kansas

Kansas is a very conservative state, and as such, a lot of people arent taking kindly to the idea of legal marijuana within its borders. Polls from recent years have shown that a healthy portion of the states voters oppose legalization, and want fairly heavy punishments for possession. But that sentiment may not last  even newer polls show that people are coming around to the idea. In 2015, 63% of Kansas residents said they would support decriminalization.

6. Tennessee

A Vanderbilt University poll from a couple of years ago shows that only one-third of Tennessee supports legalization. Thats among the lowest in the nation, and though its unclear how much those numbers have changed over the past two years, support is likely still quite low. For that reason, legalization seems like a pipe dream  at least at this point.

Follow Sam on Facebook and Twitter @SliceOfGinger

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Hyde Park Venture Partners plans to invest another $65 million in Midwestern startups, the Chicago-based venture capital firm announced Wednesday. It is the group's second fund.

The firm focuses on investing in the seed and Series A rounds of enterprise software, marketplace and consumer technology startups, said partner Ira Weiss.

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"There's a lot of opportunity for those companies to be created here in the Midwest" because they often create solutions for industry problems they find while working, Weiss said.

Hyde Park Venture Partners closed the fund in late July, but has been investing with it for about a year, since it first brought in new funds, Weiss said. He said he expects to make 20 to 25 "big" investments of $1 million to $2.5 million, as well as another 25 to 30 in the $100,000 to $250,000 range.

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The news comes on the heels of the announcement of a $300 million fund focused on Midwest companies from Columbus-based venture capital firm Drive Capital.

Hyde Park Ventures' first fund, which launched in 2011, invested $25 million in dozens of companies, five of which were acquired. The exits of Chicago-based Food Genius and Detroit-based LevelEleven were profitable, while Avant's acquisition of Chicago-based TempoIQ was not, Weiss said. The outcome of the 2012 cash-and-stock acquisition of Chicago-based Tap.Me is yet to be determined, and Ann Arbor-based Stratos was shut down following its sale.

He said he's optimistic for a big hit from other companies from the first portfolio. At least two, he said, have the potential for billion-dollar exits.

He would not name them, but said he had high hopes for Hyde Park Venture Partners' investments in Chicago-based Geofeedia and FourKites, Highland Park-based G2 Crowd, Ann Arbor-based FarmLogs and Silicon Valley-based BaseCRM, which was founded in Chicago.

The firm is aiming high with its investments in the second fund, too.

"We are looking for the companies that will go on to be the biggest financial tech stories in the Midwest," Weiss said. "We want to find the next billion-dollar Midwest success story."

Hyde Park Venture Partners focuses on investing in Midwestern companies because it sees opportunity in a region that doesn't get as much capital as it needs, Weiss said.

He said Hyde Park Venture Partners has more of a focus on business-to-business investing than other local venture firms of its size. Comparable local funds include Chicago Ventures, MATH Venture Partners and Origin Ventures. Nationally, the average fund has about $120 million, according to CB Insights.

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aelahi@tribpub.com

Twitter @aminamania
When podcast host Scott Kitun took over CEO of Technori earlier this year, he made a pledge to feature women as half of the founders and speakers onstage. On Tuesday, he added a panel to the startup showcase to continue that push.

Kitun hosted the panel of three women in wearable technologies, asking them about the challenges they'd faced getting into the space. The answer: They haven't let being a woman faze them.

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"My experience so far hasn't really taught me that you are a woman and there's this obvious thing you can't do," said Carrie Shaw, founder of Embodied Labs, which creates virtual reality programs that capture patients' experiences to train caregivers. "I never felt it was a limitation."

Nikita Parikh, founder of Anansi, a company that makes software that integrates into a wearables and will call 911 if the user goes into flight-or-fight mode, said she wasn't trying to get into wearables  she was just building a solution to a problem she faced.

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Lauren Fellure, a partner at SnapMobile, said her company doesn't hire women just to meet a quota  it hires the best person for the job, and that very often happens to be a woman.

"What I try to tell women in the tech space is not to be focused on it," she said. "Be the absolute best that you can."

Technori typically does not feature panels. The 6-year-old event usually features a keynote and five-minute pitches each from five startups.

One female-founded company scheduled to pitch Tuesday night canceled last minute, Kitun said. With that, women would not have represented 50 percent of people onstage without the panel. One female founder wasn't able to make last month's pitch event, dropping women representation below half.

This was Technori's 59th event in Chicago. The company says the showcase has hosted about 300 companies on its stage, some of which have gone on to raise a total of $260 million in funding.

Tuesday's event focused on wearable technology. Anansi and Embodied Labs pitched, as did Rithmio, which develops movement-recognition technologies for wearables, and JioBit, which is making a device that can help parents keep track of their kids.

Terry Howerton , founder and CEO of TechNexus, was the keynote speaker. TechNexus is launching the second year of its Emerge accelerator program for industrial wearable technology.

The program is done in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and focuses on developing wearables that could help first responders, he said. Fifteen companies will be accepted into the program, and applications are open now.

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The public safety industry is in desperate need of technology solutions, Howerton said.

Most entrepreneurs tend to solve the problems they see, which could be why there are so many dating apps, he said. The challenge lies in redirecting that gaze.

"The leading cause of death among firemen is heart attack  because they sit sedentary for so long, then they're on their way," he said. "Are there wearable solutions that can help us understand when someone is at risk for that?"

Kitun also announced Technori Studio, which plans to offer training on how to build brands and digital audiences and product content. It will be based at Rivet News Radio and is scheduled to launch in October.

amarotti@tribpub.com

Twitter @allymarotti
On Monday, the Bishop of Rome met with one of the high priests of Silicon Valley.

During a trip to Italy, Mark Zuckerberg attended the wedding of a friend, went for a run past the Colosseum, hosted a Q&A session -- oh, and met with the Pope. At the Vatican on Monday, the Facebook founder and CEO, along with his wife, Priscilla Chan, presented Pope Francis with a model of his company's solar-powered drone designed to beam Internet connectivity to less developed parts of the world. They also talked about the philanthropic initiative Zuckerberg runs with Chan.

"We told him how much we admire his message of mercy and tenderness, and how he's found new ways to communicate with people of every faith around the world," he wrote in a post on Facebook. Zuckerberg, who famously wears gray t-shirts most of the time, wore a dark suit and tie for the occasion.

The meeting marked at least the fourth technology CEO who has had an audience with his holiness since just the beginning of 2016. Within a 10-day span in January, Pope Francis met with both Apple CEO Tim Cook and former Google CEO and Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt. And in February, Francis met with Kevin Systrom, Instagram's CEO, who presented the pope with a "hand-curated" book of Instagram images, according to an ABC News report at the time. In a post on the photo-driven social media site, Systrom said the two "spoke about the power of images to unite people across different cultures and languages."

Pope Francis's leadership of the church has been noted for its openness and his concern for the needs of the poor. And he appears to recognize the power that tech executives have to help spread ideas, mobilize young Catholics and empower the undeveloped world -- but also to shape the tools that can also disrupt how we relate to one another.

"Real relationships with others, with all the challenges they entail, now tend to be replaced by a type of internet communication which enables us to choose or eliminate relationships at whim," Francis wrote in his 2015 encyclical letter, "thus giving rise to a new type of contrived emotion which has more to do with devices and displays than with other people and with nature."

Whether through the devices they make, the software they create or the social-media platforms they run, these CEOs do more than manage individual companies. They lead some of the entities both best positioned for connecting people digitally and most responsible for the potential perils of our tech-driven world.

And in past messages, Francis seems to both applaud that power and worry about it. In 2014 remarks on World Communications Day, Francis said "the internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God." Yet he also acknowledged that "the speed with which information is communicated exceeds our capacity for reflection and judgment, and this does not make for more balanced and proper forms of self-expression. The variety of opinions being aired can be seen as helpful, but it also enables people to barricade themselves behind sources of information which only confirm their own wishes and ideas, or political and economic interests."

Earlier this year, in a speech delivered two days after meeting Cook, Francis again noted the promise and peril that technology and social networks hold.

"The digital world is a public square, a meeting place where we can either encourage or demean one another, engage in a meaningful discussion or unfair attacks," he said. "The internet can help us to be better citizens. Access to digital networks entails a responsibility for our neighbor whom we do not see but who is nonetheless real and has a dignity which must be respected."

It probably doesn't hurt that some of these CEOs are big philanthropists -- Cook and Zuckerberg, for instance, have pledged to give away the wealth they have earned, and Schmidt has created a family foundation focused on the environment, an issue Pope Francis has also written about extensively. Schmidt is also the author of a book titled "The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business," which he co-authored with Jared Cohen, a former official at the State Department who heads up Google Ideas and accompanied Schmidt on the papal visit.

Francis, of course, has embraced technology in ways that sharply depart from his predecessor -- while he has labeled himself a tech "dinosaur" who does not use a computer, he did so during a Google Hangout. He has a Twitter account that has nearly 10 million followers. And in March, a few weeks after his meeting with Systrom, he joined Instagram with an account that now has more than three million followers.
Companies that depend on H-1B visas for a substantial part of their workforce may soon have a tougher time hiring: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has introduced legislation to restrict loopholes in their application process.

His proposal comes after Southern California Edison Co. laid off about 400 employees in early 2015 and brought in workers through consulting companies. Those consulting companies are heavy users of H-1B visas to obtain technology employees, reportedly at salaries that undercut those of American workers.

It was pretty easy to see that wasnt the intent of H-1B, which is to make up for shortage when you cannot find enough labor at any price, Issa said.

Edison said at the time of the layoffs that it was not hiring H-1B workers to replace displaced employees. Any H-1B visa workers SCE does hire for its own workforce are paid a wage comparable to SCE's domestic workforce."

Companies that have a certain proportion of H-1B employees  15 percent or higher for companies with more than 50 employees  must submit paperwork with H-1B applications showing they advertised the job to American workers and considered their applications. Currently, employers can be exempted from that paperwork if the potential employee holds a masters degree or is paid at least $60,000 annually.

The H-1B visa program allows workers to come to the United States with a temporary, nonimmigrant status. The visa lasts three years with the option to renew for another three. While in the U.S., H-1B visa holders can apply for green cards. The U.S. allocates 85,000 H-1B visas per year, assigning them through a lottery.

Issas bill would remove the exemption for workers with a masters degree and would increase the minimum salary needed for an exemption to $100,000 annually.

No hearing has been scheduled yet for Issas bill. It does have bipartisan support. Co-sponsors include four lawmakers from California, all of them from San Diego County: Democratic Reps. Scott Peters, Juan Vargas and Susan Davis and Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter.

In 2015, Los Angeles had 4,886 H-1B workers with an average salary of $79,278, according to a private website, Myvisajobs.com, which compiles employer applications to the federal government.

Almost 4,300 people were certified to work in San Diego on H-1B visas last year, according to data from the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. Qualcomm Technologies Inc. had the most such employees, 953, with an average annual salary of $102,095. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., one of the consulting groups involved in the Edison controversy, was second with 103 employees certified for H-1B visas with an average annual salary of $74,559.

A representative for Tata, Benjamin Trounson, said: We dont engage in industry speculation, so there isnt anything for us to offer on this topic at this stage.

Qualcomm did not respond to requests for comment about whether it would be affected by the changes.

Matt Rifat, president of Alcala Labs, said he hired one employee through an H-1B visa for the company last year. He said Alcala recruited for 18 months for a geneticist and, after finding no one, pursued and hired an Austrian geneticist in 2015.

For the scientific and biotech community, its really valuable, and, in my experience, its not being abused, Rifat said of the H-1B program. Had an American shown up with those qualifications, we wouldve hired them.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Jim Puzzanghera contributed to this report.

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com
Thinking he would go to med school, Robert E. Reilly Jr. got his undergraduate degree from Notre Dame in chemistry.

Reilly instead wound up getting his MBA at Notre Dame, too, but he's still a student of chemistry as CEO and founding partner of Reilly Partners, a Chicago-based retained executive search firm that specializes in matching companies and top job candidates.

Besides serving as a corporate headhunter, Reilly's 22-person company advises boards and does work with private equity firms as well.

Clients, according to Reilly and his company's website, have included Aon, CNA, Manpower, Mars, the U.S. Olympic Committee and Wynnchurch Capital.

The executive search process typically takes about 90 days. It starts with helping the client hone its job specifications, then reaching out to 200 or so potential candidates.

Thirty to 50 resumes will be collected. The client will cut a field of 10 to 15 to perhaps six for another round of screening, including an interview with Reilly, whose company will submit three or four finalists.

Reilly Partners' fee tends to be one-third of that executive's anticipated first-year cash compensation (not counting equity he or she might get). Reilly, 60, said his company did more than 100 searches last year.

The following interview in Reilly's downtown Chicago office was edited for clarity and length.

Q: You say you talk to about 500 candidates a year and, by the time the field for a position is reduced to five or six and you see them, they all can do the job. So what is your job then?

A: Where I can add the most value is I'm pretty good at assessing who's going to fit in with this company, who's going to be able to lead it. Who's going to be able to work well in the sandbox with the others?

Q: For those who want to be in that position, what are you looking for?

A: I like someone who has listening skills, someone who asks very good questions. I like someone who, when they describe their accomplishments, it was the team's accomplishment. The person who pounds on their chest that they did this and they did that and they did everything, they didn't. The person who's really trying to sell me hard, I'm not sure I want.

Q: What else?

A: I like the fact that people have an outside passion. It's important when they describe that they're involved in an orphanage or whatever it might be. I'm not going to judge what it is, so long as they have a thing. It just rounds somebody out.

Q: Most of the candidates you talk to already have good jobs. So what do you need to hear?

A: I'm looking for somebody who's happy where they are, has done a good job and we're talking about something bigger and better for them, their career, their family, etc. Because if it's not, they're not going to do it.

Q: What if they're not working?

A: A lot of things come out just by asking simple questions. Like, why did you leave? The people, frankly, that have a real long story to tell, that's a big red flag to me.

Q: What's a good answer?

A: Someone might have taken time off to take care of mom and dad or a sick child. Maybe they sold a business and took a year off. I think 95 percent of our fills lately have been with someone who has been employed, but I wouldn't discount anyone with those types of excuses.

Q: What about the person who has been out of work for a while?

A: They need to network. They need to go talk to everyone and anyone they know who can help them find a job. You cannot depend on the job boards. You cannot depend on sending your resume in. We get a zillion resumes and unless it's from a friend or someone else has tagged it, frankly, I am not sending it along.

Q: Sometimes you'll see a CEO grooming a successor, then suddenly the successor isn't good enough. Is that the CEO having second thoughts about going away?

A: It's 100 percent that. It's like trying to take the keys away from your dad. Any time someone's asked us to find their replacement, the red flag goes up immediately.

Q: Seems like it happens a lot in the tech space, where someone starts a company but probably shouldn't be CEO. So what do you do?

A: To be successful in that search, you have to do a job spec for the guy who's CEO, put him or her where they want to be and where they're good. Then you build a second spec for the second person because if they're overlapping, it's not going to work.

Q: Where do you park the first person?

A: In tech usually that person becomes chief creative officer or chief digital officer or chief technical officer and they're pretty happy with that because honestly, that's what they do. Then you bring in the expert to run the company.

Q: Do titles matter?

A: Yes, because it's a way someone measures themselves, frankly. Money matters. Title matters. Job content matters. Who people report to matters. Where they are in the organization matters. It all matters.

Q: And if someone, whether in a company or up for a job, doesn't think that's coming together or will work, what do you advise?

A: Do something else. In effect, if you were on a path going to wherever and you were taken off that path, you're being constructively dismissed, in a sense. They're basically telling you you're no longer going there.

Q: So you have to find something fulfilling you can live with?

A: I had this discussion last week where a company in town is being bought by a bigger company. The person I had the discussion with was anticipating shortly becoming the COO. But it doesn't look like it's going to happen, so now it's a title like head of growth with no direct reports. Best to take the package.

Q: Anything else to add?

A: It's been a little quieter this year. But one of the things I smile about every day is that 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day. That's good for our business. Basically 3.6 million people are retiring every year.

philrosenthal@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @phil_rosenthal
The Two Way Lounge, a classic Logan Square dive bar open since 1967, closed quietly Sunday. The appeal of the no-frills joint was straightforward: It served very cheap drinks until late at night. In a neighborhood increasingly populated with cocktail lounges and craft breweries, that was becoming quite an anomaly.

While it's tempting to blame rising costs of a trendy neighborhood, it was much simpler for owner Glenn Miller. He took over the operation of the bar when his mother passed away, and after one of the last longtime regulars of the bar recently died, he wanted to retire and move back to Tennessee. Miller approached the owners of next-door neighbor Furious Spoon, Anshul Mangal and Shin Thompson, to see if they were interested. "We worked out a deal with him that was conducive to both of us," Mangal says.

The new project, called Deadbolt, is slated to open this winter. Thompson and Mangal will renovate, but hope to keep the "integrity of the original space" by leaving the original layout intact. Thompson will create a limited bar menu, though the specifics haven't been decided.

Dustin Drankiewicz, one of the mixologists behind Moneygun in the West Loop, has been brought on to develop cocktails for Deadbolt. It's an unexpected return: "When I moved to Chicago, one of the first bars I was taken to was Two Way," he says. "Everything about it, from the smell to the clientele, brought me back to my upbringing in Milwaukee." He even had a chance to sit down with Miller to chat about the bar. "I picked his brain about how it was 50 years ago," says Drankiewicz.

He hasn't drafted a drink menu yet, but he wants to focus on classic cocktails done right. "My style is a classic approach with a modern feel," he says. And, though the space will be cleaned up, it sounds like some things will never change: Drankiewicz wants to "keep things friendly and neighborhood-focused," he says.

Deadbolt, 2412 N. Milwaukee Ave.

nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @nickdk
The U.S. State Department said today that about 30 or so emails out of the nearly 15,000 the FBI obtained from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton may have involved Benghazi.

Last week, officials announced that the FBI had recovered 14,900 emails that Clinton did not turn over with the server she used while secretary of State.

From the Washington Post:

"At this point there are 30 potentially responsive documents" to the Benghazi matter, Justice Department attorney Robert J. Prince told U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta of Washington. Prince asked to have until Sept. 30 to review the emails for possible classified information which also may require reviews by agencies outside the State Department.

The deadly terrorist attack on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya took place in 2012. The Clinton emails newly identified as possibly related to the incident are among the thousands recovered in the course of FBI's recently closed investigation into Clinton's use of a private server.

In 2009, when she was Secretary of State under Obama, Clinton made a decision to use a private server that was physically hosted in the basement of her and Bill's New York home, instead of her U.S. government email account.

The Benghazi attack became the focus of conspiracy theories involving Clinton as she became Democratic presidential nominee. Her opponent, GOP candidate Donald Trump, has made very effective political hay from both the private email server thing, and from the wacky internet theories that she "did Benghazi," whatever that truly means in the minds of crazed right-wing internet hordes.

The FBI says it will release in the coming days the report sent by the Bureau to the Justice Department in July. The FBI's report recommended no charges in the Clinton email server investigation. The release is in response to a number of FOIA requests from various U.S. news organizations.

In a separate development, Judicial Watch has won the right to ask Clinton a number of questions about her now-retired private email server, which bypassed Freedom of Information laws intended to keep politicians accountable and visible to the people who elect them.

Read the full list of questions here.

From the Associated Press report:

Government lawyers told U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta Tuesday that an undetermined number of the emails among the 30 were not included in the 55,000 pages previously provided by Clinton. The State Department's lawyer said it would need until the end of September to review the emails and redact potentially classified information before they are released. Mehta questioned why it would take so long to release so few documents, and urged that the process be sped up. He ordered the department to report to him in a week with more details about why the review process would take a full month. The hearing was held in one of several lawsuits filed by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, which has sued over access to government records involving the Democratic presidential nominee. The State Department has said the FBI provided it with about 14,900 emails purported not to have been among those previously released. Clinton previously had said she withheld and deleted only personal emails not related to her duties as secretary of state. With the November election little more than two months away, Republicans are pressing for the release of as many documents related to Clinton as possible.

And again from AP, here's the other Clinton email story of the day, about Judicial Watch submitting 25 questions for Clinton about the email server debacle.
A salad of salmon, both smoked and canned, mixed with hot sauce, chopped fennel (for crunch), red pepper and chives, tops slices of rye in this smorrebrod-style sandwich. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Some folks welcome the routine that back to school generates, not just for the kids, but for adults as well.

As parents again step into the school lunch-making routine, I look forward to my own annual upgrade of take-to-work lunches. This year, my inspiration stems from a summertime visit to The Great Northern Food Hall in New York City's Grand Central Terminal. Amazing rye bread and a stunning selection of smorrebrod propelled me into my own kitchen.

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Smorrebrod, literally butter and bread, an open-face sandwich tradition from Denmark, deserves attention. One slice of bread with brilliant toppings just works  especially in an era when many of us are reducing our bread consumption.

The smorrebrod in the Northern Food Hall are made on moist, dense, slightly sweet whole-grain rye bread spread with an incredible butter. At home, I look for super-dense whole grain rye or pumpernickel bread. Then I buy the best butter I can afford  these days there are butter choices everywhere  Kerrygold Irish butter never disappoints. I like unsalted butter, but use salted if that's your thing. The butter does more than add flavor and calories  it acts like a moisture barrier between the bread and the topping, effectively preventing soggy bread.

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There's no doubt that the artful arrangement of toppings on the buttered bread makes them irresistible. At home, I select top quality meats and cheese, cooked fish, interesting vegetables and crunchy fruit. I also make rich protein salads, like the salmon salad and the egg salad that follow. They hold up well in the refrigerator for most of the workweek. Then I add contrasting textural components just before serving.

True, closed sandwiches are easier to transport (so feel free to add a top layer of bread). When serving them open face, offer a knife and fork, and spend time on some garnishes. Fresh herbs, sliced small tomatoes and shavings of carrot make easy garnishes. So do slices of pickle or radish.

To pack, consider investing in reusable, attractive to-go containers. Separate compartments prove ideal for toting moist fillings, such as egg salad, apart from the bread and lettuce.

I'm so pleased that deviled eggs are back in style  they never left our family. Now, jazzy gourmet versions are offered at all manner of restaurants. I season mayonnaise with a spoonful of dry mustard for zing and capers to help cut richness. For lunch, I skip the fuss of spooning filling into cooked whites and simply chop the eggs and mix everything together. Serve this combination open face on buttered hearty rye. Or tuck it into a ciabatta roll with peppery fresh watercress or baby arugula.

The salmon salad proves super flexible. Thanks to a tangy dairy base, most any cooked or smoked salmon works well. Canned salmon is a fast option, as is canned tuna or shredded cooked chicken.

For those forgoing bread (it's my kryptonite), I must say that both the salmon mixture and the deviled egg salad taste great tucked into romaine lettuce leaves or spread on Belgian endive spears.

To round out my take-along lunch, I make another traditional recipe: Gazpacho  Spain's cold, refreshing soup usually reliant upon tomatoes. For variety, I use herbs and cucumber for a green gazpacho that enlivens any day. Make the vegetable base in advance, and then blend in avocado for a creamy texture. The soup keeps in the refrigerator for a few days; I pack it in jars with tight-fitting lids to transport easily.

Soup and sandwich  updated  from timeless traditions.

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food@chicagotribune.com

Double salmon and chives on rye

Prep: 30 minutes

Chill: 30 minutes

Makes: about 3 cups, 6 servings

This salmon spread also tastes great on a toasted pumpernickel bagel.

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1 package (8 ounces) light cream cheese, softened

 cup sour cream

Finely grated lemon zest from  lemon

 teaspoon salt

 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 dashes red pepper hot sauce, optional

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 cup finely chopped fresh fennel bulb (or celery)

 cup finely diced roasted red bell pepper (homemade or jarred)

 cup chopped fresh chives

4 ounces smoked salmon, such as Nova salmon pieces, chopped, about 1 cup

1 can (6 ounces) wild Alaskan red or pink salmon, drained, flaked

Soft butter, optional

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6 to 12 slices hearty rye bread

Garnishes: Fresh fennel fronds, shaved fresh fennel bulb, sliced tomato, thin apple slices

1 Stir softened cream cheese and sour cream together in medium bowl until smooth. Stir in lemon zest, salt, pepper and hot sauce until well mixed. Stir in fennel, red pepper and chives. Fold in smoked and canned salmons. Refrigerate covered up to 3 or 4 days.

2 To assemble sandwiches, spread a thin layer of soft butter (if using) over one side of a slice of bread. Top with a -inch thick smear of the salmon mixture. Garnish as desired. Serve with a knife and fork. (Or top with a second slice of buttered bread, and skip the utensils).

Nutrition information per serving: 249 calories, 10 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 57 mg cholesterol, 19 g carbohydrates, 5 g sugar, 18 g protein, 733 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

Deviled egg salad sandwiches

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Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Chill: 30 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

This salad also tastes great on slices of toasted baguette, ciabatta rolls or whole wheat bread.

8 large eggs

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 cup mayonnaise

 teaspoon dry mustard

 teaspoon salt

 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 cup finely minced fresh onion, rinsed well before using

1 small rib celery, finely minced

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1 to 2 teaspoons drained capers, chopped (or use cornichons or dill pickle)

Softened butter

4 to 8 slices hearty rye bread

Sweet paprika

Chopped fresh chives

1 To hard-cook eggs, put them in a single layer in the bottom of a large saucepan. Add cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Heat over high heat to a boil. (Watch closely.) Boil for 1 minute  use a timer. Immediately turn off heat and set the timer for 14 minutes. When the timer rings, carefully pour off the hot water and fill the pan with cold water and a couple of handfuls of ice cubes to chill the eggs fast. Let stand until eggs feel cool. Remove from water, and refrigerate covered for several days.

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2 Mix mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in onion, celery and capers. Peel eggs. Put 6 on a cutting board; chop roughly with a large knife. Add the chopped egg to the mayonnaise mixture; fold together gently. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Thinly slice the remaining 2 eggs.

3 To assemble sandwiches, spread a thin layer of soft butter (if using) over one side of a slice of bread. Top with a -inch thick schmear of the egg mixture. Top with sliced egg, a sprinkle of paprika and fresh chives. Serve with a knife and fork. (Or top with a second slice of buttered bread.)

Nutrition information per serving: 412 calories, 31 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 384 mg cholesterol, 16 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 15 g protein, 811 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

Upgrade the soup and sandwich combo with a cucumber and avocado gazpacho. Top it with red grapes, chives and more avocado. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Cucumber and avocado gazpacho with grapes

Prep: 15 minutes

Chill: 30 minutes

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Makes: 4 cups

1 large seedless cucumber, 14 to 15 ounces, ends removed

1 cup vegetable broth

4 green onions, trimmed, chopped (or  cup roughly chopped chives)

1/2 small jalapeno, halved, seeded

Leaves from 1 large sprig mint, about 1 tablespoon roughly chopped

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1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted

Juice of  lime, or more to taste

 to 1 teaspoon salt

Seedless red grapes, cut in half

Diced ripe avocado

Chopped chives

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1 Use a vegetable peeler to remove and discard half of the cucumber peel. (This helps prevent bitterness.) Roughly chop the cucumber. You should have 3 loosely packed cups.

2 Put cucumber, broth, onions, jalapeno and mint leaves into a blender. Process until very smooth. Refrigerate in the blender jar, covered, about 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

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3 Scoop avocado pulp into the soup base in the blender. Add lime juice and  teaspoon salt. Puree smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt as desired. Refrigerate up to 1 day.

4 To serve, pour into soup bowls. Garnish with grapes, diced avocado and chives.

Nutrition information per 1 cup serving: 101 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 9 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 2 g protein, 334 mg sodium, 5 g fiber

The award-winning cookbook "Dinner at Home" gathers the best 140 recipes from JeanMarie Brownson's column of the same name. Find it here. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Catch JeanMarie

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JeanMarie Brownson, author of "Dinner at Home: 140 Recipes to Enjoy With Family and Friends" (an International Association of Culinary Professionals award-winning collection of recipes from her column) will appear at two events this month to promote the book.

Sept 10: Catch JeanMarie at a book signing at the Park Ridge Farmers Market, 9-11 a.m., 15 Prairie Ave, Park Ridge.

Sept. 28: At the Chopping Block, JeanMarie will talk about her book and her life as a Chicago food writer and demo her recipe for prosciutto Parmesan puffs. Then guests will be served a dinner taken from the book: roasted beet, radicchio and walnut salad; chicken osso buco, served with herbed cheese spread on baguette; and latte brownies with ice cream. $85, includes a copy of the book. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 28, Merchandise Mart. To register and for more information, go to here.






Summerlong, By Peter S. Beagle, 240 pages, Tachyon, $15.95

Since his earliest novels, notably "The Last Unicorn," Peter S. Beagle has been among the most beloved of American fantasists, and his first novel in 17 years will be welcomed enthusiastically by his many fans. They won't be disappointed, but those who haven't followed the series of brilliant short stories Beagle has published over the past decade or so might be a little surprised at the domestic setting and largely realistic tone of his current fiction.

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During an unusually extended spring in the Seattle area, Abe, a retired history professor, his longtime companion Dell, a middle-aged flight attendant, and her gay daughter plagued by dead-end relationships meet a mysterious new waitress called Lioness and invite her to stay with them. Lioness is both more vulnerable and more powerful than she at first seems. She's always cold but apparently can communicate with whales, and she even magically purifies a neighbor's bad drinking water. Events get more complicated when Dell meets the enigmatic Mr. Mardikian, who never seems to get off the local ferry, and when a woman claiming to be Lioness' mother shows up. Meanwhile, Abe and Dell feel oddly liberated to explore long-suppressed ambitions, in his case playing blues harmonica, in hers learning to kayak. Everything seems connected to Lioness' sudden appearance, and as her identity becomes clear, the tale gracefully shifts from a haunting meditation on aging and following one's dreams into full-fledged fantasy drawing on Greek myth. There is real suspense, but in place of facile shocks Beagle opts for gentle revelations, and the result is a quietly glowing and elegantly written revelation of the magic beneath everyday life.

The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, by Kij Johnson, 176 pages, Tor.com, $14.99

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Not all readers of Kij Johnson's remarkable short novel will be familiar with its source, H.P. Lovecraft's "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath," but it doesn't really make much difference. Lovecraft's novella, a comparatively rare excursion into quest fantasy rather than his trademark eldritch horror, had its share of scary critters, and Johnson retains most of them in her re-imagining of the tale  which not only subverts many of Lovecraft's more awkward characteristics, such as his racism and inability to deal with women, but actually inverts them in very ingenious ways.

Lovecraft is a problem to many modern fantasists, who recognize the appeal of his evocative power and grim cosmology but are queasy with his regressive attitudes. Authors as diverse as Matt Ruff and Victor LaValle have recently addressed this problem with impressive results, but Johnson is perhaps the first writer to revisit Lovecraft from a sharply feminist perspective. Vellitt Boe is a math professor at the newly formed Ulthar Women's College, but the college's very survival within the mostly male university is jeopardized when one of her students, the daughter of a trustee, disappears with her boyfriend. Vellitt's task is to track them down and persuade the student to return, but that's more complicated than it at first seems: They haven't just absconded to some motel but are on their way to the Waking World  which we recognize as our own reality. Vellitt and Ulthar, it turns out, reside in a dream world called the Six Kingdoms, accessible to us only through dreams.

As she makes her way toward the Upper Gate, Vellitt struggles through horrific wastelands, facing a succession of ghouls and other monsters and at one point even seeking the assistance of Lovecraft's own protagonist Randolph Carter. But Vellitt's dream quest is more than a horror show; she also has to confront her own doubts, her childhood memories, her position as an aging woman with "coppery skin" surviving academic and gender politics, and even some surprises from the "brilliant, strong-willed, beautiful" student when she finally tracks her down. By the time we finish this gorgeously written tale, we're about convinced that Lovecraft's wriggly gods and monsters are no match for smart women.

Everfair, By Nisi Shawl, 384 pages, Tor, $26.99

Steampunk has been around long enough that it's practically become its own nostalgia: Remember when imaginary Victorian technology seemed really nifty, and not just a style statement? The first novel from Nisi Shawl, a respected short story writer and critic, shows there is still room for provocative ideas in the aging subgenre. Shawl furnishes her story with classic steampunk images  dirigibles called aircanoes, a pistol that shoots blades, advanced prosthetics  but her setting comes from an often overlooked but appalling episode of 19th-century colonialism: the near-genocidal rule of King Leopold of Belgium over what later became known as the Belgian Congo.

In Shawl's alternate history, the British Fabian Society of well-meaning socialists manages to buy a section of the Congo from Leopold to set up a utopian community called Everfair, for displaced Africans as well as refugees and former slaves from the United States. The novel follows the experiment over three decades, with a sprawling cast including British idealists, American missionaries, even a brilliant Chinese engineer, jumping from continent to continent in what could easily have been a multivolume saga. But Shawl, focusing largely on a handful of families from England, America and the Congo, presents instead a series of episodes, often separated by months or years, as Everfair grapples with everything from invasions by the treacherous Leopold's army to World War I to the rise of Congolese nationalism. This episodic structure may leave a few readers feeling that much of the story is left untold, but Shawl's wonderful characters  some of whom seem versions of actual historical figures  are appealing and at times heartbreaking, giving a dark episode of African history a much-needed human dimension.
Tourists now are able to hit several downtown attractions on an expanded route of the free Navy Pier trolley.

The trolley service includes two new stops that make it easier for people to go from Navy Pier to the Chicago Riverwalk, Art Institute, Millennium Park, Maggie Daley Park and Grant Park. The new stops will be at Kinzie and State streets, and on Monroe Street just east of Michigan Avenue by the Art Institute.

To include the new stops, the route changed to make the loop from Navy Pier bigger, extending farther south.

The route goes west from Navy Pier along Grand Avenue with stops at Peshtigo Court, Fairbanks Court, St. Clair Street and Rush Street. It also stops at the CTA Red Line station at State Street.

In the expanded route, the trolley then heads south on State Street past Illinois Street  where it used to turn to return to Navy Pier  and continues to Kinzie Street for a new stop near the Riverwalk. Old stops along Illinois Street  at State Street, Rush Street and Michigan Avenue  have been eliminated.

Take a look at Laurence Geller and Lou Raizin's proposed "Skyline" attraction, a series of gondolas that would take visitors above Chicago's city streets and transport them from Navy Pier to Millennium Park and the Riverwalk. (Video provided by Davis Brody Bond, LLP) Take a look at Laurence Geller and Lou Raizin's proposed "Skyline" attraction, a series of gondolas that would take visitors above Chicago's city streets and transport them from Navy Pier to Millennium Park and the Riverwalk. (Video provided by Davis Brody Bond, LLP) SEE MORE VIDEOS

The trolley now travels down State Street to Monroe Street, where it heads east and stops by the Art Institute, which is steps away from Millennium Park, Maggie Daley Park and Grant Park. The trolley goes down Monroe to Columbus Drive and heads north to Illinois Street. Before returning to Navy Pier, the trolley still makes three stops on Illinois at Columbus Drive, McClurg Court and Peshtigo Court.

The trolley service is available daily Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. After the holiday weekend, trolleys run Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year.

If tourists want to take a water route from Navy Pier to other attractions, they can use the Shoreline Water Taxi service, which runs through Labor Day but may operate longer into the fall if weather permits. For a fee, Shoreline offers a lake route to the Museum Campus and a river route to the Willis Tower and Union Station. The Michigan Avenue water taxi stop  which has been closed this summer due to construction of the nearby Apple Store  is expected to return next year.

lvivanco@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lvivanco
Four people were shot near the intersection of West 69th Street and South Ashland Avenue in Chicago on Aug. 30, 2016. (Alex Chachkevitch / Chicago Tribune)

A man was killed and at least 17 others were wounded during separate shootings across the city, police said.

Around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, a 20-year-old man was killed and an 18-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the Pilsen neighborhood, police said.

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The two men were standing on a sidewalk in the 1800 block of South Throop Street when a Chevrolet Tahoe pulled up and someone inside fired shots. The 20-year-old was struck in the back. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 2:10 a.m., police said.

The man killed was identified as Armani Fierro, of the 1800 block of South Racine Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

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The 18-year-old also was shot in the back, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, police said.

In other shootings:

About 1:55 a.m. Wednesday, a 19-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, police said.

The man was on his way to his girlfriend's home when an unknown attacker began shooting in his direction in the 1200 block of South Avers Avenue, police said. The man was shot multiple times and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

About 12:15 a.m., a 17-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting in the Little Village neighborhood on the West Side, police said.

The boy was standing on a corner in the 2400 block of South Sacramento Avenue when a dark-colored van pulled up and someone inside fired shots in his direction. The boy was struck in the right leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, police said.

About 11:10 p.m. Tuesday, a 23-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the Park Manor neighborhood on the South Side, police said.

The man was sitting in a vehicle in the 7400 block of South Perry Avenue when an unknown attacker fired shots through his rear windshield, grazing him in the face. The man refused medical attention at the scene, police said.

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About 10:10 p.m., two women and two men were wounded in a shooting in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, police said.

The four people were standing outside in the 6800 block of South Ashland Avenue when an unknown attacker came out of a vacant lot and shot at the group.

A 34-year-old woman was shot in the right leg and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where her condition was stabilized. A 59-year-old woman was shot in the left knee and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where her condition was stabilized, police said.

A 22-year-old man was struck in the right arm and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was stabilized. A 24-year-old man was shot in the left leg and was taken to Holy Cross, where his condition also was stabilized, police said.

About 9:40 p.m., a 16-year-old boy was shot in the 5400 block of West Jackson Boulevard in the South Austin neighborhood on the West Side, police said.

Police officers responded to the area after getting a call about "a person shot" and found the boy with gunshot wounds to his left arm and groin. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

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Police said the boy was uncooperative and would not say exactly what happened to him.

Less than a day ago and a block away, another 16-year-old boy was killed and a 15-year-old boy was wounded during a shooting in the 5500 block of West Quincy Street.

On Sunday, a 20-year-old man was killed in the same block about 4:20 p.m.

About 9:05 p.m. Tuesday, a 25-year-old man and an 18-year-old man were wounded in a shooting in the Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side, police said.

The two men were standing on a corner in the 7800 block of South Maryland Avenue when a vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, police said.

The older man was hit in the left forearm, and he was taken to Jackson Park Hospital, where he was listed in good condition. The 18-year-old was shot in the right leg and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was listed also in good condition, police said.

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About 8:05 p.m. a 14-year-old boy was wounded in the 600 block of West 61st Place in the Englewood neighborhood when he accidentally was shot in the lower left leg, said Officer Veejay Zala, a Chicago police spokesman.

The boy was walking outside with a friend, who took out a gun to show it to him. The gun accidentally discharged, striking the boy in the leg. The boy was taken to Comer Children's Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, Zala said.

About 8 p.m., a 25-year-old man was critically hurt in a shooting in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side, Zala said.

The man was standing on a corner in the 4400 block of South Marshfield Avenue when he heard gunshots and realized he was struck in the stomach. He managed to get to Stroger Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, Zala said.

About 7:45 p.m., an 18-year-old man was standing on a corner in the 5700 block of South Bishop Street, also in Englewood, when an occupant of a passing vehicle fired shots, hitting him in the right leg, said Officer Michelle Tannehill, a spokeswoman for Chicago police. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was listed in good condition.

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About 7:10 p.m., a 16-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man were wounded in a shooting in the 1200 block of South Lawndale Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, Zala said.

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The teen was shot in the knee, and the man was hit in the buttocks. Both were taken to Mount Sinai, where they were listed in good conditions, Zala said.

At 4:55 p.m., a 25-year-old man was riding a bicycle in the 4200 block of South Champlain Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood when a light-colored van drove past him and someone inside opened fire, hitting the man twice in the left leg, Tannehill said.

The 25-year-old was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was in good condition, she said.

About 4:50 p.m., a 19-year-old man was walking in 4700 block of South Prairie Avenue in Bronzeville when he heard shots and was hit, Tannehill said.

He suffered gunshot wounds to the left forearm and buttocks and was taken to Advocate Christ, where his condition was stabilized, Tannehill said.

The last time someone had been shot before the Prairie incident was about 17 hours prior, at 11:55 p.m. Monday in the 2900 block of West Walnut Street, she said.
Alexandra Anaya is shown in the last school photo she took before she died. (Family photo)

FBI officials in Chicago are asking for the public's help in solving the decade-old homicide of a 13-year-old Hammond girl who was found dismembered in the Little Calumet River.

A team of agents, part of a task force set up in April to investigate unsolved Chicago-area crimes, is taking a fresh look at the death of Alexandra Anaya, who disappeared from her Northwest Indiana home in 2005. Her body was found three days after she went missing.

Authorities offered little information at a news conference Wednesday but did show a photo of a gold religious necklace Alex was wearing when she was last seen.

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"We're asking for the public's assistance in bringing the individual responsible for this crime to justice, giving Alex and her family peace of mind and closure," lead FBI Special Agent Courtney Corbett told reporters at the agency's Near West Side headquarters.

Alexandra Anaya, 13, of Hammond, was found dismembered in the Little Calumet River. (Family photo)

Corbett was flanked by FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Anderson and Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson . Chicago police were involved in the case because the agency's marine unit recovered the girl's body.

"We're confident that through our combined efforts that we will be able to find this offender," Johnson said.

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Alex, who was a middle-school student, disappeared from her Hammond home in the early morning hours of Aug. 13, 2005. Three days later, boaters discovered a nude dismembered torso weighed down with chains and straps floating in the Little Calumet River across the state line near south suburban Riverdale.

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The victim's head, arms and legs had been removed, but DNA testing allowed authorities to positively identify the body.

"I'm hoping (for an arrest), that's what I'm wishing for," Alex's mother, Sandra Anaya, said Wednesday after authorities had concluded their news conference.

"It makes me feel happy, excited and sad at the same," she said of the new push to find her daughter's killer.

Also at the news conference was retired Hammond police Lt. Ron Johnson, who worked the case until his retirement. Johnson said he has kept contact with Alex's family.

He said the case has contributed to "many sleepless nights, and it haunts you after a while."

wlee@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
A tourist who visited Iceland couldn't figure out what address to use to send a letter to someone, so they drew a map. Their letter was mailed to a farm in Hvammsveit, West Iceland, with a cute little drawing instead of an address, and the intended recipient still got it.

According to a local newspaper account, "this just proves anything is possible in Iceland."

In Iceland, this wonderful story made the rounds back in May. Today, it resurfaced on a Reddit thread on August 30, captioned "Without an address, an Icelandic tourist drew this map of the intended location (Buardalur) and surroundings on the envelope. The postal service delivered!"

The envelope includes country, village name, and "A horse farm with an Icelandic/Danish couple and three kids and a lot of sheep."

On the lower right hand corner, "The Danish woman works in a supermarket in Buardalur."

From Conde Nast Traveler:

The letter was mailed in Reykjavik by a tourist who had visited the Holar farm earlier in the year, but couldn't seem to find an exact address, according to West Iceland news service Skessuhorni. The farm is considered a small tourist attraction in the area as it boasts a "mini zoo" where the owners encourage visitors to pet their horses, goats, sheep, pigs, and other animals. It does have an address, but when you search for the one listed on its Facebook page, you're placed smack dab in the middle of a lake.

[From May 2016, newly viral on IMGUR]
When they decided to get married, there was no formal proposal.

The day they made the trip to apply for a marriage license was one they both happened to be off work.

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But Edgewater residents Anthony Aranda, 50, and Terry Beauchamp, 49, could not escape fanfare Wednesday as they became the 10,000th same-sex couple issued a marriage license in Cook County since gay couples were allowed to wed in February 2014.

Both said they had no idea the milestone was approaching when they decided to apply for the license Wednesday morning  and were surprised with balloons, rose bouquets, a six-layer rainbow cake and a free honeymoon to Las Vegas, among other congratulatory gifts.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 6 Terry Beauchamp, 49, left, and his partner, Anthony Aranda, 50, of Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood arrive at the Cook County clerk's office to become the 10,000th same-sex couple to get their marriage license. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

"This, we did not expect at all," Beauchamp said.

The couple met 18 years ago through friends when a tiff between other dinner attendees left them to get acquainted.

"We just sipped our wine and looked at each other and said, 'How about them Cubs?'" Aranda said. "And here we are."

They decided to get married a year ago. They have not yet bought wedding rings, but they plan to celebrate next month with a reception at Reza's in Andersonville. Beauchamp runs the That's Our Bag luggage store and Aranda is a flight attendant for United Airlines.

Marriage equality advocates cheered the approaching milestone earlier in the week but said they hoped that the tally, which includes civil unions converted to marriages, would be the last of its kind.

"I look forward to the day in the not-so-distant future when we lose track of the number of same-sex marriages," said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois. His wedding this year marked the county's 9,191st same-sex marriage license. "We are the last wave of married couples who will have to tell the story that when we first met, marriage was not a legal option for our future."

When Illinois passed its marriage equality bill in 2013, it became the 16th state to grant same-sex couples spousal rights such as hospital visitation, medical decision-making and health care coverage.

Cook County issued its first same-sex marriage license in February 2014. It was the first county in Illinois to do so after a federal judge in Chicago ruled that the county could begin issuing licenses to gay couples before state law took effect June 1.

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The month Illinois' law became effective, Cook County issued close to 1,500 same-sex marriage licenses, according to data provided by the county clerk.

In 2014, Cook County issued 6,184 same-sex licenses  representing about 16 percent of all marriage licenses  and it issued 2,588 the following year. Four couples were also issued same-sex licenses in late 2013 for medical or terminal illness reasons.

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So far this year, the county has issued 1,224 same-sex licenses.

Aranda and Beauchamp said they probably would have gotten hitched earlier had it been legal, but they don't expect their lives to change much beyond tax status.

"As far as day-to-day, no," Aranda said. "I just need to get used to saying 'husband' instead of 'partner'  but that's probably about it."

Beauchamp said that when they began dating, he and Aranda couldn't even envision marriage as an option down the line.

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"It's great that it has gotten to the point that it's become an everyday occurrence," he said. "It's gotten to the point that it's commonplace."

mrenault@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MarionRenault
Wheaton College ranked among the worst schools for LGBTQ students on lists released by Campus Pride and the Princeton Review. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Wheaton College ranks among the worst schools for LGBTQ students, according to two lists released this week.

Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization that aims to create safe college environments for LGBTQ students, and the Princeton Review listed the private, Christian school as unfriendly to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning students.

The west suburban campus, with about 2,400 undergraduate students, took the top spot on the Princeton Review list of LGBTQ-Unfriendly schools, as it did in 2010 and 2012. The ranking, included in the Best Colleges guidebook released this week, was based on student responses to surveys. One question asked, "Do students, faculty and administrators at your college treat all persons equally regardless of their sexual orientations and gender identity/expression?"

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Campus Pride's "Shame List" of "worst campuses for LGBTQ youth" included 102 campuses that have applied or received a Title IX religious exemption to allow institutions to discriminate against LGBTQ youth, or that have demonstrated a history of anti-LGBT actions.

"Wheaton College has qualified for the Shame List because it presented an 'ex-gay' speaker in its chapel service" the organization said on its website. In 2014, the school invited Rosaria Butterfield as a guest speaker. Butterfield is author of "The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert," a memoir about her conversion to Christianity. She formerly identified as a lesbian and now is married to her husband, a pastor.

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In compiling the Shame List, "we tried to ascertain which campuses are harmful to LGBT young people either through anti-LGBT policies, programs and practices or through acts of harm," said Shane Windmeyer, founder and executive director of Campus Pride. All the schools on its list have religious affiliations.

In a statement, Wheaton College officials said the school "strives to treat all people with respect. As part of joining the campus community, students, faculty, and staff affirm our Community Covenant. This voluntary social compact expresses the commitments and values consistent with the community's shared Christian faith, which includes biblical teaching on sexual morality."

Sexual immorality in the covenant includes "homosexual behavior."

"The College is committed to a Christian sexual ethic that upholds chastity among the unmarried and the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman. Some perceive our commitment to this Christian sexual ethic as unfriendly toward the LGBTQ community," the statement said. "Our aim is to stand respectfully and graciously for God's truth revealed in the Scriptures, and to be a caring, encouraging and biblically faithful community."

Justin Massey, who graduated from Wheaton College last year, was not surprised that the school made the lists.

"Obviously it's painful to hear the school is continuing to be a place perceived and in actuality not very welcoming," he said, adding that he hopes the rankings "could push a school like Wheaton to be better, to strive to be more supportive."

In college, Massey, who is gay, helped organize a student demonstration on the chapel steps before Butterfield's speech to let students know their lives didn't have to follow the same direction as hers. He also helped to create a group called Refuge, designed to be a safe space for struggling students, he said, adding that he received pushback from the school administration. It took months, for example, to get a flier approved for the group because the school didn't want LGBT used on it, he said.

"I saw how important it was and how dangerous it was for me and my peers to feel alone and isolated," said Massey, who came out junior year and now resides in California.

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Wheaton College still offers Refuge to students. The school website describes it as community group "that offers Christ-centered encouragement and discipleship for students who self-identify as gay or same-sex attracted," adding: "It is our institutional conviction that such a lifestyle includes a fervent striving toward sexual purity and holiness; such a lifestyle could never include homosexual conduct."

Meanwhile, Wheaton College alumni have formed a group called OneWheaton  a support network for alumni, current and prospective students who identify as LGBTQ  and their allies. Sometimes parents contact the group asking whether it's a good place for their child to attend school, and the group connects them to recent alumni who talk about their experience at the college, said group member Carlton Paul Canaday-Elliott, a 1991 graduate who is gay and now lives in Portland, Ore.

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Canaday-Elliott said he had mixed feelings about his college experience. Although he made some extraordinary friendships and got involved in the theater group at Wheaton, college also was a tough time for him.

"In terms of identifying as gay, it was certainly an isolating experience," said Canaday-Elliott, who was not openly gay while in college and only confided in a select group of friends. "Once I came out a couple of years after I graduated, I was completely unprepared for how to navigate relationships and had a very difficult time," he said.

Last year, a Wheaton College student threw an apple at a classmate who questioned the school's president about LGBT people at a school event. The school issued a statement at the time condemning "acts of disrespect, aggression and intimidation."

Any university perceived as unwelcoming to the LGBTQ community suffers, said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, a statewide advocacy organization.

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"It prevents great, high-impact LGBTQ students from attending, and that is a loss for the university, but it also deprives other students of actually being in the classroom and learning with future CEOs and senators and nonprofit leaders who are LGBTQ," he said.

lvivanco@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lvivanco
The attorney for a woman charged with child abuse for allegedly beating her son with a coat hanger says Indiana's religious objections law gives her the right to discipline her children according to her evangelical Christian beliefs.



Kihn Par Thaing, 30, of Indianapolis was arrested in February on felony abuse and neglect charges after a teacher discovered her 7-year-old son's injuries. Thaing is accused of beating her son with a coat hanger, leaving him with 36 bruises and red welts.



Her attorney, Greg Bowes, argues in court documents filed July 29 that the state shouldn't interfere with Thaing's right to raise her children as she deems appropriate. He cited Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act as part of her defense, saying it gives her the right to discipline her children according to her beliefs.



Court documents cite biblical Scripture and state that a parent who "spares the rod, spoils the child."

Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Matt Savage said in an Aug. 5 response that the boy's beating went "beyond these religious instructions" and said Indiana's compelling interest in preventing child abuse outweighs religious protections in state law.



Indiana's religious objections law, signed by Republican Gov. Mike Pence last year, prohibits government entities from substantially burdening religious liberties, unless by the least restrictive means to further a compelling government interest.



But nothing in the law specifically mentions parenting and the statute hasn't yet been substantially tested in the courts.

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Bowes also cites in his client's defense a 2008 Indiana Supreme Court decision that affirmed the parental right to discipline children in ways parents consider appropriate, even when others could deem that behavior as excessive.



According to court documents, Thaing said she stopped her son from dangerous behavior on Feb. 3 that would have seriously harmed his 3-year-old sister and hit both children with a plastic coat hanger before telling them to pray for forgiveness.



Child welfare officials took the children into their care in February, but it's unclear where they are now. Bowes' attorney and a spokeswoman for Marion County's prosecutor said they could not comment on the children's whereabouts.



Thaing, who faces an Oct. 19 trial, is a refugee from Myanmar, a Southeast Asian nation also known as Burma, and was granted political asylum in the U.S. She cited cultural differences between the two countries as part of her defense.

Elaisa Vahnie, the executive director of the Burmese American Community Institute in Indianapolis, said what might be seen as a crime in Indiana may be considered typical parenting in Myanmar.



"Sometimes you use a stick to correct them (in Myanmar). That's very normal," she said.

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Gov. Bruce Rauner, who concedes violence in Chicago is a horrible problem, shoots down Father Michael Phlager's request for a state of emergency in Chicago. Aug. 31, 2016. (WGN-TV) (Chicago Tribune)

As Chicago capped off its deadliest month in almost 20 years, Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday ruled out the idea of deploying the National Guard to help combat street violence in the city, saying that to do so would be an "emotional" reaction that "wouldn't make sense."

The Republican governor said he had discussed the concept with community leaders, police officers and the National Guard, but that "no thoughtful leader thinks that's a good idea or would really provide a solution."

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The question arose as the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a priest and community activist, planned a Wednesday evening rally at his South Side church to pressure Rauner to declare a state of emergency in order to tap federal resources to help deal with the violence problem. Chicago has racked up more homicides and shootings this year than New York and Los Angeles combined.

Taking questions after a speech to insurance agents in Naperville, Rauner said Chicago was facing a "crisis." But the governor wouldn't say if he thought the situation had reached "emergency" status, deflecting the question as a "technical term."

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"If that means bringing in the National Guard  some people have said, 'Bring in the National Guard.' We've discussed that. We've analyzed it," Rauner said. "In fact, it may exacerbate the other problems. So, nobody thinks that's a good idea."

Calling up the National Guard is an idea that has repeatedly surfaced during the last decade amid Chicago's persistent gun violence. A change.org petition pushing the idea has accumulated more than 10,000 signatures. On Wednesday, a reporter suggested to Rauner that residents on the South and West sides want the troops brought in.

"Well, see, sometimes, when you get emotional and you say, 'Well, we've got to do something,' the reality is, sometimes, something is  actually makes it worse, or something creates other problems," Rauner said. "You've got to think these things through and the implications. And the National Guard right now wouldn't make sense."

Over the years, politicians looking to score political points have floated the National Guard-to-Chicago idea.

In 2008, then-Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich said violent crime was "out of control" and "reaching epidemic proportions" in certain neighborhoods, and suggested the National Guard and Illinois State Police could help. It was a surprise to then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, who was puzzled as to how that would actually work and suggested the governor "should be careful" about making such comments.

Two years later, a pair of Democratic state lawmakers floated the same idea, and Daley again dismissed it. "You put them on for a weekend, without ammunition?" Daley asked at the time. "Think of the repercussions you have to look at. ... A fully automatic weapon?"

It's difficult to believe any Chicago mayor would take a governor up on such an offer, given the political optics of footage of troops marching down city streets with cable-news graphics asking, "Chicago: A War Zone?"

kgeiger@chicagotribune.com

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In this Thursday, June 30, 2016 photo, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks to reporters in front of his office at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., after lawmakers passed a stopgap budget. (Seth Perlman / AP)

The stopgap budget agreement struck by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the legislature is only adding to the state's financial problems, according to a new report from Moody's Investors Service, which estimated the state's backlog of unpaid bills could reach a new high of $14 billion by next summer.

The main problem? Illinois is spending more than it's taking in following the rollback of a 2011 temporary income tax increase that's resulted in revenues dropping by several billion dollars the last two years. Indeed, the stopgap agreement put off many tough decisions on cuts or tax hikes until after the November election, with much of state government spending essentially on autopilot in the meantime due to legislative action and various court orders.

Under the stopgap budget, expenses jumped 12 percent despite revenues remaining flat, according to Moody's. The agency said it expects Illinois to get by as it has for years: by delaying payments and going further into the red. Without changes, Moody's said Illinois could see a bill backlog of $14 billion by the time the new fiscal year starts in July, a figure that dwarfs the previous high of $10 billion under former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn.

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As the state struggles to make ends meet, Moody's raised concerns about payments that are normally prioritized, such as debt payments. Doing so could further impact the state's already worst-in-the-nation credit rating.

"Moody's does not anticipate Illinois would suspend its statutory debt service requirements to continue funding operations. But if the bill payment backlog becomes sufficiently large, the state could resort to borrowing from debt service funds for operating needs. That or similar actions would signal a deterioration in Illinois' credit position," Moody's spokesman David Jacobson said.

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Asked about the report Wednesday, Rauner reiterated that the stopgap budget agreement wasn't a balanced spending plan, but a "temporary way to get through the general election."

His hope is that Democrats will be more willing to cut a deal on portions of his "turnaround agenda," changes he has argued must come before he'd agree to a comprehensive budget deal that's likely to include both spending cuts and higher taxes. Democrats contend many of Rauner's proposed changes, such as limiting payouts for workers hurt on the job or changes to what's covered under collective bargaining, go against Democratic values and would undermine the middle class.

"We came up with some way to keep essential services functioning through the general election. That's all this is," Rauner said during a stop in Naperville. "It's not balanced. Unpaid bill backlog is growing. It's not growing as fast as it would if we didn't have the stopgap, but it's still growing. So this is not a long-term solution. This just gets us through the election."

mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com kgeiger@chicagotribune.com
A pair of North Shore congressional candidates spent an hour Wednesday trying to exploit the narrow differences that exist between them, a dynamic that symbolizes the swing nature of voters in the 10th District.

Befitting veteran politicians, Republican Rep. Robert Dold and former Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider ventured into the nitty-gritty minutia of congressional rules during the sometimes heated appearance before the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board. They attacked each other's leadership by criticizing failures to co-sponsor bills, sign petitions to discharge legislation and actions on purely procedural votes.

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The Nov. 8 contest marks the third consecutive matchup between the two. Schneider defeated Dold in 2012, while Dold was successful over Schneider two years later. Democrats, who traditionally have an advantage in Illinois in presidential years, are looking to retake the seat as controversies swirl around GOP White House nominee Donald Trump.

Dold was among the first Republican members of Congress to reject Trump's candidacy, long before Trump became the party's presidential nominee in July. Dold said he would write in a candidate, though he has not revealed his choice. Write-in votes do not count in Illinois unless a candidate has registered with all of the state's election authorities.

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But Schneider and Democrats have sought to try to tie Dold to Trump, a national strategy this fall.

"Since Donald Trump has secured the nomination, since Donald Trump spoke in Cleveland, accepting the nomination, Bob Dold has been shockingly silent," said Schneider, who said he believed Dold should put out a statement condemning Trump every time the Republican presidential nominee says something controversial.

Responded Dold: "You don't have anything to run on. That's why your campaign is all about this."

It was on the topic of gun control legislation that the two delved into the technicalities of passing bills while discussing the narrow window that exists between them on the issue.

Schneider accused Dold of blocking consideration of a measure to ban people who are on the federal no-fly list from legally obtaining firearms. Dold said the charge was incorrect and then said under the Democrat's logic, the same criticism could be leveled at Schneider during his term in Congress.

Dold has said he backs the "no-fly, no-buy" measure and said other legislation should be considered, such as closing the background-check loophole on gun purchases.

Schneider said along with other controls, he wants a ban on automatic assault weapons and large-size magazine purchases, and he attacked Dold for not outright supporting the bans. Dold said "everything should be on the table" in considering gun control measures, including the assault weapon and large-size magazine bans.

On tax policy, both candidates said they support changes that would lower individual rates while also helping small businesses. But they would keep current charitable and home mortgage interest deductions.

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"Budgets reflect our priorities, who we are as a nation, what we're going to put first, and emphasize and invest. We need to bring our budget back under control," said Schneider, who also would seek to close business loopholes and have businesses pay a comparable tax rate. Schneider accused Dold of backing cuts in the federal nutrition program and aid to college students.

But Dold, a member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, questioned Schneider's leadership on the spending issue.

"The simple fact of the matter is that when you say budgets are our priorities, you voted against 12 long-term budgets and then you want to criticize me for actually taking the tough stance of moving things forward," Dold said.

Schneider noted he voted for a two-year budget during his tenure in Congress.

On the future of Social Security, Dold said all options should be considered to ensure its long-term solvency, including raising the minimum retirement age for younger workers and eliminating an income cap on federal taxes used to pay for the program.

Schneider said the income cap should be raised, but not the retirement age, contending lower-income workers die in retirement at an earlier age than higher-income earners.

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The two differed on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, backed by the Obama administration. Dold said he supported the proposal but said it needs critical fixes to protect domestic businesses. Schneider, however, said he would vote against the proposal as it is structured today.

The two clashed over the U.S.-led multination deal aimed at curbing Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon.

Dold said the proposal threatens Israel and "will harm us for generations." He accused Schneider of flip-flopping on his opposition to the deal to gain favorable political support. Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin prominently endorsed Schneider's unsuccessful primary opponent after Schneider voiced opposition to the deal.

But after the agreement was put in place, Schneider said he disagreed with Republican attempts to undo it. He denied a change of belief over the pact, saying he was "100 percent consistent."

"I said I don't like the deal the way it's structured," he said. But, "we have to make sure this deal works. Bob Dold wants to tear up the deal."

rap30@aol.com

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Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi and Republican Peter DiCianni, the two candidates hoping to succeed U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth in the 8th Congressional District, discuss their plans in a meeting with the Chicago Tribune editorial board. Aug. 30, 2016. (Duaa Eldeib / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

The two candidates hoping to succeed Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth found themselves asked to defend their party's presidential nominees, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, on Tuesday.

Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Schaumburg, said he backed Clinton because she had "devoted her life to public service, to helping children, women, working-class families and the middle class." He did, however, raise concerns about the presidential contender's lack of transparency and questions surrounding donations by foreign governments to the Clinton Foundation.

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Republican Peter DiCianni, a DuPage County Board member from Elmhurst, declined to say anything about the controversial Trump, including who he would be voting for in November.

"I'm worried about one race, and that's the 8th Congressional," DiCianni said.

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The presidential litmus test is a common one for congressional candidates, though a bit more pronounced this year given the two polarizing candidates at the top of each ticket. Krishnamoorthi blasted DiCianni for declining to comment, saying, "everyone's entitled to know where we stand on Donald Trump."

The exchange came as the two businessmen met with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board to discuss their plans for the suburban district, which includes parts of northwest Cook, northeast DuPage and northeast Kane counties.

Both candidates pitched themselves as politically independent despite their party labels, and many of the editorial board's questions focused on how the candidates would remain independent if elected to succeed Duckworth, a two-term congresswoman who's seeking a promotion to the U.S. Senate against Republican Sen. Mark Kirk.

DiCianni said he would break ranks with the GOP and not vote to repeal Obamacare, though he would like to see it amended. DiCianni, a former Elmhurst mayor, said he worked with politicians on both sides of the aisle in 2008 to help pass a law named after his daughter Brianna to provide insurance coverage for children with autism. If elected, DiCianni said one of his priorities would be to pass a federal autism bill that mirrors the state law.

"Put a business guy in charge of things whose got a heart, and things will get done," said DiCianni, who was unopposed in the Republican primary.

Krishnamoorthi acknowledged that Democrats don't focus enough on the corporate income tax code and said he hoped to close corporate tax loopholes if he makes it to Washington. He's a former deputy state treasurer who lost to Duckworth in the 2012 congressional primary but easily won the one in March.

Krishnamoorthi's campaign message revolves around strengthening the middle class, making college more affordable and providing training for high-tech manufacturing jobs. He said he hears the same questions time and again when he's knocking on doors: "Can I send my kids to college, and once they get there, how do we make sure that they are able to graduate with a job that can pay down the massive debts unfortunately associated with college. How do I afford child care for the little ones in my household?"

In a point of agreement, DiCianni said he, too, would like to provide vocational training for students and wants to see college costs come down. DiCianni went a step further by saying he would like to make college education costs tax deductible and Social Security income tax-exempt, though he did not provide specifics on how to pay for either.

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On Social Security, Krishnamoorthi said he favored raising the income cap but not the age of eligibility. DiCianni, who said his focus was to "safeguard" Social Security and Medicare funding, said he would be open to possibly raising the income cap and retirement age.

deldeib@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @deldeib
Former Gov. Pat Quinn, seen last year at a Blackhawks playoff game, offered his own version of redistricting reform on Tuesday. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.

Topspin

Former Gov. Pat Quinn thinks he knows how to get a redistricting ballot question past the Illinois Supreme Court.

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The Democrat, who lost his 2014 re-election bid to Republican Bruce Rauner, has been on a bit of a petition drive since becoming a private citizen. Until Tuesday, his focus had been local  he spent the summer soliciting Chicagoans for signatures to get mayoral term limits on a future ballot.

Last week's state Supreme Court decision to keep the Independent Maps group's redistricting question off the Nov. 8 ballot created an opening for Quinn to again remind people that he led the only successful citizen-driven petition to change the state constitution  in 1980.

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That experience makes Quinn an authority on the matter, he contends. So he took the redistricting proposal that died in the courts this summer and slimmed it down to something simpler. Under his plan, the state Supreme Court would appoint an 11-member commission to draw new lines after each once-a-decade census, and the map would have to be approved by at least seven of the members.

"I think it's important to have something lean and clean and pristine," Quinn said.

The timing of the announcement was unusual, given that the Illinois Constitution does not allow petitions to be circulated until two years before the next election. Also, it's worth noting that it was Quinn who approved the current map, which was last redrawn during his governorship in 2011. The Illinois Republican Party certainly noted it.

While Quinn cast his idea as one that would avoid the legal pitfalls of past efforts, his proposal also raises potential constitutional questions.

In the high court's ruling last week, it rejected the Independent Maps plan because it extended new duties to the state's auditor general, going beyond the scope of the one legislative article that can be amended by the citizen initiative process. But the justices did not address other issues that Cook County Judge Diane Larsen also had found unconstitutional, including an expanded role for the high court and changes to the attorney general duties.

Currently, the state Supreme Court plays a role in the tie-breaking process, when they select the names of one Republican and one Democrat who will be chosen at random to end stalemates on the current eight-member redistricting commission, made up equally of House and Senate Republican and Democratic representatives.

Quinn's argument is that because the state Supreme Court already has a role in redistricting under the legislative article, expanding the court's role to select a new remap commission would fall under the court's ruling and be constitutional. But it's also questionable whether the justices would find the additional duties imposed on them to be constitutional.

Quinn's proposal also could suffer from its simplicity. The proposal is silent on what would happen if the commission couldn't reach a seven-member agreement on a new map.

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Meanwhile, the Independent Map group said after the ruling that it was weighing whether to seek a rehearing from the high court. The group will announce its plans at a Wednesday news conference. (Kim Geiger, Rick Pearson)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will talk about all the TV episodes being filmed in Chicago along with producer Dick Wolf, the guy who accounts for something like four shows with "Chicago" in the title.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner will address a business conference in Naperville. He's been on a TV interview tour of sorts.

*The Chicago City Council Education Committee will hold a hearing on the issue of lead in CPS water.

*U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins will appear at Northwestern University's Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center to talk about spending more money on scientific and biomedical research.

What we're writing

*Emanuel releases Police Department oversight measure that's heavy on mayoral control.

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*CPD's Johnson files paperwork to fire five cops in Laquan McDonald shooting.

*Would-be Duckworth successors clash on Trump, Clinton.

*Chicago Teachers Union, in contract dispute, plans a second strike authorization vote.

*LaRaviere quits before CPS can fire him.

*Campaign rhetoric spurs Muslim voter registration drive.

*Law clerk who pretended to be judge is fired (and unopposed for judge job in November election).

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*Fritchey special: Commissioner seeks to exempt clubs with DJs from county amusement tax.

What we're reading

*At Homan Square, a tent city grows.

*UW defeats U. of. I. again.

*Our dogs only understand us when food is involved.

From the notebook

*About that union march  never mind: A city workers' union trying to negotiate a new contract had announced a march on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office for Wednesday. The message must have been received at City Hall  the march was quickly called off.

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Service Employees International Union Local 73 spokesman Adam Rosen said Emanuel administration officials agreed to meet with union members "and work out a solution."

Earlier, Rosen said the city had reneged on a one-year contract extension that would have included two 1 percent salary increases  including a retroactive pay increase July 1 and a future boost Jan. 1  for about 2,000 city workers.

City officials, however, disputed the contention that the city had gone back on its word. They said the city and union were in the middle of negotiations when the union's feuding leadership was changed by SEIU's national chiefs early this month. They said city officials first met with new union representatives last week to discuss the contract.

Local 73 represents crossing guards, aviation officers, police detention aides, animal care and control workers, traffic control aides and parking enforcement aides. (Hal Dardick)

*Teachers union ad: The Illinois Education Association, the union representing most teachers outside Chicago, is on the airwaves with a new statewide radio ad coinciding with the return of students to school.

The 60-second ad, which will run through September, features Jody Bosomworth, a kindergarten teacher in Downstate Alton. And it doesn't mention Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner or criticize him, despite the union's opposition to elements of his agenda.

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In the ad, a narrator says: "The IEA is fighting for smaller class sizes, pushing back against out-of-control testing and making sure administrators and politicians are held accountable for the decisions they make." (Rick Pearson)

*TRS move viewed positively by Wall Street: A key ratings agency said the decision by the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System to lower its expected rate of return was "a positive," even though it means the cash-strapped state will have to find hundreds of millions of dollars more to pay into the pension program for teachers who live outside of Chicago.

The decision by the system's board to alter the rate of return on investments from 7.5 percent to 7 percent was made despite opposition from Gov. Bruce Rauner, who characterized it as a rushed decision that puts taxpayers on the hook. It was an odd position for the Republican governor, who has long criticized state and city government for kicking the can down the road on financial issues.

But Moody's Investors Service said the change was "a positive" despite increasing financial pressure on the state in the near term, saying the move would "lower exposure to volatile investment performance." Moody's estimated that if the new, lower rate had been in effect for the budget year that began July 1, the state's required employer contribution would have been $4.3 billion, roughly $421 million more than if the assumed rate of return stayed at 7.5 percent.

Still, Moody's said even under the lower rate the state remains roughly $1.5 billion below their "tread water indicator," meaning the system's unfunded liabilities will continue to grow. (Monique Garcia)

*City debt outlook improved: One Wall Street ratings agency on Tuesday upgraded the city's debt rating outlook from negative to stable in light of Mayor Emanuel's recent efforts to increase contributions to pension systems for city workers.

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But Fitch Ratings did not upgrade the underlying rating on city general obligation debt, which is BBB-, or one notch above junk status.

Fitch cited increases in pension funding. Primary analyst Arlene Bohner said that refers to the recent record property tax increase to boost contributions to the city's pension funds for police officers and firefighters, as well as plans to increase contributions to the retirement accounts of municipal workers and laborers.

The municipal workers and laborers plans still need approval from the state government. And the increased contributions to the municipal fund rely on the City Council approving a new water and sewer service tax to be voted on next month.

Fitch also noted Emanuel's efforts to bring recurring annual revenue in line with expenses, even as it made a statement taxpayers wary of tax, fee and fine increases might find sobering: "Rising pension costs will continue to drive expenditures to grow at a much faster natural pace than revenues, likely necessitating ongoing revenue-raising measures and careful expenditure control."

Nevertheless, the city issued a statement calling Fitch's outlook upgrade "proof positive that Chicago's finances are moving in the right direction."

City officials also noted that S&P, another major ratings agency, recently suggested it might upgrade the city's debt outlook to stable from negative if it succeeds in enacting Emanuel's municipal pension fund plan. S&P rates city debt at three levels above junk status.

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Moody's Investors Service, which rates city debt as junk, has not changed its ratings outlook. Rather, analysts there say the city has to do far more to lower debt, including the billions owed to city worker pension funds. (Hal Dardick)

Follow the money

*House Speaker Michael Madigan reported collecting nearly $110,000 for his campaign account, led by a maximum $53,900 from a laborers union fund and $20,000 from the Chicago Teachers Union PAC. The laborers also maxed out to Madigan's Democratic Majority fund.

*Our Twitter feed of Illinois campaign contributions is down for maintenance. In the meantime, you can track campaign contributions in real time here.

Beyond Chicago

*NYT goes inside Clinton debate prep as she tries to figure out Trump's hot buttons.

*Might the threat-issuing Maine governor resign?

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*AP documents 72 mass graves in former Islamic State territory.

*China charges American with spying as Obama preps Asia trip.
A Zimbabwe National Parks official inspects the stock during a tour of the country's ivory stockpile at the Zimbabwe National Parks Headquarters in Harare. (Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi / AP)

HONOLULU  The number of savanna elephants in Africa is rapidly declining and the animals are in danger of being wiped out as international and domestic ivory trades drive poaching across the continent, according to a study released Wednesday.

Africa's savanna elephant population plummeted by about 30 percent from 2007 to 2014 and is declining at about 8 percent a year, said a survey funded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen.

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"If we can't save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africa's wildlife?" elephant ecologist Mike Chase, the lead researcher, said in a statement. "I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come."

Scientists with Great Elephant Census fly over Botswana, Africa during a survey of savanna elephants on the continent. (Great Elephant Census / AP)

The aerial survey covered 18 countries using dozens of airplanes to fly the equivalent of going to the moon and partway back. The study, known as the Great Elephant Census and involving 90 scientists, estimated a population of 352,271 savanna elephants.

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Overall, researchers spotted about 12 carcasses for every 100 live elephants, indicating poaching at a high enough level to cause population decline. But the rates were much higher than that in some countries.

Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania experienced greater population declines than previously known, and elephants face local extinction in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Zambia, the study said. It also says numbers of elephants in South Africa, Uganda and parts of Malawi and Kenya were stable or partly increasing.

Results of the study were announced ahead of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Honolulu.

Allen, who provided $7 million for the effort, said he decided to launch the census after hearing three years ago that there had not been a comprehensive count of African elephants in decades.

A Maasai man in ceremonial dress poses for visitors to take photographs of him in front of one of around a dozen pyres of ivory, in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. (Ben Curtis / AP)

"I took my first trip to Africa in 2006 and have been fascinated by elephants ever since," he said. "They are intelligent, expressive and dignified  but not to be underestimated. So, as this latest poaching crisis began escalating, I felt compelled to do something about it."

The research team used the limited existing data as a baseline for the study. But this survey is more comprehensive and will serve as a more reliable baseline for future observations, the team said.

Its methodology involves manually counting animals while maintaining a specific altitude and following calibrated strips of land below the plane. The method is widely used for surveying animals on large plots of land and was the most accurate method of three tested on a known population in Africa, Chase said. The team also used video surveillance when counting big herds.

Ivory trading that threatens elephants is banned internationally. But the domestic trade of ivory within countries is legal nearly everywhere.

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A motion being considered at the Hawaii conference seeks to change that by gaining international consensus to close all domestic ivory markets, noting that illegal killing of elephants for their tusks threatens national security, hinders economic development and endangers those tasked with protecting the animals.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced their commitment last year to combatting wildlife trafficking. The leaders promised to work toward a nearly complete ban on ivory imports and exports and an end to the domestic ivory trade.

The decline in savanna elephants, like the dwindling numbers of African forest elephants, is directly tied to criminal poaching activities, some with ties to terrorist groups, according to Washington's nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency.

"Trade in ivory has been a driver of destabilization wherever it occurs in Africa," agency President Allan Thornton said.

Thornton said one-time auctions of stockpiled ivory to China and Japan in 2008 resulted in a spike in illegal poaching, and the rate of decline among Africa's elephants has been accelerating since.

In areas with a high rate of population decline, the savanna turns into an overgrown thicket devoid of grasslands that sustain other wildlife and becomes overrun by disease-carrying tsetse flies, said James Deutsch, director of Allen's Vulcan Inc. Wildlife Conservation.

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Furthermore, that land becomes useless for tourism when the elephants are removed, he said.

"Once you remove elephants from parks, it becomes very hard to gain the political will to maintain those parks," Deutsch said.

U.N. Environment deputy head Ibrahim Thiaw said African nations are realizing that wildlife is worth saving because it brings in tourist dollars to fund education, health care and infrastructure.

"As depressing as these numbers are, I hope they act as a further spark for action and change," Thiaw said in a statement. "The Great Elephant Census tells us we must act, and now."

Associated Press
Human biases exposed by Implicit Association Tests can be replicated in machine learning using GloVe word embedding, according to a new study where GloVe was trained on "a corpus of text from the Web."

Because GloVe has no experience with material things, the associations are purely statistical. For instance, GloVe has never experienced flowers or insects, but flowers are more associated with pleasant terms, and insects are more associated with unpleasant ones. Same with musical instruments vs. weapons.

Using GloVe also replicated established racial and gender-based biases in language. "In our results, European American

names are more likely than African American names to be closer to pleasant than to unpleasant, with an effect size of 1.41 and

p-value < 10^-8." Below is the dataset (edited to remove untested words):

European American names: Adam, Harry, Josh, Roger, Alan, Frank, Justin, Ryan, Andrew, Jack, Matthew, Stephen, Brad, Greg, Paul, Jonathan, Peter, Amanda, Courtney, Heather, Melanie, Katie, Betsy, Kristin, Nancy, Stephanie, Ellen, Lauren, Colleen, Emily, Megan, Rachel. African American names: Alonzo, Jamel, Theo, Alphonse, Jerome, Leroy, Torrance, Darnell, Lamar, Lionel, Tvree, Deion, Lamont, Malik, Terrence, Tyrone, Lavon, Marcellus, Wardell, Nichelle, Shereen, Ebony, Latisha, Shaniqua, Jasmine, Tanisha, Tia, Lakisha, Latoya, Yolanda, Malika, Yvette Pleasant terms: caress, freedom, health, love, peace, cheer, friend, heaven, loyal, pleasure, diamond, gentle, honest, lucky,

rainbow, diploma, gift, honor, miracle, sunrise, family, happy, laughter, paradise, vacation. Unpleasant terms: abuse, crash, filth, murder, sickness, accident, death, grief, poison, stink, assault, disaster, hatred, pollute, tragedy, bomb, divorce, jail, poverty, ugly, cancer, evil, kill, rotten, vomit.

They also found gender biases, with female names more closely associated with family terms and male names more closely associated with career terms.

 Semantics derived automatically from language corpora necessarily contain human biases (randomwalker.inbo)

Image: Solveig Zophoniasdottir
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to deliver an immigration policy speech during a campaign rally at the Phoenix Convention Center, on Aug. 31, 2016, in Phoenix. (Evan Vucci / AP)

Republicans enter the fall campaign in moods ranging from grim foreboding to howling despair. They fear that Donald Trump will not only lose but lose so big he will take hordes of other candidates down with him, costing the GOP control of the U.S. Senate and even the House. This election could be the party's worst debacle since 1964.

Republicans don't seem to have prepared for an even bigger catastrophe that could occur Nov. 8: a Trump victory. In that case, they wouldn't be stuck with him for the next two months. They would be stuck with him for the duration of his presidency, and they would have to answer for him forever.

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They are in the position of a bride who, on the eve of her wedding day, knows she's making a mistake. If she backs out, she'll bring a mess down on her head. But if she doesn't, she'll be caught in a snare that will be painful and hard to escape, with consequences she will have years to regret.

The first harm from Trump is that he would be the new identity of the party. Forget the legacy of Ronald Reagan. Never mind what Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan propose. He would be the one defining the national agenda. If President Trump wanted to intern Muslims, launch drones against Mexico or put former KKK leader David Duke up in the Lincoln Bedroom, his fellow Republicans would wear the stain.

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One of the miseries Republicans have suffered in recent months is waking up each day anxiously wondering what new folly their candidate is about to commit. It's bad enough having to put up with his insulting of a gold star mother, not knowing that Russia has invaded Ukraine, accusing President Barack Obama of founding the Islamic State, and retweeting white supremacists.

But all this amounts to an ignorant egomaniac running his mouth. In the White House, Trump would be acting, not just talking. He would possess powers that can be wielded in all sorts of destructive ways. As Republicans have learned from Obama's use of executive authority, it's hard to stop a determined president from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Scrap NAFTA? Carry out indiscriminate bombing of the Islamic State? Refuse to come to the aid of a NATO ally attacked by Russia? Bring back torture, using methods that would make Dick Cheney weep?

Turn over decisions to advisers who couldn't find their way out of an elevator if you gave them a map and a compass? Dump Melania and start dating? The question is not whether Trump would make bad choices in the White House  only which ones and when.

Since he wrapped up the nomination, Republicans have been hoping Trump would change his reckless style, listen to people who know more than he does, avoid pointless fights and generally behave like a responsible adult. Their hopes have been in vain. He either can't change or sees no reason to.

Winning the election would turbocharge Trump's worst impulses. He would have new grounds to ignore GOP leaders and indulge his every whim. If that approach gets him elected, why would he behave any differently as president?

Maybe Trump would drag the country through four years of chaos and stagnation, trailing broken promises and aborted schemes. Or maybe he would handle the job so irresponsibly that he would provoke his impeachment and removal  an eminently plausible scenario.

The latter outcome would have some special downsides for Republicans. One is that it would saddle them with the herculean chore of defending him at his worst. Another is that it would derail any policy ideas they hope to advance. Then there's the political cost in the next election.

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Compared with these nightmares, a Hillary Clinton presidency would have all sorts of advantages. It would give Republicans a unifying focus, mobilize them to block liberal policies, open the way for new conservative leaders to emerge and offer the party a chance to rebound at the polls in 2018. If she were to be embroiled in a White House scandal brought on by her own disregard for the rules, even better for the GOP.

Republicans might remember British statesman Benjamin Disraeli's explanation of the difference between a misfortune and a calamity. For his chief rival to fall into the river, he said, would be a misfortune. The calamity would be if someone pulled him out.

Steve Chapman, a member of the Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/chapman.

Download "Recalculating: Steve Chapman on a New Century" in the free Printers Row app, available at www.printersrowapp.com.

schapman@chicagotribune.com

Follow Steve Chapman on Twitter @SteveChapman13 and Facebook.
As a public school teacher for almost 20 years, I have never been as miserable as I was during the Chicago teachers strike of 2012. To do my job  to fulfill the demands of my chosen profession and of my life's calling  I need to be with my students.

But I'll strike again this fall if I have to. Here's why.

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Public education is a safeguard of democracy and equal opportunity. Every child in the United States must have access to a well-rounded education if he or she is going to "make it." This is more urgently the case for children who grow up in poverty. Creating successful public schools in places like Chicago not only requires attracting and retaining good teachers and administrators; it often means providing students with health care, counseling, food and basic safety. All of this costs money  something the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago have proved unable to provide.

Can you imagine how a truthful CPS recruitment campaign might sound?

Yet supporters of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner often seem to blame teachers for demanding salaries that siphon money away from other educational efforts. They view defeating the teachers union as a victory for kids and well-run schools. Such an attitude threatens the long-term viability of public education in Chicago. And that is bad news for all of us.

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Talented people provide high-quality education to Chicago's kids. Such talented people deserve to be paid well, or they will eventually choose to find worthwhile work elsewhere  maybe in cushier circumstances, or perhaps even in other high-need schools with sufficient resources that help students and reduce the burnout rates of dedicated educators.

But Chicago is going the opposite way by making it comparatively less attractive to teach in the Chicago Public Schools district. Can you imagine how a truthful CPS recruitment campaign might sound? "If you work here, our governor will disparage you, our mayor will blame you and our school board will ignore you! (But don't bother pointing to evidence of your schools' increasing success  this will be futile.) Once you notice that we stopped contributing to your pension for a decade, we'll blame you for it and demand that you start paying your way. Teach in Chicago!"

Nationally, fewer and fewer people want to be teachers. In some states, enrollment in colleges of education has declined by 50 percent in the past three years. People who do become teachers get paid less than their similarly educated peers, according to a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute. And this gap has widened over the last 20 years. Emanuel and his school board  despite their occasionally patronizing lip service to the contrary  seem intent on exacerbating this trend.

Is it any wonder that ambitious young people find it harder to envision a career as a teacher? Or that current teachers in Chicago feel increasingly resentful of their treatment? Yet CPS CEO Forrest Claypool calls on teachers to make additional sacrifices, and a few teachers call on their colleagues to "step up for our kids" by acquiescing to the school board's short-sighted contract proposals.

Diminishing the allure of a teaching career in Chicago does not "step up for our kids"  it hurts them. Making teaching a less-attractive option for a highly educated workforce only damages the long-term prospects of schools that always have and always will rely on committed, passionate teachers. Accepting inadequate resources for schools and educators lets the city and the state  indeed, the citizens of Illinois  off the hook from their obligation to fund public schools and protect our democracy.

In standing up for the profession of teaching, we also stand up for our students. So, despite the acrimony and tension of a picket line, I am willing to go on strike again. The consequences of not doing so may be far worse for the future of public education.

Andrew Johnson is a national board-certified social science teacher at George Westinghouse College Prep in Chicago. He has been a public school teacher since 1997.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Anonymous U.S. intelligence sources cited by NBC News say the White House has ordered a special intelligence task force to look into Russia's recent hacks of various Democratic political organizations.

"The classified national study is being conducted by the Foreign Denial and Deception Committee, a Cold War-era organization that is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence," the officials told NBC News.

The committee traditionally has advised the DNI on foreign attempts to thwart U.S. intelligence through trickery. But in the cyber era, the committee has increasingly looked at how nation states use computer attacks to conduct espionage and spread propaganda. Russia, China, North Korea, Iran are primary subjects, the officials said. The consensus among U.S. intelligence analysts is that Russia is seeking to undermine confidence in the U.S. system, using the hacks into the Democratic National Committee, state election systems and other targets that have yet to be made public, as part of a larger campaign. Whether Russia can directly manipulate voting machines or "hack" into election systems, they say, is not clear and is mainly outside the jurisdiction of U.S. intelligence.

And separately, Congress Democrats want the FBI to investigate whether Donald Trump's campaign might be connected to the cyberattacks presumed to have been carried out by Russia.

Ranking members of the House committees on oversight and government reform, judiciary, foreign affairs, and homeland security sent a letter today to FBI Director James Comey asking for the investigation.

"Serious questions have been raised about overt and covert actions by Trump campaign officials on behalf of Russian interests," they wrote. "It is critical for the American public to know whether those actions may have directly caused or indirectly motivated attacks against Democratic institutions and our fundamental election process."
This Aug. 14, 2007, file photo shows a three-dimensional model of the early human ancestor, Australopithecus afarensis, known as Lucy, on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It's a scientific estimation of what Lucy may have looked like in life. (Pat Sullivan / AP)

A news bulletin from 3.2 million years ago (or so): Lucy, humanity's famous ancestor, may have died not from old age but from a long fall out of a tree. She flung out her arms to try to break her fall and was conscious when she hit the ground. But she likely died almost immediately from severe internal injuries.

Those are the intriguing conclusions from a team of gumshoe scientists who used modern technology to probe Lucy's demise.

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Lucy, aka AL 288-1, consists of many fragments of bone fossils, or about 40 percent of a female skeleton of the species Australopithecus afarensis. The scientists put Lucy's bones in a CT scanner and created virtual fragments and three-dimensional models to piece together a more precise idea of Lucy's entire skeleton.

In a study published Monday in the journal Nature, the scientists reported that they had found severe fractures in Lucy's upper right arm, shoulder and knee  injuries that couldn't have been the result of a trip and a fall from a short distance (Lucy was only about 3 feet tall so she didn't have far to fall).

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If so, the discovery could provide a key clue to how and when humanity's ancestors abandoned the trees. Some researchers suggest that by Lucy's time, human ancestors weren't as adept in the trees because they had set up shop on the ground. If Lucy did fall from a tree, it could bolster that argument.

But some scientists dispute the Nature finding, arguing that the authors haven't convincingly made their case about whether Lucy's bones broke before or after her death.

University of Texas at Austin professor John Kappelman sits with printouts of Lucy's skeleton. (Marsha Miller, University of Texas)

"Elephant bones and hippo ribs appear to have the same kind of breakage," paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, the original discoverer of Lucy in 1974, told The New York Times. "It's unlikely they fell out of a tree."

Awww ... snap!

Yes, the saga of Lucy, once relegated to the dusty corridors of academic debate, has now become the World's Oldest and Coldest Case File. And it is a doozy.

If Lucy tumbled from a tree, the question is: Why?

Did she have a nightmare that she'd left home without her pants (Oops! Sorry, that's one of ours).

Why would an experienced tree-climber, who purportedly spent many nights in trees to avoid large, hungry predators, suddenly find herself plummeting to the ground?

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In other words: Did Lucy fall? Or was she pushed?

Scientists love a good mystery. So do we.

How Lucy lived and died is one of the oldest in the books, and one of the most compelling for humankind.

"We can empathize with her in death, and what we think was her last desperate act, reaching out her hands to break her fall," University of Texas paleoanthropologist John Kappelman, lead Nature author, tells us. "I've lectured on this fossil for 30 years, but in her death she came to life for me."

Kappelman invites amateur gumshoe/anthropologists to review his team's evidence, available at elucy.org and "see if you think our analysis makes sense."

Researchers, keep digging. Why? In understanding how she died, Lucy comes to life. She becomes, in other words, just a little more human.

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Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Kim Jong-Un had a Vice premier for education Kim Yong-Jin executed for "disrespect" after he fell asleep in a meeting, reports the AFP, citing South Korean sources.

Kim was killed by a firing squad in July as "an anti-party, anti-revolutionary agitator," added an official at the ministry, who declined to be named. "Kim Yong-Jin was denounced for his bad sitting posture when he was sitting below the rostrum" during a session of North Korea's parliament, and then underwent an interrogation that revealed other "crimes", the official told reporters.

Sometimes what South Korean official claim about the North turns out to be wrong. In this case, different sources gave different names for the victim, suggesting they never agreed on one. "The vice premier's execution could be indirectly verified when Pyongyang's state media reveals the names of attendees at the government's anniversary ceremony on September 9," adds Hwang Sung-Hee.
Amber Kay of Aurora with a deaf cat. Fur Angels Animal Sanctuary works to help deaf animals. (Cathy Janek / Handout)

Growing up in Indiana, Aurora resident Amber Kay said she was bullied at school and often found comfort in the companionship of animals.

Born deaf, Kay said in addition to having dogs and cats of her own, she also has had a knack for finding strays.

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Kay's parents are deaf and she also has a deaf sister.

"I learned to care for animals from my family, especially my dad who passed away recently," she said. "He taught me that animals have feelings also."

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With a background in social work, Kay, who now teaches American Sign Language at Joliet Junior College, promised herself that one day she would give back to animals that gave her so much comfort when she was growing up.

Every animal deserves a chance, she said, and sometimes a second or third chance.

In 2004, Kay started Fur Angels Animal Sanctuary with the goal of rescuing deaf animals.

Adopting two deaf pitbull dogs of her own, Chomper and Poncho, Kay said certain myths about deaf dogs exist such as that the dogs are aggressive or untrainable.

However, she said deaf dogs can be trained, they just need to be trained differently.

Educating others on the difference in training deaf dogs was one of the early missions of Fur Angels.

Chomper was one of eight pitbull puppies born from a deaf mother, Kay said.

"Six of the eight puppies also were deaf including Chomper," she said.

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Certain breeds have a higher predisposition to deafness such as pitbulls, great Danes, Dalmatians and boxers, she added.

Kay met Poncho while transporting him to a rescue facility in Iowa. Once placed at the shelter, he was adopted to another family who returned him to the shelter. Kay then adopted Poncho herself.

"He is the biggest goofball," she said.

Today, Fur Angels has grown into a large network of more than 50 volunteers and foster families that have saved many different types of animals, she said.

Coral Crumb, an Aurora resident who fosters rabbits and rats and also serves as one of five Fur Angels' foster volunteer coordinators, said that Fur Angels has grown significantly in the last couple of years.

Beginning in 2007, Fur Angels became one of the few area nonprofit animal rescues dedicated to the rescue and placement of all different types of stray, neglected and abused animals including "caged pets" such as birds, fish, reptiles, turtles, guinea pigs, ferrets, hedgehogs, rabbits, and rodents, she said.

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Crumb said surprisingly rats are a great pet for first-time pet owners, because they can be potty-trained.

"They also are very interactive and can learn great tricks," she added.

Without a physical shelter, Fur Angels uses foster homes for its work. Currently, there is a need for additional foster families as well as financial donations, group officials said.

For information, go to http://furangelsas.com/

Cathy Janek is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News
Animals like polar bears live in comfortable and familiar environments that are designed to allow guests to have an up-close and personal experience at Brookfield Zoo. (Brookfield Zoo / Handout)

As the fall season starts to creep up on us, a great way to spend a cool day is a trip to the zoo.

Luckily, the Chicagoland area has three major zoos close by. Brookfield Zoo, Milwaukee Zoo and Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City all offer unique reasons to visit  from Brookfield's 50 PokeStops to Milwaukee's elephants to Washington Park's up-close attractions.

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Brookfield Zoo

When Brookfield Zoo opened an indoor dolphin exhibit in 1961, it ranked as the first inland dolphin exhibit in the nation.

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Jo-Elle Mogerman, senior vice president of conservation, education and community affairs, who has been with Brookfield Zoo since 1995, is proud of this and the many other firsts in the history of the 80-year-old property.

"Our animals are also our ambassadors for education for our guests as we support and promote programs for conservation and ecology," Mogerman said.

"And throughout the years, we've grown and changed the way we approach what we do, while always keeping our animals as the first priority."

Brookfield gained worldwide acclaim when it opened in July 1934 because of its favored design that used a system of moats and ditches rather than cages as barriers between the animals and guests.

Bill Zeigler, senior vice president of animal programs, said the open environment idea for housing animals was inspired from the zoos in Europe established in the 1920s and 1930s.

"Since we have 217 acres of space, we are fortunate to have the room to design animal areas to recreate natural environments for the animals in our collection," said Zeigler, noting Brookfield Zoo has 430 species represented among the collection of more than 3,500 animals.

Mogerman said the varied seasonal programming throughout the year provides opportunities for guests to visit the zoo during months that are not the prime traffic season, offering a valuable alternative experience for interacting with animals during a time that's not the traditional summer high tourist approach.

"Animals behave differently as the weather changes, and we like to invite our guests to visit us during other times of the year to experience the difference," she said.

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"Our Halloween events like Boo! At the Zoo and the Holiday Magic Lights winter events have become very popular, and they provide additional reasons for animal interaction after summer."

Morgerman said Brookfield Zoo continues its mission to instill ethics about animals and the environment with a special emphasis for young attendees at the zoo.

A favorite example is Brookfield Zoo's Hamill Family Wild Encounters, which opened in 2015, designed to give guests of all ages the opportunity to have up-close experiences with "very charismatic animals," such as sociable parakeets. Morgerman said by providing these opportunities, the Chicago Zoological Society hopes to inspire conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature.

As for the zoo's most popular mainstays of the menagerie, Zeigler said lions, tigers, bears and giraffes continue to rank as the top favorites.

The Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City was established in 1928 and houses nearly 100 animal species. (Philip Potempa / Post-Tribune)

Washington Park Zoo

Jamie Huss, the zoo director responsible for nearly 100 species at Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City, is proud of the population of more than 200 animals ranging from tigers and otters to rare birds and bears.

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"I started helping out at this zoo when I was 8 years old when my mom Jan Weinig was the zookeeper years ago," said Huss, who has had her position for almost three years.

"Our zoo has been around since 1928 and there are many memories families associate with the experience of spending time with us, starting with earliest visits connected with school field trips."

Most recently, renovations to the area that houses the tigers have been a primary focus as the zoo continues to . The stone lookout tower, first erected in the 1930s, continues to be a popular draw for visitors willing to scale the 220 steps to the top of the steel and limestone focal point, which was designed by famed architect Fred Ahlgrim in an Art Deco style.

"What we hear from so many people is they like that our zoo is smaller, up-close and personal, which provides something extra special for animal interaction," she said.

"Many guests count our bird aviary as one of the favorite features of our zoo. Guests enter the enclosed area with a seed stick and the birds immediately are drawn to the visitors to explore what they have to offer."

She also emphasized increased special events such as an annual Halloween celebration popular with kids and other family-themed options as reasons visitors return multiple times during the year.

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Giraffes are one of the most popular animal ambassadors for education and outreach programs at Milwaukee Zoo, which includes a giraffe feeding time option to attract guests. (Milwaukee Zoo / Handout)

Milwaukee Zoo

Charles Wikenhauser, zoo director for the past 27 years at the Milwaukee Zoo, agrees the approach taken by zoos today requires innovative programming as companion incentives to the obvious animal aspects of operations.

"I first began working for zoos in 1973, and over the years, the idea of what a zoo should be has transitioned," he said.

"I can recall decades ago when the first zoo announced the idea of bringing a carousel to have as part of the zoo landscape and how other zoos frowned on the idea, with fears of creating a carnival atmosphere and distracting from the animal emphasis. Today, having a carousel on a zoo property has pretty much become standard."

Wikenhauser said the Milwaukee Zoo is proud to be one of the few zoos in the Midwest to include elephants, which are costly, prompting many zoos to phase out pachyderms from the zoo population. Once a favorite attraction, including at Brookfield Zoo until 2010, there are no longer elephants at zoos in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and North and South Dakota.

"Elephants are very labor intensive and they eat a lot, which also makes them costly," he said.

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"But along with our big cats and great apes, elephants are still one of our most popular members of our zoo family. The Indianapolis Zoo and St. Louis Zoo are the next nearest zoos to still have elephants."

Because animals are living longer, Wikenhauser said "geriatric care" for animals is in growing demand.

Launched in 1892, the current zoo location in Milwaukee opened in 1961 and now features 375 species among more than 2,000 animals.

"We have 190 acres and we are always thinking of new ways to expand what we have to share with guests of all ages," Wikenhauser said. "Our newest additions are a zipline and a rope course, both popular with teens. It's another reason we can say we having something for everyone."

Philip Potempa is a freelance writer.

Brookfield Zoo

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Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

Where: 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, Ill.

Cost: Adults, $17.85; seniors 65 and older and children (3 to 11), $12.50; children under 3, free. Parking, $11.

Contact: 708-688-8000 or www.czs.org

Washington Park Zoo

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 1 to Oct. 31

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Where: 115 Lakeshore Drive, Michigan City, Ind.

Cost: Adults, $7; seniors and children ages 3-11, $6; children 2 and younger, free. Parking, $7.

Contact: 219-873-1510 or www.washingtonparkzoo.com

Milwaukee Zoo

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily to Sept. 5

Where: 10001 W. Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, Wis.

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Cost: $8.75-$14.25. Parking, $12.

Contact: 414-771-3040 or www.milwaukeezoo.org
The East Aurora High School band is celebrating its 100th birthday this year with its own commissioned piece of music and events for students and band alumni. (Sarah Freishtat/Chicago Tribune)

The East Aurora High School band is celebrating its 100th birthday this year with its own commissioned piece of music and events for students and band alumni.

It is also marking 100 with growth. The band is the biggest it has been in at least recent history, and is set to move into a new wing next year planned as part of an overhaul of the high school, bands director Brian Liska said.

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"I've always tried to move forward musically," Liska said. "Move forward performance wise, move forward with getting a better music education."

Shortly before the start of the school year, Liska, who said he is in his 12th year as band director, expected the band to have more than 300 members this year. Before the 2013-14 school year, band numbers were typically less than half of that, he said.

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Though he said the band is still smaller than he would expect for a school the size of East Aurora  a typical band program for East Aurora might be between 350 and 400 students, he estimated  he called the growth "weird."

East Aurora clarinet players in 1980. (Handout / The Beacon-News)

Susie Knoblauch, who oversees music programs for the Illinois High School Association, said she doesn't have band participation numbers but the IHSA band program has been relatively stable in recent years. IHSA has not seen a huge growth or decline in the number of band programs that participate in events, and the music divisions, which are based on band program size, have remained stable as well, she said.

Knoblauch did not have information about the age of band programs in the state, but said the first music award in IHSA's records dates back to 1940  some 24 years after East Aurora's band was formed, based on East Aurora records.

In recent years, the school has offered more opportunities for students to play music. Last year, the school formed a Latin jazz ensemble and the band program this year includes an indoor drum line and music theory class, said Joe Kulick, another band director.

Liska attributed the band's growth to the opportunities students have to perform, and to its continued improvement. He tries to let students play as often as he can, he said.

"They don't like to sit around," he said. "They like to perform."

A 1933 band championship plaque received by East Aurora. (Handout / The Beacon-News)

He also said he is getting more students from district middle school band programs. He makes an effort to reach out to middle school band members, he said.

Because of the growth, the high school does not have enough band uniforms, and members will perform in polo shirts until new uniforms are ready, Liska said. Still, he said, that could be for the best, because the band will be spending more time on buses traveling this year, and travel might be easier without bulky uniforms.

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East Aurora athletes and band members are traveling to home games at Aurora Christian this fall, after the high school's aging stadium was torn down over the summer.

A new stadium, set to be complete in summer 2017, is among several planned construction projects at the high school and elsewhere in the district, including a new band wing. Liska expects the new wing  with bigger spaces and more rooms, including practice and recording studios, offices and storage  to be complete in January 2018.

The school's band room is now in use every period of the day, he said.

The East Aurora marching band in 1961. (Handout / The Beacon-News)

Liska said celebrating 100 with a new stadium and new building would have been special, but band leaders are grateful for the support the band has gotten and have other plans to celebrate.

East Aurora has commissioned an original piece of celebratory music written by a North Carolina composer, Liska said. The band plans to perform it for the first time in the spring. The band directors also have a variety of events planned, and hope to include alumni in some of them.

They are seeking memorabilia from band alumni to create a "mini museum" before a concert this year.

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sfreishtat@tribpub.com

Twitter @srfreish
Bar 118, located at 11848 S. Western Ave., was ordered immediately closed and prohibited from selling alcohol for 30 days on Aug. 5, according to a license order from BACPs Local Liquor Control Commissioner Gregory Steadman. A hearing officer revoked the bar's liquor license and other city of Chicago licenses on Aug. 29. (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown)

A Morgan Park bar that was closed by the city earlier this month following a drug sting had its liquor license and all other City of Chicago licenses revoked Monday, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection said.

Bar 118, 11848 S. Western Ave., which had attracted nuisance complaints from residents since opening in April 2015, was shuttered Aug. 5 after Chicago Police Department narcotics officers made four arrests at the establishment following a monthslong undercover drug investigation that resulted in the arrests of a number of bar employees.

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The revocation Monday of its liquor, retail food and tavern licenses means that Bar 118 and its officers are permanently ineligible to obtain another liquor license in the City of Chicago, BACP spokeswoman Mika Stambaugh said.

"I am very happy that Business Affairs and Consumer Protection came to this decision," said Ald. Matt O'Shea, 19th. "Bar 118 will never operate in this community again."

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Bar 118, located at 11848 S. Western Ave., was ordered immediately closed and prohibited from selling alcohol for 30 days on Aug. 5, according to a license order from BACPs Local Liquor Control Commissioner Gregory Steadman. A hearing officer revoked the bar's liquor license and other city of Chicago licenses on Aug. 29. (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown)

O'Shea said to prevent further issues at that location, which before Bar 118 had been home to a tavern called Slackers that also generated community complaints, he plans to introduce an ordinance establishing a moratorium on liquor licenses on that block of Western Avenue.

"We have enough taverns in our community," he said Tuesday. "Based on the recent history at that location, the neighbors have made it clear to me they don't want to see a bar operating there."

Residents of South Artesian Avenue, just west of the bar, spoke of problems with noise, loitering and littering at the establishment, but said they had no inkling that, as Local Liquor Control Commissioner Gregory Steadman's license order alleges, the bar had been a haven for illicit drug sales.

The order states that on at least eight different occasions over the past four months, agents of Bar 118's licensee had sold marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine at the bar during operating hours.

The bar was used for drug deliveries, negotiations and transactions, and the sale of controlled substances facilitated and conducted by agents of the licensee had "become open, notorious and commonplace" there, the order alleges.

Marvin Williams, 24, of Chicago, was arrested Aug. 5 at Bar 118 in Morgan Park and charged two felony counts of manufacturing or delivering marijuana near a school and two felony counts of manufacturing ecstasy, according to the Chicago Police Department. An officer later identfieid him as a Bar 118 security guard. - Original Credit: HANDOUT (Chicago Police Department / HANDOUT)

On Aug. 5, police executed a search warrant at the bar and arrested four people  at least three of whom were later identified as bar employees.

Those arrested include security guards Naikia Johnson, 41, of Blue Island, and Marvin Williams, 24, of the 4100 block of South Ellis Avenue in Chicago; bartender Tyesha Bozetta Oliver, 36, of Calumet Park; and Alvin Phillips, 32, of the 4100 block of South Prairie Aveune in Chicago.

Johnson, a convicted felon who allegedly was in possession of a firearm when arrested, is charged with one felony count of being a felon in possession of a weapon for the second time; and 10 felony drug charges that include the manufacturing or delivering of marijuana near a school, the manufacturing of ecstasy, and the manufacturing or delivering of cocaine.

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Williams is charged with two felony counts of manufacturing and delivering cannabis near a school and two felony counts of manufacturing ecstasy; Oliver is charged with two felony counts of manufacturing and delivering marijuana near a school; and Phillips is charged with five felony counts of delivering or manufacturing marijuana near a school, police said.

Alvin Phillips, 32, of Chicago, was arrested Aug. 5 at Bar 118 in Morgan Park and charged with five felony counts of delivering or manufacturing marijuana near a school, according to the Chicago Police Department. - Original Credit: HANDOUT (Chicago Police Department / HANDOUT)

According to an undercover officer's testimony during an Aug. 23 liquor control commission hearing, security guards Johnson and Williams sold large quantities of marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy at the bar, often out of a back office. On at least one occasion, Oliver, the on-duty bartender, acted as the connection between buyer and seller, he testified.

Because representatives of Bar 118 failed to appear at the commission's disciplinary hearing to defend themselves, the matter proceeded as a default hearing, Stambaugh said. On Monday, hearing officer Robert Emmett Nolan issued his recommendation to revoke all of the business' licenses.

The bar's licensee did not respond to a request for comment.

O'Shea said that Bar 118 first came to his attention last summer, a couple months after opening, when his office was inundated with nearby residents' complaints about after-hours loitering outside of the bar and cars racing up and down adjacent streets.

After his initial attempts to work with the bar's management proved ineffective, O'Shea said he and representatives from several city agencies met with the bar's owners in December in an effort to rectify various nuisance complaints.

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"We put in a plan of operation agreement, basically saying because of the complaints, because of the allegations from neighbors, there were steps we wanted the bar management to take," O'Shea said.

As part of the arrangement, the bar's owners agreed to assign a representative to log and take action on all community complaints; attend local CAPS meetings; staff security guards to check IDs on Friday and Saturday nights; and install and maintain five security cameras on the premises, among other conditions.

"My hope in December after that meeting was that they were going to become a good operator, going to become a good neighbor again," O'Shea said. "But in spring, many of the same complaints started again."

O'Shea said he went to police after the complaints persisted and believes shortly thereafter officers initiated the undercover operation that culminated in the Aug. 5 raid and shutdown of the bar.

The four suspects charged in the raid are scheduled to appear in court again on Friday.

zkoeske@tribpub.com

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People love lists. From top films and rock albums to surveys about consumer satisfaction with phones and vehicles, people like to see things ranked.

Fascination with lists crept into education years ago. First it was colleges and universities. There's good consumer rationale for publications to rank institutions of higher education. A college degree is usually expensive, and surveys perform a service by providing information about value.

More recently, rankings have expanded to include secondary education. I struggled at first to understand the value of ranking public schools. College is a choice, but in most cases children aren't able to attend the public school of their choice. What's the point of ranking public schools, I wondered, when your kids can't choose what schools they attend?

Then I realized people could choose where they live, so I better understood the value ranking public schools. Plus, recognizing excellence presumably will encourage adoption of best practices  policies and procedures proven effective at producing successful outcomes.

When you look at Illinois public high school academic rankings, you'll notice south suburban schools are conspicuously absent from the lists of best schools. Schools in Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 are the only south suburban schools that consistently make the best-of lists.

Publications that recognize excellence in secondary education in Illinois generally cite charter schools in Chicago and public school districts in the northern and western suburbs as among the best.

U.S. News & World Report, for example, tops its 2016 list of Best High Schools in Illinois with Northside College Prep, Payton College Prep, Young Magnet and Jones College Prep  all in Chicago. The top-ranked suburban school is Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.

Hinsdale Central makes the top 10. Evanston, Lake Forest and Buffalo Grove make the top 20. The next 10 includes Riverside-Brookfield, St. Charles North and Elk Grove. Schools in Naperville and Wheaton crack the top 50.

Schools outside the Chicago area start to appear in the 50s and 60s: Tremont, Hinckley-Big Rock, Galena.

The top-ranked south suburban school, according to U.S. News, is Lincoln-Way East, which is No. 75 in Illinois. The publication stops numeric rankings at 100.

Newsweek recently released its annual list of the nation's 500 top public high schools. Of the 24 Illinois schools to make the list, the only south suburban schools mentioned were Lincoln-Way West (No. 349 overall, No. 18 in Illinois) and Lincoln-Way Central (No. 434 overall, No. 20 in Illinois).

Chicago magazine broke down its results by county, and Lincoln-Way's three schools all made the top five in Will County. East was No. 1, Central was No. 2 and West was No. 4. The results are notable, but lack any easy comparison to other schools throughout the state.

Niche is another media outlet that ranks public schools. Its list is similar to U.S. News. Lincoln-Way East is the top-ranked south suburban school on the Niche list, at No. 33.

In rare nods to other Southland districts, Homewood-Flossmoor is ranked No. 49, Carl Sandburg in Orland Park is ranked No. 63 and Victor J. Andrew in Tinley Park is No. 76. Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox is No. 81 and Amos Alonzo Stagg in Palos Hills is No. 87.

The methodologies used to determine rankings typically weigh test scores, survey results and other factors. Niche, for example, arrives at a grade that is heavily weighted on academic statistics.

"This grade takes into account key factors such as the strength of academics, quality of teachers, school resources, the quality of student life, as well as student and parent reviews, in an attempt to measure the overall excellence of the school," Niche says.

Financial resources are part of any discussion about academic quality. Chicago magazine included per-pupil-spending data in its rankings, noting Lincoln-Way  the best in Will County  spends $7,023 per student.

Many of the top high schools in Cook County, according to Chicago magazine, spend nearly twice as much per pupil. Second-ranked New Trier High School spends $13,829 per pupil, Chicago magazine said.

However, more money doesn't automatically equate to a better education. Reboot Illinois analyzed Illinois State Board of Education per-pupil spending data last year. There's little consistency between the lists of schools ranked best for academics and schools that spend the most money.

The average spending per pupil in Illinois is $12,521, Reboot Illinois found. Its results included spending at both elementary and high school districts. The highest spending  $30,628 per pupil  was as Rondout School District 72 in Lake County.

The top 25 included the usual suspects  affluent communities with exceptional tax bases and high median incomes. Places like Lake Forest, Bannockburn and Kenilworth, where educational resources are greatest because Illinois relies heavily on property taxes to fund public schools.

But No. 5 on the list of per pupil spending would shock most people: Ford Heights School District 169 spends $24,306 per student. No. 2 on the list serves parts of Bureau, Henry and Stark counties. Ohio Community High School District 505 spends $26,509 per pupil, yet doesn't make any list of the best high schools in Illinois.

The Reboot Illinois list of districts spending the least per pupil bottoms out at $6,037 in Germantown. No Chicago-area schools are among the 25 districts that spend the least per student.

Some schools with a reputation for academic excellence are not included in magazine rankings, possibly because they do not meet criteria for enrollment or other factors. Southland College Prep Charter High School in Richton Park, for example, has created buzz by announcing that every member of its graduating classes has been accepted into college.

The public school opened in 2010 to provide an option for students in Rich Township School District 227. Despite its reputation for quality, Southland College Prep is absent from any list of best schools.

There are three takeaways from these observations about the lack of south suburban representation in the rankings of top schools. First, more money alone will not improve schools. Second, schools that are not ranked aren't necessarily underperforming or doing a bad job in preparing children for the future.

Finally, parents and taxpayers are right to criticize Lincoln-Way's leadership as authorities continue to investigate the district's financial management. Despite those questions, teachers and building leaders continue to drive Lincoln-Way students to excel academically, and they deserve credit for their efforts.

tslowik@tribpub.com

Twitter @tedslowik
If an individual desires to use a restroom or locker room, other than the sex indicated on their birth certificate, then they should be made to prove that their physical being consists of both male and female chromosomes.

Burbank

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The liberals are confusing me again. Since when is a "sex-change" (no such thing) a reassignment surgery? When a Republican changes his mind, it's a "flip-flop." When a Democrat changes its mind, it called "evolved." When a Democrat, in particular Mr Barack Hussein Obama, pays a ransom to Iran, well it just isn't a ransom. People, please put a stop to this program of the Dems (Hillary and Barack Hussein) and to the co-conspiring liberal media. Vote Trump and you will get the change for which you have been looking. Or maybe you want to vote for the George Soros-backed, anti-United States, lying HRC.

Watched the "little leaguers" from Asia Pacific. It seems obvious that some of these teams are not composed of "neighborhood" kids. These teams are assembled, trained throughout the year and supported by their government. See the South Korean domination of the LPGA for proof. The "innocence" of your son, or the kid next door, in making the representative neighborhood tournament team with his/her pals is just so "old school."

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Evergreen Park

Just wondering how much was donated to the flood-ravaged folks in Louisiana and the earthquake victims in Italy. Just wondering.

Here's how things will go down in November: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will win handily. Republican nominee Donald Trump will put the entire blame on the Grand Old Party establishment for not supporting him. The GOP establishment will turn around and blame Donald Trump, calling him a bombastic troglodyte. The Republican National Committee should fire Chairman Reince Priebus, but it won't because the Republicans are too stupid. They will ignore the error of their ways and not charge their party platform one iota. Four years later, in 2020, they will fall victim to the same results because they're just too stubborn to change. After all, they are conservatives.

Marv, Bridgeview

I agree 100 percent with RC of Oak Lawn. Instead of giving billions of dollars we can't afford to foreigners, start doing something for people in this country. Our No. 1 priority should be our veterans. They've already sacrificed too much. Every one of them should have medical care, a decent place to live, food and clothes. I'm sick of the way they're treated and messed with. They need help and they should get it. Also, take care of our own people and our senior citizens, and quit worrying about everybody else who are just bleeding us dry. I hope the politicians get their heads out of the sand and get in the real world or get out of office.

Mary, Chicago

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Regarding Khizr Khan, the father of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan killed in Iraq: He did this for political reasons. He didn't mention anything about the burning of flags; Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton allegedly causing the death of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya; President Barack Obama's record of dividing this country; and the scandal of her husband, former President Bill Clinton. But Khan asked Republican nominee Donald Trump to read the U.S. Constitution. Democrats use stuff like this to divide the country. Trump had nothing to do with the soldier. I back soldiers killed in action, but I don't like them being used for political reasons. Burning the flag of American soldiers is the worst disgrace to this country.

More about how many Republicans could spend years being investigated the way former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been: There's times when she just doesn't have the wherewithal to answer a question because it's stuff that shouldn't be out in public. It's legitimate for her to be that way, especially with government secrets, but Republicans seem to have an industry that investigates everybody but themselves. Former President George W. Bush would have enough things that he pulled that they could've investigated him forever. Of course, we know what happened to former President Richard Nixon. I don't see how any of them could withstand the scrutiny that Clinton has been withstanding. Guess what? She hasn't been convicted of anything.

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It seems like Republicans have a lot of double standards and hypocrisy when Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said the things he has about President Barack Obama over the last eight years and gotten away with it. Yet, because the president says Trump's not fit to hold the office of presidency, they say, "You can't talk like that about the other guy. That's not fair," but you cite the birther movement, call the president stupid and claim he did nothing but wreck the country. Also, what Donald Trump says every day is all right, but if the president opens his mouth and says Mr. Trump isn't fit to be president, all of a sudden it's a big stink?

Look out. If the almost daily rains of summer are any indication of the winter precipitation to come, we're in deep trouble. Instead of checking your snow blower, salt supply and shovel to prepare, you may want to make friends with someone who owns a plow.

Tinley Park

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Scott and Sarah Sundquist of Genoa watch the circus show from the bleachers with their daughters Elsie, left, and Kloe. (Denise Moran / The Courier-News)

A small crowd gathered Monday morning at Bruce Ream Memorial Park in Hampshire to watch a tent raising for the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus show that would be held that night.

The circus from Hugo, Oklahoma, was sponsored by the Hampshire Lions Club.

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"It's nice to bring the circus to town," said Hampshire Lions member Jeff Brown, who served as the club's circus chairman.

Leo Acton, a graduate of Ringling Brothers Clown College in 1996, has been with Culpepper & Merriweather since 2014. He acted as the tour guide during the tent raising.

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"I am a clown in the circus," he said. "Everyone in the circus has more than one job."

Unlike the 1941 animated Walt Disney movie "Dumbo," the tent was not raised by elephants. It was put up by nine men and a Bobcat.

"The big top is five years old," said Acton. "We're looking to replace it next year. A big top alone costs $50,000. The center pole is 30 feet tall."

Acton said Culpepper & Merriweather has 30 members who hail from the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Francis, a 500-pound African lion, and Solomon and Delilah, two Golden Tabby Tigers, all came from a zoo in Texas that was shutting down. Acton said the big cats perform with the circus for 32 weeks every year and then spend the winter in an animal sanctuary in Oklahoma where they can mingle with other big cats.

"Golden Tabby Tigers are exceptionally rare and do not survive naturally in the wild because they don't blend in with the surroundings," Acton said. "Our circus has a 30-foot steel diameter cage. We let the big cats run around inside the cage before the show so they can make it their property."

Francis, Solomon and Delilah are not the only rescue animals at the circus. Acton said the six American Eskimo dogs that perform under the big top are all rescue dogs.

Miss Paulina conducts a liberty act where horses get their cues from verbal and visual commands instead of from riders. Acton said that having a big and little horse perform together shows the prowess of the trainer. The horse act featured Wyatt, a mix of Shire and Friesian that stands over 17 hands tall, and a much smaller horse known as Jasmine.

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One of the area residents who attended the tent raising in Hampshire was Ed Wesemann. He brought articles about the circus that he handed to Acton.

Wesemann, 90, once served as the secretary/treasurer of the local chapter of Circus Fans Association of America. He became a member in 1964.

"We supported the circus," Wesemann said. "We brought coffee and donuts for circus members."

Two shows were planned for Monday night. Due to the lightning storm that rolled in, the 5 p.m. show was canceled. Tickets for the first show were honored at the 7:30 p.m. show.

Carol Gerhardt of Hampshire came to the circus with her daughter-in-law, Jill, and four grandchildren: Grace, Ben, Audrey and Ella.

Hampshire resident Diane Kalla enjoyed watching the circus with her granddaughters, Reagan and Georgia, from Wisconsin.

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"We are really happy that people braved the weather and came out to watch the circus," said Hampshire Lions Club member Curt Kramer.

Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
A crowd gathered for a public hearing on Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor and looked at aerial photos of the multi-million project. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News)

Algonquin resident Lindsay Williams held up her smart phone with a map showing her house and the route Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor will take.

"My backyard is Longmeadow Parkway highway," Williams said.

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She was among dozens of people who attended an open house and public hearing Tuesday on the proposed $115 million roadway and bridge project.

The Kane County Department of Transportation recently completed an Environmental Assessment reevaluation required by the Federal Highway Administration. Portions of the transportation department's original Environmental Assessment were outdated so a reevaluation was required. The reevaluation is available at www.co.kane.il.us/dot.

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Tuesday's public hearing, held at the Holiday Inn Chicago on Airport Road in Elgin, featured aerial photos of the entire 5.6 miles of the project. Williams and her neighbor, Dave Bockman, examined the photos, looking for their homes.

Williams said the aerial photo did not show two schools, Westfield Community School on Sleepy Hollow Road in Algonquin and Liberty Elementary School on Miller Road in Carpentersville. Neighborhood children will have to cross Longmeadow Parkway to go to school, she said. It is a factor that has not been mentioned in any of the data the county has presented about the roadway, she said.

Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor is a 5.6 mile roadway from Huntley and Boyer Roads to Algonquin Road with a bridge spanning the Fox River. The bridge would be a toll, either 50 cents or 75 cents, to help finance the project and would be eliminated when the debt is paid, according to officials.

The corridor is funded by $14.5 million in federal dollars, $39.4 million in state funding and about $61.1 million in county funds, officials said. Kane County Department of Transportation has invested $31.1 million and hopes to fund $30 with a bond issue, officials said.

Longmeadow Parkway has organized groups who oppose the project, including Stop Longmeadow, which had a tent outside the Elgin hotel providing additional information.

"We are informing the public," said Laura Brehmer, with Stop Longmeadow. "The public should hear all the information not just what one agency says."

At an open house prior to the public hearing, Kane County Department of Transportation officials presented a video providing information that has been available for years and updating other information.

Benefits of the corridor are signalized intersection improvements at Huntley and Boyer roads, Randall Road, Sleepy Hollow Road, Route 31, Bolz Road, Route 25 and Route 62, according to documents displayed at the public hearing. It will also help traffic congestion all along the route, officials have said.

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Another benefit is the addition of 17.13 acres of wetlands created to mitigate wetland impacts and 11,530 high quality native trees will be planted to replace those being cut down. Officials said it is equal to two trees being planted for every one being cut down.

"Kane County says just because they post information on the web, it is fact. It is not. There is another side to the story," said Jack Bavaro, who works with Citizens Against Longmeadow Parkway & Toll.

"We feel they are completely ignoring us," he said.

A display featuring how traffic would be minimally impacted by Longmeadow Parkway surprised people who stopped by the tent, Brehmer said. Kane County Department of Transportation's updated Environmental Assessment section on traffic did not list the Route 31 bypass in Algonquin, known as the western bypass, nor did it mention the expansion of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, she said. Both projects help with traffic congestion and skews the transportation department's data, she said.

The open house was followed by the public hearing where residents, taxpayers and others gave statements to a court reporter to forward to the Federal Highway Administration as it considers giving the county permits for the next phase of the project.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Kevin Carli grew up in River Grove, went East Leyden High School and then went to Ripon College in Wisconsin. (Maryann Pisano / Pioneer Press)

Kevin Carli is a recent college graduate. He is working in downtown Chicago and hopes to one day start his own business.

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school?

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A: I grew up in River Grove. I went East Leyden, and then I went to Ripon College in Wisconsin. I studied sociology, and I minored in psychology and law society.

Q: What did you do with your degree after you graduated?

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A: After I graduated, I moved back home. I started working downtown as a recruiter at a staffing agency.

Q: What do you like the most about your job?

A: I like helping people find jobs. I recruit for different clients across the country. I like connecting with people and helping them find meaningful employment.

Q: What career area do you specialize in?

A: I'm on a team that specializes with our Fortune 500 health care clients. We staff across the country on a national basis. We mostly do customer service and data entry.

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you're not working?

A: I like to run. I am preparing to run a 5K. I just like relaxing.

Q: What are some fun things that you did this summer?

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A: I went on a trip to Hawaii. I went to the Big Island. I went with my girlfriend's family. Her brother ran the Ironman race in Hawaii. I went on a lot of bike rides this summer and went swimming.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: Eventually, I want to move to North Carolina. I would like to start my own business. I would like to sector out of the corporate world and possibly go into nonprofit. I hope to find my passion that way.

Maryann Pisano is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Three people were arrested Tuesday night and a loaded handgun and stolen vehicle were recovered following a botched armed robbery only a few blocks from the Evanston Police Department, officials said Wednesday.

Shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday, Evanston police received a 911 call of a possible robbery in progress near the ATM at the Bank of America in the 1300 block of Chicago Avenue, officials said in a statement Wednesday.

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Arriving officers saw two men standing near an idling vehicle in the bank's parking lot and saw a woman in the ATM vestibule along with a man who had a towel covering his face, officials said. They said that when the two men in the parking lot saw the patrol car, they fled on foot southbound on Sherman Avenue.

The woman and man left the ATM vestibule and at that time one of the officers saw the man with his hands in his waistband, officials said. They said that when the officer told the man to remove his hands from his waistband, he refused. Officers were able to take the man, 19 and from Evanston, into custody and at that time they found a loaded .410 caliber Taurus revolver if the suspect's waistband, officials said.

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They said the woman, an Evanston resident, told police she was approached by the three men, who displayed a handgun and demanded she withdraw $200 from the ATM, which is about three blocks from the Evanston Police Department in the 1400 block of Elmwood Avenue.

Officers arrested a 20-year-old Evanston man inside the Dempster Street CTA station and a 17-year-old boy from Chicago was arrested on the roof of a building in the 1300 block of Sherman Avenue following a search by the Evanston police canine dog, officials said. They said the vehicle that was idling in the bank parking lot was reported stolen out of Chicago. All three suspects were taken to the Evanston Police Department for further investigation; the woman was not injured in the incident, officials said.

Officials said charges against the three men are pending. Evanston police on Wednesday also said residents should be vigilant and aware of their surroundings, report any suspicious or unusual circumstances in their neighborhood and to comply if they are approached and asked for their belongings.

"Belongings can be replaced and is not worth risking physical harm to protect them," police said in the release.

Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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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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A worker cleans glass curtain wall outside an Apple store. [Photo/Xinhua]

The European Union (EU) said U.S. tech giant Apple must repay up to 13 billion euros (US$14.5 billion) to the Irish government after ruling that some tax treatment granted by Ireland to Apple was illegal under EU state aid rules.

"The European Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion euros to Apple. This is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses," the statement said.

Ireland must now recover the unpaid taxes in Ireland from Apple for the years 2003 to 2014 of up to 13 billion euros, plus interest, it added.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU Commissioner in charge of competition, said "selective treatment" in Ireland allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 percent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 percent in 2014.

However, both Ireland and Apple said that they plan to appeal the Commission's ruling.

Michael Noonan, the Irish Minister for Finance, said he would seek permission from the Irish Cabinet to appeal the Commission decision to the European Courts.

"I disagree profoundly with the Commission's decision. Our tax system is founded on the strict application of the law, as enacted by the Oireachtas (parliament), without exception," Noonan said.

"It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment. Apple has been in Ireland since the 1980s and employs thousands of people in Cork. The company has continued to expand its operations in Ireland in recent times," he added.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has published an open letter to customers in Europe, after the European Commission announced its decision.

"The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process," he said in the letter.

"The opinion issued on Aug. 30 alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law," he added.

Cook said Apple plan to appeal the Commission's ruling and he was confident that the Commission's order would be reversed.

The U.S. Treasury Department was widely reported to be "disappointed" with the European Commission's decision.

"We believe that retroactive tax assessments by the Commission are unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles and call into question the tax rules of individual Member States," a spokesperson for the department said.

The case could undermine "the important spirit of economic partnership between the United States and the EU," the spokesperson added.

In 1980, Apple established its first operations in Europe by opening a factory in Cork, Ireland with 60 employees.
Two people passing by the headquarters of the Bank of China in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua]

Bank of China Ltd announced a profit attributable to equity holders of 93.04 billion yuan (US$13.93 billion) for the first six months of 2016 on Thursday, increasing by 2.52 percent year-on-year.

As of the end of June, the bank's total assets amounted to 17.6 trillion yuan. Its nonperforming loan ratio was 1.47 percent in the first half of this year. The bank's domestic institutions stepped up efforts on NPLs resolution, resolving 63.78 billion yuan of distressed assets, up 46.78 percent year-on-year.

BOC continued to promote its overseas business development during the first six months. Its overseas institutions realized a profit before tax of US$8.57 billion, rising 84.16 percent year-on-year and representing 43.22 percent of its total profit before tax.
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Dancers perform to meet tourists in front of a gate of the old town of Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 27, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tourism in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region hit a record high in the first half of 2016, the regional tourism bureau said Tuesday.

In the first six months, more than 26 million domestic tourists visited Xinjiang, up 15.5 percent year on year, said Li Jidong, Communist Party secretary of the regional tourism bureau.

Tourist spending reached 34.5 billion yuan (about US$5.2 billion), up 16.8 percent from the same period last year. The region has attracted almost 730,000 foreign tourists, up 9 percent. Foreign tourists spent US$216 million there, up 17.4 percent, Li said.

The rise was mainly attributed to the National Winter Games in January.

Nineteen provinces and cities which support Xinjiang's social and economic development have organized tour groups to the region.

Xinjiang has also improved tourism infrastructure, Li said.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 7 [Photo/samsung.com]

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd announced the launch of its newest smartphone - Galaxy Note 7- in China.

Featuring a symmetrical dual-edge design, the Galaxy Note 7 provides a comfortable grip and easier single-handed operation, despite its large 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display.

It features an enhanced, water-resistant S Pen, which boasts a sharper pen tip and increased pressure sensitivity to replicate the ease and accuracy of a real pen.

Coupled with Samsung Knox, an industry-leading security platform, the smartphone provides heightened security and privacy, with highly advanced biometric authentication, including fingerprint scanner and iris scanning technology.

D.J. Koh, president of mobile communications business of Samsung Electronics, said: "We are always listening to the voice from Chinese customers and making efforts to innovate and step forward and to satisfy their demands."

By pairing the smartphone with the new Gear VR powered by Oculus, users can experience premium virtual reality almost anywhere.

Market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) said Samsung Electronics retained its leadership as it did in Q1, shipping 77 million smartphones and capturing 22.4 percent of the market in the second quarter, surpassing Apple Inc and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd combined.

It has been available for pre-sale since last Friday at Samsung's official website, JD.com, Tmall and offline stores, and will be offered in Blue Coral, Gold Platinum and Black Onyx.
Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday suggested that regulations limiting the fees paid to actors/actresses should be included in a draft film law currently being deliberated.

During panel discussions, some legislators agreed that the exorbitant wages paid to some high-profile actors/actresses in China could compromise the quality of film making, thus, harming the future of the domestic movie industry.

The draft was submitted Monday to a bi-monthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the national legislature, for its second reading. The session will end Saturday.

Limits on the salaries of actors/actresses would help producers and directors refocus on creating quality works, with more leeway in the budget to cover facilities and post-production, said NPC Standing Committee member Sun Baoshu during a group deliberation.

Lauding Sun's opinion, legislator Dong Zhongyuan said regulations on "appropriate remuneration" should encourage actors/actresses to be self-disciplined and build a better public image, Dong added.

The revised draft added a provision regarding the ethics of those working in the film industry, which said they should strive for "excellence in both professionalism and moral integrity."

The topic of fees paid to actors/actresses is widely known in China. Last week, a state media report claimed that some top Chinese stars received upwards of 100 million yuan (about 14.97 million U.S. dollars).

In a statement issued Friday by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the country's film watchdog, it said it would direct actors' associations and film production companies to formulate systems to manage the proper remuneration of performers.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, attended the deliberation Tuesday morning, during which draft amendments to four laws were also discussed.
President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for solid efforts to press ahead with the country's planned reforms in accordance with the established timetable and roadmap.

The country should focus more on economic system reforms and improve fundamental mechanisms that support these overhauls, according to a statement released after a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, chaired by Xi.

During the meeting, a string of policies were passed concerning green finance, intellectual property rights, resource allocation and poverty relief, among others.

Policymakers promised to "significantly reduce" the government's role in the direct allocation of resources and, instead, rely more on the power of the market, and also improve intellectual property rights protection.

More will be done to encourage private investors to explore opportunities in environmentally friendly sectors, according to the statement.

Authorities at all levels were ordered to fulfill their poverty relief responsibilities and improve land reforms for rural areas.

As part of efforts to improve the environment, a pilot environmental damage compensation system will be rolled out across Jilin, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Yunnan.

According to the statement, science and technology (S&T) institutes should adopt a salary system and pay rise mechanism that reflect the value of brainwork and provide the right motivation for scientists.

The income distribution policy should take into consideration the differences between natural and social sciences as well as differences between jobs in basic research, technological development and commercial application of technology, the statement said.

Regarding health reform, medical institutes were urged to learn from successful models while exploring reform measures that would suit their own situations.

It called on the health industry to improve the operation of state-run hospitals, medical insurance management, medicine supply, supervision and develop effective, pertinent personnel management and salary systems.

While acknowledging the progress already made in major fields, the statement said that inspections were needed to review the implementation and results of the reforms.

Over the course of the 27 meetings convened by the leading group since December 2013, hundreds of measures have been designed and released to address various issues, including urbanization, poverty alleviation, innovation and the market's role in resource allocation.

The latest emphasis on reform came nearly three years after the key Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2013, which featured a comprehensive reform package that covered 15 areas and 60 tasks.

China vowed that it would achieve "decisive results" in major reform areas by 2020.
An English-language version of a website operated by China's top court will make it easier for foreigners to learn how the country's courts make judgments.

It will also provide them with information about related judicial documents.

"We need to introduce the verdict website in English, as disputes involving foreign litigants are rising rapidly, and to assist in the preparation of related work," said Li Liang, director of the Trial Management Department at the Supreme People's Court, on Tuesday.

Although verdicts must be written in Chinese to comply with the law, "We'd like to provide foreigners with a better guide in English on the website if they need to search for verdicts and related judicial documents", Li said.

He said some courts in coastal regions, such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, have been looking to provide foreigners with legal services amid an increasing number of foreign-related cases in these regions.

"We hope to ease access to courts for litigants, no matter where they are from," he said, adding that the English-language version would be based on the Chinese website that covers verdicts.

Since July 2013, the Chinese version has attracted more than 2 billion visits, including 500 million from overseas, and has published more than 20 million verdicts, according to the top court.

Liu Xuewen, a member of the court's Judicial Committee, said the website helps users who register to search for and download verdicts.

"This is an effective way to improve judicial transparency," Liu said.

To better regulate disclosure, the top court also issued a revised rule on Monday to clarify how verdicts should be released and the types of judgments that should not be disclosed.

From Oct 1, when the new rule takes effect, all verdicts should be open to the public online within seven days, and the range of disclosures will be expanded.

"In the past, some courts did not release initial rulings on the website as there was no unified standard on disclosure," Li said. "But starting in October, judgments made at any stage will be released."

The rule makes it clear that verdicts relating to divorces, offenders under age 18 and State secrets are exempt from disclosure.

Litigants' personal information, such as home addresses, bank account details and numbers of car registration plates or identity cards, should be deleted from the verdict, the rule states.

Huang Jin, president of China University of Political Science and Law, praised the new move, but said some courts are too conservative in making administrative and criminal verdicts public.

Of the 20 million verdicts published since July 2013, 3.6 million related to criminal cases, while 680,000 involved administrative cases, Huang said.

The website should also supply a channel for people to report suspected flawed verdicts or improper disclosure promptly, he said.
Starting on Monday, people riding electric scooters on public roads will be fined 10 yuan (US$1.50) and told to stay off the road in Beijing. The ban applies to one- and two-wheeled self-balancing scooters as well. [File photo]

China's top two cities have banned electric scooters from roads amid safety concerns, despite the growing popularity of the new modes of transportation, for which there are no national safety standards.

Beijing's traffic authorities said that, starting on Monday, people riding electric scooters on public roads will be fined 10 yuan (US$1.50) and told to stay off the road. The ban applies to one- and two-wheeled self-balancing scooters as well.

The announcement was made after traffic police in Shanghai launched a campaign to get electric scooters off public roads, with police officers stopping riders because the scooters endangered traffic safety.

The Beijing Consumer Association said it tested more than 20 electric scooters of different brands recently and found that most had substandard brakes. The braking distance of some was as much as 9.9 meters, and only one could come to a full stop in less than 4 meters.

Sixteen of the tested scooters could go faster than the maximum 20 km/h set for electric bikes.

"They (electric scooters) don't fall in the category of either motor vehicles or non-motorized ones (according to Chinese law)," said Dong Dehai, a spokesman for Shanghai's Huangpu district police.

Authorities in Guangzhou, China's third-largest city, are also considering a ban on electric scooters, according to media reports.

Despite the safety hazard and lack of safety standards, the scooters are nonetheless gaining popularity. On taobao.com, China's leading e-commerce website, several thousand sellers of self-balancing scooters can be found. Many of them sold more than 4,000 each in the past month.

BaiHe, a 27-year-old hair-dresser in Beijing who bought a two-wheeled self-balancing scooter early this month for work transportation, said he will ignore the ban, considering the scooter's convenience.

"I live 10 kilometers away from my barbershop," he said. "The scooter can travel 25 kilometers on one charge. It's cheap, convenient and easy to control. It can also avoid traffic jams."

He also said it's easy to stop the scooter. "What you have to do is to lean your body backward a little bit and it can be stopped easily, since its speed is low."

Ding Zhilei, assistant president of Ninebot Inc, a Beijing-based maker of personal electric vehicles, said his company is cooperating with the government to draft safety standards for electric self-balancing scooters and to promote legislation.

The company is now making self-balancing scooters according to national speed standards for electric bikes, he said.

China is not the only country where electric scooters are restricted. According to media reports, such scooters are not allowed on main roads in Japan, and drivers must have a special license. Their use has also been restricted in the United States and United Kingdom.
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At least seven people were killed and several others injured in a bomb explosion that hit a popular hotel in Mogadishu on Tuesday, police have confirmed.

People gather at the explosion site in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, on Aug. 30, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Two journalists from a local television station alongside lawmakers were among those injured in the deadly explosion at SYL Hotel near the presidential palace in the Somali capital.

Mahad Farah, a police officer at the scene, told Xinhua that the explosion happened a few meters from the SYL Hotel entrance when security guards fired at the car which they suspected was about to launch an attack.

"We have established the death of seven people and several others injured. The security guards fired at the car then it immediately exploded," said Farah.

The hotel, which came under similar attack in February this year, is frequently by senior government officials and diplomats.

The explosion ripped apart a section of the hotel. A security meeting was under way at the hotel.

Eye witnesses said the explosion was very powerful and shook buildings around.

"The whole place shook and then there was heavy gunfire. I could see many people lying on the ground injured and some dead," said Ahmed Yasin, a driver.

Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terror group, which repeatedly staged similar attacks on government buildings and officials, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Photo taken on Aug. 30, 2016 shows a scene of a Senate session in Brasilia, Brazil. Starting on Tuesday, Brazilian senators will decide whether Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff will be impeached or not. The impeachment requires a two-thirds vote, or 54 of the 81 senators. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

The impeachment trial of Brazilian suspended president Dilma Rousseff entered the final stretch on Tuesday morning, with the defense and prosecution set to present their closing arguments.

The head of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Ricardo Lewandowski, opened the session at 10:26 a.m. local time, saying each side would have at least 90 minutes to make their case.

Senators then have 10 minutes each to address the session, should they want to. Some 60 of the 81 senators were registered to do so as the day's proceedings got underway.

The legislators will vote on whether or not to impeach Rousseff on Wednesday, said Lewandowski, to avoid extending Tuesday's session through the night.

On Monday, Rousseff spoke in her defense and was then cross-examined for some 14 hours by Senators who believe she is "criminally responsible" for masking a large public deficit to improve her chances of being reelected to a second term.

Senators opposed to impeachment used their allotted time to praise Rousseff's performance as president and denounce the impeachment process as an attempt to seize power.

Rousseff denies the charges and has described the trial as a legislative coup by the conservative political opposition to oust her leftist Workers' Party from power.

Her running mate and vice president, Michel Temer, joined the cause of the opposition senators during their campaign to get an impeachment trial underway, and was made interim president.

If Rousseff is impeached, he would be instated to serve the remainder of her term through 2018.
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Forty-three years after joining his father on a visit to the Forbidden City, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was welcomed by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday at the UNESCO World Heritage site as he started an eight-day visit to China.

Premier Li Keqiang meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Forbidden City in Beijing, Aug 30, 2016. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The wooden chairs and tea tables in traditional Chinese style might have reminded Trudeau of his subsequent private visits to the Forbidden City. On Tuesday, he wore a red tie, a color often interpreted as a token of luck in China, to dine with Li in a rare arrangement at Jianfu Palace inside the Forbidden City.

Trudeau will also visit Shanghai and Hong Kong and attend next week's G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

This is Trudeau's first visit to China since taking office in November. In 1973, his father, Pierre Trudeau, was the first Canadian prime minister to visit Beijing, three years after diplomatic ties were established.

Since the establishment of ties, the two countries have greatly deepened political, economic, trade and people-to-people links, Li said.

China is now Canada's second-largest trade partner, second-biggest source of imports and second-largest export market, and both countries have bright prospects for bilateral relations and cooperation, the premier said.

Both countries advocate diverse cultures, Li added, and China is willing to work with the Canadian government to take bilateral relations to a new stage of development and achieve mutual benefits.

Trudeau said his administration will continue its traditional friendship with China and deepen bilateral relations and all-around pragmatic cooperation to enhance their positive, stable and strong relationship.

In the first 11 months last year, bilateral trade between China and Canada reached $50.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.6 percent, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Trudeau's private visits to Beijing, including as a toddler with his father 43 years ago, might have influenced his friendly policies toward China, said Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies. "His visit is expected to restart relations with China, as the new government wants to expand economic ties and trade with us."

Canadian Ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques said, "Our prime minister wants to be very supportive of China and wants to make a success of the summit."

Saint-Jacques said Canada's new government is putting a lot of effort into expanding its relations with China in all fields, including trade and the economy, since Trudeau wants to have "a robust and comprehensive relation with China".

He also said the Canadian government is considering ways to increase trade. Regarding a free trade agreement between the two countries, the ambassador said there is a lot of work being done to speed up negotiations.
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The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that comments from the U.S. about the target of the Turkish military operation in Syria were "unacceptable."

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Tuesday urged Turkey to stay focused on fighting the Islamic State (IS) militants and not to engage the Kurdish elements of Syrian rebel forces, which Washington backs.

He warned at a press conference that their conflict with the Kurdish forces would hinder efforts to defeat the IS.

Tension between Ankara and Washington over Kurdish forces in Syria is continuing to simmer amid the differences on Turkey's recent military operation in northern Syria.

The Foreign Ministry responded that the operation would continue until the terrorism threats in the region reached a level that would "not disturb our citizens."

"Turkey is waiting for the U.S. to fulfill its commitment that there would be no Democratic Union Party (PYD) or People's Protection Units (YPG) elements in the west of Euphrates," the statement said.

The Pentagon described the clashes, which it said were in areas where the IS is not located, as "unacceptable and a source of deep concern" and called on all sides to stand down.

The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, had reportedly been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria, and Ankara claims it is linked to the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).

The Turkish Foreign Ministry had also summoned U.S. ambassador to Ankara John Bass on Monday, Daily Sabah reported.

Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on Wednesday, aiming at eliminating the terror threat along the Turkish border.

Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the YPG's activity along the Turkish border and insists that the YPG forces should not pass to the west of the Euphrates River.

"Turkey is determined to take steps to insure its citizens' security at home and in neighboring countries," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech on the eve of Tuesday's national Victory Day holiday.

Meanwhile, a senior Turkish military official on Tuesday denied that Turkey and the U.S. reached a "loose" ceasefire agreement between the Turkish forces and YPG.

Media reports said the Turkish and Kurdish forces in northern Syria had reached a "loose agreement" to stop fighting each other.

"We are not aware of such an agreement. If the U.S. announced such a thing that means they are trying to present terrorist organizations as formal parties," the Turkish official said.

A top Turkish official told Daily Sabah that the Turkish military will hit YPG forces if the terrorist group does not retreat to the east of the Euphrates.

Turkish European Affairs Minister Omer Celik said Monday at a news conference that "no one has the right to tell us which terrorist organization we can fight against."
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A Kurdish-led rebel group said it had reached a ceasefire agreement with Turkish military forces on Tuesday, in a bid to bring a temporary truce to a contested area in northern Syria.

In a statement, the Jarablus Military Council (JMC), which is backed by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the ceasefire agreement was reached with the Turkish army under the mediation of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition.

The JMC said the ceasefire started at midnight Monday in the countryside of the northern city of Jarablus, which was overran last week by Turkish forces and Syrian rebel group, called Free Syrian Army (FSA).

"After intensified negotiations, and under the auspices of the international coalition under the leadership of the United States, and to curb the bloodshed of the innocents, we declare that we reached a temporary ceasefire... with the forces of the Turkish occupation," the statement said.

It added that the mediators are trying to make the ceasefire permanent.

"Our acceptance of the ceasefire doesn't mean our acceptance to the Turkish occupation of Jarablus in any way possible," the statement read.

The JMC stressed that the deal was concluded with the Turkish forces, not the FSA, which is backed by Turkey.

One of the SDF officers confirmed to Xinhua, via a phone call, the news of the ceasefire deal.

The truce came against the backdrop of a recent showdown between both rebel groups in that region, especially after Turkey pushed in with special forces, tanks, and FSA fighters from its side of the borders and captured Jarablus from the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group last week.

The Turkish move came to cut the road before the Kurdish-led SDF, who has made sweeping victories against the IS near the Turkish borders, which raised the ire of Ankara and nurtured its fears of a growing Kurdish influence at its backdoor.

Following capturing Jarablus, the FSA reached areas in the southern countryside of that city, where they had several confrontations with the SDF fighters, coupled by Turkish shelling of the Kurdish-backed group.

It's worth mentioning that both the SDF and the FSA are supported by the air cover of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition, which put Washington in a tight spot.

Tuesday's truce came apparently as part of Washington's effort to defuse the tension between both parties.

Turkey has long feared a strong Kurdish presence near its borders, which was one of the main reason it crossed the borders with its tanks and Syrian rebels it was training.

The U.S. has warned the Kurds to withdraw to the eastern bank of Euphrates, as apparently the western side, close to Turkey, was a red line agreed upon between Ankara and Washington to alley the Turkish fears of further Kurdish expansion.

For its part, the Syrian government condemned the Turkish military intervention as flagrant violation to the Syrian sovereignty, while the Kurds said the aim of Ankara was not to fight the IS but to curb the momentum of the Kurdish groups.

The Kurds further made several statements, in which they threatened Turkey of further escalation.
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Kyrgyz authorities have launched a criminal investigation into an attack targeting the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek.

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has ordered the country's national security agency and the Kyrgyz interior department to conduct the probe.

It comes after a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, injuring six people, including three Chinese staffers at the embassy, as well as three Kyrgyz employees.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying says they're calling for additional help from the Kyrgyz side to ensure the safety of the Chinese embassy.

"China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns this extremist violent act. China's Foreign Ministry immediately activated its emergency response plan, and has requested that the Kyrgyz side immediately implement whatever measures it can to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and citizens in Kyrgyzstan and quickly investigate into the truth behind this incident and severely punish those responsible."

The Kyrgyz government has increased security around all embassy locations in Bishkek, as well as in other areas of the city which could be considered targets.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
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UN relief chief Stephen O'Brien on Tuesday reiterated his call on all the warring parties in Syria for "the immediate lifting of sieges of civilians" in the war-torn country.

In a statement issued Tuesday night, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs also urged all the parties to take all necessary measures to protect civilians as required under international humanitarian and human rights law.

"I once again call on all parties for the immediate lifting of sieges of civilians in Syria, including Madaya, Deir-Ez-Zor city, Douma, Foah and Kefraya and other besieged locations, for an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilian-populated areas and civilian infrastructure," he said.

"The people of Syria have suffered long enough, the civilian population, the most vulnerable, children, women, disabled and the elderly are the ones caught in the middle of fighting," he said in the statement.

The senior UN official's appeal came after the Aug. 26-27 evacuation of the entire population of the besieged town of Darayya under an agreement between representatives of Darayya and the Syrian government.

O'Brien, who is also the UN emergency relief coordinator, said in the statement that "the UN was not a party to this agreement, and was not informed of the evacuation until a few hours before it took place."

He expressed worries about any forced displacement as a result of the evacuation, noting "all sieges, a medieval tactic, must be lifted" without "any type of agreement which results in the forced displacement of the civilian population."

All those displaced should be allowed to return voluntarily, in safety and in dignity, to their homes as soon as the situation allows it, he said.

Darayya has been out of the government control since 2012, but was later put under a tight siege by the Syrian government forces.

Under the deal, more than 4,000 civilians will be evacuated to displacement shelters in government-controlled areas, while 700 rebels will hand over their heavy and medium weapons, which will be transferred to the northwestern province of 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.

The civilians who want to stay will be provided with medical aid, it added.
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The 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference of Myanmar, which aims to unite with all ethnic nationalities and build a democratic federal union through dialogue, kicked off in Nay Pyi Taw Wednesday.

The four-day historical Panglong Conference gathered representatives of the government, the parliament, the military, invited political parties, ethnic armed and non-armed organizations and civil society totaling about 1,600.

Among the attendees of government leadership at the opening ceremony were President U Htin Kyaw and two vice presidents.

The 17 ethnic armed organizations present at the event include eight signatories and seven non-signatories to the Nationwide ceasefire Accord (NCA), represented by the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) as well as Mongla and Wa groups.

The opening of the conference was also attended by UN agencies and resident foreign diplomats in the country.

Speaking at the opening session, Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi underlined that the peace conference marked the embarkation of a path to peace in the country, and that the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA) is the first step not only towards peace but toward the establishment of the long hope for democratic federal union.

The new government is making efforts to bring in those non-signatories to the NCA to join the signing, she said.

She pointed out that national reconciliation must include reconciliation between the ethnic armed organizations, warning that ideological differences between NCA signatories and non-NCA signatories could delay the path to peace.

Taking the lessons of failure in pursuit of domestic peace in the past successive eras, she called for efforts to make it a success in the present era with the active involvement and support of all peoples.

Paying tribute to the previous U Thein Sein's government for establishing the Myanmar Peace Center and working for ceasefire, she pledged to continue the previous government's work towards peace.

Voicing support for domestic peace efforts, Speaker of the House of Representatives (Lower House) U Win Myint said the parliament constantly worked for the people to gain social security and emotional security as loss of lives of nationalities in protracted conflicts in the country caused loss of human resources.

Speaker of the House of Nationalities (Upper House) U Mann Win Khaing Than said peace, which the nationalities are aspiring, lies at a distance of the stretch of hand, urging peace seekers to grasp the peace.

Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing called for an end to the ill impact of non-peace -- loss of lives and properties being directly suffered by the ethnic armed groups. The armed forces is taking a firm step to achieve peace, working hand-in-hand with different organizations in the implementation of domestic peace, national reconciliation and development .

He stressed discussions in the conference under the principles of the NCA.

Chairman of the Kayin National Union (KNU) U Saw Mutu Sae Phoe, representing the armed groups, said he was moved on seeing that the conference is the start of political dialogue which national brethrens have been longing for.

He said the over six decades' armed struggle with the political objective of establishing a democratic federal union is being praised . He stressed that peace depends on reconciliation, saying that " If there is no reconciliation, there will be no peace ".

He also emphasized the bottom up approach to include those stakeholders deserved to be included in the peace process, referring to those parties which did not win in the election.

Vice chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) N' Ban La, who is also chairman of the UNFC, stressed the importance of nurturing "Panglong " spirit for the emergence of a federal union, while coordinating to find out a solution for the future of the country based on equality.

He insisted that the conference is a first and good start for designing the country's future.

The Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), the joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) and the Preparatory Committee for the Panglong Peace Conference will submit their reports on the framework for political dialogue to the conference.

Group-wise meetings will take place over the following days of the conference, according to the agenda.
News / International

by Staff Reporter

Former ZBC presenter Ezra 'Tshisa' Sibanda has unearthed some hidden government programme offering government Ministers' children scholarships to study abroad.Sibanda posted a video on Facebook from Malaysia where he claims to have met "a lot of Zimbabwean students".According to Sibanda most of the students he met who are on scholarship are related to some government official in Zimbabwe.Sibanda who is now based in the United Kingdom is the founder of a Charity organisation, The Ezra Tshisa Initiative, which highlights and supports students in desperate situations back home.Watch video below:
BEIJING - In the lead up to the G20 summit in Hangzhou, which will run from Sept 4 to 5, there are few phrases being bandied around as much as "inclusive growth."

Those keen to explore the concept's potential to elevate slow, uneven growth and benefit every section of society, however, need look no further than China.

"Through our projects with Myanmar - ranging from roads to canals, from medical services to education - we hope to share the benefits of China's growth," said Cui Yi, who manages a large joint venture project in Myanmar with Guangdong Zhenrong Energy Co Ltd.

The Chinese firm is constructing a 5-million-ton annual capacity oil refinery, an oil wharf and roads in Myanmar's southernmost region of Tanintharyi.

At the same time, the company is also involved in social, community and outreach programs, and is especially proud of its relationships with the citizens of Tanintharyi.

This cooperation with Myanmar is just one example of China's commitment to inclusive growth strategies with its economic partners.

The theme of the Hangzhou summit - "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy" - features inclusive growth along side a suite of other concepts that could alleviate the burdens of the current economic climate.

"Inclusive and interconnected development is expected to be a highlight of the summit," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Friday, adding that this term refers to both the path and pattern of growth, spanning market access, regulatory environments and resources, among others.

During the summit, China is expected to present a cooperation proposal for Africa and lesser developed countries that will support industrialization, poverty reduction and sustainable development; the essential elements needed for successful growth.

To that end, the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Belt and Road Initiative will provide cooperation platforms for G20 members to pursue inclusive development, said Zhang Yongjun, an economist with the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

Launched in late 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative is an umbrella term for the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It will be a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa, along the ancient trade routes.

Another case in point, Huajian Group, one of China's leading shoe manufacturers, broke ground on a 126-hectare industrial park in Ethiopia in April 2015, which will cost 3.2 billion yuan (about $480 million) to build. The industrial park could generate 30,000 local jobs when it is finished by 2020.

The shoe firm's Ethiopian subsidiary began production in 2012 and now employs more than 4,000 locals, generating more than $3 million in foreign exchange through exports for the northeast African country's coffers.

Moreover, Huajian recruited 200 Ethiopian university graduates this year and enrolled them on vocational training courses in China.

So far, 34 countries and international organizations have signed inter-governmental cooperation agreements with China on Belt and Road projects, while more than 70 countries and organizations have expressed their support or willingness to join -- sowing the seeds for an international cooperation framework with extensive influence.

For growth to be inclusive, productivity must improve, thus, China has been pushing to create opportunities for investment and employment through the implementation of the initiative. In late 2014, for example, the country established the Silk Road Fund, with first-phase capital of $10 billion.

The Silk Road Fund and the AIIB, which was founded on Dec 25, 2015, are crucial tools that will help level the playing field in Asia so that investment is channeled toward connectivity and infrastructure development.

"The AIIB with its capital of $100 billion, China's Belt and Road Initiative, and the ADB provide much needed capital that will fund energy, power, transport and telecommunications infrastructure in Asia," Cambodian Transport Minister Sun Chanthol said Monday during an ASEAN meeting in Cambodia.

From January to July, China's non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) soared to 673.24 billion yuan, a 61.8 percent year-on-year increase, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

By the end of July, China's accumulated investment under the Belt and Road Initiative hit $51.1 billion, or 12 percent of the country's total ODI.

"Despite all the hand-wringing over the vaunted China slowdown, the Chinese economy remains the single largest contributor to world GDP growth," said Stephen S. Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute of Global Affairs and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, in an op-ed published Monday.

If China posts GDP growth of 6.7 percent in 2016 - in line with the government's official target and only slightly above the International Monetary Fund's latest prediction of 6.6 percent - China would account for 1.2 percentage points of world GDP growth.

That share dwarfs the contribution of other major economies, such as the projected 0.3 percentage points contribution made by the United States, said Roach.

"For a global economy limping along at stall speed - and most likely unable to withstand a significant shock without toppling into renewed recession - that contribution is all the more important," he said.
A stand of China Satte Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) at an expo in Beijing, Oct 11, 2011. [Photo/VCG]

BEIJING - Shipbuilder CSSC Holdings Ltd on Tuesday announced that its profits fell by 90 percent in the first half of 2016.

The Shanghai firm attributed the slump to falling prices in an industry beset by a wide range of problems, in a statement filed to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

CSSC net profits were 17.1 million yuan ($2.6 million) in the first six months, from 11.8 billion yuan in revenue which went down 17.2 percent year on year.

China's shipbuilding industry is on the decline, hit by a supply and demand imbalance and rising operational costs.

The company's forecast for the second half of this year offered little hope of improvement.
Hong Kong insurers are hiring more and more mainland people to serve the increasing number of policy buyers from the mainland.

"The mainland market offers huge potential, with many customers in Guangdong, Shanghai or Beijing reaching out to us for information about Hong Kong insurance policies," said Khadija Kan Sze-wan, 40, an insurance broker based in Hong Kong.

Kan entered the industry in 2006. After two years in sales, she started to assemble her own team. In 2012, she recruited her first team member from the mainland, who helped expand the sales channels to inland cities.

Currently, she leads a team of 20, half of them from different provinces in the mainland, including Shanghai, Sichuan, Hebei and Hunan.

Sales income from Hong Kong stabilized in the past year, while that from the mainland customers surged 30 percent.

"I met my first mainland customer four years ago after I recruited my first colleague from Hangzhou. I was very nervous when I met the client because I couldn't speak fluent Mandarin at that time. But luckily, I didn't have to say much. My colleague helped explain the details to the client," Kan said.

As contacts in mainland increased, Kan learnt to speak better Mandarin.

"But due to the cultural differences, I still find that sometimes it is hard to understand what my clients are saying, especially when they use some trendy internet-related words, so I'd rather ask my mainland colleagues to deal with them," she said.

Mainland students in Hong Kong are among the most popular employees in the insurance sector. They are usually well-educated and hold a valid work permit, with connections all over the mainland. In Kan's team, almost all the mainland team members graduated from Hong Kong universities.

It's illegal for overseas firms to promote foreign insurance products on the mainland at investment seminars and such events, but some Hong Kong insurance intermediaries still secretly promote them via instant-messaging apps, industry insiders said.

As long as mainland clients come to Hong Kong to buy insurance and sign the relevant contracts, their policies remain valid and protected by the law of Hong Kong, they said.
A boy rides a hoverboard on the day after Christmas, in San Pedro, California, December 26, 2015. [Photo/VCG]

US banned products from Chinese markets

China's major manufacturers of self-balancing scooters, also called hoverboards, formed a sector branch on Tuesday under the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, aiming to build group and international standards to reenter the US market.

The self-balancing vehicles are a type of portable, rechargeable battery-powered transportation machine for individual riders. They have two side-by-side wheels with two small platforms between the wheels on which the rider can stand. The vehicle is controlled using the rider's feet.

The US International Trade Commission has launched three investigations of Chinese self-balancing vehicles since 2014. Called section 337 investigations, these usually focus on intellectual property rights. There have been copycat and low-quality products, a number of fires and physical injuries and opposition by domestic manufacturers.

Liu Danyang, deputy director of the trade remedy and investigation bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, said the establishment of this sector branch is a practical way to set up a unified quality criterion to help Chinese manufacturers to produce high-grade self-balancing scooters for export.

The ITC reached its final verdict and issued exclusion orders on Chinese products in March this year, indicating that all Chinese self-balancing vehicles cannot enter the US market.

The US Consumer Product Safety Committee also set up new rules earlier this year to raise the technical threshold for self-balancing vehicles sold in the country.

"Since over 60 percent of Chinese companies' market share is in the US, group and international standards can further tackle various illegal activities that harm the interest of Chinese manufacturers," said Zhang Yujing, CCCME president.

The section 337 investigation and its outcome caused a total of 10 million units, worth $4 billion, of Chinese-made self-balancing scooters, to stay on Chinese and overseas shelves in the first half of this year. A total of 300,000 people in more than 1,000 Chinese companies may lose their jobs, according to figures estimated by the CCCME.

China exported more than 11 million self-balancing scooters in 2015. The value of a self-balancing vehicle can be set between $230 and $3,000, depending on their functions, materials, electronic systems and batteries.

Li Lu, head of the legal affairs department at Hangzhou Chic Intelligent Technology Co, a major domestic self-balancing vehicle maker, said the outcome of three section 337 investigations will continue to hurt the interest of Chinese companies since the ITC is still investigating the case and hasn't released punishment measures yet.

"Because of this situation, the majority of Chinese manufacturers stopped production. We are confronting the possibility of losing the massive US market if we don't take adequate measures to appeal to their commerce department authorities," said Li.
Editor's Note: In this ongoing series on the birth and growth of privately owned Chinese companies that are redefining innovation, China Daily profiles Zhejiang Tianma Bearing Group Co Ltd, one of China's major private manufacturers of bearings, which plans to add to its research and development of high-end materials for the aerospace and auto industries.

Zhejiang Tianma Bearing Group Co Ltd, the major private manufacturer of bearings, equipment and materials in China, is investing more than 400 million yuan ($60 million) on the research and development of high-end materials for the aerospace and auto industries, to deal with the market downturn.

"We will only produce high-end bearings and materials in the future," said Ma Xingfa, chairman of Zhejiang Tianma.

On Aug 15, Tianma received 3.77 million euros ($4.22 million) worth of equipment it bought earlier from Germany for producing top-level materials. Its total spending will be about 30 million yuan, including installation cost. The company said that the equipment is the most advanced in China.

Like many other manufacturers in China, Tianma has been having a hard time since the financial crisis in 2011.

However, Ma said his company has managed to keep a balance of profit and loss while others are still suffering unprecedented difficulties.

According to him, the savior was wind powered bearing sector that Tianma researched and developed in 2007 and 2008. He said the wind powered bearing sector is the only profitable sector in his company after 2011, supporting the whole business.

About 40 percent of its wind power products are exported to the United States and Europe, said Ma, and its customers include industry leaders such as General Electric Company.

It helped him to realize how important it is to be innovative and live dangerously. He also sees a bright long-term future for his company with high-end products.

"There is still demand, but mainly for high-end products," said Ma, adding that the market is stable and the majority of his customers are regular ones.

He said that although the market downturn will not get better in the coming couple of years, his company will overcome it once the high-end materials it is developing are deployed.

Wu Xiaobo, a celebrity finance and economics commentator, has forecast the next five years will be the "golden years" for China's manufacturing industry, together with the country's industry upgrading project "Made in China 2025".

Wu said that small and medium-sized businesses should and will be more innovative and their management modes will be upgraded as well.
BEIJING - Home buyers will be required to submit fewer documents when withdrawing housing provident funds to buy apartments in Beijing, according to a circular.

The guideline in the circular, issued by the housing fund administrative center, will be effective starting Sept 1.

The new Charity Law will also take effect on Sept 1, which will require charity organizations to be recognized by authorities before they solicit public donations, and online charities should work with websites approved by civil affairs authorities.

A new regulation on online advertisement will require all online ads to be marked "advertisement" starting Sept 1 so netizens can more easily identify them.

The WeChat account of the State Bureau for Letters and Calls, China's official channel for people to file complaints, will be launched starting Sept 1 in order to offer more convenient communication for petitioners.

The account will serve as a platform for petitioners to lodge appeals, offer opinions and feedback, track the progress of petitions and rate petition services.

Official statements, policy explanations and new regulations regarding petitions will also be publicized on the account.
A photo taken on August 15, 2016 shows a beautiful view of Altun Mountains Nature Reserve in Ruoqiang county, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]

URUMQI - Tourism in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region hit a record high in the first half of 2016, the regional tourism bureau said Tuesday.

In the first six months, more than 26 million domestic tourists visited Xinjiang, up 15.5 percent year on year, said Li Jidong, Communist Party secretary of the regional tourism bureau.

Tourist spending reached 34.5 billion yuan (about $5.2 billion), up 16.8 percent from the same period last year. The region has attracted almost 730,000 foreign tourists, up 9 percent. Foreign tourists spent $216 million there, up 17.4 percent, Li said.

The rise was mainly attributed to the National Winter Games in January.

Nineteen provinces and cities which support Xinjiang's social and economic development have organized tour groups to the region.

Xinjiang has also improved tourism infrastructure, Li said.
Photo taken on January 13, 2014 shows the frozen falls in Jiuzhaigou Valley, a nature reserve and national park located in the north of Sichuan, China.[Photo/Xinhua]

COPENHAGEN - Tourism authorities from China's Sichuan province launched a roadshow here on Tuesday to promote tourism opportunities at the Danish market, hoping to allure more tourists from the country.

Known to the world as the hometown of the giant panda, Sichuan has much more to offer to tourists around the world, said Hao Kangli, director of Sichuan Tourism Development Commission.

Hao said Sichuan is abundant with beautiful scenery like Jiuzhaigou Valley. Meanwhile, Sichuan has a long history.

"The tourism resources of Sichuan can cater to different needs of tourists, and we will do our best to provide high quality service to tourists," Hao said.

"As our tourism logo puts it, Sichuan is more than pandas," he added.

Representatives from tourism companies in Sichuan introduced various products designed for foreign tourists.

Also at the roadshow, companies from China and Denmark signed contracts to further deepen the cooperation in the tourism industry.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

THE High Court will today hand down the ruling for seven out of 29 Glenview residents, who were arrested in 2011 and charged with contravening section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 following the death of Zimbabwe Republic Police Inspector Petros Mutedzi on 29 May 2011.Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said Tungamirai Madzokere and six others who are being represented by ZLHR board chairperson Beatrice Mtetwa are also being charged with committing public violence in contravention of section 36 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:3.The State claims that on the 29th of May 2011, the activists chanted MDC-T party slogans denouncing police officers while throwing stones and empty beer bottles at them and that their actions resulted in thedeath of inspector Mutedza.During the last hearing in 2014, defence lawyers led by Mtetwa presented the court with video evidence which showed that one of the accused persons Last Maengahama was among congregants at Untied Family International Church on the day the crime was committed but the State insisted that he was present at the scene of the crime.The other 22 were acquitted at the close of the State case in 2013, while one of the MDC-T activist Rebecca Mafikeni died after she fell ill while detained in prison.
Peter Kurz (left), mayor of the city of Mannheim, Germany, introduces his city at the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Beijing on August 30, 2016, with Chen Xiaofei, head of Department for China Affairs Mannheim as his translator. [Photo by Song Jingli/chinadaily.com.cn]

Peter Kurz, mayor of Mannheim, a city in southern Germany revealed in Beijing on Tuesday that he is considering connecting the city with its Chinese partner city, Qingdao in East China's Shandong province via express railway lines to facilitate bilateral commercial activities, responding to China's Belt and Road Initiatives.

Kurz expressed this hope at the city promotion conference held by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and explained that he came up with this idea during his delegation's negotiations with multiple Chinese companies on this visit to China and realized that there are many opportunities in the country.

The mayor told media attending the conference that this is not to say he wants to build a new railway line, but to connect current ones to make an express line. He admitted that he is not sure what needs to be done to make this plan come true but will find out later when he is back in Germany.

If the plan is realized, even Switzerland and France to the south of Germany can be connected to China, he said.

Kurz said at the conference that Mannheim, which was the birthplace of the world's first bicycle, the first automobile and the first elevator, wants to stand out as a city that welcomes innovation and entrepreneurship.

Herr Dr. Peter Kurz (center), mayor of the city of Mannheim, Germany and his delegation pose for a photo with potential Chinese partners at the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Beijing on August 30, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"We cannot rely on our big companies such as SAP and Roche only; we want to focus on small businesses and want to help them cooperate with big ones and help them go global."

The mayor said Mannheim city, which has more incubators than Berlin, will launch a "China Center" in September to welcome Chinese enterprises.

The city will provide a remodeled cluster, one-stop services, executive policy supports to Chinese companies that run business in Mannheim, in addition to organizing mutual visits between Chinese and German enterprises.

Chen Xiaofei, head of Department for China Affairs Mannheim told chinadaily.com.cn that some members of the delegation met incubators in Haidian district, Beijing during this visit but she did not reveal details on the results of these business talks.

Kurz said that he will lead another delegation, made up of mainly business people, to China in October and that this visit has helped many delegates, who came to China for the first time, to learn about China beyond what the media has told them.

Mannheim is the only German city that boasts two Chinese partner cities, Qingdao and Zhenjiang in East China's Jiangsu province.
Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau attends a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2016. Canada has decided to apply for the membership of the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Morneau said. [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping welcomed Canada's application to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on Wednesday and vowed to seek agreement on a group of landmark projects.

Xi made the remarks when meeting visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Trudeau is on an official visit to China and will attend the G20 summit scheduled to be held in Hangzhou on Sept 4 and 5.

"China welcomes Canada's application to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with the Canadian side," Xi said.

Xi told Trudeau leaders of the two countries can keep communication smooth on issues of common concern through various ways.

He suggested the two partners strengthen cooperation in fields including resources, finance and technological innovation and "seek to prompt a batch of landmark projects".

The two countries should respect development paths picked by each other, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and properly handle disputes in a constructive way, Xi added.

Trudeau said bilateral relations have returned to being robust and stable.

Canada respects the huge achievements made by China, and will support China to successfully host the G20 summit, he said.
Photo taken on August 27, 2016 shows two sightseeing boats on the West Lake in Hangzhou, capital city of East China's Zhejiang province. West Lake, located to the west of Hangzhou where this year's G20 summit is to be held, is a renowned tourist attraction not only for its picturesque landscape but also for its association with Chinese cultures embodied with historic scholars and national heroes. [Photo/Xinhua]
Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, talks to reporters during the joint press conference with Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi (not pictured) at Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Naypyitaw, Myanmar August 30, 2016.[Photo/Agencies] China has set an example in managing global economic difficulties, Ban says

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has high expectations of what the G20 Leaders Summit being hosted by China on Sunday and Monday can achieve.

This year's meeting in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, is the last time that Ban will attend a G20 summit in his capacity as UN chief. His second five-year term concludes at the end of the year.

Sustainable development goals and climate change top his agenda for the Hangzhou summit.

"For the first time in the history of the G20, the Chinese leadership is aligning the action agenda, the sustainable development goals and the climate change agreement in the G20 agenda," Ban said.

"This is the first time that G20 leaders will gather to discuss both sustainable development goals and climate change, and how we can implement them in parallel," Ban said on Friday in an interview with several Chinese media outlets at the UN headquarters in New York.

The Hangzhou summit has the theme "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy".

Ban said the theme reflects the spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was approved by world leaders in September.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the G20 summit will prioritize development.

"We will push to adopt an action plan for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and coordinate collective actions with country actions," Lu said.

He said the summit will send a strong signal on development, which will help to implement the international consensus and inject a new impetus to world economic growth.

Chinese leaders have steered debate to move the G20 from short-term crisis management to long-term perspectives, according to the secretary-general.

Ban said G20 leaders also need to look at how to manage global economic difficulties, adding that China has been leading by example.

Finance Minister Lou Jiwei has said that China is promoting priority areas and guiding principles for structural reform of G20 members, which is vital to achieve the goal of raising G20 GDP by at least 2 percent by 2018.

On Friday, he said in Beijing that G20 finance ministers and central bank governors had reached a consensus on global cooperation.

Ban said the Hangzhou summit is also an excellent opportunity for G20 leaders and others to advance ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

So far, 22 countries have ratified the agreement, but to take effect it needs 55 countries with 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions to ratify it.

President Xi Jinping has declared China's commitment to ratify the Paris Agreement to mark the G20 summit.

"This is very encouraging news. I hope many countries, particularly G20 countries, will follow the suit of Chinese leadership," Ban said.
BRUSSELS - Against the backdrop of weak economic recovery and multiple political uncertainties, the European Union (EU) has high hopes the upcoming G20 summit in China will push forward its main priorities.

The leaders of the world's 20 largest economies, including the EU and four of its member states -- Germany, France, Britain and Italy -- are scheduled to meet in China's eastern city of Hangzhou on Sept 4 and 5, to try and take the global economy out of a low-growth trap.

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will represent the EU, the biggest union of developed countries in the world, at the summit.

Ahead of their departure to China, the EU leaders released a joint letter to its member states, highlighting the bloc's priorities at the G20 summit and calling for political support and collective action.

Tackling refugee crisis

Foremost, the EU expected the upcoming Hangzhou summit could generate a comprehensive global response to address the unprecedented refugee and migration crisis and its root causes.

More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe last year, sparking a crisis as EU countries struggled to cope with the influx, and creating division in the EU over how best to deal with the challenge.

In the joint letter, the leaders said they would urge the G20 countries to continue to support international efforts, and contribute to achieving successful outcomes at the forthcoming summit on addressing the refugee crisis.

"We will call for scaling up humanitarian and development assistance, resettlement, support for refugees and their host communities through international financial institutions and tackling irregular migration," stated the letter.

As a multilateral platform to tackle the common challenges facing the world economy, the EU leaders said they believed the G20 had the expertise to make practical contributions through trade, development cooperation, and access to education and job opportunities for refugees.

Boosting jobs, growth and investment

Almost a decade after the global financial crisis rattled the EU's economy, European countries have been struggling to get back to pre-recession levels.

However, Europeans still do not feel the benefits of growth, generally taking a depressed view of the economic outlook.

Therefore, the EU leaders said they would underline the importance of a credible narrative for sustainable and inclusive growth at the summit, which puts to work all available policy tools: monetary, fiscal and structural.

In this regard, a key deliverable will be the G20 Hangzhou Action Plan and the updated Growth Strategies, according to the letter.

"We will call for accelerating the implementation of these strategies, keeping in mind the objective the G20 set in Brisbane to lift global growth by 2.0 percent by 2018."

The EU welcomed the "Enhanced Structural Reform Agenda" set by China during its first presidency of G20, with principles and indicators to measure progress on structural reforms.

Noting that the European Investments Plan was firmly on track to deliver the objective of mobilizing at least 315 billion euros(351.08 billion U.S. dollars) in additional investments in the real economy by mid-2018, the letter said "there are strong synergies between the investment priorities of the EU and the G20."

Open trade and investment

As the world's "economic steering committee," the G20 will discuss how to reverse the slowdown in the growth of trade and foreign investment.

The EU leaders said they hoped the G20 summit would reinvigorate efforts to open markets and level the playing field, and to communicate the benefits of trade to citizens while addressing their concerns.

Amid sluggish economic performance and slumping global trade, a tendency of free trade skepticism has been on the rise in Europe recently.

"The G20 has a particular responsibility to buttress the multilateral trading system. It should therefore provide genuine guidance for the future global trade and investment agenda," stated the letter.

The EU stressed the pledge to resist protectionism should not only be renewed but reinforced in practice.

Noting the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement should be ratified this year and fully implemented, the EU said it was time to open up discussions in the WTO to new issues such as digital trade, investment, and export restrictions.

"As a first step towards greater policy coherence in the area of investment, we will endorse the G20 guiding principles for global investment policy-making," the letter said.

Furthermore, the EU said it expected the G20 to give a strong push for concluding the environmental goods agreement in 2016, which will be good not only for global economic growth but also for the environment.

Besides, the EU leaders list three more priorities of the bloc at the upcoming summit, which were: pushing forward the work on international tax transparency and combating the financing of terrorists, building a resilient international monetary and financial system and taking forward the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

In the joint letter, the EU leaders said they were resolved to ensure the Hangzhou summit would be another important milestone in strengthening the global economic recovery.

"The EU looks forward to discussing key international challenges with its G20 partners in Hangzhou," the letter said.
BUENOS AIRES - Argentine media on Tuesday spotlighted China's role as the host of the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Summit, as President Mauricio Macri said he would take the message that his country was ready "to work together" with fellow members of the bloc.

Just hours before his departure, Macri told reporters he would attend the September 4-5 gathering in Hangzhou "with humility."

"I am going to tell them that Argentinians understand ... that our future depends on us and on our capacity to work together. We are no longer going to go to these gatherings to tell them what it is that they have to do, but to humbly tell them that we want to work together with them," said Macri.

Meanwhile, the daily La Nacion said in an article headlined "China Takes Center Stage Again," that "the Asian giant wants to relaunch the forum and give emerging countries a greater role."

"The countdown has begun: in five days China will play host to the heads of state and government of the G20, a kind of international club that concentrates 85 percent of global GDP, 80 percent of (global) trade and two-thirds of the population of the planet," the author wrote.

The article, in the daily's business section, reported on a seminar offered by China's Ambassador to Argentina Yang Wanming on the "Opportunities and challenges for South-South cooperation within the framework of the G20," which was organized by the embassy in conjunction with the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth (Cippec).

At the seminar, the ambassador highlighted the central themes of the summit - including finding a new path to growth, devising effective global financial governance, and promoting inclusive development - and underscored the need for consensus to advance on any of those issues.

While the gathering of the world's 20 largest economies is set to tackle such problems as the global economic slowdown and financial market instability, the daily said "it is clear that the summit ... is an exceptional opportunity for China to reaffirm its global economic and political leadership."

Ambassador Yang noted that China and Latin America's emerging economies, such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, "have similar positions towards international issues related to global financial and economic governance."

"We are willing to strengthen the communication and coordination of policies with emerging economies such as Latin America in the framework of the G20, to acquire the right to a larger voice and greater institutional power, and inject new vitality ... in South-South cooperation," said Yang.

According to the daily, "with just days to go before the summit, the G20 is shaping into an exceptional showcase for China to strengthen its global leadership."

Argentina is to host the G20 Summit in 2018.
BRUSSELS - To promote innovation-driven growth for the global economy, the upcoming G20 summit needs to coordinate national efforts and share best practices, a foreign policy expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Balazs Ujvari, research fellow at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations, said alongside the G20 summit themes of finance and trade, there is a special focus on innovation as a driving force of growth.

"By putting innovation as the foremost priority on the G20's agenda, China seeks to ensure that growth across G20 countries (economies) is increasingly led by innovation," he said.

Ujvari said it is important to encourage the members to improve their domestic environment to support innovation first.

On September 4-5, leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) will be gathering in Hangzhou, capital city of China's Zhejiang province, seeking solutions for the sluggish global economy.

China has set out the main theme of the G20 as "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."

China has already acted domestically on this, the expert said. The G20 host province of Zhejiang, for instance, is home to some of China's most innovative companies such as Alibaba and Geely, Ujvari pointed out.

However, any action that aims to render domestic environments more conducive to innovation has to be done at the national level, he stressed, adding that opinions may differ on modus operandi.

"The G20 in Hangzhou may serve to co-ordinate national efforts and share best practices," he said, "it is an opportunity for China to push participants to come to joint approaches."

Meanwhile, Ujvari, whose research area concentrates on global governance and the approaches of key international actors to multilateral issues, suggested China align innovations with former commitment make by G20 members.

In the G20 meeting in 2014 in Brisbane, Australia, members aimed to lift the G20's GDP by an additional 2 percent by 2018.

"China may initiate an inquiry into whether the 20 members are complying with the objective, so as to ensure that growth strategies are innovation-centered," he said.

However, given that innovation policies tend to yield results in the long term, contrasting with the G20's focus hitherto on immediate crisis management, a key challenge for the major economies will reside in striking a balance with expedient policy options, Ujvari said.
WASHINGTON - China's economic restructuring and rebalancing has implications not only for Chinese economy but also for the world, said BCG Chairman Hans-Paul Burkner.

"In the long run, we believe reforms will improve the health of the Chinese economy," Burkner told Xinhua recently.

He said that China has made progress in its early stage of reforms, with consumption contributing to 73.4 percent of GDP growth in the first half of this year.

China's supply-side reforms, such as overcapacity reduction, deleveraging, and goals for innovation and "Made in China 2025" , will also help China upgrade its industry mix and foster healthier development, according to Burkner.

"Ultimately, this (economic restructuring and rebalancing) will put China on a more sustainable growth path, and will help solidify its role as a main economic driver in the global economy," said Burkner.

However, he emphasized that the transition will be painful. The growth rate is slowing and will continue to slow; employees in overcapacity industries will need re-deployment and re-employment; and local governments will see their fiscal revenues cut in the process of overcapacity reduction.

Burkner also suggested that China need to manage downside risks of declining investment capital efficiency and excessive bad debt "which can significantly rock investor confidence and global markets" .

In a global economy with uncertainties, there are rising concerns about the world economy stuck in low-growth trap and the popularity of skepticism about globalization.

The G20 and B20 summits which will be held in September in Hangzhou, China, will give government and business leaders an opportunity to discuss challenges the world economy is facing, said Burkner. But he added that major breakthrough will be challenging to achieve in near term, because it will take time to implement actions agreed to during the summits.

Since the global financial crisis in 2008, there has been broad use of monetary stimulus which seems to hit the limit now. Fiscal policy played a role to shore up the growth after the crisis, and many economists and government officials agreed that fiscal policy will play a bigger role against the background of current slow and uneven global growth.

"There is widespread recognition that structural reforms are required," said Burkner. The B20 task-forces this year, such as infrastructure, trade and investment, and employment, have worked to discuss structural reforms to improve labor and capital deployment, as well as to create conducive environment to spur efficiency and innovation.

"As China plays an increasingly important role on the global stage, we expect to see increasing Chinese leadership in the G20 to define a joint vision and to initiate actions for the global economic agenda," said Burkner.

In regard to the mounting anti-globalization rhetoric, Burkner said that the nationalistic rhetoric and the distrust of globalization and technology reflect widespread and growing dissatisfaction with entrenched economic and social inequality and greater personal uncertainty in a fast-changing global economy.

He stressed that protectionism and economic isolationism are not a solution to this challenge, since globalization has been a core driver of global economic prosperity. "The path forward should not be to hamper efforts to 'grow the pie', but rather to address how businesses and governments 'distribute the pie'", said Burkner.

As a co-chair of the infrastructure task-force under the B20, Burkner also called on G20 members to accelerate the pipeline of high-quality bankable infrastructure projects, develop conducive regulations, deploy asset-monetization strategies and promote new financial instruments to unlock long-term investment in infrastructure.
UNITED NATIONS - A senior UN official told Xinhua that thanks to China's presidency, the upcoming summit of the Group of 20 (G20) is expected to play a great role in promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Targets (SDGs), a blueprint for the global development efforts for the years up to 2030.

Wu Hongbo, the UN under-secretary-general for the economic and social affairs, said in a recent interview with Xinhua that "during the current G20 presidency, China has made sure that the G20 aligns its work with the new UN development agenda, putting the issue of development in a prominent place in the global macro policy framework for the first time in G20 history."

Furthermore, under China's presidency, G20 members has formulated the action plan for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda as one of the most important outcomes of the summit, he said.

Wu will be one of the members of the UN delegation to the G20 summit, which will be held on September 4-5 in China's eastern city of Hangzhou.

"The Hangzhou summit will directly contribute to the 2030 Agenda's full and timely implementation," he said.

G20 members represent the largest economies in the world, meaning that they contribute to a large proportion of the gross domestic product (GDP) across the globe, Wu noted. "They are really in a better position to promote the implementation of the SDGs."

Meanwhile, Wu also spoke highly of the Chinese move to bolster the presence of developing countries in the Hangzhou summit, echoing the comment by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the G20 summit, to be hosted for the first time by China, will "take the G20 summit to another level of inclusiveness."

Ban, in a recent interview with Xinhua and several other UN-based Chinese media outlets, spoke highly of the Chinese leadership in focusing the upcoming G20 summit on promoting global green growth and making the summit the most representative of developing countries in G20 history.

In Hangzhou, the G20 leaders are expected to discuss how to boost economic growth in a sustainable way, he said, adding that over the past years, the world economy has gradually recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, but the economic situation is still complex and serious.

China, which holds the G20 presidency for 2016, chose "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy" as the theme of the coming 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."

"It will be of a great significance that the major economies and economic group can find a way to help the world out of a weak economy at an early date and promote the global economy in a healthy and sustainable manner," Wu said.
"It's too sweet!" said journalists who will attend the G20 summit in Hangzhou. The organizer of G20 Hangzhou summit has prepared a special package for journalists attending the event from around the world. [Photo/VCG]
News / National

by Staff reporter

An elderly Harare woman Dadirai Shayakarima has sensationally claimed that her husband of five years is just too weak in bed.According to H-Metro,Shayakarima said since she married Benedict Kaponda in 2011 their sex life has been pathetic.Shayakarima is being sued by Kaponda for abuse."We got married in 2011 and he has never had children his whole life. He accepted me and my three children as his family" Shayakarima said."He failed to perform sexually."The reason why he brought me here is because he does not want to pay rentals where we stay. It's been four months now since he paid rent and all this is a way of trying to force me to move out of the house without paying what we owe."He suggested to me that we should run away without paying the rentals but I refused because we are church going people. We had an altercation because of the rentals. I did not fight him but we fought. His younger brother had promised to pay rent for us but he failed to do so after I turned down his love proposal."I am grateful to this man for raising my children and they respect him for that too. I do not know why he has decided to take me to court. The issue of rentals is the only matter that we are having a problem with," she said.Kaponda had accused her wife of abuse claiming that she gangs up on him with her children."My wife and I sleep on the same bed but we use different blankets."What married couple does that? It is not even normal"We did not sire any children together but I took care of her kids like they were my own. I paid fees for them and did everything a father can do for his children,"I am in serious trouble with this woman and her children."My wife shouts at me at the top of her voice. When she starts shouting she draws everyone's attention.She is the one who misused funds for rentals and I now do not have money to pay for them," Benedict said.He was granted the protection order by magistrate Gamuchirai Siwardi.
The G20 will make substantial contributions, creating conditions to stabilize the complex world economy and achieve overall sustainable growth, said Andrey Ivanovich Denisov, the Russian ambassador to China, in a recent interview with Economic Daily.

The 11th G20 summit will be held in Hangzhou, provincial capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on September 4-5, gathering leaders of the world's 20 leading economies.

Denisov said Russia's close cooperation with China will have positive impact on the cooperative development of the G20.

"The G20 framework, which was established after the 2008 world financial crisis to promote the recovery and growth of the world economy and to bring together influential industrialized and developing economies, is an optimal multilateral cooperation pattern," Denisov said.

He added that the main tasks of the G20 are clarifying challenges and threats to the stable growth of the world economy, developing feasible joint measures, further reforming the global economic governance system by consensus, and making clear the future direction of social and economic development.

During China's G20 presidency, the key agenda items of the summit will include a new path for growth; more effective and efficient global economic and financial governance; robust international trade and investment and inclusive and interconnected development.

Denisov said all of these priorities are consistent with the expectations of Russia and many other countries.

"The Hangzhou G20 summit is expected to be held smoothly, to offer the opportunities and sources for global economic growth and innovation and ultimately achieve significant results," he said. "Russia is willing to provide constructive cooperation and support for China to run the G20 summit."

Denisov thinks the partnership between Russia and China is key to the G20's cooperative action, saying the important roles played by Russia and China in international affairs will establish a prerequisite for the establishment of a reasonable global economic governance framework.

"The global economy cannot be balanced only by Russia and China's efforts, but the coordinated development of the G20 will be positively impacted by the close cooperation between Russia and China and their positive efforts in global economic recovery, as well as their constructive reform measures," he said.

"Russia and China have carried out a large number of joint work to bring promising initiatives to the platform of the G20, proposing suggestions on solving international community problems according to our own experience."

Denisov said the leaders of Russia and China not only meet in the regular annual meetings but also in various international activities, which proves the maturity of the relationship between the two countries and will promote the further development of their relations.

During Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China this June, China and Russia vowed to unswervingly deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership, hailing the role of close high-level contact in advancing bilateral ties and promoting regional and global development.

Denisov said these important agreements have entered the actual implementation phase and leaders of both countries still have a lot of bilateral meeting arrangements before the end of this year.

"Given the rapid development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, the Russian and Chinese leaders have a lot of common issues and topics to communicate with each other, and the regular meetings will be very significant," said Denisov.
Alan Wheatley, associate fellow for international economics at Chatham House. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A Hangzhou charter for fair growth and responsible capitalism would give the G20 Leaders Summit a much-needed sense of purpose, according to an economist with a London think tank. The summit, which is themed "Building an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy", is to be held on Sept 4 and 5 in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

It will see government leaders and central bankers from the world's largest economies meet to exchange views on economic policy.

Alan Wheatley, associate fellow for international economics at Chatham House, said he believes one of the key ingredients to push for a new round of world economic prosperity is to increase the share of global income that goes to workers rather than to companies.

"Countries like Japan, Germany and the United States are good examples that too much of national economic income goes to the corporate sector, and not enough to the labor sector. As a result, people don't have enough spending power, and therefore the demand for investment is subdued," he said. "If you are a factory owner, why would you build a new factory if people do not have the money to spend on your products."

Wheatley thinks China is doing a good job in rebalancing its economy toward services and consumption instead of investment, as the tertiary sector is growing while investment is falling, but he said the nation can do an even better job to accelerate the trend.

To do that, Wheatley suggested that the Chinese government invests less in hard infrastructure and more in social infrastructure, such as health spending, education and social security, so that people can have the confidence to spend more as they grow older and save less.

He credits China's concerted efforts to engage in global economic governance, saying the intention is admirable and welcome, but he is keen to see more practical proposals as to how that goal could be achieved.

He does not expect a big departure on economic policy in Hangzhou, as the G20 "is best suited to act in an acute crisis, and it has proved itself as a useful forum for emergency like the 2008 financial crisis, whereas now what we are witnessing is a phrase of chronic economic status, not life-threatening."

As each country's response to the sub-par, lackluster state of economic growth will be different, he says it is difficult to imagine that the G20 will come up with a statement, as it did in 2009.

Commenting on British Prime Minister Theresa May's presence in Hangzhou, Wheatley added that the G20 could be a great opportunity for May and President Xi Jinping to get to know each other and to start the relationship on a positive footing, and a potential platform to signal May's stance on China.

"Even if they do not get the opportunity for a bilateral meeting, May will have the opportunity in her meetings with the British press to set out her position as prime minister, vis-a-vis China."

He expects May's stance toward China will be less effusive and slightly more cautious than her predecessor, David Cameron, but he added, "She is a realist and knows the importance of good trade and investment ties with China. Now, the UK is going to leave the EU, so she has every interest to ensure great relations with China."
WASHINGTON - The upcoming meeting between Chinese and US leaders will focus on narrowing and managing differences, and expanding practical cooperation between the two countries, a US official said Tuesday.

US President Barack Obama will have an "extended" bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the G20 summit in China, Daniel Kritenbrink, senior director for Asian affairs at the US National Security Council, told a press briefing in Washington.

Obama will make clear as he has in the past that the United States welcomes a rising China that is peaceful, stable and prosperous, and is a responsible player in global affairs, Kritenbrink said.

The US president will also make clear that when China invests itself in resolving regional problems, the United States and the world will benefit, the official said.

Kritenbrink recalled the previous engagements between the two presidents, including their first informal summit held at the Sunnylands estate in California in 2013, Obama's state visit to Beijing in 2014 and Xi's state visit to the United States in September last year.

"The high frequency of leaders-level engagement with Chinese counterparts has been a deliberate part of our strategy for building a more constructive and productive relationship with China," Kritenbrink said.

The 11th G20 summit is to be held in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Sept 4-5, under the theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."
Shen Yijie,a junior at Zhejiang Police College, wears a cartoon panda costume while providing assistance to tourists lined up at the security check for admission to Hangzhous West Lake. The city has beefed up security ahead of the G20 summit. Gao Erqiang / China Daily

The long line at the security check before admission to Hangzhous West Lake has taken on an amusing air, as police officers and volunteers dressed as cartoon pandas provide assistance and pose for photos.

In the run-up to the G20 Leaders Summit, Hangzhou, the host city in Zhejiang province, has stepped up security checks. At the security check station at Qiwang and Xueshi roads, one of 21 such security stations surrounding West Lake, 8-year-old twin brothers Shen Xin and Shen Li and 7-year-old twin sisters Zhu Yuxi and Zhu Yuyan took photos with Huhu, the 1.9-meter-tall panda policeman character.

The twins made the trip to West Lake to mark the end of their summer vacation.

Inside the panda outfit, the temperature was about 45 C. But Shen Yijie, a junior at Zhejiang Police College, said he didnt mind wearing the costume because it helped him bond with the tourists.

More than 1,000 tourists have taken photos with the panda characters each day since three of them began working on August 20, said Xu Jiong, an official with the Hangzhou Public Security Bureau.

The panda policeman character was designed by Zhong Xiaoqing, a city volunteer. Zhong, who runs an art studio, got her inspiration in May when she lost her car key and went to a local police station to seek help.

Touched by the efficiency of the local police, who helped her find the key, Zhong decided to draw a comic about the scene. In June, she also designed a cartoon image for the Hangzhou police.

"I wanted to do something unique to express my thanks. As a designer, I decided to draw, she said.

Zhong said that in the Kung Fu Panda movie series, the giant panda is smart, kindhearted and brave, which she said also captures the spirit of Hangzhous police officers.

Zhong has designed several different panda Huhu characters, including a traffic officer and firefighter.

"In the future, visitors might be able to see our panda policemen in major scenic spots of West Lake, said Xu Jiong.

See more by scanning the code.
A staff member of China's mobile company Xiaomi poses with its new model Mi Max at its launching ceremony in Beijing, May 10, 2016. [Photo / Agencies]

Xiaomi Corp will soon become the first Chinese smartphone vendor to add a mobile payment service to its handsets, pitting itself against foreign rivals Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co, which have already launched similar services.

The Beijing-based company said on its official microblog on Tuesday that it will launch MI Pay on Thursday by partnering with China's No 1 bank card association, China UnionPay.

Using near-field-communication or NFC technology, MI Pay will allow consumers to pay bills simply by holding their smartphones near point-of-sale terminals. It can be linked to credit cards and debit cards from 10 banks, the company said.

With MI Pay, consumers can also use smartphones as transportation cards to take buses and subways. A Xiaomi employee familiar with the matter told China Daily that the transportation service is already ready in Shenzhen and Shanghai and under tests in other four cities.

The move came as smartphones look and operate largely the same and players are looking to offer more diversified services to differentiate their products. Xiaomi's largest domestic rival Huawei Technologies Co Ltd also said last month that it would soon launch similar payment services.

A man uses a mobile phone in front of the logo of Xiaomi in Beijing. [Photo / Agencies]

Li Chao, an analyst at research firm iResearch Consulting Group, said China's mobile payment market is dominated by internet heavyweights Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd.

"NFC-enabled payment services are still quite new in China because local consumers have been using Alipay and Tenpay (mobile payment applications developed by Alibaba and Tencent) for a long time," he said.

Alipay and Tenpay enable consumers to pay bills by scanning codes with smartphones.

"It is quite difficult to change consumers' preferences and user habits," Li said.

In February, Apple launched NFC-enabled Apple Pay on the Chinese mainland. Later, Samsung also made a similar move. But so far, the two firms have only gained a limited presence in the payment sector, according to Jin Di, an analyst at research firm International Data Corp China.

The move also came as Xiaomi struggles with declining shipments amid mounting competition from rivals and a slowing smartphone market.

Wang Liming, a 25-year-old programmer in Beijing, said: "I take the subway to my workplace every day. The application of MI Pay in the transportation sector is quite appealing, but not enough to persuade me to buy a Xiaomi smartphone."
Workers prepare for the opening of an Apple store in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Photo / Agencies

EU antitrust regulators ordered Apple on Tuesday to pay up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes plus interest to the Irish government after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal State aid.

The massive sum, 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission to a company in such a case, could be reduced, the EU executive said in a statement, if other countries sought more tax themselves from the US tech giant.

Apple paid tax rates on European profits on sales of its iPhone and other devices and services of between just 0.005 percent in 2014 and 1 percent in 2003, the commission said.

"Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years," said Competition Commission Margrethe Vestager, whose crackdown on mainly US multinationals has angered Washington which accuses Brussels of protectionism.

Apple said it would appeal against the EU ruling.

"Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned," the company said in a statement on Tuesday after the European Commission's decision.

"The Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe," Apple said.

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc and hamburger group McDonald's Corp face probes over taxes in Luxembourg, while coffee chain Starbucks Corp has been ordered to pay up to 30 million euros to the Dutch state.

Reuters
The logo of Intel is seen during the annual Computex computer exhibition in Taipei, June 1, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Intel Corp will step up branding investments in China, as the United States chip giant aims to reshape its image in one of the world's largest chip markets and better tap into opportunities brought by the Internet of Things.

Penny Baldwin, vice-president in the Global Marketing and Communications Group at Intel, said: "The only thing about China is that we need to spend more to expand in this market which is so big and has so many people. We will focus on the millennial generation, which are not only our core consumers but influential business decision makers."

Baldwin made the comment in an interview with China Daily in Beijing. According to her, the US PC chip giant will spare no efforts to exploit the opportunities brought by the Internet of Things.

"By 2020, over 50 billion devices will be connected and this is exactly what Intel is preparing for," she added, identifying drones, augmented reality, and robots as the company's priorities.

The company is making a major shift in its branding strategy, shifting from a chip supplier behind hardcore manufacturers to a firm that wants to be more close to consumers and be associated with fashion and cultural symbols.

"We want to develop preferences and brand loyalty among consumers, based on which we can boost our brand premium."

In 2015, Intel has partnered with popular movie makers and TV program producers to expand their marketing campaign. Instead of simply imputing its logos in these programs, Intel invited content producers to shoot their laboratories, giving audience a peak at how employees at the technology giant work in daily lives.
A Chinese talk show host has blasted the Canadian Tourism Commission for what he said was an attempt to censor his show.

Host and musician Gao Xiaosong said on his Sina Weibo account that the release of an episode on iqiyi.com, an online video platform, had been "delayed indefinitely" because of "strong obstructions" from the commission.

The episode was supposed to be available on Friday. After a preview of the episode, which includes content about aboriginal people in Canada, the commission blocked its release, Gao said on Weibo, where he has nearly 40 million followers.

Posts by Gao include emails in Chinese from people who appear to be associated with the commission.

"We have always emphasized not to mention the aboriginal peoples because it's a very sensitive subject, and the preview includes history that is not to be proud of," one email said.

In another email, Gao said: "No matter from the history or human rights aspect, we have in the meeting again emphasized to avoid the aboriginal peoples. ... This is really serious. If not worked out properly, it could be upgraded to political levels and cause very serious consequences."

Gao also questioned the commission's right to weigh in on the show's content, saying he did not sign any contract with the commission and the organization is not a sponsor.

The episode in question is the second in a four-part series. The first aired earlier.

"As a promotion agency for a tourism destination, we hope the show will focus on promoting the destination. We have only provided opinions on amending the priorities of the episode," the commission said.

Derek Galpin, the commission's managing director for China, said he had nothing to add when reached by Xinhua News Agency.

Gao was apparently unsatisfied with the response.

"The commission is not in any way a direct party to the show," he said in a recent post. "The changes and omissions that the commission demanded account for up to 20 minutes. Even if we had a contract, which we don't, the harm to the episode would be unacceptable," Gao wrote.
Parents place umbrellas, each carrying sheets of paper containing information about their unmarried children, at the matchmaking market in People's Park in downtown Shanghai last month. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

People's Park in Shanghai is the setting for an extraordinary marriage bureau, as elderly parents attempt to find partners for their unattached 30-something children.

As the temperature soared higher than 36 C on a Saturday afternoon, more than 500 middle-aged people and seniors packed into a corner of People's Park in Shanghai.

They carried bottled water, folding chairs, soda water and mosquito repellent.

While the scene appeared no different to any other bustling market in China, the "commodities" were anything but ordinary. The items on offer were unmarried people, most of them older than 30, and therefore far above the optimum marriageable age, according to Chinese standards.

The seniors and middle-aged parents were there to find spouses for their unattached children. They appraised each other with sidelong glances, attempting to hide their heavy hearts and appear uncompromising, while trying to prevent their offspring from being lonely when the next Chinese Valentine's Day rolls around.

Matchmaking markets have sprung up in many large Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Nanjing, Chengdu, Xi'an and Fuzhou, but in the meantime the younger generation is postponing marriage.

In 2010, the average age of marriage in China was 26.7 years for men and 24.9 for women, compared with 25.3 for men and 23.4 for women in 2000, according to the national census, conducted every 10 years.

In Shanghai last year, the average age of marriage was 34.5 years for men and 32 for women, compared with 10 years ago, when it was 31.1 for men and 28.4 for women.

At the park, umbrellas were placed in rows, each adorned with A4 sheets of paper covered with handwritten information about the unmarried children.

Unattached males usually provide details of their income and property status, while women are generally interested in a man's appearance and whether he has a stable job. No photos are exchanged unless someone expresses a serious interest.

Compassion and a gentle nature are the top requirement for Chinese men when looking for a girlfriend, while integrity and a strong sense of responsibility are what women expect most from their other half, according to a recent survey conducted by Yangcheng Evening News in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, which polled nearly 1,000 people in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Straight to the point

At the park corner, people get straight to the point.

Wu Tianli (not her real name) was one of many parents of unmarried daughters who believed that "owning an independent apartment for marriage" was the top attribute for a prospective son-in-law.

"Needless to say, the man must own an apartment, either through his own efforts or with his parents' assistance. If not, his family doesn't lay enough importance on the son's wedding and my daughter won't receive the respect due to her," Wu said.

She was looking for a partner for her 33-year-old daughter, who works for a Fortune 500 company and earns more than 20,000 yuan ($3,000) a monthalmost three times higher than the median income in Shanghai.

"She enjoys her single life and is a fervent traveler. She said she doesn't want to share her money with someone with a lower income because it would affect her quality of life," Wu said.

A passing man who heard her words was visibly annoyed. "Then why does a man need to share his income with a woman?" he asked.

According to a survey of more than 50,000 single people nationwide, released last year by the dating website Baihe, nearly three out of four female respondents wanted their spouse's income to be at least double their own, while more than half of the men expected their wife to earn the same amount as they do.

Women outnumber men

A woman surnamed Cao has been active in the matchmaking corner for a year, looking for a husband for her 25-year-old daughter.

"If I hadn't started at that time, it would have been too late. Look, there are rows of women born around 1987 over there," she said, correctly pointing out that more women are available than men.

Many parents lament that their daughters are well-educated, pretty and have decent jobs, but traditional Chinese perceptions of marriage are cruel to women.

"It's totally fine for men to put marriage on the agenda after age 35, but women who haven't married by 30 are believed to be 'problematic', and as parents we feel embarrassed in front of relatives and friends," said a woman, who only gave her surname as Feng.

"Our daughters are 25 when they gain a master's degree, and are about 30 when they reach a certain point in their career. Many of them won't consider a serious relationship before then," Feng said.

According to a 2014 survey conducted by the dating website Jiayuan, which polled its 90 million users, men prefer a partner four to eight years younger than themselves, while women usually look for a partner who is three to five years older.

A 60-year-old Shanghainese surnamed Jiang, one of the founders of the matchmakers' corner in 2005, finally found a Mr Right for her daughter after nine years at the market.

"They first met over a lunch and then he asked my daughter out for a cup of coffee that same evening. When I saw that my daughter had put on light makeup for the evening date, I knew they had clicked," she said.

Contact the writer at zhouwenting@chinadaily.com.cn

A woman holds a sheet of paper carrying information about her daughter at the park. [Photo by Wang Yadong/China Daily]

A woman looks for a suitable candidate for her unattached child at a matchmaking activity in Dongguan, Guangdong province. [Photo by An Dong/China Daily]
Man arrested for doctor murder (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-08-31 13:20

BEIJING - Chinese police have arrested a man suspected of stabbing a doctor to death in northern Hebei Province, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Wednesday.



Li Gang was attended by the doctor, but his leg became disabled when it was infected after being hospitalized due to a car accident in 2003.



Blaming the doctor's negligence, Li stabbed him to death in the hospital with a jackknife on July 21, according to the SPP's statement.

The doctor died from excessive blood loss.



Further investigation is underway, the SPP said.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Mthwakazi Liberation Front has denounced the proposed national transitional authority by some Zimbabweans saying it will not solve the crisis in the country.MLF spokesperson Ndabezinhle Fuyane said the NTA will not help Zimbabwe's economical crisis nor would it mean to stabilize the leaders political stamina."This is just a process of letting time pass. Until and unless Robert Mugabe (President) regime come down and address the Gukurahundi issue that took more than 20 000 lives and which left thousands orphans,their cause for that transition remains the thought of the doomed," he said."Meanwhile our objectives won't be part of that barbaric thoughtfulness. MLF will stand for its restoration agenda but will make sure Zimbabwe is not at peace. People have tried to force Zimbabwean government into unwarranted give up but to no avail. We therefore will abide by our policies and strategies left right centre to make sure justice takes its course."He said Mthwakazi people should not be fooled by the Zimbabwean circumstances but must fight for their own rights of being to be recognised."We have our own cause of going to the front,hence our name. We will abide to our agendas and our pursuit of restoring what has been stolen from us," he said.
Lu Jiandong (right), deputy-president of China International Electronic Commerce Co. Ltd, signs a contract with Jin Ailan, board chiarman of Zhejiang Wanying Tech Co. Ltd, the sponsor of the competition, in Beijing on August 30, 2015. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A new media innovation and entrepreneurship competition was launched in Beijing on Tuesday, aiming to find new ways to commercialize new media content.

The "2016 China Internet Plus New Media Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition" is jointly organized by China International Electronic Commerce Center and the human resources and social security bureau of Yiwu city, home to the world's leading small commodities market, in East China's Zhejiang province.

The new-media business including the Wanghong or internet celebrities related business, has become a new dynamic in economic development, said Lu Jiandong, the deputy-president of the China International Electronic Commerce Co. Ltd, a company owned by CIECC, at the launch ceremony.

In 2016, China has seen a surge of Wanghong groups. A report published by Guotai Junan Securities Co in January said the market driven by internet celebrities in China has great potential with the clothes sector alone being estimated at more than 100 billion yuan.

Actually, a large part of the Wanghong group promotes their personal brand through new media platforms including the Chinese Twitter-like Sina Weibo and online live show platforms.

However, the way to monetize new media is mainly restricted to advertisements, paid-memberships and micro e-commerce, which limits its reach to a few sectors, said Lu. The competition was held to find new ways to monetize new media business, added Lu.

The competition was composed of two groups, new media entrepreneurship and Wanghong groups, and will last two months from Aug. 30 to Oct. 31. Whether the candidate projects have commercial viability will be a key criteria for the competition jury.

All the participants may gain a chance to get access to enjoy funding from a industry fund pool of $149 million, with the top 10 winners being awarded a priority in receiving investment from the fund.
Premier Li Keqiang meets and holds talks with his visiting Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in Beijing, Aug 31, 2016. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China and Canada will establish an annual dialogue between both heads of government to boost bilateral relations and exchanges of views on international affairs, Premier Li Keqiang said while meeting with the visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday.

Trudeau is on an eight-day visit to China, which is Canada's second-largest trading partner, and he will attend the G20 Leaders' Summit on Sunday and Monday in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Both sides agreed to enhance high-level engagement, exchanges and communication based on mutual respect and equality, Li said.

Both countries have great potential for cooperation, especially in high-tech and agricultural fields, Li said. "We agreed to conduct feasibility research for a free trade zone as soon as possible and  safeguard trade liberalization and investment facilitation," he added.

Trudeau said, "Renewing our relationship with China is extremely important for Canada." He also vowed to boost the "stability and regularity" of bilateral relations.

Premier Li Keqiang meets and holds talks with his visiting Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in Beijing, Aug 31, 2016. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"China will play a central role in shaping the global landscape in the years to come, and it's in the best of our countries' interest to develop a stronger partnership," Trudeau said.

He said both countries agreed to expand trade and investments in energy, clean technology and agriculture as well as improve people-to-people ties such as tourism and cultural exchanges. Both sides will cooperate in climate change, environmental conservation, judicial training, gender equality and support for the UN peace operations, Trudeau added.

After their meeting, a number of agreements were signed in fields such as education and tourism.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said Trudeau's trip can boost trade and economic cooperation, as well as intensive people-to-people exchanges in forms of tourism and education.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing, Aug 31, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]

President says Beijing, Ottawa should boost energy, financial and technological cooperation

President Xi Jinping called for linking China's and Canada's development strategies and promoting a series of "landmark projects", while meeting on Wednesday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The president said both countries should strengthen cooperation in fields such as energy, financial services, technological innovation and equipment manufacturing.

Leaders from both countries should maintain exchanges of views and coordination on issues of common concern, Xi added.

Trudeau is on an eight-day visit to China, which is Canada's second-largest trading partner, and he will attend the G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou.

Meanwhile, the two countries will establish an annual dialogue between both heads of government to boost bilateral relations and exchanges of views on international affairs, Premier Li Keqiang said while meeting with Trudeau on Wednesday.

Both sides agreed to enhance high-level engagement, exchanges and communication based on mutual respect and equality, Li said.

Both countries have great potential for cooperation, especially in high-tech and agricultural fields, Li said.

"We agreed to conduct feasibility research for a free trade zone as soon as possible and ... safeguard trade liberalization and investment facilitation," he added.

Trudeau said, "Renewing our relationship with China is extremely important for Canada." He also vowed to boost the stability of ties and frequency of meetings.

"China will play a central role in shaping the global landscape in the years to come, and it's in the best of our countries' interest to develop a stronger partnership," Trudeau said.

He said both countries agreed to expand trade and investments in energy, clean technology and agriculture as well as improve people-to-people ties such as tourism and cultural exchanges. Both sides will cooperate in climate change, environmental conservation, judicial training, gender equality and support for the UN peace-keeping operations, Trudeau added.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said Trudeau's trip can boost trade and economic cooperation, as well as intensive people-to-people exchanges such as tourism and education.
Producers of HBO's fantasy drama Game of Thrones will work on a new historical series based on the life of Wu Zetian, the only empress in the history of China, according to a report by Hollywood Reporters.

Christopher Newman, the brain behind Game, has signed a deal with Starlight Media and K. Jam Media to develop and create 13-episode drama Empress. Starlight Media will fully finance the series, estimated at $70 million, and is reported to shop the project from K. Jam Media to broadcast networks after completion.

Production is set to begin in Sichuan province in late 2017, with a premiere scheduled for 2018.

Wu Zetian, China's only empress in history, was ruler of the country during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-906). Wu was known for her wit and intelligence along with her ruthlessness and desire to achieve ultimate power regardless of means. The series will follow her rise to the top through the court of Emperor Taizong as his favorite concubine.

Newman will executively produce the series alongside Starlight Media chairman Xu Yan, CEO Peter Luo and Beely Lee, as well as K. Jam CEO Kia Jam.

"I am very happy to announce this partnership and am looking forward to working with this excellent creative team to bring the story of the Empress Wu to a global audience," Xu said in a statement.

"My partner Chris and I have already started to assemble a world-class team and are thrilled to be in business with our friends at Starlight Media. The story of the empress is a story of intrigue, history and power that provides a deep storytelling well that we hope will have numerous seasons to follow," Jam added.

Starlight Media is a US-based company founded by Xu in 2013. K. Jam Media is an independent film and TV production company based in Los Angeles. Newman, aside from his work in Game of Thrones, has worked on Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace, Notting Hill and Love Actually.

Empress is uncast at the moment.

Related:

Legendary play 'Empress Wu Zetian' staged in Toronto, Canada
Police officers make a list of bank cards seized in a telecommunication fraud case in Xuchang, Henan province, in January. NIU YUAN/CHINA DAILY

Among the six suspects involved in a recent telecom fraud that cost a college-bound student nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,500) and eventually her life, five of them are from Anxi county in Southeast China's Fujian province. Many telecom fraudsters have reportedly chosen the county as their base. Beijing News commented on Tuesday:

The latest tragedy in which an 18-year-old student in Linyi, East China's Shandong province, died of cardiac arrest after being swindled out of the money her family had saved for her tuition fees, should serve as a wake-up call to telecom regulators across the country.

In particular, it is notable that Anxi county is home to a lot of telecom fraudsters, most of whom are local residents. Of course, there is no need to judge the county and its people because of that, but the authorities are obliged to find out why a considerable number of locals seem to be involved in telecom fraud.

Some local residents blame the telecom fraudsters on the other side of the Taiwan Straits for setting a bad example, as fraudsters from the island have based themselves in the county to conduct their illegal activities on the mainland and persuaded local residents to join them.

And many Anxi youngsters have participated in telecom frauds as a way to make quick money, especially as the traditional tea industry, which was an important source of income for a lot of families in the county, is no longer as buoyant as it used to be. But poverty and the desire to make quick money do not justify what the swindlers have done.

In other words, inefficient social governance should be blamed for Anxi county becoming home to so many telecom fraudsters. After reports revealed the dirty business in the county, the local government still turned a blind eye to it and the local telecom carrier even upgraded its base stations several times, exposing potential victims to greater dangers.

More education is needed as well since some local people do not think telecom fraud is illegal because it can make quick gains.
A gavel in a court. [Photo/IC]

Xuzhou city in East China's Jiangsu province has been competing for the title of a national civilized city, and the government department in charge of coordinating the city's bid recently required more than 100 local government departments to send staff to help clear the streets of litter. However, the municipal prosecutors' office openly refused. Beijing News comments:

Similar moves have been reported in many cities. In Ji'ning in East China's Shandong province, all civil servants were required to clean the streets and some departments even asked their employees to work in shifts to ensure it was done round the clock.

In another city, even the judges were sent to clean the streets so that only one judge appeared to rule a case, when there should be three. These are not funny because they mean these are special efforts, and the normal state of affairs needs improving.

Some officials, including those in Xuzhou, respond that the moves are not mandatory and the governmental staff are doing "voluntarily" labor for the honor of their cities. But that excuse is rather weak because civil servants may find it hard to refuse to be "volunteers".

The Xuzhou municipal prosecutors' office has set a good example by openly refusing the requirement to the clean the streets. The central leadership supported similar moves last month by issuing a document that forbids any government department to ask judges and prosecutors to do anything outside their job responsibilities.

More importantly, the Xuzhou municipal prosecutors' office has also shown the whole country the spirit of judicial independence. Prosecutors are independent judicial staff, not government employees, and they have the right not to follow the arbitrary instructions of government officials.

Some leading local officials are accustomed to the old philosophy of an almighty government and they tend to mobilize resources of the whole society for their programs. By doing so, they often waste social resources.

Their deeds are also against the rule of law and clear, unambiguous division of responsibilities among various powerful agencies.

It is time for leading local officials to give up their illusion of being all-powerful. This is a lesson not only for Xuzhou, but also other cities.
A draft law to be piloted in 18 cities proposes giving lighter penalties to suspects that plead guilty to their crimes. The draft has been submitted to the country's top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, for deliberation.

Zhou Qiang, head of the Supreme People's Court, explained the draft to the NPC Standing Committee on behalf of the SPC and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. He said that while the number of serious crimes was down, there are a growing number of non-serious criminal cases nationwide, which means a heavier workload for the judicial staff.

Besides, in some minor criminal cases, it is hard to obtain evidence, and if the defendants plead guilty voluntarily that will better defend justice.

By introducing the system, they will raise the efficiency of the judiciary and better defend justice, as well as better protect the rights of those accused of crimes.

According to the draft, only defendants that willingly plead guilty and sign depositions will receive lighter penalties.

Zhou also said that the pilot would be strictly supervised by the Ministry of Public Security and the SPP, so as to prevent any misuse.
An outlet of Apple Inc in Tianjin. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Students will be back to school or college in China as well as Western countries very soon. Children's education has become an expensive affair in developed economies and has been partly responsible for small families, often with a single child, in the West. Even in China, despite the lifting of the one-child policy, not many couples will have a second child partly because of the rising cost of education.

Actually, the cost of educating even a single child has increased over the past couple of decades. School policies traditionally encourage a sense of community. The school uniform itself is supposed to inculcate students with a sense of equality regardless of the economic background of their parentsno designer uniforms or smart suits on display.

In my country, Britain, we can still see "back to school" signs on store windows with affordable notebooks (traditional paper ones), pens, rulers and other basics. But the school bags that these items are carried in are more likely to reflect designer trends and be very expensive.

Since schools cannot really standardize possession of other useful items, parents give their children mobile phones so that they can communicate with them in need. And by giving their kids the latest smartphones such as iPhone 6, many parents create a visible wealth divide among children and prompt children of even low-income families to force their parents to buy them expensive cellphones so that they can keep up with the Joneses.

It's natural for children to be influenced by their peers and feel belittled without what the gadget makers say are indispensable items. As technology races ahead, economies are kept going in part by new waves of "aspirational" goods that may motivate people to work harder to increase their incomes and reward themselves with these goodies.

This craze will not end, but is it good for children to be showered with such expensive goods before they have completed their education and earned any money on their own? By getting such items easily will children lack the capability of making their way in society and accept setbacks after they grow up?

Does the flaunting of expensive items in school by some children lead to less fortunate children developing inferiority complex? And if high-tech gadgets become a necessary feature of education, as some claim, will they limit the chances of relatively poor children to gain education?

In the early days of computers in schools, students had access to a computer only in the school computer lab. When cheaper computers entered the market, schools struck deals with suppliers to get "affordable" computers for students. Today there is an open market with a wide range of products to suit different budgets.

Students face peer pressure even in college. But since youths in the West enter college at different ages and since some of them already have work experiences or work part time, they might not be overtly influenced by the display of expensive gadgets. Youths enter a college when they are intellectually almost mature and can differentiate between the products they need and those they can do without.

Therefore, school should be the place of equal opportunity for children so that they can develop to the best of their ability with the goodness of community spirit. Examination results, aptitudes, abilities and interests will determine the post-school path youths will take, but in school no student should be forced to perceive disadvantage for not being able to afford an electronic gadget or a designer school bag. And for that, schools need to provide the necessary resources and parents have to stop overindulging their children.

The author is an economist and director of China programs at CAPA International Education, a US-UK-based organization that cooperates with Capital Normal University and East China Normal University.
Cars move on a street in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, Aug 27, 2016. The 11th G20 summit will be held from Sept 4 to 5 in Hangzhou. [Photo/Xinhua]

The G20 summit in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, offers a unique opportunity to world leaders to discuss and decide on a coordinated strategy to address the multiple challenges facing the world, such as the projected decline of world GDP growth to below the long-term average, slowing down of global trade and dwindling investment flows.

Given that economic and geopolitical headwinds are shaking their economies and regions, G20 leaders need to cooperate more than ever to ensure sustainable growth. As G20 chair for this year, China has done a remarkable job in preparing for the Hangzhou summit.

In recent years, China has evolved from being an "innovation sponge"absorbing and adapting existing technologies and knowledge from around the worldto a global innovation leader in areas such as consumer electronics, high-speed railways, space technology and construction equipment. The country spends more than $200 billion per year on research, second only to the United States, produces close to 30,000 doctoral students in science and engineering, and leads the world in patent applications (1.1 million last year).

The Hangzhou summit is likely to be a turning point for the shift in the G20's focus from designing standards for global financial crisis to responding to future risks for sustainable growth when and where they emerge. And with the G20 being on track to deliver on its previous promise to address the economic fundamentals, this is the right time to modernize the global rules on governance of "inclusion, innovation, invigoration and interconnectedness".

China, on its part, needs to bring its grit to the G20 if it wants to shake off the sluggish growth and help the world move toward sustainable growth by unleashing the potentials of the four "I"s to create more opportunities for the world. In fact, the theme for the Hangzhou G20 summit is "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy".

Since the global community has agreed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the world economy is expected to enter a key stage of inclusive and interconnected growth this year.

As an African proverb goes, "if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together". For the sustainable future of the world, both developed and developing countries should participate in global governance in the spirit of the Hangzhou summit's theme. Following China's experiences and think tanks' suggestions, the G20 should promote a public-private partnership model to facilitate innovations, including a public-private capital pool to increase productivity.

Besides, China's economic reforms are of great importance to comprehensive macro-finance, which the G20 can use as reference to create a common global framework to integrate global finance and the real economy.

To increase long-term investment, the G20 governance system should be expanded to include international financial institutions, in order to close the gap in infrastructure funding for regional projects to improve connectivity.

Moreover, an inclusive strategy will help boost growth in the G20 economies that have been suffering from economic slowdown, because such a strategy will stabilize public finance that safeguards employment and social welfare while encouraging productive investments.

Previous summits have offered important lessons for organizing G20 meetings. That China has worked out the best agenda for the Hangzhou summit suggests it has taken these lessons very seriously. And by leading the efforts to meet the global challenges, as evident in its summit's theme, China can make a huge contribution to economic, social and environmental prosperity of all.

The author is a senior economist at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, Indonesia.
Opinion / Columnist

QN Why was idolatry such significant problem in Israel ? What did the prophets say and do about it in reference to both Israel and Zimbabwean prophets? (25) (article number 116)DIVINITY QUESTION | 31 AUGUST 2016COMMENT OVERVIEW The above question requires one to first point out the effects of idolatry in Israel and the reaction of the prophets due to the practice of idolatry.In Israel they were so many prophets who dealt with idolatry, the ideal originated with Moses and it was perpetuated by other prophets. The question demands us to concentrate in Israel, remember during the exodus, Israel was not yet a historical nation, hence we have to ignore Moses. In this work the author will include Moses, the reason being that I want you learn something, if it's possible you teach someone. The writer will focus on the following prophets- Elijah- Samuel- Man of God- Amos- Hosea- Isaiah- JeremiahANSWERSWHY IDOLATRY WAS A PROBLEM Idolatry was a problem in Israel because it had negative effect to the Israelites, in other words it was more of a curse than a blessing because- it led to the persecutions of true prophets. 1st Kings 19:10- punishment. The Israelites experienced punishment because idolatry- religious disorder. Jezebel destroyed the alters of Yahweh, this is recorded in 1st Kings 19:10- social evils such as bribery, stealing, swearing and e.t.c. Hosea 4:2N.B There are so many points to be addedWHAT DID THE PROPHETS SAY AND DO Israelites started to practice idolatry during the exodus event, this cannot be denied. This is evidenced in Exodus 32:15,as they made the golden calf. During this period Israelites were under the hands of Moses. Moses condemned this idea as it was violating the Mosaic covenant [Ten commandments]. The response of Moses was to challenge the Israelites at the same time destroying the golden calf, this is evidenced in Exodus 32:20. In Zimbabwean context, Zimbabwean prophets have greatly dealt with issue of idolatry, for instance the Zimbabwean authors and authoress the likes of Isabel Mukonyora, Kudzai Biri,Gunda, Dillon etal,they submitted that Johane Masowe was commissioned to be the messenger of all Africans destroying "mishonga" and fetishes since evil practices was now on its peak, as a result he managed to deal with such practices, he went on to cross the border to surrounding African countries, the theme of his gospel dealing with witchcraft. The point in this case is that Johane Masowe dealt with problem of witchcraft. Basing on the above discussion it is clear that both prophets of Israel and Zimbabwe dealt with idolatry even though differently. Elijah prophesied during the days of King Ahab who married Jezebel the lady from Tyre, she exported Baal prophets and the religion. Elijah being obedient to the Mosaic covenant, he challenged Baal as he called the Mt Carmel Contest. During the Mt Carmel as the hero of the hour he butchered 850 false prophets,this is recorded in 1st Kings 18:28-40.With above information it is clear how Elijah dealt with idolatry after condemning it. Amos prophesied during the prosperous days of Israel, Amos condemned Israelites for injustice, idolatry and immorality. In Israel everywhere there was activity, some of the Israelites worshipped their idol called star-god Kaiwan, this is recorded in Amos 5:26 ". You shall take up Sakkuth your king, and Kaiwan your star-god, your images, which you made for yourselves.."Amos as a prophet who was divinely inspired condemned the Israelites, the bible is silent about how Amos dealt with this situation, what is mentioned is his condemnations perhaps, he eye opened Israel. The prophet man of God might be unknown to some of us, the prophet played a pivotal role in dealing with idolatry during the days of Jeroboam who used to reside in Bethel. [Read 1ST kings 13:1-15 to get more information ].Scholar Josephus named the prophet as Jadon even the bible is silent about the original name, Josephus submitted that they was a man of God from Judah who was called Jadon perhaps it was him.THERE ARE SO MANY POINTS WHICH CAN BE ADDED- Isaiah read Isaiah 2:20- Jeremiah read Jeremiah 7:9QUESTION DEMANDSRead the above questionCONTACTSCONTACTS+263777896159 {WhatsApp}Zimsec A level Divinity Questions and Answers with Witness Dingani {Facebook Page}"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." Walt Disney"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop."Confucius
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.[Photo/Xinhua]

The annual G20 summit of the worlds biggest nations (plus representatives of the European Union), to be held in Hangzhou on September 4th and 5th, faces a set of imposing challenges. There are three types of challenges: economic, geopolitical and environmental. None of the problems in these three areas are easy to solve.

Economically, the world appears to be in a phase of slowing growth. The global economy remains bogged down in the aftermath of the 2008 debt crisis. Increasingly, many people are starting to suspect that that year marked the end of the boom years of the liberal free market economic model, and that a new type of global economic system is needed. However, there is no consensus about what that new system should be or what adjustments should be made in order to construct it.

Environmentally, nature is under severe strain, as Chinese people, observing their polluted skies and rivers, know only too well. Mankind, desiring comfort and plenty, has stripped what it wants from the Earth for too long. The case for urgent action on global warming and climate change is clear.

Ideally, action on environmental issues would involve major reductions in all areas of human exploitation of the planet, or what some are calling degrowth. This would involve cutting back heavily on production and consumption of goods in order to rapidly bring down fossil fuels emissions. Unfortunately, such a plan is unworkable at present because it would entail sending the global economy into a terminal death spiral. So for the time being something more modestis the best that can be hoped for.

In other words, the world leaders meeting in Hangzhou have their work cut out for them. Each country has its own priorities, its own agendas. There is no easy way to bring all the different national viewpoints together to produce a cohesive, coherent vision of how the 21st century ought to pan out for the maximum benefit of both the human race and the planet as a whole.

What is needed is calm dialogue within a clear framework. Yet even establishing such a framework is difficult given the self-evident lack of trust between the negotiating parties. It also demands some clear-sighted leadership, which is, to be brutally honest, not in abundance among todays global political elites.

There is, however, still some cause for cautious optimism. The fact that this G20 is taking place in Hangzhou presents an opportunity for progress. In the last few years China has begun to find its feet in the international community and to demonstrate some evidence of leadership qualities. Since Robert Zoellick, then the US Deputy Secretary of State, called in 2005 for China to be a responsible stakeholder, the Beijing government has taken some steps to answer this call.

After Xi Jinping became president in 2013China launched initiatives such as the Belt and Road initiative, the Silk Road Fund and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. These are in their early stages of realization, but represent a constructive attempt to connect nations in Asia, East Africa and Europe via transport networks, appropriate financing, and much-needed new infrastructure.

China has also demonstrated willingness to cooperate with the US on achieving the COP21 climate goals set in Paris in 2015.

The Chinese government has also stated its intention to institute supply-side reforms. These are intended to shift the emphasis of the economy away from excessive industrial production towards something more sustainable.

These are positive signs of Chinas emerging attempts at constructive global leadership.

Out of all the G20 partners, Chinas plans for carefully-structured, gradual systemic change are by far the most coherent. China also demonstrates the political will, concentrated in the determined figure of Xi Jinping, to get the job done. So there is hope that Chinas president will be able, despite probable reluctance on the part of some of the other heads of state, to build the relationships of trust necessary to persuade world leaders to take steps towards the type of geo-economic reforms that are desperately needed in todays world.

Jeremy Garlick is lecturer in international relations at the Jan Masaryk Centre for International Studies, University of Economics in Prague.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and don't represent views of China Daily website.
Lu Feng, a respected economist on Open Macroeconomics from China Center for Economic Research of Peking University (CCER) is responding to the media's questions.[Photo by Wu Zheyu/chinadaily.com.cn]

An important economic indicators system for structural reform is expected to be highlighted during the G20 summit, some aspects of these indicators were unveiled and showed their potential to fuel the economies of the world, according to exclusive comments made by the advisory team for Chinas Ministry of Finance to China Daily website.

A press meeting held to help media better understand the main issues to be discussed during the G20 summit, was held by China Center for Economic Research of Peking University (CCER) on August 29, 2016.

Lu Feng, a respected economist on Open Macroeconomics from CCER, and a long-serving advisor to the Ministry of Finance especially for G20 related issues, hosted the meeting and responded to the medias questions about the evolution of G20.

Among the official themes of G20: Innovative, Invigorated Interconnected and Inclusive, which is named as 4-I, Lu emphasized innovation in growth patterns, adjusting the economic structure and finally formulating a long-term mechanism, not only aiming at solving short-term crisis, is the consensus that both academics and policy makers have already achieved. Particularly, designing a roadmap for structural reform is expected to be a major achievement that China would contribute to not only G20 countries but also the whole world.
Hangzhou is now in the spotlight as the host of this years G20 summit, from September 4-5.

Hangzhou, the capital city of East China's Zheijiang province, is one of the seven ancient capitals of China, having served as the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom during the Five Dynasties (AD 907-960) and the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). As a core city of the Yangtze River Delta, Hangzhou has been one of the most prosperous cities in China for more than 1,000 years, and is home to a myriad of natural attractions and historical legacies.

Marco Polo, the famous 13th century Italian traveler and merchant, described Hangzhou as "beyond dispute, the finest and the noblest in the world".

Now as Hangzhou has grabbed the world's attention, tourists from various places have gathered to this heavenly city to enjoy its slow life tempo and beautiful natural surroundings. Here are some highlights of the city you can't miss.

1 West Lake

The West Lake is definitely a place people can never miss when visiting Hangzhou. The lake itself covers 6 sq km, and includes some of Hangzhou's most famous scenic places.

There are "10 scenes of West Lake" and "10 new scenes", but it is not necessary to make a checklist and walk back and forth to look for these scenic spots.

Just walk casually along the Nanshan and Beishan roads and the causeways, take a ferry on the boat to the islands on the lake, or simply sit in a lakeside teahouse and enjoy the picturesque views and the longjing (dragon well) tea.

The lake is situated in the center of the city, with convenient public transport access. The Hangzhou government also offers free public bikes for tourists to travel around the lake. The parks around the lake are all free to visit.
Tourists walk on the glass bridge spanning Zhangjiajie Canyon, in Central China's Hunan province, on Aug 20. Xinhua

China has a thing for glass-bottom footbridges, which seem to be gleefully constructed with the intention of frightening visitors while at the same time reassuring them all is well.

The highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge in the world opened in Hunan province on Aug 20.

Spanning a quarter-mile across Zhangjiajie Canyon, it is 984 feet high and features 99 panes of three-layered glass (each layer 1.9 inches thick) as its walkway.

Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan and built by China Construction Group, the bridge is 430 meters (1,400 feet) long and is wedged between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie park. The mountain range is said to have inspired James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar.

A maximum of 8,000 visitors (paying $20 apiece) are allowed to traverse the bridge daily, which is about 20 feet wide, and 600 are allowed on at one time. There are three other glass bridges in the Tianmen Mountains in the Zhangjiajie scenic area - including the "heaven seeking avenue", which takes hairpin turns around cliffs.

Before the bridge opened, 20 volunteers were given the chance to swing sledgehammers at the glass bottom to test its sturdiness. It withstood the pounding.

As for how the new bridge stacks up with some in North America, the Grand Canyon Skywalk in Arizona is 69 feet long and720 feet above the canyon's bottom.

"Visitors of the Grand Canyon Skywalk can walk over the western rim of the Grand Canyon on a clear, glass-floored structure built to withstand over 71 million pounds of weight, and experience the sensation of seeing the canyon fall straight away below their feet," the attraction's website says.

The Glacier Skywalk in Alberta, Canada, which opened last year, is 400 meters long. It extends 115 feet from a cliff and is 918 feet above ground.

If you weren't scared enough, the Zhangjiajie bridge will offer the highest bungee jump in the world. (The current title-holder is the 233-meter Macau Tower.)

I think my concern with crossing these bridges would not be because they have glass bottoms but how stable the supporting cables are, for instance, when it gets windy.

So what is the attraction to such a dizzying attraction?

"It is the relationship between emotionally driven fear and the logical understanding of safety," architect Keith Brownlie told the BBC in January. "These structures tread the boundary between those two contrasting senses, and people like to challenge their rational mind in relation to their irrational fear."

Uh, that fear isn't always irrational. Another glass-bottom walkway in China, this one attached to the side of a mountain in Henan province (3,540 feet above the ground) cracked as tourists were crossing in October 2015.

"I yelled out loud, 'It cracked, it really cracked', then pushed the people in front of me to leave. [I was] terrified," a young woman posted on Weibo, the Daily Mail reported.

Yuntai Mountain Scenic Spot management said that staffers had noticed some cracks near the exit of the 853-foot-long walkway. A sharp object falling onto the glass was blamed for the cracks, but management said there was no cause for alarm because there are three layers of glass. (I hope sledgehammer-swinging isn't allowed at Yuntai Mountain).

Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com
I was rushing to catch my train in Union Station in Washington last Wednesday evening when I tripped over an uneven piece of pavement on the platform and hurt my ankle, only slightly. Exiting New York's Penn Station a few hours later on Seventh Avenue, I saw the exact same thing happen to a woman, only she looked much worse off than me and had to lean on her husband to walk.

A Chinese friend who visited the United States for the first time last week was shocked to see the poor road conditions in Manhattan. The potholes in New York City certainly outnumber those in Shanghai or Beijing, she said. She could not understand why New York City had done nothing or so little given that the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly will be held in September, with the arrival of more than 100 world leaders.

In China, it would have been a total facelift like people saw ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the 2016 G20 summit.

New York City, often ranked top among world cities, unfortunately also ranks sixth among the 10 American cities with the worst pothole problems.

Other cities that made into the top 10 include Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Bridgeport (Connecticut), Tucson, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with LA being the worst.

A report released in January by TRIP, a Washington-based national transportation research group, rated 51 percent of the roads in the New York City metro area in poor condition, 31 percent mediocre and only 5 percent and 13 percent in fair and good condition, respectively.

Statewide, 38 percent of the major, locally and state-maintained urban roads and highways have pavement rated in poor condition; another 42 percent in mediocre or fair condition and the remaining 21 percent in good condition.

TRIP estimates that additional vehicle operating costs (VOC) borne by New York state motorists as a result of poor road conditions is $6.3 billion annually. For New York City Metro area, that VOC per motorist is $791 because of rough road conditions.

The report also finds that a total of 5,775 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in New York from 2010 through 2014, an average of 1,155 fatalities per year. Three factors are cited for the accidents - driver behavior, vehicle characteristics and roadway features. It estimated that roadway features are likely a contributing factor in approximately one-third of fatal traffic crashes.

The same report also finds that bridge conditions in New York State and New York City are not good and funding is inadequate. Poor road and bridge conditions also cause congestion and huge losses to local economic growth.

The report warns that it is critical that roads are fixed before they require major repairs, because reconstructing roads costs approximately four times the price of resurfacing them.

"As roads and highways continue to age, they will reach a point of deterioration where routine paving and maintenance will not be adequate to keep pavement surfaces in good condition and costly reconstruction of the roadway and its underlying surfaces will become necessary," it says.

Nationwide, potholes cost American drivers $6.4 billion each year, according to another report. The American Society of Civil Engineers says that fixing crumbling infrastructure would cost taxpayers $2.7 trillion. The same group gave a D+ to the overall US infrastructure conditions back in 2013 in a study conducted once every four years.

The situation is so dire that US presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have both pledged to spend more on infrastructure to cater to the public grievances.

Clinton has proposed $275 billion in new infrastructure spending over the next five years while Trump vowed to more than double that figure. Clearly no one knows if these politicians are just paying lip service to this issue.

Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com.
Chinese investment in commercial real estate in the Bay Area remains robust despite an economic slowdown at home. Industry leaders, excited about two big-ticket acquisitions by Chinese investors, are optimistic that they're a sign of more to come.

In August, Greenland USA, a leading developer with parent company Greenland Group headquartered in China, announced that it had acquired South San Francisco's 42-acre Oyster Point property for $171 million and plan to pump another $1 billion into developing it.

The waterfront property will be built into a large-scale complex combining office and research and development centers for the life sciences industry. To be completed in phases, construction on the first 500,000-square-foot section will begin once needed infrastructure improvements are made by the city, including streets, utilities and grading.

Greenland's third strategic acquisition in the US, Oyster Point is expected to transform the cityscape of South San Francisco and bolster the local economy of one of the world's best-known biotech innovation hubs.

Over the years, Greenland USA has invested more than $1 billion in Los Angeles' Metropolis and $6 billion in New York's Pacific Park Brooklyn. Both projects focus on developing properties in gateway cities that transform surrounding communities.

In an earlier interview, Greenland Group chairman Zhang Yuliang said the San Francisco Bay Area was known globally for its leadership in innovation and "we're proud to bring Greenland's expertise and vision for transformative properties to the area. The US continues to play a critical role in our overseas expansion and we look forward to what will be a landmark property."

Mark Addiego, mayor of South San Francisco, applauded the deal. "The development of Oyster Point presents tremendous opportunities for the South San Francisco community and Greenland USA has approached it with the vision, expertise and energy needed to bring it to fruition," he said, adding that by investing in Oyster Point, "we will further cement our position as the world's leading center for innovation in biotechnology."

In a concurrent deal, an investment subsidiary of China-based Fortune 500-ranked Hainan Airlines Group (HNA) purchased a 29-story office tower at 123 Mission Street in downtown San Francisco for $255 million from Hong Kong-based Great Eagle Holdings.

The Class A 346,000-sq-ft office building went up in 1986 and is currently 95 percent occupied with 14 tenants. It will be HNA's first West Coast office property in San Francisco's financial district.

Earlier this year, HNA made headlines when it paid $6 billion for Ingram Micro, a US tech company that distributes Apple and Microsoft products.

"As the prices of office buildings in San Francisco have appreciated rapidly over the past year, especially in downtown San Francisco where the building is located, the general partner and asset manager believes that it is appropriate to dispose of the property," said Great Eagle Holdings in their filing.

Representing Greenland for the Oyster Point transaction, the San Francisco office of Kidder Mathews walked its Chinese client through the negotiations and deal-signing.

Skip Whitney, executive vice-president at Kidder Mathews, created the firm's China services desk several years ago to address the unique China-focused issues his clients face buying and managing business properties in America. The group offers services to Chinese companies searching for investment opportunities in the US and vice versa.

In what Whitney called the "super-heated market of commercial property" in San Francisco, "I'm confident that Chinese investors are going to be buying more business properties from the US," he said.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.
HAVANA - Cuba's senior Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday that the direct scheduled flights from the United States, which will resume from Wednesday, will only have real potential when the US government puts an end to the economic blockade against the Caribbean island.

"Scheduled flights (from) the US will reach real potential only when the travel ban to Cuba, which is still in place due to the blockade, comes to an end," wrote Josefina Vidal, director general for US affairs in Cuba's Foreign Ministry, on her official Twitter account.

US airline JetBlue will have the honor of officially starting up commercial flights between the US and Cuba. The company will open a route between the Fort Lauderdale international airport in Florida and the "Abel Santamaria" terminal in Santa Clara, in the centre of the island, putting an end to over 50 years of suspension.

US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx will arrive in JetBlue's Airbus A320, kicking off his official visit to Cuba which will include holding conversations with his Cuban counterpart Adel Yzquierdo and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Resuming scheduled flights between Cuba and the United States is one of the most important advances in the normalization process, after the official renewal of bilateral relations in July 2015.

US companies JetBlue, Silver Airways, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines were authorized in July by the US Department of Transport to run a total of 110 flights a day to Cuba. Out of this number, 90 land in cities that are not Havana and 20 flights a day go to the Cuban capital.

Since the thaw in relations between Havana and Washington, US President Barack Obama, a Democrat, has adopted a series of measures to ease the trade restrictions with the island. However, the US Congress, of Republican majority, remain unwilling to lift the trade embargo imposed by the White House in 1962.

This policy, which Cuba sees as the main obstacle towards the total normalization of bilateral relations, includes banning US citizens from travelling to the Caribbean island for tourism purposes.
File photo shows US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton stands with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, after accepting the nomination in Pennsylvania, US, July 28, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - Nearly 30 out of the 14,900 deleted emails recently recovered by the FBI in US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's email setup probe may involve the 2012 attack on Benghazi, Libya, State Department lawyers said at a hearing on Tuesday.

Besides the cache of 30,000 emails Clinton voluntarily turned over to the State Department in 2014, the FBI has uncovered these previously undisclosed documents to or from Clinton when she served as the US Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, US District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta was told.

"Using broad search terms, we have identified approximately 30 documents potentially responsive to a Benghazi-related request," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

"At this time, we have not confirmed that the documents are, in fact, responsive, or whether they are duplicates of materials already provided to the Department by former Secretary Clinton in December 2014." he said.

The State Department has committed to releasing these emails under a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits launched by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, but insisted it will only do that after weighing whether the emails are personal or work-related.

It remains unclear whether all the recovered emails can be made public before the general elections set on Nov 8 on the requirement of Judicial Watch.

Following media reports on some 30 Benghazi-related emails recovered in the Cliton email setup probe, Republican nominee Donald Trump's campaign quickly opened fire on the former secretary of state.

"Clinton swore before a federal court and told the American people she handed over all of her work-related emails. If Clinton did not consider emails about something as important as Benghazi to be work-related, one has to wonder what is contained in the other emails she attempted to wipe from her server," Trump's senior communications adviser Jason Miller said in a statement.

In July, the US Justice Department closed a yearlong criminal probe with no charges into the handling of classified material in Clinton' s email setup, which FBI Director James B. Comey reproached "extremely careless."
SAN FRANCISCO - Researchers with a collective term for the scientific search for intelligent extraterrestrial life have pointed their telescopes in the direction of a star system 94 light-years away for possible intelligent inhabitants.

The star system, HD 164595, is a few billion years older than the Sun but centered on a star of comparable size and brightness. It is the purported source of a signal found with the RATAN-600 radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, at the northern foot of the Caucasus Mountains, by a group of Russian astronomers.

"This system is known to have one planet, a Neptune-sized world in a very tight orbit, making it unattractive for life," said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, northern California, wrote in a blog on the institute's website. "However, there could be other planets in this system that are still undiscovered."

The signal from the constellation Hercules was received on May 15, 2015, and first reported in recent days on the Centauri Dreams website, which covers research on deep space exploration.

It has been discussed in a presentation given by several Russian astronomers as well as Italian researcher, Claudio Maccone, the chair of the International Academy of Astronautics Permanent SETI Committee.

About whether the signal could be a transmission from a technically proficient society, Shostak acknowledged that "at this point, we can only consider what is known so far."

Shostak noted that there are a number of questions to be answered, about the direction of the signal and the characteristics of the signal itself, plus whether and why it is targeted at our solar system.

The wavelength of the reported signal is 2.7 cm, equivalent to a frequency of 11 GHz; the beam is about 20 arcsec by 2 arcmin.

"The chance that this is truly a signal from extraterrestrials is not terribly promising, and the discoverers themselves apparently doubt that they've found ET," Shostak wrote, "nonetheless, one should check out all reasonable possibilities, given the importance of the subject."

ET, short for Extra-Terrestrial, is the name of a popular American science fiction fantasy film released in 1982, and the scene of the story was set at a suburban California location on the US west coast.

To pursue the lead of what researchers call "a candidate signal," the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) was swung in the direction of HD 164595 beginning on the evening of August 28. However, according to Shostak, it has so far not found any signal anywhere in the very large patch of sky covered by the ATA.

The ATA, formerly known as the One Hectare Telescope (1hT), is a radio telescope array situated at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, 470 km northeast of San Francisco, California. The project was originally developed as a joint effort between the SETI Institute and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory (RAL) at the University of California, Berkeley.

Shostak said researchers intend to cover the big swath of the radio frequencies in the next day or two and continue to monitor the star system with the telescope array.

"So what's the bottom line? Could it be another society sending a signal our way? Of course, that's possible," Shostak wrote, adding that "however, there are many other plausible explanations for this claimed transmission - including terrestrial interference. Without a confirmation of this signal, we can only say that it's 'interesting.'"
Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff attends the final session of debate and voting on Rousseff's impeachment trial in Brasilia, Brazil, August 29, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian senators were engaged in a marathon debate Tuesday night before the final vote on the impeachment trial against President Dilma Rousseff.

Out of a total of 81 senators, over 60 of them signed to speak, dragging the debate into late at night.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, who is presiding over the impeachment process, said the final vote in the trial will be held on Wednesday morning.

For Rousseff to be removed from office, at least 54 senators, or two thirds of the 81 senators, must vote in favor of the impeachment.

The possibility of Rousseff surviving the impeachment vote is very low, based on the latest estimate, analysts said.

Most senators criticized Rousseff in their statements, saying she is to blame for the deep economic recession and serious corruption in Brazil, apart from her fiscal wrongdoing.

Some pro-Rousseff senators, meanwhile, said the impeachment is unjust and politically biased.

Before the senators went forward to speak, the prosecution and defense lawyers gave their emotional final statements.

Rousseff's defense lawyer, former Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo, made a heartfelt call for senators not to vote in what he called "a parliamentary coup."

Meanwhile, Miguel Reale Junior and Janaina Paschoal, who filed the impeachment case against Rousseff, said the president did commit fraud.
Opinion / Columnist

ZAPU condemns continued and increasing police brutality on citizens and journalists.This comes after today's arrest in Bulawayo of five BUYA protesters and reporter Chrispen Ndlovu.In an economy which is failing to provide jobs, its ironic that a government which won a mandate on the promise of two million jobs is arresting citizens who are demanding that it fulfils its promise. It is a constitutional right of citizens to demand accountability from the government on its electoral promises. It is also their right to demand that accountability via public demonstrations.This particular group notified the police of their intention to exercise their constitutional right.It is therefore paranoid for government to violate the citizens' rights as constitutionally provided above. It is a highest case of dishonesty for government to let their military might on unarmed and peaceful citizens who are merely exercising their right to demonstrate.It is also treasonous for a government that has dismally failed on its promise to create and safeguard jobs to arrest a reporter who is performing his duties. Has journalism become a crime in Zimbabwe?ZAPU therefore demands the immediate and unconditional release of both BUYA protesters and reporter/photographer Chrispen Ndlovu. ZAPU also advises the regime to note that its time up and the people of Zimbabwe will not tolerate misgovernance any longer. The people will not tolerate unconstitutionalism and corruption any longer.Instead of brutalizing the peaceful citizens, the government should try listening to the people's grievances against the ZANU PF regime that has thrived on fear and intimidation since 1980. people of Zimbabwe are asking to be heard.People of Zimbabwe are asking for accountable leadership. People of Zimbabwe are asking for the implementation of the Constitution. Bulawayo is particularly asking for implementation of Devolution of Power as espoused in Chapter 13 of the National Constitution.They are not asking for arbitrary arrests, teargas, or any form of police brutality.----------Iphithule Thembani KaMaphosa
KABUL - Some 97 militants have been killed and 24 wounded as Afghan security forces pressed ahead with offensives in restive provinces since early Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

In one operation, 57 Taliban militants were killed after joint Afghan security forces launched a cleanup operation in surrounding areas of Jani Khel district, eastern Paktia province, the ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates.

Sporadic clashes have been continuing in outer sides of the district over the past days as security forces tried to regain the control of the district from militants.

The Taliban seized control of the mountainous district over the weekend.

In northern Baghlan province, 15 militants were killed and three others wounded during clashes with the security forces in Baghlan-e-Markazi district, according to the statement.

Some 25 militants had been killed, 21 injured and three others captured during separate operations in southern Helmand and Zabul provinces and northern Kunduz province, the statement added.

The statement also confirmed loss of 12 army soldiers during the operations and as a result of separate attack across the country over the same period.

Joint Afgan security forces also seized weapons and defused several roadside bombs and landmines planted by the militants, the statement added.

The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants since early April after Taliban militants started their so-called annual spring offensive and step up attacks across the country.

The Taliban has yet to make comments.
BRASILIA, Aug. 31 -- The Brazilian Senate voted on Wednesday to strip Dilma Rousseff of the presidency by 61 votes in favor to 20 votes against.

This means Rousseff is immediately and permanently removed from her role and Michel Temer, who assumed the interim presidency after Rousseff was suspended in May, will become president until the end of this term in 2018.

Rousseff was found guilty 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.

In a separate vote, however, Rousseff escaped from being suspended from public office for eight years. A two-thirds majority was needed to suspend her, but she escaped with 42 votes in favor, 36 against, and three abstentions.

The president of the Supreme Court, Ricardo Lewandowski, opened the historic session at 11:15 a.m. local time and gave a brief summary of the impeachment process.

Following this, the defense denied the accusations, with Senator Lindbergh Farias, from the Workers' Party, vowing that "this session will never end, it will continue in history."

"This is a farce, the process is a mere pretext, the evidence is irrelevant. There are two types of senators, those who know there was no crime of responsibility and vote against impeachment, and those who know there was no crime of responsibility and vote in favor of impeachment."

The energy of Farias was matched by Senator Ronaldo Caiado, from the Democrats, who vowed that the "Bolivarian populism" of Rousseff and her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, "had led to millions of unemployed, to civil society feeling deceived."

The removal of Rousseff puts an end to 13 years of Workers' Party rule, beginning with the election of her mentor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in 2003.
BEIJING, Aug 31 - Canada will apply to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB, Canadian and bank officials said on Wednesday, making it the latest ally of the United States to join the new international development bank.

The multilateral institution, seen as a rival to the Western-dominated World Bank and Asian Development Bank, was initially opposed by the United States but attracted many U.S. allies including Britain, Germany, Australia and South Korea as founding members.

Japan and the United States are the most prominent countries not represented in the bank.

"This is really for us, as a new government, the earliest possibility at which we could indicate our interest," Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in response to a question why Canada was only applying to join the bank now.

"We believe the bank is clearly showing that it's going to be a highly effective multilateral institution," he added.

Morneau is on a trip to China with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seeking to deepen ties with the world's second-largest economy, a distinct change from former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's more cautious approach to China.

"The Canadians' decision to join this bank will greatly strengthen the management of this institution," AIIB President Jin Liqun told reporters.

"We can see that the U.S.'s attitude towards AIIB is showing signs of changing, as it's encouraging the World Bank to cooperate more with the AIIB," Jin added.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Air Force One on Wednesday that U.S. and Canadian officials had been in touch on the issue. "We know that Canada shares our views about the importance of transparency and good governance when it comes to these kinds of international institutions," Earnest said.

Ultimately it will be a "good thing" if Canada joins the AIIB, as it advocates for such governance, he added. Earnest said he was not aware of any U.S. plans to join the organization.

Canada will submit its application to join the AIIB by the end of 2016, said David Lauzon, a Canadian Finance Ministry official.
In Getting Your Product Made Overseas: The Pros and Cons of Using an Intermediary, we looked at the pros and cons of using an intermediary between you and your overseas manufacturer. As our regular readers know, we generally are not fans of using sourcing agents, not because we think they never have value, but because there are so many bad ones. I often describe product sourcing agents with the following: Ninety percent are crooks or incompetents and most are both of these things. But ten percent are worth more than their weight in gold.

What makes a product sourcing agent part of the elite ten percent and how do you find that person or company?

Way back in 2013, in How to Find Your China Manufacturer, I discussed some of the issues that arise when using sourcing agents:

Engage an intermediary (trading company, sourcing agent or factory representative) to conduct this research on your behalf. This you are going to have to pay for, one way or another. Some of these companies charge you an upfront flat fee for the work. Some charge a percentage. Some charge a set amount for the product and then buy it for less from the manufacturer. There are pluses and minuses to all of the payment methods, but generally, the more you pay early, the less you will pay in total. Some intermediaries are invaluable. Others are completely incompetent or, even worse, flat out crooks. Some do not even reveal they are acting as an intermediary, leading you to believe you are dealing directly with the factory. It should go without saying that you should first determine whether you need an intermediary and if you do, you must choose that person or company carefully. What does need to be said though is that if you are using an intermediary, your contract with your intermediary and the contract with the manufacturer should mesh and should be written so as to protect you, and not your intermediary or your factory. Far too often companies come to us with bad product and upon reviewing their contract with their intermediary and the purchase orders between the intermediary and the factory, we have to tell them they have no chance of any remedy.

How do international product sourcing agents charge and how should they charge? Some charge a large upfront flat fee to find your manufacturer and to negotiate terms with that company. Some charge a percentage of your manufacturing transactions for some set period of time or a some set number of transactions. Some tell you they will charge you X dollars per widget and then they find a great manufacturer who charges them X minus Y and their profit is that difference. This last category is technically more of a reseller than a sourcing agent and they usually step in for the manufacturer and guarantee the quality and timing of your purchase. Some do combinations of the above.

The best payment method for you will depend on your own individual situation. Speaking broadly, if you dont have much money, going with one of the last two methods will likely make the most sense. The key with any pricing arrangement is that your sourcing agent be straight with you.

The problem with all sourcing arrangements  especially the first two described above  is that it is so easy for the sourcing agent to go cheap with your foreign manufacturer and then split the savings with the manufacturer company, without your ever being the wiser. The Quality Inspection Blog just wrote about this problem in the The Danger of Choosing a Cheap Chinese Factory;

It is still possible (and not all that uncommon) for your intermediary to strike a side deal with your overseas manufacturer to get a 5-40%+ hidden commission on every sale. If your intermediary does have a side deal with your manufacturer, it also has incentive to use a too-cheap manufacturer so as to be better able to hide its secret commission from you. Too-cheap manufacturers are more likely to have quality control and delivery problems.

In addition to the hidden commission, sourcing agents generally get paid a percentage on the total order value, contingent on the order getting shipped and paid. This means they have an incentive to see the order go through. A high price obviously makes it harder for the purchaser to place the order (and it will take longer to that that order approved), therefore it is to be avoided. Many factors will push you in the arms of cheap suppliers, and it might not be in your best interest.

But enough about how bad product sourcing agents can be. What does a good sourcing agent bring to the table and how do you find such a sourcing agent and what do you do once you have one.

A good sourcing agent will accomplish some combination of the following for you, depending on your own priorities:

Find you a manufacturer that can make your product, or tell you that is not possible.

Find you a manufacturer that can make your product at the quality standard you need, or tell you that is not possible.

Find you a manufacture that can make your product at the price point you need, or tell you that is not possible.

Not cause you to lose your vulnerable IP at any stage of the process. This means your sourcing agent should either not reveal your IP or turn you over to legal counsel to protect it.

Continue working with your manufacturer after it has been chosen to ensure high quality or even to ensure that your products are evolving to meet changing technologies or demand or whatever.

There are a lot more things that good sourcing agents do beyond just the above, but this list should be a start.

How then do you find the right sourcing agent? How do you find a sourcing agent worth more than their weight in gold? The best way I know, unfortunately, is word of mouth. I say unfortunately because this means you already have to have in place or at least know someone who works with international manufacturing enough to be able to give you a good recommendation. My law firms international manufacturing lawyers have a long list of good sourcing agents, divided up by the type of product to be sourced (we dont recommend someone on the medical devices list to someone making socks and we dont recommend someone on the clothing list to someone making an Internet of Things product) and by country (we dont recommend our favorite Latin American sourcing agents to someone whose product should clearly be made in either Thailand or Vietnam) and by how they charge. I assume other attorneys that do a steady stream of international manufacturing work have similar lists. Logistics companies can be another good source, as can market entry consultants and those with a long history of having their own products made overseas.

Do you use sourcing agents? How did you find them? How have they worked out?
- T. S. Eliot

Thoughts After Lambeth

"The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide."
(Photo : Getty Images) The Huawei Mate 9 is expected to hit the market soon.

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Chinese tech giant Huawei has announced that it is planning to release two smartphones at the upcoming 2016 IFA conference in Berlin.



There are speculations that the Huawei Nova and Nova Plus models are the two smartphones that Huawei would be released at the event. Huawei has confirmed that the Mate S2 and the Mate 9 devices will not be unveiled at the upcoming IFA event.



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Adding more to the rumors are two teaser posters that Huawei released with a tag line that reads: "Defy Expectations." The posters were posted on Chinese social networking platform Weibo by Huawei Device Chief Executive Officer Richard Yu.



Not a lot is known about the Huawei Nova and the Nova Plus, aside from rumors that the Nova model is geared towards the mid-range market while the Nova Plus is equipped with specs for the premium market. According to Android Headlines, the Huawei Nova series of devices are slated to be marketed for women. Huawei is not entirely new to this type of marketing strategy as the company has already released versions of its Huawei Watch for women, the Huawei Watch Elegant and the Huawei Watch Jewel.



Huawei is slated to hold its pre-IFA event on Sept. 1 during which the company is expected to launch the new devices.



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(Photo : Getty Images) A sticker on the window of a local pub indicates the acceptance of Bitcoins for payment in Berlin, Germany.

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Bitcoin industry experts have predicted a drop in the growth of the online currency following Baidu's decision to stop all bitcoin advertisements on its search engine platform. Last week, Baidu decided to take down not only bitcoin ads but all virtual currency advertisements from its search engine. The company is yet to release an official statement about this decision.



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While Baidu has not commented on the issue, China's largest bitcoin exchange OKCoin said that it received a notice from Baidu before the latter's recent move. Baidu's decision to ban bitcoin advertisements on its platform had led to a public outcry, with some netizens claiming that the decision is the start of bitcoin's downfall.



In a statement acquired by Nikkei Asian Review, a Baidu employee familiar with the issue said, "We are taking stricter measures on healthcare and financial advertisements as they are more high-risk to our business."



In May, Baidu was entangled in a public scandal when a student died after taking medical advice listed on the company's internet search engine platform.



Financial experts have noted that Baidu's recent move to limit bitcoin ads is in line with the Chinese government's efforts to curb financial rime. In March, the Chinese government announced that it is strengthening its efforts against online fraud.



OKCoin claims that China is responsible for at least 30 percent of the global bitcoin trading. However, OKCoin Chief Executive Officer Star Xu said that the lack of sophisticated investment firms catering to bitcoin is a major factor affecting the growth of the industry.



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(Photo : YouTube) OnePlus has closed its last brick-and-mortar store in China.

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With the overly crowded smartphone market, certain brands have to cut corners on their marketing strategy to stay at the edge. China is probably the largest smartphone market in the world, and its playing field has become riskier and more difficult. Due to this overwhelming competition, Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus has announced that it is closing all of its offline retail stores in Shanghai and Beijing.



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Since November 2015, OnePlus has closed 45 offline stores across China. The two outlets based in Beijing and Shanghai were considered the company's last bastion of flagship stores. This move means that OnePlus will no longer have any self-owned offline store in the country.



The Shenzhen-based company said that the reason behind the recent closure is to ensure that its production resources are efficiently divided into more pressing parts of its business.



OnePlus also said that its strategy for the future would focus on software development, e-commerce outlets, and the development of high-performance products for consumers.



In June, OnePlus officially launched its latest flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 3. During the launch of the smartphone, OnePlus chief executive officer Liu Zuoho said that the company is looking to focus more on online sales platforms in China and finally forego offline stores. At the same time, Liu also highlighted that company's plan to focus more on product development to further improve its good reputation.



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(Photo : Getty Images) Baidu is dropping its drone delivery takeaway service.

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Last year, Chinese tech giant Baidu, under its Baidu Takeaway brand, launched a new courier food delivery service that uses drones instead of people. Recently, Baidu announced that it is dropping its Takeaway service, as well as several other projects related to it.



In a statement, Baidu director of deep learning laboratory Lin Yuanqing said, "Unmanned aerial vehicles are indeed a very good project, but we are puzzled with how Baidu can compete with DJI, because we do not produce them."



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Lin added that the market value of drones used for food delivery is not the big, hence the decision to abandon the project. The director also said that its technologies are better off used in other places.



Although Baidu is giving up on its drone projects, the company is still optimistic about its artificial intelligence research. Drones are currently hailed as a very lucrative market, and Baidu cites that software and technology behind these drones are still a viable outlet for business.



Baidu's artificial intelligence division is currently tasked with researching on six possible outlets" augmented reality technology, fine-grained image recognition, basic image recognition, deep learning platform, and medical image recognition."



Lin said that Baidu's image recognition technology is currently high-ranking. He added that the technology is equipped with a mobile terminal ID recognition accuracy of more than 99 percent. Regarding its fine grained image recognition technology, Lin said that Baidu would launch new features for the Noumi application this September.



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(Photo : Getty Images) Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd-L) meets Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz (2nd-R) after a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.

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Saudi Arabia has strengthened its ties with China as the country signed 15 preliminary agreements in various sectors including energy and housing on Tuesday during a visit of the deputy crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to China.



Mohammed met with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli in Beijing and signed cooperative documents covering culture, energy, finance, housing, investment, politics, quality inspection, science, technology, and water resources, Xinhua reported.



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"During the meeting, the strategic relationships and future opportunities to enhance the existing partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and China were reviewed," state news agency SPA said.



The said visit paved the way for the two nations to announce a comprehensive strategic partnership and establish a high-level steering committee to guide and coordinate cooperation.



Zhang said that China sees its bilateral ties with Saudi from a strategic and long-term perspective, emphasizing that Saudi Arabia plays as an important cooperative partner for China in the West Asia and the North African region.



Meanwhile, Mohammed said that Saudi Arabia's partnership with China is viewed with strategic importance as well, noting that both nations enjoy great possibilities for cooperation. He called on both sides to strengthen coordination, jointly fight against terrorism, and advocate international and regional peace and stability.



In April, Mohammed launched radical economic reforms meant to develop non-oil industries in Saudi Arabia, according to Alarabiya. These reforms attracted billions of dollars of investments, and banks from China and Japan are anticipated to play major roles in the process.



In January, China's President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Saudi Arabia, reaching consensus on different issues with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saudi.



Mohammed, who arrived in China on Monday, is on his second leg of a three-day Asia tour that began in Islamabad, Pakistan, Arab News reported. The deputy crown prince is scheduled to visit Japan between Aug. 31 and Sept. 3 to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.



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(Photo : YouTube Screenshot) Investment firm Zhongwang USA LLC has agreed to buy Ohio-based aluminum company Aleris Corp for $2.33 billion including debt.

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Investment firm Zhongwang USA LLC has agreed to buy Ohio-based aluminum company Aleris Corp for $2.33 billion including debt, the Chinese aluminum maker backed by Liu Zhongtian said on Monday, marking the biggest deal a Chinese firm has offered for a US metals producer.



"This acquisition is about expansion, not consolidation," Zhongwang USA told Bloomberg. "The companies are complementary in terms of geographical footprints and capabilities."



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Following the acquisition, Liu Zhongtian, majority owner of Zhongwang USA LLC, will lead the company. However, "Aleris and Zhongwang will continue to operate independently," Zhongwang USA said, adding that there will be "no overlap or competition" between the two.



According to China Money Network, the deal is being conducted via Zhongwang USA LLC, which is owned by Zhongwang International Group Ltd., the parent company of China Zhongwang. The payment terms include $1.11 billion cash for the equity and the remaining $1.22 billion in assumption of net debt.



The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of next year after obtaining customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions.



Currently, Aleris owns 14 plants across the world and has an annual revenue of $3 billion. It is also planning to expand in Lewisport, Kentucky, to increase aluminum sheets production for car and truck makers to 200,000 tonnes per year and begin shipping next year.



The deal will pave the way for China Zhongwang to gain better access to automakers in the United States, The Wall Street Journal reported. Liu said that Aleris is "well-positioned to capitalize on the positive demand trends we see globally."



Aleris has been owned by a private equity investors conglomerate led by Oaktree Capital Management since 2010.



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(Photo : Getty Images) Microsoft is urging corporate users to switch to newer and more secure computer system platforms as soon as possible to prevent larger issues from surfacing.

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Microsoft has decided to sell its MSN China web portal Xichuang Technology, a company co-founded late last year by MSN China's former general manager.



In May, Microsoft said that it would shut down the MSN China web portal. However, the company has entered into a management buyout agreement with Xichuang Technology (Beijing) Co. under which Xichuang would acquire Microsoft Online Network Communications Technology (Shanghai) Co. It will be led by the units former chief executive Liu Zhenyu. Both companies did not disclose the specifics of the deal, but said that they would continue to work closely together, according to ZDNet.



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Microsoft pointed out that it will continue to work in areas like advertising display technology, an area where Google is currently the global leader. Apart from the MSN portal, Microsofts other main China internet business is its Bing.cn search engine, which has also struggled to find an audience.



Microsoft's retreat from the web portal business follows a similar trail of failures by foreign companies in the Chinese Internet market. Google, Yahoo, eBay and most recently Wal-Mart have also chalked losses. Nonetheless, Microsoft stressed that China is still one of its major strategic markets going forward, Forbes reported. The companys Windows and Office software are still very popular in the market.



After selling off the unpopular unit, Microsoft plans to continue to invest in China in other businesses, including computing and cloud services. The company will focus on developing more personalized calculations, building smart cloud platforms, as well as attracting more users and partners.



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(Photo : YouTube Screenshot) Cambodian authorities have arrested 64 suspects from mainland China and Taiwan over an internet scam.

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Cambodian authorities nabbed 64 people from mainland China and Taiwan on Tuesday for allegedly being involved in an internet scam.



Preliminary reports reveal that out of the 60 suspects, at least a dozen were from Taiwan, Ouk Haiseila, chief of Cambodia's Interior Ministry's Immigration Investigation Bureau, said.



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According to Haiseila, the suspects, which include eight women, are accused of operating an Internet scam using voice over internet protocol technology (VoIP).



The alleged scammers were arrested in a rented house in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh on Tuesday following a month-long surveillance of the suspected extortion racket.



The immigration department "found the place and conducted an investigation for three months prior to taking action," Haiseila said.



Authorities confiscated 57 VoIP boxes, 57 Wi-Fi routers, and eight laptops. Haiseila said that the suspects have been sent to the immigration department for questioning. They were detained at Chbar Ampov district's Veal Sbov Commune, Cambodia Daily reported.



"These suspects are now detained by immigration police for questioning and then we will deport them back to China," he said.



In June, about 39 Chinese and Taiwanese suspects were also nabbed in Phnom Penh for a similar scam. However, Taiwan protested after Cambodia decision to deport the 25 Taiwanese suspects to China.



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(Photo : Getty Images) Australias former Prime Minister Paul Keating has criticized the country's foreign policy.

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Australia's former Prime Minister Paul Keating has warned that Australia's present foreign policy is incapable of handling the rise of China and the waning influence of America globally.



"The fact is Australia needs a foreign policy and it needs it urgently and Australia does not have a foreign policy, that's the biggest problem," Keating said.



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Keating made the critical remark on Australia's foreign policy while addressing the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology in Sydney, ABC News reported.



"We both need and deserve a nuanced foreign policy which does take account of these big seismic shifts in the world. And we can't ever be caught up in some containment policy of China ... to assist the Americans in trying to preserve strategic hegemony in Asia and the Pacific," Keating told the audience in Sydney.



He added that Australia should not just help the US to preserve the strategic hegemony in Asia and the Pacific, claiming that America is incapable of preserving its dominance in the region.



Keating also lamented over the diminishing influence of Australia's foreign policy, adding that Australia has become a much more marginal power over the last 20 years. He noted that humanitarian operations such as responding to the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 were worthy efforts to enhance Australia's influence, but not enough.



Keating voiced support for the Australian government's recent decision to block the sale of Ausgrid to Chinese companies.



"I don't think any state-owned company of any country ought to hold or be able to own and control key strategic telecommunications assets in Australia," Keating said.



However, Keating added that he has no problem with foreign companies owning non-strategic assets in Australia.



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(Photo : Getty Images) Xiaomi's MI Pay service would be officially launched on Thursday.

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This week, Xiaomi Corp would become the first Chinese smartphone company to offer mobile payment service on its devices. The service would put the company on the same level as its close rivals Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co, who have launched a similar service.



Xiaomi Corp announced on its official Weibo account on Tuesday that it would start offering MI Pay service from Thursday in partnership with China UnionPay, China Daily reported.



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The MI Pay service will leverage NFC technology that will allow consumers to pay bills by merely holding their smartphones near point-of-sale terminals. The service can be easily connected to credit cards and debit cards from 10 banks, the company said in a statement.



Consumers can also double up the MI Pay service as a transportation card to take a ride on buses and subways. The transportation service is already ready for trial service in Shenzhen and Shanghai and other four cities, a Xiaomi employee told China Daily.



With MI Pay, Xiaomi is clearly looking to diversify its product range in a bid to shore up its revenue. The company has been under pressure due to its declining shipments amid mounting competition from rivals and the steadily slowing smartphone market.



Last month, Xiaomi's domestic rival Huawei Technologies announced the impending launch of a similar payment service. China's online payment market, which is still in its infancy, is currently dominated by Alibaba's Alipay and Tencent's WeChat Payment.



Analysts claim that it would not be easy for Xiaomi, Huawei, and other newly launched services to dislodge Alipay and WeChat.



"NFC-enabled payment services are still quite new in China because local consumers have been using Alipay and Tenpay (mobile payment applications developed by Alibaba and Tencent) for a long time. it is quite difficult to change consumers' preferences and user habits," said Li Chao, an analyst at research firm iResearch Consulting Group.



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TagsXiaomi, china, Online Payment Services in China, Mi Pay, Chinese smartphone news
(Photo : NASA) NASA astronaut Dr. Kate Rubins shows the results of the first DNA sequencing in space. The MinION sequencer she used for this historic event is the small gray rectangle below the monitor.

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NASA astronaut Dr. Kathleen "Kate' Rubins is the first person to sequence DNA in space and the device she used might one day help save the lives of astronauts on long space voyages.



Dr. Rubins, 37, is a microbiologist who is currently a flight engineer for Expedition 48/49 on the International Space Station (ISS). She became the 60th woman in space when she launched on Soyuz MS-01 last July.



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Dr. Rubins received a Bachelor of Science degree in molecular biology from the University of California San Diego and a Ph.D. degree in cancer biology from Stanford University Medical School Biochemistry Department and Microbiology and Immunology Department.



NASA announced Dr. Rubins achieved this feat last week using a handheld biomolecules sequencer called MinION developed in the United Kingdom by Oxford Nanopore Technologies. The handheld sequencer allows astronauts to identify molds or bacteria aboard spacecraft and might even catalog life on other worlds.



The device can also help astronauts diagnose illness in space and allow them to identify disease-causing microbes on the ISS. DNA sequencing determines the order of the four chemical building blocks that make up the genetic information from a given living organism.



The MinION sequencer is smaller than a smartphone and uses nanopores (or very small holes) to analyze genomic data in real time. The device passes an ionic current through the nanopores, measuring changes in the current as organic molecules pass by. These changes can be used to identify each molecule.



"The test of the Biomolecule Sequencer on ISS is an important first step to learning how to sequence macromolecules like DNA in space," said Jason Dworkin, a biochemist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.



"This is important to search for evidence of life elsewhere in the solar system -- Mars, Europa, Enceladus -- and be able to distinguish it from any biological contamination we brought with us from Earth."



Spores, molds, and fungi can survive in the low gravity in a spacecraft. With DNA sequencing, astronauts can identify these microbes and make informed in-flight decisions.



Before NASA's successful DNA sequencing trial, however, there was no way to sequence DNA aboard the ISS or any other crewed spacecraft. All samples had to be sent back to Earth for testing.



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TagsNASA, Dr. Kathleen "Kate' Rubins, DNA, handheld biomolecules sequencer, MinION, DNA Sequencing
(Photo : Getty Images.) China on Wednesday issued a security advisory to its citizens in Kyrgyzstan after a suicide bomber attacked the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan.

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China on Wednesday issued a security advisory to its citizens in Kyrgyzstan after a suicide bomber attacked the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital city Bishkek on Tuesday.



"(We) remind Chinese citizens and organizations in Kyrgyzstan to be on high alert, increase necessary security measures and response preparations, go out as little as possible and not go to crowded places," China's foreign ministry said on its official website.



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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told said on Wednesday that Kyrgyzstan's government must investigate Tuesday's attack thoroughly, Reuters said. Hua Chunying added that China would work with Kyrgyzstan to swiftly arrest the perpetrators of the attack.



On Tuesday a suicide bomber's vehicle crashed through the gates of the Chinese embassy and exploded in the center of the compound. The attack left at least three people dead and several people injured. All the victims in the bomb blast were Kyrgyz nationals, Kyrgyzstan Deputy PM Zhenish Razakov said.



Although no terrorist organization has taken official responsibility for Tuesday's attack, the blame is most likely going to fall on the Turkic-speaking Uighur Muslim ethnic community. The community is engaged in a low-intensity insurgency war against China in Xinjiang region, demanding complete independence from China's communist regime.



In 2014, Kyrgyz border security guards killed 11 people believed to be Uighur militants from China for illegally crossing the China- Kyrgyz border.



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ACLU: Christian woman should be allowed to cover head in driver's license photo 30 August, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |

TUSKEGEE, Alabama (Christian Examiner)  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), known for its liberal outlook on topics such as human sexuality and abortion, has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Christian woman who was forced to remove her head scarf for her driver's license photo.

According to the lawsuit, when Yvonne Allen went to renew her driver's license in Lee County, Ala., in December 2015, she was instructed to remove her head covering because, county workers said, religious accommodations on head coverings "applied only to Muslims."

Revealing my hair to others is disobedient to God. I should have the same right as people of other faiths to be accommodated for my religious beliefs.

Workers then, according to the filing, belittled Allen's "sincerely held religious beliefs, with the Chief Clerk informing her that she was herself a Christian and did not cover her head."

"Left with no choice if she wished to renew her license, Ms. Allen  with tears in her eyes and feeling sick to her stomach over the violation of her religious beliefs  removed her head covering," the lawsuit claims.

While the complaint does not identify the denomination to which Allen belongs, some Christian denominations  such as the Mennonite Brethren  do mandate a head covering for women in public and especially in church. There is also a growing "head covering movement" among some church groups. The movement began in Canada in 2014 and has spread to parts of the U.S. Some Protestant groups in Europe and Asia also require the practice.

For her part, Allen bases her views on her interpretation of the Apostle Paul's instructions to women in the Bible.

"Wearing a headscarf is an integral part of her sincerely held Christian beliefs," the ACLU lawsuit claims. "Ms. Allen believes that the Bible  in particular, 1 Corinthians 11  commands her to show her submission to God by covering her hair in public. She believes that removing her headscarf in public is disobedient to God."

It is widely agreed among biblical scholars that the head covering mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 pertains to worship, but Paul offers no blanket instruction for public head covering outside of that assembly.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency allows driver's license applicants to wear head coverings for religious reasons, as long as the "full face" is visible  or from the top of the forehead to the chin.

"Head coverings and headgear are only acceptable due to religious beliefs or medical conditions, and even then, may not obscure any portion of the applicant's face," the regulation reads.

In a joint statement from the ACLU and the ACLU of Alabama, Allen was quoted as saying she was "devastated" by being forced to remove the head scarf. It did not say if she was allowed to or asked to wear the head scarf in her previous driver's license photo. It also did not indicate when she came to the opinion that her head should be covered in public.

"Revealing my hair to others is disobedient to God. I should have the same right as people of other faiths to be accommodated for my religious beliefs," Allen said.

Susan Watson, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama, said the county's interpretation of rules violent the First Amendment because the government must allow the same exemption for all religions.

The government cannot discriminate between faiths in granting religious accommodations," Watson said.

Heather Weaver, senior staff attorney for the ACLU's "Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief," also said there was no reason for the county to have mandated the removal of the head covering.

"The Constitution protects both Christians and Muslims and, indeed, people of all faiths," Weaver said.

The lawsuit, aimed at the Lee County judges responsible for overseeing the driver's license operation, asks for damages and attorneys' fees for Allen. It also pleads with the court for Allen to be able to retake the photo.

To read the lawsuit, click here.
Astronaut Jeff Williams from space to chapel: 'I believe in (God) as creator' Guest Reviewer | 31 August, 2016 by Michael Foust

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Christian Examiner)  The NASA astronaut who holds the American record for cumulative days in space spoke to a seminary chapel audience from the International Space Station Tuesday, providing a glimpse into his daily work and telling them he enjoys marveling at the "creative work by an infinite God."

"You see the design. You see the beauty. You see the purpose. You see all of those elements. You see order in all of the details. That's what I see when I look out the window," astronaut Jeff Williams said during a 13-minute video chat with Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr.

Williams is scheduled to return to Earth Sept. 6, but on Aug. 24 he surpassed 520 cumulative days in space, breaking astronaut Scott Kelly's previous record.

When Williams spoke to the chapel audience he had just passed over Baja, California, and Canada and currently was over the Atlantic Ocean. He and his crewmates orbit the Earth every 90 minutes, travelling 17,500 mph, roughly 250 miles above the planet.

He and Mohler are friends.

"I'm a Christian like most if not all of you, and so I believe in God," Williams told the chapel audience. "I believe in Him as creator and redeemer through Jesus Christ."

The "expansiveness" of space, Williams said, "is beyond our comprehension."

"We have a hard time comprehending the word 'infinity,' but certainly the expanse of creation is infinity as far as we can understand it," he said. "But yet you look down at the planet and you see this marvelous, unique place we call Earth, uniquely designed ... to sustain life."

He said he misses relationships and his family the most.

"As believers, we understand how central relationships are to the human experience," he said.

Asked what he would tell the seminary students, he replied, in part, "We're not put on planet Earth ... for ourselves."
Five Christians 'disappeared' in Iran 31 August, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |

TEHRAN (Christian Examiner)  Five Christians arrested by Iranian intelligence officials Aug. 26 have not been heard from since, leading family members to believe they are being tortured for their faith  or worse.

Middle East Concern (MEC), which monitors violations of religious freedom in the region, reported the arrests  more like abductions  Aug. 29.

Ramiel Bet Tarmaz, Amin Nader Afshar, Hadi Askary, Mohomad Dehnay and Amir Sina Dashti were with their wives north of Tehran in the town of Firuzkuh where they were fishing and having a family picnic. According to the report from MEC, intelligence officials arrived at the site at 1:30 p.m. They separated the women from their husbands and beat Amin Nader Afshar after he asked to see an arrest warrant.

There was no warrant.

The type of case, however, is common and not unrelated to recent events. Ramiel Bet Tamraz is reportedly the son of an Assyrian Christian pastor arrested the day after Christmas 2014. Victor Bet Tamraz was celebrating Christmas with his family at home when arrested. Amin Nader Afshar was also arrested during the same raid.

MEC reported that Victor Bet Tamraz was charged with leading a house church, which is illegal in Iran, as well as "conducting evangelism" and "Bible printing and distribution."

Both Tamraz and Afshar were eventually released on bail, but were expected to face charges at a later date for their worship of Jesus Christ. In fact, family members believe police are trying to elicit a confession from Afshar and further evidence against Tamraz for the Christmas arrest.

Iran is listed as a "Country of Particular Concern" by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

According to the State Department's recent report on religious freedom, Iran's penal code "specifies the death sentence for proselytizing and attempts by non-Muslims to convert Muslims, as well as for moharebeh ('enmity against God') and sabb al-nabi ('insulting the prophets')."

For example, in 2009, Yousef Nadarkhani, a pastor in the "Church of Iran," was arrested for questioning the mandatory teaching of the Quran in school  a practice he said violated the country's Constitution. He was arrested for subversion, but later charged with and sentenced to death for apostasy. He was acquitted in 2012, but has now been charged with attempting to disrupt the nation by participating in evangelism and "Zionist activities."

Ironically, Aug. 30 was the International Day for the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. According to the USCIRF, "the disappearance of persons by [their] abduction or clandestine detention" is one factor in designating a nation a Country of Particular Concern.
Egyptian officials passed a law this week regarding rules for building a church, but critics are worried the law isnt enough to protect Christians.

In the past, local authorities have often blocked building permits for new churches and Christians have illegally built buildings, which have then been attacked by Muslims. Comparatively, building a mosque faces fewer restrictions.

Christians had hoped that a law passed by Egyptian lawmakers would create more rights to build, but under the law passed Tuesday, Christians must apply to the local provincial governor when they want to build a church.

According to ABCnews.com, the size of the church must be appropriate to the number of Christians in the area. The governor will also take into consideration "the preservation of security and public order" when considering the building permit.

"The church and the government reached a reconciliatory agreement. Thank God we have this law now, said Father Sergius, a top official in the Coptic Church.

Another Christian lawmaker, Nadia Henary said the law has flaws, but that we have to respect the opinion of the majority. I am a daughter of the Church and I respect the priests and the Church leadership."

According to Egypts state agency, the law passed with two-thirds of the lawmakers.

Publication date: August 31, 2016
A new research on teens commissioned by the American Bible Society and carried out by Barna revealed that about 70 percent of teenagers in America own a personal Bible.

One of the remarkable findings of the survey was that a quarter of teens read the Bible at least once each week. Of them, 3 percent read it every day, 11 percent read the Bible several times or more than 4 times per week, and another 11 percent read it once a week.

Some 37 percent say they never read the Bible.

"American teens sometimes get a bad rap as being uninterested or even anti-faith," said Arthur Satterwhite, senior manager at American Bible Society. "But today's Teen State of the Bible report shows that a majority of America's teens have respect for and interest in the Bible."

A significant majority (86 percent) of teens said that the Bible was a sacred book for them. Those who did not identify themselves as Christian were also more likely to choose Bible as the Holy book (61 percent).

The proportion of teenagers who very rarely read the Bible was small compared to the two extremes. About 9 percent of teenagers said they read it once a month, while 10 percent managed to read it only three or four times a year.

As many as 36 percent of teens spent 15-29 minutes reading the Bible, while 22 percent spend 30 to 44 minutes on it. About 7 percent of the teens read the Bible for one hour or more. About 31 percent read the text for less than 15 minutes.

A majority of Bible readers (54 percent) said that they read Scripture to bring them closer to God. Some 12 percent said they read the Bible because they think they are supposed to, 8 percent said they read it for comfort, and another 6 percent said they read the Bible because they need direction for their lives. About 11 percent said they read it for other reasons.

A majority (70 percent) of teens read the Bible in print version, or while attending a small group Bible study (50 percent). About 46 percent use their cell phones to search for Bible verses, 35 percent searched for the scripture online, and some 33 percent used a Bible app on smartphones.

About 16 percent of teens listened to audio Bibles, and an equal proportion listen to Bible sermon podcasts.

About 96 percent of practicing Protestants and 67 percent of practicing Catholics said that the Bible was a source of hope and guidance for them. Only 44 percent of non-practicing Christians agreed with that. A significant proportion (35 percent) of teens said that the Bible helps them to live a meaningful life.

"Many teens are recognizing that the Bible speaks to the complete human experience -- the struggles and trials and triumphs of life," said Satterwhite. "American Bible Society will continue to develop tools and resources to help teens dive into God's Word and experience its life-changing message."

The survey was conducted on 1,013 teens in the age group of 13-17 years, across the US, between May 6 and 23.
I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up.
If 2016 has made one thing clear, its that the national conversation about race has changed forever. Its 153 years after Emancipation, 51 years after Jim Crow, and 2 years after Ferguson, and Americans everywhere are working, fighting, and struggling to come to grips with the shadows of racial violence and discrimination that stain our nations past, haunt our present, and cast doubts over our future. In our cities, neighborhoods, and homes, were having hard conversations about Americas makeup: conversations that have been decades in the making. And, not surprisingly, many of those same conversations are challenging and changing our churches as well.

Bryan Loritts, Lead Pastor of Mountainview, Californias Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, is one Christian leader who has decided to welcome both the promises and challenges of multiethnic ministry with open arms. As the former cofounder of a multiethnic church plant in Memphis and the current president of the Kainos Movement, Loritts has seen firsthand how diversity can change churches for the better. Now, with the tech industry drawing people from across the world to his churchs Silicon Valley home, hes learned a thing or two about how churches everywhere can respond to national questions of race and ethnicity:

In July, we have all this crazy stuff happening. The thing happens in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and that man gets killedAlton Sterling. And then Philando Castile happens the next day. And then these Dallas police officers are brutally massacred by an evil person. So I go, HuhIve gotta speak into this at our church. Its my first time at the church actually speaking into race. ...

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If youre a woman of color who works in or serves with an evangelical organization, youre probably used to being the only one who shares your gender and background. The overwhelming majority of evangelical organizations, colleges, and churches are run and often staffed by white men (and to a lesser extent white women). Conference speaker lists and book award lists can look similarly homogenous. Dealing with the patronizing or ignorant remarks of well-meaning coworkers and people who dont see color may leave you exhausted.

Enter the Women of Color retreat: Organized for the first time last year by Duke Divinity School professor Christena Cleveland and McAfee School of Theology professor Chanequa Walker-Barnes, the 24-hour program is designed to encourage and support women of color of faith. This years conference will be held this weekend in Los Angeles at the conclusion of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) conference. (More info here.)

So much of the work that we do, the battles that we face, and the quandaries that we find ourselves in, were doing it isolated, because were each called to different organizations, Cleveland recently told CT.

Last years retreat was a welcome break from that reality.

It was powerful to walk into the room and know that I was at home. It wasnt just, Oh I read an article that really encouraged me. It was, This person is sitting right next to me. We are holding hands and talking about life together.

Cleveland, the author of Disunity in Christ, recently discussed with Lee her vision for the retreat, whether its model can be used at other Christian conferences, and how church leaders and ...

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Labor Day Teresa Canonization Contrasts with Hillary Presidential Campaign, says John Snyder Contact: John Snyder, 202-239-8085,



TITUSVILLE, Fla., Aug. 31, 2016 /



"The moral differences between these two prominent women bring to mind a core meditation in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus," Snyder continued.



"This is the meditation on two standards, the standard of Christ and the standard of Satan," Snyder added. "The defense of the right to life and opposition to abortion by St. Teresa as a follower of Christ contrasts with the promotion of abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage by Hillary as a puppet of the devil."



"Catholic bishops should take note," Snyder declared. "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and individual bishops have a moral obligation to inform parishioners they cannot vote in good conscience for a political candidate who supports abortion. That means Hillary Clinton."



Snyder noted, "St. Teresa told attendees at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. in 1994 that, 'The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself.'



"Among the attendees was First Lady Hillary Clinton, who did not applaud, but 'glistened in the lights and moved not a muscle, looking at the speaker in a determinedly semi-pleasant way,' recalled Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan."



Snyder noted Life News indicated Hillary would "make Christians change their religious views to support abortion."



He said an American Values Action video showed Clinton stating: "deep seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed," "the unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights," and "the only people that I would ever appoint to the Supreme Court are people who believe that Roe v. Wade is settled law."



"Clinton Supreme Court justice nominees would rule to undermine freedom of religion," Snyder warned. "A Hillary presidency would persecute individual Catholics and the institutional Catholic Church.



"Catholic bishops should stop acting like weasels and accept their moral responsibility to tell parishioners they may not vote in good conscience for abortion promoter Clinton. Voters could select the Trump-Pence right to life ticket."

Share Tweet Contact: John Snyder, 202-239-8085, gundean@gmail.com TITUSVILLE, Fla., Aug. 31, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- "The canonization of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta on the day before Labor Day contrasts sharply with the abortion promoting presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton," John M. Snyder of Telum Associates said here today."The moral differences between these two prominent women bring to mind a core meditation in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus," Snyder continued."This is the meditation on two standards, the standard of Christ and the standard of Satan," Snyder added. "The defense of the right to life and opposition to abortion by St. Teresa as a follower of Christ contrasts with the promotion of abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage by Hillary as a puppet of the devil.""Catholic bishops should take note," Snyder declared. "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and individual bishops have a moral obligation to inform parishioners they cannot vote in good conscience for a political candidate who supports abortion. That means Hillary Clinton."Snyder noted, "St. Teresa told attendees at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. in 1994 that, 'The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself.'"Among the attendees was First Lady Hillary Clinton, who did not applaud, but 'glistened in the lights and moved not a muscle, looking at the speaker in a determinedly semi-pleasant way,' recalled Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan."Snyder noted Life News indicated Hillary would "make Christians change their religious views to support abortion."He said an American Values Action video showed Clinton stating: "deep seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed," "the unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights," and "the only people that I would ever appoint to the Supreme Court are people who believe that Roe v. Wade is settled law.""Clinton Supreme Court justice nominees would rule to undermine freedom of religion," Snyder warned. "A Hillary presidency would persecute individual Catholics and the institutional Catholic Church."Catholic bishops should stop acting like weasels and accept their moral responsibility to tell parishioners they may not vote in good conscience for abortion promoter Clinton. Voters could select the Trump-Pence right to life ticket."
International Cooperating Ministries Celebrates 30 Years ICM has partnered with indigenous ministries to build 6,000-plus church projects in 82 nations and distribute a free study of the entire Bible in more than 40 languages



Contact: Lisa Cherry, 757-848-5712



HAMPTON, Va., Aug. 31, 2016 /



Events marking ICM's 30th anniversary are scheduled to take place throughout the year, including the 2nd annual ICM Women's Conference, "God in the Crossroads: Signs of Hope," on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Williamsburg Community Chapel. We've invited New York Times bestselling author Ellen Vaughn to speak on her new book with ICM CEO Janice Allen. In addition, Morgan Perry, executive producer/producer of "Sex+Money: A National Search for Human Worth," will share segments of a new documentary called "Nefarious: Merchant of Souls." Carole Ward, Director of Favor of God Ministries, will share what God is doing in Uganda and South Sudan amidst unbelievable obstacles. Worship will be led by Anya King of Belarus.



Virginia Chamber of Commerce President and former Newport News Mayor Barry DuVal and former Newport News City Council Member and Vice Mayor Donald Patten, of Patten, Wornom, Hatten and Diamonstein, are co-chairing ICM's 30th Anniversary Gala, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20 at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News. The night will include heavy hors d'oeuvres, music by Broadway and opera vocalist Branch Fields and a complimentary self-guided tour of the USS Monitor Center. Tickets are $75. A portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible. For more information on these events, call (757) 827-6704, email



International Cooperating Ministries is a ministry of the Rosser Foundation, a public charity tax-exempt 501(c)(3), located at 1901 N. Armistead Ave., Hampton, Virginia 23666-4311. For more information, visit

Share Tweet Contact: Lisa Cherry, 757-848-5712HAMPTON, Va., Aug. 31, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- International Cooperating Ministries (ICM), a nonprofit whose vision is a church within walking distance of every man, woman and child in our lifetime, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Started in 1986 by businessman Dois I. Rosser, Jr., founder of POMOCO, ICM has collaborated with indigenous ministry partners to build more than 6,000 churches for congregations in 82 countries. At no charge, ICM distributes the late Pastor Dick Woodward's Mini Bible College, a comprehensive Bible study available in more than 40 languages via apps, broadcast radio, Internet, audio players and print. With these two tools, the church building and a practical understanding of the Bible, congregations begin to address the social needs of people in their villages, providing vocational training, education, food, shelter, medical care and clean water.Events marking ICM's 30th anniversary are scheduled to take place throughout the year, including the 2nd annual ICM Women's Conference, "God in the Crossroads: Signs of Hope," on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Williamsburg Community Chapel. We've invited New York Times bestselling author Ellen Vaughn to speak on her new book with ICM CEO Janice Allen. In addition, Morgan Perry, executive producer/producer of "Sex+Money: A National Search for Human Worth," will share segments of a new documentary called "Nefarious: Merchant of Souls." Carole Ward, Director of Favor of God Ministries, will share what God is doing in Uganda and South Sudan amidst unbelievable obstacles. Worship will be led by Anya King of Belarus.Virginia Chamber of Commerce President and former Newport News Mayor Barry DuVal and former Newport News City Council Member and Vice Mayor Donald Patten, of Patten, Wornom, Hatten and Diamonstein, are co-chairing ICM's 30th Anniversary Gala, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20 at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News. The night will include heavy hors d'oeuvres, music by Broadway and opera vocalist Branch Fields and a complimentary self-guided tour of the USS Monitor Center. Tickets are $75. A portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible. For more information on these events, call (757) 827-6704, email csimmons@icm.org or visit www.icm.org/events International Cooperating Ministries is a ministry of the Rosser Foundation, a public charity tax-exempt 501(c)(3), located at 1901 N. Armistead Ave., Hampton, Virginia 23666-4311. For more information, visit www.icm.org
home World ACLJ slams UN for ignoring genocide of Christians by ISIS

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) criticized the United Nations (U.N.) for ignoring the genocide of Christians. ACLJ delivered a letter to the U.N., asking them to recognize the violence committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) against Christians and other religious minorities.

The document was addressed to the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide (OSAPG). It reiterated the role of the OSAPG in recognizing the victims of genocide and called on the organization to make recommendations to the Security Council for the prevention of atrocities.

The letter cited several cases of violence committed by ISIS against Christians as well as cases of destruction and confiscation of their properties. ACLJ also included firsthand accounts of genocide survivors.

In one case, a man complained that he received no help from the Iraqi government or the United Nations: "On July 27,204, during the visit to the area by the officials in the Iraqi government, led by the Speaker of Parliament, we presented them with what happened to us and asked for their help to no avail. We did the same during the U.N. visit to the area, again to no avail."

ACLJ also notified the OSAPG about the expansion of the atrocities beyond the borders of Syria and Iraq. The letter cited several cases of Christians executed in Libya.

A statement from ACLJ's website read: "This is the bottom line: the victims of ISIS's genocide are real people. Their stories are real. The terror they experienced and the losses they have suffered are real."

The organization also encouraged Christians to share its reports on social media and sign the petition to stop the genocide.

Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of ACLJ, wrote in early August that a representative from the office of the U.N. Secretary General already raised the issue of genocide committed by ISIS to the Security Council. Other countries have also called for the protection of religious minorities at the U.N. Human Rights Council.
home World China still conducting forced abortions on pregnant women despite shift to Two-Child Policy

Forced abortions and sterilizations are still performed in China despite the abandonment of the One-Child Policy, according to Women's Rights Without Frontiers (WRWF). The organization recently filed a complaint to the U.N. over the continuation of coercive population control programs enforced by the government.

"Characterizing this latest modification as 'abandoning' the One-Child Policy is misleading. A two-child policy will not end any of the human rights abuses caused by the One-Child Policy, including forced abortion, involuntary sterilization or the sex-selective abortion of baby girls," stated the complaint addressed to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women.

According to Sixth Tone, a woman identified only as Anxiang had to abort her pregnancy at six months after she and her husband were threatened with the loss of their government jobs. The couple thought they were allowed to have another child but they were found in violation of the provincial policy because there is no mention of the case for remarried couples.

Some Chinese provinces like Guangdong do not allow remarried couples who already have children from previous marriages to have another child. An anonymous staffer at the Guangdong Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission told Sixth Tone that new regulations regarding remarried couples are currently being reviewed.

Reggie Littlejohn, president of WRWF, expressed her dismay over Anxiang's situation. "Our hearts go out to Anxiang and her husband. Although Anxiang was not physically dragged out of her home for an abortion, this abortion was nevertheless coerced. You can force someone through physical coercion or financial coercion," she said.

WRWF criticized China for citing the One-Child Policy as a means of fighting climate change and for recommending the policy to other nations. The organization pointed out that the Chinese government eliminated many lives through forced abortion and sterilization.

"Forced abortion is not a choice. It is official government rape," the WWRF declared.

WWRF called on the U.N. to persuade China to abandon the Two-Child Policy and any other means of coercive population control.
home World Church of England deploys drones to conduct surveys of its historic churches

The Church of England will use drones to identify Yorkshire churches in need of maintenance. This is part of the Yorkshire Maintenance Project to keep churches in good condition.

The project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, will include training workshops for the repair of church buildings. Volunteers will be trained to inspect churches and chapels, and perform minor maintenance tasks. A new website was launched for organizing and scheduling the work. Drone inspections will be headed by the Museum of London Archeology.

"The Yorkshire Maintenance Project will help ensure that Yorkshire's churches and chapels will be well maintained, with the risk of serious damage to them minimized," said Michael Murray, the director of church support for The National Churches Trust (NCT).

"Regular maintenance is essential for churches. Something as simple as keeping drains and gutters clear so that water is taken away from the building efficiently is the most important thing a church can do to stop small problems [from] developing into unnecessary crises," he continued.

About 1,095 churches in Yorkshire are listed as architecturally or historically important. This includes the 346 churches classified at the highest level of importance.

Murray hopes that the dioceses of Sheffield, York and West Yorkshire will be a part of the project in the future.

The NCT is not the only one using drones to check churches. Last May, a drone was used in New Zealand to survey the condition of Christchurch Cathedral. The cathedral was heavily damaged by an earthquake that occurred in February 2011. A drone was also used after last week's earthquake in Italy to survey the disaster's impact on a church in Cossito village.

On another note, police reported in 2015 that thieves used drones to look for churches with the most lead on its roofs.
home US Creflo Dollar denies endorsing Donald Trump & saying God told him Trump was His 'chosen candidate'

Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar has denied reports that he has endorsed Donald Trump after reports emerged claiming he had said God told him in a dream that Trump was his chosen candidate.

The report on the megachurch pastor's Trump endorsement and dream from God was published by Wordondastreet.com and was picked up by other news outlets. It spread like wildfire on the internet and drew heated criticism.

The report quoted the pastor as saying: "God came to me in a dream last night and said that Trump is his chosen candidate. God apologized for the mixed messages he was sending. I now know that Trump has been touched by the hand of God."

The pastor also allegedly compared Trump to a core biblical figure, saying, "Trump is like John the Baptist, sent to prepare the world for the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ."

The televangelist's spokesperson denied the rumor and said that the pastor has not endorsed the Republican presidential nominee. He also said that the pastor "never endorses candidates" and "never has".

Dollar also issued a similar statement in his Facebook account saying that the allegations were false.

The post stated: "At World Changers Church International, I nor the ministry endorse any political party or candidate; nor do we advise our members who to vote for. Any reports stating that I have endorsed Donald Trump for President are false. I have not endorsed any candidate and do not plan to. This rumor originated on a satirical website and is 100% untrue."

Some followers on his Facebook page defended the pastor. One follower from Canada said that his pastor does not endorse any particular candidate nor instruct the church who to vote for or what party to choose. All that the pastor asks, he says, is for people to ask God for direction.

Another follower pointed out that World Changers is a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt organization and would not endorse any political candidate or party as the church would lose its tax status.

Creflo Dollar is Senior Pastor of World Changers Church International (WCCI), a mega-church with presence on six continents and has international fellowship churches.
home US Immigration reform news 2016: Donald Trump to meet Mexican president before immigration speech

U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will meet Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday in a hastily arranged visit to Mexico hours before delivering a highly anticipated speech on how he will tackle illegal immigration.

True to Trump's flair for the dramatic, the visit will guarantee widespread news coverage for the former reality TV star. It also carries some risks for him, however, since most foreign visits at the presidential level are long-planned and carefully scripted.

Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, speaking on NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday, portrayed the Republican candidate's visit as a "decisive presidential move." Asked if he would speak to his host in the same blunt terms he has used at home, Conway said Trump would be "very presidential."

"I think they'll have a productive conversation today ... about illegal immigration but also trade policy and drugs," she told NBC.

Trump announced the trip on Twitter on Tuesday night and it was confirmed in another tweet by the Mexican government. "I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow," Trump said.

The private meeting, which Trump and his advisers began considering last week after Pena Nieto's invitation, will be Trump's first official interaction with a foreign leader since he began his presidential campaign more than a year ago.

Such trips can be tricky to navigate. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, suffered a number of gaffes during a trip to London, Israel and Poland four years ago.

Pena Nieto has dismissed Trump's demand that Mexico pay for a border wall that the New York businessman has pledged to build if elected on Nov. 8. "There is no way that Mexico could pay for a wall like that," he told CNN on July 10.

Pena Nieto, who has publicly voiced skepticism about Trump, has been enmeshed in a controversy over whether he plagiarized some of his 1991 undergraduate law thesis.

The talks will take place hours before Trump is to give a major speech on Wednesday night as he seeks to straddle a fine line between being tough on illegal immigration but giving moderate voters a reason to give his candidacy a fresh look.

While he has closed the gap in some areas, Trump still trails Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in most opinion polls nationally and in most battleground states with 10 weeks to go until the Nov. 8 election.

Clinton has also been invited to a meeting with Pena Nieto but it is not yet clear if she has accepted, although her spokeswoman took a dim view of Trump's trip.

"What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions," spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said in a statement.

NO AMNESTY

Trump was to deliver his remarks at 6 p.m. MST (09:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday) in Phoenix, Arizona, a state that has been at the heart of the debate over the porous U.S. border with Mexico.

Aides said he would reaffirm his determination to the border wall to curtail new illegal crossings and to quickly deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in the United States.

But the central question facing Trump was how he would treat the majority of the 11 million illegal immigrants who have set down roots in their communities and obeyed U.S. laws, an issue that has bedeviled the immigration debate for years.

Conway told MSNBC on Tuesday that Trump was active in drafting his speech and was dead set against any proposal that might be seen as providing amnesty to illegal immigrants.

"The point that Mr. Trump has made again and again is that you don't get amnesty and you don't get legalization since you broke the law to be here in the first place," she said. "But then he also respects it's a complex issue."

Conway told NBC on Wednesday that voters would know exactly where Trump stands on immigration following the speech, including his position on what to do about the 11 million immigrants in the country illegally.

Trump has shown signs of indecision on whether to go ahead with his previous proposal for a "deportation force" to deport the 11 million people, saying there are some "great people" among the immigrant population and that he would like to work with them.

He was pressed in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity last week on whether he was open to any steps that might accommodate law-abiding people who had built strong family ties in the United States.

"There certainly can be a softening because we're not looking to hurt people," Trump said in his response. "We want people - we have some great people in this country."

FINE LINE

Suggestions of a softening by Trump and his campaign advisers prompted conservative allies like former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to caution him against rolling back on a central pledge that helped him defeat 16 rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.

A move by Trump to moderate his stance on immigration could help him attract more support among swing voters in his uphill drive to win in November, but some of his conservative backers could be disenchanted.

"It's vitally important that he not disappoint his supporters because they are the people who are with you through thick and thin and when you start to thin your base in hopes of adding other people to your base, it just never works," said Republican strategist Barry Bennett, a Trump supporter.

Trump has already laid out parts of his immigration policy and they resemble some past Republican attempts at immigration reform, like using an E-verify system to ensure that employers hire properly documented workers, and swift deportation of immigrants who have committed crimes.

He has also vowed to stop some major cities' practice of providing sanctuary for illegal immigrants and to stop immigrants from overstaying their visas.
home US Mike Pence met with protesters at conservative Virginia College

Republican vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence has said he's a Christian more than anything else, but that did not stop him being met with a lackluster response from one of the most conservative Christian colleges in the United States recently.

Donald Trump's VP running mate delivered a campaign speech at Patrick Henry College, an evangelical Christian college in Northern Virginia on Saturday afternoon, where students welcomed the Hoosier governor with demonstrations outside the school campus and an extensively anti-Trump sentiment.

According to The Daily Beast, Pence tried to bolster support for Trump in a room filled with empty bleachers and a small crowd.

About 20 students and alumni held protest signs in the streets outside with the words "PHC is Not Trump Country," "Immigrants Make America Great," and "For Christ and Liberty, Not Bigotry And Idiocy."

Meanwhile, a group of students in the room where Pence delivered his speech was escorted out after they stood in silent protest and revealed their T-shirts that criticized Trump's anti-Islamic language.

"The rhetoric and policy positions alone create divisions but the racist, ableist, sexist and xenophobia are especially troubling from a presidential candidate," Zack Hoffman, an organizer of one of the student protests, told The Christian Post.

Hoffman concluded that the protests "went very well" considering the small turnout that resulted from a lack of media coverage on Pence's visit.

Christine McDonald, the spokesperson for the conservative college, said they considered protests and political rallies as "constitutionally protected speech" and that the school "don't just encourage our students to know their constitutional rights, we train them to exercise those rights winsomely and to engage purposefully."

Even Pence's memorable line "I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republicanain that order" didn't interest the students much.

"I don't think that Mike Pence is a bad person, but I think he has made an alliance with someone who is completely unacceptable from a libertarian, conservative or progressive standpoint," Christian McGuire, a junior student studying American politics among the demonstrators outside the campus, told The Daily Beast.

Erin Lester, an alumni, said she joined the protests because she didn't want her name nor her conservative school to be associated with Trump and to be taken as among his conservative supporters or "Trump's dupes."
home Faith Museum of the Bible commencing lectures on Bible's influence on past U.S. presidents

A series of lectures titled, "Presidential Influence: The Importance of the Bible Among America's Greatest Leaders," will be held in Oklahoma Christian University. The Museum of the Bible's seven-week program will start on Thursday, Sept. 1, with a lecture from New York Times best-selling author Joshua Charles about the Bible's influence on Abraham Lincoln.

Charles' lecture will be followed by a presentation on George Washington by Dr. Ted Steinbock of the University of Louisville on Sept. 15. Dr. Barry Hankins of Baylor University will hold a lecture about Woodrow Wilson on Oct. 6. The other presidents who will be featured in the lecture series are Andrew Jackson, George H.W. Bush, Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams.

"There is no doubt that the 2016 presidential election is one of the most talked about events in our country's modern history," said Cary Summers, president of the Museum of the Bible, in an interview with Edmond Sun.

"As such, we see it as a perfect opportunity to bring into the discussion an academic review of the Bible's influence in the lives and careers of some of America's greatest leaders," Summers added.

The free lecture series will be held at the Cail Auditorium in Oklahoma Christian University.

In other news, the eight-level Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. is expected to open in November 2017. The first exhibit piece, a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, was acquired by the museum in June.

David Trobisch, director of the museum's collection, hopes that the featured pieces will spark people's curiosity to look deeper into the Bible's message.

"In the Sunday School approach, kids hear what is right," he said in a statement. "With teens, it's different. We think we can only create credibility when we show them the facts," he added.

The museum will divide the exhibits based on the Bible's narrative, history and its impact. The exhibits will include artifacts such as original fragments of the Dead Sea scrolls and illuminated Bibles from the medieval times.
home US New conservative group to give voice for Christians in U.S. politics

A new conservative group to lobby for Christians in politics launched Monday as evangelicals split on their support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Founded by 13 members, Public Faith calls on Christians to "advocate for a perspective that challenges political parties with a better vision."

"We call on Christians to work within political parties to change parties or create new ones when reform is no longer feasible," read the group's vision statement.

Michael Wear, who worked at the White House and with President Barack Obama during the 2012 faith outreach campaign, leads Public Faith together with Alan Noble, a professor and editor-in-chief of "Christ in Pop Culture."

Wear confirmed that they recognized the need for the creation of a new lobby group which they started to form nine months ago as the current presidential race divided many Christians, particularly on their support for the Republican presidential nominee.

"We felt like it was important to do something before the election that allowed and provided a different, a renewed kind of Christian voice in politics," Wear told The Tennessean.

Although the group doesn't ascribe itself to any faction, some of its sentiments resonated with those raised by Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore and best-selling author David French during the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's three-day 2016 National Conference "Onward: Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel"

held at Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday.

ERLC president as well as an outspoken Trump critic, Moore criticized the support of evangelicals for the candidate. He warned that many people have turned politics into religion and urged Christians "to dethrone politics as a religion and as a source of identity" while encouraging them to participate in the political process.

On the other hand, French lamented the conservative bloc's "colossal, miserable, disgusting failure" in this presidential race. He also considered it "one of the saddest things" when Trump won the conservatives' support after promising to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices.

"We cannot tie ourselves to one political party," said French, one of the keynote speakers at the conference.
home Faith Pastor claims he resurrected woman from the dead...by sending a Facebook message, then urges Christians to dial his '24/7 Prayer Line'

Pastor David E. Taylor claimed he brought back a dead woman to life and even wiped out her diabetes as he urged Christians to call up his round-the-clock prayer line now.

The controversial pastor of Florissant, Missouri's Joshua Media Ministries International announced Thursday on his ministry's Facebook page that he commanded the woman back to life by sending a Facebook text message.

He accompanied his post with a photo of an unnamed elderly woman, apparently the subject of his post.

Pastor Taylor also included a message supposedly sent by the woman's daughter, who confirmed that the pastor resurrected her mom and even healed her mom's diabetes.

"Thank you sooo much Dad (Apostle Taylor), the doctors were sooo amazed for my Mom's speedy recovery, she was dead for 40 minutes but God resurrected her!!!" Pastor Taylor quoted the woman's daughter as saying in a message. "After clinical studies / they tried not to give her diabetic pill and guess what a she got healed from her diabetes as well."

The daughter reported that her mom's already scheduled to go home that day and no longer needed to be on medication again for diabetes.

Pastor Taylor then shifted his attention to his social media followers and invited those who needed to bring back to life areas in their lives which may have gone dead. These included marriage, relationship, ministry, finances, health, children and even business.

"That's Power! What do you need resurrected that is dead in your life today?" wrote the pastor.

He then urged, "Call David E. Taylor's 24/7 Prayer Line Now to Pray the Prayer of Agreement and Receive Resurrection Power into Your Life and Situations!"

The pastor was reportedly deposed in Michigan previously for allegations of financial corruption. According to Patheos, the self-proclaimed "apostle" lived in a $2.8 million mansion in St. Louis, wore a total of $30,000 designer wardrobe for the past couple of years and drove luxury cars BMW, Mercedes, Bentley and a Range Rover.
home US Politics has been turned into a religion for many evangelicals, warns Russell Moore

Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore has said many evangelicals have turned politics into a religion, allowing it to became their identifying factor.

The evangelical leader spoke about what American conservatives have done in the realm of politics as he spoke during the Q&A for the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) 2016 national conference "Onward: Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel" held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee.

Moore lambasted how people used the gospel "to be a tool to accommodate whatever political agenda is useful at the moment."

"Part of what we have to do is to dethrone politics as a religion and as a source of identity while at the same time remaining engaged in our responsibilities as citizens, in communities and neighbors, which includes the political process," said Moore.

He urged Christians to remain faithful to the gospel and to ensure that the message being sent out remains clear.

He said he's heard how politicians repeatedly made the same statements and assurances every election season which could only lead to undesirable results. Moore believed this would only fan people's disillusionment as well as burn people out and turn them into cynics.

The president of ERLC also spoke at the conference the previous day to remind Christians what's more important than who wins this fall's presidential race. He argued that Christians should be mindful and more concerned on how the evangelical church as gospel witness would pan out in the years to come.

"Evangelicals, who have previously said character matters, who this year are saying character doesn't matter that much, are never going to be able to address the issue of character again," said Moore on Friday.

Writer David French, another outspoken critic of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and keynote speaker at the conference, also lamented on how the conservatives turned this presidential race into a "colossal, miserable, disgusting failure."
China: Five Christian prisoners released ahead of G20 summit

China has released five Christian detainees in Zhejiang province after four months in prison for protesting a church demolition.

The five, Ji Qingcao, Ji Qingcou, Ou Jinsi, Mei Xueshun, and He Lijing, are all members of Yazhong Church in Wenzhou, and were arrested in April on charges of "obstructing government administration" and "disturbing public order".

They had been involved in a protest over the planned demolition of another church, Guankou Church, in September last year.

A local Christian told human rights charity China Aid that the five had been released on August 28, and suggested it could have been due to pressure ahead of the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou.

"I feel like the government is trying to pacify the people before the summit meeting. Since the summit meeting will be held here [on September 4], the government begins to worry that they have detained the Christians for too long," the source said.

"The local government was concerned about petitions organised by the family members, thinking higher officials would pressure them."

It was announced in July that Chinese authorities had banned churches in Hangzhou, Zhejiang's capital, during the G20 summit "to create a safe environment".

The Global Times, a tabloid run by the ruling Communist party, said large-scale religious meetings had been blocked "to create a safe environment for the meeting".

The US-backed Radio Free Asia reported that the city's unofficial churches had also been told to stop meeting. "They have been forcing house churches not to meet ahead of the G20 summit," said Zhang Mingxuan, the president of China's House Church Alliance.

Activists have cautioned that the move may be part of a wider crackdown on churches in Zhejiang.

Up to 1,700 churches have been demolished or had their crosses removed in the province over the past two years.
Christian missionaries help in the face of terrible suffering in South Sudan

When everyone else has fled, the religious can be the last organisations left holding out for local communities in the face of war, depression, decline and despair.

This is the case in South Sudan, where some Catholic missionaries have chosen to stay in spite of the departure of most other expatriates in the wake of savage fighting in the capital Juba, including the brutal rape of foreign women.

"We stayed because we are committed to the ordinary people who are suffering so much," said De La Salle Christian Brother Bill Firman, director of Solidarity with South Sudan, according to a report in the Catholic Herald. "My colleagues and I believe this is a good place for religious to be. We know our continued presence encourages local residents and provides some hope."

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the aid agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, is among those who took "non-essential international staff" out of Juba after the latest attack when Americans were singled out and one woman raped by 15 men.

CRS "is supporting the work of Solidarity with South Sudan to help those affected by the current violence with food, water and shelter in churches and schools, where many have sought refuge," the agency said.

The Catholic news agency Agenzia Fides reported "heinous actions and unspeakable crimes" in South Sudan, the world's newest country, and which has a Christian majority.

Fides was reporting Bishop of Yei Erkolano Lodu Tombe who described a wave of killings by armed men and civilians in the wake of the clashes in Juba. Three members of one family were slaughtered and their bodies thrown into the Yei River. The atrocities are causing many people from South Sudan to seek refuge in neighbouring Uganda.
Christian-owned wedding venue places newspaper ad to say it will not host same-sex weddings

A Christian couple who owns a wedding venue in Texas has placed an advertisement in a local newspaper to announce that they will not host same-sex weddings because of their faith.

"Our Christian faith demands that we not participate in same-sex, transgender or any other perversion of marriage," the ad placed by Texas Forest Country Weddings reads, according to Life Site News. "If you disagree with our stance on marriage, please respect our Christian belief and have your wedding elsewhere."

The venue, which is also a bed and breakfast, is owned by Christian lawyer Bob Flournoy.

In a post on the venue's website, Flournoy asked, "America, Land of the Free and home of the brave  so says our National Anthem. Are we still brave enough to remain the land of the free? We are certainly losing our freedom at an alarming rate."

He said in resolving the issue, "we must trust the Lord and pray" and "we must take responsibility for the conduct of our lives and that of our nation."

"Third, we must stop tolerating evil and embrace obedience to the law of God. Fourth, we must look for every opportunity to do our duty to God and man," he wrote.

Flournoy narrated that "my wife and I have been placed in a situation where we face the choice of giving up the freedom by which God has made us free or bow down to the ungodly and perverse conduct of those who want to marry the same sex or claim they are some sex other than what God made them to be. We have decided that we must obey God rather than man, regardless of the consequences here on earth."

He said refusal to host same-sex weddings "is our unalienable right, memorialized in the United States Constitution to exercise our religious liberty and refuse to participate in such a wedding at our home."

"We cannot, and will not give up our right. As the brave people of Gonzalez, Texas said in the Texas war for independence, when the Mexicans demanded they give up their cannon, boldly said 'Come and take it.' The Mexican army tried but was repelled by the courageous men of Gonzalez. I am adopting that stance and declaring 'Not on my watch' will you take my freedom of religion and the free exercise thereof," he declared.

He said "Christian bakers, photographers, florist, musicians and venue owners are being destroyed all over the country by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). They want to stand for what they believe but the whole force of government is being unleashed on them."

Flournoy called on pastors, other church leaders and Christians in general to "please wake up and begin to stand up. Together we can remain the land of the free when we prove that we are the home of the brave."
Christian woman sues after being told to remove her headscarf

A Christian woman is taking legal action against Alabama county officials after she was told to remove her headscarf before taking a driver's licence photo.

Yvonne Allen, of Tuskegee, said she was told "only Muslim women have the right to cover their hair" when she tried to renew her licence last December. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on Tuesday on behalf of Allen, saying her religious rights were violated.

Allen described herself as a devout Christian women convicted by her faith to cover her hair. Her licence was approved but only after she felt obliged to remove her headscarf for the photo and felt ashamed doing so, according to the lawsuit.

Alabama officials consider head coverings in licence photo's "only acceptable due to religious beliefs or medical conditions", according to the complaint.

Becky Frayer, the chief clerk of the Lee County Probate Judge's Office, and probate judge Bill English, her supervisor, have been named as the two defendants in the case. Allen said Frayer had defended the policy and told her she was a Christian too but did not cover her hair.

The lawsuit accused the two officials of violating Allen's religious freedom and demanded she should be able to have her photo retaken with her headscarf. It also claimed unspecified damages.

Additional reporting from Reuters.
Egypt: Lawmakers fear that new church law will discriminate against Christians

Egypt has passed a law on building and restoring churches after weeks of heavy criticism from the Coptic Christian community.

Lawmakers on Tuesday approved the law with a two-thirds majority. The Church had previously been at loggerheads with the government over the new legislation. Officials wanted security services, which the Church said was biased against Christians, to have the final say over church construction. The Church feared that its priests would continue to face obstructions even to minor repairs of the kind they had endured for many years.

The Church last week announced it had reached a compromise with the government and now approved of the law, though analysts have suggested that the agreement came only under heavy pressure from government officials.

According to reports, while some Christians in parliament praised the move on Tuesday, others remained critical.

Lawmaker Nadia Henry called the law "a political farce", but conceded that "we have to respect the opinion of the majority."

"I am a daughter of the Church," she said, according to Associated Press, "and I respect the priests and the Church leadership".

Another Christian lawmaker, Tadros Kaldas, blamed the legislation on the government's "fear of [Muslim] ultraconservatives".

Egypt has seen a number of Muslim mob attacks on Christians in recent months amid rumours that secret churches are being set up.

There had been hopes that a new eight-article bill would reduce the regulation involved by setting a four month limit to process requests to build or renovate churches.

Critics, however, say the legislation will merely enshrine restrictions against Christians. It specifies that the size of a new church must be representative of the number of Christians in its neighbourhood, and that local governments should take into account "the preservation of security and public order" before agreeing to a new build.

"What if Salafis [an ultraconservative Muslim movement] protest against the construction of a church, would this prompt the governor to turn down the request, for fear of national security?" asked Christian activist Nader Shukry.

Several members of the Salafi Nour Party boycotted the vote, Associated Press said, over concerns that the law in fact gives Christians too much freedom.

A statement from the party accused the law of violating the constitution of Egypt, "which states in Article 2 that Islam is the religion of the state of Egypt, Arabic is its official language, and the principles of Islamic Sharia are the major source of legislation."

"As you see, the constitution said Islam, not Christianity, is the religion of the state of Egypt," the party said. "Under the current conditions, Christians enjoy fully their rights as Egyptians and they exercise their religious duties in a free way."

The talks over church building law followed a string of attacks against Christians, especially in the Minya region, home to a relatively high proportion of Coptic Christians.

Tensions between Christians and Muslims have intensified in the country since the Arab Spring of 2011.

Egypt has an estimated population of nine million Christians. Mostly Orthodox Copts, they account for about 10 per cent of Egypt's population, which is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim.
Four Christians on trial in Sudan for highlighting persecution of Christians

The trial has resumed in Khartoum in Sudan of four men who are being accused of bringing Christian persecution to public attention.

The trial of two Sudanese church pastors, one student and one aid worker began last week and resumed this week.

The four defendants Petr Jasek, a Czech aid worker, Rev Hassan Abduraheem Kodi Taour and Rev Kuwa Shamal, pastors from the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan and Abdulmonem Abdumawla Issa Abdumawla, a Darfuri student, are accused of intelligence activities and providing material support for rebels in the war-torn country.

The Sudan Tribune, based in Paris, reported that the prosecution showed the court photos and videos which he said Jasek gave to a US medical relief agency and showed Jasek in the Nuba mountains with the agency. These mountains have many Christians living in them and are near South Sudan but were not allowed to secede with the rest of what is now South Sudan.

The prosecutor claimed this agency intended to interview civilians that it believed had been tortured, World Watch Monitor reports.

Many western diplomats were in court to hear the case against the defendants, who face possible death sentences if convicted.

US religious freedom ambassador David Saperstein tweeted when the trial opened last week:

After mos of detention, #Sudan Pastors Kowa Shamal & Hassan Abdelrahim have trial. Deeply concerned abt charges, 2 which carry death penalty  David Saperstein (@AmbSaperstein) August 22, 2016

Christian Today reported last week that that Jasek was arrested in December by Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services a few days after entering the country. Jasek is associated with the US-based Voice of the Martyrs organisation.

The prosecution claims the four men fabricated videos of incidents of claimed genocide, the killing of civilians and burning of villages as well as making false claims about the persecution of Christians in Sudan. They are also accused of seeking to distort the image of the government by disseminating information that could be used to put international pressure on the country.
ISIS leader killed in Syria

ISIS' chief strategist and one of its longest serving leaders has been killed in Syria, the group's news agency has reported.

Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, whose calls for attacks against the West during Ramadan led to mass killings, died in Aleppo, Amaq said on Tuesday.

The ISIS-controlled site said he was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo".

Details about how he died were not given but the Pentagon said an air strike had targeted Adnani and the results were being assessed. Spokesman Peter Cook described the terrorist as a "principal architect of Isil's external operations".

He had "co-ordinated the movement of Isil fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited" new members, said Cook.

The death is a major blow for the militant group as they continue to suffer losses in Iraq and Syria. As one of the group's founding members he was presented as their official spokesman and has issued a number of calls for individual attacks on the West.

Most recently he urged strikes during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and ISIS-inspired attacks were carried out including a nightclub shooting in Orlando, a truck attack in Nice and a mass suicide bombing in Baghdad.

Few of the original leadership remain and the group's territories continue to diminish under attacks from Russian and Western backed forces. Some have suggested the 40-year-old was lined up as a successor to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Israel condemned for 'secret trial' of Christian charity World Vision's Gaza director

Amnesty International has warned Israel not to continue with a "secret trial" of the Christian charity World Vision's Gaza director amid reports that media and the charity's staff were barred from the trial and an undisclosed allegation of mistreatment in custody.

Yesterday, Mohammed al-Halabi, the NGO's Gaza director, was brought before a pre-trial hearing in Bir al-Saba, a city in the south of present-day Israel as his lawyer told told the AFP news agency that all media and World Vision staff were barred from attending.

Amnesty claimed that al-Halabi, who is facing 12 charges including being a member of a terrorist organisation  Hamas' armed wing, Izzedin al-Qassam  and siphoning off the charity's funds for terrorism purposes, was initially denied access to a lawyer. Then, when he was allowed to meet a legal representative, al-Halabi allegedly said that he had been "seriously mistreated in custody," according to Amnesty.

Amnesty went on: "The lawyer is prevented from disclosing the details of that allegation, as well as many other elements of the case, by a set of severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on reporting around the case."

Magdalena Mughrabi, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Amnesty International, said: "Secret trials are the most flagrant violation of the right to a public hearing. Holding these court proceedings behind closed doors would render any convictions obtained unsound. The allegation of stealing money intended to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is extremely serious. This makes it all the more pressing to ensure that Mohammed al-Halabi's rights are fully respected and that his trial be fair and transparent."

Israeli authorities arrested al-Halabi on 15 June at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza, while while crossing the border into the enclave, which is under the de facto rule of Hamas, which is on the Israeli and US terrorism blacklists.

He was transferred to a detention centre at Ashkelon on Israel's south coast, where he was interrogated before being moved to Nafcha prison in the Negev desert.

Amnesty said that he was not permitted to see a lawyer until 6 July and therefore potentially faced three weeks of intensive interrogations without legal representation. He was charged on 4 August, more than seven weeks after his arrest.

Amnesty also pointed to reports that he was severely beaten and that his "confession" to stealing $7.4 million per year was obtained "under duress". Amnesty continued: "This appears to be a dubiously high figure, given that according to World Vision, Mohammed al-Halabi and other managers in his position only have the authority to authorize spending up to a maximum of $15,000 of the budget at a time and the organization's total Gaza budget for the last decade was approximately $22.5 million."

Mughrabi added: "The Israeli authorities must immediately investigate the allegations that Mohammed al-Halabi was mistreated in custody and may have been forced into 'confessing' under duress. Any evidence obtained through torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment must be excluded from proceedings. Without independent and impartial investigations into these allegations the trial risks being fundamentally flawed".

According to the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, Western diplomats reportedly noted that Israel had "invested considerable efforts in briefings for the Israeli and international media [about aid agencies in Gaza]. However, it has invested hardly any effort in transferring information and evidence to its allies and closest friends in the world."

Earlier this month, Australia joined Germany in suspending funding for World Vision amid the allegations.

A UK Government spokesperson at the time stressed to Christian Today that the Department for International Development has not provided any funds to World Vision since the Israel-Gaza war of 2014.

Gaza's Palestinian Christian population is ancient but tiny, at around 1,200 people out of a total of 1.8 million.
Leading conservative Anglican says Church of England must split to stop 'contagious' gay marriage

A prominent conservative Anglican group has issued an unprecedented call for the Church of England to split over the issue of gay marriage.

The chairman of Gafcon, a body of conservative evangelical Anglican leaders and churches, has written a "pastoral letter" encouraging a schism to halt the "contagious" spread of churches welcoming gay marriage.

The influential Nigerian primate, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, has previously called for the "reform and renewal" of the global Anglican Communion but his most recent letter issued on Tuesday admitted "schisms happen" and appeared to call for a divide over the issue.

He said "bold action" was needed from conservative Anglicans and said that in the desire maintain unity doctrine "respectability has been given to a false gospel".

He wrote: "The English House of Bishops has failed so far to demonstrate that it has the will to resist compromise and I therefore call on Gafcon in the UK and the Anglican Mission in England to demonstrate that they have the necessary courage and faith in a context which to a large extent they alone can grapple with."

Gafcon, or the Global Anglican Future Conference, was formed in 2008 when conservative primates, archbishops and bishops formed a rival meeting to a gathering of Anglican leaders in Lambeth over the issue of gay marriage. Now a prominent force in the worldwide Communion, Gafcon has offered "alternative oversight" to Anglican clergy and congregations in areas where bishops support same-sex marriage.

The call comes after 12 parishes in the south of England announced they would consider whether to sign Gafcon's statement of faith issued after their first conference in 2008.

The meeting, led by Rev Dr Peter Sanlon from St Mark's, Tunbridge Wells, will discuss whether a new Anglican synod should be set up, if Church of England bishops move towards blessing same-sex unions.

Dr Sanlon told the Telegraph: "If senior leaders of the Church of England water down the teaching of the Church of England on key issues like homosexuality, then this synod could easily evolve in to a new Anglican jurisdiction in England. The Archbishop of Canterbury has signalled that he is aware of the possibility that a significant proportion of the church will not accept a change in the church's teaching. This could be the beginning of that playing out.

"I am not leaving the Church of England - but in order to stay, I need new partnerships and structures to discharge the mission of the Church of England, which is to bring the message of Christ to every postcode in England."

The bishops will meet later this year to discuss the next steps after a two year process of "shared conversations" to discuss the issue.

Okoh said the talks have "made matters worse", but the Archbishop of Canterbury has repeatedly spoken of the importance of dialogue and last week said he was "constantly consumed with horror" at how the church treats gay people.
Leading Muslim convert to Christianity diagnosed with stomach cancer

One of the world's best known converts from Islam to Christianity has been diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer.

Nabeel Qureshi, a popular evangelist and travelling preacher whose new book No God But One: Allah or Jesus? was published yesterday, has cancelled nearly all speaking engagements while he "aggressively" persues healing, both "medical and miraculous", he wrote on his Facebook page.

"This is an announcement that I never expected to make, but God in His infinite and sovereign wisdom has chosen me for this refining, and I pray He will be glorified through my body and my spirit," he wrote.

Qureshi is married with a baby daughter.

"My family and I have received the news that I have advanced stomach cancer, and the clinical prognosis is quite grim. Nonetheless, we are going to pursue healing aggressively, both medical and miraculous, relying on God and the fact that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine," he says.

His spirits have "soared and sank" over the past few days as he pursues God's will and considers what the future holds, he continues.

"But never once have I doubted this: that Jesus is Lord, His blood has paid my ransom, and by His wounds I am healed"

He intends to blog or vlog his journey cancer and write about his struggle in a way that will glorify God.

He is also leaving Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, the Christian charity that he has served through being a travelling speaker for the past three years. A spokeswoman for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, where he is pursuing a doctorate in New Testament studies with the University of Oxford, said everyone there was "devastated".

Nancy Gifford, global media director of Ravi Zacharias, said: "The whole team is devastated by this diagnosis but we are committed to pray and fast for Nabeel. We love Nabeel, Michelle and Ayah and we trust that God will work for good even in these desparate circumstances."

Qureshi is still planning to write his next book, 20 Questions Muslims Ask and the Answers that Convert Them.

And he has pleaded with friends and family "to fast and pray fervently" that he is healed.

"I do not profess to know the will of the Lord, but many of my close friends and confidants are convinced that this is a trial through which the Lord intends to bring me alive and refined."

Qureshi's first book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, became a New York Times best seller. He believes the world is in the middle of an Islamic reformation. This means a return to the religion's fundamentals, and he believes these fundamentals are explicitly violent. He told Christian Today earlier this year: "There is a basis to believe in Jesus. He rose from the dead. You can check that historically. You don't have to believe it on blind faith. The Koran says if you believe Jesus is God, you will go to hell. (ch 5:72) whereas Romans (10:9) tells us we need to believe that to be saved. So they are exactly contrary. Therefore you cannot be both Christian and Muslim."

Ravi Zacharias himself told Christian Today: "When we shared a meal a few weeks ago, he had talked of terrible discomfort in his stomach. None had a sense of what lay ahead. Life brings its sudden turns. Our hearts go out to him and our prayers for him. No doubt this is a valley that no one anticipates so soon in life. The entire RZIM team and our families are in impassioned prayer on his behalf.

"Years ago when in Shanghai, the famed Chinese evangelist Wang Ming-Dao shared with me a song he sang every day when he was imprisoned for years, under the brutal Mao regime. I can just about hear him singing it now. The same comfort we seek in every crisis."
Mike Pilavachi: Healing, miracles, and why the supernatural doesn't have to be weird

"If God is God, and he did it in the Scriptures, why would it be weird if he did it today?"

Mike Pilavachi is talking about a respondent to a survey who claimed he saw a lady's leg "grow two inches in a matter of seconds, so it matched the length of her other leg". I'd asked him if that wasn't a bit weird.

The word was suggested by the title of a book the founder of Soul Survivor has written with Andy Croft, entitled Everyday Supernatural: Living a Spirit-Led Life without Being Weird (a title suggested by none other than Matt Redman, he says, who's "good with words"). And while Pilavachi absolutely believes that such examples of miraculous healing are genuine manifestations of the power of God, the book isn't designed to convince sceptics of that. In fact, such examples are out on the far edge of everyday supernatural living.

The idea behind the book, says Pilavachi, is to help the Church to understand that supernatural ministry is "meant to be normal, natural and not weird  to take it away from the platform and the stage and bring it back to the local church and the ordinary Christian".

The book is launched against the backdrop of a survey conducted by Christian Research revealing some surprising findings. Two out of three Christians say they've had a personal experience of the supernatural, and more than half of these said it happened within the past year  one in four within the past week.

As well as spectacular healing miracles, though, respondents also spoke of a feeling of God's presence during prayer, at communion or mass. Several respondents reported being visited by angels. The great majority of experiences involved answered prayer and healing.

But then two in every three (68 per cent) feel that any over-emphasis on 'miracles' may give Christians a bad name  a view more strongly held by older people.

Speaking to Christian Today, Pilavachi confesses himself surprised by the number who've had supernatural experiences, but admits he shouldn't be. He cites the Acts of the Apostles, in which the supernatural was routine, and says it should be a normal part of the Christian life today.

But what exactly is the supernatural? He says: "We define it in the book as God's intervention in our lives. Every single time someone becomes a Christian, it's a supernatural act. We want to define it as seeing God moving in the everyday. It's not what happens at huge events and meetings."

In the book, he says, "We talk about what it means to manifest the presence of the Spirit and minister in the power of the Spirit, the gift of prophecy, the place of obedience as the highest form of worship. We tell stories of what we have seen and heard the Lord do."

He places their work on a spectrum. At one end are charismatic/Pentecostals, whose meetings might go on for hours and hours and are characterised by laughter and people falling over. "But no one ever becomes a Christian," he says  they've left long before the meetings are finished.

At the other extreme there are traditionally conservative churches which see the charismatic extremes and hate the hype  his word  and think, "We're not going anywhere near it." That, Pilavachi says, is to "put God in a box, where we are in control, and we won't let anything happen".

There has to be a middle way, he says, adding: "It's messy in the nursery, and neat and tidy in a graveyard."

He gives the example of Christians being willing to open themselves to receive, and being courageous enough to relay words of knowledge from God, unique insights into the life and situation of another person that could only be supernatural in origin. Step out in faith, he says: "If you get it wrong, nobody dies. It might hurt your pride, but that's not a terrible thing.

"We want to encourage the whole Church. I hope leaders who believe in theory will start to move in practice."

Pilavachi gives a startling and recent example. Sam, a friend of 20 years who belongs to Tim Hughes' Gas Street Church in Birmingham, was walking through a city park in June when he saw a man sitting on a bench. He felt God was telling him the man's name  Daniel  and that he should go and tell him he believed he was in prison, but that God could free him. After an initial hostile reaction, the man broke down and admitted he had been contemplating suicide. He's now regularly attending the church and has testified to the truth of his story with Sam.

But, Pilavachi says: "It doesn't have to be as huge a story as that." He's anxious to move the discourse from an emphasis on feelings to something more pragmatic: this is how God expects us to live in the everyday.

And the project involves more than a book. Next year there's a conference planned at the Stafford Showground from July 22-27, Naturally Supernatural 2017, badged as "a brand new event aimed at anyone who wants to move in the ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit". There will be two main meetings a day, with practical workshops, social events and a full children's programme.

"It's about demythologising the supernatural and making it accessible," Pilavachi says.

Everyday Supernatural: Living a Spirit-Led Life without Being Weird by Mike Pilavachi and Andy Croft is published by David C Cook, 9.99.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
Mother Teresa and her critics: Should she really be made a saint?

Mother Teresa is to be made a saint on Sunday, formalising a status that was as good as hers already during her lifetime. The tiny Albanian nun inspired devotion wherever she went because of her transparent holiness and dedication to the poorest of the poor. Her Missionaries of Charity order continues the work she began in Calcutta around the world.

That Prominent among them was the atheist campaigner Christopher Hitchens, who wrote an extended essay entitled The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice, designed to demolish what he regarded as the myths surrounding her. He returned to the charge in a Slate article in 2003, written when Pope John Paul II approved her beatification. In it he described her as a "fanatic, a fundamentalist and a fraud". Hitchens said her work with the sick was tainted by her view that suffering was a gift from God, that she had "spent her life opposing the only known cure for poverty, which is the empowerment of women and the emancipation of them from a livestock version of compulsory reproduction" and was a friend to "the worst of the rich", including Haiti's Duvalier family.

Mother Teresa's interventions in politics have been criticised more widely. She endorsed the appalling rule of Enver Hoxha in her native Albania and even backed Indira Gandhi's suspension of civil liberties in India in 1975, saying: "People are happier. There are more jobs. There are no strikes." She also took money from highly questionable sources, including the publisher Robert Maxwell, who stole hundreds of millions from his companies' pension funds.

Among the most damaging criticisms, however, are those around the quality of care in her hospitals and the alleged ulterior motives of her Missionaries of Charity.

The editor of the British medical journal The Lancet, Robin Fox, visited the Home for Dying Destitutes in Calcutta in 1991 and produced a disturbing report. He said that care was haphazard and that nursing sisters were required to take decisions for which they were not qualified. He said the sisters did not distinguish between curable and incurable patients, and that there was a lack of strong painkillers which he related to Mother Teresa's view that pain was a blessing.

Fox's criticisms were backed up by a 2013 study by a Serge Larivee and Genevieve Chenard of the University of Montreal, who surveyed 96 per cent of the literature on Mother Teresa. They came to the conclusion she was was "anything but a saint", with "her rather dubious way of caring for the sick, her questionable political contacts, her suspicious management of the enormous sums of money she received, and her overly dogmatic views regarding, in particular, abortion, contraception, and divorce".

Another critic is Dr Aroup Chatterjee, a London-based doctor who grew up in Kolkata (as Calcutta is now known) and has also written attempting to debunk her.

Chatterjee collaborated with Hitchens in a sceptical Channel 4 documentary, Hell's Angel, in 1994, and wrote Mother Teresa: The Final Verdict in 2003. An atheist, he objected not only to what he said was bad medical practice, but also to what he saw as the Catholic Church's hidden agenda. He told the New York Times: "I think it's 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 honour.

"I just thought that this myth had to be challenged," he added.

This unease with the missionary agenda of the Mother Teresa sisters, and resentment at how Kolkata has become known for its poverty, is widespread. Sanal Edamaruku, president of the India-based Rationalist International, wrote: "Mother Teresa has given a bad name to Calcutta, painting the beautiful, interesting, lively and culturally rich Indian metropolis in the colours of dirt, misery, hopelessness and death."

Did the Missionaries of Charity have a conversion agenda? According to Hitchens, they were encouraged to baptise people on their deathbeds surreptiously. Susan Shields, a former member of the order, told him: "Sisters were to ask each person in danger of death if he wanted a 'ticket to heaven'. An affirmative reply was to mean consent to baptism. The sister was then to pretend that she was just cooling the patient's head with a wet cloth, while in fact she was baptising him, saying quietly the necessary words. Secrecy was important so that it would not come to be known that Mother Teresa's sisters were baptising Hindus and Muslims."

This is certainly a view held by many Hindu nationalists today. According to the international joint general secretary of one such organisation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not be sending a delegation to the Vatican for Sunday's ceremony.

Reported by The Indian Express, Surendra Jain said: "The canonisation of Mother Teresa is an alarm bell that now there would be more conversions in India and more funds [for conversions] would be routed to India."

Mother Teresa first came to the attention of the wider world with the publication in 1971 of Something Beautiful for God, an account of her life and work by the journalist Malcolm Muggeridge. Since then the image of the diminutive figure sustained purely by spiritual power and enabled by God to do mighty works has been irresistible  and the attacks on her have not really succeeded in denting it. She has many defenders who offer robust rebuttals of the criticisms levelled at her and her Missionaries of Charity.

And perhaps just as significant, in terms of her public perception, is the sense among Christians that her critics don't really understand what she was doing. So to criticise her for opposing abortion and contraception, for instance, is to criticise her for not running a secular charity, which she never pretended to do. There's a similar suspicion about those who said her views about pain as a gift from God were reflected in the treatment meted out to her patients and clients: they simply didn't understand what is actually a common trope in Catholic ascetic discipline.

The failings of her hospitals and shortcomings of her nursing staff are harder to excuse. But these, too can be seen as reflecting the overwhelming needs they were faced with, perhaps alongside a large dollop of naivety; a charge of which she was clearly guilty in her relationships with dictators and financial predators.

However, it's hard to avoid concluding that Mother Teresa's greatest crime, in the eyes of her critics, was being a Christian. Certainly her fiercest critics are campaigning atheists. And she is suspect in the world of Narendra Modi's right-wing, aggressively Hindu India, and suspect in the world of international healthcare NGOs. She and her order have a different agenda, and it's troubling for them.

Should she be made a saint? Infallibility is not one of the qualifications the Church looks for, and it's just as well. On the evidence, she made many mistakes. But no one has queried her devotion to her cause, or to her Lord, and she has inspired millions through her words and her example. There might be many worse candidates.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
Pastor found dead in car with self-inflicted gunshot wound after weeklong vacation; no suicide note

Why?

That's the question on everyone's mind at the Valley Presbyterian Church in Green Valley, Arizona following the mysterious death, allegedly by a self-inflicted" gunshot wound, of pastor and former Navy chaplain Lawrence "Larry" DeLong, The Christian Post reports.

The 60-year-old pastor was found dead by family members last Friday, slumped in his car in the parking lot of Quail Creek-Veterans Municipal Park in Sahuarita, according to Green Valley News. He left behind his wife, Valerie, and two teenage children, Sadie and Seth.

The police said although DeLong's body was found about 6:30 p.m. Friday with the use of a phone app, he might have died several hours earlier. They ruled out foul play in the pastor's death but at the same time could not confirm that it was a suicide since no suicide note was found.

Valley Presbyterian's Pastor of Care Paul Phillips said Saturday the church, one of the largest in Arizona, was shocked by DeLong's death as he had just returned from a weeklong vacation. He said they're still "trying to make sense of mysteries" they can't yet grasp.

"We are sad, this church family is very sad. ... We're in shock," he told Green Valley News.

Adding to the mystery were the last public posts DeLong made on his Facebook page on Aug. 17. They included a funny photo about "dogwood," a post commenting on the difference between the consumer church and the missional church, and a quote attributed to international evangelist and activist Christine Caine on being in a dark place.

"Sometimes when you're in a dark place you think you've been buried, but you've actually been planted," the quote he posted said.

DeLong once said he could never recall a time in his youth when he "didn't feel God's presence all around me."

He led congregations in several states before becoming the senior pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in 2009.

"Pastor Diane, Pastor Paul and the Session of Valley Presbyterian Church are deeply saddened to share the news of Pastor Larry's untimely and tragic death yesterday evening. Please hold Valerie, Sadie, and Seth in prayer," the Valley Presbyterian Church said in a statement posted on the church's Facebook page on Saturday.

People who closely knew the pastor said his favourite biblical quote was Romans 8:28: "All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God's purpose."
Rowan Williams: The authentic disciple

I thought for literally half a second that I'd met the girl of my dreams. Sitting on my own in a restaurant with Rowan Williams' new book, Being Disciples: Essentials of Christian Life, an observant waitress exclaimed: "I love Rowan Williams!" Our eyes met. "Have you seen Blackadder?"

Williams himself, though not a professional television comedian, by all accounts has a very well developed sense of humour and would be the first to see the funny side of the awkward moment. Not least because of the cliche that has him as a remote, inaccessible figure.

He is, in fact, very far from that. So who, then, is Rowan Williams?

We know that he's probably the world's leading living theologian. We know he's the former Archbishop of Canterbury, who prayerfully and at times painfully steered his Church through the perennial and often distracting trials over sexuality inflicted by extremists on both sides. We can guess from a distance that he is now likely, thankfully, to be in better spirits, having returned to academia from whence he came. And we now know, thanks to a series of books published since he left Lambeth Palace, that, contrary to myth, he is highly accessible as an author.

We'll explore lightly Being Disciples, which follows Being Christian and Meeting God in Mark (2014) and Meeting God in Paul (2015), all published by SPCK. But first, a true glimpse of Williams given by one close colleague from a 2008 profile of the then Archbishop.

"People who have met, spent time with, listened to, worked with or who know Rowan...will tell you that he is a remarkable man...It is not just that he is the most prodigiously intellectually gifted person almost any of us will have ever met, or will ever meet, and one of the most self-disciplined  in a monastic sense  of people in respect of the daily practice of the virtues and time spent [every day without exception] in prayer  all of which is remarkable enough  it's that he applies all the extravagant gifts he's been given in love and service. He's on the job [of being a disciple] all day every day where most of us flit in and out. This is a man who really has glimpsed what it means to live sacrificially, non-judgementally, honestly, generously, truthfully, in touch in a deep way with the wisdom of God. Rowan is uncommon. If only we could just get used to that and enjoy the good news that he's here, he's real, and he's Anglican."

Indeed, as Eleanor Mumford, co-founder of Vineyard Churches in the UK, has said of Being Disciples, "This gem of a book is clearly born of the author's own deep love of Jesus". In the short book, based on a series of talks from 2007 to 2012 and tagged with brief discussion points at the end of each chapter, Williams shares his insight into what it's like to be a disciple, with reflections on faith, hope, love, forgiveness and more.

It is, above all, truly authentic. He talks and explores from experience. So when, for example, the author takes up the bird-watching metaphor for prayer, you believe that he really does have moments when he sees what TS Elliot called 'the king-fisher's wing' flashing 'light to light'. Because as Williams says, "The experienced birdwatcher, sitting still, poised, alert, not tense or fussy, knows that this is the kind of place where something extraordinary suddenly bursts into view." You can imagine that unlike most of us, Williams does indeed sit still for long enough, waiting with his Master, to gain that different perspective, that new light.

The main achievement of this book is of course, as with Mark and Paul, to provide unique insight into Jesus Christ, to lead the way to Jesus, to unveil Jesus's true identity. But a doubtless unwanted side effect given by this extremely modest author is to give a further glimpse of Williams the disciple himself.

So when Williams, in his first chapter talks about each person as a gift, you believe that this is how he approaches meeting other individuals. "[It] can't be said too often that the first thing we ought to think of when in the presence of another Christian individual or Christian community is: what is Christ giving me through this person, this group?...[You] begin by asking, 'What is Jesus Christ giving me here and now?' Never mind the politics, the hidden agenda, or anything else of that kind, just ask the question and it will move you forward a tiny bit in discipleship."

Later, in a chapter on the meaning of holiness in which Williams characteristically explodes conventional wisdom  gently demolishing the idea that to be holy is necessarily to be good or apparently "saintly" or pious or "nice"  again you receive extraordinary insight into the writer. In one of his most personal passages ever published, Williams describes how holy people "make you feel better than you are...the holy person somehow enlarges your world, makes you feel more yourself, opens you up, affirms you." He goes on: "When I think of people in my own life that I call holy, who have really made an impact...[these] people have made me feel better rather than worse about myself. Or rather, not quite that: these are never people who make me feel complacent about myself, far from it; they make me feel that there is hope for my confused and compromised humanity...somehow, I feel a little bit more myself...I have a theory, which I started elaborating after I had met Archbishop Desmond Tutu a few times, that there are two kinds of egotists in this world. There are egotists that are so in love with themselves that they have no room for anybody else, and there are egotists that are so in love with themselves that they make it possible for everybody else to be in love with themselves...And in that sense Desmond Tutu manifestly loves being Desmond Tutu; there's no doubt about that. But the effect of that is not to make me feel frozen or shrunk; it makes me feel that just possibly, by God's infinite grace, I could one day love being Rowan Williams in the way that Desmond Tutu loves being Desmond Tutu."

Of course, Williams  who begins each chapter with a passage from the New Testament  goes on to focus on Christ. "This is why we say of Jesus that he is 'the most Holy one,' because he above all changes the landscape, casts a new light on everything." Throughout, he is redirecting our attention onto what matters. We have Williams the linguist and classicist's trademark love of words, and their original and truer meanings. An example comes at the start of the book when he introduces discipleship as the concept of staying (such as in John 15), or abiding. And later, in Life in the Spirit, in a passage that should make all modern Christians think, he begins "by being a bit rude about the word 'spirituality'": it is helpful shorthand, he says, "but we ought to be aware of just what an odd turn of phrase it is. Spirituality is really quite a modern word. If you had asked anybody in the fifteenth or sixteenth century, 'Tell me about your spirituality,' they would not have had a clue what you were talking about." Williams goes on to revert to Paul's meaning of 'life in the spirit' and the practical fruits of that life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. "And whenever we're tempted to think that spirituality is something a bit remote and specialized, or rather exotic and exciting, in the corner or our lives, we ought just to say to ourselves in a mantra-like way: love, joy, peace, patience...bog standard human goodness."

But the irony of this, and the Tutu point on holiness, is not lost on anyone who has met Williams himself. For contrary to conventional wisdom, there is nothing remote or exotic about Williams' own real and practical holiness. Throughout the book, a characteristic theme is that we should be led by Jesus to people with whom He is: the waifs and strays, the inadequate, the poor, the sick, those on the margins of society, those with no economic value, the mentally ill. And by all accounts, this is something Williams actually puts into practice.



There are other classic Williamsisms in Being Disciples: in stark contrast to other church leaders, he once said: "What I'm deeply uncomfortable with, I think, is saying things that really don't change anything, that don't move things on...I am very worried about the morality of simply sounding off". And in the book, there is an amusing, bracketed aside in a beautiful passage on silence in the chapter Life in the Spirit: "Silence of word, stillness of body. And silence of word, of course, doesn't just mean not saying anything (although that is always quite a good idea!); it can mean finding ways of saying, ways of speaking, that settle and still you: the small phrase, repeated, that does not break the silence. Like waves on the beach on a calm day; just the beat of a heart; small words, small phrases that keep us steady and hold us when everything else is pushing us around."

Williams' ultra-liberal critics meanwhile won't be surprised by the (consistently) traditionalist  conventional  positions he takes on the secularisation of society and on marriage, family, and sex.

On the other hand, he appears subtly, implicitly, to consider the radical and unconventional idea of disestablishment, in his chapter on 'Faith in society': "The Christian vision is not...one in which the person's choice is overridden by a religiously backed public authority. History tells us that when churches try directly to exercise political authority they often compromise their real character as communities of free mutual giving and service; equally, when they retreat in the face of power, they risk betraying their Christian distinctiveness...A healthy democracy, then, is one in which the state listens to the voices of moral vision that spring from communities that do not depend on the state itself for their integrity and meaning."

Holy, spiritual in the true sense, unpushy, independent-minded, at once conventional and unconventional. Accidentally, this authentic little book tells us not just about the meaning of discipleship, but also a little more about the disciple himself.
From China to Japan: The coveted Jian tea bowl

Unwrapping the Kuroda family Jian tea bowl, the prized lot of the Linyushanren Collection up for auction on 15 September in New York

For nearly a millennium, the wares of the Jian kilns have been celebrated in China. As ceramic styles have risen and fallen with shifts in politics and taste, the dark-glazed Jian tea bowls have remained in vogue, with the most coveted examples featuring an especially rare oil-spot glaze. Leading the Linyushanren Collection, the Kuroda family tenmoku Jian bowl exhibits the iron-rich glaze prized during the Song dynasty (9601279) in China, subsequently in Japan, and ultimately, by collectors across the globe today. Fashions in tea consumption played a crucial role in shaping ceramic styles. In the elaborate process of making tea during the Song dynasty, the popular white-leaf tea was ground to a powder and whisked into a milky froth, to create a pleasing contrast with the darker wares of this era. Black-glazed tea bowls were therefore made at a number of kilns, including the Ding kilns of Hebei province, but the bowls most frequently praised in the historical texts of the literati were those from the Jian kilns of Fujian province.
Erin Hull

Green Bank CFO John Durie is leaving the bank Oct. 31 to become CEO of Houston-based investment company Redstone Group. He will join Green Bank's board of directors Nov. 1.

"It has been a truly rewarding experience to participate in building Green Bank from a small de novo bank to close to $4 billion in assets in a relatively short period of time," Durie said in a news release.
Donald Traill/Associated Press

United Airlines will begin weekly service to Havana from Bush Intercontinental Airport on Dec. 3. Tickets go on sale Thursday afternoon or evening.

"I'm incredibly proud of all the dedicated aviation professionals here at United who are working hard to get our historic Cuba service ready for takeoff in November," United CEO Oscar Munoz said in a news release. "Today's announcement reaffirms that these flights will ensure better choice, convenience and competition for all travelers on this important route."
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Sandy Tran and Anne Le of Tout Suit have started construction on a new co-working space next to their popular EaDo cafe.

Their new venture, called The Co-Op HTX, will encompass 10,000 square feet of co-working and retail space.

It's being developed in the same building that houses Tout Suite at the corner of Chartres and Commerce streets just east of downtown. An opening is scheduled for October.

In 2011, the partners opened a dessert shop in CityCentre called Sweet and later expanded with Tout Suite in 2014. In June they opened a Tout Suite in Memorial City Mall.

The Co-Op will have communal work spaces with shared desks and couches, as well as dedicated desks and private "office boxes" for small retail spaces or studios.

Le said the co-working project has always been part of an expansion plan.

"Like every coffee shop in Houston, we're a destination for professionals, students and entrepreneurs," she said in a statement. "Everyone's looking for a great spot to be productive. We're adopting the best of Tout Suite's layout and design, and we're joining it with the practical needs for a productive and collaborative workspace."

The owners are using Houston crowdfunding platform NextSeed to help finance the new endeavor.

They are seeking investors to put up a minimum of $100 for which they will receive 1.4 times their original investments through a revenue sharing program over a four-year period.
James Nielsen/Houston Chronicle

In Texas on Thursday, Farmers Insurance will roll out a new specialty food-truck policy, combining not just commercial automobile coverage for theft, wrecks or other damage but also protection against mishaps more common among restaurateurs: food-borne illness, slip-and-fall accidents and the like.

"It is important to have insurance for any unforeseen circumstances," said Tomas Villarreal of Houston, who spent months trying to cobble together the right mix of coverage for his Mingo's Latin Kitchen truck. He wound up buying two different policies to address the needs of running a food business while also putting "a lot of miles on these vehicles."
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Using wood, concrete, steel and foam, a Houston-based company has been creating what they call "family dreams."

For 20 years, Tiny Town Studios has crafted themed playhouses, tree houses and beds for anyone with some imagination - and cash.

"Tiny Town Studios started as a small family business that just loved making kids smile. Now after all these years, it's still the reason we get up every morning," said sculptor Derick Biddinger in an email. "I'm humbled to be able to do what we do as a company."

READ MORE: The rustic Mississippi treehouse sold

But making smiles doesn't come cheap or easy. Prices for their products can range anywhere between $1,000 for a pool sculpture, or $42,000 for an exotic tree house. Each piece takes roughly two weeks to build and customers can find themselves on a waiting list for eight to 12 weeks.

One of those customers is timeless hip-hop sensation Vanilla Ice.

READ MORE: Stunning River Oaks home boasts epic two-story playhouse

"The Vanilla Project," a home improvement series staring Robert Van Winkle, teamed up with Tiny Town Studios to deliver an 18-foot long pirate ship playhouse. The $9,000 playhouse was featured on the fifth season of the DYI network show.

"I have to say he is super and is the real deal on and off the show," said Biddinger of Vanilla Ice. "We text all the time talking about what we are going to do next. I can't let too much information out, but we are designing now for Season 7."

In 2015, the company transformed a home-theater into a Star Trek themed space ship.

READ MORE: Friendswood home boasts 'Star Trek'-inspired theater

Derick Biddinger says he had doubts about being an artist after he learned he was color blind.

"Never gave up the passion to be creative," said Biddinger. "Its amazing what you can do if you don't give up and don't listen to people who say you can't."

Check out some of Tiny Town Studios' creations above.
If you are under a certain age, you may wonder what a telephone operator was.

Until recent decades, certain telephone calls had to be routed by a human being.
Fans of the popular Tacos Tierra Caliente are coming through in a big way for the food truck's owner after the death of her daughter, a report says.

For more than a decade, Maria Victoria's taco truck has drawn crowds as it sits next to the West Alabama Ice House, according to Houstoniamag.com. On Tuesday morning, the beloved Victoria lost her 22-year-old daughter to a brain tumor, the article says.
Eric Gay/STF

University of Texas at Austin officials should work harder to keep homeless people off campus, add security guards and update its video surveillance systems, according to a safety audit commissioned after a freshman was killed on campus in the spring.

A homeless 17-year-old was charged earlier this year with murdering freshman dance student Haruka Weiser, whose body was found in a creek on the University of Texas campus in April. It was the first murder on campus in nearly 50 years. UT Austin President Gregory Fenves asked the Texas Department of Public Safety to conduct the audit after Weiser was killed.
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A Houston man is returning to prison for life after shooting at Montgomery County officers during a violent high speed chase last year.

Judge Patty Maginnis in the 435th District Court sentenced Ebeneser Benny Morones on Friday to Life in prison after Montgomery County citizens found him guilty the week before of Aggravated Assault Public Servant, Possession with Intent to Deliver, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by Felon, and Evading with a Motor Vehicle.

The life sentences are for offenses that occurred on August 8, 2015, according to information from the District Attorney's office.

A traffic stop turned into a violent high speed chase on Highway 59 near FM 1314 after Woodbranch Police Officer Robert Rodriguez pulled over the passenger car for speeding, which Morones was riding in.

Morones began shooting at the officer while hanging out of the passenger window while the car sped between 80 to 100 mph.

The Woodbranch patrol vehicle was disabled when bullets were lodged into the windshield and hood of the car. Montgomery County Constable Precinct 4 Deputy Jeff Buchanan continued the pursuit which lasted for approximately 17 miles into Harris County and ended near Highway 59 at Hopper Road.

While Morones fired multiple shots at Buchanan, one of the bullets hit another moving vehicle and pierced through that windshield as the chase continued.

Three other suspects were in the fleeing vehicle and ran after the car crashed into a ditch.

Morones exited the vehicle before it came to a stop and was not apprehended until several hours later.

When arrested Morones was in possession of the M1 30 carbine rifle used to shoot at the police officers involved. Precinct 4 also located five other firearms and approximately 19 grams of methamphetamines with digital scales and small bags for selling where Morones was seated in the vehicle.

During the punishment phase of the trial, Assistant District Attorney Rochelle Guiton presented evidence that the Morones had previously been convicted of Assault Family Violence  Enhanced and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, making him a habitual offender facing 25-99 or life punishment range for each count.

He was also previously convicted of a number of misdemeanor offenses for similar offenses, Evading Arrest and Assault Family Violence.

Morones is also a member of the Houston Tango Blast gang, which has a reputation as a dangerous prison gang.

This case was a multi-agency effort to get a violent man off the streets. Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Deputies and SWAT, Houston Police Department, Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Texas

Rangers, and Texas Department of Public Safety assisted in investigating this case and apprehending the offenders. The driver, Javier Alquicira, took a 25 year prison plea prior to this trial.

Assistant District Attorney Rochelle Guiton said she immediately recognized Morones as a dangerous man when she inherited the case in March and aimed for the life sentence.

"Our Montgomery County citizens as jurors and our judges are thankfully able to recognize when we have those more serious offenses," Guiton said. "... I'm especially proud of the verdict we got on this case. We had officers that were willing to go after someone who was clearly intending to hurt them. I am proud of our police officers for being able to catch this person and get him off the street."

District Attorney Brett Ligon said it is a "scary time for law enforcement agencies and officers".

"And in this case, the lives of officers and innocent bystanders were at risk because this habitual felon decided to shoot at police to try and get away," Ligon said. "It is a miracle that no one was killed. This type of violence against police and innocent civilians will not be tolerated in Montgomery County."

Morones was represented by Benton Baker and Kathryn Liptrap.

Liptrap declined to comment and Baker was unable to be reached by press time.
SABINE PASS -- A Port Arthur man working on an offshore rig in Sabine Pass fell 100 feet to his death Tuesday, local authorities said after spending six hours searching for him in the water.

Divers recovered the body of Ramiro Ayala, 40, about 3 p.m. near the rig, which is undergoing decommissioning.

Ayala worked for Environmental Remediation Services Inc., which was contracted to help take apart the rig.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched an investigation into the workplace death.

Ayala fell about 9 a.m., the Port Arthur Fire Department reported, from the rig Sovereign Explorer near the U.S. Coast Guard's Station Sabine, which is a search and recovery and law enforcement unit.

A piece of debris, which looked like a catwalk from the rig, might have figured in Ayala's fall, said Port Arthur Fire Marshal Paul Washburn.

A crane finally pulled the piece of catwalk from the water after a strap on the crane broke, further complicating the search.

Ayala's body was not entangled in it, Washburn said.

In the early stages of the search, a Coast Guard helicopter hovered above the scene, but it departed once fire department divers arrived.

In the first two hours, two divers searched for Ayala on the rig's left side, but stopped because the area was considered "dangerous" for only two divers, Washburn said.

The fire department sent for a backup dive team.

By 1 p.m., the divers had to take a mandated safety break, resuming around 1:30 p.m.

Washburn called the second period the most important of the day before the tide began to move. Divers located the body right at the end of that window of calm in the ship channel, which was never closed to vessel traffic.

Ayala, married and a father, was working on the rig's top deck at the time of the accident. A fall from that height to the surface would have taken about 2.5 seconds.

Impact on water from that height would have been the same as hitting a road surface.

Cliff divers who jump from similar heights point themselves in such a way as to minimize their impact. In an accidental fall, a person has almost no chance to orient himself to survive.

Washburn said the family had no comment.

SFlores@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/_SaraEFlores
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Thirteen inmates from Texas had their sentences shortened Tuesday by President Barack Obama as part of 111 commutations handed down by the president.

All of the cases involved in the commutations involve people convicted of dealing drugs. One of the 13 is from Port Arthur and four are from Houston, with the rest from places scattered around the state.

Eleven of the cases involve a person convicted of dealing cocaine or crack cocaine. The odd cases in the bunch involve one person dealing in methamphetamine and a person convicted of dealing in an unspecified controlled substance.

READ MORE: Obama issues 12 Christmastime pardons to Texans

The inmate from Port Arthur receiving a commutation is Darryl Dewayne Edwards, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2008 on four charges: attempt to manufacture 50 grams or more of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Edwards' sentence was commuted to a term of 20 years in prison.

Inmates from Houston receiving commutations are:

- Corey Lyndell Blount, whose life sentence was cut to 30 years in prison. He was convicted of dealing in crack cocaine in the western district of Louisiana in 1999.

- Ronald Lee Blount, whose life sentence is now set to expire on Dec. 28. He was convicted of dealing in crack cocaine in the western district of Louisiana in 1999. Blount is currently being held at the federal prison in Beaumont.

- Warren Dean Cornett, whose life sentence is now set to expire Dec. 28. Cornett was convicted of dealing in cocaine and crack cocaine in the southern district of Texas in 1998. He is currently in the federal prison in Beaumont.

READ MORE: Obama shortens terms for 214 inmates, 67 had life sentences

- David Gonzalez, whose 20 year prison sentence was cut to end in March. Gonzalez was convicted of conspiracy to deal in crack cocaine in the southern district of Texas in 2004. He is currently in the federal prison in Beaumont.

Obama issued commutations for 214 federal inmates earlier this month. The newest batch brings the total to 325 commutations issued in August. That's a total the White House describes as the most ever by a president in a single month.

During his eight years in office, Obama has issued commutations to 673 inmates.

READ MORE: Bush pardons 16 minor criminals

White House counsel Neil Eggleston said in a written statement that the commutations are part of an effort to correct flaws in outdated laws.

"They are individuals who received unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes, for example, the 35 individuals whose life sentences were commuted today," Eggleston said.
After receiving an anonymous tip, authorities in Brownsville seized more than 100 marijuana plants inside a home that had a marijuana growing lab. A suspect is now behind bars.

According to a Tuesday release from the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, police were tipped off to the home and executed a search warrant on Friday afternoon.
Texas Rangers and U.S. Marshals have arrested a man in connection with a violent robbery in College Station over the weekend that left two men dead, police confirmed Tuesday.

Larry Kent Bonner, Jr., 18, was taken into custody in McKinney. College Station police said Bonner and another man, who remains at large, were involved a fatal shooting about 2 a.m. Sunday at an apartment in the 1100 block of Luther that left two 20-year-old men dead, Brysen Jamal Rhodes, of Wortham, and Jack Lopez of Rosenberg.
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A Harris County grand jury on Wednesday no-billed a Precinct 5 deputy who shot and killed a man while conducting a traffic stop in west Houston in April. Later in the day, a small group of Black Lives Matter protesters demonstrated downtown.

The shooting happened after Harris County Precinct 5 Deputy Constable R. Felix stopped 24-year-old Ashtian Barnes as he was driving on Beltway 8 in west Houston on the afternoon of April 28.

Dashcam video of the encounter, posted by Black Lives Matter activists Wednesday afternoon, showed the deputy pulling Barnes over, approaching him, and warning him not to dig around. Moments later, he can be seen pulling open Barnes' driver side door, stepping into the car, drawing his gun, and firing as the car travels forward several hundred feet.

Officials with the Houston Police Department - which investigated the shooting - said at the time that Felix had pulled Barnes over because the car had a large number of toll road violations.

But at the protest on Wednesday, Barnes' father, Tommie Barnes, said his son was in a rental car when he got pulled over and any toll violations were the fault of the rental company. He said he saw the video from Felix's dashcam on Wednesday.

"It's heartbreaking. I just celebrated his 25th birthday without him. He should be here today," Barnes said.

Police said at the time Felix had claimed the car smelled of marijuana and Barnes didn't have a license or proof of insurance. During the traffic stop, Barnes repeatedly reached on the floor of the car, digging through papers as if he was reaching for something, said Kese Smith, an HPD spokesman. Felix called for backup, opened the car door and told Barnes to step outside his car. Barnes turned on the car, as Felix told him not to.

Then, Felix drew his weapon, police said. Barnes began to accelerate as the driver's side door of the car was still open. The deputy thought he might get run over, and held on to the door as the car traveled about 120 feet. Officials said then that Felix had reached for the deputy's gun. When Felix felt Barnes' hand on his hand and gun, he fired his weapon twice. Backup hadn't yet arrived.

BACKGROUND: Shooting brought traffic to a standstill

The dashcam video released Wednesday shows Felix stepping onto the footrail moments before the car begins moving. It is unclear from the video exactly when the deputy constable fires his weapon.

In a statement, officials with the Harris County District Attorney's Office said the grand jury had heard the case over two sessions by a group of 12 people that included three African-Americans and three Hispanics.

"The presentation was comprehensive and responsive to the needs of the grand jury," Harris County D.A.'s Civil Rights Division Chief Julian Ramirez said in the release. "The 183rd Grand Jury handled this case with great care."

"I want to express my deepest sympathies to Ashtian Barnes' family," District Attorney Devon Anderson said, in the release. "I know they are disappointed, but the grand jury's decision means they found that there was no probable cause to believe a murder or other assaultive offense was committed. It does not constitute an endorsement of the officer's actions."

The grand jury's decision drew immediate ire from Houston civil rights activists.

Ashton P. Woods, a Black Lives Matter activist, said the shooting was a clear case of "hyper aggression" by law enforcement.

"It's clear the officer didn't have probable cause," he said, adding that he wasn't surprised by the no-bill.

"When was the last time a grand jury in Houston, Harris County, true-billed a law enforcement officer for shooting a black person?" he said.

A Precinct 5 spokesman has not yet responded to a call seeking comment.

On Wednesday, about 10 people from Black Lives Matter protested on the sidewalk in front of the courthouse on Franklin. About 20 police officers stood across the street while protesters accused law enforcement of killing unarmed, black men.

Protesters also accused police of showing favoritism to the White Lives Matter movement, noting the group had firearms and there were far fewer police present when the controversial group protested in front of the NAACP's Houston office on Aug. 21.

RELATED: Confederate flag waves at White Lives Matter event

Police at Wednesday's rally didn't respond to the protesters' complaints.

Reporter Will Axford contributed to this report.
Four women face criminal charges after a maintenance worker found a 6-year-old boy with his eyes duct taped shut and hands taped behind his back.

According to Houston Police Department spokesman Kese Smith, the worker discovered the boy when he entered the southeast Houston apartment to fix the air conditioning. When asked why the boy was covered in duct tape, the women told the worker that he was fighting at school and would not listen to the women.
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Debris from a dump truck littered Metro train tracks after the truck collided with a train in southeast Houston Wednesday morning.

The collision happened about 11:40 am. along Old Spanish Trail near MacGregor, not far from the University of Houston, according to Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Passenger Edward Harris said he was riding in the first car behind the operator and saw the truck pull up next to the train at full speed before trying to make a left turn in front of it.

"The train operator hit the horn and tried to stop but couldn't," Harris said. "It happened so fast, it was crazy."

Harris said he and his scooter moved about three feet forward after the impact. Other than sustaining some neck pain himself and seeing another man with a busted lip, Harris said he didn't see anyone else with major injuries.

Officials said the truck driver was injured and was rushed to nearby hospital. The driver's condition was not released but officials said the driver had non-life-threatening injuries.

No other injuries were reported.

Metro officials said investigators are trying to determine what led to the collision. Debris from the collision littered the rail lines.

"The front end of the dump truck was folded in and totaled," Harris said. "The train had little damage. They're built like battleships."

The wreck shutdown the rail in both directions. Buses are being used to ferry rail passengers between the Robertson Stadium and Palm Center stops.
In the 1980s, the Southern Poverty Law Center - an organization born of the civil rights movement - began tracking extremist organizations they deemed "hate groups" in the United States.

At the time, most were white supremacist organizations finding renewed footing after a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan.

They called it Klanwatch, then eventually the Intelligence Project.

In the nearly 40 years since, hundreds of groups that ascribe to varying brands of inflammatory ideology - Neo-Nazism, anti-gay, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, Holocaust denial, black separatist - have been lumped into the list. There is even a "general hate" category.

RELATED GALLERY: Southern Poverty Law Center's 'Hate Map' identifies Texas groups

While the news media routinely cites SPLC hate group designations as if they were definitive, they have in fact often been controversial.

Its definition mirrors the one used by the federal government when prosecuting hate crimes.

"Generally speaking," the SPLC wrote explaining why "Black Lives Matter is not a hate group . . . hate groups are, by our definition, those that vilify entire groups of people based on immutable characteristics such as race or ethnicity."

The law center is left-leaning, a nugget conservatives and even moderates have used to deem some SPLC distinctions illegitimate - especially when it labeled the Family Research Council, a conservative organization, a hate group for its stance on homosexuality.

But the center's most recent critique came this summer from some conservatives after ambush shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge killed eight police officers.

Thousands signed Change.org petitions, the center received direct requests and conservative commentators joined the chorus of critics demanding a hate group designation for Black Lives Matter.

The SPLC refused.

But this month, the organization announced the latest additions to its Hate Map tracker.

Black Lives Matter is not on the list.

White Lives Matter is.

Though separated in name by just one word, the organizations are rooted in far different ideologies and end goals, according to the SPLC, which is why the center claims one is founded in hateful principles and the other is not.

Noting that it has labeled the New Black Panther Party a hate group, the organization wrote, "We have heard nothing remotely comparable to the NBPP's bigotry from the founders and most prominent leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement and nothing at all to suggest that the bulk of the demonstrators hold supremacist or black separatist views. Thousands of white people across America - indeed, people of all races - have marched in solidarity with African Americans during BLM marches, as is clear from the group's website. The movement's leaders also have condemned violence.

"There's no doubt," it added, "that some protesters who claim the mantle of Black Lives Matter have said offensive things, like the chant 'pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon' that was heard at one rally. But before we condemn the entire movement for the words of a few, we should ask ourselves whether we would also condemn the entire Republican Party for the racist words of its presumptive nominee - or for the racist rhetoric of many other politicians in the party over the course of years."

Neither group has a singular, concentrated leadership structure. Most commonly, the phrases are used in a symbolic way, to represent a school of thought, not all that different from the catchphrases of the antiwar protests decades ago.

"Make love, not war," meant something to those who said it, but it didn't necessarily have an attached organization, unlike, for example, the political slogans of presidential nominees. "Make America Great Again" is linked to a political ideology, but also to a specific politician.

These movements are more diffuse and at times amorphous.

Black Lives Matter was born in 2014 after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. It first surfaced as a trending social media hashtag, then grew to a nationwide political movement. Its leaders have called for increased scrutiny of police brutality against racial and ethnic minorities, an end to mass incarceration in the U.S. and a heightened awareness of institutional racism.

Black Lives Matter, the organization, has more than 20 chapters across the U.S. and Canada, but the broader movement is not limited by those structured groups. The phrase itself has been used by protesters and online activists across the country who feel solidarity with the movement but may not be specifically tied to the organization in a traditional, membership-based sense.

While Lives Matter is also a phrase used by a variety of individuals and activists, White Lives Matter, however, the SPLC says in a blog post on its website, is "a radical counter-movement" with "racist activists working hard to spread its claims."

"Its main activists, to put it plainly, are unvarnished white supremacists," Sarah Viets wrote in the post.

It's a hate group, SPLC argues, because the message has been co-opted by a handful of proven white supremacists. Two such groups, the Aryan Strikeforce, a skinhead group, and the National Socialist Movement, America's largest neo-Nazi group, largely inspired the designation, Heidi Beirich, director of the Intelligence Project, told the Boston Globe.

The law center identified Tennessean Rebecca Barnette, a leader in both groups, as one of White Lives Matter's "key leaders, if not the leader."

"Barnette, who describes herself as a 'revolutionist' who is working to 'create a new world' for white people, appears to run both the WLM website and the movement's Facebook page," Viets wrote on the law center blog.

The group's website promotes the idea that a "white genocide" is sweeping the United States, caused by "mass third world immigration, integration by force and 24/7 race mixing propaganda."

"It supports breeding practices that improve fitness, opposes dysgenic immigration," the website continues, "and takes a libertarian stance on other right wing gripes that don't directly turn the population non-White."

White Lives Matter is not a white supremacist or anti-Semitic group, the website claims, but it believes "ethnic Europeans are worth preserving" and that, though "Jews are generally likeable," it opposes "Jewish aggression."

The Texas-based Aryan Renaissance Society, another group of which SPLC alleges Barnette is a member, claims to be "the leading force behind the WLM Movement," according to the law center. And researchers linked the ARS to a protest that was held outside the Houston headquarters of the NAACP last week.

Men and women waved Confederate flags, criticized the Black Lives Matter movement and called the NAACP "one of the most racist groups in America."

One sign read "14 words," a reference to the white supremacist motto: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."

In reaction to the SPLC hate group declaration, a YouTube channel labeled White Lives Matter posted a video this week of a white man outside a BP gas station, inserting so-called "Black on White crime" fliers into the free coupon box.

"While groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center say we are terrorists and we are a hate group, at the grassroots, small town America, just normal, casual USA, everybody knows the truth," the man says. "White Lives Matters. Black Lives Matters is the largest terrorist organization in America, right now, today. They riot, they loot, they pillage."

Wednesday, NBC News published a statement it said came from White Lives Matter, albeit without saying specifically which group or person issued it: "White Lives Matter is really about recognizing the contributions that people of European descent have made to civilization, and that we as a people and culture are worth preserving. We reject the notion that it is morally wrong for people of European descent to love and support their own race. We value Western civilization and believe that at the very least, immigrants should not make us dumber or poorer."

White Lives Matter is not the only "lives matter" counter-movement. As law enforcement began receiving increased scrutiny from the public over officer-involved shootings and a lack of accountability for them, police supporters used the phrase Blue Lives Matter. Another iteration, All Lives Matter, was created by those who think focusing on only the black and brown victims of police brutality is divisive and distracts from the larger issue.
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The World Health Organization is urging countries to change how they cure Gonorrhea as traditional means of treatment are quickly becoming ineffective.

Health officials warn that sexually transmitted infections around the world have developed a strong resistance to the drugs we use to treat them.

"These STIs often go undiagnosed and are becoming more difficult to treat, with some antibiotics now failing as a result of misuse and overuse," said the WHO in a Tuesday news release.

Officials say of the three most common sexually transmitted infections, Gonorrhea has developed the strongest resistance to antibiotics.

READ MORE: Gonorrhea superbug spreads in Japan

"Strains of multidrug-resistant Gonorrhea that do not respond to any available antibiotics have already been detected," continued the WHO. "Antibiotic resistance in chlamydia and syphilis, though less common, also exists, making prevention and prompt treatment critical."

Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that Gonorrhea's resistance to common antibiotics has grown so strong, doctors are down to only one recommended and effective class of antibiotic to help combat the infection.

In order to better deal with the growing trend, the WHO has released a new set of guidelines for treating these sexually transmitted diseases.

READ MORE: Sexually-transmitted disease numbers in Texas counties

"The new WHO guidelines reinforce the need to treat these STIs with the right antibiotic, at the right dose, and the right time to reduce their spread and improve sexual and reproductive health," said Ian Askew, Director of Reproductive Health for WHO, in a statement. "To do that, national health services need to monitor the patterns of antibiotic resistance in these infections within their countries."

According to the CDC, nearly 820,000 new Gonorrhea cases occur in the U.S. each year. Nearly one third of these cases are resistant to at least one type of drug. Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported infectious disease behind chlamydia.

Click through above to see which Texas counties are most at-risk for Gonorrhea and other STDs.
-- Trumps political gamble  EVERETT, Washington (AP)  Donald Trump will make a quick visit to Mexico on Wednesday, meeting with the president of a nation he derided as the home of rapists and criminals. The trip is a politically risky move for the Republican presidential nominee less than 10 weeks before the election.

It is not clear how Trump will be received in a country where he is widely despised. Beyond his disparaging comments about Mexicans, Trump has promised, if elected, to deport millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally, force Mexico to build a huge wall to secure the nearly 2,000-mile border, and renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement to make it more favorable to the United States. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has compared Trump to Adolf Hitler.

-- What will be waiting for Trump in Mexico: At least two demonstrations are planned in Mexico City as Mexicans express anger about the visit of Donald Trump. Former first lady Margarita Zavala wrote in a tweet aimed at Trump: Even though you may have been invited, we want you to know you're not welcome. We Mexicans have dignity, and we reject your hate speech. She's considered a potential presidential candidate for 2018, reports the AP.

-- Whats in it for EPN?  Mexican President Enrique Pena Nietos standing in the polls has sunk to record lows, and a new plagiarism scandal isnt helping. So maybe meeting with a guy even less popular than he is could bring the Mexican public back to his side? (Politico)

-- Paxton rejects fraud case settlement talks, by the Chronicles Andrea Zelinski. Attorney General Ken Paxton, facing charges he duped investors in a North Texas startup, is refusing to engage in settlement talks with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission - and could be the last holdout in the case if it goes to trial. William Mapp, the founder and CEO of the company for which Paxton is accused of illegally selling securities, is open to negotiating a legal settlement with the SEC, according to court records.

-- Texas House committee picks up state ride sharing debate, by Quorum Reports Kimberly Reeves. ($) Lawmakers on the Texas House Transportation Committee did not appear to be lining up to take theCity of Austins side in its fight to force Uber and Lyft to comply with fingerprint requirements. That doesnt mean lawmakers wont have a fight on their hands when the 85th session starts in January. But during the Texas Transportation Institutes overview of ridesharing regulations at an interim committee meeting, lawmakers appeared to glean a rather pro-state regulation case: 35 states have chosen to impose state regulation of ridesharing; in almost every case, local ordinances are pre-empted; and committee members were quick to point out even more cities had resolved rideshare issues since the review ended in May.

>> Obama commutes sentences for four Houston inmates, Houston Chronicle

-- SAENs Gilbert Garcia: Hurd and Gallego clash over Obamacare. The issue is stirring debate in U.S. District 23, the states lone up-for-grabs congressional race. Pete Gallego, the West Texas Democrat who lost the seat two years ago, wants to preserve Obamacare, but tweak some of its regulations. Will Hurd, the Helotes-based Republican who took the seat away from Gallego, wants to scrap the law but save a few of its cornerstones (such as protection for people with pre-existing conditions).

>> Waller County offers test for open carry law, Houston Chronicle

-- Race frames discussion, controversy over police shootings, by The Texas Tribunes Alexa Ura. There is a shared conviction within communities of color that interactions with police are more likely to end in arrest, violence or death. As video recordings of police behavior have become prolific and easily shareable on social media, examples of that risk have been thrust into the nation's consciousness. There is a wider comprehension of where fears like Johnson's come from, particularly among white people and others who might have dismissed them before as exaggerations.

>> Statesmans Tilove : Robert Morrow is gone, but peace has not returned to the Travis Co. GOP

CAPITOL DAYBOOK

HOUSE

10 a.m.  Urban Affairs (Dallas)

SPEED READ

After easy win, Rubio has bigger challenge to keep seat, AP

Cornyn expects Zika funding impasse to be broken, Houston Chronicle

Court: Death row inmate may have faked mental illness, AP

Ross Ramsey: Rick Perry busts a move on Molly Ivins birthday, The Texas Tribune

Texas drilling will cause more health problems, study predicts, The Texas Tribune

4 regional CPS directors fired amid Texas agencys shakeup, AP

Study: Eagle Ford pollution caused by equipment problems, Houston Chronicle

In Houston and elsewhere, segregation along school-district lines, Kinder Institute for Urban Research

Blood evidence described in 1993 Houston-area slaying, AP

In Arizona, old-guard Republicans advance in primary, AP

RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE

-- Clinton to stress American exceptionalism in Ohio, by the APs Catherine Lucey and Jill Colvin. Clinton's midday address at the American Legion's annual convention in Cincinnati Wednesday comes as Trump plans a last-minute trip to Mexico in advance of a long-awaited speech on immigration. A Clinton campaign official said the Democratic nominee plans to use her first public event in days to portray her Republican opponent as a questionable leader who would walk away from our allies, undermine our values, insult our military  and has explicitly rejected the idea of American exceptionalism.

-- Trump chilled by cold Election Day reality, by Politicos Eli Stokols. When Donald Trump walks on stage here Wednesday, he will be guided by anti-immigration zealots to a more moderate sounding platform, one that represents a pragmatic calculation of his Election Day challenge if not a deeper belief in the unforgiving border policy that won him the Republican nomination.

Conflicting advice from Trumps remade inner circle of advisersincluding former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, newly installed campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and campaign CEO Steve Bannonand the outside counsel of conservative mega-donor Sheldon Adelson have led to a series of muddled statements that have left Trump sounding at times like President Obama and his former GOP rivals on immigration, not a hardliner ready to deport illegal immigrants.

>> A record number of Americans now dislike Clinton, The Washington Post



-- Stumping for Clinton, Obama will urge supporters to get out the vote, by The New York Times Gardiner Harris. Mr. Obamas task is not to try to persuade independents or Republicans that they should choose Mrs. Clinton overDonald J. Trump , the Republican nominee, according to White House officials and the Clinton campaign. Instead, he will urge his most enthusiastic supporters  young voters and African-Americans  to register or to be sure to turn out to vote for Mrs. Clinton.
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Last week, the Obama administrations Department of Labor released new rules allowing states to sponsor pension systems for private-sector workers whose employers dont offer retirement plans. The decision could ultimately drive trillions of dollars of employee money into the hands of the same state officials who have mismanaged public pensions for years. What could possibly go wrong?

In recent years, politicians in state capitals have called for the government to provide retirement security to workers who lack employer-provided pensions, even though those workers are already eligible to start their own IRAs under federal rules. Officials in about two dozen statesincluding California, Illinois, and Connecticutproposed state-run private pensions. Workers would be automatically enrolled and, unless they opted out, would see regular deductions made from their paychecks. But states were waiting for the Obama administration to create a safe harbor rule allowing them to operate these new plans according to their own laws, not the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Last week, the administration complied.

Taxpayers should be worried. State and local pension plans for public sector workers are already exempt from ERISA. Much of the debt they have accumulated is due to the weaker standards under which they operate. Indeed, the states that have gone furthest in studying private pension plans are among those with the most-indebted public-sector pension systems.

Californias proposed new law aims to deduct 3 percent from the paychecks of workers who arent covered by another pension system. The money would then be invested in highly rated U.S. government securities. An early version of the law also guaranteed workers a modest rate of return over time, but legislators dropped that stipulation because of criticism that the plan could produce the kind of burden on taxpayers that Californias retirement systems for public workers has accumulatedat least $170 billion by the states own accounting, and potentially much more using more conservative market assumptions.

Still, there are dangers for taxpayers. Most government-worker pension plans started out with similar modest assumptions meant to protect taxpayers from getting stuck with big bills. Over time, political pressure eroded these safeguards. Indeed, the original 1929 design for the California state-worker retirement system limited its investments to riskless government securities. An unsound system is worse than none, warned its designers. Yet, successive legislatures increased benefits and lifted investing restrictions, allowing the retirement system to pour money into risky stocks. California wound up with exactly the kind of system that it once sought to avoid. One can easily imagine a similar scenario where the pension savings from a state-run plan for private workers are suddenly deemed inadequate and elected officials rush to increase payouts at the expense of the long-term stability of the plan.

There are many unanswered questions about how the new retirement plans will work, including who will be responsible for investing the money and what kinds of investment choices workers will receive. For taxpayers, the biggest long-term risk may lie in the ERISA exemption. Lawsuits filed by workers over these retirement accounts could end up in state courts, which have a tradition of going to extremes to protect workers retirement plans. California state courts, for instance, have ruled that the government can never change the terms of state-worker pension contractseven for work that workers have yet to do. This makes it virtually impossible to save money immediately once the system gets into trouble. Illinoiss supreme court has bluntly told legislators it should raise taxes to pay off its pension debt. Federal courts, by contrast, have interpreted ERISA to allow companies that sponsor pension plans to change the terms of the pension contract for future work by current workersallowing immediate savings.

The new rules suggest that the Obama administration is shepherding a government takeover of the private retirement market. Earlier this year, the administration debuted tough new standards for investment advisers who provide guidance for private sector retirement plans. The new standards, argues the Financial Services Institute, will drive up the price of operating a private retirement plan, and may eventually prompt companies to avoid starting such plans. State governments could then push those pensionless workers into their own systems, which operate under looser standards.

There are alternatives. The federal government could induce workers to save more for retirement by reducing regulations on already-existing private plans. One change, for instance, would allow businesses with fewer than 100 workers to offer an existing product, the Simple IRA, without requiring firms to make minimum contributions. Currently, businesses that enroll workers must match employee contributions up to 3 percent of salary.

States dont need to run their own private-worker pension plans. Washington State is establishing a small-business retirement marketplace that matches employers with financial firms offering retirement plans. New Jersey has followed Washingtons lead.

Voters, for the most part, have stood by and watched the creation of these new plans. After all, a government program to help you save for retirement sounds like a good thing. But these same voters are currently being asked to pay more in taxes to support government pensions for public-sector workers that they were once assured were safe. Wheres the outrage? Its not there, in part, because it takes years for the obligations of plans like these to materialize. The real burden of anything that goes wrong will fall on the next generation. Given the rate at which the public-pension crisis is metastasizing, that could leave tomorrows taxpayers with double pension trouble.

Photo by karenfoleyphotography/iStock
The Major Cities Chiefs Association recently issued its crime figures for the first half of 2016, and some of the numbers are scary. In four out of five violent crime categories, including murder, the most trustworthy measure, this year is starting off worse than lastand 2015 was more violent than the preceding year. Six out of the ten biggest American cities have seen double-digit increases in 2016; overall, crime is up 14.8 percent. The good news is that murder declined 6.4 percent in New York City and Houston saw a 51.4 percent drop.

Only a pollyanna would pooh-pooh the chiefs negative figures and dismiss talk of a new crime rise. Clearly, crime is up, but theres a big difference between a crime spike or surge, which lasts a year or two, and a true crime boom or wave, which could run for decades. I define a crime wave as a period of sustained high crime, manifested by homicide victimization rates of eight or more per 100,000. Rates over the past few years have been hovering around 5 per 100,000. The last wave, which began at the end of the 1960s and ended in the middle 1990s, ran for two-and-a-half decades, as did the earlier twentieth-century crime boom, which dragged on from 1910 to 1936.

Homicide victimization rates, 19002013

What we really want to know is whether were headed for another crime wave, like the devastating crime tsunami of late memory. No one can be sure of the answer, of course, since the future is the greatest crime mystery of all, but if we look at the factors associated with previous booms and apply them to our current situation, we may get a better idea.

Over the course of U.S. history, four factors have been especially significant in explaining crime booms. The first is migrations within or to the United States of groups with so-called honor cultures. Previous crime escalations were spurred by immigrations and migrations to major urban areas or to discrete rural locales of groups that engage in a disproportionate use of violence to resolve interpersonal conflicts. Examples are the famine Irish of the mid-nineteenth century, southern Italian immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century, the Mexican migration of the 1920s, and the great black migrations of the 1920s and the post-World War II era. Each of these migrations increased crime at their destinations and raised total rates nationwide.

In the 1960s, for example, over 800,000 blacks left the South for urban settings in the North and West. In the succeeding decade, another 1.5 million relocatedthe biggest decadal migration of African-Americans in American history. The black population in the Northeast nearly doubled, rising 93 percent between 1950 and 1970. Chicago, for example, went from 23 percent African American in 1960 to 40 percent in 1980.

Over a 20-year span, from 1976 through 1995, African Americans committed a majority of the criminal homicides in the United States53.2 percent, to be precise. This is quite extraordinary, given that during this period, blacks comprised around 12 percent of the U.S. population. But this excessive black murder rate was not a new development. African-American homicide had been exceptionally high at least since the late 1880s. In the 1920s, black homicide rates were, on average, seven times those of whites. From 1976 through 1995, they were eight times the white rate. Although racists attributed these rates to biological factors, the real explanation is the honor culture developed in Dixie and first found among Southern whites.

The second key factor is demographic change that creates an outsize youth population. Young people, especially males, are responsible for the overwhelming majority of violence. A sudden and major increase in the size of this population, such as occurred in the late 1960s, is a big risk factor for violent crime.

The young male population jumped 29 percent in the 1960s and 43 percent in the following decade. One study found that between 1958 and 1969, age composition alone accounted for 45 percent of the increase in all crime and 11 percent of the growth in violent crime. Economist Steven Levitt, examining the years between 1960 and 1980, attributed 22 percent of the rise in violent-crime rates to changes in age structure.

The increased youth population also produced contagions, in which behaviors multiply rapidly as a consequence of the tendency of young people to copy one another. These behaviors may be socially positive (enrolling in college), neutral (getting tattoos), or negative (engaging in crime). If the behavior reaches a critical stage or tipping point, it increases explosively. This is precisely what happened with crime in the late sixties.

Significant weaknesses in the machinery of law enforcement, especially in the destinations of the honor cultures, are another contributing factor. When police, courts, and jails/prisons are unable to cope with crime, their failures serve as an incentive to increased lawbreaking. This occurred in the Wild West and in the rural South in the nineteenth century, in the big Northeast cities in the mid-nineteenth century (leading to the creation of urban police departments), and again in the late 1960s.

When the great crime tsunami engulfed the country, the criminal justice system buckled under the strain. Police couldnt cope with the sudden increase in offenders, courts couldnt convict or imprison as many defendants as they had earlier, and people who were convicted spent less time behind bars. Police clearance rates (roughly, the ratio of arrests to reported crimes) tumbled in the late sixties. In 1950 and 1960, around four in ten reported robberies were cleared by police. That declined to under three in ten by 1970. And by 1980 and 1990, only one in four robberies was solved.

And not only were fewer criminals incarcerated; they also served less time once committed. For every 1,000 arrests for serious crimes, 299 offenders went to prison in 1960. One decade later, only 170 were imprisoneda drop of 43 percent. The time served in prison tumbled, too. Murderers had been locked up for a median 52 months in 1960, but only 42 months in 1970, a 19 percent decline.

Finally, the presence of male gangs, especially those engaged in distribution of illegal substanceswhether alcohol in the 1920s and 1930s or cocaine in the late 1980s and early 1990shas also played a key role. Gangs normally fight one another, of course. But gang rivalries may also serve acquisitive motives, such as when they compete for territory to control the profit from distributing proscribed substances, as occurred with alcohol during Prohibition and cocaine in the late 1980s. These rivalries were more intense than the usual gang fights. They also were more lethal because of the use of firearms, which put even innocent bystanders at risk.

Three of the factors described above were present in the late 1960s crime wave. The fourth factor, drug gangs, was responsible for restarting the crime tsunami after it had begun to abate in the early eighties.

Do these four factors suggest that were on the cusp of a new crime wave? Crime booms of the past have been cyclical and lasted about 25 years, which would mean that were due for one to start some time between 2015 and 2020. So perhaps the current surge is the start of a new boom. But the key factors point in a different direction.

Consider the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. In the name of fairness, racial equality, and cost-saving, there have been aggressive efforts of late to limit the system. According to a July 7 Washington Post survey, for example, prosecutions of police for murder and manslaughter have tripled in the last 18 months, and the use of video evidence has doubled. Will this curtail discretionary policing and lead to more crime? No one knows for sure, but the risk is clear. Likewise, efforts to deincarcerate have led to wholesale releases of 6,000 (and counting) drug traffickers held in federal prison under laws subsequently made less punitive. This despite a 2016 study by the United States Sentencing Commission demonstrating that half of released federal prisoners are rearrested, usually within 21 months of discharge. And in California, 20 percent of the state prison population was transferred to county jails, where the resulting overcrowding led to a 35 percent increase in outright releases. Whether or not this caused crime to rise in California remains a matter for debate, but 13 of the states 15 biggest counties experienced violent-crime rate increases in 2015.

Despite the retrenchments, the criminal justice system, which was reconstituted starting in the 1980s, has continued to perform well. Police clearance rates deteriorated dramatically in the crime-tsunami years, but then leveled off. Since 2000, murder clearances have averaged 63 percent, with no sign of further decline. As for incarceration rates, they too have diminished since 2008, but, as the anti-incarceration lobby never tires of reminding us, they remain far higher than in other countries with democratic governments. For instance, while imprisonment rates for the United Kingdom were 149 per 100,000 in 2014, United States rates were 471, more than three times as high.

The bottom line is that the criminal justice system is far from collapse, and probably can withstand reforms (read: downsizing) without spurring a new crime wave.

The gang picture is more hopeful than in the past as well. To be sure, gangs remain responsible for a big share of urban violence. In New York, outgoing NYPD commissioner William Bratton recently estimated that nearly half the citys shootings were attributable to gangs. The good news: petty quarrels, not substance distribution, are their primary motivation. The present-day drug problem involves illegal opiates, like heroin, and prescription drugs, like Oxycontin and Fentanyl. These opiates are highly addictive, but the biggest cause of death is self-administered overdosing, not gang killings. Because heroin is cheap on the streets, and the prescriptions are easily abused, there are no drug distribution gangs fighting over turf or impoverished users committing robberies in order to support habits. Consequently, there have been no major violent-crime consequences as a result of the opiate problem.

Despite the political noise over the issue, immigration trends are also encouraging. Today, we have a massive immigrant population, almost as great as in the early twentieth century. In 2014, 42.4 million immigrants resided in the United States13.3 percent of the inhabitantsand if one counts U.S.-born children, immigrants and their progeny comprise 81 million people, or 26 percent of the total population.

From a violent-crime standpoint, the issue is this: different groups have different propensities to use violence to resolve interpersonal conflictsand, therefore, different violent-crime rates. Generally, Asian populations have much lower homicide rates than Hispanic populations. Hispanic homicide-victimization rates were 298 percent higher than Asian rates in 2014.

Homicide Mortality Rates per 100,000, Hispanics, Asians, and Non-Hispanic Whites, 20002014

Immigration projections for 2025 indicate increased proportions of Asians (from 26 to 29 percent) entering the United States and smaller proportions of Hispanics (from 47 to 43 percent). Depending on the cultural composition of the entrants (terms like Asian and Hispanic mask significant cultural differences), this trend should reduce crime committed by immigrants.

As for domestic migrations, African-Americans have been migrating out of northern, midwestern, and western cities since the 1970s. Crime has declined in these areas since the mid-1990s and this reverse Great Migration seems to be continuing today. For example, from 2005 to 2010, nearly 250,000 blacks left the northeast, and nationwide, approximately 325,000 went south. Moreover, since the civil rights movement, blacks have made significant social gains, and middle-class populations dont engage in much violence.

All told, neither foreign immigration to the United States nor domestic migration within the country looks likely to increase crime rates.

Finally, the demographic picture is highly favorable to low rates of crime. Census projections indicate an aging population, and older people do much less violence than younger. The young male population (ages 1824) is expected to decline from 4.98 to 4.38 percent of the U.S. population over the next 15 years, whereas the 65 and older cohort will increase from less than 15 percent to well over 20 percent of the total.

The bottom line: we have to face occasional crime spikes or surges, such as we are now experiencing, but a long-term, sustained crime rise, on the order of those from previous eras, seems unlikely. No one should be sanguine about these crime surges, of course, as they reflect real increases in human loss and suffering. Still, genuine crime wavesas anyone who lived through the last one can attestare far worse.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
Editors note: Following the publication of this story, Vice sent a memo to its global editorial staff detailing a series of steps to improve working relationships with freelance journalists. Read it here

In an era of journalism in which freelancers have grown accustomed to being treated like disposable cogs of news production, Vice appears to be in a league of its own.

Interviews with more than a dozen freelance journalists suggest the young, edgy news organization heralded as the future of journalism also has ushered in a new low for its treatment of freelance journalists. Freelancersthough characterized by the same independence and bootstrap attitude championed by Viceare more vulnerable to exploitation, and Vice has taken advantage.

Journalists who have worked for Vice tell CJR that the company published their work without paying them for it, promised them assignments which were later rescinded, and asked reporters for their help with documentaries that covered issues they had written about without any plans to pay them for their work. Theres also the usual freelance complaint: late payments. As a freelance journalist, Ive been through some of this with Vice myself.

Vice is aware that its treatment of freelance journalists has become a problem. Company sources say Vice has started to take steps to repair its relationship with freelancers. In recent months, for instance, the company has restructured its accounts payable department, installed a new invoicing system, and hired a new payroll processing company to ensure more timely and efficient payments. Vice also has brought in new leaders in editorial who want to mend fences with freelance contributors.

Were constantly taking steps to improve the experience for our freelancers, and we regret if the journalist writing this story didnt experience the high expectations that we set and strive towards, Vice head of content Ciel Hunter wrote in a statement to CJR. Freelancers are an important part of a vibrant and healthy journalism community, and the industry as a whole needs to continuously evolve to fit their needs.

Vice in particular has work to do.

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After the 2015 terror attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, Paris-based freelance journalist Maya Vidon replied to an email from a Columbia Journalism School classmate who was trying to help a friend. Her friend was a producer at Vice, and he was urgently looking for a fixer in Paris for a documentary about Islamic extremism in France. The Vice team was hoping to begin filming in two to three weeks, the producer told Vidon, but they needed help in pre-reporting and laying the groundwork for the shoot.

Over the next week, Vidon exchanged nearly a dozen phone calls and emails with a Vice producer who asked her to help his team gain access to radicalized Muslim youth in the Paris suburbs, and to advise them on how they should go about filming the elements they wanted to include in the piece. Vidon was ready and willing to do the work, but every time she asked about Vices budget, or about the day rate they planned to pay her, the producer either ignored the question or told her he would get back to her later.

He kept picking my brain with a sense of urgency but never addressed the matter of my fees, Vidon wrote. My alarm bells rang very quickly.

Every time she asked about Vices budget, or about the day rate they planned to pay her, the producer either ignored the question or told her he would get back to her later.

Meanwhile, as emails reviewed by CJR show, the producer was playing the same game with another French journalist, Karine Barzegar, who had recently served as an associate producer for a 60 Minutes piece about the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

Over the course of nearly a dozen emails and phone calls, that same producer asked Barzegar to coordinate the filming of police and counter-terror units, filming inside a prison, gaining access to a de-radicalization program, and interviewing a former ISIS recruit in the Paris suburbs, among other requests. Again, every time Barzegar asked about her pay rate, her question was tactfully avoided.

Maya Vidon and Karine Barzegar are both seasoned French journalists. Their work regularly appears in French print and television outlets. Vidon has extensive experience as a Paris freelance reporter and photographer for various English-language news organizations, including The Washington Post, USA Today, The Globe & Mail, Vanity Fair, and Al Jazeera. Karine has worked as a fixer, reporter, and producer for the AP, BBC, CBS News, Channel 4, and the Chicago Tribune, among other news organizations.

In their combined 40 years of freelance journalism, they said they never encountered the kind of treatment they experienced with Vice.

But it wasnt just that one producer, it wasnt just Vidon and Barzegar, and it wasnt just Paris.

Its one thing if someones contacting you because youre a friend. Its another thing when you rely heavily on someone to pre-produce your story, and then you just disappear.

Aida Alami, a Moroccan journalist, was contacted by yet another Vice producer for a project there.

I gave them contacts, explained to them what the story was, helped them formulate an itinerary, basically did the whole pre-production for them, said Alami, estimating that the hours she worked for Vice over the course of several days amounted to about one full day of work. Emails between Alami and Vice employees, reviewed by CJR, confirm her story, as well as the amount of work she contributed to Vice. This is something you typically get paid for, even if its just making a few phone calls. Its one thing if someones contacting you because youre a friend. Its another thing when you rely heavily on someone to pre-produce your story, and then you just disappear.

Alami has worked with nearly every major news organization, including CNN, Bloomberg, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and USA Today. She said Vice is unequivocally the worst media company she has ever dealt with.

I experienced this treatment first hand, and in fact thats how I came to know Maya Vidon, Karine Barzegar, and Aida Alami. I, too, am a freelance journalist, based in Tel Aviv, where Ive worked with various media outlets as a reporter and producer.

When the latest Palestinian uprising first erupted in October 2015, I pitched a story to Vice about the source of the tensions and their connection to the Temple Mount, the contested site in Jerusalem that is holy to both Jews and Muslims. An editor at Vice commissioned the story, we agreed upon a rate and word count, and I filed the story by my assigned deadline, which was the following day. The editor provided some vague feedback, and I sent a revision the next day. This is when the editor disappeared. After five days of unreturned phone calls and emails, she finally emerged, explaining that she had a family emergency. By then the story was no longer relevant, so she offered to pay me $75, the equivalent of 15 percent of our agreed-upon rate.

As an independent journalist, I rely on the stories I write to pay my bills, and Id just spent three full days working on this one. Ive written for over a dozen publications, including Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times. Not once have I experienced this kind of treatment. Like any freelancer, Im used to waiting a month or two to get paid, or having to hound editors until my check arrives, but never had I felt this utterly taken advantage of. After a month of feeling cheated and sorry for myself, I decided that the best thing I could do was share my experience with other journalists as a word of caution.

I typed up a quick email detailing what had happened and sent it to the Columbia Journalism School international alumni listserve. The subject line was, Warning for freelancers re: Vice. Within minutes, my inbox was flooded with emails from other journalists who had suffered similar misfortunes with Vice. Most of the stories were worse than my own.

Not all of the journalists referred to in this story were approached this way. After hearing only negative anecdotes from former employees and freelancers, I tried to find people who had something positive to share about their experience with Vice. I put a call out on Facebook and within my network of other journalists, asking people who had worked with Vice on a freelance basis, or knew people who did, to reach out and tell me about their experience, whether good or bad. Out of 25 people I spoke to, emailed with, or interacted with through Facebook, three said they had a positive experience freelancing for Vice. While they didnt want to speak on the record, since theyd like to continue to write for Vice, one journalist who described her experience as positive said it took her two months and three follow-ups to get paid for a story she wrote. Another said hes never been paid less for a freelance writing assignment than when he wrote for Vice.

I also spoke with a friend who still writes for Vice on a regular basis and didnt want to be named in this story because she doesnt want to burn a bridge. She said shes happy working with them, but thinks shes been treated more fairly than others because one of her closest friends is an editor there. The companys director of communications also connected me with three freelance journalists who had good things to say about their experiences with Vice.

One award-winning journalist based in Europe, who requested anonymity for fear of backlash, told me Vice had promised him a job at a new bureau they had planned to open in his city. They asked him to write several stories, all of which were published. Vices management assured him he was their top candidate to head up the office once they opened it two weeks later. Yet after publishing his articles, he heard nothing for weeks. His invoices went unanswered, and only after several calls was he able to get half of the money he was owed. He didnt want to press the issue, he said, because he thought he was still in the running for that job offer. More than a year later, those plans to open the new office never came to pass, and he still hasnt been paid for half of his work.

Another freelance journalist who had worked with Vice for more than two years was asked to move to a different continent for a staff job with the company, though they refused to pay for the costly relocation expenses. Almost immediately after making the move, Vice laid the individual off. The individual refused to speak with me because of a strict confidentiality agreement with the company, but the story was confirmed by several former Vice employees.

Susana Ferreiera, another award-winning journalist, said she feels awful now for being the person who first put Maya Vidon in touch with Vice. She later had an almost identical experience when she was asked by a different Vice producer to help out his team for a documentary in Haiti, where she was based at the time. After she inquired as to what her pay rate would be, she never heard from him again.

Ive heard again and again (even from former employees) that this is a fairly standard Vice approach, Ferreiera told me by email.

The organization runs on the notion that the people inside of it are the coolest and most important people on the planet, so the very idea of feeling guilty about neglecting to pay an outsider like this would be preposterous to them.

Three former Vice staffers who managed freelancers said in interviews that all of these examples represent a fair and accurate depiction of the companys attitude. According to one former associate producer for Vice on HBO, who declined to be named, The organization runs on the notion that the people inside of it are the coolest and most important people on the planet, so the very idea of feeling guilty about neglecting to pay an outsider like this would be preposterous to them, the person said.

Another former Vice staffer, who requested anonymity, quit due to what she called ethical problems with its journalism, which she says requires fair treatment of journalists, regardless of whether they are on staff. Theres a problem with the culture of the place, she said.

On several occasions, she worked on shoots in which they relied on local journalists as fixers. In two such cases, they were filming in dangerous locations. One fixer didnt receive payment for months, and another was left to deal with a hotel bill that Vice left unpaid. Its not a place that values people very much, the former staffer said. Yet everyone outside of Vice thinks its awesome. When I told people I quit, they thought I was crazy.

I myself was so shocked by my experience with Vice because I mistakenly thought the companys independent streak would translate into more respect for an independent journalist. Many of the journalists I spoke to for this story said they believed Vice capitalized on this edgy reputation in its abuse of freelancers.

If I was a 23-year-old, young, budding journalist whos dying to work for Vice, I probably would have killed myself to get everything they wanted. And thats a problem.

According to Karine Barzegar, the French journalist who was asked by Vice to arrange interviews with former ISIS recruits in Paris without any promise of getting paid, When youre a 40-year-old, experienced journalist and someone like this calls you, you understand pretty quickly that its bullshit. But if I was a 23-year-old, young, budding journalist whos dying to work for Vice, I probably would have killed myself to get everything they wanted. And thats a problem.

Three other freelance journalists, whose names were shared by Vice, tell a different story.

New York-based journalist Brian Moylan has been freelancing for Vice since 2012, and also writes for The Guardian, New York, and Time. Moylan offered a glowing review about his work with Vice, particularly of his editor, whom he said pushes him to be a better journalist by encouraging him to call more sources and to be more fair and balanced in his reporting. Moylan said hes always been paid fairly by Vice, adding that in general, I have no complaints with them that I dont have with everybody else.

Stan Donaldson, a former staff reporter at the Detroit Free Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has been freelancing for Vice since 2015, most recently serving as a fixer for a documentary about a Cleveland serial killer. Donaldson told me he was treated exceptionally well by Vice staff and was paid fairly for his work on the project.

For plenty of others, that has not been the case.

In March 2016, the Canadian Media Guild put a call out for Canadian journalists to share their stories about working with Vice, which was founded in Montreal in 1994. Karen Wirsig, a Vice union organizer at CMG, had heard from Canadian employees who were concerned about how freelancers were being treated by the company.

More than a dozen journalists contacted Wirsig, detailing various experiences, most of them related to extremely low rates or overdue payments. One journalist said it took him seven months to get paid $60 for an article. What she found most shocking, though, was how many people working for Vice are freelancers.

I think people expect more from Vice, said Wirsig. It has a reputationor it preys on a reputationof caring for people and being edgy. But its a fundamental problem when youre not making commitments to people, and not appreciating the risks they take for you. Thats not edgy. Thats just shitty.

Correction: A previous draft of this story misstated Maya Vidons work experience.

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Yardena Schwartz is a freelance journalist and Emmy-nominated producer based in Tel Aviv. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, Foreign Policy, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, CBS News, NBC News, and MSNBC. Previously, Yardena was a producer at NBC News in New York.
A woman who fell 35 feet to her death from a zip line platform had disconnected herself from the safety system, the attractions operator said Thursday.

Delaware State Police investigators are investigating how Tina Werner tumbled off the platform at the Go Ape Tree Top Adventure attraction in Lums Pond State Park on Wednesday.

Participants at Go Ape courses are equipped with climbing harnesses and two sets of ropes with carabiners that they unclip and clip to safety wires in sequence as they move through the trees.

Werner, 59, of Felton, had completed the required safety training, and was nearing the end of the course when she fell, said Jeff Davis, a spokesman for Go Ape. The attraction in Bear spans seven acres and includes four zip lines and a variety of swings, rope ladders, bridges and trapezes.

Participant witnesses have stated that at the time of the accident the participant had unfortunately disconnected herself from the safety system, Davis said in an email.

An inspection found that all of the course and associated safety equipment was in sound operating condition, and that nothing was broken or unserviceable, Davis wrote.

Late Thursday, state police said in a news release that an autopsy found that Werner died from multiple blunt force trauma by way of an accident.

Werners 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 Werners daughter, Melissa Slater.

According to the website of Go Ape, which is based in Frederick, Maryland, and operates attractions in 15 states, patrons receive a 30-minute training session before being turned loose on the course, which can take them as high as 50 feet in the air.

While participants navigate the course without direct supervision, Go Ape says its instructors are constantly patrolling the course to offer assistance and encouragement as needed.

Waivers are signed by participants to accept responsibility for following the safety rules and advice on the course and assume all risks associated with his/her participation, the companys website states. These safety rules are communicated thoroughly in a safety brief that is required of every participant before they Go Ape.

Slater said her mom, who was visiting Lums Pond with a friend, was able to complete at least one zip line ride before falling.

So she did do it, said Slater, who posted a tribute on Facebook.

The Go Ape attraction opened at Lums Pond in 2013, and Davis said its equipment is regularly inspected. He said the attraction has been closed for now to help with the investigation, and out of respect to Werners family.

The Go Ape company is extremely saddened by this, he said.

Park rangers and Go Ape employees performed first aid on Werner until paramedics arrived, but she was pronounced dead at Christiana Hospital.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A new court decision will keep the publics eyes from records of an auto insurance fund.

The Michigan appeals court says the state Catastrophic Claims Association is a public body, but lawmakers legally carved out an exemption from public records disclosure.

The insurance fund was created to reimburse insurers for catastrophic claims that exceed $545,000. Owners pay $160 per vehicle per year on top of regular insurance.

A coalition of health care, labor and consumer organizations wants to know how the fund calculates rates.

The courts 2-1 decision was released Friday. In dissent, Judge Elizabeth Gleicher says lawmakers violated the constitution when they threw a cloak over the funds records without amending Michigans Freedom of Information Act.

She says no one would know theres a covert exemption in insurance law.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
JARED HAIBON, CAILA QUINN

Jared Haibon and Caila Quinn appear on a recent episode of ABC's "Bachelor In Paradise."

(ABC/Rick Rowell)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hudson native Caila Quinn is now 0-for-2 when it comes to finding love on ABC's "The Bachelor" franchise.



It didn't appear headed that way early into Tuesday night's episode of "Bachelor In Paradise." Tired of serial crier Ashley Iaconetti's constant interference in her budding relationship with scruffy nice guy Jared Haibon, Quinn decided to up and leave Paradise.



After a few minutes of his signature indecisiveness, Haibon chased down Quinn's Uber and the two kissed before riding off into the sunset. The 25-year-old Quinn seemed to finally get the happy ending she'd been seeking ever since having her heart broken by Ben Higgins on the last season of "The Bachelor."



However, appearing on the "Bachelor in Paradise" post show (yes, there is one), Quinn admitted she and Haibon dated for six weeks after "Paradise" ended, but are no longer together.



"Unfortunately, we weren't the right fit," the 2010 graduate of Western Reserve Academy said. "There were other forces that contributed [to the breakup]. We couldn't really get past paradise."



When pressed if those "other forces" included Iaconetti, Quinn would only admit that "friends call Jared and he answers, and it really made it hard to move forward."

For his part, Haibon said he and Quinn had some good times, but the two realized that "something was wrong."

Iaconetti also appeared on "After Paradise" and apologized for the "emotional vomit" she unleashed on Quinn, though it didn't really appear sincere.

So, for now, Quinn is headed back to New York City, where she'll continue to chronicle her single life in the big city on Snapchat.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The tiny community of McConnelsville is 90 minutes southeast of Columbus and a world away from the big city's traffic and the tickets that go with it.

In fact, no communities in Ohio are as different when it comes to the number of driving violations than McConnelsville in Morgan County and Columbus in Franklin County.

But for a few days next week, they will share a commonality: Troopers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be out in force in small counties and large, working Labor Day weekend, one of the state's busiest of the year for officers.

Troopers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol wrote more than 25,000 traffic tickets in Franklin County, the most in any county in the state last year. Cuyahoga County finished second, as troopers wrote more than 17,000 tickets, according to a Plain Dealer analysis of the patrol's ticket data.

Morgan and Franklin counties each will see a jump in tickets for the weekend. But once it ends, the differences will become apparent.

Last year, troopers wrote 293 tickets in Morgan County, the fewest written in any of the state's 88 counties. Troopers in Franklin County wrote that many in five days.

Overall, they handed out 25,187 violations, the most in any county in the state, according to a Plain Dealer analysis of more than 612,000 highway patrol tickets from 2015.

"There's not much going on here,'' said Daniel Starlin, the probation officer for Morgan County Court. "There's not a lot of people, and there aren't any major highways.''

Troopers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol wrote 293 tickets last year in tiny Morgan County in eastern Ohio. That's the fewest number of tickets written in the state.

Franklin County, meanwhile, is known for several major corridors that ribbon the city and Ohio State University, including interstates 70, 71, 270 and 670.

The Plain Dealer's analysis only examined State Patrol ticket data; it did not include violations written by local police and sheriff's departments. Troopers can patrol any road in the state, but they focus on interstates, highways and the Ohio Turnpike.

Population, of course, often is quite telling. Morgan County has 15,100 people, the size of a small Columbus suburb. Franklin County has a population of 1.16 million. Cuyahoga County, with a population of 1.24 million, accounted for 17,385 tickets, the second highest in the state.

But a county's population is not everything.

Take Guernsey County.

Coming Thursday: Where does the money go when you pay a traffic ticket?

Troopers wrote 9,173 tickets in the small, Southeast Ohio county last year. That's one citation for every three licensed drivers who live there, according to the analysis and state records.

That's the highest rate of citations to licensed drivers in the state. But the rate is imperfect, as many people ticketed there do not live in Guernsey County. The rate does, however, offer insight into the amount of patrol presence in a community.

The reason for the number of tickets in Guersey County is Interstate 77, which carries thousands of drivers a day. But some who have been ticketed there have never heard of the county or its biggest city, Cambridge, until they have to pay the fine.

Where the tickets are

Take Franklin out of the equation, and four of the five top counties in the state for tickets are along the Ohio Turnpike: Cuyahoga, Lucas (16,870), Lorain (16,403) and Portage (15,911). The four also have several other state routes and highways that crisscross them.

In other Northeast Ohio counties, state troopers wrote 11,269 in Summit, 7,605 in Medina, 4,313 in Lake and 3,577 in Geauga.

The counties where the fewest tickets are written are rural areas like Morgan County, which doesn't have its own patrol post. Troopers from the Marietta post handle cases in Morgan County.

The county has one major tourist attraction, the Twin City Opera House in McConnelsville and one major state route, Ohio 60, a north-south road that runs from Marietta to Vermilion.

Besides Morgan County, the counties with the fewest tickets are Putnam in Northwest Ohio (428); Monroe in Southeast Ohio (529); Carroll (822); and Coshocton (862), which are in the eastern part of the state.

Each is unique in the same way: The counties are at least 90 minutes from a major city's highways, traffic and tickets.
Abortion rights protestors

A pro-abortion rights group yells during the March for Life 2016, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 in Washington, during the annual rally on the anniversary of 1973 'Roe v. Wade' U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. (Alex Brandon, Associated Press)

COLUMBUS - Abortion rights groups in Ohio say that a new study vindicates their stance that an Ohio law on abortion pills is harmful to women.

The study - published Tuesday in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS Medicine - concluded abortion pill rules that Ohio implemented in 2011 resulted in more side effects, higher costs and a greater need for additional medical treatment for women who took the pills.

The Ohio law requires physicians to follow Food and Drug Administration standards when they prescribe the mifepristone and misoprostol abortion pills. But the study's authors say FDA standards are often outdated, and physicians should be able to use updated treatment regimens based on new research before the FDA approves them.

The study examined treatment of 2,783 women who obtained abortion pills from four Ohio clinics between 2010 and 2014. It showed that women who used the state mandated procedure were three times more likely to need additional intervention to complete their abortion compared with women in the previous period, and also were more likely to experience side effects like vomiting.

An abortion regulation that leads to more visits, more side-effects, and higher costs is NOT about women's health. https://t.co/qWkWMNXtnf  Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) August 30, 2016

"When policy is not based on science, American women pay the price," the study's lead author, University of California, San Francisco, Professor Ushma D. Upadhyay wrote in a New York Times opinion piece about the study. "When policy is not based on science, American women pay the price."

Another of the study's co-authors - Julia Kohn - is Planned Parenthood's national research director.

The state legislator who authored law - the Cincinnati area's Tom Brinkman - was skeptical of the study's findings. He said the law was passed in 2004 out of concern that clinics were passing out abortion pills "like candy" and the medication could be dangerous.

"I think we have to hang our hat on something, and I'd hang it on the FDA, not some study that comes from out of the blue," Brinkman said Wednesday.

After the period examined by the study, the FDA updated its abortion pill guidelines to mesh with the latest research, so providers in Ohio and other states with similar laws can now use the most up-to-date procedures on their patients. But abortion rights activists say Ohio's law should be rescinded because the new FDA regimen is likely to become outdated in the future.

"The takeaway for the Kasich administration and members of the Ohio Legislature is this: leave the practice of medicine to the professionals and keep your ideological and political views out of Ohio's laws," said a statement from NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland.

Ohio Right to Life president Mike Gonidakis said Ohio "made the right call" in requiring doctors to use FDA guidelines that the federal government established to protect women.

"If the abortion industry prefers to attack Ohio for following FDA guidelines pertaining to women's health, then they have lost whatever shred of credibility they may have had," Gonidakis said in an email. "Most, if not all Americans, trust the FDA more than they do the profit-driven motives of private corporations. Why isn't NARAL protesting the FDA who established these standards in the first place?"
Rob Portman

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, shown here at the Republican National Convention, wants to require international shippers who use the U.S. Postal Service for parcels to list information that could be used to stop drug transport.

(Julie E. Washington, The Plain Dealer)

WASHINGTON D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Rob Portman today proposed toughening postal rules for packages mailed to the United States, a way he says could help detect the synthetic drugs fentanyl and carfentanil when shipped from Mexico and China.

The powerful drugs are killing Americans, some of whom take them as an additive or alternative to powerful prescription opioids and heroin, which also are wreaking havoc on Ohio communities. Cuyahoga County alone has seen at least 280 overdose deaths this year from heroin and fentanyl.

Parcels sent to the United States through private shippers such as Federal Express and United Parcel Service must list their contents and senders' addresses on forms for the United States Customs and Border Protection. This helps the customs agency and domestic law enforcement get advance electronic data that can be helpful in catching an illegal shipment.

But packages sent through government mail services and handled by the U.S. Postal Service when reaching the United States lack that requirement, Portman said.

Portman wants a bill to change that. Announcing the proposal while at a firehouse in Cincinnati, the Republican senator said he will introduce the bill once Congress returns from its summer break after Labor Day.

He said there were 174 drug overdoses in a six-day span in Cincinnati recently, and fentanyl and carfentanil were believed to be the causes.

Congress is racing the clock:

Congress already has a busy schedule ahead. It must pass spending bills to keep the government open before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. Pressure is building for it to deal with the Zika virus. And it plans to break again for most of October through the November election.

That leaves little time to take up a bill that would require input from other parties such as Customs and Border Protection, the Postal Service and international businesses that use the service for shipping and would face new requirements under Portman's bill.

Portman's office said the problem addressed in his bill has already been discussed at other hearings. If Portman cannot get the bill through this year, he is likely to pursue it again in 2016 if reelected this November.

Portman already pushed a big drug bill:

With Ohio in the throes of a heroin and opioid epidemic, Portman has made drug-fighting a centerpoint of his legislative and re-election agenda. He was a key sponsor of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, passed in July as a way to provide emergency responders with more tools for addressing overdoses and giving police and prosecutors more leeway to divert addicts to treatment programs.

But a majority of other congressional Republicans have balked at providing the sums of money the White House and Democrats say are needed for a broader anti-drug initiative.

The White House today announced grants of nearly $2 million to Ohio for prevention and overdose-treatment programs. But the White House said Ohio would get up to $45 million over two years if Congress would pass President Barack Obama's request for $1.1 billion to fight the opioid scourge.

Republicans counter that they have increased funding already.

All of these measures represent a focus on helping addicts, a dramatic change from past policies that emphasized catching drug dealers and locking them away with stiff mandatory sentences.

On Tuesday, Obama announced he was commuting 111 sentences for federal drug felons, a number of them originally sentenced to life in prison. That brought the number of commutations under Obama to 673.
Sydney Saffold in Court

Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Ronald B. Adrine will ask Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor to appoint a visiting judge to handle the domestic violence case against Cuyahoga County Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold's daughter, Sydney Saffold. Sydney Saffold is shown here flanked by her attorneys, Andy Petropouleas (right) and Jeffrey Saffold, who is also her brother.

(Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The judge assigned to hear the domestic violence case against the daughter of Cuyahoga County Municipal Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold will recuse himself and all other Cleveland judges from the case.

Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Ronald Adrine gathered signatures from all 13 of the court's judges to ask Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor to appoint a visiting judge to hear the case against Sydney Saffold.

"We believe that we are all compromised because of the nature of this matter," Adrine, who is also the court's presiding and administrative judge, said in court Wednesday.

The younger Saffold, a criminal defense attorney, made her first pretrial appearance on Wednesday after Bratenahl police arrested her and filed a complaint charging her with domestic violence after she and her mother got into a fight late Thursday.

Judge Saffold spent seven years as a municipal court judge before she was elected to the Common Pleas bench for a term that began in 1995.

Sydney Saffold, who has denied the accusations against her, was represented Wednesday by Andy Petropouleas and Jeffrey Saffold, her step-brother. The next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 14.

The younger Saffold called police to her mother's Bratenahl home about 11:45 p.m. Thursday night. Officers found her barefoot, with a bloody nose, holding her toddler son.

She wouldn't tell police what happened beyond that she and her mother "had it out" and got into an argument, police body camera video showed. An officer went inside and Judge Saffold told them that her daughter came home drunk from a fundraiser, the two got into an argument, the younger Saffold hit her and the judge "popped her back."

After nearly an hour, Bratenahl police officers arrested Sydney Saffold on a domestic violence charge.

Judge Saffold pleaded with a Bratenahl police officer not to arrest her daughter,.

"I'm sorry. My hands are tied," the officer told her, citing domestic violence laws. "There's nothing I can do."

While the judge and her daughter traded punches during an argument, Bratenahl police determined that the younger Saffold was the "primary aggressor" in the fight, according to police records.

That distinction triggered Ohio's domestic violence law that mandates police to arrest and detain the aggressor until a domestic violence charge is filed in city court, even if the victim doesn't want to prosecute.

"Domestic violence cases are different," the officer told Saffold. "We used to have the option back in the day. Now we don't have an option."

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Paul Wyatt

Paul Wyatt III, 23, is being held on $50,000 after police say he robbed a man at gunpoint at a downtown parking garage. Wyatt was awaiting sentencing in a previous robbery case.

(Cleveland police)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man awaiting sentencing in a March robbery faces fresh charges after police said he robbed a man at gunpoint inside a parking garage next to the Jack Casino this weekend.

A Cleveland judge on Tuesday set bond for Paul Wyatt III, 23, at $50,000 on an aggravated robbery charge. He was arrested early Sunday in downtown with $40 in cash that police say he robbed from a 27-year-old man trying to buy marijuana off of him.

The victim saw Wyatt outside when he walked outside the casino to smoke a cigarette about 4:45 a.m. The two started talking, and the victim asked him where he could buy some marijuana, according to a police report.

Wyatt told the man that he had marijuana, and the two walked into the parking garage to seal the deal, the report says. The man told Wyatt he wanted to buy $40 worth of marijuana.

When he pulled out the cash, Wyatt pulled out a pistol, snatched the money and ran, the report says.

The victim flagged down police officers driving around downtown. He was yelling and screaming that the robber was running down West 2nd Street, the report says.

Police spotted Wyatt running on the street near West Huron Street. Officers saw him toss a bag, put his hands up and lay on the ground as they got close to him, the report says.

Officers found a loaded .380-caliber pistol in the bag, and $40 cash in Wyatt's front pocket, the report says.

Wyatt was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday morning on the previous robbery charge, but that hearing was delayed until Sept. 13 because of a conflict.

In that case, Wyatt and another man tried to rob a man of a cellphone on the platform of the University-Cedar Rapid Station, then they all got locked in the platform together, the report says.

The victim pressed the emergency button on the platform and police came and opened the doors.

Wyatt and the other man, William Simpson Jr., hurried away, police said, and the victim waited for them to leave before he told them what happened.

Simpson asked to borrow the victim's cellphone. He and Wyatt walked away on the platform and made a phone call, records say.

When the victim tried to get his cellphone back, Wyatt twice kicked him in the side. He was trying to kick him off the platform and onto the train tracks, the report says.

The victim chased the men for a bit before he finally got his cellphone back. The doors then locked the men on the platform together, the report says.

Wyatt and Simpson pleaded guilty in July to aggravated theft for the RTA incident.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland police continue their search for a 13-year-old girl who may have left Ohio.

Faith Mach

Faith Mach was last seen Aug. 18, according to a police report. The girl was reported missing by a woman with whom she lives on West 104th Street in Cleveland's Cudell neighborhood.

Faith is 5-feet 1-inch tall and weighs about 148 pounds, police said. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen at the McDonald's near the intersection of West 110th Street and Lorain Avenue. The woman who reported Faith missing said the girl met a teenage boy at the restaurant, and the two were heading to Alabama to "get away from everything," the police report states.

The report does not name the teenage boy.

Faith is in eighth grade a Middleburg Heights Middle School, police said.

Anyone with information about Faith's whereabouts is asked to contact Cleveland police First District detectives at 216-623-5118 or 216-621-1234.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
"In Ireland, you don't have substantial Apple profits being generated," said Coffey. "They handle the logistics, administration and the back office stuff. The research and development, manufacturing and key management decisions aren't taking place [in the country]."

But Apple's operations in Ireland, where about 6,000 people are employed , do little to contribute to the bulk of the company's profits outside the Americas.

Independent economist Seamus Coffey told CNBC's " Squawk Box " that the final payment once interest penalties are taken into account, if ever paid, could amount to as much as 10 percent of Ireland's national income. "The European Commission wanted to make a splash," he said.

Due to an unusual global tax structure, the iPhone maker's effective tax rate in Ireland was a mere 0.005 percent in 2014 .

On Tuesday, the European Commission, which is the legislative arm of the European Union , ruled that Ireland must recover up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion), as well as a sizable interest, in "illegal tax benefits" from the tech giant.

Apple 's Irish tax bill could top $20 billion if it does not succeed in overturning an European Commission ruling, one expert warned on Wednesday.

The European Commission's ruling was widely criticized on both sides of the pond, but this was not the first instance of authorities looking into Apple's unusual global tax structure.



Three years ago, a U.S. senate investigation found Apple had used offshore entities to transfer assets and profits in order to minimize corporate tax liabilities stateside, including the creation of two subsidiaries in Ireland - Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe.



It was these Senate findings that likely gave the European Union the idea to open its investigations into the elaborate tax structures used by many multinationals that contribute to their extraordinary success, according to Daniel Shaviro, a professor of taxation at the New York University's law school.



Shaviro told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that while a large part of Apple's success came from engineers in the West Coast developing new products, much of its profits tended to show up in places where there weren't that many people working for the company.



While experts have known about these practices among large companies, Shaviro said "the public's been increasingly catching on across the world, so I'm not shocked that it's starting to have repercussions."



Coffey said though this ruling is unlikely to have an impact on businesses that are currently invested in Ireland, it would likely make multinationals moving into the country think twice about the kind of pressures they might face.



But for the Irish government, there would be "massive reputational damage."



"[They] have long said there's no special deals available in Ireland, but here and now, you have the European Commission saying a special deal of up to $14.5 billion [in tax breaks] was available."



Apple and the Irish government have said that they will appeal the decision.



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The food companies have such little growth that even the strong players like General Mills hope for flat earnings next year. Fierce competition has hit nearly every aisle of the supermarket, and it made Cramer question if Campbell Soup or Kellogg need to stand alone. Mondelez clearly has the capital to buy another company, and he expects it will.

The need for mergers has become a major prop to the market, Cramer said, and that's why stocks sank when Mondelez walked away from its bid for Hershey .

"We have too much of pretty much everything in this market. We need more last-man-standing situations and fewer dogfights if we want stock prices to go higher," the " Mad Money " host said.

Looking at the current environment, Jim Cramer sees too much of everything. Too many companies try to compete against one another, and consolidation will come for the retail, food, technology and pharmaceutical cohorts.

This kind of a research report makes it clear that there is so much obvious consolidation coming.

Shoppers look at shoes at a Macy's department store in New York.

Retail has faced tremendous pressure, with only brief breaks when the stocks get too low. Macy's recently announced it would close 100 stores after Christmas, a big deal considering it only has 769 total locations. Cramer believes the U.S. clearly has too many stores.

"Capacity must be taken out through mergers if that cohort is ever going to come alive again in a sustained fashion," Cramer said.

Technology desperately needs the mergers most, Cramer added. A significant number of companies make components for electronic devices, and the balance of power seemed tilted to big customers like Apple and against the companies that supply it.

Citigroup's recommendation to buy Broadcom on Tuesday stunned Cramer. Citi estimated that Broadcom has $15.50 a share in peak earnings power, and predicted that Xilinx could become the next takeover target for the company. A potential Xilinx deal could add 10 percent to Broadcom's earnings, the firm said.

"This kind of research report makes it clear that there is so much obvious consolidation coming, it's become so accepted  that it's just too logical for Broadcom not to buy Xilinx," Cramer said.

The pharma group also displayed signs of a need for consolidation when Pfizer shelled out $14 billion to buy Medivation last week. Big pharma companies desperately need new products, and the biotech pipeline offers that.

"It's a natural hunting ground. I have to wonder, though, if these biotechs shouldn't be looking to merge with each other," Cramer said.

Energy stocks may also need takeovers to stay appealing. Cramer said the exploration and production companies that have sold stock to acquire additional acreage in the U.S. are red hot.

On the other hand, competition benefits consumers because it drives down product prices. Additionally, some groups like railroads and banks cannot merge because they face too much competition.

"From our perspective as consumers, though, we have to hope that these deals get blocked before they allow the companies in question to raise prices," Cramer said.
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While health scares are known to eviscerate a restaurant's same-store sales, Jim Cramer notes that the stock always tends to rebound a year to a year and half later, as it did for Taco Bell and Jack in the Box. With this in mind he circled back to the future of Chipotle , which was hit with a series of health scares approximately one year ago. If it follows the same pattern as Taco Bell and Jack in the Box, he expects Chipotle to find its footing within the next two to eight months. To gain further insight on the charts for Chipotle, Cramer turned to Robert Moreno, a chartist and colleague of Cramer's at RealMoney.com, and publisher of RightViewTrading.com. Moreno's view was that the action in Chipotle could be setting the stock up for a big move higher. "While I believe Chipotle has bottomed, I think it still needs to mark more time before we can be sure that the turn is for real," Cramer said.



Tim Cook, CEO, Apple David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

One of Cramer's Twitter followers asked him on Monday night if he is turning on Apple , and he took it personally. Just because the charts for the stock look gloomy, that doesn't mean he is ready to trade it.

Cramer acknowledged that yes, Apple's stock does look like it's rolling over and $14.5 billion would be a big overhang. Additionally, the iPhone 7 launch does sound uninspiring to him. And in his experience, when a chart exhibits a pattern as horrendous as the one for Apple's stock, it's hardly ever wrong. There are still many things that could happen for Apple, though. It could take up Cramer's suggestion and buy Sirius XM and bolster its service stream, or the iPhone could prove better than expected. There could be news that breaks that no one has even thought of yet. "In the end, telling you to sell off the chart would be telling you to do exactly what I have spent ages begging you not to do. It would be telling you to trade it," Cramer said. Looking at the current environment, Cramer also sees too much of everything. Too many companies try to compete against one another, and consolidation will come for the retail, food, technology and pharmaceutical cohorts. "We have too much of pretty much everything in this market. We need more last-man-standing situations and fewer dogfights if we want stock prices to go higher," Cramer said. The need for mergers has become a major prop to the market, Cramer said, and that's why stocks sank when Mondelez walked away from its bid for Hershey .

Oil workers on a drilling platform. Tyler Stableford | Getty Images
Ahead of his speech on immigration policy, Donald Trump said in a tweet that he has accepted an invitation to travel to Mexico to meet the country's president on Wednesday.

The Republican presidential nominee was confirming a Washington Post story, which cited unnamed sources in the U.S. and Mexico as saying that Trump was considering a trip to Mexico. The official account of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who not too long ago likened Trump to Hitler and Mussolini, also confirmed the meeting.



The planned visit will come just ahead of the Republican presidential candidate's closely watched speech in Arizona on Wednesday to clarify his immigration policy, after weeks of wavering on whether he would hew to a hard line on cracking down on illegal immigrants, a key driver of support for his campaign.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow..



Sources told the Post on Tuesday that talks between the Trump campaign and Mexican officials were ongoing, with logistics and security issues still being arranged.

Tweet from Mexican President's office

The Republican presidential nominee's positions on immigration and trade have created tension with the U.S.' southern neighbor, as well as weighed upon amid fears of a trade war.



In an effort to play to anti-immigration sentiment in the U.S., Trump has repeatedly accused Mexican illegal immigrants of committing crimes, as well as claiming that if elected president, he would ditch trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, which includes Mexico.



Tweet from Trump on Mexico

Trump has also said he planned to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and make Mexico pay for it by confiscating money transfers from the U.S. to Mexico.

After news of the Mexico visit emerged, Jennifer Palmieri, the communications director for Hillary Clinton's campaign, noted Trump's history of derogatory statements about Mexicans and his vows to deport 16 million people, including some who are U.S. citizens.

"What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions," Palmieri said in a statement.

"From the first days of his campaign, Donald Trump has painted Mexicans as 'rapists' and criminals."
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A generally positive tone has so far permeated the second U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD), a nod to the robust ties between two of the world's largest democracies. But one aspect of the bilateral relationship still remains murky as ever, and it's unlikely to see much progress during the two-day event. Despite blossoming economic links and genuine chemistry between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama, the two nations still lack free movement of goods without trade barriers. "While the strategic dimensions of the India-U.S. relationship have seen very positive strides in recent years, as embodied in Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar's ongoing visit to the U.S, the commercial side has been a little underwhelming," said Dhruva Jaishankar, fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution India. The two do not have a free-trade agreement (FTA), owing in part to India's protectionist approach and a lack of political appetite in the U.S.

"U.S. goods exports to India have grown only 22 percent since 2008, and other trade indicators, including in services are not impressive. Indian exports have not grown in the past two years despite a much healthier economic outlook," Jaishankar flagged.

Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry speak prior to a meeting in New Delhi on August 30, 2016 PRAKASH SINGH | AFP | Getty Images

New Delhi also lacks FTAs with the European Union (EU), Israel, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

"We in the U.S. sometimes chalk India's reluctance to embrace trade integration up to retained Nehruvian sentiments, a small team of negotiators, or other nonstrategic reasons. But there is a very real reason that India has continued its long-standing protectionist approach," explained Richard Rossow, senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in an note earlier this month, alluding to the socialist policies adopted by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. India suffers from a massive trade deficit with its largest trading partner, China, he flagged. Moreover, India's agriculture sector isn't globally competitive, so any trade agreement that includes liberalization of agriculture markets would be detrimental to New Delhi, he continued.



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Washington's attention meanwhile has been on larger regional pacts, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), both of which India is not a member of. But even with talks concluded on the TPP, Washington is unlikely to prod India.

"Anti-trade rhetoric during the election in the U.S., coupled with the priority given to TPP and TTIP, as well as frustrations with India paint a grim picture [for future agreements]," Jaishankar noted. Economists have long warned that India's attitude towards trade stands in contrast with the nation's open-for-business image propagated by Modi. While the government has expressed interest in joining the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) bloc and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the country's recent trade-protection measures "far outweigh any verbal interest in trade integration," according to Rossow. Such measures include delayed implementation of the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement in 2014 and adoption of a National Capital Goods Policy in May this year that critics say uphold high trade barriers, such as rules stipulating foreign capital goods manufacturers to source 30 to 40 of their inputs domestically. India and the U.S. also lack a bilateral investment treaty (BIT). BITs protect the interest of foreign investors and are considered essential to stable investment flows; they can also boost growth in services trade. Negotiations first started in 2009 but a deal failed to materialize despite affirmations of mutual commitment from both leaders.





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Three high-profile incumbents looking to hold on to their jobs in Tuesday's primaries have done so as Florida's GOP Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Arizona Republican Senator John McCain beat back primary challengers, according to the Associated Press.

While favored to win, the establishment official faced stiffer-than-usual opposition this year with the challenges comings just as the bitter and unpredictable presidential race enters its final post-Labor Day push.

More from NBC News:

Florida Senate Primaries: Murphy Battles Grayson as Rubio Looms

Can John McCain Survive the Year of Donald Trump?

Analysis: New Wisconsin Voter ID Rules Expose Law's Real Aim



McCain, who was first elected as senator in 1986 and served as his party's presidential nominee in 2008, edged out tea party conservative challenger Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot. But the Vietnam War veteran had to deal with a tough fight in a contest highlighting his often uncomfortable relationship with Republican standard-bearer Donald Trump.

Last year, Trump suggested that McCain's accolades as a war hero were overblown. Earlier this month, Trump initially refused to endorse McCain, accusing him of failing to do "a good job" for veterans.

The Arizona senator must now steel himself for a likely hard-fought general election race against Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick while sharing the ballot with a nominee whose approval ratings with minority voters have sunk to historic lows. In 2012, nonwhite voters made up 28 percent of Arizona's electorate.
Car-hailing firm Uber is putting the brakes on its taxi and van services in Hong Kong, effective from Monday, citing the need to shift focus to the ride-sharing business and phase out underused services.

The decision comes hot on the heels of Uber's plan to pull out of the Macau market on September 9 due to an increasing crackdown on the operator by the enclave's government.

But Hong Kong's taxi trade yesterday noted that instead of pulling out of the city, Uber was expanding its ride-sharing services, which posed a bigger threat to their business.

A spokesman for Uber in Hong Kong said local taxi and van services  both deemed as "non-core business" for the popular ride-hailing firm  would be available only until Sunday. However, the company will continue providing its other ride-sharing platforms.

"We are realigning our offerings to focus on the ride-sharing options on our platforms UberX and UberBlack, which are used by the vast majority of riders and drivers, and part of the realignment is that some options that are not as commonly used will be phased out," the spokesman said.


Generation Z represents the 23 million Americans born between 1994 and 2010, ages 6 to 22 years old. This year, the first group of Gen Z-ers graduated from college and entered the workplace. They have their own set of values, preferences and abilities that companies simply cannot ignore if they want to remain competitive in today's business landscape.

They grew up in a time of economic and political uncertainty and have watched their millennial predecessors struggle to find jobs and become financially independent. Gen Z doesn't want to share the same fate, which is why they are not willing to settle and are extremely self-motivated.

In order to further identify the unique views of Gen Z, we partnered with Randstad on a new global study of over 4,000 respondents, a follow up to our previous study in 2014. Overall, Gen Z believes that their college education prepared them for their job, and when asked about their industry preferences, they are most interested in technology and least interested in insurance, manufacturing and utilities.

Here are the four most significant findings from our study and why they help define the generation:


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Amid the controversy following the EU's ruling on Apple's tax affairs, concerns have been raised about whether Ireland might be heading for an exit from the European Union.

Experts and analysts were left reeling at the enormity of the 13 billion euro ($14.5 billion) penalty which some accused of impeding on the sovereignty of the nation. Some went so far as suggesting that Ireland could soon be following the U.K.'s example and hold a referendum on leaving the EU.

"We've had Brexit already and will this lead to Ireland again, they've done it twice before - don't forget the Lisbon Treaty in 2007/2008 - will they again lead to the threats of job cuts in Ireland ... could this lead to another vote on the EU inclusion?" Neil Campling, a senior vice-president and head of global TMT research at asset management firm Northern Trust Securities, told CNBC Tuesday. "This could just be a tipping point for many other things to come."





Ireland's relationship with the bureaucracy in Brussels has never been a smooth one. It took two referendums in the latter part of the last decade for the Irish people to accept the EU's Lisbon Treaty. This was aimed at streamlining decision-making in the euro zone but was initially rejected with concerns that it could threaten national sovereignty. Ireland also initially rejected the Treaty of Nice in 2001 which aimed to include more countries within the European Union. Campaigners at the time were concerned that Ireland would lose generous subsidies if new, poorer members were admitted.

Ireland - which is a member of the EU and the euro zone which shares the single currency - has enjoyed a fairly swift rebound since the housing crash and the economic downturn that began in 2008. It received a bailout in 2010 from the EU and international creditors but it's surging growth means that it is now a small net contributor to the EU budget this year, the first time it has been since it joined the bloc in 1973.

Martin Shanahan, chief executive of IDA Ireland, which is responsible for foreign investment in the country, told CNBC Wednesday that Ireland has made it very clear that it remains committed to Europe, despite the government being angered by this latest decision.

European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager gestures during a news conference on Ireland's tax dealings with Apple Inc at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium August 30, 2016. Eric Vidal | Reuters
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Australia is banking on its tourism and education services industry to make up for the economic losses chalked up in the commodities crash, but that story may be overstretched, Goldman Sachs cautioned a report. Net tourism and education exports have offset only about one-sixth of the decline in bulk commodity export earnings since the first quarter of 2014, the bank's analysts wrote in the report published on Wednesday. Australia is a major exporter of iron ore, coal and wheat, prices for which have come off significantly alongside an oil price slump that has sent prices down as much as 70 percent since the summer of 2014. As major trade partner China changes its focus from manufacturing to services, cutting its appetite for commodities, the Australian government has touted its own transition to a services-led economy, with some success.

The International College of Management campus in Sydney, Australia Sergio Dionisio - Getty Images

Since the first quarter of 2014, net exports of tourism and education services have risen by 5.4 billion Australian dollars ($4.1 billion), but that was against a net A$32.5 billion decline in annual export earnings from bulk commodity exports, Goldman said. The rise in tourism and education services exports, however, rode on the back of a 35 percent decline in the value of the Australian dollar over the last two-and-a-half years. With the AUD gaining some ground recently, growth momentum from this source will fade into the next year, the house added. Like its commodities exports, Australia's tourism and education exports are also increasingly skewed toward China. This means that the sectors are acutely vulnerable to events in China and the trend comes with "its own risks," Goldman's analysts said. "Over recent years, it is also interesting to note that the surge in Chinese tourists to Australia has coincided with both trips of shorter duration and far greater Chinese participation in Australia's residential property markets," they wrote. "In turn, it is quite likely that a portion of the rise in Chinese 'tourist arrivals' is little more than a brief trip to attend a few house auctions in either Sydney or Melbourne."





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Brazil's Senate ousted President Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday, ending an impeachment process that polarized Latin America's biggest country amid a massive corruption scandal and brutal economic crisis.

Senators voted 61-20 to convict the country's first female president for illegally using money from state banks to bankroll public spending, marking the end of 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule.

Rousseff's opponents hailed her removal as paving the way for a change of fortunes for Brazil. Her conservative successor, Michel Temer, the former vice president who has run Brazil since her suspension in May, inherits a bitterly divided nation with voters in no mood for the austerity measures needed to heal public finances.

In his first televised address to the nation after being sworn in as president through 2018, Temer called on Brazilians to unite behind him in working to rescue the economy from a fiscal crisis and over 11 percent unemployment.

"This moment is one of hope and recovery of confidence in Brazil. Uncertainty has ended," Temer said in the speech broadcast after his departure for a G20 summit in China.

Until just a few years ago, Brazil was booming economically and its status was rising on the global stage.

The country then slid into its deepest recession in decades, and a graft scandal at state oil company Petrobras tarnished Rousseff's coalition. Millions took to the streets this year to demand her removal, less than two years after she was re-elected.

A string of corruption scandals, led by the Petrobras scheme, has engulfed vast swaths of Brazil's political class and business elites over the past 2-1/2 years.

Temer will likely face tough opposition from the Workers Party both on the streets and in Congress to his agenda of privatizations, reforms to Brazil's generous pension and welfare laws and a public spending ceiling he hopes lawmakers will pass this year.

For the third straight day, pro-Rousseff demonstrators in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, clashed with riot police, who used tear gas to clear the streets.
Hillary Clinton on Wednesday slammed Donald Trump's fitness for military and foreign policy leadership, claiming he does not understand America's role in the world.

The Democratic presidential nominee tried to appeal to a range of ideologies, casting the United States as an exceptional nation and touting America's "unique ability" to lead around the world. She called her Republican opponent a "loose cannon" unable to build meaningful relationships with allies, highlighting his Wednesday visit to Mexico, a rcountry he has repeatedly attacked during his campaign.

Getting countries to work together takes more than trying to "make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours," she told the American Legion's national convention in Cincinnati.

Trump will follow Clinton's speech with his own remarks to the veterans group on Thursday. Both have called the other unfit to lead the military, with Trump seizing on Clinton's secretary of state tenure and Clinton highlighting Trump's temperament and experience.

Clinton on Wednesday tried to appeal to Republicans and independents, a strategy she has used more often since the Democratic National Convention in July amid some Republicans' reluctance to support Trump. She said she believed in a vision of American exceptionalism that Trump did not, citing views of a unique America outlined by Republican Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

"When we say America is exceptional, that doesn't mean people from other places don't feel deep national pride just like we do. It means we recognize America's unique and unparalleled ability" to lead, she said.

Clinton, who Trump has repeatedly said helped to create the terror group ISIS with her Middle East policy, highlighted what she called the foreign policy successes of President Barack Obama's administration. She said Obama "cut off Iran's path to a nuclear weapon," "brought Osama bin Laden to justice" and built the international coalition fighting ISIS.

She also slammed Trump for his past suggestion that he may not protect some allies who do not pay their fair share for defense.

"If I'm president our friends will always know America will have your backs and we'll expect you to have ours," Clinton said.

She also bashed Trump for some comments where he appeared to praise Vladimir Putin, saying "we can't cozy up to dictators."

Trump will have his chance to respond Thursday, but he has repeatedly bashed Clinton's time as secretary of state on the campaign trail. He has previously highlighted policy in Egypt and Libya, the rise of ISIS and the attack on an American consulate in Libya as evidence of Clinton's incompetence.
Beer and wing chain Buffalo Wild Wings ' stock price has made a dramatic resurgence in the last six weeks, but Jim Cramer's still not hungry for it.

After an epic multi-year rally, Buffalo Wild Wings reported a series of disappointing numbers that caused the stock to plunge to $134 in mid-July from $200 at its peak 12-months ago. But in the past six weeks, shares rose 20 percent from July lows.

Cramer suspected that some of the move is because the company reported a better-than-feared quarter in July, and also because activist Marcato Capital got involved, and purchased 5.1 percent.

But Cramer's still not biting.

"Until we see some evidence of a turnaround, I don't care that there is an activist at the gate, you need to stay on the sidelines with this one," the "Mad Money" host said.
Shares of oil drillers and related stocks are likely to plunge this fall as demand drops off in the face of huge stockpiles of crude and refined fuel products, asset manager Louis Navellier said Wednesday.

Energy is the second best performing sector in this year, having risen more than 14 percent. Much of those gains came earlier this year. The sector is up 3.2 percent over the last three months, putting it in the middle of the pack.

Navellier believes companies focused on natural gas will be fine following a blistering hot summer that boosted electricity demand and with forecasts pointing to a freezing winter. But the market is overestimating a summer rally in crude oil prices and the ability of crude demand to hold up.

"What happens after Labor Day, worldwide demand will drop off and the glut will be out of control," the chairman of Navellier & Associates told CNBC's "Squawk Box."

Commodity analysts have worried for some time that huge stockpiles of fuels like gasoline and diesel will reduce demand for feedstock crude oil at refineries during the fall maintenance season, when their activity is already slow. That could lead to a further buildup in crude inventories that will eventually cause another dip in oil prices.

Prices have recently been bolstered by speculation that OPEC members and other producers could cut a deal to boost crude futures when they meet next month. But Navellier cited a Goldman Sachs study that said excess supply would continue weigh down crude prices even if OPEC agreed to take coordinated action to limit output.

Further, energy companies don't have the earnings or the sales to sustain their stock gains, he said.

"I'm very, very concerned that people have confused seasonal strength with real strength, and so it's not going to end well. Oil always goes up in March and always goes down in September," he said.

Navellier said oil prices could bottom at the recent low around $38, or they could retest the winter lows in the high $20s.
The European Union's fight for Apple 's tax money may actually create setbacks for tax reform, a former U.S. tax authority told CNBC.

"I'm troubled by this  I think it's a step backward in going after tax abuses," former IRS Commissioner Mark Everson told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Wednesday. "There's a host of problems here that really set us quite far backwards."

The European Commission on Tuesday ordered the Irish government to recover up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion)  plus interest  in back taxes from Apple. It comes as Apple managed to pay a 0.005 percent tax rate in 2014, using a tax structure for its subsidiaries that the EU argued did not reflect "economic reality."



There does need to be more balance in the taxes paid by businesses, said Everson, now vice chairman of Alliantgroup, which advises U.S. companies to take full advantage of federal and state tax credits, incentives and deductions. Everson said that the EU's recent ruling challenges the international cooperation that already surrounds this issue.

"I don't think it's a fight about the money  I think it's a fight about the rule of law, and who has the authority to impose the tax. I don't think the EU does," Everson said.



Everson pointed to organizations like the Joint International Tax Shelter Information Centre, where countries are already working together to determine appropriate taxes for large corporations.

"This challenges that cooperation that has been building," Everson said. "If a third party can just come in and upset the apple cart, why should other countries cooperate?"



His comments echoed those of U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who said the action was "inconsistent" with well-established tax law.

"You've already seen some sparring between U.S. leaders and European leaders on the fact that it's creating an environment that is not favorable for U.S. businesses, and perhaps it's over the top, negative for ... all U.S. businesses that are operating in Europe," Ellie Wheeler, partner at venture capital firm Greycroft Partners, told CNBC's "Squawk Alley" on Wednesday. "The applications are far beyond Apple, so they really need to take a tough stand."



Everson said that the EU's authority over Irish tax law is "tenuous," and the retrospective nature of the ruling, as well as the use of antitrust law, are not the way to go at the problem.



"This is a watershed moment where I think you've got a real overreach," Everson said. "The Obama administration has been pretty aggressive in using the tax code, but even they were stunned by this."
Donald Trump's suggestion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is not only physical, but also it's symbolic, according to Marco Gutierrez, founder of Latinos for Trump.

"I came to this country to achieve the American Dream. I came here to be an American. I think a lot of Hispanics have felt complacent. They've forgotten that," Gutierrez said in an interview on CNBC's "Closing Bell."

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto met in Mexico City. The GOP nominee said during a joint press conference that the two "did discuss the wall," but did not talk about who would pay for it.

Trump called a physical barrier on the border a "sovereign right" for any nation. But even with his sustained call for the wall, Trump used a decidedly less combative tone than he often has when talking about Mexico.

"Having a secure border is a sovereign right and mutually beneficial. We recognize the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall," Trump said.

For Gutierrez, the meeting demonstrates Trump's international leadership abilities.

"I can see Donald Trump at the level of Putin. I can see him at the level of the prime minister in Canada and now we see him talking to somebody where there's so many divisive issues, but they are open to a dialogue," Gutierrez said.

Trump, who suggested some Mexican immigrants were rapists and criminals shortly after launching his campaign last year, called Mexican-Americans "spectacular" and "hard-working." Gutierrez accused the media and left for "kidnapping" the Latino community.



"There's a lot of Donald Trump supporters in the closet. The fear of supporting Donald Trump openly, it's something that we have to deal with," he said.

As for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Gutierrez said that "she needs to step away and let true leadership take over this country."

"I don't think any family should go back to the White House. I think she did her job needs to step already. She should just go and retire on an island somewhere and just enjoy her accomplishments," he said.

 CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.
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The European Commission's ruling that Ireland must claw back billions in unpaid taxes from U.S. tech giant Apple has caused shockwaves in the business world with questions now being asked over the future of multinationals in Europe, international taxation rules and even the economic partnership between the U.S. and Europe. Both Ireland and Apple have said they will appeal the commission's ruling that the country must claw back 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion. But, the line between winners and losers from the deal is not immediately obvious or clear cut.



Despite Ireland being the obvious beneficiary of the commission's ruling  having been ordered to collect a haul of back taxes (plus interest) from Apple that could be used to clear its national debt  the country is not happy with the decision.

Ireland has seen a robust recovery after a euro zone bailout during the financial crisis and is the international base for other tech multinationals such as Google, Facebook and Twitter. As such, it fears that the ruling could put off other businesses from basing their operations in the country and could harm commerce. Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan stood by his country's taxation system and told CNBC that Ireland had not given Apple preferential treatment. "The Irish Revenue don't do deals," he told CNBC. "They issue opinions to clarify a tax situation for individual companies but we never to deals," he said, arguing that the commission was trying to influence domestic tax policies through competition law.

UK jumps in

The ruling prompted some talk that Ireland could be tempted to follow the U.K.'s lead in leaving the European Union (EU) but that seems unlikely for now. The U.K. quickly expressed an interest in welcoming Apple to its shores following the ruling.

The U.K. Treasury issued a statement in which it said it would "welcome any company wishing to invest in Britain" although it added that "we have always been clear that companies that do business here must pay U.K. taxes."

Jobs at stake?

Apple wasted no time in condemning the commission's decision on Tuesday with its chief executive warning that it could have "serious, wide-reaching implications." Still, experts say that Apple won't be financially dented by the ruling.

CEO Tim Cook issued an open letter defending Apple's operations in Ireland, which he said had been ongoing since 1980. He added that Apple's base in Ireland had "helped create and sustain more than 1.5 million jobs across Europe  jobs at Apple, jobs for hundreds of thousands of creative app developers who thrive on the App Store, and jobs with manufacturers and other suppliers. Countless small and medium-size companies depend on Apple, and we are proud to support them." Cook also warned that those jobs could be at risk in a region where unemployment is a bugbear for the recovering economy. "Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe," he said. U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez told CNBC Tuesday that the decision could scare investors away from the EU. "The big problem here is not what it's going to do to Apple. Apple is going to survive this. It's what it does to the investment climate in the EU at a time when they desperately need investment," he said in an interview with CNBC's "Power Lunch."

Tax warfare

The ruling has also thrown up diverging opinions on issues of international taxation, fairness and integrity when it comes to multinationals. While Apple's Cook said that the commission was trying to undermine the sovereignty of EU member states, the EU's Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, who led the investigation into Apple, defended the ruling by saying that it wanted to create a "level playing field" for all businesses in the EU.

Richard Murphy, a U.K.-based taxation expert and professor of political economy, wrote in his blog Tuesday that the ruling was "a great day for the sovereignty of the EU's nations when it comes to tax." "They will now be able to choose their own tax policies knowing another state should not be consciously undermining them when doing so. This might be the beginning of the end for tax competition in Europe, or tax warfare as it is better described (and) might herald the creation of what Europe has always wanted, which is a level playing field on which all businesses compete," he said. "Anyone who believes in markets should be welcoming this morning's decision," he added, with smaller businesses particularly sanding to benefit from the ruling.

US not happy

Washington is also not happy with the commission's decision. A U.S. Treasury spokesperson told CNBC Tuesday that it was "disappointed" that it "is acting unilaterally and departing from the important progress the U.S., the EU, and the rest of the international community have made together to combat tax avoidance."

The Treasury also said that it thought the retroactive tax assessments were "unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles, and call into question the tax rules of individual member states." Crucially, it added that the ruling could "threaten  the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU." The European Commission has already raised eyebrows in the U.S. by investigating other prominent U.S. firms, including Amazon and McDonald's. It has already targeted Starbucks (to whom it said the Netherlands had granted unlawful state aid) and Google, which is the subject of an ongoing EU antitrust investigation.

Lawyers laughing

Despite the U.S. criticizing the EU's decision, it is well aware that its own taxation rules have created an incentive for certain kinds of tax avoidance known as "inversions" - whereby firms have shifted their earnings to lower-tax countries in order to avoid higher U.S. taxes.

But Irish Finance Minister Noonan told CNBC that Ireland had not deliberately tried to attract U.S. companies for this reason and that the U.S. needed to sort out its own system. "We don't invite U.S. companies to come to Ireland on the basis of inversion and we don't welcome them when they do, but under international law we cannot stop them  it is a matter for U.S. authorities to change the law," he said. The U.S. announced earlier this year that it is looking to reform its taxation of international businesses, a move bound to keep corporate lawyers busy for some time. The commission's ruling was also likely to benefit the legal profession, with both Apple and Ireland set to contest the decision. "The only certainty we know at this juncture is that there will be people getting rich off this: Lawyers," Neil Campling, senior vice president and head of global TMT research at Northern Trust Securities, told CNBC on Tuesday. "This will basically go through the courts for a number of years and there will be a number of legal issues that will come out of this," he said.
MIAMI  The United States and Cuba will enter a new era Wednesday with a one-hour flight over the Florida Straits that will make it easier and cheaper for Americans to visit the long-isolated communist nation.

JetBlue is scheduled to fly the first regularly scheduled, commercial flight between the two countries in 50 years  a short jaunt between Fort Lauderdale and Santa Clara in central Cuba.



After decades of costly and cumbersome charter flights, a new aviation agreement between the Cold War foes means up to 110 commercial flights a day can go between cities throughout Cuba and the U.S.



More from USA Today:

TSA says Cuba must meet security standards for flights

Cuba flights spark security concerns

DOT: Eight airlines awarded flights to Havana

"This is truly transformational," said Alberto Coll, a Cuban-born lawyer and director of European and Latin American legal studies at the DePaul University College of Law.



The new flights are the latest change since President Obama's decision in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic relations between the two countries. Ever since, officials have reopened embassies in Washington and Havana, U.S. companies have signed new business deals in Cuba, and more Americans are traveling to the island.



About 161,000 Americans  not including Cuban Americans visiting relatives  made the journey in 2015, a 77% jump from the previous year, according to Reuters. Travel experts say that number will spike even higher now that flying to Cuba will be just a few clicks away.



"The fact that you can go online and book your flight with JetBlue or Delta, that legitimizes the whole process in the eyes of Americans who had been on the fence before," said Collin Laverty, president of Cuba Educational Travel, based in Washington, D.C.



The expected rush of American tourists remains a difficult sight to those who oppose the new relationship with communist Cuba. Jaime Suchlicki, director of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami, said even well-intentioned travelers to Cuba will enrich the struggling Castro regime and help it hold onto power even longer.

Suchlicki said many Americans will stay in government-run hotels, eat at government-run restaurants and fuel a tourist industry largely controlled by Cuba's military.



"Sure, if you're a waiter you're going to get some more tips," Suchlicki said. "But it's not transforming the Cuban economy. Cuba has had millions of tourists from other countries, and society hasn't changed. So why do we think that another couple thousand Americans are going to change Cuban society?"



Others say Cuba's growing class of private entrepreneurs will benefit the most. Privately run restaurants known as paladares have flourished. President Raul Castro has allowed more Cubans to operate as private taxi drivers and tour guides. And travelers can now stay in more than 8,000 private homes through San Francisco-based Airbnb.



"All that money goes into the pockets of Cuban families that are going to use those resources to expand their small businesses and improve their lives," Coll said. "Over time, that is going to help transform Cuban society in a more open, more pluralistic direction."



Even with assistance from the private sector, many worry that Cuba is not ready to handle the onslaught of Americans heading its way.



Cuba currently has about 63,000 hotel rooms on the entire island, and those are frequently booked months before the winter tourist season or big events. The government has plans to more than double that number, but that process could take more than a decade.

The government also wants to expand Havana's Jose Marti International Airport. Cuba announced in August a partnership with two French companies to oversee the expansion, meaning it won't be completed for years.



"They are not ready," said John Thomas, an assistant professor of hospitality law at Florida International University in Miami. "It's a good thing for Cuba and a good thing for Americans that (the flights) have started, but I expect there's going to be some disappointment from visitors when they get there."



For now, at least getting there will be easier.



The U.S. maintains an economic embargo on Cuba, and travel there as a tourist remains prohibited. In recent years, that meant Americans had to first secure a visa and certify that they fit into one of 12 travel categories approved by the U.S. government, including educational, cultural, religious and business trips. They then had to find a flight, which were exclusively handled by charter companies and cost $400 to $600 round trip.



The Obama administration has made several regulatory changes to ease that process. Rather than having to verify one of the 12 approved categories, travelers can simply click a box online. JetBlue has the categories on a drop-down menu when booking a flight, and American Airlines has a pop-up box that users only need to read and click "Continue."



More airlines will be offering flights to Cuba, resulting in lower fares  some under $300 round trip. The Transportation Department granted Cuba routes to 10 U.S. airlines  Alaska , American , Delta , Frontier , JetBlue, Silver, Sun Country, Southwest , Spirit and United . Those airlines will soon handle up to 110 flights a day from 12 U.S. airports, from Los Angeles to New York to Chicago. About 20 of the flights will go directly into Havana, and the others will be spread among nine other Cuban cities.


The country's gross domestic product (GDP) dropped by 2.06 percent in the second quarter of 2016 after falling 0.36 percent in the previous three months. The technical definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

Nigeria's statistics office said Wednesday that the country has dropped into recession as its all-important oil industry has suffered under weak global prices.

An economic adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, Adeyemi Dipeolu, told the Associated Press that the bleak data was largely attributed to "a sharp contraction in the oil sector due to huge losses of crude oil production," resulting from vandalism and "sabotage."

The figures from the country's National Bureau of Statistics placed estimated oil production at 1.69 million barrels per day, down by 0.42 million barrels per day from the first quarter. Consequently, real growth within the sector was negative 17.48 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2016.

Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings and the United Bank for Africa, said in an interview with CNBC Tuesday that following the fall in the price of commodities, "the government in Nigeria and across Africa  need to diversify their economies." But, he warned that this process was a gradual one, as "you don't diversify an economy overnight."

Reflecting Nigeria's potential for this diversification, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is currently in Nigeria, meeting with technology start-ups and visiting a coding summer camp for children.

According to the GDP report, Nigeria's non-oil sector was driven by the agriculture, information and communication, water supply, arts, science, education and services sectors, which all saw positive growth. But overall, the non-oil segment of its economy declined by 0.38 percent in real terms in the second quarter of this year.

Elumelu was positive about Buhari's economic management of the country, commending what he perceived as the current government's genuine "realization about what the situation is" as well as its "firm commitment and determination to do something and bring change about." Elumelu also discussed Buhari's "policy stability" which would enable investors in the country to plan.

With regards to an overarching strategy for the region, Elumelu stressed that "Africa needs private global capital to come in," and that "what is good for the private sector is good for society." He viewed such investment as enabling countries to create employment, address the issues of inequality and poverty, and "engender inclusive growth." Elumelu asserted: "this is the solution to the difficult economic times everyone is going through."

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Sheila Bair, Washington College president and former FDIC chair, joined Rick Santelli to discuss America's student loan crisis and how the government could address the problem. "I think the basic problem is that lending has become very, very readily available at dollar amounts and to students who don't always have the capacity to repay, either because college isn't the right choice for them or they're making bad choices in college. There's been no accountability for the higher education institutions," she said. "If a bank was doing this, they would probably be in jail, " Bair added. In a post-financial crisis world, the government is not helping anyone by making loans to people that they cannot pay back, she said. In this exclusive interview, she proposes a solution that could put an end to the crisis, or at least lessen its potential repercussions. Editor's note: Santelli Exchange Extra Innings is a bonus segment not seen on TV featuring Rick and his guest for that day. The interviews are longer and go deeper into the topics Santelli cares about.

Sheila Bair, Washington College president and former FDIC chair, joined Rick Santelli to discuss America's student loan crisis and how the government could address the problem. "I think the basic problem is that lending has become very, very readily available at dollar amounts and to students who don't always have the capacity to repay, either because college isn't the right choice for them or they're making bad choices in college. There's been no accountability for the higher education institutions," she said. "If a bank was doing this, they would probably be in jail, " Bair added. In a post-financial crisis world, the government is not helping anyone by making loans to people that they cannot pay back, she said. In this exclusive interview, she proposes a solution that could put an end to the crisis, or at least lessen its potential repercussions. Editor's note: Santelli Exchange Extra Innings is a bonus segment not seen on TV featuring Rick and his guest for that day. The interviews are longer and go deeper into the topics Santelli cares about.


In his campaign rhetoric, the Republican presidential nominee has railed against a supposed threat to American jobs posed by Mexican immigrants. The issue has been popular among his supporters.

But many American workers depend on continued Mexican demand for U.S. goods and services to keep payrolls and paychecks growing.

Last year, Mexico bought some $236 billion worth of American goods, or nearly 16 percent of all exports. Only Canada, at $280 billion, is a bigger customer.

The shipments came from a wide variety of American companies and industries. Among the biggest categories were cars, trucks and parts, along with chemicals and petroleum products, and computers and electrical equipment.






Just when it seemed like the negative image of Donald Trump as a xenophobic, racist, and cartoonish excuse for a presidential candidate was permanently stained into most of the voters' minds, someone on his campaign staff had the brilliant idea to accept the invitation to meet Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City.

And now that the meeting is over, and both Trump and Nieto have made their formal statements, it's clear Trump has been given a crucial presidential-looking shot in the arm from perhaps the one foreign leader we least expected to give it to him. But that's not where the positives for Trump end, not by a long shot.

Suddenly, we now have a new context for Trump's long-awaited speech on immigration. Before the meeting, Trump was facing a tough challenge. Several conservatives, and even one of his most ardent supporters in Ann Coulter, had been getting much attention as they accused Trump of flip-flopping on illegal immigration and especially the deportation question. There are reports the Trump campaign is hoping to gloss over deportation at least somewhat by focusing on securing the southern border with Mexico instead. That seems like it might be a tough needle to thread. But now that Trump is making the speech coming directly from that border, that new focus suddenly becomes more plausible.

The buzz is now about the Mexico meeting and fewer people are talking about deportation. And since President Pena Nieto himself made border security part of his own set of priorities in his portion of the news conference, this entire event is amounting to something of a home run for Trump and his quest for legitimacy.
Donald Trump's surprise visit south of the border Wednesday  apparently to mend fences after a campaign laced with anti-Mexican rhetoric  surprised many observers in both countries.



But a closer look at the state electoral vote map helps explain the Republican presidential nominee's sudden interest in Mexico. The states he needs to win rely heavily on Mexico as a customer for exported goods. And they have large blocs of Hispanic voters.

Until recently, Trump has made his anti-immigration stance one of the cornerstones of his campaign. He has blamed Mexico for the loss of American jobs, and promised to renegotiate or scrap the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada.



In a brief joint news conference after meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Trump repeated his objections to the trade deal.

"I shared my strong view that NAFTA has been far better for Mexico than the U.S.," he said. "It must be improved upon so workers in both countries benefit from fair and reciprocal trade."

With just 10 weeks to go until the election, Trump trails Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in most opinion polls nationally.



Now, Trump seems to have had a change of heart about America's second-biggest trading partner. Intentionally or not, his trip Wednesday highlights the importance of the Mexican economy to the U.S. and of Hispanic voters in key states he needs to win.

Overall, Mexico is the second-largest customer for American exports of goods  everything from cars and trucks to computers and machinery.

But Mexico is a much more important customer for some U.S. states than others.


It's not just ride-hailing apps and food-delivery start-ups anymore: Venture capitalists are now also exploring space for outsize returns.

Since January, investors have committed more than $200 million across 20 space-related deals, according to CB Insights. This is in addition to the $2.3 billion that they invested in 2015.

Steve Jurvetson, a partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, is an investor in space start-ups including private rocket builder SpaceX. He hopes his colleagues in Silicon Valley are motivated to invest in such start-ups because they are enthusiastic about exploring the frontiers of the unknown. But he acknowledges the more likely reason that they are committing capital to space: the prospect of attractive returns.

"This is an industry that has been sheltered from competition for decades, and there's an enormous pool of money to be made in launching satellite networks and new rockets," Jurvetson told CNBC. "Space now has opened up for commercial activity."

Thanks to powerful technology trends such as big data analytics and cloud computing as well as the increased efficiency and drop in price of electronic components, entrepreneurs can exploit money-making opportunities in space. In fact, there is a constellation of such start-ups now attracting investment and interest.

The most well-funded start-ups include SpaceX; OneWeb, which uses satellites to provide high-speed internet access; Blue Origin, the start-up founded by Amazon 's Jeff Bezos; satellite-builder Planet; and Kymeta, a company backed by that sells small satellite antennas to expand connectivity around the world.

Venture capitalists say interest in space is increasing.

"Silicon Valley has been known to inspire herd-like behavior," says Peter Hebert of Lux Capital, which has put money to work in Kymeta, Planet and Orbital Insight, a company backed by Google that processes and analyzes images from satellite developers.
Trump will likely offer more of his thoughts on Mexico in a key immigration speech Wednesday night in Arizona, following his visit with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, who not too long ago likened Trump to Hitler and Mussolini.

The Republican presidential nominee launched his long-shot campaign with widely criticized comments about Mexico and has not relented. Trump has repeatedly hit the country on immigration and trade, among other issues.

After more than a year of jabs at the United States' southern neighbor, Donald Trump will visit Mexico on Wednesday.

Republican Presidential candidate and business mogul Donald Trump talks to the media after exiting his plane during his trip to the border on July 23, 2015 in Laredo, Texas.

Here are some of Trump's comments about Mexico in this election:



When he announced his candidacy in June 2015, Trump immediately criticized politicians for letting Mexico "beat" the United States economically and established a harsh tone on immigration. His comments on Mexican immigrants themselves raised the most eyebrows.



"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best.  They're sending people that have a lot of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."



In the same speech, Trump called for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, a key proposal for his campaign. He has pledged to make Mexico pay for it.

"Mexico's going to pay for the wall," he said at the GOP debate hosted by CNBC last October. "I love the Mexican people. I respect the Mexican leaders, but their leaders are much sharper, much smarter and more cunning than our leader."

Pena Nieto previously told a Mexican newspaper that there was "no scenario" under which it would pay for a wall.



Trump has criticized U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University, for bias because of his Mexican heritage.

"I'm building a wall. It's an inherent conflict of interest," Trump told The Wall Street Journal in June.



He received criticism from both sides of the political aisle, and House Speaker Paul Ryan called it the "textbook definition" of a racist comment.



Trump has repeatedly bashed the North American Free Trade Agreement, the 1990s deal that opened trade with Canada and Mexico. He called NAFTA the "worst trade deal" in U.S. history and has pledged to renegotiate it.
Samantha Grover. Photo credit: Office of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman

SYRACUSE, N.Y.  A Syracuse nurse aide recently pleaded guilty to hitting and pushing a male nursing-home patient last October.

Samantha Grover pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person in the first degree, the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a news release issued last week.

The incident occurred on Oct. 17, 2015, at James Square Health and Rehabilitation Centre, a nursing home located at 918 James St. in Syracuse.

Grover struck a male resident in the face and pushed him causing him to trip and fall, hitting his shoulder on a piece of furniture.

As a result, the resident suffered from impingement syndrome of the right shoulder with a rotator cuff strain.

Caregivers are entrusted with the health and safety of nursing-home residents, and to intentionally cause physical harm to a resident is a gross violation of that trust, Schneiderman said in the news release. My office will continue working to root out and prosecute nursing-home abuse.

Onondaga County Court Judge Anthony Aloi set sentencing for Oct. 18. Grover will get five years of probation and four months of weekends in jail, the attorney generals office said in an email response to a BJNN inquiry.

If Grover fails to appear in court or gets in any additional trouble, Aloi could sentence her to up to four years in prison, the office added.

The Syracuse woman had worked at the nursing home for four years, Schneidermans office said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Ghanaian television host and actress Joselyn Dumas is 36 years old today. The mother of one is celebrating her big day by rolling out sultry photos to her fans delight.

Joselyn is one of Ghanas most popular people.

oselyn is a proud mother whose life is centered around her child. Her belief, Never stand begging for what you have the power to earn has been her motivation and drive over the years. Joselyn is an ardent reader, loves to travel, admires nature, always makes time to keep fit and above all loves God.

See Photos Below








Most of my programs that I use on a day-to-day basis are also extremely buggy on Vista and above.



DutchComputerKid wrote: I'm a retro person An unsupported 32 bit person in a 64 bit environment.



If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] Bastard Programmer from Hell





=========================================================

I'm an optoholic - my glass is always half full of vodka.

=========================================================



I'm in uncharted waters here. Never worked or understood DataTables, but getting better at it.



I have this DataTable named table_Active with Active Customers and the Sales Total

I want to make another DataTable with the Top 10 Customers by Sales Total for a given year, in which I have that in the table_Active Table.



I just need to order by Y1_ATD and take the top 10 and Sum

Then I need to get the Bottom 90 or the rest, I should be able to figure that out after the first one

I have this so far, but I have no clue how to write a DataTable Expression

Dim top10Exp As String = " " If (table_Active.Rows.Count > 0 ) Then table_Top10Percent = table_Active.Select(top10Exp).CopyToDataTable() End If Dim row_T10 As DataRow row_T10 = table_Top10Percent.NewRow() row_T10( " T10" ) = 80000 row_T10( " B90" ) = 50000 row_T10( " YTD" ) = 130000 table_Top10Percent.Rows.Add(row_T10)

I just need a point in the right direction here.







I ended up dumping the first idea and went back to a DataView to grab my rows as a table, and them summed them up.



Calculate Sum (Total) of DataTable Columns using C# and VB.Net[^]

Dim dv_top10 As New DataView(table_Active) dv_top10.Sort = " Y1_ATD Desc" Dim dt_top10 = dv_top10.ToTable().Rows.Cast(Of DataRow)().Take( 10 ) Dim T10 As Decimal = dt_top10.AsEnumerable().Sum(Function(row) row.Field(Of Decimal)( " Y1_ATD" ))



jkirkerx wrote: without a reference

DataView.Sort Property (System.Data)[ ^ ]:

A string that contains the column name followed by "ASC" (ascending) or "DESC" (descending).

Columns are sorted ascending by default.

Multiple columns can be separated by commas.









"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."

- Homer











.Sum(function(m) m.Y1_ATD) vs .Sum(Function(row) row.Field(Of Decimal)("Y1_ATD"))



Sort of writing a manual type, in which I didn't know you can do.





I'm trying to sort a dataset, because I can't do it in SQL, the Order By would have to be a join and sum of invoices from a data range.



I have this code that I wrote, but it doesn't sort. Am I on the right track here?

I tried sorting on the DataTable before adding it to the dataset but was not successful.

Maybe I'm suppose to get the DataView back to the set.

This is my time doing this and I have no clue.

Dim table_Active As DataTable = New DataTable() table_Active.TableName = " dt_customerActive" table_Active.Columns.Add(New DataColumn( " ID" , System.Type.GetType( " System.String" ))) Dim ds_Active As DataSet = New DataSet() ds_Active.DataSetName = " ds_customerActive" ds_Active.Tables.Clear() ds_Active.Tables.Add(table_Active) ds_Active.Tables( 0 ).TableName = " tablix_salesActive" Dim dV As DataView = New DataView(ds_Active.Tables( " tablix_salesActive" )) Select Case p_sortOrder Case salesHistory5Year_Sort.Name dV.Sort = " Name" Case salesHistory5Year_Sort.Spent dV.Sort = " TATD DESC" Case salesHistory5Year_Sort.Territory dV.Sort = " Territory" End Select





Dim dV As DataView = New DataView(table_Active) Select Case p_sortOrder Case salesHistory5Year_Sort.Name dV.Sort = " Name" Case salesHistory5Year_Sort.Spent dV.Sort = " TATD DESC" Case salesHistory5Year_Sort.Territory dV.Sort = " Territory" End Select Dim ds_Active As DataSet = New DataSet() ds_Active.DataSetName = " ds_customerActive" ds_Active.Tables.Clear() ds_Active.Tables.Add(dV.ToTable()) ds_Active.Tables( 0 ).TableName = " tablix_salesActive"



Hi,



how would the following C++ pointer use be translated into VB.NET?

Dim p As Byte * = pDataBegin *p = (*p) Xor nOut



Anyone can help?

SepPax





VB Dim myByteArray = New Byte (){ 1 , 2 , 3 } For index = 0 To myByteArray.GetUpperBound( 0 ) myByteArray(index) = myByteArray(index) Xor nOut Next

Or slightly simpler

VB For Each element In myByteArray element = element Xor nOut Next



modified 30-Aug-16 10:44am.



How create a program of usb write protected in visual studio can any one help me with a source code?







We're happy to help with specific questions about code you have written. But nobody here is going to do your work for you.



And quite frankly, even if you were paying someone to do your work for you, you wouldn't get very far with a description as vague as that!





"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."

- Homer







Member 12705131 wrote: can any one help me with a source code? Where are you stuck?

There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.



can any one help me with neural network simulator source code in visual basic or link where i can get it. thanks



I am trying to resize a selected image in Word vba and then move it to the RHS of the page.

The resizing works fine and the image is then converted into a shape. I'm then not sure how to replace the two lines of code

Set ils = ActiveDocument.InlineShapes( 1 ) Set shp = ils.ConvertToShape

to continue with the last part of the code and move the image to the RHS of the page.

Full code is as follows

VB.NET Sub PicResizeMoveToRight() Dim ils As InlineShape Dim shp As Shape Dim PercentSize As Integer PercentSize = InputBox( " Enter percent of full size" , _ " Resize Picture" , 100 ) If Selection.InlineShapes.Count > 0 Then Selection.InlineShapes( 1 ).ScaleHeight = PercentSize Selection.InlineShapes( 1 ).ScaleWidth = PercentSize End If Set ils = ActiveDocument.InlineShapes( 1 ) Set shp = ils.ConvertToShape With shp .WrapFormat.Type = wdWrapTight .RelativeVerticalPosition = wdRelativeVerticalPositionMargin .RelativeHorizontalPosition = wdRelativeHorizontalPositionMargin .Left = wdFrameRight End With End Sub



Any help would be appreciated thanks


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
Ragtag furthers big-screen mission through A Community Thrives

Ragtag Film Society took home $12,000 in grant money, which will further its day-to-day and big-screen mission.
St. Johns Restaurant is inviting the community to support Chattanoogas children at their Be A Saint dinner on Sept. 11. The five-course wine dinner will benefit Erlangers Believe Campaign to build a new Childrens Hospital.

The dinner will be prepared and paired by St. Johns Executive Chef Rebecca Barron and Sommelier Michelle Richards. The event will keep to its Be A Saint theme by pairing all five courses with hand selected saint wines.

"We love being a part of such a generous community in Chattanooga," said Josh Carter, owner of St. John's Restaurant. "We are always looking for ways to get involved and give back to the community that has supported us for the last 16 years."

The Childrens Hospital at Erlanger is the only hospital serving children and families across the region. The new Childrens Hospital Outpatient Center will be innovatively designed to engage children, distract them from their illness and meet the complex needs of both families and physicians. The state-of-the-art facility will also help attract the best medical professionals from around the world, said officials.

The evening will begin with a cocktail hour at 5 p.m., followed by a formal dinner at the James Beard nominated restaurant. The event will bring together community leaders from across the region to celebrate the Childrens Hospital at Erlangers growth and raise funds so that it can continue to serve children and families.

The number of children within the service area of the Childrens Hospital is projected to grow 30 to 50 percent over the next 40 years.

Tickets to the dinner are $250 per guest, all-inclusive with a limited number of seats available at the CEOs table for $300 and can be purchased at https://stjohnsrestaurant.instagift.com/believe-campaign.
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.
Archimania designed this house to be built in a pasture in Mississippi, where its clients could retreat from busy city life. The design won an "Award of Excellence"' in the AIA Tennessee 2016 design competition. (Rendering courtesy archimania.)

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By Thomas Bailey Jr. of The Commercial Appeal

The Memphis architectural firm archimania won half the 14 statewide design awards for 2016 given last week by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Tennessee.

Being honored for its designs is nothing new for archimania, which now has accumulated 124 such local, state and regional peer awards from AIA organizations. Counting national and other honors, the firm has 160 awards.

"I think the thing that characterizes and distinguishes their work, they were creative and inventive mostly within extraordinary economic means," San Francisco architect Paul Woolford told The Commercial Appeal by phone this week. He chaired the San Francisco-based jury for the Tennessee competition.

"Most (projects) were modest in budget, but they managed to reframe expectations about those project types and often spoke with an original voice,'' said Woolford, design principal for HOK San Francisco.

The judging was blind; neither Woolford nor the other jurors knew the identity of the 95 firms who submitted their work.

Woolford could not even discern any style he considered to be common among archimania's designs.

"There was nothing about the work that looked like a fingerprint... of one particular architect or even group of architects,'' he said. "... Which was part of the reason I realized afterward one firm won several awards. They didn't approach it stylistically but they did approach it with a certain intelligence and art that was common in all their work.''

Archimania's Todd Walker, who with Barry Alan Yoakum are the firm's two principals, describes archimania's work not in terms ranging from traditional to modern, but as "progressive.''

Asked to define "progressive,'' Walker said Wednesday, "It's innovative and authentic and it shows value through design for our clients.''

Archimania, founded 21 years ago, has eight architects among a staff of 21 people.

The awards were announced during the annual state AIA meeting in Chattanooga. Archimania's winning designs were for:

-- (Award of Excellence): The renovation of an old commercial building at 651 Cooper for Redeemer Presbyterian Church;

-- (Merit Award): Renovation of shop space for Indigo women's boutique in Saddle Creek shopping center at 7509 Poplar in Germantown;

-- (Merit Award): Renovation of former shop front space at 421 South Main for The Blues Foundation;

-- (Merit Award): Renovation of Shelby County's Vasco A. Smith Jr. Administration Building at 160 North Main;

-- (Merit Award): Renovation of a former medical office at 1399 Madison for the American Red Cross of Memphis;

-- (Award of Excellence): Design of a new house in a pasture near Sardis, Mississippi, for two physicians who work in Memphis and live in Sardis;

-- And (Merit Award): Renovation of former shop front space at 119 South Main for The Consortium MMT -- Talent Development Complex.

Archimania was the only Memphis firm that won one of the Tennessee AIA design awards this year, but Woolford lavished praise on the entire body of work across the state.

"I've juried a number of cities and states around the country for many years,'' he said. "I decided the work coming out of Tennessee was as important and creative as the work being done anywhere in America.

"It was really intelligent and beautiful and important work,'' he said.

The president of AIA Memphis, Scott Van Der Jagt of another firm that wins multiple awards, LRK, said Wednesday of archimania, Its great for Memphis that they do get recognized.

Weve got a lot of great firms and designers in Memphis, Van Der Jagt said. Theyre not the only ones. Were proud of them of being recognized for the state and for Memphis.
Aug. 31, 2016; Victoria Hearst is passionate in her advocacy that Cosmopolitan magazine should be sold like pornography. The granddaughter of Randolph Hearst stated, "We are simply asking Hearst to take responsibility for the magazine's pornographic content and voluntarily bag it and make sure that it is sold to adults only." (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)

David Waters Columnist SHARE Cosmopolitan magazine rakes center stage in the magazine rack at CVS on Union.

In Walgreen's, she was peeking out from behind another magazine model's big furry hat.

In Rite Aid, she was right by the register but partially hidden by a rack of candy and chips.

In CVS, she was right there in the middle of a wall of magazines for God and anyone to see.

It was Gwen Stefani in all of her provocatively clad, fully airbrushed gold and glory.

"Oh good lord almighty.!!!" her boyfriend Blake Shelton tweeted when he saw her on the cover of September's Cosmopolitan magazine.

I'm not sure how the good Lord feels about it, but William Randolph Hearst's granddaughter isn't impressed.

"It's pornography, not just the cover but the content inside the magazine," Victoria Hearst said Wednesday. She was in Memphis to gain allies in her "Cosmo Harms Minors" campaign.

"If adults want to buy it, fine. But it shouldn't be where it can be seen or purchased by minors. It's an adult magazine with adult content."

Hearst isn't just any anti-porn activist. Cosmopolitan is one of 21 magazines published by the Hearst Corp.oration, founded by her grandfather. Eleven of the company's 24 board members are Hearst family members.

"This isn't a family feud," said Victoria Hearst, sister of the infamous Patty Hearst, "I love my family. I just want them to be responsible."

Good luck. We live in an R-rated culture, and the R doesn't stand for responsible.

Today's magazine racks have cover photos that would thrill most teenage boys. They also have content that would shock most parents.

Cosmo's inside photos might make their cover models blush. A monthly feature called "Love Lust & Other Stuff" would make Hugh Hefner jealous.

Hearst, founder of Praise Him Ministries in Colorado, was particularly offended by last December's "Sex-Vent Calendar." It was an Advent-like calendar that counted down "24 days of hotness."

Suggestions (that we can publish in this PG-rated newspaper) included "Try This Naughty Movie" and "Play a Game of Sex-Dreidel."

"My grandfather would be horrified and angry by what Cosmo has become," Victoria Hearst said. "A lot of people would be fired."

In a statement, Cosmopolitan said it is "proud of all that the brand has achieved for women around the world," including its coverage of health, careers, politics and gender equality.

Which, of course, is exactly why teens and tweens read Cosmo.

Cosmopolitan was the first magazine William Randolph Hearst bought. That was in 1906. It became a sort of poor man's New Yorker.

Hearst, the legendary newspaper publisher whose life was immortalized by the film "Citizen Kane," died in 1951. The company hired Helen Gurley Brown as editor in 1965.

"She made it about sex and the single girl," Victoria Hearst said. "Now it's mostly just about sex. It's gotten more and more pornographic and no one seems to have noticed."

Hearst, who is not active in the company, said she has contacted the board  including her cousin the chairman  three times about her concerns.

"They ignore me," she said. "They know what they are publishing. They just don't care. It's making money. They're hiding behind the First Amendment."

The U.S. Supreme Court has said that only two types of pornography are not protected by the First Amendment: child pornography and obscenity. Neither seems to apply to Cosmo's content.

In 1973, the Court said "obscene" materials had to depict "patently offensive hard-core sexual conduct." Most materials dealing with sex don't qualify.

A year later, the Court said "nudity alone is not enough to make material legally obscene."

In other words, one person's pornography is another person's favorite HBO show.

One person's obscene material is another person's favorite magazine.

Hearst is now taking her case to the public, with the help of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.

So far, Wal-Mart, RiteAid and Food Lion have agreed to sell Cosmo in "pocket shields." RiteAid also said it will stop selling Cosmo to minors.

Meanwhile, Hearst is trying to get states to enforce their "content harmful to minors" laws.

In Tennessee, it's illegal to display or sell such content to minors. That includes images or narrative "that depicts nudity" or "sexual conduct."

Hearst met Tuesday with Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich. "She has valid concerns," Weirich said.

"We can't stake out all the checkout lanes to make sure clerks aren't selling these magazines to minors, but what she's asking is simple. Just place the magazines where minors can't see or reach them."

Gwen Stefani, her fishnet hose, and Cosmo's "44 Sex Tips" were within easy reach of middle-schoolers at all three drugstores I visited Tuesday.

"I can't stop my family from publishing this stuff," Hearst said. "I just want them to be responsible."
By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal

Former Millington reserve police Officer Rickie Friar pleaded to more charges involving children on Wednesday, records show.

Friar, entered an Alford plea to rape of a 9-year-old girl. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual battery of her and two other children, said Assistant District Attorney Bryce Phillips. One child was 12 and the other was between 10 and 11 years old.

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft sentenced 67-year-old Friar to 25 years, which will run concurrent with a federal sentence for exploiting girls.

Friars housekeeper alerted law enforcement July 13, 2015, about an iPad at Friars house. A 16-year-old who assisted her with cleaning told her there were bad things on the iPad, according to an affidavit. The 16-year-old opened the tablet and the housekeeper saw a photo of a child, approximately 9 years old, touching Friar in his bed.

Shelby County Sheriffs Sgt. Natalie Hillman led Special Victims Unit detectives in investigating the case and obtaining search warrants for the iPad and Friars home.

Sexually explicit photos and videos of Friar naked in the presence of children aged 8 and up were discovered. The images and videos were produced between July 2013 and May 2015, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

Friar was located July 13, 2015 in Russellville, Arkansas with a juvenile girl returning from a trip to Oklahoma. Law enforcement found receipts in his car dated within days for sex toys.

In a forensic interview July 14, 2015, a 9-year-old girl said Friar raped her, according to an affidavit.

A 13-year-old girl, two 12-year-old girls and a 10-year-old girl disclosed that Friar touched them sexually while in the pool at the YMCA in the 7700 block of East Navy Circle in Millington. The 12-year-old girls also said he touched them at his home in the 4400 block of North Bay Drive in Millington.

An 11-year-old girl reported that Friar tried to place a handcuff key in her bra while playing cops. She was frightened and locked herself in a room, according to an affidavit. She then called her grandfather to come get her.

Friar was sentenced to 26 years in federal prison earlier this week. Grand jurors charged him with crimes against six children, and he pleaded guilty to four of 12 counts.
2016 presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (AP photos)

SHARE 2016 presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (AP photos)

By Fredreka Schouten And Christopher Schnaars, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON  Many of the wealthy Republican contributors who raced to write seven-figure checks to influence the nomination battle have shut their wallets on GOP nominee Donald Trump, directing their money instead to downballot contests or opting to sit out the campaign, a USA TODAY analysis of new campaign filings shows.

Some of the nation's richest Democrats, meanwhile, have escalated their giving to boost Hillary Clinton's presidential hopes and to seize on the prospect of a Democratic takeover in the Senate, according to the review of contributions by the election's most generous donors.

Wealthy Democrats and liberal organizations have plowed $134 million into super PACs since early April as Clinton pulled away from rival Bernie Sanders and Trump won a string of primaries on his way to effectively clinching the GOP nomination in early May. By comparison, the Republican Party's biggest donors contributed $51 million to super PACs during the same period.

The three largest beneficiaries of the Democratic money surge: a pro-Clinton super PAC, a group funded and run by California environmentalist Tom Steyer and a Senate-focused group that just posted its best fundraising haul of the election.

The USA TODAY analysis identified the 156 individuals, corporations and organizations that have donated at least $1 million to super PACs since Jan. 1, 2015, and reviewed their month-by-month giving.

Those donors, some of the richest people in the country, account for nearly 60 percent of the record $969.2 million that has flowed to super PACs through the end of July. Super PACs can accept unlimited amounts of money but are not allowed to coordinate their advertising with candidates for federal office.

Five people, all of whom made their fortunes running hedge funds, have contributed $15 million or more each to super PACs. Only one, Renaissance Technologies co-founder Robert Mercer, is backing Trump.

Some of the Republican Party's biggest contributors who still remain active in super PAC giving are directing money to groups intent on preserving the party's majority in the Senate and the House.

Early in the 2016 campaign, California investor William Oberndorf contributed more than $1.5 million to a super PAC supporting Republican Jeb Bush's presidential bid. The hedge-fund manager refuses to back Trump's campaign and donated $500,000 in late June to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., that has seen its fundraising climb this year. He's also contributed $25,000 to a super PAC aiding Ohio Sen. Rob Portman's battle against former governor Ted Strickland, a Democrat.

"I decided some time ago I could not support Donald Trump because he did not have the temperament to be our next president," Oberndorf said in an email to USA TODAY. "Since that time, his inconsistency on issues and the offensive remarks he continues to make about virtually anyone who disagrees with him have not given me cause to change this view."

He said the nation's debt is a top issue in the election. "The only person on the political scene in a leadership position who is focusing on this crucial issue is Paul Ryan, which is why I am supporting him and his efforts to keep Republican control of the House," Oberndorf said. "I am also helping those Republican senators who are in tough races with the hope most of them will be able to hold on to their seats as well."

The stakes in November couldn't be higher. Republicans are defending 24 Senate seats in November to the Democrats' 10. Compounding Republican troubles: Seven of the party's Senate incumbents are up for re-election in states won by President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

Democrats, seizing on Trump's difficulties in the presidential race, also have begun to target more GOP incumbents in the House in the hopes of cutting into the Republicans' 59-seat advantage in that chamber. Democrats need a net gain of 30 seats to take the majority.

In response, the Ryan-affiliated Congressional Leadership Fund announced plans this month to direct $10 million to a dozen competitive House contests. Its fundraising jumped from $1.4 million to $4.6 million between the first and second quarters of this year.

The group does not have to disclose its third-quarter totals until later this year, but giving has "exponentially increased," driven by donor concerns about the races at the top of the ticket, along with contributor support for Ryan and his policies, said Mike Shields, the group's president.

"They are worried they could be facing a President Hillary Clinton and an uncertain Senate election," Shields said of donors. "They want to make sure the House is protected because they see the House as a fire-line to stop some really bad policies."

It's impossible to track the sources of all the money flooding the 2016 election because so much of it is landing in the bank accounts of nonprofit groups that don't have to disclose their donors' identities. Nonprofits already account for nearly half of all TV ads by groups active in Senate races, according to a recent analysis by the Wesleyan Media Project.

But the new filings offer a snapshot of the role the super wealthy are playing in election. Just three dozen people, corporations and unions account more than one-third of giving to super PACs, the analysis found.

Steyer, a retired hedge-fund manager and a Democrat, sits atop the mega-donor list, contributing more than $38 million, most of which went to his own super PAC, NextGen Climate Action. The group plans an aggressive effort to turn out young voters and union members to vote for Democrats in several key battlegrounds.

Steyer said he doesn't have a specific budget in mind for his 2016 spending. On Tuesday, he announced a $2 million campaign with the Service Employees International Union and Planned Parenthood Votes to reach some 200,000 voters in New Hampshire, a presidential battleground and the site of the hotly contested Senate race between first-term Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte and the state's Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.

"We are committed to doing everything in our power to deliver (Trump) a resounding defeat on Nov. 8," Steyer said of his joint efforts with the union and Planned Parenthood.

Mercer, a reclusive New Yorker, is the second-largest super PAC donor of the election. He has contributed more than $20 million to super PACs, more than half of which went to support Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's failed bid for the nomination.

He's now backing Trump and donated $2 million last month to a super PAC that once supported Cruz but has been renamed Make America Number 1 as a vehicle to help Trump. In addition, veteran pollster Kellyanne Conway, who ran Mercer's pro-Cruz super PAC, now manages Trump's campaign.

Another pro-Trump super PAC, Rebuilding America Now, appears to be better funded, having spent more than $13 million on advertising in recent weeks, but it does not have to file disclosure reports on its donors until October.

Officials with the super PAC won't discuss how much they've raised since the end of June. Spokeswoman Melissa Stone said Rebuilding America Now "has connected with many donors excited to expose Hillary Clinton's record of corruption." But she said what "we have received still pales in comparison to the Clinton money machine."

Bush's early fundraising success helped drive the big giving by Republicans at the start of the election. A pro-Bush super PAC, Right to Rise, collected a record $118 million, but the former Florida governor never gained traction and dropped out of the race following his fourth-place finish in the South Carolina primary.

The super PAC's organizers recently refunded $13.9 million to donors.
This town of Collierville planning map shows the proposed expansion of a Chrysler dealership near Byhalia Road.

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By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal

A Chrysler sales lot on Byhalia Road in Collierville could expand under a proposal set for consideration by the town's Planning Commission on Thursday.

The proposal by Collierville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram calls for converting a small parcel of vacant land behind the existing dealership into additional parking space.

The land is owned by the Bumpus brothers, owners of the nearby Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership of the same name. The Bumpus brothers already sold a parcel of land to the Chrysler dealership, said Cindy Reaves, a partner with SR Consulting LLC and a representative of the Bumpus brothers in the transaction. "Now they're going to sell 50 more feet to Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram," she said.

That strip of land would stick out from the existing Chrysler dealership property and provide enough space for another row of parking. She said the sale won't go through until local authorities approve expansion of the sales lot.

Collierville Town Planner Jaime Groce said the Chrysler dealership might have to acquire more land for firetruck access to the expanded parking area.

Also Thursday, the Planning Commission is considering a proposal to allow a McDonald's restaurant near Byhalia Road and West Poplar Avenue. The restaurant would go on the north side of Poplar, just west of an existing Walgreens.

At a recent meeting, members of the Planning Commission expressed concern about the impact of the restaurant on traffic, Groce said, and the restaurant planners have prepared a revised plan.

Groce also said that last week both the Planning and Historic District commissions recommended approval of a proposed new two-story retail and office building on Collierville's Town Square. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen will review the proposal September 12.
On their second visit to Atlanta, British rockers The Struts sat down with Chattanoogan.com for a quick Q&A on the topic of rock musics future.

The four-piece band from Derby, Derbyshire, England is comprised of frontman Luke Spiller, guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliot, and drummer Gethin Davies. Playing anywhere and everywhere that they can, the rockers are disciplined and united to accomplish a simple mission - to conquer the world.



You can catch The Struts as they come through Nashville to play Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival on Saturday, September 24.



Chattanoogan: You had the honor of closing out 2015 with Motley Crue on their Final Tour. What did each of you learn from that experience?



Luke: I think it was a great opportunity, as a group, to kind of self assess the way we play our set. For instance, we wanted to make each guitar changeover or transition from one song to the next. When youre playing a level like that you need to be a lot more together as a group. Its not really like a 500-capacity club gig where you can fall about.



Our own fans were cheering between each song; we had to keep it as punctual as possible, and thats something I think weve learned and I think weve carried throughout all of 2016 as of yet. And thats really, really helped us.



Adam: Its just really an honor. Knowing who theyve brought out on tour in the past, like Guns N Roses as the biggest example. For them to have us on their last four dates was just a huge honor. Its nice to be able to play with a band of that caliber; theyre really nice guys and gave us some advice.



Jed: Its great to be playing big rooms again. Weve played some in the past and its nice to playing in those big arenas. Like Luke said, it just made us step up a level in our performance to make it more slick. Yeah, if we were doing arenas our selves, that the kind of thing we need to step up to. It was a good learning curve and good fun.



Gethin: I was just gonna say that down on the similar lines of just being inspired. I know what we can work towards to better achieve that in playing to our own audience in a venue that size.



Chattanoogan: With all the final tours and farewells of legendary rock bands going on, there seems to be some open space for new groups to stake their claim on the scene. The Struts seem to be the band to do that. What are your thoughts? With your recent success do you feel like the torch is being passed to The Struts? How does that feel and are yall ready?



Luke: Yeah, I think as were trying to come up in the ranks, so to speak, in terms of bands at the moment there is definitely a sense of weve been talking the talk and we have to back it up, with you know our songs, performance and most of all our work ethic as well. Its taken a while for us collectively to realize that just recording the best songs you possibly can sometimes isnt enough, especially at the stage were at now. We want to create relationships with every single station that is supporting us and playing our music and meeting as many fans as possible. That means we have to do twice the amount of work as our contemporaries, and were happy to do that, if it means that we have the best chance possible becoming the biggest band in the world.



Jed: I think if you want to be the best, you have to work the hardest. Thats what we intend to do and leave no regret. As long as we put the work in now, hopefully it will pay off in the long term.



Luke: Its a lovely illusion that a lot of Americans think were as big as we are in the UK as we are in the U.S. The fact is, well for instance, we just learned today that were doing three shows in the UK  all of which are about to sell out, which is great considering we havent really played there for at least 7 months.

Luke: But we consider that to be a bit of a triumph. You know, our strategy since June last year when we signed with Interscope, we want to do everything that we perhaps couldnt do in the UK and do it in the US. Putting all our focus and energy in The States and gain the creditability and the audience through radio and media and TV performance  things that weve never really done in the UK. The idea is to go for the world jugular, which is the States. Then the rest of the world kind of follows.



Jed: Like these guys alluded to we want to be the hardest working band and prove to everyone working with us that were working as hard as they are. And if it that means playing a lot of markets that a lot of bands, especially British bands dont touch  like Johnson City and Little Rock, then well do it.



Chattanooogan: Gene Simmons of Kiss recently suggested in an interview that rock music will eventually die. Do you think theres any truth in that statement?



Luke: Yeah, if you want to sound like Kiss or Motley Crue, or any of the bands from the 70s or 80s then yeah its dying. But, are The Struts a rock n roll revival group? Perhaps. The way I see it, were doing what weve wanted to do for a long time, and weve worked hard to get here. Were not here to stand here and say rock n roll is still alive, because that stuff never really dies. Great music will always live on. We just play what we want; we sound how we want to, and that just happens to be what we sound like. If we loved roots/reggae and thats exactly what we wanted to sound like and be then thats what wed be doing. We didnt make this band to say lets bring rock and roll back. As far as Im concerned, I listen to music everyday and its the same stuff Ive been listening to for over ten years. So rock never dies as long as you keep listening to it.



Chattanoogan: How can The Struts make their mark?



Luke: We have such a busy schedule, that were really taking every day as it comes. For instance, here today were going to go on stage and do what we always do  try to blow everyone out of the water and win over as many people as we can and put on the best show that we possibly can. You know, I think we live in a universe where talent prevails and hard work pays off. I think if we keep going the way we go, then Id like to think that were going to make our mark; but, you know, its a [explitive] up business. Wed be really lucky if were still a band, signed to a major label, in five years. You cant tell. All you can do is take the present and make the most of that. So thats where were at, at the moment. You ask me that question in twelve months and Ill be able to give you a more decent, solid answer.


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By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal

Kroger Marketplace, the chain's new expanded model that includes a range of merchandise in addition to groceries, is set to open for the first time in the Memphis metro area Sept. 14 in Hernando.

The Cincinnati-based company will host a "sneak preview" Thursday for the media, with public opening the 14th at the site of the old Kroger on Commerce Street.

"Hernando, Mississippi, is the perfect location for the new Kroger Marketplace Store," Scot Hendricks, president of Kroger's Delta Division, said in a statement. "This addition falls in line with our Kroger promise to invest over $100 million in the Mid-South area."

Kroger is tripling employment at the Hernando store, from 100 at the old store to 300 at the new one, to accommodate the expanded operation. In addition to traditional Kroger food offerings, the Marketplace concept adds departments for home fashion and design, bed and bath, kitchen and small appliances, apparel and shoes, and Baby World. In Hernando's case, the store also will mean the city's first Starbucks.

Another Marketplace location, the same size as the 123,000-square-foot Hernando store, will open this fall in Arlington.

Though new to Kroger's 104-store Delta Division, the chain already has the Marketplace model in operation elsewhere. The Delta Division includes Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri.

While still the dominant grocery chain in the Memphis metro market, Kroger is facing heightened competition in some areas. In Germantown, Kroger replaced its longtime store on Exeter with a newer, expanded store  though still smaller than the Marketplace sites  in the old Schnucks building on Farmington. The move came as Kroger drew competition in Germantown from a new Fresh Market on Poplar. Also, Sprouts Farmers Market has sprouted locations in Germantown and Lakeland to provide some competition.

In Hernando, Kroger faces competition from Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is holding a grand reopening at 7:30 a.m. Friday for its remodeled store at 2600 Mcingvale Road. The Wal-Mart renovation includes what store manager Chris Gannon called "a new fresh produce experience and a new improved local grocery shopping experience."

Hernando officials laud the economic investments in the city. Mayor Chip Johnson said the city is excited to be the first for the new Kroger model.

"Kroger has been a good partner for years," Johnson said. "We are proud of our city, and we are so excited to have the first Kroger Marketplace store and the largest in the state of Mississippi and the Memphis metro market."
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"Buy Local" campaigns, usually associated with consumer shopping, have been gaining traction for the last decade, building relationships between consumers and people with something to sell.

Independent book stores, boutiques and restaurants, vegetable growers and other small businesses depend on the promotion of local purchasing and the allure it holds for consumers.

Some consider buying local a moral obligation, even when that pound of mushrooms at the farmers market would cost a little less online.

Local consumers can help support local businesses by buying from independent retailers and home-grown restaurants and getting services from locally based cleaning companies and the like.

Each time a consumer goes to a big-box retailer to buy an item in bulk that they could buy every other week from a local supplier, even at a marginally higher price, the consumer is missing a chance to support local businesses.

It's a dilemma for consumers because the urge to save money has been around since before national chains such as Wal-Mart opened. Yet for products like tires, bakery goods, bedding, wine and meats, consumers have local options, albeit occasionally at a higher price. And, they would be supporting a business that resides in their communities.

Of course, the idea deserves the support of the business community as well. In a worldwide digital economy, local businesses can't and shouldn't rely on local customers in order to grow. But many in the Memphis business world would surely agree that they should be making more than 48 percent of their purchases within the community.

That's the figure revealed in a survey by the Mid-South Minority Business Council Continuum, which wants to improve on it through its new Buy Local B2B (Business to Business) initiative.

There may be a limit to the amount of purchases that a business can make locally, but the MMBC's goals are modest: Get half of the estimated $35 billion that businesses spend outside the community redirected to Memphis suppliers and direct nearly 10 percent of the new spending to businesses headed by minorities.

These are important goals for any community, but especially for Memphis, with its history of disproportionate spending with white firms, its poverty rate approaching 30 percent, its widening gap between rich and poor and its African-American business community, which is receiving far less than its fair share of business activity.

And they can be achieved.

Buying locally obviously produces dollars that can be re-spent locally, creating new businesses and jobs, raising wages and increasing local tax revenues that can be spent on improving local infrastructure, maintaining public amenities such as parks and libraries.

Civic pride is enhanced, and the community's sense of place is enriched. New social relationships are created. Women get more opportunities to join what has historically been a male-dominated entrepreneurial class.

Corporate cultures improve. Spending more with minority firms "can't be just a program," said Gary Shorb, chief executive of Methodist Le Bonheur HealthCare, speaking last week an economic development forum.

"It's got to be part of the culture of an organization," Shorb said. "It's got to be an expectation of the leadership."

President and chief executive Luke Yancy III and other members of the MMBC have shown considerable energy and forward thinking with their creation of the Buy Local B2B strategy.

It is the perfect expression of the notion that "A rising tide lifts all boats."

And it deserves the enthusiastic support of the Greater Memphis business community and the public as an initiative that will pay dividends to us all.
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G.T. Aldridge

Bartlett

I was surprised and pleased to see the story about Gov. Bill Haslam packing the underground fuel storage board with trucking industry members (Aug. 21 article, Haslam alters board guiding oil spill fund).

That the governor did this is understandable in that he is a billionaire thanks to his company selling diesel fuel to the trucking industry. His family business, the Pilot Flying J Corp., also saved millions of dollars by not having to insure its underground fuel storage tanks. The governor and our two state senators must think it only fair that Tennessee taxpayers pay these costs.

I havent heard anything about Tennessee raising its diesel fuel tax even though it is four cents a gallon less than the gasoline tax. We are one of the few states in the nation with a lower diesel fuel tax than gasoline tax.

They advocate raising gasoline taxes while wanting the state to fund the Lamar Avenue project, which started out at an estimated cost of less than $200 million, and now the latest estimate is $300 million. This project is for about five miles of highway that is used overwhelmingly by trucks.

Much of our truck traffic is trucks passing through Tennessee on their way to the Northeast. Perhaps a tonnage-per-mile tax could be levied on these trucks to help pay for their air and noise pollution as well as their heavy loads pounding our road surfaces and bridges to pieces. Other states use this kind of tax.
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By Greg Sargent

Politico reported Monday that Democrats are beginning to take Donald Trump's efforts to delegitimize a Hillary Clinton victory in advance very seriously. They believe he's preparing to "poison" a Clinton presidency by pushing the notion that the "election was stolen," as part of a "Clinton delegitimization project."

This writer has made a similar case, as have many others: Trump's repeated suggestions that the election could be "rigged" suggest he may be hoping to leverage his following into a political force or monetized media audience after a loss, and the idea that Clinton is not a legitimate president might serve as a focal point for such an effort.

Democrats tell Politico that they are aware that this could hamper her ability to govern. As one puts it: "When you see Trump and his forces at best trying to delegitimize her, at worst trying to delegitimize the entire democratic process, we're heading down a very dangerous path."

Presidential historians I spoke to agree with this, and they also suggest that Trump's effort to sow doubts about the integrity of the election well in advance of its outcome may be without parallel in American history.

"The idea that he's now claiming that this might be a crooked election, I don't know if there's a historical precedent," Doris Kearns Goodwin, who has written numerous books about American presidents, told me.

Goodwin pointed out that Theodore Roosevelt did castigate the primary process as rigged by party leaders during the four-way 1912 election, enabling William Howard Taft to win the Republican nomination. (Roosevelt subsequently ran as a Progressive.) She also noted that Andrew Jackson's supporters railed against the outcome of the 1824 election as a "corrupt bargain" after he won a plurality of the electoral college vote, only to watch the House of Representatives deliver the presidency to John Quincy Adams. She also cited the disputed 1876 election.

But Goodwin noted that what Trump is doing may be unprecedented.

"It seems to me that this is different from what has happened before," Goodwin said. "What he's doing is something really serious, which is questioning ahead of time the legitimacy of our democracy."

Jon Meacham, who has also authored numerous books about American presidents, including one about Andrew Jackson, agreed that there may be something unique about what Trump is doing.

"Jackson referred to his losing after he won the popular vote as a 'corrupt bargain,' but even there, he was reacting to events that had already taken place," Meacham told me. "He was not undermining trust in institutions without evidence."

Goodwin and Meacham agreed that this could have untold consequences for a Clinton presidency  and, more broadly, the country's civic health.

"If he persuades a large group of his voters that somehow they weren't fairly represented in this election, that's a really troublesome thing for what has always been the touchstone of our democracy  that once the election happens, however difficult the transition is, we move on, and the people who lost mobilize themselves to try and win next time," Goodwin said.

"If you pre-delegitimize the results of a democratic election," Meacham added, "then you're laying the groundwork for four to eight years of constant hostility toward the winner of that election."

Both Goodwin and Meacham cited the 2000 election, noting that after the Supreme Court ruling that delivered the presidency to George W. Bush, Al Gore gave a speech in which he called on the public to accept the outcome as legitimate. Gore pledged to do all he could to help unify the country, to send a message to the world about the continued and undiluted "strength of American democracy."

Trump appears to be laying the groundwork to do precisely the opposite of that. It's yet another thing that raises questions about his fitness for the job.

"American presidents are the custodians of cultural and political order," Meacham said. "There have been political forces in American life that have been disrupted and reform minded. This is less about disruption and really close to destruction."

Greg Sargent writes the Plum Line blog for the Washington Post.
Adobe Systems released critical security patches for its ColdFusion application server, which has been a target for hackers in the past.

The updates are available for ColdFusion versions 10 and 11 and address a critical security vulnerability that could lead to sensitive information disclosure when parsing specially crafted XML entities.

Administrators are advised to upgrade their ColdFusion deployments to version 10 update 21 or version 11 update 10, depending on which branch they're using. The ColdFusion 2016 release is not affected, Adobe said in a security advisory.

The vulnerability was reportedly privately to Adobe by a security researcher named Dawid Golunski, and the company is not aware of any attacks in the wild that exploit the flaw.

ColdFusion is a platform for creating and serving interactive web applications using the CFML scripting language. It is popular in the enterprise space because it allows the rapid development of applications.

ColdFusion servers have been targeted by attackers in the past. In 2013, researchers reported an attack where hackers exploited a ColdFusion vulnerability to install malware on Microsoft IIS servers.

That same year, a server hosting firm called Linode was compromised through a ColdFusion flaw, and Adobe issued two advisories about vulnerabilities in the web application server that were being exploited by attackers.
It turns out that selling tablets for peanuts isnt such a great business plan after all, who knew?

Quit the biz

Thats got to be one way to see the recent Digitimes report, Weak tablet demand prompting vendors to leave segment, that tells us: the current number of players that is still releasing tablet products is only one-third of the industry's peak.

The report is dealing particularly with Chinese white box vendors, but it also reveals most tablet makers are reducing headcount or focusing on specific industry verticals.

The problem? No one was making any money. Apple [is] the only player that is still able to achieve strong profits from the tablet sector, says Digitimes.

Lets not act surprised

You cant stay in business if your business consists of attempting to undercut competitors. There is nothing to be gained from introducing iterations of the same thing when the only unique difference between the available devices is price.

Sure, some vendors may have hoped to create add-on services and peripherals income on the basis of the ecosystem their cheap products helped to create. In most cases theyve failed.

Apple has not failed. The company has also refused to compete on price points, its focus is on providing superior solutions that are easy to use. Thats why iPads and iPad Pros remain among the best performing tablets money can buy.

They will only get better. Next years iPads will deliver faster refresh rates, smoother animation, better zoom and software improvements.

Round the corner

Frost & Sullivan expect growth to return to the iPad range next year, which marries well with predictions from elsewhere. Their analysis is that the incredible reception iPads received skewed perception of the true strength of the market. Everyone bought one at once, and it is only once the replacement cycle begins that well see what the tablet industry is really made of.

At the same time, Apples focus on providing the best products is part of why it has ended up making billions of dollars selling its products across the planet. Its business is certainly more sustainable and ethical than its tax rate.

Thats not to say there isnt some space for cheap tablets. For some tasks a dirt-cheap second-rate system from a competitor makes sense. Its not hard to find one, given competitors are pretty much giving their tablets away at unsustainably low prices in order to create the impression that Apple tablet is yesterdays hero in terms of marketshare, I wrote elsewhere.

Errors of judgement

Competitor made some big mistakes. They invested deeply in an industry they didnt understand and must now exit it as IDC predicts the industry is about to see some recovery. Consumers will find themselves choosing between the best-in-class iPad Pro, Microsoft Surface devices, and tablets from Asus and Samsung.

A second Digitimes report also predicts improvement in the tablet market next year, warning that Android makers will be impacted by Chinese brands.

Jean Philippe Bouchard, research director at IDC, in a statement said. We see smaller slate tablets being offered at very aggressive price points, leaving little room for revenues outside of a pure volume or platform play like for Amazon for instance.

With a hugely lucrative services ecosystem to support it and a market identity as best-in-class, Apples iPad range stands in a great position to benefit from next years tablet explosion.

Meanwhile we can look forward to new Macs and the iPhone 7.

Apple sure seems to know how to keep things interesting.

Google+? If you use social media and happen to be a Google+ user, why not join AppleHolic's Kool Aid Corner community and join the conversation as we pursue the spirit of the New Model Apple?

Want Apple TV tips? If you want to learn how to get the very best out of your Apple TV, please visit my Apple TV website.

Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I'd like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when fresh items are published here first on Computerworld.
Bad news for banks with lax security that also use SWIFT, the global financial transaction messaging network, as hackers are still pulling off high-tech heists.

On Tuesday, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, more commonly called SWIFT, notified customers of ongoing attacks.

Hackers have again stolen money from banks, yet SWIFT did not say how many attacks were successful, did not identify specific banks and did not say how much was stolen. The banks, which varied in size and geography and used different methods for accessing SWIFT, shared one common denominator; each had weak local security.

The SWIFT notice, according to Reuters, read:

Customers environments have been compromised, and subsequent attempts (were) made to send fraudulent payment instructions. The threat is persistent, adaptive and sophisticated  and it is here to stay.

Banks were urged to stop dragging their feet, get serious about security, and get the latest version of SWIFT software installed pronto. Or else

Although SWIFT claimed it doesnt disclose affairs of specific customers, that confidentiality arrangement might change. If banks miss the November 19 deadline for installing the latest and more secure version of SWIFT software, then SWIFT threatened it might report the banks to regulators and banking partners. No bank wants its private dirty laundry to be aired in public.

The newest SWIFT software reportedly includes security features which could have stopped the latest hack attacks. The features were rolled out after Bangladesh Bank was breached and almost lost $1 billion  saved only by a New York Federal Reserve Bank employee noticing a typo which raised suspicions about the payment request. Bangladesh Bank had used $10 second-hand networking gear and had no firewall.

Researchers at BAE analyzed the malware which is believed to have been designed specifically so attackers can abuse SWIFT. After other banks were targeted, SWIFT issued a warning. Hackers managed to steal $12 million from Ecuador's Banco del Austro and attempted to steal $1.36 million from Vietnam's Tien Phong Bank. Attacks abusing weak security measures to target SWIFT were also aimed at banks in the Philippines and New Zealand. The security firm FireEye was sent in to investigate attacks on up to another dozen banks.

Symantec researchers suspected that a hacking group known as Lazarus was responsible for the attacks; in fact, the wiping code used to hide the bank hacks was also used in the Sony Pictures attack. The FBI decided the North Korean government was behind the attack on Sony.

Near the end of June, hackers stole $10 million from an unnamed Ukrainian bank after taking advantage of shoddy security and then transferring money out via SWIFT. The Information Systems Audit and Control Association reported, Dozens of banks (mostly in Ukraine and Russia) have been compromised, from which has been stolen hundreds of millions of dollars.

SWIFT believes better security could put an end to these high-tech heists. In its letter to customers, SWIFT said the affected banks shared one thing in common; they have all had particular weaknesses in their local security. These weaknesses have been identified and exploited by the attackers, enabling them to compromise the customers local environments and input the fraudulent messages.

SWIFT has tried repeatedly to get banks to step up security, adding that there is no indication that the SWIFT network or core messaging services have been compromised.
Here is the latest jail booking report from Hamilton County:

ARNOLD, CRYSTAL LYNN

5191 CENTRAL AVE. CHATTANOOGA, 37410

Age at Arrest: 47 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER $500

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BASHAW, MICHAEL KEITH

12312 MIDWAY CHURCH ROAD SODDY DAISY, 37379

Age at Arrest: 58 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

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BLACKWELL, JAMES ROBERT

1801 HIDDEN ROAD HIXSON, 37343

Age at Arrest: 30 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

FAILURE TO APPEAR

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BLANKENBECKLEY, KRISTA JOY

2004 IVORY STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37404

Age at Arrest: 32 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION (FAILURE TO APPEAR)

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA (FAIURE TO APPEAR

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BOGGS, JARRED EVAN

40 KRISTA CIRCLE RINGGOLD, 30736

Age at Arrest: 30 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

HARASSMENT

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BONDS, DONTADIUS LENARD

801 NORTH PARKDALE AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 26 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

CONTEMPT OF COURT (NON SUPPORT)

CONTEMPT OF COURT (NON SUPPORT)

CONTEMPT OF COURT (NON SUPPORT)

---

CALE, JAYLENE BOSEMAN

3927 BOWMAN LANE CHATTANOOGA, 37416

Age at Arrest: 52 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

---

CARPENTER, ANGELA CHRISTINA

4795 FRED JENNINGS RD WALLAND, 37886

Age at Arrest: 31 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA

---

CLARK, NEESHA CARI

800 MCCALLIE AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37402

Age at Arrest: 37 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE MARIJUANA

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CLAYTON, KELLY DENEICE

1205 SHALLOWFORD RD CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 36 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

VIOLATION OF PROBATION(DRIVING ON REVOKED LICENSE)

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DICKERSON, FOSTER LEE

3838 S QUAIL LANE CHATTANOOGA, 37415

Age at Arrest: 19 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

---

FOLEY, CARSON

936 MTN CREEK ROAD APT G 69 CHATTANOOGA, 37405

Age at Arrest: 25 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

THEFT UNDER $500

---

FOSTER, RAYMOND AUSTIN

4722 MINK PLACE DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37416

Age at Arrest: 43 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

PASSING OR OVERTAKING ON THE RIGHT

RECKLESS DRIVING

VIOLATION OF PROBATION(POSS OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANC

---

FRANCIS, NICHOLAS DEWAYNE

515 LULLWATER RD RED BANK, 37405

Age at Arrest: 32 years old

Arresting Agency: Soddy Daisy

DRIVING ON REVOKED LICENSE

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GARNER, JEFFERY SCOTT

1003 EAST 30TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37407

Age at Arrest: 46 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

REGISTRATION, DRIVING UNREGISTERED VEHICLE

---

GARRETT, SAMMY JAMES

1208 POPLAR STREET APT H CHATTANOOGA, 37402

Age at Arrest: 26 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

---

GRAVES, ANDREW HARRISON

1261 POPLAR ST.

CT. CHATTANOOGA, 37402Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---GRIFFIN, ALVIN612 BELLE VISTA AVENUE CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYREGISTRATION, IMPROPER DISPLAY OF PLATES---GRIFFIN, LAWRENCE RICHARD5012 RENEZET DR CHATTANOOGA, 37416Age at Arrest: 35 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEREGISTRATION, EXPIREDREGISTRATION, UNLAWFUL REMOVAL OF DECAL OR PLATEFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYPOSS. MOTOR VEHICLE WITH NO VIN---HEATER, JACOB ALLEN1315 LEE PIKE SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIADRINKING UNDER AGE/SELL ALCOHOL TO MINOR---HOWARD, TROY D2300 MILNE STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALEPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---INGRAM, GEORGE WILLARD2 E WATERING ST. ROSSVILLE, 30741Age at Arrest: 39 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION(THEFT OF PROPERTY INVOLVINGVIOLATION OF PROBATION(CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION)---JARRETT, DOMINIQUE MARQUELLE3717 MARK TWAIN CIRCLE CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 22 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyCONTEMPT OF COURT---JONES, FREDERICK ANDERSON2425 MEADE CIRCLE CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyFAILURE TO APPEAR---KEYS, LESLIE KATHERINE158 LYNDA CIRCLE CHATTANOOGA, 37405Age at Arrest: 59 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDISORDERLY CONDUCTPUBLIC INTOXICATION---LACY, DERRICK ANDREW1703 EAST 12TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaAGGRAVATED CRIMINAL TRESSPASS---LIVELY, BRITTANY RENAE182 BLEDSOE TERRACE CHATTANOOGA, 37405Age at Arrest: 30 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION(THEFT UNDER $500)---MADDOX, BARRY1664 GREENDALE WAY HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 21 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDOMESTIC ASSAULT---MAHAFFEY, BOBBY EUGENE124 DENTON LANE DAYTON, 37321Age at Arrest: 60 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---MEREDITH, BLAKE ANTHONY1570 CHACE WAY HOOVER, 28533Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE MARIJUANAPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE METHLIGHT LAW VIOLATION (FAILURE TO DIM LIGHTS)DRIVING WITHOUT DRIVERS LICENSE / EXPIRED LICENSE---MOORE, EDWARD LASTER1408 FREDWILL CIRCLE CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (VIO. MOTOR VEHICLES OFFENDVIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGG. ASSAULT)---OLIVER, DAVID BRANDON124 BROWNTOWN ROAD RED BANK, 37415Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE MARIJUANAPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIATHEFT OF PROPERTYALTERATION OF ITEM'S PERMANENT NUMBERTHEFT OVER 1000THEFT OVER 1000DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE MARIJUANAPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA---PATTERSON, ELIZABETH JEAN1139 S. MAIN ST. APT. 3 ROCKY TOP, 37769Age at Arrest: 21 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSS. OF CONTROLLED SUBSTAFAILURE TO APPEAR---RICHARDSON, JONAS CHARLES749 WEST MAIN STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37405Age at Arrest: 49 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyTHEFT OF PROPERTY (UNDER $500)POSSESSION OF BURGLARY TOOLS---ROEBER-LESLEY, TYMERA LYNNHOMELESS ,Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgeBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---SAUNDERS, LEE DAVENPORT727 E 11TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37402Age at Arrest: 28 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDISORDERLY CONDUCTCRIMINAL TRESPASSING---SCRUGGS, RAY ALLEN69 M. E. ARNOLD DRIVE RINGGOLD, 30736Age at Arrest: 55 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaCRIMINAL TRESPASSINGCONTRABAND IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS---SLAYTON, TIMOTHY PAUL1815 CLEARVIEW DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---SMITH, MARK ANTHONY124 REBEL DRIVE OLD FORT, 37362Age at Arrest: 45 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyTHEFT OF PROPERTY (OVER $500)---STOKER, CHRISTOPHER SHAWN3174 ELDER MTN ROAD TIFTONIA, 37419Age at Arrest: 42 years oldArresting Agency: Soddy DaisyPOSSESSION OF SCHEDULE II METHAMPHETAMINE---STRANG, CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY686 JOYCE RD FREEPORT, 32439Age at Arrest: 41 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDISORDERLY CONDUCTPUBLIC INTOXICATION---TRAFFANSTEDT, CARMEN MARGUERITE5804 DAGNEY LANE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPUBLIC INTOXICATIONFELONY POSS OF METH---WADE, TANNER MICHAEL7503 ROYAL HARBOR CIRCLE OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: CollegedaleBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---WILLIAMS, OMEGA SHAIRE1902 SHARP STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 22 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT UNDER $500)---WOMACK, WILLIAM J1107 ANITA DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 22 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaSTOP SIGN VIOLATIONDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

Here are the mug shots:

ARNOLD, CRYSTAL LYNN

Age at Arrest: 47

Date of Birth: 07/29/1969

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER $500 BASHAW, MICHAEL KEITH

Age at Arrest: 58

Date of Birth: 04/26/1958

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT BLACKWELL, JAMES ROBERT

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 03/16/1986

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR BOGGS, JARRED EVAN

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 12/05/1985

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

HARASSMENT BONDS, DONTADIUS LENARD

Age at Arrest: 26

Date of Birth: 11/22/1989

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

CONTEMPT OF COURT (NON SUPPORT)

CONTEMPT OF COURT (NON SUPPORT)

CONTEMPT OF COURT (NON SUPPORT) CALE, JAYLENE BOSEMAN

Age at Arrest: 52

Date of Birth: 02/11/1964

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

CARPENTER, ANGELA CHRISTINA

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 10/20/1984

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA CLARK, NEESHA CARI

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 10/04/1978

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR DICKERSON, FOSTER LEE

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 01/19/1997

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA FOLEY, CARSON

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 03/31/1991

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT UNDER $500





FRANCIS, NICHOLAS DEWAYNE

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 12/15/1983

Arresting Agency: Soddy Daisy



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED LICENSE GARRETT, SAMMY JAMES

Age at Arrest: 26

Date of Birth: 03/09/1990

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY GRAVES, ANDREW HARRISON

Age at Arrest: 29

Date of Birth: 09/10/1986

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE GRIFFIN, ALVIN

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 05/13/1985

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

REGISTRATION, IMPROPER DISPLAY OF PLATES GRIFFIN, LAWRENCE RICHARD

Age at Arrest: 35

Date of Birth: 02/06/1981

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

REGISTRATION, EXPIRED

REGISTRATION, UNLAWFUL REMOVAL OF DECAL OR PLATE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

POSS. MOTOR VEHICLE WITH NO VIN HEATER, JACOB ALLEN

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 03/26/1997

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

DRINKING UNDER AGE/SELL ALCOHOL TO MINOR JARRETT, DOMINIQUE MARQUELLE

Age at Arrest: 22

Date of Birth: 08/20/1994

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

CONTEMPT OF COURT JONES, FREDERICK ANDERSON

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 02/17/1993

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR KEYS, LESLIE KATHERINE

Age at Arrest: 59

Date of Birth: 12/16/1956

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

DISORDERLY CONDUCT

PUBLIC INTOXICATION LACY, DERRICK ANDREW

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 05/17/1983

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED CRIMINAL TRESSPASS

MAHAFFEY, BOBBY EUGENE

Age at Arrest: 60

Date of Birth: 02/02/1956

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

MOORE, EDWARD LASTER

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 11/03/1978

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (VIO. MOTOR VEHICLES OFFEND

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGG. ASSAULT) OLIVER, DAVID BRANDON

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 03/07/1984

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE MARIJUANA

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

THEFT OF PROPERTY

ALTERATION OF ITEM'S PERMANENT NUMBER

THEFT OVER 1000

THEFT OVER 1000

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE MARIJUANA

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA PATTERSON, ELIZABETH JEAN

Age at Arrest: 21

Date of Birth: 05/15/1995

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSS. OF CONTROLLED SUBSTA

FAILURE TO APPEAR RICHARDSON, JONAS CHARLES

Age at Arrest: 49

Date of Birth: 10/15/1966

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY (UNDER $500)

POSSESSION OF BURGLARY TOOLS ROEBER-LESLEY, TYMERA LYNN

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 10/25/1982

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

SAUNDERS, LEE DAVENPORT

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 01/12/1988

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

DISORDERLY CONDUCT

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING SCRUGGS, RAY ALLEN

Age at Arrest: 55

Date of Birth: 10/30/1960

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING

CONTRABAND IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS SLAYTON, TIMOTHY PAUL

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 05/29/1985

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

SMITH, MARK ANTHONY

Age at Arrest: 45

Date of Birth: 08/06/1971

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 08/30/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY (OVER $500)
Dropboxs move last week to ask users who had signed up before mid-2012 to change their account passwords followed the discovery of a large dump of email addresses and passwords related to these accounts.

The online storage company confirmed late Tuesday reports that 68 million user email addresses and hashed and salted passwords from an incident in 2012 had been compromised.

Dropbox said that the password reset the company completed last week covered all of the affected users so that the Dropbox accounts are protected.

Last week, the company asked users who signed up before mid-2012 to change their passwords if they havent done so since then, describing it as a preventive measure and not because there was any indication that their accounts were improperly accessed.

Hackers stole more than 60 million account details from the online storage platform in the previously disclosed breach, Motherboard reported earlier on Tuesday. Not just a little bit hackedbut proper hacked to the tune of 68 million records, wrote Troy Hunt, creator of the Have I been pwned? (HIBP) website set up for users to check if they have been hit by known data breaches.

The company did not comment on how the account information had been breached.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the data breach contains legitimate Dropbox passwords, you simply can't fabricate this sort of thing, Hunt said. He added that there were now over 68.6 million Dropbox accounts that could be searched on the HIPB website, with some 144,136 email alerts sent to subscribers of its free notification service.

In July 2012, Dropbox said its investigation found that usernames and passwords recently stolen from other websites were used to sign in to a small number of Dropbox accounts. It said it had contacted the users affected to help them protect their accounts. A stolen password was also used to access an employee Dropbox account containing a project document with user email addresses, leading to spam attacks, the company said at the time.

We've confirmed that the proactive password reset we completed last week covered all potentially impacted users," said Patrick Heim, Dropbox's head of trust and security, in an emailed statement on Tuesday. "We initiated this reset as a precautionary measure, so that the old passwords from prior to mid-2012 cant be used to improperly access Dropbox accounts."

Heim encouraged users to reset passwords on other services if they suspect they may have reused their Dropbox password.
Microsoft today updated the Windows 10 beta, switching on a controversial technology that commandeers users' upload bandwidth to shift some responsibility for updating from the company's own servers.

Build 14915 was released earlier Wednesday to participants in the Windows Insider "Fast" track.

The notable change highlighted by Dona Sarkar, the software engineer who acts as the public face of Insider, was the enabling of Windows 10's "Delivery Optimization" technology.

Delivery Optimization, formally dubbed "Windows Update Delivery Optimization" (WUDO) by Microsoft, was part of Windows 10 from the get-go. But it was only switched on as of the November 2015 upgrade, which was pegged as 1511. Insider builds of Windows 10, however, were exempt until now.

"Starting today, Windows Insiders that have Delivery Optimization enabled will be able to download new Insider Preview builds, OS updates, and app updates from other PCs on their local network as well as from other PCs on the Internet," wrote Sarkar in a post to a company blog.

WUDO resembles BitTorrent in its basics, and like that file-sharing technology, uses a peer-to-peer delivery system to spread the load to PCs worldwide rather than relying on a centralized-servers model. WUDO is not a substitute for Microsoft's standard delivery service, Windows Update, but is in addition to it.

If WUDO is enabled, Microsoft can point others to locally-cached copies of updates and apps on users' Windows 10 devices that are connected to the Internet. When that happens, a user's Windows 10 PC acts as a substitute server for others, and any customer whose device is tapped for WUDO delivery has given Microsoft access to their upload bandwidth.

That appropriation of bandwidth has led to criticism, most of it focused on the fact that WUDO was enabled by default. To opt out, users must modify Windows 10's preferences.

From "Settings," users can click the "Update & security" icon, then the "Advanced options" link under "Windows Update." In the ensuing window, click on "Choose how updates are delivered," then in the next panel, turn off WUDO by moving the slider to Off. To leave WUDO on, but restrict sending locally cached updates and apps only to devices on the same local network, select "PCs on my local network."

Not surprisingly, Sarkar touted WUDO's benefits instead of dwelling on the bandwidth conscription. "We have seen a 30% [to] 50% reduction in Internet bandwidth usage required to keep multiple PCs on the same local network up-to-date," she said. Nor did she highlight the fact that, while Windows 10 Insider builds have had the switch-off options since before Windows 10 July 2015 introduction, those settings were Potemkin village-esque.

Microsoft also posted a short FAQ on WUDO on its website.
What lessons should we draw from the EUs attempt to over-rule the Irish Government on its own tax laws, specifically with regard to alleged state aid in the case of Apple?

First, this is a reminder of how fortunate we are to have voted Leave. During the referendum campaign, Leavers repeatedly warned that a vote to stay in the EU was a vote for continued membership of an organisation which intended to continue to accrue more and more power to itself, including over taxation, at the expense of member states. The response from Remainers (seen here, here and here on the pro-EU InFacts website, for example) was to pooh-pooh the idea, saying that the UK had a complete veto over any expansion of Brussels powers over our tax policies. In reply, Leavers argued that the Commission has a long track record of leveraging agreed powers to extend its remit in a way that gets round the vetoes. In the case of Ireland, where the Commission is using state aid powers  intended to prevent subsidies  to dictate tax policy, that argument is vividly demonstrated.

Second, this is a serious test of Irelands commitment to the Laffer approach to corporate taxation. Dublin believes (rightly) that the benefits to its Exchequer and wider economy of creating an attractive environment for multinational businesses outweigh the losses incurred in terms of any direct revenue which they pass up to create such an environment. This is why we now have the extraordinary sight of the Irish Government going to court to argue against taking 11 billion from Apple  they believe that to implement the EUs instruction would cost them even more in lost income by driving Apple and others out of the country.

Third, this is a step towards the tax harmonisation that Brussels has long desired. The EU loathes the idea of tax competition between its member states  preferring, unsurprisingly, to dream of a system in which it both sets tax rates and collects the revenue directly, freeing it from the irritation of relying on its members for its budget. Ordering Ireland to stop attracting businesses by offering them bargain basement tax rates is an obvious infringement of national sovereignty  applying this principle more widely could lead to the end of national governments being free to offer tax incentives entirely. These are the powers that allowed Thatcher to bring Nissan to Sunderland, and aided in the development of Canary Wharf. Brussels is starting its campaign cleverly, in targeting a wealthy multinational which evidently pays an extremely low tax rate, but the end objective is to raise taxes on everybody else, too. What claims to be a campaign for fair share taxation is in fact a campaign against tax rates being decided by democratically elected national governments.

Fourth, this is a dual opportunity for the UK. Most obviously, as we are leaving the EU we could surely coax such businesses to relocate here if Brussels forbids Ireland and others from wooing them. Indeed, Downing Street hinted at exactly that in its warm statement in response to the ruling. More subtly, this could be yet another bargaining chip in the negotiation to come. For obvious reasons, an EU which is already relatively high-taxing, and which is keen on further harmonisation, is far from keen on the idea of Britain establishing itself as an attractive low-tax competitor in the same neighbourhood. The threat of doing exactly that  and the promise of not doing so, if well-treated  could come in quite handy during Brexit talks.
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Walker and Catoosa counties guaranteed that they would pay money to support Hutcheson Hospital.

They should pay up. If they had paid all along, then Erlanger would not have had to file suit against them for the money.

Erlanger is free to use which lawyers they want to. The issue is a debt owed by Walker and Catoosa counties and not legal fees.





Martha Jean Rice



Chattanooga
A conservative member of Chattanooga City Council is running for mayor in a field whose contestants are not yet known.

Larry Grohn is an evangelical Christian and has been active in local Tea Party events and presentations. He opposed live-in partner benefits pushed by the gay supporters on the council and was active among activists who voted to overturn the ordinance.

At a press conference Tuesday on the steps of City Hall, Mr. Grohn stands amid a lake of signs held by 17 supporters on the rising steps behind him.

The rule of Mayor Andy Berke, a well connected liberal Democratic, has lacked accountability to the city corporations residents and taxpayers, he says.

 Aloofness at City Hall. Its very difficult for anyone to have a meeting with the administration, he says, promising to be more accessible.

 The violence reduction initiative, or VRI, is considered by most citizens *** as a failure, he says. It promised to make the city safer, but bullets are still flying, people are still dying in many sections of our sections people are living in fear. We need to change this. Can we change it? Absolutely! *** We believe in better for our city.

In an interview he says he would like the city to have a better relationship with the district attorney and that law enforcement agencies would do better to have more trust among themselves.

A VRI program in Commerce City, Colo, where he taught for 10 years, succeeded by putting 40 gang members in prison using RICO, the federal racketeering and corrupt organizations act, Mr. Grohn says.

 Free market stagnation at city core. Mr. Grohn attacks the lack of affordable housing and limited opportunity. He sees no sustainable effort over several administrations that address this problem. *** We must address the decline of the urban core around the downtown area of Chattanooga. If all of our citizens are not able to enjoy the prosperity that is currently available in this city, we are not doing our job as citizens. This issue can and will be addressed  and why? Because I believe  and you believe  in better.

Implied in his comments are positive city government action rather than a retreat from existing forms of state and city intervention in the free market.

 Potholes. Mayor Berke and the council have done much for roads, but not enough, Mr. Grohn says. His first budget would have $5 million to at least maintain our street infrastructure, that being a level of spending he says had been recommended years ago by city engineers as a minimal level.

Question on surplus oppression? We were wrong

David Tulis: The police department is an executive agency that responds to and serves the mayor. If it werent for the mayor, the executive branch, it wouldnt necessarily exist. You could say, we are abolishing the police department. That would be in you authority as the chief executive of the city. In light of the Hanson Melvin case last week where there was an accusation made under false statement by an officer, no probable cause in the arrest; the case was dismissed with prejudice Friday [by Judge Don Poole]  that suggests a kind of surplus oppression by that organization. Do you view it that way, or are police good people trying to make it safer  or is something oppressive about things such as that against that black man, Hanson Melvin?

Larry Grohn: I am tremendously supportive of our firefighters and our police department. I think theyre out there doing the best job they are able to right now under this administration. Do we have outliers that take place? Absolutely. Does our police department need to be held accountable for all situations like this? Absolutely.

But we need to have all the facts before us, also. In this particular case, we were wrong. And corrective actions have and will continue to be made when we have officers that step out of line.

$1 billion in debt okay?

I ask about the debt level of the city corporation, approaching $1 billion while the net worth of the city is $3 billion.

That level is not out of kilter. We are limited by law on how much we can borrow. Of course, as we continue to have development and build up our economic base within the city limits, that limit can rise. But it is an issue we need to address. We retire about $15 [million] to $16 million of debt a year.

Is the (sewer) consent decree and the $250 million were having to pay for that an issue? Mr. Grohn says. Yes. But we have a AAA bond rating that lowered our service of that debt to $160 million. So were in much better shape than a whole bunch of municipalities in the South.

 David Tulis says he is the blogger with the citys biggest pen  writing at Nooganomics.com and hosting a morning talk show on AM 1240 Hot News Talk Radio covering local economy and free markets in Chattanooga and beyond.






I was recently drawn to a piece by Samantha Lynn urging Congress to protect the Cherokee National Forest as wilderness. I wanted to echo Samanthas sentiments in regards to the Tennessee Wilderness Act.

I grew up in upstate New York backpacking the Adirondacks. Like many others, I was attracted to Chattanooga by its incredible outdoor opportunities including the Cherokee National Forest. And, that is what drove me to move to Chattanooga in the 1970s and make the area my home.

I recognize our good fortune to have mountains, streams and wild spaces right in our own back yard. The Cherokee National Forest offers numerous recreational opportunities, from hiking and fishing to rafting and kayaking. The forest is a major draw for our region and an economic boon the community.

With September being National Wilderness Month, there is no better time for our members of Congress to act and pass the Tennessee Wilderness Act. Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and Congressman Phil Roe should be commended for their leadership in introducing this important legislation in Congress.

Still, roughly 20,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest are at risk to development without additional support in the House. And, with less than 40 days left in the congressional session, time is running out in 2016. Therefore, I would like to join Samantha and urge Congress to join Senators Alexander and Corker and Congressman Roe, and pass the Tennessee Wilderness Act.

Barbara Kelly
Chicago Police Move To Fire 5 Cops In Laquan McDonald Shooting

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Aug 30, 2016 7:36PM



Jason Van Dyke / Photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images

The Chicago Police Department is seeking to fire five police officers who were involved in the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, including Jason Van Dyke, the officer who shot him 16 times and is now facing first degree murder charges.

Police Chief Eddie Johnson filed administrative charges with the Chicago Police Board Tuesday afternoon, according to the Tribune. Van Dyke is pleading not guilty to murder charges. The other officers the city wants to fire are Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian, Ricardo Viramontes and Stephen Franko.

McDonald was fatally shot in 2014, but his shooting did not become national news until November 2015 when a harrowing video of Van Dyke shooting the black teenager 16 times as he walked away from the officer and then fell to the ground, fatally wounded, was released to the public. The shooting has served as a disturbing symbol of police misconduct and a rallying point for the Black Lives Matter movement; the video's release also raised many questions about how seriously the city had taken McDonald's shooting death. Many have questioned why it took the city so long to release the video, and some have suggested that the police officers who witnessed the shooting at the police union were trying to cover up what really happened because their accounts of that night were so different than what the video showed.

At the time of McDonald's fatal shooting in October 2014, Sebastian and Mondragon reported that McDonald was repeatedly ordered to drop the knife he was carrying, and that he waved the knife blade while walking towards Van Dyke and his partner, Officer Joseph Walsh.

Viramontes said in police records that McDonald had turned toward the officers after he was ordered to drop the knife, according to the Tribune. Viramontes also said that Van Dyke shot McDonald multiple times after he fell to the ground because he appeared to be trying to get back up while still holding the knife.

McNaughton wrote in his police report on the incident that Van Dyke complied with Department policy when he fired his weapon because McDonald "while armed with a knife continued to approach and refused all verbal direction."

A report from the city's Inspector General earlier this summer recommended that the city fire 10 officers in total, two of whom have since resigned and one of whom has retired. Earlier this month Johnson suggested he would be moving to fire seven officers.
Rauner Is Still Pushing His Agenda, Even With The Stopgap Budget Expiring

By aaroncynic in News on Aug 30, 2016 7:28PM



Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner at the Illinois State Fair. Photo by Aaron Cynic.

Shortly after Illinois legislators return to Springfield after the November election, the stopgap budget will expire and Illinois will be right back in the same jam it experienced a few short months ago.

But rather than a permanent budget solution, it appears that Gov. Bruce Rauner's top priority is the same package of reforms he demanded lawmakers pass prior to a fully funded budgeta move which resulted in stalemate for a full fiscal year.

The first thing we need to do is change our political system, Rauner told Fox 55 Springfields Jordan Abudayyeh, in an interview on Monday. Abudayyeh asked him whether redistricting reform, which took a blow last week when a ballot initiative was shot down by the State Supreme Court, was back at the top of his priorities list again. The answer is yes, said the Governor. We have a broken system in many ways. Our economy is broken, were not competitive, were losing our jobs. Our families have lower incomes as a result. The property tax system is broken. We have the highest in America, we need to reform that. Our pension system is unaffordable and going to be crushing our budget and taking money from our schools and social services.

Were not holding our politicians accountable. Our people in Illinois really dont have a voice, Rauner added.

The proposed referendum, dubbed the fair maps amendment, wouldve changed the way legislative districts are drawn. If passed, an 11-person board of commissioners wouldve drawn the boundaries, rather than the General Assembly. On Friday, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled against it in a 4-3 decision.

Former Gov. Pat Quinn proposed his own version of a redistricting effort on Tuesday, saying in a press release that the language in the proposal was fatally flawed. Quinns proposal, which he called simpler, cleaner and pristine in a press conference at the Thompson Center Tuesday afternoon, also creates an 11-member commission, but one appointed by the Supreme Court. The other proposal wouldve had an auditor general select a three-member panel, which wouldve selected seven individuals from a pool, with the other members selected by the Speaker, Senate President and legislative minority leaders.

But while redistricting legislative districts so gerrymandered that President Barack Obama once said they look like earmuffs or spaghetti is something the state sorely needs, it also needs a fully funded budget that doesnt leave thousands of Illinoisans without some basic services. The summer stopgap agreement was merely a band-aid on a major wound, activists argued at the time.

In his rounds with the press Tuesday morning, however, Rauner seemed less than interested in keeping those services on anything more than the most basic of life support. In an interview with ABC7, Judy Hsu presented the governor with a heat map created by Illinois Partners for Human Service, which shows how much money providers have lost due to the budget impasse. When asked if he had a real grasp of what poor and underserved families face, Rauner responded:

We always try to spend much more than we really bring in. That makes us the state that people leave the most from...Weve got to have financial discipline, and we need reforms to grow our economy. Thats the number one priority.

However, for a full year Rauner said he wouldnt consider an attempt at raising revenue for the state unless lawmakers passed varying parts of his reform packages, a move that further sank the state into an already too-deep fiscal chasm. NBC5's Zoraida Sambolin asked him how he sleeps at night, to which Rauner replied with familiar rhetoric.

After election day, the Illinois budget impasse could be right back where it started.
A Woman Lit Herself On Fire Inside A Chicago Congressman's Office Tuesday

By Gwendolyn Purdom in News on Aug 31, 2016 2:07PM



Image via Congressman Danny Davis' Facebook page

Staffers at U.S. Rep. Danny Davis West Side office had a frightening encounter Tuesday afternoon when a 43-year-old woman walked in and set herself on fire. The woman, according to a news release from the congressmans office, apparently entered the office at 2746 W. Madison just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, drank from a bottle of hand sanitizer, then doused herself with it and used a lighter to ignite herself. Witnesses tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher, but the woman ran out the doorway with the fire still burning.

Davis was away from the office when the incident began, he told Chicagoist Wednesday, but had returned before the woman was taken to Stroger Hospital in an ambulance. He was unable to speak with her, he said, because she was incoherent. Her condition is serious but stable.

The medical prognosis is that she will regain her health but it might take a long time. She should ultimately be okay, Davis said. And as soon as shes able there will be some psychological evaluation.

While Davis said he and his staff have never experienced an event of this magnitude in their office, people struggling with mental illness or other issues are frequent visitors.

Lots of people come to our office who have mental health issues, who have severe personal need, who are homeless or drug-addicted or seeking social service help, and they know that our office exists and I guess they pick up somewhere that theres a reputation that they might get some help, Davis said, so its not unusual at all.

The congressman expressed his well wishes for the woman and his prayers for her speedy recovery in the release and told us that the events that unfolded are yet another example of the shortcomings of Chicagos mental healthcare resources.

Every day people like her come to our office, Davis said, which points out the need for mental health services that are not available and that our human service systems are not working as effectively as they need to be.


Don't Miss These September Wine Events

By John Lenart in Food on Aug 31, 2016 4:00PM



Photo Courtesy of Chicago Gourmet

As the weather cools down, the wine events heat up. Here are our favorites for September.

Sept. 1

Rhone Terroirs of the Perrin Family

Plum Market

1233 N. Wells St.

6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Cost: $20

The Perrin family is one of the Rhones classic producers. At this tasting guests will sample the 2013 wines from Chateau de Beaucastel, Les Sinards Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc and Rouge, Coudoulet de Beaucastel, Miravals Cotes de Provence Rose and Crozes-Hermitage, as well as others from this amazing growing area.

For tickets click here.

Sept. 7

Sommelier For a Day

III Forks

180 N. Field Blvd.

5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Cost $20

This month III Forks' wine specialist, Jessica Marshall-Bruckner, explores Spain.

Wines to be tasted include:





Poema Cava Brut NV, Cava Spain Torres Verdeo 2013, Rueda Spain Faustino VII Blanco 2012, Rioja Spain La Atalya Garnacha 2011, Almansa Spain Conde Valdemar Crianza 2011, Rioja Spain Montecillo Reserva 2011, Rioja Spain

Guests vote on their favorite wine, which will be featured for the rest of the month.

Sept. 9 and 10

Windy City Wine Festival

Buckingham Fountain

Sept. 9 4:30 to 10:00 p.m.

Sept. 10 2:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Tickets: $35 to $50

Our favorite time of year to be outside in Chicago is September. Why not spend an evening around Buckingham Fountain sipping your favorite wines? Each guest receives a souvenir wine glass and 12 tasting tickets. Sip while you sample bites from local restaurants and enjoy live music.

For tickets, click here.

Sept. 12

Col d'Orcia Brunello Wine Dinner

RPM Italian

52 W. Illinois St.

6:30 p.m.

Cost: $165 plus tax and gratuity

As summer turns to fall, it's time to start drinking big red wines again. RPM Italian welcomes Count Marone Cinzano of Col d'Orcia, for a Brunello di Montalcino wine dinner. Take this rare opportunity to talk with the Count about these iconic wines and share in some great past vintages, dating back to 1978. Dinner will include dishes like Braised Oxtail Cannoli and Whole Roasted Rack of Boar.

To Reserve call: 312-955-1413 or email rpmitalianparties@leye.com.

Sept. 16

Meet the Winemaker

Appellation Wine Bar and Restaurant

5212 N. Clark St.

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Andrew Jones, wine maker of Field Recordings, Alloy Wine Works and Neverland, will be at Appellation to pour his wines and discuss them with you. Jones is known as a master of finding up and coming growing sites in California's central coast. Not only are his wines delicious, they also represent a great value.



Fall Rose Tasting Party

City Winery

1200 W. Randolph St.

7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Cost $45

Rose, it's not just for summer anymore. Come to City Winery and sample some delicious pink wines perfect for fall.

For tickets, click here.

Sept. 19

Friulian Wine Dinner

il Porcellino

59 W. Hubbard St.

6:00 p.m.

Cost: $55 per person plus tax and gratuity

High in northwestern Italy along the border of Austria and Croatia sits Friuli. This growing region is known for wines of high quality that express a unique terroir. Join il Porcellino as it welcomes Massimo Furlan of Cantina Le Monde in Friuli to taste his wines paired with dinner from Chef Craig Degel.

For reservations call: 312-595-0800 or email ilporcellinoparties@leye.com.

Sept. 24 and 25

Chicago Gourmet

Millennium Park

12:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Prices Vary

Yes, we know this is billed as a food and wine festival, but food lines can be long and bites small. If you look carefully, what you'll find is perhaps Chicago's biggest wine tasting. Don't miss the chance to attend the Grand Cru tasting (extra fee) to sample some rare and expensive wines and be sure to check out one of the seminars led by legendary Master Sommeliers like Fred Dame, Alpana Singh and Larry Stone.

For tickets click here.

Sept. 26

Owen Roe Wine Dinner

Summer House Santa Monica

1954 N. Halsted St.

6:00 p.m.

Tickets: $85 plus tax and gratuity

Join one of the Pacific northwest's most interesting winemakers David O'Reilly of Owen Roe for dinner paired with his minimal interventionist wines from Oregon and Washington. Riesling, pinot noir and cabernet franc will be poured along with a menu of Papaya Salad with Grilled Pacific Prawns, Wild Salmon with grain mustard and braised red cabbage and Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder with herb chimichurri, squash and tomatoes. For dessert enjoy Ash-Baked Apple and cinnamon ice cream

For tickets call 773-634-4100 or email Katie at kheika@leye.com.


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In Zhangjiajie in Central China's Hunan province, there stands a glass bridge. Its Israeli designer, Haim Dotan, said it symbolizes love and nature.

Visitors walk on the glass-bottomed bridge in Zhangjiajie,Hunan province, on Aug 20,its opening day. Zhou Guoqiang / For China Daily

"It will be a new icon in China," Dotan said in an interview on Sunday, a week after the bridge opened to the public for trial operation.

Born in Jerusalem, Dotan has a connection with China that is central to who he is. His grandparents came to China in the 1910s, and in 1919 his mother was born in Shanghai.

"The Chinese saved the lives of my grandparents and gave life to my mother. I am alive because of China," Dotan said.

He first came to China 30 years ago, and for Dotan it felt like he was returning home.

In 2010, he designed the Israeli Pavillion at the World Expo in Shanghai, where he met a client who asked if he could design a bridge in Zhangjiajie, an area famous for its scenery, particularly its otherworldly mountains that appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar.

"Nature is beautiful," Dotan said. "But how can I design a bridge that is invisible and can disappear?"

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu was an inspiration for Dotan.

"He once wrote that 'great music is unheard and good form is invisible'," Dotan said.

He decided to use glass and build the bridge in the shape of a butterfly, so that visitors feel like they are standing on air. He used white for the handrails - the color of clouds.

The bridge is 430 meters long and 6 meters wide, with a glass-bottom walkway suspended 300 meters above the canyon.

Comprising 99 panes of three-layer transparent glass, the bridge set 10 world records for design and construction, and went through many experiments to ensure safety.

A maximum of 8,000 visitors are allowed to cross the bridge each day. A reservation must be made one day ahead. Above all, he would like to see it become "a bridge of love".

"Lovers can walk on the bridge and say, 'I love you'. Their voice will then echo through the canyon," Dotan said.
Cloud News

Google Deepens Enterprise-Focused Alliance With Okta, One Of Its Preferred Technology Partners

Joseph Tsidulko

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Google has in the past abstained from recognizing its cloud technology partners with any preferential designations, but Tuesday, Okta, an identity management vendor, secured an endorsement directly from the Internet giant's cloud chief.

Diane Greene, the former VMware CEO who took the helm of Google's cloud business about nine months ago, delivered a keynote revealing an "expanded alliance" with Okta, one of Google's preferred partners for identity and access management, at Oktane 16, the company's user conference in Las Vegas.

The tighter collaboration, along with Greene's appearance at the event, signals a recognition that the shift from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud increasingly hinges on effective identity management controls, Frederic Kerrest, COO and a co-founder of Okta, told CRN.

[Related: Google Cloud Chief Diane Greene: 'We're Dead Serious About This Business']

That "preferred" designation came with a list released last November of Eight "Google For Work Recommended Cloud Apps." Okta won't be the last ISV on that list to have its status elevated, according to the Mountain View, Calif.-based Internet giant.

The shift to a more prescriptive relationship with partners is illustrative of Google expanding its cloud business, under Greene's stewardship, to enterprise customers that demand end-to-end solutions with best-of-breed ISVs, Kerrest told CRN.

"They traditionally have been all about providing a neutral ecosystem," he said. "That's one of the big changes over the nine months under Greene's leadership. To be more aggressive in the enterprise, you need to take a strong stance on the reference architecture you recommend, the solutions you suggest."

After eight years in business, Okta is a leading vendor of cloud-based identity management software to enterprises looking to implement tighter controls on how their networks are accessed by employees and external customers, partners and vendors. The San Francisco-based company was one of only three vendors (with Microsoft and Centrify being the others) in the Leaders category of Gartner's Identity and Access Management-as-a-Service Magic Quadrant for 2016.

Okta has launched a new product each year it's been in business, and now offers a range of solutions through the Okta Cloud Platform, from single sign-on to adaptive multifactor authentication, to SMS controls and software tokens for mobile devices, mobility management, provisioning and de-provisioning.

The company also has close relationships with Google's cloud rivalsOkta is a Microsoft Office 365 Gold Partner, and works closely with Amazon Web Services as well, which actually hosts its service.

But Google is the up-and-comer in the industry, Kerrest said.

Since Greene took charge of that business, "we've really seen an acceleration of their push into the enterprise," Kerrest told CRN. "Not only Apps [Software-as-a-Service], but across the Google Cloud Platform."

While most of the hundreds of Google-Okta joint customers primarily use Apps, Okta is seeing a pickup in business verifying users for Google Compute Engine and App Engine, he said.

The expanded alliance spans both tech integration, with joint development efforts and reference architectures, and the business relationship between the companies. The integration efforts will continue evolving, Kerrest said, with Okta adding functionality as GCP rolls out more advanced platforms in the future.

Through the partnership, Okta will be able to provide enterprises with a more flexible multicloud architecture, he told CRN.

Glenn Weinstein, chief information officer at Appirio, a Google Cloud Platform partner based in San Francisco, told CRN he believes Okta has emerged as the best of the new breed of cloud-based identity and access management solutions.

Appirio recommends Okta to its customers, and also uses the solution internally to protect its own systems, Weinstein told CRN via email.

"As a Google Premier Partner, Appirio stands behind the combination of Google for Work and Okta as the most secure and powerful approach for delivering cloud-based IT to employees and customers," he said.

Okta has always worked particularly well with Google from a technical standpoint, Weinstein told CRN, but the expanded partnership "is great news for our joint customers."
Internet of things News

Home Automation Solution Providers Applaud Report Of Nest Platform Developers Moving To Google

Lindsey O'Donnell

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Channel players in the home automation space are cheering Google parent company Alphabet's move to absorb several platform engineers from smart thermostat manufacturer Nest.

Nests platform team will become part of Google, and work with Android chief Hiroshi Lockheimer in order to create a more "unified Internet of Things" platform, according to a report in Fortune. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Nest declined to comment on the report.

"It's about time ... when Google acquired Nest, there was a long period of time where it seemed that Nest would be absorbed," said Chris Compton, founder of Smart Home HQ, a Newport, Ky.-based service provider specializing in home automation. "I think now that Apple is releasing products on HomeKit, this move makes sense for Google from a competitive standpoint and allows them to be more flexible."

[Related: 10 New Internet of Things Products That Changed The Game In August]

Historically, Nest and Google have been on a separate platform path for IoT. Google has created its own set of home automation devices, including Google Home, its recently-unveiled voice-activated connected home product and competitor to Amazons Echo assistant.

Beyond products, Google, which bought Nest in 2014 in a $3.2 billion deal, has done other work with IoT, including its embedded OS, Brillo, for IoT hardware, and its communications platform for IoT devices, Weave, to increase smart device interoperability.

"It didn't seem that Google was integrating Nest into their ecosystem, and then last year Google came out with their own Hub, and Brillo and Weave to integrate their own standards," said Compton. "With Nest developers moving to Google, it makes sense that Google is making this connected home push in their own name."

Nest, meanwhile, has been in the middle of restructuring over the past year, with the company's co-founder and CEO Tony Fadell stepping down in June. The company has partnerships in place with smart device companies such as Philips and Belkin, and a full lineup of smart products like connected smoke alarm Nest Protect and surveillance tool Nest Cam.

Michael Oh, CTO and founder of TSP, a Boston-based solution provider that specializes in home automation, said the move makes sense for both Google and Nest. Oh's company works with vendors like Savant and Lutron to build and implement home automation designs. Oh said that the home automation segment was an area of growth for his company, and will account for around 30 percent of TSP's business in 2017.

"From my perspective it makes sense as a business ... ultimately the writing was on the wall," he said. "Google needs to come up with a coherent strategy for IoT and home automation."

Smart Home HQ's Compton, whose company provides home automation services like advanced programming and connected security capabilities, said if Nest further integrates with Google, channel players in the home automation space will face fewer hurdles in helping customers connect and maintain various smart products in their houses.

"Anytime that you have vendors playing nice together, it creates an integrated, better experience for the end user, and makes it easier to create services and solutions for clients, without having to jump through hoops," Compton said.
Last Friday, around the time the afternoon crowd was clicking on last week's column, I was overflowing with the desire to get out of town. A neighbor of mine, a semi-recent immigrant from eastern Europe, was heading home. In the years of our acquaintance I'd only known him to go two places: his day job as a carpenter, and his back yard. His whole idea of Connecticut, his entire concept of the U.S., for all I know, would be worksites, the highway, and a quarter acre of manicured grass. He was utterly unconcerned, but I was tragedy stricken - and determined to get out and do... something.



Just like in a movie script, that's when the phone rang.



"Sorry this is last minute, man," the caps lock Wisconsin accent told me who it was immediately. "But I need a trip to the casino. I got the room paid for, you just bring your liver."



I didn't really have the money to play with, it was Friday rush hour on I-95, and I try to avoid casinos in general.



"Sure. Let me pack." Let's see what happens, I thought. I am a leaf on the wind.



Although the end results were largely indistinguishable, the casino was marginally more entertaining than feeding those same $20 bills to sea gulls. I was neither keen to go back the next day, nor on the prospect of a two hour, day-wasting drive home. It was my turn to provide the inspiration:



"Let's hit a brewery I know."



Beer'd Brewing Co. is in Stonington, CT, a good frisbee toss from the Rhode Island border, but far enough away from Fairfield County that I'd never given serious thought to visiting before that exact minute in time. Their beers have been excellent every time I've had them, though, and life had just blown this opportunity my way.



Beer'd's brewing space is located in an old velvet mill blocks from a stretch of the Sound so much wider than it is in southern Connecticut it renders Long Island into a hazy serious of bumps just proud of the curvature of the Earth. The stated mission at Beer'd is to "reincarnate the days gone by when beer was produced by someone on your block." You park just about anywhere on the street outside, and walk through a bright, skylit postindustrial space, splashed with color from murals and paintings which overflow from the creative workshops which now populate the old mill. Beer'd's allotment of the overall is small, and it's shocking to think they can produce volume enough to spread throughout the state. The tasting room has a few small tables, a bar, and a sample of each of their beers is yours just for walking in. I saw maybe twenty people at a time in the room, but it felt cozy, rather than crowded. The staff buzzed around, taking orders, while I sipped and followed the paths of heavy piping to an ancient steam boiler bound with hundreds of rivets which looked to weigh a pound each.

Dogs&Boats DIPA had just been canned that day, so I picked up a four pack of pint cans, plus a 32oz. growlito of Whisker'd Wit which had been dosed with Curacao orange peel and blood orange puree. The normally bright, hazy Belgian wit had taken on a darker hue, and the fresh fruit made itself known both on the nose and tongue. It's an outstanding hot summer day drink and, at 5.2%, subtle in strength as well as flavor. I don't know if it was the beer, the company, or simply stepping outside again into one of the first clear, warm days after the recent thunder-wracked heatwave, but I felt momentum building. The wanderlust hadn't left.



"You know the town with the sub base?" I asked my friend. "I know a spot there, too."



Outer Light Brewing Company is in a tiny strip down a hill in Groton, and it has more of a polished business vibe than the art commune environment at Beer'd. The tasting room opens to the air in front, with a bar at the back, and large windows looking into the brewhouse, inside and out. Board games are shelved next to a cooler (along with a nearly mint condition GameBoy which made me wish I was carrying spare AA batteries), and what I'd guess are Outer Lights exec Tom Drejer's old surf boards retired overhead. I'd had their Lonesome Boatman, a red pale ale, before, so I went with a flight of four beers, including the Saison de Groton, Swell East Coast Lager, Tubos Forever IPA, and Ninja Trail: a green tea pale ale which was recommended by the beertender at Beer'd.



Tubos, a surfing reference I didn't quite get, being from the land of the four inch swell, is a slightly piney, slightly bittersweet IPA; a good change from the juicy, resinous IPAs from Beer'd. The Saison de Groton is honestly better than any expectation I had - it was smooth, even, and never cloying the way some overly flowery Belgians can be from new brewers. The tea in Ninja Trail isn't just there to add a twinge, it completely suffuses this light ale with a refreshing, relaxing herbal character. I'm not sure how many of these I'd like to have in a sitting, but I can see it being delicious with a meal, working in the sun, or just winding down at the end of the night.



The brewery describes Swell as more of marzen, like Oktoberfest beers, but it reminded me more of a biscuity Vienna lager, which is to say, I could drink it until I fall down. As good as Swell is, I'd still put it below my favorite beer I had at Outer Light, The Academy German Pale Ale. The brewery says "We used 100% German ingredients  German malt, German hops, German yeastwe even adjusted our brewing water to match that of Koln, Germany." The Coast Guard Academy is just across the river, and The Academy GPA (I think you see what they've done there) uses new Mandarina Bavaria and Huell Melon hops to dress up an accessible, malt forward ale which practically disappears from the glass on its own. GPA is not one of OL's year-round beers, but I'd highly recommend they make it so, because I think they could sell it by the ton. It's not hazy, juicy, or devastatingly bitter, it's not overly concerned with fashion or newsworthiness, but it's an excellent all around brew. I wish I could have had more, but it was time to eat.



I found out about Moxie Bar And Restaurant in Madison via Instagram months before my trip, which is odd, because I don't have an Instagram account. The International Harvester Scout which serves as the bar's mechanical mascot probably first caught my eye, but a quick look at the food and drinks is what made it stand out in my mind long enough to become that night's dinner destination.



Moxie, on that particular Saturday night, could be heard from across the street. This was initially confusing, as the front patio I was approaching seemed to be populated by diners calmly eating at their tables. The dining room at Moxie is in the front of the building, and a very lively bar scene greeted me in back, with a garage door opening onto a deck which is hidden from the street, and was the source of the sirens' song of people loudly enjoying themselves.



With no expectations beyond what I'd seen in half remembered square photos, I was excited to look at the menu and see dishes like spring pea ricotta gnocchi with currants and preserved lemon, plum glazed wild salmon, coconut curried lentils, and outliers like shaved Caribbean jerk pork, and pad thai.



The cocktail menu was equally enticing, and I started with a Rizzo (a flip made with Barsol Pisco, hibiscus simple syrup, fresh lime juice and Angostura bitters). The sharp, dry pisco and the lime were balanced by the hibiscus and smoothing effect of the egg whites to create a drink like studded velvet. It was a good start.





I selected the blackened fish tacos with corn and bacon salsa, topped with shaved cabbage and jalapeno-lime crema. The fish was flaky and not overly spiced, the sweet corn and smokey bacon turned what could have been a black and white program into Technicolor with each bite, and the cabbage crunch was augmented by a very slightly toasted flour tortilla which saved the tacos from a potentially soggy fate. The house fries - hand cut, likely double fried, and seasoned with malt vinegar powder - were easily some of the best I've ever had in the state.



Moxie says they "apply modern day sensibilities to classic recipes with high-end ingredients, simple preparations and a fusion of locally grown flavors." I didn't get to try out too much of the menu (maybe in a future follow up), but the fries, cocktails, and atmosphere would have been worth the trip by themselves.



I couldn't resist any of the above, so I ordered a second drink to stretch my visit out further, and went with the Chupacabra (Fidencio mezcal joven, jalapeno-infused simple syrup, Moxie's sour mix, New Holland Clockwork Orange liqueur, cilantro, crushed red pepper, spicy salt rim) since I'm a sucker for tequila's Mexican cousin. Spicy, smokey, herbal and sweet, this was the winner of the night, drink-wise.



Even with the desire to run screaming out the door the previous night, there is little chance I would have seen any of the places I went any time soon without the push I was given. I had no plans to see any of them, even as I was driving up. I thought about this a lot on the drive back down 95 to Fairfield County. It can be difficult, even threatening, to break through the insulating safety of routine. Going out is more rewarding I think, though, when you truly get out.



See you out there.





Beer'd Brewing Co., 22 Bayview Ave #15, Stonington; beerdbrewing.com



Outer Light Brewing Co., 266 Bridge Street, Groton; outerlightbrewing.com



Moxie, 52 Wall Street, Madison; moxie-bar.com
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They are often the nondescript brown or brick buildings people drive past every day and hardly notice. Some are more noticeable, but people rarely consider what goes on inside or what companies call the building home.

Despite their modest appearances, they are the drivers of the local real estate market and vital to the local economy, according to some real estate brokers.

They are Class B office buildings, a major player in the commercial real estate market even as they exist in the shadows of their Class A cousins. The shiny Class A buildings and complexes attract the large corporations and are loaded with amenities such as fitness centers, day care centers and staffed cafeterias.

The Class B buildings are smaller and generally do not have gyms, security desks in the lobby or on-site cafes. Space in these buildings, however, is less expensive to lease and attractive to companies without deep pockets for rent or the need for fancy amenities.

(Class B) really is what drives about 90 percent of the local business, Todd Payne, president and CEO of Danbury-based Goodfellow Real Estate, said. Everybody focuses on Class A. They are sexier buildings and its where the larger corporate tenants go. But Class B buildings are a strong part of our economy.

Class A buildings typically attract large tenants requiring at least 5,000 square feet and up to several hundred thousand square feet of space. Class B tenants typically occupy 1,500 to 5,000 square feet. Payne said Class B buildings attract small, mostly local, businesses from a variety of industries.

Really, the B buildings drive the market, Payne said. The tenants dont need the amenities so they like locations close to home; convenient in and out. The B building market feeds the local business. Thats what we see.

Price differential

In Danbury, Class B space represents about half of the total commercial real estate space available, with average asking rents about $21, compared to $25 for Class A space, according to the latest Fairfield County Market Overview by Colliers International.

The price gap expands greatly in more southern markets such as Greenwich, Stamford and Norwalk.

In Greenwich, the average asking price for Class A space is about $71 per square foot compared to $56 for Class B.

In Stamford, the gap is $46 compared to $31.

In the Bridgeport area, the price gap is a narrow $22 to $20.

Class A space more heavily dominates the market in Greenwich, Stamford and Norwalk compared to the Danbury and Bridgeport areas, where the mix is fairly even.

Stamford-based Building and Land Technology owns and manages several properties in southwestern Connecticut, including many high-profile Class A buildings. It has one Class B+ property in Stamford, Stamford Landing on Southfield Avenue. The property, a former chocolate factory, consists of four mixed-use buildings. Unlike many Class B properties, Stamford Landing includes amenities such as a fitness studio, yoga studio and day care.

Class A is your highest standard  its your newest and best for parking, location and amenities, Ted Ferrarone, BLTs chief operating officer, said. Different tenants are going to value different attributes differently.

Ferrarone said the distinction is somewhat arbitrary, between Class A and Class B space with no clear-cut guidelines.

In Danbury, Class B vacancy is at 11 percent, while Class A vacancy is 22 percent. The demand for Class B space is not as strong in the coastal cities.

High expectations

Downtown Norwalk far and away has the highest vacancy rate of all submarkets in southwest Connecticut as tracked by the commercial brokerage firm JLL  a staggering 53 percent as of the second quarter, easily surpassing the 37 percent figure of next-highest downtown Stamford.

With no new construction, Norwalk could absorb more than 3,000 workers in its available Class B office space, equivalent to six times the number of workers General Electric is shifting to Class A offices in Norwalk from its former headquarters in Fairfield.

Along Norwalks Route 7 corridor heading north toward Wilton, the city has a comparatively healthy vacancy rate  under 20 percent  in its Class B offices, four percentage points better than the Fairfield County average as computed by JLL.

One investor who has bet big on South Norwalks potential is Capital Equities Group, which in 2014 bought SoNos centerpiece, 190,000-square-foot Class B office building at 50 Washington St. and is renovating lobby and ground-level space.

A few of SoNos historic brick edifices have drawn some of southwest Connecticuts faster-growth companies, including Etouches and LogicSource.

Etouchess CEO Oni Chukwu said his companys converted offices in SoNos old brewery building were appealing because of its proximity to the South Norwalk stop on Metro-North, as well as restaurants and watering holes that appeal to the younger professionals it is trying to attract.

This is what it was destined to be, Chukwu said. It has character  and it helps us with the kind of people we are hoping to hire.

Payne said tenants in Class B buildings should expect a lot from a landlord. The buildings should be solid, have working air conditioning and clean HVAC systems, clean common-area bathrooms, working elevators, a decent lobby and signage, if the company needs it.

For the majority of local businesses, the amenities are less important. People already belong to a gym and have their favorite deli, Payne said. They are still close to everything.

Includes reporting from Alexander Soule and Paul Schott.
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Tourism authorities from China's Sichuan province launched a roadshow here on Tuesday to promote tourism opportunities at the Danish market, hoping to allure more tourists from the country.

Known to the world as the hometown of the giant panda, Sichuan has much more to offer to tourists around the world, said Hao Kangli, director of Sichuan Tourism Development Commission.

Hao said Sichuan is abundant with beautiful scenery like Jiuzhaigou Valley. Meanwhile, Sichuan has a long history.

"The tourism resources of Sichuan can cater to different needs of tourists, and we will do our best to provide high quality service to tourists," Hao said.

"As our tourism logo puts it, Sichuan is more than pandas," he added.

Representatives from tourism companies in Sichuan introduced various products designed for foreign tourists.

Also at the roadshow, companies from China and Denmark signed contracts to further deepen the cooperation in the tourism industry.
ANSONIA  Now it is up to the citys voters.

Following nearly two hours of criticism, support and debate Tuesday night, the Board of Alderman unanimously approved putting eight questions seeking $18.1 million to bond and fund major improvements on the November ballot.

That means Police Chief Kevin Hale is one step closer to trading in a 112-year-old renovated elementary school for a new police station on Olson Drive or somewhere else.

It means Ansonia Rescue and Medical Service Chief Jared Heon is one step closer to getting a new ambulance and up-to-date life saving equipment.

And that Public Works Director Michael DAlessio may be getting new dump trucks with plows and sanding equipment.

It also means the citys seniors may be seeing a renovated and larger center.

This is the way to go, Mayor David Cassetti said. I want the residents to make the final decision on moving the city forward.

They'll get the chance by voting on eight referendum questions on the ballot during the presidential election.

Cassetti has been pushing the capital improvement projects since early this year. An attempt to get before voters in June was pulled back after several ranking Democrats at a Board of Aldermen meeting questioned borrowing instead of budgeting for the needed projects.

The original $35 million proposal was scaled back to the current $18 million.

Still, some of the 40 residents who attended Tuesday nights special meeting in the Ansonia High School auditorium questioned the logic of borrowing.

This came despite Cassetti's recent victory in convincing Standard and Poors to up the citys bond rating to AA.

But city resident Tarek Raslan told the Aldermen, the only thing better than low interest is no interest.

He and others suggested the improvements be paid for using the citys $11 million surplus and through budgeting. And Raslan vowed to campaign against the bonding questions on the November ballot.

David Knapp, a potential Democratic mayoral candidate, questioned why the city would bond rather than budget for vehicles.

Resident Jim Hubbard urged the aldermen to delay bonding for a senior center until the 2017 municipal elections.

Tara Kolakowski, another potential Democratic mayoral candidate, questioned whether $12 million was enough to pay for a new police station and suggested the city wait until a firm site was chosen.

Meanwhile, Hale, the police chief, said his headquarters in the former Larkin School is substandard in its cells, juvenile detention area, locker rooms and more.

He offered to show the public what hes dealing with in the century old facility with nightly and weekend tours.

And DAlessio said hes concerned every time he sends one of his old trucks out to plow snow in the winter.

This is something we really need, he said of his request for new vehicles.

And Ryan Hunt, an ARMS employee said the public safety resources being sought will "benefit everyone of you sitting here.

Afterward, Corporation Counsel John P. Marini said much of the new interest would be a wash once the city pays off its debts in 2020. He said the $12 million being sought for the new police station would come in the form of a 40-year, low-interest loan from the federal government.

Putting the police station on Olson Drive will transform that entire area and the downtown, Marini said. It will take the stigma of crime and murder out of that area.
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BRIDGEPORT - The Prophetess, didnt see it coming.

Patricia Daniels, a former state corrections officer awaiting trial for the horrific hit and run that killed a local woman and injured her young son in Dec. 2014, appeared surprised as judicial marshals handcuffed her Wednesday after Superior Court Judge Robin Pavia increased the bond by $100,000 following Daniels third arrest in a year.

There have been a number of violations of the defendants conditions of release, Pavia ruled following a brief hearing.

The judge then ordered Daniels, who refers to herself on Facebook as The Prophetess, to undergo a mental competency examination - her second.

What strikes the court in looking at the sequence of events is that there certainly seems to be a deterioration of the defendants ability to control her behavior, the judge said.

Daniels, 43, has been free on bond since she was charged in the Dec. 4, 2014 crash that killed Evelyn Agyei and injured her 11-year-old son on Boston Avenue.

She was later arrested for allegedly whipping a 12-year-old who was visiting her home with a belt. She subsequently made bond in that case.

Senior Assistant States Attorney Marc Durso filed a motion to increase Daniels bonds after Daniels was recently charged with threatening to beat her young granddaughter with a belt unless the girl falsely accused her father of sexually assaulting her.

Durso told the judge that the girl told police Daniels popped her with a belt even after she made the false complaint to police.

The state is concerned about the safety of not only the child but other members of the defendants family and society, the prosecutor told the judge.

We beg you to consider not increasing the bond, Daniels lawyer, Norman Pattis, urged Pavia. Her trial is approaching and I need her calm, cool and collected and I dont think she will be if she is locked up, he argued. There is nothing in the new warrant that tells me Miss Daniels is a threat to society.

Police said Agyei, the mother of three children who had been a teacher in her native Ghana, had been caring for the children of a Trumbull family. She had been driving her 11-year-old son to school when a white BMW SUV rammed her older model Subaru on Boston Avenue.

A video camera on a nearby building captured the scene as the SUV rammed Agyeis car first once, then again, driving it into a tree. Agyei, 51, died at the scene. Her son was severely injured. The BMW drove off without stopping.
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Chris Murphy is a candidate for Dr. Scholls.

As if standing for nearly 15 hours during a gun-control filibuster didnt do a number on his feet, Connecticuts junior U.S. senator is walking across the state this week.

The 110-mile trek started Monday in Voluntown, on the Rhode Island border, and is scheduled to culminate Saturday in Greenwich.

Its part listening tour, part staycation for Murphy, 43, who is dropping in on gas stations, coffee shops, farm stands and front lawns. At the end of each leg of the journey, Murphy has held informal town hall meetings for constituents to raise hot-button issues.

The gauntlet is already taking a toll on the nomadic Democrat in cargo shorts, a T-shirt and a Red Sox cap, from motorists honking at him to sore muscles. It wont get easier. Rain is in the forecast for Thursday, when Murphy is scheduled to arrive in Bridgeport.

I have some pretty serious blisters already that I have wrapped and tended to, Murphy said Wednesday. Im learning how un-pedestrian-friendly these roads are. To the extent that people have honked me, theyre trying to avoid hitting me.

Murphy appears to need little reintroduction to the populace, coming off a prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July and a June filibuster that earned him national acclaim from gun-control advocates.

But by Senate standards, Murphys stroll is somewhat pedestrian. Murphys GOP colleague, Lamar Alexander, traversed his home state of Tennessee during his successful bid for governor in 1978, covering 1,000 miles.

It was Lawton Chiles, the late former Florida senator and governor, who earned the nickname Walkin Lawton for his 1,003-mile odyssey from Pensacola to Key West during his 1970 senate campaign.

It shows, for a guy like Murphy, who is rising very fast through the ranks of Washington politics, that he doesnt want to lose touch with the state, said Scott McLean, a political science professor at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. Thats one of the biggest vulnerabilities that candidates have in their first re-election ... that they need to show that they still connect with the people back home and dont become a creature of Washington.

By day, Murphy said, he has ditched the typical entourage of Senate aides that come with the job. Its just him, a hydration pack and a portable charger for his smartphone, lest he not be able to chronicle his travels on Snapchat and Twitter. He said hes been walking the entire way, except for when he hopped on the Connecticut River ferry from Hadlyme to Chester.

By night, the married father of two small sons from Cheshire said hes been bunking at the homes of friends and supporters.

Im basically couch-surfing this week, Murphy said. Im a terrible house guest, because I show up and I unpack my blistered feet and I go to bed.

Murphy said there is no overarching theme to his walking tour, other than to be a sounding board for his constituents.

This seemed to be a really unique way to get to know people in places that I wouldnt in any other way, he said. I definitely talked a lot about guns in eastern Connecticut.

Murphy said there is more common ground on expanding background checks than people perceive. He expects a tide of gun violence in Bridgeport to be on the minds of residents of the states largest city Thursday night, when he is tentatively scheduled to hold a town hall at East End Baptist Tabernacle Church. The churchs pastor is state Rep. Charlie Stallworth, D-Bridgeport.

I hope and expect that Im going to hear a lot about the shootings and the path forward when Im there, Murphy said.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
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More than 20 young scholars and experts from China and abroad gathered in Beijing on Aug. 26 to talk about the upcoming G20 summit.

Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China Internet Information Center, addressed the gathering. [Photo/China.org.cn]

The gathering, themed "G20: China's Role and Global Governance," was held in the lead up to the upcoming G20 summit in China, the country's first time hosting the meeting.

Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China Internet Information Center, addressed the gathering. He commented on the fact that China and other emerging economies are incorporated into the G20 member countries, saying, "The inclusion of new members like China, India and South Africa has boosted the G20's influence."

He added, China and other emerging markets have also provided experience and lessons that can be drawn from while discussing global governance and other issues.

"As the current G20 president and host of this year's Summit, China can also incorporate oriental wisdom and its experience with rapid development over the past 30 years into the meeting's agenda, so as to deliver China's vision on world development and cooperation," he said.

Other speakers from various countries, including the U.S. and Russia to Iran and Tanzania, talked about China's contributions to global governance under the framework of the G20 summit, China's involvement in mapping out international rules and how China fulfills its role under the framework of the G20.
FAIRFIELD  A group of rabbis gathered Tuesday to bless a brand new dormitory at Sacred Heart University. The Jewish spiritual leaders visiting the Catholic university included Rabbi Abraham Skorka, a close friend of the buildings namesake, Jorge Bergoglio  who in March 2013 became Pope Francis.

I said, how strange that a rabbi would represent the Holy Father, Skorka said he wrote to the pope in an email he sent before his visit from Argentina.
Heavy rains in Cuba

Submitted by: Juana

Local

Intense rains and floods

08 / 30 / 2016



The Cuban Institute of Meteorology reiterates that during the day rain will occur in most parts of the country, which may be heavy in the afternoon from Matanzas to Pinar del Rio.

It will be cloudy in much of the island with showers and rain in areas of the north coast of the western half of the country in the morning, which in the afternoon will increase in much of the country, and may become heavy and intense.

The day will be hot with maximum temperatures between 31 and 34 degrees Celsius. At night there will be temperatures between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius.

There will be variable and weak winds, which in the afternoon will come from the northeast in areas of the north western coast, up to 25 km / h.

There will be swells on the north eastern coast, decreasing gradually in the afternoon. There will be little swell in areas of central and northern coast from Cabo Cruz to Punta Maisi.

In the rest of the coastal sea will be calm, increasing gradually to little swell in the afternoon on the north western coast.

In areas of showers and thunderstorms, wind and wave height may increase.
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China and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday signed 17 cooperative agreements after the first meeting of a high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (R) and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also the country's defense minister, sign 17 cooperative agreements after the first meeting of a high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 30, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman co-chaired the meeting in Beijing.

The documents covered politics, energy, finance, investment, housing, water resources, quality inspection, science, technology and culture.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia in January, reaching a consensus on various issues with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

During that visit, the two countries announced a comprehensive strategic partnership and set up a high-level steering committee to guide and coordinate cooperation.

Noting that Saudi Arabia is an important cooperative partner of China in the West Asian and North African region, Zhang said China views bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective.

China is willing to share experiences with Saudi Arabia on state governance, he said, calling on the two sides to support each other's core interests and major concerns and cement strategic mutual trust.

China is ready to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia's Economic Vision 2030, he said.

Under the framework, Zhang suggested the two sides promote cooperation in industrial capacity, equipment manufacturing, energy, trade, investment, finance, science and technology, culture and security.

Mohammed said relations between Saudi Arabia and China are of strategic importance, noting that the two sides enjoy great potential for cooperation.

Saudi Arabia firmly supports China's stance on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and the South China Sea, he said.

Saudi Arabia hopes to join in the Belt and Road Initiative and forge a stronger partnership with China in the areas of energy, trade, investment, finance, industrialization and mining, he added.

The Saudi prince also called on the two sides to strengthen coordination, jointly fight terrorism, and promote international and regional peace and stability.

Saudi Arabia supports China in holding a successful G20 Summit, he said.

Later on Tuesday, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with Mohammed bin Salman. He said China values Saudi Arabia's support within the G20 framework, hoping the two countries will make joint efforts with other relevant parties for a successful G20 Summit.

Mohammed, also Saudi Arabia's defense minister, will attend the G20 Summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, scheduled for Sept. 4-5.
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Nearly 30 out of the 14,900 deleted emails recently recovered by the FBI in U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's email setup probe may involve the 2012 attack on Benghazi, Libya, State Department lawyers said at a hearing on Tuesday.

Besides the cache of 30,000 emails Clinton voluntarily turned over to the State Department in 2014, the FBI has uncovered these previously undisclosed documents to or from Clinton when she served as the U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta was told.

"Using broad search terms, we have identified approximately 30 documents potentially responsive to a Benghazi-related request," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

"At this time, we have not confirmed that the documents are, in fact, responsive, or whether they are duplicates of materials already provided to the Department by former Secretary Clinton in December 2014." he said.

The State Department has committed to releasing these emails under a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits launched by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, but insisted it will only do that after weighing whether the emails are personal or work-related.

It remains unclear whether all the recovered emails can be made public before the general elections set on Nov. 8 on the requirement of Judicial Watch.

Following media reports on some 30 Benghazi-related emails recovered in the Cliton email setup probe, Republican nominee Donald Trump's campaign quickly opened fire on the former secretary of state.

"Clinton swore before a federal court and told the American people she handed over all of her work-related emails. If Clinton did not consider emails about something as important as Benghazi to be work-related, one has to wonder what is contained in the other emails she attempted to wipe from her server," Trump's senior communications adviser Jason Miller said in a statement.

In July, the U.S. Justice Department closed a yearlong criminal probe with no charges into the handling of classified material in Clinton' s email setup, which FBI Director James B. Comey reproached "extremely careless."
These real PA creatures could become cryptids if we don't save them
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Some 97 militants have been killed and 24 wounded as Afghan security forces pressed ahead with offensives in restive provinces since early Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

In one operation, 57 Taliban militants were killed after joint Afghan security forces launched a cleanup operation in surrounding areas of Jani Khel district, eastern Paktia province, the ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates.

Sporadic clashes have been continuing in outer sides of the district over the past days as security forces tried to regain the control of the district from militants.

The Taliban seized control of the mountainous district over the weekend.

In northern Baghlan province, 15 militants were killed and three others wounded during clashes with the security forces in Baghlan-e-Markazi district, according to the statement.

Some 25 militants had been killed, 21 injured and three others captured during separate operations in southern Helmand and Zabul provinces and northern Kunduz province, the statement added.

The statement also confirmed loss of 12 army soldiers during the operations and as a result of separate attack across the country over the same period.

Joint Afgan security forces also seized weapons and defused several roadside bombs and landmines planted by the militants, the statement added.

The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants since early April after Taliban militants started their so-called annual spring offensive and step up attacks across the country.
Check it out: Fun things to do this weekend in Lake County

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Libya's remaining chemical weapons were shipped out of the country to Germany by Danish ships on Tuesday, an official said.

Libya has shipped the last of its chemical weapons stocks out of the country on a Danish vessel, under a UN-backed plan to eliminate the arsenal, officials said on August 30, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Libyan Deputy Prime Minister Musa Al-Koni said "Libya's entire inventory of chemical weapons has been shipped abroad."

The process is supervised by the United Nations, based on UN Security Council resolution No. 2298, which was adopted on July 22. The resolution authorized member states to transfer and destroy Libya's chemical weapons.

On Aug. 19, Danish parliament officially decided to lead a maritime operation to remove Libyan chemical weapons to Germany.

"We will undertake a leading role in an important operation to remove the remainder of Libya's chemical stockpile, which otherwise risks falling into the wrong hands," Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Jensen said.

Libya's remaining chemical weapons belong to Muammar Gaddafi's regime, which was overthrown in the 2011 uprising.

The chemicals have been shipped off the coast of Misrata (some 200 km east the capital Tripoli).

An official from the city said that "Libya has become free of chemical weapons.

"We did not want these weapons in the light of the current security situation and the presence of Daesh in the region," the official said.

The chemicals have been stored in Al-Jufrah region, about 200 km south of Sirte, where forces loyal to the government have been fighting Islamic State affiliates since May.
Dining at the University of Memphis is an odd mixture of monotony and change. Last week, the on campus convenience stores located at the University Center and Tiger Den, seemed to stop carrying wraps, my go to lunch when Im in a hurry.

Chuck Wigington, the Aramark resident district manager apologized and said, I will have to talk to the chef because those options should have been available to students last week. He also said they have some exciting ideas they will launch this semester. We are going to have monthly specials, he said.

According to Wigington,their team is currently trying to learn the basics and find their rhythm as the semester begins to get underway.

I think the same can be said for freshmen who are hungry for knowledge and food. There are a variety of food options offered on campus, but the lines can get long and the Tiger Den and UC can hurt your wallets over time.

However, there is a solution - free food.

Some campus organizations provide free food to students and, here at The Daily Helmsman, we would hate if you missed out on a free meal. I hope this information helps you meet new people, save money and, most importantly, fill your stomach.

Tops or maybe Central

Thursday the Catholic Student Center will celebrate 901 Day with free barbecue. The barbecue will be from Tops Bar-B-Q or Central BBQ. We spoke to the groups vice president, but he wasnt sure which. So if you are not too picky about where you get free barbecue from, this is the event for you. MEMPops, the local custom popsicle shop, may be there, but we were told not to get our hopes up. Dinner and games will begin at 5:30. They are located at 3625 Mynders Ave.

Home cooked meal

Each Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. the Baptist Collegiate Ministers of Memphis hosts F.L.O.W. (Free Lunch on Wednesdays) at 469 Patterson Ave. This week they will provide ahome cooked meal, or at least as home cooked as you can get under the circumstances. Different churches from the area provide the food, so maybe a church cooked meal? This week Kirby Woods Baptist Church will bring baked chicken, potato salad, baked beans cookies and brownies. Make sure to bring your U of M identification card.

Hot dogs and Hamburgers

Wednesday, after youve eaten a free lunch, you could mossy on over to Young Life, at 658 Colonial Rd., around 8 p.m. for some dinner. They will host a cookout for college students at their office, which will have games, hot dogs and hamburgers. Those who attend should park in the Target lot.
A 22-year-old lieutenant who commanded a platoon in one of Britains modern wars stepped on a mine and lost a foot.

His life was wrecked by that single ghastly moment: he has since had no decent job, no marriage, not much happiness or fulfilment.

But should such a man, an example of the battlefield tragedies of which we have seen all too many in the past few decades, receive a medal to mark his sacrifice, displaying societys compassion?

Prince Harry apparently thinks so: he has lent his name to a campaign to decorate all those who are wounded while wearing the Queens uniform.

Plea: Prince Harry, pictured during his ten-year career in the Army, has called for a new honour for all British troops injured in combat

It is easy to see why he feels this way. He himself served as an Apache pilot in Afghanistan, where hundreds of young soldiers became casualties.

There are men living in Britain today still not out of their 20s, yet facing the prospect of a lifetime as amputees after encountering an Improvised Explosive Device planted by the Taliban.

The Prince has made the cause of wounded servicemen his own, and inspired the Invictus Games to allow them to show what they can achieve, despite their injuries.

It seems a fine idea for the country to coin a medal for such men  and women  to show the nations gratitude for the price they have paid for service in the name of us all.

Or is it? Military chiefs are implacably opposed.

This is not, I believe, because they are brass-headed brasshats insensitive to the cause of our wounded servicemen.

Award: Wounded US marine Chris Campbell with his Purple Heart medal, awarded to soldiers who have been wounded or killed while serving in the US military since 1917

It is because they place a proper value on decorations, which depends on their rarity. Commanders are determined not to see them become devalued, as happens in so many countries.

The United States is conspicuous among those nations which distribute gongs to its warriors as freely as ration candy.

Long-serving American soldiers in full-dress uniform can scarcely stand up straight for the clanking rows of medals on their chests, surpassed only by those of African dictators. Since 1932, the U.S. has conferred an award on every man who receives a wound at the hands of an enemy  the Purple Heart, of which two million have been distributed, including most recently 35,000 to men who have served in Iraq, and another 8,000 for those in Afghanistan.

British campaigners now want our own nation to do likewise, yet many veterans flinch from the idea. First, everybody gets one, heedless of whether they lost both legs or took a splinter in the bottom.

I am currently researching a book on the Vietnam War, and encounter many cases where obliging medics treated some trivial injury and filed a report triggering a Purple Heart  because a man who could boast three qualified for an immediate transfer Stateside.

In other words, tens of thousands of American veterans who suffered very little are today entitled to wear the medal, in a fashion that seems insulting to others who endured terrible wounds for identical recognition.

Yesterday I discussed the idea that we should adopt American practice with a serving officer who threw up his hands in dismay.

Before we know where we are, he said, people will demand the wound medal because they claim to be suffering from PTSD [psychological after-effects of war service].

Everyone who serves in a theatre of war comes home with a campaign medal, which many earn the hard way. Beyond this, however, the British Armed Forces take pride in issuing gongs sparingly, because commanders want to make sure that they mean something.

Campaigner: Harry has already helped set up the Invictus Games (pictured in 2014) which has helped a number of soldiers who have been injured in the line of duty to exhibit their strengths and compete against each other

Only a special few are cited for bravery or distinguished service, starting with a so-called Mention in Dispatches (which does not confer a medal), then moving up through the Military Cross, Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and their Naval and Air Force equivalents to the tiny handful who have won Victoria Crosses (VC) since World War II.

The critical factor about almost everyone who wears any of these medals is that they have earned them by some quite exceptional deed of command or courage.

We dub the discs and crosses on peoples chests decorations, as if they hung on a Christmas tree. They might better be called distinctions, because they salute people who have done things beyond the common reach.

On battlefields, most people do not behave like heroes. Few are cowards, but I remember an American World War II infantry officer saying, in terms that are true of all armies in all conflicts: Ten per cent of your company carry your attack, staying out there in front all the way to the objective. Another 30 per cent come pretty close behind; then the rest sort of straggle in later.

Think of Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who won a VC for his extraordinary leadership of the May 1943 RAF raid on the Ruhr dams. Most of the Lancaster crews flew low over a dam just once, to drop their bomb; Gibson made the run four times, to draw the Germans fire.

Hardly any of us have it in us to be Dambusters, but notice Sir William Purves, a tough little Scot, now 85, who was chairman of HSBC in the days when it was a globally respected bank.

As a 19-year-old 2nd lieutenant with the Commonwealth Division in Korea in 1951, he fought off a Chinese attack with such fierce courage that he became the only conscript National Serviceman ever awarded a DSO.

In the 1982 Falklands War, among a host of amazing deeds, I always felt a special respect, verging on reverence, for the Royal Engineers who groped by night through the Argentine minefields to mark paths for British infantry attacks.

And so the story goes on to the present day, with new generations of brave young men and women doing further fine deeds in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The proper definition of a hero  and how often that precious word is abused  is somebody who risks or sacrifices all for a higher purpose. That is what many military decorations seek to recognise.

In the 21st century, however, we constantly confuse heroes and victims. I defer to no one in my respect for those who have been wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan. Many show high courage in learning to live with life-changing injuries.

But it seems mistaken to suggest that all those who suffer should be awarded a special decoration, which would have to be given to the soldier with a nicked finger alongside a quadriplegic.

The clamour for new medals of all kinds is loud and persistent.

Service chiefs are currently debating  and mostly resisting  demands that personnel who control Reaper drones that fly over Iraq and Syria from the safety of RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire should receive an operational award of the kind traditionally reserved for pilots overflying enemy territory, and even that this should extend to maintenance crews who service the machines at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

The best token of appreciation we can offer to those wounded on the battlefield is not to issue them with a new medal, but instead to improve the woefully inadequate after-care many receive.

Prince Harrys dedication to the cause of our veterans deserves admiration, but he seems wrong to argue for a British Purple Heart.

Our service medals mean much to those who win them because relatively few are awarded.
Products are stocked in 10,000 stores in America and 450 in the UK

Company has now been valued at 10million within a year of trading

A couple who developed a coffee-based body scrub to help cure eczema have defied their Dragons' Den investor after they claimed she 'reneged' on the deal.

Lloyd Hazell and Tasha Harris from Leigh-On-Sea, Essex, appeared on the BBC Two show in January - eight months after it had been filmed - with the 'miracle' product and won backing from entrepreneur Sarah Willingham.

She agreed to give them the 30,000 they needed to progress their business - in return for a 45 per cent stake - but the couple say she never came up with the cash and accused her of having a 'lack of faith in the product'.

A spokesman for Dragons' Den businesswoman Sarah Willingham, creator of restaurant chain The Bombay Bicycle Club and co-founder of The London Cocktail Club, said: 'Far from reneging on the deal - Sarah was very happy to continue on the terms agreed in the Den but it was very much Lloyd and Tashas decision to offer new terms.

As this was a significant deviation from the original deal that all parties had agreed to, reluctantly Sarah was unable to continue negotiations.'

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Tasha Harris and Lloyd Hazell developed the coffee scrub to help cure Tasha's eczema - and were so astounded with the results that they decided to launch it as a business

Tasha Harris (right) poses for a selfie with a friend with their faces covered in the coffee scrub she helped develop

Lloyd and Tasha said that businesswoman Sarah Willingham reneged on the deal she offered

Instead, the couple say they were left to start the business with no financial backing and only 10 in the bank while they relied on credit - but their marketing work paid off and they struck a lucrative deal with Boots before the show aired.

The couple, who first developed the product in their kitchen to help Tasha's eczema, claim that Sarah then voiced an interest in getting involved again.

As further deals came flooding in once the show aired, Lloyd said Sarah offered the same amount of cash for a lesser stake but, thriving on their own, the couple declined the offer.

Now their range of products, which also include hair masks and lip balms, are stocked 20 countries worldwide, including 10,000 stores in America as well as 450 here in the UK. A big deal with stores in the UAE is also about to come to fruition.

The couple delivering their life-changing pitch on their Grounded Body Scrub products to the five potential investors on BBC Two's Dragons' Den

Lloyd Hazell takes a selfie after using his coffee scrub on his face

An independent valuer, they say, has priced their growing business at 10million and estimates show they will turnover about 3million in their first year - with a profit of around 1million.

Tasha, 26, said: 'Although we would like to say that we were helped by the Dragon we struck a deal with on air, it just wasnt meant to be, with the deal falling through before we even had a chance.

'The show was aired almost a year after it was made and during that year we had little and broken contact with Sarah, who had little faith to no faith in our company  which was surprising, as she seemed very passionate about it during the filming.

Towie hunk Mario Falcone supports Grounded (left); while Lizzie Cundy poses for a picture with company co-founded Tasha Harris at an industry event (right)

'We admit ourselves that we were maybe a little naive in thinking everything would happen straight after filming, but even we were shocked that we didnt hear from anyone for months.

'We have always believed our products will one day become extremely popular and we were right.

'We saw such a surge in in our sales during the episode, showing that we didnt need the Dragon at all and business has been going from strength to strength ever since.

'A point made on the show by Peter [Jones] was that, in order for our business to be a success, they would need to spend a lot of time with us in order for us to learn the way in the business world.

'However, we feel we have done brilliantly all by ourselves and have done the best thing; which is to not give up.

'We are constantly learning new things which is how we have developed the brand to where it is now,' Tasha added.

Grounded Body Scrubs contain Vitamin E which targets stretch marks and Himalayan rock salts which also help eczema

Lloyd, 27, who met Tasha at school, said that they had repeatedly called Sarah and her team asking for support but gave up after a string of 'broken conversations'. The pair also met one of her advisers, but said he also lacked confidence in their ability.

'Right up until the show aired we kept asking for the money but never received it - we were just left to grow our business on our own and managed to build it up by doing our own marketing. We just literally put the product in front of as many people as possible,' he said.

'We were then contacted by Boots. But at one point I had 10 in the bank - we had used all the money we'd saved and were relying on credit from suppliers, so we waiting for the cash to come back so we could pay everyone on time and continue.'

Lloyd said that Sarah did contact the couple before the show but, despite 'seeming interested' at that stage, still failed to offer up the 30,000 promised.

'After the show aired and she saw how well we were doing, Sarah wanted to get involved and offered the same money for a lesser percentage of the business. She realised the company was worth a lot more than what she thought.

The couple say they are inundated with comments from customers about how the products have helped them overcome a host of skin problems

'The show gave us a lot of exposure, but it really wasn't the experience we expected. But we proved that we didn't need a 'dragon' to get into retail - you just need a good product.'

Lloyd added: 'We really like Sarah and what she said on the show helped us out a lot and we thank her for it. But the real reality is that it's a shame what you get treated like after the show. We waited seven months for nothing to happen, that is a long time in business - especially when you have everyone competing to be at the top.'

During their nervous pitch to the Dragons on the BBC Two show last year, Tasha explained that she had suffered with eczema all her life and that the coffee scrub she had developed was the 'only thing' that got rid of it.

Lloyd added: 'It really does work, when I first started going out with Tasha, in the winter - as soon as it started turning cold - her whole upper lip was completely crusty. I'd look at her and she'd be so angry she couldn't even talk as her face was so sore, but since we've started making this there's still a tiny bit but it's gone.'

The Grounded range also includes lip balms, hair masks and lip scrubs, and the couple are about to launch their own moisturiser, shampoos and conditioners

What makes the product so special, the couple say, is the ground Robusta coffee, the beans of which are known to be more sturdy and higher in acidity and bitterness than that you'd get in your average cup of latte.

Lloyd explained: 'It's a different type of coffee to the one you drink, this tastes horrible - you wouldn't want to drink it. But it's seriously high in caffeine, so it pulls the fat out of skin cells to help cellulite.

'Our scrubs also have Vitamin E in them which targets stretch marks and Himalayan rock salts which also help eczema. You can't believe how good it is until you try it, nothing else can make your skin feel that smooth.'

The couple have built up a strong following, and say they are inundated with comments from customers about how the products have helped them overcome a host of skin problems, from eczema to stretch marks.

The brand, which is stocked in Boots and Fenwick, has now been expanded into a range of tropical skin care products which are free of fillers, parabens, nasty chemicals, micro-beads and not tested on animals.

The couple, who employ 10 staff and continue to do all of their own marketing, will soon be launching Grounded moisturisers, shampoos and conditioners.

The spokesman Sarah Willingham, said: 'Every investment that is offered in the Den has to go through a period of due diligence, and both inside and outside the Den, some investments go through and others, for various reasons, don't.

'Despite Sarah and her team putting a great deal of time and effort working to complete the deal with Lloyd and Tasha, sadly it was unable to progress.

'During the period of due diligence Lloyd and Tasha asked Sarah to renegotiate the deal, offering her a lower percentage than was originally agreed in the Den.

'As this was a significant deviation from the original deal that all parties had agreed to, reluctantly Sarah was unable to continue negotiations.
The daughter of Baywatch star David Hasselhoff is set to become a famous name in her own right - with her first fashion line.

Hayley Hasselhoff, 24, is set to release an 18-piece collection with plus-size brand Elvi.co.uk on September 10, with prices starting at 65.

The LA-born actress and model says the minimalistic range which includes simple, well-cut items in black and white in sizes 14 to 26 says it is inspired by her own style.

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Hayleys smoulders in a high necked tunic dress, 65, which she's styled over trousers

She teams a chunky knitted jumper, 99, with loose white trousers and on-trend silver wedge sneakers

She shows how to wear her long velvet coat, 119, that looks both layered and sexy

She wanted to design a collection that included pieces that could be layered, including this long shirt, 69

She said: 'I wanted to give plus girls the opportunity to buy quality pieces that are tailored to perfection while still achieving a layered look.'

From the statement bias cut dress to the on-trend silk pyjama suit, the collection, that will be stocked by House of Fraser, Navabi and Nordstrom.com, oozes timeless style.

Hayley, who is also famous in her own right as the star of ABC Family's Huge, has opened up about her battle with her body image.

In an interview with the Mail On Sunday's You magazine, she revealed that despite being surrounded by 'perfect' bodies on the set of her father's Californian Baywatch set, they were never a source of insecurity.

Hayley, who is a plus size model as well as an actress, shows off a chic charcoal belted coat which retails at 135

She also included a dark over-sized roll-neck jumper with a price tag of 99

I never associated Baywatch with body image. It was the girls at school who made me want to cover up,' said Hayley. 'I was a very young girl and I was surrounded by love on a family-orientated set.

'Baywatch was my playground where I got to see my fathers love for his craft. The only effect it had was to make me love acting. I had a great time on set.'

She remembers giving up swimming at school as her body began to change before her peers.

' I have tough memories about growing into my figure, said Hayley, whose mother is actress Pamela Bach.

The pure silk long skirt comes in at the pricier end of the scale at 149 and is teamed here with the chunky knitted jumper at 99

She shows two ways to wear the long knitted herringbone coat, 145

A floor-length coat with faux leather collar, here worn over a long dress, is priced at 129

Swimming was something I loved. When I was in primary school I was on the swimming team with older girls. I began wearing a bra when I was eight or nine years old. The girls would tease me, so I quit because I didnt feel comfortable in the changing room.

'I wish I could tell myself as a little girl that it was those girls insecurities and not my own; that I shouldn't have sacrificed my happiness because of how they made me feel.

But as debate whirls around the phrase 'plus size', Hayley reveals she has no issue with the term.

The final piece in her collection, a glamorous floor-length gown, retails at 149; an evening's outfit is given extra oomph with the addition of a satin coat, 109

Her fashionable pyjama-style shirt is 149 and can be worn under her satin coat

She told You magazine: I dont think Id walk into a store and go, "Hey, wheres the plus-size section?" But in my defence, I dont have a problem with the term. I dont see the words plus size in a negative light because they have given me so much success. Im blessed to be able to work with my curves in this industry.

It's clear that she takes those responsibilities very seriously and was very involved with the creation of the autumn/winter line for UK e-tailer Elvi.co.uk admitting that she did, 'moodboards, sketches and fabric swatches.'

She added that the key is in the detail. 'If there were side slits I would mark them three times with dressmakers chalk to make sure [the garment] was not hugging you on the stomach area; or when a woman is sitting down, she doesnt want to have to pull or tug [at the fabric].

Hayley's collection is full of clean lines and quality fabric, including this long waistcoat, 89

Her pyjama-style shirt, 149, features white-trimmed labels and waist tie

The black long shirt at 69 is a perfect autumn piece for the office, especially when worn with trousers and spike heels

Her white long shirt is priced at 69, has a more summery feel about it

'Bigger women have larger wrists, so I have designed two sets of buttons so that the cuffs can be let out. The collection is ageless, too.

Yet despite her sunny demeanour, Hayley admitted: ' Being a plus-size model doesnt mean you dont feel body scrutiny.

I have been on jobs where I felt looked down upon or that my body isnt what they expected. I have also had agents tell me Im unrecognisable  even when Ive only gained an inch on my hips. And clients are constantly changing the size they want for "plus".
A private jet is a luxury that very few of us can afford.

But if you're lucky enough to be in that group of wealthy elites - or perhaps you've been invited aboard by an affluent friend - you'll be pleased to hear learn that Tatler has compiled a list of dos and don'ts to ensure you always travel in style.

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Going somewhere? Posh bible Tatler has compiled a list of dos and don'ts to ensure you travel in style and adhere to 'jetiquette' at all times - starting with your choice of outfit

The comprehensive guide to jet etiquette - or 'jetiquette' - involves channelling the 'chic stewardess' look - with the society bible suggesting you take inspiration from Jackie O and the Duchess of Cambridge.

Frequent flyers will do well to don pillbox hats, white gloves, low block heels and, of course, the mandatory pair of oversized shades which will give you an air of mystery.

'You could be anyone; an international woman of mystery, flying away to some exotic land,' Tatler explains.

'No one needs to know that you're on a boring business trip to Geneva.'

Tatler notes that while you may be lucky enough to have your own private aircraft, that does not excuse the wearing of loungewear such as slippers or tracksuits

It's not advisable to go overboard on duty free perfume - which can be overpowering in small quarters - or to give your aircraft 'weird nicknames' such as Barbie Jet or Thunderbird

Flashy clothing reminiscent of the 'Rich Kids of Instagram' set, however, is strictly off-limits - which rules out anything too garish or ostentatious.

Tatler notes that while you may be lucky enough to have your own private aircraft, that does not excuse the wearing of loungewear such as slippers or tracksuits.

First on the list of absolute no-nos is taking smug selfies to post on social media, a la Taylor Swift - after all, 'You want to look like a frequent flyer, not like you're taking off on your maiden voyage'.

The society bible suggests you you take inspiration from Jackie O and the Duchess of Cambridge when flying in a private jet - including pillbox hats and white gloves

Other faux-pas include giving your aircraft a 'weird nickname' such as Thunderbird or Barbie Jet, and going overboard on duty free perfume - which can apparently be overpowering in small quarters.

In a similar vein, it's advisable not to wear 'bulky layers' like fur stoles and puffa jackets, which can, apparently, weigh the aircraft down.

Finally, it isn't 'chic' to clog up space with oversized baggage - wise words indeed.

PRIVATE JET DOS . DO wear white gloves . DO opt for a pillbox hat . DO don large sunglasses . DO go for low block heels . DO channel Jackie O Advertisement

...AND PRIVATE JET DON'TS . DON'T wear fluffy slippers . DON'T don a tracksuit . DON'T take smug selfies . DON'T nickname your jet . DON'T wear duty free perfume Advertisement

The magazine, which is famed for its tongue-in-cheek etiquette guides, recently published a list of don'ts for the newly engaged in a bid to eradicate outward signs of 'smugness' - in the light of Pippa Middleton's recent engagement.

The manual explained that the number one rule is to never declare: 'Look at my ring!' - which for Pippa is quite easy as her blindingly big diamond band needs no verbal introduction.
A young man's elaborate present for his girlfriend as he leaves to go to college is taking the internet by storm.

Jasper, a creative soon-to-be college student, is being praised online after his girlfriend Zara shared his incredibly romantic gift online.

In a video on Twitter, Zara takes her followers through a pop-up box chock full of hidden compartments and photos of the happy couple.

Opening it up: A young man's gift to his girlfriend before he goes away to college is receiving heaps of praise online

Much to reveal: In a video posted on Twitter, Zara takes her followers through the present made by her boyfriend Jasper

The clip begins with Zara lifting the lid of a white, ribbon-topped box, revealing a creation that falls away into four flaps of photos separated by hearts.

Zara then goes through each of the sides of the box, the first one being labeled 'Prom 2k16'.

Each of the flaps starts with a slider of photos, which Zara can flip through by pulling a ribbon to one side.

The happy couple: Zara, pictured with Jasper at his graduation, was thrilled with the sweet gift, and with the response she has had to her post on Twitter

Sweet memories: The gift, called an 'explosion box', is packed with plenty of sweet photos of the pair

Beneath the sliders, there are sweet love notes, assuring Zara that she is loved and that she is Jasper's one and only.

'I love you more than anything in the world!' reads one of the sweet notes, penned in gold sharpie.

Even the notes can be pulled away with flaps to reveal even more sweet images from the couple's most cherished memories.

After going through all the sides, Zara lifts the lid on a smaller box in the center of the flaps, which reveals a garland of photos that emerges attached to the lid surrounded by fresh flower petals.

Last step: At the end of the video, Zara turns her attention to the box sitting in the center of the sweet gift

Bursting with love: The box contains even more photos as well as fresh flower petals

The heartwarming - and apparently handmade present - was simply too good for Zara not to share, so she put the video of her opening the box on Twitter.

'Boyfriend made this for me before he goes away to college,' Zara wrote on the social media site, adding in a crying sad face and heart emojis.
The right talk - at the right time: Amanda Lynch and her 17-year-old son Stanley

What would you wish for your son as he grows up? To triumph academically? To be a success in the workplace? Or to be a good lover?

While it goes without saying that I very much hope my 17-year-old son, Stanley, does well in life and is happy and content, I also wish him to be kind and thoughtful in the bedroom. I hope hell be able to satisfy a woman, both physically and emotionally.

After all, isnt it my final job as his mother (and as a woman) to send him out into the world as considerate and respectful a husband or partner as he possibly can be?

These thoughts occurred to me the other morning as Stanley arrived home after a night out.

While Ive suspected hes been sexually active for some time now, all Ive done is the traditional, cowardly thing of sheepishly slipping a box of condoms into his bedroom drawer and hoping for the best. Weve never had a proper chat about the birds and the bees, or all the emotions that go hand-in-hand with a physical relationship.

Its a conversation Ive been meaning to have for a long time. While weve had no problem talking about drugs and alcohol, and the perils of both, Ive repeatedly dodged this particular subject. My principle fear was that, as his middle-aged mother, hed find the discussion agonising. As would I.

Losing a role model: Stanley's father Tom, pictured, passed away three years ago

Some of you, at this point, might be thinking that Id be overstepping the boundaries as a mother in contemplating this discussion, and that its down to fathers to talk to their sons about sex.

Well, sadly, I dont have a choice in this matter. Stanleys father passed away three years ago, so it really is all down to me.

Indeed, when Stanley first started going to teenage parties, I made several awkward attempts to raise the issue. Sadly, the best I could manage was to bark slogans at his back as he edged out the door, such as Better safe than sorry and Remember, darling, no means no!.

To which hed reply, rather wearily: Chill out, Mum, Im not a rapist.

After such a response, many mothers might decide to leave their sons to muddle on and find their own way.

Yet we live in age when sex has never been more complicated. For young people today, sex is often first experienced alone, on a screen.

One click on the same laptop that your child uses for his homework and he can be bombarded with the vilest pornographic images. Its all a far cry from the innocent first fumbles behind the bike sheds of my generation.

Difficult conversation: Amanda bravely spoke to her son (pictured in 2003) about sex

No wonder, then, that research has uncovered an epidemic of young men whose sexual health has been warped and damaged by online porn.

Angela Gregory, mens sexual health specialist at Nottingham University Hospital, found repeated viewing of graphic material caused youngsters to become desensitised.

Such was the extremity of the stuff theyd already viewed online, they were simply unable to get aroused by normal sexual behaviour.

I realised, at that point, that my conversation with Stanley was well overdue. I owed it to my son, and to society, to ensure that he has a healthy and balanced attitude to sex and women. To do this, we needed to talk as we have never talked before.

Kind and caring: Amanda wanted to ensure her son Stanley, pictured, understood the emotional toll of having sex

Just as we mothers bring up our sons to respect authority, look both ways when they cross the road and eat their five-a-day, so it is just as important that we prepare them for this crucial part of adulthood and make them the best sons  and lovers  they can possibly be.

Thankfully, even before I embarked on all this, I knew that Stanley was already a fine boy: caring, funny and open, and comfortable in the company of women.

But regardless of my sons stability and good sense, Im not naive enough to believe hes never taken a peek at porn. The chances are that, like most teenagers with the internet at their fingertips 24 hours a day, hes already seen more than he should have.

If Im honest, online porn has been one of my major concerns. While I accept that some adults, of both sexes, use X-rated material to pep up their love lives, this should never be accessible to children.

And what I particularly object to is the more extreme type of pornography that degrades women and normalises sexual violence. What mother wants her son to be influenced by that?

But does he know this choreographed, cold, brutal sex is nothing like true love-making? Its all very worrying, to say the least. Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed at the thought of the task ahead. Explaining the facts of life is tricky enough, but how on earth does a mum broach the subject of porn with her teenage son? Not least because Ive never watched any of the stuff myself.

But knowledge is power, I told myself, and I decided take the plunge and dip into this sordid world to see what I was up against.

As I disabled the parental security block on my broadband (which, since teenagers can get onto the web on their smartphones, is pretty useless anyway), I was immediately struck by how porn used to be much more difficult to access in the pre-internet era.

Going into the unknown: Amanda, pictured with Tom and Stanley at his Christening

In my day, it took a brave teenager to brazenly buy a dirty magazine in the local village shop (how tongues would wag!). Once obtained, it was all pretty tame stuff.

With Stanley safely out of the house, I settled down on the sofa and typed in free porn like any rookie teenager might.

Sifting through the many videos available, I felt at first curious, then revolted, then finally just empty and sad. Could this really have been my boys first taster of what sex and love is?

The least offensive films gave the misleading idea that women are machines. Simply push buttons X, Y and Z and she will automatically climax, loudly and gratefully. There was no hint of the fact that real women are complicated, that real sex can be clumsy and affectionate, and real orgasms can be rather elusive.

Expert guidance: Amanda, pictured, gave her teenage son a sex manual

The worst films, dripping with misogynistic hatred, dispensed with female pleasure altogether, focusing on weeping girls subjected to sexual humiliation and extreme violence.

Im still haunted by images of beautiful Asian girls enduring what can only cause extreme pain and injury  and this on a relatively tame website, not on the darker corners of the web where Im reliably informed the content is far worse.

No wonder immature youngsters can be traumatised and tainted by watching this stuff. It turns my stomach to think my lovely boy may have seen this sort of thing.

With almost comic timing, I then heard Stanleys key in the door and was caught blushing, and with the laptop at full throttle, as I desperately searched for the mute key. After his confusion and shock faded, this ironic role reversal proved rather fortuitous in that it allowed us to do what Ive wanted to do all along: talk openly.

With the laptop now firmly shut, Stanley confessed that my worries are a few years too late; it was actually four years earlier that his porn viewing was at its height.

Year Nine (aged 13-14) was peak porn year, he said  the time when he and his friends were glued to the internet. But then it all started to seem rather depressing, and I stopped looking after a while.

Stanley admitted that a few boys did get too into it, but that it all levelled out naturally once they started getting real-life girlfriends.

But didnt you expect real sex to be like it is online? I asked, worried.

Mum, Im not an idiot, he said patiently. Porn is like professional wrestling. Everyone knows its faked, but we still enjoy watching it.

Growing up: Stanley, pictured aged two, is now a sexually active 17-year-old

While Im impressed by my sons clever insight, should sex really be compared to a highly scripted spectacle? What about intimacy? And romance? What about love? As our conversation began to falter, I decided to play my trump card and brought out a sex manual that Id ordered for this very eventuality.

Now, please, dont reach for the smelling salts, it wasnt the Kama Sutra or anything like it. Rather it was an award-winning guide written by research psychoanalyst Paul Joannides.

Guide To Getting It On is 1,152 pages long  heavy enough to break your foot if dropped  and has been translated into 15 languages.

While Id been summoning up the courage to have this conversation with my son, Id done a lot of research and found this tome is considered a valuable tool for parents broaching the chat with teenagers, and has been used in college sex education courses and the training of medical students in the U.S..

Everything, from kissing right through to every sex act youve never heard of, is covered with intelligence, common sense and a nice twist of understated sarcasm. My favourite quote? Next to bathing, humour is the most important sex aid. Hear, hear!

Mission accomplished: Amanda and son Stanley had an open discussion about sex

Stanley took the book with a tiny sigh, buckling under its weight. But I spotted him reading it later, even chuckling to himself.

And, amazingly, thanks to the book, the conversation started to flow. It was a magic key to a relaxed, grown-up chat about sex.

Thats not to say that Stanley wasnt initially unforthcoming or that we didnt both feel rather awkward at first. We did. But it got easier. He opened up  and what he revealed was fascinating.

Stanley told me about the huge pressure on boys to lose their virginity. And, yes, he was among the first of his friends to have sex  in the traditional manner, upstairs on a pile of coats at a party (although to protect his privacy, Im not going to say when).

He used protection, much to my relief. And while it was hardly wine and rose petals, the sex has got better, as for most of us, with time and practise.

When I mentioned that Id waited until 19 to lose my virginity, he gave me a pitying look. We talked about everything, with seemingly no subject off-limits.

As for my biggest concern  whether he would be a kind and considerate lover, as attentive to his partner as to himself  I feel my worries have been allayed.

Although Stanley is currently single, both his sexual partners have been in the context of a relationship. To my knowledge, hes not had any one-night stands.

When we discussed any emotions that his female partner might experience, I said: Be respectful, shes giving you a gift. And he showed every indication of understanding what I was talking about.

Suddenly I felt rather proud of him. Hes all right, my son. Balanced, fair-minded and with a good attitude to sex. Despite the sheer quantity of misogynistic horror out there, all accessed at the touch of a button, my son has a thoroughly mature attitude to the opposite gender.

Women are just fellow humans, he said, calmly.

Im sad his father isnt here to see the man Stanleys growing into, and I know hed have been very proud of him. No doubt these conversations would have been different had they been held with him, and not me.

But I now firmly believe that mothers of boys shouldnt fear speaking to their sons about sex.

Yes, it can be daunting, but our gender can be a bonus: we can give a female perspective on sex and relationships which a father cant.

Of course, all parental relationships are different, but often mothers can be the more communicative ones, and a reluctant teenage boy may find the conversation more free-flowing with Mum there to fill the gaps.

While I had been admonishing myself for not having the sex talk earlier, I can see now that in the eye-rolling, door-slamming defiance of Stanleys early teen years, it would have been impossible.

All conversation was near impossible then, never mind such a sensitive one. Its all happened at the right time  and Im so pleased with the outcome.

Talking about sex and all the emotional pitfalls surrounding it has made us closer, and today I feel I know my son so much better than I did.

After all, how many mothers know where their son lost his virginity, how many sexual partners hes had and his stance on Brazilian waxes?

Perhaps, in the end, The Big Sex Talk was more for my benefit than Stanleys. Now I know for sure that hes growing into the considerate, sensitive young man I always hoped hed become.

Those future partners of his are lucky indeed. All in all, I think it has gone rather well.
Queen Rania of Jordan displayed her impeccable style once again as she inaugurated the first Amman Design Week on Tuesday.

Renowned for her fashion choices, the royal beauty - who is married to King Abdullah bin al-Hussein - looked effortless in a dreamy blush coloured gown as she toured the exhibition hall in Jordan.

Attending the opening reception at the Ras Al Ain Gallery and Hangar, the Queen looked sophisticated in the dreamy frill tiered calf-length number that boasted a high neck and chic full-length sleeve.

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Regal: Queen Rania of Jordan displayed her impeccable style once again as she inaugurated the first Amman Design Week on Tuesday

While listening to Jordanian designers explain the concepts behind their displays and designs, she exhibited her fashion forward nature in the elegant gown that featured a triangle print throughout the garment.

The Queen accompanied her graceful ensemble with a chic burgundy Mary-Jane inspired heel which featured three straps across the foot as she took in the creative exhibition.

Completing her refined look, the royal fashionably draped a coordinating long strap handbag over her shoulder at the art filled venue.

Beauty: The royal beauty, who is married to King Abdullah bin al-Hussein, looked effortless in a dreamy blush coloured gown as she toured the exhibition hall in Jordan

Creative: The royal attended the opening reception at the Ras Al Ain Gallery and Hangar

Chic: The Queen looked sophisticated in the dreamy frill tiered calf-length number that boasted a high neck and chic full-length sleeve

Exhibition: Queen Rania listened to Jordanian designers explain the concepts behind their displays and designs

Walking through the awe-inspiring showcase, Queen Rania styled her caramel tresses into a centre parting as her curls tumbled over her shoulders.

Sticking to her trademark make-up look, the royal opted for a smokey eye and nude lip.

The Amman Design Week opens its doors to the public in three central location in the downtown of Jordan from 1-9 September.

Fashion forward: The royal exhibited her fashion forward nature in the elegant gown that featured a triangle print throughout the garment

Elegant: Sticking to her trademark make-up look, she opted for a smokey eye and nude lip

Graceful: The Queen accompanied her graceful ensemble with a chic burgundy Mary-Jane inspired heel which featured three straps across the foot as she took in the creative exhibition

Effortless: Queen Rania styled her caramel toned tresses into a centre parting as her curls tumbled over her shoulder

Aside from enjoying the arty display, Queen Rania is set to celebrate her 46th birthday on Wednesday.

Proving why she's hailed as a style icon on the international stage, she previously released a photo diary from events during the past year, as is customary ahead of a birthday.

Meanwhile, the Queen will no doubt take some time out of her busy schedule to celebrate with her family after a busy year which saw her take on more than 160 local engagements and field visits.

Arty display: Aside from enjoying the arty display, Queen Rania is set to celebrate her 46th birthday on Wednesday

Opening: The Amman Design Week opens its doors to the public in three central location in the downtown from 1-9 September

Last week she visited the National Committee for Human Resources Development and Jordan Volunteers.

The royal made campaigning for education reform one of her top priorities in 2016 through her Queen Rania Teacher Academy.

The devoted mother-of-four also ensures that she makes plenty of time for family.

Queen Rania pictured on a visit to the National Committee for Human Resources Development and Jordan Volunteers last week

Queen Rania of Jordan with (left to right) Prince Hashem, 11, Princess Iman, 19, King Adbullah, Princess Salma, 15, and Prince Hussein, 21

Her eldest son Prince Hussein, 21, graduated from Georgetown University in May and their daughter Iman, 19, also attends the same school.

Princess Salma, 15, and her brother Prince Hashem, 11, remain at home with their parents and the Queen has spoken in the past about how difficult it is when her children are away at school, and her excitement about having them home for breaks.

Speaking about Prince Hussein, she told People magazine last year: 'When he's home from college, there's just a whole different energy in the house.'

Queen Rania with her Belgian counterpart Queen Mathilde during an official visit to the European country in May 2016

In May Queen Rania celebrated her country's 70th year of independence at Amman's Raghadan Palace, alongside her husband, Prince Hussein (left), Prince Hashem (second left) and Princess Salma (right)

However, her royal duties are certainly more than enough to keep the Queen occupied.

In May, she and the King visited Belgium where they were guests of Queen Mathilde and King Philippe.

Later that month, she celebrated her country's 70th year of independence at Amman's Raghadan Palace, alongside her husband, two sons and Princess Salma.

Queen Rania meets Syrian refugees at the Kara Tepe camp in Lesbos in April 2016

In April she paid a visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to highlight the plight of refugees.

The Middle Eastern royal is said to have asked to visit Kara Tepe, a model camp where hundreds of refugees have been given support.

And she rubbed shoulders with our own royal family, attending the Women In The World Summit in London alongside Princess Beatrice in October 2015.
They say lightning never strikes the same place twice.

But the same cannot be said for Married At First Sight couple Craig and Andy.

The show's first same-sex pairing will tie the knot in New Zealand on the small screen tonight, but a chance meeting two weeks before their wedding means when they lock eyes at the altar, it will not be for the first time.

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Was it really Married At First Sight? The series' first ever same-sex couple, Craig (right), and Andy (left), met in the street by chance two weeks before they wed

Ready to wed: Andy waits at the altar for his groom to arrive, but little does he know they have already met before

In an interview with News Corp 40-year-old Andy, who works in marketing, revealed his groom was not, in fact, a stranger as the show suggests.

'Funnily enough, two weeks or so before the wedding date Craig said he spotted me on Oxford Street (in Sydney) and tried to engage in conversation,' he told the publication.

'He tried to hook up with me  he said he was flirting with me.

'I think it was on a Friday night or Saturday night after work.'

'I am going to walk': Craig yelled at producers on Tuesday night's episode as he frantically searched for his lost wedding vows

Whoops! Craig eventually found the lost vows ... in his pocket

But while he agreed they have in fact met before 41-year-old Craig, who works as a hairdresser, remembered the chance meeting differently.

After laughing off claims he 'flirted' with his husband-to-be, Craig told News Corp he simply saw Andy while taking out the garbage and thought we was cute.

In conversation with Kyle and Jackie O on KIIS 1065 Sydney on Wednesday morning, Craig told his side of the story.

The duo were supposed to meet at the alter for the first time - so what is their reaction when they come face to face?

'I saw him on the street when I was leaving work and I sort of gave him the look and he gave me the look back,' he said.

'I never forget a face.'

The chance meeting is in contrast to the premise of the show, which sees complete strangers tie the knot.

Australia was first introduced to Craig and Andy on Tuesday night's episode as they prepared for their wedding.

Box folding: Andy, who has been cheated on, also hopes to find a monogamous relationship and would like someone who accepts his love for 'structure'

The nuptials will be held in New Zealand, as same-sex couples can legally marry there.

On Tuesday night's episode Craig revealed he had been single for three years and had tried 'everything' to find love after being cheated on in the past.

Andy, who has also been cheated on, hopes to find a monogamous relationship and would like someone who accepts his love for 'structure'.

The pair will meet for the second time at the altar on Wednesday night's episode at 8.40pm on Channel Nine.
A woman has spoken of the moment she asked her sister whether she was marrying the right man just days before she tied the knot.

Radio personality Kristen Henry couldn't help but question her sibling Nikke's choice in husband - a farmer she'd fallen in love with after meeting him when she was doing a teaching stint in a small country town in NSW.

She was set to swap her city nightlife for a rural idyll, trade espresso martinis for beer, designer heels for working boots - and help her husband-to-be run a farm.

And in the spur of the moment, Ms Henry asked: 'Are you positive this is for you... are you marrying the right guy?'

Radio personality Kristen Henry (left) has spoken of the moment she asked her sister Nikke (right) whether she was marrying the right man just days before she tied the knot

'It's something I had thought about for a while but felt silly asking,' Ms Henry told Daily Mail Australia.

'I was riddled with worry because I knew they truly loved each other but I was so worried that the lifestyle change would be too huge.

'It was the week before the wedding, we went for a walk on the farm through the fields. There wasn't a road, building or person in sight.'

And without hesitation, her sister - who initially thought she was joking - grabbed her hand and simply responded: 'Thank you for checking, I just know this is right.'

Marrying the love of her life meant she was going to make a life-changing decision to move six hours away to the countryside of Gilgandra in the central west region of NSW.

But not only was Ms Henry worried about the long distance between her sister and their family - but the thought of adjusting to the rural life made her feel unsettled.

Her young sister (right) married a farmer who she'd met in a small country town when she was doing a teaching stint - and the couple, who run a farm together, have never been happier

Her sister was set to swap her city nightlife for a rural idyll, trade espresso martinis for beer, designer heels for working boots - and help her husband-to-be run a farm (stock image)

'Becoming a farmer's wife is more than meets the eye - it's bloody hard work,' Ms Henry said.

'Work I wouldn't be cut out for. She'd be running a farm. She's not qualified for this.

'Checking crops, being obsessed with the weather, looking after farm animals and supporting those around you if there was ever to be a drought.'

Nikke was posted out to Gilgandra with the intention of just doing a teaching stint in the country - before moving back to the city.

'She is a teacher and wanted to do a "stint in the country"... until she met him. They moved in with each other within six months,' Ms Henry said.

Despite her sisterly concerns, Ms Henry's sibling (right) walked down the aisle in February

They exchanged their vows and have since found their own happily ever after (stock image)

Despite her sisterly concerns, the couple exchanged their vows in February and have since found their own happily ever after.

And six months on, Ms Henry said she has no regrets over the question after her concerns were overshadowed as soon as she saw her sister walk down the aisle.

'Not at all [regret], Id ask it again,' she said as she described her brother-in-law as the perfect man for her sister.

'I'm her support person, we are so close and I think it's important before you say "I do" to fully think through what you're saying "I do" to.

'For her it was huge lifestyle change and I wanted to make sure she was ready for it.

'Marriage is huge and its always OK to ask whether someone is happy and knows what marriage is. It's more than the dress and a wedding, it's a lifetime.'
Leave it to Kyle Sandilands to ask the nitty-gritty questions.

On Wednesday morning the shock jock and his KIIS 1065 co-host Jackie O spoke with one half of Married At First Sight Australia's first same-sex couple: Craig.

But rather than ask if Craig and his new husband Andy had consummated their marriage, a brass Kyle instead asked: 'the first night you had homosexual sex with him, what was that like?'

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Keeping coy: Married At First Sight groom Craig said he did not consummate his marriage with husband, Andy, on the first night

Not shy: Kyle Sandilands asked the newlywed: 'the first night you had homosexual sex with him, what was that like?'

The direct question prompted an exasperated Craig to reply: 'oh cmon, Kyle, seriously'.

But not one to let it go Kyle asked again, this time asking Craig if it was 'awkward' because they barely knew each other.

'I wouldn't say it was awkward, I would say it was like anyone's first night together,' Craig replied, not indicating whether he and Andy had slept together or not.

Putting him on the spot: Kyle asked Craig if the first night with his new husband, Andy, was 'awkward' because they barely knew each other

In it for love: Craig wed Andy (pictured), who together make up the first same-sex couple on the show

The coy response prompted Kyle to ask if it was 'a bit all thumbs', to which Craig replied: 'not quite, no'.

'After a 16-hour wedding by the time you get back to the hotel room youre pretty much done,' Craig continued.

'I could barely get my pants off, let alone do anything else.'

Here comes the groom: Andy waits for his future husband at the altar. The couple wed in New Zealand where same-sex marriage is legal

Chance meeting: Craig (left) said he and Andy met by chance about two weeks before their wedding on the street in Sydney

Australian viewers were first introduced to Craig, 41, and his future husband Andy, 40, on Tuesday night.

The duo are the first same-sex couple on the show and will tie the knot on Wednesday night's episode in New Zealand, where same-sex marriage is legal.

The interview with Kyle and Jackie O came after it was revealed Craig and Andy actually met by chance about two weeks before their wedding.

Lost for words: Craig lost his wedding vows before the wedding, prompting him to go in to meltdown

'Funnily enough, two weeks or so before the wedding date Craig said he spotted me on Oxford Street (in Sydney) and tried to engage in conversation,' Andy told News Corp.

'He tried to hook up with me  he said he was flirting with me.

'I think it was on a Friday night or Saturday night after work.'

Craig went on to tell Kyle and Jackie O the pair simple exchanged a look, denying he was flirtatious.

Sparks flying: Andy, 40 (pictured), said Craig 'tried to hook up with me' and was 'flirting' with him during their chance meeting

On Tuesday night's episode a stressed Craig let the pressure get to him as he went in to meltdown over his lost wedding vows.

'If you want to see me explode you're going to see it,' Craig yelled at producers as he frantically searched for the vows.

'Turn the camera off or I'm going to walk.'

The vows were soon found, in Craig's pocket no less, and he touched on the drama with Kyle and Jackie O.

'Friends and family my whole life have said Im a bit dramatic, but I didnt realise how dramatic until I saw the first episode,' he said.
The campaign uses photos of their hands, which tell their stories

Broadway or in the ballet

The women had vibrant careers as dancers on

Phyllis Sues' hands tell a story.

In her 93 years they have played music on the piano, supported her weight on the yoga mat and been thrust in the air as a dancer for the Ballets Russes.

Her life story is etched in each wrinkle, line and blemish, and that is what makes them beautiful.

New Zealand designer Karen Walker celebrated those hands, and the hands of others, in her latest jewellery campaign: Magic Hands.

Art of expression: New Zealand designer Karen Walker's jewellery campaign Magic Hands feature 93-year-old Phyllis Sues and 78-year-old Roberta Haze

The campaign was shot by LA-based Advanced Style photographer Ari Seth Cohen.

'Hands can be every bit as expressive as faces,' Karen said.

'These Magic Hands speak of a life well-lived and they absolutely have their own stories to tell.'

Sharing their story: 'These Magic Hands speak of a life well-lived and they absolutely have their own stories to tell,' Karen said

Colourful past: Roberta Haze, 78, features in the campaign and is an 'infamous party girl', stylist and 1960s Broadway hoofer

Joining 93-year-old Phyllis Sues in the campaign is 78-year-old Roberta Haze.

The 'infamous part girl' and stylist was a 1960s Broadway hoofer, or professional dancer, and spent half a decade as a Shark in West Side Story.

Today, Roberta is a great grandmother.

Unique: The women wore different rings on almost every finger, their nails painted bright with polish

The women wear their own Karen Walker jewellery pieces, alongside brand classics such as the arrow ring and filigree bands.

The women's hands feature bright red or black nail polish, almost every finger adorned with one or multiple rings.
A mum has gone viral after posting a photo of her breastfeeding from a hospital bed after falling down the stairs.

Thamalia Muller Benjamin Greenbury-Hall, from Manly, fell down a flight of 12 stairs at her home and was rushed to hospital last week.

She was in her hospital bed with a neck brace on and hooked up to a number of monitors, but her son was hungry so she breastfed him right there and then.

Thamalia Muller Benjamin Greenbury-Hall (above) fell down the stairs but refused painkillers so she could breastfeed her son

'I had an infection in my nose which made me dizzy and a heart condition called cardiomyopathy,' Ms Greenbury-Hall told Daily Mail. 'I blacked out and fell down the flight of 12 stairs.'

Despite being in huge amounts of pain, the mother opted to not have any painkillers other than panadol so she could breastfeed her nine-month-old son, who won't take a bottle.

'He won't drink from a bottle unless it's his soppy cup with water and he was overdue for a feed,' she explained.

'I'd rather me be in pain and him be fed, especially at that time as he should have been in bed asleep.'

Thankfully Ms Greenbury-Hall was okay, just battered and bruised, but she had to spend the night in hospital.

Someone snapped a photo of her breastfeeding, and she shared it on Facebook.

The picture was then posted on the Instagram account Breastfeeders in Australia, where it quickly went viral.

Ms Greenbury-Hall shared the photo of her on Facebook and it went viral

Ms Greenbury-Hall has been breastfeeding since the beginning, and submitted the photo to the Instgram account to try and help normalise the natural practice.

She said that she had 'wonderful' doctors and nurses who let her son co-sleep with her and gave her great care.
It was straight down to business for Queen Maxima when she arrived in Jakarta yesterday following a 13 hour flight.

And today the royal looked remarkably fresh faced as day two of her whirlwind visit to the Southeast Asian country got underway.

The Dutch Queen, 45, was all smiles as her day got underway with a field visit to Bogor in West Java.

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Queen Maxima today the royal looked remarkably fresh faced as day two of her whirlwind visit to Indonesia got underway. She began the day with a field visit to Bogor, West Java

Perfectly co-ordinated as always, the royal wore a chocolate brown blouse and a patterned skirt, which she cinched at the waist with an asymmetric belt.

She teamed the ensemble with an elaborate brown necklace and allowed her blonde hair to tumble around her shoulders.

Queen Maxima looked delighted to greet local residents, and one couldn't resist snapping a photo of the regal visitor on her phone as they shook hands.

The wife of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands then visited a local school to inspect a student savings program initiated by Indonesian Financial Services Authority.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands talks to students during a field visit to inspect a student savings program initiated by Indonesian Financial Services Authority at a school in Bogor, West Java

A local woman couldn't resist snapping a photo of the royal visitor on her phone as they shook hands

She is making this week's visit as part of her role as the UN secretary-general's special advocate for inclusive finance for development.

Yesterday, she spoke at the FinTech Festival and Conference in the Indonesian capital, where she praised the country's progress in economic development.

'Financial access jumped from 20 to 36 per cent between 2011 and 2014. Savings is widespread,' she said.

Queen Maxima gestures as she talks to Indonesian students during a field visit to inspect a student savings program initiated by Indonesian Financial Services Authority at a school in Bogor, West Java

The royal shielded her eyes from the sun in an oversized pair of tortoiseshell glasses with round frames

'Some research even shows that women's financial inclusion is ahead of men's, which very few countries have accomplished!

'Still, expanding financial inclusion presents a formidable test.

'I don't need to tell you how challenging Indonesia's vast island geography is for your important work.'

The Dutch Queen was first handed the role of Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance in 2009 by Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon

The Dutch Queen, pictured on a field visit to Bogor is visiting Indonesia for a three day tour as part of her role as UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance

The Queen took a keen interest in learning about a student saving programme during a visit to a school in Bogor, West Java

Maxima, who is also the Honorary Patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, has been tasked with raising awareness of the benefits of financial systems that also help the poor.

In practice, this means improving access to savings, insurance and credit - all of which are particularly important in countries where famine and rising food prices can hit the poorest hard and, in the worst cases, lead to starvation and malnutrition.
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Women across the US have taken to the streets bare chested on Go Topless Day - to promote gender equality.

The event - which also attracted crowds of men taking photographs - is celebrated each year on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, marking the day American women earned the right to vote.

A group of about 50 women as well as men were walking topless in the oceanside Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice, behind a giant, inflatable pink breast that had the phrase 'equal topless rights' written on it.

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Dozens of women have taken to the streets of New York (pictured) and Los Angeles bare chested at Go Topless day

One marcher carried a sign that said: 'My Body Is Not A Crime.'

A few dozen women, and some men, went topless as they walked down Broadway in New York City. Onlookers gawked and took photos as the parade participants went by.

The event in New York City and Los Angeles were two of several planned for cities across the globe. Gatherings were planned in New Hampshire, Denver and more.

The annual event aims to promote gender equality and decriminalise female toplessness

The event takes place on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day each year

The event attracted dozens of women as well as men who turned out in support of the initiative

The legality of going topless varies from state to state but organisers hope to see it made legal across the US

Nadine Gary, president of Go Topless, said she hopes the events will take away the shock and awe around seeing female breasts.

'This push for women to go topless in the 21st century is as strong as women wanting to vote in the 20th century,' she said. 'It may be sensual, but it's not illegal to be sensual.'

The legality of women going topless varies by state.

Here two women share their message with the crowds using megaphones to make themselves heard in New York

The event attracted plenty of spectators who paused to take photographs of the brave women

Several spectators climbed to higher vantage points in order to get a better view

Kia Sinclair is an event organizer for Go Topless Day at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire.

'It's in hopes to show people that it can be normal, that it's really not a big deal and it's not about getting attention or protesting,' she said.

Sinclair was also part of a group of women who last year helped beat back an effort to criminalize toplessness in the state.

Many protesters painted their bare chests with the Go Topless website address

This woman shows off some impressive inkings as she removes her top in NYC

One creative protester covered her nipples with black hearts as she joined her fellow women
One exhausted dad hilariously demonstrates the reality of having baby triplets - as they simultaneously burst into tears after waking from a nap.

When firefighter Brandon Santiago, from Berkeley, Illinois, returned from a 24-hour-shift he was greeted by a chorus of crying by his eight-month-old triplets Finn, Kyle and Ava.

As one of his little ones woke up cranky and began to cry it set off the other two and before Brandon knew it all three were moaning. However, he has his own unique coping mechanism.

In a short clip, Brandon tries desperately to soothe the trio with tickles and head rubs, but still the third and final baby began to moan. Quickly Santiago turns the camera on himself to show his mock tears.

Brandon said: 'These short 40 seconds perfectly embody our manic daily lives.

'One second the house is nice and peaceful the next, one baby starts crying and the other two quickly follow suit.

'This could be because they've lost their pacifier, are hungry or just because they're over-tired.

Three babies one very patient father: Dad Brandon Santiago has hilarious way of coping with his crying triplets

'But the result is still the same - three babies crying.'

Brandon and his wife of seven years Heather, also have a four-year-old son, Liam, plus a dog and a cat to complete their full house.

The madness of their days begins at 6.30am when the babies wake up one by one.

Brandon said: 'This happens whether you like it or not.

'After a quick diaper change, one at a time are sat in a high chair and get solid food while the others play with toys.

'Those two begin to scream and cry because they are a mix of hungry and angry.

'They then all need to be washed off before the food gets everywhere.

'Then each baby needs a bottle that takes about ten minutes, while the other two really let you have it because they are watching you sit there and feed their brothers and sister.

'And this is just for breakfast.'

As Brandon returns from 24-hour-long shift he is greeted by a chorus of crying coming from his littlest ones

In an effort to stay on top of their family income, Heather has a couple of part time jobs while Brandon takes any overtime he can get.

Because of this they are thankful of any help they can get from either set of parents.

Brandon added: 'I come home sometimes after a 24 or 48-hour shift and Heather is in tears.

'I kick her out of the house and tell her to go get her nails done or get a massage.

'But she just walks around Target or Marshalls for two hours buying things we need.

'My mother lives the closest but literally has a broken back.

'My father and his wife are absolutely amazing and every Tuesday they come to the house with containers full of home cooked meals.

He said: 'This could be because they've lost their pacifier, are hungry or just because they're over-tired. But the result is still the same - three babies crying'

'That means we can just microwave them instead of living off PB&J with Liam.

'They are coming to babysit while we go out of town for a wedding for two days.

'We are so excited, not only to see friends but to have a hotel room where we can actually sleep in the same bed and maybe enjoy some quiet.'

Despite the hectic days and lack of sleep, Brandon is aware just how lucky he is to have such a fantastic family.

He said: 'I can never explain the enormous love and happiness I feel when I'm with my family.

Tiny Finn, Kyle and Ava are only eight months old and already more than a handful for the firefighter and his wife Heather who also have another child, four-year-old Liam

How incredibly lucky I am to have Heather, who is the most amazing person I could have ever met.

'The fact that she is handles running a household while still putting up with me on a daily basis is astounding.

'I make sure that on my days off I take care of all the yard work, laundry or whatever because I just want her to take care of our children and herself.

'She still feels guilty when I'm doing all the housework and I try to get her to at least lay down and close her eyes for 20 minutes.

'No matter what though, every moment in life is better with the kids in it.'
A dog lover has shelled out more than 4,000 on a party for her pet pooches.

Helen Turner, 44, from Burnley, Lancashire, splashed the cash on her two precious chihuahuas to celebrate their joint first birthday.

Salvador and Purdy were treated to a no-expense-spared bash - complete with a clown, face painting, three doggy birthday cakes and even a dwarf.

Helen Turner splashed 4000 on her precious pooches Purdy - right - and Salvador - left - to celebrate their joint first birthday

The dogs were joined by their three siblings and other pooch pals to celebrate the special occasion - that cost nearly 10 times as much as the average children's birthday party.

The extravagant shindig makes up just a fraction of the staggering 24,000 a year Helen already splashes out on her eight pampered pooches.

Helen, who runs a dog grooming salon called Any Paw Salon and Boutique, in Barnoldswick, said: 'Salvador and Purdy are the youngest of my five chihuahuas, so I wanted to celebrate in style!

'I chose a Mexican theme because that's where chihuahuas originate from, so it was like I was taking them back to their roots.

Dogs, Salvador and Purdy, were treated to a bash which included a clown and face painting

Helen, pictured above in the middle, spends a staggering 24,000 a year on her eight pampered pooches

Salvador, left, and Purdy, right, were joined by their three siblings and other pooch pals to celebrate the special occasion

Salvador, pictured above, shows off his dancing skills on his hind legs

'I spent months planning everything, so it was great to see it all come together.

'I'd planned all the party games, booked senoritas to serve doggy canapes, planned out all the decorations and ordered three cakes.

'I also booked a clown and magician, face painters and balloon artists, and even a dwarf!

'The feedback from the guests was great - everyone was amazed and said it was a fabulous party, most people were just gobsmacked.

'They knew it was a Mexican theme, but I don't think they quite realised the effort I would go to.

Pictured above is the dogs party food that is served to all of the pets at the party

Pictured above is Salvador proudly wearing his sombrero

A party clown does magic tricks for birthday boy Salvador and owner Helen

Helen, 44, took inspiration from classic children's birthday parties to give her adorable pooches the birthday celebration of the century

'But all the dogs got on so well together, and it was really nice to see them interacting and playing together, and just having fun.'

Helen took inspiration from classic children's birthday parties to give her adorable pooches the birthday celebration of the century.

She spent months planning out extravagant decorations, and organising traditional activities and games with lavish prizes for the lucky pups.

Helen, who has five chihuahuas and thee spaniels, said: 'Although it was Mexican themed, I tried to set it like a child's birthday party - with fun games like pass the parcel, pin the tail on the chihuahua instead of the donkey.

'A lot of the dogs had never been to a dog party before, but everyone said it was fabulous - they were all really impressed.

'The ladies doing face painting and balloons normally do children's birthday parties, but they said it was excellent - if a bit different to their normal parties!

Emily Teal with birthday dogs Salvador and Purdy being given their first gift

Birthday girl Purdy, in her red bow, and her party pinata

Helen said: 'Salvador and Purdy loved it - it was the first time we'd had all their doggy family together in one room'

'Salvador and Purdy loved it - it was the first time we'd had all their doggy family together in one room.

'They met their dad and their grandparents, and it was lovely to see all the generations of the same chihuahua family together - that was once of the best parts.

'A lot of people travelled from far away to come to the party, so it was a nice excuse to get everyone together - and everyone made a real effort with the theme was was great.

'I'd been planning it for months so to see it all come together was amazing.'

Helen's exasperated husband Richard, 47, tolerates her obsession with spoiling her beloved pups - and she has been steadily adding to the brood since she got her first dog 13 years ago.

Helen, on the left, with birthday boy Salvador and best dressed dog and owner who wore matching ponchos

Birthday dogs Purdy (back left) and Salvador (back right) in the ball pool with their friends

Pictured is birthday girl Purdy before put on her party clothes

Birthday boy Salvador (right) greets one of his party guests

Party guest Chi Chi waits for the party to start

Helen (right) with birthday Salvador and security dog

Pictured is party guest Chi Chi getting dressed by Helen for the party

Now, as well as two teenage sons, the couple have eight dogs - three cocker spaniels and five chihuahuas named Meg, Betty, Daisy, Chi Chi, Pebbles, Chica Bella, Purdy and Salvador - but as the spaniels are all quite old now, Helen lavishes most of her attention on her pampered chihuahuas..

Helen said: 'They all incredibly spoilt! They're very pampered pooches.

BIRTHDAY PARTY BREAKDOWN (19 guests - 12 dogs, seven people) Venue - Helen's own salon Decorations/props - 550 Dog costumes - 350 Human costumes - 150 Doggy food/canapes - 100 Three birthday cakes - 300 Human food and drinks - 150 Dwarf hire - 250 Clown/magician - 130 Face painter and balloon artist - 130 Party games/prizes - 540 Party bags - 150 Waitresses/helpers - 300 Photographer - 300 Birthday presents (including pink car) - 770 TOTAL: 4,170 Advertisement

'I probably spend at least 2,000 on them every month - and if I didn't run my own doggy salon it would be an awful lot more than that.

'They do still get dirty and scrubby like normal dogs, but they also have lovely clothes and expensive collars for special occasions.

'I like them to look nice, and they love it too - you'd know about it if they didn't want to wear something, but as soon as I take a dress out of their wardrobe they run at me to put it on them.

'They've got more clothes than me - and I certainly spend more money on their clothes and accessories than I do on my own.

'They have manicures every fortnight, and I get them special shampoo and conditioner that costs 25 a bottle - I'd never spend that on my shampoo, I just grab the cheapest thing off the shelf.

'I do sometimes feel bad for Richard and the boys, with all the attention I give the dogs - although because the boys have been bought up with the dogs they don't really bat an eyelid, I think sometimes their friends are bit shocked when they come round though!

'When I told Richard about the party, he sort of rolled his eyes and said 'here we go again' - I think he's used to it by now!'
The mother of an eight-year-old boy has revealed how he has rebelled against stereotypes since the age of two - wearing girls' clothes, carrying purses and wearing lipstick.

Jackie Swirsky, 37, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, said Jacob hated having his hair cut so she and husband Matthew, 40, have let him grow his long curly locks since the age of four.

When Jacob began expressing himself at home by accessorising his T-shirts with necklaces and handbags his parents feared their son would be bullied for his uniqueness when he started school.

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Jacob (pictured second from the left) is surrounded and by a supportive family of his father Matthew (far left), mother Jackie (far right) and younger brother Zev (second from the right)

Jacob Swirsky (pictured), from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is a gender-creative eight-year-old

However, Jacob, who is now a happy eight-year-old, hasn't had problems with bullies and even finds his classmates and brother correcting others if they refer to him with female pronouns.

Jackie runs workshops to explain the term gender-creative children, whose identities and expression are not consistent with gender norms for the sex they were assigned at birth.

Jackie, a Speech Language Pathologist, said: 'The way I look at it is - he was assigned as a male at birth, but his gender expression, his style and the way he's always presented himself is very feminine.

'He first started speaking about his discontent when he was four-years-old, even before that his movements were always very cutesy and feminine.

'I remember one day he came me and said "it's not fair, I just don't want to be a boy".

From as young as two Jacob was defying gender norms, happily playing with socially deemed feminine objects like handbags and lipstick

From four years old Jacob began displaying a discomfort with his masculine identity

Jackie said: 'We just want him to be comfortable in his own skin and to be a happy, healthy kid'

'We spoke about what it means to be a boy and have always been supportive.

'From there, we expanded on finding out what things make him feel the most comfortable from clothing to the way he dresses.

'We just want him to be comfortable in his own skin and to be a happy, healthy kid.

'When he was younger he had gorgeous curly hair and would never want us to cut it, so we've let him grow it longer.

'The biggest change was his style of clothing, prior to that conversation he was wearing a very masculine style of clothing - all from the boys' section of the store.

'We found that the girls' side fitted and suited him the most, so that's what he's been wearing since.

When he was young, Jacob began expressing his chosen identity with accessories like necklaces

'He is 100 per cent more comfortable how he dresses now, he's a super confident, happy kid because we support him living in his own skin.

'The most important thing we found is, if you truly listen to your kid they will tell you what makes them feel comfortable and confident.'

Jackie added: 'My only and biggest worry as a parent was that he would be bullied, teased and hurt emotionally or physically.

The biggest fear for the family was that Jacob, pictured now, would be bullied at school, but this hasn't been the case

Before his family were able to see the depth of Jacob's gender neutrality, they dressed him boyish baby clothing, like Thomas the Tank Engine and Spider Man pyjamas

'He does look like a girl and my fear was that someone would say "hey, you look like a girl, you're a girl, look at you girl" and teachers would not know how to respond.

'Anyone who sees him and doesn't know him thinks he's a girl.

'If he is 'miss-gendered' in class, like when people say 'she' instead of 'he', Jacob's classmates correct people.

'They tell people "That's Jacob, he's a boy".'

His parents believe that by not classifying things as male or female they enable their child to feel more accepted.

Statistics report that 41 per cent of transgender and gender non-conforming people have attempted to commit suicide, this compares with 4.6 per cent of the overall US population.

Jackie said: ''Jacob - pictured - is very comfortable with male pronouns and expressing himself the way he does'

Though a lot younger than Jacob, his brother Zev, four, sticks up for him and corrects anyone that uses the wrong terms to describe Jacob

Jackie said: 'I don't want my child to consider committing suicide because I'm not supportive of who he is and how he feels, I will always listen, affirm and acknowledge him with pride.

'We don't like to classify things as male or female, we're trying to share a language of acceptance.

'Jacob is very comfortable with male pronouns and expressing himself the way he does currently, if anything changes we'll always be there to help and support him.'

Jacob, who says he wants to be an 'interior designer by day and a choreographer by night', is a passionate dancer and wears a leotard during gymnastics lessons.

At school if his gender confuses others his younger brother Zev, who's six years old, sticks up for Jacob and corrects them.

Jackie said: 'In Kindergarten when Zev's friends would talk about his sister, he tells them "he's not my sister, he just looks like a girl" and is very factual about it all.

Jackie said: 'In Kindergarten when Zev's (pictured) friends would talk about his sister, he tells them "he's not my sister, he just looks like a girl" and is very factual about it all'

'Because Jacob is more of a unique kid, it's another layer to the onion, we're hoping that by speaking to people more in the community it will help others to understand.'

Jackie has since become a public speaker and has written a book to explain gender-creative children called Be Yourself, which is co-illustrated by her son Jacob - she hopes to have a copy of this book in every classroom.

She said: 'We prefer the term gender-creative, because even the term 'transgender' is often considered to be still living in a binary, male or female world; some kids are born feeling somewhere in the middle.
Royals also met head chef who hails from Sweden

They're both new parents to baby boys and have a shared interest in healthy living.

So it's no wonder Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, 39, and Jamie Oliver, 41, had lots to catch up on when she stopped off for lunch at his London restaurant Fifteen.

The celebrity chef was clearly delighted by the royal visit and took to Instagram to share a picture with Victoria her husband Daniel and his head chef outside the eatery.

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Jamie Oliver was delighted to welcome Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to his London restaurant Fifteen and shared a snap of the royal and her husband Prince Daniel (right) with his head chef Robbin (second right) who is also Swedish

'What a pleasure to have Princess Victoria of Sweden visit today with Prince Daniel and their beautiful newborn baby Oscar,' he wrote.

'My amazing head chef Robbin is Swedish so it was really special.

'We had some really interesting conversations and sharing our passions around improving child health for the next generation. Big love Jamie xx.'

The Crown Princess was the picture of casual elegance in a pair of slim grey trousers which grazed her ankles and ruffled white blouse, while Prince Daniel cut a dapper figure in a navy suit.

Prince Oscar of Sweden, pictured with his mother on Victoria Day in July 2016 - a national celebration of her birthday - joined his parents on their trip to London

Prince Oscar and his sister Estelle feature on a thank you card sent to guests who attended the baby Prince's christening back in May

Their son Oscar, five months, did not feature in the picture.

However, yesterday he had his own starring moment as a thank you card featuring the young prince and his older sister Princes Estelle, four, was revealed.

The card was sent out to guests who attended Oscar's christening back in May.

Of course, Jamie too is adjusting to being a father again - for the fifth time.

Chef Jamie Oliver with wife Jools Oliver leave the Portland Hospital in central London with baby River Rocket and their older children (left to right) Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Buddy Bear Maurice and Poppy Honey Rosie

He and his wife Jools recently welcomed a son River Rocket to their brood, joining sisters Poppy Honey, 14, Daisy Boo, 12, Petal Blossom, six and brother Buddy Bear, five.

Jamie was first noticed by the BBC in 1997 while working as a sous chef at the acclaimed River Cafe in Fulham.

He made an unscripted appearance in a documentary on the Italian eatery which led to the chef being given his own show, The Naked Chef, two years later.

And he's known for his campaigning work to encourage healthy eating, fighting against poor school lunches, excessive sugar consumption and junk food.

Meanwhile, Princess Victoria is also known for her interest in healthy living.
In summer 2015 a hacking team released the details of the 35 million members of adulterous dating site Ashley Madison in one of the biggest data breaches ever seen.

The result was, what divorce lawyers were calling 'Christmas in September', after the leak saw hundreds of relationships torn apart.

The hack even lead to several reports of suicides of members of the site who struggled to face life after their exposure.

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In summer 2015 the names and details of over 30 million members of adulterous dating site Ashley Madison were released by a hacking group

Former Ashley Madison CEO Noel Biderman, who recently stepped down, has always denied that the site promotes infidelity

But now a year after the controversial site was infiltrated by Impact hackers a Channel 4 documentary has met the victims of the exposure - both customers of the site and their cheated partners.

Tamsin Smythe, an unmarried marketing consultant from Virginia, was one of the 35 million members seeking to have an affair using the 'dating site'.

The site, which promises 'discreet' relationships is dedicated to people already in committed relationships or marriages, attracted Tamsin after she had spent her whole life shunning traditional relationships in favour of affairs.

Hacking group Impact gave Avid Media (the group that owned the site) and it's CEO Noel Biderman (pictured) 30 days to take down the site when they refused the details were leaked

She says: 'It was definitely geared more towards the afternoon delight kind of a quick hook-up'.

Christopher Russell, who used the site to find 'like minded women' agreed that the site had a casual appeal.

He added: 'The big attraction to it was it's a hook-up, it's not a date. Everyone knows where they stand.'

Tamsin used the site in order to meet a variety of men claiming she came across politicians, CEOs and management, but reveals that though they may be brazen in their relationships they could be shy online.

She said: 'Initially men are very hesitant to make the first move. When we start talking they want to find out "are you real? Do you really live in the United States?"

Channel 4 meets some of those whose details were disclosed including Tasmin Smythe (pictured) who says she was approached by the wives of her lovers

'Then once you start talking inevitably men have this sensational desire to send you d*** pictures. Sometimes it's even the first picture - you don't even know what their face looks like.'

In July last year all the details of the men and women using the controversial site were threatened to be released by Impact.

The hackers gave Avid Media 30 days to close down their sites Ashley Madison and Established Men (a site for successful men looking for beautiful women) or they would release the information.

Their wives were decimated and hurt and they wanted to talk - Tasmin, Ashley Madison member

When the CEO Noel Biderman refused to close the site after the 30 day period 30 million user details were released.

Tamsin recalls the day she found out: 'I was in a meeting and all of a sudden my phone is dancing across the table.

'I'm trying to concentrate and I'm looking over and I'm seeing the names of business associates, business clients, friends of mine, people I had met on Ashley Madison contacting me and my heart sank.'

After the names of the committed men she had been courting were released Tamsin says she was even contacted by their partners.

She added: 'I had met and talked to quite a few of the gentleman - their wives were decimated and hurt and they wanted to talk.'

Christopher Russell believes that out of the 200 women he spoke to one was a real woman as it was unveiled that the site had 837 fembots in action

After the release of the user details it came to light that 'White Hat' hackers - those who infiltrate large sites in order to warn them of their security weaknesses had tried to encourage Avid Media to increase their security.

Jeremy Bullock, chief data scientist at a UK-based technology firm said: 'They talked a good game about their security but what we saw is that security wasn't really the top of their agenda. The top of their agenda was making money.'

The programme reveals the lengths at which the company went to in order to generate more cash.

In order to make money male users were required to buy 'credits' if they wished to talk and reply to female members.

Ashley Madison was warned of its weak security ahead of the breach

However, shortly after the hacking case it transpired that many men were paying money to talk to one of 837 'fembots', robots programmed to send messages to gullible men.

User Christopher commented: 'They made it sound like this playland of people hooking up and there's millions of women here and they're all interested in you.

'I had contact with probably around 200 profiles and out of those I believe I spoke to one actual person.'

Although many users ended up having relationships with nothing more than spambots for others they faced a far harsher reality.

In 2012 several years before the hack Jim*, from Idaho received some messages on his phone after one of his wife's accounts accidentally networked to his cell.

He explains: 'I started getting emails and text messages between my wife and another guy telling him "I'm gonna start a fight with my husband", find some way to meet up with him. And I threw up.

'(It's) Stuff you can never un-know, never un-see. There was a video someone sent me and it was her having sex.'

After accessing further messages Jim discovered that his wife had affairs with no less than six different men through Ashley Madison.

CEO Noel Biderman (pictured being interviewed on Naked News) eventually stepped down from his post at Avid Media

He continued: 'Its like a drug and you're addicted and you just want more you want that adrenaline. You want that feeling. That's the only way I can think of it.'

Jim and his then wife have five children and he desperately tried to keep the family together.

He said: 'I have kids. I did not want to raise them up with a broken home. I felt like it was my fault. I felt responsible.

'I just tried talking to her and explaining, "you know I love you. We have five kids, let's not destroy this family"'.

However, eventually the cracks in their relationship lead to the couple divorcing shortly after.

'It took a long time before I stopped getting nauseous,' said Jim. 'I had to physically withdraw from Ashley Madison until the hack. That was a good day'.

CEO Noel Biderman eventually stepped down from his post at Avid Media but to this day police investigating the case still don't know who was behind the Impact hack.

Sex, Lies and Cyber Attacks is on tonight at 10pm on Channel 4
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Burning Man vanished behind thick dust after vast clouds of the fine particles swept over the festival.

But festival-goers did not allow the alkali dust to get in their way - putting on face masks, googles and scarves to protect their eyes and mouths as they moved around Black Rock City.

Despite Tuesday's poor visibility, the festival's 70,000 revelers used bikes and even windsurfing boards to get around the temporary city in Nevada's Black Rock Desert.

Poor visibility: Revelers put on face masks, goggles and scarves as Burning Man vanished behind a thick cloud of dust on Tuesday in Nevada's Black Rock Desert

Pedaling on: The festival was barely recognizable on Tuesday as festival-goers were forced to cover their faces in masks, goggles and scarves to protect their eyes and mouths from the fine alkali dust

Hello? But the poor visibility did not stop the temporary metropolis's 70,000 residents from getting around by bike, on foot or even on windsurfing boards

Navigation issues: Two cyclists, pictured, ride into the dust cloud as they try to find their way in the desert

Silhouettes: Some festival-goers, pictured, used windsurfing boards to get around the site

Dust storms are a common feature of the festival - coating people and vehicles - and causes some people to experience breathing problems.

This year's celebrity visitors include socialite Paris Hilton, 35, and British actress and model Cara Delevingne, 24, who shared pictures on social media of themselves at the festival on Tuesday.

Paris, who is at the festival for the first time, shared pictures of herself rolling around on the floor describing herself as a 'dust angel'.

Cara arrived with friends Octavia Calthorpe, Adwoa Aboah and Christabel Reed. Alongside a picture of the group dressed in illuminated clothes, she wrote: 'So let the burn begin...'

Community: Black Rock City, pictured amid the dust, is a temporary metropolis that forms during the festival

Commitment: The eight-day desert party, which is this year celebrating its 30th anniversary, started on Sunday and runs until September 5

VIP: This year's celebrity visitors include British actress and model Cara Delevingne, pictured right, who shared a picture with her friends dressed in illuminated accessories, left

'Dust angel': Socialite Paris Hilton, pictured, marked her first time at the festival by rolling around on the ground

Illuminations: The festival features dozens of structures and art installations, including Tangential Dreams, pictured

The eight-day desert party, which is this year celebrating its 30th anniversary, started on Sunday and runs until September 5.

But while the festival quickly got into full swing, it was not without technical difficulties after organizers encountered a glitch with the site's burning man center piece.

It was reportedly stuck upside-down and without a head thanks to some issues with broken equipment.

Reno Gazette-Journal said an attempt was made to raise the 40ft-tall effigy, which this year was inspired by a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, into its place on Sunday, but organizers of the festival Nevada's Black Rock Desert discovered the equipment needed to turn it the right way up is broken.

Meeting point: A huge bear, Ursa Major, pictured surrounded by people, is also among the exhibits

Interactive: Festival-goer 'Shin' is pictured climbing inside Tangential Dreams

Money bear: Ursa Major is formed of hundreds of pennies, pictured

Party: Festival-goers dressed in elaborate costumes and lights dance at the festival

Ablaze: The mutant vehicle, pictures, impresses festival-goers with its flames

But the man appears to have since been fixed and is set to be burned down on Saturday.

Among this year's art installation attractions that have sprung up on the festival site are a pink metallic art car, a temple, a segment of a Boeing 747, a huge viewing point called the Tower of Ascension, an interactive boar sculpture, an 'Earth' sign, a giant honey bear and the flaming Spire of Fire.

The event is so popular that the dried up lake is transformed into a temporary metropolis called Black Rock City during the festival.

The event, dedicated to 'community, art, self-expression and self-reliance, asks participants to follow its ten principles: radical inclusion, gifting, 'decommodification', radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation and immediacy.

Emotional: Fanicorn Hlavinka, pictured, cried as he visited the Temple Project on Tuesday

Attraction: Festival-goers stop to view the Temple Project, pictured

'Upside-down': It comes after organizers reportedly faced problems erecting the festival's main attraction, the 40ft Burning Man effigy, pictured on Monday, but it since appears to have been fixed

In full swing: Despite the glitch, the festival kicked off with a bang as revelers launched an anvil into the air with explosives on Monday

No currency is allowed to be exchanged at the festival except for buying ice and coffee.

Instead, festival-goers can visit art installations, participate in camps - which this year includes an annex for fans of spandex and the air-conditioned 'Orgy Dome' - and are required to operate as a 'gifting society'.

Volunteers started building Black Rock City Airport, a temporary landing strip, around two weeks ago.

The majority of people get around the dust storm-prone site by bike or in specially created vehicles.

Festival mode: Revelers, pictured dancing to the Trashkan Marchink Band, wasted no time getting the party started

Established: The annual event, attended by 'Katapult Sandra' and 'Divine Mustache', pictured on stilts, is this year celebrating its 30th anniversary

Displaced: Among the art installations on display is a segment of a Boeing 747

Changing perspectives: Among the 70,000 festival-goers are Mark Dill and Brit Thacker, pictured practicing acro-yoga

Burning Man organizers said on Tuesday that people worked during the night on Monday to fix the festival's landmark effigy.

Spokesman Jim Graham said: 'The head is one of the last pieces to go on, so that's to be expected. They were working on the man last night [Monday].'

Despite its non-capitalist principles, the festival has become a popular hotspot for tech billionaire CEOs. Previous festival attendees include Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg.

Exhibit: Sandra Mallet, pictured, views one of the many art installations on display at Burning Man

Recreation: Among the art installations is Playa TV, pictured with revelers Jody Friedman and Jeff Montgomery

Two wheels: Most festival-goers get around the site on bikes, pictured congregating around the Space Whale installation

Feat: A pink metallic 'art car' and the Temple Project, pictured on Monday, are among the temporary structures and vehicles that have sprung up at the festival
My ears are burning, my cheeks are pink and I suspect my eye make-up is melting down my cheeks.

Another half an hour, says my hairdresser. Or at least I think thats what shes saying. Its hard to hear with a giant plastic hood over my head and jets of hot air in my ears.

Ive already been here for an hour, cooking gently, and I feel like a roast chicken in hair rollers.

Marianne Power tried out the 'shampoo and set' - a weekly treat for women in the post-war years

Its hard to believe that for a generation of women, a shampoo and set was not just a style necessity but their weekly treat.

Loved by everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Ena Sharples, the wash and set was a rare chance for pampering in the post-war years.

But in a modern world obsessed with quick, bouncy blow dries - the shampoo and set is an endangered species.

The National Hairdressers Federation confirmed this week that some trainees are no longer being taught the technique.

Paul Curry, a former chairman of the Federation, has managed Studio 12 salon in York for 30 years.

We used to have about 30 regulars every week for shampoo and sets. Now we have about 15. Hairdressers just dont get the chance to practise it on younger clients who prefer hair straightening or blow dries.

The treatment involves applying a setting lotion to wet hair, putting the hair in rollers, and drying it gently in a hood dryer before shaping it into a style (pictured, Marianne beforehand)

The shampoo and set, which became popular in the Thirties, is a more time consuming process.

It involves applying a setting lotion to wet hair, putting the hair in rollers, and drying it gently in a hood dryer before shaping it into a style - each with its own nickname, such as the Cottage Loaf [a bun], or the Teasy Weasy created by Britains first celebrity hairdresser, Raymond Bessone.

Swindon-born starlet Diana Dors was so in love with his work that in 1956 she flew him to America at a cost of 2,500 - about 65,000 in todays money.

Despite owning all sorts of straightening irons, diffusers, heated tongs and modern dryers, I spend my life with my hair shoved back in a ponytail, and go months between cuts

Clearly, the women of the Fifties placed great importance on this dying art, so before its secrets are lost, I decided to see what the fuss was about.

I visited the Nicky Clarke salon in London with stylist Ondine Cowley. I used to do my grandmothers shampoo and set every week, she says.

She would never leave the house without her hair done and would sleep on a silk pillow to protect her hair.

Back then the trip to the salon was part of a womans week. Many would bring their own rollers and leave with them still in, and a scarf wrapped round their hair. That was a time when women would never allow their husbands to see their hair undone. It was a different era.

Despite owning all sorts of straightening irons, diffusers, heated tongs and modern dryers, I spend my life with my hair shoved back in a ponytail, and go months between cuts, which is the first thing Ondine notices.

Marianne found that her firm bouncy curls remained in place for five days - much longer than a standard blowdry

When did you last cut your hair? she asks.

Two or three months ago, I lie. It was more like six.

These split ends have to go, she says, as she gives me a trim and shampoo.

Ondine tells me my hair might be in better condition if I had a weekly shampoo and set.

Women of my grandmothers generation had their hair washed, brushed and dried just once a week. In between appointments, they took care not to fiddle with it.

This is a much more gentle approach than the daily war I wage on my hair, pulling it with brushes, blasting it with the hairdryers and sizzling it under straighteners. But can the old-fashioned way match up to the elegance of a bouncy modern blow-dry?

Once my hair is trimmed and shampooed, Ondine applies mousse to my wet locks. Some salons still use setting lotion, but most use mousse now as it gives a lighter hold, she says.

The most popular setting lotion, Amami, was discontinued in 2010.

Marilyn Monroe, who always boasted signature curls, was said to love the wash and set for a spot of pampering

Next, she takes small sections of my wet hair and twists them around small rollers. Pulling the hair up gives you lift and volume.

These days, hairstyles tend to be silky and swooshy but this is all about a stiffer look that lasts.

Half an hour and 25 rollers later, I am ready to go into the oven - or rather that hood hairdryer, which diffuses heat over the whole head to set the hair. The heat is much stronger than I expected and so noisy I have no idea how women can gossip over the din.

Once youre under the dryer it gets hard to chat, admits Margaret Binge, 85, who has been going to Paul Currys salon in York for 50 years. So when Im under I catch up on all the magazines.

Ten minutes later, the curlers come out. My hair springs free, and I cant quite believe how high it goes. Im like a ginger nearly 40-year-old Shirley Temple

Margaret visits the hairdresser at 3pm every Thursday. My son picks me up so I dont get caught in the rain or the wind.

When I wake up, its a bit ruffled but Ill comb through it and its fine. I dont wash my hair. When Paul is on holiday, I feel lost.

I always look forward to hairdressing day. Its a luxury, my treat every week. For Margaret, the salon was a lifeline when she was caring for her late husband, John, who had Parkinsons.

It was the hardest time in my life and my trip to the hairdressers was my treat. Paul would ask after John, but mostly we try to keep the conversations cheerful. Its eight years since he died and I miss him every day.

And Paul Curry agrees that the social side is very important.

People come every week on the same day for years -so they all know each other. For some of them its the only time they get out.

The character of Ena Sharples (played by Violet Carson) on Coronation Street was known for her pristine 'shampoo and set' hair

I started working here when I was 22 and now Im 52. I have one client who didnt wash her own hair for three weeks when I was on holiday!

She sounds like my kind of woman. I think I could get used to handing over my hair once a week which is surely much less effort than my daily battle with the hairbrush.

After an hour and a half the hood comes off and my hair is left to sit. You have to leave it to rest and cool in the same way you do with beef coming out of the oven, says Ondine.

Three days later the curls have dropped a bit, but in a lovely way, and five days later, when any blow dry would long have given up the ghost, its still going strong

Ten minutes later, the curlers come out. My hair springs free, and I cant quite believe how high it goes. Ive used rollers before but Ive never seen my hair as curly as this. Im like a ginger nearly 40-year-old Shirley Temple.

Ondine breaks up the curls with her fingers to create the unmistakable full, poofy shape. I raise my hands to touch it and she practically slaps them down.

Rule number one: dont touch the hair, she says, getting out a giant can of hair lacquer. Rule number two: you can never have enough lacquer.

Looking in the mirror I dont recognise myself. Gone are the long, frizzy ends, replaced by a bouncy bouffant so firm I think it would survive a gale-force wind.

Its taken two and a half hours but I look - and feel - like Ive gone back in time. And I must say I quite like it.

Three days later the curls have dropped a bit, but in a lovely way, and five days later, when any blow dry would long have given up the ghost, its still going strong.
An elementary school teacher asked her third grade pupils to complete the sentence 'I wish my teacher knew' in a bid to get to know them better.

But when the pupils at Doull Elementary School in Denver, Colorado, handed back their hand-written answers to their teacher Kyle Schwartz, she was shocked by the severity of their answers.

The notes, which have recently been published as a book, revealed the problems children faced with social issues such as deportation, poverty, death and absent mothers.

Revelations: Children shared their heart-breaking stories, pictured, with their teacher after being asked to complete the sentence 'I wish my teacher knew...'

Hidden lives: Elementary school teacher Kyle Schwartz asked her pupils what they would like to tell her in a bid to get to know them better

Surprised: When they handed the notes back, she was shocked at the gravity of the social issues the third grade children were faced with

Productive exercise: The teacher at Doull Elementary School in Denver, Colorado, shared her findings online and was overwhelmed by the response

Author: Kyle, pictured, has now collated her findings into a book including moving examples of the children's notes

Following the success of the exercise, she shared it online last year and the hashtag '#iwishmyteacherknew' became a hit on Twitter - inspiring other teachers to follow in Kyle's footsteps and share their results.

In her book, I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything For Our Kids, she shares some of the most moving messages from children.

'I wish my teacher knew I dont have pencils at home to do my homework', wrote one.

Another said: 'I wish my teacher knew that sometimes my reading log is not signed because my mom isnt around a lot'.

Disupted home life: The notes revealed the problems children faced with social issues such as deportation, pictured

Troubled: Other problems that were creating obstacles in the children's lives included poverty, death, divorce, pictured, and absent parents

Poverty: One child, whose note is pictured, was so poor that they did not have pencils at home to do their homework

Lonely: This child said they did not have anybody to play with

Loving: One child, whose note is pictured, said their brother gets scared at night and they take care of him

One child revealed: 'I wish my teacher knew how much I miss my dad because he got deported to Mexico when I was 3 years old and I havent seen him in six years'.

In the book, Kyle argues that it is crucial for teachers and families to work together.

'I really want families to know how intentional teachers are about creating a sense of community and creating relationships with kids,' she wrote.

'Kids dont learn when they dont feel safe or valued.'

Hard-working: This child said they did not get to see their father often because he has two jobs

Health issues: This child said their cousin's medical treatment worried them

Hopes: Some of the notes, such as this one, reveal the dreams and aspirations of children

Communication: This child said they wished their teacher could speak Vietnamese

Preferences: This child said they worked better while listening to music

She said there were numerous mistakes that could have been prevented if she had known her pupils better.

As an example, she tells the story of a former pupil, Chris, who loved science.

She said she thought she was being helpful when she got him a place on a summer camp with a focus on science.

But she admitted she had no idea about his family's financial problems that meant they could not afford to take time off from work to take their son to the camp.
Eating late at night is putting millions of people in danger of heart attacks and strokes, experts warn.

A late-night meal keeps the body on 'high alert' when it should be winding down, researchers found.

Heart experts last night advised that adults should never eat within two hours of bedtime  and ideally nothing after 7pm.

In a healthy person, blood pressure drops by at least 10 per cent when they go to sleep.

Millions of people are putting themselves at higher risk of a heart attack or stroke by eating after 7pm, researchers have warned

But the results of a study of more than 700 people with high blood pressure found that eating within two hours of bedtime meant their levels stayed high.

Experts think this is because eating releases a rush of stress hormones when the body should be starting to relax.

People who do not see their blood pressure fall at night are known as 'non-dippers'  and have a much higher rate of heart-related death.

Late eaters were nearly three times more likely to be non-dippers, the Turkish researchers found.

Researcher Dr Ebru Ozpelit, presenting her results at the speaking at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Rome, said: 'If we eat late at night, the body essentially remains on high alert as during the day, rather than relaxing for sleep.

'Stress hormones are secreted, causing blood pressure not to decrease during sleep, which should normally happen.'

Dr Ozpelit, from Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey, tracked 721 on people diagnosed with high blood pressure, with an average age of 53.

She found that those who ate within two hours of going to bed were 2.8 times more likely to retain high blood pressure overnight.

Some 9.4 million people in the UK are diagnosed with high blood pressure, which is also known as hypertension.

They are already at a higher risk of heart disease, but if their blood pressure does not fall at night, that risk increases to a far higher level.

Experts estimate that 40 per cent of patients with hypertension are non-dippers  potentially 3.76million people in Britain - putting them at serious risk of major heart problems.

A late-night meal keeps the body on 'high alert' when it should be winding down, increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke

Dr Ozpelit said: 'It is more dangerous. If blood pressure doesn't drop by more than 10 per cent this increases cardiovascular risk and these patients have more heart attacks, strokes and chronic disease.'

But even healthy people with normal blood pressure should take note of the findings, Dr Ozpelit said.

'How we eat may be as important as what we eat,' she said.

She advised that people do not skip breakfast, eat lunch, and keep dinner to a small meal.

'Eating breakfast and lunch is important but dinner must not be later than seven o'clock in the evening,' she said.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence which suggests keeping all meals to within a fixed period of time  and fasting at night  can have a wide range of health benefits.

Previous research has found that an early dinner reduces the risk of breast cancer, lowers blood sugar levels, and helps burn off calories.

Experts think part of the reason is that the body evolved to expect meals much earlier in the day  because people went to sleep when it got dark.

Dr Ozpelit said the invention of electricity changed that  introducing 'erratic' eating patterns.

'With the advent of affordable artificial lighting and industrialization, modern humans began to experience prolonged hours of illumination every day and resultant extended consumption of food,' she said.

'Late night eating and skipping breakfast is such an erratic eating pattern which is becoming more prevalent day by day.'

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: 'This research suggests that eating a meal late at night may contribute to the failure of their blood pressure to reduce.

'It is normal for blood pressure to reduce overnight, even in people with high blood pressure.
Up to 125,000 operations will be cancelled this autumn after junior doctors decided to stage the biggest strikes in NHS history.

Despite warnings from some of its own officials that people will die, the British Medical Association (BMA) yesterday voted to approve a series of five-day walkouts.

The strikes  details of which were revealed by the Mail  will see junior doctors withdraw all labour for five consecutive days each month until the end of the year.

The first is due to begin in less than two weeks, on September 12.

Junior doctors are to stage further industrial action in the row over the controversial contract for training medics. Pictured, a protester earlier this year

The BMA approved further industrial action at a meeting this afternoon as the bitter row between leading doctors and the Government continues. Pictured, protesters earlier this year

Some 1million outpatient appointments are expected to be cancelled and hospitals face being crippled in the run-up to winter.

Last night, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned it would be the worst industrial action in the NHSs history with a devastating effect on patients.

The strike  over the terms of a new contract  was agreed at a meeting of the BMAs council yesterday, with fewer than 30 of its 40 members voting.

But some expressed deep concern. One official warned: People will die. This will be blamed on us. We cannot argue its about safety. Its about money and always has been. Another said doctors should be referred to the General Medical Council regulator if they took part.

And one said withdrawing care  by going on strike  was equivalent to imposing harm on patients.

Junior doctors will walk out from 8am to 5pm for five days, abandoning all departments and leaving nurses and consultants to fill in.

The BMA is yet to announce the dates for its walkouts in October, November and December.

Government figures show they will lead to the cancellation of 125,000 operations and 1million outpatients appointments  three times the total that were cancelled in previous strikes this year, which each lasted one or two days.

For the past year the BMA has been locked in a dispute with the Government over the new contract, which would pay junior doctors less for weekend work.

Although they reached a provisional agreement in May, the terms were later thrown out by 50,000 junior doctors in a mass vote.

HOW MAIL BROKE THE STORY Junior doctors latest strike plans were uncovered after leaked papers proposing a rolling programme of escalated action were seen by the Daily Mail. The plans  revealed in yesterdays newspaper  were drawn up by the British Medical Associations committee of junior doctors. In the confidential document, committee members accepted there would be a regrettable impact on patient care. But they said this was the whole purpose of the action  to create pressure and disruption. The junior doctors committee also drew up the planned strikes despite an acknowledgement of the risk posed to patients. In a section headed patient harm, the papers said that the risk of such an incident increases considerably with four full weeks of full withdrawal  referring to the week-long strikes that will be held every month until December Advertisement

The Government announced in July that it would impose the contract regardless and the BMA has since been plotting its next move.

The strikes have been spearheaded by the new chairman of the BMAs junior doctors committee, 32-year-old Dr Ellen McCourt, an A&E trainee medic from Whitley Bay, near Newcastle.

Government sources said the junior doctors committee was unhappy with the contract as they want to be paid a weekend hourly rate that is 30 per cent higher than during the week. Current terms will pay them only 10 per cent more.

The committee is also demanding that junior doctors be given a guaranteed annual pay rise, even if they are not promoted. The BMA argues that the contract offered to doctors does not properly acknowledge weekend work and unfairly discriminates against medics who do not work full-time.

The union also argues it will worsen staffing shortages in the week  as doctors will be made to work weekends instead.

Mr Hunt said the strikes were devastating news for patients. He told Channel 4 News: People will rightly ask themselves why the BMA, who championed this deal as a good deal for doctors and a good deal for patients only in May, are now saying that its such a bad deal that they want to inflict the worst doctors strike in NHS history on patients, making them absolutely miserable.

The union will stage five days of strikes between 8am and 5pm from Monday 12 September to Friday 16 September, with further dates to be confirmed later

Danny Mortimer, of NHS Employers, which has tried to negotiate the new contract, said: The proposed action is extreme in its scale and timing and shows scant regard for patients, nor to their colleagues who will have to work under even greater pressure when this industrial action goes ahead.

'Many thousands of operations and appointments will need to be cancelled or rearranged causing distress, delay and pain to our patients.

The Department of Health said the BMA should be putting patients first, not playing politics in a way that will be immensely damaging for vulnerable patients.

It follows five rounds of strikes earlier this year which saw junior doctors in England walk out of UK hospitals. In the last strike, 125,000 appointments and operations were cancelled

The strikes will come at a time when the NHS is facing the worst bedblocking crisis in its history. Pictured, a protester striking earlier this year

It said: The BMA must be the first union in history to call for strike action against a deal they themselves negotiated and said was a good one.

And Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, said: This will have a huge impact on vulnerable, innocent people who need care and access to services.

Jeremy Hunt announced the new contract would be imposed after the BMA voted to reject it in July

Dr McCourt promised to call off the strikes if the Government halted the imposition of the contract, due to take effect next month.

She said: We want to resolve this dispute through talks, but in forcing through a contract that junior doctors have rejected and which they dont believe is good for their patients or themselves, the Government has left them with no other choice.

Under the new contract:

* Saturdays and Sundays would attract premium pay if doctors - the vast majority of whom are expected to - work seven or more weekends in a year.

* Doctors would receive a percentage of their annual salary for working these weekends - ranging from 3 per cent for working one weekend in seven to up to 10% if they work one weekend in two.

* Any night shift - on any day - which starts at or after 8pm and lasts more than eight hours, and which finishes at or by 10am the following day, would also result in an enhanced pay rate of 37% for all the hours worked.

* The deal also set out payment for doctors who are on call, and agreed a basic pay increase of between 10 per cent and 11 per cent.

The Department of Health today said the BMA 'should be putting patients first not playing politics'. Pictured, a protester earlier this year
Experts hailed the findings as 'game-changing' and '

A revolutionary drug that could stop people from ever developing Alzheimers disease has been unveiled by scientists.

Trials have produced unprecedented results and the medicine has been hailed as a potential game-changer in the fight against the cruel disease.

In future, healthy pensioners could be prescribed the drug to ward off dementia, in much the same way as statins are given today to those at risk of heart attacks.

One British expert described the drug, which is about to be tested in hospitals around the UK, as the best yet, others called it ingenious work with tantalising results.

And a US doctor hailed it as the best news in his 25-year career.

The revolutionary drug, aducanumab, could stop people from developing Alzheimers disease

Alzheimers and other forms of dementia affect some 850,000 Britons, with one new case every three minutes.

Existing drugs are of limited benefit and despite billions of pounds being spent on research, no new medicines have hit the market in more than a decade.

While current therapies ease the symptoms, aducanumab tackles the underlying damage in the brain, raising hopes it will be the first to alter the course of the disease.

It contains an antibody that homes in on amyloid, the protein that clogs the brain in Alzheimer's, poisoning and killing the cells.

In preliminary trials, involving 165 people in the early stages of the disease, the Swiss-designed drug triggered the removal of amyloid from the brain.

And in men and women given a monthly infusion of a high dose of the drug, the amyloid all but vanished after a year.

This unprecedented effect was deemed so significant that the results have been published in Nature the worlds top science journal.

The new drug has been found to get rid of clumps of the amyloid protein are a hallmark of Alzheimer's and are thought to be harmful to brain cells

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY Professor Richard Morris, of Edinburgh University The importance of this first step cannot be understated Professor David Allsop, of the University of Lancaster These findings could be a game-changer Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimers Society These results are the most detailed and promising that weve seen for a drug that aims to modify the underlying causes of Alzheimers disease. Dr David Reynolds, chief scientific officer of Alzheimers Research UK These results provide tantalising evidence that a new class of drug to treat the disease may be on the horizon. Professor John Hardy, University College London These new data are tantalising Professor Stephen Salloway (CORR), of the Butler Hospital in Rhode Island This is the best news Ive had in my 25 years of doing Alzheimers research. Professor Roger Nitsch (CORR), of the University of Zurich The effect of this drug is unprecedented. Advertisement

US researcher Stephen Salloway, of the Butler Hospital in Rhode Island said: This is the best news Ive had in my 25 years of doing Alzheimers research.

It brings new hope to the patients and families most affected by this disease.

Even more excitingly, the drug seemed to halt the disease.

Men and women who werent treated experienced steady declines in memory and day to day functioning, such as the ability to cook for themselves or take out the rubbish but those given high doses of the drug stopped getting any worse after just six months of treatment.

The number of people tested was too small to be sure the drug can really stop the disease in its tracks and a larger trial, involving 2,700 people in the early stage of Alzheimers, is underway.

Hospitals and clinics in eight British cities, including London, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee are taking part and are looking for patients.

The trial is due to finish in 2020 and, if aducanumab is deemed safe and effective, it could be available shortly afterwards.

However, there are several hurdles to overcome.

Drugs that have seemed promising when given to small groups of people can fail spectacularly when tested on large numbers.

Plus, aducanumab can cause a worrying side-effect, in which fluid accumulates in the brain, raising the risk of strokes.

Challenges include finding a dose that is high enough to work but not so powerful that it does damage.

Other amyloid-busting antibodies have been tried before.

But aducanumab, which is based on antibodies naturally made by pensioners who seem to be immune to Alzheimers, is said to be the best yet.

It is thought it is better at getting into the brain and more likely to zero in on the damaging amyloid than previous drugs.

Aducanumab is a type of therapy called an antibody, designed to target the amyloid protein in patientsin the early stages of Alzheimer's

In future, aducanumab, which was originally developed at the University of Zurich, could be given to seemingly healthy pensioners, in a bid to keep them going on to develop Alzheimers.

People could be given brain scans in their 60s and 70s and those thought to be at risk of dementia given the drug.

Today, some 15 per cent of 65-year-olds have a build-up of amyloid but are still symptom-free.

Alfred Sandrock, of Biogen, the US drug company developing the drug, said: I could imagine a time when we would treat people before they have symptoms.

We do that now, for example we treat people with high cholesterol before they get heart disease because we would like to prevent heart disease.

Experts cautioned that it is too early to be certain that aducanumab works. However, the early results have caused huge excitement.

Richard Morris, a professor of neuroscience at Edinburgh University, said: The importance of this first step cannot be understated.

Lets keep our fingers crossed for success in the next steps.

Professor David Allsop, of the University of Lancaster, said: These findings could be a game-changer if the effects on memory decline could be confirmed.

Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimers Society, said: These results are the most detailed and promising that weve seen for a drug that aims to modify the underlying causes of Alzheimers disease.

Dr David Reynolds, chief scientific officer of Alzheimers Research UK, said: These results provide tantalising evidence that a new class of drug to treat the disease may be on the horizon.
Women who breastfeed for more than six months have a lower risk of contracting breast cancer, a new study claims.

A new study of women 20 years after surgery for primary breast cancer shows that nursing for longer than six months led to a better survival rate.

The research builds on evidence that by halting estrogen production, breastfeeding helps prevent the development of tumors.

But researchers warn that it is essential women nurse newborn babies for as long as possible to reap the benefits.

A new study of women 20 years after surgery for primary breast cancer shows that nursing for longer than six months led to a better survival rate

The findings, published in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, come on the heels of a CDC warning that few mothers are still breastfeeding six months after childbirth.

'This study confirms that the long-term maternal health benefits of breastfeeding are not only preventative in nature, but that it also has the capacity to reduce the severity of breast cancer,' says Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine.

Researchers at the University of Linkoping in Sweden analyzed the survival rates 20 years on of 630 women, who had been treated for breast cancer between 1988 and 1992.

They found women who had had at least one pregnancy, and who breastfed for at least six months, had a much higher chance of survival.

It is the latest in a decade of studies exploring the correlation between nursing and cancer.

However, the CDC warned last week that while more mothers are breastfeeding in America, too many quit early.

That is according to a new report which marks progress after years of public health campaigns insisting breast is best.

In 2013, eight out of 10 newborns started out breastfeeding, the report shows - up from 7.6 in 10 the year before.

But only half of infants still breastfeed at six months, as advised.

And fewer than one-third (30.7 per cent) are breastfed at 12 months.

MOTHERS 'ARE NOT BREASTFEEDING LONG ENOUGH', CDC WARNS According to a new CDC report, eight out of 10 babies were breastfed from birth in 2013. That is up from 2012's figure of 7.6 in 10. But by the time they reach six months old, half of those babies are on bottles. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for the first six months. In fact, they should be nursed for 12 months, with other foods added from the age of six months. Advertisement

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for the first six months.

After that, mothers should breastfeed along with other foods until their baby reaches one year old.

Then it is up to the mother and baby, but it is no longer essential.

There are a number of reasons pediatricians say breast is best.

Breastfeeding protects babies against breathing illnesses, ear infections, stomach bugs and allergies.

The rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is reduced by more than one-third in breast-fed babies.

And studies show breastfeeding drives down obesity rates in later life.

A mother's natural milk contains zinc, which is needed for the body's defensive - immune - system to properly work.

It plays a role in cell division, cell growth, wound healing, and the breakdown of carbohydrates.

Zinc is also needed for the senses of smell and taste.

During pregnancy, infancy, and childhood the body needs zinc to grow and develop properly. Zinc also enhances the action of insulin.
Make no mistake. The chikungunya epidemic has arrived in Delhi with fanfare.

Friends are getting it. Acquaintances are getting it. Domestics are getting it. And, well... this columnist has got it too.

More people are suffering from it than the numbers released by the government might suggest: 400 cases were reported last week.

Chikungunya virus is spread by mosquitoes, and many more are suffering from it than the official figures suggest

Navin Dang, senior advisor, Association of Practicing Pathologists in India, told the TOI that statistics dont reflect the true situation as only a few labs/ hospitals have the facility to diagnose it.

I know people who have self-diagnosed and not gone in for the test because of the high cost, which is between four to five thousand rupees.

I picked up the virus in Delhi, but in Dehradun the doctor was stumped by the symptoms. He poked around my ear with a hard metal instrument; he asked me to roll my eyes and checked for jaundice. He told me to keep a temperature chart, suspecting typhoid. All old-school illnesses.

Finally, I Googled and got the answer I was looking for. My hunch was later confirmed by a blood test.

Typhoid is known as the king of fevers. It has a stately languid elegance about the way it goes about its business  the carefully calibrated daily rise and fall of temperature. But chikungunya is a brash, free-flowing, new-age virus.

Its got you by your hair before you know it. It got me in less than sixty seconds. One minute I was sitting on a chair feeling fine; a few ticks of the seconds needle later, I was overwhelmed by a violent shivering.

I barely managed to crawl to my bed and cover myself with blankets. Thats the first symptom: sudden onset of high fever, which goes up to 104 degree Fahrenheit.

Joint pain along with high-grade fever is the classic chikungunya combo, although the phrase joint pain doesnt quite describe the quality of the pain, which has had young people pouring into Delhi hospitals in wheelchairs.

Fumigation is necessary to prevent the spread of the Chikungunya virus

If I had to describe it, Id say its like someone twisted your arm around your back, kicked you in the shins, ankles and knees, gathered you up by the scruff of your neck, swung you around, and let you fly.

After four days of high-flying fever, you land with a thud, relieved to be alive, and ready for round two, for this is the thing about chikungunya: it comes in stages.

When you have the fever, you will only sleep a wildly delirious sleep in which dragons and other fantastical creatures appear frequently. There is relentless nausea and no appetite.

I could drink only orange juice. Once the fever goes, your skin is tender and sensitive and youll develop a pin-prick rash  the intensity varies. Some get ulcers in the mouth. The joint pains can apparently linger for weeks after.

My fingers are stiff, and I have difficulty walking. The pain comes and goes. At this stage, those so inclined flock to Baba Ramdevs stores to shop for roots and bootis.

Or you can go on YouTube where youll find a whole subculture of chikungunya songs. These I found much better than any palliative pill. You will laugh so much the joints will open up by themselves.

Perhaps because the virus is rarely known to be fatal, the chikungunya songs are quite celebratory, with a fair bit of dancing and several jokes about sipping orange juice and popping analgesics.

This is a virus which comes with its own soundtrack. There is La Chikungunya by Don Omar of Puerto Rico (fantastic mosquito-dance moves); Colombias Jkar sings in a reggaeton number: Tell me if youve been bitten by chikungunya, which has turned into a crazy mess that you cant contain."

If you want something more wedding orchestra-like, you can try Anand Balagobinds Sweet Melodies: Bhaiya, dhoom machaye chikungunya. Balagobind is Dutch-Surinamese, and the Hindi words are easy to make out.

But the undisputed Justin Beiber of Chikungunya Pop is an eleven-year-old Jamaican by the name of Wayne J who raps in Jamaican patois. His Chikungunya Song (there are several versions, including an excellent live one), with the catchy refrain One Panadol quick (Panadol being an analgesic like Crocin), is witty and quite irresistible: Mosquito bite inna foot/ an it a bite inna neck mek/ sure seh yuh have yuh mosquito net/ weh yuh seh, yuh caan ketch it? Yuh waan stick a bet? Check di ole inna yuh back weh water collect/ Mi inna long sleeve tink a bleach mi a bleach/ mi a stay outta di mosquito reach/ Any day name day dah bwoy yah feel sick/ One Panadol, one Panadol quick.

Its while listening to these songs that you realise there is a great sisterhood and brotherhood of fellow chikungunya victims stretching across the tropics.

The songs also take you on a wonderful journey into varieties of local patois, all saying the same thing: if you are from the tropics, then you have to have gone through the chikungunya initiation.

Its a new rite of passage, a fact of life in the humid damp third world, whichever continent you might be on.

So dear reader, if you havent been bitten yet, find a friendly aedes aegypti and join in the international chikungunya fiesta.

Youre missing out on membership to an elite worldwide club.
Terror remained top of the agenda in the second round of Indo-US Strategic and Commercial dialogue held in New Delhi.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who co-chaired the round with US Secretary of State John Kerry, described it as meeting of minds on the issue of terrorism.

Mincing no words, the minister said: We both agreed that nations must not maintain double standards such as the categorisation of good and bad terrorists, nor must they act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (right) welcomes US Secretary of State John F. Kerry (left) prior to their meeting in New Delhi

"We reaffirmed the urgent necessity for Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminal networks, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and D-Company.

Kerry also agreed that Pakistan needs to do more to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice quickly.

John Kerry (left) said he had spoken recently with Pakistani officials about "the need for Pakistan to deprive any (terrorist) group of sanctuary".

Kerry said the US "stands with India against all terrorism no matter where it comes from."

But, he did say he had spoken recently with Pakistani officials about "the need for Pakistan to deprive any (terrorist) group of sanctuary". He specifically named the Haqqani network that operates in Afghanistan as well as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been blamed for attacks in India.

"It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in tackling this challenge, and in fairness, in recent weeks and months they have been moving more authoritatively," Kerry said.

Kerry also appreciated Pakistan's recent efforts on its western sector, saying Islamabad was making some difficult decisions even as he recognised India's prominent role and goodwill in rebuilding Afghanistan.

Kerry and Swaraj also signed a 'cyber framework' in an effort to reduce cyber crime

But India made it clear that Pakistan was the obstacle to the path of dialogue, and that talks and terror cannot go hand in hand.

Swaraj said India remained ready to open discussions with Pakistan, but that such dialogue was difficult while India remains a target of Pakistan-based groups.

The US has consistently urged dialogue between India and Pakistan on the dispute, and Kerry reiterated that position in a meeting with Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval, according to US officials.

"We are certain that the India-US partnership will continue to benefit not only both our peoples but also become a factor for peace and stability in the region and the wider world,  Swaraj said while ending her address.

Kerry and Swaraj also signed a cyber framework in an effort to reduce cyber crime and improve coordination among the law enforcement agencies , with the US reaffirming India as a major cyber partner.
A three-member panel formed by Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Tuesday will dig up the AAP governments past, looking for infirmities and irregularities.

The committee will examine over 400 files submitted by the Delhi government, look into inclusions and any exclusions in the documents, and determine who is to be held accountable in any cases of possible civil and criminal liability.

The AAP government that came to power last year has been at loggerheads with the L-G over appointments, file clearances, and control of the police - who report to the Centre.

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung (left) plans to examine over 400 files submitted by the Delhi government. CM Arvind Kejriwal (right) has branded the exercise a "witch-hunt".

Jung constituted the panel, comprising former CAG V K Shunglu, former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami, and ex-Chief Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar, three weeks after the Delhi High Court ruled that the Lieutenant Governor is the administrative head of the city government.

On preliminary scrutiny of these files, it is found that over the last one-and-a-half years several decisions taken are in violation of Acts/Rules with attendant legal and financial implications, the L-Gs office said in a statement.

It has become necessary to examine them in depth and suggest forward action. Therefore, the Committee has been constituted.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the L-Gs latest move witch hunting, saying officers are being victimised by the Centre. He also took a dig at the Prime Minister, calling for independent scrutiny of the files cleared by Narendra Modi.

Kejriwal said the Prime Minister was "hellbent on destroying" the Capital

The turf war is rooted in Delhis unique position as a Union Territory functioning as the Capital, with means the state government has no say over important departments like law and order, and agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority.

The AAP says the L-G is trying to rule by proxy at the Centres behest, while Jung accuses the state government of ignoring established protocol.

A seething Kejriwal said on Tuesday the Prime Minister was hellbent on destroying the Capital through the office of the Lieutenant Governor after Jung ordered the relocation of some key bureaucrats.

Today, several officers were transferred by the Lieutenant Governor directly. The files pertaining to their transfer were not even shown to chief minister or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy? Modi is hellbent on destroying Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor, the chief minister tweeted.

Kejriwal alleged that Jung ordered the transfers despite Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia virtually falling at the Lt Governors feet" and asking him not to remove officers involved in building neighbourhood clinics and schools.

The L-G transferred Delhis Health Secretary Tarun Seem and Public Works Department (PWD) Secretary Sarvagya Srivastava among others on Tuesday.

"Srivastava and Seem were holding posts as Secretary (PWD) and Secretary (Health) respectively in the government as additional charge in violation of existing rules when cadre posts cannot be held by non-cadre officers for more than three months," a statement from the L-G's office said.

Sisodia attacked Jung and the PM, saying that if the quality of health and education in Delhi deteriorates, Modi himself will be directly responsible as he is creating hurdles in the functioning of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

We have got to know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Lieutenant Governor on phone to transfer these two officers. Modi can go to any extent. If the quality of education and health deteriorates, Modi will be responsible for this, the minister said.

After the high court judgement, the principal secretaries and heads of department of the city government were directed by Jung to review instances where his prior approval was required as per the rules, but was not obtained.

In response, around 400 files have been received by the L-G's Secretariat for ex-post facto (with retrospective action or force) approval of Jung and some more files are awaited.

The three-member committee has been requested to submit its interim reports and recommendations to the Lt Governor from time to time and to submit the final report within six weeks of the first meeting.
A total of 34,651 rape complaints were registered in India during 2015, and in about 95 per cent of these cases  33,098 to be precise  the alleged offenders were known to the victims.

These revelations come from the annual data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and demonstrate that stricter laws have failed to deter attackers.

Nearly 3.27 lakh cases of crime against women were reported across the country. Of these, over 1.3 lakh were sexual offences  1.2 lakh in the states and 9,445 in Union territories.

Delhi tops the list of 53 mega cities, including Mumbai and Bengaluru, when it comes to the total number of criminal cases filed in a year

The sexual offences included rape, attempt to rape, assaulting women with intent to outrage modesty, and insults to the modesty of women.

Madhya Pradesh reported 4,391 rape cases in 2015, the highest among the states. Not surprisingly, the national capital registered 2,199 such cases, the highest among the union territories.

Crime capital

Often dubbed the crime capital of India, Delhi tops the list of 53 mega cities, including Mumbai and Bengaluru, when it comes to the total number of criminal cases filed in a year.

However, the city police could file a charge-sheet in only 26 per cent of the cases, with over 3 lakh matters pending investigation.

As per the NCRB records, Delhi (city) alone registered 1,73,947 FIRs during 2015, ahead of Mumbai by a wide margin which registered 42,940, followed by Bengaluru with 35,576 and Jaipur 26,288.

India has apparently become safer for foreigners. The number of crimes reported against foreigners in India fell 25 per cent in 2015 from the previous year.

In the case of Delhi, the actual number of written complaints made stood at over 3.52 lakh, and oral complaints at 27.83 lakh.

In 2015, the Capital saw a steep rise in cases of crime against women. Police registered over 17,000 such cases, including 5,367 of molestation followed by 3,738 of kidnapping.

However, according to Delhi Police, the increase in the number of cases is because they adopted a transparent FIR system.

From goat theft to stealing of Rs 20, we registered every relevant FIR. Along with truthful registration comes the onus of prevention and detection of crime, and Delhi Police has given an excellent account in this regard. The figures in terms of cases solved by the police went up in connection with robbery, kidnapping for ransom, rapes, extortion, snatching and molestation, BS Bassi, who was Delhi Police commissioner in 2015, said during his last annual press conference.

Delhi, which boasts over 84,000 police officers, has a poor charge-sheeting rate of 26.7 per cent, which is far below states like Bihar (80.9 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (65 per cent) that are criticised for their poor law and order situation.

Delhi stands at the penultimate spot, just above Manipur which has the lowest rate of 13.5 per cent. The city does not only have a poor charge-sheeting rate but also a high number of pending cases.

The NCRB data shows that over 43.6 per cent cases are pending. Over three lakh cases are still under investigation.

Madhya Pradesh has reported 4,391 rape cases, the highest among the states. The national capital has reported 2,199 such cases, the highest figure among the union territories.

Maharashtra reported 4,144 rape incidents, while a total of 3,644 and 3,025 rapes were reported in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh respectively.

As many as 2,251 rape cases were reported in Odisha, Assam (1,733), Chhattisgarh (1,560), 1,256 in Kerala, West Bengal registered 1,129, 1,070 in Haryana, and 1,041 in Bihar.

Among the union territories, 72 rape cases were reported in Chandigarh and 36 in Andaman and Nicobar Island.

According to the data, offences against the state, like sedition and promoting enmity among different groups, have seen a steep rise.

Such crimes have gone up by 12 per cent to 571 in 2015 from 512 in the previous year.

Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states with the maximum number of cases recorded at 60, or 11 per cent of the national total.

But India has apparently become safer for foreigners. Crime cases reported against foreigners in India fell 25 per cent in 2015 from the previous year.
A 16-page letter written by Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) could spell trouble for controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Ranjit Kumar has told the MHA that Naik's ideology is divisive and against India's pluralistic and secular social fabric.

The letter reportedly recommends action against the renowned preacher under anti-terror law.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the Ministry of Home Affairs that Islamic preacher Zakir Naik (pictured) is spreading a divisive ideology

Naik, a Mumbai-based teleevangelist, who also runs Peace TV, has been under the scanner of various investigative agencies after one of the attackers involved in the Dhaka terror strike posted that he had been influenced by the preacher.

Naik may soon be booked under the stringent anti-terror law and IRF may face legal action.

Sources said the home ministry had sought a legal opinion on the possible action to be taken against Naik for his controversial activities, including alleged hate speeches.

The legal opinion is understood to have conveyed to the home ministry that Naik's statements in different forums allegedly promoted enmity and hatred between religious groups and inspired and incited terrorists.

The legal opinion suggested that there is a "conscious intention" on Naik's part to spread enmity among religious groups.

Apart from Naik, cases should be registered against IRF, which allegedly funded radical activities, the legal advice said to have suggested.

FCRA VIOLATION BY IRF

Naik has come under the scanner of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Investigation Agency (NIA), and MHA. A crack team from the NIA scanned a thousand hours of his taped speeches and recently submitted the report. The IB had prepared a similar note.

Meanwhile, the Foreigners Division of the home ministry is looking into alleged FCRA violations by IRF. The foundation has previously been under the scanner, but no action was recommended.

So far, investigative agencies have not found any major violations. But the recommendations by Ranjit Kumar could spell trouble for the religious preacher.

Naik was first named by one of the attackers of the July 1 terror strike in Dhaka. Rohan Imtiaz had mentioned on social network that he was inspired by the Indian preacher.
In another step to express solidarity with the cause of a free Balochistan, All India Radio will now also broadcast in its language.

Progammes will be transmitted in Balochi following an announcement by the Indian government's Union Cabinet yesterday (Wednesday).

Jawad Baloch, President of the Balochistan Republican Party (BRP) in Germany, told India Today: "The announcement made by Indian government on transmitting Balochi programs on All India Radio (AIR) is a big step and we are thankful to PM Modi for the same."

PM Modi made a reference to Balochistan, Gilgit, and PoK in his Independence Day speech

"We expect such help from him in the future too, so that we can get rid of inhuman Pakistan."

Congress leader Meem Afzal said: "I think it is part of the government's policy. Lets see what kind of bulletins they run, we have no problem on this.

"I believe there is nothing to object as there are other languages also that are being run by AIR."

The decision may also prove to be a major irritant to Pakistan.

While making reference to human rights abuses in Pakistan during his Independence Day speech, PM Modi had alluded to Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He said: "In the past few days people from Balochistan, people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the people of these areas, they have thanked me and have expressed gratitude towards me. People sitting very far away, and from places that I havent seen; when they respect me, then it is respect for 1.25 billion Indians.

"And so I want to thank the people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir."
Ever since demolitions were carried out in Bengaluru to clear encroachments from storm drains, the foremost thought in every Bengalureans mind has been - where is the minister responsible for Bengaluru City Development?

He has not only remained inaccessible to the victims of the demolition drive, but also remained oblivious to the developments in the city - because he had greater responsibilities.

Karnatakas Chief Minister Siddaramaiah needs to let go of the Bengaluru City Development Ministry, which is currently under him, and the confusion surrounding the demolition drive was just another reminder.

Demolitions were carried out in Bengaluru by multiple agencies, in order to clear encroachments from storm water drains

When the erstwhile Bengaluru Development Minister, KJ George, was asked to tender his resignation in mid-July when an FIR was filed against him in connection with the suicide of a police officer, Siddaramaiah decided to retain the Bengaluru City Development ministry.

Everyone hoped that it would be a stop-gap arrangement till he found an able Congress legislator to shoulder the responsibility of monitoring the citys unbridled growth. But there seems to be no indication from Siddaramaiah on appointing a separate minister for Bengaluru City Development, which is as important as any other ministry.

Bengaluru needs an immediate fix on multiple fronts, and Siddaramaiah definitely does not have the time to look into this.

For instance, the demolition of structures that have come up on land earmarked for storm water drains is being carried out by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). But it was the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) that created the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for the city, on the basis of which residential layout plans were cleared.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah needs to appoint a Bengaluru Development Minister

This means that the BBMP simply ignored the CDP (which has clearly indicated the alignment of the storm water drains) while approving construction of the houses.

It also means that the BBMP and the BDA have been working without any synchronization.

The BBMP and the BDA have often been at loggerheads during the last two decades. While the BDA points fingers at the elected representatives in the BBMP for the unregulated growth of Bengaluru by ignoring the CDP, the councillors are of the view that they enjoy supremacy as peoples representatives.

In fact, the BDA has been more active than the BBMP in recovering encroached land in the last two decades. The BDA recovered government land worth over Rs 2,000 crore from encroachers over a period of five years between 1999 and 2004. By contrast, this is the first time that the BBMP has carried out a major drive against encroachments in the city.

If the government has to usher in better coordination and cooperation between these two important stakeholder agencies, minister-level interference is required.

With Siddaramaiah preoccupied with more important responsibilities, the issue is not getting its due attention. The commissioners of both the BBMP and the BDA meet to thrash out their differences, but the issues continue to persist while citizens suffer at the hands of bureaucrats.

Likewise, the Bengaluru Water Supply & Sewerage Board (BWSSB) digs up freshly laid roads to replace leaking water pipes or sanitary pipes causing huge losses to the BBMP.

There have been instances of BWSSB opening up arterial roads overnight leading to traffic jams during daytime. These are issues that cannot be sorted by the CM alone.

The writer is chief of bureau, Bengaluru

Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a self-declared atheist, was spotted with a lemon this week, leading to unwanted speculation in the local media.

Apart from praying at the temple of a deity in his village, there are very few instances of Siddaramaiah visiting temples. As lemon is associated with powerful deities and black magic, the debate on Siddaramaiah holding the citrus fruit turned acidic.

Eventually, Siddaramaiah ended the debate by clarifying to the media that he was using lemon as a cure for a finger infection, a common practice in the villages.

Kalburgi's killing is still a mystery

Kannada writer Dr MM Kalburgi was killed at his home a year ago

A year ago, unknown people gunned down noted Kannada writer and rationalist MM Kalburgi at his home in Dharwad in Karnataka. Yet, the police have not only failed to identify the culprits, but are also clueless about the investigation into the case.

So who killed Dr. Kalburgi? Though plenty of theories were floated, including property disputes, academic rivalry, the role of Hindutva forces, and anti-rationalist groups, none of it has been proven by the police.

The police have not even been able to come to a conclusion on the motive.

Initially the Karnataka CID, which is probing Dr. Kalburgis killing, zeroed in on Rudra Patil, an activist of the Sanathan Sanstha, as one of the key suspects. But he has gone off-grid since 2009, with the Sanstha distancing itself from him.

The CID police believed that ENT surgeon Virendra Tawade, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, might provide information on Rudra Patils location. But that turned out to be another false line.

Ramya is an easy target

Kannada film actor Ramya speaks her mind - and the Congress has left her to take the consequences

Is Kannada film actor and former Congress MP Ramya a soft target for the BJP and the ABVP in Karnataka?

If the latest political developments in Karnataka are taken into consideration, it is evident that the BJP and the ABVP, instead of taking on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his failures, has found an easy target in Ramya - one of the most popular celebrities in Karnataka - for her comments on Pakistan.

Unlike other politicians who stay away from making controversial remarks or statements, Ramya speaks her mind, and is aware of the repercussions.

In the past too, Ramya was troubled by the Opposition parties as well as her detractors within the Congress for her candid comments on a wide range of issues.

It is interesting to note that Ramya is fighting the battle single-handed, as all but one or two Congress leaders have left the actor to deal the issue on her own.

The BJP and ABVP activists have launched state-wide protests against the actor for her alleged pro-Pakistan remark.

When she visited the BJP stronghold of coastal Karnataka district recently, the local activists welcomed her with eggs and vegetables.
But the former judge stressed that he found 'no evidence of wrongdoing'

A former judge tasked with investigating controversial land deals - including one involving Congress chief Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra - has found 'irregularities', but no evidence of wrongdoing.

Justice S N Dhingra, who was appointed by the Haryana government, submitted his 182-page report into land transactions in Gurugram during the Congress's reign to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar yesterday (Wednesday).

The judge, assigned the task 15 months ago, told the media: 'Had there been no irregularity I would have given a one-sentence report, mentioning there is no irregularity. My report has 182 pages.

Justice SN Dhingra submits his inquiry report on land deals in Haryana during the previous government to the states Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh

'I have named each and every person involved, whether private or government.'

The one-man panel was set up to probe the grant of licenses for commercial and residential projects in Sector 83 of Gurugram between 2005 and 2014, when the Congress was in power and Bhupinder Singh Hooda was the chief minister.

Later, its ambit was expanded to four villages - Sihi, Shikohpur, Sikanderpur Badha, and Kherki Daula.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said: 'I have received the Dhingra commission report today, which will be examined.'

The controversy around Vadra is based on a 3.5 acre plot in Gurugram that a company owned by him bought in 2008 for Rs 7.5 crore, and sold months later for Rs 58 crore to realty major DLF Ltd, which has denied any violation.

The transactions of Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra (left) were under scrutiny

The Congress says Vadra is a private citizen engaged in business and hasnt done anything wrong.

But rivals point towards the enormous surge in his wealth during the Congress years, allegedly on the back of sweetheart loans handed out to him by DLF.

'There is not a whisper of any allegations of any wrongdoing, any wrong policy or any violation of any rule,' said the partys chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, who was a minister in the Hooda government.

'The BJP governments at the Centre and in Haryana have run a political agenda of vendetta and revenge for years.'

The BJP used the issue to drive a voter revolt against the Congress on its way to a landslide win in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

In its report for 2013-14, tabled in the Haryana assembly in 2015, the Comptroller and Auditor General came down heavily on the town and country planning department, as well as the Hooda government, for helping builders.

The Dhingra commission was to probe the subsequent transfer or disposal of the land, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules, and other related issues, bringing Vadras land deal under the scanner.

Haryana government spokesperson Raman Malik told Mail Today that the state government will study the report and take action, as well as submitting it in the assembly.

'The action against any culprits will be taken under law and based on the recommendations of the panel report and not for political vendetta,' he said.

Former CM Hooda termed it a 'witch-hunt' by the BJP government.
Bundled onto trucks and boats and herded across the borders to the slaughterhouses of Bangladesh. Thats how hundreds of Indias cows are trafficked to the lucrative beef market in the neighbouring country almost every day.

Six undercover reporters from India Todays special investigation team have unearthed a well-organised racket of smugglers who dodge the law or bribe the law enforcers to supply young and ageing cows to Bangladeshi abattoirs.

India Today's probe revealed Assam has become a hot-spot for the illegal cattle trade.

Undercover reporters have unearthed a racket of smugglers who dodge the law or bribe law enforcers to supply cows to Bangladeshi abattoirs

In the livestock markets of Lanka, Sivasagar and Karimganj in Assam, cows are loaded mercilessly every day onto lorries bound to the international border, India Todays investigation showed.

For traffickers, nothing appears to be sacrilegious or illegal. They are apparently driven solely by greed. On average, a healthy cow is sold for Rs 55,000 in Assam, but in Bangladesh it can fetch almost double the price because of the rising demand for beef there.

Smugglers the SIT spoke to were upbeat about their business.

All this livestock from Assam will head to Bangladesh, Aftab, a cow trafficker in the Lanka livestock farm of Assam, told India Todays reporter posing as a cattle trader.

The smuggler then explained hed transport them via the river border.

Cow traffickers use both land and water routes to lumber the animals. Transactions are usually carried our through hawala.

The buyer will pay cash locally to our agent in Bangladesh. We get the payment here through another agent, Altaf said.

India Today also tracked down the suspected kingpin of the massive cow-trafficking racket in Assam, Abdul Motin.

Motin operates from the border district of Karimganj in the state, and smuggling cows into Bangladesh appeared to be an everyday job to him.

My man does the buying and selling on the phone. Its all my money. Hell spend whatever is needed. My agent in Bangladesh is Mannan, Motin revealed.

He acknowledged that his cattle consignments are sold in beef markets on the other side of the border.

In Bangladesh, the livestock market opens twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. My consignments are sold in those markets.

Motin also offered to securely transport the undercover reporters fictitious cattle cargo.

Of late, the BSF has stepped up patrols to check animal trafficking. According to the home ministry, more than 13 lakh cattle heads were smuggled into Bangladesh earlier.

The number has come down to three lakh since 2014. But Motins claims showed the cow trade is thriving because of rampant corruption.

India Today's reporters also busted a racket of beef smugglers active right in the middle of the nations cow belt. The SIT team dug deeper and discovered several beef smugglers were willing to supply the contraband across states in the Hindi heartland.
Tens of thousands of bank customers are due a refund after Royal Bank of Scotland wrongly charged students interest on their overdrafts  over a 14-year period.

RBS and NatWest, which are part of the RBS Group, offer students interest-free overdrafts.

Often customers are offered the option of raising their limit mid-way through their course.

RBS says: When we make a mistake, we do all we can to make it right.'

And those who did between 2002 and 2016 were wrongly charged interest on the extra cash they borrowed. The bank made the discovery during a business review earlier this year.

A spokesman for RBS says: When we make a mistake, we do all we can to make it right.

Our terms and conditions on our student account were not fulfilled so we are refunding all interest charged over that period.

The bank has been contacting customers since August 15 and many have already had refunds.

Customers will get the charges back, plus 8 per cent interest per year.
Supermarket giant Tesco has been stricken by short sellers gambling that its shares would suffer later this year.

Short-sellers  investors betting that shares will fall rather than rise  have piled into the retailer amid concerns a turnaround led by chief executive Dave Lewis is stuttering.

Lewis joined two years ago and has tried to lift sales in the face of increased competition in the grocery sector.

Short positions in Tesco are over four times the average compared to other FTSE 100 stocks and at the highest level in years, says research firm IHS Markit. Shares in Tesco remain down almost 30 per cent since Lewis took the top job after joining from Unilever.

Analysts are sceptical that trading will have improved at Tesco ahead of its interim results in October.

Hedge funds including Lone Pine Capital and Marshall Wace have built a combined 3 per cent short position in Tesco, which compares with an average of 2.1 per cent of all listed companies being shorted, says Castellain Capital.
The crisis in global shipping deepened yesterday as concerns about the future sent shares in two major players tanking.

The industry has been rocked by a slump in world trade and the slowest pace of economic growth in China for 25 years.

Shares in UK-listed broker Braemar Shipping Services fell nearly 9 per cent after it warned investors to expect materially lower results this year.

Crisis: The industry has been rocked by a slump in world trade and the slowest pace of economic growth in China for 25 years

On the other side of the world in Seoul, shares in Hanjin Shipping were suspended after falling another 24 per cent.

The company, the largest container line in South Korea and one of the biggest in the world, is fighting for survival after its banks refused it further loans.

City commentator David Buik, an analyst at Panmure Gordon, said: Shipping is a global barometer for international trade.

In the last four years growth in China is down, with demand for raw materials falling. The huge increases in Chinese imports and exports have fallen off the cliff. Shipping had to suffer.
Donna Nayler has seen things that would make even the most hardened criminal shudder.

Blood-spattered homes, decomposing bodies and the acrid, stinking remnants of suburban meth labs are all in a day's work for the 30-year-old Gold Coast woman since she gave up full-time hairdressing to be a professional crime scene cleaner.

For six years, Ms Nayler has worked on some of the most gruesome tasks imaginable - turning scenes of bloody mayhem back into normal homes that appear 'as if nothing has happened' after police collect the evidence they need.

Once I walked into a house and found a girl who had been completely gutted by her boyfriend - it rocked me to the absolute core, she told Daily Mail Australia.

After giving up full-time hairdressing, Donna Nayler (pictured) has seen things that would make even the most hardened criminal shudder

Ms Nayler (pictured) is on call 24 hours a day for a private crime scene clean up company that's hired to make even the most gruesome murders appear as if they 'never happened'

He had taken out her stomach and hidden it inside washing power to try and mask the smell but he didnt have a chance even after nine hours of cleaning, she said.

The five-foot-nothing blonde said each crime scene is permanently etched in her memory, but some haunt her more than others.

There hasnt been a scene that made me want to throw the towel in but I did attended a baby murder that was utterly heart breaking,' she revealed.

The baby was two-months old and the mother was fighting for her life in hospital after the dad tried to kill her and then himself.'

The 30-year-old said it can be challenging trying to contain her emotions when attending a scene where a life has been lost, but prides herself on remaining professional

She said it can be challenging trying to contain her emotions when called to a scene where a life has been lost, but prides herself on remaining professional.

It breaks my heart seeing some of the things people do to each other but I am glad it is me there because I know I can handle it,' she said.

Ms Nayler said it is not uncommon for people to flock to the scene of a horrendous crime, some parents even gawking from their cars while driving their children home.

I just dont understand why people do that. I always try and pay respect to the deceased in my own way  no matter what the age is, or how it happened  someones life has been taken away, she added.

Ms Nayler is not a fan of horror movies but the 30-year-old admits she finds herself comparing the bloody scenes she has cleaned to those portrayed on the big screen.

In every violent slasher movie, the girl is sitting there and when someone starts to chase her she runs for her bedroom. That happens in real life,' she said.

I can piece together exactly what happened, where they were, where they ran and generally girls end up dying in their room.'

While Ms Nayler is not a fan of horror movies, she often finds herself comparing the bloody scenes she has cleaned to those portrayed on the big screen

I can piece together exactly what happened, where they were, where they ran and generally girls end up dying in their room,' she said

She said it is a natural survival instinct to run to your bedroom, where you feel safest, but warned closing the door often traps you and recommended anyone in trouble to 'always go outside'.

Ms Nayler said it is difficult not to imagine what has happened in the victim's home when she arrives, especially as the blood spatter and damage inflicted on a body makes it very clear if it was a crime of passion or circumstance.

There is a fine line between love and hate. Crimes of passion are so brutal and often last much longer which allows the intensity to grow,' she revealed.

Ms Nayler said the most common call out is to dispose of decomposing bodies as people often disappear without others noticing

Spontaneous crimes that weren't premeditated are on a much lesser scale.

Ms Nayler is sometimes responsible for cleaning up infectious or contaminated material from suicides, accidents or industrial accidents.

But she said the most common call out is to dispose of decomposing bodies as people often disappear without their neighbours or families noticing.

This job makes you realise there is a lot of loneliness in the world,' Ms Nayler added.

'People lay there dead for days or weeks and the guy in the apartment below only notices because they start dripping through the roof.

She said if people checked in on their neighbours more often she 'would not have as much work'.

Ms Nayler said once decomposition starts to set in, all that remains of the body is black mush.

Basically all of the gasses made the body stiffen, then expand and as you decrease in size again everything releases out of the body,' she added.

You can never get used to the smell  it is something that takes your breath away.'

'My gas mask is definitely my best friend.'

You can never get used to the smell  it is something that takes your breath away. My gas mask is definitely my best friend, she said

Although Ms Nayler would not have work without the dead, the cleaner said her role has far more to do with consoling the living.

Every clean is different but at the end of the day I do it for the families,' she added.

'If something horrific happened to me tomorrow I would want to know there was someone compassionate to help my family move forward from it.'

Ms Nayler said spending years making small talk with clients while working as a hairdresser helped her hone people skills, which has become invaluable when comforting the families of her victims.

'I am really compassionate and there for them. Ive learned how to handle my emotions because it is not about me  it is about them,' she said.

The 30-year-old said she always makes an effort to meet the families and makes sure she has done everything in her power to ensure they are not reminded of the horror that took place inside the house.

'I think once all the trigger points are removed it is easier for the families but a lot of the time, depending on how long the bodies have been there, the house has to be internally gutted.'

'I am really compassionate and there for them. Ive learned how to handle my emotions because it is not about me  it is about them,' Ms Nayler said

Ms Nayler said she always makes an effort to meet the families makes sure she has done everything in her power to ensure they are not reminded of the horror that took place inside the house she has been tasked with cleaning

Ms Nayler said everything that is not taken into evidence by police is incinerated - full rooms are demolished, tiles ripped from the walls and floorboards pulled up.

'The odour that lingers, the smell of death, often requires that,' she said.

Ms Nayler said her parents and twin sister, who is a fire fighter, have been extremely supportive of her career choice.

She said speaking to them about her day helps her process some of the more gruesome scenes she's encountered.

Every scene is different but they will always shock me,' she admitted.

'The human body is so compact but, depending on the weapon of choice, that isnt always how it ends.'

'It really blows me away, even after six years. I think that is why I will always keep hair dressing as well. It keeps me grounded.'

Ms Nayler wrote a book about her experiences called Bloodstains and Ballgowns which is available on her website.
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Desperate ISIS fanatics tried to burn down an Iraqi town they were forced to abandon by flooding its streets with oil and setting it alight.

Dramatic pictures show rivers of oil running through the streets just days after the extremists were forced to retreat from Qayyara in northern Iraq.

Thick black smoke can be seen billowing into the sky over the war-torn community after retreating ISIS brutes torched oil wells and blasted open pipelines.

Toxic fumes have blotted out the sun in central districts, producing an apocalyptic scene in the desert settlement which lacks electricity amid 49 degree Celsius temperatures.

The Iraqi army's Twitter account posted pictures of thick black oil in the streets along with the claim that ISIS had bombed pipes in a deliberate attempt to flood the area with oil and burn the city.

Desperate ISIS fanatics have bombed oil pipelines in Iraq in a bid to flood and burn down a city they were forced to abandon. Pictures posted by the Iraqi army show oil running down the streets of Qayyara in the north of the country

Thick black smoke can be seen billowing into the sky over the war-torn community after retreating ISIS brutes torched oil wells and blasted open pipelines

Dramatic pictures show rivers of oil running through the streets just days after the extremists were forced to retreat from Qayyara in northern Iraq

The Iraqi military's recapture of Qayyara, along with a nearby airbase in July, is the latest and most significant advance in a U.S.-backed push to Mosul, the largest city under ISIS control anywhere in its self-proclaimed caliphate.

Baghdad wants to retake Mosul before the end of the year, which it says will effectively end the militants' presence in Iraq more than two years after they seized a third of its territory.

Some officials from countries in the U.S.-led coalition supporting the Iraqi forces have said that timeline may be too ambitious.

Yet the loss of Qayyara certainly dealt a blow to ISIS, which had extracted oil from some 60 wells and sold it to help finance its activities.

The Iraqi army's Twitter account posted pictures of thick black oil in the streets along with the claim that ISIS had bombed pipes in a deliberate attempt to flood the area with oil and burn the city

The Iraqi military's recapture of Qayyara, along with a nearby airbase in July, is the latest and most significant advance in a U.S.-backed push to Mosul, the largest city under ISIS control anywhere in its self-proclaimed caliphate

Iraqis stand near fire and smoke billowing from oil wells, set ablaze by ISIS militants before fleeing the oil-producing region of Qayyarah

ISIS used to ship at least 50 tanker truckloads a day from Qayyara and nearby Najma oilfields to neighbouring Syria. A sign remains on the main road announcing prices of crude in places like the Syrian city of Aleppo, 340 miles west of Qayyara.

Rudimentary refineries once used to refine oil for local consumption have been abandoned on the side of the road leading east out of the town.

The smell of petrol now overwhelms the area, wind carrying the smoke from well fires into the town centre. Residents say more than a few minutes in the area leaves their throats burning, and children walking the streets have quickly developed coughs.

Abdel Aziz Saleh, a 25-year-old Qayyara resident, said he wants Baghdad to put out the fires as soon as possible.

'They are suffocating us,' he said. 'The birds, the animals are black, the people are black. Gas rains down on us at night. Now the gas has reached the residential areas.'

Apocalyptic: Toxic black smoke is filling the air in Qayyara after ISIS fanatics torched oil wells and bombed pipe lines

A boy stands near oil spill from wells, set ablaze by ISIS militants before fleeing the oil-producing region of Qayyara

Iraq says it has put out fires at four oil wells in the Qayyara region, but Reuters could not locate any such efforts at the wells closest to residential areas

He and other residents said oil had spilled into the nearby Tigris River - assertions denied by the oil ministry, which said the oil spills had been contained by trenches. While several bodies were seen floating in the river on Monday, Reuters could not confirm it had been contaminated with oil.

Iraq says it has put out fires at four oil wells in the Qayyara region, but Reuters could not locate any such efforts at the wells closest to residential areas.

Around a dozen separate plumes of smoke were still distinguishable across the horizon as night fell, when a convoy of firetrucks approached the town.

It was not immediately clear how long it will take to extinguish the flames. When Iraq's military torched hundreds of Kuwaiti oil wells in 1991 ahead of advancing U.S.-led forces, most fires burned for around two months but some wells were not capped for almost a year.

The oil ministry said it does not expect to resume production from the Qayyara region before Mosul's recapture. The two main fields, Qayyara and Najma, used to produce 30,000 barrels per day of heavy crude before the takeover by Islamic State.

Despite the well fires, Qayyara remains full of inhabitants. Whereas civilians in most other areas recaptured from ISIS fled ahead of or during government offensives the majority of Qayyara's roughly 20,000 residents have stayed put.

Around a dozen separate plumes of smoke were still distinguishable across the horizon as night fell, when a convoy of firetrucks approached the town

It was not immediately clear how long it will take to extinguish the flames. When Iraq's military torched hundreds of Kuwaiti oil wells in 1991 ahead of advancing U.S.-led forces, most fires burned for around two months but some wells were not capped for almost a year

A counter-terrorism officer said that was partly due to the speed with which the army recaptured Qayyara, surprising ISIS fighters before they were able to dig in. Qayyara is also located near a military airfield, so many residents in the area have relatives in the army.

With no power and no more fear of punishment from ISIS's harsh rule, much of the population was in the streets earlier this week, waving to military vehicles that handed out basic supplies like cooking oil, sugar and canned food.

Children flashed peace signs and some played in the black reflective pools of oil that spilled into main streets after Islamic State blew up pipelines and wells next to a main hospital in a likely attempt to obstruct visibility for coalition air strikes.

Commanders are confident electricity can be restored soon in Qayyara and said booby trapped streets and buildings are less of a concern than they were in the western cities of Ramadi and Fallujah.

'We surrounded them quickly, so they didn't have time to lay many IEDs (improvised explosive devices),' said the officer from the elite counter-terrorism service (CTS), which spearheaded the Qayyara operation along with the army's 9th armoured division.

Despite the well fires, Qayyara remains full of inhabitants. Whereas civilians in most other areas recaptured from ISIS fled ahead of or during government offensives the majority of Qayyara's roughly 20,000 residents have stayed put

The loss of Qayyara certainly dealt a blow to ISIS, which had extracted oil from some 60 wells and sold it to help finance its activities

ISIS used to ship at least 50 tanker truckloads a day from Qayyara and nearby Najma oilfields to neighbouring Syria

Many neighbourhoods in Qayyara appear mostly or completely intact, and civilians, many of whom appeared to have recently shaved the beards that ISIS requires men to grow, said they feel safe in their homes

'There were a lot on the main street they thought we would use to enter but instead we came in from the desert.'

The militants still managed to put up a fight, he said, quickly mustering five vehicle-borne IEDs to attack the forces.

The approach to the city shows signs of the fighting that followed, with many buildings collapsed by aerial bombardment. The U.S.-led coalition said it had launched more than 500 air strikes in support of Iraqi forces, nearly as many as in last year's battle for the much larger city of Ramadi.

Qayyara and its nearby airbase - where the bulk of a 560-strong U.S. troop reinforcement will be based - will form the main staging base for the anticipated offensive on Mosul, 35 miles to the north.

Many neighbourhoods in Qayyara appear mostly or completely intact, and civilians, many of whom appeared to have recently shaved the beards that ISIS requires men to grow, said they feel safe in their homes.

After showing off the body of an ISIS fighter crushed when the building he was in was hit by an air strike, two men from Qayyara alerted soldiers to a possible suicide bomber hiding in a nearby home, which they proceeded to investigate.
Scientific analysis of barnacles from a piece of missing flight MH370's wing has provided clues as to where it may have floated on ocean currents.

The flaperon, from a wing, was found on La Reunion Island in July 2015, 16 months after the plane disappeared in March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Australian National University's Professor Patrick De Deckker was given part of a barnacle shell from one of the plane's flaperons to study and found it had started growing warm waters.

He told Daily Mail Australia the majority of its growing life occurred in colder waters, likely at the latitude of Perth or lower.

An image of a barnacle showing where Professor Patrick De Deckker took samples from to study ratios of calcium and magnesium in order to identify the temperature of the water it grew in

French gendarmes and police inspect a large piece of plane debris which was found on the beach in Saint-Andre, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, France

Australian National University's Professor Patrick De Deckker

During the final stages of its life, it grew again in warmer waters.

He told The Courier Mail: 'my findings are consistent with the current search area and the drift modelling done by the CSIRO [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation]'.

But Prof De Deckker made it clear his analysis of calcium and magnesium ratios in the shell weren't definitive.

How long the barnacle had been alive for was not clear and growth also depended on food availability.

They could have started growing the moment the flaperon was in the water, or much later.

The flaperon, from a wing, was found on La Reunion Island in July 2015, 16 months after the plane disappeared in March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Scientists also didn't know much about the barnacles, he said.

He told Daily Mail Australia his findings were different to that of French colleagues who were also studying the barnacles.

Their research had not yet been released and the information had to be handled carefully as the issue was sensitive, he said.

The search for the missing plane, a Boeing 777, is set to shift to a 120,000 square kilometre area of the Southern Indian Ocean which Professor De Deckker identified as where barnacles grew for an extensive period of time.

A piece of wing found on La Renuion island in July 2015, 16 months after MH370 disappeared

A Malaysian Airlines plane similar to flight MH370, which went missing in March 2014
The chief of Chicago's police department recommended on Tuesday that five officers be fired over their role in the 2014 shooting death of a black teenager, an incident that heaped national scrutiny on the nation's second largest police force.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson recommended to the Chicago Police Board that officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot Laquan McDonald 16 times, be fired, along with another four officers.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson, above, took over after the shakeup that saw his predecessor fired in the wake of the Laquan Johnson shooting

Jason Van Dyke, above, is charged in the first degree murder of Laquan McDonald, who was 17 when he was shot 16 times in 2014

Van Dyke has been charged with first degree murder and has been in in jail awaiting trial.

The shooting made headlines across the country and sparked protests after the release of a dashboard video more than a year after the incident.

The video shows the officer continued to fire after McDonald, 17, had fallen to the ground.

Laquan McDonald was bounced from home to home until he finally began to turn his life around and registered at Sullivan House Alternative School, where a teacher says he was very smart and funny

The other officers on the scene repeatedly claimed that McDonald was waving his knife and advancing on the cops, but the video showed the teen was lifeless on the ground, according to The Chicago Tribune.

All of the officers are charged with making false reports.

The recommendation for their firing also comes amid a string of high-profile killings of black men by police in various US cities in the past two years which have renewed a national debate about racial discrimination in the American criminal justice system and given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired in the shakeup

Johnson's recommendation marks the start of formal proceedings in the officers' firing.

The Police Board, whose nine members are appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, must consider it and then make the decision on firing the officers.

Van Dyke is facing charges of first-degree murder and is on unpaid leave. He has pleaded not guilty.

Sergeant Stephen Franko, and officers Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian and Ricardo Viramontes, are named along with Van Dyke.

Van Dyke (left) is seen on dashcam footage bounding out of his patrol car and shooting McDonald (right)

McDonald lies motionless on the ground as video shows him continuing to be shot - officers had said he kept getting up, his knife in hand, which turned out not to be true

According to charges released on Tuesday, all allegedly made false or inaccurate statements about the circumstances surrounding McDonald's death.

'The Superintendent has recommended that each of the five officers be discharged from the Chicago Police Department,' a statement from the Police Board said. 'The public is reminded that the filing of charges is not evidence of guilt.'

An initial status hearing for the cases is scheduled for September 19.

The police reports on the October 2014 shooting conflicted with video footage of the incident, sparking accusations that Van Dyke's fellow officers were trying to cover up an unjustified shooting.

Emanuel fired police Superintendent Garry McCarthy in the wake of the video release, and thousands of protesters took to the streets of Chicago over McDonald's death and the subsequent handling of the case.

Initially Johnson recommended that 10 officers be terminated, a number that dropped to seven because some officers retired, among other reasons, the Chicago Tribune reported. It was unclear why that number dropped to five officers.

Superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel due to public outrage

On Tuesday, Emanuel unveiled a proposed Police Accountability Ordinance to overhaul current oversight in a move to ensure 'investigations of officers are independent, fair, timely and transparent.' Chicago City Council will vote on it on September 29.

The explosive dashcam video of the shooting showed Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke in pursuit of Laquan McDonald for 30 seconds before he fatally shot the teenager.

The footage is taken from the white officer's police car as he pulled through a Burger King parking lot and McDonald bounded out in front of him before running down the road. It appears he is carrying a knife in his hand at the time.

Soon after this, Van Dyke emptied an entire magazine into the young man with most of the 16 shots fired at point-blank range as he lay motionless on the ground. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder.

It also emerged that Van Dyke was the subject of 18 civilian complaints over 14 years, including allegations that he used racial epithets and excessive force, police and court records show.

Complaints against police are not uncommon. But the number filed against Van Dyke was high compared with other officers. At least one person he arrested was later awarded $350,000 in damages in a lawsuit.

Footage from another dashcam that was obtained by ABC 7 showed McDonald in the middle of the road and struggling to stay alive after being shot as paramedics arrive on the scene.

None of the officers are near the body at that time or attempting to help the young man.

Meanwhile, it was reported that in the final weeks before his death, McDonald, who had a rough childhood spent being bounced around between foster families and various relatives, had been working to turn his life around.

Court records obtained by the Chicago Tribune indicate that McDonald's father left the family when he was a baby and played no role in his life.

When he was three years old, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services took Laquan into protective custody after his mother was accused of neglecting him.

After two months spent in foster care, Laquan went to live with a relative before he was finally returned into his mothers home in 2002.

But their reunion proved short-lived, as he was back in foster care about a year later after his mother's boyfriend beat him, records state.

In 2003, Laquan was placed in the care of his great-grandmother, who ultimately assumed the role of his legal guardian.

When the woman passed away in 2013, Laquan went to live with an uncle.

As a teenager, McDonald was arrested numerous times and spent four months in juvenile detention in early 2014.

Then last September, a month before he was shot to death 16 times by a police officer, Laquan enrolled in Sullivan House Alternative School.

Ashley Beverly, one of his teachers, told the Chicago Tribune earlier this year that Laquan loved being at the school, was very engaged and would show up in class early.

He was forming really good relationships with a lot of the teachers in the class, Beverly said.

The teacher also recalled that Laquan enjoyed dancing and rapping, and was a funny kid. McDonald's estate received $5million settlement from the city in 2015, according to CNN. It's unclear who would have received that money.

McDonald's shooting sparked large and outraged but mostly peaceful protests around the city, and President Obama weighed in, saying, 'Like many Americans, I was deeply disturbed by the footage of the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

'This Thanksgiving, I ask everybody to keep those whove suffered tragic loss in our thoughts and prayers, and to be thankful for the overwhelming majority of men and women in uniform who protect our communities with honor.

'And Im personally grateful to the people of my hometown for keeping protests peaceful.'

He is facing 20 years to life in prison if he is found guilty of first degree murder.

Van Dyke is being held without bail in protective custody in a hospital unit in Cook County jail, segregated from other inmates.
This means hurricane-force winds are expected in Hawaii within 48 hours

Hawaii's Big Island is bracing itself as Hurricane Madeline, a category 3 storm, approaches.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for Big Island on Tuesday. Hurricane-force winds can thus be expected to sweep the island within 48 hours, according to the Weather Channel.

Residents in Big Island are stocking up on food and water and bracing themselves in power outages. A second storm, Hurricane Lester, is following in Madeline's path.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Oahu on Thursday to give a keynote speech at the opening of the World Conservation Congress - a major meeting of thousands of delegates, including heads of state, scientists and policy makers.

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Hawaii's Big Island (pictured in pink) was put under a hurricane warning Tuesday as Madeline, a category 3 storm, is headed in that direction

A second storm, Hurricane Lester (right), is following behind Madeline (left) as both are headed towards the Big Island (far left)

The White House is tracking the weather developments closely, but it doesn't anticipate changing Obama's schedule.

Forecasters are urging residents and visitors to prepare promptly in order to protect their lives and property.

Big Island resident Mitzi Bettencourt has boarded up windows in her brother's oceanfront home.

She and her neighbors are hoping their roofs stay intact and their houses don't float away.

Hurricane Madeline, which has sustained winds of 125 mph (and is pictured above going at 115 mph), was 370 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii (left) Tuesday evening

Madeline (pictured heading towards Hilo) could bring up to 15 inches of rain on the Big Island, with chances of flash flooding and mudslides

Hawaii County, which covers the Big Island, urged residents to stock up with food, water, flashlights, batteries and first aid supplies.

The county recommended residents make evacuation plans and move outdoor furniture inside.

Hurricane Madeline, which has sustained winds of 125 mph, was 370 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii Tuesday evening.

It could bring up to 15 inches of rain on the Big Island, with chances of flash flooding and mudslides.

Madeline is expected to weaken but likely to remain a hurricane as it passes the state, meteorologist Chevy Chevalier said Tuesday.

President Barack Obama (pictured last week) is scheduled to visit Oahu on Thursday to give a keynote speech at the opening of the World Conservation Congress

This would be the first time Big Island has been hit by a hurricane. The last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which hit Kauai Island, according to Chevalier.

The Big Island, officially known as Hawaii, is home to only 185,000 people, compared to Oahu - which includes the capital Honolulu - which has almost a million people.

A second Pacific hurricane called Lester is still far from Hawaii. Lester is expected to be a tropical storm by the time it passes the state.

But it could bring back possible hurricane conditions during the weekend, according to a warning by the National Weather Service on Tuesday evening.

Hurricane Lester, a category 4 storm with winds of 130 mph, is currently 1,300 miles east of Hilo, also heading for Hawaii.
A global DNA search has failed to identify a body found in a

A global DNA search to help identify an Asian woman found dead inside a suitcase in Perth's Swan River more than two months ago has come up empty.

The unidentified woman, aged between 35 and 50, was found stuffed inside the blue suitcase along with a small number of 20cm x 6cm blue ceramic tiles. Each tile had a distinctive yellow flower pattern.

More than eight weeks later Western Australia Police are still struggling to identify her, despite details from an autopsy, hundreds of calls to CrimeStoppers and objects tied to the case.

Western Australia Police are working to identify this woman, believed to be aged between 35 and 50, who was found stuffed inside a suitcase in Perth on July 2

After detectives had no luck in an Australia-wide search through fingerprint and DNA databases, they called on law enforcement agencies in China, Taiwan and Japan to help.

But The Australian reports that global testing was unable to match the woman's DNA or fingertips, either.

The woman has been described as being of Asian appearance, about 158cm tall, about 59kg and with a shade of red colouring her hair.

She was wearing a Tokyo Disneyland t-shirt and wearing a dark blue Katmandu vest.

The woman was found inside this large 'SB Polo' travel case

A small number of 20cm x 6cm blue ceramic tiles with a yellow flower pattern were also found inside the suitcase

She was found inside the large 'SB Polo' travel case by two fisherman a few hundred metres from the Water Police headquarters in North Fremantle on July 2.

The bag had been locked but a zip came open, exposing a foot, when the fisherman pulled the suitcase aboard.

Senior Sergeant Tom Mills told The Australian the woman had significant injuries.

Earlier this month, police released images of a Blade brand scooter which had a wooden chopping board attached.

They believe it may have been used to transport the suitcase.

It was found in 18 metres of water near Freemantle Traffic Bridge, along with more tiles, The Australian reported.

The woman was wearing a Tokyo Disneyland t-shirt and a dark blue Katmandu vest (pictured)
Sir James Munby, who is head of the family court system, said cash was being squandered on unnecessary lawyers

Too much public money is being spent on court cases involving children in care, a senior judge says.

Sir James Munby, who is head of the family court system, said cash was being squandered on unnecessary lawyers.

He said the number of taxpayer-funded professionals should be cut as long as youngsters were properly represented in court.

Every child should have a social worker and a solicitor and, in serious cases, a barrister or even a QC. But he said in a notice to judges and lawyers that we need to remember that all this costs money.

The President of the Family Division said: It is no good complaining that public funds are available only for X and not for Y if money available for X is being squandered. Money should only be spent on what is necessary to enable the court to deal with the proceedings justly.

If a task is not necessary  if it is unnecessary  why should litigants or their professional advisers expect public money to be made available?

He said 12,781 new cases entered the Family Courts in the year to March, a 15 per cent rise on the year before.

Sir James said he backed an inquiry by Justice Secretary Liz Truss into a reformed level of representation for children in adoption, care and similar cases.

Sir James said he backed an inquiry by Justice Secretary Liz Truss (pictured) into a reformed level of representation for children in adoption, care and similar cases

He said the focus would be on the scope for dispensing with the attendance of some, or even, in some circumstances, all, of the childs professional team.

The call from Sir James follows the scandal over the legal aid bill run up by lawyers working for Ben Butler, the father who killed his six-year-old daughter Ellie.

The Daily Mail revealed earlier this month that her mother Jennie Gray  jailed for 42 months for covering up the murder  was given 223,266 to pay for lawyers who argued for Ellie to be returned to her parents during a four-month family court case in 2012.
Australia's highest court has reinstated Gerard Baden-Clay's murder conviction and ruled he did deliberately kill his wife Allison, a decision one of her supporters has called 'relief', 'justice', and a 'good day for the good guys'.

The High Court handed down its highly anticipated decision to reinstate Baden-Clay's murder conviction on Wednesday after Queensland prosecutors appealed a controversial decision to downgrade his conviction.

Allison's friend, Kerry-Anne Walker, said outside court: 'Today's decision in the High Court comes with both relief and elation.

'Despite many Queenslanders being labelled as ignorant when they protested the downgrade to manslaughter, the common sense of the original jury has prevailed and justice for Allison has finally been realised.

'Today's decision brings to an end Gerards attempts to smear Allison's name.'

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Allison Baden-Clay's supporter Kerry-Anne Walker speaks to the media outside the High Court in Canberra on Wednesday

Australia's highest court has reinstated Gerard Baden-Clay's murder conviction over the death of his wife Allison

Baden-Clay's lawyer, Peter Shields, pictured in 2014. On Wednesday, he said the decision by the High Court 'must affect every criminal trial throughout the Commonwealth'

Australia's High Court reinstated Gerard Baden-Clay's murder conviction on Wednesday

But Baden-Clay's lawyer, Peter Shields, said the decision would have 'massive' consequences for every trial in the country, particularly in relation to whether defendants chose to give evidence.

'It must affect every criminal trial throughout the Commonwealth,' he said.

'The High Court decision that was handed down today is now in place and will affect trials that commence tomorrow.'

He said he was disappointed in the outcome and said the High Court's decision would likely have been different if his client hadn't given evidence at his own trial.

Mrs Baden-Clay's body was found on a creek bank in April 2012 - 10 days after her husband reported her missing from their Brisbane home.

WHY THE HIGH COURT REINSTATED BADEN-CLAY'S MURDER CONVICTION The High Court found the Court of Appeal was wrong in ruling the trial jury's verdict that Gerard Baden-Clay was guilty of murder was 'unreasonable'. His lawyers argued the jury did not know 'beyond reasonable doubt' that he had killed his wife during a physical confrontation when he delivered a blow that killed her without intending to cause serious harm. But the five-judge bench unanimously came to the decision that Baden-Clay was guilty of murder as his evidence during the trial was 'inconsistent' and he was the only one who could give evidence about the couple's fight. They also said the jury was 'entitled to regard the whole of the evidence as satisfying them beyond reasonable doubt that [Baden-Clay] acted with intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm when he killed his wife'. Advertisement

Baden-Clay was charged with her murder about two months later.

The former real estate agent was initially found guilty of murder in 2014 but had his conviction downgraded to manslaughter in December in the Court of Appeal after his lawyers argued he could have unintentionally killed her during an argument.

Queensland's Director of Public Prosecutions immediately launched an appeal to be considered by the nation's highest court.

The five-judge bench in the High Court unanimously ordered Baden-Clay's original murder conviction to be reinstated on Wednesday.

It found the Court of Appeal had 'erred in concluding that the jury's verdict of guilty of murder was unreasonable on the basis that the prosecution had failed to exclude the hypothesis that Gerard Baden-Clay unintentionally killed his wife'.

The High Court found the jury was entitled to consider the whole of the evidence to satisfy themselves he had intended to kill or inflict grievous bodily harm on Allison.

Allison's friend Kerry-Anne Walker gave an emotional tribute outside the court saying the decision 'brings to an end Gerard's attempts to smear Allison's name'.

'Gerard Baden-Clay murdered his amazing wife Allison,' she said.

Outside the court, Ms Walker said: 'Justice for Allison has finally been realised'

Allison Baden-Clay's body was found on a creek bank in April 2012 - 10 days after her husband reported her missing from their Brisbane home

Baden-Clay attended Allison's funeral with their three daughters in Brisbane in 2012

Scratches on Baden-Clay's face were presented as evidence at his trial after he was initially charged with killing his wife Allison

'Allison worked hard to be a wife and a mother, did both to the best of her ability.

'Today's decision in the High Court comes with both relief and elation.

'Despite many Queenslanders being labelled as ignorant when they protested the downgrade to manslaughter, the common sense of the original jury has prevailed and justice for Allison has finally been realised.

'The ignorance it seems lay elsewhere.'

Gerard Baden-Clay murdered his amazing wife Allison

She added the Allison's three daughters 'thriving in their busy lives' and would 'go on to achieve great things'.

'She was indeed an amazing woman... Her legacy will be her three girls.'

The decision comes just over a month after the Crown argued at a hearing in Brisbane that Baden-Clay's conduct after his wife's death was 'not only calculated but cold blooded'.

The decision to downgrade Baden-Clay's conviction to manslaughter last year sparked outrage and thousands protested in Brisbane against the decision.

An online petition calling for the murder conviction to be reinstated received more than 100,000 signatures at the time.

The five-judge bench in the High Court unanimously ordered Baden-Clay's original murder conviction over Allison's death to be reinstated on Wednesday

Arguments for and against downgrading Baden-Clay's conviction were heard in Brisbane last month

Allison Baden-Clay's body was found on a creek bank in April 2012 - 10 days after her husband reported her missing from their Brisbane home

Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts said the nation's highest court should be applauded for arriving at its decision months earlier than anticipated.

'The fact the decision is being made so quickly indicates the court was prepared to deal with what was a narrow argument in a timely way to ensure that Mr Baden-Clay learns his fate quickly,' he said.

'It is not a matter of winners and losers here but rather a complex legal question that is being clarified, not merely for Queensland but for all Australia.'

At the July hearing, defence barrister Michael Byrne said the case was not one where there had been pre-existing violence or threats and claimed Baden-Clay's financial woes and extra-marital affair were merely pressures, not motive.

However, he was subjected to rigorous questioning from the bench about how the scenario of an accidental death remained open despite Baden-Clay's own evidence at his trial directly contradicting it.

Mrs Baden-Clay's close friend Kerry Anne Walker is expected to read a statement in Canberra on the family's behalf after the decision is announced.

In December 2015, thousands of people took part in a rally to protest the downgrading of Gerard Baden-Clay's murder conviction
Police have still to officially identify a pregnant woman more than 24 hours after she was hit and killed while crossing a road in western Sydney.

A police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia they believe they know who the victim is, but cannot officially reveal her age or name yet, because investigators are still confirming details.

The 32-year-old woman was struck just after 7pm on Monday near the intersection of Parramatta Road and Flemington Road at Homebush by a red sedan travelling westbound, Nine News reports.

A pregnant woman hit and killed while crossing a road in western Sydney

The woman suffered critical injuries, but despite emergency services arriving on the scene she couldn't be revived.

Police had initially released details of the pregnant woman's description on Tuesday in an effort to find out who she was.

The woman was described Asian woman with long dark hair, and wearing aqua-blue tights, a blue singlet, a lime green knitted jumper, a brown bomber jacket and brown ugg boots.

The 35-year-old male driver of the car stopped nearby after the accident took place and was taken to hospital for mandatory testing. No alcohol was found in his system by police after they carried out a breath test.
Vandals have defaced Second World War gravestones with swastikas in a cemetery on the NSW South Coast.

Police were called to Nowra Cemetery on Kalander Street in Nowra just after 4.15pm on Tuesday.

They found nine marble gravestones with swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti.

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Vandals have defaced Second World War gravestones with swastikas in a cemetery on the NSW South Coast

A photograph shows the phrase 'die Jues [sic] die' written on a brick entrance pillar.

Investigators believe the vandalism happened between 11.30am last Tuesday and 12.30pm on Tuesday.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is being urged to contact Shoalhaven police.

The graffiti was carried out in the war section of the cemetery.

The section contains a total of 35 gravestones of soldiers from the army, navy and airforce who were killed during the Second World War.

Nowra RSL Sub-Branch secretary Rick Meehan said he was 'disgusted' by the act of vandalism.

Police were called to Nowra Cemetery on Kalander Street in Nowra just after 4.15pm on Tuesday

Investigators believe the vandalism happened between 11.30am last Tuesday and 12.30pm on Tuesday

He visits the section every Tuesday to keep the gravestones clean and 'spruce it up... out of respect' for the diggers.

'It [the war] happened 70 years ago, obviously people don't know what the Jews went through and our diggers went through for the country they enjoy,' Mr Meehan told Daily Mail Australia.

'I couldn't get over it, I was confronted by it. Why do this? I can't understand.

'I was bit shocked and speechless and disgusted to be honest. '

Mr Meehan said he wanted to catch the perpetrators not to punish them, but to educate them on the significance of the Second World War.
British scientists believe the memory-robbing disease is fuelled by a rogue immune response  and that ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory drugs might be able to calm it

Ibuprofen and other common painkillers could hold the key to beating Alzheimers, British scientists have said.

They believe the memory-robbing disease is fuelled by a rogue immune response  and that ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory drugs might be able to calm it.

Given early enough, the popular pills might be able to stop the cruel disease ever developing.

Blood tests, developed as part of the same multi-million-pound project, will help doctors work out who will benefit most from the drugs, and which pills to give them.

Much more work is needed by Cardiff University researcher Paul Morgan, who is part of the Nima consortium looking for new uses for old drugs, said the blood test-pill combo could be in widespread use by 2023.

Professor Morgan said: I hope that we will at worst slow the progression and at best stop the progression.

Alzheimers affects more than 500,000 Britons, and there is no cure.

Existing drugs delay the progress of the disease but soon wear off, allowing the condition to take its devastating course.

Professor Morgan is developing a blood test that would allow doctors to predict which elderly patients with memory problems are most likely to go on to develop Alzheimers.

In research published in the Journal of Alzheimers disease, he studied blood samples from almost 300 men and women in their 70s and 80s and then tracked their health for a year.

All had memory lapses that were worrying enough for them to have been to their doctor  but not bad enough to be classed as Alzheimers.

Given early enough, the popular pills might be able to stop the cruel disease ever developing

The professor showed that if levels of three particular proteins were extra-high in a persons blood, they were much more likely to go on to develop dementia.

The test was almost 90 per cent accurate in giving early warning of the condition.

The three proteins involved are signs of inflammation, a rogue immune response that is thought to contribute to the brain damage of Alzheimers.

Professor Morgan said Our research proves that it is possible to predict whether or not an individual with mild memory problems is likely to develop Alzheimers disease over the next few years.

We hope to build on this in order to develop a simple blood test that can predict the likelihood of developing Alzheimers disease in older people with mild, and possibly innocent, memory impairment.

The Nima consortium, which is made up of seven British universities and three drug companies, plans to test existing anti-inflammatories in patients with telltale signs of inflammation in their blood.

Candidates include ibuprofen, as well as powerful painkillers used for rheumatoid arthritis.

Professor Morgan said: Alzheimers disease affects around 520,000 people in the UK and this number is continually growing as the population ages.

As such it is important that we find new ways to diagnose the disease early, giving us a chance to investigate and instigate new treatments before irreversible damage is done.
Far-right thugs have bricked up the door of a mosque and covered it with xenophobic slogans.

The attack happened in the town of Parchim in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, according to police.

A wall was built out of concrete blocks which were placed in front of the entrance of a local mosque. Notes with xenophobic slogans were stuck to the newly-built wall.

The attack happened in the town of Parchim in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, according to police

One of the notes read: 'You call yourself believers, we call you invaders.'

Another note quoted Turkish president Erdogan's comment that 'the mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers.'

After the attack was discovered, a handwritten note was placed on the wall with a message supporting the Muslim community, saying that walls are there to be torn down.

It also encouraged worshippers not to lose faith and to stay strong.

According to a refugee aid group, this was the second attack against the mosque in Parchim.

The police said they have started an official investigation into the matter.
Cutting-edge British technology firm ARM Holdings is to fall into Japanese hands after shareholders approved a 24billion takeover.

In a blow for the UK tech industry, 95 per cent of investors voted in favour of the deal, which will see the microchip designer sold to the SoftBank conglomerate.

As part of the deal, the Japanese company  owned by the countrys second richest man, Masayoshi Son  has promised to double ARMs 1,700-strong British staff and maintain its HQ in Cambridge. But critics questioned yesterday whether SoftBank would be able to honour its pledges.

Cambridge-based microchip designer ARM Holdings (pictured) is being bought by SoftBank.

Former City minister Lord Myners said the tie-up was selling out our winners, and called on the Government to get a grip and toughen up takeover measures.

He added: We have the most permissive takeover rules in the world. Our future lies with hi-tech companies and high value-added manufacturers. We are leaders, and a firm like ARM forms the centre of a cluster. Other businesses are completely built up around ARM to support it.

Nico Macdonald, of the Research and Development Society, said: Most companies that have been built in the digital sector in the last 20 years have been acquired by non-UK companies.

He added that unless the UK finds a more imaginative way of funding research, young companies will not reach their potential, adding: The UK has built itself on being a case where foreign investment is encouraged and ARM needed more investment.

ARM Holdings designs low-power chips for 95 per cent of smartphones, as well as smart TVs, smartwatches and tablets.

Considered a major asset, it is at the forefront of the next tech boom, the so-called internet of things in which household devices will be all be connected.

A branch of Softbank, a Japanese telecommunications and Internet corporation firm

ARM founder Hermann Hauser said: I regret the fact we have lost our last independent hi-tech company with a global reach. There was no reason for change. It had 1billion of cash.

Lord Myners said investors acted rationally after being offered well above the share price, but the sale was bad news for the British economy. SoftBanks offer of 17 a share is 43 per cent higher than the price before the deal was announced.

He said: They say the headquarters will remain in Cambridge, but the big decisions on research and development will be made in Japan. One would expect SoftBank to optimise its tax arrangements with a structure where it wont pay UK tax.

He also questioned SoftBanks stability, pointing to debt of up to 90billion.
More than half a million company car drivers face higher tax bills under a proposed crackdown on valuable perks by the Treasury.

Salary sacrifice schemes allow employees to give up some of their taxable pay for perks such as company cars.

Employees cut their tax and National Insurance bill, while employers have to pay less National Insurance for the employee.

Salary sacrifice schemes allow employees to give up some of their taxable pay for perks such as company cars. File image

The biggest savings are made by those who have opted for low carbon emission cars, which benefit from generous tax breaks.

The Treasurys proposed rules could come into force next April and would effectively kill off tax benefits worth thousands of pounds a year for company car drivers. Under the plans, workers would be taxed on the full amount of salary sacrificed.

Campaigners said the majority of people who benefit are basic rate taxpayers  who have endured years of meagre pay rises  rather than executives.

But the Treasury fears salary sacrifice schemes  which can also be used for benefits such as gym membership and car parking spaces  have become too popular and that it is losing out on tax revenue as a result.

Jane Ellison, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said: This growth represents an increasing cost to the exchequer and creates an uneven playing field between employees and employers who use such arrangements and benefit from the tax advantages and those that dont.

There are around 100,000 employees whose cars are provided through salary sacrifice. But critics said the crackdown would also capture up to 500,000 more drivers of company cars.

Q&A: WHAT IS A SALARY SACRIFICE CAR SCHEME? Salary sacrifice is a popular perk whereby an employee surrenders part of his salary in return for a non-cash benefit, such as a leased company car. How does it work? The cost of leasing the car is deducted from the employees gross salary, reducing the amount on which income tax and National Insurance has to be paid. The employee will still have to pay tax and National Insurance  and the employer National Insurance  on the cars value for tax purposes. But this is often much less than the salary sacrificed because the system is designed to encourage the use of environmentally friendly cars, which benefit from generous tax breaks. How much can you save? According to consultancy firm Deloitte, if an employee with a cash allowance of 7,520 chooses a low C02 BMW 330e, this car will have a tax value of 3,060  because of its low emissions. So instead of having to pay 40 per cent income tax on 7,520  or 3,008  a higher rate taxpayer would have to pay 40 per cent tax on 3,060  or 1,224. The taxpayer would make a saving of 1,784. The employer pays National Insurance of 13.8 per cent on the taxable value of the car, rather than the salary sacrificed, slashing the employers bill. So whats changing? If the Treasury goes ahead with its plans, employees and employers with company car schemes will have to pay tax on the full amount of salary sacrificed  in other words the cost of leasing the car. Advertisement

These employees are offered a cash allowance  which will be fully taxed  or a company car, which often has a much smaller value for tax purposes. These cash or car policies are not normally considered to be salary sacrifice schemes but they work in much the same way.

The BVRLA, a trade body for the vehicle rental and leasing sector, is campaigning against the crackdown. Chief executive Gerry Keaney said: These schemes offer a valuable way of rewarding and retaining staff. Our research shows that 80 per cent of salary sacrifice drivers are in the basic income tax bracket.

Howard Cox, of the motorists campaign group FairFuelUK, said: The Government must not penalise people from moving onto greener cars  or companies that encourage their staff to do so  for the sake of a fast buck.

Mark Groom, tax partner at consultancy firm Deloitte, said: We estimate that over half a million people might have to pay more in taxes if they stick with their company car where they agree to a salary sacrifice or have a cash alternative.
The pair bashed a security guard and threw a chair after starting the fight

said it's time the pair are punished and jailed

Two stepbrothers who caused a wild brawl inside a busy McDonalds have nine assault convictions between them but neither have ever been jailed, it has been revealed.

Shane Bryan Yates, 31, and Demeon Magrowski, 38, faced Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday during which the prosecutor said the time for mercy has passed, reported The Advertiser.

The pair have pleaded guilty to aggravated assault charges which stem from the violent fight at the fast-food restaurant in Adelaide on June 14, last year.

During the fight two security guards were bashed and a chair was thrown.

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Two stepbrothers who started a violent brawl at a busy McDonalds in Adelaide last year (pictured in the grey and blue) have nine prior assault conviction between them

The stepbrothers are requesting a suspended sentence as their counsel argues the incident was a result of many psychological and social issues.

The council also claimed the pair had shown remorse since the incident.

But the prosecutor said the pair should be punished for their actions and asked for them to be sent to jail.

'Magrowski has an appalling criminal record dating back 24 years, but has been shown leniency time and time again,' Brevet Sergeant Tracy Keller said.

'Yates's first assault conviction occurred 18 years ago and he has an appalling criminal record similar to Magrowski's.

'He has four priors for assault and yet has failed to serve any time in jail ... clearly, personal deterrence is needed.'

Shane Bryan Yates, 31, and Demeon Magrowski, 38, faced Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday during which their counsel requested a suspended sentence - (Yates is pictured in blue shirt and Magrowski in the grey)

During the incident the pair bashed security guards and threw chairs as customers looked on stunned (Magrowski pictured left)

The fight in June turned physical after Yates commented on a stranger's girlfriend before punching him in front of stunned customers.

A security guard was then repeatedly punched before chairs and fists were thrown around as the scuffle continued.

The pair would be handed their sentence next month.

The prosecutor said it is time the pair are punished for their actions and get sent to jail (pictured Magrowski being held back from launching another punch)
It is known that, once in the sea, the microbeads effectively become a magnet for toxic pollutants

Toxins in plastic microbeads could get into the food chain through fish and then permeate human tissues if eaten.

The frightening possibility has been identified by Government experts and environment groups.

It strengthens calls for a ban on the beads, which are contained in beauty products, face scrubs, gels and toothpaste. They end up being flushed down plug holes before reaching rivers and the sea, where they are eaten by marine life.

The Daily Mail launched its Ban the Beads campaign amid growing evidence of the damage they cause to the environment.

Now evidence supplied to the all-party Commons Environment Audit Committee (EAC) points to the danger the beads pose to human health.

A submission from experts at the Governments food and farming department, Defra, said the evidence base is limited, but added: They do not biodegrade, they accumulate in the marine environment, they can absorb toxic chemicals and pathogens, and their small size means they have the potential to be ingested by marine organisms.

Microplastics have been found in a wide variety of species including zooplankton, mussels, oysters, shrimp, marine worms, fish, seals and whales. Chemicals on microplastics ingested by an organism can dissociate from plastic particles and enter body tissues... This suggests that these chemicals have the potential to travel through the food chain.

Defra said there is evidence from animal studies that small plastic particles can cross membranes into cells, causing damage and inflammation.

Looking at the implications for humans, Defra said: Several studies show that microplastics are present in seafood sold for human consumption, including mussels in North Sea mussel farms and oysters from the Atlantic.

The presence of marine microplastics in seafood could pose a threat to food safety. However, due to the complexity of estimating toxicity, estimations of the potential risks for human health posed by microplastics in foodstuffs is not yet possible.

Labour MP Mary Creagh, chairman of the Commons Environment Audit Committee

the UKs Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, said there is good evidence from medicine that microplastics can penetrate human tissue.

There is a whole set of evidence already of the impacts of microplastics on the human body, which comes from the medical side of science, he said. They use them as vectors for delivering medicines to those areas where they want them to be active.

If it can transfer to certain tissues to deliver the medicine then it could also transfer to the tissues without the medicine, I would assume.

It could transfer to several layers of the human body, in simple laymans terms.

It is known that, once in the sea, the microbeads effectively become a magnet for toxic pollutants, including industrial chemicals and pesticides

They are mixed among the plankton and are ingested by marine life. One British study found that more than one in three fish, including cod, haddock and mackerel, caught off the British coast are contaminated with the beads.

The real concern is that the plastic and the toxins absorbed by the beads are ending up on dinner plates and causing harm to the human population.

The EAC has called on the Government to implement a unilateral ban on plastic microbeads.

Its chairman, Labour MP Mary Creagh, said: The alarming possibility that microplastics could be carrying toxins into our bodies through eating fish or shellfish highlights the need for far more research in this area.

Toxins in plastic microbeads could get into the food chain through fish and then permeate human tissues if eaten

In the meantime, the Government should speed up the ban on these plastic pollutants.

Louise Edge, senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace, said: What we are looking at here is the frightening possibility that these tiny microplastics in our seafood could move from our guts into cells and tissue elsewhere in our body, increasing the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals.

We simply dont know enough about these potential health risks. What we can be sure of, however, is that people didnt order plastic with their fish and chips  and that a ban on any product which could send microplastics down into our seas is a crucial step in stamping out this danger.
Urgent action is needed to give pregnant women and new mothers more protection at work, MPs said last night.

Following a shocking increase in discrimination over the past ten years, they called for firms to be banned from making women redundant when they are on maternity leave.

And they also said maternity leave rights should be extended to casual workers and those on zero-hour contracts  although a free-market think-tank said such a move could be counter-productive because many new mothers prefer such flexible contracts.

MPs said maternity leave rights should be extended to casual workers. File image

The Commons women and equalities committee, chaired by former culture secretary Maria Miller, called for a German-style system which would ban employers from making women redundant during and after pregnancy except in specific exceptional circumstances.

The MPs also demanded a substantial cut in the 1,200 fee for women taking a pregnancy-related discrimination case to an employment tribunal.

Their report says the number of expectant and new mothers forced to leave their job because of concerns about the safety of their child or pregnancy discrimination has doubled over the past decade to 54,000.

And more than one in ten pregnant women and new mothers reported being dismissed, singled out for compulsory redundancy or forced out of their job by poor treatment, according to research by the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

More than one in ten pregnant women and new mothers reported being dismissed, singled out for compulsory redundancy or forced out of their job by poor treatment

The cross-party committee said the Governments approach had so far lacked urgency and bite.

It urged ministers to publish an ambitious, detailed plan within two years to improve the working rights of pregnant women and new mothers, warning that without change more female workers will be forced out of their jobs. Mrs Miller said: The economy will suffer unless employers modernise their workplace practices to ensure effective support and protection for expectant and new mums.

In Germany, a ban prevents redundancies for pregnant employees except in rare cases, such as gross misconduct by the worker or the employer getting into financial difficulties leading to multiple job losses.

As well as calling for a similar law in Britain, the committee said the three-month limit on taking pregnancy and maternity discrimination cases to an employment tribunal should be doubled to six months.

A spokesman for the Institute of Economic Affairs said: This report is absolutely right to call for further protections against the sometimes blatant discrimination pregnant women can face in the workplace.
He said the watchdog was a costly flop and a bureaucratic ornament

The shadow leader of the Commons thinks MPs should get fixed expenses

when he said watchdog should go

One of Jeremy Corbyns senior colleagues sparked fury last night after calling for scrutiny of MPs expenses to be scrapped.

Paul Flynn, Shadow Leader of the Commons, said the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) the watchdog which checks MPs receipts  should be abolished.

Instead, all MPs would automatically receive a specific amount of money which they could spend, removing the need for expenses claims.

Paul Flynn said the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority was an expensive flop

In the MPs expenses scandal, Mr Flynn was found to have claimed 7,052 for a new kitchen, 1,153 for carpets and 1,200 for decoration of his property in London in 2005.

He then sold it and moved to a new 275,000 flat. He was later required to repay more than 2,000 for mortgage interest following the scandal.

Under his new proposals, MPs spending would not be checked, and parliamentarians would no longer have to submit receipts. He said the new scheme would amount to a more fundamental reform than polishing dung.

Last night, an exasperated Labour MP said: This is further evidence of the extent to which Jeremy Corbyns Shadow Cabinet is completely divorced from reality. Labours official position is now that to stop MPs breaking the rules, we have to abolish the rules. Its madness.

Mr Flynn, an 81-year-old long-time rebel, was elevated to the Shadow Cabinet after most of Mr Corbyns top team resigned.

He revealed his policy suggestion in an email circulated to Labour MPs yesterday, writing that Ipsa was an expensive flop and a bureaucratic ornament that had been misconceived in panic and fear.

Mr Flynn was elevated to the Shadow Cabinet after most of Mr Corbyns top team resigned

All parties sought a lifeline to escape from the nightmare of the expenses scandal, he said. Ipsa was the wrong solution.

Mr Flynn said that although the previous lax rules were rightly abolished, the pendulum swung from permissiveness to minute control of claims large and small.

'The most efficient best value alternative would have been to replace expenses at reduced total cost with an automatic allowance.

He said Ipsa had failed, with the result that MPs reputation had sunk from rock bottom to subterranean. Financial scandals have continued in both Houses with toe-curling regularity, he added.

'The public are still convinced that MPs use the system for our own ends. There is a better solution. The previous simple five-part expenses system was atomized into a hundred headings and sub-headings.

'A monthly 30-minute chore was complicated by Ipsa into hours of tedious frustrating trawling through a bureaucratic morass of rules  Ipsa robs MPs and our staff of much of their most precious possession  time.

He said the new system could be based on an allowance calculated on average expenses based on distance from Westminster.
A teacher from an elite Melbourne school claims he was bullied by a colleague who told him she didn't want the staffroom 'looking like Angelina Jolie's family.'

Manu Chopra, formerly employed by McKinnon Seconday College, claims the same teacher also told him the staff room didn't 'need any more brown skins.'

The explosive allegations of racial discrimination are being heard in the human rights division of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

At least eight parties are included in the extensive complaint - including the school's principal and vice-principal - which relates to a number of alleged incidents in 2013.

Manu Chopra, a former maths teacher from Melbourne's McKinnon Secondary College, claims he was frequently subjected to racial discrimination while employed as a teacher at the school

Mr Chopra claimed that one female colleague'told him she didn't want the staffroom 'looking like Angelina Jolie's family' - a reference to the Hollywood star's multiracial family

It was alleged that the same teacher responsible for the Jolie line - a reference to the Hollywood moviestar's multiracial family - racially insulted him at a staff party.

Mr Chopra, a secondary maths teacher, claimed the woman called out 'good job' to a staffer who pulled away a female teacher he was talking to at the event.

The staffer allegedly responded with a thumbs up and later confessed to being asked to 'save' the teacher from 'the brown skinned man.'

Mr Chopra also claimed he was regularly made to feel victimised by the school principal and those acting under her instruction.

'I felt that my feelings and my opinion did not matter. Others could treat me as they wanted in the workplace without fear of any recrimination for their inappropriate behaviour merely because of my race,' Mr Chopra is quoted as saying in tribunal documents seen by Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Chopra put together 72 pages of evidence in a bid to prove that a number of senior staff members had breached the Equal Opportunity Act 2010.

A number of other allegations - including that he was called 'unprofessional' in front of students, was bullied in union meetings and screamed at by teachers - were considered unlikely to be proved as instances of racial discrimination.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted McKinnon Seconday College for comment.

Mr Chopra, a maths teacher, also claims to have been referred to as the 'brown skinned man' by colleagues (stock image)
A Romanian daredevil has filmed himself riding a unicycle around the roof of an industrial chimney 840ft above the ground.

Heart-racing footage shows thrill-seeker Flaviu Cernescu performing atop the structure in Targu Jiu, Romania.

He cycles around a 3ft wide platform knowing that if he falls either side he faces certain death.

Daredevil: Heart-racing footage shows thrill-seeker Flaviu Cernescu performing atop the Targu Jiu in Romania

He makes several journeys around the circumference of the chimney, jumping over metal poles in his way.

Then he takes things up a notch with what he calls the unicycle wheel walk where he moves the wheel with his feet.

He then walks to the edge of the chimney and looks down upon the rolling fields and river underneath him.

Brave or stupid? He cycles around a three-ft wide platform knowing that if he falls either side he faces certain death

Awesome: He then walks to the edge of the chimney and looks down upon the rolling fields and river underneath him

Finally, the daredevil decides to climb the scaffolding across the chimney and hang from it with his bare hands, looking into the abyss below.

As he looks down, hanging from one hand, his GoPro eerily captures some wood that he knocked out of place falling into the darkness.

Flaviu Cernescu is a professional juggler and unicyclist who has performed several stunts in his native Romania.

Tense: Finally, the daredevil decides to climb the scaffolding across the chimney and hang from it with his bare hands, looking into the dark abyss below
John Nettles, who as TV detective Bergerac was a heart-throb in the Eighties and will guest star in the new series of Poldark, claims he was one of the first British actors to bare his pecs on screen, as the likes of Aidan Turner routinely do nowadays.

Nettles, 72, who will play landowner Ray Penvenen in Poldark, says telly heroes of the Seventies and Eighties didnt tend to be beach-body ready and were more weeds than hunks.

In this country, we didnt follow the Californian model of the triangular man with the pecs. If you think of various heroes  Robert Powell in Doomwatch, Trevor Eve in Shoestring  they werent big fellas.

I was like a biro refill when I started doing Bergerac, but I lasted long enough to change my shape to the required Californian look. I hit the gym big time!

John Nettles, who as TV detective Bergerac was a heart-throb in the Eighties and will guest star in the new series of Poldark, claims he was one of the first British actors to bare his pecs on screen, right, as the likes of Aidan Turner, left, routinely do nowadays

TV property queen Kirstie Allsopp has revealed how the death of her mother two years ago from breast cancer has made her seize the day.

The Location, Location, Location star, 45, says: She taught me that if you say youre going to do something, you get on with it, come hell or high water.

Thats why I can count the number of sick days Ive had in my 25-year career on the fingers of one hand.

Not quite the Levi's pool boy, Bruce

Withnail & I director Bruce Robinson has always been a maverick, be it denouncing his audience at an arts festival last month as a load of Ukip c***s or wearing whiskey as perfume.

As my picture shows, the 70-year-old, who directed The Rum Diary starring Johnny Depp, threw convention out of the window this week on holiday in the South of France.

Emerging from the swimming pool in saturated jeans, he calls to mind the iconic Levis advert in which a virile young man performs a similar stunt.

His holiday companion, designer Nick Ashley, observes: Nothing Bruce Robinson does is conventional, he even swims in his jeans.

Withnail & I director Bruce Robinson emerged from the pool in saturated jeans on holiday in the South of France this week

Sadiq Khan, the new Labour Mayor of London, might have just celebrated his first 100 days in office, but his frustrated celebrity lookalike is still waiting for the phone to ring. Im amazed that our Sadiq double hasnt had any bookings yet, despite the new mayor lacking Boriss charisma, says Susan Scott, boss of Susan Scott Lookalikes.

But his term of office still has nearly four years to run, so I live in hope!

Food guru Ella keeps her hubby on his toes

Not satisfied with reigning over the nations healthy eating craze, food guru Ella Mills  aka Deliciously Ella  could spark a couples fitness trend, too.

The 25-year-old daughter of supermarket heiress Camilla Sainsbury and former MP Shaun Woodward has started working out with her new husband Matthew (pictured).

Ella Mills, the 25-year-old daughter of supermarket heiress Camilla Sainsbury and former MP Shaun Woodward, has started working out with her new husband Matthew

Using their local playground in Chelsea, Ella propped herself up on her forearms in a move called the plank while Baroness Jowells son Matthew, with whom Ella has co-founded her new deli, jumped either side of her in a cardio workout.

Trying to get fit again, she explains. Really gave up on moving the last few months and it feels so good to be getting back into a regular routine again.
They are due to reappear in court on October 26

Two Canadian women accused of smuggling over $30 million (US $23 million) worth of cocaine into Sydney on a cruise ship documented their lavish holiday on social media before their arrest at the weekend.

Melina Roberge, 23, and Isabelle Lagace, 28, were on the Sea Princess cruise, which started in Britain and visited Canada, USA, Colombia, Peru and Auckland all before arriving in Australia on Sunday.

The pair, along with co-accused Andre Tamine, 63, fronted a Sydney court on Monday after they were caught allegedly attempting to import 95kg (200lb) of cocaine into the country.

The trio, who are all from Quebec, are now facing life in prison after being charged with one count each of 'import commercial quantity of border controlled drug.'

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Melina Roberge, 22, (left) and Isabelle Lagace, 28, (right) were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of smuggling $30 million (US$23 million) worth of cocaine into Australia

Roberge is pictured here in one of many bikini-clad Instagram photos from their cruise

Lagace (pictured, Roberge and their co-accused Andre Tamine, 63, fronted a Sydney court on Monday

Pictured is one suitcase filled with cocaine which allegedly belonged to the trio

The accused Andre Tamine, 63, Isabelle Legace, 28, and Melina Roberce, 22, were on the Sea Princess cruise liner

However a look at the young women's social media accounts shows the pair having the time of their life in the months leading up to their arrest.

Pictures show them taking part in a range of activities from drinking coconuts on the beach to riding quad bikes through the desert while on the $20,000 (US $15,000) cruise.

Roberge works at a Pandora jewelry store in Quebec, according to her Facebook page.

But her Instagram account is flooded with images of the young woman wearing little more than a bikini, in exotic locations such as Ecuador and Peru.

In Peru, the 23-year-old, went hiking, posed for photographs with local children and also tried her hand at quad-biking, with one image showing her standing atop a bike.

'Traveling is one thing ... But traveling with an open mind, ready to taste everything, see everything, learn everything and get yourself out of your comfort zone .. Is probably the best therapy and lesson ever,' she wrote alongside an image taken in Chile.

Pictures show the pair taking part in a range of activities including drinking coconuts on the beach

The penalty for smuggling a commercial quantity of cocaine includes life imprisonment

Travelling ... Is probably the best therapy and lesson ever,' Roberge wrote alongside this image taken in Chile

Lagace posted this image of her on a beach in Tahiti with the caption 'collect moments, not things'

Roberge shared his photo of her getting a tattoo in French Polynesia with the caption #dumbanddumber

'I used to be afraid to get out of my little town and now I feel like I don't want to see that little town anymore cause it's beautiful out there and it's sooo worth it,' the caption read.

She had visited Chile earlier in August and posted a picture at the top of a set of steps in Valparaiso on Facebook, adding: 'After climbing 100 steps, here's your picture mom!!'

Similarly, Lagace's Facebook and Instagram feature dozens of bikini-clad travel photos, the most recent of which was taken in Tahiti with the caption: 'Collect moments, not things.'

The pair also stopped off at the capital of French Polynesia, Papeete, during their round-the-world trip, where Roberge got a tattoo on her ankle, which according to her 'means the protection of the traveler'.

The two young women are pictured here in Los Gemelos

They shared many photographs showing them swimming in crystal clear waters

After Roberge, Lagace and Tamine were arrested on Sunday, Australian Border Force (ABF) Regional Commander Tim Fitzgerald said the drug bust was the nation's largest ever narcotics bust through passenger transportation.

'This is the biggest seizure of narcotics through a passenger stream, so either through the airport or cruise ships, this 95kg of cocaine is the largest seizure we've seen in Australia,' Fitzgerald told AAP.

He believes all 95kg were destined for Australia.

ABF Assistant Commissioner, Strategic Border Command, Clive Murray said that the case was yet another example of international cooperation leading to significant results in the fight against international drug syndicates.

Pictured is one suitcase filled with cocaine which allegedly belonged to the trio

The pair, along with co-accused Andre Tamine, 63, fronted a Sydney court on Monday after they were caught allegedly attempting to import 95kg (200lb) of cocaine into the country

The trio are each charged with one count of 'import commercial quantity of border controlled drug'

Roberge is seen here atop a mountain overlooking the sea in Ecuador

'These syndicates should be on notice that the Australian Border Force is aware of all of the different ways they attempt to smuggle drugs into our country and we are working with a range of international agencies to stop them,' he said.

The Australian Federal Police and ABF undertook the drug raid in cooperation with the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations, New Zealand Customs Service and the Canada Border Services Agency.

The maximum penalty for smuggling a commercial quantity of cocaine is life imprisonment.

The trio will remain in custody until their next court appearance on October 26.

The trio allegedly had 95kg of cocaine, which was allegedly found by sniffer dogs and police in their suitcases
The US Treasury has made no secret of its disapproval of European investigations into Apple's taxes - just as the tech giant has been slapped with the biggest tax bill ever imposed outside the US.

The Brussels-based European Commission ordered Apple to repay $14.5 billion Tuesday, after a three-year investigation found that Ireland gave the company illegal tax benefits.

But Apple will appeal, saying the Commission's figures are 'completely made-up'. CEO Tim Cook, who previously called the probe 'political c**p', hit back in a lengthy message on the company's website.

The US Treasury has also warned Brussels not to pursue American companies over tax avoidance - but McDonald's, Google and Amazon could be next.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook (pictured) accused Brussels of taking unprecedented action, with serious and wide-reaching complications, as it asked the company to repay $14.5 billion

Big bill: Apple, which has a base in Cork, Ireland (pictured) must repay $14.5 billion in unpaid tax because the EU says its sweetheart tax deal with Ireland amounted to state aid

Brussels accused Apple in a damning report published Tuesday of paying as little as 0.005 per cent tax by funneling its non-US profits through its Irish headquarters with no staff or premises, then on to its $178 billion offshore fund.

The Department Of Treasury hit out at the European Commission even before Tuesday's ruling was announced.

It released a 25-page report on last week, accusing Brussels of undermining the international tax system by straying away from international norms.

The Treasury also decried the commission's 'retroactive' investigations, saying such investigations would harm tax certainty and set an undesirable precedent in other countries.

It claimed the Commission's approach would 'undermine years of careful negotiations and compromise among OECD members'.

'The US Treasury Department continues to consider potential responses should the Commission continue its present course,' the report reads.

'A strongly preferred and mutually beneficial outcome would be a return to the system and practice of international tax cooperation that has long fostered cross-border investment between the United States and EU Member States.'

Apple ploughs all its non-US sales through Ireland, where the EU says it has been paying hyper-low tax rates. The majority of profits are then sent offshore where no tax is paid, with some going to America for research and development

A US Treasury spokesperson told Bloomberg in a statement: 'We believe that retroactive tax assessments by the commission are unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles, and call into question the tax rules of individual Member States.

'The commission's actions could threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the US and the EU.'

The Commission, meanwhile, denied having treated Apple differently from other companies.

'EU law applies indiscriminately to all companies operating in Europethere is no bias against U.S. companies,' a spokeswoman for the European Commission told Reuters.

'This is very clear if we look at the facts: In October 2015 the first state aid decisions on tax rulings concerned a European company, Fiat, as well as a US company.'

The Commission's landmark report says that between 2003 and 2014 Apple paid a rock bottom Irish tax rate on most of its profits outside the US before sending it to a tax haven where it paid no tax at all. It has more than $157 billion stashed in offshore accounts.

In the firing line: Cook (pictured with Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta last week) has previously called the investigation 'political c**p' and has said his company will appeal against the ruling

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: 'Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies-this is illegal under EU state aid rules.'

The EU intervention is going to cause a huge row between Brussels and Washington over tax powers.

In 2011 Apple's profits outside America were $22 billion but Ireland agreed that only $55 million were considered taxable.

The giant tax bill, which could reach $21 billion because of interest, will not be difficult for the company to pay because it made $53.4 billion last year - the biggest profit in corporate history.

HOW APPLE'S $14BN TAX BILL WILL BARELY MAKE A DENT Annual revenue: $650bn Annual profits: $53.4bn - around $1600 profit every second Offshore cash fund: $53.4bn Sales: 90m iPhones (34,000 every hour), 40m iPads, 16m MACs and 5m iWatches Employees: 304,000 current US jobs  70,000 employees around the world including 22,000 in Europe. It also has 257,000 jobs at 'other companies' that support its products. Advertisement

But Apple executives have now accused the Commission of doing the sums wrong in calculating the jaw-dropping $14.5 million bill for unpaid tax.

It said in a statement: 'Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned.

'Apple warned of the ramifications for future investment in Europe, where it employs 22,000 people.

'The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and up-end the international tax system in the process.

'It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe.'

The company's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, claimed the tech giant paid $400 million in tax in 2014 in Ireland.

He claimed Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's assessment that Apple paid just $55 in tax for every roughly $1 million it made that year was nonsense.

He said: 'It is a completely made-up number. We really believe that the impact of this decision will be devastating for the European economy.'

CEO Tim Cook posted a lengthy message on apple.com, warning about devastating ramifications for the sovereignty of European countries in light of the competition chief's hard line.

He said: 'In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe.'

Cook accused Brussels of taking unprecedented action, with serious and wide-reaching complications.

He said: 'Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe'.

'Using the Commission's theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed.'

Low bill: In 2011 Apple's international profits generated by iPhones, iPads and Macs were $22 billion, but under the tax arrangement it had in Ireland, only about $55 million were considered taxable

Amazon (its brick and mortar location is pictured in Seattle) is among the companies whose tax deals are being examined closely by the EU

Apple is one week away from its biggest product launch of the year, with the iPhone 7 and a new version of the Apple Watch to be unveiled in San Francisco.

The investigations have also targeted aggressive tax planning by Starbucks and Fiat, both of which are appealing against rulings ordering them to pay back taxes to the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Apple employs about 5,500 people in Ireland, and has argued that its tax bill reflects its operations of procurement, distribution and sales.

Ireland and Apple can now appeal these tax bills. Both have denied any wrongdoing.

The commission investigation relates to two rulings given to Apple in 1991 and 2007.

Apple is the latest major multinational to find itself in the cross-hairs of the EU commission.

The US Treasury has warned the EU not to pursue American companies over tax avoidance saying there is a 'disturbing' pattern of singling out US companies.

Google, Amazon, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, Twitter and eBay also have corporate facilities in Ireland - where attractions include minimal regulation and low corporate tax rates - which could come under renewed scrutiny.

The EU commission has already ruled that a tax deal for Starbucks in the Netherlands was unlawful. The company has been fined around $33 million, although again it is appealing.

Meanwhile, competition regulators are probing deals awarded by Luxembourg to both McDonald's and Amazon.

German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel was Tuesday said to have suggested Google's tax structures should also be examined closely.

Meanwhile, competition regulators are probing deals awarded by Luxembourg to both McDonald's and Amazon

Appeal: Apple, which has its Irish headquarters in Cork (pictured) has denied that any illegal deal was made with Ireland over tax
A hawk has delivered a nasty surprise to a barbecue lunch after dropping a large snake on an unsuspecting family.

The footage was filmed in Melbourne by Douglas Wong as his family lunched by the Yarra River last Friday.

One of his family members spots the hawk as it flies over the river but then it appears to pick up a snake and makes its way towards the family with the slithering reptile in its claws.

The family starts to panic as it continues on its course and yell out in Chinese to each other.

The snake then falls to the ground before it slithers towards one of Mr Wong's family members who make a quick getaway as others in the group tell her to 'run quickly' in Mandarin.

Since it was posted on YouTube two days ago, the video has garnered more than 3,000 views.

In the description box, Mr Wong wrote: 'So funny. Bird dropped snake on my uncle last weekend. Scary.'

The footage has divided public opinion about whether or not it was fake.

But Mr Wong insists it is real.

A hawk has delivered a nasty surprise to a barbecue lunch after dropping a large snake on an unsuspecting family

The footage was filmed in Melbourne by Douglas Wong as his family lunched by the Yarra River last Friday

'It was just my uncle, auntie and cousin visiting,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'They haven't been here long and were excited to see a hawk and it just fell down and picked something up.

'We didn't know it was a snake until it got really close and my uncle ran.

'I just took it on my phone so I can't really prove it so people keep asking but I don't mind [people saying it's fake].'

One of his family members spots the hawk as it flies over the river but then it appears to pick up a snake

The debate about the authenticity of the video has been raging in the comments section of the video.

'Seems fake to me. Look at the finger point at 0:07. It is pointing to a different position,' a man named Andy wrote.

'Also the snake moves a lot a few seconds before being dropped and seems fake.'

Another person was also convinced the video was a hoax.
An outraged parent has accused a Sydney high school of demanding $200 from families to allow their children to attend a Year 12 formal.

Parents of Year 12 students at Parramatta High School received letters in June that said an end-of-year formal for students in their final year would not be organised unless they each paid $200.

Another letter sent later said the formal would be organised, but that students who had not paid the 'contribution' fee would not be allowed to attend, The Parramatta Advertiser reported.

Parramatta High School in Sydney's west, which has been accused of demanding money from families to allow their children to attend a Year 12 formal

'A lot of parents have paid the fee because they thought their child wouldnt be able to go to the formal,' one parent, who was not named, told the newspaper.

The NSW Department of Education said government-funded schools were not allowed to make parental contributions for end-of-year events compulsory and that any such payments were strictly voluntary.

'Parramatta High School has advised parents that no student will be disadvantaged in their education nor denied access to end of year events if the non-compulsory contributions cannot be paid,' the department told Daily Mail Australia in a statement.

'The payment of school contributions are voluntary and are a matter of choice for parents. There is no charge for students to complete the minimum requirements of the school curriculum.

The NSW Department of Education said government-funded schools were not allowed to make parental contributions for end-of-year events compulsory

'All schools can ask for voluntary contributions from parents to enhance the educational programs they are providing. Parents who are unable to pay for elective subjects because of financial hardship may be eligible for assistance from the school through the Principal. Schools make it clear to parents that such requests are always dealt with in confidence.'

The department did not respond to further questions from Daily Mail Australia.

As recently as mid-August parents were still receiving messages asking for the voluntary fees to be paid before students were allowed to go to the formal, the Parramatta Advertiser reported.
An 8-year-old girl who was shot in the head during a drive-by shooting in Miami over the weekend has died.

Miami-Dade police Detective Dan Ferrin confirmed Jada Page's death in a news release Tuesday night.

Page was standing near the front door of a house Sunday evening when someone in a black, 4-door Ford sedan began shooting at her father.

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Angel: Jada Page, 8, pictured left on the first day of school last week, passed away Tuesday, two days after she was shot in the head in Miami

The little girl was killed in a drive-by shooting, whose real target was Jada's father, James Page

The father, 32-year-old James Page, was shot multiple times in the torso. He was listed in stable condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center.

Police are still seeking information about the vehicle and possible suspects. They say it's too early to say whether the shooting was related to another shooting over the weekend in which two people were killed at a wake.

Jada's family members said the 8-year-old was getting ready to go to the movies at around 5pm on Sunday when a black Ford sedan pulled up outside her father's home on Northwest 25th Avenue and someone inside opened fire.

The little girl was struck in the back of the head, while her father, who was the intended target of the gunman, was shot in the torso.

Only last week, Jada started fourth grade at Sea Castle Elementary School.

Hoping against hope: Jada's mother, Dominique Brown, took to social media asking her friends to pray for a miracle for her dying little girl

The grade-schooler was declared brain dead on Monday. Doctors were getting ready to take her off the ventilator Tuesday when she succumbed to her injuries

On the first day of class, the beaming 8-year-old posed for a photo that her proud mother, Dominique Brown, shared on her Instagram account, writing in a caption: 'I wonder how her 1st day at a new school is going? I miss her!'

On Tuesday, a heartbroken Ms Brown took to Facebook, praying for a miracle for her dying little girl.

'Somebody told me last night that it's things like this that make them not believe in God! But all I got left is my faith,' reads her desperate message. 'The doctors have gave up on my baby.. Lord, I need the prayers warriors more then ever right now.. I'm trusting and believing that some how some way she's going to come out of this... Lord I'm not ready to give her back.'

A day earlier, Brown shared online a photo showing her holding Jada's hand in the hospital.

Distraught: Ms Brown, seen in this screenshot being suported by loved ones, was expected to make a statement Tuesday but collapsed outside the hospital

'The doctors say there are miracles and there is reality,' she wrote, revealing that Jada was brain dead and that her doctors were going to take her off the ventilator the following day. 'I need a miracle by tomorrow morning.'

Dominique Brown was expected to make a statement about her daughter's passing Tuesday but collapsed outside the hospital.

She eventually made an emotional plea to CBS4, calling on the person responsible for Jada's death to come forward.

'I just cant see how you can sleep at night knowing you killed my baby,' said Brown, with tears streaming down her face. 'Theres no way you could sleep at night. Please come forward or somebody tell us something.'
Trump has inflamed tensions with Mexicans by calling some of its border jumpers 'murderers' and 'rapists'

Donald Trump has confirmed he will head to Mexico to meet with its president on Wednesday.

He tweeted to his 11 million followers on Tuesday: 'I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.'

The meeting will be 'private', according to Nieto's office. It will also be a brief affair, sandwiched between a California fundraiser in the morning and an evening address in Phoenix where he is expected to give a campaign-defining speech on immigration.

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Donald Trump has confirmed he will head to Mexico to meet with its billionaire president on Wednesday

Trump tweeted on Tuesday: 'I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow'

Speaking in Everett, Washington on Tuesday night, Trump pledged to renegotiate the 'terrible' Bill Clinton-era NAFTA deal that provides Mexico hundreds of billions of dollars annually from American investment and job outsourcing.

He also reiterated his vow to build his famed wall between the U.S. and Mexico in order to 'stop the drugs from pouring in' from Mexico 'and destroying our country.'

And he bashed 'Hillary Clinton's immigration policy, which brings in illegal immigrants' from Mexico and other Latin American countries.

He claimed those working in the US without permission 'take jobs from our hard-working African-American and Hispanic citizens'.

He said: 'Two million Hispanic Americans have been added to the ranks of those living in poverty since 2009.'

Trump's choice of words hinted at a strategy to drive a wedge between Hispanic-American citizens and illegal immigrants from the same ethnic background.

Speaking in Everett, Washington (pictured), Trump reiterated his vow to build his famed wall in order to 'stop the drugs from pouring in' from Mexico '

Trump bashed 'Hillary Clinton's immigration policy, which brings in illegal immigrants' from Mexico and other Latin American countries

Trump pledged to renegotiate the 'terrible' Bill Clinton-era NAFTA deal that provides Mexico hundreds of billions of dollars annually from American investment

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions will accompany Trump, according to a campaign official.

Both Republicans warned up the crowd Tuesday night inside the Xfinity Arena in Everett.

Giuliani praised Trump as a straight-talking maverick who 'doesn't talk in political bull-you-know-what.'

Noticeably missing from the billionaire's stump speech Tuesday was his familiar shout about "Who's gonna pay for the wall?"

Unlike most of his speeches, Tuesday's did not include the audience screaming "Mexico!" in reply.

But Trump has never before given a speech on the eve of visiting a nation that he rise to prominence by bashing 'con mucho gusto'.

A campaign source initially told DailyMail.com that no formal plan to travel to Mexico has been sketched out or agreed to.

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (pictured) and Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions will accompany Trump to Mexico

Supporters cheer as Trump speaks at a rally at Xfinity Arena in Everett

Noticeably missing from the billionaire's stump speech was his familiar shout: 'Who's gonna pay for the wall?'  though his supporters (pictured) were as frenzied as ever

Trump's presidential rival Hillary Clinton seized on the news to blast Trump for the negative remarks he has made about Mexicans in the past.

In a statement she said: 'From the first days of his campaign, Donald Trump has painted Mexicans as 'rapists' and criminals and has promised to deport 16million people, including children and US citizens.

From the first days of his campaign, Donald Trump has painted Mexicans as 'rapists' and criminals and has promised to deport 16million people, including children and US citizens Hillary Clinton

'He has said we should force Mexico to pay for his giant borer wall. He has said we should ban remittances to families in Mexico if Mexico doesn't pay up.

'What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of our familes and deportation of millions.'

President Nieto has tried to appear neutral as Trump shocked and outraged his way to the forefront of US presidential politics.

After reports surfaced he had compared Trump to Adolph Hitler and Mussolini in June, the Mexican leader insisted he had never given an 'adjective to any of the candidates in the democratic competition' in the United States.

He added: 'Any issue, anything that I have said has been taken out of context.'

Hillary Clinton seized on the news to blast Trump for the negative remarks he has made about Mexicans in the past

Earlier this year, reports surfaced that President Nieto (pictured) had compared Trump to Adolph Hitler and Mussolini

Hundreds of anti-Trump protesters (pictured) gathered outside the venue where he spoke

He was eventually forced to clarify that he put Trump in the company of two of the world's most vicious dictators because they all 'chose the road towards isolationism and destruction'.

'In the past, some leaders addressed their societies in those terms. Hitler and Mussolini did that,' Nieto said during a June press event in Ottawa, Canada.

In the past, some leaders addressed their societies in those terms [similar to Trump]. Hitler and Mussolini did that... It resulted in devastation, and it turned out to be a tragedy for mankind Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto

He went on: 'And the outcome  it's clear to everyone  it resulted in devastation, and it turned out to be a tragedy for mankind.'

While he praised a governing model based on 'free trade and trade agreements'  principles Trump rails against, Nieto cautioned that 'my government will respect fully the domestic electoral process in the United States.'

Trump would need 'significant protection' on any visit to Mexico where some have burned effigies of the Republican candidate,The Washington Post reported.

His tough-on-immigration attitude in the early days of his candidacy has been met with anger both in the US and abroad.

Announcing his presidential campaign in June, Trump accused Mexicans of being 'rapists', saying: 'When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best'

Trump was roundly mocked on social media when he tweeted a picture of himself eating a taco bowl on Twitter in what was perceived as a desperate attempt to win favor with the Mexican electorate

Trump recently reiterated his promise to Republican followers that he would build a 'great, great wall' along the Mexico-US border - and has previously blamed Mexicans for bringing crime to America

Announcing his presidential campaign in June 2015, Trump promised his Republican followers that he would build a 'great, great wall' along America's southern border.

They [Mexico] are sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists Donald Trump

He further inflamed tensions with Mexico by claiming he would 'get Mexico to pay for it.'

In the same speech, he accused Mexicans of being 'rapists,' saying: 'When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best.'

'They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.'

The hard-line Republican has built his entire candidacy on pledges to build the impenetrable wall and to eject millions of illegal immigrants from the United States.

Trump also drew ridicule after several white Republicans were seen holding signs reading 'Latinos para Trump' at the Republican National Convention

Trump says his proposed 1,000-mile border will would be 35-45 feet high (pictured, older sections of the US-Mexico border fence near San Diego)

SO HOW DOES TRUMP'S WALL STACK UP? Trump has drawn comparisons between his plans for a Mexican border wall and those of the Great Wall of China. But how do his proposals actually stack up alongside other barriers? The Great Wall of Trump: 35-45 feet, as per the presidential hopeful's latest estimates, and 1,000 miles long. Current U.S./Mexico 'fence': Around 670 miles of fencing, at up to 20 feet high. In the most heavily defended parts there is a steel barrier, a climb-proof fence and 20 feet high concrete posts. Hillary Clinton voted for its construction as the junior senator from New York. The Great Wall of China: The famous structure is an average of 26 feet tall, but reaches 46 feet at its highest point and is 13,170 miles long. It was built on and off over 2,500 years and is not a continuous barrier. Trump has promised to build his 'so fast it'll make your head spin'. Israel's Separation Barrier: Built by Israel around the West Bank, it is up to 26 feet high - a mixture of concrete walls and multi-layered fences. It is more than 400 miles long. It is opposed by Palestinians who say it was encroached on their territory but its supporters say it has led to a huge reduction in terrorism in Israel. Hadrian's Wall: Ordered by the emperor Hadrian to mark the northern boundary of the Roman Empire across the north of what is now England, the almost 2,000-year-old stone wall was up to 20 feet high in places and 73 miles long. Only vestiges exist. Berlin Wall: Before it was largely torn down in 1989 the wall, built by East Germany, was 91 miles long in total and 12 feet high. Advertisement

In the past two weeks his position has seemed to soften  so much so that other Republicans are questioning whether he is determined to follow through on his promises.

He told Fox News' Sean Hannity: 'There certainly can be a softening because we're not looking to hurt people.'

But speaking to CNN'S Anderson Cooper, his son Donald Trump Jr said he took the advisers' opinions but it does not mean his policies have changed.
RM Williams pleaded guilty for failing to comply with health and safety

Her fingers were crushed and she suffered third-degree burns

Sharon Vargas was operating machinery at the company's factory

Iconic Australian boot and clothing manufacturer RM Williams is fined $90,000 after a worker suffered third-degree burns and her fingers were crushed.

Sharon Vargas was operating a machine at the company's Salisbury factory in Adelaide on June 29 last year when her hands became trapped.

Ms Vargas spent 10 days in hospital receiving skin grafts and continues to have no feeling in her left hand.

Sharon Vargas who was aged 33 at the time burnt her hand and crushed her fingers after it was trapped in an operating machine

Australian boot and clothing manufacturer RM Williams was fined $90,000 plus court costs

Ms Vargas, who was aged 33 at the time, was operating a heated logo stamping machine for the first time in the absence of an interlocked guard.

As a result the company pleaded guilty to one count of failing to comply with health and safety laws.

'It is a matter for grave concern that the worker being a 'new' worker on the plant was being instructed in a practice which was positively dangerous and sought to defeat the machines safety measures,' Presiding Magistrate Ardlie said.

SafeWork SA Executive Director, Ms Marie Boland said the large industrial plant posed serious risks 'this conviction reinforces the importance of managing those risks.

'This conviction highlights the importance of guarding moving parts on machinery which pose a serious risk to the health and safety of workers,' said SafeWork SA Executive Director, Ms Boland said.

Ms Vargas was operating a heated logo stamping machine for the first time in the absence of an interlocked guard
Footage seen at the inquest shows people creeping into her room at night

Inquest into her death in a foster home is being conducted in Sydney

She had allegedly been raped by carers in a foster home before she died

Sexually abused 'Girl X', 15, died in Sydney in 2014 after a drug overdose

Footage from 'Girl X's' foster home has revealed a constant string of people including 'older men' visiting her room at night time before her 2014 death.

The grainy black-and-white shows a people coming and going, and staff from the facility in Pennant Hills, north west Sydney, told an inquest into the 15-year-old's death: 'It was becoming a bit of a drop-in house'.

The case worker told the inquest people 'would come and go at all hours', The Daily Telegraph reported.

'Older men' would climb into her room through her window, the inquest heard.

'Girl X', who died in 2014 after a 'speedball' drug overdose. She had allegedly been repeatedly raped before she died

CCTV footage shows a succession of people visiting her room in a foster home at night time

Another resident at the property was so concerned about the night-time visitors she would lock herself in her room.

The ABC reported a care worker from the home, Gordon House, as saying: 'We'd find young people in beds and on floors all the time.

'[I'd] walk into a room, find 10 people in there, would kick them out and they'd come back in through a window.'

Two nights before the girl died, a man can be seen sneaking into her bedroom through a window at the care home, according to CCTV played at the inquest.

The girl, he told police in a later interview, showed him about 1.5 points of heroin and remarked 'look what I've got,' the inquest heard.

The man took all the drugs, passed out and slept through the night, the inquest heard.

Among those who visited her room at night were 'older men' a care worker told an inquest

'Girl X' had been subjected to 'some of the worst treatment of a child' a carer with 26 years' experience said

In the morning he dashed for help after hearing the girl making a strange breathing noise.

A carer tried to revive her and paramedics managed to restart her heart but she remained unconscious and wasn't able to breath independently.

The girl died early the next morning, on April 21, 2014, at the Westmead Children's Hospital.

If you could write a text book on how to traumatise a child, it would be [Girl X].

Evidence at the inquest is expected to show she died after injecting a 'speedball' - a 'particularly dangerous' concoction of heroin and methamphetamine.

Before her death, she'd been due to give evidence after making accusation of being raped when she was 14.

A male case worker, with 26 years' experience, told the inquest the horrible circumstances of Girl X's life included some of the worst treatment of a child he'd seen.

'She was the child who had the least reason to trust adults,' he said on Wednesday.

'If a young person had the right to tell an adult to f*** off, it was [her].

'If you could write a text book on how to traumatise a child, it would be [the girl].'

An image from the CCTV footage of a person making their way to the care home where Girl X was staying

Her life was 'by far the most complex' he had encountered, he said.

Around the time of her death 'there were really serious criminal types who were using her vulnerability'.

Predatory adults had used her in their drug dealings, and probably for prostitution, and introduced her to criminals, he said.

A month before she died, she had carved 'I hate feelings' into her leg.

On Monday, counsel assisting the inquest Donna Ward told the inquest: '[She] was let down, used and abused by many of the people who she should have been able to rely upon for comfort and care.

[She] was let down, used and abused by many of the people who she should have been able to rely upon for comfort and care.

'Other predatory adults used and abused [Girl X] for their own ends involving [Girl X] in criminal activity, drug use and probably prostitution.'

Had she survived her horrendous childhood, it is likely she would have developed a 'severe personality disorder', Ms Ward said.

Aged 14, the girl was allegedly raped by carers at a home she'd been placed in.

Prosecution was earlier commenced against one of the carers who allegedly raped her.

The girl was concerned about giving evidence at his District Court trial, listed to begin a few weeks after her death. The charges have since been dropped.

A care worker said of people creeping in to the facility: 'We'd find young people in beds and on floors all the time'
A clearer picture of the bloody death of a Bali policeman has emerged after Sara Connor and her British boyfriend David Taylor re-enacted the night's events at Kuta Beach.

However, discrepancies between police allegations, accounts from witnesses and the stories of the two accused appear to remain.

Byron Bay mother Ms Connor, 45, and Mr Taylor, 34, were taken out of two armoured vehicles at the beach about 4am on Wednesday - two weeks after the body of Wayan Sudarsa was found covered in sand on August 17.

The pair went 'scene by scene' through the alleged events of the night under the direction of officers yelling through a microphone.

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Byron Bay mother Sara Connor, 45, and her British boyfriend David Taylor, 34, arrived at Kuta Beach about 4am on Wednesday to recreate the alleged events that led to the death of Bali policeman Wayan Sudarsa

The pair re-enacted their kiss at the water's edge as they had two weeks ago before realising Ms Connor's bag was missing

'Act seven: David and Sara return from the water edge, find the bag and the bottle missing,' a police officer said at the scene as Mr Taylor and Ms Connor recreated the events

They were initially told to re-enact their kiss at the water's edge while still handcuffed.

But they were allowed to remove their handcuffs so they could recreate the scenes more naturally, The Age reported.

'Act seven: David and Sara return from the water edge, find the bag and the bottle missing,' a police officer said at the scene.

A motorcycle taxi went by with a Russian tourist on the back to witness the couple speak with the policeman.

Ms Connor then stood at the entrance of the beach and appeared to shake her head.

A struggle ensued between the trio after realising Ms Connor's bag was missing and accusing Mr Sudarsa of being a fake police officer

At one point, Ms Connor was then brought into the 'scene' to re-enact how she tried to separate Mr Taylor and the officer and appeared to hit Mr Sudarsa with a walkie talkie - Ms Connor denies this allegation

Ms Connor pretended to strike the officer with a walkie talkie, despite rejecting the police allegation

The officer mimed biting Ms Connor on the thigh as she knelt next to him

Mr Taylor re-enacted allegedly frisking Mr Sudarsa for Ms Connor's lost bag.

'Act 13, the victim pushed David,' a police officer directed.

At one point, Ms Connor was then brought into the 'scene' to re-enact allegedly trying to separate the pair.

She straddled Mr Sudarsa and appeared to hit the officer with a walkie talkie, which has been alleged by police.

However, Ms Connor's lawyer Erwin Siregar denied the allegation, and said she had thrown the walkie talkie away  not hit him with it, Daily Telegraph reported.

The officer mimed biting her on the thigh as she knelt next to him.

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor are pictured running through the scenes that resulted in the death of Mr Sudarsa

Mr Taylor and Ms Connor wore orange overalls with the words 'prisoner of Denpasar police' on their backs and had name placards hanging around their necks

The fight escalated as the sun rose.

'David fell and became involved in a fight with the victim,' a police officer directed as Mr Taylor lay quietly on his back.

'Victim and David hitting each other and struggling.'

'David smashed the bottle to the back of victim's head until it shattered.'

Mr Taylor kneeled on top of the police officer playing Mr Sudarsa.

The officer held Mr Taylor's right arm while the Bintang beer bottle was in Mr Taylor's left arm.

Mr Taylor is seen standing over Mr Sudarsa in 'act 23' of the re-enactment on Wednesday

Mr Taylor kneeled on top of the police officer playing Mr Sudarsa

Ketut Arsini, the dead officer's wife, came to the scene but did not say anything and left quickly

He mimed hitting the officer in the back of his head with the broken bottle, Ms Connor sat crouched in the sand nearby.

The officer then lay like a starfish in the sand, face down.

Mr Taylor admitted taking the officer's mobile phone because he 'panicked', one of his lawyers, Yan Erick Sihombing, alleged.

Mr Sudarsa's bloodied body was discovered with 42 wounds on this morning two weeks ago on the beach.

Ketut Arsini, the dead officer's wife came to the scene but did not say anything and left quickly.

Mr Taylor and Ms Connor wore orange overalls with the words 'prisoner of Denpasar police' on their backs and had name placards hanging around their necks.

'David fell and became involved in a fight with the victim,' a police officer directed as Mr Taylor lay on his back

Mr Taylor is pictured mock hitting a police officer, who is acting as the allegedly murdered Mr Sudarsa

The officer acting as Mr Sudarsa can be seen pretending to pin down Mr Taylor with one hand as Mr Taylor pretends to strike him with the smashed beer bottle

'Victim and David hitting each other and struggling,' the officer directed. 'David smashed the bottle to the back of victim's head until it shattered'

Mr Taylor mimed hitting the officer in the back of his head with the broken bottle, Ms Connor sat crouched in the sand nearby

Mr Taylor is pictured beside the officer, playing as Mr Sudarsa, while he pretends to strike him with the smashed Bintang bottle

The officer then lay like a starfish in the sand, face down

They also re-enacted scenes at the Kabu Kauh Beach Inn, where they had been staying the night of the death, Daily Telegraph reported.

They will now go to the scene where they allegedly disposed of their clothes afterwards.

43 scenes were re-enacted at the beach on Wednesday morning, and 68 scenes were re-enacted altogether, Denpasar police chief Hadi Purnomo claimed to Daily Telegraph.

He said about two per cent of the scenes did not match with the pair's statements.

Mr Purnomo alleged some of Ms Connor's actions in the re-enactment were different to her original statement.

Her lawyer Erwin Siregar said Ms Connor insists she was trying to protect the victim and had been trying to separate the officer and Mr Taylor as they fought.

Mr Siregar said Ms Connor had walked off to continue looking for her bag and was not involved in all scenes.

43 scenes were re-enacted at the beach on Wednesday morning, Denpasar police chief Hadi Purnomo claimed

Ms Connor is pictured at Kuta Beach to re-enact the alleged events which occurred two weeks ago

They also re-enacted scenes at the Kabu Kauh Beach Inn, where they had been staying the night of the death (pictured at Kuta Beach re-enacting scenes)

'So many reconstructions when there is fighting between David and the victim, Sara doesn't know,' he said.

Mr Taylor had told his lawyer some parts of the scenes were incorrect, his lawyer Haposan Sihombing said.

The lawyer also said Mr Taylor only knew 'the victim had stopped moving', not that he was dead, he alleged.

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor will later be confronted with their different versions of events, Mr Purnomo said.

They have both been named suspects in the premeditated murder and assault in company of Mr Sudarsa.

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor embrace during the re-enactment of events at the crime scene where an officer was killed at the beach

Mr Taylor looks down as he re-enacts the alleged murder of Mr Sudarsa

Mr Taylor is pictured at Kuta Beach on Wednesday as they re-enacted the alleged events

Mr Taylor is flanked by police officers at Bali's Kuta Beach on Wednesday

A police officer escorts Ms Connor back to her cell after re-enacting the alleged events at Kuta Beach

Ms Connor is escorted back to the cells at Denpasar Police Station after recreating the events which allegedly led to the death of Mr Sudarsa

Mr Taylor is escorted back to the cells at Denpasar Police Station on Wednesday

Mr Taylor is taken back to his cell on Wednesday after re-enacting the events, where a police office posed as alleged murder victim Wayan Sudarsa

Ms Connor is taken back to her cell at Denpasar Police Station on Wednesday

Police officer Wayan Sudarsa (pictured) was found dead on Kuta Beach in Bali with 42 wounds to his body
A man named Crook tried to burn down a gas station after he stole a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, say police.

Joshua Lee Crook, 33, entered a BP gas station in the 3100 block of South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sunday afternoon and picked up the bag of Cheetos.

When the manager recognized him as someone who had stolen from him before, he told Crook to put the bag down or pay for it, according to St. Louis-Post Dispatch.

The manager said he put the Cheetos down and left, but a minute later came back in and made a beeline for the spicy, red snack, walking out with it.

When the manager confronted him, he allegedly pushed him and punched him in the face.

Crook allegedly tried to burn down this BP station after stealing a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos

Then Crook allegedly went for the gas pump and threw it on the ground, and then tossed a lit cigarette on the gushing gasoline, trying to start a fire, but nothing happened.

He's charged with third-degree assault, theft and trespassing.

In the mugshot released by police, it appears someone with blue Latex gloves had to forcefully hold his head for the camera.
Anthony Weiner sickeningly boasted about using his four-year-old son as a 'chick magnet' when he sexted a mystery brunette, a new report says.

The disgraced ex-congressman sent pictures of the youngster to the woman in a series of lewd messages, prompting her to say: 'It's like a puppy. Chicks love cute kids and puppies.'

The 51-year-old also sent the woman in her 40s a series of pictures of his son Jordan, while complaining about the lack of affection he was receiving from his now estranged wife Huma Abedin.

However he did say that the couple were 'civil nowadays', according to the New York Post, even though he had already subjected his long-suffering partner to two sexting scandals.

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Allure: Anthony Weiner posted this selfie with his then three-year-old son Jordan wrapped in a towel on what appears to be a vacation. In another picture, the disgraced former congressman described his only child as a 'chick magnet' to his sexting partner

Anthony Weiner sickeningly boasted about using his four-year-old son as a 'chick magnet' when he sexted a mystery brunette, a report says

In a sext sent to an unknown women of his manhood in boxer briefs, Weiner's then three-year-old son Jordan can be seen lying next to him in bed

At one point he sent the sext subject a picture of his son in a swing, saying he was 'putting him to work', in a bid to attract woman and then said Jordan was invaluable for attracting women.

It was then that he described his only child as a 'chick magnet'

Weiner also sent her a pictured of his son in a hooded bathrobe via Twitter direct message on December 4, 2015,.

Just minutes earlier he had asked the woman if she was 'getting laid nowadays?'

She then asked: 'Was that an invitation??

Weiner said: 'God. In a New York minute.'

Hillary Clinton's top aide announced she was leaving Weiner on Monday, hours after the New York Post published pictures he had sent the divorcee - sparking his third picture-sharing controversy in five years.

One horrifying snap showed him posing in his underwear, with his son curled up in bed alongside him.

According to the Post, Weiner sent nine images featuring his son.

At the same time, he was complaining to the unidentified woman that he was only having sex once every two months.

At one point the disgraced politician said that he had dropped off his son at his grandfather's house, but that 'only bought me a couple of hours'.

On February 7, 2015, Weiner moaned that he hadn't slept well and was 'horny as f***,' according to screenshots seen by the Post.

'So you're married and never w your wife?' (sic) the woman then asked.

'We occupy the same space from time to time. Actually been very civil nowadays,' he answered.

She wrote: 'That's nice. It takes a woman a long time to forgive if ever.'

Weiner texted the unknwon woman that he was often ready to 'rage' after the gym

Two weeks later, Weiner reportedly said: 'I'm cranky, horny and generally ready for change.'

'Amen!!!!' the woman replied. She later went on to ask: 'So busted marriage = pent up frustration??.'

She was referring to Weiner's comments that he knew his marriage was in trouble - long before Abedin decided she'd had enough.

The pair then both shared their anger at how sex-starved they were.

The woman said that her 'long distance' relationship with her live-in boyfriend was leaving her disappointed.

Despite seeing him 10-days a month, which prompted Weiner to wistfully reply '11 days a month is a lot of sex', the object of his affection corrected him and said that happens if she's 'lucky'.

Turning the topic of conversation back to himself, Weiner lamented his lack of bedroom action compared to hers by writing, 'One sex in 60 days?'.

'Crash and burn,' replied his sexting buddy.

On Tuesday, Weiner emerged from hiding Tuesday morning one day after being very publicly dumped by his long suffering wife Huma Abedin.

The sext addict was spotted driving off from his apartment in a video captured by the New York Post while wearing a somewhat surprising accessory - his wedding ring.

Weiner looked sad and somber as he moped around the kitchen of his $1.4million apartment in New York City on Monday night

Abedin was seen looking upset as she left a fundraiser in the Hamptons on Sunday night (above) as her husband's latest sexting scandal broke

The disgraced politician looked somber and depressed as he attempted to flee the cameras, just like he did the night prior in exclusive photos taken by DailyMail.com.

In those pictures, Weiner could be seen moping around the darkened kitchen of the $1.4million luxury apartment.

Weiner did not leave his apartment at all on Monday and has yet to publicly comment on his split from his wife.

His sext partner responded to news of the split though by saying: 'I know he loves his family, I know he loves his community, but hes broken.

'Im not a psychologist. I cant say how to fix him. I dont know if divorce or salvaging his marriage would fix him. But hes broken.'

Weiner told his wife about this latest scandal on Sunday, shortly after the New York Post called to inform him they would be running the story.

At that time he was also forced to reveal that one of the pictures was of himself showcasing his manhood in a pair of boxer briefs while the couple's four-year-old son lay next to him in bed.

The family had all been together in the Hamptons when Weiner broke the news to Abedin, but shortly after that Weiner left to return to the city.

In other texts allegedly sent to the unnamed woman by Weiner, he spoke about being 'horny as f***' and sent a variety of emojis that were sexual in nature.

The disgraced politician, 51, had the lights turned off inside just hours after wife Huma Abedin released a statement saying the two were splitting

The photo with his son meanwhile was sent shortly after 3am on July 31, 2015 by Weiner, who reportedly grew concerned moments later thinking that he may have publicly posted the photo.

'Ooooooh . . . I was scared. For half a second I thought I posted something. Stop looking at my crotch,' Weiner reportedly wrote back to the brunette beauty, who is a Trump supporter.

Weiner also talked about the size of his manhood frequently in conversations with the woman, at one point saying: 'Id [sic] put someones eye out with this thing. #Overdue.'

That text came following a workout, which Weiner reportedly said left him 'raging.'

When asked about the nature of their relationship by the Post on Sunday, Weiner said that he and his sexting partner were 'friends for some time.'

He then added: 'She has asked me not to comment except to say that our conversations were private, often included pictures of her nieces and nephews and my son and were always appropriate.'

The woman meanwhile said that Weiner tried to get her to come visit him in New York City, but she refused his offer.

'We never met,' said the woman.

Abedin has not been seen in public since she walked from one of Hillary's fundraisers looking glum on Sunday night.

On Monday, she released a statement saying: 'After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband.

'Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy. '

Clinton campaign spokesman Nick Merrill said that Abedin would not be taking time off from work in the wake of her personal troubles.

Bare hands: Abedin was seen without her wedding ring on April 10 during a Clinton campaign event in Baltimore (above)
Passenger says she kept at it for 20 minutes until she was asked to stop

Woman was picture doing a handstand on her seat with her legs in the air

Another traveler recorded her doing elaborate yoga poses on her seat

Female flyer was traveling from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico

A woman took on-flight relaxation to new heights when she started doing yoga 30,000 feet above ground.

She was spotted on Friday while traveling from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucass in Mexico.

A fellow passenger recorded a video of her yoga session, during which she performed a handstand upside down on her seat.

The woman, who has not been named, also stretched her neck at various angles.

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A woman was spotted doing yoga on a flight from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Friday - and ended up doing a handstand on her seat

'It was pretty bizarre but it was also pretty incredible at the same time,' Raad Mobrem the co-founder of Wedo.com, who posted footage of the yoga workout on Twitter, told Inside Edition.

The yogi kept at it for 20 minutes before a flight attendant asked her to stop, according to Mobrem.

The woman also stretched her neck at various angles. A fellow passenger said she kept going for 20 minutes until a flight attendant asked her to stop

'In all fairness she is really good at what she does and she did it all without waking the guy next to her up, which is pretty funny,' he added.

Yoga aficionados have long since come up with sequences that can be done on airplanes, but they usually involve only gentle stretching for the upper body and legs.

Hilaria Baldwin, a yoga instructor and Alec Balwin's wife, shared a photo of herself practicing her asanas on a plane in 2014.

She stood in the aisle and leaned forward while lifting her left leg at a 90-degree angle with her standing leg - performing the aptly-named airplane pose.
A senior police officer has been charged with stalking and criminal trespass following his arrest after a three-hour siege at his estranged wife's house.

Chief Inspector Ashley Francis Gordon, 54, appeared at the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged over a home invasion that started the siege at Blackwood that shut down part of the suburb, the Adelaide Advertiser reports.

The court heard Gordon suffered a public 'meltdown' during a personal 'crisis' after his marriage of 22 years hit the rocks.

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Chief Inspector Ashley Francis Gordon (pictured), 54, was charged with stalking and criminal trespass

Prosecutors alleged that during the three-hour siege on Sunday, August 14, Gordon threatened to shoot police officers, blow up his house and kill himself.

Gordon's estranged wife, who cannot be named for legal reasons, days earlier found him in the home she shares with her new partner.

The court heard his erratic behaviour 'escalated' as his marriage deteriorated, and came to a head when police attempted an arrest over the domestic incident, and the siege took place.

After a three-hour standoff with police Gordon surrendered peacefully and was charged on Wednesday after his release from a mental health ward.

Gordon surrendered peacefully on August 14 (pictured) and was charged on Wednesday after his release from a mental health ward

SA Police confirmed Gordon had also been suspended on full pay.

'Police warn that they will not tolerate domestic violence and will take every action available to protect victims,' a spokeswoman said in a statement.

He faces charges of stalking, serious criminal trespass, threatening to cause harm and threatening to damage property.

Gordon has 36 years experience in the police force, and is a former head of the elite Special Tasks and Rescue (STAR) group and transit operations.
Police have ruled out a mystery jogger of being involved in the death of Karina Vetrano, but say they are about to release a sketch of a man they want to talk to.

Philip Vetrano, Karina's father, had raised the prospect that the mystery man was involved in her murder after revealing that he used to run the same route as her but vanished in recent weeks.

However, police say that man, aged 48, voluntarily came forward after hearing Vetrano's appeal and revealed he stopped running because he injured his knee.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce has ruled out a mystery male jogger in the death of Karina Vetrano, saying he voluntarily went to a police station to clear his name

Philip Vetrano, father of Karina (left and right), had put the man forward as a suspect after saying he ran the same trail as Karina but vanished after her murder

The news emerged as police said they will release a sketch of another man seen leaving the area where Karina's body was found around the time she died.

Cops told the New York Daily News that the man is not believed to be the killer, but is someone who they would like to speak to in order to develop additional leads.

In the absence of significant leads or suspects, Philip Vetrano had talked up the importance of the other jogger to Curtis Sliwa, founder of New York's guardian angels, on his talk show on Monday night.

He said: 'This is a very important lead. I would see him almost every day and now hes dropped off the face of the earth.

'Its very important that we speak to him, because he might have seen something.'

But the NYPD say that after being called by friends about Vetrano's comments, that man went to the 109th precinct station to clear his name.

While Vetrano's lead has dissipated, police say they are poised to release a sketch of another man seen leaving the area where Karina was murdered, saying they would like to question him

Karina was found strangled to death and possible sexually assaulted in the Spring Creek marshland area of Howard Beach, New York, on August 2

Vetrano spoke out weeks after he recalled having a bad feeling about his daughter jogging through Spring Creek marshlands, in Queens, New York, where she was found dead.

He recalled warning her about running through the area, to which she replied: 'It's OK daddy, I'll be all right.'

Later that day Vetrano found his daughter's body dumped off the running path in that very area.

Forensic tests show she had been strangled to death, while her disordered clothes raise the prospect she was also sexually assaulted.

DNA was also found on the body, though it did not match to anyone in police records, leaving investigators scrabbling for more clues.

Vetrano previously hinted that he knows who the suspected killer is, urging one of their relatives to call police.

Vetrano is offering reward money raised online, now in excess of $300,000, for information leading to the killer - even offering the money to the murderer if he turns himself in

He told the New York Post: 'We know there is a family member of the killer that we need for them to come forward, to finalize this very quickly.

'She is in great distress. We know she wants to make that call. Make that call.

'The [reward] money is there. I guarantee the money. If she waits any longer, someone else is going to claim that fund.

'The time is now to make that call and get that money. '

The family are offering more than $300,000 in reward money for information leading to the killer after raising it via a GoFundMe page.
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From the rough and tumble of the local rodeo to a bush legend who now calls the old courthouse his home.

A new series of photographs has unlocked a rarely-seen world of Australia's cattlemen, around the Queensland outback town a Cunnamulla.

The Cunnamulla Fella Festival is acknowledged as one of the 'most diverse events' in the country bringing together cowboys, bull riders, shearers and stockmen from all over.

The small town in south-west Queensland, about 750 kilometres west of Brisbane, is best known for its famous character the Cunnamulla Fella, brought to life by Stan Coster lyrics, and later immortalised in song by the late Slim Dusty.

Retired Windorah cattle drover Kevin Oates is known by locals as the legend who lives in what was once the court house

A star trail is seen over red sand dunes in the town of Windorah

But it's the riders who capture the imagination of visitors over the three days as they do battle with the 800 kilogram bucking bulls.

Like that list of legends, retired cattle drover Kevin Oates is considered a bush legend, the man who lives in a small house which was once the Windorah Court House.

Holding on: A bull rider in action during competition at the Cunnamulla Fella Festival

The Cunnamulla Fella Festival originated in 2005 with the bucking bulls rodeo one of the highlights

Cunnamulla is known for its character the Cunnamulla Fella - the festival attracts competitors from all over the country

Windorah is a sleepy town in the far south-west of Queensland and is famous for hosting the Yabby Races as part of the lead up to the famous Birdsville Races, with hundreds stopping in ahead of the big weekend.

Retired cattle drover Kevin Oates poses for a photo on the porch of his Windorah home in outback Queensland

And it's a season when yellow coloured wild flowers are seen far and wide on the Myall Plains near the Queensland town of St.George, 430 kilometres from Brisbane.

After wet weather wild flowers colour the landscape across much of that part of Queensland.

A drover herds his cattle in Goondiwindi - the cattle industry is considered a backbone of Australia's economy

Yellow coloured wild flowers are seen on the Myall Plains near the Queensland town of St.George
A 33-year-old psychology student allegedly mounted the kerb and crashed into multiple cars went during a wild ride that left a trail of destruction in a New Zealand town.

Katherine Ann McWilliams was charged with refusing to take a blood test and assaulting police as well as driving offences after the ruinous rampage, Otago Daily Times reported.

Witnesses say McWilliams was allegedly behind the wheel of a dark-coloured Mercedes Benz that was driven 'erratically' in Mornington on South Island on Monday.

Katherine Ann McWilliams appeared in the Dunedin District Court (pictured) over a string of driving offences after she allegedly

She was charged with sustaining loss of traction, failing to stop to ascertain injury, dangerous driving and refusing to provide a blood sample to police.

Ms McWilliams is also facing charges in relation to three other cases, including assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly behaviour on June 6.

She has been remanded on bail until Thursday.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted NZ Police and Dunedin District Court for comment.

Katherine Ann McWilliams was charged with refusing to take a blood test and assaulting police (stock image)
You might think that being a 1,900lb horse would make it difficult to escape from anywhere, let alone evade a search party for five days as they hunted for you.

Not if you're Budweiser the Clydesdale, however, and especially not if you're getting help from your pygmy goat accomplice.

Budweiser, known as 'Buddy' among friends, broke free from his pen last week after goat pal Lancelot headbutted the gate open.

Budweiser the Clydesdale went missing for five days in California after being busted out of his pen by his goat friend named Lancelot

He then evaded searchers for five days, roaming up to three miles and hiding in dense foliage until eventually being traced.

The jailbreak began last Wednesday when Lancelot busted open Budweiser's pen gate on a ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains on California's Central Coast.

Owner Tamara Schmitz said that she forgot to lock the gate that particular evening, and Lancelot has figured out that he can headbutt it open if the latch isn't across.

Having done just that, the African pygmy goat allowed both Buddy and companion Harry to escape into the surrounding hills.

While you might think it would be easy to track down a one-ton horse, Buddy stayed hidden for five days before being found

While Harry was recaptured the following day, having broken cover to get a drink in a field, Buddy proved far more elusive.

Schmitz told the Santa Cruz Sentinel: 'He's not like other horses. He's not attracted by meadows and other horses. He can stay hidden.'

That made him very hard to find. He eluded volunteers from around the Santa Cruz area for five days, with evidence like tracks and loud snorts suggesting he was as far as 3 miles away.

The owners even trotted out Lancelot and Harry to try to lure back Buddy, but he didn't fall for it.

They just hoped the horse would stay away from Highway 17, a busy and dangerous road running through the area.

A pair of searchers on horseback finally found Buddy hiding amid manzanita shrubs Sunday.
A mother charged with almost killing her toddler after he overdosed on her stash of methamphetemine failed to appear in court as ordered on Wednesday, calling in sick instead.

The 27-year-old woman from Koonawarra, south of Wollongong, had been due to appear in Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday to face six drug posession charges and one of exposing a child to the danger of death.

The boy, aged 21 months, was rushed to Wollongong Hospital on January 25 suffering serious seizures, where tests revealed he had consumed methamphetamine.

Police say the boy's mother left him in her bedroom to sleep while she went into another room, and that he found the stash of drugs and ate some.

A 27-year-old woman has been charged after her toddler overdosed on a stash of the drug ice that she allegedly left in his room while he slept

Child Abuse Squad detectives were left waiting for hours at the court on Wednesday before the court was told the mother had telephone registry officials to say she was too sick to appear, reported The Daily Telegraph.

Magistrate Susan McGowan noted that the child was no longer in any immediate danger because he was in the care of child welfare services, and adjourned the case until September 14, Fairfax reported.

She warned that a warrant would be issued for the mother's arrest if she again failed to appear.

The mother reportedly rang an ambulance in a panic after she found the boy convulsing. He was rushed in a serious condition to hospital, where the drugs in his system were revealed.

He is expected to recover.

The State Crime Commands Child Abuse Squad later searched the boy's home after a seven-month investigation.

Officers seized methylamphetamine, cannabis, cathinone, buprenorphine and drug paraphernalia.

The mother, who has not been named, has been charged with abandoning a child under seven and exposing them to harm, causing danger of death and six counts of possessing a prohibited drug.

The toddler is now being cared for by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.
Tiny bumps the size of a sprinkle will be added to the new batch of Australian $5 notes so that blind people can tell how much cash they're handing over.

The new design is largely down to the determination of blind Sydney teen Connor McLeod, who started an online petition urging for the changes at the age of 12.

The next generation notes, which will incorporate the iconic wattle plant, will roll out on September 1 - to the delight of nearly 360,000 visually-impaired Australians.

The other note denominations (10, 20, 50, 100) will be progressively introduced down the track with the same embossed 'tactile' feature.

All existing banknotes, including the old $5 notes, remain legal tender and can continue to be used.

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Tiny bumps the size of a sprinkle (circled) will be added to the new batch of Australian $5 notes so that blind people can tell how much cash they're handing over

The changes, which include the tactile feature and a new wattle design, will be rolled out on September 1. Other note denominations with the same design will follow in the future

The new design is largely down to the determination of blind Sydney teen Connor McLeod (pictured), who started an online petition urging for the changes at the age of 12

A Reserve Bank of Australia spokesperson confirmed that the other notes would have different numbers of bumps to help blind people identify the correct amount.

Currently, blind Australians either have to ask those around them for the value of their notes, or rely on a chunky machine that measures the length and width.

The new design will put Australia in line with a number of other countries that already have features inbuilt on their notes to assist the visually impaired.

The Euro, Canadian Dollar, Hong Kong Dollar, Indian Rupee, Japanese Yen and Swiss Franc all have notes with specific features, like intaglio printing or indents.

Connor McLeod, who is now 15, said he became frustrated when he was given money for his 11th birthday by his parents but had no way of knowing the value.

'It was extremely annoying and slightly embarrassing for me to have to ask (my parents),' Connor explained during a speech for the National Braille Press.

'Then it hit me ... I should be able to tell the difference myself, but how? There was no defining difference on the notes to help me.'

All existing banknotes, including the old $5 notes, remain legal tender and can continue to be used

Connor's online petition gathered over 57,000 signatures and eventually forced the Reserve Bank of Australia to make a change that would help blind people

Currently, Australians have to rely on people telling them what note they are holding or use a chunky machine (pictured)

Connor reached out to the Reserve Bank of Australia, but he says they informed him that they would not be including a tactile feature on the note.

Not one to take no for an answer, Connor started up a Change.org campaign, which eventually notched up over 57,000 signatures and caught the attention of the RBA.

With the help of a legal team, Connor was able to launch a discrimination complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission with the help of local MPs.

Last year he was given the Emerging Leader in Disability Awareness Award for his year-long campaign to change Australia's currency system.

While receiving the award, Connor quoted Stevie Wonder, saying: 'Just because a man lacks sight doesn't mean he lacks vision.'
A nursing home carer accused of poisoning three elderly residents with lethal injections of insulin predicted their deaths in texts to a colleague, a court has heard.

Garry Steven Davis, 29, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Gwen Fowler, 83, and Ryan Kelly, 80, and the attempted murder of then 91-year-old Audrey Manuel.

A text message conversation between Mr Davis and a female colleague at Summit Care nursing home in Wallsend in October 2013, was read out at the beginning of the Supreme Court trial in Newcastle on Wednesday.

Garry Steven Davis, 29, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of three elderly residents in late 2013

Audrey Manuel, 91, (left) and Gwen Fowler, 83, (right) were residents at the SummitCare Wallsend aged-care home

'Hey Garry, how's Gwen going?' the colleague said in a text message, crown prosecutor Lee Carr read to the court.

'She's blue but still breathing,' Mr Davis replied.

'LOL ok thanks. John S or Doris N?'

'Bell or Kelly,' he replied.

Later that day Davis texted: 'Gwen gone. Audrey number three.'

The prosecutor told court: 'He was able to predict those demises  because he was the person who had injected them with a large quantity of insulin.'

The defence argued the text message conversation was 'tasteless' but 'not reflective of a person's intention to kill'.

Ryan Kelly, 80, suffered hypoglycaemia and hypothermia within hours of being administered insulin

Garry Steven Davis, 29, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Gwen Fowler, 83, and Ryan Kelly (pictured), 80, and the attempted murder of then 91-year-old Audrey Manuel

The Newcastle nursing home at the centre of a year-long police investigation, where a staff member was charged with poisoning three elderly residents

Christopher Watson said the defence did not question whether the elderly residents were poisoned.

'Our case simply put is we don't know who did it, but it wasn't us', Mr Watson said.

The three residents, who all had varying degrees of dementia, suffered hypoglycaemia and hypothermia within hours of being administered very high doses of insulin, the court heard.

All three were in stable physical health at the time and had no medical need for insulin.

Mrs Manuel survived the insulin injection and died of other causes a while later, Mr Carr said.
The Mayor of Dover has been filmed snorting white powder off a toilet cistern with a 20 note but said today: 'It could have been sherbet for all I know.'

Neil Rix, 54, a scaffolder and independent councillor, insists he does not know what he was taking and will not resign after footage of alleged drug use was shared online.

Mr Rix, has apologised but has also claimed he was 'set up', had his drink spiked and is the victim of a blackmail attempt.

However, this evening Mr Rix self-referred himself for a possible breach of conduct.

In trouble: Neil Rix, a scaffolder and councillor, is facing calls to resign after the footage of alleged drug use was shared online

High office: Neil Rix, right, at his mayor making ceremony in Dover this year - but the elected councillor is in trouble after the footage emerged last night

Police are now investigating and the under-fire-mayor said: 'I have never done it before. I was drunk. I don't know what it was I was putting up my nose. It could have been sherbet for all I know.'

The one minute seven second video shows the Mayor entering a toilet cubicle with an unnamed man.

Mr Rix then says: 'Listen, right, shut the door. Don't want anyone f*****g looking in. Don't want anyone seeing Cllr Rix doing this'.

His male companion can be heard encouraging him shortly after he opens a bag as Cllr Rix rolls up a bank note.

The man then says: 'Yeah, go on,' and then adds: 'You do the big one.'

Cllr Rix then asks him: 'Are you sure?' To which the other man replies 'yeah, go on.'

The Mayor then crouches over the cistern and appears to slowly snort the white powder.

Today he insisted he would not step down as mayor of Dover.

He said: 'I just feel I have let down my family but I will get over it. I have had a lot of support from friends and family, people that know me.'

He said he was not a drug user, insisting he was 'dead against' drug taking, and he was not sure what type of substance he snorted or where it was filmed.

Footage: The film shows Cllr Rix clutching a 20 note that he rolled up and then used to snort the powder

He said: 'I have never done it before. I was drunk. What happened happened. I don't know what it was I was putting up my nose. It could have been sherbet for all I know.'

He admitted it was him in the footage but insisted it was not a resigning issue.

Asked whether he would be quitting, he said: 'No, I'm not at all. I'm not standing down.'

As the footage was leaked online Mr Rix told the Dover Express: 'I had never done this before in my life. I had been set up right from the start.

'This was from before I was mayor, and even deputy mayor. I hadn't long been a councillor.

'I know I shouldn't have done it - I was drunk, and that was it. I can only apologise to my friends and family for putting them through it'.

He later told Kent Online: 'It did not happen recently. I was set up, pushed into it and coerced.

'Someone had put drugs into my beer and I did not know I was being filmed.' It is currently unclear where the video was shot.'

However, some councillors branded Mr Rixs position untenable and accused him of putting the town on the map for all the wrong reasons. Labour member Kevin Mills said: Ive seen people trying to get people to resign from positions for far less than that.

How can you represent the people in Dover if thats what you do? I dont see how you can say, I dont intend to go, when you have done something wrong.

Id be gobsmacked if the average person will perceive snorting Charlie as anything other than wrong. I think hes stepped on the line.

He added: Now Dover isnt remembered for all the right things  now its remembered as the place where the mayors taking cocaine.

Exchange: Cllr Rix can be heard asking his companion to shut the door to avoid anyone seeing, before rolling up the 20 note and bending down to snort the powder

Late today, a Dover Town Council spokesman said: 'We are taking this matter very seriously and have asked the Kent Association of Local Councils for advice.

'The Mayor has agreed to self-refer to the district council's Monitoring Officer for a possible breach of the Code of Conduct.

'There may be a criminal investigation, but this is a matter for the police.'

Neighbours of Cllr Rix said they were 'not surprised' he had been filmed appearing to snort a white powder from a toilet.

This morning he left his hilltop Dover home at around 7am, claiming again that he was a victim of blackmail.

His heavily-modified home boasts stained-glass windows depicting gypsy carriages and a huge garage extension.

One neighbour said: 'That doesn't surprise me in the slightest'.

Kent Police have confirmed the force is looking into the circumstances of the footage, which was posted on YouTube and has already received more than 6,000 views.

A spokesman said: 'Kent Police is aware of media coverage of a video circulating online reportedly relating to drug use.

'Officers will be making enquiries to establish the circumstances of the footage.'

But on the allegation Cllr Rix was being blackmailed Kent Police said data protection laws prevent them to confirming if this was the case.

Dover town councillor Andrew Richardson, leader of the Ukip group, said that unless the mayor can explain his actions he should resign.

He said: 'If someone is in the position of mayor then he owes the people of the town a certain level of standards of behaviour.

'So if he can't provide an explanation for the video that doesn't involve him taking an illegal substance he should resign as his position would be untenable.

Fellow town councillor of Labour, Gordon Cowan, said that Cllr Rix should consider his position as mayor and town councillor.

He said: 'The big question is do the people of Dover want someone representing them under these circumstances. He should take a serious look at his position.'

Footage: Before snorting the powder the Mayor, pictured with his wife Jackie, after being elected in April, says: 'Listen, right, shut the door. Don't want anyone f*****g looking in. Don't want anyone seeing Cllr Rix doing this'

When he became Mayor in April he said: 'I want to bring Dover on a bit and try and make everyone work together and make Dover a better place - that's the idea of it all.'

Dover Town Council says the role of Mayor is 'respected and held in high regard by the community because of its service to the community and the dignified behaviour of successive Mayors and Deputy Mayors.'

In a statement it said: 'We are aware of a video being posted on YouTube of Neil Rix, town mayor of Dover.

'The video and the circumstances in which it has been posted are ambiguous. We will not allow the current speculation to stand in the way of the work of the mayor and Dover Town Council.'

Dover born Cllr Rix, one of 11 siblings, also runs a demolition and skip hire company in Kent, and has been an independent councillor for several years.

Speaking in June he said he voted to leave the EU.

He said: 'I voted to leave and now I'm looking forward to the future.

'I don't think it's all going to be doom and gloom like they say. I think the future's bright ahead.
Her distressed owner had been holding a vigil in her house for the cat

A cat has proved its nine lives after it survived the tragic earthquake that struck central Italy last week.

Heartwarming footage shows a kitten being fed water by firemen after they found it amongst rubble in Amatrice on Monday where it had been buried for six days following the deadly 6.2 magnitude earthquake last week.

In the video the two uniformed men gently tip a plastic water bottle into the weak and dehydrated kitten's mouth as it eagerly laps up the liquid.

In the video the two uniformed men gently tip a plastic water bottle into the weak and dehydrated kitten's mouth as it eagerly laps up the liquid

The animal - named Gioa (Joy in English) was later taken to a vet before happily being reunited with its distressed owner who had been keeping a vigil in her house

The animal - named Gioa (Joy in English) was later taken to a vet before happily being reunited with its distressed owner who had been keeping a vigil in her house.

Frantic Daniela Tursini told fire crews: 'I beg you, find my cat, she's all I have left.'

The grey and white moggy had been found while rescue teams were clearing rubble with a bulldozer.

Firefighter Andrea, who found Gioia, said: 'I know what it's like to be hit by a quake and what it feels like when you lose everything.'

Frantic Daniela Tursini told fire crews: 'I beg you, find my cat, she's all I have left'

The grey and white moggy had been found while rescue teams were clearing rubble with a bulldozer before letter being given medical attention

231 of the estimated 292 victims of Wednesday's quake came from Amatrice, where dozens of state funerals were held yesterday amidst the ruins of the town worst hit in the disaster.

As many as 2,500 people have lost their homes to the disaster and 400 have been left injured.

231 of the estimated 292 victims of Wednesday's quake came from Amatrice, where dozens of state funerals were held yesterday amidst the ruins of the town worst hit in the disaster

As many as 2,500 people have lost their homes to the disaster and 400 have been left injured

A number of foreigners were among the dead, including 11 Romanians and three Britons.
A former Morgan Stanley executive who was accused of secretly filming sex acts with three women in New York has struck a plea bargain and been given just 10 days of community service.

John C. Kelly, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor attempted unlawful surveillance.

Kelly was initially facing felony charges but the New York Daily News said the case against him started to collapse when it was revealed one of the women had tampered with one of the videos.

John C. Kelly (pictured) initially claimed the camera accidentally filmed sex with the women but was set up to monitor his dog, Maddie (also pictured)

His lawyer, Serita Kedia, said evidence on another flash drive was accidentally erased by investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

But prosecutor Siobhan Carty said she had only agreed to the plea bargain to spare the victims the 'humiliation' of seeing and hearing the films played in court.

Kelly was originally accused of recording sex acts with three women dozens of times between May 2011 and December 2012.

One of the women, who is in her 30s, told the New York Post: 'Obviously, Im absolutely disappointed that after four years, the DAs Office was only able to secure nominal community service of 10 days.

'Im just happy that at least he will have a permanent criminal record for the rest of his life.'

John C. Kelly (pictured) did not comment after Tuesday's hearing but has acknowledged wrongdoing as part of the plea agreement

Her lawyer, Andrew Stengel, said: 'Ten days of community service is both a gift to the defendant and another slap in the face of the victim.'

John C. Kelly, pictured, was fired from Morgan Stanley for allegedly writing bad checks

He initially claimed the camera had accidentally filmed the sex in his Manhattan apartment but was set up to monitor his dog, a puggle named Maddie.

'It's on and sometimes stays on. So I accidentally recorded myself having sex because it's always recording,' police say Kelly told them on February 26, 2013.

Kelly is the son of civil attorney John Q. Kelly who represented several high profile clients, including the estate of Nicole Brown Simpson.

The former Morgan Stanley executive, a graduate of Williams College, was at one point accused of recording the women at their own apartments, setting up his open laptop facing the bed and claiming he needed the computer to respond to work emails.

Under the terms of the plea deal, Kelly acknowledged wrongdoing with two of the three women.
A former head of the Army admitted today he would not take a controversial anti-malarial drug which left his own son extremely depressed.

Lord Dannatt, who was chief of the general staff between 2006 and 2009, apologised on the BBC to troops who took Lariam while under his command.

It has been associated with depression, hallucinations and panic attacks in some users - and Lord Dannatt admitted the side-effects could be pretty catastrophic.

Saying sorry: Lord Dannatt, chief of the general staff between 2006 and 2009, apologised on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show to troops who took Lariam while under his command

Father and son: Lord Dannatt (left) told how his son Bertie (right) had suffered mental health problems after taking two doses of Lariam before visiting Africa as a civilian in the late 1990s

But the Ministry of Defence confirmed that Lariam is still being prescribed to some troops because officials have a duty to protect our personnel from malaria.

While it is not the main anti-malarial drug used by the armed forces, at least 17,368 personnel were prescribed it at least once between April 2007 and March 2015.

Lord Dannatt told BBC Twos Victoria Derbyshire programme this morning that he would not take the drug because of his sons experience with it.

He said Bertie had suffered mental health problems after taking two doses of Lariam before visiting Africa as a civilian in the late 1990s.

His son was not in the armed forces at the time but had been prescribed the product by his fathers Army doctor.

TV interview: Speaking on the Victoria Derbyshire programme on BBC Two, Lord Dannatt admitted the side-effects of Lariam could be pretty catastrophic

Apology: Lord Dannatt (pictured in 2009) said he was quite content to say sorry to those troops who had taken Lariam while he was head of the Army

Lord Dannatt said his son became extremely depressed and if he had been left untreated who knows where it would have gone.

LARIAM 'TURNED ME INTO AN OGRE', SAYS SOLDIER Andy - not his real name - took Lariam on an Army tour of Sierra Leone in 2000, and still feels its side effects. He said: The effects were almost immediate... I can be a nasty, violent person and I attribute it to this drug. Anything could be misconstrued - a look, a phrase, a word, something completely innocent in someone else's eyes - but it would be enough to trigger a reaction. 'A reaction you knew you were doing but you couldn't stop it. It was as if the wiring in your brain had completely gone. Had I known what the side effects were, I would have taken my chances with malaria. It turned me into an ogre. Andy said he also gets depressed to the point of suicidal thoughts.He added that the only reason he has come through such periods is that he has a little girl now, and she needs a daddy. That's the only saving grace. Advertisement

He told the BBC the side-effects of the drug could be pretty catastrophic.

Because Bertie had that effect, whenever Ive needed anti-malarial drugs, Ive said, "Ill take anything, but Im not taking Lariam", he said.

Lord Dannatt said he was quite content to say sorry to those troops who had taken Lariam while he was head of the Army.

He suggested evaluating the merits of the drug was put on the backburner because between 2003 and 2014 the MoD was focused on conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan which are not malarial areas.

Lord Dannatt also suggested the MoD was afraid of opening the floodgates to very expensive compensation claims if it admitted the drug had harmed troops.

He said: The right response by the MoD would be to take a generous approach, as far as Lariam is concerned, and invite those who think they have lost a loved one, or indeed an individual who believes he or she is still suffering as a result of Lariam, to put their case forward and have their case examined.

Critics of the use of Lariam by the MoD have described its effects as similar to friendly fire, a mistaken attack by a military force on its own personnel. Lord Dannatt called this a very fair description.

Lord Dannatt (pictured in Afghanistan in 2007) suggested the MoD was afraid of opening the floodgates to expensive compensation claims if it admitted the drug had harmed troops

An MoD spokesman said: The vast majority of deployed personnel already receive alternatives to Lariam and, where it is used, it is only prescribed after an individual risk assessment.

LARIAM: PSYCHIATRIC RISKS Lariam was developed by the US Army in the 1970s to stop servicemen contracting malaria on operations. The drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1989 and became popular for preventing and treating malaria. However, by 1996 patients in the UK began being warned about the psychiatric risks of taking the drug. In 2014, the European Medicines Agency warned of the 'predominance of neuropsychiatric adverse reactions'. In recent years its popularity has been superseded by newer antimalarial drugs, such as malarone. Most NHS doctors now recommend that civilians travelling overseas take alternatives to Lariam with fewer side-effects, but British soldiers can still be prescribed the drug in some cases. Advertisement

But we have a duty to protect our personnel from malaria and, as the last defence committee report concluded, in some cases, Lariam will be the most effective way of doing that.

It continues to be recommended as safe by Public Health England and the World Health Organisation.

The drugs manufacturers, Roche, told the BBC it will continue to work with the Ministry of Defence to ensure that they have all the relevant information to ensure Lariam is prescribed appropriately.

Earlier this year the Commons Defence Committee called for Lariam to be designated a drug of last resort, only to be issued when there was no alternative available.

A report found that Lariam should only be prescribed following an individual risk assessment, to those unable to tolerate other treatments and only after the patient is made aware of alternatives.

A Roche spokesman said: The most recent safety assessment conducted by EU authorities in March 2016 reinforced previous guidance that the benefits of Lariam outweigh the potential risks of the treatment.

Royal appointement: Lord Dannatt greets the Queen in London in 2007 as she met the head of the Army for the first time since he halted her grandson Prince Harry's deployment to Iraq

Legal firm Hilary Meredith Solicitors said it has been contacted by more than 850 former service personnel who were prescribed the drug and suffered from a range of mental health issues including hallucinations, sleep disturbances and anxiety.

Philippa Tuckman, military negligence specialist and partner, said: There remain a number of unanswered questions regarding use of Lariam in the armed forces.

The onus is on the MoD to provide the answers and to ensure that the mistakes of the past are never, ever repeated in the future.

HOW LORD DANNATT'S SON SPENT FIVE YEARS IN THE ARMY Bertie Dannatt spent five years with the Army including two tours of Iraq and deployments to Afghanistan, Bosnia and the Falklands, before leaving in 2008. In an interview before his sons departure was revealed, Lord Dannatt said: I have four children and have always said they must make their own decisions. If they want advice Ill give it. Bertie decided to join the Army and how long he stays is up to him. None of the others are in the military. Couple: Bertie Dannatt married Emma Keenan (pictured together), whose father Richard Keenan was an ex-submariner who was a naval adviser on 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me Berties mother Philippa once described herself as a worrier and has admitted she struggled with fears when both her son and husband were on the front line. Bertie married Emma Keenan in 2008, whose father Richard Keenan was an ex-submariner who was a naval adviser on 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me. After leaving the Army, it was believed Bertie - who was based in Aldershot, Hampshire - was intending to take a job in the City. Advertisement
say the woman had been hoarding the birds for over two years

A Florida woman has been arrested after deputies found more than 100 chickens and roosters living in her homes.

Police visited and subsequently detained Debra Johnson of Pasco County after receiving reports from neighbors that she had been keeping a large number of chickens in her seemingly modest residences.

According to Pasco County deputies, Johnson had 106 chickens and two turkeys in the homes, which are next door to each other.

Don't go near the oven! Roosters and chickens can be seen over running a messy kitchen in one of the woman's homes

'I'm not sure if it was a hoarding issue or what the motivation was. She wasn't real communicative,' Sgt. Chris Joyal told Fox 13 on Tuesday.

Johnson, 53, has been charged with resisting arrest, providing a false name to law-enforcement officer, and a warrant for failure to appear on another code enforcement violation according to WTSP in Florida.

The sheriff's office posted a number of photos of the scene to its Facebook page after the search.

Photos show a roosters and chickens scattered around the kitchen and living quarters of a somewhat dilapidated house. Some were even perched on a desk.

The woman's neighbors say she had been hoarding the birds in the small houses for two years and filed numerous complaints to police over the smell and noise the animals caused.

At work: A rooster stands atop of a desk flanked by other chickens. The smell and the noise has plagued neighbors for two years

Free range chickens: Chickens, roosters and turkeys live side-by-side across the small Florida homes

The last straw was when Johnson was seen moving scores of chickens from her home to a vacant one next door.

'It's been hell for a lot of the neighbors especially,' said Mary Bona, who lives across a canal behind Johnson's home.

'It's very annoying. You can't go all day long and not hear those chicken and roosters.'
Lee Ridgway's family and friends have paid tribute to the caring and popular teenager

A teenager who died after he was hit by a train appears to have posted a final Facebook message just three hours earlier saying 'life's cruel'.

Lee Ridgway, 16, was found dead on the tracks near Bramhall railway station in Stockport at 1am on Monday.

The tragedy happened three days after Lee discovered his GCSE results and three hours after the former Cheadle Hulme High School pupil, from Bramhall, appears to have posted a final message on Facebook.

At 9.55pm on Sunday, a note was left on his profile: 'Life's cruel. Life's just a game. I lost.'

British Transport Police is investigating Lee's death and a file is being prepared for the coroner.

His family released a statement saying: 'Lee was a brilliant, kind, clever and popular person to all who knew him and will be greatly missed.'

The teenager's friends have laid flowers for him near Bramhall railway station, paid tribute on social media and also held a vigil in his name when lanterns were lit and sent into the air.

The final post on Lee's Facebook page, left three hours before he was found dead on the tracks near Bramhall railway station in Stockport, Greater Manchester

Annabelle Hilton was one of a number of friends who posted on Facebook.

She wrote: 'RIP Lee Ridgway, one of the nicest, caring, popular and most genuine lads I knew.

'No matter how much I acted like you annoyed me when you nicked all my stuff in maths you were the reason I looked forward to it because you made me laugh so much.

'Deffo owe you a fiver too, there was no chance I was gonna get higher in my maths GCSE than you, considering you had to help me on every question.

'Such a massive loss. RIP Lee, you will be missed by so many.'

Tim Pygott wrote: 'RIP Lee. I met you on holiday and we had some mad times. It was only Friday we were planning to back and have round 2 and you were game for that.

'My thoughts are going to your family. I will miss you lots my bro, fly high up there.'

Andrew Webb, corporate director for people at Stockport council, said: 'We are aware of this tragic incident involving one of our former pupils. Our thoughts are with Lee's family and friends at this time.'
The president of the former Soviet state of Uzbekistan is rumoured to have died from a stroke but as a bitter power struggle begins his glamorous eldest daughter once nicknamed 'Princess' is nowhere to be seen.

The 78-year-old tyrant of Tashkent - notorious for boiling to death his political foes - suffered a brain haemorrhage at the weekend but his aides indicate he is clinging to life.

It was down to Gulnara Karimova's younger sister Lola Karimova-Tllyaeva, 38, to make a statement about their father Islam Karimov's condition, which is currently in dispute with officials claiming he is alive and news sources saying he is dead.

Philanthropist Lola called for prayers for the tyrant, disclosing: 'My father was hospitalised after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage on Saturday morning, and is now receiving treatment in an intensive care unit. His condition is considered stable. At the moment it is too early to make any predictions about his future health.'

Former pop star Gulnara, 44, who was once rumoured to be the successor of her autocrat father, has not been since in public since she fell out with him in 2014.

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Gulnara Karimova, pictured here in 2012 in Tashkent, has not been seen in public since her father president Islam Karimov placed her under house arrest

President Karimov, 78, is know as the tyrant of Tashkent and is notorious for boiling to death his political foes. He suffered a brain haemorrhage at the weekend but his aides say he is still alive

She was gagged and placed under house arrest after a barrage of tweets in which she described the power struggle within their family. Her TV stations, businesses and charity were shut down and she disappeared from the lime light.

According to reports at the time, a secret service chief showed her father 'semi-naked' pictures from her modelling photoshoots in a bid to further discredit her.

Karimov, who has ruled Uzbekistan with an iron fist for 25 years, allegedly slapped his daughter across the face.

After she was placed under house arrest, Gulnara is believed to have snuck a long letter out to a BBC journalist in which she sounded distressed.

'I am under severe psychological pressure, I have been beaten, you can count bruises on my arms,' one line says.

She described how she was under constant observation.

'What makes it all worse, is that it is impossible to live like a human when you are watched by cameras, when there are armed men everywhere and when you are depressed because of what you have seen: special forces jumping on to the roof, your things in a mess, broken windows and doors and worst of all: a blindfolded person who is being dragged along the floor,' it says.

Her boyfriend, a former Uzbek pop star, is believed to be the 'person being dragged along the floor'. He was also jailed for 10 years in the same year on charges of stealing assets worth tens of millions of dollars and tax evasion.

In 2015, Gulnara faced fresh corruption allegations after an investigation accused her of accepting more than $1 billion from telecoms companies.

Karimov's younger Lola Tillyaeva-Karimova, pictured here at an Elie Saab fashion show in Paris in 2015, made a statement about her despot father's health

Former socialite and pop star Gulnara has faced corruption charges since she tweeted about a power struggle within her family

She has always denied any wrongdoing and says criminal charges against her are politically motivated.

Unconfirmed rumours claim she is now living in Israel on the condition that she stays out of the limelight.

But as mystery remains about what happened to former 'princess' of Uzbek, there are now reports of in-fighting between senior officials who are accused of covering up the death of her father Karimov.

News agency Fergana has gone on the record to insist the despot is dead and that a bitter power struggle is underway for control of the central Asia state.

Alive or dead, the despot's glamorous 44-year-old daughter Gulnara, once the most powerful woman in the energy-rich state, is not seen as a player in the succession battle any more.

Rumours say Karimov led the vodka toasts for Uzbekistan's Olympic returnees on Friday night before suddenly expiring.

She was once known as the 'princess' of Uzbek but had a dramatic fall from grace after she spoke out against her father

Fergana news agency claim the despot had a stroke on Saturday morning and died on Monday.

The elite in the deeply corrupt state were 'trading' as to who should succeed the tyrant 'like at the market place', and an announcement of Karimov's death would wait until the succession was agreed, it was claimed.

The battle appears to be a two way contest between 'thuggish' premier Shavkat Mirziyaev, 58, seen as a 'fist' not a 'brain', who could be even more repressive than Karimov, and finance minister Rustam Azimov, 56, seen as having the Tashkent clan's backing.

As political turbulence swirled, there were denials on Tuesday that Azimov had been placed under house arrest to remove him from the contest.

Another candidate is grey cardinal Rustam Inoyatov, a 72 year old secret police chief chief, who was seen as instrumental in ousting Gulnara Karimova, the president's favourite daughter, from her position of power.

Tashkent has dismissed as 'false' the reports that Karimov had died yet there have been no updates on his condition.

An announcement on Karimov's death will reportedly not take place until the elite have decided who should succeed the tyrant

Uzbekistan has been independent from the USSR for 25 years on 1 September 2016

Some have joked on social media that doctors are 'too scared' to tell the tyrant he is dead.

The main events marking the 25th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence from the USSR on 1 September were abruptly cancelled on Tuesday.

Challenged over its insistence that Karimov is dead, Fergana editor Daniil Kislov said: 'Our news agency is better informed than others.....We have many sources.'

The turmoil comes on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Uzbekistan quitting the Soviet Union.

Karivmov has led the state throughout this period. The lack of medical updates is seen as evidence the dictator's condition is serious - or worse.

Ominously, the Kremlin said it had 'no new information' on Karimov's condition. Officials were still wishing Karimov a 'speedy recovery'.
'As big as a car': Chris Henry filmed the strange black object above his home for about 20 seconds

A father-of-four claims to have filmed a 'unique' UFO when he spotted a mysterious black object he believes was the size of a car hovering above his home.

Chris Henry captured the peculiar body - which he likened to a giant trophy or egg timer - while he waited for a lift outside his front door in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

The amateur paranormal investigator, who has written books on UFOs, now hopes to get to the bottom of the unexplained sighting by releasing the video for all to see.

The unemployed 27-year-old recorded the footage on Thursday evening and believes the unidentified flying object could be as large as a car.

Mr Henry said: 'Nobody has been able to explain to me what it is. I've studied hundreds of paranormal sightings and I've never seen something like this.

'There's no way it's a drone because it's not the right shape and it's not aerodynamic. It looks like a giant trophy or an egg timer.

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Mysterious object: Chris Henry, pictured left with his wife Heidi and right with his mum and his four children, spotted the object on Thursday as he waited for a friend in Macclesfield

'For it to be that visible from the doorstep I reckon it could be something as big as a car.

'I wish I'd filmed it for longer but I didn't realise how significant it was until I watched it back later.

'I was just waiting for my mate to come and pick me up and I spotted it while I was stood at the door.

'My mate pulled up in his car after about 20 seconds so I just wrapped up recording and didn't think that much more of it really.

Mr Henry said the object, above, could be the size of a car for him to be able to see it from his doorstep

'Some other people have said it was a balloon but the weather was pretty rubbish so it was hardly balloon flying weather.

'Obviously I can't prove anything but it looked unlike anything else I've ever spotted.'

Mr Henry, who is married to Heidi, 27, lives in Macclesfield with their four children - sons Lindon, five, and Gideon, three, and daughters Ruby, six, and Delilah, one.

He has written a number of e-books on the paranormal and said this latest sighting was so unique that even specialist UFO websites could not categorise the object he saw.

Mr Henry said there is nothing of this shape recorded in the UK, and experts have struggled to categorise it

Mr Henry said: 'There's nothing of this shape that's been recorded in the UK, that I'm aware of. It was so angular.

'It was up as high as the planes that come into Manchester Airport so it must have been absolutely huge to still be visible with the naked eye.

'There were no wings or propellers on it so I don't understand how it was flying. No-one else was around to look at it except my mate in the car.

'He's the one who convinced me to take a proper look at it later on. I'm still baffled as to what it was.
Her mother Emma Cosgrove cried in court as she

The father of a seven-month-old girl has admitted to killing her in court as the baby's mother cried for her lost child.

Paul Cosgrove, 24, from Ellenbrook in Perth plead guilty to the unlawful killing of his baby daughter Lily on September 14, 2015.

The baby never woke up after her mother, Emma Cosgrove, rushed her to Princess Margaret Hospital after finding her unconscious, Perth Now reports.

Lily Cosgrove, pictured, was seven months old when her father killed her - he has plead guilty to unlawful killing of the baby in court

The baby's mother came home to find her unconscious and raced her to hospital - she died two days later after suffering from horrific head injuries

She died two days later. Lily's mother was in tears as she left the courtroom muttering, 'my baby, my baby'.

Cosgrove was initially charged with aggravated grievous bodily harm, according to WA Today, but the charge was upgraded following a post mortem on Lily.

At the time of Lily's death Mrs Cosgrove spoke out about her heartache.

'I still can't believe my baby girl's not here... that this morning I didn't see her face looking at me with a smile... smiling at me because it was morning and she was just so happy to be alive to see her mummy,' she said.

'I'm always going to remember that she loved me more than anyone and I loved her more than anyone. We were best mates. I just loved every minute of being her mum.'

Mr Cosgrove will be sentenced on September 6.
A right-wing French mayor has vowed to continue with the burkini ban despite France's top court ruling the restriction is illegal.

Mayor of Cogolin Marc Etienne Lansade claimed people should live according to the local customs and traditions of the country they are in.

In an inflammatory statement, Cogolin warned: 'If you don't want to live the way we do, don't come.'

A right-wing French mayor has told Muslims: 'If you don't want to live the way we do, don't come,' as he vowed to ignore the court ruling outlawing the burkini ban

A court has ruled there is no legal basis for the ban because there is no proven risk between the burkini and public order, hygiene or public decency which could justify the restriction

Speaking to CNN, he said: 'You have to behave in the way that people behave in the country that accepted you, and that is it.

'If you are accepted in Rome -- do like Romans do. Go in Saudi Arabia and be naked and see what will happen to you.'

A court in Nice has ruled that a burkini ban in Cannes is also against the law.

The court claimed because there were no proven risks of disruption to public order, or reasons of hygiene or decency for the ban.

After the Council of State overturned that ban last week, human rights groups said they will challenge similar bans issued in 30 or so municipalities. More rulings are expected in the next few days as local courts are hearing other contested town decrees.

The last Nice ruling is a largely symbolic victory for the two human rights groups that introduced the challenge, since the Cannes ban, issued late last month, was expected to end on Wednesday night anyway. But it sends a signal to several mayors who have said they won't revoke their bans even after the top court's legal precedent.

Meanwhile, the national debate on the place of Islam in the strictly secular country continued. Prime Minister Manual Valls, who supported the bans, made a new reference to the burkini controversy with a comment on Marianne, an allegorical figure of the French Republic.

Valls said during a socialist meeting in southern France Thursday night that 'Marianne, the symbol of the Republic, is bare breast because she's feeding the people, she doesn't wear a veil because she's free.'

The comment immediately triggered countless reactions on social networks. Mathilde Larrere, a historian specialized in the French Revolution, derided Valls in a series of tweets that have since gone viral, telling him: 'Marianne is bare breast because it's an allegory, moron!'

The expert wrote that Marianne has nothing to do with being a symbol of women or feminism, but instead 'her bare breast is modeled on allegories from the Antiquity, notably the allegory of liberty'.

She noticed that the figure of Marianne was chosen to embody the French republic at a time when women were reduced to the status of minors and barred from voting.

Larrere also argued that Marianne is not always represented with a bare breast, but she's always shown with her head covered, often with a Phrygian cap, an ironic allusion to Valls saying Marianne doesn't wear a veil.
says she draws inspiration to study from him

Providing for his family forced Neira to abandon his studies in the 1950s

He says he will then

The first day of college can be nerve wracking for freshmen - however, one Texas girl could rely one of her lifelong friends for company in the form of her grandpa.

Melanie Salazar entered Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas, for the first time already knowing one of the most popular men on campus, 82-year-old Rene Neira.

The teenager's grandpa has been studying for an associate degree in economics at the college and expects to obtain his degree after this semester.

Best friends and now classmates: Melanie Salazar and grandpa Rene Neira pose for a heartwarming photo

Neira is said to be popular on campus although he studies hard. He plans to study for a bachleors degree in Econmics at University of Texas at San Antonio

Neira has been studying economics for as long as Salazar can remember, in-between his career, and felt it was totally normal to be attending the same college as him.

The 18-year-old was therefore surprised that a Twitter post she published of her and her studious grandpa went viral with over 2,000 retweets.

'It's been awesome knowing how something that seems so normal to me is so out of the ordinary and extraordinary to everyone else,' Salazar told CBS News.

Salazar, who is studying for a liberal arts major, said her grandpa is popular due to his down-to-earth nature and is first to crack a joke with classmates, despite being decades older than most of them.

'I think people are very drawn to him because this is an every day person - an 82-year-old person-who isn't giving up on their education,' Salazar said. 'He's determined to get his degree.'

Salazar didn't expect her Twitter post to go viral but it has since been re-tweeted over 2,000 times

Neira concentrating in class. He dropped out of college in the 1950s to support his young family and now is determined to gained the education he missed out on

'I want to be like my grandpa and be determined to find what I love and get a degree,' she continued.

However her granddad says he is not trying to be a role model for his granddaughter or other young people, Salazar said.

'I'm not trying to inspire Melanie, or anybody. I'm glad that's what it's doing, but I'm just doing what I've always wanted to do,' Neira told Metro.

He originally started college in the 1950s but had to drop out so he could support his family. After retiring he decided to finish his studies in of his one of his first loves - economics.

Neira, who has performed numerous jobs, is going to apply to the University of Texas at San Antonio in hopes of getting his bachelor's degree.
A father-of-two claims his family was left stranded for five days on a 3,000 family holiday to Florida when British Airways left their luggage - including vital medication - back in the UK.

Paul Hardman, 31, and wife Vicky, 37, from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, were supposed to be enjoying their first family holiday with their two children Ted, one, Lily, three, and Paul's mother Debbie Hardman.

However the family say they ended up battling with BA for five days to be reunited with all their belongings, as they were left without clothes, toiletries and Ted's pram.

They were also left without thyroid and blood-thinning medication for Debbie, 52, who has had her thyroid removed and suffers from deep vein thrombosis.

The family spent more than 450 replacing items and airport transfer costs - which amounts to half of their 900 holiday spending money.

Holiday hell: Paul Hardman, 31, and wife Vicky, 37, were supposed to be enjoying a dream trip to Florida with their children Ted, one, Lily, three, and Paul's mum Debbie. But their luggage and Debbie's medication for thyroid trouble went missing for five days

Mr Hardman, a customer service assistant, described it as 'the worst thing I've ever experienced.'

He added: 'Instead of starting the holiday all excited and happy as we should have been, we were stressed and upset.

Debbie Hardman, right, was left lethargic and struggling to walk as a result of not having her medication. She's pictured with her daughter-in-law Vicky at Disney World.

'Losing all your luggage is horrible at any time but when you are away from home with two very young children it is incredibly difficult.

'And the worry we went through with my mum's medication was awful.'

Debbie Hardman, a retired elderly care worker, said this ruined her holiday.

'After going without medication for five days Ive been so tired - Ive been losing concentration easily and have just felt so sluggish.'

The family arrived at Manchester Airport on August 17 excited to embark on their first family holiday together.

But excitement turned to disappointment when they discovered their flight to London Heathrow was delayed by six hours and they would miss their Florida flight.

The family was re-booked onto a Philadelphia flight and reassured by staff that their bags would be in the hold.

But arriving in Philadelphia 16 hours after leaving home, Mr Hardman was told the luggage wasn't on the flight as promised but back in Heathrow.

The family say they were forced to stay in a hotel overnight and boarded a flight to Florida the next day, forcing them to lose a day out of their 13-day break.

Mr Hardman says he had to buy new items including clothes, toiletries, food and a pram for Ted, totalling 340 in addition to the 2,000 he'd already paid for flights and 120 'non refundable' airport transfer costs.

This meant their holiday spending money was halved, meaning they had to forgo numerous planned trips such as a visit to SeaWorld.

Instead of spending their first night in Florida, the family got stranded in Philadelphia instead

Paul's wife Vicky, who works in customer service, said: 'I was shocked at how poorly British Airways treated us, not one person offered to help us out when we were trying to find our bags.'

A spokeswoman for BA said they recommend that customers carry essential items and medication in their hand luggage.

She added: 'We are sorry for this upsetting experience and the inconvenience that was caused by this lapse in our service.
They have been arrested on charges relating to his death

They dressed up Rose's corpse to make him appear to be alive

His three friends allegedly strangled him instead of providing aid

21-year-old Joshua Rose, pictured, died of a drugs overdose

Two men and a woman have been arrested after being accused of strangling their friend who he was dying of an overdose - and putting a hat and sunglasses on him to make it appear that he was still alive.

Preston Layfield, 19, Tyler Mirabelli, 22, and Amanda Wayda, 20, - all from Shickshinny, Pennsylvania - have been charged over the death of 21-year-old Joshua Rose.

State police allege that Rose apparently suffered an overdose Thursday at a home in Scranton, and the three drove him on Interstate 81 to Susquehanna County, passing at least one hospital on the way rather than seeking medical aid.

'Bottom line, they drove right past a hospital and continued north on I-81. At this time, we are not sure why they did that,' Cpl. Mark Prushinski said.

Police allege that a plastic bag was placed over the victim's head along the way and he was strangled with a pair of jumper cables, then dumped over an embankment in the Hop Bottom area, where his body was later found near railroad tracks.

Before a stop for gasoline after the alleged strangulation, one member of the group put sunglasses and a hat on the victim, authorities alleged.

Authorities said the charges might change depending on the outcome of an autopsy scheduled today by the Susquehanna County coroner's office.

Preston Layfield, 19, Tyler Mirabelli, 22, and Amanda Wayda, 20, have been charged with counts relating to his death

Tyler Mirabelli, pictured, is accused of strangling the victim with jumper cables

Preston Layfield, pictured, has also been accused of charges relating to Rose's death

All three defendants are scheduled for preliminary hearings on September 7.
The Irish government has vowed to fight an EU decision ordering Apple to hand over 13 billion in tax after deciding Dublin tax authorities breached state aid rules when dealing with the tech giant.

The Irish coalition government held a crisis cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Enda Kenny calling his ministers back from their summer holidays to discuss the crisis.

Kenny's Fine Gael party is supported by a loose coalition of independent politicians who are not committed to fighting the tax ruling. A decision on whether to appeal the controversial ruling has been deferred until Friday.

Irish prime minister Enda Kenny, front left, recalled his cabinet, pictured, from their summer holidays to discuss yesterday's tax ruling by the European Commission which has ordered Apple to had over 13 billion in unpaid taxes after claiming Ireland broke state subsidy rules

Irish finance minister Michael Noonan, pictured, urged his cabinet colleagues to support an appeal against the controversial decision which he claims undermines Ireland's tax policy

Independent minister Shane Ross, pictured, along with fellow independent Finian McGrath have demanded that the Irish Parliament should be recalled to discuss the matter

Two independent ministers within the government, Shane Ross and Finian McGrath have demanded that the Dail (Irish Parliament) is recalled to discuss the matter.

However, the country's main opposition party, Fianna Fail, is likely to recommend challenging the ruling.

Brussels ruled that Apple, the world's richest company, avoiding paying virtually all tax on cash it routed through its Irish operation.

Some hard-left opposition politicians want the government to recall the Irish parliament, the Dail, which is not due to sit until September 27.

Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan announced immediately after the ruling he would challenge the decision, but he needs approval to act from this morning's cabinet meeting.

Kenny returned to power as the head of a minority government supported by several independents following an electoral collapse in February.

His government is reliant on the main opposition party not blocking his legislation.

Noonan is currently working on his next budget, which will be the first major test of the government. If the cabinet fails to pass the budget, it is likely the government will collapse and there will be another general election.

Apple chief Tim Cook denied his company received any special treatment claiming the tech giant is the biggest taxpayer in Ireland and the United States and contributes its fair share

The Irish government has received support from the White House, which cautioned against the EU's 'unilateral' measures, warning the ruling could hit jobs and investment across Europe.

Irish authorities are afraid the ruling will impact other multi-national companies availing of Ireland's low corporate tax rates such as Intel, Google, eBay, PayPal, Facebook, Twitter and pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer.

IRISH TAXPAYERS DEMAND APPLE PAYS ITS SHARE LOUISE O'REILLY, 57 CARER 'They are doing the wrong thing. They don't care about the normal people. The money should be spent on the old-age pensioners who worked all their lives and are struggling to survive.' GERARD AUGUSTA, 58 SECURITY GUARD 'I think the unions and the workers should be out marching about it, to be honest with you. Apple is paying just 50 on every million euros that they earn.' NATALIE BYRNE, 36 CLEANER 'I understand about the jobs part. We don't want to see any more jobs go. But we have to live by the rules.' CONOR MORAN, 30 SOFTWARE DEVELOPER 'The big thing is to make sure the big corporations keep coming to Ireland. As mad as it sounds turning down that kind of money ... I think in the long term it might be more beneficial to cosy up to these guys.' BRID O'CAROLAN, 70 PENSIONER 'I think we have to do whatever we can to get jobs here,. We need to fight our own corner.' Advertisement

EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: ' This decision sends a clear message. Member states cannot give unfair tax benefits to selected companies, no matter if European or foreign, large or small.

'The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years.'

The EU has spent three years investigating Ireland's deal with Apple and other US companies such as Google, Amazon, McDonald's and Fiat Chrysler are now being probed.

Apple chief Tim Cook said he was 'confident' the EU ruling would be overturned, adding that the Silicon Valley giant was the biggest taxpayer in Ireland, the United States and the world.

He said: 'The most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe.'

Cook also warned that the ruling was a 'devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters.'

Noonan described the ruling as 'bizarre' and 'an exercise in politics by the Competition Commission'.

Ireland has faced serious criticism over its low corporate tax regime, especially during the recent emergency bail out.

Irish ministers insisted the low tax rates would jumpstart the nation's faltering economy.

Noonan said: 'If you look at the small print on an Apple iPhone, it says designed in California and manufactured in China and that means any profits that accrued didn't accrue in Ireland and so I can't see why the tax liability is in Ireland.'

But Vestager said Apple's Irish operation was a sham - Apple's 'so-called head office in Ireland only existed on paper. It had no employees, no premises and no real activities'.

Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of just 0.005 per cent on its European profits in 2014 - equivalent to just 50 euros for every million, Vestager said.

The Apple tax bill dwarfs the previous EU record for a state aid case - 1.3 billion for the Nurburgring race track in Germany.
Several former staff have been jailed for their abuse of children

Yeshivah is also notorious for child sex abuse and cover-up attempts

An elite Jewish boy's school notorious for child sex abuse is being investigated over accusations of widespread bullying and harassment of staff.

Yeshivah College, in Melbourne's seafront suburb of St Kilda East, was thrown into the spotlight last year after a series of hearings at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Fresh allegations have now come to light that staff at the school, and its sister school Beth Rivkah College, have been subject to continued bullying and harassment from senior figures, reports Herald Sun.

Yeshivah College is being investigated over accusations widespread bullying and harassment of staff

The two schools are being probed by Worksafe Victoria after a junior teacher lodged complaints.

The schools have this week been issued an 'improvement notice' over their failure to force staff to undergo specific bullying training.

Several teachers are understood to have left the school and others have had their hours cut.

Last year the school came under fire after a condemning child abuse royal commission over a widespread sexual abuse.

One staff member, Chief Rabbi Zvi Telsner, announced he would stand down indefinitely after accusations he berated victims who reported their abuse.

Several former staff have been jailed for their abuse of children in recent years.
When the EU Competition Commissioner ordered Apple Inc to pay Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros on Tuesday she did not mince her words.

Margrethe Vestager questioned how anyone might think an arrangement that allowed Apple to pay a tax rate of 0.005 percent, as Apple's main Irish unit did in 2014, was fair.

And in doing so earned herself a legion of fans around the world.

The 48-year-old tough talking Danish politician is seen as the woman that acclaimed Scandi political drama Borgen was modelled on.

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Getting things done: Margrethe Vestager on Tuesday ordered Apple Inc to pay Ireland a record 11 billion penalty over a 'sweetheart' tax deal

Thank you: People around the world praised Vestager for holding Apple 'to task' over unpaid tax

In the show, the main character is Birgitte Nyborg - a feminist, idealistic, leader of a centrist party who finds herself becoming Prime Minister of Denmark.

Before taking up the role of Nyborg actress Sidse Babett Knudsen reportedly spent a few days shadowing Vestager.

The mother of three daughters who took on Apple served as an MP from 2001 until 2014, representing the centrist Danish Social Liberal Party.

When entering government as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic and Interior Affairs in 2001 she rode her bicycle to meet the Queen.

Vestager served in the three-party Social Democrat-led coalition government of Helle Thorning-Schmidt from 2011 until 2014, during which time she was heralded by Danish media as the most powerful person in government.

It's therefore no surprise that Knudsen turned to her for tips on how to play a leader.

Inspiration: In the Danish political drama Borgen, actress Sidse Babett plays fictional Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg who is believed to be modelled on Vestager

Tough talking: Vestager questioned how anyone might think an arrangement that allowed Apple to pay a tax rate of 0.005 percent was fair

Determination: One Twitter user said 'we EU citizens love your strong determination against corporate tax avoidance'

Don't stop: Vestager's fans asked her to 'please continue to slay companies not paying fair taxes'

Backed: One Apple customer said Vestager has 'all his support' over the decision

When Vestager was appointed as the European Unions next competition commissioner in September 2014, Christian Riis-Madsen, a Danish antitrust lawyer for OMelveny & Myers LLP in Brussels, said he expected her to have a different approach than her predecessor.

'I would expect her to be less influenced by political considerations,' he told Bloomberg. 'Shes known to be thorough, hard-working, getting things done.'

During her lauded speech at a news conference on Tuesday, Vestager said: 'Tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades, in breach of the EU state aid rules. Apple now has to repay the benefits.'

People around the world took to social media to congratulate her on holding the company to account.

'We EU citizens love your strong determination against corporate tax avoidance. We hope this is the start of all corp tax recovery,' one person wrote.

No nonsense: The former Danish deputy prime minister previously clashed with then British chancellor George Osborne during the 2012 euro crisis

Awkward moment: Former chancellor George Osborne accidentally bumped heads with Vestager in Luxembourg as they leaned in for a friendly embrace

'Please continue to slay companies not paying fair taxes. The worldwide tax system is broken,' another said.

Using the Danish word for thank you, a jubilant tweeter said: 'Tak Tak Tak!! We all knew this was happening, but it takes a brave woman to bring #Apple to task #Ireland.'

'All my support to the European Commission decision, from an Apple consumer and a european citizen,' another added.

However, tax experts say the European Commission faces a tough battle to convince courts to back up its stand.

While the EU has found that certain tax regulations are anti-competitive, it has never before ruled whether countries have applied tax regulations fairly in the way it has with Apple, Starbucks and others.

As a result, some lawyers and accountants said they doubted Apple would end up paying back any tax.

'I am not persuaded by the reasoning the EU has applied,' said Tim Wach, global managing director at international tax advisers Taxand.
A man has died after being gored in the neck by a bull at a popular Spanish festival.

Oscar Manuel Lopez Isach, from Moncofa in the eastern province of Castellon, was fatally injured after slipping as the animal chased revellers in the nearby town of La Vilavella.

The 36-year-old market worker was pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital from the scene on Tuesday evening.

A man has died after being gored in the neck by a bull at a popular Spanish festival (file picture)

The dead man was by a barrier next to a bar when he was attacked and is said to have suffered damage to his carotid artery.

The death was the first this year in a festival involving bulls in the province of Castellon.

Several people have been gored in the provinces of Valencia and Alicante further south.

Earlier this month a 13-year-old girl was gored at a festival in Museros a 40-minute drive from Valencia.

She suffered a four-inch wound to her knee after managing to evade controls designed to stop under-16s from entering a fenced-off area where the animals chase down revellers.

The incident happened a day after a 15-year-old boy was gored in the nearby Costa Blanca holiday resort of Calpe.

Oscar Manuel Lopez Isach, from Moncofa in the eastern province of Castellon, was fatally injured after slipping as the animal chased revellers in the nearby town of La Vilavella (file picture)

He lost his footing as the animal charged towards him and suffered an injury to his left armpit.

Separate investigations were launched into how the youngsters managed to get into a fenced-off area where the bulls were let loose.

In July a 29-year-old man died after being attacked by a heifer during an an annual festival in Pedreguer near Valencia.

He was named as Ruben Frasquet Morant.

On July 16 mum-of-two Sofia Lopez Gonzalez was gored to death by a heifer at a festival in Moratalla in Murcia, south east Spain, which she was attending with her family.

The 47-year-old tried to escape the animal behind railings after it was let loose in the streets but was caught on its horn and suffered a fatal injury to her abdomen.

She died a few hours later in hospital.
South Carolina school officials are investigating after a parent accused a teacher of throwing away her six-year-old daughter's shoes and making her walk around barefoot.

The teacher threw away Taraji Edwards' sandals as a punishment after losing her patience with the girl, who had been repeatedly asked to stop messing with them in class.

The child's mother, Chartrese Edwards, said the incident happened last week at Bryson Elementary School in Simpsonville, WSPA-TV reports.

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South Carolina school officials are investigating after Chartrese Edwards (center, with her daughter) accused a teacher of throwing away her six-year-old daughter's shoes and making her walk around barefoot

The girl said the strap was bothering her.

'She began to cry, 'no mommy I don't want to wear those sandals',' Edwards told the station.

She asked her daughter why and the child revealed that her the teacher had thrown them away in math class the day before.

The child said she was embarrassed after having to walk around barefoot before the teacher told her to retrieve her shoes from the trash and put them back on.

'I do not want to get treated like that,' she said. 'I'm only six.'

'I feel like it was malicious behavior,' Edwards added.

The girl said the strap was bothering her. She also said she was embarrassed after having to walk around barefoot in front of her classmates

She added that she is angry because the teacher, who has not been named, could have used a better method.

'I raised her with dignity and respect to take care of herself, especially her appearance. And you take shoes I bought for her and you throw them in the trash' she told Fox Carolina.

'You don't have that right to do that, you don't have the right to take my baby's shoes off her feet and throw them in the trash and humiliate her in front of her peers.'

In a statement, Greenville County Schools District said in a statement that it doesn't tolerate embarrassment or humiliation as a form of punishment and is investigating the matter.

The school has approved for a home bound teacher for Taraji, WSPA reported.

Her family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to send her to a private school, but no donations have been received as of Wednesday morning.

The incident happened last week at Bryson Elementary School (file photo) in Simpsonville

A post on the page says: 'Taraji is very sad and afraid to return back to school.

'We are concerned for maltreatment in the school system because of Taraji bringing this to our attention and the media.
This is the moment four students threw punches, pulled hair and attacked a pregnant pupil as out of control fighting spilled from the classroom into the corridor of an Alabama school.

Three girls and one boy have been arrested after attacking the victim in class at Selma High School on Tuesday morning, according to Selma Police Lt Natasha Folwkes.

The incident was captured on cellphone and also sees students climbing on desks. The footage has been blurred to hide students' identities.

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This is the moment four students threw punches, pulled hair and attacked a pregnant pupil

Courtesy ABC 8

Two teachers tried to break up the fight and were also assaulted in the process.

District Attorney Michael Jackson said the class had just begun when it descended into a 'complete melee with swinging, kicking and other violent acts', the Montgomery Advertiser reported.

The victim was taken to hospital after the attack, but later released after she and the baby were confirmed to be okay.

The attack was linked to a dispute from a neighborhood event the previous night, Folwkes added.

Attack: A pregnant student was attacked by four other youths at Selma High Tuesday morning, cops say. Both the victim and her baby were all right, doctors said

'These ongoing beefs can get you into serious trouble and that's just what happened in this case,' said Jackson.

'At the very least they should be suspended if that hasn't already happened.'

Two teachers who tried to break up the fight were also assaulted.

Selma School Superintendent Angela Mangum told Alabama News Network that she was devastated by what happened.

A statement was issued on behalf of the school stated: 'Selma City Schools takes the safety and wellbeing of students, faculty, staff members and visitors very seriously.

'The unfortunate situation involving students at Selma High School was the result of a neighborhood disagreement that was brought to school.

'Perpetrators involved in the event have been removed from campus and will receive consequences for their actions after a full investigation has been completed.

'Selma City Schools will continue to implement programs and services that will foster the importance of positive choices, good character, and respect for self and others.'

All four suspects were taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct. They will appear in front of a court in four weeks.
Lawyers working for Ethan Couch, pictured, have demanded that he is released from prison

Lawyers working for a teenager who was jailed for killing four people in a drink-driving spree have demanded that he is released from prison because the judge allegedly did not have the right to rule in his case.

Ethan Couch, 19, was sentenced to four consecutive terms of 180 days  one for each of the four lives he snuffed out in a 2013 crash - when he appeared in court earlier this year.

Couch was just 16 when he got behind the wheel of his father's F-150 truck with three times the legal limit for alcohol in his blood.

He smashed into a stationary white Mercedes SUV at 70mph, killing the driver, Breanna Mitchell, along with mother and daughter Holly and Shelby Boyles and pastor Brian Jennings, who were all trying to help Mitchell get her car going.

The teen became notorious when a psychologist told his trial he couldn't be held responsible for his actions because he suffered from 'affluenza'  an affliction supposedly born of his privileged yet dysfunctional upbringing.

In the filing, Couch's lawyers say that the teenager should never have been tried in an adult court even though he is now over 18.

They said that according to Texan law, as Couch's case began in juvenile court, it should have been resolved in civil court, not criminal.

Ethan Couch, 19, was sentenced to four consecutive terms of 180 days - one for each of the four lives he horrifically snuffed out in a 2013 drunk driving crash

Hollie and Shelby Boyles were both killed after Couch crashed into them

Brian Jennings and Breanna Mitchell also both died in the horror smash

They have asked that all orders by the judge who jailed Couch - Wayne Salvant - be overturned, leading to his release from prison.

Meanwhile, Couch's mother Tonya has been released from house arrest.

Tonya Couch, 49, was indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury on charges of hindering apprehension and money laundering for aiding her son in violating a probation deal that kept him out for jail.

Tonya Couch was initially charged with aiding her son's flight, a felony that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The grand jury earlier this year reaffirmed the original charge and added a second charge of money laundering of $30,000 to $150,000, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Tonya Couch was initially charged with aiding her son's flight, a felony that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison

Couch and her son left Texas after a video surfaced on social media in early December showing Ethan at an alcohol-fueled party, in a likely violation of his probation deal.

The mother and son then drove 1,200 miles to the Pacific beach resort of Puerto Vallarta where they stayed at Los Tules.

The two later moved to a run-down apartment four blocks from the beach but were discovered after a signal from one of their cellphones alerted authorities as they dialed out for Domino's pizza.
Pauline Hanson and Tony Abbott appear to have buried the hatchet as they meet for the first time since Australia voted the controversial One Nation Senator into power.

Ms Hanson posted a video of her and Abbott sitting together on a couch in her office  but her supporters were quick to warn the politician not to trust the man 'who put her in jail'.

Despite their well-documented differences in the past both politicians seemed pleased with their Wednesday afternoon weekend.

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Pauline Hanson and Tony Abbott have met in the One Nation leader's office to put their chequered past behind them

Ms Hanson posted a video of the meeting on social media thanking the former prime minister for attending

'It was nice of Tony Abbott to take some time out this afternoon to come to my office and congratulate me on my win,' Ms Hanson said on Facebook.

The sentiment was echoed by the former prime minister on his own social media account.

'It was good to catch up with Pauline today. We have a chequered history, but our country is best served by parliamentarians working constructively with each other over the next three years,' he wrote.

A 35 second video of the pair meeting has also been aired on Ms Hanson's page.

The video begins with the politicians sitting awkwardly on a couch, with their bodies facing each other.

'Pauline there are half a million people who voted for you and you will be a strong voice for their concerns,' Mr Abbott said.

Ms Hanson and Mr Abbott sat together on the senator's couch as they recorded a video

Ms Hanson began to stutter as she replied to the comment from the former prime minister.

'Yea. Yea I know I have got a big job ahead of me for the next six years,' Ms Hanson said.

The short video has been watched more than 21 thousand times in just three hours and attracted more than 600 comments most of which warning Ms Hanson to be wary of her new friend.

During the video Ms Hanson explained that she understands she has a big job ahead of her

'Pauline, we all know Abbott and Howard were behind your false imprisonment. Sure it's the past but if these 2 B******s had their time again, they would do the same again. I admire your forgiveness and new found trust but keep looking over your shoulder,' wrote one.

'Yep , he a politician to the core a maggot like the rest hell go where ever or to whatever is popular or the flavour of the day , and wherever the cameras are , dont trust him as far as you can p**s Pauline (sic),' wrote another.

'Judas handshake! What's that in his back pocket - 30 silver coins!?' said another.

Mr Abbott has been slammed by many of Ms Hanson's followers who have not forgiven him for the way he has treated her in the past

While others looked at the new friendship as a positive for the One Nation leader.

'Mr Abbott didn't have to do that and Senator Hanson didn't have to meet with him. That they did shows class and that both care about making this parliament work as best they can. You are an impressive lady Pauline,' said one.

'Yes but no use being a pessimist forever in life, Maybe Tony really did mean well, otherwise I doubt he would've bothered to go and congratulate her and maybe he's not feeling good about the past and simply wants to let sleeping dogs lye (sic),' said another.

Other supporters of Ms Hanson congratulated Mr Abbott on speaking with her

Tony Abbott's supporters appeared to be more supportive of Ms Hanson than hers were of him.

'She is one wonderful lady and she to think she doesn't even hold a grudge. well done Pauline you have our support,' said one.

'2 people that I admire simply because of ther test of character n loyalty to themselves. Pauline has always held her word n never backed down no matter wat was thrown to her (including jail n media humiliation) Then Tony, got snubbed by his own party n still stands for his party n its beliefs n backs the very people that shafted him! (sic)' said another.
Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway noted how presidential today's meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto makes her billionaire candidate look.

While his rival, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton  who's spent her week fundraising in the Hamptons before returning to the campaign trail today  looks like she's fallen behind.

'I'm sorry that Secretary Clinton is not going,' Conway said of the bilateral meeting, which was confirmed last night, between the Mexican leader and the Republican nominee. 'I feel like she keeps following the leader and we're the leader here,' Conway said on 'Today.'

Briefly turning to another topic, Conway added, 'People are in need in Louisiana, we get right there. Gov. Pence and Mr. Trump went right there.'

Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway stopped by the 'Today' show set and touted her boss' meeting with the Mexican president saying it made him look 'presidential'

The Trump campaign's Kellyanne Conway suggested that Hillary Clinton is 'following the leader and we're the leader here'

Conway was referring to a trip the Republican running mates made to the Baton Rouge area, which was battered by heavy rains and, in turn, historic flooding earlier this month.

The Republicans beat President Obama to the flood zone by five days, while Clinton has yet to visit.

'The governor of Mexico invites us, we'll be right there,' Conway said.

Conway previewed the meeting, suggesting that the two leaders would speak not only about immigration, but also trade policy and drugs.

'I think you'll see a very presidential Donald Trump today meeting with the president of Mexico,' she said. 'And we're just happy that the president of Mexico invited him.'

Both Trump and Pena Nieto have used harsh words in the past, with Trump kicking off his presidential campaign by suggesting that the Mexican government sends 'rapists' and criminals across the border into the United States.

Trump tweeted on Tuesday: 'I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow'

Pena Nieto, for his part, has compared Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, though has walked back those statements more recently.

On the eve of the meeting, Trump omitted one of his classic call-and-response lines from his stump speech, as he addressed supporters in Washington State.

Trump didn't ask the crowd 'who's going to pay for the wall?' Which usually would receive the response, 'Mexico!'

After Trump's stop across the Southern border, he will lay out his immigration plan in full in Phoenix, Arizona tonight.

Conway again commended Trump for being 'presidential,' saying he fits that bill because he's giving voters his complete plan for immigration ahead of Election Day.

On the eve of his Mexico visit, Donald Trump didn't ask his audience who would pay for the border wall - one of his stump speech's usual call-and-response lines

But as 'Today' show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer pointed out, it was the campaign's fault that Trump's immigration message got murky in the first place, with Conway saying during one of her first television appearance as campaign manager that Trump no longer believed in a 'deportation force.'

Both hosts tried to get the campaign manager to say whether Trump's speech tonight would articulate a change of position on that specific issue.

'You are going to hear how he's going to address the 11 million and some other issues as well,' Conway said at first, noting how Trump planned to make it clear that he wasn't for amnesty and that he still planned to construct the border wall.

Conway also deflected and pointed to Clinton.

'In terms of changing position, I've memorized 22 of them for Hillary Clinton: Keystone Pipeline, TPP, you would have an opportunity to ask her that if only she would talk to the press,' Conway replied.

Kellyanne Conway suggested that Hillary Clinton (right) - who has been raising money in the Hamptons this week - is 'following the leader' since Donald Trump accepted the President of Mexico's invitation first and also traveled to Louisiana after the state's severe flooding

'So we're very happy with our strategy, which is to be very open with the press, to go over the border to Mexico today to meet with the president, go back to Arizona to give an immigration speech,' she added.

'She was out in the Hamptons raising money yesterday,' Conway pointed out.

The two journalists tried one more time, noting how Conway herself had just said that the Trump campaign was open to answering questions from the press.

So would Trump articulate a reversal on rounding up the illegal immigrants and shipping them out.

'You will not see a reversal,' Conway answered, and then tried to set a precedent.
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The Australian political elite have gathered for the annual Parliamentary Mid Winter Ball and it appeared black was the favourite shade of the evening.

Julie Bishop and Peta Credlin had an awkward start to charity event after arriving in strikingly similar black gowns.

The Foreign Minister and Tony Abbott's former chief of staff were photographed in the Great Hall of Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday evening both in off-the-shoulder floor length dresses.

But the talk of the night was Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie, wearing a striking strapless red dress, arriving on the arm of her fellow colleague in the Senate, Derryn Hinch, who wore a scarlet scarf to match his date.

Before their surprising arrival, Mr Hinch strolled down the hall to Ms Lambie's office with a red rose in his hand.

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Jacqui Lambie turned heads at the Mid Winter ball after announcing her 'mystery date' was in fact fellow Senator Derryn Hinch

Julie Bishop and Peta Credlin have had an awkward start to the 2016 Parliamentary Mid Winter ball after arriving in strikingly similar black gowns

As the annual event kicked off, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and their wives Lucy and Chloe were pictured in a friendly exchange.

Senator Pauline Hanson also donned a black gown for the evening, pairing it with an embellished scarf and matching clutch.

Ms Bishop arrived with her partner David Panton in a classic gown with a train, accessorised with diamond pendant earrings.

Ms Credlin's gown was visually similar, but the Sky News commentator matched it with gold bangles and open toe stilettos.

Mr Hinch made sure he matched the Tasmanian Senator's striking strapless red dress with a scarf he draped over his suit.

While Labor Senator Sam Dastyari chose to bring his wife Helen and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure Anthony Albanese arrived with wife Carmel, others attended the event solo.

Senator Pauline Hanson also donned a black gown for the evening, pairing it with an embellished scarf and matching clutch

Opposition leader Bill Shorten and wife Chloe Shorten arrive for the ball

As the annual charity event kicked off, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and their wives Lucy and Chloe were pictured in a friendly exchange

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy arrived at the event following the first day of the opening of the 45th Parliament

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Tanya Plibersek and Shadow Minister for Health Catherine King posed for a photo together at the entrance

Former prime minister Tony Abbott's chief of staff turned television political pundit Peta Credlin attended the ball with her husband, former Liberal Party boss, Brian Loughnane

Treasurer Scott Morrison added a Cronulla Sharks scarf to his ensemble and Liberal Member for Hasluck Ken Wyatt (left) had a statement gold bow tie

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Tanya Plibersek and Shadow Minister for Health Catherine King posed for a photo together at the entrance.

Labor Member for Cowan Anne Aly and Labor Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman were all smiles as they headed into the charity ball together.

The 2016 Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery Ball is traditionally held in the third week of June, but was delayed.

The event follows the first day of the opening of the 45th Parliament and brings together politicians, journalists and corporate chiefs.

Last year's ball raised a record $340,000 for charity and the Great Hall can accommodate 640 guests.

Labor Senator Sam Dastyari brought his wife Helen to the to annual event

Labor Member for Cowan Anne Aly and Labor Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman were all smiles as they headed into the charity ball together

Shadow Minister for Infrastructure Anthony Albanese and wife Carmel Tebbutt arrive for the annual Mid Winter Ball
Visitors to Spain are being made feel increasingly unwelcome by locals angry over the growing influx each year, it has been claimed.

The local tourist industry is benefiting from a massive boom in numbers as wary travellers decide against booking holidays in Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia because of the ongoing ISIS treat.

Earlier this year, yobs sprayed: 'Tourist go home: Refugees welcome' and 'Tourist: You are the terrorist' on historic buildings in the centre of Palma, capital of Mallorca.

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Tourists in Mallorca have been confronted by racist graffiti which was soon removed by the local authorities fearful of damaging the island's reputation among its millions of visitors

Thousands of tourists arrive in Palma every week from giant cruise ships sailing the Mediterranean, stopping off at many of the Balearic islands to allow guests to go sightseeing

Spanish tourism officials claim they will see 67-million visitors this year - far more than the country's population of 47-million.

It is believed almost five million fewer people are visiting Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia because of the ongoing unrest.

Spanish travel industry expert Rafael Gallego said: 'Between 12 per cent and 15 per cent of the tourists coming to Spain wouldn't have come here were it not that those destinations that compete directly with Spain fur sun and beaches are closed due to tragic events.'

Nearly three million British tourists are expected to visit the island this year.

Around 15 million of the 65 million foreign tourists that flock to Spain every year are British, putting them in top spot ahead of the French and Germans.

One hotel in Palma had been targetted four times by vandals.

A hotel spokesman said: 'We have already reported this latest incidents and three earlier incidents this year to the police.

'On two occasions bags filled with paints were thrown at the facade.

'We have the feeling, especially in light of the graffiti that was daubed on buildings and street furniture, that there may be a small group who feel unhappy with the effect of tourism on the area for whatever reason and are trying to make their feelings known.

'We're obviously concerned because this has been the fourth incident but we're not alarmed.'

Those in working class neighbourhood La Barceloneta have protested against drunken Magaluf-style holidaymakers and illegal tourist flats.

There have also been demonstrations around the Sagrada Familia to complain about the daily hordes of holidaymakers.

Many locals have been appalled by the behaviour of some tourists who drink heavily during their visit, leaving discarded rubbish on the street and engaging in anti-social behaviour

Spain has seen tourist numbers rocket as visitors have abandoned other cheaper sunshine destinations such as Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt because of the ongoing unrest in the region

However, many Britons travelling to Spain are insisting on all-inclusive deals in hotels and resorts as the dramatic fall in value of the pound as reduced their spending power.

Humphrey Carter of the Majorca Daily Bulletin told The Guardian: 'It has been a record year here and has sparked a big political debate over whether the island is now full.'

Luis Clar, who lives in Palma Told EuroNews: 'They want to turn us into a theme park, a place you close the doors on at night because no-one lives there.'

But Miguel Vazquez, 32, who lives in Mallorca and is unemployed, told MailOnline: 'I was born here and since I was a little boy I have always been able to tell a tourist from a local, even if it is a tourist from Spain.

'Mallorcans are different to Spaniards, and yet we are happy to take their money and the money of British tourists, Scandinavians, French.

'The locals moan that it is busy, they can't get a table at their favourite restaurant but to call them terrorists, no chance, that was just one crazy person. At the end of the day, we need tourists, Palma's economy relies on tourists otherwise there would be no Palma.'

In the Balearics off Spain's eastern Mediterranean coast, nearly a third of employment depends on the sector. It accounts for nearly half the economic output, more than in any other region. The local economy has just recovered to its pre-crisis level after a five-year downturn.

Yet unease over the boom is spreading among the population.

In drought-prone island Ibiza water reserves are getting tight and in rural Menorca fears are mounting that natural beauty-spots risk being spoiled.

On one day last August, the population across the Balearics nearly doubled, reaching a record 2 million.

The latest data from March shows visitors to the archipelago were up nearly 50 percent from 2015 in that month alone, swelled by arrivals from Britain in particular. All-inclusive holidays for the peak summer months are selling out.

In Palma, residents know there are days to avoid the city centre, especially when cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers mass in the harbour, and some worry entire neighborhoods will turn into holiday lets.

Similar concerns led to angry protests in Barcelona two years ago, where residents in beachfront areas rallied against the rise in drunk and disorderly holidaymakers that coincided with a blossoming trade in tourist apartments.

For Gaspar Alomar, a temporary worker in a bookshop in one of Palma's medieval quarters, the recent spate of anti-tourist graffiti in the city has at least appeared to stoke a debate over whether this type of growth is desirable.

He said: 'The resources we have are finite, it's logical that there should be a finite number of people coming. If we build our whole economy around tourism we'll have nothing to hold onto if trends change, in the long run it's not sustainable.'

In some respects local authorities are leaning if not toward limiting tourism, at least toward controlling it.

Next year the smallest of the Balearics' four main islands, Formentera, could introduce taxes on cars entering the area, and the region is looking into capping accommodation for tourists, said Biel Barcelo, the local tourism minister.

An additional two million visitors are expected in Spain this year due to the terror threat

Almost five million tourists have abandoned trips to Tunisia, pictured, Egypt and Turkey

In July, the left-wing government in charge of the archipelago since 2015 brought in a tourism tax of up to 2 for overnight stays, though measures such as these have also sparked an outcry among travel firms and hoteliers.

Monica Garcia who works at a guesthouse in Palma said: 'We already live well enough from tourism - we should not be demanding a top-up.'

Hotel groups have warned it could hurt revenues in the long run, and dismay at any attempts to curb tourism is also evident among many people who depend on the trade in Mallorca, from taxi drivers to souvenir sellers.

Barcelo argued improved regulation and planning - from more efforts to attract visitors out of season to better management of the glut of visitors disembarking all at once from cruise ships - would help protect the industry from the risk of a backlash if residents become overwhelmed.
Here's where things stand in the other key countries:

TURKEY

Turkey is hosting some 3 million refugees, including more than 2.7 million Syrians. Most refugees there don't get government support, but the agreement with the EU calls for the bloc to provide up to 6 billion euros ($6.8 billion) to help Syrian refugees in Turkey.

The deal also provides for one Syrian refugee from Turkey to be relocated to EU countries for each Syrian who arrives illegally in Greece and is sent back. So far only 1,152 have been resettled under the program  more than half of them to Germany and Sweden.

A Syrian refugee kisses his daughter as he walks through a rainstorm towards Greece's border with Macedonia in 2015

GREECE

The numbers of migrants arriving in Greece have dropped dramatically since the March agreement with Turkey, but several thousand a month still make the journey, some 160,000 in the first half of this year.

Over 58,000 people remain stuck in the financially struggling country, most hoping to continue north to nations like Germany or Sweden. The majority have applied for asylum, hoping to be relocated among EU nations  but the program is moving at snail's pace amid fierce resistance from eastern and central European countries.

A boy looks on inside a crowded wooden boat carrying more than seven hundred migrants before being rescued in the Mediterranean sea on Monday

So far, only around 4,400 people have been relocated from southern Europe under a plan that's supposed to see 160,000 moved over two years through September 2017. Yet there's little Brussels can do to force any nations to comply.

New arrivals now are insignificant compared to 2015, but they have increased since the July 15 attempted coup in Turkey, topping 2,300 in the first three weeks of August. This is straining resources on the eastern Aegean Sea islands and the government has promised to build more housing on the mainland.

Fears are also growing that the EU-Turkey deal might fall apart as Ankara presses for the 28-nation bloc to allow its citizens visa-free entry.

A Syrian refugee holds onto his children as he struggles to walk off a dinghy on the Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from Turkey in September 2015

ITALY

About 70,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean into Italy from January to June this year, similar to the same period last year. But with routes northward now restricted, there's nowhere for them to go and, as smugglers resort to more dangerous practices, more migrants are dying en route.

Migrants are sleeping in hotels, homeless shelters, train stations and tent camps. The Tuscan city of Capalbio is putting them in fancy villas and Milan is readying a jail to take in some.

Ahma, 24, and Habsa, 26, left, sit in a rigid inflatable boat after been rescued from a crowded wooden boat as they were fleeing Libya on Monday

Nigerians make up the biggest group of newcomers to Italy, followed by Eritreans, Gambians, Ivorians and Sudanese, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

The wave of arrivals is testing Italy's social services and Premier Matteo Renzi's patience as he faces domestic resistance from the anti-immigrant Northern League and reluctance from Italy's EU partners to resettle asylum-seekers. To date, only 961 would-be refugees have moved out of Italy, according to the IOM.

Earlier this month, France returned to Italy some 200 migrants who plunged into the sea at the Ventimiglia border crossing. The latest hotspot is Como on the Swiss border. There authorities have approved a tent camp to house the estimated 300-500 migrants who have camped out at the train station after taking trains daily into Switzerland, only to be returned.

GERMANY

Germany has seen a much-reduced number of newcomers this year after taking in hundreds of thousands in 2015, the majority of those entering Europe.

Up to the end of July, 238,424 new arrivals were recorded  92,000 of them in January, before the Balkan route was shut down. The figure has since leveled out at around 16,000 per month.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has stuck to her insistence that Germany will give shelter to those who need it and that Germany 'will manage' the refugee crisis. That mantra has fueled ongoing strife in her conservative bloc, and benefited the nationalist, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party.

Belongings left behind by migrants are seen in the floor of a wooden boat where more than seven hundred migrants were fleeing Libya on Monday

Two attacks this summer by asylum-seekers that were claimed by the Islamic State group have also fueled concerns.

Meanwhile, Germany has moved to tighten asylum rules, deport more rejected asylum applicants and turn more people back at the border

Merkel has criticized other European countries' unilateral moves to shut the Balkan migration route at Greece's expense but was a leading advocate of the Turkey-EU agreement. She insists the deal remains necessary, despite tensions with Ankara over visa-free travel.

AUSTRIA

The discovery of 71 suffocated people in the back of a smuggler's truck in Austria a year ago triggered an outpouring of support for refugees. That now seems a distant memory.

Then-Chancellor Werner Faymann urged Austrians to open their arms to the migrants, but faced increasing concerns that the country couldn't cope. Faymann changed course early this year, suddenly backing calls to shut Austria's border. He resigned in May amid falling support.

Migrants from Eritrea hold their children after been rescued from a crowded wooden boat in the Med on Monday

His successor, Christian Kern, has continued on the restrictive path welcomed by most Austrians, even as he urges them to be open-minded toward new arrivals.

Austria was the main force in the shutdown early this year of the Balkan route. After accepting more than 80,000 migrants last year, the country stands ready to turn back the first would-be refugee over the 37,500 limit it has set as a quota for 2016.

SERBIA & HUNGARY

The flow of migrants into Serbia has diminished drastically but not dried up entirely.

Instead of thousands a day registering at organized centers, hundreds a day now try to enter illegally. Illustrating the dangers, a 20-year old Afghan migrant crossing illegally from Bulgaria was shot and killed this week by a hunter in an apparent accident.

Human Rights Watch says migrants and refugees at Hungary's border with Serbia are being forced back, in some cases violently.

Migrants, most of them from Eritrea, jump into the water from a crowded wooden boat as they are helped by members of an NGO on Monday

UNHCR estimates that some 4,400 asylum-seekers are now stranded in Serbia, mostly since Hungary started enforcing new regulations in July that allow authorities to 'escort' migrants and refugees caught within 8 kilometers (5 miles) of the border back to Serbia.

Two 'transit zones' on the Serbian side now process around 30 asylum applications a day, while 1,000 or more people are waiting in poor conditions to file asylum claims, most of which are rejected.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called migrants 'poison' and said Friday that Hungary will build a new, 'more massive' fence on its southern border to defend against a possible surge in numbers. A government-initiated referendum on Oct. 2 is meant to rally political support against any EU plan to resettle migrants among the bloc's members.

FRANCE

Migrant numbers in Calais have soared this month, even though authorities shut down half of the city's wretched camp earlier this year, and the British and French governments erected security fences and announced measures to deter new arrivals.

The French government says the number of migrants in the makeshift Calais camp known as the 'jungle' has reached its highest official level yet: 6,901. Aid groups say it's closer to 9,000.

This week, a Sudanese migrant died after a clash between groups of Sudanese and Afghans, the 11th migrant to die in Calais this year.
Arek Jozwik, above, died after he was attacked by a gang of as many as 20 boys and girls in Harlow, Essex, on Saturday night

The brother of a man beaten to death in Harlow, Essex, claims it was because a gang of teenagers heard him 'speaking in Polish'.

A murder inquiry was launched on Tuesday after Arkadiusz Jozwik, 40, known fondly as Arek, died in hospital of injuries sustained when he was attacked outside a pizza takeaway in the town on Saturday night.

Arek, who moved to the UK in 2012, was allegedly targeted alongside his friend, who is also Polish, by a gang of up to 20 teenage thugs.

The gang, made up of boys and girls, are understood to have hurled abuse at the two men before launching the 'brutal attack', leaving them unconscious.

Police reportedly told Mr Jozwik's family that he had been attacked 'for speaking the Polish language'.

His friend, identified only as a 43-year-old man from Harlow, was taken to hospital with fractures to his hands and bruising to his stomach. He has since been discharged.

Tributes have been paid to Mr Jozwik and a fundraising campaign has started to pay for his funeral. Polish flags hang from the shops in The Stow to pay tribute.

Bunches of flowers have been left at the bench close to where Mr Jozwik was attacked on Saturday night. The 40-year-old died of his injuries

One shopkeeper, who runs a Polish shop, has a Polish flag on his counter in tribute and is collecting signatures of those who knew Mr Jozwik. Pictured: a woman places flowers on the bench at the Stow, in Harlow

Members of Harlow's Polish community announced they were to organise a march this coming Saturday to protest at racism.

Organiser Eric Hind said: 'It's not only about us, Poles. Racism in Harlow is a real problem, and we need to unite.

'This is a result of us staying quiet for too long. We need to speak up about racism and discrimination we face on a regular basis.

'We want the march to show our solidarity and unity. I've been here for 14 years and have a daughter, she feels British. I'm not going to leave.'

The Polish ambassador, Arkady Rzegocki, has visited The Stow in Harlow, Essex, to pay his respects to 40-year-old murder victim Arkadiusz Jozwik

Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki visiting where Arek Jozwik died after being beaten to death by a gang of teens for being Polish

Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki with Harlow MP Robert Halfon at the site where Mr Jozwik was attacked on Saturday night. The pair laid flowers at the bench, now covered with bunches

Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki speaks to reporters alongside MP for Harlow Mr Halfon, next to the bench where tributes have been laid

In a statement, the Polish Embassy said: 'We have been shocked by the murder of a Polish national in Harlow.

'Yesterday Polish consul conferred with local police in Essex. One of the lines of investigation is that of hate crime.'

Mr Rzegocki laid a wreath at the scene of the tragic hate crime killing today flanked by the Harlow MP.

Mr Rzegocki and Conservative MP Robert Halfon walked slowly to a wooden bench close to where the fatal blow was struck against Arek Jozwik, 40, and paid their respects.

The men were joined by dignitaries and made a plea for calm to prevail.

The ambassador, who started his job yesterday,said: 'I am deeply shocked and concerned for this tragedy.

'It is not only the tragedy for the Polish community but also for the British community.

'On one hand I would like to thank the minister and local council and the community for support, for help and the local police.

'The Polish embassy will support Polish community, Polish citizens in such situations and we hope this tragedy will not happen again.

When asked if it was a hate crime he said 'there is a possibility'.

Mr Halfon said: 'We need to be a kind and decent nation we shouldn't allow people who come from the sewer to exploit divisions and who have their own racist agendas.

'I will stand up against those things.'

Asked if it was a racist murder he said: 'We need to find out what is going on.'

Mr Rzegocki said: 'I've just been round to see the brother of the victim.

'He was really thankful to all the society, so you can notice there's something important, something good in there.

'I hope something there will change the situation.'

A walk of silence will take place on Saturday and tonight locals will organise a vigil to show the town is united against racism.

Zak Cochrane, vigil organiser, said: 'I think certainly since thew EU referendum up and down the country we have seen a spike in racism against aimed at migrants and Muslim communities

'I think racism is an issue in our town, but what has been happening up and down the country and in this town saying they love this town and hate racism.'

A bench in the middle of the parade has turned into a shrine for Mr Jozwik with multiple people laying flowers, candles and a pillow with the words 'love' stitched in.

Harlow has one of the highest concentrations of EU nationals from eastern Europe, roughly one in 17 residents, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The town is in the top 30 local authorities in England and Wales with the greatest proportion of eastern European nationals per population.

Meanwhile, the 'Harlow Stand up to Racism' Facebook page is urging residents from the town to 'show that people of Harlow will not accept hatred in our town'.

'We will show that the people of Harlow want to live and work in harmony with their neighbours regardless of their race, religion or nationality,' it reads.

Ivona Schulz-Nalepka, director of Harlow Polish School, said: 'Some people in the Polish community are frightened about what happened.

'The is the first time something as serious as this has happened in Harlow so of course we are worried.'

Harlow MP Robert Halfon said he has contacted Essex Police's chief constable to ask what measures were being taken 'to protect our communities, particularly those who are ethnic minorities or migrants'.

One tribute reads 'To all the family and friends, we send you our thoughts of peace and love at this time of sorrows'

One tribute reads 'To all the family and friends, we send you our thoughts of peace and love at this time of sorrow'

A cushion with the word 'love' stitched onto it has been left in the middle of the bench with lanterns underneath it

Detectives believe the murder could have been a hate crime. Five 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy have been arrested in connection with the incident.

They were all released on bail by Wednesday, pending further enquiries, to return on October 7.

A 48-hour dispersal order was imposed on the Stow from Tuesday night at 7pm, giving police power to fine anyone who refuses to leave once asked. Patrols have also been stepped up.

Jacek Gora, who owns a Polish shop in The Stow, has a Polish flag on his shop counter and is collecting signatures of people who knew Mr Jozwik as part of a tribute.

He is also fundraising to help pay for funeral costs, and hopes to present the flag to the victim's family.

He said: 'For everyone it's really strange, as he was the quietest person. If someone were to fight someone then okay, but he was really quiet.

'It was a surprise for everyone. He was a really good guy.'

He said he started collecting signatures on Tuesday night and dozens of people have already signed.

He said 'everyone' would go to his funeral on Saturday.

'Everyone wants to help,' he added. 'All the Polish shops in the town centre are doing this.'

Jacek Gora, who owns a Polish shop in The Stow, has a Polish flag on his shop counter which he is asking people who knew Mr Jozwik to sign

Mr Gora hopes to give the flag to the family at the funeral. Above, his Polish shop in The Stow

He said he does not feel there is a particular problem with racism in the town.

'It was nearly midnight, everyone going back from pubs and clubs,' he said. 'Everyone is afraid about going home near midnight.'

Asked to describe the community's reaction to what happened, he said: 'It's not like we're angry about it. It's just strange as this situation shouldn't be. Everyone should be feeling safety everywhere going back home.'

Mr Jozwik's brother Radek, 34, said Arek had no children of his own but was a family man.

He had worked at a meat production plant alongside their mother, who is said to be 'really struggling' after her son's death.

Mr Jozwik said: 'He really was a family person who spent a lot of time with my kids, he didn't have any kids but had been close with my kids.

'My kids have been with me in the hospital, crying all the time.'

Speaking at the spot where Arek was attacked on Tuesday, Radek said there had been a surge in hatred towards Eastern European following Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

A murder inquiry is under way after a man died when he suffered serious head injuries in an attack outside a pizza takeaway restaurant on Saturday night. Above, two bunches of flowers have been left on a bench near to where the attack happened

Standing with wife Sylwi, 34, he said: 'The police have told us he was attacked because they heard him and his friends speaking the Polish language.

'He was standing eating pizza and they picked on him because of that. He does not speak much English. The young teenagers are so aggressive.

'Parents need to speak with their children - they are out of control. One of the teenagers started and then seconds later there are 10 or 12 people attacking him.

Another man, thought to be a friend of the victim, is in hospital with a bruised stomach and fractured hands. Five teens were arrested and four have since been bailed

'After the Brexit vote it has got worse - I have seen people change - it is hard at the moment.'

Mr Jozwik, a factory worker, said his mother was struggling to cope with the death of her son.

He added: 'My mum came back from holiday and did not know what had happened.

'We had to meet her at Stansted Airport and tell her and then take her straight to the hospital. She is really struggling.

'Arek came down to get a pizza - it was the first time he came down to get one.

'Normally he would get it delivered but for whatever reason he came to buy one and that's when all the trouble started.'

Radek Jozwik, the victim's brother, above, paid an emotional tribute to him at the scene where he was attacked and said he believes he was attacked because he was heard speaking Polish

The gang attacked Mr Jozwick and his friend outside a parade of shops in The Stow area of the town at 11.35pm on Saturday.

The friends were left near a branch of TGF Pizza, and a team of forensic officers sealed off the shops as they carried out investigations in a bid to find vital clues.

Essex Police confirmed Mr Jozwik, 40, suffered serious head injuries in the incident and died at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Al Pitcher, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: 'This is now a murder investigation and our enquiries have quickly led to the arrest of five teenage boys.

'Following this vicious attack, a man has sadly lost his life and I urge anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible.'

The victim worked at a meat production plant in Harlow, Essex, along with his mother after moving here in 2012

Detectives are now studying CCTV and hope more witnesses from within the 20-strong gang will come forward.

Speaking when the attack was still being treated as assault DI Pitcher described it as a 'potential hate crime'.

'The motive remains unclear and we are continuing to keep an open mind.

'From our initial inquiries, we understand the victims were chatting and eating together when they were approached by a group of teenage boys.

'They were verbally abused before being assaulted and knocked unconscious.

'It is not yet clear how many attackers there were, but the suspects were part of a group of about 15 to 20 youths, both girls and boys.

'We understand not all these people were involved and we believe there will be witnesses who were deeply shocked by what took place.

'We know they may find it hard to come forward, but we would encourage them to discuss it with their parents and to contact police.

'They can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously if they are afraid to give their name or speak directly with us.'

Shop owners close to the murder scene revealed gangs of up to 50 teenagers regularly hang around the precinct, often openly smoking cannabis.

POLISH COMMUNITY IS 'LIVING IN FEAR' SAYS ESSEX MP Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, said the Polish community is living in fear after this latest attack. Mr Halfon said the community is 'incredibly scared and upset' and that almost everyone in the town would have been horrified by the attack. He said: 'We have a wonderful Polish community in Harlow, they work incredibly hard, they have a wonderful Polish school that I've been to twice. 'All of us, I know because I have been contacted by some Polish members, are incredibly scared and upset at what has happened. 'But we must do more than be horrified. We must actively stand up against racism of any kind. We must welcome Polish and other communities just as we would welcome our best friends and we must all work together to ensure that Harlow remains a kind, decent and tolerant place to live.' Mr Halfon's own Jewish grandfather was forced to leave Libya in the 1960s due to racial persecution. Advertisement

Shopkeepers said the area, pictured above, is a no-go area for locals, who fear what could happen if they pop out for a pint of milk

Labour councillor Waida Forman has condemned the attack and begged witnesses to come forward.

She said: 'Targeting foreigners for indiscriminate violent assault has no place in a civilised society.

'We believe we all have more in common than that which divides us.

'If we treat others how we would like to be treated ourselves, we would find everyone benefits from a peaceful society.

'We urge any witnesses to this appalling incident to contact Essex Police to ensure that justice prevails.

'Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and friends.'

Councillor Jon Clempner, leader of Harlow Council, said: 'I am saddened and shocked by this brutal attack in our community.

'My heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to the families and friends affected by this meaningless attack.

'I know Harlow and its communities will support each other through this and that all our communities will stand together.

'We don't know the full circumstances of what motivated this attack but whatever the motives were they will never ever have a place in Harlow.'

He added the authority was working with police to supporting the community and extra patrols were in place to provide reassurance.

An Essex Police spokeswoman confirmed: 'A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a man who was assaulted in Harlow.
The first full-time, professional training school for circus artists in the United States is set to open in Philadelphia next year, officials announced Tuesday.

Circadium will be a three-year, secondary vocational school where students can hone their skills in acrobatics, juggling and aerial acts like the silks. The founders, who currently run the recreational Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, made the announcement atop the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, amid juggling routines and a trapeze performance.

America is home to over 200 recreational circus schools and studios, but unlike in Europe and Canada, there aren't any higher-education schools where more experienced students can elevate their art, said Amy Cohen, executive director of the American Circus Educators Association.

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The first full-time, professional training school for circus artists in the United States is set to open in Philadelphia next year, officials announced Tuesday

'Circus artists, like any artists, build their value through years of in-depth exploration, the influence of mentors and connections to professionals,' she said. 'That is what Circadium will provide: a place to incubate these young artists, in the way that schools in Europe and Canada have been doing successfully for decades.'

The traditional American circus, with its three rings, trained animals and red-nosed clowns, while still valuable, is becoming less relevant, said Circadium's Executive Director Shana Kennedy.

'Audiences want to not just be wowed but also to be moved,' she said. That's where contemporary circus comes into play, mixing theater, dance and music with the standard circus disciplines, she said.

The school is temporarily sharing space with Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, but has launched a Kickstarter campaign to off-set the costs of renovating a historic church in the city's Germantown section. The church will provide soaring ceilings and 22,000 square feet of training space, said Kennedy. Applications for the school are due in November for a September 2017 start of classes, she said.

Nicole Burgio, a 31-year-old acrobat and aerialist who performed on the static trapeze Tuesday, said establishing a school like Circadium is essential for a serious circus artist.

Circadium will be a three-year, secondary vocational school where students can hone their skills in acrobatics, juggling and aerial acts like the silks

'They teach you how to compose art,' through the marriage of theater, circus and dance, she said. But just as important, attendees learn about safety, rigging equipment and lighting, ways to make their performances both secure and beautiful.

Adam Wooley, works with Circadium's aerial program, said the country was seeing an 'exciting renaissance in circus arts,' both recreationally and as an educational tool for children.

'Circus is starting to step up and prove it has something to offer at a time when arts education is struggling,' he said, adding the physicality of circus arts is a way to make the arts accessible, particularly for children in communities that struggle finding art that means something to them.

It's fitting that Circadium is coming to Philadelphia, where some of the first circus performances in the U.S. were held in the late 1700s  one was even attended by George Washington, said Sabrina Motley, of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which is held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

America is home to over 200 recreational circus schools and studios, but unlike in Europe and Canada, there aren't any higher-education schools where more experienced students can elevate their art

The Folklife Festival will celebrate the history and current iteration of the circus arts during its 2017 summer season, she said.
Russian and US defence chiefs clashed today over who killed the second in command of the terror group Islamic State.

Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the head of IS propaganda and foreign operations, died last night while on a surveillance mission close to the Syrian city of Aleppo, the group's official media claimed.

A few hours later the US military issued a statement confirming they had targeted Adnani and that his death would mark a serious setback for the IS leadership.

But today Russia's Defence Ministry issued a counter claim declaring that al-Adani had in fact been killed in one of its own airstrikes.

Second-in-command: Senior ISIS figure Abu Muhammad al-Adnani (pictured), who was once earmarked as the terror group's next leader, has been killed in Syria

The Russians said that Adnani was one of up to 40 rebels killed by air strikes carried out by a Russian Su-34 bomber in Maaratat-Umm Khaush in the Aleppo province.

This appeared to contradict the US statement which said that Adnani was targeted by coalition forces conducting a 'precision strike near Al Bab, Syria', 16 miles from where the Russians said they had killed him.

A U.S defense official then told Reuters: 'Russia's claim is a joke.'

The Pentagon on Tuesday said it had targeted Adnani, who Islamic State has said was killed in Aleppo province.

Al-Adani, pictured, was responsible for devising the 'lone wolf' strategy which urged Muslims in the West to use any weapons they can gather to target high profile gatherings or events

THE ISIS JOSEPH GOEBBELS Adnani was a Syrian from Binish in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor, al Qaeda, more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution. He was from a well-to-do background but left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight U.S. forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said. He once taught theology and law in jihadi training camps, according to Brookings. A biography posted on militant websites says he grew up with a 'love of mosques' and was a prolific reader. He had been the chief propagandist for the ultra-hardline jihadist group since he declared in a June 2014 statement that it was establishing a modern-day caliphate spanning swaths of territory it had seized in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. Adnani had often been the face of the Sunni militant group, such as when he issued a message in May urging attacks on the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan, and as in Sept. 2014 when he called on supporters to kill Westerners throughout the world. Recent advances by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into ISIS territory in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it. Iraqi army advances against the jihadist group meant Baghdad was on track to retake Mosul by the end of this year, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday. Advertisement

The Pentagon said yesterday: 'We are still assessing the results of the strike, but Al-Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL.

'Al-Adnani has served as principal architect of ISIL's external operations and as ISIL's chief spokesman. He has coordinated the movement of ISIL fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited new ISIL members.

Today IS supporters were quick to promise retribution for the death of al-Adnani.

In an online edition of the Islamic State's newspaper al-Naba, distributed hours after the announcement of Adnani's death, the group told its fighters to keep fighting.

But members of the rival terrorist group, al-Qeada, were also celebrating the death of Al-Adnani, once member of Osama Bin Laden's terror group.

Islamic State and al-Qaeda in Syria have been fighting each other in the region ever since the al-Qeada leadership refused to pledge allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi in 2014. The split among the violent jihadists in Syria led to much blood-letting.

Today Abu Sulayman al Muhajir, a senior al Qaeda cleric, tweeted: 'Adnani was just a mouthpiece of a sinister group of thugs, he was a passionate advocator of eradicating Muslims in the name of Jihad'

Experts believe al-Adnani's death, combined with recent IS territorial losses. could leave the door open for an al-Qaeda to replace IS with its own caliphate.

But this will not happen without a bloody fight.

Even after announcing al-Adnani's death, IS media agency Amaq boasted of the group's resilience. 'The blood of the sheikhs will only make it more firm on the path of jihad and determination to take revenge and assault,' Amaq said in a statement on Telegram, according to a statement from the SITE Intelligence Group.

The announcement by IS of the death of al-Adnani was unusually quick. The group rarely hands propaganda victories to the West, instead waiting weeks or even months before confirming the death of one of its fighters.

And there have been a number of cases of IS fighters faking their own deaths so they can return to Europe or carry on operations in Syria under the radar. But analysts believe that in this instance al-Adnani's high profile and standing among the group meant the IS leadership had to be seen to be first to claim the death.

Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, one of ISIS' longest-serving officials, was said to have died 'while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo' (file photo)

Al-Adnani was born Taha Sobhi Falaha in the northern Syrian town of Banash in 1977 and had a US bounty of $5m (3.82m) on his head.

In June 2014, he formally declared the establishment of the IS caliphate stretching across parts of Syria and Iraq under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, demanding allegiance from Muslims worldwide.

He went on to release audio recordings urging lone-wolf attacks against civilians in nations that supported the US-led coalition against IS.

Earlier this year, he called for attacks during Ramadan, with followers carrying out attacks including the Orlando nightclub shooting, the truck attack in the French city of Nice and a massive suicide bombing in Baghdad.

An authorised obituary of Adnani written by a senior IS cleric Turki al-Binali calls al-Adnani the 'mangonel of the Islamic State', or projectile, a metaphor for his ability to throw powerful words at the enemies of the group.

Binali said he wrote this in response to character attacks against al-Adnani, by Al Qaeda figures.

Telling his life story, he says: 'The sheikh grew up fond of mosques and frequented it. He was also fond of reading. When his parents and relatives wanted to buy him a gift, they would buy him stories and books because they knew he preferred that to toys. He would read everything, from linguistics to philosophy, until he managed to memorise the Quran. He cited the Quran at the hands of one of the Quran experts, and then memorised it. He did so in one year.'
A 75-year-old man is accused of 24 child sex offences in South Australia between 1999 and 2003 before he fled to South Africa in 2011.

Alleged victims of a convicted paedophile who fled Australia in 2011 have tracked him down to a South African jail.

The 75-year-old man, who cannot be identified, had been serving 16 months of a five-year sentence in Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town after sexually abusing eight children and pleading guilty to 15 sex assault charges in Cape Town Regional Court in April last year, news.com.au reports.

The retired mining engineer was facing 24 child sex in South Australia before leaving the country after being granted bail in 2011.

His alleged Australian victims appealed to the parole board of his South African prison to keep him locked away after learning he was due to be set free.

Instead of being released on August 5th to complete his term under correctional supervision, the 75-year-old was arrested by Interpol agents and kept behind bars where he may be extradited to face child sex charges in South Australia.

He is accused of 24 child sex offences in South Australia between 1999 and 2003 before he fled the country, News.com.au reports.

During his new life in the Cape Town suburb of Sea Point, he went on to abuse three boys and five girls who attended his church.

He admitted in a plea and sentencing hearing to taking them to his home for 'sleepovers' where he would sexually assault them.

The federal Attorney-General's Department wouldn't tell News.com.au whether man would be be handed over to Australian authorities.

'(Name withheld) is wanted to face prosecution in South Australia for 24 child sex offences alleged to have taken place between 1999 and 2003,' a spokesman said in a statement.

The man had served 16 months of a five-year sentence in Pollsmoor Prison (pictured) in Cape Town after sexually abusing eight children and pleading guilty to 15 sex assault charges

Instead of being released from Pollsmoor Prison (pictured) on August 5th to complete his term under correctional supervision, the 75-year-old was arrested by Interpol agents and kept behind bars

'(Name withheld) is currently in South African custody serving a custodial sentence for unrelated child sexual assault offences that took place in South Africa.

'As a matter of longstanding practice the Australian Government does not disclose whether it has made an extradition request to a foreign country until the person is arrested or brought before the court in a foreign country pursuant to that request.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defiantly defended her record of dealing with the European migration crisis as support for her party slides in the polls.

Voters have been abandoning her conservative coalition and are instead turning towards the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Merkel's conservative group has seen support fall by eight per cent to 33 per cent, while the AfD has seen their support rise two points to 12 per cent.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, pictured today at a cabinet meeting in Berlin, defended Germany's handling of the ongoing refugee crisis despite a rise in support among the public for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party ahead of next year's federal election

Merkel, left, admitted Germany did not act soon enough at the beginning of the migrant crisis and insisted all EU countries should take their fair share of those displaced by war and terror

The Chancellor's group is still the largest in Germany, but with next year's federal elections approaching, Merkel has been facing increased criticism over her open-door refugee policy.

Around a million migrants, many from war zones like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, arrived in Germany last year, triggering fears about the costs and integration which have boosted support for the right-wing AfD.

To stem the influx, Merkel championed an EU deal with Turkey which has prompted accusations that she has cosied up to an authoritarian leader with a patchy human rights record.

In an interview published on Wednesday, Merkel said Germany and other EU countries had for too long ignored the looming refugee crisis.

Merkel's conservatives face heavy losses in two upcoming regional elections, the first on Sunday in eastern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and on September 18 in the city of Berlin. The AfD is widely expected to make big gains in both.

The Forsa poll showed support for all other parties was unchanged with the Social Democrats (SPD), who share power with Merkel's conservatives on 22 percent.

The poll also showed that 62 percent of Germans thought the government's overhaul of civil defences, which told citizens to stock up on water and food in the event of a terrorist attack or national catastrophe, announced last week, was scaremongering.

In an interview with the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Merkel said: 'Germany will remain Germany, with everything that is dear to us.'

She said: 'Change is not a bad thing - it is a necessary part of life.'

Merkel conceded that, in earlier years, Germany ignored the issue of migrants heading for Europe and the need for a pan-European solution.

She said: 'A lot of refugees already came in 2004 and 2005, and we left it to Spain and others on the (EU) external borders to deal with that. And, yes, we also resisted a proportional distribution of refugees then.
A teenage schoolgirl went missing from her home last Friday, but police only made a public appeal for help after her family alerted local media on Wednesday.

Susan Mundine from Southport, Queensland, was last seen leaving her family home on Friday morning after telling her mother she was going to visit a friend.

The 16-year-old was reported missing on Saturday night, however having heard nothing close to four days later Ms Mundine's family made a desperate plea for help to the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Susan Mundine (pictured) from Southport, Queensland went missing on Friday after telling her mum she was going to visit a friend. Police launched a public appeal for help on Wednesday

Ms Mundine's sister Shakira Bundock described her mother as being 'hysterical' about her missing daughter.

'We are so worried about her,' she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'We felt helpless and like there was nothing that could be done.

'I'm devastated this wasn't released sooner. We just hope we find her.'

Susan Mundine is described as Aboriginal in appearance, around 179cms tall with dark brown hair and has a slim build.

Less than an hour after notifying media police made a public plea for help, confirming the missing girl was a 'high priority'.

Ms Mundine attends Keebra Park State High School in Southport, Queensland

'Being a 16-year-old it is being treated as high priority,' senior sergeant Greg Broke said.

Snr Sgt Broke said a request for a public release had been made on Sunday, August 28 and he was at a loss why it hadn't been produced.

He confirmed police were conducting inquiries, including among friends, family and school and social media.
More than half of the foreign criminals released from prison in a notorious border scandal still haven't been deported a decade later.

The Labour government was rocked by revelations in 2006 that more than 1,000 foreign nationals had been let out without being considered for deportation.

They included killers and rapists, and some went on to commit further serious offences.

Government figures show that under half of the 1,013 foreign prisoners who were released without being considered for deportation have since been removed

The controversy led to the resignation of Home Secretary Charles Clarke, and a major overhaul of the department to make it 'fit for purpose'.

But figures slipped out by the government show that despite all the claims of reform the issue has yet to be fully resolved.

As of the second quarter of this year, just 456 of the 1,013 released had been removed from the country or deported, and 22 have still not been tracked down.

Some 475 more remain in Britain despite their cases having been concluded, and 55 are still going through deportation proceedings.

Five are currently serving another prison sentence.

In many deportation cases criminals use human rights laws to challenge their removal, or officials struggle to secure passports from their home countries, which do not want to take them back.

The details will be embarrassing for Theresa May, who spent much of her time as Home Secretary trying to fix the border and deportation systems.

Mrs May effectively killed off the UK Border Agency in 2013 after five years of catastrophic failure.

Announcing that UKBA would be cut in two and brought back into the Home Office, she said the agency, set up under Labour, had been 'troubled' and condemned its 'closed, secretive and defensive culture'.

The scandal over releasing foreign criminals from jail claimed the job of Charles Clark in 2006. Theresa May was also criticised for not making enough progress reforming the system as Home Secretary

Mrs May admitted that fixing the system and clearing the huge backlog of cases would take 'many years'.

She laid the blame for the agency's failings squarely at Labour's door, saying it was unable to cope with the number of migrants admitted by the last Government.

Earlier this summer MPs slammed the government for failing to deport the equivalent of a 'small town' of foreign criminals.

The Home Affairs Committee said it was 'deeply concerning' that 5,789 offenders from overseas were walking the UK's streets - the highest number since 2012.

Ministers were urged to take urgent action to 'significantly' reduce the 13,000 overall number of foreign convicts in the country.

It found the top three countries that the criminals hailed from were all within the EU, with Poles accounting for nearly one in 10 foreign offenders, some 983, while 764 were from Ireland and 635 from Romania.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told MailOnline: 'For over a decade we have heard that it is the ambition of successive governments to deport foreign criminals at the end of their sentence.

'However, the aspiration and the actuality have not matched up, for whatever reason.'

Another Conservative, David Morris, said making it easier to deport foreign criminals should be a priority in the Brexit negotiations.

'I am absolutely certain that coming out of the EU will make is easier to deport these people,' he told MailOnline.

'I am sure that Amber Rudd will be looking at this because the British people expect it - it is as simple as that.'

A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'Foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them.

'Since 2010 we have legislated to radically reform the deportation process and nearly 32,000 foreign criminals have been removed from Britain.

'We have toughened the law by cutting the number of grounds on which criminals can appeal deportation and speeding up removals so that more are deported before the end of their sentences.

'We removed over 2,000 foreign national offenders before the end of their sentence in 2015/16, the highest number on record.'
Police believe a high speed drag race sparked the deadly pile-up on a New York City highway that left three dead and 11 others injured.

NYPD sources think the tragic chain reaction began when a 2010 Infiniti sedan traveling with five passengers was split in two when it hit the central reservation at 4.20am on Wednesday morning.

Three passengers were thrown out of the sedan and died at the scene while the car the police believe it was racing collided with a dump truck, which in turn hit three other cars sending the occupants to hospital for treatment.

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An early Wednesday morning multi-vehicle car crash left three people killed and eleven others hurt

'It was chaos,' witness Blaise Lambre told The New York Post. 'The whole block was shut off.

'You had fire trucks, emergency vehicles, the fire department on the divider, news trucks. I heard it was a truck that slammed into a car.

'I saw people in the ambulances. One person came out and was put on a stretcher,' he added. 'It's sad, three people died in the morning. You don't know whether they were coming from work or going to work. Those people are never going to see home.'

Authorities told the website that another four vehicles collided while trying to avoid that initial crash.

Two vehicles crashed in the eastbound lanes on the Long Island Expressway in Maspeth, Queens at about 4.20am

Firefighters are pictured at the scene in Maspeth, Queens, on Wednesday

The victims were in a yellow cab, silver car believed to be the Infiniti, a black sedan, and grey SUV, ABC New York reported.

Speed may have been behind the first car crash.

A dump truck was in the second collision, according to WABC

Authorities say that another four vehicles collided while trying to avoid that initial crash

Eleven people were hospitalized and are in stable condition

The Twitter account for NYC Emergency Management said Wednesday morning that Queens-bound lanes on the Long Island Expressway's lower level were closed around Maurice Avenue.

It later tweeted: 'Following prior closure, all lanes of LIE have reopened near Maurice Ave, QN.'

The Twitter account for NYC Emergency Management said Wednesday morning that Queens-bound lanes on the Long Island Expressway's lower level were closed around Maurice Avenue
A Wisconsin lawmaker said on Wednesday that police officers threw him to the ground and put him in handcuffs as he tried to de-escalate tensions after 11 people were arrested at the scene of a recent fatal police shooting.

Rep. Jonathan Brostoff, who represents the Wisconsin Assembly's 19th District, said he went to the Sherman Park neighborhood around 10pm on Tuesday after hearing of the arrests.

Milwaukee Police said in a statement that residents had complained that about 30 to 40 people gathered around 8pm near the area where Sylville Smith was fatally shot.

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Rep. Jonathan Brostoff said police officers threw him to the ground and put him in handcuffs on Tuesday night in the Sherman Park neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The incident happened after 11 people were arrested near a recent fatal police shooting and violent unrest on Milwaukee's north side (site of memorial for Sylville Smith pictured)

There was a heavy police presence at the scene after residents had complained that about 30 to 40 people gathered around 8pm near the area where Smith was fatally shot

Police asked the crowd to disperse but some refused to leave, according to Sgt. Timothy Gauerke.

Eleven people were arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting an officer on Tuesday.

Brostoff, 32, a Milwaukee Democrat, said most of the crowd had left and he was talking with the people who remained when police officers approached.

The state lawmaker said the officers told him and Jarrett English, a youth organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union, that they heard cursing.

He said officers threw English to the ground and handcuffed him.

Brostoff said he started recording the incident on his cellphone, but police took his phone and threw him to the ground too.

'Then I was cuffed with zip ties and told to stand up, and they put me in the wagon,' he said.

Brostoff, pictured following the incident, said he was 'totally compliant', did nothing wrong and was only in the neighborhood to help

Brostoff said as he was filming the arrest of a youth organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union, police took his phone and threw him to the ground too

Brostoff said he was 'totally compliant', did nothing wrong and was only in the neighborhood to help.

'I'm trying to make their (officers) jobs easier. The whole thing is so bizarre,' he said.

After police learned he was a legislator, Brostoff said, he and English were released.

Brostoff said he wants to talk to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Police Chief Edward Flynn about the incident.

He also had plans to see a doctor on Wednesday because his wrist was injured when he was taken to the ground.

More arrests were made on Wednesday morning after police said a small group gathered in the area for a reason not immediately known.

Police arrested three men after the small group again gathered in the area and refused a resident's request to leave her property.

The men were arrested for disorderly conduct, with one of them also arrested for resisting an officer.

Sherman Park was the scene of two nights of violence after 23-year-old Smith (pictured) was shot and killed by a black officer following a traffic stop on August 13

A protest erupted following Smith's death, and eight businesses were burned and police with shields were the targets of rocks and other debris, and gunfire could be heard. Scene of the devastation is pictured above

Sherman Park was the scene of two nights of violence after 23-year-old Smith, a black man, was shot and killed by a black officer following a traffic stop on August 13.

Police have said body-camera video shows Smith was holding a handgun and had turned toward the officer.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice, which is investigating the shooting, has not released the video.

A few hours after Smith's death, a protest erupted into violence in the largely black neighborhood.

Eight businesses were burned and police with shields were the targets of rocks and other debris, and gunfire could be heard.

A neighbor who lives near the growing memorial for Smith on a lot of nights he sees people gather around it and police patrolling the area.

Harold Fitzhugh, a Vietnam Veteran, told TMJ4 he just wants to see his neighborhood return to normal.
Her mother has flown to Australia to hold a funeral on the Gold Coast

Mr Jackson was stabbed at least 20 times in the face, neck and chest

He came to the aid of murdered Mia Ayliffe-Chung at Home Hill hostel

The British backpacker who was stabbed repeatedly as he tried to revive his friend during a horror night at a Queensland hostel has been nominated for a bravery award days after he died from his injuries.

Thomas Jackson, 30, was attacked while trying to help Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, who had been stabbed earlier in the evening and later died from his injuries.

Ms Ayliffe- Chung's mother has landed in Australia and spoken of Tom's heroics and how she feels 'pity' for her daughter's killer.

Mr Jackson was stabbed in the head, neck and torso around 20 times he died in hospital six days after the incident with his father who had flown in from the UK by his side.

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Les Jackson with his son Thomas - Mr Jackson said Thomas' death left the family 'bereft'

Tweets from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announcing the award nomination

Rosie Ayliffe pictured with her daughter Mia Ayliffe-Chung says feels 'pity' for the man who is accused of murdering her only child

Now Ms Ayliffe-Chung's mother, Rosie Ayliffe, is in Australia as she prepares for the funeral of her only child - which will be held in Surfer's Paradise on Friday.

She has spoken about both Mr Jackson and her daughter's alleged killer, Frenchmen Smail Ayad, 29.

'I feel pity for him because he now has to live knowing he's killed two strong, exceptional people,' she said of Mr Ayad.

She wants to meet Thomas Jackson's family.

'He's an incredible young man, there's no two ways about it,' Ms Ayliffe said.

'It was an act of exceptional bravery.'

Ms Ayliffe is not the only person who feels Mr Jackson's actions showed bravery,

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has nominated him for a posthumous award after his efforts during the knife attack.

'Tom Jackson's actions of putting his own life before the life of Ms Ayliffe-Chung is an extraordinary act of courage & deserves recognition,' Ms Palaszczuk wrote.

Rosie Ayliffe has also expressed desire to meet Thomas Jackson's family after he died trying to save her daughter's life

'That's why I have today written to the Australian Bravery Decorations Council to nominate Mr Jackson for a posthumous bravery award.'

The nomination came on Wednesday, two days after Mr Jackson's life support was turned off and was announced over Twitter.

On Monday Mr Jackson's father Les, 58, said the family had been left 'bereft' with the passing of their charity worker son.

Mr Jackson bravely stepped in after aspiring model Miss Ayliffe-Chung, 21, was dragged out of bed by Smail Ayad, 29, at the dormitory they shared in an Australian hostel while working at a remote farm.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung died on the night of the violent attack - Mr Jackson was injured as he tried to save her

Hero: Thomas Jackson has been nominated for a post humous bravery award after he tried to save fellow backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung after she was stabbed

The kickboxer screamed 'Allahu Akbar', Arabic for 'God is great', while stabbing her, say witnesses, and hurt 12 police officers who used pepper spray and a taser to subdue him.

Despite his jihadi-style outburst, police have ruled out links to terrorism, and say tests found he had been using cannabis.

Mr Jackson family turned off his life-support machine at Townsville Hospital, Queensland on Monday morning.

His father who had flown 10,000 miles from the family home in Congleton, Cheshire, said: 'We are bereft. Our darling Tom has left us and the world is a poorer place.

'Thanks again to everyone for the love and support you have given us over the last few days, we will be forever grateful.

'There is dark and evil in this world perpetrated by a few, but so much more love and light emanates from so many more. That thought will sustain us.'

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has nominated the British backpacker for a bravery award

Friend Rachel Eddie Edwards (pictured with Mr Jackson) posted online: 'I keep praying it's not real as I can't really find the words to say how devastated I am to lose one of my greatest and longest friends

Bereft: Tom's sister Liv, who lives in Britain, posted this moving tribute and photograph of them together, as his heroic death was announced today

In a Facebook message, Mr Jackson's younger sister Olivia, 23, urged people not to remember her brother as a victim, saying: 'To everyone back home and everyone here, there are literally not enough words to thank you for your support. All I ask is that you don't remember Tom as a victim. You remember him as a friend, cherish the memories you had together and be thankful you got to meet him.'

A Youcaring fundraising page has set up to help the family. The page has raised more than 1,300 of a 5,000 target with all donations going to Mr Jackson's parents.

Last week he said: 'There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom.

'His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride'.

Heroic: Tom died trying to save his friend in a savage attack that has shocked Britain and Australia

Mr Jackson's sister, Liv, wrote on Facebook: 'Today it is with the heaviest of hearts that I have had to say goodbye to my wonderful big brother, Tom. There is nothing in this world that can prepare you for the pain and heartbreak of losing a sibling and a friend, but there is great comfort in knowing that he was mine.

'To everyone back home and to everyone here in Australia, there are literally not enough words to thank you for your support and beautifully kind words to my family at this time. All that I ask is that you don't remember Tom as a victim. You remember him as a friend, cherish the memories you had together and be thankful you got to meet him and be part of the joy that he bought to this world.

'Indescribably proud of everything you accomplished and the lives you touched. I will love you always and forever TJ, your little sister, Lou.'

Frenchman Smail Ayad, 29, was charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and twelve counts of serious assault.

Home Hill stabbing hero Thomas Jackson, 30, died on Tuesday after almost a week fighting for life at Townsville Hospital

Detectives said an attempted murder charge will be upgraded to murder following Mr Jackson's death.

Friends had prayed for Mr Jackson to pull through in public vigils and social media tributes.

'STAY STRONG TOM... You'll never walk alone,' read a banner hung out the front of the hostel.

Friends and well-wishers of Mr Jackson posted tributes to the murdered traveller on social media sites. Many changed their profile pictures to images of them with the 30-year-old from Cheshire.

Emily Jayne Waters wrote on Facebook: 'I honestly couldn't be anymore broken right now ... you will forever be remembered by us all ... RIP Tom Jackson ... I'm so proud to have had a hero like you as a friend. I love you buddy.'

Pavan Namana, a Facebook friend of Mr Jackson, wrote: 'RIP Tom Jackson we miss you.'

Steven Isles posted on Facebook: 'Tom Jackson, you die a hero, committing a most selfless act anyone could, trying to preserve the life of the innocent.'

Donating money on the Youcaring fundraising page, Angela Smith wrote: 'So very sorry for your loss. A man for our country to be proud of. RIP Tom. X'

Simon Ash posted: 'Your courage is beyond words, a true hero and the world knows it. sending you strength.'

Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21 (pictured left) was killed during the Home Hill knife attack last week. Smail Ayad (right), 29, has been charged with the murder of Ms Ayliffe-Chung

Ryan Fisher, who was friends with Mr Jackson on Facebook, wrote: 'You always wanted to be a journalist, and here you are in the headlines.'

He posted on the social media site: 'You were a great friend Tom, a loyal friend, and I'm a better person for having known you.

'You helped everyone around you. I admired and looked up to your carefree approach to life and your constant ability to find the good in bad.

'I'm very fond of our time together, we had some truly amazing laughs and life experiences. I have memories I'll keep with me every day.

'I'll never forget you mate. You are one of the very very best. Good bye mate, and thank you for everything. You'll never walk alone.'

Proud father: Les Jackson, father of Tom (both pictured), rushed from the UK to Australia to be at his son's bedside and later spoke about the 'immense' pride he felt

Friend Rachel Eddie Edwards posted: 'I keep praying it's not real as I can't really find the words to say how devastated I am to lose one of my greatest and longest friends.

'The world has lost a hero. I will never ever forget how much of an incredible person you are Jacko and how you lit up my life whenever we've been together or even on our many phone calls. You can Rest In Peace now my dear friend ... I'm going to miss you terribly.'

Mr Jackson was a sport student at South Cheshire College until 2005.

College principal Jasbir Dhesi said: 'This is very sad news following Thomas's heroic intervention where he was trying to protect somebody else.

'Our hearts go out to Thomas's family and friends following this tragic incident.'

Miss Ayliffe-Chung was allegedly dragged from her bed by Ayad while she slept in the dormitory they shared on an Australian farm

Ms Ayliffe-Chung and Mr Jackson were killed at Shelley's Backpackers in Home Hill, Queensland. It is a popular place for backpackers to stay doing rural work to fulfil visa requirements

Police allege Mr Ayad screamed 'Allahu Akbar' - Arabic for 'God is great' - during the attack.

Smail Ayad, a 29-year-old Frenchman, has been charged with the murder of Ms Ayliffe-Chung, but has been deemed too violent by police to appear in court.

Miss Ayliffe-Chung was allegedly dragged from her bed by Ayad while she slept in the dormitory they shared on an Australian farm.

POLICE PRAISE FOR 'HERO' BACKPACKER TOM JACKSON Police described Mr Jackson's attempts to help Ms Ayliffe-Chung as 'completely selfless' last week. Superintendent Ray Rohweder said on Friday: 'There is no doubt he tried to render aid to Mia.' 'His subsequent actions were absolutely fantastic... '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.' Advertisement

Writing in The Independent, her mother Rosie Ayliffe said: 'Having been raised as a socialist and within the Church, what I choose to take from the scriptures and from socialist texts is that forgiveness and reparation are absolutely key, or violence escalates into something uncontrollable.

'And the person who killed Mia now has to live with the fact that they destroyed my daughter. If they feel no remorse, then surely they're a monster in human form, and what kind of life is that?

'My brother asked me what I would do or say in a hypothetical world if I could meet Mia's killer.

'It appears he wasn't allowed to appear in court this week because of safety concerns, so I'm unlikely to get near enough to have a conversation, and only if I were suicidal would I want to (I'm not).'

Mr Ayad's case was adjourned to October 28.
to his feet before she yells at him once again

The moment a man was floored by a woman with a single punch after an argument has been caught on camera and posted on social media.

Footage captured the end of fight which broke out late at night below the cameraman's window on a street in Zagreb, Croatia.

The filming begins as the man walks away from the woman, frustrated with the heated debate.

Footage captured the end of fight which broke out late at night below the cameraman's window on a street in Zagreb, Croatia. The filming begins as the man walks away

But the furious woman is not yet finished and marches towards him down the darkened road

But the furious woman is not yet finished and marches towards him down the darkened road.

Despite the man being taller than her she doesn't hesitate in punching him in the face with such force that the man falls to the ground.

In fact the punch was so hard that the phone's microphone picked up the sound of the impact from more than 60 feet away.

The man staggered back to his feet as the woman marches off, before returning to him to give her another piece of her mind.

Despite the man being taller than her she doesn't hesitate in punching him in the face with such force that the man falls to the ground

In fact the punch was so hard that the phone's microphone picked up the sound of the impact from more than 60 feet away

The man staggered back to his feet as the woman marches off, sparing him a second beating

But she at least spares him a second beating, and simply yells at him before striding off.
Just 352,271 African savannah elephants remain in the wild, it has been revealed.

The Great Elephant Census was a project that aimed to count all the continent's elephants by air.

90 scientists and 286 crew members have taken part in the ambitious study over the past two years - and the final total was far less than they had estimated.

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Just 352,271 African savannah elephants remain in the wild, it has been revealed.

30 per cent of the wild elephants died between 2007 and 2014 and in certain reserves in Tanzania and Mozambique that number was down 75 per cent due to poaching.

Ecologist Mike Chase told CNN: ' When you think of how many elephants occurred in areas 10 or 20 years ago, it's incredibly disheartening.

'Historically these ecosystems supported many thousands of elephants compared to the few hundreds or tens of elephants we counted.'

As well as the census, Chase and his colleagues have tracked several of the magnificent beasts by attaching GPS satellite collars to them.

Chase admitted he was extremely disheartened by the study's findings. He said: 'I've been asked if I'm optimistic or pessimistic about the future of Africa's elephants, and on days like today, I feel that we are failing the elephants.'

The results were revealed on the same day that scientists said 65% of African's forest elephants had been wiped out.

The study by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society is the first analysis of the demography of an elusive animal that is hard to track because of its remote wooded surrounds.

But the thickly-forested tropical range it inhabits has not deterred poachers, who reduced its population by a staggering 65 percent between 2002 and 2013 to meet red-hot demand for ivory in China and other fast-growing Asian economies.

90 scientists and 286 crew members have taken part in the ambitious study over the past two years - and the final total was far less than they had estimated

'In the intervening time we are down significantly from that 100,000 - it could be as low as 70,000 now,' Peter Wrege of Cornell University, one of the study's authors, told Reuters.

'To come back to the population it was before 2002, based on their natality rates, it could take nearly a century to recover,' Wrege said.

The study by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society is the first analysis of the demography of an elusive animal that is hard to track because of its remote wooded surrounds.

But the thickly-forested tropical range it inhabits has not deterred poachers, who reduced its population by a staggering 65 percent between 2002 and 2013 to meet red-hot demand for ivory in China and other fast-growing Asian economies.

One of two species of African elephant - the other is the more numerous and larger Savannah elephant - the forest dwellers can hardly sustain this kind of lethal pressure because few other mammals reproduce so slowly.

The results were revealed on the same day that scientists said 65% of African's forest elephants had been wiped out

The study found females begin giving birth when they are around 23, about a decade later than their Savannah counterparts. And female forest elephants only produce a calf every five or six years, compared to the three- to four-year interval of their Savannah kin.

Some of the worst poaching is taking place in forest-elephant range states such as Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo - poor countries that suffer from bad governance and conflict.

The findings come ahead of a major United Nations' meeting in Johannesburg at the end of September where Zimbabwe and Namibia will push for permission to sell ivory stocks, a move opposed by many other African countries.

Those seeking to open up the ivory trade argue it will raise badly-needed funds for conservation, but others say it would provide cover to poachers and make products that threaten species such as forest elephants socially acceptable.
Nicki Minaj's brother has been slapped with divorce papers from his wife of a year just months after he was arrested over accusations that he sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl.

Jelani Maraj, 37, was arrested last December for allegedly raping the girl in Long Island, New York, on more than one occasion in 2015.

He was charged with felony rapy charges including first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child and predatory sexual assault in Nassau County, New York, and faces 15 years to life in prison if he is convicted.

On August 18, Maraj's wife, Jacqueline Robinson, filed divorce papers in Nassau County, just days before the couple would have celebrated their one-year anniversary.

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Nicki Minajs brother, Jelani Maraj, 37, was slapped with divorce papers from his wife of just one year, Jacqueline, on August 18. They're pictured together above

The divorce comes after Maraj (pictured walking into court in December) was arrested last December for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl in Long Island, New York, on more than one occasion in 2015

Months before his arrest, Maraj married Robinson in a $30,000 wedding in August 2015 that was paid for by his superstar younger sister, Nicki Minaj

Robinson has not publicly commented on the rape charges Maraj is facing.

But the divorce is labeled 'Uncontested Matrimonial', meaning both parties agree to divorce and may have already reached an agreement over the division of their assets and property. The case is still pending in New York court.

When Maraj was arrested in December 2015, Minaj, 33, posted his $100,000 bond. The bond was guaranteed by Minaj's two homes she owns in nearby Baldwin, New York.

Maraj faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted and was recently offered a plea deal in the case

At the time, Maraj argued that the 12-year-old girl who accused him of rape confused him for a different man.

His legal counsel requested all evidence from the Nassau County District Attorney's Office including emails, cell phone records, texts, social media records and any other evidence relating to the minor communicating with or meeting older men.

Maraj's lawyers said: 'Our firm has a good faith basis to believe that the complainant in this case has had intimate physical contact with a man who is not the defendant in this case and who is older than 17 years of age and who may have caused there to be physical evidence of repeated vaginal and anal penetration of the complainant.'

Maraj, who faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted, is due in court in September for a conference in the case.

Last week, he was given four days to decide if he will take a plea deal, which prosecutors offered him last month, the New York Daily News reported.

Maraj, who according to his Twitter owns or owned a daycare center in Queens, New York, signed an adjournment in a Long Island court, according to the Daily News.

The divorce is labeled 'Uncontested Matrimonial', meaning both parties agree to divorce and may have already reached an agreement over the division of their assets and property

Jelani and Jacqueline had been together for more than seven years before they wed in August 2015

Robinson has not publicly commented on the rape charges Maraj is facing. If convicted, Maraj faces 15 years to life in prison

Maraj, who is due in court in September for a conference in the case, is believed to be close with his younger sister. Pictured above is Maraj with Robinson and Minaj

If Maraj decided 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.

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.

He appeared in public for the first time almost a week later on December 9 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.

When Maraj was arrested in December 2015, Minaj, 33, posted his $100,000 bond. Soon after, they went bowling together (pictured above)

Maraj (pictured right with [left to right] brother Micaiah Maraj, his mother, and Minaj), married his wife in August of last year

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.

Months before his arrest, Maraj married Robinson in a $30,000 wedding that was paid for by his superstar younger sister.

Minaj showed her support for her older brother by taking him bowling after posting his bond and at the time was 'prepared to do anything for her brother', according to Page Six.

After paying for Maraj and Robinson's August wedding at the Coral House in Baldwin, New York, last year, Minaj said: 'Jelani, I love u more than you'll ever comprehend.'

Minaj, born Onika Maraj, added: 'I would cross the ocean for u. I would go & bring u the moon. Promise u. For u I will. I love my brother so much man. Can't believe I cried during his wedding and his first dance like a punk.

'May God bless him and his union. Tonight has been one of my favorite nights of all time. I do anything to see my brothers smile.'
Body parts and brains of victims of horrific experiments by Nazi doctors - including the infamous 'Angel of Death' Josef Mengele of Auschwitz - have been found at a leading German research institute.

The gruesome remains were discovered in jars during renovations at the Max Planck Psychiatric Institute in Munich last year but reported on by Israeli media only this week.

In the wake of the discovery a committee has been established in order to ascertain just how the victims came to die.

It is known that in wartime the institute regularly received human body parts from Josef Mengele, the doctor at the Nazi death camp in occupied Poland where he became infamous for carrying out horrific experiments without anaesthetic.

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Body parts and brains of victims of horrific experiments by Nazi doctors - including the infamous 'Angel of Death' Josef Mengele (pictured) of Auschwitz - have been found at a leading German research institute

It is known that in wartime the institute regularly received human body parts from Josef Mengele, the doctor Auschwitz (pictured) in occupied Poland where he became infamous for carrying out hideous experiments without anaesthetic

The Max Planck Institute claims the samples were once used by the Nazi brain researcher Julius Hallervorden, who conducted experiments on humans during and after the rule of the Nazis.

He even served as the head of the neuropathology department at the institute, then known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, in 1938.

The research committee has already started to identify some of the victims from whom the samples were taken with the goal of eventually interring them in a mass grave.

The institute published on its website: 'We are embarrassed by these findings, and the blemish of their discovery in the archives.

'We will update the public with any further information that comes to light with complete transparency.'

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, Israel, had not been aware of the existence of the samples.

Professor Dan Machman, director of the International Centre for Holocaust Research at the museum, told an Israeli radio station: 'It's surprising, although not completely. We know that experiments were conducted and that not everything was erased and buried.

From 1940 to 1945, hundreds of brains from victims of the mass murder of psychiatric patients and the mentally deficient at that time were examined scientifically at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research (KWI) in Berlin. Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele is pictured

'Two years ago, bones of victims on whom experiments were conducted were found in Berlin in the trash. Next year, we're going to organise a convention about this issue.

'This current finding is something new that was previously unknown, and joins other events that are suddenly uncovered after 70 years.'

'Whoever thought this chapter was completely finished is mistaken. It's hard to know if these samples are exclusively from "mercy killings" - the Nazi jargon for the murder of sick people for the purposes of experimentation - or if they also derive from other sources.'

HORRIFIC EXPERIMENTS OF THE NAZI'S 'ANGEL OF DEATH' Josef Mengele (pictured) greeted doomed arrivals at Auschwitz Immaculately dressed, it was Josef Mengele who greeted doomed arrivals at the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, in occupied Poland. With a flick of his gloved hands, the supreme arbiter of life and death would consign terrified prisoners either to work or to death in the gas chambers. But many, especially twins, were condemned to an altogether more diabolical fate; they became guinea pigs upon his operating table as he pursued his berserk quest to clone blue-eyed Aryan supermen. Most of his victims died in terrible pain without anaesthetic. Mengele had a doctorate in medicine from Frankfurt University, but used his knowledge in a sickening manner at the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he performed experiments as an SS physician from 1943 to 1945. Although prisoners transferred to his wing to be studied escaped the gas chambers and were well fed, they often ultimately met an even more painful death. Mengele regularly performed surgery without anaesthetic and would obtain bodies to work on simply by injecting chloroform into inmates' hearts while they slept, which would kill them in seconds. He was most interested in heredity and once tried to change the colour of childrens eyes by injecting chemicals directly into them. Twins held a particular fascination for him and it's estimated that he examined around 3,000 - but only 100 pairs survived. Pregnant women were also singled out. He was known to have performed vivisections on them before consigning them to the death chambers. The so-called Angel of Death was on the Allied commanders' most-wanted list from 1944, but he escaped to South America and was never found, despite the best efforts of private investigators and the Israeli secret service, Mossad. He died in 1979 after suffering a stroke while swimming and thirteen years later, DNA tests proved his identity beyond doubt. Advertisement

From 1940 to 1945, hundreds of brains from victims of the mass murder of psychiatric patients and the mentally deficient at that time were examined scientifically at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research (KWI) in Berlin.

'Researchers at the KWI for Brain Research like Julius Hallervorden (1882 -1965), who worked at the KWI from 1938, made themselves complicit in the organised murder of patients in an unbelievable manner,' said the institute.

'The investigation mandated now should reveal more about the possible victims as well as scientific evaluations which have been performed.
All items must go as

The entire contents of a luxury serviced apartment block are being sold off before it is turned into one of the worlds most exclusive addresses.

Billionaire phone tycoon John Caudwell was given permission last year to demolish a multi-storey car park and a number of surrounding buildings in Mayfair.

He is going to create a new super-prime development where some flats are likely to cost more than 100 million each.

Phones 4u tycoon John Caudwell is to demolish The Ascott in Mayfair (right) to make way for luxury apartments some that will be more more than 100million each with their own pools

To make way for the new homes everything in The Ascott must go and is being auctioned with no reserves on Monday

Items include everything inside from gym equipment to furniture and commercial kitchen items

The 1920s Art Deco building has lots of sought after items as well as Apple Cinema screens and TVs

The Ascott, a 1920s Art Deco building made up of serviced apartments, closed yesterday to make way for the ambitious project.

An auction house has been given the role of selling the contents of the apartments and scores of bargains will be on offer as they are sold without any reserve price.

A team of eight people from Pro Auction Ltd spent ten days cataloguing more than 2,000 items ahead of the three-day sale which starts on September 5.

Pro Auction Ltd who are in charge of the thousands of items hope to fetch 100,000

Each lot has a lift out charge of between 10 and 60 depending on the item

All items can now be viewed on Pro Auction Ltd's website

AUCTION ITEMS INCLUDE; Exercise machines and contents of the fitness centre

Artworks including a limited edition print Torso signed Alisia Hanett

Sharp and Sony wide screen LCD TVs and Apple Cinema HD display

Beko fridges and freezers

Mahogany tables

Calvin Klein rugs

Bosch washer and dryers

Commercial catering equipment

Light fittings

Garden terrace tables and chairs

Upholstered arm chairs

Art Deco furniture

Georgian style mirrors

A Jules Leleu style buffet sideboard

Espresso machine

Marble fireplaces

Porters' luggage trolleys Advertisement

All the lots which can be viewed from today are being offered without reserve, giving bargain hunters the chance to snap something up for next-to-nothing.

It is hoped the contents will sell for more than 100,000 when Pro Auction Ltd hold the auction.

Bargain hunters have the chance to snap up some every day housing items as well as artworks and designer pieces for next-to-nothing

This oil on canvas (pictured) and other pictures that have been on display around The Ascott must go

Even furniture and items on the garden terraces are up for bids

The Ascott (pictured) will be replaced with five town-houses, three penthouses, a mews home and 21 luxury apartments

Mark Flynn, director of Pro Auction, said: 'Everything including the kitchen sinks at The Ascott are being sold.

'The furniture is very Art Deco, matching the building, and it all has to go. So it is an unreserved auction where it is down to the public to dictate what the items are worth.

'We will be selling everything from the curtains to the beds to the electrical goods.

'It is a great chance for the public to get their hands on a bargain and we are hoping to make more than 100,000 from the sale.'

WHO IS JOHN CAUDWELL? Mr John Caudwell is building luxury apartments in Mayfair John Caudwell, 63, is an English businessman, philanthropist and co-founder of mobile phone retailer Phones 4u. He also invests in fashion, real estate and other industries, and chairs a charity which benefits ill or disabled children and their families. He is also known for being the UK's biggest taxpayer. Advertisement

The site in Mayfair will make way for what is expected to be Londons most luxurious residential development.

It will have more than 200,000 sq/ft of residential space - potentially valuing the site at more than 1 billion.

There will be five town-houses, three penthouses, a mews home and 21 luxury apartments.

Each penthouse will have its own lift, gym and swimming pool and the largest, which will be 13,401 sq/ft, could be worth more than 100 million..

On the lower second floor of the development will be the communal amenity facilities.
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox was aghast at the news that President Enrique Pena Nieto planned to meet with Republican nominee Donald Trump in Mexico today.

'I think it's nothing more than a political stunt. Trump is using Mexico, is using President Pena to boost his sinking poll numbers,' Fox said on CNN's 'New Day.' 'I think that President Pena is taking an enormous political risk by hosting Trump. If he's perceived as going soft on Trump it will hurt him greatly.'

'He will even be considered like a traitor,' the ex-president suggested, noting that Mexicans don't like to be offended.

But Trump, taking to Twitter this morning, was quick to point out that Fox had once extended an invitation to the GOP billionaire as well.

'Former President Vicente Fox, who is railing against my visit to Mexico today, also invited me when he apologized for using the "f bomb,"' Trump wrote.

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Former Mexican President Vicente Fox spoke on CNN this morning about Donald Trump's plans to travel to Mexico today, calling the trip 'nothing more than a political stunt'

Donald Trump reminded people that Vicente Fox had invited him to Mexico back in May as part of an apology for using the 'f bomb' to describe his feelings about Trump's border wall

Ex-President Vicente Fox said current President Enrique Pena Nieto could look like a 'traitor' to his countrymen for inviting Donald Trump to Mexico

Fox responded to Trump's tweet with two tweets of his own.

'I invited you to come and apologize to all Mexicans,' Fox wrote. 'Stop lying! Mexico is not yours to play with, show some respect.'

'Trump's been failing since the beginning: offending everyone, seeding fear and wrath among the US citizens,' he continued. 'It's all a show, OPEN YOUR EYES!'

The original Fox outburst occurred in February when the former Mexican leader went on a profanity-laced tirade, saying he would not pay for the 'f---ing wall.'

Trump has long called for a border wall to be built between Mexico and the United States, promising supporters that he'd get Mexico to pay for it.

Fox also called Trump 'ignorant,' 'crazy,' egocentric,' nasty' and a 'false prophet,' the latter of which he used to describe Trump again today.

Trump called on Fox to apologize.

That didn't come until May when Breitbart News sat down with Fox in Santa Monica, California.

'I apologize. Forgiveness is one of the greatest qualities that human beings have, is the quality of a compassionate leader. You have to be humble. You have to be compassionate. You have to love thy neighbor,' he told reporters.

Ex-President Vicente Fox dashed off two tweets once he saw Donald Trump's response to the remarks he made this morning on CNN

'If I offended you, Im sorry. But what about the other way around?' he added, talking of Trump.

It was here that he invited The Donald to take a trip to Mexico and check it out for himself.

'I invite him to come to Mexico and to see what Mexico is all about,' Fox said.

Trump revealed last night via Twitter that he would be traveling to Mexico at the invitation of the country's current President Pena Nieto, who extended an invite to Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, as well.

Later today he'll give a major immigration policy speech from Phoenix, Arizona.

'Let me tell you,' Fox told CNN's Chris Cuomo. 'He is not welcome to Mexico. By 130 million people, we don't like him, we don't want him, we reject his message.'

Fox said the only good outcome for President Pena Nieto would be if he stood firm and got Trump to apologize to Mexico for his previous comments  which include the nominee suggesting the Mexican government sends 'rapists' and criminals across the border  while also dropping the 'stupid proposals' to build a border wall.

Trump would need to recant statements he's made about starting a trade war with Mexico as well, Fox added.

'I understand Trump's move, very smart move,' Fox noted. 'But he cannot be speaking the truth. How can you trust a guy like this, that this morning is coming with the message, that tomorrow he will take a different stand?'

'I really apologize for our president taking this step forward,' Fox said. 'I really expect from him, as all 130 million Mexicans, as all of our great brother Mexicans in the United States, explanation from both, from President Pena and Trump.'

Cuomo pointed out that Trump seemed to be shifting positions on immigration.

For one, Trump has no longer been talking about a 'deportation force' to remove the 11 million people living in the United States illegally.

Asked about this, Fox still had his doubts.

'Certainly no because you cannot trust a guy like this,' he answered when Cuomo asked if the softened stance improved his expectations.

'You cannot play the music for both sides,' Fox explained. 'He cannot get followers in the states that are xenophobic, that are his followers, the white Americans, and at the same time have the brown Mexicans be immigrants, be minorities.'

'It's either one of the two, or he should change his policies and be very, very reasonable on what he proposes,' Fox added.

Fox pointed out how hypocritical it was that Trump was threatening trade wars while manufacturing his own products outside U.S. borders, segueing that into a plea to get Americans not to vote for Trump.

'I appeal to people in the United States to think about what you are risking with this guy as president of that great nation,' he said.

'I just cannot envision him sitting on that chair that was the chair of President Washington, President Jefferson, President Kennedy, President Reagan, all of the great presidents ... that nation has had,' he continued.
A Minnesota elementary school teacher and his husband who were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Washington state were being investigated for having sexual contact with at least three teenage boys, according to newly released court documents.

South St. Paul schools Superintendent Dave Webb says 40-year-old Lincoln Elementary School teacher Aric Babbitt was put on paid administrative leave after the district learned of the allegations against him on August 17.

According to court filings, a 16-year-old boy and his parents went to police to report a sexual relationship with Babbitt and his 36-year-old husband, Matthew Deyo.

Minnesota teacher Aric Babbitt, 40 (left), and his husband, Matthew Deyo, 36 (right), were found dead in a murder-suicide in Washington state Thursday

A kayaker came upon the body of one of the spouses on a Lopez Island beach (pictured)

The TwinCities Pioneer Press reports that Babbitt and Deyo also were under investigation for inappropriate conduct with two other underage boys.

Last Thursday, the married couple were found dead of gunshot wounds on a Lopez island beach, according to San Juan County Sheriff Ron Krebs.

South St Paul Police chief Bill Messerich revealed that detectives have executed a search warrant at the home of Babbitt and Deyo, and called the case involving the couple 'a tough one'.

Babbitt's sister, Sara Babbitt, revealed in a text message sent to a friend, and later forwarded to the Pioneer Press, that her brother and his husband 'felt like they didnt have an out and ending their lives was the best for them'.

Ms Babbitt also said that on Thursday, the day the couple were found dead in Washington state, she received a letter in the mail from Babbitt.

In hot water: Babbitt, pictured here with his niece, was under a criminal investigation involving allegations of sexual contact with minors along with his spouse

The 16-year-old boy who sparked the investigation into the pair earlier this month told police that Babbitt, who was his former elementary school teacher and volunteer work supervisor, had agreed to mentor him when the teen came out as gay to his family.

The teen said Babbitt gave him underwear and yoga shorts as gifts and asked him for photos before he turned 16.

Court documents state that in April, Babbitt and Deyo offered to take the 16-year-old to a concert in Minneapolis and promised to 'treat him to a hotel stay' while in town.

Upon arrival, the married couple allegedly plied the teen with alcohol and marijuana until he became very intoxicated, and instead of going to the show, all three had unprotected sex, according to the records.

The boy woke up the next day in the hotel room to discover Matthew Deyo touching him, the documents state.

Later, Babbitt and Deyo asked the 16-year-old and his friend to follow them on Tumblr, where there were nude photos of the 40-year-old teacher and videos showing him pleasuring himself.

The pair also gave the teens access to their pornography subscription and created a Dropbox account for the boys for the purpose of sharing X-rated photos of themselves.

A search of the married couple's South St Paul home yielded numerous computers and media devices, as well as a hidden camera concealed inside a bathroom clock, according to court records.

Mentor: A 16-year-old boy told police that Babbitt, who was his former teacher and mentor, took him to Minneapolis for a concert in April, but instead he and his husband had unprotected sex with him

Babbitt (circle in red), pictured with his students Lincoln Elementary, was set to teach fourth grade beginning next month

Another alleged victim told police that when he was 16 years old, Babbitt and Deyo told him they had a surprise for him in the bathroom. When he entered the room, he said he found a tablet with pornography playing on it.

According to the account of an additional victim, when he went to take a shower at the couple's residence, Babbitt encouraged him to masturbate in the bathroom, the court documents recount.

Babbitt and Deyo were last seen alive on August 16, on the day of the police search.

Deyo's brother, identified in court documents as 'JD,' said that the couple stopped by his house at around 2pm that day, said they were going camping and asked to borrow a shotgun as protection from bears.

'JD' said the pair's story did not make sense to him, but in the end he lent them a shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition.

Sheriff Krebs said in a statement that a kayaker came upon the body of one of the spouses on a Lopez Island beach Thursday.

Police officers who were called to the scene later discovered a second body.

Both died of gunshot wounds, and the incident was ultimately ruled a murder-suicide.

Witnesses on the island reported hearing the sounds of gunshots at around 8.30pm Wednesday.

Video courtesy of WCCO

Veteran educator: Babbitt had taught at Lincoln Elementary School (pictured) in South St Paul, Minnesota, for 14 years

No way out: Babbitt's sister revealed in a text message to a friend that her brother and his husband 'felt like they didnt have an out and ending their lives was the best for them'

Police have executed a search warrant at the couple's home in South St Paul (pictured) and seized numerous computers and a camera hidden in the bathroom

A suicide note was found at the scene of the crime, which stated that the couple had visited Lopez Island years ago with their dog and loved it.

Babbitt had worked at Lincoln Elementary School for 14 years, teaching first, second, fifth and sixth grades. He was set to teach fourth grade beginning next month.

The 40-year-old teacher had no history of disciplinary actions at his workplace, according to the school district.

Babbitt had an educational YouTube channel, where he posted videos of his students and discussed issues that interested him.

In a video uploaded in January of this year, titled 'Equity vs Equality,' Babbitt summed up his approach to teaching thus: 'professionally, I am most interested in youth mentorship and relationship-based teaching and learning.'
Rynair boss Michael O'Leary has urged the Irish government to tell the EU to 'f*** off' over its landmark tax ruling that ordered Apple to pay 11billion in back tax.

The European Commission was heavily criticised for the ruling, which accused the US tech giant of unduly benefiting from Ireland's attractive tax breaks over the last two decades.

Outspoken Irish businessman Mr O'Leary dubbed it 'bizarre' and advised the Irish government, which opposed the ruling, to defy the EU, insisting each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions.

Rynair boss Michael O'Leary (pictured) has urged the Irish government to tell the EU to 'f*** off' over its landmark tax ruling that ordered Apple to pay 11billion in back tax

He said: 'Frankly the Irish government should turn around - they shouldn't even appeal the decision - they should just write a letter to Europe and tell them politely to f**k off.

'The idea that you have the state aid mob - who've had more court verdicts overturned than any other department in Europe in the last 20 years - come along 10 years after the fact and say, 'no we didn't like that, we think you should have done something else', is frankly bizarre.'

Yesterday Europe's antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager slapped the maker of iPads and iPhones with a 11.1 billion tax bill.

She claimed Apple paid just 1 per cent tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005 per cent in 2014, and said its arrangement with the Irish government is illegal under state aid rules.

Apple is set to challenge the decision, and Mr O'Leary added: 'I think there's no chance of this surviving a court ruling in Europe. There's certain things that Europe has no competence in.'

Apple, which has a base in Cork, pictured, must repay 11billion ($14.5bn) in unpaid tax because the EU says its sweetheart tax deal with Ireland amounted to state aid

The Irish government has also vowed to fight the decision and held a crisis cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Enda Kenny calling his ministers back from their summer holidays to discuss the crisis.

British MPs have urged Theresa May to take advantage of the ruling by attracting Apple and other US tech firms to the UK with low taxes after Brexit.

They joined Silicon Valley firms in venting their fury against the EU for the decision, which accused Apple of unduly benefiting from tax breaks in Ireland over the last two decades.

The move will lead many tech firms to 're-evaluate their relationship with Europe,' one Silicon Valley company said.

Jacob Rees Mogg, Tory MP and member of the influential Treasury select committee, told MailOnline that the UK could win lucrative investment by offering multinationals 'certainty' after cutting ties with Brussels.

APPLE CUTS IN EUROPE COULD BE DEVASTATING More than 22,000 people in Europe are employed directly by Apple and around 1.4million more rely on them for money, the tech giant claims. Parts for its phones, tablets, computers and watches are put together with the help of 4,700 suppliers based in 23 countries. More than 6,500 people in Britain are employed directly by Apple - the highest number in the EU - followed by 5,500 each in Germany and Ireland. In Europe there are more than 100 official Apple stores employing an average of 100 people each and there are 600 smaller Apple Premium Resellers across Europe that offer the complete range of Apple products. Away from direct sales Apple also has more than one million registered app developers making money through the App Store. Advertisement

'We'll be able to collect tax from who we want rather than who the EU tells us to,' he said.

'What we can do is give people certainty, which is what businesses want, because if we did a deal with a multinational that we really, really wanted to come to the UK, nobody could overall us and the company would know that this is the law.

'Whereas Poor Ireland made this deal in good faith with Apple years ago and now discovers that they're not in charge of their own tax affairs.'

On Brexit, Mr O'Leary, who backed the Remain campaign during the EU referendum, expects the UK to suffer 'significant economic damage' as a result of its decision to quit the single-bloc. However, he added that it is too soon to revise the company's financial guidance.

In July Ryanair said it would 'pivot' growth away from UK airports and instead focus on hubs in the European Union following the Brexit referendum result.

The firm said its growth rate in the UK is expected to slow from about 15% to 6% next year.

However, with long-term growth in mind, Mr O'Leary is now calling on the UK Government to approve three new runways in a bid to end Britain's airport capacity conundrum for 'the next 50 years'.

He urged Theresa May's government to be 'radical in its decision making' and rubber-stamp new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

The proposal would mean ending the battle between Gatwick and Heathrow for a new runway.

'Ryanair calls on the new UK Government to be radical in its decision making on new runways for London instead of picking just one (Heathrow or Gatwick) and calls on Prime Minister Theresa May to approve 3 new runways - one each at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, which will finally resolve the runway capacity issue for the next 50 years, while ensuring competition between airports delivers efficient facilities and prevents airlines and passengers being ripped off by gold-plated monopoly runways,' he said.

Last year, the Government's Airports Commission said a third runway at Heathrow is the best route to expanding airport capacity.

David Cameron stalled on backing the recommendation, saying the Government required more time to assess the environmental impact. A decision is now expected before the end of the year.

Mr O'Leary said that expanding only one airport would allow airlines to justify raising prices for customers, who might subsequently help foot the bill. But competition between three airports would be a boon for travellers and benefit Ryanair long-term, he claimed.

'We'll have more capacity to grow, fares will fall and in a declining fare environment, we'll win,' O'Leary said.

Mr O'Leary made the announcement as he trumpeted new routes to Strasbourg and Faro and more flights to Sofia and Nuremberg from Stansted, Gatwick and Luton airports.
Wayne Robinson, 48, had managed the Drakelow Tunnels since the 1990s

The caretaker of a former nuclear bunker allowed more than 71,000 worth of cannabis to be grown at the historic site - which is now a public museum.

Wayne Robinson, 48, had managed the Drakelow Tunnels since the 1990s but has been jailed after allowing them to be transformed into a 'remarkable and highly sophisticated' drug factory.

A court heard that police seized 885 mature plants worth 71,500 during a raid at the secret underground military complex, near Kidderminster, in November 2013.

Robinson denied any knowledge that part of the tunnels - originally used as a Second World War factory - were being used to cultivate the Class B drug, but was convicted and yesterday was jailed for 14 months at Worcester Crown Court.

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Robinson denied any knowledge that part of the tunnels - originally used as a Second World War factory - were being used to cultivate the Class B drug

But earlier this year, a jury found him guilty of permitting the premises, which also operates as a Cold War museum, to be used for the production of cannabis.

The crook was also handed nine and sixth month jail terms, to run concurrently, for possessing a shotgun and ammunition respectively without a firearms certificate.

Sentencing, Judge Abbas Mithani QC, said: 'This was a quite remarkable and highly sophisticated operation intended to make a substantial amount of profit.

'It included the deployment of expensive equipment and the electricity supply to the tunnels was bypassed for the operation of the cannabis factory.

Officers seized 885 mature plants worth 71,500 during a raid at the secret underground military complex near Kidderminster

'There was a substantial number of plants recovered by police with a retail value estimated around 71,000 and your involvement was to allow the owners of the cannabis factory to use part of the tunnels for their operation.'

Tim Sapwell, prosecuting, told the court the factory involved a sophisticated hydroponic set up and other expensive equipment with hundreds of mature plants.

He said Robinson was paid 200 a month rent but there was no suggestion he was involved in any other part of the operation or received a cut.

Mr Sapwell added the defendant had been mixing with 'nasty people' as a result of the drugs operation.

Following his arrest, his dog was poisoned, bars were painted on the portable building he used for work, a man was arrested with a taser near the premises and a gunshot had been heard at the site.

The factory was in an abandoned part of the tunnels, which stretch for some miles, away from the parts used by the public for activities such as ghost hunting

Abigail Nixon, defending, said her client was a respected businessman who had been 'gullible' for allowing the operation to be in place for an estimated six months.

The Drakelow Tunnels were lined up as a possible base for regional government in the event of a nuclear attack in the UK.

The factory was in an abandoned part of the tunnels, which stretch for some miles, away from the parts used by the public for activities such as ghost hunting.

Miss Nixon added: 'He shut his eyes to what was going on.

'He had no idea of the enterprise apart from the movement backwards and forwards of the men setting it up.'

She said he and his partner had 'lived in fear' of knocks at the door for the last three years.

The Drakelow Tunnels were lined up as a possible base for regional government in the event of a nuclear attack in the UK

She added: 'The police confirm that the people they suspect of being involved would carry out their threats.'

In December, another man was jailed for two-and-a-half years after assisting Robinson.
A four-year-old child who identifies as transgender has begun to transition before their first day of kindergarten.

The child, who is unidentified for privacy purposes, is part of the Safe Schools program and hopes to complete the gender transition by next year.

But psychologists have questioned whether the preschooler is too young as gender transition among young children skyrockets, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The Education Department would not reveal whether the child was born a boy or girl.

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A four-year-old child who identifies as transgender has begun to transition before their first day of kindergarten (stock image)

While the four-year-old is the youngest Australian on record changing their gender, hundreds of other children and their parents have sought advice from the gender dysphoria unit.

The Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney has had referral patients at its gender service department triple.

'We have a number of students who are going through gender transition in our schools, with the youngest being a four-year-old at the moment,' the Educations Department's deputy secretary of school operations Gregory Prior said.

However 250 children - some as young as three - have made appointments with the gender dysphoria unit at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital.

But just 10 years ago the unit had only logged one young patients.

'There is a huge difference between dress-ups and a child believing with every fibre of their being they are in the wrong body,' child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg told The Daily Telegraph.

But Australian of the Year finalist and transgender advocate Catherine McGregor said she would be concerned an 'irreversible' decision could be made as the children are so young.

The child, who is unidentified for privacy purposes, is part of the Safe Schools program and hopes to complete the gender transition by next year (stock image)
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has vented her frustration at hero-worship of Jeremy Corbyn - insisting he is 'not Dumbledore'.

Rowling dismissed comparisons often made by activists between the white-bearded veteran left-winger and the Hogwarts headmaster from her books.

The Labour-supporting star lashed out as a poll suggested Mr Corbyn is on track to score a huge victory in the party's leadership battle.

Jeremy Corbyn, left, has been compared by fans to the white-bearded headmaster from the Harry Potter films

Others have more unkindly suggested that Mr Corbyn bears a resemblance to Dobby the House Elf

Research by YouGov puts Mr Corbyn on 62 per cent, with rival Owen Smith trailing far behind on 38 per cent.

The survey makes grim reading for Labour moderates, who have been desperately trying to evict Mr Corbyn over his dire poll ratings with the wider public, ham-fisted stewardship of the party and bumbling Commons performances.

Mass resignations from his front bench, an overwhelming vote of no confidence from his own MPs, and a slew of gaffes seem only to have enhanced Mr Corbyn's popularity with his hard-core supporters.

Incredibly, some 86 per cent of those who were party members at the time of the general election last year are supporting Mr Smith.

But the massive influx of new left-wing activists have rendered Labour almost unrecognisable - amid warnings for senior figures that it is becoming little more than a Corbyn 'fan club'.

Mr Corbyn received just under 60 per cent of the vote when he was elected leader in September 2015 - although there were more candidates involved.

Fanatical Corbyn supporters often use memes comparing him to film characters including Dumbledore and Obi Wan Kenobi

Activists often use memes of the Labour leader comparing him to bearded film characters - including Dumbledore and Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars.

Posting on Twitter today, Rowling - who has repeatedly been targeted with online abuse from Corbyn backers - spelled out her frustration.

Linking to an article critising Mr Corbyn for appearing on Iranian TV, she wrote: Corbyn. Is. Not. Dumbledore.'

Rowling vented her frustration at hero worship of Jeremy Corbyn in a post on Twitter. She also joked that his performance as leader gave her sleepless nights

Earlier she had replied to a question about what she did when she could not sleep by saying: 'Try to stop thinking about Jeremy Corbyn.'

Rowling has previously voiced her annoyance at supporters linking Corbyn to her character.

'I forgot Dumbledore trashed Hogwarts, refused to resign and ran off to the forest to make speeches to angry trolls,' she wrote.
Hillary Clinton isn't immune from congressional impeachment proceedings just because she's out of office  and the Democrat could be subject to an impeachment inquiry even while she campaigns for the White House, a leading open government expert tells DailyMail.com.

Tom Fitton, president of the conservative open government group Judicial Watch, made the startling disclosure even as a leading House committee chairman have written the FBI seeking an investigation into whether Clinton committed perjury during testimony about her emails before a House Benghazi committee.

'One of the dirty little secrets in Washington is that Mrs. Clinton can be impeached now,' said Fitton in an interview. 'A federal official leaving office does not end congressional jurisdiction over impeachment for misconduct in that office.

'And if she was convicted by the Senate the sanction could be ineligibility for future office.'

Fitton is author of a new book, 'Clean House,' which is subtitled, 'Exposing our government's secrets and lies.'

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Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, pictured here testifying before a House special Benghazi committee in 2015, could be impeached even though she has left office

A central premise is that the administration must stop concealing information and Congress must stop holding back its own powers to force more disclosure.

'They need to talk about proactively using the contempt power more directly  not relying on the justice department to put people in contempt to enforce contempt powers on their own. And to use impeachment a whole lot more,' he said.

But Fitton said House GOP lawmakers  who got burned during the Bill Clinton impeachment in the 1990s  are too reluctant to deploy their probative powers.

'The Congress thinks that Mrs. Clinton lied to them. You have the mishandling of classified info that was quite evident and other violations of the law including federal records laws with the associated graft of the Clinton Foundation. Theres plenty to begin at least an impeachment inquiry in the House,' he said.

Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch has filed more than 3,000 lawsuits during the Obama administration to obtain information

The group's litigation is credited with forcing the eventual disclosure of Hillary Clinton's undisclosed private email server

The group's constant litigation has pestered administration officials, including longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton predicts another 10,000 Abedin emails will be forthcoming.

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton says one of the 'dirty little secrets' in D.C. is that Hillary Clinton can be impeached now

'Once you mention that to members on the Hill, they fall on the floor and start shaking. That is as welcome an idea as a special counsel is with [attorney general] Loretta lynch.'

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for a special counsel to investigate Clinton 'immediately.'

'Congress is pretending the Justice Department has to do all the work. Thats not true. Why doesnt Congress hold Hillary Clinton in contempt? Why doesnt Congress initiate an impeachment inquiry?' he asked.

The book traces the litigation, original begun seeking documents related to the attack on the U.S. facility in Benghazi, that ultimately resulted in disclosures about Clinton's undisclosed private email server.

'I have no doubt that our litigation forced their hand,' said Fitton, who noted the State Department's cryptic references to additional materials that he speculated preceded an agency leak to the New York Times.

The group has mostly hounded Democrats, but also pursued an investigation of fundraising practices of former House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas

Ousted IRS official Lois Lerner was in the hot seat after agency documents revealed apparent targeting of conservative groups

The group also sought documents related to the botched Obamacare rollout

Judicial Watch got its start going after the Bill Clinton administration. It continues to seek documents relating to apparent efforts to boost donors to the Clinton Foundation

'The pressure from the investigations forced them to disclose it. It wasnt voluntary disclosure. And the first inkling of it was in our lawsuit,' he said.

He said the agency was still 'protecting Clinton's email,' and that the process would proceed well into the next administration.

'I think there are going to be some uncomfortable decisions for the next administration. No matter who is elected there is going to be intense pressure to get a criminal investigation going. Just because Mrs. Clinton may win doesnt mean there wont be a criminal investigation. In fact, it may be more likely,' he said.

The lawsuit that ultimately led to disclosures about the emails related to the development of 'talking points' about the Benghazi attack.

After the State Department at first said it could find no more documents requested in a FOIA lawsuit, it revealed in February 2014, 'In the course of preparing additional information to provide to Plaintiff for purposes of settlement discussions, Defendant has discovered that additional searches for documents potentially responsive to the FOIA must be conducted.'

Revelations about Clinton's email began with a probe of the attack on Benghazi

The revelation was a cue that more emails had been uncovered.

According to the book, 'Now we know the Obama administration consciously refused to give up key information about Hillary Clintons email in 2014. It covered up this email both from the court and Judicial Watch. The cover-up provided Hillary Clinton enough time to hide potentially thousands of government records. One aim of our court- ordered discovery will be to get to the bottom of this cover-up.'

The group continues to battle the State Department in court  pushing to expedite release of 15,000 Clinton emails before the elections.

Fitton revealed that it isn't just Clinton who will have to contend with the drip-drip-drip of emails after the elections, but longtime aide Huma Abedin, the subject of separate litigation by the group.

Fitton said the agency's document production has only reached mid-2009  which does not yet include the time in 2011 and 2012 when Abedin was working both as a State Department employee and a consultant for the Clinton Foundation.

'Can you imagine what those emails are like?' he said. 'Id say theres probably well over 10,000 more pages of documents they havent given us yet.'

The book traces the flood of litigation that has given the Obama administration headaches, including the IRS targeting scandal, Benghazi, Clinton emails, 'Fast and Furious,' Obamacare, and other issues.

In a demonstration of how the group's litigation can annoy the administration, the 'Clean House' book, published by Simon and Schuster's Threshold imprint, goes into extensive detail about Abedin's obtaining status as a 'Special Government Employee' who got to do outside work while at State.

It notes that she became a senior government employee without having filed her required financial disclosure forms and failing to report assets of her husband, former Rep. Anthony Weiner, who Abedin announced last weekend she is separating from after new details of his electronic sexting.

It quotes a memo from an agency bureaucrat telling Abedin: 'I have your termination OGE-278 report and the financial disclosure report for the Senior Adviser position. While reviewing your termination OFE-278, I noticed your spouse had several assets that arent reported on your report. Can you kindly provide an end-of-year summary statement so that I can update your report immediately?'

The group also sued to find out whether Clinton, Abedin, or chief of staff Cheryl Mills had attended training on handling of 'Classified and Sensitive but Unclassified Information.'

Some of the emails obtained have been fodder on the campaign trail, helping fuel Donald Trump's attack on Clinton's 'stamina.'

An email referenced in the book is a 2013 missive from Abedin to Clinton aide Monica Hanley: 'Have you been going over her calls with her? So she knows that Singh (Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) is at 8?' Abedin asks.

''She was in bed for a nap by the time I heard that she had an 8am call. Will go over with her,' Hanley replies, to which Abedin responds: 'Very imp to do that. Shes often confused.

The group has 20 active lawsuits relating to the Clinton email system alone, it says. These included a review of conflict of interest reviews for Bill Clinton speeches  which included 223 events with 311 sponsors.
A leading Austrian politician has called on Muslim mothers to avoid covering their daughters attending kindergarten with headscarves as this suggests they are sex objects.

Anja Hagenauer, deputy mayor of Salzburg claimed the head covering degrades the children because it suggests they have been sexualised.

Hagenauer stressed she was not seeking a legal ban on headscarves and instead was issuing an 'urgent recommendation' against the practice.

Salzburg deputy mayor Anja Hagenauer, pictured, has advised Muslim women from sending their young daughters to school wearing a headscarf because it treats them as sex objects

Hagenauer stressed she was not seeking to try and ban 'something religious' but she claimed wearing of the headscarf by kindergarten girls suggested men would look at them 'lustfully'

She told state broadcaster ORF that forcing young girls to wear a headscarf suggests that they 'are looked at by men in a lustful way'.
A eulogy of fascist leader Benito Mussolini buried at the base of the 300-tonne Mussolini Obelisk in Rome hails the dictator as 'regenerating Italy through his superhuman insight and resoluteness', scholars have revealed.

The 1,200 word essay, Codex Fori Mussolini, which is written in Latin on parchment remains at the base of the monument but now - for the first time - two classical scholars have translated and studied what it says.

Bettina Reitz-Joosse and Han Lamers pieced together information found in libraries and archives in Rome to understand the text and created a book on what it means.

Mussolini unveiled the monument to the power of fascism in 1932. The giant obelisk of white marble bears the Latin inscription MVSSOLINI DVX.

Fascist leader Benito Mussolini had a 1,200 eulogy written in Latin by the classical scholar Aurelio Giuseppe Amatucci buried under a monument to the power of fascism in Rome

What the cheering crowds didn't know when it was erected was that underneath it a metal box contained a few gold coins and the Codex Fori Mussolini.

The Codex, written by the classical scholar Aurelio Giuseppe Amatucci, presents a carefully constructed account of the rise of Italian Fascism and its leader Mussolini.

'Though written in the language of Roman antiquity, the Codex was supposed to reach audiences in the distant future.

'Placed under the obelisk with future excavation and rediscovery in mind, the Latin text was an attempt at directing the future reception of Italian Fascism,' a blurb for the book explains.

Mussolini ruled the country as Prime Minister from 1922 until he was ousted in 1943.

Mussolini unveiled the monument to the power of fascism in Rome in 1932. The giant obelisk of white marble bears the Latin inscription MVSSOLINI DVX

The three-part script 'presents Mussolini as a kind of new Roman emperor, but also, by using biblical language, as the saviour of the Italian people,' Dr Landers told the BBC.

Alongside the text is a medal showing Mussolini wearing a lionskin draped over his head.

Dr Reitz-Joosse believes the script was written in Latin in an attempt to link the Roman empire with the rise of fascism.

However, the text would only have been found if the monument to fascism was knocked down.

This month it was also revealed the crumbling tomb of Mussolini's murdered mistress may be demolished by authorities after her relatives failed to pay bills for its upkeep.

Clara Petacci, 33, who was executed by partisans near Lake Como alongside the former Italian leader, 61, in 1945, was buried in a tomb at the Verano cemetery in Rome.

But now city officials in Rome are reportedly concerned about what to do with Petacci's remains after the collapsing tomb was cordoned off for safety reasons.

Benito Mussolini (left) and his mistress Clara Petacci (right) were executed together in 1945

Bodies of Mussolini, center, and Petacci, right, hang by their heels in Milan on April 29, 1945

About 1000 people visit the tomb each year compared to 100,000 people who visit Mussolini's tomb in his birthplace of Predappio, according to The Times.

The newspaper quoted Rome city official Maurizio Campagnani explaining the problem facing authorities over the tomb's future.

'The family which owns the tomb has to approve any repair work but we can't find any relatives, so nothing is happening,' he said.

During the last days of the war in Italy, Il Duce (meaning the leader) - as Mussolini was known - was captured by partisans who executed him by firing squad.

His corpse was mutilated and strung up by the feet alongside that of Petacci outside a petrol station in Milan.

The Allies ordered the bodies to be placed in an unmarked grave north of the city, to avoid the burial place becoming a place of pilgrimage.

But on Easter Sunday 1946, his body was exhumed by a group of fascists led by Domenico Leccisi, who left a message on the grave: 'Finally, O Duce, you are with us. We will cover you with roses, but the smell of your virtue will overpower the smell of those roses.'

Somehow during the venture, they lost one of the dictator's legs.

The entrance to the Verano Cemetery in Rome where Clara's crumbling tomb is located

Four months later the body was traced by the police, hidden in a small trunk at Franciscan monastery near Milan.

To keep the whereabouts of the body secret from the public it was then taken to a Capuchin monastery, 15 miles northwest of Milan, and kept there in a cupboard.

The monks held the remains for eleven years, before the authorities allowed the family to reinter the dictator's body at Predappio, Mussolini's birthplace.

The couple met by chance when Clara was just 20 and Mussolini 49 - and married with five children.

The young Claretta - who'd had a crush on him since her early teens and had been writing him poems and letters for years - was driving with her parents in the family Lancia when Mussolini's red Alfa Romeo roared past.

She recognised him, shouted 'Il Duce, Il Duce!' out of the window and, obligingly, Mussolini stopped for a chat and invited her over to his official residence, Palazzo Venezia.

They struck up a supposedly platonic four-year friendship, during which she married and separated from a young air force officer before Benito finally took her as his lover.

In 2009, a series of graphically detailed diaries kept by Petacci revealed intimate details of their relationship over nine years

It was a passionate affair.

In 2009, a series of graphically detailed diaries kept by Petacci revealed intimate details of their relationship over nine years.

'I can feel that all his nerves are taut and ready to spring,' one entry read.

'I hold him tightly. I kiss him and we make love with such fury that his screams seem like those of a wounded beast. Then, exhausted, he falls onto the bed.'

'We made love with such force that he bit my shoulder so hard his teeth left a mark,' she writes.

'He's mortified; he sits on the bed looking a bit pale and panting: 'My love, what have I done to you, look at that mark. One of these days I'll tear a shoulder off.''

He didn't hold back in his letters either.

'Your flesh has got me - from now on I'm a slave to your flesh.

'I tremble in telling you, but I have a feverish desire for your delicious little body which I want to kiss all over. And you must adore my body, your giant...
A second underage male, waiting outside, was called into the house

taken off him and bound

The first boy was stripped naked, had

The father was alerted after his

and kept in the house all night

Two boys were tied up,

Two underage boys were tied up and kept in a man's house overnight, after one entered his daughter's room with a knife.

According to a police document filed last week a young male went into Mohamed Mohamed-Sidik's house in West Valley City, Utah on August 17 to visit his underage daughter.

The girl then yelled for her father, who entered the room and grabbed the child.

Mohamed Mohamed-Sidik's tied up the boys and kept them in his house over night after his daughter yelled for help

The man, with the help of his son, proceeded to strip and tie up the boy-leaving him nude in the house.

In an odd twist Mohamed-Sidik forced the tied-up boy to call his underage male friend who was waiting outside to enter the house.

Upon entering the home the boy was apprehended by Mohamed-Sidik and like his friend was bound by rope although he remained fully clothed.

The victims and the man's children cannot be named because they are underage.

The police report says the man held the boys at knife point and took everything from the victims' pockets including cell phones, cigarettes, gum and a knife.

The two boys in a witness statement also said they were threatened and kept tied up for eight hours over night until they were released in the morning.

The police document released by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office detailing the crime

Upon being freed they said the man gave them some of their items, money and allowed to leave.

However Mohamed-Sidik kept the knife, cigarette and gum. He gave the police the remaining items when he was taken in for questioning.

He also gave officers the rope he used to tie up the two victims.

Mohamed-Sidik and his son admitted to tying up the boys and withhold their possessions, according to the Salt Lake Country Sheriff's Office.
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The first regular commercial flight from America to Cuba in more than 50 years has landed on the communist-ruled island.

JetBlue Flight 386 left Fort Lauderdale in southeastern Florida shortly after 10am with 150 passengers on board.

After less than an hour in the air, it arrived in central Cuba's Santa Clara, 175 miles east of Havana.

The Airbus A320, packed with officials including JetBlue's chief executive Robin Hayes and US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, touched down in what the Obama administration hopes will usher in an era of more routine travel to and from the country.

The decision to restore direct commercial flights was agreed in February, one of several watershed changes that had been initiated in December 2014 when President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro announced a thaw after decades of hostility between the nations.

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Welcome: Two passengers depart from JetBlue flight 387 waving a United States, and Cuban national flag, in Santa Clara, Cuba, on Wednesday to mark the historic first commercial flight since 1961

History: The first regularly scheduled flight to Cuba taxies under the firefighter's spray on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Florida before take-off

The first regular commercial flight from America to Cuba in more than 50 years has landed. Above, JetBlue Flight 386 departs for Cuba from Fort Lauderdale

New relations: US Transport Secretary Anthony Fox (center) arrives to Cuba on a plane of US airline JetBlue

Regular air service was severed during the Cold War, and charter flights have been the only air links since.

The flight is the first of dozens of daily trips connecting US cities to nine Cuban airports, many of them in or near tourism hotspots.

Regular travelers, including some of Cuban descent, occupied nearly half the seats on a route that may be a commercial challenge, at least initially.

'It's a new day for Cuba travelers and one we have thoughtfully prepared for. We are proud to usher in a new era of Cuba travel with affordable fares and great service,' JetBlue's executive vice president Marty St George said.

The Fort Lauderdale airport was in full party mode near Jet Blue's departure area - a live salsa band blared Cuban favorites as passengers and bystanders broke into spontaneous dances.

Passengers board the JetBlue Airways flight, the first regularly scheduled commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than half a century

Return: A passenger holds his Cuban passport as he boards Jet Blue Flight 387 at Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Fort Lauderdale

Board now for your place in history: Angie Mueses (center) checks passengers in as a happy traveler behind her celebrates before he walks down the ramp to JetBlue Flight 387 the first scheduled commercial flight to Cuba since 1961

A part of history: A passenger checks in to board a JetBlue flight to Santa Clara, Cuba on Wednesday

Mark the occasion: JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes (left) and Cuban Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Ramon Cabanas, (right of poster), stand next to an inaugural artwork commemorating the first commercial flight between the U.S. and Cuba in decades at Fort Lauderdale International Airport

Celebration: Cupcakes with a JetBlue flag and a Cuban flag are seen as JetBlue Flight 387 becomes the first scheduled commercial flight to Cuba since 1961

There were cheers, applause and a sea of balloons as boarding for the historic flight got underway.

The plane was sent off with a water cannon salute, an aviation tradition in which aircraft pass under arcs of water before flying to their destinations for the first time.

Lazaro Chavez, a 49-year-old pharmacist who lives in Miami and returns frequently to his homeland, said before boarding the plane he was taking the flight for two reasons.

'One, I am going to see my family. Two, I want to be on this historic flight.'

The flight is the first of dozens of daily trips connecting US cities to nine Cuban airports

Seth Miller, of New York, boards the Jetblue flight to Cuba at Fort Lauderdale National Airport

For some, there were also tears of joy.

'I am so proud, so overcome with emotion,' said Domingo Santana, 53, who left Cuba when he was just six years old.

Since then, he said: 'I've never been in my country. I don't know my country.'

He added: 'It's a great opportunity.'

Wednesday's JetBlue flight was flown by Captain Mark Luaces and First Officer Francisco Barreras, both Americans of Cuban descent, the airline said.

Mark Gale, director of operations for the airport, said it was one of the 'great moments in history,' likening it to the moon landing or the fall of the Berlin Wall.

US Secretary of State John Kerry wrote on Twitter: '8/31/2016:The 1st US commercial flight to #Cuba since 1961, just over a year after raising the flag at US Embassy Havana. Another step fwd.'

A JetBlue plane departs for Cuba amidst water canons heralding the historic takeoff

US Secretary of State John Kerry marked the momentous occasion with a post on Twitter
A refugee who raped a ten-year-old boy has claimed he did not know sexually assaulting the child was wrong as it was 'culturally acceptable' in his homeland.

Mufiz Rahaman told Sydney's Downing Centre Court raping children was not seen as morally wrong in his native Myanmar when he pleaded guilty to the aggravated sexual assault of a 10-year-old refugee on Wednesday, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The 20-year-old and his young victim are both stateless Rohingya Muslims - a group of people considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh by the Buddhist-majority in Myanmar - who came to Australia to flee religious persecution.

A 20-year-old man who raped a 10-year-old boy says sexually assaulting children is acceptable in his home country of Myanmar (stock image)

The court heard Rahaman preyed on the young boy while he was living with a group of refugees, including his father, at a vacant RSL club in Lakemba, a suburb in Sydney's south west, on January 8, 2015.

According to documents tendered to the court, he crept into the child's bedroom - which he shared with his father - as he slept and took off the boy's underpants.

He then raped the boy, who arrived in Australia in 2013, while his father was in another room preparing lunch.

When the boy's father returned he noticed the door had been shut and overheard Rahaman tell the boy: 'I'll give you money for this.'

'My father will hit me,' the boy responded.

The boy's dad stormed into the room and found Rahaman lying on top of his son who was face down on the bed with his pants around his knees.

He asked: 'What are you doing to this little boy? You're an adult.'

Mufiz Rahaman appeared before a judge at the Downing Centre where he was sentenced to five years jail for the crime

The paedophile denied doing anything to his son but the young boy told his father he had been raped.

Rahaman, who came to Australia in 2012, was arrested two days later after another family member reported the incident to police.

He submitted to a DNA test which was matched with semen found on the victim.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Rahaman told the court he had been a victim of sexual abuse as a child before he moved to Australia.

Judge Andrew Scotting said Rahaman failed to understand his actions would 'physically' and 'psychologically damage' his young victim.

He also said Rahaman, who insisted he thought sexual assault was not seen as morally wrong in his homeland, had not accepted responsibility for his actions and demonstrated a 'lack of morality', according to the Daily Telegraph.

'There is a need for specific deterrence ... The offence appears to have been (viewed) as being culturally acceptable conduct in the offender's childhood,' Judge Scotting said.

Judge Scotting sentenced Rahaman to five years jail with a non-parole period of three years.

The 20-year-old will be eligible for parole in March 2018 - but the judge noted he had a moderate to high risk of re offending.

ROHINGYA MUSLIMS Rohingya Muslims are a group of people who have faced religious persecution at the hands of the Buddhist-majority in their native Myanmar. The Rohingya are often referred to as 'Bengali' in Myanmar, a term that implies they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, although Rohingya families have lived in the area for generations. They are not among the 135 ethnic groups recognised by law and are considered stateless as the country does not recognise their citizenship. Rohingya are prevented from moving freely and their access to healthcare and education is restricted. Many from the million-strong minority are unable to vote, have little working rights and are reviled as imposers by the Buddhist majority. More than 120,000 have been displaced, many to squalid displacement camps in western Rakhine state, after fleeing violence stirred by Buddhist nationalists in 2012, with around 20,000 homes destroyed. Thousands fled to other Southeast Asian countries on rickety boats in search of better lives, only to drown or fall victim to human traffickers. Some 25,000 Rohingya and economic migrants from Bangladesh boarded smugglers' boats between January and March 2015, almost double the number from the previous year Some 25,000 Rohingya and economic migrants from Bangladesh boarded smugglers' boats between January and March 2015, almost double the number over the same period in 2014. An estimated 300 people died at sea during this period as a result of starvation, dehydration and abuse by boat crews. Thousands of Rohingya and Bangladeshis were left stranded in the sea for weeks in May 2015 after Thai authorities cracked down on a popular smuggling route, sparking the Asian migrant crisis. Malaysia and Indonesia ended the impasse by agreeing to offer temporary shelter to the boat people on condition that a resettlement and repatriation process would be carried out within a year by the international community. In June, the UN said the Rohingya suffered entrenched discrimination so deep it may amount to crimes against humanity. Source: Reuters Advertisement
The principal of a Franklin, Massachusetts, middle school offered students a special back-to-school greeting this week, which was captured on video.

Dressed in a T-shirt and khakis, Remington Middle School Principal Brian Wildeman danced outside the school to the Justin Timberlake tune Can't Stop the Feeling.

Joining him in the dance party was a person dressed up as the school mascot. They danced outside on the sidewalk together.

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The principal of a Franklin, Massachusetts, middle school offered students a special back-to-school greeting this week, which was captured on video

Dressed in a T-shirt and khakis, Remington Middle School Principal Brian Wildeman danced outside the school to the Justin Timberlake tune Can't Stop the Feeling

Students passed by Wildeman and the mascot on their way in -- and a few stopped to boogie.

The video was posted Tuesday on YouTube with the description: 'Keeping up with tradition, Remington Middle School Principal Brian Wildeman danced on the first day of school to welcome students back!'

Wildeman previously got down to Happy by Pharrell Williams as a back-to-school welcome in 2014. That dance has been viewed more than 24,000 times on YouTube.

The principal's welcome dance in 2015 was set to Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) by Silento in 2015. A video of that dance has more than 424,000 views on YouTube.

Classes resumed Tuesday at Remington Middle School.

Joining the principal in the dance party was a person dressed up as the school mascot

Students passed by Wildeman and the mascot on their way in -- and a few stopped to boogie
Learn about the history, conservation status and recreational opportunities the Chippewa River allows all residents access to during the Celebrate the Chippewa River event on Friday, Sept. 9 at the Heyde Center for the Arts.

Local historians, naturalists, researches and educators will share facts and stories about the river. Lucys Delicatessen is catering lunch and there will be plenty of good conversation as well as music by the Paul Tweed Band.

The event is put on by Beaver Creek Reserve with funding from XCel Energy, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Sierra Club and Citizens Organized for Shoreline Protection.

The event runs from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 at the Heyde Center.

The fun continues Saturday morning with a guided kayak trip at 10:30 a.m. from Phoenix Park in Eau Claire to Porterville Landing, or a guided 10-mile bicycle trip also leaving from the confluence at 10:30 a.m.
Sickening footage has surfaced of a bus driver being bashed by a thug passenger in front of horrified onlookers.

The driver walked down the bus to speak with the furious passenger when he launched the brutal attack in Altona, in Melbourne's south west, reportsYahoo.

The man, dressed in a striped polo shirt and dark pants, can be seen launching a flurry of punches to the drivers head while unleashing a foul-mouthed tirade.

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Sickening footage has surfaced of a bus driver being bashed by a thug passenger

Samir Merouane, who filmed the shocking scenes on his mobile phone, said the attacker was screaming racist abuse at the driver.

The driver was left bloodied and bruised and the bus had to be evacuated so he could be rushed to hospital.

Police have since confirmed a 53-year-old father was arrested and charged with recklessly cause injury and unlawful assault.

The Reservoir man is set to appear at the Heidelberg Magistrates Court on September 5.

The man, dressed in a striped polo shirt and dark pants, can be seen launching a flurry of punches to the drivers head
An office worker got the shock of her life when a cheeky monkey burglar jumped through the window beside her to snatch a tub of peanuts.

Worried her lunch was in jeopardy Colleen Kelly could only breathe a sigh of relief when the pesky primate made-off with her colleague's meal instead.

The Durban resident caught the thief on camera red handed, but was unable to do anything to stop the intruder pinching the office treats.

Intruder alert! A cheeky monkey jumps in through the window of an office in South Africa

The 22-year-old was sat at her desk and quickly pulled out her phone to show colleagues later that they'd had an unexpected visitor.

Within seconds the Vervet monkey spots the tub of nuts and jumps up onto the desk to grab them with both hands.

The monkey then makes a swift escape, its next meal all sorted.

Colleen said it was not uncommon for monkeys to break in and steal food, but claimed usually they wait until there is no-one around.



She said: 'I was by myself as everyone had left the office on lunch when I saw the monkey trying to get in through the window.

Colleen Kelly was sat at her desk and quickly pulled out her phone to record the intruder

Mine! The monkey spots a tub of peanuts on the desk and grabs them with both hands

'I was absolutely petrified but at the same time I know how naughty monkeys can be by nature and I thought it was hilarious.

'Monkeys often break into my house to steal our fruit but I never capture it on video because they are so sneaky.

The South African officer worker added: 'I was worried that he might attack me as I had food in my hands.

Swift escape: The primate darts back across the desk and jumps back out the window

'The monkey kept looking at me and eyeing up my food, I could tell it was deciding whether to take my lunch or not.

'But luckily it spotted my colleague Sasha's tub of nuts and made off with those instead.

'I was so shocked it managed to pick up the whole tub of nuts I dropped my phone, as the monkey climbed out of the window and into a tree.
German military intelligence (MAD) is investigating reports of 64 suspect Islamic extremists working for the armed forces.

The German military employs some 250,000 people including civilian personnel.

The Defence Ministry has announced a major probe fearing hardline jihadis may have infiltrated the organisation.

All potential members of the German armed forces will be screened by Military Intelligence before joining to assess whether they have any links to Islamic extremism, file photograph

Some 30 former members of the German military have left and gone to Syria and Iraq

Officials are fearful over the threat Jihadis pose in Germany with counter-terrorism officers routinely raiding suspected safe houses following a string of ISIS-style atrocities

People considered 'extreme Islamists' cannot work for the military.

Counter intelligence agents believe that between 2007 and 2016, 30 'extremist Islamists' fled to Syria or Iraq having served in the armed services.

A further 19 were discharged for having extremist links.

The agency is currently only allowed to run checks on people who already work in the armed forces. The cabinet on Wednesday approved proposals to change the law to permit such checks to be made on applicants to join.
Police have released a sketch of a man they want to talk to in the death of jogger Karina Vetrano.

The man was seen leaving Spring Creek Park around the time Vetrano was killed.

Vetrano, 30, was found strangled to death and sexually assaulted in the Spring Creek marshland area in Howard Beach, New York, on August 2.

The man is not a suspect or a person of interest.

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Police have released a sketch of a man they want to talk to in the death of jogger Karina Vetrano

The man was seen leaving Spring Creek Park around the time Vetrano (left and right) was killed

Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce explained why the NYPD was keen on speaking to the man: 'He was seen on the pathway of the Belt Parkway, which is in the north end of the park, of Spring Creek Park. That's why we're putting it out.

'We want to speak to this person, because we feel that he was there.'

Boyce continued: 'This sketch was prepared by a utility worker who was working in the area at the time and saw this individual near the top of the park, Spring Creek Park.'

Boyle said the man is described as black male who is 35 to 45 years old.

He said: 'He's 5'10" with a medium build. He wearing dark pants with a red T-shirt, and if you'll notice the dark wool hat.'

Boyle said: 'We don't know who he is, we don't know if he's a fellow jogger, what he's doing.'

Police don't know if the man went into East New York, Brooklyn, or Ozone Park, Queens, Boyle said.

Cops told the New York Daily News that the man is not believed to be the killer, but is someone who they would like to speak to in order to develop additional leads.

Police have already ruled out a mystery male jogger in the death of Karina Vetrano, saying he voluntarily went to a police station to clear his name

Authorities have already ruled out a mystery jogger from being involved in Vetrano's death.

Philip Vetrano, Karina's father, had raised the prospect that the mystery man was involved in her murder after revealing that he used to run the same route as her but vanished in recent weeks.

However, police say that man, aged 48, voluntarily came forward after hearing Vetrano's appeal and revealed he stopped running because he injured his knee.

In the absence of significant leads or suspects, Philip Vetrano had talked up the importance of the other jogger to Curtis Sliwa, founder of New York's guardian angels, on his talk show on Monday night.

He said: 'This is a very important lead. I would see him almost every day and now hes dropped off the face of the earth.

'Its very important that we speak to him, because he might have seen something.'

But the NYPD say that after being called by friends about Vetrano's comments, that man went to the 109th precinct station to clear his name.

Pictured are Vetrano's parents, Philip and Cathie Vetrano,near a photo of their daughter

Karina was found strangled to death and sexually assaulted in the Spring Creek marshland area in Howard Beach, New York, on August 2

Vetrano spoke out weeks after he recalled having a bad feeling about his daughter jogging through Spring Creek marshlands, in Queens, New York, where she was found dead.

He recalled warning her about running through the area, to which she replied: 'It's OK daddy, I'll be all right.'

Later that day Vetrano found his daughter's body dumped off the running path in that very area.

Forensic tests show she had been strangled to death.

DNA was also found on the body, though it did not match to anyone in police records, leaving investigators scrabbling for more clues.

Vetrano previously hinted that he knows who the suspected killer is, urging one of their relatives to call police.

Vetrano is offering reward money raised online, now in excess of $300,000, for information leading to the killer - even offering the money to the murderer if he turns himself in

He told the New York Post: 'We know there is a family member of the killer that we need for them to come forward, to finalize this very quickly.

'She is in great distress. We know she wants to make that call. Make that call.

'The [reward] money is there. I guarantee the money. If she waits any longer, someone else is going to claim that fund.

'The time is now to make that call and get that money. '

The family are offering more than $300,000 in reward money for information leading to the killer after raising it via a GoFundMe page.
A group of Eton schoolboys enjoyed a private audience with Russian president Vladimir Putin and nobody knew about it.

The 11 boys, some wearing their Eton College school ties, have been photographed sitting, talking and shaking hands with the leader.

The teenage boys arranged the meeting in the Kremlin ahead of the UKs Prime Minister Theresa Mays first meeting with him at the international summit in Russia next week.

A group of Eton College schoolboys met Vladimir Putin after they organised the trip off their own backs when Russian Bishop Tikhon Shevkunov gave a talk at their school in March

The pictures which have been seen on Facebook have captions like 'Vlad the lad' and show the 11 school boys lounging around on the visit in Moscow

The trip is thought to have been set up by a Russian bishop Tikhon Shevkunov after he gave a talk at the famous Berkshire College in March.

One photo seen on Facebook had the caption Vlad the lad.

David Wei, who claimed to have organised the trip to improve relations between the West and Russia, said on Facebook: It took me a total of ten months, 1040 emails, 1000 text messages, countless sleepless nights, constant paranoia during A2 exam season, declining academic performance but here we are.

Guys, we truly gave Putin a deep impression of us and he responded by showing us his human face.

David Wei, claimed to have organised the trip to improve relations between the West and Russia as they sat around a table and talked with Mr Putin

But according to The Sun the private school boys didnt tell anyone they were going.

A source said: They didn't tell anyone they were going. I would assume it was so the school didn't find out because I don't think they would be happy.

Apparently Mr Putin had a keen interest in the college which charges around 37,000 in fees a year

From what I understand, they were talking to him about Eton because he had a keen interest in the college, mainly due to previous politicians in the UK who had attended.'

A spokeswoman from Eton College admitted this was an 'independent' trip the boys organised using their 'own initiative'

A spokeswoman from Eton College has told the media: This was a private visit by a small group of boys organised entirely at their own initiative and independently of the College.
A drunken man who broke into a woman's home thinking it was his own sent her a grovelling apology after she took to Facebook to find the mystery intruder.

Businesswoman Anna Dillon captured images of the man trying to get into her detached house near Glasgow on CCTV at 7.30am on Sunday morning.

Assuming the man was a burglar, she posted a picture of him on social media with a description of what he was wearing and urged neighbours to look out for him.

Businesswoman Anna Dillon captured images of the man trying to get into her detached house near Glasgow on CCTV at 7.30am on Sunday morning

She posted a picture of him on social media with a description of what he was wearing and urged neighbours to look out for him - then got an apology card through the door (pictured)

The apologetic youth has written an anonymous grovelling apology (pictured) to Mrs Dillon

Mrs Dillon, 48, was away on a trip to London but her elderly mother-in-law was in the house, was woken by dogs barking and saw a hand at the window as he tried to prise it open.

The man also tried to open the front door and went to the back of the house as well.

Mrs Dillon said: 'It was like something out of a horror movie.'

Worried that he was a burglar targeting homes in Newton, near Cambuslang, where she lives, the mother-of-one then reported the incident on her local Facebook group.

But it has now turned out the 'thief' was actually a drunk man who thought Mrs Dillon's house belonged to him.

The man had been seen stumbling down the road by neighbours.

The apologetic youth has written an anonymous grovelling apology to Mrs Dillon.

The letter, which Mrs Dillon received on Monday, said: 'I cannot begin to express how sorry I am for my disturbance in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The letter (pictured), which Mrs Dillon received on Monday, said: 'I cannot begin to express how sorry I am for my disturbance in the early hours of Sunday morning

'I had been out that night and overindulged and was completely disorientated and unaware of my surroundings.

'I believe I thought your house was my own. I understand there's no excuse for my actions and I'm sorry for my disturbing you. I would never wish anyone to feel unsafe or intimidated in their own home.

'Please accept my deepest apologies, I can only hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.'

Mrs Dillon, who runs a catering business, said she was surprised to get the letter, but appreciated the apology.

She said: 'A lot of people wouldn't have bothered. It was a nice gesture. You don't get that too often.

'It's ended up quite nice after the initial shock but it still makes you feel on edge that someone has tried to get into your house.

Mrs Dillon, who runs a catering business, said she was surprised to get the letter through the door of her home (pictured) near Glasgow, but appreciated the apology

'What if he had got in and my father-in-law and mother-in-law saw him?

'I'm pleased for my mother-in-law that she knows what happened. She is in her 70s and my father-in-law is in his 80s.'

Mrs Dillon urged the letter writer to hand himself into police.

In her social media post, she wrote on Sunday: 'Just to warn everyone that someone tried to break into our house this morning around 7.35am.

'He is around 20 years old with brown hair pulled back into a pony tail, white with stubble, wearing a blue denim jacket with a Celtic top, grey jog pants & sandals.
President Ali Bongo has claimed victory in the Gabon's general election, but the results have been disputed by the country's opposition.

Bongo, who claims to have won his second term in office, took 49.8 per cent of the vote, beating his rival Jean Ping by 1.57 per cent - equivalent to just 5,594 votes.

National turnout was less than 60 per cent, but 99.93 per cent of one of Gabon's provinces voted in the election, leading the opposition to accused Bongo of fraud.

Bongo's victory extends his family's political dynasty into its fifth decade, with his father, Omar Bongo, president from 1967 until his death in 2009, when his son took over as premier.

President Ali Bongo has claimed victory in the Gabon's general election, but the results have been disputed by the country's opposition

Protesters shouting 'Ali must go!' reportedly stormed the offices of the election commission shortly after authorities announced Bongo's re-election

Bongo has been in power since 2009, when he won the first election following his father Omar Bongo's death.

The result was much tighter this time, but the 99.93 per cent turnout in the Haut-Ogooue province, heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group, saw the president ramein in office.

Protesters shouting 'Ali must go!' reportedly stormed the offices of the election commission shortly after authorities announced Bongo's re-election.

Security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to push several hundred protesters back.

His rival, half-Chinese ex-diplomat Ping, had also claimed victory, sparking fears of violence and the deployment of anti-riot police around the capital Libreville.

'It's going to be difficult to get people to accept these results,' one member of the electoral commission said. 'We've never seen results like these, even during the father's time,' he added.

Security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to push several hundred protesters back

Opposition leader Jean Ping also claimed victory, sparking fears of violence and the deployment of anti-riot police around the capital Libreville

Bongo's victory extends his family's political dynasty into its fifth decade, with his father, Omar Bongo (pictured), president from 1967 until his death in 2009, when his son took over

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission boycotted a vote to approve the results on Wednesday and they have vowed to fight for a recount.

As fears rose of a contested result and violence, the electoral commission and Bongo came under pressure from international community to deliver a fair outcome.

'The European Union repeats the call made by the head of its observer mission that results should be published for each polling booth,' a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said.
Ahmad Saiyer Naizmand (above) filmed the body of teenage terrorist Farhad Jabar in a morgue using his mobile phone

A man who is known to associate with ISIS supporters filmed the dead body of a teenage terrorist who committed the 2015 Parramatta shooting, according to court documents.

Ahmad Saiyer Naizmand reportedly filmed the body of 15-year-old Farhad Jabar - who shot dead police finance worker Curtis Cheng on October 2 last year - in a morgue on his mobile phone.

Court documents obtained by the Daily Telegraph reveal that police opposed the bail of Naizmand when he was arrested in February for accessing extremist material.

Police expressed 'concern' about him being bailed after they discovered the video he had taken of Jabar's body.

In 2014 Naizmand attempted to travel to the Middle East using his brother's passport.

He was subsequently convicted and given a control order by the Federal Court.

That order prevented him from associating with close to 20 extremists from Sydney.

However, last month he pleaded guilty to five counts of accessing extremist material, after he reportedly watched online videos including some requesting religious 'vengeance'.

Naizmand is being held in custody and will appear for a sentencing hearing in the Sydney District Court on December 13.

15-year-old Jabar (pictured) shot dead police finance worker Curtis Cheng on October 2 last year outside the New South Wales police headquarter in Parramatta




Mr Mihajlovic dresses as Batman and uses the car to cheer up sick children

Australia's own Dark Knight took on the council over a parking ticket and won after he was fined while showing off his Batmobile outside a Sydney school.

Batman actor Zac Mihajlovic was slapped with the fine days after the offence because the council ranger decided to mail it to him instead of giving him the ticket in person.

The ranger took photos of the batman impersonator from a distance as he spoke to children outside a Campbelltown school, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Batman impersonator Zac Mihajlovic took on Campbelltown Council's ranger and won after he was issued a parking fine for stopping outside a school

The Batman impersonator who dresses as the vigilante in his spare time to make sick kids smile was let off the hook by the magistrate after taking it to court

Mr Mihajlovic said the parking inspector chose to send the fine in the mail instead of speaking to him about the problem as he showed school children the Batmobile

Mr Mihajlovic who spends his spare time visiting sick children dressed as the vigilante took the fine to Campbelltown Magistrate's Court where it was promptly dismissed.

Mr Mihajlovic said he didn't even leave the car when it was stopped outside the school.

'If they had come up to me and asked me to move I would have done it in a second but they just watched from the distance. I got a latter in the mail a few weeks later saying they had observed me parked in a schoolzone for 11 minutes,' Mr Mihajlovic said.

Mr Mihajlovic said if the ranger had approached him he would have moved from the no standing area

Campbelltown City Council defended the ranger's actions and said Batman isn't above the law

'I feel like we have become to impersonal nowadays to the extreme.'

Campbelltown City Council defended the ranger's decision to issue the ticket and said 'not even Batman is above the law'.

Mr Mihajlovic plead guilty before the court before the charge was dismissed.
An hour later, the dorm got the 'all-clear' and Columbus State tweeted that the suspect 'is believed to have left the area'

before 1pm that there was no report of an active shooter, but no one was allowed in or out of the dorm

Columbus State University police have issued the 'all-clear' after the Georgia college sent out an alert late Wednesday morning about an armed suspect in a student residence hall.

School officials sent out a tweet at around 2pm saying that 'the suspect is believed to have left the area.'

Columbus State said in an earlier statement that campus police were searching for a man described as being 17 to 19 years old, wearing dark clothes and a stocking cap.

In an alert to students, the university said residents were encouraged to stay in their rooms; and others should avoid the area.

All clear: Columbus State University campus police issued the 'all-clear' after an intense search for an armed suspect

There was no indication that there was an active shooter on campus, and there were no reports of any injuries

Officials said the search was focused on Clearview Hall, a recently opened residential complex.

The station WTVM reported that the dormitory houses 540 rooms for first-year students.

In an update around 1pm, school officials said no one was allowed in or out of Clearview Hall, but 'all other campus operations should continue as normal.'

Columbus State sent out the first alert on Twitter at around 11.30am that read: 'Report of an armed suspect in Clearview Hall. Residents encouraged to stay in rooms.'

Clearview Hall is a recently opened residential complex that houses 540 rooms

The school is located in Columbus, Georgia, about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta

Then shortly before 1pm, college officials said in a tweet: 'UPDATE: There is no report of an active shooter on campus. As a precaution, no one is allowed in our out of Clearview Hall at this time.'

University spokeswoman Christa Robbins told Atlanta Journal Constitution that there were no reports of injuries.
Martin Treptow and Travis Hakes were on a mission to find all the family members buried at Tilden Lutheran Cemetery but two graves were missing. After some investigating, and landscaping, they finally found the two missing family members under an overgrown bush. The cemetery has about 40 people in it. 75% of its residents are relatives of Treptow and Hakes who are 4th cousins.
Arek Jozwik, above, died after he was attacked by a gang of teenage thugs

The teenage thugs who beat a Polish man to death hung around like a pack of hyenas waiting for another chance to attack their victims, a shocked eyewitness said today.

The brazen youths sauntered around the area after dealing the fatal blows to Arek Jozwik, 40, and leaving another man lying on the ground unconscious.

A third man escaped injury after running into a pizza restaurant and calling for help.

Police have launched a murder enquiry and are treating the incident in Harlow, Essex, as a suspected hate crime.

Details of the feral behaviour of Mr Jozwiks killers emerged as the local MP revealed other Poles in the area had told him they were terrified of speaking in their own language.

Locals have complained that police had done nothing about a group of up to 50 boys and girls who would hang around smoking cannabis and intimidating passers-by in the shopping precinct where Mr Jozwik was attacked.

The brutal assault happened on Saturday night as he and his two friends sat outside the parade of shops after buying pizzas.

Scores of people attended a vigil in Harlow on Wednesday night to pay tribute to Arek Jozwik, a Polish man killed in a possible hate crime

Flowers were rested on a bench while people held Polish flags and scarves to honor the victim

A touching candle-lit vigil was held at the spot where Jozwik was savagely beaten

People who attended also held signs supporting migrants and vowing to stand up to racism

Fighting back: the pro-migrant message was visible at the vigil for the Polish man

Attendees held Polish flags in support of the community as some Poles say they are terrified of speaking in their own language

Bunches of flowers have been left at the bench close to where Mr Jozwik was attacked. A shocked eyewitness said today that the brazen youths hung around like a 'pack of hyenas'

A woman places flowers on the bench near to the scene of the brutal attack

Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki, left, today visited the scene. Right, Mr Jozwik

The manager of TF Pizza, who gave his name as Hayat, 45, said: One of the men had run into the shop shouting at us to call the police.

We managed to get him inside and to safety. He was terrified. Then I saw the two other guys on the floor.

I knew the man was going to die, there was blood coming from the back of his head and ears.

I tried to squeeze his hand but he couldnt talk. I tried to tell him to lie still. It was horrible to see.

They [the youths] were still here, just standing around and watching. They were like a pack of hyenas just waiting for another chance.

Mr Jozwiks two friends have not been identified but are both understood to be fellow Poles.

Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki, centre, with Harlow MP Robert Halfon, right, at the scene of the attack. The youths are said to have lingered near Mr Jozwik's body after the assault

Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki speaks to reporters alongside MP for Harlow Mr Halfon

One tribute reads 'To all the family and friends, we send you our thoughts of peace and love at this time of sorrow'. Mr Jozwik's family today spoke of their devastating loss

The 43-year-old man who was beaten unconscious and needed treatment for fractures to his hands and a bruised stomach was overheard telling police the boys had tried to kill him because he was foreign.

Victoria Gill, who lives above a shop in the precinct, said: I heard him tell them They are trying to kill me because Im Polish. He kept wailing Why? and said they were attacked from behind.

He told the police that he had lived in England for a very long time and said In London I can walk the streets with no problem but in Harlow I cant even go to get something to eat.

The mother-of-two added she wasnt surprised at what had happened as problems with the youths had been escalating for a while.

Radek Jozwik, the victim's brother, above, paid an emotional tribute to him at the scene where he was attacked and said he believes he was attacked because he was heard speaking Polish

A cushion with the word 'love' stitched onto it has been left in the middle of the bench with lanterns underneath. The community have come together in the wake of the tragedy

Jacek Gora, who owns a Polish shop in The Stow, has a Polish flag on his shop counter which he is asking people who knew Mr Jozwik to sign

Ive heard them picking on Polish people all the time. They say things like You shouldnt be here, you cant even speak English.

The town has one of the highest concentrations of eastern Europeans in Engand and Wales, with one in 17 residents coming from recent accession countries according to official figures.

Harlow Tory MP Robert Halfon said he had been contacted by incredibly scared and upset Polish members of the community.

I had a message last night from a mother who said she was frightened to talk Polish to her child at school, he added.

Sausage factory worker Mr Jozwik died at Addenbrookes Hospital on Monday evening after sustaining severe head injuries.

He arrived in the UK four years ago after his younger brother, who has married and settled here, told him work was available.

Father-of-two Radek Jozwik, 36, has previously described how police told him they believe the attack happened because the gang heard his brother and his friends speaking Polish.

Today his family released a statement, saying they are 'all extremely devastated at the sad loss of our brother, son and uncle Arek'.

Mourners today left floral tributes on a bench near to where Mr Jozwik was attacked

Six teenage boys  five aged 15 and one 16-year-old  have been arrested on suspicion of the murder and bailed. Pictured, the street of shops where the attack took place

Six teenage boys  five aged 15 and one 16-year-old  have been arrested on suspicion of the murder and bailed.

Dozens of bunches of flowers and candles have been left at the murder scene and a flag of condolence is being signed by members of the Polish community.

One message said: Not everyone in Harlow is so evil as those people.

A vigil is due to take place tonight and a peace march is due to take place on Saturday.

A Facebook page  Harlow Stand Up to Racism  has also been set up to urge residents to show that the people of Harlow will not accept hatred in our town.

Essex Police acted to stop the youths congregating in the area by imposing a 48-hour dispersal order, which will be enforced from 7pm tonight.

It gives officers the power to order anyone to leave the area they believe is harassing residents or likely to be involved in crime or disorder.

Superintendent Andy Mariner said nuisance and anti-social behaviour by youths on bikes and motorbikes had been affecting the lives of people in the area.

He added: Patrols were increased following the tragic death of a man who was assaulted in the area at the weekend.
Children's services are investigating Anthony Weiner after a lewd selfie he took of his erect manhood while lying in bed next to his four-year-old son and sent to a woman was revealed.

The Administration for Children's Services has launched a probe into the disgraced former Congressman, a city government source told the New York Post.

The agency's officials showed up at the apartment in Manhattan's Union Square that Weiner shared with his estranged wife Huma Abedin on Tuesday, the newspaper reports.

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Children's services are investigating Anthony Weiner (left, with estranged wife Huma Abedin) after a lewd selfie he took while lying in bed next to his four-year-old son was revealed

These kinds of visits are to ensure that a child has a room to sleep in and food, the source added.

But on Wednesday, Weiner said he had not been visited or interviewed by ACS.

In a statement to Daily Mail Online, a ACS spokesman said: 'In order to protect children and their privacy, ACS does not comment on specific cases or allegations of child maltreatment, regardless of whether or not allegations have been reported, are being investigated, or have not resulted in an investigation.'

It came after Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League, urged the New York State Office of Children and Family Services to investigate Weiner for sexually exploiting his young son.

In a letter sent to the agency, Donohue wrote: 'On August 29, we learned that Mr. Weiner took crotch shots of himself sporting an erection with his son lying next to him in bed.

'That was disturbing enough, but now we know that he used his child as a 'chick magnet' to allure sexual relationships.

'It would appear that Mr. Weiner's sexual exploitation of his child meets the definition of child sexual abuse as defined by the Administration for Children's Services. Please investigate this matter.'

Abedin, 41, announced on Monday that she is leaving the serially sexting ex-congressman after he was accused of sending raunchy photos and messages to yet another woman.

On Wednesday, Weiner (pictured with his son in 2013) said he had not been visited or interviewed by ACS

The disgraced former Congressman sent this lewd selfie that showed his erect manhood while he lay next to his son in bed

Abedin, who as vice chair of Clinton's campaign is destined for big things if the Democrat is elected president, stayed with Weiner after a sexting scandal led him to resign from Congress in 2011 and after a new outbreak of online misbehavior wrecked his bid for New York mayor in 2013.

She didn't leave even when a recent documentary blew up tense moments in their marriage to big-screen proportions.

But on Monday, she effectively declared she had had enough.

'After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband,' she said in a statement issued by the campaign.

'Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life.'

The New York Post published photos late on Sunday that it said Weiner had sent last year to a woman identified only as a '40-something divorcee' who lives in the West and supports Republican Donald Trump.

The photos included two close-ups of Weiner's bulging underpants.

Weiner (above) also sickeningly boasted about using his son as a 'chick magnet' when he sexted a mystery brunette

In one of the pictures, Weiner is lying on a bed with his toddler son while texting the woman, according to the Post.

The tabloid also ran sexually suggestive messages that it said the two exchanged.

Weiner told the Post that he and the woman 'have been friends for some time.'

'She has asked me not to comment except to say that our conversations were private, often included pictures of her nieces and nephews and my son and were always appropriate,' the 51-year-old Democrat told the newspaper.

The Post didn't say how it obtained the photographs and messages.

Abedin is a longtime Clinton aide and confidante who is often referred to as the candidate's second daughter.

Trump immediately seized on the aide's marital split to accuse Clinton of 'bad judgment.'

The New York Post published photos late on Sunday that it said Weiner had sent to a woman identified only as a '40-something divorcee.' Above, Abedin leaves a fundraiser on Sunday

He suggested that Weiner might have compromised national security, but offered no evidence to support the allegation.

'I only worry for the country in that Hillary Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing Weiner to have such close proximity to highly classified information,' Trump said in a statement. 'Who knows what he learned and who he told?'

Abedin has been under scrutiny during the probe into Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

Federal prosecutors declined to file charges in the investigation, but FBI Director James Comey said Clinton and her aides had been 'extremely careless' in their handling of classified information.

Abedin began working for the former first lady as a White House intern and became a trusted aide as Clinton won a seat in the Senate representing New York in 2000, ran for president in 2008 and served as President Barack Obama's secretary of state.

Former President Bill Clinton officiated when Abedin and Weiner married in 2010.

The marriage would provide years of fodder for political commentators, armchair psychologists and spouses all over America who wondered: How could she stay with him?

Abedin (above, with Weiner in 2013) was all in for her husband's mayoral bid - then a new series of sexually explicit pictures and messages emerged

Abedin was pregnant with the couple's son, Jordan, when a photo of a man's bulging underpants appeared on Weiner's Twitter account in 2011.

After initially claiming his account was hacked, Weiner acknowledged inappropriate online communication with several women.

Two years later, Abedin was all in for her husband's mayoral bid, raising money, appearing on the campaign trail and participating in interviews in which the couple talked about rebuilding their trust and marriage.

Then a new series of sexually explicit pictures and messages emerged, and Weiner was forced to acknowledge he kept sexting after he had resigned from Congress.

Still, Abedin said, 'I love him, I have forgiven him, I believe in him, and... we are moving forward.'

Voters weren't ready to forgive, however. Weiner lost the Democratic primary.

Weiner has since remained in the public eye, commenting on politics on cable news shows.

'Weiner,' the documentary offering a cringe-inducing inside view of his mayoral campaign and its unraveling, played in theaters earlier this year and is set to air on Showtime this fall.

He recently refused to answer when asked whether he was still sexting, telling The New York Times Magazine in an interview published August 16: 'I'm not going to go down the path of talking about any of that.'
The brawl erupted and police attended. An investigation was ongoing

Some of the beach goers started yelling at them to 'get nude or get lost'

A group of male teens who preferred to stare rather than strip at a French nudist beach sparked a huge brawl, it has been reported.

About 10 youths are said to have entered the nude zone clothed at the beach at La Teste-de-Buch, in Arcachon, near Bordeaux.

But the scene soon turned ugly when the teens reportedly began staring and behaving 'provocatively' around some of the naked women.

French nude beach etiquette says it is rude to stare when on a nudist beach (stock photo)

The men had been 'staring' at the women in breach of French nude beach etiquette, The Local reported.

Other bathers confronted the teens, telling them to either 'get nude or get lost', the website reported.

The brawl is then said to have begun.

And it was quite a sight - with naked and clothed people flinging sand in each other's eyes, screaming abuse and hurling punches.

A unit of the riot control CRS police attended the scene, the website said.

Two people involved had been caught by police after attempting to flee. They were released later.
Staff at school were also advised to restrict

Follows the brutal sexual assault and slaying of first-year Haruka Weiser

They also said the university should improve its outdoor surveillance

it beef up police and security on Austin campus

The University of Texas has been urged to beef up police and stop homeless people coming on campus following the gruesome murder of an 18-year-old student.

State law enforcement officials recommended they ramp up security guard presence after the slaying of first-year dance major Haruka Weiser in April.

Her death shook the school and increased fears of further attacks by vagrants at the school's Austin campus

The Texas Department of Public Safety also said the university should improve outdoor video surveillance and lighting by trimming back excessive vegetation.

They also advised staff to add more restrictions to unauthorized access to campus buildings after dark.

The University of Texas has been urged to beef up police and stop homeless people coming on campus following the gruesome murder of an 18-year-old student (file picture)

State law enforcement officials recommended they ramp up security guard presence after the slaying of first-year dance major Haruka Weiser (pictured) in April

The university says implementing the recommendations will be a top priority.

Weiser's body was found in a creek near the heart of campus on April 5. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted.

Meechaiel Criner, 18, has been charged with her sexual assault and murder, and could be given the death penalty if convicted.

The full safety report is classified and the university said it would work with the state attorney general's office to decide which portions eventually could be released under open records requests without posing security risks.

But a statement from the university said the assessment also recommended that 'policies should be developed to reduce the presence of transients on the campus.'

Criner, a teen runaway who had been in Austin a short time after years in the state's troubled foster care system, is jailed on capital murder charges in Weiser's death.

He was 17 when Weiser was killed and turned 18 in June.

Meechaiel Criner, 18, has been charged with her sexual assault and murder, and could be given the death penalty if convicted

Ann Howard, executive director of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition in Austin, said police and other authorities sometimes unfairly stigmatize homeless people but that she doesn't expect Wednesday's report to necessarily exacerbate the problem.

'It's always a concern; it's not just on the UT campus,' Howard said by phone. She added that both the university and the city of Austin own a lot of land that could be used to increase the area's supply of affordable housing, which could reduce homeless presence around the school.

In the days immediately following the slaying, the Austin Police Department visibly increased patrols on campus, including dispatching some officers on horseback. Weiser's was the University of Texas' first on-campus killing since 1966, when Charles Whitman climbed to the top of the school's iconic clock tower and opened fire, part of a mass shooting that eventually left 17 people dead.

'This has been a historically safe campus, and the DPS report recognizes the university's efforts to protect students, employees and visitors,' university President Gregory Fenves said in an email to the campus. 'DPS, however, also identifies potential vulnerabilities and issues the university should rectify.'

He added: 'Implementing the DPS recommendations will improve the safety of our entire community.'

Weiser's (right) body was found in a creek near the heart of campus on April 5. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted

Steve McCraw, the director of the Department of Public Safety, said the university had already addressed many safety concerns since April  but there's more work to be done. He noted that the university campus is in the middle of Austin 'one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities in the nation.'
The same model aircraft crashed in October 2015 in southeast France

Swiss Air Force commander said he was deeply shocked by the incident

The pilot's body, 27, was found today after plane was found on Tuesday

Scorched mountainside has revealed the crash site of a Swiss air force jet as search parties found the body of the pilot at the controls when it crashed in the Alps on Monday during a training exercise.

The defence ministry did not identify the 27-year-old pilot of the one-seat F/A-18C, which went down near Susten in central Switzerland just moments after takeoff.

His jet was found on Tuesday after a search hampered by bad weather.

The crash site of the missing F/A-18 jet plane on the Sustenpass, Switzerland, today

Pieces of the wreckage of the Swiss air force jet can be seen on the Swiss mountainside

The plane, a one-seater F/A-18C similar to this one disappeared near Susten, Switzerland

Authorities were still investigating the cause of the crash, the third by a Swiss Air Force F/A 18 in the past three years.

The suspected accident site in the mountainous Alpine region was difficult to access, with bad weather and darkness hampering the search efforts.

Swiss Air Force commander Aldo Schellenberg had earlier told a media conference he was deeply shocked by the incident.

The incident began when the aircraft took off from the air base at Meiringen at 1401 GMT as the second plane in a training exercise.

The plane went down in the Alps near Susten in central Switzerland just after takeoff

The remote location of the crash site made it difficult to access and hampered search efforts

Aldo C. Schellenberg, Commander of the Swiss Air Force, said a F/A-18- warplane of the Swiss military had gone missing during a training exercise

Radio contact with the base was lost at around 1405 GMT, and the plane was logged as missing.

A search mission was launched with helicopters, but was later abandoned due to bad weather.

Two ground-based search teams have also begun looking for the pilot and the aircraft, while an investigation into the suspected crash is now underway.

The incident is the third time the Swiss Air Force has lost one of its F/A 18 jets (file photo) in the last three years

Foggy weather on the Susten pass near Innerkirchen, Switzerland, is hampering the search effort for the military pilot and plane

Family members of the pilot, who has not been named, have been informed and were being cared for by the military.

A pilot was injured when a Swiss Air Force jet crashed in October 2015 in southeast France, while another F/A 18 crashed in 2013.
The Pope yesterday urged leading heart doctors not to neglect treating the global poor in the race for scientific advancement.

During an appearance at the worlds largest heart conference, Pope Francis called on cardiologists to pay special attention to the weakest and most infirm.

While he recognised the importance of scientific research for human life and health, the Pope said it was not more important than saving the poorest in society.

Pope Francis receives a stethoscope from the President of the European Society of Cardiology, Fausto Pinto, as he attends the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology

During his speech at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Rome, attended by 32,000 doctors, Pope Francis was presented with a special stethoscope by cardiologists.

He said: You look after the heart. How much symbolism is enshrined in this word? How many hopes are contained in this human organ?

In your hands you hold the beating core of the human body, and as such your responsibility is very great.

The Magisterium of the Church has always affirmed the importance of scientific research for human life and health.

'The Church not only accompanies you along this demanding path, but also promotes your cause and wishes to support you.

But he added: The sciences alone, however, whether natural or physical, are not sufficient to understand the mystery contained within each person.

When man is viewed in his totality...we are able to have a profound understanding of the poorest, those most in need, and the marginalised.

Pope Francis holds a stethoscope during a world congress organised by the European Society of Cardiology in Rome

'In this way, they will benefit from your care.

Professor Fausto Pinto, ESC president and one of the worlds top doctors, said: The European Society of Cardiology, like the Vatican, is committed to alleviating suffering and promoting healthy lifestyles.

'Both share a common purpose of delivering care to those in need and helping people live more productive lives.
she suffers from Munchausen by proxy, a syndrome which can cause parents to intentionally make their children sick to get attention

A mommy blogger who poisoned her 5-year-old son to death says her first year in prison has been 'brutal'.

Lacey Spears, 28, was found guilty of second-degree murder last year, for killing her son Garnett by spiking his hospital feeding tube with toxic amounts of salt.

It's suspected that Spears suffers from Munchausen by proxy, a syndrome which can cause parents to intentionally make their children sick to get attention.

Lacey Spears, a mother who was found guilty of murdering her 5-year-old son Garnett, says her transition to prison life has been 'brutal'. Pictured on the left in a CBS interview last year, and on the right with her son who died in January 2014

In a recent jailhouse interview with author John Glatt (who is publishing a book on the case), Spears says she has become the target for bullying at Bedford Hill prison in Westchester County, New York.

'Its been brutal here. Crimes involving children are considered the worst here,' she said, according to Radar Online. 'I hear them talking behind my back, calling me "baby killer," "child killer,"and "mother of the year". But I know its not who I am.'

'Its been very hard, adjusting to being here,' Spears continued. 'You always have to look behind your back, and I dont trust anyone. I dont have any friends, but I have people to talk to.'

Prosecutors said Spears killed her son by spiking his hospital feeding tube with a toxic amount of salt

Her sister Rebecca told Glatt that prisoners who work in the kitchen have been dumping salt packets on top of Spears' food during meals.

Things have gotten so bad that Spears says jail officials have offered to put her in protective custody. But Spears turned down the offer because it would involve spending 23 hours a day in solitary confinement.

Despite her guilty conviction, Spears maintains she is innocent and says it was actually the hospital workers who killed her son.

During the trial prosecutors said that Spears' son spent nearly his entire life in and out of the hospital, undergoing unnecessary surgeries insisted upon by his mother before finally dying at her hands in January 2014.

Spears sought even more attention by writing about her son's sicknesses on a mommy blog called 'Garnett's Journey'.
His attorney said Melanson was not at fault, and that Daisy's best interest 'was everyone's goal'

Lawyer for the dentist disputes the claim that her teeth were not decaying

Autopsy report in July concluded that there was 'no indication of dental disease or pathology'

The 14-month-old was put under anesthesia, went into cardiac arrest and died

Daisy Lynn Torres died in March after being brought to Austin Children's

Betty Squier says she never thought her 14-month-old daughter, Daisy Lynn Torres, would die going to see dentist Dr. Michael Melanso

But that is what happened when the mother-of-two from Texas took the toddler to Austin Children's Dentistry to have a pair of cavities filled back in March.

And now Squier says she is shocked and furious after her daughter's autopsy report published last month revealed there was nothing wrong with Daisy's baby teeth and did not need any dental work.

'One can only speculate as to why any treatment was performed considering no indication of dental disease or pathology,' wrote dental pathologist Dr. Robert G. in his review and added that the toddler's previous visit showed no decay either.

The autopsy report, conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiners Office, ruled that anesthesia caused the toddler's death.

Bombshell report: An autopsy report released in July showed 14-month-old Daisy Torres (left), who died in March while Dr Michael Melanson (right) was filling her cavities, had no dental disease

Routine appointment: Daisy's mother brought her to Austin Children's Dentistry to have two cavities filled, but her dentist informed her the toddler needed four crowns and two fillings

However, Melanson's attorney has hit back and said in a statement to Inside Edition that there was no evidence 'the dentist did anything to cause the event. The best interest of the child was everyone's only goal.'

The lawyer previously has called into question the autopsy findings, referring to unspecified 'troubling clinical oversights' and 'many significant errors' in the review, although he would not go into detail citing personal privacy laws and federal HIPAA regulations, reported Medical Daily.

Jason Ray, attorney for the treating dentist at Austin Childrens Dentistry said that the autopsy found no defects because Dr. Melanson removed them before the child tragically passed away and added, 'The report reveals no surprises to us.'

'By the time the forensic odontologist evaluated Daisy, all evidence of dental disease had already been removed by the dentist, as expected.

'A treating dentist always has the advantage of pre-treatment visual exams, clinical findings, and x-rays on the patient; as well as knowing the patients dental history, unlike a forensic odontologist.

'The treating dentist in Daisys case will present all of the evidence that justified Daisys treatment if called on to do so.'

Daisy's mother said she went ahead of the dentist's course of treatment for the child because she trusted him

Betty Squier took Daisy to the dentist on March 29 to get treatment for tooth decay in her primary teeth.

WHY A CHILD SHOULD VISIT A DENTIST BY ITS FIRST BIRTHDAY First teeth start erupting around 6 months and already need to be cared for. If the teeth are not treated and progress to large infections, it can be harmful to not only the developing permanent teeth, but could lead to systemic infection, even death. While treatment for six cavities, as in Daisy's case, is not common for a 14-month-old child, neither is it rare, say dentists. Cavities are directly linked to the baby's diet and oral hygiene. Advertisement

But in the course of the appointment, she says Dr Michael Melanson, Daisy's dentist, had informed her that the little girl had not two but six cavities, requiring four crowns and two fillings.

Speaking to Inside Edition this week, Squier said she had some doubts about having crowns installed on Daisy's baby teeth, but she went ahead with Melanson's course of treatment.

'I allowed him to do it because I trusted him,' she said.

Daisy was sedated by an anesthesiologist, which was routinely done at the office to keep young patients calm.

During the procedure, the 14-month-old stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest. Dr Malenson called 911 and Daisy was rushed to a hospital.

Just hours after arriving for her appointment at the dental office, the child was dead.

In mid-July, the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office released Daisy Torres' autopsy report, cited by KEYE-TV, that read, in part:

According to the report, a review of Torres' dental records showed that there was no evidence the girl was in any pain.

'It is possible that the partially erupted teeth may have had a congenital enamel defects but not necessarily requiring treatment with a child of this age,' the medical examiner concluded.

The cause of death was determined to be the result of complications of anesthesia.

Following the release of the forensic report, Dr Melanson was suspended indefinitely from the practice pending the conclusion of an investigation by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners.

Sarah Marshall, a spokesperson for Austin Children's Dentistry, confirmed to the Daily Mail Wednesday that Melanson, who was a contract dentist at the practice, has not been back since his suspension went into effect July 15.

A lawyer for Daisy's mother wondered why the dentist would want to put crowns on the girl's baby teeth (seen in photo on the left) that would have fallen out anyway

Attorney Sean Breen, who has been retained by Daisy Torres' family, wondered why Dr Melanson decided to put four crowns on baby teeth that were going to fall out anyway.

Daisy's aunt Jessica Castaneda told the Austin-American Statesman earlier this year: 'Daisy was a happy baby full of life.

'She had just celebrated Easter with her family. She went to the dentist.

'Then her mother called me and asked me to pray because something went wrong and they were taking her to the hospital.
A Florida judge was reprimanded on TV by the State Supreme Court Wednesday for a 2015 incident in which she reprimanded and jailed a domestic abuse victim for failing to testify.

Video of Judge Jerri Collins berating the crying, pleading woman - who said she was 'too anxious' to face the man who allegedly strangled her at knifepoint in front of her baby - caused an uproar when it was released last month.

So on Wednesday morning Collins was ordered to appear before TV cameras, where Florida Chief Justice Jorge Labarga called her actions 'intolerable.'

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Reprimanded: Judge Jerri Collins was told off on live TV Wednesday morning by order of the Florida Supreme Court, which found her behavior in a 2015 case 'intolerable'

'Sad': Chief Justice Jorge Labarga (left) said it was a 'sad day' for Collins (right) and for Florida. Collins berated and jailed the woman for not testifying against her abusive husband

'Judge Collins, this is indeed a sad day for you, a sad day for the people of Florida and a sad day for the judiciary upon which our people depend for justice,' Labarga said.

'I cannot emphasize enough how intolerable your behavior was in this case.'

The video footage, which was shown on a local Florida station, shows Collins berating the desperately crying woman in July 2015.

At one point she mocks the woman's claims of anxiety saying, 'You think you have anxiety now? You haven't seen anxiety.'

Collins, who admitted her misconduct, has also agreed to take anger management and domestic violence courses.

The court found that she had the right to jail the woman for not appearing in court to testify, but that her attitude was inappropriate.

Anxiety: The woman said she was anxious about facing the man who allegedly strangled her at knifepoint Collins (pictured talking to the woman) told her: 'You haven't seen anxiety'

The footage of the 2015 case which caused a stir when it was broadcast by an Orlando station, involved a woman who had broken a court order to appear and testify against her husband.

The unidentified woman had accused the man - whom Collins said had a history of violence - of grabbing a knife and strangling her in front of her one-year-old child.

But when she failed to appear in court for his trial, he was found guilty of a lesser battery charge - and she was called in on contempt of court.

The woman defended herself by saying her anxiety got the better of her on the court day, and that her life had been ruined by the attack, which robbed her of her home.

'I'm just not in a good place right now,' the woman says in the video footage, while audibly holding back tears.

The judge hits back: 'And violating your court order did not do anything for you. I hereby find you in contempt of court. I sentence you to three days in the county jail.'

The woman screams and cries: 'Please! I'll do anything! I have a one-year-old son and I'm trying to take care of him by myself,' but Collins ignores it.

Advocacy groups in Florida slammed the ruling, insisting it would severely impact the way this woman and other abuse victims interact with law enforcement.
A Penn State professor who was pushed off an 80-foot rock quarry ledge died slowly and possibly was alive and immobile for up to two days, a police investigator said.

State Trooper Brian Wakefield revealed new details during a preliminary hearing for one of the two people charged with Ronald Bettig's murder.

Wakefield testified during 39-year-old George Ishler Jr.'s hearing on Wednesday, according to Pennlive.com. Danelle Geier, 32, had waived her hearing.

The testimony alluded that the trio had a fraught relationship in the weeks before Bettig's death, and also hinted there may have been a romantic relationship between Ishler and Geier who police said are related as uncle and niece.

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Penn State professor Ronald Bettig (pictured), who police said was pushed off an 80-foot rock quarry ledge, died slowly and possibly was alive and immobile for up to two days, an investigator testified on Wednesday

State Trooper Brian Wakefield testified during 39-year-old George Ishler Jr.'s (Ishler, left) hearing on Wednesday. Danelle Geier, 32, (right) had waived her hearing

Ishler told police Bettig had recently updated his will to include them and police said he thought he and Geier stood to inherit money upon the professor's death, Pennlive.com reported.

Prior to Bettig's death, Ishler and Geier had first tried and failed to drown Bettig on a trip they took to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware on August 10, police said.

'When they were in Delaware, (Ishler) stated that he did dunk Bettig while in the ocean, but that he felt he couldn't do it (hold him under) and didn't continue,' Wakefield said.

Wakefield added Ishler told him 'he was to dunk Bettig and Danelle was to wrap her legs around him to hold Bettig down under water.'

Close up of the quarry where Bettig fell to his death. Police said the pair persuaded Bettig to travel to the quarry by telling him they could harvest marijuana there

The pair then reportedly came up with the plot to kill Bettig at the Blackhawk Quarry in Potter Township.

Police said Isher and Geier had lured the media studies professor to the quarry on August 12 with a story about harvesting marijuana.

Authorities believe Ishler then pushed him while Geier waited in the car with her toddler son.

Wakefield said Bettig likely was still alive then when Geier and Ishler returned to the scene eight hours after the push to plant Bettig's belongings and vehicle there.

They hoped to make it look like Bettig had been there on his own and accidentally fell, Wakefield said.

The trooper said a pathologist believes the professor may have remained alive for up to two days at the bottom of the ravine, immobile and possibly unconscious.

The cause of death has been ruled 'blunt force trauma due to a fall.'

The trooper said a pathologist believes the professor may have remained alive for up to two days at the bottom of the ravine, immobile and possibly unconscious

Ishler and Geier waited until August 15 to file a missing persons report, according to Pennlive.com.

They told police that Bettig and his vehicle had been missing for three days and suggested that he may have gone to California, authorities said.

On August 17, police found Bettig's body with buzzards hovering above it.

Ishler and Geier became prime suspects in the case after someone reported seeing a woman on the date of the push that matched Geier's description, Wakefield said.

They were arrested and charged, and police said they both confessed during interviews with investigators.

After his arrest Isher told a trooper, during an informal conversation, that Geier was the driving force behind the plot, while he carried out the murder, Wakefield said.

Ishler said Geier's influence over him came from the 'power of a [female private part],' according to Wakefield.

Following Bettig's death, there have been conflicting reports about Ishler's and Bettig's romantic involvement with Geier, Pennlive.com reported.

Bettig had befriended Ishler and Geier months before he died, and Geier had moved into his home in Lemont with her son earlier this year.

Bettig had befriended them two months before he died, and Geier (pictured during her arrest) had moved into his home in Lemont with her son earlier this year

Wakefield said Geier (pictured left and right with her son) told him that she and Ishler were tired of the professor's sharp tongue and criticisms of them and Geier's child-rearing habits

Wakefield said Geier told him that she and Ishler were tired of the professor's sharp tongue and criticisms of them and Geier's child-rearing habits.

The trooper also noted that Geier said she was upset because he belittled Ishler.

As authorities believe the two sought to claim an inheritance from the professor, Wakefield said officials found a handwritten document in Ishler's home that noted the professor had updated his will to include them.

However, he said at this time it is not clear if Bettig's signature is valid, and added the rest of the document was admittedly written by Ishler.

According to Penn State's website, Bettig joined the College of Communications in 1988 and was an associate professor of media studies.

He taught courses on the political economy of communications and wrote at least two books on the subject.

He was on leave and not scheduled to teach during the fall 2016 semester.

Geier faces charges for murder, aggravated assault, evidence-tampering and conspiracy.

Ishler has been charged with first-and third-degree murder.

Ishler's defense lawyers questioned the proof behind the claims, saying the investigation of this case is far from finished.
Theres no mistaking a school bus is about to stop under a state law taking effect this month.

All buses built after Jan. 1, 2005 now have to have amber lights that will flash when the bus is 200 feet from stopping. Its a signal that precedes its original flashing red warning lights that alerts drivers the bus is at a complete stop.

Wisconsin is the last state in the country to adopt this law. Many states implemented this law in the 1970s and 1980s, according to a press release.

Kurt Nelson, safety director at Chippewa Yellow Bus Company, said hes glad Wisconsin finally adopted the requirement as its safer to use the amber lights to make drivers more aware of buses. He said in Chippewa Falls, the average is one illegal bus passing a day.

Either they look at the [bus] driver and make a conscious decision to keep going because they dont see any kids yet, Nelson said. Or theyre on their cell phones or some sort of personal device that is distracting them.

Passing a bus with its red warning lights on results in a minimum fine of $326.50 and four demerit points on a drivers license. Its also potentially hazardous. Nelson said having someone getting hit by a car could potentially wreck the bus drivers life as well.

John Stanek, transportation director in Cadott, said they have a hard time having vehicles stop for a school bus red warning lights and hopes the new system will lead to safer roads.

I hope that it will alert the drivers to be more cautious, he said. There is one more step and a chance to see this bus, I hope they will be more aware of the bus.

Neither Cadotts or Chippewa Falls buses have run routes yet to test the new light system. The overall feeling by the drivers is the system will go over well, although Nelson said he think there may be a bit of confusion at first.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation released a Youtube video to help make the public aware of the new law change, to show how the amber light regulation will work and what drivers should do when near a school bus.
Says men see engagement rings and think women are 'high

When preparing for a job interview, most women plan to look as sophisticated as possible.

But now a top recruiter has suggested that female workers should ditch their engagement rings if they want to secure the job.

According to Bruce Hurwitz, an executive recruiter from New York, women should 'lose the rock' because men who see a fancy ring will assume the woman to be 'high maintenance'.

Bruce Hurwitz, an executive recruiter from New York, claims women should take off their engagement rings at work because men will assume the woman to be 'high maintenance'

The self-described 'career counselor' also suggested that expensive jewellery would be likely to threaten other women in the office and make them jealous.

Writing on recruitment website LinkedIn, Mr Hurwitz said: 'When a man sees that ring he immediately assumes you are high maintenance, 'When the woman at the office who has the largest diamond on her finger, sees that ring, she will realise that if you are hired she will fall to second place and will, therefore, not like you. Lose the ring!'

Mr Hurwitz's controversial essay received more than 1,000 comments from other users on LinkedIn, who criticised his comments as 'archaic' and sexist.

Grace Killelea, founder of Half the Sky Women's Leadership Institute responded: 'This is ridiculous drivel. As the former SVP of recruitment and talent for a Fortune 50 company I would FIRE any firm who gave this kind of advice to candidates.

'It's biased. It's ridiculous and it makes women sound petty and small. Welcome to 2016 Mr Hurwitz you may want to join us here.'

One LinkedIn user commented: 'Making judgments as suggested in this article are archaic.

'If people are really sizing up talent by a ring, no ring, or the size of it. It's a red flag! Run the other way and don't look back. Should a man remove his wedding band?' Another wrote: 'If someone is judging me based on the fact that I have a wedding ring on my finger, I don't want to work for you.' But instead of backing down on his comments, Mr Hurwitz responded to critics by publishing an article called 'What Jewellery Not to Wear to a Job Interview'.

Bruce Hurwitz, an executive recruiter from New York, said women should 'lose the rock' because men who see a fancy ring will assume the woman to be 'high maintenance'

He wrote: 'The problem with a large engagement ring, as I noted and was confirmed by a couple of women in the Comments of the previous article, is the message it may send.

'When a man gives a woman an engagement ring, he buys the least expensive ring that he believes it will take to get her to agree to the proposal.

'For women it may be a symbol of everlasting love, but for men (when it is expensive) it is akin to a business transaction.

'So when a male interviewer sees what appears to be an expensive engagement ring he assumes the wearer is, as I said in the article, 'high maintenance.'

'He may be willing to have a high-maintenance woman in his personal life; he doesn't necessarily want one in his office.'

He added: 'The woman in the office who has the largest engagement ring will be against you because, if you are hired, she'll be Number Two.'

Mr Hurwitz went on to argue that those leaving their engagement rings behind should not worry about being accused of lying.

He said: 'Not wearing an engagement ring is not lying.

'Being engaged is not a 'protected class' like gender, religion, or even marital status. After all, just because you are engaged does not mean you are actually going to get married.

'So not telling an employer that you plan to get married, is fine. It is none of her business. It would only be relevant if, let's say, you needed some time off in the not too distant future.'

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Hurwitz, who lives in New York, is the president and CEO of a boutique executive recruiting firm, Hurwitz Strategic Staffing Ltd.
Bored miners have filmed themselves bowling using a huge mechanical excavator to pass the time in a remote region in Kazakhstan.

The bizarre incident took place on the outskirts of the village of Auezov in the eastern part of the country where the mine workers used the massive excavator.

Footage shows the drivers of the machine using a green rubber ball as a bowling ball to knock down a series of water bottles.

In addition to the bowling competition, the imaginative drivers also practiced taking helmets off metal poles with the excavator scoop.

The competition is said to have taken place near the Bakyrchik ore field.

The mining excavator is so big that it has two rooms: the cabin and the recreation room with the latter equipped with a fridge, a microwave and a heating system.

Online commentator Sagi Seri asked: 'Like they have nothing better to do? They could have built a road instead.'

Bored miners have filmed themselves bowling using a huge mechanical excavator to pass the time in a remote region in Kazakhstan

The bizarre incident took place on the outskirts of the village of Auezov in the eastern part of the country where the mine workers used the massive excavator

Footage shows the drivers of the excavator using a green rubber ball as a bowling ball to knock down a series of water bottles

In May this year a talented workman showcased his skill behind the controls of a digger by sliding the machine down a steep hill in an incredibly controlled manner.

The video, which is believed to have been captured in Sabah, Malaysia, shows the orange Hitachi at the very top of a small cliff when the driver hatches a plan.

He starts by pushing away some of the mud in front of the excavator's tracks to enable the vehicle to roll forward and off the side of the cliff.

Since appearing online the footage has picked up a number of comments from impressed viewers.

One wrote: 'Pure skill right there,' while another, who considered the fact that the stunt could have gone very wrong, joked: 'I'm sure the operator doesn't own it.'

In addition to the bowling competition, the imaginative drivers also practiced taking helmets off metal poles with the excavator scoop

The competition is said to have taken place near the Bakyrchik ore field
The Joy of Painting host Bob Ross, who was known for his curly locks, in fact had a perm

The Joy of Painting host Bob Ross was known for his nature paintings, soothing voice -- as well as his shock of curly locks.

But now it has been revealed that his trademark Afro style was in fact a perm.

The painter's business partner Annette Kowalski told NPR in an interview that Ross was a struggling artist after getting out of the US Air Force.

She recalled: 'He got this bright idea that he could save money on haircuts.

'So he let his hair grow, he got a perm, and decided he would never need a haircut again.'

The artist's perm was used as his company logo, NPR reported.

Kowalski said: 'He could never, ever, ever change his hair, and he was so mad about that. He got tired of that curly hair.'

It's not the first time Kowalski has discussed Ross' hairstyle.

The painter's business partner Annette Kowalski says that Ross (pictured left and right) was a struggling artist after getting out of the US Air Force and permed his hair to save money

She told Mental Floss in a story published last year: 'When we got a line of paints and brushes, we put his picture on.

'The logo is a picture of Bob with that hair, so he could never get it cut. He wasn't always happy about that.'

Kowalski also revealed in the NPR interview: 'Bob used to lay in bed at night, he told me, he rehearsed every word.

'He knew exactly what he was going to say on every one of those programs.'

Ross died at age 52 from lymphoma in July 1995.

The Joy of Painting ran on PBS from January 1983 to May 1994.
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Police say Australian woman Sara Connor was 'definitely involved' in the death of a Bali police officer after she and her British DJ boyfriend were forced to re-enact the alleged murder.

The mother-of-two from Byron Bay and her boyfriend David James Taylor spent several gruelling hours re-enacting 'scenes' from the night Wayan Sudarsa was allegedly murdered on Bali's Kuta Beach two weeks ago.

Ms Connor, 45, had originally told police Mr Sudarsa was a 'bad cop' who had pinned her down in the sand with his body weight just after 4am on August 17.

But she later changed her story to say she had been trying to separate Mr Sudarsa and Mr Taylor after a fight broke out between the pair.

During the re-enactment Ms Connor was seen straddling the officer and appeared to pretend to strike him with a walkie talkie before the policeman mimed biting her on the thigh as she knelt next to him.

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Police say Australian woman Sara Connor was 'definitely involved' in the death of a Bali police officer after she and her British DJ boyfriend were forced to re-enact the alleged murder

Mr Taylor, 34, pretended to hit the 'victim' with a broken bottle as he re-enacted the alleged death of officer Wayan Sudarsa

'Sara was definitely involved in the assault. Sara hit the victim with a walkie talkie,' Denpasar police chief Hadi Purnomo was quoted by local news portal Tribun Bali.

Ms Connor denies striking the officer with a walkie talkie and her lawyer claims she was told to re-enact 'scenes' she says never happened.

But Mr Taylor's lawyer, Haposan Sihombing, has since said the couple 'did it together'.

The pair have both been named as suspects and police say the purpose of the re-enactment was to determine which version of their events was true.

The re-enactment was the first time Mr Taylor and Ms Connor have seen each other since their arrest almost two weeks ago.

During the re-enactment Ms Connor was seen straddling the officer and appeared to pretend to strike him with a walkie talkie. Ms Connor denies this ever happened and claims she was told to act scenes that didn't occur

The couple embraced at Kuta Beach on Wednesday morning as police tried to determine who is telling the truth about what happened on the night of a police officer's death

A man lays on the sand at Bali's Kuta Beach, pretending to be Wayan Sudarsa - whose bloodied body was found on August 17

They have not been formally charged under Indonesian law as police have 120 days to build their case.

Police say the couple admitted to clashing with victim and claim Mr Taylor hit the officer over the head with a beer bottle.

Police officer Wayan Sudarsa (pictured) was found dead on Kuta Beach in Bali with 42 wounds to his body

The altercation allegedly broke out after Mr Taylor confronted Mr Sudarsa over his girlfriend's missing handbag.

Just before the re-enactment, Ms Connor took off the sarong covering her face so Mr Taylor could kiss her on the top of the head after they came out of two separate armoured vehicles dressed in orange prison jumpsuits.

The pair went 'scene by scene' through the alleged events which came across like a play, scripted under the direction of officers yelling through a microphone.

The events began with Mr Taylor approaching the cop imitating Mr Sudarsa to confront him over Ms Connor's lost purse.

'Scene ... David fell and became involved in a fight with the victim,' a police officer directed as Mr Taylor lay on his back with the man playing Mr Sudarsa staring over him.

As though being brought in from behind the curtains at a play, Ms Connor entered the 'scene'.

Mr Sudarsa's stand-in mimed biting her thigh - a recreation of the moment she says she tried to separate the pair and 'protect' the cop.

The 'scenes' slowly built up to the moment Mr Taylor mimed hitting Mr Sudarsa in the back of his head with a broken beer bottle, while Ms Connor crouched in the sand nearby.

This blow, Denpasar Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said was the 'most deadly one'.

Sixty-eight 'scenes' were played out throughout Wednesday with the pair taken to Ulawatu in nearby Jimbaran after Kuta Beach.

Mr Taylor and a man acting as police officer Sudarsa recreate the events that allegedly led to the officer's death

'David smashed the bottle to the back of victim's head until it shattered,' a policeman directed as Mr Taylor and a police officer pretending to be Mr Sudarsa lay on the sand

As if she was standing in the wings of a play, Ms Connor was then brought into the 'scene', to re-enact how she allegedly tried to separate the pair

Here they re-enacted dumping a number of Mr Sudarsa's possessions, including his mobile phone.

The final 'scenes' took place at Denpasar Police Station.

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor shared a quiet moment where he put his arms around her and she stroked his forearm, before they kissed and were taken back to their cells.

The pair, who had been dating for just a few months before going on holiday to Bali together, wore orange overalls with the words 'prisoner of Denpasar police' on their backs and had name placards hanging around their necks.

The pair have been named suspects over Mr Sudarsa's death, and could face charges of murder that is not premeditated and assault in company causing death.

Police will hand over the case to prosecutors at a later date.

Mr Taylor and Ms Connor have both been named suspects in the premeditated murder and assault in company of Mr Sudarsa

Ketut Arsini, the policeman's wife came to the scene but did not say anything and left quickly (pictured: the accused re-enacting the scenes)

Ms Connor is pictured on the book of a scooter as she re-enacts a scene in the busy tourist district near Kuta Beach on Wednesday morning

Ms Connor, 45, and Mr Taylor, 34, wore orange overalls with the words 'prisoner of Denpasar police' on their backs and had name placards hanging around their necks

Mr Taylor is pictured laying on top of a police officer who is acting as Wayan Sudarsa who was found dead at Kuta Beach the morning of August 17

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor are pictured linking arms in the early hours of Wednesday morning

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor are pictured wearing orange jumpsuits and white name placards around their necks

According to Mr Taylor and Ms Connor's lawyers, the pair are blaming the other for instigating the destruction of evidence.

It comes after Ms Connor wept when she saw her ex-husband Anthony 'Twig' Connor for the first time on Monday since her arrest made headlines in Indonesia and Australia.

'They hugged. (They were) crying together, both of them,' her lawyer Robert Khuana told reporters after their brief, private meeting on Monday.

'(They were) sad because they never thought this thing would happen.

'Especially now, they're thinking about their children.'

Mr Purnomo said police were still awaiting the results of blood tests and psychiatric assessments of the pair.

Ms Connor is pictured acting out a scene at Kuta Beach on Wednesday morning, two weeks to the day since a policeman was found dead at the beach covered in sand

Ms Connor appears solemn at Kuta Beach as she and Mr Taylor re-enact the events that led to the death of Mr Sudarsa

Ms Connor and Mr Taylor embrace as a police officer holds up their name tags as they continue the recreation of 'scenes'

Ms Connor appears expressionless as she acts out a scene at Kuta Beach under the direction of police officers

Ms Connor says Mr Sudarsa bit her on the thigh and hand when she tried to separate the pair

Byron Bay mother Sara Connor and her British boyfriend David Taylor re-enacted the events that led to the death of a policeman at Bali's Kuta Beach (pictured on Wednesday morning)

Sara Connor (left) and her British boyfriend David Taylor (right) are taking part in a re-enactment of what happened the night a policeman was killed on Kuta Beach in Bali

Sara Connor has had an emotional reunion with her ex-husband on Sunday after he was allowed a 15 minute private visit to Denpasar Police Station (pictured)
A mother broke down in tears on Wednesday as she spoke about her three-year-old daughter, who died after being left behind in a hot car for four hours on Monday.

The Ramirez family of Durham, North Carolina had just returned home from a meal around 3pm on Monday when they accidentally left little Leslie behind in the car.

By the time her father returned home from work around 7pm, the girl was so weak that she gave out her last breath after being pulled from the hot van.

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Rene and Rocio Ramirez, parents of Leslie Ramirez, speak at a press conference two days after the toddler died in a hot van

Ramirez was left behind in her family's van around 3pm on Monday. Her father was the first to notice she was left in the car when he returned from work around 7pm

At a press conference on Wednesday, Leslie's parents spoke through a translator to tell of their love for their daughter, who had autism.

However, they didn't give many details on her death, since police continue to investigate the deadly incident.

Reports state that Leslie's mother, grandmother, and four siblings returned home from eating out Monday afternoon and didn't realize that Leslie didn't leave the vehicle.

Around 7pm, Leslie's father Rene Ramirez returned home from work and noticed his daughter all alone in the van.

He quickly opened the car and tried to revive his little girl but it was too late.

'He found her very weak, to the point that when he pulled her out, her last breath was right there,' Chaplain Ricardo Correa, a family representative, said at the Wednesday press conference.

To the right of the ambulance, surrounded in crime scene tape, is the minivan where Leslie died

Leslie's grandmother told ABC 11 that her daughter, Rocio Ramirez, thought the toddler was sleeping in her room all those hours.

'I love my daughter. A mother would not like to kill her children,' Rocio Ramirez said at the press conference.

Her husband added that Leslie was 'so special, so beautiful.

On Tuesday, Mrs Ramirez was apparently so distraught that an ambulance was called to the home to take her to the hospital. Family members say the tragic death has made her sick and distraught.
Residents of the town where the brother of Stephanie Scott's killer lived before he was arrested for accessory to her murder have warned him not to come back.

Marcus Stanford was living in Forreston in the Adelaide Hills when his brother sent him jewellery he stole from Ms Scott when he killed her in the NSW town of Leeton.

Marcus Stanford was charged with accessory after the fact of the murder for pawning two of Ms Scott's rings at an Adelaide jewellery shop. He received $705.

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Marcus Stanford, whose twin brother admitted to murdering the NSW school teacher in the small town of Leeton, lived in Forreston in the Adelaide Hills

Marcus Stanford was arrested in June last year, and last month was sentenced to one year and three months behind bars.

With time already served, Marcus Stanford will be released next Friday.

Jane Zappia, 33, who now lives in Marcus Stanford's former home, said he was no longer welcome in Forreston, The Advertiser reported.

'I didn't actually realise this was his house until the guy I get my wood from told me it was the "murder house", even though it didn't happen here,' she said.

'I hope he doesn't come back... I'm definitely going to keep my doors locked.'

A man who gave his name only as Bill, who lives next door to Ms Zappia, said Stanford had nothing to come back to in Forreston.

'His house has gone, his job's gone, he doesn't have any family here - there's no reason for him to come back,' Bill told the paper.

Stanford was arrested for his part in Ms Scott's murder in June last year when he was employed on a flower farm in Forreston

Before she was murdered, Ms Scott was just days away from marrying her fiance, Aaron Leeson-Woolley (pictured left with the teacher)

When Marcus Stamford was sentenced, Justice Robert Hulme said Stanford pawning the 26-year-old teacher's rings was an 'appalling, disgraceful and inexcusable act'.

'It was the act of a man who put morality and human decency secondary to the interests of his murderous brother,' the judge said.

The judge said Stanford would have known the rings were of sentimental value and had been stolen during the murder of a much-loved woman.

Stanford's brother, Vincent, has admitted murdering and raping Ms Scott.

He will be sentenced in October.
Trump surprised the political world last night by announcing, via Twitter , that he would head to Mexico City for a meeting with the president today

In honor of Donald Trump's trip to Mexico today, the Hillary Clinton campaign released a comprehensive list of the Republican nominee's tweets about the country over the past two years.

It's a 'big, beautiful list of tweets' the Clinton campaign said in the blog post, meant to mock Trump's prose.

'Here's a helpful refresher,' the Clinton campaign advertised, embedding tweet after tweet, which articulate some of Trump's most talked-about political positions of this presidential campaign cycle.

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Hillary Clinton's (left) campaign published a blog post today that serves as a greatest hits of all of Donald Trump's (right) tweets about Mexico

Donald Trump (right) shocked the political world with an impromptu trip South of the border to meet with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto today in Mexico City

Today's blog post put out by the Clinton campaign shows off Donald Trump's tweets about Mexico, including ones where he discusses trade and the border wall

There are, of course, many, many tweets about illegal immigration and about trade.

The Clinton campaign, trying to make a mockery of the Republican  whose meeting today with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto took the political world by surprise  made sure to include some of the most goofy.

On trade, Trump tweeted on July 30 of this year: 'The "Rust Belt" was created by politicians like the Clintons who allowed our jobs to be stolen from us by other countries like Mexico. END!'

On the wall, Trump wrote in April 2015: 'Our border is being breached daily by criminals,' he said. 'We must build a wall & deduct costs from Mexican foreign aid!'

Interestingly, when talking to reporters after their joint statements in Mexico City today, Trump said he didn't discuss with the Mexican president who would finance the wall.

Donald Trump tweeted a lot about the Mexican drug lord El Chapo after he escaped from prison in July of 2015

The blog post also reminds voters that Trump was big about talking about 'El Chapo,' the escaped Mexican drug lord.

'El Chapo and the Mexican drug cartels use the border unimpeded like it was a vacuum cleaner, sucking drugs and death right into the U.S.,' Trump wrote, getting dramatic.

'The U.S. will invite El Chapo, the Mexican drug lord who just escaped prison, to become a U.S. citizen because our "leaders" can't say no!' Trump tweeted on July 13 of last year.

Fifteen minutes later he tweeted about El Chapo again.

'The joke around town is that I freed El Chapo from the Mexican prison because the timing was good [with my] statements on border security,' Trump said.

Trump suggested that ISIS fighters were snaking over the border from Mexico to the U.S., which Politifact - looking into after Trump repeated the claim during his campaign - rated false

Trump announced his candidacy a month before, on June 16, and quickly made illegal immigration from Mexico a central tenet in what was considered to be a longshot campaign for a political newcomer.

Trump was widely credited with making border security a top talking point on the campaign trail and his tweets did a lot of that talking.

Sometimes, however, his statements were off base.

'The fight against ISIS starts at our border,' Trump tweeted in October 2014, a statement he also made during his run for the White House. '"At least" 10 ISIS have been caught crossing the Mexico border. Built a wall!' Trump prescribed.
Former Atlanta police officer James Burns (pictured) has been charged with felony murder over the death of an unarmed black man, a grand jury has ruled

A white former Atlanta police officer has been charged with felony murder and four other charges in the death of an unarmed black man, a grand jury has ruled.

The Fulton County grand jury also indicted James Burns on charges of aggravated assault, making a false statement and two counts of violation of oath of office in the June 22 killing of 22-year-old Deravis Caine Rogers, according to defense attorney Drew Findling.

Prosecutors said Burns fired into Rogers' vehicle while responding to a call about a suspicious person, even though Burns wasn't in danger and had no way to identify Rogers as the reported suspicious person.

Atlanta police Chief George Turner fired Burns July 1 after an internal investigation determined Burns used unnecessary and excessive force.

Burns responded after an off-duty officer working as a security officer at an Atlanta apartment complex called police dispatch to report a suspicious person, prosecutors have said.

When Burns arrived, he tried to block a 2011 silver Ford Fusion that was leaving the complex.

The Fusion, driven by Rogers, didn't try to hit the officer and Burns was standing at the rear of his patrol vehicle, authorities have said.

Deravis Caine Rogers (pictured), 22, was shot while he was in his car at an apartment complex in Atlanta

Burns (pictured) was also indicted on charges of aggravated assault, making a false statement and two counts of violation of oath of office in the June 22 killing

They also said Burns had no information describing Rogers as a threat and no way to identify Rogers as the man the off-duty officer had reported.

Atlanta police Chief George Turner (pictured) fired James Burns on July 1 after an internal investigation found the cop used 'unnecessary and excessive force'

But Burns fired one shot into the side of Rogers' vehicle, hitting Rogers in the head, prosecutors have said.

Atlanta police Chief George Turner fired Burns on July 1 after an internal investigation determined Burns used unnecessary and excessive force.

Rogers' mother Melva Rogers last month filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Burns, Turner and the city. Burns violated Rogers' civil rights by using excessive and deadly force and failing to grant him due process, the lawsuit says.

Community groups organized a 24-hour demonstration that started Tuesday evening outside the Fulton County courthouse to call for an indictment and to remember other people who have been killed by law officers in Georgia.

A few dozen were outside Wednesday during the grand jury proceeding.

Burns fired on Rogers' silver sedan (pictured) without knowing who was in it, much less if Rogers was the suspect Burns was pursuing, investigators said

Community groups organized a 24-hour demonstration that started Tuesday evening outside the Fulton County courthouse to call for an indictment

People who attended the 24-hour rally had signs featuring pictures of Deravis Caine Rogers (pictured)

Georgia police officers facing grand juries for use of deadly force have traditionally been allowed to sit in on the grand jury proceedings, along with their attorneys, and to make an unchallenged statement at the end.

That practice was unique to Georgia and drew broad criticism amid increasing scrutiny of police use of force nationwide.

State lawmakers this year passed a law limiting those special privileges.

Under the new law, which took effect July 1, officers can no longer sit in on the entire proceeding and, while they are still allowed to make a statement to grand jurors if they want, they now must answer questions from prosecutors and grand jurors.
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Imagine living on top of a vertical cliff at an altitude of over 5,500 feet (1,700 metres) and the only road you have are 720 mountain steps, this has been the life of residents at the Chinese village of Guoliang for over 600 years.

Despite the tough natural surroundings, resilient locals have carved a tunnel in the mountain with their bare hands in order to make contact with the outside world.

Guoliang Village, in central China's Henan Province, is in the limelight after the Chinese media turned their attention once again to the secluded community and the incredible 4,100-foot-long mountain passage chiselled by 13 man.

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Secluded: Guoliang village, perched on a vertical cliff in central China, is connected to the outside world with a stone tunnel

Dangerous: The 4,100-foot-long cliff-corridor was chiselled by 13 men with bare hands between the 1960s and 1970s

Hand-carved tunnel: It took the villagers five years to finish the tunnel, which is about 16 feet high and 13 feet wide

Incredible: Led by Shen Mingxin, the then head of the village, they sold goats and herbs to buy hammers and steel tools

The village, situated in the Taihang Mountains, has been home to a small group of farmers for more than six centuries, according to People's Daily Online.

Their only connection to the outside was a perilous near-vertical path that consisted of 720 stone steps on a 656-foot-tall cliff.

In order to improve their living conditions, 13 villagers decided to dig a tunnel through the rocky cliff underneath their village in late 1960s.

Led by Shen Mingxin, head of the village at the time, the team sold goats and herbs to buy hammers and steel tools.

It took the 13 men five years to finish the 4,100-foot-long (1,250 metres) tunnel, which is about 16 feet high (five metres) and 13 feet wide (four metres) and opened to the public in 1972.

Before the tunnel was completed, the village was connected to the outside with a perilous path consisted of 720 stone steps

Guoliang village and its awe-inspiring tunnel remained largely unknown until recently when the heat of tourism came

The village, situated in the Taihang Mountains, has been home to a small group of farmers for more than six centuries

As one of the most secluded communities in China, the village is reported to have 83 families with a total population of 329

Named the 'Cliff Corridor', the vital traffic channel was made to be wide enough to be driven along, during which time they used up more than 12 tons of drill rods and 4,000 hammers.

Guoliang village and its awe-inspiring stone tunnel remained largely unknown to the world until recently when the heat of tourism reached the village, said People's Daily Online.

In a report from May, 2015, hundreds of Chinese people were seen driving on the precarious stone corridor in order to see Guoliang, which has been dubbed 'China's most dangerous village'.

The large number of tourists even caused a traffic jam in the tunnel.

The 'Cliff Corridor' has 35 'windows' that were originally created to dispose of rock debris and to let in light and air, but these are now used as viewing posts for tourists.
Beijing and Shanghai, China's two largest cities, have banned residents from using electric scooters and Segways on roads amid safety concerns.

Traffic authorities in Beijing said violators will be fined 10 Yuan (1) starting on August 29; while the Shanghai police launched a crackdown last week on the popular modes of transport, reported the People's Daily Online.

Electric scooters and Segways are getting increasingly popular among residents in large Chinese cities as a way to cope with traffic congestion.

Fast and furious: Beijing and Shanghai ban residents from using electric scooters on roads

Scooters and Segways do not have rights to use public roads in China, according to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Road Traffic Safety.

The ban applies to two-wheeled scooters as well as one-wheeled self-balancing scooters.

Anyone who disobeys the law can be fined up to 50 Yuan (5.7).

One of the main concerns is safety.

The country's traffic authorities said electric scooters are fast and accident-prone while Segways are difficult to maneuver as they have no accelerators or brakes.

According to Beijing Daily, the city's consumers association had tested more than 20 brands of electric scooters and found most of their brakes did not meet the national standard of safety.

The test discovered that the braking distance of the electric scooters could be as far as 9.9 metres (32 feet).

Only one brand could come to a full stop in less than four metres (13 feet), which is the Chinese national standard.

In terms of Segways, they could take as long as nine seconds to stop after the riders lean backwards to slow down.

Dangerous: Traffic authorities said Segways are difficult to maneuver as they have no accelerators or brakes

The Beijing traffic authority launched a campaign at the beginning of August to prohibit residents from using the two transportation methods on roads.

A traffic policeman told Beijing Youth Daily: 'The one-wheel scooters can go as fast as 30kmh (18.6mph) and they don't have brakes. If they're used on motor vehicle lanes, it's very easy for them to crash into other vehicles and cause harm.

'Two-wheeled scooters can even go as fast as 60kmh (37mph). They're almost as fast as motorised vehicles but the design of their brakes can not compete with that of a motorised vehicle.'

Last week, the traffic authority in Shanghai launched a campaign on the city's busiest roads to catch electric scooter riders.
Avery Benjamin Barrett Best, 18, was unexpectedly called home Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016.

Avery was born in Plymouth, Ind., April 5, 1998, to Linda Lee Pratt and Danny William Best. He was baptized alongside his cousin, Anna, in the lake at his Uncle Daves home in Burr Oak, Mich. Avery was the youngest of two children. He and his brother had a unique experience growing up on a college campus from a young age.

Avery was very involved with the Boy Scouts of America and Hwa Rang Do and was very accomplished and invested in both. He earned his black belt in Tae Soo Do and graduated into Hwa Rang Do, earning his yellow sash and going on to instruct many training classes and students. In the Boy Scouts, Avery was a member of the Order of the Arrow; he achieved the rank of Life Scout and was in the process of working toward the highest and most prestigious achievement in Boy Scouts, the Eagle Scout rank.

Avery was repeatedly asked to serve on staff and eventually senior staff, at the annual National Youth Leadership Training (Grey Wolf) by the Northern Star Council in St. Paul; he served on the team there for multiple years in a variety of increasingly responsible roles. Averys service in both of these organizations, in addition to working as a lifeguard, exemplified Averys energetic and caring nature as a person, a leader, and his passion and willingness to help others.

He loved biking and camping with his family, and frequently traveling with them to Michigan, to spend time with family there. He also spent many summer days boating, fishing, and adventuring on Lake Altoona, with close family friends. Avery was confirmed at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, and was a member at the time of his passing at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Eau Claire.

Avery is survived by his parents, Linda Pratt of Eau Claire, and Danny Best of Mt. Dora, Fla.; his brother, Delaney (Danielle) Best of Eau Claire; half-sister, Connie Wilson; and half-brother, Nathan Best; as well as aunts and uncles in Alaska, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin; many cousins around the country; special cousins, Anna, Helen and Isaac; and many friends and mentors.

Avery was lovingly welcomed home by his Savior Jesus, as well as both sets of grandparents and other family members who were especially significant to him. Avery was loved and respected by many; he leaves a void that will only be filled when we see him again someday.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for memorial donations to the following charitable organizations: the Eau Claire County Humane Association, the Chippewa County Humane Association, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, or the Boy Scouts of America-Troop 124 in the Chippewa Valley Council or the Northern Star Council in St. Paul, Minn.

Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at Peace Church, 501 E. Fillmore Ave., Eau Claire, Wis., 54701. Pastor Tim Stein will officiate. Visitation will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at Peace Church. Visitation will continue from 10 a.m. until the time of service Saturday at the church. Committal services are pending.

Friends and family may offer condolences online at www.fullerspeckienhulke.com.

Fuller Speckien Hulke Funeral Home, 3209 Rudolph Road, Eau Claire, Wis., 54701, is assisting the family with the arrangements.
They are an iconic symbol of Australian wildlife that found fame as a frenetic cartoon character.

But in just two decades numbers of the ferocious Tasmanian devil have plummeted by around 85 per cent.

The muscular carnivorous marsupials have been devastated by a strange infectious cancer that has spread rapidly through their populations on the island.

But a new study has found Tasmanian devils are rapidly evolving resistance to the disease that could save them from dying out.

Tasmanian devils (pictured) have been devastated by a deadly facial tumour that is spread through their bites. The animals have seen their numbers plummet by 85 per cent in just 20 years. But a new discovery suggests they are now evolving resistance to the disease

THE TASMANIAN DEVIL Tasmanian devils are endangered, with many wiped out by a transmissible cancer discovered in the mid-1990s. Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) can spread rapidly through populations, transmitted by biting. It causes large lumps to form around the animal's mouth and head, making it hard for it to eat so that it eventually starves to death. Now another 'contagious' cancer has been found. Tasmanian devils live for up to five years in the wild and grow up to 31 inches (79cm) long and weigh as much as 26lbs (12kg). They are the world's largest carnivorous marsupial and got their name after early European settlers saw them baring their teeth, growling and fighting. The feisty mammals prey on snakes, birds, fish, and insects and frequently feast on dead animals - mainly during night-time. Advertisement

The discovery is giving new hope that the creatures could be saved from extinction.

But it could also help lead to new insights into human cancers and how they spread.

The researchers studied the DNA from more than 10,000 tissue samples taken from Tasmanian devils over the past 20 years to identify genetic changes that have occurred in populations as the disease spread.

They found seven genes that appear to play a role in cancer and directing the immune system to target harmful cells had become more common in populations where the infectious tumours were spreading.

Dr Andrew Storfer, an evolutionary geneticist at Washington State University who was one of the authors of the study, said the first hints they got that the animals were becoming immune was when some populations did not die out.

He said: 'Epidemiological models indicated some of these populations  the earliest infected  should already be extinct. But they are currently surviving.'

The researchers, whose study is published in the journal Nature Communications, found two small regions in the DNA in Tasmanian devils from three separate sites that have undergone intense selection in recent years.

They believe the increase in frequency of particular genetic variants in these regions suggests they were being driven by the occurrence of the disease.

Scientists first started noticing horrific facial tumours in Tasmanian devils (pictured) in 1996. These cancers can kill the animals within six months and are one of only two examples of an infectious cancer known in the world

The Tasmanian devil is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. Around the size of a small dog, they are notoriously aggressive and socialise by biting each other, which has led to the rapid spread of the infectious cancer

Five of the seven genes play a role in cancer or have immune functions in other mammals including humans.

Dr Storfer said while the findings increase hopes for the survival of the Tasmanian devil, which had been on the path to extinction, it could also provide insights into treating cancers in humans too.

He said: 'The broad implications gives us hope for the survival of the Tasmanian devil. They are evolving genes that may be associated with resistance to the disease.

The Tasmanian devil found worldwide fame after being portrayed by Warner Bros in its Loony Tunes cartoons (pictured)

'We are also interested in the implications in wildlife diseases in general and in human cancer.

'This disease moves from host to host, it is like a very long lived human tumour. It may give us insights into cancer remission and recurrence.'

Tasmanian devils with nasty looking facial tumours were first discovered on the island in 1996. The tumours often spread quicky across the body and killed the animals within six months.

The tumours often make it hard for animals to eat and they starve to death.

Strangely the tumours appear to be spread by the animals biting each other during their aggressive social interactions.

It meant that most devils died shortly after reaching sexual maturity, meaning they raise just one litter of pups instead of the normal six.

With a fatality rate of nearly 100 per cent, it caused populations levels of the animals to plummet.

In 2009 Professor Hamish McCallum, a biologist at Griffith University, predicted Tasmanian devils living in areas where the infection was circulating would have become extinct within seven years.

CANCER IS EVOLVING TOO Researchers from the Universities of Tasmania and Cambridge last year identified a new genetically distinct transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. The second cancer causes tumours on the face that are outwardly indistinguishable from the previously-discovered cancer. However, the scientists found that this devil's cancer carried different chromosomal rearrangements and was genetically distinct. So far it has been detected in eight devils in the south-east of Tasmania. Advertisement

Instead it appears the animals have undergone rapid evolution that has allowed them to become resistant to the disease within four to eight generations, according to the new research.

He said: 'Models I published seven years ago predicted that these populations should now be extinct.

'I am very glad that I was wrong  it appears that the devils are saving themselves through evolution.

'The results are surprising because rapid evolution requires pre-existing genetic variation and Tasmanian devils have low levels of genetic diversity.'

The researchers hope their findings can be used to develop new strategies to help increase resistance in captive populations of Tasmanian devils too.

Most cancers only spread within the animal they appear in and cannot be transmitted to other animals.

Facial tumours in Tasmanian devils and canine transmissible venereal cancer are the only known examples where cancer can be infectious.

Paul Hohenlohe, a genomicist at the University of Idaho who also took part in the study, said: 'There is a lot of concern for conservation of Tasmanian devils.

'An important part of our work is finding information that can inform management of both wild populations of devils and captive populations.
An array of the latest gadgets is set to be unveiled at one of Europes largest consumer technology shows in Berlin next week.

Companies including Sony, Samsung, LG and HTC will be in attendance at IFA 2016 to show off their latest products, in what is has been established as a barometer for the big tech items ahead of Christmas.

Consumers can expect to get their hands on the latest smartphones and wearable electronics, with virtual and augmented reality also expected to vie for the limelight.

Consumers can expect to get their hands on the latest smartphones and wearable gadgets at IFA in Berlin. Previous years have been dominated by smartphone and tablet releases. Pictured is Samsung's stand at the 2015 trade show

The annual consumer technology fair, which runs from 27 September, will see major launches from smartphone and smartwatch makers.

Samsung played its hand early, releasing its Note 7 and Gear VR headset ahead of IFA.

However, the South Korean firm it is expected to unveil the Gear S3 smartwatch ahead of the event  with a live stream of the announcement to be broadcast today at 1pm ET (5pm BST)  as well as a range of new TVs.

Chinas Huawei is looking to increase its reach into Europe with a follow-up to its Mate 8 smartphone.

The firm is also expected to release a new version of the Huawei Watch, which it launched at IFA 2015.

Acer launched a series of new laptops at the event today. The ultraslim Swift 7 (pictured) is less than 1cm thick, has an HD display and 7th generation Intel Core i5 processor

The Taiwanese firm also released a 21-inch gaming laptop. Acer claims the Predator 21x laptop is the first of its kind to incorporate a curved screen (pictured)

The annual event is seen as a barometer for the big tech items ahead of Christmas, as tech giants such as Sony, Samsung, LG and HTC showcase their latest range of phones, watches and wearable devices (pictured is Samsung's stand from last year's event)

Building on the success of its personal fitness trackers, Fitbit has revealed two new wearable devices which will be on show at IFA.

Consumers can also expect to see a range of new accessories designed to make the trackers more fashionable.

RUMOURS AND RELEASES FOR IFA 2016 Acer: Taiwanese firm Acer today released an ultraslim laptop, the Swift 7. Thinner than 1cm, it has an HD display and 7th generation Intel Core i5 processor. At the other end of the scale, it released the chunky 21-inch Predator 21x gaming laptop, which it claims is the first curved display with eye tracking technology. Other releases included the Pawbo+ gadget, enabling users to monitor their pets while they are away from home. Asus: Hardware firm Asus came out of the traps today with its ZenWatch3 smartwatch, powered by Android and with a round case. The Taiwanese firm also added a high end laptop - the ZenBook 3 - monitor and 9.7 inch Android tablet to its product line up. Fitbit: New wearable devices - the Flex 2 and Charge 2 - along with more fashionable bracelets are expected from the fitness tracking tech giant. Google: News could emerge around Google's Daydream VR, but a launch is unlikely. Huawei: Huawei is holding a pre-IFA launch event on Thursday 1st September. The Chinese manufacturer is expected to drop two new smartphone handsets at IFA, and potentially a new samartwatch as well. HTC: A new handset launch is likely on the cards for HTC in Berlin. The new handset would succeed the HTC One A9, which launched in Berlin last year. Lenovo/Motorola: Lenovo will hold a press event at 7PM BST this evening and is rumoured to be readying a number of Motorola handsets for release, including the Moto Z and Moto M. LG: South Korean electronics firm LG is expected to bring its new V20 smartphone to the event. The handset won't officially launch until 6th September, but is rumoured to be one of the first to be shipped with Android's latest Nougat OS. Sony: The Japanese consumer tech behemoth will hold a press event on Thursday 1st September at 12pm BST. New additions are expected to the Xperia smartphone range and laptops ZTE: The Chinese smartphone manufacturer could potentially release new handsets, but little is known at this stage. But all could be revealed at ZTE's press conference on Thursday 1st September at 1.30pm BST. Advertisement

Lenovo, which bought out Motorola in 2014, is expected to announce a new version of its Moto 360 smartwatch.

In addition, a range of news laptops and other tech goodies could make their first appearance at the show.

Android fans at the show will be the first to get their hands on the new LG V20 smartphone, expected to be one of the first to ship with the next version of Android's OS, 7.0 Nougat.

Asus launched its ZenWatch3 smartwatch at the Berlin technology show today

Sonys plans for IFA 2016 remain unclear, having already launched its latest line of Xperia smartphones already this year. Pictured is the Japanese firm's stand at IFA in 2015, where it showcased its range of high end smartphones

APPLE LAUNCH EVENT Apple has confirmed the date of its event where it is expected to unveil the iPhone 7. The event will be held in San Francisco, on September 7th, as the IFA wraps up in Berlin. The event and could also see the release of new MacBooks and a second generation Apple watch. Advertisement

Laptop manufacturer Acer is expected to bring a super slim laptop, while Asus is promising a 'Zenvolution', with details expected about its Zen smartphones and potentially even the release of a Zen smartwatch.

Sonys plans for IFA remain unclear, having already launched its latest line of Xperia smartphones.

But consumers are expected to get glimpse of everything from TVs to laptops from the Japanese firms huge range of consumer tech.

Rumours are circulating that a new high end smartphone could make an appearance, including the latest updates of the Xperia X and Z.

One firm noticeably absent from the Berlin event is Apple, which dodges consumer technology shows in favour of its own solo launches.
We've all at some point sat on a flight with a crying baby , wondering with each successive wail how much longer you can stand the sound.

But these piercing cries are designed to activate specific areas of our brains that means we want to take immediate action.

Writing in The Conversation Jordan Raine, a researcher in Human Non-verbal Vocalisations at University of Sussex, explains what exactly it is about a baby's cry that makes it so hard to ignore.

Crying evolved to have a specific impact on listeners. Plentiful research has shown these calls to specifically activate adults' brain regions important for attention and empathy (stock image used)

Crying is a primitive behaviour shared across mammals, whose governing mechanisms are rooted in the evolutionarily ancient brain stem.

Infant rats, cats, and humans have all been shown to be able to cry even when the forebrain, which evolved much later, is absent.

Indeed, the cries of many human and non-human mammal infants are highly similar in both acoustic structure and in the contexts in which they occur  across the mammal kingdom, infants cry primarily when they're hungry, when they're in pain, and when they're alone.

But why cry? As is the case with any primal vocalisation, crying evolved to have a specific impact on listeners.

Plentiful research has shown these calls to specifically activate adults' brain regions important for attention and empathy.

This makes them highly effective at grabbing the attention of caregivers and orienting them to provide company, safety, food, or comfort.

While research is in its early stages, oxytocin  popularly termed the 'love hormone' and central to the fostering of social bonds  seems to be at the neurochemical heart of this attention-grabbing behaviour.

Infant distress results in reduced oxytocin and opioid levels, and evidence suggests that this then triggers and escalates crying.

When a mother hears these cries, this in turn causes an increase in her oxytocin levels and encourages care-giving behaviour (stock image used)

When a mother hears these cries, this in turn causes an increase in her oxytocin levels and encourages care-giving behaviour.

What little we know about father-infant bonding suggests a similar role for oxytocin.

Additionally, cries cause a dip in testosterone in empathetic men, facilitating nurturing behaviour.

BABIES CRY IN THEIR MOTHER TONGUE Young children pick up the languages and accents spoken by their parents when they start learning to talk. But it appears the language spoken by a mother can also affect how her baby cries. Scientists have discovered that the very first cry of newborn babies carry the imprint of the way their mother speaks. They found that a child's cry will be more melodic if their mother speaks a tonal language  one where a sound pronounced at either a high or low pitch can have different meanings. Examples of tonal languages include Mandarin, spoken in China, Vietnamese, Thai and Lamnso, the language of the Nso from northwest Cameroon. These languages require much greater vocal dexterity to speak clearly. Professor Kathleen Wermke, head of the centre for pre-speech development at the University of Wurzburg who led the study, said the findings suggest early language learning begins in the womb. She said: 'The crying of neonates whose mothers speak a tonal language is characterised by a significantly higher melodic variation as compared to - for example - German neonates. 'Their crying sounds more like chanting.' Advertisement

In fact, oxytocin may even amplify the brain's response to cries, making us more likely to hear them and respond appropriately.

Finally, when social contact is established, this stimulates oxytocin release in the infant, and crying behaviour ceases. Sometimes.

Pitch is certainly important in drawing a response from caregivers  species of deer only come running to isolation cries possessing a pitch within a species-specific frequency range.

But this frequency range is actually surprisingly wide  deer will respond to the cries of infant seals, cats, and humans, and even bats and marmots if the pitch of the call is manipulated to fall within that frequency range.

The response of deer to other species from which their evolutionary lineage diverged as much as 90 million years ago isn't as amazing as you might first think though  it really just illuminates our shared ancient history.

Mammals all descended from the same common ancestor, so the mammalian larynx is remarkably similar across species until puberty.

Before that point, there is no evolutionary reason for any mammal to differentiate their voices from any other.

This similarity in calls affects the approach of caregivers.

Many distress calls occur before mothers have had time to learn the specific vocal signature of their offspring through contact calls.

With the succession of your genes possibly at stake, it therefore makes sense to respond to any cry that vaguely resembles your child.

This and the substantial variationwithin members of the same species in cry pitch have oriented cries towards casting as wide a net of influence as possible.

While we can distinguish cries from other vocalisations, we're pretty bad at identifying the specific motivation behind a cry without accompanying contextual information  perhaps because there don't appear to be reliable acoustic differences between pained howls, hungry whines, and lonely wails.

What is represented, however, is the level of distress.

As urgency increases, so do the maximum pitch and loudness, while the pause length between cries decreases.

In addition, more of the sound wave's energy becomes concentrated in higher frequencies, towards the range where both adult hearing is most sensitive, and where sound diminishes least rapidly in the environment.

Across cultures, we use these same acoustic attributes to accurately track distress, and this influences the urgency of our responses.

What really puts paid to ignorance, though, is unpredictability.

Studies show that when babies are really distressed, their cries start to deviate from their predictable, tonal quality.

So now the next time you hear one of those delightful cries for help, you'll understand a little better how it's piercing its way into your brain, and just how deeply your discomfort is hardwired into you by evolution.
The size of the human brain is often used to explain how our species evolved into intelligent beings capable of outwitting other members of the animal kingdom.

But it seems we may not simply owe our intelligence to a growth in grey matter in our ancestors hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Instead, it is was a shift in the way our brains got fuel that led to our species evolving the ability to learn and use complex thinking, according to new research.

Brain size has been used as a rough indicator of human intelligence but new research examined blood flow to the brain to look at how much energy our ancestors (early human skulls pictured) brains used. It is six times higher in our own species than in our ancestors

SCHIZOPHRENIA IS A BY-PRODUCT OF OUR BRAINS Schizophrenia may have emerged after modern humans split off from our evolutionary cousins, the Neanderthals. The debilitating condition has been carried with us in our genes for thousands of years, despite the damage it causes to affected individuals. A recent study comparing genetic markers between humans and Neanderthals revealed a link between risk factors for the condition and human evolution. It suggests the condition may be a by-product of creative thinking and language. Today, schizophrenia may affect as much as one per cent of the worlds population, bringing with it hallucinations, delusions and disruption to the thought process. While the condition is known to have strong genetic and environmental roots, its exact cause remains unknown. From an evolutionary point of view, the mystery of why it has persisted for so long deepens. As schizophrenia severely affects thought processes and behaviour it can lower a persons chances to reproduce, and passing their genes  and the risk factors  onto the next generation. But the team of Norwegian researchers behind the latest study believes the condition arose as a side effect of becoming human. Advertisement

Scientists have calculated how blood flowing to the brain of human ancestors changed over time.

They say this reflects changes in metabolism in the human brain as it restructured itself to cope with our increasingly complex and social lifestyles.

It has allowed scientist to track the increase in human intelligence through time and estimate the intellectual abilities of our early ancestors.

Professor Roger Seymour, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Adelaide, said: 'Brain size has increased about 350 per cent over human evolution, but we found that blood flow to the brain increased an amazing 600 per cent.

'We believe this is possibly related to the brain's need to satisfy increasingly energetic connections between nerve cells that allowed the evolution of complex thinking and learning. 'To allow our brain to be so intelligent, it must be constantly fed oxygen and nutrients from the blood.'

The researchers looked at the size of two holes at the base of the skull in early human fossils.

These holes were where major arteries leading into the brain passed.

They found that over time the holes increase in size from around three million years ago when Australopithecus was roaming in Africa.

Estimating the intelligence of human ancestors has been difficult in the past and has relied on rough calculations of brain volume.

However, this does not always give an accurate answer as some animals have quite large brains for their size.

Dolphins and some whales, for example, have larger brains compared to their body size than humans.

The new study, which is published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, shows that early humans like Australopithecus africanus and Australopithecus afarensis - which includes the famous Lucy fossil  had relatively low levels of blood flow to the brain compared to brain size.

The researchers found there has been a 600 per cent increase in the blood flow rate during the course of human evolution (illustrated). It suggests restructuring of the human brain led to an increase in its energy requirements and this was tied to the evolution of human intelligence

The researchers looked at the size of two holes in the skull through which the major arteries carried blood to the brain (pictured). By looking at fossil skulls from early human ancestors, they found these holes increased in size as humans evolved

Homo habilis and the recently discovered Homo naledi also appeared to have similar levels of blood flow to brain size, indicating they had similar levels of intelligence.

However, human intelligence appears to have taken a dramatic jump in Homo erectus, which then increased further in later human species like Neanderthals and finally Homo sapiens.

Dr Edward Snelling, co-author of the study at the University of the Witwatersrand, said: 'The intensity of brain activity was, before now, believed to have been taken to the grave with our ancestors.

'Ancient fossil skulls from Africa reveal holes where the arteries supplying the brain passed through.

'The size of these holes show how blood flow increased from three million-year-old Australopithecus to modern humans.'

The researchers say looking at blood flow into the brain can help researchers estimate the intelligence of early human ancestors (illustrated)

Vanya Bosiocic, another author in the study, added: 'Throughout evolution, the advance in our brain function appears to be related to the longer time it takes for us to grow out of childhood.

'It is also connected to family cooperation in hunting, defending territory and looking after our young.
The particles have been analysed by MIDAS - a space-

For the first time, the Rosetta probe has collected pristine samples of dust from comet 67P.

Researchers have found that these fluffy particles are essentially a pile of smaller grains loosely stucktogether,

Astronomers hope that by studying the structure of this dust in more detail, they could shed more light about how the early solar system formed.

Scroll down for video

For the first time, the Rosetta probe has collected pristine samples of dust from comet 67P (pictured). Researchers have found that these fluffy particles are essentially a pile of smaller grains loosely aggregated together

DID LIFE START ON A COMET? Two key building blocks of life have been discovered by a European spacecraft orbiting a comet. The Rosetta probe found clear evidence of the amino acid glycine, a basic component of proteins, and the mineral phosphorus, which helps build DNA on the comet it is orbiting. While simple organic molecules had already been found around the comet, this is the first time Comet 67P has yielded elements essential to the origin of life on Earth. Advertisement

Since the birth of the solar system, comets have stored material in an almost pristine state.

This means that comets offer a rare opportunity to observe the microstructure of unspoiled dust particles, which have not been observed until now.

Researchers from the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria used the Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System (MIDAS) on board the Rosetta space probe.

MIDAS was able to analyse the size, shape, texture and microstructure of cometary dust from comet 67P, which was collected between November 2014 and February 2015.

The particles were a range of sizes, with some measuring 10 micrometres (left) and others smaller at just five micrometres

Rosetta is carrying an array of instruments that have helped it monitor the comet for the past two years. This includes MIDAS which was used to assess the particles on the planet

The results showed that the particles ranged in size from tens of micrometres, to only a few hundreds of a nanometre.

They are not yet sure how large those aggregates can grow.

However, some dust balls with this structure can grow to b 3.3 feet wide, researchers claim.

The European Space Agency believe such objects could have created early planetesmials and go on to create the solar system's planets and comets.

Dr Mark Bentley, who led the study, told MailOnline: 'Until now we were never able to measure the properties of single grains with such high resolution.

'Even the largest dust particle we present is smaller than a human hair, and the smallest is roughly the size of a bacterium.'

The Rosetta spacecraft and comet 67P are currently racing away from the Sun and are around 367 million miles from Earth, somewhere between Mars and Jupiter (illustrated above)

Last week, a dramatic landslide threw out a huge ball of dust and gas from the comet. The burst of material flung out by the landslide caused the comet to suddenly become six times brighter

The researchers say their findings support the idea that such particles could represent a fraction of the building blocks of comets.

Last week, a dramatic landslide threw out a huge ball of dust and gas from the comet.

The burst of material flung out by the landslide caused the comet to suddenly become six times brighter.

It has provided scientists with an important glimpse of the geological activity that is shaping the icy duck-shaped object and the trail of dust it leaves in its wake.
Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine now has three real-life rivals after astronomers discovered a trio of giant planets orbiting a pair of stellar 'twins' that resemble our sun.

The unusual twin stars, named HD 133121A and HD 133131B, were found to circle each other at an extremely close distance  just 33.5 billion miles apart.

This is around a third of the distance of other binary star systems, yet this close knit pair still manage to host three giant planets in orbit around them.

A pair of stellar twins similar to our sun have been discovered to have three giant planets in orbit around them (illustrated). The two stars orbit each other at a distance of 33.5 billion miles, or 360 Astronomical Units (AU), which is much closer than other binary stars

HD 133121A has two planets  one around 1.5 times the size of Jupiter and another half the size of Jupiter  both of which orbit it in an unusual eccentric elliptical way.

STRANGER THAN STAR WARS When the science fiction hit Star Wars hit cinemas, the alien world of Tatooine with its two suns was a work of fiction. But in recent years astronomers have discovered many planets in orbit around so-called 'binary stars'. Perhaps the weirdest to be found, however, are planets that are scorched by three suns. One found earlier this year, named HD 131399Ab, is one of the coldest of these triple star planets, but still has a temperature of 1,070F (580C). It is four times the mass of Jupiter and sits 340 light years from Earth. Advertisement

Its twin hosts a third planet that is 2.5 times the mass of Jupiter.

With two suns orbiting each other at such a close distance, the planets are likely to be scorched worlds.

Finding such large planets is also extremely rare but to make it even stranger, the gravity of the giant planets appear to have warped the solar system so it is misaligned and the smaller planets orbit at a tilt of up to 45 degrees to the plain of the stars.

Astronomers studying the strange solar system believe it could help to reveal how large planets like Jupiter can influence the structure of planetary systems.

Dr Johanna Teske, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC, said it could help to unravel why our solar system looks the say it does.

She said: 'We are trying to figure out if giant planets like Jupiter often have long and, or eccentric orbits.

'If this is the case, it would be an important clue to figuring out the process by which our Solar System formed, and might help us understand where habitable planets are likely to be found.'

The concept of planets with twin suns was first raised in the public consciousness with the original Star Wars film, where Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine had been turned to a desert world by the heat of the suns.

In the film Star Wars, Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine is depicted as a desert world with two suns (pictured). The new star system, however, has three planets

STAR WARS-LIKE PLANETS AND MOONS Planet or moon Star Wars analog Saturn's moon, Mimas Death Star Kepler-452 Coruscant Uranus and Neptune Bespin Kepler-16b and Kepler 1647 b Tatooine OGLE-2005-BLG-390 Hoth Kepler-22b Kamino Kepler-10b and Kepler-78b Mustafar

While it is not yet possible to tell what the planets surrounding HD 133121A and HD 133121B are like, they are likely to have long hours of daylight and be hot.

Analysis of the stars, which were spotted using the Planet Finder Spectrograph on the Magellan Clay Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, has also shown that they are unusually low in metallic elements like iron.

Despite being old for stars, around 9.5 billion years old, they are mainly composed of hydrogen and helium.

Just six other metal-poor binary star systems with exoplanets have been found.

While the conditions of the planets orbiting HD 133121A and HD 133131B are not yet known, they could give astronomers new insights into how large planets like Jupiter influence their neighbouring planets (stock artist's impression of planet in a binary star system)

Dr Teske, whose findings are to be published in The Astronomical Journal, said that surprisingly the stars also seem to have slightly different chemical compositions, making them the stellar equivalent of fraternal twins.

She said one of the stars could have swallowed some baby planets early in its life, changing its composition slightly.

Alternatively the gravitational forces of the giant planets may have flung these smaller planets towards the star.

'The probability of finding a system with all these components was extremely small, so these results will serve as an important benchmark for understanding planet formation, especially in binary systems,' said Dr Teske.
will not release location until all the property is purchased

The battlefield spans 12 acres and is currently owned by three people

found artifacts and memoirs that led them to the

It was a bloody battle credited with boosting American confidence in their war against the British.

Archaeologists have discovered the site of the Battle of Grays Hill at Port Royal Island, South Carolina.

The 1779 skirmish saw the area littered with cannonballs - which eventually gave away its exact location.

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It was 1779, Savannah had fallen to the British who were campaigning to secure the south and Port Royal Island, South Carolina was listed as their next conquest. The encounter between the British troops and American rebels at the sea island is vaguely depicted on a roadside marker and although not a significant victory, it gave Americans an 'arm of confidence' when morale was low

HOW WAS THE SITE FOUND? Archaeologists combed the area where they believed the Battle of Grays took place with metal detectors and found a treasure trove of artifacts. The team discovered fired and dropped cannonballs, which they mapped with GPS. This allowed them to draw a geometric line back to the position of where we could predict the American artillery sitting. Historical documents that included Moultrie's memoirs were also found that described the location of the American rebels. Using all of these clues, archaeologists were able to piece together the location of the Battle of Grays Hill. Advertisement

The battle between the British troops and American rebels at the sea island is vaguely depicted on a roadside marker and although not a significant victory, it gave Americans an 'arm of confidence' when morale was low.

Now, using metal detectors, archaeologists have found artifacts and memoirs in the area that helped them piece together the exact location where the bloody Battle of Grays Hill took place.

The roadside marker along US 21 leaves room for mystery, as it generalizes the location where some 48 soldiers were killed, reports The Beaufort Gazette.

'Near the old halfway house in the vicinity of Grays Hill, on February 3, 1779, a force of South Carolina militia, continentals, and volunteers, including men from Beaufort, under General William Moultrie, defeated the British in their attempt to capture Port Royal Island,' reads the historical plaque that sits just north of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

Although historians and archaeologists have speculations about the exact location, it wasn't until two researchers combed the area with metal detectors and found artifacts that told the story of the soldiers' positions.

'I started wondering why there wasn't more written about it  Beaufort is proud of the history,' Daniel Battle, a conflict archaeologist involved in the project told Bluffton Today.

Although historians and archaeologists have speculated the exact location, it wasn't until two researchers combed the area with metal detectors and found artifacts that told the story of the soldiers' positions. Pictured is the area, not exact location, of where the battle took place

'I started saying, 'This is unbelievable that nothing is being done about a fairly significant Revolutionary War battleI made it my personal mission to find out where it was.'

The Battle of Grays Hills, or Battle of Port Royal Island, was not a significant victory for the American rebels, however it occurred after the south lost Savannah to the British and morale was low.

Using, archaeologists have found artifacts (such as the cannonballs in this picture) and memoirs in the area that helped them piece together the exact location where the Battle of Grays Hill took place

This battle raised the patriots' spirits, as it proved these green South Caroline militia forces could stand up to the trained soldiers of the largest army on the planet.

'This kind of gave a shot in the Americans' arm of confidence,' Battle said.

'It was not a strategically important battle, but it was definitely something the Americans needed very badly psychologically.'

The story began when 200 British soldiers (red) were sent to the small town of Beaufort on Port Royal Island under the leadership of General William Gardner. The two forces met on February 3, 1779 near the highest point of the island called Gray's Hill. The blue lines represent the American rebels

After 45 minutes of fighting, the Americans were forced to retreat due to a lack of ammo. However, Moultrie heard that Gardner and his men pulled back not much later after realizing conquering the island had turned into an impossible feat (red is the British and blue is the patriots)

The story began when 200 British soldiers were sent to the small town of Beaufort on Port Royal Island under the leadership of General William Gardner.

South Carolina's Brigadier General William Moultrie was sent with 300 men to confront the assault.

General William Moultrie (pictured) led the South Carolina militia into victory against the British in 1776

The two forces met on February 3, 1779 near the highest point of the island called Gray's Hill and after 45 minutes of fighting, the Americans were forced to retreat due to a lack of ammo.

However, Moultrie heard that Gardner and his men pulled back not much later after realizing conquering the island had turned into an impossible feat.

A pursuit was ordered by Moultrie, and several British soldiers were captured as they fled to their boats and left the island.

In the end, the British lost several dozen men, while the Americans had only 8 killed.

After searching the 12 acres which the battlefield covers, Battle and his colleague John Allison found fired and dropped cannonballs, which they mapped with GPS.

Historical documents that included Moultrie's memoirs about the location of his troops were also discovered.

'We started finding these large amounts of artillery  leaded shot  it was in patterns that we could literally look at patterns forming on the ground from this shot said Battle.

After searching the 12 acres which the battlefield covers, Battle and his colleague John Allison found fired and dropped cannonballs (pictured), which they mapped with GPS

The Battle of Grays Hill is one of more than 250 battles that took place during the Revolutionary War in South Carolina  more than any other in the US. Pictured is archaeologist Daniel Battle as he surveys the area for clues of the Battle of Grays Hill

'We could draw a geometric line back to the position of where we could predict the American artillery sitting,'

The Battle of Grays Hill is one of more than 250 battles that took place during the Revolutionary War in South Carolina  more than any other in the US.

The Battleground Preservation Trust in the state plans to preserve 60 of those sites.
The European Southern Observatory made an announcement this week that could change life as we know it  a second Earth was found orbiting the Proxima Centauri star system.

Now, the discovery of Proxima b has reopened a theory from the 1950s that suggests it is home to eight-foot humanoids known as Cenos aliens who have been visiting Earth for centuries.

This bizarre story comes from psychologists who claimed they spoke with a lovable and childlike being that had eight hands and a body structure similar to a praying mantis known as Hands.

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This bizarre story comes from psychologists who claimed they spoke with a lovable and childlike being that had eight hands and a body structure similar to a praying mantis known as Hands, which was claimed to have been spotted in Taiwan in 2012 (picture form news station)

WHAT ARE CENOS ALIENS? With the recent discovery of Proxima b, alien hunters are revisiting a conspiracy theory from 1957. California psychologists claim the were visiting by an 'alien entity' that used a woman under hypnosis to reveal himself. Called 'Hands', this humanoid told the team he a Cenos alien which are 8 feet tall with multiple hearts that are five times stronger than the normal humans. They s do not need sleep nor do they suffer from diseases and they can live up to 120 years. This creature claimed to be from the Alpha Centauri star system and is a lovable and childlike, but huge, being with a dome-shaped body and eight hands, with an intelligence that was perhaps somewhere between that of a human and a dog, according to the book Hands: The True Account  A Hypnotic Subject Reports on Outer Space, which was written by two of the psychologists. Advertisement

Thousands of exoplanets have been discovered before, but unlike the others, Proxima b is only four light years, or 25 trillion miles, away.

The red dwarf star it orbits is part of the star system Alpha Centauri, which consists of Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B and Proxima Centauri.

Now, alien hunters and Martian researchers alike are buzzing about the latest astronomical find, reports The Inquisitr.

Members of this community are revisiting the tale of the Cenos aliens from the Proxima Centauri star system that have not only been coming earth for thousands of years, but may also be living among us.

This comes from an alleged confession of an alien from the Alpha Centauri star system that was known as Hands.

It is said that Hands used a woman under hypnosis to reveal himself as an alien to a team of California psychologists in 1957.

This creature claimed to be from the Alpha Centauri star system and is a lovable and childlike, but huge, being with a dome-shaped body and eight hands, with an intelligence that was perhaps somewhere between that of a human and a dog, according to the book Hands: The True Account  A Hypnotic Subject Reports on Outer Space, which was written by two of the psychologists.

Hands also explained that he and the rest of the 8-foot humanoids had multiple hearts that are five times stronger than the normal humans.

Cenos aliens do not need sleep nor do they suffer from diseases and they can live up to 120 years.

Members of this community are revisiting the tale of the Cenos aliens from the Proxima Centauri star system that have not only been coming earth for thousands of years. It is claimed the creatures have eight hands (Picture shows what is said to be a Cenos aliens)

It is said that Hands used a woman under hypnosis to reveal himself as an alien to a team of California psychologists in 1957. The highlighted section depicts what some say resembles a praying mantis

The book also describes spaceship these creatures used for travel that look similar to a spinning tape recorder, which they used to visit Earth during World War II, and to help earthlings build the Sphinx, Mayan pyramids and other puzzling monuments on our planet.

One of the most recent sightings occurred in 2012 when police officers were near the Jaiming Lake at the city of Taitung in Tawian and captured an image of what they say could be an alien being.

The Taiwan UFOlogy Society (TUFOS) made a public statement that the photo appears to be a large alien creature, with a transparent body and webbed hands, walking in the distance, Taipei Times reported.

The European Southern Observatory made an announcement this week that could change life as we know it  a second Earth was found orbiting the Proxima Centauri star system. The discovery of Proxima b has reopened a theory from the 1950s that suggests it is home to eight-foot humanoids known as Cenos aliens, who have been vising Earth for centuries

WHAT MAKES PROXIMA B SO UNIQUE Distance: This is the closest Earth-like planet we could ever find. Orbiting our nearest star, the planet is only four light years away. Missions to send spacecraft to the planet to examine for signs of life are already in planning, and could happen within decades. Composition: The planet is rocky and a similar size to Earth. Temperature: It lies in the 'habitable zone' of its star, which means there could be liquid water on its surface - a key ingredient for alien life. The temperature on the surface of the planet could be between -90 and 30 Celsius (-130 and 86 Fahrenheit). Atmosphere: If Proxima b has an atmosphere, the simple ingredients - water, carbon dioxide, and rock - that are needed for the formation of biochemical cycles that we call life, could all be present and interacting on the planet's surface. Advertisement

Huang Chao-ming, chairman of TUFOS, said police gave them the photo that was snapped with an iPhone 4 in order for the group to examine it further.

TUFOS spent a year determining whether the photo was in fact genuine, as the close-up image shows double exposure lines at the bottom.

They have used mobile phone technology, computer imagery and camera photography to study the photo, but have yet to confirm its authenticity.

Cenos aliens visited Earth during World War II, and to help earthlings build the Sphinx, Mayan pyramids and other puzzling monuments on our planet. One of the most recent sightings occurred in 2012 when police officers were near the Jaiming Lake at the city of Taitung in Tawian and captured an image (pictured) of what they say could be an alien being

TUFOS spent a year determining whether the photo was in fact genuine, as the close-up image shows double exposure lines at the bottom. They have used mobile phone technology, computer imagery and camera photography to study the photo, but have yet to confirm its authenticity

Scott C Waring from UFO Sightings Daily picked up the sighting in 2013 saying, Experts at TUFOS are stating that it is real and that it is 250 cm tall, has a head of a praying mantis and is looking directly at the person taking the photos, he writes in the blog.

Locals in the city of Taitung are saying they believe the small round lakes to be an entrance to an underground alien base.
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It is a voyage explorers only dreamed of not so long ago but thanks to climate change, a luxury cruise ship is sailing through the once impassable Northwest Passage.

Crystal Serenity, which set off from Seward, Alaska on August 16 with nearly 1,000 passengers, is scheduled to dock in New York on September 17.

The pioneering month-long trip, which is bringing mass tourism to the remote Arctic regions for the first time, cost passengers up to $120,000 (91,401). But while on board, everything is included and guests have the opportunity to take helicopter excursions and enjoy polar bear and whale watching.

Thanks to climate change, luxury cruise ship Crystal Serenity has undertaken a pioneering journey that will see it sail through the once impassable Northwest Passage

The group spotted their first polar bear (pictured) on August 30 on a floe just off the coast of Cambridge Bay

Passengers on the cruise will have a luxury all-inclusive experience. Above, the penthouse suite on Crystal Serenity

FACILITIES ON BOARD Four restaurants

Two swimming pools

13 lounges and bars

Crystal spa

Casino

Dolby surround sound cinema

Sports area with golfing facilities

Tennis courts Advertisement

The ship made its last Alaska port call on Sunday, stopping in the remote town of Nome, before heading further north.

It's accompanied on the journey by the RRS Ernest Shackleton, a British supply and icebreaking vessel.

The voyage marks the first time a passenger ship this size has sailed the storied Northwest Passage where warmer temperatures and melting ice are opening the Arctic, one of the most pristine places on Earth, for business.

Passengers on board the $350million (266million) vessel paid between $22,000 (16,757) and $120,000 (91,401) for the journey, which took three years of planning and preparation to avoid any mishaps, including a repeat of the Titanic.

Guests were also required to purchase $50,000 (38,084) in emergency evacuation insurance in order to cruise through the Northwest Passage, which was once an unnavigable shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The ship made its last Alaska port call on Sunday. Above, the vessel arriving in Ulukhaktok near the beginning of the trip

The group spotted their first block of Arctic ice on August 23. The blue-tinged mass was seen as the vessel approached Beaufort Sea

At Ulukhaktok, on August 28, the travellers met some of the locals living in the remote region (pictured)

Passengers on board the $350million (266million) vessel paid between $22,000 (16,757) and $120,000 (91,401) for the once in a life time experience

The Crystal Serenity, which set off from Seward, Alaska on August 16, is scheduled to dock in New York on September 17. Above, the route it will take

The Crystal Serenity is expected to reach the northwest territories on Friday and complete the Arctic leg of its journey by September 4 before heading to Greenland and finally New York.

Crystal's CEO and president, Edie Rodriguez, said in a statement: 'Every aspect of this voyage is literally unparalleled in the luxury cruise industry, and nearly the entire travel industry as well.

'It is a tremendous undertaking to embark on such a historic journey, but also an honor for us to be able to offer the world's most discerning travellers the opportunity to experience a region of the world that so few others have or ever will.'

He said guests on the 820-ft (250-meter), 13-deck vessel can enjoy a slew of activities, including helicopter flights over glaciers as well as polar bear and other wildlife sightings.

Above, one of the two swimming pools on board the vessel, pictured in warmer weather. One of the swimming pools has a retractable glass roof

As well as enjoying the dining and leisure options on board, the excursions include helicopter flights and wildlife watching

For those looking for a spot of relaxation, there's also spa facilities on board the ship

Passengers also access a fitness centre, a spa, swimming pools, restaurants and luxury shops on board.

But not everyone is hailing the high-profile voyage, with critics lashing out at Crystal Cruises and accusing the company of capitalizing on the destruction of the planet.

An article in the online current affairs magazine Slate offered a scathing review, describing the cruise as yet another example of a consumption-driven society that will stop at nothing.

There are four restaurants on board - all of which are part of the all-inclusive offer. Pictured is the sushi bar

Above, the Tastes restaurant, which features four 'living walls' and serves a variety of cuisines

Elena Agarkova, senior program officer for the World Wildlife Fund, acknowledged that Crystal Cruises had taken measures to offset the environmental impact of the Serenity's voyage, including not using heavy fuel oil and discharging waste water at least 12 nautical miles from shore.

But she said there were still concerns about safety and protecting wildlife as well as the region's diverse indigenous communities.

Agarkova told AFP: 'This voyage is symbolic of the rapid changes happening in the Arctic.

'Today, we do not have the right rules in place needed to reduce risks to wildlife and people, nor the capacity needed to respond to accidents.'

The Northwest Passage had once been impassable due to the amount of ice in the area

She said that as climate change accelerates and Arctic shipping and leisure travel grows, governments individually and collectively must match that pace in managing the region.

Agarkova noted: 'Cruise ships of the size of the Crystal Serenity are essentially huge cities.

'They are going to have some 1,700 passengers, including crew, on board and they are going to be discharging thousands of gallons of sewage and graywater as they sail through the Arctic waters.'

Agarkova said although the waste will be dumped away from shore, it will still be going into the Arctic ecosystem on a daily basis.

She added: 'And of course the more ships that we have, the more impact and the more waste will be in these right now relatively pristine areas.

'I find it ironic that one of the biggest selling points of these voyages is to see Arctic wildlife and to see the last frontier.
A letter sent by a tourist to a couple in Iceland has managed to arrive at the correct destination, despite the sender drawing a makeshift map instead of using the address.

The holidaymaker had visited the farm in Buardalur, west Iceland, during their trip to the country but hadn't made a note of the address.

So on their way home, they posted an envelope in Reykjavik with a rough location of the farm in the town.

A letter sent by a tourist to a couple in Iceland arrived at the correct destination, despite the sender drawing a makeshift map instead of using the address

It also carried a brief description of the family that lived at the property.

As well as a rough drawing of some buildings and a few roads, some written details explained some crude details in the village, which sits in the remote Hvammsfjorur area.

They said: 'A horse farm with an Icelandic/Danish couple and three kids and a lot of sheep.

They added as an afterthought: 'The Danish woman works in a supermarket in Buardalur.'

Incredibly, the Icelandic postal service managed to decipher the directions and the letter was delivered earlier this year.

It seems that Iceland's posties aren't the only ones going above and beyond the call of duty though, when a Redditor called Jidoen shared the picture of the letter online, others were quick to share their own experiences.

The village of Buardalur is found in the Hvammsfjorur fjord region - a remote area in west Iceland

One Australian software worker who calls themselves Silly said: ' I used to work at an ISP, and I asked a customer to send us some info to our support address, s*****@ispname.com.au.

'They wrote the info out on paper, put it in an envelope, wrote the email address on it and posted it. It arrived.'

Another called Davin900 added: 'My Irish friend sent his mom a letter addressed simply to her name (very common Irish name) and her county.

'He did it as a joke to illustrate how much Ireland can be like a small town.
New York is said the be one of the most photographed destinations in the world but one man has managed to take a picture of the city like you've never seen before.

Thanks to a 360-degree camera, the British tourist, currently living in Vancouver, took a vertigo-inducing shot from the top of the 1,250ft (381metre) building.

In the image, the young man smiles at the lens with his hand poked through the railings holding the camera.

A British tourist took this vertigo-inducing shot from the top of the Empire State Building using a 360 degree camera

The technology of the 360-degree camera allows the viewer to then see all of the surrounding area, including the huge drop to the floor below.

Thanks to the rainy weather, there are also several clouds surrounding the top of the tower, which adds to the surreal effect of the picture, that was posted on Reddit by BritInBC.

360-degree cameras create completely panoramic images, using either one or multiple lenses.

The picture can be taken with just one snap, instead of the traditional method of moving slowly along a straight horizon line to capture the footage.
Kate Beckinsale commemorated her 17-year-old daughter Lily's final first day of school with a cute before/after snap on Monday.

'First first day of school/last first day of school,' the 43-year-old actress wrote to her 381K followers.

'Love you so much @lily_beckinsale!'

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Senior year! Kate Beckinsale commemorated her 17-year-old daughter Lily's final first day of school with a cute before/after snap on Monday

The high school senior - who uses her mother's last name on Instagram - reportedly attends a school for gifted children.

It was similar to the SAG Award nominee's May 17 post in which she, Lily, and her ex-partner Michael Sheen hilariously recreated a snap from her 1999 birth.

Beckinsale frequently shares milestones like when the London-born teenager got behind the wheel for the first time on August 22.

'I've never had anything spring out of my uterus and drive me around before,' Kate - born Kathrin - joked. 'I need a second. @lily_beckinsale.'

'Always a baby to me': It was similar to the 43-year-old actress' May 17 post in which she, Lily, and her ex-partner Michael Sheen hilariously recreated a snap from her 1999 birth

'I need a second': The SAG Award nominee frequently shares milestones like when the London-born teenager got behind the wheel for the first time on August 22

'We like to start ass whooping training as early as possible': It's been a decade since Lily played the younger version of Selene alongside her famous parents in Underworld: Evolution

Following in their footsteps: The nepotistically-privileged brunette (L) also acted alongside Beckinsale in the 2006 comedy Click as well as the 2009 drama Everybody's Fine starring Robert De Niro (M)

It's been a decade since Lily played the younger version of Selene alongside her famous parents in Underworld: Evolution.

'In England we like to start ass whooping training as early as possible #tbt,' the British beauty joked last Thursday.

The nepotistically-privileged brunette also acted alongside Beckinsale in the 2006 comedy Click as well as the 2009 drama Everybody's Fine starring Robert De Niro.

The Love & Friendship actress will next play a single mother called Dana in the haunted house flick The Disappointments Room, which hits US theaters September 9.
Samantha Armytage celebrated her 40th birthday milestone on Wednesday in the most cringe-inducing way possible - watching a montage of her most embarrassing on-screen moments.

The video, which was showcased during Wednesday morning's Sunrise program, included a clip of Samantha making a Freudian slip about breasts during last year's Christmas special.

In the festive segment, Samantha accidentally says 'Oh you know it's Christmas when the Bube comes out,' referring to the Michael Buble music track playing in the background.

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'You know it's Christmas when the Bube comes out': Samantha Armytage celebrated her birthday live on air during Wednesday morning's Sunrise program by watching herself make a Freudian slip about breasts

Immediately realising that she appeared to have uttered the word 'boob', Samantha stammered in embarrassment and exploded in laughter as her co-host David Koch looked at the camera in complete shock.

Later in the montage was a clip of Samantha screeching hysterically at the top of her lungs while bungee jumping off a cliff in New Zealand.

Edwina Bartholomew appeared in montage video to congratulate the birthday girl on her bungee jumping bravery, saying: 'I salute you!'

Terrified: Later in the montage was a clip of Samantha screeching hysterically at the top of her lungs while bungee jumping off a cliff in New Zealand

'I salute you!' lungs while bungee jumping off a cliff in New Zealand. Edwina Bartholomew appeared in montage video to congratulate the birthday girl on her bungee jumping bravery

David James Koch appeared in the video to give Samantha some advice about getting older.

'Don't worry about the number. It is meaningless. You're the same as you were yesterday. And remember 40 is the new 20. Just like 60 is the new teens,' he quipped.

Newsreader Natalie Barr also had some words of wisdom for Samantha, telling the camera: 'Happy birthday Sam, I know it's a bit weird coming up to the big 40. But really, life begins. It's the new 18 and a half.'

'Don't worry about the number': David James Koch appeared in the video to give Samantha some advice about getting older

'It's the new 18 and a half': Newsreader Natalie Barr also had some words of wisdom for Samantha

Samantha recently celebrated turning 40 by appearing on the front cover of Australian Woman's Weekly in a canary yellow coat.

The bubbly blonde joined the Sunrise team in 2013, replacing Melissa Doyle as co-host alongside David Koch.

In 2014, she hosted the makeover-themed reality show Bringing Sexy Back, but found herself left in the lurch after the program was canned just one month after its debut.

Fabulous at 40! Samantha recently celebrated turning 40 by appearing on the front cover of Australian Woman's Weekly in a canary yellow coat

Famous face: The bubbly blonde joined the Sunrise team in 2013, replacing Melissa Doyle as co-host alongside David Koch
It seemed like the world stopped when pictures emerged of Orlando Bloom going paddleboarding nude during a Mediterranean holiday with Katy Perry, earlier this month.

And now the actor's ex-wife Miranda Kerr has finally broken her silence on the naked snaps.

The 33-year-old said she was left shocked when the Lord Of The Rings star texted her to pre-warn her that the racy snaps had been taken.

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Shocked: Miranda Kerr has revealed Orlando Bloom sent her a text to warn her of those nude paddleboarding pictures and joked she'd send him boardshorts to 'cover up and put it away'

What was he thinking? The 33-year-old said her reaction to the revealing pics 'was like, "hmm, right...What were you thinking? Seriously, what were you thinking?"...Obviously he wasn't'

Speaking to Australian radio hosts, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson, during their radio show on Wednesday, she laughed: 'Oh my god, he texted me saying, "I am really embarrassed, some photos are coming out. I just thought I should let you know"

'I was like, "hmm, right...What were you thinking? Seriously, what were you thinking?"... Obviously he wasn't.'

The mother of Orlando's five-year-old son, Flynn, also joked she was going to deliver the Hollywood actor some swimwear from her new Bonds range.

Hide it! Miranda also joked she was going to deliver the Hollywood actor a pair swimwear

'I am going to send Orlando a pair of both [boardshorts and budgie smugglers] because you know he might like either of those or none,' Miranda laughed.

The former Victoria's Secret model awkwardly giggled when Kyle went on to mention Justin Bieber's nude Hawaii images.

The controversial disc jockey said: 'Bieber did a d*** pick of himself as well and there was this feud going on. I thought there was going to be this long list of celebrities going to get out there with no pants on.'

He added: 'I think Bonds should approach all these males who are doing the nude photos and immediately send them a pair of Bonds Swims. We will call it the put it away campaign.'

The past: Miranda married the actor in 2010 but they separated in 2013, two years after welcoming their son

When talking about their improvised summer campaign, Miranda laughed: 'Cover up man, put it away. Summer campaign, Bonds Put It Away.'

Miranda began dating Orlando in late 2007 and the pair tied the knot in 2010.

A year later they welcomed their son, Flynn. They separated in 2013.

The actor is now currently dating Katy Perry and Miranda is engaged to SnapChat founder, Evan Spiegel.
It's set to be the wedding of the year on hit television series Offspring.

But bride Cherie Butterfield (played by Deborah Mailman) and groom Dr Martin Clegg (played by Lachy Hulme) look to be upstaged in Wednesday night's episode when two guests decide to bare all.

In a promo clip for the series, Jimmy and Will are seen stripping off their smart suits and go streaking.

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Baring all! Offspring's wedding of the year looks set to be upstaged when two male guests decide to bare all and go streaking on Wednesday night's episode

It all begins when Will is seen asking Jimmy what he can do to be a part of the family.

'I want to be part of this family,' he shares quite seriously.

The boys soon break out into a huge grin in anticipation of what they decide to do next.

A huge uproar from the wedding guests can be heard as the hunky lads run around the reception completely nude, Jimmy waving a red napkin while drinking an alcoholic beverage from a fancy glass.

Cheeky! Little was left to the imagination as the boys ran through the luxurious looking reception venue

Causing a scene: According to news.com.au, Jimmy, played by Richard Davies and Will, played by TJ Power, strip off their smart suits and go streaking

Laughter ensues: A huge uproar from the wedding guests can be heard as the hunky lads run around the reception completely nude, Jimmy waving a red napkin while drinking an alcoholic beverage from a fancy glass

The wedding also features many other surprise moments, including a female best man and a dismantled cake.

Meanwhile during the episode, Cherie gets cold feet on her big day.

The publication claims Cherie locks herself in a bathroom just before the ceremony over the issue of the couple's non-existent sex life.

Cold feet for Cherie? Deborah Mailman's character Cherie Butterfield (pictured) gets cold feet on the day of her wedding to Lachy Hulme's character Dr Martin Clegg (right) on Offspring

Ironically, this was the reason the nurse proposed to her obstetrician boyfriend in the first place.

Cherie revealed she feared marriage as it tends to kill couples sex lives, but given they were going through a dry spell and were still mad about one another she told Clegg the pair should get married.

However, it appears the bride does indeed make it down the aisle judging by the upcoming episode promo.

Second thoughts: Cherie is said to lock herself in a bathroom just before the ceremony over the issue of the couple's non-existent sex life

The clip of the hit drama series shows the couple kissing after saying "I Do".

It also shows a raucous, eventful reception following the nuptials.

Lachy told The Daily Telegraph of the big event: 'The characters of Cherie and Clegg have had so many ups and downs together. This was the episode that for us had it all.

Eventful: The clip also shows a raucous, eventful reception following the nuptials

Romance? Asher Keddie's character Nina, who is best man at the wedding appears to have a new romance with co-worker Harry

Fight: Following the reception Nina has a big fight with her sister Billie, played by Kat Stewart

'I jokingly said to Deb at the end of it, "Well we've peaked, they're going to write us out of the show now,"' he added.

Lachy also hinted the series will return in 2017.

The sixth season of the drama was announced late last year after fans petitioned online to bring back the cancelled show.
He is renowned for playing James Bond - the suave super sleuth famed for bedding women and killing baddies.

Yet Daniel Craig was unrecognisable as he turned into a bad guy himself while shooting scenes for Logan Lucky in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday - sporting a peroxide blond buzz cut with heavily inked skin.

The 48-year-old hunk is playing a prisoner in the forthcoming star-studded flick as he wore a monochrome striped uniform while shooting scenes opposite Star Wars' Adam Driver, 32.

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Is that you Bond? Daniel Craig was unrecognisable from James Bond (right) as he turned into a bad guy himself (left) while shooting scenes for Logan Lucky in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday - sporting a peroxide blond buzz cut with heavily inked skin

Daniel has seized a starring role in the forthcoming Steve Soderbergh movie, for which the iconic moviemaker came out of retirement, where he joins a phenomenal cast littered with an array of Hollywood's biggest talents.

The plot follows two brothers, who attempt to pull off a heist during a NASCAR race in North Carolina, although little of the casting has been divulged.

The British hunk appeared menacing in his striped getup as he glared ahead with his famed Bond pout - although his facial expression was the only likeness between the peroxide punk and 007.

A world away from Bond's tuxedos, Daniel was clad in the same uniform as Adam, yet he allowed his muscles to bulge through a white crew-neck, the perfect utensil to also show off his temporary tattoos.

Prison pals: The 48-year-old hunk appeared to be playing a prisoner in the forthcoming star-studded flick as he wore a monochrome striped uniform while shooting scenes opposite Star Wars' Adam Driver, 32

Live and let dye! Daniel's new look was worlds away from his usual dapper appearance

They're inmates! Daniel has seized a starring role in the forthcoming Steve Soderbergh movie, for which the iconic moviemaker came out of retirement, where he joins a phenomenal cast littered with an array of Hollywood's biggest talents

The great heist: The plot follows two brothers, who attempt to pull off a heist during a NASCAR race in North Carolina, although little of the casting has been divulged

Strutting their stuff: The British hunk appeared menacing in his striped getup as he glared ahead with his famed Bond pout - although his facial expression was the only likeness between the peroxide punk and 007

Tough guy: A world away from Bond's tuxedos, Daniel was clad in the same uniform as Adam, yet he allowed his muscles to bulge through a white crew-neck, the perfect utensil to show off his temporary tattoos

He wore the same prison issue plimsolls as Adam, who was laughing on set as he walked alongside his older counterpart.

Daniel clambered out of a bright blue NASCAR car as they got stuck into filming the scene in which the seemingly escaped duo cut menacing figures in the sunny backdrop.

Joining the esteemed actors on set was Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keough who kept thing steamy on-set in a bevvy of racy ensembles.

The 27-year-old superstar offspring showed off her incredible figure in a pair of racy Daisy Duke shorts, with a clashing denim crop top in a lighter wash.

Slip ons: He wore the same prison issue plimsolls as Adam, who was laughing on set as he walked alongside his older counterpart

Elvis(' grandaughter) is in the building: Joining the esteemed actors on set was Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keough who kept thing steamy on-set in a bevvy of racy ensembles

Chic: She later transformed into a skin-tight floral pink mini while staying in her boots - perhaps trialing several ensembles for the perfect shot

Adding an even sexier edge, the brunette beauty gave a flash of her magenta bra beneath while sporting cowboy boots.

She later transformed into a skin-tight floral pink mini while staying in her boots - perhaps trialing several ensembles for the perfect shot.

The star-studded flick, written by Rebecca Blunt, also stars Channing Tatum, Seth MacFarlane, Katherine Heigl, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston and Jesco White.

Channing plays the lead character Jimmy in the comedy and last week was spotted on-set alongside Adam, who was wearing a prosthetic arm.

All-star: The star-studded flick, written by Rebecca Blunt, also stars Channing Tatum, Seth MacFarlane, Katherine Heigl, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston and Jesco White
Despite being busy leading the West End production of Breakfast At Tiffany's.

Pixie Lott still made time to make sure she hit the right style note as she emerged from the Haymarket Theatre, following her stage performance on Tuesday.

Commanding attention, the 25-year-old exhibited her tiny waist in a boudoir inspired corset as she exhibited her healthy glow leaving the venue.

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Style star: Pixie Lott still made time to make sure she hit the right style note as she emerged from the Haymarket Theatre, following her stage performance on Tuesday

Boasting a sweetheart neckline, the racy bodice hugged the Boys And Girls hitmaker's every curve.

Flaunting her hourglass figure, the blonde beauty's daring top featured bow detail under the bust and in the midst of her waist as she appeared to grapple with the sultry garment's straps on her shoulders.

Oozing sex appeal, the former Strictly contestant teamed her steamy look with a pair of charcoal denims that clung to her slender limbs.

All eyes on her: Commanding attention, the 25-year-old exhibited her tiny waist in a boudoir inspired corset as she exhibited her healthy glow

Curve inducing: Boasting a sweetheart neckline, the racy bodice hugged the Boys And Girls hitmaker's every curve

Parading her perfect pins in the form-fitting jeans, Pixie teetered from the venue to her waiting car in a complimenting pair of patent platform pointed stilettos.

Taking inspiration from her sixties stage show, the actress separated her golden tresses into a centre parting as she styled a bouncy curl into her luscious mane.

Flaunting her glossy locks, the All About Tonight songstress let her tresses frame her face as they loosely fell around her delicate features.

Stage siren: Oozing sex appeal, the former Strictly contestant teamed her steamy look with a pair of charcoal denims that clung to her slender limbs

Keep on smilin': Pixie looked delighted with how the evening's performance went, and she wore a beaming smile

Sultry: Taking inspiration from her sixties stage show, the actress parted her golden tresses into a centre parting as she styled a bouncy curl into her tresses

Sky-high: Pixie teetered from the venue to her waiting car in a complimenting pair of patent platform pointed stilettos

Casually does it: Pixie appeared to be in a nonchalant mood as she waited for the vehicle to arrive

Tuckered out? The actress looked slightly relieved to sit down in the relative calm of the car

Pretty as a picture: Despite her stint on stage Pixie looked fresh-faced - even at the late hour

Adding a pop of colour to her look, Pixie worked rose stained lip as she offset her chocolate brown peepers with lashings of mascara.

The fashionista was in flying style form earlier on Tuesday as she stepped out in the capital in a summer inspired ensemble.

The Essex stunner was on fine sartorial form as she headed to the West End in a figure hugging look.

Looking good: Dressing for the weather, the Mama Do hit-maker kept it simple in her outfit, which consisted of spray-on jeans in brilliant white
She's the ultimate beach babe in the new Bonds swimwear campaign.

But Miranda Kerr has let everyone in on a little styling secret, admitting her flawless wet hair look in some of the shots was caused by an on-set accident.

'My hair was dry and I got knocked over by a wave. I've still got a bruise on my shin from that,' the 33-year-old stunner revealed to Australian radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson on their radio show on Wednesday.

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Effortless: Miranda Kerr has revealed her natural beach babe hairstyle in the Bonds swimwear ads was actually caused by a crashing wave

When Kyle asked if she's a 'klutz,' the Australian supermodel added: 'When youre shooting and theres a wave coming from behind, theres not much I can do about it.'

Being the professional that she is, Miranda said she tried to 'shake it off' and get on with the work.

In the campaign images shot in Malibu, the mother-of-one looks flawless as she runs through the water in a bright pink bikini with a silver backpack slung over one shoulder.

'I've still got a bruise on my shin': The 33-year-old stunner said the fall left marks on her legs

Rocking the wet hair as though it was intentional, the Kora organics founder stuns in natural makeup as she flashes her famous dimples.

Another shot sees the Gunnedah-born beauty flaunt her sculpted back and toned derriere in a black one-piece swimsuit.

Her blue eyes sparkle as she looks back at the camera, holding a black-and-white surfboard under one arm.

Pretty in pink: Miranda's flawless figure was on display as she modelled the upcoming Bonds range

The health-conscious star flaunts her abs and ample assets once again in a black bikini with a multi-coloured surfboard behind her.

Miranda was one of the originals Bonds girls, having worked with the brand for the first time in 2002.

She is collaborating with the brand once again to mark their 100th birthday.

Reunion: The mother-of-one first worked with the company back in 2002 and was one of the original Bonds girls

Meanwhile, the star has recently become engaged after accepting Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel's proposal.

Sharing a photo of her huge diamond ring on Instagram, Miranda wrote: 'I said yes!!!'

The couple first met at a Louis Vuitton dinner in New York in 2014 and debuted their romance in public in June 2015.
She's well known for her Barbie doll-like physique, long rumoured to be the result of surgical enhancements.

And Chloe Lattanzi again showed off her hourglass frame during a outdoor photo shoot for Equestrian Designs on Monday.

The daughter of Olivia Newton-John displayed her slender waist in a pair of figure-hugging jodhpurs while posing for the cameras.

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Fashionista: Chloe Lattanzi (R) showed off her busty curves during a fashion photo shoot for Equestrian Designs in California on Monday. Pictured with her mother Olivia Newton John (L)

Chloe, 30, also flashed her gym-honed midriff in a slinky beige crop top which clung tightly to her busty curves.

She styled her long blonde hair loosely and rounded off her dressage style with a pair of dark brown ankle boots.

She was joined for the photo session in California by her famous mother, and the pair later posed for an Instagram snap.

Ready for her close-up? The 30-year-old singer put on a leggy display in a pair of tight-fitting jodhpurs and also offered a glimpse of her toned midriff in a busty crop tip

The Grease star, 67, looked remarkably youthful in the photo could have even passed for Chloe's older sister.

Chloe also praised the efforts of photographer Robert and hair stylist Marie in the image caption.

Meanwhile, she has been sharing several videos from the family trip as she spends quality time with her parents.

Mother and daughter: Chloe has been sharing several Instagram videos from the family trip as she spends quality time with her parents. Pictured with Olivia

Chloe recently defended herself against body-shaming internet trolls on Instagram.

But on Saturday, she gave the perfect response to critics by posting even more scantily-clad snaps.

In one photo, she displays her buttocks to the camera in a skimpy bikini, adding the caption: 'Beautiful memories'.

She's a cheeky girl! On Saturday, Chloe gave the perfect response to her body shaming critics by flaunting her shapely derriere on Instagram

Not happy to stop there, Chloe followed up the risque photo with yet another cleavage-baring selfie.

In the image, Chloe shows off her sizable breasts in a plunging black top while bent over the camera.

She had previously hit back at online 'fans' who criticised her racy Instagram page.

Confidence: Chloe quickly followed up the snap with an incredibly busty selfie

Being unashamed of your feminine form makes you strong. It takes strength to accept and love yourself, she wrote defiantly.

This message is for every woman who has ever been called stupid or a bimbo for having confidence and for loving your body.

Having big breasts does not make you stupid. It's calling people stupid for having big breasts that makes you ignorant.

Having big breasts does not make you stupid!' Chloe previously hit back at online trolls who criticised her racy Instagram photos

Defiant: Being unashamed of your feminine form makes you strong,' Chloe wrote

I love you all. I celebrate the sexy free confident woman, she concluded.

Chloe has overcome a troubled past - including anorexia and drug abuse - to enjoy a successful music career.

Last year, she reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs with her single 'You Have To Believe.'

'I celebrate confident woman:' Chloe has refused to stop posting sexy Instagram photos
She is set to ring in the big 4-0 in the coming days.

And Samantha Armytage showed off her youthful complexion while greeting fans outside the Sunrise studio in Sydney on Wednesday.

With her studio makeup still in tact, the 39-year-old host revealed very little wrinkles on her complexion.

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Birthday girl: Samantha Armytage showed off her youthful complexion on Wednesday as she greeted fans outside of the Channel Seven Sunrise studios ahead of her 40th birthday

The television presenter looked chic in a little black dress, which featured thin white stitching across the body and hemline.

As she left the Channel Seven studios, Samantha kept warm in a caramel-coloured coat that she wrapped tightly around her waistline.

She added some height to her look with a pair of black peep-toed heels while accessorising with large gold hoop earrings.

Wearing her locks out straight, the media personality highlighted her blue eyes with a grey eye shadow and black mascara, and finished off her look with a bright pink lipstick.

Dressed to impress: For the last day at work before her birthday holiday, the television presenter dressed in a little black dress

Covering up: As she left the Channel Seven studios, she slipped into a caramel-coloured coat that she wrapped tightly around her waistline

The look: Wearing her locks out straight, the media personality highlighted her blue eyes with a grey eye shadow and black mascara, and finished off her look with a bright pink lipstick

Samantha's birthday was celebrated during Wednesday's episode of Sunrise, with her co-hosts presenting her with a montage of her most embarrassing on-screen moments.

The video included a clip of the co-host making a Freudian slip about breasts during last year's Christmas special.

In the festive segment, Samantha accidentally said: 'Oh you know it's Christmas when the Bube comes out,' referring to the Michael Buble music track playing in the background.

A touch of bling: Samantha also accessorised her look with a pair of gold hoop earrings

Say cheese: While outside of the studio, Samantha stopped to talk and take photos with fans

Party time: Samantha's birthday was celebrated during Wednesday's episode of Sunrise, with her co-hosts presenting her with a montage of her most embarrassing on-screen moments

Immediately realising she appeared to have uttered the word 'boob', Samantha stammered in embarrassment and exploded into laughter as her co-host David 'Kochie' Koch looked at the camera in complete shock.

Later in the montage was a clip of the blonde screeching hysterically at the top of her lungs while bungee jumping off a cliff in New Zealand.

Edwina Bartholomew appeared in montage video to congratulate the birthday girl on her bungee jumping bravery, saying: 'I salute you!'

Terrified: Later in the montage was a clip of Samantha screeching hysterically at the top of her lungs while bungee jumping off a cliff in New Zealand

'I salute you!' Edwina Bartholomew appeared in montage video to congratulate the birthday girl on her bungee jumping bravery

'Don't worry about the number': Meanwhile, David Koch gave Samantha some advice about getting older

Kochie also appeared in the video to give Samantha some advice about getting older.

'Don't worry about the number. It is meaningless. You're the same as you were yesterday. And remember 40 is the new 20. Just like 60 is the new teens,' he quipped.

Newsreader Natalie Barr also had some words of wisdom for her, telling the camera: 'Happy birthday Sam, I know it's a bit weird coming up to the big 40. But really, life begins. It's the new 18 and a half.'

'It's the new 18 and a half': Newsreader Natalie Barr also had some words of wisdom for Sam in the clip while wishing her a big happy birthday
Summer Bay is famous for it's beautiful beaches and even better weather.

However, it looked anything but summer in Home And Away's fictional town on Monday as newcomer Olivia Deeble shot scenes.

The cast gathered at the set in Palm Beach, Sydney, to film scenes for the soap.

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Not summer anymore! Home And Away newcomer Olivia Deeble braved the Sydney winter as she shot scenes for the show on the beach

Newcomer Olivia recently joined the cast as Raffy Morrison, who is related to the Morgan family.

The teen looked shocked with the cold temperature of the water as she braved the last days of Sydney's winter to enter the ocean.

Olivia is joining the show at a time of high drama as it was recently revealed that Tessa De Josselin's character Billie Ashford is about to die.

Freezing! The teenager gasped with shock when she felt the cold temperature of the water

Cast members including Pia Miller and Isabella Giovinazzo were spotted filming Billie's funeral on the beach, although it's unclear if Olivia's character is involved in those scenes.

Last week, photos from the Palm Beach set of the soap showed Isabella's character Phoebe Nicholson mourning her friend's death at a memorial site.

Flowers were laid at the shrine along with personal notes and pictures of Billie and her boyfriend VJ Patterson.

One read: 'Darling Billie, RIP beautiful girl. Surf life forever'.

Newcomer: Olivia recently joined Home And Away as Raffy Morrison, who has links to the Morgan family

Another said: 'Beautiful Billie. I'm going to miss your beautiful smiling face in the surf every day. Love Katie'.

Earlier this year, Billie went through a terrifying ordeal when she was attacked and raped by a masked gunman following a night shift at the local gym.

She fell pregnant and it later emerged that she had been assaulted by Irene Roberts' estranged son Mike.
The festival has begun.

Cara Delevingne and Paris Hilton were two of the celebrities sharing photos and Snapchats ahead of Burning Man 2016.

Supermodel Cara, 24, shared an interesting photo with friends Octavia Calthorpe, Adwoa Aboah and Christabel Reed on Instagram on Tuesday.

Burn baby burn: Cara Delevingne and Paris Hilton have led the way with celebrity photos and Snapchats ahead of Burning Man 2016

'So let the burn begin...' she captioned the photo.

The women are in the dark but are wearing light up clothes and accessories in the snap.

Paris Hilton, 35, was another celebrity leading the way to the festivities, and sharing the experience with followers on social media.

The squad: Paris Hilton posted this photo of her travels to Burning Man

Different look: The hotel heiress had her hair styled in multiple braids

Reggae style: She also accessorized with a multi-coloured top

Paris was heading to the desert festival for the first time, and quickly got into the spirit of the desert event as she rolled around in the dust.

The reality star and DJ snapped a photo of her and her squad as she captioned it: 'Taking off to #BurningMan #LetsDoThis #DragonflyDen.'

The hotel heiress had her hair styled in multiple braids as she accessorized with a bold red jacket.

Strike a pose: She also snapped some photos with some friends

The 35-year-old also took a few selfies on Snapchat.

She wore a pair of over-sized leopard print shades as she gave a close up look at her intricate braids. She completed her look with a multi-coloured top.

Paris also shared a video on her Instagram page: 'This is what happens when you're a #PlayaVirgin entering into #BurningMan for the first time. #DustAngel.'

Having fun: 'This is what happens when you're a #PlayaVirgin entering into #BurningMan for the first time. #DustAngel'

The premise of the Burning Man festival is that almost everything is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the experience.

The festival began on August 28 and finishes on September 5.

Everyone's involved: The premise of the Burning Man festival is that almost everything is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the experience
She emerged from the Sunrise studios on Wednesday morning looking stylish in a little black dress and chic caramel coat.

But Samantha Armytage dressed casually as she enjoyed some down time after work, wearing tracksuit pants with a small hole on the inside leg.

Leaving a nail salon in Sydney, Sam showed off her curves in the casual ensemble, shortly before heading to her birthday lunch.

Casual : Samantha Armytage dressed down in a tracksuit with a small hole in the crotch as she enjoyed some down time after work on Wednesday, ahead of her early birthday celebrations

Samantha kept it simple for her beauty appointment.

She opted for an all-black outfit featuring drop crotch tracksuit trousers and a tight longsleeve top.

The Channel Seven personality finished off her look with a pair of nude flat shoes and a red leather Gucci handbag.

Stepping out: The Sunrise co-host flaunted her curves in a casual all-black ensemble

Keeping it simple: Samantha wore cropped black tracksuit trousers and a longsleeve top

Looking years younger than 40, Sam opted for just a slick of pink lipstick and black mascara.

Meanwhile, the Sunrise team celebrated Samantha's milestone birthday several days early on Wednesday.

The Channel Seven breakfast show aired a montage of her most embarrassing on-screen moments.

Accessoriser: Sam finished off her look with nude flat shoes and a red leather Gucci handbag

How does she do it? Looking years younger than 40, Sam opted for just a slick of pink lipstick and black mascara

In the flashback sequence, she is shown blurting out the word 'boob' and screaming as she bungee jumps in New Zealand.

Later, Samantha's co-host David 'Kochie' Koch said: 'Don't worry about the number. It is meaningless.

'You're the same as you were yesterday. And remember 40 is the new 20. Just like 60 is the new teens.'
They're the loved-up couple from Season Three of The Bachelor.

But six weeks after moving into their new house in Melbourne together, Sam Wood has revealed his wedding to Snezana Markoski is on hold.

When the fitness entrepreneur was asked by Yahoo! Be on Tuesday how the couple's wedding plans were coming along, the 36-year-old replied frankly: 'They're not, if I'm being honest'.

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Wedding plans on hold? Sam Wood let slip during an interview on Tuesday that he and fiancee Snezana Markoski have put their wedding plans on hold for the moment

However, the handsome hunk was quick clarify that the couple are still set to wed and it's just the planning of their nuptials that has been put on hold.

'It was kind of put on the back burner till the girls moved to Melbourne and settled in,' Sam said.

The groom-to-be also revealed the couple could marry as soon as March but it all hinges on his blushing bride.

'It's up to Snez really with the wedding - I mean I'm relatively happy for her to have whatever sort of wedding she wants - so she's gonna find a venue and we've gotta make sure it's available on the date,' he said.

'It was put on the back burner': The fitness entrepreneur was quick to clarify that the planning of the nupitals were the only thing on hold until the girls had settled into their new home

Long distance love: Melbourne-based Sam and Perth-based Snezana gave up on long distance in July when they moved into their new home together, a year after meeting on The Bachelor

Adding that the couple want a warm wedding, the personal trainer cited March or October as their prospective dates.

After meeting on The Bachelor last year, the couple got engaged in December on their first family holiday, where the businessman took Snezana and her now 11-year-old daughter Eve to meet his family in Tasmania.

After almost a year of long distance love, the couple stopped travelling cross country, with Snezana and Eve moving into their new family home in Melbourne in July.

She said yes! The loved-up couple got engaged in December

Family moment: Sam dropped to one knee during their first family holiday, where the businessman took Snezana and her now 11-year-old daughter Eve to meet his family in Tasmania

Sam also gushed to the site about how well his girls were settling into their new hometown.

He did however make a joke at Snezana's expense - saying she has 'the worst sense of direction' of anyone he had ever met and would be lost without her GPS.

It was recently revealed the $1.4 million property the couple bought in January, was previously owned and renovated by The Block couple Sasha Wright-Neville and Julia Treuel.
Christina Milian looked ready to wrestle in a green singlet while shopping at Christian Louboutin in West Hollywood on Tuesday.

The We Are Pop Culture designer - who turns 35 next month - paired her plunging playsuit with spiked platforms and a matching purse.

The two-time Grammy nominee enlisted make-up artist David Rodriguez and hairstylist Jameel Anderson to get her looking camera ready.

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Shoe lover: Christina Milian looked ready to wrestle in a green singlet while shopping at Christian Louboutin in West Hollywood on Tuesday

Milian - born Flores - had reportedly shot an advert for her booze brand, Viva Diva Wines, earler on Tuesday.

It's still unclear whether E! will renew the Emmy winner's reality series Christina Milian Turned Up for a third season.

Last Friday, LeapFrog premiered an advert starring Christina and her 'best friend' aka her six-year-old daughter Violet.

Glorified bike shorts: The We Are Pop Culture designer - who turns 35 next month - paired her plunging playsuit with spiked platforms and a matching purse

Cuban-American beauty: The two-time Grammy nominee enlisted make-up artist David Rodriguez and hairstylist Jameel Anderson to get her looking camera ready

Back it up: Milian - born Flores - had reportedly shot an advert for her booze brand, Viva Diva Wines, earler on Tuesday

Canceled? It's still unclear whether E! will renew the Emmy winner's reality series Christina Milian Turned Up for a third season

'The number one thing that inspires me is my daughter and being a mom,' the 5ft2in divorcee told Billboard on Tuesday.

'She's just taught me to see life with new eyes and have a whole new sense of wonder.'

The Lip Sync Battle loser's princess - who graduated from kindergarten on June 3 - boasts an impressive 85K Instagram followers.

'She's just taught me to see life with new eyes': Last Friday, LeapFrog premiered an advert starring Christina and her 'best friend' aka her six-year-old daughter Violet

'The number one thing that inspires me is my daughter and being a mom': Her princess - who graduated from kindergarten on June 3 - boasts an impressive 85K Instagram followers

Daddy's girl: Little Violet was last pictured with her five-time Grammy-winning father - The Dream (born Terius Nash) - while visiting the Atlanta History Center on July 9

Little Violet was last pictured with her five-time Grammy-winning father - The Dream (born Terius Nash) - while visiting the Atlanta History Center on July 9.

The Grandfathered actress will next play the domestic Magenta in Fox's two-hour, taped reimagining of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which premieres October 20.

The small-screen sci-fi satire also features Laverne Cox, Adam Lambert, and Tim Curry - who originated Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 1973 London stage production.

Premieres October 20! The Grandfathered actress will next play the domestic Magenta in Fox's two-hour, taped reimagining of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
It's been a tough few months for Roxy Jacenko to say the least.

But the PR queen definitely knows how to cheer herself up as she indulged in a spot of retail therapy in Sydney on Wednesday.

Roxy uploaded a couple of selfies to Instagram after taking delivery of some designer goods from Louis Vuitton.

Lift me up: Roxy Jacenko took one of her famous mirror lift selfies to show off her latest purchases from Louis Vuitton

She showed off her latest purchases while looking elegant in a classic black dress. She was also wearing items by Maison Margiela and Balmain.

One of the pictures showed off her impressive collection of designer bags that would make any budding fashionista jealous.

It comes as the 36-year-old prepares to undergo radiation therapy as part of her cancer treatment following a shock diagnosis.

Dream closet: The 36-year-old PR queen also gave followers a glimpse into her wardrobe which appeared to be stuff with expensive designer bags

Roxy underwent surgery to remove a cancerous lump from her breast earlier this month and had the operation filmed for 60 Minutes.

On the show she hit back at critics who questioned the timing of her cancer diagnosis.

'You've got too much time on your hands if you say that,' she said. 'They can say that, the reality is, it's not something that I ever thought I would face.

'I'm tough and yes I'm strong. I'm also inside probably a broken piece of glass in a million pieces.'

Abs of steel: Roxie showed off her impressive physique just weeks after undergoing surgery to get a cancerous lump removed from her breast

Staying strong: Roxy has hit back at critics who questioned the timing of her cancer diagnosis

But Roxy has been proving that nothing will get in the way of her moving on with her life and she hit up a personal training session on Tuesday.

Before leaving her Bondi home, the PR maven posed for one of her daily selfies, this time showing off her rock-hard abs while dressed in a two-piece exercise attire.

It's a welcome distraction for Roxy, who is also dealing with the fallout from her husband Oliver Curtis being jailed for insider trading.
When most actresses wear see-through looks on the red carpet it is all about flashing as much flesh as possible - but not this star.

Zoe Saldana used a sheer look to push the fashion envelope at the Mexican premiere Star Trek Beyond.

The 38-year-old actress rocked a very unusual spin on the little black dress as she hit the red carpet in Mexico City.

Sheer style: Zoe Saldana used a sheer look to push the fashion envelope at the Mexican premiere Star Trek Beyond in Mexico City on Tuesday

The Star Trek actress stepped out in a predominately sheer Rodarte lace dress which featured black and sequinned embellished panels.

The look showed off the star's slender shape but she ensured she did not flash too much flesh by wearing black high-waisted briefs underneath.

Following the dress' whimsical flow, the star's hair was styled in soft waves with one side of her locks fastened loosely at the back of her head.

Zoe's makeup was also low key sans for a dark red coloured lipstick to highlight her pout and add some glamour.

Daringly different: The Star Trek actress stepped out in a predominately sheer lace Rodarte dress which featured black and sequinned embellished panels

Cheeky cover up: The look showed off the star's slender shape but she ensured she did not flash too much flesh by wearing black high-waisted briefs underneath

Going with the flow: Following the dress' whimsical flow, the star's hair was styled in soft waves with one side of her locks fastened loosely at the back of her head

Showing off the shade, the Avatar star blew kisses at fans as she made her way down the carpet.

The actress was joined by her co-star Simon Pegg, who had also been by her side a press conference earlier in the day.

Simon was hard to miss in a silver three piece suit which he wore with s blue patterned tie and a pocket square.

Love to you all: The Avatar star blew kisses at fans as she made her way down the carpet

Co-pilot: The actress was joined by her co-star Simon Pegg, who had also been by her side a press conference earlier in the day

Shinning bright: Simon was hard to miss in a silver three piece suit which he wore with s blue patterned tie and a pocket square

The English funnyman got Zoe laughing as she tried to pose for the cameras.

The latest installment of the famed sci-fi franchise sees Zoe and Simon reprise their roles alongside Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock.

Star Trek Beyond premiered first at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego on July 20 - before it opened in theaters on July 22, a few weeks before the Star Trek franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary.
It is easy to lose someone in a crowd.

But Kristen Stewart managed to lose track of Cara Delevingne's guitarist girlfriend St Vincent as they headed to dinner in West Hollywood on Tuesday.

Her chum was walking behind the Twilight star but, in a classic comedy moment, when she turned around to speak to her she looked over the wrong shoulder.

At the rear: Cara Delevingne's girlfriend St Vincent was right behind Kirsten Stewart as they headed to dinner in West Hollywood on Tuesday

Comedy gold: But when she turned to speak to her Kristen looked over the wrong shoulder

Kristen, 26, was looking good in a white T-shirt, skinny jeans and white trainers, and at one point wore a green jacket.

St Vincent, real name Anne Clark, went for a slightly more formal look of green and blue dress, leather booties and cap.

It seems the pair were only enjoying a friendly meal together, as both are currently in relationships with other women.

Kristen, who famously cheated on then-beau Robert Pattinson with director Rupert Sanders, recently gushed about on-off girlfriend Alicia Cargile.

Doh: She looked a little embarrassed after her making her conversational faux pas

A bit of all white: Kristen looked in fine form in a T-shirt and jeans combo

There you are: She eventually found the musician as she bid her farewell

And she explained to The New York Times' T Magazine that she had been more private about her relationships, but wanted to be more open once she started dating women.

She saw 'an opportunity to represent something really positive,' adding: 'I still want to protect my personal life, but I dont want to seem like Im protecting the idea, so that does sort of feel like I owe something to people.'

And speaking about her girlfriend, Kristen couldn't help but gush: 'I love her so much.'

And she's off: Athletic Kristen leapt into action like a coiled cobra as she began to run

Leggy lovely: The rocker showed off her perfect pins in a high cut dress

Making waves: She was happy to salute excited fans as she headed down the street

Meanwhile, her model friend Cara is certainly smitten by the self-styled guitarist St Vincent, and even gushed to Vogue how much her life has changed by meeting her.

She said: 'I'm completely in love. Before, I didn't know what love was. Real love.

'I didn't understand the depth of it. I always used to think it was you against the world.

'Now I know the meaning of life is love. Whether that's for yourself or for the world or your partner.'

Who needs Kristen: She headed off with a friend as she continued her adventures

So in love: Cara Delevingne has been effusive about the self-styled guitarist
Simon Cowell's scowl could make even the most confident person cower on stage.

Heidi Klum broke through the reserve with her vivacious wit as the two judges arrived for America's Got Talent live show in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The German-born beauty, 43, wowed in red and managed to get a smile of Simon, 56, after she plastered his face with red lipstick kisses.

Lipstick kisses: Heidi Klum had Simon Cowell cowering as she plastered him with lipstick kisses at the America's Got Talent semifinals live show in LA on Tuesday

Simon's face was a pattern of lip-smacking fun by the time Heidi was through with him.

The British music mogul - who replaced Howard Stern on the judges panel this season - didn't seem to mind the 'fawning' and cracked a smile at Heidi while the cameras clicked away on the red carpet.

It was, after all, part of the showtime experience.

Heidi looked ravishing in a red number that featured zippered details in the front and down along the sides, which allowed for glimpses of skin.

His best look yet: Simon was a very good sport as Heidi had some red carpet fun

Ravishing in red: The 43-year-old beauty showed off her penchant for style in a red zipper-detailed dress and ankle-strapped red heels

She's gonna get you: Heidi appeared to photobomb Simon's moment in the spotlight

The supermodel - who has been dating Vito Schnabel, 29, since 2014 - added a pair of ankle-strapped red high heels that made her long and toned legs seem even longer.

She wore her long dark golden hair half pulled back while the rest was allowed to course down her back.

Matching his red lipstick marks, Simon - who is in a relationship with socialite Lauren Silverman, the mother of his son Eric, two - stayed cool in light blue jeans and a white button-down shirt.

Feeling tense? Simon feigned a look of consternation as Heidi said hello

Lovely to see you: The supermodel grabbed Simon's face which she then covered with kisses

Thanks: Simon seemed to take the kidding around in stride

Cool Cowell: The 56-year-old music mogul showed a relaxed style in light blue jeans, white button-down shirt and black shoes

This wasn't the first time Heidi has made fun of her new colleague.

Back in May, shortly before the premiere of this season's America's Got Talent, Heidi suggested Simon get a makeover in a behind-the-scenes teaser.

'He needs a makeover, because he's a handsome man, but did you see these jeans on this man?' Heidi asked.

'He's sometimes a little brutal and therefore we put him in a straitjacket,' she joked.

Mommy and me time: Mel B brought along her daughter Madison, who turns five next month

Sleek: The former Spice Girl spiced things up plenty in a tight white dress and white ankle-strapped heels to match

Joining Heidi and Simon at the big event held at Dolby Theater was fellow judge Mel B, 41, and host Nick Cannon, 35.

Mel B - whose real name is Melanie Brown - brought along her daughter Madison, who turns five in September.

The former Spice Girl looked amazing in a skintight white number with bustier top, and white ankle-strapped high heels to match.

Her dark locks were pulled back into a sleek 'do that showcased her fine features.

Mel's little girl, meanwhile, was all dressed up in a white ruffled dress with shining metallic shoes.

Not one to be left out, Nick showed he's got a talent for style while clad in black trousers and bow tie with a navy blue embossed jacket and glittery chartreuse shoes.
She finally admitted that she's found love with new man Luke Pasqualino after her very public break-up with Zayn Malik.

But it seems Perrie Edwards has a type when it comes to her boyfriends, as her One Direction ex previously revealed he could see some striking similarities between himself and Perrie's new guy.

The former boybander made the confession back in 2012 when he explained he would love the star to play him in a biopic.

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Not quite out her Hair: It seems Perrie Edwards has a type, as her ex Zayn Malik previously revealed he could see some similarities between himself and her new man Luke Pasqualino

Asked by Australias The Hot Hits who he would like to play him in a movie about his life, he said: 'I always say the same guys and I always forget his surname

'Hes called Luke and he was in the British version of Skins  he played Freddie.'

Luckily Zayn's solo singing career seems to be taking up all his attention currently, so a biopic doesn't appear to be in the pipeline.

Story of his life: Perrie and Zayn - who originally met on The X Factor - split in July 2015 in the midst of an alleged cheating scandal but he's aware of her new man

Will it get under his Skins? Zayn confessed back in 2012 that he would love Skins star Luke Pasqualino to play him in a movie - the statement was made before he met Perrie

Perrie and Luke - who shot to fame starring in E4 series Skins - were first linked earlier in the summer when they were spotted enjoying a performance of Aladdin in the West End.

Whilst she has kept coy about her new romance, she confirmed to Mirror Online that the pair were seeing each other as she explained it was 'going alright'.

However, she still considers herself to be a single lady as she went on to tell the publication she was still keeping her options open.

After admitting she wanted a 'honest, fit, hunky man', she added: 'I said in the group chat I'd love to do speed-dating, it'd be so much fun! Total jokes.'

MailOnline have contacted representatives for Perrie and Luke for comment.

Famous face: Luke shot to fame playing Freddie McClair in the E4 gritty teenage drama series Skins in series three and four. He also starred in the Musketeers

Single ladies: Despite admitting she is seeing Luke, Perrie recently confessed she still considers herself single and is still keeping her options open

Perrie and Zayn - who originally met on The X Factor - split in July 2015 in the midst of an alleged cheating scandal after he was pictured with his arm around Lauren Richardson during a wild night out in Thailand.

Claiming that the photo was innocent, the former One Direction star announced he was 'sorry for how it looks' and tweeted about his love for Perrie, who he had been engaged to for two years.

However, the pair called time on their romance - two years after getting engaged.

Whilst Perrie claims to be single, Zayn has been dating model Gigi Hadid for nine months.
Naya Rivera has described her boob job as the 'best $8,000' she's 'ever spent'.

The former Glee star, 29 - who went under the knife at the age of 18 - explained she wanted to have her breasts enlarged because of a lack of 'confidence', rather than to impress boys.

In an extract from her forthcoming memoir Sorry Not Sorry, the actress revealed she used her earnings from series such as The Royal Family and Family Matters to gift herself implants on her milestone birthday.

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'It was a matter of confidence': Naya Rivera has described her boob job as the 'best $8,000' she's 'ever spent'

She wrote: 'I went around to all my teachers, told them I was going to be out. "I'm getting plastic surgery!" I'd tell them gleefully. My new boobs were a confidence thing, not a sexual thing.

'I'd never even taken my top off for a guy. I hadn't had many opportunities to do so, but even if I had, my bra was always stuffed with napkins.'

Naya continued: 'As soon as I went back to school, [the boys] all practically fell over themselves rushing to see who could hold the door open for me.

'People have a lot of opinions about plastic surgery, but more than 10 years after I got my boobs, they still make me happy when I look in the mirror. It might have been the best $8k I've ever spent.'

'They still make me happy': The former Glee star, 29 - who went under the knife at the age of 18 - explained she wanted to have her breasts enlarged because of a lack of 'confidence'

Napkins no more! In an extract from her forthcoming memoir Sorry Not Sorry, the actress revealed she used her earnings from series such as Family Matters to gift herself implants

In a previous extract, Naya revealed she struggled with anorexia as a teenager.

She said: 'By the time I was a sophomore, I started feeling that what had begun as a game had maybe gone too far. I just avoided food at all costs. If my mom had packed a lunch for me, I'd either trash it or find some excuse to give it away.'

However, the brunette beauty admits she didn't realise it was such a big issue for her until she came to write about it.

The actress added: 'I was so young and it just seemed to be the norm. Everyone was going through similar stuff. I had no way of knowing if I was going through it worse.

Work it: Naya (pictured at a Golden Globes afterparty in January 2016) admitted she used to stuff her bra with napkins to boost her bust

Talented: Naya (pictured with co-star Lea Michele) is best known for her role as cheerleader Santana Lopez on popular Fox musical series, Glee

'I was juggling my feelings and it makes me sad that there are girls still going through that 15 years after I went through it.'

Naya - best known for her role as cheerleader Santana Lopez on popular Fox musical series, Glee - is now happily married to actor Ryan Dorsey.

The couple started dating shortly after the star's split from rapper fiance, Big Sean, in April 2014, having previously been in a relationship four years earlier.

Naya and Ryan tied the knot just two months later in a romantic ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in July 2014.

In February 2015, the couple announced they were expecting their first child, and welcomed son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, into the world in September 2015.
She's rarely seen looking less than perfect, both on and off the screen.

So it was no surprise to see Kate Beckinsale rocking a causal yet chic look, as she stepped out for a dinner with friends in Los Angeles, on Tuesday evening.

Heading out to celeb hot-spot, Craig's, in West Hollywood, the 43-year-old Underworld star looked the epitome of summer sass in a pair of black summer hot pants and thigh-high boots.

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Sassy style: Kate Beckinsale rocked a causal yet chic look, as she stepped out for a dinner with friends in Los Angeles, on Tuesday evening

Heading out for the evening in the balmy climes of California, the English rose opted to subtly showcase her lithe figure - flashing a tantalizing hint of skin in the process.

She opted to wear a high-neck satin top, which exposed the tiniest glimpse of her decolletage, to combat the heat in the air.

She teamed her lightweight, but seriously stylish top, with a pair of tiny black hot pants, which drew the eye to her tanned and toned thighs.

Rounding her look off with a pair of knee-high black suede boots, Kate added a racy retro vibe to her ensemble - which only served to highlight her endless legs further.

A flash of leg: Heading out to celeb hot-spot, Craig's, the 43-year-old Underworld star looked the epitome of summer sass in a pair of black summer hot pants and thigh-high boots

Throwing on a pale pink trench, the London-born beauty ensured that she wouldn't catch any chills as the evening set in.

She accessorised her look with a handful of metallic rings, before slinging a black leather handbag over one shoulder.

Wearing her long chestnut tresses in rolling waves past her shoulders, Kate allowed her dark locks to frame her stunning features.

Tanned and toned: She teamed her lightweight satine top with a pair of tiny black hot pants, which drew the eye to her tanned and toned thighs

Those boots were made for walking: Rounding her look off with a pair of knee-high black suede boots, Kate added a racy retro vibe to her ensemble

Opting for a natural and flesh-toned mix of make-up, the A-List siren picked out her eyes with an earthy eye-shadow whilst her lips were plumped up by a slick of coral lipstick.

The actress appeared to be enjoying some downtime away from her acting commitments, enjoying a night out with a group of pals.

Fans of Kate will be pleased to know that her return as Selene in Underworld: Blood Wars, the fifth installment in the hit vampire franchise, will come on January 6.

And despite the end of their 11-year marriage, film director Len Wiseman has kept his hand in the franchise he has been penning since 2003's first outing.
She has been enjoying an sun-soaked holiday in Mallorca with her son Tino this week.

But Melanie Sykes has put the relaxation on hold to work on her new charity calendar, shooting on the Spanish island on Sunday.

The gum bunny, 46, took to Instagram to prove why she was the top model for the job as she posed in a sequin bikini, displaying her washboard abs for all to see.

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All that glitters! Melanie Sykes, 46, showed off her gym-honed physique while on holiday in Mallorca on Sunday, flaunting her washboard abs on Instagram in an all-over sequin bikini

Mel showed off her enviably toned tum in the tiny two-piece, which was decorated all-over with glistening silver sequins.

The top plunged low across her chest in a triangle shape, to show off her famed bust.

It was matched by equally skimpy bottoms, leaving little to the imagination as they were held up by a single string at the sides.

Both parts of the two-piece were adorned with a diamante brooch decoration each side, to add even more bling to the outfit.

Leggy lady: The TV presenter showed off her enviably toned tum and slender legs in the tiny two-piece, which was decorated all-over with glistening silver sequins

In the first shot of the outfit, Mel beamed in the mirror as she acknowledged the glitz and glamour with her fans by writing: 'Cheeky selfie whilst @samhemsley sets up the shot #bikini @bahimibeachwear #shoot #mallorca #bling #selfie'

The TV personality then posted a second full-body shot, flaunting her lengthy and slender pins for the camera.

Adding some white heeled wedges to the ensemble, Mel looked a natural and comfortable in front of the camera as she posed for fans.

However, it seems looking this glamorous comes with its obstacles, with Mel admitting to followers: 'Having to wear @samhemsley crazy high wedges to create better body shape #tricksoftrade, could not walk in them lol.'

Bikini babe: The mother-of-two showed off her sensational figure while holidaying in Mallorca, on Saturday

Mel ventured to Las Vegas earlier this month to begin shooting for her new raunchy calendar, shot by photographer Sam Hemsley, before heading to Mallorca for a holiday with her son Tino, 12.

Yet, despite taking a break from her professional shooting, the TV presenter has not been shy in showing off her gym-honed physique with her own selfie camera while away.

Mel looked incredibly toned and tanned as she took to Instagram in an equally skimpy pink bikini, displaying her ripped stomach and enviably ample cleavage.

Beaming in the sun-kissed selfie, Mel showcased her amazing shape for her 46 years in the pretty pink two-piece as she relaxed in the sunshine.

Happy! In another busty bikini selfie, the beauty posed in a tiger print number with a beaming smile on her face

Capturing her top half, Mel showcased her smooth, glowing complexion as well as a hint of her perky bust.

In a further busty bikini selfie, the beauty posed in a tiger print number with a beaming smile on her face.

With more stomach on show, Mel showcased her sculpted stomach for her 63,000 followers to see, showing off her trim figure as a mother-of-two.

Age-defying: Mel looked in amazing shape for her 46 years in the pretty pink two-piece

That's the life: Mel floated across the pool on a an inflatable blue cushion, carefully positioning herself so that she remained dry

Taking a well-deserved break, she floated across the pool on a an inflatable blue cushion, carefully positioning herself so that she remained dry.

The photos of her flawless physique have been giving fans a taste of what to expect from the calendar shots.

Posting again in a hot pink bikini, Mel revealed she spent her first two days preparing for the shoot sunbathing rather than sweating it out in the gym.

Looking good: The brunette recently travelled to Las Vegas, where she posted a succession of steamy selfies from her hotel room

Crazy heat, she wrote in an accompanying caption. High factor but got to get a bit of colour for shoot tomorrow.

Mel later admitted shed spent her time off at the lavish Nevada home of eighties heartthrob Matt Goss  currently enjoying the final two months of a headline show at Caesars Palace.

Sharing a snap of herself relaxing by his outdoor pool she wrote: 'Had a lovely morning catching up with my wonderful friend @Mattgoss what a beautiful home #friends #vegas #catchup.'

Resting up: Mel admitted shed spent her time off at the lavish Nevada home of 80s heartthrob Matt Goss  currently enjoying the final two months of a headline show at Caesars Palace

Friends reunited: Mel has known Matt since she was 19-years-old

Despite her surroundings the brunette turned in early, admitting she wanted an early night ahead of her shoot with photographer Alan Strutt and hair and make-up artist pals Gary Cockerill and Phil Turner.

'Early night. In my ridiculously comfy bed at @phvegas Big shoot tommorrow, she wrote alongside a snap of herself tucked up in bed at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

Mel previously shared a filtered selfie on Instagram in which she looks typically toned in a very skimpy blue bikini while reclining on a beach towel, her eyes shielded behind a pair of tinted Aviators.

Good morning USA: What happens in Las Vegas commonly stays in Las Vegas, but Melanie was evidently keen to share her exploits in the Nevada city

But despite making the most of the glorious weather, the presenter hinted that she was unimpressed by the hugely popular resort city.

Captioning the shot, she wrote: Hope all good with you all. Well Im here in Vegas and the jury is out.

The brunette had previously shared a snap of herself en route to the airport alongside Strutt ahead of their flight to Las Vegas and a stay at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

On their way: The brunette had previously shared a snap of herself en route to the airport alongside celebrity photographer Alan Strutt

Uploading the snap on Sunday Mel also revealed her excitement at uniting with celebrity hair and make-up artist Cockerill and his husband Turner during the Vegas shoot.

Turner later confirmed the news himself by sharing a snap of the citys famous welcome sign alongside the words: Next stop Vegas.

Despite her seemingly flawless appearance, Mel recently opened up about her insecurities in a blog post on her website.

Here we come: Mel also revealed her excitement at uniting with celebrity hair and make-up artist Gary Cockrill and his husband Phil Turner would during the Vegas shoot

Melanie told her fans she has struggled to accept parts of her body like many other women, including her 'heavy and bulky' thighs and 'flat' derriere.

The fitness fan wrote: 'I think a lot of womens insecurities can mainly be body issues. I am often asked which bits of my body I dont like and the answer is, I know I am a healthy person, so I do think I am lucky. I do look alright and most importantly, everything works.

'My thighs have a tendency to be heavy and bulky, so I have to be careful whilst building my bottom, that I dont build my thighs in the process.

'Cellulite, again is another demon for women and of course I have some.'




She dazzled in the series opener of ITV1's new period drama Victoria on Sunday night.

But Jenna Coleman proved she is worthy of being fashion royalty off-screen too, as she arrived at the BBC Radio 1 studios in central London on Wednesday morning.

The actress, 30, looked stunning in a striped shirt with dramatic collared detailing and tailored navy cigarette pants with a high-shine finish.

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Style Queen: Victoria star Jenna Coleman proved she is worthy of being fashion royalty off-screen too, as she arrived at the BBC Radio 1 studios in central London on Wednesday morning

Stepping out amid viewers' claims she's 'too pretty' to play the late monarch, the brunette beauty added height to her frame with a pair of navy suede slippers with tassle detail and a towering heel.

Jenna injected a touch of A-list glamour to her look with a spot of arm candy in the form of an emerald green quilted leather Chanel handbag.

The former soap star wore her short brunette locks straight and sleek and accentuated her striking looks with natural make-up.

Jenna was stopping by the studios to chat about her latest role to Radio 1 Breakfast Show host, Nick Grimshaw.

Effortlessly chic: The actress, 30, looked stunning in a striped shirt with dramatic collared detailing and tailored navy cigarette pants with a high-shine finish

Fashionable flair: Stepping out amid viewers' claims she's 'too pretty' to play the late monarch, the brunette beauty added height to her frame with a pair of navy suede slippers

She tweeted the former X Factor judge, alongside a fun photo montage of the pair: 'Thanks for morning chats @grimmers.'

Stopping to take pictures with fans, the star looked in high spirits as she left the studios after her radio appearance.

While millions of viewers were enthralled at the first episode of Victoria, some claimed that the show's star Jenna is simply too beautiful to play the Queen.

Regal: Jenna injected a touch of A-list glamour to her look with a spot of arm candy in the form of an emerald green quilted leather Chanel handbag

Talented: Jenna was stopping by the studios to chat about her latest role to Radio 1 Breakfast Show host, Nick Grimshaw

Victoria was described in her youth as a 'short, vulgar-looking child' who had bulging eyes and already a tendency to be overweight - a description which does not fit the brunette actress.

Jenna stunned as the young Alexandrina Victoria on Sunday's episode, struggling to cope with the demands of ascending the throne.

She looked ravishing in multiple extravagant period frocks and elaborate hairstyles that showed off her delicate features - features which were not representative of the famed monarch, according to Twitter users.

Say cheese! Stopping to take pictures with fans, the star looked in high spirits as she headed to Radio 1 to talk about her new hit ITV series Victoria, which made its debut on Sunday night

Snap happy: Jenna re-tweeted a fun photo montage of her and host Nick Grimshaw

Gogglebox's June Bernicoff tweeted: 'Surely Jenna Louise Coleman is too pretty to be Victoria, she wasn't exactly a looker, was she?'

Di Tekki said: 'Even real young Victoria is not as pretty as Jenna. Petite, yes, but not this beautiful', while RoyalHistoryGeeks posted: 'Jenna Coleman is of course, far too pretty to play Victoria - but this is TV so we'll make allowances.'

Leaving appearance aside, Jenna revealed recently that the show would show a new side to the monarch from the serious matriarch who spent decades in mourning.

Speaking to the Radio Times, she said: ' One of the things I love about Victoria is how open, impulsive and vivid she is. Shes so un-precious and so funny.

Lady of luxury: Jenna looked happy and relaxed as she wandered out of the studios

'But if she hadnt had this will of iron, theres a possibility that she wouldnt have been queen.'

It seems that the dresses and hairstyles of the queen were the least of Jenna's worries on set too, as she admitted having to learn several new tricky skills for the role.

Speaking on This Morning last week, Jenna confessed that to play Victoria she had to prove she could learn to side saddle on a horse while wearing a corset.

She also had to learn to play Beethoven on the piano, although she remarked, 'I wasn't very good at that.'

Stunner: The British brunette grinned at fans as she continued her day of promotional appearances

Beauty is pain: Jenna has been said by some to be too attractive to play Queen Victoria after ITV's new drama about the monarch premiered on Sunday

The real Victoria: Shown here in an early portrait, historians are divided on how attractive she was in her youth

Having read the 62million words the monarch recorded in her journal throughout her life, from 1819 to 1901, Jenna said of the show's love story however: 'We haven't shied away from some of the steamy side of things.

'The chemistry and passion and her love for her husband Albert was strong but turbulent at times.'

It is no wonder that many believe Jenna to be too striking to play the monarch.

Natural beauty: Jenna looked stunning throughout the drama, with her period up-dos showcasing her delicate features

Royalty: The Doctor Who actress was praised for her performance in the first episode of the eight-part drama

Historians disagree on how physically attractive the young Queen was, but early photographs of her show her to have the typical Hanoverian features of large eyes and a weak chin, as well as a very severe centre-parted hairline.

However, early portraits around the time of her marriage show her as a pretty young woman.

By the time of Victoria's death in 1901, she was notoriously overweight and wore 50-inch bloomers.

Not fitting the bill: Some Twitter users disagreed with the casting, with Gogglebox's June remarking: 'She wasn't exactly a looker was she?'

Letting it slide: Another Tweeter admitted they could make allowances for Jenna's casting as the Queen

The young monarch: Early photographs of the young Queen show her to have typically Hanoverian features as well as a very severe centre-parted hairline

But while viewers may have disagreed on Coleman's casting, they were entranced by Rufus Sewell's turn as the Queen's first Prime Minister Lord Melbourne - with some even saying that Prince Albert could not compare.

Sewell, 48, played the dashing but brooding Prime Minister to perfection and early reaction indicates he could join the ranks of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy and Richard Armitage as John Thornton in the period drama Hall of Fame.

Tweeter Tamsin posted: 'Lord M is fantastic and I almost wish there wasn't an Albert.'

Sheila Beard said: 'Rufus Sewell stole the show as Lord M, shame she fell for Albert.'

Tall, dark and handsome: Rufus Sewell, 48, played Queen Victoria's dashing but brooding Prime Minister Lord Melbourne

Stealing the show: Twitter users reacted with glee to Sewell's casting, leading to speculation he may take his place in the period drama hall of fame

And Morgan Jeffrey said: 'If anything, Rufus Sewell's a bit TOO good in Victoria. Don't want Albert to swoop in and ruin things. Damn your effortless charm Sewell.'

Prince Albert, who did not appear in last night's premiere, will be portrayed by Tom Hughes.

Romance rumours have begun to swirl around Jenna and her handsome co-star Hughes.

The pair were seen leaving a party in the same taxi earlier this summer, and have also been spotted strolling together in West London.

Victoria continues on Sunday 4th September on ITV at 9pm.

Love for Lord M: Tamsin admitted 'Lord M is fantastic and almost wish there wasn't an Albert'

Expert of his craft: Andrew Collins said Rufus Sewell was the main reason he was tuning in to the drama
She's opened up about trying to find her estranged father almost 28 years after she migrated to Australia from Chile with her mother, brother and sister.

And despite failing to find a connection with her birth father upon locating him, her boyfriend Tyson Mullane opted to cheer actress Pia Miller up with a family reunion on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old mother-of-two later took to Instagram to gush about the surprise visit from family members, as well as showing her appreciation for the film producer and his planned beach outing.

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Surprise: Tyson Mullane is every inch the doting boyfriend as he surprised Home And Away star Pia Miller with a family reunion on Wednesday

'Surprise visit from my entire family! THE BEST EVER!!' she captioned a beaming picture of herself surrounded by her two sons, Lennox and Isaiah, and other family members who had travelled to Sydney to be with the soap star.

'Thank you@tyson_mullane for orchestrating this and keeping the worlds best secret! So much love,' she added to the post.

Months earlier, the model turned actress opened up about her desperate struggle to track down her estranged father online - and how their reunion did not go exactly how she had hoped.

Denim theme: Pia, her son Isiah and boyfriend Tyson drape themselves in denim ensembles

Attempt: The model turned actress opened up about her desperate struggle to track down her estranged father online

Speaking to Marie Claire, she said she started making calls and reaching out to people who fit his description online.

She said she had no memory of her father and had not seen him since the rest of her family packed up and left for Australia.

The model, who has been nominated for Logie for her role as Katarina Chapman in Home and Away, described her first, brief, phone conversation with her father as 'really overwhelming'.

Appreciation: The 32-year-old is pictured with her son Isiah who is holding what appears to be an award

Nap time: Pia is pictured with her two sons - Isiah and Lennox- enjoying a nap

'It was one of those life moments that was, at the time, so difficult to grasp. There were all of these feelings, emotions and curiosities. But looking back now, I'm glad I did it.'

She decided to travel to Chile years later in 2011 to meet him face-to-face, but she was left a little disappointed.

'I thought that (meeting my father) would be a story about getting to know him, but it ended up being a story about appreciating and loving my mother so much,' Pia said.

Pia now has no contact with her father and has been left with a fresh appreciation for her mother, former fashion designer Angelica Blanco.
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Most thought images of Ed Balls strutting his stuff on the dancefloor would be like nothing TV has ever seen before...but it appears that may not be the case.

His moves looked remarkably similar to those of David Brent from The Office as Balls threw some shapes in a sharp blue suit at the glitzy launch party of Strictly Come Dancing at Elstree Film Studios,.

Some on social media said the likeness was 'uncanny' as he jutted out his head alongside professional dancer Janette Manrara and twirled with Laura Whitmore, wearing a racy backless dress.

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Fusion: Ed Balls does his best Brent impression as he struts his stuff alongside Janet Manrara and twirls with Laura Whitmore

Signature moves: Some on social media said the likeness was 'uncanny' as the moves reminded them of the famous scene from The Office (pictured)

Staying alive: Ed Balls looks as lively as the part as he dances on the red carpet with other stars from the series - although it looks as though he may have had a little coaching from someone famous beforehand

Brent face: Ed Balls even screws up his face, just as David Brent does when he performs the cringe worthy dance, which was a stand-out moment in the famous comedy

Getting down: He might not look like a natural dancer and has admitted as much himself in the past, although he'll certainly win points for effort as he put a great display

Believe the hype: This morning there were already fans queuing up outside the Elstree Studios hoping to get a glimpse of the stars making their way to begin the performances for the long-awaited 2016 series

Holding a spot: The queue snaked all the way down the road as people waited outside Elstree in the hope of securing a place in the audience for the glamorous show

And Balls, who is married to Labour MP Yvette Cooper, wasn't afraid to get up close and personal with other members of the cast, whose outfits left little to the imagination at the glamorous event.

It was a glitzy preview to the long-awaited 2016 series, and the morning after, crowds of fans could already be seen queuing up outside the studios with coffees and camp chairs as they hope to get a spot in the audience for the glamorous show.

Model Lowe led the racy arrivals on the red carpet last night, with what could arguably be the sexiest look to date where she showed off the entirety of her chest, with just sparkly straps maintaining her modesty.

Laura Whitmore donning a thigh-skimming skirt and Louise Redknapp in bringing the glam.

While the girls were bringing the glamour, the entire cast were certainly injecting some sparkle into the evening themselves as the group stood together to pose for a cast image - giving a glimpse of what audiences will see for the weekends leading up to the festive period from the show which kicks of on Saturday, September 3.

This year's contestants comprise of Greg Rutherford, Daisy Lowe, Judge Rinder, Laura Whitmore, Ore Oduba, Louise Redknapp, Will Young, Naga Munchetty, Tameka Empson, Danny Mac, Anastacia, Ed Balls, Claudia Fragapane, Melvin Odoom and Leslie Joseph.

Returning once again was the panel of judges complete with Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell and Len Goodman, who is departing as head judge following this season after sitting in the role since the show's 2004 inauguration.

Also returning to add further glamour to television's glitziest show was hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who ensured they were as dolled up as the stars while both sporting floor-sweeping gowns to help maximise their incredible figures.

Here come the girls! Strictly Come Dancing is back with a sparkle, as on Tuesday evening the celebrities and professionals stormed the red carpet at the Elstree Film Studios ahead of the forthcoming launch of the 2016 series

Eye-popping! Daisy's ensemble was far from any look worn by Strictly contestants before - proving the superstar offspring and model will undoubtedly be the sexiest addition to the cast

The whole gang! This year's contestants comprise of (clockwise from top left) Greg Rutherford, Daisy Lowe, Judge Rinder, Laura Whitmore, Ore Oduba, Louise Redknapp, Will Young, Naga Munchetty, Tameka Empson, Danny Mac, Anastacia, Ed Balls, Claudia Fragapane, Melvin Odoom and Leslie Joseph

Judgmental! Returning once again was the panel of judges complete with Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell and Len Goodman (left-right), who is departing his role as head judge following this season

Superstar offspring and model Daisy, who is the daughter of famed fashionista Pearl Lowe and Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale, was undoubtedly the raciest in a fishnet ensemble which showed off the entirety of her unsupported ample cleavage while also exhibiting her long legs.

A panel extending along the centre of the skirt ensured the essential Strictly sparkle was injected although her perky cleavage was undoubtedly the central point of focus, in what could easily be the most shocking look to hit the BBC dance floor.

The beaded strips extending the length of her bust were the only element of the ensemble protecting her modesty, due to the sheer material. The gown's bold red colouring perfectly stood out against her raven tresses and alabaster complexion, while her glimmering lipstick matched her dress.

Despite her outfit being, arguably, the sexiest look to date, she ensured things were kept classic with her footwear thanks to her gold heels and nude fishnet stockings - the hallmark of many dance ensembles.

Joining the stars: Daisy was certainly making an impression on the red carpet as she wowed in her eye-wateringly sheer ensemble - showing both her legs and bare chest

Cheeky! Despite her outfit being, arguably, the sexiest look to date, she ensured things were kept classic with her footwear thanks to her gold heels and nude fishnet stockings - the hallmark of many dance ensembles

Lucky guy: Not content with posing with one stunning girl, Ed was also lucky enough to pose with the show's bustiest contestant, Miss Lowe - who seemed tickled by his jokes

Chatting politics? Daisy could not stop giggling as she chatted to Ed - with the pair engrossed in a hilarious conversation

From all angles! Daisy was clearly keen to give onlookers a 360-view of her form-flattering - and cleavage-enhancing- dress

The newbies! It was a first time for the bevvy of new dancers arriving on the scene - Oksana Platero, Gorka Marquez, Chloe Hewett, AJ Pritchard, Katya Jones and Neil Jones (left-right) looked excited for their bright new start

Mellow yellow! Laura and Ed looked like they were ready to sashay as they hit the floor

How short can you go? While her gown was thigh-skimming in length, it was wholly more demure than sexy Daisy's - although still showstopping in its dazzling effect thanks to heavy beading and a flame style colour scheme

Laura Whitmore arrived on the arm of former economic secretary Ed Balls, who looked dapper in a suit, while the Irish model wore a swishing yellow mini.

While her gown was thigh-skimming in length, it was wholly more demure than sexy Daisy's - although still showstopping in its dazzling effect thanks to heavy beading and a flame style colour scheme.

Although her dress featured a high-neck, the blonde beauty turned to reveal a mass of flesh, with a dip which extended down the entirety of her back.

Louise, of Nineties girl group Eternal fame, borrowed from the 1920s in her stunning beaded gown which featured intricate beadwork to afford the gown stunning and graceful movement.

Dazzling grins: Although Ed is more used to cabinet meetings than red carpets, he took to the floor on the arm of his dazzling co-star

Dancing with Mr. (Disco) Balls: Laura was certainly the centre of attention as her flame coloured gown stood out boldly against the politician's navy suit

All aboard! Louise was joined by Will Young and Naga Munchetty (left-right) for the stunning launch

Lovely in lilac: Although Louise's dress appeared extremely demure from the front, as she span around she revealed an exposed back

They know how to do it! The professional dancers, including Joanne Clifton, Otlile Mabuse, Janette Manrara, Karen Clifton and Natalie Lowe (left-right), were all clad in the same ensembles although each displayed their very own stunning physique as they showed off the result of their bodies

Get down on it! Ed Balls could not resist getting down and dirty as he gyrated on the red carpet with Janette

Flying solo: Newly-single Giovanni Pernice looked upbeat despite announcing his split from Georgia May Foote - who he met while partnered with her on last year's show

Yet another of the female landings was pop powerhouse Anastacia, who pulled a host of wacky faces as she posed in her tight navy gown with green detail.

Wowing the red carpet was the show's host, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly who will undoubtedly be wowing Saturday night screens with their bevvy on weekly dazzling ensembles.

For the launch Claudia, 44, sported a floor-sweeping red ensemble with a chic double fold - while the pillar shape gave her a stunning shape.

Going for an entirely simplistic look, the brunette beauty wore no accessories save for a dazzling ring, while she gave a glimpse at her pointed heels from beneath the gown.

Larking about! Ore Oduba could not help laughing as he walked along with Anastacia who was pulling a host of funny faces

Fit of the giggles: Birds Of A Feather star Leslie sashayed down the red carpet on the arm of the TV's favourite judge

She's got it going on: Yet another of the female landings was pop powerhouse Anastacia, who pulled a host of wacky faces as she posed in her tight navy gown with green detail

Playing around! Anastacia ensured she swished away as she immersed herself in the glamour

Shaking their tassels: Anastacia and Laura threw themselves into their sexy moves

Stunners: Wowing the red carpet was the show's host, Claudia and Tess who will undoubtedly be glamming up Saturday night screens with their bevvy on weekly dazzling ensembles

Look at hem go! Going for an entirely simplistic look, the brunette beauty wore no accessories save for a dazzling ring, while she gave a glimpse at her pointed heels from beneath the gown

She styled her classic heavy fringed hairdo into a shaggy mane which tickled her heavily made up eyes in length.

Tess meanwhile opted for a chic navy gown with a cold shoulder detail and a daring split while her blonde locks were dead straight in style.

Tess' belt was a plate detail matched her hooped earrings in the metallic style while she opted for glimmering shoes to match

She wears the trousers! Zoe Ball opted for a rather classy ensemble, which was based around slight cropped slacks

Looking good! The blonde TV star enjoyed a fashion success in her latest look which was both trendy but dignified

A giggling display: Tess' belt was a plate detail matched her hooped earrings in the metallic style while she opted for glimmering shoes to match

Naughty in navy: Tess added a touch of sex appeal to her look with a racy thigh split extending the length of her leg while Claudia looked stunning in her pink gown

Judge Darcey Bussell, a world famous ballerina, showed off her dancer's technique as she swished her gown while storming down the red carpet - showing her peers just how it is done.

As she turned around she exposed the backless detail on the gown with intricate beading draping down to give a delicate touch.

Her sleek tresses were worn in a dead-straight style cascading over her shoulders while falling from a side parting.

Making her mark: Judge Darcey Bussell, a world famous ballerina, showed off her dancer's technique as she swished her gown while storming down the red carpet - showing her peers just how it is done

Look at her go! Her champagne coloured gown was adorned with beading and intricate details

Swishing sensation: As she turned around she exposed the backless detail on the gown with intricate beading draping down to give a delicate touch

No nerves? The celebrity arrivals showed no sign of nerves as they headed into the event with Melvin Odoom, Claudia Fragapane, Leslie Joseph and Judge Rinder (left-right) all looking to be brimming with confidence as they stormed through

The whole gang back together: The Strictly judges looked overjoyed to be reunited for series 14

Flying the sporting flag: Athletes Claudia and Gregg looked ready for the challenge ahead no doubt ready to throw some of their sporty moves onto the dancefloor

Here we go! The glittering line-up of contestants was announced in full last week with show stalwart Anton du Beke and Natalie Lowe heading straight in

Working it! Professional Karen Clifton wowed as she stormed along in her glittering mini

Cheeky! Anton Du Beke gave a cheeky glimpse of his hairy chest - undoubtedly to the delight of his female fans

Shaking her thing! EastEnders star Tameka Empson looked sensational in a plunging teal gown with a graduated hem layered with various colours working their way up

Fixing him up! Ed was assisted by Anton in ensuring he looked extra sharp

You spin me right round baby... The practice seems to have kicked off already with plenty of moves on the go

What's her secret? Anastasia hardly seems to have aged a day from when she first landed on the music scene in the late 1990s

Let's hope he doesn't leave right now - or any time soon! Will Young is definitely the best-dressed man in the show
He passed away on Monday at the age of 83, leaving movie fans around the globe in mourning.

And it seems that Coldplay were particularly affected by the passing of Gene Wilder, as they paid tribute to the late movie star on Tuesday.

During their gig in Denver, the band rounded off their classic hit The Scientist with a touching rendition of the Willy Wonka song Pure Imagination - sand by Wilder.

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Touched by his genius? It seems that Coldplay were particularly affected by the passing of Gene Wilder, as they paid tribute to the late movie star on Tuesday at their gig in Denver

And the tribute wasn't lost on fans, as they cheered the band on while Chris Martin crooned: 'Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination.'

The song, which is one of the most iconic tunes from the 1971 musical Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, was played for the briefest of moments as the lights went down.

Sharing the moment with their fans across the world, Coldplay made sure their tribute to Gene - who played the eponymous Wonka - went viral.

With over 10,000 likes and 5,800 retweets, the short clip posted the same day as the concert certainly sparked the imagination of the band's fans.

A man of pure imagination: The band rounded off their classic hit The Scientist with a touching rendition of the Willy Wonka song Pure Imagination - sang by Wilder (pictured as Wonka)

Chris Martin and co.'s fitting tribute came just 24 hours after news broke that the iconic actor, director and comedian had passed away aged 83.

The two-time Oscar-nominee passed away at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, on Monday, surrounded by his family.

Gene, famous for his roles in Willy Wonka, Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, and his loved ones had his favorite meal - a chicken dinner - before he slipped away.

Form showman to showman: The tribute wasn't lost on fans, as (snapped in 2011) Chris Martin crooned: 'Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination

A star has fallen: The short clip of the tribute has gained over 10,000 likes and 5,800 retweets since it was posted on Tuesday

The legendary comedic performer was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease three years ago but kept his battle secret, because he 'couldn't bear the thought of one less smile in the world'.

His nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman said he 'passed holding our hands with the same tenderness and love he exhibited as long as I can remember'.

He added: 'As our hands clutched and he performed one last breath, the music speaker, which was set to random, began to blare out one of his favorites: Ella Fitzgerald. She was singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow as he was taken away.'

Gone but not forgotten: Gene, famous for his roles in Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, passed away surrounded by his loved ones at his home in Conneticut on Monday, aged 83

Brave: The legendary performer was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease three years ago but kept his battle secret, because he 'couldn't bear the thought of one less smile in the world'

Tributes flooded in for the actor that same night as stars of the silver screen paid their respects to one of their most beloved contempories.

Friend and longtime collaborator Mel Brooks led the outpouring of emotion, attesting to the 'magic' that Wilder brought to the screen, including his most well-known role as Willy Wonka.

'One of the truly great talents of our time,' Mel Brooks tweeted on Monday. 'He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship.'

From a friend:Tributes flooded in for the actor that same night as stars of the silver screen paid their respects to one of their most beloved contempories - including his friend Mel Brooks

Fellow comic Jim Carrey added: 'Gene Wilder was one of the funniest and sweetest energies ever to take human form. If there's a heaven, he has a golden ticket.'

His Willy Wonka co-stars also paid tribute, with Rusty Goffe, who played one of the Oompa Loompas, saying: 'Gene Wilder was one of the nicest, if not THE nicest actor I have ever worked with. A true star. Thank you Mr Wonka.'

Julie Dawn Cole, better known as 'bad egg' Veruca Salt from the film, added: 'Such sad news. Words not enough. Treasured memories.'

Other stars that have paid tribute to the performer include the likes of James Corden and Russell Crowe.
She recently hit the headlines when she blasted the pressure society puts on women to look perfect.

And Renee Zellweger continued her promotional tour, putting on a playful display in a chic shift dress as she attended the Bridget Jones's Baby photocall in London on Tuesday.

The 47-year-old actress cut a stylish figure in the quirky, 60s style number, featuring a black stripe running down the dress and matching sleeves.

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Leading lady: Renee Zellweger put on a playful display in a chic shift dress as she attended the Bridget Jones's Baby photocall in London on Tuesday

Renee accessorised her above-the-knee number with simple, strappy heels and styled her blonde locks in loose curls.

She opted for a natural beauty look, highlighting her lips with pink lipstick and enhancing her lashes with a fluttering of mascara.

The actress played up to the camera, striking a cheeky pose with one hand on her hip.

Think pink: She opted for a natural beauty look, highlighting her lips with pink lipstick and enhancing her lashes with a fluttering of mascara

In the spotlight: Renee has been tirelessly promoting her new film for the past few weeks

She was joined by her leading men, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey at the London photocall, who both looked dashing as ever in smart suits.

Renee once again addressed the issue of body image and notions of beauty while promoting her new film.

'[We are] made to believe that there's some value in meeting a social paradigm,' explained the 47-year-old actress in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald this week.

Work it: The actress played up to the camera, striking a cheeky pose with one hand on her hip

Speaking out: Renee once again addressed the issue of body image and notions of beauty while promoting her new film

Back on our screens: Renee, who has returned to the silver screen after a six-year hiatus, went on to add that Bridget represents a refreshing antithesis to such pressures

'It's been that way for centuries,' she continued.

Renee, who has returned to the silver screen after a six-year hiatus, went on to add that Bridget represents a refreshing antithesis to such pressures.

'She reminds us that outside of [beauty] everybody has something to contribute. And everybody has appeal in what they are as individuals,' she explained.

Dashing: Colin Firth was also taking the hot seat alongside Renee

Keeping it casual: The award-winning actor was rocking a casual bomber jacket

Suited and booted: Patrick Dempsey scrubbed up well in a navy suit

Her comments come two years after the Chicago actress faced speculation that she had cosmetically altered her face.

She was accused of having an eye-lift in October 2014 after making an appearance appeared on the red carpet at a Women in Hollywood event looking decidedly wrinkle-free.

At the time she dismissed the speculation as 'silly' and has also lashed out at speculation about her changing looks in an essay titled We Can Do Better.

Love interest: Patrick plays Jack Qwant, who Bridget starts dating following her split from Mark Darcy (Firth)
He's enjoyed a summer of love in Los Angeles with his Hollywood actress girlfriend, Chloe Moretz.

But it looked to be back to reality with a bump for brooding Brooklyn Beckham as he headed to a Notting Hill skate park on Tuesday, just hours after jetting home to London following his two-month break.

Looking decidedly downcast as he spent a moment with his thoughts, the aspiring photographer, 17, appeared contemplative as he waited to hit the ramp.

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Missing Chloe? It was back to reality with a bump for Brooklyn Beckham as he headed to a Notting Hill skate park on Tuesday, just hours after jetting home to London

The trendy teen teamed khaki skinny chinos with a loose, grey T-shirt, bearing the logo of iconic music magazine Rolling Stone, soldiers, and the phrase Biloxi Blues, which likely refers to Neil Simon's play about military recruits stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Although his father, retired sportsman David Beckham, 41, is a brand ambassador for Adidas, young Brooklyn beats to his own drum and slipped into a pair of on-trend Nike trainers.

The student may have been feeling the sting of jet lag - as well as a touch of lovesickness - following the 10-hour flight from California, despite partaking in his favourite hobby.

No doubt Brooklyn will be feeling a pronounced sense of teen loss after spending much of the summer with California-based Chloe, 19.

Teen heartache: Looking decidedly downcast as he spent a moment with his thoughts, the aspiring photographer, 17, appeared contemplative as he waited to hit the ramp

Summer lovin': The aspiring photographer, 17, has spent the past two months in Los Angeles with his family and Hollywood starlet girlfriend Chloe Moretz, 19

After months of speculation, the screen star confirmed she was dating David and fashion designer Victoria's eldest son during an episode of Watch What Happens Live in May.

The couple had openly expressed their sadness at being apart from each other - with Brooklyn in the UK with his family, and Chloe in Los Angeles.

'My boyfriend is a huge support,' she told Elle.com recently. 'I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't need a man for anything.

'But when I'm feeling bad about myself, he's like, "Stop. Look at what you say in interviews. Look at what you stand for. Listen to your own words, because you're as beautiful as you say you are"!'

Sk8er Boi! The trendy teen teamed khaki skinny chinos with a loose, grey T-shirt, bearing the logo of iconic music magazine Rolling Stone, soldiers, and the phrase Biloxi Blues

Independent style: His father may be a brand ambassador of Adidas, but young Brooklyn chose to wear a pair of Nike trainers with the swoosh logo emblazoned on the side

And it seems young Chloe has also got the support of Brooklyn's superstar mother, Victoria.

After delivering a passionate speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July, Victoria Beckham has shown her support for her eldest son Brooklyn's girlfriend Chloe, 19, following her public address at the event

The former Spice Girl referenced her old band's message of female empowerment in the accompanying caption, pledging her support to her son's partner.

She wrote: 'That's what I'm talking about!!!.....Girl Power!!!! @chloegmoretz @hillaryclinton #ImWithHer X VB';

Victoria and David also raise sons Romeo, 13, Cruz, 11, and daughter Harper, five, together.
She shot to fame railing against Mr. Carson's sensibilities while helping Mrs. Padmore out in the kitchens of Downton Abbey.

But on Tuesday evening Sophie McShera looked worlds apart from jovial skullery maid Daisy, as she attended The Entertainer after party in London.

Currently starring in the production, put on at The Garrick Theatre, the 31-year-old actress made a suitably A-List arrival at the bash in a stunning white midi dress.

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All white on the night: On Tuesday evening Sophie McShera looked worlds apart from jovial skullery maid Daisy, as she attended The Entertainer after party in London

Wearing a Huishan Zhang number, which clung to her slim curves, the Bradford-born actress cut an arresting figure.

Featuring sheer panel detailing, the form-fitting number allowed the Cinderella star to flash some flesh whilst retaining a demure edge to her look.

Teaming the cream number, which featured an undulating hemline, with a pair of metallic Jimmy Choo stilettos, Sophie defined and highlighted her lithe legs.

An A-list outfit: Currently starring in the production, put on at The Garrick Theatre, the 31-year-old actress made a suitably A-List arrival at the bash in a stunning white midi dress

Designer Daisy: Wearing a Huishan Zhang number, which clung to her slim curves, the Bradford-born actress cut an arresting figure - a far cry from her time on Downton (Left)

Keeping the focus firmly on her frock, the brunette beauty opted to go without any accessories.

She wore her dark locks in a off-centre parting, allowing her tresses to tumble to her shoulders and frame her alabaster features.

Defining her eyes with mascara, and adding a bold contrast of colour with a slick of red lipstick, Sophie certainly ensured all eyes were on her.

Stunning: The dress' sheer pannel deatiling allowed the star to flash some flesh whilst retaining a demure edge to her look, while her Jimmy Choo stilettos added a vampy vibe

Alabaster beauty: The actress (pictured with director Rob Ashford) wore her dark locks in a off-centre parting, allowing her hair to tumble to her shoulders, framing her alabaster features

Co-stars: The in-demand actress cosied up to the production's director, Rob Ashford, before sharing a chuckle with her co-stars Kenneth Branagh and Jonah Hauer-King (pictured)

In good company: Sophie pictured with (L-R): Jonah, Rob, Gawn Grainger, Greta Scacchi and Kenneth

Laughing and joking around with the rest of the play's cast following their performance, the actress looked to be having a whale of a time.

The in-demand actress cosied up to the production's director, Rob Ashford, before sharing a chuckle with her co-stars Kenneth Branagh and Jonah Hauer-King.

She plays the role of Jean in the Thor director's production of John Osborne's The Entertainer, a tragic but funny story about a failing music-hall performer, Archie (played by Kenneth).

Her role in the play comes as she returns to the stage following a stint in Galavante opposite Joshua Sasse, which came about after she hit stardom as Daisy in Julian Fellowes' hit period drama.

Leaving Daisy behind: Sophie returns to the stage following a stint in Galavante opposite Joshua Sasse, which came after she hit stardom as Daisy in Julian Fellowes' hit period drama

Living la vida loco? Ricky Martin was in attendance for the press night

Our Anthony: As was Royal Family star Ralf Little

Cosy couple: Zoe Wanamaker and husband Gawn were also on hand to celebrate the play's successful night, in which Gawn stars
She has been a television staple since she was in her early twenties, so it's no wonder Sunrise presenter Samantha Armytage has some serious pulling power when it comes to her party guests.

The famed TV journalist celebrated turning 40 in style on Wednesday as she gathered some of Australias most famous newsreaders to party alongside her at the Catalina Rose Bay Restaurant in Sydney.

The birthday girl, who will mark the milestone on Sunday, looked to be in high spirits as she left the boozy lunch while sporting a beige coat and leopard print shades.

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Glamorous exit: Samantha Armytage looked to be in high spirits as she made a glamorous exit from her star-studded 40th birthday lunch in Sydney on Wednesday

The media personality wore a black figure-hugging dress, that featured a V-neckline to reveal some cleavage to passers-by.

She opted for comfort in a pair of leopard print ballet flats and juggled a zebra print clutch and two big gift bags in both hands.

The morning show presenter work her short blonde locks loosely and opted for a natural pallet of makeup to highlight her striking features.

Flattering style: The birthday girl left the lunch bash in a crisp beige coat teamed with a figure hugging black dress which showed off her famous curves

Comfortable: She opted for comfort in a pair of leopard print ballet flats and juggled a zebra print clutch and two big gift bags in either hand

She completed her party look with manicured nails and a simple gold necklace.

Helping her say hello to her forties were some of the biggest names in the TV and film industry.

She was joined by long-time pal and co-host Natalie Barr, as well as the morning Sunrise team which included David Kochie Koch, Mark Beretta and Edwina Batholomew.

Easy styling: The morning show presenter styled her short blonde tresses out and straight, and opted for a natural pallet of make-up to highlight her striking features

Touch of saprkle: She completed her party look with a pair of sleek shades and added a touch of glitz to her look with a simple gold necklace

Star studded party: She was joined at the part by the Sunrise team which included Natalie Barr, David Kochie Koch, Mark Beretta, Edwina Batholomew, executive producer Michael Pell and producer David Walters

Friend and executive producer Michael Pell and producer David Walters were also in attendance at the party.

Sam later took to Instagram to upload a snap taken from the festivities.

The journalist joined her fellow Sunrise crew for a group shot as she beamed for the camera.

She captioned the picture: Long, lurvely lunch with my 'other' family @ my favourite restaurant .. Queue the heart- eyes emoji.

This comes after she shared an Instagram photo of herself cutting into the dessert, which featured three tiers and floral decorations.

Happy birthday: She shared an Instagram photo of herself cutting into the dessert, which featured three tiers and floral decoration




She made quite the arrival in Venice ahead of the city's 73rd Film Festival.

And Gemma Arterton continued her sartorial winning streak as she arrived at the photocall for the judging panel, on Wednesday afternoon.

Having changed out of her earlier outfit, a jazzy patchwork number, the 30-year-old sizzled on the red carpet thanks to her thigh-grazing white mini dress.

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Sartorial success: Gemma Arterton continued her sartorial winning streak as she arrived at the photocall for the judging panel, on Wednesday afternoon

Arriving at the event on her own, the Kent native cut a sassy yet stylish figure in the thigh-grazing number as she stepped out as one of the event's official judges.

The sleeveless dress, which featured an embroidered neckline, allowed the Prince of Persia actress to flaunt her endless legs as she sashayed onto the stage at the Venice Convention centre.

Gemma teamed her A-Line garment with a pair of strappy gold stilettos, which only served to further define and highlight her toned pins.

Dazzling: Having changed out of her earlier outfit, a jazzy patchwork number, the 30-year-old sizzled on the red carpet thanks to her thigh-grazing white mini dress

Keeping her look simple and chic, the brunette beauty only accessorised with a simple gold watch.

Wearing her long lock pulled back into a bun, Gemma allowed teased strands to fall around her face.

Opting for a minimal and natural palette of make-up, the stunning actress allowed her naturally striking features to shine through.

Sassy and solo: Arriving at the event on her own, the Kent native cut a sassy yet stylish figure in the thigh-grazing number as she stepped out as one of the event's official judges

Chic: The sleeveless dress, which featured an embroidered neckline, allowed the actress to flaunt her endless legs as she sashayed onto the stage at the Venice Convention centre

Laughing as she made her way onto the vast stage on her own, the down-to-earth Byzantium actress looked perfectly at home at the world-famous event.

Gemma's fellow judges include: Italian director Giancarlo De Cataldo, French actress Chiara Mastroianni, US artist Laurie Anderson, Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas; German actress Nina Hoss, director and president of the jury Sam Mendes, Chinese actress Zhao Wei and US director Joshua Oppenheimer.

The group were also joined by Venezia International Film Festival director Alberto Barbera.

Best foot forward: Gemma teamed her A-Line garment with a pair of strappy gold stilettos, which only served to further define and highlight her toned pins

All smiles: Opting for a minimal and natural palette of make-up, the stunning actress allowed her naturally striking features to shine through

Silver screen siren: Wearing her long lock pulled back into a bun, Gemma allowed teased strands to fall around her face

A right laugh: Laughing as she made her way onto the vast stage on her own, the down-to-earth Byzantium actress looked perfectly at home at the world-famous event

The rest of the gang: The panel (L-R) Giancarlo De Cataldo, Chiara Mastroianni, Laurie Anderson, Lorenzo Vigas, Nina Hoss, Sam Mendes, Zhao Wei and Joshua Oppenheimer

Her movie musical La La Land set to open the 73rd Venice Film Festival on Wednesday.

So it was only fitting that Gemma Arterton stole the show as she made her arrival at the site of the event, on Tuesday.

Heading out to meet with festival officials and other stars, the 30-year-old actress donned a bold strapless summer dress, which subtly accentuated her slender curves.

Opting for a vibrant patchwork-style maxi dress, the Hansel & Gretel: Witchhunters star ensured that she stood out from crowd.

Full of color: Gemma Arterton stole the show as she made her arrival at the site of the festival

Happy to be here: Heading out to meet with festival officials and other stars, the 30-year-old actress donned a bold strapless summer dress, which subtly accentuated her slender curves

Retaining an air of elegance despite the summer heat in the continent, Gemma looked the definition of demure summer style thanks to the layered number.

Featuring a high-neckline, which only exposed a glimpse of her delicate collarbones and shoulders, the actress didn't have to worry about her modesty.

Wearing a leather belt high on her waist, the actress broke up the colours and flow of the dress by cinching it in to accentuate her slender waistline.

She teamed the dress with a pair of houndstooth peep-toe stilettos, which further defined her figure.

All eyes on her: Opting for a vibrant patchwork-style maxi dress, the Hansel & Gretel: Witchhunters star ensured that she stood out from crowd

Accessorising her look with a black satin clutch, the actress kept her look relatively uncluttered; only choosign to wear a handful of rings and some earrings.

The Kent native wore her dark locks tied back in a snazzy do with French plaits on either side of her head.

With her fringe worn in sweeping chop, the star highlighted her striking features; which she let shine through thanks to her minimal make-up palette.

Arriving at the site of the 73rd Film Festival, held as part of Venice's biennale, by motor boat, it seemed that Gemma had slipped right into la dolce vita.

Chic for the summer: Retaining an air of elegance despite the summer heat in the continent, Gemma looked the definition of demure summer style thanks to the layered number

Another familiar face: Gemma bumped into German star Nina Hoss whilst out at the festival site

And the Prince of Persia actress has been seen in high spirits ever since her arrival on Tuesday, alongside The Amazing Spider-Man star, Emma Stone.

The rising tinsel town star was spotted looked casually cool in a striped knitted dress and brown sandals as she touched down at the city's Marco Polo Airport.

The 27-year-old actress smiled at onlookers as she made her way down to a waiting water taxi, ahead of Gemma.

Arrivals: Emma Stone, left, and Gemma Arterton, right, were spotted arriving at the Venice Marco Polo Airport on Tuesday, a day ahead of the start of the Venice Film Festival

Carrying a black backpack, Emma shielded her eyes with a pair oversized sunglasses, while her signature red tresses were tied into a relaxed ponytail.

Keeping her makeup to a minimum, the screen star also opted to go light on the accessories, wearing a delicate gold pendant as she prepared for her big night.

Gemma, 30, also cut a stylish figure, arriving in a black-and-white striped FRAME DENIM top, which she teamed with cropped blue jeans and strappy heels.

Casual: Emma opted to keep things casually cool, stepping out in a knitted striped dress

Making waves: She waved at onlookers and photographers as she boarded a water taxi

Anticipation: Emma's musical movie La La Land is set to open the festival on Wednesday

Also wearing sunglasses, the actress - who will serve on the film festival's jury alongside Sam Mendes and Laurie Anderson - let her brown locks rest on her shoulders.

Also spotted making his way through the picturesque city on Tuesday was Hollywood actor Jeremy Renner.

With a pair of Beats headphones resting around his neck, the 45-year-old actor looked casual in a grey sweater with dark rinse jeans.

Earning her stripes: Gemma donned a black-and-white striped top as she arrived in the city

She's got great jeans! The British beauty, 30, wore a pair of dark-rinse cropped jeans

The eyes have it: She teamed her casual ensemble with a pair of stylish cat eye sunglasses

Judge: Actress Gemma will serve on the film festival jury when it kicks off on Wednesday

Hey there! She gave photographers and onlookers one last wave before boarding her taxi

Jeremy is also in town for a big unveiling, as his sci-fi drama Arrival - also starring Amy Adams and Forrest Whitaker - is set to open in competition at the festival.

Dressed in full black ensemble, film-maker Sam Mendes touched down on the same day as the other stars ahead of taking on his duties as the jury president.

La La Land, which tells the story of a jazz pianist who falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles, also stars Canadian heart-throb Ryan Gosling.

Another Hollywood star: On the same day, Jeremy Renner was also seen arriving at the airport

Branded: The screen star wore a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses and Beats headphones

Cool dude: The Hollywood actor looked cool in a grey sweater with dark-rinse jeans

Black to basics: Film-maker Sam Mendes was seen wearing an all-black ensemble as he arrived
Work may well be underway on the forthcoming tenth series of Doctor Who, but the eccentric time lord was evidently in the mood to play during a break between scenes on Wednesday.

As filming continues at Kings Weston House in Bristol, Peter Capaldi was on hand to personally greet young fans of the enormously popular show, which returns in 2017.

Dressed in character as the flamboyant twelfth doctor, Capaldi enjoyed a conversation with one young fan - who looked on as he made a series of animated gestures.

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Familiar face: As filming continues on the set of Doctor Who at Kings Weston House in Bristol, Peter Capaldi was on hand to personally greet young fans of the enormously popular show, which returns in 2017

The actor, 58, was taking a short break after filming on location at the Grade 1 listed Somerset manor, outside of which a black horse drawn carriage could be seen - suggesting the doctor has traveled back to the eighteenth century.

Completed in 1719 and boasting ceilings, marble fireplaces, and a suspended central staircase, the house should provide a suitably grandiose backdrop when the series finally returns.

Capaldi, who has played the Doctor since 2013, was also seen holding a toy Dalek while idling on set.

The Tardis is this big: Dressed in character as the flamboyant twelfth doctor, Capaldi enjoyed a conversation with one young fan - who looked on as he made a series of animated gestures

Fun: Work may well be underway on the forthcoming tenth series of Doctor Who, but the eccentric time lord was evidently in the mood to play during a break between scenes on Wednesday

Not seen was his new assistant, played by Pearl Mackie, who was cast in April to replace outgoing Jenna Coleman.

The theatre actress - best known for her role in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - was announced as the Doctor's new sidekick during the FA Cup semi-final match, with a special teaser trailer showing her and the Time Lord facing off against a Dalek .

The 29-year-old, from Brixton, South London, was last spotted on location in Cardiff with Capaldi in July.

Taking a breather: The actor, 58, was taking a short break after filming on location at Grade 1 listed Somerset manor Weston House

She certainly has a fan in her co-star, who recently said: 'It is a genuine delight to welcome Pearl Mackie to Doctor Who.

'A fine, fine actress with a wonderful zest and charm, she's a refreshing addition to the TARDIS and will bring a universe of exciting new possibilities to The Doctor's adventures.'
They've claimed to be 'just friends'.

But Lewis Hamilton and Barbara Palvin were seen enjoying another cosy outing in Venice on Thursday.

Spending the day together, the pair made a trip to the Fornace Venier glass factory before heading back to their luxury hotel in the Italian city.

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Together again: Lewis Hamilton and Barbara Palvin were seen on another cosy outing in Venice on Thursday, at the Fornace Venier glass factory before heading back to their hotel

Keeping things casual but chic for the outing, Barbara, 22, opted to go braless beneath a little grey vest that she teamed with ripped black jeans.

Leading the way, the star strode past in a pair of black trainers with a white sole as the F1 champ trailed behind her.

In contrast to his date's muted ensemble, Lewis, 31, opted for a sporty ensemble in dazzling white, teaming a plain white T-shirt with baggy shorts and adding some colour with a scarlet-peaked cap.

Model moment: Keeping things casual but chic for the outing, Barbara, 22, opted to go braless beneath a little grey vest that she teamed with ripped black jeans

Travelling in style: Barbara and Lewis headed back to their hotel on a private river taxi, reminiscent of their cosy outing earlier that week when they took to the water

All aboard the love boat! Barbara reignited romance rumours after she was spotted getting cosy with the F1 champion in Venice on Monday

Their outing came after they were seen enjoying a cosy boat ride as they enjoyed a gondola ride in the water town this week.

The pair had been spotted together in Hungary and Monaco before reuniting in Venice.

However, a spokesperson for Lewis Hamilton previously told MailOnline: 'Lewis and Barbara are friends and fellow L'Oreal Ambassadors.'

Independent woman: Barbarawas flying solo as she enjoyed a day out at Lido di Venezia ahead of the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on Thursday

Lacy lady! Clad in a crochet midi dress, the Victoria's Secret model flashed a glimpse of her incredible physique whilst still remaining demure

Despite spending a lot of time together in the city, Barbara was flying solo at Lido di Venezia ahead of the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on Thursday.

Clad in a crochet midi dress, the Victoria's Secret model flashed a glimpse of her incredible physique whilst still remaining demure.

Featuring a dramatic ruffled collar, the gown's semi-sheer design offered a look at her skimpy white bralet which peeked through the perforated fabric.

With matching flared sleeves, the garment shrouded her figure but nipped in to highlight her enviable waist.

Skimming her thighs, the star allowed a look at her porcelain pins, which were elongated by a pair of patent black heels that were secured with slender ribbons.

Chest a glimpse! Featuring a dramatic ruffled collar, the gown's semi-sheer design offered a look at her skimpy white bralet which peeked through the perforated fabric

Wowing in white: With matching flared sleeves, the garment shrouded her figure but nipped in to highlight her enviable waist before flaring out into a fashionable full skirt

Sweeping her chestnut coloured locks back into a ponytail, Barbara was sure not to overpower her dramatic dress.

With her flawless complexion on display, the Hungarian model opted for a neutral make-up palette to show off her stunning features, lining her cheeks with rouge and painting her plump pout pink.

Keeping her accessories simple, she finished off the look with just a small black handbag slung over her shoulder.

Leggy lady! Skimming her thighs, the star allowed a look at her porcelain pins, which were elongated by a pair of patent black heels that were secured with slender ribbons

Brunette beauty! Sweeping her chestnut coloured locks back into a ponytail, Barbara showed off her stunning good looks whilst being sure not to overpower her dramatic dress

Sitting pretty! With her flawless complexion on display, the Hungarian model opted for a neutral make-up palette to show off her stunning features, lining her cheeks with rouge

Finishing touches: Keeping her accessories simple, she finished off the look with just a small black handbag slung over her shoulder and clung to her mobile phone

Barbara was happy to put on a flirtatious display for the cameras, blowing kisses for the photographers as she posed for snaps.

But the coquettish behaviour may have also been in part for her rumoured beau, Lewis.

The pair were romantically linked earlier this year when they were spotted partying together, but insisted they were 'just friends'.

Sealed with a kiss! Barbara was happy to put on a flirtatious display for the cameras, blowing kisses for the photographers as she posed for snaps

Keeping it quiet: Barbara's coquettish behaviour may have also been in part for her rumoured beau, Lewis Hamilton, but the pair have claimed to be 'just friends'
She was 13 when she was chosen to star opposite Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory.

And on Wednesday, Denise Nickerson, now 59, recalled the moment during the making of the 1971 classic when the late legendary actor and comedian won her over.

'When we filmed in the chocolate room and he sang Pure Imagination that just... he stole my heart,' she told People.

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Paid tribute: Denise Nickerson, 59, who played Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, remembered the late Gene Wilder as a 'kind and tender-hearted' man

Wilder died Monday of complications from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 83.

NIckerson, who played the obnoxious Golden Ticket winner Violet Beauregarde, said Wilder was a quiet and kind person who 'kind of stayed to himself.'

'He talked in a very soft whisper, nothing much furled his feathers, you know? He was such a kind, tender-hearted man,' she recalled. 'And for him to put up with us, my God what patience he must've needed for five of us running around.'

He's irreplaceble: Nickerson, second from left, revealed that Wilder, who died Sunday at age 83, had stolen her heart on the set of the 1971 classic

Nickerson was one of five child actors cast in the film version of the Roald Dahl children's story.

There was Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie Bucket, Julie Dawn Cole who was Veruca Salt, Paris Themmen played Mike Teevee and Michael Bollner was Augustus Gloop.

'We met him when we were first doing the factory scenes,' Nickerson said. 'I remember sitting on the bleachers waiting for him to come out of the factory and rumor had gone around set that he was going to do the somersault  and he did and we all clapped.'

'He created an iconic character,' she said. 'I don't think there will ever be anyone who could step in and fill his shoes.'

Late legend: Wilder died of complications from Alzheimer's disease, a condition he was diagnosed with three years ago but kept hidden from the public

It's a sentiment echoed by her former child co-stars.

Julie Dawn Cole, 58, told Time that Wilder was 'a generous-spirited man' who never patronized the young actors.

'Gene was sweet, patient and tolerant on set,' she said. 'We always vied for his attention; there was a constant race to get our schoolwork done so we could hang out with him.'

Good memories: Julie Dawn Cole, pictured as Veruca Salt with Wilder as Willy Wonka, described him as 'a generous-spirited man' who was 'sweet, patient and tolerant' on the set

'They would break for lunch and Gene and I would always buy a chocolate bar and share it on the way back to the set,' Peter Ostrum, 58, who played Charlie Bucket, told Variety on Tuesday.

'He was a gentle man, but he was also a gentleman,' he added. 'He treated people with respect and dignity.'

Rust Goffe, who played the head Ompa Loompa in the movie, described Wilder as 'an amazing man.'

'He was very gentle, very quiet, but he knew what he wanted,' the 67-year-old told ITV News. 'He was a very very funny man and it showed in the movie. He had a magical aura about him and it really showed.'

Life imitated art: Peter Ostrum, who starred as Charlie Bucket, recalled how he and Wilder would share a chocolate bar on the way back to the set after lunch

In addition to Willy Wonka, Wilder created memorable and beloved roles in films such as The Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, The Producers and Silver Streak.

His death was announced by his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman who said the legendary entertainer died late Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut.

In a statement, Walker-Pearlman said Wilder was diagnosed with Alzheimer's three years ago, but kept the condition private so as not to disappoint fans.

'He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world,' Walker-Pearlman said.
She dared to bare it all all in a racy topless photo shoot in Bali recently.

But The Bachelor's Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris says the pictures were never intended to go public.

The 28-year-old glamour model told the Daily Telegraph, her racy photos were leaked to the media by a 'Facebook friend.'

'I think someone threw me under the bus': Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris says her topless photo shoot in Bali was leaked to the media by a Facebook friend

'I went to Bali for a holiday, and I also went to shoot for a friend's swimwear label which will launch in November,' the personal assistant told the newspaper.

'I put something up on my Facebook about it and I think someone threw me under the bus.'

In the pictures, the blonde bombshell was seen playfully tilting her head back and giggling as she struggled to cover her ample chest with one hand.

Not happy: The blonde bombshell said the photos won't be launched for the label until November

Wearing only a pair of skimpy black bikini bottoms, the former Playboy model appeared to be having a great time as she frolicked around posing for the photographer.

At one stage, she got playful with the camera, holding two tiny leaves on her chest as she smiled cheekily.

The comments come hours after she was sent packing by Richie Strahan on Wednesday night's episode of the Bachelor.

The glamour model appeared shocked when the rope technician opted to keep intruder Stephanie Dixon over her.

'It's quite strange with the people that he chose to keep there': Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris admits she is surprised by Richie Strahan's decision to evict her from The Bachelor

'It's quite strange with the people that he chose to keep there,' she said while looking out of the window of her black limousine.

'Steph's still here. Like, what is it that I didn't do right? I was hoping for a rose in the sense that Richie saw potential in me,' she added.

Keeping her head turned away from the camera, the Sydney based personal assistant added: 'I was hoping for a rose in the sense that Richie saw potential in me.

' Kiki, I know you're going to make some guy incredibly happy one day': Richie Strahan said

Not happy: The 28-year-old glamour model was shocked when Richie Strahan opted to keep intruder Stephanie Dixon over her

'It's a bit disappointing.

'He has been such a gentleman and I'm very grateful for him during this whole experience,' she concluded.

Upon telling the sultry blonde she was evicted, Richie made an endearing tribute to the model.

' Kiki, I know you're going to make some guy incredibly happy one day,' he said.
Her pregnancy has undoubtedly been a tumultuous time.

Yet Stephanie David appears to have mellowed, as she revealed that her attitude towards dating has totally transformed, with her baby boy being the 'love of her life'.

The 23-year-old former Hollyoaks star, who is expecting a child with her estranged boyfriend Jeremy McConnell, insists she will never have a relationship in public again as she plans to focus on her son.

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All the love in the world: Stephanie David appears to have mellowed, as she revealed that her attitude towards dating has totally transformed, with her baby boy being the 'love of her life'

Stephanie met Jeremy during their stint on Celebrity Big Brother in January, where they struck up a very public romance which soon spiralled into a rocky relationship prior to her pregnancy announcement.

The Irish hunk has vehemently denied the baby is his, while Stephanie claims she offered him a paternity test yet insists he has no interest in their unborn child.

Writing her latest pregnancy blog for OK! magazine, Stephanie candidly discussed pregnancy and dating, vowing her next relationship will be with 'someone really special', removed from the spotlight.

She wrote: 'I do 100 per cent think differently about the dating scene now. Becoming a mum is a complete game changer, the love of my life is my little boy and it would have to be someone really special.'

Serene: The 23-year-old former Hollyoaks star, who is expecting a child with her estranged boyfriend Jeremy McConnell, insists she will never have a relationship in public again as she plans to focus on her son

A bumpy ride: While she was initially coy about exposing her bump at the start of the pregnancy, the soap actress-turned-reality star is now extremely candid about her changing body

Stephanie, who is in the second trimester of her pregnancy, went on: ' I wouldn't put the relationship anywhere, or in anyone's face until we'd been going out for a long time and I was 100 per cent ready to introduce him into my son's life.'

While she was initially coy about exposing her bump at the start of the pregnancy, the soap actress-turned-reality star is now extremely candid about her changing body.

On Wednesday, the brunette beauty took to Instagram to share a stunning shot in which she exposed the entirety of her bump, complete with her many tattoos.

She added a caption on the shot reading: 'Grab a cuppa and take a read... Mummy and beautiful boy growing by the day!'

Denial: The Irish hunk has vehemently denied the baby is his, while Stephanie claims she offered him a paternity test yet insists he has no interest in their unborn child

Stephanie also shared a snap as she posed in just a bra, showing off her ample bust, while her hair and make-up were expertly styled, while she simply added a note on the shot reading: 'Mummy'.

While Stephanie is settling into pending parenthood, it seems Jeremy is worlds away from daddy duty as he shared a short video of an attractive woman suggestively sucking his fingers during a night out earlier this week.

But after initially allowing the Irish model to put his fingers in her mouth she becomes visibly embarrassed and turns her face away from the camera as his tattooed hand looms into view for a second time.

Saddening: While Stephanie is settling into pending parenthood, it seems Jeremy is worlds away from daddy duty as he shared a short video of an attractive woman suggestively sucking his fingers during a night out earlier this week

Not there? The videos come shortly after he branded his ex-girlfriend a 'freak' on Twitter in response to her claim that being given a baby doll inside the Celebrity Big Brother house prompted her to want a child of her own with the model

The videos come shortly after he branded his ex-girlfriend a 'freak' on Twitter in response to her claim that being given a baby doll inside the Celebrity Big Brother house prompted her to want a child of her own with the model.

Speaking to Loose Women, Stephanie - who met the Irishman while appearing on CBB - praised his paternal skills with the toy, telling the panel: 'He was really good with the baby.

'He was burping it and rubbing its back and I was like "oh I want a baby with him," she explained. Then we watched back the clips and I wanted it.'
She recently gushed that she is couldn't be happier with her girlfriend Alicia Cargile.

And Kristen Stewart's good mood was clear for all to see on Tuesday night as she stepped out in West Hollywood.

The 26-year-old flashed a peace sign as she left Largo at the Coronet with Cara Delevingne's musician girlfriend St. Vincent.

Peace out: Kristen Stewart was spotted leaving Largo at the Coronet in West Hollywood on Tuesday night

The pair had spent the evening watching Improv group The Improvised Shakespeare Company.

Kristen was dressed down for the occasion in an army green jacket over a black T-shirt, along with skinny jeans that were rolled up at the ankles and white trainers.

The actress pulled her blonde hair into a messy updo and finished off her look with smoky eyes and nude lips.

St. Vincent was seen trailing behind Kristen, clad in a blue, green and black printed dress with a grey fedora.

Fun with friends: The casually-clad actress was joined by Cara Delevingne's girlfriend St. Vincent

Earlier in the day the pair had been seen heading for dinner together, with the Twilight star clad in the same outfit save for a white T-shirt.

Kristen recently spoke candidly about her relationship with Alicia for the first time, telling the New York Times' T magazine: 'I love her so much.'

She added: 'I would never talk about any of my relationships before, but once I started dating girls it seemed like there was an opportunity to represent something really positive.

'I love her so much': Kristen recently gushed about her relationship with Alicia Cargile, who she is pictured with last week

'I still want to protect my personal life, but I dont want to seem like Im protecting the idea, so that does sort of feel like I owe something to people.'

Kristen also revealed that her desire to protect her private life is part of the reason that her relationship with Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson didn't work out.

'People wanted me and Rob to be together so badly that our relationship was made into a product,' she said. 'It wasnt real life anymore. And that was gross to me.'

The former couple began dating in 2008 and split after Kristen was caught cheating with her Snow White And The Huntsman director Rupert Sanders in 2012.
It might be Paul Hollywood whose cutting remarks reduce Bake Off contestants to nervous wrecks but Mary Berrys face can paint a thousand words.

The 81-year-old baking doyenne has been spotted pulling an array of weird and wonderful expressions in the last two episodes of the programme.

Last night it was banker Selasi Gbormittahs Scotch Bonnet flavoured biscuits that caused her to recoil in disgust and though she withheld judgment on Kate Barmbys lavender and bergamot bake, she bit her lip in clear apprehension over the unusual pairing of flavours.

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Not Berry nice: Mary cant hide her feelings about Benjaminas drizzle cake

Upset: She is pained when Louise presents her broken biscuit creation on tonight's episode

Grimace: And the lavender Kate chose to include in her bake isnt to Mary's taste either

The first episode of this years contest, which drew a record 10million viewers, also saw the long-serving judge struggle to disguise her true feelings about the amateur bakers offerings.

Upon being presented with Michael Georgious Matcha tea cake, Miss Berry picked up a spoonful of the fluorescent green cake mix and sniffed it sceptically.

The moment the finished product passed her lips she scowled, expressing her disdain for the grassy flavour, as she described it.

And the grandmother of five could not conceal her utter bafflement when university worker Rav Bansal told her he would be using a fruit called a yuzu in his drizzle cake.

Cause of concern: Mary was visibly upset when Louise (pictured) presented her showstopper

Stood out from the crowd: Candice impressed the judges this week with her biscuit creations

Viewers have taken to social media in their droves to comment on the flexibly-faced judge, with Emma Beaumont Tweeting during last weeks episode: Im already loving all of Mary Berrys facial expressions while Nic Perrott said: Mary Berry REALLY needs to work on her poker face! Her expressions on #GBBO have been so funny today!
It was a disastrous night for one of the contestants on the Great British Bake Off - arguably the most spectacular, even supernatural, calamity in its esteemed history.

Louise Williams not only suffered a series of minor mishaps that ensured she was eliminated from the competition, it was hard not to feel that her Showstopper Challenge put a curse on her forthcoming wedding too in what was tantamount to GBBO's first case of culinary voodoo.

Probably not what the poor woman was looking for or expecting Biscuit Week had in store for her when she began.

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Winner, winner: Candice walked away with the Star Baker accolade on Wednesday night's Great British Bake Off

The eleven Bakers had been tasked with making a finale that represented a story that said something personal about them.

You feared the worst as soon as Louise proudly revealed that next year she was getting married and so was commemorating the big occasion in gingerbread.

Its my wedding day ! So its got to be right ! she emphasised, not surprisingly.

A tense week: It was a surprisingly calamitous week on GBBO

They might as well have flashed #WordsNotToSayOnGBBO on the screen right there and then. Sure enough it was a disaster  the 3D gingerbread creation that is, not the wedding - although the portents for that arent very promising either.

Given what she eventually presented to Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, you couldnt help feeling she had jinxed the whole thing. Seconds before Mel Giedroyc announced time was up and ordered the Bakers to step away from their Showstoppers, the walls of the Welsh church that is to be the location for Louises nuptials and she had spent hours fondly reproducing gently collapsed into its icing surrounds and the spire snapped off in her hands.

She never had got as far as making the roof so by the time she had shoved it back together, the thick, uneven, white walls left the Happy Couple standing with fixed grins on their (gingerbread) faces next to the church ruins as if they had just been about to go in when it had been destroyed in an apocalyptic avalanche. It was like a satanic prophecy - depicted in gingerbread: 'Carrie' meets Louise from the Bake Off.

Good bye: Louise suffered a biscuit drop that saw her headed for the door

Sad times: Unfortunately, Louise's Bake Off dream came to an abrupt end

It was my gingerbread wedding but it's turned into an absolute disaster,' she said bravely, looking as white as the icing.

'I'm so sorry for you and your future husband,' agreed Paul, not even bothering to make light of it.

'It doesnt bode well, does it? gulped Louise, unable to escape the unavoidably sinister symbolism.

Maybe dont get married in that church, Giedroyc suggested softly.

Yikes: Louise's fairytale wedding scene wasn't quite as sweet as she hoped

Hollywood's sensitively and sympathy, typically, didn't last long - taking a large carving knife and chopping up Louises (gingerbread) fiance into blocks with more gusto than was really necessary.

Poor Louise's husband-to-be hadn't had what you'd call a GREAT night.

His fiancee had put a curse on their wedding and Paul Hollywood had cut him up and eaten him live on BBC1.

It was rather worse than the usual GBBO disasters like over-cooked sponges or soggy bottoms.

Tough decision: It was down to Mary Berry (right) and Paul Hollywood (left) to send someone packing

The fact that the two judges had no choice but to select Louise as the Baker to be sent back to the kitchen at home in Cardiff paled into insignificance.

Louise had already dropped her Iced Biscuits on the floor in the first round as she took them out of the oven and had also finished tenth out of eleven in the Technical Challenge for her squidgy Viennese Whirls.

Even aside from the unique poignancy of Louises fate, it was a classic GBBO episode thanks to the spectacular/spectacularly bad scenarios the Bakers made for their Showstoppers (or tried to).

Theyre definitely Out There, arent they? muttered Paul Hollywood to Mary Berry, which considering the extravagant/deranged creations in previous series was truly saying something.

It was all going so well: Biscuit week had been going so well until...

Heart-stopping: The heart-stopping moment Louise dropped all of her biscuits

Candice, the nights Star Baker for example revealed that she had been brought up in a gingerbread pub  The King Bill  a childhood she re-created with amazing detail: a pool table with lime green jelly baize, a darts-board, a few soggy regular customers, and the traditionally sticky pub floor.

Who wants to eat some carpet? enthused Paul, as if it might actually be soaked with real beer.

Some of the others efforts were even more surreal.

Im doing a traditional gingerbread, claimed Val about a representation of her family tree even though it was anything but given that it included a windmill (for her Dutch ancestors), the Statue of Liberty (for New York), and a pit for Yorkshire. (A coal pit presumably, not just a big hole in the ground.)

All by myself: Mel was forced to present all by herself on Wednesday

Its also got a gingerbread version of my sister Susan ! she announced, which one could interpret either way.

If it all sounded too complicated that was because it was.

If this is your family, its a bit of a mess ! chortled Hollywood, gazing at results, specifically the remnants of the broken windmill and the Statue of Liberty poetically prone due to attack by terrorists or lack of adequate stacking by Val.

Typically, Paul Hollywood had other things on his mind.

I think your sister tastes lovely ! he purred.

Michaels family tribute was equally alarming.

Michael is reliving a childhood dream that came true, cooed Mel, about his Trip To See Santa In Lapland. Whether it was Michael or Mel (or both) who thought that it really had come true and Santa really did exist wasnt clear. Either way, his creation eventually resembled the Grotto From Hell, with Father Christmas having seemingly been possessed by a satanic octopus.

More successful personal histories came from Jane (who built Hastings and its fishing net shops), Kates Brownie camp (complete with pledge declaring I Promise I Will Do My Best), and Toms more pessimistic Near Death Experience about a narrow escape he had up a mountain.

Dont ask. Its a long story and not as interesting or exciting as it sounds.

Candices pub was indubitably the best Showstopper and Louises the worst in the history of the Bake Off.

Sad times: Sue Perkins missed her first Bake Off in six years due to a bereavement

Here are my other awards for the night.

SMUGGEST BAKER AWARD

Time it took Jane to mention she had been Star Baker in the previous episode: 30 seconds.

DUBIOUS HONOUR OF THE WEEK

The claim Andrews dad was a legend in shortbread.

He won a womens shortbread competition in the 70s, which is one of his proudest achievements, said Andrew possibly not realising his Dad was trying to tell him something.

MINOR DETAIL OF THE WEEK

Im struggling to find the ginger  Paul Hollywood on Kates gingerbread Brownie camp.

WORST REACTION FROM PAUL HOLLYWOOD OF THE WEEK

It reminds me of a Thai Green Curry  Paul Hollywood on Ravs Iced Biscuits. Whether this was a good or bad thing depended on how much you liked Thai Green Curry but it wasnt what Rav had intended.

WORST REACTION FROM PAUL HOLLYWOOD OF THE WEEK 2

Bergamot Extract and Lavender...Youre using two flavours Im not particularly fond of  Paul Hollywood on the two main ingredients of Kates Iced Biscuits.

BREAK IT TO HIM GENTLY AWARD

What were eating there is actually like a stale biscuit

- Paul Hollywood to Andrew.

SCATTIEST BAKER OF THE WEEK

Whether I can serve these I dont know !  Val, picking up her Iced Biscuits off the floor. Probably not.

POSHEST PUNTER AWARD

Andrews Showstopper depicts him as a student punting in Cambridge... No comment.

BLATANT BIAS OF THE WEEK

I love the detail ! Paul Hollywood cooed about Andrews Showstopper which had 37 components but which represented Andrew as an over-sized, disfigured, gingerbread ogre with a face almost as big as the bridge he was punting under.

CARRY ON COOKING MOMENT OF THE WEEK

Rav: My mixture is too stiff.

Mel Giedroyc: Do you need a pair of warm hands? Either on your bag or on you?

Even she looked shocked by herself.

PSYCHOTIC PHILOSOPHY OF THE WEEK

Fear is the mind killer  Tom. Discuss.
She sought love during a turn on Celebrity First Dates last month.

Yet Jess Woodley's failed search for romance appears to have driven her back to an old flame, as the Made In Chelsea stunner was seen enjoying a cosy drink with her ex-beau Alex Mytton at Bluebird Cafe on King's Road on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old reality beauty was clad in her usual stylish attire as she enjoyed a drink with her former beau, with whom the flame never seems to truly extinguish.

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Back on? Jess Woodley's failed search for romance appears to have driven her back to an old flame, as the Made In Chelsea stunner was seen enjoying a cosy drink with her ex-beau Alex Mytton at Bluebird Cafe on King's Road on Wednesday

Jess went for edgy cool rather than glamour for her cocktail date with her ex-boyfriend, as she rocked a denim jacket and high-waisted black trousers.

As the duo, who were spotted at a party together last week, hung out at the cast's favourite eatery, they enjoyed al fresco cocktails to soak up the remains of the British summer, while seeming cosy in the process.

Alex kept things simple for the meet, wearing a white crew-neck jumper which showed off the tan he achieved in the summer trip to South of France.

Both cast members struggled to keep their phones out of their hands and after the date Jess was chatting away on her mobile, perhaps filling pals in on the goings on.

Good news? The 21-year-old reality beauty was clad in her usual stylish attire as she enjoyed a drink with her former beau, with whom the flame never seems to truly extinguish

Serious talk: Jess went for edgy cool rather than glamour for her cocktail date with her ex-boyfriend, as she rocked a denim jacket and high-waisted black trousers

Drink O'Clock: As the duo hung out at the cast's favourite eatery, they enjoyed al fresco cocktails to soak up the remains of the British summer, while seeming cosy in the process

The duo appeared cosy although given their convoluted romantic tale, it is possible they could have rekindled their flame.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Jess and Alex for comment.

The couple began dating before he became embroiled in his highly-publicised relationship with co-star Binky Felstead. After he split from the show stalwart, he wound up with Jess once more.

Dressed down: Alex kept things simple for the meet, wearing a white crew-neck jumper which showed off the tan he achieved in the summer trip to South of France

Debrief? Jess looked to be filling her recipient in on the hot gossip from the date

Filling in: Shortly after rekindling their flame, Alex began dating Nicola Hughes, although he maintained constant contact with Jess - leading to trouble in paradise

Shortly after rekindling their flame, Alex began dating Nicola Hughes, although he maintained constant contact with Jess - leading to trouble in paradise.

Fans of the show will know that Alex's close ongoing friendship with Jess threatened to come between him and Nicola last summer.

When Jess joined the E4 cast in 2015, things seemed to have reignited and it was revealed that Alex had been texting Jess behind then-girlfriend Nicola's back.

Trouble brewing: When Jess joined the E4 cast in 2015, things seemed to have reignited and it was revealed that Alex had been texting Jess behind then-girlfriend Nicola's back

How close is too close? Fans of the show will know that Alex's close ongoing friendship with Jess threatened to come between him and Nicola last summer

Back on: In the end, in order to appease Nicola, Alex told Jess on camera: 'We cant really talk anymore' and seemingly ended their friendship

In the end, in order to appease Nicola, Alex told Jess on camera: 'We cant really talk anymore' and seemingly ended their friendship.

But Alex and Nicola finally called time on their tumultuous relationship earlier this year, leaving him single for the summer.

It has since been revealed that he has bonded with ex-girlfriend Binky over his break up with Nicola and therefore it seems the same is true of Jess.

Singledom? But Alex and Nicola finally called time on their tumultuous relationship earlier this year, leaving him single for the summer

A coy smile: Jess could not help but grin as she walked down the street
She's known for her glamorous looks on The Only Way Is Essex.

And Chloe Meadows didn't disappoint the style police on Wednesday as she flaunted her curves in a light blue pant co-ords ensemble in London.

Flexing her fashion muscle, the 23-year-old star teased at her taut stomach a chic crop top that offset her deep golden tan as she arrived at the Glossybox fifth Anniversary party in style, where she was joined by Love Island's Malin Andersson.

Style star: Chloe Meadows didn't disappoint the style police as she flaunted her curves in a light blue pant co-ords ensemble on Wednesday in London

The reality starlet stunned in the two-piece that boasted a fashion forward high waisted culotte that accentuated her tiny waist as she sauntered to the exclusive bash.

Having just returned from a whirlwind trip to Cancun, the Essex beauty took the opportunity to display her tan in the knee-length pant as she teetered to the bash in a metallic rose gold double strapped sandal.

Holding a simple black clutch, the blonde bombshell donned a simple black leather strap watch as she balance her other wrist with a clear bead bracelet.

Tied up! Fellow reality star Malin Andersson stunned in a pair of daring thigh-high boots with lace detailing

Chic: The 23-year-old star teased at her taut stomach a chic crop top that offset her deep golden tan as she arrived at the Glossybox Fifth Anniversary party in style

Styling her long golden locks loose, Chloe tamed her mane into a simple bouncy curl and boho inspired lone plait as she exited her car for the VIP event.

Going for a full-on glamorous look, the ITVBe star applied lashings of highlighter to her features to amplify her sunkissed glow as she swiped a clear gloss over her plumped pout.

Chloe was joined at the beauty event by fellow reality star Malin in a pair of daring thigh-high boots with lace detailing.

Strapping: The Essex beauty took the opportunity to display her tan in the knee-length pant as she teetered to the bash in a metallic rose gold double strapped sandal

On-trend: Holding a simple black clutch, the blonde bombshell donned a simple black leather strap watch as she balance her other wrist with a clear bead bracelet

The Love Island starlet flashed the flesh as she teamed her racy boots with an olive shirt dress as she stylishly rolled up the sleeves to her elbows.

Attending the party with her beau Jeavon Stretton, the brunette beauty complimented her ensemble with a chain strap fringe handbag as she worked a black choker to highlight her slender neck.

Parting her chocolate brown locks in the middle, Malin teased her tresses into a soft curl which tumbled down her shoulders.

Date night: Attending the party with her beau Jeavon Stretton, the brunette beauty complimented her ensemble with a chain strap fringe handbag as she worked a black choker to highlight her slender neck

Sweet: Parting her chocolate brown locks in the middle, Malin teased her tresses into a soft curl which tumbled down her shoulders

Offsetting her radiant glow, the stunner applied lashings of mascara and dramatic eyeliner to complete her chic ensemble.

Meanwhile, Made In Chelsea star Tina Stinnes made a stylish entrance to the event in a stomach baring plunging crop top.

Flaunting her toned pins in the chic two-piece, the blonde beauty donned a figure-hugging draped mini-skirt that displayed her legs to perfection.

Daring: Made In Chelsea star Tina Stinnes made a stylish entrance to the event in a stomach baring plunging crop top

Pin-credible: Flaunting her toned pins in the chic two-piece, the blonde beauty donned a figure-hugging draped mini-skirt that displayed her legs to perfection

Letting her golden curly tresses cascade over her shoulders, the E4 starlet accentuated her features with chic bronze eye.

Teetering to the event, the 21-year-old worked a black sandal with a simple ankle strap that elongated her petite frame as she carried her black leather tote over her arm.

Big Brother star Georgina Leigh Cantwell wowed in a chic vibrant red body suit which amplified her ample assets.

Sizzle: Big Brother star Georgina Leigh Cantwell wowed in a chic vibrant red body suit which amplified her ample assets

The 26-year-old displayed her tiny waist in a cinching navy woven pencil skirt which clung to her every curve as she strutted her way to the bash.

Pairing her look with a black patent stiletto and clutch, the reality star dressed her arms with a number of eye-catching bracelets.

Sweeping her caramel toned tresses over her shoulder, Georgina styled her locks into a soft curl as she completed her look with a coral lip.
She continued to crow about her Vogue U.S. cover on Wednesday via her subscriber-based website KendallJ.com.

And later Kendall Jenner showed off her model figure in a khaki body suit with a plunging neckline as she ran errands in West Hollywood.

The 20-year-old, who made her name as a reality star, paired the revealing number with a pair of cropped blue jeans ripped at the knee.

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Ran errands: Kendall Jenner stepped out in West Hollywood on Wednesday in a khaki green body suit with a plunging neckline paired with ripped denims

She added a pair of black lace-up ankle boots, some sunglasses and a silver choker and small cross on a chain.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians cast member wore her dark hair pulled back from her forehead

She also carried a Louis Vuitton backpack along with her cell phone and car keys with a fluffy attachment.

Fashionable look: The 20-year-old flaunted her slim breasts and pert derriere in her ensemble and added inches with black ankle boots

Striding out: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wore her dark hair swept back from her forehead and added sunglasses, some jewelry and a Luis Vuitton backpack

Kendall moved to Hollywood after snapping up the multi-million dollar home sold by stars Emily Blunt and John Krasinski.

In a blog post on her app, she crowed about her Vogue cover reiterating how 'it's everything I've been working for since day one of modeling!'

She also compared herself to the legendary 50-year-old supermodel Cindy Crawford as she discussed being on the front of the iconic fashion magazine.

Kendall wrote: 'Everyone has been asking me, 'So, you just met your goalwhat's next?'

'All I can say is: Cindy had 17 American Vogue covers. I have a long way to go! [winky face emoji]''
Karlie Kloss is getting ready for Burning Man.

The 24-year-old and her sisters Kimberly and Kariann stopped to take a sweet family snap before heading to the annual music festival in Nevada.

In the photo she shared on her Instagram Wednesday, the model sported a huge grin while rocking all black.

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In the family: Karlie Kloss and her sisters Kimberly and Kariann stopped to take a sweet family snap before heading to Burning Man

The cover girl looked gorgeous in a classic black T-shirt with a matching hued choker and round framed sunglasses.

Karlie wore her light tresses back into a a casual bun while opting for a makeup free face.

Kimberly also wore a choker, pairing it with a denim top and tortoise-framed sunglasses while her twin sister Kariann donned a patterned piece.

Travel ready: Hours earlier, the 24-year-old took a flight to Nevada

The runway star took to Snapchat on Wednesday to document her trip to Burning Man.

The beauty flew from Los Angeles to Nevada to make her way to the festival, which takes place in Black Rock Desert.

Earlier in the day, she showed off her evil eye designed nails after wrapping a shoot.

Fancy: Earlier in the day, she showed off her evil eye designed nails after wrapping a shoot

The stunner wowed in copper eye makeup and pink lip gloss as she gushed to her followers about the nail design.

Karlie rocked sleek tresses with a white T-shirt and a silver-hued necklace in the video.

She said: 'So I just finished my shoot and I'm really into the makeup and the hair, but the best part of the day? The nails! Look at them.'

Pretty: Karlie rocked sleek tresses with a white T-shirt and a silver-hued necklace in the video
Dakota Fanning was spotted heading to catch a flight out of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The blonde actress, 22, opted for a rather idiosyncratic ensemble of a black frock and jacket paired with bright white trainers.

Her dress was slit at the sides and also featured a v-neckline with buttons.

Heading out of town: Dakota Fanning chose to pair a black frock and jacket with bright white trainers for her trip as she arrived to catch a flight at LAX on Wednesday

The former child star rocked a black biker leather jacket which she wore draped over her shoulders.

She carried a matching black leather purse and covered up with black-framed sunglasses.

Her Velcro-fastened sneakers contrasted with her overall look and she decided against wearing socks.

Nattily dressed: The actress, 22, sported a dress with side splits and buttons at the collar and draped a leather biker jacket over her shoulders while carrying a matching black leather purse

Simple style: The former child star went without socks in her Velcro-fastened sneakers and wore her blonde hair with a center parting

Dakota's hair was parted in the middle and left loose, falling to her breasts.

She appeared fresh-faced and make-up free and smiled at fans as she made her way through the terminal at LAX.

The actress, whose career took off after she was cast opposite Sean Penn in 2001's I Am Sam, has starred in several big movies including The Cat In The Hat, Man On Fire, War Of The Worlds and the Twilight saga.

Fresh faced: Dakota appeared to be make-up free behind her large sunglasses

However, the parts dropped off for a time as she went through her teens and she focused on being a student at New York University.

Now, though, she is back with two highly-anticipated films set for release this fall - Brimstone with Guy Pearce and Kit Harington and Ewan McGregor's feature directorial debut American Pastoral opposite McGregor and Jennifer Connolly.

In fact, it's likely that Dakota was setting off on her journey to Italy where Brimstone is slated to be screened in competition at the Venice Film Festival that opened Wednesday night.
Ethnic peace talks seek to pave new path for Myanmar

Peace talks between Myanmar's government and warring ethnic minorities kicked off Wednesday in a bid to end decades of conflict that have claimed thousands of lives and kept the country mired in poverty.

A sea of colour filled the vast conference hall in the capital Naypyidaw as delegations from Myanmar's myriad ethnic groups mingled with stony-faced military officers decked out in full regalia.

The summit is veteran democracy activist Suu Kyi's much-trumpeted effort to reshape Myanmar as a federal democracy following decades of oppressive military rule.

(L to R) Myanmar Chin, Naga and Pao ethic representatives, wearing their traditional costume, at the peace conference in Naypyidaw on August 31, 2016 Romeo Gacad (AFP)

The Nobel laureate has made bridging the ethnic fault lines that have fractured the nation since its mid-century independence a priority of her new government, which took power in March.

"So long as we are unable to achieve national reconciliation and national unity, we will never be able to establish a sustainable and durable peaceful union," she told delegates.

"Only if we are all united will our country be at peace. Only if our country is at peace will we be able to stand on an equal footing with the other countries in our region and across the world."

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is attending the talks, described the gathering as a "historic" moment for the country following its transition towards democracy.

"The long civil war has cost numerous lives and robbed successive generations of their dignity, tranquillity and normalcy," he said during a speech to delegates.

"It is now clear that there can be no military solution to your differences."

Few expect a concrete deal to emerge from the five-day talks, which are seen as the start of a peace process that could take years.

Seventeen rebel groups have joined the talks in the capital, but others have not laid down their arms and some remain locked in combat with the military.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini urged negotiators to seek a "new path towards sustainable peace, equitable development and the wider consolidation of the democratic reform process".

The US also backed the talks, calling it an "important process towards a lasting peace" in a statement from its Yangon embassy.

- 'Tragic drift' -

Any hope of a nationwide ceasefire has been snuffed out by fresh flare-ups of violence in some northern states ahead of the summit.

Khua Uk Lian of the Chin National Front, which has its own ceasefire with the military, said he was optimistic but warned fighting would be hard to stop on the ground.

"You have local commanders fighting about local problems," he told AFP. "It's been like this since we have been fighting."

Communities in the conflict zones live in stark poverty despite the rich jade, tin and teak wood forests that dot their lands and lie at the heart of many of the battles.

Bringing peace could rejuvenate economies in the war-ravaged regions, and open up investment to foreign powers who are keen to scoop up its vast resources.

But distrust of the Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar military is known, runs deep among minorities after decades of oppression, marked by torture, rape and mass killings.

Negotiators from Suu Kyi's government have said privately they are hamstrung by working with the army, which still controls borders, defence and a quarter of parliament seats.

Commander in chief Min Aung Hlaing urged ethnic groups to join the ceasefire the previous military-backed government signed with eight groups last year.

"We need to end this tragic drift," he told the conference, according to an English transcript.

But he also warned against drawn out peace talks.

"If the peace process takes longer than the appropriate time, there may be more outside instigations, interferences and manipulations disturbing the process," he said.

Wednesday's meeting comes almost 70 years after Suu Kyi's father, independence hero Aung San, signed a landmark agreement to devolve powers to some ethnic groups after independence.

The deal collapsed after he was assassinated, before Myanmar broke from Britain in 1948, triggering the civil wars that have rumbled across the country's borders ever since.

Suu Kyi has dubbed her summit the '21st Century Panglong' in reference to the agreement brokered by her father, who remains a deeply revered figure.

Regions in Myanmar where 220,000 people have been displaced by armed conflict and inter-communal violence - (AFP Graphic)

Myanmar State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi hopes the five-day peace conference will result in an end to hostilies with warring ethnic minorities in the country Romeo Gacad (AFP)

Police watch over the Myanmar international convention center in Naypyidaw on August 30, 2016 ahead of the peace conference Romeo Gacad (AFP/File)
The graft-busting grandma jailing corrupt Philippine politicians

The Philippines' top graft-buster, a fearless grandmother who has sued politicians from the president down in her quest to rid her country of corruption, laughs in the face of death threats -- literally.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, 75, chuckled as she recounted to AFP how she was reluctantly obliged to put up a higher fence around her house after a grenade with her initials on it was discovered beside her property in 2012.

"I'm not scared," she said, her eyes flashing as she thumped her hand on the desk in her office.

Philippine Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales speaks during an interview at her office in Manila on August 23, 2016 Noel Celis (AFP/File)

The people she investigates "are the ones who are intimidated -- that's why they are trying to scare me".

Fighting corruption is dangerous work in the graft-plagued Philippines, where witnesses -- even judges -- are gunned down and convicted politicians are freed and re-elected.

After four decades in the country's notoriously corrupt judiciary, Morales was looking forward to retirement when then-president Benigno Aquino asked her to head a special body to prosecute corrupt officials as part of his centrepiece anti-graft crusade.

On Wednesday, her "moral courage and commitment to justice in taking head-on one of the most intractable problems in the Philippines" was recognised with the Ramon Magsaysay Award -- Asia's version of the Nobel.

"She is, quite simply, an inspiring public servant," the judges said.

- Indict 'sacred cows' -

Born into a family of lawyers, Morales had a slow and tricky rise through the ranks due to her incorruptibility, but finally made it to the Supreme Court, where she became the first female magistrate to swear in a president in 2010.

A tireless worker, she now puts in 12-hour days, six days a week at the Ombudsman -- Sundays are reserved for the grandchildren -- and her discipline is credited with boosting the office's conviction rate to 75 percent from just 41 percent when she took office in 2011.

Despite progress under Aquino, fighting "endemic" corruption in the Philippines is an uphill battle, she said, adding that corruption flourishes when people think they can get away with it.

"We file cases against top government officials," she said.

When the "so-called sacred cows are indicted, that should give a signal to people to be more cautious", she added.

Her biggest frustration came when the Supreme Court freed ex-president Gloria Arroyo and powerful former senator Juan Ponce Enrile despite what Morales insists was solid evidence of graft.

The pair had pleaded ill-health for years and were detained in government hospitals but it was all an act, Morales said: "After you are free... you swagger!"

Her tenaciousness has earned her many enemies, including former vice president Jejomar Binay, who called her "stupid" after she charged him with taking huge kickbacks when he was mayor.

But she argues the Philippines' culture of political patronage is allowing top leaders to evade accountability.

"They act like they're Robin Hood," she said.

When her son died of cancer at 41 last year, some of her more unpleasant critics used the personal tragedy to attack her.

"They said it was my karma. See how cruel people are?" she said, adding that she was however "made of strong stuff".

Morales, who is not due to step down until 2018, will continue her work under new President Rodrigo Duterte, but said her agency will remain impartial.

"We do not take orders from anyone. We are independent. Period."

Philippines government ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales speaks to the senate in Manila in 2012 as she testifies in the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona Jay Directo (AFP/File)
US, Russia claim credit as IS spokesman killed in Syria

Islamic State group spokesman and top strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani has been killed in Syria, the group said, with both Washington and Moscow claiming credit.

Adnani was IS's propaganda chief, top recruiter and the reported mastermind of a string of IS-claimed attacks in the West.

In Washington, the Pentagon said US-led coalition forces had targeted Adnani in an air strike in Syria's Aleppo province on Tuesday but did not immediately confirm his death.

Then spokesman for the Islamic State group, Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, pictured in a screengrab from a video uploaded to YouTube in July 2012 next to an Islamist flag at an undisclosed location YouTube (YouTube/AFP/File)

Russia's military said one of its air strikes had killed Adnani in a bombing raid Tuesday that left up to 40 IS jihadists dead -- a claim dismissed by US officials as "a joke".

Regardless of who was responsible, analysts say his death will be a major bow to IS, which has suffered a series of setbacks this year including territorial losses in Syria and Iraq and the killings of other top figures.

Adnani was "the most viscerally aggressive ISIS leader in the public eye," said Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, using one of several names for IS.

"Without his explosive voice, ISIS may find it hard to inspire the intense levels of violence that it has managed to inspire of late."

Adnani, a Syrian born in 1977, was one of IS's most recognised leaders, at the heart of a sophisticated propaganda and recruitment machine that produced slick videos and sustained a huge social media presence.

He was reported to have been involved in organising a series of high-profile IS attacks abroad that killed hundreds, including in Paris, Brussels and Istanbul.

- 'Principal architect' of attacks -

The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency announced Adnani's death late on Tuesday, saying he "was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo" in northern Syria.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said US-led coalition forces had "conducted a precision strike" targeting Adnani near the IS-held town of Al-Bab in Syria's northern Aleppo province.

"We are still assessing the results of the strike but Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to ISIL," he said.

Adnani "served as principal architect of ISIL's external operations and as ISIL's chief spokesman," Cook said.

The US-led coalition began air strikes against IS in mid-2014, a few weeks after the group seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.

Washington has vowed to "systematically eliminate" senior IS leaders and has put a $10 million bounty on the group's elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Both IS's second-in-command Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli and its top military commander Omar al-Shishani have been killed in reported US strikes since March.

"Adnani's killing is a signal that IS can no longer protect its most senior leaders," said Baghdad-based expert on jihadists Hisham al-Hashimi.

He said it was clear that US intelligence had infiltrated top levels of IS and was increasingly aware of the movements of senior figures.

"I think the United States are very close to killing Baghdadi the next time," Hashimi said.

Russia started its own air war in Syria last September, backing its ally President Bashar al-Assad.

The Russian defence ministry statement on Wednesday said an Su-34 warplane had struck a group of jihadists near the village of Um Hosh in Aleppo province.

"According to information confirmed through several intelligence channels, field commander Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was among those killed," the statement said.

It was the first time Moscow claimed to have killed a top-ranking IS leader.

- Announced birth of 'caliphate' -

A US defence official dismissed the Russian claim.

"That's a joke," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operation. "It would be funny if not for the character of the campaign the Russians have undertaken in Syria."

Another US official, again speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike was carried out by a Predator drone that fired a Hellfire missile at a car in which Adnani was believed to have been travelling.

Lister said the IS announcement of Adnani's death described him as Qurayshi -- referring to the tribe to which Islam's Prophet Mohammed belonged -- in an indication of his importance.

The use of the term "would seem to suggest ISIS may have been preparing him to be Baghdadi's successor as overall leader," Lister said.

Adnani, from the western Syrian province of Idlib, joined the jihadist movement in Iraq where he served under the late local Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

He was a founding member of IS, which evolved from Al-Qaeda in Iraq to become the preeminent global jihadist movement.

It was Adnani who in a June 2014 audio recording declared IS's establishment of a "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq and Baghdadi as "leader of Muslims everywhere".

Syrian rescue workers search for victims through the rubble of a building destroyed during a reported barrel bomb attack in eastern Aleppo on August 27, 2016 Thaer Mohammed (AFP/File)
Rwanda-Burundi border trade hit as awkward neighbours fall out

"Before, at this time of year, we imported beans from Burundi but now they say they don't want to sell their crops to 'the enemy'," said Evariste Ndikumana, a trader on the Rwandan side of the border.

Worsening relations between Burundi and Rwanda mean the once-bustling border town of Akanyaru is suffering, hitting the economies of both countries.

Always awkward neighbours, Rwanda and Burundi have fallen out since a domestic political crisis enveloped Burundi in April last year, while spiteful policy-making in Bujumbura has made a bad situation worse.

People walk towards buses in Akanyaru on the Rwandan side after crossing the border from Burundi Stephanie Aglietti (AFP)

In Akanyaru, bored traders and mobile phone scratchcard vendors kill time on a low wall beneath a shady awning.

The nearby pavement cafes are deserted and the brand new covered market is empty. The heaving lines of travellers that once crowded the immigration offices and the long queues of vehicles are a thing of the past.

- Bad politics, poor trade -

Politics is to blame, say the idle traders.

Trade has slowed dramatically since April 2015 when Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, a move that also triggered a diplomatic crisis with Bujumbura accusing Rwanda of backing Burundian rebels.

Rwanda denies the allegations, but UN investigators say they too have found evidence to support the claims.

"When there are political problems between countries, we, the people, are the ones who are affected," said Pierre Sibomana, another trader.

In the tit-for-tat nature of Kigali-Bujumbura relations, Rwanda has in turn accused Burundi of supporting Rwandan rebel groups in the east of their shared neighbour, the chronically troubled Democratic Republic of Congo.

For the people who rely on border trade for a living, things were bad enough even before Bujumbura issued a decree suspending food exports in late July.

The reason given was food shortages due to drought, but at the same time security officers on the Burundian side of the border began stopping bus passengers too, citing unspecified security concerns.

In theory, Rwandan exports to Burundi are still permitted, but other difficulties and dangers mean trade has slowed.

"In Burundi, if they see that you are Rwandan, the police or even ordinary Burundians insult you," said Judith, a tea seller who did not want to give her full name.

She said she prefers to speak the regional Kiswahili language, rather than Kinyarwanda, when in Burundi to disguise her nationality. In any case, she said, Burundian officials seek bribes when she brings in Rwandan tea telling her, "There's enough tea here in Burundi."

- 'Infiltrators' -

Other Rwandan traders have fared worse, accused of being "infiltrators" and arrested.

In August, Rwanda's trade minister Francois Kanimba said the result has been a 40 percent fall in the volume of exports to Burundi in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Rwanda imports cheaper Burundian fruit and vegetables, palm oil and Lake Tanganyika whitebait.

Declining supply and illegal imports mean some commodities have doubled in price, according to traders in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

Kigali has tried to fight back, describing the Burundian decision restricting trade as "illegal" under East African common market rules. But their complaints have so far only added to the angry rhetoric and bad feeling between the two countries.

People stand by a sign: "Welcome to Rwanda", in Akanyaru on the Rwandan side of the border with Burundi Stephanie Aglietti (AFP)
Elections, running clock frustrate Obama's trade deals

President Barack Obama's two most ambitious trade deals appear increasingly in trouble, victims of electoral politics at home and in Europe and a ticking clock on his administration.

Neither the Trans-Pacific Partnership nor the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is dead, but analysts say the hurdles to getting either completed by the end of Obama's term next January 20 are now almost insurmountable.

For the TPP, already negotiated with 11 other Pacific Rim countries and only needing ratification by the Congress, the political atmosphere has been soured with both presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, pitching for votes, saying they are opposed to it.

President Barack Obama faces major hurdles to get the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership completed by the end of his term Zach Gibson (AFP)

As for TTIP -- a treaty with the entire European Union -- negotiations are stuck on the toughest issues and European politicians, facing elections next year, are likewise declaring opposition.

French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that TTIP talks "will not lead to an agreement by the end of the year," and hours earlier his junior minister for trade Matthias Fekl called for an end to the talks.

"There is no more political support in France for these negotiations," he said.

And in Germany, vice chancellor and economy minister Sigmar Gabriel said the talks "have de facto failed."

While negotiators from both sides quickly responded that the talks were certainly alive and making progress, analysts said both TTIP and TPP would likely be stalled to at least 2018.

"The clock has basically run out," said Gary Hufbauer, a trade expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington.

"I agree more with the 'more dead than alive' camp in this debate," he told AFP.

Not a big free trade advocate before he was first elected in 2008, Obama has strongly pursued what he has called "trade deals for the 21st century."

Each would dwarf any previous free trade treaty, going beyond cutting goods tariffs to establish rules governing data trade, investment rights, intellectual property rights and other issues not covered in past deals.

Both deals were set up to be negotiated largely in secret and be presented to respective governments and legislatures as completed deals for up-or-down votes.

The 12 TPP countries reached agreement in October 2015, and the main challenge to implementing it is ratification by the US Congress.

But with opponents arguing that previous trade deals have cost US jobs, TPP has become a hot issue ahead of the US presidential and congressional elections coming on November 8.

TTIP has not figured much in the US campaign, but this week's comments show it will in the French and German elections next year.

"Election periods are always not good times for trade agreements," Hufbauer told AFP.

Moreover, relative to TPP, the TTIP talks have been rushed, and have been tripped up by Britain's June vote to withdraw from the European Union, potentially removing a key US ally fromt he deal.

"It was never going to be easy between the US and the EU because basically you have the two elephants (of global trade) negotiating with each other," said Frances Burwell at the Atlantic Council.

Obama has a chance to move both deals forward before leaving office.

He could submit TPP to Congress for ratification after the election, and before the new Congress takes office in early January, when legislators could vote with less political pressure.

But Daniel Ikenson, a trade expert at the Cato Institute, gives that "about a one percent chance" of succeeding.

"I think the votes are really not there," he said, with the normally pro-free trade Republican Party deeply divided.

Obama could also drive his chief trade negotiator, Michael Froman, to finish a TTIP deal before he exits. But that could require big US compromises, which coud create a political firestorm for his successor.

"There is some chance that we will be very close to what is known as a political agreement by the end of Obama's term, but it's dicey. It's not a sure thing," said Burwell.

Both deals, then, are almost certain to be left to the next president, widely expected to be Clinton. As Obama's secretary of state she supported the negotiating effort but has opposed TPP on the campaign trail.

Never mind that, said Ikenson. "Presidential candidates tend to be more populist and more anti-trade. Presidents themselves see the light... Clinton will find a way to support it."

Trump is more of a cipher, with his campaign advisors including some anti-trade ideologues, noted Ikenson.

But even then, existing laws and industry pressure could force a president Trump into supporting the deals, he posited.

Activists bang on pans during a protest against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in front of the EU commission building in Brussels, in July 2016 John Thys (AFP/File)
Model of Mercy, Mother Teresa Embraced Unseen Crosses

Contact:

Christine Valentine-Owsik,

215-230-8095,

cowsik@osv.com



MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 31, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Who: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing -- Gretchen R. Crowe, Editor-In-Chief -- OSV Newsweekly



What: Media commentary on life and works of soon-to-be St. Teresa of Calcutta, India (1910-1997), founder of the Missionaries of Charity in 1948, who will be canonized in Rome on Sept. 4, 2016. Mother Teresa was beatified in 2003 by Pope St. John Paul II.



As featured in Sept. 4, 2016, OSV Newsweekly, throughout her life, Mother Teresa:

Taught the poor to overcome difficulties and find joy through embracing the cross of Christ;



Fought the unjust social structures that cause and support poverty;



Lived among people of differing faiths, sharing the fullness of Catholicism and walking with people in their own faith journeys;



Boldly lived her life for God, even amidst unjust criticism and slander.

Gretchen Crowe will be available to comment on Mother Teresa's life, faith and perspective on love, service and mercy as she sought to answer the call to 'quench the thirst of Jesus' on the margins of society. Today, the Missionaries of Charity is made up of over 5,000 sisters, in 758 houses, among 139 countries.



Our Sunday Visitor publishes several bestselling books on Mother Teresa, in addition to pamphlets, prayer cards and magnets:

Mother Teresa's Secret Fire (by Joseph Langford)



Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady (by Joseph Langford)



Mother Teresa and Me: The Years of Friendship (by Donna-Marie Cooper OBoyle)



Mother Teresa's Lessons of Love and Secrets of Sanctity (by Susan Conroy)

ABOUT OUR SUNDAY VISITOR

The world's largest English-language Catholic publisher, Our Sunday Visitor serves millions of Catholics globally through its publishing, offertory, and communication services. Established in 1912, Our Sunday Visitor publishes a wide range of books including Bibles, biographies of the saints, books by Pope Francis, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, children's books, devotionals, bible studies, inspirational works, and curriculum. Our Sunday Visitor is a not-for-profit organization, returning a portion of net earnings back to the Catholic community through the Our Sunday Visitor Institute. For more information, visit www.osv.com.
Pregnant woman in Singapore infected with Zika as cases soar

The number of confirmed Zika cases in Singapore surged past 100 late Wednesday, including the first pregnant woman to be infected by the disease which can cause deformities in babies.

The United States and Britain joined Australia and Taiwan in advising pregnant women to avoid non-essential travel to the city-state, while a local health expert warned the infection rate would rise.

The Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement late Wednesday they had identified 24 new infections plus nine more detected as a result of testing previous cases, bringing the total to 115.

Fumigation work is underway at a construction site near the Aljunied housing estate in Singapore on August 31, 2016 Roslan Rahman (AFP)

A pregnant woman was among those who tested positive for the virus.

"Her doctor is following up closely with her to monitor her health and the development of her baby," the statement said.

"She will be referred to a maternal-foetal medicine specialist for counselling and advice."

The Aedes mosquito-borne Zika, which has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hardest-hit Brazil, causes only mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash.

But in pregnant women it can cause microcephaly, a deformation in which babies are born with abnormally small brains and heads.

Brazil, where the disease has become an epidemic, has reported 1,835 cases of microcephaly, the World Health Organization says.

Singapore on Wednesday urged pregnant women showing symptoms of fever or rashes to get tested.

Expectant mothers with male partners who have tested positive were also told to visit their doctors.

The environment agency also said it would expand its operations to eradicate mosquitoes and their breeding places at a potential new cluster in the suburb of Bedok North and urged residents to cooperate, warning it will enter "inaccessible premises" by force if necessary.

"Over time, we expect Zika cases to to emerge from more areas," Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said in the statement.

"We must work out a plan on the basis that there is Zika transmission in other parts of Singapore."

Despite the rise in Zika cases, a spokesman for the Singapore Grand Prix told AFP Wednesday the Formula One race will go on as scheduled from September 16-18.

"We will continue to work with all relevant government agencies and implement any recommended precautionary measures as directed or deemed necessary," he said.

- Infections set to rise -

Since Singapore reported its first locally transmitted Zika infection on Saturday, confirmed cases have soared as authorities ramped up testing.

Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, said the number is likely to climb.

"There are very few mosquitos carrying the Zika virus but you must remember (that) for every one Zika case found, four more are asymptomatic," he told AFP.

But he said Singaporean authorities -- who spend some Sg$1.0 million ($733,000) a day on exterminating mosquitoes -- were in a good position to deal with the outbreak.

"We have a very determined government with the funds... and a rather obedient population," he said. "When told to stay home, people do stay home and follow instructions."

Despite being one of Asia's cleanest cities with high health care standards, Singapore is a densely populated tropical island with heavy rainfall. It has a chronic problem with dengue fever, spread by the same Aedes mosquito that carries Zika.

Singapore's first Zika case came in May from a man who had visited Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Zika and microcephaly Vincent LEFAI, Jean Michel CORNU, Alain BOMMENEL, Philippe MOUCHE (AFP)
Jungle school helps rescued orangutans return to wild

Ignoring the shrieks of his rowdy, wrestling classmates, baby orangutan Otan practises swinging alone at his "jungle school" on Borneo island, switching hands and hanging upside down as he builds confidence high above the forest floor.

The three-year-old is learning to fend for himself since being found wandering a palm oil plantation, alone and suffering smoke inhalation, at the height of fires last year that razed huge swathes of rainforest in Indonesia's part of Borneo.

Otan and the other orphans must build nests, find food and avoid predators -- especially man -- to prove they're ready to "graduate" and return to the wild, but life in the real world has never been more perilous for these primates.

Three orphaned orangutan youngsters hang from a tree whilst attending 'jungle school' at the International Animal Rescue centre outside the city of Ketapang, in West Kalimantan Bay Ismoyo (AFP)

Last month, for the first time in history, Bornean orangutans were declared critically endangered - one step away from total extinction.

Experts warn these majestic tree dwellers -- who could once cross Borneo without ever touching the ground -- could vanish entirely from the island within 50 years as the ancient rainforest they've inhabited for centuries is felled and burned at alarming speed.

"It's heartbreaking," said Ayu Budi, a veterinarian who heads the orangutan health clinic at the International Animal Rescue centre in West Kalimantan province.

"When you see them, it's really sad. They're supposed to be with their mothers in the wild, living happily, but they're here."

- Situation 'desperate' -

The 101 orangutans under Budi's care - including the 16 playful infants - are the lucky ones, rescued near death and nurtured back to health with baby bottles in a tranche of protected forest outside the city of Ketapang.

But hundreds of thousands of their kin have died in the past four decades across Borneo, slaughtered by hunters, burned in land-clearing fires or starved to death by habitat loss.

Rampant logging and the rapid expansion of commercial-scale paper and palm oil operations across the island has reduced the species's habitat by at least 55 percent in two decades, says environmental group WWF, driving them into ever-closer contact with humans.

The result has been wild orangutan populations in freefall. In the mid 1970s, nearly 300,000 of these great apes roamed Borneo. Today, just a third of that number remain.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature -- which changed the species's threat level to critical -- estimates a mere 47,000 will be left in the wild by 2025.

Those working at the coalface are under no illusions that efforts to arrest this decline have not succeeded, said Chris Wiggs, a conservation adviser at IAR's forest outpost in Ketapang.

"I think people on the ground working in Borneo have known for a long time that the orangutan situation was pretty desperate," he told AFP, as a wheelbarrow of baby orangutans passed on its way to the nursery.

- Fear of fire -

The number of great apes at the centre has grown nearly tenfold since 2009 as ever-increasing amounts of forest is cleared by industry.

Two of the school's newest pupils are Vijay and Moli who were found without their mothers near burned land.

They are the victims of fire, an annual scourge that's evolved into a major threat to the future of the species.

Every dry season across Indonesian Borneo -- an island shared with Malaysia and Brunei -- fires are illegally lit by land owners to quickly and cheaply clear forest for new plantations.

The fires often get out of hand, tearing through forest and smouldering relentlessly on Borneo's compact, carbon-rich peatlands.

Last year's blazes were among the worst on record.

Fanned by a prolonged dry season, fires tore through 2.6 million hectares (10,000 square miles) of Indonesian forest, laying waste to prime orangutan habitat.

The smoke turned skies yellow in Indonesian Borneo and blanketed neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia, forcing schools to shut and causing thousands to fall ill.

Conservationists fear a repeat disaster of that scale would ring the death knell for the Bornean orangutan.

I think we're all pretty scared... whether the species can take another hit like that, Wiggs said.

- 'Restore, rehabilitate' -

Under international pressure, Jakarta has promised action.

This month an Indonesian company linked to the 2015 fires was slapped with a $80 million fine - a record for slash and burn activities, a spokesman for the environment minister said.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo in April proposed a halt on granting new land for palm oil plantations, urging producers of the edible oil to use better seeds to increase their yields.

We need to restore and rehabilitate our peatlands, and fix past mistakes, Sustyo Iriono, the head of the government's conservation agency in West Kalimantan, told AFP.

Budi and her colleagues remain optimistic, teaching orangutans like Jack - a mischievous, attention-seeking seven-year-old -- to forage by hiding peanuts and honey inside plastic balls high in the treetops.

But she frets her young charge will never get the chance to prove his independence in the wild, as Borneo's lowland forests shrink ever smaller.

"I think they still have a chance, but if the forest is gone, it will be difficult," she said.

Factfile on the critically endangered Bornean orangutans -, - (AFP Graphic)

In July 2016 for the first time in history, Bornean orangutans were declared critically endangered  one step away from total extinction Bay Ismoyo (AFP)
G20 to go long on rhetoric, short on economic policy: experts

G20 leaders will meet in China this weekend in a climate of economic uncertainty and sluggish global growth - but the absence of an urgent crisis means the forum will be short on breakthroughs, analysts say.

Eight years after the first G20 summit in Washington, when countries coordinated a response to the financial meltdown, Beijing has set a modest agenda for the Hangzhou gathering -- focusing on making the world economy innovative, invigorated, interconnected, and inclusive.

But as countries economic needs diverge -- the US is mulling a rate hike, Japan is toying with fresh easing, Germany is sceptical of fiscal stimulus, Chinese overcapacity remains huge, and Britain has voted to quit the EU - the prospects for major unified action are dim.

Workers make shirts at a spinnery in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu province - (AFP/File)

"At the moment there's simply not a lot of common overlapping interests between the major economies," Christopher Balding, professor of economics at Peking University HSBC Business School, told AFP.

The G20 is made up of the world's leading industrialised and emerging economies, which together account for 85 percent of the world's gross domestic product and two-thirds of its population.

But its failure to deliver on past pledges has raised questions about the credibility of future promises.

Compliance with vows made in 2015 has fallen to a low of 63 percent, according to analysis by the University of Toronto.

- Disappointing growth -

"Ongoing economic malaise has been accompanied by the unwillingness of G20 members to sustain their commitment to the structural reforms needed to meet the growth pledge," said Tristram Sainsbury and Hannah Wurf of the G20 Studies Centre at Australia's Lowy Institute in a report.

Despite repeated promises to achieve the G20s mission of strong, sustainable, balanced growth, members are "not achieving any of those three terms", Sainsbury told AFP.

Every year since 2011 the IMF has revised downwards its economic forecasts made at the beginning of the year as hopes for recovery have disappointed.

This summer it again cut its forecast for global growth in 2016 to 3.1 percent.

It is a far cry from the sunny pledges of the Brisbane Action Plan two years ago, when G20 leaders set a goal of lifting collective GDP an extra 2.1 percent beyond baseline IMF predictions by 2018.

Leaders said at the time that doing so would add $2 trillion and millions of jobs to the world economy.

"The best way to think of the forum is a dinner party that happens to include leaders of 85 percent of the world economy around the table making pledges," said Sainsbury.

"People can go and make statements, but then they go home, and theres no guaranteed way of enforcing a commitment."

But there is no doubt the G20 was useful, he added, as it provides a platform for leaders to coordinate financial policies, bolster market confidence, and reach agreements on matters such as tax havens.

"What we often say is, if the G20 didn't exist, someone would have to invent it."

- Introspection -

Beijing's G20 presidency this year has seen some areas of agreement, with a finance ministers' meeting in February helping bring a measure of stability to volatile markets that were hit by concerns about Chinas growth and the depreciation of its yuan currency.

While global growth remains underwhelming, experts say Beijing will probably seek longer-term agreements on lower-key matters at the G20 that support its domestic goals.

Among them are financing eco-friendly projects and pressing its campaign for wider use of the International Monetary Fund's Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket, which includes the yuan.

There could also be a push for more coordinated fiscal stimulus and infrastructure spending, analysts with HSBC said in a note, as Beijing hopes to win support for President Xi Jinpings signature One Belt One Road policy of expanding trade and building ports and highways in foreign countries, often using Chinese construction firms.

But one area where agreement could be difficult is trade.

Since 2008 the grouping has promised to halt and roll back protectionist measures, but a WTO study found that earlier this year G20 members were adding more than 20 restrictive policies per month.

"Around the world you see an obvious global movement towards introspection, a country-first mentality, call it xenophobia if you will," said Andrew Polk, China economist for Medley Global Advisors. "It makes it harder for these international forums, especially on trade."

G20 growth compared - (AFP Graphic)
Young activists take on China in key Hong Kong election

When Hong Kong goes to the polls on Sunday a new brand of politician pushing for a complete break from Beijing will be fighting for votes in a frustrated and divided city.

It is the most important election since the mass "Umbrella Movement" pro-democracy rallies of 2014, which failed to win political reform despite huge numbers and a global spotlight.

Since then, fears have grown that Beijing is tightening its grip in many areas of the semi-autonomous city -- from politics to education and media.

The British colonial-era Hong Kong flag is seen ahead of a rally against the banning of pro-independence candidates in the upcoming legislative council elections, on August 21, 2016 Tengku Bahar (AFP/File)

Some young activists now say there is only one choice: a declaration of independence from China.

Many residents still dismiss the idea as a pipe dream, but the independence movement has gathered momentum as authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing rail against it.

Government officials have slammed it as illegal and some of the most strident pro-independence campaigners have been banned from standing in Sunday's vote for members of the Legislative Council, the city's lawmaking body, known as Legco.

That only fuelled the fire, with thousands coming out in support of the five barred candidates at Hong Kong's first independence rally in early August and opinion polls suggesting as many as 17 percent of people favour splitting with China.

Some candidates advocating self-determination for Hong Kong have been allowed to stand although only one or two candidates have a chance of winning a seat in the 70-member assembly.

But even that would be a coup for a fledgling movement pushing for a notion that until recently was taboo.

Baggio Leung, 30, is one of three candidates from new party Youngspiration, campaigning for self-determination. Polls indicate he could take a seat.

"People from Beijing are trampling our values... we need to find a way out," he told AFP.

Leung says there is now little faith in the semi-autonomous "one country, two systems" model, under which the city has been governed since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 and which is supposed to protect its way of life for 50 years.

"As the Communist Party in China is not fulfilling its promise, Hong Kong independence seems to be the only right option," says Leung.

- 'No way back' -

Nathan Law, 23, a leader of the 2014 pro-democracy rallies, is standing for office with new political party Demosisto, also pushing for a self-determination vote.

Law says he does not want to see Hong Kong become just another Chinese city.

"Since the Umbrella Revolution there is no way back," Law told AFP. "I feel a responsibility to this place."

However, a swing towards young activists on Sunday could ultimately benefit Beijing as it might tip the finely balanced Legco in the establishment's favour.

Currently, pro-democracy lawmakers hold 27 of 70 seats, enabling them to block bills, which need to pass by two thirds.

If new activists and veteran democrats, whose popularity is waning, split votes, pro-Beijing candidates may pick up extra seats.

That could further undermine the legitimacy of Hong Kong's political framework in the eyes of young campaigners.

"The younger generations and supporters of democracy may feel that fighting within the Legco has reached a dead end," says Chung Kim-wah, professor of social sciences at the University of Hong Kong.

For their part, pro-Beijing politicians argue any split from China would be a disaster for Hong Kong.

"'One country, two systems' is what brought Hong Kong here today... the pro-establishment camp needs to ensure Hong Kong's prosperity and stability," says candidate Wong Kwok-hing, of the Federation of Trade Unions.

But some in the city, where low salaries and lack of adequate housing are serious concerns, just want to see an end to the political wrangling -- and a tangible improvement in their lives.

Logistics worker Dicky Tsang, 56, accused both sides of "empty talk".

"I don't mind their background -- as long as they can get things done," he said.

That view was echoed by 18-year-old student Pau Chun-wai.

"I don't care which party they are from," he told AFP. "As long as they bring improvements to communities."

Activists holding a banner and US flags march during a rally against the banning of pro-independence candidates in the upcoming legislative council elections, in Hong Kong, on August 21, 2016 Tengku Bahar (AFP/File)
Fight against sexual harassment in Egypt bearing fruit

Eight years after the first woman in Egypt won a conviction against a man for sexual harassment, activists and lawyers see progress in transforming attitudes and more harassers being jailed.

In 2008, Noha Elostaz broke social taboos by disclosing details of an assault as she pushed for her harasser's conviction.

Sherif Gebreel had reached out from his vehicle, groped her, hit the accelerator and dragged her along. As she fell, she saw him laughing.

Noha Elostaz, the first woman in Egypt to have won a conviction against a man for sexual harassment, looks out of the window of her apartment in the Egyptian capital Cairo Mohamed El-Shahed (AFP)

Her defiance, a landmark three-year sentence for Gebreel and years of campaigning by volunteers have now shifted the tide from the days when authorities and the public treated harassment as trivial, isolated incidents usually blamed on women.

"Now I hear about so many cases, girls who take men to police stations, and people now have a sense of familiarity with this act," Elostaz, 34, told AFP.

"In daily life, things have improved. I can personally feel it on the street."

According to a 2013 UN study, 99.3 percent of Egyptian woman have experienced at least one form of harassment, and 82.6 percent said they did not feel safe in the street.

Public debate over the problem intensified in the aftermath of the January 2011 uprising against former president Hosni Mubarak.

The protests centred around Cairo's Tahrir Square, where constant media coverage also highlighted sexual attacks and helped to uproot public denial of the phenomenon.

"Of course there is progress," said Mozn Hassan, the executive director of Nazra for Feminist Studies, a leading women's rights group.

- Sisi's 'message' -

Hassan said her organisation has won more than 50 sexual harassment cases, mostly involving prison terms, since authorities directly criminalised sexual harassment in June 2014, days before President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's inauguration.

One of the worst of these attacks happened in June 2014, during celebrations marking Sisi's inauguration.

A widely shared video showed the bloodied naked body of a woman as a mob pulled and pushed her to the ground and policemen tried to rescue her.

Shortly afterwards, Sisi visited her in hospital bearing flowers, apologised and vowed to crack down on harassment.

The following month, seven men were sentenced to life and two to 20 years over assaults around Tahrir.

For Sisi to visit the victim "was a message to the state that this is no longer acceptable," Hassan said.

Michael Raouf, a lawyer with the El Nadeem Centre for the Management and Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, said he realised the impact of such rulings when he overheard young men commenting about the clothing of a nearby woman.

"One was saying 'Look what she's wearing. Her brother or father let her leave the house looking like that, and if you say anything they put you in jail'," Raouf recalled.

From the very beginning, anti-harassment efforts sprang from the grassroots.

- Public debate -

The issue was brought to the forefront of public debate in 2006, when throngs of men assaulted women in central Cairo during a public holiday.

Newspapers ignored the incident, but bloggers reported it.

Following the 2011 uprising, anti-harassment graffiti spread around downtown Cairo, volunteers organised to rescue women from mob attacks, and more women shared their own stories publicly.

In February 2013, women took to the streets brandishing knives in a symbolic protest against sexual violence.

"Those who recall Noha's case, those who remember 2006 and people calling us crazy, those who recall 2013 with people saying 'No, these things do not happen in Tahrir', now there is a difference," said Hassan.

Even those who make excuses for harassers can change their minds when volunteers discuss it with them, said Alia Soliman, a spokeswoman for anti-harassment group HarassMap.

"When we approach them little by little, with awareness they reconsider their convictions," said Soliman.

HarassMap organised talks at universities, trained Uber drivers and broadcast anti-harassment campaign advertisements on television and radio.

But for 22-year-old Yosra Abdelaziz, the change is not coming fast enough. She tried to report harassers but without success. Even at home, she says her older brother harasses her.

"This thing with my brother, I used to tell no one. Now I tell everyone and write about it on Facebook," Abdelaziz said.

She has now found some peace and let go of the guilt and shame, and is looking for her own apartment so she can lead an independent life.

"Imagine if we weren't standing up to it, what the situation would be like," said Elostaz. "In the end, what's happening here is resistance."
India's top woman banker sees cracks in glass ceiling

The first female head at one of India's biggest banks says a ruling forcing firms to appoint women directors to boards has eased chronically lopsided gender ratios -- but warns too many firms are still failing to embrace diversity.

State Bank of India chairwoman Arundhati Bhattacharya told AFP that the regulator's moves to get rid of the "old boys' network" and demand women were appointed to boards had led to posts being filled by family members. However, she said she was fine with that if they have the ability.

India changed its laws in 2013 to force publicly listed companies to have at least one woman among their board directors -- around 96 percent of whom were men at the time.

Chairwoman of the State Bank of India (SBI), Arundhati Bhattacharya, speaks during an interview with AFP in Mumbai, on August 22, 2016 Indranil Mukherjee (AFP/File)

After the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) regulator issued a comply-or-be-fined deadline in March 2015, firms scrambled to act, drafting in wives, daughters or other relatives to fill the spots.

"A lot of women who are getting inducted after SEBI's rule are family members. And this isn't a problem as long as they understand the business.

"But we believe it is important to get an outsider's perspective," said Bhattacharya, who joined SBI in 1977 and rose through the ranks to the top of the country's largest and oldest commercial lender.

As hiring managers complain about a lack of talented women candidates for board-level jobs, her view is that they simply have not looked hard enough.

- Changing attitudes -

"Even today I find many people saying we don't find properly qualified women. What they're saying is they are not networked enough."

The problem is not only at the top -- across the country only 27 percent of women work, according to the International Labour Organization, which ranked India 120th among the 131 nations on female labour participation in 2013.

"Seventy-five percent of these appointments are non-independent and drawn from family members, thereby failing to bring any diversity to corporate boardrooms," Pranav Haldea, managing director of Prime Database, a firm that compiles capital markets data, told AFP.

Bhattacharya cites the challenge of changing attitudes in a society that still largely views women as primary caretakers and says having children leads many to fall off the corporate ladder.

To address the problem, in 2014 she brought in two-year sabbaticals to allow women to take career breaks without falling out of the workforce.

"We want to ensure that men also take up their portion of responsibilities during child care and women continue working from home, so they don't face drawbacks or fall behind," she said.

As the only woman chief of a public sector bank, Bhattacharya cuts a lonely figure, although Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma head the private ICICI and Axis banks.

Bhattacharya, named the world's fifth most powerful woman in finance by Forbes Magazine, has won praise from investors for bringing about a digital transformation at the 210-year-old former Imperial Bank of India.

- Alarm bells -

However, she has faced criticism, too, notably over the problem of bad loans weighing down India's lenders, seen as a core threat to the stability of the fast-growing economy.

She has also led a public fight against disgraced businessman Vijay Mallya, who became a symbol of the bad loan problem after fleeing the country in March owing $1.34 billion.

The SBI branded the defunct Kingfisher Airlines founder a "willful defaulter" and called for his arrest before going to court to try to recover its dues.

Yet Raghuram Rajan, the outgoing governor of the central Reserve Bank of India, has continued to sound alarm bells over public banks' mountain of soured assets.

"The process of cleaning up bad loans from Indian banks is a welcome move," Bhattacharya said.

"However, we need sufficient means of resolving these. Resolving them and putting them on track is not an easy task."

Some say the plague of bad loans, which have dented SBI profits, led Bhattacharya to miss out on replacing Rajan as RBI chief, a post ultimately awarded to insider Urjit Patel.

The question on investors' minds now is whether Bhattacharya, who reached the retirement age of 60 this year, will stay on at SBI after her term ends in September.

Either way, she says, over the course of her career, the notion that women could not be trusted with an organisation's future has been firmly buried.

"That is a thing of the past. Things are changing now."
Japan eyes record defence budget to develop anti-ship missiles

Japan's defence ministry requested a record budget on Wednesday, with funds for an anti-ship missile system to defend islands at the centre of a territorial dispute with China.

Tokyo is determined to defend the uninhabited islets in the East China Sea -- administered by Japan as the Senkakus but claimed by China as the Diaoyus -- as Beijing steps up its claim.

The ministry announced it is seeking 5.168 trillion yen ($50.12 billion) in spending for the fiscal year starting April 2017, up 2.3 percent from the initial budget for the current fiscal year.

Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force tanks move amongst an umbrella of barrage during an annual live fire exercise, at the Higashi-Fuji firing range in Gotemba, Shizuoka prefecture, on August 25, 2016 Toru Yamanaka (AFP/File)

If approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet, it would be the fifth straight year the government sets a record defence budget, as regional tensions remain high.

The proposed budget calls for Japan to develop land-to-ship missiles as well as air-to-ship missiles for patrol planes.

The new land-to-ship missile system is expected to have a range of 300 kilometres (190 miles), far enough to reach the vicinity of the disputed islands, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported earlier in August.

The ministry declined to confirm the range of the missile.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida last week told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during talks in Tokyo that Beijing must stop violating Japanese territory in the East China Sea around the disputed islands.

That warning came after Tokyo earlier lodged more than two dozen protests through diplomatic channels claiming that Chinese coast guard vessels had repeatedly violated its territorial waters around the islands.

China views the islands as its own and thus rejects the view it violates Japan's territorial waters.

The ministry also plans to create a mobile amphibious unit with more than 2,000 troops at a base in Nagasaki prefecture.

And the budget proposes funds to dispatch extra personnel to the Philippines and Vietnam in an effort to beef up intelligence-gathering in the South China Sea.

Japan is boosting defence ties with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, some of which have their own disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

In addition, Japan is also on alert against North Korea and the country's frequent ballistic missile test launches -- the most recent last week from a submarine -- that Tokyo sees as a major threat.

To counter Pyongyang, the budget also allocates funds for upgrading Japan's Patriot anti-missile systems to double the present area of coverage.
Israel shuts Palestinian radio station for 'incitement'

Israeli authorities have shut down a Palestinian radio station in the occupied West Bank over "incitement" to violence, the army said Wednesday, the latest in a series of such raids.

The overnight operation in Dura near Hebron led to five arrests, according to the Israeli army.

Palestinian police confirmed the detentions and said one of those held was the director of the Al-Sanabel station.

Israeli soldiers wait next to their vehicles in the West Bank village of Dura near Hebron on August 30, 2016 Hazem Bader (AFP)

Broadcast equipment was also seized, the army said.

According to Palestinian police, the station's door was broken during the raid and a notice was given saying it was ordered closed for three months.

An Israeli army spokeswoman could not provide examples of the type of content that led to the raid.

"The radio station has repeatedly broadcast inciting content encouraging, celebrating and promoting violence and terrorism against Israelis," she said.

Israeli authorities have closed at least four Palestinian radio or TV stations since a wave of violence erupted in October.

The violence has killed 222 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP tally.

Violence has steadily declined in recent months.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.

Others were shot dead by Israeli forces during protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.

Much of the violence has occurred in the Hebron area in the southern West Bank, a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest.
Somalia hotel attack death toll rises to 15

At least 15 people died when jihadists exploded a suicide car bomb outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, police said Wednesday, updating an earlier toll.

"The number of the people who died in the blast reached 15 and 45 others were wounded, most of them lightly," said Mogadishu police chief Bishar Abshir Gedi.

He said civilians and security forces were among the dead in Tuesday's attack.

Somali security forces patrol the scene of a suicide car bomb blast in Mogadishu on August 30, 2016 Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP)

Several journalists who were at the hotel at the time of the attack were injured.

A vehicle rammed through a checkpoint on Tuesday and was fired on by security forces before it exploded outside the SYL hotel.

An earlier toll stood at five killed and 28 injured.

The hotel is situated close to the main entrance to the Villa Somalia government complex that includes the presidential palace, ministry buildings and residences.

A witness described seeing a large blast and a thick plume of smoke that rose high into the air.

"I saw a car speeding towards the area and huge smoke and fire went up in the sky," said Elmi Ahmed.

The explosion left a scene of widespread damage with a crater in the road, buildings damaged, nearby walls collapsed and debris scattered across the usually busy carriageway.

The Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab jihadist group said it was responsible for the attack.

The fortified hotel, popular with government officials, business people and visiting diplomats and delegations, was previously attacked in both February this year and January last year.

Last week gunmen detonated a bomb outside a beachside restaurant before storming inside and killing at least seven people.
Kerry says united with allies over South China Sea

The United States is united with its allies in upholding freedom of navigation rights in the South China Sea following a tribunal's decision on the contested waters, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday.

Speaking on a visit to New Delhi, Kerry called on China and the Philippines to abide by the arbitration tribunal's recent decision, saying "there is no military solution" to the dispute.

Kerry said the United States itself had no claim over the waters, that are crucial to international shipping, but would stand up for freedom of navigation rights.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea despite partial counter-claims from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan Str (AFP/File)

"We have made it clear that we will stand up for our rights and we will stand with our allies," he said, referring to navigation and the rule of law.

"US and other countries are united in an alliance that respects freedom of navigation, the norms and standards of the laws of sea and rule of law with respect to access to the high seas," he said while speaking to engineering students at a college in Delhi.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea despite partial counter-claims from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan. In recent months it has built massive structures including radar systems and an airstrip over reefs and outcrops.

But the UN-backed tribunal, ruling on a case brought by the Philippines, found last month there was no legal basis for China's claims.

The US has said it will continue naval patrols near reefs and outcrops claimed by China to assert the principle of freedom of navigation, a move which has angered Beijing.

"The US continues to call upon China and Philippines to abide by the tribunal's decision. It's final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry said.

The comments come ahead of the G20 leaders' meeting in China starting on Sunday that could see tensions over territorial disputes.

Kerry is due to hold talks later Wednesday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the two nations forge closer trade and security ties, in part to check concerns over China's growing assertiveness in the region.
home Tech MacBook Pro 2016 release date, news, rumors: Laptop to be released early October along with new iMac?

Apple has yet to make the official announcement regarding the development of the 2016 MacBook Pro model. In spite of this, it has been a running speculation for the past several months that the Cupertino-based tech giant will be updating the said flagship brand this year. There is no consensus yet regarding the exact release of the laptop, but the latest reports are pointing towards an October launching of the new Mac Pro.

According to The Week UK, Apple is likely to make the big reveal about the 2016 MacBook Pro in October. This is contrary to the earlier speculations among the tech analysts and enthusiasts that the new Apple laptop will make an appearance at an earlier date in September. It was recently confirmed by Apple that there will be a big press event in September, but the devices that will be showcased during this event are not yet confirmed. If this were the case, then Apple may instead feature the new iPhone 7 and Apple Watch 2, but not the new MacBook units.

Meanwhile, the October unveiling of the MacBook Pro 2016 is expected to coincide with another upcoming big device from Apple. As reported by The Bitbag, the company will also reveal the all-new iMac model. To note, however, there are confirmed details yet regarding a separate Apple event in October for the Mac Pro and iMac.

As for the featured specs of the MacBook Pro 2016, it is rumored that the device will sport an OLED touch panel. With the addition of this panel, it is expected that the users will no longer see the traditional function keys of the Apple laptop. If this rumor pans out, it will be a huge makeover in the physical design of the MacBook Pro.

It is also possible that Apple will add the Touch ID function in the upcoming MacBook Pro, similar to the company's other devices such as the iPhone and iPad. With this feature, the 2016 Mac Pro will make use of the MacOS Sierra's tight security features with the new fingerprint sensor technology.
Zimbabwe protest day flops after crackdown vow

Shops and offices opened as usual across Zimbabwe on Wednesday despite a planned "shutdown" protest against President Robert Mugabe, who has vowed to end a series of anti-government demonstrations.

Riot police patrolled in the capital Harare and other cities, with minor clashes breaking out in the second city of Bulawayo, AFP reporters witnessed.

Organisers of the planned shutdown blamed the lack of response on intimidation by security forces.

Zimbabwean anti-riot police pursue supporters of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change Tsvangirai faction during a rally in Harare on August 24, 2016 Wilfred Kajese (AFP/File)

"(Shops) received threats that they would lose their licences if they closed," Hardlife Mudzingwa, spokesman for the Tajamuka protest group, told AFP.

"We also had a heavy police presence which was intimidating to ordinary members of the public."

In Bulawayo, at least seven people were detained as police broke up a group of about 30 protesters, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights group said.

Zivanai Muzorodzi, a civil society activist in the southeastern town of Masvingo, told AFP that business was slow during the day.

"I think there is fear among the people and they feel safer watching the situation from a distance," he said.

On Saturday, Mugabe vowed to end a surge of protests that has erupted in recent months as Zimbabwe's economic crisis has worsened and the government has struggled to pay its civil servants and military.

- Ageing leader -

Last week police arrested at least 70 people including Promise Mkwananzi, leader of the Tajamuka campaign, when street protests were held in Harare to demand reform ahead of elections due in 2018.

Police used tear gas to halt the demonstration, which had been authorised by a court.

Mkwananzi was denied bail on Monday, and a court hearing due to decide whether to release the others on bail was adjourned on Wednesday.

Mugabe, 92, has ruled since the country's independence in 1980, and has vowed to stand again as president.

He has previously crushed dissent during his authoritarian rule, but speculation has grown over his succession amid increasing signs of ill health.

"I certainly project that there is going to be bloodshed (and) that the regime is going to respond in more barbaric ways," leading activist Patson Dzamara told AFP ahead of another planned protest on Friday.

"We know in the process lives might be lost -- it's part and parcel of the struggle.

"Things are changing, we are seeing Zimbabweans finally managing to stand up and speak out against Mugabe's misrule and leadership failure -- this is a watershed moment for Zimbabwe."

This week Human Rights Watch called for the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) to act over Zimbabwe, where more than 90 percent of the population is not in formal employment.

"Economically and socially Zimbabwe is on the brink," HRW researcher Dewa Mavhinga said.

"You cannot behave like the ostrich and bury your head in the sand when Zimbabwe is burning.

"There are serious human rights abuses taking place particularly police brutality and excessive use of force."

A series of anti-government protests have erupted in Zimbabwe in recent months over the worsening state of the economy STRINGER (AFP/File)
Sri Lanka's war-battered Tamils pin hopes on UN visit

Joseph Rasanayagam jumped on his bicycle as soon as he heard rumours the army would be handing back his ancestral land in Sri Lanka's battle-scarred north to mark a visit by the United Nations chief.

But when the 59-year-old fisherman arrived at a major military compound in Jaffna, soldiers turned him away -- dashing his hopes of finally returning home.

"I can see my land over the (military) fence but I can't access it until it's released," Rasanayagam said.

A child in Sabapathipillai camp on the Jaffna Peninsula, some 400 kilometres north of Colombo Lakruwan Wanniarachchi (AFP/File)

"For more than 26 years I lived in seven IDP (internally displaced people) camps," said Rasanayagam, who recently decided to move his wife and four children into a relative's house, where they are crammed into a single room.

Sri Lanka's army has occupied thousands of hectares in the Jaffna peninsula -- the heartland of the country's Tamil minority -- and elsewhere in the north since the end in 2009 of a decades-long conflict with Tamil separatist rebels.

Last year it began returning plots to their original owners.

But progress has been agonisingly slow for many, especially for the thousands still living in miserable displacement camps. The camps flood during the monsoon rains and their tin roofs are unbearably hot in summer.

Many are banking on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help push the process along, with his visit to the island this week expected to focus on resettlement issues still outstanding since the end of the war.

"We want to give a petition to him to intervene and get our land back," Rasanayagam said of Ban, who is due late Wednesday in the capital. "There are about 100 people from my village who are going to sign this."

The UN secretary-general will meet President Maithripala Sirisena, who was elected in January last year on a promise to promote reconciliation with the ethnic Tamil minority.

Jaffna locals have been told Ban will also visit a village on their peninsula, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Colombo, that was recently handed back by the military.

And he is expected to inspect about 100 small houses currently being built by the army on state land for Tamils whose own homes were destroyed in the fighting.

Rasanayagam must wait a while longer for his case to be addressed. He was forced to flee in 1990 with almost nothing when shelling and fighting erupted between troops and Tamil rebels in his village.

His land is among vast tracts still being used by the military and declared part of a high-security zone.

Activists say he is among about 100,000 still without their own homes seven years after the war ended with a final military push that claimed thousands of lives.

- 'This is a palace' -

Anthony Quinn, who liaises with authorities on behalf of displaced Tamils, said Sirisena had given them hope after defeating former president Mahinda Rajapakse, an autocrat who ruled for almost a decade.

"Although the president gave a deadline of six months (for land to be handed over), we know it is hard work that can't be completed so quickly," Quinn told AFP at his shack in Kannagi, where 138 families live in one of 32 cramped camps on the peninsula.

For impoverished widow Ravindrarasa Yogini, her nightmare has finally ended. She and her two children, aged nine and 16, have recently been allowed to return to their land just outside a military complex.

They have erected a shack with an outside kitchen, with help from an UN agency, after discovering that their home was destroyed in the fighting. But they are hopeful of a government handout to help them rebuild.

"I never dreamt that I will get my land back," she said. "This may look like a shack, but for me this is a palace."

Ahead of Ban's visit, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera toured the north asking those Tamils still waiting to go home for more patience.

"We will create conditions to ensure that people in Jaffna can return to their normal life very soon," he told residents of several camps over the weekend.

Srikumar Selvy, three of whose five children were born in a camp, said they have no choice but to be patient. They have long lived in squalid conditions where 20 families share four toilets, but have nowhere else to go.

"We don't know what it is like to be happy," the 44-year-old told AFP at her tiny grocery store inside the camp. "We want to go to our own land. Only then will we be happy."

The Jaffna peninsula is the heartland of the country's Tamil minority and occupied by Sri Lanka's army since the end in 2009 of the decades-long conflict with Tamil separatist rebels Lakruwan Wanniarachchi (AFP/File)

Many Tamils still living in displacement camps such as Sabapathipillai are hoping UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will help push along the resettlement process, with his visit to Sri Lanka this week Lakruwan Wanniarachchi (AFP/File)

Activists in Sri Lanka say there are about 100,000 people still without their own homes seven years after the war ended in a final military push that claimed up to 40,000 Tamil lives Lakruwan Wanniarachchi (AFP/File)
Hawaii set to host world's largest conservation meeting

Some 8,000 heads of state, policymakers and environmentalists convene in Hawaii this week for the world's largest gathering aimed at forging a path forward on the planet's toughest conservation problems.

US President Barack Obama is expected to be among the world leaders in Honolulu as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) opens its World Conservation Congress, held every four years in a different location around the globe.

This year, the conference theme of "Planet at the Crossroads" is aimed at exposing the plight of island nations that are at risk of disappearing in the coming decades due to rising seas.

US President Barack Obama is expected to be among the world leaders in Honolulu as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) opens its World Conservation Congress Thursday Patrick Baz (AFP/File)

It is the first major environmental meeting of global leaders since the Paris climate talks last year.

The September 1-10 conference also marks the first time the IUCN World Congress has been held in the United States since the meeting was first convened in 1948.

Arguments are expected on hotly debated issues such as what to do about domestic ivory markets which lead to the killing of elephants for their tusks, and how to feed the world's growing population without exhausting its natural resources.

"There should be a fair amount of fireworks," John Robinson, the head of the Wildlife Conservation Society's global conservation program told AFP.

Obama's visit -- if it is not disrupted by Hurricane Madeline -- comes on the heels of his move last week to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the northwestern Hawaiian islands, making it the world's largest marine protected area.

In Honolulu on Wednesday, Obama plans to address the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress, before departing for Midway Atoll the next day.

"The President will be discussing the role that remote islands play in the climate context, but also the importance of the intersection between conservation and climate change as we face an increasingly severe threat of climate change in these parts of the world," said Brian Deese, Obama's senior advisor.

Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security advisor, described the event as "an important opportunity to bring together not just Pacific island leaders who have been a motivating factor around the urgency of action against climate change, but also conservation advocates from around the world."

- Key news -

A key piece of news at the event will be the update of the IUCN's Red List of endangered and threatened species on September 4.

Other reports on efforts to balance oil and gas exploration with whale conservation, and the establishment of important biodiversity areas will also be announced in the first five days.

During the second part of the conference, from September 6 to 10, members will hold debates on wildlife trafficking, palm oil, income inequality in conservation, foresty practices, and more.

The meeting is seen as an opportunity to find common ground on tough decisions and lay the groundwork for future talks, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference which kicks off in late September in Johannesburg.

Any motion passed at the IUCN meeting, "becomes a resolution which carries considerable weight" at the CITES convention two weeks later, "which does have legal teeth," explained Robinson.

Over 8,300 delegates from 184 countries are expected to attend the IUCN World Congress.

"This unique gathering of top minds holds the key to innovation, inspiration and most importantly, action," said Zhang Xinsheng, IUCN president.

Arguments at the IUCN conference in Hawaii are expected to include hotly debated issues such as what to do about domestic ivory markets which lead to the killing of elephants for their tusks Daniel Hayduk (AFP/File)
Iranian ex-general killed fighting jihadists in Syria

A retired Iranian general has been killed while battling jihadists as a volunteer in northern Syria, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.

Ahmad Gholami, who had served as a senior Revolutionary Guards commander in the Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s, died on Tuesday "while fighting the takfiri terrorists in Aleppo, Syria," said the Fars news agency, which is close to the Guards.

Iran uses the term "takfiri" to describe Sunni jihadists.

Iran is the principle backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but denies that any of its professional soldiers are active in the country Omar haj kadour (AFP/File)

Gholami went to Iraq and Syria "voluntarily" to fight Islamic State group jihadists, it added.

Iran is the principle backer of President Bashar al-Assad. It denies that any of its professional soldiers are active in Syria -- insisting its commanders and generals act purely as "military advisers" -- but it also leads large volunteer forces, comprised of fighters from both Iran and neighbouring Afghanistan.
Gabon parliament set ablaze after Bongo declared winner

Angry protesters torched Gabon's parliament Wednesday after President Ali Bongo was declared winner of what he claimed was a "peaceful and transparent" election, but which the opposition said was fraudulent.

It only took a few minutes for the announcement to sink in before several of Libreville's poorer neighbourhoods erupted in anger, with thousands of people taking to the streets to express their fury.

As gunfire crackled across the city, at least six people were admitted to hospital with bullet wounds, AFP reporters saw. Several of the wounded said they were shot by security forces.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo casts his vote at a polling station in Libreville during the presidential election on August 27, 2016 Marco Longari (AFP/File)

According to official results made public shortly after 1500 GMT, Bongo won Saturday's presidential poll by just 5,594 votes, taking 49.80 percent to 48.23 percent for his rival Jean Ping, a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official.

The results will remain "provisional" until they are approved by the constitutional court.

By nightfall, protesters vented their fury by setting fire to the parliament building, sending skyward a plume of flame and black smoke, witnesses and AFP correspondents said.

Fires were visible in other parts of Libreville and explosions were heard as protesters faced off against heavily armed security forces.

"The whole building is catching fire," a man outside parliament who gave his name as Yannick told AFP.

The parliament lies on the same road as the state TV headquarters, senate, town hall, oil ministry, several embassies and the French cultural centre.

As soon as Bongo's victory in Saturday's poll was announced Wednesday, people took to the streets of the city's slums, chanting "Ali must go".

- Slim margin -

As helicopters flew overhead and smoke rose above poorer neighbourhoods, soldiers, police and gendarmes stopped traffic on the main highway where protestors braved tear gas to set tyres alight.

Protestors shouted, "Jean Ping president!" and "They stole the election."

Ping, a half Chinese career diplomat has rejected the results, and before they were announced had declared it was he who won.

There was also trouble Wednesday in the economic capital Port Gentil, which saw the worst of the violence that followed Bongo's 2009 election victory.

That contested vote followed the death of Bongo's father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the oil-rich country for 41 years.

Any appeal by Ping would likely focus on disputed results in one of the country's nine provinces -- the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

In Saturday's vote, turnout was 59.46 percent nationwide but soared to 99.93 percent in Haut-Ogooue, where Bongo won 95.5 percent of votes.

"It's going to be difficult to get people to accept these results," one member of the electoral commission confided to AFP, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.

"We've never seen results like these, even during the father's time," he added.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission have vowed to fight for a recount.

- 'Let's change together' -

Ping, the European Union, the United States and former colonial power France have called for voting figures from each of Gabon's polling stations to be made public to ensure the credibility of overall result.

"This will help give the people of Gabon -- as well as the international community -- confidence the announced vote tallies are accurate," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

In 2009, Bongo was declared winner of the election after his father's death. In the ensuing clashes several people were killed, buildings looted and the French consulate in the economic capital Port Gentil torched.

EU observers, who were barred from the meeting of the electoral commission on Wednesday, said the vote on Saturday was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

Joining the EU in pressuring Bongo on Wednesday, the French foreign ministry called for the electoral commission to show "transparency and impartiality".

"Only in this way can the credibility of the results be guaranteed," a spokesman for the French foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Gabon is a former French colony which has been hit by the global slump in the price of crude oil, its biggest export.

One third of Gabon's population lives in poverty, despite the country boasting one of Africa's highest per capita incomes at $8,300 (7,400 euros) thanks to pumping 200,000 barrels of oil a day.

Bongo, 57, campaigned under the slogan "Let's change together", playing up the roads and hospitals built during his first term and stressing the need to break with the bad old days of disappearing public funds and dodgy management of oil revenues.

The campaign period was marked by months of bitter exchanges between the two camps, including accusations, and strenuous denials, that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run.

Ping's own roots -- he is Sino-Gabonese -- served as ammunition for Bongo's camp, which has suggested he and his son are secretly serving Chinese interests.

The flash of an explosion amid flames and smoke billowing from the National Assembly building in Libreville after it was set ablaze on August 31, 2016 by demonstrators protesting after Gabon's president Ali Bongo's re-election Marco Longari (AFP)

Gabon Sabrina Blanchard, Vincent Lefai (AFP)

A supporter of Gabonese opposition leader Jean Ping prays in front of security forces blocking a demonstration trying to reach the electoral commission in Libreville Marco Longari (AFP)
Philippines' Duterte says to meet fugitive Muslim rebel

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he planned to meet a fugitive Muslim rebel wanted over a deadly siege, promising to ignore an arrest order in an effort to forge peace.

The announcement was the latest dramatic attempt by the firebrand leader to end decades-long insurgencies with Muslim and communist rebels that have claimed more than 150,000 lives.

Duterte said he spoke on Tuesday to Nur Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), one of the two major Muslim rebel groups based in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte speaksd uring a welcoming ceremony for repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFW) from Saudi Arabia at the Manila International Airport in Manila on August 31, 2016 Neol Celis (AFP)

"I told him: 'Nur, I have no intention of detaining you or putting you in the custody of the government. You can simply walk out there, ask any soldier and police to escort you to where we can talk'," Duterte said.

Duterte, 71, offered to meet Misuari, 77, in the rebel leader's stronghold in the war-torn southern island of Jolo or in the presidential palace in Manila.

But Misuari said he preferred they meet in Malaysia before representatives of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), while promising a quick peace deal, according to Duterte.

"He said in two days we can sign something and end the fighting," Duterte said.

The government of Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino, filed rebellion charges against Misuari for allegedly orchestrating a siege in the southern city of Zamboanga in 2013 that left more than 200 dead.

The offence is punishable by at least 30 years in prison, but Misuari was able to avoid arrest by remaining under the protection of his militants on Jolo, which is also home to the notorious Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom gang.

Misuari founded the MNLF in 1969 to wage a guerrilla war for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines, where most of the nation's Muslim minority live.

Misuari signed a peace agreement with the government in 1996 in return for the creation of a Muslim autonomous area.

The breakaway Moro Islamic Liberation Front then continued the rebellion, but in recent years also began negotiating for peace.

Misuari allegedly orchestrated the 2013 Zamboanga siege because he felt the MNLF was being sidelined under the planned MILF peace deal.

Duterte is aiming to forge a final peace agreement with both groups.
Maldives issues arrest warrant for ex-president Nasheed

The Maldives said Wednesday an arrest warrant has been issued for ex-president Mohamed Nasheed for failing to return to the troubled archipelago to complete a jail sentence after receiving medical care in Britain.

Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically elected president, won political asylum in Britain in May after being granted permission to travel there for treatment while serving the sentence for a terror-related offence.

"A court order (has been) issued for arrest of former president Mohamed Nasheed," the government said in a statement, released days after Nasheed flew to neighbouring Sri Lanka.

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed was sentenced to prison in March 2015 Ben Stansall (AFP/File)

"The Maldives correctional service is seeking to have him brought back to serve the remainder of his 13-year sentence," the statement said.

Opposition sources said Nasheed has been meeting Maldives opposition groups in Sri Lanka in recent days to hatch a plan to topple President Abdulla Yameen.

Nasheed was among members of several exiled opposition groups meeting in Colombo, two people in Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party told AFP at the weekend.

The Indian Ocean island chain has been gripped by political turmoil since Nasheed was forced to resign in 2012, denting its image as a paradise for upmarket tourists.

Nasheed was sentenced to prison in March 2015 after being convicted on a charge of terrorism for having a judge arrested during his time as president.

The international community has fiercely criticised what they say is Yameen's unlawful jailing of Nasheed as well as a string of other opponents in a crackdown on dissent.

The Maldives government has accused Nasheed -- whose legal team includes high-profile human rights lawyer Amal Clooney -- of only securing asylum to avoid serving jail time.

Nasheed's party on Wednesday played down the chances of his being arrested abroad since he had already secured asylum.

"I am wondering how the Maldivian government plans to execute the arrest warrant," Colombo-based party spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor told AFP.

Ghafoor declined to say if Nasheed planned to return voluntarily to his homeland at some stage in the future, something he told reporters in London earlier this year was on the cards.

- 'Democracy under threat' -

Nasheed, a climate change activist who was also imprisoned during the three-decade rule of former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was elected president in 2008.

But he was forced to resign in February 2012 after a mutiny by police and troops, which followed protests over the arrest of the top judge for alleged corruption as well as for politically motivated rulings.

Yameen, a half-brother of former strongman Gayoom, won a presidential election run-off against Nasheed in late 2013.

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".

In June Yameen's former deputy Ahmed Adeeb was jailed for 15 years on a charge of plotting to assassinate the president.

Sources close to Nasheed said he was eager to discuss the Maldives turmoil with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is due to arrive in Colombo late Wednesday on a two-day visit for talks with Sri Lankan leaders.

"He would be keen to meet with Ban Ki-moon," a person close to Nasheed said, adding that no formal request for a meeting has been made.
Israel police chief criticised for comments on minorities

Israel's police chief faced a whirlwind of criticism on Wednesday after he suggested officers would "naturally" suspect minorities, including Israelis of Ethiopian descent, of crimes more than others.

Members of the Ethiopian community in Israel, who account for more than 135,000 of the eight million population, called for police commissioner Roni Alsheich to be sacked after his comments on Tuesday.

"Ethiopian Jews are Israeli Jews in every way," Alsheich told a lawyers' conference in Tel Aviv where he was asked about police violence against Ethiopian-Israelis.

Israelis from the Ethiopian community, which number around 135,000 in the eight million population, pictured here holding up photographs of their relatives during a demonstration in March Menahem Kahana (AFP/File)

"But every criminology study worldwide shows that immigrants are more involved in crime than others."

He said that young people too were more often implicated in crimes and, that when the two factors were combined, police "naturally" suspected them more than others.

Alsheich also mentioned Arab Israelis, who account for more than 17 percent of the population.

He accepted, however, that there was "over-policing" of Ethiopian Israelis that must be addressed.

The subject is particularly sensitive among Ethiopian Israelis, who have protested against what they see as discrimination and abuse by police.

A spokeswoman for the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews called for Alsheich to resign, saying his comments were "intolerable."

"Not only are we not immigrants as he says, but he also only reinforces stereotypes that portray all young people from our community as delinquents and criminals," Hanna Elazar told AFP.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan defended Alsheich in a statement, saying his comments did not defend "over-policing" or racial profiling of Ethiopian-Israelis.

"He did exactly the opposite and courageously said that there is a problem that the police are addressing," Erdan said.

"We are working with members of the community and their leaders to address the errors of the past."

Police spokeswoman Meirav Lapidot however told army radio that the sensitive topic "should have been explained differently."

Of the 135,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel, some 50,000 were born in the country.

The community is the result of Israeli authorities eventually officially recognising the Ethiopian Jewish community as Jews, leading to two waves of immigration in 1984 and 1991.

They have alleged discrimination and other types of mistreatment.
Migrants mass in Libya in deadly 'race against time'

Thousands of migrants are "racing against the clock" to make the perilous crossing from Libya to Europe before summer ends, with authorities in the conflict-torn country at a loss to stem the flow.

Abdel Hamid al-Souei of Libya's Red Crescent said improved weather triggered this week's mass outflow that has seen more than 10,000 migrants rescued since Sunday from floundering boats.

The migrants are "racing against the clock because they fear the start of autumn when conditions will not be so good" out at sea, he told AFP.

Most migrants heading to Italy originate from West Africa and the Horn of Africa, often departing from Libya en masse when the sea is calm and a southern wind can push boats up into international waters Yaraq Nardi (Italian Red Cross/AFP/File)

Most of the migrants from the Horn of Africa and the west of the continent set out from the Libyan town of Sabratha, just 300 kilometres (180 miles) across the Mediterranean from the Italian island of Lampedusa.

People traffickers have exploited Libya's rampant insecurity to cash in, as authorities concentrate their limited resources on combating jihadists and an uphill political battle to extend their writ over the entire country.

"Our patrols have been reduced lately because the vessels are ageing and we don't have the means to control the Sabratha coast," Libya's navy chief, Colonel Ayoub Qassem, said in Tripoli.

Rescuers saved 3,000 migrants in the waters off Libya on Tuesday as they tried desperately to reach Europe, a day after a record 6,500 people were rescued in the Mediterranean.

And after several weeks of relative calm in the waters between Italy and Libya, more than 1,100 people were rescued on Sunday.

Dramatic images of one rescue this week distributed by the Italian coastguard showed children among the survivors crammed onto an old fishing boat.

Some of the migrants jumped off the vessel in life jackets and swam towards their rescuers.

On Tuesday morning, a woman gave birth on board one of the rescue vessels -- operated by Italy's coastguard and navy as well as NGOs -- as it made its way to the Italian coast.

She and her newborn were taken by speedboat to the island of Lampedusa, while the rest of the migrants made their way to several ports in Sicily, Sardinia and southern Italy.

The total number of arrivals in Italy this year now stands at 112,500, according to the UN refugee agency and the coastguard, slightly below the 116,000 recorded by the same point in 2015.

More than 3,100 people have died trying to reach Europe this year.

- Burials far from home -

The municipal council of Sabratha, 70 kilometres (45 miles) east of Tripoli and controlled by Libya's internationally-backed but nationally-contested Government of National Accord (GNA), warned early in the summer that their town had turned into a hub for people trafficking.

The Tripoli-based GNA has been locked in a fierce battle since May to expel Islamic State (IS) group jihadists from their coastal stronghold of Sirte, eastern Libya, while also struggling to win the backing of a rival administration operating from near the border with Egypt.

"There are parties which are profiting from the trade while the Tripoli authorities are tied up with the fight against IS," said another Red Crescent official in Sabratha, situated half-way between Tripoli and the Tunisian border, asking not to be named.

He said the traffickers, "who are often armed, are linked to an international ring operating in Libya, neighbouring Arab countries and extending all the way to Europe".

Between June and August, more than 800 African migrants aiming to reach Europe through the Libyan gateway were arrested in neighbouring Sudan along with a group of traffickers, according to Sudanese security officials.

Over the same period, underlining the mortal risks, hundreds of bodies of migrants who drowned after being dumped in the water from unseaworthy vessels washed up on Libyan beaches.

For fear of the spread of disease, civil society groups and local residents gave them anonymous burials on Libyan soil, far from the migrants' homes.

Global migrants John SAEKI (AFP)
Iran urges Turkey to quickly end Syria intervention

Key Damascus supporter Tehran urged Ankara on Wednesday to quickly wrap up its week-old military intervention in Syria, saying it was an "unacceptable" violation of Syrian sovereignty.

Turkey's cross-border offensive, which it says is aimed against US-backed Kurdish militia as well as the Islamic State jihadist group, marks the first major ground intervention by a foreign power carried out without the blessing of Damascus.

"In the fight against terrorism, any resort to methods that cast a shadow over the political sovereignty and legitimate power of the central government is unacceptable," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said.

Smoke billows from an air strike by a Turkish Army jet fighter on the Syrian Turkish border on August 24, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP/File)

"Although the fight against terrorism... is a principle for all peace-seeking governments, it cannot and must not justify military operations on another country's territory without coordination with its central government."

Tehran has long had military advisers and volunteers on the ground in Syria in support of the regime, while Moscow has deployed special forces, artillery and warplanes.

Washington too has special forces on the ground advising its Kurdish militia allies in their fight against IS.

But Turkey's deployment is far bigger. Its troops and tanks are accompanied by Syrian rebels that it has long supported in their fight against the regime and its Iranian and Russian allies.

After driving IS out of the border town of Jarabulus, Ankara quickly turned its sights on the US-backed Kurdish militia, who control territory to the south, pounding them with deadly shelling and air strikes to the dismay of Washington.

Ankara regards the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) it has been fighting in southeastern Turkey for three decades.

A senior US military official said on Tuesday that Washington had brokered a "loose agreement" between the two sides for an end to the fighting.

But on Wednesday Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik said Ankara did not accept a ceasefire with the Kurds.

The Iranian spokesman said that until Turkey pulled out, the conflict would only intensify.

"The Turkish army must quickly stop its military operations," he said.

"Any escalation of the conflicts in northern Syria will lead to the killing of more innocent civilians."
Israel approves 463 settlement homes: watchdog

Israel approved Wednesday the construction of 463 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, the watchdog Peace Now said, drawing a sharp rebuke from the United States.

Washington said it was "deeply concerned" by the announcement, with a senior US official slamming the "pervasive advancement of settlement activity in a new and potentially unlimited way".

The approvals mostly involved new housing units, but a retroactive green light was also granted to 179 existing homes in the Ofarim settlement.

Buildings under construction in the Kiryat Arba Jewish settlement on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Hebron on July 6, 2016 Hazem Bader (AFP/File)

Around 50 new units received final approval, while others were given preliminary authorisation at different stages in the review process.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "continues to plan and build all over the West Bank, while also giving settlers the message that any construction done without planning will be retroactively legalised," Peace Now said.

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council on Monday that Israeli settlement expansion had surged in the past two months since a key report called for a halt.

The report by the diplomatic Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States -- said construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is eroding the possibility of a two-state solution.

In response, Netanyahu's office called criticism of Israeli settlement building "absurd", particularly related to east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians see east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, as the capital of their future state. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital.

"The claim that it is illegal for Jews to build in Jerusalem is as absurd as saying Americans can't build in Washington or the French can't build in Paris," Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes said in response to Mladenov's comments.

- Stalled peace efforts -

The United States, has long been concerned that Israel's building on occupied Palestinian land is undermining hopes for a Middle East peace deal.

"We are deeply concerned by the government of Israel's announcement today to advance plans for over 500 new settlement units in the West Bank," a senior US official told AFP.

"This significant expansion of the settlement enterprise poses a very serious and growing threat to the viability of the two-state solution," he said on condition of anonymity.

He said Washington was also "particularly troubled by the policy of retroactively approving illegal outposts and unauthorised settlements."

"As the Quartet report highlights, we are concerned about a systematic process of land seizures, settlement expansions and legalisations," he said.

Israel has advanced plans for more than 1,000 housing units in east Jerusalem and 735 units in the West Bank since July 1, the UN envoy said.

It has also undertaken a land survey on the outskirts of Bethlehem for the establishment of a new settlement in a move that would contribute to the "dismemberment of the southern West Bank", he added.

Settlements are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land Palestinians see as part of their future state.

Peace efforts have been at a complete standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to host an Israeli-Palestinian summit to revive peace talks.

France has also been working on its own peace initiative and hopes to convene an international conference before the end of the year.

The Palestinians strongly support the French initiative, but Israel has rejected it, calling instead for direct negotiations.

Palestinian leaders say years of negotiations with the Israelis have not ended the occupation of the West Bank and have recently pursued an international strategy.

They say an Abbas-Netanyahu meeting would lead nowhere without a freeze on settlement building, the release of Palestinian prisoners and a deadline for an end to the Israeli occupation.

Workers and buldozers working at a construction site in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the West Bank city of Ramallah Thomas Coex (AFP/File)
Teenager killed in fresh Indian Kashmir clashes

A teenager was shot dead in Indian-administered Kashmir on Wednesday as thousands of protesters engaged in fresh clashes with security forces after weeks of deadly violence, police and witnesses said.

Paramilitary troops fired live rounds as residents demonstrated against an earlier raid by soldiers searching for protest leaders in the northern village of Nadihal, a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

"The boy died in the firing. Five other protesters also received bullet injuries," the officer, who is not authorised to speak to the media, told AFP. Locals said he was aged 18.

Indian Kashmir has been under a curfew since protests broke out over the death of popular young rebel leader Burhan Wani on July 8 in a gunfight with security forces Tauseef Mustafa (AFP/File)

Protesters also clashed with troops who fired shotgun pellets and tear gas in other areas of the northern Himalayan region including in the main city of Srinagar, another senior police officer and witnesses said.

"We have reports about 50 protesters were injured in Anantnag, mostly with pellets," the police officer said of the southern town.

Kashmir has been reeling from almost daily protests against Indian rule since the death of a popular rebel leader on July 8 in a gunbattle with soldiers.

Some 70 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the worst violence to hit the Muslim-majority territory since 2010. Two police officers have also died during the seven weeks of unrest.

Residents also set fire on Wednesday to a lawmaker's house in the southern area of Kulgam as they returned from a rally, a local police officer confirmed. No one was injured in the blaze.

Authorities lifted a curfew in most parts of the territory on Monday, but schools, shops and most banks remain shut and mobile internet services are still suspended.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

Several rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers -- currently numbering around 500,000 -- deployed in the territory. They demand independence for the region or its merger with rival Pakistan.
EU, France urge 'transparent' result in tense Gabon

Gabon's head of state Ali Bongo came under pressure from his ruling party and the international community Wednesday to deliver a fair result in a tight and increasingly tense presidential election race.

Bongo, running for a second term after his father held onto power for four decades, is a mere 5,000-odd votes ahead of his rival, Jean Ping, according to a vote count disputed by the opposition.

But as Gabon awaited the results -- initially expected Tuesday -- the ruling party's number two broke ranks, calling for "fundamentally credible results" in order to maintain peace, "the most precious acquisition of the last decades."

Wrapped in the Gabonese flag a supporter of the opposition candidate Jean Ping on August 31, 2016 at the party headquarters, waiting for results in the country's presidential election Marco Longari (AFP)

"The PDG (Gabonese Democratic Party) supports the position of its candidate Ali Bongo while remaining focused on keeping the peace," Austin Boukoubi said.

Many in the oil-rich nation fear a repeat of violence that followed the 2009 election after Saturday's vote that both Bongo and Ping claimed to have won.

Official results are expected to be announced later Wednesday after a meeting of the Cenap electoral commission.

But Ping's supporters have cried foul ahead of the results being made public, while EU observers, who were barred from Wednesday's Cenap meeting, had said the vote was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

"The European Union repeats the call made by the head of its observer mission that results should be published for each polling booth," a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Since late Tuesday, the commission has fiercely debated a disputed vote result in one of the country's nine provinces -- the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

- 'Ensure transparency, impartiality' -

A report claimed Bongo had won 95.5 percent of votes in the province, with turnout there at 99.9 percent.

Should the report's findings be accepted as official, the incumbent would be able to claim 49.9 percent of votes nationwide, narrowly defeating Ping's 48.2 percent.

In other words, Bongo would win by a tiny margin of just 5,594 votes.

Just under 628,000 people were registered to vote in the oil-rich Central African nation, home to 1.8 million people.

"They need to ensure transparency and impartiality in publishing the results, which we are waiting for," said a spokesman for the French foreign ministry on Wednesday.

"Only in this way can the credibility of the results be guaranteed," the ministry added.

Gabon is a former French colony that exports oil and tropical hardwoods.

Bongo, 57, took over on the death of his father, Omar, and went on to win the 2009 election that was marred by post-election violence and the torching of the French consulate in the oil capital, Port Gentil.

On Tuesday afternoon anti-riot police took position around the capital Libreville and later established checkpoints in various parts of the capital, blocking access to the presidential palace.

Light armoured vehicles also began to patrol along the Atlantic coast.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission vowed to fight for a recount, should the figures in the report be validated.

But Cenap chief Rene Aboghe Ella has rejected calls by the EU observers for each polling station to publish its results.

Gabon presidential election Vincent LEFAI, Philippe MOUCHE (AFP)

Gabonese opposition leader Jean Ping pictured on August 28, 2016 Marco Longari (AFP/File)

Gabon Jean Michel CORNU (AFP)
US, Cuba open up skies with 1st regular commercial flight

The United States and Cuba took their efforts to build better ties into the skies on Wednesday, with the first regular commercial flight between the two countries in more than 50 years.

JetBlue Flight 387 landed in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara a little before 11:00 am (1500 GMT), about an hour after leaving Fort Lauderdale in southeastern Florida with 150 passengers on board.

The plane was greeted with a water cannon salute, an aviation tradition in which aircraft pass under arcs of water before flying to their destinations for the first time. Its departure from Florida was celebrated the same way.

JetBlue Flight 386 departs for Cuba from Fort Lauderdale airport, Florida, on August 31, 2016 Rhona Wise (AFP)

The first two passengers off the plane carried US and Cuban flags as they descended the stairs onto the tarmac, where they symbolically exchanged the banners in a sign of friendship.

"It is very exciting to come here because it is so hard to travel to Cuba," said American Leanne Spencer, accompanied by her 17-year-old daughter Natalie, both traveling to the Communist-run island for the first time.

"In the aircraft, we had drinks and celebrated. It was very fun, we had a good time and we took pictures with the Cuban flag," said Spencer, who works in the travel industry.

The flight was the first of 110 expected daily trips connecting US cities to airports in Cuba, many of them in or near tourism hotspots.

Regular air service between the neighbors was severed during the Cold War, and charter flights have been the only air links since.

"Another step fwd," US Secretary of State John Kerry wrote on Twitter.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who was on the JetBlue flight, will meet with local officials during his visit, Cuba's transport ministry said.

- Party in Florida -

The Fort Lauderdale airport was in full party mode near Jet Blue's departure area -- a live salsa band blared Cuban favorites as passengers and bystanders broke into spontaneous dances.

There were cheers, applause and a sea of balloons as boarding for the historic flight got underway.

For some, there were also tears of joy.

"I am so proud, so overcome with emotion," said Domingo Santana, 53, who left Cuba when he was just six years old.

Since then, he said, "I've never been in my country. I don't know my country," adding: "It's a great opportunity."

- Milestone -

The JetBlue flight was flown by Captain Mark Luaces and First Officer Francisco Barreras, both Americans of Cuban descent, the airline said.

The last regular commercial flight between the two countries took place in 1961, when air links fell victim to the Cold War.

Air travel between the United States and Cuba has been restricted to charter flights since 1979.

Washington and Havana agreed in February to restore direct commercial flights -- one of several watershed changes initiated in December 2014, when US President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro announced a thaw after more than 50 years of hostility.

Diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015.

Washington still bans Americans from visiting Cuba as tourists, but travel is permitted for 12 other categories, including cultural and educational exchange.

The renewed links are a "milestone" in relations between the United States and Cuba, said Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

Regular flights "will allow more fluid movement of people, goods, information and ideas between two places that are very close geographically but distant politically," he said.

- Cuba: 'Hot' travel destination -

Of the 3.5 million tourists in Cuba in 2015, only 161,000 were Americans.

However, that number was up 77 percent from the previous year and Americans are now expected to become a major component in a growth industry expected to reach 6.8 million visitors in 2018.

"There's a lot of interest in Cuba. It's the hot, 'in' place right now," said Frank Gonzalez, owner of the Mambi travel agency which offers packages to the island from the United States that include cultural workshops.

Flights departing from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis and Philadelphia will head to the Cuban cities Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.

The airlines designated to fly to the nine Cuban airports -- not including Havana -- include American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines, according to the US government.

For Havana, the US Department of Transportation said Wednesday that eight airlines would operate daily flights to the capital: Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines.

The US cities operating the links are Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando, and Tampa.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx arrives at the airport of Santa Clara, Cuba on August 31, 2016 on the first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba since 1961 Alejandro Ernesto (Pool/AFP)

Passenger Seth Miller of New York boards a JetBlue flight to Cuba on August 31, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Rhona Wise (AFP)

A JetBlue plane departs for Cuba from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on August 31, 2016 Rhona Wise (AFP)

Passengers arriving at the airport of Santa Clara, Cuba on August 31, 2016 Yamil Lage (AFP)
Chinese giant to buy Pakistani power company for $1.6 bn

Chinese multinational Shanghai Electric is set to buy the utility serving Pakistan's biggest city of Karachi, in a $1.6 billion deal that will be the biggest private-sector acquisition in the country's history.

China is stepping up investment in its South Asian neighbour as part of a $46 billion project unveiled last year that will link its western Xinjiang province to Pakistan's Gwadar port with a series of infrastructure, power and transport upgrades.

"We have received the public announcement of intention for acquisition of up to 66.4 percent of the shares of K-Electric Limited by Shanghai Electric Limited," a Pakistan Stock Exchange notification said.

Pakistan suffers from major power shortages that sap economic growth Rizwan Tabassum (AFP/File)

The Karachi Electric Corporation, set up in 1913 as a public-sector company, was sold to Saudi Arabia's Aljomaih Group in 2005, who in turn sold it to the UAE's Abraaj Capital.

"Chinese interest is tremendous in Pakistan and the new deal would be quite attractive to strengthen cooperation under CPEC," said Taha Javed, director of research at Alfalah Securities, referring to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"It is the largest ever private-sector acquisition in Pakistan," said analyst Zeeshan Afzal, executive directer at Insight Securities.
Torrential monsoon rains bring Indian capital to halt

Heavy monsoon downpours and thunderstorms brought life in the Indian capital to a grinding halt Wednesday as hundreds of thousands of commuters -- and the US secretary of state -- were left stranded on waterlogged roads.

Early morning torrential rains inundated large swathes of New Delhi and its surrounding areas, leaving motorists stuck in massive traffic jams, including the motorcade of top US official John Kerry.

"I don't know how you all got here, you must have needed boats to get here," Kerry told students at a townhall meeting after arriving an hour late due to the traffic chaos.

Indian commuters struggle through floodwaters at a major intersection in New Delhi after a heavy downpour of monsoon rains on August 31, 2016 Chandan Khanna (AFP)

Kerry's motorcade was caught up in the gridlock for the second time since his arrival in the capital Monday, with the heavy showers forcing him to cancel visits to three religious sites.

Television channels showed images of frustrated office workers and schoolchildren stuck in buses and cars while others waded knee-deep through waterlogged streets.

Local media reports said five people were injured in New Delhi's Badarpur neighbourhood after being struck by lightning.

B K Yadav, a meteorological department official, said that the capital received the highest daily rainfall of the annual monsoon season, which is nearing its end.

"We recorded 62 mm in three hours in New Delhi, the highest for this season," Yadav told AFP.

Traffic jams in New Delhi and its satellite town of Gurgaon are common in the rainy season, mostly due to crumbling civic infrastructure, clogged drains and uncontrolled construction.

The four-month-long monsoon begins in June and is vital for irrigating farmland of more than 330 million Indian farmers.
Pakistani team develops menstrual game app to break taboos

A Pakistani entrepreneur has developed a mobile game app intended to break taboos surrounding menstruation in the developing world, including beliefs that periods are "evil" or make women impure.

"MoHim", an acronym for Menstrual Health Management which also means "effort" in Urdu, arms players with a pair of panties which they use to catch sanitary pads while avoiding items unsuited to absorbing period flow such as leaves and newspapers.

As players complete levels they are awarded keys which unlock "myth-buster" doors that dispel deep-seated prejudices against menstruation in much of the developing world -- such as the idea that women should not cook or bathe while having their periods.

Mobile game app "MoHim", an acronym for Menstrual Health Management which also means "effort" in Urdu, arms players with a pair of panties which they use to catch sanitary pads

The app is the brainchild of Mariam Adil, a World Bank analyst in Washington, DC. She also heads a small Pakistan-based startup called GRID that aims to use games to promote social change.

Adil told AFP Wednesday of the stigma she encountered around menstruation in Pakistan, such as "when girls skip school for a week every month out of 'shame' till they drop out from secondary school, and when women suffer from serious infections because they were told they can't bathe during their period".

"Video games can target these social constructs and prompt individuals to challenge them in a fun way," she added.

Menstruation remains a taboo subject in Pakistan, with studies showing a widespread lack of education for women on menstrual hygiene.

Marginalised girls in Pakistan also end up missing roughly two to four school days a month due to menstruation, according to UN-Habitat.

A prototype version of Mohim was launched for iOS earlier this month, and GRID will be partnering with NGO Femme International to implement use of the app in slum communities in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
Obama to press China on steel at G20, Lew says

US President Barack Obama will call for broader fiscal stimulus from other economies and press Beijing to limit steel capacity during his final G20 summit this weekend, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Wednesday.

In an address in Washington prior to his departure for the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China, Lew also said policy makers should respond to the populist discontent among voters in the United States and Europe, saying they should heed "the message of anxious and angry citizens who feel left behind."

"The president will call on his counterparts to follow through on the G20's commitment to use all policy tools -- including fiscal policy -- to achieve robust and inclusive growth," Lew said at the Brookings Institution.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew speaks about his upcoming trip to China for the G20 summit, at the Brookings Institute Mark Wilson (Getty/AFP)

"He will underscore the importance of investing in jobs and supporting middle-class incomes," Lew said.

Obama will also ask China for steel industry reforms, highlighting an issue that has threatened steel producers around the world.

"Excess capacity distorts markets and the environment, harms our workers and runs counter to our efforts to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth," he said.

Heads of state and finance chiefs from the world's top powers will gather for the G20 summit in Hangzhou amid sluggish global economic growth and uncertainty.

Lew hailed the G20 forum as a means for achieving consensus, saying global policy makers had ultimately come around to US positions gainst an austerity response to slow growth and against competitive currency devaluations.

Analysts say the G20 summit, on September 4-5, is unlikely to produce breakthroughs, with officials not facing the pressure to act that a crisis can create.

The summit also arrives with Obama's trade agenda in grave doubt as he enters the final five months of his presidency. Two landmark international free tree agreements with Asia and Europe -- the Transpacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership -- remain in limbo.
Russian claim it killed IS spokesman a 'joke': US defense official

Russia's claim that it killed Islamic State group spokesman and top strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani is a "joke," and the strike was conducted by a US Predator drone, American officials said Wednesday.

The Russian defense ministry had earlier said an Su-34 warplane killed "up to 40" IS fighters -- including Adnani -- in a bombing raid near the village of Um Hosh in the province of Aleppo on Tuesday.

"That's a joke," a US defense official told AFP when asked about Moscow's Adnani claim, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

The Russian defense ministry claimed a warplane killed "up to 40" IS fighters -- including Islamic State group spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani (pictured) -- in a bombing raid in Aleppo province Tuesday YouTube (YouTube/AFP/File)

"It would be funny, if not for the character of the campaign the Russians have undertaken in Syria."

Russia has been flying its own bombing campaign in Syria in support of leader Bashar al-Assad since last year, but this is the first time they have claimed to have killed a top-ranking IS leader.

The United States says coalition forces had targeted Adnani, who had a $5 million bounty on his head, in an air strike in Aleppo province on Tuesday, but the Pentagon is still assessing the result.

Another US official, again speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike was carried out by a Predator drone that fired a Hellfire missile at a car in which Adnani was believed to have been traveling.

The Defense Department drone strike was conducted with help from American special operations forces working with the Central Intelligence Agency, the US official said.

The Pentagon is very cautious about confirming the identity of those targeted in strikes, as on previous occasions it has announced deaths only to later learn the individual was still alive.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook later said there was nothing to indicate Russia had killed Adnani.
Briton, Australian re-enact Bali policeman's murder

A Briton and his Australian girlfriend accused of killing a policeman on the Indonesian resort island of Bali were Wednesday forced to re-enact events on the night of the murder.

David Taylor and Sara Connor were taken to the island's popular Kuta beach in orange overalls with the word "prisoner" on the back for the police reconstruction.

Police say there are inconsistencies in their accounts and the reconstruction of the murder of the officer, whose battered body was found on the beach on August 17, was aimed at getting to the bottom of what happened.

Detained British national David Taylor (bottom, in orange) re-enacts events at the crime scene were an Indonesian traffic policeman was killed at Legian beach in Kuta on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on August 31, 2016 Sonny Tumbeleka (AFP)

The pair embraced when they saw one another at the beach for the first time since their arrest, two days after the murder of traffic officer Wayan Sudarsa.

They were then forced to re-enact step-by-step the authorities' version of events, in front of a media scrum and with officers giving directions.

Taylor, a DJ, has already admitted to police that he clashed with Sudarsa on the night of his death after accusing the officer of stealing Connor's bag.

Police say he flew into a rage and hit the policeman repeatedly over the head with a beer bottle, although his defence lawyer says he was first pushed by the officer.

The pair began the police reconstruction, in the early hours of Wednesday, by acting out the moment they kissed beside the water.

Later, Taylor and a man playing the role of the victim fell onto the sand as they fought.

At one point Connor intervened to try to separate them, as she claimed to police she had done. She has maintained her innocence although police say she played a role in the murder.

She pressed down on the victim, who turned and bit her.

The most dramatic scene was when Taylor acted out hitting the victim over the head with a broken bottle.

"The climax was when the hitting was carried out using a bottle," Hadi Purnomo, police chief in the Balinese capital Denpasar, told reporters after the re-enactment.

Taylor and Connor could face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty of murder.

Bali, a pocket of Hinduism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, is a popular tourist destination with a tropical climate and palm-fringed beaches.

Petty crime is common but murders are rare.

Briton David Taylor (in black hood) is escorted by Indonesian police at a police station in Denpasar on the island of Bali on August 19, 2016 Sonny Tumbelaka (AFP/File)
UN envoy says restoring ceasefire 'critical' for Yemen

A United Nations envoy said Wednesday that a return to a ceasefire in Yemen after weeks of heavy bombing and shelling was "critical" to renewing peace talks.

Three months of negotiations in Kuwait ended without a breakthrough on August 7, triggering what UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed described as a "dangerous escalation in military activities."

"In order to accelerate the path to renewed talks, the resumption of the cessation of hostilities will be critical," he told the Security Council.

Bystanders and soldiers inspect the damage left at the site of a suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State group at an army recruitment centre in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on August 29, 2016 Saleh al-Obeidi (AFP)

A new ceasefire will "spare Yemen the further loss of life, allow the increased flow of humanitarian assistance and generate much needed confidence for the negotiation of a comprehensive and peaceful solution," he said.

The Saudi-led coalition waging a military campaign in Yemen has stepped up its air raids following the breakdown of talks and cross-border attacks from Yemen have also intensified.

Among the poorest countries in the Arab world, Yemen slid further into chaos when the coalition launched its campaign in March 2015 to push back Huthi rebels and their allies who still hold the capital Sanaa and other parts of the country.

More than 6,600 people have been killed since March last year and the war has left Yemen on the brink of financial ruin.

The envoy said a new ceasefire should begin with the deployment of a de-escalation committee in the border area of Dharan al-Janub and should include "a full end to all military activities by land, sea or air, and using any kind of weapon."

There had been some hope of a settlement when a ceasefire was agreed on April 10 and talks convened in Kuwait, but the peace process broke down over disputes on the formation of a unity government and the withdrawal of rebel forces.

During a meeting last week between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Gulf ministers, a proposed agreement was reached calling for a unity government that will include the Huthis to be formed immediately following the rebel withdrawal from Sanaa and other areas and the handover of weapons.

Yemen's government has said it welcomes the US-backed plan in principle while the rebels have also sent out positive signals.

The envoy stressed the need for quick progress, given the worsening economic crisis.
Three-year African elephant census reveals dramatic decline

The results of a three-year aerial survey of Africa's elephants published Thursday revealed a dramatic 30 percent decline in savannah elephant populations, largely due to poaching.

"We completed a successful survey of massive scale, and what we learned is deeply disturbing," said Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist who spent $7 million (6.3 million euros) funding the census.

The first-of-its-kind survey is the largest wildlife census ever and involved flying over 18 African countries with scientists and conservationists counting live elephants and carcasses to establish a baseline for future studies of elephant populations and how to protect them better.

The Great Elephant Census (GEC) was three-year programme which began in December 2013 and involved 81 aeroplanes and 286 crew flying 463,000 kilometres over 18 countries Tony Karumba (AFP/File)

"Armed with this knowledge of dramatically declining elephant populations, we share a collective responsibility to take action," Allen said as the results were published on Thursday at a meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Hawaii.

Named the Great Elephant Census (GEC), the three-year programme began in December 2013 and involved 81 aeroplanes and 286 crew flying 463,000 kilometres over 18 countries, said James Deutsch, of Allen's Vulcan Inc investment company.

A total of 352,271 elephants were counted during the survey, representing a decline of 30 percent between 2007-14 equivalent to 144,000 elephants. Currently savannah elephant numbers are declining at eight percent a year, the study said.

Poaching hotspots identified include Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania where "staggering population declines" were found. Other populations face "local extinction" in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Cameroon and southwest Zambia.

However, populations were found to be stable or even increasing in South Africa, Botswana, Uganda, parts of Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and the W-Arli-Pendjari conservation area that spans the borders of Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso.

"If we can't save the African elephant, what is the hope for conserving the rest of Africa's wildlife?" said Mike Chase, of conservation organisation Elephants Without Borders, who led the census.
US denounces South Sudan child soldier recruitment

The United States expressed horror Wednesday at reports that the South Sudan government is recruiting child soldiers to fight in its civil war and warned that officials may face sanctions.

Washington was one of the main supporters and sponsors of Africa's newest state when it gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but has been dismayed by its renewed descent into chaos and bloodshed.

Earlier this month, the UN children's agency UNICEF warned that all the factions in the civil war are recruiting children to join the fight, including President Salva Kiir's government.

Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement in Opposition soldiers, loyal to rebel leader Riek Machar, are pictured in Juba in April 2016 Carl De Souza (AFP/File)

On Wednesday, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was "profoundly alarmed" by the report and said halting the use of child soldiers would be a "leading priority."

"Above and beyond our calls for an end to ongoing violence in South Sudan, we insist on an immediate halt to the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers by government and opposition forces," he said.

"Individuals responsible for the unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers for armed groups or forces may be subject to sanction under US law and may be targeted for UN sanctions."

An estimated 16,000 children have been recruited by armed groups -- including the national army -- since civil war began in December 2013, according to UNICEF.
UN chief opens talks with Sri Lanka on reconciliation

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opened talks with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Wednesday as he kicked off a visit focusing on reconciliation efforts seven years after Sri Lanka ended its bloody civil war.

Officials said the men held closed-door talks shortly after Ban arrived in Colombo on the second leg of a five-stop Asia tour which has already taken him to Myanmar and Singapore.

"They will focus on peace, reconciliation and reconstruction," a Sri Lankan diplomat said without giving details.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (L) shakes hands with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo on August 31, 2016 Lakruwan Wanniarachchi (AFP/File)

Local officials said Ban was due to meet with President Maithripala Sirisena and travel to the Sinhalese-majority south and the minority Tamil heartland of Jaffna in the former war zone before leaving on Friday evening.

The UN's top diplomat is also due to deliver a public lecture on "sustaining peace and achieving sustainable development goals" in Colombo Thursday.

Sri Lankan diplomats said they were keen to discuss the new government's reconciliation efforts following the civil war that claimed at least 100,000 lives between 1972 and 2009.

The UN has been pushing for a special court to investigate allegations that up to 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed by government forces in the final months of fighting in 2009.

The country's former government had resisted international calls to probe alleged war crimes despite a promise to Ban during his previous visit to the island in May 2009 to ensure a swift accountability process.
In Mexico, Trump asserts US right to build border wall

White House hopeful Donald Trump issued a stern anti-immigration warning Wednesday after visiting Mexico, saying people who cross into the United States illegally would never obtain legal status.

It was one in a series of stark declarations that framed a sweeping plan to crack down on illegal immigration following his more measured tone earlier in the day, when the Republican nominee huddled with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

"We will break the cycle of amnesty and illegal immigration," Trump declared to a rowdy crowd in Phoenix.

US presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers a joint press conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto Yuri Cortez (AFP)

Immigration is Trump's signature issue as he battles Democrat Hillary Clinton ahead of the November 8 election, and he laid out a tough, 10-point plan to end illegal border crossings and abusive behavior by undocumented people in the country.

"Our message to the world will be this: you cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country," he said. "Those days are over."

The fiery speech confirmed Trump's hard line on immigration shortly after he insisted to Pena Nieto that a giant wall would be built on the US-Mexico border if he is elected.

The billionaire candidate's plan includes deporting immigrants with criminal records, cancelling President Barack Obama's executive orders protecting millions of undocumented migrants, and blocking federal funding to so-called "sanctuary cities" that bar discrimination against the undocumented.

Clinton has expressed support for a pathway to citizenship for most of America's undocumented.

Her campaign called Trump's performance part of his "campaign of hate".

"In his darkest speech yet, Donald Trump doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric and attempted to divide communities by pitting people against each other and demonizing immigrants," it said in a statement.

- 'Zero tolerance' -

Trump is said to have been mulling whether to soften his hardline policies, particularly his early call to deport some 11 million undocumented migrants living in the shadows.

He has vacillated between reaching out to minorities and returning to the anti-immigration rhetoric admired by his most ardent supporters, mainly white working-class males.

His tense international trip on Wednesday saw Trump navigating a political tightrope just 69 days before the election.

While he insisted -- as he regularly does on the campaign trail -- that Mexico will pay for the wall, he said that he and Pena Nieto did not discuss who would fund the construction.

But Pena Nieto contradicted Trump, tweeting that he told the Republican nominee in their meeting that Mexico would not pay for such a wall.

"At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall," Pena Nieto wrote after Trump departed Mexico City for Phoenix.

Later in Phoenix, Trump painted many illegal immigrants as murderers, which served as red meat to his mainly white supporter base.

"We will issue detainers for illegal immigrants who are arrested for any crime whatsoever and they will be placed into immediate removal proceedings," he said.

Political analyst Bakari Sellers, who supports Clinton, branded the speech "nationalism on steroids".

Trump demanded an end to "catch-and-release" programs along the country's southern border, while calling for stricter enforcement of existing immigration law and "zero tolerance for criminal aliens".

He also promised to triple the number of immigration officers responsible for deportation by creating a new "special deportation task force".

But he remained unclear about exactly what would become of the 11 million people currently living in the shadows.

"For those here illegally today who are seeking legal status, they will have one route and one route only: to return home and apply for re-entry like everybody else under the rules of the new legal immigration system that I have outlined above," Trump said.

Several of Trump's major Latino supporters said they are considering dropping their backing following his speech, Politico reported.

Others predicted that the stance that enabled Trump to win the Republican primaries in a field of 17 candidates by appealing to the most conservative voters will work against him in the general election.

"The words and delivery here are an anathema to just about every voter Trump needs to move into his column," tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama.

Trump's message was a stark contrast to his relatively measured tone during his surprise visit to Mexico, where he sought to portray himself as a capable statesman on the international stage after a year of lobbing insults across the border.

- 'Failed' test -

Trump launched his campaign last year by declaring that Mexico was sending "rapists" and other criminals across the border. Afterward, Pena Nieto likened Trump's isolationist positions to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and fascist Benito Mussolini.

But the two appeared cordial on Wednesday. Trump said "Mexico will work with us" to reduce illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and cross-border weapons smuggling.

"Mexican people felt hurt by the comments made," Pena Nieto said alongside Trump. "But I'm sure that the genuine interest is to build a relationship that will give both of our societies better welfare."

But others were less interested in dialogue.

"Trump not welcome in Mexico, not by me nor the 130 million Mexicans," the country's former president Vicente Fox tweeted.

Illegal Mexican immigration to the US Alain BOMMENEL, Laurence SAUBADU (AFP)

A demonstrator protests against the visit of US presidential candidate Donald Trump in Mexico City on August 31, 2016 Alejandro Ayala (AFP)
Arab coalition raids kill 16 Yemenis: rebels

Saudi-led coalition warplanes struck a home in Yemen's rebel-held Saada province, killing 16 people, including women and children, the Iran-backed insurgents said on Wednesday.

Residents said the air raids hit the house overnight, while the Huthi rebels' sabanews.net website reported that the victims were "mostly children and women from three families".

There was no immediate reaction from the coalition, and AFP was unable to confirm the report from independent sources as Saada is under the rebels' complete control.

Smoke billowing from buildings following a reported air strike by the Saudi-led coalition targeting a military college in the Yemeni capital Sanaa Mohammed Huwais (AFP/File)

The Arab coalition launched a military campaign against the Huthis and their allies in March 2015, after the Shiite rebels closed in on Gulf-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in his southern refuge in Aden forcing him into exile.

Saada and surrounding parts of northern Yemen have long been strongholds for the Huthis.

But they later joined up with forces with loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, before seizing Sanaa in September 2014 and forming their own governing body.

The coalition has stepped up its air raids since three months of peace talks in Kuwait collapsed earlier this month.

The rebels have also intensified their attacks on the Saudi border.

On Wednesday, a Saudi border guard, Corporal Abdullah Madkhali, was killed after shelling from Yemen hit a frontier post in the Jazan region, the kingdom's interior ministry said.

Cross-border fire from Yemen has killed about 100 civilians and members of the security forces on the Saudi side since the war began.

In Yemen itself, more than 6,600 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since March 2015 and more than 80 percent of the population has been left in need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.
Trump and Mexico, in a few explosive jabs

Donald Trump's brief private visit to Mexico on Wednesday, at the invitation of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, is a daring gamble, after a series of angry tirades against a country he wants to have pay for a border wall with the United States.

Here are some of the Republican presidential candidate's fiery statements on Mexico, and those of Mexican leaders hostile to the billionaire real estate mogul:

TRUMP

Donald Trump has routinely assailed Mexican immigrants who illegally cross the border into the US Matt Mills McKnight (Getty/AFP)

- "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists."

- "They are not our friend, believe me. But they're killing us economically."

- "I will build a great wall -- and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me -- and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall."

(June 16, 2015 speech launching his presidential campaign)

- "The Oscars were a great night for Mexico & why not -- they are ripping off the US more than almost any other nation."

(February 25, 2015 tweet after the Oscars)

- "Mexico continues to make billions on not only our bad trade deals but also relies heavily on the billions of dollars in remittances sent from illegal immigrants in the United States."

(Trump immigration plan)

- "We are going to renegotiate the horrible NAFTA trade deal."

(August 30, 2016 Trump rally)

PENA NIETO

"There have been episodes in the history of humanity, unfortunately, where these expressions, this strident rhetoric has only really been (a) very fateful stage in the history of mankind... That's how Mussolini got in, that's how Hitler got in."

(March 2016 interview with Mexican newspaper Excelsior)

"There is no way that Mexico can pay for a wall like that."

(July 10, 2016 CNN interview)

FORMER MEXICAN PRESIDENT VICENTE FOX (2000-2006)

"Mexico does not want @realDonaldTrump, Mexico will never trust him. We will not allow him to use our country to serve his own interests."

(On Twitter Wednesday)

"I'm not going to pay for that fucking wall. He should pay for it, he's got the money."

Trump is a "crazy guy... He is not a Republican... He is not a Democrat, he is just himself, he's egocentric."

(February 25, 2016 Univision interview)

FORMER MEXICAN PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON (2006-2012)

"Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall. And it is going to be completely useless."

(February 8, 2016 on CNBC)

FORMER MEXICAN FIRST LADY MARGARITA ZAVALA, CALDERON'S WIFE

"Mr @realDonaldTrump, although you have been invited, know that you are not welcome. The Mexican people have dignity and reject your hate speech."

(Wednesday on Twitter)
US names powerful board to shepherd Puerto Rico economy

US President Barack Obama named a powerful new oversight board for Puerto Rico Wednesday charged with helping restore the finances of the debt-mired Caribbean island.

The White House said the seven members of the Financial Oversight and Management Board would be charged with helping the government of the US territory restructure its $70 billion in debts and restore economic growth after a decade of recession.

The seven include a mix of figures from the banking industry, government and legal sector, four of them selected by Republicans in Congress who had fought giving Puerto Rico the right to declare bankruptcy, and three from the Democrats.

People protest against cutbacks and austerity measures forced onto the severely indebted island of Puerto Rico in 2015 in New York City Spencer Platt (Getty/AFP/File)

Having already defaulted on more than $2 billion in debt payments, Puerto Rico is blocked by US law from seeking protection in bankruptcy courts the way US cities like Detroit have done.

Instead, the FOMB will fill that role in a way, overseeing the Puerto Rican government's reforms and fiscal discipline as it reschedules its debt -- including possible write-downs -- with creditors.

One of the FOMB appointees, Arthur Gonzalez, was formerly chief judge of the US Bankruptcy Court in New York City and oversaw some of the largest and most complex corporate bankruptcies, including those of Enron, WorldCom, and Chrysler.

Amid fears the FOMB would be insensitive to the social needs of Puerto Rico, where the collapsing economy has increased poverty and sent hundreds of thousands of natives to the US mainland for jobs, four of the White House appointees have Puerto Rican roots.

"With a broad range of skills and experiences, these officials have the breadth and depth of knowledge that is needed to tackle this complex challenge and put the future of the Puerto Rican people first," Obama said in a statement.

Under the Promesa reorganization plan established by Congress in June, the Puerto Rican government must come up with and implement a credible multi-year plan for righting its finances and restoring growth.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew called Wednesday for the island to move quickly.
Lieberman vows to recover Israeli bodies from Gaza

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday he was determined to recover the bodies of two soldiers killed in Gaza but insisted he was not keen to negotiate with Hamas.

Oron Shaul, a soldier in the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip, was believed by the Israeli army to have been killed along with Hadar Goldin, and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas is thought to hold their bodies.

Channel 10 television on Monday quoted him as saying, in two private conversations, that the return of the soldiers' remains was improbable and that he does not want to negotiate with Hamas.

The mother of slain Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, who was killed in Gaza during the 2014 military campaign against Hamas and whose body's has not been recovered, speaks during a press conference in June 2016 Gali Tibbon (AFP/File)

The report triggered an uproar with Goldin's twin brother, Tzour, telling military radio that Lieberman was ignoring "his responsibilities and the army's code of ethics".

Goldin's family later issued a statement denouncing "the abandonment of soldiers on the battlefield by the minister of the defence".

But the ultra-nationalist Lieberman dismissed the accusations against him on Wednesday.

"It is our responsibility to return the prisoners and the remains of soldiers despite difficulties," he said in remarks carried by Israeli media.

He did reiterate however that he was opposed to striking deals with Hamas, like the 2011 agreement which led to the release of soldier Gilad Shalit.

The soldier had been captured by Hamas in 2006 and released in 2011 in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

"I was against the Shalit deal and I think I was right, seeing the number of prisoners who have carried out terrorist attacks after being set free," said Lieberman.
US journalist Lindsey Snell, who escaped from a 'cave prison' after being held for ten days by militants, has been arrested in Turkey

An American journalist, whose last tweet described her escape from a 'cave prison' with the aid of a 'man on a motorcycle' after being held for ten days by militants, has been arrested in Turkey.

Lindsey Snell, from Daytona Beach, Florida, was charged with 'violating a military zone' after she crossed the border from war-torn Syria, US officials said Wednesday.

The Istanbul-based video journalist was detained on August 6, according to US State Department spokesman John Kirby, who added that consular officials had been able to visit her almost three weeks later on August 26.

Her last tweets were sent on August 5, when she referred to having been imprisoned for ten days by militants from the Al-Nusra Front before escaping with the help of a 'brave man on a motorcycle'.

On Facebook, she describes herself as having graduated from the University of Florida in 2005. She is a Muslim and wears a headscarf in pictures.

Also on August 5, she said on Facebook that she had been able to document her time in Nusra's captivity with her cellphone.

Snell, from Daytona Beach, Florida, was charged with 'violating a military zone' after she crossed the border from war-torn Syria, US officials said Wednesday

'It's a crazy story,' she wrote.

'A cave prison (the previous tenant of my cell had marked his days in residence in blood on the walls), masked villains, motorcycle escapes and disguises. I can't wait to share the details.'

There was no reference to her having arrived in Turkey, but the country would be the obvious first destination of anyone trying to flee the Aleppo region of Syria after escaping a kidnapping.

US personnel had been dispatched to the Turkey-Syria border to help get her out of the warzone but she was subsequently detained by the authorities, according to NBC News.

The Istanbul-based video journalist is currently being held at a prison facility in Hatay province, according to US State Department spokesman John Kirby

'She was detained in Turkey. As I understand it, she journeyed to Turkey from Syria,' Kirby told reporters in Washington. 'She is currently being held at a prison facility in Hatay province.

'What we understand is that she has been charged with violating a military zone, but I can't speak to her reasons for being in Syria and traveling there,' he added.

Hatay is a far southern province of Turkey that borders on Syria's Aleppo governorate, currently the scene of fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and a variety of rebel groups.

Turkish forces are deployed to the border area as part of efforts to control the flow of fighters and weapons to the civil war.
More Americans getting high: cannabis study

The number of adult cannabis users in the United States increased by ten million from 2002 to 2014, said a study Thursday that called for better education on the potential pitfalls.

The increase coincided with a general rise in the potency of the popular recreational drug and a growing belief that it is not harmful, researchers wrote in The Lancet Psychiatry.

The findings, the US-based team wrote, "suggest a potential benefit of education and prevention messages" even as many US states are relaxing cannabis policies.

Critics of decriminalisation have argued it will cause more people to take up marijuana, which is partly what prompted the study Drew Angerer (Getty/AFP/File)

Based on a survey of over 500,000 US adults between 2002 and 2014, the study found that marijuana use rose from 10.4 percent of the population in 2002 to 13.3 percent in 2014 -- from 21.9 million to 31.9 million.

The number of daily or near-daily users was about 8.4 million in 2014, they estimated -- up from 3.9 million in 2002.

The proportion of people who said they feared great risk or harm from smoking dope once or twice a week, dropped from 50.4 percent to 33.3 percent over the same period.

The study did not find a rise in so-called marijuana use disorders such as abuse or dependence.

The study did not look at cannabis use among children or teenagers.

Critics of decriminalisation have argued it will cause more people to take up the drug, which is partly what prompted the study.

"These changes in the prevalence of cannabis use occurred during a period when many US states legalised cannabis for medicinal use, but before four states went on to legalise recreational cannabis use," addiction experts Michael Lynskey and Wayne Hall wrote in a comment also carried by the journal.

"It is probably too soon to draw conclusions about the effects of these legal changes on rates of cannabis use and cannabis-related harms, but it is likely that these policy changes will increase the prevalence and frequency of cannabis use," they said.
The Latest: Election official struggles to keep her job

PHOENIX (AP)  The Latest on Arizona's primary election (all times local):

10:45 p.m.

The top election official in metro Phoenix is struggling to keep her job after being blamed for long lines that plagued Arizona's presidential primary in March.

FILE - In this Monday, May 30, 2016, file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, looks on during a Phoenix Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix. A challenge to longtime U.S. Sen. McCain leads the lists of contests drawing attention in Tuesday's Arizona primary election. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso, File)

Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell had a lead of fewer than 200 votes over business owner and political newcomer Aaron Flannery in the Republican primary. There are still thousands of votes that need to be tallied.

Purcell was harshly criticized for the fiasco at the polls that resulted in people waiting hours to cast a ballot in the White House primary. She slashed the number of polling places under the mistaken belief that people would vote by mail. But the unsettled nature of the White House race meant that many people opted to cast ballots in person.

She is a longtime fixture in Maricopa County Republican politics, first getting elected as recorder in 1988.

___

10:30 p.m.

Incumbents Andy Tobin, Bob Burns and retired Superior Court Judge Boyd Dunn have won the Republican primary for three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission.

The three edged out former state Sen. Al Melvin and state Rep. Rick Gray.

Tobin, Burns and Dunn will face Democrats Bill Mundell and Tom Chabin in the Nov. 8 general election.

Mundell and Chabin automatically advanced to the general election.

Three of the commission's five seats are up for grabs this year.

The commission regulates electric utilities, telecommunications, securities and railroads.

Tobin and Burns have battled over Burns' effort to force the state's largest utility to disclose whether it spent $3.2 million in the 2014 commission election.

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10:20 p.m.

Tucson doctor and former state legislator Matt Heinz has clinched the Democratic primary in southern Arizona's 2nd Congressional District.

In November, he'll face incumbent U.S. Rep. Martha McSally in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched U.S. House races. McSally, a Republican, won the seat in 2014 by only 167 votes.

On Tuesday, Heinz defeated challenger Victoria Steele, a former state lawmaker and past news anchor and mental health counselor.

The 2nd Congressional District covers most of Tucson and parts of Cochise County.

___

10:15 p.m.

Many Arizonans wanting to view the Secretary of State's election results experienced errors while trying to load the website.

The website crashed for the first time shortly after early results were posted around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The site continued to intermittently produce results throughout the night, occasionally producing messages saying "Error" or "This site can't be reached" or "Service unavailable."

In the weeks leading up to the primary, Secretary of State Michele Reagan said the website had been upgraded to a system that would get results quicker.

She said the results would be posted in real time and that users wouldn't have to refresh the page for updates and new numbers.

There was no immediate word from Reagan's office about what went wrong Tuesday night.

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10 p.m.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu has outpaced four challengers to win the Republican nomination in the sprawling 1st Congressional District, which includes much of Arizona outside the Tucson and Phoenix metro areas.

Babeu's victory earns him the right to try to wrest the district from Democratic control.

Incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick is vacating the seat to run for U.S. Senate, and Democrat Tom O'Halleran easily won the Democratic primary Tuesday.

Six Republicans appeared on the primary ballot, although Arizona House Speaker David Gowan suspended his campaign and threw his support behind Springerville rancher and businessman Gary Kiehne.

The others in the race were former Secretary of State Ken Bennett, retired Air Force pilot Wendy Rogers and businessman Shawn Redd.

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9:30 p.m.

U.S. Sen. John McCain gave a victory speech of more than eight minutes following his win in Tuesday's primary as he seeks a sixth term in November.

McCain's speech covered the issues he wants to focus on such as national security, health care, veterans care and the economy.

He also says "it is imperative that Republicans maintain our majorities in Congress" and "have a say over the next president's appointments to the Supreme Court."

The 80-year-old McCain  who was the Republican party's 2008 presidential nominee  easily defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot Tuesday.

McCain faces a tough Democratic challenge in the November general election from U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. She advanced after facing only a write-in opponent in Tuesday's primary.

In a statement, Kirkpatrick says she's looking forward to a spirited campaign against McCain.

___

9:15 p.m.

Republican Rep. Paul Gosar easily beat back a primary challenge from a former Buckeye city councilman who received unexpected backing from an out-of-state group.

Ray Strauss benefited from more than $280,000 in spending by the group that seeks to unseat "Freedom Caucus" members who ousted House Speaker John Boehner.

Gosar's win essentially gives him a general election victory in the state's 4th Congressional District, which is heavily Republican. The district runs from the west Phoenix suburbs to the Colorado River and includes Kingman and Lake Havasu City.

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8:45 p.m.

U.S. Sen. John McCain says he's humbled by and grateful for his win in Tuesday's primary as he seeks a sixth term in November.

The 80-year-old McCain who was the Republican party's 2008 presidential nominee easily defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot.

McCain says this year's campaign "has a ways to go yet and it's not going to get any easier."

McCain faces a tough Democratic challenge in the November general election from U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick.

She advanced Tuesday after facing only a write-in opponent in the primary.

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8:30 p.m.

U.S. Sen. John McCain has beaten back a primary challenge from a Republican tea party activist to win the right to seek a sixth term in November.

The 80-year-old who was his party's 2008 presidential nominee easily defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot.

However, the victory doesn't clear the way to a smooth re-election for McCain. He faces a tough Democratic challenge in November's general election from U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. She advanced Tuesday after facing only a write-in opponent in the primary.

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8:15 p.m.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has crushed three rivals to win the Republican nomination in his bid for a 7th term.

Arpaio will face Democrat challenger Paul Penzone during the fall in what's believed to be his toughest campaign in six terms as Maricopa County's top lawman. Arpaio easily beat former Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban and two other lesser-known Republican opponents Tuesday.

A judge has ruled that Arpaio's officers racially profiled Latinos, and the sheriff was found in civil contempt of court for defying court orders in the case. The judge recently recommended that Arpaio face criminal prosecution over the contempt case, which could subject him to jail time.

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7:30 p.m.

Arizona election officials say they saw no major problems during Tuesday primary election voting.

Secretary of State spokesman Matt Roberts says it was an extremely quiet Election Day. That's a sharp contrast to the March 22 presidential primary that saw long lines and wait times exceeding five hours in some parts of the state's largest county.

Those problems in Maricopa County were blamed in part on the consolidation of polling places and the fact that independents can't vote in Arizona's presidential primary.

Regular primaries allow those not registered with a party to choose a Republican, Democratic or Green Party ballot. The Libertarian Party primary remains closed. The county returned to the normal number of polling places Tuesday.

Maricopa County elections spokeswoman Elizabeth Barthlomew says polls closed on time, with only a couple of glitches reported through the day.

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7 p.m.

The polls are now closed in Arizona's primary election.

Key races include the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate and contests for U.S. House nominations in congressional districts across the state.

Sen. John McCain is facing a tough battle with a former state senator who is vowing to retire the five-term Republican a day after his 80th birthday.

And six-term Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio faces a trio of challengers in his primary as he seeks a seventh term at age 84.

Unlike the state's presidential primary back in February, independents are allowed to request either a Republican, Democratic or Green Party ballot at the polls.

Only the Libertarian Party has a closed election.

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10:10 a.m.

The Maricopa County elections office says the state's primary election hasn't produced long lines so far at Phoenix-area polling places, a far cry from the presidential primary when many voters waited hours to cast ballots.

Elections office spokeswoman Elizabeth Bartholomew says the county's 724 polling places are up and running, though she says the openings of six of them were delayed up to an hour Tuesday morning when poll workers failed to report for work on time.

Bartholomew says troubleshooters stepped in to help open the affected polling places.

Maricopa County had long lines in March when it dramatically reduced the number of locations where voters could cast ballots in the presidential primary and when many independents showed up to vote, erroneously thinking they could vote in that election.

Secretary of State's Office spokesman Matt Robert says unofficial turnout projections for the primary generally are in the range of 26-28 percent.

Statewide turnout percentages for Arizona's last three primary elections ranged from 27 to 30 percent.

Polling places will be open until 7 p.m. or until the last person in line at that time casts a ballot.

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6:35 a.m.

Voters are casting ballots in Arizona's primary election.

Key races include the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate and contests for U.S. House nominations in congressional districts across the state.

Polling places remain open until 7 p.m. or until the last person in line at that time has voted, with the first results announced starting an hour later.

Unlike the state's presidential primary back in February, independents are allowed to request either a Republican, Democratic or Green Party ballot at the polls. Only the Libertarian Party has a closed election.

It's too late for voters who receive a ballot by mail to send it back. They must be dropped off at a polling place or elections office or a designated drop-off location.

Voters who go to the polls must show identification.

FILE - In this July 14, 2015 file photo, State Sen. Kelli Ward officially announces in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., that she is running against Sen. John McCain for the U.S. Senate. Ward has received outside support in recent weeks for an ad campaign attacking McCain, and some state party activists have opposed him, calling him insufficiently conservative. Ward is vowing to "retire" the 2008 GOP presidential nominee Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, the day after he turns 80. (Kevin Baird/Todays News Herald via AP)
Trump to make quick trip to Mexico before immigration speech

EVERETT, Wash. (AP)  In a surprise move, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before the Republican delivers a highly anticipated speech on immigration.

Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday night to say he looks "very much forward" to meeting with the Mexican leader. Pena Nieto's office confirmed the meeting with its own tweet, saying the two men would meet privately.

The unexpected trip comes as Trump seeks to clarify his stand on illegal immigration, a contentious issue that has been a centerpiece of his Republican presidential campaign. Trump has long called for deporting people currently living in the U.S. illegally and building a wall along the country's border with Mexico.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

But in meetings recently with Hispanic supporters, Trump has suggested he could be open to changing the hardline approach he outlined during the GOP primaries. After one such roundtable this month, his new campaign manager said Trump's stance on deportations was "to be determined."

In the days since, Trump and his staff have broadcast varied and conflicting messages, with Trump himself saying one day he might be open to "softening" his stance, and days later saying he might, in fact, be "hardening."

Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's original immigration policy, particularly the Republican's insistence that Mexico would pay for the border wall. In a March interview, Pena Nieto said that "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would do so.

In the same interview, Pena Nieto compared Trump's language to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying it had hurt U.S.-Mexico relations. Former Mexican Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon have also alluded to Hitler in describing Trump.

Pena Nieto cast a different tone late Tuesday, writing on Twitter of the visit, "I believe in dialogue to promote Mexico's interests in the world and, principally, to protect Mexicans wherever they are."

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a close Trump adviser, has been among those pushing Trump to make the trip to Mexico, according to a person familiar with their conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss them publicly. Christie made his own successful trip to Mexico City in September 2014 and has a warm relationship with the Mexican president.

Last week, Pena Nieto extended invitations to visit Mexico to both Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, who met with him in Mexico in 2014. The Washington Post first reported Tuesday that Trump was considering making the trip to Mexico.

The New Yorker didn't mention the trip and didn't spend much time discussing illegal immigration during an evening rally outside Seattle, although he teased his scheduled speech on immigration that's set for Wednesday evening in Phoenix.

"We are also going to secure our border and stop the drugs from pouring in and destroying our country," he said. "And I'll be talking about that tomorrow night in Arizona. Big speech on immigration. We'll be talking about that in Arizona tomorrow night."

Trump's short stop in Mexico would mark his second visit to a foreign country during his campaign. Earlier this summer, Trump traveled to Scotland to attend the re-opening of one of his golf resorts, but notably didn't meet with any U.K. political leaders while there.

The Republican has faced a torrent of criticism from Clinton, a former secretary of state, about his preparedness to lead on the world stage. Several Republican foreign policy experts have also warned that Trump is unprepared for the numerous international issues that land on a president's desk.

Clinton's campaign has urged voters to not "be fooled" by what it calls Trump's attempts to disguise his immigration policies.

"What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions," said Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri.

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Pace reported from Washington.

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Follow Julie Pace and Jill Colvin on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jpacedc and http://twitter.com/colvinj

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shakes hands as he arrives to a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Myanmar holds historic peace talks with ethnic groups

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP)  Hundreds of representatives of Myanmar's ethnic tribes gathered Wednesday in the country's capital for historic peace talks with the government aimed at ending decades of separatist insurgencies that have claimed thousands of lives.

The delegates, dressed in traditional garb and headgear, streamed into a conference hall in Naypyitaw for the five-day talks called by the new government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Although her title is state counsellor she is seen as the country's real leader.

Suu Kyi, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the head of armed forces Gen. Min Aung Hlaing are scheduled to give speeches at the opening of the talks to determine the fate of the country's various ethnic minorities, who make up about 40 percent of the population.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, listens during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry office August, 30,2016, in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

"All our people around the country want peace. So I do believe we will be successful in getting it at the conference," said Khun Than Myint, the facilitator of the meeting, whose official title is Union Peace Conference -- 21st Century Panglong.

This is a reference to the Panglong Agreement brokered in 1947 by Suu Kyi's late father, independence hero Gen. Aung San, in a town called Panglong. This week's conference is being attended by 17 of the 20 main armed groups, including the Karen, Kachin, Shan and Wa, along with other stakeholders.

The 1947 deal granted ethnic minorities autonomy and the right to secede if they worked with the federal government to break away from Britain together. Aung San was assassinated the following year and the deal fell apart. Since then, ethnic groups have accused successive, mostly military, governments of failing to honor the 1947 pact, just before Myanmar gained independence from Britain the next year.

The first uprising  launched by ethnic Karen insurgents  began shortly after independence. Since then other ethnic groups have also taken up arms.

Skirmishes, particularly in northern zones where Kachin insurgents are fighting the army, have displaced more than 100,000 civilians since 2011 alone. At least 100,000 more have sought refuge in squalid camps in neighboring Thailand, and are unlikely to return home until true peace takes hold.

The rebel armies control a patchwork of remote territories rich in jade and timber that are located mostly in the north and east along the borders with China and Thailand. They represent various ethnic groups that for decades have been fighting for autonomy while resisting "Burmanization," a push by the Burman ethnic majority to propagate its language, religion and culture in ethnic minority regions.

Suu Kyi promised that bringing peace would be her top priority when her government assumed power earlier this year after decades of military rule. The previous military-backed government brokered individual truces with various insurgent groups and oversaw a cease-fire covering eight minor insurgencies last year that fell short of a nationwide deal.

"It is still too early to say" whether this Panglong conference is representative of the aspirations of all groups, said Khu Oo Reh, the spokesman of the United Nationalities and Federal Council, a group that represents all ethnic armed groups. "But we really hope that we can achieve real democracy and equality for all ethnic groups, and self-determination in our region."
Australian senator caught napping still fan of press freedom

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  An Australian senator has fallen victim to the press freedom he champions when he was photographed snoozing on his first day in Parliament.

Former veteran journalist Derryn Hinch was caught napping as a senator beside him nudged his arm during Governor-General Peter Cosgrove's 40-minute speech on Tuesday afternoon opening Australia's 45th Parliament.

Usually the extraordinary restrictions on press photographers working in the Senate ban such candid and unflattering pictures. Senators can be snapped only when they stand to speak.

Justice Party Senator Derryn Hinch, left, Family First Senator Bob Day and Liberal Democratic Party David Leyonhjelm, right, sit in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Hinch, a former veteran journalist, was caught napping during Governor-General Peter Cosgrove's speech during the opening of Australia's 45th Parliament. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

But the rules were relaxed Tuesday because of the special circumstances of Parliament's first meeting since a national election in July.

Hinch on Wednesday conceded he had fallen asleep, but being caught out did not change his belief that photographers should not be censored in the Senate.

"I dozed off for a couple of seconds. I knew I'd been got," the 72-year-old told Melbourne Radio 3AW, where he had recently hosted the late afternoon slot.

Hinch said he had heard everything in the speech before and an afternoon nap had been his daily routine before broadcasting his radio program.

"It must be a habit I have to break," the independent senator said.

Hinch said that while he had only been nudged once, another lawmaker admitting to being nudged awake three times during the same speech and a that government minister had also fallen asleep.

Hinch, who has been dubbed "the Human Headline" due to his propensity for becoming the center of news stories, said in a statement last week that his first move in the Parliament would be to try to remove the "media blackout in the Senate."
Historic commercial flight from US lands in Cuba

SANTA CLARA, Cuba (AP)  The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than a half century landed in the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War.

Cheers broke out in the cabin of JetBlue flight 387 as the plane touched down. Passengers  mostly airline executives, U.S. government officials and journalists, with a sprinkling of Cuban-American families and U.S. travelers  were given gift bags with Cuban cookbooks, commemorative luggage tags and Cuban flags, which they were encouraged to wave.

The arrival of the flight out of Fort Lauderdale opens a new era of U.S.-Cuba travel with about 300 flights a week connecting the U.S. with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban on U.S. citizens engaging in tourism on the island.

Passengers of JetBlue flight 387 arrive at the airport in Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. JetBlue 387, the first commercial flight between the U.S. and Cuba in more than a half century, landed in the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

"Seeing the American airlines landing routinely around the island will drive a sense of openness, integration and normality. That has a huge psychological impact," said Richard Feinberg, author of the new book "Open for Business: Building the New Cuban Economy."

Also Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the carriers selected to operate routes to Havana: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines.

The department said in a statement that carriers will serve the Cuban capital from Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York City, Orlando and Tampa.

Airlines are obligated to begin flights within 90 days  right after Thanksgiving  but may begin earlier. Delta said it would launch daily service Dec. 1 from Atlanta, Miami and New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, "subject to Cuban regulatory approval," with flights going on sale Sept. 10.

Spirit also said it aims to run twice-a-day flights to Havana beginning Dec. 1, from Fort Lauderdale.

The restart of commercial travel between the two countries is one of the most important steps in President Barack Obama's two-year-old policy of normalizing relations with the island. Historians disagree on the exact date of the last commercial flight but it appears to have been after Cuba banned incoming flights during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Secretary of State John Kerry said on Twitter that the last commercial flight was in 1961.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes both addressed passengers on board the 150-seat Airbus A320, which was staffed by a specially selected five-member crew of Cuban-Americans. Airline executives changed from American business attire into loose-fitting Cuban-style guayabera shirts before landing.

"This is one of the most visible examples of the president's activities to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba," Foxx said.

"It's a positive step and a concrete contribution to the process of improving relations between the two countries," Cuba's vice minister of transportation Eduardo Rodriguez told journalists Monday.

Neta Rodriguez, a 62-year-old Havana-born South Florida homemaker, checked in Wednesday morning with her daughter, son-in-law and three grandsons for a visit to family in Santa Clara and Havana.

More than the historic nature of the flight, she said she appreciated the $200 price and the ability to book online instead of visiting a charter office

U.S. travel to Cuba is on track to triple this year to more than 300,000 visitors in the wake of the 2014 declaration of detente. Cuba's cash-starved centrally planned economy has been bolstered by the boom in U.S. visitors, along with hundreds of thousands of travelers from other nations hoping to see Cuba before more Americans arrive.

Commercial flights are expected to significantly increase the number of American visitors, although it's not clear by how much. Many of the air routes are currently used by expensive charter flights that are largely expected to go out of business with the advent of regularly scheduled service from the U.S.

Hundreds of thousands of Cuban-born Americans fly to the island each year with the chaotic, understaffed charter companies, which require four-hour check-in waits and charge high rates for any luggage in excess of restrictive baggage allowances. Americans without ties to Cuba have found it hard to negotiate the charters, most of which don't accept online bookings or help travelers navigate the federal affidavit still required for U.S. travelers to Cuba.

Cuban officials insist the continuing U.S. ban on tourism will limit the impact of commercial flights to Cuba, but some experts believe the drastic reduction in the difficulty of flying to Cuba could turn the surge in U.S. visitors into a tidal wave. Americans are allowed to visit the island on "people-to-people" cultural and educational visits, among other reasons.

Americans who fit one of 12 categories will now be able to fill out a federal affidavit by clicking a box on an online form and, in many cases, buy their Cuban tourist visa near the check-in counters of U.S. airports. Within weeks, Americans will be able to fly direct from cities including Chicago, Philadelphia and Minneapolis, Miami and Fort Lauderdale to eight Cuban cities and two beach resorts.

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Michael Weissenstein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mweissenstein

Two passengers deplane from JetBlue flight 387 waving a United States, and Cuban national flag, in Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. JetBlue 387, the first commercial flight between the U.S. and Cuba in more than a half century, landed in the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Passengers deplane from JetBlue flight 387, in Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. JetBlue 387, the first commercial flight between the U.S. and Cuba in more than a half century, landed in the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A JetBlue flight 387 passenger looks out the window after the plane touched down at the airport in Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The arrival opens a new era of U.S.-Cuba travel with about 300 flights a week connecting the U.S. with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban on U.S. citizens engaging in tourism on the island. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa

Passengers prepare to board JetBlue flight 387 to Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than a half century flew out of Fort Lauderdale for the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Michelle Sanchez-Boyce, left, and Erika Munro Kennerly, of New york, check in at the JetBlue counter to travel to Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than a half century flew out of Fort Lauderdale for the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Seth Miller, of New York, prepares to board JetBlue flight 387 to Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than a half century flew out of Fort Lauderdale for the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Mario Martinez, second from left, and his wife Nimaris Niebla, sit with their children Daniela, left, and Olivia, right, as they wait to depart to Santa Clara, Cuba, to visit their family there, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than a half century flew out of Fort Lauderdale for the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Firetrucks spray water over JetBlue flight 387, "baptizing" the first commercial flight between the US and Cuba in more than half a century, after touching down at the airport in Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The arrival opens a new era of U.S.-Cuba travel with about 300 flights a week connecting the U.S. with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban on U.S. citizens engaging in tourism on the island. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Mexico president to deliver annual report on a troubled year

MEXICO CITY (AP)  When President Enrique Pena Nieto delivers his annual report to congress, he'll reflect on a year that has seen rising homicide rates, a sluggish economy and a midterm electoral rout of his party.

His administration has also been stung by a string of scandals as well as reports of alleged torture and human rights abuses by police and troops. And protests by dissident teachers continue to challenge the educational reforms he claims as a major achievement nearly two-thirds of the way through his presidency.

"It's been a very tough year for the administration," said Shannon O'Neil, a Mexico and Latin America analyst at the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations. "And I think he's looking now toward the end of his term and to the choosing of the next potential candidate within (his party) and his own sort of lame-duck status. So it's not an easy speech to give."

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2015, file photo, Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto listens in during an act to promote housing for lower income families, single mothers and members of the armed forces, at the Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City. As he prepares for his 2016 report to congress, Pena Nieto will reflect on a year that has seen rising homicide rates, a sluggish economy and a midterm electoral rout of his party. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

Pena Nieto's office did not respond to questions emailed by The Associated Press. He is expected to send the written report to Congress on Thursday and speak on Friday.

His report threatened to be overshadowed by Donald Trump's surprise visit Wednesday to Mexico City, where the Republican candidate and Pena Nieto met privately and later spoke to reporters.

Trump has been widely criticized in Mexico for his promises to build a border wall and for his characterizations of immigrants as rapists bringing drugs and crime to the U.S., and Pena Nieto's appearance was widely panned by Mexicans disappointed that he didn't demand an apology.

Trump "came for a photo-op and Enrique Pena Nieto allowed himself to be used to benefit (Trump's) campaign," columnist Jorge Zepeda said.

A survey published Aug. 11 by the newspaper Reforma put Pena Nieto's approval rating at 23 percent, the lowest for any Mexican president since the paper began conducting the poll 21 years ago. Seventy-four percent of respondents disapproved of his handling of the country. The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Insecurity is a top concern for many Mexicans. Homicide rates dropped during the early part of Pena Nieto's administration, which began in late 2012 and runs through 2018, but killings are up 16 percent over the first five months of this year from the same period in 2015.

"It's getting worse ... and authorities don't do anything," said Alejandro Sanchez, 62, who runs a newsstand in central Mexico City.

Sanchez said he lives in the industrial and residential suburb of Naucalpan, northwest of the capital, and two friends there have had to close their businesses due to extortion threats from gangs.

"Besides the extortions there are robberies, there are always robberies, and even more in the neighborhoods," he said.

Many complain about rising prices and a lack of employment opportunities amid a slowed economy.

"I'm lucky to have a good job and everything, but I feel like other young people need more help and things like that," said Angel Diaz Gonzalez, a 22-year-old graphic designer for a telemarketing firm.

Low prices for oil, a pillar of Mexico's economy, and other external factors the government has little or no control over, have the country feeling the pinch. This month the Treasury Department lowered its GDP growth forecast for 2016 yet again, to between 2 percent and 2.6 percent.

Sagging oil prices have also dampened the rollout of Pena Nieto's much-touted opening of the energy sector to private companies, although experts say it will likely reap rewards over the long term.

Analysts also credit Mexico with a conservative hedging policy that has limited its vulnerability to oil market volatility and has helped keep the economy growing even as other commodities-dependent Latin American nations have been hit much harder.

But it's been mostly bad news for the administration.

This month an investigation by Aristegui Noticias alleged that large parts of Pena Nieto's law thesis from 25 years ago were copied from other sources without citation, something the university in question later corroborated. The revelation followed embarrassing reports in 2014 and 2015 linking the president, his wife and associates to questionable real estate deals involving government contractors.

Congress approved anti-corruption legislation last month, though it remains to be seen how it may be applied and opinions vary as to whether it passed because of or in spite of Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI.

"In many ways corruption has dominated politics and the public agenda over the past year. Partially because of the many scandals, partially because of the debate in Congress," said Alejandro Hope, a Mexico City-based analyst. "In some ways it has become the dominant narrative of the current administration, whether they like it or not. ... It's certainly not the legacy that they hope for, but that's probably what is going to happen."

Buffeted by popular discontent, in June the PRI won just five of 12 governorships at stake in mid-term elections  including some in states where it had never lost since the party's founding nearly nine decades ago.

Also this year an independent group of experts released a scathing report discrediting government investigators' official account of what happened to 43 students who were abducted by police in Guerrero state in 2014 and have not been heard from since.

Several videos showing police and soldiers torturing detained suspects have surfaced, shining an uncomfortable spotlight on the behavior of security forces prosecuting the war against drug cartels.

And earlier this month, the National Human Rights Commission determined that 22 of 42 drug gang suspects killed during a raid at a ranch last year were "arbitrarily executed" by police, who then planted guns on some of them to make it look like they had died in the shootout.

Mexico's national security commissioner denied the accusations in the report, but on Monday the head of federal police was replaced in what analysts called tacit acknowledgement there were too many controversies surrounding his force.

The government points to the arrest or killing of about 100 high-value drug cartel targets as successes in its offensive against the gangs. But even the recapture in January of Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was somewhat diminished by the fact that his most-recent prison escape came during Pena Nieto's watch.

On the positive side, O'Neil said, Mexico continues to see high levels of foreign investment, is generally perceived as a stable place to do business and has found significant interest in deep-water oil contracts coming up for bid later this year.

She noted Pena Nieto won't have the stage all to himself much longer with the 2018 presidential campaign ramping up by this time next year.

"In many ways this speech is probably the last that Pena gives as the sort of undisputed head of the PRI and the country," O'Neil said. "So this is his moment to put forward a vision ... and I think his challenge is that most of Mexico's population just won't believe him."

FILE - In this Aug, 22, 2016, file photo, demonstrators belonging to a dissident teachers union hold a sign that reads in Spanish "Pena Quit!" in reference to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, during a protest in Mexico City. Pena Nieto's administration has been stung by a string of scandals as well as reports of alleged torture and human rights abuses by police and troops. And protests by dissident teachers continue to challenge the educational reforms he claims as a major achievement nearly two-thirds of the way through his presidency. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2014, file photo, demonstrators march in protest for the disappearance of 43 students from the Isidro Burgos rural teachers college, in Mexico City. Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration has been stung by a string of scandals as well as reports of alleged torture and human rights abuses by police and troops. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, June 19, 2016, file photo, riot police are forced to fall back as they battle with protesting teachers who were blocking a federal highway in the state of Oaxaca, near the town of Nochixtlan, Mexico. The protests by dissident teachers continues to challenge the educational reforms that Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto claims as a major achievement nearly two-thirds of the way through his presidency. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez, File)
Black professionals cheer on city students starting school

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  It was just the start of another school year, but the greeting was anything but routine for students arriving at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School.

One by one, the students received high-fives as they filed past rows of black professional men on their way to the school entrance, introduced individually like members of a playoff team taking the court.

"Isaiah is going into the 1st grade!" one man shouted, leading the crowd in cheers of encouragement.

In this Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 photo, black professional men from the community greet students arriving for the first day of school at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Hartford, Conn. Similar welcome ceremonies have been staged for students from minority communities in cities around the country including Atlanta, Boston and Seattle. (AP Photo/Michael Melia)

"Lily, 2nd grade! Let's show her some love."

Dozens of businessmen, policemen and others answered a call to show up to the dilapidated Hartford school in their work clothes or uniforms on Tuesday.

Organizer and local pastor, A.J. Johnson, said the welcome ceremonies began last year as a way to counter stereotypes of black men, and do something positive at a time of heightened tensions over police shootings of black men. But he said the ceremonies, which are planned this week at other schools in the city's poor, largely black neighborhoods, also aim to give a lift to students in traditional public schools that have seen many leave for charter and magnet schools.

"What we wanted to do was support the kids who did not get a chance to go to a so-called 'good school,'" Johnson said.

Among the cheering men dressed in jackets and ties was Damien Irving, 36, an underwriter for a local insurance community.

"I'm from the community, and I managed to escape it," he said. "It's important for me to come back to show that these kids can do the same."

Danyla Woolford, 8, was nervous when she saw the crowd outside the school, but was beaming by the time she reached the schoolhouse door.

"She went through like a rocket. She got so excited," said Chauncy Woolford, her father. "These are some real positive brothers right here. It's strength in numbers."

While many students arrived by bus and some came on foot with their mothers, Johnson noted that few were dropped off by men. Once all the children had gone into the building, he urged the men from the community to join his advocacy group in working with eighth-grade boys to teach them life skills.

"The need for black men to stand up is very critical particularly when it comes to education," he said.

Similar welcome ceremonies have been staged for students from minority communities in cities around the country including Atlanta, Boston and Seattle.
Fatal shooting suspect in armed standoff in western Japan

TOKYO (AP)  A suspect in a rare fatal shooting in Japan ended an 18-hour standoff with police Wednesday by shooting himself in the stomach, and was taken to a hospital where he reportedly died.

Police said Yasuhide Mizobata was the main suspect in a shooting Monday at a small construction company in Wakayama in western Japan in which one employee was killed and three others were injured, one seriously. The motive for the attack is not known.

Police said Mizobata, 45, was spotted near the murder site on Tuesday night but when officers approached him, he fired four shots at their police car, shattering its windows, and escaped. No one was injured.

Yasuhide Mizobata, a murder suspect, holding guns sits on scaffoldings as he holes up at an apartment in a standoff after he fired at a police car and escaped, in Wakayama, central Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Wakayama police said Wednesday that Mizobata, 45, is wanted as prime suspect in a shooting Monday at a small construction company, where he allegedly shot one employee dead and left three others injured. (Ren Onuma/Kyodo News via AP)

He holed up in an apartment early Wednesday with two handguns, beginning a standoff that received widespread media coverage in a country where gun crime is rare. Television reports showed riot police in bulletproof vests and helmets standing downstairs while police tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to surrender.

All residents of the apartment building were safely evacuated by police.

Mizobata shot himself in the stomach shortly before riot police stormed in to capture him, Wakayama police said.

He was hospitalized and died about two hours later, media reports said.

In his exchanges with a police negotiator, the suspect asked police to bring him food and beer and deliver 2 million yen ($19,400) in cash to his mother, Kyodo News reported.

A bag he left behind in the apartment contained the cash and a letter, Kyodo said. It said police also found a knife, syringes and small plastic bags, in a possible sign of drug use.

National Police Agency statistics show there have been fewer than 10 shooting deaths each year in Japan in recent years, a number that dropped to just one case in 2015.

Plainclothes police walk around an area where Yasuhide Mizobata, a murder suspect, was found in Wakayama, central Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Mizobata, a suspect in a fatal shooting, holes up at an apartment in an armed standoff after he fired at a police car and escaped. (Ren Onuma/Kyodo News via AP)

Journalists look at an apartment, center back, where Yasuhide Mizobata, a murder suspect, with guns holes up in a standoff after he fired at a police car and escaped, in Wakayama, central Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Wakayama police said Wednesday that Mizobata is wanted as prime suspect in a shooting Monday at a small construction company, where he allegedly shot one employee dead and left three others injured. (Ren Onuma/Kyodo News via AP)

Yasuhide Mizobata, a murder suspect, holding guns sits on scaffoldings as he holes up at an apartment in a standoff after he fired at a police car and escaped, in Wakayama, central Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Wakayama police said Wednesday that Mizobata, 45, is wanted as prime suspect in a shooting Monday at a small construction company, where he allegedly shot one employee dead and left three others injured. (Ren Onuma/Kyodo News via AP)
While Las Cumbres Tabaco unveiled a couple of box-pressed line extensions to its Senorial and Frejya lines, the company had some additional releases. On Episode 199 of Stogie Geeks, Emma Viktorsson discussed details around three additional blends coming into the Las Cumbres Tabaco portfolio.

Both the Senorial and Frejya lines have received new blends. For Senorial, the brand spearheaded by Viktorssons husband Jose Blanco, the new Senorial CT has been added. This fills adds the first Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper offering into the Las Cumbres Tabaco portfolio.

Meanwhile for Frejya, the brand spearheaded by Viktorsson, two new blends has been added. First up is the Freyja 12, a blend that commemorates Viktorssons 12 years in the tobacco business. The other new blend is Frejya Nocturnal, the first Connecticut Broadleaf offering in the Las Cumbres portfolio.

The Senorial, Freyja 12, and Freyja Nocturnal have all been released in limited qualities. Senorial and Freyja 12 will be the first of the two new blends in wider distribution with the Freyja Nocturnal following later.

The full interview with Viktorsson appears here:

Senorial CT

The box has a natural colored box and white-colored version of the Senorial band. The cigars are packaged in 24 count boxes.

Each of the vitola names reflect the shine that often comes from an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler: Dominican Criollo 98, Dominican Piloto Cubano

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera Palma)

Shine represents shade of the Connecticut Shade

Dandy Corona: 5 1/4 x 42

Lustrous Robusto: 5 1/2 x 52

Glossy Toro: 6 x 54

Aureate: 6 x 60

Freyja 12

This cigar was described as the most full-body and strength. Freyja 12 is available in one size -a 7 x 52 vitola called the Brisingamen Churchill. Brisingamen is named for the necklace the goddess Freyja would wear.

The Frejya 12 band uses a modified design of the original Frejya band that incorporates electric blue into the color scheme.

The 12 is used in a theme throughout this release. The Freyja 12 is packaged in 12 count boxes and each cigar is priced at $12.00.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Dominican Corojo

Filler: Dominican: Corojo, Criollo 98, Piloto Cubano

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera Palma)

Brisingamen Churchill: 7 x 52

Freyja Nocturnal

Like the original Freyja, the cigar utilizes a Mexican San Andres binder. The filler is also similar to the original Freyja, but the Nicaraguan component was removed. As mentioned earlier, the cigar is highlighted by a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.

The vitolas play into the theme of Norse cosmology. Each of the vitolas are named for homeworlds in Norse mythology. Each of these homeworlds are connected by the Yggdrasil tree, which is something that is seen on the Freyja logo.

The Frejya Nocturnal band incorporates red into the color scheme of its packaging.

The cigars are packaged in 21 count boxes.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro

Binder: Mexican San Andres

Filler: Dominican: Criollo 98, Piloto Cubano

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera Palma)

Midgard Robusto: 5 1/2 x 52 (box-pressed)

Bifrost: 5 3/4 x 46

Vanaheimr Toro: 6 x 54

Asgard: 6 x 60

Yggdrasil Lonsdale: 6 1/4 x 44

Photo Credits: Las Cumbres Tabaco
Philippine leader rejects emergency power vs extremists

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte rejected proposals Wednesday for him to declare a state of emergency on a violent southern island to more rapidly defeat Abu Sayyaf extremists, who killed 15 soldiers in his government's largest single-day combat loss so far.

Duterte also announced that government troops and police would not enforce a warrant of arrest for prominent Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari, who leads one of two large Islamic insurgent groups in the country's south, so they could talk.

While Duterte has pursued talks with Misuari's Moro National Liberation Front and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, he has ordered troops to destroy the smaller but more brutal Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.

A massive military offensive in Sulu, a predominantly Muslim province where the Abu Sayyaf has had a long presence in lush jungles, has left 30 militants dead, including an influential commander. The Abu Sayyaf, however, struck back on Monday as the country was celebrating national heroes' day, and killed 15 soldiers, including one officer, in fighting off Sulu's mountainous Patikul town.

Asked if he would relent to a longstanding proposal by military officials to place Sulu under a state of emergency to allow government forces to arrest militants more easily and take tougher action against local officials conniving with the Abu Sayyaf, the usually boorish Duterte said he would not.

"No, it's just punitive police action by the security forces of the government," Duterte said at a news conference. "The magnitude of the trouble there does not warrant anything except the industry of the" military and police.

Duterte later flew to southern Zamboanga city to pay tribute to the slain soldiers, consoling their families and saluting in front of the row of flag-draped coffins. He announced financial help to the widows and appealed to the militants to stop their brutality. Some of the soldiers had been hacked by the extremists.

"Do not add grief to the family by destroying the body," he said, addressing the Abu Sayyaf. "I will never allow such brutality, cruelty. I said just one bullet and it's done once death has been ascertained."

Duterte asked Misuari to come out of hiding after being criminally charged for his role in a 2013 rebel siege of southern Zamboanga city that left more than 200 combatants and villagers dead. Nearly 300 of Misuari's rebel were captured.

Duterte said Misuari preferred to meet him in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and replied during a phone call Tuesday that he was ready to meet the rebel anywhere.

The 77-year-old Misuari instigated a Muslim separatist rebellion in the south during dictator Ferdinand Marcos's rule in the 1970s, but accepted limited autonomy for minority Muslims in the south and signed a 1996 peace deal with the government. Many of his rebels, however, refused to lay down their arms and continued on-and-off attacks.

Although he has faded into the background and is now sickly, Misuari still commands a sizable armed group and Duterte said he would not dare put him in police detention, where he could die.
Wildfire prompts evacuations of 200 homes in California

BANNING, Calif. (AP)  A wildfire that tore through brush east of Los Angeles forced 700 people from their homes for several hours Tuesday and destroyed a small building, officials said.

The fast-moving fire prompted the evacuations as it raced through 1.5 square miles of drought-dry hills near Banning, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

It was 10 percent contained by nightfall, and the evacuations, most of which were from a mobile home park, were canceled.

A water dropping helicopter heads back to get more water as a wildfire burns near homes in the brush in Beaumont, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Terry Pierson/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

Two people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

An assisted living center with 10 seniors had to be evacuated as flames came within about 300 yards.

"We have some in wheelchairs, some in walkers, and some get along pretty well on their own," Richard Feenstra, owner of Cherry Valley Lodge, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. "It took about 30 minutes to get everybody out of the building and across the street."

The blaze erupted shortly before 12:30 p.m. in the unincorporated Cherry Valley area and has thrown up a line of 25-foot-high flames. Winds gusting to about 20 mph and tinder-dry fuel are helping propel the blaze.

More than 300 firefighters and more than a dozen aircraft are battling the flames.

Officials did not give a cause, but said they were seeking witnesses to the activities of children near the gate to a nature park where the fire started.

Women take pictures of a wildfire from a pickup truck as the fire burns near homes in the brush in Beaumont, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Terry Pierson/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

A jet tanker dumps retardant on the hillside above homes to block the southern movement of a wildfire as it burns near homes in the brush in Beaumont, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Terry Pierson/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

A man in a dozer fights a wildfire as it burns near homes in the brush in Beaumont, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Terry Pierson/The Press-Enterprise via AP)
Suu Kyi: Myanmar has unique chance to forge peace

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP)  Myanmar has a unique opportunity to end decades of ethnic rebellions in various parts of the country, leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday as she promised that her government will guarantee rebel groups equal rights and respect in historic peace talks that her government organized.

Suu Kyi was speaking at the start of the five-day negotiations aimed at ending decades of separatist insurgencies that have claimed thousands of lives. The talks are being attended by representatives of 17 of the 20 major ethnic groups, including the Karen, Kachin, Shan and Wa, who make up 40 percent of the country's population.

"This is a unique opportunity for us to accomplish a great task that will stand as a landmark throughout our history," said Suu Kyi, whose official title is state counsellor although she is the real power in the government, above the president. "Let us grasp this magnificent opportunity with wisdom, courage and perseverance and create a future infused with light."

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi delivers an opening speech during the Union Peace Conference-21st Century Panglong at the Myanmar International Convention Centre, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Also speaking at the conference, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon noted that "every transition takes a risk."

"But refusing to embark on transition may carry the greater risk of all. We see tragic evidence of this around the world. I urge you all to continue to face up to your responsibilities, particularly to the youth and children of Myanmar, the future of this wonderful country," he said.

The peace talks are called Union Peace Conference -- 21st Century Panglong, a reference to the Panglong Agreement brokered in 1947 by Suu Kyi's late father, independence hero Gen. Aung San, in the town of Panglong, when Myanmar was still ruled by Britain.

The deal granted ethnic minorities autonomy and the right to secede if they worked with the federal government to break away from Britain together. But Aung San was assassinated the following year and the deal fell apart. Since then, ethnic groups have accused successive, mostly military, governments of failing to honor the 1947 pact.

The first uprising  launched by ethnic Karen insurgents  began shortly after independence. Since then other ethnic groups have also taken up arms with roughly the same aim -- to fight for autonomy while resisting "Burmanization," a push by the Burman ethnic majority to propagate its language, religion and culture in ethnic minority regions.

The rebel armies control a patchwork of remote territories rich in jade and timber that are located mostly in the north and east along the borders with China and Thailand.

Suu Kyi said her National League for Democracy party's aim has always been to hold political negotiations "based on the Panglong spirit and the principle of finding solutions through the guarantee of equal rights, mutual respect and mutual confidence between all ethnic nationalities."

"The government that emerged after the 2015 elections is determined to uphold the same principles," she said, referring to the landmark elections that brought the NLD to power after decades of military rule.

The previous military-backed government brokered individual truces with various insurgent groups and oversaw a cease-fire covering eight minor insurgencies last year that fell short of a nationwide deal.

Skirmishes, particularly in northern zones where Kachin insurgents are fighting the army, have displaced more than 100,000 civilians since 2011 alone. At least 100,000 more have sought refuge in squalid camps in neighboring Thailand, and are unlikely to return home until true peace takes hold.

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi delivers an opening speech during the Union Peace Conference-21st Century Panglong at the Myanmar International Convention Centre, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
Indonesians keep pride in Obama link even as high hopes dim

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  As Barack Obama's presidency nears its end, Indonesians still speak with pride of the childhood years he spent in their country, though much of the enthusiasm has faded along with the impossibly high expectations of what the first African-American president would achieve.

A fan club, books, a statue, a cafe and even a movie were all part of the mania for Obama in the world's most populous Muslim nation after he was elected president in 2008. Many Indonesians believed he would change the world and their country, with its deep-seated problems of poverty, corruption and communal conflict.

Obama is still known here by his childhood nickname Barry and as the "Menteng Kid," a reference to the upscale Jakarta neighborhood where he lived with his mother and Indonesian stepfather from ages 6 to 10.

In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 photo, a statue of little Barack Obama stands at at SDN Menteng 01, the elementary school he once attended, in Jakarta, Indonesia. As Barack Obama's presidency nears its end, Indonesians still speak with pride of the childhood years he spent in their country but much of the epic enthusiasm has faded along with the impossibly high expectations of what the first African American president would achieve. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

"We had great expectations about him that were not realized," said Sonni Gondokusumo, who was one of Obama's classmates at Menteng 01 elementary school and a neighbor, and is now a lawyer in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital.

Obama is set to travel to Asia for the last time as president, visiting China for a Group of 20 meeting and Laos for a regional summit, but not Indonesia. His first of two visits to the country as president was in 2010, taking Obama-mania to new heights that included an Indonesian lookalike becoming a national celebrity.

Gondokusumo fondly recalled how a young Obama played at his house and joined him in Muslim prayers wearing a traditional Indonesian sarong that kept falling off, causing much laughter.

"Initially, we expected Barry will make a difference," Gondokusumo said. "To be honest, there is no significant contribution to this country."

Widiyanto Cahyono, another of Obama's former classmates, nodded in agreement.

He said he initially had believed that Obama's emotional connection to Islam through childhood friends and a Muslim stepfather would lead to a world of greater tolerance. But now he realizes he had naively projected all his hopes onto Obama.

"Obama has a better understanding of Islam and his religious tolerance is genuine," said Cahyono, who sat next to Obama in fourth grade. "But it is a pity nothing has changed," he added, pointing to American policy in the Middle East.

He recalled Obama attending Islamic study class at the Menteng school, but said that instead of listening to the teacher, the future president acted cool by doodling a superhero in his notebook.

Even though the sky-high hopes for what Obama would achieve have faded, there is still a sense of connection in Indonesia to an important individual who helped shaped the world in the formative years of the 21st century.

"With Obama, there's a sense of pride," Cahyono said. "He is very special for us."

A statue of Obama as a child now stands outside the Menteng school, intended as an enduring reminder of the school's one-time pupil. Back in 2008, students watched the U.S. election results on television and erupted into cheers when they learned Obama was headed to the White House.

Eight years later, students chatter enthusiastically about the pride they take in attending the school where Obama once studied.

Nine-year-old Mentari Malarangeng, a third-grade student, said Obama is her idol. "I heard from my grandmother that Obama was a good student, loud and confident when he talked," she said.

Her classmate Abdilah Kurdi said the school became famous because of Obama and gets many visitors who want to see where he sat. "I want to be a president like him," he said. "I'm so proud of him."

The school's principal, Edi Kusyanto, said about 40 to 60 mainly foreign tourists visit the school every month.

A picture of an adult Obama standing beside an American flag is displayed prominently in his former third-grade classroom, with current students pointing to a desk in the next-to-last row as Obama's. Two big photos of the president adorn the school's lobby.

Kusyanto said the statue of a young Obama, erected in 2010, is a permanent fixture, because he is part of the school's history.

"The statue inspires and motivates the children every day," said Kusyanto, who has high hopes that Obama will visit the school after his presidency ends.

"He tried," Kusyanto said when asked of Obama's legacy. "Unlike his predecessor's legacy of war in Iraq, Obama tried to change the world to be a better place."

In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 photo, a man opens the gate of the former house of U.S. President Barack Obama in Jakarta, Indonesia. As Barack Obama's presidency nears its end, Indonesians still speak with pride of the childhood years he spent in their country but much of the epic enthusiasm has faded along with the impossibly high expectations of what the first African American president would achieve. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 photo, Sonni Gondokusumo, former classmate of U.S. President Barack Obama shows their childhood photo during an interview with The Associated Press in Jakarta, Indonesia. As Barack Obama's presidency nears its end, Indonesians still speak with pride of the childhood years he spent in their country but much of the epic enthusiasm has faded along with the impossibly high expectations of what the first African American president would achieve. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 photo, students play at SDN Menteng 01, the elementary school once attended by U.S. President Barack Obama in Jakarta, Indonesia. As Barack Obama's presidency nears its end, Indonesians still speak with pride of the childhood years he spent in their country but much of the epic enthusiasm has faded along with the impossibly high expectations of what the first African American president would achieve. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

FILE- In this Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010, file photo, President Barack Obama greets the crowd after he speaks at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010. As Barack Obamas presidency nears its end, Indonesians still speak with pride of the childhood years he spent in their country, but much of the enthusiasm has faded along with the high expectations of what he would achieve. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Edi Kusyanto, the principal of SDN Menteng 01, the elementary school once attended by U.S. President Barack Obama, talks to students in a classroom at the school as a portrait of the president is seen in the background, in Jakarta, Indonesia. As Barack Obama's presidency nears its end, Indonesians still speak with pride of the childhood years he spent in their country but much of the epic enthusiasm has faded along with the impossibly high expectations of what the first African American president would achieve. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 photo, students play at SDN Menteng 01, the elementary school once attended by U.S. President Barack Obama in Jakarta, Indonesia. As Barack Obama's presidency nears its end, Indonesians still speak with pride of the childhood years he spent in their country but much of the epic enthusiasm has faded along with the impossibly high expectations of what the first African American president would achieve. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 photo, students play at SDN Menteng 01, the elementary school once attended by U.S. President Barack Obama as his portraits can be seen in the background in Jakarta, Indonesia. As Barack Obama's presidency nears its end, Indonesians still speak with pride of the childhood years he spent in their country but much of the epic enthusiasm has faded along with the impossibly high expectations of what the first African American president would achieve. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
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At least nine elderly people have been found dead at a nursing home in Japan as heavy overnight rain from a devastating Typhoon left towns flooded across the country's north.

Police discovered the bodies in the town of Iwaizumi while checking another facility in the flooded area.

Takehiro Hayashijiri, an official at the Iwate prefecture disaster management division, said the home was for people with dementia.

Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed a helicopter hovering over the building as rescuers tried to pluck other stranded residents to safety.

At least nine elderly people have been found dead at a nursing home (pictured) in Japan as heavy overnight rain from a devastating Typhoon left towns flooded across the country's north

Police discovered the bodies in the town of Iwaizumi while checking another facility in the flooded area. A helicopter was seen hovering above the care home

Floodwaters from the Sorachi river wash away a building after embankments of the river were broken in Minami-furano, the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan

An aerial view shows a flooded area of Kuji city, Iwate prefecture. There are also reports that authorities have found two more bodies in another town

Media reports said the building was reserved for people with dementia and another 86 elderly residents and employees were in another facility building at the time.

Footage showed the nursing home partially buried in mud, surrounded by debris apparently washed down from the mountains. A car by the home was turned upside down.

The death toll from the powerful storm rose to 11 after an elderly woman was found dead in her flooded home nearby, and another body was discovered not far from the nursing home, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

'We're making a government-wide effort to assess the extent of damage,' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

Driftwood scatters near residential houses along a river in Iwaizumi town, Iwate prefecture, Japan. Typhoon Lionrock made landfall on Tuesday evening

The government sent the Self-Defense Force, Japan's military, to help in the rescue and cleanup effort. A part of Route 10 is damaged by floodwaters in Miyako city, Iwate prefecture

An aerial view shows a nursing home (centre), at a flooded area in Iwaizumi town, Iwate prefecture. Nine pensioners are believed to have been killed after mud slammed into the building

Workers repair a flood damaged bridge over the Sorachi river in Minami-furano, the northern island of Hokkaido

The government sent the Self-Defense Force, Japan's military, to help in the rescue and cleanup effort.

Further north, on the island of Hokkaido, at least two rivers broke through their banks.

The embankments gave way early on Wednesday morning, NHK said, quoting Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism.

Authorities in the town of Minami-furano reported many people trapped in houses and shelters by flooding from the Sorachi river, NHK said.

The typhoon, with winds of over 100 miles an hour when it made landfall, also caused flooding on the northern island of Hokkaido.

The typhoon was later reclassified as an extratropical cyclone and moved out into the East Sea/Sea of Japan at midnight, said the Japan Meteorological Agency.

A residential house is damaged by driftwood in Kuji city, Iwate prefecture, northern Japan

A road is flooded in Minami-furano, the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan. One person who had been inside a car was missing in the town of Taiki, police and government officials said

The full scale of damage, however, did not become apparent until daybreak when rescue operations began in earnest.

In Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four main islands, one person who had been inside a car was missing in the town of Taiki, police and government officials said.

At least three cars fell into rivers in other towns on the island after bridges collapsed, they said, stressing it was not known how many people were inside the vehicles.

'In Minamifurano town, the water level is still very high with a current, and rescue workers are using helicopters now to try to evacuate several people who are left on the roofs of their houses or their cars,' said Hokkaido official Terumi Kohan.

Lionrock's path -- hitting northeastern Japan from the Pacific Ocean -- was unusual.

An aerial view shows a flooded area of Kuji city, Iwate prefecture, Typhoon Lionrock slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday evening

Lionrock comes on the heels of two other typhoons that hit Japan in the past nine days, resulting in two deaths, the cancellation of hundreds of domestic flights and disruptions to train services

Typhoons usually approach Japan from the south and southwest before moving northward across the archipelago.

Up to eight centimetres (three inches) of rain per hour fell overnight and authorities had warned of flooding and landslides.

The typhoon's landfall came at high tide, which exacerbated the flow of water.

Lionrock comes on the heels of two other typhoons that hit Japan in the past nine days, resulting in two deaths, the cancellation of hundreds of domestic flights and disruptions to train services.

As of noon Wednesday it had combined with another similar storm in the East Sea/Sea of Japan and was near the North Korea-China border, said Eiju Takahashi, an official at Japan's weather agency.

The scene of large parts of northern Japan covered with muddy water was a shocking reminder of the major tsunami that struck the same region five years ago.
Forecasters have downgraded Hurricane Madeline to a tropical storm as it veered past Hawaii's Big Island, but officials reiterated warnings to prepare for heavy rain and strong winds.

The National Weather Service downgraded the storm Wednesday as its winds decreased to 70 mph. Its center wasn't expected to make landfall on any Hawaiian island.

Still, the Big Island and Maui County were under tropical storm warnings.

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Calm before the storm: It was quiet at around 6am Wednesday morning on Hilo, as this tweet from a resident shows

Escaped: This man told reporters he was in and out of Hawaii in eight hours after cancelling his work there - otherwise he'd 'be stuck there for four days'

'It doesn't matter if it's a strong tropical storm or a category 1 hurricane,' said Eric Lau, a meteorologist with the weather service. 'If you have 70 mph winds verses 75 mph winds, it's still a strong storm, so residents still need to be prepared.'

Meanwhile, Hurricane Lester was about 1,000 miles from Hawaii and expected to drop to a tropical storm by Sunday.

The developments came as merchants boarded up shop windows along Hilo Bay and shoppers snatched supplies of food and water from grocery store shelves after initially being told the island could be hit by its first hurricane in a quarter-century.

'Hopefully our roofs stay on, and our houses don't float way or get blown away,' Big Island resident Mitzi Bettencourt said as she covered walls of glass windows while the island was under the hurricane warning. 'It's like, 'Oh my God, are we going to get flattened or what?''

Elsewhere, the National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Hermine had formed in the Gulf of Mexico and was centered about 350 miles from Tampa, Florida.

It was expected to pick up speed and approach the northwest Florida coast Thursday night. A warning was dropped about a tropical depression that had been moving toward North Carolina.

Oncoming storms: Hurricanes Madeline (left) and Lester (right), photographed over the Pacific Ocean Tuesday

Stormy weather: Twin Hurricanes Madeline and Lester were heading towards Hawaii. Forecasters have downgraded Hurricane Madeline to a tropical storm and Hurricane Lester was expected to drop to a tropical storm by Sunday

In Hawaii, Peggy Beckett, a retiree and beekeeper, stopped at a Hilo supermarket to pick up onion bagels, cheese, cold cuts and salad to add to her canned food at home.

She also has a cooler with ice plus a portable burner and batteries to get her through the storm.

Noting the lines of people at the market, Beckett said people were getting prepared but weren't panicking.

'There's always a lot of disbelief on the island that the storms will really be as big and bad as forecast,' she said, noting that she and her partner had taken precautions to protect their beehives.

Bettencourt manages several vacation rental properties, and her own home sits a few blocks from the ocean.

She and her neighbors were stocking their pantries, stowing lawn furniture and preparing for power outages.

Employees boarded up windows at Hulakai Store, a surf shop in Hilo. 'We'll probably keep it up till Sunday, waiting for the second one to come through,' said supervisor Renee Balanga.

CBS2 caught up with one unhappy visitor Wednesday who cut short his Hawaii stay after realizing he was in Madeline's path.

Workers install flashing around the roof and windows of a restaurant in Cedar Key, Florida, in preparation of Tropical Storm Hermine

Ariel Callahan, five, and her grandmother Kelly Smith, navigate rain water at Anona Elementary School in Largo, Florida

U.S. President Barack Obama boards Air Force One to depart for Hawaii from Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada

'I landed yesterday at noon and cancelled all my work and literally grabbed a red-eye and came home,' the man, who had just landed in LAX, said.

'I was literally on the island for eight hours.'

But he said he felt he did the right thing - 'Otherwise I'd be stuck there for four days.'

Delta announced that it would offer free cancellations for tickets on delayed or cancelled flights, and free one-time changes to non-canceled flights from certain cities in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina.

And Hawaiian Airlines said customers holding tickets to or from Hilo from Wednesday to Thursday would be allowed a one-time free reservation change.

Gov. David Ige has issued an emergency proclamation for both storms, allowing the state to quickly spend money.

Big Island schools were closed and about a dozen facilities were outfitted as emergency shelters.

Worrying: This satellite image taken Tuesday at 10am EDT showed stormy times ahead for Hawaii (bottom-center) as Hurricanes Lester and Madeline marched toward Hilo

President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Oahu this week. The White House was tracking the weather but didn't anticipate changing Obama's schedule.

The Hawaiian islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe were under a tropical storm watch, but there were no alerts for Oahu or Kauai.

On the Big Island, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was closed.
Australian prime minister urges public vote on gay marriage

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australia's prime minister on Wednesday urged his political opponents to allow Australians to endorse gay marriage through a popular vote instead of insisting that the divisive issue be put into lawmakers' hands.

Most opposition lawmakers, who support gay marriage, oppose the government's plan to ask the public in a plebiscite whether the Parliament should create marriage equality.

The opposition Labor Party, the minor Greens party and two independent lawmakers on Wednesday proposed bills that would allow the Parliament to decide the same-sex marriage issue without consulting the public. They all support gay marriage, but fear a plebiscite  an opinion poll that isn't legally binding  would prove divisive and potentially fail.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on Labor leader Bill Shorten to endorse the plebiscite plan in the Senate, where the government holds a minority of seats. Labor has become the plebiscite's last chance after two balance-of-power minor parties ruled out support.

"If there is a plebiscite, a majority will vote 'yes' and if a majority vote 'yes,' you can be absolutely assured the Parliament will legislate it," Turnbull said. "We are setting out a way for that to be resolved. Mr. Shorten is standing in the way."

Turnbull agreed to hold the plebiscite in a deal with gay marriage opponents within his conservative Liberal Party. In return, those opponents backed Turnbull in an internal leadership ballot that toppled Prime Minister Tony Abbott a year ago.

Turnbull, a gay marriage advocate, had previously spoken out against such a public vote that could create painful divisions in Australian society.

Gay marriage lobbyists are generally opposed to the plebiscite, which they argue was initiated by lawmakers who hope it fails.

Opinion polls show that most Australians support same-sex marriage.

But plebiscites and referendums  which are legally binding popular votes  rarely manage to change the status quo in Australia.
Tropical weather expected to drench North Carolina coast

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina's Outer Banks will likely be drenched as a tropical weather system blows by with up to 5 inches of heavy rain. But the depression had yet to reach tropical storm strength as it curved out to sea Wednesday.

Elsewhere, a powerful hurricane threatened to pass "dangerously close" to Hawaii, and a tropical storm warning was issued for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast because of a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico.

In the Atlantic, the tropical depression began moving away from North Carolina's coast Tuesday night but National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Lonka said the Outer Banks will be lashed with rain and wind through Wednesday.

A surfer watches waves at the beach in Frisco, on the Outer Banks, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. (AP Photo/Ben Finley)

"There'll be rain showers coming on shore, rain bands and gusty winds," he said by phone Tuesday.

Business owners on North Carolina's Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands say they've experienced a drop in foot traffic. But by late Tuesday, many tourists had decided to stay and brave the impending storm.

"Well, the sun has been shining and we've been hearing about this storm for two days," Jennifer Bange, 43, of Painted Post, New York, said Tuesday afternoon. She was about to drive onto the ferry from Hatteras Island to Ocracoke, determined to show her two sons the small island.

The depression was centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras on Wednesday morning.

Coastal Carteret County emergency officials issued an advisory Tuesday saying wind problems were likely to be "mostly minor," but advised residents in case trees topple or lightweight objects are blown around.

Crowds had thinned on Outer Banks' beaches ahead of the storms. On Tuesday morning, a slow stream of dozens of cars from places including Maryland, New York and Ohio headed north toward a bridge to the mainland  but other vacationers stayed and some surfers dove in for taller waves.

Some beaches were all but empty. Near Rodanthe, a couple and their 11-year-old son had the shore to themselves for a morning stroll. Joe and Kelley Walker of Markham, Virginia, said their family plans to wait out the rain with movies or card games.

"We're not worried about the storm so much unless they say there's something to worry about," Joe Walker said.

In nearby Frisco, whipped-up waves attracted out-of-town surfers. A break in the rain before more showers were expected also brought families out at midday.

Steven Kavika, a 58-year-old surf instructor, said he relished the opportunity.

"I saw it coming in last week and kind of made a prediction of what day would be best to come down," said Kavika, who drove down with a friend from Virginia Beach, Virginia.

At the same time, a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico prompted the U.S. National Hurricane Center to issue a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch for areas of Florida's Gulf coast. The tropical storm warning, issued Wednesday morning, covers an area from Anclote River to the Walton County-Bay County line.

Forecasters say they expect that system to turn to the northeast toward Florida and become a tropical storm sometime Wednesday. That depression was about 425 miles (680 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, Florida, early Wednesday and was moving north near 2 mph (4 kph).

Heavy rainfall was expected across much of Florida. Eric Blake of the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning that the system will likely dump around 5 inches of rain on areas of central and north Florida as it approaches the state Thursday. Some areas could see up to 15 inches of rain.

Lonka, of the National Weather Service, said the storm in the Gulf was forecast to move across northern Florida later this week toward the Atlantic. But he said it's likely to stay south of North Carolina. Still, he cautioned its path was difficult to predict days in advance.

At Ride The Wind Surf Shop on Ocracoke Island, owner Bob Chestnut said he canceled all of his kayak tours and other rentals for Tuesday because he was concerned about the wind. Foot traffic was sparse.

"The amount of day-trippers has been pretty minimal because I think people were worried they'd get down here and not be able to get back," he said by phone, referring to people who take a ferry to the island on the southern stretch of the Outer Banks.

Byron Miller, manager of The Ocracoke Harbor Inn, said one person canceled because of the forecast, and business is a little slower than usual.

Thousands of miles away, residents of Hawaii's Big Island were bracing for what could be the first Pacific hurricane to make landfall in that state in decades.

Forecasters said Hurricane Madeline weakened to a Category 1 storm Tuesday night. The forecaster said any shift in the storm's forecast track could mean it would hit land.

Meteorologist Chevy Chevalier said the last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which hit Kauai Island.

A second Pacific hurricane called Lester is still far from Hawaii.

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Drew reported from Durham, North Carolina.

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An earlier version of this report incorrectly said the tropical depression began moving away from North Carolina's coast Thursday night. It happened Tuesday night.

A surfer gets some air off the crest of a wave near the Surf City Pier in Surf City, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, as incoming tide and light offshore winds create good surfing. Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. (John Althosue/The Daily News via AP)

Surfers vie for a spot on a wave near the Surf City Pier, Surf City, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, as incoming tide and light offshore winds create good surfing. Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. (John Althosue/The Daily News via AP)

Zachary Zepeda, 36, of Richlands, N.C., waxes his board before heading into the surf in Surf City, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. (John Althosue/The Daily News via AP)

A lone car waits to be loaded on a ferry to Ocracoke Island in Hatteras, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A tropical weather system off the coast of North Carolina's Outer Banks is expected to strengthen in the next day, bringing winds up to 45 mph and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. (AP Photo/Ben Finley)
Jewish avengers unapologetic for targeting Nazis after WWII

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)  Seventy years after the most daring attempt of Jewish Holocaust survivors to seek revenge against their former tormentors, the leader of the plot has only one simple regret  that to his knowledge he didn't actually succeed in killing any Nazis.

Joseph Harmatz is one of the few remaining Jewish "Avengers" who carried out a mass poisoning of former SS men in an American prisoner-of-war camp in 1946 that sickened more than 2,200 Germans but ultimately caused no known deaths. A recently declassified U.S. military report obtained by The Associated Press has only added to the mystery of why the brazen operation did not kill Nazis, because it shows the amount of arsenic used should have been fatal to tens of thousands.

Still, the 91-year-old Harmatz says the message echoed into a rallying cry for the newborn state of Israel  that the days when attacks on Jews went unanswered were over.

In this photo made on Monday, May 23, 2016, Joseph Harmatz sits during an interview with the Associated Press at his apartment in Tel Aviv, Israel. Harmatz is one of the few remaining Jewish "Avengers" who carried out a mass poisoning of former SS men in an American prisoner-of-war camp in 1946 after World War II. The poisoning sickened more than 2,200 Germans but ultimately caused no known deaths.(AP Photo /Tsafrir Abayov)

"We didn't want to come back (to pre-state Israel) without having done something, and that is why we were keen," Harmatz said in a hoarse, whispery voice from his apartment in north Tel Aviv.

Despite a visceral desire for vengeance, most Holocaust survivors were too weary or devastated to seriously consider it, after their world was shattered and 6 million Jews killed during World War II. For most, merely rebuilding their lives and starting new families was revenge enough against a Nazi regime that aimed to destroy them. For others, physical retribution ran counter to Jewish morals and traditions. For even more, the whole concept of reprisals seemed pointless given the sheer scope of the genocide.

But a group of some 50, most young men and women who had already fought in the resistance, could not let the crimes go unpunished and actively sought to exact at least a small measure of revenge. The Nuremberg trials were prosecuting some top Nazis, but the Jewish people had no formal representative. There was a deep sense of justice denied, as the vast majority of Nazis immersed themselves back into a post-war Germany that was being rebuilt by the Americans' Marshall plan.

While there were some isolated acts of Jews harming individual Nazis after the war, the group, codenamed Nakam, Hebrew for vengeance, sought a more comprehensive form of punishment.

"We didn't understand why it shouldn't be paid back," said Harmatz, who was nicknamed Julek, and lost most of his family in the Holocaust.

So the group set out with a simple mission.

"Kill Germans," Harmatz said flatly.

How many?

"As many as possible," he quickly replied.

The first plan of action described by Harmatz was audacious. Initiated by the resistance fighter and noted Israeli poet Abba Kovner, the idea was to poison the water supply of Nuremberg, a plot that could have potentially killed hundreds of thousands.

But there were deep reservations even among the Avengers that such an operation would kill innocent Germans and undermine international support for the establishment of Israel. Either way, when Kovner sailed for Europe with the poison, he drew suspicion from British authorities and was forced to toss it overboard before he was arrested.

Following that setback, attention shifted toward Plan B, a more limited operation that specifically targeted the worst Nazi perpetrators. Undercover members of the group found work at a bakery that supplied the Stalag 13 POW camp at Langwasser, near Nuremberg, and waited for their chance to strike the thousands of SS men the Americans held there.

It came on Apr. 13, 1946. Using poison procured from one of Kovner's associates, three members spent two hours coating some 3,000 loaves of bread with arsenic, divided into four portions. The goal was to kill 12,000 SS personnel, and Harmatz oversaw the operation from outside the bakery.

While the mass death count of the first plan would have been disastrous for the Jewish people, the second's more direct route was easier to accept, since its targets were the worst of the worst, said Dina Porat, the chief historian at Israel's Yad Vashem memorial. She has written a biography of Kovner and is about to publish another book on the Avengers themselves.

"The terrible tragedy was about to be forgotten, and if you don't punish for one crime, you will get another," she explained. "This is what was driving them, not only justice but a warning, a warning to the world that you cannot hurt Jews in such a manner and get away with it."

Even if they were ultimately unsuccessful, she said, the Avengers' act was seeped with symbolism for a burgeoning state of Israel fighting for its survival in a hostile region.

"What is Zionism? Zionism is the Jews taking their fate in their own hands and not letting the others dictate our fate," she said. "This is what they wanted to show. You cannot get away with such a terrible deed."

Under German regulations, authorities in Nuremberg later investigated Harmatz and Leipke Distal, who worked undercover in the bakery for months, after they appeared in a 1999 television documentary and revealed details of the operation.

The prosecutors, in the uncomfortable position of having to investigate Holocaust survivors trying to kill Nazis, eventually concluded that even though there was an attempted murder they would not file charges because of the "extraordinary circumstances."

According to previously classified files from the U.S. military's Counter Intelligence Corps, which investigated the 1946 incident and which the Nuremberg prosecutors did not have access to, the amount of arsenic used should have been enough to cause a massive number of deaths. The files were obtained by the AP through a Freedom of Information Act request to the National Archives.

In one memo from 1947 stamped "confidential," investigators write that at the bakery they found "three empty hot water bottles and a burlap bag containing four full hot water bottles." An analysis of the contents "revealed that they contained enough arsenic mixed with glue and water to kill approximately 60,000 persons."

Another confidential report said a chemist called in to help in the investigation had determined "10 kilo of pure arsenic was present, mixed with water and glue for adhesive purposes."

Laboratory investigators found arsenic on the bottom, top and sides of the bread, and reported that doctors said the SS men exhibited symptoms "similar to cholera and included vomiting, diarrhea and skin rashes." The report added that the most amount of arsenic found on a loaf was 0.2 grams  which fell well within the range of 0.1-0.3 grams that would be 'in most cases lethal."

To this day, it remains a mystery as to why the poison failed to kill Nazis. The prevailing theory is that the plotters in their haste spread the poison too thinly. Another is that the Nazi prisoners immediately sensed something was off with the bread and therefore no one ingested enough of it to die.

After the attack, Harmatz, Distal and others had to flee quickly. At the border of Czechoslovakia they were met by Yehuda Maimon, an Auschwitz survivor from Poland who lost his parents in the camps and decided to join Nakam shortly after escaping a death march. He was responsible for smuggling the group out safely and bribing officials at the border. From there, they slipped into Italy before migrating for good to the Holy Land.

From the retirement home outside Tel Aviv where his grandchildren frequently visit him, the 92-year-old Maimon, who goes by the nickname Poldek, fixes a steely gaze with his piercing blue eyes. He looks back with satisfaction at carrying out his "duty" for revenge before starting anew in Israel.

"It was imperative to form this group. If I am proud of something it is that I belonged to this group," he said. "Heaven forbid if after the war we had just gone back to the routine without thinking about paying those bastards back. It would have been awful not to respond to those animals."

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Herschaft reported from New York. Associated Press writer David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.

On Twitter, follow Heller at www.twitter.com/aronhellerap and Herschaft at www.twitter.com/HerschaftAP
Uzbek PM leads national celebration; president still ill

MOSCOW (AP)  Uzbekistan's prime minister led the nation's Independence Day celebration Wednesday in the capital of Tashkent as President Islam Karimov remained hospitalized.

The government announced Sunday that the 78-year-old Karimov had been hospitalized and his daughter said Monday that he had suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Karimov's youngest daughter Lola thanked compatriots for well-wishes sent to her father in a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram and Facebook.

FILE - In this file photo taken on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015, Uzbek President Islam Karimov greets U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry before a meeting at the Palace of Forums on the President's Residential Compound in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. President Islam Karimov's daughter Lola Karimova posted a message Monday on Instagram, saying her father suffered a brain hemorrhage Saturday and is now in stable condition in intensive care. She said it was too early to make any predictions about his recovery. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP, file)

The main Independence Day concert has been cancelled, Tashkent-based journalist Alexei Volosevich told The Associated Press on Wednesday, citing police officers. Volosevich said the security presence in Tashkent appeared to be significantly lower than typical for events featuring the president.

Uzbekistan marks its Independence Day on Sept. 1.

Karimov has run an authoritarian regime in this Central Asian nation since 1989, harshly repressing any opposition and cultivating no apparent successor.

Russian news agencies on Wednesday said the Independence Day celebration was led by Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev, who has been rumored as a possible successor.
Questions Trump may tackle in anticipated immigration speech

SEATTLE (AP)  After an unexpected visit to Mexico on Wednesday, Donald Trump is set to deliver a much-anticipated speech on immigration in Arizona. He'll do so under pressure to clarify where he stands on the finer points of an issue that's defined his campaign for president.

During his successful run to the GOP nomination, Trump said that as president he would kick out the estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally with the help of a "deportation force."

But after clinching the nomination, Trump began suggesting in closed-door conversations with Hispanic supporters that he might be open to changing his approach. After one such roundtable this month, his new campaign manager said Trump's stance on the deportations was "to be determined."

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

In the days since, Trump and his staff have broadcast varied and conflicting messages, with Trump himself saying one day he might be open to "softening" his stance, and days later saying he might, in fact, be "hardening."

Trump's campaign announced Tuesday that he will make a surprise trip to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto before his scheduled speech.

Here are some of the questions that activists, supporters and voters will be watching for Trump to answer in his speech:

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WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE ESTIMATED 11 MILLION PEOPLE HERE ILLEGALLY?

It's this question on which Trump faces the most pressure to take a definitive stance. "We want to see policy as opposed to rhetoric," said Todd Schulte, the president of FWD.us, an immigration advocacy group started by Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and others that's been pushing for comprehensive overhaul of the nation's immigration laws.

Broadly, there are two options for Trump.

During the primary season, and until recently in the general election, Trump was insistent that all people must leave. Only then could they be assessed for a possible return.

The second option would be to allow such immigrants to stay. The mechanism could be as simple as only pursuing for deportation those who have committed crimes beyond their immigration status, or creating a pathway for immigrants here illegally to legally remain in the country.

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IF THEY MUST LEAVE, HOW WILL THEY GO?

In 2012, Republican nominee Mitt Romney infamously suggested he would make it so hard for people living in the country illegally to get and keep a job that they would "self-deport."

In this year's GOP primaries, Trump took a harder stance, painting a picture of security forces that would go door to door and hunt down such immigrants. He said the process would take between 18 months and two years, and cited a 1950s era effort known as "Operation Wetback" as a model for what he hoped to achieve.

Various analysts have pegged the cost of such an effort at hundreds of billions of dollars, not counting the added costs of removing millions of people from the work force.

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HOW DO THEY COME BACK?

In an interview last week with CNN, Trump said he would not support a path to legal status for such immigrants unless they "leave the country and come back."

But the billionaire hasn't offered many specifics on what should happen to determine how those forced to leave the country could earn the right to return.

Under current U.S. law, immigrants who are in the country illegally and who leave or are deported are subject to either a three- or 10-year ban on returning, depending on how long they were in the country without permission. It is also possible to obtain a waiver from that requirement.

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MIGHT THEY BE ABLE TO STAY?

Should Trump support allowing people in the country illegally to remain, he'll enter a debate President Barack Obama and lawmakers in Congress have been unable to resolve.

Such plans almost always come with preconditions an immigrant must meet to earn legal status or, in plans supported by more liberal lawmakers, citizenship.

Would people in the country illegally need to register? Learn English? Pay back taxes?

If not citizenship, what would their legal status entail? Would they be granted work visas with expiration dates? Or be entitled to apply for a green card, but with no hope of ever becoming a citizen?

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WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN BORN TO PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY?

Trump said during the GOP primaries that he believes children born to those in the country illegally are not U.S. citizens, a position that stands in stark contrast to the widely accepted interpretation of the 14th Amendment.

It's not clear whether as president Trump would seek to challenge the status of such children, whom he has called "anchor babies"  a term derided by immigration advocates.

Asked about the issue on Sunday, Trump running mate Mike Pence said he thinks "the whole question of anchor babies, as it's known, the whole question of citizenship, of natural-born Americans is a subject for the future."

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Associated Press writer Alicia Caldwell in Washington contributed to this report.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shakes hands as he arrives to a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Briton slain in Australian stabbing recognized for bravery

SYDNEY (AP)  A British man who died after trying to save the life of a woman killed in a stabbing attack at an Australian hostel was nominated Wednesday for a national bravery award.

Thomas Jackson, 30, died Tuesday from wounds he sustained while trying to stop last week's attack against British woman Mia Ayliffe-Chung. Police have accused 29-year-old Smail Ayad of France of stabbing the 21-year-old woman to death in front of dozens of backpackers at a hostel in the town of Home Hill, in Queensland state.

On Wednesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she has nominated Jackson for a posthumous national bravery award.

"Mr. Jackson's reported actions of putting his own life before the life of hers represents an extraordinary act of courage and is deserving of recognition for this brave act," Palaszczuk said.

Nominations are considered by the Australian Bravery Decorations Council, an independent advisory group that makes recommendations to the governor-general on who should get an award.

Police said Ayad shouted "Allahu akbar"  an Arabic phrase meaning "God is great"  during the attack, but that there is no indication the assault was motivated by extremism. They are investigating whether Ayad may have had an obsession with Ayliffe-Chung.
More Mitsubishi models in Japan found with inflated mileage

TOKYO (AP)  The mileage scandal at Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is widening after the Japanese government ordered sales of eight more models halted after finding their mileage ratings were falsely inflated.

The Japanese automaker had acknowledged in April it systematically falsified mileage data on its eK wagon and eK Space minicars, also produced for Nissan Motor Co.

At that time, it said no other models were affected. But the transport ministry carried out its own tests and said Tuesday that it found other models, including the Pajero sport utility vehicle, had inflated their mileage by as much as 8.8 percent, and on average 4.2 percent.

FILE- In this Aug. 2, 2016 file photo, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Chairman Osamu Masuko attends a press conference at the headquarters of the automaker in Tokyo. The mileage scandal at Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is widening after the Japanese government ordered sales halted on eight more models after finding mileage was falsely inflated. The Japanese automaker acknowledged in April, 2016, it systematically falsified mileage data on its eK wagon and eK Space minicars, also produced for Nissan Motor Co. At that time, it had said no other models were affected. But the transport ministry carried out its own tests and said Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, that it had found other models, including the Pajero sport utility vehicle, had inflated mileage by as much as 8.8 percent, and on average 4.2 percent. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

The ministry said the cruise range on the i-MiEV electric car was also overstated.

The company had claimed the car traveled 180 kilometers (112 miles) on a single charge, but it actually went just 172 kilometers (107 miles) under government testing, company spokesman Shinji Akiyama said Wednesday.

"Of several data we came up with on mileage for the models, we used the best ones, not the average," he said. "We are sorry for the trouble we have caused our customers."

No overseas models are affected.

The company has already submitted documents to the government with the corrected mileage and when the procedure is completed, it can again start selling the vehicles, Akiyama said. Sales of the minicars were also initially halted until proper documents could be submitted.

Mitsubishi's vehicle sales in Japan has nosedived, falling 35 percent last month compared to the same month last year.

Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Motors is promising to compensate the more than 76,000 vehicle owners in Japan with 30,000 yen ($290) to 100,000 yen ($970) in cash. It has announced similar compensation for those who bought the minicars.

Such costs are expected to add 150 billion yen ($1.5 billion) in extraordinary losses, and the automaker said the new compensation will add another 7 billion yen ($68 million).

Nissan has said it is taking a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi to help its turnaround, although Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn has stressed the deal is not final until "due diligence" is completed.

Nissan has said it expects to close the deal before the end of the year and is confident of its merits, although it declined comment on Mitsubishi's latest mileage scandal.

"We are not in a position to comment, since due diligence is ongoing, and the deal is pending regulatory approval," Nissan spokesman Nick Maxfield said.

Mitsubishi's reputation has been hammered by a massive, systematic and decades-long cover-up of defects that surfaced in the early 2000s.

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Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at twitter.com/yurikageyama
Pakistan ask UK to take legal action against ethnic leader

ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistan's Ministry of Interior has written a formal request to London to seek legal action against an ethnic party leader, Altaf Hussain, according to a ministry statement Wednesday.

The Pakistani government sent a dossier on Hussain to U.K. authorities on Tuesday, with allegations of inciting violence and disturbing law and order in Pakistan, the statement said, adding that Hussain has violated both British and international laws.

Hussain is a British national and the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM party, which has long dominated politics in the southern city of Karachi.

FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 file photo, Pakistani paramilitary forces remove a poster of Altaf Hussain, leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM, in Hyderabad, Pakistan. Pakistan's Ministry of Interior said it has written a formal request to London to seek legal action against Hussain. A ministry statement says the government sent a dossier on Hussain to U.K. authorities on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, with allegations of inciting violence and disturbing law and order in Pakistan. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih, File)

The secular party represents ethnic Mohajirs  those who fled to Pakistan from India during the 1947 partition. Its supporters have staged violent protests and clashed with political rivals and police in the past.

Hussain delivered an anti-government speech last week via telephone to his supporters. After the speech his supporters chanted, "Down with Pakistan."

Afterward they ransacked three television stations. One person was killed in the ensuing violence. Hussain later apologized in a statement, saying he was under mental stress during the speech.

Pakistani security forces have since arrested dozens of MQM supporters and sealed and demolished many of the party's offices.

The party leadership in Pakistan has disassociated itself from Hussain, promising that the party wouldn't be run from London anymore. Hussain has lived in a self-imposed exile in London for years.

On Wednesday, 44 MQM party leaders and employees appeared in court where a judge ordered them sent to prison pending trial, said police officer Nasir Hussain.
At Lake Tahoe, Obama links conservation to climate change

STATELINE, Nev. (AP)  Standing beneath the forest-green peaks of the Sierra Nevada, President Barack Obama drew a connection Wednesday between conservation efforts and stopping global warming, describing the two environmental challenges as inseparably linked.

Obama used the first stop on a two-day conservation tour to try to showcase how federal and local governments can effectively team up to address a local environmental concern like iconic Lake Tahoe, which straddles California and Nevada. Obama told a sunbaked crowd of several thousand in a small lakeside town that "our conservation effort is more critical, more urgent than ever."

"When we protect our lands, it helps us protect the climate of the future," Obama said, joined by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, California Gov. Jerry Brown and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

President Barack Obama speaks during the 20th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys in Stateline, Nev., Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, about the environment and climate change. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Obama's brief stop along the Nevada-California border came at the start of an 11-day international tour that will take the president to Asia for his final time as president. Throughout the trip, Obama is hoping to elevate issues of climate change and conservation as he works to lock in his environmental legacy.

Addressing leaders of island nations later Wednesday in Honolulu, Obama urged countries large and small to unite behind a common effort on climate and to "row as one," arguing that no nation can tackle the issue itself.

"When it comes to climate change, there's a dire possibility of us getting off-course, and we can't allow that to happen," Obama said.

The lush island offered Obama a chance to emphasize a theme he's returned to frequently in his climate campaign: that remote islands are the most vulnerable to rising sea levels and should help lead the fight to slow global warming.

To that end, the president planned an unusual presidential visit Thursday to Midway Atoll, a speck of land halfway between Asia and North America where Obama recently expanded the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Then the president heads to China for the Group of 20 major economies summit where climate change is once again expected to be high on the agenda.

In Nevada, Obama paid tribute to picturesque Lake Tahoe, which at 22 miles long and 12 miles wide would cover all of California with more than a foot of water if it were emptied. A major tourist attraction along with the area's casinos and ski resorts, the lake has been a major source of concern for environmentalists for decades, as underwater visibility began sharply receding.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, who leaves office next year and invited Obama to attend the summit's 20th anniversary, said thanks to nearly $2 billion in spending since 1997, Lake Tahoe is now "more pristine than it has been in decades." And California Gov. Jerry Brown, hailing the bipartisan support the lake restoration has enjoyed, called it proof that "beauty transcends politics."

Scientists believe an array of factors such as storm-water runoff, car traffic and nearby construction have fueled the loss of clarity in the alpine lake, leading to major investments over the last 20 years by Congress, private groups, local authorities and the states of California and Nevada. The latest threat to the lake  warming temperatures that have altered the underwater physics  dovetails with Obama's emphasis on how America's most treasured natural wonders are already suffering the consequences of climate change.

Unveiling modest new steps to preserve the lake and its region, the White House said the Interior Department would spend nearly $30 million on wildfire prevention in the area, while other agencies would work on storm-water management, algae monitoring and geothermal energy exploration.

In a veiled swipe at Republicans, Obama mocked those who have questioned whether climate change is occurring or whether humans are to blame.

"You don't have to be a scientist," Obama said. "You have to read or listen to scientists to know that the overwhelming body of science shows us that climate change is caused by human activity."

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Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed to this report.

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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

President Barack Obama speaks during the 20th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys in Stateline, Nev., Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, about the environment and climate change. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, for a trip to Lake Tahoe, Nev. Obama will speak at the 20th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit and highlight his commitment to protecting the environment and addressing climate change. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Political issues weigh on upcoming G-20 summit in China

BEIJING (AP)  While the global economy will dominate at this weekend's summit of the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging-market nations, politics and security issues form the backdrop to the gathering of world leaders in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Terror attacks in Europe, the looming U.S. presidential election and bloody ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq are among the issues making the world an uncertain and unsettling place.

World leaders including President Barack Obama, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are expected to take up such topics, either when gathering as a group on Sunday and Monday or during bilateral meetings held on the summit's fringes.

FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, file photo, a South Korean army soldier watches a TV news program showing images published in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper of North Korea's ballistic missile believed to have been launched from underwater and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at Seoul Railway station in Seoul, South Korea. While the global economy will dominate at the summit of the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging-market nations, politics and security issues form the backdrop to the gathering of world leaders in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has grown closer to China following the imposition of Western economic sanctions, will be in attendance, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French Prime Minister Francois Hollande and new British Prime Minister Theresa May. May will face questions about Britain's decision to leave the European Union and its impact on the global economy amid rising economic nationalism.

Despite the wealth of controversial issues, China seems determined to deliver a non-confrontational, even uneventful summit, having endowed it with the middle-of-the-road theme of: "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."

"Accounting for two-thirds of the world population and more than 80 percent of global economic output, G-20 nations deserve, and are expected, to play a bigger role in the managing the world economy," the official Xinhua News Agency said in a recent commentary. "The upcoming summit is undoubtedly a prime opportunity."

Climate change, human rights and the fight against the Islamic State group will also feature during the meetings, with Obama and Xi expected to offer an update on progress toward ratifying the Paris agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. White House officials have said they hope the historic climate change pact could enter into force by the end of the year.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be present at his first major multinational gathering since a failed summer coup added new tensions to an already complex relationship with the U.S. and its allies.

Though no breakthroughs are expected, the gathering offers a chance for leaders to discuss disagreements ranging from China's claim to Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea to NATO's concerns over Russia's seizure of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine.

The opportunity even for pro-forma contact between disputants such as China and Japan is significant and "no doubt this will be hailed and heralded as a reduction in tensions," said Dean Cheng, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

North Korea's nuclear and missile programs are an especially sharp regional concern. Pyongyang this week denounced a U.N. Security Council statement condemning its four latest ballistic missile launches, calling it "a hostile act" perpetrated by the United States and warning that it could precipitate America's "self-destruction."

The North launched a ballistic missile from a submarine Aug. 24, days after the U.S. and South Korea began their annual military exercises. A press statement approved Friday night by all 15 Security Council members, including Pyongyang's ally China, called the four launches in July and August "grave violations" of a ban on all ballistic missile activity.

While China remains politically stable under stern, one-party communist rule, east Asia faces challenges ranging from Thailand's military governance to the election of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose bloody anti-drug campaign has drawn criticism from human-rights activists.

Obama is also expected to make a pitch for the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, a massive multination deal that has stalled in the U.S. Congress amid fierce election-year opposition from both Democrats and Republicans.

Along with Washington's "pivot" to Asia that has boosted American military presence in the region, the TPP is a centerpiece of Obama's policy toward the continent and seen as a litmus test for U.S. leadership. Host China is not a party to the proposed agreement and regards the pivot as a hostile attempt to contain its regional influence through strengthened military alliances with American allies including Australia and the Philippines.

China's assertions of its territorial claims in the South China Sea will weigh on the proceedings. A Hague-based international arbitration panel in July ruled against its claims to sovereignty over virtually the entire strategic water body. Beijing angrily rejected the verdict, vowed to continue developing man-made islands in the disputed area and says it would consider declaring an air defense zone that would require aircraft to heed its orders  a move sure to be condemned by the U.S., Japan and others.

As part of its efforts to counter such concerns, China has been pressing its drive for expanded economic cooperation through its "one-belt, one-road" policy linking it to Central and Southeast Asia and the Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Observers of the G-20 will be judging the response to such initiatives, whether "positive, reticent or divided," said University of Virginia China scholar Brantly Womack.

Leaders in attendance will also be considering the possible outcomes in November's U.S. elections, in which Democrat Hillary Clinton appears to have an edge over her Republican rival, Donald Trump. A former senator and secretary of state, Clinton is seen as an experienced hand on the wheel, while Trump has proposed policies that call into question America's commitment to free trade, immigration and the defense of its treaty allies.

While further from the core issues, ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the wave of outward migration they've sparked also feature among concerns. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is among the specially invited guests at the meeting, likely bringing new scrutiny to his country's flailing economy and deepening security crisis.

The G-20 includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

In this Aug. 18, 2016 photo, Chinese police ship patrol near the main venue which will hold the up-coming G20 summit in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province. While the global economy will dominate at this weekend's summit of the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging-market nations, politics and security issues form the backdrop to the gathering of world leaders in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. (Chinatopix via AP)
Verstappen will be on hostile Ferrari territory in Monza

If Max Verstappen attempts any more jostling with the Ferrari cars this weekend, he's going to get a rough reception from the crowd at the Italian Grand Prix.

Unlike last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, which was the closest thing to a home race for the 18-year-old Dutch driver, Verstappen will be on hostile territory in Monza  which is effectively Ferrari's home track.

There was a high-profile tangle between Verstappen and both Ferraris on the first turn in Spa, and Verstappen then infuriated Kimi Raikkonen with some aggressive blocking moves when the 36-year-old Finn tried to get past him at high speed later in the race. Raikkonen lost his cool and angrily berated Verstappen.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands smiles prior to the third practice session at the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix circuit in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. The Belgian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

While Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes remain the drivers to beat, the developing rivalry between Verstappen  Formula One's rising star  and Ferrari threatens to overshadow what happens at the front.

In May, Verstappen drove brilliantly to win the Spanish GP on his Red Bull debut  joining from feeder team Toro Rosso after just four races of this season  and he followed that up with three more podium finishes. In Belgium, he became the youngest driver ever to qualify on the front row, starting from second, only to finish a disappointing 11th.

Verstappen sits sixth in the drivers' standings, just behind Ferrari's Vettel and Raikkonen.

By winning in Belgium, Rosberg moved within nine points of Hamilton at the top of the standings. While Hamilton had to start from the back row in Spa as a result of too many engine-part changes this season, he should be free of penalties in Monza.

Here are some other things to know about the Italian GP:

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CIRCUIT CONTRACT: Monza's contract with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone expires this year but the Italian Automobile Club (ACI) is prepared to offer a new three-year deal worth 68 million euros ($76 million).

Ecclestone had requested 25 million euros ($28 million) per year.

No circuit has hosted more F1 racing than Monza, which was on the inaugural 1950 calendar and has been a mainstay ever since, only dropping off in 1980 when Imola hosted the Italian GP. The track located in a royal park outside of Milan will be hosting its 66th GP this weekend.

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FULL THROTTLE: With parts of the Monza circuit still featuring long straight sections from an old oval track, it features the fastest speeds in F1.

Speeds can reach 370 kph (230 mph) on the approach to Turn 1 at the end of the start/finish straightaway.

Teams prepare low-drag configurations that are generally only seen in Italy.

While average speeds are high, cornering speeds are reasonably low, which minimizes tire wear.

Most teams will aim for a one pit-stop strategy. All the top-10 finishers in last year's race stopped once.

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DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT: "I love the notion of coming to a racetrack that's distinctly different from the others," McLaren Honda driver Jenson Button said. "People often think that Monza is all about the straights, with tight, small corners. But that's not really true. Corners like the Lesmos, the Ascari chicane and Parabolica are big, fast corners that require precision and commitment. It's a great track."

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HARD BRAKING: Much of the action in Monza occurs at the start. The track is very wide along the start-finish straight, which gives cars plenty of room to maneuver on the long run to Turn 1. Drivers accelerate up to 300 kph (185 mph) then brake hard entering the slowest corner on the track.

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CHANGES PLANNED: Changes are planned for the Monza circuit for the 2017 race, with a new first corner bypassing the sweeping Curva Grande. So this should be the last race on the classic layout.

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Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf

Crew members douse a fire in the engine of Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland during a pit stop at the Formula One Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, Pool)

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany, center, has a damaged car as the field goes into the first corner the start of the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Monsoon rains, terrorism ad lib snag Kerry in South Asia

NEW DELHI (AP)  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to South Asia this week has been filled with serious diplomatic meetings and agreements to boost ties with India and Bangladesh but his motorcade's struggle with monsoon downpours and an off-the-cuff remark about terrorism may have garnered more attention.

After threading through streets covered with nearly knee-deep rain water on Wednesday, Kerry delivered a speech at a New Delhi university extolling the virtues of the U.S.-Indian relationship and calling for adherence to a rules-based international system. His opening line to the students, though, may have resonated more deeply. "I don't know how you got here, by boat or amphibious vehicle, but I salute you," he said.

He would know. Kerry's arrival in India on Monday came in the aftermath of an unusually heavy rain that left many streets in the Indian capital flooded and virtually impassable. Even with a police escort, Kerry's motorcade from the airport to his hotel crawled through snarled traffic on a tortuous trip that at one point took roughly 90 minutes to cover just over a mile (2 kilometers). The delay lit up Indian social media sites and made the front pages of many newspapers.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry greets students at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Kerry is on a three-day visit to India. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)

Back in the U.S., Kerry was criticized for an off-hand comment he made Monday in Bangladesh suggesting the media reduce coverage of terrorist attacks. That prompted clarifications from the White House and State Department in Washington

In a speech in Bangladesh, which like India has been the target of numerous terrorist attacks, Kerry made an oft-noted point that violent extremism is a scourge that must be fought 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

But, diverging from his prepared remarks, he then added: "But if you decide one day you're going to be a terrorist and you're willing to kill yourself, you can go out and kill some people. You can make some noise. Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didn't cover it quite as much. People wouldn't know what's going on."

The remark was met with a smattering of applause from his Bangladeshi audience and went largely unnoticed until the State Department released a transcript of the speech, prompting criticism from conservative and other critics of the Obama administration's approach to terrorism.

Asked about the comment on Tuesday, State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry was simply acknowledging the fact that terrorists seek to not only kill their victims but also to instill fear in others and earn publicity for themselves.

"There's the violence itself and the havoc that it can wreak and the fear that it can instill and the damage that it can cause," Kirby said. "And there's also the notoriety that comes with the press coverage from it, the glorification of that through amplification in the mass media. And I think he (Kerry) was just referring to that as a fact and something that we all have to be mindful of as these events happen."

At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said the comment reflected President Barack Obama's desire to keep terrorist attacks in perspective.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses students at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Kerry is on a three-day visit to India. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
Florida Supreme Court scolds judge who jailed abuse victim

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  The Florida Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded a judge who jailed a domestic violence victim for not showing up to testify against her alleged abuser.

News outlets report that Florida Chief Justice Jorge Labarga on Tuesday told Seminole County Judge Jerri Collins that her behavior was "intolerable" when she publicly belittled the Lake Mary woman upon sentencing the victim to three days in jail for contempt last year.

The case drew public attention after an Orlando television station broadcast the hearing where Collins became upset and berated the crying victim.

Collins has admitted her misconduct and has agreed to take an anger management course and one on domestic violence.
Clinton pitches her foreign policy to American Legion

CINCINNATI (AP)  Portraying a vote for her as a patriotic act, Hillary Clinton made a vigorous appeal to Republican voters Wednesday, arguing that she would best uphold American values, care for the military and protect national security interests.

At the American Legion's annual convention in Cincinnati, the Democratic presidential nominee called the United States an "exceptional nation," and accused Republican rival Donald Trump of thinking that approach is "insulting to the rest of the world."

"When we say America is exceptional, it doesn't mean that people from other places don't feel deep national pride just like we do," Clinton said. "It means that we recognize America's unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity."

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the American Legion's 98th Annual Convention at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

She said America must be a leader in the world, "because when America fails to lead, we leave a vacuum."

The speech came as Trump made a last-minute trip to Mexico hours before he was to deliver a long-expected immigration speech. Clinton questioned the move, saying it "takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours."

Clinton, who has an edge in many state and national polls, has been aggressively courting Republicans and independents who won't vote for Trump but are still discomfited by her campaign.

She stressed to the American Legion her experience on the Senate Armed Services Committee and as secretary of state and noted her role in advising President Barack Obama on the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, saying she was "deeply honored" to take part.

The speech was touted as one that would emphasize "American exceptionalism," an idea that the U.S., as an "exceptional" world citizen, has a moral obligation to advance democracy in the world rather than imposing it against another country's will. The speech largely hewed to the theme of a country with a strong military and one that cares for its veterans  red meat to the American Legion audience.

Offering insight into her foreign policy, Clinton said "we can't cozy up to dictators, we have to stand up to them. We can't contain ISIS, we must defeat them and we will."

Clinton promised to invest in the military and support veterans, pledging not to privatize the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She said the United States must modernize the military and embrace new tactics, noting that the country should "treat cyberattacks just like any other attacks" and respond through economic, diplomatic and military means.

Emphasizing her respect for service, Clinton noted her work with Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, and said she would never insult prisoners of war or families of soldiers killed in combat, as Trump has.

More than once, Clinton explicitly called on Republicans to get on board  both to support her plans and to defeat Trump.

"I hope you will join the growing number of Americans  Democrats, Republicans and independents  who are supporting our vision for the kind of future we want for our country," Clinton said. "It truly is about who has the experience and temperament to serve as president and commander in chief."

Trump has pledged to "Make America Great Again" and restore the country to a time when, in his view, the U.S. was more prosperous and full of opportunity. Responding to Clinton's remarks, Matt Miller, director of Veterans for Trump, said in a statement that Clinton "is fundamentally unequipped to further the national security interests of the United States and stand up for our veterans."

Emphasizing her GOP support, Clinton's campaign rolled out another Republican endorsement Wednesday, that of James Clad, former deputy assistant secretary of defense under President George W. Bush.

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Associated Press Writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the American Legion's 98th Annual Convention at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton arrives to speak at the American Legion's 98th Annual Convention at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets members of the audience after speaking at the American Legion's 98th Annual Convention at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
British leader rejects notion of a 2nd British EU vote

LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Theresa May has firmly rejected the notion of a second referendum on the country's membership in the European Union, insisting Wednesday that the U.K. wouldn't attempt a back-handed effort to remain in the bloc.

May underscored her position before chairing a Cabinet meeting at her country retreat, Chequers. She seemed intent to squelch rumors that the government might be seeking a retreat from the result of the June 23 referendum.

"We must continue to be very clear that 'Brexit means Brexit,' that we're going to make a success of it," she said. "That means there's no second referendum; no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door; that we're actually going to deliver on this."

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, center, holds a cabinet meeting at her country retreat Chequers in Wendover, England, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016. May is discussing specific plans for the country to leave the European Union in a session meant to underscore Conservative party unity. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

Downing Street issued a statement after the session trying to outline its wishes for the months to come and underscoring that several cabinet members made it clear that they wanted a deal with Europe "unique to the United Kingdom and not an off the shelf solution."

The comments fueled speculation that Britain would seek a completely different relationship with the EU, bypassing models used by Norway and Switzerland which allow market access but have no input on EU rule-making.

"This must mean controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe but also a positive outcome for those who wish to trade goods and services," the statement said.

In conversations with Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Finland's leader Juha Sipila, May said that the upcoming negotiations would consider "what is going to work best for the U.K. and what is going to work for the European Union, rather than necessarily pursuing an existing model," Downing Street said.

The meeting at the Chequers retreat came amid reports of feuding among the three ministers tasked with making the break from the EU a reality.

The session also came after May's office sidestepped questions on whether Parliament will be given a formal vote on triggering Article 50, the EU treaty clause that sets up Britain's departure from the 28-nation bloc.

Downing Street has said lawmakers will be given "a say," but has added there's "no legal obligation" to consult Parliament.

"This really is a very significant moment for the country, as we look ahead to the next steps that we need to take," May said before the meeting. "We have the opportunity to forge a new positive role for the U.K. in the world."

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, center right, holds a cabinet meeting at her country retreat Chequers in Wendover, England, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016. May is discussing specific plans for the country to leave the European Union in a session meant to underscore Conservative party unity. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
How has Obama changed US? 6 views from Asia

As Barack Obama prepares for his last Asia trip as U.S. president, with stops in China and Laos, The Associated Press asked six ordinary people across the continent, "How has Barack Obama's presidency changed the way you view the United States?"

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NGUYEN VAN NAM, 79, a retired mechanic in Hanoi, Vietnam:

In this image made from video, Nguyen Van Nam, 79, a retired mechanic, speaks about U.S. President Barack Obama, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, in Hanoi, Vietnam. As Barack Obama prepares for his last Asia trip as U.S. president, with stops in China and Laos, The Associated Press asked six ordinary people across the continent, 'How has Barack Obama's presidency changed the way you view the United States?' (AP Photo)

"Obama has done a better job in protecting world peace than previous presidents who brought the U.S. to wars, with losses in human life and property, and created hatred among the world population against America. Mr. Obama has done a very good job in lessening the world population's opposition against America."

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MICHIKO KODAMA, 78, of Tokyo, who survived the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945:

"When Barack Obama first became the president, I thought America was amazing  a truly democratic country. Soon after his inauguration, he went to Prague to urge a world without nuclear weapons. Seven years since, there hasn't been any progress. I had believed that his visit to Hiroshima (in May) was for him to witness the devastation in order to realize a world without nuclear weapons. Sadly, I don't think that was his intention."

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MADHAV MALHOTRA, 20, a college student pursuing economics in New Delhi:

"We have seen America's intervention in places like Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and always perceived America as this aggressive nation that is always interfering in the world's politics, and sometimes having double standards. ... Here, I believe that in Obama's era, there has been a huge change from what (President George W.) Bush followed, that he exercised a lot of restraint in that respect, and you know they haven't been heavily interventionist in different countries, and have exercised a more stable form of foreign policy."

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NIU ZHICUI, 29, an accountant in Beijing:

"When Obama was elected the president of the U.S., we felt that was a milestone in U.S. history in terms of racial equality. And I think Obama has proven himself a strong leader in his presidency. Bin Laden was killed during his presidency and his policies toward China and some other countries remained pretty aggressive."

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CHOI DONG-YUN, 20, a student in Seoul, South Korea:

"I saw (the U.S.) putting more efforts into social welfare, unlike our country, and considering that (Obama) is the first African-American president, I think he knows the hardship of poor people and works hard for them."

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TOTO YLAGAN, 53, a government employee in Manila, Philippines:

"I would say that his biggest legacy is showing to the world and domestically in the United States that the democratic institutions are working. He was able to exercise prudence in dealing with countries all over the world."

In this image made from video, Michiko Kodama, 78, who survived the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima, speaks about U.S. President Barack Obama, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, in Tokyo. As Barack Obama prepares for his last Asia trip as U.S. president, with stops in China and Laos, The Associated Press asked six ordinary people across the continent, 'How has Barack Obama's presidency changed the way you view the United States?' (AP Photo)

In this image made from video, Madhav Malhotra, 20, a college student pursuing economics speaks about U.S. President Barack Obama, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, in New Delhi, India. As Barack Obama prepares for his last Asia trip as U.S. president, with stops in China and Laos, The Associated Press asked six ordinary people across the continent, 'How has Barack Obama's presidency changed the way you view the United States?' (AP Photo)

In this image made from video, Niu Zhicui, 29, an accountant, speaks about U.S. President Barack Obama, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, in Beijing, China. As Barack Obama prepares for his last Asia trip as U.S. president, with stops in China and Laos, The Associated Press asked six ordinary people across the continent, 'How has Barack Obama's presidency changed the way you view the United States?' (AP Photo)

In this image made from video, Choi Dong-Yun, 20, a student, speaks about U.S. President Barack Obama, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, in Seoul, South Korea. As Barack Obama prepares for his last Asia trip as U.S. president, with stops in China and Laos, The Associated Press asked six ordinary people across the continent, 'How has Barack Obama's presidency changed the way you view the United States?' (AP Photo)
Uneasy truce holds between Syrian Kurds, Turkey

ISTANBUL (AP)  An uneasy truce between Turkish troops and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria held on Wednesday, despite Ankara's vow that it would never negotiate with what it calls a "terror organization."

The U.S. has called on both sides to stop fighting each other and focus on defeating the Islamic State group, hoping to halt days of clashes between a NATO ally and a Kurdish force that has proven to be highly effective against IS.

But a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would continue to attack U.S.-backed Kurdish militias inside Syria. The spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said a cease-fire was "out of the question."

Turkish tanks head towards the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016. Turkey on Wednesday dismissed reports of a cease-fire deal with Kurdish rebels in northern Syria, and vowed to continue its week-old military incursion into the neighboring country until all "terror entities are eliminated." Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday that military "operations will continue until all terrorist elements have been neutralized, until all threats to our borders, our lands and our citizens are completely over. " (Ismail Coskun, IHA via AP)

Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish fighters as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey and is viewed as a terrorist group by Turkey and the U.S.

Washington sees the Kurds as a key partner against IS, and U.S. airstrikes have helped a Kurdish-led militia known as the Syria Democratic Forces to seize a large swath of territory from the extremists in recent months.

There were no reports of clashes between Turkey and the Kurds on Wednesday, marking the third day of calm and suggesting that the U.S. had prevailed over its two allies to keep their distance.

Meanwhile, an Islamic State suicide bomber struck Turkish-backed Syrian rebels near the border, causing casualties, according to an opposition monitoring group and an IS-run news agency.

The Islamic State group's Aamaq news agency said the "martyrdom" attack occurred in the village of Kuliyeh, west of the Syrian border town of Jarablus, which the rebels captured from the IS last week.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on activists inside Syria, said Wednesday's attack was carried out by a North African IS member. It said casualties were inflicted but did not give figures.

Later in the day, Turkish jets struck four buildings in Kuliyeh and nearby Zaghrah, killing some militants, Turkish military officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with government rules, and did not provide further details.

Last week, Turkey sent troops and warplanes across the border to help Syrian rebels capture Jarablus. But then clashes broke out with the Kurds, who are dug in to the south in the town of Manbij, also recently seized from IS.

Turkey has demanded that Kurdish forces withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River, which would include a pullout from Manbij, where the Kurds took heavy casualties in months of fighting with IS over the summer.

On Tuesday, the Kurdish-backed Jarablus Military Council said it had agreed to a cease-fire with the Turkish military in a disputed area in northern Syria after lengthy consultations with the anti-IS coalition.

But Kalin, the Turkish presidential spokesman, said such a deal was "out of the question," insisting the Kurdish Syrian militiamen will remain a target for Turkey until they move east of the Euphrates.

Vice President Joe Biden said last week during a visit to Turkey that the Kurdish forces must withdraw or risk losing U.S. support. U.S. officials have since called on both sides to stand down, fearing that the conflict could undermine efforts to battle IS.

Kalin told reporters in Ankara that Turkey will not negotiate with the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, which is the main component of the Syria Democratic Forces.

"The PYD, as the Syrian extension of the PKK, is a terror organization," Kalin said. "It is out of the question for the Turkish Republic to have any kind of a tie, an agreement ... with this organization."

He added that Erdogan is now engaged in a diplomatic push to secure a broader cease-fire in Syria during the upcoming three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which would allow aid to reach the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo. Erdogan will discuss the issue during the G-20 summit in China, he said.

Also Wednesday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said military operations in Syria "will continue until all terrorist elements have been neutralized, until all threats to our borders, our lands and our citizens are completely over."

He reiterated Turkish demands that Washington live up to its assurances that the Syrian Kurdish forces would immediately withdraw to the east of the Euphrates.

The Pentagon says Kurdish forces have already moved east of the Euphrates, in compliance with Turkish and U.S. demands.

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Issa reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim waves a helmet as he addresses a rally in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016. Turkey on Wednesday dismissed reports of a cease-fire deal with Kurdish rebels in northern Syria, and vowed to continue its week-old military incursion into the neighboring country until all "terror entities are eliminated." Yildirim said Wednesday that military "operations will continue until all terrorist elements have been neutralized, until all threats to our borders, our lands and our citizens are completely over. " (Prime Minister's Press Service, Pool via AP)

Turkish tanks head towards the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016. Turkey on Wednesday dismissed reports of a cease-fire deal with Kurdish rebels in northern Syria, and vowed to continue its week-old military incursion into the neighboring country until all "terror entities are eliminated." Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday that military "operations will continue until all terrorist elements have been neutralized, until all threats to our borders, our lands and our citizens are completely over. " (Ismail Coskun, IHA via AP)

Turkish tanks head to the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016. Turkey on Wednesday dismissed reports of a cease-fire deal with Kurdish rebels in northern Syria, and vowed to continue its week-old military incursion into the neighboring country until all "terror entities are eliminated." Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday that military "operations will continue until all terrorist elements have been neutralized, until all threats to our borders, our lands and our citizens are completely over. " (Ismail Coskun, IHA via AP)

Turkish tanks head to the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016. Turkey on Wednesday dismissed reports of a cease-fire deal with Kurdish rebels in northern Syria, and vowed to continue its week-old military incursion into the neighboring country until all "terror entities are eliminated." Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday that military "operations will continue until all terrorist elements have been neutralized, until all threats to our borders, our lands and our citizens are completely over. " (Ismail Coskun, IHA via AP)
Arizona old-guard Republicans advance in primary

PHOENIX (AP)  In a year of political outsiders, two of the most prominent and longest-serving Arizona Republicans bucked the trend and easily beat back primary challenges.

Sen. John McCain defeated a populist challenger on the right by more than 10 percentage points. And longtime lawman Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of metro Phoenix who became famous for immigration crackdowns and forcing inmates to wear pink underwear, garnered 66 percent of the vote while trouncing three opponents on Tuesday.

McCain, 80, and Arpaio, 84, will face tough challenges from Democrats in November.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to supporters after being declared the winner in the Arizona Republican primary Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. The 80-year-old McCain defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

McCain was not only dogged by a primary opponent who called him a failed, career politician unfit to serve, he also was inundated with questions about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Trump had attacked many issues dear to the Arizona senator, including the family of a fallen soldier, NATO and even McCain's own military service and time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. His insurgent, outsider message has constantly been at odds with McCain, the party's 2008 White House nominee.

Yet McCain stuck by his support for Trump, at times seemingly through gritted teeth. He repeatedly avoided calling Trump by name, instead saying he'll support his party's nominee.

Trump is set to roll out his much-anticipated immigration plan Wednesday in McCain's backyard in Phoenix, with Republican Gov. Doug Ducey making his first appearance with the GOP nominee. Ducey, like McCain, has said he supports his party's nominee but avoided Trump in his previous four campaign stops in Arizona.

There's no word if McCain will appear at the event.

Arpaio won the Republican primary despite a cloud of legal troubles hanging over him. He trounced his three opponents after raising $11.3 million  a staggering sum for a sheriff's race. He will face retired Phoenix police Officer Paul Penzone, the same opponent who took on Arpaio in 2012.

Arpaio also plans to appear with Trump Wednesday, as he has throughout the billionaire businessman's campaign.

All nine U.S. House seats in the state were also on the primary ballot, though just a few are tight races.

A heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs, for instance, featured a four-way race among Republicans who want to replace retiring Rep. Matt Salmon. Former dot-com executive Christine Jones had a narrow lead over Senate President Andy Biggs in a race that was too close to call.

"Enough of these same old career politicians in Washington," Jones told a jubilant crowd of supporters as results were being tallied.

If she wins, Jones' victory will be a blow to Salmon, a member of the Congressional Freedom Caucus who chose Biggs as his replacement. The winner of the GOP primary is almost assured a general election victory in the heavily Republican district.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu defeated four other Republicans in a sprawling that spans much of eastern Arizona outside the Tucson and Phoenix metro areas. He'll face the Democrat seeking Kirkpatrick's seat, Tom O'Halleran.

Babeu was attacked by one of his opponent for the "baggage" he would hand to a Democratic opponent in the general election. He was forced to publicly acknowledge being gay and drop a congressional bid in 2012 after pictures surfaced of him in his underwear that he had posted on a dating website and allegations that he threatened a former lover.

Babeu called his victory "historic" and said it showed that while Republicans are often portrayed as intolerant, they were willing to look past his sexual orientation.

"I want to be judged on my merit, on my performance and my contributions to my community and my nation," he said.

And Rep. Paul Gosar won his primary in a heavily Republican district that stretches from Phoenix suburbs to the California border.

Two Democrats battled for the right to take on first-term GOP Rep. Martha McSally in the district once held by Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in 2011 and resigned a year later. Tucson physician and former state lawmaker Matt Heinz topped former state Rep. Victoria Steele.

___

Associated Press writers Astrid Galvan, Jacques Billeaud and Terry Tang contributed to this story.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his wife, Cindy McCain, leave a polling station after voting, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. McCain is seeking the Republican nomination in Arizona's primary election. (AP Photo/Matt York)

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks outside a polling station after voting, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. McCain is seeking the Republican nomination in Arizona's primary election. (AP Photo/Matt York)

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his wife, Cindy McCain, arrive to vote at a polling station, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. McCain is seeking the republican nomination in Arizona's primary election. (AP Photo/Matt York)

In this Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 photo, former Arizona Republican state Sen. Kelli Ward, left, who is running against Sen. John McCain in the Arizona Republican primary, talks to a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally, in Phoenix. The Arizona primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

In this Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 photo, former Republican state Sen. Kelli Ward, right, who is running against current incumbent Arizona Sen. John McCain in the Arizona Republican primary, talks to voters at a campaign rally for Mike Pence, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, in Phoenix. Ward, who lags in the polls, has mounted an aggressive primary challenge to McCain, who turned 80 on Monday, Aug. 29. Arizona's primary election is on Tuesday, Aug. 30. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

U.S. Sen. John McCain supporters stand outside a polling station, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. McCain is seeking the republican nomination in Arizona's primary election. (AP Photo/Matt York)

FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2013, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks at a news conference at the Sheriff's headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz. Embattled Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is seeking a seventh term and faces former Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban and two other challengers. The election comes less than two weeks after a federal judge recommended criminal contempt-of-court charges against the 84-year-old lawman of metropolitan Phoenix for ignoring an order to halt his signature anti-immigration patrols. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Former state Sen. Kelli Ward concedes to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., during her primary election night party at the Scottsdale DoubleTree Resort Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The 80-year-old McCain who was the Republican party's 2008 presidential nominee easily defeated Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot. (David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic via AP)

Kelli Ward with her husband Mike at her side concedes to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. in the race for the Republican nomination to U.S. Senate, at her primary night party at a hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. McCain easily defeated former state Sen. Ward and two other Republicans. (David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic via AP)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, greets supporters after being declared the winner in the Arizona Republican primary Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Phoenix. The 80-year-old McCain defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Indian forces fire at Kashmir protesters, killing young man

SRINAGAR, India (AP)  Protests against Indian rule erupted at many places in Kashmir on Wednesday after authorities lifted a curfew throughout the disputed Himalayan region for the first time in 54 days. A young man was killed and at least 150 others were injured in clashes between rock-throwing protesters and government forces.

Residents said a protest erupted in northern Nadihal village after troops prevented trucks carrying fruit from entering the area. They said police and soldiers also beat up residents and ransacked homes in the village.

A police officer said government forces tried to stop protesters from marching on the main village street and retaliated by firing bullets and shotgun pellets when residents hurled rocks at them. He said one man was killed and five others were wounded, three of them critically.

A Kashmiri Muslim protester engulfed in teargas smoke holds Pakistani flag during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Protests against Indian rule erupted at many places in Kashmir on Wednesday after authorities lifted a curfew throughout the disputed Himalayan region for the first time in 54 days. A young man was killed and several others were injured in clashes between rock-throwing protesters and government forces.(AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

The officer spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy.

Dozens of protests demanding an end to Indian rule were also reported in other places in the region, including the main city of Srinagar. At least 145 people were reported injured.

Despite the lifting of the curfew, shops and schools remained closed because of a protest strike called by separatists challenging India's sovereignty over Kashmir.

The curfew, a series of communication blackouts and a tightening crackdown have failed to stop some of the largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8.

Since then, tens of thousands of people have defied security restrictions, staged protests and clashed with government forces on a daily basis to seek an end of Indian rule.

At least 69 civilians have been killed and thousands injured, mostly by government forces firing bullets and shotguns at rock-throwing protesters. Two policemen have been killed while 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.

Masked Kashmiri Muslim protesters shout pro-freedom slogans during a protest march in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Protests against Indian rule erupted at many places in Kashmir on Wednesday after authorities lifted a curfew throughout the disputed Himalayan region for the first time in 54 days. A young man was killed and several others were injured in clashes between rock-throwing protesters and government forces. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A masked Kashmiri Muslim protester watches for teargas shells fired at him by Indian police men during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Protests against Indian rule erupted at many places in Kashmir on Wednesday after authorities lifted a curfew throughout the disputed Himalayan region for the first time in 54 days. A young man was killed and several others were injured in clashes between rock-throwing protesters and government forces.(AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Kashmiri protesters face Indian policemen in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Fresh anti-India protests and clashes erupted in several neighborhoods even after authorities on Monday lifted a curfew imposed in most parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir as part of a 52-day security lockdown. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Kashmiri protesters chase Indian policemen in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Fresh anti-India protests and clashes erupted in several neighborhoods even after authorities on Monday lifted a curfew imposed in most parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir as part of a 52-day security lockdown. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Indian police men remove barricade set up by Kashmiri Muslim protesters during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Protests against Indian rule erupted at many places in Kashmir on Wednesday after authorities lifted a curfew throughout the disputed Himalayan region for the first time in 54 days. A young man was killed and several others were injured in clashes between rock-throwing protesters and government forces. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Kashmiri woman collects milk to sell from her home, during a strike in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Authorities on Monday lifted a curfew imposed in most parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir as part of a 52-day security lockdown, although most shops and businesses remained closed due to an ongoing strike called to protest Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
For Brazilian man, Mother Teresa worked a miracle

RIMINI, Italy (AP)  Mother Teresa is known for having loved beggars, prostitutes and street children without discrimination or distinction. Marcilio Andrino is convinced she also loved him  and interceded with God to cure him of a viral brain infection when doctors had given him little chance of survival.

Andrino's cure, declared a miracle by Pope Francis earlier this year, was the final step needed to declare Mother Teresa a saint. She will be canonized by Francis on Sunday in St. Peter's Square in the highlight of his Holy Year of Mercy, a yearlong emphasis on the merciful side of the Catholic Church.

The Brazilian mechanical engineer and his wife, Fernanda, said Mother Teresa's message, conveyed through a lifetime of working for the "poorest of the poor" in India's slums, is that God's mercy is for everyone.

Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, postulator of the cause of beatification and canonization of Mother Teresa, is interviewed by the Associated Press in front of a mosaic picturing Mother Teresa, at the formation house of the priestly branch of the Missionaries of Charity on the outskirts of Rome, Friday, Aug. 18, 2016. When Pope Francis canonizes Mother Teresa on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, he'll be honoring a nun who won admirers around the world and a Nobel Peace Prize for her joy-filled dedication to the "poorest of the poor." (AP Photo/Giulia Sabella)

"Fernanda and I are just normal people within God's people," Andrino said on the sidelines of a Catholic meeting before the canonization. "God didn't choose who to send down his mercy to, just like Mother Theresa, who cared for everybody without any distinction."

According to the official account, Andrino was in a coma and dying on Dec. 9, 2008 from a viral brain infection that had resulted in multiple abscesses and an accumulation of fluid around the brain.

Surgery was scheduled for 6:10 p.m. but the anesthesiologist couldn't immediately intubate him. When the surgeon arrived a half-hour later, he "found the patient inexplicably awake and without pain," according to the postulator of Mother Teresa's cause, the Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk.

"The patient asked the doctor, 'What I am doing here?' The next morning ... the patient was fully awake and without any headache; he was asymptomatic with normal cognition," Kolodiejchuk said in a statement earlier this year.

Kolodiejchuk said Fernanda had been praying for Mother Teresa's intercession specifically during the half-hour when her husband was supposed to be in surgery.

"Marcilio was fine. He was sitting up. He was talking in intensive care (at the hospital) and I realized that he was cured, that Mother Teresa had interceded on our behalf and cured Marcilio," Fernanda said. "This was confirmed by the exams which proved the reduction of the abscesses and the disappearance of the hydrocephaly, making us sure that operations and drainage were no longer needed."

Andrino has since resumed working and is in good health  and despite tests showing he had become sterile, has had two children since.

"Every time I look at Marcilio and our children, I feel very grateful," Fernanda said. "I am very grateful to God and Mother Teresa."
Danish team removes 500 tons of chemical weapons from Libya

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  A Danish-led international operation to rid Libya of its chemical weapons has removed 500 tons of chemicals from the North African country, Denmark said Wednesday.

The government said the chemicals were picked up Saturday at the Libyan port of Misrata and are now on their way out of the Mediterranean Sea toward Germany.

"We have now removed the chemical remnants from Libya and have ensured that they will not fall into the wrong hands," Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen said.

Britain and Finland assisted with the maritime operation.

Denmark said Libya's U.N.-brokered National Unity government in July handed over a formal request for international assistance to have the chemical weapons removed.

In a statement, Ahmet Uzumcu, director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, expressed his confidence that the ultimate objective of verifiably eliminating the Libyan chemicals will be achieved in a safe, secure and timely way.
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Thousands of people have pelted each other with tons of ripe tomatoes, creating a red, mushy mess in the annual Tomatina street battle in eastern Spain.

At the fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, 160 tons of tomatoes were brought in on six trucks and dumped into the crowd as they packed the town's streets for the hour-long battle.

The fight leaves the participants - many donning swimming goggles to protect their eyes - and the town's streets drenched in red pulp.

Organizers then hose the streets down within minutes of the event ending at noon, while revelers can use public showers.

The fiesta looks messy, but the acidity of the tomatoes actually cleans the town's streets.

The paid-entry event was inspired by a food fight between local children in 1945 in the tomato-producing region.

Some 20,000 people were expected to take part in this year's fight.

Lady in red: Thousands of people have pelted each other with tons of ripe tomatoes, creating a red, mushy mess in the annual 'Tomatina' street battle in eastern Spain

Messy: At the fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, 160 tons of tomatoes were brought in on six trucks and dumped into the crowd

The fight leaves the participants - many donning swimming goggles to protect their eyes - and the town's streets drenched in red pulp

Juicy: People lie in a puddle of squashed tomatoes, during the annual 'tomatina' tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol

Around 20,000 were expected to pack the town's streets for the hour-long battle, which gets particularly messy

Just minutes after the chaotic tomato fight, organizers hose the streets down while revelers can use public showers

Mayhem: The paid-entry event was inspired by a food fight between local children in 1945 in the tomato-producing region

Two women enjoy the bizarre scene as crowds of people throw tomatoes at each other during the annual 'Tomatina' fight

Bathing in it: A man lies in a puddle of squashed tomatoes as people throw tomatoes at each other during the Tomatina

A truck unloads a huge load of tomatoes as crowds of people scramble to grab a handful and throw them at each other

Hungry: Tomatoes are poured all over a reveler during the annual 'Tomatina' fight in Bunol, 30 miles from the city of Valencia

Some 20,000 people were expected to take part in this year's fight, which saw 160 tons carted into the town's square

Puree: Two girls laugh as they pose in a puddle of squashed tomatoes at the annual 'Tomatina' festival in western Spain

Ketchup, anyone? A man lies in a puddle of squashed tomatoes at the end of huge fruit fight that is a tradition in Bunol

A man lies in a sea of red after falling into a huge puddle of squashed tomatoes moments after the bizarre fight got underway

Revelers, practically swimming in the juice of thousands of tomatoes, battle to chuck more of the fruit at each other

Crowds of people throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual 'Tomatina', tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol

Attack from above: Revelers wearing goggles rain more tomatoes down from their balcony as they pelt people below

Ammunition: A festival-goer grabs a handful of tomatoes to throw at other revelers as the hour-long festival began
TOKYO (AP)  Heavy rain from Typhoon Lionrock flooded towns across Japan's north and left at least 11 people dead, most of them elderly residents at a nursing home who could not escape rising floodwaters, officials said Wednesday.

The home in the town of Iwaizumi, which only had the ground floor, included people suffering from dementia who were in their 80s and 90s. Police discovered nine bodies there on Wednesday while checking another facility in the inundated neighborhood.

As floodwaters rapidly rose on Tuesday night, all 85 elderly residents and staff at a three-story facility next door were rescued uninjured after evacuating to the top floor, said Iwate prefectural official Reiko Ouchi.

An aerial view shows a flooded area of Kuji city, Iwate prefecture, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, after Typhoon Lionrock slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday evening. (Kyodo News via AP)

A caretaker at that facility notified the town office about their evacuation to the third floor, noting that the nine residents next door were stuck, NHK TV reported.

Ouchi said officials are looking into if and how town officials responded to the call. An evacuation order was not issued.

Hiroaki Sato, a senior official at the company that runs the nursing homes, said floodwater poured into the compound in a matter of 10 minutes, making it impossible for the nine elderly residents to escape. The water was at chest-high Tuesday evening.

Despite earlier warnings of the approaching typhoon, only one of the eight staff was on overnight duty, Sato told Kyodo News, adding that a telephone line was cut off due to flooding and she could not reach police or firefighters.

"An overnight staff attended the residents, but in the end they all died, including one in (her) arms," Sato told nationally televised NHK news. "I'm so sorry we could not help any of the nine residents," he said, as he bowed deeply in apology, his teary voice trembling.

The identity of the victims and other details, including the whereabouts of their caretakers, were not immediately known, said Takehiro Hayashijiri, a prefecture disaster management division.

Authorities found two more bodies in Iwate  one in the same town and the second in another town of Kuji, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Footage on NHK showed the nursing home partially buried in mud, surrounded by debris apparently washed down in the swollen river. A car by the home was turned upside down.

At another nursing home, a rescue helicopter was perched atop a flat roof, airlifting residents, each wrapped in a blanket and carried by their helpers.

"We're making a government-wide effort to assess the extent of damage," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters. The government sent troops to help in the rescue and cleanup effort.

Farther north, on the island of Hokkaido, at least two rivers broke through their banks. The disaster management agency said at least one person went missing in a car that went down with a bridge torn away by the flood.

Authorities in the town of Minamifurano reported hundreds of people trapped in houses and shelters by flooding from the Sorachi river, the agency said. Hundreds of others were also trapped in buildings and isolated in several towns in Iwate.

Typhoon Lionrock made landfall Tuesday evening near the city of Ofunato, 500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of Tokyo on the Pacific coast and crossed the main island of Honshu before heading out to the East Sea/Sea of Japan.

It was the first time a typhoon has made landfall in the northern region since 1951, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping records.

The scene of large parts of northern Japan covered with muddy water was a shocking reminder of the major tsunami that struck the same region five years ago.

Iwate prefecture, the hardest-hit by the typhoon, is one of the areas still rebuilding from the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake, which left more than 18,000 people dead along Japan's northeastern coast.

Driftwood scatters near residential houses along a river in Iwaizumi town, Iwate prefecture, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, after Typhoon Lionrock slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday evening. (Kyodo News via AP)

A part of Route 10 is damaged by floodwaters in Miyako city, Iwate prefecture, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, after Typhoon Lionrock slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday evening. (Kyodo News via AP)

Floodwaters from the Sorachi river wash away a building after embankments of the river were broken in Minami-furano, the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. At least two rivers swollen by Typhoon Lionrock broke through embankments, flooding the areas. (Daisuke Suzuki/Kyodo News via AP)

A flooded nursing home, center left, is seen in Iwaizumi town, Iwate prefecture, northern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, after Typhoon Lionrock dumped heavy rains. Nine bodies were found Wednesday at the nursing home, police said. (Kyodo News via AP)

An aerial view shows a nursing home, center left, at a flooded area in Iwaizumi town, Iwate prefecture, northern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, after Typhoon Lionrock dumped heavy rains. Nine bodies were found Wednesday at the nursing home, police said. (Kyodo News via AP)

Workers repair a flood damaged bridge over the Sorachi river in Minami-furano, the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Typhoon Lionrock dumped heavy rains on the areas in northern Japan. (Daisuke Suzuki/Kyodo News via AP)

A residential house is damaged by driftwood in Kuji city, Iwate prefecture, northern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Typhoon Lionrock hit the northern Japan, dumping heavy rains. (Shinji Kaga/Kyodo News via AP)

A road is flooded in Minami-furano, the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Typhoon Lionrock hit the northern Japan, dumping heavy rains. (Daisuke Suzuki/Kyodo News via AP)

An aerial view shows a flooded area of Kuji city, Iwate prefecture, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, after Typhoon Lionrock slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday evening. (Kyodo News via AP)
Frankfurt airport terminal reopens after security scare

BERLIN (AP)  Authorities say Frankfurt airport is fully reopened after a portion of Terminal 1 was evacuated when a person entered a secure area without undergoing required searches.

Airport operator Fraport said in a Twitter message Wednesday that the airport was returning to normal operations after a disruption that lasted about two hours. All passengers were evacuated as a precaution and had to go through security controls again.

Fraport said there were some delays caused by the incident and advised passengers to check with their airlines on the status of their flights.

Police and passengers stand in the departure area at Frankfurt airport, central Germany, Wednesday, Aug31, 2016. Authorities say a portion of Frankfurt Airport's Terminal 1 has been evacuated after a person entered a secure area without undergoing required searches. (Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa via AP)

The dpa news agency reports police found no threats to security during their search of the terminal and have taken a woman into custody.
Pope applauds Colombia peace deal but sidesteps truth panel

VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis has praised Colombia's peace deal but has declined an invitation to have a Vatican envoy help select judges for the proposed truth and justice commission.

Francis pledged his support for the deal reached between the government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to end one of the world's longest-running conflicts.

In a statement, the Vatican said the pope "reiterates his support for the goal of attaining the peace and reconciliation of the entire Colombian people." But it said the job of selecting the judges for the truth commission was best left to others.

Pope Francis delivers his message during his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The most contentious agreement of the deal would let rebels who confess their crimes avoid jail and instead serve reduced sentences of no more than eight years by helping rebuild communities hit by the conflict.

People try shelter from heavy rain during Pope Francis's general audience in St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis leaves St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, at the end of his general audience, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The pontiff had to interrupt his final greetings and leave in a closed car as a sudden rain storm hit the Vatican. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Handcuffed suspects flees scene while deputies search car

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  Sheriff's deputies in Florida are searching for a man who ran away after he'd been handcuffed during a traffic stop near Tampa.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said in a news release that deputies stopped a vehicle early Wednesday and handcuffed the two occupants.

Deputies say they found 20 baggies of heroin on 21-year-old Jesus Enrique Roman-Muniz, and marijuana inside the vehicle.

At some point as deputies were searching the vehicle, Roman-Muniz ran from the scene. Carter says Tampa police officers assisted in the search for the suspect.
A driver who found himself trapped after a tree crushed his car on Monday was saved by a group of bystanders who managed to lift the huge trunk off him.

Marcelino Cruz, 45, from Washington, DC, - who coincidentally works at JL Tree Service in Fairfax - was driving home when the huge trunk unexpectedly fell onto his vehicle in the freak accident.

Injured and with his roof crumpled in on him, Cruz was unable to move - until a group of around 30 bystanders, led by the police, came to his aid, ABC 7 reported.

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Crushed: This is what was left of Marcelino Cruz's car after it was crushed under a falling tree Monday. Cruz, 45, was driving home from his job as an arborist when it fell in Washington, DC

Rescue: Police gathered around 30 passersby and encouraged them to lift the two-to-three-foot-diameter trunk off the vehicle. The roof was then cut off by firefighters and Cruz removed

Victim: Cruz suffered head and neck injuries, but is in a stable condition. He has worked in the tree-service industry for almost 30 years, and in Fairfax for around five

'It really was pretty scary,' one of the bystanders, Michael Durr, told the station. 'The guy was trapped inside and it didnt look good.'

Cruz could barely be heard moaning inside the vehicle as cops corralled passersby into lifting the massive trunk, which was an estimated two-to-three feet in diameter.

'To me, I thought the tree was too heavy, but you got to try and lift it up, so we lifted it up, pushed the car out, dropped the tree and then we had to wait for the firemen because the roof was still pancaked and the guy was still trapped inside,' Durr said.

Firefighters cut the roof off the vehicle and Cruz was taken to hospital with multiple injuries, including a fractured skull and damage to his neck.

He remains in hospital, but his condition has been upgraded to stable. He has been able to follow simple instructions from doctors, such as raising his right hand.

Cruz's family told The Washington Post that he drove that particular road every day on his way to work, where he chips brush as part of the three-man crew.

'I think it is really strange that he works with trees and this happened to him,' said his son, Cristian, who is 19. 'Hes usually taking down trees, not trees taking him.'

Cruz, who moved to America from El Salvador in the late 1980s, has worked in the tree industry for nearly 30 years, and in Fairfax for around five.

US Park Police say they are investigating what caused the tree to fall on the road, located in Rock Creek.

Although it's not unusual for trees to fall in the area, authorities said they don't know of any other recent cases where a tree had hit a vehicle or person.
The Latest: Greeks rescue 31 migrants from crippled boat

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  The Latest on Europe's response to the wave of immigration from the Middle East and Africa (all times local):

7:10 p.m.

Greek authorities have rescued 31 migrants from a crippled vessel off the country's western coast, after receiving a distress call.

Abdulsalam Mahmoud from Syria, 18, sits at his tent on the terrace of an abandoned hospital wing, which is used as a makeshift shelter for about 150 Syrian refugees in Athens, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Over 59,000 people remain stranded in the country, most in army-built camps on the mainland and about 7,800 refugees are receiving hotel vouchers or live in vacant apartments. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

The coast guard said the boat was found Wednesday off the island of Paxi, and the migrants were being transferred to the mainland port of Igoumenitsa.

The migrants, whose nationalities were not immediately known, were believed to have been heading to Italy.

Greece is a major entry point for refugees and other migrants seeking a better life in Europe. Nearly 60,000 remain trapped in the financially struggling country due to a series of Balkan border closures and slow implementation of an agreement to share refugees among European Union members.

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1:30 p.m.

Switzerland's executive branch has announced plans to step up processing of asylum requests, amid a growing backlog of migrants trying to enter from Italy.

The Federal Council set Oct. 1 for the first phase of reforms to Swiss laws aimed to expedite processing of asylum-seekers, after more than two-thirds of Swiss voters accepted the plan in a summer referendum.

The council also said Wednesday it would boost monitoring of asylum-request rejections by Switzerland's powerful regions, and penalize them financially if they fail to follow the law.

Switzerland's southern region of Ticino has seen a surge of migrants in recent months from neighboring Italy. Many others were sent back to Italy for trying to enter without proper papers or not making formal asylum requests.

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1:25 p.m.

Pope Francis has asserted his concern for the plight of refugees by assuming direct responsibility for migrant issues in a new Vatican department that merges four Vatican offices into one handling peace, the environment and human trafficking matters.

The Vatican issued the statutes Wednesday for the new Vatican dicastery, which puts the pontifical councils for migrants, peace and justice, health workers and charity under one roof. The reorganization is part of Francis' overall reform of the Vatican bureaucracy to make it more efficient and responsive to the needs of local dioceses.

Francis named as the department's prefect Cardinal Peter Turkson, currently head of the Vatican's justice and peace office who was the front-man for Francis' landmark environment encyclical. But the Vatican said Francis would personally oversee migrant issues.

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1:20 p.m.

Poland's interior minister says Poland has denied entry to a group of Chechens because the country is sealing its border to protect the nation and Europe against the threat of terrorism.

Mariusz Blaszczak was commenting Wednesday on Poland's refusal this week to admit some 200 Chechens from Belarus, across the European Union's external border.

Speaking on TVN24 Blaszczak said: "The point is to ensure security to Europe,"

He says that as long as the conservative Law and Justice party was in power "we will not expose Poland to the threat of terrorism."

He did not explain why he linked the Chechens to terrorism.
Poland stops Chechen migrants at border citing security

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland has denied entry to a group of Chechens because the country is sealing its border to protect the nation and Europe against the threat of terrorism, its interior minister said Wednesday.

Mariusz Blaszczak was commenting on Poland's refusal this week to admit some 200 Chechen migrants who were trying to cross the European Union's external border from Brest, Belarus.

On Monday night, a group of Chechens camped in Brest protesting the denial to enter Poland and demanded to speak to Polish authorities, according to Poland-based Belsat TV. A spokesman for Poland's local Border Guard, Dariusz Sienicki, told The Associated Press Wednesday that the group had returned to Belarus.

Human rights groups say torture, abductions and extrajudicial executions have been widespread during the rule of Chechnya's Kremlin-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov and the Chechens say they aim to enter the EU through Poland to seek asylum. Most travel on to Germany or other western European countries.

Speaking on Polish TVN24 Blaszczak said that as long as he is the interior minister and the conservative Law and Justice party is in power "we will not expose Poland to the threat of terrorism."

"The point is to ensure security for Europe," he said.

He did not explain why he linked the Chechens to terrorism.

In the past, Chechen separatists have used guerrilla tactics in their campaign to end Russian rule on their land. Two Chechen brothers were identified as the bombers who attacked the Boston Marathon race in 2013, and the Turkish government has asserted that at least one Chechen was involved in the attack on Ataturk airport in which 44 people died.

Poland was receptive to Chechens during Chechnya's war against Russian forces, which ended in 2009.

Sienicki said that some 6,000 Russian citizens, mostly Chechens, have been admitted to Poland so far this year, a 150 percent increase from the same period last year. During the same time, some 30,000 people have been denied entry.

Quoting security concerns after terrorist attacks in Western Europe, Poland rejects the EU plan for the group's members to share responsibility for sheltering hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing conflict in Syria, the Middle East and Africa. Warsaw urges tighter control of the EU's external borders and insists on better cooperation in offering humanitarian aid to refugees in camps close to their homelands.

Blaszczak said Polish border guards have been deployed to help guard the EU's border in Bulgaria and more will soon be deployed to the borders in Hungary and Greece.

___
Bruce Springsteen breaks own record for longest US show

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)  Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band couldn't leave New Jersey without breaking another record.

Tuesday night's concert at MetLife Stadium ended four hours after it started, breaking the previous record for the group's longest U.S. show of 3 hours and 59 minutes set at MetLife last Thursday.

Springsteen told the audience his three recent shows at the Meadowlands in New Jersey were "most enjoyable."

The Boss' longest show was 4 hours and 6 minutes in Helsinki, Finland, in 2012.
Slain IS figure was powerful leader with multiple roles

BEIRUT (AP)  With the killing of Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, the Islamic State group lost one of its most powerful figures, a militant with multiple roles: A propaganda chief, overseer of spectacular attacks in Europe and a trusted lieutenant of the group's top leader.

Al-Adnani was the mastermind of the extremist group's strategy of lashing out abroad with attacks that overshadowed its battlefield losses in Syria and Iraq. He formed militant cells in Europe to carry out organized attacks and inspired "lone wolves" who struck out on their own.

Coming on the heels of the death of the group's war minister, al-Adnani's loss is likely to prompt a shake-up in the IS leadership and may force its shadowy leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to address the loss of its most charismatic figure.

This undated image posted online Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, by supporters of the Islamic State group on an anonymous photo sharing website, shows Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, IS's spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the extremist group's attacks against the West. The IS-run Aamaq news agency said Tuesday, Aug 30, 2016, that al-Adnani was killed while overseeing operations in northern Syria, without providing further details. (Militant Photo via AP)

"Only al-Baghdadi is a more important leader, and al-Adnani was probably positioned to succeed al-Baghadi if he was killed," Thomas Joscelyn, a researcher with the U.S.-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said in an email to The Associated Press.

In a statement announcing his death, IS described al-Adnani as a descendent of Prophet Muhammad's family and tribe, attributes also used to describe al-Baghdadi.

Still, both the Islamic State group  and its forerunner, al-Qaida in Iraq  have overcome past leadership losses, said Joscelyn, editor of the Long War Journal.

News of al-Adnani's death sparked conflicting claims from Washington and Moscow over who targeted him. Russia said Wednesday it killed him along with 40 other militants in a strike in the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo.

Washington said al-Adnani was targeted by a U.S. airstrike on the nearby city of al-Bab, though U.S. officials were still confirming his death.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Wednesday that Washington had no information "to support Russia's claim."

The IS-run Aamaq news agency announced Tuesday that al-Adnani was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo." It didn't provide details.

A U.S. defense official said al-Adnani was believed to have been hit as he was getting into a vehicle in al-Bab, an IS stronghold in Aleppo province that is targeted by American- and Turkish-backed fighters in the push against the extremist group. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence information.

The Soufan Group, a Washington-based consultancy firm that monitors IS activities, said that if confirmed, al-Adnani's death would be one of IS's "most significant personnel losses."

"The death of al-Adnani could blunt the group's siren song to terror, both directed and inspired," the Soufan Group said, though it cautioned that al-Adnani's death is unlikely to bring a halt to IS attacks abroad. IS has already had plenty of time to put plans in place for further strikes, it said.

As a main recruiter of foreign fighters, al-Adnani is believed to have planned and put in action attacks such as the November 2015 Paris attacks that killed more than 100 people. He is also believed to have directed the attacks on the Brussels and Istanbul airports, and the bloody hostage attack in Bangladesh.

The downing of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt's Sinai peninsula as well as the December 2015 attack in San Bernardino, California, and the assault in June on a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, also happened under al-Adnani's watch.

Over 1,800 people were killed and 4,000 wounded in attacks overseen by al-Adnani, said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was no authorized to speak to reporters.

He also oversaw attacks in Baghdad that killed more than 300 people, carried out in retaliation for the Iraqi military's recapture earlier this year of Fallujah, said two Iraqi officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Al-Adnani, whose real name was Taha Sobhi Falaha, was born in the northern Syrian province of Idlib.

Details of his militant career emerged in on-line eulogies and statements by the Islamic State group and its supporters.

Al-Adnani was one of the first to pledge allegiance to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who founded the precursor of IS after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. He rose to be one of his most trusted advisers, and supporters say that al-Zarqawi once told al-Adnani: "Don't consult me, just brief me."

His death, like al-Zarqawi's in a 2006 U.S. airstrike, will only empower al-Adnani's "soldiers," the militants said in announcing al-Adnani's death.

Al-Adnani was a learned student of Islam, becoming strictly observant at a young age. He was a devout reader of religious books, eventually writing his own explainers about Islamic laws and traditions. He leaves behind a wealth of recorded messages with his distinct nasal voice reciting poetry in classical Arabic. His supporters said he was so zealous about teaching that there were times when he would hold as many as 14 classes a night.

He was arrested frequently by the Syrian government, including in the border town of Boukamal as he headed for the first time to Iraq in the early 2000s. He was imprisoned by the Americans twice in Iraq, spending six years in prison, held along with al-Zarqawi's strongest backers.

In Iraq, al-Adnani set up a military camp in Haditha, west of Baghdad, where he trained new recruits. He was a religious judge in Iraq's militant-held western Anbar area before taking on the role of the spokesman for IS's precursor organization, reflecting how trusted he had become as a veteran member of the group.

In late June 2014, al-Adnani formally announced the formation of a caliphate, or Islamic state, stretching across parts of Syria and Iraq, under al-Baghdadi's leadership and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.

A powerful orator, he went on to become the voice of IS. He released numerous audio files online in which he delivered fiery sermons urging followers to kill civilians in nations that supported the U.S.-led coalition against the group.

Earlier this year, he called for massive attacks during Ramadan, a call that translated into the bloodiest Muslim holy month in recent memory. The Iraqi officials said he was believed to be personally responsible for al-Baghadadi's policy of remaining in deep hiding, and that he chaired meetings on al-Baghdadi's behalf.

"Al-Adnani served several roles. Therefore, he may be replaced by multiple men," Joscelyn said.

______________

Associated Press writers Robert Burns in Washington and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report.
Pope assumes responsibility for migrants in Vatican reform

VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis is showing his profound concern for refugees by assuming direct responsibility for migrant issues in a new Vatican department that merges four Vatican offices into one handling peace, the environment and human trafficking issues.

The Vatican issued the statutes Wednesday for the new Vatican dicastery, which puts the pontifical councils for migrants, peace and justice, health workers and charity under one roof. The reorganization is part of Francis' overall reform of the Vatican bureaucracy to make it more streamlined and responsive to the needs of dioceses.

Francis named Cardinal Peter Turkson to lead the department. The Ghanaian cardinal currently heads the Vatican's justice and peace office and has been the front man for Francis' landmark environment encyclical. While Turkson is in charge of the overall office, the Vatican said Francis would personally oversee migrant issues.

Pope Francis delivers his message during his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Francis has made clear that the refugee crisis facing Europe, the Middle East and the Americas is the priority of his pontificate and has vowed to fight what he calls today's "globalization of indifference."

His first trip outside Rome as pope was to the island of Lampedusa, destination for migrants smuggled from Libya. He prayed at the U.S.-Mexico border and said anyone who wants to build a wall there isn't Christian. And most recently, he brought a dozen Syrian refugees home with him when he visited the hard-hit Greek island of Lesbos to show solidarity with new arrivals.

The new Vatican office, which takes effect Jan. 1, puts the Vatican's social justice-minded offices together, evidence of Francis' keen aim to make better known the part of the church's activities as a "field hospital" for wounded souls. The fact that he also placed "Cor Unum," the Vatican's main charity arm, alongside shows that he wants to be able to provide material assistance as well to all those in need.

The new Vatican office marks the fourth major phase of Francis' overhaul of the Vatican bureaucracy. He has created a new economy ministry to oversee the Vatican's finances; a communications secretariat to unite the Vatican's newspaper, radio, television, and press office operations; and an office for Catholic laity that merges previous offices of laity and family.

The new office is likely to be the most high-profile since the issues it deals with  the environment, migration, the sick, prisoners, modern-day slaves  are those closest to Francis' heart.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

People try shelter from heavy rain during Pope Francis's general audience in St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis is escorted under an umbrella during a thunderstorm at the end of his general audience, in St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The pontiff had to interrupt his final greetings and leave in a closed car as a sudden rain storm hit the Vatican. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis waves to faithful as he is driven through the crowd ahead of his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Mexico angry at president's 'humiliating' meeting with Trump

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico's president was savaged on social media and in political circles following his joint press conference Wednesday with Donald Trump, with many seeing a national humiliation in his welcoming of a man who has derided migrants as rapists and criminals.

President Enrique Pena Nieto said Mexicans felt "aggrieved" and had disagreements with the Republican presidential candidate, but he never did what people here wanted most: demand that Trump apologize. Adding to the anger, in the press conference Trump repeated his promise to build a border wall between the countries.

"Trump can leave at ease now. The humiliation was complete," Televisa news anchor Carlos Loret de Mola tweeted, after lamenting that Trump would dare to reiterate his intention to build a wall "in our face and home."

FILE - In this Friday, July 10, 2015 file photo, Alicia Lopez Fernandez paints a pinata depicting Donald Trump at her family's store "Pinatas Mena Banbolinos" in Mexico City. In a surprise move, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico on Wednesday, Aug. 31, to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before the Republican delivers a highly anticipated speech on immigration. Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's original immigration policy and compared his language to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying it had hurt U.S.-Mexico relations. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

And writer Angeles Mastretta wrote on her Twitter account that Mexicans saw "what was expected: a president who isn't capable of demanding apologies ... how sad."

While Trump tried to mend fences by calling Mexican-Americans "spectacular" and "amazing," and arguing that illegal immigration and the flight of manufacturing jobs were hurting Mexicans as well as Americans, his words did little to win hearts and minds south of the border.

Mexico security analyst Alejandro Hope called the meeting "a disaster."

"Trump didn't alter his positions one little bit," Hope said. "He just dressed them up a little in less incendiary language." Of Pena Nieto, Hope said "in the end, he gave Trump an opportunity to show off, while getting nothing in return. Good work, guys."

Pena Nieto later appeared to contradict Trump when he said in a tweet that during their private meeting he told the Republican candidate clearly that Mexico would not pay for the wall. In their joint press conference, Trump had said they did not discuss who would pay for the wall's construction at which point Pena Nieto said nothing.

Many Mexicans were disappointed and disgusted that Trump was invited at all. After all, Mexicans have already made  and beaten to pulp  pinatas of Trump. They created a video game in which players can throw soccer balls, cactus leaves and tequila bottles at a cartoon image of Trump.

But when the man himself came to Mexico, he was treated with kid gloves and given a warm reception at the presidential residence. The meeting could end up hurting Pena Nieto, whose popularity is already at an all-time low near 20 percent, according to recent polls.

Former President Vicente Fox said that Trump was trying to boost his sagging campaign. "He fooled him (Pena Nieto) ... he's using him to try to recover lost votes."

Artist Arturo Meade joined one of the few small protests prior to the meeting with his 2 -year old son Mariano, and shook his head in disgust.

"This is an insult and a betrayal," he said. "What can this meeting bring us, except surrealism in all its splendor?"

Many Mexicans felt the Republican candidate had left Pena Nieto flat-footed by accepting an invitation that Pena Nieto had made simply for appearances' sake.

El Universal newspaper wrote in an editorial that Trump "caught Mexican diplomats off guard" by accepting the invitation.

"They wanted to invite Hillary (Clinton), but that meant inviting both of them and nobody thought Trump would accept first," said Hope. "What's in it for Mexico? Here there's nothing to gain. The upside is all for Trump."

Historically, the golden rule of Mexico's foreign policy has been to avoid being seen as taking sides in U.S. politics; hence the two invitations, even though Mexico favors Hillary Clinton's position on a path to citizenship for migrants.

Pena Nieto acknowledged he had invited both candidates, and said he did it because "I believe in dialogue to promote Mexico's interests and above all to protect Mexicans everywhere."

Abraham Garnica, 31, who works as an engineer in Mexico City, was left scratching his head trying to think of a reason why Pena Nieto might have agreed to the meeting.

"They must be afraid he might win, and so they're saying, 'Just in case, we'll shake his hand,'" Garnica said.

Yolanda Herrera, a 66-year-old Mexico City housewife, sought to put the best light on what, to many, felt like a national humiliation.

"Let's hope that ... he sees that he was really wrong about what he said," Herrera said of Trump. "I think this is a display of the fact that we Mexicans are a very sympathetic people."
It's a girl! Giant panda gives Madrid Zoo 1st female birth

MADRID (AP)  There's a new giant panda in Madrid, and it's the first female of the endangered species born at the Spanish capital's zoo.

The zoo said Hua Zui Ba gave birth just before dawn Wednesday to a cub weighing 180 grams (6.35 ounces). The zoo says the cub is "well formed, very active and has excellent vital signs."

It is already suckling, and zoo experts say they are confident of its progress in the crucial first week of life.

In this image released by the Zoo Aquarium de Madrid, a newly born giant panda cub lies in a cot where vets examined her, at the Madrid zoo, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016. There's a new giant panda in Madrid, and it's the first female in the history of the Spanish capital's zoo. The zoo said Hua Zui Ba gave birth just before dawn Wednesday to a cub weighing 180 grams. The zoo says the cub is "well formed, very active and has excellent vital signs.". (Zoo Aquarium de Madrid, via AP)

The specialists at the Madrid zoo were assisted by experts from China's Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding. They knew the birth was approaching when Hua Zui Ba became increasingly lethargic, stopped eating and began to lick her paws.

The Madrid zoo now has four giant pandas.

In this image released by the Madrid's Zoo Aquarium, Hua Zui Ba, a giant panda, holds her newly born baby after giving birth at the Madrid zoo, Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016. There's a new giant panda in Madrid, and it's the first female in the history of the Spanish capital's zoo. The zoo said Hua Zui Ba gave birth just before dawn Wednesday to a cub weighing 180 grams (6.35 ounces). The zoo says the cub is "well formed, very active and has excellent vital signs." (Madrid Zoo Aquarium via AP)
German Cabinet OKs rules expanding media courtroom access

BERLIN (AP)  Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet has approved a proposal to ease audio and video recording and broadcasting of some German trials.

The proposal passed Wednesday, which still needs parliamentary approval, foresees allowing the audio transmission of trials to media rooms within the courthouse, live public video broadcasts of verdicts by the country's highest appellate courts, and video "documentation" of trials of historical interest for archive purposes.

In the latter case, the video would only be available for researchers and not to be broadcast.
Dockers block French port of Le Havre over activists' arrest

PARIS (AP)  Dock workers briefly blocked traffic at the French port of Le Havre after two colleagues were arrested over earlier protest violence.

The regional administration for the Le Havre area said the port was blocked Wednesday morning but activity picked up again after midday. The administration said it began after two union activists were arrested over unrest at a protest earlier this year, which was targeting a labor law making it easier to fire workers and extend working hours.
Officials: Woman kidnapped by husband dead, man brain-dead

PITTSBURGH (AP)  A man accused of kidnapping his wife while he was under home confinement on charges he beat and abducted her two months ago has been declared brain dead following a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said Wednesday.

The Allegheny County medical examiner's office said Wednesday that it had been "advised of the brain death" of Kevin Ewing, 47, and an autopsy was pending as Ewing remained on a ventilator until a decision about organ donation was made.

Ewing was in an undisclosed hospital after shooting himself in a West Finley Township barn, officials said. His 48-year-old wife, Tierne Ewing, was found shot to death in the same barn after state troopers surrounded it, ending a daylong manhunt Tuesday.

FILE - This undated driver's license photo provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation shows Tierne Ewing of West Finley Township, Pa. Pennsylvania State Police said Ewing was found dead Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, after she was kidnapped by her husband Kevin Ewing, who was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police forced their way into a barn several miles from where the woman was abducted. Kevin Ewing had been out on bond and under home confinement on charges he beat his wife and abducted her from June 26 to July 8, 2016. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation via AP, File)

Ewing abducted his wife at gunpoint from his mother's home, also in West Finley, near the West Virginia border, at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said. Her car was found near a wooded area eight hours later, prompting a search that ended around 9 p.m. when police surrounded the nearby barn.

Tierne Ewing's parents have questioned the way authorities handled charges against Kevin Ewing in the earlier case.

Tierne Ewing told police her husband beat and pistol-whipped her, spat on her, kept her hands tied with wire or duct tape and imprisoned in their home, often with a gun to her head from June 26 to July 8. Kevin Ewing also branded her legs with a piece of hot metal, according to a criminal complaint.

Tierne Ewing had staples  a home remedy  closing a cut on her head that she told police was the result of her husband hitting her with a wooden gun stock.

She escaped when her husband forced her into a credit union to withdraw money, only to tell tellers of her ordeal and they called police.

Ewing unexpectedly posted $100,000 bond on July 11, so a prosecutor asked a judge to put him back in jail citing an unspecified history of domestic abuse and past injuries to his wife, Washington County District Attorney Eugene Vittone said.

The judge refused but did order Kevin Ewing confined to his mother's home, without weapons, and ordered him to have no contact with his wife. He was also made to wear an ankle bracelet that would alert authorities if he left the home.

Despite the court order, his wife had been living in an apartment in his mother's home for several days before she was abducted this week, investigators said. The mother, Rose Riggle, told police that her daughter-in-law had been visiting him at her house for weeks.

Hours before Ewing abducted his wife, Riggle heard them arguing then saw him with a black revolver that belonged to her ex-husband, investigators said.

Riggle told police that her son made his wife pack bags containing food and clothes and forced her to leave the house with him. When Riggle tried to intervene, her son pushed her down, the affidavit said.

He then cut off his electronic ankle bracelet and handed it to his mother before leaving, she told police.

Riggle, reached at home Wednesday by The Associated Press, said she was aware of the court-ordered restrictions her son faced, but she hung up when questioned about them.

Tierne Ewing's father told reporters on Tuesday that Kevin Ewing had harmed his daughter repeatedly in the 38 years the couple knew each other.

"She was scared to death of him. He threatened her all the time, and he beat her up several times," Richard Kopko said after authorities told him his daughter was dead.

Online court records show Kevin Ewing pleaded guilty to simple assault and spent more than seven months in jail for an April 2001 attack on his wife.

"She told me years ago, 'Dad, if you can't ever find me, I'll be buried on his dad's farm,'" Kopko said. (The barn where the couple was found wasn't on the father's farm.)

Kopko and his wife didn't answer repeated phone calls on Wednesday.

FILE - This undated file driver's license photo provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation shows Kevin Ewing of West Finley Township, Pa. Tierne Ewing who was kidnapped at gunpoint by her husband Kevin Ewing while he was under home confinement on charges he beat and abducted her two months earlier was found dead inside a barn, and he was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, state police said Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation via AP, File)
Romania Senate leader criticizes US envoy's Moldova remarks

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  The speaker of Romania's Senate has criticized recent statements made by the U.S. Ambassador to neighboring Moldova who said that Moldova should not reunite with Romania.

Moldova was part of Romania until 1940 when it was annexed to the Soviet Union. The top U.S. envoy to Moldova, James D. Pettit, said Moldova should "remain a sovereign, independent state," and reunification with Romania was not "a practical option," remarks made as the nation celebrated 25 years of independence.

Although there is little real support for reunification, Pettit's comments have struck a nerve in both Moldova and Romania, where many people resent larger nations deciding their country's destiny.
To quell uproar, Maine governor seeks 'spiritual guidance'

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  Republican Gov. Paul LePage said Wednesday he intends to seek "spiritual guidance" in hopes of quieting a controversy he created when he left an obscene message on a Democratic lawmaker's voicemail and then said he wished he could challenge him to a duel and point a gun at him.

As top Democrats continued their calls for LePage's resignation, a fissure has emerged between House and Senate Republicans over whether the self-described straight talker is taking enough responsibility for his remarks and whether legislative action should be ruled out.

The governor also has gotten an earful from top Republicans across the country, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2016, file photo, Gov. Paul LePage speaks at a news conference at the State House in Augusta, Maine. Lepage said Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, he intends to seek "spiritual guidance" in hopes of quieting a controversy he created when he left an obscene message on a Democratic lawmaker's voicemail and then said he wished he could challenge him to a duel and point a gun at him. LePage said he doesn't intend to talk to the media anymore, a claim he has made before. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

"He said, 'What the hell are you doing?'" LePage told WLOB talk radio.

LePage said he's had "long chats" with Christie and Florida GOP Gov. Rick Scott.

LePage apologized to the Democratic lawmaker, state Rep. Drew Gattine, and later blamed the media for fueling the fight. He also denied claims by some legislators that his seemingly erratic behavior was caused by addiction or mental health issues.

"I'm not an alcoholic. I'm not a drug addict. I don't have mental issues," he said. "What I have is a backbone, and I want to move Maine forward."

LePage, a second-term governor, said he doesn't intend to talk to the media anymore, a claim he has made before.

In recent days, legislators have called for LePage to step down or get professional help after his remarks to Gattine and comments he made blaming blacks and Hispanics for Maine's heroin epidemic. LePage, who's Roman Catholic, responded Wednesday by saying he wouldn't resign and instead intended to seek "spiritual guidance." He didn't elaborate.

The Republican leader of the state House, Ken Fredette, said LePage is accepting responsibility for his actions, and he urged lawmakers to focus on November elections and LePage's reform agenda. Maine GOP Chairman Rick Bennett echoed such sentiments and said the governor's words, though "politically and socially unacceptable," are not an impeachable offense under the state constitution.

But Republican Senate President Mike Thibodeau said he's "struggling" with whether LePage is taking enough responsibility. He said "any one of us" would be unemployed after leaving such a voicemail and added he asked LePage to seek professional counseling.

Thibodeau said he'll poll his caucus and talk to Democrats to see if "this is the end" for any possible punishments for LePage, who has evaded discipline for previous political missteps.

Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett said, "Maine won't stand for inaction." He asked supporters to call Republican lawmakers to push for LePage's resignation.

Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond said he remains unconvinced LePage can lead and called for bipartisan leaders to discuss a special session.

About 200 state residents gathered Wednesday in Gattine's hometown, Westbrook, to rally for decency and to call for civil discourse. The city initially was going to host a town hall meeting with LePage at a teen center, but the host cited space concerns and the event was canceled.

Last week, the governor left a foul-mouthed voicemail message for Gattine that said in part, "I am after you," and then he told reporters he wished he could go back in time and challenge Gattine to a duel and point a gun "right between his eyes." LePage said he was angry because he believed Gattine had called him a racist, something Gattine denied.

LePage apologized on Tuesday, saying his behavior was "unacceptable," and met with Gattine on Wednesday. Gattine said that despite the apology he thinks LePage should resign.

LePage denied using "racially charged language" and issued no apology for his remarks blaming out-of-state blacks and Hispanics for fueling Maine's heroin epidemic, despite contradictory FBI data. He said he keeps photos of drug dealers arrested in his state in a binder and it shows 90 percent of them are blacks and Hispanics from Connecticut and New York.

Previously, LePage has complained about out-of-state drug dealers named "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" impregnating young white girls and associated a rise in infectious diseases with immigrants without providing data. He has blamed liberals for inserting race into his comments and distorting his meaning.

State Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) speaks to the media after meeting with Gov. Paul LePage Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, in Augusta, Maine, where LePage apologized to Gattine for leaving a foul-mouthed voicemail message for him last week. (AP Photo/Marina Villeneuve)

People clap during speeches at a rally to protest recent remarks by Maine Gov. Paul LePage in Capital Park in Augusta, Maine, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. Amid political pressure and calls for his resignation, Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday suggested that he might be considering stepping aside but seemed to reject the idea entirely hours later in a tweet, saying, "The reports of my political demise are greatly exaggerated." (Joe Phelan/The Kennebec Journal via AP)
The Latest: Rally for decency held after governor's outburst

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  The Latest on fallout from GOP Gov. Paul LePage's obscenity-laced tirade against a Democratic legislator (all times local):

7:50 p.m.

About 200 Maine residents have gathered to rally for decency and to call for civil discourse following Republican Gov. Paul LePage's obscenity-laced tirade against a Democratic legislator.

State Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) speaks to the media after meeting with Gov. Paul LePage Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, in Augusta, Maine, where LePage apologized to Gattine for leaving a foul-mouthed voicemail message for him last week. (AP Photo/Marina Villeneuve)

They held the event Wednesday night in Westbrook, the hometown of state Rep. Drew Gattine (gah-TEEN').

Last week LePage left Gattine a foul-mouthed voicemail message and told reporters he wished he could go back in time and challenge Gattine to a duel and point a gun "right between his eyes." LePage says he was angry because he believed Gattine had called him a racist, something Gattine denies.

Westbrook initially was going to host a town hall meeting with LePage at a teen center. But the host cited space concerns and the event was canceled. Many residents opposed the idea of LePage holding such an event in the city after recently bashing Gattine.

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3:40 p.m.

The chairman of the Maine Republican Party says he doesn't deny that GOP Gov. Paul LePage has flaws, but he also believes the governor is a passionate fighter for the state's people.

GOP Chairman Rick Bennett said Wednesday that residents are "understandably outraged" by comments recently made by LePage.

Last week, the governor left an obscene message on the voicemail of a Democratic legislator and accused minorities of driving Maine's heroin crisis.

Bennett says Maine residents have also "benefited greatly" from LePage's time as governor. LePage was elected in 2010. Bennett says LePage has demonstrated his commitment to the state by focusing on issues such as economic growth.

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11 a.m.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage is rejecting some lawmakers' assertions that he has addiction or mental health issues and is vowing that he won't resign.

Addressing a handful of reporters Wednesday, the Republican said he's not an alcoholic or drug addict and doesn't "have mental issues."

LePage says he plans to seek "spiritual guidance" in hopes of quieting a controversy he created when he left an obscene message on a Democratic lawmaker's voicemail and then said he wished he could challenge him to a duel and point a gun at him.

But he also blamed the media for fueling the controversy and said he won't be speaking to reporters anymore.

LePage apologized to the lawmaker earlier Wednesday. He said he was angry because state Rep. Drew Gattine called him a racist, something Gattine has denied.

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10:15 a.m.

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he and his family will seek "spiritual guidance" after he created a controversy by leaving an obscene rant on a Democratic lawmaker's voicemail and said he'd like to point a gun between the lawmaker's eyes.

LePage met with the lawmaker Wednesday to apologize personally for his behavior last week.

Some legislators had called for the governor to seek help, and LePage responded Wednesday by saying he was seeking "spiritual guidance" in finding closure.

In a statement, his wife said the family recognizes "the grace and guidance from God can make us stronger in life."

LePage said he was angry because state Rep. Drew Gattine called him a racist, something Gattine has denied. LePage has said repeatedly blacks and Hispanics are responsible for fueling Maine's heroin epidemic.

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9:50 a.m.

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage has met with a Democratic lawmaker to apologize for leaving an obscene rant on his voicemail and for making a comment about aiming a gun between his eyes.

Rep. Drew Gattine (gah-TEEN') said Wednesday that despite the apology he thinks LePage should no longer serve as governor.

LePage concluded his voicemail by saying "I am after you" and then told reporters he wished he could go back in time so he could challenge Gattine to a duel and point a gun "right between his eyes."

LePage said he was angry because Gattine called him a racist, something Gattine has denied.
Tough to swallow: An outbreak of hepatitis A has been linked to imported Egyptian strawberries used in smoothies

A hepatitis A outbreak linked to Egyptian strawberries has grown to more than 50 cases in four states.

A health official in West Virginia says three confirmed cases in the state's Eastern Panhandle are linked to frozen berries used at a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Martinsburg, and another case is under investigation.

Jefferson County Health Department physician director David Didden told The Journal that cases linked to the cafes in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina are being investigated as well.

Virginia health officials have confirmed at least 40 of the viral infections, which can damage the liver.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe representative Peyton Sadler said the contaminated strawberries have all been pulled, and now they're using strawberries from California and Mexico.

Hepatitis A is a viral infection that affects the liver, and its highly contagious.

It can be caught from fecal / oral contaminated foods that has been poorly cooked.

Most commonly, people get hepatitis A from contaminated foods or that which is poorly cooked food. It can often occur in meats, in mayonnaise and chicken, but could be present in anything.

A number of the infections have been found to have come from this Florida panhandle smoothie shop

In Virginia, the state health department traced the infection to an employee at the Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Gainesville. Anyone who ate at the restaurant from July 28 through August 18 may have been exposed to hepatitis A, state health officials warned.

The department said at the time that genetic tests showed the illnesses to be caused by a strain of hepatitis A virus associated with past outbreaks resulting from strawberries imported from Egypt.

On Friday, Virginia health authorities confirmed the link between the Egyptian fruit and local infections.

The symptoms of hepatitis A are very broad and can range from nausea, stomach pain, low-grade fever and diarrhea to a headache and sore throat.

Many patients dont bother seeing a doctor unless they develop symptoms like yellowing of the eyes or dark urine.

Most people who get hepatitis A dont even know they had it. About 99.9 per cent get sick and get over it.

People who think theyve consumed the contaminated food, or those who live with someone who may be infected, should see a doctor.

Individuals around infected people can also get a hepatitis A vaccine, to help protect them.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (PDF) reported 15 confirmed cases of hepatitis A infections and 89 probable cases in 14 countries between November 1, 2012, and April 30, 2013. All 104 of these cases were linked to travel to Egypt.
'Help Wanted' signs go unanswered at some small businesses

NEW YORK (AP)  Small businesses that can't find the right people to fill their job openings may be suffering from a Great Recession hangover.

Their futile searches may partly reflect a healthier economy  more people have jobs, reducing the pool of applicants and the success rate of broad strategies like online job postings. For some, the challenge is finding staff with very specific technology skills. Changes in the workforce can also make it difficult, especially among younger people who may prefer big cities and have different work goals. Nearly a fifth of small business owners surveyed by American Express this spring said finding the right staff is their biggest challenge while expanding their companies.

But owners can also make life difficult for themselves. Some hold to inflexible models developed during the recession  like posting complex jobs for relatively low pay  and many candidates say no because they get better offers. Some employers are still trying to hire one person to do the work of two or three, a tactic that might have worked several years ago but not now, says Steve Lindner, CEO of The WorkPlace Group, a recruiting firm based in Florham Park, New Jersey.

In this Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, photo, Christine Perkins, who owns Pyara Spa and Salons at two locations in the Boston area, poses at a stylist station at her salon in Burlington, Mass. Perkins struggles to find candidates to style hair, do manicures and give massages, in part because some beauty schools in the region have closed. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

"You're asking for way too much versus what you're willing to pay," Lindner says.

The recovering economy helped many entrepreneurs launch companies, but also has made hiring tougher in some areas. Paul Turano's 3-year-old restaurant, Cook, has six openings including a bartender, servers and a sous chef. The Boston area is filled with upscale restaurants like Cook.

"It's frustrating because I don't know how to change it," Turano says. "We've tried agencies, online, back to basics like hanging a sign in our window that says, 'Come join our team.'"

Cook offers incentives like vacation and a retirement plan. But Turano is also up against changing attitudes  many people he interviews decide they don't want to do the hard work a restaurant requires.

The ripple effect from business closures during the recession has also complicated some hiring. Christine Perkins struggles to find candidates to style hair, do manicures and give massages at her two Boston-area spas, Pyara, in part because some beauty schools in the region have closed.

Perkins has other frustrations. She's looking for full-time staffers willing to make a commitment in order to deliver good customer service. She offers benefits including a 401(k) retirement plan. But she says many younger candidates aren't interested in full-time work, and some tell her they don't want to work more than 10 hours a week.

"We can barely train you and keep you updated, let alone taking care of customers," Perkins says.

Companies in places like San Francisco and Silicon Valley are up against intense competition for workers. GreatUsefulStuff.com, which operates websites selling products for home, office and travel, has had several positions open for three to four months. Two candidates accepted jobs, then said they received better offers elsewhere.

"I had not run into anything quite like that before," says Jeff Block, CEO of the 12-year-old company based in San Francisco. He's considering broadening his search to other cities and allowing new hires to work remotely.

While Block is widening his parameters, other companies may be hurting themselves. Some are too rigid about the type of candidate they're looking for, says Tricia Lucas, owner of Lucas Select, a recruiting company based in Cary, North Carolina.

Lucas' specialty is finding salespeople to sell software to businesses. The greatest demand and shortest supply is for people with five to seven years of experience. There are plenty of more-experienced people, but companies don't want to hire these workers.

"They're trying to control their costs and this is a way they think they can do it," she says. "They think, 'we can fill that seat with somebody cheaper.'"

Many companies also don't want to have to train new hires, recruiter Lindner says. That's often another consequence of the recession, when employers had more candidates to choose from and could turn down those who needed training in order to avoid spending time and money bringing them up to speed.

Owners in a time crunch may not invest the time necessary to find top-notch hires, says Jay Starkman, CEO of Engage PEO, a human resources provider based in Hollywood, Florida. That includes continual networking, talking with as many people as possible to see if they know of good candidates  including people who have jobs.

"Sending out postings on LinkedIn and some other job boards and expecting that this flood of candidates will come in  those days don't exist anymore," Starkman says.

Not being able to find the right employees is keeping some small businesses from expanding. Kelly Fitzgerald's public relations company, Breakaway Communications, is perpetually in need of more staffers to promote technology clients.

People with three or four years of experience in technology public relations can be hard to find; many are in jobs they like and aren't moving, Fitzgerald says. She also finds that younger candidates often don't show what qualifications they would offer and instead say, "I think your organization will be good for me."

Fitzgerald has offices in New York and San Francisco with 17 staffers, but would love to have twice that number and be able to say yes to prospective customers.

"Unless we have the right teams, we can't do it," Fitzgerald says.

___

Follow Joyce Rosenberg at www.twitter.com/JoyceMRosenberg . Her work can be found here: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joyce-m-rosenberg

In this Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, photo, Christine Perkins, who owns Pyara Spa and Salons at two locations in the Boston area, poses at her salon in Burlington, Mass. Perkins struggles to find candidates to style hair, do manicures and give massages, in part because some beauty schools in the region have closed. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

In this Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, photo, Christine Perkins, right, who owns Pyara Spa and Salons at two locations in the Boston area, applies nail polish for a client at her salon in Burlington, Mass. Perkins struggles to find candidates to style hair, do manicures and give massages, in part because some beauty schools in the region have closed. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
No-tipping trend now at more restaurants, with mixed results

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  When the bill comes after a meal, there's no crunching numbers for the tip  just pay and go.

A small but growing number of restaurants are doing away with the tipping model that's long been the norm in the United States. It's an effort to even disparate pay among restaurant staff and offer them more predictability, as well as a means to cope with rising minimum wages and other industry changes. While restaurants that have eliminated the entrenched practice have seen mixed results  and some ended up abandoning the experiment  a number of restaurants are still trying it.

"Primarily we wanted to take the reins of compensating our employees," said Andy Fortang of Le Pigeon in Portland, Oregon, which eliminated tipping in June.

In this Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, photo, a printed explanation of a no-tip policy sits on a table at Park Kitchen restaurant in Portland, Ore. A small but growing number of restaurants are doing away with the tipping model that has long been the norm in the U.S. in an effort to even disparate pay among restaurant staff, as well as a means to cope with rising minimum wages and other industry changes. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Le Pigeon raised its prices an average of 20 percent and now compensates workers with a mix of base pay and a percentage of the night's food and beverage sales. Cooks, dishwashers and other "back of the house" employees got a slight pay increase, and waitstaff, bartenders and other "front of the house" staff took a small cut, but everyone shares in the success of a busy night.

"The staff in our restaurants are well-trained, intelligent individuals and they are passionate," Fortang said. "It seems fair they be paid an award for that, instead of just leaving that to someone who may or may not leave a tip."

Some restaurant owners see tipping as a flawed system. Aaron Adams, who owns the no-tips Farm Spirit in Portland, says it creates a "weird dynamic" between the customer and server. His hope is to keep raising pay so his staff can support their families and buy homes.

Tipping also creates a pay gulf between restaurant staff. Researchers at Cornell University and Ohio State University found that in large metro areas, the median weekly wages of front-of-house employees exceeded those of back-of-house employees by 29 to 80 percent. At fine dining establishments, where the gap is largest, that means a median of $792 versus $441.

Servers in some states also contend with laws that let employers pay less  sometimes below minimum wage  and allow tips to make up the difference.

But minimum wage hikes began to raise restaurant expenses and threatened to widen the pay divide by increasing the base wage for tipped workers. A chef shortage grew more severe. And for several western states, a court upheld a federal rule that prohibits tip-sharing among all staff members, which used to be commonplace.

Only a handful of U.S. restaurants have adopted the no-tipping model, the National Restaurant Association says. It hasn't always been a success.

Thad Vogler of Trou Normand and Bar Agricole in San Francisco did away with tips at the beginning of 2015 but brought them back 10 months later because he kept losing staff to competitors that did allow tipping. Joe's Crab Shack, a national chain, reduced its no-tipping experiment from 18 restaurants to four after a poor response from customers and staff. Robert Merritt, CEO of parent company Ignite Restaurants, said the system needs to change, but "customers and staff spoke very loudly and a lot of them voted with their feet."

Still, Union Square Hospitality Group, which owns Gramercy Park Tavern and other restaurants in New York, is eliminating tipping at all its properties by the end of 2016 and said thus far guests have largely received it well. And a handful of notable Portland restaurants announced plans this summer to adopt the model, based on the success of restaurants in Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

"Everyone is looking at this because there are external issues that are pushing restaurants to look at their bottom line," said Scott Dolich of Park Kitchen, which dropped tips and raised prices in June.

Dolich says he can now pay staff equitably. He also revamped shifts so most employees work full-time and in multiple roles. Wyeth Yogi, who used to work solely in the kitchen, says he enjoys the mix of work and increased pay. But it didn't go over smoothly with everyone, and nearly all the servers left because of the change.

Other restaurants saw similar issues. ChefStable, which runs several Portland restaurants, tested a no-tipping model at its bar Loyal Legion more than a year ago. But owner Kurt Huffman said he realized it was a mistake after watching customer after customer push cash toward his staff and them having to refuse it.

"It didn't just not work," he said. "It was a revelation as to what a terrible idea it is to begin with."

After tipping returned, Huffman said the average pay for front-of-house staff jumped from $18 an hour to more than $30 an hour and service improved. He kept the higher wages for kitchen workers.

"It was clearly an idiotic business model," he said. "The people who really lose out are the servers, they are just going to get less and less and less."

Garrett Schumacher, who worked as a bartender at Loyal Legion before and after the switch, said he supported the model at first  it provided a steady wage and helped the kitchen staff. But it was a lot less pay. And tips provide a middle-class living for many, and keep restaurant prices low  two things he'd hate to see disappear.

"While it's a noble experiment, I don't know if we are ready for it as a city or a country," he said.

In this Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, photo, Caroline Pond, who serves as sous chef, server and bartender, takes an order at Park Kitchen restaurant in Portland, Ore. A small but growing number of restaurants are doing away with the tipping model that has long been the norm in the U.S. in an effort to even disparate pay among restaurant staff, as well as a means to cope with rising minimum wages and other industry changes. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

In this Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, photo, Caroline Pond, who serves as sous chef, server and bartender, talks with customers to their table at Park Kitchen restaurant in Portland, Ore. A small but growing number of restaurants are doing away with the tipping model that has long been the norm in the U.S. in an effort to even disparate pay among restaurant staff, as well as a means to cope with rising minimum wages and other industry changes. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

In this Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, photo, a printed explanation of a no-tip policy rests on a table at Park Kitchen restaurant in Portland, Ore. A small but growing number of restaurants are doing away with the tipping model that has long been the norm in the U.S. in an effort to even disparate pay among restaurant staff, as well as a means to cope with rising minimum wages and other industry changes. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

In this Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, photo, Park Kitchen owner and chef Scott Dolich talks about a no-tip policy at his restaurant in Portland, Ore. A small but growing number of restaurants are doing away with the tipping model that has long been the norm in the U.S. in an effort to even disparate pay among restaurant staff, as well as a means to cope with rising minimum wages and other industry changes. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
Man accused of south Alabama massacre pleads not guilty

MOBILE, Ala. (AP)  A Mississippi man accused of killing five people in a south Alabama home with blows from an ax and gunshots pleaded not guilty Wednesday, and the father of one victim said he hopes the case goes to trial because he wants to see what prompted the attack.

Derrick Dearman, 27, of Leakesville, Mississippi, glanced at his relatives a few times during a brief arraignment hearing before Mobile County Judge Rick Stout.

Dearman entered the not guilty pleas after Stout read multiple charges including capital murder and kidnapping. The judge scheduled a preliminary hearing for Oct. 17, when authorities will have to reveal some of their evidence.

Dearman, who is jailed without bond, previously told reporters the slayings happened while he was high on methamphetamine.

Authorities allege Dearman used an ax and guns to attack three men and two women as they slept Aug. 20 at a rural house in Citronelle where his estranged girlfriend, Laneta Lester, had sought refuge after accusing Dearman of abuse. The dead included Lester's brother, who lived in the house with his wife.

The father of another victim, Robert Lee Brown, was in the courtroom.

"I'm happy he (pleaded) not guilty because I want to see all the evidence," Robert F. Brown told reporters outside the courtroom. Brown said his son's two young sons might want to know details of the killings at some point in the future.

District Attorney Ashley Rich said her office likely will seek the death penalty against Dearman. That means a trial would have to be held even if Dearman later changes his plea to guilty; a state law requires prosecutors in such cases to prove they have evidence enough for a conviction.
Swiss supreme court rejects Russian Paralympic ban appeal

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP)  Switzerland's supreme court says it has dismissed Russia's appeal to compete at the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The Swiss Federal Tribunal says its judge dismissed the Russian Paralympic Committee's request for an interim ruling overturning a ban by the International Paralympic Committee because of state-sponsored doping.

The court says the Russian body had not demonstrated it had fulfilled all its obligations to anti-doping rules.

Russia's request that individual athletes be allowed to compete was also rejected because they were not specified parties to appeals against the ban.
Africa's elephants rapidly declining as poaching thrives

HONOLULU (AP)  The number of savanna elephants in Africa is rapidly declining and the animals are in danger of being wiped out as international and domestic ivory trades drive poaching across the continent, according to a study released Wednesday.

Africa's savanna elephant population plummeted by about 30 percent from 2007 to 2014 and is declining at about 8 percent a year, said a survey funded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen.

"If we can't save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africa's wildlife?" elephant ecologist Mike Chase, the lead researcher, said in a statement. "I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come."

In this June 2014 photo provided by Vulcan Inc., African savanna elephants graze in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The number of savanna elephants in Africa is rapidly declining and the animals are in danger of being wiped out as international and domestic ivory trades continue to drive poaching across the continent, according to a study released Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (Great Elephant Census, Vulcan Inc. via AP)

The aerial survey covered 18 countries using dozens of airplanes to fly the equivalent of going to the moon and partway back. The study, known as the Great Elephant Census and involving 90 scientists, estimated a population of 352,271 savanna elephants.

Overall, researchers spotted about 12 carcasses for every 100 live elephants, indicating poaching at a high enough level to cause population decline. But the rates were much higher than that in some countries.

Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania experienced greater population declines than previously known, and elephants face local extinction in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Zambia, the study said. It also says numbers of elephants in South Africa, Uganda and parts of Malawi and Kenya were stable or partly increasing.

Results of the study were announced ahead of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Honolulu.

Allen, who provided $7 million for the effort, said he decided to launch the census after hearing three years ago that there had not been a comprehensive count of African elephants in decades.

"I took my first trip to Africa in 2006 and have been fascinated by elephants ever since," he said. "They are intelligent, expressive and dignified  but not to be underestimated. So, as this latest poaching crisis began escalating, I felt compelled to do something about it."

The research team used the limited existing data as a baseline for the study. But this survey is more comprehensive and will serve as a more reliable baseline for future observations, the team said.

Its methodology involves manually counting animals while maintaining a specific altitude and following calibrated strips of land below the plane. The method is widely used for surveying animals on large plots of land and was the most accurate method of three tested on a known population in Africa, Chase said. The team also used video surveillance when counting big herds.

Ivory trading that threatens elephants is banned internationally. But the domestic trade of ivory within countries is legal nearly everywhere.

A motion being considered at the Hawaii conference seeks to change that by gaining international consensus to close all domestic ivory markets, noting that illegal killing of elephants for their tusks threatens national security, hinders economic development and endangers those tasked with protecting the animals.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced their commitment last year to combatting wildlife trafficking. The leaders promised to work toward a nearly complete ban on ivory imports and exports and an end to the domestic ivory trade.

The decline in savanna elephants, like the dwindling numbers of African forest elephants, is directly tied to criminal poaching activities, some with ties to terrorist groups, according to Washington's nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency.

"Trade in ivory has been a driver of destabilization wherever it occurs in Africa," agency President Allan Thornton said.

Thornton said one-time auctions of stockpiled ivory to China and Japan in 2008 resulted in a spike in illegal poaching, and the rate of decline among Africa's elephants has been accelerating since.

In areas with a high rate of population decline, the savanna turns into an overgrown thicket devoid of grasslands that sustain other wildlife and becomes overrun by disease-carrying tsetse flies, said James Deutsch, director of Allen's Vulcan Inc. Wildlife Conservation.

Furthermore, that land becomes useless for tourism when the elephants are removed, he said.

"Once you remove elephants from parks, it becomes very hard to gain the political will to maintain those parks," Deutsch said.

U.N. Environment deputy head Ibrahim Thiaw said African nations are realizing that wildlife is worth saving because it brings in tourist dollars to fund education, health care and infrastructure.

"As depressing as these numbers are, I hope they act as a further spark for action and change," Thiaw said in a statement. "The Great Elephant Census tells us we must act, and now."

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Find more stories by AP's Caleb Jones at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/caleb-jones . Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalebAP

In this July 2014 photo provided by Vulcan Inc., scientists with Great Elephant Census fly over Botswana, Africa during a survey of savanna elephants on the continent. The number of savanna elephants in Africa is rapidly declining and the animals are in danger of being wiped out as international and domestic ivory trades continue to drive poaching across the continent, according to a study released Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (Great Elephant Census, Vulcan Inc. via AP)

In this July 2014 photo provided by Vulcan Inc., scientists with Great Elephant Census fly over Botswana, Africa during a survey of savanna elephants on the continent. The number of savanna elephants in Africa is rapidly declining and the animals are in danger of being wiped out as international and domestic ivory trades continue to drive poaching across the continent, according to a study released Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (Great Elephant Census, Vulcan Inc. via AP)

FILE - In this June 2, 2016 file photo, a Zimbabwe National Parks official inspects the stock during a tour of the country's ivory stockpile at the Zimbabwe National Parks Headquarters in Harare. The results of a new survey show a rapid decline in Africa's savanna elephants as international and domestic ivory trades continue to drive poaching across the continent. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)

FILE - In this April 19, 2016 file photo, Ivory carvings and elephant tusks are placed in a pyre just before the first Cameroon ivory burn, attended by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power at the Palais des Congres in Yaounde, Cameroon to highlight the need to halt the Ivory trade in order to save Africa's elephants. The results of a new survey show a rapid decline in Africa's savanna elephants as international and domestic ivory trades continue to drive poaching across the continent. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
Hurricane weakens as it nears Hawaii's Big Island

HILO, Hawaii (AP)  Merchants boarded up shop windows Wednesday along Hilo Bay, and shoppers snatched supplies of food and water from grocery store shelves as what could be the first hurricane to hit Hawaii in a quarter-century neared the island.

Hurricane Madeline had weakened, but it remained on track to hit Hawaii's Big Island early Thursday, the National Weather Service said.

Officials urged residents to expect hurricane conditions and to take steps to protect themselves and their property.

Workers board up the windows of a store in Hilo, Hawaii as Hurricane Madeline approached the Big Island on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Drier air and strong upper atmosphere winds are weakening Hurricane Madeline as it approaches Hawaii. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

"Hopefully our roofs stay on, and our houses don't float way or get blown away," said Big Island resident Mitzi Bettencourt, who boarded up walls of glass windows at her brother's oceanfront home. "It's like, 'Oh my God, are we going to get flattened or what?' "

Elsewhere, the National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Hermine had formed in the Gulf of Mexico and was centered about 400 miles from Tampa, Florida. It was expected to pick up speed and approach the northwest Florida coast Thursday afternoon. A warning was dropped about a tropical depression that had been moving toward North Carolina.

In Hawaii, Peggy Beckett, a retiree and beekeeper, stopped at a Hilo supermarket to pick up onion bagels, cheese, cold cuts and salad to add to her canned food at home. She also has a cooler with ice plus a portable burner and batteries to get her through the storm.

Noting the lines of people at the market, Beckett said people were getting prepared but weren't panicking.

"There's always a lot of disbelief on the island that the storms will really be as big and bad as forecast," she said, noting that she and her partner had taken precautions to protect their beehives.

Hurricane Madeline has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm. It was about 140 miles southeast of Hilo early Wednesday  with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph  and on track to skirt or hit the southern edge of the Big Island, an area that features ranches, small towns and Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park.

Bettencourt manages several vacation rental properties, and her own home sits a few blocks from the ocean. She and her neighbors were stocking their pantries, stowing lawn furniture and preparing for power outages.

The previous hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which hit Kauai, Chevalier said.

A second Pacific hurricane, called Lester, was far from Hawaii, and expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it passes the state.

"There are some residences in Maui County which are on the periphery of Madeline right now," said Ray Tanabe, a meteorologist with the weather service. "They're not going to see the heavy rains and winds that the Big Island is seeing, but we don't want them to be complacent and not worry about Lester."

Gov. David Ige has issued an emergency proclamation for both storms, allowing the state to quickly spend money. Schools were closed and about a dozen facilities were outfitted as emergency shelters.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Oahu this week. The White House was tracking the weather but didn't anticipate changing Obama's schedule.

The Hawaiian islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai were under a tropical storm watch, but there were no alerts for Oahu or Kauai.

On the Big Island, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was closing some areas, including a coastal lava viewing site.

The U.S. Coast Guard asked crews of barges and ships to prepare to leave Hilo Harbor and told ocean-going vessels to seek sheltered waters until storm conditions subside.

___

Bussewitz reported from Honolulu. AP writer Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.
Judge telling school district to revoke tax hike stirs fears

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP)  Education officials fear a judge's decision ordering a suburban Philadelphia school district to revoke its tax hike could lead to lawsuits around Pennsylvania challenging other school districts' tax increases.

"I've never heard of this happening before . . . a judge substituting his/her judgment of financial needs of the district in place of locally elected school board members," Jim Buckheit, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

He said he anticipates lawsuits against other districts that have healthy fund balances but raise taxes above the maximum amount allowed under state law.

On Monday, a Montgomery County judge ordered the Lower Merion School District to revoke its latest tax increase, saying the district misled taxpayers by projecting large budget deficits when it was socking away millions.

Common Pleas Judge Joseph A. Smyth said in his decision that the district could increase taxes for 2016-17 but by no more than 2.4 percent.

He said he would "leave for another day" the question of refunds and credits for those who already paid their current school tax bills.

The district said Tuesday that it will appeal the decision.

The ruling came in a class-action lawsuit filed in February by a local lawyer and two others, claiming the district had misappropriated funds and its hefty end-of-year surplus was "ill-begotten."

Schools across the state are holding more money in their reserves for a rainy day.

In 2014-15, they had nearly $4.3 billion sitting in fund balances, which is about a 5 percent increase over the previous school year, according to state Department of Education data.

School administrators said that while the funds grew through 2015, last year's nine-month state budget impasse forced many districts to dip into their reserves.

"Given what we went through ... all you do is encourage more cautious, fearful budgeting" by school finance officers, said Jay Himes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials.
Lew says Apple's tax fight could spur congressional action

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Wednesday criticized a European ruling that Apple owes more than $14.5 billion in back taxes. But he said the decision may spur Congress to finally address the stalled effort to reform America's corporate tax structure.

Lew said that while the Obama administration has failed in its efforts to get tax reform through Congress, he believes the unhappiness expressed by both Democrats and Republicans following Europe's announcement on Tuesday could push Congress to act.

He said he is "hopeful that we will see action, probably not in my tenure, but early in the next administration."

The European Commission ruled Tuesday that Apple must pay roughly 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in back taxes plus interest for what European authorities ruled were unpaid taxes accumulated over a decade that Apple owes Ireland. Both Apple and Ireland have said they plan to appeal the decision.

Lew said that he saw Europe's effort as "an attempt to reach in to the U.S. tax base to tax income that ought to be taxed by the United States."

He said it also appeared to be the latest in a string of actions targeting big U.S. companies.

"The pattern of actions certainly appears to be highly focused on U.S. firms," Lew said. "The largest actions do appear to be aimed squarely at our tax base."

The decision sparked outrage in Congress with Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, calling it a "cheap money grab by the European Commission, targeting U.S. businesses and the U.S. tax base." House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, called the action a "predatory and naked tax grab" which he said underscored the need for congressional action.

Lew said that while the Obama administration has not succeeded in getting tax reform through Congress, it has made progress on the issue and "there is a growing bipartisan consensus on how to deal with tax reform in a way that will enable us to reach overseas income."

U.S.-based companies are taxed at a 35 percent corporate rate on their global profits but they get tax credits for payments to foreign governments and they don't pay the U.S. tax until they bring the money home. For that reason, U.S. companies have left an estimated $2 trillion in untaxed foreign profits overseas.

Congress has been debating for years how to deal with this growing stockpile but disputes between Democrats and Republicans over how to overhaul corporate taxes has stalled action.

Lew's comments came in an appearance at the Brookings Institution where he previewed President Barack Obama's goals at the Group of 20 major economic powers summit this weekend in Hangzhou, China.

Lew said Obama will use his last G-20 summit to urge other nations to do more to boost sluggish global growth while also addressing the needs of people who feel left behind by globalization.
Italy prepares for reconstruction, starts post-quake probe

ROME (AP)  Italy began looking to the future Wednesday a week after an earthquake flattened three towns, with Premier Matteo Renzi tapping a reconstruction czar to oversee the rebuilding and investigators acquiring the first documentation into the construction blamed for the high death toll.

Another body was extracted from the rubble of Amatrice's Hotel Roma and a 23-year-old student who was injured died at the hospital, bringing the death toll close to 300 given a handful of people are still missing, the ANSA news agency reported.

A 3.8-magnitude aftershock hit the quake zone on Wednesday, reportedly damaging a building in Norcia. It was one of more than 3,200 post-quake aftershocks that have rattled residents, some 4,000 of whom remain homeless.

An excavator piles rubble as the bell tower of Amatrice stands in the background, in Amatrice, central Italy, at the same time, 3.36am, a week after a deadly quake, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck central Italy last Wednesday, causing several hundred deaths and flattened three towns in central Italy. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

Renzi announced he would formally nominate Vasco Errani to be reconstruction czar on Thursday. Errani had been president of the Emilio Romagna region in 2012 when two quakes  nine days apart  collapsed factories, homes and buildings in one of Italy's most productive regions.

Renzi said Emilio Romagna is now standing thanks to the reconstruction effort and that "we're choosing the same team" to rebuild quake-devastated Amatrice, Accumoli, Arquata and their surrounding hamlets.

He spoke at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who announced that Germany would fund the construction of a school in the quake zone. Merkel also greeted rescue crews and shook the paw of Leo the black Labrador, who helped locate a 4-year-old survivor, Giorgia, in the rubble.

Merkel said the location of the German-donated school hadn't been decided, but Amatrice's elementary school crumbled in the Aug. 24 temblor despite having been restored with public funds designated for anti-seismic improvements.

On Wednesday, firefighters conducted a preliminary search of the ruins of the school and financial police began collecting documentation from municipal offices about contracts for renovations of quake-destroyed public buildings, the school included.

"The question is this: We have to understand if the contract was executed, how the contract for the anti-seismic improvements was executed, and the possible reasons for why these improvements might not have been done," Raffaele Cantone, Italy's anti-corruption czar, told state-run RAI.

Rieti chief prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva, who is heading up the investigation, said it was too early to speak about any possible suspects.

On Wednesday, the construction firm that carried out the school renovations, Edil Quality, turned over to prosecutors a thick dossier of about 20 documents concerning the works, according to officials at the Rome office of attorney Massimo Biffa. The head of Edil Quality, Gianfranco Truffarelli, has told Italian media that the city of Amatrice never contracted it to bring the school up to anti-seismic standards, just to perform improvements.

Both Merkel and Renzi were asked if Italy would seek budget flexibility from the EU in providing public funds for anti-seismic prevention efforts. Merkel said it was up to Renzi to come up with a transparent proposal.

"I think in Europe we will find a solution," she said.

But Renzi said the priority was to simply spend well the money that Italy already has, a veiled reference to Italy's long-standing failure to secure its buildings against earthquakes. Renzi has proposed a new long-term, national program to improve the safety of buildings in Italy, which has Western Europe's highest seismic risk.

"Given that we're great at emergency response, given that we're great at being generous, let us also become leaders in prevention," Renzi said. "It doesn't require infinite resources. It requires a change of mentality."

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Israeli man seeks ouster of Palestinians from scout movement

JERUSALEM (AP)  The son of an American-Israeli man killed in a Palestinian attack last year said Wednesday he has asked the global scout movement to expel its Palestinian branch after local members dedicated a recent training course to one of his father's killers.

Micah Lakin Avni said the Palestinian scout branch is violating the world movement's core ideals.

"The scouts has really been for more than a century an international, nonpartisan organization dedicated to teaching kids to be good citizens of their neighborhood, of their world," Avni said. "Tragically, they are teaching their kids to hate and be violent."

A Palestinian scout troop in east Jerusalem held a training course last week that was dedicated to Baha Alyan  one of two Palestinian attackers who shot and stabbed passengers on a Jerusalem bus last October.

Avni's father, Richard Lakin, was among three people killed in the attack. Alyan was killed by a security guard, while a second assailant survived and is now serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison.

Palestinian scout leader Ahmed Mashahreh said Alyan was active for many years in the scouting movement and that the recognition had nothing to do with the bus attack.

He said the activity was a "pure scout course" that talked about volunteer work and other activities.

"This had nothing to do with politics," Mashahreh said. "During his lifetime, Baha was very active in scout activities. That's why we picked his name, not because of what he did on the last day of his life."

The attack came at the height of what has become a nearly yearlong wave of violence. Israel says the fighting has been fueled by Palestinian incitement. The Palestinians say it is the result of frustrations after nearly 50 years of military occupation.

In a letter to the 164-member World Organization of the Scout Movement, Avni described his father, a retired school principal and Israeli-Palestinian coexistence advocate, as a "gentle-hearted man."

He attached a screen shot from the Palestinian Scout Association's website, which promotes the course with a picture of Alyan in scouting uniform and describes him as a "martyr."

"Should you allow the Palestinian Scout Association to keep its membership," he wrote, "then your organization is effectively a co-sponsor of this terror promoting course."

In an emailed response to The Associated Press, Stephen Peck, the movement's director of communications, said the group is investigating and working on the matter with the relevant people. "We appreciate the gravity of the allegations and will address the issue accordingly," he said.
Review: The beauty and tragedy of 'The Light Between Oceans'

There is no misfortune too shattering for Derek Cianfrance it seems. The writer and director of "Blue Valentine," ''The Place Beyond the Pines" and now, an adaptation of the M.L. Stedman novel "The Light Between Oceans " confidently strides into stories of little hope and painful circumstance, using pretty actors and even prettier settings to create sweeping milieus of human devastation.

But where the dissolving marriage in "Blue Valentine" was so tangibly real that it felt as raw as a breakup, "The Light Between Oceans" crashes into the shores of its own strange story, pummeling the audience with Big Feelings that never quite cut through. Perhaps it's because it follows the characters down a morally murky path of increasingly poor choices where only one is given any depth after the original sin. But we'll get to that later.

"The Light Between Oceans" starts out as a handsome love story in a handsome place, even if dread looms in the angry seas and winds enveloping this picturesque seaside town. Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender, looking rugged and war-weary) has just returned from service in World War I and takes a position as the caretaker of a lighthouse on a small island off the coast of Australia. He's warned that the last man in the job went a little crazy out there on his own, and everyone seems to think that it's just not a good idea to live on that island without a wife.

This image released by Dreamworks II shows Alicia Vikander in a scene from, "The Light Between Oceans." (Davi Russo/Dreamworks II via AP)

In any event, the stoic Tom finds a woman soon enough in Isabel (a luminous Alicia Vikander), who is forward and spirited enough to suggest a date with the shy newcomer. They fall fast and beautifully in love and take off for life on the island together, enraptured of one another in a newlywed daze.

Then Isabel starts to have problems carrying a child to term. She loses one early on, and then another quite a bit later in pregnancy. The second is the blow that threatens to destroy them, until they spot a rowboat drifting in the waters. Inside, there's a dead man and a wailing infant girl. You know where this is going.

After one night with the child, Isabel is a goner. She's fallen in love with this gift and like a stubborn child will not let go despite Tom's pleas (What about adoption? My professional obligation to log everything? The social contract to not steal babies?). But Tom, seeing the spark return to Isabel's haunted eyes, reluctantly caves.

And they start raising the little one as their own, sinking deeper into the lie until Tom realizes that the mother, Hannah (Rachel Weisz), lives heartbroken on the mainland. The human factor makes Tom's moral compass spin and it's here that the story really starts to lose itself quite simply because the other half of this equation is reduced to a one-note cliche.

As a mother, Isabel is no longer an individual, a sexual being or even a supportive partner. She is just a gooey mess of motherly emotions and insanity. It's a shame, too. How often is the devastation of multiples miscarriages and stillbirths, an experience that so many women have, actually represented? Once the child arrives, it's no longer Isabel's story. Tom gets to be the protector of his childlike wife and the martyr for their choices. By the third act, I'm certain we're not supposed to be annoyed with everyone (actually, Isabel's parents are OK).

"The Light Between Oceans" is stunning to see, and the performances are of the highest caliber, but it's all packaged in a story that just doesn't earn its stay, or our tears.

"The Light Between Oceans," a Walt Disney Studios release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "thematic material and some sexual content." Running time: 132 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

This image released by Dreamworks II shows Alicia Vikander, left, and Michael Fassbender in a scene from, "The Light Between Oceans." (Davi Russo/Dreamworks II via AP)

This image released by Dreamworks II shows Alicia Vikander in a scene from, "The Light Between Oceans." (Davi Russo/Dreamworks II via AP)

This image released by Dreamworks II shows Jack Thompson in a scene from, "The Light Between Oceans." (Davi Russo/Dreamworks II via AP)
Bill Nye the Science Guy (pictured in August) is now going to be a Netflix guy

Bill Nye the Science Guy is now going to be a Netflix guy.

The streaming network announced plans on Wednesday to launch a series titled, Bill Nye Saves the World, hosted by the famed scientist, author and TV personality.

Each episode will tackle a chosen topic from a scientific point of view in an effort to dispel myths and refute anti-scientific claims that may be muddling the issue.

Topics on the talk show will include vaccinations, genetically modified foods and climate change.

The 60-year-old will present guests, conduct experiments and ultimately let the facts lead each episode's exploration, according to Netflix.

The new venture launches next spring and marks a return to series TV for the star of the Emmy award-winning syndicated television show Bill Nye the Science Guy.

The streaming network announced plans on Wednesday to launch a series titled, Bill Nye Saves the World, hosted by the famed scientist, author and TV personality

The 1990s show introduced children to science and engineering and ran for five seasons before its final episode aired in June 1998.

'Since the start of the Science Guy show, I've been on a mission to change the world by getting people everywhere excited about the fundamental ideas in science,' Nye said.

'We'll do our best to enlighten and entertain our audience,' he added.

'And perhaps we'll change the world a little.'

Nye is also the author of three books and has served as the CEO of The Planetary Society since 2010.


Tiger at Rome zoo undergoes root canal _ no bones for a bit

ROME (AP)  A team of veterinarians at the Rome zoo has performed a root canal on a 2-year-old Sumatran tiger named Terima Kashi.

The zoo-keeper in charge of the carnivores had noticed that Terima Kashi wasn't using one side of his mouth to chew recently and notified the chief veterinarian. When the vet discovered the tiger had an infected canine, he decided to do a root canal.

A team of five people including a specialist from Pistoia, Italy, took part in the three-hour operation Wednesday.

Kashi, a 2-year-old male Sumatran tiger of the Rome zoo, receives tooth surgery in the zoo's Veterinary Clinic in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Kashi, a young male suffering from pulp infection following the cracking of a canine tooth, received root canal therapy by dental surgeon Francesco Talini, left, and his team. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Zoo veterinarian Dr. Klaus Friedrich told The Associated Press that Terima Kashi, which means "Thank You" in Indonesian, was recovering well. Friedrich said he can eat meat but won't be able to chew on bones for several days.

Kashi, a 2-year-old male Sumatran tiger of the Rome zoo, receives tooth surgery in the zoo's Veterinary Clinic in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Kashi, a young male suffering from pulp infection following the cracking of a canine tooth, received root canal therapy by dental surgeon Francesco Talini, right, and his team. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Director of the Veterinary Clinic of the Rome zoo, Klaus G. Friedrich looks at Kashi, a 2-year-old male Sumatran tiger as she receives tooth surgery in the zoo's Veterinary Clinic in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Kashi, a young male suffering from pulp infection following the cracking of a canine tooth, received root canal therapy. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Kashi, a 2-year-old male Sumatran tiger of the Rome zoo, receives tooth surgery in the zoo's Veterinary Clinic in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Kashi, a young male suffering from pulp infection following the cracking of a canine tooth, received root canal therapy by dental surgeon Francesco Talini, sitting at right, and his team. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Kashi, a 2-year-old male Sumatran tiger of the Rome zoo, receives tooth surgery in the zoo's Veterinary Clinic in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Kashi, a young male suffering from pulp infection following the cracking of a canine tooth, received root canal therapy by dental surgeon Francesco Talini, right, and his team. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
The Latest: Judge closes hearing in church shooting case

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  The Latest on objections made to closing a hearing in South Carolina church shootings trial (all times local):

5:15 p.m.

A federal judge in South Carolina is closing a hearing on evidence in the Charleston church shooting case.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, in an order issued late Wednesday, said Thursday's planned hearing will be closed because there is no other way to protect Dylann Roof's right to a fair trial.

The 22-year-old defendant is charged with federal hate crimes and other counts in the June, 2015 shootings at Emanuel AME Church in which nine black parishioners were killed.

The defense in the case wants some evidence ruled inadmissible. And the judge said that discussing that evidence in an open hearing could prevent the seating of an impartial jury.

Gergel issued the order after hearing objections from attorneys representing news organizations earlier on Wednesday.

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12:05 p.m.

A federal judge is weighing objections from news organizations to closing a hearing in the Charleston church shootings trial.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel heard arguments Wednesday from attorneys representing The Post and Courier and WCBD-TV.

The defense wants to keep some evidence out of Dylann Roof's federal death penalty trial stemming from the June 2015 shootings at Emanuel AME Church that killed nine people. Roof is charged with hate crimes and other charges.

A hearing on the evidence is set for Thursday and Gergel has proposed closing it. He says revealing evidence in an open hearing could interfere with seating an impartial jury.

Gergel says he must weigh constitutional guarantees of a free press against Roof's right to a fair trial. He plans to issue a decision later Wednesday.

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4:15 a.m.

A federal judge in South Carolina will hear objections from news organizations to closing a hearing in the Charleston church shootings trial.

The defense wants to keep some evidence out of Dylann Roof's federal death penalty trial on hate crimes and other counts stemming from the June 2015 assault that killed nine black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel has proposed reviewing the evidence this week in a closed hearing, saying that revealing it beforehand could interfere with seating an impartial jury.

On Wednesday he hears objections from attorneys representing The Post and Courier newspaper and WCBD-TV.
Samsung updates smartwatch, Lenovo ditches laptop keyboard

NEW YORK (AP)  Samsung's next smartwatch will come with GPS capabilities and the ability to call or text for help by triple-tapping a side button.

The new Gear S3 retains the circular design of the current S2 model, but is slightly larger. Samsung will still sell last year's S2 to those who consider the S3 too big on their wrist. As with the S2, the outer ring of the watch face rotates to let you scroll through notifications and apps. Interface improvements include the ability to accept or reject calls with the ring rather than a swipe of the screen.

The S3 will come in three flavors. One has LTE cellular capabilities, allowing people to make calls, receive notifications and check weather without a companion phone nearby. A data plan costs extra. The other two models lack LTE and differ primarily in style. Samsung said prices will be announced closer to the devices' availability later in the year.

In this Aug. 25, 2016, photo, the Samsung S3's Samsung Pay feature is demonstrated in New York. The smartwatch comes with expanded ability to make payments at stores. As a result, there's now PIN protection on the watch, though it isn't automatically activated until the user sets up Samsung Pay. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Samsung announced the new watch lineup Wednesday at the IFA tech show in Berlin. The Gear smartwatches have had impressive designs and battery life, but have been hampered largely by a dearth of apps, as many developers write for Apple Watch and Android Wear devices instead.

All three S3 models will have GPS, making them more accurate for workouts. In the S2, GPS was limited to a pricier model with cellular capabilities (on the slower 3G network). GPS, so far, isn't common in smartwatches, allowing Samsung to stand out with the S3. Although GPS tends to drain battery quickly, Samsung expects at least three days of battery life in the S3.

Meanwhile, the emergency-calling feature echoes the "SOS" feature coming to the Apple Watch this fall. Where the Apple Watch will call 911 or the relevant emergency service elsewhere directly, though, the S3 will call or text emergency contacts, such as friends or relatives. These will be pre-recorded or pre-written messages. For an extra recurring fee, which has yet to be announced, S3 users will also be able to make a live call to ADT's security dispatchers, who would then be able to call 911 or offer other help.

The S3 also comes with expanded ability to make payments at stores through Samsung Pay. And the watch's always-on feature improves with a display of millions of colors, rather than just 16 before.

SOMETHING MISSING IN A LAPTOP

Also at the IFA tech show, Lenovo unveiled a twist on the laptop: Its new Yoga Book won't have a physical keyboard.

It's an odd choice, given that Apple, Samsung and other tablet makers are pushing professional tablet models with keyboard accessories. Those companies are hoping to appeal to businesses and individuals looking to replace their laptops.

In Lenovo's case, the 10-inch Yoga Book retains the clamshell design of the laptop, but puts a second touch screen where the keyboard normally goes. People can type on a touch-screen keyboard there, or just write or draw on that second screen with an included stylus. You can even use a regular pen or pencil, though you'd want to put a sheet of paper over the screen to avoid damage.

Although Lenovo calls Yoga Book a tablet, the keyboard part isn't detachable, making the device a laptop. The keyboard, though, can fold all the way to the back to make the device feel more like a tablet.

Jeff Meredith, a Lenovo vice president, said the Yoga Book might not be appropriate for extensive typing, but should be suitable for people  especially younger people  who now use the phone's touch screen to respond to email at night or even take notes in classrooms.

He added that when BlackBerrys were still popular, people couldn't imagine getting rid of physical keyboards on their phones, either.

The Yoga Book will start shipping in the coming weeks. An Android version will cost $500, and Windows will be $600.

The unveiling came hours after rival computer maker Acer unveiled what it calls the world's first laptop to measure less than a centimeter. The Swift 7 is 9.98 millimeters (0.39 inch) to be exact. But Lenovo says the Yoga Book is thinner, at 9.6 millimeters, or slightly more than the thickest iPad at 7.5 millimeters.

Acer, meanwhile, unveiled a laptop with a curved screen, something traditionally limited to computer monitors for desktops. The Predator 21 X is designed for video games and comes with eye-tracking technology that promises to let players aim, identify enemies and take cover by gazing at the screen.

In this Aug. 25, 2016, photo, the Samsung S3 frontier, left, and classic version are displayed in New York. Samsung's next smartwatch will come with GPS capabilities and the ability to seek help by triple-tapping a side button. GPS will help Samsung stand out with the Gear S3, as the feature so far isn't common in smartwatches. But the watch still faces a dearth in apps compared with Android and Apple. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this Aug. 25, 2016, photo, taken in New York, the Samsung S3 classic version is displayed with some of the many apps that are available for the smartwatch. Samsungs next smartwatch will come with GPS capabilities and the ability to call for help by triple-tapping a side button. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this Aug. 25, 2016 photo, taken in New York, the Samsung S3 classic version is displayed. Samsungs next smartwatch will come with GPS capabilities and the ability to call for help by triple-tapping a side button. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this Aug. 25, 2016, photo taken in New York, the Samsung S3 classic version, left, displays a series of apps, including Uber, and the frontier version displays Samsung Pay. Samsung's next smartwatch will come with GPS capabilities and the ability to seek help by triple-tapping a side button. GPS will help Samsung stand out with the Gear S3, as the feature so far isn't common in smartwatches. But the watch still faces a dearth in apps compared with Android and Apple. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

CEO of Acer, Jason Chen, presents the Acer Swift 7 on the first press day at the international radio exhibition, IFA, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The IFA will take place from Sept. 2 to 7, 2016 on the Berlin fair grounds. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)

CEO of Acer, Jason Chen, right, presents the new Acer Predator 21x, the first Gaming laptop with a curved screen, on the first press day of the international radio exhibition, IFA, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The IFA will take place from Sept. 2 to 7, 2016 on the Berlin fair grounds. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)

This image provided by Lenovo shows the company's Yoga Book, which doesn't have a physical keyboard. The Yoga Book retains the clamshell design of a laptop, but puts a second touch screen where the keyboard normally goes. People can type on a touchscreen keyboard there, or just write or draw on that second screen with an included stylus. Although Lenovo calls Yoga Book a tablet, the keyboard part isnt detachable, making the device a laptop. The keyboard, though, can fold all the way to the back to make the device feel more like a tablet. (Courtesy of Lenovo via AP)

This image provided by Lenovo shows the company's Yoga Book, which doesn't have a physical keyboard. The Yoga Book retains the clamshell design of a laptop, but puts a second touch screen where the keyboard normally goes. People can type on a touchscreen keyboard there, or just write or draw on that second screen with an included stylus. Although Lenovo calls Yoga Book a tablet, the keyboard part isnt detachable, making the device a laptop. The keyboard, though, can fold all the way to the back to make the device feel more like a tablet. (Courtesy of Lenovo via AP)
Struggling Iron Range company on verge of shutting down

DULUTH, Minn. (AP)  An Iron Range company that mines leftover mine waste and turns it into iron ore concentrate is on the verge of shutting down unless it's rescued by outside investors.

A federal judge approved a bankruptcy settlement Saturday that paves the way for Grand Rapids-based Magnetation to wind down operations if it doesn't receive an influx of cash. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 27.

Last week, Magnetation notified the U.S. Department of Labor that it may shut down its last operating concentrate plant in Minnesota around Sept. 30, as well as an iron ore pellet plant in Reynolds, Indiana, that gets concentrate from the Minnesota plant, and turns it into pellets that feed steel mills. The Minnesota plant employs about 160 workers while the Indiana facility has about 100.

"Now that this agreement is in place our sole focus is to continue to safely produce and ship high quality pellets until the operations potentially shut down, and work closely with several interested parties that are currently evaluating an investment into Magnetation to avoid a shutdown of our plants," Magnetation President Matt Lehtinen said in a statement.

Magnetation opened its first plant in 2008 after patenting a method to extract iron ore from old mine waste. It rapidly expanded as ore prices soared, opening four plants, including the Indiana facility, in quick succession. At its peak it employed more than 500 people, but now only Plant 4 remains open in Minnesota.

Rep. Tom Anzelc, D-Balsam Township, told Minnesota Public Radio (http://bit.ly/2bSnHb9 ) that he wasn't ready to give up on a company that was once hailed as a big success story for the Iron Range.

"They're struggling as are all of the iron ore mines with low commodity prices," he said. "But I'm not ready to throw in the towel."

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Evacuations lifted, California fire now 45 percent contained

BANNING, Calif. (AP)  Crews increased containment of a wildfire that sent about 700 people scrambling from their homes east of Los Angeles.

Officials said the blaze in Riverside County grew to nearly 2 square miles and is 45 percent contained Wednesday.

All evacuation orders, most of which were from a mobile home park, were canceled late Tuesday.

A water dropping helicopter heads back to get more water as a wildfire burns near homes in the brush in Beaumont, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Terry Pierson/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

The fire broke out Tuesday afternoon and moved quickly through tinder-dry brush.

Two people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

An assisted living center with 10 seniors had to be evacuated as flames came within about 300 yards.

Officials did not give a cause, but they said they were seeking witnesses to the activities of children near the gate to a nature park where the fire started.

To the southwest, crews in Orange County were making water drops over a 20-acre brush fire that broke out just before dawn Tuesday in the Cleveland National Forest. No structures were threatened.

Women take pictures of a wildfire from a pickup truck as the fire burns near homes in the brush in Beaumont, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Terry Pierson/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

A jet tanker dumps retardant on the hillside above homes to block the southern movement of a wildfire as it burns near homes in the brush in Beaumont, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Terry Pierson/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

A man in a dozer fights a wildfire as it burns near homes in the brush in Beaumont, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Terry Pierson/The Press-Enterprise via AP)
American detained in Iran faces security allegations

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran has accused a detained American-Iranian dual citizen of "acting against national security," the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Wednesday.

The report did not name the suspect, but said he was arrested in the northern city of Gorgan in July, and so appeared to be referring to Robin Shahini. Authorities did not announce any allegations when Shahini was detained on July 24.

The Tasnim report said the suspect was arrested by the Revolutionary Guard on allegations of "acting against national security, having relations with anti-revolutionary elements and collaborating with enemy states."

Shahini, 46, left Iran in 1998 and lived in San Diego. He graduated in May from San Diego State University.

Iran does not recognize dual nationalities, which means he cannot receive consular assistance.

The U.S. State Department has previously said it was aware of reports of Shahini's arrest and was looking into the matter. A spokesman, Justin Reynolds, referred to that earlier statement when contacted Wednesday, and did not provide further details.

Several dual citizens have been arrested on security-related allegations since Iran reached a landmark nuclear agreement with world powers last year. Iran's security forces and judiciary are largely dominated by hard-liners opposed to the agreement.

In previous cases involving dual nationals, like the detention of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, officials initially announced indictments had been handed down without providing specifics. Later, Iranian news organizations with close ties to security services offered details of the charges.

A prisoner swap in January between Iran and the U.S. freed Rezaian and three other Iranian-Americans.

Three dual nationals and a Lebanese man have been detained in Iran in recent months. The four, who have ties to Britain, Canada and the United States, all are believed to have been detained by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, a hard-line force charged with ensuring the country's Islamic government remains in power. The charges they face remain unclear.

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Associated Press writer Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.

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Romania to hold parliamentary election on Dec 11

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Romania's government says the country will hold a parliamentary election on Dec. 11, and it will facilitate voting for Romanians living abroad.

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, who heads a government of technocrats, said Wednesday the government would permit voters to vote electronically or by mail. And there will be more, smaller voting stations abroad for voters.

Former Prime Minister Victor Ponta was criticized by Romanians who stood for hours in line at embassies and consulates, and complained they were unable to vote in a November 2014 presidential ballot.

The center-left Social Democratic Party, which came first in June local elections, is expected to win the most seats, followed by the center-right Liberal Party.
Scientists find 3.7 billion-year-old fossil, oldest yet

Scientists have found what they think is the oldest fossil on Earth, a remnant of life from 3.7 billion years ago when Earth's skies were orange and its oceans green.

In a newly melted part of Greenland, Australian scientists found the leftover structure from a community of microbes that lived on an ancient seafloor, according to a study in Wednesday's journal Nature .

The discovery shows life may have formed quicker and easier than once thought, about half a billion years after Earth formed . And that may also give hope for life forming elsewhere, such as Mars, said study co-author Martin VanKranendonk of the University of New South Wales and director of the Australian Center for Astrobiology.

In this photo provided by Laure Gauthiez, taken in July 2012, a field team examine rocks in Greenland. Scientists have found what they think is the oldest fossil on Earth, a remnant of life from 3.7 billion years ago when Earths skies were orange and its oceans green. In a newly melted part of Greenland, Australian scientists found the leftover structure from a community of microbes that lived on an ancient seafloor, according to a study in Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016 journal Nature. (Laure Gauthiez/The Australian National University via AP)

"It gives us an idea how our planet evolved and how life gained a foothold," VanKranendonk said.

Scientists had thought it would take at least half a billion years for life to form after the molten Earth started to cool a bit, but this shows it could have happened quicker, he said. That's because the newly found fossil is far too complex to have developed soon after the planet's first life forms, he said.

In an outcrop of rocks that used to be covered with ice and snow which melted after an exceptionally warm spring, the Australian team found stromatolites, which are intricately layered microscopic layered structures that are often produced by a community of microbes. The stromatolites were about .4 to 1.6 inches high (1 to 4 centimeters).

It "is like the house left behind made by the microbes," VanKranendonk said.

Scientists used the layers of ash from volcanoes and tiny zircon with uranium and lead to date this back 3.7 billion years ago, using a standard dating method, VanKranendonk said.

"It would have been a very different world. It would have had black continents, a green ocean with orange skies," he said. The land was likely black because the cooling lava had no plants, while large amounts of iron made the oceans green. Because the atmosphere had very little oxygen and oxygen is what makes the sky blue, its predominant color would have been orange, he said.

The dating seems about right, said Abigail Allwood , a NASA astrobiologist who found the previous oldest fossil, from 3.48 billion years ago, in Australia. But Allwood said she is not completely convinced that what VanKranendonk's team found once was alive. She said the evidence wasn't conclusive enough that it was life and not a geologic quirk.

"It would be nice to have more evidence, but in these rocks that's a lot to ask," Allwood said in an email.

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Online:

Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature

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Follow Seth Borenstein at http://twitter.com/borenbears and his work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/seth-borenstein
Gun advocates speak out against Virginia's carry ban

RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Gun rights advocates blasted Gov. Terry McAuliffe's move to ban concealed handguns in state-owned office buildings Wednesday, saying the governor's actions jeopardize public safety.

"Gun-free zones are a magnet to people who want to do harm; they are a magnet to terrorists," said Vicki Lindsey from Chesterfield, echoing similar comments made by several other advocates.

McAuliffe issued an emergency executive order last year banning concealed guns from most state-owned office buildings as part of a package of measures he said would prevent gun violence. The state's Department of General Services took public comment in Richmond on Wednesday as part of its process for making the governor's order permanent, likely in the early part of next year.

The Democratic governor, an outspoken advocate for greater gun control measures, is unlikely to reverse course, despite the opposition raised at Wednesday's hearing. Republican lawmakers have denounced McAuliffe's order, but don't have enough votes to pass veto-proof legislation to undo it.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, said public opinion is overwhelmingly against McAuliffe's proposal. He said McAuliffe's order punishes law-abiding citizens and noted that concealed-carry holders have to pass a criminal background check to get a permit.

"It's just political overreach," he said. "This does not make the public safer."
Israel approves plans for new homes in West Bank settlements

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel on Wednesday approved plans for hundreds of new housing units for Jewish settlers in the West Bank, Israeli media reported, prompting a swift condemnation from the White House.

The development underscored that Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem has continued to move forward during a more than two-year freeze in Mideast peace efforts. The international community regards settlements as a key obstacle to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, because they are scattered throughout land the Palestinians want for an independent state.

Israel says Jews have been in those areas for centuries, and that their presence there does not undermine prospects for peace. It also blames failed peace efforts on Arab denials of Jews' historical connections to the land.

In the latest approvals, an Israeli military planning committee advanced plans for 463 housing units in various settlements in the West Bank, according to the Israeli news site Haaretz and the settlement watchdog group Peace Now.

Of those, 51 housing units will be newly built, while 178 units built without permits in one settlement in the 1980s received retroactive approval, Haaretz reported.

In addition, the report says the military committee gave initial approval to build a senior citizens' home of 234 housing units in a settlement.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest called the approvals a "significant expansion of settlement activity" and said the development "poses a serious and growing threat to the viability of a two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"We are particularly troubled by a policy of retroactively approving illegal outposts and unauthorized settlements," Earnest said. "I think we have been quite unambiguous about the concerns we have on this issue."

The Israeli military body COGAT, which oversees such housing approvals, would not comment.

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Macedonian leaders try to agree on new early election date

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP)  Macedonia's feuding party leaders are meeting to try to end a festering political crisis and agree on a new date for national elections that have been twice postponed this year.

Both the governing conservatives and the main opposition Social Democrats have suggested Dec. 11 as an acceptable date for the parliamentary vote.

But party leaders meeting in Skopje Wednesday have first to agree on forming a cross-party body to monitor the electoral campaign.

Macedonia has been in political turmoil since February 2015, following a wiretapping scandal. Holding early elections half-way through the conservatives' four-year mandate was part of an internationally brokered deal aimed to defuse the crisis.
Turkish minister steps down amid failed coup crackdown

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has announced that the interior minister has stepped down and is being replaced by the labor minister.

Yildirim did not provide a reason for Efkan Ala's resignation on Wednesday, which comes as Turkey is engaged in a massive crackdown of people suspected of links to last month's failed coup.

Turkey has accused U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the failed attempt and is cracking down on his supporters. Some 35,000 people have been detained for questioning and more than 17,000 have been formally arrested to face trial, including soldiers, police, judges and journalists.
Trump says lots on Mexico, whose leaders aren't shy, either

Since the moment he launched his campaign for president, Donald Trump has had plenty to say about Mexico. And a series of leaders of American's southern neighbor have had lots to say about the Republican nominee, too.

"I ask you to open your eyes, because this is a false prophet who will lead you to the precipice with all his ignorance," former Mexican President Vicente Fox said in February.

They weren't the strongest words he's had for the New York billionaire, either. Fox saved those for Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S. southern border and his insistence that Mexico foot the bill. "I'm not going to pay for that f---ing wall," Fox said. "He should pay for it. He's got the money."

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Xfinity Arena of Everett, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump didn't take kindly to the cursing. At a Republican primary debate a few hours later, Trump responded: "The wall just got 10 feet taller."

Cooler heads may prevail Wednesday when Trump meets with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at his official Los Pinos residence in Mexico City. But the history between Trump and Mexico's most recent leaders is unquestionably heated. A look at some of the things they've all said about each other:

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"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."  Trump, campaign announcement speech, June 16, 2015.

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"There have been episodes in human history, regrettably, where these expressions, of this strident rhetoric, has only led to fateful scenes in the history of humanity. ... That's the way Mussolini arrived and the way Hitler arrived. I hope that prudence and restraint will prevail among the voters there, and at the end of the day there will be a government that we can seek dialogue with, as we have done with the government of the United States."  Pena Nieto, interview with the Mexican newspaper Excelsior, March 7, 2016.

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"The Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cunning. And they send the bad ones over, because they don't want to pay for them. They don't want to take care of them. Why should they when the stupid leaders of the United States will do it for them? And that's what is happening, whether you like it or not."  Trump, Republican primary debate, Aug. 6, 2015.

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"He should know we Mexicans are small, but spicy, like chili peppers. Don't mess with us. Don't offend our dignity. Republican Party, where are you? Wake up! Wake up, America, from this nightmare, from this Republican, Trumpist nightmare."  Fox, in an interview with The Associated Press, March 9, 2016.

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"If you look at the statistics on rape, on crime, on everything coming in illegally into this country, they're mind-boggling! Well, somebody's doing the raping ... I mean, you know, it's, I mean, somebody's doing it. You think, it's women being raped. Well, who's doing the raping? Who's doing the raping? I mean, how can you say such a thing?"  Trump, mistakenly citing statistics that referenced the number of women raped while crossing into the U.S., in an interview with CNN, July 1, 2015.

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Reporter sues over Missouri's picks of execution witnesses

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A reporter whose stories have been critical of Missouri's death penalty procedures sued the state's prisons chief Wednesday in federal court, accusing him of wrongly excluding him from being an execution witness.

The American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit filed on behalf of Buzzfeed News reporter Christopher McDaniel asks a judge to block anyone other than Missouri's attorney general from serving as an execution witness until McDaniel's due-process claims are decided. None of the 25 Missouri death row inmates had been scheduled for execution as of Wednesday.

McDaniel, a former reporter for St. Louis public radio, applied in January 2014 to witness a Missouri execution "to ensure that executions are carried out in a constitutional manner," according to the lawsuit. But McDaniel never got a response, and 17 executions have been carried out by the state since.

George Lombardi, who heads the state Department of Corrections, has "unfettered discretion" in deciding who, according to state law, may be among the at least "eight reputable citizens" to witness an execution, according to the lawsuit.

David Owen, a Missouri Department of Corrections spokesman, told The Associated Press by email that the department doesn't publicly discuss pending litigation. Neither Nanci Gonder, a spokeswoman for the attorney general, nor Scott Holste, a spokesman for the governor, responded to requests for comment.

The lawsuit contends that McDaniel's "unfavorable" reporting about the way Missouri executes prisoners may explain why he hasn't been allowed to witness an execution. McDaniel's stories since December 2013 have called into question such matters as how the state obtains its execution drugs and the state's method of giving condemned inmates sedatives before their executions.

State records obtained by the ACLU through a May 2014 public records request and eventual litigation showed that applicants to be execution witnesses were denied if they "expressed a desire to ensure that executions were carried out properly and constitutionally," the lawsuit alleges.

"Execution witnesses are an important check to ensure the department does not abuse its power. That check does not work when the department can choose to exclude anyone critical of its behavior," Tony Rothert, the ACLU of Missouri's legal chief, said in a statement.
AP NewsBreak: Ritz's office backed app deal without bidding

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz's office approved a lucrative technology contract that state government officials said should have been subject to competitive bid, benefiting a company that later gave one of her key aides a senior job.

Documents and emails provided to The Associated Press show state officials who review contracts were alarmed it was not put out to public bid, and tried to stop it. They also show that the proposal to develop a mobile app for Indiana schools to communicate data such as standardized test scores to the state could be a multimillion-dollar boon for AT&T and its Georgia-based software developer N2N Services.

"We told (the Indiana office of technology) to sit on this and not do anything," one contract review supervisor wrote in an email on Aug. 26, 2015. The contract should have been "bid out through an open market solicitation," wrote the supervisor, who works for the Indiana Department of Administration managed by Republican Gov. Mike Pence's administration.

FILE - In this April 30, 2015, file photo, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz speaks at a news conference in Indianapolis. New details about a lucrative, no-bid contract are raising questions about how Ritz manages her state agency at a time she's running for re-election. The contract, engineered by a Ritz aide shortly before he left to work for the vendor, was not put out to bid or vetted by the state agency responsible for viewing big-dollar contracts, but instead was signed off by the Democrat Ritz's chief of staff as others raised red flags. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

But the contract went ahead anyway. The point person was Ritz's then-spokesman and one-time political adviser David Galvin, who worked with N2N Services to develop the app and steer it through the bureaucracy. Shortly after it was finalized, Galvin went to work for N2N Services as its executive director of marketing and communications. AP reported in June on Galvin taking the job with N2N Services but since then AP obtained additional documents that show opposition to the way the contract was structured.

Critics said the technology contract highlights Indiana's lax ethics laws. It also feeds a perception that Ritz  the only Democrat elected to statewide office and who is seeking a second term in November  has been a poor manager of the Department of Education since she ousted incumbent Tony Bennett in 2012.

"There were (school) superintendents that complained about disorganization, about receiving mixed messages from the department," former Democratic state board of education member Tony Walker said of Ritz's management. "People being told one thing then having that reversed at a later date."

Indiana has seen several ethics scandals in recent years. Former schools superintendent Bennett was involved in a school accountability scandal, former Indiana Department of Transportation chief of staff Troy Woodruff sold land to the agency, and state Rep. Eric Turner helped kill a nursing home construction ban that could have cost his family business millions.

Ritz's chief of staff, Craig Hartzer, certified the contract for the app on Sept. 1, 2015, the day payment was approved, signing the document in a space reserved for a contract reviewer in the Department of Administration, the main agency responsible for state contracts.

Current Ritz spokesman Daniel Altman said her office was never told about opposition to the arrangement and said that appropriate procedures were followed.

"We have not received any record of anyone from these agencies objecting to this project. If we had, we would have obviously worked out any issues before moving forward," Altman said.

N2N Services said in an email that Galvin is no longer employed there. Galvin could not be reached, though his profile on the professional networking site LinkedIn listed him as an N2N Services employee Wednesday and he has a company voicemail. An older website for the company lists him as an employee, but not a newer site.

The contract was structured as two amendments to the state's existing cellphone plan with AT&T  a move that appeared to circumvent the competitive bidding process generally required for purchases above $75,000. It also allowed the deal to move forward without formal review by the Indiana Department of Administration.

"We've never seen these before," an employee in the Indiana office of technology wrote in an email that alerted contract reviewers. "Do you know what it is and is it okay to process?"

The supervisor who manages the state's cellphone plan with AT&T later objected to piggybacking the deal on the cellphone plan, writing that it was "beyond the scope" of the AT&T deal.

Ritz had hailed the mobile app as a novel new way to communicate with school districts. If adopted by even a fraction of Indiana's roughly 300 school districts it could yield a large pay day for AT&T and N2N Services because each district would pay over $100,000 in startup costs, according to an estimate from AT&T.

Before he stepped down from Ritz's office, Galvin issued a July 2015 release touting the app, later updated to remove his name after the AP report in June that he took a job with N2N Services.

Galvin was a key figure in instigating an ethics investigation of Bennett as Florida's schools chief. Bennett took the Florida job after losing to Ritz. But he quickly stepped down after Galvin helped make public emails showing Bennett overhauled Indiana's "A-F" school grading system in 2012 to benefit a charter school run by a Republican donor.

An ethics expert said it was hypocritical of Galvin to push the contract and take a job with the company when he had championed ethics in attacking Republican Bennett.

"You want to be careful about throwing stones if you live in a glass house," said Stuart Yoak, executive director for the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics at Indiana University. "You should avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest."

Indiana law generally requires a one-year cooling off period for state government employees before working for a company they had financial dealings with. Those suspected of violations can be investigated by the state's inspector general, who can forward findings to a prosecutor for further action.
Lake Tahoe: A look at tourist haven that hosts annual summit

STATELINE, Nev. (AP)  The extraordinary efforts put into healing Lake Tahoe in recent decades show it's possible to preserve the country's greatest natural treasures for future generations, President Barack Obama said Wednesday.

Obama spoke at an annual summit dedicated to the alpine lake that Mark Twain called the world's "fairest picture" and renowned naturalist John Muir tried to designate a national park.

Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada launched the summit 20 years ago to draw attention to reductions in Lake Tahoe's famed clarity. President Bill Clinton spoke at the first one in 1997.

FILE- In this July 26, 1997, file photo, former President Bill Clinton reacts as then Vice President Al Gore applauds standing at his side after signing an executive order on the preservation of Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, Nev. President Barack Obama spoke Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, at the 20th annual environmental summit in Stateline, Nev. Clinton hosted the first summit in 1997 at the request of Sen. Harry Reid in an effort to bring attention to reductions in the alpine lake's famed clarity since the 1960s. (AP Photo/Ruth Fremson, file)

Here's a closer look at the popular water body that straddles the California-Nevada border:

FATHOM THIS

 If emptied, Lake Tahoe would cover the entire state of California in 14 inches of water.

 The lake's 191-square-mile surface is three times larger than the District of Columbia.

 At 1,640 feet, Lake Tahoe is the world's 10th-deepest lake. The top of the Empire State Building would remain submerged if placed upright in it.

 The 330 million gallons of water that evaporate from the lake every day would fill 5,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

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THE PROBLEM

Lake Tahoe's loss of clarity has been fueled by housing construction, soil erosion, storm-water runoff, air pollution, automobiles and invasive aquatic species.

Its pristine conditions first were disturbed by 19th century cattle grazing, then logging to build Comstock-era mines and rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.

In the decade surrounding the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, yearly visitation grew from 30,000 to 150,000. Today, the 3 million annual visitors to Tahoe's casinos, ski resorts, campgrounds and marinas drive a $5 billion local economy that would be jeopardized if further loss of clarity turns the lake a murky green.

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THE GOALS

"Keep Tahoe Blue." The phrase coined by the League to Save Lake Tahoe in 1965 has been printed on more than 1 million bumper stickers.

Underwater visibility stretched to a depth of 105 feet in 1968 when scientists first measured it by lowering a white, dinner-plate-sized disk into the water until it disappeared.

Clarity worsened by 30 percent over the next three decades  about a foot a year  falling to a record-poor 64 feet in 1997.

The rate of the loss of clarity has since slowed, registering 73 feet last year. The long-term goal is to get back to 100 feet, with a short-term goal of 78 feet by 2026, sustained for five years.

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THE MONEY

Nearly $2 billion has been spent on 400-plus restoration projects since the 1997 summit.

Congress approved a measure in 2003 allowing the sale of federal lands in Nevada to finance an initial $300 million investment at the lake over 10 years to be matched by private entities and state and local governments.

So far, the U.S. has spent $635 million, California $759 million, Nevada $124 million, local governments $99 million, and private groups $339 million. About $650 million of that was devoted to managing storm-water runoff that carries sediment into the lake.

Reid, who is retiring this year, hopes to generate support for future spending at the lake.

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SUCCESS STORIES

More than 700 miles of roads have been improved. A new public transit center opened in Tahoe City, California, in 2012, with additional bus routes, bike paths and walking trails to encourage reductions in traffic.

Certain types of jet skis that discharged fuel into the lake were banned, and mandatory boat inspections were imposed to curb invasive species.

More than 3,000 land parcels have been made off-limits to development. And emphasis has been placed on restoring wetlands that filter out pollutants and improving conditions of streams that empty into the lake.

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THE FUTURE

Since 2009, Congress has been considering spending another $400 million at the lake over 10 years.

Meanwhile, scientists have identified a new threat: climate change. The lake's temperature has risen faster over the past four years than any time on record.

That appears to be contributing to changes in Lake Tahoe's internal physics, experts say. The lake's "mixing depth" last year  an important measurement of the intermingling of varying water depths  was the shallowest ever recorded.

FILE - This April 12, 2012 file photo shows the clarity of Lake Tahoe, Nev. President Barack Obama plans to speak at the 20th annual environmental summit at Lake Tahoe. Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Former President Bill Clinton hosted the first one in 1997 at the request of U.S. Sen Harry Reid, D-Nev., in an effort to bring attention to reductions in the alpine lake's famed clarity since the 1960s. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner, File)

President Barack Obama speaks during the 20th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit in Stateline, Nev., Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, about the environment and climate change. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama speaks during the 20th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit in Stateline, Nev., Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, about the environment and climate change. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2007 file photo, former President Bill Clinton speaks at the Lake Tahoe Forum 10th anniversary session at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village, Nev. President Barack Obama plans to speak at the 20th annual environmental summit at Lake Tahoe. Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Clinton hosted the first one in 1997 at the request of U.S. Sen Harry Reid, D-Nev., in an effort to bring attention to reductions in the alpine lake's famed clarity since the 1960s. (Dan Thrift/The Tahoe Tribune via AP, File)
Case over dead newborn in shoebox in mom's closet is dropped

YORK, Pa. (AP)  Prosecutors have dropped a criminal case against a woman who told police she had no clue she was pregnant before she gave birth at her Pennsylvania home, put her unresponsive newborn into a shoebox and stored the box in an upstairs closet.

The York Daily Record (http://bit.ly/2c92ur9 ) reports the York County district attorney's office says the decision to drop the case was made "in the interest of justice," citing medical records and the woman's "continued mental health treatment."

Twenty-one-year-old Springettsbury Township resident Kelsey Martin was charged in January with concealing the death of a child, a misdemeanor.

Police say she went to a hospital in April 2015 with abdominal pains and it was determined she had given birth. An autopsy failed to determine whether the child had been born alive.

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Volkswagen stakes hopes of US sales revival on new SUV

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP)  Volkswagen's new SUV comes with a feature that automatically controls braking to each wheel as the seven-seater descends on slippery off-road terrain. The German automaker is staking its hopes on the new model being just as adept at arresting the company's sales woes in the United States.

The midsized SUV was seen as key to reviving flagging U.S. sales even before the Volkswagen's diesel emissions cheating scandal rocked the company to its core and caused one of the world's largest automakers to reassess how it does business around the globe.

The new SUV is scheduled to begin production at Volkswagen's lone U.S. plant in Tennessee toward the end of this year, with the yet-to-be-named vehicle arriving in dealer show rooms early in 2017.

A camouflaged prototype of Volkswagen's new midsized SUV is seen on an off road trail at Prentice Cooper State Forest near Chattanooga, Tenn., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. The German automaker plans to begin production of the new model at it Chattanooga plant later this year. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

Volkswagen sales through the first seven months of the year were down by 13 percent compared with the same period before the news of the emissions scandal broke in 2015. The Tiguan compact SUV has been one of the company's few bright spots in the U.S., with sales growing by 49 percent over the same period.

The company hopes to build on that success with the new midsized SUV. Following a test drive of a camouflaged prototype of the new vehicle, Matthias Erb, the chief engineering officer for Volkswagen's North American region, said the new SUV fills a gap that Volkswagen had when it came to growing families.

"If someone already had a Passat but wanted something bigger after having two kids, we didn't have anything to offer them," Erb said in an interview with The Associated Press, conducted in German. "The Tiguan was too small because a compact SUV offers essentially the same space as a midsized sedan."

According to Autodata Corp., midsize SUV sales were up 4.5 percent in the U.S. through July. That's more than 3 times the total industry increase of 1.3 percent, so this is an extremely popular segment.

Volkswagen's SUV is coming at a good time for the company  provided it is priced competitively, said Rebecca Lindland, a senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

Challenges will include changing perceptions among consumers accustomed to thinking of Volkswagen as selling compact sedans, and to try to ensure the SUV fits U.S. tastes by fostering a culture of being "listeners rather than tellers," Lindland said. That way the company can develop an understanding of "what the U.S. market needs versus what other markets need around the world  however illogical or emotional it may seem."

Volkswagen officials also promise that the new model will be priced competitively with existing SUVs, a segment of the market where Volkswagen has struggled in the past. The company is also keen to avoid repeating mistakes it made with the U.S. version of the Passat, which made an initial splash but then fizzled as the buyers were left underwhelmed compared with the European version.

The company has since decided to add a new engineering center near the plant to better adapt to local tastes.

But those changes will be limited to the interior and exterior of vehicles, because Volkswagen builds a shared construction platform for vehicles around the world, and it isn't going to be able to develop chasses and engines specifically for the U.S. market. Erb said that's hard to overcome, in part because U.S. customers don't need vehicles that can hold their own on the Autobahn.

"Our cars are always laid out for top speed  including the B-SUV, which can be driven at speeds that would guarantee landing you in jail here without running the risk of exceeding its limits," Erb said.

The success of the new SUV is also key to the future of the Chattanooga plant, which has only made the Passat sedan since opening to great fanfare in 2011. Most of the other Volkswagens destined for the U.S. market are made in Mexico.

"One vehicle for a whole plant is never good," Erb said.

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AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report from Detroit.
US lawmaker urges Utah man's release from Venezuela jail

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  U.S. Rep. Mia Love is coming out in support of a Utah man jailed in Venezuela for two months on weapons charges  demanding his release.

Love said Wednesday that her office is doing everything it can to secure the release of Joshua Holt, whose family lives in her congressional district.

She sent a letter to the State Department in July asking for more information and plans to send another one requesting that Secretary of State John Kerry demand Holt's release.

FILE - In this July 13, 2016 file photo, Laurie Holt holds a photograph of her son Josh Holt at her home, in Riverton, Utah. U.S. congresswoman Mia Love said Wednesday, Aug. 31 she will call on the State Department to do more to free Josh Holt, a Utah man who's been jailed in Venezuela for two months on weapons charges. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

"We're not moving fast enough," said Love, a Republican. "I can imagine that every day he spends there is absolutely horrific." Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a Republican, has also worked to facilitate Holt's release.

Holt, 24, has been jailed since June 30 on suspicion of weapons charges after he traveled to Venezuela to marry a fellow Mormon he met on the internet.

Venezuela authorities contend Holt was using his wife's apartment in Caracas to stockpile weapons and have suggested his case was linked to other unspecified attempts by the U.S. to undermine President Nicolas Maduro's rule amid deep economic and political turbulence.

His mother, Laurie Holt, says she thinks an assault rifle and a grenade found in the apartment of her son's wife were planted. She said she hopes Love's backing spurs more action from the U.S. government.

U.S. diplomats most recently visited Holt in a Caracas prison on Aug. 16. But the U.S. government has avoided ratcheting up public pressure on Venezuela amid already strained relations between two countries that haven't swapped ambassadors since 2010.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday in a statement that officials are following the case closely. They brought it to the attention of senior Venezuelan officials and will continue visiting Holt.

In a recent letter from prison, Holt told his mother he has faced police harassment behind bars and is suffering from kidney stones. U.S. officials said last week that there were no signs he had been mistreated in prison.

Holt met his future wife, Theresa Caleno, online while looking for Spanish-speaking Mormons to help him improve his Spanish. Caleno is also jailed as an alleged accomplice.

FILE - In this July 30, 2016, file photo, a woman holds a photograph of Josh Holt, an American jailed in Venezuela, during a rally at the Utah State Capitol, in Salt Lake City. U.S. congresswoman Mia Love said Wednesday, Aug. 31 she will call on the State Department to do more to free Holt, a Utah man who's been jailed in Venezuela for two months on weapons charges. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
2 months later, flood-ravaged West Virginia town rebuilds

RAINELLE, W.Va. (AP)  Two months after a freak storm flooded homes and killed 23 people in West Virginia, residents in impoverished Rainelle curl up in tents and campers at night while their homes are gutted during the day.

Spray-painted X's on the front doors of damaged homes are a constant reminder of the frantic searches for survivors after nearly a foot of rain fell in less than 12 hours, stranding people in cars, homes and businesses. Five people in Rainelle died.

The town of 1,500 people, nestled in a low-lying valley in Greenbrier County, was battered as badly as any during the June 23 floods. Labeled a 1,000-year flood by the National Weather Service, the storm destroyed more than 2,100 homes statewide and damaged another 2,000, the American Red Cross estimated. So far, the federal government has spent more than $111 million helping the state dig out.

Mayor Andrea "Andy" Pendleton, looks through debris from a flood ravaged home in Rainelle, W.Va., on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. The town of 1,500 was badly battered during the late June floods that killed 23 people statewide. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Mayor Andrea "Andy" Pendleton believes Rainelle is facing "Noah's Ark" moment  a chance to rebuild and rebrand a town once known for the world's largest hardwood sawmill. Pendleton said she wants to see better homes for everyone.

"A better place to live," Pendleton said. "And some reason for somebody to come to town. We haven't got that niche yet. We used to. Don't have it any more."

It's hit or miss for businesses along the main drag in Rainelle  some have reopened, like Ace Hardware, others are rebuilding and some still sit in eerie darkness. The state has granted about $750,000 to help nearly 90 small businesses, including $168,000 for an eye care clinic, an insurance company and more than a dozen other businesses in Rainelle.

Pendleton, who goes by "Mayor Andy," walks from house to house peppering residents with questions to keep them on track: Have they filed with FEMA? Have they applied for a new home? Do they understand rules about asbestos removal and raising their homes higher in the flood plain?

Walter Crouch, CEO of the Appalachia Service Project, said his nonprofit group plans to build at least 50 homes and repair 60 others in town. The first two new homes should be finished by mid-October. Time is of the essence, he said, to ensure a swarm of residents don't skip town before they can get a home.

FEMA has almost wrapped up work on Linda Bennett's temporary one-bedroom place, which sits next to her old home.

During the floods, another resident paddled a canoe to her house, smashed out a window and saved her and her disabled husband. The water had risen to her chin, she said.

Since then, her daughter has helped set up the inside of her new FEMA trailer.

"We don't need a lot," Bennett said. "Just so we're together down here, with the dog."

So far, almost 8,800 people statewide have applied for FEMA individual aid. Across Greenbrier, Kanawha, Clay and Nicholas counties, FEMA has provided 16 temporary trailer homes. Across 12 counties, FEMA has paid out $33.1 million in housing aid and $6.3 million for other individual needs.

From the town's founding in 1906 until 1975, Rainelle was home to the Meadow River Lumber Company, which once had the world's largest hardwood sawmill. Like much of the struggling coal-dependent state, Rainelle hasn't diversified from its focus on natural resources. The median income is about $25,700, with almost one in three people below the poverty level.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is asking flooded towns such as Rainelle to see opportunity in rebuilding. He assembled higher education, public health and economic development officials to help flood-torn areas rethink their economies.

But, at times, it's hard to focus on the future while people piece their lives back together.

A couple blocks away from Bennett's house, a cramped camper has been home for Imojean Gilbert and her husband Jackie, who has cancer. They spent weeks bouncing from shelter to shelter  eight in all  and they have been living in the camper for more than a month.

The shell of their home remains, but it will likely be torn down. The couple is awaiting construction of a FEMA trailer, and living in the camper has taken its toll.

"My husband, he's getting sick and tired of it," she said. "It works on our nerves."

Members of the West Virginia National Guard and local contractors remove debris from a flood ravaged area in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., 30 miles east of Rainelle, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. Late June floods killed 23 people statewide. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Mayor Andrea "Andy" Pendleton, walks past the foundation for a new home in front of a damaged one in Rainelle, W. Va., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. The town is rebuilding after floods killed five people in late June. Actually, (I want to see) better homes for everybody. A better place to live, Pendleton said. And some reason for somebody to come to town. We havent got that niche yet. We used to. Dont have it any more. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Mayor Andrea "Andy" Pendleton, right, hugs resident Linda Bennett, in front of her new FEMA trailer installed in front of her flood ravaged home in Rainelle, W. Va., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. During the floods, another resident paddled a canoe to her house, smashed out a window and saved her and her disabled husband. The water had risen to her chin, she said. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Mayor Andrea "Andy" Pendleton ponders a question during an interview in Rainelle, W. Va., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. As the town tears down what cant be saved, Pendleton says Rainelle is faced with a "Noahs Ark" moment. As foundations of replacement homes sprout up and businesses start to reopen, she says theres a chance for something better. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

FEMA Disaster Recovery signs direct residents to help at City Hall in Rainelle, W. Va., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. The town is rebuilding after floods killed five people in late June. So far, almost 8,800 people statewide have applied for FEMA individual aid, and $39.2 million has been awarded. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Rainelle, W.Va. resident Imojean Gilbert, right wipes away a tear as she stands on her front porch with Mayor Andrea "Andy" Pendleton, in Rainelle, W. Va., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. Gilbert and her husband have been living in the cramped camper for about six weeks after being bounced around to eight different shelters. All that remains is a shell of their home, which will likely be torn down. The couple is awaiting construction of a FEMA trailer. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

A memorial for flood victim Hershel Nicely and two members of his family is set up on the front walk of the home where he died during flooding in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. The home has been removed from the lot. June 23 floods killed 23 people statewide. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Members of the West Virginia National Guard and local contractors remove debris from a flood ravaged area in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. June 23 floods killed 23 people statewide. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Mayor Andrea "Andy" Pendleton, holds one of the many donated quilts in her office in Rainelle, W. Va., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. As the town tears down what cant be saved, Pendleton says Rainelle is faced with a "Noahs Ark" moment. As foundations of replacement homes sprout up and businesses start to reopen, she says theres a chance for something better. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The Latest: Man freed after judge tosses murder conviction

DURHAM, N.C. (AP)  The Latest on North Carolina judge's order to throw out the double-murder conviction of a man who has spent 21 years in prison and immediately release him from prison. (all times local):

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3:45 p.m.

A man walked out of a North Carolina jail less than an hour after prosecutors said they decided not to appeal a judge's decision to throw out his double-murder conviction.

Darryl Howard walked out of the Durham County jail on Wednesday afternoon, and he and his wife walked hand-in-hand in front of the courthouse.

Howard says he's looking forward to building a life with his wife, Nannie. The couple married three years after Howard's imprisonment.

The case had been prosecuted by Mike Nifong, the district attorney who was disbarred for his handling of the Duke University lacrosse case.

He credits her with reaching out to lawyers around the country who work on wrongful conviction cases. His case was eventually taken up by the New York-based Innocence Project.

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3 p.m.

North Carolina prosecutors have decided not appeal a judge's order throwing out the double-murder conviction of a man who spent 21 years in prison, clearing the way for his immediate release.

The decision by the Durham County District Attorney's office brings to a close a three-day hearing on whether there was enough evidence to keep Darryl Howard in prison.

Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson said Wednesday that DNA evidence unavailable at the time of Darryl Howard's 1995 murder trial would have created a reasonable doubt for jurors who convicted him.

The decision to drop the appeal means that former district attorney Mike Nifong, who was disbarred and jailed for his handling of the Duke University lacrosse case, will not be asked to testify about his handling of Howard's case.

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1 p.m.

A North Carolina judge has thrown out the double-murder conviction of a man who has spent 21 years in prison and favors his immediate release from prison.

Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson said Wednesday that DNA evidence unavailable at the time of Darryl Howard's 1995 murder trial would have created a reasonable doubt for jurors who convicted him.

The judge said he planned to order Howard's immediate release, but prosecutors said they would appeal to block that.

The same judge was prepared to order Howard's release two years ago, but prosecutors appealed and a state appeals court ruled Hudson failed to hear enough evidence before making a decision.
US court upholds ban on gun sales to marijuana card holders

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A federal ban on the sale of guns to medical marijuana card holders does not violate the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.

The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals applies to the nine Western states that fall under the court's jurisdiction, including California, Washington and Oregon.

It came in a lawsuit filed by S. Rowan Wilson, a Nevada woman who said she tried to buy a firearm for self-defense in 2011 after obtaining a medical marijuana card. The gun store refused, citing the federal rule banning the sale of firearms to illegal drug users.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

Wilson said she was not a marijuana user, but obtained the card in part as an expression of support for marijuana legalization.

She challenged guidance issued by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2011 that said gun sellers should assume people with medical marijuana cards use the drug and not sell them firearms.

The 9th Circuit in its 3-0 decision said it was reasonable for federal regulators to assume a medical marijuana card holder was more likely to use the drug.

The court also said Congress had reasonably concluded that marijuana and other drug use "raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated."

Wilson's attorney, Chaz Rainey, said there needs to be more consistency in the application of the Second Amendment. He planned to appeal the decision and his options include submitting the appeal to the same panel of judges that issued the ruling, a larger panel of the circuit court or the U.S. Supreme Court.

"We live in a world where having a medical marijuana card is enough to say you don't get a gun, but if you're on the no fly list your constitutional right is still protected," he said.

The 9th Circuit also rejected other constitutional challenges to the ban that were raised by Wilson, including her argument that her gun rights were being stripped without due process.

Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the idea that marijuana users were more prone to violence is a fallacy.

"Responsible adults who use cannabis in a manner that is compliant with the laws of their states ought to receive the same legal rights and protections as other citizens," he said.

Alex Kreit, a marijuana law expert at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, said the ruling was significant  but may not be the last time the 9th Circuit addresses medical marijuana and gun rights.
German nationalist lawmaker lashes out at Jewish activist

BERLIN (AP)  Days before a closely watched regional election in Germany, a leading member of the nationalist party Alternative for Germany launched an attack on a prominent Jewish activist, calling Wednesday for the anti-racism organization she heads to be shut down.

European lawmaker Beatrix von Storch, who leads the Berlin chapter of Alternative for Germany, lashed out online at the Amadeu Antonio Foundation over a brochure that described her party as far-right and populist. Von Storch called for the "plug to be pulled" on the foundation because of the brochure, which provides guidance on how to respond to her party.

Known by its German acronym AfD, the party has polled strongly ahead of elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania amid popular discontent over Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy.

Von Storch, the granddaughter of Nazi Germany's finance minister, attacked the foundation's chairwoman, Anetta Kahane, calling her a "Stasi-aunt." Kahane has acknowledged being one of 200,000 unpaid informants of East Germany's secret police, or Stasi, from 1974 to 1982, before becoming a political dissident.

A foundation representative, Timo Reinfrank, accused von Storch of trying to portray herself as a victim ahead of regional elections at the weekend.

"Unfortunately AfD politicians show time and again how well-founded our efforts to preserve the culture of democratic debate are," he said.

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation has frequently been attacked by far-right groups.

In July, members of a far-right group known as the Identitarian Movement stormed its office demanding to see Kahane.
US high court refuses to reinstate North Carolina voter ID

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A divided U.S. Supreme Court refused Wednesday to reinstate North Carolina's voter identification requirement and keep just 10 days of early in-person voting.

The decision  a victory for voting rights groups and President Barack Obama's Justice Department  means voters won't have to show one of several qualifying photo IDs when casting ballots in the presidential battleground state. Early voting also reverts to 17 days, to begin Oct. 20.

The court rejected a request by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and other state officials to delay a lower court ruling that found the state law was tainted by racial discrimination.

"Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians will now be able to vote without barriers," Allison Riggs, an attorney representing some of the groups and voters who originally sued over the 2013 law, said in a release.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down several parts of the law July 29, saying they were approved by Republican legislators in 2013 with intentional bias against black voters. Lawyers for McCrory and the state officials disagreed with the 4th Circuit ruling that there was "discriminatory intent" in passing the law and wanted a delay while they drafted an appeal.

The high court divided 4-4 on most of the challenged provisions, with the four more conservative justices supporting the state's bid to enforce them in the upcoming election. The split illustrates again how closely divided the Supreme Court is on voting rights and how the outcome of the presidential election essentially will determine the court's direction.

The court has been operating with only eight members since Justice Antonin Scalia died in February.

A ninth justice chosen by Democrat Hillary Clinton would almost certainly vote with the court's liberal justices on this issue. A justice picked by Republican Donald Trump would likely be a majority-making fifth vote for conservatives.

McCrory, who signed the law, said in a statement that North Carolina "has been denied basic voting rights" by the decision and that "four liberal justices" had "blocked North Carolina protections afforded by our sensible voter laws."

The voting adjustments could benefit Democrats in the November election, since registered Democrats historically have favored using early voting. Evidence presented during the trial over the 2013 law says black residents disproportionately lack photo ID. Black voters traditionally have voted overwhelmingly Democratic in North Carolina.

Attorneys who sued over the law  representing the U.S. government, the state NAACP, other groups and voters  told the justices last week keeping voter ID and 10 days of early voting in place would irreparably harm minority voters.

About 900,000 people voted in North Carolina in the first week of a 17-day early voting period in the 2012 presidential election. Fifty-six percent of state voters in that election cast early in-person ballots.

State NAACP president Rev. William Barber declared the ruling "another major victory for justice" that allows people to vote without "expansive restrictions by racist politicians or racist policies."

Voter ID was required during primary elections this year and 10 days of early voting had been in place since 2014.

McCrory and Republican legislative leaders have said voter ID is a sound requirement to increase the integrity of elections. Appeals court judges said the state provided no evidence of the kind of in-person voter fraud the ID mandate would address. The law was amended last year to include a method for people unable to get a photo ID to still vote.

Republican House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger said in a statement they were disappointed in the ruling and pointed out more than 30 other states have a voter ID requirement. "We'll continue to fight to restore this commonsense measure," Moore tweeted.

A trial court judge in April had upheld the law, but the 4th Circuit panel wrote he seemed "to have missed the forest in carefully surveying the many trees" by failing to recognize a link between race and politics in North Carolina.

The challenged provisions "target African Americans with almost surgical precision," said the 4th Circuit ruling, which also struck down provisions eliminating same-day registration during the early voting period and the counting of Election Day ballots cast by a person outside of their home precinct. The state didn't ask the Supreme Court to restore these provisions.

The court's action also means a voting "preregistration" program that readies 16- and 17-year-olds to cast ballots when they turn 18 is re-instituted. The 2013 law had ended the program.

Since the 4th Circuit decision, some GOP-controlled county election boards have approved 17-day early voting schedules that scale back the number of voting hours or anticipated early-vote sites. The State Board of Elections will decide whether they stand.

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Rubio, McCain turn toward general after primary wins

WASHINGTON (AP)  Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and John McCain of Arizona turned toward the general election Wednesday with GOP control of the Senate at risk, each facing lesser-known Democratic House members who've sought to link them to Donald Trump.

Rubio and McCain have two tough months of campaigning ahead, but on Tuesday they easily dispatched their Republican primary opponents, outcomes that underscored the party establishment's dominance of House and Senate primaries this year despite the nation's turbulent anti-establishment mood and Trump's outsider candidacy.

Not a single senator of either party has lost a primary this year, and in House races only five incumbents have lost, in several cases because they were under indictment or their districts were redrawn.

FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2016 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. speaks to supporters at a primary election party in Kissimmee, Fla. Rubio and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., turned toward the general election Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, with GOP control of the Senate at risk, each facing lesser-known Democratic House members whove sought to link them to Donald Trump. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

Rubio and McCain are supporting Trump for president, albeit with obvious reluctance after they were the target of his insults and Rubio ran against Trump for the White House. Unlike other incumbents, Rubio and McCain are extremely well-known with their own brands distinct from Trump's, but the mogul's impact on their candidacies remains unpredictable in states with large numbers of Hispanics, many of whom Trump has alienated with his insulting comments about Mexicans and his hard line on immigration.

Trump was speaking about immigration late Wednesday night in Phoenix after a visit to Mexico, but McCain, who avoids talking about Trump or appearing with him, did not plan to attend. Instead he was "spending a much-deserved day off with his wife, Cindy, at their home in Sedona," his campaign said.

McCain will face Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, his most formidable Democratic opponent in years, while Rubio faces Rep. Patrick Murphy, a former Republican who won his primary against unpredictable liberal firebrand Rep. Alan Grayson.

Tuesday's primary also saw Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the controversial former head of the Democratic National Committee, easily beat challenger Tim Canova, who was supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders. Twelve-term Democratic Rep. Corrine Brown, one of the first black lawmakers elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction, lost her primary in a redrawn district and under indictment over allegedly using a charity as a slush fund.

In a video released Wednesday, McCain hinted at what some Republicans anticipate will become a common down-ballot strategy if Trump continues to struggle in the polls: asking voters to send Republicans to Congress as a check against a President Hillary Clinton.

"My opponent, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, is a good person. But if Hillary Clinton is elected president, Arizona will need a senator who will act as a check  not a rubber stamp," McCain said, ticking off issues including taxes, the military, Supreme Court justices and President Barack Obama's health care law.

In comments to supporters in Florida, Rubio made a similar argument not only about Clinton but Trump too, saying that he hoped to participate in "a Senate that will act as a check and balance on the excesses of the executive branch when it goes too far, no matter who wins this election."

McCain, the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, won the Arizona primary by nearly 14 percentage points over former state Sen. Kelli Ward, a tea party activist who had tried to make an issue of the 80-year-old McCain's age, suggesting he was unfit to serve. McCain, in turn, sought to avoid engaging with Ward even while spending money to link her to conspiracy theories about aircraft spraying Americans with chemicals, dubbing her Chemtrail Kelli.

Rubio had announced his intention to retire from the Senate until GOP leaders led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell lured him into running for re-election in June. His announcement nearly cleared a crowded field, leaving wealthy developer Carlos Beruff as his only opponent. Rubio overwhelmed Beruff on Tuesday, winning by 53 percentage points and leaving Beruff to complain bitterly about Rubio's about-face on retiring: "I guess I was silly to believe the words of a Washington politician."

Republican officials and their allies celebrated the primary wins following victories earlier in the election cycle in Alabama, Indiana and other states. It's a change from past elections, most notably in 2010 and 2012, when flawed GOP candidates won primaries in states like Missouri and Delaware, only to cost the party in November.

"Tuesday's results are further proof that well-run campaigns can win elections despite environmental headwinds," said John Ashbrook, a former McConnell aide and GOP strategist whose firm, Cavalry LLC, has worked for several winning GOP Senate primary campaigns this season.

Republicans have a 54-46 seat majority in the Senate. Democrats are competing fiercely in several states including Illinois, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania as they aim to take back Senate control.
The Latest: Catastrophe averted in fatal Sparks plane crash

SPARKS, Nev. (AP)  The Latest on a northern Nevada plane crash that killed two people (all times local):

1:50 p.m.

A police official says the crash of a single-engine airplane into a recreational vehicle park near the end of a Reno-Tahoe International Airport runway could have been a catastrophe.

Firefighters work the site of a plane crash at an RV park in Sparks, Nev., Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Jose Olivares/The Reno Gazette-Journal via AP)

Authorities said Wednesday that two people on the plane died in the Tuesday evening crash.

But Sparks police Lt. Pete Krall said that even though the plane crashed among parked RVs, including some with people in them, no one on the ground was killed or hurt.

Krall says fire damaged several trailers and vehicles on the ground.

A manager who witnessed the crash at the 164-space Rivers Edge RV Park referred calls about the crash to corporate owner Storz Management Co. in California.

Company president Andy Carey declined to comment.

The plane was a 1981 Beechcraft Bonanza registered to Venture Aviation Services in Reno. Efforts to reach company officials weren't immediately successful.

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating.

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12:40 p.m.

Authorities have now confirmed that the pilot and a passenger were killed in a small plane that crashed into an RV park as it approached Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

The Washoe County Medical Examiner and Coroner's office said Wednesday that 73-year-old John B. Brown and an unidentified passenger died at the scene of the plane crash on Tuesday evening.

There were no other injuries reported on the ground.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said Tuesday that the single-engine plane crashed for unknown reasons into the Rivers Edge RV Park in Sparks about a half-mile from the airport about 6:15 p.m.

Sparks police say the plane hit the ground nose first and caught fire. Some of the wreckage hit trailers and vehicles.

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12 a.m.

Officials say a small plane crashed into an RV park as it approached Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The condition of the pilot or anyone else who may have been aboard is unclear, but there were no injuries on the ground.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the single-engine plane crashed for unknown reasons into the Rivers Edge RV Park in Sparks about a half-mile from the airport about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday

Sparks police say the plane hit the ground nose first and caught fire. Some of the wreckage hit trailers and vehicles.

Sparks fire officials say everyone in the RV park has been accounted for and no one was hurt. The park has been evacuated because of smoke.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

Police and firefighters work at the site of a small plane crash at an RV park Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, in Sparks, Nev. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the single-engine plane crashed for unknown reasons into the Rivers Edge RV Park in Sparks about a half-mile from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday. The condition of the pilot or anyone else who may have been aboard is unclear, but there were no injuries on the ground. (Jose Olivares/The Reno Gazette-Journal via AP)
US set to destroy big chemical weapon stockpile

DENVER (AP)  The U.S. Army plans to start operating a $4.5 billion plant next week that will destroy the nation's largest remaining stockpile of mustard agent, complying with an international treaty that bans chemical weapons, officials said Wednesday.

The largely automated plant at the military's Pueblo Chemical Depot in southern Colorado will begin destroying about 780,000 chemical-filled artillery shells soon after this weekend, said Greg Mohrman, site manager for the plant. He declined to be specific, citing security concerns and possible last-minute delays.

"We've practiced a lot," Mohrman told The Associated Press. "Next week it gets real."

FILE- In this Jan. 21, 2010, file photo, 105mm shells are shown that contain mustard agent where they are stored in a bunker at the Army's Pueblo Chemical Storage facility in Pueblo, Colo. On Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, the U.S. Army said it plans to start operating a $4.5 billion plant next week that will destroy the nation's largest remaining stockpile of mustard agent, complying with an international treaty banning chemical weapons. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

Robots will dismantle the shells, and the plant will use water and bacteria to neutralize the mustard agent, which can maim or kill by damaging skin, the eyes and airways. At full capacity, the facility can destroy an average of 500 shells a day operating around the clock. It's expected to finish in mid-2020.

The plant will start slowly at first and likely won't reach full capacity until early next year, said Rick Holmes, project manager for the Bechtel Corp.-led team that designed and built it.

Construction began in 2004, but until now, the Army has been vague about the start date, citing the complexities of building and testing the facility and training the workforce.

The depot has already destroyed 560 shells and bottles of mustard agent that were leaking or had other problems that made them unsuitable for the plant.

Those containers were placed in a sealed chamber, torn open with explosive charges and neutralized with chemicals. That system can only destroy four to six shells a day.

Irene Kornelly, chairwoman of a citizens advisory commission that Congress established as a liaison between the public and the plant operators, said her group had no remaining safety concerns.

The shells stored at the Pueblo depot contain a combined 2,600 tons of the chemical.

The Army stores an additional 523 tons of mustard and deadly nerve agents at Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. Blue Grass is expected to start destroying its weapons next year, finishing in 2023.

Mustard agent is a thick liquid, not a gas as commonly believed. It has no color and almost no odor, but it got its name because impurities made early versions smell like mustard.

The U.S. acquired 30,600 tons of mustard and nerve agents, but it says it never used them in war. Nearly 90 percent of its original stockpile has already been destroyed, mostly by incineration.

The Colorado and Kentucky depots are using chemical neutralization because residents and officials expressed concerns about vapor from incineration.

A 1925 treaty barred the use of chemical weapons after debilitating gas attacks in World War I, and the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention called for eradicating them.

But international inspectors say Syria and the Islamic State group used them in 2014 and 2015. The United Nations Security Council met in closed session Tuesday to consider whether to sanction Syria.

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Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/dan-elliott.
FBI seeks public's help in Indiana girl's 2005 killing

CHICAGO (AP)  Haunted by the 2005 slaying of an Indiana schoolgirl, whose decapitated and dismembered body was found by boaters in a river near Chicago, federal and local officials appealed for the public's help Wednesday in solving the crime.

At a news conference at FBI headquarters in Chicago, authorities declined to disclose whether new leads or suspects have emerged, saying only that there's hope, with the passing of time, someone might now be willing to come forward with vital clues.

Investigators believe 13-year-old Alexandra Anaya knew her killer, the head of the FBI's Chicago office told reporters, describing the girl's killing as "one of the most heinous murders we have seen involving a child."

Retired Hammond, Ind., police detective Ronald Johnson, left, responds to a question as Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson listens during a news conference Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, in Chicago. Johnson, who was Hammond's chief investigator in the now unsolved murder of Alexandra Anaya, 11 years ago, joined Chicago authorities and the FBI in appealing for the public's help in solving Anaya's murder. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Michael Anderson added about the killer: "Unfortunately, that person is still out there."

Anaya's torso was found wrapped in chains in the Little Calumet River on Aug. 16, 2005, three days after she was last seen alive leaving her Hammond, Indiana, home early in the morning. DNA testing confirmed the torso was Anaya's.

A reporter asked one of the original Hammond police investigators at the same news conference if the case continues to haunt him. "Yes, it does," said Ronald Johnson, who retired a year after the killing. "Many sleepless nights."

A photograph of Anaya smiling on a staircase, a book at her side, sat on an easel a few feet away as Johnson spoke.

Family, friends and potential witnesses are being re-interviewed, and some physical evidence will be retested in hopes that advancements in forensics science can reveal something new that points to the killer, FBI officials told reporters.

Changing relationships over the 11 years may also make some witnesses previously reluctant to talk more willing to tell what they know, said the current lead investigator for the FBI, Courtney Corbett.

"Sometimes time works in the favor of an ongoing investigation," she said.

Next to the picture of Anaya was a photograph of a gold chain with a crucifix that investigators said the girl was thought to be wearing the day she went missing.

A reporter asked Corbett if the killer, whoever it is, might be holding on to it or something else that belonged to Anaya.

"They very well could be," she said.

A suburban Chicago man had been accused of molesting Anaya, according to court documents filed later in 2005. The man had lived with the girl's mother, Sandra Anaya, but the couple broke up in the spring of 2005 after the girl accused the man of molesting her since age 7, court documents from that time say.

The man has never been identified as a suspect in the girl's death. He was charged later in 2005 with interstate domestic violence against Sandra Anaya. A federal jury in Indiana, however, found him not guilty on all counts in a 2006 trial.

Asked about the man at Wednesday's news conference and whether he might now be a suspect in the killing, officials declined any comment.
Obama urges nations to work together on climate issues

STATELINE, Nev. (AP)  The Latest from President Barack Obama's comments on Wednesday (all times local PDT):

10 p.m.

President Obama says no nation can tackle climate change by itself. He says that's why countries need to work together on the environment.

Obama is speaking to a group of Pacific Island leaders in Honolulu a few hours after addressing a Lake Tahoe conservation summit in Nevada.

The president is pointing to steps the U.S. has taken to reduce emissions and protect the environment while also growing its economy. He says that shows that there's no conflict between a healthy economy and a healthy planet.

Obama is touting his decision to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. He says it's a hallowed site that deserves to be treated as such and will now be preserved for future generations.

3:50 p.m.

President Obama says places like Lake Tahoe are important because they nurture and restore the soul.

Obama told a crowd of about 9,000 at the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit on Wednesday it was the first time he had ever visited the mountain lake that straddles the California-Nevada line atop the high Sierra.

He says it has been a sacred place for the Washoe Tribe for thousands of years and should be held sacred by all Americans.

The president says he won't have as nice of transportation, but he intends to return to Tahoe as a private citizen when he leaves office after this year.

He says he'll have to drive instead of ride in Marine One. That's the presidential helicopter that he boarded after the summit to fly back to Reno-Tahoe International Airport before he continues on to Hawaii.

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3 p.m.

President Obama says the extraordinary efforts that have been put into healing Lake Tahoe the past two decades prove it is possible to pass on the nation's greatest natural treasures to future generations.

Obama said in a speech at the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit on Wednesday that tourist-based economies like the one at Tahoe live or die by the health of the environment.

The president says the bipartisan cooperation that has attacked threats to the alpine lake's famous clarity is evidence there's "no contradiction between being smart on the environment and having a strong economy."

He says leaders of the Native American Washoe Tribe that has called Tahoe its home for thousands of years had it right when they said that "the health of the land and the health of the people are tied together."

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2:15 p.m.

California Gov. Jerry Brown says the unprecedented steps taken to protect Lake Tahoe over the last 20 years proves that "beauty transcends politics."

The Democrat took the stage at the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit in Stateline on Wednesday ahead of the keynote address to be given by President Barack Obama.

Brown told the thousands of people crowded into an outdoor arena in a casino parking lot that they are standing next to the most beautiful lake in the world.

He says Tahoe's beauty has provided a higher calling that allows Republicans and Democrats to overcome the petty issues that often divide them.

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2 p.m.

Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada and Dianne Feinstein of California are praising the unprecedented, bipartisan work that has been done to protect Lake Tahoe over the past two decades.

Reid opened the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit Wednesday at an outdoor arena on the lake's south shore where President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address later in the afternoon.

Reid says that thanks to the nearly $2 billion that has been spent to reverse a loss of clarity since 1997, Lake Tahoe is now "more pristine than it has been in decades."

Feinstein says she's most impressed by the more than $330 million the private sector has contributed to the effort that has restored 1,500 streamside zones and added 2,700 linear feet of shoreline to public access areas.

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1 p.m.

Thousands of people are crowding into an outdoor arena in a casino parking lot at Lake Tahoe where President Obama is to give the keynote address at the 20th annual environmental summit addressing the lake's ecological challenges.

Sen. Harry Reid invited Obama to speak at Wednesday event in Stateline, Nevada on the lake's south shore. The Nevada Democrat who is retiring this year also persuaded former President Bill Clinton to host the first Tahoe Summit in 1997.

Other speakers include California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, California Gov. Jerry Brown and assistant U.S. Interior Secretary Janice Schneider.

Scientists are worried about the loss of clarity in the alpine lake caused by a wide variety of factors over past half-century, including housing construction, storm-water runoff, automobiles and aquatic species.

The newest threat is climate change. The lake's temperature has risen faster over the last four years than any time on record.

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8 a.m.

President Barack Obama is opening a two-day environmental tour aimed at showcasing conservation efforts before traveling to Asia, where climate change is high on the agenda for his final trip to the continent.

In Nevada on Wednesday, Obama plans to visit Lake Tahoe and speak at a summit dedicated to the iconic lake's preservation. Then he'll travel to Honolulu to address leaders of island nations.

Obama will continue the theme Thursday during an unusual presidential visit to Midway Atoll, a speck of land halfway between Asia and North America. Obama plans to focus on small islands that are especially vulnerable to climate change.
Ex-consultant who fled after theft gets second prison term

PHOENIX (AP)  A former Arizona man nabbed while living under a false identity in the Boston area years after stealing $571,000 from his employer has been sentenced to nine years in prison.

The sentence handed down by a judge in Phoenix on Friday will run consecutive to a three-year prison term already imposed on Steve Nolte in 2015 by a federal judge in Massachusetts on convictions related to Nolte's flight from justice.

An Arizona jury on May 22 convicted Nolte of fraud and theft.

Nolte, now 53, in 1996 worked as an information technology consultant for Fulton Homes when he stole $571,649 from the homebuilder.

Authorities investigating the 1996 theft couldn't locate Nolte, who had fled to Costa Rica before later resettling in the Boston area. While on the run, he used a fraudulent passport obtained under the name of George France, an infant who had died in 1966.

Nolte was undone in 2012 when he applied for a replacement passport under the assumed name of George France. Authorities discovered his true identity after realizing that the Social Security number he was using wasn't issued until he supposedly was 33 years old.
Nuremberg prosecutor gives $1 million to Holocaust Museum

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says the last surviving prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials has donated $1 million to the museum's genocide prevention center.

The museum announced Wednesday that Ben Ferencz will donate $1 million to the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide. The annual gift is renewable for up to $10 million.

Now 96 and living in Delray Beach, Florida, Ferencz was the chief U.S. prosecutor in the Einsatzgruppen case, which tried 22 leaders of the killing units of the Nazis' SS troops.
Ex-Atlanta police officer indicted in death of unarmed man

ATLANTA (AP)  A grand jury on Wednesday charged a white former Atlanta police officer with felony murder and other crimes in the death of an unarmed black man who was driving a car.

The Fulton County grand jury also indicted James Burns on charges of aggravated assault, making a false statement and two counts of violation of oath of office in the June 22 killing of 22-year-old Deravis Caine Rogers, according to defense attorney Drew Findling. Burns has been out on bond since his arrest.

Prosecutors said Burns fired into Rogers' vehicle while responding to a call about a suspicious person, even though Burns wasn't in danger and had no way to identify Rogers as the reported suspicious person.

This photo provided July 21, 2016 by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office shows former Atlanta police officer James Burns at his booking at Fulton County Jail. A grand jury on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016 charged a white former Atlanta police officer with felony murder and other crimes in the death of Deravis Caine Rogers, an unarmed black man. (Fulton County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Findling disputed that, saying after the grand jury hearing that Burns believed that Rogers' car was accelerating toward him and that his life was in danger.

Atlanta police Chief George Turner fired Burns July 1 after an internal investigation determined Burns used unnecessary and excessive force.

Burns responded after an off-duty officer working as a security officer at an Atlanta apartment complex called police to report a suspicious person, prosecutors have said. When Burns arrived, he tried to block a 2011 silver Ford Fusion that was leaving the complex.

The Fusion, driven by Rogers, didn't try to hit the officer and Burns was standing at the rear of his patrol vehicle, authorities have said. They also said Burns had no information describing Rogers as a threat and no way to identify Rogers as the man the off-duty officer had reported.

But Burns fired one shot into the side of Rogers' vehicle, hitting Rogers in the head, prosecutors have said.

Findling, however, said Burns got the call, learned a fellow officer was in trouble, raced through traffic to help and arrived to see a car parked against traffic pulling away and refusing to stop, and it all happened within four or five minutes.

"I don't judge nor should anybody judge Officer Burns on four minutes of his life," Findling said. He said his client had been an international humanitarian aid worker and then returned home and became a police officer in his 30s to serve the city he loves.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Burns acted too quickly to make a decision that resulted in Rogers' death.

"It became apparent that the officer did not know anything about the person in the car and without knowing any specific facts, he made a decision that ended up being exactly the wrong decision," Howard said.

Rogers' mother Melva Rogers last month filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Burns, Turner and the city. Burns violated Rogers' civil rights by using excessive and deadly force and failing to grant him due process, the lawsuit says.

Melva Rogers thanked supporters and said she was feeling overwhelmed but excited. She added that so far, she feels her son didn't die in vain.

After addressing reporters, Melva Rogers walked toward supporters gathered outside the courthouse with her fist raised in the air as the crowd chanted, "We believe that we will win."

Community groups and lawyers organized a 24-hour demonstration that started Tuesday evening outside the courthouse to call for an indictment and to remember others who have been killed by law officers in Georgia. A few dozen were outside Wednesday during the grand jury proceeding.

Findling took issue with calls by outside groups and some lawyers for people to rally at the courthouse and send a message to the grand jurors to return an indictment. He said he filed an emergency motion before Wednesday's hearing asking to delay the grand jury proceeding "due to lack of secrecy of the proceeding and undue influence by outside sources."

"That's not the way grand juries work. A grand jury is not supposed to base a decision on what they see in the street. They're supposed to base a decision on what they see in there," he said. He said it will be an issue later.

Georgia police officers facing grand juries for use of deadly force have traditionally been allowed to sit in on the proceedings, along with their attorneys, and to make an unchallenged statement at the end. That practice, unique to Georgia, drew criticism amid increasing scrutiny of police use of force nationwide.

A new law that took effect July 1 limits those special privileges. It says officers can no longer sit in on the entire proceeding. While they may still make a statement to grand jurors, they now must answer questions from prosecutors and grand jurors if they do.
Brazil's ousted and incoming leaders go from allies to foes

SAO PAULO (AP)  For years, President Dilma Rousseff and Vice President Michel Temer had a political partnership of convenience. From different parties, they ran on the same presidential ticket and served together for more than half a decade.

But when a measure to impeach Rousseff was introduced in Congress last year, fissures between them went public. Rousseff has accused Temer of leading the push to oust her, accusations he denied. With Wednesday's 61-20 Senate vote to permanently remove Rousseff, Temer will serve the rest of her term, through 2018.

Here is a look at the careers of the allies-turned-enemies:

Brazil's President Michel Temer waves as he arrives to take the presidential oath at the National Congress, in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Temer was sworn in as Brazil's new leader following the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

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OUSTED PRESIDENT DILMA ROUSSEFF

Rousseff, 68, was Brazil's first female president. She was born in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte to a Bulgarian immigrant father and a Brazilian schoolteacher mother.

Rousseff first got involved in politics while opposing the 1964-1985 dictatorship as a militant of the Palmares Revolutionary Armed Vanguard.

She was arrested and imprisoned in 1970 on charges she belonged to an organization that robbed banks and committed murders. Rousseff has said she was never participated in armed conflict. She was tortured for more than 20 days and spent nearly three years in jail. She was released in 1973.

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Rousseff's predecessor and mentor, in 2003 appointed her as Mines and Energy Minister. She also chaired the board of directors of state-owned oil company, Petrobras, and became Silva's chief of staff two years later.

She was elected Brazil's president in 2010 with Silva's backing. Her running mate was Michel Temer, from the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party.

Four years later, she was re-elected to a second four-year term.

As the economy worsened, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in early 2015, with many demanding her ouster and that of her left-leaning Workers' Party.

Rousseff has been married and divorced twice, and has an adult daughter.

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INCOMING PRESIDENT MICHEL TEMER

Temer was born in the city of Tiete, in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo, the youngest of eight children. His parents were Lebanese immigrants.

Temer left Tiete at age 16 to conclude his high school studies in the city of Sao Paulo. He earned a law degree in 1963 from the University of Sao Paulo, and a Ph.D. in law in 1974 from the Catholic University of Sao Paulo.

He has written several books on a variety of legal issues and is considered an expert in constitutional law.

From 1984-1986 and from 1993-1994, Temer was the head of the State of Sao Paulo's Public Safety Department. He also served twice as the state's Attorney General.

He belongs to the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, known less for a specific ideological stance than for its skill at backroom deal making. He was the speaker of the lower Chamber of Deputies for three consecutive terms. He was Rousseff's running mate during her successful presidential run in 2010, then again in 2014.

The 75-year-old is married to 33-year-old Marcela Tedeschi Temer, a former beauty pageant contestant. They have one son.

Temer has four other children from previous marriages.
GOP senator calls on FBI to loosen hold on Clinton documents

WASHINGTON (AP)  The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the FBI on Wednesday to correct what he called its "mistake" of restricting access to unclassified files from its closed investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, urged FBI Director James Comey to send his committee any unclassified records involving the investigation into the Democratic presidential nominee. Grassley set a deadline of Friday.

Responding to requests from GOP House members, the FBI on Aug. 16 delivered two large binders containing both classified and unclassified documents to a secure room on Capitol Hill typically reserved for the nation's most closely guarded secrets. Documents containing classified information are included with those marked by the FBI as "Unclassified/For Official Use."

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the American Legion's 98th Annual Convention at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Grassley said that by comingling the documents and locking them away the FBI violated an executive order dictating the proper handling classified materials.

"The FBI is not following its legal responsibility and is impeding the ability of Judiciary Committee members and staff to work with the unclassified documents," Grassley wrote.

FBI spokeswoman Carol Cratty confirmed the agency had received Grassley's letter but declined to comment further.

The FBI in July closed the agency's yearlong investigation into whether Clinton and her top aides mishandled classified information that flowed through a private email server located in the basement of her New York home. Though he described Clinton's actions as "extremely careless," Comey said his agents found no evidence to support criminal charges.

Republicans said Clinton lied to Congress about her handling of emails when she testified last October before a House panel investigating the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The GOP is pressing the Justice Department to open a new investigation into whether Clinton committed perjury.

FBI case files are typically kept confidential after an investigation is closed without a recommendation for charges, and the Clinton documents were sent to Congress accompanied by written warnings not to leak the information.

The documents from the FBI's investigation are being kept in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, known within the intelligence community as a SCIF. Access to the guarded room is strictly restricted. Only those with high-level security clearances can view the unredacted files containing classified information.

"It is improper to bundle unclassified information with classified information in this manner in an attempt to impose controls on unclassified documents as though they were classified," Grassley wrote in his letter to the FBI director. "It also raises serious constitutional separation of powers issues when the imposition of such document controls interferes with the independent oversight function of the Judiciary Committee."

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Rapper Young Dro arrested before concert at Georgia college

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP)  Police say rapper Young Dro was arrested on gun and drug charges before a concert at a southeast Georgia college.

The Bulloch County Sheriff's Office says Dro was arrested Sunday outside the Performing Arts Center at Georgia Southern University. The 37-year-old, whose real name is D'Juan Montreal Hart, is charged with possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, carrying a weapon in a school safety zone and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

Police say three others were arrested on drug charges.

Dro is known for his street anthems including, "We in Da City," and "Shoulder Lean." Last year he released his album "Da Reality Show," through T.I.'s label Grand Hustle Records.
UN test ban head: Israel should ratify treaty within 5 years

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Israel should ratify the nuclear test ban treaty within five years  and Iran should also ratify but the timing is uncertain, the head of the U.N. organization established to implement the treaty said Wednesday.

Lassina Zerbo said in an interview with The Associated Press that Israel should be the next key country to ratify the treaty and he hopes it takes less than five years.

"I'm putting five years as the longest it should take now based on the positive sign that I'm seeing from Israel," said Zerbo, who met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time during a visit there in June.

He cited the impact of last year's Iran nuclear deal in the Middle East for "creating the confidence-building conditions in the region to help others to move forward."

Zerbo said he has met Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif several times and the Iranians participate very actively in the test ban organization.

"I think in Iran it's a matter of when, and the when will depend on the condition that will be right ... for them to consider the ratification," he said. "The only thing I say as head of the organization is I hope the when is yesterday!"

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, known as the CTBT, has 196 member states  183 that have signed the treaty and 164 that have ratified it.

But the treaty has not entered into force because it still needs ratification by eight countries that had nuclear power reactors or research reactors when the U.N. General Assembly adopted it in 1996: the United States, China, Iran, Israel, Egypt, India, Pakistan and North Korea.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the treaty and Zerbo was at U.N. headquarters for a panel organized by the General Assembly to mark Wednesday's International Day Against Nuclear Tests.

The Obama administration supports a worldwide ban on nuclear testing but hasn't ratified the treaty because it doesn't have the votes in the Republican-controlled Senate. China also reaffirmed its commitment to the treaty at Wednesday's meeting, but didn't say when it might ratify, Zerbo said.

He said Pakistan has shown leadership recently, talking about a "bilateral moratorium with India" on nuclear testing. "They're waiting for a response from India," he said.

North Korea, the only nation that has tested nuclear weapons in the 21st century, was the only country of the eight key nations whose ratifications are needed to boycott Wednesday's General Assembly meeting. While its seat was empty, its underground explosions were criticized by Japan and many others.

Zerbo said he advocates reopening a dialogue with North Korea "one way or another," stressing that nothing has stopped Pyongyang from carrying out nuclear tests and firing ballistic missiles.

"What I'm thinking is how can we get them to adhere to a moratorium on nuclear testing as an immediate and first step to denuclearization," he said. "We have to find the means to do that."

Zerbo said he thinks there's an opportunity to open a dialogue with North Korea, similar to the six-party talks with Iran that led to last year's nuclear deal, and possibly using the six-party talks aimed at negotiating the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula which Pyongyang pulled out of in 2008.
Arizona Supreme Court says legal marijuana measure on ballot

PHOENIX (AP)  A voter initiative to legalize recreational marijuana will be on the November ballot after the Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a final legal challenge to the measure.

A lower court judge had thrown out the challenge, saying the group called Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy didn't have a right to sue.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry's ruling went on to reject all of the reasons opponents laid out for keeping the initiative off the ballot.

The opponents said initiative backers used illegal and unconstitutional "bait-and-switch tactics" and that the initiative violates Arizona's statutes in three ways. They include a misleading 100-word summary that leaves out important provisions, an "incoherent" text and title that obscures the extent of its impact on other laws, and a failure to provide a legal funding mechanism.

The high court sidestepped the right to sue argument, with Chief Justice Scott Bales calling Gentry's reliance on a 2015 rewrite of a law "murky at best, and rather than wade into those waters, we turn to the merits."

Bales went on to affirm Gentry's ruling rejecting the merits of the opponents' lawsuit, saying the summary substantially complied with the law's requirements for initiatives.

The ruling means that Proposition 205 is on November's general election ballot.

Under the measure, adults 21 and older could carry up to one ounce of marijuana and consume it privately. Adults could also cultivate up to six marijuana plants in an enclosed space and possess the marijuana produced by the plants. No more than a dozen plants would be allowed in a single residence.

The system would regulate pot in a way proponents say is similar to alcohol, with a 15 percent tax on all retail marijuana sales. Most of the new state revenue would go to Arizona public schools and education programs.

Barrett Marson, spokesman for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said it was "a good day for voters who want to end marijuana prohibition in Arizona."

"Voters will get the opportunity that they requested  more than 258,000 people signed a petition to put this before the voters," Marson said. "The Supreme Court agreed voters should have the final say on whether adults should have the right to legally purchase marijuana."

The Secretary of State confirmed that about 177,000 of those signatures were valid, more than the approximately 151,000 need to qualify for the ballot.

Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, which includes two prominent county attorneys and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, said they will now turn to urging voters to reject the measure.

"Our goal now is to make sure that every Arizonan enters the voting booth in November with a full understanding of both the intended and the unintended impacts of the 20 pages of new laws in Prop 205," Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk said in a statement. "We hope all citizens will read the lengthy legalese before voting and will learn how devastating Proposition 205 would be to our state if passed."

Opponents say backers have not told voters about changes to DUI laws, child custody issues, employment law and many other laws.

In another development Wednesday, a Maricopa County judge ordered one change to the ballot description voters will see but rejected other revisions sought by the backers.

Judge James Blomo agreed with the measure's backers that the description crafted by Secretary of State Michele Reagan wrongly said marijuana will be legal for people over 21, when it should be 21 and older, and ordered it changed.
Oil pipeline protesters disrupt construction sites

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  Arrests have been made in North Dakota and Iowa during protests against the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

Authorities cut free a man who bound himself to construction equipment and arrested at least two protesters Wednesday during a rally near Highway 6 outside St. Anthony, North Dakota.

The site is about 20 miles west of the main protest near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, where pipeline construction has been halted for days.

Some of the more than 100 protesters were placed under arrest on trespassing charges on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, in Boone, Iowa, as they gathered to voice their opinion against the development of the Bakken Pipeline during a rally on four of the entrances to the pipeline construction site. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register via AP)

Several anti-pipeline protesters also were arrested during a rally Wednesday in Boone, Iowa. The local sheriff's office says they could face misdemeanor trespassing charges after blocking access to a Dakota Access construction staging site.

In North Dakota, Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Iverson troopers briefly closed the highway due to the protest, and construction was temporarily halted.

A person sits in protest at the site of construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in central North Dakota, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Authorities say that they have cut free the man who bound himself to construction equipment as part of a protest at a Dakota Access oil pipeline about 20 miles west of a main protest site in North Dakota. (Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune via AP)

Erica Blair, left, and Ana Garst, both of Des Moines, hold protest signs on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. More than 100 protesters gathered to voice their opinion against the development of the Bakken Pipeline during a rally on four of the entrances to the pipeline construction site near the Farm Progress grounds in Boone, Iowa. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register via AP)

Julia Slocum of Ames, Iowa, is placed under arrest on trespassing charges by a member of the Boone County Sherrif's Department on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, in Boone, Iowa. People gathered to voice their opinion against the development of the Bakken Pipeline during a rally on four of the entrances to the pipeline construction site. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register via AP)
Kenya's top anti-corruption official resigns

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Kenya's top anti-corruption official said Wednesday he has resigned after his family business was mentioned as a company that did business with a ministry implicated in corruption.

Since its inception in 1997, all five heads of the country's corruption watchdog have resigned or been forced out of office in what analysts say is a result of deeply entrenched corruption in the country.

Philip Kinisu said in a statement that it had become impractical to serve as Chairman of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission because of negative deliberations in public about the dealings of his family's company and the Ministry of Devolution and National Planning.

"I maintain that the company and I are innocent of the allegations that have been made. At the same time significant resources and attention are being expended by the state and public on deliberating these matters instead of fighting corruption," Kinisu said.

A report by Parliament's Legal and Justice Committee had recommended that the president form a tribunal to investigate him, Kinisu said. Police have not charged Kinisu.

Information about Kinisu family business transactions with the Ministry of Planning and Devolution were leaked to the media months after he was appointed ethics commission chairman after being vetted by parliament.

Kinisu, an accountant who rose to become CEO and then chairman of accounting firm PWC in the region, had taken up his appointment earlier this year with zeal; releasing statistics that made government officials cringe in denial such as government losing $3billion annually to corruption or a third of Kenya's budget.

He then announced that all the staff at the EACC will be vetted. The commission has had very few convictions of the hundreds of cases they investigate.

Kinisu's resignation is good for the ethics commission and the country, said Samuel Kimeu, executive director of the Kenyan chapter of global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International. "The job requires unquestioned integrity," he said on a post on Twitter.
Children as young as three 'worry about being fat or ugly'

Children as young as three are showing signs of being unhappy with their appearance and bodies, a survey of childcare professionals has suggested.

Almost a third of nursery and school staff said they had heard a child label themselves fat while 10% said they had heard a child say they felt ugly.

Nearly a quarter said they had "seen signs" children aged between three and five were "unhappy with their appearance or bodies" and this figure almost doubled to nearly half of six- to 10-year-olds.

Almost a third of nursery and school staff said they had heard a child label themselves fat

About one in five children has been seen to reject food because "it will make them fat", according to the study.

The research was done by the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (Pacey) between June 27 and August 8 and had a limited sample size of 361.

An adviser to the group, Dr Jacqueline Harding, said more research was needed in the area but speculated "contributing factors" were likely to include television and images in story books and animations.

She added: "We know for sure that early experiences matter the most and we need to be very careful about how (even inadvertently) we signal to children that they should think negatively about their bodies and how they look.

"There is also research evidence to suggest that some four-year-olds are aware of strategies as to how to lose weight."
Relationship with EU must be 'unique to UK' and deliver 'positive' trade outcome

Britain will seek a new arrangement for its post-Brexit relationship with the EU which is tailor-made for the UK, rather than settling for an "off-the-shelf solution" similar to that in place with countries like Norway or Switzerland.

A Cabinet meeting at Prime Minister Theresa May's country residence, Chequers, heard that the Government is seeking a model that is "unique to the United Kingdom" and will deliver migration controls as well as a "positive outcome" on trade.

Mrs May confirmed that she will not open exit negotiations under Article 50 of the EU treaties before the end of this year, and pledged that there would be no second referendum and no attempt to keep Britain in the EU "by the back door".

Theresa May holds a cabinet meeting at Chequers

Cabinet ministers agreed that it is for the UK Government alone to decide when to invoke Article 50 and there is "no need" for MPs to give their approval in a vote, said a spokesman for Mrs May.

"There was a strong emphasis on pushing ahead to Article 50 to lead Britain successfully out of the European Union - with no need for a parliamentary vote," said the spokesman.

"Furthermore, several Cabinet members made it clear that we are leaving the EU but not leaving Europe, with a decisive view that the model we are seeking is one unique to the United Kingdom and not an off-the-shelf solution. This must mean controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe but also a positive outcome for those who wish to trade goods and services."

There was much debate during the EU referendum campaign over whether the UK should seek a Norway-style relationship with the EU, providing access to the single market through membership of the European Economic Area, or a looser Swiss-style arrangement governed by a series of treaties.

But in a phone call with Norway's PM, Erna Solberg, Mrs May said that upcoming negotiations on the post-Brexit relationship should consider "what is going to work best for the UK and what is going to work for the European Union, rather than necessarily pursuing an existing model".

Ministers had been told to deliver an analysis at the meeting of the opportunities which withdrawal from the European Union presents for their department.

Following the day-long session, Mrs May's official spokeswoman said: "Ministers agreed that we should be seizing the opportunity of Brexit to confirm the UK's place as one of the great trading nations in the world, fostering entrepreneurialism and setting out a long-term vision for the country."

The meeting also restated the Government's commitment to "fiscal discipline and living within our means" and agreed on "the vital need to increase productivity and the importance of doing more to foster economic growth and industrial development in regions up and down the country", said the spokeswoman.

The gathering - dubbed a "Brexit brainstorm" by Labour - came amid continuing uncertainty over the form that Britain's future relationship with the EU will take.

A former Foreign Office minister said that the launch of exit negotiations should be delayed until Mrs May resolves a "fault line" within her Government over whether the UK will accept freedom of movement for EU citizens in return for access to the single market.

Sir Hugo Swire told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "You need to get your ducks in a row before you know what it is you are going to renegotiate. At the moment, I don't think we know that."

And former business minister Anna Soubry - part of the Open Britain group being launched this week by supporters of the failed Remain campaign - said Britain should push for a deal that preserves access to the single market and free movement for EU citizens.

She told Radio 4's Today she would be "concerned about any plans to curb immigration" from Europe, which had "benefited our country, especially business".

But former chancellor and Brexit campaigner Lord Lawson said Article 50 should be tabled as soon as possible and Britain should not "waste time trying to negotiate elaborately" a special trade deal with the EU.

"A long period of uncertainty is bad for the economy, bad for British business, and therefore the sooner this is sorted out the better," Lord Lawson told Today.

Mrs May told Ms Solberg and Finnish PM Juha Sipila that she will not invoke Article 50 before the end of this year, in order to give the UK and EU time to prepare for negotiations and to help ensure the process is "as smooth as possible", said Downing Street.

Opening the Chequers meeting, she said that "quite a lot of work" had been done over the summer on preparing the way for exit talks, adding: " We must continue to be very clear that 'Brexit means Brexit', that we're going to make a success of it. That means there's no second referendum; no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door; that we're actually going to deliver on this."

Labour shadow minister without portfolio Jonathan Ashworth said: "After six years of Tory Government, working people are feeling the pinch, public services are under pressure and the Tories have no plan to deal with the vote to leave Europe.

"Britain needs change but Theresa May and the Tories cannot deliver it. Their austerity agenda has failed working people, they have put the needs of the few over those of the many, and they have plunged Britain into economic uncertainty post-Brexit due to their failure to plan for the outcome. "

In a reflection of the majority votes in Scotland and Northern Ireland to remain in the EU, the PM's spokesman said that Cabinet ministers "discussed at length... the commitment to the devolved nations to make sure that Brexit works for all - but Cabinet members were clear that it is the United Kingdom's Government's decision to establish its terms and on when to trigger Article 50".

Pro-Remain Labour MP Chuka Umunna, the chair of Vote Leave Watch, said: "It is now more than two months since the referendum was held, and many years since Vote Leave campaigners started dreaming about Brexit.

"Yet it is clear that the Government has nothing even approaching a plan for how Britain can accomplish the huge task of leaving the EU."

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said: "The country was dragged into this mess by a Tory party acting as a law unto themselves, and now they want to trust us to get them out of it, acting in exactly the same way.

"It is sheer high-handed arrogance for them to say they will take all the decisions themselves, with no consultation of Parliament or the public, with the devolved administrations consulted but not listened to, and with the governments of London and Gibraltar now not even mentioned.

"The Labour Party is clear: Instead of 'pushing ahead' with Article 50, those negotiations should not be triggered until the Government has put forward a clear plan about what it is seeking to achieve, how it will go about it, and until the public, Parliament, the devolved administrations, London and Gibraltar have given their approval to that plan."

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mrs May had given a "clear undertaking" at their recent meeting to consider Brexit options put forward by the Scottish Government.

"Despite this special cabinet meeting, we are still no closer to knowing what 'Brexit means Brexit' actually means - and as the weeks and months go by that is an increasingly unacceptable and irresponsible position," said Ms Sturgeon.
Vigil held for Polish man killed in Harlow in show of solidarity

A community turned out in force at a candlelit vigil for a Polish man killed in a possible hate crime.

Arkadiusz Jozwik, known as Arek, was attacked in Harlow, Essex, on Saturday night and died on Monday from head injuries.

The 40-year-old and another Polish man were set upon outside a row of takeaway shops in what Essex Police believe was an unprovoked attack at around 11.35pm.

People attend a vigil in Harlow to pay tribute to Arkadiusz Jozwik

Campaign group Stand Up To Racism organised a candlelit vigil at the scene of the attack to show solidarity with the Polish community in the town.

More than 200 people attended the event on Wednesday evening, including faith leaders, campaigners and people from the Polish community.

They listened to speakers from across the community who told of the importance of standing together.

Sylwia Karwacka, 31, of Harlow, held a candle and stood with friends carrying a Polish flag.

"Arek was lying there," she said, standing in The Stow shopping precinct. "He was my friend.

"We do nothing wrong and I don't understand why young people would attack Polish people.

"We live the same as everyone. We work, we pay tax.

"It's hard at the moment. I think 'why him? Why Polish people? Why?'."

She added that the death of Mr Jozwik had hit some sections of the Polish community hard.

"We're scared to go somewhere, we're scared to go out in case someone waits somewhere for you," she said. "We don't want to be scared. We want to live the same as everyone else. It's hard."

Lauren O'Donnell, 25, of Harlow, is a supporter of the Stand Up To Racism group.

"I wanted to show solidarity with the Polish and immigrant community in Harlow as they have suffered some harassment since Brexit," she said. "It's a very vocal minority and the majority of us wanted to say 'we appreciate you being here', and welcome people into the community."

Adam Cochrane, joint chairman of Stand Up To Racism's Harlow branch, said the turnout was "amazing".

He added: "The crowd couldn't be more diverse. I think Harlow showed its real face today."

A further community event is planned on Saturday in tribute to Mr Jozwik.

In a statement, Mr Jozwik's family said they were "extremely devastated" by their loss.

Polish ambassador Arkady Rzegocki visited the town earlier on Wednesday to lay floral tributes and to visit the family.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Pasmore, of Essex Police, said while six teenagers "who were perhaps involved in that melee" had been arrested, officers believed there may have been 12 to 13 people there.

He stressed there was no evidence to suggest the incident was a hate crime, but it could not be ruled out.

After the Brexit vote there was a spike in reported hate crimes, and incidents peaked on the day after the referendum.

A 48-hour dispersal order began at 7pm on Wednesday in a bid to keep potential trouble-makers away from the area.

Five 15-year-old boys and a 16-year-old who were arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on police bail until October 7.

A 43-year-old man, also from Harlow, was injured in the attack, and discharged from hospital after being treated for suspected hand fractures and bruising to his stomach.

Arkadiusz Jozwik, who died on Monday after being attacked in Harlow, Essex (Essex Police)

Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki alongside Harlow MP Robert Halfon (right), at The Stow in Harlow, after a 40-year-old Polish man died of head injuries following an unprovoked attack outside a takeaway.

Flowers are left at The Stow in Harlow

A message left at the scene

Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki carries flowers during a visit to The Stow in Harlow

The Stow in Harlow, where a 40-year-old Polish man died of head injuries following an unprovoked attack outside a takeaway.

Flowers are left at The Stow in Harlow

Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki (left) alongside Harlow MP Robert Halfon
Apple tax row: Irish government should tell EU to f**k off, says Michael O'Leary

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has weighed into the tax dispute between Apple and the European Union, saying the Irish government should write a letter to the EU telling them to "f**k off".

Dubbing the EU's ruling "bizarre", the outspoken Irishman said: "One of the fundamental principles of the European Union is that each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions.

"Frankly the Irish government should turn around - they shouldn't even appeal the decision - they should just write a letter to Europe and tell them politely to f**k off.

Michael O'Leary has described the EU ruling as "bizarre"

"The idea that you have the state aid mob - who've had more court verdicts overturned than any other department in Europe in the last 20 years - come along 10 years after the fact and say, 'no we didn't like that, we think you should have done something else', is frankly bizarre."

On Tuesday, Europe's antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager slapped the maker of iPads and iPhones with a 13 billion euro (11.1 billion) tax bill. She claimed Apple paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014, and said its arrangement with the Irish government is illegal under state aid rules.

Apple is set to challenge the decision, and Mr O'Leary added: "I think there's no chance of this surviving a court ruling in Europe. There's certain things that Europe has no competence in."

Mr O'Leary went on to claim that Ryanair was "one of the most compliant taxpayers in Ireland", having paid a tax rate of about 11.9% on profits last year.

On Brexit, the chief executive, who backed the Remain campaign during the EU referendum, expects the UK to suffer "significant economic damage" as a result of its decision to quit the single-bloc. However, he added that it is too soon to revise the company's financial guidance.

In July Ryanair said it would "pivot" growth away from UK airports and instead focus on hubs in the European Union following the Brexit referendum result.

The firm said its growth rate in the UK is expected to slow from about 15% to 6% next year.

However, with long-term growth in mind, Mr O'Leary is now calling on the UK Government to approve three new runways in a bid to end Britain's airport capacity conundrum for "the next 50 years".

He urged Theresa May's government to be "radical in its decision making" and rubber-stamp new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

The proposal would mean ending the battle between Gatwick and Heathrow for a new runway.

"Ryanair calls on the new UK Government to be radical in its decision making on new runways for London instead of picking just one (Heathrow or Gatwick) and calls on Prime Minister Theresa May to approve 3 new runways - one each at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, which will finally resolve the runway capacity issue for the next 50 years, while ensuring competition between airports delivers efficient facilities and prevents airlines and passengers being ripped off by gold-plated monopoly runways," he said.

Last year, the Government's Airports Commission said a third runway at Heathrow is the best route to expanding airport capacity.

David Cameron stalled on backing the recommendation, saying the Government required more time to assess the environmental impact. A decision is now expected before the end of the year.

Mr O'Leary said that expanding only one airport would allow airlines to justify raising prices for customers, who might subsequently help foot the bill. But competition between three airports would be a boon for travellers and benefit Ryanair long-term, he claimed.

"We'll have more capacity to grow, fares will fall and in a declining fare environment, we'll win," O'Leary said.
Backpacker's family hail bravery of fellow Briton who died after bid to save her

The family of a British backpacker killed at an Australian hostel have hailed the bravery of a fellow Briton who died after trying to save her.

Tom Jackson died in Townsville Hospital on Tuesday, a week after he was critically injured as he tried to shield Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, during a knife attack at Shelley's Backpackers in Home Hill, Queensland.

The 30-year-old's family said they were "indescribably proud" of his actions and Mr Jackson, from Congleton, Cheshire, has been nominated for a posthumous bravery award.

Tom Jackson died after being critically injured as he tried to save a fellow backpacker in Australia (YouCaring/PA)

Nicola Hawkridge-Chung, Miss Ayliffe-Chung's half-sister, described Mr Jackson's death as "horrible".

She told reporters: "I don't think there's any words to describe just what he's done and what he tried to do for Mia.

"Not many people would have that level of bravery to put themselves in that situation and put themselves in harm's way.

"Especially considering what was happening at the time, and the fact that he was able to intervene and the fact that he was so gravely wounded because of it and ultimately died - that's just horrible and we would just like to provide whatever support we can to his family at this time."

Miss Ayliffe-Chung's mother Rosie Ayliffe said the two victims were "beautiful, strong, exceptional people".

Recalling the moment police arrived to tell her the news, she told reporters: "It was past 10 at night and two policemen came in and looked incredibly serious.

"I thought I'd parked my car somewhere I shouldn't have, I thought I'd done something that I shouldn't have done.

"They said there was no easy way of telling me and that Mia had been fatally wounded. That was when I went into shock that I didn't come out of for a long time."

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was so moved by Mr Jackson's efforts that she has nominated him for a bravery award.

She told the Queensland Parliament in Brisbane: " Mr Jackson's reported actions of putting his own life before the life of hers represents an extraordinary act of courage and is deserving of recognition for this brave act.

"I have today written to the Australian Bravery Declarations Council to nominate Mr Jackson for a bravery award.

"I have also spoken with Tom's father Les. Les has asked me to pass on his thanks for the support his family is receiving from the community as well as the thanks from the local police, paramedics and all the staff at the ICU at Townsville Hospital

"These were tragic events and on behalf of Queenslanders I offer our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those involved."

Les Jackson said his son's death had left the family "bereft" and the world "a poorer place".

A YouCaring fundraising page set up by a friend, Shoshana Palatnik, to help the family has received donations of more than 10,500, which will go to Mr Jackson's parents.

Queensland police said detectives will upgrade a charge of attempted murder against a 29-year-old man when he next appears at Townsville Magistrates' Court on October 28.

Smail Ayad is alleged to have killed Miss Ayliffe-Chung and to have caused the injuries that led to Mr Jackson's death, as well as harming 12 police officers.
Jason Denayer follows record signing Didier Ndong to Sunderland on deadline day

Sunderland broke their transfer record to sign Didier Ndong from Lorient and added Manchester City midfielder Jason Denayer on loan as manager David Moyes pushed through some late business.

Ndong, 22, signed a five-year deal for a fee of 13.6million after making 46 appearances for the Ligue 1 club Lorient since joining them in January 2015.

Sunderland's previous record transfer was the 13m they paid for Asamoah Gyan six years ago.

David Moyes has broken Sunderland's transfer record for Didier Ndong

"I am very proud and happy to sign for Sunderland. This is a new adventure for me and to play in the Premier League is a dream come true," said the Gabon international.

"Maybe the Sunderland fans don't know me yet, but I promise that they will quickly discover that I will give everything for them and the club.

"It will be an honour to wear the Sunderland shirt and I will wear it with a true understanding of what it means.

"I am excited to meet everyone at the club, to see the stadium and of course the fans, who I have heard so many good things about.

"Today is the most beautiful day of my life.''

Belgium defender Denayer became Moyes' eighth signing of the summer.
Kremlin says reports that Uzbek President is dead not confirmed

MOSCOW, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that media reports that Uzbek President Islam Karimov was dead had not been confirmed.

"For the moment we do not have any fresh information. All we can say that ... media reports (about Karimov's death) have not been confirmed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with journalists.
Militants attack pipeline in Nigeria's Delta as others pursue talks

YENAGOA, Nigeria, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A militant group said on Tuesday it attacked a pipeline operated by a subsidiary of Nigeria's state oil company in the country's southern Delta region, just a day after the most prolific rebel group in the restive energy hub said it had halted hostilities.

OPEC member Nigeria has seen its oil output fall by around 700,000 barrels a day to 1.56 million bpd due to attacks on oil pipelines in the southern energy hub, home to much of the country's oil and gas wealth, since the start of the year.

The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate said it attacked the Ogor-Oteri pipeline in Delta state, operated by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and Nigerian energy company Shoreline, at around 03:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Tuesday.

Niger Delta Avengers, the group that claimed responsibility for most attacks in the impoverished region where militants want a greater share of the country's oil wealth, said on Monday it had halted hostilities.

"The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate remains underailed on its mission to getting justice for the people," said the group, previously unknown before an attack on Aug. 11 .

The group also criticised other militants for participating in talks with the government. It said others had merely sought to "harass the Nigerian state and the oil multinationals into parting with money".

Community leader Lucky Sorue, chairman of the Urhobo committee on oil and gas, said locals heard an explosion and he visited the blast site early on Tuesday.

"When we visited the scene we saw that the pipeline was badly damaged and blown open with explosives," he said.

Garba Deen Muhammad, a spokesman for the state oil company NNPC, said the attack was being investigated.
Credit Suisse chairman calls for time to complete turnaround

ZURICH, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse Chairman Urs Rohner aims to stay in office beyond 2018, he told German newspaper Handelsblatt, confident that his and Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam's strategy will revive the struggling Swiss bank.

Shares in Credit Suisse closed on Tuesday at 12.53 Swiss francs, lingering near record lows amid tough financial markets and concerns over the bank's capital position.

But the surprise second-quarter profit announced last month provided a lift for management's push to move Switzerland's second-biggest bank away from volatile, capital-intensive investment banking and focus on wealth management.

"We have developed a common strategy with plenty of thought and we are convinced it is the right one," Rohner told Handelsblatt. "And our big investors are behind our alignment."

Challenges remain, however, and the bank has lost a number of senior staff this year, including global chairman of M&A David DeNunzio, who joined Wells Fargo & Co, and a group of five investment bankers who left for Jefferies Group in May.

Rohner, whose post is renewed annually, also told the newspaper that the continued independence of some large European banks may hinge on finding others to manage centralised services, such as customer account data.

"I can imagine that a third party could do that for a series of banks," he said. "If multiple banks would join up, the resulting IT infrastructure organisation could be sold in an IPO on the stock exchange."

Rohner's comments echoed the thought processes of other Swiss bankers, including UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti, who recently said he thinks the industry may need to form such alliances to share economies of scale and lower costs.
Ebola virus lasts in semen for up to 565 days -study

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The largest analysis yet has found Ebola virus particles present in semen as long as 565 days after recovery from an infection, highlighting the potential role of sex in sparking another outbreak, researchers reported on Tuesday.

The study, published in the Lancet Global Health, involved 429 men seen between July 2015 and May 2016 who were part of the Liberian government's Men's Health Screening Program (MHSP), the first national semen testing program for Ebola virus.

Of the participants, 38 men tested positive during the study period. Within this group, 24 men, or nearly two thirds, had semen samples that tested positive for Ebola fragments a year after recovering from disease. Ebola tended to linger longer in men over age 40, the researchers said.

In one case, Ebola was detected at least 565 days after a man recovered from his illness.

"Before this outbreak, scientists believed that Ebola virus could be found in semen for three months after recovery. With this study, we now know that virus may persist for a year or longer," said Dr. Moses Soka, coordinator of the Ebola Virus Disease Survivor Clinical Care at the Liberian Ministry of Health, who worked on the study.

As part of Liberia's monitoring program, male survivors aged 15 and older can enroll for monthly tests of their semen. Participants also get counseling on safe sex and condoms at each visit.

"This program provides important insights into how long Ebola remains in semen, a key component to preventing flare-ups of the disease and protecting survivors and their loved ones," Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is collaborating with the ministry. Other partners include the World Health Organization, and the Academic Consortium Combating Ebola in Liberia.

Semen samples in the study were tested for genetic fragments known as the viral RNA, but the tests could not tell if the virus was capable of spreading disease.

Sexual contact with an Ebola survivor in March 2015 resulted in the infection and eventual death of a woman from Monrovia, even after Liberia had been declared free of Ebola. Tests of the man's semen showed the presence of Ebola virus 199 days after he first became ill.

The World Health Organization advises that all male Ebola survivors should be tested three months after the onset of symptoms and then monthly until they know they have no risk of passing on the virus.
British PM May gathers ministers to hear views on Brexit

By Elizabeth Piper

LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - After a summer of political earthquakes followed by a few weeks of holiday calm, Prime Minister Theresa May will meet members of her government on Wednesday to discuss how Britain is to leave the European Union.

It will be the first time that May, appointed in July after David Cameron resigned following Britain's vote to quit the EU, has met her ministers since she asked them to use the break to come up with options for the country's future relationship with the bloc after a divorce.

For many in the EU, it is not before time. Despite giving May breathing space to devise a negotiating stance before triggering the exit procedure, they are keen for Britain to begin the talks and end uncertainty that has hurt investment.

"Before the summer the PM charged all cabinet ministers with identifying the opportunities in their respective areas of responsibility," a government spokeswoman said.

"On Wednesday ... the new team will report back, and discuss the next steps in the negotiations," she said of the meeting at May's official residence at Chequers.

"Once the PM has made a decision she will expect the cabinet to deliver on it."

May has said she will not trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty to start the exit procedure until next year so that she can have time to make sure she has the best chance of winning best deal for Britain, her spokesman said.

The former interior minister, described as "utterly intractable" by a Cameron ally, will ask parliament for its views, but does not legally require its approval.

Her aides are clear that her decision will overcome any divergence of views in her cabinet, which like the wider ruling Conservative Party, is divided over the degree of Brexit - whether Britain should leave the EU's single market to ensure control over migration or find some compromise.

BALANCE

May has stacked her three ministries for Brexit, trade and foreign affairs with some of the most active campaigners for Britain to leave the EU.

But she has balanced them by appointing to vital positions lawmakers who campaigned for Britain to remain in the bloc, such as Philip Hammond at the finance ministry, or Treasury.

The Telegraph newspaper reported that the two sides have disagreed over Hammond's view that access to the single market could be maintained "on a sector-by-sector basis", with Britain retaining a favourable status for its big financial sector.

Asked whether that was Hammond's stance, the Treasury declined to comment.

If it was, that would go against so-called Brexit minister David Davis, who heads the new Department for Exiting the European Union, and trade minister Liam Fox. Citing senior government sources, the Telegraph said both believe Britain can only curb migration if the country leaves the single market.

On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande seemed to back up that point, underlining that Britain could not opt in to certain parts of the single market without upholding the EU's four freedoms, including freedom of movement.

"This choice means that Britain, once it leaves, cannot take part in European decisions," he told an annual gathering of French ambassadors in Paris.
Tomatoes come to town - Bunol prepares for La Tomatina

LLOSA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The ripe, round, red fruit tumbles out of crates and is piled high on trucks, while people cover balconies in plastic sheets and board up houses and shopfronts. Preparations for the annual 'La Tomatina' festival have begun.

About 150,000 kilos of tomatoes were transported to Bunol, west of the Spanish city of Valencia, ahead of the festival on Wednesday, when thousands of revellers will throw them at each other on a narrow street in the town.

The massive food fight lasts for an hour, with around 20,000 people expected to attend this year.
Philippines' Duterte: Obama must listen to me on human rights

MANILA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he was ready to discuss any issues with Barack Obama when they meet in Laos next week, but added that the U.S. president must listen to him first before bringing up the question of human rights.

Washington has expressed concern about a surge in drug-related killings since Duterte became president two months ago promising to wipe out narcotics in the Southeast Asian nation.

Asked if he would be willing to discuss human rights at his meeting with Obama on the sidelines of an East Asia summit on Sept. 6, Duterte told reporters: "Depends to what degree.

"They must understand the problem first before we talk about human rights. I would insist, listen to me: this is what the problem is, then we can talk."

In a statement, the foreign ministry said the meeting would be an opportunity for the president to "communicate his advocacy to improve the peace and order situation in the country, especially towards eradicating the scourge of illicit drugs".

Police data released on Tuesday showed that the number of drug-related killings since Duterte took office now stands at around 2,000, nearly half of them in police operations and the rest in shootings by unidentified gunmen.

Duterte has been unapologetic over unleashing the police on drug users and dealers and has responded robustly to criticism from the United Nations and other countries over his campaign.

Recently he lashed out at Washington's ambassador to the Philippines, branding him a "gay son of a whore".

The White House said on Monday that Obama would raise concerns about some of Duterte's recent statements when the two meet.

However, it said there were also important security issues for the two closely allied countries to discuss, particularly tension over navigation in the South China Sea. China has been incensed by a ruling against its claims in the South China Sea by an international court, a case initiated by Manila.

The two leaders were expected to discuss ways to strengthen the security alliance after Manila allowed the U.S. military to rotate its forces in five local air and army bases, foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose said.
Tense Gabon braces for disputed election result

By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome

LIBREVILLE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Gabon was braced on Wednesday for an election result that looks likely to be hotly disputed between bitter rivals President Ali Bongo and his main challenger Jean Ping.

The electoral commission was scheduled to release the results on Tuesday evening, but by 5.30 a.m. (0430 GMT) the following day, the panel was still in a closed-door meeting.

Gabonese have become increasingly nervous about the delay in delivering the results, as well as claims by Ping to have won by 60 percent.

State TV repeatedly played comments from the government warning Ping's supporters that announcing results before the electoral commission was illegal, interspersed with music and a documentary about Nelson Mandela played on a loop.

The government accused Ping on Tuesday of trying to destabilise Gabon.

"After the results, we will hand over these instances to the Gabonese judicial authorities," the government warned in its statement, read out by several officials.

It also denounced what it said was "foreign interference", after the French socialist party and two French lawyers publicly said Ping had won.

With both sides trading accusations, many fear an intractable political crisis.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday expressed concern about the issue of premature results and asked Ping and Bongo to urge restraint on their supporters.

"Jean Ping's victory is no longer in doubt," a statement signed by Ping said late on Tuesday, estimating his win at about 60 percent verses Bongo's 40 percent.

A win by Ping, a former foreign minister, African Union Commission chairman and longtime political insider, would end half a century of rule by the Bongo family.

Bongo was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ran Gabon for 42 years.

Authorities have also reacted angrily to an app set up by a political adviser to Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara that allegedly gives live results by region, which they said were hacked and falsified. Ouattara's office responded by sacking the accused individual, Mamadi Diane.

Gabon's first-past-the-post system means the winner only needs more votes than any other candidate. Bongo, 57, also benefits from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse.

The European Union's observer mission on Monday criticised a "lack of transparency" among the institutions running the polls and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media. Government spokesman Alain-Claude Nze accused the EU of overstepping its mandate.
Family of murdered government critic Kem Ley flee Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The family of murdered Cambodian government critic Kem Ley have fled abroad fearing for their safety, friends of the family said on Wednesday.

Kem Ley, 46, was gunned down in broad daylight at a shop in the capital Phnom Penh on July 10. Tens of thousands turned out for his funeral last month including his heavily pregnant wife Bou Rachana.

His death comes amid rising political tensions between veteran Prime Minister Hun Sen and an opposition hoping to challenge his grip on power at local elections in 2017 and national elections in 2018.

Bou Rachana, who is seven months pregnant, and her four sons left Cambodia on Sunday in a car, said Buntenh, a Buddhist monk and member of Kem Ley's funeral committee.

"She visited Angkor Wat in Siem Reap for the last time before leaving," Buntenh told Reuters, declining to say which country the family fled to.

Buntenh said supporters of Kem Ley had persuaded Bou Rachana to leave Cambodia so she could deliver her baby in a foreign country and the family will later decide whether to seek political asylum.

Tim Malay, head of local group Cambodia Youth Network, said the family had arrived safely at their destination. "Rachana was worried about her safety and the safety of her family," he said.

Rachana could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

A 38-year-old-man has been charged with Kem Ley's murder, claiming he killed him over an outstanding debt.

Shortly before he was murdered, Kem Ley gave a radio interview discussing a report by the London-based NGO Global Witness documenting how Hun Sen and his family have amassed millions. The Hun family has dismissed the report.

Many of Kem Ley's supporters say the murder was political and are skeptical of the official reason given for the killing.
Kerry calls on China, Philippines to abide by tribunal ruling on South China Sea

NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called on China and the Philippines to abide by an international tribunal's decision on the disputed South China Sea region.

"This is a crucial opportunity to uphold the existing rules-based international order, show respect for international law, and support regional stability and prosperity," Kerry said in an address to students on a two-day visit to New Delhi.

The remarks came ahead of a G20 summit in China on Sept 4 and 5 that is to be attended by global leaders.
Cyprus signs deal with Egypt for gas transfers via pipeline

NICOSIA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Cyprus signed a deal on Wednesday for the transfer of natural gas via pipeline to Egypt, once extraction starts of discoveries made off the Mediterranean island.

U.S. energy firm Noble found an estimated 4.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in one prospect off Cyprus in late 2011.

A consortium of Italy's ENI and Korea's KoGas have a contract with Cyprus for exploration over three offshore blocks. French oil major Total has exploration rights over one block.

Wednesday's accord was signed in the Cypriot capital Nicosia by Egyptian petroleum minister Tarek El Molla and Cypriot energy minister Yiorgios Lakkotrypis.
U.N. Security Council diplomats expected in South Sudan this week -official

By Denis Dumo

JUBA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.N. Security Council diplomats are expected to visit South Sudan this week, a foreign affairs ministry spokesman said on Wednesday without giving any details on the purpose of the trip.

This month, the Security Council approved a 4,000-strong protection force for South Sudan's capital of Juba as part of the UNMISS peacekeeping mission that had its mandate extended in July.

"There is no definite day that I will tell you but they are coming at the end of this week. We will confirm it by Friday," Mawien Makol told Reuters.

Fierce fighting in the capital Juba last month has increased fears that the five-year-old nation could relapse into civil war and prompted the United Nations to authorise the deployment of the extra troops for the 12,000-strong U.N. mission there.

"We will have together with the government and the minister of foreign affairs to work out programmes so that the members of the Security Council can meet the President and government of South Sudan (and) continue discussing how we improve the situation making sure we have peace," UNMISS head, Ellen Margrethe Loej, said on state-run TV after meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Deng Alor on Tuesday.

South Sudan's government had initially said it would not cooperate with the newly enlarged protection force, but since then it has said it was still considering its position.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011, but by December 2013 the longstanding political rivalry between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar, had led to fighting that often followed ethnic lines.
Kerry urges Pakistan to push harder against groups linked to extremists

NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in New Delhi on Wednesday Pakistan must push harder against groups engaged with extremists, as tension between Pakistan and India rises amid an uprising in the disputed region of Kashmir.

"Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist activities," Kerry said in a visit to Pakistan's arch rival India.
Death toll from Somalia car bomb attack on Tuesday rises to 22 -police

MOGADISHU, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The death toll from a car bomb blast in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Tuesday that exploded outside the Presidential Palace has risen to 22, police said on Wednesday.

"We have confirmed from various hospitals that at least 22 died and 50 others were wounded. Death includes wounded people who died in hospitals," police officer Major Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters.
Cyprus signs deal with Egypt for gas transfers via pipeline

NICOSIA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Cyprus signed a deal on Wednesday for the transfer of natural gas via pipeline to Egypt, once extraction starts of discoveries made off the Mediterranean island.

U.S. energy firm Noble found an estimated 4.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in one prospect off Cyprus in late 2011.

A consortium of Italy's ENI and Korea's KoGas have a contract with Cyprus for exploration over three offshore blocks. French oil major Total has exploration rights over one block.

Wednesday's accord was signed in the Cypriot capital Nicosia by Egyptian petroleum minister Tarek El Molla and Cypriot energy minister Yiorgios Lakkotrypis.

In a joint statement, the two said the deal would allow a direct subsea pipeline from Cyprus's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to either Egypt's EEZ or onshore Egypt, for domestic consumption or re-export.

An EEZ is a maritime area over which states have commercial rights.
Thailand, Vietnam set to supply 250,000 T of rice to Philippines

By Enrico Dela Cruz

MANILA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Thailand and Vietnam won deals to supply a total of 250,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines at a tender on Wednesday after revising down their offers to just within Manila's budget.

The tender, the first under the two-month old government of President Rodrigo Duterte, is part of the state's plans to import up to 1 million tonnes of rice to secure supply of the food staple through next year while prices are low.

Thailand will supply 100,000 tonnes of 25-percent broken rice at $424.85 a tonne, while Vietnam will export the remaining 150,000 tonnes at the same price, according to officials at the Philippines' National Food Authority (NFA). That includes freight, insurance and other costs.

Despite the tender by the Philippines, one of the world's top rice buyers, Vietnam's benchmark 5-percent broken rice prices fell this week to $345-$360 a tonne, on a free-on-board basis, the lowest in 11 months.

The NFA initially rejected higher bids from both countries and asked them to submit revised offers in line with its reference price of $425 per tonne.

The award of the contracts is subject to approval by the inter-agency NFA council later in the day, said NFA spokesman Angel Imperial.

An average of 20 typhoons pass through the Philippines each year, hitting the Southeast Asian country's rice production and forcing it to import any shortfall to feed its 100 million people.

Imports last year reached around 1.8 million tonnes, below a record volume of 2.45 million tonnes in 2010.

"We need sizable import volume to boost our stocks and prepare ourselves for any emergency situation," Imperial told reporters.

He said the agency's buffer stock as of Aug. 24 was good for only 21 days of domestic demand, below the minimum 30 days required during the lean harvest season from July to September.

Last year's import volume included around 500,000 tonnes shipped in by private traders. The NFA every year farms out import permits for private traders to bring in up to 805,200 tonnes of rice at a 35-percent tariff.

The NFA council will discuss later on Wednesday imports by private traders, a government source said.
Activist investor Elliott ups stake in Steinhoff target Poundland

By Tiisetso Motsoeneng

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Activist U.S. hedge fund Elliott Capital has raised its stake in British discount chain Poundland to 22.7 percent, putting it in a position to be able to block an agreed takeover by South African retailer Steinhoff.

The move could be another setback for Steinhoff, which warned on Wednesday that a slump in the pound after Britain's vote to leave the European Union could hurt its UK business.

Steinhoff raised its agreed offer for Poundland to 610 million pounds ($790 million) on Aug. 11 and said the revised terms were final, challenging Elliott Capital to back the deal or risk its collapse.

Poundland shareholders will vote before an investor meeting on Sept. 7 to decide whether to approve the deal.

Elliott has been building its stake since Steinhoff's offer was announced and regulatory filings on Wednesday showed its stake had reached 22.7 percent.

It is unclear what Elliott's motivations are but the $28-billion hedge fund founded by American billionaire Paul Singer has a track record of buying stakes in companies in play and then getting bidders to increase their offers.

Steinhoff, which has a 23.6 percent holding in Poundland, requires the support of 75 percent of Poundland shareholders, excluding its own stake, for the deal to go through.

Given that Steinhoff has maintained its offer was final, the deal could collapse if Elliot is seeking a higher offer.

A Steinhoff spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment outside regular office hours.

The Poundland deal is part of an international acquisition spree that Steinhoff has embarked on since 2011 aimed at reducing its exposure to a deteriorating home market.

Shares in Steinhoff fell 5.7 percent in Johannesburg on Wednesday after the company narrowly missed estimates for annual sales.

BREXIT EFFECT

Steinhoff, which already runs the Benson for Beds and Harveys furniture chains in the UK, said on Wednesday that Britain's shock vote to leave the EU could affect its earnings.

"While the effect of this (Brexit) decision on consumer demand across Europe remains uncertain, the devaluation of the pound sterling may also result in an unfavourable effect when translating our businesses' earnings reported in euro," it said.

Sterling hit a three-decade low of $1.2798 in July in the wake of the vote for Brexit. It has since recovered about 2 percent, but is still around 12 percent lower than it was before the June 23 referendum on EU membership.

Shares in Steinhoff, which have gained about 20 percent so far this year, fell 5.7 percent to 88.22 rand ($6.39) in Johannesburg, their biggest one-day percentage fall since June 27. The stock was down by the 7 percent in Frankfurt at 5.39 euros.

Steinhoff, a $25 billion company that also sells clothes, reported a one-third rise to 13.1 billion euros in annual sales on Wednesday thanks to a strong performance from its European business, where it also runs Conforama in France.

But that was slightly below a 13.2 billion euro ($14.71 billion) estimate by Thomson Reuters StarMine's SmartEstimates. Operating profit rose 32 percent to 1.5 billion euros.

Its European businesses boosted household goods' revenue by 15 percent to 7.2 billion euros, while its African furniture businesses' revenue dropped 18 percent as debt-laden consumers cut back on big-ticket items.

Steinhoff is due to report its full results next Tuesday.
Punch Taverns ramps up retail pub strategy

Aug 31 (Reuters) - Punch Taverns Plc, the second largest pub operator in Britain by number of pub estates, said on Wednesday it identified 177 pubs to operate under the retail contract and that it would open 150 pubs annually under the same arrangement.

** Punch tries to minimise the impact of the new Pubs Code that came into force on July 21

** Punch, which operates around 3,300 pubs across the country, had previously forecast rollout of 100-120 pubs annually to run under retail contract

** British pub owners, hit by a lawmakers' move to hand publicans more control over where they buy beer, are responding by cutting support for tenants, selling off some pubs and switching others to a group managed format.

** Nearly half of pubs in the UK are on the tied structure, which means the tenant pays a lower property rent to their pub company landlord, and receives financial benefits. While the tenant commits to only buy beer from their owner, often at above-market prices.

** Under the retail contract, Punch retains sales and cost of sales and pub costs, excluding staff costs. It pays the retailer a percentage of the retail sales, out of which the retailer pays their staff costs.
Thailand seeks Russian over $350,000 ATM cyber heists

BANGKOK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Thai police investigators on Wednesday said they are seeking a Russian man suspected of using malware to withdraw $350,000 from dozens of cash machines across the country.

Police earlier said a group of foreign hackers made off with around 12 million baht ($346,420) by inserting cards installed with malware into at least 18 cash machines run by Thailand's state-run Government Savings Bank in July.

It follows similar attacks in Taiwan in July, which saw thieves withdraw more than $2 million from First Bank ATMs, and is part of growing attacks on ATMs across Asia.

"We have a warrant for a 29-year-old man from Russia but from our investigations at least another two are involved," Thai Police General Panya Mamen told reporters.

"He travelled from Beijing, China, and came to Thailand on July 14 and withdrew money in ATMs in Phuket and Bangkok, altogether in 18 locations, before flying out to Moscow," said Panya, adding that police have not yet arrested the suspect.

The Government Savings Bank said customers' money was not affected by the thefts.

FireEye, a California-based cyber security company, said in a statement last Friday that it had detected a potentially new ATM malware sample that may be linked to the Thailand attacks.

The malware, dubbed RIPPER, interacts with the ATM by inserting a specially manufactured ATM card with a chip that serves as an authentication mechanism, the security firm said.

"We've identified a family of malware that may have been used in recent ATM robberies," said FireEye.

"In addition to requiring technical sophistication, attacks such as that affecting the ATMs in Thailand require coordination of both the virtual and the physical. This speaks to the formidable nature of the thieves."
Saudi Arabia says Houthis will not be allowed to take over Yemen

BEIJING, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Wednesday the Iranian-allied Houthi movement would not be allowed to take over Yemen, as he accused Iran of seeking to sow unrest around the region.

The head of a Houthi-backed ruling council pledged readiness on Monday to resume negotiations on ending Yemen's war but reserved the right to resist attacks by a Saudi-backed exiled government seeking to unseat it.

U.N.-sponsored talks to try to end 18 months of fighting collapsed in failure this month and the Houthi movement and allied forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh resumed shelling into neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

The talks foundered after the Houthis and Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) announced the formation of the 10-member governing council on Aug 6., ignoring a warning by U.N. Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed that such a move would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions on how to solve the conflict.

Speaking to Reuters in Beijing, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the ball was in the Houthis' court as to whether peace talks resumed.

"What is certain, not questionable, certain, they will not be allowed to take over Yemen. Period. So the legitimate government will be defended," al-Jubeir said.

"The chance they have is to enter the political process, reach an agreement ... for the benefit of all Yemenis including the Houthis," he said.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies accuse the Houthis of being pawns of Iran and have launched a military intervention to restore Hadi to power.

The Houthis have held on, having made an alliance with Saleh, who enjoys the support of most of the military.

The Houthis and the GPC hold most of Yemen's northern half, while forces working for the exiled government share control of the rest of the country with tribes.

At least 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen's 18-month-old civil war, the United Nations on Tuesday, approaching double the estimates of more than 6,000 cited by officials and aid workers for much of 2016.

Speaking earlier to students at a Beijing university, al-Jubeir lambasted Iran.

"We see Iran supporting Houthis in Yemen and trying to take over the government, supply weapons to the Houthis, smuggle explosives to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia," he said.

"We wish we could be as good neighbours like before the 1979 revolution," al-Jubeir said.
Ukraine ends visa-free deal with North Korea to keep out "ineligible persons"

By Ju-min Park and Jane Chung

SEOUL, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ukraine has revoked a Soviet-era deal that allowed visa-free travel for North Koreans, the latest setback for isolated North Korea which has been under growing pressure since the UN Security Council imposed toughened new sanctions in March.

A Ukraine government document seen by Reuters said that the government approved a decree on July 27 to terminate the pact with North Korea, a major buyer of Ukraine's flour, that had allowed visa-free travel between the two countries.

The document, signed by Ukraine Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, said the withdrawal of visa-waiver agreement would "prevent ineligible persons from entering Ukraine".

The Ukraine Embassy in Seoul did not have immediate comment.

A recent surge in fighting in eastern Ukraine, where Kiev is fighting pro-Russian separatists, and fresh tension in Crimea have raised concern that a fragile ceasefire agreed in Minsk in February 2015 could collapse.

Concerns about the threat posed by North Korea have spiralled since it conducted its fourth nuclear explosion in January and followed it up with a series of missile tests, despite severe UN sanctions.

European Union member state Malta recently denied visa extensions for North Korean workers, effectively expelling them, South Korea has said.

South Korea has been making diplomatic efforts to engage North Korea's old allies to press for change in North Korea.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.

Earlier this year, Namibia halted ties with two North Korean state-run companies that had built a munitions factory and were involved in projects for its military to comply with U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang, according to Namibian media and the South Korean government.

Poland has not issued new visas for North Koreans this year amid concerns that Pyongyang may be subjecting its workers to conditions that violated their rights.
Kerry says no military solution to South China Sea dispute

By Lesley Wroughton

NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Wednesday on China and the Philippines to abide by an international tribunal's decision on the disputed South China Sea and said there was no military solution to the problem.

Kerry's remarks, made in a visit to India, came ahead of a G20 summit in China on Sunday and Monday that could be overshadowed by arguments over everything from territorial disputes to protectionism by China, diplomats say.

An arbitration court in The Hague ruled in July that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea. China dismissed the case lodged by the Philippines and rejected the ruling.

"The United States continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunal's recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry told a gathering of students in New Delhi.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.

China has vowed to take all measures needed to protect its sovereignty over the South China Sea and says its actions there, which have included land reclamation and construction of air fields and docks on reefs, are peaceful.

China has blamed the United States and its allies in the region, such as Japan and Australia, for stoking tension.

The United States and Japan have no territorial claims in the South China Sea and say their priority is freedom of navigation.

Kerry said the United States supported diplomatic efforts to resolve territorial disputes to which there was "no military solution".

"We are also interested in not fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes and claims through the legal process and through diplomacy," Kerry said.

The United States and India, in a joint statement issued on Tuesday after security talks, reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

They said states should resolve disputes through peaceful means and "exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes affecting peace and stability".

U.S. ally the Philippines welcomed the tribunal's ruling in July but it is keen not to anger China. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will hold talks with China on the issue.

Duterte is attending a summit next week in Laos of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which both U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are also going to.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, asked in Beijing whether Li would meet Duterte there, said it was not clear what bilateral meetings might take place.

Liu did not refer directly to the United States but said interference by some countries outside the region was a challenge in China-ASEAN relations.
Sterling boosted by consumer confidence and housing data

LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Sterling rose on Wednesday, boosted by improved consumer confidence and rising British house prices in August, adding to growing signs that the economy was holding up well despite a shock vote to leave the European Union in June.

Market research firm GfK said its gauge of consumer confidence rose to -7 in August from -12 in July, when it suffered its sharpest drop in over 26 years. But August's level was still the second-lowest since early 2014.

And mortgage lender Nationwide said on Wednesday that British house prices rose 5.6 percent in August compared with the same month last year and faster than July's 5.2 percent. Economists polled by Reuters had expected house prices to rise 4.8 percent.

Sterling rose to trade above $1.3101, while it was up 0.2 percent against the euro at 85.05 pence per euro.

"Overnight, we saw UK August consumer confidence bouncing back," Morgan Stanley chief strategist Hans Redeker said, adding he remained bullish on the pound in the short term. "Our bullish sterling case is more of tactical nature based on better UK data readings. Upcoming PMI data should show a bounce back."

Manufacturing, construction and services sector purchasing managers' surveys will be released at the start of September and many expect activity to bounce back a bit from the Brexit shock.

Sterling hit a three-decade low of $1.2798 in July in the wake of the vote for Brexit. It has since recovered about 2 percent, but that still leaves it around 12 percent lower than where it was before the June 23 referendum on EU membership.

Though data since the vote suggests consumer demand has been resilient, investors are anxious that foreign capital will dry up, leaving Britain's already huge current account deficit vulnerable to further widening. And much uncertainty remains over the deal Britain will strike with the rest of the EU.

Traders will eye a cabinet meeting that Prime Minister Theresa May will hold after a few weeks of holiday calm. The meeting comes amid growing speculation on when Britain will formally start divorce proceedings. May has said she will not trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty to start the exit procedure until next year.
Philippines' Duterte to workers returning from Saudi: Don't do drugs

By Neil Jerome Morales

MANILA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, heavily criticised for a brutal anti-narcotics drive in which hundreds have been killed, on Wednesday welcomed home more than 100 Filipinos abandoned in desert camps in Saudi Arabia with a warning - don't do drugs.

The Southeast Asian nation's war on drugs has gained some popular support but the wave of killings has shocked rights groups and brought expressions of concern from the United States, a close ally of Manila.

Duterte railed against the United Nations this month after it called for an end to the killings.

"Avoid drugs at all cost because it could cost your life too," Duterte told the workers after an almost 10-hour flight from Dammam.

The number of drug-related killings in the Philippines has reached 2,000 since Duterte became president two months ago on a pledge to wipe out the drug trade.

Migrant oil and construction workers, abandoned in their thousands by Saudi employers during the kingdom's economic slump, are fighting to claim back wages and benefits.

"I lost my job so my children were forced to drop out of college and they were mad at me but what can I do?" Ronie Surilla, 47, a construction worker living for almost a decade in Saudi Arabia, told Reuters, adding that he had not been paid for eight months.

Filipinos living and working outside the country sent home a record $13.2 billion in remittances, a major driver of the Southeast Asian nation's household consumption, in the first half of 2016.

For the returning overseas workforce, the president committed to boost the economy and provide jobs.
Tunisia police kill two militants, civilian in raid after army ambush -source

TUNISIA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Two Islamist militants and a civilian were killed on Wednesday after Tunisian police in a dawn raid on a house in the central Kasserine province as part of operations following an ambush on soldiers in nearby mountains, a security source said.

On Monday, three soldiers were killed and 8 wounded in an ambush by militants using landmines, rockets and gunfire on a military patrol in a remote mountain area.

An al Qaeda-linked group, Okba Ibn Nafaa - based in the Mount Chaambi range near the Algerian border - often carries out strikes on army patrols, police and checkpoints in the rural areas around Kasserine province.
Hong Kong shares post solid monthly gains as Connect approaches

Aug 31 (Reuters) - Hong Kong stocks hovered near 10-month highs on Wednesday, capping a month of solid gains, amid signs that inflows of money from China accelerated in recent days as preparations for the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect went into high gear.

The Hang Seng index fell 0.2 percent, to 22,976.88, but registered a stellar 5 percent gain for the month of August.

The China Enterprises Index lost 0.6 percent, to 9,541.80 points, posting a monthly gain of 6.5 percent.

Chinese money inflows into Hong Kong under the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect scheme hit the highest level in two months on Tuesday.

The official Xinhua news agency reported a similar scheme linking Hong Kong and Shenzhen is expected to be launched in mid- or late November.

Merrill Lynch analyst William Chan wrote a report last week advising clients to buy Hong Kong stocks likely to benefit from the link with Shenzhen.

On Wednesday, most sectors ended lower, with raw material shares leading the decline.
Saudi Arabia doesn't target specific level of oil output - Falih

DUBAI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said the top crude exporter does not target a specific figure for its oil production and that its output is based on customers' needs.

"We in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia do not have a targeted number to reach. The kingdom's production meets the requirements of the customers, whether they are outside or inside the kingdom," Falih told the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television channel in remarks broadcast on Wednesday.

"The kingdom's production policy will maintain a large degree of responsibility," he said.

Speaking during an official visit to China, Falih said that despite low crude prices, "demand for oil does not worry me", adding that demand for crude in China remains "very healthy".

The OPEC heavyweight started to increase production in June to meet a seasonal rise in domestic demand as well as higher export requirements. Industry sources have told Reuters that Riyadh could boost production to a record in August.

Saudi Arabia produced 10.67 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude, the most in its history, in July. Falih told Reuters last week that production in August had remained around that level, though he could not cite a specific number.

Saudi Arabia has a production capacity of 12.5 million bpd, giving it the ability to boost output in case of any global shortage.

Falih said that production level was not expected to be reached unless there were unexpected outages.

"The market now is saturated with oversupply and we don't see in the short term a need for the kingdom to reach its maximum production capacity," he told the TV channel.
Canada applies to join China-backed AIIB, latest U.S. ally to apply

By Yawen Chen and Sue-Lin Wong

BEIJING, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Canada will apply to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB, Canadian and bank officials said on Wednesday, making it the latest ally of the United States to join the new international development bank.

The multilateral institution, seen as a rival to the Western-dominated World Bank and Asian Development Bank, was initially opposed by the United States but attracted many U.S. allies including Britain, Germany, Australia and South Korea as founding members.

Japan and the United States are the most prominent countries not represented in the bank.

"This is really for us, as a new government, the earliest possibility at which we could indicate our interest," Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in response to a question why Canada was only applying to join the bank now.

"We believe the bank is clearly showing that it's going to be a highly effective multilateral institution," he added.

Morneau is on a trip to China with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seeking to deepen ties with the world's second-largest economy, a distinct change from former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's more cautious approach to China.

"The Canadians' decision to join this bank will greatly strengthen the management of this institution," AIIB President Jin Liqun told reporters.

"We can see that the U.S.'s attitude towards AIIB is showing signs of changing, as it's encouraging the World Bank to cooperate more with the AIIB," Jin added.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Air Force One on Wednesday that U.S. and Canadian officials had been in touch on the issue. "We know that Canada shares our views about the importance of transparency and good governance when it comes to these kinds of international institutions," Earnest said.

Ultimately it will be a "good thing" if Canada joins the AIIB, as it advocates for such governance, he added. Earnest said he was not aware of any U.S. plans to join the organization.
After blast, China tells citizens in Kyrgyzstan to avoid going out

BEIJING, Aug 31 (Reuters) - China on Wednesday advised its citizens in Kyrgyzstan to avoid going outside or visiting crowded places, after a suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in its capital of Bishkek.

The attacker died and at least three people were wounded in the Tuesday blast. Officials from both countries described the assault as a terrorist act.

In a short statement on its website, China's Foreign Ministry said the government had asked Kyrgyzstan to take steps to protect Chinese nationals and organisations and bring those behind the attack to justice.

The embassy is advising people to exercise caution about visiting Kyrgyzstan and those who are there should be on alert, the ministry said.

"(We) remind Chinese citizens and organisations in Kyrgyzstan to be on high alert, increase necessary security measures and response preparations, go out as little as possible and not go to crowded places," it said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing that Kyrgyzstan was investigating the attack.

"We will work with the Kyrgyzstan side to quickly ascertain specific information on the people and organisations that carried out this terrorist attack," she said.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected militants they accuse of being linked to Islamic State, which actively recruits in Central Asia.

A Turkish official said in June that one of three suspected Islamic State suicide bombers involved in a deadly attack on Istanbul's main airport was a Kyrgyz national.

An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs - a Turkic-language speaking, mainly Muslim people living in China's Xinjiang region - is also believed to be active in Central Asia.

Some security experts have questioned the Uighur group's cohesiveness, however, and say China's policies in Xinjiang, where hundreds have died in recent years in unrest blamed by Beijing on Islamist militants, have contributed to the unrest.
Islamic State axe attacker planned to move to Germany - sources

VALERIK, Russia, Aug 31 (Reuters) - An Islamic State supporter who was shot dead in Russia after he attacked police officers with an axe had planned to travel to Germany to join members of his family there, two people who knew him told Reuters.

Usman Murdalov, 21, and his friend Sulim Israilov, 18, armed themselves with axes and attacked a traffic police post near Moscow on Aug. 17. In a video posted online a day later, they professed loyalty to Islamic State.

The two people who knew him said that Murdalov, up to the point when he left his home village in the Russian region of Chechnya on Aug. 12, had been making arrangements to travel to Germany to join his father and his step-mother who moved there three months earlier.

Germany has seen a spate of violent attacks in the past few months, including two blamed on Islamists. Security officials have said that people with extremist links, some of them Chechens, are getting into Germany by passing themselves off as migrants and asylum seekers.

Ingo Decker, head spokesman for the interior ministry of the German state of Brandenburg, declined to comment on Murdalov or his family, but said the state had been dealing with large numbers of Chechen refugees for years.

"A large majority of those refugees come from the Islamic republics of Russia, and they generally come through eastern Europe," Decker said.

"Nearly all the Islamists and suspected terrorists that we are tracking in our state come from these regions, not generally from Iraq or Syria."

GERMAN PLANS

Chechnya is a mainly Muslim region of southern Russia which is the scene of a low-level Islamist insurgency. Russian security officials have said about 10,000 people from Russia and other ex-Soviet republics are fighting in the Middle East in the ranks of jihadist groups. There are no figures for the number of Chechens, but they make up a significant contingent within Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

In the village of Valerik, where Murdalov had his family home, a relative said that Murdalov had successfully applied to the Russian authorities for a passport so he could travel to Germany.

"He did not have a visa," to enter Germany, the relative said. "His family, who left earlier, didn't have visas either."

A neighbour in Valerik, who knows the family, also said Murdalov was planning to go to Germany, following his family.

"They went there illegally by car through Poland. That's for sure," the neighbour said, adding that he did not know their current location.

People in the village said they could not explain why Murdalov had scrapped his plan to travel to Germany.

He was last seen in Valerik on Aug. 12, when he and Israilov said they were leaving for the nearby Caspian Sea resort of Izberbash for a break.

Five days later, the two attacked the police post in Balashikha, a town near Moscow and about 1,900 km (1,200 miles) from Izberbash. They injured two police officers, one of whom later died in hospital. Murdalov and Israilov were shot dead.

A day later, Islamic State media channels released a video purporting to show Murdalov and Israilov before the attack.

"We are in Moscow on the orders of our emir, our caliph, Omar al-Baghdadi, who ordered us to do everything in our power," one of the men said in the video, referring to the leader of Islamic State.

"We are calling this a revenge operation, revenge because you are killing our brothers, because you are killing our brothers and sisters every day in Iraq and Syria."

People pledging allegiance to Islamic State have staged violent attacks in Russia's mainly Muslim north Caucasus region, but the Balashikha attack was the first time Islamic State sympathisers had mounted an attack so close to Moscow.

COLLEGE DROPOUT

Relatives of Murdalov and Israilov said neither man had exhibited signs of radicalisation. They said they could not understand what could have changed in them to make them carry out the attack.

Murdalov and Israilov worked together at a small manufacturing company in Valerik producing windows and doors, according to relatives. The business is owned by Murdalov's family.

The relatives said that Israilov's parents divorced when he was a baby. He was raised by his father and his father's second wife, whom he believed to be his biological mother. He only found out she was his step-mother when his biological mother visited him, unannounced, at his school, when he was a teenager.

Israilov had been in his second year at a teacher training college in Grozny, the Chechen capital, where he studied physics and information technology.

He was expelled from the college due to poor academic performance on Feb. 24 this year, according to a document seen by Reuters.

A college official said she did not know what happened to him. "He used to have good marks but later he got worse," she said.

Israilov's aunt, who did not want to be identified, said the police visited the family and told them he died in the attack.

"We didn't want to believe it because a person who was supposed to be in Izberbash turned out to be in Moscow and, furthermore, in such circumstances."

RUSSIAN INFLUX

Decker, the Brandenburg interior ministry spokesman, said the state was aware of about 80 suspected Islamist extremists in its jurisdiction, including several dozen with previous combat experience. Most were from the North Caucasus, which includes Chechnya.

Those Islamists melt into the growing number of Russian citizens - many of them Chechens - who enter Germany seeking asylum. Applications recorded in Brandenburg from Russians in the first six months of this year stand at 1,764, already exceeding the number for the whole of 2015.

Security officials said many people who pose a potential security threat enter Germany via Poland, a border that has only very limited immigration controls because the two countries are part of the European Union's free movement zone.

Anja Ducklauss-Nitschke, deputy chief of Germany's federal police union, said it was practically impossible to even determine if the Murdalov family was in Germany given the lack of controls at the German-Polish border.
General Atomics lawsuit to delay Heron drone programme - Germany

BERLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Germany's Defence Ministry on Tuesday informed lawmakers that its plan to lease armed Heron TP drones from Israel Aerospace Industries will be delayed by months given a fresh legal challenge filed by U.S. weapons maker General Atomics.

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen in January announced the army would lease the Heron drones for about 580 million euros instead of buying Predator B drones from the privately held U.S. firm or Switzerland's RUAG, prompting protests by both firms which were denied in May.

"This move by General Atomics is very unfortunate and frustrating, especially since our legal position was upheld by the (cartel office) with very clear words," a senior ministry acquisition official told lawmakers in a letter seen by Reuters.

General Atomics spokeswoman Melissa Haynes said the company filed the legal challenge "to ensure that this procurement is conducted as a fair and open competition; thereby ensuring that the German Ministry of Defense procures the most technologically superior and cost efficient solution."

She gave no details about the substance of the lawsuit.

It was the latest setback for the minister's efforts to rebuild the German military after years of declining military budgets and reports of ill-equipped troops.

Germany's air force is facing growing problems due to delays in deliveries of the Airbus A400M military transport, and a $4 billion air defence system to be built by Lockheed Martin Corp and MBDA is also facing possible delays. MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus, Britain's BAE Systems Plc and Italy's Leonardo Finmeccanica SpA.

General Atomics had in June asked the German cartel office to review a decision rejecting its protest of the contract decision, but the agency rejected that bid on Aug. 17, according to the ministry letter, which was first reported by Spiegel Online.

In response, the company on Monday filed a lawsuit with the German higher court in Duesseldorf, the final arbiter in the case, the ministry official said.

RUAG did not pursue its case with the cartel office.

The ministry official said the latest legal process could take three to nine months to resolve, which meant the Heron project could be delayed by months.

Tobis Lindner, a Green party member of the parliamentary budget committee, said critics had long questioned whether von der Leyen's decision to lease the Israeli drones was the economically and technologically least risky option.

"It now appears that the Defence Ministry's plans are now falling apart. Ursula von der Leyen's ambitious drone plans are over for this legislative period," he said in a statement.
A year after height of migrant crisis, Merkel's party dips in poll

BERLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Support for Angela Merkel's conservatives has slipped as more voters turn to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), a poll showed on Wednesday, a year after the chancellor prompted criticism by saying Germany would cope with the migrant crisis.

A Forsa poll showed support for her conservatives, still the biggest group, had fallen to 33 percent, down two points from last week and eight points from a year ago. The AfD rose two points to 12 percent, their second-highest level this year.

About a year before the next federal election, the survey highlights growing dissatisfaction with Merkel, chancellor for more than a decade, since her decision to adopt an open-door refugee policy.

Around a million migrants, many from war zones like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, arrived in Germany last year, triggering fears about the costs and integration which have boosted support for the right-wing AfD.

To stem the influx, Merkel championed an EU deal with Turkey which has prompted accusations that she has cosied up to an authoritarian leader with a patchy human rights record.

In an interview published on Wednesday, Merkel said Germany and other EU countries had for too long ignored the looming refugee crisis.

Merkel's conservatives face heavy losses in two upcoming regional elections, the first on Sunday in eastern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and on Sept. 18 in the city of Berlin. The AfD is widely expected to make big gains in both.

The Forsa poll showed support for all other parties was unchanged with the Social Democrats (SPD), who share power with Merkel's conservatives on 22 percent.
Rights group calls on Myanmar to investigate Rohingya woman's death

By Simon Lewis and Wa Lone

YANGON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Human rights advocates have called on Myanmar to investigate the death of a young woman from the country's persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority, who died this month after being found naked and unconscious near a military base.

The woman, identified as Raysuana, 25, was found by a road next to an army compound in Sittwe, the capital of the conflict-torn Rakhine State in western Myanmar, residents and rights group Amnesty International said.

She had gone missing while walking in an area where more than 100,000 Rohingya have been living in camps since Sittwe was roiled by communal violence in 2012, Amnesty said in a statement late on Tuesday.

Most of the displaced are Rohingya Muslims, a group that many in Buddhist-majority Myanmar regard as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The stateless Rohingya are prevented from moving freely and their access to healthcare and education is restricted.

Hla Myint, a Rohingya administrator, told Reuters he was called by a corporal from an army artillery unit and asked to collect the unconscious Raysuana early on Aug. 18.

"She was still breathing when I saw her, but she was lying on the ground. There were no clothes on her body (apart from a bra) but someone had covered her with a blanket," Hla Myint said.

She was taken to a village clinic where attendants noticed bruising on her neck and bleeding from her vagina, Hla Myint said.

The woman died that evening, he said.

Residents of conflict-plagued ethnic minority regions and human rights workers have for years accused Myanmar troops of rights abuses including rape. The Myanmar army routinely dismisses such accusations.

Government and military spokesmen were not immediately available for comment on the latest case. A police officer in the area said the woman had died of natural causes.

'SUSPECTED RAPE'

The military ruled Myanmar with an iron first for almost 50 years until it began stepping back from politics in 2011, paving the way for an election last year swept by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi. It retains a powerful role in politics.

If soldiers were found to have been involved in harming the Rohingya woman, it could set back a new push by the military to change its image into a responsible partner in a democratic transition.

A Rohingya aid worker in the area who declined to be identified told Reuters he saw Raysuana after she was taken to the small, ill-equipped clinic.

"She was still alive but she couldn't speak," the aid worker said, adding that women on the scene suspected Raysuana had been raped.

No autopsy was performed on the body - which was buried by the woman's family - and authorities did not investigate the death, Hla Myint and the aid worker said.

"Amnesty International calls on the Myanmar authorities to immediately initiate an investigation into the death and alleged rape of Raysuana, ensuring that it is independent, impartial and effective," said the group.

Yan Naing Latt, a major with Sittwe police, said a murder investigation had not been launched.

We didn't open a murder case because it's just a normal death," he said, but could not explain what may have caused the woman's death.
Swiss refugee centre burns down, cause under investigation

ZURICH, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A refugee centre in western Switzerland burnt down early on Wednesday, but nobody was injured and the cause of the fire was still unclear, police said.

The fire brigade in the town of Biberist was able to put the fire out quickly after an alarm at 3 a.m. local time. All 10 residents of the centre were able to leave the buildings unharmed, police in the canton of Solothurn said in a statement.

A police spokesman said it could take two to three days for results of the investigation to emerge.
Tunisia police kill two militants, seize bomb belt in raid

TUNISIA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Tunisian police killed two Islamist militants on Wednesday and seized arms and an explosive belt prepared for suicide attacks during a dawn raid in a central province following an earlier ambush on an army patrol, the interior ministry said.

Al Qaeda-linked Islamists based in the remote mountains bordering Algeria often carry out attacks on military patrols and checkpoints, using nearby towns and villages in Kasserine province for smuggling supplies and hideouts.

"A security operation carried out this morning, in Karma town, was a preventive assault against two terrorists planning attacks in the region," the ministry said in a statement. It said weapons, a suicide belt and other material was seized in the house.

A civilian was also killed in clashes between police and the two suspects during the raid, a security source said.

On Monday, three soldiers were killed and 8 wounded in an ambush by militants using landmines, rockets and gunfire on a military patrol in a remote mountain area near to Kasserine.

The al Qaeda-linked group, Okba Ibn Nafaa - based in the Mount Chaambi range near the Algerian border - has claimed recent attacks on army and police. Tunisian forces have been trying for several years with patrols and airstrikes to flush out the small brigade of militants based in the mountains.
Taiwan budgets for 12-year, $2.2 billion advanced jet trainer programme

TAIPEI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Taiwan aims to spend T$68.6 billion ($2.16 billion) over 12 years from 2017 to develop its own jet trainers, according to budget data seen on Wednesday, signalling the independence-leaning government's resolve to build up the defence industry.

China has never renounced the use of force to take back the self-ruled island, which it sees as a renegade province, and maintains that any bid to declare independence would lead to war.

"New model advanced jet trainers" will be developed to replace the air force's aging fleet and an initial T$555 million is being set aside for the programme in 2017, according to the defence ministry's detailed budget seen by Reuters.

Budget allocations for the programme that runs to 2028 amount to T$68.6 billion, according to the ministry.

Taiwan has been working to develop its own defence equipment such as small warships for the navy. In the past, it has developed fighter jets.

But technology transfer from allies is critical to the success of its indigenous programmes.

Last year, Taiwan allocated an initial budget for developing its own submarines, but the multi-year programme has yet to receive key foreign technological support.

The United States approved an $1.83 billion arms deal to Taiwan in December, the first such sale in four years, but it was mostly aimed at updating existing equipment and munitions.

Weapons sales to diplomatically isolated Taiwan anger China.

Beijing distrusts President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which traditionally favours the island's independence.

The Chinese government has blamed her for a suspension of official communications between the two sides since she took power in May.

Tsai has refused to officially accept a "one China" principle agreed to by a previous China-friendly Nationalist government in Taiwan that allows both sides to interpret the term's meaning.

Taiwan and the United States have close security ties and the United States is required by law to support Taiwan in defending itself, making it the island's sole arms supplier.
Nigerian army commander: only weeks left for Boko Haram

By Ulf Laessing and Lanre Ola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Nigeria's army expects to seize Boko Haram's last few strongholds in the northeast over the next few weeks, the commander in charge of crushing the jihadist group's seven-year insurgency said on Wednesday.

The army missed a December deadline set by President Muhammadu Buhari to wipe out the group, which wants to set up an Islamic caliphate in the area around Lake Chad, but has retaken most of its territory - at one point the size of Belgium.

Major General Lucky Irabor, commander of the operation, said the jihadists were now holed up in a few pockets of the Sambisa forest - where more than 200 girls kidnapped from the town of Chibok in 2014 are believed to be held - and two areas near Lake Chad and would be flushed out "within weeks".

Despite the set-backs, Boko Haram still manages to stage regular suicide bombings in Nigeria and neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Since 2009, more than 15,000 people have been killed, 2.3 million displaced and the local economy decimated.

"Almost all of the locations held by the Boko Haram terrorists have been reclaimed. We are talking only of a few villages and towns," Irabor said in an interview at his base in Maiduguri in Borno state, birth place of the insurgency.

Much of the success is down to better military cooperation with Nigeria's neighbours, especially Chad, whose forces have been attacking Boko Haram fighters fleeing across the border.

"There are joint operations. My commanders have an exchange with local commanders across the borders. Because of the collaborations we've had Boko Haram has been boxed in and in a few weeks you will hear good news," he said.

He said the jihadists, who pledged loyalty to Islamic State last year, were still controlling Abadan and Malafatori, two towns near Lake Chad, apart from their main base in the Sambisa forest, south of Maidguri.

The army was planning a new push into Sambisa after abandoning an attempt due to torrential rain, he said.

"Earlier on this year we had a major operation in the Sambisa," he said. "Gains were made but unfortunately the weather conditions became such that we to pull out waiting for more favorable conditions."

He said the army had rescued some 20,000 people from Boko Haram, a fraction of the 2.2 million UNICEF said last week remained trapped in the region around Lake Chad.

LEADER "WOUNDED"

Irabor's base on the outskirts of Maiduguri, a sprawling military complex with rows of residential blocks for officers, is the most visible sign of a shake-up introduced by Buhari, a former military ruler.

Under his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, the army had a reputation for being poorly equipped and running away in the face of Boko Haram assaults.

Britain and other countries have recently increased military assistance, and two Westerners wearing flat jackets could be seen jogging in the compound.

U.S. officials told Reuters in May that Washington, which blocked arms sales under Jonathan amid concerns about rights abuses, wants to sell up to 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to Nigeria although Congress needs to approve the deal.

Irabor has set up a human rights desk to address the issue.

"The code of conduct is quite clear. Human rights issues are taken quite seriously," he said.

He said that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had recently been wounded, but backed off an Air Force statement this month suggesting he had been killed in an airstrike.

"Shekau was wounded. That's what I can confirm, but as to whether he is dead that I cannot at the moment confirm."
Bulgaria businessman Roussev gets control of telecoms firm Vivacom

By Tsvetelia Tsolova

SOFIA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A consortium led by Bulgarian businessman Spas Roussev has taken control of Bulgaria's leading telecoms operator Vivacom from Russia's VTB Bank, after bidding 330 million euros ($368 mln) for it in an auction.

However, the sale has been contested in an English court by Russian businessman Dmitry Kosarev, who said he now plans to take it to international arbitration.

The auction in November was linked to the collapse of Bulgaria's fourth largest lender Corporate Commercial Bank (Corpbank), whose majority shareholder, Tsvetan Vassilev, controlled 43 percent of Vivacom.

VTB Capital, the investment banking arm of Russia's second-largest bank, launched the sale after a default on a 150 million euro bridging loan to an indirect holding company of Vivacom, InterV Investment.

The winner was not confirmed by VTB until Wednesday.

"On August 30, 2016, the sale of 100 percent of shares in InterV Investment, a Luxembourg-based holding company for Bulgarian Telecommunications Company, (with the trade name Vivacom), was successfully completed," VTB Bank said.

"The company was acquired by Viva Telecom, a consortium headed by Spas Roussev, its largest shareholder, and various minority investors, including VTB," it said in a statement.

Roussev now has a 46 percent stake in Vivacom, VTB holds 20 percent minus one share, while a further 19 percent is held by Delta Capital, controlled by the managers of the Bulgarian office of VTB Capital. The rest is held by former creditors of Vivacom, two sources familiar with the deal said.

VTB said it had partially financed the sale to Viva Telecom with a 240 million euro debt facility, while Roussev was not immediately available for comment.
Novartis bid to sell new biosimilar crimped by U.S. court battles

By John Miller

ZURICH, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Novartis has won U.S. approval for a copy of Amgen's blockbuster arthritis drug Enbrel, but the Swiss drugmaker's bid to muscle in on the medicine's $4.7 billion in annual U.S. revenue remains blocked by court battles.

Novartis's Sandoz unit said on Tuesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Erelzi, its biosimilar copy of Enbrel, for rheumatoid arthritis, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other diseases.

Yet Erelzi remains stuck in the starting blocks because U.S. courts have ruled makers of biosimilars must wait 180 days after winning FDA approval before beginning sales of the near-copies. [http://tinyurl.com/he4govy ]

That could delay Erelzi's sales launch until March 2017.

Amgen is also waging an aggressive patent war, seeking to fend off Novartis's incursion on Enbrel's turf by arguing in U.S. federal court its drug has patent protection until 2029.

"We are fully committed to bringing Erelzi to U.S. patients and payers as soon as possible," Novartis said in a statement, adding: "However, we cannot speculate on product commercial availability."

Biosimilars aim to copy biologic products made inside living cells.

Novartis, whose first biosimilar Zarxio was approved last year after a separate court fight with Amgen, is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in biosimilar manufacturing in Austria and France to make cheaper biotech copies of brand-name drugs.

The Basel-based company is betting these copies will be irresistible for insurers, healthcare systems and governments aiming to contain costs.

In Erelzi's case, the prize is big as Enbrel was the world's fifth-biggest selling medicine in 2014.

In trying to accelerate sales, Novartis has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the ruling by a U.S. federal appeals court forcing biosimilar makers to wait six months after FDA approval. [http://tinyurl.com/jncdnhx ]

Meanwhile, Amgen's battle to prolong patents it maintains shield Enbrel for another 13 years is far from resolved. In an Aug. 11 ruling, a U.S. federal judge in New Jersey blocked Sandoz from selling its version.

While court documents indicate Novartis and Amgen have struck a pact over the matter, their agreement has been sealed by U.S. District Judge Claire Cecchi and is not public.

"We will not comment on the pending litigation at this time," Novartis said in a statement.
United Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Ireland, 16 injured

DUBLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Fourteen passengers and two crew members were injured and taken to hospital on Wednesday after a United Airlines flight was forced to divert to Ireland's Shannon Airport due to a medical situation, the airport said.
Bomb blast in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley kills one, wounds 11 - Red Cross

BEIRUT, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A bomb blast on a road in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Wednesday killed at least one person and wounded 11 other people, the Lebanese Red Cross said.

The explosion took place at a roundabout near the city of Zahle, the source added, without elaborating. Local media reported the person killed was a woman, but gave no further details.

TV images from the scene showed broken glass littering the road near the roundabout, and people trying to treat someone lying on the ground with what looked like a head injury.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Several security incidents have hit Lebanon in recent months, including an attack by eight suicide bombers who blew themselves up killing five other people in a Christian village in the north in June.

Lebanon has been repeatedly jolted by the five-year-old civil war in neighbouring Syria, where powerful Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah is fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad.
Gabon electoral commission count shows Bongo winner-sources

LIBREVILLE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A Gabon electoral commission count on Wednesday put Gabon president Ali Bongo as winner with 49.85 percent of the vote compared with rival Jean Ping's 48.16 percent, two sources inside the commission and a spokeswoman for Ping said on Wednesday.

But Ping's camp demanded a recount in the province of Haut Ogooue, which had a reported 99.98 percent turnout, a spokeswoman said.

The European Union, meanwhile, in a statement on Wednesday called for Gabon to publish "detailed results" for every polling station and urged all actors to help keep the peace.
Austrian economy minister adds his 'nein' to U.S. trade talks debate

VIENNA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Austria's economy minister said talks on a EU-U.S. free trade agreement should be halted, adding his voice to an increasingly polarised debate on both sides of the Atlantic over whether to keep the negotiations going.

Washington and Brussels are officially committed to sealing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) before U.S. President Barack Obama leaves office in January.

But chances of doing so are being eroded by approaching elections, fallout from Britain's June vote to leave the European Union and a groundswell of critical opinion, notably in the EU's biggest economies Germany and France.

"One should stop the negotiations now and start the entire process afresh," Reinhold Mitterlehner, a member of Austria's conservative junior coalition party who is also vice-Chancellor, told ORF radio on Wednesday.

U.S. elections in November could be a starting point for a new attempt, he said. "Only the greatest optimists expect that (TTIP) can be completed this year," Mitterlehner told the APA news agency.

French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl said on Tuesday he would request a halt to the TTIP talks at an EU trade ministers' meeting next month.

At the weekend, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the talks were "de facto dead", though Chancellor Angela Merkel backs the talks and Italy's trade and industry minister said it was essential they bore fruit.

In Austria, public opposition is strong due to concerns the agreement might lower food safety standards and threaten European business.

A spokesman for Chancellor Christian Kern said there were still many open questions and he was quite sceptical about the TTIP negotiations. Kern is due to hold a press conference on TTIP on Friday.
Death of Islamic State's tactician comes at critical moment

By Samia Nakhoul and Angus McDowall

BEIRUT, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. air strike believed to have killed Abu Mohammad al-Adnani has deprived Islamic State of the architect of its attacks on the West, as it faces the loss of swathes of its heartlands.

One of the last survivors of the al Qaeda militants who originally formed Islamic State last decade in Iraq, including its self-appointed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Adnani had risen to become one of its most influential leaders.

"It's a major morale and propaganda blow to the group because it shows that their top leadership is being targeted by an effective and organised chain," Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the joint operations command of Iraq's army, told Reuters in Baghdad.

Not only did Adnani orchestrate Islamic State's propaganda effort, an undertaking at the heart of its quest to lay waste modern nation states, but he also served as one of its principle military planners.

If his death is confirmed, those skills will be hard to replace, even in a group as resilient as Islamic State, after a series of territorial losses and killings of top leaders.

In recent months Islamic State's losses in Iraq have mounted. Fallujah has fallen in the west and Iraqi forces have captured key approaches to Mosul, the ancient Tigris city whose fall in 2014 signalled the group's lightning rise.

Meanwhile, advances by a U.S.-backed coalition in Syria have all but cut Islamic State off from the Turkish border, after the loss of the key town of Manbij, and started to press into its Euphrates valley heartland.

Few people expect further advances against Islamic State to be rapid or straightforward, but the group's enemies have built a clear momentum in both Iraq and Syria that has pushed it to adopt a strategy of attacks overseas.

Adnani was the man behind that policy, demonstrating an ideological and tactical flexibility that allowed the group first to capitalise on its seizure of land, and then to adapt as it was forced to retreat.

In doing so, Islamic State has made a switch in emphasis from its dreams of unifying all Muslims under a single, militant caliphate, to an older jihadist strategy of striking terror into its enemies by attacking them in their own countries.

But it has done this partly by harnessing shock tactics and social media to inspire and guide attacks by radicalised amateurs, rather than rely solely upon the highly trained but cumbersome militant cells of an earlier era. This, in part, was Adnani's legacy.

APOCALYPTIC PROPHECY

Islamic State said on Tuesday Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo. It pledged to avenge his death but did not disclose details on how he died or who was killed with him.

A U.S. defence official told Reuters the United States targeted Adnani on Tuesday in a strike on a vehicle travelling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. He stopped short of confirming Adnani's death, however. Such U.S. assessments often take days and often lag behind official announcements by militant groups.

Adnani's presence in the Aleppo countryside may reflect its strategic and symbolic importance to Islamic State. The northwest has become both the most active theatre of Syria's war and an arena for competing regional and global powers.

The government and mainstream rebel groups, which between them hold most of Syria's western, most populous, regions, have focused on their battle for control of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, and a strategic prize.

But to the north and east, a secondary conflict has played out as U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters and Turkey-backed rebels, who are also fighting each other, have squeezed IS's once expansive tracts along the Turkish border and Euphrates basin.

These advances have all but cut off Islamic State from its last foothold on the Turkish border, its link to new foreign recruits, while a steady push from the north has brought its enemies to within 30km (18 miles) of its Syrian capital Raqqa.

But these strategic setbacks are not Islamic State's only interest in the Aleppo countryside: just 30km northwest of al-Bab, where Adnani was reportedly killed in an airstrike after arriving to tour the battlefield, is the village of Dabiq.

A few streets surrounded by fields, it will be the site, says Islamic prophecy, of a final battle between Muslims and infidels that will herald the apocalypse.

So important is this event in Islamic State propaganda, of which Adnani was the chief, that Dabiq was the name chosen for its online magazine that sought to inspire new recruits to its militant cause and instruct them in the ways of global jihad.

HAMMERED

Hammered by two years of U.S.-led coalition air strikes and military losses on the ground, Adnani increasingly called in audio messages for attacks against the United States and Western countries. His group said it was behind deadly attacks in Paris, Nice and Brussels.

The shift was partly born of tactical necessity after Western and regional governments made it harder for would-be militants to travel to Syria or Iraq to join the group.

"If the tyrants close the door of migration in your faces, then open the door of jihad in theirs and turn their actions against them," he said in an audio clip.

Born in 1977 as Taha Subhi Falaha in Syria's Idlib Province southwest of Aleppo, he pledged allegiance to Islamic State's predecessor, al Qaeda, more than a decade ago and was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq.

He left Syria to travel to Iraq to fight U.S. forces there after its 2003 invasion, and only returned to his homeland after the start of its own civil war in 2011, a person who knew his family said. A biography posted on militant websites says he grew up with a "love of mosques" and was a prolific reader.

A U.S. counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said Adnani's death would hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere".
Turkey wants to 'cleanse' strip of territory on Syrian border

By David Dolan

JARABLUS, Syria, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Turkey wants to clear Islamic State from a 90-km (56-mile) stretch of territory on the Syrian side of its border, an official said on Wednesday, a week after it launched an incursion that has strained ties with the United States.

Operation "Euphrates Shield", in which Turkish troops and tanks entered Syria in support of rebels for the first time, began on Aug. 24 with the swift capture of Jarablus, a town a few km (miles) inside Syria that was held by the militant group.

Turkish-backed rebels patrolled the town on motorbikes on Wednesday as children played in dusty alleys.

The bulk of Turkish-backed forces have since moved further south into territory held by militias loyal to the Kurdish-aligned Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition supported by Washington in its bid to defeat the jihadists.

Turkish clashes with SDF loyalists have alarmed the United States, which has described the Turkish action as "unacceptable" because it hindered the battle against Islamic State.

But Turkey, which is fighting a Kurdish insurgency at home, says that, while it remains intent on clearing Islamist militants from its border region, it also wants to prevent Kurdish militias from seizing territory in their wake.

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the goal was to drive Islamic State from a 90-km strip of land along the border with Turkey, which has been buffeted by a spate of bombings, blamed on the group, that have killed scores.

"Starting from Jarablus, the cleansing of this region is our priority," Kalin told a news briefing. "We have already cleansed 400 square km successfully."

Turkey has long said it wants a "buffer zone" in the area, although it has not used the term during this incursion. As well as driving out the ultra-hardline Islamists, it also wants to prevent Kurdish forces taking territory that will let them join up cantons they control in northeast and northwest Syria.

Turkey frets that seizing such a broad swathe of territory could embolden Kurdish PKK insurgents on Turkish soil.

THUD OF EXPLOSIONS

U.S. officials on Tuesday welcomed what appeared to be a pause in fighting between Turkish forces and rival militias, after days when the border area reverberated with Turkish warplanes roaring into Syria and artillery pounded Syrian sites, saying it was hitting Kurdish fighters.

In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters on Wednesday there had been calm in northern Syria in the past 24 hours.

"We continue to work very closely with our coalition partner and ally Turkey in trying to address their concerns about this situation," spokesman Peter Cook said. "Likewise we continue to work with our partners in Syria to try and keep the focus where it should be," he added.

On Wednesday only the occasional thud of explosions in the distance was audible along the Turkish frontier.

Ankara has denied statements from Kurdish fighters in Syria that a temporary truce had been agreed, saying it would not make any pact with the Kurdish YPG militia, a powerful force in the SDF coalition, as it considers it a terrorist body.

"The Turkish Republic is a sovereign state, a legitimate state. It cannot be equated with a terrorist organisation," EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik told state-run Anadolu news agency, adding this meant there could be no "agreement between the two."

Turkey has demanded that the YPG cross the Euphrates river into a Kurdish-controlled canton in Syria's northeast. U.S. officials have threatened to withdraw backing for the YPG if it did not meet that demand, but have said that the Kurdish group has mostly done so.

Turkey's EU affairs minister said some Kurdish fighters were still on the western side and called that "unacceptable."

Eager to avoid more clashes between Turkey and U.S.-backed Syrian fighters, the Pentagon said the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State was establishing communications channels to better coordinate in a "crowded battlespace" in Syria.
Gabon's President Bongo re-elected, parliament set on fire

By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome

LIBREVILLE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Demonstrators in Gabon clashed with police and set part of the parliament building on fire on Wednesday as anger boiled over among opposition supporters at President Ali Bongo's re-election in polls that his main rival, Jean Ping, claimed to have won.

Opposition members of the Central African oil producer's electoral commission rejected Saturday's first-past-the-post election result, which would see the Bongo family's nearly half-century in power extended another seven years.

The election followed a bitter campaign.

Gabon's economic troubles, caused by falling oil output and prices, have led to budget cuts in one of Africa's richest nations and fuelled opposition charges that its 1.8 million people have struggled under Bongo's leadership.

France, the United States and the European Union all urged calm and called upon Gabonese authorities to release the results of individual polling stations for greater transparency, while the United Nations also urged restraint.

Bongo won 49.80 percent of votes, compared to 48.23 percent for Ping, with a turnout of 59.46 percent, according to results announced region by region by Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya.

"This victory by such a tight score obliges ... each of us to respect the verdict of the ballot box and our institutions," Bongo said in the text of a victory speech distributed to reporters.

"Our country is advancing and that advance must take place with the unity and peace so dear to the Gabonese people."

Soon after the result was announced on state-owned television, riot police fired teargas in clashes with around 100 opposition supporters in one neighbourhood in the capital Libreville, according to a Reuters witness.

Police and soldiers, meanwhile, were stationed at most crossroads and petrol stations.

Protesters entered the grounds of Gabon's parliament building, the National Assembly, late in the afternoon.

"The demonstrators entered from the back and set fire to the National Assembly ... Part of the building is on fire," said another witness, who asked not to be named out of fear of reprisal.

Firemen were attempting to put out the blaze, he said. But as night fell the flames remained visible from a distance.

Several Libreville residents said social media, including Facebook and Twitter, were no longer functioning.

Gabon's main cities had been on edge since Tuesday, with residents stockpiling food ahead of the expected announcement, which was later postponed by one day.

INTERNATIONAL CONCERN

"In this election, we committed ourselves to liberating our country. And that is the choice that was clearly expressed by the Gabonese people," Ping said in a statement released late on Wednesday in which he rejected the election result.

He accused ruling party members of the electoral commission of inflating turnout figures and votes in favour of Bongo in order to hand victory to the president. The claim could not immediately be independently verified.

Commission members belonging to the opposition abstained from a vote that validated the election result.

Ping's party had earlier said its tally showed their candidate won 59 percent of the vote versus 38 percent for Bongo, with only one province left to count, a claim the government condemned as an effort to destabilise the country.

Ali Bongo was first elected in 2009 after the death of his father Omar, who ran Gabon for 42 years. He benefited from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse.

Though voting on Saturday was generally peaceful, Bongo and Ping's supporters traded accusations of fraud.

An EU observer mission sent to monitor the polls criticised a "lack of transparency" among institutions running the election and said Bongo had benefited from preferential access to money and the media.

Former colonial ruler France's foreign ministry said the manner in which the final results were announced on Wednesday was a source of concern.

"We think it is necessary to publish the results of all the polling stations. The credibility of the election as well as Gabon's international reputation are at stake," it said.

The statement was echoed by the U.S. Department of State, which urged all sides to "temper their rhetoric and encourage their supporters to remain calm". It also called upon Gabon's security forces to exercise restraint.

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he called "on all political leaders to address their differences peacefully and to address any disputes they may have through existing constitutional and legal channels."

Ban also called on the authorities to ensure that the national security forces exercise restraint in their response to protests, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Israeli Jews, Muslims puzzled by French "burkini" brouhaha

By Luke Baker

TEL AVIV, Aug 31 (Reuters) - In Israel, where it is fair to say Muslims and Jews do not always agree, there is shared confusion and surprise at events across the Mediterranean: the push by French mayors to ban full-body swimsuits, or "burkinis", on beaches.

France's highest administrative court ruled against the ban on Friday, but mayors in several beachfront towns have said they will defy the edict, determined to stop swimwear designed to be Islam-compliant appearing in public.

It is a policy that has drawn some popular support while provoking outrage and ridicule, with editorialists playing up the irony of a liberal country challenging the strictures of Islam by telling women what they cannot wear.

In Israel, there may be profound ideological and political differences between the Jewish population and the near 20-percent Muslim minority, but it has never come down to banning someone's dress on the basis of religion.

"It is very funny that people think they are so liberal and open and yet they cannot stand other religions and the feelings of other people," said Ruti Solomon, an Israeli Jewish woman enjoying the sunshine on the beach in Tel Aviv.

Behind her, Muslim women with their bodies and heads fully covered in burkini-like clothing played in the water or relaxed on the sand, with the church spires and mosque minarets of the town of Jaffa in the near distance.

"I've heard what's happening in Europe," said Shams al-Duha Alayyan, a fully-covered young Muslim woman visiting the coast from Jerusalem. "This is personal freedom. If I want to cover my body, why can't I cover my body?"

"WE'RE SANE"

Of course, Israel has its quirks, too. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish population enjoys the seaside as much as anyone else. But they keep separate, not only having segregated beaches but alternating the bathing days for men and women.

North of Tel Aviv, it was women's day at an ultra-Orthodox beach on Tuesday. Busloads of visitors arrived in full-body swimwear and went down to the beachfront via a security gate, with high fencing all around to keep out prying eyes.

Anat Yahav is the chief executive of SunWay UV Clothing, an Israeli company that supplies modest swimwear to Jews and Muslims in Israel and beyond. Muslim women generally prefer swimsuits with a head covering and Jewish women full-body suits without one, she says.

Either way, business is strong and she cannot understand why the French have decided to kick up such a fuss.

"When I see what's happening in France, I think we're very sane here," she said with a laugh.

France's move against burkinis follows a series of deadly attacks by Islamist militants that has put the nation on edge. While Israeli beachgoers sympathised about the need to tighten security, they warned against missing the target.

"In France ... it is a big problem right now," said Shiran Rokban, a sunbather in Tel Aviv. "They have to deal with the real thing, not with the burkini and all these things on the beach."
U.S. resumes scheduled passenger flights to Cuba after more than 50 yrs

By Jeffrey Dastin

SANTA CLARA, Cuba, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The first scheduled commercial passenger flight from the United States to Cuba in more than half a century landed on Wednesday, opening another chapter in the Obama administration's efforts to improve ties and increase trade and travel with the former Cold War foe.

A JetBlue Airways Corp passenger jet arrived from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara. The route may be a commercial challenge, at least initially, but it is the first of a plethora of new flights by various U.S. airlines to destinations on the Communist-ruled island.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, JetBlue Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes, other officials and journalists were aboard the 150-seat plane. Regular travelers, including some of Cuban descent, occupied nearly half the seats on the flight to Santa Clara, a city with a population of about 200,000 that is known for its monument to revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

While opening travel to cities like Santa Clara is seen as a foot in the door to expanding travel to the Cuban provinces, the market's big prize is routes to Havana, which Foxx awarded on Wednesday. American Airlines Group Inc was awarded the biggest portion.

"The Havana competition was one of the most over-subscribed competitions that I've been a part of," Foxx said in an interview before the plane took off. "I think that speaks to the interest on the part of the American people, and it also speaks to the level of commercial interest in the U.S. that exists."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry noted in a Twitter message that the flight took place just over a year after the flag was raised at the reopened U.S. embassy in Havana. He called it "another step forward."

Cuba and the United States began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. The countries had been hostile for more than five decades, since Fidel Castro ousted U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in a 1959 revolution that steered the island on a communist course and made it a close ally of the Soviet Union.

Until Wednesday, passenger air links between Cuba and the United States were by chartered flights.

Obama's opening to Cuba has included a landmark visit by him to the Caribbean island in March and a series of measures to increase commercial ties, but the U.S. president has been unable to persuade Congress to lift the longstanding embargo.

Critics of the detente argue the Obama administration has won few human rights concessions from President Raul Castro in exchange for allowing hotel chains, cruise lines and at least one U.S. bank to ramp up operations on the island.

The United States still prohibits its citizens from visiting Cuba as tourists, although there have long been exceptions to the ban, ranging from visiting family to business, cultural, religious and educational travel. The Obama administration has further eased the restrictions.

Lazaro Chavez, a 49-year-old pharmacist who lives in Miami and returns frequently to his homeland, said before boarding that he was taking the flight for two reasons. "One, I am going to see my family. Two, I want to be on this historic flight."

'FOOT IN THE DOOR'

JetBlue and other airlines may be setting themselves up to lose money on Cuba trips in the short run, said industry consultant Robert Mann.

"Most carriers look at international markets that have been restricted and are just opening up as an investment," Mann said. "You need to get your foot in the door."

Giselle Cortes, who oversees new international routes for JetBlue, said she expected demand on the route to pick up quickly and maintained that the Santa Clara flights would be financially successful for the airline.

Services on regional carrier Silver Airways and American Airlines Group Inc from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area that is home to a large Cuban-American population, to Cuba's outlying provinces will be the next to start, in September. Three other carriers will follow.

Santa Clara airport, where the JetBlue flight landed, has served as a gateway to nearby beaches for European and Canadian tourists who have been coming to Cuba for years, but the U.S. embargo - at least for now - bars Americans from such resort-oriented travel.
Air strike kills 16 members of Yemeni imam's family

SANAA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - At least 16 members of the extended family of a Yemeni mosque imam were killed on Wednesday in an air strike on their family home in northern Yemen by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, a Reuters witness, a medic and a resident said.

The coalition has been giving air support to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in his fight against Iran-allied Houthi militia who have seized much of Yemen since 2014, but has drawn criticism over civilian casualties incurred in the campaign.

Witnesses said missiles struck a house of the imam, identified as Saleh Abu Zainah, in Saada, the capital of Saada province in northern Yemen, the home territory of the Houthis who hail from the Zaydi branch of Shi'ite Islam.

The imam, his family, his two sons and their families all died in the attack, including at least four children, they said.

A Saudi military spokesman said the coalition was checking whether the report was true and that an investigation would be conducted and its results published if the incident was verified.

Pictures taken by a Reuters photographer showed men digging up the body of a child from under the rubble.

"The air raid happened in the morning and because the house was made of mud, it took us until noon to be able to dig the bodies out," said Nayef, a resident who helped remove the rubble to recover the bodies.

A medic said rescue workers were concerned about fresh air strikes when they arrived at the scene and found aircraft still hovering overhead.

It was at least the fourth strike by the Saudi-led coalition on a civilian target since U.N.-sponsored peace talks between the Houthis and their General People's Congress party allies on one side and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government on the other ended without an agreement earlier this month.

A rocket launched from inside Yemen into Saudi Arabia later on Wednesday killed a Saudi soldier in the southern city of Najran, according to the Saudi interior ministry.

Saudi authorities say a wave of shelling by the Houthis since August has killed 29 civilians, including children, and injured around 300 in Najran.

NEW PUSH FOR PEACE

The United Nations human rights office called on Aug. 25 for more light to be shed on the Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen and for violations, including attacks on protected sites like hospitals, to be punished.

Coalition air strikes are responsible for some 60 percent of the civilians killed since March 2015, a U.N. rights office said in a report last week.

At least 10,000 people have been killed overall in Yemen's 18-month-old civil war, the United Nations said on Tuesday, approaching double the estimates of more than 6,000 cited by officials and aid workers for much of 2016.

U.N. Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that he would resume consultations with the parties to the conflict to try to take advantage of a new thrust for peace agreed by United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations earlier this month.

"My priority will be to gain a re-commitment from all sides to the cessation of hostilities," he said.

On Aug. 18, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) decided to evacuate its staff from six hospitals in northern Yemen after an air strike on a facility run by the medical charity that killed 19 people.
Thirteen Indians among Zika infected people in Singapore -source

By Raju Gopalakrishnan and Marius Zaharia

SINGAPORE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Thirteen Indian citizens are among those infected in an outbreak of the Zika virus in Singapore, according to a person at the Indian High Commission in the city-state.

Foreign construction workers have been hit hardest in the first days of the mosquito-borne disease's outbreak. Singapore announced the first locally contracted case of Zika late on Saturday.

Of the first 56 cases of Zika identified by late Monday, three dozen were foreign workers on a property development site where they worked and lived with more than 450 others.

Total Zika infections had increased to 82 by late Tuesday, but the Singapore government has not disclosed whether any of the more recent cases involved foreign workers. It did not respond to Reuters questions about the nationality of those infected.

The person at the Indian High Commission did not know if the Indian citizens affected were in the construction industry.

India's Ministry of External Affairs said it had asked the Singapore government if any of its nationals were among those diagnosed with the Zika virus, but had yet to hear back.

Many of the 360,000 or so foreign workers in Singapore's building industry are from the Indian sub-continent, including India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. While many are paid as little as S$2 an hour ($1.47), work 12-14 hour days and rarely take days off, they can still potentially earn significantly more in Singapore than at home.

"MOST SUSCEPTIBLE"

Some dormitory rooms where workers live can house more than a dozen people and have no working fans, increasing their potential exposure to mosquitoes as windows are often left open, rights groups and some foreign workers told Reuters.

Government regulations already require employers and dormitory operators to take efforts to avoid mosquito breeding habitats as part of a long-standing battle with dengue, another mosquito-borne virus, but rights groups say they are concerned that these rules are not always followed.

Heena Kanwar, executive director of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, says foreign workers are "the most susceptible group" for infections "because of their living conditions."

Reuters was unable to gain access to workers at the construction site which was the focal point of the initial Zika infections. A spokesperson for Woh Hup, the main contractor at the site - which is under a "stop work" order - directed queries to the authorities "as the case is still under investigation."

A spokeswoman for the site's owner, Guocoland, said the company was unable to comment "beyond what has been released by the authorities."

Only local media were invited to a site visit by Minister of State for Manpower Teo Ser Luck on Tuesday, reporting that those diagnosed with the Zika virus were still living on site, but were separated from other workers, in rooms with internet access and delivered meals.

Debbie Fordyce, member of the executive committee of the group Transient Workers Count Too, noted that Singapore doesn't release a nationality breakdown of foreign workers in its construction industry, so it's not surprising it has not disclosed where workers with the Zika virus are from.

"It could either be for the protection of the foreign workers, so that certain groups are not ostracised and identified as carriers of the virus, or to avoid drawing further attention to the poor living conditions," she said.

Dormitory operators, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said government agencies carry out regular site inspections, and this week sprayed insecticide and looked for potential mosquito breeding habitats.

They say the government acts quickly if conditions are sub-standard, and operators are required to have at least one sick bay available or contingency plans for infectious diseases.

One dorm operator said it was hard to monitor the spread of infectious diseases, noting there were as many as 240 workers on just one level of his premises.

Manpower Minister Teo told local media on Tuesday that action would be taken against operators who don't take preventive measures "because this is a very serious issue."

It's still not known where the other foreign workers with Zika are from.

The High Commission of Bangladesh and the Thai embassy said they did not have any workers among those who tested positive. A Sri Lankan foreign ministry official said it had not been informed of any infections, and the Chinese foreign ministry said in Beijing it had no information about any of its nationals in Singapore having Zika.
Gabon President Bongo re-elected with 49.80 pct - validated final results

LIBREVILLE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Gabon's President Ali Bongo has won re-election with 49.80 percent of ballots cast in a weekend poll, according to final results validated by the electoral commission and provided to Reuters by a commissioner on Wednesday.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard general killed in Aleppo

BEIRUT, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A brigadier general from Iran's Revolutionary Guards had been killed during fighting in Aleppo, Iranian news sites reported Wednesday

Ahmad Ghulami was killed on Tuesday by "takfiri terrorists", a label used by Shi'ite Muslims to describe Sunni Muslim militants, according to the Tasnim news site.

Iran and its Shi'ite allies, which include fighters from Afghanistan ad Lebanon's Hezbollah, are fighting to support Syrian President Bashar al Assad while Saudi Arabia, Turkey and some Gulf states are funding opposition fighters.

Iran has announced the death of half a dozen generals in Syria, and a much larger number of less senior officers since 2012.

A report by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in March this year said that 342 Iranians have died fighting in Syria since January 2012.

Ghulami was a commander during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and took part in several well-known battles, Tasnim reported. He had retired before heading to Syria.

"Because of the great deal of experience he had in military matters he went to Syria and Iraq and took over the responsibility for training some of the resistance forces," Akbar Baqeri Dolabi, a military colleague, told Tasnim.
Irish cabinet delays decision on Apple tax appeal

By Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries

DUBLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ireland's cabinet could not agree on Wednesday whether to fight a European Commission ruling against Dublin's tax dealings with Apple, raising questions over any appeal and the government's stability.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has insisted Dublin would appeal any adverse ruling ever since the EU investigation began in 2014. But after over five hours of discussion, the cabinet adjourned until Friday when the government said a decision would be made.

Dublin has just over two months at the latest to make an appeal against the Commission's ruling that the U.S. tech giant should hand over to Ireland unpaid taxes of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) ruled to be illegal state aid.

Some Irish voters are astounded that the government might turn down a tax windfall that would be enough to fund the country's health service for a year, and this appears to be complicating the cabinet decision whether to fight the ruling.

"Following the discussion, it was agreed to allow further time to reflect on the issues and to clarify a number of legal and technical issues with the Attorney General's Office and with officials," the government press office said in a statement.

Apple, one of many major multinationals whose European headquarters are based in Ireland, has said it will appeal the decision and a failure by the Irish government to join them could undermine the country's pro-business credentials.

Noonan said on Tuesday he "disagreed profoundly" with what he called a bizarre order from the Commission.

However, the Independent Alliance - a group of independent lawmakers represented in the minority coalition government - said on Tuesday that they were reviewing the EU's decision and would need to consult further with Noonan, tax officials and independent experts.

If the Independent Alliance refused to back an appeal and pulled out of the government, Prime Minister Enda Kenny's Fine Gael party would no longer have sufficient support in parliament to pass legislation. That would prompt the collapse of the government, analysts said.

"The government can't survive without the Independent Alliance," said Eoin O'Malley, politics lecturer at Dublin City University.

"(But) the way the Independent Alliance appear to work is that they have cabinet (discussions) first and then discuss it with each other. I would be more concerned if in a week's time the cabinet hadn't agreed."

DIVIDED OPINION

As well as the Independent Alliance, Fine Gael also relies on an agreement with its biggest rival, Fianna Fail, to abstain on key votes to facilitate the minority government. Fianna Fail said on Tuesday it would back an appeal through the European Courts.

Both parties were criticised by left-wing Sinn Fein, the country's third largest party. It said the government should accept the Commission's ruling and impose the tax bill on the iPhone maker.

It also increased pressure on the Independent Alliance, which agreed to go into coalition in May only after an unprecedented 10 weeks of post-election talks and has already broken ranks on another vote.

"It is important that Irish taxpayers are represented. The Independent Alliance have an opportunity to do that. They should oppose any appeal and insist that the correct tax bill is paid by Apple," Sinn Fein's David Cullinane said in a statement.

Opinion on the government's stance was split on the streets of Dublin where some were stunned that they would give up a potential 13 billion euro tax windfall.

"They are doing the wrong thing. They don't care about the normal people," said Louise O'Reilly, 57, a full-time carer for her diabetic and partially blind mother. "There's two laws in this country, one for the rich and one for the poor."

At stake for Ireland is the lure of its low corporate tax rate, a cornerstone of economic policy for decades that has drawn investors from large multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 of the country's workers.

The Apple decision also comes as Ireland seeks to market itself as one of the top locations for any companies considering moving operations from Britain after its vote to leave the EU. Dublin has already seen a jump in inquiries, particularly from financial services firms.

The Commission's drive could check that advantage. The U.S. Treasury warned that the move threatened to undermine U.S. investment in Europe and a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said it would welcome any company that is prepared to invest in the United Kingdom.
First U.S.-Cuba scheduled passenger flight lands in Santa Clara

SANTA CLARA, Cuba, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A JetBlue Airways Corp passenger jet landed in Santa Clara, Cuba on Wednesday, becoming the first scheduled passenger flight from the United States in more than a half century.
Saudi Arabia doesn't target specific level of oil output - Falih

By Rania El Gamal and Reem Shamseddine

DUBAI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia does not target a specific level of oil production and its output is based on customers' needs, the energy minister of the world's largest oil exporter said.

Speaking during an official visit to China, Khalid al-Falih told al-Arabiya TV channel that despite low crude prices he was optimistic for global demand, that demand for crude in China remains "very healthy" and India's demand was "very good" too.

"We in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia do not have a targeted number to reach. The kingdom's production meets the requirements of the customers, whether they are outside internationally or inside the kingdom," Falih said in remarks broadcast on Wednesday.

"The kingdom's production policy will maintain a large degree of responsibility," he said, signalling the kingdom would not flood an oversupplied market if there was no demand for it, a position Saudi Arabia has always said it holds to.

OPEC is due to meet informally in Algeria in September and is expected to seek to revive a global output freeze deal.

Saudi Arabia increased production in June and July to record levels to meet a seasonal rise in domestic demand and higher export requirements. Industry sources have told Reuters Riyadh could boost production to a record in August.

In July it pumped 10.67 million barrels per day, the most in its history. Falih last week told Reuters production in August had remained around that level.

Saudi Arabia has a production capacity of 12.5 million bpd, leaving it able to boost output further to meet any global shortage. Falih said that production level was not expected to be reached unless there were unexpected outages.

"The market now is saturated with oversupply and we don't see in the short term a need for the kingdom to reach its maximum production capacity," he told al-Arabiya.

BOLSTERING RELATIONS

Falih is on a visit headed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aimed at bolstering relations with China, a top energy customer and trade partner. The delegation heads to Japan late on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia has traditionally accounted for most of Asia's crude needs, but has come under pressure from rivals such as Russia in a number of markets including China.

Falih denied there was a price war between producers in China, adding that increasing Russian oil supplies to China "is something natural and we do not see it as a threatening move to Saudi Arabia."

Under sweeping economic reforms led by Prince Mohammed, Riyadh plans to sell a stake of less than 5 percent in national oil major Saudi Aramco.

Falih, Aramco's chairman, told al-Arabiya that China had shown interest in opening its stock markets for Aramco's flotation.

Aramco has been in talks with China's CNPC and Sinopec for investment opportunities in refining, marketing and petrochemicals.

Falih said he hoped to reach a deal with CNPC before the end of the year, expecting investments in China to exceed $20 billion, if the talks were finalised.

Aramco is talking to CNPC about two refineries in China, with one being built in Yunnan at a more advanced stage, he said.
Total, Erg prepare sale of Italian petrol-station network - sources

By Pamela Barbaglia and Stephen Jewkes

LONDON/MILAN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - French oil major Total and Italian renewable energy group Erg have tapped banks to sell one of Italy's biggest petrol station networks, known as TotalErg, sources familiar with the matter said.

A sales process led by HSBC and Rothschild is expected to kick off in late September, the sources said.

Italy's petrol station network is over-crowded, with around 21,000 stations across the country, twice the number in France and almost three times that in Britain.

The government has a draft bill before parliament seeking to cut the number of stations to bring them into line with demand and make the business more efficient.

The sale of TotalErg, a joint venture which controls close to 2,600 service stations in Italy with a market share of around 11 percent, comes after a similar move by Royal Dutch Shell in 2014.

Shell, which recently bought Britain's BG Group, offloaded a network of 830 pump stations in Italy to Kuwait Petroleum International, though no price was disclosed.

Erg and Total are still to decide whether to hold on to some non-core businesses in Italy which have nothing to do with the petrol station network. These include refineries, lubricants and the sale of petrol-related products.

The deal could be valued at up to 700 million euros ($781 million), two of the sources said, depending on which assets will be auctioned off.

Total and Erg declined to comment.

PARTING WAYS?

The two energy firms have yet to formalise their plans to sell but four sources close to the deal said there is consensus to part ways.

Erg, which is controlled by the Garrone family, has repeatedly said the petrol station business is no longer core to its strategy as it seeks to refocus on renewable energy.

It hired HSBC earlier this year to prepare its exit while Total recently mandated Rothschild.

Created in 2010 through the merger of Total Italia and Erg Petroli, the joint venture is controlled by Erg with a 51 percent stake while Total holds the remaining 49 percent.

It ranks as Italy's fourth-biggest petrol station network after state-controlled ENI, IP Gruppo Api and Kuwait Petroleum International, according to industry body Unione Petrolifera in data that refers to end 2014.

In 2010, when the joint venture was launched, Erg's former chief executive Alessandro Garrone said the parties agreed on a 30-year shareholder pact as they wanted a long-lasting agreement.

In 2015 TotalErg reported core earnings of 144 million euros while in the first six months of this year it posted core earnings of 53 million euros with debt of 246 million euros.

"A formal decision will be made in the coming weeks," one of the sources said. "Discussions have been going on for several months, both parties want to sell out."

The business has already drawn interest from private equity funds, the sources said, as they see scope for growth on the service side, especially catering.
Iran's Khamenei says need to boost offensive military capabilities

BEIRUT, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Iran needs to boost its offensive military capabilities.

"In order to secure our population, our country and our future we have to increase our offensive capabilities as well as our defensive capabilities," he said at a military expo in Tehran where a number of top military officials gathered, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

The Shi'ite leader spoke a week after a U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots towards an Iranian fast-attack craft that had approached two U.S. ships, according to a Pentagon spokesman.

The Pentagon also said that Iranian vessels had harassed a U.S. warship near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping channel, early last week.

For its part, the Iranian military accused the United States of sending a drone into its air space on Monday, according to the Tasnim news agency. It said the drone left Iranian air space after a warning.

President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist, has presided over a limited thaw in Iran's relations with the West, with a 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers his most notable achievement. But Iran's military and security services that answer to the hardline Khamenei continue to see Western states as adversaries.

Khamenei also said that expanding defensive capabilities was necessary "so that oppressive powers feel threatened", an allusion to the United States and key European allies.
After Turkish offensive, Syrian town starts erasing legacy of Islamic State

By David Dolan

JARABLUS, Syria, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The silhouette of an Islamic State fighter on a rearing horse, a black flag in his hand and a sabre by his side, is among the disappearing traces of the jihadists' grip on this Syrian border town a week after Turkish-backed rebels swept in.

Murals scrawled on walls by the ultra-hardline Islamists who ran Jarablus for three years are gradually being covered with blue paint. Children play again in dusty streets, their hair matted with sweat and dirt, while women hang laundry outside buildings on the edge of town, some of them half-destroyed.

"It is ecstasy," said Husyein Kakmaz, 46, a Jarablus resident who made his living as a driver before Islamic State seized the town, nestled in hazelnut and olive groves on the border with Turkey.

"Life was not life. There were so many prohibitions, no smoking, women couldn't show their faces," he said, speaking Turkish and describing life under the jihadist group.

Syrian rebels, mostly Arab and Turkmen, swept into Jarablus last Wednesday in an incursion backed by Turkish special forces, tanks and jets, an operation meant to drive Islamic State from the town and surrounding territory and to prevent Kurdish militia fighters from seizing control in their wake.

A week on, there is little sign of the Turkish military presence. Syrian rebel fighters, some in camouflage fatigues and sandals, others in civilian clothes, are the ones in control, patrolling on motorbikes and in flat-bed Toyota trucks.

Celebratory gunfire rang out as some of the young rebels shot into the air and flashed victory signs, wanting their pictures taken and showing off for a gaggle of mostly Turkish TV cameras on a visit facilitated by the Turkish government.

The rebels and their Turkish backers announced they were in control of Jarablus within hours of mounting their operation last week, but the town still sits on the edge of a highly active war zone. Three Turkish soldiers were wounded on Tuesday after their tank came under fire west of Jarablus.

Yasin Darvish, a doctor in a small, dingy clinic, said the jihadists had taken everything as they fled, leaving barely enough supplies to treat the wounded. Food and medical aid have been brought in from Turkey.

"They took every piece of equipment so the hospital is empty. There are just emergency supplies and not even an X-ray machine," he said, adding 30 patients had been brought in on Wednesday alone, some with injuries from landmines.

"THEY EVEN TOOK THE OVEN"

Bread and drinkable water are in short supply in the once-thriving trading town and there is little sign of commercial life. Children burned a pile of rubbish on a street corner under the blistering heat.

"There's no bread, no electricity, because they took everything when they fled. They took the generators," said one resident, Adil, 47, who had worked as a lawyer before the war.

"There was one oven in the bakery and they even took that," he said. Residents were afraid to draw water from the Euphrates river on the town's eastern fringe, he said, because the jihadists had laid landmines there.

Jarablus sits on the northeastern edge of a rectangle of Syrian territory some 80 km (50 miles) long, seized by Islamic State as it carved its self-declared caliphate out of a swathes of Syria and Iraq.

Turkey and the United States have long hoped that by sweeping Islamic State from this border zone, they can deprive it of a smuggling route which has seen its ranks swollen with foreign fighters and its coffers boosted by illicit trade.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said on Wednesday the aim of the military incursion, dubbed "Operation Euphrates Shield", was to "cleanse" the strip of territory of all militant groups and threats to Turkish security.

But this is a complex corner of Syria's five-year war.

Just to the east, over the Euphrates, lies territory controlled by a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia also fighting the jihadists, but seen by Turkey as a hostile force, an extension of militants who have fought a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey.

Turkish forces have clashed with Kurdish fighters as they push deeper into Syria south of Jarablus, meaning the town and its surroundings remain on the edge of an active frontline.

"I am not against the Kurds, they are good guys, they give us cigarettes," said Adil, adding Kurdish fighters had come within a few kilometres south of the town.
Kerry meets Modi as monsoon chaos challenges India's "smart" future

By Lesley Wroughton

NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry experienced some of the challenges that lie in the way of India's economic rise, as monsoon floods in New Delhi became a talking point at his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"It looks like the rains this time have warmly welcomed you," Modi said as he greeted Kerry and the U.S. delegation on Wednesday for talks.

Kerry's motorcade was caught in two hours of traffic chaos when he arrived in the Indian capital on Monday night for the annual U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue that seeks to deepen the bond between the world's two largest democracies.

On Wednesday, on the way to deliver a speech to students after another heavy downpour, his car inched through streets that in places looked like fast-flowing rivers. At times the water reached the top of its wheels.

"You guys all deserve an award for getting here today. I don't know if you came in boats or amphibious vehicles of some kind but thank you so much for making the effort," he told the students at the Indian Institute of Technology.

Roads were blocked off as knots of workers battled to drain the floodwaters.

As the U.S. delegation approached Modi's office, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker fell when her heel got caught in a crack on the sidewalk. Kerry came to her aid, picking up a binder she had dropped, and steadying her as they made their way into the meeting.

Pritzker looked shaken but was unhurt.

Earlier, she told reporters that one focus of the India-U.S. dialogue was on so-called "smart" cities and infrastructure.

SMART CITIES

Modi has launched an ambitious plan to build up to 100 such futuristic cities to cater for a population that has reached 1.3 billion and is expected to exceed China's by 2022, according to the United Nations.

New economic figures out on Wednesday showed that India's $2.1 trillion economy grew by 7.1 percent in the quarter through June.

That was the fastest of any of the world's largest economies but down from 7.9 percent in the prior quarter. India's economy is growing faster than China's but is just a fifth as large today.

Modi, who needs growth to top 8 percent to create jobs for the million young people who join the workforce each month, has invited foreign investors to "Make in India" and emulate China's industrial miracle, but for now private investment remains weak.

To boost economic opportunity for all, India has to attract investment capital, Kerry said.

"You have to have a market defined by fairness, transparency and a level playing field," he said.

"You have to have sensible regulations and your bureaucracy needs to be streamlined and effective."

India announced on Wednesday a plan to allow foreign investors to settle, emulating policies in countries such as the United States and Singapore to woo investment from abroad.

Despite the inclement weather in New Delhi, Kerry decided to extend his stay for a couple of days after the official part of his visit.
US troubled by Gabon events, urges restraint by security forces

WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it is deeply concerned about events in Gabon and urged restraint by security forces in the oil exporting nation, where official results showed Ali Bongo re-elected president despite his opponent Jean Ping having claimed victory.
Syrian rebels advance further towards government-held Hama city- monitor, rebels

BEIRUT, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Syrian rebels advanced further towards government-held Hama city on Wednesday, capturing a town in an offensive that threatens government loyalist areas populated by minority Christians and Alawites north of the city, rebels and a monitor said.

The town of Soran, around 14 km north of Hama on the main Aleppo-Damascus highway, was taken "completely", the hardline jihadist rebel group Jund al-Aqsa said in an online statement.

Since launching an offensive on Monday in the northern Hama countryside, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) alliance and other rebel groups have taken a number of towns and villages.

They are pushing south from rebel-held Idlib province into a swathe of government-held land which reaches down to the capital Damascus.
Colombia, FARC to ratify deal on Sept 26 says Spain's Rajoy

MADRID, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Colombia's government will ratify a peace accord with the Marxist rebel group FARC on Sept. 26, Spain's acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Wednesday after talking to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

Santos's government reached a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, on Aug. 24 to end a five-decade war. The deal still has to go to a plebiscite vote on Oct. 2.

"I had the chance to speak on Monday with (Santos) to congratulate him on the agreement. He has invited us to the agreement's signing on Sept. 26," Rajoy told Spain's parliament in a speech.

Santos said on Wednesday he had not yet decided the date but it would be announced by Thursday.
Libya's stockpile of toxic chemicals removed

AMSTERDAM, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Libya's remaining stockpile of toxic chemicals has been successfully transported abroad in an operation aimed at keeping them safe from militants, the world's chemical weapons watchdog said on Wednesday.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said the stockpile - hundreds of tonnes of industrial chemicals - had been removed on Saturday with the help of several countries.

Libya had asked the organisation, which oversees the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention and won the Nobel Peace prize for ridding Syria of its declared chemical weapons, to help in destroying the chemicals due to deteriorating security.

"Removal of these chemicals is the first stage of an ongoing operation to verifiably eliminate the remnants of Libya's now-defunct chemical weapon programme," OPCW chief Ahmet Uzumcu said in a statement.

"This OPCW-coordinated international effort has achieved a major milestone in guaranteeing that these chemicals will not fall into the wrong hands," he said.

Libya had planned to destroy the chemicals itself, but fighting with Islamic State insurgents and political instability had raised fears that the stockpile would be acquired by insurgents.

Tripoli had already destroyed weapons that were ready for use including armed munitions and the most deadly, or "category 1," toxins with the help of Western countries. But it still had around 850 tonnes of industrial chemicals that could be used to produce weapons.

The OPCW did not say where Libya's chemicals were taken, but they were to be destroyed abroad.
Russia honours first British Arctic convoy, 75 years on

By Dmitry Madorsky

ARKHANGELSK, Russia, Aug 31 (Reuters) - British and Russian World War Two veterans gathered on Wednesday in Arkhangelsk, 75 years to the day since Britain's first Arctic convoy of military supplies steamed into the northern port.

Britain's Princess Anne has been among those attending events honouring those who sailed, and the thousands who died, protecting supply convoys dispatched to aid the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany.

On Aug. 31, 1941, two months after Hitler's surprise attack on his erstwhile ally prompted Josef Stalin to seek support from a beleaguered Britain, the first convoy, codenamed "Dervish", sailed into Arkhangelsk, or Archangel, after a 10-day crossing.

In one of the lesser known examples of British-Soviet wartime cooperation, the six British and one Dutch merchant ships which arrived under the protection of the Royal Navy carried among other supplies a force of Hurricane fighters.

These would be flown by Britain's Royal Air Force in aerial battles with the Luftwaffe and the Germans' Finnish allies before being handed over to Soviet pilots.

John "Tim" Elkington, who arrived as a 20-year-old with the RAF's 151 Wing in Russia, said his most frightening experience was crossing the Arctic Sea on a route that would claim more than 3,000 Allied lives over the next four years as U-boats, aircraft and mines sank 101 merchant and naval ships.

"The most dangerous part was being on an Arctic convoy and not knowing what was going to happen with the submarines, the aircraft and the mines," Elkington said.

"But the operation in the air, there was no real danger because we were used to fighting Messerschmitts. We were used to that. And it was quite exciting to shoot an aircraft down."

ICY WATERS

The convoys were "the worst journey in the world" in the words of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who used them to forge an uneasy anti-Nazi alliance with Stalin that would last until the victors fell out, ushering in the Cold War.

Concern in Moscow that a standoff with NATO over Ukraine is a "new Cold War" have been accompanied by increased interest from President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin in rekindling memories of World War Two cooperation with Britain and the United States.

As commemorations of Russians' wartime sacrifices reinforce national pride and loyalty to Putin at home, surviving foreign veterans have also been feted in recent years as Moscow seeks to counter what it sees as vilification in the West.

In a spirit of detente, Princess Anne said: "The scale of the loss felt by the Soviet Union during the Second World War was enormous and will not be forgotten by the United Kingdom."

Russians who worked on the wartime docks spoke of their pleasure at seeing again British sailors they had encountered.
Egypt's GASC cancels wheat tender as ergot policy bites

By Eric Knecht and Maha El Dahan

CAIRO/ABU DHABI Aug 31 (Reuters) - Egypt's ability to buy wheat from abroad while demanding zero ergot fungus in shipments was dealt a serious blow on Wednesday, with state grain buyer GASC cancelling its tender after receiving just one offer.

It was the country's first tender to purchase wheat since it reinstated its zero-tolerance ergot policy on Sunday - a move that baffled traders as implementation of the policy late last year had led to disruptions to its wheat buying programme and higher prices.

Ergot, a fungus that can lead to hallucinations in large quantities, is considered harmless at minor levels.

The near complete boycott at Wednesday's tender underscores the difficulty of requiring ergot-free shipments even for a country like Egypt, the world's largest wheat buyer. It also calls into question Cairo's ability to sustain a massive bread subsidy programme while imposing a rule suppliers say is impossible to guarantee.

"After only receiving one offer we cancelled," Ahmed Youssef, vice chairman of GASC, told Reuters, with no further comment.

Trading house Venus submitted the lone offer on Wednesday, for 55,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat at $179.32 a tonne on a free-on-board basis, traders said. Traders said other sellers boycotted the tender as they oppose Egypt's policy.

GASC has in the past adhered to the more common international standard of 0.05 percent ergot allowance, a level Egypt's agricultural quarantine authority has criticised, arguing that even these trace amounts can contaminate plant life and give the fungus a foothold to flourish where it currently does not exist.

A total ban on the fungus imposed by the quarantine authority caused major disruptions to Egypt's wheat imports earlier this year, with global trading houses declining to take part in its tenders.

Egypt subsequently adopted the more lax 0.05 percent policy in July, only to reverse course on Sunday and announce it would once again not allow any ergot, an about-turn that helped push global wheat prices down.

Traders had anticipated that GASC may be forced to cancel the tender because of the poor response, though it was not legally required to do so.

A document outlining wheat specifications for the tender closing on Wednesday stated that, in accordance with an agriculture ministry decision, the tolerance for ergot fungus should be zero percent, marking the first time GASC specifications matched the quarantine's zero policy.

Despite the cancellation traders said low stocks could force GASC to return to the market soon.

"The stocks are very low and can probably only cover up to the second week of November and that's including all the shipments that were booked since the last tender," one Cairo-based trader said.

"It's not looking good if they don't take a decision and they've lost most of their credibility in the market," he said.

The country's renewed difficulty in purchasing wheat comes even as up to 2 million tonnes of the 5 million tonnes it announced as locally procured may be missing from stocks, the result of a local wheat-buying scandal that forced the minister of supply to resign last week.

GASC normally falls under Egypt's supply ministry but is being run by trade minister Tarek Kabil following the supply minister's resignation.
CLARKSON  About 25 Clarkson volunteer firefighters were able to confine a fire in a basement clothes dryer after a young boy was awakened around 3 a.m. Tuesday by the smell of smoke and alerted other sleeping family members to report the emergency.

Clarkson Fire Chief Tom Hamernik said the fire was caused by faulty wiring inside the dryer, which had been in use earlier Tuesday but was not running when the sleeping 10-year-old boy detected the smell of smoke.

The five-member family -- Casey and Rod Novotny and their children Joey, 10, Corey, 8, and Cierra, 5 -- all escaped the house without injury.

Casey Novotny thanked Clarkson Fire and Rescue and her son Joey in a Facebook post.

"Thank God for guardian angels," she wrote. "He (Joey) did everything we talked about when it came to fires. He alerted us, evacuated both his sister and brother, they stayed calm and directly went out to the street and waited for us. I'm very proud of all 3 of them."

"We were very lucky and blessed that the fire was not worse and everyone is OK," Novotny wrote in another post. "Smoke damage I can handle!"

The fire filled the house with some "pretty nasty" smoke, the fire chief said.

The family, which is receiving assistance from the Lincoln office of the American Red Cross of Nebraska and Southwest Iowa, is currently staying with other family members in the community.

Theyll have to stay out until the (three-bedroom) house is professionally cleaned, Hamernik said.

Novotny said the family won't be able to live in the house for about a month.

Smoke damage to the single-story, wood-framed house at 419 Cherry St. was estimated at $5,000 to $7,000.

Hamernik said the family was extremely lucky to escape the fire without injuries because there were no working smoke alarms in the house.

One (sleeping) family member happened to smell smoke, the chief said. Some people just dont smell the smoke and wake up.

The dryer was located in a room adjacent to where the 10-year-old boy was sleeping in the basement.

The chief said firefighters learned pretty quickly the fire was confined to the dryer, which limited the amount of water used to douse it. Firefighters ran ventilation fans for about five hours to pull smoke out of the house.

We sprayed just a little water on the dryer and carried it outside. The dad did suffer some smoke inhalation while going back inside for family valuables, but did not get treatment, the fire chief said.

Rod Novotny went back inside the home to get the family dog Sadie and cat Lilly.

In a message sent by his mother through Facebook, Joey Novotny said he responded to the fire the way he was taught to at school and by his parents.

"He also hopes it teaches other kids that trying to remain calm and remembering what you learned about emergencies can save your life," the message said.
Morocco, Polisario standoff escalates Western Sahara tensions

By Patrick Markey and Michelle Nichols

ALGIERS/NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers have deployed to monitor a standoff between Moroccan forces and Western Sahara's Polisario Front that risks escalating into one of the worst flare-ups in the disputed region since a 1991 ceasefire.

Polisario, which declared an independent republic in the desert land in the 1970s, accuses Morocco, which claims sovereignty of the region, of breaking the terms of the ceasefire by building a road in a U.N. buffer zone.

U.N. peace-keeping observers are watching Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie personnel and a unit of Polisario fighters face off in a narrow patch of no-man's land in the far south where Morocco has begun what it calls "clearing operations" to stop smuggling and other criminality.

The buffer zone is in an area between the Moroccan-built berm - a mostly sand wall that stretches through Western Sahara, separating government-controlled areas from Polisario territory - and a Mauritania frontier post.

According to a confidential note to the U.N. Security Council by the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations, seen by Reuters, Morocco this month launched air and ground patrols and began laying a road south of their wall in the buffer zone in the Guerguerat region.

"We are not going to allow Morocco to advance with a roadway outside the wall, this is a violation of the ceasefire," Bechraya Hamoudi Sidina, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's envoy in Algiers, told Reuters.

"We are not beating war drums, but the U.N. must assume its duty and oblige Morocco to return to it original position."

Moroccan officials did not respond to requests for comment.

"DEEPLY CONCERNED"

Polisario had informed the U.N. mission it would dispatch troops if Moroccan activities did not stop.

In the Aug. 28 peacekeeping note, U.N. observers noted 32 Polisario military in the buffer zone, where they said they would establish a checkpoint to stop Moroccan activities, but not impede local traffic. Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie were also in the buffer zone.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement he was "deeply concerned" and called on both sides to withdraw armed elements from the area.

Western Sahara, which is rich in phosphate, has been at a diplomatic impasse for more than 20 years since the U.N.-sponsored ceasefire came into force on the understanding a referendum would be held on self-determination.

But the two sides never agreed on the terms of the referendum. Morocco's king has proposed an autonomy plan instead and invested heavily in the region in an attempt to calm independence claims.

Tensions were already high before the Guerguerat stand-off. Earlier this year Morocco expelled part of the U.N. observation mission in protest after it said Ban had compromised the U.N.'s neutrality.
U.S. urges North Korea to pardon and release American prisoner

WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday urged North Korea to pardon and release on humanitarian grounds an American student serving a sentence of 15 years of hard labor.
Yellow fever outbreak in Congo, Angola bigger than thought - WHO

GENEVA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Some 6,000 people in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo are believed to be infected with yellow fever, six times the number of confirmed cases, but no new infections have been confirmed since July 12, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

Around 7.7 million people were vaccinated over 10 days in a major campaign in the Congo capital of Kinshasa, Oyewale Tomori, chair of WHO's Emergency Committee, told a news conference.

The outbreak does not constitute an international public health emergency, but intense population movements across the border to neighbouring Republic of Congo pose a risk of further spread, the panel of independent experts said.

The WHO's global stockpile of yellow fever vaccine has 6 million doses, but it is working with four vaccine makers to boost production and reach 20 million doses by December, said Dr Peter Salama, executive director of WHO's emergencies programme.
Macedonian political parties agree on Dec. 11 election

SKOPJE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Macedonia's political parties agreed on Wednesday to hold an early parliamentary election on Dec. 11 in a step to resolve the 18-month-long crisis over a wiretapping scandal.

Under European Union and NATO pressure, parliament in May cancelled an election set for June 5 in the face of criticism that a threatened opposition boycott would call the vote's legitimacy into question.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects bid to reinstate North Carolina voting limits

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a bid by North Carolina to reinstate for November's elections several voting restrictions, including a requirement that people show identification at the polls.

The eight-justice court, divided in most part 4-4, rejected a request made by Republican Governor Pat McCrory after an appeals court ruled last month that the 2013 law discriminates against minority voters. Five votes are needed for an emergency request to be granted.

"We're thrilled. Elections in North Carolina this fall are going to be conducted under a fair and nondiscriminatory election law scheme," said Allison Riggs, a lawyer with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, one of the civil rights groups that challenged the law.

The U.S. Justice Department, which has also been involved in fighting the law, did not immediately comment on the decision.

McCrory said in a statement that the state "has been denied basic voting rights already granted to more than 30 other states to protect the integrity of one person, one vote through a common-sense voter ID law."

The brief order noted that three of the court's conservatives, including Chief Justice John Roberts, would have allowed the voter identification provision and limits on early voting to be in effect for the election. Justice Clarence Thomas agreed on that point, but was the only justice to say he would have also allowed a requirement blocking pre-registration of 16-year-olds to stay in place.

McCrory's lawyers said the status quo should be maintained so close to the election, citing court precedent in their favor.

The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on July 29 that the law intentionally discriminated against minority voters. The same court refused to put its decision on hold for the Nov. 8 election.

Critics say such laws, passed in Republican-governed states, make voting harder for minorities such as African-Americans and Hispanics, who tend to support Democrats. Backers say the laws are necessary to prevent voter fraud.

The court is currently short one justice following the death of conservative Antonin Scalia in February, which likely deprived the conservative justices of the fifth vote they needed to grant the request.
"Everything but Hillary Clinton," France's Le Pen says, backing Trump

PARIS, Aug 31 (Reuters) - France's far-right National Front party leader, Marine Le Pen, voiced support for U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would bring war and hardship to the world.

Le Pen is a candidate in France's April 2017 presidential election. While her increasingly popular party thrives on anti-immigration sentiment, she has been more careful in her speeches than Trump has been, keen to make her party more mainstream.

"As far as France's best interest is concerned it's, 'Everything but Hillary Clinton'," Le Pen told CNN in an interview when asked which U.S. candidate she would back.

"It's everything but Hillary Clinton because I believe Hillary Clinton means war, Hillary Clinton means devastation, destabilising the world, economic choices that would be devastating for my people, geostrategic choices that would lead to global conflicts."

Opinion polls see Le Pen making it to an early May run-off in France's presidential election but losing that second round to a mainstream candidate as a majority of voters do not want her as president, despite her growing popularity.

She shares with Trump a strategy that banks on presenting herself as "anti-system."

"What we have in common is that we're not insiders, we are not taking part in the 'system', we depend on no one and do not take our orders from any financial institutions," she told CNN in the interview taped and released on Wednesday.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards arrest another Iranian-American

BEIRUT, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The intelligence wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guard arrested an Iranian-American dual national in late July on charges of plotting against national security and working with hostile governments, the news site of the Iranian judiciary said.

Mizan Online said on Wednesday the person was arrested in the province of Golestan.

At least half a dozen other dual-national Iranians, including at least three other Iranian-Americans, have been arrested on similar charges in the past year.

In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said at a news briefing: "We've seen reports of detentions of U.S. citizens, and we continue to raise our concerns about that, continue to use all the means at our disposal to advocate for their release." He said he could not provide details.

News of the latest arrest came on the same day that the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy committee met members of the intelligence wing of the Revolutionary Guards.

The meeting, titled "the infiltration project," covered subjects including the potential of dual-national Iranians to be recruited as spies, Hussein Naqavi Husseini, the committee's spokesman, said, according to the website of Iranian state TV.

"In this meeting it was brought up that dual-nationals are under the serious scrutiny of the enemies' intelligence services and they are used in the infiltration project," Husseini said.

He said that a member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, a dual national who he did not name, was under investigation. The Iranian judiciary said on Sunday that a member of the nuclear team had been arrested and released on bail but did not confirm whether that individual is a dual-national.

Hamid Baidinejad, a member of the nuclear negotiating team, posted on Instagram a defence of fellow member Abdul Rasoul Durri Esfahani, who was criticized as a foreign agent by hardline websites, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Venezuela detains 25 opposition supporters before rally -rights group

CARACAS, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities rounded up 25 opposition activists and supporters in the last two days amid plans for a massive protest against President Nicolas Maduro, a rights group said on Wednesday.

Opposition supporters around the country are descending on Caracas for rallies scheduled for Thursday to demand a recall referendum against the unpopular socialist leader. But Maduro, 53, says they are planning violence and a coup.

The local Penal Forum rights group said that of 25 people held in the last 48 hours, 12 had been released while 13 were still in custody by mid-afternoon Wednesday.

While Maduro accuses opposition parties of trying to reprise a 2002 putsch against Chavez, they say the government is carrying out a wave of repression to intimidate them before Thursday's marches that they have dubbed "Takeover of Caracas".
Germany confident Italy will get sympathetic EU hearing over quake plans

By Giulio Piovaccari

MARANELLO, Italy, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Germany reassured Italy on Wednesday that Europe would help the country after last week's deadly earthquake, with Chancellor Angela Merkel saying solutions could be found to overcome budget restrictions.

Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi held their second meeting in as many weeks, but whereas the previous talks focused on the response to Britain's decision to leave the European Union, these talks were dominated by the Aug. 24 quake.

Renzi told reporters Italy would seek EU budget flexibility if necessary to help it fund a multi-year plan to boost the country's defences against repeated natural disasters, promising to draw up a sensible programme with the help of experts.

At least 293 people died when an earthquake struck central Italy early last Wednesday, levelling towns, villages and hamlets in the mountainous heart of the country.

Merkel said Germany would help finance the rebuilding of a school in the quake zone and that Europe would give a sympathetic hearing to heavily indebted Italy when it presented its disaster plans.

"Given the catastrophe we have seen ... I am certain that the (EU) stability and growth pact will enable us to find good solutions," Merkel said, speaking through an interpreter.

"Italy will present a transparent plan and we will find a reasonable solution in Europe."

The two leaders, accompanied by French President Francois Hollande, met on an aircraft carrier off southern Italy on Aug. 22 to discuss the European Union's many problems. The backdrop for Wednesday's meeting was the headquarters of one of Italy's most famous companies - carmaker Ferrari.

Renzi had hoped to use the occasion to showcase Italy's industrial prowess, but the earthquake took centre stage, with Merkel shaking the paw of a dog that had taken part in the rescue operation as she arrived for the meeting.

Italy has one of the world's largest public debts and with a virtually stagnant economy it might struggle to find the money needed for costly civil defence programmes.

It also risks the wrath of Brussels if it breaks EU budget rules. Renzi said funding needs in the immediate aftermath of the disaster would not be included in end-of-year deficit parameters, giving his government room for manoeuvre.

He has not yet said how much his disaster-prevention plan, which will include anti-flood measures, might cost, saying he needed time to work on it.

"We will use European (budget) rules, but only when we have drawn up a serious, forward-looking project tied to good sense," Renzi said. "It is fundamental that we spend our money well."

Italy has launched programmes in the past aimed at boosting anti-seismic measures across a country that is regularly rocked by earthquakes. However, many projects have been called into question, hit by corruption scandals and shoddy work standards.

Magistrates have opened investigations into why so many buildings were wrecked last week, including a school and a hospital, despite receiving state aid to help with the cost of adding earthquake protection.
Israel approves 284 new West Bank housing units, draws U.S. ire

By Jeffrey Heller and Arshad Mohammed

JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Israel approved on Wednesday 284 new housing units in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, drawing a U.S. accusation that its policies could expand settlements in a "potentially unlimited way."

U.S. officials said the criticism from the U.S. State Department marked the first time it has suggested in public that Israel may be moving toward unlimited settlement expansion on land the Palestinians seek to establish their own state.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the latest language was unusually strong but reflected a change in tone rather than any major shift in U.S. policy.

U.S.-backed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014 and there are no signs that they will resume any time soon.

A planning committee of Israel's military-run Civil Administration in the West Bank gave approved the construction of a 234-unit nursing home in Elkana, 30 houses in Beit Arye and 20 dwellings in Givat Zeev, according to Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors and opposes settlement-building.

In addition, 179 building permits were issued retroactively, legalising under Israeli law housing units that were erected in the settlement of Ofarim, Peace Now said.

"We are deeply concerned by the government's announcement to advance plans for these settlement units in the West Bank," U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said at a news briefing in Washington.

"We are particularly troubled by the policy of retroactively approving unauthorized settlement units and outposts that are themselves illegal under Israeli law. These policies have effectively given the Israeli government a green light for the pervasive advancement of settlement activity in a new and potentially unlimited way."

The Civil Administration decision came two days after a senior U.N. envoy said in a statement to the U.N. Security Council that a surge in such building, which most countries view as illegal, presented an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.

Israel, which captured the West Bank in a 1967 war, rejected the criticism by Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N.'s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process. It said Jews had lived in Judea, the biblical term for the West Bank, for thousands of years.

Responding to Mladenov's comments, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop settlement activity.

Last week, left-wing Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Israel plans to expand the Jewish settlement in the West Bank city of Hebron for the time in more than a decade.

Some 1,000 settlers, protected by Israeli troops, live among 230,000 Palestinians in Hebron and the area is a frequent flashpoint of violence.

A report issued in July by the Middle East peace "Quartet" - the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia - called on Israel to "cease the policy of settlement construction and expansion". It said at least 570,000 Israelis live in settlements.
COLUMBUS  A 37-year-old Columbus man accused of severely beating his ex-wife turned himself in to authorities Tuesday night.

Eric Schmidt was taken into custody around 6 p.m. at the Platte County Sheriffs Office. He faces a pair of felony charges and a misdemeanor in connection with an incident in which he allegedly beat his ex-wife so badly she suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.

Schmidts bond was set at $250,000, 10 percent allowed for release, during a hearing Wednesday and he was scheduled to appear in court Sept. 13. He is being held in the Platte County Detention Facility.

According to an affidavit supporting the arrest warrant issued last week, Schmidt showed up at his ex-wifes Columbus apartment around 6 a.m. Aug. 21 and was allowed to enter the residence. The victim, who divorced Schmidt in May, reported that he got upset after she told him he couldnt stay there.

She told a Columbus Police officer he punched her in the mouth and stomped on her head and upper torso, causing her to black out for about 20 minutes, according to the court document.

The victim, who was interviewed by the police officer at the Columbus Community Hospital emergency room, was later flown by medical helicopter to an Omaha hospital to treat a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.

Video shows Schmidt entering the apartment the morning of Aug. 21 and leaving about two minutes later, the officer wrote in his statement.

Schmidt faces charges of first-degree assault and stalking during a domestic abuse protection order violation, felonies that could send the defendant to prison for decades. A misdemeanor charge of violating a domestic abuse protection order is punishable by up to a year in jail.

The victim filed a protection order against Schmidt in February, and he was previously convicted of violating that order on Aug. 4, according to the court document.

Schmidt is also scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 7 in Colfax County District Court on felony child abuse charges.

In that case, he is accused of breaking a broom handle over the head of his ex-wifes now 9-year-old son and kicking him in the stomach. He also struck a now 14-year-old girl in the neck and head with a belt, according to the complaint.

Both victims were his stepchildren at the time of the incidents.

Schmidt pleaded no contest to the child abuse charges, both Class IIIA felonies.
West Bengal Assembly has passed a resolution to change the name of the state to Bangla, the word locals use to refer to it. It fulfils the ruling Trinamool Congress' 2011 promise. Drawing a bit of political mileage after both the Congress and the CPI (M) had opposed the change, CM Mamata Banerjee said she was inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's music.

Well, to be accurate, it was not Rabindra Sangeet -his music - but the poem "Amar sonar Bangla" that lauds the land and became the national anthem of the other Bangla - Bangladesh.

Normally, the change of name should be a non-issue to national parties after the state has opted for it. This is not the first time an Indian state has decided to rename itself. Uttaranchal, which was created out of Uttar Pradesh on November 9, 2000, was renamed Uttarakhand on January 1, 2007 to reinforce its identity as a state and not a region. After Telengana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh, the parent state brushed aside suggestions to change its name as "Seema Andhra" and retained its name.

But the change of name can be a tricky exercise. The Congress party, which was ruling the Madras state, opposed the popular demand for renaming the state as Tamil Nadu as everyone called it and the party's state unit was known Tamil Nadu Congress. It paid a heavy price and lost the state election after the DMK party used the issue as one more foil to flaunt its Dravidian credentials and love for the Tamil language; the Congress party has not been able to return to power in the state since then.

If we go by the Tamil Nadu experience, Banerjee may well be correct in saying "the CPI (M) and Congress have made a historic blunder by opposing the change in name". In fact, the CPI (M)'s opposition is rather curious as it had proposed the name change when it was in power! Is the volte face because the TMC has stolen its thunder in the name game?

Not only the Congress and the CPI (M), but West Bengal's BJP unit too opposes the change, though cadres and leaders of all political parties use only Bangla (or Bango in yet another variation). Interestingly, their rationale for opposing the change is different. In fact, the state BJP president Dilip Ghosh is said to have asked the Centre not to table the resolution for change of name "as it would erase the memories of Partition".

He has a point because no Bengali can forget the trauma Bengal had suffered twice due to the partition of the state - first in 1905 during the British rule and later in 1947, at the time of Independence.

Despite sharing the rich heritage of Bengali language, social and cultural history, the western and eastern halves have suffered from class, caste and religious differences. The Hindu majority dominated the industrialised western half while the poor, landless Muslim majority lived in the agrarian East. While the western half supplied English-speaking babus to the British, the riverine culture of east produced seafarers, rice farmers and Hilsha fish that sustains the life of Bengalis everywhere.

The Partition of Bengal in 1947 resulted in the creation of East Pakistan, preceded by the great Calcutta killings of August 16, 1946 after the Muslim League gave a call for direct action resulting in the loss of about 5,000 lives. The violent birth of East Pakistan a year later left a bloody trail of riots and further killings both in the West and the East. The demography of both halves changed dramatically due to the tectonic effects of Partition. More than 25 lakh Hindus fled from the newly created East Pakistan over a period of four years from 1947, reducing Hindus of the East to a helpless minority from a powerful community, smarting in the aftershocks of Partition to this day.

There was a bit of a political drama before Bengalis reconciled to Partition in 1947. Three months before Partition came into effect, Bengal provincial Muslim League leader Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy came up with the idea of not accepting the partition of the province, but creating an independent Bengal that would join neither India nor Pakistan, as he felt the comparatively less developed Muslim-dominated agrarian eastern half would not be economically viable on its own. He managed to muster the support of Sarat Chandra Bose, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose's brother and a Congress leader in his own right, for his proposal. After detailed discussions to give form to the proposal for a unified Bengal, the two leaders signed an agreement and published the plan on May 27, 1947.

Though Suhrawardy could convince Mohammad Ali Jinnah about the validity of his proposal for a unified Bengal and gain his tacit approval, the Muslim League did not fall in line. It negated the league's two-nation theory that formed the basis for the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim homeland. Even within the Bengal provincial Muslim league, the opinion was divided.

The Congress party outrightly rejected the proposal as it suspected Suhrawardy's intentions. This was not surprising because Suhrawardy's credibility among the population was eroded as many felt he had planned the August 1946 Calcutta killings. The idea of a unified Bengal did not find much support and died a natural death after Bose developed differences over Suhrawardy's insistence that there be separate electorates for Muslims and non-Muslims.

Though the idea of an independent Bengal was short-lived, it showed the strength of Bengali nationalism, which could overcome Hindu-Muslim antipathy.

The bloody aftermath of Partition subsumed the strength of the Bengali identity for nearly two-and-a-half decades. However, East Pakistanis, who were treated as poorer cousins of the Punjabi-dominated West Pakistan, reasserted their Bengali identity to create Bangladesh in 1971, with India providing the military muscle.

The change of name for West Bengal would come into force only after the Parliament approves the resolution for change with two-thirds majority. It would be prudent for national parties, including the BJP and the Congress to see its smooth passage in Parliament rather than creating a ruckus over a non issue.
The burkini has landed France in a dilemma. The country's top court has overturned the burkini ban which was enforced in around 15 southern resort towns, calling it a violation of fundamental freedom. But mayors of these towns continue to ban the burkini in defiance of the court order.

France is in a quandary about how to react to this unprecedented standoff.

On August 26, Frances highest administrative court overturned the ban on burkini swimsuits. The court said the ban was "seriously and clearly" illegal. The court also decreed that the burkini ban breached the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom.

But mayors of many French coastal resorts are refusing to bend. David Lisnard, the mayor of Cannes, said the court ruling did not in any way change his conviction that "ostentatious dress, whatever the religion, is a problem in the current context".

For these mayors, burkinis are "Islamist" and a sign of the "Salafisation" of French society.

It does not help that some top French politicians have supported the opposition to the burkini. French prime minister Manuel Valls had caused divisions in his party by stating that the burkini was "not compatible with the values of France and the Republic".

Valls had supported the mayors if they believed that they acted in public good, and said the political debate on burkinis must continue. In a Facebook post, Valls said the burkini was "the affirmation of political Islam in the public space".

Protesters demonstrate against France's ban of the burkini, outside the French Embassy in London.

Even after the court ruling, police in many French towns continue to harass Muslim women. There have been several instances where the police have bullied women to either leave the beach or remove some of their clothing in order to comply with the burkini ban.

What is a burkini?

The word combines burqa and bikini  it is a type of swimsuit for women. The design is intended to comply with the Quranic instruction for Muslim women to dress modestly. Hence, the suit covers the whole body except the face, hands and feet. Since it is made of swimsuit material, it is light enough to enable swimming.

Some French towns had banned the burkini, claiming its association with Islamic extremism.

The Cannes mayor had prohibited access to the beach to anyone wearing inappropriate swimwear that did not "respect good customs and secularism". Thierry Migoule, head of Municipal Services in Cannes, said the rule was about banning "ostentatious clothing which refers to an allegiance to terrorist movements which are at war with us".

The Cannes ban stipulated that women who showed up at the towns beaches in a burkini would have to change their attire or leave, or pay a fine of 38 euros ($42).

Soon, other resort towns in France joined the ban brigade, calling it an "Islamic garment", and to fight "religious proselytising".

It is ironical that when Marks and Spencer launched its signature burkini in March this year, British media hailed it as ultimate proof of Britain's multiculturalism.

Sadly, a mode of attire which is purely rooted in cultural and religious preferences has been regarded as an act of identification with terrorist groups.

For many French resorts, women who wear a burkini identify with terrorist groups waging war at France and other Western societies. Their mayors cited the burkini with having a possible link to Islamic extremism.

For France, the nation that prides itself on its principles of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity", such bans and prejudices are preposterous. They are also racist and misogynistic.

It is clear Islamophobia that clothing chosen by Muslim women is targeted as having a terrorist linkage. The burkini ban amounts to "othering" well-integrated Muslims from mainstream society. It violates the founding values of the French state.

There is no difference between the Cannes decision and the rules enforced by societies which refuse women the right to choice. Such decisions reduce women to commodities which can be used to score points in ideological wars.

Is it correct that womens clothing should be regulated and enforced by men acting in the name of the State, or from a position of authority?

Women are a vulnerable target, and we now see how Islamophobia is manifesting itself in a gendered way. It is sad to observe that Muslim women and girls, harmoniously integrated into French society, are being made victims of misogynistic Islamophobia.

Society must not allow humiliation and imposition of cultural imperialism on women.
Detention Center

The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Tuesday is 88, with 53 from Platte County and 35 from out of county.

Police

Aug. 7

11:40 p.m.  At 3210 23rd St., Caleb Nicolay, 25, 3461 53rd Ave., No. 7, was cited for driving under the influence.

Aug. 11

1:26 p.m.  At 3010 23rd St., Sergio Meda, 23, 2954 17th Ave., was cited for shoplifting.

2:42 p.m.  At 2501 11th St., No. 2, Angela Dohmen, 20, 3811 18th St., was cited for burglary.

Aug. 15

12:19 p.m.  At 818 E. 23rd St., an unknown vehicle struck a parked vehicle owned by Gerald Rosno, 26135 190th St., and left the scene.

1:57 p.m.  At 2481 E. Fifth Ave., No. 19, Lawrence Lupien, 67, Monroe, was cited for third-degree domestic assault.

Aug. 19

8:41 p.m.  At the intersection of 26th Avenue and 11th Street, Eva Gomez-Hernandez, 40, 2511 10th St., was cited for no operators license and no proof of insurance.

Aug. 20

5:11 p.m.  In a parking lot at 3121 13th St., an unknown vehicle struck a parked vehicle owned by Robert and Nicole Brunken, 2406 26th St., and left the scene.

Aug. 21

2:47 p.m.  In a parking lot at 818 E. 23rd St., a vehicle driven by Aime Nduwingoma, 44, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, struck a light pole owned by Wal-Mart, 818 E. 23rd St.

3:25 p.m.  At 1965 26th Ave., Shayla Favors-Batenhorst, 23, 1965 26th Ave., was cited for third-degree assault.

4:57 p.m.  In the 1200 block of 29th Avenue, a vehicle driven by Brandon Gerber, 16, 654 25th Ave., struck a parked vehicle owned by Gale Tessendorf, 4312 Conner Drive.

Aug. 23

3:31 p.m.  On 31st Street, near North Park Elementary School, traffic accident. Drivers were Maxine Reinke, 66, 3025 29th St., No. 6, and Nicole Enriquez, 38, Carriage House Estates, NO. 34.

Aug. 25

3:13 p.m.  At 2416 23rd St., Louis Loarca, 21, 2155 10th Ave., was cited for third-degree assault of a police office, resisting arrest, false reporting and obstructing a police officer.

Aug. 26

9:03 a.m.  In the 2900 block of 25th Street, a vehicle driven by Colton Goc, 27, 3113 Timberedge Drive, struck a parked vehicle owned by Deborah and James Scott, 2904 25th St.

Aug. 27

7:27 a.m.  Burglary at Typhoon Carwash, 3317 14th St., under investigation.

1:29 p.m.  In a parking lot at 3210 23rd Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Jaina Ervin, 16, 858 33rd Ave., D-8, and Maria Gonzalez, 48, 5303 60th Ave.

3:09 p.m.  In the 2900 block of 23rd Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Kara Allbaugh, 38, 2103 26th St., and Javier Gorrin, 19, 3822 14th St.

9:39 p.m.  Theft at Center 7 Theatres, 3100 23rd St., cellphone stolen, no loss amount.

Aug. 28

11:27 a.m.  Burglary at 4815 34th St., garage broken into and numerous items stolen, no loss amount.

11:32 a.m.  At the intersection of 15th Street and 12th Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Ronald Bugay, 80, 117 S. Roselane, and Robert Kloke, 65, 3218 Mueller Drive.

10 p.m.  In a parking lot at 1118 Eighth St., traffic accident. Drivers were Lucas Olmer, 25, 568 Ninth Ave., and Marshall Dreifurst, 18, Richland.

Aug. 29

9:02 p.m.  Theft at Pawnee Park West, 355 37th Ave., wallet stolen, no loss amount.

10:51 p.m.  Burglary at 3207 17th St., No. 2, under investigation.

Sheriff

Aug. 26

12:30 a.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and 265th Street, Tracy Gaeth of Columbus jailed for second-offense driving under the influence.

10:16 a.m.  Wanted person at the Platte County Detention Facility, 1125 E. 17th St., Jose Ortiz of Schuyler turned self in on a Platte County warrant.

Aug. 27

12:13 a.m.  In the 3700 block of 23rd Street, Migdalia Lemus-Franco of Crete and Abelardo Marino of Columbus each were cited for handicapped space parking violations.

11:16 a.m.  Wanted person at the county jail, Joshua Knight jailed on a Platte County warrant.

Aug. 29

7:25 a.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and Lost Creek Parkway, Jeremy Graves of Albion cited for engine braking.

10:22 a.m.  Wanted person at Cubbys, 4812 Howard Blvd., Adam Bomberger jailed on a Platte County warrant.

2:19 p.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of Monestary Road and 310th Street, Chase Ahrens of Clarkson cited for an expired registration and no proof of insurance.

3:09 p.m.  Wanted person at the Platte and Butler county line, Gerardo Angeles Martinez jailed on a Platte County warrant.
LINCOLN  Gov. Pete Ricketts on Tuesday endorsed Bruce Bostelman of Brainard for the legislative seat now held by Sen. Jerry Johnson of Wahoo, marking the second time the governor has pledged his support to the opponent of a state senator who is a Republican.

In announcing the endorsement, the Bostelman campaign noted that Johnson has cast votes to raise the state gas tax, grant driver's licenses to young immigrants who were brought into the country illegally and repeal the death penalty.

All of those bills were enacted despite vetoes cast by Ricketts.

"If elected, Bostelman has promised to oppose tax increases, fight attempts to give public benefits to illegal immigrants and support efforts to retain the death penalty," his campaign stated.

Johnson's District 23 includes Butler County, Saunders County and most of Colfax County.

Earlier, Ricketts announced his endorsement of Steve Halloran of Hastings, who is opposing Sen. Les Seiler of Hastings.

Both Bostelman and Halloran are also Republicans who are seeking seats in the nonpartisan Legislature; both Johnson and Seiler trailed in May primary election results.

Seiler also supported legislation that Ricketts had opposed, including casting a vote to override the governor's veto of the bill repealing the death penalty.

Johnson did not vote to override the governor's veto after supporting passage of that bill.

Bostelman is "a conservative who will represent the conservative principles of the citizens of Butler, Colfax and Saunders counties," the governor said in a statement released by the Bostelman campaign.

"His real-world experience as a veteran and ag producer will add invaluable perspectives to the Legislature," Ricketts said.

Bostelman said he would work with Ricketts to "provide additional tax relief, protect the 2nd Amendment and advocate for pro-life laws."
COLUMBUS  Thirty-five people have applied to lead the Nebraska Tourism Commission following the previous director's firing earlier this year.

Kathy McKillip lost her job as executive director in May after a state audit revealed the commission had reimbursed alcohol purchases using government money and allowed advertising firm Bailey Lauerman to overrun its contract for the state's main tourism campaign by $4.4 million.

McKillip has since opened an ice cream parlor in Brownville.

Tourism Commission Chairwoman-elect Deb Loseke of Columbus, who is leading a search committee for the new executive director, said the job posting opened two weeks ago, and will close Sept. 13.

Commissioners hope to have a replacement hired in time for the annual Nebraska Tourism Conference, which is scheduled for Oct. 18 in Gering.

"Were not sure thats going to be possible but well do our best," Loseke said Tuesday during a regular commission meeting at the Holiday Inn Express in Columbus. "We want to be sure we hire the right candidate for this position.

Commissioners and tourism staff have spent the past several months mopping up the mess uncovered by the audit, which was released by State Auditor Charlie Janssen's office in April.

The commission is still crafting regulations, policies and procedures recommended by the audit, with help from the state attorney general's office, said Commissioner Roger Kuhn of Lincoln.

On Tuesday, commissioners approved a two-year funding request that includes an 8 percent cut in appropriations from the state's mainline budget. The request must still be approved by the Legislature and Gov. Pete Ricketts, who recommended the 8 percent reduction to help ease the state's budget crunch.

The tourism commission continues to meet despite most of its members having reached the end of their terms.

Commissioners are appointed to four-year terms by the governor, and five of the nine commissioners' terms expired July 1. The rest expire in 2018.

Loseke said the commission has consulted with Ricketts' office and was told the members could continue to serve until their replacements are appointed.

Also Tuesday, commissioners approved the 2017 Nebraska Tourism Calendar. The calendar, which is produced under the contract with Bailey Lauerman and expected to be available sometime in October, features submitted photos and postcards from across the state, along with narratives about each picture.

Commissioners complimented the calendar, which leans heavily on rural imagery.

"These are Nebraska. One of a kind, specific, Nebraska," said Commissioner Lisa Burke of North Platte.

John Chapo of Lincoln, whose term as chairman ended Tuesday, was pleased as well: "I have people who wait for these calendars, and this one I think is going to be over the top."
Here follows another brief update on just some of what your Board of Supervisors is preoccupied with.
RICHMOND  Gov. Terry McAuliffe says about 20 people have expressed interest in Timothy M. Kaines U.S. Senate seat should Hillary Clinton win the presidential election in November and Kaine be elected vice president.

Probably 20 people have outreached to the governors office and indicated theyre inter-ested in being a United States senator, McAuliffe, a Democrat, said on WTOP radios Ask the Governor program.

We have to win the election first, McAuliffe said of the presidential contest. I will take no meetings, I will take no phone calls with recommendations until we win this election.

If Kaine is elected vice president, McAuliffe will name a Democrat who would run in a special election for the seat in November 2017 at the same time Virginians vote for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

WTOP is based in Washington. A caller named Ned urged McAuliffe to name Rep. Don Beyer, D-8th, for the seat.

Former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder has recommended Rep. Robert C. Bobby Scott, D-3rd. Scott, who is interested in running for the seat, has served in Congress since 1993 and is the longest-serving Democrat in Virginias congressional delegation.

Pundits also have mentioned additional potential names for the seat, including Attorney General Mark R. Herring.

McAuliffe said the outcome of a 2017 special election for Kaines seat could settle control of the U.S. Senate.

Kaines Senate seat will be up for election again in 2018, the regularly scheduled election for the seat, which is up every six years.
RICHMOND  With the presidential election a little more than two months away, General Assembly Republicans are renewing their fight to stop Gov. Terry McAuliffe from restoring voting rights for more than 200,000 felons.

GOP leaders announced Wednesday that they want the Supreme Court of Virginia to consider holding McAuliffe in contempt for his efforts to restore felons political rights en masse despite the courts July 22 opinion that struck down the governors first attempt.

The governors new process, Republicans argue, has the same effect of subverting Virginias longtime policy of barring felons from voting.

In the new court filing, the GOP leaders argue that McAuliffe is defying the court order by printing and mailing individual rights-restoration orders on a large scale without requiring ex-offenders to submit applications. The filing asks the Supreme Court to enforce its ruling by blocking felons registrations under the governors modified process.

Having been told by the highest court in the commonwealth that his process violated our Constitution, the governor has responded with dismissive rhetoric and ignored the courts ruling, said Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, who served as a plaintiff in the GOP legal challenge along with House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford.

McAuliffe swiftly denounced the Republicans new maneuver and said his administration fully complied with the court order. He called the Republicans ongoing legal opposition an attempt to use the judiciary system to intimidate and disenfranchise people.

The governor announced this month that he had, for the second time, restored rights of about 13,000 people who registered to vote under his original April 22 order and a series of renewal orders, which applied to all non-violent and violent offenders who had completed their sentences and supervised release.

McAuliffe said he was complying with the court ruling by restoring rights on an individual basis and promised eventually to restore rights to the nearly 214,000 felons under a new process. In a radio appearance Wednesday, he said his goal is to restore rights for the entire group before his term ends in January 2018.

After a thorough legal review, it is clear that Governor McAuliffe has once again illegally suspended the Constitution of Virginia, Howell said. There is no practical difference between his latest action and his first set of executive orders.

McAuliffe has criticized the Supreme Court decision and said the justices who sided against him in the 4-3 opinion relied too heavily on precedent and history rather than legal text.

He also suggested that the justices may have been cowed by the fact that their appointments depend on the legislature.

McAuliffe has characterized the action as an attempt to rectify a longstanding racial injustice and has said Virginias restrictive felon disenfranchisement is rooted in efforts to suppress African-American votes.

Republicans have denied that the policy has a racial dimension and have argued instead that McAuliffe overstepped his legal authority to help his friend Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, win Virginia.

On Wednesday, McAuliffe suggested for the first time that Republicans also may be thinking about the presidential race. He said those who filed the lawsuit are more concerned with the impact new voters could have on Donald Trumps campaign than they are with the dignity of the people whom they continue to drag through the mud.

Republicans urged the Supreme Court to take up their request forthwith and noted that absentee ballots could be made available to illegal voters by Sept. 24. They suggested the court could hold oral arguments on the contempt motion in an upcoming session scheduled Sept. 12-16.
It bears repeating:

The University of Virginia did not, as former Rector Helen E. Dragas alleged, create a slush fund  generally defined as a hidden cache of money, loosely monitored; the secret nature of its existence raising suspicions that it might be used for unpermitted purposes.

The ruling that UVa did not operate a slush fund comes from an authoritative source: the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts.

Several state legislators had jumped on the allegation and had demanded an accounting from UVa.

The university initially sent information that legislators from both parties deemed less than adequate.

The evaluation of the state auditors office takes the wind out of those complaints and suspicions.

However, not to be lost amid the tussle over how the university created its $2.2 billion fund  in UVas own terminology, a strategic investment fund  are broader issues brought to the forefront during the debate.

One is, of course, the issue of tuition increases. Ms. Dragas had argued that if the university had $2.3 billion dollars to spend, then the money should be spent to alleviate the pressure of rising tuition. For instance, cost for in-state first-year students has jumped 30 percent just since 2013.

Tuition increases, at UVa and elsewhere, are a legitimate topic for debate  and criticism. But, money being fungible, investment money might allow the university to curtail tuition increases by not having to raise rates to fund strategic projects. Current Rector William H. Goodwin Jr. begged lawmakers to just give us a year with [the fund]. See what we do with it.

A second issue, tied to the first, is Virginias level of support for its public universities. The General Assembly funds only about 8 percent of UVas budget, a figure that has been declining for decades. Although some critics of UVa say the tuition increases are its own fault for not holding down increases in expenses in operations and administration, the fact remains that state support is dwindling.

Also a legitimate issue for debate is the question: Just what is the states fiscal responsibility to the colleges and universities in its system of public higher education?

A third area of concern is the publics ability to follow all this debate  essentially, to follow the money.

When the university submitted its response to the lawmakers, some legislators criticized UVas withholding of certain information as being protected from public view because it was among the universitys working papers.

This newspaper has questioned the exemption of working papers from public scrutiny ever since that rationale was first used, as we recall, back during Doug Wilders administration as governor.

While some background materials probably should be kept secret, at least initially, there is danger in the concept of exempting working papers from open view. It is while public policies are being worked on that the public really needs to be informed, so as to influence those policies before they can be adopted. Otherwise, they can gain irresistible momentum and become done deals before the public is ever the wiser.

Former Rector Dragas also alleges that the strategic fund was discussed behind closed doors at a board meeting that should have been open. State law allows specific exemptions to the overall rule that public meetings must be open, but general policy discussions should be transparent.

Other board members dispute Ms. Dragas description of the meeting and say the discussion was proper.

A state watchdog group says that if Ms. Dragas allegations are correct, then the meeting did violate the states open meetings law. But it acknowledges that there is no way to determine whether shes accurately recounting events, or whether her critics instead are correct.

The takeaway point here is simply a reminder to public officials to keep public meetings, and public documents, open and available to the public they serve. UVa might be operating more and more like a private institution  but so far, it remains, as Jefferson desired, a public university.
A consumer group is demanding that the State Corporation Commission force Dominion Virginia Power to obtain approval for its $19 billion proposal to add a new nuclear reactor at its North Anna Power Station in Louisa County before spending more money on the project.

This petition asks the commission to exercise its statutory authority to protect Virginia ratepayers from hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in expenditures for development of a wasteful and unnecessary nuclear power plant project, says the petition, filed Tuesday by the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.

North Anna 3 would be the most expensive power plant ever built in the United States and could raise customers rates by 26 percent or more according to the Virginia attorney general.

While Dominion claims that North Anna 3 is needed for compliance with the federal Clean Power Plan, it would be far more costly than the low-carbon alternative of combined renewables, demand-side management and efficiency.

In its filing, the council says Dominion already has spent about $600 million on project development and preliminary construction of North Anna 3.

While Dominion has represented to the commission that it is incurring these costs at the risk of its stockholders, the company has also stated that eventually it intends to seek recovery before the commission, the petition says. Approximately $310 million of North Anna 3 development costs have already been charged to Virginia customers.

Dominion officials have long maintained that they have not yet made a decision on whether to move ahead with the third reactor.

State law says any electric utility subject to the jurisdiction of the SCC that intends to build a new generation facility that produces 100 megawatts or more of electrical energy, prior to construction or financial commitments therefor, must submit a petition to the commission.

The new reactor would produce 1,500 megawatts, or about 1.5 times more than the original reactors.

Prior approval of the need for, and expenditures related to, North Anna 3 is not only required by law, but constitutes sound regulatory policy, the petition says. This review is essential to the preservation of the commissions ability to protect ratepayers from unreasonable expenditures with very large impacts on customers and the Virginia economy by monopoly utilities.

The North Anna project is included in Dominions integrated resource plan, essentially a 15-year business forecast that the commission weighs to determine whether it is just and reasonable, said Andrew Farmer, a spokesman for the commission. Dominion has not filed for approval of the project itself, he added.

A hearing on the resources plan, which investor-owned utilities are required to file yearly, is scheduled for Oct. 5.

Farmer said he could not comment specifically on the petition filed by the consumer group.

The commission speaks through its orders and actions, he said. So we received it, its been assigned a case number, and its been posted to our website so its available for review pending further action.

An assemblage of environmental and consumer advocates have lined up to oppose the reactor project, arguing that its colossal cost will place unnecessary burdens on energy customers and that it will siphon away money that could go to renewable energy projects such as wind and solar.

The Attorney Generals Office also has urged Dominion to abandon the North Anna project, which must be approved by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a move that is expected to happen by the end of 2017, according to Dominion.

Dominion spokesman Richard Zuercher said the company has yet to make a decision on the new nuclear unit but acknowledged that the utility has spent nearly $600 million to date on it, including about $301 million authorized by the General Assembly to be recovered from customers pocketbooks.

We are not barred from spending money on the project without prior approval of the SCC, Zuercher said. We would need SCC approval to build the project and pass on prudent costs to customers.

In the past, Dominion, which already produces about 41 percent of its power from nuclear reactors at North Anna and in Surry County, has said it needs to preserve the option to expand North Anna if the federal Clean Power Plan, which mandates reductions in carbon emissions from power plants, survives a legal challenge currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.

We have substantially reduced spending on the potential new nuclear unit until the Clean Power Plan plays out, Zuercher said. The company believes that all options to meet the future electrical requirements of our customers must be considered.

Nuclear is a safe and reliable option that does not produce any greenhouse gases and, if built, a new unit could operate beyond 60 years.
The Supreme Court has recently lifted the ban on diesel vehicles in Delhi. The ban created a chaos among the automakers and led them to downsize their engines. Mahindra & Mahindra also came up with the 1.99-litre mHawk engine for the Scorpio and the XUV500. However, the situation has changed now but Mahindra wants to continue with the 1.99-litre engine on its vehicles offered in the region.

Addressing media persons in Delhi on Tuesday, M&M Executive Director Pawan Goenka said, For the time being we are continuing with 1.99-litre engine for two reasons. First there is no compromise that the customer has for the 1.99-litre engine therefore there is no reason for us to change to 2.2 litre engine."

"Second, we don't know what the final judgement would be. Right now it is an interim judgement. So we don't want to go back to 2.2-litre and then when some judgement comes again move to 1.99--litre engine," he added.

Nonetheless, the domestic SUV-maker will be ready to shift back to the 2.2-litre powerplants overnight, once there is more clarity on the issue.

On the one per cent environment cess that the automakers will now have to pay on every unit of a 2000cc-plus product sold in Delhi, Goenka said that manufacturers had accepted it because they had no option. The cess is not going to make any difference either way as it will not deter the customers from buying a vehicle nor it will help take on pollution in a big way, he said.

However, the industry is unanimous in the fight against the cess as it feels that singling out of diesel cars as the only thorn in Delhis pollution problems is unfair. "By imposing any kind of cess you are in a sense saying that even if you are meeting the regulations you still need to pay a penalty," he said.
New Delhi: FAME scheme offering incentives for hybrid and electric vehicles will help in annual saving of fuel worth Rs 60,000 crore besides containing pollution, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete said on August 31.

"The biggest challenge for the auto sector today is related with environment. Under the scheme, the government has decided to invest Rs 14,000 crore. Due to this investment, we would be able to save fuel worth about Rs 60,000 crore. This means, definitely it will help in controlling pollution also," the minister said at the SIAM convention here.

However, he said it is a proven fact that burning of fuel is not the only reason for pollution. To promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government had last year launched the FAME India scheme offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.

FAME India - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India - is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan. The scheme envisages Rs 795 crore support in the first two fiscals starting last year.

The minister further said the FAME scheme is for the entire country and any consumer can take advantage of this. Assuring full support to the auto industry, the minister hoped the implementation of GST law will help the sector most.

The auto industry will be benefited from the ease of doing business and reduction in excise duty, Geete added.

Further, he said India is a country of young population and the auto industry should take benefit of this demographic dividend. He also asked the auto industry body SIAM to indulge in continuous dialogue with the government to raise their issues and concerns.

"We should meet once in every six months. There should be a continuous dialogue," he added.

This morning, when Geete reached the venue, it was waterlogged and his security staff offered to help him cross the area. The minister refused to take help while quipping that he doesn't want his picture to be flashed like that of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

A few weeks back, Chouhan was seen in a picture lifted by his security officials while crossing a waterlogged area during his visit to flood-affected regions of his state. The picture had gone viral on various social media platforms and also published in major newspapers.
Nissan aims to increase its market share in the country from current 2 per cent to 5 per cent by 2020.

New Delhi: Eyeing a five per cent market share in India by 2020, Japanese car major Nissan today said it plans to launch at least one product per year here beginning 2018 and has begun building sales network in the country.

"We have understood now so we now need to put forth things in practice. I think we are in that intermediate state where we have understood the market and now lot of new things are in pipeline," Nissan India Operations President Guillaume Sicard told PTI.

The company is looking to launch at least one product per year in the country starting 2018. As part of its learning the company will bring in products like Nissan Xtrail Hybrid, GTR in the country from 2018, Sicard said.

The company aims to increase its market share in the country from current 2 per cent to 5 per cent by 2020, he said adding, "The vision is to achieve 5 per cent market share by 2020.

So it is something which is definitely possible." It takes time to understand the customer in terms of pricing, product, value. "It takes time to understand Indian market. You have lot of intuitions...proven wrong. You think you need to make cheap cars in India to sell which is wrong," he said.

In auto industry it takes around four years to see the results if your understanding, he added. "We are also building the sales network in the country," he added. On new product pipeline, he said: "We will have some cars from Nissan and Datsun which are targeted at what customer wants in terms of design, probably some SUVs."

Commenting on the upcoming festive season, he added that the company aims to launch new variants of its various products including recently launched hatchback RediGo and Terrano SUV to propel sales.

The company is also looking to limit the number of variants of its products in order to make it easy for the customer to pick one. "We will launch a new version of redi-GO with enhanced design, AMT version of Terrano, Datsun Go and Go+ models with extra features. Also, we plan to introduce Micra with full black interiors," Sicard said.

When asked if the company plans to launch 1,000 cc version of redi-GO, he said that that the company might look at it at a later stage.

"Right now we plan to launch a new variant of redi-GO with design change. After that anything is possible in terms of engine or features," Sicard said. On the rationalisation of variants, he said it is regular process which is being taken with the purpose of making it easy for the customer with lesser number of grades.

"I really want to discipline the marketing to have nice level offer but not too many kinds of variants and cross variants and so on," Sicard said.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) conducted an inspection on whether the company complied with the Sebi circular dated December 2009 and May 2011.

New Delhi: Markets regulator Sebi has imposed a fine of Rs 6 lakh on Investmentor Securities for not complying with stockbroker norms within stipulated timeframe.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) conducted an inspection on whether the company complied with the Sebi circular dated December 2009 and May 2011 with respect to quarterly/monthly settlement of funds and securities of its clients.

Sebi, in December 2009, issued a framework where a client, specifically authorises the stockbroker to maintain a running account, the actual settlement of funds and securities would be done by the broker, at least once in a quarter or month, depending on the preference of the client.

The regulator found that the company did not comply with the circular in due time. It implemented the circular with a delay of 15 months. "The noticee (Investmentor Securities) has failed to adhere to the provisions of... the code of conduct specified under... Stock Brokers Regulations," Sebi's Adjudicating officer Suresh Gupta said.

Accordingly, the watchdog has imposed a penalty of Rs 6 lakh on the Investmentor Securities for violating code of conduct specified under stockbrokers regulations.
The films been in news ever since it was announced.

Mumbai: After delivering back to back blockbusters this year, Akshay Kumar is in no mood to slow down and have a vacation. No, the actor is in his supreme work mode and even before his Rustom fever could fade out, Akshay has already started working on his next film Jolly LLB 2.

The actor is currently in Lucknow where he is shooting for the film along with co-star Huma Qureshi. With a cute picture, the two sent their greetings from the films sets.

Akshay took to his official Instagram account and share the picture with caption, "Greetings from Huma and me this morning straight from Lucknow station!Jolly indeed is having a jolly good time #JollyLLB2."

Greetings from Huma and me this morning straight from Lucknow station!Jolly indeed is having a jolly good time #JollyLLB2 A photo posted by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) on Aug 30, 2016 at 9:54pm PDT

Here are few more pictures from the sets.

@akshaykumar on the set of #JollyLLB2 A photo posted by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar.fc) on Aug 30, 2016 at 7:44pm PDT

Pic Making of film #JollyLLB2          2 . #Akshaykumar #bollywood #_ # A photo posted by Akshay Kumar Arab (@akshaykumar_arab) on Aug 28, 2016 at 6:47am PDT

The films been in news ever since it was announced. Apparently, the director and the producers were of the opinion that since the premise and the story have changed, the lawyers also need to be different.

'Jolly LLB 2', which will be shot across Lucknow, Varanasi and Kashmir, is all set to releases on February 10, 2017.
"There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. It's a huge market" (Photo: Facebook/Al Meroz Hotel Bangkok)

Predominately Buddhist Thailand has opened its first halal hotel as hopes to attract more Muslim visitors and boost one of the few bright spots in its economy.

Nearly 30 million foreign tourists came to Thailand last year but only about 658,000 were from the Middle East, according to industry data.

The four-star Al Meroz hotel in Bangkok, which opened in November, hopes to play its part in changing that, and to cash in.

"There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. It's a huge market," said the hotel's general manager, Sanya Saengboon. "Just one percent of that market is enough for us to thrive."

The Al Meroz, which boasts mosque-like architecture, has two prayer rooms and three halal dining halls. Rooms cost from 4,000 baht all the way up to 50,000 baht ($116 to $1,445) a night, said Sanya.

A guest at the hotel, Aamir Fazal, 28, a security officer from Australia, said access to a halal hotel was a comfort to Muslim travelers in Thailand where halal food can be hard to find. "It's a really nice experience. It's the first halal hotel here and I find that amazing," said Fazal.

Eager to tap into a growing Muslim tourist market, Thailand launched a mobile application last year which helps tourists search for halal eateries and Muslim-friendly attractions. Parts of Thailand's south, near the border with Muslim Malaysia, are majority Muslim.

Many Malaysians pop over the border for short visits but a low-level separatist insurgency in the far south, that has included bomb attacks in border towns frequented by Malaysian tourists, has dented business there.

A series of bomb attacks in more mainstream tourist towns south of Bangkok this month, in which four people were killed and dozens wounded, has led to fears the insurgency is spreading.

Thailand saw a 10 percent increase in arrivals from the Middle East in 2015 compared with 2014, data from the Department of Tourism showed.
Its never too late to fulfil your aspirations in life, and people across the world have demonstrated the same by achieving incredible feats at an old age. One man from Texas has gone on to demonstrate by pursuing his education at the age of 82, alongside his teenage grand daughter.

18-year-old Melanie Salazar was elated to know that her grandfather Rene Neira will be attending college with her at Palo Alto College, as she completes her graduation and he pursues an associated degree in economics.

Neira had to give up on his education in order to support his family after he got married in his 20s. Although he took some short-term courses after that, he only decided to get a degree after his wifes death in 2009.

Melanie expressed her joy on the social media saying, Im so proud of my grandpa for finishing his first day at PAC this semester! 82 years old and not giving up!!!

I'm so proud of my grandpa for finishing his first day at PAC this semester! 82 years old and not giving up!!!  pic.twitter.com/IX4x5RhKXm  Melanie Salazar  (@melaniesalazara) August 24, 2016

She told Metro that, We have met up once for lunch. Ive met up with him before his class starts and then hell walk me across to my next building for my next class.

Meanwhile the story has inspired many through social media, but Neira, who plans to study further, said, Im not trying to inspire Melanie, or anybody. Im glad thats what its doing, but Im just doing what Ive always wanted to do.
The person who found her said the child was gasping for breath and struggling to crawl. (Representational image)

Bhopal: In a gruesome incident, a three-year-old girl was on Wednesday raped and then thrown into shrub by the side of a railway track here. A local, spotted the girl lying in the bush and crying in pain.

The person who found her said the child was gasping for breath and struggling to crawl. She also had several injury marks on her body. I found the girl lying in the bush in an injured condition at around eight in the morning. I immediately called my wife and we took the girl to the nearby hospital in an auto rickshaw when the police did not show up, Manoj Bagri told this newspaper here.

According to him, the child was writhing in pain and had lost a lot of blood. It was a shocking sight as the girl stared at me resting her head on her fists while lying on the ground, Manoj said.

Later, the state minister for women and child welfare Archana Chitnis and senior police officers rushed to the hospital to visit the victim. It is a shameful incident. A medical exam has indicated rape, Ms Chitnis said.

The minister said police officials have now launched a manhunt to nab the accused. She also announced that the delay on the part of the police to respond to the distress call would now be probed and erring police personnel would be taken to task.
It is said that the survivor, who is aged around 25 years, hails from Tamil Nadu, and was staying in the PG accommodation from several months. (Representational Image)

BENGALURU: An employee of an IT firm was allegedly raped at knifepoint by an unidentified man at her paying guest accommodation in Parappana Agrahara police limits on Monday.

It is said that the survivor, who is aged around 25 years, hails from Tamil Nadu, and was staying in the PG accommodation from several months. The incident took place on Monday when she was in her room. An unidentified man managed to gain entry into her room and raped her at knifepoint before fleeing. Later, the woman approached the police and filed a case, a source said.

Following the incident, V.S. Ugrappa, Chairman of the Committee on Preventing Sexual Violence Against Women and Children, and other members of the committee visited the Parappana Agrahara police station and the PG accommodation where he incident took place. The committee gathered details about the incident and the survivor.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr Ugrappa said, Its a ghastly incident and it has raised questions on the safety and security of women living in such PG centres. I will hold a press conference on Wednesday and reveal how such paying guest centres are unsafe.

When Deccan Chronicle contacted Additional Commissioner of Police (East) P. Harisekaran, he confirmed the incident, but refused to divulge any information. We have launched a massive manhunt to nab the accused and we will crack the case in two days.
Bengaluru is red-faced as the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has placed the city right at the top on crimes committed against children in its report for 2015. While the police attribute this to better investigation rather than a real rise in crimes of this nature, the fact that the city, once labelled a pensioners paradise, is now at third place where all cognisable crimes are concerned , among 53 mega cities of the country, cannot be brushed aside as easily, however much the men in khaki may want to.

City tops in sexual crimes against children

Bengaluru has to own up to the shameful fact that it saw the most number of sexual crimes against children among all cities in the country in 2015 when it registered as many as 273 such cases. Ahmedabad came next with 191 cases and Indore followed with 189. The state as a whole saw 3961 sexual crimes against children during the year, giving it the dubious distinction of being home to the fourth highest number of such crimes in the country.

Third in murders

Disturbingly, Bengaluru also had the third highest number of murders (188) last year, beaten only by Delhi, which registered 464 murders, and Patna which saw 232. The city is next only to Delhi where attempted murder is concerned as well, registering 464 such cases as against the latter's 674. The state as whole is ranked eighth when it comes to murders with 1557 reported last year. Uttar Pradesh topped with 4732, and Bihar came next with 3178.

Third in kidnapping

Theres more reason to believe that Bengaluru is getting increasingly unsafe as it had the third highest number (777) of kidnappings and abductions for murder and ransom, as well as for compelling women into marriage. Delhi however, topped with a whopping 6630 such cases in 2015.

Crimes against women down

The city only looks better where safety of women is concerned as the number of crimes against them fell in 2015 from the previous year. The NCRB puts the city at 12th place where custodial and non-custodial rapes are concerned as well as in gang rapes and rape attempts. While Bengaluru saw 112 such crimes last year, Delhi saw a staggering 1893, and Mumbai, 712.

Read: Guest column: Number of POCSO cases high, only because awareness is high

Tops in atrocities

Giving its progressive image a jolt, the NCRB data reveals Bengaluru registered the most number of cases (139) under the Prevention of Atrocities Act last year. Visakhapatnam came a close second with 137 such cases.

Tops in dowry cases

Bengaluru also tops in the number of cases registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act. With 714 such cases, it left the cities that came next, Jamshedpur with 157 and Patna with 151, trailing far behind.

Third in dowry deaths

Denting its image of a modern city further, the NCRB reveals that Bengaluru had the third highest number of dowry deaths( 54) in 2015. It was beaten only by Delhi, which registered 100 such deaths and Patna, with 74.

Tops in cyber crime

Not surprisingly, the IT city reported the highest number of cyber crimes during the year, registering as many as 1041 under the Information Technology Act. Jaipur was a distant second with 459 cases, and Hyderabad stood third with 354. But overall, it was Uttar Pradesh, which reported the most number ( 2161) of cyber crimes. Karnataka came next with 1, 414 .

Third in rioting

Law and order too seems to be a problem in the city as it is ranked third for rioting in 2015, registering 373 cases during the year. Patna, however, tops with 725 cases of rioting and Mumbai follows with 396 such cases. Karnataka as a whole however, is placed fourth in the country with 6602 cases of rioting, after Bihar ( 13,31), Maharashtra( 8336) and Uttar Pradesh( 6813).

Fourth in robberies

Robbers were clearly active in the city last year as it had the fourth highest number of robberies (707) among the cities covered by the NCRB. Delhi occupied the top slot here too with 6766 robberies , followed by Mumbai ( 1708) and Pune ( 731). The state as a whole stood third with 1906 cases, much fewer than Uttar Pradeshs 3637 and Maharashtras 8561.

Second in thefts

The city had more thefts than Mumbai last year. While it reported 11, 409, Mumbai registered 10, 422. The two were beaten by Delhi, which reported 96,924 thefts.

... coz, policing is better

The NCRB data showing a rise in crime in the city doesnt seem to worry a retired police officer, who believes it does not reflect an actual increase in crime, but is only the result of more active policing and increased awareness among people. Noting that several crimes are now being reported on social media, he says this is helping the police register more cases than before.

In many cases the police have acted on the basis of Facebook posts by victims of crimes. This is a welcome change as it makes the police more active. Social media is helping with the reporting of crime as not many people are ready to go to police stations and lodge a written complaint for various reasons, he said, arguing that rise in crime reflected in an agency's data did not necessarily mean the situation was deteriorating.

We also need to consider increase in the population, expansion of city limits and so on before we jump to conclusions, he underlined, however acknowledging that at the end of the day the police had the responsibility of building a crime-free society.

Social activists however, beg to differ. The police is not only supposed to arrest criminals but also prevent crime from taking place. For instance, dowry deaths, cases of sexual harassment and communal trouble can be avoided by proactive policing. It is sad to see a rise in crimes against children in the city, rued one activist, Hari Bhat.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu inspects a farm pond as part of monitoring crop rescue operations with rain gun, at Veerapuram village in Gummagattta mandal in Anantapur on Wednesday. (Photo: DC)

Veerapuram(Anantapur): Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday announced that a groundnut research centre along with a separate directorate would soon be established in Anantapur district.

The war against drought would definitely give fruitful results. Farmers shall not worry about drought. It should run away from the district, the Chief Minister observed.

The Chief Minister had inspected Veerapuram village in Gummagattta mandal on his second days stay in Anantapur district as part of monitoring crop rescue operations with rain gun following withering of groundnut crop in the area.

Mr Naidu, who had also inspected the ongoing and existing irrigation projects and canals through air, formally launched rain guns to sprinkle water to the existing groundnut fields at Veerapuram village in Gummagatta mandal.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister made it clear the TD government was committed to the welfare of the farmers.

We initiated the system to save existing crops from withering due to rain deficit conditions, he said and added the state was taking necessary steps to improve irrigation sources in drought-hit areas of Rayalaseema.

The Chief Minister said Gollapalli reservoir works would soon be completed and water released to the reservoir by September-end.

Referring to BT project development, the Chief Minister said the project was included in the NTR special package to irrigate surrounding areas in Rayadurgam. He lambasted the YSRC and Congress for repeatedly trying to disturb developmental activities including the construction of state capital.

We have initiated measures to develop the backward areas through diversion of irrigation sources by interlinking rivers. Every acre of la-nd should have irrigation facility in the district. But the opposition parties are obstructing government plans, he observed. He added that Krishna water would be diverted to Handri Neeva and Galeru Nagari projects.

Chief whip Kaluva Srinivasulu and MLC Mettu Govinda Reddy were present.

Meanwhile a woman farmer Susheelamma of Veerapuram village has lodged a complaint with the SP over damage of chili crop during the CM's visit.

The farmer who raised chili crop in five acres land was closer to temporary built helipad for the Chief Minister's arrival at Veerapuram village in Gummagatta mandal.

Those crowds went to attend the public meeting caused damage to the chili crop. The farmer Susheelamma lodged a complaint with the SP seeking justice.
The College has about 492 students of which 15 are Muslim girls and four Muslim boys.(Photo: PTI)

Mangaluru: About 50 boys of Dr K Shivaram Karanth Government First Grade College and Post Graduation Centre in Bellare village in Dakshina Kannada district have started coming to college with saffron shawls since three days! This is not part of their uniform but a mark of protest against the Colleges decision allowing Muslim girls to wear scarves!

The College has about 492 students of which 15 are Muslim girls and four Muslim boys. Principal of the College told Deccan Chronicle that the Muslim girls were wearing black shawls (part of the uniform) as scarf and not scarves if other colours.

Some girls are wearing the black shawl of the uniform on their head and few of them wear it like hijab. However they are wearing only the uniform shawl, Principal Chandrashekhar said. The college did not stop these girls from wearing scarves as the shawls used by them were part of the uniform.

However a few days ago, a few boys who allegedly have a saffron background, approached the principal and declared that they would wear saffron shawls in the class as a mark of protest against the college allowing Muslim girls wearing scarf. Their demand was to stop the Muslim girls wearing scarf, sources in the college said.

If only a handful of boys wore the shawl on the first day, the number increased on the second day and on Wednesday there were about fifty boys with saffron shawls! Most of the boys are from final year and second year BCom. There are a few from other classes too.

As this is a government college, a meeting of the PTA and Development Committee would be called on Saturday to decide on this issue, the Principal said.
Police tries to clear a vehicle stuck on the Azampura bridge as water threatens to overflow the bridge. (Photo: P. SURENDRA, GANDHI, DEEPAK DESHPANDE)

Hyderabad: Despite the Met department predicting few spells of rain or thundershowers at some areas on August 31 for Hyderabad, from 8.30 am on Wednesday, the city received heavy to very heavy rainfall with many localities reporting more than 9 cm of rain. With the Met department once again failing to predict the weather correctly, GHMC and HMWS&SB were left unprepared to tackle Wednesdays deluge.

A weather official meanwhile said, IMD issued a report to the state government and on its website about Telangana receiving heavy to very heavy rains for the next two days, which also includes Hyderabad.

The local bureau added, The cyclonic circulation over Andhra Pradesh coast off west-central Bay of Bengal continues to persist. This system has given good monsoon rains over parts of Telangana, including Hyderabad. Now this system is expected to move in a westerly direction.

Police personnel serve people food and milk after Nagamaiah Kunta was inundated in Wednesdays rains.

Moreover, a north-south trough is expected to develop and run from north Bihar up to Telangana. Owing to this phenomenon, moderate to heavy monsoon rains are expected to occur in Hyderabad and the adjoining areas over the next 48 hours. The intensity of the rain is expected to increase. During the last 24 hours, the city has recorded 17.6 mm of monsoon showers. In fact, flash flooding and water-logging is a possibility in some areas, it said.

Locals open dividers at Begum Bazaar to clear rain water

In the month of August, Telangana recorded 6 per cent deficit rainfall with only Karimnagar and Nalgonda districts crossing the mark. The GHMC does not have a meteorologist or its own weather monitoring system and relies on the IMD. IMD mails forecast reports to the GHMC daily, but only after the city is battered with rain that the GHMC begins work. There is no concept of nowcast, which would give current reports. GHMC had boasted about weather boards that would be displayed as part of the Intelligent Transport system. There is no sign of that.

Rain does nothing for reservoirs

Widespread rain in Vikarabad over the last two days have not filled the citys twin reservoirs Osmansagar and Himayat-sagar. Manjeera and Akkampally barrage, however, received good inflows.

Four-wheelers are submerged as a man wades through a residential area in Nallakunta.

Water Board executive director T.V. Satyanarayana explained, Inflows have reached Osmansagar but we cannot quantify it at the moment. The figures will be released on September 1. There have been no inflows into Himayatsagar. If the four reservoirs fill up, the Water Board will get a boost to its supply. As of now, the city receives 355 MGD from the Krishna Phases 1, 2 and 3, and the Godavari Phase-1 projects.

Alert for areas by 3 rivers

Following heavy rainfall, officials alerted downstream localities along the Eesi, Musi and Kagna Rovers. Peddemul mandal recorded the highest rainfall with 218 mm and Parigi with 212.4 mm. Transport minister P. Mahender Reddy held a review meeting with Ranga Reddy district and irrigation officials on the matter on Wednesday evening. He directed revenue and irrigation officials to alert public on the possible threats on breaching of bunds of lakes and tanks.
Bengaluru: Non-bailable cases should be booked against land grabbers and they should be given stiff punishment, and even the officials who have connived with them and helped them grab land too should be punished said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Wednesday.

Inaugurating the special court at Kandaya Bhavan that has been set up as per the Karnataka Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act of 2011 to try land grabbing and encroachment cases, he said that a report submitted by a joint House committee on encroachments, headed by A.T. Ramaswamy, has stated that 1.22 lakh thousand acres have been encroached in Bengaluru alone.

A five-member committee, headed by the Chief Justice of Karnataka, has been formed to hear and dispose of cases speedily and to punish the guilty at the special court. The court will ensure that only the encroachers are punished and not the innocent, he said.

Land grabbing has grown into a mafia. Land grabbers will be dealt with an iron fist, be it the builders or reputed people. The Indian Penal Code has several provisions and sections to punish the guilty, but there is lack of implementation. Ever since the Congress came to power, hundreds of acres of encroached land have been recovered, he said. There are around 34,000 cases of land encroachment. The demand and steep hike in prices of land has led to land encroachments. The land has been encroached by grabbers, while officials have connived with them, he said. In typical Siddaramaiah style, he asked revenue officials present at the venue to confirm his claim. But, none of the officials spoke and he taunted them to speak.

Demolition only in Flood prone Areas

In an apparent bid to protect buildings belonging to rich and influential, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra on Wednesday reiterated that the government will carry out demolitions only in areas that get waterlogged during rains.

After a cabinet meeting Mr Jayachandra told reporters, The state cabinet conceded that the demolition drive can be carried out only in places that get flooded during rains, instead of following any map or survey numbers. There is no need for carrying out demolitions where there is no flooding.

The Minister evaded a questions related to demolition of malls and houses owned by influential. He contended that though several demands have come forth that the rich and influential too have encroached land, but most of them also possess documents suggesting that their buildings are genuine. Therefore, the state government will take decision of carrying out demolition on a need basis, he said. Though Jayachandra tried hard to defend the cabinet decision, he had to walk a tightrope. On one hand he suggested that the demolition would be carried out without mercy, but he also conceded that the state government was not ready to face court cases at this juncture.
New Delhi: The United States on Wednesday said that Pakistan has to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against indigenous groups engaged in terrorist activities from its soil affecting ties with India and Afghanistans peace and stability. The US has made this clear to Islamabad, it said.

Visiting US secretary of state John Kerry however appeared keen not to openly criticise Pakistan, saying that Pakistanis have suffered greatly from terrorist activities in their own country, and that whenever Pakistan acts against terrorists there is an intense pushback/rollback (reaction) and that therefore everyone needs to be supportive and understanding.

He said that progress was being made by Pakistan which is now moving (against terrorism) at a greater pace. But at the same time, Washington wants Islamabad to get the message.

A joint Indo-US statement that followed Tuesdays Strategic and Commercial Dialogue stated that the two sides reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their commitment to dismantle safe havens for terrorist and criminal networks such as Daesh/ISIL, Al-Qaida, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company and its affiliates and the Haqqani Network and also called on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice.

Mr Kerry, on the last day of his current three-day visit to New Delhi, said that he has discussed with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of taking stronger action against groups such as the Haqqani network and LeT.
Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly agreed to a special mega package for AP in lieu of Special Category Status as is demanded by AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and leaders of various political parties.

After the Union Cabinet meeting held in the South Block office of the PM early on Wednesday, Union ministers Arun Jaitley and M. Venkaiah Naidu, along with BJP national president Amit Shah met the Prime Minister and discussed the special package that was worked out among the ministers.

The Prime Minister enquired from both Venkaiah Naidu and Amit Shah whether they had consulted Mr Chandrababu Naidu and sought his reaction over the special mega package.

Amit Shah is learnt to have conveyed to the Prime Minister that he has already spoken to the Chief Minister about the special package.

Meanwhile, at a media interaction, BJP national secretary and AP Party Affairs in-charge Siddardhnath Singh said that it was not possible to grant Special Category Status to AP in view of the 14th Finance Commission recommendations.

Mr Singh did however say that in lieu of the special status, a comprehensive special financial package would soon be announced by the Centre.
RTC commuters being rescued as a bus gets stuck under the Malakpet Railway Bridge. Heavy rainfall has been predicted for the next two days in the city.

Hyderabad: Pulichintala, the last reservoir across the Krishna river, continued to receive heavy inflows of about 60,000 cusecs on Wednesday evening due to heavy rains in the catchment area of the Musi and Halia tributaries.

TS irrigation minister T. Harish Rao spoke with his AP counterpart Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao and requested him to open the flood gates at Pulichintala to avoid more submergence of villages in Nalgonda district as rehabilitation measures for people in the Pulichintala foreshore villages had not been completed.

Talking to DC, Mr Uma Maheswara Rao said the AP government had asked the Guntur collector to coordinate with his Nalgonda counterpart to take a decision on opening the gates.

Mr Rao said Pulichintala was, for the first time, getting good inflows without waiting for discharge from Nagarjunasagar, and the government had decided to store the water for future requirements of the Krishna Delta. According to officials it will be a waste to open Pulichintala flood gates now as there is no immediate requirement at Prakasam barrage.

Pulichintala superintending engineer M. Venkata Ramana told this newspaper that there were no orders to open the gates. The Pulichintala dam on Wednesday evening had 14 tmc ft of water against the total capacity of 45.77 tmc ft. Another 10-15 tmc ft of water is expected in three days.

Due to the rise in the Pulichintala storage, seven villages in Nalgonda district located in the foreshore of the dam are being submerged. Though the AP government has paid for relief, rehabilitation and resettlement of all the affected villages, the TS government had delayed shifting them as there was no immediate threat of submergence.

In a related development, Prakasam barrage officials have started releasing flood waters into the Bay of Bengal due to inflows from Munnair and Palair tributaries between Pulichintala and Prakasam barrage.

Prakasam barrage authorities have asked Pattiseema lift scheme officials to stop diverting Godavari waters into the barrage citing the inflows. The demand in the Krishna delta fell due to overflowing drains joining the canals. Around 18,000 cusecs of water is reaching Prakasam barrage.

At the Srisailam dam upstream, officials are not releasing 18,000 cusecs per day to downstream Nagarjunasagar as ordered by the Krishna River Management Board as there is no demand.
Lucknow: Taking serious note of the death of a 12-year-old boy due to alleged negligence of doctors, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has suspended the Chief Medical Superintendent of the Kanpur Medical College.

"The CM has suspended CMS of Kanpur Medical College R C Gupta with immediate effect," he said in a statement issued late Tuesday night.

Yadav said the state government is committed to provide better medical facilities to the people and insensitive doctors will not be tolerated.

The UP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UPSCPCR) had also ordered a probe into the Kanpur incident where a man alleged that his 12-year-old son died due to negligence of the doctors at JSVM Medical College.

"We have issued a notice to the district magistrate, who had submitted his reply that a two-member committee has been constituted to probe into the incident," UPSCPCR Chairperson Juhie Singh had said.

She said the commission had asked the district magistrate to get the matter probed and submit his report within a week. "We have asked that in case he was not authorised to take action, then he should identify the people who committed laxity and send his report," she said.

Sunil Kumar brought his son Anshu, who was suffering from fever, to the emergency ward of Hallet hospital of JSVM Medical College in Kanpur on August 28 and alleged that doctors asked him to go from one department to another which he did while carrying his son on his shoulders and the boy died later, a charge which the hospital authorities have refuted.

JVSM Medical College Principal Navneet Kumar said the child was already brought dead to the hospital and an inquiry has been ordered into the matter. A committee led by three doctors has been asked to submit a report on the matter within three days, Kumar said.

Kanpur District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma has also ordered an inquiry into the matter and has formed a two-member committee, comprising Additional City Magistrate and Additional Chief Medical Officer.
New Delhi: BJP chief Amit Shah on Wednesday asked the party's Rajya Sabha members to adopt one Lok Sabha seat each where it had lost the last polls and nurse it like its representative in Parliament would with the purpose of ensuring the victory of its candidates in the next general elections.

Shah gave this direction at a meeting attended by BJP's all 52 Rajya Sabha MPs. Wednesday's meeting followed two major interactions Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with BJP chief ministers and top party leaders from states who were asked to work overtime to make the government's "pro-poor" policies a success, expand the organisation and its ideological influence.

"Amit Shah asked the Rajya Sabha members to adopt one Lok Sabha constituency where the party had lost in 2014 and nurse it as if they are the Lok Sabha members from there. It will help party win from there. He asked them to spend their MPLAD fund there and work in expanding the organisation.

"He said Rajya Sabha members should also work to spread the party's base and ideology," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters briefing about what transpired at the meeting.

While the party has constantly pushed its Lok Sabha members to work on its developmental and organizational agenda, there has been a feeling that the Rajya Sabha members, many of whom have little stake in electoral politics, have not been involved much in the exercise.

Javadekar said the Rajya Sabha members, who include a number of top ministers including Arun Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu, Manohar Parrikar, besides Javadekar himself, will adopt a constituency in the state they represent in the House.

Asked what RS members from states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, where BJP had won all the Lok Sabha seats, will do, he said the party will find a way for utilising their services. These members would coordinate with the state unit and the government in states where BJP is in power to adopt a constituency.

"They have to work, campaign as if they are the Lok Sabha members from there. They have to take up party programmes and developmental schemes like Lower House members... They should make up for the party not having its MP from there," Shah said.

Asked if the party will field them in the Lok Sabha polls if they worked well, Javadekar avoided a direct reply, only saying the BJP believes in a "constant evaluation process".

The best candidate from there will be given ticket and the work by these Rajya Sabha members will stand them in good stead.
New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday applauded the Supreme Court verdict on the 2006 Singur land deal and said it was a landmark decision and that she can now die in peace, knowing that the farmers will get their land back.

The apex court had cancelled the deal through which the former Left government in West Bengal acquired land in Singur in 2006 for Tata Motors nano plant.

"I had dreamed of this verdict for so long, for the people of Singur. Now, I can die in peace. West Bengal is the final industrial destination, keep that in mind," Banerjee.

Banerjee, who steered political opposition against the land acquisition process of the then Left Front government in West Bengal forcing Tatas to abandon the project in 2008, said her government would shortly work out on a mechanism to return land to the farmers as directed by the court.



The division bench of justices Arun Mishra and V Gopala Gowda of the apex court ruled that the land acquisition process in Singur was faulty and not for public purpose.



The court directed that land be returned to the farmers within 12 weeks.



"From the beginning, we had been telling that the method of the acquisition was unethical and land was taken away forcibly from the farmers," Banerjee said.



She said she had staged a hunger strike in the city which lasted for 26 days to protest against the acquisition process.



The genesis of her party Trinamool Congress' slogan 'Maa-Maati-Manush' (mother-land-people) was from the Singur movement which saw many intellectuals including late Mahasweta Devi contributing their bit for the cause, she said.



"Had Mahasweta Devi been alive today, she would have been very happy... It is victory for the farmers, victory for truth and victory for Maa-Maati-Manush.



This triumph of the people of Singur would be written in history," she said.



Tata Motors had acquired nearly 1,000 acres for the project.



Banerjee objected to this and asked the Tatas to return 400 acres to farmers who were not willing to part with their land for the project and declined to take compensation.



She would hold a strategy meeting tomorrow on how to implement the court's order.
Kolkata: Ruling out an apology for 'forcible' land acquisition at Singur for Tata Motor plant, CPI(M) state secretary Suryakanta Mishra on Wednesday said the land was acquired as per the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.

"The land was back then acquired by following the Land Acquisition Act of 1894," Mishra told a press conference in Kolkata after the verdict by Supreme Court on Singur on Wednesday.

"When the TMC government came to power in 2011 we had said that you have got the people's mandate and if you want to return the land there is no problem. But it should be returned by following the constitutional norms and laws," he said.

Read: Can die in peace now: Mamata hails SC verdict quashing Singur land deal

"We were never opposed to returning the land... Now the question will be how the land will be returned and in what condition. What will happen to those who had taken the compensation and returned the land ? Mishra said.

When asked whether his party would tender a apology and feel that the process of land acquisition at Singur was wrong, Mihsra said, "This is not an issue of tendering an apology. We have said it clearly earlier that the land cannot be acquired against the wishes of the farmer."

In a setback to CPI(M)-led Left Front, Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the controversial acquisition of 997.11 acres in Singur by the erstwhile Left Front government in West Bengal to set up Tata Motors' ambitious Nano car manufacturing plant.

The land was acquired by the then government. The land acquisition became a political flashpoint in the state from 2006 for the next few years. The anti-land acquisition protests became one of the prinicpal reasons behind the fall of the 34-year-old Left regime in 2011.
New Delhi: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi will arrive in Delhi on Thursday for a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step up engagement in areas of security, counter-terrorism and trade.



With both India and Egypt grappling with terrorism, both the leaders are expected to deliberate on ways to deal with the menace effectively.



Sisi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising of Ministers, top officials and business leaders.



He will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Modi on Saturday. Both sides are set to sign a number of MoUs after the talks.



Sisi will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari.



India and Egypt have a strong economic relationship.



India is the sixth largest trading partner of Egypt -- the second largest export destination. India's imports from Egypt were worth USD 1.74 billion during 2014-15.



Indian businessmen have invested nearly USD 3 billion in about 50 companies in Egypt and have given employment opportunities to around 35,000 Egyptians.
New Delhi: US Secretary of State John Kerry said in New Delhi on Wednesday Pakistan must push harder against groups engaged with extremists, as tension between Pakistan and India rises amid unrest in Kashmir.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities. They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India-Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," Kerry said.

In an address to students of Delhi's Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kerry said that terror groups like Daesh, al-Qaeda, LeT and JeM can't be fought by a single nation alone.

Kerry said that he has discussed with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of taking stronger action against groups such as the Haqqani network and LeT.

"We are working on it. I have been working on this issue very hard. I have had many engagements with Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT.

Kerry said Pakistan has fastened the process in the recent months.

On polarisation, Kerry said it is not good anywhere and it reflects intolerance and frustration with governance.

We have to respect rights of all our citizens irrespective of creed and allow them to protest in peace without fear that they will be jailed for speaking, said Kerry.

When asked about way for India to get permanent UNSC seat, Kerry said there is a way but it is complicated.

Kerry's proposed visit to three religious sites in the city was cancelled due to heavy rains.

Kerry was scheduled to visit the Gauri Shankar temple, Jama Masjid and Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib in the old Delhi area around 11 am.

"The visit had to be cancelled due to heavy rains in Delhi," sources in the US Embassy said.

Kerry, who is on a three-day-visit to India, was supposed to visit the sites yesterday itself but it was postponed. The US leader has had a difficult time with the city's traffic since he landed on Monday night.

His convoy was stuck on Satya Marg in Lutyens Delhi for an hour on Monday by a "spillover effect" owing to water logging in the main carriageways.
Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry at a joint press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Nearly two months after an international court ruled against China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, India and the US on Wednesday called for "utmost respect" for global law, maintaining that there must be "unimpeded lawful commerce" throughout the disputed region.

The two countries, which held their annual Strategic and Commercial Dialogue on Tuesday, also said they will "redouble" efforts towards India's early entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which was opposed by China. The US urged the NSG member countries to support India's bid for their "common interest".

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday summerising outcome of Tuesday's meeting, the two strategic partners condemned terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their commitment to dismantle safe havens for terrorist and criminal networks such as IS terror outfit, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e- Mohammad, D Company and its affiliates, and also the Haqqani Network.

Read: World can learn from India, says John Kerry on South China Sea

"The sides also called on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice. The sides will continue to review and consider other organizations that warrant terrorist designations including those that engage in cross-border terrorism," according to the joint statement

About South China dispute, the two sides "stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight, and unimpeded lawful commerce throughout the region, including in the South China Sea.

Calling for "utmost respect" for international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), they reiterated that States should resolve disputes through peaceful means, and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes.

China has been increasing its assertiveness in South China sea notwithstanding the verdict of an arbitration court in The Hague that China had no historical title over the South China Sea.

On India's NSG bid, the statement said, "In a further effort to strengthen global non-proliferation and export controls, the sides committed to redouble their efforts towards India's early entry into the NSG"

The US also re-affirmed its support for India's early membership of the other export control regimes -- Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.

China had objected to India's candidacy when the NSG plenary had taken up its application in Seoul in July.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US Secretary of State John Kerry at a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared with him US' perspective on developments in the region and beyond.

Kerry, along with US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, also discussed progress in bilateral engagement since Prime Minister's visit to US in June 2016 apart from briefing him on the 2nd India-US Strategic & Commercial Dialogue that concluded on Tuesday, according to a PMO release.

"Secretary Kerry also shared US perspective on developments in the region and beyond with Prime Minister," it said.

John Kerry has extended his stay in India and will join President Barack Obama in China for the G-20 Summit this weekend.

The US Secretary of State, on Tuesday as well as Wednesday in his speech at an event, had asked Pakistan to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against "indigenous groups" operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistan's peace and stability.

"Prime Minister conveyed satisfaction at the expanded and strengthened strategic partnership between India and the US over the past two years that has opened up new vistas for collaboration. He conveyed that he looked forward to rapid progress and successful completion of the decisions taken with

President Obama at the Summit Meeting in June," the PMO said.

Modi also conveyed that he looked forward to meeting President Obama at the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China.

Tweeting on his meeting, Modi said, "Glad to meet you, Secretary @JohnKerry. We had fruitful discussions on India-USA ties."

Kerry had earlier tweeted: "Pleased to sit down with @narendramodi, reflect on successful S&CD and our ever-deepening relationship with #India."
New Delhi: Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik may soon be booked under the stringent anti-terror law with a legal opinion is said to have suggested action against him and his NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Sources said the Home Ministry had sought a legal opinion on the possible action to be taken against Naik for his controversial activities, including allegedly delivering hate speech.

The legal opinion is understood to have conveyed to the Home Ministry that Naik's statements in different forums allegedly promoted enmity and hatred between religious groups and inspired and incited terrorists.

A case of should be registered against Naik under anti-terror laws for allegedly delivering hate speech on different occasions, sources said quoting the legal opinion.

The legal opinion suggested that there is a "conscious intention" on Naik's part towards spreading enmity among religious groups.

Apart from Naik, cases should be registered against his NGO IRF, which is allegedly funded radical activities, the legal advice said to have suggested.

Naik has come under the scanner of the security agencies after Bangladeshi newspaper 'Daily Star' had reported that one of the attackers of the July 1 terror strike in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz, ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.

Naik, in his lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly "urged all Muslims to be terrorists".

Naik, a popular but controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation, is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.

He is hugely popular in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preachings often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects.
Mumbai: In a major decision, Maharashtra government on Wednesday decided to scrap 94 tenders in 14 irrigation projects in the Konkan and Nashik divisions which are under the Anti-Corruption Bureau's scanner, a move viewed as a setback for NCP leader and former Water Resources Minister Ajit Pawar who allegedly approved them by tweaking norms.

This includes 81 various works related to Gosi-Khurd irrigation project in Vidarbha region, which has seen a massive cost escalation in last 35 years.

The decision to scrap the tenders was taken during a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here.

The tenders were scrapped as they are under investigation by the ACB, a CMO official said.

The move is considered a blow to Pawar, who as Water Resources Minister between 1999 and 2009 approved projects worth Rs 20,000 crore, allegedly by tweaking rules and without a clearance of Governing Council of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC).

The 14 irrigation projects includes the controversial Kondhana dam in Karjat taluka in Raigad district, over which former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Anjali Damania had alleged a Rs 72,000 crore irrigation scam.

Addressing reporters at Mantralaya, Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan said the total cost of the scrapped tenders is about Rs 3,295 crore.

He said the government will float fresh tenders and the projects will be completed in a time-bound manner.

Mahajan said the Cabinet also gave its nod to third revised administrative approval to the Gosi-Khurd project.

He said the government will call for fresh bids and mandate to complete works on Gosi-Khurd project before June 2019.

"The cost of Gosi Khurd irrigation project which has been tagged as a National Project has escalated to Rs 18,494 crore from its original cost of Rs 372 crore during last 35 years. The Cabinet today gave its nod to the third revised administrative approval to Gosi-Khurd project," the minister said.

Mahajan said the Centre will share 90 per cent of the proposed project cost whereas state will share the rest, adding that the total cost escalation in Gosi-Khurd stands at Rs 3,544.95 crore now.

Referring to the decision to grant revised administrative approval to Gosi-Khurd, the minister said that approvals shall be given while ensuring that they won't affect the ongoing ACB probe.

"There were court cases filed in connection with the 14 irrigation projects. Several irregularities were found in awarding of the contracts," the minister said, adding majority of the contracts in Konkan and Nashik were awarded to one company.

Earlier this month, the ACB had filed a charge sheet against 10 people before a district court in Thane in connection with the Balganga irrigation scam.

The ACB slapped various sections of IPC for cheating and fraud, besides the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 against the accused.

Though the charge sheet did not name Ajit Pawar, it had sought further permission to investigate the deals which directly involved him.

When contacted, Damania said "Most of the projects were unviable or unnecessary. The cost benefit ratio was beyond permissible limits. Designs were faulty and with an annual budget of only Rs 7,000 crore for irrigation works, work need to be prioritised.

"This government should first consider all these points before showing the haste for re-tendering. They should not go the NCP way."
Srinagar: Massive protests and intense street clashes erupted in Kashmir Valley on Wednesday after another youth was killed in security forces firing in Nadihal village of north-western Baramulla district. Five other civilians were injured in the firing, three of them critically who have been admitted to a Srinagar hospital.

More than 100 people have been injured in security forces actions during fresh clashes elsewhere, so far on Wednesday. Reports pouring into Srinagar from different parts of the Valley said that protests were held and clashes took places in southern Pulwama town, at three places-Siligam, Khudwani and Katrasoo-in Kulgam district, Arhama in Shopian, Bandipore, Sopore towns, Srinagar and half a dozen other places including in Anantnag district. At a few places, these were still going on at the time of filing this report.

A report from Kulgam said that a huge crowd of people returning from an aazadi rally held in Butrus area of the district attacked and torched the ancestral house of ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Rajya Sabha member Nazir Ahmed Lawey. An adjacent building housing a branch of Punjab National Bank also caught fire, witnesses said adding that the mob snatched the weapons of the bank guards before leaving the place.

At Nutnusa in frontier district of Kupwara, a 1500-strong mob attacked the police pickets set up near a cluster of houses belonging to Kashmiri Pandits. This led to a clash between the two sides which was on when reports last came in.

Kashmir Valley is on the on the boil since July 8 in the aftermath of the killing of popular militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani. Though curfew has been lifted from entire Valley, shutdowns in response to separatists protest calendar and protests and clashes have continued, throwing life out of gear.

An 18-year-old youth Danish Manzoor was killed and five others were injured when the CRPF opened fire on protesters at Nadihal outside the town of Sopore and about 58-km northwest of Srinagar early Wednesday.

Reports said that protests erupted in the village after the security forces allegedly denied passage to the fruit-laden trucks in the area. Earlier during the intervening night of August 30 and 31, the Army troops, the locals alleged, raided and ransacked homes and thrashed inmates. When the residents protested over highhandedness they clashed with the CRPF which opened fire killing and injuring violent protesters, reports added. Three seriously injured youth have been admitted to a hospital in capital Srinagar.

Later during the day, large number of people attended Danishs funeral. The mourners put Pakistan's national flag next to a wooden bunk on which the slain youth's body was placed before a cleric led his jinaza prayer, witnesses said. Another (Pakistani flag) covered his body as the pallbearers carried it to a nearby cemetery for burial. This, the locals told visiting reporters, represented their hopes and aspirations.

With Wednesdays fatal injury the death toll during the ongoing unrest in the Valley has risen to 71. The civilian deaths occurred in security forces firings and other actions. Two policemen have also died in mob violence whereas about 7,000 civilians and 4,000  4,500 security personnel have been injured in nearly eight-week-old turbulence.

While pro-freedom protests were already underway at several areas in the Valley, many other places also erupted after people heard about the killing of the youth at Nadihal. Intense clashes between surging crowds followed and police and CRPF fired teargas canisters and pellet guns to quell these and stone-hurling mobs.

In the backdrop of Home Minister, Rajnath Singhs, recent comment that the youth of Kashmir should, instead of stones, have laptops in their hands, dozens of youth showed a unique way of protest by marching along the streets of Palhalan township in Baramulla district with their laptops. We just wanted to convey to the Indian government that we are not illiterate or boorish but educated and most of us are graduates and post-graduates yet we are out on the streets to protest and ask for aazadi (freedom)," one of them told local reporters.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, spoke with Governor, NN Vohra, at Raj Bhavan, for about one hour during which the Kashmir situation was discussed. They also discussed the forthcoming visit of an all-party delegation to the Valley and various important matters relating to the urgent restoration of peace and normalcy in Kashmir, official sources said. The all-party delegation to be led by Home Minister, Mr. Singh, is scheduled to arrive here on a two-day visit on September 4.

A defence spokesman here said that Northern Army Commander, Lt. Gen, DS Hooda, also called on the Governor to discuss the prevailing situation. The Governor was apprised of the measures taken by the Army along the Line of Control (LoC) and hinterland to ensure security as also to restore normalcy, the spokesman said. Let. Gen. Hooda is on a daylong visit of the restive Valley, his second in past two weeks.

Meanwhile, the arrest spree continues and overnight and, during the day on Wednesday, the police arrested over 100 more people from different parts of the Valley. In Srinagar, the police raided the headquarters of right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami and arrested its political bureau chief Zahid Ali. They were asking for some senior party leaders also but since none of them was present they left taking Ali along with them, said a staff member.

In past three weeks, over 2,500 arrests were made and out of them nearly 200 people have been detained under the States stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). Under this act, a person can be jailed for a period of up to two years without formal trial being initiated. However, such detentions are periodically reviewed by an official screening committee.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice President Rahul Gandhi at the Patiala House Court after a hearing in National Herald Case. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Congress mouthpiece National Herald, which became defunct in 2008, shall resume publication, the Associated Journals Ltd announced on Wednesday, naming senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as its new Editor-in-Chief.

"The Associated Journals Ltd, a company founded in 1937 by Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru, has taken steps to resume publication of its English and Hindi newspapers National Herald and Navjivan.

"The company has appointed senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as Editor-in-chief for its Hindi and English newspapers and digital properties with immediate effect," Congress Treasurer Motilal Vora, who is also managing director of AJL Limited, announced on Wednesday.

Without specifying the exact date when the newspapers plan to resume publication, he said it would happen in coming months and will be followed by reviving of Quami Awaz, its defunct Urdu newspaper.

Mishra had earlier been Editor of Outlook Hindu and has done extensive work in areas of research and documentation including for the Right to Information movement and legislation.

Vora said the spirit of the forthcoming publications of The Association Journals Limited, a not for profit company, is captured by the tagline "Freedom is in peril, defend it with your might".

He said the publications shall seek to give voice to the vision of Nehru and shall seek to occupy a liberal, progressive, secular space.

"They shall strive to represent the under-represented and all those deprived of voice, thereby promoting the ideals of a plural, democratic party," he said.

Announcing the plans of relaunching the newspaper last month, Vora had said the decision was taken at an Extraordinary General Meeting of AJL in Lucknow in January and the process is on.

In the Lucknow meeting, the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) had decided to convert into a not-for-profit company and re-launch its newspapers.

The decision had come in the midst of a legal battle over its past, which has ensnared Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. The issue is pending in court.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who has also filed a private complaint in a local court, has accused top Congress leaders of misappropriation, a charge vehemently denied by the Congress leadership.

Swamy has also written to Urban development Ministry demanding cancellation of land allotment and confiscation of properties to AJL for alleged violation of allotment conditions.

Both Sonia Gandhi and and Rahul Gandhi along with five others have been granted bail by the court on December 19, 2015 after they appeared in response to the summons.

The Enforcement Directorate has separately booked former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda,officials of the Associated?Journal Limited (AJL), publisher of the National Herald newspaper, and others on charges of alleged money laundering.

The central probe agency registered a criminal case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a Haryana State Vigilance Bureau FIR of May this year.

The Vigilance Bureau?had registered a case of cheating and corruption against Hooda and four officials who were in HUDA for allegedly realloting a plot to AJL in Panchkula in 2005.
Pallavi Purkayastha was murdered in August 2012 when she was alone at the flat. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced that rape and murder convicts, dacoits and kidnappers will no longer be granted regular parole. Jail manuals will be updated with new rules.

The decision was taken after a man serving life term for rape and murder of lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha went missing earlier this year.

Sajjad Mogul, who was serving a life term for the 2012 murder case, went missing while on parole after leaving the Nasik jail in March to visit his unwell mother.

An enquiry was ordered on why he was granted parole and a top jail official was also suspended. Despite efforts by the Maharashtra police, Mogul has not been traced yet.

The changes were sent for notification after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave his nod to the proposal.

However, according to reports, the convicts will be eligible for emergency parole, which will be granted for a maximum of seven days and will not be extended under any circumstances.

Emergency parole will be granted only under three circumstances  death of father, mother, spouse, son, daughter, brother or sister; serious illness of father, mother, spouse, son or daughter; and marriage of son, daughter, brother or sister.

The surety amount has also been increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000.

25-year-old Mumbai-based lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha was murdered in August 2012 when she was alone at the flat after he made advances at her, which she resisted.

Pallavi's fiance Avik Sengupta, who lived with her at an apartment at Wadala, had found her body lying in blood. Mogul, who belonged to Jammu and Kashmir, was employed as a watchman in the building.
Vijayawada: Looking unperturbed over the Hyderabad court's order seeking fresh investigation into the cash-for-vote case, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said there was nothing new in it.

"What's new? Nothing. My lawyer will look into it," Chandrababu said here when asked about the court's order. He did not comment further as he left for Anantapuramu district.

On Monday, the special court for Anti-Corruption Bureau cases in Hyderabad ordered a fresh investigation into the over a year old cash-for-vote case in response to a petition filed by YSR Congress MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy.

The case had created enough political shocks for the Telugu Desam Party in Telangana last year with Naidu accusing the TRS Government of illegally tapping phones.

In May 2015, nominated MLA in Telangana Assembly Elvis Stephenson lodged a complaint alleging that he was offered Rs 5 crore by TDP MLA Revanth Reddy to vote for TDP nominee in the election to the Telangana Legislative Council on June 1.

On May 31, ACB arrested Revanth Reddy, Bishop Sebastian Harry and Rudra Udaya Simha when they were allegedly handing over an advance sum of Rs 50 lakh to Stephenson.

A chargesheet filed by the ACB on July 28 last year mentioned TDP chief Naidu's name, but not as an accused.

An audio tape of Naidu's purported conversation with Stephenson over phone on May 30, a day before the ACB arrested Revanth, found its way to the media. Ramakrishna Reddy has submitted to the court a forensic lab report "confirming" that the voice in the tape was that of Chandrababu Naidu. The court has sought investigation report by September 29.
Are Indian men still steeped in their traditional roles or are the winds of change blowing across homes in the country with the emergence of the nuclear family?

The paternity leave debate sparked off by Maneka Gandhis statement that for most men it would be a holiday raises complex questions. The commentary that Gandhis statement has attracted has been largely negative statements. However the new-age man in Bengaluru holds a different opinion. Yes, we do change diapers!

Are Indian men still steeped in their traditional roles or are the winds of change blowing across homes in the country with the emergence of the nuclear family? Union minister, Maneka Gandhi, who has stirred quite a hornet's nest by her caustic remark that any paternity leave is likely to turn into a holiday for men, clearly doesn't believe much has changed in the way they perceive their roles.

But at least some men in the city would beg to differ. "I change diapers 24x7," laughs Nitin Gupta, the proud father of a one-year-old, insisting that the percentage of those keen on helping their wives with a baby has increased over the years. "I agree that many men don't get involved all that much in child rearing but the numbers of those who want to is growing ," says the young father, who believes the change has nothing to do with the mens primary home environment, which may have been traditional.

Read | Guest column: Parenthood more joyous if both parents share responsibilities

My father was not around to feed or sing me to sleep or clean me when I was a baby. It was always my mother. But I am feeding my son, changing diapers and also taking my wife to the doctor for follow-ups. It is refreshing that more men are now equally keen and sensitive to their baby's needs," he smiles.

Supratim Mitra, 35, who works in an MNC in the city, too unabashedly admits that his life revolves around his daughter once he returns from work. "Once home I am always looking out for what she needs and am very particular about her appointments with the doctor," he says. His wife, Uttara is full of appreciation. "I am very lucky that he is around whenever I need him and despite our crazy schedules we somehow manage our time to take care of the baby," she confirms happily.

Chaitanya K has a taxing profession as an engineer, but he too is quite at home changing his baby daughters diapers should the need arise. "I was distraught when I couldnt meet my daughter for 11 days because of some astrological issues. I was really anxious and was happy when that period ended and I could see her. Now, from changing diapers to feeding her I do everything when her mother is busy," he discloses.

So strongly does he believe that a number of men are now as involved in their children as their wives that men's rights activist, Kumar Jahgirdar takes strong objection to any statement disparaging the need for paternity leave. "A father's love for his newborn cannot be discounted and is as much as the mother's. Hence, equal maternity and paternity leave is important," he argues.

Providing further indication that men could be becoming more baby sensitive, Dr Leela Bhagawan, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Apollo Cradle, Bengaluru recounts that fathers-to-be are today constantly worried about whether they will be able to take care of the health of the baby and get busy baby-proofing the house. They also want to know about handling the baby the right way, and are concerned about their wife's health," she reveals, painting a picture of an emerging new-age man, who is still not all that in evidence in the country.

As for Nitin he believes that paternity leave is a must. "We need at least a week to 10 days of paternity leave to be there for the baby and take care of our wives. For most of us it not a holiday," he sums up indignantly.

Papa care around the world

Forty years ago, Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce paid parental leave, meaning men as well as women could take time off to look after a baby.

In the UK, new fathers are entitled to up to 139.58 a week for two weeks leave, although they can take longer unpaid leave.

Australia has introduced an 18-week paid parental leave scheme, which is publicly funded and provides the National Minimum Wage rather than a percentage of the primary caregiver's salary. It is not available to families where the primary caregiver has an annual salary above $150,000 per annum.

In America, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires employers to provide upto 12 weeks of unpaid leave to workers with a new child, including adopted and foster children.

Fathers in Beijing will be entitled to 15 days of paternity leave under a new

regulation. Till now new fathers in China got three to 10 days paternity leave depending on where they lived.

Fathers involvement, a great boost to women

Babies form powerful and personal ties with their caretakers, say health experts and psychologists, basing their conclusions mainly on studies of the relationship between a newborn and its mother. But more recent studies have thrown light on how important a baby's relationship with the father is as well. In fact, these studies find little difference between the child's attachment to the father or mother.

Becoming a father is anyway a great feeling, but for the better development of the child both parents need to be involved. Today when both parents are working, the father's involvement is a big plus for the woman too. His involvement renews the family bonding and has a positive effect on the infant's mind

 Dr Garima Jain senior consultant, Apollo Cradle

"The bonding that takes place between the father and child is very important for the balanced make-up of a young person. The infant is anyway in contact with the mother 24x 7, but if the father takes responsibility on a daily basis it can only lead to better balanced development of the child and his or her all round sense of security," believes Dr Purushotta, Sah, obstetrician and gynaecologist at icliniq, adding, "It is very important for the father to be completely informed about the pregnancy and the child's development. To make this possible he should accompany his wife on her doctor visits, and also attend childbirth classes with her."

Agreeing, Dr Garima Jain, senior consultant, Apollo Cradle, notes, "Becoming a father is anyway a great feeling, but for the better development of the child both parents need to be involved. Today when both parents are working, the father's involvement is a big plus for the woman too. His involvement renews the family bonding and has a positive effect on the infant's mind."
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the Calcutta High Court order upholding the 2006 land acquisition for Tata's Nano plant at Singur in West Bengal.

Finding fault with the land acquisition process, the apex court said that the acquired land be returned to the cultivators within 12 weeks from today.

Land acquisition collector has not properly conducted the inquiry into the complaints of cultivators with regard to acquisition of plots. The acquisition of land by the State for a company does not fall under the purview of public purpose, said the Supreme Court.

Hailing the verdict, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee called it a 'landmark victory'. We waited for ten years for this judgement. It is victory of the farmers. We will hold a strategy meeting tomorrow as to how to implement SC verdict. We will work out a mechanism to return land to the farmers, she stated.

I had dreamt of this Supreme Court verdict for so long, for the people of Singur. Now I can die in peace, she added.

Tata Motors, which was allotted land for its proposed Nano car plant in Singur in West Bengal, which eventually was shifted to Gujarat, had a tough time in the Supreme Court this May, justifying its claim for retaining it.

Hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the quashing of Singur Land Acquisition Act by the Calcutta High Court, a bench comprising justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra had questioned the manner in which over 400 acres of land was allotted to Tata Motors without adhering to the section 4 and 5 of the Land Acquisition Act, which mandates public notice for receiving objections.

The bench had noted that the entire exercise was done by "bulldozing the law" as the then Cabinet suo motu cleared the allocation of the land identified by the automobile major which was the task of the government of the day.

The bench said it was a farcical exercise through which the land was allocated and it was a "legal mala fide".

It had said there were several grey areas which needed to be answered and the company has to first address those questions.

The court said, "You cannot argue that they (farmers) have accepted the award so they cannot challenge the acquisition. This case is under different footing and there are several issues which needs to be answered."

Senior advocates appearing for the company had submitted that the matter should be referred to the constitution bench which was not accepted by the bench which continued with the hearing.

The state government had moved the apex court against the High Court order which had struck down the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act 2011 that allowed it to reclaim the 400 acres of land given to Tata Motors.
Singur: Farmers whose land was acquired for the Tata Motors Nano car factory at Singur and their families burst out in jubilation today after the Supreme Court held the acquisition illegal.



Hundreds of people, who were waiting for the apex court's verdict since the morning, erupted in joy as soon as the news flashed on their television screens.



They stepped out of their houses to congratulate each other. Men, women and children clapped, danced and cheered together and greeted each other with green gulal and sweets.



Rallies were taken out with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's posters.



Slogans like 'Mamata Banerjee zindabad', 'Mamata Banerjee tomay amra bhulchi na, bhulbo na (we will never forget you)' echoed in the air.



"It is because of 'didi' that we have seen today's victory...We are very happy today. Didi's perseverance and our faith in her have finally reaped this victory," they said expressing gratitude to Banerjee who had fought an unflinching battle for months at Singur and in Kolkata, including a 26-day hunger strike.



It was her anti-land acquisition movement at Singur in November, 2006 that had brought Banerjee back to prominence after her party's huge setback in the Assembly elections earlier that year.



Riding on the Singur movement and the one at Nandigram in January 2007, Banerjee turned the table on the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which began losing political ground in the state starting the 2008 panchayat and the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, culminating in their defeat in the 2011 Assembly election in the state after 34 years.



After coming to power in 2011, Banerjee's first legislation was the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011 for returning land to the unwilling farmers.



The villagers of Singur, located off Durgapur Expressway, about 40 km from Kolkata, were happy with the Supreme Court's directive that compensation paid to them would not have to be paid back and those who had not taken the compensation, would now get it at the same rate.



Asked what would they do after getting their land back, the farmers said they could decide only after seeing the condition of it as construction activities were carried out there and no cultivation was done in the vacant portions for 10 years.
Vadra bought a plot in 2008 for Rs 7.5 crores and sold it just months later for 58 crores to India's largest real estate developer, DLF. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: A panel investigating 250 licenses or allocations of plots by former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, including land assigned to a company owned by Robert Vadra, concluded on Wednesday that the CM did not follow the law in assigning land to firms.

According to a report in NDTV, the report by Justice Dhingra says that Hooda acted contrary to the law and that licenses were distributed in an ad hoc manner. His report is likely to be given to Chief Minister ML Khattar on Wednesday.

Justice Dhingra has recommended action against several government officials and "private persons" who allegedly connived with them, said the report.

Hooda ignored two orders to meet Justice Dhingra, to furnish details of his decision giving land to Robert Vadras firm in contravention of the law, said the report. Vadra himself was not summoned by the panel either, instead, a questionnaire was sent to his firm Skylight Hospitality. Senior bureaucrat Ashok Khemka, who was the whistleblower in this case, was also not summoned by the Justice Dhingra panel.

The NDTV report quoted sources close to Vadra as saying that Vadra would not run away from anything and would face the challenge. He has also denied that he indulged in any wrongdoing or accrued windfall profit because his family's party was in power when the deals were made.

My mandate was to inquire about irregularities in grant of licenses. I have brought to light the manner in which irregularities were committed and the people behind it, Justice Dhingra said after submitting the panel's findings.

If there was no irregularity, then I wouldn't have submitted a 182 page report, he added.

The Vadra controversy is based on a 3.5-acre plot in Gurgaon that he bought in 2008 for Rs 7.5 crores and sold just months later for 58 crores to India's largest real estate developer, DLF. DLF has also denied any wrongdoing on its part.
US Secretary of State John Kerry talks to U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker at a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The US on Wednesday assured India it will look into concerns related to visa fee hike while maintaining that the decision was not targeted against Indian professionals.

Citing data, US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said Indians were major "beneficiaries" as about 69 per cent of US H1B visas and 30 per cent of all L1 visas were issued to them last year.

"Any changes that have been made towards H1B and L1 visa applications... they are not limited or focused on Indian nationals. They are really across the board change.

"But given the concerns expressed by Indian industry, I committed to Minister (Nirmala) Sitharaman to look into this and report back," she said.

Pritzker was responding to a question on visa at a joint press conference by the US Secretary of State John Kerry, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce Minister Sitharaman.

Sitharaman said the visa issue was raised during the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) as well as in the CEO Forum. "Secretary Pritzker came forward proactively and spent some time (with industry representatives) and then she has offered that she will look into this matter definitely...," Sitharaman said.

The minister said there was a "feeling" and "impression" that probably the Indian industries are being targeted due to increase in the US visas fee.

Sitharaman further said to dispel the feeling of being "targeted", Pritzker came up voluntarily during the CEO Forum meeting and assured to look into the visa issue.

"We did raise it (visa issue). We voiced our concerns. We gave estimates as to what damage it has given to industry," she added.

India has time and again raised the issue of hike in visa fees by the US. It has also filed a case in the WTO against the US decision to impose high fees on temporary working visas.

During the joint presser, External Affairs Minister Swaraj too said she has sought Secretary Kerry's support for resolution of long-pending issues of totalisation and the fee hike for H1B and L1 visa that impact people-to-people exchanges, "which is a vital source of strength for our relationship".

When asked whether both the sides discussed about the bilateral investment treaty (BIT), Pritzker said a high standard US-India BIT will provide real economic benefits to both the countries and will significantly boost India to attract investments from America. "But it is not in anyone's interest or neither of our interest to negotiate an agreement that does not meet those high standards," she said.

Pritzker also said the US has made enormous progress in facilitating financing for energy and infrastructure projects, investments in smart cities, supporting small businesses, innovation and entrepreneurship.

On BIT, Sitharaman said the model text was shared with the US authorities and "we certainly want to have inputs coming from them based on that we would like to continue the dialogue towards BIT".

Giving a statement at the joint press briefing, she said a number of recommendations made during the previous two editions of S&CD have already been acted upon.

Based on the CEO forum recommendations, India and the US have agreed to take a focused intervention in several areas. "We have launched a transparent government e-market place (GeM). We have agreed to look at best practices exchange with GSA, Advantage which deals with government procurement in the US," she said.

India and the US will work on best practices on procurement models and will look at collaboration between the Department of Expenditure and USTDA.

Taking forward innovation and entrepreneurship work stream, both the countries agreed to focus on small and medium scale enterprises. "We would be looking at creating a platform for sharing of best practices and technology as also address issues of finance and market access for SMEs and thus promote their integration into global value chains," Sitharaman said.

Both the leaders also agreed on a programme called 'Silicon Valley comes to India' which will have experts from the US coming to India to interact with start ups and provide the required momentum to Indian entrepreneurial eco-system.

During the S&CD, Pritzker and Sitharaman reviewed the progress made since the last meet under the four work streams relating to infrastructure collaboration and smart cities, ease of doing business, innovation and entrepreneurship and standards.

Both sides welcomed the addition of travel and tourism as a new work stream for future collaboration. "We have decided to work together to see how US companies and investment bodies tap the opportunity of Indias infrastructure projects through mechanisms like the National Infrastructure and Investment Fund," she said.

Both sides will also facilitate collaboration in research in health sector, specifically focusing on non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular ailments, diabetics and cancer, she added.
New Delhi: Holding that there lay no military solution to the South China Sea problem, US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday asked China and the Philippines to abide by the recent ruling of an international tribunal on the dispute.

An enormous amount of energy has been spent in establishing the international order after the World War II and it should be respected, he said.

Citing the resolution of maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and India, Kerry said the world can learn from India to abide by international tribunals' orders.

"India's decision to accept an international tribunal judgement regarding its maritime border with Bangladesh actually stands apart. This is the model to help potentially dangerous disputes in different danger spots...These can be resolved peacefully, including the South China Sea (dispute)," he said at IIT Delhi.

Kerry said that states should resolve disputes through peaceful means, and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes.

China has been getting increasingly assertive in South China Sea notwithstanding the verdict of an arbitration court in The Hague that China had no historical title over the South China Sea.

"The United States continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunal's recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties," Kerry said.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than USD 5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei,

Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have challenged China's claim.

Replying to questions, Kerry said the US supported diplomatic efforts to resolve territorial disputes to which there was "no military solution".

"We are also interested in not fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes and claims through the legal process and through diplomacy," he said.

He said even for an instant, one should not underestimate the importance of the world order.

"We have spent enormous energy in the aftermath of World War 11 in order to (build it). It has served us well. It has helped us bring an end to the cold war and it has helped us set on a new course in the 21st century. So it is important to us to respect the international order, to show respect for international law and to support regional stability and prosperity," Kerry said.
Bengaluru: Lemon Tree hotel in Bengaluru is under fire for posting what the web has described as a tasteless joke which encourages rape. Facebook user Anoushka Kapoor uploaded the image on August 28 of what appears to be a framed poster on a wall in one of the hotel's restrooms.

The print tells a joke about a husband and wifes visit to a zoo. A male silverback gorilla gets excited seeing the wife dressed in pretty clothes and the husband then urges her to show the animal a bit more skin. As she continues the teasing, the husband pulls the wife and throws her into the animals cage saying, now tell HIM you have a headache.

I dont know where to begin. I cant even call this sexist, its blatantly advocating rape culture. Rapes can only ever be minimised if and when we stop treating consent as a matter of humour. Humour that relies on bringing down one sex/treats consent lightly/treats women as sex objects is not funny. This is NOT funny. This is rape culture. Share to raise awareness. I am shocked beyond words, wrote Ms Kapoor on her page.

Her post has now sparked a petition campaign which is calling for the removal of the offensive poster. Other users on social media slammed the hotel for using what was a tasteless attempt at humour which encourages victim blaming. Many are also asking the hotel to issue a public apology over the matter. The Lemon Tree at Bengaluru has not released a statement so far and it remains unclear if the poster has been pulled down, or not.
It must pay compensation fixed by the collector, say farmers

Hyderabad: Farmers have filed a police complaint against TS Transco for entering their fields and setting up towers without permission.

Farmers Federation with farmers from Farooqnagar, Kesampet, Talakondapalli and other mandals of Mahbubnagar district led by Mr P Chengal Reddy along with advocates, filed a criminal complaint with Shadnagar police.

Transco is constructing 400 KV transmission towers and lines without getting consent of land owner-farmers or due authorisation from the Mahabunagar collector, Mr Chengal Reddy said.

Transco has to get written authorisation from the collector to enter any farmers land. It must pay compensation fixed by the collector. Earlier it had paid compensation to land owners in Shan-karpally in Ranga Reddy district in 2014.

Mr Chengal Reddy alleged that Transco was resorting to intimidation and not following Supreme Court rulings. The current 400 KV transmission line is on a 100km-stretch from Farooqnagar to Amangal in Mahbubnagar.
Hyderabad: When Mr Sandeep Kumar booked a Uber cab from Vanasthalipuram to Raheja Mind Space IT Park at Hitec City on Wednesday morning, the fare displayed was Rs 3,566, which led him to Tweet sarcastically: Check out the cheap cost from Vanasthalipuram to Hitec City.

Mr Rohit Akshay booked an Uber from Rail Nilayam to financial district in Nanakramguda and was shocked to see the fare of Rs 1,518, which is Rs 387 on any other day.

IT employee Ms S. Pratyusha cancelled the cab service she had booked after the fare on her mobile showed Rs 730 for a trip from Mehdipatnam to Gachibowli which on normal days is Rs 160. It was the same case with Ms Sruthi Chanuval who balked at four times the normal fare.

These are not isolated cases. Many citizens complained that Uber and Ola cabs on Wednesday, in the name of surge pricing, charging four to five times more than the normal fare that too in the hour of crisis  when it was raining heavily and they needed the cab services.

It is the month-end and many of us have not got our salaries credited in our bank accounts; and this four to five times extra charge by Ola and Uber cabs is really hurting. The Telangana government should follow the footsteps of the Delhi government in controlling surge pricing. How can the government do nothing while app-based cab services fleece people? asked Ms Anjani Srivatsa, a software firm employee.

Commuters said both Ola and Uber had developed an image of giving cab services at reasonable rates. That image was drowned in the rain water and into the sewer network in Hyderabad on Wednesday. When the situation needed a humane approach, the managements proved they were only interested in earning money, said Mr Praveen A. Rao.

When DC booked cabs through Ola and Uber, the surge pricing was about three times, with the Uber management claiming it was being done to attract more drivers on to the roads.

Telangana transport minister P. Mahender Reddy told DC that the government would soon control the fares of even app-based cab services like Ola and Uber.

Meanwhile auto-rickshaws proved to be a better option on Wednesday though some demanded more than the meter fare.
Bengaluru: Is the possible split in the Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab unit, as polls loom, the reason for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's heartburn, and his hush hush visit to the IT capital, renowned for its health facilities?

Mr. Kejriwal flew into the city early Monday and drove straight to hospital where he spent almost five hours at the reputed Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Center at Narayana Health City as speculation raged, on whether he had come for treatment for his heart or his kidneys, until hospital sources, sworn to secrecy finally let out that he was in Bengaluru to tend to his throat.

Kejriwal, a diabetic, was here in February undergoing naturopathy treatment in the city at the Jindal Naturecure Institute for ten days. He has been battling a chronic cough for years and has lost his voice multiple times.

"He arrived on Monday noon and left at around 6 pm," a hospital official said, adding that they were informed only a few hours before he arrived at the facility.

"He came on Monday to get his cough and chest complications treated. He suffers from asthma," revealed the source.

Jindal Naturecure Institute officials were shocked to hear of his arrival. "We were not aware that the Delhi CM had come to another city hospital," K. K. Ghosh, Administrator, Jindal Naturecure Institute said.
Fire and rescue personnel douse the fire that broke out in bleaching powder stock room of a school in Tambaram. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: About 268 children of Tambaram municipal primary school, 10 teachers besides the non-teaching staff had a providential escape when 7 tonnes of bleaching powder stocked in two classrooms caught fire triggering panic in the neighbourhood. The bleaching powder was stored there to disinfect public places.

Teachers and other staff who displayed their presence of mind safely conducted the students studying from classes 1 to 5 out of the school.

The fire and rescue services department which rushed three fire tenders at 10.40 am to put out the fire at the school at Selaiyur in the citys suburb battled all day to douse the fire. The classroom wall had to be pulled down with a JCB to avert an explosion.

The stench that emanated and also the smoke that enveloped the school and its vicinity panicked the localss. Though the fire was not immediately noticed, the teachers and the students experienced difficulty in breathing due to the smoke.

The parents hurried to the school and took away their children. Although the school authorities declared Wednesday as holiday, parents said that they would not send their children till the bleaching powder was removed and the classrooms cleaned.

They blamed the civic authorities for the blatant violation of safety norms.

Sources in the Tambaram municipality said 1,400 bags, each containing 50 kg, and totally accounting to 7 tonnes bleaching powder were stacked in two classrooms in December last year owing to the floods at that time. It was meant to be distributed to the municipal staff to disinfect public places, water tanks and wells.

We had originally stocked 10 tonnes bleaching powder and over the months used 3 tonnes, an official said and added this was meant for distribution in east Tambaram area.
Chennai: The two medicos, who flung a dog off the third floor of a building in Chennai in June and filmed the act, should pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the Animal Welfare Board of India, the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University council has recommended.

The matter is subjudice and is pending before the court. The university formed a committee to look into the issue and it recommended that the accused pay a compensation of `2 lakh each to the Animal Welfare Board of India, said Pushkala, the university registrar.

Gautam Sudarshan and his friend Ashish Paul, who flung the dog and shot the video, are students of Madha Medical College. Though the two were arrested, they were let out on bail and were asked to pay a fine of Rs. 50 each. Animal activists and dog lovers were unhappy and continued to demand a stricter form of punishment. The dog became a celebrity of sorts with support, outrage and assistance pouring in from all over the country.

Such a hefty punishment will certainly hit the accused and others who have similar intentions, said Arun Prasanna, founder and secretary, People for Cattle in India.
Chennai: When the cyber crimes showed an upward trend in 2015 all over the country, the number of such crimes in Tamil Nadu came down from 172 to 142. Cases around India went up from 9,622 in 2014 to 11,592 last year.

Nationwide, there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of cases and 41 per cent increase in the number of people arrested. In TN, such cases decreased 17 per cent while the number of arrests went up up by 4 per cent from 120 to 125.

Of people arrested in connection with cyber crime cases, a good many were either relatives or friends of the victims. Disgruntled employees and business rivals of the victims were also arrested by the police.

Maharashtra topped the list with 2,208 cases and 1,699 arrests last year followed by Maharashtra with 2,195 cases. Telangana and UP police had arrested 21 and 12 cyber terrorists respectively last year Tamil Nadu had arrested 8 professional hackers in various cyber crimes last year.

Dip in murder for gain too

A slight dip was recorded in the murder for gain cases reported in the state in 2015 when compared to the previous years. As many as 107 murder for gain cases were reported in 2015 while the state recorded 127 murder for gain cases in 2014. The country totally recorded a total of 2,408 murder for gain cases in 2015 which was only 1,702 murder for gain cases.

The State had reported as many as 142 murdered due to property dispute, 420 murdered due to personal vendatta, 5 murdered for dowry, one was murdered due to communal reasons, 10 were murdered due to casteism, three were political murders, one was killed for honour, three murdered after rape, 175 murdered in love affairs, 123 murdered due to illicit relationship, 4 were murdered after kidnap, and 751 murdered in various other reasons. A total of 1,748 were murdered in the State in 2015.
KOZHIKODE: Cops have zeroed in on a group of youth who propagate Islamic State (IS) ideology through social media in Kerala. The youth were among the 35 who had religious training at a Salafi centre in Yemen. They are following Dammaj Salafism, the extreme kind of Salafism which has no base in Kerala. The youth who returned from Yemen are propagating the ideals through social media in Malayalam, said an investigating officer who requested anonymity.

Police has definite clues about two Kannur-based Salafi preachers who explicitly advocated for Jihad and migration to the Caliphate. The youth are educated and are targeting a new generation to the IS ideology. Police has also found that these youth has links with a few among the 21 missing people who are suspected to have joined IS.

Meanwhile, Yasmin Ahamed, 29, the accused in the missing case, had told the NIA that as many as 50 youth were indoctrinated in the state. The Bihar native woman was arrested in New Delhi airport while trying to board flight to Kabul with her 4-year-old son. Police says that she is the second wife of Abdul Rashid Abdulla, the Thrikaripur native indoctrinator who is believed to be the mastermind of the IS link.
Chennai: A metropolitan magistrate here on Tuesday gave ten hours to the Chennai city central crime branch police to question SRM university chancellor T.R. Pachamuthu to obtain the needed information relating to his arrest for an alleged medical seat scam of Rs 72 crore.

The CCB team could pick him up from the Puzhal jail, where he has been lodged after the arrest on Friday night, at 0730 hours Wednesday and returned to the jail at 1730 hours the same day, the XI metropolitan magistrate S. Prakash said in his order.

A large contingent of police brought in Pachamuthu, who is also the founder of the India Jananayaka Katchi (IJK), an NDA constituent, to the court in the afternoon. Appearing for the CCB, assistant public prosecutor S. Manual Arasu sought the court permission to take the accused under police custody for five days. He submitted that after his arrest, the CCB team had no time to interrogate Pachamuthu and obtain "vital information regarding his alleged crimes" as he was taken to hospitals and then sent to Puzhal for detention.

Opposing this, senior counsel B. Kumar submitted that there was no necessity to interrogate Pachamuthu in police custody. Responding, APP Arasu said the CCB required information on the mysterious disappearance (since late May) of Madhan, head of Vendhar Movies (belonging to Pachamuthu). The police also needed to collect details regarding the money paid by students for medical seats in the SRM medical college, he said.

After an hour-long proceedings, magistrate Prakash granted CCB permission to interrogate Pachamuthu in its custody from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm on Wednesday.

The accused should be subjected medical examination at the prison before being taken by the CCB and again on his being returned to the prison in the evening.

Also, he should be allowed access to his lawyer for ten minutes, once in five hours, said the magistrate, adding that the police should not obtain any signatures from Pachamuthu on blank papers during their questioning.
The protesters also condemned Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs statement that they cannot release water as the farmers in Karnataka are facing a severe water shortage. (Representational image)

Chennai: Farmers all over the state tried to block trains and roads demanding the release of Cauvery water from Karnataka dams and over 4,700 farmers were arrested.

The protest called by the federation of all the farmers unions in the state and supported by parties including the DMK, Congress and BJP elicited good response from the delta districts, especially Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam. Farmers ac-companied by DMK leaders tried to stop trains at Egmore and Tambaram and picked up by police.

Co-ordinator of the farmers unions P.R. Pandian said the Centre should break its silence on the Cauvery issue and form the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Monitoring Committee and demanded that TN put pressure on the Centre to act on the issue. He also condemned the Centre for allowing an environment impact study to construct a dam across the Siruvani river.

The protesters also condemned Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs statement that they cannot release water as the farmers in Karnataka are facing a severe water shortage.
The man had allegedly crumpled the Indian flag and was trying to wipe his face with it. (Representational Image)

Kannur: A teacher was arrested here on Wednesday for allegedly insulting the national flag at a school at Payangadi in Kerala's northern Kannur district.

According to the police, the incident occurred on August 16 when Irfan Ali (36), hailing from Bihar, had allegedly crumpled the small flag in an attempt to wipe his face.

A case was registered against him under section 2 of the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act after a student brought the matter to the notice of the school administration which, in turn, informed the police.

The accused has been lodged in prison for the non-bailable offence, police said.
Sangareddy: Tourists visiting a colonial-era jail here in Medak district of Telangana can now get a first-hand experience of prison life by paying a fee of Rs 500 for a day's stay.

The 220-year-old District Central Jail at Sangareddy, which has now been converted into a museum, offers a 24-hour confinement under an innovative initiative called "Feel the Jail" launched by the Prisons department for people who want to spend time behind the bars and experience the feeling of being under detention.

During the stay, the inmates will be provided with a prison uniform made of khadi, a steel meal plate and glass, a mug besides washing soap, bathing soap, bedding and other facilities as per state prison manual, in addition to a fan.

According to Laxmi Narasimha, Deputy Superintendent of the Jail, no tourist has so far availed this offer.

Also a prior intimation is essential to avail this offer so that jail authorities can make necessary arrangements for the visiting inmates, he said.

The 'prisoners' will be provided all the meals along with tea and refreshments as per the jail menu. While tea is prepared at the old jail, the meals include chapati, rice, rasam, pigeon pea, red gram dal, curry and curd, which is supplied from the new district jail near Kandi village on the outskirts of Sangareddy town.

There is no work schedule for visiting 'prisoners' but they have to clean their barracks and are free to plant saplings during their stay, the official said.

The District Central jail was constructed during the Prime Ministership of Salar Jung-I in 1796 during Nizam rule in the princely state of Hyderabad.

The heritage jail is spread over three acres of land of which the building occupies more than one acre. There are nine barracks in the male wing and one in the female wing.

After using this ancient facility for over 216 years, a new jail was constructed near here and the inmates were shifted to the premises in 2012.

The old jail was later converted into a museum and thrown open to public in June this year. The museum is furnished with history of prominent persons who were lodged here and exhibits several antiques, artifacts and equipments showing the history of jails during Nizam rule.

As of now, 15-20 persons visit the jail museum daily. To increase footfalls, the Prisons department is planning to include the jail museum visit in the Telangana state tourism department's itinerary.

Also, a team of Prisons department is studying the possibility to start a children's park and ayurvedic village in the old jail.
US Secretary of State John Kerry in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: At the IIT-Delhi campus on Wednesday, United States secretary of state John Kerry joked about heavy rains in the city that flooded streets and also delayed his lecture by almost an hour.

Dont know how you all got here. You mustve needed boats to get here, Kerry said.

"You guys deserve an award for being able to get here today. I don't know if you came in boats or amphibious vehicles of some kind. But I salute you," said Kerry.

Kerry's proposed visit to three religious sites in the city was cancelled due to heavy rains.

Kerry was scheduled to visit the Gauri Shankar temple, Jama Masjid and Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib in the old Delhi area around 11 am.

"The visit had to be cancelled due to heavy rains in Delhi," sources in the US Embassy said.

Kerry, who is on a three-day-visit to India, was supposed to visit the sites yesterday itself but it was postponed. The US leader has had a difficult time with the city's traffic since he landed on Monday night.

His convoy was stuck on Satya Marg in Lutyens Delhi for an hour on Monday by a "spillover effect" owing to water logging in the main carriageways.
Hyderabad: Mr Konijeti Rosaiah, 83, whose five-year term as Tamil Nadu Governor ended on Tuesday, said on Wednesday that he was not interested in returning to active politics.

Speaking from Chennai, over the phone, he told this newspaper that he would now retire after six decades of political activity and added that he was looking forward to peaceful, retired life back home in Hyderabad.

Mr Rosaiah was waiting to hand over gubernatorial duties to Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagara Rao, and would return to the city.

He said: I cannot re-enter politics and the Congress party at this age. I have had the longest political innings of over six decades in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Now the state has also been bifurcated. I cannot settle in AP or take any active role in Congress politics. The former politician said the retirement will cover all aspects of political life.

You can say I have just retired from all political activity once for all. Let me lead a peaceful life in my own house in Hyderabad, he said. Mr Rosaiah, who was Chief Minister of undivided AP for 14 months, has served as member of the Lok Sabha, legislator, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council and minister for many years.
Mumbai: Even as the Maharashtra legislature has unanimously ratified the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday sought to warn the government that those who have tried to levy the taxation system could never return to power again.



"One harsh reality is that countries that had accepted the GST, had to repeal it subsequently as the taxation system had failed. Also, governments that have imposed this form of taxation have never come to power again as they have miserably lost elections," said an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'.



The ruling alliance partner in the state said along with it, leaders of other political parties too have expressed apprehensions about the autonomy of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after the GST comes into effect.



"BMC will suffer an annual revenue loss of around Rs 7,000-8,000 crore. This may cause a financial imbalance to Mumbai and the city, which generates the maximum revenue for the country, may become dependent on the Centre for money," it said.



The Sena questioned whether imposing GST was "another attempt" by the Centre to make Mumbai "financially dependent on it".



"These apprehensions cannot just be thwarted off by mere words. Though the Chief Minister has assured that there would be no revenue loss to the state exchequer, the BMC will not have to depend on the Centre or, there will no loss of autonomy to the BMC. As far as Mumbai is concerned, we have to be extra careful," it said.



The state government on Monday unanimously ratified the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, joining a clutch of states which have already approved the legislation that will pave the way for roll-out of a single and unified tax system in the country.
Whatever the play of words that separates the LEMoA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement) from the standard Logistics Supply Agreement the US signs to gain military logistics support from its foreign allies and partners, there can be no quibble about the fact that India and the US have reached a military agreement with long-term import.

The LEMoA, signed on Monday in Washington between defence minister Manohar Parrikar and his US counterpart Ashton Carter, began its life in the Indian context in 2002-2003, when the US urged the Vajpayee government to sign it. While the Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh governments remained chary in view of Indian sensitivities on offering base facilities to foreigners, the Modi government has pursued the matter in earnest. However, in the recent past, the defence ministry as well as the Air Force and Navy chiefs have expressed their reservations about LEMoA.

India has never entered into such an agreement with any nation. Given the significance of the deal, the joint statement, signed in New Delhi when US secretary of state John Kerry arrived for the second Indo-US dialogue on Tuesday, pointedly noted that defence ties form the bedrock of the partnership. In this context it referred to the status of major defence partner conferred on India by the US during Modis visit to Washington in June, and the LEMoA signed by Mr Parrikar this week. Incidentally, the US has conferred the status of major non-Nato ally on Pakistan.

The government of Mr Vajpayee had signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement with the US in 2002. It dodged LEMoA but the second NDA government has gone ahead with it. The two other foundational agreements, a requirement of US law, in the defence field remain to be cleared before India-US military cooperation can increase.

Under LEMoA, neither side is obliged to offer bases. In that sense it is an enabling document  but that makes it more than the thin end of the wedge. As the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force dont roam the world projecting military power while the US does, the one-sided nature of the deal is apparent. However, US wont part with its top-end military hardware, unless India signs the foundational agreements. In the overall recent context, LEMoA and other foundational agreements play into the convergence of Mr Modis Act East policy with President Barack Obamas re-balancing in the Indo-Pacific.
The unusual case of an Indian student who dropped out of formal schooling but got admission into Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a lesson for us on how our education system has become so rigid. Even our IITs, due to their strict regulations about minimum marks, refused to let Malvika Raj Joshi study science, despite her talent. Our scholastic systems are so marks-oriented and favour learning by rote that theres little scope for extraordinary talent to shine except in competitions in coding, computer programming and Maths Olympiads. Our higher education institutions are too pedantic to allow anything but exam marks to determine a childs strengths. The Chennai Mathematical Institute, founded to honour prodigy Srinivasan Ramanujans memory, was the exception that could see the light and offer her training.

Malvika, of course, had an advantage in that her mother dedicated herself to defining her unschooling curriculum. She was bright enough to win medals in informatics contests, giving her the chance to catch the eye of MIT. As a society we are too busy handling the huge numbers involved in basic education to look for bright kids. Those who come through despite the system like Malvika help us celebrate the fact that talent abounds in our country. We must find a way to discover talent.
ELIZABETHTOWN  A new school diabetes care bill was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf in July, allowing school personnel other than a registered nurse to administer medication, such as insulin to diabetic students.

The law also allows students to self-manage their diabetes.

I think that its a wonderful law thats passing. It gives parents of diabetic children such a peace of mind, said Christine Anderton, a parent of two diabetic children and a teacher at East High Street Elementary School in Elizabethtown. I know that if you receive the training and you feel comfortable, if a teacher felt comfortable or an aid, you could absolutely do it and you might save someones life.

The American Diabetes Association also praises the new law, calling it a safe and sensible solution. Some nurses groups, however, are worried.

Allowing lay providers, lay people, to provide insulin to students within the school system is an irresponsible and unsafe solution to providing optimal care, said Betsy Snook, CEO of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. Studies have shown that the use of insulin has been associated with more medical errors than any other type of drug.
Talk to those calling the shots

Ali Muhammad Sagar

It is imperative to talk to separatists and take everyone else on board. The kind of situation that is unfolding now or was seen earlier in 2008 and 2010 demand that we bite the bullet and do it now.

The problem of Kashmir is political in nature and is deeply rooted in history. Every now and then, we see the situation turning from bad to worse. Our youth are falling prey to violence on a daily basis. Our economy is ruined.

Both India and Pakistan must give serious thought to how they, as well as the people of J&K, can live in peace and harmony. The National Conference (NC) has made it clear, not only now but also when Omar Abdullah was chief minister and earlier under Farooq Abdullah that Kashmir ought to be resolved through talks and that both New Delhi and Islamabad should take the people of Kashmir into confidence to find a peaceful and lasting settlement.

There should be no doubt about separatists being a party. What are we witnessing and experiencing on the ground? In the Assembly, I drew chief minister Mehbooba Muftis attention towards how people in thousands turn up at the funerals of slain militants. About 30,000 to 40,000 people attend the funeral of an otherwise unknown militant.

The number was much higher in the case of Burhan Wani. We cant turn a blind eye to it. People are emotionally involved. It is a question of their sentiments, wishes and aspirations. We need to address it coolly.

Taking an ostrich-like approach, and refusing to accept the ground realities wont help. The government must open its doors to the separatists and not shy away from sitting with them across the negotiating table. You may have your own stand on Kashmir, but that shouldnt stop you from talking to those who differ with it.

L.K. Advani as deputy prime minister said in Parliament that the government is willing to talk to the local Kashmiri militants for they are our own boys, our own flesh. In fact, talks did take place between home ministry officials and five top senior commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen during the earlier NDA rule. What is stopping you from talking to separatists now?

The issue has been discussed extensively in Parliament recently, and many members, including Karan Singh, said New Delhi has to bite the bullet.

Now who to talk to? That isnt difficult to decide. Our partys stance is: the autonomy resolution passed by the Assembly 16 years ago paves the way for solution, but our leadership has also said that if there is a better option available, we wont have any objections.

Ali Muhammad Sagar is the general secretary of the National Conference, and a former minister.

Fascism only grows by dialogue

Ajay Chrungoo

Allowing democratic secular space to promote and perpetuate a regressive fascist political order is the ultimate crime against democracy as well as secularism. In the name of political process this crime has been committed with impunity in Jammu and Kashmir. We have now a situation in Kashmir where religious fascism is expressing itself boldly and brazenly.

What is now being recognised as the radicalisation of the polity is actually continuity. We have seen the progression of an exclusivist religion-based identity movement into an unabashed fascism. In fact, special status, greater autonomy, self-rule, independences, secession to Pakistan or building up of an Islamic caliphate now clearly appear to be stages of an evolving totalitarian religion-based fascist order.

The root cause theories of erosion of autonomy, rigging or bad governance have been actually concoctions of the Indian political class. This class indulged in concoctions to avoid contesting the religion-based identity politics in J&K. They did it so because of a belief that in a Hindu majority country only Hindu communalism has to be fought. They thought all minority communalism is merely a reaction and will be cured automatically if Hindu communalism is contained and defeated.

Thy forgot that J&K was the only Muslim-majority state in a Hindu-majority country. Its functioning as a healthy secular polity was no less critical than the functioning of the rest of India as a secular polity. It ended up creating a permanent Muslim sphere of interest in J&K. Instead of delegitimising the two-nation theory for all time to come after Partition, they helped to create a special state on the territory of India which was premised on the same principle as the creation of Pakistan.

A de facto Muslim state on the territory of India was bound to move towards religious fascism just like Pakistan. The genocide of Bengalis in undivided Pakistan was the expression of fascism. The genocide of Hindus of Kashmir in J&K is similar. The present unrest is an expression of a totalitarian stranglehold on the social milieu and political establishment. The unrest is fundamentally regressive in content. It has nothing to do with freedom and everything to do with the destruction of freedom.

The separatism in Kashmir now needs to be exposed with all its regressive content. The political class must realise that it is not the number of people supporting a movement that makes it sacrosanct but its ideological content that makes it progressive and revolutionary.

Separatism in Kashmir will not be cured by a dialogue but by clear ideological contestation. Fascism is fascism, and it doesnt matter how many people support it.

Dr Ajay Chrungoo is chairman of Panun Kashmir.
This year, more than 1.35 lakhs Indian Muslims have undertaken the pilgrimage of Haj  a spiritual voyage to holy city of Mecca. It is obligatory for every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, if s/he can afford to travel to the holy city. Chanting Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (I come to you, Oh my Lord, I come to you), Haj pilgrims are travelling to the city with great delight glaring through their faces.

Haj reminds us of the universal message well-embedded in the life of earlier prophets of mankind  Hazrat Adam (or Adam), Hazrat Ibrahim (or Abraham) and his son Hazrat Ismail.

Haj is primarily aimed to visit the Kabah, the holiest site of Islam in the city of Mecca, which was built by the first prophet Hazrat Adam and was later renovated by Prophet Ibrahim and his son, Ismail. The holy Quran says that Kabah is the first place dedicated to the belief and worship of one God.

Prophet Ibrahim was the first prophet who insinuated the pilgrimage to Kabah. The Hebrew Bible confirmed the existence of this pilgrimage to Mecca even before it was reiterated in the Quran, in these verses: And proclaim to the people the Haj (pilgrimage); they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass.

Haj brings all the spiritual seekers and pilgrims  the rich and the poor, the Arabs and the non-Arabs, the dignitaries and the common people on one equal pedestal. Thus, this pilgrimage helps them all remove the inhuman barriers of caste, creed, race, ethnicity and gender that distance them from other human fellows.
On August 26, 2016, in a blog post Facebook announced to let a computer algorithm decide which news stories to share with users, and eliminate human editors in an effort to be more transparent.

Last week, Facebook ditched its human editors, whose potential bias was reflected on its popular Trending feature, and deployed an algorithm to handle the entire job. However, within three days of its implementation, the fully automated Trending module flagged up a fake article.

Facebook trended a fake article about Fox News Anchor Megyn Kelly, which claimed that Fox News had fired Kelly for supporting Hillary Clinton, the nominee of the Democratic Party for president of the United States, reported theguardian.com. The fake article reads, BREAKING: Fox News Exposes Traitor Megyn Kelly, Kicks her out for backing Hillary.

In response, the Fox News marked the incident as an egregious mistake and requested Facebook to rectify the error at the earliest.

Apart from this, the Facebook Trending Topic module also pushed a controversial piece on rightwing pundit Ann Coulter, and links to video of a man masturbating with a McDonalds chicken sandwich.

Facebook initiated the trending feature back in 2014. The feature shows its users most-talked about stories and topics on the top right-hand corner of Facebooks home page with one-sentence description.

We added Trending to Facebook in 2014, and similar to Search, Trending was designed to help people discover interesting and relevant conversations happening on Facebook, about breaking news and events from around the world, said Facebook.

In May, Facebook was accused of bias in its Trending section, which is considered a major pathway to get news. As a result, on August 26, 2016, the company, in a blog post, announced to let a computer algorithm decide which news stories to share with users, and eliminate human editors in an effort to be more transparent.

Our goal is to enable Trending for as many people as possible, which would be hard to do if we relied solely on summarizing topics by hand. A more algorithmically driven process allows us to scale Trending to cover more topics and make it available to more people globally over time. This is something we always hoped to do but we are making these changes sooner given the feedback we got from the Facebook community earlier this year, wrote Facebook.

Many studies have proved Facebook to be a powerful tool that has direct influence on peoples thinking and behaviour. As of now, Facebook has about 1.7 billion people on its social network.

Facebook has removed the false article about Megan Kelly published by Endingthefed.com. However, depending on an algorithm to list topics in its Trending feature seems to be a setback for Facebook, especially when it comes to quality content.

The fake article about Fox News Anchor Megyn Kelly pushed by Facebook's algorithm. (Photo: theguardian.com/Facebook)

Photo: theguardian.com/Facebook

Photo: theguardian.com/Facebook

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Somali soldiers stand near to a building destroyed by a blast near the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu. (Photo: AP)

Mogadishu: The death toll from Tuesday's car bomb attack targeting two hotels popular with officials near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 22, police said on Wednesday.

The attack was claimed by the Islamist militant group al Shabaab. The blast partially destroyed two hotels, including one in which a meeting of security officials was underway, the government has said.

"We have confirmed from various hospitals that at least 22 died and 50 others were wounded," police officer Major Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters.

Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir said on Tuesday a security officials were gathered inside one of the hotels, the SYL, at the time of blast, and that one minister and some state radio journalists were wounded.

The hotel is frequented by government officials and police said it believed the facility was the likely target.

Seeking to impose its own harsh form of Islam, al Shabaab, wants to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and also push out the 22,000-strong African Union mandated AMISOM peace keeping force backing it.

The group was forced out of Mogadishu by AMISOM in 2011 but have remained a serious threat, launching frequent attacks aimed at the government.
Washington: Donald Trump announced he will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with the country's president, just hours ahead of the Republican White House hopeful's much-anticipated Arizona speech on immigration.

"I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow," Trump posted on Twitter.

Trump has routinely assailed Mexican immigrants who illegally cross the border into the United States, and he has made hardline immigration policies, including calls for deportations, a key plank of his campaign.

The unexpected trip comes as Trump seeks to clarify his stand on illegal immigration, a contentious issue that has been a centrepiece of his Republican presidential campaign. Trump has long called for deporting people currently living in the U.S. illegally and building a wall along the country's border with Mexico.

But in meetings recently with Hispanic supporters, Trump has suggested he could be open to changing the hardline approach he outlined during the GOP primaries. After one such roundtable this month, his new campaign manager said Trump's stance on deportations was "to be determined."

In the days since, Trump and his staff have broadcast varied and conflicting messages, with Trump himself saying one day he might be open to "softening" his stance, and days later saying he might, in fact, be "hardening."

Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's original immigration policy, particularly the Republican's insistence that Mexico would pay for the border wall. In a March interview, Pena Nieto said that "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would do so.

In the same interview, Pena Nieto compared Trump's language to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying it had hurt U.S.-Mexico relations. Former Mexican Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon have also alluded to Hitler in describing Trump.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a close Trump adviser, has been among those pushing Trump to make the trip to Mexico, according to a person familiar with their conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss them publicly. Christie made his own successful trip to Mexico City in September 2014 and has a warm relationship with the Mexican president.

Pena Nieto extended invitations to visit Mexico to both Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton last week. The Washington Post first reported Tuesday that Trump was considering making the trip to Mexico.

Trump is scheduled to speak on immigration Wednesday evening in Phoenix. He was already out West on Tuesday for a campaign stop near Seattle, giving him enough time to jet to Mexico before the Wednesday speech.

Trump's short stop in Mexico marks his first campaign visit to a foreign country. The Republican has faced a torrent of criticism from Clinton, a former secretary of state, about his preparedness to lead on the world stage. Several Republican foreign policy experts have also warned that Trump is unprepared for the numerous international issues that land on a president's desk.

Clinton's campaign has urged voters to not "be fooled" by what it calls Trump's attempts to disguise his immigration policies.

"Donald Trump will be who he has always been: Donald Trump," the campaign said in an email Tuesday night.
Washington: A 29-year-old man from Colorado, US, is facing charges of attempted murder, after he confessed to police officers that he deliberately crashed his car in an attempt to kill his two-and-a-half year old son, unable to handle the pressures of fatherhood.

According to reports, Nathan Weitzel rammed his car into several other cars on August 21, with his son seated by him in the passenger seat, at a speed of 75 kilometre per hour.

Driving to a nearby park, Weitzel said that he fastened his own seat belt, but failed to do the same for his son Isaiah, as it would increase the likelihood of him being killed in the "accident."

"I was trying to kill my son," Weitzel reportedly told police, and conceded that on the day of the assault, he was under the influence of cocaine.

Police officers investigating the case said that after leaving the park, Weitzel looked around for a good place to crash his car. After crashing the car onto the front yard of a neighbourhood house, he was seen hitting the child repeatedly with his elbow, shocked witnesses said.

The child survived the crash, but is now confined to a bed until he recovers, with much of his body in cast.

Weitzel faces multitude of charges, including attempted first-degree murder, child abuse, assault, criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance and vehicular assault.
London: The North Korean elite soldiers are being armed with nuclear backpacks, according to a report in the Independent as tensions increase over the authoritarian states attempts at military escalation.

An anonymous source told Radio Free Asia special units have been formed since March to carry the weapons and had been taking part in simulated training exercises with dummy bombs.

The supposed weapons were said to weigh between 10 and 30 kilograms and will be able to spray radioactive material, possibly uranium, on the enemy, the Independent reported.

Outstanding soldiers were selected from each reconnaissance platoon ...to form the nuclear backpack unit the size of a battalion, the source from North Hamgyong province was quoted as saying.
British man David Taylor re-enacts how he kills an Indonesian police officer at Kuta beach in Bali. (Photo: AP)

Kuta: A Briton and his Australian girlfriend accused of killing a policeman on the Indonesian resort island of Bali were Wednesday forced to re-enact events on the night of the murder.

David Taylor and Sara Connor were taken to the island's popular Kuta beach in orange overalls with the word "prisoner" on the back for the police reconstruction.

Police say there are inconsistencies in their accounts and the reconstruction of the murder of the officer, whose battered body was found on the beach on August 17, was aimed at getting to the bottom of what happened.

David Taylor, right, and his Australian girlfriend Sara Connor, left, re-enact of the killing. (Photo: AP)

The pair embraced when they saw one another at the beach for the first time since their arrest, two days after the murder of traffic officer Wayan Sudarsa.

They were then forced to re-enact step-by-step the authorities' version of events, in front of a media scrum and with officers giving directions.

Taylor, a DJ, has already admitted to police that he clashed with Sudarsa on the night of his death after accusing the officer of stealing Connor's bag.

Police say he flew into a rage and hit the policeman repeatedly over the head with a beer bottle, although his defence lawyer says he was first pushed by the officer.

The pair began the police reconstruction, in the early hours of Wednesday, by acting out the moment they kissed beside the water.

Later, Taylor and a man playing the role of the victim fell onto the sand as they fought.

At one point Connor intervened to try to separate them, as she claimed to police she had done. She has maintained her innocence although police say she played a role in the murder.

She pressed down on the victim, who turned and bit her.

The most dramatic scene was when Taylor acted out hitting the victim over the head with a broken bottle.

"The climax was when the hitting was carried out using a bottle," Hadi Purnomo, police chief in the Balinese capital Denpasar, told reporters after the re-enactment.

Taylor and Connor could face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty of murder.

Bali, a pocket of Hinduism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, is a popular tourist destination with a tropical climate and palm-fringed beaches.

Petty crime is common but murders are rare.
Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, right, and Mutu Say Po, chairman of Karen National Union during their meeting at a hotel in Naypyitaw, Myanmar on Wednesday. (Photo: AP/Representational)

Naypyidaw: Peace talks between Myanmar's government and warring ethnic minorities open on Wednesday seeking to end decades of bloodshed and bring investment to Southeast Asia's poorest country.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will give the opening address to hundreds of rebel leaders, lawmakers and military top brass gathered in the capital Naypyidaw.

Aung San Suu Kyi's freshly minted government is seeking to reshape Myanmar as a federal democracy as the country emerges from decades of oppressive military rule.

The Nobel laureate has made bridging the ethnic fault lines that have fractured the country since independence a priority of her newly minted government, which took power in March.

The outcome could breathe new life into Myanmar's economy as it struggles to emerge from half a century of exploitation and mismanagement by the former junta.

China, India and the West are vying for a share of the vast reserves of jade, tin and prized teak wood in its borderlands that have fuelled conflict with ethnic groups.

"Without peace there can be no sustained development,"

Suu Kyi said during a recent trip to Beijing seeking support for the talks.

Today's meeting comes almost 70 years after her father, independence hero Aung San, signed a landmark agreement to devolve powers to some ethnic groups after independence.

The deal collapsed after he was assassinated, before Myanmar broke from Britain in 1948, but many hope Suu Kyi can revive that spirit at this week's '21st Century Panglong' conference.

Still, few expect the coming days to be anything more than an opening salvo in a peace process that could take years.

Fresh fighting in Kachin and Shan states in the run up to the talks have shattered hopes for a unilateral ceasefire the organisers have been pushing.

Several rebel groups have failed to down weapons  a precondition for them to attend  and remain wary of the ethnic-Bamar central authorities.

Suu Kyi's party, also Bamar, got surprisingly strong support from minority communities in November's elections, winning around a third of the vote.

But privately, government negotiators say they are hamstrung by working with the army, which still controls borders, defence and a quarter of parliament seats.

Distrust of the Tatmadaw, as it is known, runs deep among minorities after decades of oppression, marked by torture, rape and mass killings.

Some 220,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in Kachin, northern Shan and western Rakhine states, according to UN figures released this week.

The conference has nevertheless been hailed as an important first step and one loaded with symbolism in a nation emerging from a dark military past.

Ban described the conference as "an important first step" toward peace at a press conference on the eve of the talks.

"The steps you have taken towards national reconciliation need to be further strengthened, broadened and consolidated," he told reporters.
Seoul: Twelve South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan's military in World War II have sued the Seoul government over a deal it reached with Tokyo to pay the victims, saying it doesn't go far enough to establish Japan's responsibility.

The plaintiffs are each seeking 100 million won ($90,000) from the South Korean government, which they say failed to hold the Japanese government legally responsible when it agreed to the settlement in December, a spokesman from the Seoul Central District Court said Wednesday. He didn't want to be named, citing office rules.

The lawsuit was submitted days after South Korea's Foreign Ministry said surviving victims will each be eligible to receive around 100 million won from a foundation that will be funded by the Japanese government. The ministry said the families of deceased victims will receive about 20 million won ($18,000), and added it expects the Japanese government to soon transfer a promised 1 billion yen ($9.9 million) to the Seoul-based foundation launched in July.

Many in South Korea believe the Seoul government settled for far too less in the sex slave deal and that Japan still hasn't acknowledged legal responsibility for atrocities during its colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Several South Korean victims, including at least six of the plaintiffs who sued the South Korean government, said through local media they will reject payments offered from the foundation.

Under the December agreement, which was described by both governments as "irreversible," Japan pledged to fund the foundation to help support the victims. However, Japan said it didn't consider the 1 billion yen it promised to the fund as compensation, saying such issues were settled in a 1965 treaty that restored diplomatic ties and was accompanied by more than $800 million in economic aid and loans from Tokyo to Seoul.

South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticizing Japan over the issue and will try to resolve a Japanese grievance over a statue of a girl representing victims of sexual slavery that sits in front of the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul.

Historians say tens of thousands of women from around Asia, many of them Korean, were sent to front-line military brothels to provide sex to Japanese soldiers. At the time of the sex slave deal, Seoul said there were 46 surviving South Korean victims.
HARRISBURG  When his daughter was in third grade, Ryan Bannister started having trouble helping her with homework.

It just didnt make sense to me, he said.

Like a lot of parents, Bannister didnt understand the new methods taught under Common Core, adopted by Pennsylvania in 2013. He began researching and became a regional coordinator and legislative liaison for Pennsylvanians Against Common Core, a Facebook group with more than 12,000 members.

It seemed like they were sacrificing simplification for complication, and it seemed like they were teaching, not necessarily the correct answer, but they were trying to teach my child how they should feel about the answer, he said.

Matt Stem, deputy secretary for elementary and secondary education at the state Department of Education, acknowledged the changes.

Theres a greater focus on conceptual understanding and teaching less topics but going in greater depth, teaching topics in strands, all the way down to the kindergarten level, he explained.

This shift in teaching has also created a shift in evaluation.

This was the second year for the new PSSA exam, which tests students in grades 3-8 in math, English, language arts and science. Stem says the new assessments are aligned to the Pennsylvania Core standards and are successful so far.

This year in math, for example, we saw every grade level in the state improve in math year over year, and thats the first time that that has happened in Pennsylvania since 2011, he said.

But Bannister chooses to opt his child out of these tests, which the state says parents can do for religious reasons, but Bannister insists every parent can opt their child out with a strong philosophical belief. The group, PA Against Common Core, has provided opt-out resources on its website.

These tests have nothing to do with grades, nothing to do with GPA or college admission, Bannister said. He also believes the months being spent on common-core-aligned tests are a waste of class time.

Bannister says the federal government has pushed the testing so they can collect data. He claims the data being collected is given to marketing groups.

They offered Pennsylvania billions of dollars to implement common core and, in exchange, we have to provide a data collection system, he said. He went on to claim that without 95 percent participation in the testing, the state does not receive the funding.

Stem could not confirm that, saying he doesnt know at this point what the sanctions are at schools that do not hit 95 percent participation, but he says Pennsylvanias participation levels are well above 95 percent.

And as for the data being collected, Stem says it is for school-wide and community accountability.

What were looking to do is make sure that the investment that communities are making in their schools is measurably demonstrating the return on investment that communities are getting, he said.

The Department of Education says the tests are necessary to ensure that teaching and learning are happening in classrooms and are also required by the federal government.

The every student succeeds act, which was passed last December, requires states to have robust and rigorous college and career-aligned standards, Stem said. He explained it also requires 95 percent participation in statewide tests in math, in English, language arts and science.

Officials admit the methods and standards being taught are different than those parents learned, so they have provided resources for parents.

Stem says everyone can access PA Learns through iTunes U. He says everyone can have access, even without an Apple platform. All you have to do is go into iTunes U courses to download resources, units of study and practice materials to work with children.
A house swept away by a river is seen in the town of Shimizu, Japan's Hokkaido prefecture, in the aftermath of Typhoon Lionrock, on Wednesday. (Photo: AFP)

Tokyo: At least 11 people, including nine elderly people at a nursing home, were found dead on Wednesday in Japan as heavy overnight rain from Typhoon Lionrock left towns flooded across the country's north.

Police discovered the bodies in the town of Iwaizumi while checking another facility in the flooded neighborhood, said Takehiro Hayashijiri, an official at the Iwate prefecture disaster management division.

The identity of the victims and other details, including the whereabouts of their caretakers, were not known, Hayashijiri said. Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the home was for people with dementia.

NHK also reported that authorities have found two more bodies in another town in Iwate prefecture.

Its footage showed the nursing home partially buried in mud, surrounded by debris apparently washed down from the mountains. A car by the home was turned upside down.

"We're making a government-wide effort to assess the extent of damage," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

The government sent the Self-Defense Force, Japan's military, to help in the rescue and cleanup effort.

Further north, on the island of Hokkaido, at least two rivers broke through their banks.

The embankments gave way early Wednesday morning, NHK said, quoting Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism.

Authorities in the town of Minami-furano reported many people trapped in houses and shelters by flooding from the Sorachi river, NHK said.

Typhoon Lionrock made landfall on Tuesday near the city of Ofunato, 500 kilometers northeast of Tokyo on the Pacific coast and crossed the main island of Honshu before heading out to the Sea of Japan.

It was the first time a typhoon has made landfall in the northern region since 1951, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping records.

The scene of large parts of northern Japan covered with muddy water was a shocking reminder of the major tsunami that struck the same region five years ago.

Iwate prefecture, the hardest-hit by the typhoon, is one of the areas still rebuilding from the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake, which left more than 18,000 people dead along Japan's northeastern coast.
Colombo: The Maldives announced Wednesday it is seeking former president Mohamed Nasheed's arrest for failing to return to the troubled archipelago to complete a prison sentence after receiving medical treatment in Britain.

Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically elected president, recently won political asylum in Britain after being granted permission to travel there for treatment while serving the sentence for a terror-related offence.

"A court order (has been) issued for arrest of former president Mohamed Nasheed," the government said in a statement, issued after Nasheed flew to neighbouring Sri Lanka.

"The Maldives correctional service is seeking to have him brought back to serve the remainder of his 13-year sentence," the statement said, without detailing how it planned to seek his return.

Opposition sources said Nasheed has been meeting Maldives opposition groups in Sri Lanka in recent days to hatch a plan to topple the archipelago's president Abdulla Yameen.

Nasheed was among members of several exiled opposition groups meeting in Colombo, two people in Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party said.

The Maldives has been gripped by political turmoil since Nasheed was forced to resign in 2012, denting its image as a paradise for upmarket tourists.

The international community has mounted fierce criticism against what they say is Yameen's unlawful jailing of Nasheed and other opponents.

Nasheed, a climate change activist who was also imprisoned during the three-decade rule of former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was elected president in 2008.

He rose to international prominence when he hosted a cabinet meeting underwater to draw attention to the threat global warming posed to the atoll nation's existence.

But he was forced to resign in February 2012 after a mutiny by police and troops, which followed protests over the arrest of a top judge for alleged corruption, as well as for politically motivated rulings.

Yameen, a half-brother of former strongman Gayoom, won a presidential election run-off against Nasheed in late 2013.

Nasheed was sentenced to prison in March 2015 after being convicted on a charge of terrorism for having the judge arrested.

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".

In June, Yameen's former deputy Ahmed Adeeb was jailed for 15 years on a charge of plotting to assassinate the president.

Sources close to Nasheed said he was "keen" to discuss the Maldives turmoil with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is due to arrive in Colombo late Wednesday on a two-day visit for talks with Sri Lankan leaders.

"He would be keen to meet with Ban Ki-moon," a person close to Nasheed said, adding that no formal request for a meeting has been made.
Seoul: North Korea has made considerable progress this year on weapons technology, including testing a submarine-launched missile for the first time, but it's still not clear if the isolated nation has developed a nuclear warhead.

It also does not yet have a fleet of submarines that can launch the newly developed missile.

Nevertheless, concerns about the threat posed by North Korea have spiralled since it conducted its fourth nuclear explosion in January and followed it up with a series of missile tests despite severe United Nations sanctions.

Also, three major factories known to produce machine parts for North Korea's sanctioned nuclear and missile programmes have been modernised or expanded, according to analysis of recent satellite imagery seen by Reuters, a further sign of its commitment of scarce resources to weapons.

"North Korea has dramatically increased the pace of missile testing and invested heavily in modernising its factories that produce them, something we can see in satellite images," said Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

"These investments have paid off with the recent test of a solid-fuelled submarine-launched missile, but North Korea has not yet completed development of a submarine to carry that missile."

In April, a South Korean official said the North had accomplished miniaturisation of a nuclear warhead to mount on a missile, although there was no direct evidence it had done so. The United States has said the North's claim that it had miniaturised a warhead had to be taken as a credible threat.

"I think North Korea is capable of miniaturising nuclear bombs," said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum and a policy adviser to the South Korean navy. "But they don't have any standardised warhead yet to put on missiles. They keep gathering data through nuclear tests and working to standardise a warhead."

Experts have predicted that the delivery vehicle for the North's first nuclear warhead would be the medium-range Rodong missile, which can fire a 1 tonne (1,100 lb) warhead up to 2,000 km (1,250 miles).

Despite threats to strike the mainland United States, the North is seen as several years away from building an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can carry a nuclear warhead.

Expanded Production

In the past year, North Korea has boasted of numerous weapons breakthroughs in unprecedented detail.

Although some of it was bluster, international experts have concluded North Korea's missiles have flown higher and for longer than previously, indicating progress in the country's banned missile programme.

In June, after repeated failures, it successfully launched an intermediate-range missile, which can fly up to 3,500 km (2,100 miles).

Analysis of satellite images shows that the North has recently expanded factories known to contribute to its nuclear and missile programmes.

An August 22 image of a sprawling plant in a rural area 60 km (37 miles) north of Pyongyang appears to show several new structures, extensive refurbishment of existing buildings and a new entrance to a probable underground facility, according to data from satellite imagery provider Planet that was analysed by Lewis.

The January 18 General Machine Plant has long been used to produce engines for tanks, missiles and other military vessels, according to experts.

"This represents an enormous investment in North Korea's missile production infrastructure, something that is consistent with the propaganda offensive we have seen and the spike in missile testing," said Lewis.

The Kanggye General Tractor Plant, believed by arms control experts to assemble North Koreans munitions, was also upgraded in the last year, according to imagery analysed by Lewis.

The plant is the country's "main weapons production base," a defector who worked in North Korea's secretive munitions industry told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper in 2010.

For Pyongyang, however, building a new submarine fleet seems to be a top priority.

A new construction hall has come up at North Korea's Sinpo submarine base on the east coast, according to images collected by Planet.

An image from Aug 10 shows a new structure being built beside a refurbished pier within the base, although it was not clear if the new hall would house a new class of submarine.

Perfecting submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology and having a fleet of submarines that could deploy the weapons would raise North Korea's threat to Japan and US interests in the Pacific to a new level, given the ability of submarines to escape a land attack and evade missile defence shields.

Leader Kim Jong Un proclaimed the SLBM test the country's "greatest success" and said North Korea was at the "front-rank of nuclear powers".

Moon Keun-sik, a retired South Korean submarine captain and squadron leader, said North Korea's conventional diesel-powered submarines were a persistent threat despite their age but its SLBM-capable craft could be a game-changer.

"North Korea will be or is already in the process of building a newer, bigger submarine that may happen as early as next year," he said.
London: Brexit means Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May asserted on Wednesday rejecting a second referendum as she held a brainstorming session with her ministers on Britains withdrawal from the EU amid reports of major divisions among key figures in the Cabinet. May said that there would be no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door.

Well be looking at the next steps that we need to take, and well also be looking at the opportunities that are now open to us as we forge a new

role for the UK in the world.

That means theres no second referendum, no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door, that were actually going to deliver on this, she told her ministers.

She has indicated that the UK government will not trigger Article 50  the official mechanism for beginning the process of leaving the EU  until the start of 2017 at the earliest.

But as the prime minster was delivering her message, former business minister Anna Soubry said that UK growth was dependent on the free movement of EU citizens across UK borders. Go and talk to those businesses, whether its picking fruit...British business could not survive without access to that free movement of labour, Soubry told the Independent.

Todays meeting at the Prime Ministers country residence is being billed as the most significant since the referendum vote in June.
Russia's defence ministry said an Su-34 warplane killed "up to 40" IS fighters.

Moscow: Russia's military today said its air strikes had killed top Islamic State group strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, after Washington said coalition forces had targeted the jihadist propaganda chief.

In a statement, Russia's defence ministry said an Su-34 warplane yesterday killed "up to 40" IS fighters in a bombing raid near the village of Um Hosh in the province of Aleppo.

Russia has been flying its own bombing campaign in Syria in support of leader Bashar al-Assad since September but this is first time they have claimed to have killed a top-ranking IS leader.

"According to information confirmed through several intelligence channels, field commander Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was among those killed," the statement said.

The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency announced propaganda chief Adnani's death late on Tuesday, saying he "was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo" in northern Syria.

The United States said coalition forces had targeted Adnani, who had a USD 5-million bounty on his head, in an air strike in Aleppo province yesterday and that the Pentagon was still assessing the result.

His death will be a major blow to IS, which has suffered a series of setbacks this year including territorial losses in Syria and Iraq and the killings of other top figures.

Adnani, a Syrian born in 1977, was one of IS's most recognised leaders, at the heart of a sophisticated propaganda and recruitment machine that produced slick videos and sustained a huge social media presence.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum was greeted by empty seats on a surprise check at government offices. (Photo: Instagram)

Dubai: In a major overhaul, Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, forced nine high ranking officials to go on retirement on Monday, a day after he was greeted by empty seats on a surprise check at government offices.

Earlier on Sunday, Sheikh Maktoum made a surprise visit to the Department of Economic Development office and found the entire office empty.

Videos uploaded by the government officials on Instagram showed the ruler wandering around in the deserted office, inspecting files and books abandoned on the table.

Officials and media claimed that the exercise was aimed at 'sending a message'.

Some of those laid off include Abdul Qader Al Jasmi, director of legal affairs, deputy director general Eisa Al Maidoor and assistant Director General for corporate support Mohammad Abdul Karim Julfar.

Thanking the nine retired officers for their services, the Sheikh said that he wanted to usher in a new generation of young leaders, handing them the reign to ensure delivery of quality services.

Al-Maktoum, who is known for his early morning visits, was also photographed waving to passers-by and locals on his visit to the government offices.

The move is seen a part of increasing attempt by the leaders from across the Gulf countries to prop up the bureaucracy, and bring in more efficiency, as slumping oil prices put pressures on state finances.

The ruler also made a visit to the airport, but thankfully found all the immigration officers in place.
Hussain is a British national and the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. (Photo: AP)

Islamabad: Pakistan's Ministry of Interior says it has written a formal request to London to seek legal action against an ethnic party leader, Altaf Hussain.

A ministry statement says the government has sent a dossier on Hussain to UK authorities on Tuesday, with allegations of inciting violence and disturbing law and order in Pakistan.

Read: Jailed MQM leader Waseem Akhtar takes oath as Karachi mayor

Hussain is a British national and the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM party, which has long dominated politics in the southern city of Karachi.

He delivered an anti-government speech last week via telephone to his supporters. Afterward they ransacked three television stations. One person was killed in the ensuing violence.

Pakistani security forces have arrested dozens of MQM supporters and sealed many of the party's offices.
The Islamic State group has said its spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed while monitoring military operations in the Syrian province of Aleppo.



The announcement came as a US defence official said an IS "senior leader" was targeted in a US-led coalition air strike yesterday in Aleppo province. "Coalition forces conducted an air strike in Al-Bab, Syria, targeting an (IS) senior leader," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



"We are still assessing the results of the operation at this time." Quoting a "military source", IS news agency Amaq said: "Sheikh Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, the spokesman of the Islamic State, was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo".



It said he died after a "long voyage crowned by sacrifice" and vowed "revenge" at the hands of a "new generation born unto the Islamic State".



Analysts have described Adnani as a key figure of the jihadist group. "In the collective jihadist memory Abu Mohamed al-Adnani will always be the one who announced the 'restoration of the caliphate' in June 2014," said jihadist expert Romain Caillet.



Adnani was originally from the western Syrian province of Idlib and joined the jihadist movement in Iraq where he served now slain Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and held several positions.



Aymenn Jawad Tamimi, an expert on jihadist groups, said Adnani's death "is significant symbolically and in pointing to the wider decline of the Islamic State".



"If a coalition air strike hit him, it shows intelligence penetration by the coalition is very high. Otherwise it would not have been possible to take out so many high-ranking figures," he said.



Another analyst, Charles Lister, tweeted that Adnani's death is a "big blow to IS". Amaq did not say how Adnani was "martyred".



IS has regularly urged followers to target disbelievers. Adnani made such request in September 2014, calling on supporters to use stones, knives or even vehicles in their attacks to kill French or US citizens.
Taking serious note of the death of a 12-year-old boy due to alleged negligence of doctors, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has suspended the Chief Medical Superintendent of the Kanpur Medical College.





"The CM has suspended CMS of Kanpur Medical College R C Gupta with immediate effect," he said in a statement issued late last night.



Yadav said the state government is committed to provide better medical facilities to the people and insensitive doctors will not be tolerated.



The UP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UPSCPCR) had also ordered a probe into the Kanpur incident where a man alleged that his 12-year-old son died due to negligence of the doctors at JSVM Medical College.



"We have issued a notice to the district magistrate, who had submitted his reply that a two-member committee has been constituted to probe into the incident," UPSCPCR Chairperson Juhie Singh had said.



She said the commission had asked the district magistrate to get the matter probed and submit his report within a week. "We have asked that in case he was not authorised to take action, then he should identify the people who committed laxity and send his report," she said.



Sunil Kumar brought his son Anshu, who was suffering from fever, to the emergency ward of Hallet hospital of JSVM Medical College in Kanpur on August 28 and alleged that doctors asked him to go from one department to another which he did while carrying his son on his shoulders and the boy died later, a charge which the hospital authorities have refuted.



JVSM Medical College Principal Navneet Kumar said the child was already brought dead to the hospital and an inquiry has been ordered into the matter. A committee led by three doctors has been asked to submit a report on the matter within three days, Kumar said.



Kanpur District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma has also ordered an inquiry into the matter and has formed a two-member committee, comprising Additional City Magistrate and Additional Chief Medical Officer.
A 15-year-old boy was killed today in clashes between security forces and violent protesters in Sopore area of north Kashmir Baramulla district, taking the death toll in the ongoing unrest in the Valley to 69.



Danish Manzoor and six other persons sustained injuries when security forces allegedly opened fire at stone-pelting protesters in Lodora in Sopore area, a police official said.



He said Danish succumbed to injuries while being shifted to a hospital in Sopore town.

With this death, the toll in the ongoing unrest in Kashmir has gone up to 69.



The fresh clashes occurred even as authorities lifted curfew from all areas of Kashmir today after 53 days.



"There is no curfew anywhere in Kashmir today. It has been lifted even from the two police station areas in Srinagar - M R Gunj and Nowhatta - the only places in the Valley where the curbs were in place yesterday," a police official said earlier.



He said the improvement in situation across Kashmir prompted authorities to lift curfew.

Security forces have been deployed in strength in sensitive areas of the Valley to maintain law and order, the official said.



Greater movement of vehicular traffic and people was observed in major areas of the Valley, the official said. In Srinagar city, where authorities lifted the curfew on Monday, private cars and auto-rickshaws were seen on roads in and around the commercial hub of Lal Chowk here.



However, normal life remained disrupted in many other areas of the Valley. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions and shops remained closed. The attendance in government offices and work in banks has witnessed improvement since Monday, the official said.



Curfew was clamped in entire Valley on July 9 following violence in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in south Kashmir s Anantnag district a day earlier.



The separatist camp, which is spearheading the agitation in the Valley, has extended their strike call till September 1. Meanwhile, mobile internet continued to remain suspended in the entire Valley, where the outgoing facility on prepaid mobiles remained barred.
PV Sindhu to be appointed as brand ambassador of CRPF

Published: August 31, 2016

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has decided to appoint Olympic silver medallist P. V. Sindhu as its honorary commandant and brand ambassador.

It was announced by CRPFs Director General K.Durga Prasad after she had agreed to become the Indias largest paramilitary forces brand ambassador. In this regard, CRPF also has moved the proposal before the Home Ministry.

She will be given honorary Commandant rank in the CRPF which is equivalent to the position of a Superintendent of Police (SP) and such an officer who commands a battalion of about 1,000 personnel.

About Central Reserve Police Force (CRFP)

CRPF is the largest central armed police force or paramilitary force in India. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Its primary role is to assist States/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and contain insurgency.

It was established in 1939, under Crown Representatives Police but after independence it was made statutory CRPF after enactment of the CRPF Act, 1949.

At present, CRPF is the worlds largest paramilitary force with 228 battalions and over three lakh personnel.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2016

Topics: Badminton  CRPF  National  Persons in News  PV Sindhu  Sports

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In a ruling which can have far- reaching consequences, the Supreme Court today set aside the controversial acquisition of 997.11 acres of land in Singur in 2006 by the then Left Front government in West Bengal to set up Tata Motors' ambitious Nano car manufacturing plant.





The verdict, which came as a huge setback to the auto major, was delivered by a bench of Justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra which quashed the land acquisition process invoked by the erstwhile CPI(M)-led government headed by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.



Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, which first came to power in 2011 after spearheading agitation of cultivators affected by the acquisition, got a shot in its arm as the apex court approved its political plank that the land should be returned to the cultivators.



The two judges, who were unanimous in quashing the acquisition process and for retainment of the compensation awarded to the land owners and the cultivators for being deprived of the use of their land for last 10 years, gave their own separate reasonings for arriving at their findings.



They agreed that the land should be restored in 12 weeks to the owners and cultivators after completing the survey, identification and other formalities within 10 weeks.



The apex court said the state government cannot claim back the amount of compensation given to the land-losers as it had enjoyed the right over the acquired land for ten years.



There was disagreement between the two judges on two points, with Justice Gowda saying that the land was not acquired for public purpose directly by the Tata Motors and Justice Mishra holding that there was no illegality in the land acquisition of land for public purpose as it would have given employement to thousands of people in West Bengal.



Immediately after the verdict, Banerjee, the Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo, termed the judgement as a landmark victory and said "We waited for ten years for this judgement and it is a victory of the farmers".



Her party's Lok Sabha MP and senior advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay who spearheaded the legal battle told PTI that the judgement is going to be an "eye-opener" in land acquisition cases.



"After 10 years of a long political and legal battle, the apex court has successfully approved the stand taken by us to the extent that the acquisition was illegal," he said.



The two judges concurred that the objections by land owners and cultivators were not considered objectively by the state authorities and its instrumentalities were influenced by the state cabinet decision.



The bench found fault with the acquisition proceedings and subsequent computation of compensation by the land acquisition collector and said the claims of the cultivators were not "properly handled".



It said that the composite award granted to the cultivators was impermissible under law.



Justice Mishra, while agreeing with Justice Gowda on the quashing of the land acquisition, said though the land was not required for the purpose it was acquired, as the project was shifted from Singur to Sanad in Gujarat, the apex court can invoke Article 142 (inherent power of Supreme Court) of the Constitution for the purpose of returning the land to the original owners.



The bench passed the directions by allowing the appeals filed by some farmers and NGOs and set aside the January 18, 2008 order of Calcutta High Court.



The appeals against High Court order were filed various farmers and NGOs including one Kedar Nath Yadav.



It was alleged that the acquisition of land was against the relevant provisions of Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and other rules.



The petitions charged the then government with acquiring the most fertile and valuable land for a corporate house like Tata Motors.



It was also claimed that then state government and WBIDC did not prepare a master plan for securing development of trade, commerce and industries in the state as per the object of the West Bengal Industrial Infra-Structure Development Corporation Act, 1974.



Seeking judicial intervention, the appeals had said the acquired plots were "so fertile" that they were being cultivated twice or thrice a year and the acquisition in the name of public purposes had violated the fundamental rights of the farmers.
A retired Army Colonel has been arrested in connection with the alleged bogus recruitment racket at the Artillery Centre here, police said today.





Colonel (retd) Sukhpritsingh Arjunsingh Randhawa (59), a resident of Noida in Uttar Pradesh, who is alleged to be the mastermind of the bogus Army recruitment racket, was arrested yesterday from Noida by a team of the city's Upnagar police station.



The personnel, who recently retired from the Army, will be brought to Nashik for further probe in the case, Deputy Commissioner of Police Shrikant Dhivare said.



Police had on July 11 arrested four men claiming to be Army recruits -- Balbir Ramchandra Gurjar, Sureshkumar Shivcharan Mahanto, Sachinkumar Kishansingh and Tejapal Motiram Chopada -- all hailing from Rajasthan, for allegedly submitting fake documents for joining the Artillery Centre here.

They were held following a complaint lodged by an Artillery Centre official.



A case was registered against them under sections 420, 465, 468, 471, 120-B and 34 of IPC, Upnagar police station in charge Ashok Bhagat said.



During interrogation, the four men confessed that they paid Rs six lakh each to get entry into the Army by using fake documents, police said.



Later, the Upnagar police arrested jawan Girirajsing Ghanshyamsingh Chouhan, of Rajputana Rifles regiment, posted in New Delhi, and agent Tekchand Meghawal, a resident of Rajasthan's Alvar district, on August 23.



According to Bhagat, seven persons, including the retired Colonel and an agent, have so far been arrested in connection with the case.



The interrogation of Randhawa is expected to throw light on how many youths were cheated and recruited in the Army on the basis of fake documents, he added.


The Delhi government's ambitious 'Chunauti-2018' scheme has been touted as a programme which will help arrest dropout rates in government schools. But it faces one big challenge  shortage of teachers.



There are currently 16,000 unfilled vacancies for teachers in Delhi government schools. If guest teachers are not included, the figure mounts to 28,000.



Experts say the shortage can be a roadblock to the scheme which aims to curb dropouts and improve learning levels from class 6 to 9.



Implementing Chunauti when there is a shortage of teachers, especially in overcrowded schools, is actually a 'chunauti' (challenge), said a school official from Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Mori Gate.



While many schools have welcomed the scheme, they have cautioned that such a huge shortage of teachers may not bring the desired results. For some subjects like English, which a problem for most students, there is an acute shortage of teachers at many schools.



We have more than 20 vacant posts in this school. The students, especially in the Vishwas group, have to sit idle for some periods like English and Science. If this problem is not solved, the purpose of this scheme may be defeated, said the principal of a west Delhi school.



A school official at Government Senior Secondary School in Dwarka, who did not wish to be identified, said the number of sections in each class increased when students were divided according to learning levels. This means more teachers are now needed.



Under the scheme, the students are divided into three groups: Pratibha (who can read and write passages from their textbook and do basic math), Nishtha (who have scored below 33 per cent in their previous class and struggle in reading and writing), and Vishwas (who have failed class 9 twice or more).



When the scheme was started, we were short of 10 teachers. We wrote to the district authorities several times and now some have been recruited. There are still some vacancies, the school official said.



The Delhi government's Education Department is aware of the problem. It is currently busy chalking out a policy to find a solution.



The DoE's Planning Division is brainstorming on decentralising the recruitment of teachers and giving powers to principals to recruit them locally.



The appointment of regular teachers is a long process so the department is thinking what other policy can be adopted, an official said.



The suggested recruitment by principals would be on contract  a process different from both regular teachers as well as `guest teachers.



School principals say it will be a good move.



In Kendra Vidyalayas, the principals have the authority to recruit teachers which helps them deal with vacancies very swiftly, unlike in government schools where it is a centralised process, said a school principal.


A couple along with six of their accomplices were arrested by Delhi Police for their involvement in human trafficking.





The arrested have been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), said police.



The arrested include Saira Begum and her husband Aafaq Hussain, who had been running several brothels in Delhis Garstin Bastion (GB) Road.



The couple control and carry forward the illegal business of human trafficking and prostitution, and have been receiving earnings from the business of commercial sexual exploitation since year 1999 to till date, said a police officer.



According to police the couple ran a syndicate which is suspected to have trafficked more than 5,000 girls from Nepal and remote areas of West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Assam, Andhra and other states.



It all started in 2013 when on the statement of two rescued girls from a brothel in GB Road, two separate cases were registered by the Crime Branch.



On June 16, 2015, during the investigation of the two cases, Saira Begum and Afaq Hussain, who were the owner of the kotha from where the two girls were rescued were arrested.



On interrogation of the two it became clear that they are running an organized racket of human trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation of destitute girls with the help of traffickers, said police.



Prostitution syndicate



The husband-wife duo Afaq and Saira controlled trafficking and prostitution syndicate with the help of accused Shamshad, Mumtaz, Shilpa and Pooja who worked as kotha managers. They were paid 15 per cent of the monthly earnings which runs into crores. Sarfaraz provided muscle power to the whole syndicate, said police.



The Crime Branch study of crime pattern revealed that girls from different states of the country and Nepal, most of them minors, were victims of this racket. They are sold to the kotha owners at G B Road at the rate of Rs 1-2 lakh.



The young girls are thrashed, confined in hidden cells, intoxicated and kept starved for many days to force them in sex trade. The kotha operators recovered monthly 8-10 per cent of the amount as well as interest on it which was spent on buying them, said a police officer.



Accused Saira who hailed from Andhra Pradesh used to be a sex worker at the kothas that she later owned. She was arrested several times in the past while her husband Afaq who hailed from UP was also arrested previously by the police.



Police unearthed properties and bank deposits to the tune of several crores besides four luxury cars owned by the couple. They possessed four properties in Delhi and two in Bangalore apart from indirectly owning portions of half a dozen Kothas on G B Road.
Congress mouthpiece National Herald, which became defunct in 2008, shall resume publication, the Associated Journals Ltd announced today naming senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as its new Editor-in-Chief.





"The Associated Journals Ltd, a company founded in 1937 by Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru, has taken steps to resume publication of its English and Hindi newspapers National Herald and Navjivan.



"The company has appointed senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as Editor-in-chief for its Hindi and English newspapers and digital properties with immediate effect," Congress Treasurer Motilal Vora, who is also managing director of AJL Limited, announced today.



Without specifying the exact date when the newspapers plan to resume publication, he said it would happen in coming months and will be followed by reviving of Quami Awaz, its defunct Urdu newspaper.



Mishra had earlier been Editor of Outlook Hindu and has done extensive work in areas of research and documentation including for the Right to Information movement and legislation.



Vora said the spirit of the forthcoming publications of The Association Journals Limited, a not for profit company, is captured by the tagline "Freedom is in peril, defend it with your might".



He said the publications shall seek to give voice to the vision of Nehru and shall seek to occupy a liberal, progressive, secular space.



"They shall strive to represent the under-represented and all those deprived of voice, thereby promoting the ideals of a plural, democratic party," he said.



Announcing the plans of relaunching the newspaper last month, Vora had said the decision was taken at an Extraordinary General Meeting of AJL in Lucknow in January and the process is on.



In the Lucknow meeting, the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) had decided to convert into a not-for-profit company and re-launch its newspapers.



The decision had come in the midst of a legal battle over its past, which has ensnared Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. The issue is pending in court.



BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who has also filed a private complaint in a local court, has accused top Congress leaders of misappropriation, a charge vehemently denied by the Congress leadership.



Swamy has also written to Urban development Ministry demanding cancellation of land allotment and confiscation of properties to AJL for alleged violation of allotment conditions.



Both Sonia Gandhi and and Rahul Gandhi along with five others have been granted bail by the court on December 19, 2015 after they appeared in response to the summons.



The Enforcement Directorate has separately booked former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda,officials of the Associated Journal Limited (AJL), publisher of the National Herald newspaper, and others on charges of alleged money laundering.



The central probe agency registered a criminal case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a Haryana State Vigilance Bureau FIR of May this year.



The Vigilance Bureau had registered a case of cheating and corruption against Hooda and four officials who were in HUDA for allegedly re-alloting a plot to AJL in Panchkula in 2005.


West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed as "landmark victory" the Supreme Court judgement today on land acquisition by Tata Motors at Singur for its abandoned Nano car project.





"The Supreme Court judgement on Singur is a landmark victory. We have waited 10 years for this judgement," she told reporters at the state secretariat here.



Banerjee, who steered political opposition against the land acquisition process of the then Left Front government in West Bengal forcing Tatas to abandon the project in 2008, said her government would shortly work out on a mechanism to return land to the farmers as directed by the court.



The division bench of justices Arun Mishra and V Gopala Gowda of the apex court ruled that the land acquisition process in Singur was faulty and not for public purpose.



The court directed that land be returned to the farmers within 12 weeks.

"From the beginning, we had been telling that the method of the acquisition was unethical and land was taken away forcibly from the farmers," Banerjee said.



She said she had staged a hunger strike in the city which lasted for 26 days to protest against the acquisition process.



The genesis of her party Trinamool Congress' slogan 'Maa-Maati-Manush' (mother-land-people) was from the Singur movement which saw many intellectuals including late Mahasweta Devi contributing their bit for the cause, she said.



"Had Mahasweta Devi been alive today, she would have been very happy... It is victory for the farmers, victory for truth and victory for Maa-Maati-Manush.

This triumph of the people of Singur would be written in history," she said.

Tata Motors had acquired nearly 1,000 acres for the project.



Banerjee objected to this and asked the Tatas to return 400 acres to farmers who were not willing to part with their land for the project and declined to take compensation.



She would hold a strategy meeting tomorrow on how to implement the court's order.



Banerjee paid tribute to Tapasi Malik, a farmer's daughter at Singur who was in the forefront of the agitation by anti-land acquisition Krishi Jami Raksha Committee floated by Trinamool Congress.



The half-burnt body of the 18-year-old girl was found on December 18, 2006 at Bajemelia near the project site.



The case, which led to public uproar, was initially handled by CID but was handed over to CBI by the West Bengal government after demands by opposition.



In an embarrassment to Left Front major CPI(M), the party's former secretary of Singur zonal committee Suhrid Dutta and supporter Debu Malik were convicted in the Tapasi Malik murder case by a Hoogly district court.



Banerjee also reminded how Singur movement was followed by Nandigram movement, which was also against land acqusition for industry purpose.



"My salute to Singur farmers who were never cowed down by the pressure of the then state government for illegal acquisition of land.



"We spearheaded the Singur movement taking all farmers together against this unjust acquisition of land. We never wanted to deprive any farmer and wanted to ensure that none of them was discriminated," she said.



Hitting out at the erstwhile Left Front government for Singur land acquisition, Banerjee said it was a "historical suicide" by CPI(M).



"I can die peacefully, I am so happy (with the verdict)," she added.


Farmers whose land was acquired for the Tata Motors Nano car factory at Singur and their families burst out in jubilation today after the Supreme Court held the acquisition illegal.





Hundreds of people, who were waiting for the apex court's verdict since the morning, erupted in joy as soon as the news flashed on their television screens.



They stepped out of their houses to congratulate each other. Men, women and children clapped, danced and cheered together and greeted each other with green gulal and sweets.



Rallies were taken out with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's posters.

Slogans like 'Mamata Banerjee zindabad', 'Mamata Banerjee tomay amra bhulchi na, bhulbo na (we will never forget you)' echoed in the air.



"It is because of 'didi' that we have seen today's victory...We are very happy today. Didi's perseverance and our faith in her have finally reaped this victory," they said expressing gratitude to Banerjee who had fought an unflinching battle for months at Singur and in Kolkata, including a 26-day hunger strike.



It was her anti-land acquisition movement at Singur in November, 2006 that had brought Banerjee back to prominence after her party's huge setback in the Assembly elections earlier that year.



Riding on the Singur movement and the one at Nandigram in January 2007, Banerjee turned the table on the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which began losing political ground in the state starting the 2008 panchayat and the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, culminating in their defeat in the 2011 Assembly election in the state after 34 years.



After coming to power in 2011, Banerjee's first legislation was the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011 for returning land to the unwilling farmers.



The villagers of Singur, located off Durgapur Expressway, about 40 km from Kolkata, were happy with the Supreme Court's directive that compensation paid to them would not have to be paid back and those who had not taken the compensation, would now get it at the same rate.



Asked what would they do after getting their land back, the farmers said they could decide only after seeing the condition of it as construction activities were carried out there and no cultivation was done in the vacant portions for 10 years.


A judicial inquiry into the controversial land deals in Haryana allegedly involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra today submitted its report to the state government, apparently finding irregularities in the deals.



Justice S N Dhingra, a former judge of Delhi High Court, presented a 182-page report to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, 15 months after he was appointed to probe land deals in Gurgaon during the tenure of the then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.



While refusing to give details of the contents of the report, Justice Dhingra indicated that he clearly found irregularities in the grant of land licenses in the area. The land deals became a major issue in 2014 during the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in Haryana.



Asked by newsmen whether the commission found any irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, "Had there been no irregularity I would have given one sentence report mentioning there is no irregularity. My report has 182 pages. Without it (irregularity), I did not have any reason to write 182 pages."



To a query about the companies involved in the irregularities, he said, "I do not know about which particular company you (media) are talking. My mandate was to inquire about irregularity in grant of licenses."



The Khattar government had on May 14, 2015 set up the one-man Commission to probe issues concerning the grant of license(s) for developing commercial colonies by the Department of Town and Country Planning to some entities in Sector 83, Gurgaon including mutation of land deal between a firm M/S Skylight Hospitality owned by Robert Vadra and realty major DLF.



Justice Dhingra said that it is for the government to act on the report, including making it public after laying it in the state assembly.



"I cannot disclose the contents of the report. It is the property of the state government which is to decide the timing of making public the report," he added. The Commission had been given three extensions so far.



Asked whether any government official or private persons were involved in irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, "I have probed irregularity in grant of licenses and the manner in which these irregularities were committed and the persons who were benefitted from it.



"Rest, indictment, is for the state to proceed against whatever it considers against whom it is to proceed and against whom it is not to proceed. That is the state's prerogative.



"I have named each and every person who is responsible whether private or government. Any person who was involved in irregularity has been mentioned (in the report) and role has also been mentioned. Beyond that I would not tell you who were they and what was the role," he further said.



Justice Dhingra said his report was in two parts which contained findings and evidence.



"The report has two volumes. One is findings and second part has evidence of findings. The third part has some documents which I received on June 30 which needed to be investigated and I have mentioned for its investigation in the report," he said.



"This report is about all the subjects which were handed over to me and handled all the issues in my report in detail and whatever evidence I have got from files, I have mentioned in it."



However, he declined to share details of the findings of his report, saying it is up to the government to make it public. "If the government wants to make it public then you (media) will get it," he said.



"I cannot talk about contents of the report as it is legally government's property. Till it takes any decision after going through it or make it public I cannot say on it," he said.



Asked whether this report could be challenged, Justice Dhingra said, "if you know the law of this country any order which is perfectly legal can also be challenged.



"Is there any bar on challenging perfectly legal orders? If you do not know a perfectly legal order of the lowest court can be challenged right up to the Supreme Court even it is upheld in SC."



On action against how many people mentioned in the report, Justice Dhingra said, "I have told Mr Khattar what I told you that here is my report. The first part is the findings and second part is annexure and third part is documents which you need to investigate."



To a further query, he said, "CAG report if you have read it I will say CAG report was for small aspect. This is a detailed report which covered all the aspects."



Asked whether senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka was called, Justice Dhingra said, "If I had to call Khemka, I would have called him. I did not require him. Whosoever was required, I called him."



Asked about Congress allegations that the report was made public deliberately and that he had taken benefits from Haryana government, Justice Dhingra said, "you (media) can run those allegations...what can I say."



The Dhingra Commission had been given three extensions.



On June 30, the BJP government had extended the term of the Dhingra Commission for the third time by two months till August 31, 2016 after he had sought six weeks more time to submit its report to go through some documents from a person stating "that they are documents of benami transactions of who benefitted from the grant of license."



The Rs 58-crore deal related to 3.5 acre land in Gurgaon's Shikohpur village which was sold by Vadra to DLF.



The Commission was to probe transfer or disposal of land, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules, and other connected matters, bringing the Vadra land deal under the scanner.



Thereafter, on August 28 last year, the Commission's scope was extended to four villages which included Shikhopur, Sihi, Kheri Daula and Sikanderpur Badha bringing Gurgaon's sector 78 to 86 under its ambit.



In October, 2012, senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka had cancelled the mutation of the land deal between Skylight Hospitality and DLF on the ground that assistant consolidation officer who had sanctioned the change of title, was not competent to do so. It was also mired by controversy over allegations of undervaluation.



BJP had made the land deals under the previous Congress government in Haryana a major poll issue during the 2014 Lok Sabha and the state Assembly polls, alleging rules were relaxed to favour a few including Vadra.



Justice Dhingra Commission had examined about 250 files related to the grant of commercial licenses, besides examining several government officials.



Congress had, earlier, attacked Justice Dhingra, alleging, "he sought favors from government of Haryana, making him incompetent and unsuitable to deliver any verdict or report in the matter."



Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had also sought scrapping the Dhingra Commission of Inquiry, pointing out that it was "contrary to established rules and norms, without due cabinet approval and prompted by malice and political considerations".


Union Cabinet approves creation of PDF to catalyse Indian economic presence in CLMV countries

Published: August 31, 2016

The Union Cabinet has given its approval to create a Project Development Fund (PDF) for catalysing Indian economic presence in the CLMV countries viz. Cambodia, Laos Myanmar and Vietnam.

The PDF will have corpus of Rs 500 Crore and shall be housed in Department of Commerce. It will be operated through the EXIM Bank.

Key Facts

The PDF will be governed by an Inter-Ministerial Committee under the chairpersonship of the Commerce Secretary.

It will benefit Indias industrial community for business expansion in the CLMV countries.

Besides it will also help to maintain cost competitive supply chains, besides integrating with global production networks.

Background

CLMV countries namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have a unique position in the regional value chains in Southeast Asia region.

These countries offer a gateway for market access to China, European Union and other markets due to various trade agreements.

Comment

Thus, creation of Project Development Fund (PDF) will give key advantage position to India in securing regional value chains on a long term basis.

Besides, it will provide a dedicated market for Indian raw materials and intermediate goods and also a dedicated source of raw materials for Indian industry.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2016

Topics: Cabinet Decisions  Cambodia  CLMV Countries  Laos  Myanmar  National  Project Development Fund  Vietnam

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Security agencies will carry out an extensive examination of the speeches of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who has been accused of promoting extremist and radical views.





The move comes after a fresh legal opinion suggested that more information should be gathered by security agencies to nail Naik, who has been away from the country ever since allegations surfaced against him, official sources said.



The security agencies have been asked to go deeper and examine more speeches of Naik delivered in last few years and the alleged irregularities committed by him, the sources said.



Naik has come under the scanner of the security agencies after Bangladeshi newspaper 'Daily Star' had reported that one of the attackers of the July 1 terror strike in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.



He in a lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly "urged all Muslims to be terrorists".



Naik, a popular but controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation, is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.



He is popular in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preachings often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects.


Wrapping up the BJP's key internal meetings to push his government's and the organisation's agenda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked its Rajya Sabha members to focus on bringing in the poor and deprived sections of society into the party's fold.





"Whichever state you come from, you should raise its issues. You should play an effective role in associating all sections of society, especially the poor and deprived, with the party," Modi said in his valedictory address to a meeting of BJP Rajya Sabha members. All 52 RS members of BJP attended the meeting, which was also addressed by party chief Amit Shah.



Modi noted in the first such meeting of the Rajya Sabha members that the party gave them a platform of "distinct identity" and they must work to bring people from new areas into its fold, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters at a briefing.



Asked which sections of the society Modi wanted them to focus on, Prasad did not name any community but added that more people from some sections could be associated with the party. He noted that BJP received votes of all communities in the Lok Sabha polls.



The saffron party is making efforts to woo Dalits and other marginalised sections of society ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. The repeated invocation of the poor by the top party brass is seen as an attempt to reach out to these groups after the saffron outfit came under attack from the opposition over incident of assault on Dalits, including in Modi's home state Gujarat by cow vigilantes.



Modi said the Rajya Sabha members could also play an effective role in expanding the organisation. Earlier in the day, party chief Amit Shah asked them to adopt a Lok Sabha constituency BJP had lost in 2014 and nurse it so that it could win there in the next elections.



Asking them to play an effective role in Parliament, the Prime Minister urged them to work hard to publicise the Centre's achievements among the masses.



Claiming that the BJP has set a "new precedent" by bringing in relatively young leaders to the Upper House, he asked them to work with new vigour and energy.



He also asked them to be active on the social media, about which the party's social media cell gave a presentation at the meeting.



The Prime Minister said the Rajya Sabha members should not work only in states they come from but also where the party wants to involve them.



BJP is a party of workers and it has come this far due to their dedication and commitment, Modi said.



Union ministers Arun Jaitley, who is the Leader of the Rajya Sabha, and M Venkaiah Naidu also spoke earlier while the party general secretary, organisation, Ramlal asked them to work more effectively for the organisaiton.



The party had last week held separate meetings of core committee leaders from all states and that of its chief ministers.


Landmark Group has launched its third fashion retail chain Easybuy to cater to Indias fashion inquisitive, yet value-conscious, audience.





The group, which already operates fashion retail chains Max and Splash, has taken a different approach this time by offering over 1,000 specific styles for customers in tier II and III cities.



Easybuy Business Head Anand Aiyer said, Easybuy marks Landmark Groups endeavour to penetrate tier II and III markets in India. While customers in such markets are brand-aspirational, they remain value-conscious. Easybuy balances these elements by bringing in the credibility of Landmark Group, while maintaining prices in the Rs 69 to Rs 699 range.



Two years back, the company launched its first store in Karimnagar and has slowly expanded its presence across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It recently launched its first store in Bengaluru, following which, it plans to expand across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.



Currently, we are at 14 stores. By this year-end, we plan to touch 30 stores, and 50 within two years. In the first phase of our expansion, we plan to cover all of South India including Kerala, after which, we will venture to the North, he said.



For the first time, the company is adopting a franchise model, while its other fashion retail brand Max is company-owned and operated.



Having invested Rs 50 crore in setting up the brand, the company has partnered with several small manufacturers to source its products. We have made significant investments into an auto replenishment system to replenish stocks based on each stores requirements.
As China prepares to host the Group of 20 economic summit meeting this weekend in Hangzhou, it is determined to show the world that it is an equal partner in one of the most exclusive clubs of wealthy nations.





The conference, in this striking lakeside city south of Shanghai, will be the most significant gathering of world leaders in Chinas history, and President Xi Jinping has ordered stringent security to ensure it goes off without a hitch.



The government is using all the levers of its authoritarian system, forcing residents to move out of buildings near the meeting site to diminish the risk of protests or attacks and telling workers to take vacations to help clear the city and present a sanitised version of one of Chinas most vibrant economic hubs.



It has gone so far as to banish cooks who are Uighurs, a Muslim minority that has been accused of fomenting terrorism, from working at one restaurant in the city.

Not for the first time, officials want to demonstrate to people at home and abroad that China, the worlds second-largest economy after the United States, deserves a bigger role in global governance.



The rotating presidency, now held by China, is the culmination of a long battle for acceptance at the top of the international system. Though China is a member of the United Nations Security Council, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, the countrys leadership feels as if it has been treated too much like a Johnny-come-lately at global summit meetings.



The G20 appeals to China as a place to stake its influence because its members include some developing countries that Beijing enlists as friends, yet as a whole the group represents more than 80% of the world economy and a big portion of world trade.



Hosting the G20 offers a significant opportunity for China to become a rule maker rather than a rule taker, said Zhu Jiejin, an associate professor of international relations at Fudan University. The G20 may not be a platform of bounding force, but at least it ensures we have equal say along with the developed countries.



Yet China takes centre stage just as the popular mood in the West sours toward globalisation, the American presidential candidates retreat from free trade, and skepticism abounds about the ability of the G20  more of a talk shop than an enforcer  to raise sluggish world growth.



On geopolitical questions, China is making sure that issues like its activities in the South China Sea and its overproduction of steel, rattling the US and Europe, are absent from the agenda.



There will not be any policy miracles coming out of the summit, said Tristram Sainsbury, project director of G20 studies at Lowy Institute for International Policy in Australia.



That makes the show, itself, even more important. For China, first and last its about the show, and to show they can organise a major international meeting, said Matthew P Goodman, a G20 expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.



Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang, is one of the most prosperous centres in the country and serves as the base for the e-commerce giant Alibaba. Xi served as secretary of the Communist Party for Zhejiang in the mid-2000s. The partys resilience under Xi  on display with giant flags showing the hammer and sickle at security checkpoints  is part of the meetings message.



One of Xis provincial successors, the party chief, Xia Baolong, said the meeting would demonstrate the great achievement of Chinas opening and reform and the immense superiority of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the governments description of its political and economic system.



No matter where global summit meetings are held, host cities invest in huge amounts of security to avert terrorist attacks and to dampen protests. In 2012, President Barack Obama moved a G-8 meeting from Chicago to Camp David, Maryland, because of the fear of large demonstrations.



In Hangzhou, thousands have been forced to move from luxury high-rise buildings near the conference centre, their apartments sealed with tape to prevent a sniper from venturing inside.



Government and private sector workers have been granted vacations, and migrant workers have been told to return to their home provinces. In an effort to guarantee blue skies, factories within a wide perimeter around the city have been closed.



Yet some of the security measures here seem picayune. Two weeks before the meeting, the kitchen division of the Metro Centre department store was devoid of knives. They had been ban-ned for sale since June, a saleswoman said. At a Starbucks in the centre of the city, the food coun-ter was empty. Delivery trucks had been unable to crack the security cordon, the barista said.



On Uighur alert



A major focus of security has been the Uighurs. At the Beijing restaurant, with wall murals of Chinas western deserts and a halal menu, 10 Uighur cooks were sent home in June at the request of the government, said the manager, Cai Ziwei.



Only afterward was the establishment placed on a list of restaurants recommended for Muslim delegates to the meeting, he said. Hotels were told two months ago that they must inform the police if a Uighur tried to register, a worker at the Hanting hotel chain said.



In June, police officers in the migrant neighbourhood of Qibao, 15 miles from the city centre, ordered all the grocery shops, clothing outlets and street-side restaurants closed, said Wang Jinfu, a municipal government worker.



In some instances, small businesses were asked to close on the grounds that if they stayed open and an accident occurred, local party officials would be penalised.



They told us, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and if anything happens while Obama is here, the officials could be sacked, so they said, Please close,  said Li Yindeng, the owner of Chenyang, a noodle shop. Theres nothing we can do, and the government doesnt pay compensation.



One party official was detained for 10 days in July for complaining online about the high costs of the preparations. The state-run Global Times reported that the official, Guo Enping, was held because his article  Hangzhou, Shame on You  drew such wide readership.



As the rules began to disrupt daily life, more people vented online, and calls to the citys hotline mounted. Every day our media attacks the vicious foreign powers, and now they come, we have to kneel and serve, one person wrote.



For a public that regularly faces problems of contaminated food, there was dismay when the leader of the state authority for grain, Ren Zhengxiao, said he would not allow one single grain of unsafe rice or one drop of unsafe oil to enter the kitchens preparing the leaders banquet meal.



The government urged everyone to get with the programme. People must not express their discontent with unreasonable actions or even deny the importance of the security work of the G20 summit, the state-run Zhejiang Daily wrote.
Growing cities are prone to increasing crimes and Bengaluru is no different. The Karnataka capital has joined Delhi and Mumbai to be among the top crime cities in the country.





According to the 'Crime in India 2015' report prepared by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Bengaluru has reported 35,576 crimes in 2015, which accounts for 5.3% of the total cases reported across the country.



In 2014, Bengaluru had reported 31,892 cases and thus registered a jump of 11.52%. Delhi had reported 1.73 lakh cases in 2015 while Mumbai 42,940 cases.



In most of the crime heads, Bengaluru is on the top of the list. As many as 188 murders were reported from Bengaluru while Delhi had 464, Patna 232 and Mumbai 169. When it comes to rape, Bengaluru is ranked 11 with 112 cases. Delhi had 1,893 cases while Jaipur stood second with 279 followed by Pune with 266.



One of the worrying signs for Bengaluru is the statistics on kidnapping for ransom. Though the city does not find itself among the top three in total number of abduction cases, Bengaluru tops the chart with 39 cases for kidnapping for ransom (Section 364A of Indian Penal Code) while Delhi was a close second with 33 cases. Eight women were also abducted in Bengaluru for compelling them for marriage.



For those owning vehicles, Bengaluru was not a happy city as it came second after Delhi where auto theft was more rampant. While Delhi had 31,302 cases, Bengaluru had 5,346 cases.



People in Bengaluru are also falling prey to frauds more often than those in many other cities. As many as 3,333 such cases were registered in 2015. Delhi and Jabalpur were the only other cities which had more such cases than Bengaluru.


With India and the United States signing the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) during Defence Minister Manohar Parrikars visit to Washington, military cooperation between the two countries is poised to expand significantly.





Among other things, the agreement facilitates interoperability between the two militaries and guides sale and transfer of high-end technologies. It gives both countries access to designated military facilities of the other for purposes of repair, refuelling and replenishment of supplies. While this covers port calls, joint exercises, training, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, use of facilities for any other purpose would need approval on a case-to-case basis. On the face of it, LEMOA seems rather benign. For instance, it would enable India to use US facilities in the event of evacuation of its nationals from conflict zones or when it launches rescue operations at times of natural disasters. The LEMOAs proponents point out that as a rising power with global ambitions, India needs such a pact with the US as it facilitates the extension of New Delhis operational reach considerably.



However, Indias signing of LEMOA raises several worrying questions. Wouldnt military proximity to the US worsen Indias already troubled ties with Pakistan and China, even push them into a closer embrace? It can be expected to sour its relations with friends like Russia and Iran, pushing them closer to Pakistan as well. Importantly, the benefits India expects to draw from LEMOA may not offset the losses as India is not in a position to tap the full potential of this agreement. After all, it does not have the kind of global reach that would require it to access the US vast network of facilities. Besides, would Indian naval ships be welcome at all American bases?



In the event of an India-Pakistan war, would the US allow Indian ships to refuel at its bases in West Asia? This is highly unlikely. The signing of the pact is ill-timed too as the US is due for a political transition soon. Having put off signing the agreement for 12 years, India could have delayed signing it by a few months to get a clearer picture of the White Houses policies. Some media reports describe LEMOA as paving the way for the stationing of American troops on Indian soil. This is not so; LEMOA is a logistics pact and not a basing agreement. Such speculation could have been avoided had the Modi government been more transparent on the contents of the agreement and opened it up for public debate and discussion. Two more foundational agreements with the US are in the pipeline. The government needs to discuss these pacts with the public.
Relations between countries is much about convergence of minds. Nothing exemplifies this better than India-Egypt ties enriched by the over a century-old bond. Today, India and Egypt are at the cusp of a larger transformation, which captures economy, businesses, science and technology and several other areas.





The opportunities will be closely watched as Egypts President Abdel Fattahel-Sisi arrives in India on Thursday. The much awaited visit follows his interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2015 and the intensification of dialogues between the two countries thereon. The momentum of interaction was subsequently followed at the Third India-Africa Forum Summit at New Delhi in October 2015.



Today, a rapidly transforming Egypt has embarked on a journey of democratisation and restructuring. As a $286 billion economy with around 89 million consumers  the second largest in Africa  the potential and scope of Egypt as a market is immense. Significant changes are also taking place in India that augur well for a more proactive cooperation agenda.



India is on an ambitious track of economic and tax reforms. The initiatives include developing a unified tax structure through Goods and Services Tax, the opening up of crucial sectors like defence, aviation and pharma to FDI, a larger focus on manufacturing and innovation, coupled with higher public investment in infrastructure.



In short, the India-Egypt dynamics has all the components of a very strong bilateral engagement. It is time to take the next leap forward. The starting point could be trade. Egypt has traditionally been one of Indias most important trading partners, and currently we are the second largest destination for its exports.



However, this can be increa-sed significantly. We are yet to fully tap sectors like textiles, apparel machinery, automotive components, chemicals and co-nsumer goods. India and Egypt need to workout mutually beneficial solutions to enhance two-way trade significantly by having preferential arrangements as well as better coordination.



Investments serve as a springboard for trade, and Indian companies have a lot of room for stepping up their level of involvement in Egypts FDI. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) has been working closely with the India-Egypt Business Council, which was formed by the Trade and Industry Ministry of Egypt to promote bilateral trade and investment. A meeting of the Business Council is being organised on the sidelines of the visit of the Egyptian president.



Manufacturing, too, offers some great prospects. In positioning India as a manufacturing and R&D hub under the Make in India initiative, some serious exploration is required of the biggest strength of Egypt, which is also its key business driver  the countrys geo-strategic location. A manufacturing base in Egypt would allow our industry to access markets in Europe, Africa and West Asia.

Infrastructure is another area of opportunity. Indias experience in developing economic corridors, metro projects, housing and urban development would be valuable to Indian players interested in participating at the Suez Canal Economic Zone and other similar projects. A Public Private Partnership model of cooperation, in this regard, is a highly workable idea.



Digital India Programme



The Digital India Programme, if tapped, could be useful in Egypts development needs such as e-government solutions, new banking platforms, information management and low cost IT parks among others. Besides solar energy, there is trem-endous scope for enhancement of such cooperation. India could also tap Egypt with its huge gas resources as a top priority source of fertilisers like urea, and make it an important partner in its quest for food security.



Our small and medium enterprises are the backbone of industrial development. This has special relevance for Egypt and we could look at strengthening cooperation in the SME sector. As the largest provider of affordable generic medicines globally, Indian companies have excellent business opportunities in Egypts pharma market, particularly in anti-cancer and biotech products. They may also conte-mplate joint ventures for setting up production facilities there.



Nurturing of entrepreneurial habits is critical today to fuel the economic engine of any economy and Egypt is no exception. The Startup India movement to boost entrepreneurship paves the way for collaboration between New Delhi and Cairo. Educators and capacity building institutions from both sides could collaborate to find mechanisms to foster entrepreneurship and instil competitiveness.



Of course, India would like to see assured commitments to remove bottlenecks in order to intensify engagements. Goods produced in free zones with certificate of origin from Egypt are not entitled for duty and tariff benefits and absence of anti-dumping and safeguard duties leads to heavy losses for Indian companies in Egypt.



Differential duties for cars coming from Europe, which is around 20% and coming from India with 40% is a big hindran-ce. Tax incentives to new inves-tors for at least a few years as a motivation and a dispute resolu-tion mechanism to make it easier to do business are imperative to make the relationship stronger.



It is time to give wings to a new chapter in India-Egypt cooperation. With the progress made so far and prospects hereon, only sky is the limit.



(The writer is president, Ficci)
       : -       , '  ,     '
The supply of drinking water from Thumbe vented dam to Mangaluru city and surrounding areas was affected on Wednesday with the breakdown of 18 MGD pipeline, at Adyar, on the outskirts of Mangaluru.





Speaking to DH, Mayor Harinath said that 18 MGD pipeline  which was laid by the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank  has been damaged at Adyar. The work on repair has commenced and around 60% of the areas under the MCC were affected due to the damage to the pipeline, he stated.



A press release from MCC Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer said that in the backdrop of the repair of broken pipeline, the water supply in Mangaluru would be disrupted for two days.



Terming the breakdown of the pipeline as a failure of the administration, opposition leader in the Council of MCC Roopa D Bangera said that the failure of the authorities in maintaining the pipeline has come to the limelight. It is the common man who is facing inconvenience due to the lethargic attitude of the officials. When the pipeline was damaged in August 2015  following the dumping of debris  the city did not get water for five consecutive days. The councillors had, then, urged the Corporation to make the main pipeline supplying water from Thumbe to the city visible, so that any breakdown could be plugged immediately. Lack of maintenance, however, has resulted in the pipeline being damaged once again, thus inconveniencing the citizens, she criticised.



No proper reason

Further, she said Hoige Bazar, Bendoorwell, Mahakalipadpu and Bolar areas have been facing shortage of water although the city received good rainfall in June. When asked, the officials cite vague reasons like transformer failure and disruption in power supply for problems in water supply. The failure on the part of the Corporation in maintenance and distribution of water supply has affected the people. The mayor should initiate stringent action against officials who fail to maintain the pipeline.



An official said that, of the two pipelines from Thumbe, one pumps water to Padil storage unit and another to the storage unit at Bendoorwell. The pipeline supplying water to Padil unit has been damaged - hence, the pumping of water has been stopped from 2 am. The damage is suspected to be in a joint. As the pipeline is situated beneath the soil, four earthmovers have been pressed into service to remove the soil and locate the damage to the pipeline, the official said.



Sources said that, although 160 MLD of water was pumped from Thumbe to the city, the actual availability of water for distribution was between only 90 MLD and 110 MLD. The rest of the water is wasted due to theft and seepage.



Shobhith, a resident of Valencia, said, The water supply was disrupted on Tuesday night itself. I thought the water supply would be resumed by Wednesday morning, however, we did not get water the whole day. The water in the sump would be sufficient for a day. We will have to make alternative arrangement, if the water supply is not restored on Thursday.



Sumalatha, a resident of Jeppu Kudpady, said, The tap in the households of Jeppu Kudpady had gone dry since morning. My child could not reach school in time. We had to collect water from a well in my neighbourhood. Even to collect rainwater, there is not enough rain. Usually, Mangaluru is soaked in rain at this time of the year. However, this year, there is scanty rain, she said.


An undertrial escaped from the Bangalore Central Prisons at Parappana Agrahara by hiding himself in a van transporting vegetables, on Tuesday morning.





David was arrested in connection with burglary, theft and dacoity in 2013.



Around 9 am, a van which transports vegetables from the prison to markets in the city arrived on the premises. The van was loaded with vegetables grown by the prisoners on the premises. David, who was strolling around, found the van unguarded, sneaked into its carrier compartment and hid himself amidst the gunny bags containing vegetables, police said. The driver of the van got down from the vehicle, outside the main entrance, to sign the register. David used the opportunity to sneak out and fled, police said.



The incident came to light in the evening, when the prison warden began the head c

ount. He found David missing. They searched the entire premises including kitchen, toilets and prison cells, but David was not to be found. Senior officials in the prison were informed and the CCTV footage was examined. It showed David getting inside the carrier compartment of the van and jumping out when the driver parked the van outside the entrance, police said.



Senior police officers visited the prison and gathered details. A few staffers and inmates were questioned. The prison has a two-tier security checking system. But the guards have failed to check the van as it comes every day. The guards were callous. If they had checked the van, David wouldnt have escaped. An internal enquiry has been ordered and a report will be submitted to H N Satyanarayana Rao, DGP, Prisons department. Officials found guilty will be suspended, said Veerabhadra Swamy, DIG, Prisons department.



Based on a complaint filed by the prison officials, the Parappana Agrahara police have registered a case. Davids photograph has been sent to all stations to help trace him, said the police. He has cases against him in Jalahalli, Devanahalli, Yelahanka, Chikkajala and other stations. In April 2015, Manjunath, 33, a life convict, hoodwinked the cops and managed to flee the Parappana Agrahara prison.


The state Cabinet on Wednesday approved the setting up of seven paramedical institutions in different districts.





Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that the government has approved allotment of 320 seats to these institutions.



The institutions are: Lakshmi Paramedical College, Bengaluru; Mangala Paramedical College, Mangaluru; Netra Paramedical College, Udupi; Nijalingappa Medical College, Hangal; Gautham Paramedical College, Bengaluru; Oxford College, Bengaluru; and HCG Institute of Oncology, Bengaluru.



The Cabinet also gave its approval for the purchase of 50 buses and 200 Hoysala/Garuda vehicles for the police at a cost of Rs 14.31 crore, he said.



Administrative approval has been given for construction of a Rs18-crore rail-over-bridge between Jumnal and Vijayapura stations. Other decisions taken include appointing retired officer B Chalapathy as the CMs special officer; appointing retired judge Justice A V Chandrashekara as judicial member of the Administrative Tribunal; to dismiss K Ramashetty, Adult Education Officer, Shivamogga, as per the Upa Lokayuta recommendation, for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000; to impose a penalty of compulsory retirement on Dr Praveen Sumbad, the then medical officer, PHC, Yadgir, for accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 and to defer Lokayukta recommendation and exonerate Inspector C Balakrishna.
The state Cabinet has approved certain amendments to the Karnataka Aerospace Policy 2013-23 for relaxation of certain restrictions in a bid to attract more investments in the aerospace sector.





As per the existing policy, aerospace projects could be taken up only on around 200 acres of land (aerospace park) in the IT Park in Devanahalli. Now, this restriction will be relaxed.



The Commerce and Industries department, which has sought the amendments, said that there was scope to increase concessions and incentives to the companies evincing interest to set shop in the state.



Briefing the media, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said that Karnataka had already established itself as a leading spare parts manufacturing hub, and wished to maintain its dominance over the market.



The proposal for relaxation of the restrictions had been approved with a view to position Karnataka as a leading aerospace hub in Asia and top defense production destination in India, he said.



Jayachandra said that during this years Global Investors Meet, the state attracted investments of Rs 14,520 crore through 33 proposals.



While a helicopter hub is coming up at Gubbi in Tumakuru, the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) of the Defence Research and Development Organiasation (DRDO), is coming up near Challakere in Chitradurga district. Also, Mysuru and Belagavi had emerged as leading aerospace spare parts manufacturing hubs.



Countries like France and the US are depending on Karnataka for spare parts. We want to continue our leadership in this sector and bring in more investments, he added.



Jayachandra said that when the Karnataka Aerospace Policy 2013-23 was announced in February 2013, the Industrial Policy 2009-14 was in force, but not any more. As several aspects of Karnataka Industrial policy 2009-14 and 2014-19 were overlapping with the Aviation Policy, amendments were suggested for the latter to bring about a clear distinction.



The Commerce and Industries department has proposed special incentives for development of Maintenance, Repair and Operation (MRO) segment in a bid to create a world-class MRO facility in Bengaluru, Mysuru and other viable locations on a PPP model.



The department has also proposed to attract global tier-1 suppliers to the state. It has also argued that the amendments were pertinent as an exclusive Defence Park - a fully integrated defence and aerospace infrastructure facility - was in the process of being established.



The minister said that the Cabinet also approved the proposal to bring in 14 to 19 amendments to the Karnataka Pharmaceutical Policy (part of Karnataka Industrial Policy) in a bid to give impetus to medical device manufacturing enterprises, and to attract more investments in this sector.
BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday urged Chief justice of India T S Thakur to constitute an expert committee to examine the water level in the Cauvery river basin reservoirs.





Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a state BJP farmers wing meeting, he said the Tamil Nadu governments demand for release of 50 tmcft of Cauvery river water is unjustified. The BJP will stand by the Karnataka government in its stand to not release water to the neighbouring state, he added.


BJP leader and Madchakanahalli Gram Panchayat president Puttaswamy, on Wednesday, lodged a complaint at the SPs office against actor-turned-politician Ramya for her irresponsible statements.





According to the complaint, Ramya is provoking the people and the partymen, by issuing irresponsible statements that the BJP and RSS had joined hands with the British during the Freedom struggle.



He has pointed out that the recent statement of Ramya, supporting Pakistan is anti-national and has hurt the sentiments of the people. Puttaswamy has urged the police to consider such statements as crime and register a complaint against Ramya for disturbing peace.
Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha and Hasiru Sene (KRRSHS) honorary president and Melkote MLA K S Puttannaiah has said that the dispute over Mahadayi water was the result of lack of political will in resolving the vexed issue.





Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Puttannaiah said that both the Congress and the BJP were politicising the issue and were engaged in a blame game without making any attempt to find a solution for the problem.



He said that a delegation of farmer leaders met Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Tuesday seeking a solution for the issue. Parsekar refused to speak about the issue stating that it had turned sensitive in view of upcoming Assembly election in Goa, he added.



He said legal recourse will not provide solution for the impasse over the drinking water project. The Centre should act with common sense to resolve the issue, he said and suggested an out-of-court settlement.If courts have to decide on every issue, then where is the necessity for Parliament, he asked.
Jawaharlal Nehru established newspapers National Herald and Navjivan will resume publication in coming months with publishing house Associated Journals Limited (AJL) appointing senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as its new Editor-in-Chief.





AJL Managing Director and Congress treasurer Motilal Vora announced Mishras appointment as Editor-in-Chief of its English and Hindi newspapers and digital properties without specifying the exact date of resumption of publication.



Both newspapers shall resume publication in the coming months, followed by Quami Awaz, Vora said. Quami Awaz was the Urdu newspaper from the AJL stable.



Founded by Nehru in Lucknow in 1938, National Herald was banned by the British during the 1942 Quit India Movement.



It faced brief shutdowns in the 1940s and 70s. It ceased to publish in 2008.

The AJL has been in the news recently over allegations of land grabbing levelled by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul and four others.



Swamy had moved court claiming that the Gandhis were eyeing the multi-crore properties of AJL, a public limited company, through their private company Young Indian.



Sonia Gandhi had told a local court in December last year that the newspapers would resume publication. Mishra, a former Editor of Outlook Hindi, has been tasked to build and lead a team for National Herald and its Hindi cousin Navjivan.



He was also actively involved with the Peoples Union of Civil Liberties in Rajasthan.

Vora stressed that both the newspapers will have a strong digital presence.


Work on the new Bengaluru-Hassan railway line, which would reduce travel time between the two cities as well as to Mangaluru, has come to an abrupt stop. The 173-km project, which has missed several deadlines, has hit another roadblock for want of land on a two-km stretch.





The project, which was commissioned in 1996 by the then prime minister H D Deve Gowda, is unlikely to be ready by December this year.



Of the total stretch, only 40-km-long Hassan-Shravanabelagola line has been operational. The remaining 130-km broad gauge rail line, which is already completed, has not been put to use due to 13-km incomplete stretch between Hassan and Nelamangala. Here, the South Western Railway (SWR) is facing two issues: Non-availability of land on the two-km stretch and agitation by farmers in the remaining 11-km stretch.



Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has initiated the process to acquire additional land on the two-km stretch between Solur and Tippasandra in Ramanagaram district. We hope to start the work of laying the track by September as this land would come to our possession in a few days, Sharad Kumar Jain, Chief Engineer (Construction), SWR told DH. The railways need at least three months to complete this stretch, apart from testing and trial runs, he added.



On the remaining incomplete stretch, the SWR was unable to start the work due to agitation by farmers. Some farmers, who had parted with their properties, are now seeking higher compensation. These lands were acquired as per the old Land Acquisition Act. Now, the farmers are demanding compensation as per the new Act. We cannot agree to their demand as law does not permit it. Approaching court is the only remedy for them, Jain said. The railways has sought the help of state government to overcome these hurdles, he added.



Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh said he would talk to farmers and resolve the issue. Railways should have started work immediately after acquiring land. There has been a disparity in payment of compensation as land was acquired for the project earlier and after the new land acquisition law came into force. Some of them have parted with their lands for railways, national highway as well as gas pipeline project. Hence, opposition is natural. But, we will try to pacify them, he said. Hassan MP H D Deve Gowda promised to follow-up the project to make sure that the track is operational by December this year.



Railway commuter T P Lokesh doubted that the project would be ready anytime soon. The entire 140-km stretch is going waste because of a silly issue. The state government and railways have taken the project for granted despite knowing that it would help thousands of commuters.
The US government on Wednesday declared support for a global plan to phase down the use of the commonplace refrigeration gas that warms up the climate, but remained silent on the replacement material.





The two countries continue to work together to adopt a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) amendment in 2016 with increased financial support from donor countries to the Multilateral Fund to help developing countries with implementation, and an ambitious phase down schedule, says the joint statement, issued after the US Secretary of State John Kerrys meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.



The road map to substantially reduce the use of HFC - the cooling gas used in AC and fridge - would be decided at an UN meeting in Kigali, Rwanda in October. At a pre-conference negotiation in Vienna in July, several proposals were submitted on the baseline, a cut-off date for developing countries including India and on the developed nations role.



The developed nations accepted the need to have a flexible attitude for the developing world, but there was divergence on the topic of intellectual property rights and funding.

While the environmentalists want a safer and non-patented technology, the developed world is in favour of expensive new generation chemicals, owned by a handful of companies.



The Indo-US joint statement is silent on this.
In what could spell trouble for Robert Vadra and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the judicial commission probing controversial land deals in Gurgaon submitted its report on Wednesday, exposing gross irregularities in the grant of licences to various private companies.





All the licences were granted during the previous Congress regime.

The developments have stirred a hornets nest, with the Congress terming the setting-up of the commission politically motivated and its findings part of a political vendetta.



The probe panel headed by Justice (Retd) S N Dhingra, former judge of the Delhi High Court, submitted his three-part report penned down in as many as 182 pages to Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar at his office.



The report has not only documented irregularities in the grant of licences, but also highlighted the manner in which the fraud was committed. The scope of the commission was not limited to just the company belonging to Vadra, who is Congress president Sonia Gandhis son-in-law. In 2008, Vadras company bought 3.5 acres in a village in Gurgaon at Rs 7.5 crore. The company was then expeditiously granted a license to build a colony by the Hooda government. Later, Skylight Hospitality sold the license to DLF for a whopping Rs 58 crore, making windfall profits from the deal. Senior officials and private players have been named in the report, sources said. Those who benefited from the deals have also found a mention in the report. While Justice Dhingra said it was for the government to make the contents of the report public, government sources said it will soon decide on action to be taken on the basis of the report.



Justice Dhingra said he has named every individual, whether government or private, whom he found responsible for the irregularities.



Interestingly, Ashok Khemka, senior Haryana bureaucrat who blew the lid off the shady deals, was kept away from the probe panel.


The BJP government in Haryana may hand over further probe into the controversial land deals in four Gurgaon villages to an investigating agency, which could register FIRs based on the findings of the probe commission, it is learnt.





Justice (Retd) S N Dhingra on Wednesday submitted a report on the land deals, confirming irregularities in the grant of licences. But the missing link is that the report does not have any relevant statement from former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, under whose regime the licences were granted to private players. Although Hooda was summoned by the probe panel, he sent his advocate, saying the summons did not specify the accusations against him.



The Congress had earlier trained its guns on Justice Dhingra, accusing him of seeking favours from the incumbent regime.



Midway through the probe, on December 8, the former Delhi high court judge had urged the Gurgaon district administration to construct paver blocks connecting the trusts pre-school, which was to be ready in 2016.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed the CPM-led West Bengal governments decision in 2006 to acquire about 1,000 acres for Tatas Nano car plant at Singur.





Declaring the entire process illegal and void, a bench of Justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra ordered the land be returned to the farmers and cultivators within 12 weeks. The court also saw no reason for recovering the compensation paid to the land owners as the government kept the possession of the land for 10 years, depriving farmers and cultivators of any benefit.



The courts judgement on a batch of petitions by farmers and land owners came as a big boost to the Mamata Banerjee government, which had made the land acquisition a political issue, snatching the mantle of the state from the Left parties in 2011 after a 34-year rule.



Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed it a landmark verdict, while the Tatas, which had in 2008 abandoned the project and shifted the plant to Gujarat, said they would prefer to go through the judgement before reacting.



The state government paid Rs 8.5 lakh for every acre of single-crop land and up to

Rs 12 lakh for every acre of multi-crop land. To win over unwilling farmers, it offered an additional 10% of the amount award, if they accepted the compensation cheques by September 22, 2006. The government also promised wages for 300 days to unregistered sharecroppers and field labourers, from the day of the official land acquisition.



In the 204-page judgement, Justices Gowda and Mishra concurred on quashing of the acquisition, but differed in their opinion on the issue if the land could be acquired for public purpose to set up industry by the state governments.





The acquisition of the land for and at the instance of the company was sought to be disguised as acquisition of land for public purpose in order to circumvent compliance with the mandatory provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. This action of the state government is grossly perverse and illegal and void ab initio in law, Justice Gowda wrote, while heading the bench.



In his separate verdict, Justice Mishra, however, said, Acquisition of land for a company or for industrialisation if it is for public purpose would be covered under section 3(f) as amended of the Act and when corporation is the acquiring authority and amount of compensation is borne by it in entirety and land has been ultimately leased out to Tata Motors Ltd for its project by it, the acquisition would remain for a public purpose.



The apex court allowed appeal against the 2008 verdict of the Calcutta High Court, which had held as valid the acquisition of land in Hoogly district by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya government for Tatas small car project with an estimated investment of Rs 1,000 crore and employment potential of 6,500 people. The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation, through which the land was then acquired, had deposited Rs 138 crore as compensation.



In his decision, Justice Gowda said the state government can acquire land to set up industrial units, but the voice of poor agricultural workers (farmers) have to be heard before depriving them of their means of livelihood.



Compliance with the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act cannot be treated as an empty formality, as that would be akin to handing over the eminent domain power of the state to the executive, which cannot be permitted in a democratic country which is required to be governed by the rule of law, he said.






The number of honour killings has seen a whopping seven-fold increase from 28 in 2014 to 251 last year.





Uttar Pradesh accounted for the majority of honour killings (168), followed by Gujarat (25) and Madhya Pradesh (14).



While the country witnessed 251 cases of honour killings in 2015, another 135 lost their lives to witchcraft and a total of 24 were victims of child or human sacrifice.



Even love affairs (1,379 cases) and illicit relationships (1,568) can also lead to a number of murders in the country. Of the 32,127 cases of murder in India in 2015, there were 56 cases in which people were killed due to casteism and another 27 due to communalism.

Of the 251 cases of honour killings, 192 were charged under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, while 59 were charged under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).



In 2014, Madhya Pradesh topped the list with seven honour killings, while Punjab and Maharashtra reported five cases each. The NCRB started recording the murders under the honour killing category from 2014 only.



While Karnataka and Puducherry found space in the ignominious list in 2014, this year they are out of the list.



However, other south Indian states which had not figured in the list earlier found a place in the 2015 statistics.



Kerala accounted for five such cases, while Andhra Pradesh had two and Tamil Nadu and Telangana had one each.



Like in the case of honour killings, the states of Uttar Pradesh (383) and Gujarat (122) figure in list of top three states in murder cases that were due to love affairs. Bihar had 140 such cases, while it did not have any honour killing cases.



Totally, 96 people were killed due to political reasons with Uttar Pradesh again topping the list with 28 cases, followed by Jharkhand (15), Kerala (12), Madhya Pradesh (10) and Karnataka (8).






The row over South China Sea returned to the India-US strategy articulation, with both subtly nudging China to abide by the international tribunals July 12 ruling on the dispute

.



In a joint statement issued after the second bilateral strategic and commercial dialogue in New Delhi, India and US stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation, freedom of over-flight, and unimpeded lawful commerce throughout the region, including in the South China Sea.



The statement was issued a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman joined American Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to co-chair the strategic and commercial dialogue.



India and the US called for the utmost respect for international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. They did not directly refer to China, but called upon the states involved in the dispute to resolve disputes through peaceful means and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes affecting peace and stability.



The joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington in early June had no reference to the dispute.
The Bengaluru traffic police on Wednesday arrested two private school van drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol.





Ananda, a resident of Yelahanka who was working as a driver at Narayana Techno School in Attur Layout (Yelahanka Newtown), was arrested by the police when he was on his way to drop children home. As he approached Palanahalli gate, he lost control over the vehicle, brushed past a car and fled.



Ananda, who was frightened that he would be beaten up by the public, was driving the vehicle at top speed. Sunil, the car driver, chased the van for a few metres and stopped it. He asked Ananda to get down from the vehicle and they started arguing. Sunil realised that the van driver was drunk and informed the police.



The van driver was made to undergo breathalyser test and was found drunk beyond permissible limits. Based on the complaint filed by Sunil, he was arrested. He was booked for rash and negligent driving and also for drunk-driving, the police said.



In Whitefield, a 35-year-old driver of a bus belonging to Delhi Public School in Mallasandra was booked for drunk-driving. The police said Ramachandra was on his way to drop children to school. As he was nearing the school, he brushed past a car.



The public alerted the Whitefield traffic police, who came to the spot and found the driver drunk beyond permissible limits. There were around 25 children in the bus when the accident took place. He was booked and told to pay penalty in the court.



It is the responsibility of the school managements to ensure that they hire disciplined drivers. The school managements have been summoned and they will be asked to terminate the services of the drivers, police said.



Parents anxious



In the last three days, five school bus drivers have been arrested for drunk-driving. This has caused concern among the parents.



For Rajesh Nair, a resident of Jayanagar whose daughter studies at a school near Residency Road, these incidents have come as a shock. The schools seem to be doing no background check of the drivers, he said.



Anita Makharia, another parent, said that the schools had to take responsibility for the childrens safety.



Most schools have their transport outsourced to other agencies, she said, questioning as to who would be held responsible in case of a tragedy. She said that there was a need for schools to do a thorough background check, before hiring drivers.



Despite knowing the norms, if someone drinks on duty, it is unacceptable. They must be given ID cards. Parents must also be alert to check the drivers for drunk-driving when they come to pick students. It is ideal for these buses to have CCTV cameras, she said.
Results of an audit conducted by St. Francois County Auditor Bret Burgess on the county assessor's office were released Tuesday at the weekly meeting of the St. Francois County Commission.

Burgess told commissioners that, at the request of a quarry official, his office undertook a review of spending by Assessor Dan Ward's office in regard to appeals made on the ground of overvaluation to the State Tax Commission of Missouri in April 2014 by Iron Mountain Trap Rock and the Knox County Stone Co.

"We took it upon ourselves to visit with the assessor, went through his books and did a review of his office," Burgess said. "We found that there was expenses accrued for this evaluation, but of course it's not our job to determine if something is over-valuated or not. That decision belongs to the tax commission and the board of equalization which is made up of local representatives  the commission as well as a couple of citizens and others."

According to the completed audit report, both quarry operations filed their appeals on the ground of overvaluation upheld by the County Board of Equalization which sustained the valuation of the subject property. Knox County Stone Co. and Ward eventually settled out of court. On Jan. 1, 2013, the county commission "took the appeal to determine the true value as of Jan. 1 of the following even year unless there was new construction and improvement to the property."

Since there was no evidence of new construction and improvement from Jan. 1, 2013 to Jan. 1, 2014, the assessed value for 2013 remained the assessed value for 2014.

The report states that Certified Professional Geologist Bradley D. Ross was hired to assist in the assessment of Iron Mountain Trap Rock. Following the appeal's filing, St. Francois County hired Lewis Reed & Allen, P.C. for legal representation. Ross was retained as an expert advisor and witness for the county to assist the county's law firm.

The audit found that both the law farm and expert advisor/witness charged the county fees for their participation in the appeal process for both Iron Mountain Trap Rock and Knox County Stone.

According to the report, school districts reimburse the county, on a volunteer basis, for such costs the county incurs. Expenses incurred by the county and reimbursements received from school districts within the county included in the $149,644.96 charged was $16,988.91 in expenses both parties incurred for travel, lodging, meals and research. After reimbursements, the county paid out a total of $30,282.31 for the appeal.

"We did not find any wrongdoing on that part at all from Dan's office," Burgess said. "We did find that the cost was quite high overall in general, but he had assistance from the school districts and so, based on the evaluation and the amount of dollars put out by the county itself, there was a substantial increase in revenue."

The report states that the decision of the tax commission demonstrated an increase of $397,048.62 in taxes over a three-year period for St. Francois County.

Following the report, Assessor Ward thanked Auditor Burgess for his work in gathering all the data necessary to prepare the audit and told the commissioners he wanted to explain what the audit was about and why the results were announced publicly.

"The duties of an assessor, according to state statute, is to locate and determine the market value and list all real and personal property in his or her jurisdiction," Ward said. "This list goes to the collector in order to calculate the tax bills that go to each business and homeowner in that county near the end of the year.

"In 2013, after extensively studying the appraisal process of the mining and quarry industry in the neighboring counties of Iron, Reynolds and Ste. Genevieve  who have been determining market value of these industries for decades  I realized our county has not been appraising and assessing quarries properly. I contacted all five of the quarries to let them know that we would be contacting them for information in order to determine their market values  what a willing buyer and willing seller agree upon in a sale  for the 2013 tax year.

Ward said that two of the five quarries chose to appeal their values to the local board of equalization because they believed their values were too high. The quarries' attorneys insisted their value should be calculated using the cost approach and each acre should be valued at $2,000 instead of the market value Ward had indicated.

"My appraiser advised that the market value of a quarry is determined by what is being removed from the ground, how much money per ton it will sell for and how many years it can be anticipated that the material can be removed," he said. "If one would approach a bank in order to borrow money to purchase a quarry, that is what the loan officer would want to know in order to make the loan. A profit and loss report would be necessary."

According to Ward, Both Central Stone Co.  also known as Knox County Stone  and Iron Mountain Trap Rock did not want to share the data that would allow the county's geological appraiser to determine their market value. When the State Tax Commission agreed to hear the appeal, it required the exchange of information that Ward had been requesting. Central Stone shared its data privately with the county's appraiser. Once a value was agreed upon, a settlement  or stipulation  was completed. At that point Central Stone dropped its appeal.

Ward said Iron Mountain Trap Rock continued their appeal and geologists for both sides appraised that quarry and determined their values. Following a five-hour hearing at the county courthouse held in the spring of 2015, along with lengthy deliberations, the State Tax Commission made its decision. They agreed with the county's appraiser on the method of appraisal used, as well as Iron Mountain Trap Rock's appraiser's market value. The values of all five quarries increased according to their individual market values.

"Iron Mountain Trap Rock accepted the outcome of the State Tax Commission's decision without further appeal," Ward said. "On the other hand, Central Stone Co. has refused to accept the appraisal method that is standard with the geological appraisers to the point that the representative of Central Stone Co. of Moline, Illinois, has worked relentlessly in Jefferson City for the past two sessions to pass legislation that would totally change the method of appraisal. Their language would devastate education funding in the counties that use the profit and loss data to determine market value by several million dollars annually."

Ward asserts that the company has become so involved in the issue that they have contributed $10,0000 to two political committees in St. Francois County who oppose his re-election as assessor.

"Some have said it gives the appearance of an out-of-state corporation attempting to buy this election," he told the commissioners.

Because he was concerned that an inquiry by a member of one of the committees into the cost of the quarry appeals might be put in a negative light to St. Francois County taxpayers, Ward said he wanted the audit results made public to show that the appeals had been requested by the quarries and not his office; that the largest recipients of any tax dollars received and the entities who paid 80 percent of the appeal costs were the schools; and that the gain in tax dollars at the end of the appeal process resulted in almost $400,000 in additional money to the taxing entities involved.

"The large corporate, out-of-state quarry says I am picking on them and being unfair," Ward said. "I say that I am just asking them to pay their fair share as the small businesses and homeowners of our county have always been doing. I don't know who said this but, 'you can't be wrong if you're doing the right thing.'"
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The U.S. Department of the Interiors decision to place the land owned by the Craig Tribal Association into federal Indian trust status is an important milestone for the tribes of Alaska and reflects AFNs long-standing policy on Indian Country and land-into-trust issues.

Congratulations to the Craig Tribal Association and to the people of Akiachak, whose legal challenge led to the rule change that enabled Interior to proceed, said Julie Kitka, president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, Alaskas largest statewide Native organization.

Placing lands into federal Indian trust in Alaska is an option. It can provide an invaluable and much-needed tool for tribes to promote economic development, address public safety and child welfare issues, and preserve and pass on culture, Kitka added. This option is not for everyone. It is a long, drawn-out process and some unanswered questions remain. Another existing tool includes the land bank protections in ANCSA.

This powerful instrument of self-governance has been unavailable to Alaska tribes until last year, when the BIA eliminated the misguided Alaska exception to the federal land-to-trust regulatory policy, following a 2013 federal district court decision in Akiachak Native Community v. U.S. Secretary of the Interior, which ruled that the ban was invalid as arbitrary and capricious.

ABOUT AFN

The Alaska Federation of Natives was formed in October 1966, when more than 400 Alaska Natives representing 17 Native organizations gathered for a three-day conference to address Alaska Native aboriginal land rights. It is now the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska. Its membership includes 152 federally recognized tribes, 152 village corporations, 12 regional corporations and 12 regional non-profit and tribal consortiums that contract and compact to run federal and state programs. AFN is governed by a 38-member Board, which is elected by its membership at the annual convention held each October. The mission of AFN is to enhance and promote the cultural, economic and political voice of the entire Alaska Native community. Learn more at www.nativefederation.org.

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by Executive Director LaTesia Guinn

The Bethel Family Clinic (BFC) together with their board of directors, volunteers, and staff would like to thank everyone who supports BFC and the new facility fundraising. Special thanks to Bethel Lions Club and VFW Auxiliary 10041, Saturday market events to date and other personal donations.

The fundraising events have just begun, and the UPS Heart labels at AC and Swanson, and on Feb. 14 a special Valentines Dinner at the Lions Club, with many more fundraising events planned for the future.

BFC located at 631 4th and Main Street, was incorporated in 1981 and became a federally qualified health center in 2001. BFC has waxed and waned throughout many of the beginning years, and is currently operating with two-Mid-Level providers, a physician, two-behavioral health clinicians and a full-time dentist.

In 2015 BFC recorded 4,593 encounters provided to 3,110 individual patients. This is a consistent increase of 10% per year for more than 10 years. BFC expects this trend to continue into the future.

BFCs current facility has limitations on serving the population. The current clinical building is outdated, too small, is not optimally configured, and presents barriers to providing a fully functional Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care. The need for a new facility has been discussed by the Board of Directors and listed on the strategic plans for more than 10+ years. As users of the facility they see the needs for a new functional building to better address the needs of the public served. The limitation has always been funding to build a new facility.

In May 2016, BFC was awarded the Health Infrastructure Improvement Project (HIIP) Grant and together with reserves and other foundation funding, and fundraising, is planning to build a new 4,576 sq. ft. facility with a 1,065 sq. ft. mezzanine on a lot owned by BFC which is located across the street from the existing facility at 640 4th and Main Street.

The new facility will include 9 large exam rooms and a full-size x-ray room, generous sized waiting room, bigger offices, and more working space for the providers and nursing staff. The mezzanine holds the mechanical rooms with the HVAC, Electrical, Water, IT systems and additional storage.

The resulting facility will be larger and better organized; incorporate Green/sustainable design practices, all of which are workable for Alaskan conditions and standards well suited to deliver services to the patient population.

The current 30+ year-old facility will undergo its renovation in late 2018 and be used for administrative, finance and billing offices, ancillary services, behavioral health and dental. The second and third floors will be modified for provider housing for visiting locums providers.

Prep work has been completed and RPF for construction contractors has been let out on Jan. 25. Major building will begin summer of 2017 with completion by spring of 2018.

With your support BFC new facility will be an asset to our community and continue to serve the people of Bethel and Kusilvak Census Areas of western Alaska. The Grand Opening is planned for the summer of 2018.

For more information on this project and how you can make your tax deductible donation, contact BFC at 543-3773.

Bethel Family Clinic saved my Life, from Cynthia Coffee.

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by Beverly Chmielarczyk

Kuskokwim 300 Race Marshall Beverly Chmielarczyk was out at the Tuluksak Checkpoint when she wrote this report. She graciously shared it with us for publication, quyana Bev.

Sunday, January 19th, 2020:

Heres the news from the Tuluksak River checkpoint.

Under a beautiful starry sky and on the best trail conditions weve seen in some time, the folks at the Tuluksak checkpoint watched Bethel champion Pete Kaiser roll in with his team at about midnight tonight. Some of his dogs were still yanking on their tug lines after he set his hook.

Richie Diehl and Matt Failor both arrived about 13 minutes later.

It was humbling to watch all those present look on with quiet reverence as the three contenders worked silently through their checkpoint routines. It reminded me of the feeling one gets when attending an NYO competition or a Yupik feast. There was definitely a sense of pride for the region and the race. It was a memorable moment I wont soon forget.

Its been a great weekend at the Tuluksak checkpoint! We have a solid volunteer crew here all managing their roles with enthusiasm.

I would like to take the opportunity to recognize some of these dedicated folks without whom none of this would be possible.

Quyana to the following checkers: Alana Chronister, Cat Casey, Julia Rodriquez, and Nick Martinez.

Thanks for standing out in the cold all hours of the night and day checking the mushers through and getting stats into headquarters in a timely manner. Thank you also for reaching out to the local kids by answering the plethora of questions that come your way and even teaching them magic card tricks. You rock!

Quyana to the following cooks: Rachelle and Bob White, Michael Vicente, Twyla Eldhart, Justine Chamberlin, and Lindsey Wagner.

Thanks for all you do to serve up the best chow on the Kuskokwim River! Seriously, this is homemade food worth waiting an entire year for. We all appreciate your kitchen love, service, and graceful presence. It makes the checkpoint like home.

Special thanks to Michael for sharing his first catch moose.

This note posted on a napkin near the kitchen window pretty much sums it up, Breakfast served at 8 AM! and then the food wont stop. It doesnt.

Quyana to the following vets and vet students: Jessica Klejka, Laurie Meythaler-Mullins, Roxy Alfalo, and Angela Molli.

Thank you for volunteering your time and providing excellent professional care to our dog athletes. Your contribution is important and invaluable. A special shout out to Jessica for trucking up from Bethel both Friday and Saturday night after working at her clinic all day. We love you, Jessica! Also thank you Joe Klejka for helping get dropped dogs back to Bethel sooner rather than later.

Quyana to the following Alaska Army National Guard volunteers: CPT Tollefson, MSG King, SFC Ventura, SSG Sallaffie, SSG Wilson, SSG Wilbanks, SGT Andrew, SPC Thompson, and PV2 Andrew.

I cant say enough how valuable you are to the workings of the checkpoint. Every year we lean heavily on you for service and support. Its so nice to be able to count on you to move straw and food bags, pack hot water for mushers, keep an eye on things down at the river, and take on other tasks that arise during the weekend. The checkpoint would be much more difficult to run without your solid commitment.

We definitely hope to see you again next year.

Quyana to the fine people of Tuluksak.

You are such gracious hosts. The school staff always goes above and beyond to provide accommodations and assistance for the checkpoint crew. They include Kary DelSignore, Mary Long, Daphne Matz, Evelyn Esmailka, and Matthew Brown.

Special thanks to Jerah Peter for all your help parking teams and trucking dogs to the airport. One of my favorite things about this checkpoint is witnessing the constant vigil of residents glued to the tracker and cheering mushers on.

Finally, I would like to thank our fearless leader, Myron Angstman. Thanks for being advisor, historian extraordinaire, and great storyteller.

Thats all from Tuluksak.

Kuskokwim pride forever!

Beverly Chmielarczyk is a resident of the Kuskokwim village of Bethel.

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According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, there are 24 recovered cases of COVID-19 in Alaska.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today also announced six new cases of COVID-19 in five Alaska communities  Anchorage (2) Eagle River (1), Fairbanks (1), Petersburg (1) and Soldotna (1). This brings the total case count in Alaska to 191.

These new cases were reported from 12:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on April 5 and reflect data posted at noon today on coronavirus-response-alaska-dhss.hub.arcgis.com.

Of the new cases reported today, four are male and two are female. One case is a child under age 10, two are adults 40-49; one is an adult 50-59; one is an adult aged 70-79; and one is an adult aged 80+. There have been 23 total hospitalizations including three new hospitalizations yesterday. A total of six Alaskans have died; there were no new deaths yesterday.

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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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FARMINGTON- Marilyn Lea Ridgley Fuller (September 21, 1936  July 27, 2016) died in Atlanta, Georgia just a couple of months shy of her 80th birthday. She is survived by her daughter Jennifer Fuller of Atlanta, grandson Colin OShea of Atlanta, sister-in-law Jane Ridgley of Memphis, and nieces Amanda Ridgley of Memphis and Melissa Biondi of Philadelphia. She was preceded in death by her mother Mildred Lockwood of Missouri, father Lyle C. Ridgley of Missouri, Brother L. Clark Ridgley of Dallas, step-mother Naomi Ridgley McCreary of Farmington, Missouri, and step-father A. Ray McCreary of Farmington, Missouri.

Marilyn Leas ashes will be interred at Doe Run Cemetery, in Farmington, Missouri. The grave-side service is planned for September 17, 2016, and arrangements are being handled by Taylor Funeral Service of Farmington, Missouri.

Marilyn Lea was called Marilyn by family and Lea by everybody else. In a time when most women didnt go to college at all, or went to college for their MRS degree, Marilyn Lea was the first woman to graduate (Magna cum Laude) with a degree in Economics from Purdue University (1958). She excelled both academically and socially, and was a member of various organizations, including:

Chi Omega Sorority, Mortar Board Honor Society, Delta Rho Kappa Science Honor Society, Theta Sigma Phi National Honor Society, and Industrial Economics Club.

In addition to all of that, she was the Copy Editor for The Debris yearbook in 1958, which was important experience to have, because after working for Procter & Gamble and TWA Airlines, she ultimately ended up at The National Geographic in Washington, D.C., where she was an assistant editor for the childrens edition of the magazine. She met and married a fellow employee of the Geographic and then moved to Atlanta to start a family. She worked as a writer and editor for various companies around Atlanta, eventually ending up with and retiring from Unisys.

Throughout her life, Marilyn Lea was devoted to animals of all kinds, but especially loved Golden Retrievers (her favorite was Duke), and cats. After retirement, she was the backbone of several dog and cat rescue organizations. She opened her home and her heart to hundreds of animals over the years, adopting hundreds of them out and keeping a few for herself. She will be remembered for her fearless defense of the downtrodden and neglected, devoting many hours to the care of little old ladies in driving them around, advocating for better housing, and taking them to court if required. She was constantly in motion, not slowing down even during illness or her advancing age.

In cleaning out her little apartment, there was a pristine miniature rose bush prominently in the window. We shall remember that she always loved flowers.
Estimated population of Africa elephants, from the early 20th century to the year 2016. Graphic: CNN

By David McKenzie and Ingrid Formanek

31 August 2016

Linyanti Swamp, Botswana (CNN)  Scanning Botswanas remote Linyanti swamp from the low flying chopper, elephant ecologist Mike Chase cant hide the anxiety and dread as he sees what he has seen too many times before. I dont think anybody in the world has seen the number of dead elephants that Ive seen over the last two years, he says.

From above, we spot an elephant lying on its side in the cracked river mud. From a distance it could be mistaken for a resting animal. But the acrid stench of death hits us before we even land.

Up close, it is a horror.

He was a magnificent bull right in his prime, 45 to 50 years old. To get at his prized ivory tusks, poachers hacked off his face.

Slaughtered for their ivory, the elephants are left to rot, their carcasses dotting the dry riverbed; in just two days, we counted the remains of more than 20 elephants in a small area.

Visitors and managers at the tourist camps here are frequently alarmed by the sound of gunshots nearby. And Chase worries that if Botswana cant protect its elephants, theres little hope for the species as a whole.

Chase, the founder of Elephants Without Borders (EWB), is the lead scientist of the Great Elephant Census, (GEC) an ambitious project to count all of Africas savannah elephants  from the air. Before the GEC, total elephant numbers were largely guesswork. But over the past two years, 90 scientists and 286 crew have taken to the air above 18 African countries, flying the equivalent of the distance to the moon  and a quarter of the way back  in almost 10,000 hours.

Prior to European colonization, scientists believe that Africa may have held as many as 20 million elephants; by 1979 only 1.3 million remained  and the census reveals that things have gotten far worse.

According to the GEC, released Thursday in the open-access journal PeerJ, Africas savannah elephant population has been devastated, with just 352,271 animals in the countries surveyed  far lower than previous estimates. In seven years between 2007 and 2014, numbers plummeted by at least 30%, or 144,000 elephants. [more]

Our living dinosaurs

Elephant population trends in Africa, in Great Elephant Census (GEC) landscapes over the past ten years based on GEC data and comparable previous surveys (methodology in Chase, et al., 2016). Red landscapes declining >5 percent per year, orange declining 2-5 percent per year, yellow declining or increasing <2 percent per year, pale green increasing 2-5 percent per year, dark green increasing >5 percent per year. Graphic: Great Elephant Census

HONOLULU, 31 August 2016 (Elephant Census)  Paul G. Allens Vulcan Inc. today announced the alarming results of the Great Elephant Census (GEC), the first-ever pan-African survey of savanna elephants. Revealed today at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, the GEC shows a decline of 30 percent in African savanna elephant populations in 15 of the 18 countries surveyed [1].

This was an extraordinary collaboration across borders, cultures and jurisdictions. We completed a successful survey of massive scale, and what we learned is deeply disturbing, said philanthropist and Vulcan founder Paul Allen. Armed with this knowledge of dramatically declining elephant populations, we share a collective responsibility to take action and we must all work to ensure the preservation of this iconic species.

Over a two-year period, using standardized data collection and validation methods, the GEC accurately determined the number and distribution of the great majority of African savanna elephants and provides a baseline for future surveys and trend analyses. Final results show:

Savanna elephant populations declined by 30 percent (equal to 144,000 elephants) between 2007 and 2014.[2]

(equal to 144,000 elephants) between 2007 and 2014.[2] The current rate of decline is 8 percent per year, primarily due to poaching . The rate of decline accelerated from 2007 to 2014.

. The rate of decline accelerated from 2007 to 2014. 352,271 elephants were counted in the 18 countries surveyed. This figure represents at least 93 percent of savanna elephants in these countries.

surveyed. This figure represents at least 93 percent of savanna elephants in these countries. Eighty-four percent of the population surveyed was sighted in legally protected areas while 16 percent were in unprotected areas. However, high numbers of elephant carcasses were discovered in many protected areas, indicating that elephants are struggling both inside and outside parks.

If we cant save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africas wildlife? said Mike Chase, GEC principal investigator and founder of Elephants Without Borders. I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come.

Beyond a significant amount of his personal time and effort, Paul Allen spent more than $7 million to fund and manage the project, create the technology, and make the census results available online.

Estimated trends in Africa elephant populations for Great Elephant Census (GEC) study areas with historical data available, 19952014. Results are based on 1,000 Monte Carlo replicates. Dark shaded area indicates 1 SD; light shaded area indicates 95 percent confidence interval. Tick marks on x-axis indicate dates of data points used in model; dates are perturbed slightly to prevent overlap. Graphic: Chase, et al., 2016 / PeerJ

This project required a herculean effort on the part of many partners since its launch in December 2013, with 81 airplanes and 286 crew members flying roughly 463,000 kilometers to complete the survey, said Vulcan Wildlife Conservation Director James Deutsch. We want to recognize the collaboration and critical contributions of wildlife department staff in the 18 countries surveyed along with our lead NGO, Elephants Without Borders; the 90 scientists, our technical advisory group and other NGO partners, without which this undertaking would not have been possible.

At least two-thirds of the continental savanna elephant population figures reported in IUCNs 2016 African Elephant Status Report (AESR) come from the GEC results. The report will be published in advance of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP17) in Johannesburg, South Africa. This updated AESR will be used to shape major policy decisions about the future of elephants.

Deeply troubled by what the GEC revealed, Mr. Allen has made elephant conservation a top priority and is working with individuals, organizations and governments from around the world to ensure that future generations will be able to see elephants with their eyes and not just read about them in books. New initiatives include the launch of a forest elephant census in regions where poaching is thought to have devastated herds and adequate population data is critically needed. Vulcan has also developed a visual data platform that provides real-time intelligence for protected management areas. The new system has been deployed as a pilot program in Kenya.

Finally, to generate a broader understanding of the critical plight of African elephants, Paul Allens Vulcan Productions is releasing two films this year  The Ivory Game, an undercover feature-documentary, set to expose the dark world of ivory trafficking; and Naledi: A Baby Elephants Tale, the true story of a baby elephant born into an elephant rehabilitation program in Botswana and is orphaned at the age of one month.

For more information on the GEC results, please see: The African Elephant Atlas, an interactive web-based data visualization of Vulcans Great Elephant Census Report Principal Investigator, Mike Chases Continent-wide survey reveals massive decline in African savanna elephants, paper. Those interested in further updates can follow along on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and Paper.li. [1] In total, 18 countries were surveyed but comparable data is only available for 15 countries. [2] For the large populations sampled by the GEC in 15 of 18 countries flown and for which a comparable previous count was available.

Press Release: Great Elephant Census Final Results

Estimated trends in Africa elephant populations in the Great Elephant Census (GEC) study areas, by country for sites with historical data available. Results are based on 1,000 Monte Carlo replicates for each country. Dark shaded area indicates 1 SD; light shaded area indicates 95 percent confidence interval. Tick marks on x-axis indicate dates of data points used in model; dates may be perturbed slightly to prevent overlap. W. Africa refers to the WAP ecosystem in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Graphic: Chase, et al., 2016 / PeerJ

ABSTRACT: African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are imperiled by poaching and habitat loss. Despite global attention to the plight of elephants, their population sizes and trends are uncertain or unknown over much of Africa. To conserve this iconic species, conservationists need timely, accurate data on elephant populations. Here, we report the results of the Great Elephant Census (GEC), the first continent-wide, standardized survey of African savannah elephants. We also provide the first quantitative model of elephant population trends across Africa. We estimated a population of 352,271 savannah elephants on study sites in 18 countries, representing approximately 93% of all savannah elephants in those countries. Elephant populations in survey areas with historical data decreased by an estimated 144,000 from 2007 to 2014, and populations are currently shrinking by 8% per year continent-wide, primarily due to poaching. Though 84% of elephants occurred in protected areas, many protected areas had carcass ratios that indicated high levels of elephant mortality. Results of the GEC show the necessity of action to end the African elephants downward trajectory by preventing poaching and protecting habitat.

Continent-wide survey reveals massive decline in African savannah elephants
By Timothy Brown

23 August 2016 (Yale)  A new Yale-led study published in the journal Nature Communications sheds light on the surprising role that haze in China plays in promoting the urban heat island effect [UHI], a process whereby city centers tend to be significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas. Scientists have always suspected that aerosol particles, or haze, played a role in amplifying UHI, said Xuhui Lee, the Sara Shallenberger Brown Professor of Meteorology at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies [F&ES] and senior author of the study. Now, they have evidence that in China  unlike the U.S.  haze is a significant driver of UHI. The study also highlights the paradoxical nature of haze, and the challenges scientists face in isolating its effects on climate change. Smaller aerosol particles that pose public health risks such as asthma actually cool surfaces and reduce UHI by blocking sunlight. But larger aerosol particles radiate heat in the form of long-wave radiation, thus increasing local temperatures. When people talk about aerosols, particle size matters a lot, Lee said. Previous research by Lee and his colleagues showed that UHI in the U.S. and Canada appears to be driven by a lack of vegetation, especially trees, which are highly effective in dissipating heat through convection. But when they attempted to replicate their experiment in China, the model performed poorly. At first they thought it was due to the structure of Chinese cities, where there is more vertical stacking as opposed to the sprawling nature of cities in the U.S. Instead, they found a strong correlation between the amount of haze and an increase in heat: cities with more haze pollution had an amplified urban heat island effect. Even more surprising, they found the greatest UHI in midwestern and northwestern small to mid-sized cities, not in the massive cities located along Chinas east coast. Chinas semiarid midwestern and northwestern cities have more large aerosol particles due to road dust and coal combustion that create a thick haze layer and result in a net warming of about one-degree Celsius. Lee even speculates that stir-fry cooking contributes to the UHI. The study also reveals the ways in which local factors can affect the spatial patterning of UHI. For example, although many parts of the U.S. have air pollution problems that affect respiratory health, researchers couldnt find a correlation between UHI and haze in the U.S., possibly because aerosol particles here are too small to create a warming effect. Here, the highest UHI is found in wet climates  especially southeastern cities such as Atlanta  posing public health risks and management challenges for city administrators in the face of climate change. There are several important implications of this research, Lee said. The first is that aerosol pollution must be reduced. Cleaning up has a co-benefit, he said. It helps improve human health, but it also helps to cool the local climate. Second, researchers must improve the ability of models to quantify the effects of aerosols on climate change. According to Lee, most climate models dont actually calculate the long-wave radiation at the ground, or heat, produced by haze pollution. Other models only measure land surface properties, such as the effects of removing vegetation on local climate. Thats one of the frontiers in climate change prediction, Lee says. Theres a whole gap in our theory and methodology, so we tried to quantify that, not just to describe with empirical evidence. We tried to propose a framework to close this knowledge gap. Chang Cao, the first author of the study, is a visiting doctoral student at Yale from Nanjing University of Information, Science and Technology, Nanjing China.
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In todays connected world of smart devices, we want to access our data faster and at the same time we want it to be secured and protected from intruders. Flash memories are not only faster but secured and reliable also in its avatar as UFS  Universal Flash Storage. This blog provides an insight into various security modes of UFS devices and how to access them. It also points out how encryption is used to secure the data further.

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Junko Yoshida, EETimes

8/30/2016 07:20 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis.  Shareholders of ARM overwhelmingly approved its sale to SoftBank in Japan on Tuesday (Aug. 30) in a meeting in London.

The move officially put an end to the independence of ARM, a wildly successful processor IP core company born 31 years ago in Cambridge, the U.K.

In order to allay concerns and political backlash, SoftBank, Japans telecom giant, when it agreed to pay $32 billion in cash to acquire ARM, offered to the U.K. government the promise of new jobs  at least doubling ARMs workforce in the U.K. over the next five years.

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Ericsson and Cisco have announced an agreement to supply and install IP networks for C&W Communications, which operates the retail brand Flow, in three Caribbean markets.

The plans include an upgrade to the IP backbone network in the Bahamas to improve performance and support an increase of traffic, and a new business-to-business IP/MPLS network in Jamaica and Barbados.

The partnership is part of C&W's investment plan for the region to continue transforming its customer experience. As part of the partnership, Cisco will provide the necessary hardware while Ericsson will provide project management services.

"We needed a powerful and intelligent solution to bring IP networking to both Jamaica and Barbados, while at the same time improving the IP network in the Bahamas," says Carlo Alloni, Executive Vice-president and CTIO, C&W. "This partnership will allow us to offer even more value-added services including our world class IPTV services as well as introduce more innovative solutions to our customers."

"Our teams complemented each other with the right approach, from network analysis and planning to systems integration and customer support from Ericsson, to selecting the right routers and switches from Cisco, and finally ensuring the right flow along every step with Ericsson services," says Clayton Cruz, Vice President Ericsson Latin America and Caribbean. "The partnership has delivered real value to Cable & Wireless in terms of accelerating their IP transformation by combining end-to-end business transformation competence and experience with deep product and domain expertise."

The deal includes Cisco routers and switches (ASR9000, ASR900 and WR4500 families), supply and installation of NMS system (EPN-M), overall project management, and customer support.

Jordi Botifoll, Cisco President Latin America & Senior Vice President in the Americas, said: "Working together on this project will lead Cable & Wireless to a standardised approach across other markets, so that all their business-to-business and IP fixed networks will be supported by IP/MPLS, helping them do things better and faster."

Ericsson and Cisco formed a global business and technology partnership in November 2015 to create the networks of the future. The next-generation strategic partnership will drive growth, accelerate innovation, and speed digital transformation demanded by customers across industries.

The Cisco-Ericsson partnership has been cleared by Brazilian regulatory authorities and will be implemented there under local agreements.
As part of extensive testimony before the US Congress, researcher Maria Werlau has denounced the Cuban State for its involvement in human trafficking in many aspects.

The information from the Cuba File indicates that in 2005 the Cuban Government began to engage in mysterious exports to Brazil, under the administration of Lula da Silva, of human tissue and other glands and human body parts of unknown origin. Sales grew very rapidly, topping out at $88.4 million in 2013. Meanwhile, reports began to arrive from Cuba of suspicious deaths and the plundering of human body parts, which seem to suggest the hand of the State, meriting serious investigation.

The issue of the marketing of separate human body parts is well known and of interest to many countries, not exclusively applying to Cuba. What complicated this was that, in the case of Cuba, the question of secrecy (confidentiality?) arose when the Brazilian representative Arolde de Oliveira requested information from Brazil's Minister of Health, Arthur Chioro, and he refused to disclose it, violating the applicable federal law.

At this point we might ask: what are the governments of Brazil and Cuba hiding in relation to the transfer of biological products?

Trade in separate parts of the human body is now a global business, and employs Internet communication mechanisms to offer a varied range of products, used not only as organs and tissues for transplantation, but also in areas such as research and the development of new medical techniques.

A body of regulations and legal procedures is being developed to govern the acquisition and use of human body parts, a lucrative and important business worth billions of dollars. Human body parts are used to develop medical equipment, improve surgical techniques, and even to create cosmetics. Doctors use them for complex surgical procedures. This being the case, the obvious question is: how are these parts obtained, processed, marketed and used?

This issue has been addressed by journalist Annie Cheney in her book Body Brokers: Inside America's Underground Trade in Human Remains. The author points out the complicated network underlying these practices, which have become a thriving business, protected by legal vacuums where profit is the main goal, oversight is nonexistent, and corruption is rampant. In the US the Government regulates the acquisition of transplantable organs and tissues, but not human body parts used for educational and research purposes, and this is where it all starts.

If this is the case in the US, one can imagine the surprising things occurring in Asian countries. Trafficking in organs and tissues in Asia is an increasingly thriving and horrendous business. While seeking mechanisms to prevent "transplant tourism," no one can guarantee that the same mechanisms developed to provide organs for transplants are not used for trade in separate parts of the human body for other purposes.

One shocker was a newspaper article about a medical institute in Ukraine selling body parts of fetuses on its website, arguing that otherwise the parts would simply be discarded. The products on offer included: "fetal spleen cells, fragments of fetal backbones, fetal liver cells ..." [5]. The demand for fetal body parts stems from the growing interest in stem cell and cosmetic research, and is a very sensitive issue that involves not only ethical considerations related to the handling and use of fetuses for such purposes, but also interests a large part of the population who, out of religious convictions, are committed to the prolife movement.

The scandal sparked by the marketing of fetal tissues by the organization Planned Parenthood reveals how delicate this issue is.

The case of Cuba

In Cuba the use of fetuses, or parts of them, in research carried out at the International Center for Neurological Restoration (CIREN) has been the subject of much controversy. Apart from the merits of attempts, deliberate or not, to impugn the reputations of those who have participated in these studies, the fact is that parts of human fetuses were used for research purposes and the development of treatments, which appalled many.

I do not doubt the Cuban State's widespread trafficking in separate parts of the human body in order to use them in biological research programs being carried out in Cuba, and also marketing to other countries, as is done with Brazil through an agreement that is kept secret.

There is an entire infrastructure in Cuba, encompassing hospitals, forensic services, research institutes and biopharmaceutical companies, along with highly qualified personnel. In the year 2011 alone 18,765 autopsies were performed, representing 53.3% of deaths in the country. To this can be added the parts obtained from abortions in a country in which 27 out of every 1,000 women have one. But there are many more sources of human parts, and procedures we may not know to obtain them. If there are some misgivings about all this, and there is no legislation in this respect, there is the argument of the US "blockade" to justify everything.

To prevent trafficking in human material, the World Health Organization (WHO) has established a set of guiding principles. We must remember that this trafficking in human body parts is aimed primarily at obtaining cells, tissues and organs for transplants. The parts that can be used to obtain biological products (for cosmetic purposes, for example) are not considered.

We wanted, at least, to cite the guiding principle that addresses considerations on the sale of human body parts. Guiding Principle 5 states that cells, tissues and organs should only proceed from voluntary, non-compensated donations. The purchase, or offering for purchase, of cells, tissues or organs for transplantation purposes, as well as their sale by individuals, or relatives of deceased persons, should be prohibited. The prohibition on the sale or purchase of cells, tissues and organs does not preclude defraying reasonable and verifiable expenses that may be incurred by donors, such as lost income, or the coverage of costs incurred by the acquisition, processing, conservation and provisioning of cells, tissues or organs for transplantation.

These WHO guiding principles are subsequent to the only binding law in Cuba governing the acquisition and use of cells, tissues and organs; that is, the regulation of the Public Health Law, Decree 139 of 1988.

A comparative study of legislation for Latin American countries, drafted by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) , shows that Cuban legislation is not consistent enough in these respects. However, we can point out some problematic aspects of said legislation with regards to trafficking in human body parts.

In Cuba the will of the deceased donor is respected, and no family member or individual can revoke a donation endorsed during one's life. This consent is indicated on one's donor ID card. Persons older than 18 years of age can donate their organs and tissues without so indicating on their identity cards. Parents or legal guardians may authorize the removal of organs and tissues from minors and those who are legally incapacitated.

However, there is a murky gap between what has been legislated and can be legislated, and what is done or is usually done. In practice, more than a few autopsies are carried out without the consent of the deceased patient or his family. The material obtained can be sent to other places and used for other purposes that are not necessarily diagnostic. The law is very general and vague, as it dates back to the 80s. Since then this field has grown far more complicated, involving issues like the handling and possible commercialization of cells, cell lines, stem cells, blood, organs, substances, proteins , enzymes, hormones, antibodies, tissues and genetic material, making the human body a source of raw material for industry.

Taking into account all the scientific resources available, and the commercial opportunity at stake, it does not surprise me that Cuba negotiated with Brazil for the sale of more than 80 million dollars in body parts in just one year, but we cannot know how this raw material was obtained.

Dictatorships legislate, but there is no transparency, and certainly no dedication to governing in accord with the law; the dark intricacies between what is right and what is demanded are confused, and never take into account the common good. It should be noted, however, in order to salvage a positive assessment, that the Cuban scientific community, professionals who work with dedication, defined by their decorum and nobility, usually agree to do their job in an honest way.

The Cuban government should reconsider its policies and adapt its legislation to bring it into line with the guiding principles established by the WHO. It should draw upon comparative jurisprudence and, above all, recognize that trafficking in body parts, though some might not wish to concede it, should never be a road to riches.

What is in the best interest of health and the development of medical research, and human dignity is what should and must engage the attention and efforts of not just the health authorities, but also the professional community forming part of this scenario.

Dr. Eloy A. Gonzalez (Buenavista, Villa Clara, 1949) is a specialist in Oncology and was a Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Havana. He is the author of El Blog de Medicina Cubana.
Court upholds petition and questions the legality of data sharing between Facebook and WhatsApp

A recent change in WhatsApps privacy policy has been causing a stir everywhere. In New Delhi, a petition was filed by Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi challenging the decision by WhatsApp to share user data with Facebook. The Delhi High court took note of the same and has sought the response of the Central Government regarding the legality of such a policy change. A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal has asked the Government to respond by September 14 regarding the accusation that Facebook Inc, Facebook India Online Pvt Ltd and WhatsApp are engaging in compromising the rights of the users

The plea added that The privacy policy is in stark contrast to the Privacy Policy existing from July 7, 2012. In its first revised modification on August 25, 2016, Respondents (WhatsApp, Facebook Inc. and Facebook India Online Pvt Ltd) have introduced this policy which severely compromises the rights of its users and makes the privacy rights of users completely vulnerable.

The update to the privacy policy states that WhatsApp will be coordinating user information, like phone numbers, with Facebook to improve the ad experience on the platform. While it is possible to opt out of the entire ads-on-WhatsApp part, your numbers would still be shared with Facebook for other purposes. According to reports, the data being shared will include the profile photo, online status, status message and last seen status, the email address, device data, location data, third party services integrated with WhatsApp e.g- if you share an article using WhatsApp and information on who is messaging and calling you and the groups that you belong to.

And going by the indications on how policies and license agreements are changing, this may not matter soon and WhatsApp may no longer hold true to one of its core initial promises - to be ad-free and private. All it needs to do is to show the users another sea of text in the form of a new license agreement, which most users are likely to skip through as we always do in the case of terms and conditions, and get you to click a big green I Agree button.
There was a time when talking to a machine in public might have resulted in you being declared insane and taken to an asylum. From that point in time, we have reached somewhere where it is totally acceptable to have long conversations with a witty virtual assistant on your phone while completely ignoring the people around you. Almost every major software platform now has voice recognition in one form or another, be it virtual assistants or mere dictation. We have achieved a lot on how we speak to our smart gadgets now. But are we really there yet?

Were talking more. But Why?

Before we really delve into the quality of digital assistants and voice recognition on different platforms, we need to stop and take stock of what really facilitates the current state of this technology. At a broad overview level, everything from better audio formats to higher quality microphones have helped in making digital voice interaction a valid and acceptable option. But the technology wasnt really waiting for those parts.

When it comes to the hardware side, the growth of voice assistants on phones as a platform is quite predictable, considering that we have always been looking for ways to replace the hard to use phone keyboards, trying everything from larger screens to new ways for typing. Now, for voice recognition to truly evolve on phones, there was a need for processing power. Google started with the voice search app, with the concept of offloading most of the processing to its servers. Gradually, smartphone processors gained power exponentially and now we have phones that can take care of the processing locally as well, especially for basic, repetitive tasks.

Although hardware improvements have been crucial, the improvements on the software side have been way more significant. The field of artificial intelligence has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years. Rather than exactly catching the sound and transcribing it, modern day virtual assistant AI works on a predictive model where it checks the probability of a certain sound being a certain word to guess what you are saying. And newer abilities are being added every day where the AI can do things like understanding your mood and learning your preferences.

Although the innovations mentioned above are quite significant, let us not forget that necessity is the mother of invention. In the past years, the devices that can handle voice interaction have not only been limited to phones and computers. A lot more categories have been included into smart devices, including smartwatches, smart homes and smart cars. Each of these platforms have different configurations, and hence need a system complicated yet reliable enough to function optimally with them.

With a combination of all these factors, it is quite evident that voice assistants have risen to their present level of efficiency. Let us have a deeper look at each of these platforms.

Apple - Siri

Since its introduction in October 14, 2011 on the iPhone 4S, Siri has virtually been integrated into the entire Apple ecosystem, except OS X. Let us accept it, even if Google got to voice recognition first, it was this witty talking assistant on the iPhone that suddenly made voice assistants popular. So much so, that Siri now has a pop-culture significance with respect to virtual assistants, enough to be featured in a Marvel movie!

Setting up Siri is quite easy, where it asks you to speak a couple of statements and also to set the voice gender, location and your nickname. Once thats done you are good to go. Although Siri has a lot of interesting features, we could not test a number of them as they were unsupported in India. Keeping that aside, Siri has a really high accuracy when it comes to detecting english and almost never mistakens what you said, even in a moderately noisy environment.

Considering the richness of the conversation, Siri does give natural replies especially for common queries like the ones about weather. But where Siri currently stumbles is understanding the context of two queries following each other, which is one more thing Google Now excels in, even up to more than five queries. Only rarely were we able to get Siri to understand a reply that referred to something from the previous reply and they were mostly from list results.

If we were to look at the features showcased at WWDC, where Apple announced the launch of Siri on macOS Sierra, the successor to OS X, it definitely looks like Siri is set to be a lot more capable than it is currently. The queries that were directed at it were quite complicated and contextual in nature and Siri did not falter with any of those. If only Apple launched its features at the same time in India.

Android - Google Now

In the group of virtual assistants that are getting better and better at having conversations with you, Googles combination of Google Now and Ok Google is comparatively silent. No, it doesnt do that to contemplate your personality better! As of now, Googles virtual assistant relies more on Googles own search power to solve a host of queries. There are a number of ways you can access this depending on the version of Android your phone is running. Lollipop detects Ok Google from any screen and launches the search app, unless you explicitly turn this feature off. We should inform you that keeping this enabled has reportedly caused some OEM phones to have microphone problems. Considering Marshmallow, the latest version until N goes out of beta, Google Now on Tap is another feature that allows the launching of Google Now over any screen, giving relevant information pertaining to whatever is displayed on the screen at that moment. For example, if you are having a conversation with a friend about going to a movie, launching Now on Tap will show you the showtimes of the movie from theatres around you, the movies rating on IMDB, and allow you to set a reminder to buy the tickets, all within the cards that pop-up when you long-tap the home button.

Clicking on the various app icons (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube etc) will launch the particular app (if installed) or open the relevant webpage with relevant content (the Facebook page or Twitter account of the movie, the YouTube trailer etc). Although this isnt strictly voice, it is definitely one of the best ways a virtual assistant can be used and activating this through voice (Ok Google anyone?) is just one step away for the prolific developers at Mountain View.

Google Now supports speech recognition in multiple languages including some regional Indian languages, but Now on tap only supports English, Japanese, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Korean, Portuguese, or Russian. Ok Google has one of the best regional language detections and offers really intuitive features without you having to explicitly enable or configure them. If only it could tell you a joke!



Google hasnt yet announced any services that will be integrated with Google Home

Special Note: Google Assistant, announced at Google I/O 2016 aims to be the spiritual successor to Google Now, taking Googles AI conversational. Two products have been announced with Google Assistant support - Google Home, an Amazon Echo inspired home assistant speaker from Google and Allo, a whatsapp like messaging app that will combine bots and voice commands.

Windows - Cortana

Due to the persistent comparisons between the three, it might be hard to accept that Cortana has been around for just two years and not more. Microsoft launched Cortana at the Microsoft BUILD Developer conference in April 2014, and if you really dont know the inspiration behind the name yet, you need to reassess your gaming creds. The name was inspired by a synthetic intelligence character in Microsofts Halo franchise and the virtual assistant has been voiced by the same voice actor for the US-English specific version.

Microsoft has integrated Cortana into its entire ecosystem, including Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft Band, Xbox One and even launched apps for iOS and Android (although the Android version is in early access right now for India). Cortana has the usual features like its competitors do and can set reminders, show search results, read out the weather and more, all in natural language queries. Apart from this, you have access to Notebook, where you can specify your interests, and even remove those that Cortana detects on her own. It can also launch specific apps when asked and integrates into services like Foursquare to provide you information. Cortana also lets you set contact specific reminders which pop-up when youre communicating with the contact or depending on location as well. And if the thought of a virtual assistant constantly listening to you does feel slightly unnerving to you, then you can set do not disturb hours.

On PC, Cortana also integrates with Microsoft Edge to provide you features like Restaurant opening timings, reservations etc., on a restaurant website, coupons on a retail website etc. It has also been included into Skype as a bot to order food, provide info, transcribe videos and schedule appointments. On the Windows Mobile app, there is a constant effort from Cortanas side to keep the interactions within the app. For example, when we asked Cortana to book a cab, it showed us ten cab providers around us within the Cortana app itself, allowing us to ask Cortana to call one based on their position on the results.



Halo-inspired Cortana is relatively new into the voice assistant category

On mobile, Cortana does indeed keep Microsofts reputation consistent with the discrepancy in performance and setup process between its Android app (in early preview) and the Windows Mobile app. While the Android preview for India did not need any language configuration and automatically started with an Indian english accent and even told us Bollywood inspired jokes in Hindi, although it refused to understand Hindi itself. The Windows Mobile app, on the other hand, wouldnt launch with language set to English (India) and it had to be set to English (United Kingdom).

Cortana is expected to get a slew of new features with certain builds of the Windows 10 Anniversary update, and we can fairly say that the grounds are heating up.

Alternate platforms (Cars, Console)

Although the major focus of developing virtual assistants with voice recognition capabilities has been on smartphone developers, other product categories are also heating up when it comes to incorporating speech as an interface. One such category is connected cars, or more appropriately, smart cars. Even moderate range luxury cars had certain voice operated features since quite a while and the same goes for Bluetooth connectivity to your phone. Now, major software giants and car manufacturers are collaborating to create and incorporate operating systems for smart cars that enable them to be much closer to the virtual assistants that we are implementing on our phones. Android Auto, which works by connecting an Android phone to a compatible car, allowing you to use Google Now in your car. Apple wasnt far behind and had launched Apple Carplay with iOS 9 that essentially gives you the same capabilities with your iPhone. Both platforms have been picked up by a large number of manufacturers and soon, you will be talking to more than your co-passengers in your car.

Microsoft has also announced that Cortana is coming to Xbox. This opens up a lot more doors for voice interaction. Maybe you can pause your next Halo game just by asking Cortana to do so. This is in line with Microsofts goal to unify the Xbox and the PC. And since Microsoft is doing it, we can expect Sony to catch up pretty soon.



Amazons Echo with Alexa will soon understand your emotional state as well

A smart home wouldnt really be smart if each time you had to interact with it. Or you would have to deal with a mind boggling array of switches on a highly complicated panel, would it? That is exactly what makes home automation the perfect use-case for voice interfaces. Hence it is no surprise that Amazons online store is actually running out of Echo. Its smart-speaker can talk to you, a number of apps and services and any smart device that it is connected to, thanks to Alexa, the onboard virtual assistant. Even Google has jumped into the fray and announced Google Home, which sounds quite similar to Amazons Echo. It is yet to be seen what Googles expertise with Google Now does to this product.

Beyond platform restrictions

Microsoft might have launched Cortana for Android and iOS, but there is no doubt that it works best on Windows. Apart from that, neither Apple nor Google have truly launched their virtual assistants beyond their own ecosystem. So if you are looking for a platform agnostic virtual assistant to talk to, you might have to look harder. The Google Play store might have a few interesting options. We tried Assistant and it definitely has a sense of humour. Even though it is quite capable, the robotic voice and the multiple redirect to its internal browser with search results was quite dull, compared to the contextual results we get from the standard voice assistants.

Dag Kittlaus and Adam Chayer, creators of the AI behind Siri, have recently shown off their newest creation. Viv, a platform agnostic virtual assistant is to be launched with certain third-parties towards the end of the year. Its more similar to Amazons Alexa and Facebooks Messenger bots than Siri or Google Now in its integration with third party services. Their demonstration at the TechCrunch Disrupt NY in May this year showed Viv being able to handle fairly complex queries both in terms of breadth of AI and depth speciality. Due to their strength in AI and lack of a software giants pressure behind them, they hope to get a large number of third party vendors on board and make Viv something as ubiquitous as Bluetooth or Location tracking currently.

With all these developments, and the opening up of Siri to third-party developers, we can only predict that speech as an interface is headed towards widespread usage. Because once it gets easy to talk to your devices from across the room, would you really want to play with buttons anymore? Do write in to us and let us know.
In the first meeting of the cabinet since the summer recess on Wednesday, the prime minister said there will be no attempts to stay in the EU by the back door, ruled a out a second referendum and said the government must focus on opportunities outside the trading block.

At Chequers, the prime minister's Buckinghamshire country estate, Theresa May said her government needs to forge a new role for Britain in the world after the UK voted to leave the EU in June.

"We must continue to be very clear that Brexit means Brexit, that were going to make a success of it. That means theres no second referendum, no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door, that were actually going to deliver on this.

"This really is a very significant moment for the country, as we look ahead to the next steps that we need to take. We have the opportunity to forge a new positive role for the UK in the world."

May said social reform was an important priority and that the country should be one that works for everyone.

I want it to be a society where its the talent that you have and how hard youre prepared to work that determines how you get on, rather than your background, she said.

"Well be having an update on the state of the economy. Well be looking at how we can work to increase productivity, thats one of the key issues that we want to address. But also how we can get tough on irresponsible behaviour in big business, again making sure that actually everyone is able to share in the countrys prosperity.

Conservative party chair Patrick McLoughlin also gave a presentation ahead of the cabinet meeting, which suggested the party wants to capitalise on the divisions besetting the Labour party. The Conservatives are comfortably leading Labour by 14 points according the latest ICM/Guardian poll.

Two months on from the referendum, when the country voted to leave the EU by a slim margin of 51.9% to 48.1%, the terms of exit and what a post-Brexit Britain would look like are still unclear regarding the free movement of people and access to the single market.

May ruled out activating Article 50, the clause in the Lisbon Treaty which will start a two year negotiation period, this year.

She is facing pressure from the pro-Brexit contingent of her party to trigger Article 50 at the start of 2017, before elections are held in France and Germany.
Deutsche Bank reiterated a hold rating on Petrofac and raised its target price to 900p from 770p on Wednesday.

The bank said the oil and gas services company is slowly getting back on course but end market recovery remains elusive.

Petrofacs end markets offer little evidence of any pickup despite projects supposedly moving closer to realising awards, Deutsche Bank said.

Deutsche Bank said since there is a scarcity of awards, focus remains on reducing capital intensity and net debt via the disposal of Integrated Energy Services assets. Petrofac has exited the Berantai RSC contract in Malaysia and the Ticleni PEC contract in Romania to refocus on its core markets and reduce net debt.

But these processes are unwieldy and likely to drag, weighing on earnings and crucially sentiment, the bank said.

The valuation isn't stretched but getting back to its roots is slow and signs of an end market pickup is unclear, hold.

The banks increase to its price target mainly reflects a reduction in its estimated cost of capital. It added: Given the uncertainties in navigating back to its roots and also with respect to its core end markets; implied valuations are not overly compelling at 14x PE, 0.8x EV-Sales and 7x EV-EBITDA 18, on our estimates, which we find are largely in line with long-run averages.

Shares fell 2.04% to 841.50p at 1016 BST.
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US president Barack Obama is set to press foreign leaders to take action against excess steel capacity at the G-20 Leaders' Summit in China next week, says US Treasury secretary Jack Lew.

"The President will press for action on excess capacity, most notably in the steel industry," said Lew in in a speech to the Brookings Institution ahead of the summit in Hangzhou, China.

He said excess steel capacity distorted the market and the environment, harmed workers, and ran counter to efforts to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth, MarketWatch reported.

"He (Obama) will also press for fiscal measures both to smooth the transition and increase short term demand," Lew said in his speech.

The issue of China's steel production is scarcely a new one; US and European leaders have been alleging that the nation is dumping the product onto world markets.

China has pledged to reduce steel output but, the pace of this has drawn criticism. Moreover, other countries, among them India and Italy, have been accused of supporting a steel glut.

Obama's action coincides with a presidential race where several swing states are major steel producers, among them Pennsylvania and Ohio. Steel dumping has drawn the attentions of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
A Coca-Cola plant in France is under investigation after cocaine with a street value of 42m was found hidden in a container that had arrived from South America.

370kg of the drug was seized at the plant in Signes in the south of the country, which makes it one of the largest drug finds in France.

Employees of the company are being ruled out of having any involvement in the operation, according to regional president Jean-Denis Malgras.

"The first elements of the investigation have shown that employees are in no way involved," he said.

Just last year 250kg of cocaine was found on a yacht travelling between France and the United Kingdom, which led to the arrest of two men.

Xavier Tarabeux, prosecutor in the investigation, said that the find "has the street value of 50m euros" and said it had been a "very bad surprise."
Bosses at Germany's two biggest banks -- Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank -- held talks about a potential tie-up earlier in August, a report says.

However, the pair had, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters, shelved the project.

They wanted to finish their respective restructuring before taking any steps towards a potential merger.

The source said Deutsche Bank chief executive John Cryan and chief financial officer Marcus Schenck were present at the meeting.

Both lenders declined to comment to the news agency.
Frances Confederation Generale du Travail  the country's oldest and most powerful union  has called on Air France workers to stage a protest at the Bobigny courthouse on the 27th and 28th September following the dismissal of a CGT delegate said to have been involved in the shirt-ripping incident.

Last October, the airlines human resources director and another executive were forced to flee a meeting about planned job cuts at the Air France headquarters in Roissy as angry employees ripped their shirts.

Images emerged of HR chief Xavier Broseta scaling a fence topless after being chased out of a meeting about restructuring proposals, while another executive, Pierre Plissonnier, also had his shirt and jacket ripped.

On Wednesday, the CGT called on Air France staff to protest against the sacking of its delegate.

CGT chief Philippe Martinez, who joined the company ten years ago, is among the five employees due to stand trial in September. They face up to three years in prison and a 45,000 fine for violence towards executives and security guards at the Air France headquarters.

Martinez, who is spearheading the opposition to the French governments labour market reforms, is accused of having shoved an enforcement officer during the October protest.
Republican White House candidate Donald Trump has accepted an invitation from the president of Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto, and the two will meet on Wednesday in Mexico City.

Trump is expected to deliver a speech on immigration in Arizona just hours after the meeting with Pena Nieto, in which he will clarify his stance on key issues surrounding, among other things, the US border with Mexico.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

The nominee has muddled his views somewhat on the issue of building a physical wall between the two countries in recent weeks, but he reiterated his desire to solidify the border with a tweet on Tuesday.

The Mexican president has extended invtitations to both major candidates for the US presidential election, which is due to take place on November 8 this year.

During his campaign the New York tycoon has promised to make Mexico pay for the construction of the wall, something Pena Nieto has rubbished.

As he launched his presidential campaign in 2015, he said that illegal immigrants coming from Mexico were "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists."

A spokesperson for Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said that Trump's trip to Mexico is unimportant in comparison with his speech in Phoenix, Arizona.

What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions," said Jennifer Palmieri, the Democratic campaign's communications director.
Canadian Post-secondary Education More Accessible and Affordable

Published: 2016-08-31 - Updated: 2017-10-19

Author: Employment and Social Development Canada

Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A

Jump to: Main Digest | Publications

Synopsis: Government of Canada making significant change to student financial assistance to help students returning to class. For generations, Canadian parents told their children a similar story: if you want a good job, stay in school. Young Canadians took this message to heart. Unfortunately, for too many Canadians rising costs have made post-secondary education less affordable. Fewer people are able to save enough for their education which prevents them from acquiring the learning and skills they need to get a good job and join the middle class. That's why the Government of Canada is making a significant change to student financial assistance that will help students returning to class this fall on campuses across the country.

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Main Digest

For generations, Canadian parents told their children a similar story: if you want a good job, stay in school. Young Canadians took this message to heart. Unfortunately, for too many Canadians rising costs have made post-secondary education less affordable. Fewer people are able to save enough for their education which prevents them from acquiring the learning and skills they need to get a good job and join the middle class. That's why the Government of Canada is making a significant change to student financial assistance that will help students returning to class this fall on campuses across the country.

Today, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, was at Humber College to announce increases to Canada Student Grants and changes to the Repayment Assistance Plan on behalf of the Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour.

On August 1, in time for the 201617 school year, Canada Student Grant amounts increased by 50 percent; from $2,000 to $3,000 per year for full-time students from low-income families; from $800 to $1,200 per year for students from middle-income families; and from $1,200 to $1,800 per year for part-time students from low-income families. These increases will help over 270,000 students in Ontario alone. As a result of these enhancements, when combined with provincial student grants, the average full-time undergraduate student from a low-income family in Ontario could receive up to $6,000 in grants.

Additionally, beginning November 1, the Government of Canada will ease the rules on its Repayment Assistance Plan by ensuring that no single borrower will be required to make any repayment until he or she is earning at least $25,000 per year.

Taken together, these enrichments will help Canada's students by relieving the high cost of a post-secondary education so they may equip themselves with education and skills they need to join a strong, healthy and vibrant middle class.

To complement the changes to Canada Student Grants, the Government of Canada is also making historic investments in the spaces where students learn, experiment and achieve through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. Today, Minister Duncan also announced more than $21 million for Humber College in support of two sustainable infrastructure projects that will enable students to create energy-efficient living environments and will retrofit buildings on campus so they use less energy. The Province of Ontario will contribute an additional $3.3 million and Humber College will add more than $39 million bringing the total investment to $64.55 million. In this way, the Strategic Investment Fund will jump-start a virtuous circle of discovery and innovation, creating the right conditions for long-term growth that will yield benefits for generations to come.

Quotes

"By providing significant financial assistance to students and investing in the spaces where students learn, our government is building a brighter future for all Canadians. When students, such as those attending Humber College, can afford their education, they will be able to gain the kind of education and experience they need to contribute to strengthening our economy and our community."

 The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science

"Education is the key to future success and prosperity. Our investments are making post-secondary education more affordable and more accessible for more students. It's going to help grow the Canadian middle class and help Canadians get the skills and experience they need for good jobs."

-The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

"I'm delighted that the federal government is moving ahead with its changes to Canada Student Grants to make college and university more affordable for Ontario students. These changes support Ontario's move forward with one of the most ambitious reforms of student financial assistance in North America, making tuition free for families with income below $50,000 and allowing students to graduate with less debt. When complete, over 150,000 students will receive more in grants than they need to pay tuition, providing them with money for other costs including books."

The Honourable Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier, Ontario Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, Minister Responsible for Digital Government

"This funding will enable Humber to continue to support two of our core values: innovation and sustainability. With this announcement, the federal government has acknowledged the significant role that postsecondary institutions play in fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, research and environmental sustainability."

Chris Whitaker, President and CEO of Humber College

"After spending several years living and volunteering in Kampala, Uganda, I saw first-hand how vulnerable women and children can be. I'm now completing my nursing degree at Humber so I can return to Kampala one day and specialize in maternal care. Receiving a Canada Student Grant means I will graduate with less debt and be able to go back to Uganda sooner to make a difference."

Aimee Duncalfe, recipient of Canada Student Grant and Humber College Bachelor of Nursing student

Quick Facts

Canada Student Loans and Grants

Budget 2016 provided the first significant increase to Canada Student Grants and the Repayment Assistance Plan income thresholds since 2009.

Increases to Canada Student Grants are expected to benefit 237,000 students from Ontario.

Over 9,000 students at Humber College received Canada Student Grants during the 2014-15 school year.

The increase to Canada Student Grants will provide assistance of $1.53 billion over five years.

The increase to the Repayment Assistance Plan eligibility thresholds will provide assistance of $131.4 million over five years.

According to Statistics Canada, over a 20-year period, students with a bachelor's degree will earn between $442,000 and $728,000 more than someone with only a high school diploma.

Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund

The targeted, short-term investments under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund will promote economic activity across Canada and help Canada's universities and colleges develop highly skilled workers, act as engines of discovery, and collaborate on innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally.

The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund supports the Government of Canada's climate change objectives by encouraging sustainable and green infrastructure projects.

BUDGET 2016  Making Post-Secondary Education More Affordable

Enhancing Canada Student Grants

Canada Student Grants (CSGs) provide up-front, non-repayable financial assistance to low- and middle-income students and students with permanent disabilities or dependents. Eligibility is assessed at the time the student applies for student loans.

Budget 2016 proposed to increase CSG amounts by 50 percent:

from $2,000 to $3,000 per year for full-time students from low-income families;

from $800 to $1,200 per year for full-time students from middle-income families; and

from $1,200 to $1,800 per year for part-time students from low-income families.

Increasing the CSGs would benefit over 350,000 students across Canada : approximately 247,000 low-income students; 100,000 middle-income students; and 16,000 part-time students per year. This measure will provide assistance of $1.53 billion over five years, starting in 201617.

Budget 2016 also proposed to expand eligibility for CSGs to help even more students receive non-repayable assistance through an investment of $790 million over four years. The new eligibility thresholds are expected to be in place for the 201718 academic year, following consultations with provinces and territories. Under the new model, the existing low- and middle-income thresholds will be replaced with a single progressive threshold under which grant amounts will gradually decline based on income and family size.

Repayment Assistance Plan

For Canada Student Loan borrowers having difficulty making their payments following their studies, the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) can offer help. The RAP makes it easier for borrowers to manage their student loans by paying back what they can reasonably afford, based on their family income and size. Students must apply for the RAP in order to receive this support.

Since its introduction in 2009, the Repayment Assistance Plan income thresholds, which currently begin at $20,210 (gross income), have not been adjusted and do not reflect minimum wage increases.

In Ontario, for instance, $9.50 /hour in 2009 amounted to a yearly salary of $19,760 at 40 hours/week. However, the increase to $11.25 /hour in 2015, amounted to a yearly salary of $23,400, which is above the current minimum affordable payment threshold.

Budget 2016 proposed to increase the loan repayment threshold under the Canada Student Loans Program's Repayment Assistance Plan to ensure that no borrower who applies will have to repay their Canada Student Loan until they are earning at least $25,000 per year. This income threshold is for a single individual; for other family sizes, see the table below. Students earning more than this amount may also be eligible for reduced payments. Students who think they may face difficulties repaying their loans should contact the National Student Loans Service Centre to learn more. This measure will provide assistance of $131.4 million over five years, starting on November 1, 2016.

Annual Family Gross Income Thresholds for RAP Zero Payment by Family Size Family Size Current RAP Thresholds RAP Thresholds as of Nov. 1 Percentage Change 1 $20,210 $25,000 23.7% 2 $31,570 $39,052 23.7% 3 $40,790 $50,457 23.7% 4 $48,110 $59,512 23.7% 5+ $54,830 $67,825 23.7%

Provincial and territorial information for Canada Student Loans and Grants

The Government of Canada works with most provincial or territorial governments to deliver federal and provincial student loans and grants.

In Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador the Government of Canada and the provincial governments work together to provide financial assistance through Integrated Student Loans and Grants.

In Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Canada Student Loans and Grants are available alongside provincial or territorial student financial assistance.

In Yukon, only Canada Student Loans and territorial grants are available to permanent residents of the Yukon.

Non-participating jurisdictions

Quebec, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories chose not to participate in the Canada Student Loans Program and receive an alternative payment from the Government of Canada to administer their own student financial assistance measures.

Ontario

Although the Government of Canada directly finances federal student loans, Ontario processes Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) applications and conducts eligibility assessments for Canada Student Loans and Grants alongside provincial student loans and grants. Up to 60 percent of an Ontario student's demonstrated financial need is covered by the CSLP, with Ontario covering the remaining need through the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), up to a stipulated maximum amount. The CSLP has an integration agreement with Ontario, which means that students from Ontario have a single loan repayment.

The CSLP and Ontario, alongside other provinces and territories, work closely together to improve the coordination of federal and provincial programs, to improve student financial assistance, and to respond to the needs of students.

Ontario Student Grants

Starting in the 2017-18 school year, Ontario is bundling many existing provincial OSAP grants into a single up-front Ontario Student Grant.

The changes will make average college and university tuition free for most eligible students, whose parents make a combined household income of less than $50,000 per year. The grant will be available to full-time students only.

The changes also apply to middle-to-upper income families and include:

issuing grants in excess of average tuition for more than 50 percent of students from families with incomes of $83,000 or less;

making sure no eligible student receives less grant money under the Ontario Student Grant than they would have under the 30% Off Ontario Tuition grant; and

reducing the amount parents and spouses contribute towards the costs of college/university starting in the 2018-19 school year, resulting in more OSAP assistance for these students.

Additionally in 2017-18, the Government of Ontario will be:

providing only grants to students from families with annual incomes of $50,000 /year or less ($30,000 or less for single independent students);

increasing the weekly loan limits for all students and indexing them annually to inflation;

providing greater access to non-repayable aid for mature students; and

changing eligibility so that grant approval is not tied to how long a student has been out of high school.

For more information and to learn how to apply, visit Ontario.ca

Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund

The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund is a $2-billion initiative designed to modernize research and commercialization facilities at Canadian universities, colleges and polytechnics.

Through the program, the Government of Canada is partnering with the provinces and territories to fund projects that:

improve the scale or quality of facilities for research and innovation, including spaces for the commercialization of research;

improve the scale or quality of facilities for specialized training at colleges focused on industry needs; and/or

improve the environmental sustainability of research and innovation-related facilities at universities and colleges.

Research and teaching hospitals, research parks, and business incubators and accelerators are also eligible for funding through their affiliated university or college.

The Fund will support up to 50 percent of a project's eligible costs. The remaining funding will come from other partners, such as provincial and territorial governments, and the institutions themselves.

These once-in-a-generation investments will promote economic activity across Canada. They will result in state-of-the-art facilities to not only train the next generation of highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs but also serve as hubs of discovery and collaboration. They will nurture the development of innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally.

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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Apple's EU tax bill is due: 13B euros

The EU found Ireland granted such lavish tax breaks to Apple that its effective rate on European profits dropped to a mere 0.005 percent in 2014.



By JOHN-THOR DAHLBURG and SHAWN POGATCHNIK

Associated Press

BRUSSELS  Apple has to pay up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion)  plus billions more in interest  in back taxes to Ireland after the European Union found Tuesday that the U.S. technology giant contributed almost no tax across the bloc's 28 countries for 11 years. The ruling is a dramatic escalation by the EU executive Commission in its battle to have multinationals pay their fair share in the region, where popular outrage over corporate tax dodging has grown after years of financial crises and austerity budgets.



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Pierce County records show that two separate storage facilities have been sold to LLCs associated with Rosewood Property Co. of Dallas, Texas.

The first, located at 13015 Canyon Rd. in Puyallup, sold for $12.23 million. The second, located at 8637 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma, sold for $10.56 million.





. . .
Tribute was paid in Mullingar today to the people of Donegal for the hospitality they extended to those who travelled to the county to assist in the search for the drowned Mullingar soldier, Cpl Gavin Carey.

The praise for Donegal's hospitality and the work of the search and rescue participants came from Fr Robert McCabe, who delivered the homily at the ceremony in The Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar.

There was also fulsome praise for the late Cpl Carey, a father of one, who was on a training course at Finner Camp when he and some friends got into difficulty while swimming at a nearby beach last Tuesday. His body was taken from the sea off Rogey Point in Bundoran on Sunday.

Chief celebrant, Fr Padraic McMahon, Adm, Mullingar, was assisted in the ceremony by Fr McCabe, and also by Fr Ger Dowd, chaplain at Custume Barracks in Athlone, where Cpl Carey was based; Fr Alan Ward, chaplain at Finner Camp, and Fr Paddy Casey, retired PP.

The president was represented at the funeral by his aide de camp, Commdt Louise Condon and also present were Paul Kehoe, minister of state at the Department of Defence, and Rear Admiral Mark Mellett, chief of staff of the Irish Defence Forces.

The coffin, draped with a tricolour, was placed on a gun carriage after the Mass, and there was a guard of honour formed by former servicemen as the procession  led by the army band  left the Cathedral grounds. A large body of mourners was led by by Cpl's family and friends and a large group of uniformed soldiers, marching in formation.
October is National Bullying Prevention month. We have all heard the phrase bullying, but what does it actually mean? Bullying is defined as unwanted aggressive behavior; observed or perceived power imbalance; repetition of behaviors or high likelihood of repetition.

Bullying is unfortunately a reality for far too many in our communities both young and old. Much like any other form of violence, bullying is not isolated to any particular age group, gender or demography. Just about everyone of us can look back in our lives and recall a time where either we were personally bullied or witnessed one of our friends or schoolmates being bullied. Its hard to believe that with all of the advancements and awareness, this type of behavior still exists, but it does and with the advent of social media, it had actually gotten much worse. This is because unlike in the past, the bully not only impacts your life on the playground or classroom; they now are able to follow you into your personal life due to the constant presence of social media.

There is good news in that we have learned a great deal about what creates these bullies and how to neutralize their ability to isolate and intimidate. The key is for those in authority to respond to reports of bullying immediately to show without question that bullying will not be acceptable. That message needs to follow to our homes with the messages we send our children not only by what we say but by our own actions in how we treat fellow adults. Bullying is without question a learned behavior. It is learned on the playground, in the classroom and follows through to the workplace and social interactions as adults. We need to send a strong message to our own children, a message of empathy and compassion not of ridicule and rumor.

Who are at risk of bullying the most? Typically those who are bullied have one or more of the following risks:

Are perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford what kids consider cool

Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves

Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem

Are less popular than others and have few friends

Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying or provoking, or antagonize others for attention

However, even if a child has these risk factors, it doesnt mean that they will be bullied. The important lesson is that we as adults set the tone for how the next generation will interact with each other. Chances are if we show acceptance of others, our children will show acceptance of others. If we engage in demeaning others or spreading rumors, our children will follow suit. So often we as adults underestimate the influence, we have not only on our own children but even those who dont know us but witness our behavior.

While school or workplace policies are an important component, the only way to truly decrease bullying is by denying the bully their victim. We do this by raising strong, confident, resilient children, and speaking out and supporting those who find themselves on the receiving end of this type of behavior. We are all teachers in life lessons and we teach by our actions. Lets all be aware of what we teach.
A blog about life under, and resisting, a dictatorship
Home Four wheelers Volkswagen Not To Sue South Korea  Post 'Diesel Gate' Penny Pinching To Blame? oi-Dennis James

Volkswagen has decided against suing South Korea after the country stopped the sale of all VW group vehicles within its borders and slapped the German carmaker with a 17.8 billion won (Rs. 106.85 Crore) fine.

The South Korean government in July had revoked certification for 80 model variants of VW, Audi, and Bentley vehicles claiming the German automaker had fabricated certificates of vehicle emissions and noise levels.

At the time the ban and fine were imposed, VW had called the ruling 'most severe' and had hinted at a legal challenge. However, the Volkswagen group has now decided against taking on a lengthy legal process to overturn the ban and fine. Instead, VW now plans to get the affected vehicles re-certified by South Korea so that sales can start again.

Volkswagen's move to avoid a long legal case comes at a time when the company is trying to pick itself back up from the fallout of the emissions scandal which was exposed back in September 2015.

Other than South Korea, Volkswagen has been fined $15 billion in the United States, the country where the company's emissions test cheating was first brought into the limelight. VW is also facing numerous lawsuits in multiple courtrooms across the world including in its own home country of Germany.
Home Two wheelers Kawasaki Is Developing A "JARVIS" For Motorcycles oi-Abijith Vilangil

Kawasaki is working on an Artificial Intelligence (AI), that would allow the rider to communicate with the motorcycle and adapt to different driving conditions.

The AI will be able to converse with the rider and, adjust the bike's electronics to the rider's desires and skills.

Kawasaki says its AI will use a technology called the "Emotion Engine" to interpret a rider's emotions, and maybe even develop its own personality.

While this may sound like it's from a sci-fi movie, the Emotion Engine is already being put to use in the real world. The Emotion Engine was developed by a company called Softbank, a telecommunications company based in Japan.

Softbank and Aldebaran Robotics joined hands to create a product called Pepper, the first ever robot capable of reading human emotions.

The technology is still in its early stage, but Softbank is always welcoming third-party developers to work with its AI. Kawasaki certainly looks like they're interested in it.

Kawasaki isn't the only company trying to get its hands on the AI. Last month, Honda had announced its plans to experiment on Emotion Engine for vehicles. It is still unclear if that also includes motorcycles.

Yamaha is taking a completely different approach to this with its rider robot, Motobot.
More details of what will become of the Ard Dealgan apartment block on Quay Street in Dundalk have come to light.

Louth County Council last week announced that they were issuing a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on the troubled site.

If confirmed, the orders will authorise the housing authority to acquire the site.

The exact owners of the property, which still at this point is not clear - will receive individual written notice.

Should that be successful, housing body Tuath will develop the site in partnership with Louth County Council.

Speaking to the Democrat this week, a spokesperson for Tuath outlined what will happen to the apartment block that was condemned as a fire safety risk in 2009.

The Association are working with Louth County Council to deliver a housing solution for the derelict apartments known as Ard Dealgan in Dundalk.

This process is a complex one with a number of hurdles to be overcome before new homes will be provided at this location. The Council and Tuath are committed to this project.

The proposal is to demolish the existing apartment and a new-build scheme of approximately 40 units would be built.

Tuath have already carried out out tests on the site with a view to providing refurbished apartments in last number of weeks.

We are proposing a mixture of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments and duplexes, which would cater for a social mix of single persons, couples and small families every one of whom will be chosen from Louth Co Councils existing waiting list.

Over the coming months a design team will be appointed to develop the proposal before a planning submission is made.

We understand there have been a number of anti-social behavior incidents recorded at the derelict buildings and believe this re-development will not only provide much needed social housing in an area of high demand, but also make a positive contribution to the locality and neighboring residents and businesses.

Tuath spokesperson and Director of Development, Bronagh DArcy added: The Association is committed to the re-development of Ard Dealgan, in partnership with Louth County Council. Funding for this project will be sought through the Department of Housing, Planning Community and Local Government and the Housing Finance Agency.

Tuath will be working hard to ensure that the scheme becomes a safe, secure and popular place where people and families choose to live and settle down.

The block on Quay Street has fallen into ruin since it was officially declared unfit for human habitation upon completion, and it has become both an eyesore and a mecca for antisocial behaviour.

The proposal of social housing development in the place of the current block would be seen as a positive alternative to what would happen to the area if the apartment block stayed as is.

Speaking previously about the apartment block Cllr Green said:

 If 38 families could be housed in the Quay, it would reinvigorate the area and copper fasten the strong sense of community that already exists there.

The apartments were originally developed by former IRA hunger striker Tom McFeeley. McFeeley was declared bankrupt in the UK, which was challenged, following which time he was declated bankrupt in Ireland.

Tuaths aim is to provide long-term, safe, quality housing at best value whilst locally building mixed, sustainable communities. Tuath is primarily a service organisation, housing people in need and managing homes whilst responding to, engaging with and involving local people to make social housing work.

Objections to the CPO need to be lodged by the 23 September, after which point an oral hearing will take place.
History does not repeat itself, but it can teach us lessons, former Taoiseach John Bruton told the Thomas DArcy Summer School at Carlingford recently.

Mr Bruton was speaking at a seminar on 1916 and Revolutionary Republicanism.

He said Theresa May will face a similar problem in 2017 to the one faced by John Redmond and the Irish Party in the 1910 to 1918 period.

Theresa May is trying to gain independence for her country from a bigger Union, on a mutually agreed basis, Mr Bruton said. But a geographically concentrated minority of her people want to stay in that Union, in this case, the people of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

John Redmond wanted independence for Ireland from another Union, also on a mutually agreed basis. In his case, a resolute, and also geographically concentrated, minority wanted to stay in that Union. They were a majority in Down, Antrim, Derry and Armagh.

Similar problem, 100 years later.Theresa May wants access to the market of the Union she is leaving, and to get it she may have to continue to accept some of the rules of the Union.

 John Redmond had to do likewise, although he, unlike Theresa May, under the deal he won, would have continued to have some input to those rules. Each represent, or represented, smaller entity seeking separation from a larger one.

So, to get a good deal for exit, both need, or needed, to know, understand, and work the politics of the Union they wanted to leave. In this task, The Irish Parliamentary Party, of 100 years ago, did a markedly better job, than the British Conservative Party has done so far.

As the Brexit negotiation continues, Theresa May even may have to contemplate a partition of the UK.

This partition might exclude Scotland from some, or all aspects of UK law, if Scotland insists on remaining in the EU. This could be a price Theresa May might have to pay for willing consent by Scotland to the rest of the UK leaving the EU. Again similar to the problem John Redmond faced.

But, all in all, Theresa Mays challenge is the easier one.

Hers is a purely political problem. Her country is at peace, and the possibility of consent to Scotland going its own way has been conceded by her predecessor.

John Redmond had to contend, on the other hand, with the existence of two private armies in Ireland on either side of the debate.

 He had to contend with a wider world in the midst of a World War.

Mr Bruton said constitutional nationalist politics in Louth was far from dull, because of the split at national level between Tim Healy (up to 1910 the North Louth MP) and William O'Brien on one side, and the majority of constitutional nationalists, led by Redmond and Dillon, on the other.

For example, in 1910 Healy, having been defeated in North Louth by a Redmondite, Richard Hazleton, launched an election petition, alleging bribery and intimidation of voters, and demanding his opponent be unseated, Mr Bruton said.

 He won this case, and a Healy supporter, Augustine Roche, won the seat in the re run.

 The Catholic Church exercised a strong influence in Louth politics, usually in favour of nationalist political unity rather than on religious matters as such.

Mr Bruton said the hotly contested character of elections in Louth strengthened constitutional nationalism in the county, and explains how it held its own here against Sinn Fein, even in the 1918 general election and the 1920 local elections.
Jog your memory and think of a small figure in a yellow hi-vis jacket who was known only as The Marshal by some of his friends.

The thousands who attend the annual Saint Gerards Novena could not have missed or fail to remember him there or at other religious occasions in town.

He could for that matter appear at other outdoor events in or about town. In fact, all over the country you were likely to see Michael Creaney, especially where there was a motor-cycle event.

For like at the Saint Gerards novena where he dutifully and cheerfully outside Saint Josephs Church directed traffic at the various sessions of the Novena, he acted as a steward at races staged by the Motor Cycle association.

How he managed to get to the different places was a mystery to most. For a man with no family, limitations that included not being able to read or write who was homeless when he came to Dundalk over 30 years ago.

He inserted himself into the hearts of so many people, a number of whom became very close and cared for him like family. He was warmly embraced by Dundalk Simon Community who provided him with living accommodation and assisted his personal development, and hugely admired the way that he strove every day to assert his independence and get on with life.

One of their number, his closest friend, offered a fulsome and heart warming tribute to Michael: He was always happy and personable. Someone to admire, someone who got up every day and put the best foot forward and made the most of his life with limited resources. He would always find a way; be prepared to try to do things, learn new things. Learn to write his name, cook, bus times, a new song, anything he could he would learn. He would take on anything. He was an inspiration and would cheer you up daily and never ever complained, never looked back or said poor me. 

Others he met along what some might describe as a difficult life journey were good to him in the vicinity of Saint Josephs Redemptorist Church or who had more casual contact with him, as they met him along the roadways, such as truckers.

Michael also travelled up and down to Belfast to see Redemptorist priests that he befriended. Michaels most precious and important possession was his bus pass which was the chief means by which he made his way to and back from motor cycle races. His personal diary was fixed around the Motor Cycle annual calendar of events after one day wandering out to Louth Village where road races were taking place.

Local official Ray Douglas handed him a job and a relationship was formed that saw Michael travel with Ray to different meetings across the country. Michael was one who could be trusted to faithfully carry out a job.

Little was known about his background as he arrived in town. It was gleaned that he spent years while growing up in an orphanage in Belfast, and another residential facility when he was older.

Reputedly he suffered a most profound and lasting experience when caught up in a bomb explosion. This seemingly occurred when he worked in the Europa Hotel in Belfast, which was subjected to more bomb attacks than any hotel in the world.

Michael came in contact with the local Simon Community and was set up in a council house in Coxs Community where he lived happily and independently. Years later he transferred to a Simon Community house in Saint Alphonsus Road, where he would have closer access to Simon and Rehab Care with whom he engaged with for over 25 years who helped him acquire new life skills and where he made many friends within the community. Michael managed to live independently with the active guidance and aid of the Simon Community settlement team and Rehab Care.

This situation prevailed until 2012 when Michael showed signs of dementia and was admitted to Saint Peters Nursing Home where he was lovingly and tenderly cared for and his desire to be active and busy was facilitated. A couple of times a week he was taxied over and back to Ardee Day Care Centre to take part in activities there like he had before his admission, and day trips into the Simon Community Drop in Centre were always on the cards.

His death at the age of 74 on August 3 was sudden and unexpected, and touchingly friends and acquaintances responded to an appeal by Father Michael Cusack CSsR Rector at Saint Josephs Redemptorist Church and so many turned up for his funeral service. Father Cusack celebrated the Requiem Mass and delivered a humorous and eloquent eulogy about Michael.

His motorcycle friends also provided their own farewell tribute to Michael, who they affectionately only knew as The Marshal and posted 100s of messages of sympathy and condolences on Facebook.

They also formed a Guard of Honour with four outriders escorting the hearse from Shevlins Funeral Home to the Church and after Mass to Dowdallshill cemetery. The four outriders lowered the coffin into the grave with very fittingly a hi-vis jacket laid on top of it.
Small and medium business (SMB) confidence has risen to a five-year high, largely due to an improved economic outlook, according to the latest Sensis Business Index survey.

The views of 1,000 SMBS were captured by the Index, which is released by Sensis each quarter. The latest survey found that 60% of SMBS are confident while 16% are worried. The net balance score of +44, being the difference between the percentage of confident and worried businesses, is the highest business confidence score recorded by Sensis since March 2011.

While sales and employment improved and prices remain positive, wages and profitability went backwards this quarter, said Sensis CEO, John Allan.

These are not the results you would expect to see when confidence has lifted to a five year high. Rather than being driven by these indicators, confidence is instead being driven by perceptions that the overall economic environment is improving. On top of this, the non-cyclical influences remain strong, with businesses continuing to feel particularly positive about their own specific business strengths.

Economic outlook improves (but still negative)

While SMB perceptions of the economy remained negative at -8, this was a 14-point improvement on the previous quarter as well as a two-year high.

Concern about the economic environment has halved, with only one in twenty businesses now worried, Allan said.

Meanwhile, the number of businesses reporting a lack of work or sales as a barrier to taking on new staff fell from 51% to 38% the lowest level weve seen since September 2014.

WA is the least confident state

In terms of the individual states and territories, there were confidence gains among SMBs everywhere except for Tasmania and the Northern Territory. New South Wales extended its lead, while Tasmania  the most confident state two surveys ago  experienced the biggest fall, down 17 points.

Western Australia is now the least confident state. South Australia is finally off the bottom, following a 24-point rise in confidence. Northern Territory sits between the two states as the second least confident jurisdiction.

Speaking with Dynamic Business, Libby Hay, Director of Corporate Affairs at Sensis, suggested the mining downturn in Western Australia together with defence contract awarded to South Australia earlier this year played a role in the two states switching places on the confidence scoreboard.

Increased confidence amongst metropolitan SMBs

At a local level, confidence rose by 13 points in metropolitan areas (+50) but only rose by four points in regional areas (+35), with the gap between the two widening from six to 15 points this quarter.

Metropolitan businesses are feeling more confident on all of the key performance indicators and, with the exception of New South Wales, now also lead their regional counterparts in terms of business confidence in every state and territory, said Allan.

There was a reversal in confidence in South Australia and Western Australia, with businesses in Adelaide (up 33 points) and Perth (up 23 points) now more confident than those in regional areas in those states.

High levels

Regional businesses in NSW were the most confident of any regional area in the nation (+58) and also slightly ahead of SMBs in Sydney (+56).

The sector results were mostly positive, with Health and Community Services; Hospitality; and Finance and Insurance now sharing top spot, each on +58.

While most sectors are feeling confident, manufacturers saw weak sales and demand, while retailers continue to worry about business conditions. These two industries are the least confident and are reporting more challenges than the other sectors, Allan said.

In terms of the perceptions of state and territory governments, only the NSW Government recorded positive rating, with all except for the NSW and NT Governments going backwards this quarter.
Despite globalisation removing barriers to overseas expansion, it appears that SME owners are not yet convinced of the benefits. Recent data from Bentleys, a mid-tier accounting and business advisory firm, found that only 19% of Australian and New Zealand businesses operated in overseas markets.

The latest The Voice of Australian Business survey, a bi-annual national survey of SMEs, revealed that a majority of businesses operating overseas are medium-sized, rather than small or micro, with the most common markets for expansion being the USA, UK and Asia.

Risk-averse owners forgo global expansion

Scott Field, Associate Director, Bentleys Queensland suggested the low number of businesses operating globally could signify that SME owners feel the risk outweighs the advantages.

SME owners can be risk-averse in thinking about going global. For them, international markets may present exciting growth and diversification opportunities but it can also present challenges. This fear often comes from a lack of knowledge in how to make the transition from a local to global business, said Field.

Lack of interest, lack of perceived value

The survey revealed the largest barrier to overseas expansion was a lack of interest (38%) or lack of perceived value, followed by physical distance (35%) and not knowing how to operate outside of Australia (15%).

Field said that while it can be a challenging process for many, overseas expansion can provide opportunities for unparalleled growth, provided SME owners have done their due diligence.

Going global requires an understanding of the local regulatory compliance framework, from tax and custom laws, to securitisation of intellectual property and asset protection, to appropriate business structuring, so as to identify and mitigate any potential risks, Field said.

This is where the need for an established relationship with an advisor, who has an understanding of working with businesses expanding globally, comes into play.

Expansion essentials for SMEs

For those SMEs looking to expand into the overseas market, Field recommends the below:

Have a business plan  perform a SWOT Analysis to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Do your due diligence. Research the market you wish to move into, and ensure you are utilising all resources available through your accounting or advisory network to understand the legal and regulatory framework.

Have a well thought out financing structure and ensure your business has a robust financial forecast quantifying business expansion costs.

Understand the local economic and political environment.

Check what government grants are available, the Australian government is trying to encourage exporting and there are a number of grants available depending on the industry and market you are trying to break into. There are also a number of trade agreements in place, for instance in the Asia-Pacific region we have the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement and Trans Pacific Partnership.

Other findings

Other key findings from the survey around overseas expansion include:
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Sir Suma Chakrabarti expressed support for Reform Agenda, EU approximation, regional integration in the Western Balkans

The President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Sir Suma Chakrabarti, visited Bosnia and Herzegovina on 30-31 August 2016, starting the second leg of a wider regional tour of the Western Balkans. On 31 August and 1 September he is visiting Serbia. In late July, he visited Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro.

During the visit, the EBRD President met the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bakir Izetbegovic; the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Denis Zvizdic; the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Development (and EBRD Governor) Mirko Sarovic; and the Minister of Finance, Vijekoslav Bevanda. He also held talks with representatives from the government of the canton of Sarajevo and from the diplomatic and business communities.

President Chakrabarti spoke at a reception to mark the 25th anniversary of the EBRD and 20 years of the Banks work in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the event, he announced that the EBRDs Annual Meeting in 2019 will be held in Sarajevo.

In his speech, available on ebrd.com, he said: We chose the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina for our most important annual event because this country and this region are extremely important to us at the EBRD.

The EBRD Presidents discussions focused primarily on the governments Reform Agenda, the EU approximation process and regional integration, as well as on infrastructure and the role of the private sector in the wider economy.

He welcomed the momentum generated by the recently adopted Reform Agenda, which will provide a blueprint for the countrys next steps in reform. He expressed the hope that an International Monetary Fund programme would be approved soon and would give an additional impetus to the process. He urged the authorities to maintain this reform momentum.

The EBRD President offered to tailor the Banks Investment Climate and Governance Initiative to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said the EBRD was planning to invest here at record levels over the next two years  about 200 million each year.

He noted that the Bank was planning to maintain its current investment levels in critical infrastructure such as the Corridor Vc project, which will be the first motorway to connect the country to European markets.

Sir Suma also stressed that privatisation efforts need to be renewed, and offered to make available the EBRDs considerable expertise in transparent, efficient privatisations. The EBRD will expand the programme it started recently to support women in business, and will look for ways to help combat the high youth unemployment in the country, he said.

He added that the Banks new Country Strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina will be approved next year.

Chairman Zvizdic confirmed that the Reform Agenda and improving the business climate, are at the top of the governments priorities and he welcomed further EBRD engagement and support for both initiatives. He also raised the possibility of increased EBRD investment in the financial sector and transport infrastructure including potential publicprivate partnership structures, and in the private sector including small and medium-sized enterprises.

He noted the EBRDs strong commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular and also to regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, which, he said, was much valued by the authorities.

Chairman Izetbegovic noted that the Presidency appreciated EBRD support in the EU approximation process and in job creation.

During his visit, the EBRD President also signed a loan to finance a water network modernisation project in the municipality of Visoko. Minister of Finance Bevanda signed the loan agreement on behalf of the government. Amra Babic, the mayor of Visoko, signed the project support agreement.

At the meeting with Elmedin Konakovic, Prime Minister of the Sarajevo canton, and ministers of transport and finance of the canton, a potential increase in cooperation in municipal infrastructure was discussed, as well as the need to move ahead with the water modernisation project that is currently under consideration, subject to agreement on a more commercialised approach to the provision of such services.

In conversations with the Foreign Investors Council and the business community, Sir Suma discussed the need to continue improving the business environment and reducing red tape, as a prerequisite for increasing the share of the private sector in the economy.

Sir Suma also met with ambassadors and representatives of international financial institutions (IFIs), who praised the existing level of cooperation with the EBRD and improved coordination among IFIs, bilaterals and the European Commission.

To date, the EBRD has invested over 1.9 billion in various projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina and over 9.5 billion in the Western Balkans. The Bank expects its investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina to top 2 billion in over 140 projects by year end.
Full text of the speech

Economic integration key to efficient markets and reform

Internationalism is not a spent force but a critical element in the response to global economic challenges, the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Sir Suma Chakrabarti, said.

In a speech before Serbias National Parliament, the EBRD President said economic integration was a strategic priority for the EBRD. We see economic integration as a powerful force promoting efficient markets and reform.

The EBRD President said this was not the time for a pause in the momentum for greater integration as the world faced up to pressing international challenges.

For many of these challenges, we regard deeper economic integration as a key part of the solution, not the problem, he added.

President Chakrabarti referred specifically to the impact of sluggish or non-existent growth as challenges facing EBRD regions as they struggled to emerge from the global financial crisis.

The EBRD invests to support the transition to market economies in 36 countries ranging across three continents from Morocco to Mongolia and from Estonia to Egypt.

In his address, Sir Suma said: Internationalism, the notion that nation states should aspire to deeper cooperation for the greater good of all, is not the spent force that many would have us believe.

Regional and European integration remain an important force for promoting efficient markets and investment in the Western Balkans, said EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti in an address at the Serbian National Parliament. More videos

Economic integration was one of the most effective vehicles for advancing the cause of internationalism, he added.

The EBRD President noted that economic integration after the Second World War had spurred the reconstruction of western Europe and it was later the draw of the European Union (EU) that had galvanised the former communist countries of central Europe into historic change.

The same was now true for the countries of the Western Balkans, where the President has expressed his support for greater integration with the EU during a series of visits this summer.

President Chakrabarti said the approximation process with the EU was a powerful external anchor for reforms in the Western Balkans, twinned with an important focus on regional cooperation.

Regional cooperation is an explicit precondition for aspirant countries as they work towards approximation, he said.

Because Serbia has committed itself to a European path and we at the EBRD are doing everything in our power to help speed its journey, the President added.
Most analysts earn their daily bread by focusing on a particular subject area and following that direction. However, I rebelled against that established pattern  and as a result, I tend to look between the lines more than many of my peers do. That means when major news media outlets focus on a story, Im more likely to see what they missed.

In the case of both the Clinton email scandal and the DNC email leak  not to mention the various whistle-blower events  what interests me isnt whats been covered but what hasnt been covered. Ill shine a light on some of the huge misses from a tech perspective.

Ill close with my product of the week: a new phone from BlackBerry, the DTEK 50. It bucks the trend that put most of you on insecure phones.

Clintons Email Server

All the focus has been on Clinton, because she is running for office  but the focus typically would be on how the hell a major email system that wasnt secure remained in service for years without setting off alarms or putting big grins on internal auditors faces.

The implication is that U.S. security is a joke  and if that server was in use, how many other connected insecure devices are there in the U.S. government that effectively are telling any government that has discovered them every secret they can access? Security in the U.S. government must be truly awful. I used to be a security auditor, and Ive seen CEOs asked to step down for less.

DNC Email Leak

There recently were two big political conventions in the U.S. The Democratic convention was well run, and the Democratic candidates got a decent pop in the polls as a result. The Republican convention was run horridly, and the Republican ticket performed poorly.

The Republicans really messed up. The Republicans effectively would have been far better off not having their event. Yet because of an email leak, the key players at the DNC were forced to resign, but their RNC counterparts werent. The email leak wasnt the fault of any of the fired DNC folks. Typically, when you fail to do your job, you are fired. If there is a problem that you actually didnt cause, you dont get fired  only reprimanded.

RNC Email

Given what was disclosed in the DNC email, and given that people are people, what do you think a similar leak would have been like from the RNC? The DNC was unhappy about Sanders, but the RNC literally hated both of the final candidates. (Hell, apparently everyone hated Ted Cruz, and Trump became a close second  though I think he is first like a rocket at the moment.)

Can you imagine what the RNC internal emails would say about Trump? Bad-mouthing Sanders only creates DNC internal drama, but bad-mouthing Trump, who won the candidacy, could swing the election to Clinton (which would be redundant at the moment).

The DNC mail was interesting, but the RNC email would have been spectacular in a very bad way for the RNC. For us, it would have been even more entertaining. (Have I mentioned I plan to vote Libertarian this year?)

Whos the Hacker

On the DNC side, there are two parallel stories. One is the widely publicized theory that a Democratic staffer who recently was murdered had leaked information to WikiLeaks and that his death was connected to that. The other is that a hacker who bragged about leaking the information  and claims theres a lot more where that came from  did it on behalf of the Russian government, a claim he denied. Both stories cant be true.

As a side note, there have been three potential whistle-blower events under Obama, who promised to be transparent. There was Manning, who was abused and sent to prison; Snowden, who fled for his life to Russia (historically someone like Snowden would flee from Russia to the U.S.); and perhaps Rich, who died.

Only in the case of the DNC leak, in which the people involved didnt report to Obama, were people fired for doing what they shouldnt have been doing in the first place, but their crimes werent criminal. In short, in the government, it appears far worse to point out a crime than to commit one. Excuse me while I feign shock. Sigh

Who Has the Email?

Kaspersky  which is both massively secure and recently was hacked itself  has indicated that inadequately secured systems like the Clinton email server typically are compromised by up to three governments. Given that all of the email hasnt been disclosed or even discovered (because much of it was deleted), how much leverage does one of these foreign entities now have?

Its possible that only a fraction of the DNC email has been released, and given that the terminations were tied to what was in the email  not tied to the theft  how many other Democrats or DNC staffers have the threat of being fired hanging over their heads? In short, how many are now owned by whoever has this damaging email?

Oh, and given the lack of products, like Varonis, that are capable of tracking this stuff, who says hackers havent penetrated the RNC and might be blackmailing the RNC folks as well? Given Trumps current popularity, youd think the Republican servers actually would be more attractive than those of the Democrats.

Clinton vs. Trump

Clinton is a career politician who doesnt seem to understand technology very well. Trump is a casino owner, and casinos live on massive amounts of calculated game analytics, heavy multilayered security systems, and massive customer tracking and analysis.

Trump should be far stronger with the kinds of technologies that drive an election, but Clinton is outperforming Trump massively in this regard. How the hell can Trump run a successful casino business by clearly not understanding the technology behind successful casinos?

Seriously, the typical casino runs a level of technology that a politician would die to have access to  yet there is no evidence that Trump understands this even remotely. Maybe he is secretly chivalrous? Doubtful

Wrapping Up

One of the things Ive noticed as society has moved to the Web is that news organizations increasingly just rehash what others report. Its just a rare few that report original stories, and much of what we read is just a rehash of those rare original pieces. Thats kind of sad, because I think much of what Ive related actually is more interesting than what is being discussed. Thats something to noodle on this week.

With all of the leaks of information this year, youd think more people  particularly politicians  would get that security trumps, pretty much every time. However, the only company that remains laser-focused on security is BlackBerry, and its latest phones run Android.

The Priv was my previous favorite, but even though it has a keyboard, it also is wicked expensive. The new DTEK50 gets rid of the keyboard, some weight, and about half the price to create what is actually a decent phone.

BlackBerrys DTEK50

The DTEK has three standout aspects. It puts Android on top of a secure BlackBerry platform, which makes it resist rootkits  the most dangerous of the Android malware because they are very hard to detect.

It has the best selfie camera in the market, and it has a single function button that can be used for any app you want (I use it for the camera).

Additional unique features are the DTEK security scan, which tells you if you have been compromised; the BlackBerry hub, which collects all your communications stuff  everything from social networks and email, to SMS messages and phone calls  in one place; and BBM, BlackBerrys unique corporate messaging service.

I am seriously missing the Privs keyboard, but given that this phone is lighter, thinner, and far less expensive than my favorite phone, the Blackberry DTEK50 is my product of the week.
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By Nadia Prupis

Another day, another dire warning about the global climate emergency.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) top climate scientist announced Tuesday that the Earth is warming at a pace not seen in at least the past 1,000 years, making it very unlikely that global temperatures will stay below the 1.5 C limit agreed to in the landmark climate treaty negotiated in Paris last December.

Over the past century, temperatures began to rise at a rate that is 10 times faster than historical averages. Asian Development Bank / Flickr

In the last 30 years, weve really moved into exceptional territory, Gavin Schmidt, director of NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told the Guardian. Its unprecedented in 1,000 years. Theres no period that has the trend seen in the 20th century in terms of the inclination [of temperatures].

Maintaining temperatures below the 1.5 C guardrail requires significant and very rapid cuts in carbon dioxide emissions or coordinated geo-engineering, he continued, referring to controversial environmental manipulations. That is very unlikely. We are not even yet making emissions cuts commensurate with keeping warming below 2 C.

The announcement comes amid a growing body of researchmonth after month after monththat shows 2016 is shaping up to be the warmest year in recorded history.

2016 on Track to be World's Hottest Year on Record  EcoWatch https://t.co/yOPH5xpwlt @tcktcktck @EricHolthaus  EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) July 23, 2016

Its the long-term trend we have to worry about though and theres no evidence its going away and lots of reasons to think its here to stay, Schmidt said. Theres no pause or hiatus in temperature increase. People who think this is over are viewing the world through rose-tinted spectacles. This is a chronic problem for society for the next 100 years.

Over the past century, temperatures began to rise at a rate that is 10 times faster than historical averages, according to research by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). That means the Earth will warm up at least 20 times faster than historical average in the coming 100 years, NASA said.

This map represents global temperature anomalies averaged from 2008 through 2012. NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

In fact, the Guardian notes, a NASA reconstruction shows that the pace of temperature increase over recent decades outstrips anything that has occurred since the year 500.

Meanwhile, as Common Dreams reported Monday, a group of experts gathering at the International Geological Congress in Cape Town, South Africa this week announced that human activities such as industrialization, nuclear bomb testing and increased greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming have so profoundly altered the planet that they have ushered in a new epochthe Anthropocene.

This article was reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams.
Shunafrica White Finds Success in Technology, Relaxation in Music

Shunafrica White wants to work with crash test dummies, testing automobiles. Its the sort of job that works well with the Conyers, Georgia native's motto: Always prepare for the worst.

But Shunafrica isnt just about crash test dummies. Her focus is broader than that. With an interest in biomechanics, Shunafrica wants to use her recent experience building a robotic arm to make better dummies.

The spring 2016 ECSU graduate is currently working on her Masters in Bioengineering at North Carolina A&T. But it was the work and the opportunties she found at ECSU that would prepare her to pursue her dreams.

Shunafrica spent the summer of 2015 on an internship at the University of Virginia. It was there that she was introduced to robotics. Her mentor, she explained, suggested she look into the field by building an arm.

It was extremely challenging, she said. You have to program the motor to get it to do what you want it to do.

Shunafrica is pursuing a graduate degree in bioengineering from much of the same reason, the challenge. This field, she explains, will help her to build better crash test dummies. Those dummies would simulate the human body more efficiently, offering researchers a better look at how impact affects the body.

Shunafrica was also a recipient of the second place award at the 2016 Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM. More than 700 students attended and presented their research at this conference.

She also had a poster in the Civil/Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering category entitled Mechanical Design of Coronagraph Cubesat. Her poster was in competition with schools such as Howard University, Tuskegee University, University of Georgia, University of California Irvine, and Southern University and A&M College.

Shunafrica was honored at an awards ceremony last February in conjunction with the ERN conference in Washington DC. She also received travel award fund from ERN conference to attend and present her poster.

Shunafricas dedication to her work, and the success she is experiencing at ECSU can be attributed, in part, to two professors, Dr. Mehran Elahi and Dr. Akbar Eslami. She says their encouragement and support have made a big difference in her experience here.

They have shown their dedication to my education by always being available in case I have a question about something, she said. They spend long hours in their offices making sure that I have everything I need to thrive in the engineering field.

While Shunafrica loves engineering, she has other passions, too. A percussionist with the Elizabeth City State University band, she says she enjoyed studying, playing the xylophone and cymbals, listing to music, and watching movies and eating popcorn.

Aside from being a member of the band and banging away on percussion instruments, Shunafrica was a member of the Technology Club, Mu Phi Sigma National Percussion Fraternity and the American Society of Engineering Education.

Shunafrica says her experience at ECSU has helped her grow academically and socially. Her work here has taught her to push herself further, developing a stronger academic base from which she can pursue her dreams. Socially, ECSU has helped bring her out of her shell.

When I came here it was the most welcoming place, she said. Everyone held out a helping hand.

But every student needs a place to escape now and then, and Shunafrica says her go-to place on campus was the band room.

When Im in there playing music, it is the best feeling in the world, she says. I completely forget about everything that is going on in the outside world.

And to her fellow ECSU Vikings, current and future, Shunafrica says make the most of your time at school, get to know your professors, and take advantage of what they have to offer you. Your time here, she says, will be well spent staying on top of your education, paying attention to your responsibilities.

I have seen way too many students get set back because they failed to pay attention to the requirements.
(Photo: L'Osservatore Romano.)Pope Francis meets with Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan at the Vatican Aug. 29, 2016.

Pope Francis has met countless people at the Vatican and his encounter this week with Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was not the first with leaders of the social media and high-tech world.

Still "It's difficult to imagine two more different world leaders hanging out together. Zuckerberg was raised in a Jewish home, identifies as an atheist, and professes a profound respect for Buddhism," The Atlantic wrote.

The Argentine-born pontiff had already met Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt, and Instagram's Kevin Systrom,

Better-known for wearing gray T-shirts, Zuckerberg, wore a dark suit and tie when he met Pope Francis with his wife Priscilla Chan, to talk also about their philanthropy projects, digitaltrends reported.

"We told him how much we admire his message of mercy and tenderness, and how he's found new ways to communicate with people of every faith around the world," he wrote in a post on Facebook.

Zuckerberg sat down with the pontiff Aug. 29 at the Vatican to talk about how Facebook is connecting the world, said digitaltrends.

He knows Francis is no stranger to social media.

PONTIFEX TWITTER ACCOUNT

Back in February, when the Pope visited Mexico, Vatican Radio reported that the number of papal followers on his @Pontifex Twitter account in 9 languages climbed above 27 million.

The most popular language was Spanish with 11,146,700 followers, the second is English with 8,680,000 and the third Italian with 3,365,500.

The other languages in order of popularity are Portuguese, Polish, French, Latin, German and Arabic.

Pope Benedict launched the @Pontifex account on the 12th of December 2012 whilst Pope Francis sent his first tweet on the 17th of March 2013.

"Pope Francis's leadership of the church has been noted for its openness and his concern for the needs of the poor," Jena McGregor wrote in The Washington Post.

"And he appears to recognize the power that tech executives have to help spread ideas, mobilize young Catholics and empower the undeveloped world - but also to shape the tools that can also disrupt how we relate to one another."

In his 2015 encyclical letter, Francis wrote, "Real relationships with others, with all the challenges they entail, now tend to be replaced by a type of Internet communication which enables us to choose or eliminate relationships at whim."

The Pope said this gives rise "to a new type of contrived emotion which has more to do with devices and displays than with other people and with nature."

But that does not mean the Church is shunning that power, but rather embracing it in reaching out to younger people.

In 2014 remarks on World Communications Day, Francis said "the internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God."

Still he also acknowledged that "the speed with which information is communicated exceeds our capacity for reflection and judgment, and this does not make for more balanced and proper forms of self-expression.

"The variety of opinions being aired can be seen as helpful, but it also enables people to barricade themselves behind sources of information which only confirm their own wishes and ideas, or political and economic interests."

Zuckerberg's social-media company "claims to have a mission oriented toward creating social good, but in practice, it often leverages its immense influence over the way people use the internet for profit and political power," wrote The Atlantic.

"By his own description, the Facebook founder is interested in saving the world through technology: its use, its development, its spread."

Back in June 2015 , John Bonazzo wrote in observer.com, that Francis is renowned "for the ways in which he eschews technology - he has publicly stated that he no longer watches television, and he also warned young people about wasting time on the Internet.

"But in other ways Francis is the most tech-savvy pontiff yet. He called the Web a "a gift from God" when used properly, and he also tweets frequently to keep the world's Catholics up-to-date on teaching."
(Photo: REUTERS / Lucas Jackson)Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe of Uganda smiles backstage after winning the "Community Crusader" award for her humanitarian work in Africa during the CNN "Heroes" awards in New York December 6, 2007.

It is no surprise that Pope Francis made Time's 100 most influential people list.

"A moral leader in word and deed," says U.S. President Barack Obama who profiled the pontiff in Time magazine, which made Francis its "Person of the year" in 2013.

"His Holiness has moved us with his message of inclusion, especially for the poor, the marginalized and the outcast.

"But it has been his deeds, his bearing, the gestures at once simple and profound - embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners - that have inspired us all," says Obama.

Among other religious leaders who make the Time 100 special issue are a Muslim, a Catholic and an evangelical leader trying to sow peace in the troubled Central African Republic. There is also a nun from Uganda who shelters women and girls shattered by violence, rape and sexual exploitation, an Episcopal preacher and an environmental evangelist.

"As violence ravages Central African Republic, three men are working tirelessly for peace to hold their country together," writes Jim Wallis, the president and founder of Sojourners in his piece.

"Imam Omar Kobine Layama, president of the Central African Islamic Community; Dieudonne Nzapalainga, the Archbishop of Bangui; and Nicolas Guerekoyame-Gbangou, president of the Evangelical Alliance of the Central African Republic, are religious leaders who actually do what their faith tells them to do.

Wallis recounts how sharing a meal with the three clerics showed him what can happen "when faith leaders walk their talk."

He notes that their witness has been at considerable personal cost to themselves.

"For example, Imam Layama and his family have lived with the Archbishop since December when it became too dangerous in Bangui to stay in the imam's house.

"Because of their efforts the world is taking notice of the conflict. The imam eloquently stated an important truth: 'Politics try to divide the religious in our country, but religion shouldn't be a cause of hate, war or strife."

BARBARA BROWN TAYLOR

Author Barbara Brown Taylor an acclaimed Episcopal preacher and best-selling author, who lives on a farm in northern Georgia, writes "spiritual nonfiction that rivals the poetic power of C.S. Lewis and Frederick Buechner," writes Time correspondent Elizabeth Dias.

"Her latest book, Learning to Walk in the Dark, is her 13th, and in it she urges believers and nonbelievers alike to dive into the deepest shadows of their lives in order to confront their worst fears and to find strength for life's journey. In the process, she adds, their faith may deepen."

Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe "gives hope for young women scarred by war" says director, producer and Academy-award winning actor Forest Whitaker.

"In Gulu, Uganda, Sister Rosemary has made it her mission to provide within an orphanage a home, a shelter for women and girls whose lives have been shattered by violence, rape and sexual exploitation."

Sister Rosemary runs the Saint Monica Girls' Tailoring Center providing security and comfort so that the women can "become themselves again" to recover from the ravages of civil war.

"For girls who were forcibly enlisted as child soldiers, Sister Rosemary has the power to rekindle a bright light in eyes long gone blank. For women with unwanted children born out of conflict, she allows them to become loving mothers at last," says Whitaker.

Evangelical environmentalist Katharine Hayhoe is profiled by actor, producer and Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle.

'There's something fascinating about a smart person who defies stereotype. That's what makes my friend Katharine Hayhoe - a Texas Tech climatologist and an evangelical Christian - so interesting," writes Cheadle.

"It's hard to be a good steward of the planet if you don't accept the hard science behind what's harming it, and it can be just as hard to take action to protect our world if you don't love it as the rare gift it is. For many people, that implies a creator."
The NAACPs recent call for a national moratorium on any new public charter schools represents a dramatic shift away from an approach that is working to advance the educational interests of people the NAACP has historically represented. Its action pits the organization against black families, many of whom are working-class and in desperate need of the types of educational opportunities that are being provided by charter schools.

I have no doubt that the representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People who call for this action on charters have as much concern as I do about the tragic miseducation of thousands of our children, particularly those from low-income and working-class families in the traditional public education system. Black students are getting a raw deal, as they have for decades. According to the most recent scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 7 percent of black high school students scored at or above proficient in math , and 17 percent did the same in reading. If implemented, the NAACPs resolution would keep black families from accessing an option that they clearly support and which is doing a great deal of good in our community.

Heres a fact: The number of black families who choose to send their children to charter schools is growing. Over the past five years, nearly 200,000 additional black families have enrolled their children in charter schools. At 27 percent, black enrollment in charter schools is approaching double their enrollment of 16 percent in traditional public schools. Today, about one in 10 black students who attend a public school in this country attends a charter school. Many of the 1 million names on waiting lists to get into a charter school are black children.

Black parents continue to vote with their feet to enroll their children in charter schools for good reasonthey work. According to Stanford Universitys CREDO 2015 Urban Charter Schools Report on students in 41 urban regions across the country, low-income black students attending public charter schools gained 33 percent more learning in math and 24 percent more learning in reading each year as compared to their traditional public school peers.

If implemented, the NAACP's resolution would keep black families from accessing an option that they clearly support and which is doing a great deal of good in our community."

In early August, New York City released achievement results for its public schools, showing that black and Hispanic charter school students were twice as likely to be on grade level in math as their peers in traditional public schools, and 50 percent more likely to be on grade level in English. New York Citys charter schools, almost entirely composed of black and Hispanic students (92 percent), are the primary reason for the citys highly celebrated increase in learning.

Other previously neglected urban communities are improving as a result of charter schools. In Washington D.C., where 80 percent of charter school enrollment is black, there is clear evidence of success. After educational leaders adopted what was working in charter schools in district-run schools, nearly all public schools have benefited, as achievement across the board is up. Other families have noticed; in fact, enrollment in the school system of the nations capital has increased for the seventh year in a row. Rather than erode public education as the NAACP states, charter schools are helping revitalize schools in the nations capital and many other urban systems.

The NAACPs criticism that charter schools increase segregation also rings hollow. Since the decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, racial segregation of schools in this country has been a function of myriad public policies pertaining to housing. Why should poor black people not fight to have more great schools in the communities where they live? Why should the battle for integration remain on the backs of black families and their children? Why are charter schools being criticized for bringing good schools into communities that have been underserved and neglected for years?

Are charter schools perfect? Of course not. Do we have a lot of work to do to make them better? Of course we do. But the NAACPs insistence on undermining those public schools that are making a difference for the black children who are thriving in them puts the organization on the wrong side of history for our people.




he Wests alliances in the Middle East are in a sorry state. Turkey is flirting with Moscow and shelling our main Kurdish allies against Islamic State. European diplomats fume at Israels destruction of EU-funded Palestinian homes. President Obama has publicly criticised his Arab allies as free riders, while one of his senior officials memorably called prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a chickenshit.




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
Tribute unveiled to motorbike fan killed on Mountain Road

The mother of a motorbike fan who died on the Mountain Road a year ago has unveiled a tribute to her son at the spot where he was killed.

Beverley Clark was joined by local racer Conor Cummins and police officers who attended the scene of the crash on August 30th 2015 - they described it as the 'worst crash' they've ever been to.

Both 22-year-old Lewis and the German biker involved in the head on collision died at the scene - footage of the crash which shows their bikes exploding into fireballs has since been made public.

The road safety video was put together in a bid to encourage other road users to concentrate on their manoeuvres - it's been viewed almost 1.5 million times; Beverley says she just hopes people take note:

Media

Beverley Clark
Island women to 'Paint the Plantation Pink'

Women on the Isle of Man are being urged to 'Paint the Plantation Pink' this weekend.

A female only mountain biking event is being held at Archallagan Plantation which will see bikers clocking up numerous laps of the 2.7 mile course.

The event is now in its second year - this time money is being raised for the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group and Hospice Isle of Man.

You can find more information on the event on the Paint the Plantation Pink Facebook page.

Entries close tomorrow - organiser Melanie Dowling is urging as many people as possible to get involved:

Media

Melanie Dowling
United Airlines Flight 880, which departed from Houston, Texas and was on its way to Heathrow Airport, was hit by severe turbulence while flying over the Atlantic. With more than a dozen injured passengers, the aircraft was forced to do an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, which is located in Ireland on Wednesday.

16 Injured, Including Children

Authorities who have responded to the incident stated that 14 passengers and two crew members suffered injuries when the airplane was hit by severe turbulence. Among the injured were three children.

Those who were hurt during the incident were taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. Fortunately, all the people who were hurt, save for one flight attendant, have been discharged from the medical facility after a few hours.

"As of 10:30, one patient was still being assessed and the remaining 11 were discharged," the hospital said in a statement.

"Hospital staff are working with the airline to transport the passengers back to Shannon Airport to continue their onward journey to London."

Accounts of the Incident

John Dunton-Downer, who was one of the passengers of the aircraft, described the incident. According to Dunton-Downer, the turbulence was so severe that he thought the aircraft was about to crash.

"We reached the mid-Atlantic when, suddenly, there was a sensation of the plane slamming into mid-air. It felt like it was made of paper and hitting a solid object. People, including babies, hit the ceiling and there was a lot of screaming. It felt like the plane was going down," he said.

"We were told to get out of our seats and sit on the floor. The captain said that we had hit turbulence due to unforeseen weather circumstances."

Lizzie Greene, a law student who was also on the flight, stated that for a moment, she thought that she would not survive.

"It was totally unexpected. Everything was normal and then there was this sudden huge drop. People who didn't have their belts on flew out of their seats, all the TVs and the lights went off and people were screaming," she said.

"Some people were walking around and it was mainly them who were injured, but we were all terrified. For a moment I thought I was going to die."

United Airlines Issues a Statement

United Airlines has issued an official statement about the incident, assuring passengers and relatives of those in the flight that the company is doing all it can to provide care for those who were affected by the incident.

"United Airlines is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA-880 which experienced severe and unexpected turbulence during a flight from Houston to London Heathrow today. The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland where it was met by medical personnel. 14 customers and two flight attendants have been taken to a local hospital. We wish these passengers and crew a quick recovery from their injuries," the firm's statement said.
British rule ended in India 69 years ago, yet the philosophy that dictated the enactment of laws by the colonial rulers continues to inform the lawmakers of an independent India. Despite documented proof that more stringent laws cannot by themselves insulate a country against terrorist attacks or enhance internal security, our lawmakers remain wedded to the belief that the state can deal with these problems if it is not limited by judicial curbs on executive power. Thus, the Government of Maharashtra plans to enact the Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act (MPISA), 2016 because it holds that the existing Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999, as well as the draconian provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, amended twice in 2008 and 2012 and the National Security Act (NSA), 1980 are insufficient to deal with terrorism, insurgency, communalism and caste violence that the state faces. Not surprisingly, civil society groups are apprehensive of the record of the use and misuse of similar laws in the past.

The Maharashtra government justifies the MPISA saying that it needs powers to protect the states vulnerable coastline and its critical infrastructure sector. This includes dams, nuclear reactors, transportation systems, defence and government establishments, etc. The government will designate special security zones where the movement of funds as well as arms and explosives will be monitored and where any assembly of more than 100 people will require prior police permission. Any police officer can use such force as may be necessary, in order to stop the commission of any offence under this act, within his view. And citizens wrongly charged under this law cannot sue the state or demand compensation because the state is protected from all such actions.
MINNEAPOLIS - Two epilepsy drugs, levetiracetam and topiramate, may not harm the thinking skills and IQs of school-age children born to women who took them while pregnant, according to a recent study. The research is published in the Aug. 31, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. However, the drug valproate is associated with lower IQs in children, especially at higher dosages.

Valproate, levetiracetam and topiramate are approved by the FDA to treat seizures. Valproate is a commonly prescribed antiepileptic medication, and has been linked to birth defects and developmental problems. Levetiracetam and topiramate are newer drugs, and few studies have looked at their effects on child development and thinking.

"As doctors move away from prescribing valproate, we need to know about the alternatives for pregnant women with epilepsy," said study author Rebecca Bromley, PhD, of The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. "Lower IQs early on can harm a child's educational success for years to come and so it is important that we gain a full understanding about any impact on development these medications may have."

Using data from the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register, the researchers identified 171 women with epilepsy who had a child between the ages of five and nine years old. While pregnant, 42 of the women had taken levetiracetam, 27 had taken topiramate and 47 had taken valproate. A control group of 55 women did not take epilepsy drugs during pregnancy. The researchers performed tests on their children to measure IQ, verbal and non-verbal comprehension and the speed at which they could process visual information.

Children of women who took levetiracetam or topiramate did not have reduced IQs or other thinking skills compared to the control group, no matter what dosage of medication their mother took. Children whose mothers took valproate had the lowest IQs of the study. They scored an average of 11 points lower on the IQ test, which has a mean of 100 points. Nine of the 47 children whose mothers took valproate, or 19 percent, fell below the average range on the IQ score, compared to three of the 55 children whose mothers did not take any epilepsy drugs during pregnancy, or 6 percent.

"While our findings represent a promising start, larger studies need to be done to ensure that these drugs will not change the thinking abilities of children," Bromley said.

She noted that one limitation of the study is that the pregnancy registry represents only a small proportion of women with epilepsy and the results may not be representative of all women with epilepsy. Bromley also noted that topiramate has been associated with an increased risk of birth defects such as cleft lip and palate. Because few children for each drug were included in the study, the results should be interpreted with caution.

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The study was supported by Epilepsy Research UK.

To learn more about epilepsy, visit http://www.aan.com/patients.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world's largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with 30,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.

Media Contacts:

Michelle Uher

muher@aan.com

612-928-6120
A Google search for heart conditions will now prominently display important questions patients should ask their doctor based on clinical guidelines developed by the American College of Cardiology.

The ACC teamed up with Google to create a list of essential questions that patients should ask their doctors about conditions like heart attack, coronary artery disease, hypertension, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation through a new "Ask a Doctor" feature that appears within Google Health Knowledge Graphs, the in-depth search result that appears for health related conditions.

The ACC develops clinical practice guidelines with leading experts around the country. The ACC reached out to these experts to create questions and answers for the public based on the guidelines. The goal is to make it easy for patients to access guideline information in order to spark conversations with their doctors about recommended treatments and encourage patients to be fully engaged in decisions about their care.

Knowledge graphs will also include a link to CardioSmart.org, the patient engagement and empowerment initiative from the ACC, directing users to information in line with ACC's guideline recommendations

The basic information is not intended to provide medical advice, but it can help educate people on what questions to ask their doctor. Given the importance of these topics in the treatment of patients, the knowledge graphs also include a share feature to facilitate sharing information with friends and family who may have heart disease.

"This is a unique opportunity to marry the broad reach and power of Google's Internet search engine with the clinical and scientific expertise of the ACC," said ACC Chief Innovation Officer John Rumsfeld, M.D., Ph.D., FACC. "This project makes it easier for the public to get accurate answers to health and medical care questions, and will aid in promoting engagement between patients and their clinicians."

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The American College of Cardiology is a 52,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more, visit acc.org.
Big data sets are full of dirty data, and these outliers, typos and missing values can produce distorted models that lead to wrong conclusions and bad decisions, be it in healthcare or finance. With so much at stake, data cleaning should be easier.

That's the inspiration for software developed by computer scientists at Columbia University and University of California at Berkeley that hands much of the dirty work over to machines. Called ActiveClean, the system analyzes a user's prediction model to decide which mistakes to edit first, while updating the model as it works. With each pass, users see their model improve.

"Dirty data is pervasive and prevents people from doing useful things," said Eugene Wu, a computer science professor at Columbia Engineering and a member of the Data Science Institute. "This is our first step towards automating the data-cleaning process."

The team will present its research on Sept. 7 in New Delhi, at the 2016 conference on Very Large Data Bases. Wu helped develop ActiveClean as a postdoctoral researcher at Berkeley's AMPLab and has continued this work at Columbia.

Big data sets are still mostly combined and edited manually, aided by data-cleaning software like Google Refine and Trifacta, or custom scripts developed for specific data-cleaning tasks. The process consumes up to 80 percent of analysts' time as they hunt for dirty data, clean it, retrain their model, and repeat the process. Cleaning is largely done by guesswork.

"Will it help or hurt the model? You have no idea," said Wu. "Data scientists either clean everything, which is impossible for huge datasets, or clean random subsets and hope for the best."

In the process, statistical biases can be introduced that skew models into producing misleading results. Those mistakes may not be caught until weeks later, as the researchers learned in an earlier survey of industry data scientists.

"Most of these errors are subtle enough that the analysis will go through," said one consultant from a large database vendor. "Usually it's only caught weeks later after someone notices something like, "Well, the Wilmington branch cannot have $1 million sales in a week."

ActiveClean tries to minimize mistakes like these by taking humans out of the most error-prone steps of data cleaning: finding dirty data and updating the model. Using machine learning, the tool analyzes a model's structure to understand what sorts of errors will throw the model off most. It goes after those data first, in decreasing priority, and cleans just enough data to give users assurance that their model will be reasonably accurate.

The researchers tested ActiveClean on Dollars for Docs, a database of corporate donations to doctors that journalists at ProPublica compiled to analyze conflicts of interest and flag improper donations.

ActiveClean's results were compared against two baseline methods. One edited a subset of the data and retrained the model. The other used a popular prioritization algorithm called active learning that picks the most informative labels for ambiguous data. The algorithm improves the model without bothering, as ActiveClean does, whether the labels are accurate.

Nearly a quarter of ProPublica's 240,000 records had multiple names for a drug or company. Left uncorrected these inconsistencies could lead journalists to undercount donations by large companies, which were more likely to have such inconsistencies.

With no data cleaning, a model trained on this dataset could predict an improper donation just 66 percent of the time. ActiveClean, they found, raised the detection rate to 90 percent by cleaning just 5,000 records. The active learning method, by contrast, required 10 times as much data, or 50,000 records, to reach a comparable detection rate.

"As datasets grow larger and more complex, it's becoming more and more difficult to properly clean the data," said study coauthor Sanjay Krishnan, a graduate student at UC Berkeley. "ActiveClean uses machine learning techniques to make data cleaning easier while guaranteeing you won't shoot yourself in the foot."

ActiveClean is a free, open-source tool released in August. Download it here.

Watch how it works: ActiveCleanDemo

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Scientists can now directly probe a previously hard-to-see layer of chemistry thanks to a unique X-ray toolkit developed at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The X-ray tools and techniques could be extended, researchers say, to provide new insight about battery performance and corrosion, a wide range of chemical reactions, and even biological and environmental processes that rely on similar chemistry.

In a first-of-its-kind experiment at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source, an X-ray source known as a synchrotron, researchers demonstrated this new, direct way to study the inner workings of an activity center in chemistry known as an "electrochemical double layer" that forms where liquids meets solids--where battery fluid (the electrolyte) meets an electrode, for example (batteries have two electrodes: an anode and a cathode).

A key breakthrough enabling the latest experiment was in tailoring "tender" X-rays--which have an energy range tuned in a middle ground between the typical high-energy (or "hard") and low-energy (or "soft") X-rays used in research--to focus on chemistry within the double layer of a sample electrochemical system. The related study was published Aug. 31 in Nature Communications.

Drilling down on the double layer

In a battery, this electrochemical double layer describes the layer of charged atoms or molecules in the battery's fluid that are drawn in and cling to the surface of the electrode because of their opposite electrical charge--an essential step in battery operation--and a second and closely related zone of chemical activity that is affected by the chemistry at the electrode's surface. The complex molecular-scale dance of charge flow and transfer within a battery's double layer is central to its function.

The latest work shows changes in the electric "potential" in this double layer. This potential is a location-based measure of the effect of an electric field on an object--an increased potential would be found in an electric charge moving toward a lightbulb, and flows to a lower potential after powering on the lightbulb.

"To be able to directly probe any attribute of the double layer is a significant advancement," said Ethan Crumlin, a research scientist at Berkeley Lab's ALS who led the experiment. "Essentially, we now have a direct map, showing how potential within the double layer change based on adjustments to the electrode charge and electrolyte concentration. Independent of a model, we can directly see this--it's literally a picture of the system at that time."

He added, "This will help us with guidance of theoretical models as well as materials design and development of improved electrochemical, environmental, biological and chemical systems."

New technique confronts decades-old problem

Zahid Hussain, division deputy for scientific support at the ALS, who participated in the experiment, added, "The problem of understanding solid/liquid interfaces has been known for 50-plus years--everybody has been using simulations and modeling to try to conceive of what's at work." The latest work has narrowed the list of candidate models that explain what's at work in the double layer.

Hussain more than a decade ago had helped to pioneer X-ray tools and techniques at the ALS, which dozens of other research sites have since adopted, that allow researchers to study another important class of chemical reactions: those that occur between solids and gases.

There was a clear need to create new study tools for solid/liquid reactions, too, he said. "Solid/liquid interfaces are key for all kinds of research, from batteries to fuel cells to artificial photosynthesis," the latter which seeks to synthesize plants' conversion of sunlight into energy.

Hubert Gasteiger, a chemistry professor at the Technical University of Munich and the university's chair of technical electrochemistry who is familiar with the latest experiment, said, "This work is already quite applicable to real problems," as it provides new insight about the potential distribution within the double layer.

"No one has been able to look into this roughly 10-nanometer-thin region of the electrochemical double layer in this way before," he said. "This is one of the first papers where you have a probe of the potential distribution here. Using this tool to validate double-layer models I think would give us insight into many electrochemical systems that are of industrial relevance."

Probing active chemistry in changing conditions

In the experiment, researchers from Berkeley Lab and Shanghai studied the active chemistry of a gold electrode and a water-containing electrolyte that also contained a neutrally charged molecule called pyrazine. They used a technique called ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) to measure the potential distribution for water and pyrazine molecules across the solid/liquid interface in response to changes in the electrode potential and the electrolyte concentration.

The experiment demonstrated a new, direct way to precisely measure a potential drop in the stored electrical energy within the double layer's electrolyte solution. These measurements also allowed researchers to determine associated charge properties across the interface (known as the "potential of zero charge" or "pzc").

Upgrade, new beamline will enhance studies

Importantly, the technique is well-suited to active chemistry, and there are plans to add new capabilities to make this technique more robust for studying finer details during the course of chemical reactions, and to bring in other complementary X-ray study techniques to add new details, Hussain said.

An upgrade to the X-ray beamline where the experiment was conducted is now in progress and is expected to conclude early next year. Also, a brand new beamline that will marry this and several other X-ray capabilities for energy-related research, dubbed AMBER (Advanced Materials Beamline for Energy Research) is under construction at the ALS and is scheduled to begin operating in 2018.

"What's absolutely key to these new experiments is that they will be carried out in actual, operating conditions--in a working electrochemical cell," Hussain said. "Ultimately, we will be able to understand how a material behaves down to the level of electrons and atoms, and also to understand charge-transfer and corrosion," a key problem in battery longevity.

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Researchers from the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in the Republic of Korea, the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology in China, and the School of Physical Science and Technology in China participated in this research. The work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office Science, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences-Shanghai Science Research Center.

The Advanced Light Source is a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.

DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit http://science.energy.gov.
This year's winners of the Bernd Rendel Prize, awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), are recognised for their multifaceted research in the geosciences. Max Frenzel, whose doctoral thesis at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg focuses on ore deposit research, and Andreas H. Schweiger, who is undertaking doctoral research in ecology/biogeography at the University of Bayreuth, were chosen by the jury from 17 submissions. They will each receive 1,500 euros to be used for research purposes. The prizes are funded by proceeds from the Bernd Rendel Foundation, which is managed by the Stifterverband. The award enables recipients to participate in international conferences and meetings. The prize will be presented on 28 September as part of the annual meeting of the German Geological Society (DGGV) in Innsbruck.

The 2016 prizewinners:

Max Frenzel, TU Bergakademie Freiberg

The diversity of Max Frenzel's scientific work particularly impressed the jury. He has already worked and published in biomineralogy, ore deposit research, structural geology and geochemistry. Added to this is his international experience: before commencing his doctoral thesis in ore deposit research in Freiberg, he was awarded first class honours at Cambridge for both his BA degree and his Master of Geological Sciences. His insights and findings in ore deposit research are not only excellent science, but are also socially relevant. The focus of his investigations includes, for example, how different types of resources and geological factors affect global availability and hence the commercial use of certain elements. These include gallium, germanium and indium, which are needed for modern technological applications.

Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Hubert Schweiger, University of Bayreuth

Ecosystems and their complex interconnections are the topic of Andreas H. Schweiger's research. He is endeavouring to understand how they react to change in order to gauge the effects of historical and contemporary human activity for the future. Before embarking on his dissertation on the topic of water sources at the University of Bayreuth, he first studied environmental engineering at the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, and then completed a Master of Sciences degree in biodiversity and ecology in Bayreuth. The jury singled out both his diploma thesis on the nutritional ecology of the golden eagle in the Werdenfelser Land region of Bavaria and also his master's thesis on plant growth on Mount Kilimanjaro as "excellent". Schweiger also has a long list of publications in respected professional journals and was also recognised for his involvement with the World Congress of the International Biogeography Society in Bayreuth in 2015.

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Further Information

For more information about the Bernd Rendel Prize and this year's winners, please visit: http://www.dfg.de/en/funded_projects/prizewinners/rendel_prize

DFG programme contact: Dr. Ismene Seeberg-Elverfeldt, Geosciences, Tel. +49 228 885-2825, ismene.seeberg-elverfeldt@dfg.de
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- In the southern United States, an afternoon thunderstorm is part of a regular summer day. But new research shows those storms might be doing more than bringing some scary thunder and lightning. In fact, these storms are moving significant amounts of mercury to the ground.

In a new study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, Assistant Professor of Meteorology Christopher Holmes writes that thunderstorms have 50 percent higher concentrations of mercury than other rain events.

"The mercury is being transported into our region by winds, and tall thunderstorms are bringing it down to the earth," Holmes said.

Holmes and a team of researchers collected rain in a variety of locations in Florida, as well as Vermont, Georgia and Wisconsin. They then matched it to weather data that told them whether it was from a thunderstorm or just rain. They also used radar and satellite data to examine storm clouds.

In a regular rainstorm, clouds are only a few kilometers thick. In a thunderstorm, they reach about 15 kilometers thick. Researchers found that more mercury was in rain from the clouds that reached the highest altitudes.

"The highest concentrations occurred during thunderstorms and the lowest during a regular rainstorm," Holmes said.

For the last 20 years, the Mercury Deposition Network has recorded mercury content of precipitation across the United States. During this period, the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico have consistently seen the highest mercury deposition in the eastern U.S., typically double that of the northeast states.

Typically, the Southeast sees a high number of thunderstorms in the summer months. Holmes and his colleagues believe that this is the reason the Southeast has higher levels of mercury in rain.

Mercury is a naturally occurring chemical element that is used in several devices such as thermometers, barometers, fluorescent lamps and other devices. Exposure to high levels of mercury can be dangerous though.

Holmes said now that researchers know that the storms are spreading the mercury, they need to understand why there are high amounts of mercury at these higher altitudes and how it affects the Earth.

"We're trying to understand how mercury enters ecosystems in the U.S. and how it can affect people and wildlife," Holmes said.

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Holmes' co-authors on the project are FSU graduate student Nishanth Krishnamurthy and FSU Professor William Landing; Jane Caffrey from the University of West Florida; Eric Edgerton from Atmospheric Research & Analysis Inc.; Kenneth Knapp from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and Udaysankar Nair from the University of Alabama.

The work was supported by Florida State University, the Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Griffith University study investigated parasite interactions in wild birds and found they are a crucial indicator of malaria infection risk.

The study Co-infections and environmental conditions drive the distributions of blood parasites in wild birds has been published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.

An Environmental Futures Research Institute team, led by Dr Nicholas Clark, captured hundreds of wild birds across the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia and examined them for malaria and parasitic worms. Detailed DNA screening methods were used to distinguish different parasite strains in the animals.

They found that not only the bird's habitat but also the interactions between parasites can impact a bird's risk of malaria infection.

"Finding that interactions among parasite species may play important roles in determining a host's infection risk means that we need to look in more detail at how malaria and parasitic worms interact," says Dr Sonya Clegg, senior author of the study from Oxford University and adjunct researcher at Griffith Universities Environmental Futures Research Institute.

"It may advance our understanding of parasitic disease in both humans and wildlife."

The research revealed nine genetic strains of avian malaria as well as three strains of microfilaria, a parasitic worm that is similar to heartworm in dogs and filarial worms in humans. Malaria and other vector-transmitted parasites can be just as harmful to bird health as they are to humans.

Overall, researchers found that co-infections occurred in 36 per cent of infected birds.

"Studying the distribution of parasites in wildlife species is a fundamental first step to understand potential threats and to manage disease risks that may cause wildlife declines. By recording parasites in four bird species on different islands and in different vegetation types, we could identify factors that are most influential in driving a bird's risk of infection," says Dr Clark.

Dr Konstans Wells, of Griffith University, says thanks to advancements in computational tools, it is now possible to translate complex ecological relationships into mathematical models.

"We developed probabilistic models to ask whether or not one parasite species impacts the presence of others in the same bird individuals," says Dr Wells.

While malaria was found to be more likely to infect birds in certain forest types and on certain islands, the researchers found that infection risks for different parasites were not independent of one another.

In other words, a bird's risk of infection with one parasite depended on whether or not that bird also had a high risk of carrying a different parasite.

Dr Clegg says the finding that some malaria and parasitic worm species are more likely to co-infect birds than we may expect by chance implies that interactions among parasites within hosts is a crucial but so far neglected topic in wildlife research.

"By studying parasites in birds on south Pacific islands, we ultimately hope to understand how the fundamental mechanisms of isolation, invasion and other process can shape host-parasite interactions," she says.

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To read the article visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12578/full
Today, cell biology no longer focuses only on static states, but rather seeks to understand the dynamic development of cells. One example for this is the formation of various types of blood cells, such as red blood cells or endothelial cells from their precursors, the blood stem cells. To understand how this process is genetically controlled, scientists analyze which genes are expressed by means of transcriptome analysis.

"To me, it's still amazing that we are now even able to determine the transcriptome of single cells," said lead author Laleh Haghverdi, "especially when one realizes that a typical cell contains only a few picograms of RNA*." The availability of these data is now beginning to revolutionize many fields of research, but new statistical methods are required to interpret these correctly. "For example, all cells of a sample never start their development synchronously, and their development takes different lengths of time. Therefore, we are always dealing with a dynamic mixture," added Haghverdi, doctoral student at the Institute of Computational Biology (ICB) at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen. "It is immensely difficult to construct multiple steps of a process from this, especially since the cells are only available for one measurement."

Welcome to the era of pseudotime

To decrypt developmental processes from the measurement of a single time point, quasi a snapshot measurement, the researchers led by ICB Director Prof. Dr. Dr. Fabian Theis developed an algorithm called diffusion pseudotime to interpret single cell sequencing data. This algorithm orders cells on a virtual timeline - the pseudotime - along which they show continuous changes in the transcriptome. Thus, it can be reconstructed which genes are expressed sequentially. By means of this method, researchers can graphically display the branching lineages of the developmental paths of different cell types.

"For example, we can show how a relatively uniform cluster of blood stem cells develops into different cell types," said study leader Theis. "While some become red blood cells, others differentiate into endothelial cells. We can trace these fates based on the transcriptome data of the single cells." In addition, the scientists obtain information about which gene switches underlie the developments. The relatively diffuse mixture of cells which were found to be at different stages of their development can be disentangled on the computer and, after the analysis, provides a clear picture of the ongoing individual steps.

However, this is only the beginning for the researchers because the processes of blood formation are relatively well understood. They served only as a test object to determine how well the method works. "In the future we want to focus on processes that have remained elusive until now or which may not have been discovered at all," said Theis.**

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Further Information

Background:

*RNA stands for ribonucleic acids which make up the raw material for the transcriptome analyses.

** In collaboration with experimental institutes at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, the scientists are focusing on the development of brain cells and the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, among other research projects. They hope that by elucidating the formation of individual cell groups, they will develop approaches to intervene in these processes - for example, when they are disturbed due to disease.

Original Publication: Haghverdi, L. et al. (2016): Diffusion pseudotime robustly 1 reconstructs lineage branching, Nature Methods, DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.3971

The Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich and has about 2,300 staff members. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 37,000 staff members. http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en

The Institute of Computational Biology (ICB) develops and applies methods for the model-based description of biological systems, using a data-driven approach by integrating information on multiple scales ranging from single-cell time series to large-scale omics. Given the fast technological advances in molecular biology, the aim is to provide and collaboratively apply innovative tools with experimental groups in order to jointly advance the understanding and treatment of common human diseases. http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/icb

Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of Europe's leading research universities, with more than 500 professors, around 10,000 academic and non-academic staff, and 39,000 students. Its focus areas are the engineering sciences, natural sciences, life sciences and medicine, reinforced by schools of management and education. TUM acts as an entrepreneurial university that promotes talents and creates value for society. In that it profits from having strong partners in science and industry. It is represented worldwide with a campus in Singapore as well as offices in Beijing, Brussels, Cairo, Mumbai, San Francisco, and Sao Paulo. Nobel Prize winners and inventors such as Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde, and Rudolf Mobauer have done research at TUM. In 2006 and 2012 it won recognition as a German "Excellence University." In international rankings, TUM regularly places among the best universities in Germany. http://www.tum.de/en/homepage

Contact for the media:

Department of Communication, Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstadter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg - Tel. +49 89 3187 2238 - Fax: +49 89 3187 3324 - E-mail: presse@helmholtz-muenchen.de

Scientific Contact:

Prof. Dr. Dr. Fabian Theis, Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstadter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg - Tel. +49 89 3187 4030, E-mail: fabian.theis@helmholtz-muenchen.de
The European Demographic Datasheet 2016, produced by demographers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the Vienna Institute of Demography, provides a comprehensive look at key demographic indicators and main population trends for all European countries, including population projections for 2050. The datasheet will be launched at the European Population Conference on 31 August 2016.

Available freely online, the data cover fertility, mortality, migration, and population structure including population aging, for all countries of Europe and for broader European regions, Japan, and the USA. The data sheet features maps, population pyramids, tables, graphs and thematic boxes highlighting selected topics, including adjusted indicators of total fertility, pension age, and EU-wide population trends including EU population changes with and without a British exit from the EU (Brexit). It pays special attention to the importance of migration for current and future population changes across the continent, and to newly developed alternative indicators of population aging developed at IIASA.

New measures of aging

The work on the 2016 data sheet was led by IIASA World Population Program Deputy Program Director Sergei Scherbov, who is also director of demographic research at the Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/OeAW, WU). He says, "In these data, we apply our new measures of aging that take into account changing life expectancy. This changes the picture of aging in Europe drastically." Using the new measures, Scherbov says, eastern European countries show the fastest rate of population aging in Europe, while standard indicators show a deceptively slow rate of population aging for that region.

The data sheet explores some results from the Reassessing Aging from a Population Perspective (Re-Aging) project, which Scherbov leads along with IIASA researcher Warren Sanderson. One aspect of this effort is presented on the 2016 data sheet: the concept of intergenerationally equitable normal pension age (IENPA). The IENPA is the retirement age that ensures that the balance of pension contributions and receipts is the same for each generation, and that pension systems are flexible enough to adapt to changes.

Migration makes the difference

The new data also show how migration contributes to population growth and decline in different countries, featuring the population pyramids for native and immigrant populations, and showing population trends with and without migration up to 2050.

For example, for the EU as a whole, the projections show a population increase of 6.6% if migration is considered, while with zero migration, the EU population would decline 5.4% by 2050. For some European countries, the projections show potential increases of over 30% with the influence of migration.

"Migration is reshaping population trends in many European countries, with population growth increasingly driven by migration rather than by fertility rates. Some countries with low fertility, such as Austria, Switzerland, or Spain prior to the 2008 recession, have experienced robust population growth driven by immigration during the recent decades. In contrast, many parts of eastern Europe, including Romania or Lithuania, have been rapidly losing population due to intensive emigration to more prosperous regions of Europe," says Tomas Sobotka, a senior researcher at the Wittgenstein Centre and Vienna Institute of Demography who co-led the work on the data sheet along with Scherbov.

The data sheet has been released every two years since 2006, and is a key resource for policymakers and demographers interested in EU population dynamics.

For the first time, the researchers have produced an online version of the data sheet which will be available at http://www.populationeurope.org. The website provides expanded data coverage, additional population pyramids, ranking charts, and details about data sources and definitions, and is optimized for mobile devices. All data are freely available to download.

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Technical University Munich (TUM) research team reports an independent analysis of the operation of the Munich Compact Light Source (MuCLS) in the Sept. 2016 issue of the Journal of Synchrotron Radiation

A team from the Technical University Munich (TUM) in Germany recently reported an independent analysis of the operation of the Munich Compact Light Source (MuCLS) in the Sept. 2016 issue of the Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. The MuCLS is the first commercial installation of a miniature synchrotron developed and manufactured by Lyncean Technologies, Inc. of Fremont, CA. It is designed to fill the gap in X-ray performance between conventional X-ray sources and stadium-sized synchrotron radiation x-ray facilities.

The published article "The Munich Compact Light Source: initial performance measures" (J. Synchrotron Rad. (2016). 23, 1137-1142 doi:10.1107/S160057751600967X) benchmarks the operation of the new source which began operation in April 2015.

"The MuCLS enables us to perform measurements locally that up to now were only possible at synchrotron x-ray sources. Doing these experiments locally is extremely important for us since we can have all principal investigators on site to participate and steer measurements." says Franz Pfeiffer, head of the chair for biomedical physics at TUM.

The MuCLS offers TUM's biomedical researchers a unique resource to conduct state-of-the-art X-ray imaging, but at a physical and financial scale that provides a path toward potential clinical applications. Several publications are currently in press representing a breadth of research from the TUM group, from grating-based phase contrast imaging, k-edge coronary angiography, to studies of microbeam radiation therapy.

"The success of the MuCLS at TUM in the area of biomedical applications is laying the foundation for the proliferation of the Compact Light Source x-ray technology. We will see many other applications such as x-ray diffraction, small angle scattering and spectroscopy taking advantage of the beam qualities of our advanced x-ray source technology." Comments Michael Feser, the CEO of Lyncean Technologies, Inc who developed and manufactured the MuCLS.

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The Munich CLS is installed on the Garching research campus of the Technical University Munich at the IMETUM facility. For more information visit: http://www.imetum.tum.de/research-groups/x-ray-physics/?L=1.

Lyncean Technologies, Inc. is located in Fremont, California and was founded in 2001 to develop the Compact Light Source (CLS), a miniature synchrotron x-ray source based on research performed at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University.

For more information visit http://www.lynceantech.com.
An acoustic analysis showed that similarities between contact calls - known as coos - of female rhesus macaques may be explained by familiarity rather than relatedness, according a study published August 31, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Dana Pfefferle from the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of the German Primate Center, Germany, Kurt Hammerschmidt from the Cognitive Ethology Laboratory of the German Primate Center, Germany, and colleagues.

Previous work has suggested that non-human primates can recognize the coos of kin, though few have distinguished between relatedness and familiarity. To investigate whether call similarities actually reflect relatedness, Pfefferle, Hammerschmidt, and colleagues recorded and analyzed the acoustic structure of coos from 67 adult female rhesus macaques in a longstanding colony on the island of Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. The degree of relatedness was determined using the colony's long-term genetic database, and familiarity was determined using factors including age, group- and matrilineal membership.

Contrary to their expectations, the researchers found coo similarity was predicted by familiarity, but not by kinship: coo call structure was similar in females that were close in age or that shared group and matrilineal membership. This suggests that although these calls appear largely innate, experience and frequent social interaction have more impact on acoustic similarity than genetic background. To control for the strong effect of familiarity on the acoustic structure of calls, the researchers recommend that future studies focus on similarities between unfamiliar kin.

"We tested whether the call structure of closely maternal and/or paternal related females, as determined from extensive pedigree data, differed from the call structure of unrelated females, while controlling for familiarity of subjects," said Dana Pfefferle. "Kinship did not predict similarities in call structure, whereas call structure was more similar when produced by females of similar age as well as by females with higher familiarity, suggesting that experience is more decisive than genetic background."

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In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161133

Citation: Pfefferle D, Hammerschmidt K, Mundry R, Ruiz-Lambides AV, Fischer J, Widdig A (2016) Does the Structure of Female Rhesus Macaque Coo Calls Reflect Relatedness and/or Familiarity? PLoS ONE 11(8): e0161133. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161133

Funding: This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft,http://www.dfg.de, PF 659/3-1 to DP, WI 1808/3-1 and WI 1808/5-1 to AW; Maintenance of the Cayo Santiago population is currently supported by the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) of the National Institutes of Health (http://www.ncrr.nih.gov, grant number 2P40OD012217). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Revealed today as the IUCN World Conservation Congress convenes, the Great Elephant Census will inform major conservation policy decisions across the globe in an effort to ensure African elephants' survival

Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Inc. today announced the results of the $7 million, three-year Great Elephant Census (GEC - http://www.greatelephantcensus.com/), the first-ever pan-African survey of savanna elephants using standardized data collection and validation methods. Managed by Elephants Without Borders (EWB,) the immense project's report confirms substantial declines in elephant numbers over just the last decade. The researchers report that the current rate of species decline is 8 percent per year, primarily due to poaching.

The Pan-African survey shows the estimated savannah elephant population to be 352,271 within the 18 countries surveyed to-date, representing at least 93 percent of savannah elephants in these countries. For savannah elephant populations in 15 of the GEC countries, for which repeat counts were available, populations declined by 30 percent between 2007 and 2014. 84 percent of the population surveyed was sighted in legally protected areas compared to 16 percent in unprotected areas. However, large numbers of carcasses were observed in many protected areas indicating that elephants are struggling both within and outside of parks. Experts say the ivory trade and poaching pose serious threats and there is now a risk that savannah elephants could disappear from parts of Africa. The scientific report of the GEC findings was published on August 31, in the peer-reviewed open access journal PeerJ and is freely accessible at https://peerj.com/articles/2354/

The GEC team used the most accurate, up-to-date counting and statistical methods to analyze data, accurately determining the number and distribution of the great majority of African savanna elephants and this now provides a baseline on a continental scale for future surveys and trend analyses, that wildlife ecologists will be able to use to coordinate conservation efforts.

Overall, 90 scientists, six non-governmental organization partners, and two advisory partners, managed by a team at Paul Allen's Vulcan Inc. collaborated in the work. These included the organizations Elephants Without Borders, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Nature Conservancy, Frankfurt Zoological Society, African Parks Network and the advisory groups Save the Elephants and the International Union for Conservation of Nature's African Elephant Specialist Group. The effort was conducted which partnered with in country park biologists, rangers, and game wardens.

The first GEC flights started in February 2014. The GEC teams flew a total of 294,517 km of transect lines to sample 218,238 square km or 24 percent of the total ecosystem area being studied. This involved 9,700 hours (406 days) in the air by 81 airplanes and 286 crew. The census has completed 18 country surveys with two countries still to be completed, organizers say. South Sudan and the Central African Republic are anticipated to be flown by the end of 2016 depending on safety conditions and data reliability.

Dr Michael Chase, the Principle Investigator on the project, said that "the results of the GEC show the necessity of action to end the African elephants' downward trajectory by preventing poaching and protecting habitat."

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PDF of this Press Release: http://static.peerj.com/pressReleases/2016/Press-Release-Chase.pdf

Link to the Published Version of the article (quote this link in your story): https://peerj.com/articles/2354 - your readers can freely access this article at this URL.

Citation to the article: Chase MJ, Schlossberg S, Griffin CR, Bouche PJC, Djene SW, Elkan PW, Ferreira S, Grossman F, Kohi EM, Landen K, Omondi P, Peltier A, Selier SAJ, Sutcliffe R. (2016) Continent-wide survey reveals massive decline in African savannah elephants. PeerJ 4:e2354https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2354

About:

PeerJ is an Open Access publisher of two peer-reviewed journals and a preprint server. PeerJ is based in San Diego, CA and the UK and can be accessed at https://peerj.com/. PeerJ's mission is to help the world efficiently publish its knowledge.

All works published in PeerJ are Open Access and published using a Creative Commons license (CC-BY 4.0). Everything is immediately available--to read, download, redistribute, include in databases and otherwise use--without cost to anyone, anywhere, subject only to the condition that the original authors and source are properly attributed.

PeerJ has an Editorial Board of over 1,400 respected academics, including 5 Nobel Laureates. PeerJ was the recipient of the 2013 ALPSP Award for Publishing Innovation.

PeerJ Media Resources (including logos) can be found at: https://peerj.com/about/press/

Media Contacts

For the authors: EWB Directors Mike Chase and Kelly Landen. Tel: +1 267 625-0202. Email: info@elephantswithoutborders.org

For PeerJ: email: press@peerj.com , https://peerj.com/about/press/

Note: If you would like to join the PeerJ Press Release list, visit: http://bit.ly/PressList
The Tibetan Plateau, as the Earth's third pole, has long been of interest to many, especially in relation to its human history. Over the last few decades our understanding of the history of human occupation of the Tibetan Plateau has significantly improved as a result of progress made in archaeological, genetic and earth science studies. However, arguments still remain as a result of the major discrepancies which exist between the findings of studies based on different materials and using different approaches. A recent study did a comprehensive review of previous studies of the human history of the Tibetan Plateau and the nature of human adaptation to the high elevation environment.

The study is published in the latest issue of Science China: Earth Sciences, and is entitled "History and possible mechanisms of prehistoric human migration to the Tibetan Plateau". The research is led by Lanzhou University, the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeological Research, the Qinghai Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeological Research and the Tibetan Cultural Relic Conservation Institute.

Prehistoric human history on the Tibetan Plateau is a hotly debated topic. Recent studies have not only yielded a large amount of archaeological material and genetic information about the Tibetan people, but they have also proposed divergent hypotheses. A comprehensive analysis of this diverse material, and of the resulting conclusions, is urgently required.

By reviewing all of the previous prehistoric archaeological work on the Tibetan Plateau, and reanalyzing the available data, this study reconstructs the history of human migration to the Tibetan Plateau and discusses the possible mechanisms involved. We propose that humans first arrived in the relatively low elevation Northeastern Tibetan Plateau from the adjacent Western Loess Plateau via the He-Huang Valley, and then moved further south to the central plateau. This process consisted of four stages. (i) During the climatic amelioration of the Last Deglacial period (15-11.6 ka BP), Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers with a well-developed microlithic technology first spread into the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau. (ii) In the early-mid Holocene (11.6-6 ka BP), Epipaleolithic microlithic hunter-gatherers were widely distributed on the northeastern plateau and spread southwards to the interior plateau, possibly with millet agriculture developed in the neighboring low elevation regions. (iii) In the mid-late Holocene (6-4 ka BP), Neolithic millet farmers spread into low elevation river valleys in the northeastern and southeastern plateau areas. (iv) In the late Holocene (4-2.3 ka BP), Bronze Age barley and wheat farmers further settled on the high elevation regions of the Tibetan Plateau, especially after 3.6 ka BP. However, all the reported Paleolithic sites earlier than the LGM on the Tibetan Plateau need further examination.

The study presents a comprehensive reanalysis of the available archaeological evidence and data pertaining to the history of human occupation of the Tibetan Plateau, discusses how humans spread onto the plateau and confirms the close relationship between humans on the Loess Plateau and the Tibetan Plateau. In addition, it also highlights current problems involved in the study of the history of human occupation of the Tibetan Plateau and proposes possible solutions. As well as stimulating further research on the topic, the conclusions are of significance for studies of the adaptation of humans to other high elevation environments.

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This research is funded by the Chinese Natural Science Foundation (Grant Nos. 41101087, 41171168), the Project for Tracing the Origin of Civilization (Grant No. 2013BAK08B02), and Primary Support for Scientific Research of Lanzhou University (Grant Nos. lzujbky-2014-121?lzujbky-2015-k09 and lzujbky-2014-120).

D. Zhang, G. Dong, H. Wang, X. Ren, P. Ha, M. Qiang, F. Chen, History and possible mechanisms of prehistoric human migration to the Tibetan Plateau, Chin. Sci. Bull. (2016) doi:10.1007/s11430-015-5482-x

This article was published online in Science China: Earth Sciences, Science China Press and Springer-Verlag, Berlin and Heidelberg.
New UBC research has found that amplified electroencephalograms (EEGs) can produce diagnostic results of a brainwave associated with migraines and epilepsy that are comparable to the current, more invasive, standard--a discovery that could lead to better treatment and diagnosis of these conditions.

The low-frequency brainwave linked to migraines and epilepsy is known as cortical spreading depression (CSD) and is currently best studied by placing electrodes directly on the surface of the brain. But researchers from UBC, Germany and Iran have found that EEGs--produced by placing electrodes only on the scalp--can produce equally reliable data if a specially designed amplifier is used in tandem.

"Using this method, we found that the electrical signals acquired from the skin of the scalp were very similar to those acquired from the surface of the brain," said lead researcher Zoya Bastany, a master's student in the faculty of applied science at UBC.

Bastany designed an AC/DC amplifier to acquire electrical signals from scalp electrodes used on anesthetized rats. The amplifier detects signals in a much broader frequency range than the standard clinical EEG system. CSD was then induced in the rats, and the recordings from scalp electrodes were compared with recordings from electrodes placed on the rats' brains.

Cortical spreading depression has never before been accurately measured using EEGs, according to UBC electrical and computer engineering professor Guy Dumont, Bastany's supervisor and study co-author.

"The new method opens up uses for EEGs in studying cortical spreading depression in a non-invasive manner and without a significant increase in diagnostic costs compared to standard EEG," said Dumont.

Ali Gorji, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Munster in Germany and a study co-author, said the new analysis technique could contribute to the development of migraine drugs that target CSD, and to better understanding of other neurological disorders.

"Research is still continuing to fully understand the clinical relevance of CSD. But ultimately, having this noninvasive way of studying this brainwave could lead to better understanding, diagnosis and treatment of migraine, epilepsy and other neurological conditions such as stroke and traumatic brain injury," said Gorji.

The study is a joint research program between UBC, University of Munster, and Shefa Neuroscience Research Center and Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran. A paper describing the results was published July 2016 in the journal Neuroscience. Contact lou.bosshart@ubc.ca to request a copy.

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) -- High temperature agricultural regions are prevalent in the southern United States and the rest of the world and will become even more common with future warming.

However, high temperature environments (roughly defined as high temperatures above 95 degrees) present a challenge related to nitrogen, a common agricultural fertilizer. Those regions lose an unusual amount of nitrogen to the air.

This creates two big problems. One, farmers need to use more fertilizer, which is an added cost for them. Two, the fertilized soils produce large amounts of nitrogen oxides, which when released into the air plays an important role in the formation of ozone, a toxic air pollutant, and increases greenhouse gas emissions.

A team of scientists, led by Darrel Jenerette, a University of California, Riverside landscape ecologist, is addressing those problems. They have shown that modifying fertilization and irrigation practices in high temperature environments can reduce losses of nitrogen to the atmosphere by 50 percent.

Now, they have received a three-year, $500,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to further the work. They have three objectives:

To better identify the farming management practices that limit gaseous losses of reactive nitrogen in high temperature agricultural systems;

To evaluate improvements in air quality and greenhouse gas concentrations derived from implementing nitrogen emission management and use date to improve regional air quality models;

Develop a greenhouse gas offset protocol in the California Cap and Trade program that provides financial incentive to farmers using practices that limit nitrogen trace gas emissions.

"High temperature agriculture practices are underappreciated," said Jenerette, an associate professor in the Department of Botany & Plant Sciences. "It is remarkable how different they can be compared to agriculture in temperate regions."

With the grant funding, the researchers will conduct continuous, automated chamber measurements of nitrous oxide and nitrogen oxides in fields of alfalfa and sorghum, both common summertime crops, in the San Joaquin Valley and Imperial Valley in California. (The research will focus exclusively on summer crops, which are grown when temperatures are highest. Average high temperatures in the Imperial Valley during the summer are about 105 degrees.)

The researchers will test the effectiveness of different management techniques, such as: using lower amount of nitrogen fertilizer; applying nitrogen more frequently; using more organic fertilizers, such as urea; applying the fertilizer on the side instead of the top; and reducing the amount of flood irrigation.

The research that will be funded by the grant builds on previous work outlined in two recent papers, "Multivariate regulation of soil CO2 and N2O pulse emissions from agricultural soils," published in Global Change Biology, and "Unusually high soil nitrogen oxide emissions influence air quality in a high-temperature agricultural region," published in Nature Communications.

Both of these papers highlight how episodic soil wetting and subsequent drying lead to the occurrence and magnitude of "pulsed" biogeochemical activity.

While working in the Imperial Valley, the researchers found some of the highest soil nitrogen oxide emissions ever observed, exceeding previous measurements in agricultural and natural ecosystems and more than 68 times greater than predicted by standard models. The researchers found that soil nitrogen oxide emissions are capable of influencing regional air quality and can have a large contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.

Others involved with the grant are: Jun Wang and Cue Ge, both at the University of Iowa, and Patricia Oikawa of California State University, East Bay.

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Two newer epilepsy drugs may not harm the thinking skills or IQs of school-aged children whose mothers took them while pregnant - but an older drug is linked to cognitive problems in children, especially if their mothers took high doses - according to new research from The University of Manchester.

Valproate, one of the most commonly prescribed antiepileptic medications, has been associated in the past with birth defects and developmental problems. However, two newer drugs - levetiracetam and topirimate - have had little or no investigations into their developmental impact until this latest research, published published in the August 31, 2016, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Lead researcher and author of the paper Dr Rebecca Bromley, of The University of Manchester's School of Biological Sciences, said expectant mothers had to know the possible impacts their drug regimes may have on unborn children.

"Over the past few years, doctors have been moving away from prescribing valproate to pregnant women, shifting them to the two newer antiepileptic drugs. But, until now, there hasn't been any definitive research to understand what implications for IQ and development these two drugs may have.

"Working with funding from Epilepsy Research UK, our team was able to undertake a rigorous set of tests on the children of 171 women who had taken one of the three drugs while pregnant. From the results, we have concluded that - at the moment - levetiracetam and topiramate have no discernable impact on childhood intellectual development.

"However promising a start our findings are, we do acknowledge larger studies need to be carried out regularly to ensure these drugs do not change the thinking abilities of children in the future."

The 171 mothers were identified using the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register; each had a child between five and nine years old. Of these 171 women, 42 had taken levetiracetam, 27 had taken topirimate and 47 had taken valproate while pregnant - an additional control group of women with similarly-aged children who had not taken any antiepileptic drug while pregnant was also included in the study.

Dr Bromley and her team performed tests on their children to measure IQ, verbal and non-verbal comprehension, and the speed at which they could process visual information.

Regardless of the level of dose of medication, the topirimate and levetiracetam-prescribed group showed no discernible difference in IQ or thinking skills compared to the control group.

However, the valproate group had an average IQ 11 points lower than the control, levetiracetam and topirimate cohort.

"Expectant mothers with epilepsy may need to continue their drug regime during pregnancy; this research may give them some reassurance that - provided they are prescribed topirimate and levetiracetam - they will a statistically good chance of normal, healthy development in their children," concluded Dr Bromley.

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AMHERST, Mass. - Results of the two-year, $8 million Great Elephant Census (GEC) of African savannah elephants led by Elephants Without Borders (EWB) were released today at an international wildlife conference in Hawaii, confirming massive declines in elephant numbers over just the last decade. The researchers report the current rate of species decline is 8 percent per year, primarily due to poaching.

Investigators led by EWB director Mike Chase say the Pan-African survey shows that for savannah elephant populations in 15 GEC countries for which repeat counts were available, populations declined by 30 percent, or 144,000 animals, between 2007 and 2014. Billionaire philanthropist Paul G. Allen and his sister Jody Allen are the primary funders of the survey. Chase and colleagues presented results at the World Conservation Congress in Honolulu on Sept. 2, and findings were published on Sept. 1, in the peer-reviewed open access journal PeerJ.

Wildlife ecologist Curt Griffin at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with postdoctoral researcher Scott Schlossberg, are members of a research team that compiled the data, conducted statistical analyses and applied new data analysis techniques to help Chase and EWB estimate the abundance and geographic distribution of savannah elephants across Africa using the most accurate, up-to-date statistical methods to analyze the survey data. Results provide a baseline that governments and wildlife conservation organizations can use to coordinate conservation efforts.

Chase was Griffin's graduate student at UMass Amherst when Chase founded the Botswana-based EWB in 2007. The GEC is the first continent-wide aerial survey of African elephants. Griffin, who visits Africa every year to conduct research with Chase and EWB, says, "We at UMass Amherst are very proud to be a key partner in this great elephant count. We continue to advocate and work hard for the conservation of elephants in the face of the slaughter they are caught in."

Until now, Griffin says, there has not been a coordinated continent-wide survey of elephants, and "we really didn't know how accurate the estimates were, coming in from the various countries." For this work, EWB worked with dozens of elephant researchers, government wildlife agencies and conservation groups to conduct aerial surveys from small planes and helicopters to count elephant herds across African savannahs. These surveys covered 463,000 km, equal to flying to the moon and a quarter of the way home.

Overall, 90 scientists, six non-governmental organization partners and two advisory partners collaborated in the GEC. EWB partnered with park biologists and rangers, game wardens and organizations including the International Union for Conservation of Nature's African Elephant Specialist Group, Wildlife Conservation Society, Save the Elephants, The Nature Conservancy, Frankfurt Zoological Society and African Parks Network.

"An important question we wanted to answer in our research," Griffin adds, "is how many elephants are being missed by observers on aerial surveys. To answer that we did a double observer study to understand the sources of error, so we can develop more accurate estimates of elephant population numbers."

Further, Schlossberg conducted unique statistical trend analyses that yielded the first quantitative model of elephant population trends across Africa. "Although these statistical tools were out there," Griffin notes, "they had never been applied before to elephant populations. Results from the GEC now provide us benchmarks to gauge if elephant conservation efforts are successful and to identify areas where more work is needed to conserve habitat and stop poaching."

Overall, GEC researchers estimate the savannah elephant population is 352,271 in the 18 countries surveyed to date, representing at least 93 percent of savannah elephants in these countries. They say the rate of decline increased from 2007 to 2014.

In their surveys, they sighted 84 percent of the elephants in legally protected areas compared to 16 percent in unprotected areas. However, large numbers of carcasses were counted in many protected areas, indicating that elephants are struggling both within and outside of parks. Experts say that poaching and the ivory trade pose serious threats, and if not stopped, savannah elephants could disappear from many parts of Africa.

The GEC was launched in late 2013 and the first flights were in February 2014 over the Tsavo National Park in Kenya. The census has completed 18 country surveys with two countries still to be completed, organizers say. South Sudan and the Central African Republic are to be flown by the end of 2016, depending on safety conditions.

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Research published this week in the journal Vaccine reports field trials of the oral vaccine SAG2 in Ethiopian wolves, Africa's most threatened carnivore and the world's rarest canid.

The trials, undertaken by the University of Oxford, the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority and the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia, are the first ever conducted in wild populations of an endangered carnivore.

Researchers from Ethiopia and the UK tested various types of baits and ways to deliver the vaccine, trialling SAG2 in three wolf packs. Of 21 wolves trapped after vaccinations, 14 were positive for a biomarker indicating that the animal had ingested the bait; of these, half showed antibody titres in blood above the universally recognised threshold, and 86% had levels considered sufficient to provide protective immunity to wildlife. Wolves were closely monitored after the vaccination, and all but one of the wolves vaccinated were alive 14 months later (higher than average survival).

Oral vaccination proved to be the answer to controlling rabies in wild populations of red foxes and northern raccoons in Europe and North America, but the approach has never been tested in wild populations of endangered carnivores such as Ethiopian wolves and African wild dogs, which are at risk of extinction because of outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Rabies is a virus that kills people, domestic livestock and wild animals worldwide, and is particularly prevalent in the highlands of Ethiopia, where rabies recurrently jumps from domestic dogs into their wild relatives, the charismatic Ethiopian wolves. With fewer than 500 adult wolves left in half a dozen mountain ranges, and no captive populations, Ethiopian wolves are much rarer than giant pandas and unlikely to sustain the immediate and present threats rising from growing numbers of dogs and people living in and around their mountain enclaves.

But with wolves living in a sea of domestic dogs, in shrinking habitat islands, there is no time left to waste. Oral vaccination offers a more cost-efficient, safe and proactive approach to protect Ethiopian wolves and other threatened canids from rabies.

Lead author Professor Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, said: 'We now have a safe vaccine, a suitable bait, an efficient delivery method, and trained monitoring teams in place - all crucial steps which open up the possibility for scaling up the oral vaccination and protecting the wolf populations at risk, before disease strikes again.'

Head wolf monitor Alo Hussein, of the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP), said: 'In spite of investing in excess of US$30,000 a year vaccinating thousands of domestic dogs, it has been impossible to attain a level of dog vaccinations that would remove the risk of wolves getting infected, due to the large and dynamic dog population in the Bale Mountains.'

Professor Tony Fooks, of the Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, said: 'These preliminary results using an oral vaccination strategy to protect Ethiopian wolves against rabies are encouraging and provide proof-of-principle for the use of this approach in wild canids.'

Dr Fekede Regassa, of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, said: 'Since 1990, four major rabies outbreaks led each time to the crash of the Bale Mountains wolf population, the world's largest, typically killing 50-75% of the subpopulation affected. EWCP vaccinates wolves reactively whenever a rabies outbreak is confirmed, contributing to contain the disease, but only after many wolves die - by the time rabies is detected, the virus is well established, and as wolves are highly social, it spreads fast.'

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Ramon Lopez, a professor of physics at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been named the winner of the 2016 Richard Carrington Education and Public Outreach Award by the Space and Aeronomy section of the American Geophysical Union.

The AGU's Carrington Award is presented annually to one honoree "in recognition of significant and outstanding impact on students' and the public's understanding of our science through their education and/or outreach activities - exhibiting an effort that goes well beyond their particular job title," according to the AGU website.

Lopez, whose research includes heliophysics or the science of the sun-Earth connection through the space environment, space weather and magnetospheric physics, is a longtime advocate of science education and has been involved in K-12 science education at the national level for many years.

"The 2015 Carrington Award winner was a NASA astronaut and scientist (Rick Chappell) well-known for his communication of space science to the public, so I am in very good company with this award," Lopez said. "It is a real honor to be recognized by the space science community for the education work that I do in the context of my research in heliophysics."

The citation for the award denotes Lopez's work with the Next Generation Science Standards; his longstanding efforts to recruit and mentor undergraduates in research, especially women and underrepresented minorities; and his work in teacher preparation, especially as one of the co-directors of UTeach Arlington, which is UTA's version of the highly successful secondary science and mathematics teacher preparation program.

"I'm very pleased that the American Geophysical Union has recognized Dr. Lopez's outstanding work with this national award," College of Science Dean Morteza Khaledi said. "His efforts to improve science education for K-12 students have had a substantial positive impact at local, state and national levels. This is also exemplified in the work he does as a co-leader of our UTeach Arlington program in seeing that our future math and science teachers receive the best possible training. He has also been a tremendous mentor to many undergraduate and graduate students who have spent time in his classroom and laboratory."

Lopez will receive the award Dec. 12-16 during the 2016 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco. The award is named in honor of Richard Carrington, an English amateur astronomer who, in 1859, was the first person to observe a large solar flare which caused a significant geomagnetic storm that was detected on Earth. This event was the first-ever recorded space weather storm and is referred to as the "Carrington Event."

Lopez was co-chair of the writing team which drafted the Next Generation Science Standards from 2010-13. The goal of NGSS was to identify core ideas in science across different grades and to provide robust, forward-looking K-12 science standards that all states can use to guide teaching and learning in science for the next decade.

He also was a member of the National Research Council's Committee on Undergraduate Science Education from 2002-04, and from 2006-09 he was a member of the writing team for the College Board's first-ever Science Standards for College Success, co-authoring the physical science standards. In addition, he was among a group of experts who served on the Committee for Review of Undergraduate Physics Teaching and Learning for the Republic of South Africa from 2012-15.

He has been instrumental in the success of UTeach Arlington, which started in 2010 and produced its 100th graduate in the Fall 2015 semester. The program recruits outstanding science and mathematics students and provides them with an excellent education as well as with training to receive teacher certification. The program provides early and intensive field experiences for teacher candidates, and the classes are taught by master teachers, who serve as both instructors and mentors.

Additionally, Lopez has served as a consultant for school districts and state education agencies around the country, including the Texas Education Agency. He has served on scientific- or education-related committees with the American Geophysical Union, the American Physical Society, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and also has served as a member of the board of directors of the Society of the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. He is also the author of a popular science book, Storms from the Sun.

"This is a well-deserved award for Dr. Lopez," said Alexander Weiss, professor and chair of the UTA Department of Physics. "He has worked tirelessly as an advocate for science education and he has had great success in the effort to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities in the UTA Department of Physics. Ramon's efforts and accomplishments have brought great honor upon himself, upon UTA and upon our department."

Lopez earned a doctorate in Space Physics from Rice University in 1986. Prior to joining UTA, he worked as a research scientist and administrator at the University of Maryland at College Park, as director of Education and Outreach Programs with the APS, as professor and physics department chair at UT El Paso and as physics professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. In 2007, he came to UTA.

He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and he also is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a worldwide organization and publisher of the journal Science. In 2002, he received the APS Dwight Nicholson Medal for Outreach, which honors humanitarian service. He received the 2010 SACNAS Distinguished Scientist Award, given to members for their dedication to science, education and mentoring who continue to serve as role models for the next generation of minority scientists.

In 2012, he received the APS Edward A. Bouchet Award, which seeks to promote the participation of under-represented minorities in physics by identifying and recognizing a distinguished minority physicist who has made significant contributions to physics research.

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About The University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington is a Carnegie Research-1 "highest research activity" institution of about 55,000 students in campus-based and online degree programs and is the second-largest institution in The University of Texas System. U.S. News & World Report ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times' 2016 Best for Vets list. Visit http://www.uta.edu to learn more, and find UTA rankings and recognition at http://www.uta.edu/uta/about/rankings.php.

For more on the Strategic Plan, see Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact.
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.

"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.

"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.

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The project is supported by the Norwegian Government and published in the journal Ecology and Society.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (August 31, 2016) - Whitehead Institute scientists have developed a method to quickly isolate and systematically measure metabolite concentrations within the cellular organelles known as mitochondria, often referred to as the "powerhouses of the cell." Prior attempts at such measurements have yielded unreliable results, either by taking too long to isolate mitochondria or by contaminating mitochondrial metabolites with contents from other cellular components.

"The advantage of this new method is that it offers a combination of both increased speed and specificity," say Whitehead Member David Sabatini, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a professor of biology at MIT. "We are quite excited about applying this workflow in vivo and to other organelles such as lysosomes."

Through precisely controlled chemical reactions, the mitochondria produce energy in the form of ATP and play a critical role in cellular homeostasis. Mitochondrial dysfunction is found in several disorders, including Parkinson's disease, cardiovascular disease, and mitochondrial diseases. Until now, peering into the inner metabolic workings of these vital organelles has been challenging at worst and inaccurate at best.

One conventional method of profiling mitochondrial metabolites involves purifying mitochondria using several rounds of centrifugation, a process that can take more than an hour to complete. According to Walter Chen, a graduate student in Whitehead Member David Sabatini's lab, time is a significant issue when studying metabolites.

"Even if you keep your sample at 4 degrees or 0 degrees Celsius to slow down any reactions, you're still gradually getting distortion of the mitochondrial metabolite profile because the enzymes are still going and so are the transporters," says Chen, who is also a third-year medical student at Massachusetts General Hospital. "As time goes on, the mitochondria are getting less happy outside the cell."

The other commonly used method for profiling mitochondrial metabolites relies on abbreviated forms of centrifugation to isolate mitochondria. Although faster, this protocol also brings down non-mitochondrial material and other organelles, thereby distorting the true mitochondrial signal with metabolites from extra-mitochondrial sources.

To reduce the time needed to isolate mitochondria and increase the accuracy of the metabolite analysis, Chen took a completely different tack-- rapid immunopurification. He coated the exterior of mitochondria with epitope tags and added tiny beads covered in antibodies specific for the tags. By locking onto the tags, the antibodies link the mitochondria to the beads, allowing Chen to isolate the mitochondria easily, break them open, and stop all enzymatic activity within 10 minutes. According to his analysis, this quicker method yields results that better reflect the actual mitochondrial metabolite levels found within a living cell. Chen's work is described in the journal Cell.

"From the data we have so far, profiling mitochondria with this method definitely gives you greater resolution than what you would obtain using traditional methods to profile whole cells," says Chen, who is a co-author of the Cell paper. "On the in vivo front, I think this is going to be quite powerful, and that's what I'm most excited about. But I can already see that this can lead people in new and interesting directions."

Chen says the method is potentially very versatile and could be adapted to analyze the metabolite contents of other organelles and to compare mitochondria in cells affected by mitochondrial dysfunction--such as neurons damaged by Parkinson's disease--with normal cells or other cell types seemingly unaffected by disease.

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This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH grants R01CA103866, R01CA129105, and R37AI047389 and fellowships F30 AG046047, F31 CA189437, K22 CA193660) and the Department of Defense (DOD grants W81XWH-15-1-0230 and W81XWH-15-1-0337).

David Sabatini's primary affiliation is with Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where his laboratory is located and all his research is conducted. He is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Full Citation:

"Absolute quantification of matrix metabolites reveals the dynamics of mitochondrial metabolism"

Cell, August 25, 2016.

Walter W. Chen (1,2,3,4), Elizaveta Freinkman (1), Tim Wang (1,2,3,4), Kvanc Birsoy (5), and David M. Sabatini (1,2,3,4).

1. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA

2. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

3. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

4. Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA

5. Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Genetics, The Rockefeller University, New York City, NY 10065, USA
As conservationists work to recover endangered species populations, taking individuals that are maintained and protected under human care and reintroducing them into the wild, it becomes apparent that there is a great deal to learn about the science of species recovery. In a paper published in the recent edition of the Journal of Applied Ecology, a team of wildlife experts from San Diego Zoo Global, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Nevada analyzed the effect of habitat quality on the survival and dispersal of released desert tortoises. Juvenile tortoises used in this study originated from eggs produced by females housed at the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center in Las Vegas. Ages ranged from 6 months to 4 years. The tortoises were translocated and monitored for one year, using radio tracking systems.

"The goals of the study were to help re-establish populations of this threatened and declining species, and to understand better what critical resources on the landscape are associated with the ability of young tortoises to survive and thrive," said Ron Swaisgood, Ph.D., director of Applied Animal Ecology at San Diego Zoo Global. Tortoises released in habitat that included appropriate vegetation, rocks and the presence of animal burrows had lower mortality rates than those released in areas where land features offered fewer options for predator avoidance. "Burrows created by small mammals represent critical components of desert tortoise ecology," said Melia Nafus, Ph.D., a researcher for San Diego Zoo Global and lead author of the study. "Supporting healthy rodent populations through habitat management may improve juvenile desert tortoise survival and recruitment." Another interesting finding of the study was that tortoises released on rocky ground were less likely to disperse away from the release site. "This finding probably relates to the tortoise's dependence on rocky substrate, as camouflage to hide from predators," said tortoise expert and co-author Todd Esque, Ph.D., from the U.S. Geological Survey.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages research such as this because it provides vital knowledge that informs our policy and management decisions," stated study co-author Roy Averill-Murray, who heads the service's Desert Tortoise Recovery Office. "Now, we have better information when deciding which habitats to protect for desert tortoises, and where to attempt re-establishment of desert tortoise populations with future releases." Translocation of individuals back to the wild is one of many important tools that conservation biologists use to recover endangered and threatened species. "We view these translocations as a way to learn more about animals' habitat requirements, while also assisting directly with species recovery goals," said Ron Swaisgood.

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Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is inspiring children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the internet and in children's hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.
Despite the rhetoric of the Warsaw Summit, NATO is yet to fully develop its approach to the partner countries in the Black Sea region and devise a viable strategy for its long-term relations with Georgia and Ukraine. Unless a more concerted effort is made to reshape the Alliances long-term vision for the two partnerships and project power in the region, the Black sea area risks becoming a permanent vulnerability and a potential source of instability.

Russias invasion in Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014 demonstrated that reiterations of continuous engagement short of full membership, which was pledged at the 2008 Bucharest Summit, have been the only militarily plausible NATO approaches vis-a-vis these partners as Russia challenged them with near impunity. Both crises highlighted that the Alliance was not and is not in a position to grant a collective defence guarantee to Georgia or Ukraine.

The Alliance is quickly arriving at the point when the political and military leadership must define with greater clarity the long-term relationship with both states. The current indecisiveness on membership and obscure rhetoric on readiness and timeframes are creating uncertainty not only with regards to the partners positions, but also with regards to Russias understanding of the power balance in the region. More problematically, the challenge of devising and presenting a comprehensive strategy is symptomatic of a chronic mismatch between the end goals of the Alliance and its partners.

On the one hand, for Georgia and Ukraine the ultimate goals of the accession process are membership and the collective defence guarantee. Cooperation and work on interoperability of their armed forces are conceived and treated as tools to achieve this goal.

On the other hand and despite the rhetoric, interoperability and cooperation of the respective armed forces seem to be increasingly seen as the end goal for the Alliance. That is because the rationale behind partnership and membership has significantly shifted from recruiting like-minded states to seeking partners in collective actions to ensure stability in the neighbourhood. More importantly yet, this has also been reinforced by the lack of internal consensus on the enlargement and its merits.

On Ukraine, the Alliance is yet to define its vision and end goal. The message was missing from the Warsaw communique and the Joint statement of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. As long as Western and Ukrainian politicians diverge on whether Ukraines membership is a viable option or not, this creates the opportunity for populists, nationalists or radicals to exploit the narrative to their gain. A recent poll quoted by the Kyiv Post suggests that the Ukrainian public is divided over membership of the Alliance, with support for membership actually decreasing.

The issue of long-term goals is even more pressing with regards to the NATO-Georgia relationship. Eight years after the Bucharest decision, Georgia has not yet been invited to start the accession process, nor did it receive any indication of the processs timeframe. Neither was a Membership Action Plan (MAP) agreed. Among the concrete measures adopted in Warsaw, the [enhancement of] crisis management capabilities, training and exercises, the improvements in strategic communications [] and the development of Georgias air defence and air surveillance are positive steps in increasing Georgias readiness and resilience. Further, additional protocols of bi-lateral co-operation with individual member states were devised including a collaboration programme with the US and the development of NATO-integrated air defence capabilities purchased from France.

However, the more interoperable Georgia becomes, the more difficult it will be to navigate the relationship if membership is not offered. With parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2016, NATOs failure to fully bring in Georgia would be reflected in the increased support for political forces favourable to accommodating Russian interests. In a worst case scenario, should such trends continue, Georgia could become the most militarily integrated NATO partner actively pursuing closer ties (including security) with Russia.

The scepticism of leaders and electorates alike in major Allies towards accepting Ukraine and Georgia into the Alliance would be difficult to overcome. If it is deemed that enlargement is not politically plausible then the rhetoric and policy must change. Otherwise, statesmen risk facing disillusioned and even deceived neighbours.

Moving forward, NATO can choose from four possible courses of action.

Firstly, the Alliance could consider abandoning the 2008 pledge of membership for Ukraine or Georgia. This would allow NATO to focus on enhancing capabilities in existing members and clearly signal that the collective defence pledge would remain an unqualified guarantee. Such a position, however, would be a significant breach of political principles and commitments and would reaffirm fears that power politics is indeed the principal consideration of the Euro-Atlantic community.

Secondly, NATO can choose to fulfil the 2008 pledge and grant membership to Ukraine and Georgia. This will not necessarily translate into more security and stability for the Alliance. Granted that the timeframe of accession would be different for the two partners, their membership would almost certainly render even limited practical co-operation with Russia impossible. Moreover, Russia could resort to testing the Alliances readiness and resolve by initiating further hostilities with these countries, or provoking internal divisions.

Thirdly, a continuation of the current policy in effect translates into a suspension of the enlargement process to the east until such time when relations with Russia might allow for Ukraine and Georgia to join without negative repercussions for NATO. Such an approach may seem most logical or appealing, but it also brings acute dangers. Publics in partner states are starting to feel disillusioned with the accession process and slowly withdrawing their support for membership. Should the impasse continue, these partner countries may face a reality of being led by forces and people deeply frustrated by NATO politics, yet with defence capacities closely linked to structures of the Alliance.

There is however another option whereby the current membership-light programme towards the two Black Sea states could be treated as an opportunity. In drawing examples from Finland and Sweden, Georgia and Ukraine could choose to adjust their own policy by not pursuing membership. They would be encouraged and assisted in significantly strengthening their armed forces, a policy driven by the recognition that in the event of war, as NATO members or not, both states will be on the front line, and therefore would always be dependent to a great extent on their own defence capabilities. A non-alignment compromise in this respect could mitigate political rifts among the members of the Alliance and allow for the consolidation of military capabilities within and among them. It could also ease tensions in the neighbourhood and avoid further escalation with Russia.

More importantly yet, such a course of action could be revisited should a change of the strategic environment occur and Georgia and Ukraine still wish to join the Alliance. In the meantime, the challenge of consolidating their strengthened military capability outside of a NATO framework and managing their live border disputes would be overcome by a strict adherence to the principles of self and collective defence the Alliance stands for. Any risks of utilising this improved strength to try and restore their territorial integrity by force would be counterbalanced by the fact that a military approach, unlike a diplomatic one, will not bring stability and peace, but perpetuate the conflict dynamic. Even though a cooperative relationship with Russia in the short and even medium term is not a realistic option, the geography and the people-to-people contacts Ukraine and Georgia share with Russia would preclude a full political and security separation.

Making this initiative a success, however, requires strong political leadership, a common understanding of the mutual benefits as well as of the risks of miscalculation, and above all a firm commitment to long-term stability and prosperity.

[1] The communique only referred to Ukraines sovereign right to decide its own future and foreign policy course free from outside interference,http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_133169.htm; and the joint statement spoke of firm commitment to further develop the Distinctive Partnership between NATO and Ukraine and the issue of membership was not raised at all: http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_133173.htm?selectedLocale=en

The opinions articulated above represent the views of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Leadership Network or any of its members. The ELNs aim is to encourage debates that will help develop Europes capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security challenges of our time.
Ive been arguing that intelligent design explains life better than Darwins theory for long enough to be familiar with reactions that amount to little more than disgust  the yuck response. Usually I take that response as a sign that I need to move on to more receptive listeners, but I was recently reminded that the yuck response doesnt always end the discussion. A colleague of mine  a former Darwinist who now sees life as designed  told me how he came to change his view several years ago. It was curiosity that bumped him out of the Darwinian rut, by compelling him to give a few of the best books on intelligent design a serious read.

Kriti Sharmas yuck reaction to my book, Undeniable: How Biology Confirms our Intuition That Life Is Designed, in her recent review suggests she might be stuck in that same rut. She read the book, but not very seriously.

Sharma, a PhD biology student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, describes giving lectures to other students on the evolutionary divergence between clams and snails. According to the evolutionary story, something quite different from modern clams or snails had descendants that became modern clams and snails in all their great variety. Anyone with an appreciation of all the distinct biological marvels represented by that variety should be struck by the magnitude of this claim. Add just a dash of curiosity to that awe, and you start to wonder how a blind evolutionary process could actually pull it off. How can something utterly devoid of insight possibly appear so insightful?

Sharmas vagueness on this point is the familiar sign that curiosity hasnt yet kicked in. She says evolution gets lots of trials with lots of feedback, each small step depending on the prior step. She seems satisfied with that. The staggering variety of stunning living things that populate our planet is adequately explained by those rather unimpressive factors  time and natural selection  she thinks. In her case, my attempts to expose the inadequacy of those factors seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

Much of my book is devoted to developing an argument around everyday experience and common sense, a combination I refer to as common science. It seems to me that Darwins thinking is quite vulnerable to refutation by common science. After all, selection doesnt really make anything. It merely chooses among things that have already been made. Thats what the word means. The only kind of selection that gives you clams or snails is the kind you do while ordering dinner at a French restaurant.

Sharma dismisses such thoughts as childish pre-theoretical thinking.

One of my books themes is that we adults shy away from common-science deductions like that for the wrong reasons. Fearing that smart people couldnt possibly have overlooked such obvious facts for so long, we tend to assume they must know something the rest of us dont. But in making that assumption, we overlook something equally obvious, which is that smart people take great pride in their smarts. Wanting to be revered for their intellects, theyre very reluctant to say anything that might cause their status to take a hit. Ironically, the end result of all this fretting about appearances is that the smart explanation of biological origins has the same amount of substance to it as the emperors new clothes  worn with just as much pride.

Another theme of my book is that because common science gives us the right conclusion about our origin, deeper digging consistently affirms that conclusion. No matter how deeply we dig, if we keep curiosity at the forefront we find our intuitive rejection of the inventive power of natural selection to be absolutely correct.

Half-a-minutes worth of digging might convince you of this.

Consider, for example, Graham Bell, the James McGill Professor of Biology at McGill University and a recently elected Fellow of the Royal Society. Hes an accomplished evolutionary biologist, author of a book titled Selection: The Mechanism of Evolution, where he argues that Living complexity cannot be explained except through selection, and does not require any other category of explanation whatsoever. According to Bell, then, selection most certainly is evolutions engine of invention.

Now consider Andreas Wagner of the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich, who is also an accomplished evolutionary biologist. His book, Arrival of the Fittest: Solving Evolutions Greatest Puzzle, confirms common science by declaring that natural selection is not a creative force. It does not innovate, but merely selects what is already there.

Notice that Wagners assessment, contrary to Bells, leaves a rather large and conspicuous hole right in the middle of evolutionary theory. To appreciate the magnitude of the problem, says Wagner, consider that every one of the differences between humans and the first life forms on earth was once an innovation: an adaptive solution to some unique challenge faced by a living being. According to Wagner, then, selection most certainly is not evolutions engine of invention.

Dont miss the significance of this. Two highly regarded experts at the very center of todays evolutionary thinking have completely opposite opinions about how evolution is supposed to work! What this really means, of course, is that the community of evolutionary biologists has no clue how evolution would work! Again, add just a pinch of curiosity to that startling realization and you start to wonder whether evolution really can work.

Thats what drove me to test Darwins idea in the lab for the last twenty years. As I explain in Undeniable, his theory has failed this testing consistently and spectacularly.

Now, Im very willing to hear from anyone who thinks otherwise, as long as they show genuine curiosity of the kind that rises above academic peer pressure by refusing to settle for stock explanations that are obviously inadequate. Kriti Sharma seems content to leave her worldview undisturbed for the moment, which is understandable.

That was my colleague before curiosity got the better of him.

Photo credit:  levranii  stock.adobe.com.
Before landing in India, US Secretary of State John Kerry made a nine-hour visit to Bangladesh where he asked the media to not report on terror attacks. Its easy to terrorize. Government and law enforcement have to be correct 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But if you decide one day youre going to be a terrorist and youre willing to kill yourself, you can go out and kill some people. You can make some noise, Kerry said in Dhaka.

Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didnt cover it quite as much. People wouldnt know whats going on, he added. Kerrys comments came in the backdrop of the French media deciding against publishing the names and photographs of terrorists in July. The move intended to prevent slain terrorists from garnering posthumous glorification.

Prof. Biswajit Das felt that it is not news about terrorism but news itself that terrorizes. The way the news is framed because of certain vested interests may terrorize a section of people, said Das, Director at Centre for Culture, Media & Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia.

He pointed out that instead of discarding the medias role in highlighting terror incidents, the real question should be around the manner in which the media frames the debate and sensationalism in reportage. Ideally, media should not highlight names because we have seen in the past how certain communities have been attacked deliberately, he said.

Senior journalist NK Singh opined that Kerrys advice was not appropriate in the Indian context. Media cannot refrain from reporting on terrorism because such coverage alerts the public as also the government regarding the magnitude of terrorism, he said.

Lack of reportage would lead to the political class taking a casual approach towards terrorism, Singh argued. However, he warned against the media making heroes out of terrorists. So far as the conduct of media is concerned, India is at a completely different stage of public information delivery mechanism, he added.

Kerrys comments may be relevant for the United States but they do not hold much water in our country where a state government had previously let off terrorists before elections to win a few votes, he concluded. The people should be made aware of such dangerous political designs.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
New Zealand and Australia are top destinations for backpackers with visas for both countries allowing them to work during part of their time travelling around.However, both nations are encouraging backpackers to watch out for rogue employers who exploit young people looking for temporary work with issues including under payments, too long hours, charging large sums for accommodation and even making threats about their visa status.  In Australia, for example, an Adelaide hairdressing salon has been fined more than $100,000 and ordered to back pay money to a man and a woman in their 20s from Taiwan who were in the country with a working holiday visa and spoke limited English.They required them to work a 50 hour week over six days but treated them as independent contractors, paying them an average rate of less than $10.50 an hour when it should have been $17 an hour and $38 for weekends and overtime.In New Zealand concerns are rising about the exploitation of workers in the wine industry where a recent investigation has uncovered breaches of employment law. The industry is expanding rapidly, creating worker and accommodation shortages.Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has warned he will consider sanctions which could include banning employment contractors in the industry recruiting foreign workers.I want these employers to comply voluntarily, but if they don't there are sanctions, one of which is access to the international labour market. That is a privilege, not a right, and if you abuse that privilege you may lose it, Woodhouse said.He is encouraging greater co-operation between Immigration New Zealand and the Labour Inspectorate, which comes under the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, to make sure employers are meeting minimum standards.Experts believe that the wine industry needs to employ backpackers in their hundreds to meet demand. One recruiter said that the New Zealand wine industry is thriving and especially in locations such as Blenheim where there is work nearly all year round.Vineyards and wineries are looking for motivated backpackers to help them in the busy months of the vintage, he added.One accommodation provider want to double the area of his campsite, allowing for another 225 people, because of the number of seasonal workers in the area attracted by work in the vineyards.In Marlborough a labour market survey found that half of the wine companies and all but one labour contractor said they feel there is a shortage of accommodation for workers.If found that if the number of workers increases by 24% by the 2019/2020 growing season, another 189 houses for permanent workers, 442 beds for casuals and a further 600 seasonal employer approved beds will be needed.
Can anyone advise how to go about obtaining copies of birth certificates for my father and uncle who were born in Egypt (in 1938 and 1927, respectively)? Both were born to Maltese parents (therefore British at that time), but their births would been registered with the local Egyptian authorities in Alexandria and Cairo, respectively. I would appreciate any advice as to how to order copies of their birth and marriage certificates as my family need these to apply for Maltese citizenship. Many thanks!
Hi,

Has anyone swapped properties permanently between France and USA? I'd appreciate hearing how it worked.

Thanks,

ehernly
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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Attract the Right Job or Clientele: Are you prepared to finish the year strong?

You are probably thinking, its the last week of summer and you are talking about finishing the year strong? A previous blog on the topic of using being different to your competitive advantage. This is yet another way to stand out among your competitors.

Think about this: How many of your competitors, fellow job seekers, or sales team members in August, thinking about year-end goals? The likely answer is, very few. This is your opportunity to take the lead over most everyone else.

Enthusiasm, perseverance, and vision combined provide the competitive edge

My Story

Toward the end of summer, I take delight in thinking about year-end and all that may be accomplished. Those projects that bring the biggest smile are the ones that I concentrate on first. But for every project, there is a type of assembly to be put in place.

Education

After enjoying the more relaxed days of summer, it becomes noticeable that a brush up on skills and new technologies are in order. Education comes in a variety of ways.

Twitter is a great resource for quick insight and links to informative articles. Facebook will occasionally offer webinars on the latest that their platform has to offer. Videos with insightful instruction may be found on many of the platforms

Competitive Advantage

Taking the initiative to brush up on what we admit is needed will make the difference in our overall effort. Clients appreciate it when we are able to advise versus just showing up to sell services. Likewise, hiring managers are grateful when a candidate shows up for an interview able to speak intelligently to the latest strategies on the market.

Connecting Personally

Whichever method for connection we make, it should be a bit personal. Whether via text messaging, social media or traditional sales calls, ask the other person if they did anything special over the summer vacation. Ask whats new and what their goals are for a good year-end finish. This puts the conversation on the right path.

As people see your energy and enthusiasm in action, they become engaged and enthused themselves. This is what drives the motivation to hear you out and increase sales.

Video: Improve Todays Business for Tomorrows Sales

Your Story

Are you differentiating yourself by creating a plan now for a strong year-end? What is it you would ultimately like to accomplish? Are you excited just thinking about it?

Begin organizing what needs to be put into place to see your vision come alive. List all those people and companies that need to be contacted. Hopefully its all updated in a database for ease of access and usage. What is your updated short story that you would like to share with prospective clients and what would you like to learn from them?

Create a list of the projects, goals and milestones to be accomplished by year-end. This automatically sets the timeline. Next, create a backup plan in case interruptions unexpectedly take place.

Time is of the essence. Making excellent use of time plus a well-crafted plan will get you to the goal you most desire.

Sales Tips:

When competitors are relaxed be proactive Self-educate on a continuing basis Stay abreast of the news to include business and technology Take classes or hire mentors as needed Check in with clients after a holiday to inquire how they enjoyed it Ask clients what big project they hope to complete by year-end Treat hiring managers as your client by asking similar questions Recognize your biggest accomplishments so far to motivate to move to the next Develop a two minute story about who you are today and how you help clients Differentiate yourself from all those in a similar space

Following these guidelines will lead you to the Smooth Sale!

For Business Consultation and Conference Speaking

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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The world mourned the death of actor Gene Wilder, whose comic genius is indelibly burned into our collective consciousness in films like Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and The Producers.

He died at the age of 83 due to complications from Alzheimers disease. I cant fathom Gene Wilder as being elderly or demented. He will always be the guy with crazy hair who embodied an amazing gift of making us laugh in his movie roles.

Take for example, this scene from Young Frankenstein (a movie my husband and I quote from frequently):

Copy and paste this HTML code into your webpage to embed.

Read obituaries in:

The New York Times

Gene Wilder, who established himself as one of Americas foremost comic actors with his delightfully neurotic performances in three films directed by Mel Brooks; his eccentric star turn in the family classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; and his winning chemistry with Richard Pryor in the box-office smash Stir Crazy, died early Monday morning at his home in Stamford, Conn. He was 83.

Variety

The comic actor, who was twice Oscar nominated, for his role in The Producers and for co-penning Young Frankenstein with Mel Brooks, usually portrayed a neurotic who veered between total hysteria and dewy-eyed tenderness. My quiet exterior used to be a mask for hysteria, he told Time magazine in 1970. After seven years of analysis, it just became a habit.

The Guardian (U.K.)

After more than 50 years in show business, the frizzy-headed comic actor Gene Wilder, who has died aged 83, was most associated with his second film part, that of Leo Bloom, the hyperneurotic accountant in Mel Brookss comedy The Producers (1967). The Oscar-nominated role established Wilders screen persona  an initially well-balanced individual transformed by even the most minor crisis into a whining bundle of nerves.

May he rest in peace. Hes got a Golden Ticket through the gates of Heaven.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Those who want a glimpse into what a Donald Trump presidency would be like need look no farther than the perpetual self-created mess that is the tenure of Republican Paul LePage as governer of Maine. The New York Times recently provided a handy summary of his more recent embarrassments and attacks of absurd incivility and unprofessional behavior:

2016

April

Mr. LePage apologized after storming offstage and calling protesting students idiots during a public appearance.

March

Mr. LePage displayed Wanted-style posters aimed at environmentalist and union groups during a town meeting, saying those groups were holding the state back.

February

Mr. LePage said asylum-seekers brought disease and the ziki-fly. When asked to apologize at an event in June, Mr. LePage did not, and said conditions like hepatitis C and H.I.V. were on the rise in Maine. Mr. LePage also drew criticism that month for appearing to mock a Chinese businessmans name.

That month, Mr. LePage also delivered his State of the State address in the form of a letter, breaking the tradition of giving a speech to lawmakers. He said it would be silliness to address lawmakers who had tried to impeach him.

January

Mr. LePage apologized for a slip-up after saying drug-dealers would come from out of state and impregnate a young white girl before leaving. The drug dealers, he said, in a comment that was widely perceived as racially charged, are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty  these types of guys.

2015 July Mr. LePage apologized to the son of a cartoonist for The Bangor Daily News because he had told the son he would like to shoot his father. That comment drew criticism, with some noting its added insensitivity given the attack at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris earlier that year, although the son said he was not offended. June A charter school in Maine said Mr. LePage had threatened to take away its funding if it did not rescind a job offer to the House speaker, Mark Eves, a Democrat. The full power of the state was used to put a father of three out of a job because he was a lawmaker who disagrees with the governor on policy, the editorial board of The Press Herald wrote. Some Democrats called for impeachment, but an effort to investigate Mr. LePage  which would have been a precursor to impeachment in January 2016  did not muster enough support for a vote. May Mr. LePage vowed to veto all Democratic-sponsored bills until the party accepted his effort to eliminate the states income tax. The question of whether Mr. LePage had vetoed 65 bills within the proper time frame ended up in the State Supreme Court, which found that the bills could stand as law. 2013 August Two lawmakers, who remained anonymous, said they had heard Mr. LePage say at a fund-raiser that President Obama hates white people. June Mr. LePage made a graphically lewd statement about Troy Jackson, a Democrat who was the assistant Senate majority leader at the time. He added that Mr. Jackson was a bad person with no brains and a black heart. 2012 July Mr. LePage compared the Internal Revenue Service to the Gestapo in a radio address. Asked about the comment in a follow-up interview several days later, he said: What I am trying to say is the Holocaust was a horrific crime against humanity and, frankly, I would never want to see that repeated. Maybe the I.R.S. is not quite as bad  yet. 2011 January Mr. LePage said leaders from the N.A.A.C.P. who had questioned his decision not to attend Martin Luther Kings Birthday events could kiss my butt. 2010 September During his campaign for governor, Mr. LePage told a group of fishermen that he would tell Mr. Obama to go to hell.

People like LePage and Trump dont improve over time, because they dont learn. If they did, they would not still behave like this at such advanced ages. Thus Governor LePage recently shattered his own record for outrageous conduct, whatever it was, beginning last week. LePage told a town hall meeting addressing the current heroin-use epidemic in Maine that most drug dealers in the state were black or Hispanic, and that he had a binder to prove it.

Those comments (which were factually incorrect, except that he does keep a binder) were quickly condemned by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, which said they encouraged racial profiling, and by State Representative Drew Gattine (among others) who said the remarks were racially charged.

Ya think? Nonetheless, the governor went bananas, and left a voice mail message for Gattine including a string of obscene expletives, a threat (I am after you!) and the kind of vituperation that would lead me to seek a restraining order if I ever received such a message, which I fortunately have not. LePage then told reporters that he would like to have a duel with Mr. Gattine and shoot him between the eyes.

He really did. And Maine voters elected this clown!

Two days later, Governor LePage took his binder of drug arrests and mug shots to a news conference, and stated that Maines drug crisis was the equivalent of a war in which combatants must identify and shoot the enemy, which, he said, were people of color, or people of Hispanic origin.

This was, not unfairly, interpreted by critics as a call for police to shoot blacks and Hispanics on sight.

This week, at a meeting of New England governors and Canadian provincial premiers in Boston, LePage clarified his remarks, saying:

What I said was this: Meth lab arrests are white. Theyre Mainers. The heroin-fentanyl arrests are not white people. Theyre Hispanic and theyre black, and theyre from Lowell and Lawrence, Mass.; Waterbury, Conn.; the Bronx and Brooklyn. I didnt make up the rules. Thats how it turns out. But thats a fact. Its a fact. What  do you want me to lie?

To slightly rephrase the words of Goldfinger to James Bond: No, Mr. LePage! We want you to resign!

No state, now nor ever, can function and keep the trust of its citizens with a governor who is this much of an idiot. We dont even have to reach the question of whether hes a racist, a bigot, or just hasnt been paying attention for the last 50 years or so. He cant be trusted. The mans a moron. Republicans in the state, if they have any integrity or are at least twice as intelligent as LePage, bringing them up to major primate level (chimps, orangutans, bonobos, and gorillas..are gibbons included? I should check), will join Democrats in a bi-partisan effort to impeach this fool.

They dont or arent, however. From the Portland Press-Herald:

Tuesday night, Republican leadership of the Maine House announced that their members werent going to take any action  as Democratic legislators had strongly urged  shooting down the possibility of convening a special session to address the governors behavior.Gov. LePage has acknowledged he is sorry, we have condemned his words for what he said, he needs to continue to work on that, but as House Republicans we are going to go out there and start talking about the issues and start talking to the voters because we believe thats whats important, we are not coming back in for a special session to talk about this, said House Minority Leader Ken Fredette, R-Newport.

Great.
About LMA Consulting Group  Lisa Anderson, MBA, CSCP

**MEDIA EXPERT: Supply Chain Management, Logistics, ERP, VMI, Social Networks for Business**

Ranked Number 16 in SAPs Supply Chain Influencers and recognized as one of the top 1% of consultants worldwide, Lisa Anderson has deep experience helping manufacturers and distributors maximize value.

Lisa is the founder and president of LMA Consulting Group Inc., a consulting firm that helps manufacturing and distribution organizations elevate business performance and maximize value. She is the author of the forthcoming book The Amazon Effect.

If it relates to improving the performance of a manufacturer, Lisa has done it. Her expertise encompasses the full scope of end-to-end supply chain business processes  from your suppliers suppliers through your manufacturing operations to your customers customers. Her unique talent resides in accompanying these processes with the appropriate organizational development, systems and financial expertise to help clients consistently deliver bold customer promises and substantial company profits.

She has architected leading edge, proprietary approaches for fast-tracking growth and profits, driving supply chain performance, achieving exponential results with SIOP (sales, inventory & operations planning) and ensuring ERP selection and design success.

Prior to founding LMA Consulting Group Inc., Lisa was the Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain of PaperPak, Inc. Her twelve-year tenure included transitions and promotions through the company transformation from a $100 million family-owned business, through a merger and acquisition of three businesses into one $350 million global company, followed by a management leveraged buyout in combination with an investment banking group.

With a blend of management, finance and operations, Lisa received her MBA with an emphasis in Finance from California State University Fullerton and her BSBA with an emphasis in Operations Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She is the President of APICS Inland Empire, the #1 trade association for supply chain and operations professionals, Group Leader of the Ontario group of ProVisors, the leading community of over 4000 trusted advisors, and Innovation Awards Chair of the Manufacturing Council of the Inland Empire (MCIE) Manufacturers Summit. Lisa is also a member of the Society for the Advancement of Consulting (SAC) and the ACA Group Alliance.

In demand as a speaker for conferences such as the Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit and the APICS International Conference, Lisa has been quoted and featured in a variety of online and print publications, including the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, tED magazine, Global Trade Magazine, Industrial Distribution, California CEO, American Journal of Transportation, ISM, AMEs Target Magazine, Project Times, ThomasNet, World Trade Magazine and Industry Week.

Lisa has served as the Program Advisor for the Advanced Supply Chain Certification Program at Cal State University Fullertons Extended Education and is a member of the Advisory Board for Norco Colleges logistics program. She is Student Case Competition Chair for the APICS Southwest district and has grown the competition from 3 teams from Southern California to 25 teams from around the world. She has also been a featured panelist at the University of Southern Californias entrepreneurial studies program and for Pepperdines capstone course for MBA with concentration in entrepreneurship.

Lisa is the author of Leverage Social Networks to Drive Business Results and was named as a top 100 supply chain blogger by SupplyChainOpz. She created the Southern California Harvey Mudd executive roundtables with the Director of Harvey Mudds Manufacturing Practice and Engineering Clinic and has led over 25 webinars for the Financial Times ExecSense.

She is a global traveler with many stops in Europe, Central America, Australia and North America including a summer session attending Oxford University. Lisa plans in as many stops as possible in New Orleans to enjoy a beignet at the Cafe de Monde. And, in recognition of her extraordinary tenacity to accomplish goals, her colleagues fondly refer to her as pit terrier.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016

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Taking stock of ethics from a long and eventful Monday

1. As of yesterday, Ethics Alarms is about to complete its most successful month ever in terms of traffic and new followers, beating last August by almost 2000 visitors a day. Thanks to everyone who participated. Thanks especially to the untrustworthy folks at Snopes, whose partisan manipulations and the Ethics Alarms exposure of them fueled the single most read Ethics Alarms post in any month, unseating the previous champion, this, which was a trivial post that the Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, deemed the only Ethics Alarms story worth linking to.

2. Yesterday, I was a guest at a large and combative gathering of personal injury lawyers to work out a dispute involving lots of money, and when the time came for me to speak, I was hooted down and had it made quite clear to me that the majority of participants had no interest in legal ethics whatsoever.

3. They made it clear that they didnt know much about ethics either. For example, at one point a lawyer threatened to sue another lawyer for representations made on behalf of a client that the first lawyer felt impugned his character. Lawyers are immune from such suits. To the extent that the lawyer was trying to use a bogus threat to intimidate the other lawyer into representing his client with less zeal, that tactic is unethical, but still not forbidden by the legal ethics rules.because lawyers use the threat to sue all the time.

Just like Donald Trump.

4. Another example: one issue was whether a lawyer had accepted an unethical fee division. He protested that he had directed that his share of the controversial fee to be given instead to a worthy organization. That doesnt matter, though: its unethical for lawyers to split fees with non-lawyers, including worthy organizations. And if a lawyer accepts an improper fee split, it doesnt matter how deserving the charity is that he passes the money on to. The ethics rule was breached the minute he got the money, and what he does with it afterward cant fix it.

5. When I did get a chance to speak to the group briefly, I was challenged by several of the lawyers who asked whom I represented. I explained that I was there as a consultant on ethics, to which one replied, Then youre an advocate, right?

My response: No, thats not right. Im not an advocate, except for ethical conduct. I would say exactly the same thing no matter who hired me. I am here to assess what is ethical conduct objectively, not to slant my judgment according to who is paying me.

The reaction to this statement, meeting room-wide, was

[embedded content]

There was some barking, too.
AMATRICE, Italy (AP)  An Italian bishop issued a sharp critique of the suspected shoddy construction behind the high death toll of Italys earthquake and warned during a state funeral Tuesday that the rebuilding effort must not become a looting of state coffers.

Earthquakes dont kill. What kills the most is the work of man, Rieti Bishop Domenico Pompili told the weeping crowds gathered in the shadow of Amatrices ruins for the funeral for some of the 292 victims.

Wails echoed under the roof of the open-sided tent as Pompilli read aloud the names of the 242 people killed in the towns of Amatrice and Accumoli at the start of the service. And the crowd erupted in applause  a common gesture at Italian funerals  when a bunch of white balloons was released at the end of the service.

On hand to concelebrate the Mass was Monsignor Konrad Krajewski, the popes chief almsgiver who frequently stands in for him when he wants to show his personal closeness to people in need. Francis has promised to visit the quake zone soon.

Civil protection officials said only 37 caskets were on hand since many families opted for private funerals elsewhere. Another 50 people were killed in neighboring Le Marche region where a state funeral was held over the weekend.

The 37 caskets faced the altar in rows, two little white caskets sandwiched between larger ones  evidence of the many children who were killed in the quake while enjoying the final days of summer. Relatives placed bouquets on the caskets and sat next to them quietly as a steady rain fell outside.

In his homily, Pompilli insisted that there was no choice but to rebuild Amatrice and Accumoli since abandoning the towns would kill them a second time. But he warned that the reconstruction effort must not become a political fight or a looting of various forms.

Italy has a long history of organized crime and corrupt builders infiltrating public works contracts, especially those earmarked for reconstruction after natural disasters. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the Aug. 24 quake since many buildings crumbled despite having been renovated with public, anti-seismic funds.

The ANSA news agency said Rieti chief prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva ordered Amatrices collapsed elementary school to be sequestered on Tuesday and entrusted Italys financial police with investigating how public funds destined for anti-seismic renovations across the region were used.

The school collapsed during the quake despite being renovated in 2012 using earthquake funds. In addition, the church tower in nearby Accumoli collapsed on a home, killing a family of four, despite also having been recently renovated with earthquake funds.

Italian news reports, meanwhile, have said that many other buildings in the area were flagged as being at high seismic risk, and yet nothing was done to them despite having funds made available.

Saieva is investigating what was stipulated in the contracts to restore the buildings and what exactly was done.

Initially, authorities planned to hold the funeral in an airport hangar in the provincial capital of Rieti, 65 kilometers (40 miles) away, citing safety and organizational concerns. The quake area has seen more than 2,500 aftershocks and faced logistical problems in bringing relatives and officials into a town with only one serviceable access road.

But grieving residents rebelled at plans to let them watch it on TV or be bussed to Rieti, where many bodies were being housed in a makeshift morgue at the airport. Premier Matteo Renzi reversed course late Monday and on Tuesday was in the crowd at the funeral, along with President Sergio Mattarella.

Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos also was to attend since 11 of the dead were Romanians. Some 8,000 to 10,000 Romanians live in the quake zone, many working in agriculture or as caregivers, and Pompilli noted their presence and greeted the areas Orthodox bishop, who attended the funeral.

For those who survived, Tuesdays funeral was only one step in tackling a long-term trauma.

Theyre living through a blackout, said Letizia Bellabarba, a social worker who is tending to survivors. I mean, in 20 seconds  thats how long the earthquake lasted  in 20 seconds their life changed. So they are disoriented, because they feel they were left without a future.



Winfield reported from Rome.



This version removes erroneous reference to magnitude of 4.2.
WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit Aug. 31 seeking to block Deere & Companys proposed acquisition of Precision Planting LLC from Monsanto Company.

The DOJ Antitrust Divisions lawsuit alleges the transaction would combine the only two significant U.S. providers of high-speed precision planting systems  technology that is designed to allow farmers to plant crops accurately at higher speeds.

The department filed its lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

In November, Deere and The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto Company, announced they had signed a definitive agreement for Deere to acquire the Precision Planting LLC equipment business.

Precision Planting has been a key innovator in high-speed precision planting and Deeres only significant competitor in developing and selling these technologies, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Renata Hesse of the Justice Departments Antitrust Division. If this deal were allowed to proceed, Deere would dominate the market for high-speed precision planting systems and be able to raise prices and slow innovation at the expense of American farmers who rely on these systems.

High-speed precision planting is an innovative technology that enables farmers to plant corn, soybeans and other row crops at up to twice the speed of a conventional planter without sacrificing accuracy. Planting at higher speeds can be highly valuable to farmers, many of whom have a limited window each year to plant their crops to achieve the highest crop yields.

According to the departments complaint, Deere and Precision Planting are the only two effective competitors in high-speed precision planting, conservatively accounting for at least 86 percent of the market.

Deere and Precision Planting both introduced their respective high-speed planting systems in 2014, after years of research and development. The complaint details how the intense head-to-head competition between Deere and Precision Planting since that time has directly benefited farmers through aggressive discounts and promotions, lower prices and innovative product offerings.

The complaint alleges that Deeres proposed acquisition of the company it has described as its number one competitor would allow it to control nearly every method through which American farmers can acquire effective high-speed precision planting systems and provide it with the ability to set prices, output, quality and product features without the constraints of market competition.

Deere will fight

Both defendants say they plan to contest the DOJs effort to block the Precision Planting acquisition. In a statement Aug. 31, Deere & Company and The Climate Corporation said they both cooperated fully with DOJs antitrust review following their late 2015 announcement regarding the purchase.

The official statement said DOJs allegations about the competitive impacts of the transaction are misguided and the companies intend to defend the transaction vigorously against those allegations.

The two companies claim the proposed acquisition benefits farmers by accelerating the development and delivery of new precision equipment solutions that help farmers increase yield and productivity.

Competition in precision agriculture is strong and growing in all of these channels as companies around the world continue developing new technologies. The acquisition will enable broader access to these advancements by ensuring farmers the choice to either buy new machinery or retrofit older planting equipment with the latest new innovations.

If the transaction is finalized, Deere has said it preserve Precision Plantings independence.
JEROMESVILLE, Ohio  It was a rainy, 40 degree day when Kelsey Spencer brought her wild mustang home for the first time. She would spend the next 4  hours in the pouring rain, trying to gain enough trust to lead the wild mustang to her stall.

I was down there for about the first hour and I couldnt even get near her, so I just came back up here (to the barn) and took a breather, said Spencer. I was thinking to myself, God, how on earth am I going to get this mustang. How am I going to get her to let me touch her? Spencer reached for her cowboy hat, placed it on her head and walked back down to the round pen to give it another go.

As soon as I put that hat on, I walked right up to her, she let me rub her everywhere and put a lead rope on her, she said. Spencer thinks the hat reminded the mustang of the horse wranglers out West who rounded up all the mustangs. Getting the horse to her stall in the barn was another task.

We had to get her back into the trailer and she would not go into the horse trailer without me in there. Spencer said it was the only way they could get her to the barn since she wouldnt walk there. I walked her from the horse trailer to her stall and she would not go into the horse stall without me in there either, she said. So she immediately she relied on me to keep her safe and thats when the trust started to form.

Meeting Annie

Working and training horses has always been a passion, but Spencer never really considered mustangs until she watched the documentary Unbranded, which highlights the overpopulation of wild mustangs and those who try to tame them. After moving back to Ohio earlier in the year, Spencer looked into the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition.

From wild to mild, trainers have 100 days to tame their mustang and compete in one of 10 competitions held across the U.S. Spencer competed in the Lexington, Virginia competition in late August. I did not get my acceptance letter until the 12th of April and pickup day was the 15th, said Spencer. She had to travel down to Knoxville, Tennessee, to pick up her mustang.

When I got her, her name was 6727, said Spencer. She had a tag around her neck and dreadlocks in her hair, which led to her name Raggedy Ann, or Annie for short. Spencer learned Annie had come from White Mountain, Wyoming.

A small brand on her neck in what looks like hieroglyphics indicates where she was first captured and serves as a tracking measure. Spencer cant read the brand, but she was told that her mustang was captured when she was a year old, tested for diseases and then monitored in the wild. Annie is now six years old.

Training begins

After getting her to her new home and gaining her trust, it was time to begin the training. Starting off, its ground manners, said Spencer. Trying to get the mustang to walk on a lead rope  which took the horse about a week  and then moving into lunging.

I first started lunging her in the round pen and she would challenge me by squaring up and facing me directly and rearing up, standing on her hind legs just a foot or two from Spencers body. You have to show them that you are the dominant one and the biggest thing was getting her to realize that I wasnt going to hurt her, said Spencer.

By day five, Spencer was able to put a saddle on Annie and by day nine, Spencer was riding the mustang. The first time I rode her, she walked and trotted and the next day we cantered no problem, said Spencer.

Desensitizing

Because mustangs are wild and can be easily spooked, Spencer spent a lot of time desensitizing Annie. I put streamers on her stall so she would have to walk through it every time and I thought that would scare her and it didnt, she said. Spencer also said she played balloon volleyball on her back to which the mustang stood calmly. She is one of the most calm horses I have ever worked with and definitely the most loving, she said.

Respect

Its almost as if the horse appreciates everything Spencer has done for her. I dont know if its every mustang, because this is the first one I have trained, but its like they imprint on you, said Spencer. People who came to see Spencer work with Annie told her, youre her mom.

Now that I think about it, she does consider me as a mom because shes always looking for me, she said. She relies on me to keep her safe, which I think is really cool, said Spencer. But Spencer had found herself relying on Annie more than she realized.

Spencer had been competing in barrel races and even took up bull riding from the age of 19 to 22 before moving to Georgia. While in Georgia, she got back into barrel racing and rode in the southeastern rodeo circuit. It wasnt really a planned move back to Ohio, she said. I went through a really bad divorce and I just needed a good summer thing.

I knew I wanted to do a project, I just didnt know what. So Spencer found the makeover contest. Its definitely got my mind back on track, said Spencer. And she has kind of saved me this year.

The competition

The first stage in the competition is handling and conditioning. The judges give the horse a body conditioning score and then see how well the mustang listens and follows its trainer. The second class is a big trail class where the mustangs are tested on how well they can pull and carry heavy loads, side pass over obstacles, weave through a cone course and enter and exit a trailer. The final course is in maneuverability.

If you make it into the top 10, then you make it into the freestyle performance, which is the finals, said Spencer. As a rookie, Spencer is up for $25,000 cash prize.

Results

Spencer and Annie did not qualify for the freestyle, performance, finishing 17th, however, Spencer was able to adopt her mustang after the competition.

You can see more of Kelsey and Annies adventures on her facebook page: The Annie Project.
Midwest spinach production explained in detail

Learn how spinach performs in the Midwest and seasonal considerations in a new publication from ISU.
Shropshire

A Full-Time position is available for an assistant herdsperson on a family dairy farm in mid Shropshire. We have a 250 dairy herd rearing own replacements together with a b...
Making agriculture a priority when it comes to the Brexit negotiations is crucial according to Dr Andrew Francis, Acting Chief Economics and International Affairs Advisor at the NFU.

Speaking at a consultation event he underlined the importance of gathering the views and ideas of farmers in order to develop a policy that they can put forward to the government.

He said this would help create a dynamic, productive and prosperous agricultural sector going forward.

The NFU is holding 49 meetings around the country over the next few weeks in order to consult farmers on post-Brexit agricultural policy.

Rachel Hallos, a beef and sheep farmer, said that having strong negotiators in place is a must.

NFU President Meurig Raymond said the Union is are expecting thousands of members to engage

She said that she was worried about the amount of influence farming has within government saying I think the main thing is that we must have negotiators at that table banging the drum for agriculture."

NFU President Meurig Raymond said the Union are expecting "thousands" of members to engage with during the consultation.

"Despite it being a busy time for farmers I'm pleased hundreds have already turned out, showing that we're right to hold this consultation now," Mr Raymond said.

"It really shows that there is an appetite from NFU members to help shape the future of their great industry."

'Just the beginning'

Raymond said it was crucial that farmers have their say and encouraged as many as possible to attend the meetings between now and the middle of September.

"At the same time, I would ask the younger generation to also take advantage of our free membership offer in conjunction with the YFC, as they can play a very important part in our ongoing work.

"During our meetings, weve already covered a wide variety of topics, such as future trade policy, domestic agricultural policy and access to labour.

"These have been some of the big issues central to the policy framework farming needs for a certain future.

"Ultimately, what we need from this far-reaching exercise, is to provide a strong and united voice for the food and farming industry, to ensure that agriculture is seen as strategically and politically important in all future trade negotiations.

"These talks are just the beginning and I, along with the rest of the officeholder team, am looking forward to the days and weeks ahead."

The consultation period will end on 14 September 2016  the day the NFU will hold Back British Farming Day to meet with MPs and talk about the dynamic and exciting future for British farming.
The public has a 'high level of concern' for badgers during the culls, according to a new poll conducted by the Humane Society International.

67% of respondents expressed that they would be concerned at the suffering caused to badgers if the cull went ahead.

The results come as Defra officially announced its plans to expand the culling operation in England to five new areas across three new counties.

Claire Bass, HSI's Executive Director said: "It is both shocking and sad that the government is expanding this cruel pilot policy to three new counties.

Bovine TB remains a huge threat to beef and dairy farmers

"Englands badgers are being needlessly killed as scapegoats, part of a smoke and mirrors attempt to, appease farmers and detract attention and resources away from an effective long-term solution to bovine TB.

"In Wales, where the government has rejected badger culling in favour of stricter controls over cattle testing, cattle movement and on-farm biosecurity, there has been a marked decrease in new herd incidents.

"This is a disease spread primarily from cattle to cattle so its only logical that the effort should be put into stopping spread of the disease on farms, between cows.

"This cull makes an absolute mockery of the governments posturing of the UK as a world leader on animal welfare and its no surprise that veterinary experts have declared that taking pot shots at badgers in the dark causes unacceptable suffering."

Farmers face 'daily battle' against bovine TB

But NFU President Meurig Raymond said bovine TB remains a huge threat to beef and dairy farmers.

More than 28,000 cattle were slaughtered in England last year because of it and nearly 4,000 herds that had previously been clear of the disease were affected by it.

"Farmers facing a daily battle against bTB in those areas that have been granted licences for badger control operations this year will welcome the news that finally action is being taken to tackle the reservoir of disease in wildlife in these areas.

"There is still a huge amount of work ahead to ensure the eradication of bTB from this country and I would like to take this opportunity to thank farmers for their continued support in working towards this goal.

Raymond said the Chief Vet made it clear that dealing with the disease in both cattle and badgers is essential to tackling the disease effectively.

"Proactive badger control is currently the best available option for dealing with the disease in badgers.

"The number of areas that have expressed interest in carrying out badger controls in future years not only shows the sheer extent of the bTB problem farmers are facing but also the industrys continued commitment to playing its part in tackling this devastating disease.

"We have always said that we must use every option available to tackle bTB, including cattle testing, cattle movement controls, improving biosecurity, and encouraging farmers to make informed decisions when buying cattle in from other areas.

"We will consult with our members before submitting our response to the consultation launched today on introducing further cattle measures, including more severe skin tests for herds in the area at greatest risk from bTB and increased surveillance testing for all herds in the areas on the edge of the disease spread.

"The new farm advice packs will provide farmers with information to help them improve the effectiveness of the biosecurity measures they implement on their farms, and the updated online mapping tool will allow farmers to make better informed decisions when buying in livestock to minimise the risk of bringing bTB onto their farms.

"The NFU has always said that control of bTB in non-bovine animals has to be part of any strategy to tackle the disease so we welcome the consultation launched today on introducing further disease control measures for these species.
At least 3 Filipinos are awaiting their death execution in China over drug-related offenses, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said yesterday.





At yesterday's House Committee on Appropriations briefing on the DFA's proposed P16.63 billion budget for 2017, he said "2 or 3" Filipinos are facing death penalty in China for illegal drugs.





"In Indonesia, we have 1. In China, 2 to 3 (Filipinos) are facing death sentence. They have not been scheduled for execution," he told the lawmakers.





The government is flexing its muscles to spare the life of Mary Jane Veloso, who was apprehended in 2010 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia upon her arrival from Malaysia for transporting 2.6 kilograms of heroin concealed in her luggage.





She was given a temporary reprieve on the eleventh hour by Indonesian President Joko Widodo last year after the previous Aquino government asked the Indonesian government that she be first allowed to provide testimonial evidence against her alleged human trafficker in a Philippine criminal case.





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Source: tempo.com.ph, August 30, 2016
Developments in science, technology and innovation are key to the future of European farming, a major agricultural science conference has heard.

The European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) conference in Belfast was told that science had a vital role in helping agriculture find ways to produce food more sustainably.

Addressing more than 1500 delegates during the conferences opening ceremony on Tuesday (30 August), European Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan said the agricultural sector needed to become smarter, leaner and cleaner.

That requires more and better knowledge that allows us to build a more competitive and sustainable food production system, and creates new value chains in rural areas, he said.

Mr Hogan said that agricultural science had taken a backseat in Europe for a long time, but there was a recognition that research was vital to the industry and that trend had to be reversed.

Liam Sinclair, President of EAAP 2016 said governments across UK needed to make assurances over long-term funding for research projects

These days we expect farmers to do much more than produce food, he told delegates.

We expect them to generate jobs and economic growth and contribute to environmental targets. Innovation within the sector is key to helping balance these different priorities.

As a result of various crises in the EU we have fallen behind our targets and allowed agricultural research to become a lower priority than it should be, he added.

But there is a resurgent ambition to change this. We doubled our investment in the field under Horizon 2020 [the EU programme for research and innovation] and we have made research and innovation a central plank of the rural development programme.

'Concerned about barriers between countries'

Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen said farmers were increasingly looking to science to give them a competitive edge.

Sustainable food production is vital - particularly here in Northern Ireland where food and farming is worth 5bn to our economy every year, she told delegates.

"We have to produce food as sustainably as possible, and the adoption of new research and development is a key driver of this.

Miss McIlveen said Brexit had thrown some uncertainty around science and agriculture, but she was confident the UK would continue to maintain its position of excellence in farming and science.

We want UK scientists to continue to work with European partners, she said.

Exiting the EU will being challenges, but there will be opportunities to work with partners in a new way. I have no doubt that we will continue to work closed with Europe.

Liam Sinclair, President of EAAP 2016 host organisation the British Society of Animal Science, said governments across the UK needed to make assurances over long-term funding for agricultural research projects.

We have some fantastic scientists working here in the UK, and we dont want to see their work being put at risk because of funding issues, he said.

We are also concerned about barriers being created between countries, Professor Sinclair added. Animal science relies on links between other organisations, but there are concerns other countries are hesitant to collaborate.

If the UK cant collaborate them we will lose out on the quality of science, and that will have a huge impact on UK farmers.
The UK farming industry is uniting to support Red Tractor Week this September as an autumn campaign dedicated to promoting great, British food gets underway.

Now in its fifth year, Red Tractor Week (12 to 18 September) includes a huge programme of activity designed to highlight the provenance of Red Tractor food to shoppers and remind them of the stringent standards that are used to produce it.

Farmers will be taking part in events at major supermarkets up and down the country to talk to the public about how British food is produced, backed up by a huge on-pack sticker promotion.

Industry bodies will be spreading the message to their own audiences through digital and social media activity.

Celebrate Great British Food

NFU President Meurig Raymond, Deputy President Minette Batters and Vice President Guy Smith

This year the event kick starts the Celebrate Great British Food campaign which runs throughout the autumn.

Announced in April  and backed by UK Government  the programme of activity sees a whole range of farming organisations coming together with a clear message to consumers to look for the Red Tractor when they buy their food.

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: Whether its beef from the hills and pastures of the West Country or Yorkshires famed Wensleydale cheese, British food is renowned around the globe for its quality, innovation and tradition.

The Red Tractor logo is an iconic symbol of this  assuring shoppers that their food is traceable, safe to eat and produced responsibly.

Its wonderful to see our world-leading food and farming industry joining forces to encourage everyone to shop smart and support British farmers.

Back British Farming Day

Events include the NFUs Back British Farming Day on Wednesday 14 September, British Food Fortnight, which starts on 17 September, and British Sausage Week which gets underway on 31 October.

Andrew Blenkiron, Suffolk farmer and vice-chairman of Assured Food Standards, said: Everyone has played their part to make sure that the farming industry is united behind a single, simple message to consumers which is to support Red Tractor food.

This autumns coordinated campaign of activity gives the farming and food industry a huge opportunity to communicate the values of British food.

People will be able to get an even better understanding of the standards that British farming adheres to, further increasing consumer loyalty and the purchasing of Red Tractor labelled products.

The campaign sees the farming industry uniting in a concerted effort to educate consumers and raise the profile of British food.

The NFU, NFU Scotland and Ladies in Pigs have mobilised their members to ensure a strong presence at in-store retailer events up and down the country during Red Tractor Week.

While the AHDB will feature the on-pack sticker promotion in television advertising during its four-week beef and lamb mini-roast campaign, starting in mid-October.

Further support is being provided by the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, National Pig Association, Ladies in Beef and the National Sheep Association.

Farmers are encouraged to get involved in events running throughout the week at major supermarket stores across the UK, where farmers will be talking to shoppers about Red Tractor and what it means.
The Welsh Government must use the slight increase in milk prices to kick-start action to help farmers, Plaid Cymrus Llyr Gruffydd has said.

After a period of declining milk prices, First Milk has announced that it will increase its September prices by up to 1.25ppl, Muller also today confirmed a rise of 1pp from October 1st.

However milk producers are still not receiving sustainable prices for their produce.

Roddy Catto, Chairman of the Muller Milk Group farmer Board said: "Whilst there remains a long way to go before farmers' milk prices recover to a level which is sustainable, this is an important first step and acknowledgement that the markets are looking more positive."

Llyr Gruffydd said that the Welsh Government needed to act now to strengthen the market.

He called on the Welsh Government to appoint an Industry Champion to promote Welsh food and farming and to ensure that the Groceries Supply Code of Practice is implemented fully.

Encourage companies to stock Welsh produce

Plaid Cymrus Llyr Gruffydd AM said: "Welsh dairy farmers are facing the toughest market conditions around, and whilst we welcome the small increase in First Milks prices, farmers are still producing milk at a loss.

"The Welsh Government needs to act now, and it can use this small rise as a kick-start.

"Plaid Cymru has always warned that the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator was too restricted which meant that it couldnt protect dairy farmers properly.

"We have called on the government to work with farming unions and business representatives to draw any abuse of the code to the Adjudicators attention.

"A Plaid Cymru government would also appoint an Industry Champion to promote Welsh food and farming with major retailers and processors.

"We want to go out and encourage companies to stock Welsh produce as part of a national campaign to celebrate responsible business.

"Farmers are facing the most difficult of times, particularly in light of Brexit, and its high time that the Welsh Government acts to support the dairy industry. It can use this price increase as a head start, but the industry desperately needs government support."
Muller has written to dairy farmers to confirm that its standard litre milk price will increase by an average of 1 pence per litre from October 1st 2016.

The move reflects a tightening of milk supply and a strengthening of global commodity markets.

Hundreds of dairy farmers turned out to protest over Muller's decision to hold the price earlier this month.

Campaign group Farmers for Action (FFA) organised the rally with its Chairman David Handley saying feelings were running high among dairy farmers as financial losses mount.

At the request of its farmer board, Muller said they will start the process of aligning the milk price paid for its two liquid contracts, Muller Milk Group and Direct Milk.

The milk price harmonisation will be phased over time to ensure that all non-aligned dairy farmers supplying the business can benefit from the same standard liquid price.

"We are hopeful that dairy commodities markets have turned a corner and we will now see a sustained recovery," said Lyndsay Chapman, Mullers Agriculture Director.

'Long way to go'

"Cream and butter values have shown improvements that are now starting to be realised in our business, although the latter is taking longer to recover due to the volumes of butter in storage. Better returns will lead to higher farm gate milk prices, and we are optimistic in this respect.

"It is important to stress that our standard price is competitive in its own right, but with the addition of the retailer supplement, actual realisations for Muller non-aligned farmers are substantially higher than those received by farmers supplying other processors who receive similar supplements but choose not to offer the same level of transparency, said Lyndsay Chapman.

"It is right that this additional and very welcome supplement is aimed at Muller farmers who arent already part of one of our supermarket aligned groups.

"We wouldnt be able to achieve this if the supplement was simply absorbed into our standard litre price and, as a result, spread across all Muller suppliers including some aligned producers."

"Whether our farmers are in a supermarket group or not, it is our intention to optimise their actual returns each month".

'Important first step'

Roddy Catto, Chairman of the Muller Milk Group farmer Board said there remains "a long way to go" before farmers' milk prices recover to a level which is "sustainable."

"This is an important first step and acknowledgement that the markets are looking more positive," Mr Catto said.

"Muller's focus on adding value to milk meant that when the markets hit their lowest point we were not fully exposed to the very low returns being received by others in our industry.

"Nevertheless, this has been an extremely painful and challenging period for Muller suppliers and we now hope to see a sustained recovery.

"We will continue to work very closely with Muller to build on this positive first step.

"We are working as a combined farmer Board and we requested that Muller equalise the prices on its standard liquid contracts.

"The process has started this month, and the intention is to complete this as soon as possible."
Bacterial leaf streak found in Illinois and Iowa

By Diego Flammini

Assistant Editor, North American Content

Farms.com

Researchers from the University of Illinois discovered a new corn disease in a field in DeKalb County.

Bacterial leaf streak, a disease that can make kernels weigh less, has also been found in Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas and Nebraska.

Little is known about how damaging the disease is or how to treat it.

According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, symptoms of bacterial leaf streak can appear similar to gray leaf spot.







Symptoms include brown to yellow streaks between leaf veins, lesions on older leaves, and yellow discoloration.

Foliar fungicides used to treat gray leaf spot may not work on bacterial leaf streak.

"There's a chance for having the disease because it's present in the residue," John Hennenfent, owner of Munson Hybrids in Galesburg, Illinois, told WQAD.

University of Illinois Extension educator Angie Peltier said everyone needs to be extra diligent when scouting their fields.

"It may be one thing we don't see every year," Hennenfent told WQAD. "We'll have to really kind of hone our senses as we're out in the fields."

Were all going to be in a learning mode for the next year or two, she said.

Farmers who believe they may have bacterial leaf streak in their fields are encouraged to contact the University of Illinois Plant Clinic or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic.
Blog Hinangai

While there is much discussion in Guam about the economic benefits of increasing the islands military presence, the damages/dangers that they represent are rarely mentioned. This blog, a supplement to the Peace and Justice for Guam Petition, is meant to counter that by providing information about the US military in Guam, with the hopes of steering policy away from a dangerous unilateralist course to more sustainable notions of regional development and a strengthening international solidarity.
Fort Bragg to be known as Fort Liberty. Here's what to know.

When will Fort Bragg be renamed? Why will it be renamed Fort Liberty? How much will it cost?
Brazils Senate voted Wednesday to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office. The vote was 61 to 20, well clear of the two-thirds needed to pass the impeachment motion.

The Senate had suspended Rousseff in May after voting to hold an impeachment trial.

Michel Temer, her former vice president, has been serving as interim president. Hes expected to complete Rousseffs four-year term that ends in December 2018.

Millions of protesters first poured into the streets across Brazil in March, demanding Rousseffs ouster.

The Senate charged her with manipulating the budget to hide a deficit and acting without authority. Fifty-four yes votes were needed to remove her.

Brazil has sunk into its worst recession in a century and a corruption and kickback scandal at state-owned energy giant Petrobras keeps growing.

The Petrobras investigation is known as Operation Car Wash. It began in early 2014.

Several former Petrobras executives have been jailed.

A Brazil federal court also sentenced high-profile construction tycoon Marcelo Odebrecht to 19 years in prison.

Odebrecht, 47, was convicted of paying more than $30 million in bribes to Petrobras officials in exchange for contracts.

Some Petrobras officials have made plea deals with prosecutors and are giving evidence against government officials. Reports based on court documents describe massive bribes from contractors and huge kickbacks paid to secret accounts.

Switzerland has frozen about $400 million in accounts linked to the Car Wash investigation.

Petrobras took a $2 billion write down in April 2015 for improperly capitalized additional spending  meaning overcharges in contracts used to cover costs of the graft and kickbacks.

Petrobras is the most indebted oil company in the world.

Rousseff was Brazils first female president. She blamed a drop in oil and other commodity prices for Brazils struggling economy.

The new president has been implicated in the Petrobras scandal. A former executive from the company said Temer solicited a $400,000 campaign donation in 2012 for a Sao Paulo mayoral candidate.

Temer has denied any wrongdoing.

____

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. Hell be the keynote speaker at the FCPA Blog NYC Conference 2016.
The SEC awarded more than $22 million Tuesday to a whistleblower whose detailed tip and extensive assistance helped stop a well-hidden fraud at the company where the whistleblower worked.

A lawyer said his client, a former Monsanto finance employee, received the award. Stuart Meissner didnt identify his client.

Monsanto paid $80 million in February to resolve allegations of accounting violations for a rebate program related to the weed killer Roundup

Monsanto said it didnt have any comment about the whistleblower award.

By law, the SEC protects the confidentiality of whistleblowers and doesnt disclose information that might reveal a whistleblowers identity.

Tuesdays award is the second biggest since the SEC whistleblower program started in 2011.

The biggest, $30 million, was awarded in 2014.

In June this year, the SEC awarded $17 million to a whistleblower.

A 2013 award topped $14 million.

The SEC has now awarded $107 million to 33 whistleblowers.

Whistleblowers become eligible for an award by voluntarily providing the SEC with original and useful information that leads to a successful enforcement action of more than $1 million.

Awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected through an enforcement action.

Jane Norberg, acting chief of the SECs Office of the Whistleblower, said Tuesday: Company employees are in unique positions behind-the-scenes to unravel complex or deeply buried wrongdoing.

Without this whistleblowers courage, information, and assistance, it would have been extremely difficult for law enforcement to discover this securities fraud on its own, she said.

The SEC received more than 4,000 tips last year.

Reports this week said the SEC paid its first FCPA-related whistleblower award in May. A BHP Billiton insider was awarded $3.75 million for information related to an investigation into bribery of Asian and African officials during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the reports said.

The SECs redacted August 30, 2016 whistleblower award order is here (pdf).

____

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. Hell be the keynote speaker at the FCPA Blog NYC Conference 2016.
Notice of a Meeting under Expedited Procedures

On Wednesday, August 31, 2016 at 10:00 AM, a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System was held under expedited procedures, as set forth in section 26lb.7 of the Board's Rules Regarding Public Observation of Meetings, at the Board's offices at 20th and C Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C., to consider the following matters of official Board business.

Meeting Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Matter(s) Considered 1. Periodic Supervisory Update. 4,8

Effective August 31, 2016, the meeting was closed to public observation by Order of the Board of Governors 1 because the matters fall under exemption(s) 4, 8 of the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. Section 552b(c)), and it was determined that the public interest did not require opening the meeting.

For more information please contact: Michelle Smith, Director, or Dave Skidmore, Assistant to the Board, Office of Board Members at 202-452-2955.

Supplementary Information: This meeting notice, which is available in the Board's Freedom of Information and Public Affairs Offices, is also available electronically at http://www.federalreserve.gov on the Board's Web site. (The Web site also includes procedural and other information about the closed meeting.)

August 31, 2016 1. Voting for this action: Chair Yellen, Vice Chairman Fischer, and Governors Tarullo and Brainard. Return to text
Susie Youssef's new show CHECK YOUSSEF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOUSSEF is on at the Soho Theatre from 19th-20th Sptepmber 2016. We caught up with her to talk about what it's like to be an Australian performer in the UK.

Susie Youssef

Please tell us about your new show at the Soho Theatre.

It's a hybrid show because I am half woman half mythical seahorse. Also it's a mixture of character, sketch, story and stand up about perseverance and/or delusion and the checklist that keeps me sane.

Who have been your biggest influences in comedy?

My grandmother has definitely informed my sense of humour although I'm pretty sure she doesn't approve of this. I was obsessed with Bette Mildler and Steve Martin growing up. Maria Bamford and Tina Fey are beyond brilliant. This year I saw Bridget Everett for the first time and she blew my socks off - my kingdom for an ounce of her talent.

You made your Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut this year so how was that experience?

The greatest and most terrifying rollercoaster I've ever been on. I loved it and I hope to go back next year...

You had sell out shows at the Melbourne and Sydney comedy festivals so how did that feel?

Like a wonderful accident.

You are part of a sketch ensemble on ABC TV's How Not to Behave so what can people expect from this who've never seen it?

The sketch cast on How Not To Behave were absolutely brilliant and I loved working with them. This year I was part of the cast for the Australian version of Whose Line is it Anyway - both shows helped me hone sketch and improv skills that have shaped my show. I can't believe either show actually happened.

Your show is about the small checklist that makes all the difference so are you a compulsive list maker?

Not at all. I'm a list-avoider.

Has your big family provided a lot of inspiration for your comedy?

Absolutely. I would not have a show without them.

You have a medium sized anxiety problem, so what's the funniest thing it has made you do?

Anxiety isn't always a bad thing, especially with improv. In small doses it keeps me on my toes. Too much and I do insane things like Edinburgh Fringe.

What is next for you?

I'm writing a play with an amazing friend back home and have started working on a new solo show. But first, I want to realise my dream of being the first Australian to live and work in the UK.
Woody Allen returns to the director's chair this week with his latest film Cafe Society, and we have some terrific new clips for you to take a look at.

Cafe Society

As well as being in the director's chair for the film, Allen has also penned the screenplay in what is his first feature film since Irrational Man last year.

Set in the 1930s, Cafe Society is another period drama from the filmmaker and I am looking forward to what he delivers this time around.

As you would expect, Allen has brought together an impressive cast list as Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Steve Carell, Parker Posey, Corey Stoll, Jeannie Berlin, and Ken Stott are all on board.

And you can see some of them in action in this brand new clips. Take a look:

The movie sees Allen reunite with Eisenberg while he works with the likes of Stewart and Lively for the first time. This is also the third collaboration between Eisenberg and Stewart; who have already worked together on Adventureland and American Ultra.

Set in the 1930s, Woody Allen's bittersweet romance Cafe Society follows Bronx-born Bobby Dorfman (Eisenberg) to Hollywood, where he falls in love, and back to New York, where he is swept up in the vibrant world of high society nightclub life.

Centering on events in the lives of Bobby's colourful Bronx family, the film is a glittering valentine to the movie stars, socialites, playboys, debutantes, politicians, and gangsters who epitomised the excitement and glamour of the age.

Poignant, and often hilarious, Cafe Society, a film with a novel's sweep, takes us on a journey from pastel-clad dealmakers in plush Hollywood mansions, to the quarrels and tribulations of a humble Bronx family, to the rough-and-tumble violence of New York gangsters, to the sparkling surfaces and secret scandals of Manhattan high life.

Cafe Society is released 2nd September.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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You might have noticed a story last week in the Democrat-Herald about a makeover in the culinary classroom at Lebanon High School.

The revamp includes six-burner professional ranges, three-compartment sinks (one compartment for washing, one for rinsing and one for sanitizing), a walk-in cooler and stainless steel tables. If you didn't know better, you could easily mistake the new classroom for a functioning kitchen at a restaurant.

Which is exactly the point.

This isn't the old-fashioned home economics classroom, teaching students how to run a household: This is career education, giving students the skills they need to nab a job in the food-services industry. After all, noted Lebanon culinary arts teacher Marcia Hara, many students will work in the food industry at some point in their lives. For some, those jobs will help pay the bills as they attend college; others will carve out long-running and rewarding careers in the field.

But all of them will benefit from getting a dose of professional food preparation skills and techniques, and that's the focus of Lebanon's revamped culinary arts program.

In fact, the school's shiny new kitchen serves as a symbol of sorts for a resurgence in the idea of career and technical training in Oregon's public schools.

It's a welcome development.

Career and technical training have been de-emphasized in our schools for years now as we've focused on preparing our students for college. That's an important goal, but it ignores a couple of important facts: First, not all of our students are going on to college, for a variety of reasons. Second, employers throughout the mid-valley are starting to really hurt from a shortage of qualified employees for good-paying positions  jobs that often don't require a degree from a four-year college.

Signs of the resurgence in career and technical education are all around us: Lebanon also is providing equipment and classroom upgrades for its welding program and is setting aside money for a Vocational House fund to buy property for construction students to build and sell a home. South Albany High School's new cafeteria and commons building will feature revamped, professional-level kitchens. The Scio School District successfully applied for a grant of close to $400,000 that will pay for a new building this year for woods and forestry, and remodel the classroom being used for metal shop. The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce's promising Pipeline program aims to groom students for actual jobs at mid-valley employers  jobs that pay well and lead to rewarding careers.

And this November, Oregon voters will weigh in on Ballot Measure 98, which would require the state to provide at least $800 per high school student. The money could be spent on career and technical education programs. (Under the terms of the measure, the money also could be spent on college-level courses and dropout prevention.) We have concerns about the measure, which we'll explore in later editorials, but we appreciate how it aims to put a spotlight on career and technical education.

The upshot is that it's been years since this much attention has been lavished on career and technical education. And that's a good thing.

Educators in recent years increasingly have been emphasizing the idea of establishing many roads to graduation. By extension, that means there are many paths that lead to successful lives after graduation. It may be that educators haven't spent as much time as they should have tending to those paths that don't include a four-year college. But it looks like they're working hard to make up for lost time. (mm)
Celebrated actress and producer Renee Zellweger makes a return to the Hollywood, after a gap of almost five years. And the actress says, she was motivated to return to the movies by the lack of creativity, she was missing so dearly.

The 'Bridget Jones Diary' fame actress had taken a break in 2010, just after her 'My Own Love Song' and was busy travelling the world. However, she started missing her work and the creativity in her, which ultimately forced her to return, as she said.

"I craved the creative process again. When I stopped making films, it was because it became more depleting than rewarding." She said.

"It was because of the way I was living my life, and I don't think you can be good in a creative medium if you aren't grateful for the opportunity to participate. I started to miss it and I felt ready," she added.

Renee Zellweger said that it was not an easy decision to leave her Hollywood career in the midway, but now she happy to be back again.

"I planned to take some time off after Chicago, but there kept being once-in-a-lifetime experiences in front of me that I didn't want to miss out on," Renee said.
Mayank & Hunar's Arranged Marriage

Mayank and Hunar's is an arranged marriage. The actress said that initially, they weren't ready for the marriage and took time to know each other, after their roka ceremony.

Mayank-Hunar

Apparently, during the wedding, Mayank's sisters-in-law were eagerly waiting for their new jijaji and had planned to extort money from him (as per tradition). But got disappointed...

Mayank-Hunar Wedding

As the groom's relatives bargained and got away with paying slightly above Rs 30,000. Guneet (joked) was quoted by the leading daily as saying, "This is not fair. We kept watching his shoes like a hawk and stole them the moment we could."

Hunar

Guneet further said, "We were hoping our effort would pay great dividends. We didn't expect such a small amount." She also said in the interview how her Hunar didi was generous.

Hunar Is Generous!

She said, "Hunar didi has always been generous. She once got us all party outfits. Baki gunn toh milte hain par jijaji toh paison ke mamle mein kanjoos nikle."

Mayank Was Gifted...

Mayank was quoted by the leading daily as saying, "I was gifted a T-shirt by my bhabhi, which said, 'game over.' But the feeling that I am no more a bachelor had sunk in immediately after the roka some nine months ago."

Hunar Says...

"This is more or less how I wanted my wedding to be like. I am thrilled to be a part of Mayank's family, but will be missing my family."

Mayank-Hunar: Opposites Attract!

In an interview to a leading daily, Hunar had said how opposite (characters) they were. She said how curious, rebellious and talkative she was, while Mayank is calm and mature. Well, we must say this is a perfect example for the saying, opposites attract'!

Mayank Praise Hunar

Mayank also praised Hunar saying he started believing in almighty after he met her. He also added that he is now playing the lead, after nine years of his career! He also added, "Yeh jodi rab ne hi banayi hai."

Mayank & Hunar Have Taken A Break!

Mayank is seen on the show Kala Teeka. He has taken a week-long break, while, Hunar, who was seen on Dahleez, wants to take a break and enjoy being a newly-wed.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/30/16 -- Western Pacific Resources Corp. ("Western Pacific" or "the Company") (TSX VENTURE: WRP) is pleased to announce that it has settled its debt to Unico Incorporated/Deer Trail Mining Company - in the amount of US$200,000, 10,062,546 common shares of the Company and an assignment of a 50% interest in the net smelter return ("NSR") royalty on the Mineral Gulch Property up to a maximum of US$2,300,000 - as previously announced in a news release dated July 29, 2016, related to the Deer Trail Mine acquisition. The Company now has no significant debt and a balance sheet which will allow the company to move forward and pursue new opportunities.

About Western Pacific Resources Corp.

Western Pacific is a publicly traded resource exploration company whose shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "WRP". Western Pacific's team is led by technical and financial experts whose aim is to succeed in creating shareholder value through the development of its projects as well as pursuing property acquisitions and other strategic opportunities.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Michael Callahan, President & CEO

For more information visit the Company's website at www.westernpacificresources.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include, without limitation, statements in respect of the settlement of debt and development of future projects. These statements relate to future events, business prospects or opportunities and product development. All such statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect, "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. Actual results and developments may differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions of management and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statement, including but not limited to: (a) the Company not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; (b) risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, the interpretation of drilling results and other geological risks, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and (c) such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although the Company believes that the expectations conveyed by the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on the information available to it on the date such statements were made, no assurances can be given as to future results, approvals or achievements. Such forward-looking statements have been made for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's business, financial and operational performance and plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The Company disclaims any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this news release to conform such statements to actual results or to changes in the Company's expectations except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Contacts:

Fiona Grant Leydier

Investor Relations

(604) 692-2891

info@wrpv.ca




NEW YORK and SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150517/216568LOGO

Evercore (NYSE: EVR), a leading independent investment banking advisory firm headquartered in New York, USA and NH Investment & Securities ("NH"), the leading South Korea-based investment bank, announced today they have extended their strategic alliance for cross-border M&A advisory services for an additional two year period and expanded it to operate on an exclusive basis between the U.S. and South Korea. The advisory alliance enables Evercore and NH to continue to capitalize on what we believe to be a positive long term trend driving cross-border M&A activity in Asia.

Founded in 1995, Evercore is the #1 ranked independent firm year-to-date in US M&A and is an M&A market leader in the TMT, Financial Services, Energy and Healthcare sectors. Evercore's advisory revenue growth since 2010 is the highest among allpublicly tradedinvestment banks. Evercore ISI, Evercore's equities platform, is the #1 ranked independent research analyst platform by Institutional Investor and #3 ranked among all firms.

NH Investment & Securities was formed by the merger of Woori IS and Nonghyup Securities in 2014 and is one of the largest investment banks in Korea by total assets. NH has held a prominent position in the Korean investment banking market for more than 53 years and is the leading domestic underwriter for equity securities, including initial public offerings, and the top domestic firm in the Korean M&A league tables for over the past 6 years.

Ralph Schlosstein, Evercore's President and Chief Executive Officer said, "We are pleased to extend and expand our Alliance with NH, which we established in 2011. Our longstanding relationship with NH is an important part of our global strategy and enables Evercore and NH to serve domestic Korean clients and international clients with strategic interests in Korea. We are pleased to be working together with NH, a premier partner with deep client relationships in the Korean market."

Young-Chae Jeong, Executive Vice President and Head of Investment Banking Division commented, "We look forward to continuing our partnership with Evercore so that we can together provide the highest quality M&A advice and create the opportunity to better serve our clients around the world."

About Evercore

Established in 1995, Evercore is a leading global independent investment banking advisory firm. Evercore advises a diverse set of investment banking clients on a wide range of transactions and issues and provides institutional investors with high quality equity research, sales and trading execution that is free of the conflicts created by proprietary activities. The Firm also offers investment management services to high net worth and institutional investors. With 28 offices in North America, Europe, South America and Asia, Evercore has the scale and strength to serve clients globally through a focused and tailored approach designed to meet their unique needs. More information about Evercore can be found on the Company's website at www.evercore.com.

About NH Investment & Securities

NH Investment & Securities Co., Ltd., formerly known as Woori Investment & Securities Co. Ltd. provides a range of financial services in South Korea and internationally. It offers various investment banking services, including equity and debt underwriting; advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, project financing, and private equity funds; and financial solutions for corporate clients. The company also engages in trading stocks, bonds, derivatives, futures, and options; client book trading; and maintaining portfolios, as well as international brokerage operations. In addition, it provides wealth management services consisting of brokerage and asset management consulting services through the development and sale of various financial products, such as beneficiary certificates, bond investments, mutual funds, equity-linked securities, CP, RP, and WRAP accounts. Further, the company offers merchant banking services, including short-term lending, such as commercial papers; deposit business comprising notes issued and cash management accounts; and structured deals for non-performing loans, project financing, and asset-backed loans. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea and operates through 88 branches, 6 overseas subsidiaries, and 2 overseas offices in London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Indonesia, and Vietnam. More information on NH Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. can be found on the Company's website at www.nhqv.com.

Evercore Investor Contact:

Robert B. Walsh

Chief Financial Officer, Evercore

+1.212.857.3100

NH Investor Contact:

Esther Lee

Investor Relations

+82.2.768.7351

Media Contact:

Dana Gorman

The Abernathy MacGregor Group, for Evercore

+1.212.371.5999

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/evercore-announces-expansion-of-ma-alliance-with-south-koreas-nh-investment--securities-300320194.html
MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - Google is moving onto Uber Technologies Inc.'s turf with its own ride-sharing service in San Francisco that would help commuters inexpensively join carpools, the Wall Street Journal reported citing a person familiar with the matter. Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL, GOOG), began a pilot program around its California headquarters in May that enables several thousand area workers at specific firms to use the Waze app to connect with fellow commuters. It plans to open the program to all San Francisco-area Waze users this fall, the person said, with hopes of expanding the service if successful. Waze, which Google acquired in 2013, offers real-time driving directions based on information from other drivers. Unlike Uber and its crosstown San Francisco rival Lyft Inc., which each largely operate as on-demand taxi businesses, Waze wants to connect riders with drivers who are already headed in the same direction. The company has said it aims to make fares low enough to discourage drivers from operating as taxi drivers. Waze's current pilot charges riders at most 54 cents a mile-less than most Uber and Lyft rides-and, for now, Google doesn't take a fee. Google and Uber were once allies-Google invested $258 million in Uber in 2013-but more recently have become rivals in some areas. Alphabet executive David Drummond said on Monday that he resigned from Uber's board because of rising competition between the pair. Uber, which has long used Google's mapping software for its ride-hailing service, recently began developing its own maps. 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.
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY--(Marketwired - August 31, 2016) - Uruguay's President Tabare Vasquez recently announced that $12 billion has been allocated for use in a four-year infrastructure investment program. International broker Pablo Soria de Lachica believes that this program will not only boost the country's economy through the creation of jobs and new industry, but will also promote progress, development, and growth throughout this region.

"Ambitious but achievable," is how Uruguay's Economy and Finance Minister Danilo Astoi describes this massive endeavor. Moneys for this investment program will come from public funds (66%) and private sector investments (34%) and will not include a hike in taxes nor the use of loans. As it now stands $4.33 billion will be set aside for the energy sector, $2.36 billion will go towards the development and rebuilding of roads; $1.87 billion has been earmarked for social infrastructure -- which encompasses health care, education, and citizen security -- and $1.32 billion will be used for housing upgrades. Smaller amounts have been set aside for revamping and modernizing communications, water and sewer projects and overhauling the nation's ports and railroads. Pablo Soria de Lachica has a deep understanding of world economies and how lacking or subpar infrastructure can greatly affect the country's gross domestic product (GDP), stagnate its growth, and inhibit the ability to attract new industries to the region. He agrees with President Vazquez that this investment will help to optimize Uruguay's productive capacity and will allow for the advancement of the country's long term strategic goal which is to become a logistics hub for the region.

Despite almost ten years of continuous economic growth heightened by the strong global demand for the country's commodities, the national budget has been unable to move out of the red, particularly during the last five years. This is a strong indicator that a more aggressive and long term economic solution is needed which is exactly what the infrastructure investment initiative is. In a press release announcing their partnership and pending investment in this project, Jaakko Sarantola, Senior Vice President of the Finnish company UPM, stated: "Uruguay could accommodate a third pulp mill with proven environmental performance, if the logistics infrastructure would be rebuilt to support large scale export-oriented businesses." He went on to say, "if these challenges can be solved in the coming few years, Uruguay could be a competitive alternative for addressing UPM's opportunities in the 2020's." The leaders of this country do not see the impending project as a mere remodeling effort or a face lift for the city but as an investment its future and legacy.

Pablo Soria de Lachica has an extensive and sophisticated knowledge of the intricacies involved in global economics making him a world leader in international investments and foreign exchange markets. After graduating from the Universidad Tecnologica de Mexico (UNITEC), he went on to become an expert in forex trading and offers his clients an impressive array of trading options, competitive terms and expert financial analysis. His ability to consider and synthesize international intel and conduct quick market analysis has enabled him to develop online trading tools for his clientele and create individualized investment plans tailored to suit every investor. In his free time he supports a plethora of worthy community and environmental causes and generously contributes to various organizations such as the local Boy Scouts, Delta Epsilon Sigma programs, Barnardo's, and Bridges for Peace.

Pablo Soria de Lachica -- Foreign Exchange Specialist: http://pablosoriadelachicanews.com

Pablo Soria De Lachica -- Outlines Consequences of Mexican Loan to Pemex: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/pablo-soria-lachica-outlines-consequences-034249342.html

Pablo Soria de Lachica -- Describes Mexican Budget Plans For 2017: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/pablo-soria-lachica-describes-mexican-063547078.html

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www.ICMediaDirect.com
Corporate Communications Division Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan +81-3-3508-5056 [Tokyo] +81-82-282-5253 [Hiroshima] mailto: media@mazda.co.jp

HIROSHIMA, Japan, Aug 31, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation today published the Mazda Sustainability Report 2016(1) in Japanese and Annual Report 2016(2) in English and Japanese on the company's website. The English version of the Sustainability Report will be published in September.The Sustainability Report 2016 outlines Mazda's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and achievements(3) for the fiscal year ended (FYE) March 2016. The Annual Report 2016 features management information and financial news.Highlights of the Sustainability Report 2016- Top MessageMazda's Representative Director, President and CEO Masamichi Kogai discusses his views on CSR and introduces some CSR initiatives linked to the company's business strategy.- Special Feature 1: Aiming to make cars that are sustainable with the earth and societyDiscusses how Mazda will continue to achieve driving pleasure as well as outstanding environmental and safety performance with its vehicles in the future.- Special Feature 2: Becoming a brand with which customers feel an emotional connectionIntroduces Mazda's efforts to enhance its brand value, including a number of specific examples- The report covers CSR initiatives of material importance as specified by Global Reporting Initiative's G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines' Core option.Highlights of the Annual Report 2016- Message from ManagementPresident and CEO Masamichi Kogai looks back at FYE March 2016, summarizes the achievements of the Structural Reform Plan and outlines key aspects of the Structural Reform Stage 2 that starts in FYE March 2017. Additionally, Akira Marumoto, Representative Director and Executive Vice President, explains Mazda's initiatives for qualitative business growth and brand value enhancement.- Review of Operations:Looks at business results and sales initiatives in Japan, North America, Europe, China and other markets- Drivers of Value Creation:Discusses co-creation activities and problem-solving in the development of Mazda MX-5 in addition to SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY, KODO design, Mazda Proactive Safety and associated technologies and Monotsukuri Innovation.Mazda's Sustainability Report and Annual Report can be downloaded from the company's global website.Sustainability Report http://www.mazda.com/en/csr/download/Annual Report http://www.mazda.com/en/investors/library/annual/Mazda has made the promotion of Brand Value Management a top priority since 2013. The Sustainability Report and Annual Report also show how Mazda is working to become a brand that enriches people's lives at every touchpoint to build a strong emotional connection with customers, focusing on the company's measures, organizational aspects and people.(1) The Sustainability Report 2016 in Japanese is available as an "in-depth version" and a "social contribution version." A digest version and corporate profile featuring highlights from the full report will be available in both printed and online formats in September. English editions of the "in-depth version" and the "social contribution version" will be available online in September, and English editions of the digest version and corporate profile will be available in both printed and online formats in October.(2) Both the English and Japanese versions are available only in online format.(3) Mazda's CSR initiatives are divided into the following six categories; Customer Satisfaction, Quality, Safety, Environment, Respect for People and Social Contributions.About MazdaMazda Motor Corporation (TSE: 7261) started manufacturing tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit www.mazda.comSource: MazdaContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Mkango Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: MKA)(AIM: MKA) (the "Company" or "Mkango"), is pleased to announce that it has released the Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ending June 30,2016. The reports are now available on the Company's website via the following link: http://www.mkango.ca/s/financials.asp, and will also be made available under the Company's profile on SEDAR.

William Dawes, Chief Executive of Mkango, stated:

"Mkango is pleased to release its quarterly results for the period ending June 30, 2016, the first since its IPO on AIM on June 15, 2016. Its expenditure remains within budget, which provided for 18 months' working capital from the IPO date."

"The Company believes that prices for rare earths and uranium are at a cyclical low, with a positive outlook geared to growth in cleantech applications, technology and the low carbon economy."

"We continue to explore partnership opportunities for both the Songwe and Thambani projects with a view to accelerating exploration and development of the projects for the benefit of all stakeholders."

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. 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.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any equity or other securities of the Corporation in the United States. The securities of the Corporation will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.

Contacts:

Mkango Resources Limited

William Dawes

Chief Executive Officer

UK: +44 207 3722 744

Canada: +1 403 444 5979

will@mkango.ca



Mkango Resources Limited

Alexander Lemon

President

alex@mkango.ca



SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP

Nominated Adviser and Broker

Jeff Keating , Caroline Rowe

UK: +44 20 3470 0470




Regulatory News:

Following its press release issued on 1 August 2016 related to the financial restructuring plan, SoLocal Group (Paris:LOCAL) announces that its board of directors has decided to convene a shareholders' meeting on 19 October 2016.

During this shareholders' meeting, the 2015 financial statements and the required draft resolutions to implement the restructuring plan in particular will be submitted for approval. The Commercial Court of Nanterre has extended till 31 October 2016 the date by which the general meeting should take place to submit 2015 financial statements for approval.

The Group aims at finalising the ongoing negotiations with its creditors as well as their consultation on the restructuring plan prior to the shareholders' general meeting.

Furthermore, an independent advisor has been appointed by the board of directors and has been asked to issue an opinion on the fairness of the subscription price of the capital increase reserved to SoLocal Group creditors, as part of the envisaged restructuring plan. All regulatory documents as well as the report of the independent advisor will be made available to shareholders prior to the shareholders' meeting.

It is reminded that regardless of the approval of creditors and shareholders, the proposed restructuring plan is subject to various conditions. Should the plan be approved and such conditions be withdrawn, the restructuring plan, and especially the capital increases, would be finalised by the end of the year.

SoLocal also states that the main shareholders who indicated their support for the plan and their intention to participate, represented approximately 15% of SoLocal equity as of 8 August 2016.

As a reminder, SoLocal Group holds today an investor day, which presentation is available on the corporate website of the Group.

About SoLocal Group

SoLocal Group, European leader in local online communication, reveals local know-how, and boosts local revenues of businesses. The Internet activities of the Group are structured around two business lines: Local Search and Digital Marketing. With Local Search, the Group offers digital services and solutions to clients which enable them to enhance their visibility and develop their local contacts. Thanks to its expertise, SoLocal Group earned the trust of some 530,000 clients of those services and over 2.2 billions of visits via its 4 flagship brands (PagesJaunes, Mappy, Ooreka and A Vendre A Louer) but also through its partnerships. With Digital Marketing, SoLocal Group creates and provides Internet users with the best local and customised content about professionals. With over 4,400 employees, including a salesforce of 1,900 local communication advisors specialised in five verticals (Home, Services, Retail, Health Public, BtoB) and Internationally (France, Spain, Austria, United Kingdom), the Group generated in 2015 revenues of 873 millions euros, of which 73% on Internet and ranks amongst the first European players in terms of Internet advertising revenues. SoLocal Group is listed on Euronext Paris (LOCAL). More information may be obtained at www.solocalgroup.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160830006623/en/

Contacts:

SoLocal Group

Press

Delphine Penalva, +33 (0)1 46 23 35 31

dpenalva@solocal.com

or

Edwige Druon, +33 (0)1 46 23 37 56

edruon@solocal.com

or

Investors

Elsa Cardarelli, +33 (0)1 46 23 40 92

ecardarelli@solocal.com
Toyota's Pixis Joy C, Pixis Joy F, Pixis Joy S

Toyota Motor Corporation Public Affairs Division Global Communications Department Tel: +81-3-3817-9926

Toyota City, Japan, Aug 31, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Today, Toyota will release the new Pixis Joy passenger minivehicle at a total of 211 dealers nationwide-including 74 Toyota Corolla dealers, 105 Netz dealers, 16 Toyopet dealers, and 15 Toyota dealers in regions where demand for minivehicles is comparatively high.- Three models available-the Pixis Joy C (crossover), the Pixis Joy F (fashion) and the Pixis Joy S (sports)-in a variety of colors(1)- The Pixis Joy utilizes the latest e:S technologies(2) to achieve a fuel efficiency of 30.0 km/L(3), with all grades being eligible for the Japanese government's subsidies and tax incentives for eco-cars- The Pixis Joy comes with the Smart Assist II(4) collision avoidance assist system for safe drivingThe Pixis Joy takes its name from Toyota's desire to deliver joy and fun to the lives of its customers. In addition to high fuel efficiency and low pricing, which together constitute the original appeal of mini-vehicles, the Pixis Joy also offers distinctive styling, colors, and other design features.Main featuresPixis Joy C- With front and rear resin garnishes and 15-inch aluminum wheels fitted into 165/60R15 tires, the Pixis Joy C features an exterior that exudes the appeal of a crossover model- The vehicle's minimum ground clearance of 180 mm-approx. 30 mm more than the Pixis Joy F and Pixis Joy S models-results in improved driving performance over snow-covered roads as well as mountainous roadsPixis Joy F- The plating used throughout the design, such as on the front and rear bumper moldings and the side rocker moldings, adds a touch of elegance to the vehicle's exterior- The full-fabric seats use a suede-like material that is smooth to the touch, contributing to a luxurious riding experiencePixis Joy S- In addition to exclusive aerodynamic parts such as the front and rear bumpers, the sporty appeal of the Pixis Joy S is emphasized through the use of red accents throughout the vehicle's interior and exterior- With a Sporty Suspension(2WD models) and a MOMO leather-bound steering wheel that incorporates a seven-speed manual model and paddle shifting, the vehicle features an outstandingly sporty driving performance(1) The Pixis Joy C and Pixis Joy F come in 15 exterior colors, while the Pixis Joy S comes in 11 exterior colors.(2) Developed by Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., these fuel efficiency technologies improve existing engine, CVT, and body-structure technologies to achieve high fuel efficiency(3) CG SA II, CX SA II, CX, FG SA II, FX SA II, and FX two-wheel drive vehicles; under the Japanese government's JC08 test cycle(4) Equipped as standard on all models excluding the CX and FXAbout ToyotaSupported by people around the world, Toyota Motor Corporation (TSE: 7203; NYSE: TM), has endeavored since its establishment in 1937 to serve society by creating better products. As of the end of December 2013, Toyota conducts its business worldwide with 52 overseas manufacturing companies in 27 countries and regions. Toyota's vehicles are sold in more than 170 countries and regions. For more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com.Source: ToyotaContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 3:55 am ET Wednesday, unemployment data from Germany for August is due to be released. The jobless rate is forecast to remain unchanged at 6.1 percent in August. Ahead of the data, the euro showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the euro rose against the yen, it fell against the U.S. dollar, the Swiss franc and against the pound. As of 3:50 am ET, the euro was trading at 0.8502 against the pound, 1.0955 against the Swiss franc, 1.1133 against the U.S. dollar and 115.01 against the yen. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PHOENIX, Arizona, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

- Aspect Recognized for Best Meeting the Future Needs of Customers, Being First to Market With New, Innovative Workforce Optimization (WFO) Solutions

- Agent Engagement and Empowerment Found in Workforce Chatbot Mila, and Aspect EQ Workforce Optimization Design, Highlighted as Market Differentiators

Aspect Software, a leading provider of fully-integrated consumer engagement, workforce optimization, and self-service solutions, today announced that it has been awarded the 2016 Global Company of the Year Award in the Workforce Optimization Industry by Frost & Sullivan. The Frost & Sullivan Global Company of the Year Award requires a company to demonstrate excellence in growth, innovation, and leadership.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140922/706625-a )



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/402959LOGO )



The award was presented to Aspect because of the company's deep WFO capabilities, backed by excellent customer support services, and increased adoption of its workforce optimization applications. The company's continuous track record of leading innovation was also cited as a driving factor in the decision.

"One of the hallmarks of Aspect's WFO suite is the depth of functionality it provides compared to the rest of the competition-particularly in the realm of flexibility and ease-of-use," said Nancy Jamison, Principal Analyst in Digital Transformation, Frost & Sullivan. "And Mila, a self-service chatbot for the workforce, is a perfect example of how Aspect is at the forefront of WFO innovation-improving functionality of its existing products to directly address the unmet needs of its customers, as well as developing innovative new products that anticipate client needs."

Aspect was selected for this award due to several key performance drivers of Aspect's EQ Workforce Optimization solutions, including:

The recent introduction of Aspect Mila, a self-service chatbot for the workforce, which demonstrates Aspect's ability to respond to Millennial workforce expectations. In designing Mila, Aspect targeted the expectations that make up today's agent - 'know me, make it mobile, let me do it, make it social, fit into my life, save me time, make me smarter, help me discover.'

The Aspect WFO suite's depth of functionality compared to the rest of the competition, particularly in the realm of flexibility and ease-of-use, including a modern, widget-based user interface that is both intuitive and easily customizable for a business.

Aspect's use of APIs enables it to be flexible in answering the needs of customers. Aspect is API driven and provides simple customization for businesses without having to adjust the core product. This addresses an issue that plagues the WFO market-the vast amount of customization and changes customers request to help run their centers.

The health of the WFO business is very strong: 104% YoY growth in product booking for the first half of 2016, significant shift to the cloud, with more than two-thirds of new bookings being cloud-based in 2016.

"The depth and breadth of the Aspect EQ WFO suite with its market-leading features including mobility, self-service capabilities, and ease-of-use demonstrate Aspect's commitment to being a top WFO provider," said Mike Bourke, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Workforce Optimization at Aspect. "We are honored to receive the 2016 Global Company of the Year Award in the Workforce Optimization Industry from Frost & Sullivan. It is another proof point that the developments we've put into the portfolio are resonating with our customers and ultimately helping them deliver better customer experiences."

To read the complete text on why Frost & Sullivan presented Aspect with their 2016 Global Workforce Optimization Solutions Company of the Year Award, click here.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages almost 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 31 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.

About Aspect

Aspect helps enterprises break down the walls between people, processes, systems and data sources, allowing organizations to unite around the customer journey. By developing fully native contact center interaction management, workforce optimization and self-service capabilities within a single customer engagement center, we enable dynamic, conversational interactions and create a truly frictionless omni-channel customer experience. Leveraging the agility of our worldwide cloud infrastructure and over 40 years of industry ingenuity, Aspect conveniently and easily connects questions to answers while helping enterprises keep service levels high and operational costs contained. For more information, visit http://www.aspect.com .

Follow Aspect on Twitter at @AspectSoftware. Read our blogs at http://blogs.aspect.com.

Aspect, the Aspect logo, Voxeo and the Voxeo logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Aspect Software, Inc. or Voxeo Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Media contact

Tim Dreyer

+1-630-227-8312

tim.dreyer@aspect.com


LUXEMBOURG CITY, Luxembourg, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Today, Alzheimer Europe announced the launch of its Clinical Trials Watch, a new service bringing together up-to-date information on clinical trials investigating drugs for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's and other dementias in an accessible format. To date, only phase III trials currently recruiting participants in at least two European countries are included.

For this innovative new resource, Alzheimer Europe collaborated closely with members of its European Working Group of People with Dementia (EWGPWD) and consulted pharmaceutical companies conducting trials to present basic information. Information is given by country, study name and condition. Each study has been reviewed by a member of the EWGPWD and dementia-friendly versions are available for download. The content will be updated every three months based on information available on public registries.

Jean Georges, Executive Director of Alzheimer Europe said: "Information on clinical trials on Alzheimer's and other dementias is currently difficult to find and often written in language that is difficult to understand. We hope that our website will become a resource for anyone interested in clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of dementia. If successful, we hope to expand this resource to include phase II trials in the near future".

Helga Rohra, Chairperson of the EWGPWD, herself diagnosed with Lewy body dementia said: "With this new resource, we want to support people living with dementia in Europe in being truly informed about what research is available. This more dementia-friendly format is a great step in making information on clinical trials more accessible and understandable for people with dementia and people at risk of developing dementia."

About the Clinical Trials Watch

Information on clinical trials is available on: http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Research/Clinical-Trials-Watch

Please note this information should not be interpreted as a recommendation to use a treatment, nor to participate in a study.

About Alzheimer Europe and the European Working Group of People with Dementia

Alzheimer Europe is an umbrella organisation with 37 member associations from 32 countries, working to make dementia a European priority.

The European Working Group of People with Dementia consists of members of varying ages and nationalities living with dementia. The group works to ensure the activities of Alzheimer Europe duly reflect the priorities and views of people with dementia.

For further information about the Clinical Trials Watch please contact Dr Ana Diaz, Project Officer: ana.diaz@alzheimer.europe.org /+352-29-79-70










Digital technology to boost growth opportunities for health insurance operations in the long term, observed Frost & Sullivan's Transformational Health team

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --The private healthcare insurance industry is becoming increasingly relevant following the World Health Organization's (WHO's) push for universal health coverage (UHC). A vast uncovered global population, along with inadequate government funding, make the private insurance market an extremely attractive destination for investors. China, India, Brazil, Russia and Mexico, with their high out-of-pocket (OOP) and private expenditure on healthcare, are particularly expected to draw substantial investments.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/402970

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Transformations in Global Private Health Insurance Models (http://frost.ly/q9), finds that North America is the largest private health insurance market, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global private insurance premium revenues, or $1.07 trillion in 2015. Europe came in a distant second with $189.54 billion, followed by Asia-Pacific with $124.07 billion, Latin America with $30.78 billion and Africa with $1.43 billion.

To request exclusive information about this research and to schedule your one-on-one strategy dialogue with our analysts now, please click here or send an e-mail to Jana Schoeneborn: jana.schoeneborn@frost.com.

"Several models of innovations for health insurance and adjunct sectors have emerged in different regions of the world, while some areas experience few innovations," statesFrost & Sullivan Transformational Health Research Analyst Siddharth Shah. "Developing regions are increasing insurance familiarity and coverage with disease-specific insurance products and insurance as add-ons. The developed regions are incentivizing healthy behaviors with freebies and are rolling out e-Commerce initiatives."

The healthcare delivery space is witnessing numerous changes with the integration of care delivery, while insurers are keeping pace with these revolutions by engaging the services of some of the startups targeting the health insurance sector. Significantly, adjunct insurance sectors are turning to community and crowdsourced insurance, adding a fresh dynamic to the global market.

These large-scale transformations are forcing the health insurance industry to evaluate all aspects of its business models, policy holder engagement and plan structures. The major disruptions in private insurance relate to consumerism, Big Data and Analytics, chronic disease prevention management, mHealth tools and transition to value-based compensation. Among these, the most important changes are consumerism and transition to value-based compensation, as they compel insurers to alter their operational methods.

"Health insurance innovations are aimed more at operations that save costs and improve efficiencies, rather than at product customizations or market awareness and access," noted Shah. "Due to market disparities, the developed markets emphasize cost reduction, while the others focus on expanding coverage."

In the long term, most global health insurers are expected to harness the power of Big Data analytics to eliminate inefficiencies, make insight-backed decisions and design new products and services that can be profitable. Wearables, telehealth, mobile payments, data-security and other cutting-edge technologies too will play a huge role in the global insurer market.

Transformations in Global Private Health Insurance Models is part of the Visionary Healthcare (http://frost.ly/qa) Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan's related studies include: Care Delivery Innovation Tracker: Nearshoring Affordable Medical Tourism to the Western Hemisphere, Healthcare Wearables 5 Strategies to Avoid in Development, Clinical mHealth Growth Opportunities, How Nurse Practitioner Shortages will Affect Retail Clinics, Cyber Security Threats and Medical Device Connectivity and Growth Opportunity Analysis of Health, Wellness, and Wellbeing Technologies in Commercial Trucking. All studies included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.

Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.

The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.

provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation. The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices.

For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?

Transformations in Global Private Health Insurance Models

K09B-54

Contact:

Jana Schoeneborn

Corporate Communications

P: +49 69 770 3343

E: jana.schoeneborn@frost.com

LinkedIn: Transform Health - Frost & Sullivan

Twitter: @FS_Healthcare

http://www.frost.com




LONDON, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Government-approved supplier list for 2016/2017 includes a threat intelligence supplier for the first time

Anomali, provider of market-leading threat intelligence platforms, has been listed on G-Cloud 8, the UK Government digital marketplace for approved technology suppliers. G-Cloud has been designed to enable the UK Government to control, manage and standardise IT spending across public sector bodies.

G-Cloud is operated by the Crown Commercial Service, which is sponsored by the Cabinet Office, and registers new suppliers just once a year. Anomali has been selected as the sole threat intelligence provider for the period August 2016 to July 2017. Only suppliers that are G-Cloud-approved are allowed to sell products and services to UK Government departments.

"2016 has seen a large number of very high profile security breaches from malware to malvertising and ransomware, as well as distributed denial of service (DDoS) campaigns and insider incidents. Government departments and bodies hold a lot of personal data that would be extremely attractive to a cybercriminal - think medical records and financial information - making it absolutely critical that they are able to identify and address potential breaches at an early stage. That's where threat intelligence platforms come in and that's why this technology has made it onto the G-Cloud for the first time," commented Jamie Stone, VP of EMEA, Anomali.

One of the many challenges associated with deploying a cybersecurity strategy is cutting through the volume of threat data that is available to deliver relevant, actionable security intelligence. Businesses across both public and private sectors need to be able to invest in technology which can help them formulate a successful cybersecurity defence. A specialised threat intelligence platform enables organisations to prioritise potential cyber-attacks in order to understand and respond to threats effectively.

Anomali, formerly known as ThreatStream, provides products that unlock the value of threat intelligence for security operations and incident-response personnel. The company delivers technology which addresses threat intelligence big data and scalability challenges, provides deep retrospective analysis, and helps to realise the goal of an intelligence-driven security operations centre.

About Anomali

Anomali delivers earlier detection and identification of adversaries in your organization's network by making it possible to correlate tens of millions of threat indicators against your real time network activity logs and up to a year or more of forensic log data. Anomali's approach enables detection at every point along the kill chain, making it possible to mitigate threats before material damage to your organization has occurred. Headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., the company is privately held and has received venture capital backing from General Catalyst Partners, GV, Institutional Venture Partners, and Paladin Capital Group, as well as individual investors. To learn more, visit http://www.anomali.comand follow us onTwitter: @anomali


CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Joe Sutter, the legendary Boeing engineer, touted as the 'Father of the 747,' has died Tuesday. He was 95.



Sutter was recovering from pneumonia and was expected to leave the hospital when he died suddenly, according to his son Jonathan Sutter.



Sutter was the chief engineer for the development of Boeing's iconic 747 jumbo jet and had been working as a consultant to Boeing after his retirement in 1986. He was active on Boeing's behalf as recently as the first week of August, hosting a party for executives of Cathay Pacific for taking delivery of a new 747.



In a tribute, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Ray Conner called Sutter as one of the giants of aerospace and and an inspiration to those at Boeing as well as the entire aerospace industry.



Conner said, 'His team, along with thousands of other Boeing employees involved in the project, became known as the Incredibles for producing what was then the world's largest airplane in record time - 29 months from conception to rollout. It remains a staggering achievement.'



Boeing's 747 jumbo jet was developed in the 1960s, and the aircraft made its commercial debut in 1970. Till date, more than 1,500 have now been delivered. Sutter was also involved in other major plane projects at Boeing.



In his early career, Sutter had served Navy, and after World War II, the aeronautical engineer accepted a job with Douglas Aircraft Co. and later a temporary job with the local plane maker Boeing, remaining there for the rest of his life.



In 1986, he was appointed on the presidential commission that investigated the space shuttle Challenger disaster.



Sutter's death comes at a time when Boeing is doubtful about 747's future. The company warned last month that it may stop producing the jet if orders don't pick up. Earlier, the company had announced that it would cut production of the aircraft from 12 per year to just six beginning in September.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
DISSEMINATION OF A REGULATORY ANNOUNCEMENT THAT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION ACCORDING TO REGULATION (EU) NO 596/2014 (MAR).

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE ANY NEW ORDINARY SHARES OF NORMAN BROADBENT PLC IN ANY JURISIDICTION IN WHICH ANY SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE LATER IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

31 August 2016

Norman Broadbent plc

("Norman Broadbent" or the "Company")

Proposed subscription to raise approximately 2.3m

Norman Broadbent (AIM: NBB), a leading provider of senior and board executive search, senior interim, mezzanine level recruitment solutions and leadership consultancy & assessment services, announces its intention to conduct a conditional subscription (the "Subscription") of new ordinary shares (the "Subscription Shares") to raise a total of approximately 2.3 million (before expenses). It is intended that the price at which the Subscription Shares are to be subscribed for (the "Subscription Price") will be 9.5 pence per Subscription Share.

It is intended that the Subscription will be conditional, inter alia, on the approval of shareholders at a forthcoming general meeting of the Company ("General Meeting") which will be convened to seek authority for the Directors to issue and allot further new ordinary shares otherwise than on a non-pre-emptive basis.

Certain of the Directors of the Company have indicated an intention to participate in the Subscription. Certain of the Company's current significant shareholders have also indicated their intention to participate in the Subscription. Members of the public will not be entitled to participate in the Subscription.

Further details regarding the Subscription and the background to and reasons for the Subscription, proposed Board changes and other matters can be found below. The above summary must be read in conjunction with the full text of this announcement.

Market Abuse Regulation

The Market Abuse Regulation ("MAR") became effective from 3 July 2016. Market soundings, as defined in MAR, were taken in respect of the Subscription with the result that certain persons became aware of inside information, as permitted by MAR. That inside information is set out in this announcement and has been disclosed as soon as possible in accordance with paragraph 7 of article 17 of MAR. Therefore, those persons that received inside information in a market sounding are no longer in possession of inside information relating to the Company and its securities.

For further information, please contact:

Norman Broadbent plc

Scanes Bentley/Mike Brennan/James Webber 020 7484 0000

Allenby Capital

Nick Naylor/Alex Brearley/Liz Kirchner 020 3328 5656

For further information visit www.normanbroadbent.com

Proposed subscription to raise approximately 2.3m

Introduction

The Company intends to raise approximately 2.3 million (before expenses) through the Subscription. It is intended that the Subscription Price will be 9.5 pence per Subscription Share.

Background to and reasons for the Subscription

Norman Broadbent is a provider of senior and board executive search, senior interim, mezzanine level recruitment solutions and leadership consultancy & assessment services. In recent years, the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively the "Group") has undergone a period of strategic refocusing and restructuring.

To date progress has included:

the disposal of its interests in its European subsidiary and associates and the termination of all other licences and agreements in Europe and North Africa;

the cessation of operations in Singapore and the USA;

restructuring the UK-focused Norman Broadbent Leadership Consulting business and further integrating it with the Group's executive search division;

a number of Board and senior management changes; and

investment in new business lines within the Group, such as its AGP division (Executive level recruitment solutions which is currently being rebranded NB Solutions), Interim Management and Social Media Search.

During 2015 all of the businesses within the Group were reviewed and restructured to varying degrees, in order to deliver what the Directors view to be a more streamlined and focused Group, with predominantly domestic operations.

This was reflected in the reduced Group losses for the year ended 31 December 2015, as compared to the previous year. The Board has continued the Group's restructuring and turnaround strategy through 2016 and the appointment of Mike Brennan as Group Chief Executive Officer has been a major milestone for the business and particular catalyst for a more recent review and programme of change.

This review has focused on defining the Group's core brands on a sector-by-sector and function-by-function basis and has examined how the Group's brands can develop complementary business practices, synergies and cross selling opportunities.

Group headcount was reduced over the second quarter of 2016, with a focus on retaining higher performing staff members and the Board continues to examine other initiatives to help manage costs and improve efficiencies.

Opportunities for the Group

The Board believes there is currently an attractive opportunity for the Group to invest in future growth and build shareholder value via:

promoting innovation and broadening the Group's overall client offering, including investing in the growth of the Group's Interim management business and NB:Solutions;

further scaling and strengthening the core Norman Broadbent Board and Executive Search business;

encouraging cross selling of services and introducing better account management systems;

the provision of research/market intelligence services

improving margins; and

building long-term contracted recurring revenue streams via Norman Broadbent Interim.

The Group's client base currently includes many well-known 'blue chip' clients. The Board believes that the Norman Broadbent Executive Search business, as well as being the current primary profit generating component of the Group's business, gives the Group strategic access to key recruitment decision makers, which can be used to pursue cross selling opportunities, and has the potential to capture a greater proportion of recruitment-related market share within key clients.

In particular the Board considers that NB:Solutions and Norman Broadbent Interim have the potential to leverage those key client relationships as part of its growth strategy.

The Board also believes that, as a permanent recruitment business, the Group is missing a high value interim executive offering of significant scale. Such an offering would give clients flexibility during periods of economic uncertainty, and could also be effectively cross sold by the Group. Accordingly, the Board sees significant potential in building Norman Broadbent's Interim business, which provides senior interim managers on daily rates of c.1,000, typically over six to seven month contracts (some as long as 18 months). The Directors believe that this division can provide long term 'annuity'-type income streams, and also has the potential to be the highest margin segment within the Group. The Board views the Interim division's operating model as providing a lower risk revenue stream in the future. Following the restructuring of the existing interim business the Group has appointed a new Managing Director from a well-regarded competitor to head up this division. The Board believes that the Interim division has the potential to make a material contribution to the Group's growth in the medium-term.

Whilst the Group has traditionally operated through independently managed and separately branded businesses, the Board is of the view that the Group has not to date effectively operated as a cohesive whole, and has therefore not fulfilled its potential to leverage client relationships and its quality brand. The Board is therefore seeking to enhance synergies within the Group's businesses and to introduce and a more aggressive approach to cross-selling.

Growth strategy and growth assumptions

Since Mike Brennan joined as Group Chief Executive Officer, the Group has been pursuing a near-term strategy of defensive consolidation, involving the following:

detailed review of each of the operating businesses as referred to above;

conserving working capital;

commencing the build-out of the Norman Broadbent Interim offering;

introducing account management and referral bonus schemes to increase cross selling;

the issue of options to senior management across the divisions under the Company's Enterprise Management Incentive Share Option Scheme with the aim of enabling staff retention and attraction and to better align staff and management with Shareholders;

introduction of a performance management programme with the aim of promoting a high performance culture;

identifying areas of potential growth- particularly within the Executive Search division - to help smooth out revenue peaks and troughs and scale key sectors and areas of functional specialisation;

seeking to grow repeat business and institutionalise client relationships further; and

continuing to review the Group's overall cost base and identify further efficiencies.

The purpose of the Subscription is to provide the resources to enable the Group to build on this consolidation phase and move on to a medium-term focused growth strategy.

The Board's intention is that this will predominantly be an organic growth strategy. Whilst the Board may consider smaller acquisition opportunities, at this stage, large scale acquisitions are not considered to be a core element of the Group's strategy.

The Board currently intends for the majority of the net proceeds of the Subscription to be used for the hiring of additional fee earners across the Norman Broadbent Executive Search, NB:Solutions and Norman Broadbent Interim divisions over the next two years, with a view to having a Group headcount of approximately 50 fee earning consultants by the end of the 2018. The Board currently envisages that approximately half of the fee earning headcount growth would be within the NB:Solutions business, with the remainder split equally between the Norman Broadbent Executive Search and Norman Broadbent Interim businesses.

In addition, an important element in the growth strategy will be the selective introduction of The Norman Broadbent Partnership Program (see below). The aim of this partnership program is to attract business builders and promote talent acquisition across all of the Group's brands via their participation in meaningful equity stakes in newly incorporated subsidiaries.

The Board also envisages that the Group will hire an appropriate number of research and support staff to accompany the proposed increase in fee earning headcount and also expects for variable costs (such as marketing and IT) to increase in line with headcount.

The Board has recently reviewed the Group's ongoing property options and does not expect the existing annual property overhead of approximately 800,000 to change materially over the coming years, although the Group has a lease break clause in April 2018. The Group plans to examine options for utilising its offices in a more efficient manner. The Board also expects its non-exceptional general public company overhead to remain in line with prior years.

If the strategies as laid out above can be successfully implemented, the Board believes that the Group has the potential for the well regarded Norman Broadbent premium brand to be strengthened further as a premium brand with its business being strengthened via long-term contracted recurring revenue.

Having considered a number of assumptions the Board currently believes that, through the growth strategy as outlined above, the Group has the potential to generate gross revenues in excess of 20 million and net fee income of approximately 13m by 2019, with this being comprised of a mix of 'annuity', contract and permanent revenue. The Board further believes that there is the potential to expand the Group's profit margin to industry norms of approximately 10 to 15 per cent over the same time horizon, with a major contributor to this profitability expected to be the Norman Broadbent Interim division.

Given the initiatives that are already underway and those that are proposed through the deployment of the net Subscription proceeds, the Board expects that the Group should return to a more stable degree of profitability in the second half of 2017.

The Norman Broadbent partnership program

The Board wishes to utilise a partnership model to attract and retain senior consultants who are capable of building and leading sustainable businesses within the Group, with a view to creating long-term Shareholder value for the Company in a cash efficient manner. This partnership program would involve a small number of partners being issued with meaningful minority stakes in newly incorporated Group subsidiaries focussed on key strategic markets, sectors and service offerings. It is intended that an appropriate investment in headcount would follow based on an agreed subsidiary business plan.

Use of Proceeds

The Company intends that the net proceeds of the Subscription will be predominantly used to:

progress the hiring of additional staff across the Group (as described in more detail above);

repay secured loan notes which bear interest at 12 per cent. per annum; and

for general working capital purposes.

Current trading and prospects

On 3 June 2016, the Company published its report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2015. During this period the Group made an operating loss of 190,000 (2014: operating loss 823,000) on Group turnover from continued operations of 8,644,000 (2014: 7,396,000). Operating expenses decreased by 8% to 7,087,000 (2014: 7,707,000) and gross profit from continued operations increased marginally to 6,897,000 (2014: 6,884,000).

The Group recorded a small profit in the first quarter of 2016. The Group's interim results for the half year to 30 June 2016 will be published by the end of September 2016 and the Board anticipates that due to further restructuring in 2016 these results will show a loss before tax in line with the prior period, and of not greater than 150,000.

Proposed Board Changes

The Company also announces the intention for Frank Carter to join its Board as Non-Executive Chairman post the General Meeting.

Frank has been an adviser to the Company since June 2016. Frank is currently a Senior Adviser to KPMG, following 18 years as a Senior Partner in the firm's Corporate Finance business. Frank is a highly experienced corporate adviser with over 25 years' experience advising at board level on a range of strategic matters and transactions across a wide variety of sectors. He has worked in the UK, Europe and the US with major corporates, listed and private companies, financial sponsors and the public sector.

Further details regarding the Subscription

The Subscription will not be structured as a rights issue or open offer and the Subscription Shares will not be offered generally to Company's existing shareholders on a pre-emptive basis. Participation in the Subscription will be limited to certain qualifying institutional investors who are invited, and who choose, to participate. Certain of the Company's existing significant shareholders have indicated their intention to participate in the Subscription. The Subscription Shares are not being made available to the public and are not being offered or sold in, into or from the United States of America, Canada, the Republic of South Africa, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdiction where it would be unlawful to do so.

The Company currently has limited authority to issue new ordinary shares for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis.

It is intended that the issue of the Subscription Shares will be conditional upon, inter alia, the passing of resolutions granting the Directors authority to issue and allot new ordinary shares otherwise than on a non-pre-emptive basis, which will be put to shareholders at a forthcoming General Meeting, whereby such authority will be utilised by the Directors to enable completion of the Subscription.

It is anticipated that Subscription participations will be secured by way of Subscription letters. A further announcement in respect of the total number of Subscription Shares to be issued, the aggregate proceeds to be raised through the Subscription and the timing of the admission of the Subscription Shares to trading on AIM will be made in due course, as soon as is practicable, once these details have been finally determined. It is intended that investors who participate in the Subscription will receive an allocation of Subscription Shares at the discretion of Allenby Capital Limited and the Company. The timing of the closing of the Subscription is at the discretion of Allenby Capital Limited and the Company.

Following admission to trading on AIM, all Subscription Shares will be issued credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu with the Company's existing ordinary shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid on or in respect of such shares after the date of issue of the Subscription Shares.

Important notice

Neither the contents of the Company's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.

This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, a prospectus relating to the Company, nor does it constitute or contain any invitation or offer to any person, or any public offer, to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire any shares in the Company or advise persons to do so in any jurisdiction, nor shall it, or any part of it form the basis of or be relied on in connection with any contract or as an inducement to enter into any contract or commitment with the Company.

The content of this announcement has not been approved by an authorised person within the meaning of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 ("FSMA").

This announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States of America. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States. This announcement is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa, Japan or any jurisdiction where to do so might constitute a violation of local securities laws or regulations (a "Prohibited Jurisdiction"). This announcement and the information contained herein are not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, to persons in a Prohibited Jurisdiction unless permitted pursuant to an exemption under the relevant local law or regulation in any such jurisdiction. This announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company.

Allenby Capital Limited is acting solely as nominated adviser and broker exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the contents of this announcement and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this announcement) as its client in relation to the contents of this announcement nor will it be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement. Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed on Allenby Capital Limited by FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder, Allenby Capital Limited accepts no responsibility whatsoever, and makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, for the contents of this announcement including its accuracy, completeness or verification or for any other statement made or purported to be made by it, or on behalf of it, the Company or any other person, in connection with the Company and the contents of this announcement, whether as to the past or the future. Allenby Capital Limited accordingly disclaims all and any liability whatsoever, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above), which it might otherwise have in respect of the contents of this announcement or any such statement.

--ENDS--
HONG KONG, CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- The Hong Kong Green Building Week (HKGBW) has been a well-received campaign since its launch in 2013. This year, the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) again co-organised the HKGBW to boost public awareness of the development of green buildings and construction, as well as the green lifestyle. The Launching Ceremony of HKGBW 2016 was held at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui today.

The fourth year of the campaign saw continuous support from the Environment Bureau and participation from a number of NGOs, social enterprises, corporations and organisations, with a series of exciting events taking place from 31 August to 17 September. At today's Launching Ceremony, the officiating guests Mr WONG Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, Sr CHAN Ka-kui, BBS, JP, Chairman of the CIC, and Mr CHEUNG Hau-wai, SBS, Chairman of the HKGBC together encouraged the public to join the HKGBW 2016.

The HKGBW is fully funded by the CIC. Chairman Sr CHAN Ka-kui, BBS, JP said today, "This is already the fourth consecutive year that the CIC works with the HKGBC in organising the HKGBW. We wish to boost the public awareness and engagement in the green building development through this campaign. The CIC is committed to minimising the industry's impact on the environment and enhancing our competence so as to improve the environment of Hong Kong in general. Besides joining hands with the HKGBC to promote green building, we are devoting significant resources to the operation of the Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) at Kowloon Bay. ZCB shows how the public can adopt a zero-carbon lifestyle, and we welcome everyone to visit and experience."

Mr CHEUNG Hau-wai, SBS, Chairman of the HKGBC, hopes that more people will adopt a green lifestyle. He said, "The Hong Kong green building assessment tool BEAM Plus was launched in 2010. By the end of 2014, the estimated annual electricity saving of the assessed buildings is around 240 million kWh. This is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 51,000 households. A total 166,000 tonnes of carbon emission is avoided. The impact equals planting 7.4 million trees. It is a major step to mitigate climate change. The participation of the public is important. I urge everyone to continue to support the green movement and HKGBW, and start to live a greener life."

The five major programmes of HKGBW 2016 are: the Video Idea Contest, Mini LegCo and Youth Forum, Biz-Green Dress Day, Green Building Ideas Pitch and an online campaign with a series of games and green living messages. Among them, the Video Idea Contest is a brand-new programme that aims to gather creative ideas from the new generation on how to put green building concepts into practice. The winners were awarded during the Launching Ceremony today. The winning idea from Mr CHEANG Chi-hang is to mimic that there are technicians working inside appliances such as air-conditioners. They are forced to work overtime when users forget to turn off the appliances. To save them from exhaustion, users simply need to turn off the switch. The idea demonstrates how simple it is to practice green in everyday life.

This idea has been adopted in the HKGBW 2016 videos with the support of internet celebrities. The videos are broadcast in mass media channels and social media platforms to promote green building and sustainable lifestyle. The YouTube video can be viewed at (Cantonese version only):

https://youtu.be/0xFZpOIr8xE

Another programme of HKGBW, the Biz-Green Dress Day on 14 September, encourages office workers to dress lighter and turn the thermostat up to save energy. It has already received support from over 100 corporations and organisations. The HKGBW mascot GB Buddy and the popular character from the Environment Bureau Big Waster will show up at two commercial areas to promote the Biz-Green concept. Office workers are welcome to take selfies with the mascots and upload their photos to social media channels to get a prize. Details are as follows:

12:00pm - 2:30pm Taikoo Place

5:00pm - 7:00pm Pedestrian area outside Hang Lung Centre, Causeway Bay

Image

Internet celebrities Hay WONG, Smiling Boris and Ah Sing, who also starred in the HKGBW 2016 promotional videos, took a selfie with Mr WONG Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, and all the guests.

http://release.media-outreach.com/i/Download/5465

Logo

http://release.media-outreach.com/i/Download/5452

Photo download:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bxwy6KzRIjrIa1htakI5RDJlc3M

Appendix: Hong Kong Green Building Week 2016 Programmes

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Programmes Timeframe Details ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Video Idea Contest Video Idea Every year, the HKGBW produces a TV Contest promotional video to raise the April - May awareness of local green building Launch of development and green lifestyle. promotional Partnered with internet celebrities video and radio this year, the Video Idea Contest clips gathered creative ideas from the Starting mid- public. The winning idea has been August adopted in the HKGBW 2016 video and radio clips, which have been broadcast through mass media channels and Youtube starting from mid-August. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mini LegCo and Youth 10 September Now in its fourth edition, Mini Forum LegCo and Youth Forum targets all secondary school students in Hong Kong. The participating students honed their team spirit, public speaking skills and knowledge in green building during the workshops in the summer vacation. On 10 September, the students will gather at the LegCo Complex and play the roles of LegCo President, LegCo Members and Government Officials at a mock LegCo motion debate about a sustainability issue. This will be followed by a "Dialogue with the Secretary" session in which the students will meet Mr WONG Kam- sing, Secretary for the Environment, for further interaction. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Biz-Green Dress Day 14 September Biz-Green Dress Day encourages office workers to dress lighter and turn the thermostat up to save energy in office buildings. On that day, the HKGBW mascot GB Buddy and Big Waster will show up at Taikoo Place and Causeway Bay to promote the Biz-Green concept. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Green Building Ideas 17 September Entering its third edition, the Pitch - Pitching Event programme has attracted a number of good ideas to build a greener Hong Kong. This two-month business incubation programme invited green building professionals, entrepreneurs and social enterprise thought leaders to guide the participants throughout the programme, helping them develop business acumen, unleash their creativity and formulate feasible green business plans. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Online campaign: games July to In this summer, HKGBW 2016 is and promotion September launching a series of interesting green living messages and two online games to promote the green building concept among the public and community. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Hong Kong Green Building Week 2016 (HKGBW 2016)

Jointly organised by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC), the Hong Kong Green Building Week 2016 will be held from 31 August to 17 September 2016. Through a series of programmes, HKGBW 2016 encourages the public to live a greener life and understand more about local green building development. The programmes are:

Video Idea Contest

Mini LegCo and Youth Forum

Green Building Ideas Pitch

Biz-Green Dress Day

Online campaign: games and promotion

To learn more about HKGBW 2016, please visit:

Website of HKGBW 2016: www.hkgbc.org.hk/eng/gbw.aspx

Facebook page of HKGBC: https://www.facebook.com/hkgreenbuildingcouncil

HKGBW 2016 is fully funded by the CIC.

About the Organisers

Construction Industry Council

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) was formed in 2007 under the Construction Industry Council Ordinance (Cap. 587). The CIC consists of a chairman and 24 members representing various sectors of the industry including employers, professionals, academics, contractors, workers, independent persons and Government officials.

The main functions of the CIC are to forge consensus on long-term strategic issues, convey the industry's needs and aspirations to Government, provide training and registration for the construction workforce and serve as a communication channel for Government to solicit advice on all construction-related matters.

Please visit www.cic.hk for further details.

Hong Kong Green Building Council

The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member led organisation established in 2009 with the vision to help save the planet and improve the wellbeing of the people of Hong Kong by transforming the city into a greener built environment. The Founding Members of the HKGBC include the Construction Industry Council (CIC), the Business Environment Council (BEC), the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Professional Green Building Council (PGBC). Its mission is to lead the market transformation by advocating green policies to the Government; introducing green building practices to all stakeholders; setting design, construction and management standards for the building profession; and promoting green living to the people of Hong Kong.

To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3050465



Press Contacts



Bonnie LAM

Betake Marketing (HK) Limited

Tel: +852 6890 2682 / +852 2730 3138

Email: Email Contact



Eman LEUNG

Betake Marketing (HK) Limited

Tel: +852 9773 0728 / +852 2730 3138

Email: Email Contact



Esther LAI / Patricia CHIU

Corporate Developments

Construction Industry Council

Tel: +852 2100 9038 / +852 2100 9044

Email: Email Contact



Janet TANG

Hong Kong Green Building Council Secretariat

Tel:+852 3994 8832

Email: Email Contact




VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - August 31, 2016) - American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP ("AHIP") (TSX: HOT.UN) (OTCQX: AHOTF) announced today the promotion of Mr. Ian McAuley to the newly created position of President, effective September 1, 2016. He will report to Rob O'Neill, AHIP's CEO.

Under the guidance of the CEO and the Board of Directors, Mr. McAuley will be focussed on executing AHIP's strategic plan and ensuring the organizational readiness to fulfill the company's long-term objectives. He will continue to oversee and interface with AHIP's hotel manager, Tower Rock Hotels & Resorts Inc., and will also provide leadership and direction to AHIP's acquisition team in continuing to grow the portfolio of Rail and Branded Hotels.

Mr. O'Neill stated: "Ian is a proven leader who has the experience and track record of delivering results. Since joining the AHIP team last year, he has demonstrated a deep understanding of AHIP's business and is well respected within the organization, the capital markets, and the hotel real estate industry. He personifies the values and culture that have made AHIP successful and understands what it takes to create an environment where our business can grow and prosper."

Prior to joining AHIP as Executive Vice President - Asset Management, and for five years until its sale, Mr. McAuley was President and CEO of Continuum Health Care Holdings Ltd., a senior housing developer, owner, and operator. For 15 years prior, he was President and COO of Superior Lodging Corp., one of Canada's leading hotel investment and development companies.

Mr. McAuley is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, and holds MBA and BA degrees, and a specialized diploma in Hospitality Administration.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Some of the specific forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the effective date of Mr. McAuley's appointment as President, and Mr. McAuley's additional expected duties as President.

Forward-looking information is based on a number of key expectations and assumptions made by AHIP, including, without limitation: a reasonably stable North American economy and stock market, the continued strength of the U.S. lodging industry, and the value of the U.S. Dollar. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on what AHIP's management believes to be reasonable assumptions, AHIP cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such information.

Forward-looking information reflects current expectations of AHIP's management regarding future events and operating performance as of the date of this news release. Such information involves significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, without limitation, those factors that can be found under "Risk Factors" in AHIP's Annual Information Form dated March 17, 2016 and under "Risks and Uncertainties" in AHIP's Management's Discussion and Analysis dated August 9, 2016, both of which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking statements contained herein represent AHIP's expectations as of the date of this news release, and are subject to change after this date. AHIP assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

ABOUT AMERICAN HOTEL INCOME PROPERTIES REIT LP

AHIP's current property portfolio is comprised of 80 hotels located in 27 U.S. states, representing 7,095 available guestrooms. The Rail Hotel segment, serving the U.S. freight railway industry, consists of 45 hotels comprising 3,765 guestrooms and 27 Penny's Diner restaurants. The Branded Hotel segment consists of 35 hotels comprising 3,330 guestrooms and is affiliated with leading hotel brands including Marriott, Hilton and IHG.

AHIP is a limited partnership formed under the Limited Partnerships Act (Ontario) to invest in hotel real estate properties located substantially in the United States and engaged primarily in the rail crew accommodation, transportation, and branded, select service lodging sectors.

AHIP's long-term objectives are to: (i) generate stable and growing cash distributions from hotel properties substantially in the U.S.; (ii) enhance the value of its assets and maximize the long-term value of the hotel properties through active management; and (iii) expand its asset base and increase its AFFO per unit through an accretive acquisition program, participation in strategic development opportunities and improvements to its properties through targeted value-added capital expenditure programs.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Additional information relating to AHIP, including its other public filings, is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on AHIP's website at www.ahipreit.com.

THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR THE ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Greig

Investor Relations

American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP

Suite 1660 - 401 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 5A1

Phone: 604-633-2857

Email: agreig@ahipreit.com
MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

OrganiGram Holdings Inc. (TSX VENTURE: OGI)(OTCQB: OGRMF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Commercial Properties Limited to acquire the adjoining property to its current location in Moncton.

As previously disclosed, the Company required additional real estate to facilitate the aggressive expansion of its production potential in advance of pending recreational legalization. The purchase of this property, along with the recently closed financing of $23 million, position OrganiGram both financially and logistically for material growth in its cannabis production and processing capabilities.

"We're very pleased to enter into this agreement with OrganiGram and we congratulate them on their rapid success to date," said Paul Moore, Vice President and General Manager of Commercial Properties Limited. "This transaction will facilitate their growth and provide many new jobs here in Moncton. It's always exciting to be able to support growth in the local business community."

Under the terms of the transaction, OrganiGram will acquire the 10-acre property, which includes a 136,000 square foot industrial building for approximately $6.9 million in cash and other non-cash consideration, including real property, located at 1299 St. George Boulevard. OrganiGram anticipates the closing of the transaction to occur on or about September 30, 2016.

"This month has been transformational for OrganiGram and is a demonstration of the Company's disciplined approach to business development. With the closing of our bought deal financing last week, OrganiGram became financially positioned to expedite and execute our expansion strategy. This property acquisition represents the next step in that process and enables us to achieve our expansion goals while maintaining the regulatory and operating benefits of being situated on one property. By adding this incremental acreage, OrganiGram more than triples our potential operating footprint, more than quadruples our potential production footprint, and provides the necessary flexibility for phased growth and development of our commercial scale extracts production and processing platform," says Denis Arsenault, CEO of OrganiGram.

About OrganiGram Holdings Inc.

OrganiGram Holdings Inc. is a TSX Venture Exchange listed company whose wholly owned subsidiary, OrganiGram Inc., is a licensed producer of medical marijuana in Canada. OrganiGram is focused on producing the highest quality, condition specific medical marijuana for patients in Canada. OrganiGram's facility is located in Moncton, New Brunswick and the Company is regulated by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR").

On behalf of the board of directors, Denis Arsenault, Director and CEO, OrganiGram Holdings Inc.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

This news release contains forward-looking information which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors - including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, crop yields - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: www.marketwire.com/library/20160830-OGI%20-Expansion-crop.jpg.

Contacts:

OrganiGram Holdings Inc.

Giselle Doiron

Director of Investor and Media Relations

(506) 801-8986

www.organigram.ca




EL SEGUNDO (dpa-AFX) - Mattel, Inc. (MAT) announced Wednesday that its unit American Girl, a premium brand for girls, entered into a multi-year partnership with toy and baby products retailer Toys'R'Us, Inc. With the collaboration, Toys'R'Us will be the first and only U.S.-based retailer to feature American Girl shop-in-shops in select stores, and the exclusive retail partner to carry American Girl's popular Truly Meline of contemporary 18-inch dolls, doll outfits and accessories. Mattel noted that the inclusion of American Girl product at Toys'R'Us stores is in addition to American Girl's 20 proprietary U.S. stores and its online shop, americangirl.com. This expansion also comes on the heels of the launch of American Girl's newest doll and content line, WellieWishers, designed for girls ages 5 to 7 years. Katy Dickson, president of American Girl, said, 'Partnering with a top retailer like Toys'R'Us allows us to meet our customers where and when they want to shop and to take our timeless life lessons to even more girls.' The company further said that from Sunday, September 4 through Saturday, September 10, American Girl's new WellieWishers product line will begin hitting shelves at Toys'R'Us stores nationwide. Following in late October, Toys'R'Us will debut an American Girl shop-in-shop in 97 select locations across the country. Ranging in size up to 700 square feet, each shop-in-shop will feature an exclusive selection of American Girl's signature Truly Me 18-inch dolls, doll outfits and accessories, plus WellieWishers. Additional Toys'R'Us stores will open shop-in-shops in 2017. 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.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 --CannaGrow Holdings, Inc., (OTC PINK: CGRW), -- CannaGrow Holdings, Inc., a Liaison and Consultant providing turnkey solutions to licensed growers in the legal Cannabis industry, today announces plans to increase the production capacity of the Colorado Buffalo Ranch Facility I by 17,280 square feet. NuGro Industries, Inc., owner and developer of the Facilities, has agreed to initiate contracts with International Greenhouse Company (IGC) for the purchase of six (6) additional Ranger Series 2000 Greenhouses.

Dr. John P. Janovec, Ph.D., COO of CannaGrow Holdings, states, "With the first grow cycle well underway we are pleased by superb growth results. I attribute the stellar health of our plants in part to the 'Living Soils' they are growing in. The 'Living Soils' medium being used was mixed in bulk at the Buffalo Ranch Grow Facility with various amendments, composts, and micro-nutrients purchased from vendors as far away as Canada and the East Coast. Now that the computerized Nexus Greenhouse System is dialed in and the Mother Plant Room is fully functional we already anticipate the need to increase square foot capacity of the grow space from the current 11,640 sq. ft. to 28,920 sq. ft. I have the utmost confidence that our 'Sunshine-Driven' grow facility will soon be setting new quality standards in the industry."

Jason Wells, Production Manager, added, "As we prepare to fill the existing three (3) 2,880-sq ft. Ranger Series 2000 Greenhouses with plants to begin the flowering process I can clearly see that our overall production capability is greater than anticipated. This initial success is a direct result of our proprietary 'Living Soils' mixture combined with the optimum growing environment provided by the State-of-the-Art Nexus Greenhouse System. Starting the process now will give us ample time to complete the purchase, site preparation, and construction of these greenhouses to meet early spring grow cycles."

Rod Clawson, Manager of Category One Botanicals, LLC, the Licensed Grower for the Facilities, adds, "It has been less than two (2) months since we began operations at Colorado Buffalo Ranch Facility I and to already be in discussions about expansion plans clearly demonstrates the degree of our early success. Dr. John P. Janovec and Jason Wells have far exceeded my expectations and I could not be more satisfied with the entire CannaGrow Staffing Program."

Delmar Janovec, CEO, stated, "The implementation of 'Sunshine-Driven' Cannabis Production utilizing 'Living Soils' has been one of our goals from the beginning. It is now becoming a reality and soon Category One Botanicals, with the assistance of the CannaGrow Staffing Program, will be bringing a variety of strains and quality products to the marketplace."

CannaGrow Holdings, Inc., the Liaison and Representative for NuGro Industries, will continue in its capacity of providing oversight as the Facilities Manager, working with the State/County Agencies and Category One Botanicals, LLC, the licensed Grower for the facilities. The completion of this project will now provide the company the basis to begin generating revenues through its Staffing Program and other services offered to Licensed Growers subleasing the turnkey facilities being built to the specifications of CannaGrow COO, Dr. John P. Janovec, and Consultant, Jason Wells. CannaGrow has already received numerous inquiries from additional perspective tenants and is also exploring additional business ventures within this industry that could further enhance shareholder value.

The site plan, grading plan, and phasing plan that was submitted by NuGro Industries, the landowner and developer, can be viewed on our website at: http://cannagrowholdings.com.

About CannaGrow Holdings, Inc.:

CannaGrow Holdings, Inc. has entered the Medical/Recreational Cannabis Industry as a Lessor, Liaison, and Consultant to licensed Growers providing them with turnkey Growing Facilities in the State of Colorado. The Company intends to expand this business model within this industry as business opportunities evolve whereby providing for the highest return to its shareholders.

CannaGrow Holdings, Inc. does not and will not, until such time as Federal law allows, grow, harvest, distribute or sell marijuana or any substance that violate the laws of the United States of America.

CannaGrow Holdings, Inc. encourages the public to read the above information in conjunction with its year-end statement for December 31, 2015, and the quarterly statements filed in calendar year 2016, at www.otcmarkets.com.

The information contained in this press release may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements usually contain the words "may," "could," "possibly," "feel," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," or similar expressions that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the Company's uncertain profitability, need for significant capital, uncertainty concerning market acceptance of its services, competition, limited service facilities, dependence on technological developments and protection of its intellectual property. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed herein.

CONTACT:

CannaGrow Holdings, Inc.

Delmar Janovec

Investor Relations

info@cannagrowholdings.com

http://cannagrowholdings.com/




CORK, IRELAND--(Marketwired - August 31, 2016) - SolarWinds, a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, today announced its upcoming participation in NIAS Cyber Security Symposium 2016 and Public IT Security 2016 running September 7-8, 2016 at the Lotto Mons Expo in Belgium and September 13-14, 2016 at Hotel Adlon in Berlin, respectively. At the events, SolarWinds will provide in-booth product demonstrations, discuss how its solutions can help eliminate complexity in national government, NATO, and military infrastructure and will present on best practices for monitoring and managing cybersecurity threats, both internal and external.

"We're looking forward to presenting at NIAS 2016 on 'How to Fight Cybersecurity Threats on Multiple Fronts' -- a concern we know many IT pros face today," said David Kimball, group vice president, federal and national government, SolarWinds. "Government IT has long been focused on external cybersecurity threats and continues to apply the bulk of their resources -- both bandwidth and budget -- to defending against attacks from the outside. However, agency insiders can be equally damaging as external attackers, with human error one of the most common IT security threats, followed by abuse of privileges, and theft. SolarWinds sees NIAS as an opportunity to offer insight to help government agencies safeguard against both external and insider threats, and quickly identify and fix vulnerabilities."

Visit SolarWinds at NIAS 2016 Cyber Security Symposium, September 7-8

In addition to in-booth product demonstrations at Stand B35, Mav Turner, SolarWinds senior director of product strategy, will present "How to Fight Cybersecurity Threats on Multiple Fronts" on Wednesday, September 7 from 2:40-3:40 p.m. CEST in Workshop Theatre 1. During the presentation, Turner will address best practices for monitoring and managing cybersecurity threats, both internal and external.

Attendees will learn about:

The top cybersecurity threats plaguing governments today according to the 2016 SolarWinds Federal Cybersecurity Survey and obstacles to threat prevention

How the right tools and technologies can provide IT infrastructure visibility and vulnerability management to safeguard against malicious and non-malicious internal threats

How the implementation of IT security management tools better equip agencies to quickly detect and respond to security threats and reduce vulnerability

What policies and procedures can be implemented to protect and educate government employees to help prevent security breaches

Visit SolarWinds at Public IT Security 2016, September 13-14

SolarWinds engineers and product experts will be available to offer demonstrations of how its network, systems and applications, security, help desk, and database management solutions provide mission-critical support for government agencies and organizations. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore all SolarWinds  products, including:

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor -- automated network performance monitoring and management

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager -- network configuration and change management

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor -- agentless application and server monitoring

SolarWinds Log & Event Manager -- powerful security information and event management (SIEM)

SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer -- database performance monitoring, analysis and tuning

SolarWinds Solutions for National Government

SolarWinds software is available through numerous channel partners and systems integrators worldwide, including the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM), Crown Commercial Service (CCS), United Nations Atlas, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule, Department of Defense ESI, and other contract vehicles

Government certifications and approvals include: Army CoN, Air Force APL, Navy DADMS; and technical requirements include Common Criteria EAL 2 Certification, FIPS compatibility, DISA compliance, Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) compliance, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) compliance, Section 508 VPATs, in addition to the Good Practice Guide 13 (U.K.)

SolarWinds offers hundreds of built-in automated compliance reports, which meet the requirements of major auditing authorities, including DISA, NIST, and more

SolarWinds' THWACK  online user community provides a number of out-of-the-box compliance templates for the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other standards

For more product and pricing information visit the SolarWinds Government Solutions page. For more information on becoming a SolarWinds National Government Partner contact us at: nationalgovtsales@solarwinds.com.

About SolarWinds

SolarWinds provides powerful and affordable IT management software to customers worldwide from Fortune 500  enterprises to small businesses, government agencies and educational institutions. We are committed to focusing exclusively on IT Pros, and strive to eliminate the complexity that they have been forced to accept from traditional enterprise software vendors. Regardless of where the IT asset or user sits, SolarWinds delivers products that are easy to find, buy, use, maintain, and scale while providing the power to address all key areas of the infrastructure from on premises to the Cloud. Our solutions are rooted in our deep connection to our user base, which interacts in our THWACK online community to solve problems, share technology and best practices, and directly participate in our product development process. Learn more today at http://www.solarwinds.com/.

SolarWinds, SolarWinds & Design and THWACK are the exclusive property of SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC or its affiliates. All other company and product names mentioned are used only for identification purposes and may be or are intellectual property of their respective companies.

 2016 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Sabrina Pietryga

Text100

Sabrina.pietryga@text100.com

+44 (0) 20 8846 0754
NEW DELHI, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The Company Answers the Queries of Expats in India on Employment or Business

India being one of the fastest growing economies in the world, MNCs across the globe want to set up a business or put their representatives in India. Important question is what are the regulations for the same and its tax implications: answers by Neeraj Bhagat & Co. http://neerajbhagat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Decoding-Expat-Taxation.pdf

Being a foreigner what are the requirements for an expat coming to India on employment or business purpose?

The first requirement for an expat is to apply for work permit, i.e., employment visa (E-visa) or business visa. An employment visa will be granted to a foreign national if his or her salary exceeds US$25,000 per annum. The salary threshold of US$25,000, however, does not apply to ethnic cooks, language teachers (other than English teachers), translators and staff working for the concerned embassy or the High Commission in India. It is initially valid for one year, which can subsequently be extended at the local FRRO office.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/402953LOGO )



Unlike employment visas, business visa applicants usually work on behalf of a foreign company for a limited time and won't be working for a local employer. The business visa is for entrepeneurs or investors wishing to set up a business, purchase or sell industrial products, or establish business ties with a company in India.

What should an expat do soon after arriving in India?

Firstly, expats who have a visa that's valid for more than 180 days (and/or those who intend to stay in India for more than 180 days) will need to register with the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within 14 days of arrival to receive a residential permit.



Simultaneously, a person who is liable to pay taxes in India must apply for a tax registration number i.e. Permanent Account Number (PAN) with the Indian Income Tax Authorities in Form 49AA as applicable together with the prescribed documents.



It can be applied online using below link: https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/pan/form49AA.html

Instructions and documents required for PAN application are provided in below link.https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/pan/Instructions49AA.htmlinstruct_documents

What are the tax compliances an expat must follow?

An expat is liable to pay taxes in India based on his/her tax residency during a fiscal year. Tax residency is dependent on the stay of that person in India, irrespective of the purpose of such stay. Salary income/ remuneration earned by an individual for services rendered in India during the assignment period is taxable in India (irrespective of where the payment has been received).

An individual who is resident of a country with which India has entered into DTAA (i.e., Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement) could avail the treaty benefits to either eliminate taxation in one of the countries or avail credit of taxes paid in the country of residence. http://neerajbhagat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Decoding-Expat-Taxation.pdf

Filing tax return: The due date for filing the India tax return is 31st July following the end of every fiscal year. The return can be filed either manually or electronically using the link http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/Pages/default.aspx .

An expat can seek further answers to questions:

Can an expat use tax planning to accelerate or defer residence? http://neerajbhagat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Decoding-Expat-Taxation.pdf

Is there any other regulatory compliance an expat must follow? http://neerajbhagat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Decoding-Expat-Taxation.pdf

At the time of departure: Employee is required to furnish with the income tax authorities, an undertaking from the employer to the effect that the tax payable by the employee shall be paid by the employer. This undertaking is required to be presented to the immigration authorities at the time of departure from India.

About Neeraj Bhagat & Co.

We are a team of 40 professionals comprising of Chartered Accountants, MBA's and other finance professionals.Our team is mix of experience and youth and working for companies in different industries across the globe. Our team is rendering services in the field of Accounting, Statutory Tax Compliances , FEMA, Transfer Pricing, Statutory Audits and Tax due diligence since last 19 years. Since 1997, Neeraj Bhagat & Co is growing on a fast pace and has its own office space in New Delhi, Gurgaon and Mumbai. We are part of INAA Accounting Association which is one of the World's Top 20 in accounting associations.

For more information please log on to: http://www.neerajbhagat.com

Media Contact

Neeraj Bhagat

CEO

Contact number: IND + 91-9810158561

US + 1-646-844-7244

UK +44-2070480613

Email id: neeraj@neerajbhagat.com


LONDON, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Two thirds of British adults prefer to go exploring on their h olidays according to a new poll

The national carrier of the UAE is offering a 50% sale on selected routes until 6 September 2016 , as well as a prize draw to win one of one hundred experiences on etihad.com

Fly from London to Australia (via Abu Dhabi ) from just 594 return, Abu Dhabi from just 352 return and Bangkok (via Abu Dhabi ) from just 406 return

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has today announced its annual global sales campaign, targeted at business and economy class guests with up to 50% off on selected routes until 6 September 2016, for travel until June 2017, as well as a prize draw offering $200 credit to one hundred lucky winners. The sale comes at the perfect time as British holidaymakers start to plan their winter sun escape.

To encourage people to make the most of their holidays, Etihad Airways surveyed more than 2,000 British adults through YouGov*, to ask what they would spend their money on when travelling.

The research has shown that over two thirds (69%) of the people sampled, said they prefer to explore their destination in ventures beyond their accommodation whilst abroad - and almost half (49%) said they would spend a competition windfall on cultural tours or dining out.

Additionally, almost a quarter (22%) of the respondents would rather have a shorter stay packed with experiences rather than a longer stay with fewer experiences - suggesting many travellers desire to make the most of being in a new destination.

Etihad Airways' limited edition global sale offers up to 50% off fares to forty-five of the world's most popular destinations, from destinations across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Americas. In addition, members of the airline's loyalty programme, Etihad Guest, will continue to earn miles on all fares in the sale. The one-off offer is valid for just 7 days, and fares can be booked on Etihad.com between now and 6 September 2016.

James Harrison, General Manager for Etihad Airways in the UK, said: "The UK is a hugely important market to Etihad Airways and so such valued insight into the type of experiences that travellers embrace when abroad, has resulted in us creating a sale offer and prize draw to gratify that quest for exploration."

The sale will cover a wider range of cities including those served by the Etihad Airways Partners. With a combined network of over 400 destinations across six continents, the partners provide even greater access across the combined destinations of Etihad Airways, airberlin, Alitalia, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Etihad Regional, Jet Airways and NIKI.

As well as the 50% sale, there is also a chance for those in the UK and Ireland to enter into a prize draw (with no purchase necessary), by simply sending one email describing their dream travel experience to experiences@etihad.ae - for the chance to win a $200 Visa gift card, to enjoy on any experience - all with compliments of Etihad Airways. Those who have booked a ticket can also enter the competition via a pop up window after completion of the booking on etihad.com.

Opportunities to add extra value to the holiday could include access to Etihad Airways premium lounge, seat upgrade, spa treatment or dinner for two at a gourmet restaurant - or simply using to stock up on travel essentials at Duty Free prior to or after the flight. The list of experiences travellers can enjoy is endless.

The prize draw will be made on 10 September 2016 and winners will be notified by email by 18 September 2016. For more information and to access the full list of destination fares on offer, please visit etihad.com

Fares from London Heathrow

Destination Economy Class return (LON) Abu Dhabi GBP 352 Bangkok GBP 406 Perth GBP 594

Fares from Manchester

Destination Economy Class return (MAN) Abu Dhabi GBP 384 Bangkok GBP 422 Perth GBP 584

Fares from Edinburgh

Destination Economy Class return (EDI) Abu Dhabi GBP 384 Bangkok GBP 375 Perth GBP 599

Notes to Editor s

* All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2072 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22nd - 23rd August 2016. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

Terms and conditions

No purchase is necessary for the prize draw. By entering the Promotion, customers agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.

The prize is stated as an "individual experience" consists of a $200 (USD) "Just for you Visa gift card" to be spent on any experience by the individual winner to the value of $200 USD . The prize is non-refundable, non-transferable and non-re-routable and cannot be exchanged for cash.

(USD) "Just for you Visa gift card" to be spent on any experience by the individual winner to the value of . The prize is non-refundable, non-transferable and non-re-routable and cannot be exchanged for cash. All data used from the booking to notify the customer will be in line with Etihad Airways privacy policy - http://www.etihad.com/en-us/legal/privacy-policy/

The individual $200 USD gift card will be valid for one year, winners will be able to book & spend the voucher on any experience to the value of $200 USD .

gift card will be valid for one year, winners will be able to book & spend the voucher on any experience to the value of . Etihad Airways is only providing a voucher to buy an individual experience. This does not cover any visas, insurances or cancelations with the experience provider. Etihad Airways is only providing the monetary value to the winner to buy the experience, not the experience itself.

About Etihad Aviation Group

Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) is a diversified global aviation and travel group comprising four business divisions - Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Engineering, Hala Group and Airline Equity Partners. The group has minority investments in seven airlines: airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional.

From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to, or has announced plans to serve, 117 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 122 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s. For more information, please visit: Etihad.com
DUBLIN, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Saudi Arabia Air Purifiers Market, By Filter Type (HEPA and Activated Carbon; HEPA, Activated Carbon and Ion Ozone Generator; etc.), By End User (Residential, Commercial & Industrial), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021" report to their offering.



Demand for air purifiers in Saudi Arabia is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 17% during 2016-2021, on account of rising demand from commercial, residential as well as industrial sectors. In 2015, HEPA and activated carbon based air purifiers dominated Saudi Arabia air purifiers market on account of their ability to remove particulate matter and odor.



Rising commercial infrastructural development activities and consistently deteriorating air quality is projected to drive air purifiers market in Saudi Arabia over the next five years. Air pollution across the country can be attributed to expanding automobile fleet size in the country, which is responsible for emission of harmful particulate matter resulting in the various respiratory issues.



Major cities in the country such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah and Khobar have been ranked among the most polluted cities in the world, and consequently, are the major demand generators of air purifiers in Saudi Arabia. The country is also witnessing rising demand for air purifiers from the residential sector on account of growing indoor air pollution levels and increasing health concerns among people. Healthcare institutes and hospitality sector are also among the major adopters of air purifiers in the country.



HEPA based air purifiers are capable of eliminating around 99.97% of airborne particles up to 0.03 microns from air, while activated carbon filters trap chemicals, odors and smoke. Adoption of these air purifiers in Saudi Arabia is growing considerably in embassies, healthcare institutes and other commercial and residential spaces.



Few of the leading companies operating in Saudi Arabia air purifiers market include Sharp, IQAir, Blueair, Philips and LG among others.

Saudi Arabia Air Purifiers Market report disccuses:



Saudi Arabia Air Purifiers Market Size, Share & Forecast

Segmental Analysis - By Filter Type (HEPA & Activated Carbon; HEPA, Activated Carbon & Ion & Ozone Generator; Electrostatic Precipitator; Ion & Ozone Generator; HEPA; Activated Carbon and Others) and By End User (Residential, Commercial & Industrial)

Policy & Regulatory Landscape

Changing Market Trends & Emerging Opportunities

Competitive Landscape & Strategic Recommendations

Market Trends & Developments



Emergence of Portable Air Purifiers

Growing Demand from Commercial Sector

Surging Usage of HEPA Technology

Rising Demand for Multi-Filtration Technology based Air Purifiers

Increasing Demand for Air Purifiers with Pollution Monitors

Companies Mentioned



Blueair AB

Daikin Air Conditioning Saudi Arabia

Hitachi Saudi Arabia Ltd.

Honeywell International Middle East Ltd.

IQAir

LG Electronics

Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa FZE

Philips Middle East and Africa

and Samsung Saudi Arabia

Sharp Middle East FZE

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hprnwk/saudi_arabia_air

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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DETROIT, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report onGlobal Automotive Leaf Springs Marketby Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, Light Duty Vehicle, Medium & Heavy Duty Vehicle, and Others), by Spring Type (Mono and Multi), by Material Type (Metal and Composites), by Manufacturing Process (Shot Peening, Prepreg Layup, and Others), by Location (Front and Rear), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World); Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2016-2021.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/402975LOGO )



This market report, from Stratview Research, studies the global leaf springs market in the automotiveindustry over the period 2010 to 2021. The report provides detailed insights on the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.

The Global Leaf Springs Market in the AutomotiveIndustry: Highlights

As per Stratview Research, the global leaf springs market offers a healthy growth opportunity of 4.5% CAGR during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021. Increasing production of light commercial vehicles and medium & heavy duty commercial vehicles, and high demand from the growing fleet size are major growth drivers of leaf springs market during the forecast period. Increasing demand of lightweight springs is another key growth driver of the global leaf springs market.

Steel leaf spring is expected to remain the largest spring type in the next five years; however, composite springs are likely to witness the fastest growth of 9.3% CAGR during the same period. Composite leaf springs offer an excellent strength to weight ratio, fatigue resistance and natural frequency, and is about five times more durable than the steel leaf spring. Internal damping in composite materials lead to excellent absorption of vibrations within the parts, resulting in reduced transmission of vibration noise to the neighboring structures.

The author cited that light commercial vehicles segment is expected to remain the largest market for leaf springs during the forecast period. Increasing vehicle production, mainly in USA, Mexico and China and aftermarket demand from a large global vehicle fleet are likely to drive the demand of leaf springs in the light commercial vehicle segment.

Asia-Pacific is expected to remain the largest market for leaf springs due to increasing production of light commercial vehicles and medium & heavy duty vehicles in developing economies, such as China and India.

The supply chain of this market comprises raw material suppliers, leaf spring manufacturers, automotive OEMs, distributors, and dealers. The key automotive OEMs for this market are Daimler, Navistar, GM, Ford, Volvo, MAN, Tata Motors, Peterbilt, and Toyota.

According to Stratview Research, the global leaf springs market is moderately consolidated. Major global steel leaf spring manufacturers are Rassini, Hendrickson, Jamna Auto Industries, Dongfeng Motor Suspension Spring Co. Ltd, EMCO, FAW, Sogefi and OlgunCelik; and the global composite leaf spring manufacturers are IFC Composite, Lite Flex, Benteler-SGL, and Mubea. New product development, long term OEM contracts and mergers & acquisitions are the some of the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain competitive edge in the market.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis

Market trend and forecast analysis

Market segment trend and forecast

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities

Emerging trends.

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players

Key success factors

This report studies leaf springs market in the global automotive industry and has segmented the market in six ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. The following are the six ways in which the market is segmented:

Global Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Vehicle Type:

Passenger Car (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Light Duty Vehicles (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Medium & Heavy Duty Vehicles (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Global Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Spring Type:

Mono Leaf Springs (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Multi Leaf Springs (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Global Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Material Type:

Metal Leaf Springs (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Composite Leaf Springs (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Global Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Manufacturing Process:

Shot Peening (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Prepreg Layup (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Global Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Spring Location:

Front (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Rear (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Global Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Region:

North America (Country Analysis: USA , Canada , Mexico )

Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , France , United Kingdom , Italy , Russia , and Rest of the Europe )

Asia - Pacific (Country Analysis: China , Japan , South Korea , India , and Rest of the Asia-Pacific )

Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil , Argentina , and Rest of the World)

Stratview Research has a number of high value market reports in the global automotive industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Automotive Industry

Some of our other premium reports in the automotive industry:

Global Automotive Airbag Inflators Market by Vehicle Type, by Airbag Type, by Inflator Type, by Region, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2016 - 2021

Global Automotive Airbag Inflators Market likely to reach $4.8 billion in 2021, estimated to grow at CAGR 3.8% during 2016 to 2021.

in 2021, estimated to grow at CAGR 3.8% during 2016 to 2021. Expected growth in automotive vehicles production, introduction of more bags per car, and increasing safety standards across the globe are the major drivers of airbag inflators market.

Global Automotive Airbag Yarn Market by Vehicle Type, by Airbag Type, by Coating Type, by Region, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2016 - 2021

Global Automotive Airbag Yarn Market is likely to grow at 6.0% CAGR during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021.

Expected growth in automotive vehicles production, introduction of more bags per car, and increasing safety standards across the globe are the major drivers of airbag yarns market.

Global Automotive Headlamp Reflector Market by Vehicle Type, by Light Type, by Material Type, by Manufacturing Process, by Region, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2016 - 2021

Global Automotive Headlamp Reflector Market offers robust growth opportunity and is likely to witness 4.8% CAGR during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021.

Organic growth of the global automotive vehicles production and increasing demand of LED lighting system are the major growth drivers of the global automotive headlamp reflector market.

Bulk Molding Compounds (BMC) based headlamp is expected to experience the fastest growth during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021 as they offer many benefits over competing materials, such as ability to manufacture complex and sharp curves, high gloss surface finish, excellent strength to weight ratio, lightweight, and excellent temperature resistance.

About Stratview Research

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We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies.

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DALLAS, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Infomart Data Centers, a national wholesale data center provider, today announces significant, building-wide security enhancements to its iconic Infomart Dallas facility. As the Dallas facility evolved into the primary connectivity point for the Southern U.S. and the largest data center in Texas, the security profile of the building increased greatly. The enhanced security features include a new security operations center, updated access controls, additional surveillance capabilities, and an expanded security staff. Along with the physical security upgrades, building management also formed a Security Council with a group of representatives from building tenants to collaborate on new access and visitor management policies and procedures.

Infomart will integrate the new security measures in two stages, with the first enhancements to be deployed by early September, and the second stage completed by the close of 2016. The initial stage of security upgrades to Infomart Dallas will focus on entrance access and visitor management, including badge access control devices across all building entrances, the aforementioned new security operations center that will be positioned in the front lobby, additional camera coverage throughout the campus, as well as a 54 percent increase in security staffing. The second phase of enhancements will be completed by year-end and will include a new building security system, increased site fencing, call boxes, additional surveillance, and queuing lanes allowing for proper vetting of deliveries. When complete, the security features at Infomart Dallas will be consistent with those at the world's leading mega data centers.

"Infomart Dallas, the primary carrier hotel in the country's third-largest data center market, has evolved significantly since we acquired the building a decade ago," remarks John Sheputis, President of Infomart Data Centers. "Even with the phenomenal growth of network and IT investment in the building, Infomart Dallas remains much more than a data center. Nearly 2,500 people enter and leave this building every weekday, and there are hundreds of deliveries daily."

"To balance the security needs for both commercial office and data center use, we formed a Security Council with our leading tenants with the shared objective of securing access to the building, while efficiently allowing invited guests to enter the facility. The Security Council supports the security improvements and is helping execute on the transition," Mr. Sheputis adds.

Infomart Dallas has recently undergone the completion of a 3 MW multi-tenant data center, the first step in a multi-phase expansion that will add up to 30 MW and 300,000 square feet of data center space to the existing 1.6 million-square-foot facility. In addition, Infomart Dallas recently launched a carrier-neutral Building Meet-Me Room (BMMR), enabling carriers to easily establish physical Points-of-Presence (PoPs) by leveraging shared building conduit pathways. Infomart upended the traditional BMMR model by waiving monthly cross-connect fees for clients and facilitated interconnectivity between more than 75 network carriers, cloud and content providers, as well as all colocation customers within the building.

On Tuesday, September 13, 2016, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., Infomart will unveil the latest physical security enhancements at its Dallas facility as part of an exclusive Infomart 2.0 launch event. The event will include tours of security upgrades as well as Infomart's Dallas data center, networking opportunities with industry peers, light refreshments, a media Q&A, a presentation by John Sheputis, President of Infomart, as well as remarks from data center security expert Shane Campbell of Guidepost Solutions. The event will commence in the lobby of the Infomart Dallas facility, which is located at 1950 North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas. Media and industry analysts are welcome to attend. Registration is free but required to secure your spot; to RSVP, click here.

For more information about the Infomart 2.0 event, please email Aubrey Putney at aubrey.putney@infomartdc.com or call (512) 423-8821.

To learn more about Infomart Dallas, visit www.infomartdatacenters.com/locations/dallas/.

About Infomart Data Centers

Founded in 2006, Infomart Data Centers (formerly Fortune Data Centers) is an award-winning industry leader in building, owning and operating highly efficient, cost-effective wholesale data centers. Each of its national facilities meet or exceed the highest industry standards for data centers in all operational categories of availability, security, connectivity and physical resilience.

Infomart Data Centers offers wholesale and colocation facilities in four markets throughout the United States: San Jose, Calif.; Hillsboro, Ore.; Dallas; and Ashburn, Va. For more information, please visit www.infomartdatacenters.com or connect with Infomart on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Vierema, Finland, 2016-08-31 14:05 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --The new PONSSE model series will be introduced at the FinnMETKO exhibition in its full glory. The model series has been supplemented with solutions that focus particularly on improving the operator's driving comfort and working efficiency, as well as increasing the efficiency and management of forest machine companies. The new PONSSE Manager operations management system for forest machine entrepreneurs and PONSSE ActiveFrame suspension system for the PONSSE Ergo harvester will have their premiere at the exhibition.PONSSE Manager for managing the operations of forest machine companiesPONSSE Manager is a tool for the real-time administration of the operations of forest machine companies. It provides real-time, comprehensive information about the machine fleet - both on its performance and sites. Detailed information about the productivity of the machine fleet supports the profitable operation of the company. A forest machine is like a mobile production plant and PONSSE Manager keeps the entrepreneur up to date with regard to the factors influencing the profitability of your fleet.The Manager system guides the company in the productive use of the machine, maximising the efficiency and productivity of the fleet and minimising its downtime. The informative and user-friendly tool with clear graphics helps in maintaining your forest machine fleet and increases the efficiency of work planning and reporting.Communication between operators and the company is even easier. Data is transferred automatically from the machine without the operator having to send files in the middle of harvesting. The entrepreneur can monitor and guide the daily operations of the company on a smartphone, tablet and computer regardless of location. If the machine is not within the coverage area of the mobile phone network, data transfer takes place automatically with the PONSSE Sync mobile app. Data is transmitted immediately when the operator's mobile phone is back in the coverage area.Fleet Management is the PONSSE Manager component for managing and monitoring field operations and the progress of harvesting in real time. Fleet Management displays the condition of the machine and the production volume of the machines by stand in real time. The application displays the cut total volume, breakdown of timber grades and average size of trees for each on-going stand.The map view and information about the progress of stands also make efficient planning of machine transfers possible. The machines are in the right place at the right time, with less time spent waiting for transfers and servicing timed correctly.The functions of Fleet Management support the everyday work of both the entrepreneur and operator. The application informs the entrepreneur in real time what is happening with the machine, and the operator can focus on the actual work.PONSSE Manager's Ecodrive function is a system that instructs the user and gives measured feedback on the effect of servicing on the productivity of the machine, for example. The function makes it possible to monitor the productivity and work phases of an individual machine in detail. Work phase-specific indicators make it possible to develop working methods to be more productive and economical and ensure the functionality of the adjustments of the machine.Popular PONSSE ActiveFrame now also available for harvestersThe PONSSE ActiveFrame is a cabin suspension system that levels out any roughness in the terrain while working, keeping the cabin horizontal at all times. This increases the efficiency of working with the loader and crane and also allows the operator to use higher speeds. Now, PONSSE ActiveFrame is also available for eight-wheel PONSSE Ergo harvesters in addition to forwarders.ActiveFrame has a simple and functional structure, suspending any sideways movement directed at the operator effectively. As a result, working is very comfortable and any stress on the body is much smaller than before. The comfort of the operator is a key factor in terms of productivity and quality. When excess swaying does not stress the operator, the operator remains more alert and is able to focus on working, even during longer shifts.The system does not react to swaying afterwards; it keeps the cabin horizontal actively, following the ground profile. The machine has two pivot-mounted front frames, one of which includes the front bogie and the other includes the cabin. Thanks to the dual frame structure, the pivot point of the ActiveFrame suspension system is very low at the level of the bogie axle. This eliminates any swings directed at the operator as efficiently as possible. The maximum angle of levelling in Ergo is seven degrees.Ponsse's stand no 8 will feature daily harvesting demonstrations with the machines of the new PONSSE model series and additional information about our new products. Harvesting demonstrations will be held daily at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.Welcome to see how the future of the forest machines looks like!Vierema, 31 August 2016PONSSE PLC Jarmo Vidgren Sales and Marketing DirectorFURTHER INFORMATION Jarmo Vidgren, Sales and Marketing Director, Ponsse Plc, tel. +358 40 519 1486 Training manager Antti Rasanen, tel. +358 40 849 8572 Product manager Hanna Vilkman (data systems), tel. +358 40 552 9456 Product manager Jan Kauhanen (harvesters), tel. +358 40 546 9353 Product manager Juha Haverinen (forwarders), tel. +358 40 839 8529
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 31, 2016) - Enerdynamic Hybrid Technologies Corp. (TSXV: EHT) ("EHT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has shipped the first microgrid system to Ghana West Africa. This smartgrid energy solution utilizing solar panels and battery storage will generate approximately $500,000 in revenue to EHT. The customer, a local hotel complex expects to see a 6-year payback on this green energy investment.

EHT has utilized its specialized expertise to create a smart microgrid energy solution that will take this modern hotel complex completely off the local power grid, a system that has proven to be both expensive and unreliable. EHT's smartgrid solution will allow three separate buildings, all connected in the EHT microgrid, to generate and share power between themselves and on demand.

The three combined buildings will generate over 500kWh daily and the system is believed to be the first of its kind in Ghana to communicate in such a unique way. The smart microgrid energy system is designed to transfer the power produced to any of the three buildings connected to the smartgrid. This will allow all buildings in this grid to be both a generator and a consumer of power. This concept lends itself to entire villages and communities producing their own electricity and sharing the power produced locally among various buildings. This local power production reduces line losses and costly power transmission infrastructure that takes extended periods of time to plan and build.

EHT sees the West African region as an area of focus for its modular building system and microgrid power technologies. This region has a population in excess of 400 million people with both low cost housing and power supply in high demand. This microgrid solution, combined with the completion of the two recently shipped self- powered model homes in Ivory Coast, will showcase the benefits that EHT can deliver to this fast growing region.

About EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies

EHT delivers proprietary, turn-key energy solutions which are intelligent, bankable and sustainable. Most energy products and solutions can be implemented immediately wherever they are needed. EHT stands above its competitors by combining a full suite of solar PV, wind and battery storage solutions, which can deliver energy 24 hours per day in both small-scale and large-scale format. In addition to traditional support to established electrical networks, EHT excels where no electrical grid exists. The organization supplies advanced solutions for various industries in combination with energy saving and energy generation solutions. EHT's expertise includes the development of module structures with full integration of smart energy solutions. These are processed through EHT's production technologies into attractive applications: modular homes, cold storage facilities, schools, residential and commercial out buildings and emergency/temporary shelters.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements.Forward-looking information involves risk, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although EHT believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. EHT disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:



John Gamble

Director

(289) 488-1699

jgamble@ehthybrid.com

info@ehthybrid.com

Company Website: www.ehthybrid.com
DENVER, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- American Cannabis Company, Inc. (OTCQB: AMMJ) (the "Company"), a full-service business-to-business consulting solutions provider and seller of ancillary products to the cannabis industry, today announced the launch of its new corporate website www.americancannabisconsulting.com.

The Company is now in its fourth year of operations and has assisted clients in winning thirteen state level merit-based medical marijuana operational licenses in seven US states, and also assisted two Canadian clients with Health Canada approvals. The Company has completed state-of-the art indoor and greenhouse cultivation facility builds in multiple emerging markets, and developed a portfolio of branded products including: The Satchel, a patented high-quality, child-proof exit package solution, SoHum Living Soils, The Cultivation Cube and the High Density Cultivation System.

Corey Hollister, the Company's President and CEO, commented: "In over four years of operations the Company has made tremendous progress as a leader in the regulated cannabis market, and our new website is a reflection of these efforts. From continued success in opening up emerging markets to pioneering new cultivation methodologies with innovative solutions like SoHum Living Soils and the High Density Cultivation System, our mission of '...redefining society's relationship with cannabis through responsible stewardship' remains the same."

About American Cannabis Company, Inc.

American Cannabis Company, Inc. offers end-to-end solutions to existing and aspiring participants in the cannabis industry. We utilize our industry expertise to provide business planning and market assessment services, assist state licensing procurement, create business infrastructure and implement operational best practices. American Cannabis Company also developed and owns a portfolio of branded products including: The patented Satchel, SoHum Living Soils, The Cultivation Cube and The High Density Cultivation System. In addition, we design and provide other industry specific custom product solutions. The building and development of our brands and product suite is based on our Geoponics Philosophy, "the art and science of agriculture in soil."

For more information, please visit:

www.americancannabisconsulting.com

www.americancannabiscompanyinc.com

www.sohumsoils.com

www.dabwerks.com

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as "anticipate", "seek", intend", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "project", "plan", or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov.

Contact:

Terry Buffalo

Chief Operating Officer

IR@americancannabisconsulting.com

303-974-4771




IT services company improves motivation throughout sales team with real-time visibility

Xactly (NYSE: XTLY), a leading provider of cloud-based incentive solutions, announced that leading IT services firm KIO Networks has automated its sales compensation initiatives in the cloud with Xactly. Headquartered in Mexico, KIO Networks now has a flexible solution to manage its varied compensation structure, across six geographies, while improving staff motivation through real-time visibility of compensation.

KIO Networks has eight compensation plans spanning its different team functions, with over 200 payees receiving compensation in varied currencies. With Xactly, the company has been able to automate these complex plans, reducing both administrative time and the chance of errors. The sales team now has visibility of their compensation in real-time, rather than waiting for spreadsheet reports.

"Xactly has had a very positive impact on the sales team's motivation. Now they are able to see their compensation accurately and in real-time, across multiple devices," said Santiago Suinaga Sainz, VP of Sales Operations at KIO Networks. "It really drives the team to sell more and aligns them with the company's global objectives and strategy."

Xactly's accessible, native user interface has contributed to excellent user adoption throughout the company. The multi-language and multi-currency capabilities are an added bonus for the geographically diverse company, helping drive the whole team to success. "We are based in Mexico City and were one of the first Latin American implementations for Xactly. At the beginning we had concerns about the local support, but Xactly assigned us a bilingual project manager, and the implementation was smooth and professional," added Suinaga Sainz.

KIO Networks has also benefited from the way that Xactly and other applications, including Steelbrick and SpringCM, integrate into the Salesforce CRM system. This enables the sales team to manage from lead-to-cash in the most streamlined process possible, to maximize their productivity.

Additional Resources

Xactly Corporation

Follow Xactly on Twitter, Facebook, and the Xactly Blog

Tweet this: .@KIO Networks Chooses @Xactly to Manage Complex Global Incentive Plans

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/NxTOfmLJHfw

About Xactly

Xactly is a leading provider of enterprise-class, cloud-based, incentive compensation solutions for employee and sales performance management. We address a critical business need: To incentivize employees and align their behaviors with company goals. Our products allow organizations to make more strategic decisions, increase employee performance, improve margins, and mitigate risk. Our core values are key to our success, and each day we're committed to upholding them by delivering the best we can to our customers.

About KIO

KIO Networks Group is a world-class mission critical IT infrastructure and services organization. The company serves the global business community with its subsidiaries KIO Networks, redIT, Wingu Networks, MasNegocio, Dattlas and Sm4rt. Each business serves a unique role in the information technology space. From data centers to connectivity and hosting to data analytics, KIO Networks Group is proud to partner with enterprise and small businesses alike on a full range of IT services. The word KIO is derived from Swahili. It means "mirror" and symbolizes duality and redundancy --- the essential elements of KIO's services. All KIO Networks solutions are supported throughout its 32 data centers in a safe, scalable and professional environment. These Data Centers are designed under international standards and certifications for security, availability, infrastructure and process. This commitment to our networks and facilities makes them the most robust in Mexico, USA, Latin America and Europe.

2016 Xactly Corporation. All rights reserved. Xactly, the Xactly logo, and "Inspire Performance" are registered trademarks or trademarks of Xactly Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160831005387/en/

Contacts:

UK PR CONTACT

Harvard PR

Emily Thurston, +44 (0)20 7861 2800

or

US PR CONTACT

Blanc Otus Public Relations

Kristin Reeves, 415-856-5145

kristin.reeves@blancandotus.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Alexandria Minerals Corporation (TSX VENTURE: AZX)(FRANKFURT: A9D) ("AZX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed Phase 1 of its Triangle Too exploration drilling program on its Airport property, and is now commencing a new drilling program on the nearby Orenada High-Grade Gold targets.

The recently completed first-round Triangle Too drill program was testing for high-grade, Triangle Zone-like gold veins. This drill program generated samples and data from 8 holes for a total of 2,875 meters. Alexandria has submitted the samples for testing and now awaits the assay results following analysis of the core. The Company expects to be in a position to report test results by mid-September.

The Company is also pleased to report that drilling has begun on its Orenada high-grade gold vein program. Like the Triangle Too drill program, the Company is testing south-dipping, high-grade gold veins to determine their importance to the grade of the Current Resources there. In addition, step out targets will allow the possibility of new discovery and growth. Eight holes will be drilled on Orenada Zone 4, and six on Orenada Zone 2, located 500 m east along strike from Zone 4, for a total of 4,000 meters.

Eric Owens, President and CEO of Alexandria, said, "We are keen to determine the relationship between the Triangle Too and the Orenada gold veins, if any, and the possible trend that may exist between them."

The Company continues to direct its efforts on the western third of its 35 km long Cadillac Break Property package, and will adjust its exploration program as results dictate. It has budgeted for an additional 6,000 meters of drilling this winter, drilling which will be earmarked as follow-up to favorable drill results coming from the recent and current drilling.

Program design, management, and Quality Control/Quality Assurance are conducted by Alexandria's exploration group of which Phillippe Berthelot, P.Geo, is the Company's Qualified Person. Mr. Berthelot has reviewed the results in this press release. The QA/QC program is consistent with National Instrument ("NI") 43-101 and industry best practices and has been previously addressed in NI 43-101 reports found on the Company's website or on www.sedar.com.

Further information about the Company is available on the Company's website, www.azx.ca, or our social media sites listed below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandriaMinerals

Twitter: https://twitter.com/azxmineralscorp

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/AlexandriaMinerals

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/alexandriaminerals/

About Alexandria Minerals Corporation

Alexandria Minerals Corporation is a Toronto-based junior gold exploration and development company with strategic properties located in the world-class mining districts of Val d'Or, Quebec, Red Lake, Ontario and Snow Lake-Flin Flon, Manitoba. Alexandria's focus is on its flagship property, the large Cadillac Break Property package in Val d'Or, which hosts important, near-surface, gold resources along the prolific, gold-producing Cadillac Break, all of which have significant growth potential.

WARNING: This News Release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing of completion of the Private Placement, the use of proceeds of the Private Placement and receipt of regulatory approval of the Private Placement. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Alexandria Minerals Corporation relies upon litigation protection for forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Alexandria Minerals Corporation

Mary Vorvis

Vice President, Corporate Development

and Investor Relations

(416) 305-4999



Alexandria Minerals Corporation

Eric Owens

President/CEO

416-363-9372

info@azx.ca

www.azx.ca




LONDON, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Forecasts by (Hardware, Software, Network, Cloud) Prospects for Connected Car & Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X, V2V, V2I, V2G, V2H, V2P, IN-V) Communication Safety & Security Within The Internet of Things (IoT) Ecosystem

The latest report from business intelligence provider visiongain assesses that the revenues from the automotive cyber security market will exceed $55 million in 2016. Automotive cyber security is undeniably one of the fastest growing submarkets in the car safety and security sector. The report covers important topics including:

 How is the automotive cyber security market evolving and what is driving and restraining market dynamics?

 How will each of the automotive cyber security submarket segments grow and which technologies will prevail?

 How will the national markets change by 2021 and which country will lead the automotive cyber security market?

 Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period?

 What are the trends in the automotive cyber security market?

We break down the most important sub segment of the automotive industry but also the key security types', security providers', and countries' market shares, revenue forecasts and characteristics that will make them lead this specific submarket.

Have you heard?"Argus Cyber Security Chosen To Participate in Startup Autobahn". This is an example of the business critical headlines that you need to know about - and more importantly, you need to read visiongain's objective analysis of how this will impact your company and the industry more broadly. How are you and your company reacting to this news? Are you sufficiently informed?

Report Scope

 Expert opinions from key-opinion leaders in the market

- Argus Cyber Security

- Trillium Inc.

To see a report overview please email Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongainglobal.com

 207 tables, charts and graphs analysing the Automotive Cyber Security market

 Overview of the global Automotive Cyber Security market status in 2016

 Analysis of the solutions and applications for car cyber security

 Overview of the role of standards and regulations

 Global Automotive Cyber Security revenue forecast between 2016 and 2021

 Automotive Cyber Security submarket revenues between 2016 and 2021

- Hardware cyber security

- Software cyber security

- Network cyber security

- Cloud cyber security

 Leading national market revenue forecast between 2016 and 2021

- China Automotive Cyber Security Market 2016-2021

- France Automotive Cyber Security Market 2016-2021

- Germany Cyber Security Market 2016-2021

- Israel Automotive Cyber Security Market 2016-2021

- Japan Automotive Cyber Security Market 2016-2021

- Russia Automotive Cyber Security Market 2016-2021

- South Korea Automotive Cyber Security Market 2016-2021

- UK Automotive Cyber Security Market 2016-2021

- US Automotive Cyber Security Market 2016-2021

 Profiles of 10 leading companies in the market as well as their automotive cyber security product portfolio.

- Argus Cyber Security

- Cisco Systems

- Harman International

- Infineon Technologies AG

- Intel Corporation

- International Business Machines (IBM)

- Karamba Security

- NXP Semiconductors

- Symantec Corporation

- Trillium Inc.

 SWOT analysis of the Automotive Cyber Security market

 Conclusions

How this report will benefit you

Read on to discover how you can exploit the future business opportunities emerging in this sector. Visiongain's new study tells you and tells you NOW.

In this brand new report you will find 207 in-depth tables, charts and graphs, and trends.

The 208 page report provides clear detailed insight into the global Automotive Cyber Security market. Discover the key drivers and challenges affecting the market.

By ordering and reading our brand new report today you will stay better informed and ready to act.

Who should read this report?

 Anyone within the Automotive value chain.

 Auto-Manufacturers (OEMs),

 Aftermarket Companies for Connected Vehicles,

 Automotive Safety Systems Companies

 Connectivity Solution Companies

 Data Transfer & IT Companies

 Car Cyber Security Start-ups

 Telematic Solution Companies

 Infotainment Companies

 Diagnostics Companies

 Connectivity Companies

 V2X Safety and Security Companies

 Road Safety Authorities

 Telecommunication Companies

 Cyber security vendors

 Connected car companies

 Internet of things (IoT) participants

 CEO's

 COO's

 CIO's

 Business development managers

 Marketing managers

 Technologists

 Suppliers

 Investors

 Banks

 Government agencies

 Contractors

Visiongain's study is intended for anyone requiring commercial analysis of the Automotive Cyber Security market and leading companies. You will find data, trends and predictions.

Buy our reportAutomotive Cyber Security Market Report 2016-2021: Forecasts by (Hardware, Software, Network, Cloud) Prospects for Connected Car & Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X, V2V, V2I, V2G, V2H, V2P, IN-V) Communication Safety & Security Within The Internet of Things (IoT) Ecosystemtoday. Avoid missing out by staying informed - get 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/1717/Automotive-Cyber-Security-Market-Report-2016-2021

List of Companies Mentioned in This Report

1 Mainstream Inc

4FrontSecurity

abc 7

Acano Limited

ADMtek

Airbus

Alchemy API

Alienvault

Allianz

Allianz Ventures

Altera

Altiris

AMX LCC

AppStream

Argus Cyber Security

Arilou

Aspera

Assemblage

AT&T

Audi

Automotive division of Bang & Olufsen

BBC

Bindview Development Corporation

Blackfin Security

Blue Box Group

BMW

BT Group

BT Security

Bull

Catena

Cisco

ClearLeap

Clearwell Systems

Cleversafe

Cloudant

CNN Money

Code Red Technologies

Cognitive Security

Comneon

Company-i

Compose

Composite Software

CrossIdeas

CSL International

Daeja Image Systems Ltd

Delphi

Elektrobit

Embrane

Escrypt

EV World

Explorys

Fiat Chrysler

Fiberlink Communications

Ford

Fortune

Freescale semiconductors

Gideon Technologies

Giesecke & Devrient

GM

Gravitant

Harman

Havok

Healthcare Incorporated

Honda

Hyundai

IBM

Imlogic Inc

Infineon Technologies

Information Age

Insieme Networks

Intel

International Rectifier

Intucell

ITS Connect Promotion Consortium

Jennic

JouleX

Karamba

Kaspersky Lab

KIA

KT mobile networks

Lancope

Lear Corp

Lexus

Linux

LiveOffice

Logic

Magma Venture Partners

Magna International

MaintenanceNet

Mazda

McAfee

Memoir Systems

Mercedes-Benz

MessageLabs

Metacloud

Meteorix LLC

Mi5 Networks

Mitsubishi

Motus Ventures

MWM Acoustics

NCC Group

Neophis

Nissan

NitroDesk

NitroSecurity

Nonghyup Cooperative

Northrop Grumman

Now Factory

nSuite

Nukona

NXP Semiconductors

Opel

OpenDNS

Orange

OurCrowd

ParStream

PasswordBank

Pawaa

Penta Security

PGP Corporation

Phytel

PistonCloud Computing

Portcullis

Portcullis Computer

QNX

Range Rover

Raytheon

Recon Instruments

Redbend

Relicore Inc.

Renault

RT

Safran

SBD

SBI Holdings

Secunet AG

Secure Computing

Security InMotion

Security Group

Security Innovation

Sentrigo

Silveerpop

Simics

SoftLayer

SoftScan

SolveDirect

Sophos

Sourcefire

SsangYong

Star Analytics Inc

StrongLoop

Subaru

Suzuki

SwapDrive

Sygate Technology

Symantec

Symphony Teleca

Tail-f Systems

TalkTalk

Tech Insider

TechWorm

Telenor

Tesla

Thales

The Washington Post

The Weather Company

ThreatGrid

Time

Tools

TowerSec

Toyota

Transparent

Trend Micro

Trillium

Tropo

Trusteer

Ubiquisys

UrbanCode

Utimaco

VeriSign

Veritas

Verizon

Vertex Ventures

Visteon

Volkswagen

Vontu

WHIPTAIL

WholeSecurity

Wind River Systems

Wired

Wolfspeed

WSJ

Xtify Inc

XtreamLok

ZiiLabs

To see a report overview please email Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongainglobal.com
NEWTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA and SURREY, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Helius Medical Technologies, Inc. (TSX: HSM)(OTCQB: HSDT) ("Helius" or the "Company") is pleased to announce HealthTech Connex Inc. ("HTC") in Surrey, British Columbia, will be the fourth site for the company's ongoing pivotal trial investigating PoNS Therapy for the treatment of subjects with balance disorder resulting from mild to moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Clinical trial sites in the U.S. and Canada include the Montreal Neurofeedback Center, Oregon Health and Science University and Orlando Regional Medical Center.

"We are thrilled to be expanding our clinical presence and look forward to working with the dedicated team of professionals HTC has assembled to facilitate this study," said Helius CEO, Phil Deschamps. "The shared vision to improve care for those suffering from brain injuries connected Helius with HealthTech Connex. Their expertise in neurotechnology, brain imaging and brain trauma, as well as their broad network in the TBI community provides a sound foundation for adding this fourth PoNS clinical trial site."

"HealthTech Connex is excited to be a service provider for Helius, with our new facilities at the Health & Technology District in Surrey," said Dr. Ryan D'Arcy, HTC President & Chief Scientific Officer. "Furthering the understanding of neuroplasticity and pioneering treatments for brain injury are our common goals as we investigate potential solutions to this considerable unmet medical need."

To learn more about the clinical trial, the clinical trial sites and recruitment opportunities please visit www.heliusmedical.com/our-research/clinical-trials.

About PoNS Therapy

The Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) is an investigational non-invasive device designed to deliver neurostimulation through the tongue. PoNS Therapy combines the use of the device with physical therapy and is currently being evaluated in a multicenter clinical trial for the treatment of balance disorder for subjects with mild to moderate Traumatic Brain Injury.

About Helius Medical Technologies, Inc.

Helius Medical Technologies is a medical technology company focused on neurological wellness. Helius seeks to develop, license and acquire unique and non-invasive platform technologies that amplify the brain's ability to heal itself. Helius intends to file for FDA clearance for the PoNS device. For more information, please visit www.heliusmedical.com.

About HealthTech Connex Inc.

HealthTech Connex, Inc. is a health technology company working to revolutionize the practice of clinical neuroscience through advanced technologies based on the highest quality science and innovation. Located in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, it is one of the first companies to emerge from the city's Innovation Boulevard, an agile partnership of health, business, higher education and government creating new health technologies to improve peoples' lives. www.HTCBrainVitalSigns.com

The Toronto Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

Cautionary Disclaimer Statement:

Certain statements in this news release are not based on historical facts and constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements").

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding ongoing or planned clinical research, expected future development timelines, regulatory approvals, business initiatives and objectives and use of proceeds from financings or other business initiatives.

Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions.

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 expectations include the failure of the Company to achieve its business objectives and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials, including the short form prospectus filed in connection with the Offering, its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian securities regulators and which can be obtained from either at www.sec.gov or www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such statements except to the extent required by law.

Contacts:

HELIUS CONTACTS:

Corporate Contact:

Brian Bapty

604-652-3950

bbapty@heliusmedical.com



Media Contact:

Becky Kern

914-772-2310

media@heliusmedical.com



HEALTHTECH CONNEX CONTACT:

Yvonne Chiang

604-880-5090

yvonne@chiangpr.ca




Because of the seats that are up in 2016, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the Democrats would take back the Senate regardless of the top of the ticket. Trump just makes GOP defense more difficult. Unfortunately, because of the seats that are up in 2018, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the Republicans will take back the Senate. In 2018, battlegrounds will be Democratic-held seats in red and purple states-- Indiana, North Dakota, Missouri, Montana, Florida, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania-- plus New Jersey, where Bob Menendez's corruption case will be coming to a head. So... the job for the DSCC this year wasn't just to win back a measly 3 or 4 seats to take back a bare majority, but to bank a bunch seats in preparation for a horrible 2018. Largely because of Chuck Schumer's philosophy that Democratic primary voters are too stupid to pick their own nominees, the DSCC has failed miserably already. I'll explain in a minute. First a little background on the head of the DSCC, Schumer sock-puppet Jon Tester.









I went to the same high school as Chuck Schumer, James Madison, in the early 1960s. He was just the same way he is now and not many people liked him. But I never met anyone who really hated him as much as Jon Tester did in 2006. At the time, Tester was a populist organic farmer and state legislator and he was one of the first Senate candidates who Blue America had ever endorsed. Schumer himself was the head of the DSCC and he recruited some Wall Street hack, John Morrison, the state Auditor, and the very wealthy former president of the Montana Trial Lawyers Association, He outspent Tester's grassroots campaign two to one-- and was being pushed by Schumer without regard to party rules about not interfering in primaries. At least once a week, Tester would call me and curse Schumer to high heaven. Fueled by hatred for Schumer, Tester slaughtered Schumer's puppet candidate in a massive 61-35% landslide and then went on to beat Republican incumbent Conrad Burns. It didn't take a week before Tester completely sold out to Schumer and became one of his minions. It's how things tend to work in Washington. I was stunned and sickened. Today Tester is a Schumer lap-dog and his rubber-stamp head of the DSCC.









Yesterday, Schumer's expenditure of several million dollars and a campaign of lies and innuendo against Alan Grayson paid off-- for Marco Rubio. Rubio, a weak and damaged incumbent, would have never been able to stand up to Grayson for two seconds. But in his rush to get talentless Wall Street pet Patrick Murphy the nomination, Schumer has all but guaranteed Rubio his unearned and undeserved reelection. First thing this morning, Rubio challenged the hapless Murphy to 6 debates. Murphy doesn't know how to debate and is probably hoping Schumer will think up some excuse for him. The race in Florida will be one where there is not even a lesser of two evils!





Even the most optimistic of the journalists who always buys into the most pathetic DSCC spin, Chuck Todd, predicts a miserable November performance : wins in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, which would give the Democrats bare control with the help of Vice President Kaine. That would be an easily thwartable majority, especially with Claire McCaskill, Heidi Heitkamp, Joe Manchin, Tester and Joe Donnelly-- all petrified of 2018 defeat-- voting regularly across the aisle, probably with Evan Bayh. And then along comes 2018 and that's the end of any chance Hillary will have to accomplish anything at all that isn't on the GOP agenda.





Todd gives the Democrats a shot to win in 3 states if Hillary has big enough coattails: New Hampshire, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. I think New Hampshire is the most likely. He claims if every Greek god takes part in a concerted effort on behalf of the Democrats, the conservatives Schumer picked for Arizona, Florida, Missouri and Ohio could win too, but none of those are likely all I'm betting Mt. Olympus has other things on its plate right now. "So you if you're the Democrats," Todd adds, "you can realistically get to four pickups and control of the Senate, if Clinton wins the presidential race. But Nevada is key here, because a GOP win means Democrats will have to win another seat to win control." Chuck Schumer is about to be elected Democratic Senate leader, probably unanimously, by a Senate Democratic caucus that doesn't deserve anything better than what's coming its way.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- The new Clik-Nut Hardware Kit by Chatsworth Products (CPI) addresses the fundamental challenges of installing and removing traditional cage nuts. The patent-pending, squeeze-and-release design eliminates the need for tools, resulting in easier and faster installation by at least 70 percent.

Standard cage nut hardware can be difficult and time-consuming to install or move. Installing cage nuts requires force that exceeds what can be reasonably applied by human fingers. Consequently, installers routinely suffer from pinched fingers, ripped or detached fingernails. CPI's Clik-Nut Hardware Kit solves these issues.

"Anyone who has ever used cage nuts will attest they are not easy to install or remove. They are difficult and painful to install without a specialty tool; the tool is always missing when you need it, and no tool works well for both installation and removal. The increasing number of requests to install these at the factory combined with general customer comments over the years motivated us to take a second look," stated Sam Rodriguez, CPI Sr. Product Manager of Cabinet & Thermal Solutions.

Advantages of the new product include:

No tools required - squeeze-and-release design allows for easier, faster and safer installation

High payload capacity - same strength and reliability as standard cage nuts

Universal usability - fully compatible with .375" (9.5 mm) EIA square-punched holes

To use, simply align the Clik-Nut with the desired mounting hole, squeeze and release the tab. The Clik-Nut will then be fastened in place and ready for equipment mounting.

CPI's Clik-Nut Hardware Kit is sold in packs of 25, 250 and 1000 and is available in multiple thread sets -- M6, 12-24 and 10-32. The engraved thread size on the Clik-Nut allows easy identification, and the zinc plated finish helps prevent corrosion.

"I am excited to introduce our new Clik-Nut design and am confident that our customers will be pleased. Instead of creating a better tool, we eliminated it. The end result is a fast, safe and simple design that provides the same high reliability attachment the industry has relied upon for decades," Rodriguez added.

Achieve fast, secure and safe installation with CPI's Clik-Nut Hardware Kit. For more information, visit the product page on CPI's website, or request a sample to try it for yourself.

About Chatsworth Products

At Chatsworth Products (CPI), it is our mission to address today's critical IT infrastructure needs with products and services that protect your ever-growing investment in information and communication technology. We act as your business partner and are uniquely prepared to respond to your specific requirements with global availability and rapid product customization that will give you a competitive advantage. At CPI, our passion works for you. With over two decades of engineering innovative IT physical layer solutions for the Fortune 500 and multinational corporations, CPI can respond to your business requirements with unequaled application expertise, customer service and technical support, as well as a global network of industry-leading distributors. Headquartered in the United States, CPI operates from multiple sites worldwide, including offices in Mexico, Canada, China, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. CPI's manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, Asia and Europe.

CPI is listed with the General Services Administration (GSA) under Federal Supply Schedule IT 70. Products are also available through GSA Advantage and through Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), including GSA Connections and NITAAC-ECS III (www.chatsworth.com/gov).

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all information, CPI does not accept liability for any errors or omissions and reserves the right to change information and descriptions of listed services and products.

2016 Chatsworth Products, Inc. All rights reserved. Chatsworth Products, CPI, CPI Passive Cooling, eConnect, MegaFrame, Saf-T-Grip, Seismic Frame, SlimFrame, TeraFrame, GlobalFrame, CUBE-iT PLUS, Evolution, OnTrac, QuadraRack and Velocity are federally registered trademarks of Chatsworth Products. Simply Efficient, Secure Array, EuroFrame and Clik-Nut are trademarks of Chatsworth Products. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies.

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Media Contact

Shannon Erdley

Public Relations Specialist

Email Contact




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Augusta Industries Inc. (the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: AAO) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Marcon International Inc. ("Marcon"), has entered into new agreements with various departments of the United States government for the supply of instrumentation and equipment. The aggregate value of the agreement entered into was $1,318,428.07. The current backlog of orders, including these new contracts, is $1,569,762.38 as of August 31, 2016.

"The continued efforts and hard work of the Corporation's sales staff have resulted in the Corporation entering into these new agreements with various entities of the United States government," stated Allen Lone, President of the Corporation. "The Corporation's sales strategy has result in increased sales and continued growth. While the Corporation is building long term strategic partnerships in the oil and gas industry and the pipeline space, we maintained a strategy to continue driving new sales and maintaining positive cash flow. 2016 has been the first year the Corporation has been able to delivery back to back quarters of positive cash flow and the year continues to be financially positive."

About the Corporation:

Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Marcon and Fox-Tek Canada Inc. ("Fox-Tek"), the Corporation provides a variety of services and products to a number of clients.

Marcon is an industrial supply contractor servicing the energy sector and a number of US Government entities. Marcon's principal business is the sale and distribution of industrial parts and equipment (Electrical, mechanical and Instrumentation.) In addition to departments and agencies of the U.S. Government, Marcon's major clients include Saudi Arabia-Sabic Services (Refining and Petrochemical), Bahrain National Gas Co, Bahrain Petroleum, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Gas, Qatar Petrochemical, Gulf of Suez Petroleum, Agiba Petroleum and Burullus Gas Co.

Fox-Tek develops non-intrusive asset health monitoring sensor systems for the oil and gas market to help operators track the thinning of pipelines and refinery vessels due to corrosion/erosion, strain due to bending/buckling and process pressure and temperature. The Corporation's FT fiber optic sensor and corrosion monitoring systems allow cost-effective, 24/7 remote monitoring capabilities to improve scheduled maintenance operations, avoid unnecessary shutdowns, and prevent accidents and leaks.

The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimates of future events. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are detailed from time to time in the Corporation's periodic reports filed with the Ontario Securities Commission and other regulatory authorities. The Corporation has no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

Augusta Industries Inc.

Allen Lone

President, CEO

(905) 338-2323 Ext 22

atlone@fox-tek.com




SAN FRANCISCO, August 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

GITEXannual techno exhibition is back again with high spirits and great enthusiasm. It is one of the huge doorways for the techno geeks and techno aspirants to showcase their innovations and explore the latest market trends of the Internet-ready information and the communication technology. It opens up the door of opportunities for many startups and entrepreneurs to experience and introduce their innovations on knife-edge technology.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160309/794763 )



This year, GITEX is bringing together industry leaders, business professionals, enthusiast tech startups, speakers and visitors to exhibit to the world changing ideas that drive technology ahead to the next level by the hand picked international investors that give wings to the innovations of the young techno aspirant.

There are many companies that are registering itself for the upcoming GITEX event held in Dubai, but this coverage is projected for the award-winning top app development company - Hyperlink Infosystem which is going to be a part of such a huge IT trade fair. On this occasion, the CEO and Founder Of Hyperlink Infosystem Mr. Harnil Oza exclaimed with enthusiasm,"It is the first time we are going to attend the world'sbiggest IT fair. We are quite excited to unlock the new opportunities of innovations in the technologicalsector that proves to be a game-changing decision for the company. We wish that GITEX proves to be one-of-the-best experience that turns our visitors into customers."

The focused areas of Hyperlink Infosystem in GITEX 2016 are:

- Mobile app development

- Web app development

- Virtual & Augmented Reality Game development

- On-demand app development

- Chat Bots and IoT development

Various investors, startups and company delegates are welcomed to visit theSheikh Rashid Hall, Stall SR - E9 during 16th to 20th October.The main agenda of the company to showcase their projects in such a huge IT fair is, to exhibit their web and mobile services across the world. Our company project manager and developers are going to exhibit the latest live projects to the delegates.

About Hyperlink Infosystem:

Hyperlink Infosystem is one of the leading mobile app development companies, providing their services across the globe. It is one of the award winning companies which works on various emerging technologies including Virual & Augmented Reality. Mobile App platforms thatthey are working on are iOS, Android & Windows. Some of the key regions they are working with are USA, UK, Australia, Dubai, New Zealand, Europe etc.
NEW DELHI (dpa-AFX) - The Supreme Court of India has ordered Tata Motors Ltd. to return to farmers land leased for a factory to manufacture the Nano, at the time the world's cheapest car. A two-judge bench said in its verdict on Wednesday that Farmers should receive their land back within 12 weeks, overturning a lower court order. Proper procedure wasn't followed in the acquisition process, the judges ruled today. Tata Motors had abandoned the near-complete facility in Singur in October 2008 after violent protests by farmers against the land acquisition. A new government in the state of West Bengal tried to seize the land in 2011 but was pushed back by the Calcutta High Court, which ruled that the administration's attempt was inconsistent with federal laws. 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.
31 August 2016

Valiant Investments Plc

("Valiant" or the "Company")

Total Voting Rights

In accordance with the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules, the Company hereby announces that it has 727,183,666 ordinary shares of 0.1p each in issue, each share carrying the right to one vote. The Company does not hold any ordinary shares in treasury.

The above figure of 727,183,666 ordinary shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

The directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

ENQUIRIES:

Company

Valiant Investments Plc

Conrad Windham

Telephone: 01366 381541

Corporate Adviser

Peterhouse Corporate Finance Limited

Guy Miller or Mark Anwyl

Telephone: 020 7220 9796
HUNTINGTON, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- SeanieMac International (OTC PINK: BETS) today announced a strategic partnership with Dev Clever, the award winning digital innovation and marketing agency behind global household brands such as Nescafe, Pepsi, Honda and Bentley. Providing our clients with truly innovative digital platforms and consumer engagement applications that not only make their customers standout, but also get noticed. Over the past few years, Dev Clever has impacted the E-Gaming sector and produced leading marketing platforms for European leaders such as William Hill, Bet Victor and Corals to name a few. Providing real consumer engagement that stems from innovation and ultimately leads to higher levels of player conversions, Dev Clever has carved a name for themselves in this highly competitive market as digital leaders.

Managing Director of Dev Clever, Chris Jeffries said, "Both myself and the team at Dev Clever are more than excited about working in partnership with SeanieMac on reintroducing this terrific brand in to the sector, not only in Ireland and the UK but also throughout Europe. We feel the forwarded management team coupled with our sector leading innovative approach is the perfect recipe for success and we are confident that Seanie Mac together with Dev Clever will establish a brand that is the benchmark for consumer experience in the e-gaming space."

Garreth Core COO of SeanieMac said, "Dev Clever will bring tremendous marketing experience to our growing in house team with the goal to increase player retention and acquisition. The agreement gives us full use of all Dev Clever resources, which include developers, designers, PPC experts, social media experts and market leading innovators. It will allow us take all our marketing in house eliminating the need for third party agents. Increased value for our shareholders is a priority at the Company."

SeanieMac International Ltd

Shane O'Driscoll

investorrealtions@seaniemacinternational.com




Alytus, Lithuania, 2016-08-31 16:29 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Snaige AB reached an EBITDA of EUR 1.99 million (according to consolidated unaudited data) within the first six months of this year, which is 52% higher than during the same period last year. Gediminas Ceika, Director General of Snaige, is very positive about the company's achievements. "Even though sales proceeds had slightly dropped, the company's EBITDA had a significant increase due to sales growth in markets where Snaige sells products under its own brand," he said. "We are particularly happy about our recovering sales in Ukraine. Compared to the same period last year, sales in this country went up by 51% in the first half of 2016," Mr Ceika added. France, Germany, Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic remain the company's largest markets. According to consolidated unaudited data, the company made EUR 755,000 in net profit during the first half of this year. The company's consolidated unaudited revenue reached EUR 19 million. Director General of Snaige AB Gediminas Ceika +370 315 56206 Attachment: https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=584912

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.
LAS VEGAS, NV -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Workspot (workspot.com), the leading provider of VDI 2.0, announced today it is working with VMware, Inc., a global leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility, to deliver a VDI solution optimized for mid-market customers. The new cost-effective offering brings Workspot's powerful, cloud native VDI architecture with the application and user management technologies in VMware App Volumes.

The companies are collaborating to accelerate the adoption of VDI for mid-market customers. Currently, Workspot's cloud native architecture enables IT to deploy VDI 2.0 in 60 minutes. VMware App Volumes is a portfolio of application and user management solutions for VMware Horizon, Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop, and RDSH virtual environments. The solutions offer enhancements to desktop and application environments by providing faster application delivery and unified application and user management, while reducing storage and operational costs.

"VMware App Volumes and Workspot can enable mid-market companies to enjoy the benefits of advanced application and user management alongside virtual desktops and applications," said Shankar Iyer, vice president and general manager, Desktop Products, End-User Computing, VMware. "As the workforce becomes increasingly mobile, delivering virtual desktops and applications to end-users anytime, anywhere on any device can be a very useful solution."

By reducing cost as one of the barriers to adoption of VDI, the solution will empower businesses to become more efficient and agile. In addition, the solution can simplify IT operations and unlocks IT's ability to quickly respond to changes in business requirements.

"The Workspot and VMware technical collaboration extends the Workspot VDI 2.0 cloud native platform to deliver the simplicity required by our mid-market customers," said Amitabh Sinha, CEO and co-founder of Workspot. "180,000 mid-market customers are currently stalled on legacy app virtualization solutions, unable to migrate to VDI because of cost and complexity. Now these customers can have access to a cost effective VDI solution."

The combined Workspot and App Volumes solution is available now. For more information, visit www.workspot.com/vmware.

VMware, App Volumes, and Horizon are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions.

About Workspot

Workspot, the leading cloud-based provider of VDI 2.0 and workspace solutions, is the fastest and simplest solution for enterprise mobility and remote access. In 60 minutes, Workspot solves the corporate challenge of securely delivering apps, desktops and data to any device with a single frictionless user experience across mobile, Mac and PC platforms. Workspot connects users to all apps and data leveraging existing investments in the datacenter and without migrating data to the cloud.

Based in Cupertino, California, Workspot was awarded the Best of VMworld 2016 for Desktop and Application Delivery solutions. For more information, visit www.workspot.com.

Media Contact

Jessica Hasson

PulpPR for Workspot

jessica@pulppr.com




THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- White Metal Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE: WHM) ("White Metal" or the "Company) is pleased to announce that it has reached a verbal agreement in regards to a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with both Slate Falls and Cat Lake First Nations. The MOU ensures that White Metal and both First Nation communities will work together to build a positive working relationship in regards to the Dorothy-Dobie gold project and other potential future projects in the area. The MOU will also ensure that the communities will benefit from economic growth should any economic mineral resources be discovered and developed. The Company expects to formally sign the MOU in September.

The Company also announces that the first round of diamond drilling will commence in early September at the western end of the Dorothy-Dobie gold deposit. The Dobie Zone is considered to contain a historical resource of 50,000 ounces of gold contained in 301,000 tonnes grading 5.50 gpt Au. This resource estimate was calculated by Bond Gold Canada Inc. prior to CIM National Instrument 43-101 guidelines and as such should only be considered from a historical point of view and not relied upon until verified by a qualified person. The drilling program is designed to test the extension of previously completed diamond drill holes (DOB-09-12, -13, and -14) completed by Manicouagan Minerals Inc. in 2009 which were successful in extending the known gold zone an additional 180 metres along strike to the west, and identifying a potential bulk tonnage gold exploration target. Further, White Metal believes that there is potential for higher grade underground gold resources as the mineralized gold horizon was only tested to a depth of 100 metres.

White Metal Resources (TSX VENTURE: WHM) is a junior mineral exploration company exploring in Canada and currently has 30,451,073 common shares issued and outstanding.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of White Metal Resources Corp.

Michael Stares, President and 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.

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements."

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projection

Contacts:

White Metal Resources Corp.

Michael Stares

President and CEO

807-475-7474




NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Taptica, a global end-to-end mobile advertising platform that helps the world's top brands reach their most valuable users with the widest range of traffic sources available, today announced that they will be exhibiting at dmexco 2016, which will be held at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany from September 14-15. Taptica's on-site team will be at booth F017 in Hall 6 to provide attendees with more information about the power of their mobile advertising technology platform.

"With the industry's center of gravity shifting, we expect the conversation at dmexco to focus more on the opportunities in Asia Pacific and how businesses there will further evolve the space," said Hagai Tal, CEO of Taptica. "We look forward to sharing our experiences working with some of these companies as they look to connect with consumers in Europe, North America and beyond."

Attracting over 50,000 attendees from around the globe, dmexco -- the leading trade fair for digital marketing with an extraordinary conference -- is the global business and innovation platform of the digital economy and one of the sector's top events of the year. Visitors -- movers and shakers, visionaries, marketing and media professionals, technologists and creative thinkers -- experience disruptive trends and the business potential of tomorrow.

To learn more, visit: http://dmexco.com/home/ or to set up a briefing during the show, please contact Brook Terran at brook@blastpr.com.

About Taptica

Taptica is a global end-to-end mobile advertising platform that helps the world's top brands reach their most valuable users with the widest range of traffic sources available today, including social. Our proprietary technology leverages big data, and combined with state-of-the-art machine learning, enables quality media targeting at scale. Taptica creates a single arena in which brands can scale and engage more relevantly with mobile audiences, staying ahead of the competition. We work with more than 450 advertisers including Amazon, Disney, Facebook, Twitter, OpenTable, Expedia, Lyft and Zynga. Taptica is headquartered in Israel with offices in San Francisco, New York, Beijing and Seoul. Taptica International Ltd. is traded on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: TAP).

Media Contact

Brook Terran

Blast PR for Taptica

brook@blastpr.com

805-570-3309




THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Alset Energy Corp. (TSX VENTURE: ION) ("Alset" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has assembled its team of technical and business professionals from across North America for the exploration and advancement of the Mexican Lithium Salars recently acquired by the Company (see Alset P.R. dated July 13, 2016). The Company felt that it was imperative from the onset to have local expertise familiar with the project and related permitting as well as local business practices and customs. The following professionals have been retained by the Company to assist in moving the project forward:

Gilberto Zapata

Sr. Zapata is an entrepreneur and mining executive from Zacatecas, Mexico. His work history includes participation with numerous mining ventures throughout the district and ownership of small businesses. Gilberto has provided invaluable assistance and continues to play a key role in the project development. Sr. Zapata is a graduate of Tecnologico de Monterrey and the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Gilbert resides in Zacatecas, Mexico.

Jose de Jesus Parga

Sr. Parga is a renowned Mexican Geologist (National Award in Geology 2005, by AIMMGM ). For the past nine years he has worked on lithium projects in central Mexico, including Alset's concessions. In addition to exploration geology duties, he managed relations with the government institutions and the rural communities. Sr. Parga has been very active with the project, helping enormously with Alset's due diligence work and continued evaluation of the properties. Sr. Parga also resides in the region.

Victor Garcia

Sr. Garcia is a mining entrepreneur originally from Barcelona, Spain and now residing in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Mr. Garcia is an experienced financial professional and also owner of several businesses in Mexico and Europe. Sr. Garcia assisted in the initial and ongoing evaluation of the property and continues with other assistance.

Delia Patricia Aguayo Hurtado

Sra. Aguayo is a highly respected environmental consultant and head of Consultoria Ambiental in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. She possesses over 20 year of experience assisting mining companies with environmental permitting and social responsibility programs in Mexico. Patricia began consulting in 2000 and has collected an impressive record of success on over 60 projects, mostly mining, throughout Northern and Central Mexico. Sra. Aguayo will lead the environmental and social responsibility aspects of the project development for the Company. Sra. Aguayo holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sonora, Mexico, and a Master of Science from the University of Texas, Dallas.

David Morales

David is a licensed biologist and attended the Autonomous University of Zacatecas. He has been actively practicing environmental biology in the region since 2013. David's role encompasses the environmental and permitting effort with a focus on the biological surveys and as an advisor on local environmental issues. David also resides locally.

Eugenio Iasillo

Eugenio has 38 years of experience in the mining industry with 21 years in engineering and metallurgical research geared toward project development. Eugenio's role is that of a consultant focused on metallurgy and process design. In addition, Eugenio will assist in the design of a sampling and test plan for the initial phase of drilling and with process simulation and flow sheet development when test results have been received. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michoacan and is a registered professional engineer in Arizona USA and holds a professional registration in Chemical Engineering in Mexico. Eugenio lives in Tucson, Arizona, USA.

Hector de los Santos

Hector is an international trade professional with over 20 years of experience in business development and government relations in Mexico, Canada, the US and Latin America. He served as Deputy Trade Commissioner for the Mexican Government in Vancouver and is currently the Managing Director of LATAM Ventures Corp. Mr. de los Santos has led the development and implementation of corporate affairs and management programs, including lobbying, mining, regulatory issues, fiscal, community relations and government relations for junior companies. Hector has been engaged by the Company to provide expertise as a business, cultural, regulatory and strategic planning advisor. Hector lives in Vancouver, BC Canada.

Tim Oliver, Company President and CEO stated "We are very pleased to have secured the services of a very diverse and talented team of professionals to ensure our flagship project is advanced in the most expeditious and cost effective manner towards potential development. Having worked closely with several of these individuals in the past, I have great confidence that Alset is well equipped to succeed in Mexico".

In addition, Alset has also retained Daniel Boase to act as a consultant in providing investor relations services to the Company. The services will include initiating and maintaining contact with the financial community and the Company's shareholders, investors and other stakeholders, for the purpose of increasing awareness of the company and its activities. Mr. Boase has been providing investor relations and consulting services to Canadian public companies for 18 years. The consulting agreement is for a term of one year at a monthly fee of $6,000 plus applicable taxes. Alset has also granted 400,000 stock options to the consultant with an exercise price of 35 cents per common share. The options vest according to the Company's stock option plan and have a term of 5 years from the date of grant.

Alset is well funded and is currently completing a private placement financing to raise gross proceeds of up to $2 million.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Alset Energy Corp.,

Tim Oliver, President

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements."

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

Contacts:

Tim Oliver

(520) 603-9258

www.alsetenergy.ca




Strong organic growth in the first half of 2016

Completion of the Logiters acquisition

Revenue up 4.3% (up 10.1% at constant exchange rates) to 460.9 million

Solid underlying operating income to 14.5 million

Completion of the Logiters acquisition in Spain and Portugal

Firm commercial momentum and growth in high-potential sectors

Regulatory News:

The Board of Directors of ID Logistics (Paris:IDL), a leading group in contract logistics, reviewed the financial statements for the first half of 2016.

Commenting on the Group's performance, Eric Hemar, Chairman and CEO of ID Logistics, said, "The first half was marked by strong organic growth above 10%. With these numerous start-ups, ID Logistics managed to maintain solid results. Thanks to the acquisition of Logiters, we are strengthening our strategic position in Europe and expanding our client portfolio into buoyant sectors such as healthcare/pharmaceuticals and automotive."

(in millions of euros) H1 2016 H1 2015 Chg. Revenues 460.9 442.1 +4.3% Underlying operating income 14.5 14.3 +1.3% % of revenues 3.1% 3.2% -10bp Consolidated net income 6.5 6.5 30/06/2016 31/12/2015 Chg. Net debt 30.9 14.5 +16.4m Equity 137.9 130.7 +7.2m

CONTINUING REVENUE GROWTH AND DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT

ID Logistics' consolidated revenues for the first half of 2016 amounted to 460.9 million, up 4.3% year-on-year and up 10.1% at constant exchange rates.

In France, revenues totalled 277.6 million, an increase of 11.8% on the year-earlier period. That strong performance was mainly driven by new contract start-ups in 2016, along with a positive volume effect relative to 2015.

International revenues amounted to 183.3 million, down 5.4% relative to the first half of 2015. Adjusted for adverse currency effects, mainly due to Argentina, Brazil and South Africa, revenue growth was 7.6%, driven in particular by Europe where the Group started contracts for important clients in Germany and the Netherlands. Furthermore, ID Logistics moved into Belgium for the first time.

The international business accounted for almost 40% of Group revenues, as opposed to 44% in the year-earlier period.

UNDERLYING OPERATING MARGIN AND NET INCOME

Underlying operating income rose slightly to 14.5 million in the first half of 2016, compared with 14.3 million at the same period last year. Underlying operating margin was slightly down to 3.1%, compared with 3.2% in the first half of 2015.

In France, underlying operating margin rose from 5.0% in the first half of 2015 to 5.3% in the first half of 2016, due to strong operating performance at established sites.

Internationally, in contrast, underlying operating margin was -0.1% in the first half of 2016 as opposed to 1.0% in the first half of 2015. This change is due to the cost of the numerous contract start-ups in Europe during the period, along with the operating environment in emerging-market countries, which remains difficult.

Consolidated net income remained stable at 6.5 million in the first half of 2016.

SOLID FINANCIAL POSITION

The Group's net debt ended the period at 30.9 million, up 16.4 million relative to 31 December 2015, temporarily affected by payment receipts from clients in France being delayed until early July 2016. ID Logistics' financial position remains solid, with gearing of 22% and a net debt/EBITDA ratio of only 0.5 at 30 June 2016.

COMPLETION OF THE LOGITERS ACQUISITION

On 23 August 2016, following the memorandum of understanding signed on 27 June 2016, ID Logistics completed the acquisition of Logiters, the leading contract logistics player in Spain and Portugal (250 million of revenues in 2015, 53 sites and 3,300 employees). The acquisition was funded entirely through a five-year bank loan, which established the Group's net debt/EBITDA ratio to nearly 1.3 proforma.

The deal enables ID Logistics to pursue its strategy in Europe. The Group is expanding its client portfolio into new sectors such as healthcare/pharmaceuticals or automotive, and strengthening its leading position in its established sectors of FMCG and Retail.

OUTLOOK

With its balanced geographical presence and now that its commercial offering and client portfolio have been strengthened by the Iberian acquisition, ID Logistics' aim is to ensure that Logiters is integrated successfully and to limit start-up costs. In Europe, the Group intends to expand into new business sectors. Outside Europe, ID Logistics is continuing to focus on existing positions waiting for an economic recovery.

The Group's debt level remaining rather low after the Logiters acquisition, ID Logistics is continuing to look out for new acquisition opportunities, particularly in Europe.

Additional note:

A limited review of the consolidated financial statements was performed. The review report will be published once the procedures required for the purposes of the interim financial report have been completed.

NEXT RELEASE

Publication of third quarter 2016 revenues after the markets close on 2 November 2016.

ABOUT ID LOGISTICS

ID Logistics is an international contract logistics group, with revenue of 930.8 million in 2015. After the Logiters acquisition, ID Logistics has 275 sites across 16 countries, representing close to 5 million square meters of warehousing facilities in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, and 18,500 employees. With a client portfolio balanced between retail, industry, detail picking and e-commerce sectors, ID Logistics delivers high-tech solutions and is firmly committed to sustainable development. ID Logistics is listed on Compartment B of NYSE Euronext's regulated market in Paris (ISIN Code: FR0010929125). The Group is managed by Eric Hemar.

APPENDIX

SIMPLIFIED INCOME STATEMENT

( m) First half 2016 First half 2015 France 277.6 248.2 year-on-year change 11.8% 3.3% International 183.3 193.9 year-on-year change -5.4% 10.6% Revenues 460.9 442.1 year-on-year change 4.3% 6.4% France 14.6 12.4 % of revenues 5.3% 5.0% International (0.1) 1.9 % of revenues -0.1% 1.0% Underlying operating income* 14.5 14.3 % of revenues 3.1% 3.2% Amortisation of customer relationships acquired (0.3) (0.3) Non-recurring expenses Operating income 14.2 14.0 Net financial income/(expense) (2.8) (3.2) Income tax (4.8) (4.6) Share of income of associates (0.0) 0.3 Consolidated net income 6.5 6.5 o/w attributable to ID Logistics shareholders 6.1 6.0

*Before amortisation of customer relationships acquired

DEFINITIONS

EBITDA

Underlying operating income before net additions to depreciation of property, plant and equipment and amortisation of intangible assets

Net debt

Gross debt plus bank overdrafts and minus cash and cash equivalents

Gearing

Ratio of net debt to consolidated group equity

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160831006140/en/

Contacts:

ID Logistics

Yann Perot, 33 (0)4 32 52 96 00

CFO

yperot@id-logistics.com

or

Emily Oliver, +33 (0)4 32 52 96 82

Group Head of Communications

eoliver@id-logistics.com
OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - RBC Capital Markets LLC has agreed to pay $2.5 million for causing materially false and misleading disclosures about its analysis in a proxy statement for the sale of Rural/Metro Corp, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday. RBC neither admitted nor denied the allegations, but agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing further violations and to pay $500,000 in disgorgement, $77,759 in interest, and a $2 million penalty. RBC was the lead financial adviser to Rural/Metro, a medical transportation company, as it considered a sale. An SEC investigation found that RBC's presentation contained materially false and misleading statements which made the bid look more attractive. Although, RBC's presentation claimed that one of its valuations as being based on Wall Street analysts' 'consensus projections' of Rural/Metro's 2010 adjusted EBITDA, it did not reflect analysts' research or a 'consensus' view, according to the SEC statement. 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.
Arion Bank reported net earnings of ISK 9.8 billion for the first six months of 2016, compared with ISK 19.3 billion for the same period of 2015. Return on equity was 9.5%, compared with 22.8% for the first six months of 2015. Normalized earnings amounted to ISK 2.8 billion, compared with ISK 7.8 billion in the first half of 2015. Return on equity from normalized operations was 2.8%, compared with 9.8% for the same period last year.Total assets amounted to ISK 1,035.0 billion at the end of June, compared with ISK 1,011.0 billion at the end of 2015. Shareholders' equity totaled ISK 199.2 billion at the end of June, compared with ISK 192.8 billion at the end of 2015. The Bank enjoys a strong financial position and there has been a focus on maintaining solid liquidity as the time for lifting the capital controls approaches.The Bank's capital ratio at the end of the period was 27.8%, compared with 24.2% at the end of 2015. Tier 1 Capital increased during the year to 26.8%, compared with 23.4% at the end of 2015.Highlights of the income statement and key performance indicators:In ISK million H1 2016 H1 2015 Q2 2016 Q2 2015 Net interest income 14,626 13,175 7,353 7,392 Net commission income 6,747 7,434 3,528 3,677 Net financial income 3,495 9,723 3,796 2,184 Share of profit of associates 694 4,217 17 6 Other operating income 1,861 1,523 626 1,032 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating income 27,423 36,072 15,320 14,291 Salaries and related expense (8,426) (7,167) (4,318) (3,675) Other operating expenses (6,970) (6,004) (3,736) (3,108) Bank levy (1,485) (1,389) (743) (659) Net impairment 945 (81) 1,448 (1,863) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net earnings before taxes 11,487 21,431 7,971 4,986 Income tax (2,091) (2,367) (1,354) (647) Net gain from disc. operations 363 262 259 79 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net earnings 9,759 19,326 6,876 4,418 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------KPI's: Return on equity (ROE) 9.5% 22.8% 13.3% 10.2% Net interest margin (int. bearing assets) 3.1% 3.0% 3.1% 3.3% Cost-to-income ratio 56.1% 36.5% 52.6% 47.5% Tier 1 ratio 26.8% 21.8% 26.8% 21.8%Hoskuldur H. Olafsson, CEO of Arion Bank:"Arion Bank's financial results for the first half of 2016 did not meet expectations. The Bank nevertheless performed satisfactorily in its regular operations but external conditions had a negative impact. There was strong growth in loans, particularly to corporate clients. Corporate loans grew 8% during the first half of 2016 and net interest income was up 11%. Arion Bank is well prepared for the changes which the lifting of the capital controls will bring, being financially robust and with strong liquidity.The conditions on the financial markets were negative for the Bank during the period. As a result, with the exception of Valitor's sale of its shareholding in Visa Europe, financial income was below expectations and the Bank recorded a substantial loss on its shareholdings in listed companies. Arion Bank arranged all IPOs in Iceland in 2015 but no new stock market listings have taken place this year and this affects the Bank's commission income. Operating expenses have increased. The main factor in this respect is higher salary expenses, particularly as a consequence of new collective wage agreements. A second reason is the growth in the number of employees, not least at the new branch at Keflavik International Airport which was opened in May and is now open round the clock every day of the year. The new branch represents a great opportunity for us. More employees were also hired at Valitor, which continues to invest in expanding its business internationally.Arion Bank has been the leading Icelandic bank in terms of new funding on the international financial markets. In April Arion Bank issued its second bond in euros to a diverse group of investors at better terms than the bond issued a year earlier. These issues have met with great success and their performance on the secondary market has demonstrated that there is strong demand for bonds issued by Arion Bank. The Bank has also issued covered bonds and commercial paper on the Icelandic market and this has had a positive response."Conference call in EnglishArion Bank will be hosting a conference call in English on Thursday 1 September at 1:00 pm GMT, where Stefan Petursson, Chief Financial Officer, will discuss the highlights of the Bank's financial results. People interested in participating can contact ir@arionbanki.is to obtain dial-in information.For further information please contact Haraldur Gudni Eidsson of Arion Bank's Communications division at haraldur.eidsson@arionbanki.is, or tel. +354 444 7108.Attachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=584952
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- The Government of Canada values the role of post-secondary institutions as they help equip young Canadians with the education and training they need for future careers that will help them join a strong, healthy middle class. Today's $27.3-million investment at Seneca College will do just that by fostering the training needed for the well-paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow.

The funding was announced today by Greg Fergus, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. Parliamentary Secretary Fergus was joined by the Honourable Deb Mathews, Ontario Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development.

The Government of Canada's Innovation Agenda aims to make this country a global centre for innovation-one that creates jobs, drives growth across all industries and improves the lives of all Canadians. This investment exemplifies that vision in action and will help create the well-paying middle-class jobs of tomorrow.

The funding will support Seneca College's Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CITE). This facility promises to foster innovation by bringing many of Seneca's programs critical to innovation under one roof. These include specialized training, business incubation and applied research and commercialization programs. CITE will focus on helping small and medium-sized enterprises from north Toronto and York Region to build their innovation capacity by providing them access to labs, equipment and research expertise.

Of the total government contribution, $24 million will come from the federal government and $3.3 million from the Province of Ontario. Seneca College will contribute an additional $57.67 million for a total investment of $84.97 million.

In total, universities and colleges throughout Ontario will receive more than $1.9 billion from the Government of Canada, the provincial government, the institutions themselves and private donors. Federal funding will be allocated through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, which will enhance and modernize research facilities on Canadian campuses and improve the environmental sustainability of these facilities.

As a result of these investments, students, professors and researchers will work in state-of-the-art facilities that advance the country's best research. They will collaborate in specially designed spaces that support lifelong learning and skills training. They will work in close proximity with partners to turn discoveries into products or services. In the process, they will train for-and invent-the high-value jobs of the future. And their discoveries will plant the seeds for the next generation of innovators.

That is how the Strategic Investment Fund will jump-start a virtuous circle of innovation, creating the right conditions for long-term growth that will yield benefits for generations to come.

Ontario is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in the province's history-about $160 billion over 12 years-which is supporting 110,000 jobs every year across the province with projects such as hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit. Since 2015, the Province has announced support for more than 475 projects that will keep people and goods moving, connect communities and improve quality of life. To learn more about infrastructure projects in your community, go to Ontario.ca/BuildON.

Quotes

"This once-in-a-generation investment by the Government of Canada is a historic down payment on the government's vision to position Canada as a global centre for innovation. That means making Canada a world leader in turning ideas into solutions, science into technologies, skills into middle-class jobs and start-up companies into global successes. This investment will create conditions that are conducive to innovation and long-term growth, which will in turn keep the Canadian economy globally competitive."

- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"This is an exciting time for Seneca College and for all of Canada's colleges and universities. Investments like the one being made today through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund will foster discovery, innovation and collaboration between universities, colleges and businesses across the country, making a positive impact on Canada's economy and its middle class for years to come."

- Greg Fergus, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"Our government is proud to support this important project, which will give Seneca College students access to new facilities that provide applied research, commercialization, specialized training, business incubation, and acceleration activities under one roof. We know that providing access to high-quality education and training facilities is critical to building the skilled workforce we need to support good jobs and economic growth for today and tomorrow, and this investment will help us to do it. "

- The Honourable Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier, Ontario Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, Minister Responsible for Digital Government

"With this investment, Seneca College's Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship is poised to harness its full potential as an international model of innovation excellence in Don Valley North. This investment will create good, well-paying jobs for the middle class today, while also delivering real results for students, researchers and families in Don Valley North for years to come."

- Geng Tan, Member of Parliament for Don Valley North

"Seneca's Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship will be a flagship facility in the Greater Toronto Area for students, faculty and business to learn, collaborate and create. We thank the federal and provincial governments for their support of innovation and creativity at Seneca."

- David Agnew, President, Seneca College

Quick facts

-- The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario are providing more than $950 million for research infrastructure at institutions across Ontario. Seneca College has been awarded $24 million by the Government of Canada for the Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship, a new innovation facility. -- The Government of Canada's recently launched Innovation Agenda is designed to ensure Canada is globally competitive in promoting research, translating ideas into new products and services, accelerating business growth and propelling entrepreneurs from the start-up phase to international success. -- The targeted, short-term investments under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund will promote economic activity across Canada and help Canada's universities and colleges develop highly skilled workers, act as engines of discovery, and collaborate on innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally. -- The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund supports the Government of Canada's climate change objectives by encouraging sustainable and green infrastructure projects.

Associated links

-- Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund website -- Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund backgrounder -- Innovation Agenda backgrounder -- BuildON

Follow Minister Bains on social media.

Twitter: @MinisterISED

Contacts:

Philip Proulx

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science

and Economic Development

343-291-2500



Media Relations

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

343-291-1777

ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca



Allison Buchan-Terrell

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Advanced Education

and Skills Development

416-314-5475



Heather Irwin, Communications Branch

Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development

416-325-2434

Heather.Irwin@ontario.ca




31 August 2016

GB00BYPBC438

Via Developments plc

("VDP" or "the Company")

Audited Annual Results for the year ended 31 March 2016

Via Developments Plc, are delighted to report its audited annual results for the twelve months ended 31 March 2016.

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

We are delighted to be able to report on a successful year for Via Developments plc, which has established a solid foundation for the future success of the business.

RESULTS

The company was incorporated on 31 March 2015 and this year was our first year of operations. Although the business is currently at a pre revenue stage, the sales plan in on track and the company expects to start recording sales revenue in the final quarter of 2016. The company has been active in acquiring sites for development and ended the year with 2.4m of assets on the balance sheet and is reporting a small loss of 54k.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

ISDX listing

A key highlight of the year was the admission of VDP's 7% Debenture Stock 2020 to the ISDX growth market in November 2015. In the period following admission through to 31 March 2016, the Company raised 2.6m through the bond listing.

At the time of admission, the Company stated that it would use the funds raised through the bond to acquire a number of sites suitable for development. The Company is pleased to confirm that it has utilised the funds by acquiring 3 sites at a total cost of 4.1m, having an expected exit valuation of 18.3m which we expect to realise over the next 18 months.

Acquisitions

The Group acquired its first site at Canal Street, Manchester in December 2015. A small development of 8 units, development is scheduled to complete in March 2017. A second site, Napier House in Luton was acquired in March 2016. Building will commence on this site in September 2016 and is scheduled to complete in May 2017. The third site at Plymouth Grove in Manchester was purchased in June 2016. Here, building work is scheduled to start early in the New Year 2017, and will complete in January 2018.

Current Trading

Work on the Canal Street development started in July 2016 and with all planning and other consents having been received the Company will commence the marketing of this development to potential off-plan buyers by 2 September 2016.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

On 23 June 2016, a referendum was held in the United Kingdom the outcome of which determined that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union at some point in the future. At the time of writing, the details of how and when this will take effect, and its effect on the financial markets are unclear and it is not currently possible to estimate the long term impact of this event.

In the period since the referendum, the directors have noticed that the market has changed. The Company is seeing more interest from foreign investors as compared with domestic purchasers and

overall demand remains high. In light of this, the directors are of the opinion that these changes will not have a material impact on the Company's future prospects.

The Directors believe that the commercial environment will continue to provide opportunities for growth.

NOTES OF APPRECIATION

I wish to thank our staff, investors and business partners for their support of the Company in the year to 31 March 2016. The Board and senior management are looking forward to a successful 2016/7.

John Khan

Managing Director

31 August 2016

The directors of Via Developments Plc accept responsibility for this announcement.



COMPANY CONTACT DETAILS:

Via Developments Plc

24 Queen Street

Manchester

M2 5HX

Telephone: +44 161 850 2633

http://www.vdplc.com/





ISDX CORPORATE ADVISER:

Alexander David Securities Limited

David Scott -Corporate Finance

James Dewhurst - Corporate Brokerage

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7448 9820

http://www.ad-securities.com

49 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4SA







VIA DEVELOPMENTS PLC

STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE EXPENSE

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2016

Year ended 31 March 2016  Other operating income 145,874 Administrative expenses (170,723) Operating loss (24,849) Finance income 30,930 Finance costs (58,555) Loss before taxation (52,474) Income tax expense (1,807) Loss for the year and total comprehensive expense (54,281) The statement of comprehensive expense has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.

VIA DEVELOPMENTS PLC

BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 31 MARCH 2016

2016  Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment 9,034 Investments 1,150 Other receivables 2,123,833 2,134,017 Current assets Trade and other receivables 212,141 Cash and cash equivalents 42,879 255,020 Total assets 2,389,037 Equity Called up share capital 50,000 Accumulated losses (54,281 ) Total equity (4,281) Current liabilities Trade and other payables 102,088 Non-current liabilities Borrowings 2,289,423 Deferred tax liabilities 1,807 Total liabilities 2,393,318 Total equity and liabilities 2,389,037 The financial statements were approved by the Board of directors and authorised for issue on 31 August 2016. Signed on its behalf by: .............................. .............................. Mr J Khan Mr S Khan Director Director Company Registration No. 09520543





VIA DEVELOPMENTS PLC

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2016

Called up share capital Accumulated losses Total equity    Loss for the year - (54,281) (54,281) Issue of share capital 50,000 - 50,000 Balance at 31 March 2016 50,000 (54,281) (4,281)

VIA DEVELOPMENTS PLC

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2016
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After his loss to Republican Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., by five points in 2010, the results of a new Monmouth University Poll suggest former Senator Russ Feingold, D-Wis., is poised to reclaim the seat this November. Fifty-four percent of likely Wisconsin voters said they support Feingold, while 41 percent prefer Johnson. Another 2 percent back Libertarian Phil Anderson, and just 3 percent are undecided. 'It looks like Feingold could get a bit of redemption for that stinging loss in 2010,' said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute. While Johnson has a positive 44 percent to 38 percent job approval rating, Monmouth noted Feingold is better known and better liked overall. The Monmouth survey of 404 likely Wisconsin voters was conducted August 27th through 30th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. 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.
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Mondo, the leading IT and digital marketing resourcing company, announced today that it has been selected for Inc. Magazine's list of the fastest growing companies, the Inc. 5000, for the third year in a row. This prestigious list ranks the most successful private companies in the U.S., by overall growth during a three year period.

"We are honored to be included in the Inc. 5000 for the third year in a row, recognizing our rapid growth and continued success," said Michael Kirven, Founder and CEO of Mondo. "At Mondo, we pride ourselves on constantly innovating and working with our clients to provide the best professionals for their hiring needs."

The 2016 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc., is the most competitive crop in the list's history. The companies on the list collectively generated 640,000 jobs over the last three years, or about eight percent of all jobs created in the entire economy during that period. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles, can be found online at www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Mondo

Mondo is a professional services organization here to support your tech and digital marketing needs. We provide resources on a contract, contract-to-hire and permanent basis. Our in-house digital marketing agency, MondoLabs, specializes in delivering tech-forward solutions in the form of one-time projects and ongoing support. Every day we're helping clients drive their businesses forward by providing access to critical technology and digital marketing resources at a moment's notice. For 15 years, Mondo has been delivering staffing solutions that bridge the talent gap and accelerate technology and digital marketing innovation for global brands including Deutsche Bank, Facebook, NBC Universal, ZipCar, eBay, Random House, and many more. Headquartered in New York City, Mondo has offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Denver, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta. To learn more, visit www.mondo.com or call 212-257-5111 and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

For more media information, contact:

Lisa Hendrickson

LCH Communications for Mondo

516-767-8390

Email Contact




SMYRNA, TN -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Franke, the largest stainless steel kitchen sink manufacturer in the world and a leading name in kitchen faucets, has been selected as a winner in the Kitchen Sink category of the fourth-annual Kitchen & Bath Business Readers' Choice Awards. More than 11,000 kitchen and bath professionals, including designers, dealers, architects and builders, voted in 25 categories to choose the 2016 winners.

In the "kitchen sink" category, readers were asked to judge each brand based on criteria that included installation type, stain resistance and durability, configuration, style, and aesthetics. Local availability, pricing and client support were also considered.

"We so appreciate Kitchen & Bath Business readers for recognizing Franke as among the best kitchen sink manufacturers on the market," said Gary Langbo, President of Franke Kitchen Systems. "For more than 100 years, we've combined quality, craftsmanship, performance, and innovation to transform the kitchen into the heart of the home. Our sinks fulfill the aspirations of those who love to cook and entertain, and we thank the thousands of kitchen and bath professionals whose vote of confidence has inspired us to keep kitchen sinks on the cutting edge well into the next century."

In addition to award-winning sinks, Franke, founded in Switzerland in 1911, offers a range of kitchen solutions that integrate impeccable design details with superior construction. Its innovations include stainless steel construction that is virtually indestructible; eco-friendly composting features; and its signature "integral ledge," which transforms the ordinary sink into a multifunctional workspace with the addition of a raised edge inside the bowl that accommodates accessories such as wire rack shelves, colanders and cutting boards.

About Franke

Franke is the largest stainless steel kitchen sink manufacturer in the world and a leading name in kitchen faucets; hot- and cold-water filtration; topmount, undermount and apron front sinks; and waste disposers. Headquartered in Aarburg, Switzerland, the Franke Group is a leading provider of solutions and equipment for domestic kitchens, bathrooms, professional food service, coffee preparation and beverage delivery. The group employs 9,000 people at 68 subsidiaries on four continents, and exports to over 100 countries. For more information, visit www.franke.us/ks.

Media Contact:

Laura Stephens

DVL Seigenthaler

laura.stephens@dvlseigenthaler.com




LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Nativo, the leading native advertising technology platform, today announced its international expansion into Europe with the opening of an office in London. Nativo also announced the appointment of Lindsey Clarke as Managing Director to extend Nativo's presence with European brands, agencies, and publishers.

Expansion into the European marketplace continues Nativo's tremendous reach powering multi-site native in the U.S. The move into the United Kingdom ensures Nativo services the UK divisions of U.S. publications that the company currently serves. It also positions the company to work with additional UK pubs, both multi-site and multi-pub operations.

"We're looking to provide more on-the-ground support for Nativo's existing customers that have publisher operations in Europe so the time is right for a London office," said Nativo CEO Justin Choi. "And Lindsey brings to Nativo a deep, first-hand understanding of the immediate and long-term needs for EU marketers and publishers. We are excited to have her work with us to bring our advanced native innovations to the market there."

Clarke has 13 years of experience in the digital media space. She will lead the UK office and be responsible for building publisher relations in Europe. She joins Nativo after serving as Vice President of global advertising strategy at Krux, where she led all data-driven go-to-market strategies for publishers globally. Prior to that, she built the publisher development group at Acxiom. Before serving at Acxiom, she ran the publisher development department at AudienceScience and worked at Rubicon Project.

"Nativo is the only truly unified native ad platform specifically built to put content front and center," said Clarke. "Global brand marketers using our platform want to reach the best publications and audiences all over the world, and I'm thrilled to be part of a world-class team helping them do so with the very best solutions our industry has to offer."

This continues a year of tremendous growth for Nativo, which opened a Chicago office, formed a unique partnership with the Associated Press, and was awarded the first patent for sponsored content distribution.

This story first appeared in The Drum and MediaPost.

About Nativo

Nativo is the leading advertising technology platform for brand advertisers and publishers to scale, automate, and measure native ads. For brands, Nativo is the ultimate content advertising platform that combines automation and insights with high quality reach to scale and optimize engagement with brand content. For media companies, Nativo provides a complete native technology stack that makes it easy to sell, deploy, and optimize native ads across their media properties expanding their revenue potential while delivering a better, non-interruptive experience for their audiences. More than 400 brands and 400 publishers leverage Nativo's platform to power their next-generation digital advertising. Learn more at www.nativo.net.

Contact:

Diane Anderson

danderson@WITStrategy.com




The lifting of the foreign-ownership cap could see money flooding in from overseas.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has instructed the government's investment arm State Capital and Investment Corp. (SCIC) to continue selling stakes in 10 state-owned enterprises in a bid to boost the stock market and fund the country's widening budget deficit.

The companies include Vinamilk, the countrys largest listed firm, and beer giants Sabeco and Habeco.

The government currently owns more than 89 percent in Sabeco and 82 percent in Habeco, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Sabeco, or Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corp, dominates the domestic market, especially in the countrys southern region, while Habeco, or the Hanoi Beer Alcohol Beverage Corp, ranks second after Sabeco. Both brewers are among the few state-owned enterprises that are performing relatively well.

The share sales in these state-owned companies are expected to help the Vietnamese government raise about VND150 trillion ($6.7 billion).

The government is planning to sell its 45 percent stake in Vinamilk after scrapping the long standing foreign-ownership cap on the stock, allowing foreign investors to own a 100 percent stake in the dairy company.

This could encourage parties from overseas to pay a higher premium than local investors to get their hands on the shares. The governments 45 percent stake in Vinamilk is currently valued at about $4.5 billion on the stock market.

It is estimated that the government could rake in more than $5 billion after the State Capital and Investment Corp. successfully divests from 10 companies, including Vinamilk, technology giant FPT and insurer Bao Minh.

The divestments are expected to soar to nearly $7 billion following share sales in Habeco and Sabeco.

Thai Beverage PCL, Thailand's leading beverage conglomerate, has expressed interest in buying a stake in Sabeco for $2 billion. Heineken, Asahi and SABMiller have also been named as potential buyers of Sabeco.

The government has already approved a strategic partnership between Habeco and Carlsberg under which Carlsberg is allowed to acquire a 10 percent stake in the Hanoi-based brewer for an estimated $400 million.

This fresh privatization push comes at a time when the country is grappling with a widening budget deficit which is forecast to increase to 6.5 percent of this years gross domestic product.

Go-ahead for more transparent privatization of state-owned enterprises

After years of on-and-off efforts to privatize state-owned enterprise, the problem remains that the Vietnamese government wants to sell its assets for the best possible prices, but the lack of transparency has cut into the actual profit the government is supposed to earn from these sales.

Besides, the government cant expect foreign investors to pay a high price for a stake in a company that they know nothing about.

Through transparent public tenders, company valuations will be done properly, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting Monday.

He added that company valuations will be viewed separately from land ownership amid concerns that investors are interested in buying stakes in state-owned companies mainly to acquire land plots in some of the most sought-after locations in major cities.

Vietnam also expects special interest groups may be an obstacle as it accelerates the privatization of state-owned enterprises.

The government will divest further from state-owned companies and these divestments must be done in accordance with market forces, said Phuc, referring to it as an effective way to resolve possible friction caused by interest groups.

The Prime Minister has ordered Sabeco and Habeco to go public before the government makes any move to divest from the two brewers.

Vietnam is quickening share sales in state-owned companies because it needs the money to alleviate the budget deficit and reduce burdensome public debt.

However, in order to keep the stock market from overheating, the government has yet to indicate a specific timeline.

Related news:

>Privatization helps Vietnamese contractors compete with foreign players

>Privatization quickens as investors lay eyes on

>Vietnam to retain state control of enterprises in national security and defense

>Mega bargain: Vietnam SOE sells unused dock 13 times less than buying price
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- International Frontier Resources Corporation (TSX VENTURE: IFR) today reported results for the six months ended June 30, 2016. In the period the Company recorded a loss of $945,145 ($0.01 per share) versus a loss of $597,365 ($0.01 per share) in 2015. For the six month period ended June 30, 2016 net oil revenue was $102,760 versus $228,410 at June 30, 2015. Revenue in the period was down as a result of lower oil production and lower oil prices, $36.27 per barrel for the six months ended June 30, 2016 versus $47.98 for the same period in 2015. At June 30, 2016 cash and cash equivalents were $2,705,165 and working capital was $2,602,435. The Company's financial statements and related management discussion and analysis have been filed on Sedar and posted on the Company's website.

International Frontier is an independent oil and gas company focused on projects in Mexico, the Northwest Territories and South Eastern Alberta, Canada, and Montana. The Company's shares are listed and trade on the TSX Venture Exchange trading under the symbol IFR.

For additional information please visit www.internationalfrontier.com.

"Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility or accuracy of this release". The Company seeks Safe Harbor.

Contacts:

Steve Hanson

President

(604) 671-6982



Pat Boswell

CEO

(403) 215-2781




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/31/16 -- Aurcana Corporation (TSX: AUN) - ("Aurcana" or the "Company") today announced that it has received the results of an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment (the "PEA") for its 100%-owned Shafter Project oxide silver deposit in Texas ("Shafter" or the "Project").

The PEA incorporates the results of the Company's recent mineral resource estimate, as disclosed in the Company's news release dated January 12, 2016 (the "Resource Estimate"). The PEA is based on reopening the existing Aurcana underground access ramp, recommissioning of the existing leach-milling operation at 600 tons per day (TPD). This approach will focus on higher-grade mineralization and improved silver recovery.

Kevin Drover, President & CEO of Aurcana noted, "The PEA is a significant step forward for Aurcana. It provides a solid foundation for advancing the Project to the next stages of development. The fully permitted Shafter deposit is ideally poised in terms of project economics, with existing underground development, a mill and established infrastructure."

PEA HIGHLIGHTS:

-- Base Case(i) post-tax NPV (5% discount rate) of $18 million, internal rate of return ("IRR") of 40.9%. Aurcana has sufficient U.S. based tax losses to offset Federal tax liabilities. -- Initial capital costs of approximately $13.2 million, including $1.1 million contingency. -- Pre-production development of less than one year. -- Mine production of just over 6 years. -- Net average post-tax undiscounted operating cash flow of approximately $5.5 million per year. -- Life of Mine payable production of 9.3 million ounces of silver -- Average annual silver production during first six years of operation of 1.5 million ounces -- Life of mine average silver recovery of 81.73% -- Payback is approximately 1.7 year

(i)Base Case uses $20/oz silver.

The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the economic results described in the PEA will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

The Base Case discounted cash flows in the PEA are provided both pre-tax and post-tax, and are prepared in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") of the Canadian Securities Administrators. The PEA was completed by Mine Development Associates ("MDA"), and Samuel Engineering, Inc. ("Samuel"), both independent engineering firms. Unless otherwise noted, a reference to "$" in this news release is to United States currency. Due to rounding, some of the totals in the tables in this news release may not sum exactly.

Table 1 summarizes key economic indicators from the PEA. A pre-tax analysis of the cashflow from the project was completed. The property incurred in excess of $100 million in losses that Aurcana believes is available to offset any U.S. Federal tax liability of the property. Since any taxes due should be reduced by the prior property losses, the pre-tax and after tax evaluation will be the same with the exception of the Texas Franchise Tax (0.75% of adjusted revenue).

Table 1. Key Economic Indicators ($20/oz Silver Base Case).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parameter PEA Base Case(i) Results ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post-tax IRR 40.9% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post-tax NPV (5%) $18 million ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post-tax Payback 1.7 years ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Initial CAPEX (Including contingency) $13.2 million ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total CAPEX (Including sustaining and contingency) $52.6 million ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Average Annual Silver Production for first 6 years 1.5 million ounces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life of Mine Silver Production 9.3 million ounces ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table 2 summarizes the metal price sensitivity of the main economic outputs of the PEA.

Table 2. Sensitivity of Shafter PEA Key Economic Indicators (Post-Tax).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Low Case Base Case High Case ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silver Price $/oz $18 $20 $22 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- $ Post Tax NPV (5%) Million 3.4 18.0 32.6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- IRR % 11.9 40.9 69.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Payback Period Years 6.7 1.7 1.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net Average Annual Operating Free $ Cash Flow (Post Tax) Million 2.9 5.5 8.1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: The Base Case metal prices are based on a review of current analyst consensus reports and recent SEDAR filings for similar reports.

The key economic indicators are summarized on an annual basis in Table 3.

Table 3. Key Economic Indicators by Year

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Key Economic of Indicator Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Mine ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recovered Ag Ounces (millions) 1.8 1.7 1.4 1.1 1.3 1.5 0.5 9.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- State Franchise Tax ($millions) 0.18 0.18 0.15 0.11 0.14 0.16 0.05 0.96 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Post Franchise Tax Revenue ($millions) 34.3 33.6 27.6 21.0 25.6 29.9 9.0 181.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Operating Costs ($millions) 14.7 14.7 16.4 17.4 17.3 17.3 5.2 103.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post Tax Net Profit ($millions) 19.6 18.8 11.2 3.7 8.3 12.7 3.8 78.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- $/Ton Milled 70.20 70.20 78.00 82.66 82.63 82.32 77.72 77.67 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Operating Cost per Ounce ($/oz Ag) 8.4 8.6 11.6 16.2 13.1 11.2 11.3 11.1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

MINING OPERATION

The PEA contemplates an underground mine at Shafter maximizing the use of the extensive pre-existing underground development and feeding the modified existing mill at a rate of 600 tons per day (TPD). Mining will use conventional mechanized methods. The total mill throughput in the PEA is estimated to be 1.3 million tons, of which 59% are currently classified in the Resource Estimate as Measured and Indicated material, and 41% are currently classified as Inferred material. A 5 oz/t breakeven cutoff grade was reflected in the underground mine design. The breakeven cut-off incorporates grade, mine and process plant operating costs and recovery data.

MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE

MDA completed the updated Resource Estimate for the Shafter deposit in January 2016 - see Aurcana news release dated January 12, 2016 and the technical report dated January 11, 2016, titled "Technical Report on the Shafter Silver Project, Presidio County, Texas", which is filed on SEDAR.

Key Features:

-- The Shafter drill-hole assay database contains 20,006 silver assays from 1,694 drill holes. Of the drill holes, 155 were drilled by Aurcana. The majority of drill holes (992 holes) in the database are underground core holes completed by American Metal Company ("Amax") prior to 1942, followed by Gold Fields Mining with 403 holes. -- Silver grades fall into two natural populations as low- and high-grade silver domains. The low-grade domain is associated with weakly fractured and silicified limestone characterized by silver grades between 0.8 ounces Ag/ton and 5.0 ounces Ag/ton. The high-grade domain (greater than 5.0 ounces Ag/ton) is associated with strongly silicified, fractured limestone. -- Resource blocks having five percent or greater underground workings were removed from the classified mineral resource. -- Compositing was done to 4-foot down-hole lengths, matching the model block size and honoring all mineral-domain boundaries. -- Four tonnage factors ranging from 12 to 14 ft3/ton were used, reflecting low-grade, high-grade domains, non-mineralized units and zones of clay or rubble. -- The reported mineral resources were estimated by inverse-distance to the third power to estimate the grade of each block; ordinary kriging and nearest-neighbor estimates were used for comparison and validation. The stated resource is fully diluted to 10 foot by 10 foot by 4 foot blocks and is tabulated on a silver cutoff grade of 4.0 ounces Ag/ton.

Kevin Drover, President and CEO of Aurcana commented, "The updated resource estimates reflect the experiences and knowledge gained by Aurcana's engineers and geologists during three years of development at Shafter. Sophisticated modeling and the application of stringent modeling parameters has resulted in a tightly constrained model of the deposit that has an attractive grade with potential to be expanded by successful in-fill and step-out exploration drilling. Additional drilling, underground mapping and sampling, geotechnical work and targeted metallurgical tests are recommended by MDA".

Table 4 shows the mineral resources at a series of silver cutoff grades, 4 oz/t silver cutoff grade is the basis for the reported resource estimate. The effective date of the resource estimate is December 11, 2015 and the resource estimate was prepared by Paul Tietz, C.P.G of MDA an independent qualified person within the meaning of NI 43-101.

Table 4. Shafter Deposit Mineral Resources - December 11, 2015.

Shafter Measured Resources Cutoff (oz Ag/ton) Tons Ag oz/t Contained Silver Ounces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 220,000 5.55 1,200,000 3 170,000 7.39 1,006,000 4 100,000 8.73 888,000 5 80,000 9.77 799,000 6 70,000 10.70 719,000 7 60,000 11.68 637,000 8 50,000 12.53 567,000 9 40,000 13.49 494,000 10 30,000 14.48 426,000 12 20,000 16.84 299,000 15 10,000 20.14 185,000 20 3,000 25.71 80,000 Shafter Indicated Resources Cutoff (oz Ag/ton) Tons Ag oz/t Contained Silver Ounces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 2,490,000 5.60 13,967,000 3 1,940,000 7.56 11,646,000 4 1,110,000 9.15 10,171,000 5 880,000 10.41 9,114,000 6 710,000 11.53 8,230,000 7 580,000 12.69 7,363,000 8 470,000 13.89 6,550,000 9 380,000 15.22 5,757,000 10 310,000 16.47 5,122,000 12 210,000 19.07 4,039,000 15 130,000 22.67 2,954,000 20 60,000 28.71 1,772,000 Measured and Indicated Resources Cutoff (oz Ag/ton) Tons Ag oz/t Contained Silver Ounces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 2,710,000 5.60 15,167,000 3 2,110,000 6.00 12,652,000 4 1,210,000 9.14 11,059,000 5 960,000 10.33 9,913,000 6 780,000 11.47 8,949,000 7 640,000 12.50 8,000,000 8 520,000 13.69 7,117,000 9 420,000 14.88 6,251,000 10 340,000 16.32 5,548,000 12 230,000 18.86 4,338,000 15 140,000 22.42 3,139,000 20 63,000 29.40 1,852,000 Inferred Resources Cutoff (oz Ag/ton) Tons Ag oz/t Contained Silver Ounces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 2,610,000 4.29 11,189,000 3 1,370,000 6.00 8,193,000 4 870,000 7.47 6,511,000 5 650,000 8.49 5,518,000 6 490,000 9.47 4,649,000 7 370,000 10.41 3,887,000 8 280,000 11.45 3,160,000 9 200,000 12.50 2,549,000 10 150,000 13.57 2,044,000 12 70,000 16.25 1,207,000 15 40,000 19.28 712,000 20 10,000 24.34 267,000 Notes: 1. MDA is reporting the resources at cutoff grades that are reasonable for deposits of this nature that will be mined by underground methods. As such, some economic considerations were used to determine cutoff grades at which the resource is presented. MDA considered reasonable metal prices and extraction costs and recoveries, albeit in a general sense, and then dropping the resource cut-off grade a bit to account for that material that would become mill feed using internal cutoffs. 2. No assumptions were made for mining recovery. 3. An external dilution factor was not considered during this resource estimation. 4. Internal dilution within a 10 foot x 10 foot x 4 foot SMU (selective mining unit) was considered. 5. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. 6. Rounding errors may occur.

METALLURGY AND PROCESSING

Samuel Engineering was retained to review the metallurgy of the Shafter deposit as well as assess the suitability of the existing 1,500 TPD process plant and estimate process operating and capital costs. The Shafter mine has a history of operations and test work that indicate the mineralization is amenable to several techniques of beneficiation and extraction. Though slight improvements in recovery can be achieved through concentration of the mill feed and focused leaching, the main factor for achieving desirable recovery is affected by grinding and cyanide leaching.

Predicted recovery rates are dependent on the head grade due to a relatively constant tails grade. The consistency of the tails grade is due to occluded silver and silver mineral, locked in quartz or jarosite minerals at or below 10 micron range. Practically all the non-encapsulated silver appears to be recoverable, making the recovery prediction highly dependent on the mill feed head grade.

The Shafter mine processing facility proposed in the PEA will use whole cyanide leach to extract silver from the mill feed. Metal recovery will be accomplished using a standard Merrill Crowe CCD zinc precipitation method. Run of mine material will be crushed to a nominal 1 inch crushed product using a single jaw crusher for primary crushing and a cone crusher in closed circuit with a product screen.

Milling to the final leach feed product size of 80 percent passing 74 microns will be achieved by a single ball mill in closed circuit with cyclones for classification. The leach tanks are designed for 72 hour retention to achieve an estimated silver extraction rate of 82 percent. The slurry from the leach circuit will report to the counter current decantation (CCD) circuit using four thickeners for cleaning of the slurry of pregnant leach solution at an anticipated efficiency of 96 percent. The pregnant solution from the CCD circuit will flow to the deaeration vessel and then to the zinc precipitation circuit. Cleaned residue from the CCD circuit is pumped to the tailings plate and frame filters for one final wash before the residue cake is conveyed to a tailings load out area where it will be haul to a lined dry stacked tailings storage facility.

The zinc precipitation circuit will mix zinc with silver bearing pregnant solution causing the silver to precipitate from solution. The Silver precipitated slurry is pumped through the zinc precipitation filters to capture the silver as a cake. The silver precipitate cake is transferred to a retort for drying and to remove any contained mercury which will be collected for removal off site. The dried cake from the retort is then mixed with flux and melted in a gas fired furnace for pouring in silver dore. The silver dore is stored in a safe until it is shipped off site to a refiner.

CAPITAL COSTS

The pre-production capital cost estimate includes the mine capital expenditures, environmental costs, owner's and indirect costs, preparation of the existing mill, expansion of the CCD circuit, addition of instrumentation and contingency. The mine equipment is assumed purchased in year 1 with 25% down payment during the preproduction period.

Sustaining capital costs include mine equipment replacement, infrastructure upgrades and reclamation costs.

Development capital costs for the PEA are reflective of the condition of the present underground workings and work necessary to recommence underground mining operations.

Initial capital and sustaining capital costs for the PEA, summarized below in Table 5, were estimated using current data and pricing.

Table 5. Summary of Shafter capital cost estimates.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Category Capital Cost ($ Millions) --------------------------------------------------- Sustaining Pre-Production Capital Total Capital ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mine 3.6 34.4 38.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Processing & Indirects 7.1 1.2 8.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Environmental & Closure 0 .7 .7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Owner's Costs 1.4 0 1.4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contingency 1.1 3.1 4.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 13.2 36.3 52.6 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

OPERATING COSTS

Total operating costs for the Project are estimated to be $77.67/ton of mill feed. Mining costs were estimated as $40/ton milled. Table 6 below shows a breakdown of the operating cost categories on an average cost per ton of mill feed basis.

Table 6. Summary of PEA operating cost estimates.

Operating Cost $/ton milled ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mining (mill feed and waste) 40.00 Cement for paste fill 4.75 Paste Plant and Distribution 1.32 Surface Transport 1.40 Processing 21.70 G&A 8.50 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total On-Site Costs 77.67

PERMITTING

Permits required for the development of the Shafter project are in place. Aurcana is not aware of any permitting-related impediment to commencing operations.

AURCANA NEAR-TERM DEVELOPMENT AND EXPLORATION PLANS

With the release of a positive PEA study, Aurcana believes future work should include commencing the rehabilitation of the Shafter ramp which will permit establishment of underground drill stations to begin definition drilling.

Additional exploration and advanced engineering studies include:

-- In-fill and step-out drilling. -- Variability tests of potential mill feed to confirm process plant performance and -- Refinement of engineering studies (mining, process, geotechnical, infrastructure, operating and capital cost estimation, etc.).

PEA PREPARATION AND QUALIFIED PERSONS

The PEA was completed independently by Mine Development Associates, Reno and Samuel Engineering, Denver. The information in this news release that relates to the geology, resources and mining portions of the PEA was prepared by: Neil Prenn, P.Eng. and Paul Tietz, CPG, both from MDA. The information in this news release that relates to the processing and metallurgy portions of the PEA was prepared by: George Burgermeister P.E., of Samuel Engineering. Mr. Prenn, Mr. Tietz and Mr. Burgermeister are each independent qualified persons within the meaning of NI 43-101.

Jerry Blackwell, P.Geo., Director of Aurcana, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

A technical report supporting the PEA will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days.

ABOUT SHAFTER

-- Silver mineralization at Shafter occurs as sub-horizontal bodies of variably silicified oxide mineralization in Permian limestone. Mineralization occurs over a 13,000 feet east-northeast strike length, is locally up to 1,200 feet across, and is locally up to 20 feet thick. Thicknesses and silver grades can be highly variable. -- The western end of the Shafter Deposit was first exploited by the Presidio Mining Company from 1883 to 1926, when the American Metal Co. acquired the property and continued production (American Metal Co. subsequently merged with Climax Molybdenum Company to form American Metal Climax Inc., or Amax). From 1883 to 1942, when the Presidio mine was closed, total recorded production was 2.307 million tons of ore containing 35.153 million ounces of silver at an average grade of 15.24 ounces Ag/ton. The operation was then known as the Presidio Mine. -- Gold Fields Mining Corporation ("Gold Fields") held the Shafter property 1977 to 1982. Gold Fields identified the northeastern, down-dip extension of the Shafter deposit, extending more than 5,000 feet from the deepest development workings in the Presidio mine, through a systematic surface-drilling program. During the 1980s, Gold Fields sunk a 1,052-foot shaft to access and explore this extension. -- Rio Grande Mining Company ("RGMC") acquired Shafter in 1994 and in 2008 RGMC was purchased by Aurcana. Aurcana began exploration at Shafter in 2011 and has conducted geophysical surveying, drilling, mapping, and geochemical sampling since that time. Aurcana re-entered the old Presidio mine through a new decline in June 2012 with limited production commencing in December 2012 from mineralized materials found adjacent to Amax's old stopes. During this time a mill, mineral processing plant and silver-recovery facility were constructed and brought on-line. The operation was placed on care and maintenance in December 2013.

ABOUT AURCANA CORPORATION

Aurcana Corporation owns the Shafter Silver Project in Texas, US. The Shafter Silver Project was put on care and maintenance in December 2013, in part due to depressed silver prices.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF AURCANA CORPORATION

Kevin Drover, President & CEO

CAUTIONARY NOTES

This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "expect", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "predict", "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward looking statements concerning the anticipated future results of mining activities on the Shafter property, including economic results thereof. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward looking statements because the Company cannot give any assurance that they will prove correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, they involve inherent assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of assumptions, factors and risks. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to, assumptions and risks associated with the result of drilling and exploration activities, that contracted parties provide goods and/or services on the agreed timeframes, risks related to future metals prices, that equipment necessary for exploration is available as scheduled and does not incur unforeseen break downs, that no labour shortages or delays are incurred, that plant and equipment function as specified, that no unusual geological or technical problems occur, and that laboratory and other related services are available and perform as contracted.

Management has provided the above summary of risks and assumptions related to forward looking statements in this press release in order to provide readers with a more comprehensive perspective on the Company's future operations. The Company's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive from them. These forward looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

Contacts:

Aurcana Corporation

(604) 331-9333

www.aurcana.com



Aurcana Corporation

Gary Lindsey

Corporate Communications

(720)-273-6224

gary@strata-star.com




Announced today at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, results of census will inform major conservation policy decisions worldwide to ensure African elephants' survival

HONOLULU, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Inc. today announced the alarming results of the Great Elephant Census (GEC), the first-ever pan-African survey of savanna elephants. Revealed today at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, the GEC shows a decline of 30 percent in African savanna elephant populations in 15 of the 18 countries surveyed.[1]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402412

"This was an extraordinary collaboration across borders, cultures and jurisdictions. We completed a successful survey of massive scale, and what we learned is deeply disturbing," said philanthropist and Vulcan founder Paul Allen. "Armed with this knowledge of dramatically declining elephant populations, we share a collective responsibility to take action and we must all work to ensure the preservation of this iconic species."

Over a two-year period, using standardized data collection and validation methods, the GEC accurately determined the number and distribution of the great majority of African savanna elephants and provides a baseline for future surveys and trend analyses.

Final results show:

Savanna elephant populations declined by 30 percent (equal to 144,000 elephants) between 2007 and 2014. [2]

(equal to 144,000 elephants) between 2007 and 2014. The current rate of decline is 8 percent per year, primarily due to poaching . The rate of decline accelerated from 2007 to 2014.

. The rate of decline accelerated from 2007 to 2014. 352,271 elephants were counted in the 18 countries surveyed. This figure represents at least 93 percent of savanna elephants in these countries.

surveyed. This figure represents at least 93 percent of savanna elephants in these countries. Eighty-four percent of the population surveyed was sighted in legally protected areas while 16 percent were in unprotected areas. However, high numbers of elephant carcasses were discovered in many protected areas, indicating that elephants are struggling both inside and outside parks.

"If we can't save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africa's wildlife?" said Mike Chase, GEC principal investigator and founder of Elephants Without Borders. "I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come."

Beyond a significant amount of his personal time and effort, Paul Allen spent more than $7 million to fund and manage the project, create the technology, and make the census results available online.

"This project required a herculean effort on the part of many partners since its launch in December 2013, with 81 airplanes and 286 crew members flying roughly 463,000 kilometers to complete the survey," said Vulcan Wildlife Conservation Director James Deutsch. "We want to recognize the collaboration and critical contributions of wildlife department staff in the 18 countries surveyed along with our lead NGO, Elephants Without Borders; the 90 scientists, our technical advisory group and other NGO partners, without which this undertaking would not have been possible."

At least two-thirds of the continental savanna elephant population figures reported in IUCN's 2016 African Elephant Status Report (AESR) come from the GEC results. The report will be published in advance of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP17) in Johannesburg, South Africa. This updated AESR will be used to shape major policy decisions about the future of elephants.

Deeply troubled by what the GEC revealed, Mr. Allen has made elephant conservation a top priority and is working with individuals, organizations and governments from around the world to ensure that future generations will be able to see elephants with their eyes and not just read about them in books.

New initiatives include the launch of a forest elephant census in regions where poaching is thought to have devastated herds and adequate population data is critically needed. Vulcan has also developed a visual data platform that provides real-time intelligence for protected management areas. The new system has been deployed as a pilot program in Kenya.

Finally, to generate a broader understanding of the critical plight of African elephants, Paul Allen's Vulcan Productions is releasing two films this year - "The Ivory Game," an undercover feature-documentary, set to expose the dark world of ivory trafficking; and "Naledi: A Baby Elephant's Tale," the true story of a baby elephant born into an elephant rehabilitation program in Botswana and is orphaned at the age of one month.

For more information on the GEC results, please see:

The African Elephant Atlas , an interactive web-based data visualization of Vulcan's Great Elephant Census Report

, an interactive web-based data visualization of Vulcan's Great Elephant Census Report Principal Investigator, Mike Chase's "Continent-wide survey reveals massive decline in African savanna elephants," paper.

Those interested in further updates can follow along on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and Paper.li.

[1] In total, 18 countries were surveyed but comparable data is only available for 15 countries.

[2] For the large populations sampled by the GEC in 15 of 18 countries flown and for which a comparable previous count was available.








When it comes to aspects of Indian history that have been depicted in Hindi films, we have a fairly small, circumscribed set of events that have been brought to the big screen so far.

Hoping to change that is the film 31st October, starring Vir Das and Soha Ali Khan.

The film attempts to trace the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, and the backlash against the Sikh community in Delhi.

Vir and Soha portray a young Sikh couple who live in the capital with their two little boys.

When the Sikhs are hunted down, the couple must find a way to take their children (and themselves) to safety. Will they succeed?

The trailer of 31st October, released on 31 August, doesn't let on all that much.

It does give a glimpse, however, of a carnage that not too many in India now dwell on.

In one of the sections of his book The Way Things Were, the writer Aatish Taseer had written very poignantly of the struggles of a Sikh family in the post-Indira Gandhi assassination era in Delhi: It made the fear, the humiliation of the proud community so very real.

The trailer for 31st October doesn't give us enough to go by, on whether or not it will manage to adequately bring out the horror of that time in 1984, and of the tragedy so indelibly linked with that period of modern Indian history. But we can definitely hope that it will.

Watch the trailer for 31st October here:
Mumbai: Actress Rhea Chakraborty, who was shooting for the upcoming film Half Girlfriend in Cape Town, South Africa, had a fan girl moment when she got a chance to meet Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham.

The actor is seen playing Davos Seaworth in the popular American fantasy drama TV series.

"I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan and watch every episode twice. I was in Cape Town at a sushi bar when I saw Davos trying to be incognito," Rhea said in a statement.

"I understood his sentiments and went up to him containing all my excitement and told him that if he lets me sit with him and get a few photographs, I wouldn't make a big deal about it at the bar," she added.

And the "blackmail" worked.

"He was amazing and even bought me a glass of wine," Rhea, best known for her roles in films like Mere Dad Ki Maruti and Sonali Cable, said.

Guess who ? Davos seaworth from #GameofThrones met him at a sushi bar in Capetown! #Liamcunningham #fangirlmoment pic.twitter.com/Z6oErAr8I4  Rhea Chakraborty (@Tweet2Rhea) August 9, 2016

Directed by Mohit Suri, Half Girlfriend is based on the novel of the same name written by Chetan Bhagat.

The film stars Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.
Director Richard Linklater has a kitty full of critically acclaimed films to his name. He is credited with bringing to light the famed romantic trilogy Before Sunset, Before Sunrise and Before Midnight and the critically acclaimed film Boyhood, which took more than a decade to film.

Linklater recently announced his new venture 'Last Flag Flying' and also gave us a glimpse at the star cast.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Linklater is assembling a star cast with the likes of Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne to join his new directorial venture which is going to be a spiritual successor to 1973s The Last Detail directed by Hal Ashby.

The 1973 film had Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid and Otis Young playing the lead roles.

The film, which was the adaptation of Darryl Ponsican's novel of the same name, was a dramatic comedy about two Navy men escorting a third for prison for petty crime, all the while showing him how to have a good time. The Last Detail was nominated for three Oscars, and Nicholson won a BAFTA for his work.

Linklater had showed interest in directing the sequel ever since Ponsican published Last Flag Flying in 2005. The sequel reunites the trio living it up in post-9/11 America. The three reunite to help their former prisoner to bring home the body of his son who was killed in the line of fire in the Iraq war.

The synopsis of the book on Amazon.in states that:

"Darryl Ponicsan never imagined that his first novel, "The Last Detail", called by one critic "...the first underground triumph of the 70s..." would be a continuing story."The Last Detail", called by one critic "...the first underground triumph of the 70s..." would be a continuing story. With the invasion of Iraq, however, the same elements that inspired the original - injustice, a senseless war, men of honor and duty caught in untenable positions - compelled him to revisit Billy Bad-Ass, Mule, and the hapless Meadows, and to see how his characters were faring in post-9/11 American life. The result is "Last Flag Flying", a story as tough and tender. sad and funny. as "The Last Detail". The boy Billy and Mule escorted to prison has come back into their lives, now a grieving man of 52, with a gut-wrenching request they cannot deny. What follows is a retracing of their steps from 34 years before, a journey from Norfolk, Virginia, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on a mission as heart-breaking - and as exhilarating - as the first."
Mumbai: Nearly one lakh autorickshaws went off the roads here on Wednesday during a day-long strike to press for regulation of app-based cab services, hitting commuters hard with many stranded in several places across the metropolis.

Protesting rickshaw owners and drivers under the Mumbai Autorickshawmen's Union are demanding effective regulation on business operation of popular app-based taxi aggregators like Ola and Uber including their pricing strategy to attract customers.

"The government has miserably failed to regulate the practice of transportation of passengers via cab services booked through call centres which are making a dent in our business," Union leader Shashank Rao told PTI.

"And not only this, they are eating into our livelihood without following any rules. We resorted to this strike as we had no option left. The transport ministry has turned a deaf ear to our legitimate demands," said Rao.

The protesters are demanding that a badge be given to all rickshaw drivers and owners, who are in this business since three years without imposing any restrictions on them. Currently, there

Currently, there are 1.05 lakh registered rickshaws plying in the city and the Rao-led union claims to have over 90 percent of them in its fold.

"Out of these 1.05 lakh registered rickshaws, almost 98,000-99,000 rickshaws are off roads today which shows our strength," Rao added.

Meanwhile, a senior Transport department official said that it is unfortunate that despite being given an assurance from the government, they went ahead with the strike.

He, however, said that the administration has taken ample measures including plying of additional civic BEST buses to ferry commuters who are feeling the pinch due to the stir.

Manoj Varade, spokesperson of BEST undertaking told PTI, "Our administration has already given a free hand to all 27 bus depot managers across the city to operate additional services as per requirement."

Earlier on 29 August, two auto and taxi driver unions Jai Bhagwan Taxi Rickshaw Sangathana and Nitesh Rane-led Swabhimaan Sanghatana had put on hold their decision till 1 September to go an indefinite strike in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai after the Maharashtra government promised to look into their demands seriously.

Their three key demands included to put the operations of app-based cab aggregators on hold till rules and regulations are formulated by the state government, and if allowed, they should be asked to ply outside the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and they should be under the ambit of RTO rules and regulation.
E-commerce website Flipkarts latest advertisement featuring children as Gorkhas has drawn criticism from the Gorkha community, who reportedly called it simply racist.

Gorkha Youth and Students' Association of India (GYASA) has filed an official complaint with the Delhi police, CNN-News18 reported.

Their advertisement makes a mockery of the Gorkha community, and stereotypes us as being chowkidars, with overly-exaggerated and highly offensive Hindi accent, the complaint read.

On Tuesday, Flipkart reworked a group of ads but the petitioners said that they wont stop till the racist promotion campaign gets withdrawn, according to The Telegraph.

Members of the community have also filed a petition against the company and co-founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal in a Delhi court. It has been filed under Section 154 (A) and (B) for criminally conspiring with each other for defamation and hurting the religious sentiment of the Nepali/Gorkhali community, The Business Standard reported.

The petitioners allege that they were compelled to take this step after the company failed to respond to their pleas. The petition has also accused Mullen Lintas, the creative agency behind Flipkart ad, and Virat Tandon, chief executive at Mullen Lintas, the report further added.

Flipkart uploaded the ad on 19 August but the video has been taken down from YouTube. Binny Bansals tweet about the ad remains unavailable as well.

The kids are back https://t.co/8WXY2NP8Vx  binnybansal (@binnybansal) August 19, 2016

Rajan Chhetri, one of the petitioners, said that Flipkart has been very cold towards the communitys requests. However, the online retailer responded for the first time on Monday with "a note to our Gorkha brothers and sisters".

It acknowledged that "We (Flipkart) may have unintentionally hurt" sentiments "through the depiction of one of the characters in the advertisement, namely the security guard".

You can read the full letter here.

The company also urged the Gorkha community to enjoy the innocent humour of the communication while maintaining that their intention was never to typecast any community.

The ad for Flipkart Assured features a child dressed up as a Gorkha guard, distinguished by his Bhadgaule Topi and a Khukri badge. Khukri is a traditional Nepali knife.

You can watch the ad here:
Rakesh Agarwal, CEO, Magic Sewa, an online aggregator of cabs in Delhi-NCR, is the person who filed a petition against app-based cab aggregators in Delhi. He said in his petition that cab aggregators were violating Section 67 of the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA), 1988 by resorting to surge pricing. Surge pricing is when fares are hiked when the demand for taxis far exceeds supply.

Excerpts from the interview

Why are you against taxi aggregators?

I want everyone to follow the law. Our grievance is not with minimum fare. The Motor Law Act says that fixing of fares cannot be done only in the interest of consumers. The interest of taxi permit holders must be safeguarded, too. The government must ensure that there is no conflict with the latter and that there is no uneconomical competition. It is up to the government to decide on minimum fares. This is a fit case where the regulator should step in. It is also a case of anti trust. Unfortunately, Competition Commission of India (CCI) is not proactive and only acts on complaints, which also takes years.

Are you against private operators running businesses?

Not at all. Private businesses should run and flourish. They should have the flexibility but they cannot circumvent the law of the land as Ola and Uber are doing. They run diesel vehicles, do not have licences and are not concerned with maintaining the vehicles. Hence, the onus to comply with rules is on the owners of these vehicles.

What is your grievance?

Section 4 of the Competition Act 2002 says that if a company in a dominant position indulges in unfair and discriminatory practices -- that is defined as predatory pricing. Predatory pricing is explained as the sale of goods or provision of services at a price that is below the cost. Ola and Uber are buying rides from the drivers at Rs 25 a km and selling it for Rs 15 a km and giving the rest of the money as incentives to drivers. They dont pay insurance or maintenance charges and use this money to bribe drivers. No wonder they need billions of dollars to run their business. Selling at a loss is against section 4 of the Competition Act.

Do you know how Uber, for instance, works? An SMS is sent to a driver daily. It says, if you as a driver get daily revenues of Rs 3,500, Uber will top it to Rs 11,000. The slab is different as per the earnings. If a driver's revenue is Rs 2,900, then Uber will pay the driver Rs 8,500; Rs 2,300Rs 6,000, Rs 1,700-Rs 4,000, Rs 1,100-Rs 2,500, Rs 600-Rs 1,100. There is a line at the end of this table that says that for every Rs 6 per km charged to the customer, the company will pay the driver Rs 13 per km plus base fare plus per minute charge. What sort of a business model is this? They are killing competition in order to capture the market and once they accomplish that, they will do as they please. This has happened in China after Didi Chuixing took over. There are no discounts in China and we will see this repeating in India.

So will you go back to the Competition Commission of India?

The processes are so arduous with the CCI. An interim order takes at least a year. Fast Track Cab, a company in Chennai with an office in Bangalore, had filed a case with the CCI in February last year but it is still pending.

What is your next plan of action?

Every auto and kaali peeli driver in Delhi is frustrated with Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi. The auto rickshaw drivers were crucial in the AAP partys victory. I know Arvind for over 17 years and had mobilised autorickshaw drivers for him. However, he has not paid any attention to our grievances. We will mobilise drivers of autorickshaws, kaali peeli and tourist taxis too and do an andolan which will rake up every issue that is preventing our business in the state.

We will ask for the ouster of Ola and Uber from Delhi. Their services should be stopped and they should be prosecuted. For every trip they have undertaken and will do so in future, a challan should be made. When it goes to court, they should be charged Rs 5,000 for one section and Rs 3,000 in another. I have had three meetings with the drivers and in the next 10 days will organise another one. There is no other choice as the judiciary is slow.

What is your take on the services of the kaali peeli taxis and autos?

I agree that the service is poor and the conduct of some drivers are really bad, besides overcharging of customers in some cases. But we are not defending that. Criminals behind bars also have rights that need to be protected. What we are asking for is that the government should stop illegal operations. If an auto driver does not comply with the law, he is prosecuted. But what about Ola and Uber? The law seems to be benefit them. The Delhi High Courts decision is only for Delhi, but the judgment can be cited by other states if anyone wants to fight for drivers of local transport services.

Why did your company suspend operations?

We were not paying the drivers from our pocket as it makes no sense.
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures as he arrives for a family photo with other leaders during the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit just outside Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, July 16, 2016. Photo by Reuters

Hanoi speaks out after Phnom Penh demand punishment against alleged Vietnamese Facebookers.

Vietnam on Tuesday spoke out after Cambodia called for punishment of some presumably Vietnamese individuals who criticized Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on his Facebook page regarding maritime disputes.

Comments made by a group of people, who are presumably Vietnamese, on social media are their personal opinions and do not reflect Vietnams point of view, Le Hai Binh, the Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesman, said in a statement Tuesday.

He added that Vietnam does not condone those who use their freedom of speech to insult others as well as do harm to the good relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Binh made the statement after Cambodias Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on August 27 condemned comments left on Prime Minister Hun Sens Facebook page by presumably Vietnamese nationals blaming the premier for siding with Beijing in territorial disputes in the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea.

The Cambodian ministry has asked Vietnamese authorities to take measures to find, identify and punish the individuals responsible for the comments, Cambodia Daily reported Monday.

Recently, the Cambodian premier has responded to a number of comments left on his personal page in Vietnamese expressing anger at Cambodias stance.

Vietnam has sacrificed both our blood and money to save the Cambodian people from genocide. Now Hun Sen is turning his back on Vietnam, one Facebook user wrote. Hun Sen has been blinded just because China gives money to Cambodia, another added.

Hun Sen, a fluent speaker of Vietnamese, wrote in English and Khmer, reiterating his opinion that the South China Sea is not Cambodias business and that Vietnam is not his political boss, Cambodia Daily reported.

I hope the Vietnamese government will understand my response to this comment by educating their people not to bother me any more, the premier wrote.

Vietnam sent troops to rescue Cambodia from the genocide of Khmer Rouge regime and liberated the Phnom Penh capital in January 1979.

In July this year, Southeast Asian nations failed to find common ground on maritime disputes in the South China Sea after Cambodia stuck to its demand the group make no reference to an international court ruling against Beijing in a statement, Reuters reported.

The U.N.-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague has denied China's sweeping claims in the strategic seaway, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes each year.

China claims most of the sea, but ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have rival claims.

Previously, the group had ended a meeting in Cambodia in 2012 without being able to issue a joint statement for the first time in its 45-year history.

Related news:

> Cambodia says urged ASEAN to avoid words that would 'escalate tension'

> ASEAN breaks deadlock on South China Sea, Beijing thanks Cambodia for support

> Hague tribunal overwhelmingly rejects Beijing's South China Sea claims
In a horrifying incident, a 12-year-old girl was reportedly gangraped and strangled by two men in an Ola cab in Kolkata on Wednesday. According to reports, the body was found near a canal.

Kolkata: 2 cab drivers arrested for allegedly gang-raping and killing a 12-yr-old girl, body recovered.  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

The accused have been arrested and according to police sources, the drivers confessed to picking up the girl from a footpath when they were drunk, CNN-News18 reported.

#BREAKING | 12 year old girl gang-raped and strangled by 2 men in an Ola cab on Tuesday night in Kolkata; Accused arrested  News18 (@CNNnews18) August 31, 2016

This is not a solitary incident which brings into question the safety and security of taxis run by cab aggregators like Ola and Uber but this is the first time that such a heinous crime has been reported in Kolkata.

According to Hindustan Times, Shankar Shaw and Guddu Singh told the police that they picked up the minor after they were drunk and were looking for some "merriment."

After killing her, Shaw and Singh threw her body into a canal below the Park Circus flyover. Around 5 AM we received information that a girl was picked up in a car. From traffic control room the number of the car was established, Hindustan Times quoted a Kolkata Police officer as saying.

In December 2015, an Ola driver had raped a woman passenger in Delhi, according to this Firstpost article. The driver stopped the vehicle at a deserted location and raped the woman in the car, threatening to kill her if she told anyone.

In May, 2016 a Belgian national was allegedly molested by an Ola cab driver in Delhi.

Uber has been under the scanner since can driver Shiv Kumar Yadav raped a woman executive in Delhi on 5 December. According to the police, the woman had dozed off on the back seat of the car, and she later woke up to find that the car had stopped at a secluded spot. When she tried to raise an alarm, the driver is said to have assaulted and raped her.

Meanwhile, Ola released a statement about the Kolkata incident:
Gar jahannam, ruhe zamin ast, hami asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.

John Kerry's visit to Delhi is ending the way it started: in a traffic jam, praying for a boat, living a nightmare in a jahannam (hell) called Delhi.

On Monday, on his way to a hotel from the airport, the US secretary of State was stuck for almost an hour in traffic due to waterlogged roads. On Wednesday, his address to students of IIT-Delhi was delayed by an hour because of an early morning deluge.

"I don't know how you all got here, you must have needed boats to get here," he said.

The US Secretary of State also had to cancel his scheduled trip to three religious sites in the capital after it rained ferociously on Wednesday morning, according to The Times of India.

He must have been wondering if instead of a strategic alliance with India for use of the country's airbases, the US might have been better off striking a deal for allowing visiting dignitaries to use submarines for navigating through Delhi.

Mughal emperor Jahangir once claimed if paradise exists on Earth, it has to be Kashmir. Had he lived long enough, or born in a different age, he would have argued that if hell existed on Earth, hami asto, hami asto (here) in Delhi.

Thrice in a month this monsoons, Delhi has been brought to its knees by sharp showers. Once could have been lack of preparedness, twice a happenstance, but thrice is abject shame. It is a damning indictment of the city administration, its modern town planners and residents.

Waterlogging is generally a result of choked drains, blocked waterways, faulty roads and unchecked construction. In every world-class city, civic administrators clear the drains, remove impediments from waterways and adjust slopes of roads to avoid flooding and water logging. But, in spite of burning crores on monsoon preparedness, having hundreds of cleaners and administrators, it takes just one shower to expose Delhi's fault lines.

This administrative and civic apathy is typical of Delhi, which, many believe is simply un-liveable. Several years ago, Bahadur Shah Zafar's favourite poet Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq rejected an offer to shift to the Deccan because he felt, kaun jaye Dilli ki galiyan chhod kar (who would leave the streets of Delhi).

Today's Delhi is best avoided. As Firstpost had argued earlier, if you love your life and that of your children, avoid the streets and roads of Delhi.

Delhi's air is the most polluted in the world, half of its children have impaired lung functions. More than 70% of water supplied by Delhi Jal Board is undrinkable; it is contaminated by leakage from sewers. The population has grown from nearly 17.60 lakh 1.8 crore-the highest growth rate for any Indian city-since Independence. Delhi has about 0.05 percent of the India's geographical area but consists 1.38 percent of the nation's population.

Among the Union Territories, Delhi has the highest incidence of rape, crime against women, reveal the latest NCRB data. All metros put together have lesser number of crimes than Delhi.

Every year, it sees an epidemic of one disease or the other. Like a relay race that never ends, a Chikungunya cycle is followed by dengue, which, while leaving, hands over the responsibility of afflicting Delhi to H1N1 (swine flu). Yamuna is as dirty and polluted as ever, its riverbed, instead of being preserved and protected, are being destroyed by NGOs with impunity because of their proximity to power.

There is rampant loot in the city's overcrowded hospitals. Private schools overcharge with impunity. Its people, as the appalling response to an accident victim  he was robbed instead of being helped  in Subhash Nagar shows, its people too have imbibed the morals and ethics of a moribund city.

And, while the Capital hurtles towards a disaster, its administrators indulge in their petty Jung (pun intended), like medieval pindaris and Afghan raiders who descended on the city while it was crumbling after the decline of Mughals.

Delhi needs a concrete plan to make it liveable again. There is an urgent needs to clear its drains, remove encroachments and impediments from water bodies and align roads with the natural flow of water.

It needs a concerted health management system to ward off repeated epidemics of seasonal diseases and the consequential loot by hospitals and labs. It needs a plan to decongest roads, bring down pollution and improve the respiratory health of its citizens, especially the children.

Delhi's policing needs sweeping changes in attitude and techniques to remove the embarrassing tag of it being the crime capital of India. It needs a programme to sensitise its people to the suffering of others, especially those in need of help.

Unless that happens, you won't need to go to Pakistan to witness hell. It is all hami asto, hami asto (here, here, in Delhi).
As heavy rains lashed the national capital, leading to water-logging in major roads, US Secretary of State John Kerry began his address to the students of IIT-Delhi by taking a dig at the weather, "I don't know how you all got here, you must have needed boats to get here."

Earlier, it was announced that Kerry's proposed visit to three religious sites in Delhi was cancelled. Kerry was scheduled to visit the Gauri Shankar temple, Jama Masjid and Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib in the old Delhi area around 11 am on Wednesday. His convoy was stuck on Satya Marg in Lutyens Delhi for an hour on Monday by a "spillover effect" owing to water-logging in the main carriageways.

Kerry's two-day trip to Delhi also includes a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Wednesday, reported NDTV and added that the focus of Kerry's visit includes pushing for "better military cooperation" and increasing trade between India and the US.

Kerry, who addressed students in IIT-Delhi, talked about the cooperation between India and US and how to ensure "our bilateral relationship" will be prepared to confront the "dangers we face". He also spoke of a "rising India" that is poised to play a critical role in resolving challenges posed by poverty, terrorism and unsustainable growth among other issues.

Next year India will co-host global entrepreneurship summit which will help showcase remarkable talent of Indian entrepreneurs: John Kerry  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

Focusing on terrorism, Kerry warned a hall full of students that "dangers that are somewhere else are not far away at all" and that these dangers can cross borders. He added that US President Barack Obama and Modi have expanded cooperation (between India and the US) on defence to an unprecedented level. "We have learned the hard way that the threats we face today are not traditional and not what we grew up with; we face adversaries who have no air force, wear no uniforms but are deadly. Terror groups like Daesh, Al-Qaeda, LeT, JeM can't be fought by a single nation alone."

President Obama and PM Modi have forged strong understanding and we are encouraged by steps PM is taking: John Kerry pic.twitter.com/B7nW3wWIuX  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

Kerry insisted that both the countries knew the pain of terrorism and to avoid repeating tragedies, the intelligence agencies of the two countries are constantly exchanging information. "We must strike at the root cause of violent extremism; the causes vary from country to country," he said, adding that "we must build bridges of tolerance and acceptance among every religion, but in a way that's respectful."

We must strike at the root causes of violent extremism and we have to work hard to understand the different variations of causes: John Kerry  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

India's economy will only be able to maintain its impressive growth if its bureaucracy ceases to be "an expert in setting up roadblocks," Kerry said.

"Even though we are witnessing impressive gains in India's economic growth, there is still a real question as to whether we are doing so quickly enough," said Kerry. "You have to have sensible regulations and your bureaucracy needs to be streamlined and effective  a partner in making decisions, not an expert in setting up roadblocks."

For India to create jobs for the 13 million people who enter the labour market every year, Kerry said that the business climate must be improved. "To meet that goal, your entrepreneurs... urgently need the freedom to pursue new ideas, the ability to start up new businesses without a lot of red tape, and access to infrastructure that makes it easier to translate fresh concepts into successful companies," he said.

Towards the end of his speech, Kerry shifted focus to climate change and on coming up with the solution of policy change to combat the same. "We support Modi's plan of increasing share of renewable power source. A daunting but achievable challenge. We must fight to preserve our planet, use clean energy and fight climate change which are our key challenges."

With inputs from agencies
New Delhi: The bureaucrats handpicked by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung are neither attending meetings nor listening to their ministers, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday alleged, while putting the onus of water-logging and traffic gridlock across the city on them.

Sisodia along with Delhi Home Minister Satyender Jain also targeted the Prime Minister over the "shunting" out of top bureaucrats and setting up of the LG-constituted panel to examine files, alleging that it was formed at the "behest" of Narendra.

Sisodia's attack on Jung came on a day rains pounded the national capital, crumbling the city's civic infrastructure. The municipal bodies in Delhi are BJP-ruled while Police comes under the Centre. Venting his fury, Sisodia said that since the appointment of the panel on Tuesday, Delhi government has had to focus on "appeasing LG's officers" and not the welfare of its

residents.

Jung has deployed officials "starting from peons to the Chief Secretary" to scrutinise the files of the last one-and-a-half-years and due to that "three of my meetings had to be cancelled", Sisodia said.

"Why is the LG, who gave over 50 interviews on his officers, not speaking on water-logging and traffic jam in the city? Your officers are neither coming to the meetings called by ministers, nor listening to them. Few even say that they have been barred to do so.

      50+    LG             ? 1/4  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 31, 2016

LG                             2/4  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 31, 2016

          ,                     3/4  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 31, 2016

LG          ,      ,           4/4  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 31, 2016

"I request the LG to go out like the ministers, taking along officers appointed by him, and solve the water-logging and traffic woes of the residents," Sisodia said in a series of tweets, promptly shared by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Sisodia also lashed out the BJP-led Centre over the "transfer" of "committed officials", who he said worked tirelessly to implement pro-people policies. The officials, including the PWD and Health Secretaries, were transferred despite Sisodia's public request to Jung to not do so as they were involved in the execution of AAP's flagship projects like mohalla clinics and construction of 8,000 new classrooms.

"Committed officials who worked tirelessly to implement pro-people policies have been shunted out...LG should make officers of his choice work as well. The Constitution has a chapter on duties apart from rights," Sisodia said.

Interestingly, Chandrakar Bharti, whom the government had blamed for the delay in imposing ban on Chinese Manja in his capacity as Environment Secretary, has been made the Health Secretary. On Tuesday, a three-member panel was formed by Jung to fix responsibilities, including criminal liability, in "omissions and commissions" while clearing 400 files relating to a large number of decisions without his approval.
Justice SN Dhingra-led inquiry commission, which is probing a scam involving the grant of licences for Change in Land Use (CLU) in four villages of Gurgaon, including the licence granted to the company Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited owned by Robert Vadra, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law, is scheduled to submit its report to the Haryana government on Wednesday, as reported by The Indian Express.

#TopStory Justice Dhingra inquiry commission to submit its report in connection with Vadra land deal case, today.

 ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

With the report underway, here is an all you need to know about the land deal case.

The Scam: It involves Vadra and his company , Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited. According to The Business Standard, Skylight Hospitality, bought a 3.5-acre plot in Shikohpur village near Manesar and later sold the same plot to DLF at a huge profit.

The land was purchased for around Rs 7 crore by Vadra's company, and was sold to DLF for an amount of Rs 58 crore, as was reported by Tehelka. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was the chief minister of Haryana then, also came under the scanner for granting CLU permission, that according to the Tehelka report, increased the value of the plot multifold.

Khemka report: Ashok Khemka, an IAS officer, repeatedly raised concerns over the land deal. He also set aside the mutation of the property sold by Vadra to DLF. Mutation is very important as it changes the title ownership of property from one entity to another.

As per the Business Standard report, Khemka in his report had alleged that Skylight in its balancesheets had shown incorrect bank balance and 'false statement'. Khemka alleged sham transactions that were carried out to corner the huge market premium on account of the commercial colony licence.

In October 2012, a probe ordered by Khemka to look into the Vadra-DLF dealings, found no irregularities, with Vadra getting a clean chit by the Congress government in Haryana, as was reported by The Hindu.

The report added, Arvind Kejriwal, who also had demanded a probe into the Vadra-DLF dealings, and the BJP had slammed the Congress-led state government.

CAG Report: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), tabled it's report for 2013-14 in the Haryana House Assembly in March, and noted that regularities and exceptions has been made in Vadra's land case and the property he owned. The CAG heavily reprimanded the Town and Country Planing Department.

Vadra's company Skylight Hospitality subsequently came under the scanner and the scam gained fresh momentum, as reported by The Business Standard. In response to the fresh claims against Vadra's company, in May 2015, a commission headed by Justice Dhingra was set up by the BJP government in Haryana, to probe the land deals in Haryana, including Vadra's land deals.

Justice Dhingra Commission: Justice Dhingra retired from judicial service in 2011 after serving as a judge in the Delhi High Court since 2006. He joined the Delhi Judicial Services in 1988. He is renowned for his judgments in the Nitish Katara murder case and the Parliament attack case.

This one-man commission was constituted on 14 May, 2015 under Section 3 of The Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. It was constituted to probe alleged irregularities in grant of licence(s) by the Department of Town and Country Planning to some companies, including those of Vadra, in Sector 83 of Gurgaon for developing commercial colonies.

The Congress party has been crying political vendetta by the BJP. Bhupinder Hooda,who was summoned by the commission, failed to appear on two occasions. He had termed the move as 'politically motivated'. It was during Hooda's tenure that Vadra is alleged to have received favours in his land deals.

According to Times Of India, Congress had accused BJP of bribing Justice Dhingra, of the Vadra probe panel.

The report of the commission though was scheduled to be submitted in June 2016, Justice Dhingra decided to hold back his report. He revealed that he had received certain important documents that indicated some benami transactions, which needed to be examined, as reported by the Deccan Herald.
Its payback time for Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. And the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government in Delhi could be in for tough times. To view the decision of the L-G to appoint a three-member committee to examine as many as 400 files of the Delhi government for lapses, procedural and otherwise, as merely one more episode in the long-running L-G vs Kejriwal battle would be a bit misplaced. In terms of gravitas and possible consequences for the AAP government, it stands out from the rest.

The recent high court verdict, which makes unambiguous where exactly both sides stand in the constitutional arrangement, has changed the backdrop of the conflict significantly. It is heavily in favour of the L-G and by extension the central government, which he represents. The ruling makes him the administrative head of Delhi and makes it clear he is not bound by the advice of the council of ministers. All decisions of the government must be communicated to him, it says. Shorn off all illusion of power, the government is on its own now. It is much more susceptible to attacks and much more defenceless. Cry foul howsoever loud it may, it cannot do much in terms of actual action.

Now that all its decisions over the last one-and-a half years are open to scrutiny, there are chances of instances of corruption showing up in some of them. The communication from the L-Gs office says, not in exact words, preliminary scrutiny reveals that several such decisions were taken in violation of rules, and that there could be legal and financial implications involved. If the three-member committee, which would submit its report in six weeks, actually detects financial irregularities, it would be a massive blow to the party which loves to be known as anti-corruption crusader.

The AAP, which was born amid tremendous popular goodwill for its stand against corruption, has not been particularly spectacular in its achievements, or in the practice of alternative politics which it promised to people. Its image has taken a beating through several charges against its MLAs; if it is found involved in graft it might lose whatever public sympathy it enjoys at this point. Chief Minister Kejriwal has called the L-Gs move a "witch-hunt", but after crying wolf for so many months, he should have anticipated this. He has taken adversarial politics to a point of no return.

He should also be worried about the fact that the L-G has shifted the health secretary. The AAP governments Mohalla Clinic programme is one of the brightest spots in its tenure so far. Its future could be in jeopardy. The Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj Abhiyan has raised serious allegations over the issuance of liquor licenses in Delhi. Yadav says while the government claims only six licenses were issued last year, in reality as many as 399 were issued. The committee formed by the L-G might detect irregularity here and land AAP in a spot of bother.

Considering the timing when the committee would submit its report, it could have implications on the partys poll prospects in Punjab. It has managed to build a sizeable mass base in the state, and if poll observers are to be believed, its chances of winning in the next years assembly elections are bright. The swell in popular support comes from its anti-corruption image. If the report in Delhi produces something damaging, its impact will be felt in Punjab. Rival parties, so far confused how to take AAP on, might find a strong handle to embarrass it.

By all indications, testing times are ahead for the AAP government. The central government might not dismiss it  it has no specific urgency and it would not like to offer martyrdom to the AAP  but would ensure that it shrinks in public perception gradually. The panel constituted by Jung could only be the beginning.
New Delhi: The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal on Wednesday scored a major victory in the Supreme Court, which termed as "illegal and void" the acquisition of 1053 acres land by the earlier Left Front government for Tata Motors' Nano project at Singur by ordering restoration of land to farmers who will retain the compensation received.

The verdict, which can have far-reaching consequences, was pronounced by a two-judge apex court bench who wrote separate judgements and differed on a few issues, but concurred on key points to quash the land acquisition by directing the authorities to change land use of acquired plots and give them back to farmers who were deprived of occupation and enjoyment of their lands for a decade.

The verdict came as a huge set back to Tata Motors which recently sought Rs 1400 crores damages from state for the losses it suffered at Singur.

A bench of Justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra, in their 2-page common order, listed out points on which they agreed and said, "we concur on the question of quashing the impugned acquisition proceedings and reliefs to be granted to the land owners/cultivators. The appeals are allowed, the common judgment...by the High Court of Calcutta is set aside."

Taking a sympathetic view of the fact that poor farmers could not enjoy their land, it said "the compensation which has already been paid to land owners/cultivators shall not be recovered by government as they have been deprived of the occupation and enjoyment of lands for the last ten years.

"The landowners/cultivators who have not withdrawn the compensation are permitted to withdraw the same which is in deposit either with Land Acquisition Collector or the Court." The bench held that the acquisition of land in the Singur case is "declared as illegal and void". "Since the nature of acquired lands has been changed in view of the acquisition, we direct the Survey Settlement Department of the Government of West Bengal to conduct a survey and identify mouzas of lands acquired with reference to layout plans, other connected records, village maps and urvey settlement records of the lands in question within 10 weeks from the date of receipt of the copy of this order, in order to identify the respective portions of land which needs to be returned to the respective landowners/cultivators.

"Let possession of the lands be restored to landowners/cultivators within 12 weeks from the date of receipt of the copy of this judgment and order," it said.

Justice Gowda, in his 104-pages judgement listed out eight key issues for adjudication and referred to various case laws in reaching to conclusions including that the acquisition of land by the state for Tata Motors was not in accordance with the law and not for "public purpose". "The acquisition of land for and at the instance of the company was sought to be disguised as acquisition of land for 'public purpose' in order to circumvent compliance with the mandatory provisions of Part VII of the L.A. Act. "This action of the State Government is grossly perverse and illegal and void ab initio in law and such an exercise of power by the state government for acquisition of lands cannot be allowed under any circumstance.

"If such acquisitions of lands are permitted, it would render entire Part VII of the L.A. Act as nugatory and redundant, as then virtually every acquisition of land in favour of a company could be justified as one for a 'public purpose' on the ground that the setting up of industry would generate employment and promote socio economic development in the state," Justice Gowda said.

On the other hand, Justice Mishra, who also penned around a 100-page separate verdict, differed with the findings of Justice Gowda that the land acquisition for the small car project was not for "public purpose". "In my opinion it would remain acquisition for a public purpose as provided in section 3(f) of the Act; as also opined in the various decisions to be adverted hereinafter of this Court," Justice Mishra said.

"Public purpose has to be adjudged in the background of the facts of the instant case and the State of West Bengal decided to make effort to establish manufacturing industries with a view to attract more private sector investment and foreign direct investment for industrialisation at par with the model adopted by other progressive States," he said.

Justice Mishra said the land acquisition for setting up such an industry would have ultimately benefitted the people and the very purpose of industrialisation, generating job opportunities, hence it would be open to the State Government to invoke the legal provisions. "When Government wants to attract the investment, create job opportunities and aims at the development of the State and secondary development, job opportunities, such acquisition is permissible for public purpose. The project in hand would have definitely served the public purpose and public purpose should be liberally construed, not whittled down..." he wrote.

Justice Mishra also differed with his colleague Justice Gowda on the question if the land had been acquired for the Tatas, then whether the state government had complied with the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. It was held by Justice Gowda that the legal provisions were not adhered to by the authorities concerned in the acquisition process. Justice Gowda said the acquisition for a company can be undertaken under the law dealing with public purpose, but "before land could be acquired, the procedure consistent with the statutory provisions of law must be followed mandatorily."

"There is nothing in law which would support the acquisition of land for a particular Company under the guise of 'public purpose', rendering the exception provided under Section 3(f)(viii) of the LA Act useless and nugatory," Justice Gowda said.

"The acquisition of land in the instant case in favour of the Company is thus improper for not following the mandatory procedure prescribed under Part VII of the L.A. Act and Rules and therefore the acquisition proceedings are liable to be quashed," he said.

Both the judges concurred in their findings on three issues related to inquiry to be conducted by the authorities under the law for acquisition. They also concurred in their opinion on questions whether the Land Acquisition Collector (LAC) assigned reasons in his report for rejecting objections of the farmers after application of mind.

The third question on which both judges agreed was whether the report of the LAC was based on the decision of the state government taken prior to issuing notification. Justice Gowda said that even though the farmers did not appear before the LAC, "the objections filed by them ought to have been considered objectively by him as required under Section 5-A (2) of the L.A. Act."

Justice Gowda said that it seemed there was no application of mind either at the stage of issuance of the notification under the law or in the report of LAC or while issuing the final notification. "Such an acquisition, if allowed to sustain, would lead to the attempt to justify any and every acquisition of land of the most vulnerable sections of the society in the name of

public purpose to promote socio-economic development.

"Some of these objectors (farmers) were not given the opportunity to be heard as required under Section 5-A (2) of the L.A. Act. The same ought to have been given to them as required both under the statutory provisions of the L.A. Act as well as the principles of natural justice, as the acquisition of lands of the objectors would entail a serious civil consequence," he said.

Perusing the relevant records, he said it was clear that the objections of farmers have been rejected without assigning any clear reason or application of mind. "Thus, the report of the Collector is not a valid report in the eyes of law. The state has mechanically accepted the same without application of mind independently before issuing notification under Section 6 of the L.A. Act declaring that the lands are required for establishment of automobile industry," Justice Gowda said.

Dealing with questions in regard to compensation to farmers, he said a statutory duty is cast upon the Collector to issue notice to the land owners/cultivators, as required under the law to determine the market value of the acquired land and award compensation, which is mandatory for taking possession of the land by the state government.

Justice Gowda said that as can be seen from material on record, no individual notices were served upon the land owners. "A joint inquiry appears to have been conducted by the Land Acquisition Collector without giving them an adequate opportunity to establish their claim for determination of reasonable compensation for acquisition of lands by presenting true and correct market value of the lands," he said.

Justice Gowda further said the determination of market value of lands by clubbing a number of cases together and passing a composite award is no award in the eyes of law. Justice Mishra agreed with Justice Gowda on issues relating to inquiry by the LAC during the acquisition proceedings. "Though the State Government could have taken decision before issuance of notification under section 4 for setting up of project,however it could not have taken decision to acquire particular land in various mouzas before survey is undertaken as authorised by the provisions contained in section 4 of the Act, the action of the State has the effect of frustrating very purpose of holding inquiry under section 5A.

"The inquiry held under section 5A is a farce and an eyewash. Neither the Collector nor State Government considered the matter with objectivity as mandated. Inquiry has not been done with open mind with requisite fairness. They were clearly influenced by decision of cabinet. "Entire acquisition stands vitiated in the facts and circumstances of the case. The case need not be relegated to the stage of inquiry as project itself has been abandoned," Justice Mishra said.
An elated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee evoked late Mahasweta Devi and others "who made sacrifices fighting for" the Singur land that was given to the Tatas after the Supreme Court on Wednesday scrapped the deal. The court has directed the state government to take possession of 400 acres of land and distribute it among the original land owners within 12 weeks.

The Supreme Court set aside the land acquired the West Bengal Government in 2006 to facilitate Tata Motors to set up its plant for the ambitious ultra-small car, the Nano. Addressing the press in Kolkata, Mamata said, "I am remembering those people who made sacrifices fighting for this. I would expect everyone to celebrate this Singur utsav, it's like a invocation of the celebration to Durga Puja."

This is a landmark victory and landslide victory for Bangla, for truth, andolan, ma maati manush and farmers of Singur: Mamata Banerjee  News18 (@CNNnews18) August 31, 2016

This is a landmark victory after we thought of the new name for State of WB. Very happy with the decision: WB CM pic.twitter.com/4K2vUiwDnt  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

I had dreamt of this SC verdict for so long, for the people of Singur. Now I can die in peace: WB CM on SC verdict on Singur land deal  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

WB is the final industrial destination, keep that in mind, says WB CM Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/EGbK8QM9wd  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

Mamata added that the government will follow the Supreme Court instructions and will call a strategy meeting on Thursday at 4 pm "to see how to implement them."

The top court ruling on the Singur land deal comes as a moral victory for the chief minister because she, as the then Opposition leader, had propelled massive farmer protests. In 2008, the Tatas were finally forced to move their Nano plant to Sanand in Gujarat. The agitation and the outcome had helped Mamata clinch the state had dominance in the state's political scene. So, for Mamata, a lot was at stake with the Singur ruling.

The Mamata government in 2011, with the promulgation of a law, had seized the land from the Tatas without paying them a penny. This was the first law passed by her government.

One of her key poll promises, in 2011 and 2016, was to return the land to farmers who did not take compensation.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court also announced that the farmers, who got compensation from the then government, will not return it because they were deprived of their livelihood for the last ten years. The apex court also said that the Tatas had bypassed the rules while acquiring the land. A batch of petitions had challenged the acquisition of land in West Bengal's Singur for Tata Motors' ambitious Nano small car project. The top court also noted that the Left government had seemed determined that the project must come up in the state, and it was the company which seemed to have chosen the precise location for the project.

The Singur protests gained global attention because at the centre was a project to roll out the world's cheapest car and brought into focus the use of agricultural land for industrial use.

With inputs from agencies
The men could face up to seven years in jail and a fine of VND100 million ($4,480).

Vietnamese police are investigating the killing of nine endangered primates whose body parts were to be used for traditional medicine, officials said Tuesday.

The black-shanked doucs -- monkeys with grey-blue faces and long tails -- are among many rare species under threat in a country where wildlife trafficking is rife.

Police are probing three men between the ages of 19 and 35 suspected of poaching the animals, investigator Mai Hong Quang told AFP.

"They were caught carrying the dried animals on their bikes in July. We have now banned them from leaving their residence, pending investigation," Quang said.

"The men told us they wanted to sell the dried primates they had shot dead in deep forest for use in traditional medicine," Quang said.

If charged with killing an endangered species, the men could face up to seven years in jail and a fine of VND100 million ($4,480).

Vietnam is home to some of world's most endangered species, including the mountainous antelope Saola, the Red River giant soft-shell turtle and the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey.

Though legislation on wildlife protection is in place, critics say the laws are not always effectively enforced and poaching of rare or endangered species continues.

Black-shanked doucs (Pygathrix nigripes) are related to the red-shanked and grey-shanked douc langur, all found in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The red-shanked and black-shanked douc langur are both endangered and populations of the three species had dropped by 50 to 80 percent over the last three decades, WWF said on its website.

In Vietnam, the main threat to the douc is habitat loss and hunting, after which the animals are used for medicine, meat or sold as pets.

The news comes days after researchers in northern Vietnam said they spotted a new group of 40 Delacour's langurs, a critically endangered primate that only lives in Vietnam that is also under threat from poaching and habitat loss.

Related news:

> Worlds second largest population of rare langurs discovered in Vietnam

> Two endangered primates rescued in Vietnam
Washington: The US is "closely" monitoring the situation in Pakistan's Karachi city where security forces have arrested several Muttahida Qaumi Movement workers after violent protests, a senior American official said on Tuesday.

"We are monitoring these events closely and continue to support Pakistan's efforts to maintain law and order in Karachi," a State Department spokesman told PTI.

"The US is also committed to defending freedom of speech, rule of law and due process, freedom of expression, and judicial independence," the official said when asked about the crackdown on MQM - Karachi's single largest party.

The spokesperson, however, said that in exercising freedom of expression "everyone" must uphold the rule of law.

The spokesperson was critical of Pak government's decision to ban the media from covering MQM chief Altaf Hussain who is self-exiled in London.

"The US is committed to defending media freedom. We believe that threats to the independence of the media are unbecoming of any country that counts itself among the world's democracies," the spokesman said.

"Access to free and unfettered press is a pillar of the democratic system and a value shared by all democracies. We have no further comment at this time," the official said.

In a statement here, MQM alleged it has been subjected to an intense military-led crackdown for the past six days.

"MQM leaders have been abducted and hundreds of MQM offices have been illegally sealed and several hundred demolished, no legal justification was provided for this insane act, but to merely take revenge against Altaf Hussain.

"He has been denied his universal right to express himself for over one year, his followers have been denied their fundamental right to associate themselves with any political party of their own choice... these rights are not only guaranteed universally but the constitution of Pakistan affords the same protection, which are being ignored, violated and denied," the pasty said.

A largely ethnic party since the 1980s, MQM has political dominance in Pakistan's southern Sindh province - notably in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur where a large number of urdu-speaking people reside.
Part of the Formosa Steel Plant in Vietnam's central province of Ha Tinh. Photo by VnExpress

Works on how to allocate the compensation package are still under way.

Taiwanese Formosa Steel Ha Tinh has wrapped up the delivery of $500 million to Vietnam that it previously pledged to compensate for the environmental pollution it caused in the central region, the Vietnamese government portal reported Tuesday, quoting Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha.

Vietnam's government received the first $250 million in July but works to prepare for the actual distribution of the compensation package have not been finished.

Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, the four affected provinces, have been asked to submit their reconstruction plans and damage assessments to the ministries of finance and agriculture and rural development by September 15.

The ministries, in collaboration with other government agencies, have been asked to review the provinces reports and submit their proposals for allocation of the compensation package to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in the last week of September, the government statement said.

Formosa has grabbed 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.

Related news:

> Formosa's toxic disaster: are fish safe to eat now in central Vietnam?

> Vietnam province launches criminal probe into Formosa-related waste burial

> Formosa pays Vietnam first $250 mln fish death compensation
Hundreds of fishing boats are rotting in the sun rather than sailing out to sea.

In early April, waste water from the Vietnam unit of Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group killed off tons of fish along some 200 kilometers of Vietnams central coastline.

About 41,000 fishermen and over 176,000 people dependent on the industry have been affected by the disaster, the government said in a report in July.

The Taiwanese fish killer, Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, made a public apology after the incident and has recently transferred a $500 million compensation package to the Vietnamese government.

At a press conference held at the end of August, authorities claimed that its now safe to swim in the affected waters but remained non-committal about whether it is safe to catch and eat fish.

The disaster took place about four months ago but it still exerts an enormous impact on local communities who depend on fishing for their livelihoods..

Hundreds of boats have been lying unused along the coast of Ky Loi Commune, Ky Anh Town in the central coastal province of Ha Tinh for months. Local fishermen have to use blankets and curtains to protect the boats from sunlight or rainfall.

Some fishermen said the boats havent been out for a long time and many are damaged, costing them a fortune to fix. In the picture is a rusty anchor.

In Ky Ha Commune, 70 hectares (173 acres) of salt farms have been abandoned. Nguyen Duc Viet, 46, said that he cant sell salt as consumers are afraid it is also contaminated.

Phan Duy Vinh, vice chairman of Ky Anh Towns People Committee, said that 54 residential communities in the town have been affected by the Formosa incident. Many families are facing financial problems ahead of the new school year.

The same situation has been reported in Quang Tri, another central coastal province. Tran Viet Tien, a fisherman from Gio Linh District, said that he has filled his boats with leaves to prevent them from being damaged by the weather as well as local children.

Fisherman Phan Van Son said that his family has switched to raising pigs to earn a living.

Cua Viet Beach was abandoned on an August morning. The number of tourists to Quang Tri has fallen by 90 percent against a year ago. The occupancy rate at hotels stands at 10-15 percent.

On August 22, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced that the seawater is safe now, so Thach Kim Fish Market, about100 kilometers from the steel factory, has resumed trading.

However, many traders said that they remain hesitant, pending further announcements from the Ministry of Health about the safety levels of fish.

Many fishermen have started to fix their boats. Son from Gio Linh District in Quang Tri said: I hope the fish will return to the sea at the end of the eighth lunar month [the end of September] so we can set sail again.

Related news:

> Formosa's toxic disaster: are fish safe to eat now in central Vietnam?

> Taiwanese fish killer completes $500 million compensation package
Try being king for a day with royal extravagance.

There are mountain and beach views for your royal highness to choose from.

Bao Dai was the last king to rule over Vietnam. He made the most of the country's final royal reign in style, and his legacy is still visible through his resort mansions that are scattered all over the country, which seem to come in handy no matter what regime they are under. Today, VnExpress will take you on a virtual tour of seven places that had the honor of hosting the king whenever the weather was nice.

Do Son Villa in Hai Phong

Bao Dais resort villa in Do Son District in the northern city of Hai Phong was built in 1928 for the French colonial regimes Indochina Governor-General Pafquiere, and was later presented to the king as a gift. The villa was his favorite spot whenever he traveled to northern Vietnam.

Panoramic views of the Do Son Peninsula and an oceanic climate throughout the summer are what makes the villa the perfect royal getaway.

Photo by Qjafcc, CC BY-SA 3.0

Da Lat villas in Lam Dong

The resort town of Da Lat in the Central Highlands, a rare place in Vietnam that mimics the temperate climate of the West, was specially favored by the king who had three mansions there dedicated to recreational purposes only.

The first is located on Tran Quang Dieu Street, four kilometers to the southeast of central Da Lat. Dinh I (Palace I), as its called, was built in 1940 for a French millionaire on a hill surrounded by pine trees looking down on a valley that served as Bao Dais hunting field. The king bought the mansion in 1949. A taste of royal luxury life is now available at VND30,000 ($1.3) per ticket for visitors.

Dinh II (Palace II) was built in 1933, originally as the resort mansion for then Governor-General Jean Decoux. It covers an area of 26 hectares, on which the mansion alone accounts for 10 hectares. Also surrounded by a pine forest and an all-year-round cool climate, the mansion boasts 25 rooms, all more than well-equipped and for rent at VND500,000 - 700,000 ($22 - 31) per night.

The last one (Dinh III) sits on Trieu Viet Vuong Street and is again surrounded by a pine forest. All the rooms of Dinh III are well preserved and available to see for VND15,000 ($0.7) per ticket.

Photo by Diane Selwyn

Bach Dinh in Ba Ria - Vung Tau

Bach Dinh (literary White Villa, after the daughter of the then Governor-Generals name and its exterior color) is situated on Tran Phu Street in Vung Tau City, the capital of the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau. Built in 1898, the French-style mansion has been transformed into a museum that displays Chines Qing Dynasty pottery salvaged from sunken ships off the coast of Con Dao Island and cannons which are older than your grandparents. All of this is available at VND5,000 per ticket.

Cau Da Villa in Nha Trang

Cau Da Villa in the beach town of Nha Trang is a complex of five French style villas first built for oceanographers working at the citys oceanography institute. From 1940 to 1945, Bao Dai and his wife visited the area frequently, which led to the adoption of the name Bao Dais villas. The villas are now a tourist attraction in Nha Trang, offering an experience off the city's better known beaches.

Bao Dai Villa in Buon Me Thuot

At 4 Nguyen Du Street in Buon Ma Thuot City in the Central Highlands lies a mansion that once hosted the last king of Vietnam. The mansion boasts architecture unique to the Central Highlands the ethnic minorities who live there with tiled roofs and wooden floors. From 1949 to 1954, the mansion served as Bao Dais resort and hunting house during the early rain season. Its now part of Dak Lak Museum, and costs VND20,000 ($1) to take a look.

Related news:

> East meets West at Vietnamese Emperor's tomb

> Quiz: How well do you know Vietnam?


Ever wondered what it would feel like to start a Grand Prix, when every split-second counts amidst a swarm of screaming engines, every driver fighting for track position or the optimum line? A rearward-facing camera on Stefano Modena's car gives a very good sense of what the Brabham driver had to contend with in 1990, as a poor initial getaway from 17th on the grid leaves him vulnerable to attack from the likes of Arrows Alex Caffi. Modena does a superb job of thinking on his feet to hold off such attacks and stay out of trouble - which is more that can be said for the field in general. Emanuele Pirro is the first man to be caught out, spinning onto the grass at Rettifilo - which jinks left and right twice, as opposed to the current right-left chicane. The real drama is yet to come: up the road Derek Warwick goes off and turns his Lotus upside down at Parabolica, forcing Modena to pick his way very carefully through the resulting chaos. With the race red flagged, Warwick was remarkably able to run back to the garage and take to the restart in the spare. Modena wasn't so lucky - he fell to the back of the field at the second restart, and eventually retired at one-third distance.
Some say the Chua Cau Bridge simply won't be the same if it is dismantled for restoration work.

International and Vietnamese experts are debating over restoration work on the 400-year-old Chua Cau Bridge in the central ancient town of Hoi An.

In order to restore the bridge properly, most experts at a recent conference think it should be dismantled, said Nguyen Chi Trung, a senior conservation official in Hoi An.

The solution has received mixed reactions. Historian Vo Ha has warned that dismantling the bridge will make people feel "it's not the same", while architect Le Thanh Vinh said it should be implemented only as a last resort with careful planning by conservation experts.

The iconic image of Hoi An's Ancient Town, Chua Cau literally means 'bridge pagoda'. Built by Japanese merchants in the 17th century, it's also known as the Japanese Bridge.

The pagoda part was added to the bridge in 1653. Over half a century later, in 1719, Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu of the Nguyen Dynasty visited Hoi An and named the bridge 'Lai Vien Kieu', meaning 'Welcome Bridge for Faraway Visitors'. Hoi An, at the time, was in fact a major trading port in the area, welcoming Chinese, Portugese, Dutch, Japanese and Indian merchants.

Today, during the peak season, the bridge welcomes as many as 7,000 visitors each day from all over the world.

The wooden bridge painted in red lacquer was built based on the 'thuong gia ha kieu' concept, meaning a house above a bridge.

The pagoda is a place to worship the God of Weather who is believed to have the power to control natural calamities and bring happiness and wealth to locals.

Chua Cau has undergone multiple restoration efforts and it has kept its current form since the 18th-19th centuries.

The pillars of the bridge.

I think Chua Cau Bridge is still in good condition. It will last well for the next 10 years without any repairs. I have no idea what is in the minds of local authorities. From my point of view, it is not necessary to dismantle the bridge for full restoration, said Nguyen Van Tien, who has been the bridge's porter for 20 years.

Related news:

> Natural 'check-in' spots around Hoi An

> Hoi An's beach lands in TripAdvisor's top 25
Haven't signed into Google+ in a while? Not surprising, as Google itself seems to have moved away from the fledgling social network. But it's not dead yet, and some big changes are afoot.

After introducing a fully redesigned version of Google+ in preview in November, Google is now rolling out the revamped service to everyone. The new version should reach all Google+ users over the next few days, according to Google Product Manager Danielle Buckley.

If change is tough, don't fret. For now, you can still toggle back to the classic Google+ you're used to.

The updated service focuses on interests, putting Communities and Collectionstwo of the most requested featuresfront and center. With these changes, Google+ wants to make it easier to meet people who share your passions.

Early evidence suggests users are actually digging the changes. Since Google rolled out the preview version, users are collectively following twice as many Collections per day, Buckley said. The number of new Community joins has also jumped; Google now logs 1.6 million per day, up from 1.2 million in November.

Meanwhile, Google+ is getting some more new features this week, including support for links and photos in comments. Community owners and moderators, meanwhile, will have more control over who posts what with a new "approved posting" feature, Buckley said.

Google is also launching a new notifications center on the Web where you can see and manage your recent Google+ activity. These new features will be available on the Web, Android, and iOS "in the coming weeks," Buckley said.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
Today the CEO of department store Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) announced a $50 million donation to Nationwide Childrens Hospital, one of America's leading pediatric hospitals.

The size of this donation is unique in that it is the largest corporate donation ever for a pediatric and adolescent behavioral health program. Funds from the donation will be used to help build the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH, also Big Lots' headquarters.

The Pavilion will be a state-of-the-art facility for treatment and research of children and adolescents is scheduled to open its doors in 2020.

CEO David Campisi talked to FOXBusiness.com about why he chose to make a donation of this size and the importance of understanding mental health issues.

FOXBusiness.com: Why did you make this donation to Nationwide Children's Hospital?

Campisi: As Ive talked about this issue with friends, family and associates, many have shared their personal stories of how suicide, depression, eating disorders, ADHD and the like have touched their lives. Ive discovered that behavioral health does not discriminate; it affects everyone directly or indirectly in some way. However, unlike other diseases like cancer or diabetes, behavioral health is not openly discussed. I hope that this donation not only helps patients through in-patient care and research but that it also encourages people to talk more openly about behavioral health issues.

FOXBusiness.com: How can businesses benefit from donations like this?

Campisi: As a company, we strive to develop philanthropic initiatives that allow all people to take part so they feel connected to and proud of working at Big Lots. In addition to the fiscal donation, we will have children treated at Nationwide Childrens Hospital visit stores across the country so that our associates can meet someone our donation is helping. At our annual meeting this month, we will be putting together care kits for the hospital, packed with items parents might need if they find themselves at the hospital without much notice. We will also be encouraging others to donate to the hospital in all of our 1,445 stores later this year.

I hope a commitment from a company like ours makes a difference and encourages other people to get involved with changing the state of pediatric behavioral health care in this country. This isnt just about business. Its the right thing to do.

FOXBusiness.com: What direction do you see Big Lots philanthropy going in?

Campisi: The Big Lots Foundation invests in the focus areas of healthcare, housing, hunger and education. I believe our partnership with Nationwide Childrens Hospital is just in its infancy. It feels like we are starting something big here and that the sky is the limit in terms of what we can do next. My dream is that the person who sits in the CEO chair after me years from now picks up where we left off and keeps it going forever.
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Republican U.S. senators John McCain and Marco Rubio won their party's nominations on Tuesday (August 30) to seek re-election in Arizona and Florida in November, as both of the high profile politicians saw off insurgent challengers.

McCain, the 2012 failed Republican presidential candidate, now faces a spirited challenge in Arizona from Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2011 and wants to move to the Senate.

McCain has said this year's race could be the toughest of a political career spanning more than three decades.

In advancing to the general election, the 80-year-old McCain handily beat ex-state Senator Kelli Ward, 47, a conservative Tea Party activist and a follower of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Like McCain, Rubio also is girding for a potentially tough challenge on Nov. 8.

Also in Florida, U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz overcame a challenger - and the embarrassment of being stripped last month of her job as head of the Democratic National Committee - and will get a shot at a seventh House term in the Nov. 8 general elections.

She beat law professor Tim Canova, an outspoken Wall Street critic aligned with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

The non-traditional campaigns of Trump and Sanders, who exceeded expectations in his failed Democratic White House bid, spurred speculation that other insurgent politicians could make an impact this year.

But that didn't happen in either of the closely watched nominating races in Florida and Arizona.

Rubio, who abandoned his presidential campaign in March, cleared the initial hurdle in his battle for a second six-year term in the U.S. Senate. He defeated novice politician Carlos Beruff, a millionaire homebuilder, who embraced Trump.

U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy, a Democrat, won his party's Senate nomination on Tuesday, and is expected to give Rubio a tough fight, especially if Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton leads Trump in Florida.

There is speculation that Rubio might still harbour presidential ambitions after media reports this week that he had refused to commit to serving all six years of a Senate term if he were re-elected.

Trump has endorsed McCain and Rubio in their re-election bids even though he has rocky relations with both.

How McCain and Rubio far could have a big say in whether Republicans can defy expectations and maintain majority control of the Senate after November's election.

Trump offended McCain and many other Republicans last year by suggesting the maverick senator was anything but a war hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War after his airplane was shot down during a bombing mission.

In March, Trump ended Rubio's presidential run by trouncing him in the Florida primary to cap a race in which the New York businessman taunted the first-term senator as "little Marco."

Rubio fired back, insulting Trump on everything from his hair colour and the size of his hands to misspelled words in tweets.

During their re-election efforts, both McCain and Rubio have offered support for Trump as the party's White House nominee and steered clear of attacks on that might antagonise Trump's core supporters.

But they have tiptoed around Trump, mainly out of concern that his provocative comments on illegal immigration, Muslims and U.S. support for NATO could alienate moderate and independent voters in their states.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday vetoed a bill to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next five years.

The legislation would have made New Jersey the third state to adopt a $15 per hour minimum wage, Christie said in a statement.

State voters agreed to a previous wage hike in 2013, to $8.25 from $7.25. New Jersey's rate is tied to the consumer price index and is now at $8.38, according to a database from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

"Despite having a constitutional mandate in place, the legislature now wants to increase the minimum wage by almost 80 percent just three years later," Christie said in a statement about his veto.

Christie, a close ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, said the wage bill passed by Democrats, who control both houses of state legislature, failed to consider the ability of businesses to absorb the increased labor costs.

Neighboring New York State, as well as California, became the first states to lift the minimum wage toward $15 earlier this year.

While California's higher rate will be in effect statewide by 2022, New York created a two-speed system, with different timetables for New York City and nearby counties, versus the "upstate" regions where incomes are lower and labor markets less robust.

Some cities are also stepping up to higher wage levels. Washington, D.C.'s minimum wage will reach $15 per hour by July 1, 2020, after it enacted a law this year. The city's current level is $10.50.

Washington and 29 states have set minimum wages above the federal rate of $7.25 an hour, according to the NCSL.

Michele Siekerka, president of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, praised Christie's veto, saying the increase was "too much too fast."

"Had this bill been signed, it would not only have hurt the New Jersey economy, but it would have hurt the exact workers the proponents of this policy are trying to help," she said in a statement.

Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, lead sponsor of the bill, said in a statement the wage increase is a key component to Democrats' strategy to combat poverty.

"A substantial minimum wage increase will help lift countless families out of poverty, decrease government dependency and boost commerce by pumping more dollars back into the economy," he said.

(Reporting by Hilary Russ in New York; Editing by Chris Reese)
Consumer confidence is spiking as U.S. markets and the Federal Reserve await the August jobs data due out on Friday. The biggest question many have is how the Fed will react to the numbersmore specifically if the data is positive.

If the jobs number is strong, and I anticipate it will be fine, theyre [the Fed] going to find themselves in a tough spot if they decide not to react, Charles Plosser, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Some say the central bank should not raise rates, regardless of the August jobs data.

I think the argument for not raising rates is uncertain, Plosser said. Two statistics that are troubling: One has been weak business investment. Thats not entirely surprising given were about to head into an election for which the predication is to what fiscal policyhow businesses will be treatedby either of our two candidates.

The former Philadelphia Fed President added theres good reason to believe theres uncertainty in the business community about investing while productivity data have also been a concern.

Plosser also weighed in on the current state of the U.S. economy, saying the consumer looks great.

Wage growth, personal income growth has been pretty healthy, he said. Obviously people would prefer to see wage growth higher, theres no question about that. But I think its been pretty steady and pretty good. I think with employment continuing to grow that youre going to see some continued wage growth, not at a spectacular rate, but still a pretty steady rate between 2-3%.
The European Union is ordering Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) to pay $14.5 billion in back taxes that it claims the tech giant didnt pay due to illegal deals with Ireland. Steve Hilton, former strategy director for David Cameron, weighed in on why this was a factor behind Britains decision to leave the EU. Will Brexit, its anti-establishment sentiment, as well as its opposition to EU taxes and regulations draw comparisons to Donald Trumps campaign in the 2016 presidential race?

On whether Britain should continue to put out the welcome mat for multinational companies such as Apple and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Hilton responded, Definitely, this is what Brexit was all about. And I think that what this shows really is its a great advertisement not just for Brexit, but exactly as you were saying, for Donald Trump as well.

Hilton viewed Apples deals with Ireland as completely legal despite the EUs efforts to get more money out of the company.

I think that whats going on here is that Apple and Ireland were doing something completely within the law. Ireland was trying to attract business to its shores to create jobs and investment and of course the European Union centralizing bureaucracy hates that because they want every European country to be equally unattractive to business. And so they want more taxes and more regulation everywhere, equally spreading the pain. And if one country tries to compete, they dont want that to happen, Hilton told the FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney.

Hilton viewed this major factor behind the campaign leading up to the Brexit vote.

Thats a great reason for leaving the EU and one of the main arguments in the Brexit campaign.

Hilton took on the U.S. tax code that drove Apple to make the deals with Ireland in the first place.

The whole reason that Apple is even in Ireland doing these quite complicated tax arrangements is because of the insanely high corporate tax here in the U.S. and other countries are doing it as well. What that had led to, trillions of dollars overseas, money that could being invested here in the American economy to create jobs here. But because the taxes are so high that doesnt happen.

Hilton pondered the implications of the Brexit vote and Apples deals with Ireland for the U.S. presidential race.

Now what Trump is saying is he is going to do a one-off tax cut to bring that money back and also more generally to cut business taxes to create jobs and investment. Now that is a really powerful argument in this years election here.

Hilton then went into further detail on Trumps tax plan which includes reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 15%.

Hes 15% generally but hes also proposing I think a one-off cut to tack that overseas money as a once-off charge, I think even lower than 15% and the argument is, well that sounds pretty low, but 10% of whatever it is, I cant quite remember, 10% of trillions is a lot more than 35% of zero which is whats going on at the moment.
Brazil's Senate removed President Dilma Rousseff from office on Wednesday for breaking budgetary laws, ending an impeachment process that has polarized the scandal-plagued country and paralyzed its politics for nine months.

Senators voted 61-20 to convict Rousseff for illegally using money from state banks to boost public spending, putting an end to 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule in Latin America's largest economy.

Conservative Michel Temer, the former vice president who has run Brazil since Rousseff's suspension in May, was to be sworn in by the Senate at 4 p.m. local (1900 GMT) on Wednesday to serve out the remainder of the presidential term through 2018.

Under Brazilian law, a dismissed president should be barred from holding any government job, including even teaching posts at state universities.

However, senators voted 42-36 to allow Rousseff to retain the right to hold public office, in an apparent sign of doubts over whether a budgetary sleight of hand that is common in Brazil was truly an impeachable offense.

Brazil's first female president has denied any wrongdoing and said the impeachment process was a coup d'etat aimed at protecting the interests of the country's economic elite and rolling back social programs that lifted millions of Brazilians from poverty during the last decade.

A lawyer for Rousseff said she would appeal her dismissal at the Supreme Court.

Her opponents, however, said her removal set the stage for Brazil to emerge from a drawn-out political crisis. They also hope it will help end the country's worst recession in generations, even as the political class continues grappling with a sweeping corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras .

"Today we turned an important page in the history of our country," said Aecio Neves, leader of the center-right PSDB party that backs Temer. "Brazil has given itself a new chance, to look to the future and construct and agenda for reform in line with the economic crisis."

Neves narrowly lost the 2014 election to Rousseff.

HONKING HORNS, FIREWORKS

Motorists honked car horns in the Brazilian capital in a blaring tribute to the removal of a president whose popularity had dwindled to single figures since winning re-election in 2014.

In Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, fireworks exploded in celebration after the vote.

Temer has vowed to boost an economy that has shrunk for six consecutive quarters and implement austerity measures to plug a record budget deficit, which cost Brazil its investment-grade credit rating last year.

An upturn in corporate investment in the second quarter provided a glimmer of economic hope for Temer and economists expect a return to growth before the end of the year.

However, Temer is likely to face bitter political opposition from the Workers Party, which has vowed to take to the streets in protest against Rousseff's removal from power. There are also signs of clear resistance in Congress to Temer's proposals to cap public spending and reform public pensions.

Brazil's stocks and real currency slightly accelerated gains following the Senate's decision but the reaction was muted as most traders were already counting on the result.

Markets analysts said investors would now be looking to Temer to deliver on his promises of fiscal reforms.

"What changes now, with Temer definitively confirmed, is that the pressure will increase on him to deliver," said Newton Rose, chief economist at Sulamerica Investimentos. "The honeymoon is over, and the market wants to know now how capable he is to govern and put the government accounts in order."

Temer's government also risks entanglement in a sweeping investigation of kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras PETR4.SA that already ensnared dozens of politicians in Rousseff's coalition.

The scandal, which has tarnished Temer's fractious Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, could hobble efforts to stabilize Brazil and restore confidence in its economy.

In an emotional speech on Monday, Rousseff compared the trial to her persecution under Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, when she was tortured by security services as a member of a leftist urban guerrilla group.

Rousseff became the first Brazilian leader dismissed from office since 1992, when Fernando Collor de Mello resigned before a final vote in his impeachment trial for corruption.

Conservative Senator Ronaldo Caiado said the constitution did not allow for the prohibition on holding public office to be waived for Rousseff and he plans to appeal the decision before the Supreme Court.

(Additional reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu, Alonso Soto and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia, Bruno Federowski and Guillermo Parra-Bernal in Sao Paulo; Writing by Daniel Flynn and Brad Haynes; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Tom Brown)
Donald Trump traveled to Mexico on Wednesday to meet President Enrique Pena Nieto in an unexpected trip to a country which the Republican presidential candidate has frequently vilified as the main source of illegal immigration and drug smuggling to the United States.

Trump's visit to Mexico City took place hours before he was due to deliver a highly anticipated speech in the border state of Arizona on how he would tackle illegal immigration if he wins the Nov. 8 election.

True to Trump's flair for the dramatic, the trip south of the border will guarantee news coverage for the New York businessman and former reality TV star. But it also took him to a country where he is widely disliked because of harsh comments he has made during his White House campaign.

Mexican opposition politicians and academics expressed disbelief that Pena Nieto would host Trump, who has accused Mexico of sending criminals and rapists across the border and cheating the United States on trade.

Trump arrived at Mexico City's airport and headed for a meeting with Pena Nieto at the Los Pinos official residence, Mexican news media reported.

A few dozen people gathered beneath a monument to Mexican independence in the center of the capital to protest the visit, some holding placards emblazoned with captions such as "You are not Wall-come" and "Trump and Pena out."

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence said Trump would speak to the Mexican leader about border security, including his signature pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to counter illegal immigration.

The meeting, which Trump and his advisers began considering after an invitation from Pena Nieto last week, will be Trump's first official interaction with a foreign leader since he began his presidential campaign more than a year ago, stirring up frequent controversy both at home and abroad.

Pena Nieto has dismissed Trump's demand that Mexico pay for the proposed border wall and likened his tone to the ascent of dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, asked by NBC's "Today" show if he would speak to the Mexican president in the same blunt terms he has used at home, Conway said Trump would be "very presidential."

A source close to the Trump campaign said he expects the candidate might apologize in Mexico for some of his rhetoric but say that illegal immigration has to stop.

Trump trails Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in most opinion polls nationally and in most battleground states with 10 weeks to go until the election.

Clinton said Trump could not paper over his previous harsh language against Mexico, which helped him defeat 16 rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.

"It certainly takes more than trying to make up for more than a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again," she told a convention of the American Legion veterans' group in Cincinnati.

'DESPERATE MOVE'

Trump has been pilloried in Mexico since he launched his White House campaign last year.

He has pledged to renegotiate or scrap the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox, who has been fiercely critical of Trump, blasted the visit, saying Trump was untrustworthy and that Pena Nieto's invitation appeared aimed at boosting his own flagging popularity at home.

Pena Nieto has been enmeshed in his own controversies, including over whether he plagiarized some of his 1991 undergraduate law thesis.

"It is a desperate move by both sides," Fox told CNN.

Gabriela Cuevas, a senator with Mexicos conservative opposition National Action Party and head of the Senate foreign relations committee, said the visit was degrading for Mexico.

"Mexico looks weak as a country wanting to receive ... bullies, abusers, those who discriminate and confront. You dont invite them to come over for coffee, she said.

The head of a group of U.S. Republicans in Mexico, Larry Rubin, said Trump would spend about 90 minutes in Mexico City.

The last-minute trip contrasted with the usual style of foreign visits at the presidential level, which are long-planned and carefully scripted.

And foreign trips by White House hopefuls can be tricky to navigate. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican candidate, made a number of gaffes during a trip to London, Israel and Poland four years ago.

Clinton was also invited to meet with Pena Nieto, but it was unclear whether she has accepted.

After leaving Mexico, Trump was scheduled to make his speech on immigration at 6 p.m. MT(0100 GMT on Thursday) in Phoenix, Arizona, a state at the heart of the debate over the U.S. border.

Aides said he would reaffirm his determination to build a border wall and to quickly deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in the United States.

But the central question was how he would treat the majority of the 11 million illegal immigrants who have set down roots in their communities and obeyed U.S. laws. That issue has bedeviled the immigration debate in the United States for years.

Trump has shown signs of indecision on whether to go ahead with his previous proposal for a "deportation force," saying there are some "great people" among the immigrant population and that he would like to work with them.

Conservative allies like former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin have warned Trump against rolling back on deporting illegal immigrants.

But a more moderate immigration stance could help him attract some critical swing voters in his uphill drive to win in November.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, and Susan Heavey in Washington and Emily Flitter in New York; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Frances Kerry and Jonathan Oatis)
How do you know that an industry has gone mainstream? When the federal government wants to subsidize it.

Coding bootcamps are intensive courses in computer programming that span only a few months, making them a quicker alternative to a traditional college degree in computer science. Last week, the Obama administration announced a pilot program that would make a handful of these courses, along with other educational programs from nontraditional providers, eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. From among dozens of applicants, the pilot program, known as Educational Quality through Innovation Partnerships (EQUIP), selected four coding bootcamps and four other programs and granted access to $17 million in aid funds to educate 1,500 students.

Bootcamps have seen substantial growth just in the past year, with 6,700 graduates in 2014 and 16,100 in 2015a 138% increase. According to a survey of bootcamp graduates by Course Report, a group that tracks the industry, 89% of students are placed in a job four months after graduation, with the vast majority of those jobs in a relevant field. Graduates saw an average boost to their salaries of $18,000, and low-income students saw double that.

Better data on the industry is needed, particularly regarding the non-completers who were not included in the survey, but these early results are promising. So promising, indeed, that the Obama administration wants to subsidize the industry through the federal student aid program.

The urge is understandable, even for free-market types who are generally more skeptical of subsidies. Currently, the higher education system operates as a cartel. Ninety percent of the student loan market is controlled by the federal government, and the only way to get access to this taxpayer largesse is through accreditation. I have written before that once institutions gain accreditation, it is very difficult to lose, no matter how poor a schools quality is.

But barriers are high in the other direction, tooschools must be active for two years and pay costly inspection fees to gain accreditation. Additionally, many accreditors are run by established industry players with an interest in keeping out the competition. All this makes it difficult for newcomers to gain access to federal aid and play on a level field with the higher education industrys dominant institutions.

Barriers to entry and barriers to exit mean that established schools face less competition than they would in a free market. This lack of market discipline allows quality to deteriorate and prices to soar. Permitting coding bootcamps and other nontraditional education providers to receive federal funding might be seen as a way to bust this cartel. It does not hurt that the Education Department has selected independent third parties instead of accreditors to ensure quality in the pilot program.

Compelling as this case is, though, it would ultimately do more harm than good to make coding bootcamps eligible for federal student aid. Integrating bootcamps into the established system might just saddle them with all the established systems problems.

Take price, for instance. It is no secret that college costs have soared over the last several decades. Federal student aid contributes to higher costs, according to a paper by Stephanie Cellini of George Washington University and Claudia Goldin of Harvard University. Cellini and Goldin compared for-profit schools eligible for federal student aid to similar programs which did not receive aid. Programs at the eligible institutions were 78% more expensive than those at their ineligible counterparts. While coding bootcamps are not cheap, charging an average of $11,900 in tuition before scholarships, the findings of Cellini and Goldin suggest that figure would soar were bootcamps given access to taxpayer money.

Quality might also deteriorate. Unless the accreditation process underwent a major overhaul, a two-tiered market would emerge. Bootcamps with access to federal aid would enjoy a major advantage over those shut out. This would result in eligible institutions having less incentive to maintain quality. Cellini and Goldins research shows that the aid-ineligible institutions they studied had an 86% completion rate, compared to 35% for the aid-eligible ones.

As I have written, for-profit institutions with access to federal aid have an incentive to attract as many students as possible, regardless of those students prospects of completion. As a consequence, the reputation of for-profit colleges has tanked, and the Department of Education has embarked on a crusade to regulate them out of existence.

What if the same thing happens to coding bootcamps? Currently, most of those who enroll in the bootcamps expect to get a substantial return. But if the federal government introduces heavy subsidies, individuals will have less incentive to take account of their expected return, or even their likelihood of completion, before enrolling. Poor-quality providers will enter the market, seeking to take advantage of the subsidies.

Rather than looking to integrate coding bootcamps into the established student aid system, policymakers should simply leave the nascent sector alone. Allow it to develop in its own way and succeed on its own merits, rather than on the basis of Uncle Sams munificence. A private market for bootcamp finance is already developing: in 2015, 19% of bootcamp students took out an external loan, compared to just 3% in 2014. Competition is robust: at least 23 different lenders have provided financing to bootcamp students.

The government should not intervene in the bootcamp market, even with the intention of helping it prosper. Bootcamps have demonstrated that they can survive without federal assistanceindeed, they would probably be better off without it.

This column originally appeared on Forbes.

Preston Cooper is a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute. You can follow him on Twitter here.

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Prime Minister Theresa May and her top ministers on Wednesday agreed Britain would seek a unique relationship with the European Union, involving controls on immigration as well as a good trade deal.

After a summer of political earthquakes followed by a few weeks of holiday calm, May gathered her cabinet team for the first time since she asked them to use the break to come up with options for Britain's future ties with the bloc after a divorce.

For many in the EU, it is not before time. They have given May breathing space to devise a negotiating stance before triggering the exit procedure, but are keen for Britain to begin the talks and end uncertainty that has hurt investment.

"The PM said that there were two related imperatives: getting the best deal for people at home, and getting the right deal for Britain abroad," a spokeswoman for May said.

There was a "decisive view" that the model Britain was seeking would be unique rather than an "off-the-shelf solution".

"This must mean controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe but also a positive outcome for those who wish to trade goods and services," the spokeswoman added.

May told the cabinet meeting, held at her country residence, that there would be no second referendum and "no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door".

The British leader has said she will not trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty to start the exit procedure until next year so she has time to come up with a negotiating stance. Her spokeswoman said cabinet agreed this could be done without seeking the backing of parliament, or the devolved nations of the United Kingdom.

Ministers also agreed on Wednesday the Brexit process should confirm Britain's place "as one of the great trading nations in the world".

Signs of economic confidence are rising after the initial shock of Britain's June 23 vote to leave the EU. A spokeswoman for May said her ministers had reiterated the government's commitment to fiscal discipline and living within its means.

IMMIGRATION

May's aides say that after considering her ministers' views, she will be the ultimate arbiter of what proposals Britain takes to divorce negotiations with the EU.

She will expect the cabinet to overcome divisions on whether Britain should leave the EU's single market to ensure control over immigration, or find some kind of a compromise.

May has stacked her three ministries for Brexit, trade and foreign affairs with some of the most active campaigners for Britain to leave the EU.

But she has balanced them by appointing to vital positions lawmakers who campaigned for Britain to remain in the bloc, such as Philip Hammond at the finance ministry, or Treasury.

The Telegraph newspaper reported that the two sides have disagreed over Hammond's view that access to the single market could be maintained "on a sector-by-sector basis", with Britain retaining a favourable status for its big financial sector.

Asked whether that was Hammond's stance, the Treasury declined to comment.

If it was, that would go against so-called Brexit minister David Davis, who heads the new Department for Exiting the European Union, and trade minister Liam Fox. Citing senior government sources, the Telegraph said both believe Britain can only curb immigration if the country leaves the single market.

On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande seemed to back up that point, underlining that Britain could not opt in to certain parts of the single market without upholding the EU's four freedoms, including freedom of movement. (By Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan; Additional reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Andrew Roche)
Egypt's parliament has toughened penalties for female genital mutilation, adopting amendments that punish perpetrators with up to 15 years in prison if a child dies and up to seven years for carrying the procedure.

Wednesday's vote comes four days after Cabinet sent the proposed amendments to parliament. The state MENA news agency quoted lawmaker Ahmed el-Sherif as saying the penalties are meant to act as "deterrence."

Female genital mutilation was criminalized in 2008 but remains widespread in Egypt. In May, a 17-year-old girl died of a suspected stroke under anesthesia while undergoing female circumcision in the city of Suez.

The United Nations estimates at least 200 million girls and women in 30 countries have undergone the procedure, with half of them in Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
The first day of kindergarten is a big day for all youngsters, but for a set of formerly conjoined twins its a milestone.

Rosie and Ruby Formosa, 4, were born joined at the abdomen and sharing part of their intestines. They were delivered by caesarean section at 34 weeks gestation. After undergoing surgery as infants, the pair beat the odds to survive. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the condition occurs in one in 200,000 live births.

The girls, who live in Bexleyheath in southeast London, recently posed in a photo of their school uniforms.

Angela Formosa, their mother, told BBC News that her daughters were very excited to start school.

"When I was pregnant I didn't think I'd ever see their first day at school, so it is really amazing, and all thanks [go] to [Great Ormond Street Hospital] really, Formosa told BBC News.

Professor Paolo De Coppi, consultant pediatric surgeon at the hospital, expressed his excitement for the twins.

"It's always a joy to witness patients' progress and to hear that they are reaching new milestones this makes the job we do all the more rewarding, he told BBC News.
A hospital in the United Kingdom has reportedly told a couple who conceived their child through in vitro fertilization (IVF) that they must now adopt that child because the mother incorrectly completed preliminary legal forms for the procedure. The Independent reported that the woman, who was not named, failed to check off a single box that would have granted her partner the legal right to parent any child born via IVF. The news website also did not report the name of her partner.

The Hewitt Fertility Centre, which is affiliated with the Liverpool Womens National Health Services Trust, reportedly discovered the mothers error in August 2014. Workers notified the couple in March 2015 that they would need to begin filling out adoption papers for the child they had already begun raising.

A family court tried the case, whereby the judge ruled in favor of the parents and suggested that the form may be superfluous at best and a potential trap at worst, The Independent reported.

The Liverpool Womens NHS Foundation trust issued an apology through a spokesman who said the group was extremely sorry for our failure to ensure that a consent form was correctly completed in the course of a couples fertility treatment at the Hewitt Fertility Centre in 2009.

We contacted the couple involved to apologize and offer them support, the spokesman said, according to The Independent. This has included assistance with legal costs to enable the non-birth partner to become the childs legal parent.


A Utah woman who suffered multiple seizures Sunday was shocked to learn a pregnancy was the source because doctors told her previously that she was barren. Calvin and Brooke Williams are thrilled after welcoming a healthy baby girl, but they are baffled by the turn of events, KSL reported.

When Brooke was a little girl, she had a brain tumor [and] they told her that she of course wouldnt be able to have kids, Calvin, 27, told KSL.com. Its been crazy. Ive had every emotion, really.

Doctors at Utah Valley Hospital initially broke the news to the couple after conducting blood work while investigating her seizures. They informed the parents-to-be that Brooke was about eight months pregnant, and when she was stable performed an emergency C-section and delivered a healthy 5-pound, 8-ounce, 18-inch-long baby.

Its crazy; its a miracle, Calvin told KSL.com. Without any prenatal care, being a month early  shes great.

On a GoFundMe.com page the couple explained that Brooke never experienced any sickness, and had experienced lifelong irregular periods due to her brain tumor.


When Sophie Jaffe, 31, first met her husband Adi, 38, they had an immediate connection. Years later, their relationship almost fell apart when she discovered a web of lies that concealed the truth: Adi was a sex addict, and he needed help. Here, Sophie explains how she came to terms with the issue that threatened to end their relationshipand how it made them a stronger couple in the end.

The Beginning of Our Love Story



My husband and I met at UCLA in 2005. He was in his first year as a Ph.D. student, and I was in my third year of undergrad school. We took the same neuroscience course, began studying together, and both started crushing on each other. I made sure to get in his study group, he would always walk me to my next class, and we were constantly texting. Things moved pretty quickly; we were instantly infatuated with each other and didn't want to be apart once we met. Before we'd even officially started dating, he told me he used to be addicted to meth. He'd gone to jail and rehab, and it seemed to be an issue he had truly dealt with and overcome.To me, that was inspiring and hopeful.

Then, two years into our relationship, Adi cheated on me.

He'd met someone at the gym and hung out with her several times, then slept with her once. He was honest with me about it, and I broke up with him on the spot. I traveled to Guatemala, Cambodia, and Thailand, volunteered as a yoga and English teacher for children, and did a ton of soul-searching. Almost a year after we'd broken up, when I was traveling in Thailand, he wrote me a letter that read, "I saw this quote: 'What would you do if you knew you could not fail?' Even though it's cheesy, I would do everything in my power to get you back and prove to you I'm the one for you. I love you. Tell me if I should go away forever or if I have a chance."

Receiving this unexpected letter confirmed my suspicion that even though I was enjoying my freedom and adventures, I really missed Adi. We talked and came to the understanding that if we got back together, we'd go to therapy; after all, we didn't want to get back together after a year of being apart, then have him cheat again. We needed serious help from a third party who was trained for these situations. We stuck to our agreement and started seeing a therapist soon after we were engaged.

RELATED: Is Porn Addiction Really a Thing?

Discovering Adi's Sex Addiction

When we were engaged, I still didn't fully trust Adi, so I would look at his phone sometimes. (I knownot the healthiest habit, but it's true.) One day, we were on our way to temple, and I found inappropriate text messages between him and other women. He was saying things like how he wanted to hook up with them and exactly what he wanted to do to them. When I found the text messages, he fell apart. He didn't want to lose me, and that was the first time he told me, "I think I'm a sex addict." Apparently, every time we'd gotten into an argument, while I was off crying or being upset, he would go off and text other women to feel validated.

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Adi started going to Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings five days a week, and we started seeing therapists on our own in addition to the one we'd been seeing together. The New Year's Day after we got married, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. Then, around Valentine's Day, I found Adi's whole secret world.

Adi had an account on Ashley Madison, a website for married people who want to cheat on their spouses. He was using a secret name and e-mail account to exchange sexy letters and nude photos with people. He was almost relieved when I found it because all his secrets were finally out, but I was like, "How much can I handle? How can I believe anything he says when it keeps getting worse?" He swore he wasnt actually meeting up with women for sex, but why would I believe him? We were only four months into our marriage, and I took my ring off.

Adi decided to go to an outpatient rehab program for sex addiction. He would have done inpatient, but to be honest, we just couldn't afford it since he was a Ph.D. student and I was just starting my wellness business, Philosophie. He did that outpatient program for multiple hours three to four days a week and was still seeing a private therapist. Something about seeing him do so much to work on himself made feel like perhaps we still had a chance. We found a support group, which turned out to be incredibly healing thing for me. Every Sunday night, we would get together with other couples dealing with sex addiction, have dinner, then a meeting. It was a very wholesome, kind, loving environment that clicked for both of us. There were all these couples with amazing relationships, and I realized I wasn't alone and that we could hopefully get through it.

RELATED: 9 Signs He's Only Interested in Sex

Mending Our Relationship

That first year of our marriage was the most transformational for us. I was pregnant, we weren't having sex, and he was doing so much work on himself. I was working on myself, too. When I first found out about all the sexting back when we were engaged, I looked at it as Adi having a problem he needed to fix on his own. I didn't think of it as my issue, too. Once you get married, you take on the other person's problemsall of them. The minute I started looking at Adi's addiction as my problem as much as it was his, that's when everything transformed. We really had to go back to basics. He couldn't be friends with girls, go out with his friends and drink, or basically meet up with anyone except me. We did work in so many different ways, like yoga, mindfulness, couples therapy, and talk therapy. All of these practices helped us figure out what our problems really were, what was missing from his life, and what characteristic made him want to fill that space with sexual attention. At its core, his sex addiction was an escape from intimacy.

Adi's parents had never really said they loved him while he was growing up. We say it 10 times a day to each other and our kids, but his mom and dad didn't do that. So when he felt uncomfortable in intimate situationsnot just with me, but in lifehe would turn to an escape. For a long time, when he was a dealer and an addict, it was drugs. Then, he went to jail and rehab and had become sober, and he started turning to women instead. It was less about actually hooking up with any of them and more about the intrigue, the process of the chase, and the validation of a woman wanting him.

Now that we've done all this work of setting boundaries, going to therapy, and him going to rehab, we're more intimate than ever. I have not a single grain of fear for the future of our relationship. Every day, I trust him more. I never look at his phone, and we no longer need those really strict boundaries of him not having female friends or going out with coworkers. I do think he's recovered, but it's not like it never happened.It's still something we talk about. I'm not hiding, and neither is he.

We're also very honest with our family and friends about it. At first, most of my family turned him into the enemy when they found out, but when I explained that we had a plan and that I believed in him, they slowly but surely came around. Most of my friends have been endlessly supportive, and I've separated myself from the ones who thought he was just a weak cheater. You have to create your tribe, and this experience helped me realize who was really on my side.

RELATED: If They Cheated Once, Will They Cheat Again?

Our Life Together Now

Sex addiction is different from other addictions because you can't just take sex away forever and be sober. We're in a dynamic, intimate, loving relationship, and our sex life is very balanced and healthy. Sometimes we have sex three or four times a week; other times just once. (During his addiction period, we only had sex once or twice a month.) We love each other, we're so into each other, we've been through all this stuff, and it's better than it's ever been because of that trust. Before, if Adi would have ever suggested trying anything different, my mind would immediately have gone into this horrible downward spiral of insecurity and wondering why he wanted to do it. Now, that's not where my mind goes first.Instead, I just think that my husband wants to try something new with me.

Adi was seeking validation in risque ways with women outside of our relationship. After all the work he did with therapy, group sessions, and understanding that intimacy issues were at the root of his sex addiction, he doesn't need validation as much in the first place. It's definitely improved, and what he still needs, he gets from me and our relationshipbeyond sex, I express my appreciation for him and what he does for our family as a way of providing that.

We've been married for almost six years, and a lot of people ask why I didn't just leave. I could have and probably would have, but I saw a willingness to change in Adi. It wasn't just the talk, it was the walk that followed it. One of the most inspiring things about this man is that he was a drug addict and dealer who went to jail, got out, and turned his life around. He went to one of the best Ph.D. programs for psychology and is now helping the world as an addiction specialist. I couldn't want anything more from my partner and the father of my children than him bowing down to that humble, vulnerable side of having made a mistake but knowing he needed to change and grow. It took two years of honest, hard, exhausting, grueling work, but we came out on the other side.

RELATED: 6 Marriage Milestones That Will Make or Break a Couple

Sophie Jaffe is a Los Angeles-based health and wellness expert who is certified as a raw food chef and yoga teacher. She founded her company and wellness brand, Philosophie, with the goal of making it easier, more inspiring, and more delicious for everyonefrom kids to adultsto attain optimal health and radiant wellness.

This article originally appeared on WomensHealthMag.com.
Nearly 80 people will die today from a preventable, opioid-related overdose. Thats more than 28,000 Americans who die annually from our opioid abuse epidemic -- a figure that continues to climb with more than 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance-use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers.

This number is amplified today, as we observe International Overdose Awareness Day -- a moment to remember those whove passed and to educate ourselves on the inherent risk involved in consuming an opioid. This inherent risk is arguably Americas greatest public health crisis since HIV/AIDS, one that has caused communities across socio-economic backgrounds throughout the United States to suffer.

Whats scariest today is the knowledge that most (56 percent) of these overdoses are occurring in private homes unbeknownst to those around them. In addition, the rise of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, W-18, and carfentanil -- also called heroins deadlier cousin and an elephant sedative -- are wiping out those already addicted to opiates as the epidemic worsens and more Americans are caught in the cycle of opioid dependence.

Without dose-appropriate, easy-to-use naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal antidote, in the hands of the friends and families in those homes, victims of overdose will continue to die waiting for emergency services. Without naloxone available or strong enough to counteract prescription drugs and heroin laced with these potent, illicit opioids, we are going to continue to see spats of overdoses that leave dozens of Americans dead in short periods of time  such as events in Chicago, Milwaukee, Sacramento and Boston earlier this year.

As the opioid epidemic evolves, we must also evolve how we approach the use and access of naloxone. First responders and EMTs are no longer the only ones facing this problem head on, and cannot be the only people equipped with naloxone and plenty of it. Now, doctors, harm reduction groups, friends, treatment centers, law enforcement, family and community members are finding themselves at the frontlines of this epidemic and able to impact these emergency situations in unparalleled ways.

Therefore, on this International Overdose Awareness Day, we must make a promise to get naloxone into the homes and hands of the general public in order to prevent these overdose-related deaths from even occurring and slowing this public health crisis. It is the only way to give Americans in the throes of addiction a second chance at life.

That is why, as a doctor and pain specialist, it has been my mission to not only slow the prescribing and proliferation of non-medical opioid drugs, but to spread the knowledge of and access to this potentially life-saving medication in the communities that need it most. Today, there is even an FDA-approved naloxone nasal spray intended for community use and made with the non-medically trained person in mind, including mothers, brothers or caregivers.

Thankfully, there have been significant breakthroughs in the battle against our nations opioid epidemic through increased access to naloxone. Currently, 31 states have issued standing orders, which permits pharmacies to dispense naloxone without a physicians prescription, meaning anyone in these 31 states can walk into a CVS pharmacy and request an easy-to-use, naloxone nasal spray without a prescription.

For all providers, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines on opioid prescribing -- including a recommendation to encourage prescribing naloxone alongside higher-risk opioids. By offering naloxone alongside an opioid prescription, we are taking an important step toward mitigating this public health crisis and are automatically increasing awareness of the medication.

We also are removing overdose stigma by alerting at-risk patients to just how deadly the abuse or misuse of opioids can really be. Whats appalling is how few naloxone prescriptions were filled in comparison to the 259 million prescriptions written for opioids in 2012  more than enough to give every American adult their own bottle of pills. The CDC guidelines bring national attention to physicians' prescribing practices that may drive abuse while offering legitimate recommendations to curb our growing epidemic.

As thousands of people across the world come together over this volatile issue, we must reflect on the tools available and the ways in which we can bring the almost 80 opioid overdose deaths a day to zero. Today, too many of us are wearing silver to signify the loss of a friend or loved one.

International Overdose Awareness Day is not only a time to remember them, but a time to act.
US commander: Iran behavior unchanged since nuke deal, high seas harassment 'unsafe'

By ,

The top U.S. commander in the Middle East told reporters Tuesday that Irans behavior has not changed significantly since the signing of the international nuclear accord  and that, to the contrary, Tehrans increasing harassment of U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf is unlike what theyre seeing from any other country.

No one else does what they do in the Persian Gulf, said Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command. They don't go out and they don't drive fast boats towards military vessels out there in the same way that they do. Nobody else does that.

Votel was responding to the rising number of provocative interactions between Iranian vessels and the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf. Fox News reported Monday that that number nearly doubled in the first half of 2016 compared with the same time period a year ago.

Votel said its a sign the regime in Tehran is trying to exert their influence and authority in the region. He described the incidents as unsafe and unprofessional and not even helpful toward their long-term objectives.

And he reiterated concerns that Tehrans behavior has changed little since the historic signing of the nuclear deal committing the country to curb its nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions and other benefits.

We haven't seen a significant change in their behavior, just as we've kind of been talking about here, with the agreement, Votel said. To me that remains a concern.

According to data shared with Fox News, in the first half of 2016, there were 19 dangerous interactions with the Iranians, which the U.S. Navy characterized as unsafe and unprofessional. In the first half of 2015, that number was 10, according to a defense official. The Iranian vessels acted as the aggressors every time, according to the U.S. Navy.

Further, since July, there have been 11 dangerous confrontations, according to the data, in a sign of increasing Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. There were four such encounters with Iran last week alone, including one that required warning shots from a U.S. Navy ship.

This comes despite the highly touted nuclear accord, as well as a recent $1.7 billion U.S. payment to Tehran in January.

Last year, Secretary of State John Kerry suggested the nuclear deal might improve ties.

I know that a Middle East that is on fire is going to be more manageable with this deal and opens more potential for us to be able to try to deal with those fires, Kerry said in July 2015.

Votel told Fox News in Baghdad last month that he was concerned Irans behavior was not changing much.

On Sunday, Iran also announced via its state TV that it had deployed the Russian S-300 missile system around its nuclear facility in Fordow, a previous uranium enrichment site. According to the nuclear agreement, Fordow is no longer permitted to enrich uranium, but can only be used for civilian research.

Fox News Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-commander-iran-behavior-unchanged-since-nuke-deal-high-seas-harassment-unsafe
Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Tuesday survived a tough primary challenge -- defeating a persistent, first-time challenger amid the controversy that ended her leadership of the Democratic National Committee.

The Associated Press projected the win for Wasserman Schultz shortly after polls closed; she had 57 percent of the vote.

"The result was so incredibly gratifying," she said. "It really fills my heart to know the people I have represented said with this margin and this vote: We know her and we have been able to count on her for all these years. 

In the states closely-watched Senate primaries, Republican incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy won their respective races -- setting up a high-profile November contest that will help determine whether Democrats can retake control of the Senate.

Wasserman Schultzs race against law professor Tim Canova gained national attention when Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders accused her, as DNC chairwoman, of rigging the primary for front-running Hillary Clinton.

Sanders later endorsed Canova, which helped him build a sizable $3.3 million war chest to challenge Wasserman Schultz, who has the support of Clinton and President Obama.

Canova's long-shot bid was further helped by leaked emails last month that suggested Wasserman Schultz and other DNC staffers indeed favored Clinton, which resulted in Wasserman Schultzs resignation.

Wasserman Schultz is expected to win a seventh term in November against Republican Joe Kaufman, in the states Democratic-leaning 23rd Congressional District, part of suburban Fort Lauderdale.

She defeated Kaufman 63-to-37 percent in 2014 and until this election cycle had never face a House primary challenge.

Canova, in the closing weeks, argued that the race was more about local issues than the Sanders factor.

But Wasserman Schultz won with the loyal support of district voters. Clinton defeated Sanders in the states 2016 Democratic presidential primary 68-to-31 percent.

Rubio defeated four challengers including top-contender Carlos Beruff, a homebuilder. He mounted a last-minute bid for a second Senate term after a failed 2016 White House bid.

In the Democratic primary, establishment-backed Murphy defeated liberal firebrand Rep. Alan Grayson.

Rubio and Murphy's victory speeches set the tone for the Senate race.

"Marco Rubio is the worst of Washington because he puts himself first every time, Murphy said. He gave up on his job. He gave up on Florida. He earned the worst voting record for any Florida senator in 50 years."

Rubio said Murphy has lied about his education and his career and is only successful because of his wealthy father.

"How can someone with that kind of record think he can be elected to the U.S. Senate? Rubio asked. The answer is he has a sense of entitlement, because when everything you've ever had in your life is given to you, you think you deserve it all."

Murphy, who is endorsed by Obama and Vice President Biden, joined Congress after upsetting Tea Party favorite GOP Rep. Allen West in a 2012 race eventually decided by a partial recount.

RealClearPolitics.com shows Rubio leading Murphy by nearly 6 percentage points in a hypothetical matchup, based on an averaging of recent polls.

Grayson, like Wasserman Schultz, had to run against his own bad press.

In April, the House ethics committee decided to expand its probe into allegations he committed financial improprieties and used congressional staff for campaign purposes.

I want you to lose, said Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, which resulted in a tense exchange on Capitol Hill between him and Grayson.

Then allegations surfaced last month about Grayson committing domestic abuse, which prompted New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, next in line for the retiring Reids post, to call on Grayson to quit the race.

Grayson, a three-term congressman, and his team have denied the alleged wrongdoing, suggesting the probe is politically motivated, and have said that the ex-wife who made the abuse allegations is disturbed.

Graysons new wife, Dena Minning Grayson, on Tuesday lost her Democratic primary bid to take the House seat her husband vacated for his Senate bid.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(Facebook/Blade Runner)In the first movie, origami played important roles in the life of lead character Rick Deckard. One of the last scenes shows a unicorn origami whose significance is expected to be revealed in the upcoming sequel, "Blade Runner 2."

It could have been a successful end to a filming schedule at a local studio in Budapest for "Blade Runner 2," but an accident caused the life of a 28-year-old unnamed construction worker. The accident happened while he was dismantling one of the sets underneath a platform.

In a statement sent by Origo Studios to The Hollywood Reporter, it states, "The worker was underneath a platform, upon which the set was constructed, when it suddenly collapsed. The cause of the accident is not yet known." The studio declined to comment further when asked about the possible causes saying an investigation is already in progress.

The publication further quotes a Hungarian news website, Index, as reporting a studio spokesperson has revealed that the accident happened while the victim was dismantling one of the sets as filming on the said studio has already ended. Production for "Blade Runner 2" has transferred to the village of Etyek when the accident happened.

In related news, the addition of actor Jared Leto to the cast composed of actors Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling and actresses Mackenzie Davis and Robin Wright continues to create buzz. Leto is fresh from the success of the movie "Suicide Squad," which is a certified blockbuster film despite earning not-so-good reviews. His character is still being kept secret but, with production in progress, fans are most likely to learn about his role soon.

Ford will reprise his role on the first movie as ex-police officer Rick Deckard turned "Blade Runner." Blade runners are special underground forces whose mission is to track and kill bioengineered beings called "replicants."

One of the biggest mysteries left by the first movie is the question whether Rick is human or a replicant, and many are hoping that it will be addressed in the coming movie. "Blade Runner 2" is scheduled to hit theaters on Oct. 6, 2017.
Hillary Clinton apparently kept sending classified information over her personal email after leaving the State Department, according to documents obtained by the Republican National Committee.

The file in question is a May 2013 email Clinton sent from her private account to State Department officials and aides discussing the 123 deal with the United Arab Emirates.

Much of the message is redacted due to classified information. The markings list the material as confidential and say it can only be declassified in 2033.

The email was first reported by The New York Post.

Though the nature of the email exchange is unclear due to the redactions, the 123 deal referred to a 2009 agreement with the UAE to share material and technology for nuclear energy.

As reported by the Post, the email came from Clintons hrod17@clintonemail.com account, and was sent to Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, State Department chief of staff Cheryl Mills, top Clinton aide Huma Abedin and others. It was sent months after Clinton left the department.

A review of the now-Democratic presidential nominees emails at State already has found the former secretary of state sent more than 2,100 messages with material now considered classified. But those were during her tenure at the department.

Republicans seized on the latest finding to once again challenge her trustworthiness with the nations secrets.

Hillary Clintons secret server jeopardized our national security and sensitive diplomatic efforts on more than 2,000 occasions, and shockingly, it now appears her reckless conduct continued even after leaving the State Department, Donald Trump spokesman Jason Miller said in a statement. Hillary Clintons terrible judgment shows she cannot be trusted with our national security.

Clinton has claimed she never sent material that was classified at the time -- though FBI Director James Comey last month challenged that account, even as his bureau declined to pursue charges over her mishandling of sensitive information.

Regarding the email turned up in the RNCs Freedom of Information Act request, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said Wednesday that the campaign is investigating.

Meanwhile, the FBI is preparing to release some of the documents from its investigation in a matter of days.

Law enforcement sources told Fox News that FBI and Justice Department officials are in the process of determining what exactly will be released to the public.

Fox News Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
President Obama may be struggling to tilt the balance of the Supreme Court  but that doesnt mean he hasnt already made his mark on the bench.

The president, over the course of his two terms, has appointed hundreds of justices to the lower federal courts, leading to a majority of appeals courts now dominated by Democratic picks. While those nomination battles arent nearly as high-profile as they are for the high court, the impact of the appointments is just as pronounced.

It's often overlooked, but nominees to the lower courts ... are often one of the most important legacies a president leaves behind, said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center.

The Fourth Circuit, which sits just one level below the Supreme Court and is headquartered in Richmond, Va., is a prime example.

Previously viewed as one of the most conservative appellate courts in the country, it has drifted significantly to the left, with Democratic appointees now outnumbering their Republican counterparts two-to-one.

That circuit not only recently struck down North Carolinas voter ID law, but also ruled in favor of a transgender student seeking to use high school bathroom facilities matching the students gender identity rather than biological gender.

The tilt on the federal appeals courts  particularly as the Supreme Court, which takes relatively few cases as it is, remains split 4-4  is a trend that worries conservatives.

The Supreme Court takes very few cases, there's not an opportunity to correct every error made -- and when you have activist judges at the lower levels of the federal judiciary, that can have a damaging effect on [the] American system and rule of law, said Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director at the Judicial Crisis Network.

The president has successfully seated a total of 329 federal judges during his two terms  all of them, lifetime appointments.

When Obama took office, only three appellate courts had more Democrat-appointed judges than Republican-appointed judges.

Now, nine of the 13 circuits do.

His pace of federal judicial appointments is in line with his predecessors'. George W. Bush appointed 330, and Bill Clinton appointed 379, according to federal data.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears only 70-80 cases a year, making the lower courts even more important as they handle hundreds of thousands of cases each year, often representing the final word on critical issues.

And its not just the cases they decide. Its how they decide them, crafting the framework for how legal disputes will be handled going forward.

President Obama's nominees to the Supreme Court, in particular, will be a legacy for him not just because they may cast more liberal votes than justices a conservative president would've put on, but also because of the way they talk about the law and the Constitution, Wydra said.

Obama also worked to remake the D.C. Circuit, by forcing through three nominees, with the help of then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who changed the rules of the Senate in order to make that happen.

One of the key issues the D.C. Circuit considers is the use of executive power.

Meanwhile, Obamas nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, Merrick Garland, remains stalled in the Senate. However, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Monday that if Hillary Clinton wins the November election, its possible the Senate could actually move on Garlands nomination - if a large number of senators pressed Grassley to do so.
President Obama has extended the U.S. militarys combat mission in Libya for another month at the request of senior military leaders, two defense officials with knowledge of the order told Fox News.

The decision keeps two U.S. Navy warships off the coast of Libya to continue striking ISIS and assist Libyan ground forces fighting the terror group in the coastal city of Sirte.

One of the U.S. warships had been scheduled to go to the Persian Gulf in September to begin airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria and keep an eye on Iran, a week after four provocations between Iranian gunboats and U.S. Navy ships -- one of which resulted in warning shots being fired by a U.S. warship. The other, a U.S. Navy destroyer, was supposed to head to the Black Sea near Russia next month. But both plans will be put on hold, according to one defense official.

USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship loaded with over 1,000 Marines as well as Harrier jets and Cobra attack helicopters, will remain off the coast of Libya  as will her escort ship, USS Carney, a guided-missile destroyer.

The destroyer is close enough to be seen from shore, one defense official said.

U.S. Marine Corps jets and attack helicopters from USS Wasp have conducted 92 airstrikes against ISIS in Libya as of Monday, according to statistics provided from the U.S. militarys Africa Command.

Marine Harrier jets have conducted 124 missions over Libya against ISIS since airstrikes began on Aug. 1. Marine Cobra attack helicopters have flown 31 missions as of Tuesday, according to statistics provided by one defense official who requested anonymity.

Another defense official told Fox News he expected U.S. airstrikes to be ending soon because ground forces loyal to the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli which the U.S. military is supporting is now in control of 90 percent of Sirte. The Libyan city is located roughly halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi on the Mediterranean coast.

Earlier this week, Libyan forces suffered heavy casualties while fighting ISIS, according to reports. According to the BBC, 34 Libyan soldiers were killed and 150 wounded in recent fighting.

Estimates about the ISIS presence in Libya vary. In June, CIA Director John Brennan said there were 5,000 to 8,000 fighters in Libya. Recently, U.S. military officials said only hundreds remained in the ISIS-stronghold of Sirte, but did not have estimates for the rest of the country.

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon has officially disclosed the extension for the two U.S. Navy warships and airstrikes against ISIS there. The president's initial authorization was for 30 days.
Several top Democrats want the FBI to investigate whether the campaign for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was involved in the recent hack of Democratic Party computers.

In a letter to FBI Director James Comey Tuesday, the lawmakers wrote that federal authorities should examine whether Trump advisers and Russia conducted cyberattacks to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.

The letter notes connections between Russia and Trump aides including former campaign manager Paul Manafort. He resigned following revelations of past work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Some experts believe Russia was behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee that led tothe release of thousands of Democratic documents.

Writing Comey were Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, Elliot Engel of New York and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.

The New York Times reported Monday that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid wrote a similar letter to Comey, pointing out two Trump advisers who are allegedly connected to Russia.

Reid asks Comey to investigate Roger Stone, who is said to have connections to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and Carter Page, a Trump foreign policy adviser who traveled to Moscow last month.

According to The Washington Post, Tuesdays letter to Comey asks the agency to investigate former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort as well as Stone and Page.

Serious questions have been raised about overt and covert actions by Trump campaign officials on behalf of Russian interests, the letter read. It is critical for the American public to know whether those actions may have directly caused or indirectly motivated attacks against Democratic institutions and our fundamental election process.

Glen Caplin, a spokesman for the Hillary Clinton campaign, said in a statement that the Trump campaign had multiple advisers with deep ties to Russia.

By admitting hes in contact with Julian Assange through mutual friends, and claiming the Russian front Guccifer 2.0 is the source of hacked documents obtained by WikiLeaks, Roger Stone has raised serious and deeply troubling questions about potential collusion between Trump campaign associates and the Kremlin, the statement read. This alarming red flag is a question that demands answers.

The Post reported that Stone has repeatedly denied ties to Russia and has told Assange that through a mutual friend.

Stone said that there was no proof that the Russians hacked the Democrat Partys computers because a hacker named Guccifer 2.0 had claimed responsibility for it.

He also added that Assange has a kryptonite that would bring down the Clinton campaign with information regarding the Clinton Foundation and its ties to the State Department during her time as Secretary of State.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from The Washington Post.
Donald Trump said Wednesday that he shared his concerns personally with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto about trade and illegal immigration  calling anew for changes to NAFTA and asserting the right to build a border wall  during a surprise visit to Mexico just hours before he is set to deliver an immigration policy speech in Arizona.

The Republican presidential nominee visited Mexico at Pena Nietos invitation. The two leaders met privately in Mexico City, before they addressed the press together.

We had a very substantive, direct and constructive exchange of ideas, Trump said.

Trump, who has made illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign, called the issue a "humanitarian disaster" that must be solved. As for perhaps his most controversial proposal on the matter -- building a border wall, and making Mexico pay for it -- Trump said they touched on the issue in their meeting, though he did not insist Wednesday that Mexico foot the bill.

We did discuss the wall. We didnt discuss payment of the wall, Trump told reporters, while saying either country has a "right" to build such a barrier.

After the meeting, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted that he made it clear "that Mexico will not pay for the wall."

The Trump campaign responded saying the meeting was "not a negotiation" and that it would have been "inappropriate" to bring up the candidate's proposal to build a wall along the border.

Trump, standing next to Pena Nieto during joint remarks, also said he shared his "strong view" that NAFTA has helped Mexico more than the U.S. and must be overhauled.

Both leaders assumed a measured and respectful tone at the podium that set aside the tensions that have emerged over the past year's U.S. presidential campaign.

Pena Nieto, speaking through a translator, said their neighboring countries will face common challenges no matter who is the next president and urged a relationship based on mutual respect.

The Mexican president said he and Trump had an open discussion, acknowledging the countries face a joint challenge on their shared border  he said this includes addressing the flow of weapons into Mexico, as well as the flow of illegal immigrants heading north.

He told Trump: We might disagree on several issues, but your presence here  shows that we do have fundamental common ground.

The meeting, which was ridiculed by the Hillary Clinton campaign, comes after Trump has spent much of the presidential race railing against illegal immigration. He has singled out Mexico, accusing the country of sending over criminals and rapists.

His rhetoric, coupled with calls for a border wall and mass deportations, have stoked tensions with Latino voters and Mexican government officials  even as Trump lately has signaled potential changes in his immigration policy platform, which he expects to address in detail at a rally in Phoenix on Wednesday night.

Those tensions flared as Trump was en route to Mexico City. Former President Vicente Fox told CNN that Trump is not welcome by the Mexican people, calling it a political stunt.

Trump fired back on Twitter, saying Fox invited me when he apologized for using the f bomb, referring to when Fox said he wasn't going to pay for "that f-----g wall."

The Trump-Nieto meeting was only announced Tuesday night, stoking speculation over what both men hoped to achieve.

Earlier in the day, campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told Fox News the two would discuss illegal immigration, trade and drugs. Trump running mate Mike Pence said they would begin a conversation about a proposed border wall, along with other issues.

Hes going to begin a dialogue with Mexico on issues  that we differ on  but also, issues of common interest, Pence told Fox News.

I think today is more about a relationship, Pence said.

The visit comes as Trump looks to clarify his stance on immigration. Trump has called for the deportation of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. and building a wall along the Mexican border, while having Mexico pay for it.

Recently, Trump has signaled he may soften his stance a bit after meetings with Hispanic leaders.

Conway said on Fox News Sunday that Trump wants to find the fair and humane way to address the issue.

Last week, Pena Nieto  who has been critical of Trump's insistence that Mexico would pay for the wall  invited both the Republican nominee and Democrat Hillary Clinton to visit his country. Trump confirmed on Twitter late Tuesday that he had accepted Pena Nietos invitation.

Clinton, though, took a shot at Trumps trip during an address earlier Wednesday to the American Legion convention in Cincinnati.

It certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again, Clinton said. That is not how it works.

Clintons campaign also said in a statement that Trumps trip to Mexico ultimately doesnt matter in the long run.

"From the first days of his campaign, Donald Trump has painted Mexicans as 'rapists and criminals and has promised to deport 16 million people, including children and U.S. citizens. He has said we should force Mexico to pay for his giant border wall. ... What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions."

A senior campaign official told Fox News that Clinton will meet with Pena Nieto at the "appropriate time."

Trump was already out West on Tuesday for a campaign stop near Seattle, giving him enough time to jet down to Mexico for a brief visit before his evening speech on Wednesday.

Foreign trips by presidential candidates, even to a neighboring country such as Mexico, are an enormous logistical and security undertaking.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a close Trump adviser, has been among those pushing Trump to make the trip, according to a person familiar with their conversations. Christie made his own successful trip to Mexico City in September 2014, and has a warm relationship with the Mexican president.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Even before Donald Trump landed in Mexico Wednesday, he found himself in a Twitter war with former Mexican President Vicente Fox  who went on a tear declaring the Republican nominee not welcome in the country.

Fox, an outspoken critic of Trump, started the fight when he said on CNN that he disagreed with current President Enrique Pena Nietos decision to invite the billionaire to the country to meet with him.

He is not welcome to Mexico, Fox told CNN. We dont like him. We dont want him. We reject his visit.

"I think President Pena is taking an enormous political risk by hosting Trump, he said. He will even be considered like a traitor because we don't accept to be offended like we just heard, and it should not happen that he comes here with a smile on his face. I think this is a big mistake on the part of President Pena."

Trump, as is often his way, fired back on Twitter.

Former President Vicente Fox, who is railing against my visit to Mexico today, also invited me when he apologized for using the f bomb, he said, referring to when Fox said he wasn't going to pay for "that f-----g wall."

This triggered a fiery response from Fox, also on Twitter, as he called on Trump to apologize and stop lying.
A blue fire tornado sounds like it could be an alarming natural disaster, but this phenomenon could actually offer a way to burn fuel with reduced carbon emissions, a new study finds.

A fire tornado, or fire whirl, can occur during urban and wildland fires, threatening life, property and the surrounding environment. However, researchers have discovered a type of fire tornado they call a "blue whirl," and they said these flames have the ability to burn nearly soot-free.

Traditional, yellow fire whirls gain their color from radiating soot particles, according to study co-author Elaine Oran, a professor of engineering at the University of Maryland. Oran said the particles in yellow whirls form because there is not enough oxygen to burn the fuel completely. [Video: Watch a Blue Fire Tornado Spin]

"Blue in the whirl indicates there is enough oxygen for complete combustion, which means less or no soot, and is therefore a cleaner burn," Oran said in a statement.

The researchers were initially studying the combustion and burning dynamics of fire whirls on water. When they discovered the swirling blue flame, the researchers said they thought there could be a practical application for the fire tornado.

Reduced-emission combustion through the blue whirl could offer a solution to "the worldwide need to reduce emissions from both wanted and unwanted combustion," the scientists wrote in their study.

One potential application is to help clean up oil spills, the researchers said. Currently, one remediation technique is to corral the oil, creating a thick layer on the water's surface to be burned. But burning the oil this way is smoky, inefficient and incomplete, the researchers said. If blue whirls could be harnessed and controlled, oil-spill remediation-by-combustion could be greatly improved, they added.

"Fire whirls are more efficient than other forms of combustion, because they produce drastically increased heating to the surface of fuels, allowing them to burn faster and more completely," said study co-author Michael Gollner, an assistant professor of fire-protection engineering at the University of Maryland.

In the researchers' experiments over water, Gollner said, the blue whirls not only burn cleaner, but also help pull in the fuel due to the flames' circulation.

"If we can achieve a state akin to the blue whirl at larger scale, we can further reduce airborne emissions for a much cleaner means of spill cleanup," Gollner said.

The findings were published Aug. 4 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
An asteroid gave Earth a close shave Sunday, Aug. 28, just a day after astronomers first spotted the object.

The newfound asteroid 2016 QA2 zoomed within 50,000 miles or so of the planet Sunday. For perspective, the moon orbits Earth at an average distance of 239,000 miles.

Astronomers think 2016 QA2 is between 80 and 180 feet wide. That means the space rock is slightly bigger than the object that exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February 2013, injuring more than 1,200 people.

The Chelyabinsk asteroid was probably 65 feet or so in diameter when it hit Earth's atmosphere, scientists have said. (The Chelyabinsk object exploded high above the ground, generating a powerful shock wave that shattered thousands of windows. The injuries  none of which were fatal  were cuts caused by flying glass.)

The SONEAR Observatory in Brazil discovered 2016 QA2 on Saturday, Aug. 27. The asteroid has a more elliptical orbit than Earth does, coming as close to the sun as 0.76 astronomical units (AU) and getting as far away as 1.18 AU, according to the Minor Planet Center. (One AU is the average distance form Earth to the sun: about 93 million miles).

The newfound asteroid completes one lap around the sun every 350 days, researchers said.

Asteroids in 2016 QA2's size range could conceivably do serious damage on a local scale if they hit Earth. In 1908, for example, an object thought to be about 130 feet wide exploded over Siberia, flattening trees over an 825-square-mile area. (It may seem like asteroids really have it in for Russia, but the nation's higher incidence of strikes is just a result of its huge size.)

But an asteroid has to be really big  probably at least 0.6 miles wide  to potentially wipe out human civilization or cause some other global catastrophe, astronomers have said. Scientists think they've spotted about 95 percent of the potentially hazardous, mountain-size space rocks out there, and none of those objects pose a threat for the foreseeable future.

Originally published on Space.com.
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The next time you want to praise your dog, use a positive word or phrase it knows and say it in a praising way. Thats the finding of new research that reveals that both words and tone matter when humans communicate with canines.

Researchers studied 13 trained dogs in Hungary. The canines were analyzed under a functional MRI machine, which looked at blood flow in their brains. A recording played different words, spoken by their trainer with different tones. That means that the dogs heard praise words said in a praising tone, praise words said in a neutral tone, neutral words said in praising way, and neutral words spoken with a neutral tone.

The scientists discovered that it was the praising words said in a positive way that showed a reward in the dogs brain. In other words, saying a word that means nothing but doing it in a praising tone wouldn't register the same way a meaningful word said in a praising way would, according to the research.

It shows that for dogs, a nice praise can very well work as a reward, but it works best if both words and intonation match. So dogs not only tell apart what we say and how we say it, but they can also combine the two, for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant, Attila Andics, the first author of the study and a neuroscientist at Eotvos Lorand University, said in a statement.

The dogs used the left hemisphere of their brain to process the words they knew, and the right to process intonation, like humans, according to the study, which was published in the journal Science.

The study also points out that dogs have the ability to recognize as many as about 1000 words, when told to fetch objects.

So while dogs probably wont be listening attentively to full sentences anytime soon, the new research shows that words and tone matter, and that when they match, the dogs notice.

Follow Rob Verger on Twitter: @robverger
A powerful signal has been spotted coming from the vicinity of a sunlike star, and now astronomers are trying to figure out what it means.

In May 2015, researchers using a radio telescope in Russia detected a candidate SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) signal that seems to originate from HD 164595, a star system that lies about 94 light-years from Earth, the website Centauri Dreams reported over the weekend.

The astronomers have not yet published a study about the detection; they plan to discuss it next month at the 67th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Guadalajara, Mexico, according to Centauri Dreams' Paul Gilster, who wrote that one of the team members forwarded him the IAC presentation. [13 Ways to Hunt Intelligent Alien Life]

HD 164595 is known to harbor one planet  a roughly Neptune-mass world that orbits too close to the star to support life as we know it. However, it's possible that other worlds lurk undiscovered in the system, said astronomer Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, who is not part of the detection team.

The scientists who made the detection are respected researchers, and the signal is strong enough that it's probably not just random noise, Shostak told Space.com. Furthermore, the signal is consistent with something an alien civilization might send out  and if aliens did indeed do it, they are certainly far more advanced than we are, he added.

Based on the received signal's characteristics, aliens would have to generate about 100 billion billion watts of energy to blast it out in all directions. And they'd still have to produce more than 1 trillion watts if they beamed it only to Earth for some reason, Shostak said.

"The first number is hundreds of times more than all the sunlight falling on Earth," he said. "That's a very big energy bill."

The SETI Institute focused the Allen Telescope Array (ATA), a system of radio dishes in Northern California, at HD 164595 Sunday night (Aug. 28) and plans to do so again tonight (Aug. 29), Shostak said. He certainly hopes the ATA finds something that would suggest ET is behind the signal, but he said he suspects there's a more prosaic explanation.

For example, it's possible that interference by an Earth-orbiting satellite or something else close to home is responsible, Shostak said. Indeed, he said that such "terrestrial interference" would be his bet, if we ever do learn what caused the signal.

But, sadly, it's very possible that we'll never know. The Russia-based team apparently observed the HD 164595 system 39 different times and only detected the signal once, Shostak said. If nobody sees it again, it will probably remain a mystery, much like the famous "Wow!" signal of 1977.

"Without a confirmation of this signal, we can only say that it's 'interesting,'" Shostak wrote today in a blog post about the candidate signal detection.
Microsofts search engine Bing has sparked controversy after translating the word Daesh a term that refers to the fundamentalist group Islamic State as Saudi Arabia.

One Twitter user posted a short video showing the mistranslation in action, telling Bing shame on you.

In English, people commonly refer to the Islamic State terrorist group as ISIS, but Daesh is another way to describe it its an acronym based on an Arabic name for the group. The term does not mean Saudi Arabia.

The error and the angry response on social media that it sparked (with one tweet showing Bing being put into a trashcan) resulted in an apology from Mamdouh Najjar, Microsoft vice president and national technology officer in Saudi Arabia. He tweeted (in Arabic) that the mistranslation was unintentional.

In response to an inquiry from FoxNews.com, a Microsoft spokesperson said: "Our product team fixed the error in the automated translation within hours of learning about it."

Bing is not the only search engine thats garnered attention with controversial results at the intersection of technology and politics.

Earlier this summer, the Google search engine displayed an image of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as well as his birthdate in response to the inquiry when was Hitler born. Google subsequently removed the Trump image.

That wasnt the only time that Google connected the two men. A Google image search for Crippled America, a book by Trump, also displayed images of Hitlers treatise Mein Kampf in July. Google explained in a statement to FoxNews.com that Google Image results are generated by an algorithm based primarily on what others who have searched for your particular query have also searched for. This means that sometimes unexpected or sensitive subject matter may appear for a given query. The Mein Kampf images were removed.

As for the Microsoft Bing error, crowdsourcing was a reported possible cause.

Follow Rob Verger on Twitter: @robverger
Consumer satisfaction with airlines has been tanking as carriers tack on fees, strip away amenities and squeeze passengers into smaller seats.

American Airlines wants its passengers to be happybut they dont necessarily want to have to do anything to improve the overall customer experience.

This week, the legacy carrier rolled out a new ad campaign that salutes the worlds greatest fliers. Who exactly fits this mold?

Apparently, its the passenger that brings his or her own noise cancelling headphones on board when a baby is crying. Its the passenger who walks faster in airports and packs like theyre solving a jigsaw puzzle.

One print ad reads that the worlds best flier is: Always upbeat, great fliers make the best of their situation no matter where theyre sitting.

In other words, American just wants its customers to smile through the pain that is modern day air travel.

On Monday, Fernand Fernandez, Americans vice president of global marketing, saluted the new campaign saying, Customers really have a huge impact on the flying experience.

But as the commercial spot began circulating and news of the campaign broke, many on Twitter didnt take too kindly to the airlines plea for passive passengers.

Not happy flying crappy American Airlines? New ad campaign puts the blame on you! - The New York Times https://t.co/EiAPSaOSZb  Ryan Ver Berkmoes (@ryanvb) August 30, 2016

Really?! Flying public needs to change attitude? Not the airline? American Airlines' New Ad Campaign https://t.co/COuvIVbr7A via @Skift  Go See It Travel (@GoSeeItTravel) August 31, 2016

Everybody's least favorite airline @AmericanAir tells travelers to ef off in new ad campaign: https://t.co/omJa9Rck2Y via @nytimes  Amy Schoenberger (@AmySho) August 30, 2016

Maybe the airline will consider handing out peanuts to passengers who manage to sit quietly through their whole flight.
It's supposed to be a rich tourists perfect paradise, but increasingly, the Maldives credibility as a tropical dream is being overshadowed by the spectre of a terrorist nightmare.

The country famed for white sands and laid back locals is teetering on the edge of a coup with unrest and the threat of Islamic State terrorism set to see paradise turn ugly.

The Maldives is painted as a picture-prefect haven for tourists  many of them rich Western Europeans escaping the winter.

But increasing internal political turmoil and hard line radicalisation has the country at tipping point. There is civil unrest as democratically-elected President Abdulla Yameen continues to lose support, and as more locals leave the Muslim country to fight in the Middle East with Islamic State and other militant outfits.

An estimated 200 Maldivians have fled to join these radical groups, which would make the Maldives the largest foreign contributor of fighters on a per-capita basis. Its a figure disputed by Yameen, who says the number is closer to 50  despite the fact his government last week asked India for help sharing intelligence in light of an increasing threat from ISIS.

Whatever the numbers, terrorism experts say the figure is concerning, given the small population.

The Australian reports that if there was to be a single terrorist attack on one of the luxury resorts, the billion dollar tourist industry would topple.

It makes me very, very scared to see what is happening there, Azra Naseem, who was born in the Maldives and now specialises in researching Islamist radicalism at Dublin University, told The Australian.

She told BenarNews the government was afraid if the number of people leaving to become foreign fighters became public, it would harm the countrys exclusive tourism industry.

Rich Western Europeans, towards whom most of the Maldives tourism is geared, would not want to book expensive holidays in a country known for the production of jihad, she said.

If the tourism industry is damaged, the minuscule percentage of rich Maldivians who control it would suffer, and many of them bankroll the government. So the current regimen downplays the number of jihadists, pretends it is a problem that does not exist and labels anyone who speaks about it a traitor.

In the past, she said the Maldives, which adopted Islam when Arab traders came to the islands in the 12th century, had never really distinguished between the Shia and Sunni sects of Isla, blending island traditions and Islam.

And now the only Islam that is being accepted is Saudi Salafism, she says.

Almost half the Maldivian population of 300,000 lives on the island capital of Male. But unemployment and drug use is high. Few Maldivians work in the resorts, which are on islands uninhabited by locals. They tend to be managed by Europeans and Australians and staffed mainly by tens of thousands of poorly-paid Bangladeshis.

While the government has been diligent in cracking down on political opponents, it has done little to halt the flow of Maldivians heading off to fight for the Islamic State.

There have been whole families who have gone over, says Naseem. There has been a Maldivian baby born in Syria.

When ISIS first emerged, the stories of people going off to fight would be reported in local newspapers as their families proudly talked of their bravery. Naseem says the government seems to have cracked down on the publication of such reports, but it doesnt mean that people arent still going.

Terrorism experts say the problem is what happens if some of these Maldivian jihadists-- trained and radicalised on the battlefields of Syria-- come home.

Maldivian jihadists recently posted a video on a website with the pictures of the three most recent Maldivian presidents  including Yameen  depicting the presidents being shot.

The video said it was a warning for the leadership of the Maldives to adopt strict sharia law.

Experts say the countrys 100-plus luxury resorts are soft terrorism targets. Meanwhile Yameen is trying to pacify Islamic interests, safeguard his leadership, and protect than economy where 70 percent of the economy is directly reliant on tourism.

The result is building opposition towards him, and the growing threat of a coup.

The Maldives became a democracy in 2008 when Mohamed Nasheed became its first freely-elected leader, ending three decades of autocratic rule under Yameens half-brother, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Since Yameen came to power in 2013, he has enacted a series of increasingly draconian laws.

Under his rule, hundreds of political activists have faced charges and several senior figures have been given long jail sentences including Nasheed, who was painted as anti-Islamic, and now lives in self-imposed exile in the UK.

Last weekend, reports emerged that a group of exiled opposition leaders  including Nasheed  had met in Sri Lanka planning how to oust him.

Protests have become frequent in the past year amid fears Yameen will return the Maldives to its more repressive past.

Last month, strict defamation laws, with punishments for comments or actions considered insulting to Islam and tighter restrictions on demonstrations came into effect.

Yameen plans to bring back the death penalty  after a 60-year unofficial moratorium  and capital punishment as a way of proving his Islamic credentials, a move which has drawn criticism from the UN, the UK, the EU and the US.

While the Maldives relies heavily on its billion-dollar tourism industry, that same industry promotes a feeling of inequality. Some locals resent the wealthy foreigners. Even more resent the uneven distribution of the proceeds of tourism.

The internal power struggle, combined with the increased terrorism fears, haven't hit the tourist trade. Yet.

But on Aug. 25, the BBC announced it had received information that a move to oust the president is expected in the coming weeks.

Public observance of any religion other than Islam is prohibited in the Maldives and importation of non-Islamic religious material is illegal. In the past, foreigners have been expelled for allegedly engaging in religious preaching.

Its at odds with the tourism brochure picture of tropical paradise perfection of year-round sun, an underwater wonderland, and rich tourists sipping cocktails on the countrys resort islands where alcohol and pork are allowed, bikinis are acceptable dress, and almost anything goes.
A black Texas teacher is suing the state's capital after being thrown to the ground by one white officer during a traffic stop, and then being told by another that blacks have "violent tendencies."

Breaion King filed suit against the city of Austin in U.S. District Court on Tuesday. She's seeking damages that "most probably" exceed $1 million.

King was arrested after being stopped for speeding last summer. Her case garnered national attention after patrol car video was released in July.

Police Chief Art Acevedo publicly apologized, and launched departmental investigations that remain ongoing.

But King's attorney, Erica Grigg, said that when King subsequently contacted city leaders to have larger discussions about her arrest, she got little response.

Grigg said King "wants justice and doesn't want something like this" happening to others.
The war for talent is an ongoing battle as companies struggle to fill their open roles with qualified candidates. In face, 38 percent of the more than 41,000 hiring managers surveyed by ManPowerGroup in 2015 said they are finding it difficult to fill jobs. But maybe its not a lack of qualified candidates in the job market thats causing this issue. Perhaps companies are failing to attract the right people. The only way to know is to step into their shoes. What do they want?

Lets take a look at how the candidate experience can be used to refine recruiting processes to give job seekers what theyre looking for.

Develop a branding strategy.

The best place to start is to create an employer brand strategy, which begins with a targeted message. To get messaging right, look inward. How does the staff perceive the company as a whole? What do they think about their immediate management? Are they passionate about the product or service being provided to the customer base?

Related: How Employer Branding Can Help Your Company Be Perceived As A Great Place to Work

Conduct internal surveys to get input on working conditions, benefits, culture and leadership. Use this data as promotional material. For example, if 75 percent of the staff report being satisfied with their work and current position, share that in relevant outlets to attract top talent. After all, candidates want to work in a happy workplace.

Develop a credible brand message that accurately conveys the ins and outs. Its important to be transparent. That means sharing the strengths as well as the realities of the day-to-day. Not everything runs smoothly, and the staff isnt always beaming with smiles and excitement. Authenticity always wins over skewed promotional content.

Consider the candidate experience. When they are given a realistic preview about what the job entails and what its like to work at the organization, they will trust the employer before applying. In fact, they may even be enthusiastic about actively searching the company regularly for an open role that best fits them.

Identify the best channels to use to spread this authentic message. For example, Facebook, LinkedIn, the company career site and job boards are some of the best bets. Use visual media, like videos and photos, to give a detailed glimpse behind the curtain.

Candidates like to read or watch stories that further the employer brands message. Keep the theme consistent between media. For example, produce a series of short testimonial videos that showcase how higher level staff members first started with the company to demonstrate the organizations emphasis on talent mobility.

Start social recruiting.

Social recruiting is a must nowadays, and a large amount of companies agree about its effectiveness. The Global Recruiting Trends 2016 report found 47 percent of the 3,894 hiring managers surveyed say social media is the most effective employer branding tool. However, job seekers are often avid social media users and know what they like and what they hate. Refrain from spamming followers with too many job openings and repeated blog posts. Instead, focus on diversifying the content being shared. What do job seekers want to read about? What do they need to know before they pursue working at an organization?

Related: These Social Media Tips Will Make You Rethink Recruiting

A 2016 LinkedIn study found that 66 percent of job seekers want to know about a companys culture and values, and 50 percent want to know the mission and vision. Produce content that addresses these main concerns. Dont leave people guessing if they fit well in the culture or the role. Job postings and employer brand content must be clear in what is expected of new hires and how they can thrive in the organization.

Cater to repeat candidates.

Candidates may want to apply for another role down the line that better fits them. However, a bad application and interview process will turn them away. Focus on treating candidates with respect. How do job seekers want to be treated during their application and interview process? Get into that mindset and ask what a good experience looks like.

To start, communication is key. After applying for a position, candidates like to know what the next steps are. Provide them with timeframes and a clear breakdown of what they can expect to do. Also, explain in detail what the company expects from them so they know how to prepare.

Related: 3 Important Things to Know to Improve Your Candidates' Experience

If they interview and dont get the position, provide constructive feedback. What sets them apart from the new hire? What are they lacking? Could they do something better? By offering specific insights into why they werent right for the role, companies show that they are grateful for applicants and respect the time and energy they put into pursuing a job opening.

Candidates who receive this kind of treatment are bound to submit an application in the future. Keep them in mind, and target them specifically when something opens up that fits them well. How are you using the candidate experience to attract the talent you want?
A 97-year-old World War II veteran was awarded medals for his service on Tuesday, more than 70 years after he defended U.S. troops under fire from German soldiers.

Stewart Marshall, of South Carolina, was honored at a special ceremony in Lancaster County, where he received nine awards, including a Bronze Star and U.S. Army medal of commendation, for his wartime service, according to local media reports.

A humbled Marshall sought to downplay the significance of the recognition in a room surrounded by other veterans, WNCN reported.

"I appreciate it very much, but I'm a little uneasy," Marshall said.

"Theres no such thing as deserving anything out of this, because its a job that was needed," he said, according to the station.

U.S. Rep Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., who helped Marshall receive the long-overdue honors, joked about Marshall's humility before a packed crowd.

"I was talking to Mr. Marshall on the way in and he said, 'I hope there really isn't too big of a to-do today', and I said, Well, bad news," Mulvaney said, WSOC-TV reported.

Marshall was part of six different campaigns as a staff sergeant in the Army's 135th Division, according to the station. In one instance, he took over a platoon under heavy fire and helped fight off three direct German attacks.

Marshall spoke little of the war after returning to his family in the U.S.

"A lot of these guys don't want to talk about their brave actions during the war, so they just let it go," Dan Sadvary, who runs a veterans' honor group, told WSOC.
A federal government ban on the sale of guns to medical marijuana card holders does not violate the 2nd Amendment, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.

The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals applies to the nine Western states that fall under the court's jurisdiction, including California, Washington and Oregon.

It came in a lawsuit filed by S. Rowan Wilson, a Nevada woman who tried to buy a firearm in 2011 after obtaining a medical marijuana card.

The gun store refused, citing the federal rule on the sale of firearms to illegal drug users.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has told gun sellers they can assume a person with a medical marijuana card uses the drug.

The 9th Circuit in its 3-0 decision agreed that it's reasonable for federal regulators to assume a medical marijuana card holder is more likely to use the drug.

In addition, a ban on the sale of guns to marijuana and other drug users is reasonable because the use of such drugs "raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated," Senior District Judge Jed Rakoff said.

The 9th Circuit also rejected other constitutional challenges to the ban that were raised by Wilson.

An email to Wilson's attorney was not immediately returned.
A 6-year-old girl who survived open heart surgery before her family lost nearly everything they owned in the devastating Louisiana floods got a special gift from a caring sheriff's deputy: a small, stuffed dinosaur.

The girl's relatives said the gift meant the world to her, KSLA reported. The family snapped a photo of Aubree Wise giving a big hug to Bossier Parish Deputy Ryan Rhodes over the weekend and posted it online.

Rhodes and other deputies had been patrolling Baton Rouge-area cities and towns including Denham Springs, where the Wise family lives.

He said he noticed the girl playing outside and remembered he had a stuffed dino in the back of his patrol car. "I said, 'well I'm not going to need it, she lost everything, she'd appreciate it more than I would.' So I just turned around went back and brought it to somebody who could use it."

How did she react? "She looked at me and she said 'rar' in my face."

Doctors performed open heart surgery on the 6-year-old back in May, the news station added. The massive storm earlier this month reportedly soaked her family's home with 3 feet of water.

The girl's mother, Brandy Wise, told KSLA the gift meant the world to young Aubree. "This little bitty stuffed animal has been her best friend the past few days, she's sleeping with it."

Click for more from KSLA.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Former Nevada first lady Bonnie Fairchild Bryan has died in Las Vegas after suffering from leukemia.

Family spokesman Greg Ferraro issued a statement on behalf of the family confirming Bryan's death on Tuesday. She was 77.

Bonnie Bryan was married for 54 years to Richard Bryan, a Democrat who served as governor from 1983 to 1989. He went on to represent Nevada in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 2001.

Gov. Brian Sandoval said Bryan served as Nevada's First Lady "with elegance, grace and an incredible strength of character."

"She lived her life with a passion for NV that was only matched by her love for her husband and devotion to her family, Sandoval stated. I saw Bonnie and Senator Bryan several months ago at the dedication ceremony of his statue on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. Bonnie was incredibly proud of Senator Bryan and their entire family on that day, and every day. We are a better state because of this extraordinary woman. Kathleen and I extend our deepest condolences to the Bryan family.

Ferraro called Bonnie Bryan a superb role model for young people who left an indelible mark on the state with her warmth and kindness.

He said she'll be profoundly missed by her husband, her three children and their families, and a legion of friends.

Funeral services are pending.
George Washington University is feeling the heat after hiring Jesse Morton, a reformed Islamic extremist, to work as a fellow in its Program on Extremism.

The man who is formerly known as Younus Abdullah Muhammad, spent three years in prison for advocating for Al Qaeda, making threats against people he felt insulted Islam, and denouncing the United States. Now, Muhammad goes by the name Jesse Morton, and the university says that he has renounced his former self, and will be a key to helping them stop others from being radicalized.

George Washington University officials say they are fully aware how risky of a move it is, both from a public relations standpoint, and from their own students and donors. University officials say their mission is to track, understand and develop ways to prevent people from being radicalized by Islamic extremists  like Morton use to be. They also say they did not make the decision to hire him lightly, they consulted with the FBI who Morton has work with over the past year, and they also spoke to university officials and other law enforcement agencies who vouched that Morton had served his time, reformed himself and is not a threat.

During an interview with Seamus Hughes, the man who hired Morton and also the Deputy Director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington Universitys Center for Cyber & Homeland Security, Hughes was asked why he decided to hire someone who has advocated for the downfall of the United States. Hughes told FOX 5 that he believes if Morton can bring himself back from the clutches of extremism, he might be able to help others do the same.

Click for more from Fox 5.
Preparing for what could be the first hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii in years, residents on the Big Island are stocking up on food and water and seeking shelter for their animals.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning as the storm dubbed Madeline churned west Tuesday toward the island, urging residents to rush through preparations to protect themselves and their property and expect hurricane conditions within the next 36 hours.

Peggy Beckett, a retiree and beekeeper, stopped at a Hilo supermarket to pick up some bagels, cheese, cold cuts and salad to add to her canned food at home. She has a cooler with ice in it plus a portable burner and batteries to get her through the storm.

"There's always a lot of disbelief on the island that the storms will really be as big and bad as forecast," Beckett said.

The Keaau resident and her partner made sure to put extra rocks on their beehives to protect them from the storm.

Noting the lines of people inside the supermarket, Beckett said she thought people were getting prepared but weren't panicking.

Hurricane Madeline was downgraded from a Category 3 storm to a 2, before being further downgraded to a Category 1 with sustained winds of about 90 mph.

It was weakening as it approached the islands and was expected to pass just south of the Big Island around 2 a.m. Thursday (5 a.m. PDT). But if the storm track shifts slightly to the north, the eye of the storm could pass over land.

"Hopefully our roofs stay on, and our houses don't float way or get blown away," said Big Island resident Mitzi Bettencourt, who boarded up walls of glass windows at her brother's oceanfront home. "It's like, `Oh my God, are we going to get flattened or what?' "

Bettencourt, who lives in a subdivision called Kapoho Vacationland, manages several vacation rental properties and her own home sits a few blocks from the ocean. She and her neighbors were stocking their pantries, stowing lawn furniture and preparing for power outages.

"If they're not prepared now, they should get prepared fast," said Chevy Chevalier, a meteorologist with the weather service.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which hit Kauai, Chevalier said.

A second Pacific hurricane, called Lester, is still far from Hawaii, and it is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it passes the state, Chevalier said.

Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation for both storms, which will allow the state to quickly spend money to alleviate disasters.

The state Department of Education announced public schools would be closed Wednesday and Thursday, and about a dozen schools were turned into emergency shelters.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Oahu this week. The White House is tracking the weather developments, but doesn't anticipate changing Obama's schedule. The Hawaiian islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai were under a tropical storm watch, but there were no alerts for Oahu or Kauai.

On the Big Island, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was closing some areas Tuesday, and park officials planned for the coastal lava viewing area to close by Wednesday morning. Some camping areas were closing.

The U.S. Coast Guard asked crews of barges and ships to prepare to leave Hilo Harbor and told ocean-going vessels to seek sheltered waters until storm conditions subside.

Hawaiian Airlines said customers holding tickets to or from Hawaii's Big Island from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 would be allowed a one-time reservation change without a fee.

Elsewhere, North Carolina's Outer Banks were spared from a tropical weather system that had been moving toward the state for two days.

Byron Miller, manager of The Ocracoke Harbor Inn, said residents and tourists experienced less than an inch of rain. Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson said the tropical depression resulted in "no impacts" on areas such as Cape Hatteras.

The National Weather Service said Wednesday morning that the tropical depression was moving away from the state. Highest winds remained at 35 mph, with the system about 75 miles east of Cape Hatteras.
State lawmakers Wednesday lambasted the pace of mobile home setup for flood victims, saying it's unacceptable that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has moved only one manufactured housing unit into a yard nearly three weeks after the catastrophic flooding.

Rep. Clay Schexnayder, a Republican who represents areas of hard-hit Ascension and Livingston parishes, criticized the FEMA mobile home program at a House homeland security committee meeting. He said it is slowing people's ability to repair their damaged homes.

"We're not expediting it fast enough to get these trailers in place. I'm confused as to why it's taking us so long to do that," Schexnayder said. He added: "Having one trailer set up so far out of all of this, one trailer, where I'm from I don't call that satisfactory at all."

The mobile homes are larger and require more preparation than the heavily-maligned FEMA trailers moved into Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which were derided as cramped and toxic with formaldehyde.

"These are not easy units to install," FEMA regional director Gerard Stolar said of the manufactured housing units that have replaced the travel trailers.

Stolar didn't offer a timeline for when more mobile homes might be installed in homeowners' yards, but said several storm victims have been approved for the units. He said after site inspection and approval for a unit, installation of a mobile home can take up to a week, requiring utility hookups and extensive setup.

After hearing the preparation and site work required, Rep. Rodney Lyons, D-Harvey, replied: "This is almost like home construction."

Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration hopes more people will take advantage of a separate "shelter at home" program that provides grants of up to $15,000 so people can make modest, quick repairs that allow them to live in their houses as they do the larger reconstruction work. Thousands have applied for the program so far.

State officials said they expect to have crews working on "shelter at home" repairs as early as Friday.

Rep. Cedric Glover, D-Shreveport, suggested FEMA might want to revisit its decision to scrap the Katrina-era travel trailer since the larger mobile homes take so long to install.

Also Wednesday, FEMA issued a news release urging recipients of various forms of government disaster aid to make sure they use the money properly. The agency said more than $202 million in individual assistance aid is already in the hands of flood victims.

Purposes for the grants and loans vary but may include emergency housing repairs, temporary housing or other disaster-related expenses.

"A letter explaining a payment's purpose will arrive within a day or two of the check or direct deposit payment," FEMA's release said. "If survivors use payments on anything other than their intended purpose, they may have to repay those funds - and might not be able to receive future disaster assistance.

Government agencies aren't the only ones offering help to flood victims.

The New Orleans Opera Association and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra are giving a concert next Thursday evening to benefit south Louisiana public schools, arts organizations and artists affected by the floods.

Among the charitable efforts planned are a Sept. 8 concert by the New Orleans Opera Association and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra to benefit public schools and arts organizations hit by the floods.

Also, The Advocate of Baton Rouge reports that he charitable Baton Rouge Area Foundation, has distributed more than $1.6 million so far to local nonprofits helping people affected by the floods.
A Pennsylvania woman who was abducted by her husband was found dead in a barn -- and officers found the man near her with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, police said Tuesday.

State police and South Strabane officers surrounded the barn near where a car owned by the woman and her husband had been found, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Authorities found the body of Tierne Ewing, 48, at around 11 p.m.

Crews rushed 47-year-old Kevin Ewing to the hospital. His condition was unclear. He was charged with kidnapping for the second time in mere months.

The husband had been free on bond while awaiting trial on charges he abducted and beat his wife while holding her captive for nearly two weeks earlier this summer when he allegedly kidnapped her again Tuesday.

Police said Ewing abducted his wife at gunpoint at around 12:30 a.m. from a West Finley house near the West Virginia border.

Ewing had been wearing an electronic ankle bracelet to confine him to his home since he posted $100,000 bail on the earlier charges July 11. According to county adult probation officials, such devices can be programmed to provide GPS information but only if the court orders that. That wasn't ordered in Ewing's case, so his bracelet merely sends out a signal to authorities if he's left the house, they said.

Ewing was accused earlier of keeping his wife captive from June 26 to July 8.

Tierne Ewing had told authorities he beat and pistol-whipped her, spat on her, kept her hands tied with wire and branded her legs with a piece of hot metal, according to charging documents. Kevin Ewing was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, false imprisonment and other crimes.

Tierne Ewing had staples closing a cut on her head  a home remedy, not hospital-administered  that she told police was caused when her husband hit her with a wooden gun stock. She had also been locked in a closet, police said.

Tierne Ewing escaped when her husband sent her into a credit union to withdraw money and she told tellers she was being held against her will and feared that her husband would kill her, the complaint said.

Bank officials called police, who found Kevin Ewing in the parking lot with a rifle, handgun and a knife, the complaint said.

Washington County District Attorney Eugene Vittone said his office had asked a judge to keep Ewing in jail after he unexpectedly posted bail last month. Prosecutors were concerned because of the seriousness of the charges, Vittone said.

But the judge allowed Ewing to remain free at home with the ankle bracelet.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Police investigating the killing of a 30-year-old jogger in New York City earlier this month released a sketch Wednesday showing a man they said they "need to talk to."

Karina Vetrano's father, Philip, a retired firefighter, discovered her body on Aug. 2 near a jogging trail, according to New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce.

An autopsy found that she died from strangulation. "This woman put up a ferocious fight right to the end," Boyce said.

Still, investigators said clues to her death were few and far between. Her body turned up in an area surrounded by brush and with little surveillance coverage, according to police.

The sketch showed a bearded man wearing a cap. Police said he was spotted near the crime scene but was not considered a suspect or person of interest.

Youll remember the day was August 2  a little unusual to be wearing a wool hat in the area there, Boyce told reporters. He said the man wore a red T-shirt and dark pants.

Investigators also said they made a DNA profile using evidence at the scene, but it did not match anyone in a nationwide database.

A $10,000 reward was being offered for information leading to an arrest. Karina Vetrano worked for a caterer and as a speech pathologist.

She left for her daily run at about 5 p.m. on a trail in Spring Creek Park, part of a recreation area that's adjacent to her home in the Howard Beach neighborhood, police said. Normally, the victim ran with her father, but he stayed home because of a bad back, they said.

Philip Vetrano had "asked her not to run this path, not without him," Boyce said. "If you're a runner you understand that you run every night as part of your routine, so she went, and said she'd be all right."

Vetrano didn't return on time and didn't answer her father's phone calls, so he contacted a police commander neighbor, who called 911. After police used cellphone signals to narrow the search area, her father spotted her body face down in the tall grass and brush along an unpaved emergency access road about 15 feet off the running trail, police said.

Vetrano was last heard from by a friend with whom she texted, police said. There was also security video of her running along the edge of the park at about 5:45 p.m.

Police were examining other video to try to identify a suspect, Boyce said.

The running trail Vetrano used is connected to a much longer network of paths ringing Jamaica Bay that's popular with cyclists and runners. However, people often bypass the section where her body was found because it's more overgrown and desolate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mexican immigration authorities say 424 migrants from African countries arrived at the southern state of Chiapas over two days last week.

The National Immigration Institute said Tuesday that it has issued them 20-day transit visas that will allow the migrants to reach the U.S.-Mexico border, where they plan to request asylum.

Officials call it an unusual surge and say most of the migrants first went to Brazil or Ecuador to start their journey through Latin America.

Most of the Africans presented themselves voluntarily to immigration officials in the Chiapas town of Tapachula. They did not specify their nationalities.

Immigration support staff in Tijuana has been aiding migrants from the Congo, Somalia and Ghana to arrive at the U.S. port of entry at San Isidro.
The French government wants the European Union to end talks with the U.S. on forging a sweeping trade deal that it sees as too friendly to U.S. businesses.

French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that talks on a landmark trade deal between the U.S. and European Union are unbalanced and cannot be completed before President Barack Obama leaves office.

"France prefers to look things in the face," Hollande said in a diplomatic speech. "These discussions cannot result in an agreement by the end of the year. The negotiations have bogged down, the positions have not been respected, the imbalance is obvious."

It's the latest blow to the proposed free-trade zone that would encompass half the world's economy. There's resistance on both continents, and the talks are complicated by Britain's planned exit from the 28-nation EU and upcoming presidential elections in the U.S. and France.

On Sunday, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said "in my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it."

Hollande's trade chief, Matthias Fekl, accused the American side of offering just "crumbs." He said earlier Tuesday that France will ask the European Commission at a meeting in Slovakia next month to halt talks on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Fekl, France's secretary of state for foreign trade, said talks could resume if wider EU-U.S. trade relations improved.

"We need a clear, clean, definitive halt to negotiations to be able to resume on a good basis," Fekl said on RMC radio, without elaborating on what conditions would be necessary for new talks.

Not all agree that the talks have failed.

Chief EU negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero played down Gabriel's talk of failure. And in Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the goal of the Obama administration to complete negotiations has not changed despite the criticism.

He said United State Trade Representative Michael Froman would be traveling to Europe in the coming weeks to continue negotiations.

"He was there in July. He'll be back in September, and all in pursuit of the goal the president has laid out to try and complete these negotiations before the end of the year," Earnest said.
North Korea has executed a vice premier and banished two other top officials to rural areas for re-education, South Korean officials said Wednesday.

If confirmed, they would be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals carried out since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took power in late 2011.

North Korea is a closed, authoritarian country with a state-controlled press that often makes it difficult for outsiders, and even North Korean citizens, to know what's happening in the government.

Rival South Korea, which runs several intelligence organizations mainly tasked with spying on North Korea, has a mixed record on reporting developments across the border. In May, a former North Korean military chief, who Seoul said had been executed, was found to be alive and holding several new senior-level posts.

Jeong Joon Hee, a spokesman for Seoul's Unification Ministry, told reporters Wednesday that Kim Yong Jin, a vice premier on education affairs in North Korea's cabinet, had been executed. Jeong gave no further details, including why and when his ministry believes he was executed and how it obtained the information.

But a South Korean official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing office rules, said Kim was executed by firing squad in July for unspecified anti-revolutionary and factional acts. The official said Kim first faced an investigation because of the way he was seated during a June meeting attended by Kim Jong Un.

Little is known about Kim Yong Jin, who was last mentioned by North Korea's state news agency on June 15, when it reported he attended an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's taekwondo federation.

Kim Jong Un, believed to be his early 30s, is revered at the center of an intense cult of personality, with state TV occasionally showing aging senior officials kowtowing and kneeling down before him. Last year, South Korea's spy agency said Kim had his defense chief executed with an anti-aircraft gun for complaining about him and sleeping during a meeting he had presided over.

Jeong said Kim Yong Chol, a top ruling Workers' Party official in charge of anti-Seoul spy operations, had also been ordered to undertake "revolutionary re-education," in a reference to the banishment at a rural collective farm or a coal mine. Jeong said another senior party official dealing with propaganda affairs, Choe Hwi, was still on a similar "revolutionary re-education" program.

Seoul officials believe Kim Yong Chol, director of the party's United Front Department, orchestrated two attacks that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010, when he headed the North Korean army's intelligence agency. Kim disappeared from the public eye for about 50 days before the North's state media on Sunday mentioned his name in a list of officials who attended ceremonies marking the Youth Day.

Kim Yong Chol was banished at a rural farm for about one month between mid-July and mid-August because of alleged high-handed attitudes and attempts to expand his United Front Department's authority too much, according to the South Korean official who spoke about Kim Yong Jin's execution. The official said Kim Yong Chol was recently reinstated.

The rival Koreas have shared the world's most heavily fortified border since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, and they bar ordinary citizens from exchanging phone calls, letters and emails without special permission.
A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to ten years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing his atheism on Twitter.

The 28-year-old reportedly refused to repent, insisting what he wrote reflected his beliefs and that he had the right to express them.

The hardline Islamic states religious police in charge of monitoring social networks found more than 600 tweets denying the existence of God, ridiculing Koranic verses, accusing all prophets of lies and saying their teaching fuelled hostilities.

He was sentenced under a controversial law that defines atheism as terrorism.

In 2014 the late King Abdullah issued a string of royal decrees aimed at clamping down on all forms of political dissent and protests that could harm public order.

Article One of the new provisions defined terrorism as calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch, said at the time the new measures were introduced: Saudi authorities have never tolerated criticism of their policies, but these recent laws and regulations turn almost any critical expression or independent association into crimes of terrorism.

This story first appeared in The Sun.
RENO  Nevada students are invited to showcase their artistic talents and promote radon awareness by entering the 2017 Nevada Radon Poster Contest, offered by University of Nevada Cooperative Extensions Radon Education Program.

The contest ends Oct. 31.

The contest is open to all children ages 9 to 14 years old enrolled in public, private, territorial, tribal, Department of Defense and home schools. Children can also enter through a sponsoring group, such as art, computer, library, reading, science, scouting, youth or 4-H clubs.

Radon is a radioactive, colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that comes from the decay of uranium. It accumulates in homes and can cause lung cancer. This type of lung cancer risk is preventable, and the only way to know if a home has elevated levels is to test for it.

The poster contest is offered by the Nevada Radon Education Program and is sponsored by University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Cash prizes for the top three entries are $75 for first place, $60 for second and $45 for third. The top three entries are also awarded cash prizes for their teachers or sponsoring organizations representative toward classroom supplies. The winning entries also go on to compete in the National Radon Poster Contest. Last year, Nevada winner Chris Rowe, from Carson Valley Middle School, went on to place first in the national contest and received $1,000 with his poster, Uncle Radon.

The Nevada Radon Poster Contest is part of Cooperative Extensions work to raise awareness of the dangers of radon in homes. Extension provides educational presentations and low-cost radon test kits year-round, and since 2008, more than 23,388 homes in Nevada have been tested. Of 19,273 valid test results collected, 4,902 homes have had elevated radon concentrations. Once radon is detected, there are fairly easy, inexpensive ways to reduce the radon exposure and reduce the risk of lung cancer.

Posters in this years poster contest should convey one of these messages: 1) What is radon? 2) Where does radon come from? 3) How does radon get into our homes? 4) Radon can cause lung cancer, and 5) Test your home for radon. Posters will be judged on content accuracy, visual communication of the topic, reproducibility and originality. They can be created with crayon, markers, paint, collage, pencil, photographs or computer graphics.

There is no fee to enter, but each child is limited to one entry. Entries must be received at 4955 Energy Way, Reno, NV 89502 by Oct. 31.

Contact Susan Howe, radon program director for Cooperative Extension, at 775-336-0248 or robertss@unce.unr.edu for more information on the contest.

For more information on the dangers of radon and the Nevada Radon Education Program, visit http://www.unce.unr.edu/programs/sites/radon/ or call the Radon Hotline at 1-888-Radon10 (888-723-6610).
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The new perfume from the niche perfume house ALTAIA will be launched in September 2016, at the Pitti Fragranze expo in Florence. The house founded by Sebastian Alvarez Murena and Marina Sersale (who also founded the Eau dItalie brand) celebrated in 2015 their families common history which started 150 years ago in Argentina (ALTAIA is acronym standing for A Long Time Ago In Argentina).

Sebastian Alvarez Murena and Marina Sersale

After debuting with tree perfumes Don't Cry for Me, By Any Other Name and Yu Son, the ALTAIA brand is now launching the fourth fragrance named OMBU, after the sheltering spirit of the Pampas of South America. Marina created this fragrance for her husband Sebastian.

The inspiration came from the Ombu, a majestic plant native to the Pampa that is an essential part of the Argentinian landscape and tradition. Mighty yet welcoming, the Ombu offers shelter to those traveling across the grasslands of South America, and has come to symbolize the gallant spirit of its inhabitants. For these reasons  and because there is one single Ombu growing at the foot of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, where the couple lives  Marina chose it to name the fragrance she created for her husband Sebastian.

The Ombu plant is even used on stamps in South America

Ref.: Phytolacca dioica, commonly known as Ombu, is a massive evergreen tree native to the Pampa of South America. It has an umbrella-like canopy that spreads to a girth of 12 to 15 meters (40 to 50 feet) and can attain a height of 12 to 18 meters (40 to 60 feet). Ombu grows fast and its wood is soft and spongy enough to be cut with a knife. These properties have led it to be used in the art of bonsai, as it is easily manipulated to create the desired effect. It is a symbol of Uruguay and Argentina, and of Gaucho culture, as its canopy is quite distinguishable from afar and provides comfort and shelter from sun and rain. You could remember the tree, if you have read In Search of the Castaways (Les enfants du capitaine Grante) by Jules Verne  lord Glenarvan and his team escaped a disastrous flood on the giant ombu tree during their Patagonia adventures.

OMBU starts with the bright sparkling energy of pink pepper and fresh sage leaves. Its modern woody heart features cedarwood, while its base notes are oriental with an amber accord and benzoin. After meeting Sebastian and Marina, we could say that the fragrance embodies the energetic, intelligent and very heartful character of Sebastian  it's a great example of an olfactory portrait.

OMBU by ALTAIA will be available in Eau de Parfum concentration in 100 ml spray bottles from September 2016. OMBU is a unisex fragrance.

OMBU by ALTAIA

Notes: Pink Pepper, Sage, Cedarwood, Vegetal Amber, Benzoin.
bds Mongolian Grill Rallies to Help End Childhood Hunger this September

Popular Stir Fry Chain Raises Funds to Support No Kid Hungry

August 31, 2016 // Franchising.com // Burnsville, Minn. - This September, bds Mongolian Grill is continuing its commitment to end childhood hunger in America by joining thousands of restaurants nationwide to partner with Share Our Strengths No Kid Hungry Campaign. This marks the third year the restaurant has joined No Kid Hungry, this year with a goal of raising $3,000.

Monday, September 12 through Friday, September 16, guests can enjoy Kids Night pricing at all corporate bds restaurants, which includes $2.99 kids meals. Additionally, bds will donate 25 cents to No Kid Hungry for every No Kid Hungry ticket that children bring in from their schools. The school or classroom that brings in the most No Kid Hungry tickets the week of the fundraiser will receive a free catered party for 30 kids, featuring an appearance from Mongo Man.

There are over 16 million kids across the country that deal with hunger every day, said Joe Phraner, President and COO of bds Mongolian Grill. Community is at the core of our company values, and with the help of bds loyal guests, we can make every meal count. Through this partnership with No Kid Hungry, we can make a difference in the lives of the one in five children who have inconsistent access to food.

bds will also donate 25 cents to No Kid Hungry for every customer who shows bds e-blast, push notification from bds Rewards, Facebook advertisement, or OpenTable special.

Last year, bds raised more than $4,000 for the No Kid Hungry campaign. No Kid Hungry funds are used to raise awareness about child hunger in the U.S., create public-private partnerships that align kids with the resources they need, support nutrition programs like school breakfast and summer meals, and educate kids and their families on how to cook healthy meals with limited resources.

For more information or to locate a bds Mongolian Grill near you, visit www.gomongo.com. For more information about No Kid Hungry, visit www.nokidhungry.org.

About bds Mongolian Grill

bds Mongolian Grill first opened in 1992 in Royal Oak, Mich., offering a fun and unique dining experience. bd's encourages guests to Stir It Up, Your Way, allowing guests to build their own stir-fry with Always Market Fresh ingredients. bds offers a variety of choice meats and seafood, veggies and flavor-packed sauces, all freshly cooked (Mongolian-style) on a large, flat top grill. The chain has 26 restaurants based domestically, and one franchise location in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In addition, there is one franchise location in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. To learn more about bd's Mongolian Grill, visit www.GoMongo.com.

SOURCE bds Mongolian Grill

Media Contact:

Katherine Boncher

(847) 945-1300

kboncher@fishmanpr.com

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Lawrence P. Kraska Announced as New President and CEO of Caring Brands International and Interim HealthCare Inc.

August 31, 2016 // Franchising.com // SUNRISE, FL - Caring Brands International (CBI) announced the appointment of Lawrence P. Kraska as President and CEO of CBI and Interim HealthCare Inc. effective August 29, 2016. Mr. Kraska succeeds retiring CEO Kathleen Gilmartin, who has led the company since 2008. Ms. Gilmartin will continue to serve as an advisor to the company.

Mr. Kraska brings more than 28 years of healthcare experience leading and building businesses into market-leading companies. He will lead three global brands: Interim HealthCare (in the United States), Bluebird Care (in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) and Just Better Care (in Australia). Together, the CBI brands represent 530 locations operated by more than 250 independent franchise owners that produce over $1 billion of system wide sales. CBI franchisees offer individuals a full continuum of care including skilled home nursing, assistance with daily living activities and end-of-life hospice care. Caring Brands International and Interim HealthCare Inc. are headquartered in Sunrise, Florida.

Mr. Kraskas executive level healthcare experience includes hospital administration, physician group practice management, outpatient services, consulting and health care staffing. As Chief Operating Officer of Physicians Specialty Corp., he helped grow the organization into the nations largest ENT management company from 1995 through 2000. He joined Club Staffing as CEO in 2001, which grew to become one of the nations largest Allied Healthcare Staffing companies over the next 9 years.

Prior to joining Caring Brands International, Mr. Kraska served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Hospital Physician Partners, one of the nations largest Emergency Medicine and Hospitalist physician contract management companies, with over 1800 physicians and healthcare professionals serving hospital contracts in 23 states.

Mr. Kraska stated, Im thrilled to be joining three of the worlds leading brands of home healthcare, hospice and health care staffing. The franchisees of these three brands have done an incredible job of improving the lives of thousands of individuals and I look forward to working with them to expand the business platform and pursue new opportunities in the future.

Lawrence brings a wealth of healthcare business experience to CBI and his ability to build teams and drive organizational growth will blend well with the entrepreneurial spirit of franchisees and the dedicated staff across our three franchise brands, said Matthew Frankel, CBI Board member and a Managing Director at Levine Leichtman Capital Partners. He is passionate about leading healthcare companies that become the leader in their sector by recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals, executives, and team members who are focused on delivering the highest quality of care and were delighted that he is joining us.

About Caring Brands International

Caring Brands International is the leading franchisor of home healthcare services under three global brands: Interim Healthcare (in the United States), Bluebird Care (in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) and Just Better Care (in Australia). Together, the CBI brands represent 530 locations operated by more than 250 independent franchise owners that produce over $1 billion of system wide sales. The Companys franchisees offer patients a full continuum of care including skilled home nursing, assistance with daily living activities and end-of-life hospice care. Caring Brands is headquartered in Sunrise, FL.

About Interim HealthCare Inc.

Interim HealthCare in the United States is unique in combining the commitment of local ownership with the support of a national organization that develops innovative programs and quality standards that improve the delivery of service. Franchisees employ nurses, therapists, aides, companions and other healthcare professionals who provide 25 million hours of home care service to 190,000 people each year, meeting a variety of home health, senior care, hospice, palliative care, pediatric care and healthcare staffing needs. For more information or to locate an Interim HealthCare office, visit www.interimhealthcare.com.

SOURCE Interim HealthCare Inc.

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Mosquito Squad Franchise Signs First Franchisee in Arizona

RICHMOND, VA (PRWEB) August 30, 2016 - Mosquito control industry founder and leader, Mosquito Squad,mosquitosquad.com, is happy to announce its first franchisee in Arizona. Chuck Wells will open Mosquito Squad of Scottsdale in 2017.

Wells found Mosquito Squad after needing help with the mosquitoes at his home in Rochester, New York. After experiencing great results with Mosquito Squad of Rochester, he saw the need for a similar service in Scottsdale where he spends half of the year and started the discovery process.

We are thrilled to add Arizona to the Mosquito Squad footprint, said Chris Grandpre, chairman and chief executive officer of Outdoor Living Brands, parent company of Mosquito Squad. Chuck has a proven track record of building a successful business. We are sure hell thrive as a new member of The Squad.

Wells has been an insurance agent for over 40 years in Rochester and Scottsdale. His wife, Elojia, will join him in the Mosquito Squad business and will play an active role in sales and marketing.

Mosquito Squad expects to announce up to 30 more locations in the next year, and boasts a high percentage of franchisees who own more than one territory.

Founded in 2005 and proud sponsor of Malaria No More, Mosquito Squad uses the latest EPA-registered mosquito control barrier treatments, larvicide and all-natural substances to eliminate mosquitoes from yards and outdoor spaces. Since Mosquito Squads partnership with Malaria No More, a nonprofit global health organization with the goal of ending malaria deaths in Africa, they have raised more than $200,000 to help fuel the fight against malaria.

For more information, or to become a franchisee, visit mosquitosquadfranchise.com.

About Mosquito Squad

With 200 franchise locations nationwide, Mosquito Squad specializes in eliminating mosquitoes and ticks from outdoor living spaces, allowing Americans to enjoy their yards, outdoor living spaces, special events and green spaces. For more information, visit http://www.MosquitoSquad.com, http://www.MosquitoSquadFranchise.com and http://www.OutdoorLivingBrands.com.

SOURCE Mosquito Squad

Contact:

Jane Campbell

Outdoor Living Brands

+1 (804) 353-6999 Ext: 241

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PizzaRev Expands in Ohio with Opening in Gahanna

August 31, 2016 // Franchising.com // Los Angeles  PizzaRev, known for its fully customized dining experience, more than 30 artisanal topping options and ability to flame fire pizzas in just three minutes, opened its second Ohio location at 5010 N. Hamilton Rd. in Gahanna, OH.

The new Gahanna restaurant will change how the community thinks about pizza with offerings like fresh pressed, homemade dough, locally sourced ingredients when available, all-natural cheeses and vegan and gluten-free options. PizzaRev  Gahanna follows PizzaRevs successful entrance into the Columbus market at Ohio State University in April 2016.

PizzaRev offers a fully customized dining experience that empowers guests to craft a personal pizza, including any of the 35+ toppings, for one price. The restaurant also serves custom entree salads, the famous Oreo dessert pizza, and a selection of beer and wine.

Nicholas Eckerman, the founder of PizzaRev, explains, Everyone has their own idea of the perfect pizza that is unique to them, so we let our guests choose whatever theyd like to add to their pizzas for one affordable price."

Were excited to bring PizzaRev to Gahanna, adds Jackie Miller, Marketing Manager at PizzaRev. It is a unique concept that speaks to what Columbus food lovers are looking for. Were committed to serving better pizza from flour to fire, which means using the highest quality ingredients you can find on a custom, personal pizza thats flame-fired in just three minutes. The first bite speaks for itself.

Most unique to PizzaRev, and what enables the restaurants unprecedented speed of service, is the custom-built, 900-degree stone-bed oven. Guests watch the dancing flames in the background as their pizzas are fired to a perfect, Roman-style crispiness in less than three minutes. Exposed ceilings, concrete floors and natural tones will offer a minimalist yet inviting atmosphere, where the focus is on providing guests with an interactive pizza experience unlike anything theyve ever had.

To further celebrate the opening of the new Gahanna restaurant, PizzaRev is hosting a free-to-enter sweepstakes where five lucky guests will win Free Pizza for a Year. Guests can fill out an entry form at www.pizzarev.com/gahannafreepizza or at the Gahanna location; all entries must be in by October 1, 2016.

About PizzaRev

PizzaRev is a Craft Your Own fast-casual pizza concept that has reinvented the way America eats its favorite food. Guests are empowered to fully customize an 11" pizza for one price. Homemade dough options, flavorful sauces, all-natural cheeses, and more than 30+ artisanal toppings, everything is on display at PizzaRev and assembled right before your eyes. The pizzas are then fired in a 900-degree, stone-bed oven, which produces a thin and crispy Roman-style pizza in just three minutes. Los Angeles-based PizzaRev was founded in 2012; the executive team possesses a combination of Fortune 500 operating experience and high-profile restaurant management.

PizzaRev is currently franchising and announced a strategic partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings in 2013. The company currently operates 45 locations with more than 200 additional franchises under development across Mexico, Washington, D.C. and 17 states: AZ, CA, CO, GA, MA, MN, NE, NJ, ND, NV, NY, OH, SD, TN, TX and UT.

Visit www.PizzaRev.com for the latest company news and location information. You can also find PizzaRev on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram.

SOURCE PizzaRev

Media Contact:

Monica Rutkowski

Director or Marketing & PR

(805) 418-5606

monica.rutkowski@pizzarev.com

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LAS VEGAS  The Nevada Sheriffs and Chiefs Association announced its opposition to Question 2 on the November ballot earlier in August, citing the safety of Nevadas roads, communities and children.

Question 2 is the the initiative to legalize the commercial sale of marijuana in Nevada.

Robert E. Roshak, NvSCAs executive director, said passage of the marijuana industry-written initiative would have the effect of destigmatizing drug use and make it easier for young people to get their hands on a wide range of marijuana products.

Our association members have a particular concern about the growing edibles market of marijuana-infused products such as gummy bears, candy bars, and sodas products with specific appeal to children that would become legal under this initiative, said Roshak. A second major concern to our members is the near-certain increase in impaired drivers and fatal car crashes.

According to the association, and based upon reports from Colorado where commercial marijuana was legalized in 2012, passage of Question 2 runs the risk of drawing organized crime and drug trafficking operations to Nevada, continued Roshak.

We ask Nevada voters to vote No on Question 2 and join us in making public safety priority No. 1, he concluded.
Whole Brain Consulting Announces Company Launch

Food industry experts launch new company providing outsourced operations management of relationships between new food product companies and contract manufacturers in the food and beverage industry.

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Will Madden, founder of Right Brain Consulting, has worked with food companies and contract manufacturers for twenty years, providing contract negotiation, sourcing of co-manufacturers, supply chain management services and outsourced operations management services. Brandon Hernandez of BJH Food Safety has ten years experience in the food quality, safety and regulatory compliance side of the food and beverage industry. The two entrepreneurs have joined forces to form Whole Brain Consulting, a comprehensive food industry consultancy providing full-service outsourced operations management services.

"The strengths of the two companies dovetail perfectly," Madden says. "Right Brain Consulting has a strong network and deep expertise in the supply chain, operations management and contract negotiation side. Hernandez's staff brings extensive knowledge of sanitation, food safety protocols, ingredient sourcing, and food quality processes. Together, the new company is able to meet the needs of food companies using contract manufacturers, co-packers, third-party service providers and other outsourced operations providers."

Services include but are not limited to: sourcing of contract manufacturers and co-packers, management of relationships with outsourced operations providers, business and contract terms negotiations, mock recalls, site audits, HACCP plans, labeling, virtual product reviews, finished product specs, raw materials specs and certification compliance services. Whole Brain Consulting will also provide forecasting and demand planning, sourcing of ingredients and raw materials, inventory management and gold standard product development.

"If a food company is tired of managing outsourced operations, Whole Brain Consulting is prepared to take over management of such operations," Madden says. "From sourcing a contract manufacturer to ensuring a company is prepared for a food product recall, Whole Brain Consulting is ready to handle it all. The staff understands how to manage day-to-day issues and project out to future issues that a company may encounter while scaling the business and expanding to provide more new food products."

Those interested can learn more about the new company by visiting the company website.

For more information, please visit http://whole-brain-consulting.com/

Contact Info:

Name: William Madden

Organization: Whole Brain Consulting

Address: 350 W Hubbard St Suite 460, Chicago, IL 60654

Phone: 775-623-7666

Release ID: 130396

For more information visit r



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San Antonio Austin Roof Repair Texas Master Roofing & Exteriors Service Expanded

Texas Master Roofing and Exteriors has expanded its team to include a dedicated sales representative for roof and exterior repair work. The company prides itself on honest, high quality roof repairs in Austin and San Antonio.

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A roof replacement contractor in the Austin and San Antonio area of Texas has announced an expansion to include a new dedicated sales representative for roof and exterior repair work. Company co founder and co owner, Kress Childs, explained that the company wanted to separate the new roof installation sales force from the repair work. He said that they knew it was important to make sure that all new roof replacements and the repair orders both got 100% of their sales person's attention to help ensure the best customer satisfaction possible.

More information can be found on the Texas Master Roofing and Exteriors website at: http://texasmasterroofing.com.

Previously, the regular new roofing sales force handled sales and customer needs for both roof repair jobs and roof replacements, but now the roofing experts can dedicate more time to ensuring high quality of service, communication and reliability for customers in Texas looking to have work done on their roof.

Texas Master Roofing and Exteriors has over 50 years of construction experience among its team of experts and as a GAF certified contractor installs GAF roofing materials. This means that GAF has evaluated the business for quality installation, use of the best materials, and has interviewed and inspected the company's employees and office.

Childs also said that for a limited time the company was offering a special discount of $300 off new roof replacements and $100 off repair orders for anyone mentioning code: GCPR1000.

The company website explains that the roof repair and replacement specialists based in Austin, Texas, pride themselves on providing the highest quality roof repairs and storm replacements in the industry. Texas Master Roofing and Exteriors has been certified by the Independent Construction Contractors of America to meet insurance adjusters and offer expert claim evaluations and estimates for customers across Texas.

A full list of roof repair services can be found on the company website, and includes both residential and commercial work. Texas Master Roofing can come out to customers' homes and businesses and give them a free inspection and evaluation, which then gives them multiple options to choose from when it comes to repairing the roof. The company explains that for many, damaged roofs and getting a roof replaced can be a concerning time, and it's for this reason that they offer an honest assessment service.

Interested parties wanting to find out more about the company can read more about their insurance process at their website by clicking this Link: http://texasmasterroofing.com/insurance-process/

For more information, please visit http://texasmasterroofing.com

Contact Info:

Name: Kress Childs

Organization: Texas Master Roofing and Exteriors

Address: 3424 Estates Dr., Schertz, Texas

Phone: 512-699-8798

Release ID: 130391

For more information visit r



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David D. Simons And Douglas Wong Announce The First Snapchat & Instagram Stories Event For Business Meetup Group In Philadelphia

David D. Simons and Douglas Wong, the owners of Kingdom social media and Inkster Prints respectively announced the hosting of the first SnapChat & Instagram Stories event for Business Meet-Up group in Philadelphia, on Thursday, September 1, 2016.

--

For Immediate Release

Unlock the Power of Snapchat and Instagram Marketing

Hancock, Philadelphia (August 24, 2016) -David D. Simons and Douglas Wong, the owners of Kingdom social media and Inkster Prints respectively announced the hosting of the first SnapChat & Instagram Stories event for Business Meet-Up group in Philadelphia, on Thursday, September 1, 2016.

The event will educate entrepreneurs on the untapped ROI of snapchat & Instagram marketing. Douglas Wong and David D. Simons will be offering advice on how to take advantage of emerging social media platforms Snapchat and Instagram Stories. They will offer tips, and tricks for marketers on how they can maximize both organic and paid marketing strategies, grow a users base and reach new high-value customers.

Social media is a new way of communication for the twenty-first century, and ever since Facebook floated its stock, businesses have been hard at work trying to crack how to exploit these arena's best to generate leads and increase customer value. One key trait has become apparent; looking popular is the essential key to being popular, and a large following is a necessary endorsement for organic customers to begin following along.

As one of the fastest growing social networks, with over 150 million daily active users, Snapchat can help businesses engage their audience. Snapchat Geofilters are an excellent way for entrepreneurs to get their businesses in front of current customers and prospects.

Snapchat was previously created for multimedia messages referred to as "snaps". Snaps can consist of a photo or a short video, and can be edited to include filters and effects, text captions, and drawings. A feature known as "Geofilters" was added in July 2014, which allows special graphical overlays to be available if the user is within a certain geographical location, such as a city, event, or destination.

With Instagram Stories, entrepreneurs do not have to worry about overposting. Instead, they can share as much as they want to throughout the day--with as much creativity as they want. Entrepreneurs can bring their business' story to life in new ways with text and drawing tools. The photos and videos will disappear after 24 hours and won't appear on their profile grid or in the feeds. Instagram has always been a place for people and businesses to connect. Moreover, now businesses can do so in more ways--sharing highlights and everything in between, too.

The event will be held at 1010 N. Hancock, Philadelphia, PA (The We Work Office); Inside the Piazza next to the big screen in Northern Liberties from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. The Meetup page: www.meetup.com/Snapchat-for-Business/events/232899135 contains additional information.

For more information contact:

Kingdom Social Media

Phone:(661) 616-7802

E-mail: david@kingdomsocialmedia.com

Or

Inkster Prints

Phone:646-683-0446

E-mail: douglas@inksterprints.com

Company Name: Kingdom Social Media

Contact Name: David

City: Philadelphia

State: Pennsylvania

Country: United States

Phone: 6616167802

Email: David@KingdomSocialMedia.com

Website URL: http://www.KingdomSocialMedia.com

Source: http://authoritynewsnetwork.com/david-d-simons-and-douglas-wong-announce-the-first-snapchat-instagram-stories-event-for-business-meetup-group-in-philadelphia/

Release ID: 130418

For more information visit r



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CLM Commercial Roofing Launches Brand New Website

The new site better showcases their service offerings and educates clients on the roof restoration process, reports www.clmroofing.com.

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Cleburne-based CLM Commercial Roofing has recently announced the launch of their brand new company website. The new site not only better showcases the company's roofing service offerings, but it also includes educational material that helps building owners and property managers get a better understanding of the roof restoration process. The company has made the new website live at CLMroofing.com.

"We are so excited to finally be unveiling the brand new website for all of our current and potential clients to see," said Craig Miller of CLM Commercial Roofing. "We know that commercial building owners and property managers don't tend to be roofing experts. Often, confusion about how roofing systems really work leads to them paying a lot more for roof replacement when they could have simply had the roof repaired or restored. This is the main reason we've decided to launch our new website. We wanted property owners to be able to get a better sense of what we do while learning more about how roof restoration actually works, how it can solve their roofing problems, and how it helps them keep more money in their pockets."

In addition to learning more about CLM Commercial Roofing and the services they offer, visitors to the roofing contractor's new website will be able to see before and after pictures of recent commercial roof restorations the company has done. If they like what they see, property owners and managers can use the short form to the right of each page to request their own commercial roofing inspection and estimate at no charge.

As Miller goes on to say, "We sincerely believe that our team provides the best Dallas metal roof restoration services in the business, and we are proud to have launched a new website that reflects that belief. We encourage property owners and managers to visit us at CLMroofing.com to discover how we can deliver both value and savings with roofing solutions that will serve them well for many years to come."

About CLM Commercial Roofing:

CLM Commercial Roofing is a team of specialists in commercial metal roofing restoration. In a sea of companies that want to replace the roof, CLM can almost always find a way to restore it, saving the building owner a sizable reduction in capital costs versus installing a new roof. With rock solid values and a commitment to impeccable customer service, CLM seeks to continually serve business and property owners in a spirit of excellence.

For more information, please visit http://www.clmroofing.com

Contact Info:

Name: Craig Miller

Organization: CLM Commercial Roofing

Phone: (817) 900-6962

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/clm-commercial-roofing-launches-brand-new-website/130432

Release ID: 130432

For more information visit r



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WASHINGTON  Islamic terrorists are a threat to us  to Europe, to the developed world, and to just about any part of the realm the Islamists decide at any moment they dont like.

But although bombs can break our bones, clothing can never hurt us. Thats the slightly altered popular mantra we might hear drifting across our English-speaking dreams. Those things we supposedly know.

A new element has entered the unsettling story this summer. This element is a long, all-covering bathing suit for those super-modest Muslim ladies who would go about with even their faces covered, if they (or, more truthfully, their male family protectors) had their way. Thus, my friends, begins the story of the burkini.

It seems that the burkini was designed by a female designer in Australia, ostensibly so Muslim women can go swimming without showing their beautiful selves to anyone, particularly infidels. Unlike some of the coverings Muslims are insisting upon in the cities, the burkini covers everything except the face (and the lunch bill).

Since the European burkini situation changes from moment to moment, with various French mayors (even in Cannes) banning it, with courts reinstating it, with civil rights groups defending it, and with both the left and the right lampooning it, we can only deal, here and now, with the most general and most burning philosophical questions:

IS the wearing of the burkini a threat to France that should be nipped at the bud, or is it just another silly obsession of the French, who often carry their vaunted secularism in public places un peu too far, and the burkini exercise is just another example of their prejudice?

The foreign press has, in large part, ruled for the burkini. The New York Times called the whole controversy farcical, and a large number of major American papers disdainfully called it an anti-Muslim binge.

Yet, at the same time, like the disturbing warnings of a new world moving toward us, unaccustomed new words and concepts began to dominate the headlines: identity politics ... parallel societies ... civilizational jihad ... alternative ID. Was it really all about culture? Or were we being slowly and mockingly de-civilized, our beliefs defrocked?

Even Germany  whose until-then popular and implacable Chancellor Angela Merkel had famously invited just about all the poverty-stricken world to come to Germany, and a million Middle Easterners and Africans, mostly Muslims, did  is pulling back after some of the blessed ones welcomed into the richest society in Europe turned around and insulted and raped during last New Years Eve debauchery, and later turned to murder.

The Germans, still guilt-ridden from World War II, have begun to speak out. We dont want parallel societies; we dont want ghettos, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin. Lorenz Caffier, a conservative leader from the countrys northeast, said, The burqa does not belong to Germany. Another politician, from Berlin, nicely summed it up as a cloth cage.

Finally  after a thousand Oh mys!  Chancellor Yall come Merkel began to have second, third and fourth thoughts. But, curiously enough, she addressed most of her critique to Germanys Turkish population, 3 million of them, who came in the 1960s and onward. Integration? Assimilation? Some, and yet ...

The recent attempted coup in Turkey against the until-now moderate Islamist government there found Berlin sitting on intelligence that 6,000 informants were spying on Germans Turkish community and probably informing on it to Ankara, according to the reliable Financial Times.

This was underlined by Chancellor Merkels unprecedented warning to Germanys Turkish population to develop a high level of loyalty to their new homeland. And, indeed, there you have the core of the problem, from the ski jackets and snow boots of the high Alps to the bikinis and burkinis of the beaches of Cannes and Biarritz.

The problem is, indeed, loyalty and allegiance to a state, to a set of ideas but, above all, to the laws of the state that you have chosen to enter  and the state that has been generous enough to permit you to enter. The problem is how to assimilate and integrate, in Europes cases, when immigrants persist in wonderful old habits like the repression of women, like clitoridectomy, like child marriage, like stoning to death girls who marry the man they love.

Oh my, Im running out of space, but I rather think youve got the idea that the burkini represents all of this.

In short, were all in hot water over thoughtless, anti-historical immigration. And you cant swim very fast with heavy clothing pulling you down.
Announcing the launch of the company Crowdfunding Campaign Program

Alchemy OTC Markets Specialists, LLC Announcing the launch of the company Crowdfunding Campaign Program to facilitate funding for Private and Public companies pursuant to the SEC JOBS Act 2012. A Crowdfunding Campaign program to facilitate companies fund raising requirements

August 31, 2016 (FPRC) -- Las Vegas NV //For Immediate Release//



Alchemy OTC Markets Specialists is launching a Crowdfunding Campaign program to facilitate capital raise for both public and private companies supported with both Pr & IR Programs structured to meet a companys budget.



The Crowdfunding Campaign program typically runs for 6 weeks depending on company budget and the # of PR program modules incorporated into the Campaign PR/IR programs.



The PR program modules relate to the # of double opt-in stock investors being distributed the companys Crowdfunding information and directing the investor to the SEC/FINRA registered Crowdfunding portal where the company information is posted.



A single PR program module typically has 5 million double opt-in stock investors including financial media forums, financial portals etc. Our Crowdfunding Campaign program is scale-able to meet any companies budget funding time duration.

Included in the Campaigns are distribution through thousands of investor & stock web sites and thousands of other financials forums.



ABOUT:

Alchemy OTC Markets Specialists, LLC., is an International US Boutique Consulting Firm advising private companies as to:

*US OTC Markets, US Securities, SEC & FINRA regulatory requirements to become a publicly listed and traded company on the US OTC Markets

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*Crowdfunding Offerings pursuant to the enactment of the SEC JOBS Act 2012, we facilitate Title IV, Reg A+ Tier I & Tier II; Title II, Reg D 506 Rule (b) & (c) & Title III Reg CF



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CONTACT US



Contact: compliance@alchemyotcmarketsspecialists.com

Corporate Site: www.alchemyotcmarketsspecialists.com







Send an email to Bruce A. Cosgrove M.Sc. Managing Director of r

+1.778.829.5666

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Minor Updates in the PIC Grant- Payout Revised from 60% to 40% now

PIC Grant - Productivity Innovation Credit is being administered by Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. The grant has been a big helping hand for the small and medium enterprises.

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The PIC Claim, whose main objective is to offer a considerable amount of tax deduction to the SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) to the Singapore-based companies. The grant can help to improve the productivity and innovation for most of the companies. Owing to its popularity, several companies have already applied and availed this grant till now. Until now the government was offering a cash payout of around 60% of the total investments of any companies that are involved in following qualifying activities:

Acquisition and Leasing of PIC IT and Automated Equipment: It includes leasing and purchasing of computers, software, outsourcing for company's website, mobile app development etc.

Training of Employees: The total cost incurred in training the employees in-house and out-house.

Acquisition and Licensing of Intellectual Property Rights: Cost incurred to buy payments and patented technology for copyright materials.

Registration of trademarks, patents, designs and plant varieties: It includes the prices to be paid to the IPOS to register the company's name, trademarks, products etc.

Other activities include the research and development activities along with design projects approved by the Design Singapore Council.

The PIC grant has been a big hit amongst the companies of small size, with a condition that they comply with the standards of the grant. In a recent update to the condition of this grant, the news from the officials has confirmed that the grant now onwards has reduced cash payout from 60% to 40%. The step has been taken in order to introduce some new grants sooner to the market. While there are no confirmed citations on why the reductions have been made, the move has called people's attention towards the matter.

Not to fret, the customers and business owners have plenty of other options to get relaxation and compensation from the government in the form of other grants, this one too is quite reasonable and beneficial in many contexts. The percent share might had got reduced but the plenty of benefits are still available.

About the company:

PIC Claim Singapore - https://picclaimsingapore.com is an online website that provides a complete detailed information about the grants, it claim, availing the grant, its conditions, limitations and every other minute details. It also provides constant updates about the grant and tips regarding the same.

For more information, please visit http://www.picclaimsingapore.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Criss Ong

Email: picclaimsingapore@gmail.com

Organization: PIC Claim Singapore

Address: 1 Ivring Place,

Phone: 67444064

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/minor-updates-in-the-pic-grant-payout-revised-from-60-to-40-now/130480

Release ID: 130480

For more information visit r



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vCard Global Officially Launches Oct. 2016- Best Virtual Business Card Creator

vCard Global releases teaser information on the upcoming official launch of its Worlds Smartest Business Card. Further information can be found at http://monikaniedbalski.vcardglobal.com.

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vCard Global today announced the official launch date of its upcoming Worlds Smartest Business Card. Rumors are already starting to circulate among observers and die-hard fans within the Business world, as the 'Live' date of vCard Business Card draws near. vCard Global has also released three things fans, reviewers and critics can expect from the official release in October 2016.

The first thing folks should expect is a big improvement in today's world by being green. People want to save time, money and the planet and this card allows that. By having a vCard, information is one simple click away and no trees have been cut down. vCard Business Card makes this happen. The vCard is always updated anytime a change is made . New phone number, email address, job, No Problem. This is revolutionary from a business standpoint and saves the bottom line . vCard Global is dedicated to providing innovative, fast, efficient and user-friendly digital business card.

As well as that, vCard Global will be celebrating the launch event by spreading the word. Already in 18 countries and growing, the company offers FREE vCard Business Cards which virtually very few companies do. The goal is for people to able to "Pay It Forward" and impact the world. . It is their hope and vision to make vCard become the #1 Go To Business Card in the world by providing the leaders the opportunity for Financial Freedom as well as easy networking and connectivity.

Finally, for die hard fans of the industry, they'll be interested to know what went into making vCard Business Card. It has taken several years to produce, from start to finish, from the initial idea to creating the final product. The Worlds Smartest Business Card is one of the Best Contact Manager Phone Apps. This should provide total satisfaction to business connoisseurs. Ideal for Real Estate Agents, Spas, Estheticians, Restaurants. Car Repair Shops, Chiropractors, Dentists, Marketers, Charities, and much more. This card is FREE to set up and use in a couple of minutes , however expanding and using all Social Links or selling a product or service with Paypal will require an Upgrade to a Pro Version at a very minimal cost.

Quote from vCard Global : IF YOU TRIED SOMETHING YESTERDAY AND IT DIDN'T WORK, DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU FROM TRYING SOMETHING NEW TODAY!

For further information about vCard Global and its product, go here http://monikaniedbalski.vcardglobal.com

For more information, please visit http://monikaniedbalski.vcardglobal.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Monika Niedbalski

Email: monika@fastmail.fm

Organization: SEO Montreal Expert

Address: Montreal, Quebec

Phone: 514-365-0001

Release ID: 130356

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New Digital Multimeter with Battery Tester Released By EnnoLogic

EnnoLogic releases their newest product in their product line, the eM530S multimeter with battery tester. The unit is a handy small size in a rugged housing. It accurately measures voltage, current, and resistance. Available on Amazon.com and through the ennoLogic.com website.

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EnnoLogic has released their newest testing instrument, the eM530S multimeter with battery tester into the market.

According to company spokesman, Chris Johnston, the new multimeter was released earlier this summer as the latest piece of testing equipment to be offered by EnnoLogic.

The digital multimeter with battery tester from ennoLogic is a feature-rich professional instrument designed for homeowners and professional electricians.

The unit is the second multimeter in the ennoLogic line of instruments. The eM530S multimeter provides accurate measurement of voltage, current, and resistance. It includes a battery tester with 3 voltage ranges to test batteris under load.

It is designed for use by professional electricians, engineers, technicians and other professionals in the electrical metering, monitoring, maintenance and repair industries, as well as hobbyists.

The new multimeter provides fast response time on a large easy to read LCD display with backlight. Its non-contact voltage detection feature makes it possible to detect power in outlets and power cords without direct contact. The unit is housed in a rugged, ergonomic, and attractive case.

The ennoLogic multimeter is a CAT II and CAT III 600V compliant digital multimeter that is highly accurate, and provides fast readings for many home and automotive uses. It is autoranging and accurately measures AC and DC voltage, AC and DC current, and resistance.

The new digital multimeter can be used in a wide range of applications from trouble-shooting electrical wiring issues, bad switches and outlets to testing of new electrical installations, solar applications and more. In the field, the eM530S provides accurate, reliable measurements, aiding the professional or expert home user to quickly get the information necessary to assess electrical outages, and other problems.

No matter the application, the eM530S provides consistent reliable and easy to read measuring results.

"We're happy to have this new multimeter in our line." says company spokesman, Chris Johnston. "We think professionals and homeowners alike, who rely on high quality instruments in their daily work and home environments will find this meter delivers reliability and trustworthy readings in all of its applications. We are very happy to offer the eM530S as the newest instrument in the ennoLogic line of quality products. We are very pleased with its performance."

The eM530S is available for purchase on Amazon.com and through the ennoLogic.com website. More information about the new multimeter can be found at the ennoLogic website.

For more information, please visit http://www.ennologic.com

Contact Info:

Name: Chris Johnston

Email: press@ennologic.com

Organization: Cascadia Innovations

Address: PO Box 25207, Eugene, OR 97402

Phone: +1 541 525 9175

Release ID: 130162

For more information visit r



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Cloud Storage Boss Launches Review Website

Cloud Storage Boss offers reviews of the top cloud storage providers. The growing number of cloud storage companies makes it difficult for consumers to decide which service is best for them.

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Cloud Storage Boss and Jeff Tinsley are pleased to announce the launch of their website devoted to the ranking, reviewing and comparing the top cloud storage providers. The growth of online backup has mirrored the growth of the internet itself. The term "cloud storage" refers to any type of online file where data is remotely maintained and stored. The use of storage in the Cloud requires that files be backed up at certain pre-set times or on an as needed schedule. Users retrieve the files using web pages or apps. Security levels can be set at various levels including public, private or anything in-between.

Cloud computing for business purposes are usually found in one of three categories: back-up of files; syncing and collaboration of data files; and file storage. CSB offers information about the best services available, as well as a comparison of the features of the top providers. Almost any type of business can benefit from storage in the Cloud, but not all companies which provide the services are equally helpful.

According to a spokesperson for CSB, "We have carefully researched the top online cloud storage services in order to see which companies are best. Some of the categories which we analyzed include file sharing, encryption, security, cost, customer service and other features. While there is no single best company which provides storage in the Cloud, there are several which offer top features, in our opinion. The list which appears on our site identifies the best elements of each online backup company."

The list of top firms was created after individual account creation and use of the features. The review team based their ranking on the following features: Company background, who should use the service, backup and restoration, file sync and sharing, Web and mobile support, pricing and plans, and pros and cons. A visit to the website offers more detailed views and descriptions of more than a dozen different top firms.

For more information, please visit http://www.cloudstorageboss.com

Contact Info:

Name: Jeff Tinsley

Organization: Cloud Storage Boss

Address: 4009 Banister Lane Suite 13, Austin TX 78794

Phone: (512) 241-0017

Source: http://www.cloudstorageboss.com/reviews/

Release ID: 130535

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This past week the administrators of the ACT test confirmed what we suspected a month ago when preliminary data were released, Nevada high school students are dead last in the nation in college preparedness.

Nevada students eked out a mere 17.7 points out of a possible 36 points, compared to a nationwide average score of 20.8.

Nevadas score plummeted from the previous years 21 points, which matched the national average, largely because only 40 percent of students took the test then, but the state now requires all students to take the ACT. Other states that made the test mandatory also saw declines as non-college-bound students were added, but none as drastically as Nevada.

Additionally, as reported earlier, 90 percent of Nevada students failed to achieve benchmark scores on all four of the test categories  English, math, reading and science. ACT now reports that this compares to 34 percent nationally, who failed to pass any of the tests.

This decline in overall readiness can be explained, in large part, by the addition this year of seven more states that funded the ACT for all 11th graders as part of their statewide testing programs, ACT reported. Scores went down significantly in each of those seven states, as expected, helping to drive the national average down. In contrast, 22 other states saw score increases this year, and another eight states saw no change. A total of 20 states administered the ACT to all public school graduates in this years class. Only 18 states, including Nevada, reported 100 percent participation.

Additionally, Nevada was dead last in percentage of students meeting the benchmark scores in each of the four test categories, save one. In math, Mississippi students scored 1 point less.

Only 37 percent of Nevada students achieved the benchmark score in English, compared to 61 percent nationally. Only 26 percent met the reading benchmark, compared to 44 percent nationally. Just 21 percent scored adequately in math, compared to 41 percent in the nation. And 18 percent did well enough in science, compared to 36 percent.

Last year, ACT issued a call to action, urging educators and policymakers to work to improve the education system as a whole, ACT Chief Executive Officer Marten Roorda was quoted as saying in a press release. While the drop in scores this year is not indicative of lower achievement overall, we are still seeing far too many students left behind by the nations education system. When a third of high school graduates are not well prepared in any of the core subject areas, college and career readiness remains a significant problem that must be addressed. It is critical that we continue to work hard to improve.

The Las Vegas newspaper quoted Steve Canavero, state superintendent of public instruction, as saying the test results are unacceptable. We can do more, and our students can do more, and our system can do more, he said. Poverty, mobility, diversity cannot be an excuse.

That the system can do more has yet to be proven.

The 2015 Legislature raised $1.5 billion in new taxes, much of that earmarked for public education, but most of that targets the lower grades, meaning results, if any, will not be evident for years.

The state Supreme Court has heard arguments in court cases challenging the state law establishing education savings accounts that would allow parents to opt out of the failing public school system, but has yet to rule.

Admittedly, the additional 60 percent of graduates who took the ACT test this year had no real incentive to perform well on the test if they had no plans to enroll in college, but neither did non-college-bound graduates in other states.

If the ACT is ever going to provide a baseline or benchmark by which parents and lawmakers can compare our schools to those in other states and hold our educators accountable, the stakes for graduates need to be raised. The state currently has no test to prove high schoolers have earned a diploma.

We suggest the state use the ACT test results  probably with lower benchmarks than those for the college-bound  to determine whether a diploma actually has been earned and means anything other than a certificate of attendance. That would provide an incentive for students taking the test.
Housebuilding companies are expected to be kicked out of the main UK index when the London Stock Exchange reshuffles the FTSE 100 later today (31 August).

With the first reshuffle since the referendum vote looming on the horizon, speculation hangs over which firms will be the FTSE casualties when the stock exchange makes its announcement.

Helal Miah, investment research analyst at the Share Centre, said it looks like housebuilding companies, and those associated with the sector, could be forced out of the FTSE 100 index.

The commercial real estate sector has been a victim of the Brexit vote, as investors panicked and quickly cashed-in their shares, forcing several fund groups to suspend trading in their commercial property funds.

Mr Miah said residential housebuilding company Berkeley Group could also be in trouble, pointing to the firms drop in pre-tax profits.

Berkeley shares dropped 30 per cent after the referendum due to concerns the housebuilding sector would suffer a fall in demand, said Mr Miah, who also pointed to the declining selling prices and greater difficulty in finding enough skilled labour.

Investors should also appreciate that the London market, where Berkeley has most of its developments, is seen as especially vulnerable given the large number of foreign buyers and the strong growth in recent years.

Travis Perkins, which supplies building materials to builders merchants and home improvement markets, was also pinpointed by Mr Miah as a company potentially in the firing line after its share price was hit hard by the Brexit vote.

Other companies that could be relegated include the likes of Intu Properties, Provident Financial and possibly Dixons Carphone, he said.

When it comes to new entrants, however, the Share Centre analyst said FTSE 250 listed Aberdeen Asset Management could join the main index.

Also precious metals producer Polymetal International could bounce back to the FTSE 100 after a number of years outside of the index.

The overseas company is likely to have benefited from the fall in sterling post Brexit and in addition, the recovery in gold and silver prices will have helped raised the value of the company.

IT software producer Micro Focus International is also in a good position to get the boost, he said, pointing to the companys recent acquisitions, which have given the group access to more markets around the world, boosted earnings, and provided a stream of recurring revenues.

Croda International and Smurfit Kappa were also firms Mr Miah said could be new entrants.

katherine.denham@ft.com
The easterly wind has died down and the sea water is crystal clear. It is hard to find an empty spot on Cortadura beach, in Cadiz province. In the rocky area of Santibanez, three youths in diving gear head out toward the shore with the firm intention of doing something illegal. They run back and forth carrying heavy baskets, and more than one beachgoer is heard wondering whether they might be carrying a shipment of hashish.

But then an anonymous citizen realizes whats really going on, and calls 092 to ask the police to come stop the illegal harvesting of sea cucumbers. Three local officers show up and seize four baskets containing 200 kilograms of a small marine animal with a soft body known scientifically as Actinopyga echinites.

llegal harvesting has ballooned to such a degree that it is hard to find a single sea cucumber on popular beaches like La Caleta

So far this year, municipal officers have already confiscated a ton and a half of these echinoderms, which have inhabited Spains southern coasts for millions of years. Sea cucumbers do not bite or sting, and do not seem to move or defend themselves in any way. They simply live on the coast, drifting along with the tide and filtering the water.

Until three years ago, local fishermen only used them as fishing bait. But then word got out that sea cucumbers are a delicacy in China, where they are believed to have therapeutic and aphrodisiac properties. Since then, illegal harvesting has ballooned to such a degree that it is hard to find a single sea cucumber on popular beaches like La Caleta.

If this pace keeps up, a year from now its going to be hard finding any at all; the species is becoming endangered, says Ernesto Perez, an official with the local polices special services unit.

Perez is one of the officers in charge of fighting the illegal harvesting of sea cucumbers. The regional government of Andalusia and Seprona, the Civil Guards nature protection department, make up the rest of the team.

But they are dealing with a well-established chain with many links that start with the local harvesters and end in China. So far this year, the Andalusian department of fisheries has initiated 69 proceedings in the coasts of Cadiz and Malaga; most of the fines are being slapped on the harvesters who physically pull the creatures out of the water.

High prices

Jose (an assumed name) is one of these harvesters. He runs online ads to attract Chinese buyers living in Cadiz. I dont pick many anymore because things have gotten really tough with the fines, he admits. I deliver them right on the beach, where a person pays me for the basket on the spot.

Jose would rather not reveal how much he makes, but suggests that it is worth his while.

Legislation badly needed If all those involved in the harvest of sea cucumbers agree on anything at all, it is on the need to end the legal loophole that is hurting the species. The difference lies in how to do so. A decree issued by the Andalusian government in 2010 establishes that sea cucumbers may only be captured in demarcated and classified production zones. This makes it illegal to harvest them recreationally. This activity entails fines of anywhere between 300 and 60,000. Francisco Javier Gutierrez, the businessman with the licenses, says it is necessary to determine harvesting quotas. Jose, the illegal harvester, agrees: If the Junta [regional government] allowed for a controlled harvest, I would be first in line to go legal and become a self-employed worker.

Its quite a lot, because I wont risk it for peanuts. Im the lowest link in the chain, and I suppose that prices in China must be frightfully high.

Middlemen typically pay people like Jose around 70 for a basket, the local police said. These intermediaries clean, cook and dry the product before selling it to Chinese citizens residing in Cadiz, who in turn smuggle it into China.

They place them inside suitcases and travel with them, acting as mules. They caught one recently at Barajas airport, explains Francisco Javier Gutierrez, one of just two businessmen in Spain with all the required licenses to do trade in sea cucumbers.

Gutierrez sells up to five different types, with the cheapest one going for 48 plus tax per kilogram. He captures them off the Pacific coastline, where harvesting is allowed, and sends them to Japan. From there they get shipped to China, where a kilogram commands around 500.

But this price could shoot up to 1,500 if the specimen resembles the Japanese sea cucumber, which used to be harvested on the coast of Japan until the radiation from the Fukushima accident ruled out any further use for culinary purposes.

Sea cucumbers can be legally harvested in parts of the Pacific. IFREMER

Gutierrez complains that more is not being done against illegal harvesting. Action is being taken against the harvester, but the people who buy are just as guilty as the people who sell. All you need to do is take a look online to find a bunch of illegal ads, he adds.

Perez, the local police officer, admits that they are only able to seize a part of the illegal harvest taking place on Cadiz's coast.

We are highly aware that many more are getting away, he explains. His department deals only with the first step in the illegal activity; it is up to Seprona to dismantle the sales network behind the trade in sea cucumbers.

From drugs to sea cucumbers

Perez adds that three or four years ago, it was Chinese nationals who personally picked the animals out of the sea. But it was very conspicuous and citizens who saw them would call us immediately, he recalls.

That was when the Chinese turned to local harvesters instead. There is an excess of demand, and exorbitant prices are being paid out, says Perez.

For the harvesters, the benefits are obvious. Besides the ease of capture, harvesting sea cucumbers does not entail prison terms if they are caught. There are, however, hefty fines that can reach 60,000. Regional authorities explain that this is because there is no specific regulation on sea cucumbers, which are merely classified as a species that cannot be captured.

The police officer also notes that several small-time drug traffickers have now turned into amateur harvesters, and admits that their own raids are increasingly like drug trafficking raids.

Typically, these harvesters go out at night on zodiac boats, bring home their loads and dry them on the balcony. Being private property, it is hard to get a judge to grant a search warrant for an administrative violation, adds the officer.

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Instead, the local police rely on citizen cooperation. People, say Perez, are highly aware of how decimated the species is.

Meanwhile, Jose will continue to risk a heavy fine to bring home sea cucumbers. There is no work, so you hold on to anything you can find, says the young man to justify his actions.

Perez has heard this argument before, but he is not sympathetic.

They are scared of immediate consequences, and this carries no prison terms, he says. But they are not aware that they are slaves to a ring, and that they risk mortgaging their entire lives to a fine that they will not be able to pay off.

English version by Susana Urra.
One of the stand-out aspects of the RDR  and by this I mean one of its most covered aspects in the consumer finance press  was the banning of commission on pensions and investment products.

The reason for the ban, which does not apply to mortgage and insurance products, was the long-held  and quantitatively substantiated  view that its existence introduced bias into the sales process.

One of the unwelcome aspects of the ban is that advisers can no longer justify giving advice to those with less than 250,000 in liquid assets.

This of course is not in the best interests of the general UK population. In fact earlier this year the Financial Conduct Authority said it was considering a return to some of the elements of commission.

But then comes along a case where the arguments in favour of commission are swept away.

This week, Financial Adviser reported that the Financial Ombudsman Service ruled that Openwork badly advised a client, questioning why the intermediary received 40,000 for recommending a bond.

A total of 500,000 was invested in a bond and Openwork received 40,000 up-front commission from the provider.

At 40,000 the ombudsman calculated that this amounts to 200 hours work, if charged at the advisers highest hourly rate. If the adviser worked a 40-hour week, this would be the equivalent of five weeks work.

Openwork pointed out that the advice was given before the RDR reforms were introduced, so the 8.2 per cent commission was normal at that time and that it was paid by the bond provider, rather than taken from the investment.

Such payments are obscene, in any industry, and while this may not be an isolated one  let us hope cases like this are where they belong, in the past.
Four members of Cornwall Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (YFC) are travelling to Spain in a cow-print car to raise money for six charities.

Edward Martyn, Stuart King, David Northey and Jack Kent from Warleggon YFC in south-east Cornwall will set off on the 6 October as part of the St Austell Round Table Banger Rally Challenge 2016.

The team spent 500  the maximum amount allowed to be spent on the rally vehicle  on a Honda Legend and redesigned it into a cow, now named Lucy the Legend.

Dairy farmer Jack said that they thought the challenge would be a bit of fun and, through YFC, they are used to getting involved with lots of fundraising missions.

They hope to raise 2,000, and they are currently at about 800 through donation and sponsorship, so they have got off to a good start.

The trip is self-funded so all money raised will be split between six charities: Cornwall Air Ambulance, Childrens Hospice Southwest, Marie Curie, Merlin MS Centre, Cornwall Hospice Care and the forces charity Turn to Starboard.

The challenge is less of a race and more of a treasure hunt, Jack says.

They know they are going to Vegas in Spain, but there are several places of that name and they wont find out until nearer the time which one they are headed for.

If you want to support the team, sponsor them or follow their week-long journey, you can find them on social media or donate online on Facebook, Twitter and JustGiving.
Story Highlights Fewer Americans, 64.2%, report eating healthy on any given day

Percentage exercising regularly edges up slightly to 53.8%

Smoking rate among U.S. adults drops to 18.0%

This is the third article in a five-part series examining changes in Americans' health and well-being during Barack Obama's presidency.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' exercise and smoking habits have improved while their eating habits have worsened slightly over the nearly eight years of Barack Obama's presidency. These findings are based on interviews conducted daily from January 2008 through July 2016 as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

So far in 2016, 64.2% of U.S. adults report that they ate healthy all day yesterday, which is on the lower end of what Gallup and Healthways have recorded since beginning to track this metric in 2008. The percentage of Americans who said they ate healthy peaked at 67.7% in 2010, but generally declined through 2013 and has remained steady since.

While Americans' reports of healthy eating have declined slightly over the past eight years, the percentage who consume produce frequently has generally held steady. To measure produce consumption, Gallup and Healthways ask Americans to report on how many days they consumed five or more servings of fruits and vegetables in the past seven days.

One possible explanation for the slight decline in healthy eating while frequent produce consumption has remained steady is that more U.S. adults may be aware of the nutritional content of their food and drink. During his tenure, President Obama has made some strides in shedding light on proper nutrition. Some restaurants and vending machine owners have voluntarily posted nutrition information ahead of an FDA regulation requiring large restaurant chains and vending machine operators to list calorie information. And in May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved new nutrition labels for the first time in more than 20 years. The updated labels include a new design, up-to-date nutritional science and different standards for serving size. The updated labeling is significant as Gallup previously found that 68% of Americans pay attention to nutrition labels either a great deal or a fair amount on food packages, more than the percentage who say the same about restaurant menus (43%).

Percentage Who Exercise Regularly Edged Up Slightly

The percentage of Americans who report exercising regularly has edged up in 2016 to 53.8%, and from a longer-term perspective, has increased 2.4 percentage points since 2008. To assess exercise habits, U.S. adults are asked to report on how many days in the past week they exercised for at least 30 minutes.

But the quality of Americans' exercise may still be falling short of what is needed to achieve the maximum health benefits. According to the CDC, just 21% of U.S. adults are meeting the physical activity guidelines for both muscle-strengthening and aerobic activity.

U.S. Smoking Rate Continued to Decline

While Americans' exercise habits have improved slightly, their smoking habits have improved significantly, with the smoking rate dropping three points since 2009. The percentage of U.S. adults who smoke has declined nearly every year during Obama's two terms, a continuing trend that began long before Obama took office. The smoking rate among U.S. adults is now 18.0%, down from 21.0% in 2009.

Across age groups, the smoking rate has declined the most among young adults -- those aged 18-29 -- during Obama's years in office. Young adults had the highest smoking rate in the early 2000s, but their smoking rate is now closer to the national average. The percentage of U.S. adults who smoke varies widely by state, with residents of southern and Midwestern states more likely to smoke.

As the smoking rate has declined, Americans' negative views on smoking have persisted. More than half of U.S. adults say smoking should be illegal in all public places while an increasing percentage say that smoking should be totally illegal.

Bottom Line

A president can encourage citizens to live a healthy lifestyle and advocate for legislation and regulatory actions that promote healthy choices. President Obama and the first lady have taken some concrete steps in doing so by implementing initiatives such as Let's Move! to encourage regular exercise and leading the movement to update nutrition labels on food and drink. Obama also signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009, which gave the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products. Even so, it is unclear whether most Americans are aware of these actions and to what extent they might influence their behavior.

As Barack Obama completes his final term as president, U.S. adults' health habits have changed only marginally, with the exception of smoking. Although fewer U.S. adults say they eat healthy, this decline could be a result of adults having a better understanding of what foods are nutritious, as opposed to making a deliberate choice to eat less healthy. Americans are slightly more likely to exercise frequently, but that alone is unlikely to be enough to reduce the record-high obesity rate. Regardless, the new low in smoking among U.S. adults is an encouraging sign that long-term improvement in health habits remains possible.

These data are available in Gallup Analytics.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews conducted from 2008-2016 as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey, with a random sample of 2,415,499 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is .08 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

For data collected prior to Sept. 1, 2015, each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 50% cellphone respondents and 50% landline respondents. For data collected between Sept. 1, 2015, and Aug. 5, 2016, each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents. Additional minimum quotas by time zone within region are included in the sampling approach.

Learn more about how the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index works.
Story Highlights 52% say unions help the U.S. economy, 41% say they hurt it

In 2009, 39% said unions help the economy; 51% said they hurt it

56% approval of unions still below the historical norm

PRINCETON, N.J. -- A slim majority of Americans, 52%, say labor unions mostly help the U.S. economy, while 41% believe unions mostly hurt it. After a sharp 14-point decline between 2006 and 2009 in the percentage of Americans who believe unions mostly help the economy, public opinion is essentially back to what it was before the recession.

Democrats, Republicans and independents became less optimistic about unions' effect on the economy during and after the Great Recession, but all three groups have grown more positive. Republicans, the group showing the least amount of faith in unions' ability to help the economy, have not quite recovered to their pre-recession levels, but independents and Democrats have. Currently, 71% of Democrats, 53% of independents and 28% of Republicans believe unions mostly help the economy.

The results are based on Gallup's annual Work and Education poll. In this year's poll, conducted Aug. 3-7, Gallup asked Americans for the first time since 2011 to assess unions' effect on the U.S. economy, on unionized companies, and on union and nonunion workers.

Americans are most likely to say unions mostly help union workers themselves -- 70% hold this view. That is nearly twice the percentage who say unions benefit workers who are not members of unions (38%). Fifty-five percent say unions mostly help companies where workers are unionized, similar to the 52% who say unions benefit the U.S. economy.

Americans' Views of Effect of Labor Unions Overall, do you think labor unions mostly help or mostly hurt ? Mostly help Mostly hurt % % Workers who are members of unions 70 24 The companies where workers are unionized 55 39 The U.S. economy in general 52 41 Workers who are not members of unions 38 54 Gallup

Americans' opinions of whether unions help unionized companies, union workers and nonunion workers all declined slightly in 2009 during the recession by four or five percentage points each. Those are much smaller declines than the 14-point drop in assessments of whether unions mostly helped the U.S. economy during the same year. The public's views of labor unions' effect on workers and companies are similar now to what they were before the recession.

Labor Union Approval at 56%

Americans have long approved of labor unions, including the 56% majority in the latest poll. Gallup first asked Americans whether they approved or disapproved of labor unions in 1936; since then, approval has averaged 62%, indicating Americans' current approval rating is below the historical norm.

Union approval fell to an all-time low of 48% in 2009 and has recovered modestly since then, though it has yet to reach the 59% it held in the last pre-recession reading. Americans were also less approving of unions when the economy declined in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Union approval reached its high points of 75% in 1953 and 1957 Gallup polls.

One reason recent opinions on unions have remained less positive than in the past is that Republicans have become increasingly negative toward them. Currently, 32% of Republicans approve of unions, compared with an average 43% approval from 2001 to 2007. Democrats' and independents' current approval ratings of unions -- 78% and 57%, respectively -- are essentially unchanged from 2001 to 2007 averages (76% of Democrats and 59% of independents).

Implications

Americans have historically evaluated unions more positively than negatively, a trend that continued even as union membership in the U.S. declined significantly in recent decades. It wasn't until the Great Recession that union approval dropped below the majority level and Americans' assessments of unions' effect on the economy, workers and companies also grew more negative at that time.

Now, Americans' opinions of unions have mostly recovered to what they were before the recession began. But their approval of labor unions remains slightly below pre-recession levels, largely because Republicans have become increasingly negative toward them. This is consistent with other trends toward greater partisan divides on political opinions such as presidential job approval and attitudes on policy issues such as global warming. That may make it difficult for labor union approval to return to the same level of support it enjoyed from the 1930s through the early 2000s, when approval ratings were mostly in the 60% range.

Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Aug. 3-7, 2016, with a random sample of 1,032 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.

View survey methodology, complete question responses and trends.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
Thousands of tourists packing Levante beach in Benidorm Manuel Lorenzo (EFE)

July 2016 has shattered all tourist records in Spain. Never before had so many foreigners  9.6 million  visited the country in a single month.

The figure represents a 9.1% rise from July 2015, which was already a bumper year for tourism. And it is higher than the previous record for monthly foreign visitors, which was set in August of last year.

Despite the Brexit vote and a weaker pound, British citizens continue to make up the bulk of foreign tourists to Spain, with 2.2 million arriving in July, a 11.4% rise from the same period last year.

Return of the travel package A trend that had been dying out is making a comeback: the vacation package. Although a majority of tourists still prefer to book their accommodation, vehicles and meals separately, last month 3.1 million people opted for a package, representing a 30% rise from July 2015. Between January and July, travel packages grew 18.6%.

They were followed by France, which contributed 1.5 million visitors last month, a 13.8% rise from July 2015. Germany came in a close third with 1.27 million tourists.

Instability in other Mediterranean beach destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia have benefited Spain, which is attracting part of the tourism that once headed to those countries.

And given that August is typically the best month for tourism, experts are forecasting a final tally of over 10 million visitors this month.

Last year saw a record 68 million tourists, but the way things are going, that figure will very likely be broken this year, with experts predicting a figure in excess of 70 million. There were 42.4 million visitors between January and July, an 11.1% increase from the same period last year. That is more than in an entire year during the late 1990s.

Broken down by regions, Catalonia was the main tourist destination in July, receiving one of every four foreign visitors. The Balearic Islands came in second with another quarter of the tourism pie.

English version by Susana Urra.
The Young & The Restless Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: Luca Busted, Miles Gaston Villanueva Leaves The Series?

Miles Gaston Villanueva recently took to Twitter to hint fans of Luca's fate in the daytime drama "The Young & The Restless." According to latest spoilers, Luca will get arrested but Villanueva promised to return to the soap opera in the future.

Luca Exits 'The Young & The Restless'

Miles Gaston Villanueva recently confirmed his exit from the long-standing soap opera, "The Young & The Restless," Soap Hub reported. In a series of Twitter posts, the actor hinted that Luca's days in Genoa City may soon be over. "The Young & The Restless" fans will see an explosive confrontation between Summer Newman (Hunter King) and Luca Santori that will result in an arrest.

You'll see me elsewhere. Believe me. All love, Donovan Marcelle. Thanks 4 appreciating Luca. #MilesGastonVillanueva https://t.co/c5By7DdPiO  Miles G. Villanueva (@MilesGastonV) August 27, 2016

While Luca professed his love for Summer to be true and real, Luca remained cruel and manipulative. "The Young & The Restless" spoilers reveal that Luca will be putting Summer at risk this week. While Luca may not be entirely at fault, Victor blamed Luca for all of it in the end, per Inquisitr. "The Young & The Restless" fans will see Summer ending her engagement with the sweet-talker Luca after learning that he was responsible for the oil sabotage. Afterward, Summer will try to turn in Lucas, which could turn pretty ugly.

Luca's Back Story

To recall, Luca Santori arrived in Genoa City last year with the intention to get back his wife Marissa (Sofia Pernas). Fans previously saw the couple fighting, with Marissa deciding to leave Luca. "The Young & The Restless" team painted Luca's character as a shrewd businessman determined to get everything that he wants.

However, Luca isn't the first role Miles Gaston Villanueva portrayed in "The Young & The Restless." He earlier portrayed Father Martin, however, the producers wanted a character with more depth for him. The producers loved him so much that Villanueva was brought back as Luca Santori. Afterward, "The Young & The Restless" fans saw Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) using Luca for some evil schemes. In the end, Luca was cornered and was blamed for everything.

While some "The Young & The Restless" fans were hoping that Luca will change for Summer, it seems that love isn't enough. It wasn't revealed if he would die or spend his life in prison as his exit. It's time for fans to say goodbye to Luca.
'Homeland' Season 6 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: Robert Knepper Returns! Peter's Relationship With Carrie Will Be Affected With His Change?

Aside from Peter Quinn's (Rupert Friend) different look in "Homeland" Season 6, fans also have to wait for the new stories coming to the political thriller television series. New crimes are about to come in the next installment of the show that will be resolved with the help of General Jamie McClendon (Robert Knepper).

Robert Knepper Joins 'Homeland' Season 6

Robert Knepper is set to be back in "Homeland" Season 6 to play as the delegate of the Department of Defense, according to Variety. He will be the one who's responsible for briefing the incoming female president of the United States, Elizabeth Keane (Elizabeth Marvel). However, other details about the "Prison Break" star's role are not yet disclosed, but some question if his return has a connection with Carrie (Claire Danes).

As the United States is set to have a new President, it is strongly believed that new stars and additional roles are coming in "Homeland" Season 6. With new crimes coming on General Jamie McClendon's way and new issues that needed to be solved, the country needs a strong protection.

Alex's Relationship With Carrie Will Be Affected By His Changes?

Meanwhile, the show's developer Alex Gansa teased that Carrie will be seen in a "very different and singular journey" in "Homeland" Season 6, as per International Business Times. Fans, too, will feel a little different with the coming new installment, but, as he said, it would give "a significant amount of momentum."

On Peter Quinn, on the other hand, the changes his character shows will not only affect his personal life but his relationship with Carrie as well. "Quinn this coming season will really represent a very profound and familiar casualty of the war on terror for our audience," the screenwriter explained. "What he endured last year is different from what he's going through this year [when it comes to Carrie]." "Homeland" Season 6 will return on Jan. 15, 2017 on Showtime.
WWE Latest News & Update: Triple H vs. Seth Rollins Feud Finally Evolves [POLL]

WWE COO Triple H officially returned to Raw last Monday and made an immediate impact by getting involved in the Fatal Four-Way main event. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens and Big Cass were vying for the right to succeed Finn Balor who surrendered the title due to a shoulder injury. Rollins and Reigns were big favorites though seeing Big Cass win it all was something most were expecting.

In the end, it was perhaps the WWE star who many overlooked that won it all  Kevin Owens. Making matters worse, he won it by pinning Rollins  Triple Hs protege. So what gives?

The time has come for Rollins turn

It will be hard to see how Rollins can transform from a heel to a face wrestler though there are some who have managed to find ways to do so. Steve Austin was one of the best to do that, not to mention Triple H too.

Speculation of a Rollins turn was up in the air even before Wrestlemania 32. But with Rollins sitting it out due to injury, all that had to wait for another day. And from the looks of it, that time has come.

The next question is when will the much-awaited clash take place? Will it be at WWE Survivor Series or Wrestlemania 33? Will it be a one-match affair or an ongoing storyline?

Much of that is expected to be addressed at next Monday Night Raw. Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon seemed shocked at the turn of events so this new development offers new color to the storylines.

Will it be long or short-term for Kevin Owens at the top?

As for Kevin Owens, it will be interesting how long he can reign with a major title around his waist. He has been notorious for winning titles but eventually losing them quickly. But all that may depend on who he will be feuding next.

There is also Chris Jericho, his ally. Will all still be good between them? Possible dance partners for Owens include Reigns, Sami Zayn or even Big Cass.
Google Nexus 7 2016 Release Date, News & Update: Tablet Perfect for Multi-Taskers Always On the Go! Specs, Features & Price Revealed

The Google Nexus 7 2016 tablet may be released end of this year and is expected to have top specifications and features that would include a massive storage capacity, an NVIDIA processor and the Android 7.0 Nougat OS. Reports are claiming that the seventh installment of the Nexus tablet, Google Nexus 7, may get a Nov. 24 release during the Thanksgiving period.

The Google Nexus 7 2016 device will probably be released after the launch of the Marlin and Sailfish Google Nexus 2016 smartphones. The two variants are expected to be launched in October.

According to PC Tablet, Google's decision to suspend the sales of its Nexus 9 has further strengthened the arrival of Google Nexus 7 2016. It could be priced at approximately $260 and may sport a 4GB RAM, a Snapdragon 820 processor and an expandable internal storage. The addition of the powerful processor will aid multi-tasking, perfect for individuals who are always on the go.

The Google Nexus 7 2016 will be manufactured by Huawei and will be a tough competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mainly because of its high-end multi-tasking functionalities, writes Mobile & Apps. Some reports have also suggested a 2TB expandable storage option and an NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor.

The Android 7.0 Nougat operating system is expected to bring amazing features to the Google Nexus 7 2016 tablet such as an enhanced Doze app, VR platform Daydream, launcher shortcuts, new folder looks, multi-window support, new emojis and a Night Mode option. On the Google Nexus 2016, Marlin and Sailfish front, internal sources at HTC revealed that the two variants may carry the price tags of $599 and $449. The prices may be for the 32GB storage variant, which means the 64GB variant will carry a different price.

Nexus Sailfish's price tag of $449 will break some sales record and may even overtake 2013 sales figures of LG manufactured Nexus 5. Stay tuned for latest updates on Google Nexus 7 2016 at Gamenguide.
Torrents Shutdown: US Library Of Congress the Next Target for Online Pirates?

Torrents' demise may make the US Library of Congress the new piracy destination for many, several reports have suggested. The reports come at a time when the US Copyright Office expressed its desire to expand the mandatory deposit requirement for publishers. Even record labels will also have to submit their online-only music to the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress will then allow public to access the music. RIAA has warned that this may lead to severe piracy leaks if a strict security system is not implemented. According to Torrent Freak, the Library of Congress is the second largest library in the world with a massive collection of more than 160 million items.

The torrents situation seems serious and the existing torrent sites such as The Pirate Bay (TPB), Extratorrents, 1337x, YTS and RARBG may eventually lose the fight to stay functional. There is also little chance for Kickass Torrents (KAT) to make any sort of a comeback considering its owner Artem Vaulin is in jail.

If all functional torrent sites are taken down, people will definitely try the Library to for illegal copying and hacking. This move by the Government has been slammed by the RIAA who has warned materials can be easily exploited and then put on piracy websites.

"Given the inherent vulnerability of servers believed to be secure, we question the need for anyone to have remote access to a server that stores commercially valuable digital sound recordings," RIAA said in a statement. The RIAA explained that in an age where servers can be hacked on a daily basis, no electronic server is secure and Government servers are no different.

It also added that in this age of technology, people have various options for enjoying digital music. Hence, it does not see any logic in the decision to allow electronic copying and distribution of sound recording of its members.
Squirrel Girl News & Update: Comic Book Character Coming To Marvel's 'New Warriors' TV Series! Will Anna Kendrick Play Doreen Green?

Marvel comic book fans have been begging for a Squirrel Girl movie for a long time. However, it seems like no one from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is paying attention. Or are they? There is a new rumor suggesting that Doreen Green will be one of the main characters in the new Marvel TV series "New Warriors" and the little superhero could be played by Anna Kendrick!

Hold On To Your Nuts! Squirrel Girl Could Star In Marvel's 'New Warriors' TV Series!

So here's the deal: it's just a rumor so far. However, the news about the possible "New Warriors" TV series did come from a somehow reliable source. Besides, can anybody really stay calm when Squirrel Girl is about to make her small screen debut?

According to TVLine, a source has shared that Marvel and ABC Studios are planning to work on a "New Warriors" TV series. Each comedic episode will only be 30 minutes and the headliner will be none other than Marvel's coolest comic book character Squirrel Girl. But what will it be like? The show will follow a team of teen superheroes and is currently being offered to several outlets.

Marvel and ABC have not yet confirmed anything about the "New Warriors" TV series. However, the speculation has already had fans wondering if Anna Kendrick will portray Squirrel Girl in the show.

Will Anna Kendrick Play Squirrel Girl In Marvel's 'New Warriors' TV Series?

Anna Kendrick has already expressed interest in playing Doreen Green in the still unconfirmed Squirrel Girl movie. But is it possible that she would take on the character if she has to appear in Marvel's "New Warriors" TV series? Only time will tell, but fans are already keeping their fingers crossed that this rumor will eventually become reality.

Do you think Anna Kendrick will play Squirrel Girl in Marvel's "New Warriors" TV series? Let us know in the comments.
'Harry Potter And The Cursed Child' News & Update: Will Daniel Radcliffe Return In Warner Bros. Planned Movie Adaptation?

It looks like the world will see another big screen adaptation of something J.K. Rowling wrote. Warner Bros. is reportedly planning to develop a three-part movie based on the play "Harry Potter and The Cursed Child". In addition to that, the studio has its eyes on Daniel Radcliffe to reprise his titular role in the film.

This certainly sounds like an awesome idea for Harry Potter fans who are hoping to see Daniel Radcliffe return as The Boy (Now A Grown Man) Who Lived. But is it possible that the "Swiss Army Man" star will consider coming back in the planned "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" movie adaptation?

Will Daniel Radcliffe Even Consider Appearing In Three-Part 'Harry Potter And The Cursed Child' Movie?

Sure, it was the role that gave Daniel Radcliffe a boost into superstardom. However, the "Victor Frankenstein" actor has already spoken up about not wanting to play Harry Potter, at least "for now."

"I am saying 'no' for now, but leaving room to backtrack in the future," Radcliffe told Radio Times back in June. However, he also mentioned he would consider the possibility if "the circumstances" are "pretty extraordinary."

So maybe there is a chance that the "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" movie trilogy will star Daniel Radcliffe. After all, there's nothing more "extraordinary" than stretching a two-hour play into a three-part movie.

That's Right, Warner Bros. Wants To Make 'Harry Potter And The Cursed Child' Into A Movie Trilogy

Warner Bros. already has a history with stretching a story out into three lengthy films. This was already done with "The Hobbit", which was just a short J.R.R. Tolkien book. Hopefully there will be enough material in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" to extend in the planned trilogy.

Should Daniel Radcliffe reprise his titular role in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"? Let us know in the comments?
Interim PM Mariano Rajoy is trying to get himself reinstated in office. Chema Moya (EFE)

For the first time in Spains democratic history, the political situation remains at a standstill following two inconclusive general elections held on December 20 and June 26.

The new political scenario that emerged in December, with four main parties that lack enough of a majority to form a government on their own, yet seem unable to reach cross-party governing deals, could result in a third general election.

Political leaders have between now and October 31 to find a way out of the impasse, or else tell Spaniards that they have to go vote (again) on Christmas Day.

What if Rajoy does not win the investiture vote on August 31 or the run-off on September 2?

If Mariano Rajoy fails to secure enough support from Congress, King Felipe VI will hold a new round of talks with political parties in order to find an alternative candidate to try for the post of prime minister. But they will be racing against the clock: Spanish legislation establishes that once the investiture vote is held, a two-month countdown begins at the term of which the king must dissolve parliament and call new elections.

How many votes are necessary, and who might provide them?

The first vote on Wednesday requires an absolute majority of 176 favorable votes. If Rajoy does not manage this figure, there will be a new vote on September 2. This time all he needs is a simple majority of more yes votes than no votes.

The deal reached between the Popular Party (PP) and Ciudadanos, with support from the Canaries Coalition, guarantees 170 favorable votes, six short of the required majority in the first round. As that is insufficient, Congress will move to a run-off requiring either six extra favorable votes or an abstention by 11 deputies  just enough to reach a simple majority.

The PP is trying to attract either affirmative votes or abstentions from the Socialist Party, even though its leader Pedro Sanchez reiterated on Wednesday morning that this is not going to happen.

Another possibility is for the PP to seek support from regional parties in Catalonia and the Basque Country, as it successfully did when the time came to put together the new Mesa del Congreso, the lower houses governing body.

However, the recent governing deal signed by the PP and Ciudadanos, which stresses the unity of Spain, seems a tough sell in regional circles considering the pro-sovereignty tendencies of both the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and Catalan Democratic Party  the heir to Convergencia.

Could there be several investiture attempts?

If Rajoy fails on September 2, there could be several more investiture attempts between then and November 1, when new elections must be automatically called. In theory, the king could ask Rajoy to try again, or else turn to candidates from other parties. It is even theoretically possible for candidates who are not even deputies in Congress to step up to the plate, since the only requirements set out in the Spanish Constitution are for the prime ministerial candidate to have Spanish citizenship and be of legal age.

Could other candidates have a go?

Yes, just like Rajoy could choose to try again. Once the king announces a new round of talks, it is up to political parties to tell him what kind of support they can count on. Any candidate with a chance of securing a large enough majority has to tell the king about it, says Alberto Lopez Basaguren, a professor of constitutional law at Basque Country University.

How may times may an investiture be attempted?

As many times as the king asks candidates to try in the two months between this weeks vote and the dissolution of parliament. It can be as many as are materially possible, says Basaguren. The main thing, says this expert, is for parties to work hard on offering the monarch working options for a functioning government.

What if both Rajoy and Sanchez tell the king they want to bid for the post?

It does not depend on a candidates personal desire to do so. In this case, the king would tap the candidate with the greatest chances of attracting a large enough majority. Felipe VI would come to this conclusion after his talks with all political forces in parliament.

If there are third elections in Spain, will they be the last?

Not necessarily. According to Article 99 of the Spanish Constitution, if following a period of two months starting after the first investiture vote, no candidate obtains the trust of Congress, the king will dissolve both chambers and call new elections.

From a constitutional, legal point of view, elections could be repeated indefinitely, explains Lopez Basaguren.

Could a third election be held at an earlier date?

As per the deadlines set out in the Spanish Constitution and in voting laws, the new campaign would begin on December 9 and last 15 days; the election would be on December 25, coinciding with Christmas Day.

If Rajoy fails to get himself reinstated, the Socialist Party says it will propose a legal reform to cut the campaign times by half. This would make December 18 the new election date.

How long can Spain have an interim government?

The caretaker government is a constitutional device to make sure that there is never a lack of executive. That means that for as long as Congress does not deposit its trust in a new prime minister, Spain will continue to have an interim government. There is no time limit. It depends on how long it takes to form a new executive based on congressional trust, explains Lopez Basaguren.

What would happen if the budget approval gets delayed?

If there is no time to have a new budget ready by January 1, 2017, the 2016 budget would remain in force. This means that no new measures could be approved, and no new tenders made. Regional and local governments would also have less money to work with.

English version by Susana Urra.
Motorola Moto M Release Date, News & Updates: Device Spotted At TENAA, Specs Revealed!

The Moto Z, Moto G4, and the Moto E3 mobile phones were all released just this year to add up on the Lenovo's Motorola smartphones lists. But reports said that there will be another smartphone to be released before this year ends.

According to XDA, a new Motorola phone has been seen recently online and has been called Motorola Moto M. It has been shown in TENAA certification website with some of its details revealed. Motorola Moto M was also spotted in GFXBench just this year with its leaked specs.

New Motorola Moto M Specs

In an article by iTech Post, base on the GFXBench listing, the new Motorola phone Moto M will be expected to have a 4.6-inch screen with its 1080p display. It will also have a 3GB of RAM with a from camera of 8MP and a 16MP rear cam. However, on the TESNAA said the Motorola Moto M will have a 5.5-inch screen.

Moreover, the said new Motorola Moto M will have a 3000 mAh battery and will have the usual LTE capacity, a dual card stand-by and an Android 7.0 Nougat for its operating system. It will also have a metal unibody with a fingerprint scanner located on the back of the phone.

Motorola Moto M is also expected to use a Mediatek MT6750 chipset with a a Mali T860MP2 GPU. The display will be IPS LCD and a 479 pixels per inch density.

New Motorola Moto M Release Date

The new Motorola Moto M device was first expected to be released this year but until now, the Motorola company have not released any official statement about this. As of now, fans need to wait for other new leaks that might come out.
Health officials said the local coronavirus outlook remained stable this week, though they continued to warn against a potential winter surge.
A delegation of young physicians from Ukraine will be visiting Corvallis starting Sept. 23, and local host families are being sought by organizers.

Five women delegates and one facilitator will be visiting from Uzhhorod, which has a sister city relationship with Corvallis.

The visit, which concludes Oct. 2, will focus on medical care for newborns and will include stops at numerous Corvallis facilities as well as Western University of Health Sciences in Lebanon.

Those interested in hosting a member of the delegation should contact Pete Bober at boberp@peak.org.
LEBANON  Samaritan Health Services plans to build a 16-bed substance treatment facility at the former Teen Challenge International site at the corner of Highways 34 and 20.

Earlier this year, Samaritan purchased the former Teen Challenge property with plans to develop the new service, to be called Samaritan Treatment & Recovery Services. The initial consideration was to develop the program within the existing 26,000-square-foot facility.

We examined the buildings and decided that a new facility will best meet the needs of this important service, said Marty Cahill, CEO of Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital.

Two existing structures on the site built in the 1940s will be razed to make room for the new facility. Demolition of the current buildings and construction of the new treatment center is expected to take nine months, with a June 2017 completion target.

Total project cost is estimated at $2 million.

As part of Samaritans mission statement, the facility will accept patients without insurance as well as people with Medicare, Medicaid or private coverage.

Samaritan also will commemorate the former uses of the site, which included an Assembly of God church as well as Teen Challenge Internationals regional headquarters.

Kelley Story joined Samaritan earlier this year to develop the program. Story has 20 years of experience from positions at Community Outreach Inc. and other regional organizations.

Story is securing state licensing and hiring staff for the program. Samaritan is also recruiting for a medical director to lead the program with her.

In January, Samaritan announced plans to develop a 15-bed substance abuse treatment center on 43 acres that currently house the 44-bed Wiley Creek Community, an assisted living facility.

Wiley Creek Community, which also includes 20 leased cottages, has not been financially sound since it was opened in 1998. But Sweet Home residents rallied in support of Wiley Creek Community, and Samaritan changed course after community meetings and pledges of support and greater involvement by townspeople.

As an outreach of those meetings, a community health committee was formed including members of the Sweet Home City Council, townspeople and Samaritan Health Services.

That group recently hosted a community health fair that had more than 30 booths and attracted about 200 visitors.

The committee will continue to meet regularly to discuss community health needs, such as an enhanced urgent care center.

News of the new treatment center plan was welcomed by Sweet Home resident Bob Dalton, who helped put on the health fair.

Sweet Home recognizes the need for a drug and alcohol rehab center, but also realizes that sustaining existing and building upon future services for seniors is at an all-time high, Dalton said. We all know that the number of baby boomers needing such services is far outpacing current services and facilities that are available or affordable.
The developer of a proposed 55-unit subdivision in Monroe has applied for wetlands permits that would enable him to move forward on the project.

Applicant Kent Aldrich of Salem is seeking permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill about 1.5 acres of wetland on the 22-acre site of Red Hill Estates, located south of Orchard Street and west of Monroe Grade School. The proposal calls for avoiding any development on about 7.5 acres of wetlands on the site, and the applicant is offering to buy credits in a regional mitigation bank to make up for the lost wetland acreage.

The project has been on the books since 2008 but was put on hold after the real estate market crashed and demand for new housing dried up. But with the market bouncing back, the developers are once again trying to get the ball rolling on Red Hill Estates.

Originally approved for 92 lots, the developers have scaled back their plans to 55 in an effort to meet wetlands regulations for the site.

Aldrich and his partners have asked for and received a number of extensions on their land use approvals from Monroe officials over the years, but they may need another one, according to Jim Minard, Monroes chief operating officer.

Theyre supposed to get 18 lots started by Dec. 31 under the latest extension agreement, Minard said, adding that the timeline may be unrealistic given the need to obtain wetland permits before applying for city building permits and breaking ground on the project.

They may be going back to the drawing board, Minard added.

The Corps of Engineers is seeking public comment on the wetlands fill proposal for Red Hill Estates.

Written comments should be addressed to Benny Dean, the project manager for the wetlands permit application. Comments can be sent by postal mail to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, attention: Benny Dean, Eugene Field Office, 211 E. Seventh Ave., Suite 105, Eugene, OR, 97401-2722 or by email at Benny.A.Dean@usace.army.mil.

All comments must include the project reference number, NWP-2014-307/1 as well as the commenters name and address. The deadline to submit comments is Sept. 16.
Google has not updated historical imagery for nearly two months, so we have not been able to monitor imagery updates. Just yesterday, a number of new 3D areas were discovered and reported in the comments of this post. We havent yet had time to look through them all, but Monument Valley, Arizona / Utah is fantastic. Other than yesterdays finds, there havent been many significant 3D imagery releases in August except for Rio de Janerio, which got an update to the key Olympics locations. We also had a look at Washington D.C. 3D imagery, which was released at the end of July, but it appears to have been removed again. That is probably only temporary.



Monument Valley, Arizona / Utah.

The only major Street View addition this month was a significant expansion to the coverage in Indonesia, including Komodo Island, home to Komodo dragons.



We had a look at the major flooding that struck Louisiana earlier this month. Although Sentinel imagery is relatively low resolution (10 m per pixel) we could clearly see large neighbourhoods had severe floods.





We did a series of posts on the Sentinel and Landsat imagery available on Amazon Web Services (AWS). We created KML files to allow you to see thumbnails of the most recent images as well as animations automatically created from the thumbnails. In addition, we had a look at the coverage of the two sets of imagery, both by most recent image and quantity of images.



We did a post on how to simulate lakes in Google Earth and GEB reader DJ suggested creating a contour line draw-er, so we did.









We had a look at an animation of the Maokong Gondola, a cable car system in Taipei. The animation was created by Steven Ho.









We had a look at various landslide dams around the world. These are dams that are formed when a landslide blocks a river, forming a dam with a lake behind it, often with catastrophic consequences if the dam collapses.





We had a look at the India-Bangladesh enclaves and wondered whether we should try to update Google Maps to reflect the fact that India and Bangladesh swapped most of the enclaves so they no-longer exist.





We had a go at seeing Antarctic seals in the Google Earth imagery and believe we were successful.







We had a look at DigtialGlobes new satellite WorldView-4, that is expected to be launched mid-September. It is similar in capabilities to WorldView-3, so dont expect improvements in imagery resolution, but rather a greater quantity of good imagery, as DigitalGlobe will have more opportunities to photograph a particular location. Whether this will have a noticeable effect on what we see in Google Earth remains to be seen.
Article

Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
clarajancita at 31-08-2016 11:03 AM (6 years ago) (f)

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) today announced a seven-member committee to represent it in dialogue with the federal government.

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) today announced a seven-member committee to represent it in dialogue with the federal government. In an unsigned statement, the group named the members as follows:

1. CHF. (DR) ORJI UZOR KALU

2. PROF. STEVEN ODI-OWEI

3. ETIBOM (DR) ANTHONY A. ANI

4. MR. NALAGUO CHRIS ALAGOA

5. CHF. (MRS) ALICE MOBOLAJI OSOMO

6. PROF. WOLE SOYINKA (ADVISER)

7. MR. ANIENIMI BALLANTYNE AGIRI





In an unsigned statement, the group named the members as follows:1. CHF. (DR) ORJI UZOR KALU2. PROF. STEVEN ODI-OWEI3. ETIBOM (DR) ANTHONY A. ANI4. MR. NALAGUO CHRIS ALAGOA5. CHF. (MRS) ALICE MOBOLAJI OSOMO6. PROF. WOLE SOYINKA (ADVISER)7. MR. ANIENIMI BALLANTYNE AGIRI Quote We trust and believe in the quality and pedigree of members of this committee, the statement said, explaining the group had mandated its contact, Mr. Ballantyne Agirias, to constitute the seven-man team, and that the nominations were approved by the Supreme Consultative Council (SCC) of the eastern central division of the NDA



We believe this committee shall accommodate [inputs] from personalities of oil producing communities within the region as well as outside the shores of this Nation, it said. The Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka who is from the South West is also a member of the approved team as advisor. He had met with briefly with President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR on the proposed dialogue weeks ago and had since been consistent in the media.

The group expressed the hope that given the agenda for discussion, lasting peace and tranquility will return  The group expressed the hope that given the agenda for discussion, lasting peace and tranquility will return  Quote if the people and government of Nigeria will be sincere, considerate with the spirit of love and justice to the people of the region that have sacrificed and given all for the past sixty (60) years to keep Nigeria alive and united.



Text of the statement:



THE AVENGERS OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN NIGER DELTA AVENGERS SPEAKS



28th August 2016



On behalf of the Niger delta Avengers of the Central and Eastern Zones in the Niger Delta States, greets the good people of the Niger Deltans, Biafra, Nigeria and the entire world. The journey so far has been enormous, herculean, demanding and pane staking, yet we have remained resolute with reasoning and vision.



We promise our people of Niger Delta that with God Almighty on our side, we shall never let the Ijaw people down. We are only fighting against the demonic powers of oppression, slavery, injustice, extra-judicial killings, total neglect and impoverishment of oil rich region. How be it , over two months ago we partially and now have heed the clarion called to a total cease fire to dialogue on peace and development with government.



We Avengers of the Central Eastern Zones comprising of Bayelsa, Rivers, Ikwa-Ibom, Cross River and Splinter from other states making up about 75% of the total fighting force reached out to and mandated Mr. Ballantyne Agirias our contact to constitute the seven men dialogue team with federal government which done and approved by the Supreme Consultative Council (SCC) of the eastern central division of the Niger Delta Avengers.



We trust and believe in the quality and pedigree of members of this committee. We believe this committee shall accommodate inputs from personalities of oil producing communities within the region as well as outside the shores of this Nation. The Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka who is from the South West is also a member of the approved team as advisor. He had met with briefly with President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR on the proposed dialogue weeks ago and had since been consistent in the media.



We truly and sincerely hope that with the agenda for discussion, lasting peace and tranquility will return if the people and government of Nigeria will be sincere, considerate with the spirit of love and justice to the people of the region that have sacrificed and given all for the past sixty (60) years to keep Nigeria alive and united.



Dialogue committee members are:

1. CHF. (DR) ORJI UZOR KALU

2. PROF. STEVEN ODI-OWEI

3. ETIBOM (DR) ANTHONY A. ANI

4. MR. NALAGUO CHRIS ALAGOA

5. CHF. (MRS) ALICE MOBOLAJI OSOMO

6. PROF. WOLE SOYINKA (ADVISER)

7. MR. ANIENIMI BALLANTYNE AGIRI. Text of the statement:THE AVENGERS OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN NIGER DELTA AVENGERS SPEAKS28th August 2016On behalf of the Niger delta Avengers of the Central and Eastern Zones in the Niger Delta States, greets the good people of the Niger Deltans, Biafra, Nigeria and the entire world. The journey so far has been enormous, herculean, demanding and pane staking, yet we have remained resolute with reasoning and vision.We promise our people of Niger Delta that with God Almighty on our side, we shall never let the Ijaw people down. We are only fighting against the demonic powers of oppression, slavery, injustice, extra-judicial killings, total neglect and impoverishment of oil rich region. How be it , over two months ago we partially and now have heed the clarion called to a total cease fire to dialogue on peace and development with government.We Avengers of the Central Eastern Zones comprising of Bayelsa, Rivers, Ikwa-Ibom, Cross River and Splinter from other states making up about 75% of the total fighting force reached out to and mandated Mr. Ballantyne Agirias our contact to constitute the seven men dialogue team with federal government which done and approved by the Supreme Consultative Council (SCC) of the eastern central division of the Niger Delta Avengers.We trust and believe in the quality and pedigree of members of this committee. We believe this committee shall accommodate inputs from personalities of oil producing communities within the region as well as outside the shores of this Nation. The Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka who is from the South West is also a member of the approved team as advisor. He had met with briefly with President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR on the proposed dialogue weeks ago and had since been consistent in the media.We truly and sincerely hope that with the agenda for discussion, lasting peace and tranquility will return if the people and government of Nigeria will be sincere, considerate with the spirit of love and justice to the people of the region that have sacrificed and given all for the past sixty (60) years to keep Nigeria alive and united.1. CHF. (DR) ORJI UZOR KALU2. PROF. STEVEN ODI-OWEI3. ETIBOM (DR) ANTHONY A. ANI4. MR. NALAGUO CHRIS ALAGOA5. CHF. (MRS) ALICE MOBOLAJI OSOMO6. PROF. WOLE SOYINKA (ADVISER)7. MR. ANIENIMI BALLANTYNE AGIRI.

Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 31-08-2016 11:03 AM (6 years ago) | Hero
USS Fort Worth Arrives in Cebu

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160829-13

Release Date: 8/29/2016 2:22:00 PM

By Ensign Emily Judstra, USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) Public Affairs

CEBU, Philippines (NNS) -- Littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) arrived in Cebu, Philippines Aug. 28 for the ship's second port call on its transit back to homeport.

While in Port at Cebu, Sailors aboard Fort Worth will get the opportunity to enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation, as well as participate in multiple cultural engagements while the ship conducts refueling operations and onloads stores.

"Our overall mission of the stop is to receive the fuel we need to continue our voyage home," said Cmdr. Michael Brasseur, commanding officer, Fort Worth. "But once again, we are honored to get the opportunity to serve as ambassadors for our warship and our country while visiting the Philippines."

Sailors aboard Fort Worth have been working very hard during the first few weeks of the ship's transit across the Pacific Ocean and are looking forward to taking a few days off to experience the local community and participate in many of the activities the country offers.

"I'm really looking forward to returning to the country where I was born," Information Systems Technician 1st Class Wayne Garigen said. "We moved away when I was just an infant, so I'm excited to finally experience the island and culture firsthand."

Fort Worth has been deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet for more than 18 months, completing multilateral exercises and participating in evolutions such as the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 recovery efforts.

The U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy's largest numbered fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build maritime partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability and prevent conflict.

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Ike Celebrates One Year Out of the Yards

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160829-15

Release Date: 8/29/2016 3:04:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cole Keller, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Public Affairs

ARABIAN GULF (NNS) -- Aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) celebrated the one-year mark since returning to operational status as it continues to support Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in the Arabian Gulf, Aug. 28.

After an extended dry-docking planned incremental availability (DPIA) in Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), Ike's crew was able, in less than nine months, to ready the ship for its 15th deployment, but it was no easy task.

The crew embarked on an arduous, compressed work-up schedule that tested the dedication of the crew and families as they completed the basic phase in only 15 1/2 weeks, which is nominally 22 weeks. During this time they completed numerous certifications and inspections before they moved onto the toughest challenges.

On Feb. 25, the crew faced the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) Material Inspections (MI). Because of postponements due to operational requirements and more than 1,400 days at sea, this was Ike's first INSURV in nearly 10 years. With a warship nearing four decades of faithful service, a certain level of repair is expected, but all hands had to double their efforts and rise to the challenge to pass the three-day, on-board inspection.

"Bringing the ship to life from the yards proved to be a challenging task," said Lt. Kurt Bogart, Ike's Maintenance and Material Management (3M) officer. "Sailors and (3M) run the ship. Everything from the toilets, aircraft elevators, lights, ovens and much more is maintained by Sailors utilizing the 3M system."

Bogart explained when he arrived January 2015 there were over 50,000 items in an inactive equipment status around the ship. The crew put in a great effort to bring all of these items back online and prepare them within specifications in time for an INSURV, just seven months after leaving the shipyard.

"I have never been part of a work-up cycle as intense as we underwent," Bogart said. "The crew truly shined getting us back to an operational asset that the United States can utilize where and when necessary without worries of equipment limiting casualties. Procedural compliance and dedication got us to where we are today. I am sure that a lesser crew could not have accomplished what we have."

After several training events to demonstrate Ike's crew could operate on their own, it was time to train as a team. The ships and air wing of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (Ike CSG) came together and commenced a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX), March 16. The series of exercises tested the CSG's ability to perform and effectively respond as an integrated team during simulated scenarios the group may encounter while deployed or during high-end warfare.

"It's amazing what we've been able to accomplish in just a year," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Keyonnia Cook. "It hasn't always been easy, but it has been fun. All those long days on the flight deck and training have brought all the different divisions, air wing and ships company together as a single team."

The Ike CSG, made up of the integrated forces of Ike, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Mason (DDG 87), USS Stout (DDG 55), and USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) that comprise Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, and guided-missile cruisers USS San Jacinto (CG 56) and USS Monterey (CG 61) completed all workups necessary to deploy in record time.

In a matter of months, Ike led the way passing crew certifications, three levels of command assessment of readiness and training (CART), a tailored ship's training availability/final evaluation problem (TSTA/FEP), and finally the most complex COMPTUEX any strike group in the Navy has been asked to accomplish.

In just eight months, the combined efforts of all hands made getting underway for the deployment's June 1 departure date possible. Optimally, a work-up cycle is longer, but the team pulled together in true Ike fashion to get the job done.

Ike departed Naval Station Norfolk and began its journey across the Atlantic Ocean to its ultimate destination, the Arabian Gulf. Along the way, it went through the Strait of Gibraltar, made a port call in Naples, Italy, provided support to OIR from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, transited the Suez Canal and navigated the Strait of Hormuz.

"We had trained relentlessly through the entire work-up process, running security drills over and over," said Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Agustas Cherry, describing the force protection preparation for potentially hostile waters. "When we passed through the Strait of Hormuz is when the realization of what we were doing and where we were became real. All that practicing was for this moment. The time for training was over; now it's the real deal."

Ike then reached its destination in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, where it has the led the way in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) with 587 combat sorties and 322 ordnance expended by the "Ike-Battle Axe" team.

In less than a year, a dormant ship buried under a pile of maintenance jobs was brought to life and returned to its intended position as a capable, warfighting American asset.

An aircraft carrier takes work to run and each of the more than 5,100 Sailors attached are vital to operations. The crew of the ship, 1,042 of which checked on-board after Aug. 28, spent 231 days (63 percent) of the last year at sea, working diligently around the clock to ensure Ike became a capable fighting force. It makes the accomplishment that much more impressive because more than 60 percent of the crew had never been to sea prior to sea trials one year ago. Now, 63,142 nautical miles later, the effort by the Sailors and their families is not lost on Ike's Executive Officer, Capt. Robert Aguilar, who joined the crew three months prior to departing NNSY.

"It's hard to believe that just 12 months ago, we were coming out of the yards," Aguilar said. "At that time we were a green crew, untested and untried. Now, one year to the day, the crew of the 'Mighty Ike' is combat-proven and meeting every challenge head on with great self-confidence. I am proud to be part of this resilient crew of professional Sailors. Every day underway is a personal best for all of us. Of course, the sacrifices that each Sailor makes in their personal lives to be here is only possible because of the amazing support that we get from our families and friends back home. As we approach the halfway point of this cruise, I look forward to completing this deployment with pride and real sense of accomplishment as we do our nation's work in support of freedom and our American ideals."

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F-35A continues fifth-generation tradition of air superiority against legacy aircraft

By Senior Airman Stormy Archer , 33rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published August 30, 2016

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- Years ago, Lt. Col. Brad Bashore flew against the F-22 Raptor as an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot. Now, as an F-35A Lightning II pilot at this year's exercise Northern Lightning, it was his turn to deliver fire from the clouds.

"It's not a fair fight, and that's exactly what we want for our adversaries," said Bashore, the 58th Fighter Squadron commander. "To be on the offensive side this time and getting a chance to employ (those capabilities), I couldn't ask for anything better. It's like fighting somebody with their hands tied behind their back."

Bashore and his wingmen at the 58th FS, which belongs to the 33rd Fighter Wing, have been employing the capabilities of the F-35A, scoring as many as 27 "kills" in a single sortie at Northern Lightning, a large force exercise where fifth- and fourth-generation aircraft engage in a contested, degraded environment.

"I remember the first time I flew against (fifth-generation aircraft)," Bashore said. "It's a change in mindset because you can't target anything on your radar because it's not there, and by the time you do potentially find something, it's too late and they have already shot you.

"It's frustrating, but at the same time understanding that it's our asset is invigorating and gives you a lot of hope for the future as far as how successful this platform is going to be."

While sharing many similarities with the F-22, the F-35A's main advantage is its robust suite of sensors that give it the ability to process and share information with other players in the battlespace. These capabilities make the F-35A more lethal and survivable than any legacy aircraft, and eliminate any safe space for the enemy to hide.

"We took off out of Madison (to join the fight)," said Lt. Col. Bart Van Roo, the commander of the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 176th FS, which has F-16 Fighting Falcons. "We went to our simulated airfield out in the far part of the airspace. As the two ship from the northern half of the airspace we turned hot, drove for about 30 seconds and we were dead, just like that. We never even saw (the F-35A)."

Van Roo has been flying the F-16 since 2001 and as red air during Northern Lightning for 13 years. Red air is a formation of aircraft acting as the enemy for air-to-air tactics training.

"For us, as a capable fourth-generation fighter, we are used to being able to see and counter most adversaries that we have out there when we are playing red air," Van Roo said. "Versus the F-35, it's completely different. The most difficult thing is we just can't see them like they can see us. It can feel like you are out there with a blindfold on trying to find someone in a huge space.

"We have been reliant on visual pickups of the aircraft only, which is extremely difficult to do, and at those ranges we are already dead before we could shoot back."

Fortunately, the red air pilots at this year's Northern Lightning can take solace that the F-35A is on their side for future combat deployments and will help ensure their ability to fly, fight and win against possible near peer adversaries.

"The significant increase in situational awareness that it gives us on the battlefield, the information sharing between jets, radar capability and of course the capability that we will have with our opponents not being able to see us will be a game changer," Van Roo said.

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Counter-ISIL Strikes Target Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 30, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Bomber, fighter, attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted nine strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed inoperable coalition equipment.

-- Near Raqqah, a strike destroyed an ISIL oil pumpjack.

-- Near Manbij, six strikes engaged four separate ISIL tactical units, destroying a fighting position, a vehicle, a tank and two vehicle bombs.

-- Near Palmyra, a strike destroyed 10 ISIL weapons cache bunkers.

Strikes in Iraq

Bomber and fighter aircraft conducted seven strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Albu Hayat, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle and a medium machine gun.

-- Near Mosul, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four rocket rails.

-- Near Ramadi, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, and destroyed two fighting positions, a vehicle, a command-and-control node and a heavy machine gun.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two fighting positions.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and a mortar system.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Centcom Commander Discusses Partners, Regional Operations, Challenges

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2016  Over five months of visiting countries that make up the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel says that meetings with partners -- mainly government and military leaders -- have made it clear that they value their relationships with the United States.

In a fascinating and strategically important part of the world dealing with complex challenges that include sectarianism, economic and political disenfranchisement, ungoverned or undergoverned spaces and pervasive terrorism, Votel said, "They value our leadership and they want to work together to accomplish common objectives."

Ultimately at Centcom, the general told reporters at the Pentagon this morning, "our intent is to do what is necessary militarily to improve stability and security in the region, and we are achieving good effects in a number of areas and pursuing opportunities that are paying significant dividends."

Maritime Security

One example is maritime security, he said. Nearly 30 percent of energy vital to the global economy passes through the region's three maritime chokepoints -- the Suez Canal, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz.

"Our efforts, together with the efforts of our partners and allies, help to ensure the free flow of commerce through these chokepoints and to other parts of the world," Votel said, noting that in recent months U.S. ships have seen an uptick in confrontations by Iranian vessels in the Arabian Gulf.

"I personally witnessed this behavior last month while on the USS New Orleans transiting the Strait of Hormuz," the general said.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps missile ship and three fast-attack craft demonstrated aggressive behavior near the New Orleans, he said, and in recent days Iranian navy and IRGC vessels have continued to behave provocatively.

"That type of behavior is very concerning and we hope to see Iran's naval forces act in a more professional manner. In contrast, I cannot say enough about the professionalism of our naval forces. I was pleased to see how well they handled the situations that were presented to them," Votel added.

"They remain measured in their response and they helped to keep a tense situation from escalating into an international incident. I was very, very proud of our sailors and their leaders," the general said.

Resilient Afghan Forces

In Afghanistan, thanks to investments over the past 15 years by the United States and coalition partners, Votel said the Afghans are in the lead and are taking the fight to the enemy through a sustainable security strategy while dealing with tough challenges in places like Helmand province.

The Afghan forces continue to demonstrate resiliency and are proving capable of defending their sovereign spaces, he added.

Meanwhile, coalition train, advise and assist and counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan also are proving effective, including efforts against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant affiliate in Afghanistan, known as ISIL-Khorasan, the general said.

"During a recent visit to Afghanistan I spent time with our train, advise and assist teams, and with the corps commanders leading the Afghan forces," Votel said. "Across the board, I was extremely impressed by their skill, their determination and their extraordinarily high level of resiliency."

Recent combined operations against ISIL-Khorasan resulted in destruction of 25 percent of their forces, the general added.

"With President [Barack] Obama's decision to keep 8,400 U.S. troops in country through 2017, and with the additional authorities that have allowed us to target [ISIL-Khorasan] and to accompanying Afghan forces, I'm confident that we will see the Afghans continue to build on the momentum achieved to date," he said.

Counter-ISIL Fight

On the continuing fight against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, Votel said coalition military operations have greatly degraded and dismantled ISIL capabilities and the group has lost a great deal of territory they once held.

"The cumulative effect of these operations has served to cut off key lines of communication for ISIL while restricting the enemy's ability to bring in additional fighters," the general said. "As you look across the full battlespace, you see that ISIL is under more pressure now than at any other time in the campaign. We are causing the enemy to have to look in multiple directions and they are struggling to respond under this pressure."

Votel said the approach, which requires that the coalition operates by, with and through the indigenous forces, is working.

"We are making progress against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. That said, challenges do remain and there is much work still to be done to defeat this enemy in both countries," he added.

The coalition remains concerned about its external operations capability and adaptiveness, and "we need to continue to work together across boundaries, the whole of U.S. government and the international community, to truly defeat this organization," Votel said.

"Perhaps even more important, we've recognized that significant political challenges will also have to be addressed," he said. "To this end, we are making concerted effort to ensure that we synchronize the political and humanitarian assistance plans with our ongoing military plans and operations."

The general said he's instructed his team at Centcom to explore ways to work more closely with interagency and international partners to support such efforts and to ease the delivery of humanitarian aid in recently liberated areas until the security environment improves and allows for greater access to aid organizations.

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Training Exercise Integrates Real World Lessons at Pacific Endeavor 2016

By Air Force Master Sgt. Todd Kabalan Defense Media Activity - Hawaii

BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 30, 2016  The Pacific Endeavor 2016 exercise is in full swing after it began Aug. 22, and military communicators from 22 Indo-Asia Pacific nations, nongovernment organizations, and academic advisors have come together to focus on improving humanitarian assistance and disaster response in the region.

Hosted by the Australian Defence Force and U.S. Pacific Command's Multinational Communication Interoperability Program, this year's Pacific Endeavor here is the culminating event of a year-long planning effort, which took participants and planners to Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and Mongolia. The exercise wraps-up Sept. 2.

Based on recent real-world events, Pacific Endeavor 2016 features a scenario based on a Category 5 typhoon striking Brisbane, which requires participants to set up a Multinational Coordination Center and forward deploy to two other locations in the affected area. Their mission is to validate and document high frequency voice and data transfer using ordinary field radios. Commonly referred to as Internet protocol over radio frequency, the practice involves transmitting not only voice, but images and e-mail data over the same IPRF signal.

'No Simulations Here'

"There are no simulations here." said Scott Griffin, director of Pacom's multinational communication interoperability program. "We're actually focusing more on real-world-type communications and real-world-type of events, by deploying them out there, setting up their antennas, setting up their radios and then transmitting back."

Forward-deployed teams set up the forward operating bases at Damascus Barracks and Victoria Barracks, which are far enough away from the coordination center at Gallipoli Barracks that radio operators can truly test their equipment.

"It's really important to test your high frequency [radios] by having a reasonable amount of distance between the two locations to make sure the systems are properly working," said Australian Army Lt. Col. Michael King, Australian national lead for the multinational communication interoperability program. "Doing it here on the base allows for that, as well as the other locations around Australia- allow for a more realistic training environment to validate the interoperability between our radio systems."

Most countries have digital radio frequency capabilities, but not all have satellite, which is the reason this exercise is great for interoperability. The challenges exercise participants encounter provide "hands-on" experience of what they might encounter during a real crisis.

"You've always got to prepare for those eventualities, you've never going to have everything perfect," said New Zealand Army Cpl. Daniel Stratton, a radio operator.

With today's technology, sending images or data over RF signal wouldn't be needed because of the accessibility of the internet and Wi-Fi. But, when a disaster or humanitarian crisis occurs, that same signal may become a lifeline.

"If you're at an outside location, and I need you to send me a picture of the damage in a certain location, I can actually see what it looks like," said U.S. Army Maj. Mitchell Letter, future operations chief with the 311th Signal Command.

Disaster Communications

"When a disaster hits, a lot of times everything is wiped out." said Tom Grant, MCIP technical director. "You might not have any satellite links," Grant said. "Your cell systems might be down, and you might not have access to the Internet. It's a valuable skill."

Nongovernment organization representatives like Catherine Graham, vice president for business development with Humanity Road Inc., highlighted how lessons learned from a recent disaster response in Nepal were integrated into this year's exercise.

"We can improve how [information sharing] happens in the future," Graham explained. "The success of them doing their radio tests today will help improve the relaying of urgent needs like medicines and urgent needs for information on the condition of roads, so logistics can be improved."

Raymond Doherty, U.S. Army Pacific's data subject matter expert for Pacific Endeavor 2016, said that during the exercise, participants are learning real-world lessons about how they can communicate better, even though they aren't necessarily using the same equipment or speaking the same language all the time.

"These are the things that are going to impact future missions," Doherty said, "because we don't know where the next disaster is going to be, and we don't know who's going to be there first. So these guys can do it together -- that's perfect -- that's what we're looking for."

Previously, "we've always understood disaster response was water, food and shelter, but nowadays with the usage of the Internet and social media, communications is an everyday life function," Griffin said. "Before someone is asking for food, shelter, or water, someone is asking, is my loved-one safe?"

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

Presenter: General Joseph L. Votel, commander, U.S. Central Command August 30, 2016

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Gen. Votel in the Pentagon Briefing Room

PRESS SECRETARY PETER COOK: Morning, everyone.

Pleased to welcome General Votel from Central Command here to share with you his thoughts about what's going on within his combatant command. Lots of issues, of course, to talk about.

And without any further ado, we'll let General Votel begin. And do have to keep an eye on the clock because he does have other meetings here -- (inaudible).

GENERAL JOSEPH L. VOTEL: Thanks -- thanks, Peter. Appreciate it. And for all of you, it's good to -- good to be here this morning. I appreciate the opportunity to come and talk with you and provide you an update on U.S. military activities in the Central Command area of responsibility, and particularly as they related to the ongoing fight in Iraq and Syria against the terrorist organization ISIL, or Daesh.

Since taking command of CENTCOM at the end of March, I've spent a good bit of my time in the region. As you all know, it is a fascinating and strategically important part of the world. It's also a part of the world that's dealing with a myriad of complex challenges, including sectarianism, economic and political disenfranchisement, ungoverned or under-governed spaces and pervasive terrorism.

During my travels, I've met with many of our partners, both government and military leaders, and I will tell you the one thing that's been made very clear to me is that our partners value their relationships with the United States. They value our leadership and they want to work together to accomplish common objectives.

Ultimately, at CENTCOM, our intent is to do what is necessary militarily to improve stability and security in the region, and we are achieving good effects in a number of areas and pursuing opportunities that are paying significant dividends. And I'll give you a few examples.

Certainly, maritime security is an area where both preparation and collaboration continue to achieve good effects. Nearly 30 percent of the energy vital to the global economy passes through the three maritime choke-points in the region -- the Suez Canal, the Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Strait of Hormuz.

Our efforts, together with the efforts of our partners and allies, helped to ensure the free flow of commerce through these choke-points and to other parts of the world. In recent months, we've seen an uptick in confrontations by Iranian vessels in the Arabian Gulf. I personally witnessed this behavior last month while on the USS New Orleans transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Some of you were with me.

And IRGC, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps missile ship and three fast-attack crafts demonstrated aggressive behavior in the vicinity of our ship. In recent days, we have witnessed even more provocative activity by the IRGC and Navy vessels. That type of behavior is very concerning and we hope to see Iran's naval forces act in a more professional manner.

In contrast, I cannot say enough about the professionalism of our naval forces. I was pleased to see how well they handled the situations that were presented to them. They remain measured in their response and they helped to keep a tense situation from escalating into an international incident. I was very, very proud of our sailors and their leaders.

Our efforts in Afghanistan also continue to pay dividends. We, along with our coalition partners, have made tremendous investments in that country over the last 15 years. The Afghans today are in the lead and they are taking the fight to the enemy through their sustainable security strategy. They are doing so while dealing with some tough challenges in places like Helmand province, for example. They continue to demonstrate resiliency and they are proving capable of defending their sovereign spaces.

Meanwhile, our train, advise and assist and our counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan are also proving effective, to include our efforts against the ISIL affiliate in Afghanistan, the Islamic State in the Khorasan province. During a recent visit to Afghanistan, I spent time with our train, advise and assist teams, and with the corps commanders leading the Afghan forces. Across the board, I was extremely impressed by their skill, their determination, and their extraordinarily high level of resiliency.

Our recent combined operations against the Islamic State in the Khorasan resulted in destruction of 25 percent of their forces. With President Obama's decision to keep 8,400 U.S. troops in-country through 2017, and with the additional authorities that have allowed us to target the Islamic State in the Khorasan, and to accompanying Afghan forces, I'm confident that we will see the Afghans continue to build on the momentum achieved to date.

Of course, we remain very focused on the ongoing fight against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. As a result of our coalition military operations, the group's capabilities have been greatly degraded and dismantled in both countries, and they've lost a significant amount of the territory they once held. In just the last few weeks alone, ISIL lost a hold on the Manbij city and the Jarabulus and Ar-Rai border crossings in Syria, and Qayyarah and Khadidiya in Iraq. And in the last few days, U.S.-backed forces -- coalition-backed forces defeated an attempt to counterattack by ISIL fighters in Shaddadi in northern Syria.

The cumulative effect of these operations has served to cut off key lines of communication for ISIL, while restricting the enemy's ability to bring in additional fighters. As you look across the full battle space, you see that ISIL is under more pressure now than at any other time in the campaign. We are causing the enemy to have to look in multiple directions and they are struggling to respond under this pressure.

Generally speaking, I do believe our approach, which requires that we work by, with and through the indigenous forces, is working. We are making progress against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. That said, challenges do remain and there is much work still to be done to defeat this enemy in both countries.

We remain concerned about their external operations capability as well as their adaptiveness. As Secretary Carter has said on a number of occasions, defeating ISIL in Iraq and Syria is necessary, but not sufficient. We need to continue to work together across boundaries, the whole of U.S. government and the international community, to truly defeat this organization.

Perhaps even more important, we've recognized that significant political challenges will also have to be addressed. To this end, we are making concerted effort to ensure that we synchronize the political and humanitarian assistance plans with our ongoing military plans and operations.

This has been one of my main areas of focus during my repeated visits to Iraq over the last five months and I've instructed our team at CENTCOM to explore ways that we may be able to work more closely with our interagency and our international partners to support these efforts and to ease the delivery of humanitarian aid in recently liberated areas until the security environment improves and allows for greater access to aid organizations.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have proven time and again over the years that when we work together, difficult challenges can be overcome. And I remain confident that we will be successful in our shared endeavors in the coming days.

And with that, I'd be happy to answer any of your questions.

MR. COOK: Bob Burns of the AP.

Q: General Votel, question for you about Syria.

Today the Turkish presidential spokesman said the U.S. should end its policy of what he called supporting the Kurdish forces at all costs. I'm wondering if you could respond to that and maybe comment on the broader point about whether it's possible to increase the Arab representation of the forces that you're developing in the SDF.

GEN. VOTEL: Well, I'll leave it to the Department of State to talk on foreign minister responses.

But I will just say that we rely on both Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces to help us in our fight against ISIL. Both of them are critical to it.

Turkey certainly plays an extraordinarily important role, with their access, basing, overflight, variety of things that they do. And their operations along the border against ISIL are extraordinarily important and welcome.

At the same time, we also -- we also value the contributions of the Syrian Democratic Forces, who have been a good partner to us in helping address the ISIL threat in the area.

So, I think, we see the -- we see the need to continue to work with both of these organizations as we move forward and address our principle threat, which is the Islamic State.

And -- Bob, can you say your second question again?

Q: Well, whether it's possible or whether you're trying to increase the number of Arab fighters that you can put into that umbrella --

GEN. VOTEL: Oh, we certainly are. We certainly are.

And, you know, the Syrian Democratic Forces, which, you know, do include Kurds and Syrians and Turkoman and a variety of other elements that are all included in that, really are proving to be the force that is most capable against ISIL in that part of the theater. And what we do see is other -- other elements that want to align themselves with that as we move into other areas to liberate that. So we are going to continue and encourage them. We certainly do see the need for more forces to be aligned with that element.

MR. COOK: Kevin Baron.

Q: General -- (inaudible)  Kevin Baron from DefenseOne.

On the same topic, in the last week, week and a half, Kurdish media has really exploded with -- with worry about the U.S. reaction -- or initial, I think, slow reaction to what was going on with Turkey, feeling like they had been stabbed in the back or somehow betrayed by -- by U.S. forces who had helped get them to where they were.

Are you seeing any battlefield repercussions of this, any type of lessening of -- of their, you know, drive or willingness to work with the U.S. with the mission against ISIL?

GEN. VOTEL: I'm not. As a matter of fact, I think we've continued to enjoy strong support for the basing where we have our coalition aircraft and where we operate out of in -- in Turkey, and they've continued to provide that as we move forward.

And again, I think as we look at some of their operations along the border here against ISIL and some of the border towns, that is extraordinarily welcome.

So I -- I don't see any degradation to the support that we are getting right now with the campaign --

Q: Are you worried about the endpoint of -- of these factions coming together in places like Raqqah to come -- that they're going to be able to work together, that -- as you all are saying -- that they need to?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, you know, I -- you know, I think as we kind of continue to make progress in our campaign plan in both Iraq and Syria, I think as we begin to dismantle and ultimately move in the direction of defeat of ISIL, we will see some of these other natural issues begin to -- to emerge.

But what I -- what we are focused on is getting both -- all of our partners focused in -- keeping them focused in on the fight, which is against ISIL right now.

MR. COOK: Missy Ryan, Washington Post

Q: Hi, general. I'd like to ask you about Yemen. Aid groups in the United Nations have reported repeatedly targeting of civilian facilities and civilians in Yemen by the Houthis and also by the -- the Saudi-led coalition.

How do you see this issue? And what do you -- specifically, what do you believe is the American responsibility in thinking about civilian casualties in Yemen caused by the Saudi-led coalition, given the fact that the U.S. military is providing hands-on support to the Saudi air campaign?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, you know, I think -- I think it's well established. Our -- our -- the level of focus that we put on trying to prevent civilian casualties, and that certainly represents our operational approach and it represents our values to how we conduct these operations.

So you know, I think part of our responsibility is to continue to emphasize to all the parties involved their responsibilities to operate in a manner that absolutely minimizes the chances of civilian casualties. And so we -- we continue to emphasize that to -- to all of -- all of those partners that are involved in -- in that aspect of the -- of -- of the conflict in Yemen.

Q: Do you think that the United States should withhold the enabling support to the Saudi-led coalition if civilians continue to be targeted?

GEN. VOTEL: I -- I think that's probably a topic for our policy leaders to -- to address, and so I'll leave that to them. I think what our responsibility is to do as military professionals is continue to stay engaged with our partners, encourage them to operate in a manner that accomplishes their mission but yet protects the civilians and doesn't add to the humanitarian -- a devolving humanitarian situation on the ground.

MR. COOK: Tom Bowman, NPR.

Q: General, I wondered if you could walk us through the next phase of the anti-ISIL operation? Now that the -- the Turks are in Syria, do you want them to go west as opposed to heading south of Manbij? And as everyone's -- Vice President Biden and others have said -- they want the Kurds to move across -- east across the Euphrates.

So just, kind of, walk us through what you would like to see as a military man.

GEN. VOTEL: Well, I think -- I think -- you know, Tom, what we've seen with the Turkish operations up along the border I think are extraordinarily helpful to us and they are the exact right -- right things that we need for the coalition, we need for the fight to -- against ISIL.

So what -- what I see moving forward is -- is making sure that we keep all of our partners and all of our force focused on ISIL at this particular point. I think we've got good momentum going against ISIL and I think we need to continue to emphasize that aspect of it.

So, you know, we -- we would -- you know, we are very much in favor of what the -- the Turks are doing against ISIL along the border areas.

Q: But again, do you want them to move west? What if they move south to Manbij where the Kurds are? Do you see that as problematic?

GEN. VOTEL: I -- I don't -- that's --

Q: If -- if the Kurds do not move east across the Euphrates, will they, as Vice President Biden say -- said, lose all U.S. support?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, what we have made clear is that our support is -- our support to all parties is contingent upon the focus on ISIL. And that will be how we will continue to do this.

So, what we are trying to do is ensure that we keep all of our partners focused on ISIL at this point. It's not helpful to -- in-fighting among themselves. We don't want that. We're working to prevent that.

But it is, I think, most important for us to continue to keep the SDF and the -- our Turkish partners and other coalition partners focused on ISIL at this particular point.

Q: But again, do the Kurds have to cross the Euphrates, head east?

GEN. VOTEL: The -- the -- the Kurds, for the most part -- the -- the -- the portion of the Kurds that are part of the SDF, are on -- are on the east side on the Euphrates River at this -- at this time. They have lived up to their -- to their commitment to us.

Q: What about Manbij?

GEN. VOTEL: In Manbij, I think it's important to understand that when you look at the SDF, the SDF is not just Kurds. It is -- it is -- there certainly has been a Kurdish element to that, but there's certainly been Syrian Arabs, there've been Syrian Turkomen, there've been Syrian others.

So, I think what you see in the Manbij area are forces that are left in place to hold and provide security that are principally made up of forces that come from that particular area. And so, that -- I think that's a -- I think we should expect that that's going to occur.

And what we have -- what we have seen is that the -- the -- the portion of the Kurdish elements that have supported that have largely moved back to the areas that they agreed to move back to the areas they agreed to go back to.

MR. COOK: (Off-mic.)

Q: Hi -- hi, general.

So just a follow up. Can you actually accomplish your campaign plan if the Kurds stay east indefinitely?

And -- and do you believe that the Turks actually agree with the construct of the -- of the SDF itself? Or do they see it as a kind of a fig leaf for a YPG force?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, I think that's probably a -- that's probably a question you have to ask the Turks to comment on.

I mean, I -- I think our -- our responsibility is to make sure that as we work with our partners to make -- you know, we're transparent back and forth, and under -- understand who is -- who is who in that.

And as -- as I just responded here, we do see there are -- certainly are Syrian Arabs, and Turkomen, and others that are involved in that broader SDF piece.

But to answer your basic question, yes I do. I do think, with the Kurds staying in the area where we have asked them to stay in, where they've returned, that does contribute to our forward momentum, and our continuing to move forward in our campaign plan.

Q: (inaudible) -- reach the other objectives within Syria as long as -- even with the Kurds not participating, not moving west ever?

GEN. VOTEL: That's -- yes, I do believe we can.

Q: Okay.

MR. COOK: Tony Capaccio?

Q: I want to go back to Iran, since 20 percent of the world's oil goes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Have you, in the last three or four given a -- getting a sense of why the Iranians had those repeated actions last week? It -- it's fairly extraordinary. They -- these -- where -- where the shots were fired.

Is there a change in the IRGC's thinking in terms of possibly more harassment of the United States?

And since the world's oil community reacts to every hiccup over there, do you see the IRGC potentially harassing commercial traffic or oil traffic?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, I -- you know, I -- I -- I don't think I can get inside the mind of the -- the Iranian regime and the IRGC to understand exactly what they're thinking in terms of their actions.

And while -- while we saw some activity here in the last couple of weeks, that's -- that's not particularly new. We've seen that over time.

And, you know, I think as we've -- as we've reported in the past, you know, about 10 -- 10 percent of the normal interactions that we have in there are things that we would consider to be unprofessional or unsafe. And that's been a factor over time.

I guess I would point out this, is that, you know, Iran's actions here are -- in the Arabian Gulf, are unlike anybody else. No one else does what they do in the Arabian Gulf. They don't go out and they don't drive fast boats towards military vessels out there in the same way that they do. Nobody else does that.

And so, you know, in international waters. And so, you know, what I call on Iran to do is to be the professional force that they claim to be. Professional militaries, professional maritime forces don't operate in that way. We acknowledge all parties, all countries in that area have the right to operate in international waters. But they should do so in a responsible manner.

And what we see with the Iranians is not particularly responsible. It is provocative, in some cases; it's unsafe. And it can lead to situations where where we may not be able to deescalate in a time before something happens.

So I'm -- I'm very focused on this. And I'm very proud of the way that our forces operate and the way they conduct themselves. And I think they are -- we are very professional. I think they're very measured. And I think we're applying our values as we do this. But I am concerned about those types of activities that are just plain unprofessional, and really are -- don't -- aren't replicated by anybody else operating in the area.

Q: Do you have a sense, though, that, you know, the global oil community wants to feel there's some security there. Do you get a sense that the Iranians may try to harass commercial --

GEN. VOTEL: I don't have any sense that they're going to try to harass any commercial -- any commercial activities.

(Crosstalk.)

Q: Just to follow up on Tony's question, General Votel.

The great landmark between the United States and Iran in the past decade has been this nuclear accord. And since the accord was reached, we've seen a doubling of harassment of the U.S. Navy ships. We've seen a number of ballistic missile launches. Has this nuclear agreement in fact emboldened Iran?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, I don't -- I don't know -- I'm not sure I'm qualified to make that -- that -- that assessment, Lucas. But I would say that we haven't seen a significant change in their behavior, just as we've kind of been talking about here, with the agreement. So, to me, that -- that remains a concern. And it remains something we're going to have to continue to deal with in this part of the world and pay attention to.

And as regards to the other capabilities that they're beginning to add, you know, as the CENTCOM commander, it's certainly my responsibility to pay very close attention to that and provide advice to the secretary on how we -- how we should be looking at that and dealing with that if we're going to have to do something there.

So we're paying very, very close attention to all of that.

Q: What do you attribute this new-found Iranian aggressiveness? Would you say that since the deal, instead of Iran dialing back its behavior, they've in face become more emboldened?

GEN. VOTEL: I don't know. Again, I'm not -- you would have to -- really have to talk to the Iranian regime leadership about this. What -- what I see is this is principally the regime leadership trying to exert their influence and authority in the region. And they are trying to do it in provocative ways that are unsafe, unprofessional and really I think work against their -- their objectives in the long term here.

But I'd want to emphasize that, you know, about 90 percent of these unsafe, unprofessional activities we see come from the Iranian Quds Force navy vessels. They don't come from the general Iranian navy; only a very, very small percentage of them do. So this is, in my view, is not about the Iranian people. It's about the Iranian regime and their desire to continue to do these types of things that stoke instability or attempt to stoke instability in the region.

Q: Luis Martinez, ABC.

Q: Thank you.

I'd like to ask you about Mosul and what happened in Hasaka. The timelines for Mosul, do you think right now that the Iraqi forces are prepared to launch an offensive to retake Mosul sometime by the end of the year or maybe even sooner than that.

And with the incident that happened in Hasaka when you sent up the combat air patrols, what do you think the motivations were for the Syrians in doing what they did and do you think that, I mean how close were they to American forces on the ground.

GEN. VOTEL: Well first off with respect to Mosul, you know I think as the Prime Minister has said, it's his intention to try to get through Mosul by the end of the year.

My assessment is in over the course of my visits I think is that they are on track to achieve that objective. They own the timeline here for this, and so we'll continue to work very, very closely with them and insure that we can support their operations where their ready to go. But I think we are proceeding a pace exactly where we hope to be at this particular time, I think we're there with respect then.

With regard to what the Syrian regime, excuse me, motivations might have been in Hasaka, again I'm not sure I can speculate too much on that. You know, whether it's their concern of maintaining some level of lines of communication or something back and forth there. I'm not sure, I'd just be speculating on what their motivations might be.

Q: How close did they get to American forces that were operating with our partners there?

GEN. VOTEL: I think they were several hundred meters away from areas in which we were, close enough to be concerned but it wasn't an immediate direct threat.

Q: Hi. Jamie McIntyre with the Washington Examiner.

There's been a perception over recent days that part of the reason that there were the clashes between Turkish Forces and Kurdish forces in northern Syria is that Turkey failed to adequately coordinate with the United States, that in the sense that the U.S. -- while this operation was welcome that it was more welcome if it had come after the U.S. was able to get some of the Kurdish elements to move out of the way.

Did Turkey jump the gun?

GEN. VOTEL: I wouldn't say they jumped the gun. And I think that as they went across into Jarabulus I would highlight to you that we did support that operation focused on ISIL and certainly one of things I think all military leaders try to do is look for opportunities and move on those opportunities very, very quickly.

And so I think they saw an opportunity we moved, they moved quickly on that, and we tried to support them as we did. And we did support them. When they began to focus on something other than ISIL then I think we had to withdraw our support for that.

And so I think we are now trying to keep those elements separated and focused on the counter ISIL fight at this point.

Q: Were you surprised by the -- (inaudible).

GEN. VOTEL: Not particularly. I mean I think we saw some indications that they were doing that but again you know it's an opportunity we look for opportunities as well and we want to be able to move quickly. And it was focused on ISIL initially and so I'm -- we're glad that they moved in when they saw an opportunity against ISIL.

Q: Hey, general, two questions.

One is, could you provide a bit of an assessment of the forces inside Mosul, it kind of ranges from this could be a huge fight to maybe everybody's going to melt away.

And then also what is your thinking kind of post-Mosul, post-Raqqah, past the Caliphate, as it were?

GEN. VOTEL: Yes, thanks.

You're talking about -- when you say forces -- (inaudible) -- you're talking about the Islamic State?

Q: Right.

GEN. VOTEL: Yes, so I think one of the effects that we are creating is ISIL is having to make hard decisions because they're getting pressured in a variety of ways. Certainly in both Iraq and Syria, in a lot of locations, we are continuing to target their leadership or continuing to target their revenue generation sources in both Mosul and northern Iraq and certainly in Syria, so I think we continue to keep them on the horns of a dilemma here.

So they're having to make decisions. What's interesting to me is you look at the battle of Manbij, which took place over the course of about 74, 75 days. A very difficult fight, a very concentrated, urban fight, where there were extensive use of IED's, there were use of tunnels, we were fighting inside buildings, and by the way, the SDF, in my view, the leadership of the SDF exhibited great skill and concern for civilians in how they approached that and I think took a very deliberate manner to that.

When you look at Jarablus, when applied pressure there, they very quickly left that area. So, Gordon, I think what you're seeing is I think we should expect that in some places, perhaps in some parts of Mosul, they will cede that area to us, or to the coalition, to the Iraqis, and then in other areas they will fight harder to hold onto that and I think that's what we're going to see going forward here.

They are going to have to make hard decisions about where they're going to concentrate their power and where they're going to have to let the coalition and our indigenous partners succeed and that's kind of what I see going forward.

So the second part of your problem, or your question, I'm sorry, is that again, as the Secretary has said, going to Raqqa and Mosul and addressing the core of ISIL in Iraq and Syria is very, very important.

But as we've learned about this enemy, one they are very connected. So things that happen in Iraq and Syria resonate in other places and they resonate in our capitals in Europe and other locations, so it's a connected network. They are very vulnerable and we are seeing that and as we present them with lots of dilemmas, they're having to rack, having to make these very difficult decisions, but they are also very adaptive.

And so we should expect that as we come out of the big operations like Mosul and Raqqa and others here, that they will continue to adapt and we will continue to deal with the next evolution of ISIL, whether they become more of a terrorist organization and return to more of their terrorist-like roots, but I think we are thinking very hard about how we -- with the coalition and with our Iraqi and ultimately with our partners in Syria, how we look at continuing to keep the pressure on ISIL after we complete these major operations.

I know I'm giving the impression that when we finish with Mosul or Raqqa that we're done. We're not. We will continue to deal with them.

MR. COOK: Carla Babb, VOA.

Q: Back to Turkey and Syria. Analysts are worried and concerned and wondering whether or not Turkey will continue to move forward against ISIL or will retreat back across the border and just contain the problem rather than work on solving it and defeating ISIS.

Have you received any assurances from Turkey that they are going to continue this fight inside Syria?

GEN. VOTEL: I haven't received any particular assurances but I think what we have seen is we have seen them move from Jarabulus, West along the border and I think that is extraordinarily good news. That's very helpful to us and in our other partnering efforts with them over in the Mara Line area, we've seen them continue to support those operations. I think those are extraordinarily positive.

So in this case deeds matter and what I'm seeing on the ground is that they've remained very committed to the ISIL fight. They've said that and we will take them at their word for that.

MR. COOK: Right here. The gentlemen in the middle. Can you identify yourself?

Q: Rahim Rashidi with Kurdistan TV.

What will be Peshmerga role in Mosul operation?

GEN. VOTEL: Well again, I won't get into the specific details of what each of the -- what each of the elements will do as part of the -- as part of the Mosul operation.

But I will tell you, as I mentioned, we have a very aggressive and I think a very interactive planning process going on, that includes the Peshmerga, that includes the ISF, that includes other entities in Iraq in making sure that we have the -- we have the right -- the right mix of forces to do this.

In my recent discussions with President Barzani, as recently as week or so ago, he continued to commit his pledge to continue to work with the Iraq -- with the government of Iraq forces, the Iraqi security forces in helping with us.

So we expect everyone to play a critical -- a critical role in the Mosul operation and so far I think we're seeing that. And we're seeing good interchange right now between the military and political elements to continue to address all the very complex issues that have to be addressed in a large urban area like Mosul.

Q: Back to the Iranian provocations, do you think that the recent provocations are indicative of a worsening U.S.-Iranian military relationship as to the extent that there is a relationship? And what is the fear there, is there a fear of miscalculation, what are your thoughts on that?

GEN. VOTEL: Again, we don't really have a military relationship with Iran so I can't say if it's -- there's no relationship getting worse or not. But it is what it is and it's pretty much been the same.

I think the big concern here is miscalculation, that I'm very confident in the measures that our maritime forces are taking. They are measured, they are deliberate in the things that they are doing, but ultimately we are going to protect ourselves if that comes to a situation.

So I am concerned about rogue commanders, rogue Iranian Quds force naval commanders who are operating in a provocative manner and are trying to test us. Because ultimately we will prevail here and I'm very, very confident of that and we certainly don't want that to come to pass, and that's why I call on them to act in a professional manner that they espouse to act, particularly in international waters.

Q: Would you say the calls are getting closer?

GEN. VOTEL: The what?

Q: Has there been any close calls in other words?

GEN. VOTEL: Well I mean I think these all close calls. For those of you that were with us when we saw this, I mean it's -- we're talking seconds here. And this is very, very -- this is very important work that our people do here and it is -- we are relying on our good young leaders and out young sailors out there to make good decisions.

And in every case that I've seen they have made very, very good decisions, but ultimately if they continue to test us we're going to respond and we're going to protect ourselves and our partners.

MR. COOK: In the back J.J. -- (inaudible).

Q: General, two of your spokesmen told us recently -- Captain Davis last week said you're expecting some very tough fighting in Iraq and in Syria as these battles continue to unfold.

And Colonel Garver said about a week or so ago as well that there are some very visible signs that the Islamic state organization is weakening, but they're preparing for some tough fights to come.

I want to make sure I understood you correctly. Were you saying that you think that they will just essentially cede Mosul to the coalition? Or do you expect a big, tough fight there?

GEN. VOTEL: No, I think that it will be a tough fight. What I think they will do is they will have to make some decisions about perhaps towns and portions of areas in which we're operating, that they will -- they will not -- they will not defend. They will not expend a lot of their efforts in order to kind of focus on those things that are most important to them.

So, you know, I think in some areas, we'll be able to move perhaps a little bit more quickly. But I -- I do expect, based on what I've -- what we've seen here in Manbij, what we've experienced, as we get -- we are -- we are at a point here where we are now into -- we are really into the heart of the caliphate. We are moving into Mosul. We are moving towards -- towards Raqqah here, very, very soon.

And these are extraordinarily important cities for us. And so, you know, as I -- as I learned in my career and as I encourage my commanders here, we have to respect our enemy. And he is going to defend what he has -- what he has taken and held for a long period of time. And so we should expect that there will be hard and difficult fighting there. There will be extensive use of IEDs. There will be very difficult urban fighting.

There will be a mixture of civilians and fighting forces in there. They will use civilians as shields for them, as we've seen them do in a variety of locations. And that will make it more challenging for our -- for our people. We will have to be more deliberate. We'll have to be more careful as we proceed through that.

But I am confident that in the end, we will prevail through that. So I think they will -- they will -- they will, some areas they will not concentrate in. But other areas, they definitely will concentrate in.

Q: Do you think it can be done by the end of the year, like the prime minister suggested or asked?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, as I think I mentioned before, it's the prime minister's objective to have that done by the end of the year. And right now, I think, you know, obviously, they own the timeline in this. We're supporting them with this. My -- my indications are, my assessment is that we can -- we can meet the -- we can meet the prime minister's objectives if that's what he chooses to do.

(Crosstalk.)

Q: Who in ISIS is making these decisions about whether to stand and fight or to melt away? Is this the central leadership? Are these local commanders? And is there any pattern to their movements that tells you what they -- what they value most? What they're going to hand onto hardest?

GEN. VOTEL: I'm not sure I can -- I can answer your question about who is making those decisions. Certainly, I mean, this is -- this is a very -- this is a strong network. They do rely on -- on guidance from their centralized leadership. So I would imagine there is some -- there is some indication that there's -- that there's direction coming.

I mean, some of what we saw in the Manbij fight was direction from Baghdadi to his fighters to fight to the death. Obviously, they didn't. So they didn't follow his direction, which may be an indication of -- of the state of ISIL, at least in some cases here.

So I do think there is direction coming from the centralized leadership. But again, we have to respect our enemy and we have to recognize that he has -- he has leadership at the lower level that is also going to continue to make decisions down there about -- about what they're doing.

I'm sorry, David. The second part of your question?

Q: (inaudible) What are they likely to hang onto the hardest?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, I think they -- I think they will try to hang onto those certainly areas that are revenue-generating for them; that allow them to continue to support the caliphate that I think will be very, very important for them. Certainly, iconic, you know, locations within either of those -- those cities or other locations are important to them.

I think it's important for them to probably to have a -- a capital of the caliphate.

So, you know, as they define that, I think they'll probably identify areas that are perhaps more defendable, or more important to them, and they'll continue to try to hold onto that.

MR. COOK: We have time for just a few more. Nancy?

Q: Thank you.

General, I wanted to follow up on a response that you gave to Gordon about what Mosul looks like after it's eventual fall. You made reference to the fact that the fight against ISIS will continue; that -- (inaudible), and that they're adaptable. And I was wondering if you could offer some specifics about what does that look like? Are you worried about the potential that they would then carry out terror attacks in Europe?

And the last, that they were trying to expand the caliphate to other places like in Asia.

And secondly, I was wondering if you could tell us about the U.S. efforts to get back hostages held in Afghanistan, like Caitlin Coleman?

Thank you.

GEN. VOTEL: Thank very much.

So, you know, as we -- one of the things that we've -- we've seen is, you know, some of these horrific IED, vehicle-borne IED, or suicide attacks in Baghdad in the past as we put pressure on them. You know, fortunately, we've worked very closely with the Iraqi government to begin to address that. And again, I think that's an area where we're making some progress.

We haven't completely eliminated it, but we have through our work together enabled the Iraqi forces to go after that network that is pursuing that.

So, I think as we look in the wake of a big operation like Mosul, I think it is -- it is possible that we will see some of those type of terrorist attacks; that they will try to, again, go after vulnerable locations with vehicle-borne IEDs; to continue to challenge -- challenge the government and the forces that have -- that have taken that.

I expect that we will, as we do in northern Syria, we will continue to see them continue to counter-attack and try to retake some key locations for them.

And certainly as -- as the -- as the physical caliphate disintegrates, and as it -- as it -- as it comes apart, as we dismantle it, I think, as I've indicated, I think that they will return to more of their terrorist-like roots. And so they will continue to try to either direct or support or potentially inspire attacks outside of -- outside of the core in Iraq and Syria.

So I think we -- we should expect to see that. And that is why, I think as the secretary has said, it's -- we've certainly got to address what's happening in Iraq and Syria, but that's not sufficient. We've got to look much broader at all of our efforts to address the -- address the threat that they pose trans-regionally, as well as in this particular area.

(Crosstalk.)

GEN. VOTEL: On the hostages, you know, certainly when Americans are taken captive, this becomes an immediate priority for us. I, you know, I -- we are paying extraordinarily close attention to that. We always do. We -- I won't give in to too many more details with that, but I'm -- I'm satisfied that we are doing everything we can at this juncture to understand who took them and to try to get them back.

MR. COOK: All right. Two more questions.

Q: Thank you, general.

I have three very quick questions on these operations in Syria. First, can you clarify the airstrikes that you conducted when the Turks started the operation in Jarablus? Did you -- (inaudible) -- Jarablus? And did you get an advance notice from the Turks on this operation?

The second, do you have any communication channels with the FSA units advancing from Jarablus to Manbij? Are you allowed legally to coordinate airstrikes with CIA-backed groups on the ground in the Manbij pocket?

And the third, do you have any information about what's happened to ISIL who left the border areas? Are you concerned that they can act under the umbrella of FSA?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, I think the fact that we provided some air support to the operations in Jarablus indicates that there was some coordination beforehand.

So, yes, we -- you know, we didn't -- it was not an extensive planning period for this. It was -- we were taking advantage of an opportunity that -- that our Turkish partners identified. And so, you know, largely because of the -- of the basing that Turkey provides us for coalition aircraft, we were able to respond very, very quickly in that situation.

So, yes, we -- we were able to respond and do it in a time that was timely for their particular operations.

We are not necessarily directly talking to all of those partners. We do work through our Turkish partners to communicate to them and communicate what is happening. So we try to use all mechanisms of communication back and forth here with how we talk to the various partners.

With respect to where -- I think your last question was where the Islamic State members in Jarabulus went to, I think there's a variety of places they could have gone. They certainly could have gone further to the west, the southwest, down towards the Al-Bab area. They could have moved down towards Raqqah. Those are areas where there are a presence of Islamic State forces.

So my -- my -- my expectation is they would have moved to areas where they could have received support from Islamic State elements, which might be those locations.

Q: The last one. Are you concerned that they can attack under the umbrella of FSA?

GEN. VOTEL: I don't -- I don't -- I don't know. I mean, I -- I think we -- you know, that's -- that's something we -- we pay some attention to here. But I don't that we've necessarily seen indications of that at this particular point.

MR. COOK: (Off-mic.)

Q: Thank you, sir.

General, are you concerned at all -- were you expressing any concerns to the Turkish  there are U.S. advisers with SDF forces, as Turkey targets SDF forces in these clashes, was there any -- is there a concern about U.S. advisers embedded with SDF?

GEN. VOTEL: Okay. We've been -- we've been co-located with Turks -- Turkish forces for a long period of time. And so they -- they know very well where we are.

So, you know, we may remind them, but, frankly, I think our coordination and our situational awareness with -- with Turkish -- Turkish forces -- Turkish-led forces is good. And that -- that was not an immediate -- an immediate concern for me. My -- I think we have had good situational awareness with -- with the Turks.

Q: And just on a separate avenue, there was recently a two-star was dismissed from European Command due to personal issues. Are you at all -- as a combatant commander, are you concerned about the vetting or clearance process with generals with access to sensitive information in your command?

GEN. VOTEL: I -- I think that's -- I don't know all the details of that particular situation. I'm -- I think what we go through to prepare leaders is -- is very sufficient.

Q: Thank you, sir.

MR. COOK: Thank you, general. (Inaudible)

GEN. VOTEL: If I could just for a moment, I would like to just make two points here as I close. Not so fast.

First of all, I have two points I'd just emphasize with you. We do see momentum building in -- in Iraq and Syria. And as -- as I've kind of commented to several of you, this is really, I think, the biggest concern that I have as a CENTCOM commander, is maintaining our momentum in the fight.

And the intent going forward is to continue to support our partners and help them maintain that momentum. So that is a very key piece for me as the CENTCOM commander.

I would just also point out that we have extraordinarily good partners as we -- as we move forward. We talked about a variety of them here in this room. But certainly as in large coalition here that we have -- we -- we are very well supported.

I spent a good amount of time in the region over the last five months, and I've gotten out to see a lot of our partners. And I'm very encouraged by the strength of our relationship and the willingness of our partners and our allies to continue to do what is necessary to achieve our common objectives against the Islamic State. And I am confident that that's going to be the case going forward.

So, thanks once again for the opportunity to talk with you. I look forward to seeing you again.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/930546/

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USS Boxer Makes First Stop in US During 2016 Deployment

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160830-08

Release Date: 8/30/2016 1:31:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matthew N. Jackson, USS Boxer (LHD4) Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), with embarked units from Amphibious Squadron 1 and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Aug. 29 for their first port visit in the U.S. since leaving their San Diego homeport for a seven-month deployment.

"The Sailors and Marines aboard Boxer did an outstanding job carrying out each mission we conducted throughout 5th and 7th Fleet [areas of operation]," said Capt. Mike Ruth, Boxer's commanding officer. "They are proud and excited to return to the U.S., and look forward to enjoying some well-deserved liberty here in Hawaii."

While deployed, Boxer supported Operation Inherent Resolve and conducted community relations projects during port visits to Hong Kong, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Singapore, Oman, and Malaysia.

The port visit also marks the first reunion of Boxer Sailors and Marines with family and friends as many journeyed to Hawaii to meet their service member.

"One year after we had our first baby, Zebryna Rose, I was deployed, and returning to her was a feeling I have never felt; seeing her on the pier waiting for me, it was incredible," said Chief Information Systems Technician Zebulon Brackman. "Now two years later, we've had our second girl Audriana Quinn while I was deployed, and today I will be able to meet her. This trumps that previous feeling; I never thought I'd miss the birth of my child, and now I can get that back by holding her for the first time, here in Hawaii where we had our first child. I can't describe how I feel without tears."

Boxer, flagship of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, with amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD 18), amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) and the embarked 13th MEU, is operating in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations.

U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.

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US drone attack kills 3 people in southern Yemen

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 5:31PM

A US drone strike has claimed the lives of three people in southern Yemen, local sources say as the country is witnessing a deadly Saudi military aggression.

An unnamed security official said the drone attack hit a vehicle carrying the three, who were claimed to be suspected al-Qaeda militants, in the eastern suburbs of Ataq, the capital city of Shabwah province, on Tuesday.

An unidentified tribal source also said that one of the suspected militants was killed instantly while the remaining two, who were also injured in the attack, succumbed to their wounds later.

On Wednesday, drone strikes killed seven people who were also claimed to be al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen's south and east.

The al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken advantage of the chaos and breakdown of security in Yemen to tighten its grip on the southern and southeastern parts of the crisis-hit country.

The US carries out drone attacks in Yemen and several other countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. Washington claims its drones target al-Qaeda militants, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.

The drone attacks in Yemen have continued alongside the Saudi military aggression against the Arab country.

Yemen has seen almost daily military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March 2015, with the UN putting the toll at 10,000. The offensive was launched to crush the Houthi Ansarullah movement and its allies and reinstate the resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

The Houthis took state matters in their own hands after the resignation and escape of Hadi, which threw Yemen into a state of uncertainty and threatened a total security breakdown there.

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Death toll in Yemen war hits 10,000: UN

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 10:27AM

The United Nations (UN) says the death toll from the 18-month Saudi war against Yemen has increased to nearly 10,000.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator said in a press conference in the Yemeni capital on Tuesday that the toll was based on official records provided by medical facilities in Yemen.

Jamie McGoldrick added that the figure might be even higher as some areas in Yemen lack medical premises, and families there often bury loved ones by themselves.

Internal Yemeni sources had previously provided the same number for the casualties in the Saudi war.

The news comes as Saudi Arabia continues to pound Yemen in its war of aggression.

On Tuesday, Saudi aerial attacks hit a civilian vehicle in the Razih district in the northwestern province of Sa'ada, leaving three people dead and one injured.

The Saudi warplanes also bombed a gas station in the districts of Sahar and Baqim as well as the Kahlan military base in Sa'ada Province.

The districts of Nihm and Sanhan in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a were also hit in Saudi air raids.

Saudi jets also pounded several areas across the province of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen.

More air attacks were reported in the province of Ta'izz as well as Hudaydah Province, where the province's airport was hit.

There were no immediate reports of possible casualties in the latter air raids.

The indiscriminate Saudi airstrikes also "mistakenly" hit the positions of the Riyadh-backed mercenaries in the Matun district in the province of Jawf on Tuesday, killing and injuring an unspecified number of them.

Yemeni Ansarullah fighters and allied army units are fighting back the Saudi invaders and their mercenaries.

A number of such mercenaries were killed and injured as the Yemeni forces launched rocket attacks at the militants' positions in the district of Dhubab of Ta'izz.

However, media outlets affiliated to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who has resigned as Yemen's president, claimed 16 Ansarullah fighters and seven pro-Hadi militants were killed in the clashes in Ta'izz.

Saudi Arabia has pounded Yemen almost daily since March 2015. The offensive was launched to restore Hadi  a Saudi ally  to power.

In retaliation for the Saudi assaults, the Yemeni army also fired a Qaher 1 ballistic missile at the Abha regional airport in the Saudi region of Asir early on Tuesday, according to Yemen's al-Masirah website.

However, the Yemen 24 news website cited the Saudi defense ministry as claiming that the army intercepted the missile.

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India Lifts Curfew In Most Of Kashmir; Violence Continues

August 30, 2016

Indian authorities lifted a 52-day-long curfew in Kashmir on August 29, but reimposed it hours later in most of Srinagar, the region's main city, after anti-India protests and clashes erupted in several neighborhoods.

Residents threw stones at government forces and chanted slogans like "We want freedom" and "Go India, go back," and the police fired back with tear gas to stop them from marching in the streets, witnesses and police officers said.

Clashes between pro-Pakistan protesters and police were also reported in other areas, with at least eight civilians reported injured.

Authorities said they had decided to lift the curfew over much of the region in an attempt to de-escalate what has become the worst violence in the region since 2010.

At least 68 civilians have been killed and thousands injured since protests broke out in July, mostly by government forces firing bullets and shotguns at rock-throwing protesters. Two policemen have been killed while hundreds of government forces have been injured in the clashes.

The curfew and other crackdown measures had failed to halt the protests, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8.

Tens of thousands of people have defied security restrictions and clashed with government forces on a daily basis seeking an end of Indian rule.

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.

Several armed separatist groups have for decades fought the 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the territory.

The latest protests began after the killing of one rebel group's leader, Burhan Wani of the Hizbul Mujahideen, in a gunbattle with soldiers.

Since the armed rebellion against Indian rule began in 1989, tens of thousands of civilians have died in the fighting.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/india- lifts-curfew-most-kashmir-violence- continues-srinigar-/27953862.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Amid Conflicting Reports, Fate Of Ailing Uzbek President Remains Unclear

August 30, 2016

by RFE/RL

The fate of Uzbek President Islam Karimov remained uncertain on August 30, with no official word on his condition two days after the government announced he had been hospitalized for an undisclosed ailment.

There were conflicting reports, with the Fergana News Agency citing unnamed sources as saying that he had died and other media outlets, including Russian news agency Interfax, reporting that he was still alive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on August 30 that the Kremlin had "no new information" and that it would be inappropriate for Moscow to comment on the Uzbek president's health.

The government statement on August 28 said Karimov, 78, would "require a certain amount of time for medical assessment and treatment."

Karimov's younger daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, said in an Instagram post on August 29 that he was in "stable condition" at an intensive care unit in Tashkent after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

Karimov had been scheduled to make a public appearance in Tashkent on September 1 during celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence.

He has ruled Uzbekistan since before the Soviet collapse of 1991.

His long rule and tight control have raised questions about succession and long-term stability in the Central Asian country of 28 million, which has never held an election judged free and fair by international monitors.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, Gazeta.uk, Fergana, and TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ uzbekistan-karimov-ailing-hemorrhage- fate-unclear/27954383.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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NATO Air Force Drills Involving 1,500 Troops Kick Off in Czech Republic

Sputnik News

11:23 30.08.2016(updated 12:45 30.08.2016)

An international air force exercises, involving NATO member states, started on Tuesday in the Czech Republic.

PRAGUE (Sputnik)  An international air force exercise, dubbed Ample Strike 2016 (AMSE16), involving 1,500 troops from 17 NATO member and partner states started on Tuesday in the Czech Republic.

The aim of AMSE16 is to hone the interactions between ground-based forward air controllers and the crews on board planes and helicopters, which are tasked with striking ground targets of hypothetical opponents. The aircraft involved in the exercises will depart from airfields in the United Kingdom, Germany and Hungary as well as from the Czech Republic.

"The aircraft coming for drills from abroad will not use artillery. Those participants deployed on the Czech territory will have guns on board," Col. Zdenek Bauer, from the Czech Air Force, who is coordinating drills, told local media ahead of the drills.

The Czech troops will send 10 helicopters and planes to participate in the exercises, including L-159 ALCA, L-39 Albatros, SAAB-39 Gripen, Mil Mi-24/35 a Mi-171. Foreign troops will be represented by 24 jets and helicopters, including Lithuanian L-39, German PC-9, LearJet and Tornado, Polish Su-22, Hungarian SAAB-39 Gripen, Slovenian PC-9, US AH-64 helicopters and a KC-135R tanker, B-1 and B-52 planes.

The AMSE16 will wrap up on September 20.

In 2003-2015, NATO has led a series international air force exercises in the Czech Republic, including Flying Rhino, Ramstein Rover and Ample Strike.

 Sputnik

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UN chief voices concern over premature declarations on outcome of Gabon's presidential elections

30 August 2016  In telephone conversations today with the Gabonese leaders vying for the country's presidency, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his concerns over early calls on the polls results, outside of any official process.

"The Secretary-General expressed concern about the issuance of premature declarations on the outcome of the election ahead of the official announcement of the results," Mr. Ban's spokesperson stated in a readout.

The UN chief spoke with the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, and the presidential candidate of the Democratie Nouvelle party, Jean Ping, in separate telephone calls earlier on Tuesday. According to media reports, the election was closely contested between the two candidates, with the outcome still pending and provisional results scheduled for release today.

The Secretary-General's spokesperson said that in the calls Mr. Ban commended the peaceful holding of the presidential election last Saturday, and welcomed the high voter turnout and the presence of a large number of national and international observers.

Mr. Ban also called on the President and Mr. Ping to impress upon their supporters the need to show restraint while waiting for the announcement of the provisional results.

"The Secretary-General encouraged President Bongo Ondimba and Mr. Ping to address any dispute that may arise after the announcement of the results through the existing legal means, following a transparent and democratic process," the spokesperson added, while also flagging that Mr. Ban reiterated the availability of his Special Representative for Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily, to assist in defusing any tensions that may arise.

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Kenyan President Urges South Sudan to Fully Execute Peace Deal

By Tito Justin August 30, 2016

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is urging South Sudan's leaders to implement last year's peace deal and stabilize the country.

Kenyatta made a one-day stop Tuesday in Juba, the first head of state to visit since deadly fighting erupted last month between soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing former First Vice President Riek Machar, who fled the capital soon afterward.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Kiir at the presidential palace, Kenyatta said he had come to encourage South Sudan's leaders to concentrate on bringing back law and order to the country.

Stability and peace "are the key ingredients for the prosperity that we wish for the people of South Sudan," he said. "I believe that is why they struggled so hard to achieve their independence  not for war, but for them to be able to prosper."

Kenyatta said he wanted South Sudan's leaders to fully implement the peace agreement brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an African trade bloc. Kiir and Machar signed the pact over a year ago, when Machar led South Sudanese opposition forces.

The country's leaders have struggled to implement several aspects of the agreement and have never resolved other issues, such as Kiir's decision to create 28 states out of the existing 10 states after the agreement was signed.

"We are here to ask the government to push along the peace agreement and the reforms that were agreed to under that peace agreement and to see how that can be fast-tracked," Kenyatta said.

Gai's Nairobi visit

Earlier this month, South Sudan's newly installed First Vice President Taban Deng Gai paid an official visit to Nairobi, where he asked Kenyan officials to invest in South Sudan to help revitalize the country's devastated economy.

Kiir appointed Deng after Machar went into hiding and eventually fled the country.

Kenyatta promised Kiir that Kenya would provide both moral and material support to South Sudan "to help accelerate this process so that we can ensure we have peace and stability and then, ultimately, working together as a region, begin to work for the prosperity of our region and our people."

Kiir said Kenyatta's visit to the South Sudanese capital was proof that the country was now at peace.

"There is no fighting in South Sudan, there is no war," he said. "People are very peaceful in Juba town. ... For President Uhuru to come to Juba as the first head of state to come to Juba after our crises, it shows that the regional leadership is with us."

Kenya is one of the neighboring countries expected to contribute to a 4,000-soldier regional protection force that could be sent to South Sudan under a resolution recently approved by the U.N. Security Council.

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US Official: Central Asia Often Overlooked Because of Relative Stability

By Chris Hannas August 30, 2016

The top U.S. diplomat for Central Asia says the region's relative stability means it often does not get much attention, but that a top priority when the next U.S. president takes office will be to explain the area's importance to that new administration.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Rosenblum said he is confident that the group of countries that includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will be seen as a good investment of State Department resources.

"We want stability. We want these countries to be able to be secure and not become havens for terrorist activity," Rosenblum told VOA's Uzbek Service. "We saw what happened in Afghanistan in the 1990s and what that resulted in in terms of a threat to our national security and we don't want the same to play out in Central Asia."

In addition to security, the U.S. is also prioritizing economic success in the region including cross-border trade and infrastructure improvements, as well as efforts to promote good governance with institutions that are accountable to citizens.

"The good governance area, that basket, has been maybe the most challenging over the years of the three, and you can measure progress in a variety of ways, but it's one that we certainly haven't made the progress that we would have  the countries in the region haven't made the progress that we would have liked to see in that third area."

'Common goals'

Rosenblum said the "very frank and direct talks" between U.S. officials and those in Central Asia cover a range of human rights issues, including religious freedom, in terms of the broad struggle between promoting security and transparent governments. He said the key is to have a balance and that sometimes those involved in the discussions have a different perspective on how best to do achieve that.

"We don't always see eye to eye on what the balance should be," he said. "We continue to believe that restricting peaceful religious practice and belief in the long run  restricting it in ways that lead people to look for alternatives perhaps or seek more radical solutions is counterproductive, that is it will lead in the end to the defeat of the other goal of security."

The five nations are 25 years removed from being part of the Soviet Union and, given their proximity, remain of interest to Russia and also neighboring China.

Rosenblum said the fact that three powers are involved in the region does not mean it is a contest with a winner and a loser.

"We think that we have a lot of common goals with other countries in the region, including Russia and China," he said. "The stability goal I talked about, the economic connectedness goal, the idea that these countries should be more prosperous and should succeed, I think these are shared goals, and our belief is that our relationship and our activity in the region is not coming at the expense of anyone else."

VOA Uzbek Service reporter Navbahor Imamova contributed to this report.

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Somaliland's Planned Port Upgrade Buoys Ambitions

By Jason Patinkin August 30, 2016

A plan to upgrade Somaliland's port of Berbera promises to transform the ancient town, almost tripling the port's size and boosting the region's economy, backers say. But critics contend the plan was pushed through without sufficient explanation and could adversely affect traditional fishing.

The port  a hub for fishermen and traders for millennia  is located in the breakaway republic of Somaliland, on the Gulf of Aden near the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

In August, Somaliland's parliament approved a draft agreement with DP World  a port company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates  to take on a $442 million upgrade to the port. The final deal is still being negotiated.

The project would take 30 years. If realized, it would transform Berbera into a major player among lucrative Red Sea shipping routes. The physical port would nearly triple in size. Modernization could increase Berbera's yearly capacity from just 60,000 containers to more than 1 million.

Competitive move

Somaliland Foreign Minister Saad Ali Shire said Berbera's strategically located port currently "is not equipped to serve beyond Somaliland." An upgrade would give competition to nearby Djibouti and serve "East Africa as a whole."

The upgrade would expand the port's reach to not only "Somaliland and Somalia but also Ethiopia and South Sudan and the rest of the landlocked African countries in the hinterland," he said.

The current port is aging, built over 30 years ago with assistance from Russia and the United States. Visitors today can see the hulls of sunken ships littering Berbera's harbor rather than large container ships moving in and out.

Planned improvements could create thousands of jobs, Shire said.

Mohamed Said, a fisherman who has worked in Berbera for 18 years, was enthusiastic about the proposed changes.

"We are expecting that the fishermen can get a lot of opportunities, such as improvement of infrastructure, how the fishermen can catch the fish, training, equipment, boats  all those things from DP World," he said.

Concerns about jobs

But there are doubts, as well.

Yusuf Abdillahi Gulled, country director for Fair Fishing, an organization that promotes small fishermen, expressed concern about potential job losses.

"They say there are many people working in jetty now, in the harbor and the big harbor, and if DP World come it might computerize, it might change the way people are working now so many people may lose their jobs," he said.

Abdi Risak, a youth representative for an opposition party in Berbera, said the ruling party pushed through the deal without consulting locals or explaining its scope and investment.

He said the public was not told what the deal was about, what the investment is about. He said that if there had been openness and people were told about the investment, it might have been supported but, since no one has told them about it, they are against the deal.

Resolving these tensions may decide whether the new port deal succeeds or sinks.

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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 31, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqah, a strike destroyed two ISIL tanks, an ammunitions cache and a tactical vehicle.

-- Near Manbij, six strikes engaged four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions, a vehicle, a weapons cache and two vehicle bombs.

-- Near Washiyah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

Strikes in Iraq

Bomber, fighter, ground-attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Baghdadi, a strike produced inconclusive results.

-- Near Albu Hayat, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Bashir, a strike suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Haditha, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed another fighting position.

-- Near Hit, four strikes engaged an ISIL vehicle bomb factory, a barracks, a headquarters building and destroyed three fighting positions.

-- Near Kisik, a strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system and suppressed another mortar position.

-- Near Mosul, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroying a fighting position, a command-and-control node, two mortar systems, eight rocket rails, a rocket system and a tunnel. The strike also and damaged an excavator and suppressed a mortar position.

-- Near Ramadi, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units, destroying two fighting positions, two mortar systems, a mortar cache, two vehicles and an artillery system. The strikes also damaged another mortar system.

-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged an ISIL weapons cache.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Israel approves about 300 new settler units in West Bank

Iran Press TV

Wed Aug 31, 2016 1:27PM

Israel has approved the construction of 285 new settler units in the occupied West Bank in defiance of international calls to end the illegal project in the Palestinian territories.

The Tel Aviv regime approved the building of 234 settler units in the illegal settlement of Elkana, 31 in Beit Aryeh, and 20 others in Givat Ze'ev, Israel's Haarez daily reported on Wednesday.

The regime also retroactively legalized some 178 housing units already built in the illegal Beit Aryeh settlement.

Israel "continues to plan and build all over the West Bank, while also giving settlers the message that any construction done without planning will be retroactively legalized," settlement watchdog Peace Now said.

Earlier this month, Tel Aviv also approved plans to construct 56 new housing units in the neighborhood of Ramot in East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Over half a million Israelis live in more than 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank.

Israel continues to expand illegal settlement units in the occupied West bank despite international calls for the unauthorized activity to be halted.

In a report to the UN Security Council in New York on Monday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov talked about a "surge" in Israeli plans to advance 1,700 new settler units in the Palestinians lands.

Mladenov accused Israel of stepping up demolitions of Palestinian buildings, and plans to identify grounds for a new settlement next to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

The UN envoy also noted that expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine hinder efforts aimed at establishing peace in the Middle East.

All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law but Tel Aviv continues to defy calls to stop the settlement expansions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

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20 killed as Saudi jets launch new airstrikes in Yemen

Iran Press TV

Wed Aug 31, 2016 5:13AM

At least 20 people have lost their lives and many others sustained injuries in a number of Saudi airstrikes against residential neighborhoods across Yemen.

On Wednesday morning, Saudi military aircraft pounded al-Rawdah Village and the Nihm district in the western-central Yemeni province of Sana'a in addition to an area close to a military academy in the capital, Sana'a, leaving four people dead and scores of others injured, Yemen's al-Masirah television network reported.

Sixteen people, mostly women and children, also lost their lives and a number of others were wounded when Saudi warplanes pounded houses in the Sahan district of Yemen's northwestern mountainous province of Sa'ada.

Later in the day, Saudi jets launched an aerial attack against a gas station in the northwestern city of Hajjah, located 127 kilometers (78 miles) northwest of Sana'a. There were no immediate reports of casualties and the extent of damage caused. The Mustaba district in Hajjah Province was also hit, though no reports of casualties were available.

Separately, seven people were injured in an airstrike against a courthouse in Yemen's northwestern province of Amran.

The developments came a day after Saudi aircraft hit a parking lot in the Mafraq al-Shara'b district of the southwestern Yemeni province of Ta'izz, killing 16 civilians and injuring 10 others.

Moreover, Yemeni soldiers, backed by fighters from Popular Committees, on Tuesday launched a barrage of rockets at two camps belonging to militiamen loyal to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who has resigned as Yemen's president, in the Thaabat area and al-Wazi'iyah district of Ta'izz Province, leaving an unspecified number of pro-Riyadh gunmen dead and injured.

Saudi Arabia has pounded Yemen almost daily since March 2015. The United Nations (UN) announced on Tuesday that at least 10,000 people have been killed in the war so far.

Saudi Arabia launched the war to put Hadi, who is a Saudi ally, back in power.

The Houthi fighters and allied army units have been fighting back the Saudi invaders and their mercenaries.

Jubeir pokes a nose again

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has said that the Houthi Ansarullah movement would not be allowed to "take over" Yemen.

"What is certain  not questionable, certain  they (the Houthis) will not be allowed to take over Yemen. Period. So the legitimate government will be defended," Adel al-Jubeir said, in reference to the government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who has resigned as Yemen's president but seeks to grab power again by force.

He was speaking in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Wednesday.

The meddling remarks by Jubeir come as the Ansarullah movement and allied political factions, including that of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, recently formed a political body to run the country. The Yemeni allies are now involved in efforts to win international recognition for the body, which is known as the Supreme Political Council.

Ansarullah initially took over state matters when Hadi resigned and fled to Saudi Arabia. Yemeni people have considered him a traitor to his own country ever since and deem him disqualified to rejoin the political system.

In earlier remarks in Beijing, Jubeir accused Iran of backing the Houthis, a favorite claim of the Saudis in an attempt to justify their war of aggression on Yemen.

The Islamic Republic and the Houthis have strongly denied the allegations as baseless.

Saleh, the former Yemeni president now allied with the Houthis, recently rejected the anti-Iran claims, too.

Speaking on August 21, Saleh said Saudi Arabia has launched the war on Yemen under the pretext of defending Saudi national security against Iran, emphasizing that the pretext is "baseless."

"Iran has no presence in Yemen at all," he said, adding that, "The international intelligence services know that Iran is not present in Yemen."

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Finland Paints Russia Black and Inches Closer on NATO

Sputnik News

11:43 31.08.2016

Russia represents a greater threat to Finland than previously thought, according to a new Finnish report. According to the report, which is not the first of its kind, Finland must increase its cooperation with the West and keep the possibility of joining NATO an option in order to remain prepared for the risks Russia poses.

According to the Finnish Institute of Foreign Affairs, Finnish decision-makers must stay alert to Russia's use of energy issues to uphold its geopolitical agenda, as well as Russia's increasingly forceful foreign policy, Finnish newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet wrote.

The Finnish security researchers warned of a growing politicization of the country's energy policy, aimed at creating dependencies, as well as a "menacing and aggressive foreign policy under the guise of the defense of Russian interests. According to the report, external actors find it increasingly difficult to influence Russia's policies and its business logic."

The predictable recommendation in light of Russia's supposed "aggression" is, according to the Finnish researchers, to increase cooperation with partners in the West "at all levels" and to bolster the nation's defense capability. It is also important to openly discuss security policy and retain the possibility of applying for NATO membership, which has been a tricky question in light of Finland's traditional non-alignment.

According to the report, the nuclear power plant in Pyhajoki and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are examples of projects where Russia is said to be exploiting other countries' dependence on its natural resources and energy as part of its foreign policy. The Fennovoima Nuclear Power Plant, previously endorsed by all the necessary bodies, is scheduled to construct Pyhajoki on Finland's west coast by a consortium in which the Russian state-owned nuclear contractor Rosatom is both a part-owner and the main supplier of the facility.

Despite the fact that Finland's top-ranking politicians, such as President Sauli Niinisto, former Defense Minister Carl Haglund, former Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and incumbent Foreign Minister Timo Soini have repeatedly stressed the fact that Russia did not pose any threats to Finland, the Finnish Institute of Foreign Affairs has since 2014 delivered increasingly menacing pictures of Russia, citing Moscow's unpredictability, hostility and a propensity for using force in solving problems.

Finnish companies have therefore been advised to abstain from strategic investments in the Russian economy, whereas Finnish politicians have been urged to refrain from bilateral contact with Russia without the EU's mandate. Consequently, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto came under fire earlier this summer for his one-on-one meeting with his Russian colleague.

In Finland, which shares a 1,300 kilometer long border with Russia, the proximity of the "increasingly dangerous" eastern neighbor is often used as a pretext for joining NATO, which runs counter to Finland's traditionally neutral stance. As of today, Finland's Coalition Party and the Swedish People's Party of Finland are ardent supporters of joining the bloc, and a number of prominent politicians from other parties have been toying with the idea.

Additionally, the chill in the bilateral Finnish-Russian relations left a heavy toll on their economic ties, which historically have been firm and well-founded. At present, Finland's economy is struggling with a depression that hit the country amid the EU-imposed anti-Russian sanctions. Incidentally, Finland is among the countries which were hit hardest during the sanctions war. There was a marked drop in trade and tourism from Russia; which have both fallen by about a third.

 Sputnik

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Kremlin Dismisses U.S. Suspicions Russia Hacked Into Online Voting Systems

August 30, 2016

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has rejected reports in U.S. media that Russia may have been involved in hacking into online voting systems in the United States ahead of the November U.S. presidential election.

Peskov said on August 30 that the reports were "absolutely unfounded" and "unsubstantiated," and that "as a whole, we don't consider it necessary to pay attention to this in any way."

U.S. media reported on August 29 that the Federal Bureau of Investigation found two U.S. states' online voting systems had been hacked and was urging all states to increase computer security before the election.

The FBI's Cyber Division sent out an alert this month after Illinois and Arizona reported breaches. The alert comes as U.S. intelligence officials increasingly worry that hackers sponsored by Russia or other countries may attempt to disrupt the presidential election.

Cybersecurity experts say recent breaches at the Democratic National Committee and elsewhere in the Democratic Party were likely carried out by people within the Russian government. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.

State voter databases typically include voters' names, home addresses, and other identifying information.

Yahoo News reported on August 29 that Illinois's online voter registration system was shut down for 10 days in late July after hackers downloaded personal data on up to 200,000 voters.

The Arizona attack was more limited and involved introducing malicious software into the voter registration system, Yahoo said.

Concerns about election computer security prompted U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to recently offer to help states make their voting systems more secure.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and Yahoo News

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/fbi-reportedly -found-state-online-voting-systems- hacked-russia-suspected/27953775.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Suicide Bomber Attacks Chinese Embassy In Bishkek

August 30, 2016

by RFE/RL

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan say a suicide car bomber struck the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek on August 30, killing himself and wounding three Kyrgyz employees of the mission.

President Almazbek Atambaev ordered the government to step up counterterrorism measures after what officials called a terrorist attack -- a rarity in a Central Asian country that is known for political upheaval but has experienced few militant attacks despite growing government concerns about Islamic extremism.

Deputy Prime Minister Zhenish Razakov said the suspected bomber rammed a car through a gate to get inside the Chinese Embassy compound and detonated an explosive device.

Residents in the neighborhood on the outskirts of Bishkek said the powerful midmorning blast shook their homes and shattered windows. Images of the scene showed a badly damaged building and debris strewn over a wide area.

China condemned what it described as an "extreme and violent attack" on its embassy and urged Kyrgyz authorities to "get to the bottom of the incident," a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said at a press briefing in Beijing.

In a phone call, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that authorities would take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomats, Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy warned U.S. citizens in Kyrgyzstan to "shelter in place" until more information emerged.

Kyrgyzstan's GKNB state security service said it was investigating the blast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said the three people wounded by the explosion were Kyrgyz nationals working at the embassy, and that they had been hospitalized with shrapnel-like injuries -- suggesting the explosive device may have been prepared as a fragmentation bomb.

Doctors said the three victims suffered concussions and multiple bruises.

Kyrgyzstan's GKNB state security service said it was investigating the blast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Security service sources told RFE/RL said several hours after the attack that investigators were still trying to identify the suspect who was found inside the car after the explosion, as well as the owner of the vehicle.

The Chinese Embassy compound is situated in Bishkek's southern suburbs, also home to the U.S. Embassy and other diplomatic residencies and private homes.

Police blocked traffic on a main Bishkek highway and were checking vehicles.

The attack, and Atambaev's order for strengthened security measures, came ahead of a series of high-profile public events in the coming days.

Kyrgyzstan marks the 25th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union on August 31. It is hosting the World Nomad Games on September 3-8 and a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on September 16.

Diplomats from neighboring China, which has increased its influence in Central Asia since the Soviet collapse, have occasionally been targeted in the past in Kyrgyzstan.

Two visiting Chinese officials were shot dead and another was wounded in Bishkek in May 2000, and a Chinese consul and his driver were fatally shot in the capital in 2002.

Authorities blamed those attacks on Uyghur separatists seeking independence for their native region in western China, which borders Central Asia. But many experts say claims of militant activity by Uyghurs in Central Asia are overblown.

The secular authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a poor nation with a predominantly Muslim population of 5.7 million, frequently announce that they have foiled attacks allegedly plotted by extremist groups including Islamic State (IS).

According to Kyrgyz officials, some 500 Kyrgyz nationals have joined IS in Syria and Iraq.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, Reuters, AFP, AP, 24.kg, Xinhua, TASS, and Interfax

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgyzstan- bishkek-chinese-embassy- explosion/27953904.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Islamic State's Second-in-Command Killed in Syria, Terror Group Says

By VOA News August 30, 2016

Reports from Syria say the Islamic State group's second-ranking leader, who served as the extremist group's chief propagandist and also was linked to recruiting activities and attacks in Europe, has been killed in Aleppo province.

Islamic State announced Abu Muhammad al-Adnani's death Tuesday, saying only that he was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo."

A U.S. senior defense official said coalition forces earlier Tuesday conducted an airstrike in al Bab, Syria, "targeting an ISIL [Islamic State] leader." He would not say whether the strike targeted or killed Adnani. He said U.S. officials are "still assessing the results of the operation."

The U.S. State Department offered a $5 million reward last year for information leading to Adnani's capture.

A government official in Washington told VOA that the U.S. been tracking several "high value" IS members in Aleppo province, but would not confirm whether Adnani was one of those on the list.

Adnani was reported to have been seriously injured eight months ago in Iraq, during fighting near the city of Haditha. He was born in Syria about 39 years ago and was a prominent member of the al-Qaida terror network before aligning himself with Islamic State, where he was considered second in rank to the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that Adnani headed a special unit within Islamic State known as the Emni which organized and carried out attacks beyond the territory Islamic State held in Iraq and Syria.

"He oversaw the group's external operations division, responsible for recruiting operatives around the world and instigating or organizing them to carry out attacks that have included Paris, Brussels and Dhaka, Bangladesh," the newspaper reported.

Adnani narrated an infamous statement from Islamic State nearly two years ago, calling on Muslims living in the West to strike out wherever and however they could.

"If you can kill a disbelieving American or European  especially the spiteful and filthy French  or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be," Adnani said in the recording.

The United Nations, which had Adnani on its list of suspected terrorists subject to financial sanctions, has described him as the leader of Islamic State in Syria and chief of its external operations.

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China charges detained American woman with espionage

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 3:10PM

An American businesswoman held in China since last year has been charged with spying on behalf of the US government, a case that has added to growing US-China tensions.

Sandy Phan-Gillis, a 56-year-old naturalized US citizen born in Vietnam and of Chinese descent, was arrested in China in March 2015.

Phan-Gillis, who was based in Houston, Texas, was detained during a visit to southern China as part of an American trade delegation.

"Based on our understanding, Phan-Gillis, because of her suspected crimes of espionage, has been charged according to law by the relevant Chinese department," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Tuesday at a regular press briefing.

"China is a country ruled by law. The relevant Chinese department will handle the case strictly according to law," she said, without elaborating.

The US State Department has urged China to resolve the case "expeditiously."

In a letter transcribed by a US consular official in China, Phan-Gillis had said her detention was because of politics and not for any crime. "I am accused of being a spy for the US government. I have never been a spy."

Her husband, Jeff Gillis, said Chinese investigators have asked her to confess to being a US spy from 1996-1998. "The charges are absolutely false," Gillis said in a statement detailing the allegations against his wife, which hadn't been disclosed previously.

The accusation comes amid heightened tension in US-China relations, including disagreements over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the sentencing of a Chinese citizen in the US for hacking sensitive military information.

China's territorial claims over the South China Sea overlap in parts with those of Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

The United States has complained that Chinese planes and ships have performed "unsafe" maneuvers while shadowing American warships and aircraft in the South China Sea.

However, China has criticized the US military presence in the Asia Pacific and suspects Washington's military drills with countries in the region are part of efforts to contain Beijing.

US President Barack Obama will travel to China on Saturday for a G20 summit in the city of Hangzhou.

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China Charges American Woman with Spying

By Wayne Lee August 30, 2016

An American businesswoman is facing charges in China that she spied on the Chinese government about 20 years ago, including charges that she attempted to recruit U.S.-based Chinese to spy on their home country.

The charges facing Phan Phan-Gillis come more than a year after she was detained while visiting China with an American trade delegation that was promoting business opportunities in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

Phan-Gillis' husband, Jeff Gillis, said she has been charged with spying for a foreign government from 1996 to 1998. He said the indictment was received by Phan-Gillis' lawyers "weeks after it was issued in court" and added the charges are "absolutely false." He said the charges did not indicate the government she allegedly spied for.

A United Nations panel ruled in June that China violated internal human rights standards by detaining Phan-Gillis when she had not appeared before judicial authorities or provided legal assistance. Phan-Gillis has not been available for comment since she was detained in March 2015.

Spying convictions carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. China has a 20-year limit on the prosecution of capital crimes such as espionage, but sometimes allows for exceptions.

Relations between the U.S. and China have been increasingly tense due to differences on a number of issues, including those involving economic and trade policy and cybersecurity. U.S.-China relations could be further strained by the Phan-Gillis' case, which is being publicized only days before U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit China for the Group of 20 summit, a meeting of officials from 20 of the world's largest economies. The summit begins Sunday and Obama will meet with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in Hangzhou, the capital of China's Zhejiang province

Phan-Gillis immigrated to the U.S. nearly 40 years ago. She was born in Vietnam to a family of Chinese descent. The family fled Vietnam and resettled in the U.S. After working for city of Houston government, Phan-Gillis developed a business consultancy that took her to China numerous times over the years.

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KCNA Commentary Blasts U.S. Reckless Arms Buildup Aimed at Military Hegemony

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- The international community is concerned about the ever more frantic strategic weapons modernization and the arms buildup of the U.S.

Recently the U.S. military officials openly called for the modernization of missile defence system in south Korea and, at the same time, the Obama administration started the development of new type weapons system including drone system for disturbance and seabed unmanned combat system.

The director of the Missile Defense Agency of the U.S. clarified that THAAD underwent 13 successful interception tests, adding that it would conduct mid-range ballistic missile interception test from next year.

The Missile Defense Agency signed a development contract for mounting several warheads on THAAD with military munitions companies including Lockheed Martin Co., Boeing, etc. and officially made public a plan to develop a sample by 2020.

This is part of reckless arms buildup of the U.S. eyeing an unchallenged military upper-hand over major big powers.

It is the U.S. calculation that it can not hold political and military hegemony in the region without building MD and realizing modernization of weaponry for neutralizing the rapidly developing military attack capabilities of regional powers.

The Obama administration is, therefore, stepping up the development of new weaponry including drone system for self-explosion and disturbance, seabed unmanned combat system and laser weapon system for guaranteeing its "unchallenged military upper-hand".

While keeping 60 percent of the troops of the U.S. navy in the Asia-Pacific on a permanent basis, the U.S. is pressing for the improvement of performance of already deployed strategic nuclear bombers and nuclear missiles, as well as the development and deployment of high performance laser gun, unmanned tactical vehicle, ultrasonic attack weapon, etc.

After rounding off four-year development and test of the latest-type nuclear bomb B61-12, it entered the phase of its trial production from early August.

B61-12 or Smart A-bomb is part of the project for modernization of nuclear weapons being pushed forward by the U.S. with the investment of one trillion U.S. dollars for 30 years to come, 11 billion U.S. dollars are reportedly to be spent for it.

The deployment and modernization of strategic weapons as evidenced by the deployment of B61-12 for an actual war being pressed for by the U.S. can not but spark off a fresh nuclear arms race among regional countries.

The deputy secretary of Defence of the U.S. maintained that the development of new type weapons system started by the Obama administration has to be carried forward by the next administration in order to preserve the U.S. military edge in the future, too.

All the countries aspiring after peace and security of the world have to see through the essence of the U.S. moves for modernization of armed forces and arms buildup and heighten the vigilance against them. -0-

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DPRK Will Not Show Any Mercy to Aggressors: Rodong Sinmun

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun Tuesday in a commentary warns the DPRK will not show any mercy to aggressors.

The U.S. introduced nuclear strategic assets into the Korean peninsula and its vicinity for the purpose of mounting a preemptive nuclear attack upon the DPRK and seizing the whole of the peninsula before setting about in real earnest to carry out its strategy for dominating the Asia-Pacific region, the commentary notes, adding:

Herein lies the danger and criminal nature of the Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military drills which the U.S. is staging with nuclear strategic assets, tens of thousands of U.S. forces and more than 50 000 south Korean puppet forces involved.

The U.S. seeks to lay a siege to big powers of the region with the Korean peninsula as a bridgehead for carrying out its strategy to dominate the Asia-Pacific region.

In recent period, the U.S. is frequently staging the joint military drills together with Japan and south Korean puppet forces in the vicinity of the peninsula. By doing so, it rattles the nerves of the DPRK and seeks pretexts for justifying its forces' presence in south Korea and its arms build-up. In other words, it seeks justification for military operations under the pretext of the Korean People's Army's military counter-actions and realize its ambition to dominate Asia by escalating military operations.

The nuclear strategic assets can never help the U.S. save its face. The U.S. frequently tried to browbeat the DPRK with huge latest strategic assets, but it proved futile every time. The U.S. would be well advised to come to its senses. -0-

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Top Officials Reportedly Executed in North Korea by Anti-Aircraft Gun

Sputnik News

22:35 30.08.2016(updated 00:58 31.08.2016)

Kim Jong-un has reportedly publicly executed two top North Korean officials with an anti-aircraft gun -- one, reportedly, for falling asleep during a meeting with the leader.

Hwang Min, former agricultural minister, and Ri Yong-jin, a senior official in the education ministry, were executed at a military academy in Pyongyang, an anonymous source told the JoongAng Ilbo.

"I have the information that ministers of agriculture and education were publicly executed on a special order from Kim Jong-un," said the source.

"One of the executed is Hwang Min, a former agricultural minister," according to the source. "I understand he was executed because policy proposals he had pushed for were seen as a direct challenge to the Kim Jong-un leadership."

The other man, Ri Yong-jin, was reportedly a ministerial-level official in education.

"He incurred the wrath of Kim after he dozed off during a meeting presided over by Kim. He was arrested on site and intensively questioned by the state security ministry. He was executed after other charges such as corruption were found during the probe."

Yong-jin is at least the second person to be executed for falling asleep in the presence of Kim Jong-un.

In April of 2015, North Korea's former defense chief Hyon Yong-chol was executed by firing squad for the offense of falling asleep during a meeting attended by the DPRK's supreme leader.

The two latest executions may mark a "new reign of terror," as there is talk of instability and a lack of unity among North Korean elites, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

"If the report is true, it would mark the first execution ordered by Kim Jong-un from outside the Workers' Party and military," the South Korean source noted.

 Sputnik

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India and Russia to Jointly Set Up $300 Million Logistics Hub for Su30MKI

Sputnik News

17:47 30.08.2016

A formal agreement between India and Russia is likely to be signed by October this year.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  India, with the help of Russia, plans to set up a logistics hub for its most lethal combat aircraft, the Su-30MKI, at the facilities of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in Bangalore. Sources from India's Ministry of Defense told Sputnik, "we are trying to ensure the maximum operational availability of Su-30MKI fighters at any given time. We have improved the serviceability of the aircraft from 46% to more than 60%. Notwithstanding, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also finalized long term repair agreement with Russian original equipment manufacturers to improve the availability of aircraft for operational use but the long process of getting spare parts delivered is negatively impacting the operational availability of the aircraft.A spare parts logistics center will solve this problem."

Currently, it takes up to 18 months to deliver spare parts to India from Russia, mainly due to cumbersome bureaucratic process, customs, bank guarantees, etc.

Air Marshal P. P. Khandekar, Air Officer-in-Charge for Maintenance at Air HQ IAF says, "For a small fleet, there is no need to set up infrastructure in the country. Our indigenous infrastructure development requirement is mainly for when the fleet is large."

Currently the Indian Air Force has more than 200 Su 30 MKI in its fleet and is expected to receive the remaining fleet by 2019. India contracted for the delivery of 272 Su 30 MKI with Russia.

 Sputnik

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Majlis commission holds extraordinary meeting with IRGC commanders

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Aug 30, IRNA -- Members of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission held an extraordinary meeting with a number of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corpse (IRGC) Intelligence commanders Tuesday morning.

During the meeting, the IRGC commander briefed the parliamentarians on the latest security situation in the region like presence of foreign forces and their strategies.

According to Hossein Naqavi Hosseini who is the spokesperson for the commission, the participants reviewed security issues in the region including presence of foreign forces there especially the US and the motivation and strategies behind this presence.

They also discussed the enemies strategies like the proxy wars Saudi Arabia is running in the region by creating Daesh, he said.

He went on to explain that what is going on in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen are direct and indirect proxy wars led by Saudi Arabia

He said that the discussions highlighted the point that Americans are playing a decisive role in regional wars by using six strategies and and are trying to turn the Islamic world into bloody areas with the aid of the UK and France.

He said that Americans supported al-Qaedeh and Daesh to take the wars inside the Muslim societies and formed many armed groups which lack identity and no country assumes responsibility for their actions.

The parliamentarian further said that the US, the Zionist regime and their allies in the region have turned clashes into sectarian and religious wars.

He said Russia's engagement in war against Daesh and other Takfiri terrorist groups transformed the US and Saudi schemes and reinforced regional convergence and the four-party alliance putting the terrorists in a weak position in Syria.

About Iraq, he said situation is far better there now, with most of the country having been cleansed from terrorists.

He stressed that Iran's strategy was to help protect the Syrian territorial integrity and confront aliens' presence in the region.

1424**1771

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US Upbraids Iran for 'Provocative' Naval Maneuvers in Persian Gulf

By VOA News August 30, 2016

The head of the U.S. Central Command scolded Iran Tuesday for "provocative" naval actions in the Persian Gulf, following recent close encounters between U.S. warships and Iranian gunboats.

General Joseph Votel spoke just days after the coastal patrol ship USS Squall was forced to fire warning shots to ward off an Iranian gunboat that was closing at high speed on another U.S. vessel nearby. The Pentagon said the Iranian gunboat ignored repeated U.S. warning flares and radio transmissions before turning away.

On Tuesday, Votel called the Iranian actions "very concerning," and said, "We hope to see Iran's naval forces act in a more professional manner." He also said last week's encounter was part of a "recent uptick" in U.S. confrontations with Iranian patrol craft at "choke points" in the Gulf's crowded sea lanes.

Last week, U.S. officials said the Iranian craft came within 182 meters of the USS Tempest, raising the specter of military escalation.

There was no immediate Iranian response to Votel's comments.

But last week, Iran's Tasnim news agency quoted a top Iranian general as saying, "If any foreign vessel enters our waters, we warn them, and if it's an invasion, we confront."

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Libya ships last chemical weapons stocks to Germany

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 1:7PM

Libya has shipped the last of its chemical weapons stocks out of the country under a UN-backed plan to ensure the arsenal does not fall into the wrong hands, officials say.

An unnamed senior Libyan security official said on Tuesday that the stocks were shipped to Germany on a Danish vessel on Saturday from the western port of Misrata.

"We as Libyans did not want these weapons, especially during the current security situation and with the presence of IS in the region," AFP quoted the security official as saying.

Meanwhile, the deputy prime minister of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), Mussa el-Koni, has confirmed the operation, which took place under the supervision of the UN-backed Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

"All of Libya's chemical arsenal has been shipped out of the country," Koni said, adding, "This is good news for Libya, and for the peace of Libya, and we thank all the countries that participated and the UN."

The deputy prime minister added that the stocks had been stored in the central Jafa area, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Sirte, where Libyan pro-government forces are battling the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

The move will ease fears that extremists such as Daesh could gain access to the weapons in the violence-wracked country.

The Danish government had earlier this month offered to send a container vessel, support ship and 200 staff to handle the operation.

In an emailed statement, the OPCW has said, "We are not in a position to disclose operational details of an ongoing effort."

The OPCW, specified, however, that the stocks in question "are industrial chemicals in wide use as well as precursor chemicals that are several stages away from being actual chemical weapons."

A German Defense Ministry spokesman said the shipment, which contains "about 500 tonnes of toxic chemical products," would arrive in Germany "in the coming weeks."

The spokesman added that the arsenal would be destroyed by GEKA, Germany's state-owned company for disposing of chemical weapons.

"These chemical products can be used to produce toxic gases or warfare agents, but are not toxic gases or warfare agents," the spokesman said.

The UN Security Council on July 22 unanimously endorsed a resolution calling on the international community to assist the destruction of chemical weapons in Libya, where Daesh has gained a foothold over the past months.

The 15-member council authorized UN "member states to acquire, control, transport, transfer and destroy chemical weapons ... to ensure the elimination of Libya's chemical weapons stockpile in the soonest and safest manner."

Libya, which joined the UN convention on eliminating chemical weapons in 2004, has been dominated by violence since a NATO military intervention followed the 2011 uprising that led to the toppling and killing of longtime dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.

Daesh has taken advantage of the political chaos in Libya to increase its presence there.

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UN says Rohingya entitled to Myanmar citizenship

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 6:18PM

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says Myanmar's stateless Rohingya Muslims should be given the right to citizenship.

Ban told a press conference alongside Myanmar's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi in the capital Naypyidaw on Tuesday that thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been living for more than four years in camps in the western state of Rakhine fleeing violence by the Buddhist majority.

"This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identify," Ban said, adding, "People who have been living for generations in this country should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else."

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has come under fire from international rights groups for failing to address the plight of the Rohingya.

Ahead of his visit, Ban called on Myanmar's new leadership to pay "full respect" to human rights, noting, "The new leadership must now overcome discrimination, ensure equality and promote inclusive development for all, with full respect for human rights."

Last week, Myanmar's government, under pressure from the international community, announced it would set up an advisory panel chaired by Kofi Annan, a former UN secretary general, to find "lasting solutions to the complex and delicate issues" in Rakhine.

Reacting to Annan's appointment, Ban said he would support his predecessor's work in Rakhine and work with Myanmar's central authorities to tackle the issue of the Rohingya.

"The situation is complex (in Rakhine) and the government has assured me of their commitment to address the roots of the problem," Ban said.

He added, "All of Myanmar's people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony side by side with their neighbors."

Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar oppose Annan's appointment.

On July 1, Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, said Myanmar's government should immediately end the deep discrimination practiced against the Rohingya and other Muslims in Rakhine.

On June 20, the UN human rights office said the Rohingya Muslims had been subject to multiple and aggravated forms of human rights violations, including citizenship denial, forced labor and sexual violence.

Rakhine is home to the Rohingya Muslim minority, who are labeled "Bengali" by hardline Buddhists. Many government officials brand the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh even though many can trace their ancestry in Myanmar.

A large number of the Rohingya is believed to have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in attacks by extremists who call themselves Buddhists.

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In Myanmar, UN chief spotlights country's challenging path towards multi-ethnic democracy

30 August 2016  Following a meeting with Myanmar's foreign minister, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today highlighted the great challenges her country faces on its path of reform towards a harmonious, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and prosperous democracy.

"Today, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and I agreed that the people of Myanmar, whatever their ethnicity, religion or economic status, want better social and economic opportunities, in an environment where everyone is free, equal and secure," the UN chief told reporters in a joint press stakeout with Ms. Suu Kyi in the capital city, Nay Pyi Taw.

With the coming into effect of the 2008 Constitution and the country's opening of its doors to democratic reforms, the role of the Secretary-General's good offices in Myanmar has evolved into one of engagement, encouragement and support for reform, reconciliation and democratization, according to the UN Department of Political Affairs. Furthermore, the landmark elections of November 2015 have transformed the country's political landscape by bringing Ms. Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy, into power.

"The United Nations has consistently supported Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle for democracy," Mr. Ban said, noting that the UN's support took the form of successive resolutions of the General Assembly, the appointment of his own Special Adviser on the country and the Human Rights Council's appointment of a Special Rapporteur of the country's human rights, as well as his own visits and engagement with Myanmar authorities.

Mr. Ban noted that he had visited Myanmar four times since becoming the UN Secretary-General. In 2008, he visited the country to mobilize international assistance in the wake of the devastation left by Cyclone Nargis. In 2009, he encouraged the military leadership to open its doors to democratic change. In 2012, he addressed the parliament at a time when the dramatic changes sweeping Myanmar were inspiring the world. And, in 2014, he participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit chaired by Myanmar.

"Today," Mr. Ban said, "I am very pleased and honoured to be back to witness the latest phase in your transition, marked by the peaceful, dignified and enthusiastic participation in the elections last November."

The UN chief went on to acknowledge the leadership of former President U Thein Sein in helping the country move steadily on this path of reform, and commended the new Government led by President U Htin Kyaw for its emphasis on dialogue, cooperation and reconciliation between military and civil society leaders and political and economic stakeholders.

"However, the Government also faces great challenges," Mr. Ban said, stressing that the steps taken so far towards peace and national reconciliation will need to be further strengthened, broadened and consolidated.

"This is the real expectation of the international community," he added.

On developments in Rakhine state

Mr. Ban said he also discussed with Ms. Suu Kyi, who is also the country's State Counsellor, the latest developments in the northern state of Rakhine, where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been living in poorly conditioned camps as a result of their communal conflict with a Buddhist sect.

"I conveyed the concern of the international community about the tens of thousands of people who have been living in very poor conditions in IDP [internally displaced persons] camps for over four years," he said.

"This is not just a question of the Rohingya community's right to self-identify. The broader issue is that all of Myanmar's people, of every ethnicity and background, should be able to live in equality and harmony, side by side with their neighbours," the UN chief continued. "People who have been living for generations in this country should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else."

In Singapore earlier today, the Secretary-General received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the National University of Singapore, and met with the country's President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.

According to a readout of the meeting issued by his spokesman's office, the Secretary-General expressed hope that Singapore will ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change before the end of the year, and discussed regional issues, including strengthening the ASEAN-UN partnership, the situation in Myanmar, the issue of the South China Sea, and his efforts on the prevention of violent extremism and on responsibility-sharing in the refugees and migrants crisis.

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Russia Starts Drills in South Ossetia as Part of Snap Check

Sputnik News

07:30 30.08.2016(updated 08:04 30.08.2016)

Russian military on Tuesday started drills in South Ossetian mountains as part of the ongoing snap combat readiness inspections, Russian Southern Military District's press service said in a statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the statement, Russian troops would use T-72A tanks, Sani mortar systems, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, within the framework of the military exercises.

"As envisioned by the drills, the units should repel an attack of an imaginary enemy's superior forces during the defensive maneuvers in South Ossetian mountains and to do maximal fire damage," the statement 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.

 Sputnik

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Turkish, Kurdish forces in Syria agree to stop fighting: US official

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 4:6PM

A US military official says Turkish and Kurdish forces in northern Syria have reached a "loose agreement" to stop fighting each other.

"In the last several hours, we have received assurance that all parties involved are going to stop shooting at each other and focus on the ISIL threat," Colonel John Thomas, US Central Command spokesman, told AFP, using another acronym for the Daesh terrorist group.

"It's a loose agreement for at least the next couple of days and we are hoping that will solidify," he added.

Thomas said Turkish forces and militants from the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) had opened communications with the US and between each other "with the goal of limiting hostilities."

On Monday, the US Defense Department called for an immediate de-escalation in clashes between Turkey and Syrian Kurdish forces, saying the fighting is "unacceptable" and a "source of deep concern."

"This is an already crowded battle space," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a written statement. "Accordingly, we are calling on all armed actors to stand down immediately and take appropriate measures to de-conflict."

Ankara launched a bloody offensive in northern Syria last week and killed 25 Kurdish forces on Sunday, a day after a Turkish soldier died in a rocket attack allegedly by the YPG.

Ankara regards the YPG and YPD as allies of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s.

The US-allied YPG, which controls nearly the entire northern border of Syria with Turkey, has been fighting against Daesh. Conversely, Turkey is running a dual military campaign in Syria targeting both Daesh militants and the YPG.

The situation adds to simmering tensions between Ankara and Washington when Turkey's government is still reeling from last month's failed coup, which it says Washington was too slow to condemn.

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Syria Air Force takes out 11 Takfiris: Report

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:57AM

Syrian army forces have reportedly killed 11 Takfiri terrorists and liberated two villages in the country's west.

The Syria Now news website reported on Tuesday that the fatalities had been caused after Syrian military aircraft targeted armored vehicles belonging to the terrorists on the outskirts the city of Hama.

Separately, army forces engaged militants elsewhere in the city's countryside, liberating the villages of Buwaizah and Madajin.

The outlet also reported that Russian fighter jets had targeted positions and caches of arms belonging to the Takfiri groups of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front or al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, and Ahrar al-Sham.

It was also reported that the foreign-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)  a coalition of Arab and Kurdish fighters  had liberated two villages to the south of the town of Manbij in northern Syria.

Kurdish forces recently freed Manbij of Daesh presence in a decisive blow to the Takfiri terror group, which has been ravaging the Arab country since 2014.

The group, however, carried out a mortar attack against the village of Dandaniyah west of the town, killing four Syrian civilians.

Since 2011, Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy, which has killed thousands and displaced millions.

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US at Pains to Calm Tensions Between Its Allies in Northern Syria

Sputnik News

19:00 30.08.2016(updated 19:02 30.08.2016)

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has called upon Ankara and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to not fight with one another and to keep "those geographic commitments that they've made."

During a Monday joint press conference with Indian Minister of Defense Manohar Parrikar in the Pentagon, Carter emphasized that the US "very much appreciate[s] the efforts" of both Turkey and the Kurdish-dominated SDF in their combat against Daesh terrorists in Syria.

"They both made material contributions. We've worked with both of them. And all of our interactions are intended to keep that going. So yes, we have called upon Turkey to stay focused on the fight against ISIL [Daesh] and not to engage Syrian Defense Forces [Syrian Democratic Forces]," Carter said.

"The United States was very supportive and is very supportive of their [Turkey's] general counter-ISIL activities and everything they did to secure the area between the border and Jarablus, and then westward, but not south of Jarablus, nor to engage the Syrian Defense Forces [Syrian Democratic Forces]," he repeated.

On the other hand, Carter emphasized, the Kurdish People's Protection Units, which constitute a considerable portion of the SDF, should in their turn withdraw their forces east of the Euphrates.

"So we've called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL. That's the basis of our cooperation with both of them. And specifically, not to engage one another and to retain those geographic commitments that they've made," Secretary Carter underscored.

Carter told journalists that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford discussed the issue with his Turkish counterpart on August 28 and asserted that he himself will turn the spotlight on the matter next week, during his meeting with Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik in Europe.

The remarks come after a series of clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces and the Kurdish militants over the weekend.

Alex MacDonald of the Middle East Eye notes that despite Carter's pledge to calm the tensions simmering between its allies in the region things are getting messier by the minute in northern Syria.

Citing Turkish President Recep Erdogan, the journalist calls attention to the fact that Ankara has signaled clearly that the YPG would be a target of Turkish military operations in Syria.

The Turkish government regards the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing, the YPG, as "terrorist" entities linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), outlawed in Turkey.

"Our operations will continue until Daesh, PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] and its Syrian affiliate PYD are eliminated as threats against our citizens," Erdogan said Monday as quoted by Anadolu Agency.

Remarkably, on August 29 Brett McGurk, US Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL (Daesh), tweeted that Washington regards the clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces and the Kurdish militants  in areas where Daesh is not located  as "unacceptable and a source a deep concern."

In response to McGurk's remark, Turkish EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Omer Celik said that "no one has the right to tell us 'fight with that terror organization but turn a blind eye to that terror organization'," Anadolu Agency reported on the same very day.

For their part, the SDF and YPG "put out mixed reactions" to the escalation of tensions in northern Syria, MacDonald continues, adding that some of the SDF pro-YPG units, including the Arab-majority Jaish al-Thuwwar, signaled their intention to challenge the "Turkish occupation."

But that's half the trouble. MacDonald says that following US Vice President Joseph Biden's warning that the Kurdish forces would lose Washington's support if they refused to return to the eastern bank of the Euphrates. YPG spokesperson Redur Xelil claimed that the Kurdish fighters "will not act in line with the request of Turkey or some other power."

"Our forces are part of the SDF [Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces] and we insist on our mission and goal. We won't listen to the demands of Turkey or powers outside of Turkey. Turkey cannot impose its own agenda, its own interests on us. Our forces are there. We will not withdraw from west of the Euphrates. No one has the right to ask the YPG to leave the area," Xelil told Radio Voice of America last Thursday as cited by Ekurd.net.

Washington is on the horns of a dilemma, expert in Middle Eastern affairs Leonid Isaev of the Higher School of Economic told Svodobnaya Pressa last Friday.

The expert suggested that the US would divide the Syrian northern region into "spheres of influence" in order to prevent large-scale clashes between their allies in the region.

Carter's urging that the allies to retain their "geographical commitments" in northern Syria shows that Isaev's prognosis may come true.

 Sputnik

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Kremlin Regrets Russia, US Still Far From Real Cooperation on Syria

Sputnik News

12:21 30.08.2016(updated 12:32 30.08.2016)

Moscow and Washington are still far from real cooperation in Syria, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russia would like to see greater effort from the United States for greater cooperation with Moscow on Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

"To our regret, we are still far from real cooperation," Peskov told reporters, answering a question on whether the Kremlin was satisfied with Russian-US interaction on Syria.

Russia and Syria have agreed on specific steps that must be taken to settle the situation in Syria and will continue to work with the groups they can influence to reach lasting ceasefire in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday following 12-hour talks with the US Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva.

Lavrov said that Russia-US coordination on targets in Syria has not yet been smoothed out, but expressed hope that upcoming expert consultations would help resolve the issue.

"Here we would still like to see greater willingness toward real cooperation, to roll-out our cooperation not on the level of exchange of information or sporadic interaction, but on full cooperation without which it is impossible to settle the hardest Syrian issue," the spokesman pointed out.

 Sputnik

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UN envoy 'greatly regrets' intensification of fighting in Syria

30 August 2016  Regretting the intensified fighting and grave humanitarian situation in Syria, the United Nations Special Envoy for the country, Staffan de Mistura, reiterates the need for a political solution to the conflict there, according to his spokesperson Jessy Chahine.

"A political process and a political solution are the only way out of the crisis," the Special Envoy's spokesperson told a news briefing in Geneva today. "The Special Envoy was determined to carry forward the political track and continues actively to consider options for early action."

The spokesperson highlighted that discussions between Russia and the United States this week are crucial to efforts to restore the cessation of hostilities, and noted that the UN is continuing consultations with representatives of the two countries, as well as the International Syria Support Group's (ISSG) members, on the way ahead. The United States and Russia are the ISSG's co-chairs.

Regarding Mr. de Mistura's recent call for a 48-hour pause in fighting in the besieged northern city of Aleppo, Ms. Chahine referred to a recent statement issued by the Special Envoy and noted that discussions are ongoing with all stakeholders.

"No-one had rejected the urgency of a humanitarian pause," she noted, adding that Mr. de Mistura would address the media on 1 September, following the regular humanitarian access task force meeting.

According to UN estimates, the five-year old conflict in Syria has driven 4.8 million refugees to neighbouring countries, hundreds of thousands in Europe, and displaced 6.6 million people within the country against a pre-war population of over 20 million. Well over 200,000 people are believed to have died.

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US admits more than 10,000 Syrian refugees in fiscal 2016 - UN

30 August 2016  The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has helped resettle more than 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States during the year ending 30 September, without compromising the integrity and security of the processing mechanism.

As of 29 August, 10,172 Syrian refugees were admitted in the United States as part of the Obama administration's promise to increase the number of Syrian refugee admissions by 30 September, according to a news release issued by the IOM.

In July this year, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution approving an agreement to make the IOM part of the UN system as a related organization.

The US' achievement came weeks prior to the UN Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants at UN Headquarters on 19 September  at which UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and IOM Director General William L. Swing will sign the aforementioned agreement  as well as a summit on the global refugee crisis, hosted by US President Barack Obama during the high-level segment of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly on 20 September.

The majority, or 87 per cent, of Syrians resettled in the US during fiscal 2016 were processed by the IOM's Resettlement Support Center MENA (RSC MENA) based in Amman, Jordan.

"This fiscal year, RSC MENA was faced with a challenge to dramatically increase our processing capacity without jeopardizing program integrity and security. Today, I feel proud of the great team work which led to reaching this important target of at least 10,000 Syrian refugee arrivals in the US," said IOM's RSC MENA Project Manager, Jeanette Camarillo, in the release.

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UN Security Council Debates Sanctions on Syria for Chemical Weapons Use

By VOA News August 30, 2016

The United Nations Security Council is debating whether to impose sanctions on Syria, after investigators concluded the government dropped chemical weapons on civilians.

This is the first time a U.N. panel has directly blamed the Assad regime for such an atrocity. It also blames Islamic State for at least one attack. Previous independent probes said chemical weapons were definitely used on civilians, but did not say who was responsible.

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power called the report assigning blame a "landmark," and said those behind such an attack must "pay a price."

"It is incumbent on the council to act swiftly to show ... we were serious about there being meaningful accountability," she said.

Investigators say Syrian forces dropped chemical bombs from helicopters on two villages in Idlib province in 2014 and 2015. Syrian activists say six people were killed and dozens of men, women and children fled to hospitals.

France's ambassador calls the chemical attacks a war crime and a crime against humanity, while the British ambassador said a "robust international response" is essential.

Russia supported the investigation into the attacks, but has blocked previous efforts to impose sanctions on its ally, Syria.

Ambassador Vitaly Churkin thanked the inspectors for their hard work, but said Moscow has some "very serious questions" to be examined before it is ready to accept their findings.

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Kurds East of Euphrates Now, Top US General Says

By Carla Babb August 30, 2016

U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds have crossed back over to the eastern side of the Euphrates River, a top U.S. general said Tuesday, in a move the U.S. hopes will end recent skirmishes between the Kurds and the Turks as they both battle Islamic State militants.

"The portion of the Kurds that are part of the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] are on the east side of the Euphrates River at this time. They have lived up to their commitment to us," Army General Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, told reporters at the Pentagon.

The SDF is primarily made up of Kurdish fighters, but Syrian Arabs, Turkmen and others also are part of the group.

Votel said members of the SDF who have stayed west of the Euphrates to hold ground gained from IS in and around Manbij are not Kurds and are "principally made up of forces that come from that particular area."

Kurdish forces recently helped push IS militants out of Manbij, about 40 kilometers south of Jarablus and about 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates River.

Votel said both Turkey and U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in Syria were "critical" to the fight against IS in the region.

He added that the U.S. relies on both parties to help counter the "principal threat" of IS. "Our support for all parties is contingent upon the focus upon ISIL," he said, using another acronym for the terror group.

The general said that while he has not received any verbal assurances from Turkey that it will remain in Syria to fight the terror group, he has seen actions from Turkey that are "extraordinarily positive," from moving west along the border of Jarablus to pursue IS to continuing other partnering efforts against IS along the Mara Line, in Syria's northwest.

"Deeds matter, and what I'm seeing on the ground is that they remain very committed to the ISIL fight," Votel said.

His comments came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called on Turkey to "stay focused" on the fight against Islamic State and not engage with U.S.-allied Kurdish forces also battling the terror group in Syria.

Using the U.S.'s own words, Turkey said Tuesday that U.S. criticism of the aims of its offensive in northern Syria was "unacceptable.'' The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it summoned the U.S. ambassador over the matter.

Syrian rebels supported by Turkey have taken control of at least four villages and one town from Kurdish-led forces in the area.

Turkey's military foray into Syria is a dramatic escalation of Ankara's involvement in the Syrian civil war.

The clashes support Western concerns that Turkey's military incursion into Syria is intended, in part, to target U.S.-supported Kurdish forces known as the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or the YPG militia. The United States has described the YPG as one of its most effective allies in the fight against Islamic State, while Turkey is demanding a YPG retreat from all border territory seized from IS jihadists.

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Russia Questions UN Report Blaming Syria For Chemical Attacks

August 31, 2016

by RFE/RL

Russia has questioned a report by the United Nations that blames Syrian government forces for two chlorine gas attacks and said the UN Security Council cannot use the conclusions to impose sanctions.

"There are two cases that they suggest are the fault of the Syrian side; we have very serious questions," Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters after the council met behind closed doors in New York to discuss the report on August 30.

"There are a number of questions which have to be clarified before we accept all the findings of the report," he said.

Asked if he thought the report presented enough evidence to impose sanctions on Syria, as the United States, France and Britain contend, Churkin said: "Frankly, I don't, but we continue to analyze the report."

"There is nobody to sanction in the report," he said. "It contains no names, no specifics, no fingerprints...Clearly, there is a smoking gun. We know that chlorine was most likely used, but there are no fingerprints on the gun."

Churkin added that Russia, which has veto power on the council, is ruling out extending the UN inspectors' mandate to investigate further instances of chemical weapons use in Syria, which expires on September 24.

The UN report was the result of a yearlong joint inquiry with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that was unanimously authorized by the council last year. It also found that Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas.

Churkin's first critical comments on the report came as Syria's UN representative also insisted the report did not offer proof of his government's guilt and pits Russia against Western powers, which are demanding that the council take immediate punitive action.

French UN Ambassador Francois Delattre called for a "quick and strong security council response" and said, "We need a resolution with teeth."

British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the United Kingdom wants "the imposition of a sanctions regime and some form of accountability within international legal mechanisms."

Syria must "pay a price," said U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power. "It is incumbent on the council to act swiftly to show that when we put that Joint Investigative Mechanism in place we were serious about there being meaningful accountability."

She noted that the report "is the first official independent confirmation of what many of us have alleged for a long time, many of us have presented substantial evidence of for a long time, and that is a pattern of chemical weapons use by the Syrian regime."

The use of chemical weapons violates a UN agreement with Syria in 2013 to destroy its chemical weapons. A UN resolution passed at that time said in the event of "any use of chemical weapons by anyone" in Syria in the future, the council could impose sanctions and even authorize military action against Syria.

The council would need to adopt another resolution to impose sanctions on people or entities linked to the attacks.

China and Russia, a close Syrian ally, have previously protected the Syrian government from council action by using their veto power to block resolutions, including a bid to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

Human Rights Watch called on the council to renew its resolution referring Syria to The Hague court.

"Russia and China don't have a leg to stand on by continuing to obstruct the Security Council," said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch. "The Security Council diminishes its importance if it doesn't take strong action against demonstrated use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government."

But Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said Western powers have no grounds to punish the regime, as the report lacked "physical evidence" to support its conclusions that chlorine barrel bombs were dropped on civilians.

The report was "totally based on witnesses presented by terrorist armed groups," Jaafari said.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia- questions-un-report-blaming-syria-chemical- attacks-churkin-power/27956253.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Turkey: US criticism over Syria operations unacceptable

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:39PM

Ankara has summoned the US ambassador over Washington's criticism of Turkey's incursion into northern Syria.

On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic announced that John R. Bass has been summoned over the US's "unacceptable" criticism concerning the scope of Turkey's activities in Syria.

On August 24, Turkish special forces, tanks and jets backed by planes from the US-led coalition launched their first coordinated offensive in Syria.

Earlier, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter called on the Turkish government to stop attacking US-backed factions of Kurdish militants in Syria and to focus on attack against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

The Pentagon also called for an immediate de-escalation in clashes between Turkey and Syrian Kurdish forces on Monday, saying the fighting is "unacceptable" and a "source of deep concern."

Bilgic also stressed that the US must honor its assurances that the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) would withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River.

YPG forces insist that they have already withdrawn to the east of the Euphrates in line with US and Turkish demands.

Ankara regards the YPG and PYD as allies of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s. The YPG, which controls nearly Syria's entire northern border with Turkey, has been fighting against Daesh.

In addition, Bilgic denied a US announcement, confirmed by Kurdish forces, that a truce had been reached between Turkish and Kurdish forces fighting in Syria.

"We are waiting to see if the US is committed to its promise that after the Manbij operation no member of the PYD [Democratic Union Party] or YPG [Peoples Protection Units] would stay in the west of Euphrates," he said.

"The goal of the Euphrates Shield operation is clear," he continued. "The operation was done according to international laws to protect our sovereignty, and respect for the unity of Syria. The operation will continue as long as terror from that area worries Turkish citizens."

Earlier, the Turkish military announced that three of its troops had been severely wounded after their tank was hit by rocket fire west of the Syrian border town of Jarablus.

Turkey must halt Syria incursion

Meanwhile, Iran has voiced its concerns over Turkey's continued military operations on Syrian soil.

"Increasing the scope of activities in northern Syria will result in the deaths of even more innocent people and civilians. The Turkish army must swiftly put an end to its operations in Syria," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi.

He noted that despite being crucial to regional security, battling terrorism must not breach a nation's sovereignty and must be carried out with coordination with the nation's central government.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Syria. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.

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France criticizes Turkey's 'contradictory interventions' in Syria

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 12:43PM

French President Francois Hollande has criticized Turkey for expanding its military intervention in Syria, saying the action would escalate the situation in the Arab country.

Speaking to a meeting with the diplomatic corps in Paris on Tuesday, Hollande said Turkey's military attacks against Syrian Kurds, who have been fighting Daesh and other Takfiri terrorist groups in northern Syria, complicates the situation on the ground.

"These multiple, contradictory interventions carry the risk of a wider conflagration," Hollande said, calling for an "absolutely urgent" halt to fighting.

The French president said Syria "has been living a terrible tragedy for the past five years," saying escalated fighting around the northwestern city of Aleppo has created a "large-scale humanitarian catastrophe."

Hollande, however, described as "perfectly understandable" Turkey's concerns for defending itself against Daesh after a series of attacks in the country and the surging violence hitting its southern borders.

Turkey's military intervention in Syria began last week after an attack hit a wedding ceremony in the city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. Over 50 people were killed in the attack, which was blamed on Daesh.

The military operation has also targeted Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara says has links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group.

Sources in northern Syria said at least 40 civilians were killed on Sunday in Turkey's shelling and airstrikes. Ankara rejected the claims, saying its offensive targeted YPG positions that day and killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists."

Both YPG and Turkey enjoy support of the United States in the alleged fight against Daesh and other Takfiri groups in Syria. The government in Damascus is opposed to the US-backed operations, saying they violate the Arab country's sovereignty.

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Carter calls on Turkey to refrain from hitting US-backed militants

Iran Press TV

Tue Aug 30, 2016 5:26AM

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has called on the Turkish government to stop attacking US-backed factions of Kurdish militants in Syria, days after Turkey launched a military incursion into the neighboring country.

"We have called upon Turkey... to stay focused on the fight against Daesh and not to engage Syrian Defense Forces, and we've had a number of contacts over the last several days," Carter told a press briefing on Monday, mixing up the name of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The SDF, which is a coalition of Arab and Kurdish forces, has received considerable American support in the form of airstrikes and special operations forces embedded within the group.

On August 24, Turkish special forces, tanks and jets backed by planes from the US-led coalition launched their first coordinated offensive in Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the operation is aimed at "terror groups" such as Daesh and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) - a US-backed Kurdish group based in Syria.

Ankara regards the YPG and PYD as allies of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s.

The YPG, which controls nearly Syria's entire northern border with Turkey, has been fighting against Daesh.

Hours after the beginning of the operation, Turkish-backed militants seized Jarablus, with Erdogan saying that they had taken over "government and official residences" and forced Daesh out of the town.

Ankara has said its military campaign is aimed at "cleansing" the region of Daesh and preventing Kurdish forces from gaining power in the ensuing void.

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Alan Burkitt-Gray speaks to Don MacNeil, chief operating officer of GTT, about its company restructuring after coming out of Chapter 11 and its strategic roadmap for the next 12 months.
It only takes one justice out of seven to decide whether the entire Supreme Court of Virginia will hear the Heritage Preservation Associations appeal of the Danville Confederate flag case.

Any one justice can grant the rehearing, said Doug Robelen, chief deputy clerk for the court.

The Heritage Preservation Association filed a petition for a rehearing in the Virginia Supreme Court in June.

A three-judge panel of the Virginia Supreme Court on June 20 declined to hear the HPAs initial appeal of a local judges decision that upheld Danvilles removal of the Third National Confederate flag from a monument on the grounds of the Sutherlin Mansion.

Robelen said he expects the seven-justice court to consider the petition for a rehearing at the end of September. A decision on whether to hear the appeal could come by the middle of October, Robelen said.

If the court agrees to hear the appeal, the appellants  the HPA  would have 40 days to file an opening brief and the city would have 25 days to respond to the brief, Robelen said. The two sides would argue their cases before the seven justices.

If the Virginia Supreme Court decides not to grant a petition for a rehearing in Danvilles Confederate flag case, that would likely bring the matter to a close.

The HPA could appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if the state court decides against hearing it, but the chances of it making it into the high court would be small, the HPAs attorney, Kevin Martingayle, said in June.

However, there will certainly be other challenges in other parts of the state, Martingayle said. Thats why the Virginia Supreme Court should take up the case, he said in June.

In rejecting the initial appeal, the three-judge panel said it found no reversible error in the judgment of Danville Circuit Court Judge James J. Reynolds, who in October dismissed a lawsuit against the city filed by the HPA and others.

The HPA and others filed the lawsuit after Danville City Council adopted an ordinance Aug. 6, 2015, permitting only the U.S., state, city and POW/MIA flags to be flown on flagpoles owned by the city. Danville police removed the flag from the grounds of the city-owned Sutherlin Mansion just a few minutes after city councils adoption of the ordinance.

Reynolds had granted the citys motion to dismiss the HPAs lawsuit, ruling that a state law protecting monuments to wars and their veterans does not apply to the monument at the mansion. He ruled that the flag is not a memorial to the war dead, but a historical marker for the building.
Paul A. Bell, 41, of Gladys, was struck and killed by a driver of a 2002 Oldsmobile Alero on Saturday evening.

The driver fled on foot, and Virginia State Police need help identifying the person.

On Saturday at about 6:40 p.m., the vehicle was driving southbound on the 5200 block of Straightstone Road when it struck Bell as he was walking alongside the left side of the road, according to a Virginia State Police news release issued Tuesday.

The driver of the Oldsmobile Alero left the vehicle at the scene and fled on foot, the news release stated.

The Pittsylvania County sheriffs Office and the Virginia State Police Aviation Unit responded to Saturdays incident.

Bell was transported to the Gretna Medical Center where he later died, the news release stated.

Anyone with information about the driver of Alero or the traffic crash is asked to contact state police at (540) 375-9500, by dialing #77 on a cellphone or by email at Area43@vsp.virginia.gov.

The investigation remains ongoing, and the Virginia State Police Salem Division Crash Reconstruction Team and Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Just a few months from the presidential election, General Assembly Republicans are continuing their legal battle against Gov. Terry McAuliffe over his efforts to restore voting rights for more than 200,000 felons.

Republican leaders announced Wednesday that they will ask the Supreme Court of Virginia to force the governor to explain why he should not be held in contempt for his efforts to work around the court's July 22 opinion that found McAuliffe lacked the constitutional authority to restore felons' political rights en masse.

"Having been told by the highest court in the commonwealth that his process violated our Constitution, the governor has responded with dismissive rhetoric and ignored the courts ruling," said Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City County.

McAuliffe's office swiftly denounced the maneuver, saying the governor complied with the court order and calling the Republicans' ongoing legal opposition "an attempt to use the judiciary system to intimidate and disenfranchise people."

The governor announced this month that he had, for the second time, restored rights of roughly 13,000 people who registered to vote under his original April 22 order and a series of renewal orders. The governor said he was complying with the court ruling by restoring rights on an individual basis and promised to eventually restore rights to the nearly 214,000 felons under a new process. In a radio appearance Wednesday, McAuliffe said his goal to restore rights for the entire group before his term ends in January 2018.

"After a thorough legal review, it is clear that Governor McAuliffe has once again illegally suspended the Constitution of Virginia, said House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford. "There is no practical difference between his latest action and his first set of executive orders."

McAuliffe has criticized the Supreme Court decision, saying the justices who sided against him in the 4-3 opinion relied too heavily on precedent and history rather than legal text. He also suggested that the justices may have been cowed by the fact that their appointments depend on the legislature.

McAuliffe has characterized the action as an attempt to rectify a longstanding racial injustice, saying Virginia's restrictive felon disenfranchisement is rooted in efforts to suppress African-American votes. Republicans have denied that the policy has a racial dimension and have argued instead that McAuliffe is overstepping his legal authority to help his friend Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, win Virginia.

On Wednesday, McAuliffe suggested for the first time that Republicans may also be thinking about the presidential race, saying those who filed the lawsuit are "more concerned with the impact new voters could have on Donald Trump's campaign than they are with the dignity of the people whom they continue to drag through the mud."

Republicans urged the Supreme Court to take up their request forthwith, noting absentee ballots could be "made available to illegal voters" by Sept. 24. They suggested the court could hold oral arguments on the contempt motion in an upcoming session scheduled for Sept. 12 through Sept. 16.
A consumer group is demanding that the State Corporation Commission force Dominion Virginia Power to obtain approval for its $19 billion proposal to add a new nuclear reactor at its North Anna Power Station in Louisa County before spending more money on the project.

"This petition asks the commission to exercise its statutory authority to protect Virginia ratepayers from hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in expenditures for development of a wasteful and unnecessary nuclear power plant project," says the petition, filed today by the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. "North Anna 3 would be the most expensive power plant ever built in the United States and could raise customers rates by 26 percent or more according to the Virginia attorney general. While Dominion claims that North Anna 3 is needed for compliance with the federal Clean Power Plan, it would be far more costly than the low-carbon alternative of combined renewables, demand-side management and efficiency."

In its filing, the council says Dominion has already spent about $600 million on project development and preliminary construction of North Anna 3.

"While Dominion has represented to the commission that it is incurring these costs at the risk of its stockholders, the company has also stated that eventually it intends to seek recovery before the commission," the petition says. "Approximately $310 million of North Anna 3 development costs have already been charged to Virginia customers."

Dominion officials have long maintained that they haven't yet made a decision on whether to move ahead with the third reactor.

State law says that any electric utility subject to the jurisdiction of the State Corporation Commission that intends to build a new generation facility that produces more than 100 megawatts or more of electrical energy, "prior to construction or financial commitments therefor," must submit a petition to the commission.

"Prior approval of the need for, and expenditures related to, North Anna 3 is not only required by law, but constitutes sound regulatory policy," the petition says. "This review is essential to the preservation of the commissions ability to protect ratepayers from unreasonable expenditures with very large impacts on customers and the Virginia economy by monopoly utilities."

The North Anna project is included in Dominion's integrated resource plan, essentially a 15-year business forecast that the commission weighs to determine whether it is "just and reasonable," said Andrew Farmer, a spokesman for the commission. Dominion has not filed for approval of the project itself, he added.

A hearing on the resources plan, which investor-owned utilities are required to file yearly, is scheduled for Oct. 5.

Farmer said he could not comment specifically on the petition filed by the consumer group.

"The commission speaks through its orders and actions," he said. "So we received it, its been assigned a case number and its been posted to our website so its available for review pending further action."

An assemblage of environmental and consumer advocates have lined up to oppose the reactor project, arguing that its colossal cost will place unnecessary burdens on energy customers and that it will siphon away money that could go to renewable energy projects such as wind and solar. The Attorney General's Office has also urged Dominion to abandon the North Anna project, which must be approved by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a move that is expected to happen by the end of 2017 according to Dominion.

Dominion spokesman Richard Zuercher said the company has yet to make a decision on the new nuclear unit but acknowledged that Dominion has spent nearly $600 million to date on it, including about $301 million authorized by the General Assembly to be recovered from customers' pocketbooks.

"We are not barred from spending money on the project without prior approval of the SCC," Zuercher said. "We would need SCC approval to build the project and pass on prudent costs to customers."

In the past, Dominion, which already produces about 41 percent of its power from nuclear reactors at North Anna and Surry, says it needs to preserve the option to expand North Anna if the federal Clean Power Plan, which mandates reductions in carbon emissions from power plants, survives a legal challenge currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.

"We have substantially reduced spending on the potential new nuclear unit until the Clean Power Plan plays out," Zuercher said. "The company believes that all options to meet the future electrical requirements of our customers must be considered. Nuclear is a safe and reliable option that does not produce any greenhouse gases, and, if built, a new unit could operate beyond 60 years."
MARTINSVILLE-Exactly how many jobs are available in Martinsville and Henry County?

According to Chris Pope, manager of the Virginia Employment Commissions (VEC) Martinsville office there were 1,271 open positions in Martinsville and Henry County as of Monday. Thats 131 less than the estimate given at last weeks Martinsville City Council meeting.

Its not that people arent applying for the jobs. Its that more positions are coming open as others are filled. In fact, through the end of July, the Martinsville Virginia Employment Commission office had logged more hires than any other in the state. The offices program year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, he said, and their goal for this year was 600 hires. So far, they have logged 794 confirmed hires with one month to go.

Over the last 30 days alone, there were 366 job openings posted through the Virginia Workforce Connection. These include jobs like a loan documentation clerk at Carter Bank & Trust in Martinsville, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and emergency services counselor, both needed for Community Family Services in Martinsville, along with a need for multiple truck drivers at J.B. Hunt Transport. There are also multiple positions open at Alcoa. The company announced plans in June to expand its plant in Henry County and finds itself in need of a production supervisor, a maintenance manager and several other full-time positions. Eastman Chemical also has multiple job openings, including several quality assurance engineers. Other full-time positions include an opening for a cake decorator at Food Lion and a grocery sales manager at the same store. All total, more than 500 of the 1,271 positions were for full-time work. The remainder were either part-time or seasonal hires, like those offered by Radial. The company hired 50 employees in July, then put out a call for 100 more part-time workers in August. The group plans to add additional workers as the Christmas season gets going in November, to help at their distribution center.

While there are open positions, it can be hard at times to find people to fill all of them. Amanda Witt, President of the Martinsville Henry County Chamber of Commerce, said that the chamber held a job fair at the Martinsville Speedway in June. There were about 1,500 open positions advertised at that job fair. Only about 350 people showed up to put in applications.

For the number of jobs we had and the number of employers we had represented, we were definitely disappointed at the job seeker turn-out, Witt said. Some of the jobs are part-time, some may be temporary, some may be seasonal, so you will see a little bit of fluctuation (in the total number of positions). But at any given time in the last two or three years, there have definitely been several hundred full-time jobs with benefits that have been available in this community.

Searching for employees

What sorts of skills are employers looking for? The most requested skill sets, Pope said, are customer service, maintenance and mechanical, logistics and medical.

However, he said, employers are also looking for soft skills  the social skills that allow employees to interact effectively while at work  such as flexibility, interpersonal skills and problem-solving. According to local officials, those much-needed soft skills are proving difficult to find locally.

Mark Heath, President/CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), said that area employers have told him that work ethic is a big issue here.

Finding people that will show up on time. People that will stay past lunch. People that can pass a drug test, Heath said, when asked what some of the needs were. Thats one thing people dont talk about  but if you want to be in manufacturing, youre going to need to pass a drug test. Thats just a given.

Pope and Witt agreed, saying that area employers have also told them it isnt always as easy as it should be to find employees who will show up to work on time or be able to pass a drug test.

I dont think its a local problem, Pope said. I hear other office managers speak to the same challenges in other communities across the commonwealth and, Im assuming, across the country.

The manufacturers know more about this than we do, Heath said. Theyre the ones dealing with it every day. Were trying to be part of the solution  if we keep our head in the sand and dont admit that we have some issues here weve got to work on, its only going to get worse.

Witt said that the chamber is working on ways to teach soft skills in the community, and agreed that she also has heard employers speak to these issues.

We have newly-announced industries that are coming into this community, she said. We have the jobs available. Weve just got to put the people in them.

While there seems to be a popular perception in the community that employers are unwilling to train new hires  or that the educational boundaries to employment are insurmountable  the training and education is there for those willing to put in the effort, local officials agreed.

I understand it can seem daunting, Heath said. We understand that. But there are plenty of jobs out there, and the best way to get a better job is to have a job now.

Some people, Heath said, may feel like its hopeless to even try and get a better job. However, he said, the options are out there. Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) has begun offering later classes to accommodate peoples work schedules, and the Center for Advanced Film Manufacturing  a joint program between Eastman, PHCC, the EDC and New College Institute  guarantees a job interview with Eastman.

Connecting with that AFM program is as simple as visiting advancedfilm.org and clicking the Apply button to start an application.

Its just eight months before youre making money, said Lisa Lyle, EDC Director of Recruiting and Marketing. You take classes in the fall and in the spring, and then at the middle to the end of May is when the paid internship starts. Thats the last piece of the class, but youre getting paid while youre finishing it. Its on-the-job training.  And most of the students in the program actually work part-time or full-time jobs while theyre doing these classes. Some of the classes are offered at night and during the day, so theyre able to work it around their schedules.

Scholarships are another thing we think people see as a barrier, Lyle continued. It was important to us and to Eastman for the cost to not be the barrier. Students apply for federal financial aid, and if theres a gap and they still need more assistance, Eastman provides what they call the Last Mile Scholarship. Thats really key. Its hard for people to afford to go back to school.

Additionally, Lyle said, no students should be afraid that theyre too old for the program. Applicants of all ages and backgrounds are accepted.

Aside from the Center for Advanced Film Manufacturing, there are plenty of other training opportunities, according to Pope and Witt.

Weve got programs for senior workers, weve got programs for dislocated workers, programs for folks who are from lower socioeconomic brackets, Pope said. I would say there are training opportunities.

One example of this is at Patrick Henry Community College, where multiple training programs exist. On Sept. 1, for example, the school offers Testing for the Manufacturing Skill Standards, to see what skills people have and what they lack, when it comes to what manufacturers are searching for. Events like that go on throughout the semester and the college has several classes to help with different training needs. Pell Grants and other federal programs offer funding support for those who struggle to cover the cost. To get more information about Patrick Henry's programs, you can visit ph.vccs.edu. For more information on the jobs available in Martinsville and Henry County, you can visit the Virginia Workforce Connection at www.vawc.virginia.gov

If there are plenty of jobs and training opportunities available in Martinsville and Henry County, why is the popular perception the exact opposite?

Im not sure where the disconnect is, but working in this field for many years, I do know that the jobs are there, and they are all across the board, Witt said. All skill sets are represented. To say that no one will train (is untrue). There is no shortage of funding and training. If you need to fill a skills gap, there is money there to help and assist with that.

Ben Williams reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at .
Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jessie Barksdale and Danville Mayor John Gilstrap both spoke with pride and hope for the future of the region at Tuesday mornings annual State of the Region breakfast.

This annual breakfast is hosted by the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce.

We have made much progress, and we have done this together, Gilstrap said. However, continued progress is never guaranteed. Going forward, we must continue to work together as partners. If we do, we will be prepared to adapt to any change and challenge.

Parks and recreation

 Danville is in the sixth year of the River District Development Project, and in the last year, it has completed the pedestrian lane on the King Memorial Bridge to connect the walking trails on both sides of the Dan River. The city also has continued to expand the Riverwalk Trail to be 10 miles of paved trails, and opened a renovated skate park. Abreu-Grogan Park has reopened, with a new boat dock and fishing platform. Danville was also named Playful City USA, a title the city has held since 2007.

 Pittsylvania County Parks and Recreation Department has built and opened four parks at the county middle schools, which will eventually include walking trails and bathrooms as well. The Brosville Walking Track and a new ballfields project are currently in the works.

We are optimistic that over time, these accessories will change the health and wellness culture in our county, Barksdale said.

Violent crime in Danville

 Five out of the six categories for violent crime have been trending down in Danville for the last 10 years.

 The category that hasnt trended down is the homicide rate.

That makes you second-guess the statistics that show an overall downward trend in criminal activity. Our police department is working proactively, and I have full confidence in them, Gilstrap said.

Finances

 Danvilles credit rating has risen with all three agencies, which allowed the city to refinance old bonds. By refinancing, we will save nearly $1 million over the remaining life of the debt. That is great news, Gilstrap said.

 Pittsylvania Countys credit rating also was raised by one of the credit rating agencies, which allowed it to permanently refinance the high school renovation bonds at just over 2 percent interest. The county also collected more than $1.2 million in delinquent taxes in the 2016 fiscal year.

It shows responsibility as stewards of these public funds. It also shows the hard work of the countys financial departments, Barksdale said.

Industry

 British company Overfinch has chosen to locate its facility at the Cyber Park in Danville, bringing up to $8.6 million in investment and 41 jobs. The unemployment rate is down to 5.1 percent in the city. The total value of building activity in Danville in 2015 was $40.8 million. This year, there has already been $36.4 spent for building in the city. A third phase of streetscape projects has been going on Craghead Street, and the fourth phase is in development. There are currently 32 active construction projects in Danville.

 Our ability to provide an ongoing supply of precision metal workers has become the determining incentive for a company to locate here. That is why City Council, with the support of the Danville School Board, earlier this year committed the funding to start a precision machining program at George Washington High School. It is truly encouraging that students can achieve, in a relatively short timeframe, certification that industry honors, and these students can become employees earning well above median incomes, Gilstrap said.

 The county has had four economic announcements this year: Gregory Lumber will be expanding, bringing $7 million in investment; British company Overfinch will be locating in the jointly-owned Cyber Park in Danville, bringing up to $8.6 million in investment; Runk and Pratt will be building a senior living facility at the former Altavista Country Club in Hurt, bringing more than $6 million in investment and at least 60 permanent jobs to the area; and Southern Power will be building an electrical generation facility at Berry Hill Industrial Park, bringing between $250 million investment to the area. There are eight other active projects in the works, with 380 jobs associated with them. The county is also working with Hurt Brothers, LLC to potentially turn the former Klopman Mills site into the Southern Virginia Multi-modal park, which would be Virginias second inland port.

 Like many others, I am convinced that Pittsylvania County is a great place to conduct business  Pittsylvania County is finding success because of its past efforts and its current approach in industry marking, Barksdale said.

Barksdale concluded his speech by saying, Pittsylvania County, the city of Danville, the towns of Chatham, Gretna and Hurt  all have the main ingredients for future success in this region. Our location is fantastic, our infrastructure is good, and we have great schools, great communities, and a valuable workforce.
CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Aug 31, 2016) - Further to the announcement dated August 11, 2016, Bacanora Minerals Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:BCN)(AIM:BCN) ("Bacanora Canada" or the "Company"), the AIM and TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") listed lithium and borates company focussed on Mexico, announces that it has posted to shareholders a supplement to the management information circular of the Company dated July 14, 2016 (the "Supplement") convening the postponed annual and special meeting of Bacanora Canada to be held at Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP, at 1600, 421 - 7th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 4K9 on September 28, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. (Calgary time), together with an amended form of proxy for voting at the postponed meeting. Original forms of proxy sent to shareholders with the management information circular of the Company dated July 11, 2016 will not be valid for voting at the postponed meeting.

The Supplement sets out Bacanora Canada's proposed reorganisation (the "Re-Domicile") of its corporate structure, with the effect that a newly incorporated English company, Bacanora Lithium plc ("Bacanora UK"), will acquire the entire issued share capital of Bacanora Canada in exchange for new shares in Bacanora UK ("Bacanora UK Shares") and will apply for admission to trading of its Bacanora UK Shares on the AIM. Upon the admission of Bacanora UK Shares to trading on AIM, Bacanora Canada intends to delist the Bacanora Canada Shares from the TSX-V and cancel trading of the Bacanora Canada Shares on AIM.

The anticipated timetable of principal events is now as follows:

Latest date for receipt of Forms of Proxy 10:00 a.m. (Calgary time) on September 26, 2016 Annual and Special Meeting: 10:00 a.m. (Calgary time) on September 28, 2016 Final Court Approval: 2:00 p.m. (Calgary time) on October 3, 2016 Closing and Effective Date: 2:30 p.m. (Calgary time) on October 4, 2016 Admission of Bacanora UK Shares to trading on AIM: October 5, 2016 Delisting of the Bacanora Canada Shares from the TSXV and cancellation from trading on AIM: October 5, 2016

ABOUT BACANORA:

Bacanora Canada is a Canadian and London listed minerals explorer (TSX VENTURE:BCN)(AIM:BCN). The Company explores and develops industrial mineral projects, with a primary focus on lithium and borates. The Company's operations are based in Hermosillo in northern Mexico and it currently has two significant projects under development in the state of Sonora. The two main assets of Bacanora Canada are:

The Sonora Lithium Project, which consists of ten mining concession areas covering approximately 100 thousand hectares in the northeast of Sonora State. The Company, through drilling and exploration work to date, has established an Indicated Mineral Resource (in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101")) of 4.46 Mt LCE contained in 259 Mt of clay at a Li grade of 3,200 ppm and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 2.74 Mt LCE contained in 160 Mt of clay at a Li grade of 3,200 ppm.

The Magdalena Borate Project, in Sonora state, Mexico, where the Company's main borate zone, El Cajon, has an Indicated Resource (in accordance with NI 43-101) of 1.17 Mt of B2O3, at an eight percent cut-off grade. The Company has completed a number of measures to determine the geological and commercial potential of the project and is undertaking a prefeasibility exercise to determine the economic benefit of developing the mine and constructing a processing plant on site in order to become a supplier of boric acid.

Reader Advisory

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.

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 anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: commodity price volatility; general economic conditions in Canada, the United States, Mexico and globally; industry conditions, governmental regulation, including environmental regulation; unanticipated operating events or performance; failure to obtain industry partner and other third party consents and approvals, if and when required; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, capital, skilled personnel and supplies; changes in tax laws; and the other risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on 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.
Address 102 Smith St Collingwood, VIC 3066 View map Opening hours Tue-Sat 5pm-11pm; Sun 11am-11pm Features Bar, Licensed, Vegetarian friendly Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Payments eftpos, Visa, Mastercard Drinks Cocktails, craft beer, decent wine Phone 03 9078 9532

Sorry readers, we're back in Collingwood, the dining precinct that won't stop opening restaurants. We're just a few doors from the now shuttered Sugar Prawn, which lasted less than a year, a mere hop from Mamasita's soon-to-open Hotel Jesus and one army roll from Ricky and Pinky, Andrew McConnell's new Chinese gaff in the Builders Arms.

Chalawan is the latest contender, a mod-Thai restaurant in the shell of Northern Light, which was Gigibaba only a blink of an eye before that. The drink-heavy focus backed by contemporary riffs on an exotic cuisine remains. It's out with yakitori, in with Thai tartare, happily made with some pretty luxurious beef.

The swooping bulb display has gone, but the central bar remains, now sporting scales of aqua green tiles, shrouded by two-by-four scaffolding that encloses the room like a rib cage. Lights are bright, beats are loud. So far, so Collingwood.

The dangling bulbs of Northern Light have been replaced with a timber rib cage. Photo: Pat Scala

This isn't mod-Asian in the vein of Chin Chin, where its general buzz does most of the heavy lifting. Chalawan sits closer to Anchovy in Richmond where contemporary wine bar food is filtered through an Asian lens.

Behold a mainstay of 2016: two slabs of slow-braised ox tongue, sourced from Chanel-of-butchers Meatsmith, here bedded on coconut-creamed cabbage with a schmear of low-heat, high-flavour kau kling curry paste lifting it into orbit.

There are some of the usual party snacks  crisp-skinned chicken wings and deep-fried calamari, albeit served with a salted duck egg mayo  but throw your hands in the air for new players like house-made pork sausages, slightly dry, but hugely fragrant with kaffir and lemongrass, delivered with pork crackling curls and a spicy-bitter relish of young green chillies.

Caramelised banana ice-cream. Photo: Pat Scala

Or perfectly golden scallops luxuriating in a gingery tom kha broth and a so-wrong-on-paper, so-right-in-practice deep-fried son-in-law egg. Here, they've dispensed with the usual chilli jam, and instead contrast with a bright crunchy salad of cucumbers, peanuts and daikon with a tart tamarind dressing.

On the large-format front, curry sauces are the support act, letting big protein shine. Sticky braised beef cheek crests a bowl of rice noodles brightened by green curry punctuated by sweet rambutan. It's a similar story with lamb shoulder  a solid sticky hunk to shred through black rice tagliatelle, slick with a spicy turmeric-stained khao soi curry, all peppered with brined shallots. Thai-talian at its finest.

Pork belly is interesting, smoked and cured. It's like eating thick slabs of ham (including tough skin) with grilled peaches giving it a Danish Christmas vibe. The curry sauce and accompanying rice cakes eat like savoury Rice Krispies.

Deep-fried son-in-law egg. Photo: Pat Scala

Part of getting on the Chalawan bandwagon is realising this is Bangkok via Bangkok, not Brunswick. It's an all-Thai, highly enthusiastic team that sometimes miss cues or hits a language barrier, but that also goes the extra mile. It's been a long time since I've seen a wine bottle clothed in linen. And if you're cringing that they call their cocktails "croctails", know that it's for the restaurant's namesake, a diamond-toothed crocodile king, which I think we can all agree is outstanding.

More importantly, so are the drinks. A last word is a lime-forward party of gin, Chartreuse and maraschino liqueur balanced on a knife edge, packed with lime zest for kick. On tap they've got the hyper-local Barrow Boys pale ale and the hyper-cool-right-now Kona from Hawaii. It's a wholly progressive drinking experience right until they override our plantation rum order with a coconut cream liqueur.

You'll currently find it easy to get a seat. Take one and order caramelised banana ice-cream that tingles with a ghost of chilli heat. Chalawan is the most refreshing thing to open on this strip in an age. Get in while you can.

The lowdown

Smith Street's latest contender is contempo-Thai bar Chalawan, where wine bar style dishes pass through an Asian lens

Vibe: The scene is set for a party - bright lights, loud beats, good food. It just needs people

Pro Tip: Spice up your eggs with brunch service on weekends.

Go-to Dish: Ox-tongue from Meatsmith served with a coconut cabbage.

chalawan.com.au
The popularity of low and slow barbecue has skyrocketed over the last few years, and, while tobacco is out, smoking is most definitely in. Backyard smokers are becoming must-have barbecue equipment, and Father's Day is prime time for some smoking action. We asked barbecue fanatic Andrew Richardson (from bbqworkshop.com) to share some how-to tips to get the most from your smoker.

Equipment

Solid-fuelled equipment, such as smokers fuelled by wood, briquettes, or charcoal, is the essential first step. Ignore the spiels about smoking boxes and avoid contraptions that adapt to gas barbecues and supposedly emulate an offset barrel smoker. I've nothing against gas barbecues, they're fantastic for grilling and roasting, but solid fuels can't be beaten for slow and even cooking and are the best way to add smoke.

Weber consistently produces well designed and well built equipment that does the job without too many bells and whistles. In terms of low, slow cooking and smoking, I'm enamoured with the Pit Barrel Cooker, a heavy-gauge enamel-coated steel barrel. The food is hung from the top of the barbecue over the burning embers, which sit on the bottom of the barrel, close to the ground.

I can hear dads everywhere running to the tool shed muttering, "I could build that myself mate!" Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of fabricating my own stuff, but save yourself the time and the grief of finding out your creation doesn't exactly cook the way you imagined.

Which fuel is best?

There are lots of choices in solid fuels available from brand-name briquettes to charcoal and hardwoods. The briquettes tend to burn at a slightly lower temperature than household charcoal varieties but last a little longer in their cooking time. Depending on the result I want and the type of cooking I'm doing, I use a mixture of two-thirds briquettes and one-third charcoal to achieve a blistering temperature at the beginning of the cooking process and longevity as the heat slowly dissipates.

Types of smoking timbers

Smoking timbers are usually available in two varieties: chips and chunks. Chips give a quick blast of smoke, chunks have a longer, slower release. Common types readily available include hickory, maple, mesquite, apple and cherry. I use hickory 99 per cent of the time because of its gentle flavour. Mesquite can be a bit overpowering, but it's all a matter of taste. Any of the larger barbecue retail chains will carry chips and chunks. Stick to the well-known brands so you can be sure the timber is what it says it is on the pack.

To soak or not to soak?

Soak! Otherwise the chips will burn away in an instant. When the chips sink to the bottom of the container, they're ready to use. Soak the timber in water for about three to four hours prior to use.

Can I use local timbers for smoking?

I wouldn't. The easily obtainable timbers such as redgum, ironbark and mallee are much more suited to cooking the dish rather than smoking it.

Less is more

Although hot-smoking meats, fruit and vegetables can add a whole new level of flavour profile to your favourite dish, it's easy to overdo it. Usually a small handful of soaked timber will do the trick.

What can I smoke?

Cheese, cocktails, fish, tomatoes, meat, you name it. Chicken, beef, pork and lamb love smoke. Salmon, tuna, trout and even sardines work well; oilier fish is best. For something a bit sweeter, smoke seasonal fruit, such as nectarine, peach, and apple. My absolute favourite is adding some hickory flavour to pineapple; roasted whole for 30 to 40 minutes, this dessert feeds a crowd, is cheap, and tastes magnificent.

Firelighters, yes or no?

I avoid using firelighters at all costs when lighting my solid fuels. Although many are made of natural products and binders, others are constructed using petroleum products that can add a nasty aftertaste to your much anticipated dish. Readily available dedicated steel canisters filled with briquettes or charcoal, lit using a gas flame, are a better option. Light the fuel outside and, once the fuel has properly caught alight, turn the gas off and leave burning until the top ones appear whitish in colour. They are then ready to pour into your chosen barbecue equipment.
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By Staff Report

DEL RIO U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 71.5 pounds of methamphetamine at the International Bridge Aug. 27, worth an estimated $1.4 million.

Officers encountered a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck as it arrived in the United States from Mexico.

An inspection turned up packages hidden inside the bed of the vehicle. The driver, a 37-year-old man, from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for federal prosecution.

"The dedication of our frontline CBP officers kept this load of dangerous narcotics from entering our country," said Port Director Alberto D. Perez. "This seizure is a fine example of the training and experience these officers employ to keep our communities safe."
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The Tom Green County Democratic Party will host an open house from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday at their new headquarters located at 12 East Twohig Avenue. The public is invited to attend the event.

The party has not had a physical building since 2014 when they were housed on Oakes Street, said David Currie, chairman of the Tom Green County Democratic Party. The new headquarters will give local Democrats a central location where they can organize campaign efforts and communicate more efficiently, he said.

"Educating people about important issues is a year-round job," Currie said. "We needed an office that is staffed. We'd like to do more to increase voter turnout this fall and in the future. I think we can do it."
SHARE A woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries in a rollover crash Tuesday.

By Staff Report

A woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after she lost control of her Chevrolet Tahoe and flipped in the 4300 block of Loop 306 Tuesday afternoon.

The driver was traveling at an unsafe speed up the ramp from Sherwood Way to Loop 306, and with the wet road conditions she slide off the ramp, over the median and when she hit the ditch flipped over landing upside down, said officer Brian Bylsma, with the San Angelo Police Department.

She was able to crawl out of the vehicle, he said.

The driver could be cited for unsafe speed and no seat belt, Bylsma said.
Governor-for-the-day Bill Sims leaves the Texas House Chambers with wife, Sue, under the swords of the Texas A&M Ross Volunteers at the state capital in Austin in 1992.

SHARE State Sen. Bill Sims listens as a witness testifies before the Intergovernmental Relations Committee in 1985. Senator Bill Sims and Dr. Tom Reid are in the University of Texas experimental vineyards in Pecos in 1985. Senator Bill Sims at an oil well located in the Coleman water fault in Runnels County in 1983.

"He was a wonderful man and a happy warrior for West Texas," San Angelo attorney Guy Choate said of Bill Sims, who died Aug. 29 at age 84.

William McKinnie "Bill" Sims was born Jan. 27, 1932. He grew up on the Paint Rock family ranch in Concho County where historic Indian pictographs line the cliffs overlooking the Concho River.

His grandfather, Dunlap Edward Sims, lost everything in Missouri during the Civil War years. He made his first journey to Texas in 1876 looking for work and a fresh start.

Sims first established a sheep camp near Brady, but, when he traveled farther west and laid eyes on the Concho River, "that  to him  was Paradise," he told family members years later. He opened a store in Paint Rock in 1878 and immediately started buying land along the Concho River.

Bill Sims and Dorothy Sue Lowe of Sterling City were married in January, 1955. They had two children: Sue Ann Sims Setzler and Billy Lowe Sims, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Receiving a bachelor's degree in animal husbandry from Texas Tech University in 1955, Bill worked as the Extension Service agent in Howard and Irion counties for 10 years.

In 1965, when I worked for Livestock Weekly, Publisher Stanley Frank sent me to Mertzon, where I met Irion County agent Sims. He led me to the Owens Ranch at Barnhart, where I reported on an exercise program for 4-H club lambs. Sims, Buck Owens and his son, Rusty, had taught the lambs to jump hurdles.

In 1966, Bill became executive secretary of the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers' Association, a position he held for nearly 30 years. It was during those years that he took the industry's mission to heart by almost living in Austin during times when the Texas Legislature was in session and lobbying for the causes that would keep agriculture in the forefront. When I was editor of the Ranch magazine, we traveled together often.

The passion for the sheep, goat and ranching industries and his understanding of the importance of the legislative process to rural life helped Bill prepare for a campaign for state office. He was elected senator in 1983 in a state senatorial district that covered 57 and a half Texas counties, from the northern section of Bexar County to Gillespie and Mason counties, then west to El Paso County  a whopping 65,000 square miles.

He always had a positive attitude, starting at daybreak when he entered the office whistling a jubilant tune. Even when he was challenged, I never heard him talk ill of anyone. He always brought up the person's good points.

One of those times was back when construction of O.H. Ivie Reservoir was held up several years by federal officials because of the Concho water snake being classified as endangered.

At a Ballinger hearing on the alleged endangered snake, Sen. Sims said, "I want to apologize to y'all because if I could've shot well with my BB gun, you wouldn't have been here today  we would've killed every dang one of those snakes, and you wouldn't have known about it!"

Once or twice, during the many years we worked together at the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers' Association, I witnessed his despair over an issue. "Believe I'll go to Paint Rock and see my mother. She always brags on me," he smirked.

To have known Bill's mother, Ellen Hartgrove Sims, was like going home again for any of us. She treated people like relatives and insisted on serving them Dr Pepper.

Sen. Sims authored the legislation to establish the Abilene-based Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation in 1993. The pest accounted for more than $200 million worth of damaged cotton across the Lone Star State annually. Today, Texas is almost boll weevil-free.

The encroachment of noxious brush and its impact on recharge of underground aquifers became Bill's focus in 1985 when he authored Senate Bill 1083, which created the Texas Brush Control Program. To know the success of this ongoing project, a drive in the countryside will reveal piles of mesquite thickets in pastures and grass-covered ranges.

Other legislation Sims was involved with included: bovine tuberculosis, fire ant control, increased penalties for livestock theft, aerial predator control and rabies control. He also sponsored the bill reauthorizing the Texas Animal Health Commission.

"Bill knew the values of hard work and the importance of preserving our state's natural resources. He was a champion for the working men and women of Texas," said Gilberto Hinojosa, Texas Democratic Party chairman.

"Bill was a champion for West Texas, the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, and Paint Rock School. He will be missed but we are very grateful for his legacy of service," added State Representative Drew Darby.

Bill retired in 1997 after suffering a stroke.

In September, 2010, the Wool & Mohair Research Laboratory at Texas A&M's Research and Extension Center in San Angelo was named for Bill Sims, honoring his many years of work on behalf of the industry.

Burial for Sen. Sims will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 1 at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at San Angelo's First United Methodist Church.

Jerry Lackey is the agriculture editor emeritus. Contact him at jlackey@wcc.net.
Michael Gerson is a Washington Post columnist. Contact him at michaelgerson@washpost.com.

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WASHINGTON  So far, Donald Trump's outreach to African-Americans has consisted of stereotyping them as impoverished, as attending failed schools and as unemployed, and then asking what the hell they have to lose by supporting him.

If this sounds like a typically biased media summary of Trump's views, here he is: "You live in your poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs ... What the hell do you have to lose?"

Most people, it turns out, don't like being referred to as part of an undifferentiated mass of failure and despair, particularly when the assertion is wildly inaccurate (most African-Americans don't live in poverty). And this message is particularly difficult to swallow from a white guy who initially could not bring himself to repudiate David Duke, who has retweeted bogus and racist crime statistics, and whose campaign chairman ran a website that legitimizes white nationalism.

In his (very partial) defense, Trump often seems unaware that he is spouting offensive drivel. In speaking to "the blacks," Trump is Archie Bunker on an outreach tour (the youngsters should look it up). But this is part of the problem for the GOP. Archie Bunker didn't realize he was acting like Archie Bunker.

In many ways, Trump's campaign seems like a rerun of politics in the late 1960s and early 1970s. On foreign policy, the Republican nominee sometimes sounds like George McGovern's "Come Home America." In appealing to racial division and blue-collar resentment, Trump echoes George Wallace's "Stand Up for America." In placing "law and order" at the center of his campaign, Trump is channeling Richard Nixon, who played to a silent majority's fear of social disorder.

But political nostalgia can have major policy implications. For example, when Nixon employed "lock 'em up" rhetoric, only about 100 people were incarcerated per 100,000 of the population (a level that had not substantially changed since the 1920s). Now that figure is more than 700  lower than at the peak, but still the highest rate in the world.

Trump is addressing the crime issue near the end of a massive, unprecedented experiment in routine incarceration. And he seems to have no idea what he is doing, or undoing.

Trump is correct that people in poor and minority communities suffer first and most when crime is rampant and violent recidivists go free. Poor people depend on public order; wealthier people can purchase order with gates, guards and moving trucks.

But an understandable response to high crime rates has had a series of unintended consequences. Some neighborhoods feel like they are under military occupation. Mass incarceration removes large numbers of men and women from communities, then returns large numbers to communities with even worse problems and prospects  a constant churn of downward mobility. Children are hurt in countless ways when their parents are imprisoned. Young people are too easily sucked into a criminal justice system that too often recruits them into criminal careers.

The elements of our criminal justice system that are most destructive and criminogenic have become the focus of a remarkable reform movement in recent years. Steven Teles and David Dagan tell the story in their recent book, "Prison Break: Why Conservatives Turned Against Mass Incarceration."

Unexpectedly, they argue that the almost complete consolidation of Republican power in certain states has reduced the political motivation for attacking Democrats as soft on crime. Deep red states such as Texas and Georgia have taken the lead in juvenile justice reform that offers alternatives to incarceration without making the streets less safe.

Libertarians such as the Koch brothers are predictably skeptical of denying liberty, as a matter of course, to more than 2 million people at any given time. But they have been joined by religious conservatives who are prone to believe in the possibility of human redemption and influenced by the prison reform work of the late Chuck Colson.

House Speaker Paul Ryan would probably fall into both categories. "I think we need to let more people earn a second chance in life," he has argued. "Instead of locking people up, why don't we unlock their potential?"

With his misguided, simplistic and offensive rhetoric, Trump has been blowing up bridges across ideological divides for more than a year now, which may take many Republican presidential campaigns to rebuild. But this is one area  if he and his advisers are smart and willing to reverse course  that he might abandon a slogan from 1968 for a policy more suited to our time.

Michael Gerson is a Washington Post columnist. Contact him at michaelgerson@washpost.com.
The National Labor Relations Board decided in two separate cases last week that  as far as federal labor law is concerned  charter schools are not public schools but private corporations.The decisions apply only to the specific disputes from which they arose, involving unionization efforts at charter schools in New York and in Pennsylvania. But they plunge the labor board into a long-running debate over the nature of charter schools: publicly funded, privately run institutions that enroll about 3 million students nationwide.Charter school advocates have long argued that charters are public schools because they are tuition-free, open-enrollment institutions funded primarily with tax dollars. But union leaders and other critics describe charters as private entities that supplant public schools, which are run by elected officials, with nonprofit and for-profit corporations that are run by unelected boards that are unaccountable to voters.In its recent decisions, both issued Aug. 24, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Hyde Leadership Charter School in Brooklyn and the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School are  like other government contractors  private corporations that receive taxpayer dollars. In the New York case, for example, the board found that even though state law describes charter schools as existing within the public school system, the schools were not directly established by a government entity and the people who administer them are not accountable to public officials or to voters.Hyde was not established by a state or local government, and is not itself a public school, reads the boards majority opinion, signed by Democrats Kent Hirozawa and Lauren McFerran.The decisions mean that the schools employees must organize under the National Labor Relations Act, which applies to private-sector employees, rather than under state laws that apply to public-sector employees.
When the Republican presidential ticket pivoted to focus on illegal immigration this summer, Donald Trump pointed to the man who has come to embody the muscular enforcement approach of the 2000s _ massive immigration raids, unremitting warnings about the dangers posed by illegal immigrants and bold public pronouncements about enforcing the rule of law.But while Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County's six-term sheriff, has become a national touchstone to hardcore immigration enforcement advocates, he is increasingly under duress on the home front.Arpaio easily rolled over three primary challengers Tuesday in a race the Associated Press called less than half an hour after the polls closed at 8 p.m. In early returns, Arpaio had 67 percent of the vote. His closest challenger, Dan Saban, had just 26 percent.Now, a general election battle looms against a Democratic Phoenix police officer who came within 6 percentage points of the veteran sheriff in the 2012 election.Arpaio's challengers on Tuesday included a retired sheriff's deputy, the former commander of a sheriff's posse and Saban, the former police chief of Buckeye, Ariz.Based on fundraising, their chances appeared dim. Combined, all three challengers raised $85,000. Arpaio has a campaign war chest of $11.3 million he's taking into the general election.Arpaio's message hasn't changed much since his salad days of corralling groups of Latino drivers as part of immigration sweeps. But he has encountered a county, state and nation in which attitudes toward illegal immigration and immigration in general have softened since his election, but for brief spikes in anti-immigrant sentiment after Sept. 11 and during the recession.Arpaio's waning popularity corresponds with his deepening legal problems.After a protracted eight-year battle that included allegations that Arpaio tried to spy on the federal judge overseeing a civil case alleging that Arpaio profiled Latino drivers on immigration patrols, the 84-year-old sheriff now faces a criminal investigation into his conduct while the case played out.The judge determined that Arpaio had encouraged his deputies to subject Latino drivers to greater scrutiny during traffic stops than white drivers typically received. The judge ordered the sheriff to put an end to that practice of profiling.Two years later, the judge found that Arpaio had continued the practice in violation of his order. At a Houston rally in 2014, Arpaio told supporters that he had violated the order "out of spite" and had arrested 500 people.Arpaio later said in court filings that he had violated the order unknowingly.The judge, G. Murray Snow, ruled that 19 times Arpaio intentionally violated his orders to end profiling of Latinos and called Arpaio's brand of justice "unfair, partial and inequitable."The Arizona Republic newspaper's editorial board was direct in its assessment of Arpaio's fitness for office."Joe Arpaio has made a mockery of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office," the board wrote in a July 30 editorial calling for voters to pick Saban in the primary.The octogenarian who calls himself "America's toughest sheriff" survived Tuesday, but poll numbers for his November election indicate that he once again will face a tight race.An independent poll in Arizona has Democratic challenger Paul Penzone up 3 percentage points on Arpaio. When undecided voters were asked to choose one of the two, they overwhelmingly sided with Penzone."It appears that the 'toughest sheriff' in America, Joe Arpaio, is in the toughest race of his career," said Nathan Sproul, managing director of Lincoln Strategy Group, in a message accompanying the July 22 poll results."The voters may be saying it's finally time for a change. He still has plenty of time to right the ship, but needs to define Penzone quickly or it may be too late."
State attorney candidate Kenny Leigh is withdrawing from the November general election, he toldon Wednesday, assuring Melissa Nelson will be Jacksonville's new elected prosecutor.Nelson beat State Attorney Angela Corey on Tuesday in the Republican primary, but because Leigh had filed as a write-in candidate, Nelson had not technically won election yet. Now that Leigh is filing his paperwork, that has changed.Once his paperwork is certified and notice is sent to the Duval, Clay and Nassau elections supervisors, then Nelson will be the only remaining candidate for state attorney and become the elected state attorney."We appreciate the support Leigh is now offering," said Brian Hughes, Nelson's campaign manager. "We're excited Melissa can now look ahead and prepare sooner than it would've been otherwise. The Fourth Circuit is about to get a whole lot better."At first when called, Leigh said he didn't know if he was legally able to withdraw from the election, but if he couldn't that he'd be voting for Nelson instead of himself in November. "I'm voting for Melissa Nelson," he said. "I think she's going to be great."He then called back later Wednesday morning and said he was sending his withdrawal paperwork to Tallahassee."When and if the Leigh withdrawal is all signed, sealed and delivered," Hughes said, "I think Melissa would welcome the opportunity to find ways that ensure the smoothest possible transition so that the families of the Fourth Circuit get the best result. What taxpayers pay for is what they deserve."The deadline to file as a write-in candidate has already passed, and Leigh was the only remaining candidate.Corey's then-campaign manager filed Leigh's paperwork to run as a write-in candidate the same day that Nelson filed as Corey's primary opponent. Leigh filing as a write-in candidate closed the Republican primary, ensuring only Republicans could participate.Nelson won the primary with 64 percent of the vote to Corey's 26 percent. A third candidate received another 9.5 percent.
The state Senate made a rare summer return to the Capitol Tuesday, voting to confirm a former top state prosecutor to replace the convicted Kathleen G. Kane as attorney general.Bruce Beemer, a onetime top aide to Kane, was approved unanimously by the chamber, with many senators saying they had confidence that he would restore calm and credibility to an agency beleaguered by negative headlines during Kane's tumultuous tenure."It's no secret that the Attorney General's office has gone through some difficult times over the last year or two," Beemer, a 47-year-old Allegheny County Democrat, told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee shortly before the floor vote. " ... I will endeavor to restore a sense of honor and integrity to the office. We have struggled with that over the last couple of years."He was sworn in by Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor during a private ceremony in Gov. Tom Wolf's reception room, Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan said.Beemer's confirmation ended the short tenure of Bruce L. Castor Jr. as the agency's acting chief. It was not immediately clear if Beemer would ask Castor, a former Montgomery County commissioner and district attorney hired by Kane in March, to stay on.Castor became the acting attorney general when Kane resigned this month after a jury found her guilty of abusing her office. She was convicted of leaking secret grand jury information in a bid to discredit a former state prosecutor with whom she was feuding, and later lying about it under oath.Kane's four-year term expires in January. Voters in November will elect a new attorney general.In his short tenure, Beemer will face many difficult decisions.Out of the gate, Beemer will have to deal with the continuing fallout from the long-running pornographic email scandal that exploded under Kane's tenure.Late last year she hired a special prosecutor, Douglas Gansler, to complete an extensive review of emails she said she discovered on her office's computer servers. The email traffic included pornography, offensive jokes and other inappropriate material that had been swapped by prosecutors, judges and others. Gansler, Maryland's former attorney general, completed the report last week. He sent notices to hundreds of state employees and others whose emails he flagged in his review, asking them to respond.The report's public release has been delayed after concerns were raised that Gansler had not given many people named in the report _ those he deemed as having sent fewer than 50 emails _ copies of their messages so that they could respond appropriately.It now falls to Beemer to deal with how to proceed.He will also have to decide whether to keep some of Kane's more controversial hires.Among them is Jonathan Duecker, Kane's onetime chief of staff, who remains employed despite accusations by two female employees that he had made unwanted sexual advances toward them. Kane's own human resources department had recommended firing him.Also among them is Kane's onetime driver, Patrick Reese, who was accused of illegally spying on colleagues' emails and convicted and sentenced to prison for criminal contempt.While he appeals the verdict, Kane has allowed Reese to keep his $99,658-a-year position despite an internal policy that calls for the suspension of employees charged with crimes involving their official duties.Beemer, who has worked for two decades as a state and county prosecutor, was a key witness against Kane in the trial. She was convicted of two felony counts of perjury and seven misdemeanor counts of abusing the power of her office. The day after her conviction, she announced her resignation.Beemer served as Kane's second-in-command until July, when Wolf named him Pennsylvania's inspector general, a post in which he investigates wrongdoing or wasteful spending by government employees.
Storm preparations

Tropical Storm Hermine will bring heavy rain and gusty winds to Central Florida through Friday as the storm continues to strengthen and shift to the northeast.Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for 51 counties Wednesday morning even before the depression became a named tropical storm.All of Central Florida was included in Scott's declaration.As of 11 p.m., Hermine was 315 miles west-southwest of Tampa, moving north at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and higher wind gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center.Over a three-hour period Wednesday night, Hermine moved 15 miles closer to Tampa.Tropical storm winds are extending outward about 125 miles, "mainly to the east and southeast," according to the center.The Hurricane Center said it predicts "steady intensification" during the next 24 hours.Forecasters expect Hermine to make landfall Thursday night as a hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida, cross the state into southeastern Georgia and then continue up the east coast. One of the biggest concerns is storm surge, with warnings of water as high as 6 feet near Indian Pass during high tide.A hurricane watch is in effect from near Tarpon Springs to Destin.Jessie Smith, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne, said the biggest threats to Central Florida will be gusty winds and heavy rain. Most of the area can expect 2 to 5 inches of rain through Friday, with locally higher amounts, she said.There also is a chance for tornadoes Thursday night into Friday as strong squalls move through, she said."If there's anything unsecured in your yard that could be projectiles, go ahead and secure those things," she said.Localized flooding is possible, Smith said, but for most of Central Florida, it will be "much needed rain" after an abnormally dry summer.Most Central Florida counties are offering free sandbags for residents concerned about flooding, and many local emergency management offices say they're closely monitoring the system for any threats.John Mulhall, spokesman for the Orange County Office of Emergency Management, said officials have been in frequent contact with forecasters. And although the storm isn't expected to directly hit Orange County, he said now is a good time to make sure residents are prepared."This is the wake-up call," he said. "The storm is probably just going to pass by us. This is a good time to do that check back to June when you said, 'Hey I'll get around to making those preparations.'"Otherwise, he said, the storm shouldn't be a problem for most Orange County residents."Everything is pretty much business as usual, just preparing for a rain event," he said.Things looked different Wednesday in Tallahassee, which is under a tropical storm warning.Ed Wilson was at Winthrop Park in Tallahassee, shoveling dirt into bags to protect his home from flooding. A 10-year resident, he said he doesn't expect the storm to match the destruction of the 2004-2005 hurricane season, but he still was stocking up on water and gas."I live on a hill, so the water comes down," Wilson said. "I've got a couple of areas at my house that flood out, so I want to be prepared and get ready."Bill Burke, another capital city resident, said he's been following the storm for a week, ever since it popped up below the Florida Keys."We took the generator out, ran some gas through it to make sure it was running," Burke said.After the preparations are done, though, there's little else to do but wait and hope."We'll go out and say a prayer over our big trees and tell them to hang in there," Burke said.The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday announced the closure of six state trial courts along the northern Gulf Coast because of the threat from Tropical Storm Hermine. Courthouses in Dixie, Lafayette and Taylor counties are shuttering half of Thursday and all of Friday. Courthouses in Gilchrist, Gulf and Levy counties will close on Thursday.
One way or another, the legality of Waller County's courthouse gun ban is heading to court.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit Tuesday against the county outside Houston over its decision to ban firearms in the entirety of its main court facility. Last month, the county sued the person who filed the complaint that led to Paxton's action.The lawsuits mean that Waller County -- which houses non-court offices in its courthouse -- could resolve the lingering debate over what kind of gun bans that state law allows in court buildings.Local officials, pointing to legislative history, have said state law allows guns to be prohibited in the whole of buildings that house courts. Gun-rights advocates, however, have said the law should be interpreted to cover just the parts of the buildings where there are courts and court offices.Paxton, a Republican, has left little doubt about where he stands."A local government cannot be allowed to flout Texas' licensed carry laws, or any state law, simply because it disagrees with the law or doesn't feel like honoring it," he said in a written statement.Paxton filed suit under a new state law that allows Texans to challenge the "no guns" policies offered by cities, counties and other government entities. The measure toughened a 2003 law that said gun license holders can carry at most property "owned or leased by a governmental entity."Under the law, the attorney general is tasked with investigating any complaints and deciding whether to pursue legal action.Though a carve-out in state law outlaws guns at the "premises of any government court or offices utilized by the court," the courthouse has emerged as an unlikely battleground over gun rights. The debate, in short, centers on the significance of the word "premises."Faced with complaints over court gun policies, entities such as Dallas County have backed down. Others, such as the city of Austin, have remained steadfast in the face of legal action by Paxton. And then there is Waller County.Rather than wait on the complaint process, Waller County pre-emptively sued the man who complained about their court policy: Terry Holcomb of Texas Carry, a gun-rights group.The lawsuit seeks a declaratory judgment over who's right about the legality of the courthouse gun ban. The suit also seeks up to $100,000 in damages, though county District Attorney Elton Mathis told The Associated Press that the county wouldn't pursue monetary damages."The issue really needs to be put to bed," Mathis told The Dallas Morning News this month.The county's lawsuit stirred a new controversy, with Waller County Judge Trey Duhon telling the Los Angeles Times that he has since received death threats.Mathis, the district attorney, said Tuesday that he had not yet received the lawsuit from the state. But he said they were ready to submit, in response, a motion for summary judgment to the court to "rule on who is correct.""Hope to have the issue resolved soon," he said in an email.
On Tuesday, in the afternoon, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey met Ms Yoko Shoji, Director, Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, and Museum representatives.

Following, at Saitama Childrens Medical Center, Saitama, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey toured facilities and received a briefing, including on the Hospitals partnerships with Queensland institutions, from representatives of the Hospital and the Saitama Prefectural Government.

In the afternoon, at the Saitama Governors Residence, Saitama, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey called upon, and were hosted to dinner by, His Excellency Mr Kiyoshi Ueda, Governor of Saitama Prefecture, and Mr Ejiiro Miyazaki, Speaker of Saitama Prefectural Government, representatives of the Prefecture of Saitama with which Queensland has a Sister State relationship.
Description

GIS - 31 August, 2016: Mauritius is hosting from 1 to 3 September 2016 the African Ministerial Conference on Ocean Economies and Climate Change which will be held at Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa in Balaclava. The conference, organised by the Government of Mauritius and the World Bank, will bring together African countries, development partners, the private sector, scientists, thought leaders, civil society, academia, media and communities whose everyday lives depend on healthy oceans. Mauritius is hosting from 1 to 3 September 2016 the African Ministerial Conference on Ocean Economies and Climate Change which will be held at Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa in Balaclava. The conference, organised by the Government of Mauritius and the World Bank, will bring together African countries, development partners, the private sector, scientists, thought leaders, civil society, academia, media and communities whose everyday lives depend on healthy oceans.

The opening ceremony will be held on 1st September 2016 and the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, will deliver the keynote address. The conference will create a platform for engagement about what it takes to harness the full potential of the blue economy in a changing climate, and is expected to help participants strategise priorities regarding the ocean economy, based on potential benefits, technical and economic feasibility, and environmental sustainability.

The objective is two-fold: to position Mauritius as an international centre of ocean economic forum, attract African leaders as well as institutional investors and donors in the area of ocean economy and climate change; and to announce an African Oceans Finance Package for the benefit of countries in the Africa region.

The conference will provide the initial platform to bring an African Package to the COP 22 in Marrakesh, Morocco in November 2016 and help deliver transformational investment packages for these ocean-relates action areas for Africa as part of a broader global ocean action agenda.

Several themes will be the agenda, namely: Small Islands Developing States; Coastal African Countries; Enabling the Sustainable Ocean Economy; Making climate-smart ocean economies happen: Public and private sector perspectives; Shark Tank: Climate-smart ocean economy projects in Mauritius.

Oceans - Drivers for growth and prosperity

About one third (31%) of Africas population lives on the coast, where the oceans are drivers for growth and prosperity. They provide jobs, food security and remain an important source of leisure and spiritual value. Yet, oceans - a tremendous resource for Africa when used in a sustainable way - are currently under threat. One of the biggest challenges to coastal and marine systems is climate change, which is already affecting many countries in Africa especially the poor.
(TNS) -- Entrepreneurial activity in Maine declined significantly in 2015, according to a report issued Friday by entrepreneurship advocacy group the Kauffman Foundation.Maine fell four places to land at 20th among the 25 smaller states in the latest Kauffman Index, an annual report that measures startup business activity. Maine tied with Vermont and Utah for largest year-over-year decline in ranking among smaller states.The report divides the nation into the 25 larger and smaller states for purposes of analysis. To develop its rankings, Kauffman examined three factors: the rate of new entrepreneurs, the opportunity share of new entrepreneurs, and startup density.The rate of entrepreneurs is measured by the number of people starting businesses per month out of every 100,000 adults in a given state.The opportunity share of new entrepreneurs gauges the percentage of entrepreneurs who already were employed but started a business because they saw opportunity in a particular industry.Startup density measures the number of startups (new businesses) per 1,000 employers in a given state. It only counts businesses that employ at least one person besides the companys owner.In Maine, the rate of new entrepreneurs remained flat from 2014 to 2015 at 0.29 percent (rates ranged from 0.18 percent to 0.50 percent). In other words, an average of 290 Mainers started a business each month out of every 100,000 residents in both 2014 and 2015.The areas in which Maine declined in 2015 were opportunity share and startup density.In 2015, the opportunity share of new entrepreneurs was 77.68 percent, down from 80.43 percent in 2014 (percentages ranged from 71.32 percent to 90.84 percent). In other words, the share of new businesses started by entrepreneurs who already had jobs fell by about 3.4 percent.Maines startup density fell from an average of 64.2 startups per 1,000 employers in 2014 to 60.7 startups per 1,000 employers in 2015, a drop of 5.5 percent. Rates in this category ranged from 51.1 to 107.4.Promoters of Maines entrepreneurial community have long argued that studies such as the one conducted by Kauffman fail to capture a significant chunk of Maines startup activity because so many of the states startups are one-person operations.Still, some entrepreneurs in Maine noted that Kauffmans apples-to-apples comparison between 2014 and 2015 still reveals a disturbing decline in entrepreneurial activity in Maine during a period of general economic recovery.Sam Kelley, a serial entrepreneur and owner of MBI Trailers in Scarborough, questioned the effectiveness of the many organizations promoting entrepreneurship in Maine after reading the Kauffman report. Kelley said Maines declining numbers are proof that a more coordinated effort is needed to encourage startup formation and help new businesses thrive.There are (dozens of) different organizations working on exactly this thing, just in Portland alone, but they dont work together on anything, he said. It just doesnt seem to be working.In 2015, Maine outperformed only Kentucky, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire and West Virginia on the list of smaller states.The five top-ranked smaller states were Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Alaska. Among the larger states, the top five were Texas, Florida, California, New York and Colorado, while the bottom five were Minnesota, Indiana, Alabama, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.Bryan Whitney, president of the Maine Technology Institute, which offers grants and other assistance to startups in Maine, said he is not overly concerned about the Kauffman Index report. He said that while it measures startup formation, the real growth in Maines entrepreneurial sector has been with existing startups that have experienced job and revenue growth.Whitney also mentioned several positive developments in Maine that he said will help promote and fund startups even further, including a three-year investment from pro-startup nonprofit the Blackstone Foundation that has allowed MTI to create Maine Accelerates Growth, a collaborative and complementary network of organizational partners who are working together to achieve a vision of accelerating the growth of companies, communities and talent.Despite Kauffmans numbers, I know well that there is great momentum in Maines startup community as evidenced by record numbers of MTI funding applications from entrepreneurs across Maine, Whitney said.
The Path to Government IT Leadership

LOS ANGELES  Los Angeles CIO Ted Ross, who also serves as general manager of the city's Information Technology Agency, kicked off his citys Digital Government Summit* on Tuesday, Aug. 30, by advising the more than 500 attendees to be guided in their pursuits by their north star. Ross north star is the people  the nearly 4 million residents of Californias largest city. The three principles at the center of IT, according to Ross, are that it is responsive, responsible and excellent.As government, we are delivering digital tools and capabilities to people so that they can live healthy lives, they can earn a living, they can raise a family, they can simply pursue happiness, he said.On the agenda at the two-day event are a variety of government-facing sessions featuring public-sector and industry representatives, sharing best practices around common challenges, including open data, fostering a culture of innovation, cybersecurity, and disruptive technologies like the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence A handful of IT pros in government offered their take on the best mix of skills to have to be successful in getting and keeping a CIO job. Jeramy Gray, now CIO of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorders Office, recalled a valuable lesson gleaned from his first IT position, one in which his boss was not in IT, but rather had an administrative/finance role. Making the pitch for a 311 call center at an important meeting, Gray peppered his speech to decision-makers with technical acronyms, completely losing his audience in the process. All follow-up questions were directed to his manager, not him. Lesson learned? Its not just about the technology  successful CIOs must be able to translate tech benefits to a non-technical audience.I needed to understand the language of finance managers, HR [Human Resources] directors, individuals from the public " he said. "I needed to be diverse and dynamic with the way that I communicated, and it needed to be audience-appropriate."Other panelists added that there are two distinct parts of the job: high-level visionary and tactical expert. Benny Chacko, CIO of the Los Angeles County Probation Department, explained that in addition to being the key IT strategist, youre just as likely to field password and monitor questions.Youre supposed to be the visionary and the strategic person, and thats a lot of the description of the job when you sign up  but your day varies from the beginning, Chacko said. It requires a lot of broad experience in various technologies, because you dont have to be an expert in everything, but you have to have enough knowledge to make decisions quickly, be decisive and help move the organization forward.Ross agreed, adding that an important part of the CIOs job is to help ensure the IT organization as a whole is more effective than its individual components. It goes from tactical to strategic all day long," Ross said, "but what you can uniquely do as a CIO is to be able to push a tech strategy.Los Angeles Deputy CIO Joyce Edson talked about the importance of getting IT staff to engage in more strategic thinking. As tech people, we tend to be very into the details, and thats important, she said, noting that its also important to develop a big picture view, especially for those who aspire to the CIO job someday. The thing is to be able to inspire people to come up and look at the broader picture," she added, "not just focus on the technology."Government Technology
WASHINGTON, D.C.  Cyberattacks are hitting U.S. businesses and governments in multiple ways, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is stepping up efforts to detect and deter the growing problem, said FBI Director James Comey.Comey made his remarks Tuesday, Aug. 30, just as his agency warned state election officials across the country to be on guard against hackers after the breach of a voter information database in Illinois and an attempted attack in Arizona Speaking at the Symantec Government Symposium, Comey labeled todays hackers and data thieves as increasingly sophisticated and often part of a multinational or foreign state supported effort to breach information and databases. Many of these threats are from criminals with inside information harvested from social media, he said.Comey did not comment directly on the election hacking attempts, but said that highest level of cyberthreats today are state-supported, and the biggest players include China, Russia and North Korea.Next down in the threat stack are the multinational criminal syndicates, followed by purveyors of ransomware, which is spreading like a virus, he said. Further down the list are the so-called hacktivists, who arent interested in profit, but in embarrassing institutions and governments through leaking sensitive data.Surprisingly, Comey listed terrorists as the weakest cyberthreat tracked by the FBI. He explained that terrorists are proficient at disseminating their messages to the public around the clock, but have yet to turn their attention toward computers as a target for terrorism.To battle against the rising tide of cybercrime, the FBI has established cyberthreat teams around the country that take on threats based on their ability to counteract to specific kinds of criminal activity. Comey said the program has a created a healthy competition among teams to handle certain types of intrusions, extortions and breaches. In addition, the bureau has a Cyber Action Team that is ready to fly into a hotspot and respond at any time. The FBI also works closely with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and national intelligence, as well as foreign partners to deter and, when possible, incapacitate the bad boys, he said.Like other government agencies, the FBI struggles to find information security talent willing to work for government pay. The director also said that working with state and local government has become increasingly important as cybercrime continues to grow. We cant help with every problem [faced by states and localities], but we can provide training and equipment, he said.Perhaps the most controversial remarks focused on privacy and encryption, or what Comey termed: going dark. This is our inability to use judicial authority to get access to data on a device, he said. Strong encryption is making more and more of the room going dark. In three years, post Snowden, through default encryption, that shadow is spreading through the room.A growing number of technology firms, most notably Apple, have introduced devices that encrypt data that not even the companies themselves can access. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies say the devices have become warrant-proof spaces for criminals.The FBI has received 5,000 devices from state and local government agencies requesting help with decrypting them, Comey said, adding that the bureau was unable to open several hundred. With probable cause, he added, law enforcement has always been able to access an individuals personal property, including communications, such as correspondence.But there is no such thing as absolute privacy," he said. "Widespread default encryption changes that bargain. We have never lived with absolute privacy, and default encryption impacts our ability to go after criminals and national security. Tools are becoming less effective because we are going dark.Comey called for a national conversation about the problem, saying an individuals absolute control of data is not acceptable.But having that talk might not be easy. Nuala OConnor, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, spoke after Comey and strongly disagreed with his views on encryption.I dont agree with FBI Director Comey on dark room encryption, she said. The FBI wants to have the master key to the problem. Thats not right.
F1 looks set to embark on a second consecutive 21-race voyage around the world in 2017.

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport claims next year's schedule will match the current, record-setting number of races, with the first of 21 grands prix taking place on March 26 in Melbourne.

The report said that while rumours of races in Las Vegas, South Africa, France, Imola and others are flying about, there will be in fact be no new events in 2017.

"The first one will be 26 March," one team boss confirmed. "And a week later we'll be in Shanghai."

Other than that, the calendar will look very similar to this year's, with even Hockenheim expected to host a consecutive race and therefore safeguard the future of the German GP for now.

It has been claimed Ecclestone is even stepping in as a semi-promoter of the German round, as other hosts also struggle to pay race fees in excess of $20 million.

Monza, Russia, Brazil, Silverstone, Montreal and even the highly-popular night race in Singapore are said to also be struggling with their current fees.

Auto Motor und Sport said the FIA's World Motor Sport Council is expected to publish the draft 2017 calendar after its next meeting in Paris late next month.

The dates for pre-season testing are reportedly not yet set.

(GMM)
A new F1 race deal for historic Monza is finally ready to be signed and announced.

That is the claim of the local Il Cittadino newspaper, reporting impending news that will end a long-running saga regarding the future of the Italian grand prix.

"It could be Friday or Saturday," a source said, referring to this weekend's race at the fabled Autodromo Nazionale.

The report said a new three-year deal has now been agreed, which will be signed "when (Bernie) Ecclestone and (Italian automobile club president) Angelo Sticchi Damiani" get together, the source added.

Pierlorenzo Zanchi, the new president of the race promoter Sias, is also not denying the reports.

"It (the announcement) will be done before the day of the race, because it is right to highlight and emphasise such important news," he said.

Zanchi insisted he is not worried that legal action taken recently by alternative race host Imola will spoil the announcement at the last moment.

"I do not even consider this possibility," he said. "I would like to see a judge take a risk like that, two days before the contract is signed."

The Italian news agency Ansa quoted F1 supremo Ecclestone as saying he would now be "surprised" if a new deal with Monza is not done.

(GMM)
WINSTON-SALEM  Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence hammered Hillary Clinton on her email server woes and painted the election as critical for the future of the U.S. Supreme Court in a campaign stop here Tuesday at the Millenium Center downtown.

See a video of Pence's speech below story.

It was Pences first return to Winston-Salem since he and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump came to the Fairgrounds Annex just days after the GOP convention in July.

The stop once more highlighted the importance of North Carolina as a swing state that Trump and Pence would like to pocket en route to the November general election.

Were going to elect a president for the next four years, but this election will probably define the Supreme Court of the United States for the next 40 years, Pence said. If you cherish the Constitution of the United States, if you cherish those God-given liberties that are enshrined in our Bill of Rights, and if you believe that the role of the court is to uphold the Constitution... and not legislate from the bench, you better think very hard about it.

Clinton would appoint judges who would use unaccountable power to make unconstitutional decisions, Pence maintained.

The crowd of a couple hundred or so wasnt as boisterous as in a typical Trump rally, but Pence roused them a number of times nonetheless, particularly when blasting Clinton for using an unprotected email server while she was secretary of state in the Obama administration.

Im starting to feel some Clinton corruption fatigue, Pence said, provoking responses of Lock her up! that echoed a chant heard often at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Pence faulted Clinton for emails showing meetings with Clinton Foundation donors, and said it showed a kind of pay to play politics that Trump will bring to a crashing halt if he is elected.

Among the listeners was Jim McCuiston, who said he had last voted in 1968 when Richard Nixon had promised a quick end to the Vietnam War during his first winning campaign for president. Nixon took three more years to end the war, McCuiston said, and thats why he hasnt voted since then.

Now, he said, hes strongly for Trump:

When Hillary Clinton started running, I registered to vote against her, McCuiston said. I send Donald Trump $100 the first of the month, every month.

But Jillian Summers, a New York Republican working here in the banking industry, said that shes still undecided on Trump and that the Pence rally didnt change that:

I would like to believe what Trump is saying because it will positively affect my industry with decreasing regulation, but I dont necessarily know if that is what he is going to do, she said. As she left the rally she carried a Make America Great sign and sported a Trump sticker on her shirt, but said she is very indifferent on Trump.

Forsyth GOP chairman Mark Baker said the part of Pences speech he liked best was when Pence said Trump would repeal Obama administration regulations and executive orders, and would be getting the American economy growing.

Linda Petrou, the vice chairman of the local GOP, liked it when Pence called on the crowd to acknowledge with applause the public service of the police officers present.

I liked his message of change, Petrou said in a text message. He talked about small businesses and how they need help with regulatory reform. I liked his focus on law and order, and that we needed to move away from what the establishment (wants) and toward what the people want.

Speakers during the event included Lida Hayes, a local businesswoman, and GOP candidates Ted Budd and Buck Newton. Budd is a Davie County gun shop owner who won the GOP nomination for the 13th Congressional District, which includes Davie and Davidson counties, most of Iredell County and a part of Guilford County.

Newton, a GOP state senator from Wilson, is the GOP nominee for state attorney general.
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GREENWICH  Savannah Strong was on the hamster wheel.

She graduated near the top of her class at Greenwich Academy in 2011, attended Princeton University and got a job at a good advertising agency in Virginia right out of college.

By many definitions, she was on the path to success. But for her, it wasnt right.

Strong thought of her friends who were teachers, their stories, the joy their students brought them, the sense of accomplishment they felt at the progress they made.

She decided she had to go back to the classroom and just a few months later, she had a new job  at her old stomping grounds, Greenwich Academy.

To read more, click here or below.

https://myaccount.greenwichtime.com
Really radical. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

New Jersey fast-food workers who got warm fuzzies when their state introduced a bill similar to New Yorks living wage have had those hopes dashed by their governor. Chris Christie vetoed a bill yesterday that would have made Jersey one of only three states with a $15 minimum wage on the books. He called the measure really radical, arguing it was a complete pander to folks who are uninformed because they neither receive the minimum wage or pay it. Though whats more radical might be his position, since even the right-of-center New Jersey Business & Industry Association objected to the speed of the bills raise (too much too fast), not the idea of it.

Jerseys minimum wage is currently $8.38. Because it increases when the consumer price index does, it didnt go up in 2016. Democrats who backed the bill say plan B is to sidestep Christie, and let voters decide directly by placing the measure on next years fall ballot. Political observers believe voter approval is likely, because the idea of a living wage polls very well statewide.



Christie is already warning that if that happens, the way of the future will be a New Jersey crawling with fast-food chains and grocery stores that use robots and automated kiosks. All of this sounds great, raising the minimum wage, when youre spending someone elses money, he said at a press conference inside a supermarket yesterday, but it should bother people because when you come into [the store] your food is going to be more expensive. In the meantime, Christie vows hell continue to educate the public on this issue.
Today at IFA Lenovo has finally announced the Moto Z Play, the third member in the Moto Z family - of which the first two have been outed back in June. Unlike the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, the Moto Z Play comes with mid-range specs, but like its high-end siblings it is compatible with MotoMods accessories.

Its design is very similar to that of the Z and Z Force, except for the fact that the Z Play's back isn't made out of metal. Instead, glass is used, so beware of fingerprints. The two glass panels on the front and the back are attached to a metal frame however. And the water-repellent nanocoating is present this time around too.



Moto Z Play official images

The connectors for the MotoMods are clearly visible on the lower side of the phone's rear, while its camera hump is pretty substantial too - but that's intentional, so that you can easily attach each MotoMod. But perhaps the main hardware feature in this day and age is the 3.5mm headset jack on the bottom - yes, the Z Play has not gone the route of the Z and Z Force in this regard and opted to keep the legacy port around.

The Moto Z Play comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED touchscreen, a 16 MP main camera with laser autofocus, and a 5 MP wide-angle selfie shooter with a LED flash of its own. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, which has a 2 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU. The phone boasts 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage, all the usual connectivity options, and a 3,510 mAh battery that should be enough for "50 hours" of use according to Lenovo. The Z Play runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.

It will be out globally in September priced at 499. As we revealed yesterday, in the US Verizon will sell a Droid-branded version of the Moto Z Play, which will be priced at $408 or 24 monthly payments of $17. This model will be available on September 8.
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So far the Moto Z and Moto Z Force have both been exclusive to Verizon in the US, but back when they were first announced we were promised an unlocked version of the former would hit the States at some point. And now we know when to expect that.

It turns out that both the Moto Z and the just-announced Moto Z Play will be available in unlocked form in the US in October. Pre-orders for this version of the Moto Z will start on September 15.

The unlocked Moto Z will be sold directly by Motorola for $699.99 and it will not work with CDMA carriers such as Verizon and Sprint. The unlocked Moto Z Play will go for $449.99. In both cases, the prices are higher than what Verizon is charging - $624 for the Z and $408 for the Z Play. But apparently that's the price you need to pay if you want a Z-series device and can't stand the carrier nicknamed Big Red.

Source | Via




Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Documenting 112,000 Haitians in DR before the end of October ?

Tuesday, Pierrot Delienne, the Foreign Minister confirmed to the new Dominican Chancellor Miguel Vargas Maldonado on official visit to Haiti, that the Haitian Government, will document no later than the third week of October 2016, nearly 112,000 Haitians living in the Dominican Republic registered at the National Plan for Regularization of Foreigners (PNRE), so they can complete and regularize their immigration status.



PM abroad for medical reasons

Sufferinghigh blood pressure, Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles left the country Tuesday, August 30, to go abroad for a medical appointment.



Jude Celestin launches his campaign

Jude Celestin, the candidate for the presidency under the banner of "Alternative League for Progress and the Haitian Empowerment" (LAPEH) will officially open his campaign on Wednesday August 31 in Arcahaie, the city of the flag. The party confirms that his candidate will receive the support of several former members of the G8 that decided to abandon their candidacy to team up with him.



Youri Latortue disagree with CEP

Sen. Youri Latortue expressed his disagreement with CEP's decision to reduce the number of voting centers and polling stations. According to him, this could have serious implications on the success of the election day on October 9. He invited the electoral advisers to reconsider their decision.



Arrival of a batch of electoral material

On Monday, a large batch of non-sensitive electoral materials for the elections of October 9, arrived at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport: 30.736 booths and 30.764 bottles of indelible ink. Tuesday evening arrived 10.331 electoral kits. Other electoral kits are expected between August 31 and September 8.



7,773 candidates pass the exams

The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has already registered 6,410 community observers (40% completed) for the election of 9 October; 114.485 representatives are registered at a few hours of the end of the process. Of the 9.254 registered supervisors, 7,773 were admitted to pass the exams of the competition empowering them to exercise their role in Polling Station. In addition, the CEP announced two days of additional training for major electoral trainers.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby.

06:00, 29 OCT 2022
The health of Australian employees is suffering at the hands of added work pressures, says research commissioned by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA).



The study surveyed more than 2,000 Australian adults and was released to launch the annual Steptember campaign. It found that more than half (54%) of respondents said workplace pressures prevented them from exercising.



This effect flowed on into other areas with 20% of respondents never taking a lunch break and 43% spending six or seven hours per day at their desk or in meetings.



Adding to the issue, the study also found that only 14% of those surveyed had access to health-related activities through work.



HC talked to Frank Sedmak, general manager of people and culture at CPA, about where this problem stems from and what HR can do.



An increased focus on productivity in the late 80s and early 90s was one of the main workplace reasons behind this move away from a healthy work culture, he said.



Our work culture has increased our productivity levels. The flip side is that people probably arent exercising as much. They havent got as much time during the day. Then after hours when they come home, the motivation to exercise isnt there because theyre working those long hours.



This can cause workers to become stuck in an unhealthy cycle where exhaustion from working long hours and an unwillingness to exercise compound each other. HR has a crucial role in breaking this sequence of events, Sedmak said.



For HR, its really important to get the message across to the key decision-makers in the organisation that not encouraging people to have a good break at lunch and to have regular breaks during the day is a false economy.



An employee who is really healthy will always have good productivity rates. Theyll work at a better pace, will get through more work, and will think more clearly. They will also take less time off. So a healthy work culture and a healthy employee will maintain or increase productivity.



Sedmak said one way for HR to create a healthier workplace is through the Steptember campaign  an annual fundraising initiative by the CPA. In this program, participants join teams and are encouraged to hit a daily target of 10,000 steps per day.



Its an easy platform for an HR practitioner to grab a hold of and introduce this change of culture. Everythings done for them. Just get people on board and away you go.



As spokesperson for the Steptember campaign, Sedmak said the initiative brings a cooperative element into a workplaces health and wellness campaign as team members encourage each other to meet their daily targets.



Over the years that this has been running within the CPA, it has had an impact on our employees lives. When Steptember finishes, theyve still got their pedometers on in November, December and January.



Its a really great entree for people who may have fallen into a work culture where they were having their lunch at their desk and not going out.



Sedmak encouraged people to be creative when striving to reach their daily targets. He gave the following examples of how to add more steps to your daily work routine:
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Luke Collier, an organiser from the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), has been convicted after attempting to bully a government building inspector.



Magistrate Megan Greenwood described Colliers behaviour as cowardly, bullying, disgusting and disgraceful after the union representative confronted a Fair Work Building and Construction inspector during a union blockade at Sydneys Barangaroo in 2014.



During the confrontation, Collier played the song Who Let the Dogs Out through his megaphone, the Sydney Magistrates Court heard.



The inspector said Collier referred to him as a f***ing grub and lower than a f***ing paedophile. He also broadcast his mobile phone number to other workers, saying Why dont you give him a call and tell him what you think?



Collier then asked the inspector directly, Do you think your phone numbers the only thing Ive got? the court heard.



This statement was meant to intimidate, Greenwood found.



Collier was convicted  without the court passing sentence  and was ordered to pay a $1,000 penalty. He was also placed on a two-year good behaviour bond.



However, Greenwood dismissed two more charges  one of common assault and another for intimidating a female inspector  which were laid against Collier. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP), which initiated the case, is considering appealing these dismissals.



Fair Work Building and Construction director Nigel Hadgkiss criticised Colliers behaviour during the 2014 incident.



Luke Colliers conduct towards our investigators who were simply going about their lawful duties was simply reprehensible and rightfully resulted in yet another conviction being recorded against his name, he told HC.



He also slammed the union for continuing to hire Collier at its WA branch.



Given Mr Colliers behaviour towards government officials on building sites, it is disappointing that the Western Australian branch of the CFMEU has seen fit to reward this type of conduct with employment opportunities.



The CFMEU failed to provide comment prior to publication.



This is not the first judgment against Collier, who was convicted of assault against members of the Australia First Party last year. He served three months in jail starting in December 2015.



He was also convicted in 2003 for recklessly causing injury and again in 2007 for theft.


The following information is provided by local law enforcement agencies.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Compiled by Jessica Isaacs

The following were provided by the Watauga County Sheriffs Office.

Aug. 18

INCIDENT: Calls for service were reported at 627 W. King St. in Boone.

Aug. 23

INCIDENT: Calls for service were reported at 575 Silverstone Road in Vilas.

INCIDENT: Calls for service were reported at 1033 New River Hills in Boone.

INCIDENT: Calls for service were reported at 2550 U.S. Highway 421 N Unit 1 in Boone.

ARREST: A female suspect, 38, of 1386 Sampson Road in Boone, was charged with OFA/FTA second degree trespass. Secured bond: $750. Trial date: Sept. 19.

ARREST: A male suspect, 24, of 701 San Martin Place in Thousand Oaks, California, was charged with OFA/FTA second degree trespass. Secured bond: $1,000. Trial date: Oct. 6.

ARREST: A male suspect, 43, of 2816 Cheraw Road in Lenoir, was charged with trespassing. Trial date: Sept. 13.

ARREST: A female suspect, 32, of 8020 Old U.S. Highway 421 S in Deep Gap, was charged with shoplifting concealment of goods. Secured bond: $2,000. Trial date: Sept. 21.

ARREST: A male suspect, 34, of Boone, was charged with felony fraud. Secured bond: $10,000. Trial date: Oct. 20.

ARREST: A male suspect, 64, of 338 Brook Hollow Road in Boone, was charged with parole and probation violations. Secured bond: $500. Trial date: Sept. 22.

ARREST: A female suspect, 26, of 175 Beaver Horn Ranch Road in Vilas, was charged with felony obtaining property by false pretense. Secured bond: $10,000. Trial date: Sept. 9.

Aug. 24

ARREST: A female suspect, 23, of 593 Erickson Road in Ashby, Massachusetts, was charged with OFA/FTA second degree trespass. Secured bond: $1,000. Trial date: Oct. 6.

ARREST: A male suspect, 20, of 497 Slabtown Road in Zionville, was charged with contempt of court/perjury/court violations. Secured bond: $2,000. Trial date: Sept. 21.

Aug. 25

INCIDENT: Fugitive from justice was reported at 1430 Sampson Road in Boone.

ARREST: A male suspect, 37, of 1430 Sampson Road in Boone, was charged with felony fugitive from justice. Secured bond: $15,000. Trial date: Sept. 7.

ARREST: A female suspect, 33, of 14 Luther St. in Sparta, was charged with felony parole and probation violations and two counts of misdemeanor contempt of court/perjury/court violations. Secured bond: $12,738. Trial date: Sept. 13.

Aug. 26

INCIDENT: Communicating threats was reported at 103 Ray Hamby Lane in Deep Gap.

INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 7202 N.C. Highway 194 N in Boone.

INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 615 Fallview Lane in Boone.

INCIDENT: Breaking or entering, injury to personal property and simple possession schedule IV CS were reported at 145 Boone Circle Unit 1 in Boone.

INCIDENT: Cruelty to animals was reported at 312 Paws Way.

ARREST: A male suspect, 20, of 185 Water Way Drive in Clover, South Carolina, was charged with breaking or entering and injury to personal property. Secured bond: $1,500. Trial date: Oct. 19.

ARREST: A female suspect, 22, of 319 Old Bristol Road Apt. 302 in Boone, was charged with simple possession of schedule VI CS and simple possession of schedule IV CS. Trial date: Oct. 18.

Aug. 27

INCIDENT: Breaking and entering was reported at 620 Fallview Lane Unit 2 in Boone.

INCIDENT: Larceny from motor vehicle was reported at 3795 Wildcat Road in Deep Gap.

INCIDENT: Breaking and entering/residence and larceny from buildings were reported at 7258 U.S. Highway 321 N in Sugar Grove.

INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 475 Dogwood in Boone.

INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 265 Valley Hill Drive in Vilas.

INCIDENT: Breaking and entering and larceny were reported at 1469 Old Watauga River Road in Sugar Grove.

Aug. 28

ARREST: A male suspect, 26, of 2833 Hanes Grove Road in Hamptonville, was charged with DWLR, fict/alt plate, no inspection, no insurance and failure to register. Trial date: Sept. 9.

ARREST: A male suspect, 42, of 493 Die Leaf Road in Hampton, Tennessee, was charged with OFA FTA. Secured bond: $1,000. Trial date: Sept. 23.

Aug. 29

INCIDENT: Fraud  worthless check was reported at 266 Russell Beach Road in Vilas.

INCIDENT: Cruelty to animals was reported at 475 Church Hollow Road.

INCIDENT: Simple physical assault and damage to property were reported at 182 Monteagle Drive in Boone.

ARREST: A male suspect, 39, of 6142 Statesville Road in North Wilkesboro, was charged with OFA/FTA (multiple). Secured bond: $15,000. Trial date: Sept. 28.
This places a cutting-edge professional and ethical challenge on both the clinician and the laboratory specialist to give the best service to the patient in the realm of diagnosis and prevention. Despite its minuscule size, Malta still boasts of a hub of state owned laboratories and a number of much smaller private enterprises in the field.

Virologist Dr Christopher Barbara, chairman of the Pathology Department at Mater Dei hospital, describes the particular challenges of the only state-owned laboratory service on the island. We cater for a large number of tests, almost 22,000 in a single day, coming from different sectors in the hospital, other public hospitals and clinics around the island and even from private labs that use our services in certain circumstances, he explains. We offer these services on a 24/7 basis irrespective of the cost.

The labs are also a national focal point that forms part of an international network (ECDC, WHO) focusing on disease surveillance and prevention.

Having to cater for such a large number of samples from different sources puts to test service quality, particularly where blood collection and transport are concerned. Quality has been a major priority for me during the seven years Ive been in charge of the labs, Barbara says. Thus I insist on having a clear visibility of things to ensure accountability and efficiency.

In his opinion this must start at a pre-analytical level so that the accuracy of the result is not jeopardised. In fact, the pathology department at Mater Dei has gone through major quality-centred changes for this purpose, with the aim to gain a much coveted ISO certification; these include the installation of a harmonised Lab Information System (LIS) software that ensures the acquisition of clean data from sampling to result, putting in place standard operating procedures and quality manuals, the setting up of a coagulation clinic at all the outside clinics with a point of care (POC) testing facility, connected through the latest software to the haematology department, and the use of sample bottles with gel separators.

Phlebotomy was also relegated to staff members on a lower salary scale, who were specifically trained for the job to avoid sampling problems  usually rampant with junior medical staff. This shift in tasks also allowed a parallel shift of funds, which could then be used in the acquisition of necessary state-of-the-art equipment.

Capital expenditure is in fact another major challenge faced by labs every day. Barbara believes much can be done if unnecessary cost is curbed and funds are then used in a more profitable way. At the moment we are planning to get an automatic sorter from the money saved from vetting unnecessary tests, he explains, excitedly. In turn, this will save on human resources and extra wages, improve turn-around times, which then can be used to acquire other analysers, such as the Guthrie test. Although the challenges and demands are never ending, thereis a lot we can do to give the best service to the patient.
Miller, Apodaca team up on legal aid for veterans

Veterans at risk of losing their homes or jobs or custody of their children often have nowhere to turn as they battle courts or the slow-grinding wheels of the Veterans Administration.

Related Stories

Advocates for veterans say the one thing that helps the most is something veterans usually dont have: a lawyer.

It happens a lot, said Jeff Miller, the local dry cleaner whose avocation is honoring veterans and helping those with needs. Ill go to different attorneys here in town that I can kind of count on and they step up for most part and try to help.

Miller came to realize that a more efficient broader effort was needed. To make it happen, he teamed up with Pisgah Legal Services and began lobbying the Legislature to fund legal aid for veterans. After some rough sailing in the closing days of this years legislative session, the General Assembly appropriated $100,000 for a pilot program to operate out of Pisgah Legal Services.

A lot of times lawmakers dont like these organizations because sometimes they feel like they go against them, Miller said. When the funding stalled in the state House, Miller appealed to Sen. Tom Apodaca, an old friend and longtime political ally.

Tom was like, OK, let me see if I can find another route for this, he said. Late in the session theres so many people fighting for the last pennies. Tom ended up salvaging it.

Speaking recently at Business Morning Update, Apodaca mentioned the legal aid program as one of his significant achievements.

One thing we were able to do was to get additional funds for returning veterans to help them deal with problems they face coming back into society after serving their country, Apodaca said. I think thats some of the best money well spend.

Jim Barrett, executive director of Pisgah Legal Services, said the agencys record shows lawyers can cut through red tape and get help quickly.

Were very thrilled to get the funding, he said. We do not expect to handle veterans disability issues. Those are fee generating and private attorneys can do that. But there are lots of cases that veterans need help for basic needs, in particular those that are homeless.

Attorneys can help veterans who have a poor credit history get apartments or help some with minor criminal records get jobs or housing. We can help them get SSI so they can get their veterans benefits and with that comes Medicaid, he said. Lawyers may also help veterans get mental health treatment or subsidized housing.

We already do that for lots of people, he said. This will just be hopefully an expansion of the kinds of things weve been doing and were eager to demonstrate success so we can get funding beyond the one year that Apodaca arranged. Were very grateful to Sen. Apodaca for the one year.

Barrett said he expects the money to cover at least 200 cases. The seed money could fund more than $100,000 worth of legal work because Pisgah Legal plans to use part of it administratively to recruit more volunteer lawyers.

Theres no substitute for timely legal advice in this complicated world, Barrett said.

Miller said hes hopeful that the pilot program will grow into a statewide program that helps hundreds of veterans.

Its going to be a very distinct and defined process and they will be able to show us the results, he said. Maybe we can take these findings and increase it in the coming years until the V.A. gets itself together. Because people know of his commitment to veterans, he often sees heart-breaking cases of someone who served in war only to be let down back home by an impenetrable labyrinth of federal regulations.

Ive been seeing it so long its hard not to get depressed yourself, he said. This program is a pilot program and I hope that in a years time we can make it something that can help those veterans. It could mean that for 200 people we could save their homes, save their marriage, save their families and keep from going down one more level toward homelessness, toward desperation, toward suicide. Thats 200 people here in Western North Carolina. Its worth the time and its worth the effort.
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Renowned artist Kevin Sharkey has been arrested after he was accused of stealing a collection of paintings.

Mr Sharkey claims he did not steal the paintings as they were his and he destroyed them two years ago.

The Dublin-based painter (54), whose fans include Kate Moss and the late Whitney Houston, was met outside his Balbriggan home by four gardai on Monday evening.

"It was quite the surprise to see these four men outside my home waiting to frog march me to Pearse Street Garda Station," he told the Herald.

Neighbours

"It was also quite humiliating having all my neighbours looking on as if I was Jack the Ripper."

He told gardai no crime had been committed when questioned.

Mr Sharkey told the officers that he had destroyed the paintings in 2014 because they "were inferior works of art".

"I took a can of petrol and the paintings down an alley off Molesworth Street and set them alight," Mr Sharkey said.

"I'd do it again because they just weren't very good and I didn't want them showing up at auction."

Following his arrest, Mr Sharkey spent four hours in a holding cell.

"To be fair to the detectives, they were very understanding once I was able to explain the situation.

"But still, it was very stressful. I've never sat in a cell before in my life and it's not an experience I'd recommend for anyone," he added.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed that they had arrested a man in his 50s in connection with the alleged theft of paintings.

A file is being prepared for the DPP.
An innocent father-of-three shot dead on holiday in Spain was a hard-working family man who should have been in Croke Park on Sunday, his funeral heard.

Trevor O'Neill (41) was remembered as a proud Dubs supporter who had been looking forward to seeing his team play Kerry last weekend.

There were agonising scenes in Crumlin as Mr O'Neill, who was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity while on holiday with his family in Majorca, was laid to rest.

His heartbroken partner, Susanne, and three young children wept as they were comforted by family, friends and neighbours who had gathered for his requiem mass.

Warned

Mr O'Neill, from Drimnagh, was murdered in what gardai believe was a botched attempt on the life of Jonathan Hutch (37), the older brother of feud murder victim Gareth, who was shot dead in Dublin's north inner city in May.

Jonathan Hutch had been warned by gardai that his life was in danger and fled Ireland.

He was hiding out in the same complex where Mr O'Neill and his family were staying.

Jonathan Hutch is not a criminal, and gardai believe he was targeted solely because of his family connections.

Mr O'Neill's partner was wheeling one of their children in a pushchair when he was gunned down in Costa de la Calma, close to Santa Ponsa, after they had innocently been in the company of Mr Hutch.

In St Bernadette's Church in Crumlin before yesterday's funeral mass began, symbols of Dublin City Council worker Mr O'Neill's life were delivered to the altar by members of his family.

They included a pair of sunglasses and a cap; his bodhran and CDs; betting dockets; a Dublin flag and a Liverpool jersey; the medication he took for a hip he was due to have replaced; a Dublin City Council jacket and the "Inspector On Call" badge that mourners were told he used to park free.

The youngest of his and Susanne's children, aged just five, clutched his comfort blanket close to him.

Parish priest Fr Melvyn Mullins said that while accidents can happen, what happened to Mr O'Neill on August 17 was no accident.

"The truth is, Trevor was murdered - shot while on holidays," he said.

"Tragic events have been recorded with expressions like 'mistaken identity' or 'the wrong person being in the wrong place at the wrong time', but this is of no comfort to the family. They are empty expressions that do not matter. Trevor was murdered. It is wrong. It is just not right, and it can never be called right."
Michael Noonan said no one in Ireland did anything wrong Picture: Tom Burke

Michael Noonan will today ask Independent ministers to back his plan to fight the European Commission's ruling that Ireland must demand 13bn in back taxes from Apple.

Amid demands from opposition TDs that the cash should be used for housing, Finance Minister Mr Noonan is seeking the support of wavering Independent colleagues to appeal against the decision in European courts.

Ministers will assemble at a special Cabinet meeting, with Mr Noonan uncertain of the support of the Independent Alliance.

Shocked

The Alliance last night issued only a brief statement to say its five TDs were "shocked" by the decision on Apple's tax arrangements. They said they would review the commission's statement, bringing in "our own independent experts".

Independent junior minister John Halligan said at the weekend that if Apple was found to owe taxes to the State, "it should pay them and that's it", and that the cash should be used to fix the health service and build houses. Mr Halligan declined to say if that remained his position last night.

Mr Noonan was asked by RTE Radio if his Independent government colleagues would back Fine Gael's view that the State must appeal against the European ruling.

"Cabinet works on the basis of everybody having their say," he replied. "I'll be proposing that the decision is that we appeal and then it's for ministers of whatever political colour to state their opinion."

He said an appeal was "the proper thing to do. No one in Ireland did anything wrong".

"The Revenue Commissioners collected every euro of tax that's due from profits made by Apple in Cork on their Irish activities," he said.

Mr Noonan called the commission's ruling "bizarre" and said there was "no economic basis for this decision".

He said that even if the 13bn ended up in the State's coffers in the event that an appeal was lost, under EU fiscal rules the bulk of it would have to be used to pay down the national debt.

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager yesterday announced the findings of the State Aid investigation into Apple's Irish tax arrangements dating from 1991 and 2007.

"Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses," said Ms Vestager.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook called the ruling "an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process". He said Apple would appeal and was confident the ruling would be reversed.

Mr Noonan's intention for the State to appeal was attacked by opposition TDs.

"Champagne corks should be popping with the news that 13bn is owed to the State. Instead, the panic button has been pressed," said Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy.

He accused the Government of representing the interests of corporations and said 13bn was enough money to clear the housing waiting list.

Sweetheart

Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty called for a public inquiry into what he described as "a sweetheart deal with Apple" and said that any decision to appeal against the European ruling should be put to a Dail vote.

Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath said his party was reviewing the ruling, but that it "seems to run contrary" to international tax reforms.

He said those "clamouring" to accept the decision would be advised to consider the wider implications beyond a 13bn windfall that "will remain out of reach during legal challenges".

Mr McGrath said foreign direct investment had been at the heart of Ireland's economic development, and central to this has been the country's commitment to its corporate tax rate.

"This must remain the case," he added.
More women, juveniles help drive need for more space at the jail
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Hinduism Today Magazine is a nonprofit educational activity of Himalayan Academy with the following purposes: 1. To foster Hindu solidarity as a unity in diversity among all sects and lineages; 2. To inform and inspire Hindus worldwide and people interested in Hinduism; 3. To dispel myths, illusions and misinformation about Hinduism; 4. To protect, preserve and promote the sacred Vedas and the Hindu religion; 5. To nurture and monitor the ongoing spiritual Hindu renaissance; 6. To publish a resource for Hindu leaders and educators who promote Sanatana Dharma.
India and the United States have just signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). The agreement formalises an ad-hoc arrangement already in practice and furthers India-US military-to-military cooperation. The agreement, put simply, provides access to each others military facilities for fuelling and logistic support on a reimbursable basis.

LEMOA, sometimes called a Logistics Services Agreement (LSA), was debated by previous governments as well, but it could not be finalised because of Indian domestic political opposition, which were themselves based on several misperceptions about LSA. But Chinas growing military strength and increasing belligerence has led to a conscious strategic choice by New Delhi to get closer to Washington. This has made India a lot more comfortable with the US, which also worries about Chinas behaviour and power.

Read | India, US sign military logistics agreement

LEMOA permits the US and India to use each others facilities and provides for easier access to supplies and services for the military forces of the two countries when they are engaged in specific types of activities. These activities are limited to joint military exercises, training, port calls and humanitarian missions and other military activities that both sides mutually agree to undertake. It does not give the US automatic access to Indian military bases or to logistical support, but simply smoothens existing practices.

The advantage over the current situation is precisely this: Though the US does currently use Indian military bases and logistics  for example, during joint military exercises  this is managed on a case-by-case basis, which is simply more cumbersome. LEMOA does not necessarily give anything that the US does not already get, but it makes the process more regularised.

Read | Leap in US ties, but military pact may not make India feel safer: Chinese media

A big part of the domestic political opposition to LEMOA was based on the misperception that this was an agreement signed by US allies and signing this would therefore make India one too. Nothing could be farther from the truth: In reality, LSA has been signed by around 100 countries, many of which are not US allies.

Another misperception about the LSA has been that signing it will make India a party to Americas conflicts and policies, especially in West Asia and East Asia. But this is not true either: Indeed, even most countries formally allied with the US have not been dragged into these wars, let alone those simply signing the LSA.

Read | Hope this brings stability, development in the region: China on India-US pact

Moreover, India does stand to gain a lot more than lose in practical terms. In one of the more concrete benefits, LEMOA strengthens Indias outreach to areas that were not typically within its reach. With one aircraft carrier in operations, Indias capacity to undertake far sea operations has been fairly limited. Signing LEMOA opens up opportunities such as gaining access to US military bases in Djibouti and Diego Garcia  these are, by no means, insignificant.

Indian arrangements with the US for such access open up new options in beefing up Indias logistics capacity for missions in the Indian Ocean. Though India can access such facilities and logistics even now, again, this has to be done on a case-by-case basis, which LEMOA does away with.

Read | After LEMOA, India must go for info and communication security pacts with US

Lastly, it is politically symbolic  a sign signifying the state of India-US strategic ties. This too worries some commentators, who argue that India should remain independent of both lest China take a more antagonistic line with India. But Chinas behaviour has been antagonistic even before, and its behaviour is part of the reason why LEMOA is symbolically important.

Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan is senior fellow and head, Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.

The views expressed are personal.
An ongoing exhibition in the Capital has brought together photographs taken by children belonging to Delhis slums. The initiative, led by India Habitat Centre (IHC) along with Save the Children foundation, showcases the city as seen by its most vulnerable and marginalised residents. This exhibition has been launched as part of the foundations global campaign that ensures that the voice of every child is heard.

Initiatives like these help the children to think differently and connect with their environment. Even when a young child sees an image through a camera lens, they look at it differently and it stays in their memory, says Alka Pande, artistic director and curator, Habitat Photosphere, IHC.

Read: World Photography Day | Top Indian photographers share their iconic pics

Along with academics, nurturing and encouraging vocational training among children is very important. By promoting photography as a passion, the exhibition is, in a way, encouraging these children to find a passion. Vocational talent, if honed properly, can take a child in leading a satisfied and happy life, adds Pande.

The exhibition has been put up at the Mandi House metro station.

The featured child photographers are mostly from the slums of Jahangirpuri, Madanpur Khadar and Sriniwaspuri. The collection highlights environmental and social issues like lack of clean drinking water, safe play spaces for children and status of education and health.

Read: Photography societies of Delhi University | What makes the students click

This exhibition highlights that the environmental hazards affect everyone. However, the most vulnerable are those children and families who are living on the streets and unauthorised slums, she says. This exhibition has been put up at the Mandi House metro station and will reach thousands of commuters who take the metro. Visual representation is a powerful tool of communication. These set of photographs will catch the eye of those commuters who are receptive and sensitive to their environment, she concludes.

Catch It Live:

What: My City Through My Eyes

Where: Mandi House Metro Station

On Till: September 30

Timings: 6am-10pm

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Ever since actors Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover tied the knot in April, social media trolls have not spared the couple.

Grovers previous two failed marriages have given online trolls enough fodder to crack jokes at the couples expense.

However, this time when Basu posted a message on loyalty on her Instagram account, some people took a dig, asking if the message was for Karan.

Read: Bipasha Basu, Karan Singh Grover plan a second, longer honeymoon

Actor Bipasha had put up this picture which led to speculations about trouble in her marriage. (Instagram)

The trolls speculated that Basus marriage with Grover was on rocks. However, she replied to such queries by replying, All those who think that loyalty only has to exist between lovers are absolutely foolish! Its main quality at work and friendship too. In every aspect of life. So all you ppl who think this quote is for my husband, I am sorry to disappoint you all.

This is the first marriage for Bipasha and Karans third.
It was recently reported that Bipasha Basu Singh Grover, who was supposed to make an appearance at an event in Pune, refused to do so, leaving the organisers in the lurch. However, her spokesperson says there is more to this story, and that the actor is miffed with these rumours.

Read: Pooja Bhatt begins casting for Jism 3

A source says, Bipasha had confirmed her presence at a Dahi Handi event in Pune, and even travelled there to fulfil her commitment. But when she reached the venue, she realised that there were no security personnel, and no barricading was done. The stage didnt have a backstage entrance.

When Bipasha reached the venue, she realised that no security personnel have been deployed for her safety. (HT Photo)

Bipasha was asked to walk through the crowd, without any proper security. When she saw this, she refused to be part of the event as she was concerned about her safety.

Read: Bipasha-Karan are most probably going to host a TV show together

When contacted, the actors spokesperson confirmed the news, and said, The event was badly organised, and Bipasha didnt want to jeopardise her safety. Being a thorough professional, she asked her team to return the fee to the organisers that same night.

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Actor Ranbir Kapoor says that had Pakistani actor Fawad Khan not opened the door by playing a homosexual character in Kapoor & Sons, he would have perhaps turned down an offer to play a gay man on screen. But now the Barfi! star is receptive to the idea.

The actor opened up about his professional as well as personal life in an interview taken by director Raja Sen for Vogue Indias September 2016 issue, which is available on the stands from September 3.

Ranbir lauds his contemporaries for taking up risky roles -- be it Alia Bhatt in Udta Punjab and Fawad in Kapoor & Sons.

Fawad Khan in Kapoor & Sons.

Asked if he would play a homosexual on camera, Ranbir said: Sure, but now its already been done. Now hes (Fawad has) opened the door and its easy for us to walk through it. But earlier I must honestly say I might have turned it down.

He is also willing to play a second lead in a movie, but conditions apply.

He said: Suppose tomorrow Rajkumar Hirani offers me the part of Circuit to the new Munnabhai. I would play it and try my best to do it justice.

Ranbir is currently living with his grandmother Krishna here and training for Ayan Mukerjis Dragon. He awaits Karan Johars Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and also has Anurag Basus long-gestating Jagga Jasoos lined up.



Ranbir and Katrina in a still from Jagga Jasoos.

In February, after Dragon, he hopes to start shooting for Rajkumar Hiranis next, a biopic of actor Sanjay Dutt.

Since his debut with Saawariya, Ranbir has seen several highs and lows.

He was applauded for films like Wake Up Sid, Raajneeti, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, Rockstar, Barfi!, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and was censured for duds like Besharam and Bombay Velvet.

Referring to his current shoot-less days, Ranbir said: I think I could have an alcohol problem.

It is a visual medium and I have to look after myself. When I shoot, when I work, I dont drink. But when Im not shooting.

Directing a film is something Ranbir has for long expressed interest in. But the actor says there is still time for him to get to the directors chair.

Look, I know how a film is made, but a director has to find the method to tell the story he has to tell. Im not, because a) Im lazy and b) acting is taking up my time and I dont have a story, I cant write, he said.

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Actor Sonam Kapoor is reportedly dating Delhi-based-businessman Anand Ahuja. Anand has a fashion and lifestyle business. He has a clothing line Bhane and Sonam is often spotted wearing clothes from his range at events.

Sonam Kapoor, Anand Ahuja and fashion designer Sandeep Khosla arrive for the party hosted by actor Akshay Kumar for the success of film Rustom in Mumbai on Aug 28, 2016. (IANS)

According to Deccan Chronicle, the two showed up together at actor Akshay Kumars house for a dinner hosted by him for Hollywood actor Will Smith on Sunday.

You damn right it's limited! #FreshPriceTuesdays with the real Fresh Prince!  #latergram #damnrightitslimited A photo posted by anand ahuja (@anandahuja) on Aug 29, 2016 at 9:35pm PDT

Read: My brother Harsh has learnt a lot from my mistakes, says Sonam Kapoor

Read: Sonam Kapoor to help eradicate malnutrition in India

Ahuja attended American School before graduating from Wharton Business School.

A picture of Anand Ahuja from his Twitter account.

Sonam has always believed in keeping her love life private. She often tries to dodge questions from media on whether or not she is dating anyone. Sonam told PTI in an interview in April that she guards her personal life fiercely and does not feel it is necessary to talk about it in public. There are a lot of other things which make you a whole person besides who youre dating. My personal life is out there because Ive always been myself but if youre talking about personal life as in (context of) boyfriend, then Ill never talk about it, said Sonam.

There are certain things about my life which I keep personal, whether its my relationships, I never talk about that. I wont even tell my parents till I decide its serious, not because of anything but I feel there are other things in life which can be talked about, she added.

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Actor Katrina Kaifs last two films, Phantom (2015) and Fitoor (2016), didnt succeed at the box office. She says this could be because she was not focused.

In both those films, my concentration was not 100 per cent. My priorities were slightly different at that point in time. I guess I was in a very relaxed space. My focus was not what it should have been on a film set, Mumbai tabloid DNA quoted her as saying.

Read: CBFC objects to Savita Bhabhi in Baar Baar Dekho

Read: Katrina reveals how being famous helped keep her mind off Ranbir post split

That was also an important lesson for me to learn. If a person takes things for granted or takes it easy, it will always show and the film will obviously suffer. I know I could have done better. Not that I didnt try, I did. Especially in Fitoor, we all tried a lot. But maybe, I could have tried harder and could have given more, Kat added.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

Watch Pashmina from Fitoor here:

Watch Afghan Jalebi here:
In a career spanning over two decades, Jimmy Sheirgill has acted in several films such as Mohabbatein (2000), A Wednesday (2008), Tanu Weds Manu (2011), and more recently, Happy Bhag Jayegi.

Ask him why even after so many years, the superstar tag eludes him, and he says, I have got everything from this industry. I have no regrets. Not everyone can become a superstar. I came to Mumbai with a suitcase, a small amount of money in my pocket, and my parents blessings. Today, I am living the kind of life I wanted.

When Jimmy started out, he was often referred to as the chocolate boy. But over the years, the actor managed to change his image by doing a variety of roles.

It was a conscious decision to not fall into any one category, and that was the reason I did films such as Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar (2001) and Haasil (2003). I did not want to get slotted into any one kind of an image. For an actor, it is important to portray all kinds of roles, he says.

The 45-year-old is also a name to reckon with in Punjabi cinema, and does at least one Punjabi film every year. I have gone to several Punjabi households across the world to promote these films. Finally, when Mel Karade Rabba (2010) released, Bollywood also took notice of it, and things turned around. Everybody was shocked at the box-office figures the film earned, says Jimmy.

The actor adds that the Punjabi film industry still needs a push to compete with Bollywood. The only issue with the Punjabi film industry is that there is no body governing it like a Cine And TV Artistes Association (CINTAA). Also, currently, a small percentage of the Punjabis worldwide watch these films. If that increases to 5 to 10%, that will improve things, he adds.

Follow the author on Twitter: @literarystew

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You have to be living under a rock if you havent yet watched the Indian adaptation of Coldplays Fix You. The video, featuring an ensemble of Indian classical musicians playing the harmonium, sitar, flute, sarangi and other instruments, was uploaded on YouTube a day ago. And it has already garnered 62,000 views and counting at the time of writing this.

The song, familiar as it may be, is fascinatingly refreshing when played on the Indian instruments. And the deviations that the musicians mete out on their sarangi, flute and even on the vocals add to it. Its one of those tracks that you can play on loop all day long as you work  its that soothing.

It may come as a surprise then to know that the brain behind it all is just 21 years old. And he isnt even musically trained! Mumbai-based Tushar Lall started the Indian Jam Project a year-and-half ago with a crude, homemade video of an Indian version of the famous Game of Thrones (GOT) theme song. Im a big GOT fan, so I was inspired to write an arrangement for the theme song, Lall says. At that time, I just wanted to put the track out. So I borrowed a DSLR from a friend, put it on a stand and recorded the whole video. And I produced the audio myself.

The video, with just three musicians  a flautist, a tablist and Lall himself on the keyboards  got an overwhelming response. So for his next tracks  Indian adaptations of the familiar theme songs of Sherlock, the Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean films and more  Lall borrowed the help of friends to shoot better videos that would complement the music well. His YouTube channel has ten such videos so far, and a few of them have over a million views.

And to think he did it all without any formal musical training! Lall says that he started playing the keyboard when he was four years old and started composing music when he was 14  all by the ear. I listen and play. If you ask me to play a C sharp 7th chord, I wont be able to, because I dont know how to, he says. He did however pursue a degree in music production from New York.

The idea behind Indian Jam Project germinated when he started jamming with his friends, most of who are into Indian classical. I wanted to bring the sound of Indian classical instruments forward. If Ive to explain to a layman what a sarangi is, Ill tell him to go see a 60 minute sarangi recital online. But, lets be honest, hell get bored, because he wont have a deep understanding of its nuances. That is why Im trying to represent it in a way so that everyone can associate with the instruments and their sounds better.

So whats the next such Indian adaptation that we can expect from him? Until now I was doing Hollywood scores, but now Im planning to step out of that and do songs that are immortal, all time favourites, Lall says. So it could be Led Zeppelins Stairway to Heaven or Eagles Hotel California next. We shall wait. And man, shall we watch!

From HT Brunch, August 31, 2016

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Apple, the worlds biggest company, was slapped a $14.5 dollar tax demand by the EU for paying almost no tax on revenues running into billions of dollars. HT decodes how companies manage to pull this off and if it really is a problem

What prompted the tax demand from Apple?

The European Commission (EC), the executive body of the European Union, said on Tuesday that US tech giant Apple was granted undue tax benefits by Ireland which amounted up to 13 billion euros or $14.5 billion. This is illegal under EU state aid rulesIreland must now recover the illegal aid, EC said in its statement.

But why Ireland?

Ireland is a part of the 28-member EU and Apple runs its international sales and its European operations from the Irish city of Cork, where Apple set up operations in 1980 with 60 employees. It has since expanded to 6,000 people across Ireland.

The EU investigation concluded that Ireland, which is already a low corporate tax jurisdiction, granted Apple selective tax treatment or sweetheart deals by the way of two rulings made in 1991 and 2007.

What did these rulings do?

These rulings allowed internal allocation of profits within Apple International Sales and Apple Operations Europe to a head office, which according to the EC was not located anywhere and the company could get away with not paying taxes.

Under this arrangement, Apple transferred a major portion of its profits from the two companies to this stateless head office, paying taxes on the profits retained by the two companies.

The first company controls the sale of Apple products in Europe, Africa and Asia and holds intellectual property rights of the companys products, while the Apple Operations Europe manufactures and markets the companys products.

How much were these transfers?

According to the EC press statement, in 2011, Apple International Sales recorded profits of 16 billion euros but only 50 million euros were taxable in Ireland, resulting in a tax payment of 10 million euros. This is an effective tax rate of 0.05%. The EC claims that this rate went down to as much as 0.005% in 2014.

Why does the EC consider this illegal?

The commission claims that since the head office does not have any physical existence  employees or office  and its operations are limited to board meetings of directors, the transfer of profits generated by Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe to the head office has no factual or economic justification.

The illegality stems from the violation of EUs state aid rules that prohibit conferring of benefits on a selective basis to companies. Since EU is a single market such state aids can distort competition among member countries.

Irelands corporate tax system, which already has the lowest tax rate in Europe of 12.5%, was however not called into question.

Does this mean that only Apple was granted these benefits?

According to the EC, yes. But according to Apple, no. In a letter to customer issued soon after the ruling, Apple CEO, Tim Cook said: The opinion issued on August 30th alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law. We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we dont owe them any more than weve already paid.

He added: Over the years, we received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law  the same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there.

What is Irelands view on this?

The Irish government maintained that the full amount of tax was paid in this case (Apple) and no State aid was provided. I disagree profoundly with the commissions decision The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek Cabinet approval to appeal the decision before the European Courts, said finance minister Michael Noonan.

Just to put the figure in perspective $14.5 billion is 6.1% of Irelands GDP in 2015 of almost $240 billion. An Irish Times report noted that with this much money Ireland could build 20 hospitals.

However, Ireland is not intent on making Apple cough up the tax because it may jeopardise its attractiveness as an investment destination.

If the rulings were not selective other companies would be doing the same?

This arrangement of allowing companies to transfer profits to subsidiaries incorporated in other jurisdictions has been famously called the Double Irish.

Under the rule Ireland did not tax profits booked by subsidiaries of Irish companies outside its territory.

This channel of routing profits was closed with effect from January 1, 2015 reportedly due to increased pressure from the US and the EU to repatriate taxable income. Till then many companies apart from Apple have used the Double Irish including Abbott, Adobe, Facebook, Google, IBM, Pfizer, Oracle and Starbucks.

So why only Apple?

According to a Reuters report The commissions case against Ireland was helped by its ability to secure access to documents in which Irish officials were unusually frank about the agreement they made with Apple.

In future, not many will see similar cases as, without evidence of an extreme deviance from accepted norms, the commission would likely be reluctant to initiate a tax case, the report added.

Have there been other sweetheart deals?

In October 2015, EC ruled that Netherlands and Luxembourg granted sweetheart deals to Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler respectively for $33 million each.

The commission is also investigating similar deals made by Luxembourg with Amazon and McDonalds.
The Justice AP Shah Committee looking into the dispute between state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has blamed Mukesh Ambanis company for taking advantage of the flow of gas between their adjacent fields in the Krishna-Godavari basin. The report was submitted to oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday.

The report says RIL benefited from gas flow from ONGCs gas fields and should be made to cough up compensation. However, the compensation should be paid to the government and not the state-run oil major, says the Shah committee report, as the gas fields are sovereign property.

While blaming RIL for unfair enrichment, the report also calls for scrutiny of ONGCs prolonged period of inactivity despite knowledge of the gas migration between the two fields.

The report also raises questions about both ONGC and RILs failure to report their knowledge of gas field connectivity to the authorities.

Justice Shah submitted a comprehensive report on the gas dispute. It has some observations on the technical report of DeGolyer & MacNaughton (a US-based consulting firm). The government has one month to decide. We have to report by September 30. We will take appropriate action, said the oil minister, earlier in the day, after receiving the report.

The one-man Shah committee has left the decision of the compensation amount to the government.

The committee was set up on 15 December 2015, as ordered by the Delhi high court after hearing ONGCs petition alleging that the RIL consortium was benefitting from the gas flow.

The committee was mandated to quantify unfair enrichment if any by RIL and to recommend ways to compensate ONGC and the government after DeGoyler and MacNaughton reported that the fields managed by the two companies shared the same reservoir, leading to migration of gas from ONGCs field to RILs.

RIL has been maintaining that it has drilled wells only within its block, as approved by the regulatory authority, and was not guilty of any wrongdoing.

The company will hold its 42nd Annual General Meeting on Thursday in Mumbai.

Read | Govt slaps $380 million additional penalty on Reliance Industries

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Do you think you have chosen a wrong career and your future looks bleak? Fret not, simply ask your boss for advice!

Your employer may now guide you on ways to climb up the ladder and how.

Many companies, including HCL Technologies, RPG Enterprises, Amway India, KPMG, and Adidas India, among others, are helping employees with their individual career aspirations, instead of pushing them for performance related to the companys goals.

For instance, HCL Tech is all set to roll out a process, which will use individual employees current data, past track record and career progression, to advice them on their future professional roadmap, both within and outside the company.

The tech giant has devised a technology to provide insights from prescriptive analytics  a tool commonly used by e-commerce companies to access customers past shopping history and online behavioural patterns to suggest relevant products.

Our people intelligence analytics platform suggests career paths based on employees aspirations, current role, skill, location, future demand and profile, instead of them having to discover leading to trial and error, said Prithvi Shergill, chief human resources (HR) officer, HCL Tech.

On similar lines, sportswear giant Adidas India has introduced a programme  manage your career  that helps employees find out their values, interests, skills, traits and abilities.

After understanding the core choice, there are other online tools, such as development plan, career search and learning campus, which assists employees in achieving their individual career aspirations, said Arijit Sengupta, senior HR director, Adidas India.

Some companies are also offering mentors to employees, who are confused and need an expert advice.

Amway India carries out a scientific assessment centre process  a series of activities, built on competencies, to gauge the current proficiency level of employees.

Based on this, the talent undergoes a crucial conversation with the functional head on the career plan, said Shantanu Das, chief HR officer, Amway India.

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NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has directed a five-star hotel to submit a detailed affidavit on its water sources and consumption.

It was hearing a plea that alleged the hotel was illegally extracting groundwater and causing environmental degradation.

A bench headed by justice UD Salvi directed Hotel Jaypee Vasant to file the details before the next date of hearing on September 23.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the hotel was asked to take water only from authorised agencies. Delhi Jal Board is the lone authorised agency to supply water through tankers. Nearly all hotels in the city take water from other suppliers. Why are we being singled out? We have asked the green court to make other hotels, establishments and government departments parties in the case, the lawyer representing the hotel told Hindustan Times.

The directions came while hearing a plea filed by Delhi resident Shailesh Singh seeking directions to immediately stop withdrawal of ground water without per mission. Singh alleged that these fivestar hotels were using several lakh litres of ground water and the sources of water are not visible on their premises.

Earlier the green court had asked the hotel to submit details about the supply of water it received through tankers between August 2015 to January 2016 and also submit all bills in this regard.

The counsel appearing for the hotel had informed the bench that the water requirements are met either by Delhi Jal Board or water tankers. The tribunal had last year issued notices to three five-star hotels, Central Ground Water Authority, Delhi Jal Board, New Delhi Municipal Council, Central Pollution Control Board.

Earlier, the green court had also imposed a fine of Rs 7.5 lakh on one of the city hotels after it found unsatisfactory rain water harvesting systems in their premises.
NEW DELHI: The crime branch has arrested a couple and six of their associates for allegedly running an organised trafficking syndicate .

The gang, police said, was suspected to have trafficked more than 5,000 girls from Nepal, Odisha, Karnataka, Assam and Andhra Pradesh, making at least Rs 100 crore from the business.

They have been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Around five luxury cars have been recovered from their possession.

The couple, Saira Begum and Afaq Hussian, reportedly bought girls for Rs 50,000 from several towns, promising them employment and then allegedly pushed them into prostitution by selling them to clients for Rs 2 lakh each.

The couple, police said, had been into the business for the past 15 years and controlled almost 80 per cent kothas on GB Road through their network of agents.

The victims were confined in hidden cells at the kothas, locked up in almirahs, thrashed, intoxicated and starved for days before they were forced to entertain clients without protection.

Joint commissioner of police, crime branch, Ravindra Yadav, said the department took up a study to identify the main perpetrators and beneficiaries of this illegal trade, when they zeroed in on the couple. The team then conducted raids on August 25 and made arrests.

Begum, police said, controlled the business closely through their handpicked kotha managers called nayikas and assistants. The couple had earlier been arrested by the crime branch in two cases of trafficking of minor girls reported in 2013. But the arrest did not deter then from running the business.

To avoid legal action the couple had transferred the ownership title of their kotha premises to their associates and their management in the name of managers and naiyaks, but controlled the entire business. Afaq used to pay them 15% of the earnings for their roles. This way, they did not come to the notice of the investigating agencies but kept trafficking girls and making money, Yadav said

Hussains driver Ramesh Pandey and manger Vasudev along with four others -Samshad, Shilpi, Mumtaz and Puja Thapa -- have been arrested.

Begam, police said, came to Delhi from Hyderabad in search of work, after her fathers death, but was forced into prostitution by an agent. Kotha number 58 became her home, where she was forced to entertain clients. In 1990, she was arrested after she was found seducing a client in public in Kamla market. After this she learnt the tricks of the trade and built a network of her own. Now, she started employing girls at the kotha, where she once herself worked as a sex worker.
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday g ranted bail to former corporate affairs ministry officer B.K. Bansal, who was arrested for taking a bribe, but barred him from entering his office and leaving Delhi without permission.

The special judge of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Gurdeep Singh, granted him the bail against a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety of like amount.

Observing that unfortunate incidents had occurred in Bansals family while his only son was in depression, the court defined it peculiar circumstances warranting grant of bail.

The court told Bansal to neither tamper with evidence nor contact any of the officers in his office.

It asked him not to visit his office without the permission of the investigating officer.

Bansal was earlier granted interim bail on July 22 to cremate his wife Satyabala, 57, and daughter Neha, 27.

They committed suicide at their flat in Neelkanth Apartments in east Delhi after the CBI raided it.

He had surrendered before the court on August 22 and was remanded to 14 days judicial custody.

Bansal was an additional secretary-ranked Director General in the Corporate Affairs Ministry.

He was arrested by the CBI on July 16 for allegedly receiving a sum of Rs 9 lakh from the Mumbai-based Elder Pharmaceuticals.

The court also granted bail to co-accused Vishwadeep Bansal, a distributor of Elder Pharmaceuticals, on furnishing of a personal and surety bond of Rs one lakh.

Two of the others accused, chartered accountant Gopal Krishan and middleman Vinod Singh, are already out on bail.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Tuesday withdrew the suspension order of chief minister Arvind Kejriwals principal secretary Rajendra Kumar.

Kumar was arrested by the CBI on July 4 in an alleged corruption case and subsequently the home ministry had issued a deemed suspension order as he was in police custody for more than 48 hours.

However, Kejriwal had issued another order to suspend his principal secretary on July 6.

Meanwhile, Delhi assembly secretary Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara has been repatriated to his parent organisation, Prasar Bharti. An order to that effect was issued by the services department on Monday.

The development comes days after assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel had recommended an extension of two years to the officer who has formerly served for over a decade in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
NEW DELHI: The east Delhi Police on Monday arrested a 21-year-old Delhi University student who was hired by two men to rob their uncle, a businessman. He was caught when he was on his way to execute the crime.

With his arrest, the police claimed to have foiled a Rs 15 lakh robbery that he and his friend were to commit.

The arrested student, Rahul, is a resident of New Usmanpur. A countrymade pistol and a cartridge was recovered from his possession.

Rahuls accomplice, Dushyant, managed to escape when the two were stopped in Vishwas Nagar.

Rishipal Singh, deputy commissioner of police (east), said their team had launched a special drive to check vehicles and nab criminals with stolen vehicles. Around 2.30pm, Rahul and Dushyant were intercepted by the team. As the policemen started searching Rahul, Dushyant fled.

We recovered a gun with a bullet from Rahul. He was booked under the arms act and interrogated, said Singh.

Rahul said they were on their way to rob a businessman, who runs a pesticide factory at Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, in Vishwas Nagar. He said they were hired by two nephews of the businessman whose driver too was involved in the robbery plan.

Rahul told us the businessman was to receive around Rs 15 lakh and he was to bring the money home in the evening. His nephews were aware of the payment and they hired Rahul and Dushyant, the officer said.

The plan was to stop the businessman midway at gunpoint, take him in his car along with the driver to a secluded place and rob him of the money before throwing them out of the vehicle, the officer said.
NEW DELHI: Two person including an e-rickshaw driver were electrocuted in different parts of the city, police said on Tuesday.

A 60-year-old e-rickshaw driver, identified as resident of outer Delhis Rohini resident Mahendra Paswan was charging his vehicle when he came in contact with direct current leading to his death this morning, police said.

The deceased was reportedly charging the e-rickshaw from an electric pole. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, said a police officer.

The other case of electrocution occurred in west Delhis Mianwali Nagar area where a 35-year-old died on Monday night while coming in contact with a live wire of an air conditioner in a repair shop, said police.

The deceased Muneshwar Kumar stepped on a live wire of an air conditioner receiving the deadly shock. He was rushed to hospital by his brother but could not be saved, they said.
NEW DELHI: Lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung on Tuesday constituted a three-member panel to examine around 400 files cleared by the AAP government over the past one-and-a-half years.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the move as part of a witch-hunt. He demanded that a similar independent panel be set up to scrutinise the files cleared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The appointment of the panel comprising former CAG VK Shunglu, former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami and ex-chief vigilance commissioner Pradeep Kumar, has come after the Delhi High Court ruled that the L-G is the administrative head of Delhi.

The panel has been asked to submit its final report within six weeks of its first meeting.

Delhi government departments have submitted the files to Jung in the wake of the high court order. The L-G had told the chief secretary that all files that required his prior approval need to be sent to his office for examination.

The committee has been tasked to look into the omissions and commissions in the decision-making process and fix the responsibility of individuals, including civil and criminal liability, if any, the L-Gs office said.

This is witch-hunting. Like they arrested MLAs on false cases, they will victimise officers now Let an independent 3-member committee scrutinise all files cleared by Modiji also n lets compare the results (sic) Kerjriwal said in a series of tweets.

On scrutiny of the files, it is found that several decisions were taken in violation of acts, the L-Gs office said.
NEW DELHI: Consumer is the king, the Delhi high court said on Tuesday while observing that it cannot say lower charges should not be levied and discounts not given to customers by app-based cab providers such as Ola and Uber.

Justice Manmohan said if a company gave discounts, then the customers benefited and the app-based cab service providers were more interested in the number of hits by the consumers.

The observation came during the hearing of an application by a taxi association which alleged that app-based cab service providers like Ola and Uber were not complying with the courts August 11 directions and not following the rates prescribed by the government.

Suppose somebody wants to give discounts, can you (taxi association) say that consumers should not be given the benefit? Ultimately, consumer is the king, the court said.

Today, 4G prices have been cut by 40% by a telecom company. Shouldnt consumers be given benefits? The state governments notification does not say discounts cannot be given to the consumers, the court said.

This court cannot say that less charges should not be levied by them. After all, the consumers should be benefited. Court cannot exercise this power, it said.

The court, which fixed the matter for further hearing on November 21, has asked Delhi government to file an affidavit stating whether there was any fixed minimum fare.
NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has stayed the demolition of illegal religious structures spread over 7.5 acres in the central ridge area near the Birla temple in central Delhi.

A bench headed by justice UD Salvi passed the order after Pracheen Mahamai and Bhairo Mandir Trust claimed right over the forest land and sought stay of the demolition order.

The green court, after looking into the records, said there is no reference to any land and or any right, title or interest in any immovable property in the Trust Deed of Pracheen Mahamai and Bhairo Mandir Trust.

It, however, stayed its order for demolition of the structures for a week to allow the Trust to present its case before the Supreme Court, which has already issued notices to the parties in the case.

All other documents such as passbook, electricity bill, telephone bill, voter ID, aadhar card may at the best speak about the presence of the Trust at the address given therein and nothing more. No document evincing right, title or interest in any immovable property, much less the Central Ridge Forest Land, NCT of Delhi has been produced by the Mandir Trust, the bench said.

The green panel had earlier directed the Ministry of Urban Development and Delhi government to demolish the illegal structures. The Ministry had said demarcation of the area where the illegal structures were to be demolished had been completed and two structures and a platform were identified as encroachments.

The NGT order came on a contempt petition filed by KC Bhargava, who stays near the temple located on Mandir Marg in central Delhi. He said the construction by the trust were in violation of a Supreme Court order prohibiting non-forest activity in 7.5 acres of land adjacent to the shrine
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Tuesday directed the Delhi government and the citys civic agencies and to take preventive steps to control the mosquito-borne disease dengue.

According to the recent data released by the three civic corporations  North, East and South  487 cases of dengue have been reported this year.

A division bench of chief justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal issued a notice to the MCDs and the Delhi government to file their response on the steps they have taken to control dengue by September 7.

The courts direction came on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Shahid Ali accusing the Delhi government and municipal corporations of not acting vigilantly and responsibly to control dengue.

Despite so many deaths, civic bodies have not been rising up and taking measures to prevent the disease or breeding of mosquitoes, Ali said.
NEW DELHI: A ten-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her brother-in-law for almost a month in northeast Delhis Bharat Nagar, police said on Tuesday.

The girl and her family members were living at the brother-in-laws home as tenants for the last six months. Police learnt he raped the girl when her parents, who worked as labourers, went out for work.

The girl in her statement told police that whenever she resisted his advances, her brother-in-law beat her up. He threatened to kill her and her family members if she told anybody about it.

An FIR under relevant sections of protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act and IPC were registered against the relative at the B ha rat Na gar police station.

The suspect, a sanitation worker, was arrested.

The crime came to light on Monday, when the girl cried in pain while her mother gave her a bath. She became suspicious and asked her daughter. The girl initially gave vague excuses, but later narrated her ordeal.

The ten-year-old told her mother that she was raped by the relative for around a month. She told her the accused used to rape her in the room after sending her siblings out to play. He had asked her not to tell anybody about the rape. She never mustered courage to inform her parents about it as she lived in fear, said the officer.

The girls mother informed her husband and they in turn approached the police. The girls medical examination confirmed rape. The accused was at work when we raided his office and arrested him, the officer added.

In a similar crime in south Delhis Govindpuri, a three-year-old girl was raped by her 25-year-old relative in his rented room on Tuesday afternoon. The girl was dropped off a this house by her parents before they went to a nearby market for some work.

When the couple returned home, they found their daughter lying naked and bleeding from her private parts. They rushed her to a hospital where doctors told them that she was raped. The police were informed about the crime by the doctors, said a police officer.

A case was registered and efforts were on to trace and arrest the accused.
NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh government has appointed chartered accountant, Fatturam Bhojwani, as an adviser to industrial development department in the state.

Bhojwani, 74, who will also work as an adviser to Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities, joined office on August 29.

Addressing the concerns of homebuyers is top on Bhojwanis mind.

My main objective is to address issues faced by homebuyers, property investors and residents. I do not want public to suffer. They can come to meet me on all working days from 10am to 5pm in the sector 6 office, he said.

He will also be available to people at his office in sector 44 from 5pm to 6pm.

I do not want the general public to run from pillar to post to get the attention of officials. If any person, including investors, homebuyers or residents are facing any sort of harassment at the hands of the staff of three authorities, they can come to me without any hesitation, said the adviser, who is the first such officer to get an appointment for the three authorities.

I have observed that in Noida and Greater Noida many homebuyers have invested their hardearned life savings in buying flats. And now they are failing to get possession into the flats because the respective builders are not completing the projects. Such buyers can come to me. I will help them, said Bhojwani.

Around 1 lakh homebuyers of different housing projects are suffering due to delayed completion of projects in Noida.

The appointment comes four days after the UP government removed Rama Raman from the post of Noida authority CEO. Raman was removed after the Allahabad high court took a grim view of Ramans continuance on the top posts for the last six years.

Pramod Kumar Aggarwal took over as the chief executive officer of Noida authority, replacing Rama Raman who may be given some important posting soon.

On July 4, the state government appointed agriculture production commissioner Pravir Kumar as chairman of Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway. Kumar stayed in office for 30 days.

On August 16, principal secretary, energy, infrastructure and industrial development, Sanjay Agarwal, replaced Pravir Kumar. And now the government has appointed Bhojwani as an adviser to the three authorities apparently for smooth functioning, said officials.

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NEW DELHI: Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said prime minister Narendra Modi would be to blame if the flagship projects of the Delhi government in the health and education sectors were derailed.

On lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung transferring several Delhi government officials, especially those of PWD and health secretaries, Sisodia said the Centre was creating hurdles for the AAP government.

We have got to know that Modiji asked the L-G to transfer these officers. Modi can go to any extent. Modiji will be responsible if the education and health departments struggle , he said.

The Delhi government has opened about 105 mohalla clinics and plans to increase these to 1,000. It aims to construct 4,200 classrooms and open 100 new schools in the current financial year.

The government claims to have built 8,000 classrooms in the last financial year.

After the high court ruled on August 4 that the L-G was the administrative head of the city, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia requested Jung not to transfer PWD secretary Sarvagya Srivastava and health secretary Tarun Seem.

He saidthese two officers were handling two flagship projects of the AAP government, setting up mohalla clinics and building schools .Was the high court order passed to take Delhi forward or backward? asked Sisodia at a press conference in the Delhi secretariat.

The deputy CM argued that for the first time, the state government had brought in non-IAS officers, who were specialists, in the health and PWD.

We posted an honest engineer in the PWD department and a person with medical background in the health department. And they have been transferred at a time when they were doing a good job, Sisodia said.

The L-G office, however, clarified the postings of Sarvagaya Srivastava, engineer-in-chief, PWD and Tarun Seem, mission director, Delhi State Health Mission, as secretary (PWD) and secretary (health) were illegal and against Centres cadre rules.

Even the posting of Seem, an IRS officer, in GNCTD is illegal since it did not have the approval of the Lt. Governor.

Officials said Srivastava and Seem were holding posts as secretary (PWD) and secretary (health) in the GNCTD as additional charge in violation of the existing rules.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to consider enhancing the salary of its 80,000-strong Delhi Police, to bring it on a par with the Chandigarh Police.

A bench comprising Justice GS Sistani and Justice IS Mehta asked the central government to consider a petition filed by constable Babu Lal Mitharwal, claiming right to equal pay for equal work and pass a reasoned order within three months.

The bench said the Delhi commissioner of police would forward Mitharwals representation to the home ministry for consideration.

The Delhi Police is under the administrative control of the home ministry.

Constable Mitharwal contended that his counterparts in the Chandigarh Police were being paid more salary than him, despite their duties being similar.

He argued that constables in Delhi and Chandigarh held identical posts under the same cadre, with similar responsibilities.

Article 39(d) of the Constitution stipulates equal pay for equal work for both men and women as a Directive Principle of State Policy, his plea argued.

Advocate Gyanant Kumar Singh, appearing for Mitharwal, argued that a Delhi Police constable gets a pay band of Rs 5,200-20,200 and grade of Rs 2,000, while their counterparts in the Chandigarh Police received a pay band of Rs 10,300-34,800 and grade pay of Rs 3,200.

Gyanant contended that the basic qualification, method of recruitment and level of physical standard being the same for the Delhi and Chandigarh Police, no discrimination could be made.

He argued that the nature of job of the Delhi Police was more arduous compared to that of Chandigarh Police, owing to more risks in the discharge of duties.

The plea said Delhi Police could be put on a higher pedestal because of the nature of its job, which included providing protection and security to national leaders, VIPs and foreign missions and diplomats as well as law and order situations in connection with demonstrations, processions and national functions such as Republic Day and Independence Day.

The high court said if constable Mitharwal was aggrieved by the decision of the government, he could challenge it again before the court.

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Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal sacked his women and child welfare minister Sandeep Kumar on Wednesday over an alleged sex tape showing the 35-year-old in a compromising position with two women.

Reports said the nine-minute-long CD contains photographs of Kumar, the legislator for Sultanpur Majra, with one woman and a video with another.

Kejriwal announced the sacking on Twitter after he called a top-level meeting of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

Recd objectionable CD of minister Sandeep Kr. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That cant be compromised. Removing him from Cabinet wid immediate effect (sic.), Kejriwal tweeted at 8.28pm.

Recd "objectionable" CD of minister Sandeep Kr. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That can't be compromised(1/2)  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 31, 2016

Removing him from Cabinet wid immediate effect(2/2)  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 31, 2016

Kumar is the third minister to be removed from the Kejriwal cabinet in the past 19 months. Law minister Jitender Singh Tomar was removed after he was arrested for a fake college degree, while food and supplies minister Asim Ahmed Khan was axed over complaints that he demanded a bribe from a builder.

Click here to know more about Sandeep Kumar

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the AAP was running a principled government and will not tolerate any transgression, be it on corruption, crime or character.

We received the CD today and sacked the minister within 30 minutes. This is the difference between the AAP and other parties, he told reporters outside Kejriwals home.

Sisodia warned party legislators that anyone, irrespective of designation or profile, will face a similar fate if they fail to behave with utmost propriety.

Hamare 67 MLAs hain, jo aisa kuchh karega wo tolerate nahin kiya jayega, chahe wo Arvind Kejriwal ho ya Manish Sisodia (We have 67 MLAs. If anyone is found faltering on such grounds, it will not be tolerated whether the person is Arvind Kejriwal or Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister said.

Read | AAP volunteer files molestation case against colleagues

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A 16-year-old allegedly stabbed his father to death at their house in outer Delhis Budh Vihar on Tuesday evening when he tried to stop the boy from consuming drugs.

The minor was allegedly a drug addict, said police. He was recently admitted to a drug de-addiction centre in Vijay Vihar. But he did not quit drugs, said police.

A senior police officer said the 45-year-old man lived with his wife and four children  three sons and a daughter  at Shyam Colony in Budh Vihar Phase-2.

The man used to wash cars in the nearby colonies and worked as a part-time security guard.

On Tuesday around 5 pm, the man was at home when he learnt that despite being enrolled in a de-addiction centre, his son was frequently doing drugs with his friends. The father scolded his son for his bad habit. An argument broke out between them over the issue, said a police officer.

During the altercation, the officer said, the son picked up the kitchen knife and stabbed his father multiple times. The other family members screamed for help and alerted the neighbours, who caught the boy.

One of them informed the police. The teenager was handed over to police. The boy was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board that sent him to a correction home for boys.

A murder case was registered at the Prashant Vihar police station, said the officer.
This copy has been updated. To read the updates, CLICK HERE

Fresh spells of rain lashed Delhi-NCR on Wednesday morning, causing worry among office-goers two days after heavy showers and waterlogging made commute a nightmare in the Capital.

The weather department forecast light showers for Wednesday, but it was dark and gloomy at 9am. The downpour coupled with strong winds and lightning left travellers stranded at Metro stations and bus stops.

It was pouring heavily in Noida and Gurgaon, where a massive jam triggered by rain inundated roads and left commuters stuck for more than 12 hours in the last week of July.

The Gurgaon police issued an advisory on Twitter, cautioning that visibility is poor due to heavy rains. Many schools were closed in the IT hub.

Heavy rains in Gurgaon, please be advised. Be patient and maintain lane discipline, we are on the job to facilitate your movements m  Gurgaon Police (@gurgaonpolice) August 31, 2016

Steadily raining in Gurgaon. Another challenging day as there could be waterlogging, jams. Drive safe. pic.twitter.com/LGskybCkFE  abhishekbehl (@abhishekbehl) August 31, 2016

Delhi Police reported waterlogging in several areas.

Water logging on Ring Road Dhaula Kuan, Bhairon Road towards Mathura Road, Roundabout Teen Murti, IGNOU Road, IP Flyover towards Sarai..1/3  Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) August 31, 2016

2/3..Kale Khan, Barapullah flyover towards DND, Ashram Chowk.Ring Road Maharani Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Sarai Kale Khan,  Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) August 31, 2016

3/3.. Raja Garden towards Mayapuri,Gymkhana towards Teen Murti Marg.  Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) August 31, 2016

On Monday, US secretary of state John Kerrys motorcade was stuck in the Delhi traffic for more than an hour after heavy rains in the evening.

Kerrys scheduled visit to Sisganj Gurudwara, Jama Masjid and Gauri Shankar temple was cancelled due to the weather conditions on Wednesday.

Kerrys motorcade en route to the Indian Institute of Technology, where he will deliver an address, was delayed due to waterlogging. He reached the venue an hour late.

Flooded roads slow @JohnKerry motorcade en route to IIT speech. View from press van. pic.twitter.com/I7oMVtDU8I  Steve Herman (@W7VOA) August 31, 2016
Heavy rainfall and gusty winds spelt trouble for commuters in the National Capital Region (NCR) on a gloomy Wednesday morning.

Delhi recorded 3.9 mm rainfall till 8.30 am. The heavy monsoon showers led to waterlogging in many areas and massive traffic jams.

#DelhiRains are back with a bang... And flooding... pic.twitter.com/d14daGPZYG  Aseem Tuli (@aseemtuli) 31 August 2016

Gurgaon Police issued an advisory on Twitter asking commuters to be patient and maintain lanes. Delhi Police too alerted commuters about waterlogging and free routes, to avoid chaos. Companies in Gurgaon have asked their employees to work from home in light of the rain and massive traffic jams.

While some people seemed to be enjoying the shower, several office-goers were annoyed. Here are some pictures and videos:

@htTweets #rainyday At Dwarka around 9 am. See how dark its on the ground. pic.twitter.com/q4LTSC406s  ChocolateLavaCake (@ChocolateLavaC1) 31 August 2016

Heavy traffic a d water logging near Naraina Flyover road pic.twitter.com/lInHOKzQRs  Rahul Manav (@Rahul_ManavNBT) 31 August 2016

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Commuter woes were aggravated on Wednesday as over 268 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses broke down in different parts of the city, following torrential rains and the resultant waterlogging.

Over 25 passengers got trapped in one of these buses after the doors were jammed. Delhi Traffic Police and Delhi Fire Services officials pulled out the passengers using a ladder from the roof of the bus.

The stretch below the underpass was filled with around six-foot water. After the breakdowns, officials barricaded the stretch for traffic. It took around 45 minutes for traffic personnel to pull out all the passengers from the bus.

Since the water level was really high, the doors of the bus got jammed and passengers could not come out, said a senior traffic official.

DTC officials said that the chances of breakdown of low-floor buses are higher than the regular buses. Since the engine is closer to the ground, water seeps into it and affects operation.

Last year, on an average over 200 buses broke down on the citys roads every day. However, these are only the complaints received by Delhi Traffic Police. Officials said, the original number is much higher.

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One year after nine young boys were killed in a police firing ---- sadly, they are yet to be buried ---- in the tribal hill district of Churachandpur in Manipur, the town is out on the streets again.

Hundreds of people have gathered today and there is a day-long programme to honour the dead. It has been decided that this day would be commemorated as Tribal Unity Day every year, T Romeo Hmar, convener, Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi told HT over phone from Churachandpur.

But no decision has been taken yet on the burial of the nine bodies, he added.

Read: A Manipur town refuses to bury its dead, demanding tribal rights

THE BACKSTORY

The tribal-hill district erupted on August 31, 2015, after the legislature passed the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015, and two amendments: The Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (7th Amendment) Bill and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (2nd Amendment) Bill.

The Protection of Manipur Peoples Bill sought to give the state the power to determine who was a Manipuri and who was not, with the rider that those who had come to live in the state before 1952 would be considered Manipuri.

Read: Imphals conspiracy theory: Delhi behind tribal unity, unrest

The tribal communities are opposed to giving the Manipur government the power to decide who is a Manipuri, and feared that using the other two Bills, it could take away their land and properties.

The Bills were the culmination of an agitation by the non-tribal Meitei in the Imphal valley for introducing an Inner Line Permit system to regulate and control the entry of non-Manipuris into the state.

The hill people, mainly comprising of mostly Nagas and Kukis, did not take part in these agitations.

Read: Manipur: Unrest over three controversial bills refuses to die down

While Manipurs Congress government claimed that the three Bills were drawn up after a thorough consultation with all MLAs, including tribal representatives, tribal groups deny it. They allege that they were not consulted and that the Bills will lead to an encroachment of tribal areas by the people of the plains  mostly Meitei.

Read: Manipurs new draft bill to control entry of non-locals faces opposition

The passage of the three Bills led to protests by tribal student groups on August 31 and September 1 in Churachandpur. The police over-reacted and shot several locals.

The President, however, did not clear the Bills, forcing the state to rework.

A NEW CONTROVERSY

The state has now come up with The Manipur Regulation of Non-Local People Act, 2016, which was made public on August 9.

Once adopted and implemented, people from other Indian states will have to seek permission to visit Manipur .

One of the aims of the Bill is to maintain peace and public order, but there is a significant opposition to it from tribal and non-tribal communities who are seeking major changes.

The joint committee for inner line permit system (JCILPS), comprising mostly of the non-tribal Meiteis, which is spearheading a campaign to regulate entry of outsiders, wants the draft bill to set 1951 as the cut off base year, instead of 1972, to define locals.

The states minority tribal population have also opposed the Bill terming it old wine in a new bottle and similar to the earlier one rejected by the President.

A POLITICAL TURF WAR

The tribals are not just angry about the Bills but also that there has been no probe into the police action into the Churachandpur killing but the state government only sent a senior IAS officer to conduct a magisterial inquiry.

That magisterial inquiry could not happen because the tribals protested.

Earlier this year, BJP MP Tarun Vijay had met a tribal delegation from Manipur and after listening to their side of the story had promised to take up the issue with the central government .

These people want a solution within the constitutional framework of the country and a panel must be set up to look into the issue  Their voice must be heard in Delhi, Vijay had told me.

But nothing concrete has happened till now.

The Congress, on the other hand, is blaming the BJP-led central government for instigating the tribal groups.

How to break the logjam now?

No one seems to have an idea and every stakeholder is busy securing his own corner.

An editorial, E-Pao, an e-platform on Manipur, paints an ominous picture: How things will proceed from here is tough to say but Manipur can certainly gear up for some tumultuous days ahead.

And in this tug of war between the two diametrically opposing voices (the tribals and non-tribals), the real issue, which is to save the indigenous people from the incessant influx of non-local people into the soil of Manipur seems to have evaporated.

@kumkumdasgupta

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Declaring there is no distinction between good and bad terrorism is a favourite expression of statesmen around the world. United States Secretary of State John Kerry said it in New Delhi on Tuesday, his Iranian counterpart echoed this in Tehran at about the same time, Russian leader Vladimir Putin made the same case earlier this month  and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, in almost every case the government or even individual has a different definition of who is defined as a terrorist. New Delhi is no different. For example, Mr Kerrys government puts Hezbollah in Lebanon, a political movement who uses terrorist tactics, on its blacklist. No Indian official or leader would ever say the same. In any case, mouthing this expression does not necessarily matter. What matters is what policy a government practises on the ground, whether in terms of direct military action or diplomatic sanction.

Read: A message to Pak: Kerry joins Swaraj in saying theres no good or bad terrorist

There is no good or bad terrorism became much more commonplace in diplo-speak after the 9/11 attack on the US by al-Qaeda. It can be argued that for a short span most world governments coalesced around the idea that any organisation that carried out terrorist acts, irrespective of motive, was outside the international pale. But it did not last. New Delhi, in particular, felt let down when Washington, needing to use Pakistan as a logistics base for its military operations in Afghanistan, began watering down its criticism of Pakistans sponsorship of terror groups.

The two governments continue to agree to disagree about the acceptability of the tangled web of groups that today pass for the Taliban. The USs continuing unwillingness to support the United Nations Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism is still treated as a litmus test by India  and one that Mr Kerry notably failed in his statements. However, a new draft text for the convention --- now being moved by India in the United Nations --- will hopefully meet the concerns of the US, the Organisation of Islamic Countries and other objectors.

Read: Worth remembering Modis words on freedom, liberty on I-Day: John Kerry

India can take heart that each wave of terrorism that strikes the world has helped reduce the earlier excuses that governments would give for defining a specific individual or group as a freedom fighter or insurgent rather than a terrorist.

Only the most optimistic should believe that Pakistan, a country wedded to the use of terrorism as an instrument of statecraft and whose society is increasingly embracing a culture of Kalashnikovs and suicide bombers, will change its ways because of international statements.

Read: Logistics agreement with US: Why signing LEMOA is significant for India

But these do place constraints on Islamabads ability to blatantly support terrorists. In the meantime, India should not expect the threat of terrorism to go away soon and keep its powder dry. The continuing holes in Indias counterterrorism preparations deserve greater scrutiny than statements about the moral acceptability of terrorism.
The Indian Institutes of Technology at Delhi and Mumbai are at the bottom of Asias most innovative universities rankings released late Tuesday and the reason is the bunching of their research work with that of smaller IITs.

The IITs rank 72 on the Reuters Top 75: Asias Most Innovative Universities list that identifies institutions doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies and help drive the global economy. The Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, the only other Indian institute in the list, is ranked 73.

World-class campuses like IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay may have ranked much higher on the list if they werent grouped in with smaller and newer institutes like IIT Tirupati and IIT Palakkad, said Reuters.

Of the top 20 universities, 17 are in Japan and South Korea.

Reuters attributed underperformance by some countries to the way they organise their university systems.

A network of 23 universities, IITs centralised their patent administration, so it was not always possible to identify which constituent university was responsible for what research, said Reuters, which ranked the entire IIT system as opposed to an individual university.

KAIST, also known as Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, tops the ranking followed by Japans University of Tokyo. Seoul National University has been rated third in the list that has 22 Chinese universities more than any other country. Chinas highest ranked university is Beijing-based Tsinghua University, which is at number 13 on the list.

Read | Not India or China: S Korea, Japan dominate Asias 75 most innovative universities list

International ranking of IITs, or the absence of them, has been a matter of concern. None of the IITs figure among top 200 global schools.

Skewed teacher-student ratio and poor representation of foreign students are among the major factors for IITs dismal international standing.

Though IITs set aside 25% of the seats for overseas students, there are only 130 foreign scholars enrolled in post-graduate courses and about 100 for PhD. There are 25,000 Indian students enrolled in these programmes.

Concerned over fewer foreign students opting for India, especially from the neighbouring countries, the IIT council now plans to hold admission tests to undergraduate and post-graduate courses in all Saarc countries, barring Pakistan, and Singapore, Dubai and Ethiopia.

Reuters ranking is based on a methodology that focuses on academic papers, which indicate basic research performed at a university, and patent filings, which point to an institutions interest in protecting and commercializing its discoveries.

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Minister of higher education Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya on Tuesday distributed smartphones among 55 students (2014-15 batch) from 11 government colleges of Indore for having over 75% attendance in their freshman year.

The BJP in its 2013 assembly election manifesto had promised to give smartphones to hard working and committed students of government colleges. A proposal on the matter was moved by the DHE in September 2014.

In January, the government set an April deadline to complete distribution of phones. The department had also written to all government colleges to submit a list of eligible students till January 28.

During his 55-minute speech on Tuesday, Pawaiya said: In the world of globalisation, smartphones have become a necessity and our chief minister has fulfilled the promise he made to thousands of students before the 2013 assembly election.

He also encouraged students to draw inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, who were born in small towns.

The ministers said students would notice vast change in the higher education from the next session.

The programme was held at the Devi Ahilya Vishwavidhyalayas auditorium at Takshila campus.

The department of higher education (DHE) will reward the current batch (2015-16) of students with similar attendance record at an event next month.
From nationwide shame and brickbats to accolades and applause from the public in a month, administrative and civic agencies in Gurgaon came a long way in handling waterlogging and snarls after a downpour on Wednesday.

The handling of the situation after rain on Wednesday as well as Monday made social media users compare the coordinated efforts of the agencies in Gurgaon with that in Delhi.

Wont question your Mai Baap @arvindkejriwal on Delhi jam? Except (a) few Gurgaon residential colonies No Jam (here) tweeted Naresh Sehgal, a local resident after Wednesdays downpour.

Another user Srinivas Hariharan tweeted, Gurgaon is at least working hard and successfully fire fighting this. Strong intent there. Delhi a mess, it seems.

Though the water pumps of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) were operated late in the morning, the situation was brought under control as senior officials rushed to Hero Honda Chowk, the trouble spot, that had led to massive jams during the rain on July 28 and 29.

NHAI officials said some pumps were short of fuel and so it took some time to start them.

On July 28, no senior official from the agencies had taken stock of the situation at the chowk, leading to massive waterlogging and a 20-hour jam.

Officials and staff of the Municipal Corporation Gurgaon (MCG), Gurgaon police, Haryana urban development authority and NHAI kept a strict watch on the water level at Hero Honda Chowk and the traffic flow since morning.

A total of 27 water pumps located at various places were used to clear water. About 1,100 police personnel were stationed at various junctions to regulate the traffic.

Ten towing vehicles, four small vans and 15 high-capacity water pumps were pressed into service at Hero Honda Chowk.

Deputy commissioner and MCG commissioner TL Satyaprakash said the administration had promised not to let a repeat of the July 28 mess take place.

It rained heavily but the situation was controlled. We will work to find out a permanent solution to waterlogging, he said.

Chief governance coordinator Gurgaon SN Vashisth said the problem spots were identified after the July 28-29 mess.

Now administrative apparatus is fully geared to meet all eventualities. Constant monitoring of situation is being done, he said.

While officials kept in touch through WhatsApp, the public was informed about the situation through microblogging site Twitter by MCG, Gurgaon police and the Huda administrator.

Gurgaon police Twitter handle released an advisory to be patient and maintain lane discipline as soon as it started raining. MCG Twitter handle also tweeted about handling waterlogging problems and asked people to contact the call centre on 18001801817.

Sanu Kapila, president of Nirvana Country Residents Welfare Association, applauded MCGs efforts on Tweeter. Great job. No waterlogging in Gurgaon. Your hard work showing results TL Satyaprakash, he tweeted.

Salute to you guys for this effort. All the best, tweeted a user Tushar Ranjan in response to police efforts.

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For gods sake, kiss. Thats how director Fede Alvarez, whose new film Dont Breathe is releasing in India on Friday, reacted when he chanced upon a Bollywood film.

Alvarez, who helmed the Evil Dead reboot which hit screens in 2013, said he still loves Bollywood for its maturity.

Talking about his perception of Indian cinema, Alvarez told IANS in an email interview: Yes, I love it. I wish I could remember the title (of a Hindi movie Ive seen)! But its difficult to remember their titles.

Read: Dont Breathe: 5 things you should know about one of 2016s scariest films

But there was one in particular I loved. I saw it when I was studying films and getting my masters in screenwriting in Ottawa back in 2004-2005. I cant remember the title, but it was sort of, it was like the Titanic of Bollywood.

He added: What I love the most (about Bollywood) is the maturity of the story... You know just, the more you believe in your imagination and actually the beautiful stream, the better it is.

The big Bollywood love story (was) fascinating that through three whole hours of just love and in the end they dont even kiss. I am like for Gods sake, KISS!

Perhaps Alvarez saw an old Hindi movie, but of what he remembers of the first time he saw a Bollywood movie, he says I couldnt believe it.

But of course I understood it and I was like Oh my god, theyre so powerful and so interesting for film in general. Right? They leave audience to want it more. Its always the audience who wants it more!

In Dont Breathe , the Uruguayan filmmaker tells a tale of a group of friends who break into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they will get away with the perfect heist.

The film stars Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto and Stephen Lang.

Theres nothing in particular that the director feels would appeal to Indian audiences, but he says his movie is universal in its theme and treatment.

Thats one of the beauties of Hollywood movies, its one those things like when Im sitting down and Im going to write a story, I always have to have in mind that Im not talking to just my friends and the movie is not just for me.

I know that Im making a movie and that I have to make a movie for the world and that means in this case that the scenes and the ideas that we are talking about are just universal. Everything you see in this movie is nothing of the American culture or the Uruguay culture. Its going to be something thats universal.

He stressed how movies must always be about themes that are about humanity in general.

And heres a GIF, tailor-made for Fede Alvarez

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Among Indias religious communities, Muslims have the highest number of illiterates at nearly 43%, while Jains have the highest number of literates at over 86%, as per the latest census figures on education level by religious community for age 7 years and above.

The illiteracy figures of other communities stood at 36.4% for Hindus, 32.49% for Sikhs, 28.17% for Buddhists and 25.66% for Christians.

Jains also topped the list when it came to percentage of people who have graduated.

Around 25.65% Jains have graduation as educational qualification, surpassing other communities whose figures under this head are 8.85% for Christians, 6.4% for Sikhs, 6.18% for Buddhists, 5.98% for Hindus and 2.76% for Muslims.

The overall literacy rates among all communities have gone up since 2001. The following table shows the rise in literacy levels of various religious communities in 2011 when compared to 2001.

Religion 2001 2011 Hindus 54.92 63.60 Muslims 48.05 57.28 Christians 69.45 74.34 Sikhs 60.56 67.51 Buddhists 62.16 71.83
A Facebook campaign launched by four women devotees two days ago opposing entry of women of reproductive age to the Sabarimala temple saying they can wait till they turn 50, has triggered a fresh bout in social media with opponents questioning why they have to wait.

It is a battle between can wait and why wait camps. Devotees have posted their photographs with a placard displaying ready to wait with a hashtag and it soon turned viral with many women extending their support to the campaign. Not to be left behind, those opposing the status quo at the temple are hitting back saying they dont know the value of freedom and equality.

The social media campaign was launched by four woman - Padma Pillai, Anjali George, Suja Pavithran and Shilpa Nair - saying they were hurt by a smear campaign unleashed by a section of atheists and non-believers against the temple.

We are all for women. But we are hurt by a concerted campaign triggered by a section of non-believers to discredit the temple and deity. We dont feel women will attain immortality by breaking an age-old custom, said Suja Pavithran adding their campaign was spontaneous and not backed by any group. Ready to wait means women are not in hurry and they are ready to wait till they attain 50 years of age to enter the temple.

The Sabraimala temple is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. Women of reproductive age are barred on grounds that the idol concept is naishtika brahmacharya (eternal celibate). The temple has come under limelight again after the Bombay High Court lifting restrictions on women in Haji Ali Dargah.

Supporters of the campaign say there was no ban on women but only some restrictions on certain age group and it was wrong to interpret it as gender issue. My bhakti is not selfish. I am ready to wait for darshan, said a post. It will show pseudo feminists what true women empowerment is, said another.

Those on the other side of the spectrum say they can wait but why they stop others from entering the temple. Many centuries women have been conditioned by various traditions and taboos to believe they are less than men. A biological difference cannot be the yardstick to measure ones devotion, said Congress leader Bindu Krishna criticizing the campaign.

Pilgrimage to Sabarimala in the Western Ghats ranges in Pathanamthitta district, is unique in many ways. A devotee has to observe 41 days fast abstaining from all worldly pleasures followed by a rigorous trek through forests. Interestingly Lord Ayyappas favorite disciple is a Muslim saint Vavar Swami and devotees will have to worship first at his mosque before proceeding to the hilltop.

Women of productive age are allowed only till Pambha, the base river camp before an 5-km arduous trek to the hill shrine begins. Women cops are employed in Pambha in large numbers to screen devotees. If they become suspicious, women devotees will have to furnish proof to verify their age. Despite strict surveillance at times women sneak into the temple.
The latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) will give the ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar something to cheer about. Bihar, often at the receiving end for bad law and order, recorded 13,891 cases of crime against women as per the NCRB 2015 data released on Tuesday against 15,383 in 2014. The overall number of crimes against women at the national level has also declined from 3.3 lakh in 2014 to 3.2 lakh in 2015.

Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra recorded the highest number of crimes against women according to the NCRB data. Stats show women in the age group of 18-30 years are the most vulnerable to rape. Rape cases have also came down over the previous year  from 1,127 in 2014 to 1,041 in 2015. Figures reveal that 954 cases of rape in Bihar were committed by offenders known to the victims. Compared to Bihar, Jharkhand recorded 1,053 cases, Madhya Pradesh 4,391, Maharashtra 4,144 and Haryana 1,070.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had countered claims of poor law and order by describing it to be a perception created by the Opposition. The state recorded 16,871 cognizable offences against 6,76,086 recorded at the national level, i.e. 2.5% of the total number.

The state also reported 7,128 cases of kidnapping and 3,178 incidents of murder in 2015. Of the BJP-ruled states, MP and Maharashtra recorded 6,778 and 8,255 cases of kidnapping respectively, while 2,108 cases of kidnapping were reported from Gujarat. Neighbouring Jharkhand, however, registered 1,402 kidnapping cases.

However, what is worrying, as per the NCRB data, is that nearly 2,46,905 cases are pending investigation in Bihar, of which 69,946 are a carryover from the previous year and 1,76,973 are the cases filed in 2015.

Huge relief for UPs Akhilesh govt

Meanwhile, for Uttar Pradesh  that has hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently especially the gang rape in Bulandshahr, the NCRB data has come as a huge relief for the Akhilesh Yadav-led government that had been facing flak from the opposition following the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)s report over the spurt in crime against women in UP.

In the report tabled in the Assembly on August 23, CAG said incidents of crime against women have been increasing consistently over the last five years and they are much higher compared to the all-India average and most of the other state.

But NCRB figures released on Tuesday revealed that within a year (2014 to 2015) crime against women in UP is on the wane. Rape cases declined from 3,467 in 2014 to 3,029 in 2015. In 2014, 573 cases of gang rape were reported against 459 in 2015. Cases of kidnapping and abduction of women also came down to 10,156 in 2015 from 10,628 in 2014. The cases of abduction of girls, too, decreased from 2,621 in 2014 to 1,435 cases in 2015.

In 2014, 8,605 cases of assault on women to outrage her modesty were reported in the state, whereas in 2015, 7,885 cases were registered. But the sexual harassment graph maintained an upward trend  4,445 cases of sexual harassment were reported in 2014 whereas in 2015, the cases increased to 5,925.

Stalking has turned out be a major concern for the working women. In 2014, 835 cases were registered which declined to 519 in 2015. In 2014, two cases of insult to modest of women at public places were reported whereas in 2015, 10 cases had been reported.

On the social crime front, women had relief, too. Cases of cruelty by husband or relative declined from 10,471 in 2014 to 8,660 in 2015. However, cases of Dowry Prohibition Act increased from 2,133 in 2014 to 2,766 in 2015.

After the CAG report was submitted, the state government defended the steps taken by police on the law and order front. State home secretary Kamal Saxena said according to NCRB data, the rate of crime in UP was less than the national rate.

The number of crimes reported against women in 2014 was 38,467 whereas in 2015, it came down to 35,527. Contribution of UP to all-India crime rate against women in 2015 is 10.9%.

Statistics also reveal that women have been denied instant justice. Investigation of a large number of cases is pending. The investigation of 38,935 cases of kidnapping and abduction, 30,175 cases of assault on women with intent to outrage modesty, 51,085 cases of cruelty by husband and 1,618 rape cases are pending.
The Congress party said on Wednesday it will revive the National Herald and Navjivan newspapers and appointed senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as their editor-in-chief nearly eight years after the publications were pulled out of circulation .

All India Congress Committee (AICC) treasurer Motilal Vora, who is also the chairperson of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) that runs the newspapers, made the announcement.

Mishra, a former editor of Outlook Hindi magazine and a columnist, has been actively involved in Right to Information campaign and civil liberties movements.

Both the newspapers - National Herald in English and Navjeevan in Hindi - will resume publication in the coming months followed by Urdu newspaper Qaumi Awaz, a Congress statement said. Sources said the plan is to go digital first and then print them.

The relaunch of the newspapers comes ahead of assembly elections in several states early next year. They were closed in 2008 due to financial crunch.

National Herald, which was founded at Lucknow in 1938 by freedom-fighter Jawaharlal Nehru, who later became the countrys first prime minister, was banned by the British during the 1942 Quit India movement. It faced brief shutdowns in the 1940s and 70s.

AJL owns a number of properties across the country, including the Herald House in the national capital from where the papers were last published. While two floors of the multi-storey building on arterial Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg have been leased out to the Regional Passport Office, the rest of it houses AJL and Young Indian Private Limited (YIL) that have functional offices.

The place was recently readied for publishing the papers and applications have been sought for filling the vacancies.

AJL, along with its assets and liabilities that included a Rs 90-crore loan from the Congress, was taken over in 2010 by YIL  a Section 25 company (which is akin to a trust) in which Congress president and Rahul hold 38% equity each.

Vora, party leader Oscar Fernandes, technocrat Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey, a schoolmate of late PM Rajiv Gandhi, are also the stakeholders.

In 2012, Swamy accused the Gandhis and Vora, Fernandes, Dubey and Pitroda of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs 50 lakh by which Young Indian Private Ltd obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that the AJL owed the Congress.

On her part, Sonia told the court in July last year that the move was aimed at reviving the publications.

Sonia and Rahul, who appeared before a trial court in connection with the case, were granted unconditional bail in December last year. They were asked to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of the same amount respectively.

On Saturday, a Delhi court asked Sonia and Rahul to respond to a fresh plea of Swamy seeking certain documents from the party and AJL within two weeks in the National Herald case.
The number of crimes against scheduled castes across India dipped by 4.4% in 2015 when compared to the previous year with Rajasthan recording the highest rate of crime against the marginalized community.

Data released by the National Crime Records Bureau showed that Indias most populous state of Uttar Pradesh  which has the countrys highest population of scheduled castes  reported the most number of crimes against the community  8,358. The Dalit population that forms more than a fifth of the states population is expected to be a key factor in the assembly polls next year.

But the rate of crime against SC  the number of crime divided by the population of the community  was much higher in neighbouring Rajasthan. The desert state reported 57.3 crimes per 100,000 scheduled caste people, almost three times the figure for UP.

Across India, crimes against the community slowed down from 47,064 last year to 45,0003  a dip of 4.4% -- but some states such as Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh bucked the trend.

Gujarat  the focus of a wave of recent Dalit protests  reported a 7% drop in the number of crimes against scheduled castes when compared to last year and a middling rate of crime at 25.7. Among states with a big SC population, West Bengal recorded the lowest rate of crime at just 0.9%.

India has been at the centre of a massive nationwide debate against caste discrimination with protests across the country, especially after the suicide of PhD scholar Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad and the flogging of four Dalit men at the hands of alleged cow protectors in Gujarat.

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Authorities on Wednesday lifted curfew from Kashmir Valley, first time since the present unrest began, while clashes erupted at some places between stone pelters and security forces.

Curfew has been lifted from the entire valley. Restrictions preventing assembly of five or more persons under section 144 CrPc will remain in force, a police official said in Srinagar.

After the security forces were removed from Nowhatta area of old Srinagar city on Wednesday morning, youths took to the roads.

Security forces were rushed back to quell the protests after which the protesters started pelting stones at them.

Similar clashes were witnessed in Tengpora area and north Kashmirs Sopore town.

Kashmiri protesters throw stones at security forces in Srinagar. (AP)

People were seen buying vegetables, milk, bread and other essentials of life on Wednesday morning from vendors and bakers in Srinagar city.

Private transport moved on uptown city roads, but main markets, public transport and educational institutions remained closed for 54th consecutive day.

The separatists have called for protest shutdown till Thursday through a weekly protest calendar which they have been issuing ever since the present unrest started here.

At least 71 people have been killed and over 11,000 injured in the ongoing violence that started here on July 9, a day after the killing of top militant, Burhan Wani.
A Haryana government panel has submitted its report on its investigation of allegations that laws were flouted in granting land licences to some companies, including one owned by Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

The one-man justice SN Dhingra commission of inquiry, set up by the BJP government in May 2015, submitted its report to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on the Wednesday.

I wouldnt have submitted a 182-page report if there was no irregularity (in grant of land licences in Gurgaon), Dhingra told reporters.

The panel was asked to probe licences given by the previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government for the development of colonies, housing societies and commercial complexes in four Guragon villages of Sihi, Shikohpur, Kherki Daula and Sikanderpur Bada.

The inquiry panel, which was given three extensions, examined 250 files pertaining to over 100 licences, CLU (change of land use) and layout plans and examined 30 witnesses, including several bureaucrats.

Justice Dhingra, a former Delhi high court judge, had on June 30 sought a last-minute extension to study additional evidence and documents about some benami properties in Gurgaon area.

The additional information and documents have been of help. However, no witnesses were called during this extended period, he had told HT.

I cant talk about contents of the report right now, until government decides to make the content public, Dhingra said.

Vadra had termed the inquiry as a political witch-hunt launched against him by the BJP government in Haryana.

He and Hooda were summoned by the commission but refused to join probe.

Vadra and others were allegedly granted favours by the Hooda government in issuing licenses to develop commercial properties in Gurgaons Sector 83.

The comptroller and auditor general had pointed out that Vadras firm, Skylight Hospitality, had not submitted documents on financial adequacy but was granted a licence.

Earlier, Hooda had objected to the setting up of the commission, saying it was contrary to established rules and norms, without due cabinet approval and prompted by malice and political considerations.

Read: ED issues notice to firm linked with Robert Vadra in Bikaner land case
If you are afraid of falling victim to online fraud, dont fret. Even the prime minister might not be immune to his name being misused.

Narendra Modi, who enjoys a stupendous popularity in social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, posted on Wednesday the specimen of a letter that had been circulated with a wrong attribution to him.

Cautioning people, the PMO tweeted: Few appeals with PMs signature are circulated on social media. Such documents are not authentic.

Sources in the PMO said that in the last few weeks, appeals on different issues, including monetary donation, had started doing the rounds in the popular social-media circles. This prompted the PMO to caution people against such fraud acts.

The government is trying to find out the culprits behind posting such appeals, the sources added.

In may, a man was arrested by Gangavati town police in Koppal district of north Karnataka for allegedly posting a morphed photo of Modi on a social media site. The photo showed the PM bowing to the feet of Telangana Legislative Assembly member Akbaruddin Owaisi from All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party.

Last week, Modi pipped megastar Amitabh Bachchan to become the most followed Indian on Twitter.

As on August 27, the PM had 22,164,942 followers on the social networking platform, while Bachchan marginally trailed with 22,044,167 at the last count.

In January, Modis Twitter followers surpassed that of superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Modi, then, became the second most followed Indian on Twitter with over 17,371,600 followers, compared to Khans 17,351,100.

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The forest departments hunt for an elusive tiger ended on Wednesday when the officials successfully tracked and tranquilised the big cat in the forests near Chhedipur village under Mailani range of south Kheri division.

The tiger had unleashed a reign of terror in the village killing four people since August 15.

The team traced the tiger while it was hiding in the forest waiting to feed on the bait placed by the officials in the morning. The tiger is estimated to be 3-4 years old.

Soon after locating the tiger, teams headed by Dr Utkarsh Shukla, Dr Prem Chandra Pandey and Dr Mayukh Chatterjee of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) rushed to the spot.

Dr Prem Chandra Pandey, who had earlier tranquilised a leopard in Meerut, told Hindustan Times that he shot the first dart which hit the tiger and it ran towards the jungle.

Giving it no chance to escape, Dr Mayukh Chatterjee shot the next dart after which the tiger fell unconscious, he added.

After being examined by Dr Utkarsh Shukla and Dr Aaron Wesley of WTI, the tiger was taken to the base camp and shifted to a cage. Later, a reversal dose was administered to the tiger to bring it back to consciousness, said Dr Pandey. He added that the big cat had been sent to Lucknow zoo and it was safe.

The operation, which began on Tuesday, was monitored by principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF), wildlife, SK Sharma, chief conservator of forest (CCF) Eva Sharma and others.

Hundreds of local residents gathered at the spot to watch the tiger which had unleashed terror in the area killing four people, three of them from Chhedipur, since August 15.

After four human killings in a row, the authorities had declared the Mailani tiger as a man-eater and instructions were issued to kill it.
Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, who is serving a jail term here, was on Tuesday admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after he complained of breathing problems.

According to hospital sources, he has been kept in the pulmonary medicine department under the observation of Randeep Guleria, who is also the head of the department.

On Saturday, Chautala was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital after he had complained of uneasiness.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court -- here on January 22, 2013 -- had sentenced Chautala, his son Ajay, and eight others to 10 years in jail after finding them guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained teachers in 2000.

The high court had upheld the punishment given by the trial court, while the Supreme Court on August 3 dismissed the plea of Chautala and his son Ajay, upholding their conviction and sentencing in the scam.

Chautala belongs to Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and served as Haryanas chief minister more than once.
The government on Wednesday will examine the possibility of allowing lawyers to appear before a tribunal, constituted under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007, on behalf of senior citizens who are not provided maintenance or abandoned by their children.

Under the existing provisions of the Act, senior citizens who are not being maintained by children, neglected or abandoned can directly approach the tribunal.

Under the Act participation of an advocate in the proceeding either for the applicant or respondent is barred. If the applicant is incapable of making an application, an NGO can make an application on his or her behalf, said an official from the ministry of social justice and empowerment.

The need for reviewing the legislation has arisen after the Punjab and Haryana and Madras high courts have, in different orders, said that the Centre reconsider some provisions of the Act,

The courts felt that Section 16 of the Act needs to be amended to allow children or relatives of the elderly people to also file appeals before the Appellate Tribunals.

Under the current Act, the right to appeal has been given only to the applicant (parent or senior citizen) and the same is not available to the respondent (son, daughter or relative etc).

The courts especially cited that Section 17 of the Act which prohibits representation by legal practitioners by any party before the tribunal or appellate tribunal, needs a re-look, the official said.

The courts also asked the ministry about dispensing with the current system of SDMs acting as tribunals and DMs acting as appellate tribunals under the Act, as the tribunals may involve mixed questions of fact and law to be decided. The courts observed that this can be discharged by a legally trained person.

According to sources, the ministry had constituted a committee to review the Act in January which differed on all these points.

The objective behind framing the rules of the Act was to provide inexpensive and speedy justice to the senior citizens of the country. But allowing lawyers would mean it may take years or prolong a case. Engaging lawyers would also involve expenses. If lawyers are allowed, the entire spirit behind the legislation will be lost, the official said.

The social justice ministrys national consultation on Wednesday involves stakeholders such as senior citizens associations, state governments and central ministries, bar council of India, national law commission of India. The ministry will seek suggestions of stakeholders on whether the Act should be reviewed.

The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 makes it a legal obligation for children and heirs to provide maintenance to senior citizens and parents, by monthly allowance.
Pakistani high commissioner to New Delhi seems to be on poor terms with all Indian dignitaries for his hawkish personality and unnecessary aggression, a leading Pakistani daily said on Wednesday, highlighting that the top diplomat hasnt even been able to meet the Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj yet.

Abdul Basit, who was appointed as the high commissioner in New Delhi in February 2014, is being treated as a persona-non-grata by the Indian authorities and hence, has not been allowed to meet Swaraj or high profile dignitary, reports the Daily Times.

The Pakistani daily quoted its sources that external affairs minister Swaraj did not entertain repeated requests of Basit for formal meetings for his hawkish personality and unnecessary aggression. The report added: None of the policy makers in India feel like meeting him. He doesnt enjoy personal rapport with any important Indian official.

While the job high commissioner in New Delhi is regarded as one of the most important diplomatic assignments given the intricate nature of relations between the two arch-rivals, his rigid stance has failed to establish any rapport with the Indian authorities.

According to the report, the Indian authorities have verbally and informally appealed to Pakistan at several occasions to replace Basit with someone else, following which the Pakistani foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry had also raised the matter with the high commissioner and advised him to keep his cool during tough situations.

Though the foreign secretary is said to have wanted the high commissioner to dispel the impression that he was a hawk and always would be no matter whatever the circumstances between the two neighbouring countries is, Basits rigid stance has also led to loggerheads with the former at several occasions.

Nafees Zakria, Pakistan foreign office spokesperson has denied that there were differences between Chaudhry and Basit but, he refused to comment on the fact that the high commissioner never called on the Indian external affairs minister or any other high profile Indian official.

The Lahore-based daily also quoted an Indian official saying, Whenever we want to issue a demarche, we prefer not to summon the (Pakistani) high commission to the (external affairs) ministry. We just dont feel comfortable with him.

In 2014, New Delhi had cancelled foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan, after Basit met with All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Shabir Shah just days before the dialogue.

Basits Twitter timeline seems to show him travelling to various parts of India on invitations of different institutes and re-tweeting pictures of picturesque landscapes of Pakistan, like his primary task is to promote the countrys tourism industry, the daily pointed.
While the India-US military logistics agreement was a major milestone, New Delhi and the Washington are quietly working towards a framework that will be far more consequential for the future of defence ties between them.

They are discussing a document India gave the US ahead of the Monday meeting of defence minister Manohar Parrikar with his US counterpart Ashton Carter here on Monday.

The paper, which has not been made public by either country, was described by Carter at his presser with Parrikar as very lengthy, detailed and  a very constructive paper.

He had gone on to say, Ive read that, studied it very carefully you know  thats an excellent basis for the implementation of the major defence partnership. But he offered no details.

Read | Logistics agreement with US: Why signing LEMOA is significant for India

Neither did Parrikar. Indian officials refused to share contents of the document, and there was no response from US defence department to a request for details till late Tuesday.

The document is an attempt to flesh out the classification of major defence partner that the US coined for India during Prime Minister Narendra Modis June visit, a source said.

Its a new classification altogether, the source said, adding, thats a third category of partners the US has  after treaty allies and non-treaty allies. India is neither.

In a way, both New Delhi and Washington DC are in uncharted waters here, and are working towards putting together, first, a framework and then, second, fill it with details.

The framework will determine, the source said, how the US shares sensitive technology for co-production or co-development with a country that is not an ally in the traditional sense.

The US has emerged as Indias second biggest supplier of defence equipment with $4.4 million worth in contracts in the last three years alone, behind Russias $5 billion.

It has moved aggressively to expand defence trade in recent years under Carters watch by making it easier for India to buy from it, especially sensitive dual-use technology.

Read | Leap in US ties, but military pact may not make India feel safer: Chinese media

During Modis visit in June, the US declared it would work towards technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.

That was the purpose for recognizing India as a major defence partner, a classification the two countries are now beginning to flesh out as a workable framework.

Ben Schwartz, a former defence official now with US-India business council, said logistics pacts  such as the one signed on Monday  have received far more attention than needed.

India and the US signed the logistics exchange memorandum of agreement (LEMOA) on Monday granting their militaries access to logistics support on a reciprocal basis.

Its one of three defence pacts  called foundational agreements by Americans  that the US has been pressing India to sign, arguing they are intended to improve interoperability.

Schwartz, who headed the India desk at Pentagon, said he believes the two countries need to get past these agreements and move on to more pressing topics.

India and the US have common security concerns and geopolitical interests, he said. Our leaders ought to focus on ways of partnering together to pursue those interests.

He added: How this question is answered will determine what major defence partner really means.

Read | After LEMOA, India must go for info and communication security pacts with US
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared with him US perspective on developments in the region and beyond.

Kerry, along with US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, also discussed progress in bilateral engagement since Prime Ministers visit to US in June 2016 apart from briefing him on the 2nd India-US Strategic & Commercial Dialogue that concluded on Tuesday, according to a PMO release.

Secretary Kerry also shared US perspective on developments in the region and beyond with Prime Minister, it said.

The US Secretary of State, on Tuesday as well as Wednesday, in his speech at an event had asked Pakistan to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against indigenous groups operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistans peace and stability.

Prime Minister conveyed satisfaction at the expanded and strengthened strategic partnership between India and the US over the past two years that has opened up new vistas for collaboration. He conveyed that he looked forward to rapid progress and successful completion of the decisions taken with President Obama at the Summit Meeting in June, the PMO said.

Modi also conveyed that he looked forward to meeting President Obama at the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China.

Tweeting on his meeting, Modi said, Glad to meet you, Secretary @JohnKerry. We had fruitful discussions on India-USA ties.

Kerry had earlier tweeted: Pleased to sit down with @narendramodi, reflect on successful S&CD and our ever-deepening relationship with #India.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) was denied permission by the Kanpur administration to hold a rally at the Halim Muslim College Ground on August 28 because of worries that it may wean Muslims away from the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of next years polls, HT has found.

The AIMIM  a Hyderabad-based party  wanted its leader Asaduddin Owaisi to address the meeting in the Muslim-dominated locality under the Sisamau assembly constituency of SP MLA Irfan Solanki.

But in an August 26 order denying permission, additional district magistrate (ADM) Avinash Singh wrote, Owaisi has been very sharp and critical of ruling party leaders in his speeches. His rally could split SP votes and reduce its support base in the region.

Muslims form almost a fifth of the Uttar Pradesh population and are expected to prove decisive in at least 100 of the states 403 assembly seats next year. The AIMIM is fighting to gain a toehold in the state where the BJP is fighting with the SP, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress.

It clearly shows they are afraid of me, Owaisi said in Hyderabad. The candid communique has stunned district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma, who promised to look into the order. This is ridiculous. Who has issued this order? he asked.

Sharma said with increasing requests for such political rallies, the local administration had started seeking police reports on the law and order situation. The report must have been prepared by a police officer, he said.

The AIMIM says it is not the first time it was refused permission to hold a public meeting at the Halim Muslim College.

We had planned a meeting on August 14. But the administration had refused saying that it could not allow such a meeting on the eve of Independence Day, says state president Shaukat Ali.

Sharma said the AIMIM was asked to choose a different location because of a property dispute over Halim College. But Owaisi rejected the explanation, saying he was preparing a list of officials who denied permission for his rallies and would be sending it to the Election Commission to seek their removal.

What is surprising is that he (ADM) mentioned all these in writing, the AIMIM chief pointed out. He said such letters would only expose the SP government.

Asked what he would do if he couldnt address public meetings, Owaisi said: What can I do? Unfortunately, they have been doing this to me for the last two and a half years. But such restrictions will not stop me from going around and meeting people, he said.

Owaisi said his party was making all efforts to convey its message among the people in UP. We have started campaigning in UP by going to different places, meeting people and strengthening the organisation, he said.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar along with his cabinet ministers and party MLAs on Wednesday cycled to the legislative assembly in Chandigarh in a bid to encourage people to opt for eco-friendly transportation.

62-year-old Khattar and many others rode bicycles to cover the short distance of over one km from the chief ministers residence to the assembly while some of the women MLAs travelled by e-rickshaws.

The chief minister later told reporters that they wanted to give a message to people to make more use of environment-friendly modes of transport.

He said though their gesture was symbolic, but they wanted to send a message that using bicycles is not only good for health, but also environment-friendly.

Notably, on the opening day of the monsoon session of Haryana assembly on Friday, BJP MLA Pawan Kumar Saini had pedalled around 110 km from his constituency in Kurukshetra district to reach the assembly in Chandigarh.

Read | Regional buzz: When cops tried to put a spoke in Sainis wheels

45-year-old Saini was also among the group of MLAs who cyled to the assembly on Wednesday.
A teenager died after security forces opened fire on protesters in north Kashmir as intense clashes rocked the Valley on the day curfew was lifted from the entire region, a first in the past 54 days.

Teenager Danish Manzoor was killed in Sopore area of north Kashmirs Baramulla district on Wednesday morning, taking the death toll in the Valley to 71.

Baramulla deputy commissioner Nasir Ahmad Naqash said Manzoor was killed after youth attacked an army convoy with stones in Nadihal village and they were fired upon.

Sopore superintendent of police Harmeet Singh Mehta said army fired a few rounds of ammunition in the air and some blank rounds for self defence after the stone pelting. Six people were injured, of which five are in the hospital and one died on the spot. But there is presence of militants in the area and thats why we need to investigate whose bullet killed the youth, Mehta said.

Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Colonel NN Joshi said the army denied any role in the death. Later in the day, Manzoor was laid to rest amid slogans of azadi.

Clashes across Kashmir

Meanwhile, clashes erupted across Kashmir and Srinagars old city saw demonstrations against India.

In Khanyar locality of Srinagar, forces fired tear gas shells as protesters shouted anti-India slogans and raised Pakistani flags.

HT photographer Waseem Andrabi suffered a minor injury after being hit by a stone while covering the protest at Khanyar.

Clashes between security forces and civilians were also reported from Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam, Anantnag and Bandipora districts.

Condemning the clashes, Independent legislator Engineer Rashid said the killing in Nadihal had exposed the nefarious designs of the Indian state.
A mob on Wednesday attacked the house of ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Nazir Ahmad Laway, setting on fire the guards quarters in the premises in south Kashmirs Kulgam district.

Police said Laway, a Rajya Sabha member, and his family were not in the house when it was attcked.

Superintendent of Police Kulgam, Mohammad Arshad said that the protesters set ablaze the quarters which housed the police personnel who guard the house of the Parliamentarian. The quarters were completely gutted, Arshad said.

He said that the guards did not fire at the mob to avoid any loss of life.

Kashmir has been on boil since the death of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in south Kashmir on July 8.

Clashes between protesters and security forces in Kashmir valley since then have left 71 people dead and thousands injured. Many deaths have taken place in south Kashmir considered a stronghold of ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A teenager was killed when security forces fired at stone-throwing protesters in north Kashmir on Wednesday after curfew was lifted from the entire Valley after 53 days.

The attack on Laways house on Wednesday was the fourth time a PDP politicians house was attacked by angry crowds since July 9 when curfew was clamped across the region to contain the spiralling protests.

The house of PDP legislator from south Kashmirs Kokernag, Abdul Rahim Rather was torched on July 9, a day after Wanis killing.

The house of Shopian MLA and PDP leader, MY Bhat was attacked by a mob which set ablaze the security guard room and a motorcycle in south Kashmir on August 17.

On August 1, petrol bombs were hurled at the house of education minister and government spokesman Naeem Akhtar who was not in the house at the time of attack.
US secretary of state John Kerry said Pakistan had made progress in the fight against extremism in recent months, but urged Islamabad to push harder against militants hiding within its borders as tensions with neighbourng India rise amid more violence in Kashmir.

It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist activities, Kerry said on Wednesday, the second day of his visit to India.

Kerry said the United States had made it clear to Islamabad that it needs to act against groups such as the Taliban-linked Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba that are suspected of operating from Pakistan to launch attacks against its neighbours India and Afghanistan.

In fairness, the Pakistanis have suffered greatly from terrorism in their own country, Kerry said. All of us need to be supportive and also understanding of how difficult it is to take it on step by step.

Without elaborating, he added: I believe that in the last months, progress is being made and the Pakistanis are moving at a greater pace.

The United States accuses the Pakistani intelligence agency of supporting the Haqqani militants and using them as a proxy in Afghanistan to gain leverage there against the growing influence of India. Pakistan denies this.

Pakistan army has launched military operations in the troubled North Waziristan region, which is said to be the base of the Haqqani group.

Kerry said on Tuesday that Islamabad should not feel isolated by fresh talks that are planned between the United States, India and Afghanistan next month in New York. The last time such trilateral talks were held was in 2013.

Read | You must have needed boats: John Kerry jokes at IIT on Delhi rain
US secretary of state John Kerry said on Wednesday Pakistan has to do more to eliminate sanctuaries of terrorism on its soil and push harder against indigenous groups engaged in terrorist activities.

Islamabad is not going after terrorist outfits such as the Laskhar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed sincerely, he said during an interaction with students at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, on the third day of his visit to India.

Also, he made a point that big democracies like India should respect rights of all citizens, irrespective of creed and allow them to protest in peace without fear that they will be jailed for speaking.

His remarks came in the backdrop of the US speaking out in support of freedom of expression after Amnesty International was charged with sedition in Bengaluru recently. There is also a growing debate over unrest in the country, especially in Kashmir which has been on the edge since the killing of a militant leader, Burhan Wani, on July 8.

Kerry said society which does not give equal opportunities to its citizens makes them a potential extremist or terrorist. So it also means that we have to build bridges of tolerance and acceptance, compassion, mutual understanding among every religion and sect.

The secretary of state postponed his departure from India by at least two days. Kerry, whose official engagements here ended with a call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the afternoon, was scheduled to leave at 5.30pm, but he may now leave either on Friday or Saturday for China where he will join President Barack Obama for the G-20 summit, reports PTI.

Due to his travel to China for the G20 summit this weekend, secretary Kerry will extend his stay in India, said Mark Toner, the visiting deputy spokesman in the US state department.

Over the past two days, Kerry had asked Pakistan to do more towards clearing the terrorist havens from its territory, saying groups such as the Islamic State, al Qaeda, LeT and JeM cannot be fought by a nation alone.

We are working on it. I have had many engagements with (Pakistani prime minister) Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western parts of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT, he said during his speech at the IIT.

Pakistan has to push harder against its indigenous groups engaged in terrorist activities, he said.

They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India-Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani establishment, which is often accused of harbouring outfits to do its bidding against India, especially in Kashmir, has called Wani a martyr. Islamabad allegedly supports Laskhar, which is responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks of 2008 in which 164 people were killed, and the Jaish, which is behind the Pathankot airbase strike in January this year.

Pakistan itself has been a victim of terrorism and lost over 50,000 people, Kerry said, but whenever Islamabad took action there is usually pretty intense pushback and blowback which makes it harder.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party to reach out to the poor and marginalised section of society and bring new social groups into the party fold.

At a meeting with party members from the Rajya Sabha, Modi gave them a pep talk on effectively discharging their duties in Parliament and the organisation.

Modi asked Rajya Sabha MPs to take the achievements of his government to every person of society, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

The Prime Minister also asked MPs to effectively use social media for outreach programmes and involve in areas outside their state for organisational activities.

BJP president Amit Shah told the Rajya Sabha members to adopt one Lok Sabha constituency they lost in the 2014 parliamentary election. Of 428 Lok Sabha seats it contested in 2014, the BJP won 282.

Shah met the partys 52 Rajya Sabha MPs, asking them to walk an extra mile to expand the BJPs reach and propagate its ideology.

Each member should take some responsibility in the states where the BJP is not in power. They should popularise the achievements of the party, Shah said.

The Wednesday meeting was a part of the series of consultations Modi and Shah had with BJP leaders. Last week, they met the partys core group from every state, asking them to improve coordination and ensure collective decision making. In a meeting with chief ministers, they stressed on speedy implementation of pro-poor schemes of the states and the Centre.

Party leaders said there was a sense that Rajya Sabha members had to do more to keep in touch with people. Unlike their counterparts from the Lok Sabha, the members of the Upper House do not have a dedicated constituency  they represent a state  and focus is often lost.

For these leaders who dont get directly elected to Parliament, focusing on a particular constituency could be difficult. Modi will remind them of their duties, another BJP leader said.

In a similar exercise, the Prime Minister took stock of the work by the partys Lok Sabha members during the monsoon session of Parliament.

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The governments decision to send a delegation led by foreign minister Sushma Swaraj to the Vatican for Mother Teresas canonisation on September 4 appears to be the latest point of confrontation between the BJP and the Sangh Parivar.

The Parivar affiliates, still smarting from Prime Minister Narendra Modis criticism of cow vigilantes, see the decision as an affront to their ideology.

It becomes hard for the Sangh brass to explain to the workers the rationale for change in the BJPs position. For now the RSS brass has put down the decision to political compulsions, a Sangh functionary said on condition of anonymity.

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP, and its partner organisations have always been suspicious of Albania-born Mother Teresa, accusing her of using Missionaries of Charity that she founded in 1950 of trying to convert people to Christianity.

Conversions are an emotive issue for the Parivar which says Christian missionaries spread out to the remote corners of the country to proselytize tribals and poor Hindus.

While the RSS described the move as a political decision by an elected government, its hardline affiliates such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) are not pulling their punches.

The whole process of anointing her as a saint in itself is a falsehood. In this day and age it is specious to talk of miracles, VHPs international joint general secretary Surendra Jain said.

The VHP, which had described Modis cow vigilante remark as an insult, said in acknowledging the so-called miracles of Mother Teresa, the government had thrown open the doors for more conversions.

Jain demanded an inquiry into alleged conversions carried out by the Missionaries of Charity.

Pope Francis had cleared the way for Mother Teresas sainthood in December.

The Church defines saints as those believed to have been holy enough during their lives to now be in Heaven and can intercede with God to perform miracles. Mother Teresa has been credited with two miracles, both involving the healing of sick people.

Swarajs delegation includes food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Goas deputy chief minister Francis DSouza.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, too, will be at the Vatican but she says she is going there as a guest of Missionaries of Charity.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhis poor health has forced her to pull out. If I had not been unwell, I too would have been there to witness the sacred ceremony, and to pay my humble homage to the woman who was the very embodiment of boundless compassion, mercy and grace, she said in a letter to Pope Francis.

The Sangh functionary, who didnt wish to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said there was considerable dissent within the organisation over the governments position on Mother Teresa.

The feedback from the rank and file of the Sangh is that the government has erred by sending Swaraj. They wanted a minister of state in the MEA to represent the country, the functionary said.

RSS sources said the government was told of the Parivars sentiments.

Modis tribute to Mother Teresa in his radio programme Mann ki Baat, too, has not gone down well with the Parivar. The Prime Minister had praised Mother Teresa, a Nobel laureate and a Bharat Ratna, for devoting her life to serving the poor and the destitute.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat stoked a controversy in 2015, when at the inauguration of an orphanage in Rajasthan, he had said unlike Mother Teresa, work here would be carried out selflessly.

RSS general secretary Suresh Bahiyyaji Joshi had questioned Bharat Ratna for her, saying it was a worry that the countrys highest civilian honour was conferred on Mother Teresa 10 years before BR Ambedkar, who is credited with writing the Indian constitution and is a Dalit icon.

(with agency inputs)
The navy chiefs of India, Australia, Malaysia, Chile and Brazil - countries that operate variants of the Scorpene or have ordered the submarine - could end up discussing the leak scandal during an upcoming symposium in the US, a source told Hindustan Times on Wednesday.

The International Sea Power Symposium (ISS), to be hosted by the US Navy from September 21-23, will bring together naval leaders from around the world to discuss significant maritime issues.

This will be the first time after the Scorpene leak story broke that the navy chiefs of the countries concerned about the Scorpene programme will take part in a global naval gathering.

The biennial symposium will be held at the US Naval War College in Newport. Its last edition in 2014 was attended by 170 representatives from 113 countries.

The symposium has its own structure with focus being on maritime security challenges and future trends but the Scorpene leak could be discussed on the sidelines. Its a hot naval topic, the source said.

The ISS attendees include chiefs of the navies and coast guards from around the world. It has been a regular event since 1969.

Australian journalist Cameron Stewart, who broke the Scorpene story and has accessed 22,400 leaked documents, told HT last week the material posted online by his newspaper was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. He cautioned India that the datas interception by foreign intelligence agencies in its original form could be damaging.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said the revelations were not a big worry but India was prepared for the worst.

Six Scorpene submarines are being built in India in collaboration with French shipbuilder DCNS under a Rs 23,562-crore project.

The government has sought a report from DCNS on the leak that details key capabilities of the submarines, including the frequencies at which they gather intelligence, their diving depths, range and endurance, and specifications of their torpedo launch and combat systems.

India has written to French authorities to urgently probe the leak and share the findings. A panel headed by a vice admiral is carrying out detailed assessment of the potential impact of the leak on Indias Scorpene programme.

The extent of the damage will be known only after the navy has examined every single document that has been leaked, a senior naval officer said.
When she was told that she had delivered a stillborn baby, 15-year-old Seema*, a rape survivor, was heartbroken.

Hailing from Jharkhand, she had found work as a maid in a house in Rohini. A fellow help raped her, causing her pregnancy. Even though he went absconding, Seema did not want to abort the child and sought help from a couple, Vinod and Veena, who ran an adoption agency and Adivasi Sewa Samiti in the neighbourhood. They assisted Seema throughout her pregnancy. A few minutes after delivery, they informed her about the stillborn.

That was in 2007. About a year later, she met 65-year-old Basanti, the midwife who had helped in her delivery. What Basanti revealed shocked Seemaher baby, a boy, was alive, and had been sold by the couple for Rs 30,000. Mera beta mere liye poori duniya hai. Mein usko tis hazaar kya, tees crore key liye nahin bechti (My son is everything to me. I wouldnt sell him even for thirty crores), she said.

An FIR was filed and Vinod and Veena were booked. They told the court that Seema had agreed to give the child for adoption, but Basantis testimony turned the case in Seemas favour. In 2012, she got her child back.

Read | India proposes commercial surrogacy ban; live-ins, homosexuals worst hit

Seema is among the hundreds of parents from marginalised sections, whose biological children are taken away or allegedly kidnapped  and given for adoption without their consent.

According to a report by NGOs, HAQ and Campaign against Child Trafficking (CACT), the number of kidnapping-for-adoption cases has shot up from 15 to 225  a 1,400% surge  between 2004 and 2014.

Kamini Lau, the additional sessions judge who heard Seemas case and sent a report to the women and child development (WCD) ministry, feels the ministry needs to target such cases.

But experts say the opposite is happening.

In 2015, a young couple  20 and 19 years old  who went back to a hospital where they had left their newborn, were accused of abandoning the child.

Child rights lawyer Anant Asthana, who took up their case, said the hospital staff had actually asked them to leave the child so as to avoid problems and the bills, which they couldnt afford.

Despite court orders stating that consent obtained under threat, inducement, enticement or allurement is tainted, the mother was imprisoned for a month and the father granted bail after two weeks before they got back the child.

While Asthana attributed the difference in punishments to the general attitude of the societyresponsibility of the child is considered more the mothers than the fatherswhat irked him was how the hospital staff was let off the hook. If the baby had been left in the hospital, how were the new parents allowed to leave without their baby? he questions, wondering why the police didnt investigate this angle at all.

Asthana and others such as Bharti Ali of HAQ and Anjali Parmar of CACT believe there is a deeper nexus.

Under the adoption law, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) is in charge of ensuring that the children put up for adoption are legally-free and do not have any parents looking for them.

The new law on adoption has banned foreigners from adopting Indian children. Last week, the government cleared a bill banning surrogacy for foreigners, among others.

But with incentivesmoneyflowing in for adoptions, Asthana says there is a determined push for adoption while the machinery for care and protection for children is just rotting.

Many also say that the current statute governing adoption has given too much power to the government bodies which are in charge of putting the children in adoption pools.

A section of the law says that if there is a persistent denial by any CWC or officer of law against a direction issued by them, the Specialised Adoption Agency can be booked for criminal offences.

Former CWC spokesperson Bharti Sharma puts the blame on WCD ministry. The WCD lock stock and barrel wants to push for adoption for maximum children. This is where CWC has pressure from.

Read | Surrogate mothers cry foul over proposed bill, will write to PM Modi

HTs request for comment from the WCD ministry went unanswered.

Former CWC chief Loveleen Kakkar opined that the law in itself is not the problem, but its implementation is abysmal.

Although the police are supposed to upload details of a missing child along with pictures on every FIR, the websites of many states for missing childrenused by CWC and police to check intra-state traffickinghavent been updated in months.

In 2012, in response to Asthans PIL in Delhi high court seeking details of child traffickinghe had listed international adoptions as a key reasonthe Delhi police had claimed that there were only three cases of kidnapping-for-adoption.

You can actually kidnap a child from Kolkata, bring her or him to Bombay, show them as an abandoned child and in three to four months, the child is put up for adoption, says Arun Dohle, who helps with CACT.

Dohle was adopted by a German family from India. He returned to Pune after 38 years in search of his biological parents, only to find that his mother never gave informed consent for his adoption. My whole life has been a lie, he says, blaming the system.

He considers his case a half victory because the Supreme Court dismissed his petition seeking criminal action against the NGO due to the lapse in time and the resulting lack of evidence.

We have an adoption system, where the CWC legally kidnaps. They are able to terminate parental rights without the consent of the parents. This is a big issue, he says.

They just have to show that these many children have been adopted, Sharma said, asking, Arent you ashamed to have so many up for international adoptions? Cant you just take the (missing) children from here and present them there?

*Names of rape victims have been changed to protect privacy.

Read | India proposes commercial surrogacy ban: A look at laws across the world
A 24-year-old school teacher was hacked to death inside a church in Tamil Nadus Thoothukudi town on Wednesday by a man who police said stalked her for six months.

N Francina was praying inside St Peters Church around 8.30am, a usual part of her daily routine given the close proximity to the school she taught when the incident occurred.

According to police, eyewitness saw a man in his late 20s attack Francina with an aruval, a common agricultural implement similar to a machete, before fleeing the scene.

Francina, who sustained serious injuries to the head and shoulder, was admitted to the Thoothukudi Government Hospital. She later died.

Based on the eyewitness accounts, as well as CCTV footage, Thoothukudi Police tracked down the suspect to his residence, where he was found hanging.

Police said the man, who has been identified as J Keegan, stalked the victim for six months prior to the attack.

We believe he approached her and she said no, which made him attack her, a police official said.

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Tripura governor Tathagata Roy is unhappy with the Mamata governments decision to rename West Bengal as Bengal, saying Hindus will be driven out from the state like they were from East Bengal, a reference to what is now Bangladesh.

As a lifelong resident of West Bengal with roots in East Bengal whence we were driven out for being Hindu, I am unhappy about dropping West, the governor tweeted Tuesday.

Things will be clear when Hindus get driven out of West. Day not very far, Roy tweeted, expressing fears that the community would be targeted like it was in post-partition East Bengal, which went on to be called East Pakistan and emerged as the independent nation of Bangladesh after the 1971 liberation war.

The West Bengal assembly on August 29 passed a resolution renaming the state to Bangla in Bengali, Bengal in English and Bangal in Hindi. The name change will have to be cleared by Parliament.

An avid Twitter user, Roy has tweeted his way into several controversies. He has often come under fire from opposition parties for his aggressive and political messages. Opposition says the governor continues to behave like the BJP leader he once was.

The governor, who refers to his days as Swayamsewak in his Twitter bio, also retweeted a picture of Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhus visit to Mahankali Temple in her hometown of Hyderabad.

Olympic medalist PV Sindhu offers Puja at Mahankali Temple, Hyderabad. One needs religion to have an anchor in life, he said.

The governor also seems to have taken potshots at the states Left government. Communism is dead for all practical purposes. What remains is just a confused state of mind that I call BengaLeftism.

Tripura has been ruled by the Communists Party of India (Marxist) for 23 years now.
Indias pressure on the US to do more for its membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has resulted in a proactive wording in the joint statement issued by the two nations.

But a key question remains: How much political capital is the US willing to expend on Indias demand? The NSG is a group of 48 nations that deal with trade in nuclear technology and fissile materials. the sides (India and US) committed to redouble their efforts towards Indias early entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The United States urged participating governments to support Indias candidacy in their common interest, said the joint statement .

The US side affirms its support for Indias membership has remained the familiar template in the joint statement so far. Unlike the joint statement issued after the last dialogue, South China finds a mention this time. But Chinas name was not taken. . the sides stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight, and unimpeded lawful commerce throughout the region, including in the South China Sea, the joint statement said.

There was no mention about urging China to honour the award of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea which went against Beijing. But US secretary of state Joh Kerry was more forthcoming on the issue during his interaction with students at IIT-Delhi.

He said Indias decision to accept an international tribunals judgment over its maritime border with Bangladesh stood apart from other choices made by other countries.

It is a model (on) how a potentially dangerous dispute can be resolved peacefully, including the South China Sea  where the US continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunals recent decision which is final and legally binding on both parties, Kerry added.

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Mother Teresa will be anointed a saint on Sunday and Indias politicians are in a mad dash to travel to the Vatican to witness the historic event, most of them possibly at public expense.

At least a central minister, two chief ministers, a number of politicians and civil servants will travel to the Holy See to witness the canonisation of Mother Teresa.

The list of visitors include leaders from West Bengal, Delhi, invitees from Mother Teresas organisation, Missionaries of Charity, and possible leaders from states with big Christian populations such as Kerala or Goa.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj will lead the official Indian delegation, whose composition is unknown. But the decision has already angered Sangh Parivar, which views the Albania-born Mother Teresa as a missionary who came to India to convert Hindus.

But the biggest share of invites appears to have gone to Mother Teresas adopted home state, West Bengal.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, her party leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek OBrien, state chief secretary Basudeb Bandyopadhyay are among those going. Sister Mary Prema, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity will accompany Banerjee. Five top nuns are also going to the Vatican.

Senior sources in Roman Catholic Diocese of Kolkata told HT that the Bengal politicians are going as guests of the Missionaries of Charity, which refused comment.

Surprise visitors are Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his private secretary Bibhaw Kumar and public works minister Satyendra Jain. Sources said the city government will bear the expense of their trip but the costs are not known. Both Kejriwal and Jain are going to the Vatican on a personal invite from the Missionaries of Charity.

Delhi chief secretary KK Sharma and Jains secretary DC Goel were also supposed to go but the request was turned down by lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, sources said.

Two special invitees of the Vatican are Mother Teresas cardiologist AK Bardhan and his wife Seba, who treat Monica Besra. Besra was reportedly cured by a miracle attributed to the venerated nun, paving the way for her elevation as a saint.

But that is not all. A number of politicians and religious leaders from Kerala, Goa, the northeastern states and Tamil Nadu  all with substantial Christian populations  are expected to join the delegation.
The erstwhile Jaipur royals on Wednesday made an emotive appeal to people to stand by them against the Jaipur Development Authoritys (JDA) immoral and repressive act of sealing the Rajmahal Palace Hotel.

Padmini Devi, the Rajmata of the former royal family, will lead a rally comprising people of all communities on Thursday. The silent rally will march from Tripoliya Gate in the City Palace to Rajmahal Palace.

This comes amid speculation that BJP MLA Diya Kumari, Padmini Devis daughter, has sought the help of Union home minister Rajnath Singh, himself a Rajput, although the former denied it.

All this point to the bid of the royal family to portray itself as the victim of government authority with an effort to rally the support of not only the Rajputs but all communities to hit back.

In an appeal published in the local media, Padmini Devi asked people to stand by the family and pointed out that the JDA action was not only an insult to her family and the people of Jaipur but also an affront to the patriotism of her husband, late (Brigadier) Bhawani Singh, a Mahavir Chakra recipient, who had served the country and showed exemplary courage in the Indo-Pak War of 1971.

The action by the JDA commissioner in sealing the Rajmahal Palace Hotel was immoral and repressive, the appeal said, asking people to support her against the injustice.

Some Rajput and other community associations as well as the Congress have come out in support of the former royal family calling the JDA action vindictive and insulting. The Congress too has asked chief minister Vasundhara Raje to come clean on the hotel dispute.

The appeal has not gone down well with the BJP though. Its state president Ashok Parnami said, I had assured Diya Kumari when she met me that no injustice would be done to her. The chief minister is back today.

Kumaris husband Narendra Singh said, The appeal has been issued by Padmini Devi in her personal capacity. People are angered by the JDA action and have come out in our support. Why is the government harassing their own MLA when she has done no wrong?

JDA officials and policemen led by JDA commissioner Shikhar Agarwal had on August 24 entered the premises of the 300-year-old hotel situated in the posh C-scheme area, sealed the receivers office, partially broken quarters inhabited by the former royal familys staff and also the three main gates of the hotel.

A senior JDA official told HT that the move was not sudden. Knowing well that court cases are pending, a month back the royal family had filed an application in the Jaipur Municipal Corporation for reconstitution of the land. They tried to bypass the JDA. In the first week of August, the corporation apprised us of the application. The official said some new construction had also begun on the land. It was after these developments that the JDA took action, he said.

The move took people by surprise because Raje, who is from the Scindia family and married into the Dholpur royal family, shares cosy relationship with the former Jaipur royals. Incidentally, Diya Kumari was given the Assembly election ticket for Sawai Madhopur at Rajes behest.

Some say that Raje was interested in a stake in the Rajmahal hotel which was briefly leased in 2014 to the Sujan Group of luxury hotels, run by Jaisal Singh, Rajes relative, a claim denied by Kumari. They say the JDAs act was meant to serve as a warning to the royal family which had gone back on its commitment.

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Even as the countdown to confer sainthood on Mother Teresa in Rome has begun, another countdown has kicked off in Kolkata. On September 4, the city will get the countrys first church named after Saint Teresa of Kolkata. Also, soon after the canonisation ceremony at the Vatican, the Catholic Association of Bengal will embrace Mother as its patron saint.

Soon after the canonisation of Mother is done with, we will hold a meeting and would initiate the process of renaming Mother Teresas Church in Dum Dum as the St Teresa of Kolkata Church. It will become the first church in the city to be named thus, Archbishop Thomas DSouza of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta told HT.

Read: A Laymans Guide to Canonization

Just like Mother, this L-shaped church in Dum Dum named after her has a very humble facade. It is built on just 12 cottah of land. It has just two office rooms, a priests residence and a prayer hall which can accommodate about 300 chairs, said the parish priest of the church, Father Tapan Stephen Khan.

In fact, the church is struggling to buy 300 chairs. The land at 315/A Lakhi Narayan Road at Dum Dum Cantonment area was bought in 1991 to build a church for about 600 Roman catholic families residing in the area. At that time Mother Teresa was alive.

The foundation stone of the church was laid in December 2006 and the first midnight mass celebrating Christmas was held in 2012.

Read: A sons screen tribute to Mother

At that time we had thought of naming the church after Mother. But there is a St. Teresa Church named after a 16th century Spanish saint in Moulali. We did not want both the names to clash so the church was named Mother Teresa Church. And now that Mother is being canonised what can be a better way to celebrate her sainthood than by renaming the church, said Archbishop DSouza.

Locals gather to pay their respect to the Mother. This was the first church in Kolkata to be named after her. (Prateek Chowdhury/(HT))

The church did not even have its own priest till 2013. Priests from the neighbouring St. Patricks Church performed the rituals.

I got appointed as the first priest of the church in 2013. Now we have three statues of Mother Teresa in the church premises. I will now talk to the Archdiocese of Calcutta and the Missionaries of Charity to see if we could keep some memorabilia of the Mother here. This was the first church in Kolkata to be named after Mother but not many know this. Apart from locals, we do not get visitors here but I guess everything will change post the canonisation, said father Stephen Khan. We are also planning to expand the building, he added.

Read: Ahead of Mother Teresas Canonization, tracing her journey in Kolkata

The Catholic Association of Bengal too has decided to make St. Teresa of Kolkata its patron saint.

Mother was born in 1910 and this association came into existence in 1911. Till date, the association did not have any patron saint. In our annual general meeting to be held on September 18, we would be embracing Mother Teresa as our patron saint, said Eugene Gonsalves, national president of the All India Catholic Union and immediate past president of the Catholic Association of Bengal.

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In a statement that is certain to take the bitterness between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress to new heights, chief minister Mamata Banerjee cited a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) report to assert that the Berhampore hospital fire that killed three people on Saturday was an act of sabotage.

I have got the preliminary CID report. It was a conspiracy and the whole incident was engineered to trigger panic and kill people at the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital (MMCH), Mamata Banerjee said at a Netaji Indoor Stadium programme on Tuesday.

Read: Murshidabad hospital fire: 3-year-old patient among three dead

On Saturday, August 27, three persons, including a three-year-old girl, were killed and around 40 injured in a stampede triggered by the mad scramble to flee the fire on the first floor of the hospital building. The fire apparently started from the AC machine in a VIP cabin of the building.

On Saturday itself, the state government ordered a CID investigation to find out if it was a case of sabotage. The cops have already arrested Berhampore Town Congress committee vice-president Amol Gupta for his alleged role in the incident, drawing sharp criticism from his partys leaders. State Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury has already described the government probe as a witch-hunt and a ploy to divert attention from what he termed as the total absence of administration at hospitals in Bengal.

Congress supporters gherao Berhampore police station to protest the arrest of local leader Amall Gupta for alleged involvement in the hospital fire. (HT Photo)

Incidentally, Gupta, who is known as Poltu is Berhampore, is the representative of local MP Adhir Chowdhury in the hospital which was elevated to a medical college in 2010-11.

Over the past few weeks, relations between the chief minister and her rival reached a new low after the ruling party engineered a steady erosion of leaders and workers from Congress in Murshidabad and neighbouring Malda district that are traditionally known as the bastions of the party. In these two districts, Trinamool recently wrested three civic bodies and nearly 100 gram panchayats from Congress and the Left --- something that has intensified the bitterness between Adhir Chowdhury and the chief minister.

Many of the patients who rushed out after the fire had to take shelter under trees and in open spaces. (HT Photo)

On Saturday night itself, former law minister and MoS health Chandrima Bhattacharya, who was sent by the chief minister to the hospital, said that the incident appeared to be a conspiracy to defame the Mamata Banerjee government.

Congress leaders in Murshidabad argued that far from being a conspirator, Amol Gupta in fact saved many people during the fire. Adhir Chowdhury said on Tuesday that they will move court for a CBI inquiry into the incident.

As soon as the incident took place, chief minister said it was a case of sabotage and after that she ordered a CID inquiry. The CID sleuths only obliged her. In the name of investigation, it was a farce, said Abdul Mannan, leader of the opposition in the Assembly.

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Police arrested Ola drivers Shankar Shaw and Guddu Singh on Wednesday morning for gang rape and murder of a 12-year-old pavement dweller in the city on Tuesday night.

Though new generation cab drivers were involved in occasional offences, this is the first time that the drivers of such services were involved in such henious crime in Kolkata.

According to Kolkata Police officers, the duo abducted the girl by forcing her into an OLA car on Tuesday night. Then they took her to the Park Circus flyover and raped the minor in the vehicle.

Read: Ola cab molestation: Cong, BJP target Kejriwal over Delhi crime rate

Their mission accomplished Shaw and Singh throttled the girl and tossed her body into a canal below the flyover.

The gruesome incident is sure to trigger questions about effectiveness of police patrol in the city, and the safety of women in general.

Ironically the 9.2-km long Park Circus flyover that has come to represent the modern face of the city was the site for the crime. (File photo)

Both have been arrested. They have admitted to the crime, said a Kolkata Police officer.

Before picking up the girl, the duo had consumed alcohol at Watgunge. They were looking for some merriment when their spotted the girl on the pavement.

The girl used to live on the pavement of Brabourne Road with her mother, who washes utensils in a local sweetmeat shop.

Around 5 AM we received information that a girl was picked up in a car. From traffic control room the number of the car was established, said a Kolkata Police officer.

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1. I dislike the entire schooling system, says mom of homeschooled teenager who makes it to MIT

HT talked to Malvika Joshis mother, Supriya, who is among the founders of Swashikshan (Self-teaching) movement which has at least 1,000 homeschooling parents as members. Read

2. Six things police know about Santacruz bizman murder so far

A list of six things the police know about the murder of a 43-year-old businessman Tilakraj Rajput, who was killed by his alleged lover Purity Coutinho alias Ronita (26) in his Mahindra XUV on Sunday night at SV Road near LIC office in Santacruz (West). Read

3. Mumbai auto strike gets lukewarm response

The auto rickshw drivers affiliated to Mumbai Autorickshaw Mens Union began their one-day Wednesday strike from midnight but have received mixed response in many parts of the suburbs so far. Read

4. J Dey murder: MCOCA court frames charges against Chhota Rajan

A Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Wednesday framed charges against extradited underworld gangster Rajendra Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan in the J Dey murder case.Read

5. More drones to help police maintain order during Ganeshotsav

While making elaborate security arrangements for the 11-day Ganesh festival set to begin on September 5, the city police said they will use more drones this time for handling the crowd and getting minute detailing. Read
The year 2015 was the second consecutive year when Maharashtra topped in train robberies and thefts with as many as 688 robberies and 5882 thefts being registered last year by the Government Railway Police.

This is not the only crime where the state stood on top, but Maharashtra also witnessed highest number of kidnappings and abductions last year with 47 such cases being registered, revealed the statistics compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

The situation of crime and security of commuters and out station trains has been dismal with unhindered access to hawkers and others suspicious persons who are generally offenders in such cases. The GRP conducted several drives in last year after Maharashtra registered 709 robberies in 2014, however, while the incidents went down by a few numbers in 2015, state continues to rank number one.

Among other states, Uttar Pradesh stood second with 264 robberies and Madhya Pradesh stood third with 144 cases, Delhi fourth with 102 such incidents and Karnataka registering 79 robberies last year.

The thefts onboard moving trains also rose to a whooping 5882 cases in Maharashtra, again the highest, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 5712 cases and Madhya Pradesh registering 3685 thefts, in 2015. While the gangs that commit robberies and thefts are different, the railway police officials said that the number has gone up also because of commuters reporting all the incidents to the police.

We have filled several vacancies in the GRP statewide and are taking all steps with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to get to the root of these cases. Almost all the railway stations in the rest of Maharashtra do not have CCTV cameras, which would act as a deterrent as police could easily spot suspicious person(s) who venture into railway premises regularly and nab them, said a senior police official.

Another crime where the state topped in 2014 is kidnappings and abduction, of which 270 cases were registered across the country. Maharashtra saw 47 of these cases, followed by Delhi with 40 incidents. The third place was occupied by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar with 36 cases each, whereas West Bengal registered 26 and Madhya Pradesh 24 cases.

The officials said the number of cases had risen as the police was following Bombay high court orders, according to which an abduction case has to be registered if a juvenile goes missing. Officials claimed that the number of actual kidnappings was far less.

We are conducting several awareness campaigns across the state with RPF in order to make the commuters aware of the safety measures that they need to take while travelling. We intend to bring down the crime further, added the senior officer.

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A special MCOCA court framed charges against deported gangster Chhota Rajan in the J Dey murder case on Monday, paving the way for trial five years after the investigative journalist was shot dead in suburban Powai in 2011.

The court has framed charges under MCOCA against Rajan and he has pleaded innocence, said a CBI official.

Rajan, currently lodged at high-security Tihar jail, was produced before MCOCA judge Samir Adkar through video- conference.

On August 5, the CBI filed a supplementary charge sheet against the gangster claiming that he had the journalist murdered because Deys articles and a planned book portrayed Rajan as chindi (a small fry).

Dey, a veteran crime reporter, had planned a book, titled Chindi-Rags to Riches, wherein he was going to write the stories of 20 gangsters with humble origins.

Dey was going to expose the fake patriotic mask used by him (Rajan) to secure himself and to accumulate wealth for his family. The book was to have that Rajan had no concern for those who made him big, the chargesheet had said.

The book was also to portray Dawood Ibrahim, Rajans friend-turned-foe, as being superior to him.

According to the chargesheet, Rajan, who was reportedly hiding in Malaysia, had called Dey for a meeting but the journalist refused, CBI said.

Journalist Jigna Vora, an accused in the case, now on bail, is the one who instigated the murder, CBI said.

Last month, adjourning the hearing in the case, the MCOCA court said it would go ahead with framing of charges as per the chargesheet earlier filed by Mumbai Polices crime branch if the CBI failed to do so by August 5.

However, the agency stepped up and filed a 300-page chargesheet on the day.

Rajan was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25 last year and deported to India. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, all now handed over to CBI.

Dey was shot dead in suburban Powai on June 11, 2011 allegedly at the behest of Rajan.

The first chargesheet filed in the case in 2011 names Satiah Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia (all arrested).

Another chargesheet was filed against Vora the next year. She is accused of instigating Rajan against Dey owing to her own professional rivalry.
A day after the Bombay HC allowed deemed medical and dental universities in Maharashtra to conduct their own admission processes, parents of MBBS and BDS aspirants are planning to take the institutions back to court.

A group of parents said they are planning to file a petition in the Supreme Court against the order.

The SC needs to be made aware of problems young children face in the name of policy and rules. While the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) was introduced to bring about uniformity in medical admissions, our children are running pillar to post for admissions, said Ruiee Kapoor, a parent.

She said parents are taking the help of a retired SC judge to put together their case papers and should manage to file their petition on Thursday.

The SC should know that what the state government is terming as teething problems are actually ruining lives of our children, she said.

While the SC order on NEET made it clear admissions to seats in all government, private and deemed institutes will be conducted only on the basis of this one examination, various state governments had sought relief for this year.

Finally an ordinance was passed by the President of India in on May 24, allowing states to conduct admissions to seats in government institutes on the basis of the Common Entrance Test (CET), whereas private and deemed institutes were asked to follow merit lists based on NEET scores only.

This week, based on a writ petition filed by a few deemed institutes in the state, the Bombay HC put a stay on the states resolution to conduct common admissions for both private and deemed institutes.

Many parents are also worried about top-scorers who have already got admission to government seats in the state but might opt for a seat in private institutes closer home, taking away chances of students who are yet to be allotted seats.

We will fight till our last breath and make sure not just our children, but future batches dont suffer either, said another parent. Authorities at the Directorate of Medical Education & Research (DMER) also told HT they might fight for common medical admissions in 2017.

Deemed universities in their petition at the Bombay HC this week sought relief from a common admission process, stating they fall under the preview of the central government rules, not that of state governments.

We will conduct admissions only on the basis of NEET scores, but by following state rules we are being forced to give up on our deemed status, which we refuse to compromise on. Deemed institutes across the country are conducting separate admissions, said a senior trustee of a deemed institute based in Pune. He added that if they are forced to once again follow state rules, they will fight tooth and nail in court.

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Two days after the Shiv Sena gave its formal assent to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in a special legislative session, the party on Wednesday warned its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that the world over, no government has ever been re-elected to power after introducing such a levy.

In an editorial in its party mouthpiece, Saamana, the Shiv Sena said, Globally, whichever country brought in a tax like the GST had to ultimately take it back and adopt a new tax regime because of the failure of the GST. Moreover, any government that has advocated GST has never returned to power.

The GST is touted to be Indias most ambitious tax reform plan that seeks to create a single national uniform tax across the country on goods and services. The Maharashtra legislature on Monday unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Centres decision to roll out GST, after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis allayed Shiv Senas concerns that the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will not lose its financial autonomy.

The Saamna editorial said, The chief minister appoints a commissioner to the BMC as his agent who then moves files as per his bidding, tearing into the citys independence. The GST seems like a step further at cashing in on the proverbial hen that lays golden eggs (the BMC). But as long as the Shiv Sena is in power, we will never let that happen.

The party further said that though the chief minister has promised that the state and the BMC will not lose a single penny of revenue because of the GST and the civic bodys financial independence will be retained, one has to always be very careful when it comes to Mumbai.

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No formal police complaint has been filed in the Lamborghini case in which the wife of BJP MLA Narendra Mehta rammed the luxury car into a stationary auto rickshaw in Bhayander on August 27.

N M Bhosle, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP), Mira Road Circle, said no complaint has been registered by the victim and we will act on it when the auto rickshaw driver files a complaint. The Navghar police (in Bhayander East) cannot go and lodge a complaint on our own, said Bhosle.

However, a senior police official said, a case under Section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the IPC could have been filed, had the driver complained to the police. He further added if there were injuries involved, Sections 337 and 338 (causing hurt) of the IPC can also be applied.

Further, the owner of the car should have permanently registered the vehicle with the Thane RTO, within a span of 7 days after the day of the purchase or else the RTO can levy a fine per day, for non-registration, said the official.

The car continues to be driven on the streets for the last two days even after the mishap. According to sources, the car was purchased in the name of Mehtas company - Seven Eleven Group of Companies.

Moreover, the MLA said Opposition parties are behind the morphed video. He said he will file a criminal case against the person who had shot the morphed video of the incident and made it viral on social media. Opposition political parties are behind it to defame me, as I am the MLA of Mira - Bhayander and affiliated to the BJP, he said.
1. Narendra Mehta, the BJP MLA from Mira Bhayander, is a maverick businessman turned politician, who has his hands in construction, health care and education projects on the outskirts of Mumbai.

2. He was elected to the state assembly for the first time in 2014. But, joined politics in 1997 and has served as the mayor in the Mira Bhayander Corporation. He was a district president of BJP until 2014.

3. Mehta is the founder of the Seven Eleven Group of companies that has a 100-bed hospital, CBSE school besides mega affordable township project Apna Ghar to its credit. At the core the group gets its strength from real estate.

4. Mehta is a Class 8 drop out and has declared assets worth Rs 18 crore in his election affidavit.

5. He is not new to controversy. Recently, the civic body issued a show cause notice on his name for making illegal alterations in his school. Earlier, the legislator had also faced allegations of illegal hacking of mangroves for his construction projects but has denied the same.

6. In December, 2002 Mehta was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau,Thane for accepting a Rs 20,000 bribe from a local resident.The case is pending before the ACB court in Thane.

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Ahead of elections of major municipal corporations in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was seen trying to tap the unrest among Muslims and dalit community.

Pawar on Tuesday said Muslim youths are illegally detained on charges of terrorism, even though he could not see the impact of ISIS, a terrorist organisation, in the state.

He slammed the states proposed internal security act and wondered whether the BJP government wanted to impose Emergency in the state.

The NCP leader claimed many instances of illegal detention of Muslim youths have come to light, especially in Marathwada. I believe linking religion with terrorism is unfair, Pawar said.

He said a delegation of 28 non-political Muslim organisations met him in Aurangabad two days ago and requested him to intervene into the matter. I am considering discussing the issue with senior leaders from all like-minded political parties and then bring it to the notice of the PM, Pawar said at the party headquarters. I dont want to make it a political issue, but want a national-level discussion, he said.

Pawar also backtracked from his remarks on Atrocities Act. I had said the misuse of the law (Prevention Of Atrocities Act, 1989) should not be allowed, he said.

CM Devendra Fadnavis said no youths were detained illegally. Whatever Pawar ji is speaking against the ATS, is based on incorrect information. We will send him the correct facts and figures, he said.
NEW DELHI: India and the US tried on Tuesday to put Pakistan in the dock for harbouring extremists and making a distinction between good and bad terrorists.

Also, the two countries decided to set up a trilateral dialogue on Afghanistan  another irksome development for Pakistan  as they stepped up their counter-terrorism cooperation by expanding intelligence-sharing about known or suspected extremists and terrorist threats.

The decision was taken at the India-US annual strategic and commercial dialogue in Delhi.

I am happy to note there was a meeting of minds on this issue (of terrorism), foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said after meeting US secretary of state John Kerry.

We agreed that nations must not maintain double standards, such as the categorisation of good and bad terrorists, nor act as sanctuaries and safe havens for terrorist organisations, she said.

Kerry echoed Swarajs views, saying the US stands with India against all terrorism, no matter where it comes from. He said he had spoken to the Pakistan leadership about the need for Islamabad to deprive any (terrorist) group of sanctuary.

His remarks came at a time when Pakistan and India are locked in hostile rhetoric over public protests in Kashmir over the killing of a militant leader on July 8. The unrest has claimed 70 lives. Pakistan has called the militant a martyr to ratchet up anti-India sentiments.

Kerry named the Haqqani network that operates in Afghanistan as well as the Pakistan-based LeT, which is blamed for the 26/11 attacks. He backed Sushmas demand for bringing to book those behind the Mumbai attacks and this years strike on the Pathankot airbase. It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in tackling this challenge, and in fairness, in recent weeks and months they have been moving more authoritatively, Kerry said.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistans top diplomat was allegedly admonished by the White House for posting on social media his photograph with US first lady Michelle Obama, news reports said on Tuesday, forcing Islamabad to issue an official denial.

In a statement on Tuesday, the foreign office said media reports about a letter of displeasure from the White House to Pakistans ambassador to the US, Jalil Abbas Jilani, was completely incorrect and baseless.

The Pakistani daily The News claimed Jilani was criticised for tweeting the picture in May.

On May 28, the Pakistani ambassador had tweeted: It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today, with a picture. He later removed the tweet. The White House said Jilanis action was undiplomatic and a breach of trust, the report said.

Mrs Obamas brief visit to the residence of the ambassador was purely personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional, the report quoted the letter as saying.

Michelle Obamas visit to Pakistan House  Jilanis residence  was connected with his sons graduation party, who attended the same school as President Barack Obamas daughters.

However, the picture tweeted by Jilani gave an impression that the US first lady had close ties with the Pakistani ambassadors family.

Jilani was also allegedly scolded by the Pakistani foreign office, the newspaper claimed quoting unnamed sources.

Some media reports had even suggested that bilateral ties were discussed during Michelle Obamas visit. Pakistan foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakariya said it was unethical on the part of the Washington-based reporter to have filed a baseless story without verifying its authenticity.

No such letter from the White House has been received either in our mission in Washington or this ministry. It is nothing but a figment of the reporters own imagination, it said.
Two females joined as loco pilot in the northern railway division, Ferozepur, on Tuesday.

With this, the two, namely Anjali and Sandhya, have become the first females to join as loco pilot of northern railway division, catering the needs of largest rail network including at Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir.

Its a challenging task but I will try my best to come up to the expectations of all, said Anjali, daughter of ex-serviceman Samayvir Singh, and native of Gautambudh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.

Its my dream to run the fastest train of Indian railways on tracks, remarked Sandhya, daughter of Lal Bahadur Shah, a farmer and resident of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Anuj Parkash, divisional railway manager, Ferozepur said, The duo had undergone vigorous training for engine training at Tughlaqabad in Ghaziabad and traffic management at Chandosi, for more than eight months and will initially run goods trains.
The crime investigation agency (staff-2) police arrested two women after recovering 24-kg poppy husk from their possession on Monday.

The accused, Sandeep Kaur of Selkiana and Paramjit Kaur of Rojdi village in Jalandhar, were arrested from Sahnewal railway station.

Satnam Singh, assistant sub-inspector (ASI), CIA, staff-2, said, Police stopped them during a special checking at the station, and recovered poppy husk from their bags upon frisking.

The women used to buy poppy husk from Madhya Pradesh at Rs 1,200 per kg and sell it among addicts in Ludhiana for Rs 4,000 per kg, the ASI said.

A case under Sections 15/61/85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered. Police are trying to know their past criminal record.
The police on Tuesday arrested three people for immoral activity during raids at three internet cafes near the government college in Hoshiarpur.

The Model Town police had received complaints that the cafes  Saini Cafe, Juneja Refreshment and Cafe and Internet Cafe  provided space to young couples to carry out immoral activities on their premises. When a team, led by station house officer (SHO) Gopal Singh, raided the places, many couples were found in compromising position inside the cubicles. The girls and a few youths were let off after a warning, but two clients and a cafe owner were arrested. The police videographed the entire operation. Senior superintendent of police Kuldip Singh Chahal guided the raiding team.

The SHO a case has been registered against the cafe owners and two other arrested persons under the Immoral Traffic Act and Information Technology Act. He said similar raids will be conducted at other cafes too.
Even as the work on the memorial in Sector 42 for former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated by terrorists in 1995, began in 1999, but the project still remains a work in progress due to shortage of funds.

Punjab will mark on Wednesday the 21st death anniversary of the former CM, who was killed in a bomb blast at the secretariat complex in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995.

And what has come up so far is just a library, a samadhi and an open-air theatre. A multi-faith (sarvdharam) centre, a cafeteria, an exhibition-and multi-purpose hall, a media centre and a convention centre are yet to come up.

The memorial was planned on 14 acres of land. The project is a joint venture of the Punjab government and the Chandigarh administration and is managed by the Beant Singh Memorial Society which comprises officials of both as members.

Read: Yes, we killed Beant Singh... have no regret: Jagtar Singh Tara in court

The library, set up by the memorial society and the Chandigarh Centre for Performing and Visual Arts, has nearly 9,000 members. It has print and digital books. The media centre is under construction for the past several years.

In April this year, a local court had frozen the bank account of the memorial society for recovery of a builders dues amounting to Rs 2 crore pending since 2002. UT home secretary Anurag Aggarwal said, The project got delayed as the Punjab government failed to make the payments, since it is a joint venture. We have been holding regular meetings with the Beant Singh Memorial chairman, the Punjab governor, on the issue. We hope the work on the project will start again.

Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Congress MLA from Khanna and grandson of late Beant Singh said, It is unfortunate that the project is hanging fire for the past 17 years. Despite our several representations to Punjab chief minister in the last 10 years, the government has not released even a penny. We feel sad that the memorial for a person who fought against militancy much to the relief of Punjab is still incomplete due to the indifferent attitude of the Punjab government.

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A six-member bomb disposal squad (BDS) of the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) from Jalandhar, led by sub-inspector Gurbhej Singh, on Tuesday, disposed off the ammunition, which was found in a sack near the Chatiwind canal here, in a four-hour long operation.

The ammunition, including hand grenades, rocket launchers and bullets, was found in a sack, which was brought by a rag-picker, Shama Chakarborty, from the Bhagatanwala garbage dump. Shama basically belongs to Malda district of West Bengal.

The squad, which came to the city from Jalandhar early in the morning , started the operation at around 5.00 am. They had taken the ammunition to an isolated place as a precautionary measure.

The squad examined the grenades and other material in the presence of deputy commissioner of police (DCP) J Elanchezhian first and then destroyed it by blasting it with an explosive substance reportedly trinitrotoluene (TNT). Then they dumped it after digging a deep hole in the earth. The operation was over at around 9.00 am, said police sources.

The police sources said the sack contained 28 used hand grenades, 2 rocket launchers and hundreds of bullets. Almost all the material was used and rusted. However, the officials did not disclose how old the material was.

Elanchezhian said the ragpicker was still in police custody at Kot Mit Singh Chowki for interrogation. He said he would be released only after proper investigation.

We are not taking any chances and investigating the matter seriously, said assistant commissioner of police (south) Prabhjot Singh Virk.

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Attacking BJP MLA Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu over her remarks against Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh, Congress spokesperson Nimisha Mehta on Tuesday questioned her on what she delivered to the people of her constituency despite being in power for so many years. Dr Sidhu had said that Captain was not the right alternative for Punjab.

Mehta said Dr Sidhu was expecting Capt to deliver even when he was not in power in the state, while she herself proved to be a curse to the people of her constituency despite being part of the ruling alliance.

Read: Amarinder not the alternative for Punjab, says Dr Sidhu

The Congress spokesperson said Dr Sidhu has only worked to glorify her image through media. Had she set aside her ego she could have got some development works done in her constituency. Today thousands of people in Amritsar east are suffering because of her ego clash with Akalis, she said.

Accusing Dr Sidhu of being apathetic to interests of her constituency, Mehta said she should have resigned when she knew the things were not working out, and people of her constituency could have been saved from the suffering. But she rather remained glued to the chair and her red-beacon vehicle, said Mehta.
Patialas sterilisation programme has landed in a soup as the municipal corporation has revoked its recent contract awarded to a Dehradun-based NGO Endangered Wildlife Society for sterilising 2,000 dogs after Union minister Maneka Gandhi questioned the agencys credibility. The NGO was yet to start the operation.

It is for the second time in the last one month that Gandhi directly reached out to local officers. On July 29, a case was filed against six people after she raised the matter with the local police on how the accused injured two female dogs and allegedly threw puppies at unknown place in a beg.

MC commissioner PS Gill told HT that the work order that was awarded to the society in July has been canceled after his staff showed him the ministers email stating that she had got the NGO banned due to its faulty functioning.

A fresh tender has now been called to find a new agency and hopefully the contract will be awarded in a fortnight, he informed.

Her reservation against the NGO is not new. As the agency was employed for sterilising dogs last year too, she shot off a letter to Patiala divisional commissioner alleging that its sterilisation programme was being carried out without following proper procedure.

Even as the NGO was allowed to continue under strict vigil till expiry of the contract in December last year, it was back in business when it recently won the contract due to its lowest financial bid in response to MCs tender in June.

Gill said that in the fresh tender, they have added additional norms that required an agency to be duly recognised and should take care of proper rules under ABC programme.

Meanwhile, amid this standoff, the much-needed dog sterilisation is what held up in the city for the last eight months now, as MC has failed to renew the contract that expired in December last year

Last year, nearly 4,000 dog biting cases were treated in government hospitals.

Local experts said that unless the project is not made a mass movement in Patiala, things will not improve.

The city, it is learnt, has roughly a dog population of 6,000-7,000 and their rising population cannot be stabilised unless a minimum of 70-80% of them are sterilised in one go.

In the absence of remedial measures, there are instances where residents killed dogs to tackle the menace.

For instance, in March, Inderjit Singh of Urban Estate had opened fire at stray dogs in a bid to protect his four-year-old daughter who was allegedly attacked by the canines.

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Barring the Communist Party of India (CPI), three other constituents of the Left in Punjab are firm on not having an alliance with the Congress in the upcoming assembly polls.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), CPM-Punjab and CPI (ML)-Liberation have reached a consensus on taking on the Congress and the ruling Akali-BJP combine in the elections.

On Monday, the CPI refuted news reports appearing in a section of the media that an alliance with the Congress was possible, saying nothing has been decided yet.

We appreciate the CPI refuting such reports, but it should make clear as there is also the question of credibility. All other three Left wings have resolved to fight the neo-liberal policies of the Congress and Akali-BJP combine, CPM-Punjab general secretary Mangat Ram Pasla told HT.

In the CPIs two-day state council meeting that concluded on Monday, voices were raised against an alliance with the Congress. Many in the 77-member council advocated a strong Left Morcha that was formed by all the four constituents in Punjab two years back.

The CPIs senior state council member Bhupinder Sambar acknowledged that the matter was discussed at length in the meeting. Yes, we stick to the Left Morcha idea and will soon decide how to convert this movement into a force for the electoral battle, he said.

The CPMs state secretariat member Raghu Nath said the party had identified at least seven constituencies to field its candidates from in alliance with the other Left parties. The segments are: Raikot, Jagraon and Dakha in Ludhiana district; Garhshankar and Mukerian in Hoshiarpur; Balachaur in Nawanshahar; and Anandpur Sahib in Rupnagar.

The CPI (ML)-Liberation wants to field 15 candidates, including from Talwandi Sabo, Maur, Bathinda (rural), Mansa, Budhlada, Sardulgarh, Dirhba, Lehra Gaga, Sunam, Mehal Kalan, Bhadaur and Baba Bakala.

We are fighting for the masses and cannot compromise on that. Being on the Congresss side is not possible, said CPI (ML) Liberation secretary Bhagwant Samaon.

The CPM-Punjab is eyeing Bhoa and Sujanpur in Gurdaspur district; Baba Bakala in Amritsar; Phillaur and Nakodar in Jalandhar; and Sardulgarh in Mansa, assembly segments. Pasla said overlapping of a couple of seats could be sorted out.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, there was a lot of confusion as Left parties supported the then PPP leader Manpreet Badal, who had fought on a Congress candidate. The CPI and CPM had jointly fielded 12 candidates, all forfeiting their security deposits.

Read: Chhotepurs bouncers, Sidhus hardball with AAP: Cong feels back in game

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Under pressure to solve high-profile murders and assassination bids on people belonging to religious bodies, Punjab Police are on a spree to announce rewards in cash and job to informers who can help nab the culprits.

The state police have announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh and job of sub-inspector to the person who can help them identify the killers of Shiv Sena leader Durga Prasad Gupta (28), who was shot dead on April 23 at Lalheri Chowk in Khanna.

On Tuesday, the Khanna police announced this through an advertisement in some vernacular dailies, in which pictures of four suspects, grabbed from CCTV camera footage, were also published.

Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Satinder Singh confirmed the development, adding the information should be specific.

Earlier, the state police had announced job and Rs 10-lakh reward to anybody giving information about the attackers of RSS Punjab vice-president Brig Jagdish Gagneja (retd). The RSS leader was shot at from close range by two assailants in Jalandhar on August 6. He is on a life-support system at a Ludhiana hospital ever since.

Read | Jagdish Gagneja: A low-profile, yet powerful RSS leader in Punjab

The police had announced Rs 5-lakh reward for information about killers of Namdhari sect matriarch Chand Kaur and the same for attackers of RSS leader Naresh Kumar.

Shiv Senas labour wing Punjab president Durga Prasad Gupta (28) was gunned down on April 23 at Lalhedi Chowk in Khanna. The police had recovered a motorcycle suspected to be used by the assailants from near railway tracks in Khanna two days after the incident. The special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the case couldnt solve the mystery.

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High drama was witnessed at Burail jail on Tuesday evening when cops found that a prisoner who was supposed to be produced in the district court, escaped from their custody in the morning.

Anil Kumar, alias Nana, escaped from the custody when police were taking 56 other prisoners from the jail complex to district court for their court dates. However, police managed to nab him late in the evening from Sector 52.

Kumar, of Burail, was involved in a quarrel, in which he killed a person and was booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code at Sector-34 police station in 2012.

The police said that he was declared as proclaimed offender (PO) after missing a court hearing during the trial.

He was arrested on August 28 and sent to Burail jail for the crime.

In the morning, Kumar mixed with relatives of other prisoners.

Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage shows that Kumar slipped from the spot and entered the waiting hall where relatives of different inmates were waiting for turn.

When the bus with 56 prisoners moved out of the complex, he gave the police the slip and vanished.

In the evening, when police noticed that they had got warrants of 57 prisoners, whereas after counting and recounting and checking with the staff in lock-up room, the found only 56.

The jail staff confirmed that they had handed over 57 prisoners from the jail.

Immediately after the incident, inspector general (jails), AS Cheema, and police officers scanned the footage to find out the negligence of cops.

They found that he slipped when the cops were taking prisoners inside.

The police arrested him under Section 224 (resistance or obstruction to his lawful apprehension by a police official) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector-49 police station.
Mystery shrouded the death of a Punjab Police constable, Palwinder Singh, who was found dead in the courtyard of his house at Bal village under the Dhariwal police station in Gurdaspur district in the wee hours on Tuesday.

His wife, Paramjit Kaur, told the police that she and her daughter were sleeping in a room of their house while her husband Palwinder Singh was sleeping in the courtyard of the house. She said that at about 2 am, she heard her husband saying that he was bleeding. She said when she came out of her room, she found that he was lying in a pool of blood.

She said that with the help of her neighbours, she took her husband in a private vehicle to a private hospital in Dhariwal, but doctors refused to admit him. She said that she then took her to the civil hospital, Gurdaspur, where the doctors declared him brought dead. During postmortem of the deceased, doctors reportedly found injury marks on his neck and they informed the Dhariwal police about it.

The police quickly began investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of the cop.

On the statement of Harmeet Kaur, daughter of the deceased, the police registered a case against unknown person (s) under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

Superintendent of police Pardeep Malik said that the police had formed a team to trace the cause of the death of the cop. He said that the police questioned the wife of the deceased and her neighbours.
Punjab police has issued notices to various e-commerce portals for violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act by selling e-cigarettes.

Punjab polices cyber crime wing has issued notices to different e-commerce portals for selling e-cigarettes, an official spokesperson said.

It becomes significant to prohibit these internet sites from selling e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) devices containing nicotine in chemical form which is addictive and lethal, the spokesperson said.

E-cigarettes have been declared as an unapproved drug by State Drug Controller since 2013.

Court cases have been initiated in Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Mohali district against vendors selling e-cigarettes, the spokesperson said.

Earlier, State Tobacco Control Cell had also issued awareness notices to e-commerce sites that were violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act by selling unapproved drugs like e-cigarettes.

Also read | E-cigarettes preferred by teens for their low-cost, nice flavours: Study
Heartiest congratulations to Mr X for starting the group. I hope it serves its purpose. Another message reads: Thanks for making me a part of this prestigious group. A flood of messages greeted my friend, who had started not a company, as the messages might suggest, but an ordinary WhatsApp group.

You need not a penny for this start up and all age groups do it. It was to my great surprise when an acquaintance who is 70 added me to his WhatsApp group. He takes pride in announcing that all his group friends are between 20 and 30. A WhatsApp group is not a company but some group administrators do feel like the boss. They add and remove members like companies hire and fire.

One of my journalist friends created a media group named like a newspaper and announced it as though he had launched a real newspaper. The newspaper gave work to hundreds of journalists, of filing stories everyday from any part of the world. A member who posted stale and out-of-context stories was fired on the urgent demand of others in the group. A member trying to promote a particular party was also shown the door.

It isnt that being an administrator is easy. At times he has to face tricky situations that require him to act wisely and urgently. There are members who post offending messages and those who threaten to exit the group on petty issues. There are those he has to pamper and those in whose tussles he has to mediate. In all these situations, the administrators challenge is to keep the flock together by tact. For this, he issues warnings to members and reminds them about the terms of joining.

When my admin himself changed the group icon to an obscene picture, it shocked the members so much that they threatened a mutiny. The administrator must be active every time, or members post messages to raise him from the slumber. When there is not much activity in the group, its time for his revenge.

It is his job to introduce new members. Sharing a joy, grief, or good or bad news relating to members is also his duty. A few days ago, two journalists fought at a public place and the administrator had to post a formal statement to condemn them, like the high-command of a political party. He even suggested a patch-up. Can I become admin, if I am active? False, admins are the chosen ones. Heres another joke on admins. Interviewer: Do you have any experience in a leadership role? Candidate: Me? Well, I am the administrator of a WhatsApp group.

baljinder2040@gmail.com

The writer is a journalist based in SAS Nagar
The inundation of the city caused by heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday throwing normal life out of gear is becoming a political issue here, a few months before the 2017 Punjab assembly polls.

While the Congress blamed the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the scenario, the SAD on the other hand claimed of taking steps to resolve the problem. Roads in several parts of the city such as Civil Lines area and Sirki Bazar remained waterlogged even after two days of rain on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, as the Bathinda (urban) MLA Sarup Chand Singla along with Bathinda deputy commissioner (DC) Basant Garg, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Swapan Sharma and Bathinda MC commissioner Anil Garg moved out on a tractor to take stock of the waterlogging situation on Monday, the Congress on Tuesday termed the step a drama.

Punjab Congress general secretary and former MLA Harminder Singh Jassi said that the traders in the affected areas had to keep their business establishments close for three days due to the prevailing situation while water had entered the houses in residential areas.

Jassi alleged that the capacity of the four ponds in which the rain water is drained has been decreased as the land of these ponds has been ilegally grabbed by the associates of the ruling alliance.

Singla, on the other hand, hit out at Congress and said that he need not take Congress certification for development by SAD-BJP in Bathinda.

He added that the waterlogging problem persisted only in five or six low-lying areas as the authorities succeeded in clearing the water from the rest of the places in the city.

Denying allegations of land grab of ponds, Singla said that land grab actually took place in the regime of the Congress and that the present government has constructed a boundary wall around the ponds to stop the illegal grabbing.

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Ranchi: Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Tuesday directed the police officials to launch a crackdown and arrest middlemen and placement agents involved in trafficking young girls and children from Jharkhand to other states.

Das told the officials during the grievance redressal programme Jan Samwaad where a girl from Gumla district related her ordeal at the hands of placement agents and sought justice. She was promised a job in Delhi by three placement agents and was later sold there.

The victim said her parents did not have enough means to bring up their four children. I thought if I get the job, I would be able to support the family financially and agreed to go to Delhi, she said.

However, she wasnt paid a single penny while she was forced to work as domestic help in Delhi for one year. I was abused and beaten up by my employers, she said.

Jharkhand is home to an ugly network of human traffickers and illegal placement agents who lure poor, innocent residents with the promise of jobs from remote places in the state and send them to states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Activists say that around 10,000 children are trafficked from Jharkhand every year to other parts of the country.

The Gumla superintendent of police told CM that an FIR had been lodged in the case three months ago and the investigation was on.

Das said: We have to weed out middlemen and placement agents from the state, who are responsible for trafficking our daughters from remote villages and selling them off in big cities. said the CM. He also asked the girl to meet the SP and assured that she will be given employment by the government.

He further directed the deputy commissioner (DC) of Gumla to invite applications through newspaper advertisement for people seeking jobs and link them with employment opportunities so that children do not fall prey to trafficking.

In another case, Gopikrishna Verma from Giridih complained that the timing of a government middle school in Harodih village was from 10 am to 1 pm instead of 8 am to 2 pm.

The CM also told all the DCs to put up photographs and Aadhar details of all the teachers in their respective schools. He said this would help the students to identify their teachers as many government teachers hire someone else to take classes on their behalf.

EoM

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Agnidev Chatterjees film, Dark Chocolate, inspired by the Sheena Bora murder case, has been in news ever since its announcement. On Monday, the director and producer of the film received a fresh legal notice from Peter and Indrani Mukerjeas lawyer to stall the screening. I pray that we face no more problems before the release of the film, says the filmmaker. Agnidev is one of the few directors in Tollywood, who make films on real-life incidents. His 2012 film, 3 Kanya, was inspired by the Park Street rape case and his next Hindi film is based on the Dhaka terror attacks. HT City chats with the director at his Kolkata home on the challenges of making films on true incidents, Rituparna Sengupta and more:

Your film is inspired by the Sheena Bora murder case, which is sub judice. Given the situation, how did you weaving the story of the film?

We started shooting a month after the news broke out. Dark Chocolate draws inspiration from the incident, where perhaps a mother kills her daughter. Its not a biography. We completed the film in the first week of November and the mystery started unfolding only after we were done with our shooting. Till now, the motive behind the murder isnt clear. The telephonic conversations between Indrani Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea and his son Rahul Mukerjea came out in the media only a few days ago. I know, it sounds strange but all these incidents are also there in my film. Its uncanny and bizarre. I have used the information, which is available in the public domain. Its like the work of a detective, who is solving a puzzle.

Agnidev Chatterjee with Mahima Chaudhry in Kolkata. (Prateek Choudhury/HT)

Read: Peter Mukerjea tries to scuttle release of film inspired by Sheena Bora murder

Did you keep making changes in the script during the course shooting as new facts are coming to light almost every month?

I wrote the initial draft of the film in two days. The television channel was reporting it like a film. I just followed the narrative. When you watch the film, it will be like watching a dramatised version of the news report. The incident is similar but the back stories of the people are different because we dont know how they were in their childhood. My film is a work of fiction.

Films like No One Killed Jessica and Talvar were made after the cases became somewhat clear. But its not the same with the Sheena Bora murder case.

The Indian judiciary and the CBI are not so porous to be influenced by a film. Had that been the case, perhaps every accused would have made a documentary and tried to influence the judiciary. I am not passing a judgment through my film. Theres a thing called Rashomon effect, where several people narrate the same incident. So, you will get to hear various points of view of the driver, Ishani (played by Mahima Chaudhry) and her first husband.

Read: Tollywood director starts shooting for Hindi film based on Dhaka terror attacks

You had earlier made 3 Kanya (2012). A film on a real-life incident generates a certain amount of curiosity among the audience. Is that the reason you choose such subjects?

(Cuts in) Its not necessary that the audience will come to the theatres because I am making a film on the Sheena Bora murder case. You need to create expectation. Its a challenge for a filmmaker to direct a film on a true incident. You dont know what to expect each day. Also, as a filmmaker, we should have a voice and somewhere we should make a statement. Its important to make romantic and literature-based films, but at the same time, films on true incidents too need to be made. Today, it doesnt matter the kind of films you make but you do need to market it. Today, filmmaking is like selling a product... more than the content, the first day collection matters.

The shooting of Dark Chocolate in progress. (Macneill Engineering)

This Mahima Chaudhry starrer has been in news ever since you announced it. 3 Kanya too was embroiled in a controversy.

(Cuts in) Do you think I will deliberately want to get involved in controversies? Its unfortunate that people think I want controversy before the release of my films. 3 Kanya might have been inspired from the Park Street rape case, but if you watch the film, it had nothing to be banned.

Rituparna Sengupta has worked in almost every film of yours, be it Charuulata 2011, 3 Kanya, Mrs Sen or A Political Murder. Why did you decide to rope in Mahima Chaudhry for this film?

Ritu (read Rituparna Sengupta) was approached but she rejected the role. It was an emotional decision on my part to approach her. But it was a wise decision on her part to not do the film. Its a dark character, and it has to be done believing in the person that she can do such a thing. If Ritu had done the role, she would have wanted to justify it. Mahima has watched Charuulata 2011 and she wanted to work with me. Initially, Mahima too was apprehensive because she too has a daughter. But I made her believe that the audience wont identify her with Ishani in real life.

Watch the trailer of Dark Chocolate:

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop

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As all beer-lovers know, the glass needs to be tilted slightly to get the perfect foam head when serving beer. An Argentinian beer brand has now created the worlds first 45 angled bar to ensure customers can enjoy a perfectly served pint.

Serving beer is serious business. The perfect glass should come topped with a foam head thats neither too thick nor too thin. This involves tilting the glass to precisely 45.

Andes is a well-known Argentinian beer brand in South America, taking its name from the famous mountain range. The beer is brewed in the province of Mendoza, where the brand has created the worlds first bar built on a 45 incline to ensure perfectly served pints.

Youll need snow boots and a thick coat when heading to Andes Bar 45 in its mountain location, which makes full use of the mountainsides natural incline. Customers will have to contend with the laws of gravity if they want to take a seat, as everything is tilted, from the bar itself to tables and walls, where a dartboard promises an interesting game.

Para que la servida perfecta sea una costumbre, necesitas el vaso inclinado! #AndesBar45

ByC https://t.co/pbgC2sLRav pic.twitter.com/X5uav9gksj  Cerveza Andes (@AndesCerveza) August 24, 2016

Vale la pena arriesgar tu punteria a los dardos en un bar inclinado? Vale la pena! #AndesBar45 pic.twitter.com/mZ3kFl8tUx  Cerveza Andes (@AndesCerveza) August 20, 2016

Thanks to the incline, the beer tap is perfectly positioned on the bar to ensure optimally tilted glasses. Customers will also need to keep firm hold of their drinks to stop their perfect pints heading for the floor.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
Priyanka Chopra, who is shooting for American TV series Quantico in New York, has quashed rumours that she is shifting her base to Los Angeles, saying Mumbai is her home.

With her career in the West going in the right direction, media reports mentioned that Priyanka was planing to shift to Los Angeles. The amused actress took to Twitter to set the record straight.

I really wake up to such amusing news sometimes.i am filming Quantico in nyc my home is mumbai. No LA in the pic! https://t.co/34dcQPcm9E  PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) August 30, 2016

After making waves internationally with her musical talent, the actress took the small screen route to Hollywood. She made her international TV debut as an FBI agent in Quantico last year.

Happy birthday beautiful @thejohannabraddy I hope that you are having a kick ass day today and that this year will mark the best phase of your life... Love u much  A photo posted by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Aug 30, 2016 at 9:31am PDT

Now, with the series heading towards its second season, Priyanka will be seen portraying the role of a CIA agent. The first season of Quantico is being telecast in India on Star World and Star World HD.

The former beauty queen will also be seen as a guest judge for season 15 of American TV series Project Runway, hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum.

Namaste!! On @projectrunway Coming soon...Project Runway Season 15, Sept 15th! @ninagarcia @zacposen @heidiklum @georginachapmanmarchesa #projectrunway A photo posted by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Aug 8, 2016 at 11:25am PDT

Priyanka will join the series as one of the few guest judges on the show, which will air from September. The show focuses on budding designers who are given an opportunity to create a collection for New York Fashion Week.

She will also make her Hollywood debt in a negative role in Baywatch -- the big screen version of the globally popular TV series featuring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
White House hopeful Donald Trump will travel to Mexico Wednesday to meet with the countrys President, just hours ahead of his highly anticipated speech on immigration, US media reported.

The Republican candidate tweeted on Tuesday that he has accepted President Enrique Pena Nietos invitation and looks forward to meeting him.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

Pena Nietos office released a statement saying he had invited Trump as well as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to meet with him in Mexico, CNN reported.

A sudden international trip by a US presidential candidate would be a logistical and security nightmare on such short notice.

But Trump could be sensing an opportunity in the visit, as he mulls whether to soften his hard-line position on immigration, the key issue of his campaign, and in particular Trumps early call to deport some 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows in the United States.

Any Trump-Pena Nieto meeting could be an awkward affair. In rally after campaign rally, Trump has pledged to build a wall on the US southern border and force Mexico to pay for it.

When he launched his presidential campaign last year, he used some of the most incendiary language of his candidacy in describing some Mexicans as drug dealers, rapists and other criminals.

Trump is scheduled to deliver a crucial speech Wednesday evening in Phoenix, Arizona seen as an opportunity to clarify his positions on immigration.
Canada will apply to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Ottawas finance department said on Wednesday, in a coup for Beijing after Washington had tried to dissuade US allies from signing up.

Canada is always looking for ways to create hope and opportunity for our middle class as well as for people around the world, finance minister Bill Morneau said in a statement issued in Beijing.

Membership in the AIIB is an opportunity to do just that.

The Beijing-based lender has been viewed by some as a rival to the World Bank and the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank, which was founded in 1966.

Critics worried that it would set much lower standards for projects and undermine principles of social, environmental and economic sustainability adhered to by the World Bank and other multilateral development finance institutions.

AIIB president Jin Liqun welcomed Canadas decision, which he said shows its confidence in the strong foundations the bank has built in our first few months.

The United States, and Japan -- the worlds largest and third-largest economies, respectively -- have notably declined to join the bank.

The announcement came during Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus visit to China, where he met Prime Minister Li Keqiang to try to strengthen ties before the G20 summit this weekend in Hangzhou.
The death toll from Tuesdays car bomb attack, targeting two hotels popular with officials near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 22, police said on Wednesday.

The attack was claimed by the Islamist militant group al Shabaab. The blast partially destroyed two hotels, including one in which a meeting of security officials was underway, the government has said.

We have confirmed from various hospitals that at least 22 died and 50 others were wounded, police officer Major Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters.

Information minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir said on Tuesday a security officials were gathered inside one of the hotels, the SYL, at the time of blast, and that one minister and some state radio journalists were wounded.

The hotel is frequented by government officials and police said it believed the facility was the likely target.

Seeking to impose its own harsh form of Islam, al Shabaab, wants to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and also push out the 22,000-strong African Union mandated AMISOM peace keeping force backing it.

The group was forced out of Mogadishu by AMISOM in 2011 but have remained a serious threat, launching frequent attacks aimed at the government.

The militants have claimed responsibility for several explosions in Mogadishu, including a car bomb and gun attack last week at a popular beach restaurant in the capital that killed 10 people.
Germany and other European Union countries turned a blind eye to the refugee crisis building on its external borders for too long, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a German newspaper interview to be published on Wednesday.

Merkel, who has faced criticism in Germany for launching her policies of welcoming refugees a year ago, also told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung that Germany and the EU will need patience and endurance in dealing with migration of people to Europe.

There are political issues that one can see coming but dont really register with people at that certain moment - and in Germany we ignored both the problem for too long and blocked out the need to find a pan-European solution, she said.

Merkel made the comments in an unusually self-critical analysis that appeared to be timed to the one-year anniversary on Wednesday of her now-famous statement wir schaffen das, or we can do this, when asked about the rising tide of refugees.

Her conservative party is expected to take a beating in two regional elections next month in part due to her refugee policies.

She said Germany, which has taken in most of the more than 1 million refugees from the Middle East and Asia who arrived in the EU in the past year, had let Spain and other EU border countries deal with the refugees on their own.

Back then, we also rejected a proportional distribution of the refugees, she said.

Merkel said Germany had not supported models such as the Frontex European border agency that would have impinged on the sovereignty of the EU member states. We said we would deal with the problem at our airports since we dont have any other external EU boundaries. But that doesnt work.

The three-term chancellor said refugees will be a long-term issue.

We didnt embrace the problem in an appropriate way, she added. That goes as well for protecting the external border of the Schengen area, she said, referring to the EUs passport-free and frontier-free zone.

Merkel said the EU needed to improve cooperation with and dramatically increase development aid to countries in Africa as well as Turkey and other troubled regions.

Merkel said Germany had long been content to focus on other problems after years of welcoming refugees from the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. I cannot deny that, she said.

She admonished German politicians to express themselves in moderate terms and not participate in the current ratcheting up of rhetoric about threats.

A number of Germans had always had a certain racism towards foreigners and were willing to commit violent acts for that cause, but that tendency had grown over the past year, she said.

The German leader, the daughter of pastor, also cautioned against equating all migrants with terrorists. Its simply incorrect to say that terrorism came only with the refugees, she said. It was already here in myriad forms and with the various potential attackers that we have been watching.

(Reporting by Erik Kirschbaum and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alison Williams)
A Japanese gunman accused of shooting dead a construction worker and wounding three others was taken into custody on Wednesday following a long and tense standoff with police, news reports said.

Yasuhide Mizobata fled into an apartment building on Tuesday afternoon after firing repeatedly at officers who challenged him, a force spokesman said.

About 17 hours later the suspect shot himself in the abdomen, public broadcaster NHK reported without giving details of his condition. Jiji Press also reported the self-inflicted wound.

NHK footage showed police storming the building after hearing a gunshot as an ambulance apparently carrying the suspect sped off. The broadcaster said police arrested him.

Police could not immediately confirm details.

Plainclothes police walk around an area where Yasuhide Mizobata, a murder suspect, was found in Wakayama, central Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Mizobata, a suspect in a fatal shooting, holes up at an apartment in an armed standoff after he fired at a police car and escaped. (AP)

The standoff surprised Japan, where gun violence is exceedingly unusual and there are very strict controls on firearms ownership.

Mizobata had spent the night holed up in the building, surrounded by heavily-armed police trying to persuade him to surrender.

Television footage had showed him brandishing two pistols as he stood atop scaffolding.

Mizobata, holding guns stands on scaffoldings as he holes up at an apartment in a standoff after he fired at a police car and escaped, in Wakayama, central Japan. (AP)

Media reports said the suspect had threatened to shoot police and turn the gun on himself during the overnight standoff in Wakayama, 450 kilometres (280 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

Broadcasters said the building was been evacuated as the incident began. Local residents were told to stay indooors.

A massive hunt began on Monday after Mizobata allegedly killed 45-year-old Junsuke Ishiyama and wounded three others when he opened fire during a meeting at the offices of a construction company.

Journalists look at an apartment, center back, where Yasuhide Mizobata, a murder suspect, with guns holes up in a standoff. (AP)

He is reportedly the son of the company owner.

Mizobata had been scheduled to go to jail on Monday after having been convicted of drugs charges, the Sankei Shimbun daily said.

In 2015 Japan had just eight reported gun crimes nationwide, with one person killed and three wounded.

The few weapons in circulation are often linked to organised crime.
A quiet, leafy suburb in this capital of Wales is far removed from the fire and brimstone of everyday life in Balochistan, but there is clearly a frisson in one terraced house since Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of rights violations in the Pakistani province.

The resident of the house is the Khan of Kalat  holder of the respected title that influenced the fortunes of the natural resource-rich region since the 17th century.

He is Mir Suleman Dawood Jan Ahmedzai, 52, who left Pakistan in 2006 and sought refuge in Britain.

It is not only 7,700 km that separate Ahmedzais life in Cardiff from that in Kalat, where he owns several palaces and land and once moved around with all the appurtenances of a ruler.

His grandfather acceded the Khanate of Kalat, the largest princely state in the erstwhile Balochistan Agency, to Pakistan in March 1948 by the barrel of the gun.

Ahmedzai is reputed to be one of the most acceptable and popular leaders across Balochistan. His writ reportedly runs across the Baloch-inhabited regions of neighbouring Afghanistan and Iran, with the capacity to mobilise a large number of people.

Sporting the traditional Baloch cap, Ahmedzai  seen by some locals as a king without his kingdom  spoke to Hindustan Times with enthusiasm about Modis remarks, what he and others expect from India, and the implications of Chinas presence in the restive Pakistani province for India. Here are the excerpts:

How do you see recent remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Balochistan?

We welcome the Indian Prime Ministers brave and long-awaited stance on Balochistan. We Baloch are looking forward to work with the Indians and others for peace, prosperity and security in south Asia. He will be remembered by the Baloch nation for a long time. I have spoken to a number of tribal chiefs, leaders and people  they are all looking for peace, stability and security. The Baloch, Indian and other nations who have been the victims of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism can together defeat it.

What do you expect from India?

India can do a lot diplomatically and about the violation of human rights that your prime minister spoke about. India can help us at the United Nations and at the International Court of Justice. Together with our supporters in the US, we can at least get assets of the leading lights of Pakistan frozen, to begin with. We can send a delegation to New Delhi to meet the prime minister, Indian political parties and parliamentarians to explain our cause. We must explore new ways of cooperation between India and Balochistan. We can help remove the threat to India from its western border.

Critics say Modis remarks were just a counter to the Kashmir issue. Do you think he is really interested in Balochistan?

We cant be compared to Jammu and Kashmir. The cynics may say that India will use Balochistan to put pressure on Pakistan to stop sponsoring terrorism in India. Jammu and Kashmir is important to Pakistan because of water and food security. But Indian national security and future economic growth is dependent on an independent Balochistan  how? China and Pakistan will surround India if Baloch aspiration for independence is suppressed and if the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is accomplished. India will be a permanent loser. I believe Mr Modi is interested in Indias national interest, and an independent Balochistan is in Indias national interest.

I am a positive person: I believe Mr Modi is a genuine and courageous man. I also believe nation-states have interests and leaders do what is in the best of their national interest.

What really happened in 2006? Why did you flee Pakistan?

I did not flee. I summoned the Baloch jirga (council of tribal chiefs) and decided to take the Balochistan case to the International Court of Justice. After I left, Pakistan bought the loyalties of some members of the supreme council  without going into too much detail. The positive side is that I have lobbied with success for an independent Balochistan. For the first time in history, there was a hearing in the US Congress on an independent Balochistan.

What are your plans for Balochistan  do you plan to return; if so, when?

I have one plan and that is to regain independence for Balochistan, which was annexed by Pakistan at the point of a barrel. I never had a plan to return to Pakistan, but I have a plan to return to an independent Balochistan.

If the Punjabis (of Pakistan) and Chinese succeed in their CPEC plan, the Baloch will become an ignorable minority and lose their land, culture and way of life permanently. But India will be the greatest loser.

China and Pakistan have a plan for India, I am sure you are aware of it. Pakistan as a state is failing: Islam says take care of your neighbours, but you are poking (your) nose in every neighbour, be it India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China. We should have the courage to terminate Pakistans use of terrorism as state policy.

Do you still plan to pursue the Baloch case at the International Court of Justice?

I have never stopped pursuing the case of illegal occupation and human rights violations. We approached the Americans and got a great response from parliamentarians there. I am grateful to the congressmen and women there, NGOs and European members of parliament for their support. I am also grateful to the recent positive remarks of (former Afghan president) Hamid Karzai and the foreign minister of Bangladesh.

The situation in Balochistan is very bad. There are no accurate estimates, but 25,000 people are said to be missing and over a million displaced. Pakistans rule over Balochistan has never been legitimate, now it has lost control over Balochistan. The Indian, American, Afghan, Arab states and others should realise that the future is Balochistan, an independent Balochistan.

Britains foreign office has stopped mentioning Balochistan in its annual report. Why do you think that is the case?

I do not know the reason for that. They may have interests that prompt them not to mention it, but as I said states have interests and means to put pressure on other states to protect their interests. Had the British published the truth, they would have been accused by Pakistan of taking sides. Probably that is why they have chosen not to mention it. But one should ask the foreign office why they have ignored human rights violations in Balochistan.

What is the reality of the accession agreement for the Khanate of Kalat? Did Pakistan go back on the conditions?

There is no annexation agreement. Pakistan was allowed by the British and other world powers to invade Balochistan with the barrel of the gun.

Are you in touch with other Baloch leaders?

I am not only in touch with political leaders but also with tribal chiefs, political activists and the common people of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. It is true that in politics we are as not united as we are in culture and tradition. But we are all united for the independence of Balochistan. We will find ways to address our political differences. A leader who ignores public opinion cannot maintain position as a leader.

You once said you would be willing to accept help even from Israel. Do you still hold that thought?

We accept help from anyone as long as that help is for regaining the independence of Balochistan, including Israel.

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A decade after he left Pakistan and went into self-exile in Britain, the scion of the ruling family of one of the countrys largest princely states says his sole aim is regaining independence for Balochistan, which was annexed at the point of a gun.

Like other Baloch nationalists, Mir Suleman Dawood Jan Ahmedzai, the current holder of the title of Khan of Kalat, welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis brave and long-awaited remarks on atrocities allegedly committed in Balochistan by Pakistan.

Now, he said in an interview with Hindustan Times at his home in a quiet suburb in the capital of Wales, the Baloch people are looking forward to work with the Indians and others for peace, prosperity and security in south Asia.

Cooperation between India and the Baloch people, he suggested, could help find a solution to Pakistans use of terrorism as a state policy over the past few decades and improve security in the region.

I have one plan and that is to regain independence for Balochistan, which was annexed by Pakistan at the point of a barrel, Ahmedzai said.

He (Modi) will be remembered by the Baloch nation for a long time. I have spoken to a number of tribal chiefs, leaders and people  they are all looking for peace, stability and security, he said.

The Baloch, Indian and other nations who have been the victims of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism can together defeat it.

Elaborating on his expectations from India, Ahmedzai said New Delhi could do a lot diplomatically about the rights violation that Modi had spoken about. India can help us at the UN and at the International Court of Justice. Together with our supporters in the US, we can at least get assets of the leading lights of Pakistan frozen, to begin with, he said.

We must explore new ways of cooperation between India and Balochistan. We can help remove the threat to India from its western border, he added.

The erstwhile Baluchistan Agency composed three princely states, Kalat, Kharan and Las Bela. Kalat was the largest with an area of about 190,000 sq km. The Khanate of Kalat has existed since the 17th century and it was briefly independent between Partition in August 1947 and March 1948.

Kalat acceded to Pakistan in 1948 but the ruling family has contested the accession. It remained a princely state till 1955.

Shortly after leading Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti was killed in a military operation ordered by military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2006, Ahmedzai left Pakistan after he was reportedly targeted by the security agencies.

Modis remarks about rights violations in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir provoked an angry response from Pakistan, which said he had crossed a red line. Islamabad has also said Modi raised Balochistan to divert attention from the unrest in Kashmir, where more than 60 people have died since militant commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces.

The latest war of words between India and Pakistan has sent ties into a tailspin and New Delhi has said any talks between the two sides should focus on terrorism. Islamabad, however, insists that Kashmir should be the subject of dialogue.

But Ahmedzai said the issue of Balochistan couldnt be compared to Jammu and Kashmir. The cynics may say that India will use Balochistan to put pressure on Pakistan to stop sponsoring terrorism in India, he said.

But Indian national security and future economic growth is dependent on an independent Balochistan. How? China and Pakistan will surround India if Baloch aspiration for independence is suppressed and if the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is accomplished, he said.

I believe Mr Modi is interested in Indias national interest, and an independent Balochistan is in Indias national interest.

The situation in Balochistan is so bad, Ahmedzai said, that he would even be willing to accept help from Israel for regaining the independence of the province.

The situation in Balochistan is very bad. There are no accurate estimates but 25,000 people are said to be missing and over a million displaced. Pakistans rule over Balochistan has never been legitimate, now it has lost control over Balochistan, he said.

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The cult of Krishna is growing in officially atheist China.

Numbers are difficult to compile and often anecdotal in nature, but the philosophy of love and devotion as symbolised by Krishna, one of Hinduisms popular deities, is evidently attracting many Chinese in urban areas.

Last week, a large number of devotees celebrated Krishna Janmashtami, the day that marks his birth, across China in big and small groups, at yoga centres and among family members.

Celebrations were mostly marked by chanting of Hare Krishna, singing devotional songs, readings from the Bhagavad Gita and distribution of sweets including laddoos.

The day was also celebrated in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Harbin and the province of Wuhan. (HT/Sutirtho Patranobis)

One of the larger celebrations was held at the International Buddhist Items and Crafts Fair in Dongguan city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. At the Dongguan fair, we presented the idols of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra as three international angels of auspiciousness and distributed 3,000 packages of sweets, a devotee who identified himself as Gaudiya Das told HT.

There were congregational chanting and we took the three idols on a vehicle around the entire fair, distributing foods like laddoos, chapatis, sweet rice and even (traditional Chinese food) moon cakes, he said.

The day was also celebrated in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Harbin and the province of Wuhan, said Das, a trained practitioner of Bhakti yoga.

Das was careful not to describe the Krishna following as a movement because of the sensitivity of the word in Communist China. We do not want any trouble with the government. The programmes were unofficial.

It is not about any religion. You do not have to believe in Hinduism to celebrate Krishnas birthday. It is like Christmas: the whole world celebrates, everyone is happy.

Some of the organisers were from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) group.

The Chinese like traditional culture and thats why Krishna and his teachings are gaining in popularity, he added.

Tradition, however, is not the only reason for this, said Yang Fenggang, director, Centre on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University in the US, adding that the Krishna following in China began with yoga.

They started with encouraging the practice of yoga. They might not have realised about the religious dimension or nature of the cultural practices. Given the prevailing dominance of militant atheism in religious affairs, I think it's more likely than not that the authorities may try to block further such developments.

At the same time, more Chinese will be attracted to religion.

Das was careful not to describe the Krishna following as a movement because of the sensitivity of the word in Communist China. We do not want any trouble with the government. The programmes were unofficial. (HT/Sutirtho Patranobis)

Socially speaking, spirituality/religion is the glue of society and provides norms for a functional society. After many decades of religious suppression until the end of the Cultural Revolution, China is returning to the normal pattern of spirituality/religion in society. Therefore, I as a sociologist of religion anticipate continuous increase of spiritual pursuers and religious believers in China in the coming years, Yang said.

On Chinas atheism, he said: In the last three to four decades, many religions have revived and grown. It is no longer accurate to say atheist China even though atheism continues to be the official orthodoxy of the Communist Party of China and indoctrinated in schools and universities.

He said there are CPC officials who are more open towards religion and want to follow the constitutional principle of religious freedom. But such individuals are in weaker positions.

Sarah Cook from the Washington-based Freedom House said the CPC has been fairly consistent about crackdown on religious or spiritual groups that garner a large following seemingly outside party control.

The largest and most severe such example is the eradication campaign launched against Falun Gong in 1999 after it grew to have 100 million followers, which was more than the number of CPC members, said Cook, whose US government-funded NGO works on democracy and political freedom.
A life-sized nude statue of US Republican presidential contender Donald Trump is going up for auction, with profits from the sale going to an immigrant support group.

Juliens Auctions said on Wednesday that the statue, called The Emperor Has No Balls, is expected to fetch $10,000 to $20,000 at the Oct 22 auction in Los Angeles.

The statue is one of a series that appeared unannounced in public spaces in New York and four other U.S. cities earlier in August. The orange-tinted likeness showed Trump with a massive belly, small fingers and some missing genitals.

People photograph a naked statue of Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump that was left in Union Square Park in New York City, US. (Reuters)

New York City Parks workers move a naked statue of US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that was left in Union Square Park in New York City, US. (REUTERS)

(AFP)

Most were confiscated or destroyed by local authorities and the Los Angeles statue is the only one remaining, Juliens said.

The statues were created by an anonymous artists collective called INDECLINE. A portion of the auction profits will go to the National Immigration Forum, which campaigns for the rights of immigrants.

Trump has pledged to build a wall between the US and Mexico to keep immigrants out and to deport the millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, should he be elected. He is due to give a speech on Wednesday as he seeks to find a balance in his immigration stance.

Trump is not the only politician to be represented in the October auction of street and contemporary art. American pop artist Knowledge Bennetts Hillary Clinton Cojones, featuring the Democratic White House hopeful wearing a tuxedo, is expected to fetch up to $15,000, Juliens said.
North Korea executed a vice-premier for showing disrespect during a meeting presided over by leader Kim Jong-Un, and banished two other officials for re-education, South Korea said on Wednesday.

Since taking power after his fathers death in late 2011, Kim is believed to have executed or demoted a number of senior figures in what analysts say is an attempt to tighten his grip on power.

Vice-premier for education Kim Yong-Jin was executed, Seouls unification ministry spokesperson Jeong Joon-Hee said at a regular briefing.

Kim was killed by a firing squad in July as an anti-party, anti-revolutionary agitator, added an official at the ministry, who declined to be named.

Kim Yong-Jin was denounced for his bad sitting posture when he was sitting below the rostrum during a session of North Koreas parliament, and then underwent an interrogation that revealed his other crimes, the official told reporters.

The mass-selling JoongAng Ilbo first reported on Tuesday that top figures had been punished, but identified the education official by a different name.

He incurred the wrath of Kim after he dozed off during a meeting presided over by Kim. He was arrested on site and intensively questioned by the state security ministry, it quoted a source as saying.

People watch a TV screen showing a file image of Kim Yong Jin, center, a vice premier on education affairs in North Korea's cabinet. (AP)

Fall of spymaster

The unification ministry said two other senior figures were forced to undergo re-education sessions.

One of them was Kim Yong-Chol, a top official in charge of inter-Korean affairs and espionage activities against the South.

The 71-year-old Kim is a career military intelligence official who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Norths frequent cyberattacks against Seoul.

Kim is also blamed by the South for the sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010 near the disputed sea border with the North in the Yellow Sea.

Kim was banished to an agricultural farm in July for a month for his arrogance and abuse of power, the ministry official said.

Kim Yong-Chol, who was subsequently reinstated this month, is likely to be tempted to prove his loyalty by committing provocative acts against the South, the official said.

Therefore, we are keeping a close tab on the North, he said.

South Koreas Yonhap news agency put the number of party officials executed during Kim Jong-Uns rule at over 100.

The most notorious case was that of Kims uncle and onetime No. 2 Jang Song-Thaek, who was executed for charges including treason and corruption in December 2013.

In April 2015, it was reported that Kim had his defence minister Hyon Yong-Chol summarily executed with an anti-aircraft gun.

Reports of the latest execution coincide with a series of high-profile defections from the North.

North Koreas deputy ambassador to Britain has defected to the South with his family, the unification ministry said earlier this month.

Thae Yong-Ho was driven by disgust for the North Korean regime and concerns for his familys future, it said.

Twelve waitresses and their manager who had been working at a North Korea-themed restaurant in China also made headlines when they arrived in the South in April as the largest group defection for years.

About 10 North Korean diplomats made it to the South in the first half of this year alone, Yonhap said, quoting informed sources.
Columbus State University police say theyre searching the Georgia campus after a report of an armed suspect in a student residence hall.

Columbus State said in a statement that campus police Wednesday afternoon were searching for a man described as being 17 to 19 years old, wearing dark clothes and a stocking cap.

In an alert to students, the university said residents are encouraged to stay in their rooms; and others should avoid the area.

Officials said the search was focused on Clearview Hall, a new residential complex housing first-year students in suite-style housing. Video shot by The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer shows officers in tactical gear walking into the building (http://www.ledger-enquirer.com ).

In an update around 1 p.m., school officials said no one was allowed in or out of Clearview Hall, but all other campus operations should continue as normal.

The school is in Columbus, Georgia, about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta.
Frustrated relatives of those killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine are appealing to the European Unions top diplomat to put pressure on Russia, Ukraine and the United States to hand over intelligence and radar data to investigators.

An international team of investigators is seeking to file criminal charges against those responsible for the downing, but relatives fear that their probe is being hampered by a lack of cooperation.

For us, as concerned families, it is very important that the perpetrators will face justice, relatives wrote to European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini in the letter, which was publicised Wednesday.

Flight MH17, from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a Soviet-era Buk surface-to-air missile on July 17, 2014, above conflict-torn Ukraine. All 298 passengers and crew onboard were killed as the Boeing 777 disintegrated in midair and plunged to the ground.

Silene Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son Bryce and his girlfriend Daisy Oehlers were among those killed, was one of the signatories of the letter. She said more pressure has to be put in particular on Russia and Ukraine to hand over radar data that could establish exactly where the missile was fired from.

Both countries blame one another, she said in an email to The Associated Press. After two years, we still have no clarity. Pressure has to be increased and the most logical step is via the EU.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on Wednesday that Moscow has given all the intelligence and data it had to the international investigators.

Marking the second anniversary of the downing of MH17 in July, US state department spokesperson Mark Toner said the United States continues to work with the Joint Investigation Team and law enforcement authorities.

He said the US is confident the investigation will form the basis of an independent prosecution to bring the perpetrators of this tragedy to justice.

A 15-month civil crash investigation by Dutch authorities last year concluded that a Buk missile shot down the flight, but it did not explicitly say who had fired it. It identified an area of 320 square kilometers (120 square miles) where it said the launch must have taken place, and all of the land was in the hands of pro-Russian separatists fighting Ukrainian forces at the time of the disaster, according to daily maps of fighting released by the Ukrainian National Security Council.

A spokesperson for the criminal investigation, Wim de Bruin, declined to comment on progress in the probe. Investigators are to present an update on Sept. 28, he says.
Donald Trump is going to Mexico, a country he trashed repeatedly on his way to the nomination, to meet its president before a much-awaited speech on immigration later Wednesday.

The Republican nominee, who has tried to tone down his rhetoric on immigration in a bid to court Hispanic voters, said in a tweet he was going at the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

This will be Trumps first meeting with a foreign leader as a nominee, and it wasnt clear what they plan to discuss and achieve, from what is scheduled to be a private discussion.

Nieto extended official invitations to both Trump and the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton last Friday to visit Mexico, according to his office. Only Trump has responded so far.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow, he wrote in a Tweet on Tuesday night.

On his return, Trump is expected to deliver a high-stakes speech on immigration, an issue that has been central to his campaign and one which has tried to recalibrate in recent weeks.

Trump started out by calling all illegal Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals in his speech announcing his run in June 2015. He stuck by the theme through the primaries.

Trump also attacked his rivals who supported a moderate approach that allowed the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants to stay on after paying back-taxes and fulfilling other conditions.

He spoke of a deportation force that he would send out to round up undocumented immigrants and send them back to their countries of origin, if he is elected.

While his tough talk went down well with some Republicans, specially those at the core of his support base  less-educated, less-affluent, white men  others were repulsed.

The party itself was alarmed. At 17% of the population, Hispanics, who account for a large chunk of undocumented immigrants, are the second largest ethnic group in America.

And Trumps poll numbers are not good among them  between 18% and 32%, the higher number has been disputed. Its nearly impossible for him to win without their support.

Thus the recent outreach to Hispanics, and toning down of the rhetoric. And thus the visit to Mexico, which, however, is not completely united behind its president in welcoming Trump.

Vicente Fox, a former Mexican president who has had some unkind words  including an expletive  for Trump in the past, has said, He is not welcome to Mexico.

The current president Nieto himself has had serious reservations about Trump, and compared his rhetoric to that of Hitler and Mussolini in an interview to a Mexican daily.

And he has stated Mexico will never pay for the wall Trump has threatened to build along the border and make Mexico pay for it, something that is likely to figure in their talks.
Turkey on Wednesday said it did not accept US claims that it had agreed a truce with Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria.

We do not accept in any circumstances ... a compromise or a ceasefire reached between Turkey and Kurdish elements, EU affairs minister Omer Celik told state-run Anadolu news agency.

The Turkish republic is a sovereign, legitimate state.

Celik said Turkey could not be put on an equal footing with a terrorist organisation, referring to the US-backed Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG).

A US defence official told AFP in Washington yesterday that the Turkish and Kurdish-led forces had reached a loose agreement to stop fighting each other.

Last week, Turkey launched a two-pronged offensive against Islamic State jihadists and the YPG in northern Syria.

After a weekend of Turkish clashes with YPG-allied forces, Washington expressed alarm and urged both sides to stop fighting each other and concentrate on combatting IS.

Turkey sees the YPG as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a bloody war against the Turkish state since 1984.
US secretary of state John Kerry called on Wednesday on China and the Philippines to abide by an international tribunals decision on the disputed South China Sea and said there was no military solution to the problem.

Kerrys remarks, made in a visit to India, came ahead of a G20 summit in China on Sunday and Monday that could be overshadowed by arguments over everything from territorial disputes to protectionism by China, diplomats say.

An arbitration court in The Hague ruled in July that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea. China dismissed the case lodged by the Philippines and rejected the ruling.

The United States continues to call on China and the Philippines to abide by the tribunals recent decision, which is final and legally binding on both parties, Kerry told a gathering of students in New Delhi.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.

China has vowed to take all measures needed to protect its sovereignty over the South China Sea and says its actions there, which have included land reclamation and construction of air fields and docks on reefs, are peaceful.

China has blamed the United States and its allies in the region, such as Japan and Australia, for stoking tension.

The United States and Japan have no territorial claims in the South China Sea and say their priority is freedom of navigation.

Kerry said the United States supported diplomatic efforts to resolve territorial disputes to which there was no military solution.

We are also interested in not fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes and claims through the legal process and through diplomacy, Kerry said.

The United States and India, in a joint statement issued on Tuesday after security talks, reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

They said states should resolve disputes through peaceful means and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes affecting peace and stability.

US ally the Philippines welcomed the tribunals ruling in July but it is keen not to anger China. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will hold talks with China on the issue.

Duterte is attending a summit next week in Laos of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which both US President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are also going to.

Chinese vice-foreign minister Liu Zhenmin, asked in Beijing whether Li would meet Duterte there, said it was not clear what bilateral meetings might take place.

Liu did not refer directly to the United States but said interference by some countries outside the region was a challenge in China-ASEAN relations.

Frankly, some countries outside the region dont want to see China-ASEAN relations develop so quickly and become so close. Some people, some countries, are constantly interfering in the development of China-ASEAN relations, Liu said.
Both Russia and the US on Wednesday claimed credit of killing of Islamic State (IS) spokesperson and top strategist Abu Mohamed al-Adnani in Syria.

Adnani was ISs propaganda chief, top recruiter and the reported mastermind of a string of IS-claimed attacks in the West.

In Washington, the Pentagon said US-led coalition forces targeted Adnani in an air strike in Syrias Aleppo province on Tuesday but did not immediately confirm his death.

Russias military said one of its air strikes killed Adnani in a bombing raid Tuesday that left up to 40 IS jihadists dead.

Regardless of who was responsible, analysts say his death will be a major blow to IS, which has suffered a series of setbacks this year including territorial losses in Syria and Iraq and the killings of other top figures.

Adnani was the most viscerally aggressive IS leader in the public eye, said Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.

Without his explosive voice, IS may find it hard to inspire the intense levels of violence that it has managed to inspire of late.

Adnani, a Syrian born in 1977, was one of ISs most recognised leaders, at the heart of a sophisticated propaganda and recruitment machine that produced slick videos and sustained a huge social media presence.

He was reported to have been involved in organising a series of high-profile IS attacks abroad that killed hundreds, including in Paris, Brussels and Istanbul.

Principal architect of attacks

The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency announced Adnanis death late on Tuesday, saying he was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo in northern Syria.

Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said US-led coalition forces had conducted a precision strike targeting Adnani near the IS-held town of Al-Bab in Syrias northern Aleppo province.

We are still assessing the results of the strike but Adnanis removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to IS, he said.

Adnani served as principal architect of ISs external operations and as its chief spokesperson, Cook said.

The US-led coalition began air strikes against IS in mid-2014, a few weeks after the group seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.

Washington has vowed to systematically eliminate senior IS leaders and has put a $10 million bounty on the groups elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Both ISs second-in-command Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli and its top military commander Omar al-Shishani have been killed in reported US strikes since March.

Adnanis killing is a signal that IS can no longer protect its most senior leaders, said Baghdad-based expert on jihadists Hisham al-Hashimi.

He said it was clear that US intelligence had infiltrated top levels of IS and was increasingly aware of the movements of senior figures.

I think the United States are very close to killing Baghdadi the next time, Hashimi said.

Russia started its own air war in Syria last September, backing its ally President Bashar al-Assad, and has repeatedly targeted IS positions.

The Russian defence ministry statement on Wednesday said an Su-34 warplane had struck a group of jihadists near the village of Um Hosh in Aleppo province.

According to information confirmed through several intelligence channels, field commander Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was among those killed, the statement said.

It was the first time Moscow claimed to have killed a top-ranking IS leader.

Announced birth of caliphate

Lister said the IS announcement of Adnanis death described him as Qurayshi -- referring to the tribe to which Islams Prophet Mohammed belonged -- in an indication of his importance.

The use of the term would seem to suggest IS may have been preparing him to be Baghdadis successor as overall leader, Lister said.

If thats indeed true, then Adnanis killing is arguably the most significant loss to IS since the late months of the US occupation of Iraq.

Adnani, from the western Syrian province of Idlib, joined the jihadist movement in Iraq where he served under the late local al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

He was a founding member of IS, which evolved from Al-Qaeda in Iraq to become the pre-eminent global jihadist movement.

It was Adnani who in a June 2014 audio recording declared ISs establishment of a caliphate straddling Syria and Iraq and Baghdadi as leader of Muslims everywhere.

In the collective jihadist memory Abu Mohamed al-Adnani will always be the one who announced the restoration of the caliphate, said expert Romain Caillet, describing the propaganda chief as the most charismatic leader in IS.
MOGADISHU: A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalias presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people. The bomb exploded during a morning traffic jam, said Capt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior police officer. Some Cabinet ministers were among 31 injured.

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MELBOURNE: Ten months after the death of an Indian-origin man, Australian police arrested his wife and her paramour for allegedly poisoning her husband with cyanide. Sam Abraham died of poisoning at his Epping home in October last year.

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DHAKA: Bangladeshs Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a final appeal by a top Jamaat-e-Islami leader convicted of war crimes in the countrys independence war against Pakistan, confirming a death sentence given earlier by a special tribunal.

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha led a five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court to turn down the appeal by Mir Quashem Ali in Dhaka amid expectation that his death sentence would be upheld.

But Sinha pronounced dismissed after he took seat in the morning.

Officials said a certified copy of the verdict would be sent shortly to the Dhaka Central Jail through the International Crimes Tribunal to take necessary steps for the execution.

Tuesdays decision means there is no legal bar anymore to execute Ali, who is a member of Jamaat-e-Islamis highest policy-making body and considered one of the partys top financiers with businesses from real estate to shipping. He is a business conglomerate with base in southeastern Chittagong city, which is the home of the countrys main seaport.

The prosecution says Ali has spent millions of dollars to campaign by lobbyists against his death sentence and possible execution.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam on Tuesday said they were happy with the verdict.

It was not clear exactly when the execution would take place but the attorney general said it would follow previous cases of execution involving the similar charges.
BISHKEK: A suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday, killing the attacker and wounding at least three other people, officials said.

Officials from both countries described the assault as a terrorist act, and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev ordered the government to take extra counter-terrorism measures in the capital and regions, his office said in statement.

China condemned the attack and urged Kyrgyz authorities to quickly investigate and determine the real situation behind the incident.

China is deeply shocked by this and strongly condemns this violent and extreme act, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing. The ministry later said China would resolutely strike against all forms of terrorism and protect the safety of its people and government organisations overseas.

A Kyrgyz Interior Ministry spokesman said the car exploded inside the compound. Police cordoned off the embassy and adjacent area, and the GKNB state security service were investigating the bombing.

Three embassy staff suffered minor injuries and had been taken to hospital, but no organisation claimed responsibility, Hua said.

Chinas state news agency Xinhua reported that five people were wounded: two security guards and three Kyrgyz nationals working at the embassy.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan, a mostly Muslim former Soviet republic of 6 million people, routinely detain suspected militants they accuse of being linked to Islamic State, which actively recruits from Central Asia.

A Turkish official said in June that one of three suspected Islamic State suicide bombers involved in the deadly attack on Istanbuls main airport was a Kyrgyz national.

An anti-Chinese militant group made up of ethnic Uighurs - a Turkic-language speaking, mainly Muslim people living in Chinas Xinjiang region - is also believed to be active in Central Asia.

Some security experts have questioned the groups cohesiveness, however, and say Chinas policies in Xinjiang, where hundreds have died in recent years in unrest blamed by Beijing on Islamist extremists, have contributed to the unrest.

In 2014, Kyrgyz border guards killed 11 people understood to be members of that group who had illegally crossed the Chinese-Kyrgyz border.

Attacks on Chinese missions abroad are rare but in 2015, an Islamist militant attack on a hotel in Mali killed three Chinese citizens. In Pakistan, Chinese workers have been targeted by nationalists opposed to Beijings plan to invest billions of dollars in a new trade route to the Arabian Sea.
SEOUL: North Korea publicly executed two officials in early August for disobeying leader Kim Jong Un, a South Korean newspaper reported on Tuesday, in what would be the latest in a series of high-level purges under the young leaders rule, if confirmed.

Kim took power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, and his consolidation of power has included purges and executions of top officials, South Korean officials have said.

Citing an unidentified source familiar with the North, the JoongAng Ilbo daily said former agriculture minister Hwang Min and Ri Yong Jin, a senior official at the education ministry, had been executed.

It said the two men were executed by anti-aircraft gun at a military academy in Pyongyang.

The report could not be independently verified.

South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles North Korea-related matters, did not have immediate comment.

Some previous media reports of executions and purges in the reclusive state later proved inaccurate.

The report of the executions comes after the South said North Koreas deputy ambassador in London had defected to South Korea.
ISLAMABAD: The Taliban have appointed a new military chief as the insurgents try to gain more ground in Afghanistan rather than talk peace under a new leadership, Taliban officials said in telephone interviews recently.

They said the appointment of Mullah Ibrahim Sadar, once a close ally of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar, heralds a commitment to confrontation at a time when multiple governments are trying to coax the group to the negotiating table.

Sadar is a battle-hardened commander, who gained prominence among Taliban foot soldiers following the movements overthrow in 2001 in the US-led invasion. His appointment coincides with an uptick in Taliban attacks against Afghan security forces.

Meanwhile, US officials said there has been no progress in talks since Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in May in Pakistan. Mansour was succeeded by Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
TOKYO: A woman has been killed after a truck carrying airbag parts made by Japans troubled Takata exploded in a massive fireball on a US highway, the firm confirmed on Tuesday. Four others were injured when the vehicle, which was on its way to a company factory, erupted like a big bomb, local police said. The damage was so extensive that she had to be identified through dental records.

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WASHINGTON: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has invoked long-disputed conspiracy theories to suggest Huma Abedin, a close Clinton aide of Indian descent, had links to Islamic extremists.

You know, by the way, take a look at where she worked...and at where her mother worked and works, Trump said in a radio interview about Abedin.

Other Republicans have been less subtle, demanding in the past an investigation of those links, going so far as to allege she is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt.

Abedin, who served Clinton as her deputy chief of staff at the state department, has been under attack from Republicans for her role in her bosss use of a private email server.

Abedin, whose father was from India and mother from Pakistan, announced on Monday she is separating from her husband Anthony Weiner, a one-time congressman found to have been involved in a new sexting scandal, his third.

She had been a target of conspiracy theories linking her to Islamic extremists, stemming from her brief association with the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, which is edited by her mother Saleha Mahmood Abedin. The journal was founded by Abedins father, Syed Zainul Abedin.

Trump invoked those same theories in the Monday interview to suggest, without saying it in as many words unlike others who have been more direct, Abedin was linked to extremism.
On September 6, 1774, at dawn, the town of Worcester, Mass., awoke to the sounds of fife and drum. Forty-five militiamen from Winchendon, near the New Hampshire border, marched in from the north. One hundred fifty-six from Uxbridge, by the Rhode Island border, came up from the south. The militia companies belonged to 37 different towns. According to a head count taken by one of the participants, they totaled 4,622, half the adult male population of sprawling, rural Worcester County. It was the largest assemblage of people ever to congregate in Worcester, and certainly the most historic. The militiamens mission: to close the quarterly session of the Court of General Sessions and the Court of Common Pleas, the official purveyors of British political and judicial authority in this distant outpost of the empire.

Why had it come to this?

As punishment for the Boston Tea Party the previous December, Parliament had passed the Coercive Acts, which closed the port of Boston, allowed the governor to move the trials of Crown officials accused of wrongdoing to Britain and strengthened the governors ability to house troops in colonial towns. But it was the Massachusetts Government Act, which unilaterally revoked key provisions of the provincial charter, that caused the biggest uproar.

For a century and a half, Massachusetts residents had governed themselves in most matters through their town meetings. Three out of four adult white males in the colony held the right to participate in town meetings and to vote; in rural areas like Worcester, 90 percent of the men were enfranchised. Now, in an instant, these men were silenced. No town meetings could be held without the express consent of the Crown-appointed governor, who also needed to approve all agenda items. Elected representatives of the towns had always helped choose the powerful Council, which served as both the upper house of the Massachusetts legislature and the governors executive arm, but henceforth the Crown would appoint all Council members as well as local sheriffs, justices of the peace and juries. A family could now have its property seized by officials who were accountable to the Crown, not the people.

Understandably, the people of Massachusetts rose as a body to say, No way! Earlier, people whom patriots labeled Tories had been able to muster reasonable (if unpopular) arguments in support of British policies such as taxation, but Tory pleas for accommodation lost all appeal in the face of mass disenfranchisement. Petitions would not suffice. The only viable way to thwart the Massachusetts Government Act was noncompliance: Government must be shut down, and that was the business of the day.

In Worcester on the morning of September 6, two dozen Tory officials, dressed primly in suits and wearing wigs, showed up to open the county courts. They found the courthouse occupied by patriots and the door firmly boarded. Forced to go elsewhere, they huddled inside Daniel Heywoods tavern, halfway between the courthouse and the town meetinghouse on Main Street. There they waited for the militiamen to stipulate terms.

This took some time. The militiamen gathered first on the town green, but when that space proved too small, they moved to the open field behind Steven Salisburys store, kitty-corner to the courthouse. Each militia company had already elected a captain; now the companies chose representatives to deal with the court officials. In committee, the representatives were to prepare a formal surrender statement for the court officials, but the militiamen at large had to approve it first. The initial draft, according to an informant, was deemed merely a paperSignifying that they would Endeavor &c. Finding this not satisfying, the militiamen instructed their representatives to formulate something stronger.

At 2 p.m., the officials were still inside the tavern, while the militiamen outside were growing restless. Finally, terms were reached: Because unconstitutional acts of Parliament had reduced the inhabitants of Massachusetts to mere arbitrary power, the officials would close the courts and refuse to exercise their offices.

This was satisfactory, but the militiamen also wanted the officials to repeat their renunciations in public. Accordingly, the companies lined up on either side of Main Street for more than a quarter mile, from Heywoods Tavern to the courthouse. Then, one by one, each official was made to walk the gantlet, hat in hand, and recite his promise to refrain from enforcing Parliaments dictates some 30 times over so all the militiamen could hear. With this humiliating display of submission, all British authority, both political and military, disappeared from Worcester County, never to return.

Until the Massachusetts Government Act, re-sistance to British measures had centered on Boston, where Samuel Adams and his comrades loudly decried the Crowns usurpation of their rights for almost 10 years. Now the momentum had shifted away from Bostons well-known patriots. Courts were closed in Worcester and all contiguous, mainland counties in Massachusetts except Suffolk, where the shiretown (county seat) of Boston was occupied by some 3,000 British troops who offered protection to Crown officials.

On August 30 in Springfield, shiretown for Hampshire County, more than 3,000 patriots marched with staves and musick to unseat court officials. Amidst the crowd in a sandy, sultry place, exposed to the sun, said one observer, judges were forced to renounce in the most express terms any commission which should be given out to them under the new arrangement.

On October 4 in Plymouth, several thousand militiamen gathered to dismantle the courts. Afterward, according to a contemporaneous report, the rebels were so excited that they attempted to remove a Rock (the one on which their fore-fathers first landed, when they came to this country) which lay buried in a wharfe five feet deep, up into the center of the town, near the court house. The way being up hill, they found it impracticable, as after they had dug it up, they found it to weigh ten tons at least. Excited patriots could dislodge British authority, but not Plymouth Rock.

In addition to closing the courts, citizens throughout the province continued to gather in town meetings, defying Parliaments edict. General Thomas Gage, the Crown-appointed governor of Massachusetts and commander of the kings forces in North America, found this out the hard way. He had just moved the capital of the province to Salem, hoping to distance himself from unrest in Boston, but local patriots called a town meeting only one block from his new headquarters. When Gage arrested seven men he accused of being ringleaders, 3,000 farmers marched on the jail to set the prisoners free. Two companies of British soldiers, on duty to protect the governor, retreated rather than force a bloody confrontation.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts patriots harassed the 36 Council members appointed by the Crown, forcing them either to refuse their commissions or retreat to the safety of British-garrisoned Boston. The once popular Timothy Ruggles, widely known as the Brigadier for his exploits in the French and Indian War, dared not go home to Hardwick in Worcester County after taking his oath of office, but patriots hounded him wherever he went. They painted the body of his prized horse and cut off its mane and tail. Threatened and hunted, the mighty Brigadier, now a refugee, fled to Boston.

Abijah Willard, a large and portly Tory from Lancaster, after being sworn in as a Council member, traveled immediately to Connecti-cut, but he was recognized, thrown in jail for a night and ushered back to Massachusetts, where a crowd voted to send him to the Newgate prison unless he renounced his position. A man who voiced support for Willard was stripped, and honored with the new fashion of dress of tar and feathers; a proof this, that the act of tarring and feathering is not repealed. In his recantation, published in Boston newspapers, Willard freely and solemnly resigned from the Council and begged forgiveness of all honest, worthy gentlemen that I have offended. But Willards recantation, by any objective standard, was hardly offered freely.

By mid-October 1774 British rule had terminated in all of Massachusetts outside of Boston. General Gage reported to Lord Dartmouth, secretary of state for the colonies, that the Flames of Sedition had spread universally throughout the Country beyond Conception. One disgruntled Tory summed it all up in his diary: Government has now devolved upon the people, and they seem to be for using it.

Although the Massachusetts Revolution of 1774 was widespread, the court closure in Worcester was a pivotal moment. As early as July 4, upon learning that Parliament had disenfranchised the citizenry, Worcesters radical caucus, the American Political Society, declared that each, and every, member of our Society, be forth with provided, with two pounds of gun powder each 12 flints and led answerable thereunto. For the next two months the people of Worcester prepared to make their stand.

On August 27, only 10 days before the courts were supposed to convene, Gage had written to Lord Dartmouth: In Worcester, they keep no Terms, openly threaten Resistance by Arms, preparing them, casting Ball, and providing Powder, and threaten to attack any Troops who dare to oppose them. He then vowed to march a Body of Troops into that Township to keep the courts open.

Gage had not intervened when the people of Great Barrington suddenly closed the Berkshire County courts on August 16, but that was 140 miles away at the far western reach of the province, and he had received little notice. Worcester, on the other hand, was only 40 miles away, and Gage had plenty of time to prepare. The commander for British North Ameri-ca needed to hold the line somewhere, and he drew that line at Worcester. But members of Gages Council, who had been driven from their homes by angry patriots, advised him otherwise. Disturbance being so general, and not confined to any particular spot, they told him, there was no knowing where to send [the troops] to be of any use.

On September 2 patriots gave Gage a preview of what he might expect if he dispatched troops to protect the courts. Responding to a rumor that six patriots had been shot by British troops and Boston had been set aflame, tens of thousands of New England militiamen (contemporaneous estimates ranged from 20,000 to 100,000) gathered on their respective town greens and marched under arms toward Boston to set matters right. Upon learning that the rumor was false, the militiamen returned to their homes, but Gage had seen all he needed to see. If he sent a thousand or even 2,000 British regulars to Worcester, they would be overwhelmed by an armed populace.

On September 5, when intelligence arrived in Worcester that Gage would take no stand, the American Political Society resolved not to bring our fire-arms into town the 6 day of Sept.the sheer force of numbers would suffice. Two dozen court officials were no match for thousands upon thousands of militiamen, with or without arms. Some militiamen who hadnt heard the news brought their guns anyway, but most marched into town bearing only staves. There would be no loss of life or limbthis revolution was so powerful that nobody had to bleed.

With British rule gone, what next? No one wanted to live under a tyrannical regime that refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of the people, but neither did they want to live in a state of nature, where anarchy reigned. On October 4, 1774, exactly 21 months before the Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence, the Worcester Town Meeting issued revolutionary instructions to Timothy Bigelow, its delegate to the upcoming Provincial Congressan extralegal governing body elected by the people and outlawed by Gage, to no effect. Bigelow was to exert himself in devising ways and means to raise from the dissolution of the old constitution, as from the ashes of the Phenix [sic], a new form, wherein all officers shall be dependent on the suffrages of the people, and to do this despite any unfavorable constructions our enemies may put upon such procedure. It was the first known declaration in favor of an independent government by a public body in British North America.

The idea of independency, as it was called at the time, frightened the famous Boston radicals. Samuel and John Adams, attending the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, informed friends back home that independency and setting up a new form of government would only alienate potential allies in other colonies. Such notions startle people here, John Adams wrote, while Samuel Adams urged Bostons leaders to slow down the revolution in the countryside. But Bostonians were no longer in the vanguard. Country people were. They were the ones to force the issue, while their celebrated compatriots tried to rein them in.

Throughout the fall and winter of 1774-75, Massachusetts revolutionaries organized. Minutemen trained. Towns paid their taxes not to the official tax collector but to the upstart Provincial Congress, which used the funds to procure weapons and powder. Intelligence networks were formed. If and when the British made their move, the patriots would be ready.

General Gage, meanwhile, could do little but watch and wait. Old woman, people started calling him, but really he had no choice. Not until London sent him more troops would he dare venture into the patriot-controlled countryside. But the Crown would send more troops. It had to. If it let Massachusetts slip from its grasp, other colonies would certainly follow.

Knowing reinforcements would likely arrive in the spring, Gage prepared for an offensive. He dispatched spies to survey the patriots strength. Could he possibly strike at Worcester, the very heart of resistance? According to the spies report, patriots had accumulated 15 tons of powder (hidden in unknown places), 13 small cannons (proudly displayed but poorly mounted in front of the meetinghouse on Main Street) and various munitions. But the road there was rough, the journey arduous and the patriots numerous, vigilant and excessively hostile. Gages soldiers would likely be vanquished.

In April 1775, when General Thomas Gage finally received his reinforcements, he decided instead to go after Lexington and Concord, closer and presumably easier targets than Worcester. The rest is history.

So why has this unprecedented transfer of authority been overlooked? The reasons lie in the grammar of popular historical narratives. The telling of history cries out for individual protagonists, but there was no one person, nor even a small group, that could have made the Revolution of 1774 more or less than it was. This revolution was conducted by and for thousands of largely anonymous participants, giving it both power and legitimacy. There was no entrenched leadership, no chain of command, no concrete definition. The whole episode has been as confusing, perhaps, to students of history as it was to General Gage, who had no idea how to respond.

At Lexington, professional British soldiers fired at a handful of local farmers. This act, allegedly perpetrated by the enemy, gave Americans the moral high ground and helped mobilize support. The story of that event, pitting Americans as David against the British Goliath, has been repeated so often it has effectively muffled the revolution of the preceding year, when the patriots of rural Massachusetts risked their all because they had lost the power of their vote. Leaderless, widespread and bloodless, the first transfer of political and military authority from the British to the Americans has not been able to compete with the familiar narrative. It was not lacking as a revolution; it has only lacked an audience to comprehend and appreciate it.

Ray Raphael is the author of The First American Revolution: Before Lexington and Concord (The New Press) and 16 other books. To view primary documents from the Revolution of 1774, visit www.rayraphael.com/documents.htm.

Watch author Ray Raphael talk about the Revolution of 1774.
Xiaomi Mi Note 2 might run on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat with a 6GB RAM.

Reports disclosed that Mi Note 2 will most likely be equipped with a very impressive exterior design and top configurations. Just like Samsung Galaxy Note 7, this Xiaomi smartphone might also come with a dual-curved-edge display.

Based on the leaked images, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will probably run on MIUI 8.6.8.26 with a 2.15 GHz Snapdragon 820 processor. This information seems to debunk the previous reports claiming that the device will have a Snapdragon 821 chipset from Qualcomm, which is more powerful than Snapdragon 820.

Tech experts believed that Xiaomi Mi Note 2 might be fitted with a 64GB internal storage that will allow user to enjoy the device's 52.28GB memory.

Xiaomi is also rumored to release a high-end version of the device with 128GB internal storage. In terms of screen size, a Phone Radar report hinted that Xiaomi Mi Note 2 would possibly feature either a 5.5-inch to 5.7-inch screen with a 2K display.

As of the present, OnePlus3 is the only premium phone that comes with a 6GB RAM, but it has received modest user response.

But amid leaks and rumors, a Bitbag report revealed that the smartphone manufacturer from China has not announced Xiaomi Mi Note 2's official release date.

Many experts however speculated that this might be introduced in Berlin during the IFA 2016 event on Sept. 2-7.

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Amaq News, the information agency connected to the Islamic State (IS), has issued a statement but declined to say the cause of his demise.

But the Russian government claimed that the terrorist leader died in the middle of a Russia-initiated airstrike in Aleppo.

Al-Adnani's death marked the highest-profile killing yet of an ISIS member.

Although Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is the inspirational and strategic leader of the terrorist organization, it is Al-Adnani who stands as the public figure for the group.

Understandably, his popularity has convinced a lot of observers that he will eventually assume total leadership should anything happens to the self-proclaimed Caliph Ibrahim.

Earlier in January, Al-Adnani was allegedly injured during a coalition airstrike. The senior lieutenant is regarded as more than just a mouthpiece considering that he is well-known for ordering operatives to attack countries that are affiliated with the US-led coalition.

His presence in the group has made him more dangerous since he is believed to be in-charge of the external operations which carried out the attacks in Paris.

Born Taha Subhi Falaha in 1977 in Syria's province of Idlib, Al-Adnani has been with ISIS from the very beginning.

Back in 2014, he is the first to declare a caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq. He has also said that Western supporters of the IS have the religious duty to launch lone-wolf attacks.

In Washington, Peter Cook, the Pentagon's spokesman, has confirmed that an American "precision strike" near Al-Bab in Syria had targeted Al-Adnani on Tuesday night although his death remains uncertain.

With the IS reeling from numerous counterattacks over the past few months, the 39-year old Syrian's death is a blow to the organization's operational strategy.

In the Northern part of the province where the IS spokesperson has been supposedly killed, the ISIS is facing difficult scenarios which include air strikes from Turkey, Russia and the US plus ground attacks from Syrian rebels and Kurdish forces.

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Scott Shepherd, extreme object researcher and astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science, says, "We went from being able to cover something like a full moon to something that could cover 10 to 12 full moons in a single image."

Just recently, researchers have observed extreme objects by using a couple of telescopes in Hawaii and Chile. The findings were then forwarded to the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center. The newly-discovered foreign matters likely consist of methane and water ice with some rock. The average diameter is between 200-400 kilometers.

The significance of this investigation is closely affiliated with the search for a heavenly body named Planet Nine, which is supposed to be situated beyond Neptune but within our Solar System.

With Sheppard, Chadwick Trujillo of Northern Arizona University announced the discovery of an object nicknamed Biden in 2014. It has been observed that this matter showed signs of orbiting in cluster, which led to the question what heavenly body did these extreme objects are circumnavigating considering that Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are way out of range. Calculations have shown that Planet Nine is 200 times farther from the sun and it is 15 times larger than the earth.

However, Sheppard cautions, "right now, we are dealing with very low-number statistics, so we don't really understand what is happening in the outer Solar System. Greater numbers of extreme trans-Neptunian objects must be found to fully determine its structure. The peculiar clustering of the objects beyond Neptune has only a 0.007% chance, or about one in 15,000, that this circumstance is just a coincidence.

According to Professor Mike Brown, a planetary scientist at the California Institute of Technology, the declassification of Pluto has propelled the mysterious world to be identified as Planet Nine.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The People's Republic of China have put premium on security measures as it gears to host the G20 Summit in September.

For the Xi Jinping administration, hosting the G20 Summit in Hangzhou is another milestone for China.

Hangzhou has been cleared of most of its people where residents are off to a 7-day vacation with discounted tours for travels outside the city.

Migrant workers have left the area due to a temporary work stoppage. According to CNN's Andrew Stevens, the City is in virtual lockdown.

Law enforcement and security personnel are stationed every five to 10 meters at popular attractions like West Lake.

Hangzhou's remarkable transition from a low-cost manufacturer to a high-tech economic hub is the main reason why it has been chosen to host the G20.

With a population of only around nine million, China's small piece of promising land has been a key factor in influencing the country's culture and financial rise.

It should be noted that President Xi has resided in this place while serving as the province's Communist Party Chief. Just lately, e-commerce giant Alibaba openned in Hangzhou by local hero Jack Ma. Part of the city's appeal is the inclusion of the Chinese firm's mobile payment application called Alipay into China's shopping approach.

For Zhu Jiejan, an international relations expert at Shanghai's Fudan University, the G20 offers Beijing the chance, for the first time in history, to sit at the table as an equal partner with all major powers in the world in talking about the global economy.

It will be an opportunity for the regime to advance diplomatic relations with other world leaders like Indian President Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In a sense, China is pulling all the stops to ensure that everything goes flawlessly. The two-day summit has raked in a million volunteers which is 20 times as many at the recently-concluded Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The Group of 20 has put Beijing on center stage while it stakes its influence to a group that represents more than 80 percent of the global economy and world trade.

It is an opportunity for the Chinese to shine in the limelight at a time when the popular mood of the West sours toward globalization. With regards to the agenda, China is making sure that issues like its activities at the South China Sea and its overproduction of steel will not be included or discussed.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The breakdown is the second in less than two days for a project that is worth $360 million per ship. Overall, four mechanical failures have already been recorded for the littoral vessels, according to a U.S. Navy statement.

The Coronado is heading to an independent deployment in the Western Pacific when the blunder occurred. It is being escorted by the tanker USNS Henry J. Kaiser on its trip back to Hawaii.

The vessel is an Independence-class ship built by Austal USA in Mobile Alabama. Austal, which has expertise in integrating complex systems into its vessels, is a global defense contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defense and commercial ships. The Coronado is the first vessel delivered by the company as a prime contractor.

In July, the USS Freedom has its engine damaged when seawater got inside the oil lubrication system that resulted in the accumulation of rust in the diesel motor.

The two crippled ships have joined the USS Fort Worth and USS Milwaukee in the list of LCS with mechanical failures since December.

On Tuesday, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson has stated that the entire littoral ship program had undergone a review after the first couple of breakdowns. He has also added that the Coronado and the Freedom mishaps will be requiring an extensive look.

The Navy's littoral vessels come in two variants: the monohull and the trimaran which has three hulls. The Freedom, the Fort Worth and the Miwaukee are built with monohulls.

The Coronado, on the other hand, is a trimaran. These ships have been designed to operate in shoreline environments or shallower coastal areas with a draft of 14-15 feet and a speed of 40 knots.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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
09:00 - 09:40 Coffee on arrival and conference welcome

09:40 - 10:20 State of the Nation

Dr Cris Tarrant (CEO, BDRC Group) and David Bailey (CBRE Hotels) deliver their landmark presentations for another

year, providing their annual update on trends affecting the UK hotel sector.

10:20 - 11:15

Fact, fiction or fad - what do hotel guests really look for?

James Bland and Leonie Bulman examine the priorities of business and leisure travellers of all ages, whether travelling

11:30 - 12:00 Loyalty - learn from the best

domestically in Britain or coming here from overseas.

Tim Sander casts a critical eye over the hotel loyalty landscape, and then a cross-sector panel considers the future of

12:00 - 13:00 Do I still need a sales team?

customer loyalty.

Matt Costin and James Bland consider the booking journey of business and leisure travellers, and then ask a panel of

13:00 - 14:00 Complimentary lunch & networking

experts for their thoughts on the most effective strategy for a hotel to pursue.

14:00 - 15:00

Have I actually lost business to the sharing economy? And will it come back?

Tim Sander and Leonie Bulman of BDRC Continental present the findings of BDRCs traveller research into the sharing

15:20 - 16:00 Why should I brand my hotel?

economy, followed by reaction from industry commentators.

Dr Cris Tarrant closes the conference with analysis of the price premium that a hotel brand commands, and diagnosis of

what can help to drive it.

For more information please contact Karen Small

07809106843
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Thomas Corcoran will be honored at the 2017 conference in Los Angeles

Thomas J. Corcoran, Jr. chairman of the board and co-founder of FelCor Lodging Trust, will be honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), January 23-25, 2017, in Los Angeles. This prominent award is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to the hospitality industry through their actions, deeds, and great accomplishments.

As a veteran of the hospitality industry for more than 30 years, Mr. Corcoran began his long career as a dishwasher at the age of 14, and has since invested in a lifetime of commitment and engagement to the hospitality industry. His long history of management, mentorship, and experience in the lodging sector continues to strengthen and empower the industry and will undoubtedly leave a strong imprint. From co-founding Felcor Lodging Trust 25 years ago and guiding the companys continued success, mentoring colleagues and hospitality students, and supporting numerous charities and community programs, to serving on a multitude of board appointments and taking the risks necessary to be an industry trailblazer and leader, Mr. Corcoran is a true champion of the lodging industry. Indeed, his professional and personal character embody the ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award.

We are very pleased to announce that the recipient of the ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award will be Tom Corcoran. Tom and his business partner, the late Hervey Feldman, were early hotel REIT pioneers with the formation of FelCor 25 years ago, said Jim Burba, president of BHN and ALIS chair. Tom has been an inspirational leader in guiding FelCors success and is also one of the most caring and community involved executives in the hotel industry. Perhaps the most endearing quality about Tom Corcoran from the ALIS perspective is his willingness to go all-in, sing a song, and have some fun on stage, if it brings a smile to the delegates face. If he ever tires of being a hotel executive, he has a career awaiting in Hollywood, added Jim Burba.

Toms story truly embodies the spirit of our industry  a story of hard work, dedication, and success, said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Coupled with his foresight and vision, Toms passion, perseverance, and innate leadership abilities led him to succeed with all of his many ventures throughout the years in hospitality. As a former Chair of AH&LA and continued active Board member, there is no one who is committed to the success and strength of the lodging industry and no one more deserving to receive this award more than Tom. On behalf of the entire industry, we congratulate Tom on his countless achievements.

Registration for ALIS is now open and the early fee of $1,995 ends September 28. Program information and registration is available on the ALIS website, www.ALISconference.com. For general information and sponsorship opportunities, contact BHN conference manager Ashlynn Crandell at acrandell@burba.com.

Co-hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and Burba Hotel Network (BHN), the two-and-a-half-day ALIS event features an extensive array of seminars and panels hosted by leading experts and investors discussing important trends and identifying new opportunities. The conference attracts the lodging industrys leading hotel executives, investors, lenders, developers and professional advisory community. Proceeds benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the Educational Institute (EI) of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation (AH&LEF), AH&LAs not-for-profit affiliate. For information on AH&LEF, please visit www.ahlef.org.
23-year old, Melina Roberge and 28-year old, Isabelle Lagace are not your average snap-chatting, dog-face filtering, basic bitches. Rather than sitting back and trying to sling protein shakes and fit teas like the countless other instagram models, they allegedly decided to push narcotics across the border.

However, according to Daily Mail, the two Quebecers, along with 63-year old Andre Tamine were recently busted smuggling $23 MILLION worth of cocaine into Sydney, Australia on a cruise ship. Before the jig was up, the two had frequently posted about their lavish two-month, $15,000-a head vacation on their social media accounts.

A search of the ships nearly 2,000 compartments allegedly lead to the discovery of 95 kilograms of cocaine in the suitcases of Andre Tamine, 63, Isabelle Lagace, 28, and Melina Roberge, 22  all originally from Quebec.

The Sea Princess cruise ship, which began in Britain, made stops in Canada, USA, Colombia, Peru and Auckland before arriving in Australia on Sunday, where the trio of smugglers were caught with 200 lbs of blow.

All three could face a maximum sentence of life in prison after being charged with one count each of import commercial quantity of border controlled drug. They are due to appear in court on October 26th.

[Via]

Cocaine Smugglers
Niece of T-Pain, Javona Glover, was stabbed and killed at Walgreens in Talahassee, Florida. The stabbing took place at approximately 10:15 AM Tuesday morning. The 23-year-old was an employee at the drug store, and the mother to a 2-year old daughter, according to WCTV.



The suspect in the murder has been identified as 25-year-old Tavon Q. Jackson. T-Pain has shared images of Jackson, asking for anyone that has information on his whereabouts to contact local authorities. Police are in the process of interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence.

The Walgreens location has also shared a statement following Glovers death.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of our team member. The store is temporarily closed while police conduct their investigation and we refer you to police for any additional information. Pharmacy patients who normally use this location can have their medications filled at our nearby stores located at 313 N. Monroe St. and 140 Capital Circle.



Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to contact the Tallahassee Police Department at 850-891-4200 or Crime Stoppers at 850-574-8477 (850-574-TIPS).



Our condolences go out to T-Pain and his family at this time.

T-Pain
Joe Blaze gives us an into Yeezy's creative process

During the Video Music Awards on Sunday night, Kanye West premiered his follow-up to the raunchy 'Famous' video, with the sizzling 'Fade', starring Teyana Taylor.

A modern day version of the 80's movie Flashdance sprung to many viewer's minds. "You know what the funny thing is? Everyone is just referencing Flashdance, and that is a great conversation to be in because the movie was epic," choreographer Joe Blaze explained to Pitchfork.

"I mean, she just took Flashdance to 2016, if you want to put it like that. She brought it to a generation of some people who many not have even seen the movie before! She made it relevant and current right now. Her body is amazing. Her dancing was amazing. She's just a beast."

Indeed, 'Fade' incorporates several different styles of dancing from hip hop to dancehall.

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Kanye told Blaze, "I like this particular move, but I want to take it to the next level. Show me what you can do on top of this move. He has something specific on his mind, as a visionary. And we have to translate that onto Teyana's body."

As for the ending, Blaze says the feline influence came from Teyana."I think the vision behind that was how amazing Teyana is, and how she's been on the rise, and how she's working, and you are now seeing her blossom into this fierce lioness, this fierce cat."

Adding that, "She has a beautiful daughter. You know, the lioness always protects her baby," she added. "I think it really is about her coming into her fierceness."
NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Chairman of the Lao Front for National Construction Central

Committee Saysomphone Phomvihane (Photo: VNA)

The Lao guest, who is on a working visit to Vietnam, congratulated the country on the successful election of deputies to the 14th NA and all-level Peoples Councils for the 2016-2021 tenure.

He expressed his delight at the increasingly substantive and effective development of the special solidarity between the two countries, noting that his visit aims to realise the cooperation agreement between the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) and the LFNC, as well as the outcomes of the talks between Lao Party General Secretary and President Bounnhang Vorachith and Vietnams Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Tran Dai Quang earlier this year.

Briefing about the talks between the two fronts officials, Saysomphone Phomvihane said the LFNC will augment coordination with the VFF in communications to raise public awareness of the countries traditional friendship and all-faceted cooperation. They will also enhance personnel training, experience sharing and exchanges between localities, especially border provinces, to consolidate bilateral ties.

Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan applauded the talks outcomes, highlighting the fronts practical cooperation agreement. She added that stronger communications, experience sharing and attention to the two peoples living conditions will help the VFF and the LFNC to meet their respective nations demand at present.

She informed the Lao official about cooperation activities between the two parliaments, including an experience exchanging workshop to be held in Laos and the inauguration of a Vietnam-Laos revolutionary relic site in Son La province.

She also took this chance to thank Laos for its assistance and release of water from hydro-power dams on the Mekong Rivers tributaries, which have helped deal with the severe consequences of the prolonged drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

At the meeting, Saysomphone Phomvihane conveyed the invitation to visit Laos from Lao NA Chairwoman Pany Yathotou to the Vietnamese leader, who accepted with pleasure./.
The announcement is unexpected, but intriguing nonetheless.

The original film detailed a story of two petty officers, Billy Badass Budusky and Richard Mule Mulhall, portrayed by Jack Nicholson and Otis Young, respectively, who must escort a young seaman, Laurence Larry Meadows, portrayed by Randy Quaid, to military prison for petty theft. What follows is a heartfelt tale as the three Marines open up to each other.

An obscure novel, Last Flag Flying, was published in 2005, which sees the trio reunite years later after Larry Meadows son dies in the Iraq War. Linklater first expressed interest in adapting the novel to screen in 2006. A decade later, it looks like he will finally be able to make this dream a reality.

Theres already some big names attached to the movie. Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Lawrence Fishburne have signed onto the film.

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With Last Flag Flying still in early production, there is currently no target release window, though filming is expected to start soon.
Since releasing one of the years best albums, Adore Life, back in January, English art-rock crew Savages have been extremely busy touring, during which they have experienced many notable moments. One such episode occurred when the group hit Santa Cruz in California, when they were visited by none other than Savages uber-fan Lars Ulrich.

Hed actually come to see us in Glastonbury a few months ago, explains Savages drummer, Fay Milton. Then we got to Santa Cruz, he came to the show with his whole family. It was really nice, hes a cool guy and very interesting to talk to. For example, he was telling us that when Metallica play Dubai, they draw fans from all over the Middle East  you get people from all these different cultures coming together under the Metallica banner for one night. Metallica are just a fucking incredible band with an incredible drummer. Theyve created this whole world for themselves and its amazing.

Savages may count legendary sticksmen amongst their fanbase, although Fay says she isnt chiefly influenced by rock drumming, taking greater inspiration instead from the realm of world music.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday the $1.1 billion Zika virus funding bill, bogged down this summer in partisan politics in Washington, would be passed soon to help pay for ongoing prevention efforts in high-risk areas such as Houston.

"We're going to get some additional funding here by the end of September," Cornyn said during a press conference in Houston. "I promise."
A robber shot an armored car guard during a hold-up attempt Friday afternoon outside a northwest Houston bank, FBI agents said.

The guard was shot about 2:30 p.m. Friday as he was returning to the armored car from the Bank of America branch in the 5200 block of North Shepherd.

"He had just opened the door to get inside when a suspect came from the side of the bank," FBI Special Agent Shauna Dunlap said.

The robber didn't say anything but began shooting at the guard with a rifle. The guard was hit at least once, officials said.

"The guard was able to make it into the vehicle while he was under fire," Dunlap said. "He got back inside and closed the door."

The robber did not get any money from the hold-up, officials said.

The wounded guard and the armored car driver saw the gunman leave in a light blue Honda parked on the street behind the bank. Investigators believe a white Jeep sport utility vehicle found beside the bank with the door open is linked to the hold-up. It had been reported stolen.

The wounded guard was taken to an area hospital. His condition wasn't known, FBI officials said.

Investigators also are looking for the driver of the Honda.

FBI agents are examining surveillance video for the bank and neighboring businesses for any clues into the armed hold-up.

Friday's armored car robbery was the fourth in the Houston area this year. There were seven in 2014 and 11 the year before, FBI officials said.

On Feb. 12, veteran Brinks armored guard Alvin Kinney was gunned down during a robbery outside a Capitol One branch in the 5700 block of Westheimer.

A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the Kinney slaying. Call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
It is barely worth pointing out that Donald Trump's surprise visit to Mexico on Wednesday won't do President Enrique Pena Nieto much good. Pena Nieto is deeply unpopular in his home country, with a quarterly survey from the newspaper Reforma putting his favorability at 23 percent - a figure so low that it makes Trump himself, at 35 percent, seems positively embraced.

That 35 percent is in the United States, of course. In Mexico, Trump's a lot less popular. A June survey showed Trump at 75 percent unfavorability in the country - compared with Hillary Clinton's 6 percent. When Ipsos asked people around the world in June who they'd pick in the American presidential contest, no country saw a wider gap than Mexico. Mexico preferred Clinton to Trump by an 88-to-1 margin - an 87-point spread. (The only countries that preferred Trump were China and Russia.) The next-closest countries were Belgium and Sweden, where Clinton was preferred by 66 points. There's a correlation between Trump's poll numbers and the Mexican economy: When he does better, the value of the peso has dropped.

Less than 12 hours after the news of Trump's visit broke, other Mexican politicians had already weighed in to oppose welcoming Trump to the country. Politico collected some examples. "We are threatened with war and walls, but we open the National Palace," the president of the Mexican Senate wrote, adding that the invitation approved of Trump's "proposal of demagogy and hate." A former diplomat tweeted, "I feel embarrassed as a Mexican thanks to my president." On CNN on Wednesday morning, former president Vicente Fox (who has been outspoken about Trump) disparaged Pena Nieto's decision.

This response is not surprising. From the first moments of his candidacy, Trump railed against Mexico. Even before that, he complained about Mexico on Twitter, in part because he won a lawsuit in the country but hasn't been able to collect.

Trump tweeted, "When will the U.S. stop sending $'s to our enemies, i.e. Mexico and others."

From our standpoint, though, the bigger question is how this benefits Trump.

In the past, Pena Nieto has criticized Trump and his proposals. In March, Pena Nieto compared Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying that Trump's "strident" rhetoric was of a piece with the arguments those leaders used to gain power. Pena Nieto has also flatly rejected Trump's signature policy proposal, to build a wall on the border and have Mexico pay for it. Not going to happen, Pena Nieto said to Fareed Zakaria of The Washington Post and CNN: "There is no way that Mexico can pay [for] a wall like that."

After Trump and Pena Nieto meet, that will be the first question that's asked of Trump. Did Pena Nieto agree to pay for the wall? (Unless, of course, Trump's arrival is met with the sort of demonstrations that his appearances have earned in the past in San Jose and San Diego.) Pena Nieto - unpopular! - has a clear political incentive to embarrass Trump on the issue, a sort of I-invited-him-here-to-boss-him-around sort of thing. It's perhaps Pena Nieto's only possible positive political outcome. But even if things progress quietly, it forces the issue: Trump says he'll make Mexico pay, and Mexico says it won't. Now what? Trump has never been able to answer that question.

(One deeply optimistic Trump supporter, former congressman Joe Walsh, figures that Trump obtaining a promise to pay for the wall would be "game, set, match," which is true. It is also true that if Pena Nieto gives Trump proof that Clinton was a space alien intent on destroying the globe that it would benefit Trump. Neither is likely to happen.)

What does Trump get out of it? We assume that Pena Nieto will pose for photos with the visiting dignitary (though that seems like a political miscalculation for him). Trump-as-statesman is a new one, and it will be interesting to see how it's handled. That photo itself encapsulates a lot of the risk-reward calculus for Trump: At best he gets a dull picture of himself standing next to a person with whom most Americans aren't familiar; at worst, he gets an awkward picture posing in front of the Mexican flag - something that some part of his base probably won't be thrilled about.

The trip will, at best, show that Trump can go to a foreign country and meet with leaders without incident, a fairly low item on the presidential checklist. (A subject for another time: Do voters actually care about a grip-and-greet?) At worst? Who knows.

The move feels a bit like John McCain's decision in September 2008 to suspend his campaign to deal with the economy. It felt gimmicky and didn't do much - and reinforced that McCain was in the sort of political position that necessitated gimmicks that might not do much. Barring a Joe-Walsh-esque miracle, Trump's trip to Mexico instills a lot of risk with the potential upside for Trump being that he proved he can do something fairly simple without incident. For Pena Nieto, the potential upside is that he can score points off an unpopular visitor; the downside is that he is seen as embracing someone his constituents vehemently dislike.

Given how low the reward is for Trump and how high the possibility that something might go wrong, there's a decent chance that the politician for whom Trump's trip is beneficial is his opponent.
After four years of negotiations the government of Colombia and the Marxist rebel group FARC have reached an agreement that if approved by the Colombian people will end the Western Hemisphere's longest-running insurgency.

The 297-page accord negotiated in Havana is a major diplomatic accomplishment that required much international help - particularly from Cuba, Norway, Chile and Venezuela - major compromises and a strong desire for peace in a country weary of violence.

Since the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, formed in 1964 as a communist agrarian reform movement and launched its insurgency, about 220,000 people - most of them non-combatants - have been killed and 7 million - in a country of 48 million people - displaced due to the fighting.

The peace pact commits the Colombian government to rural reform with the aim of addressing the social and economic inequality that spawned the rebellion.

It sets procedures for disarmament of the rebels and their reincorporation into society and grants amnesty for all but the worst crimes committed by rebel and government soldiers alike.

The FARC will get nonvoting representation in the Colombian congress until 2018, then its members will have to run for office if they want political power.

Reaching this point has been an arduous process and the outcome remains tenuous because the Colombian people are divided on its merits and because even if approved the implementation will be complicated.

The FARC, said to have 7,000 fighters, may once have had legitimate reasons for launching its insurrection, but it won few friends as it turned to the cocaine business and to kidnappings and extortion to fund its operations while also wreaking havoc on infrastructure and transportation.

Many Colombians, including former President Alvaro Uribe, think the Havana agreement lets the rebels off far too lightly.

The matter will be decided in an Oct. 2 plebiscite. Polls suggest it will be approved, but the margins are narrow.

President Juan Manuel Santos, who deserves kudos for initiating the peace talks in 2012 after earlier attempts failed then nurturing them through the long process, has said that if the public votes down the pact, it will not be renegotiated.

The U.S., whose billions of dollars of aid under a program called Plan Colombia helped weaken the FARC forces and bring them to the negotiating table, has agreed to provide $450 million under a plan called Paz Colombia to assist in the peace agreement's implementation.

This will not be a magic elixir for all that ails Colombia. Another smaller rebel group, the ELN or National Liberation Army, still must be dealt with, lawless right-wing groups remain, as does the never-ending drug trade. The truth is that the Colombian government does not have control of the entire country.

It took Colombia a long time to get into this mess, and it will take a long time to get out, but a start must be made.

We strongly urge Colombians to do just that by listening to their better angels on Oct. 2 and voting for the peace pact.
A transgender inmate is suing the Missouri prison system for refusing to provide hormone therapy as she transitions to a woman, adding her voice to those of prisoners in other states who argue that denying such treatment amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit in federal court in St. Louis last week on behalf of Jessica Hicklin, a 37-year-old inmate serving life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder at age 16, when she went by her birth name, James. She is challenging a state Department of Corrections policy that bars hormone therapy for inmates who werent receiving it before being incarcerated.

According to her lawsuit, it wasnt until last year medical experts determined Hicklin has gender dysphoria, in which a person feels extreme distress because of a disconnect between his or her birth sex and gender identity.

But in a blog posted on Lambda Legals website, Hicklin wrote she felt she was a girl since she was very young.

Even at 16, I felt I was on my way to certain death. I didnt know what gender dysphoria was or how to explain my feelings to my family or others in my small town, wrote Hicklin, who was convicted of shooting a man fatally during a drug-related crime in the small town of Clinton in 1995.

The lawsuit contends experts advised she undergo hormone therapy and permanent hair removal and have access to gender-affirming products from the prison commissary store that typically arent available at the all-male Potosi Correctional Center where shes imprisoned.

It also states shes been sexually assaulted in prison and has anxiety and depression, along with intrusive thoughts of cutting off her own testicles because of the denied treatment.

In her blog posting, Hicklin wrote she feels locked in a prison within a prison  my body.

This personal prison is much crueler, and without a change in policy, Im not sure I will survive it, she wrote.

Missouri Department of Corrections spokesman David Owen and Martha Harbin, a spokeswoman for Corizon Health, which provides health care for the prison system and is named in the lawsuit, declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates there are 3,200 transgender inmates in the nations prisons and jails.

Federal inmates can receive treatment for gender dysphoria if an evaluation determines they need it, based on a policy enacted in 2011. The policy applies whether therapy was prescribed before or after the inmate entered federal custody.

But states continue to have varying regulations.

Its a hard battle that Jessica and others in her situation have to face, when they have to explain to a state why they need medical treatment, said Richard Saenz, an attorney for Lambda Legal, a Washington-based not-for-profit for lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people and those with HIV and AIDS.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice wrote in a court filing state prison officials must treat an inmates gender-identity condition just as they would treat other medical or mental-health conditions, regardless of when the diagnosis occurred.

The filing was part of a lawsuit on behalf of Ashley Diamond, a transgender woman who was imprisoned at the time in Georgia.

Diamond has since been paroled. In February, Georgia agreed to pay $250,000 to settle her lawsuit.

W. John Thomas, a health-law expert at Quinnipiac Universitys schools of law and medicine, said prison systems are facing increasing pressure to tend to the medical needs of transgender inmates, and he thinks the issue likely will make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

He said state corrections departments often oppose treatment for transgender inmates for two reasons: the cost and the political and moralistic.

A lawsuit similar to Hicklins was filed earlier this month by Reiyn Keohane, a transgender Florida prisoner who is seeking hormone treatments.

In June, a federal judge ruled California must allow transgender inmates to have more female-oriented commissary items such as nightgowns and necklaces.

The ruling was part of a settlement that will make California the first state to pay for an inmates sex reassignment surgery.

In December, an 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected an Arkansas inmates appeal seeking gender reassignment hormones to transition to a woman.

It ruled several mental-health professionals evaluated Andrew Reid, who identified as a woman, and had not diagnosed a gender identity disorder.

Perhaps the most well-known case of a transgender prisoner seeking treatment was that of Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst serving a 35-year sentence at a military prison for leaking government documents to Wikileaks.

Last year, the Army agreed to pay for hormone treatments for Manning, who previously was known as Bradley.

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Vietnamese Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich and his Chinese counterpart Sen. Lieut. Gen Chang Wanquan held talks in Beijing on August 30th as part of Lichs official friendly visit to China.

The ministers cherished the fruitful developments of the relationship between the two armies, with strategic dialogues, delegation exchanges, border guard cooperation, joint maritime patrols, the sharing of experience in joining the UN peace-keeping operations, and especially the Vietnam-China Border Defence Friendship Exchange Programme.

They emphasised their resolve to successfully organise the fourth programme slated for April 2017, expand the border guard cooperation model, maintain the exchange of high-level meetings, implement defence strategic dialogues at the deputy defence ministerial level, and increase exchanges between the two countries young officers.

They held that defence collaboration is an important factor of the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and a pillar promoting links between the two Parties and States.

The host said General Lichs visit to China is of significance as it helps elevate the bilateral defence ties to a new level and significantly contributes to the friendship between the two Parties and States.

Minister Lich, who is Politburo member and Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission, highlighted that Vietnams defence policy is self-defence, not allowing other countries to set up their military bases in its territory and not using or threatening to use force to address disputes, affecting the stability and security of the entire region.

In its foreign policy, Vietnam prioritises relations with countries sharing its border, he said, noting that the Vietnamese Party, State and army aim to build solidarity, friendship, mutual trust and stable, long-term and comprehensive relationship with China.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Lich affirmed Vietnams consistent stance that the two countries should observe common perceptions reached by their high-ranking leaders and solve disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

They need to seriously follow the Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related matters and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and work to reach a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) as soon as possible.

The two sides should take no actions that complicate and expand the disputes, particularly not use or threaten to use force to address the disputes, and maintain peace and stability in the East Sea.

According to the Vietnamese official, ASEAN always regards China as one of its important partners. However, sovereignty disputes in the East Sea are posing challenges for the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.

Lich, therefore, underscored the need to enhance cooperation between the ten-member group and China in an effort to seek solutions to the East Sea issue.

Sen. Lieut. Gen Chang Wanquan stressed that China always attaches importance to the time-honoured relations with Vietnam and wishes to solve disputes satisfactorily so as to protect peace and stability in the East Sea.

At the end of their talks, the two ministers witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese Institute for Military Strategy and Chinas Academy of Military Science.

During the visit, Vietnams military delegation also paid a courtesy call to Politburo member and Vice President of China Li Yuanchao at the Great Hall of the People.

General Lich said his visit aims to implement the two countries high-ranking agreements while solidifying the traditional friendship, political trust and comprehensive cooperation between the two armies in a result-orientated manner. It also looks to enhance the healthy and solid development of relations between the two Parties and States, actively contributing to peace, stability and development in the region.

He said Vietnam appreciates assistance of China, the former Soviet Union and other socialist countries for its struggle for national independence and reunification in the past. The Vietnamese Party, Government, people and army always treasure the Vietnam-China friendship, which was set up and nurtured by Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong and following leaders.

Vietnam wants to sustainably develop its comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China and considers this the top priority in its foreign policy, he added.

Briefing the host on the fine cooperation between the two armies, Lich said he hopes Chinas Party and State leaders will continue fostering the defence relationship so as to turn it into an important pillar in bilateral ties.

For his part, Vice President Li affirmed that his country also attaches importance to its time-honoured amity with Vietnam and wishes to develop bilateral cooperation in a more practical and deeper manner.

He suggested both sides increase high-level delegation exchanges, adding that he looks forwards to visits to China by leaders of Vietnams Party, State and National Assembly.

He also noted growing defence affiliation with such activities as dialogues at all levels, personnel training, cross-border exchanges, border guard cooperation and joint patrols at sea.

The Chinese Party and Government support stronger connections between the two armies which will help reinforce the countries comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, Li stressed.

During the visit, Lich met Vice Chairman of Chinas Central Military Commission Fan Changlong and told him that China is a major neighbour and leading economic and trade partner of Vietnam.

Fan said the friendly neighbourliness and mutually beneficial cooperation are the only sound choice for Vietnam and China.

Both sides discussed major orientations for cooperation between the two armies in the time to come as well as regional and global issues of shared concern.

On the East Sea issue, Lich told his hosts that Vietnam always sincerely wants to settle disputes together with China on the basis of equality and respect for each other and international law.

Lich suggested both sides effectively realise common perceptions of the two countries Party and State leaders and the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of issues at sea between Vietnam and China.

The two countries should promote mechanisms on negotiating issues at sea while directing their maritime forces to exercise restraint to avoid conflicts and treat Vietnamese and Chinese fishermen humanely in accordance with international practices and the friendship tradition of the two nations.

While in China, the Vietnamese delegation paid floral tribute to late President Mao Zedong and visited Chinese army units./.
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Photos: US Embassy Hanoi

Vietnamese explosive ordnance and medical technicians will be certified in accordance with international mine action standards as part of a four-year program. This program aims to collaboratively develop VNMAC as a sustainable training and education center capable of managing, resourcing, and training demining skills.

This collaboration will enhance the capacity of future generations of technicians conducting mine disposal operations, both in Vietnam and in support of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.

Trainees were provided with a series of explosive ordnance disposal and medical response train-the-trainer courses in preparation for them to become resident instructors for the VNMAC.

The USARPAC training team consisted of nine personnel who worked with 15 explosive ordnance disposal technicians and 15 medical technicians from Vietnam to complete the first phase of training on August 31st, 2016.

The second phase is scheduled to start next Summer.

As the largest single donor to address the threats posed by unexploded ordnance in Vietnam, the US has contributed over USD92 million since 1993./.
loyers looking to recruit in 2017 will have to dig a little deeper to secure the best talent after research suggests starting salaries will jump by more than three per cent.Newly released salary guides from recruitment giant Robert Half indicate an expected increase of 3.1 per cent for Canadian professional occupations starting in 2017.According to the research, employers in the technology sector will experience the biggest rise in costs with a projected 3.2 per cent increase in pay. Finance, accounting, legal, and creative can also anticipate rising costs with all of the industries due to see an increase of 3.1 per cent."Companies continue to seek employees with increasingly specialized skills, most notably in finance and technology, and this demand is driving salary growth," said Greg Scileppi, Canadian president of Robert Half, international staffing operations."Professionals with expertise in tax, accounting, compliance, big data and network security, are in particularly short supply, he warned, noting that employers may have to bolster recruitment efforts in a bid to get the best new employees.Building and establishing a team with strength in these areas requires a hiring strategy of attractive, flexible compensation packages, and a nimble approach that ensures candidates don't lose interest during a lengthy hiring process, he stressed.
hristchurch company has been reprimanded by the ERA for its unethical employment practices after it forced one migrant worker to pay thousands of dollars in illicit premiums.The case  which is just the latest in a string of exploitation cases  centres on former chef Kapilaben Patel, who paid bosses about $15,000 for a job offer at the Curry Pot restaurant as well as assistance with a work visa and residency application.Evidence before the ERA indicated $5,000 was paid to Curry Pot four months before Patel began working for the restaurant and 11 days before an employment agreement was signed and provided to immigration New Zealand.A string of other payments were also reported to have been paid in cash  payments which the ERA deemed were not made as an investment or for rent.Section 12A of the Wages Protection Act provides that no premium is to be charged for employment, stressed member of the authority Helen Doyle.Section 12A(1) provides that no employer shall seek or receive any premium in respect of the employment of any person, whether the premium is sought or received from the person employed or proposed to be employed or from any other person, she continued.As a result, Doyle ordered Curry Pot to reimburse Patel to the tune of $11,400  however, further breaches by the employer pushed the pay-out even higher.The ERA was provided with evidence of time sheet records and found Patel was owed a notable $31,413.19 in unpaid wages, holiday pay and for working on statutory holidays.Ultimately, Curry Pot bosses were ordered to compensate former chef Patel a total of $42,813.19.
Two Canadians charged in a humongous drug bust were apparently having a blast before they got tangled up with the law.

Melina Roberge and Isabelle Lagace of Quebec documented their adventures on Instagram while travelling on a luxury cruise ship bound for Australia where they were eventually charged for smuggling $30 million in cocaine.

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French Polynesia got us like ...  #dumbanddumber A photo posted by @melinar___ on Aug 17, 2016 at 8:07pm PDT

Roberge's profile has several photos showing her on an ATV, hanging out in New York City's Times Square, drinking out of coconuts on a beach and getting a tattoo in French Polynesia. Lagace's page also has similar pictures.

Coconut water detox  A photo posted by @melinar___ on Aug 18, 2016 at 7:33pm PDT

Collect moments, not things. #Tahiti  A photo posted by Isza (@belliszaa) on Aug 18, 2016 at 7:55pm PDT

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Police allege 35 kilograms of cocaine were found in the women's luggage after their ship berthed in Sydney. Authorities also said 60 kilograms were found in the cabin of 63-year-old Andre Tamine, also a Canadian.

The three were charged in the Sydney Central Local Court with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine.

They face potential life sentences if convicted.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Accordingly, the Hanoi-Taipei flight will be operated on a daily basis from October 30th, 2016, with a flight time of 2 hours 45 minutes per leg. The flight will take off from Hanoi at 14:15 and land in Taipei at 18:00 (local time). The return flight will depart at 19:10 and arrive in Hanoi at 20:55 (local time).

The HCM city-Kaohsiung route will be launched on December 12th, 2016, with five return flights a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The flight, which lasts 3 hours 30 minutes per leg, will depart HCM city at 02:10 and land in Kaohsiung at 06:30 (local time). The return flight will take off at 08:15 and land in Vietnams southern city at 10:45.

Tickets are now available for the two new international routes with prices from only VND310,000 (USD14) and from VND210,000 (USD9), respectively.

On this occasion, the carrier also increases the flight frequency between HCM city and Tainan to five return flights a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from October 30th, 2016, with a flight time of 3 hours 15 minutes per leg.

The flight leaves HCM city at 10:30 and arrives in Tainan at 14:45 (local time). The return flight takes off at 15:45 and lands at 18:00 (local time)./.
Just weeks after she saw the Tragically Hip perform their final concert in Winnipeg, Joanne Schiewe, an avid fan of the Canuck band, died of the same brain cancer Hip frontman Gord Downie has.

The 36-year-old passed away after battling stage 4 glioblastoma on Monday night, according to a Facebook post by her partner, Jared Spier.

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"For the past few months, I've helped as Jo's voice along her journey. It's been hard at times, but today was the hardest," Spier wrote.

Joanne Schiewe died on Monday after battling brain cancer.

"After five straight days of the hardest fight, that only a true champion's heart could muster, Jo finally left us." he continued. "She was surrounded by incredible love, but as Jo inspired such beauty (and ridiculousness) in those around her, that seemed to always be the case."

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According to Global News, Schiewe  a Winnipeg native  was diagnosed with cancer in Feb. 2015 and was told by doctors she had six to 18 months to live.

An avid runner, Schiewe completed an Ironman race in Colorado in 2014 and was training for a half-Ironman this summer until she had to pull out of the competition as her new medication had taken a toll on her body.

Schiewe and Spier were given donated tickets to the band's Winnipeg show, after their first attempt to purchase their own tickets online failed.

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In the days leading up to the concert, her health began to fail, however she pulled through long enough to see her favourite band.

"It was a bit overwhelming at times just because of what the tumour had done  but it was wonderful and I have really, really fond memories of the whole night," Spier told the CBC.

"Just walking out of the concert with her, the number of people who just showed up next to her and recognized her and said, 'Oh my God, you made it to the concert. That's so wonderful.' That was also overwhelming for her, but when we had a chance to reflect on it afterwards, she was really touched by that."

According to the Canadian Press, gliobastoma is the most common and aggressive cancerous-primary brain tumour and has a rate of about two to three per 100,000 people in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

Downie is currently being treated at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.

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The Tragically Hip, July 2016 See Gallery
For as long as I can remember, one of the first questions I would get upon meeting people would be, "What's your background?"

One day when I was three, I sat on my dad's lap and pretty much said "OK, Daddy. What's the deal. I keep hearing all these adult folk going on about how I'm mixed. What in the hell are they talking about?" (Such an articulate three-year-old I was.)

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In my mind, I pictured a piece of chart paper with a mash of purple, red and yellow paint. I thought I must have a rainbow on my face.

"Well, you're a little bit of everything," he explained. "You're a little black, a little Chinese, a little Indian and a little white."

I got off his lap and walked to my room, thinking: "That answered absolutely nothing."

My brother's eighth birthday party in Kingston, Jamaica with a mix of family and friends. (I'm in the red dress.)

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I grew up surrounded by friends and family members who looked like all of these races, but all I knew at three was that they were all Jamaican.

When I'd visit from Canada and arrived at the airport in Kingston, Jamaica, we'd be picked up by my uncle who looked Chinese, go home to his kids who were mixed Chinese and black, get a visit from my cousin who was mostly white, and then take a trip to see my dad's side of the family, who was pretty much all black.

But to me, they all spoke with the same accent, lived in the same place and were all my family.

Nowadays when I answer questions about my background I simplify the races and just answer black and Chinese Jamaican.

For people who aren't familiar with the Caribbean, it isn't common knowledge that multiple races have been born and bred there. A byproduct of its history of colonization is the diversity of the people who still live on the islands. People from across the globe have been shepherded to the region's shores: slaves from Africa, indentured workers from China and India, Jewish refugees, Arawak who are indigenous to the region, and Europeans who decided to stay. Jamaica's motto is "Out of Many One People" for a reason.

My dad's answer to my question about being mixed didn't make sense at the time, but it wasn't long before I started to understand race, and what people were trying to figure out when they asked about my background.

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Nowadays, when I answer questions about my background, I simplify the races and just answer black and Chinese Jamaican.

But you would not believe the amount of people who have been dissatisfied with that answer.

"What's black Jamaican? Don't you just mean Jamaican?" someone once asked.

"No, black is the majority, but Jamaica is a country, nationality and culture, not a race."

My three-piece answer is now a 10-minute history lesson.

"So who's Jamaican, your mom or your dad?" they ask when I'm finished.

"Both."

"But I thought you said you were Chinese?"

Yup, now let's start from the top ...

Every part of my background exists in tandem, it's not a competition.

All it means is it takes a little more breath to explain my family and background to people, which I don't mind. They're just curious, and while I don't have prominent Chinese features like narrow eyelid folds and straight hair, I get it, I look mixed.

The one interaction that really put me off was when I answered the "What's your background" question with a simple Chinese-Jamaican, as was my habit at the time.

The person narrowed their eyes a little and asked, "Why do you put Chinese first, are you not proud to be Jamaican?"

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I was utterly confused and had to laugh at the irony. All I know is my Jamaican family and I damn sure am proud of them. And although I consider being Chinese my race more than my culture, I still dressed in a cheongsam for special events as a kid and we cook both Chinese food and Jamaican food.

Every part of my background exists in tandem. It's not a competition.

My mom, dad, brother and I on a family vacation.

As I've gotten older I've developed a firmer definition of my self-identity. Though it's not exactly rock-solid and I think I will always be a bit conflicted about how to scale the different races that make up me and my family, I know what defines me.

The problem is when others try to define me, or decide that they're dissatisfied with how I explain my identity, or try to force me to pick one, or don't get how I "work."

There isn't a finite number of words you can use in a sentence, so there isn't a maximum number of cultures or races that can inform my life, or make up me and my family. And I can be proud of all of them.

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So please, just take my word for it when I explain my background to you. It may not make sense to you, but I'm starting to pick and choose my battles and learn when to not bother explaining.

When I go to a Chinese restaurant with my relatives I usually place the order, for a laugh. We order salt fish and chicken fried rice, Chinese sausage, ham choy and fish, dumplings -- that sort of thing.

We get curious stares and sometimes comments: "You're not ordering what Canadians usually order."

I laugh and sit with my family -- everyone some sort of mix of black white or Asian -- smile and keep right on eating.

Born And Raised is an ongoing series by The Huffington Post Canada that shares the experiences of second-generation Canadians. Part reflection, part storytelling, this series on the children of immigrants explores what it means to be born and raised in Canada. We want to hear your stories -- join the conversation on Twitter at #BornandRaised or send us an email at bornandraised@huffingtonpost.com.

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JONATHAN HAYWARD/Canadian Press

Canada is finally and officially Harper-free. A little over a year after calling Canada's longest election campaign and 10 months after he lost his government, Stephen Harper officially resigned as a Member of Parliament last Friday.

It was a good day for Canada, which now has a government that has begun the process, but is nowhere near done, of reversing the worst of the Harper legacy.

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This should be a good day for the Conservative Party, too, which has finally shed an ideologue who concentrated too much power in his office, and whose partisanship made politics in this country much nastier than it needed to be. With Harper gone, you would think the Conservatives could return to providing a reasonable alternative for voters.

If you thought that, you'd be wrong.

Asked last Friday about Harper's legacy, his former top cabinet ministers, still prominent in the Conservative Party and likely to play a strong role in its future, had nothing but glowing words for their former boss.

Here's what Peter MacKay, who is expected to run for the Conservative leadership and held high-profile cabinet posts under Harper, including defence and minister of foreign affairs, had to say: "His mark on the country is indelible, in particular having brought us through a recession and brought us to balance in terms of government financing."

Wrong.

The fact is, Harper ran up massive deficits for most of his time in office, after being handed a $13.8-billion surplus from the previous Liberal government.

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Other cronies had equally high praise for Harper. Jason Kenney gushed about Harper's tax cuts while John Baird praised the trade deals negotiated under Harper.

We could go on all day about how Harper's tax cuts for corporations and the rich gutted the social programs and economic development that the rest of us depend on, or how his poorly negotiated trade deals put more power in the hand of corporations at the expense of jobs and a stable future for working Canadians, but the real point here is that these sorts of comments show just how out of touch the Conservative Party has become.

That new government has only begun the work of undoing Harper's most egregious assaults on Canadian values.

Instead of recognizing the opportunity to set a new course for their party after getting rid of Harper -- courtesy of Canadian voters last fall -- top Conservatives are clinging to the failed policies that saw them tossed from power.

Despite all they've lost, from the government to their leader, they still don't get it.

Progressive Canadians, however, do get it. When word went out last Friday that Harper was officially and completely gone, a cheer went up among delegates to Unifor's national convention. Writing for iPolitics, journalist and author Michael Harris described "the bigotry, fear-mongering, divisiveness, scapegoating, and profound anti-democratic impulses that had Canada's entire parliamentary structure tottering" that was the real legacy of Stephen Harper.

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We elected a new government last fall to get rid of Harper and his sycophantic cabinet, but that was not enough.

That new government has only begun the work of undoing Harper's most egregious assaults on Canadian values. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Unifor's convention a week ago, his government is repealing Harper's worst labour laws, putting money into union-based apprenticeship training, cut the waiting period for Employment Insurance and signed the International Labour Organization Convention on child labour.

There is much more work to be done. The infrastructure funding is a good start, but that does not meet the need. Support for manufacturing remains woefully inadequate. We still don't have a health accord, and pharmacare remains a vague promise. The destructive trade deals negotiated by Harper remain on the books.

Harper is gone, and good riddance. But too much of his legacy remains, and we must continue to undo the damage his government inflicted on this country.

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Christian Petersen-Clausen via Getty Images An ancient Chinese pavilion on the West Lake in Hangzhou, China.

At the beginning of September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will make his first official visit to China and will also participate in the G20 Summit with the Heads of State of Hangzhou. As a Sherpa Delegate for this mission, I will personally have the honour of leading a Canadian delegation of 35 young entrepreneurs at the Summit.

The G20 in China comprises a twofold challenge, with issues of global dimensions:

To breathe new life into the world's 20 major economies;

To reinforce the G20's role of creating a governance platform with long-term vision.

Such long-term vision would encompass an innovative growth plan integrating the digital economy. It would also include a better understanding of the causes and consequences of the current economic downturn and gloominess worldwide. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), high unemployment rates among young people directly result from recessions in Argentina, Brazil and Russia. Even in developed countries that are not experiencing recessions, young people are more susceptible to situations of unemployment, and experience more poverty than their elders. We therefore need to treat young people as the priority.

I've been collaborating with the B20-G20 Employment Taskforce as well with the recommandations committe of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance. In a context in which digital developments are omnipresent and innovation is essential, our work focuses on the necessary approach to enable young people to create their own jobs and ensure the growth of their own businesses. We will present the following main recommendations at the G20:

Acquiring entrepreneurial skills through education

1. We call upon G20 governments to increase funding for entrepreneurship education and support the teaching of entrepreneurial skills, including digital competencies, STEM education, venture creation and leadership. The education systems in all G20 countries should also encourage team-based, action-oriented agility learning as well as creativity among students.

2. Encourage and support the creation of university-based incubators and accelerators in partnership with the private sector, institutions and foundations.

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University students in G20 countries should have the opportunity to start businesses during their studies with the support of and resources from their institution. We call upon G20 governments to increase by 50 per cent in five years the number of university students involved in entrepreneurship.

Starting and scaling a business

3. Drive the development of angel networks and alternative innovative funding platforms for young entrepreneurs through targeted incentives.

4. Implement structural and legal reforms to promote entrepreneurship by reducing costs, bureaucracy, business disruption, and legal gaps.

Unnecessary bureaucracy and the related barriers of excess costs, business disruption, and legal gaps continue to inhibit entrepreneurs across the G20. We call upon G20 governments to set a "5/20" target whereby entrepreneurs in every G20 country should, by 2020, be able to register a business in no more than five days.

5. Enable SMEs to scale through fiscal incentives for scale-ups and its investors.

After the start-up phase, SMEs need support in order to grow and create jobs. Cash flow is crucial during this phase. We call upon G20 countries to have a stable fiscal system and financial incentives that encourage and support SMEs as they scale up their operations.

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Going global

6. Implement a policy to assist young entrepreneurs to do trade with others countries.

Technology has allowed even smaller entrepreneur-led businesses to expand into global markets, which can be a powerful driver of growth. We call upon G20 governments to adopt such inclusion of young entrepreneurs in trade missions, training of diplomats and trade commissioners in the reality of young entrepreneurs and creation of hub of co-working and incubator services for early-stage exporters in diplomatic missions.

7. Establish an electronic World Trade Platform (e-WTP) to simplify regulations and harmonization of customs barriers and tariffs to encourage global e-commerce.

We call upon G20 countries to encourage a public-private dialogue around eWTP to improve the global business environment for e-commerce, to boost the development of e-trade infrastructure and the adoption of best practices through the support of cross-border e-commerce hubs, and ensure that government procurement processes are made more open to small businesses owned by young entrepreneurs.

8. Establish a G20 Entrepreneur Visa to provide multilateral long-term visa and fast-track clearance for entrepreneurs within G20 countries.

As the digital economy and international trade continues to drive an increasing share of growth across the G20, we call upon G20 countries to promote the free flow of innovative talent across borders. We ask the G20 to set the year 2020 as a target for all G20 countries to have an entrepreneur visa program in place that facilitates mobility and job creation.

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ICT Infrastructure development

9. Ensure access to reliable/low-cost high-speed digital infrastructure for start-ups and scale-up businesses.

To take advantage of the opportunities of digital disruption, young entrepreneurs need seamless connectivity with peers, industry and research. We call upon the G20 to set as a goal that all G20 countries will have a 5G network in place by 2022.

Innovation main driver of the digital economy

10. Build an innovation dialogue among G20 countries.

In this age of artificial intelligence, big data and cyber security, we call upon G20 governments to cooperate with business to build an open platform for all G20 countries to collaborate in these key areas. This platform could promote the freer flow of ideas across borders and help innovative entrepreneurs to create global networks across the G20 countries.

We are therefore presenting these recommendations to ensure the future of millions of young entrepreneurs in the G20 countries. We are convinced that solid partnerships and support for entrepreneurship in our societies will lead to the dynamism and growth required to renew economies and maintain societal development across the world. We also, more precisely, believe that immediate commitment of the G20 member countries in entrepreneurship and innovation send a positive message to our young entrepreneurs - our leaders of the future.
Pavlo_K via Getty Images

This year's World Water Week in Stockholm, bringing together those committed to the rights of everyone to access safe water and sanitation, will be an event of mixed emotions for me.

It is my last Water Week as Chief Executive of WaterAid as I will be retiring next year and I attend knowing that I will meet many who have been such a great strength and inspiration to me over the past 11 years. Together with all my colleagues in WaterAid and our partners everyone present has a key role to play to contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and our shared goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030 and achieving universal access to basic services.

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This year's event comes just before the first anniversary of the signing of the UN Global Goals which included Global Goal 6 - a commitment to universal access to water and sanitation which is essential to healthy lives and livelihoods, to peace and to prosperity.

I will go with a real sense of hope and excitement for the future transformation of millions of lives around the world as women and their families gain access to clean water, toilets and hygiene for the first time.

A clear, standalone goal for water and sanitation and the recognition in the other goals of the fundamental nature of Goal 6 was essential to achieve the scale of ambition needed to eradicate extreme poverty. It will build on the success of the Millennium Development Goals in more than halving the number of people without access to water and also give desperately needed focus to sanitation provision which is so badly lagging behind. Poor sanitation and hygiene leads to children being malnourished, to girls dropping out of school at puberty and to mothers dealing with sick children - and in the worst case the loss of a young life. An unacceptable situation.

However there is progress being made around the world in ensuring sustainable universal access, one example of which we will highlight this week as WaterAid enters into the world of virtual reality with the support of our partner HSBC. Our stunning VR film will premiere in Stockholm and transports viewers into the Nepalese hillside village of Kharelthok, recovering from 2015's devastating earthquakes, showing how the water systems and latrines are being repaired. It is an incredible film, and one which we hope will give a new understanding of our work, the great need which still exists and the hard work of communities and partners to cope and move forwards in the face of enormous adversity.

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We will also highlight progress in India, a country which is now a regional powerhouse with a fast growing economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally heading a mission to end open defecation by 2019 - a huge challenge exacerbated by the fact that only 40% of the population currently has access to safe sanitation.

Our senior policy analyst on sanitation, Andres Hueso, has been looking at how the city of Visakhapatnam, economic capital of the Southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is making impressive strides in eliminating the practice of open defecation - common in informal settlements and slums of many of South Asia's fast-growing cities as infrastructure fails to keep up. Understanding the political prioritisation and creative solutions which helped the city achieve such progress is the aim of the research paper A Tale of Clean Cities, which will be presented in Stockholm in a collaborative event about city-wide sanitation.

But whilst we celebrate progress we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead to achieve global goal 6 and the first year of the new targets has been one of great uncertainty and challenge for the future development of our world.

A massive and enduring refugee crisis means millions of people are displaced and eking out survival on the margins, too many of them exposed to disease from dirty water and poor sanitation. Global temperatures continue to rise resulting in a string of the hottest months ever recorded, and fuelling fears of the extreme weather events that will be exacerbated by climate change. And the Rio Olympics have highlighted across the world the importance of proper sanitation systems for the world's great cities, with athletes competing in its badly polluted bays taking extreme precautions against the high levels of viruses and bacteria that lurk in the waters.

This year's World Water Week is focused on water for sustainable growth. This lifeblood for us all is in ever more precious demand, the competing needs of industry and growing and moving populations facing off against the depletion of many traditional freshwater sources.

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The impact of water scarcity and climate change is starkly visible in a new photo exhibition which we are mounting with the support of the H&M Conscious Foundation. The celebrated photographer Malin Fezehai travelled to Thatta, Pakistan, site of the devastating 2010 floods, to capture the ongoing struggles with freshwater scarcity and salination which still plague the region, and our work with schoolchildren in the area, in photographs which are in turns hauntingly sad, and full of colour and hope. LINK

To persuade others of the importance of achieving universal access, we must keep joining up the dots to show how a lack of access to clean water and safe sanitation impacts on so many disparate areas.

The Nutrition for Growth moment ahead of the Rio Olympics helped us highlight the links between WASH and malnutrition. This is an area of great importance, since 50% of undernutrition - the most common form of malnutrition - is linked to the chronic infections and intestinal worms that come from dirty water and poor hygiene. Our new publications, Caught Short and The Missing Ingredients, show clearly how the countries with the worst rates of stunting are often also dealing with poor access to water and sanitation, and how many countries are failing to properly integrate a focus on water, sanitation and hygiene into their policies and plans for improving nutrition.

Finally, as always at World Water Week, we are encouraging the corporate world to join our vision of a world where everyone everywhere has safe water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030. WaterAid's work alongside our partners is promoting access to water, sanitation and hygiene in the communities in which people on the margins live and where corporations work and also throughout the supply chain - from tea pickers and small-holder farmers to garment factories.

This new era, so full of challenges, requires new thinking and focused resolve. The ambition of the United Nations' Global Goals on Sustainable Development requires us all to break out of our comfort zones and question received wisdom to come up with new partnerships and new ways of working. We need not only to make good on the promise of Goal 6 and deliver access to water and sanitation to everyone everywhere but in doing so show how that access will help deliver so many other of the Goals. For example, by bringing clean water to a community we help make the lives of women and girls easier and help to achieve Goal 5 of gender equality. Protecting people from water borne disease not only contributes to Goal 3 of good health it also increases productivity contributing also to Goal 8 and economic development. The positive ripple effect of bringing clean water and sanitation changes lives in so many ways and contributes profoundly to human development.

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The Labour Party is in crisis. Her majesty's official opposition is currently in the midst of a leadership battle, less than a year after its last one. Most Labour MPs, thousands of councillors and Labour mayor of London, Sadiq Kahn, all back challenger Owen Smith, while embattled leader Jeremy Corbyn enjoys the support of most members, and the majority of the Trade Union movement. The party has all but descended into civil war, with deputy leader Tom Watson throwing accusations of entryism and "arm twisting", while many Corbyn supporters are openly calling for deselection of hostile MPs, and rumours of a split abound. The consequences of this division have been to sink Labour to fourteen points behind in the polls. In the midst of all this, we must ask, beyond personalities, what has caused this crisis in Labour?

The first thing to say is that this is not unique to the UK Labour Party, across Europe the traditional social-democrat parties of the centre-left are in meltdown, haemorrhaging support to parties of the populist right and radical left. In most of Europe they are locked out of power, and in the few major countries where they remain, they are deeply unpopular: Sweden's governing Social Democrats recently hit their lowest poll ratings since 1967; Francois Hollande has the dubious title of being the most unpopular French President in history; and Renzi in Italy, even faced with little real opposition, is losing votes to the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the fascist Lega Nord. What differentiates the Labour crisis is that, due to the UK party system, the radical left insurgency - in the form of Corbyn's surprise victory last year - came from within the party, not outside of it.

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To analyse the demise of these parties, we must look at the historic role of social democracy, which emerged in the 20th century as a compromise between capitalism and socialism. It sought to regulate capitalism, rather than replace it. There were three major reasons it was able to flourish: fear of communism, economic conditions which allowed a positive class compromise to occur; and a core constituency of unionised, industrial working class. With the Soviet Union dominating much of Europe, and powerful communist parties in much of Western Europe (especially Italy and France), many were searching for a political alternative to socialism, able to pacify an increasingly militant Labour movement. Additionally, thanks to the economic conditions of the postwar boom - including mass employment and rising living standards - companies were able to simultaneously increase wages and profit margins.

As these material conditions which made 20th century social democracy possible broke down, with problems of excess capacity in the 60s and 70s, the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 90s, deindustrialisation and record low levels of Trade Union membership fragmenting their support base, the traditional parties had to adapt.

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Many followed Tony Blair and Bill Clinton's "third way" and embraced the market, moving away from social democracy toward a more traditional liberal "welfare capitalist" approach, where they altogether relaxed attempts to regulate or control markets.

This move worked for a while, but after 2008 economic crash - caused by an unregulated financial sector - many seemed bereft of answers. In many countries, social democrat governments capitulated to the right, following ECB policies and implementing austerity measures with as much willingness as British Conservatives. The effects of these policies have been wage stagnation and decline, high levels of unemployment, lack of job security, and rising inequality. The results of these policies at the ballot box was disastrous.

In the UK, Labour did not appear to know which way to turn. Ed Miliband spoke at the TUC's 2011 march against austerity, then whipped his party into voting for cuts. His criticism of coalition cuts as "too much, too soon" saw him dubbed as fighting on an "austerity-lite" platform, where he agreed with the central premise of Conservative economic arguments about deficit reduction while remaining critical of the size and scale of their measures. For many, Miliband failed to ever take on the central plank of Conservative economics or provide a clear alternative plan.
The recovery in house prices since the credit crisis has brought with it an increase in homelessness and rough sleeping, as high housing costs and insecure tenancies push people into economic uncertainty.

Around 30,000 people made homeless applications to their local council last year. The number of families living in temporary accommodation at the start of 2016 was 71,540, an increase of 11% compared to last year, and 49% higher than the record low figure of 48,010 seen in late 2010.

The Government has taken encouraging steps to try and resolve this problem. They established the first cross-departmental working group on homelessness. Funding of 18.5 million was given to local councils to provide emergency accommodation. Additional investment is being made in training and support to create a more joined-up approach, so homelessness teams in different local authorities can learn from each other. A 40 million capital funding programme for hostel refurbishment has begun.

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In his final budget, George Osborne announced a further 100 million to combat homelessness, including 2,000 accommodation places for rough sleepers and 10 million for early intervention and prevention projects. Bob Blackman, a Conservative MP, has also introduced the Homelessness Reduction Bill aimed at supporting people who are in need of somewhere to stay but not classed as a priority case.

However, the result of this will not be seen immediately. What is also required is a strategy to improve prospects for those already in the homeless system - reducing the length of time that people need to stay in emergency accommodation, and giving them the skills and confidence they need to go back out into the world and live independently.

While there has rightly been a focus on the need to deliver more housing stock and emergency shelters, more difficult to resolve are the barriers faced by individuals in short-term accommodation. Many rough sleepers suffer with multiple challenges, such as mental health problems or drug misuse. They are more likely to have been the victims of violence or abuse, and have poor education outcomes or few transferable skills. This makes it difficult to move into employment or secure longer-term tenancies that provide a greater degree of stability.

Too often, getting people off the streets is only the first step in a long transition towards independent living - and very few homeless people get the opportunity to complete the journey.

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As with most social problems, it is the charitable sector that is leading the way on the most innovative solutions. One example of this is Caritas Anchor House, an award winning charity which has been pioneering a new approach focusing on improving outcomes through education, counselling and personal rehabilitation.

Although Anchor House provides a bed and roof over the heads of its residents, the real difference is made through its aspirations programme. This helps residents address all aspects of their life, including health and wellbeing, relationship guidance, teaching financial management, giving educational opportunities through volunteering and training, and providing back to work preparation. Caritas takes the view that the solution to resolving homelessness is not just through providing a place to stay - it is about equipping people with the confidence to take control of their own lives.

The outcomes have been impressive. Last year they helped 58 residents move on to independent living, and supported 36 into employment. They provided support to 12,000 people accessing their services. In the first quarter of 2016, 28% of Anchor House residents were in employment, double the average of 14% seen across the homeless sector. A study by Oxford Economics has suggested that for every 1 invested in Anchor House's operations, they provide 3.98 in benefits to society - an almost 400% return on social investment.

It is this innovation and dynamism that will be key to helping those in immediate need, as well as reducing homelessness over the longer term. The Cabinet Office are now considering a funding application for a new project from Caritas called the Global NoticeBoard, a service that could provide a better return than investment in bricks and mortar by better matching supply and demand for accommodation, resources, mentoring, donations and expertise.

Caritas have put in a proposal for 2.5 million of funding and estimate that their approach could free up about 10% of 38,000 hostel beds around the country, allowing an extra 3,800 homeless people a year to be taken off the streets and supported back into independent living. Whereas HM Treasury has committed 100 million for 2,000 accommodation places, Caritas believe the Global NoticeBoard could provide almost double that support at a fraction of the cost.

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Clearing bracken, or chopping back trees may not be your idea of a holiday - but before you dismiss it, let me tell you why, having spent my break doing just that, I'd recommend it.

Zillertal is a region within Tirol, Austria. It's around 40km from Innsbruck and contains the High Alps Nature Park Zillertaler Alps - a protected area of around 400 square km. The altitude ranges from 1,000m at Ginzling to 3,509m at Hochfeiler. It's an area of natural landscapes with 80 glaciers, rich biodiversity and unique crystal deposits

For centuries this area has been farmed, mainly with dairy cows and goats. The steep valley sides producing rich grass for the cattle - but a tough environment for the farmers. In the past these high Alp farms were maintained by large families, working on the land, keeping it clear, mowing the meadows for hay, bringing the cattle down the mountain in winter and leading them back up for the short summer season. But as families have become smaller, and moved away lured by life in the big cities, the farms have become difficult to maintain.

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Which brings us to a volunteering holiday in Zillertal.

I spent two days volunteering in the high Alps: One day clearing bracken on Schwemmalm Farm, around 1350m above sea level in the Zemmgrund valley, which contains the largest alluvial forest with gray alder in the Zillertal Valley; and the second days cutting trees at Lengauhof Farm in Ginzling.

You may wonder why you'd volunteer to work on a privately owned farm - what benefits is that delivering other profit into the farmer's pocket? The reason is simple; it helps protects the local habitat and the plants and animals that call it home. If these farms failed, or the land was neglected, the alpine flora, some of it very rare and found only in these valleys, would disappear. As would many of the insects and other creatures. And we'd lose the iconic mountain meadows and landscape of the Tirolean valleys.

We have similar issues in the UK. For example, the North Surrey Downs near where I live, is also a manmade landscape; like Zillertal it has been created by centuries of grazing cattle. If we stopped managing the Downs, and allowed the trees to encroach we'd lose this chalk grassland habitat and the rare flowers and butterflies that live there. And Surrey would be visually very different.

So by volunteering, you're helping these farms to protect the landscape and its inhabitants. It also helps to encourage the continuation of low intensity and organic farming. Austria already has the highest percentage of organic farming within EU - let's help them maintain that. And perhaps we should be thinking about a similar approach in the UK where almost all our grassland is intensively managed (damaging the environment and often polluting our waterways).

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So if the warm glow you get from giving something back, from helping to protect the environment and conserve the wildlife isn't enough to convince you that a few days volunteering is a good idea, then let me add something else...

Volunteering in the High Alps Nature Park in Zillertal is also a great way to meet local people. Not just the perfunctory conversations with the receptionist at the hotel and the waiter in the restaurant, but people who work away from tourism. You'll be invited into their home and you'll have the opportunity to talk to them about their lives and their views.

If you really want to experience a place - get to know its land, and get to know its people. And what better way to do that than by giving a few days of your time to volunteer in one of the most beautiful valleys in Europe.

FACT BOX

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A few years ago, if you said the word 'drone', some would have thoughts of the recent war in Afghanistan and the news of the military use of surveillance and attack drones and thought this is just military tech, whilst others may have been ducking for cover in fear of a male bee swooping overhead.

Now, however, the topic of drones in the sky has become a civilian phenomenon in the news, not least following the incident a few months ago when a drone hit a passenger aircraft in mid-air. In the last couple of weeks, Amazon has been authorised to trial autonomous flying drones in the UK to speed up deliveries. Ingenious idea that will deliver parcels around the world faster than you can make your lunch or a new exploitable technology that could raise national security threat levels like never before?

PwC has predicted that global spending on the production of drones for both military and commercial use could reach $93 billion (70 billion) in the next ten years, with endless opportunities for industry, retail and enterprise alike. Meanwhile the White House cites industry estimates of drones creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and over $82 billion (61 billion) in revenue for the US economy in the same ten year period. With arguably some proven credentials - with drones already being used in television production; law enforcers using thermal imaging cameras to catch suspects; and utility firms able to check for leaks - what's not to like about speedy shopping or sending drones rather than humans on dangerous military or surveillance missions?

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However, despite the clear benefits, in my view drones must be embraced and feared in equal measure. Where they might on the surface look fairly innocent, what you find after more detailed analysis is terrifying. As the versatility in configuration means they could be adapted to positively suit almost any industry and requirement, on the flip side, falling in the wrong hands, the opposite could also be the case.

Put bluntly, these drones are flying payload systems capable of delivering incendiary devices, grenades, and perhaps even worse, into uncontrolled airspace in the same way that unmanned aerial vehicles have in the past. There is nothing to stop someone flying one of these drones into a busy city or airspace - ever more scary if we think of recent events in France and Germany, not to mention the Rio Olympics that are currently underway with some of the world's best athletes competing.

So, are drones the greatest global security threat for the future? Some may argue not and that the advantages of drones outweigh the negatives however, in my view, a number of steps need to be taken regardless to protect against hostile drones before a real life disaster occurs. Even military drones have a 'Human in the Loop', autonomous drones don't. This must start by implementing strict and overarching regulations to help control drone use, especially autonomous drones that are guided by software and GPS location alone. This would include the standardisation of radio frequencies on which drones can operate making it easier for security teams to use jamming devices to stop a suspect drone from entering unchartered airspace. Automated drones would also need to have regulated flight plans, so enforcement agencies know at any time the owner of the drone, what it is carrying and its mission.

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Putting in place stringent security measures is also vital. As with any connected technology, drones are at risk of being hacked by cybercriminals, meaning software programming needs to be considered more seriously in the development phase. Implementing the expertise of quality assurance specialists can help to plug any potential loopholes otherwise exploited by unscrupulous hackers and limit security and privacy risks from the outset. Although this may not completely remove all threats - what can in a society where MI5's computers can be hacked - it will significantly enhance the chances of drones being managed safely and for the purpose for which they were designed.

In summary, there sadly is no immediate 'fix all' solution to the drone dilemma, with clear - and significant - positives and negatives. Drones certainly have the potential to revolutionise industry as we know it, with obvious benefits across a range of sectors, from energy, logistics, to transport, photography and even to improve our crops to help our wine growers produce the best concoctions. However, is this outweighed by the national security argument?
Despondent with the result of the vote on the 23rd of June in the UK, I flew to Italy where I spend my summer with my family. My Italian friends on first seeing me, smiled and teased: 'so you got the whole EU thing wrong didn't you?' (but with a lot more hand waving). I mostly just shake my head and ignore them, sitting in a sullen silence. Sensing that this is perhaps not the right way to discuss the issue they backtrack. Ah well, they say - in an attempt to be consoling I think - at least it was democratic, no? Silence turns to shock.

There are many things that can be said about the campaigning which surrounded the United Kingdom's (UK) vote on whether it should continue its membership of the European Union (EU). But it cannot be said of the result that it is "democratic".

Democracy 2.0

If you think the result is democratic, I would challenge your meaning of democracy. There are many different types of democracy. A referendum is a form of plebiscite democracy - used, for example, in Ancient Athens. This is a form of "direct" democracy because every individual is involved in shaping the result (although in Ancient Athens the plebiscite was only constituted by males).

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Today we do not live in a plebiscite democracy. We live in a representative democracy. Unlike Ancient Athens we do not vote on every decision. The electorate chooses who represents them, and trusts these individuals to inform themselves and make highly technical decision, on the electorate's behalf. This "indirect" - or representative - form of democracy is instinctively more attractive. For one very obvious and one rather less obvious reason.

First of all, it creates a group of people free to focus on issues which today are almost necessarily complex because of the highly interconnected world in which we live. It creates a group of experts. Where would the average person with a 9 - 5 job find the time to decide the wording on obscure pieces of housing legislation, for example?

Or take, for example, the impact of Brexit on passporting? The UK's membership of the EU benefitted the financial services industry through passporting. Passporting means that a firm authorised to offer certain financial products in any one area of the European Economic Area (EEA) can provide services in all of them. Without this passport (for example) investment banks must conform to other regulations in the target country in which they want to invest. This "double burden" (i.e. having to meet two sets of regulations - those at home and those abroad) is more expensive and means that the firms make less money.

Secondly, it guards against the tyranny of the majority. Pause to think about it and it will become clear that many of the things we denounce today have often had the seal of approval of the majority in history. Slavery, racism, and sexism were all condoned by majorities. We must recognise that 51% is no longer a magic number when it comes to decision making.

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Indeed, many societies do recognise this. Many democracies have a theory of counter-majoritarianism. A decision taken by the majority will only be enforced as long as it does not trample over the rights of the minority.

System Reset: A Return to Democracy 1.0?

Despite the fact that the majority of MPs were in favour of remaining in the EU. Despite the fact that the majority of businesses were in favour of remaining the EU. Despite the fact that the majority of economists were in favour of remaining in the EU, the UK voted to leave meaning the experts were ignored.

In the words of Gove, "Britain has had enough of experts". The insinuation was that the people felt insulted on being told that their opinion was less valuable than someone else's, however much of an expert that other might be. This is possibly one of the most cynical twisting of a truth, by a British politician in the lead up to the EU referendum.

Because Gove was right. If you suggest that two people's opinions are not equal in worth, you are wrong. This view point is elitist and belongs to the kind of mentality that looks for differences rather than similarities between us. Such a view point rejects a rights-based conception of individuals being fundamentally equal. To suggest therefore, that the opinion of Joe Blogs is worth less than that of a leading EU-UK relations expert, is plain wrong.

But the problem is that opinion should have nothing to do with decision making. Say you are about to be subjected to open heart surgery. Your best friend is of the opinion that the surgeon should use a chainsaw to open your chest. Sure, he says, this might sound scary but think how cool it would be! The surgeon vehemently disagrees. Using a scalpel, he knows, would mean you are much less likely to die. There are statistics that show this.

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Why should opinion have nothing to with decision making? Well, opinion can be formed by anything - by personal preferences, peculiarities, or prejudices. In the case above, it was based on what sounds most cool. Knowledge, meanwhile, true knowledge, is formed by fact.

Ignoring the facts led to the situation we are in now. Within hours of the vote for Brexit, Farage admitted that the 350 million figure was not accurate. Moreover, even after video evidence of Farage pledging the money to the NHS emerged, he noted that any money the UK did keep would not, in fact, necessarily go to the NHS. Hannan admitted that there would be no "radical decline" in immigration because the EU will only talk about a free trade deal (which almost all business want) if the UK talks about free movement of peoples. The pound has fallen and the UK's credit rating has been slashed.

Now, blindly following the consensus of the 51% - in this situation almost literally as the vote was won 51.9% to 48.1% - threatens the rights of the minority. That minority are the EU nationals living in the UK - who still have had no guarantee from the government that they will be able to continue their lives residing throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Irelands, despite the fact that they were not given a vote. People like my parents.

Let me be clear. A referendum made on the basis of public opinion inflamed by newspapers who have pursued stories which helped them sell copies, which ignored the opinion of experts and risks failing to recognise the fundamental rights of individuals is simply not good enough to achieve the title of "democracy" in the 21st century.

Why does this matter?

What is the consequence of calling the EU referendum undemocratic? Not much. Overruling the result would require an act of political courage which the Members of Parliament of the UK do not have. A second referendum on the same question would be tantamount to the same thing and therefore will not take place.

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The best that those with a passion for the EU can hope for is a referendum on negotiations - asking the people which of various options they would prefer. But even this is extremely unlikely: the cost and uncertainty of the result is likely to be off putting for the government, not to mention the fact that this would make the new PM's prized Brexit department rather redundant. It is heartening that this position has been adopted by Labour leadership-contender Owen Smith.

Without this vote on the terms of the negotiation a certain irony. A vote which was in no small part the result of people being "fed up" with the expert's opinions has led to the experts now being in charge (behind the scenes) of negotiating Britain's future.
The champagne has been on ice for 20 years.

It was in 1995 that I won a bottle of Dom Perignon for winning a pool tournament. Not being that great at pool I realised this was probably going to be a one-off so rather than jumping up onto the table and spraying it everywhere like I'd just won a Grand Prix - which was my initial instinct - I decided there and then I'd keep it until the birth of my first child.

Cut a long story short, two decades later it's still on a shelf in my fridge waiting to be opened.

Relationships have come and gone and commitment has been avoided until earlier this year when I finally decided to settle down (or, to put it another way, I managed to hide my obsession with sport from a woman long enough to trick her into marrying me).

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In truth, the commitment was made three years ago when Hannah and I bought a three bedroom house together. In comparison to living with someone for the first time, and suddenly finding myself watching EastEnders and The X Factor instead of The Ashes and NFL, married life hasn't meant much of an adjustment.

But being the son of a shop steward and the daughter of a socialist we'd both been brought up to view living with two spare bedrooms as the height of bourgeois excess so as soon as we'd made our coupling official in the old-fashioned sense we turned our attention to having children.

Which brings us to August and our belated honeymoon cruise on the South China Sea.

We'd docked in the Vietnamese port of Vung Tau, two hours' drive south east of Ho Chi Minh City, and were about to embark on a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels. This was a small section of an underground lair that stretched across most of the southern half of the country and had hidden the Viet Cong from the Americans in the Vietnam War.

They'd widened the tunnels out a bit now to suit the King Kong-style waistlines of luxury cruise ship passengers, put some lighting in and turned it into a popular visitor attraction.

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I'm never comfortable describing myself as a "war enthusiast," it puts me in the same bracket as Hitler, Genghis Khan and one of my ex-girlfriends, but I find military conflict fascinating and the chance to climb on a real American tank and fire live rounds from an M60 machine gun floated my boat more than another day spent idling around the Voyager of the Seas' pool.

So there I was pottering around trying to work out how best to attach the strap of my money belt to thwart Vietnam's modern day army of moped muggers when my wife stepped out of the bathroom with something that looked like an electric toothbrush and a big smile on her face (something which only reinforced my initial thought that she was showing off about her toothbrush). But, no, it was something more life-changing than shiny white teeth.

"I'm pregnant," she said, waving a stick she had very recently urinated over under my nose.

Struggling manfully to avoid reacting to this momentous event by screwing up my face, I ignored what my sinuses were telling my brain and grinned gormlessly in the knowledge that my bits worked.

The second thing that crossed my mind was "I guess I'll have to go to Cu Chi Tunnels on my own then." Perhaps marriage hadn't entirely shaken me out of that mindset of looking after myself after all.

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As a dad-to-be your sense of responsibility doesn't really kick in when your offspring is not even the size of your fingernail and now that Mother Nature had confirmed I wasn't firing blanks I reasoned my future son or daughter wouldn't want me to miss out on firing more live ammo out of the barrel of an M60. To my wife, however, who had planned this pregnancy with all the thoroughness of the Tet Offensive, a fully fledged human being had bedded down inside her womb that needed protecting from the outside world. And her mind soon started racing about just how dangerous our immediate outside world was.

Just beyond our cabin window was a country with 17,128 cases of malaria last year. You can't go nine months in Asia without someone coming up with a new name for a virulent strain of seemingly drug-resistant flu. If that wasn't enough, she couldn't remember if she'd taken her folic acid tablet the day before.

If the first five minutes of being parents-to-be was anything to go by than one thing was for sure.
I was sitting having a coffee recently and overheard a conversation on the table opposite me. There were two couples in their 60's talking about their children and grandchildren. One lady was expressing her disappointment about how her daughter seemed to have an attitude of "it's my life and I come first, my children have to fit around me." She compared this to her and her husband's approach to parenting which had been to spend as much time as a family as possible, always eating together at the end of the day, making time for a conversation together and rarely leaving their children so they could holiday as a couple alone. She felt that her grandchildren were missing out from her daughter's attitude. Although of course this was just a snapshot of their lives and I don't know the wider circumstances, I did think that she was highlighting a generational difference in parenting that was interesting. Are parents more selfish these days? Do we value our own personal time and development sometimes more than we value family time?

Society has certainly changed since these guys were parents. There were arguably less financial pressures and a more clear cut and traditional division of labour and childcare. 30-40 years ago it was more likely that the man would be working and the woman not working at all, working part time or waiting until children were school age to consider a return to the workplace. Was it easier to prioritise family time then?

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The past 20 years or more has heralded important developments like an education system designed to propel girls and boys equally towards their dreams. Women make an enormous economic contribution through work and indeed are entitled to be visible in all industries. Meanwhile advances in transport and travel opportunities and technological developments mean we can that we can pretty much go where we want, when we want; consume whatever Arts we want and chat to whoever we want quickly and easily. This is all wonderful in so many ways but does it make us all a but more selfish? Our children are apparently growing more emotionally distressed, are these things linked at all? Google anything about attachment (Bowlby 1969) or the more recent work of Professor Tanya Byron to learn more about child developmental needs and how modern society is impacting on our kids.

My husband and I are unique amongst the people we know; we don't have a large family with grandparents, aunts and uncles who are happy and willing to scoop up our children and nurture and have fun with them when we aren't around. We do have one amazing grandmother and childminder. Our opportunities to socialise or holiday as a couple are limited. We are also different though in that we seem to believe that our family time should come first. Our children need us, especially in these early years and we are happy to make them a priority. That doesn't mean we don't look after ourselves too. We love a night or two away with the girls or the boys. We go out with our friends for the odd boozy lunch or dinner on our own. We both have jobs and hobbies we enjoy that take us away from one another. But we also know that little ones don't stay little for long and there is a great joy in being with them and sharing life with them. I don't really feel like a fortnight in the Maldives alone with my partner to re-connect; I would rather it's a family holiday right now. Soon enough these little ones will be doing their own thing and the world will be our oyster again.

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It is important for kids to have separate time to develop confidence away from parents and vice versa. It's also healthy to still have your own life, of course it is. But I can't help but wonder if the balance is a bit off these days. Someone I know told me that they felt the most successful parents they knew were the ones who hadn't changed their lives at all and had made their daughter fit in with them. She stayed up late and went out for dinner when they did; she holidayed with their adult friends and she stayed with Grandparents whilst they jetted off across the world alone. Now and again, fine, but if their needs remain the priority then how does this feel to a child/ young person?

Working with young people as I do/ have they often talk in therapy about seeking parental love, attention and approval. It's often at the core of most issues. Even if I don't ask it comes up. Perhaps we could all put down our phones, stop worrying about whether we are getting enough "me time" and pay attention to this a little more closely?

Maybe those older guys in the coffee shop had a point?
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo credit - Peter Eickmeyer / SOS Mediterranee

We are floating at 3314'88.8" North, 13 22'51.8" East, in the Mediterranean sea, about 20 nautical miles east of Tripoli, Libya. Out of my porthole I can see another magnificent sunset; the sea reflecting the sun's dying rays to create a deep, orange glow. Up on deck there is nothing but sea in every direction.

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I am on board the Merchant Vessel Aquarius, run in partnership between Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and SOS Mediterranee to search for, and rescue people who would otherwise lose their lives at sea. We are conducting our operations in the stretch of water between Libya and Sicily.

As a logistician, my role is to make sure all those rescued have the supplies to keep them warm and fed, to ensure we have a functioning medical facility on board, and the means to safely transport people to the Sicilian shore, and to pull people out of the sea.

Planning for supplies and keeping people warm and fed may sound straightforward. However, taking care of 650 people on a vessel with a capacity for just 350 is no mean feat, especially over 72 hours. It's worth bearing in mind that the Aquarius was not designed as a search and rescue ship, but as a research vessel - in this situation we work with what we have.

Before the Aquarius, I was working with MSF in South Sudan. My priorities there were things like making sure the generators for our operating rooms in the field kept running, water sanitation, and updating evacuation plans for staff and patients in case of sudden armed clashes. Working on a search and rescue ship in the Mediterranean is very different, but the underlying needs are the same. MSF only works in areas where there is a desperate need for emergency medical assistance. The only real difference here, is that people are drowning, instead of dying because of war, famine, malaria or a lack of access to health care.

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Aside from the geographical differences, this is one of the toughest and most intense things I've ever done.

Each day we have people on watch, spotting boats on the horizon. We also work closely with the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. We share information on the coordinates of boats we find, and whoever is best placed will conduct a rescue. When it's us, we head to the right coordinates and our search and rescue team scramble for our small motorboats to intercept dinghies or wooden boats in distress. They are always overcrowded.

Photo Credit - Alva White / MSF

Recently we had one of our longest days. We conducted three search and rescue operations before sundown. Everyone was exhausted. But as it began to get dark we received another distress call. We headed to the right coordinates, and managed to find a boat full of people in clear distress, but as the distance closed, we lost them in the dark. You can't imagine how it feels to lose 125 people in the middle of the sea. We searched for nine hours, with the ship's massive floodlights sweeping the water in every direction. Truly it was like looking for a needle in a hay-stack. Our boat was already full of people who needed to be brought to shore, and the supplies wouldn't last forever. But by chance, a small flicker appeared on our radar. It disappeared several times, but eventually we found them: a boat full of exhausted people without food or water, including 29 who were under 18 and five under fives - it was actually the first birthday of one of the little boys.

Photo credit - Alva White / MSF

The reactions of people we rescue range from euphoria to total collapse. Often people are acutely confused and incoherent from the inhalation of petrol fumes - many are in need of medical attention. Most of the people we rescue have nothing at all. Some only have the shorts and t-shirts they wore to make the journey.

I am no expert on Libya, or the politics of the situation there. But what I see is the physical condition of the people fleeing, many of them bear the marks of captivity, of brutality.

Among one of the groups we rescued were three boys aged eight, 10 and 12. It's hard to forget them. They had crossed countries together and a sea crossing without parents or guardians. When I was their age, I struggled to get the train alone.

Two things have surprised me while I've been here. The first is the number of children making this crossing. From babies to unaccompanied minors - it's difficult to get used to seeing children in this situation. The second is that despite their hunger, exhaustion and condition, so many of the people we rescue say 'how can I help?' despite the intensity of their experiences, they lose no time in offering to contribute.

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Aside from the difficult things we see on this boat (and there are many), there are also remarkable moments. Watching the reactions of people as they see dolphins for the first time, swimming alongside the boat; or a sunrise at sea; or witnessing the quiet that falls over the ship as we enter into the Sicilian port with its beautiful sailing boats and architecture, a strikingly different world for many, and a reminder that this is by no means the end of their journey.

I don't call the people we rescue migrants, or asylum seekers or refugees. These words have been used so much in politics, in the media, and quite honestly I think that these words have lost some of their significance, they turn human beings into statistical problems. These are people, some of whom have endured unspeakable and lasting cruelty, all of whom have a right to life and dignity.

Edward Taylor, MSF Logistician
As the contest heats up with ballots papers now out ahead of the end of the voting period on 21 September, and the announcement of the result on 24 September, it is clear that Owen Smith has had to tack left to have any hope of credibly competing with Jeremy Corbyn. This is evident particularly in regard of his policy on reforming workers' rights in the workplace. This short article looks at the policies of both candidates and critiques them.

Smith's 'Workplace Manifesto' in his own words, promises a 'revolution in workers' rights ... [making] Britain the envy of the world for employment rights'. Amongst these are strengthening union recognition rights, providing mandatory access arrangements to workplaces for unions, removing unfair obstacles to industrial action, modernising balloting with e-balloting to increase participation, creating worker representation on all remuneration committees, and repealing the Trade Union Act 2016 immediately on taking office.

The strength of his manifesto is that it seems to cover almost all areas of concern with something said about each. In that sense, it is more joined up. Yet it also reads like a rather overly long and quickly drawn up shopping list and there is considerable inexactitude in a number of his key proposals. For example, in calling for the strengthening of union recognition rights to provide for recognition where majority support exists, it is not clear how this is an advance on the current arrangements embodied in the Employment Relations Act 1999. What needs to be offered instead are means to prevent employers working to stop union members becoming a majority. Another case is that in providing mandatory access arrangements to workplaces for unions 'where requested by workers' this could allow employers to influence workers so that they are convinced not to request it. It would be far simpler and better to have a universal right to access. Two further examples are that in a) suggesting worker representation on remuneration committee, just like with Theresa May's proposal on worker directors, the critical issue of the balance of numbers and power between workers and managers is not spelt out; and b) providing 'a legal framework for voluntary sectoral collective bargaining' shows the ineptitude of not understanding the distinction between statutory and voluntary mechanisms to the effect that this undermines the potency of the former by the latter.

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But more important than these points is that Smith's pledges lack credibility because it is Smith that is making them. His voting record since entering Parliament in 2010 and his previous career suggest that, as alluded to earlier, he is only proffering them in order to necessarily compete with Corbyn on the ground that is now the centre of gravity within the extra-Westminster Labour Party, namely, the left. The suspicion might then arise amongst voters that Smith is a 'Johnny come lately' and would then unceremoniously drop such pledges once the contest is over. By contrast, Corbyn has long advocated the kind of views that he does in this contest so his credibility in doing so is the reverse of that of Smith.

Corbyn's proposals on workplace rights are to be found as one of the ten pledges of his manifesto. The pledge in full reads:

We will give people stronger employment rights from day one in a job, end exploitative zero hours contracts and create new sectoral collective bargaining rights, including mandatory collective bargaining for companies with 250 or more employees. We will create new employment and trade union rights to bring security to the workplace and win better pay and conditions for everyone. We will strengthen working people's representation at work and the ability of trade unions to organise so that working people have a real voice at work. And we will put the defence of social and employment rights, as well as action against undercutting of pay and conditions through the exploitation of migrant labour, at the centre of the Brexit negotiations agenda for a new relationship with Europe.

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His commitment to utilise the law to create new rights rather than suggest voluntary codes is to be welcomed, especially on the issue of the legal right to sectoral collective bargaining for if bargaining rights only exist at the enterprise or company level, the terms and conditions of workers in different companies in the same sector would still be the subject of downward pressure in a 'race to the bottom' as companies compete against each other on the basis of labour costs. But the absence of any further detail is still noticeable and of concern. In particular the statement that: 'We will strengthen working people's representation at work and the ability of trade unions to organise so that working people have a real voice at work' is woefully inadequate. Another example of the lack of thought out proposals concerns Corbyn's pledge of mandatory union recognition in companies of over 250 employees (which is the standard definition of a SME (Small and Medium Enterprise). This pledge ignores that:

i)Companies will reorganise themselves into units of less than 250 employees to avoid such a new law if they so wish;

ii)The majority of employees (in 2015, 15.6m or 60% of those in the private sector) work in companies of less than 250 employees;

iii)Guaranteeing the right of the process of collective bargaining does not mean the outcomes of collective bargaining are any good - cuts to jobs as well as terms and conditions (pay, pensions etc) happen in unionised workplaces as well as non-unionised ones.

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So this pledge needs to be rethought in order to see, inter alia, i) the creation of a 'duty to bargain' obligation where outcomes can be broadly specified; ii) the introduction of a United States style but stronger 'unfair labour practices' offence so that employers are barred from undermining the ability of unions to organise so that they can exert the necessary leverage over employers in collective bargaining; and iii) obstacles placed in the way of employers circumventing any size threshold by re-organising and configuring their operations.

Sympathetic commentators have noted similar problems with Corbyn's pledges here. Writing in the Morning Star (3 August 2016), Keith Ewing, John Hendy and Carolyn Jones from the Institute of Employment Rights noted that 'Most employment is with small and medium-sized employers (SMEs). To get the economic benefits, especially by the avoidance of undercutting, it is essential that all businesses in an industrial sector are bound by the same conditions ... Enterprise level agreements, even with the biggest firms, simply cannot either prevent bad employers undercutting or raise income across the working population'. This is a precursor to their promotion of their Manifesto for Labour Law: towards a comprehensive revision of workers' rights which is a worked out and thought through set of proposals.
After the intensity of the EU referendum campaign with all its highs and lows, and a proper summer break to recharge empty batteries, the UK's MEPs will be heading back into the European Parliament next week. Many questions remain over how the vote to leave the EU will be dealt with by the UK government and Westminster, as the vote on the 23 June was only the start of a long process not the end.

In the meantime, the world around us keeps turning and our work representing the UK's interests within the EU continues. For me, as a member of the International Trade committee, this autumn will be particularly challenging as key decisions will be taken on a series of concluded EU free trade and investment deals (e.g. with Canada, Vietnam and several African regions).

Parliamentary recesses are useful times to catch up and reflect. Talking with constituents over recent years about their views on the EU, and inevitably their perceptions of what is wrong and right with it, is a key means of gauging public opinion. My home region is an export region, with a trade surplus and proud manufacturing and services base. Trade is part of our DNA. However, in my personal experience of discussions on thousands of North East English doorsteps, for many people the referendum offered a means to address a deep malaise about the impact of globalisation locally, and resentment that its benefits are unevenly shared.

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Others abroad cannot watch complacently. The UK's Brexit vote is not as a unique phenomenon but a symptom. This social unease is finding voice in political populism across Europe and around the world, most clearly in the rise of politicians calling for the brakes to be applied to economic and social change, and EU cooperation. All politicians should be reflecting on what this means for global economic relations, and I believe that 'business as usual' is impossible in the current circumstances particularly in the case of EU trade policy.

We potentially face an impasse if trade negotiators do not change tack. Global trade urgently needs effective rules. Balanced and fair trade agreements at multilateral and bilateral levels are a means to reregulate globalisation. Rules can make the difference between competition and cooperation globally which supports good jobs, innovation and quality, or supply chains that increase human and environmental exploitation. Rules matter. However, public trust is rock bottom levels making this necessary rule-making politically very difficult.

Greater democratic scrutiny of trade negotiations is now a necessity. Trust will only be gained through a change in substance and transparency. Ultimately, today MEPs have a rather blunt power to accept or reject EU trade deals, but this has been used effectively to create greater leverage during recent trade negotiations. Greater parliamentary scrutiny at EU and national level may make life difficult for negotiators, but is the only means of guaranteeing their efforts are not futile and opposed by public opinion.

Reform of trade policy is possible. Concerns about negative economic competition motivated the inclusion of social cooperation both in intra-EU treaties and through social clauses in EU external trade deals from the 1990s onwards. The latter were set out as a 'red-line' for EU external trade negotiators in 2006 by the 'Global Europe' strategy. Sustainable development (through labour rights and environmental protection) was set to be made enforceable not just aspirational, with efficient monitoring and credible deterrents. However, this concrete commitment has gradually been downgraded to an aspiration with few binding conditions nor adequate monitoring and enforcement in EU trade deals.

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There is a striking difference between the lack of enforcement of minimum binding labour standards in recent EU trade deals, notably with Canada, and the inclusion of controversial and opaque legal systems to privilege and protect corporate investors.

In the case of the Canadian Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), following MEP criticism and public opposition to the controversial system of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), the European Commission asked the Canadians to reopen closed negotiations to amend these provisions. The renegotiated CETA text is better than the original CETA but still proposes a reformed ISDS system which still offers greater rights for multinational companies over domestic players.

Meanwhile, MEPs have also consistently called for binding and enforceable labour rights but even in a supposed 'gold standard' agreement with a progressive country and advanced economy, this is lacking with no appetite for revision. What signal is sent to other partner countries? If the EU and Canadians are not willing to offer gold standard protections for their own workforces, how can such commitments be leveraged from those who violate these basic rights. Nothing shows the inequity of our current trade deals as clearly as the rights bestowed to workers versus those granted to international capital.

This autumn's political decisions pose a particular vantage point for UK MEPs, as an 'insider-outsider' perspective creeps into the mix. UK MEPs are deeply conscious that other countries MEPs will scrutinise and have a final say over a future UK-EU trade agreement, while at the same time we must undertake the parliamentary scrutiny of ongoing EU trade negotiations for which we are elected. However, it is also an important opportunity to send political signals about what a future UK trade policy should look like.
The publication by the Office of National Statistics of the county of birth of the parents of babies born in England and Wales provides thought-provoking evidence of the way our capital city is changing. In 2015, a massive 58% of live births in London were to mothers who themselves were born outside the UK. For contrast, this compares to 11% of births in the North East region of England (the lowest proportion) and 27% for England and Wales as a whole.

The results vary considerably by local authority, with over three-quarters (76.5%) of births in Newham being to non-UK born women. Outside London the highest percentages are recorded in Slough (62%) and Luton (56.4%). Across England and Wales as a whole, the most common countries of birth for both non-UK born mothers and fathers were Poland, Pakistan and India.

Poland's accession to the EU appears the reason behind their top-three ranking: the number of live births to Polish-born mothers is over 12 times higher than when Poland joined the EU in 2004, and Poland accounts for more than half the population of all the countries that joined at that time.

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Some caution should be exercised when interpreting these statistics: not all the parents concerned are recent immigrants or indeed immigrants at all if they themselves were born abroad to British parents. And neither is it a measure of ethnic minority growth since second generation immigrants, who themselves were born in the UK, are not reflected in this data when they become parents.

The data also shows that parents who themselves were born outside the UK are slightly older than UK-born parents: 20% of UK-born mothers were aged 35 and over, compared with 26% of mothers who were born outside the UK. This may be self-selecting, if for example women who have already had children are less likely to leave their country of origin, or might indicate that recent arrivals have to have more years of work under their belt to make the transition to the UK than the average UK parent.
Over two months has passed since the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU. It was billed as the most momentous decision the electorate would take for a generation. But what has happened to date? Absolutely nothing. The scare stories have not materialised and the British people still do not have control. Their laws are still made by 28 unelected EU Commissioners, their Parliament is still not sovereign and their Supreme Court is still not supreme. Many people feel their votes will simply be ignored. What we need is a symbolic gesture to prove that come what may we are leaving the EU.

Recent reports have suggested a 'Brexit Bill' is being pushed forward by Eurosceptics. Hopefully this will become a 'Brexit Law' sooner rather than later. The idea behind this is for the UK Parliament to pass an Act of Parliament repealing the European Communities Act 1972 (the piece of domestic law which made the UK a member of the EU).

The 'Brexit Law' would not come into force immediately, instead it would come into force on a stated date - let's say 1st January 2020 (this date is merely an example which could be modified in accordance with the Government's timetable for Brexit).

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This new Act would be symbolic, and would not change the UK's position within the EU by itself, as the UK's withdrawal from the EU can only be done in reality (both legally and politically) through triggering Article 50. What it would do, however, is to prove once and for all "Brexit means Brexit", Theresa May's own favourite soundbite. This is an action which would speak far lounder than words.

Many people currently fear there will be a series of backroom deals to prevent Brexit occurring. This legislative act would convince those disaffected individuals, who are becoming angrier by the day, about the Government's sincerity. It also sets a clear timetable for the public to hold the Government to account, while sending a message to EU leaders about the inability to fudge the decision.

The proposal of a 'Brexit Bill' would necessitate a vote in Parliament in reality (obviously other mechanisms are open, but probably not a great idea). We will have to wait until next month to find out if the Supreme Court decides a vote is required on leaving the EU in any case. This is due to the legal challenge relating to whether Parliament must vote on the triggering of Article 50.

Despite believing it is unnecessary, we at Get Britain Out do not fear a vote in Parliament. We are confident the majority of MPs will respect the decision made by their constituents and carry out their wishes. It would take a very brave MP indeed to treat his or her constituents with deliberate contempt, believing the Westminster establishment knows best. In any case, there will be an election before too long, and this type of audacity would surely result in them getting a swift boot by the voters.

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This is especially true of Labour leadership contender Owen Smith. He would like to see a second EU referendum in order to get the result wants, despite the stated aims of the people of this country. His position is particularly curios because Rhondda Cynon Taf, which includes his own constituency of Pontypridd voted by 53.7% to 46.3% to Leave the EU in the referendum. Additionally, we have seen recent polls which claim only 34% of the public believe a second referendum would be acceptable.
It is unusual times when the Church is more progressive than the State but we may actually be in such times. Britain has reached a place where polarized views and a lack of respect between the people who hold those views predominates. As the country staggers around in shock, we are all showing our uglier sides. The Archbishop of Canterbury recently referred to: 'the thin crust of the politeness and tolerance of our society, through which since the referendum we have seen an outwelling of poison and hatred that I cannot remember in this country for very many years.' At the moment, it seems that little is being done to deal with this.

At the same time, the Church of England, of which the Archbishop is the head, has just been through its own 2 year process since the State legalized gay marriage. The 2 year process, in which I along with many other mediators and facilitators helped people who felt passionately over a highly controversial issues understand those who felt very differently from them. We did not set out to change anyone's views, just to change the conversation. And that makes all the difference.

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The parallels between the Church's issues over gay marriage and the State's Brexit dilemma are emerging. For the time being the Church, surprisingly perhaps, seems to be doing better than the State at dealing with difficult times.

On the one hand, there is a sense that the Brexit vote to some degree affirmed those with racist tendencies, and gave them greater courage not only to share their views but also to act on them. This was not necessarily intended but seems to be an unfortunate consequence for a small minority at the far right of the Brexit vote. This can be likened to those within the Church who turn their backs on the LGBTI community, see them as a problem and demonise them. In both cases, these are by no means mainstream views, but their shock-value (and in the case of Brexit the violent actions associated with them) has them front and centre in public perception.

On the other hand, there is a new 'liberal extreme' that looks down on people who voted Brexit and unabashedly calls them 'idiots'. The Liberal extreme, does not always recognize itself as such. It simply assumes that it is right. Don't we all? And nobody wants to feel looked down on. In the case of the Church, it equally has a tendency to take the moral high-ground and not investigate further the views that it abhors.

The problem in these two cases is that everyone just thinks they are right (other than a few lonely voices in the middle). The debate has become polarized and people do not see a need to listen to each other and discuss. The idea that there is nothing to talk about is often a key indicator that a really good conversation is needed. Not, any conversation but an Intelligent Conversation.

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Carlo Allegri / Reuters

Twenty years ago, as a new and enthusiastic Labour MP, I wrote an article for The Observer in praise of spin. I argued that if citizens are to be properly informed and engaged in their democracy, politicians - and in particular Governments - have a duty to craft their messages carefully and communicate them cogently. It was a controversial notion then but less so now that we have entered the era of post truth politics. In the old days, we used to 'manage' the truth. Now we have abandoned it.

We've probably come further than we think for when truth is discarded, reason generally follows. Without a general acceptance of the broad 'facts' of any matter, there can be little basis for rational debate nor, therefore, for either the consensus or the respectful disagreement which should emerge from it. Without a commitment to truth, we are free to choose and believe in our own facts and to despise the facts of others. We are free too to place our faith in leaders who make the impossible seem possible.

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We condemn the dictatorships which deny their citizens the right to informed and open debate. But in our own societies, unreasoned and often irrational politics are entering the mainstream.

The Politics Of Unreason

In the UK, the Leave campaign blithely wedded brazen falsehood to the fantasy that Brexit would cure all ills - and millions of voters enthusiastically suspended their disbelief. "We want our country back" was a potent slogan - but no less vacuous than the pledge to "make America great again" on which Donald Trump has founded his election campaign. On both sides of the Atlantic, people want to take back control they know they never had nor ever will.

Both campaigns have deliberately bypassed rational argument. They play instead to the emotional response of angry people for whom reason no longer makes sense. Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, democracy's critics have warned of the ease with which reason can be subverted and citizens seduced by the false oratory of charismatic leaders. Trump is just the latest in a long line of the demagogues they feared. He may not make it to the White House but he has come a long way on unreasoning rhetoric - and where he leads millions faithfully follow. He has boasted that he could commit murder on Fifth Avenue without losing votes and he may well be right.

But if Trump is extreme, he is not exceptional. He is a phenomenon of a populism of both right and left which has once more begun to challenge the principles of Parliamentary democracy.

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Democracy In Decline

All over Europe and the United States, consumer-citizens are exasperated by democracy's failure to meet their demands as fully and as fast as they expect. If the market can guarantee next day delivery, why can't government? The low esteem in which elected politicians are held is only partly the consequence of their failings and failures. It is also evidence of a growing disenchantment with representative democracy itself. We do not trust our politicians to reflect our priorities. Perhaps we never did. But now we're no longer prepared to acknowledge their unenviable duty to arbitrate between competing political, social and economic imperatives, nor ours to accept the compromises they reach - at least until the next election.

We have become protesters against rather than participants in our politics and, emboldened by hearing our chosen facts and beliefs reverberating around cyber space, have become increasingly polarised and uncompromising in our protest.

Politics Without Purpose

Which brings us to Labour. Despite the obvious political differences between Jeremy Corbyn and Donald Trump, there are striking similarities in the movements which have coalesced around them. For many of their supporters, they can simply do no wrong; each criticism provides further evidence of a corrupt establishment's conspiracy against them; rivals, including those who share many of their beliefs, are anathematised; unbelievers are pursued across the internet; inconvenient facts are reinterpreted or ignored; rational, civil debate is shut down or drowned out.

There are other similarities in these insurgencies: both mistake slogans for policies and mass rallies for popular support; both are overwhelming and quite possibly destroying their own parties - and both, ultimately, are movements without practical purpose.

Trump may give vivid expression to his followers' grievances but, other than building a wall along the Mexican border, his plans for government are obscure. Similarly, while Corbyn and his supporters know what they're against, they have not yet articulated a clear vision of what they're for, much less how it can be achieved. For many of them, it is enough to be 'anti-Blairite'.

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But in disassociating themselves from a Labour Prime Minister's mistakes, they are also dismissing their party's achievements under his leadership. Their refusal to acknowledge the need for compromise may well enable them to avoid the pitfalls of government. But government's potential to bring about at least some of the change they want does not come without pitfalls. In wanting it all, they are likely to end up with nothing.

Rediscovering Common Cause

Democracy cannot be sustained simply by what passionate people oppose. And though movements such as Momentum have important roles to play in influencing political parties, they cannot replace them. Their supporters want to be right - and they often are. But they are rarely prepared to test their principles against the practical business of government. The members of political parties want, or should want, to govern and are prepared, albeit reluctantly, to compromise - with each other, with those they seek to represent, with events - in order to do so. Parties should listen to movements. But movements, if they are to have any practical purpose, must acknowledge that, for all its limitations, the point of politics is power.

We have to trust that the majority of American voters will reject Donald Trump. But closer to home, if Labour is to have a future as a political force, Jeremy Corbyn's supporters must learn to respect the historic purpose of the Labour Party at least as much as they admire the high principles of its current leader. There isn't long for that realisation to take hold.
If you've ever walked along New York City's High Line, you'll know just how wonderful it is. The 2.4-kilometre park is built on an elevated section of disused New York railroad in Manhattan's West Side. Planted with wild vegetation and designed to pay homage to the structure's past, it's rightly become the second most visited attraction in the city. It's even more popular than the Statue of Liberty.

An intriguing aspect of the High Line is the way it was funded. Unlike most urban projects, the initial funding for the High Line came from local residents who saw potential in developing the structure rather than demolishing it. It's a wonderful example of crowdfunding -- the form of alternative finance where everyday people contribute funds to projects they think are promising -- which has more recently been made popular by websites like KickStarter and IndieGoGo.

Crowdfunding is increasingly being applied in an urban context. In the UK, Spacehive, has been set up to source crowdfunding specifically for civic projects.

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Future Cities Catapult has been working with Spacehive and I'm impressed by what it's doing. The platform has been used to turn a motorway flyover in central Liverpool into a sky park, fund a public wi-fi network in the town of Mansfield, create an urban farm from the grounds of an abandoned school in North London, and save a derelict Grade II dispensary in Manchester as a creative hub. They even provided funding to build a temporary water slide in Bristol.

Crowdfunding is a natural solution to a very real problem. Citizens are often keen to shape their local surroundings, but the process can feel incredibly daunting, not least because it can be difficult to obtain funding, be it private or public. And without firm funding, the rest of the constraints -- from complex planning regulations to changing policies under a government elected every five years - can be overwhelming. Citizens can, and do, feel isolated and powerless to change.

Instead, crowdfunding provides citizens with a chance to engage. To me, it feels like a truly bottom-up approach, that harnesses the voice of the people to build community, share ideas, secure funding, and make what they want in their neighbourhood a reality.

For cities themselves there are obvious benefits too. As well as providing citizens with an alternative means of developing small-scale infrastructure -- effectively freeing the city authority to spend money on other city-wide projects while still benefiting from local initiatives -- it provides an opportunity for them to experiment with new funding models and trial new ideas in ways that weren't previously possible. City authorities can be part of experiments that help them test and learn more quickly.

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It's not necessarily all positive, of course. Looking back to the High Line, the initial funding came from affluent and well-connected local residents, who were able to encourage the likes of then-New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to support the project. Civic crowdfunding platforms may draw ideas and funding from those that have the ideas and the money to spare. Certain voices may be heard and certain issues may be tackled, with the associated risk of overlooking the opinions and needs of the more marginalized sections of society.

That's not all there is to learn from the High Line. While it's given rise to somewhat of an urban renaissance in the West Side, sparking other development projects, it's also warped the local real estate market and even seen some local businesses close due to the changing demographics in the area. Projects undertaken by the community, rather than directed by city planners, may have unforeseen consequences.

Criticisms like these are valid. But the current system also has its faults. We can't assume that projects overseen by city authorities never overlook the marginalised or suffer from unforeseen outcomes themselves. In reality, these kinds of issues can be avoided by taking positive steps to ensure that the voices of the less fortunate are heard.
The corporate heist of the NHS by private health providers, made possible by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, is a national scandal. Not just because it involves dismantling services, selling off public assets and demoralising frontline staff, but because it has largely gone unreported in the media. Jeremy Corbyn's pledge to renationalise the NHS served as a much needed lifeline to those fighting A&E closures and NHS cuts.

I went online to hear Corbyn's press conference. The Mirror's website beckoned to "view" Jeremy Corbyn "unveil" his NHS plans, but clicking on the link led me to old footage featuring Owen Smith. Then I clicked on Sky's link to Corbyn's speech but instead of showing his renationalisation pledges, it showcased their reporter badgering Corbyn to respond to tax exile Richard Branson's release of dodgy CCTV footage (for which he's being investigated for breach of data protection laws).

Traingate backfired when Virgin passengers waded in to support Corbyn's version of events, but it didn't stop the media sabotaging his message. Some journalists missed the memo that it was an NHS news conference and made the story Corbyn's refusal to be diverted from that.

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As a last resort I clicked on the BBC link to Corbyn's press conference. Despite it being the British Broadcasting Corporation, there was no footage of Corbyn speaking. The leader of the opposition, voiceless and silenced on one of the public's biggest concerns. The systematic dismantling of the NHS. Apart from a few random quotes, the segment was mostly given over to facile "analysis" by the BBC's health correspondent.

There was no mention of the Health and Social Care Act, which removes the responsibility of health care provision from the government, section 75 of which compels tendering for contracts, 16bn of which have been awarded to private contractors since 2013. Nothing about the fact that Corbyn warned in 2000 that PFI would saddle the NHS with debt (now 222bn). Yet another thing, along with Iraq, austerity and de-regulation that Corbyn got right and New Labour got wrong.

Perhaps the greatest omission by all the media's "analysis" is that Corbyn's NHS renationalisation announcement had been de-railed (forgive the pun) by one of the biggest beneficiaries of NHS privatisation, Sir Richard Branson. At the same time as Corbyn's NHS pledges were being hijacked by Traingate, it emerged that Branson's Virgin Care had beaten off a joint local NHS bid to win a contract, worth 17.6m a year, to co-ordinate adult community health services in Guildford.

According to tax expert, Richard Murphy, Virgin Care is unlikely to pay tax in the UK in the foreseeable future, yet the company has been awarded contracts worth millions to provide NHS services across England. All hidden behind the NHS logo.

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Last week Virgin Care lost its contract to run Croydon's Urgent Care Centre in the wake of criticism by the CQC, which found patients were being streamed by untrained reception staff which compromised safety. 30-year-old Madhumita Mandal died of multiple organ failure and sepsis caused by a ruptured ovarian cyst after a receptionist at the urgent care centre failed to refer her to a medic.

The problem is, private companies are not bound by the same accountability as public services and they're driven by profit, not patient care.

Trainsgate's smokescreen served to divert attention away from the NHS, which is Owen Smith's Achilles heel. Having been a corporate lobbyist for pharma giant Pfizer, his claims of being a "socialist to the core" are unconvincing. Pfizer was recently accused of breaching UK law by increasing the cost of an epilepsy drug by 2,600 percent resulting in the NHS bill for the drug rising from around 2 annually to more than 40 million in 2014. Pharma giants, like corporate lobbyists, are not known for their socialist credentials.

Smith previously extolled the virtues of PFI and private sector "choice" in the NHS. He says he has since seen the light of socialism and assures us he is now firmly anti-privatisation. I'm minded of the saying, "Someone who stands for nothing is likely to fall for anything".

In a bid to scupper Corbyn's NHS announcement, Heidi Alexander also launched an ill-advised diversionary attack obligingly published in The Guardian last week. Criticising Corbyn for disobeying her instructions not to join junior doctors on the picket line raised questions about her own judgement, as then labour MP responsible for health. Why had she failed to support striking doctors and Caroline Lucas' NHS reinstatement Bill, designed to reverse the blight of privatisation?

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Post Brexit, the integrity of journalism, as well as politics, is under scrutiny. Subverting or distorting Jeremy Corbyn's message on a subject so important to ordinary people as the NHS does little to regain public trust.
At first, this policy announcement would appear counter-intuitive. "Renationalise" the National Health Service? The NHS is a public healthcare system, isn't it? The answer is not really.

The proportion of the NHS budget going to private providers has more than doubled since 2010 to nearly 9 billion. Front-line clinical contracts and GP services are outsourced. Hospitals are semi-independent businesses and many are privately financed and run. Banks, such as RBS, have controlling stakes in some NHS hospitals. HSBC even owns a few outright. Many hospitals have partnerships with various private companies. Pathology and ambulance services are privatised. Management consultants and 'big four' accountancy firms are paid millions for reconfigurations.

The NHS has come a long way from its original remit as a publicly provided, owned and accountable healthcare system. It is now a market system. The privateers always envisaged using the NHS kitemark as an umbrella for what would ultimately become a system of private providers. Private health insurance is the logical end-point.

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The NHS logo has helped to conceal the privatisation agenda. The 'failures' of the NHS can always be ascribed to the concept of public healthcare. This misleading debate is framed in the narrative of unaffordability and unsustainability in the face of an ageing population with rising demand and treatment costs.

In fact, market forces and the private sector are a much bigger problem. Far from increasing efficiency, driving up standards or reducing costs, they are doing the opposite.

The limited internal market alone accounts for between 4.5 to 10 billion a year. The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) costs 2 billion a year and is catastrophic for individual trusts. Administrative costs have shot up as a result of market processes and the extraction of profit. Ask any public health academic or health economist and they will tell you the same thing. Public healthcare is the most cost-effective model. Whilst market forces and privatisation escalate costs and lead to fragmentation and chaos.

Corbyn's announcement flies in the face of 30 years of health policy dogma and the ideology of neoliberal deregulated free markets. It would represent a massive U-turn in NHS policy to the benefit of the healthcare of an entire nation. The NHS Reinstatement Bill would aim to repeal the Health & Social Care Act, resolve PFI and abolish the market in the NHS. This would free up billions to spend on patient care rather than shareholder profits. And this is no pipe dream. Scotland and Wales have managed to reverse the market and restore their NHS without massive upheaval.

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Clearly the journey towards the restoration of a public healthcare system is not straightforward. It means coming up against powerful, vested interests. The NHS privatisation juggernaut is a massive project driven by global capital. As the health trade press helpfully points out, the US healthcare market is saturated. This is why private healthcare and insurance corporations like UnitedHealth are expanding into Europe. For those persuaded by the concept of NHS reform, it is worth remembering that the agenda is not being driven by patient needs but by the interests of the private healthcare and insurance sector.

Traingate is merely a taster of the attacks that would follow. Corbyn's announcements on renationalising the railways and the NHS have clearly got Richard Branson and Virgin worried. Virgin have won many lucrative NHS and social care contracts. Whilst PFI was intensively lobbied for by the City of London because it has been a huge boon for them. The UK total PFI debt is over 300 billion or four times the size of the budget deficit used to justify austerity.

It was also good to see Corbyn highlighting the social determinants of health - the silent killer of inequality. Overall, the poor tend to die seven years younger than the affluent and become disabled seventeen years earlier. Inequality of income is linked to inequality of virtually all outcomes.

This will hopefully represent a clean break after the departure of previous shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander. Alexander opposed the NHS Reinstatement Bill whilst Corbyn and McDonnell are signatories. She also did not fully support the junior doctors. Instead, members of her team tried to undermine and discredit the NHS advisory group set up to support the push for a public NHS.

Alexander was in favour of integrated care, which ties in with the Conservative government's current plans for emulating US style models of healthcare. Unsurprisingly, she has become co-chair of Owen Smith's campaign. She is joined by the lobbyist John Lehal. This is emblematic of the ideological battle for the soul of the Labour party. This is between the neoliberal capture of New Labour by corporate lobby groups and a Corbynite return to its working class roots.
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake" Napoleon Bonaparte once famously said.



The Hamas Leadership might not know the above quote, but they will certainly be rubbing their collective blood-soaked hands with glee at the frankly mind-boggling decision by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to call municipal elections for October 8th in the West Bank.



It's one of the strangest, head-scratching political moves that political geeks like us have witnessed in a long time. And judging on the number of conversations we have had with MEP offices, staffers and policy makers here in Brussels since the end of the summer recess last week, you might think that the whole of the EU's Middle East watchers have gone down with a collective epidemic of head lice.



You see, despite the recent fiasco over Brexit, it's a commonly held and observed maxim here at the heart of the EU that most politicians call elections when they are reasonably certain of winning, and furthermore that you never ask the electorate a question unless you already know the answer. And it's blindingly obvious to any observer of the conflict that Abbas' popularity is at an all time low and that Palestinian opinion is deeply divided.



Of course, one could make the claim that this division is entirely of the President's own making, having delivered next to nothing for the Palestinian population since the last elections 10 years ago.



Using the crudest of political tactics, Mr Abbas' strategy sees to have been one of wholly covering up widespread corruption and mismanagement of Palestinian government resources whilst focusing on fabricated stories of Israeli plans to take over the temple mount and a multitude of other conspiracies (remember the one before the summer when he told the European Parliament that Rabbis had called for the Palestinian water supply to be poisoned?). All this was designed to incite the population and move their gaze away from Ramallah's failures, towards laying blame for all Palestinian woes at the door of the Knesset.



Let's also recap: the last time elections were called in 2006, Abbas was leaned on to hold them by the then President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Hamas' decisive victory led to Abbas' and Fatah's eviction from Gaza, not to mention the ongoing stalling of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority leadership, despite repeated offers from Israel for unconditional dialogue at a time and place of Mr Abbas' choosing.



So why call elections now? And without pressure? Abbas keeps repeating that the Palestinian people need democracy. But democracy and the violent fundamentalist Islam as espoused by Hamas, and also from his own side, seem to have a very hard time sharing the same political bed.



We all know that a Hamas victory in the West Bank would effectively end Palestinian hopes of statehood amongst international opinion makers. It's also a reasonable bet that the Palestinians may also lose international support as well as from their traditional allies in Jordan, Egypt, and even Saudi Arabia.



It's either a deeply worrying move with no sense behind it at all, or Abbas is a strategic genius who knows something that his own people in Fatah -- who stand to lose key positions -- and the rest of the world don't know.



The Machiavellians amongst us may be entertaining the possibility that this bizarre fit of pique is designed to extract maximum concessions from the EU and other world influencers in a bid to bolster his position. Already we are getting reports that the EU is seeking to work alongside the UN and the PA in bringing a case to the International Criminal Court in a bid to pressure Israel to end it's 'occupation'.



But then we also hear that there are no concrete plans from the EU to properly engage on the conflict until after the Paris initiative (widely perceived by many to be more for the optics than anything meaningful or tangible), and of course after the US elections in November.



In short, if this is Mr Abbas' thinking, then it's a hugely risky strategy.



The EU Institutions have previously welcomed Mr Abbas to Brussels with open arms. They gave him free reign to make his ludicrous anti-Israel assertions on the floor of the European Parliament Chamber and at joint, no-questions-please, Press-conferences.



But many within them are now openly beginning to question the logic of continuing to do business with a man apparently hell-bent on taking himself and those around him in Fatah, over the edge of a political cliff.



Meantime, Hamas are Bonaparte-esque in their quiet. Not wanting to interrupt their political rival before they can announce "Checkmate".



You will have to excuse me now, I'm off to get some scalp treatment.
Five-year-old Omran Daqneesh sits in the back of an ambulance after a military strike in the rebel-held neighborhood of Qaterji in Aleppo.

Mustafa al-Sarout/ALEPPO MEDIA CENTER

The ongoing horror in Aleppo should awaken every global leader with an ounce of courage to step up and do whatever it takes to end the slaughter and inhumane suffering of the Syrian people. The fact that the siege of Aleppo continues unabated only exposes the ineptitude and moral decadence of the international community, who have failed to save innocent Syrians from Assad's killing machine. The US should now take a firmer position on ending the butchery in Aleppo.

By focusing primarily on defeating ISIS, the US is de facto helping Assad to continue his merciless campaign that has killed nearly 500,000 Syrians, displaced 11 million, and rained down destruction unseen since World War II. The slaughter of countless innocent Syrians, especially children, must first stop--only then can negotiations for a long-term cessation of hostilities begin.

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Given the complexity of the civil war in Syria, as things stand today there is no solution in sight. There are multiple players--including the Assad regime, the rebels, ISIS, Iran, Russia, the US, Turkey, the Syrian Kurds, an assortment of various extremists groups, and others like Saudi Arabia who are waging a proxy war both in Syria and Iraq--who all have serious stakes in the outcome of the civil war.

Each has different alliances and objectives, and there is absolutely no way for all of them to reach a consensus because none are truly concerned about the plight of the Syrian people, instead using the conflict only to serve their strategic long-term interests.

President Bush's reckless invasion of Iraq in 2003, which has and continues to violently shake the entire Middle East, caused President Obama to shy away from getting deeply involved militarily in Syria. He was and still is (perhaps for good reason) seeking to prevent further escalation for the worse, because he too sees no prospect of ending the conflict any time soon, even with massive American involvement.

As a result, Obama has essentially relinquished Syria and its people to the whims of Russia and Iran in particular, and is allowing Putin to use any military means as he sees fit to protect Assad as long as he serves as a tool to secure Russian interests.

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US efforts to arrange for another ceasefire, even if achieved, will not succeed any more than the previous one, and at best would provide a limited, tenuous cessation of hostilities. The reason behind this tragic war is that such an intractable conflict with so many players and divergent interests cannot be settled as long as one of the following four conditions of solving a conflict remains absent.

As a rule, violent and seemingly irreconcilable conflicts cannot be resolved unless a) the conflicting parties involved reach a point of complete exhaustion; b) the main players conclude that they can no longer improve their position and prevail; c) there is no longer an inherent interest in prolonging and simply managing the conflict by one or more of the main players to serve a long-term strategic objective; or d) a catastrophic event has occurred which would make the return of the status quo impossible, forcing the conflicting parties to scramble for a permanent solution.

Given that none of the four prerequisites are present and are unlikely to occur any time soon, we can expect Syria's civil war to continue for five to ten more years, which is not unprecedented. Among many others, the civil war in neighboring Lebanon lasted for nearly 15 years (1975-1990), and the civil war in Algeria lasted 10 years (1992-2002).

Being that the civil war in Syria will drag on for several more years, the question is: how much longer can the US afford to watch from the sideline and allow the unforgiven slaughter of innocent men, women, and children to continue unabated?

Notwithstanding the presidential election, the United States cannot afford to relinquish its moral leadership role. At a minimum, the Obama administration must send a clear and unambiguous message to Assad by undertaking a surgical bombing of Syria's air fields, some of its air force installations, and specific well-known military structures.

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This undoubtedly will resonate with the Russians as well as Assad, because the last thing either wants is an increased American military role against the regime. This explains why Assad was more than willing to give up Syria's chemical weapon stockpile, precisely because he wanted to avoid US attacks. Unfortunately, Assad's surrender of his chemical weapons would have been a far more effective deal had it not frozen Obama from taking any subsequent military action.

Short of that, Assad was not deterred from using barrel bombs that indiscriminately kill, maim, and destroy entire neighborhoods, leaving nothing but the shadows of hell lurking behind. US military strikes, however limited in scope and duration, will put Assad and his Russian culprits on notice that the US will not allow them any longer to commit monstrosities with impunity.

If nothing else, the US will restore some of its credibility and relevance, but more important, it will prevent further butchery and accelerate the process of reaching a more durable ceasefire, at least between the main players.

If he fails to do that, history will not recall Obama's significant domestic achievements but his role as the president who witnessed firsthand the tragic disintegration of a whole nation and did little to stop it, which is a continuation of President Bush's disastrous Iraq war only in another form.

Perhaps the most catastrophic element of Syria's war is that two or even three generations of Syrians are now lost, leaving behind the deepest historical scars.

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After years of ambiguity, President Erdogan has launched Turkey into the Syrian quagmire, deploying tanks and Special Forces to support 2000 units of the Free Syrian Army. According to President Erdogan, the operation, called Euphrates Shield, targets Da'esh (ISIL, ISIS) and the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) which Turkey considers the Syrian branch of the PKK and designates a terrorist organization. After Turkish tanks fired into the strategic border town of Jarablus, Turkish-backed rebel forces entered into the town, dislodging Da'esh within a few hours. BBC video appeared to show an abandoned town, with no signs of combat, which is surprising, considering that Da'esh had held the town for so long and has never yet yielded territory without a fierce fight. In Manbij, the last significant Da'esh stronghold to be taken, fighting lasted 76 days, despite heavy US bombardment. Moreover, this constitutes the first "victory" for the Free Syrian Army over Da'esh. Turkey's move complicates the situation, in part because it technically violates the national sovereignty of an independent state. Putting that aside, Turkey may have at least three basic strategic objectives: a.By occupying Jarablus, Turkey can prevent the three Kurdish entities in North Syria from uniting, while also trying to limit their links to PKK guerrillas inside Turkey. But Saleh Moslem, PYD Co-chair and one of the leaders of Rojava, tweeted defiantly: "Turkey is in [the] Syrian quagmire. [It] will lose [like] Daesh". b.Attempting to force the US to choose between Turkey and the Kurdish PYD and its People's Protection Unit (YPJ), one of the most effective anti-Da'esh forces. American VP Joe Biden reiterated the US supports both Turkey and the Kurds in the fight against Da'esh; yet it seems an arduous task.c.By occupying Jarablus, Turkey seeks to strengthen its hand in any future negotiations in Geneva chaired by Stefan de Mistura, or vis-a-vis Russia and Iran, who support the Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad.The Turkish intervention is not the only indication that the ground is shifting. The recent Syrian Air Force bombing of Kurdish bases in Hasakah Province in northern Syria has ceased after Russian mediation, a possible sign of the new understanding among Turkey, Iran and Russia. During the recent failed coup in Turkey, Erdogan had received immediate support and solidarity from both Russia and Iran. Meanwhile, there seems to be forming a sort of unofficial understanding among Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Syrian government and obviously the US to finally reach an effective ceasefire and eventually to resolve the Syrian war. A preliminary agreement could admit a role for President Assad until elections could be held, and prevent the Rojava project, although Selahattin Demirtas, co-leader of the Turkish left-wing pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has stated that any agreement for ending the Syria crisis should not cause damage to Kurds. Even within the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with the exception of Erdogan-aligned Qatar, mainstream perception seems prepared to envision a resolution. But any agreement in Syria among Mullah, Tsar, Sultan and Assassin (as it is called by papers in Saudi Arabia and its allied sheikdoms) would exclude Saudi Arabia from negotiations, which of course irritates the Saudis. Meanwhile, the NY Times notes that with respect to terrorism, Saudi Arabia is both arsonist and firefighter: They officially oppose it even while deploying their usual supply of cash and weapons to the most extreme jihadi-takfiri groups, seeking to establish a foothold in Syria. After talks with John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exhorted his Saudi counterpart Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir to open talks with the Syrian establishment. Al-Jubeir refused, at which point the usually diplomatic Lavrov was heard muttering "expletive imbeciles." As for Kerry, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif considers him well aware of the real source of terrorism in the region. Even if a working proposal were to be drawn up for a potential agreement among regional and global powers, the move by Turkey could not simplify the miasma that is the Syrian conflict. Erdogan's intention to maintain within Syria a Muslim-Brotherhood orientation along the lines of the Turkish and Qatari regimes would surely come into direct conflict with the Syrian Army, which after five years of multi-factional civil war still represents most parts of Syrian society and would resist cracks in its strong secular foundation. In Syria not only minority Alawites, but also Christians, Druze, Ismailis, Shiites... (the coalition of minorities) share governance alongside the Sunni majority, at the top echelons of business, politics, and the military. Minority rights alongside the of rights of Sunnis are more secure in Syria than in most Arab countries and especially more than in Saudi Arabia.Although all internal and most external actors leverage sectarianism as a tool, the civil war in Syria is not primarily sectarian in nature, but rather political and geopolitical. As such, an agreement among the regional and global players could finally succeed in reaching an effective ceasefire and eventual end to the tragedy. The multi-sided civil war and the use of sectarianism need not inevitably prolong the war, as some maintain. The major players may yet be able to force their proxies to the negotiating table in Geneva, as they come to realize ever more clearly that the real threat to stability and security everywhere comes from the various non-state actors who still control large swaths of territory.
If Trump the Quack would be half serious about national security, he would call for building a wall, not on the border with Mexico, but along the beaches running from Maine to Key West, and from Seattle to San Diego. Our land borders are protected by fences (real and virtual), and thousands of border guards. You cannot board a plane without being screened and often patted down, sometimes even if you are a baby in diapers or an infirm senior citizen in a wheelchair. However, our coasts are wide open.

I first noted this when a relative of mine sailed with a bunch of friends from Isla Mujeres in Mexico and disembarked in St. Petersburg, Florida, without anyone checking her ID or the luggage she and her fellow travelers unloaded. I then remembered that when I was sailing in the Caribbean, we docked one night next to some twelve other boats, abutting what can only be described as a floating bar. At the bar I met a number of boat owners and their guests, several from nations in which terrorists are often found. I could have readily given a ride to any one of them -- and whatever was in their luggage -- or agreed to carry a "gift" back to the United States.

I did not connect these two dots until I met a former head of the U.S. Coast Guard at a meeting at the Charleston Plaza, in Charleston, South Carolina. I asked him, "If someone sails hundreds of miles away from the United States, visits another country, and returns, is he or his fellow passengers and crew ever checked?" (I was referring to the many tens of thousands of people whose homes abut a beach and have a private dock and a boat).

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"No," was the short response. In effect, each year about 2 million leisure (and fishing) boats make such journeys, and "there is just no way to check them all." He added "If the boat comes from Colombia, or there is specific information that it might be carrying contraband, it surely will be stopped, most likely by the Coast Guard." I checked with a lawyer at the Naval War College, and she relayed that indeed this was a "weakness" in the defense of our borders.

No passport is needed, no visa has to be obtained, no customs declarations need to be filled out, no luggage is examined, if one arrives in the U.S. as a passenger on one of these two million boats. True, the law states that "operators of small pleasure vessels, arriving in the United States from a foreign port or place to include any vessel which has visited a hovering vessel or received merchandise outside the territorial sea, are required to report their arrival to CBP immediately." (See 19 U.S.C. 1433)

The master of the vessel reports their arrival at the nearest Customs facility or another such place as the Secretary may prescribe by regulations. However, the law is not enforced; indeed most people do not even know about it.



Much has been written about the low level of discourse of this election -- the name-calling and wild accusations that preempt most discussion of public policy. And when public policy is discussed, the focus is often on non-issues -- such as the claim that rapists and criminals are coming across the southern border and hence must be stopped with a wall -- disregarding completely where something like a wall (I mean more enforcement of the law) might deserve consideration.

Amitai Etzioni is a University Professor and Professor of International Relations at The George Washington University. His newest book, Foreign Policy: Thinking Outside the Box, was recently published by Routledge. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
President Obama announced his plans today to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii. This would make the Marine Reserve the largest in the world.

Many years ago, after an injury and a need to get to New Zealand to recover, I took a cruise ship from United States through to New Zealand. It took 3 weeks, with two separate weeks- 6 days each - at sea with no land in sight.

The Pacific ocean is vast indeed. I loved that trip and after being on a ship with 1500 strangers, did not begrudge for a moment those with vast superyachts filled with friends.

In fact, I wondered, with my new found love of the ocean why I had not studied to become a superyacht designer or marine biologist. Having said that I have thought that way about NASA too . When you originally come from a small remote country like New Zealand these possibilities in life were not offered up. In fact they were not even on the radar of young kiwi kids dreams, well they were not in my day and age. So I had my own dreams. Dreams I pondered on the ship, staring out at the ever changing horizon line.

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Amongst the pondering thoughts were the knowledge of my parents generation. My parents traversed the world in ships, New Zealand to England and return. Six weeks it took, through the Panama Canal .It was considered normal, a rite of passage(no pun intended) to visit the old homeland - Mother England. The fact I was doing it now, was not normal. Because of that, one was able to clarify clearly and with stark contrast , though spoken word ,the vast difference in the pacific ocean between those who had travelled it in the 1940's 1950's and today.

Two things struck me on the trip. One was simple, the delightful change of colour in the ocean's water, every few thousand miles, from the warm waters of Hawaii, through to azure turquoises, to deep teal navy blues over the Mariana Trench, to the clearer lighter waters around the tropical islands of Tahiti and it's atolls, then to the greenish grey shores of New Zealand.

The other thing that struck me was not so simple and when I arrived in New Zealand, one stormy day with the tenders lurching, this "thing" compelled me to research it immediately. There was out simply, no wild life-on the entire three week trip. Where were the whales breaching, the dolphins guiding us, the sea birds? The ocean was empty. Apart from one very small pod of flying fish approaching the South Pacific there was no ocean life at all. This was in stark contrast to what my parent's generation confirmed from their travels years ago, where the ocean was full of life.

My research led me to Captain Charles Moore and Algalita. Captain Charles Moore is the man who discovered the Pacific Gyre. The vast waste of trash that swirls in the Pacific, poisoning the ocean life. The vast broken down bits of plastic - the result of our wasteful ways in countries stretching from the United States, through to all countries in Asia, Australia New Zealand and elsewhere. It's the plastic from industrial waste, human garbage, from sail boats and sun screen lotion and ships crossing oceans, from satellites in the sky.It's our waste.Humanity's reliance on plastic and our lack of heed as to where we put it when we dispose off it.

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That is why on that trip I saw no ocean life. I made contact with Captain Charles Moore and was given permission and the opportunity to board his research vessel and travel make a film on his work, to raise first hand awareness of the issue, but at that time, which was only a few short years ago, before the Plastic Gyre became well known public knowledge it was impossible to raise funding for it. So I wrote about it instead.

Maybe I was ahead of my time today in the White House today as well.
If you just watched Episode 1 of The Parent Pulse Check ( www.parentpulsecheck.com), you might be wondering who created it and why. So I'm dedicating this blog post to telling my story.

First of all, I'm not a perfect parent. No one is. I had my son at age 17, while I was still in high school. I know what it means when they say it takes a village to raise a child. I couldn't have done it without the help and advice of my parents, close friends, and family members there to give me support (and a few extra dollars) along the way.

With a lot of hard work and prayer, I finished high school on time and got my bachelor's degree at Boston University. From there I landed in Hollywood, as a struggling screenwriter. When my writing career couldn't pay the bills, I decided to give teaching a try. I loved it, and have never looked back.

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I started my teaching career in Compton, California just when N.W.A. was hitting the airwaves, and I taught in the classroom for 11 years - first in Cally and then in my hometown Boston. My teaching career spanned 1st and 2nd grade, then 4th and 5th grade, and I ended with 8th grade. In 11 years I taught elementary school, and middle school social studies, English and drama.

Even though I eventually left the classroom, I couldn't leave our kids. And never will. I've run nonprofit organizations working with middle and high school students for the past 20 years, first with Boston Learning Center and now with BUILD, which is a youth entrepreneurship program. I still live in the same neighborhood of Roxbury, Massachusetts where I was born and raised, and I see our kids and their families in my neighborhood at the supermarket and in church.

I spent this past year working with an amazing team of educators, parents, teachers, school administrators and community activists to write a new Policy for Eliminating Opportunity and Achievement Gaps in the Boston Public Schools. It became a labor of love for me. Actually it became an obsession. Opportunity and achievement gaps have plagued urban school systems for generations. As co-chair for the Task Force, I felt determined to help crack the code for helping students of color, English Language Learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families to excel at the highest levels. The Policy we wrote calls attention to the need for more training in culturally and linguistically sustaining and affirming practices, greater accountability at all levels from the district to the classroom, and an increased focus on social emotional learning and restorative justice as opposed to punitive school suspensions. Moreover, the policy also calls for students and parents to play an active role in shaping their educational destiny.

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I've always admired the strength and grit of our parents who make incredible sacrifices for their children. At the same time, I've watched countless parents - who all want the very best for their child - really drop the ball when it comes to education and school.

No one wants to accuse someone of "bad parenting." But even good parents are guilty of bad parenting sometimes. If it takes a village to raise a child, then WE ARE THE VILLAGE. And when family, friends, neighbors, and teachers stand and watch in silence, who suffers in the end? Children do. Enough. I'm not trying to tell parents how to raise their child, but as an educator who's been in the trenches for almost 30 years, I feel a responsibility to show parents how to raise a child for school success. When it comes to parenting, there is a bar. It's time to raise the bar even higher.

If the Parent Pulse Check video makes you angry, great. Talk about it. Shout about it. I welcome the dialogue. Government and school districts can't shape parent behavior. That's the job of the community - the village. And the more we start to shine a light on good parenting versus bad parenting, the more people will be able to "check themselves" when it comes to raising their kids to thrive in school. The Parent Pulse Check is intended to be a wake-up call. Let's raise the bar together!

Learning expands great souls. ~ Namibian proverb

Shine on,
reading word whistle blower screen magnifying glass 3d illustration

In the whistleblower world, we were discouraged to read the ruling the UN Appeals Tribunal (UNAT) released on August 24th in the case of Nguyen-Kropp & Postica vs. the Secretary General. The final decision in the case was, of course, communicated months ago, but the UNAT's argument to support its ruling was new to us.

The state of play for UN whistleblowers has never been good, but it has now reached a nadir. In three successive UNAT decisions (Wasserstrom 2014, Nguyen-Kropp/Postica 2015, and Nguyen-Kropp 2016) the Appeals Tribunal has excluded whistleblowers' appeals for relief from judicial review. Among the three judgments, the UNAT ruled that recommendations of the Ethics Office are beyond the scope of the Tribunal's jurisdiction, which includes only disputes involving 'administrative decisions.'

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This ruling would not be so devastating if the Ethics Office did its job properly and issued its recommendations - both favorable and unfavorable - but it doesn't. The UNAT recognized that problem also:

We acknowledge that in the case of Mr. Wasserstrom, as in the case of the Appellants [Nguyen-Kropp and Postica], the Ethics Office failed in its duty to make a recommendation pursuant to Section 5.7 of ST/SGB/2005/21 (para. 43).

Nonetheless, the UNAT continues:

Under the law as it presently stands, the Tribunals do not have the power to order the Ethics Office to comply with Section 5.7, nor to order the Secretary-General to take action when the Ethics Office fails to do so. The remedy for such a situation rests with the General Assembly (para. 43).

Section 5.7 of the applicable UN policy requires the Ethics Office to make a recommendation to the Secretary-General regarding a whistleblower's appeal for relief from retaliation. Based on that advice, the Secretary-General is to make an administrative decision regarding the validity of the whistleblower's claim, and that action can be contested at the Tribunal.

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Got it?

If the Ethics Office simply closes a case because it is a problem - as it frequently does and as it did in the cases of James Wasserstrom, Ai Loan Nguyen-Kropp and Florin Postica - then there's no recommendation to the Secretary-General, who therefore makes no decision, and the whistleblower has no official action to contest at the Tribunal.

Clearly, there's a psycho-social problem with this formulation. Normally, if you don't do your job, then the consequences affect YOU. You're therefore motivated to do your job because otherwise you'll be disciplined or dismissed. If, however, when you don't do your job, the consequences affect SOMEONE ELSE, that's different. At the UN Ethics Office, if the Director doesn't do her job, then the whistleblower who appealed to her for help can continue to be harassed, intimidated, investigated, marginalized, excluded or otherwise ruined professionally. So long as there is no formal "administrative decision" in play, the whistleblower has no judicial remedy.

For the three whistleblowers whose cases were appealed to the Tribunal, the Ethics Office did not do its job, but that omission cannot be contested. This is a dead end, and we must go back to the General Assembly.

Which is where we were 10 years ago.

About a year ago, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations (including the United Nations), Bathsheba Crocker, spoke about the management culture at the UN and asserted that it was moving in the right direction:

There is more budget transparency and accountability in many organizations today. There are more robust investigation tools. There is momentum toward addressing the lack of uniform whistleblower protections.

While Crocker may have been speaking more about her own aspirations than of reality at the UN, the past two years have seen the UN turn away from whistleblower protection and back toward impunity. Citing a lack of clarity in the Secretariat's policy, the Appeals Tribunal has thrown the issue of retaliation back to the General Assembly, which is where we all were in 2004, just after the Oil-for-Food scandal broke, devastating the reputation and the legitimacy of the United Nations. It was then that the Organization adopted a whistleblower protection policy and expressed its commitment to accountability.

The policy adopted was to protect those brave souls who dared come forward and report corruption, illegality or abuse. They would be an early warning system so that a scandal on the scale of Oil for Food could never prosper again. In 2016, however, the zeal for reform has faded, the spotlight of public attention has turned away, and the semantic implications of the phrase 'administrative decision' mean the difference between professional survival and ruin for a UN whistleblower.

It's important to note that neither Wasserstrom, nor Nguyen-Kropp nor Postica were reporting trivialities when they blew the whistle. Wasserstrom exposed an enormous kick-back scheme in Kosovo, and Nguyen-Kropp and Postica revealed serious misconduct in the Investigations Division of OIOS. For their trouble, the UN subjected all three to career-wrecking reprisal. Other staff members, seeing this, are unlikely to volunteer to be whistleblowers now.

This case has a long and tortured history, but in brief, two investigators (Nguyen-Kropp and Postica) found that a senior officer in the Investigations Division of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (ID/OIOS) had tampered with evidence in a case. When they reported this, they found themselves under investigation on grounds that the Under-Secretary-General for OIOS later acknowledged were bogus. They reported the retaliatory investigation to the Ethics Office and sought relief. The Ethics Office found that the investigation - which ultimately cleared them of trumped up charges - was not retaliatory and closed the matter. While the outcome of the investigation favored them, both Nguyen-Kropp and Postica argued that the process of being investigated was very damaging. OIOS had publicized its investigation of the two, and they were treated with suspicion in professional circles after that. They appealed to the Dispute Tribunal, which ruled that though the episode was contemptible and ruinous for them, the internal justice system at the UN could not review determinations made by the Ethics office.

The two whistleblowers appealed and the UNAT, citing itself in the 2014 Wasserstrom decision, just upheld the UNDT's ruling.

So there you have it. The whole process has become a cul-de-sac for whistleblowers, from which there is no way out. The Ethics Office did not do its job - but the Internal Justice System (IJS) cannot oversee its actions. Nor can the IJS review the Secretary-General's actions (or lack of them) with regard to the Ethics Office.
Author's note: I read this letter as part of a sermon I preached at Montclair Presbyterian Church in Oakland, California on August 28, 2016.

Dear Whoever Is In Charge:

I hope you will forgive me for not addressing you by name. I mean no disrespect by my general salutation. It's just that I am writing to you on matters of war and peace and the wellbeing of God's children, and when it comes to such matters, I really don't know who is in charge.

I'm not ignorant: I still remember most of what I learned in my civics class at Mendocino High School (Hail to the fighting Cardinals), and in the more than three decades since I sat in that class, doing my level best to overcome the hormonally-driven, angst-inducing fog of adolescence, I have improved on my knowledge of how our Government works, mostly because I am curious about such things, and because I enjoy the process of learning.

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I try also to be a worthy observer of current events, and as such, when it comes to matters of war and peace, I'm not sure I can say with any certainty that I know who is calling the shots. I trust that our President is a good man, yet with some regularity, he authorizes drone strikes that have killed a disturbing number of civilians. From where I sit these drone strikes go against the general character of our Commander in Chief. I confess I hold members of the legislative branch in lower esteem than I do our President, but still -- people go into various kinds of public service because they want to make the world a better place, and I trust this is true for an overwhelming majority of our nation's senators and representatives. Yet the legislative branch, if anything, seems to want even more warfare then currently we are waging. When I'm honest it seems to me as if our political leaders are like boats which have lost both rudder and keel; they are blown sideways by winds and currents and they are powerless to change course.

It would be easy to blame our military for our ongoing warfare, but I am a pastor who has had the privilege of hearing the stories of members of the military, often as they are making deathbed confessions, preparing to meet their maker with a clean conscience. I understand that no one knows the horrors of war more than do members of the military, and I know that military personnel often are the last people to want a war to happen.

Perhaps the problem is the so-called "military-industrial complex." Certainly war is a racket. Whenever there is a war a few people make a lot of money, and we live in a country where money tends to call the shots, but in our society money only exerts power when politicians are corrupt, which may be the case in our country today, but my observation of current events leads me to believe that no one is in charge of the American War Machine. Everything we are doing seems to be reactive rather than proactive. If there is an intelligent design to our military strategy, I don't know about it. As far as I can tell, we're just killing civilians or we're not using our influence to stop the slaughter of innocence, without any coherent military or political objectives.

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All of which is a long way of saying I don't know who you are when I address this letter to whomever is in charge. And whoever you are, I wish you were here to listen to this letter as I read it to the members and friends of my congregation in the context of Christian worship. Our congregation is a lovely group of folks who worship in a beautiful place, along the banks of Temescal creek in the hills above Oakland, California. Usually we worship I the morning inside a truly remarkable a-framed sanctuary, but today we are worshiping outside in the afternoon, in our church's courtyard. We are surrounded by the beauty of redwoods and live Oak; there are birds singing, and after our worship we will be eating dinner together in the fading light of an August evening. Even as I speak these words, the congregation can smell the pulled pork that in short order will fill our bellies, and there is a joyful impatience among us. I wish you could share the beauty of this evening with us, in part because I suspect going to church might be a new experience for you.

I don't mean to sound judgmental when I suggest the experience of worship might be a new thing for you. I say this not because I am a guilt-mongering, Bible-thumping, Calvinist preacher man, I base my suggestion that Church might be a new thing for you because when I look at the world you have created, at the pain you have inflicted, at the blood you have shed, and the lives you have destroyed, I have to conclude that you do not go to church -- at least you don't go to a church that takes seriously the Biblical vision of a Kingdom of God in which swords are beat into ploughshares or spears into pruning hooks. You don't attend a church that longs for a day when God's children will study war no more. Which is to say -- and I'm going to sound judgmental again here -- if you go to church, you would do well to expand your ecclesiastical horizons (which is a fancy way of saying, get thee to a new church).

I'm not suggesting that you have to go out and join one of the traditionally pacifist religious traditions. Even though I don't know who you are, I still have a hard time imagining you farming with the Amish or going door to door with the Jehovah's Witnesses; and for your style there may be too many vegans among the Quakers. I get it.

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Mostly I'd recommend you attend any church that values tradition and learning and that promotes a rational faith. Which is to say, I'd love for you to attend just about any mainline Protestant or Roman Catholic Church and listen to what those churches and their traditions have to say about the morality of warfare.

Most Western Christians subscribe to some version of the Just War theory, and there are different expressions of Just War theory, but every expression of the Just War theory I know about includes the following elements:

A just war must have a just cause: usually this means the war must be waged in defense of one's country or in defense of a vulnerable population somewhere else. Waging war to secure a supply for oil doesn't count. A just war must have a just motivation: no fair coming up with a just cause when your motivation is unjust. So, for example, even if you are fighting the evil of ISIS, the war isn't just if what you really want is to preserve a supply of oil. Just wars must be waged by legitimate authorities: arming a surrogate army of unaffiliated rebels to fight wars on your behalf in places like Nicaragua or Syria is unjust. Just wars are waged in such a way that civilians and civilian infrastructure are spared and protected: the fact that there are more refugees in the world today than at any time since World War II is clear evidence that modern military modalities are not just. Just wars are waged proportionally: Gandhi once warned that "and eye for an eye" leaves the whole world blind, and that may be true, but the goal of modern warfare is not eye for eye and tooth for tooth, it's more like a village for an eye, and a city for a tooth; or, if you prefer actual numbers, it's nearly a million civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan for 4,000 victims of a particularly horrific terrorist attack fifteen years ago.

Now, Whoever Is In Charge, let me lay down a challenge. Name one war that you have waged or that currently you are waging which conforms to the commonly accepted principles of Just war. Go back as far as you want. World War II? Forget about it. In that war you had just cause and just motivation; the war was waged by legitimate authorities, but if it's going to be just, a war must comply with all of the conditions set forth in a just war. I would direct your attention to the charred remains of Dresden and Nagasaki as a reminder that even in that so-called "Good War" you targeted civilians and your conduct was not proportional.

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Now, you may be of the opinion that the Just War Theory is outmoded, that it is unrealistic; if that's so, I disagree with you, but I'm happy to shift focus to the simplest and most commonly held rule for ethics, the Golden Rule: "do unto others what you would have them to unto you," or "love your neighbor as yourself." To disagree with this guideline is to put yourself at odds with every religious and secular system of ethics I know about.

So, people in charge, whoever you are, if you won't go to church, I ask you, at the very least, to turn from your work of waging war for just a moment. Be human. Perhaps you have parents who are getting old. Do you want them to spend their last years on earth as refugees? Maybe you have children. Do you wan them to be ripped from your life by bombs dropped from remote-control aircraft? Maybe you live in a vibrant neighborhood with lots of great restaurants and galleries and bookstores, and places to buy vinyl records for that great collection of jazz you've been working on since your youth. Would you like the community you call home to be reduced to gravel and smoke by the power of thousands of tons of explosives?

Of course not, but this is exactly what you are doing -- either directly or complicity -- to other people's parents and children and neighborhoods, and you do it with alarming regularity. Now, I know you think you are engaging in this destruction with good reasons. There be terrorists, or communists, or enemies who hate us and want us dead. And you may be right, but let me ask you this: is there anything our government could do that would be so horrendous as to justify sending your elderly parents out to wander as refugees in the heat of summer and the cold of winter until they die an uncomfortable and undignified death? Can any terrorist plot hatched by your neighbors ever be so heinous as to merit the death of your children? Could the people in your neighborhood ever hold political views so dangerous as to necessitate the destruction of your home place?

I rather doubt you have answered in the affirmative to any of the questions in the last paragraph, and if I'm correct, then you have an ethical problem on your hands. If displacement, murder and destruction would never be justified in your family or in your community, then they cannot be justified in the families and in the communities of other people, even if they live in far-off places and speak unfamiliar languages, and eat bizarre food, and pray facing holy cities that are not your own.

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This letter is getting long, so I'll stop here, by inviting further conversation. I don't know who you are, but if you've read this letter you know who I am. Feel free to contact me. It would be an honor to buy you a beer and to help you think through how you can work to put an end to war.

I remain,

Yours Sincerely,
Ever carry a grudge or harbor revenge fantasies about a colleague or boss? It's likely costing you and your workplace.

Over the last two decades, much research has been published about the positive impact of forgiveness, particularly on the forgiver and in relationships. Now, a new study--building on a smaller but growing body of research in the workplace--supports the power of forgiveness to potentially improve well-being and productivity in professional settings.

Conflict among colleagues is inevitable, and--left unheeded--associated with significant stress, health problems (both mental and physical), and poor productivity. Researchers set out to explore the role of forgiveness in ameliorating these negative impacts.

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The participants--more than 200 employees working in office jobs in Washington, DC, or manufacturing jobs in the Midwest--responded to questionnaires about their levels of forgiveness, productivity, and well-being. The first survey asked respondents to focus on a specific offense, and how they believed it affected them. The second study looked at participants' general tendency to be forgiving and their general state of mind and work habits over the previous month.

In both cases, forgiveness was linked to increased productivity, decreased absenteeism (fewer days missing work), and fewer mental and physical health problems, such as sadness and headaches. In the second study, these benefits were partly explained by reductions in interpersonal stress that went along with a forgiving disposition.

This new research is important to employees and employers alike, as a lack of forgiveness negatively affects the individuals involved and organizations as a whole. Holding on to negative feelings after a conflict may lead to disengagement at work, a lack of collaboration, and aggressive behavior. Carrying a grudge is also associated with increased stress and a host of negative emotions, including anger, hostility, and vengeful rumination.

Since many people who have been in conflict need to continue to work together, forgiveness can be an effective coping tool, and a way to repair relationships and restore trust--both of which are key to effective work cultures.

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More evidence of the power of forgiveness

In 2012, my team at Courageous Leadership LLC worked with employees at Google to build a more courageous culture, including the courage to forgive (one of the keys to healthy ongoing work relationships). We had employees share times when they failed to act on their values at work, to admit they didn't understand something, or to speak up when they thought they had a better idea. This was designed to remind everyone how easy it is to act outside of our values in stressful situations--to do something that might merit forgiveness.

Participants then practiced taking courageous action. We had them use the REACH model (developed by Everett L. Worthington, one of the coauthors of the new workplace study) to practice forgiveness by identifying current grudges and work on forgiving (not condoning) the behavior. Participants also remembered and shared when others had forgiven them.

Our program also showed positive impact. Participants reported a greater understanding of the power of stressful situations to negatively affect behavior. They also reported feeling better and more connected afterward; as one noted: "I had a deepened sense of lightening inside, like letting go of heavy weights. I feel the forgiveness exercise for me was very powerful." Participants also took more social risks, like offering new ideas, admitting fears or concerns, and asking for or offering help.

Research shows that this kind of forgiveness can even impact employees who aren't involved in the conflict. When people see others practicing forgiveness (and other virtuous behaviors) at work, it often fosters positive emotions that can improve decision-making, cognitive functioning, and the quality of relationships.

How to foster forgiveness at work

Unresolved stress from interpersonal conflict often dampens our cognitive and compassionate capacities, making it hard to find a way to forgive. Drawing on the implications of their study, the researchers offer individuals and organizations some suggestions to foster forgiveness at work:

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Model forgiveness at work, particularly if you're a leader. Leaders' behavior often has the greatest impact on organizational culture, a kind of contagion effect. Leaders who model forgiveness on a regular basis are cueing similar behavior in others.

Apologize and attempt to make restitutions. If we don't take responsibility for our mistakes, distrust grows and the fear of something happening again can be worse than the original incident.

Rebuild trust by working on a common task, creating new experiences and memories of cooperation.

Conduct interventions (sometimes best done by third parties) to address conflict and foster forgiveness. Invest in programs to build understanding and teach evidence-based tools for ongoing forgiveness in the workplace.

There's an old saying (attributed to everyone from the Buddha to Carrie Fisher) that goes, "Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die." If you're holding onto a grudge at work, you could be sharing the poison with your colleagues.
So here are my tips for protecting you (especially if you are African American, because of your higher risk, but also appropriate if you are not black).

Always have health insurance. It is only through your healthcare team (you, your primary doctor and specialists, and your healthcare facilities for testing) that you can get up-to-date prevention and early detection.

Be sure you have chosen a primary care physician who is really interested in you and can give you the time you need to answer all of your questions. If your doctor uses a nurse practitioner (NP) to see patients most of the time, be sure that the NP can give you enough time for your visit to be able to talk with you about all your problems and not just rush you out the door. If you are not getting attention or can't understand what the doctor is saying (some don't say much, or use techno-speak, or just have too thick an accent), try another medical practice.

Don't just use your doctor for treating minor illnesses. Talk to your doctor and emphasize that you want to reduce your risk of cancer and detect cancer early when it is more curable. If your doctor does not pay enough attention to this, it's time for a second opinion or specialist consultation! For more advice on how to discuss prevention issues, see my website or book Surviving American Medicine.

Pay attention to making your life safer through better health habits. Make sure you and your family, friends and physicians focus on smoking cessation, make sure you achieve a normal weight, and check that you are getting enough exercise (these all reduce heart disease risk as well) and having safe sex. Avoid excessive alcohol use (more than 1 drink daily for women or 2 drinks daily for men). Be sure your vaccinations are complete for hepatitis B (it causes liver cancer) and HPV (if you are under 25; also be sure you vaccinate your children as well). Treat hepatitis C if you are positive and treat H. pylori if you have evidence of infection.

Take steps with your physician to get all the health screenings steps to diagnose cancer early, when it is more curable. This includes mammograms in women over the age of 40 to 45 (discuss a starting time with your doctor), pap testing with HPV testing in women, PSA testing starting at age 40 or 50 after discussion with your physician about benefits and risks, low dose CAT scan of the chest if you have been a smoker, colonoscopy or stool blood checks to detect polyps (removal can prevent a colon cancer) or early stage cancer, discussion of vaginal ultrasound (with a blood test for CA125) in women to detect early ovarian and uterine cancers, skin check for suspicious moles (they could be melanoma or Kaposi's sarcoma), blood tests for hepatitis B and C and HIV, mouth examination (for oral cancers), and a urine check for blood (to detect early kidney or bladder cancers). If your doctor has not ordered these tests or discussed them with you, get a second opinion or a consultation with a specialist.

Know the history of cancer in your family. Make certain you and your doctor discuss if your family history shows a higher risk of certain cancers, and if you need a saliva or blood check to see if you have inherited a genetic risk of cancer. If your doctor is uncertain about your risk, get a second opinion from an oncologist or genetics counselor to be sure. Your life and your family's lives could depend on this.

If you are at risk for breast cancer, discuss with your doctor whether prevention with the oral medications tamoxifen, raloxifene or aromatase inhibitors can reduce your chance of having breast cancer. If you are at risk of colon cancer, discuss prevention with aspirin. And if you are at risk of prostate cancer, discuss prevention with finasteride or dutasteride. Sometimes these discussions require a consultation with an oncologist to individualize the medications you need.

If you have developed cancer, make sure you are getting the most comprehensive care. The higher risk of death in black cancer patients emphasizes how important this can be. To be certain your care complies with all the recent recommendations, always ask your cancer doctors is your care is according to national guidelines (like the NCCN published guidelines, which you yourself can access, or the National Cancer Institute website). After asking for your physician's advice, if you have any questions be sure to get a second opinion from another physician.
Armed and Vigilant: In Fear of a Muslim Uprising in Texas. That is that title of a recent Al Jazeera mini-documentary on YouTube. The clip delves into the inflammatory anti-Muslim sentiment bubbling up in Texas. In the video, Tania Rashid, an Al Jazeera reporter, talks to David Wright, a member of the Bureau on American-Islamic Relations, or BAIR, an obvious mockery of the advocacy group CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Wright told Rashid: "A lot of us here are using either pigs' blood or bacon grease on our bullets, packing it in the middle, so that when you shoot a Muslim, they go straight to hell. That's what they believe in their religion."

As I highlighted in a recent publication, hardly anyone flinched after Wright incited violence against Muslims. Nobody questioned where Wright had been radicalized. There were no hearings on Capitol Hill to discuss "Christian crusaders" or "white supremacists." Essentially, it was open-season for Islamophobia.

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Muslim Americans have recently come under the spotlight in Texas, thanks largely to the 2016 presidential election and the skyrocketing of anti-Muslim political rhetoric. According to a Texas Tribune/University of Texas poll published in February 2016, about 46 percent of all registered voters in Texas supported a complete ban on Muslims from entering the United States. The mayor of Irving, one of the bigger cities in Texas, recently accused imams of creating "separate laws" for Muslims. The Irving city council later endorsed a state bill that Muslims say targets Islam. Numerous mosques around the state also have been threatened due to Islamophobia. Unsurprisingly, Muslims have expressed concern about living in fear for their safety in Texas.

And, unfortunately, I am only scratching the surface of Islamophobia in Texas.

Recognizing and countering Islamophobia is one of the goals of "Muslims in American Society," an undergraduate sociology course that I am now teaching at Rice University in Houston. As a diverse group of about thirty students, we look at the intersection of Islam and American identity. We synthesis these two concepts by moving beyond the binary of "Muslim" and "American." These are not mutually exclusive identities. They can coexist and, better yet, be in harmony with each other.

Our first order of business is to shed light on the history of Islam in America, which predates the founding of the United States by hundreds of years. The first Muslims to arrive on American soil were Africans who came over as slaves, and they were followed by Muslims from the Middle East, Europe and South Asia. We also cover events like the Revolutionary War, which saw Muslims fighting in General George Washington's Continental army, and the extraordinary lives of Muslim Americans like Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, two of America's greatest icons.

Once we have established the place of Muslims in American history, we explore different interpretations of American identity. We recognize that the lives of Muslims today cannot be properly understood without understanding American history, and vice versa. Throughout history, America has been conceived in competing terms including as a "Christian nation" (think about Plymouth Rock), a "pluralist nation" (think about the Founding Fathers' views on Muslims), and a "militaristic nation" (think about genocide and war). In order to understand the experiences of Muslims today, we have to see how these three types of national identity have affected ethnic, racial, and religious minority communities over the decades.

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The question "What does it mean to be American?" has no simple answer. Ideally, our nation should be a community that defines itself on citizenship rights and shared democratic values. The Islamophobia sweeping the country today reminds us that our ideals are not always realities. For several weeks, we demystify several assumptions of Islam including "Islam is a monolith;" "Islam is inferior;" and "Islam is America's enemy." We consider the impact of the "Islamophobia industry," a lucrative business made up of pseudo-scholars who spread misinformation and hatred of Muslims and Islam. As part of our discussion on Islamophobia, we also break down the emergence of the "good Muslim/bad Muslim" binary, or the tendency to classify Muslims as either "with America" or "against America."

Other topics that we cover in class include jihad (it doesn't mean "holy war"), sharia (Islamic law is not a threat; sorry Newt Gingrich), the experiences of Muslim students on campuses, Muslim Americans and civic engagement, anti-racism activities, and Islamic community building. Throughout the course of the semester, several influential intellectuals and activists will visit us including Dalia Mogahed, Imam Wazir Ali, Nathan Lean, Tayyib Rashid, and Harris Zafar.

Our classroom environment is the perfect antidote to Islamophobia. We have agreed to listen respectfully to the experiences and perspectives of Muslims and non-Muslims. We have agreed to pay attention to the group process, making sure that everyone has the opportunity to have their voices heard. And we also have agreed to use our discussions as an opportunity for ethical, religious, moral and spiritual growth, rather than as a time to simply debate politics and religion.
As the election of 2016 draws closer, it is not surprising that more and more articles relating to the Affordable Act of 2010 (ACA) are appearing on the front pages. If the republicans win the Presidency, they will probably move to repeal the ACA and start a process to replace it. If the democrats win, repeal will be off the table, but changes will still be inevitable. The most pressing of several contentious issues relates to several large insurers who are planning to pull out of the health care exchanges starting in 2017 unless premiums are allowed to go up significantly.

In Tennessee, my home state, Cigna and Humana have received permission to raise premiums by 46 and 44 percent, respectively. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, losing an estimated $500 million on the state's exchange by the end of 2016, has been given permission to raise premiums 62 percent for 2017.

Texas Blue Cross has lost a billion dollars on the state exchange and is requesting a 60 percent premium increase for 2017. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota has pulled out of that state's exchange as losses over the last three years are $500 million.

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The average premium rise for plans being offered on the state exchanges will be 24 percent for 2017. The rates must rise to offset losses due to the risk profile of those buying insurance being much worse than originally expected.

Insurance companies were early supporters of the ACA. They envisioned millions of healthy people forced to buy health insurance with higher premiums mandated by the law. The higher premiums were meant to off-set the lower premiums being paid for those with pre-existing conditions. The lower premiums were, again, mandated by the law under the "community standard" provision.

What the insurers failed to properly predict were the millions of healthy people who elected to not buy insurance; instead paying the penalty (tax?) which was much lower than the premiums required. The insurers found themselves paying more for health care than they were receiving in premium income. Predictably, many insurers suffered significant financial losses; many have opted out of the health care business.

One of these large insurers, Aetna, has recently announced that it will pull out of 11 of the 15 states where it currently offers health insurance on the exchanges. This is following the lead of United Health Group which is also planning to withdraw from several exchanges in the same time-frame. If Aetna follows through on its plan, it will only offer exchange plans in 242 counties, down from the current level of 778. In those counties where it is pulling out, consumers will find there are fewer plans to choose from or, in some instances, no plans on the exchanges at all.

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Aetna's decision to roll back on its coverage comes on the news that its planned merger with Humana is going to be blocked by the Justice Department. The Justice Department also has moved to block a similar merger contemplated by Anthem and Cigna. The Justice Department believes that consolidating the health insurance industry to just a few key companies will lead to monopolistic practices; there will be less competition and as a result, consumers will face higher costs.

If the consumer is unable to find a suitable plan on the exchange for their county, they have the option of buying their own health insurance from companies who are not participating in the exchanges. However, these buyers would not be eligible for premium and cost sharing supports which are only available for those who buy insurance on the exchanges. Medicaid would be an option but not for those whose income is too high to qualify.

It is foreseeable that state or federal regulators will try to convince some insurers to enter into the counties which have lost their carriers. They could do this by promising the approval of high premiums or perhaps, governmental subsidies to offset any potential losses. High premiums, no competition, and governmental subsidies would be a win for the carrier.

Under the ACA, many people have gained health care coverage through the loosening of restrictions on Medicaid. Many more have gained coverage through the exchanges. Those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage due to the individual mandate of the law and those same people will not be charged higher premiums due to the community rating requirement. These are all good things.

Medicaid contractors, used to delivering lower cost care, are surviving.

The ability to buy health insurance at any time of the year is another factor leading to healthy people holding off on buying until they needed to be covered. These factors led to healthy people not buying insurance and those who need to use the insurance to buy it now. Not getting the premiums of the non-users has been a game changer for the insurers. Aetna has claimed $430 million in losses on individual products since January 2014.

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Promised governmental subsidies to insurers are being blocked by the Congress that has not yet appropriated those funds; the funds are not likely to be appropriated so long as the House is under republican control. Seeing the political lines in the sand, the insurers are not relying on the promise of future funding while their losses continue to pile up.

In order to get the healthier patients to buy insurance, the penalties for not participating will have to be increased. To help off-set the rising costs that the insurers are seeing from the unhealthy patients who are now buying insurance, the premiums and deductibles will have to go up. There will need to be a time frame in which no one will be allowed to buy on the exchanges or apply for Medicaid; these steps are needed to get the healthier people to buy insurance now. These non-users of health care will be subsidizing those who are users but that is how insurance is supposed to work.

As the election draws closer, these rising costs are going to result in political consequences. The democrats passed the law and there was not a single republican vote in support. As the ACA is looking more and more like an entitlement, politics will make reforms more difficult, even unlikely. It will be interesting to see how the press handles this conflict. My guess is that little will be reported until after the election.
Luis Felipe Noe is one of the giants of contemporary Latin American art. He is a protean conceptual innovator, whose art has never ceased to change: today at the age of 83, he is making some of the most powerful works of his long career.

All images courtesy of Luis Felipe Noe.

Noe first gained fame in 1962, when he organized a group that united four young painters - Ernesto Deira, Romulo Maccio, Jorge de la Vega, and himself - into what became known as Nueva Figuracion (New Figuration). These four talented painters together had an explosive impact on Argentine art, working on the border between gestural abstraction and figuration. Their work was distinct from that of their peers elsewhere, but there were parallels between their art and that of Karel Appel in Europe and Willem de Kooning in the US.

Always restless, in 1964 Noe began the first of what would become numerous extended stays outside Argentina. In New York, he began to work in three dimensions, building from a base of oil on canvas by adding metal and wood elements, often at acute angles to the canvas. Although these works were related to Rauschenberg's combine-paintings, they differed from them in that Noe did not add found objects to his paintings, but instead sculpted the collage elements to reinforce and complement the two-dimensional painted forms on the canvases. These three-dimensional works effectively created a new genre, though this has generally been overlooked, in part because Noe, consistently concerned less with form than subject, did not bother naming his innovation.

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Noe's career has taken many unexpected turnings. In 1966, an artistic crisis led him to give up painting. He opened a bar, Barbaro, that soon became a meeting place for Argentine artists and intellectuals, and was quickly decorated with murals and paintings. Noe published a novel, and several texts of theoretical writings that considered the role of art in relation to modern technology and politics. Like Pollock, Noe began making drawings for his psychoanalysis, and in the mid-'70s this drew him back to painting.

Noe loves Argentina, art, and Argentine artists ("and life," he added, when I asked his opinion of this statement). And Argentine artists clearly reciprocate his love. To see Noe in a group of artists and critics is to see deep affection, that speaks eloquently of Noe's warm personality. He is among the most generous of artists: for decades, he has been a teacher and mentor to dozens of aspiring Argentine artists, and in 2006 he and Eduardo Stupia founded La Linea Piensa - The Line Thinks - which has provided a showcase for more than 50 young artists in Buenos Aires' Borges Cultural Center. Noe has received countless awards and prizes. Among scores of exhibitions at galleries and museums, he has been honored with retrospective exhibitions at Argentina's National Museum of Fine Arts, Mexico's National Palace of Fine Arts, and Brazil's Museum of Modern Art; the Argentine National Museum has also honored the New Figuration with an exhibition.

Noe is a conceptual innovator, whose art expresses his love for Argentina and its people, and his anger at the governments that have harmed them. He has made a series of innovations in form, but he does not consider these important, for to him form is merely a means to his real goal: in conversations about his work, he gently but consistently deflects attention from his technique to the meanings of his paintings.

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In recent decades, Noe's art has ranged over a series of subjects, including notably the natural landscape of South America, and the history of its countries. His art has never ceased to change, following his belief that "chaos is not disorder but the actual order of things in a permanent state of mobility." His recent paintings are often very large, they are often cut into irregular shapes, and individual works are often made up of multiple pieces. The style of painting varies not only across works, but within individual works. But there are nonetheless consistencies that unite Noe's works. Prominent among these are bright and vivid colors, vigorous brushstrokes, and powerful forms. And above all, in spite of their diversity in many dimensions, the works all share a visual resolution that comes from Noe's strong and unfailing visual sensibility.
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 23: Huma Abedin, wife of Anthony Weiner, a leading candidate for New York City mayor, listens as her husband speaks at a press conference on July 23, 2013 in New York City. Weiner addressed news of new allegations that he engaged in lewd online conversations with a woman after he resigned from Congress for similar previous incidents. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Earlier this week, Hillary Clinton's top aide Huma Abedin announced she was leaving her husband, former U.S. Congressman, Anthony Weiner.

Weiner, no stranger to sexual scandals, was recently caught sexting again, his third offense. In the latest debacle, The NY Post broke the story that Weiner sent a woman he'd "met" online an image of himself wearing only his underwear and with his four-year-old son cuddled beside him in bed.

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It was strange, even for Weiner, who in 2011 when his wife of less than a year was pregnant, accidentally uploaded an image of his package to his official Twitter account while he was trying to direct message a woman who was not his wife. That scandal cost him his job in Congress. Two years later, in the midst of a seemingly successful run for New York mayor, Wiener was caught having sexual conversations online with a new woman who was also not his wife, and it cost him that job too. His public sexual fumbles were the subject of the documentary, Weiner, released earlier this year.

On Monday, the morning after The NY Post's story hit sites, Abedin, Weiner's wife of six years, announced she was divorcing him.

"After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband," Abedin said in a statement. "Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy."

Asking for privacy is the standard line in press releases these days. And with a story this salacious, no one expected it. I was however, surprised at the snark thrown Abedin's way after she announced her departure. Across news sites, headlines announced the Abedin-Weiner split, kept saying Abedin "finally" left.

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From The Wrap: "Anthony Weiner's Wife Huma Abedin Finally Leaves Him After Latest Sexting Scandal."

From Vanity Fair: "Huma Abedin Is Finally Separating From Anthony Weiner"

You get the drift.

The use of "finally" in this context is so judge-y. It implies that Abedin has come to her senses--apparently, sense that she hasn't been using all along--after a long delay, and that she should have left Weiner ages ago. It implies that speaker would have done differently in Abedin's shoes. It implies that Abedin has done something wrong by trying to maintain her marriage, despite her husband's online sexcapades with strangers.

Think I'm reaching here? While most sites just imply that Abedin screwed up staying, in a NY Daily News article "Finally! What took Huma so long to kick Weiner to the curb?" writer Linda Stati flatly called Abedin a "doormat" and blamed her for Weiner's escalating behavior.

"Why did this doormat of a wife wait until photos surfaced of him doing something so unspeakably perverse and harmful to their child -- sexting photos of his erect penis in his shorts with their young son next to him -- to separate from him?" Stati asked.

Um. How was Abedin supposed to know her husband was going to do all that?

Abedin isn't the problem here. She was a married woman who wanted to keep her family intact. Or she loved her husband and wanted to keep him. Or she... wait! Do I really need to list excuses to justify why a married woman stayed with her husband? I mean, it's a marriage, not a high school fling. You're not supposed to call it quits at the first sign of trouble (unless there's abuse, at which point: run far and fast). You're supposed to try to make it work. It's not like Abedin knew her husband was going to keep on with his shenanigans and eventually drag their son into it. Weiner went to counseling. And I'm sure he swore he changed and would never sext again.

I wouldn't have judged Abedin if she left Weiner the first or second time he betrayed her and put the livelihood of their family in jeopardy and publicly embarrassed her. Marriage is hard. I completely understand why people divorce. And I also understand why spouses stay, even in bad situations. I mean, vows of forever-ever were taken. And though Weiner didn't stick to his, Abedin tried to keep them even when her husband was acting a damn fool. She believed in her marriage and she believed in her husband. Isn't that what we tell wives that they are supposed to do? So why is there so much criticism for a wife who does it?

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I've never met Audrey Hayworth, a talented writer and blogger from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but we are friends through social media. We are inviting all bloggers across the country to join us in an important cause on Friday, September 2 to participate in the "You Can Rape Me because I'm Drunk" challenge. Yes, it's important.

We're referring to the fact that the Stanford Rapist (I refuse to mention his name) will be released from prison after only three months in jail for raping and illegally penetrating an unconscious woman behind a dumpster on the Stanford University ground on January 18th, 2014. He's free, unlike his victim.

He was caught in the act, arrested, and charged with five felony counts: rape of an intoxicated person, rape of an unconscious person, sexual penetration by a foreign object of an intoxicated woman, sexual penetration by a foreign object of an unconscious woman, and assault with intent to commit rape. He was found guilty on three charges, then Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky sentenced him to six months in Santa Clara County jail. He was facing a maximum sentence of 14 years, but will be released after serving only three months.

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Perhaps the judge was swayed by the compelling letter written to the court by the guilty man's father. He described in agonized detail how his good son was so traumatized that he couldn't eat steak any more. Imagine the profound suffering!

As writers and bloggers, we owe it to our daughters and granddaughters to stand up against this ridiculous miscarriage of justice. Use your voice. Write and distribute a blog.

Suggested titles are as follows:

You Can Rape Me Because I'm Drunk

It Was Only Twenty Minutes of Action



Can He Eat Steak Now?

Only Three Months' Time Out

She was Asking for It!
BOULDER, CO - DECEMBER 8: Maya Chastang, center, looks at her screen while working on a program during a coding event at University of Colorado's Science Discovery Center on December 8, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. Girl Code: Scratch! was a special event during #HourofCode that brought girls between the ages of 8-10 to learn basic coding from the software, Scratch!, that was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to give younger students the opportunity to learn key coding concepts through the creation of simple animations and games. (Photo by Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

By Reshma Saujani, CEO and Founder, Girls Who Code

This summer Girls Who Code taught 1,560 girls computer science across the US. During the past seven weeks, girls from all over the nation got hands-on experience learning and writing code, went on field trips to local tech companies, heard from a variety of guest speakers in the field, and met weekly with their employee mentors. They developed final projects addressing real-world issues. From games to raise awareness about racial inequality and gun violence, to websites helping solve climate change, to apps that can track the spread of diseases, our girls are now using technology and computer science to solve problems in their community, in their country, and in their world.

In 2012, Girls Who Code started off as one program with 20 girls in a conference room in New York City. This summer, we launched 78 Summer Immersion Programs across 11 cities, and we'll have our Clubs program in every US state launching this fall. By the end of 2016, we'll have reached 40,000 girls since our founding, and we'll continue to scale until we close the gender gap in tech once and for all.

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Growth like this just isn't possible without partners like Adobe. This summer is Adobe's third year sponsoring and hosting Summer Immersion Programs, growing from one program in 2014 to five programs in 2016 in New York City, San Jose, San Francisco and Seattle. This year 100 female employees and 60 female summer interns volunteered as mentors for our girls, and four full-time, female Adobe software engineers took a hiatus from their career to teach the program. At Girls Who Code we always say, 'You cannot be, what you cannot see,' and partners like Adobe really walk the walk when it comes to introducing our girls to new role models in the field.

I was recently lucky enough to attend their New York graduation ceremony right in the heart of Times Square. Twenty girls from all walks of life shared with us with their experiences from the summer and presented their final projects. One group presented a game they created called "In the Eyes of a Refugee," which they developed to raise awareness about the Syrian refugee crisis. Another group presented their project "Autism Connect NYC," which maps after-school resources for children with autism and provides opportunities for groups to connect. Another group was building LED wearables, and another group of girls set off to address their frustrations with media coverage by developing a website where users can not only read about the news, but find resources to take action.

As summer comes to an end and our girls graduate from our programs, parents in particular ask me, "What's next?" They recognize the doors that have now been opened for their daughters, and they want resources for continuing their interests in tech. What I tell parents is that this is only the beginning. Last year we launched a campaign called #HireMe to get companies to share internship opportunities and host workshops for our Alumni Network. Adobe was one of our first partners to jump onboard and is now an Alumni Network Founding Supporter. They, too, recognize that the industry pipeline is leaky, and know that in order to get girls into tech jobs, we need to support them throughout their journey.
Political junkie that I am, I watched most of both conventions. Even if I didn't intend to, by 8 p.m. the TV set was on, tuned to CNN, with me in front of it. I watched the Republican Party proceedings, I told myself, because it was important to experience the Trump phenomenon directly.

The Democratic Party convention was more difficult. While I am closer programmatically, especially to the Sanders vision, I felt like an outsider. Somehow, for all the talk of diversity and inclusion, for all the identities not so subtly arrayed, my identity was not welcome.

I'm not a Democrat. I'm an independent, but so are 43% of the American people.

It made me think of when I was a Democrat. I hope these reflections on my experiences will help Sanders supporters, particularly young people, work through the disappointment of his rapprochement with the Clintons and the Democratic party establishment.

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My experience at Columbia in 1968, as well as the other traumatic events of that year -- the assassinations of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy -- radicalized me. But my electoral orientation was still Democratic. I supported Eugene McCarthy's presidential campaign against the war in Vietnam, and found myself that summer volunteering to staff the candidate's Oakland California office.

The events at the Democratic Party convention that year in Chicago -- the protests and the heavy-handed police response -- shocked me, as did the iron-fisted nomination of Hubert Humphrey. Naively, I attributed this to Mayor Richard Daley and the Humphrey campaign.

It was the failure, fours years later, of the progressive anti-war candidate George McGovern that weaned me from the Democratic Party. The McGovern campaign was sabotaged by the Party, which preferred to lose a chance at the White House than have the left in power. He lost all but one state, Massachusetts. Nixon won McGovern's home state of South Dakota. I vowed not to become involved in electoral politics again until there was something new, something radical. Something that might make a real difference.

In the meantime, I got my law degree, and took a job with a small law firm in downtown Manhattan that specialized in the development of low and moderate income housing sponsored primarily by labor unions. But I kept looking for that something new and radical.

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I found what I was looking for when I met a rag-tag group of sixties radicals led by Fred Newman, a Stanford-trained philosopher who had left the campus to organize in the poor and working-class communities of New York City.

My colleagues and I let Newman's brilliance organize our idealism and hard work in an effort to build an independent political movement that did not look to the Democratic Party for answers. Newman helped me see that the Democratic Party was the problem, not the solution.

No more George McGoverns. I supported and worked for Lenora Fulani in her historic run for President in 1988. She was, the first woman and first African American to be on the general election ballot in all 50 states.

Four years later, Fulani reached out to the "radical white center" who supported (by the millions) Ross Perot's independent run for the presidency. The Democrats and most leftists dismissed Perot and his followers as fascists. For me and my colleagues, they turned out to be ordinary Americans (like the kind that came together to defeat the fascists in World War II) who were open to sincere, non-ideological dialogue as we worked to build something new together. It was exhilarating. And the parties worked overtime to shut this down. They succeeded, for a time.

It was clear that the country needed new alliances, a democratic revival and a restructuring of our electoral system if fundamental change was to happen. Newman taught me that the issue was not policy, but process. The American people, if allowed to express themselves democratically and outside the control of the two parties, would determine the kind of country they wanted. I am proud of the role I played in helping to identify non-partisan primary reform as a key element in making that possible.

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I participated in the effort to bring together independent voters with African-Americans to elect Michael Bloomberg Mayor of New York and to rally independents behind Obama in the hope this would lead to a post-partisan America. It didn't. Obama proved to be more Democrat than independent, and Mike Bloomberg took the stage in Philadelphia last month to lecture independents that we had to vote for Hillary this time around.

I feel close to the millions of Bernie supporters. Sadly, Bernie's "political revolution" has proved to be 9 parts electoral politics and 1-part revolution. It will die if it does not move outside the Democratic Party and join with the 43% of the country who are independent. Bernie has decided not to lead this effort. The next steps are up to us.

As far as the Democrats are concerned, when it comes to left-of-center politics, they claim to be the only game in town. But that game is less and less able to produce the kind of change the American people need and want.

So, my friends who powered the Sanders insurgency -- take some time, allow your disappointment and your humiliation to wash over you. Have the conversations you need to have to understand, and not just cognitively, what you have been through.

Bernie, George and Hillary are the past. You are the future.
In 2008, the United Nations declared that the world passed an unprecedented, but silent, benchmark: for the first time in history, the world is more urban than it is rural. This event had been anticipated for some time and was subject to constant academic reference in support of an "urban age" thesis. This conceptualization has been used in support of "city growth" and to justify the dominance of the city -- simultaneously conceptualized as the urban -- over other geographies and settlement types. In more recent years, this topic has been revisited by critical urban theorist Neil Brenner, Professor of Urban Theory at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Contrary to popular beliefs, Brenner argues that the world has been completely urbanized and warns of the danger in fetishizing "cityness."

Brenner and his colleague, Christian Schmid, have already deconstructed the flawed methodologies deployed by United Nations demographers to quantify the global urban population in an earlier publication. These demographers rely on UN Member States to individually report data on its population, which vary greatly by country. Mexico and China could have different urban populations depending on which official methods were used. Meanwhile, in India, an urban area has to satisfy these requirements:

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i. A minimum population of 5,000

ii. At least 75 percent of the male main working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits;

iii. A density of population of at least 400 persons per sq. km.

Not considering these practices, the natural inconsistency of UN Member States' reporting also raises questions over the accuracy of our urban age. UN reports could use data from Member States that can be nearly a decade old. If this is the case, what use does this narrative have in framing our decision-making at the local, state and global level, when the data is epistemologically and methodologically flawed in a way that makes international comparisons meaningless? Meanwhile, equating "urban" with "city" is problematic because it suggests that once a city's administrative boundary ends, the area is suddenly non-urban. This is only useful for planners to demarcate a line where services to a city's electricity, plumbing, water and the like become unavailable to developers wanting to build outside this border.

In his new piece titled "The Hinterland, Urbanised?", Brenner contends that the "capitalist form of urbanization continues to produce contextually specific patterns of agglomeration, but it also relentlessly transforms non-city spaces into zones of high-intensity, large-scale industrial infrastructure -- operational landscape." Because these landscapes lie outside our commonly perceived "urban" and beyond our immediate view in a conceptual "outside" or "blind field", it has subsequently evaded our attention and critical inspection. These sites range from deforested areas in Mato Grosso, Brazil, to phosphate mining pits in central Florida, to desert-agro-industrial infrastructures in Saudi Arabia. Brenner says "spaces of the non-city have been continuously operationalised in support of city-building processes throughout the global history of capitalist uneven development." These urban areas, which can be found throughout the world, even in "extreme territories", reflect a global or planetary urban phenomenon.

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Image of a phosphate mining pit in Florida in 2011. USGS snapshot.

Brenner's investigation of contemporary urban conditions raises critical questions about the nature of our urban world from epistemological, pedagogical, and practical dimensions. If the entire world is urbanized in varying scales across the globe, how can planners and decision-makers respond to these changing geographies and develop comprehensive action plans? Surely the roles and responsibilities of managing these operational landscapes do not end with a city's administrative boundaries. Are state and national governments equipped with the professional knowledge and are in a position to ethically manage these sites?

The recent protests organized by the Sioux tribe to halt the construction of a $3.8 billion crude oil pipeline project in North Dakota clearly demonstrates the need for new forms of collaborative and participatory governance to curve the negative impacts of capitalist urbanization. The severity of the urban condition could be ascertained through taking a brief glance at the following map representing the various oil and gas pipelines in the United States. If complex and dense infrastructures are commonly associated with urban areas, wouldn't these expensive pipelines constitute those structures, too, and suggest large-scale "urban-ness"? This is just one of the many visualizations of our extensive urban framework--think about the effects when multiple layers of infrastructures and conditions, such as air pollution, are layered upon one another.



Image of gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines in the US. NPMS

It is clear that the world is more urban than commonly understood, or even completely in varying degrees. Decision-makers and planners must work in an open, democratic, and participatory manner to engage citizens in the development and management of these operational landscapes; otherwise, we will continue to allow "the silent violence of accumulation by dispossession and environmental destruction in the world's hinterlands and operational landscape." For aspiring planners (broadly defined) like myself, how can we re-imagine or fantasize about an alternate, more equitable and sustainable reality for these landscapes?

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In June of 2004, Arno Rafael Minkkinen stepped up to the microphone at the New England School of Photography to deliver the commencement speech.

As he looked out at the graduating students, Minkkinen shared a simple theory that, in his estimation, made all the difference between success and failure. He called it The Helsinki Bus Station Theory.

The Helsinki Bus Station Theory

Minkkinen was born in Helsinki, Finland. In the center of the city there was a large bus station and he began his speech by describing it to the students.

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"Some two-dozen platforms are laid out in a square at the heart of the city," Minkkinen said. "At the head of each platform is a sign posting the numbers of the buses that leave from that particular platform. The bus numbers might read as follows: 21, 71, 58, 33, and 19. Each bus takes the same route out of the city for at least a kilometer, stopping at bus stop intervals along the way." [1]

He continued, "Now let's say, again metaphorically speaking, that each bus stop represents one year in the life of a photographer. Meaning the third bus stop would represent three years of photographic activity. Ok, so you have been working for three years making platinum studies of nudes. Call it bus #21."

"You take those three years of work to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the curator asks if you are familiar with the nudes of Irving Penn. His bus, 71, was on the same line. Or you take them to a gallery in Paris and are reminded to check out Bill Brandt, bus 58, and so on. Shocked, you realize that what you have been doing for three years others have already done." [2]

"So you hop off the bus, grab a cab -- because life is short -- and head straight back to the bus station looking for another platform."

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"This time," he said, "you are going to make 810 view camera color snapshots of people lying on the beach from a cherry picker crane. You spend three years at it and three grand and produce a series of works that elicit the same comment. Haven't you seen the work of Richard Misrach? Or, if they are steamy black and white 8x10s of palm trees swaying off a beachfront, haven't you seen the work of Sally Mann?"

"So once again, you get off the bus, grab the cab, race back and find a new platform. This goes on all your creative life, always showing new work, always being compared to others."

"Stay on the F**king Bus"

Minkkinen paused. He looked out at the students and asked, "What to do?"

"It's simple," he said. "Stay on the bus. Stay on the f**king bus. Because if you do, in time, you will begin to see a difference."

"The buses that move out of Helsinki stay on the same line, but only for a while -- maybe a kilometer or two. Then they begin to separate, each number heading off to its own unique destination. Bus 33 suddenly goes north. Bus 19 southwest. For a time maybe 21 and 71 dovetail one another, but soon they split off as well. Irving Penn is headed elsewhere."

"It's the separation that makes all the difference," Minkkinen said. "And once you start to see that difference in your work from the work you so admire -- that's why you chose that platform after all -- it's time to look for your breakthrough. Suddenly your work starts to get noticed. Now you are working more on your own, making more of the difference between your work and what influenced it. Your vision takes off. And as the years mount up and your work begins to pile up, it won't be long before the critics become very intrigued, not just by what separates your work from a Sally Mann or a Ralph Gibson, but by what you did when you first got started!"

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"You regain the whole bus route in fact. The vintage prints made twenty years ago are suddenly re-evaluated and, for what it is worth, start selling at a premium. At the end of the line -- where the bus comes to rest and the driver can get out for a smoke or, better yet, a cup of coffee -- that's when the work is done. It could be the end of your career as an artist or the end of your life for that matter, but your total output is now all there before you, the early (so-called) imitations, the breakthroughs, the peaks and valleys, the closing masterpieces, all with the stamp of your unique vision."

"Why? Because you stayed on the bus."

Does Consistency Lead to Success?

I write frequently about how mastery requires consistency. That includes ideas like putting in your reps, improving your average speed, and falling in love with boredom. These ideas are critical, but The Helsinki Bus Station Theory helps to clarify and distinguish some important details that often get overlooked.

Does consistency lead to success?

Consider a college student. They have likely spent more than 10,000 hours in a classroom by this point in their life. Are they an expert at learning every piece of information thrown at them? Not at all. Most of what we hear in class is forgotten shortly thereafter.

Consider someone who works on a computer each day at work. If you've been in your job for years, it is very likely that you have spent more than 10,000 hours writing and responding to emails. Given all of this writing, do you have the skills to write the next great novel? Probably not.

Consider the average person who goes to the gym each week. Many folks have been doing this for years or even decades. Are they built like elite athletes? Do they possess elite level strength? Unlikely.

The key feature of The Helsinki Bus Station Theory is that it urges you to not simply do more work, but to do more re-work.

It's Not the Work, It's the Re-Work

Average college students learn ideas once. The best college students re-learn ideas over and over. Average employees write emails once. Elite novelists re-write chapters again and again. Average fitness enthusiasts mindlessly follow the same workout routine each week. The best athletes actively critique each repetition and constantly improve their technique. It is the revision that matters most. [3]

To continue the bus metaphor, the photographers who get off the bus after a few stops and then hop on a new bus line are still doing work the whole time. They are putting in their 10,000 hours. What they are not doing, however, is re-work. They are so busy jumping from line to line in the hopes of finding a route nobody has ridden before that they don't invest the time to re-work their old ideas. And this, as The Helsinki Bus Station Theory makes clear, is the key to producing something unique and wonderful. [4]

By staying on the bus, you give yourself time to re-work and revise until you produce something unique, inspiring, and great. It's only by staying on board that mastery reveals itself. Show up enough times to get the average ideas out of the way and every now and then genius will reveal itself.

Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers popularized The 10,000 Hour Rule, which states that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert in a particular field. I think what we often miss is that deliberate practice is revision. If you're not paying close enough attention to revise, then you're not being deliberate.

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A lot of people put in 10,000 hours. Very few people put in 10,000 hours of revision. The only way to do that is to stay on the bus.

Which Bus Will You Ride?

We are all creators in some capacity. The manager who fights for a new initiative. The accountant who creates a faster process for managing tax returns. The nurse who thinks up a better way of managing her patients. And, of course, the writer, the designer, the painter, and the musician laboring to share their work out to the world. They are all creators.

Any creator who tries to move society forward will experience failure. Too often, we respond to these failures by calling a cab and getting on another bus line. Maybe the ride will be smoother over there.

Instead, we should stay on the bus and commit to the hard work of revisiting, rethinking, and revising our ideas.

In order to do that, however, you must answer the toughest decision of all. Which bus will you ride? What story do you want to tell with your life? What craft do you want to spend your years revising and improving?

How do you know the right answer? You don't. Nobody knows the best bus, but if you want to fulfill your potential you must choose one. This is one of the central tensions of life. It's your choice, but you must choose.

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And once you do, stay on the bus.

---

James Clear writes at JamesClear.com, where he shares self-improvement tips based on proven scientific research. You can read his best articles or join his free newsletter to learn how to build habits that stick.

This article was originally published on JamesClear.com.

FOOTNOTES
I've been trying to convince journalists to find out why state senate candidate Nancy Doty thinks Sarah Palin gave a "Spot on" speech in Denver, in which the former Alaska governor raved about Donald Trump. (Here's a funny video to emphasize the point.)

From where I sit as a progressive, the world is pretty backwards if you think Palin is "spot on."

And it turns out, judging from the recent Doty advertisement below, that's exactly how Doty sees the Earth--transposed, ass backwards, if you will.

So, does the inverted worldview on Doty's mailer have anything to do with her enthusiasm about Palin and Trump?

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Or is Doty's backwards Earth related to the ability of kids to "count on NANCY DOTY" for a "WORLD CLASS" education?

I doubt it, to be honest, but she's yet to be questioned about Palin, so we don't know. And if there's one thing you learn as a journalist, it's that you never know what someone will say until you ask them.
It is easy to get depressed about a lack of leadership in America today. However, there are still impactful, caring and successful leaders out there working to make our nation a better place. One of the true heroes is Governor Jack Markell of Delaware. He is a tireless public servant who has shown incredible leadership as an ally of the disability community. He has worked hard to expand opportunities for more people with disabilities to pursue the American Dream -- and it's working!



Governor Jack Markell speaking on Capitol Hill

Governor Markell was elected in 2008 with 67% of the vote and re-elected in 2012 with 69% of the vote. He is term-limited and thus, sadly, will complete his time as Governor in January 2017. During his tenure, Delaware has gone "from one of the lowest-ranking states (in terms of job creation) in 2008 and 2009 to one of the top-ranking in 2013 and 2014. Delaware holds the distinction of being the only state anywhere along the Eastern seaboard to be in the top 10."

Most important of all, Markell has succeeded in starting a movement for a more inclusive and successful economy for the one-in-five Americans who has a disability. In an era where the haves and have nots have increasingly become divided, he has helped create a rising tide for all ships -especially for the 22 million working age Americans who have a disability, only one-in-three of whom currently have a job.

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In 2012, Markell became chair of the National Governors Association (NGA). As the chair of the NGA, he chose as the critical issue of increasing employment among individuals with disabilities. As he wrote at the time, "The bottom line is that there are so many people with disabilities who have the time, talent and desire to make meaningful contributions to interested employers." The results of the NGA's Better Bottom Line initiative can be seen across the country.

As a result of Markell's leadership, not only has Delaware made progress, diverse states such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have also made investments in school to work transition programs for young people with intellectual and development disabilities. Other states like Mississippi and Arkansas have adopted Employment First policies. Above all, he has helped to develop a body of knowledge that is truly moving the needle on jobs for people with disabilities.

That work continues now with Governor Markell having been selected as the President for the Council of State Governments (CSG) in January 2016. At CSG, he is overseeing a new National Task Force on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities This effort will continue to build on Markell's legacy as a true champion and faithful ally of the disability community.

Many politicians talk the talk. Markell is different - he walks the walk. For decades, there was no improvement in the labor force participation rates among people with disabilities. When you look at census data, you see that only 1 in 3 working age Americans with disabilities have a job now, and frankly, that was the case 26 years ago before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. There was a lot of progress on many fronts for people with disabilities. However, even as women, African Americans and Hispanics have entered the workforce in increasing numbers, the gap in the labor force participation rates between people with and without disabilities expanded.

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That is until year. For the first time in decades, we are seeing improvement in the employment data for people with disabilities. A huge part of that is because of Gov. Markell. As he recently pointed out: "the fact is so many people with disabilities across the country can add extraordinary value and when we focus on the ability rather than the disability, it's amazing what we can accomplish together."

Markell often tells the story of his visit with then Walgreens CEO, Greg Wasson, who had invited the CEO's of many large companies to listen to what Walgreens was doing in the area for employment for people with disabilities. Said Markell, "what Greg said to these other CEOs is that Walgreens employs people with disabilities not as a matter of charity. We do it because it's in the best interest of our shareholders. Because these employees are incredibly hardworking, they're so grateful to have their job, they're less likely to be absent, the turnover is lower and they do a phenomenal job." Markell went on to explain, "the key cannot be about government officials asking an employer to do a favor. It's about employers talking to other employers about why their company is better thanks to the fact that they provide these employment opportunities."



RespectAbility board members Doc Sweitzer, Donna Meltzer and Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi present award to Gov. Jack Markell.

Markell also wanted to be sure to take real action. "I also knew that we as governments had to step up, we had to walk the walk. It's not enough for me to go out and talk about this as an important issue. We need to talk about the fact that we as governments are providing these opportunities to people with disabilities and we are better off as a result. We've also found one of the most important things we can do is do a better job for young people. We have to make sure that when it comes to our young people who are still in school with disabilities prepare them for a lifetime for an expectation of a lifetime of employment."

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Gov. Markell has surrounded himself with state leaders such as Sec. Rita Landgraf who are also walking the walk. Together, they are revamped their talent acquisition process and as a result they were able to hire more talented people with disabilities. Every day they work to ensure that their constituents in Delaware are serve by a state government staff composed of a talented and inclusive team.

In an era where voters are frustrated with many of our leaders, it is wonderful to know that people like Gov. Jack Markell exist. Recently RespectAbility gave Gov. Markell a much deserved award. You can see his full speech on CSPAN.
I am so proud of Colin Kaepernick for refusing to stand for the national anthem. This is not merely because I respect his right to freedom of speech, though this is important. I feel this way because I absolutely hate the American flag, the national anthem, and everything they stand for.

In fact, I hate these imperialist symbols of brainwash and plunder so much, I am currently facing charges, along with 15 others, for burning the American flag at both national political conventions just a few weeks ago.

Let me explain...

Night after night, fascist ghouls gathered at the Republican Convention. On July 20, their theme was "Make America Great Again."

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That's the day I torched the American flag right outside the convention.

"1, 2, 3, 4 -- Slavery, Genocide, and War! 5, 6, 7, 8 -- America Was NEVER Great!"

I burned the flag because all that America-first crap is toxic! "America first? It's always been first: at genocide, at slavery, exploitation, destruction of the environment, torture, coup d'etats, invasions... we're standing here with the people of the world today!" That's what I said, and then I set fire to the flag. And I did this because I have always believed as Bob Avakian (BA), the leader of a movement for an actual revolution in this country, says "American lives are not more important than other people's lives" (a statement that should so obviously be seen as true, but completely conflicts with the way people in this country are indoctrinated to think).

For this, I and 15 others were assaulted by police, illegally arrested, and now face serious criminal charges. This is outrageous, it must be fought, and it reveals that the essence of what exists in America is not democracy but a dictatorship of a capitalist class and its state, willing to disregard its own laws and rights when it suffers political exposure.

Trust me, I know about the flag. Thirty-two years ago, I burned the American flag outside another Republican convention as Ronald Reagan -- that kind, avuncular backer of death squads in El Salvador and Guatemala and mercenaries in Nicaragua -- was being nominated for a second term. For that protest, I was arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to a year in jail. I fought for five years until victory when the Supreme Court ruled that flag-burning is protected political speech. Today, same flag -- even worse nationalistic chauvinism.

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Trump says Make America Great Again. Clinton says it's already great. The truth needs to be told: America has NEVER been great!

Was America great when it carried out genocide of Native Americans? When the 7th Cavalry massacred Lakota Indians at Wounded Knee they did so carrying that flag. Was America great when it kidnapped and enslaved Africans, whipping, driving and raping them, tearing them from their families? Was America great during a century of Jim Crow segregation and lynch-mob terror? Is it great right NOW when its police are terrorizing, brutalizing and gunning down Black and Brown people -- Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Tanisha Anderson, and Freddie Gray -- and the murderers never go to jail?! Is America great right NOW as the flag flies over hundreds of ICE detention facilities housing thousands of immigrants -- people forced to flee to the very country whose domination of their homelands has forced them on such a perilous journey to begin with? The flag is the brand for a global network of exploitation and wealth extraction and a military armada, CIA black sites and mass graves from My Lai to Fallujah.

I'm aware that seeing the American flag burn is a jarring sight for some. But there comes a time when people NEED to be jarred; you have to confront people, when they have been essentially drugged with this "America the Great" bullshit. And that's what we were doing by burning the flag in Cleveland and outside the Democratic Convention in Philly.

"Fascist Trump, imperialist Clinton, criminal choices of a criminal system!"

First was the Republicans and Donald "Mr. Fascism" Trump, fangs bared, swearing only he can make America great again by hunting immigrants, cheering killer cops, bashing women, carrying out pogroms against Muslims and ramping up American military firepower.

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Then came the "reasonable" war criminals of the Democratic Convention insisting that "America is already great!" -- while their prisons, drone strikes, and world-wide exploitation crush the lives of millions and millions.

This country is both at one and the same time the United States of Atrocities and the United States of Amnesia. And so our burning the flag is a kind of ideological and political gingko biloba -- a very necessary medicine for people who have never known, or have known and have forgotten the truth about, the empire's crimes and atrocities. It is also good medicine for people all over the world and here, who live the horror that America delivers every day of their lives, who've never had the luxury of "forgetting" what this country does. I think for all those people this flag-burning was a big political and ideological shot of INTERNATIONALISM!

We Need to Overthrow the System

I burned the flag because it's wrong to close our eyes to the crimes this country is committing against people inside the U.S. and even more all over the world. But not only do we have to confront these crimes, we must act to stop them. Fundamentally, this is going to take an actual revolution.

Let me be very clear: By revolution, I don't mean electing a new face on the empire, I mean overthrowing the empire. People think this is not possible, but it is. Bob Avakian has spent decades developing a scientific approach and the necessary strategy to make the kind of revolution that can truly lead to the emancipation of all humanity. A world without empires,a world without rape, a world without murder by police or any of the rest of the terror against Black people in this country; a world where we are fit care-takers of the planet. It's not going to be easy, but it is the only realistic way.

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Yes, it's also jarring to find out that the same system that has lied to you about everything else important in the world has also lied about the possibility of humanity living a radically better way. But again, many more people have to be jarred if we're going to break out of the horrors that so many have grown accustomed to, and really bring about lasting liberation to all of humanity.
Dear Governor Lepage,

When I was young I invited an African American friend to Thanksgiving Dinner. I was a young white girl. We worked for the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy knocking on doors for nuclear arms control and peace in Central America. We were young idealists working for a better world. My friend was not able go home to Chicago for the holiday, so I invited him along to dinner. I did not think that my family would mind. I had always thought that because we belonged to a liberal Catholic tradition, because we lived north of Boston, we lived in a majority hispanic neighborhood, we voted Democrat, that my family were good people who were not racist and that it would be fine.

When he first arrived, everyone was polite. We all stood together to say grace. The meal was buffet style because there were so many of us. While my friend was waiting for gravy my 14 year old cousin cracked a racist joke. My uncle, a man in his forties, was standing right next to his son and did not apologize, did not correct my cousin. Instead, he laughed. My friend said nothing. Only later did he tell me it happened. After my friend left these enlightened people decided to release their discomfort with a good round of racist jokes, some about black people, some about Polish people, and, to their credit as equal opportunity offenders, a few blonde jokes.

This is what I took away from it, my family thinks that all folks should have equal access under the law but they could not reconcile their discomfort with their bias based on the stereotypes they refused to disbelieve. Or maybe I am just making excuses for them. They were just racists. They treated my friend as though his feelings did not matter. They treated him as less than. They did not judge him by his character, intelligence, or humor. He was working for peace. He is a very smart man. He has a great sense of humor. They took all the awful things they had heard, believed, assumed about black men and applied it to my friend. That's racism.

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I did not say anything to my family then. This is my shame. I was in my early twenties and pretty naive. I was at an age when family dogmas were crumbling. I had lost my faith in the Catholic church, I saw sexism in the power structure of a subway ride, and I realized my family could be racist on a holiday founded on gratitude. It would be the last Thanksgiving dinner I would share with those members of my family. Everyone has that one uncle who thinks he can get away with being a jerk. Because he usually does.

Smart phones let us see what has always been. Young men are being shot in the streets by police. Institutional bias is so blatant that citizens of the United States are being exploited to fund the legal system that impoverishes and locks them up. We get state legislatures who pass laws limiting hard fought for voting access. We, white people, are confronted with our privilege and it makes us uncomfortable. Or it should.

We need leaders who lead.

Instead, we get Trump and his wholesale solution to immigration issues which rings with the historic terror of Germany 80 years ago. We get a Congress and Senate who has obstructed the first African American President at every turn, so he can not claim a success, to the detriment of the country. We get some media, who perpetuates biases with every turn of the news cycle. And we get you, a governor who should be a governor for all the people in the great State of Maine who panders to the base impulses of those who seek to divide.

Again, we need leaders who lead. Not Uncles who say anything that comes to mind regardless of who hears them, or Uncles who spew hate with the broad stroke of fear and discord.

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Your apology to the people of Maine rings hollow. You did not apologize for your racially charged remarks. You did not apologize for the scandalous recording to a legislator. You did not apologize for the obscene language the children of Maine might have heard. You did not apologize for the threat of violence to another person. You did not apologize for the wholesale labeling of people of color as the enemy. You apologized for getting caught which is really no apology at all.


Nicole Vanderbilt/Etsy

Nicole Vanderbilt joined Etsy in August 2012. Previously she held a variety of leadership roles in the consumer internet industry, including CEO of mydeco.com, VP of International for Bebo, Head of Industry Marketing at Google, and Director of Premium Communications at American Express. Nicole holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BSE from Princeton in Architecture and Engineering. Nicole's role is VP of International at Etsy, based in the London office.

How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?

One of the defining characteristics of my career (and life) has been working with a wide range of people from different countries and backgrounds. I have lived in France, the UK, Japan and India, in addition to my home country of the US. I have particularly loved my time in London which has afforded me the opportunity to work with people from all over the world. There is so much to learn from diverse points of view and I hope it has helped me develop a level of curiosity and empathy that continues to make me a better leader.

How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure at Etsy?

Throughout my career, I've worked in consumer-facing technology businesses and often those that are trying to help the little guy. Understanding the wider landscape of consumer behaviour - from payments at American Express to search at Google through to social at Bebo - has been a huge value to me. In particular, the time I spent at Google India left me with a desire to use technology to help people.

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What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at Etsy?

One of the biggest challenges for us at Etsy is prioritisation, simply because we have such an immense opportunity and so many things we could be doing to further our mission of reimagining commerce to build a more fulfilling and lasting world. One of the ways this plays out in my role is trying to figure out which markets to invest more in. It's a big world out there and focus is so important but also really hard. The highlight for me is always about meeting our sellers. There's nothing better. They are such inspiring people who have been brave enough to put their work out in the world and define success on their own terms.

What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?

Your career is a long game. Don't sweat the small stuff. Make sure you are always doing something that you care about. And have fun.

What is the most important lesson you've learned in your career to date?

It's far more important to ask good questions and surround yourself with good people than to have all the answers.

How do you maintain a work/life balance?

Becoming a mother 2 years ago was the greatest gift to me in this regard. It's made me much more focused on making the most of my time working and to establish a clear boundary between that and my time away from work. I've found that lots of those extra hours weren't that productive and constantly thinking about work wasn't making me any better at it.

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What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?

I think one of the saddest statistics I hear thrown around when discussing differences in gender in the workplace is that men will apply for a job when they have much much less of the skill and experience required than a woman would. I sometimes see women shake their head at mention of this stat, as if women are right to be more sensible. I'd say take risks. If an opportunity presents itself that you are excited about and it scares you, that's a great sign. Go for it. And, you'd be surprised at what others will see in you and what opportunities they will give you.

How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?

I have rarely had formal mentors in my career, but I have gotten immense value from being able to ask questions and advice of people I admire. I wish I had been more comfortable in doing this and asking for help earlier on.

Which other female leaders do you admire and why?

I am incredibly lucky to have been surrounded by such impressive female leaders throughout my career and particularly at Etsy. I learn something daily from our new COO, Linda Kozlowski, and I am very fortunate to count Kruti Patel Goyal (VP of Business Development at Etsy), Heather Jassy (SVP of Values-Aligned Business at Etsy) and Kristina Salen (CFO at Etsy) as colleagues, informal mentors and friends.
Editor's Note

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In research there is evolution, revolution and sometimes, what I call "retro revolution," which happens when old methods have new applications. All three are in play in the world of electricity, and are affecting storage.

The inability to store electricity has been a challenge since the time of Thomas Edison. Electricity is made and used in real time, putting huge pressure on utilities at particular times of the day. For much of the East Coast in summer, for example, the peak is in the evening, when people come home from work or play, crank up the air conditioning, flip on the lights, the TV and start cooking. In many cities, the subways operate at peak and the electricity supply is stretched.

Traditionally, there have been two ways to deal with this. One is that utilities have some plant on standby, in what is called "spinning reserve," or they have gas turbines ready to fire up.

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Solar and wind power, an increasing source of new generation, have made the need to store and retrieve power quickly more critical. The sun sets too early and the wind blows willy-nilly. Also the quality of the power reaching the grid varies in seconds, necessitating a quick response to ease supply or increase it.

Until now, the best way to store large amounts of electricity -- it is never really stored, but has to be generated afresh -- is known as "pump storage." This occurs when water is pumped up a hill during low demand times, at night and early in the morning, and released through generators to make new electricity during peaks.

It has gotten harder and harder to get permission to install new pumped storage because the best locations are often in scenic places. In 1962, Consolidated Edison Company proposed building a pump storage facility on the Hudson River at Storm King Mountain near Cornwall, NY. After 17 years of environmental opposition, it gave up.

Now battery technology has reached a point where utilities are installing banks of lithium-ion batteries to help with peak demand. They also play an important part in smoothing out variable nature of alternative energy.

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Batteries are not the only play, but because Mr. Battery, entrepreneur Elon Musk, is a showman, they tend to get more public attention.

Other mechanical methods hold as much promise and some dangers. One is flywheels which would be wound up at night and would release power when needed. It is an old concept, but one that has new proponents -- although there are concerns about when things go wrong and that super-energetic device flies apart. "What happens if it gets loose and goes to town?" asks a wag.

Another method is compressed air in underground vaults. Natural gas already is compressed routinely for storage. The technology exists, but the compression would have to be many times greater for air, and there are concerns about the impact of this "air bomb."

Yet another method involves a column of water with a heavy, concrete weight pressing down on it.

My own favorite -- and one likely to appeal to many because of its safety and mechanical efficiency -- is an electric train that stores energy by running up a track and then down to generate power. A Santa Barbara, Calif. company, Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES), is planning to run a special train 3,000 feet up a mountain track in Pahrump, Nev., and then have the train come down the mountain, making electricity as it does so. They plan to use hopper cars loaded with rock or other heavy objects. The Economist magazine has dubbed it the "Sisyphus Railroad."

The train will go up or down the track depending on the needs of the California grid to which it will be linked. The developers claim an incredible 85-percent efficiency, according to Francesca Cava, an ARES spokeswoman. "That's what you get with steel wheels on steel track," she says.

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MODESTO, CA: Goodyear Satire Company--

Donald Trump told voters he has solutions to all of the nation's math problems because there are "plenty of numbers." He made the announcement last night at a rally at Modesto High School.

Seeking to appeal to college-age voters, Trump made the shocking claim that he alone can determine the length of the diagonal of a right angle just by knowing the length of each of the sides. The problem has bedeviled generations of students who have yet to comprehend the Pythagorean Theorem.

But Trump is not stopping at geometry.

"I will conquer Al Gebra," Trump confidently predicted, and the crowd leapt to its feet in cheers of USA! USA!.

Voters were clearly impressed."Trump is a great businessman," said long-haul driver Hank Treebranch of nearby Stockton. "Given two terms, I think he can even solve the Yang-Mills existence and mass gap."

Trump has previously promised to solve the problems of health care, immigration and radical Islamic terrorism through the sheer force of his mighty will. Rival Hillary Clinton has been much more cautious, meekly saying she will "try."

Trump also teased that within his first 100 days in office he would explain why time only goes forward. "Or seems to," he said with a knowing wink in his eye.

"The democrats don't want to solve these problems because if they do, they won't be needed anymore," said the golden-haired septuagenarian ego-king. "You will always need me," he hypnotized.

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"Elect me and we won't be dealing with these old problems," Trump told voters. "We will be dealing with all new problems."
Washington DC, capital city of the United States. National Capitol building.

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court halting of President Obama's DAPA and DACA+ programs, many immigration advocates are pivoting their focus back to where it belongs: starting comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) conversations in the next Congress.

A natural place to begin is to look at the 2013 reform bill, which passed the Senate, but was never picked up by the House. By investigating legislation introduced by current congressional Democratic leaders, we can help determine where a new reform bill will start in 2017.

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Perhaps the most important analysis involves examining current Republican bills to determine focus issues and established language that is ripe for easy incorporation into a comprehensive package next year. The 2013 debate makes it clear that House Republicans must drive aspects of comprehensive immigration reform. Involving GOP leaders and furthering Republican goals is a crucial part of passing reform. Without a House package that Republicans can own, reform is impossible.

Here are three Republican reforms that may inform the comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) debate in 2017:

Recognizing American Children Act:

The Recognizing American Children (RAC) Act, introduced by Republicans Carlos Curbelo (FL) and Mike Coffman (CO), and co-sponsored by Bob Dold (IL), allows certain undocumented immigrants serving in the military, enrolled in a graduate college, or legally working to stay in the U.S., and be eligible for not just legal status, but citizenship. While narrow in its reach and limited in its support, the RAC Act is still a breath of fresh air for pro-immigration Republicans.

The three House Republicans endorsing citizenship for a segment of the undocumented population is a positive step towards encouraging immigrants without legal status to step out of the shadows. Introducing this legislation amidst Trump-mania demonstrates substantial support, and that these lawmakers may be the party's potential champions for CIR moving forward.

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Willing Workers and Willing Employers Act:

Republican Senator Jeff Flake, a key ally for immigration advocates, introduced the Willing Workers and Willing Employers bill that addresses existing gaps in the temporary visa programs for seasonal workers.

Any comprehensive package should include expansions to low and medium-skilled guest worker programs that seek to regularize immigrant laborers and fill worker shortages of U.S. employers. Senator Flake's bill would help shuffle undocumented workers into a regulated system, and bring stability to seasonal work. It's a simple fix to a heavily restricted visa program that also contains protective measures to ensure American workers are prioritized.

State and City-Based Immigration Reforms:

Congress is not the only player in immigration reform. In 2015, Republican members of the Texas state legislature introduced bills proposing a state-based guest worker program for new immigrants. Similarly, in 2016, Republican Massachusetts Governor Baker approved an entrepreneur-in-residence program to retain foreign students in the Massachusetts area.

These examples of localized immigration reform deserve a voice in a national debate, and are a win for Republicans championing states' rights and expansions to legal immigration. Federal legislation that upholds these programs returns to local lawmakers the power to respond to labor shortages and population loss by allowing them to more closely regulate immigration based on individual state needs.

Moreover, with Republican governors outnumbering Democrats, reforms rooted on the state or local level amplify GOP voices in the immigration debate.

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All signs point to a comprehensive immigration reform debate in 2017. Hillary Clinton has made it clear that immigration reform is a first-100-days priority for her, and with Paul Ryan and Chuck Schumer leading the House and Senate, a debate seems plausible.

The question now is what will that package look like. The three ideas above present solutions that Republicans already back, and should again in 2017. The obvious missing component includes enforcement provisions, which we can expect to be substantial. Ranging from new financial and technological investments on the southern border to expanded E-Verify and everything in between, it's safe to say Republicans will bargain hard for these measures as part of a deal.

Comprehensive reform must include Republicans in order to pass. If Republicans double down on Trump-ian immigration policies--ending birthright citizenship, cutting off Muslim immigration, insisting on deportation instead of any legalization--the broken immigration system will likely continue for many years.

But, if the GOP pivots back to understanding and messaging the benefits of immigration, including economic possibilities, reuniting families, increasing security through identification, and ensuring American safety through practical regulations, then CIR is entirely possible.
71 years ago, the United Nations Charter statedthat "The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibilityof men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions ofequality in its principal and subsidiary organs". In 1979, the year I joinedthe UN, the General Assembly adopted the Convention to Eliminate All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women. Profound changes have since occurred in the workplace which should have made it easier to ensure genderequality and empower women in the UN system. Think of flexitimeand telecommuting. Think of training on diversity and unconscious bias. Thinkof all the digital tools now available for us to exchange best practices,manage data and monitor the implementation of our policies. And yet...

And yet , 21 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action established a target of 50/50 gender parity at the professional and higher levels, progress in our ranks is simply too slow. In 2013, of the 32,000 staff employed by the UN in professional categories worldwide, 41.6% were women.But they are fewer in the upper echelons of the secretariats, and system-wide,only 30 per cent of Directors are women. Above that, the air is even thinnerfor women, who represent only slightly more than a quarter of all topexecutives.

How can the UN, which is supposed to spearhead theimplementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 5 on genderequality, be a credible actor for change when it finds it so difficult to reachparity among its own staff, when talented women moving up the ranks still facea glass ceiling and institutional bias and when many of its meetings and panelsfeature only men? As a UN senior manager, I felt that it was no longer enoughfor me to sit and complain about the state of things.

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So last year, together with Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto, United States Representative to the UN in Geneva, and with the support of Women@TheTable,we launched the International GenevaGender Champions initiative through which Champions commit to practical,impactful and measurable ways of operationalizing gender measures in theirworkplaces. At the heart of this initiative is the panel parity pledge. Itdemands that both genders need to be represented in all panel discussions. Inaddition, each Gender Champion chooses two other concrete and measurablecommitments for gender equality in their organization. With already close to120 Champions, the initiative is really changing the way we do business inInternational Geneva.

One of my own commitments, as a Gender Champion, was tointroduce a Gender Policy for the UN Office at Geneva, which I head.With the support of UN Women, the policy came into force on 1 September 2016. It aims to establish an organizational culture free from gender bias anddiscrimination, improve the representation of women at all levels so we can reachgender parity, and ensure gender equality and the empowerment of women in allaspects of our work. Of course, it will only truly make a difference if allstaff and managers, men and women, understand it, accept it, embrace it andimplement it. We all have a role to play.
This article has been submitted as part of the Natural Capital Coalition's series of blogs on natural capital by Joss Tantram, Partner, Corporate Sustainability at Terrafiniti LLP

Moving beyond one-dimensional capitalism

"All capitals are unequal, but some are more unequal than others". This paraphrase of George Orwell's famous line sums up one of the challenges related to the concept of multiple capitals - the notion that there are actually range of sources of value (capitals) that give rise to economic and social benefits. However, current accounting and economic approaches, for the most part, recognise only one - financial capital.

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Given such diversity, the exact name and nature of the capitals proposed also vary, though most approaches feature the following capitals: natural, social, manufactured, human and financial.

However, all such approaches seek to achieve the same thing - to broaden our conception and consideration of what is valuable for delivering economic, social and ecological utility. In addition they call for these wider aspects to be placed at the heart of economics, accounting, corporate planning and decision making.

The multi capitals concept, and especially approaches to understanding, measuring and valuing natural capital, has been gaining ground in recent years. It has been particularly strongly grasped by the accountancy profession, to an extent by policy makers (building upon the idea of "Natural Capital Accounting") and by initiatives seeking to relate such wider concepts of value to the activities of business, notably the Natural Capital Coalition (formerly known as the TEEB for Business Coalition) with its recently released Natural Capital Protocol.

A metaphor or a financial procedure?

Perhaps the most critical aspect of the concept is whether it is best understood as a metaphor, rather than as a concrete approach to accounting, useful to reinforce the fact that a sustainable world requires us to recognise a number of categories of value rather than a reductionist focus upon one - financial capital.

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The danger of metaphors is that they don't always travel well; they run the risk of not roaming very far before they are interpreted as a fact, not the reference to a fact.

The trouble with this understanding is that, firstly it ignores the fact that natural capital is a metaphor for understanding value, not a mechanism for determining price and secondly (and more importantly), price cannot be used to assess trade-offs when the trade-offs are between aspects of value with fundamental dependency relationships at their heart.

Fundamental dependencies - ceteris non paribus

When one capital depends upon another - such as in the case of financial capital (and all others) deriving from natural capital - then reducing each to a number for the purposes of assessing trade-offs runs the risk of forgetting that they are not equal - that one can only exist with the continued presence and health of the other.

Fundamental dependencies indicate a value hierarchy. Using a comparable metric like money as a way to put things on a level playing field makes sense, but only up to a point. Such an approach would be fine if the things we were comparing were truly comparable. However, the environment is something we can't do without. There is a dependency relationship. There is no money without human beings capable of inventing and using it. There are no human beings without food, air and water.

This diagram illustrates (in simple terms) the dependent relationships that capitals have upon each other. It also notes a series of "thresholds" for ecological, social and economic capitals.

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However the extent to which such additional concepts of value should be interpreted as literal price signals or more generally as telling us something which should be the subject of policy making (which may in turn give rise to price signals or changed market or investment rules which can be translated into price) is the subject of discussion and exploration at present within the worlds of accountancy, integrated reporting, business and policy making.

Can the capitals thrive without other, more fundamental, change?

Overshadowing all of the issues noted above is a much bigger question, can the capitals concept really be useful without wider change and reform of economics and capitalism?

This is a question which is increasingly being asked and increasingly not just by anti-capitalists and revolutionary thinkers, but by also economists and financial professionals. A notable example is John Fullerton of the Capital Institute, whose Regenerative Economy is a suggested model for a different operating system for our economic activity.

Surely if we are to truly use the mechanisms of capital markets and international trading to deliver environmental and social good, then those markets need to be fundamentally reformed, such that they are capable of truly valuing a common future as more valuable than a private present.

Economics and markets must have both the incentive and capability to deliver the required strategic outcomes. They must rise to the challenge of valuing activities and behaviour which pay off over the long term, to compound rather than discount the value of a more sustainable future and to start valuing decisions that allow the growth and stability of ecosystems and societies as an outcome of advantage to the market as a whole.

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The multiple capitals approach - as yet a journey not a destination

We are perhaps at the start of our journey to reform concepts of value. The capitals approach presents a vital topographical guide to the territory we must traverse. However, the route we will take remains uncertain and our ability to successfully reach a sustainable destination, in the time we might have available, also remains in question.

Resolving the tension between the way we do business and the way our planet works, so that growth in economic activity does not undermine the potential for future growth is a significant challenge. Approaches to conceptualising additional sources of value in terms of multiple capitals, and specifically tools which to help companies understand their dependencies upon the most fundamental source of all value, natural capital are vital. The Natural Capital Protocol is an essential tool at a vital time.

Disclaimer: Articles in this series are submitted by people who work in organizations who are part of the Natural Capital Coalition, or people who are involved in the natural capital space more generally, the views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of The Natural Capital Coalition, other Coalition organizations, or the organization that employs the author.

Joss Tantram is Partner - Corporate Sustainability at Terrafiniti LLP.

Follow Terrafiniti on Twitter: @terrafiniti

On 13th July 2016, The Natural Capital Coalition launched a standardized framework for business to identify, measure and value their impacts and dependencies on natural capital. This ' Natural Capital Protocol' has been developed through a unique collaborative process; a World Business Council for Sustainable Development consortium led on the technical development and an IUCN consortium led on business engagement and piloting. The Protocol is supported by practically focused 'Sector Guides' on Apparel and Food & Beverage produced by Trucost on behalf of Coalition.

Keep up to date with the Natural Capital Coalition on Twitter: @NatCapCoalition


Since 2009, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been on the ground in Taiji, Japan, documenting and bringing to light the atrocious dolphin drive hunt taking place from September to March.

Originally dubbed Operation Infinite Patience, this Sea Shepherd campaign has volunteers on the ground enduring constant police harassment and surveillance, physical threats and criticism, all while suffering personal trauma from witnessing the brutal slaughter.

These volunteers are known as Cove Guardians. They come from all over the world, at their own expense, to bring attention to this dolphin drive -- a drive which sees cetaceans being killed, molested, torn apart from their families, and transported to life sentences in aquatic prisons called marine parks where they are forced to perform tricks for tourists.

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Killers remove a drowned dolphin from the nets. (Photo credit: Sea Shepherd)

In recent days, there has been a great deal of speculation on social media about Sea Shepherd 'abandoning' Taiji and shutting down the Cove Guardian program. That is wrong. Sea Shepherd has not abandoned any of its campaigns and we remain true to our policy of never giving up until we achieve our goals. We have Infinite Patience!

For the naysayers, there was never any question of not being in Taiji. We even have a film crew already scheduled to be there. Our challenge this year is how to proceed with the Cove Guardian strategy in light of the fact that all veterans, including Cove Guardian leaders, have been denied entry to Japan. These logistical obstacles are not to be misconstrued as Sea Shepherd quitting Taiji.

I began the Taiji campaign in 2003 when I sent Sea Shepherd crew member and photographer, Brooke MacDonald there to get the first images shown to the world. This was before the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove, before the Dolphin Project and before anyone even knew about this slaughter.



The cove water is red with the blood of slaughtered dolphins. (Photo credit: Sea Shepherd)

Brooke's pictures and video remain the best images, for the simple reason she did not encounter any obstacles in taking those pictures. For 13 years we have been on the forefront of the Taiji campaigns. We are the only group to have actually released dolphins when 16 pilot whales were freed after we cut nets and two Sea Shepherd crew members spent a month in jail for doing it.



My own involvement goes back to 1982 when I went to Japan's Iki Island and negotiated the end to their dolphin slaughter. No dolphins have been killed at Iki in 34 years.



My life has been dedicated to defending dolphins around the world, especially in Japan. For people to criticize me and Sea Shepherd for not doing enough is insulting. Sea Shepherd has done amazing work within the boundaries of practicality, the law and the resources available to it. I would also venture to say that it has done more to oppose the slaughter than anyone.

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A dolphin is lifted by crane in to a tank for sale and transport. (Photo credit: Sea Shepherd)

Last year, Operation Infinite Patience was renamed Operation Henkaku, which means to reform, to change, to transform. Changing strategies, enhancing strategies and exploring new strategies is not quitting. It is adapting. That is what we are doing.



There was never any question about ending our work in Taiji. The Cove Guardian program is not over. However, it must adapt to Japan's policy of denying entry to veterans, especially Cove Guardian leaders. Sea Shepherd USA is committed to ending the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji and we will continue to have infinite patience to see this commitment through.

For all the Cove Guardians who have participated, the reality is that they made - and still continue to make - a difference. Because of the Cove Guardian program, the world is far more aware of the situation than it was before the program. It is my belief that all the Cove Guardians who witnessed the atrocities in Taiji have had their lives profoundly changed. Their passion continues. My passion continues. Sea Shepherd's passion continues.

Operation Henkaku, as part of the enduring Operation Infinite Patience, continues and there will more announcements coming soon.
Answer by Gary Teal, Still Republican, on Quora:

This only makes sense if donors are lining up to fund Trump and have lost enthusiasm for the rest of the GOP, and Trump is working hard to raise money. I believe the opposite is the case.

I'd be willing to bet that Trump himself is not burning up the telephone lines and raising tens of millions of dollars. It's the RNC staff that's doing the work, and as you'll see below, they could look a donor in the eye, and say, if this is what the donor wanted to hear, "We want a half million bucks. Only 1% of it will go to Trump."

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The RNC doesn't even have to cut off the Trump campaign, because the money is already allocated by prior agreement. What Trump gets is fixed by campaign finance law and two joint fundraising agreements that were signed in May.

The RNC doesn't typically send money directly to candidates for state and local office. The money those candidates need is raised by the specific candidate committee, and by state and local party committees. The Republican National Committee and its sister committees, on the other hand, focus on federal races, which of course are run at the state and local level, but the winners make up the US Congress and occupy the White House.

There are two committees closely allied with the Republican National Committee: the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. Those two committees typically raise most of their own money to support candidates for the two respective chambers of Congress. Members who are popular and have reputations outside their own district build good will from other members by raising money for these two committees. The Congressional and Senate committees are run by the Members, who obviously have a political interest in building and retaining as many seats as they can win. Money that comes directly to these committees via their own in-house fundraising efforts and the calls made by Members is spent for races that affect that chamber, so they have little or nothing to do with the Presidential race.

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The Republican National Committee is concerned primarily with raising money to support the party's presidential nominee. The Federal Election Commission regulations include a structure called a "Joint Fundraising Agreement". (Lawyers and people with too much time on their hands, see Joint Fundraising on the FEC site.) Under these agreements, the presidential candidate and the relevant party committee (or any collection of various committees, for that matter) sit down and agree on how the money that is raised will be allocated. Fundraising expenses also are allocated by the same formula. On May 17, 2016, the Trump campaign announced two joint fundraising agreements it had reached with the RNC. The "Trump Victory" Joint Fundraising Agreement splits costs and raises money for the Trump campaign, the RNC itself, the NRCC, the NRSC, two additional special accounts for all three of these committees restricted to spending for any legal fees they may incur (mostly during recounts), the cost of the headquarters they occupy, and in the case of the RNC only, a fund to pay for the Republican National Convention that was held in Cleveland in July. (The Trump Make America Great Again joint agreement, should you donate to that fund, is simpler; the money is divided according to the standard contribution limits between just the RNC and the Trump campaign.)

It might help to visualize these major party committee accounts:

RNC: Unrestricted / HQ / Legal / Convention

NRCC Unrestricted / HQ / Legal

NRSC Unrestricted / HQ / Legal

According to the press release for the Trump Victory Joint Fundraising Agreement, you can contribute up to $449,400. (See Joint Fundraising Agreement Press Release between Trump Campaign and the GOP.)

Here is a table of the relevant Federal Election Commission contribution limits, so let's figure out where all that money could go.

An individual can donate $2,700 to the Trump campaign for the primary (even today, to pay Trump back for what he spent during the primary), plus $2700 for the general election, and at that point, they are maxed out - they can't give more than $5,400 directly to Donald Trump's campaign. But let's say someone has a half million dollars burning a hole in their pocket and they want to help. They can give $33,400 each to the RNC, the NRCC, and the NRSC. They can give another $33,400 each to those three committees to special accounts to fund legal challenges, another $33,400 each for headquarters expenses, and for the RNC alone, $33,400 to fund the national convention. That's $334,000 more. But wait - there's even more! Eleven states are included in the joint fundraising agreement. They are Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The individual contribution for state parties is $10,000, so that's an opportunity to give another $110,000.

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So let's add up the bill, Mr. Fatcat. You're giving $5,400 to the Trump Committee, $110,000 to eleven states, and $33,400 each to ten different party accounts. That will come to $449,400. And that's the number at the bottom of the Trump press release.

Now this money is allocated to these twenty one different entities. What can they do with the money? Well, seven of the entities, accounts for the convention, legal fees, and headquarters, are restricted to those purposes, period. That's $233,800, or more than half the pot. The state committees, per the chart above, can give up to $5k back to the candidate, and as much as they like to the national central committee, but not by prior agreement, I'd think, or it would be mathe-magical money-laundering, kickback, not-technically illegal shakedown, but in any case, the state party isn't going to do that; they have their own expenses and state races to fund*. That's $110,000 more that doesn't go to Trump. Another $66,800 is dedicated to the two committees working for Congressional and Senate campaigns, and they're not going to give money to the Trump campaign, I can assure you.

*Looks like "mathe-magical money-laundering, kickback, not-technically illegal shakedown" was good enough for Clinton: See Millions From Maxed-Out Clinton Donors Flowed Through Loophole. This is precisely how she raised so much money this summer. Maxed out mega-donors simply funneled millions through the state parties, which gave it back to the Democratic National Committeee. I'd be fascinated to know whether they did this out of the goodness of their hearts, just spontaneously, or whether there was always an agreement in place to funnel the money back upstream.)

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So all we have left is the $33,400 that the RNC got to spend, as it sees fit, for the good of the Grand Old Party. It's less than 7.5% of what they collected if the donor completely maxed out. It can transfer $5,000 to the Trump campaign, but it can only do that one time. So what it's doing is hiring staff in the field (there are hundreds of them, deployed to pivotal states and districts), and paying vendors to make phone calls and send direct mail and create and place TV and radio ads. The RNC controls this money. But they could call a staffer and tell them to evacuate their post and redeploy to a place where they can make a difference. They could design a mailer that fails to mention the Presidential candidate, or fail to even include him in a telephone survey. That would be controversial, and almost unprecedented. It did happen in 1996 when Bob Dole was clearly on his way to a defeat. At the end of the day, the RNC's job is to ensure the health of the entire party. In any normal year, that would mean focusing on capturing the White House. But in politics, nobody invests in sure things or lost causes.

The joint fundraising agreement itself is apparently not available to the public, but prospective donors certainly learn exactly how the funds and expenses will be allocated. The FEC press office (h/t) tells me that the Committee has to turn it over if the FEC asks for it, but the FEC is not planning to ask for it unless they have some enforcement action or other reason to do so. Almost certainly the first $5,400 does go to the Trump campaign. But that means the first expenses are also allocated to the Trump candidate committee. It's not clear to me whether a $6,000 donation would be allocating to the other twenty accounts according to percentages that don't change, or they all have priorities and you essentially max out to each one, in some order, until your donation runs out. I'd like to find out.

This question originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

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How does a new writer find a reliable publisher? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

First things first when finding a reliable publisher. Find an agent and the agent will try to find a publisher.

So how do you get an agent? There is no secret trick. First, write the best book you can write, then compose the best query letter you can compose. Then, send out that letter and hope for the best.

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So that's what you did, right? Actually, no.

The way I got my agent is that he read one of my short stories on the web, then contacted me to tell me how much he liked my story and to ask if I had representation. After Googling him and discovering that he was an actual, successful New York agent (and not a Nigerian prince looking for a bank account), I told him that I'd love to work with him.

I sent him some of the novels I'd previously written, and he liked some and didn't like others (one thing about my agent is that he will always tell me exactly what he thinks), but what he was really excited about was the possibility of turning the short story I'd written (The Girl With a Clock For a Heart) into a novel.

It took me about a year and a half to write the book, bouncing ideas back and forth with my agent, and it was hard-going. At one point, after delivering a full manuscript, he suggested I change from first person to third person, and restructure the time frame of the whole novel. It was this particular revision that was the hardest to do but the most productive. The novel began to work in a way it hadn't before.

That September, my wife and I went to Bermuda for a week. Just before leaving, my agent told me to check my email while I was there because he might have some news for me. I don't usually bring my laptop with me on vacations but I brought mine along. We had rented an apartment in St. Georges and the internet was spotty, but one afternoon I got an email asking me to call him right away.

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When I called him, he told me that I had a two-book deal with William Morrow. It took me a while but finally I believed him. That night we celebrated (Dark 'n Stormy's were involved), and my wife and I felt like we had suddenly entered an alternate reality. We hadn't taken a trip in two years for financial reasons, and suddenly we were on this beautiful island, and celebrating a book deal. It didn't feel like our real lives.

So that was how I found a publisher. My agent was key, not just because of his connections, but because he helped me to write the best book I could write.

This question originally appeared on Quora. - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

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Poor Leon, an African-American male; please extend condolences to him.

According to Mr. Trump, the Republican candidate, he lives in a community, Irvine, which has poor housing, terrible schools, high unemployment, grinding poverty, and high crime. Probably in and out of relationships, he has had children out of wedlock, maybe quite a few. It must be rough being Leon, as Trump has so appropriately and helpfully pointed out.

There are only a couple of discrepancies with this story. Leon is a real person, by the way, and does live in Irvine.

And his life is nothing like the stereotype Trump has painted. Irvine is, in fact, a delightful, even exceptional community. It was one of the first planned cities in the country and is home to the University of California-Irvine. It is also quite affluent: during 2009-2013, Irvine had a median household income of $90,585; median home price is $765,000. It also boasts of some of the best schools in the country, especially University High School. The four high schools in Irvine Unified School District have consistently placed in the upper range of Newsweek's list of the Top 1,300 U.S. Public High Schools. It is also frequently ranked as the safest city in the United States with a population over 100,000. Leon also doesn't live in a Democratic Party enclave: Irvine is 34.7% Republican, 31.4% Democrat.

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And what of Leon himself? How does he fair in this world? Is he an outlier, one of the 12.2% of Irvine's population living below the federal poverty line?

Hardly. He owns his own quite successful business and his own home, both since the 1970s. Also, he is married to the wonderful Margaret, his first and only wife. They were betrothed over forty years ago and are still going strong. Their two grown children, both born within the marriage (Leon is the son of a minister), each of them college educated, happily married, have birthed grandchildren for Leon and Margaret to love.

Fortunately, Mr. Trump, if elected, will make their lives so much better.

So here's the problem with his campaign appeal. Yes, there are definitely black communities who fit his description (white too; only about one out of every four households receiving food stamps in 2014 was black, according to the United States Department of Agriculture). Too many, and it is a national concern that must be addressed.

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But that is still a minority within a minority. Since the breakthroughs of the civil rights movement, many black demographics have improved, with increasing numbers of college grads for example.

Are Leon and Margaret typical? Only in that they represent the incredible diversity of the African-American community. Something Donald Trump missed entirely.
Giant tabular icebergs surrounded by ice floe drift in Vincennes Bay in the Australian Antarctic Territory on January 11, 2008. Australia's CSIRO's atmospheric research unit has found the world is warming faster than predicted by the United Nations' top climate change body, with harmful emissions exceeding worst-case estimates. AFP PHOTO/POOL/Torsten BLACKWOOD (Photo credit should read TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

Participants in the workshop  International Climate Change Policy after Paris  included twenty-one of the world's leading researchers focusing on climate-change policy, representing the disciplines of economics, political science, international relations, and legal scholarship. They came from Argentina, Belgium, China, Germany, India, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. (A list of workshop participants is here, biographies here, and the agenda here.)

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The Harvard Project will next focus on communicating the ideas, insights, and recommendations of workshop participants to climate negotiators and policy makers, in the expectation that they might prove useful in elaborating and implementing the Paris Agreement. Each participant is preparing a brief--based largely on her or his presentation during the workshop. These briefs, together with a workshop summary, will be conveyed to participants in the Twenty-Second Conference of the Parties (COP-22) of the UNFCCC in Marrakech, Morocco in November 2016. This will be done in meetings with negotiators representing UNFCCC member governments and in a side-event panel at COP-22.

Today I wish to share with readers just one of these draft briefs  namely, my own  on the topic of "International Linkage under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement."

A Key Challenge for Sustained Success of the Paris Agreement

For sustained success of the international climate regime, a key question is whether the Paris Agreement with its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), anchored as they are in domestic political realities, can progressively lead to submissions with sufficient ambition? Are there ways to enable and facilitate increased ambition over time?

Linkage of regional, national, and sub-national policies can be part of the answer. By "linkage," I mean connections among policy systems that allow for emission reduction efforts to be redistributed across systems. Such linkage is typically framed as being between two (or more) cap-and-trade systems, but national policies will surely be highly heterogeneous under the Paris climate regime. Fortunately, research  by Gilbert Metcalf of Tufts University and David Weisbach of the University of Chicago  indicates that linkage between pairings of various types of domestic policy instruments may be feasible.

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Linkage under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement

It was by no means preordained that the Paris Agreement would allow, let alone encourage, international linkage. Fortunately, the negotiations which took place in Paris in December, 2015, produced an Agreement that includes in its Article 6.2 the necessary building blocks for linkages to occur.

Under Article 6.2, emissions reductions occurring outside of the geographic jurisdiction of a Party to the Agreement can be counted toward achieving that Party's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) via Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs). This enables both the formation of "clubs" or other types of coalitions, as well as bottom-up heterogeneous linkage. Such linkage among Parties to the Agreement would provide for exchanges between compliance entities within the jurisdictions of two different Parties, not simply the government-to-government trading (of Assigned Amounts or AAUs), as was the case with the Kyoto Protocol's Article 17.

Linkage among Heterogeneous Nationally Determined Contributions

There are three types of heterogeneity which are important in regard to linkage under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. First is heterogeneity among policy instruments. As demonstrated by Metcalf and Weisbach (see above), not only can one cap-and-trade system be linked with another cap-and-trade system, but it is also possible to link a cap-and-trade system with a carbon tax system. In addition, either a cap-and-trade system or a tax system can be linked (via appropriate offsets) with a performance standard in another jurisdiction. (Linkage with systems employing technology standards are not feasible, however, because such systems are not output-based.)

A second form of heterogeneity that affects linkage and is potentially very important under the Paris Agreement is heterogeneity regarding the level of government action of the relevant jurisdictions. Although the Paris Agreement has as Parties both regional jurisdictions (in the case of the European Union) and national jurisdictions, sub-national jurisdictions are also taking action in some parts of the world. In fact, linkage has already been established between the state of California in the United States and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario in Canada.

A third form of relevant heterogeneity is with regards to the NDC targets themselves. Some are in the form of hard (mass-based) emissions caps, while others are in the form of rate-based emissions caps, either emissions per unit of economic activity, or emissions per unit of output (such as per unit of electricity production). There are also relative mass-based emissions caps in the set of existing NDCs, such as those that are relative to business-as-usual emissions in a specific future year. Beyond these, there are other parties that have put forward NDCs that do not involve emission caps at all, but rather targets in terms of some other metric, such as the degree of penetration of renewable energy sources.

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Combinations of various options under these three forms of heterogeneity yield a considerable variety of types of potential linkages, which may be thought of as the cells of a three-dimensional matrix. Not all of these cells, however, represent linkages which are feasible, let alone desirable.

The Path Ahead  Key Issues and Questions

There are a substantial number of issues that negotiators will eventually need to address, and likewise, there are a set of questions that researchers (including within the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements) can begin to address now. Among the key issues for negotiators will be the necessity to develop accounting procedures and mechanisms. Also, it will be important to identify means for the ITMOs to be tracked in order to avoid double-counting of emissions reductions. And a broader question is whether and how the UNFCCC Secretariat or some other designated institution will provide any oversight that may be required.
Many are shocked that Donald Trump announced he is going to Mexico today. That misses the real ironies here: NAFTA -- and how this should be a boon to the Green Party.

First the obvious stuff: Donald Trump is playing to xenophobic sentiments. His "solutions" are in large part twisted or beside the point, for example, U.S. government has largely already built the wall.



One real irony is that Trump is appealing for votes based on trade issues. His criticism of NAFTA rightly resonates with many in the U.S. Lots of workers have lost out because of NAFTA and other so-called "trade deals." These deals are actually largely investment protection agreements that help the huge corporations and the wealthy in the U.S., Mexico and other countries. That's people like Trump and people and corporations like those who fund Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, these secretive deals often rook regular folks wherever they live.

But Trump -- and many other critics in the U.S. -- only talk about how NAFTA has hurt U.S. workers. Largely unacknowledged in the U.S. is how it has devastated Mexican family farms and small industry -- which leads to desperate migration from Mexico to the U.S. (along with the drug war).

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So, redoing NAFTA would actually help stem desperate migration that is the source of much of Trump's support.

Hillary Clinton is now claiming to be against the TPP, the successor to NAFTA in many respects. In fact, she has backed both. And she just named pro-TPP Ken Salazar to be her transition team head. Her VP pick, Tim Kaine recently backed the TPP before he pretended to flip-flop as well. Meanwhile, Trump contradicts himself on issues like mad. Who knows what he'll do if he were actually in office.

But Clinton has largely succeeded in pretending she's anti TPP. OnTheIssues just reports her stated positions on TPP, which you have to be an idiot to believe -- or a hack. Over 40 million people have apparently taken an "issues" poll with iSideWith.com -- but when I asked them if they label Clinton as opposed to the TPP the same way Jill Stein of the Green Party is, they refused to answer and deleted our exchange.

In fact, the U.S. public is strongly opposed to more of the same U.S. trade deals like NAFTA and the TPP. But the only reliable candidate on reforming trade issues is ticket of Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka of the Green Party, but they are excluded from most discussion by corporate media, which are overwhelmingly for corporate "trade" deals. Our politics is broken on so many levels.

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So: The incredible irony of this is that the best choice for the xenophobes is Green (the Libertarian of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld is openly pro-TPP).

Certainly, Greens and other progressives usually talk against NAFTA and the TPP in terms of corporate control over health, labor, environmental, patent, copyright and other critical issue areas. But ending the NAFTA model may well end desperate migration, a leading concern of many on the right.

Let Mexicans prosper in Mexico. If the U.S. were to have reasonable agreements with Mexico, people there will work in farms and factories in Mexico without feeling desperate to come to the U.S. for any work they can possibly get here. They are free human beings, not charity cases.

We have a similar dynamic regarding xenophobia directed against Syria refugees now. Let Syrians be a peace in Syria without outside meddling -- the root causes of the war in Syria and much of the Mideast is constant outside intervention, most clearly the U.S. invasion of neighboring Iraq.

Let each -- Mexico, Syria and every other country -- deal with the U.S. as equals. People should not be in need of coming and begging for refuge or to do work at poverty wages in the shadows in the U.S.

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If we change the root causes of policies, things look very different and people who might be motivated, superficially at least, by different arguments end up having much more in common than meets the eye in terms of desperately needed policy changes.


Above: Tim Swain and Gil Bar-Sela in BETWEEN SOMETHING & NOTHING a film by Todd Verow. Photo by Todd Verow

I read Dennis Cooper's transgressive, darkly disturbing novel Frisk in Grad School as part of a class on subversive literature (along with Marquis De Sade, Brett Easton Ellis and Mary Gaitskill). Soon after, I watched Todd Verow's equally disturbing film version of the book.

Those books unlocked a door for me at that time, a door that led to a fearless sense of discovery and risk taking as writer. Eventually, I wrote my debut novel Diary of a Sex Addict as a challenge to myself to stay literary, but push my own subversive boundaries to their limits.

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Trolling through Vimeo the other night on the hunt for a late night flick, I came across Verow and his quite extensive catalogue of work. I took a chance, sent him a tweet asking for an interview and he said sure thing.

Scott Alexander Hess: When my first novel, Diary of a Sex Addict was released a lot of people asked me if it was a "dirty book" (it's not, I tell them it's literary subversive). With your films, do you ever run into this sort of thing? Has anyone ever asked you if you make "dirty movies"?

Todd Verow: People always ask me if I make "dirty movies" and even when they say it with disgust you can see the sly grin creeping into the corners of their mouth and you know that the answer they want to hear is "yes". I don't have a problem with the word dirty, I have described my cinematography as "dirty cinematography" for many years. (I despise pretty cinematography and use available light or lighting inspired by the way real things are lit whenever I can). I do hate the implication that "dirty movies" are less than "serious films". I make films about people and sex and sexuality. People get dirty, and sex is dirty. I've been told that I have a shower scene in all of my movies, which I guess is true, so maybe my films are really dirty.

SAH: How was it interpreting Dennis Cooper's work and would you do it again? If so, which book and why?

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TV: We had a blast making Frisk (which was based on the Dennis Cooper novel). I had made a bunch of short experimental films and done cinematography on a few low budget features and was looking for a way to stat making feature films. The producer Marcus Hu, knew my work and approached me about making Frisk into a feature film. Several people had said the novel was "un-filmmable", I love a challenge so I starting writing the script. When I finished my first version of the script they passed on it and me. My first script was far more extreme than the novel, much more bleak and disturbing. I still think it would have been a very interesting film but they passed on it and I forgot about it. A year or so later they came back to me and asked if I was interested in doing it again. I wrote a new script, which they approved and we shot it very quickly soon after that. I was very young then and I wasn't really prepared for the reaction the film would get. I was there in San Francisco for the film's premiere as the closing night movie of Frameline, the LGBT Film Festival (and it was gay pride day) when a riot broke out. I didn't really understand why, had no one read the book? What were they expecting? Other screening were similar and while it is always rewarding to get a passionate response from an audience, I did tire of defending a work that was not personal, that wasn't something from my heart. That's why I have prefer to work from my own material, or at least material that I have a strong personal connection to. I have adapted a few other things for the screen, The Boy With The Sun In His Eyes was based on James Derek Dwyer's novel and right now I am working on a script based on my father, Arthur C. Verow's short stories called We Don't Dance No More that I hope to start shooting next year.

SAH: You've been called a vanguard of the new queer cinema. Where is "queer cinema" headed. Do we need the category any longer? If so, what sets it clearly apart?



Above: Verow, 2010 photo by Todd Verow

TV: Way back when new queer cinema wasn't just about getting LGBT characters on film, it was about playing with the different mediums, experimenting with the narrative and form. New Queer Cinema films were often dark and disturbing, not mainstream films. There was a punk sensibility, that had as much to do with AIDS and activism as it did with just not giving a fuck what people thought about the films. That has changed over the years, and Queer Cinema has become a genre, a queer-splotation. The need for queer cinema is stronger ever, but the definition has changed. Queer Cinema isn't just films by and about LGBT people, it is films about anyone who is an outsider, marginalized or different. Anyone can make a film now and for little or no money and when you make a film for nothing you have no one to answer to. You can be as original and outrageous as you want to be.

SAH: Tell us about one of the most challenging situations you have faced on a film set.

TV: Whenever I start a new film I remind myself every day that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. As long as you know that, expect it even then you can be prepared for anything. One of the most important qualities of being a director is being able to adapt, to think on your feet. There was one day, we were filming a drug/orgy scene for the movie The Endless Possibility of Sky and there was a blizzard happening outside. I thought it would be a great idea to get everyone to the roof of the building and film some of the scenes there, with the newly fallen snow merging with the skyline. Everything was going fine, and we got some great shots when we realized that the door had locked behind us and we couldn't get off the roof. I remained calm, filming some final shots as the sun was setting and trying to figure out how we were going to get off the damn roof before we all froze to death. Luckily some guys in the building next door had been watching us filming and realized our dilemma. I threw them my keys and they went into our building and opened the door for us.

SAH: What's next for you? And what drives you to keep producing work?

TV: I have a three new movies doing the festival circuit and coming out soon, Required Field which is an experimental film about a gay serial killer, This Side Of Heaven which is about an older trans woman desperately trying to hold onto her rent stabilized apartment and Sex & The Silver Gays a documentary that I co-directed with Charles Lum about a group of older gay men who get together every month for sex parties. I have started filming a new feature called Squirrels about three artistic people trying to survive in a studio apartment in modern day New York City. Then I will work on We Don't Dance No More which is about a bunch of different characters living in Bangor, Maine. I enjoy making films, telling stories and overcoming all the challenges that are involved with filmmaking. I like to keep busy.

SAH: For the New Yorkers reading, tell us a favorite spot of yours in Manhattan.

TV: I don't want to be one of those grouchy old New Yorker's who complains about the way things used to be, but it is depressing how many places I used to love have closed. There are still some old school places open, Benny's Burritos (sadly closed in the East Village where I live, but still alive and kicking in the West Village), Two Boots Pizza is still going strong though their cinema which I managed for a time closed almost 10 years ago. I'm not a fan of all the new artisinal cocktail lounges that keep opening, I prefer dive bars like THE COCK, or THE BOILER ROOM. As far as the cub scene goes, it's always best to keep up with Susanne Bartsch, she is keeping nightlife interesting in NYC bless her, she currently has a club night on Tuesday's at the Standard Hotel in the meeting packing district.

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Photo by Rhododendrites (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I am unashamed to admit it: I am terribly proud of my people.

To what "people" am I referring here? To doctors? To scientists? To astronauts and aspiring astronaut-types? I'm surely proud of all those people. Today, I'm referring to another group to which I belong; to something I've done on and off for more than half my life; to one of the most important things I've ever done, as well as one of the most important things that occurs in a truly free and democratic society. I am referring, of course, to the press.

My people - journalists - are amazing. We bust in doors behind which lie nefarious activities that undermine the basic tenets of our civil liberties. We point the spotlight on violations of human rights. We call "foul" when justice isn't being served and, in that sense, are our own sort of justice. Therein lies the agony and the ecstasy of the media: with words, sounds, and images, we convene trials, summon the accused, calls witnesses, and cause judgments to be made. Like an outstanding attorney, an excellent journalist solicits input from relevant experts and arranges concrete evidence in such a way that the jury - our audience - can make an informed decision. In outstanding journalism - not editorial, just plain ol' features about life and the people who live it - there's no need to prosecute or to defend. The facts, well-presented, do that for themselves. The facts, poorly presented or not presented at all, twist and maul the truth and raze our ability as professionals to educate, empower, and vouchsafe civilization.

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Photo By Txbeaker [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons



These days, both facts and the way in which they are presented are more malleable than ever. When I first got into the field, it wasn't so. Back then, I inked an honest-to-god press. The thing was a behemoth - a giant born from the black depths of global mechanization. You basically had to wrestle it in order to get your paper out. Every word you fed into that thing you thought about. Then you thought about it twice and twice again, because lord knows you didn't want to go more rounds with that infernal machine than was absolutely necessary. My summer at The Otter Valley News and Views is witnessed by the ink particles still embedded deep within the lining of my lungs.

Photography used to follow a similar plodding, dedicated to-the-point-of-cultish course. At The Daily Californian, we photographers rolled our own black-and-white film, ran up and down at sporting events at nearly the same pace as the players, and worshiped the smell of fixer in the morning- or at least pretended to, because what we sweated (and sometimes bled) for mattered. Our shots were a critical part of the process. They provided more than just meaning and context. Photographs printed on paper drew people in: they gave the words our colleagues penned the opportunity to inform readers and transform the world for the better. That was before I graduated from college, before I built something that flew into space, before I ever laid hands on a patient. Long before I ever saved someone's life, through journalism, I was able to have a significant, positive impact on the lives of my fellow human beings. And also: really great calves.

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So here I am, 18 years and several degrees later, dealing first-hand with journalism from the far side of the lens. A lot has changed. For one, the cameras are now in my face, not hanging about my neck as they ought to be. The questions will be coming my way. In 48 hours, my exit from "Mars" will be attended by 55 members of the media (and my brother, who has promised to heckle me "like a reporter"). On either side of me will be five very nice, very smart, very tired innocent bystanders: my crewmates, who have born a ceaseless onslaught of media for the last 12 months with an impressive amount of grace.

Here we arrive at something else that's changed since that fateful day when I talked my way into a job shooting mayoral candidates, house-fires, extra softball innings, and other natural disasters for a living: As much good journalism as there is (more than ever, really), really bad media abounds.

What's the disparity between good journalism and...not? Here's my view: a journalist gathers and contextualizes information such that readers can imbue it with social relevance and personal meaning. Making up facts, distilling other peoples' articles without adding value, and lifting quotes from blogs posts rather than conducting interviews is not journalism. It takes up space in news feeds, but it isn't news. Predigested and filling, it lacks mentally nutritional value while giving readers a serious case of brain gas.

True, there's always been fluff out there. Also true: like the scarlet letter, sensationalism used to be highly visible from a distance (and for the same reason). Clearly marked by cheap newsprint yellowing before it even hit the stands or by super-glossy covers with garish titles, these tabloids practically glowed when held against a dark background. If you wanted news, you had to pluck off your doorstep or out of a metal box at a busy intersection.

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These days, good journalists and bad media are jammed into the same space. No books, no covers: just the great equalizer of pixels on a screen. In the digital age, the friendly labeling we once counted on to help us discriminate between medicine and poison - between information and aggrandizement - has faded away. A text from your mother and a text from a scammer claiming that your mother is in the hospital and needs $10,000 for a procedure appear exactly the same way on your phone's LCD. An opinion piece written on an iPad on the way home from work may look as, or more, legitimate than a Pulitzer-winning piece of investigative reporting. On the surface, these two often appear the same.

That's one major change since I got into this business in 1996. The other is that properly trained, properly-paid journalists are vastly outnumbered by people under deadline to write click-bait.

So: what's a simulated astronaut to do?

Fundamentally, my job, whether I'm an astronaut or a reporter or a doctor, is to make things work: to take the limited resources at hand and deliver a victory for the home team. Ship me anywhere in the 'verse. Make the delay 20 minutes, 200 hours, or 40 days and 40 nights. Whatever the apparent barriers, I won't abandon my people - many of whom are or could be good writers who aren't given the time or training to make their product what it rightfully should be. I can't change that right now, but I can help even the odds stacked against us all by expediency, mediocrity, and inertia.

On 8/28 you will be able to ask us any question in the world. To help even the odds, here's a list of questions we've already answered many, many times:

What have you learned?

What do you miss?

What did you eat?

Have you seen The Martian?

How did it feel to not have the Sun and the wind in your face for a year?

What's the first thing you're going to do?

What's been the biggest challenge about being on Mars?

Do you guys argue? How do you deal with conflict?

What do you do if someone gets sick?

Have there been any disasters during the mission?

Do you really want to go to Mars?

Did this mission - do any simulations - help pave the way for the human exploration of Mars?

How is this simulation different from Mars?

How did your families react to your decision to go into isolation?

Did you always want to be an astronaut?

Have you ever felt like quitting?

What will be the hardest part about coming back to Earth?

Would you do it again?

Are any of you signed up for the one-way trip?

We're very glad that people are curious enough about our mission to ask any question that comes to mind. At the same time, anyone locked in a box with no direct access to the outside world, no fresh food except the small amount that they can grow in whatever space they aren't sleeping on, and only five flatmates can easily imagine what they are going to miss: more friends, family, sunshine, wind, flowers, pineapple, sushi, long walks in the woods, and tailgating at Cal games (go Bears!). If "What do you miss?" was a mystery, thanks to the power of Reddit, six crew blogs, and countless news articles, that mystery has been solved.

To my fellow journalists out there: there are much better questions to be asked and answered. For the record, the questions that were truly mysterious until I arrived on "Mars" and have never/rarely been asked by the media are:

What turned out to be replaceable? What foods were replaceable, or even better/easier to make? What new favorite food took the place of the old one that you can't have?

You can't talk directly to your family - how well do the other things that you can do compensate for that? And how well does your new family, your crew, compensate for it?

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While nothing can replace sunshine and wind, how well do the new adventures that you get to have compensate for their temporary loss? How well does the new filter between you and the world function to give you a sense of peace and the ability to accomplish things that you would struggle to accomplish otherwise, with the world knocking at your door?

Now that you have been there for a year, what message do you have for the people of Earth about their planet?

What message do you have for the folks designing the human Mars missions?

Name one total disaster - suits, radios, experiments, food recipes - and how, if you were able to salvage something from it, you did.

Name an epic win and how you accomplished it.

How is human society going to have to change to survive and thrive on Mars?

What do you expect will be extremely challenging for you when you return to Earth and what's your plan for overcoming that challenge?

What do you think will be the thing that you remember most - the dreaded memory and the cherished memory?

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What's the weakness that could have torn this mission apart? What's the strength, or strengths, that saved it?

Did you find all the media attention flattering or annoying? How weird is it to be a journalist inside a Mars mission?

Did any of you get sick or get hurt? If that had happened on Mars would you have been alright?

Do you think that six people will be enough - or too many?

Did you get enough support from the people of Earth? What else could we have done to help this mission?

Do you plan to drive right away, or will you be re-integrating back into the operation of heavy machinery slowly?

What advice do you have for choosing the next crew?

Would you have tried to vote from space? How do you think that future Mars crews should handle the political process?

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We talk a lot about the science of these missions - what the role of art, music, entertainment during these long voyages?

In a place where there's no money and nothing to buy, what do you value?

When we ask the right questions, we get people thinking, challenging assumptions, and pushing the boundaries of what ought to come next. These are free from me to you. Go to!

We Martians are ready to meet the press. We've been getting ready all year. All that we ask in return for the time that we're giving you the minute we hit dirt - I have to let you photograph me before I can so much as hug my husband - is this: be journalists. Be the truth-advocates who held this country together for hundreds of years. Adventurers like us are always good for a story. We scientists have been keeping things interesting for the last few centuries. Astronauts - bright and shiny! - are the new kids on the block when it comes to popular coverage, and deservedly so. We've faced dangers and made sacrifices for twelve long months, and we thank you for your attention. So please, come one and come all to the show. And when you come, bring the right questions. When the hatch opens and we finally present ourselves to you, that's the signal: It's YOUR turn to be the hero. To write our way into the future. To find the facts, solicit the opinions, and frame the stories that will make the last year - our lives in service to science and Earth and all of humankind - meaningful. To make the fact that I waited 366 days PLUS 10 minutes to hug my husband worthwhile. So let's do this, people. We scienced the heck out of this. Now, let's write the heck out of this.

You ask. We'll answer. Make me proud.
How different would your whole life be if only you had taken just one more minute at some point earlier on? How much more fruitful would your career be had you only listened to that nagging whisper, that one unexpected word, when a crisis was unfolding?

If you find yourself dealing with a particularly toxic situation, where your clients are in crisis and crazed with fear, it's a good time to tune into your place of calm. Take a breath and ask for a single minute. You may be surprised how a moment of silence will free you towards finding the perfect problem-of-the-day solution. At the very least you'll discover the issue is much simpler than you believed. Above all, it will protect you throughout the decision-making process. Embracing the courage to ask for it will be a gift to yourself.



Revise your approach: It only takes a minute to see that your client needs a little reassurance. Grabbing that minute will protect you against being subjective or judgmental, impulsive or narcissistic. It is vital when dealing with a lack of boundaries to keep your 1-minute check-in at hand. A minute might be all you need to help you restructure a client's world of problems.

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Even if your mind is brimming with nothing but cold silence, accessing that clarity will take you out of paralysis and make you proactive. You may not know the right answer; more than likely, you'll draw a blank. But the very act of listening to your intuitive prompt is such a positive step that the best course of action is made possible, even inevitable. Whatever decision you make or recommend, upon emerging, will be guided by clarity rather than a fear impulse. Conscious interpretation is a muscle, one that we can learn to flex in the clarity of a given minute.

Even if you have some experience of inner stillness through meditation or other spiritual disciplines, the application of a silent moment can only enhance your growth and grasp of your day-to-day goals. The 60-second tool is a perfect solution to gain increased awareness and inner confidence. It is an instrument that will help you to become more present in your life.

When in crisis, do the 1-Minute Drill.



Breathe deep, and relax. Take long, deep, silent breaths; inhale through your nose, fill your lungs and belly, exhale through your mouth. Start with a reasonably small number of such breaths (whatever is comfortable) but work your way up to 36. Take still more as you become proficient, and say silently to yourself, "I am worthy." Or you could say to yourself, "I know what I'm meant to do." This approach will help you center and put you back on the fast track in no time.

Assess whether the feeling is persistent. If it is gnawing at you, and this gut feeling involves your boss, co-workers or clients, ask yourself:

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 What words or actions have triggered this discomfort?

 What pattern keeps emerging?

 In what way does the person in question either answer or evade your questions?



Pay attention to their voice. Notice if that person is reluctant to talk. The silent pauses are key indicators that something is going on.

Make no decisions from this place. If you feel uncomfortable, make a graceful exit, at least for a short while. Give yourself some time to rethink and re-check your strategy, or do some added recon on what outside factors might be affecting the situation.

Each of us has a right to take this minute, a pressure-free minute, but nobody teaches us to ask for it -- we must ask ourselves for it.

"A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer." --Novalis

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The World Conservation Congress passed with overwhelming support a motion today denouncing the killing of whales under the guise of science.

The motion censures Japan's "scientific research" whaling, which Japan uses to evade the international ban against commercial whaling. Among other things, the motion calls on Japan to revoke its existing lethal whale research programs. It also calls upon all states to refrain from engaging in research programs that kill whales.

The expertise and reputation of the World Conservation Congress makes this motion especially noteworthy. Hosted every four years by the world's largest network of conservation experts - the 1,300 member International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - the World Conservation Congress brings together thousands of scientists and other environmental professionals from over 170 countries, including members from 89 states, 129 government agencies, and over 1,000 domestic and international non-governmental organizations. The IUCN is considered the global scientific authority on conservation issues due to both its diverse membership and its reliance on over 16,000 experts from a range of disciplines such as species survival, ecosystem management, and social and economic policy.

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This international clout makes the motion - entitled "Concerns about whaling under special permits" - yet another compelling condemnation of Japan's whaling.

The IUCN joins other illustrious international bodies in denouncing Japan's whaling. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has adopted 22 resolutions over the years calling on Japan to half or restrict its "scientific research" whaling. And in a 2014 landmark decision, the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Japan's research whaling program in the Antarctic (JARPA II) was illegal. Although Japan initially agreed to abide by the ICJ judgement (and conducted only nonlethal research the following season), it later denounced the ICJ's jurisdiction over disputes involving living marine resources.

Japan then issued itself a new research plan that allows it to kill 333 minke whales per year.

The IWC Scientific Committee - the world's foremost experts on whales - reviewed Japan's new plan and concluded that the lethal sampling of whales was not scientifically justified. Nonetheless, Japan resumed its "scientific research" whaling in December 2015 and killed its entire self-allocated quota of 333 minke whales last season - including 200 pregnant females.

Since the moratorium on commercial whaling took effect in 1986, Japan has killed over 15,000 whales under the guise of science.

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Enough whales have died.

The decisive action today by the World Conservation Congress harpoons Japan's "scientific research" whaling program and encourages the use of non-lethal research options.

It also reflects an international scientific consensus that there is no legitimate reason to kill thousands of whales in order to study them. The IWC has spoken. The World Court has spoken. And now, the world's leading conservation organization has spoken.
Anyone who has watched The Shawshank Redemption knows cigarettes are currency in jail. But these days, according to a new study, they are being supplanted by packages of ramen noodles, the Guardian US reports.

A package of ramen that costs 59 cents at the prison commissary can be traded on the black market for more expensive goods, like a sweatshirt worth nearly $11. The noodles are also being used to buy fresh vegetables smuggled out of the prison's kitchen.

The soup "is easy to get and it's high in calories," Michael Gibson-Light, the doctoral candidate in sociology who authored the study, explains. "A lot of them, they spend their days working and exercising, and they don't have enough energy to do these things."

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Another reason the popularity of ramen has been on the rise is that budgets for food in prison have tightened, and inmates, at least in one prison mentioned, are given only two meals on Saturdays and Sundays.
BSA's Girls Who Code class of 2016 graduated this month, marking the end of an intensive seven-week coding program. While most of the 19 girls in the BSA classroom began the program with no knowledge of coding, they are now proficient in several programming languages, including Python, Scratch, HTML, and CSS. They have created websites and apps, met with Members of Congress, and have networked with leading women computer scientists and engineers.

Girls Who Code was founded in 2012 with the mission of closing the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. In four years, Girls Who Code has gone from 20 girls in New York to 10,000 girls in 42 states. The program couldn't have come at a better time. We need a well-trained pipeline of computer scientists in our software-dependent economy, and right now the software industry has more jobs than it can fill. By 2024 there will be 4.4 million jobs available in computer and information technology. Encouraging women to join this field is critical to fill this gap: Women held 36 percent of computing occupations in 1991, but just 25% in 2015.

BSA is fortunate to have member companies who are committed to contributing to the Girls Who Code mission. Not only did BSA members--including Adobe, Autodesk, IBM, Intuit, Microsoft, and Workday--sponsor Girls Who Code in several cities across the nation, they also pitched in to specifically support the BSA classroom this summer.

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We would like to thank our member companies for their contributions and participation in BSA's 2016 Girls Who Code program:

The BSA classroom toured Symantec's Cyberthreat Center and received a threat briefing detailing the dangers of specific threats like zero-day attacks.

IBM brought Lisa Seacat DeLuca, the most prolific female inventor in IBM history, to the classroom to share her thoughts about creativity and confidence.

Kat Holmes, Microsoft's Principal Design Director of Inclusive Design, spoke to the girls about viewing disabilities as opportunities rather than as disadvantages, and improving accessibility through design.

Microsoft hosted a mentorship workshop for the girls to hone their networking skills with female professionals from across government and industry.

Dell emceed the first BSA/Girls Who Code Hackathon on the Hill, where the girls presented coding projects to Members of Congress.

Dell also donated laptops for the girls to use during the summer program. At the graduation ceremony, we surprised the girls with the news that the laptops were theirs to keep.

Last year, 94% of the girls in BSA's Girls Who Code inaugural classroom reported that the program made them more likely to pursue a major in computer science. One of this year's students commented on the thrill she gets from coding: "My favorite part is that it really took me out of my comfort zone. I feel like I'm actually doing something. When I finish coding something, and I test it, and it works - that's my favorite part."

BSA is proud to play a part in teaching these bright, enthusiastic girls how to code. Congratulations to our 2016 graduates!
Zoltan Istvan speaking at RAAD Festival in San Diego

My recent dispatch from my transhumanist presidential campaign trail missed some key descriptions of my last month. I ended by telling readers the campaign trail was aging me--which is ironic since the #1 goal of my presidential run is to try to convince the world we should use science and technology to end aging and death. Even if the campaign road has been tough, the reception I've received many places has been wonderful.

Before any of the traveling even started in the last month, the San Francisco Chronicle came to my house to create a video highlighting the chip in my hand. Yes, I have a small implant, and it can do things like send a text to your phone, start a car, and unlock various things. In my case, it unlocks my house door.

Also, read my Op-Ed piece on implants in the San Francisco Chronicle which the Drudge Report also shared: Chip-enhanced Political Candidates Coming Soon.

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Back to my travels. A bit over two weeks ago in San Diego, I was pleasantly surprised by the large turnout at RAAD Festival--a life extension event where 1000 people from 35 countries showed up. I penned my experiences at the event for Vice Motherboard. I wrote:

Billed as the biggest life extension festival in history, RAAD Fest took place from August 4-7. Over 1000 participants made it to the sold-out event, making it the largest group of transhumanists and longevity activists ever to assemble in one place.

The success of the festival signals the growing trend of the life extension movement. In the last few years, major companies like Google's Calico and Human Longevity Inc. have formed to combat aging. Additionally, billionaires like Peter Thiel and Larry Ellison have funded longevity and anti-aging initiatives. Even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently called for science to end all disease this century.

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A nice 15-minute video was made of my speech at the event by the organizers.

Before RAAD Fest, I was in New York City for a unique event, Human X Design, produced by CNN Courageous and Square Enix. Because of the new Deus Ex video coming out, a 1-day event created to explore human augmentation was put on. Popular Science wrote on the event:

Sometimes art imitates reality. Sometimes reality imitates art. And sometimes you can't tell what came first. This month, Square Enix, the video game company famous for producing games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, hosted a conference on the future of human augmentation. To my knowledge, it's the first example of a video game maker setting out to organize a bioethics conference around the subject of a game.

Popular Science continues: Only in a video game could Zoltan Istvan, a transhumanist presidential candidate, go on stage to advocate human photosynthesis. "I have friends who want to use the new genome editing CRISPR technology to grow a third eye in the back of their head," said Istvan. "They're also trying to splice plant DNA into their arms so that they could go out into the sun and photosynthesize."

I had the pleasure of being on an all women panel at the event. Our panel discussion was titled The Future of the Far, Far Next. Here's the video:

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When I was finally back in San Francisco (where I live) from all my traveling, I had a chance to email interview my friend Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential candidate. Months before I'd also met with Gary Johnson, under the possibility of being chosen to be his Vice President. Johnson eventually chose the charismatic and much more experienced Governor Bill Weld. They've been doing an amazing campaign so far--so much so that Johnson and Weld now stand a decent chance of making it into the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates. Johnson and Weld are both former governors, and they'd both add an important and essential viewpoint to the debates.

I believe it's critical they're involved in the debates, not just for their own campaign which I support, but for America. It's downright un-American to only involve two parties. Johnson and Weld are polling nationally in the low double digits, which means they could end up with 10-15 million votes. They simply must be let into the debates.



You can find my exclusive interview with Gary Johnson on Futurism here.

Zoltan Istvan and Gary Johnson

After publishing my interview, I was honored to have Nick Gillespie, editor in chief of Reason do a commentary essay on the story. I've followed Mr. Gillespie's writings for a long time. You can find his Reason story here.

In closing of this campaign dispatch, last week, a 3-minute comedy video centered on my Vice Motherboard article Technology Will Replace the Need for Big Government came out. It was made by We The Internet, and it's quite amusing.
Hutchinson steamrolls Liberal 35-7, setting up rematch with Bishop Carroll

The Hutchinson Salthawks overcame several Liberal short-field opportunities in the first half to beat the Redskins 35-7 Friday night at Gowans Stadium
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Apples Beats Beats Monster Monster Lawsuit

LA Superior Court Judge William Fahey yesterday handed down a summary judgment that effectively dismissed the claims that Beats by Dr Dre had cheated Monster and its CEO Noel Lee out of a 5% share of the Beats brand.

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A summary judgement issued in LA Superior court effectively ends the Beats vs. Monster lawsuit that alleged that Beats has denied headphone maker Monster a 5% share of Beats through a "sham" sale to HTC. the Associated Press reports. The lawsuit alleged that misrepresentations of Beats' future plans led Monster CEO Noel Lee to relinquish his stake in the company for a $5.5 million.

Eight months later, Apple purchased the Beats brand for $3 billion. Had Lee kept his 1.25% share, it would have been worth more than $30 million.

The case is will go to trial next week, but the only major issue left is a Beats motion to recoup attorney fees and associated costs.

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Proven Content Ideas For An Artists Social Media Calendar

For musicians, setting up their social media accounts is only half the battle. The real challenge comes when it's time to put out material that will interest and engage fans. Here we review several proven avenues to explore when it comes sharing content.

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Guest Post by Jessica Hackett on Soundfly's Flypaper

Youve already taken step one. You bit the bullet and created the essential social media accounts for your music. Now youre stuck figuring out what content to post, or youve been posting, but dont know why certain posts gain traction while others fall flat. Building a branded presence for your business is a key step in your career as a musician. It takes a huge pair of ovaries to put yourself and your work out there publicly!

Whether youre naturally inspired by Instagram or terrified of Twitter, building a content strategy and scheduling updates in advance cuts your time working on social media in half. And I know that sounds like a chore, but for artists committed both to their craft and to securing steady audience growth, its a huge help. More importantly, it allows you to build more natural marketing into your daily social media content over time.

The secret is to brainstorm content ideas that you can use and reuse, especially when you dont have concert dates, album releases, or music video launches coming up. Here are five general content prompts to get you started.

Who Inspires You?

Creatively, musically, emotionally: who are the artists and innovators that give you a rush? Share your playlist, your summer reads, or the latest research from your favorite scientist with your followers.

Tagging, sharing, and shouting out on social media is a great way to network, contribute to the artistic community, and be discovered by fans of the stuff you love. Dont worry if you dont immediately hear back from the other artists you reach out to. Trust that they check their mentions and know that a bit of name recognition can go a long way. Maybe your simple, heartfelt shoutout will be enough for an artist to think of you next time they need an opening act.

+ Learn more: Band management doesnt have to be as scary as it sounds. Gain the tools you need to run a successful DIY band with our free course, Building a Better Band!

What Drives You?

Who are you beyond your music? Do you love the outdoors, get lost in video games, or are you more of a nightclub person? Theres always one member of every band whose character quirks are naturally entertaining, make them a band meme! Share what youre doing offstage, showcase the unique aspects of your personality, and look for communities of fellow enthusiasts with whom to connect.

A word of warning on sharing your personality as a professional: What you put out on the internet as a musician could stick with you throughout your career. If you dont want a fan, journalist, or potential connection probing into it, dont post it. You get to pick and choose which parts of yourself you share.

Where Did You Come From?

Theres a whole weekly hashtag devoted to answering this question. In fact, there are tons. Dig up your 5th grade yearbook photo, the flyer for your first performance or footage of an early band rehearsal and share like theres no tomorrow.

You can make your throwbacks as silly or personal as you want, as long as your tone is on brand. Remember that the internet is a sucker for a good inspirational story. Talk about your progress as a musician, as an artist. Share the highlights and the embarrassing moments. Let your fans become a part of your journey, and theyll want to stick around to see where it goes.

+ From the Flypaper Archive: How to Be Every Sound Guys Best Friend

Whats Your Process?

Many of your fans are also looking for ways to express themselves creatively. Your carefully constructed songwriting rituals and tips could help to inspire them. Post your creative process, tips for beating writers block, and rituals or routines for summoning the muse to lend your fans a dose of encouragement.

To make your tips extra-shareable, try writing them as blog posts, publishing them to Pinterest, creating a YouTube tutorial, or live-streaming a talk on Periscope.

Who Supports You?

When all else fails and youve got nothing to say, reach out to your fans. Keep on the lookout for photos, recordings, and comments fans have shared and repost them. Host a Q&A with your fans on Reddit or Twitter. Publish some (credited) fan art on your Instagram.

Remember that fantastic story of Guster recreating their fans cover video of their song, Diane? When your fans do react with their true colors, its important you reward them for doing so. Reaching out through the tangled knots of the web to show your appreciation for fans creativity, and providing them a space to share it, are great ways to build deeper levels of engagement!

Any opportunity that you can find to interact is an opportunity you should take. Followers that feel noticed and involved are more likely to stay that way.

Remember that social media is just another medium to tell your story and share your art. See what fits for you and no matter what anyone else says, if it works it works! Keep updating your strategy based on what resonates with your followers. When you put time, planning, and personality into your posts, you will see results.

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott Urges U.S. DOJ To Reconsider Changes To PRO Licensing Model

With so many unhappy with the Department of Justice's recent alteration to the Performing Rights Organization licensing model, Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently sent a letter to Attorney General Lynch urging reconsideration of the decision.

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In this recent post on MusicThinkTank from the Texas Music Office, we look at a letter recently sent to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, requesting that the Department of Justice change their recent decision for the benefit of musicians everywhere.

"The proposed change would:

-Discourage songwriters from collaborating with artists under different PROs

-Force PROs to build new accounting tools, disrupting partnerships throughout the music industry

-Increase administrative costs for PROs and music artists"

[Continue Reading]

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Volume: how much conversation there is about a brand

Sentiment: how positive are the conversations about the brand

Brand Sharing: how much sharing of brand content is occurring, including paid/owned/earned media

Influence: whether consumer influencers are more engaged with the brand

Ranking TotalSocial 1 Allstate 2 GEICO 3 Blue Cross/Blue Shield 4 Aetna 5 State Farm 6 United Health 7 USAA 8 Medicare/Medicaid 9 Metlife 10 Humana Healthcare

Its not exactly a cause for celebration when your industry is held in less esteem than big banking. The sting of the 2008 financial crisis and resulting recession still smarts, and films like The Big Short keep the financial services sector in rather low regard with the American public.Yet thats just where insurance companies have found themselves, according to new research from Engagement Labs.Analysts with the technology and data company examined public perception of several insurance brands, through both online and offline metrics, to determine that the industry is below average when it comes to both consumer sentiment and driving offline conversations. Its scores, in fact, rank lower than even the banking and credit card industries, which are also below average.Insurance companies are in a difficult spot in the market as people often need them, and in turn talk about, when things have gone wrong, Engagement Labs Chief Executive Ed Keller told Insurance Business America. We [also] dont see a large volume of offline conversations in the insurance category  people talking face-to-face or over the phone about these brands.With an estimated two-thirds of recommendation-based sales coming from offline word of mouth, the results send a strong message to the industry: focus on improving how people discuss your brand, or risk losing business.One area in which insurance companies are actually excelling is social media. Keller noted that insurance brands do particularly well in comparison to other financial industries when it comes to online brand sharing, by creating content that consumers then pass on to their own networks. They are also using Facebook and Twitter to manage real time customer service needs.Thats certainly one key to boosting consumer sentiment, but such a narrow, social-focused strategy misses many opportunities to generate marketing that will truly engage customers and create more positive feeling, Keller said.Although social media is an important channel for brands to leverage, it should not be the only social metric brands develop strategies around and measure, he said. Focusing solely on online performance can be detrimental to a brand, as online social metrics almost never represent the entire picture.Instead, Engagement Labs advocates  and measures, in studies like this one  what it calls a TotalSocial score. Both online and offline conversations are measured in four key categories:Based on these metrics, the following insurance companies were deemed the most socially successful brands in insurance:Source: TotalSocialtop ten performing insurance brands in the U.S. for the 12 months ending June 2016.Keller noted that while each of the top-performing companies command major budgets and national influence, these are not the only  or even the most important  indicators of success.We did a study with Analytic Partners that found when advertising causes conversations and online sharing, it is much more likely to also drive sales, compared to when it does not drive conversations. Additionally, the quality of the creative is more effective at driving consumers to talk about a brand than the amount of airtime or ad spend the TV campaign received, he told IBA.Therefore, budgets do help a brands social influence. However, more importantly, the actual content being developed is a major factor that contributes to the influence the ad or content has among audiences, both online and offline.Additionally, the lessons of major, captive personal lines carriers still apply to even the smallest insurance agencies. Social media and other marketing engagement is vastly important in building quality relationships with clients and garnering referrals, and agents must not ignore it.As our research has shown, consumers are increasingly likely to engage with branded social content online, but actually talk about it with their social network offline, said Keller. What is important for insurance agents is that they know their audience and what type of content their audience is more likely to engage with, including the base  who are the most influential. They can then effectively tailor their content to what the audience wants.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency today as a tropical weather system bore down on the states Gulf Coast, according to a Reuters report.The system could bring life-threatening flooding, according to Reuters. Parts of the Florida Gulf Coast have been placed under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch.Scott declared an emergency in 42 of Floridas 67 counties as a weather system expected to become a tropical storm heads toward the state. The storm is expected to make landfall on the north-central Gulf Coast late Thursday or early Friday and move across the northern part of the state and up the Atlantic Coast, according to Reuters.Parts of Florida were already getting drenched by heavy rains this morning, Reuters reported. The storm could bring as much as 20 inches to the northern and central parts of the state.Currently, the weather system is an unnamed tropical depression with 35 mile-per-hour winds 00 although higher gusts could approach hurricane strength, Reuters reported.In the Pacific, residents of Hawaiis Big Island were also preparing for a storm Wednesday as the government issued a hurricane warning. Gov. David Ige has ordered state offices closed in preparation for Hurricane Madeline, which is expected to pass over the island today.
Louisiana residents still reeling from the floodwaters caused $20 billion in damages earlier this month now have another trial to contend with: looters.People with pickups and even trailers are reportedly going through piles of debris left by flooded home and business owners on the streets, rummaging for anything of value  and consequently jeopardizing the victims chances of collecting insurance payment.Right after we put our stuff out, we had people asking if they could take the washer and dryer, Kim Halphen of Walker, Louisiana told The Advocate. We cant get rid of it until the insurance adjusters come.'Halphen and other Louisiana flood victims have been asked by insurance companies to save certain things such as pieces of carpet or wood trim in order to process their claims. Both private and National Flood Insurance Program-affiliated insurers prefer documentation of household items, including photos and serial numbers, and many are now advising policyholders to do this documentation before taking their debris outside.At the very least, policyholders should beware of swindlers identifying themselves as working with FEMA or the city-parish.Theyre not cleaning anything up. Theyre just taking the appliances, said Andrew Haley, who is busy this week assisting his insurance adjuster parents. The insured has no way to get these items paid for.Perhaps even more disconcerting than looters is how few people in Louisiana even have to contend with the problem.According to NFIP data obtained by Insurance Business America, just 4% of home and business owners in the 11 most affected parishes have an in-force flood insurance policy. While more than 1.34 million people live in East Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes, only a little more than 58,000 carry coverage.Statewide, 9% of Louisianas 4.65 million residents have an in-force policy.I tell folks the best insurance buy a Louisiana property owner can make is the significantly subsidized flood insurance program, State Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said. Butpeople invariably roll the dice.Part of that reason may still be cost, despite the subsidized rates from the NFIP, but the lack of private market options also makes coverage a difficult sell, insurance professionals say. Without multiple choices to present to clients, policies go unsold and home and business owners go uninsured.And the continued subsidization of NFIP rates, a lack of accurate flood maps and outdated modeling techniques are preventing the market from developing further, a July Standard & Poors report found.At this point, we dont expect a wave of private insurers to sweep into this market but rather a trickle as insurers would enter cautiously before they become more comfortable with the risks involved, S&P concluded.Related Stories:

Louisiana flooding: Shockingly few have insurance in major disaster

Louisianas flood rates could increase following weekend flooding
Policies receiving pre-FIRM subsidized rates

Standard B, C and X-zone-rated policies

Preferred Risk Policies (PRPs)

Policies rated under the Newly Mapped rating procedure

Independent insurance agents should be prepared to answer policyholder questions and potentially gather new information for National Flood Insurance Program-affiliated insurance companies as carriers continue the re-underwriting process mandated under the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act.Section 28 of the 2014 law requires NFIP insurers to clearly communicate these flood risk determinations to policyholders, through direct mailing and other documentation. FEMAs phased approach to the risk reassessment began with new policies April 1 and continues October 1 for policies including: Aon National Flood Services released a new e-book resource to help agents navigate these changes, in which it outlines four possible outcomes facing policyholders: no change, a non-rate-impacting change in which data is updated but does not impact premium, a premium increase or a premium decrease.Cynthia DiVincenti, vice president with Aon NFS, told Insurance Business America that while roughly 40% of policies it is reviewing have had no changes, other results are all over the place.Right now, pre-FIRM policies are getting substantial increases each year but sometimes we find the original information used to write the policy was not correct, and it could result in a premium decrease, DiVincenti said.In the upcoming weeks, agents may be asked to supply additional information used to determine these outcomes. They should also be ready to answer policyholder questions regarding the changes, as customers will be receiving direct communication from the carrier.I think the best thing to do is just stay in tune and understand if [insurers] reach out to them, its critical to respond as quickly as possible, said DiVincenti.She noted that while these NFIP changes have the potential to be somewhat disruptive for agents and their customers, they are not nearly as bad as previous alterations  namely those brought on by the 2012 Biggert-Waters Act.Still, the potential for premium increases always drives at least some policyholders to cancel their coverage. NFIP data revealed in 2015 that the number of government-sponsored flood policies in force has plunged by nearly 10% in the past six years, from 5.7 million in 2009 to 5.1 million in 2015.DiVincenti said Aon has not been immune to these cancellations.Were definitely seeing retention rates impacted by some of these changes, more so in voluntary purchase products, she said. If your policy wasnt on a primary residence, you were faced with a rate increase and a $250 surcharge  thats a big jump in premium. So yes, weve definitely seen fewer people voluntarily purchasing those.The NFIP is up for reauthorization in 2017, and FEMA has promised sweeping reform in the way the program is administered. Though no details have yet been released, Keith Brown, CEO at Aon National Flood Services, believes things it will result in better prospects for all, including private insurers, agents and customers.Flood insurance as we know it from NFIP is not going to go away and as additional options become available, well see more coverage options from private insurers and from NFIP, Brown told IBA. Overall, I think were pretty optimistic on what the future holds.

A flood of coverage cancellations

Recent floods ramp up broker business
Fire Lt. Randy Stein, who heads the inspections, said Lenco has significantly more vehicles on site than allowed.

Pittsfield Fire Department Says Lenco Has Too Many Vehicles On Site



The Licensing Board will be looking for progress on both Lenco's plot plan and from the Polish Community Club's reopening process. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The Fire Department is saying the number of vehicles on Lenco property is a hazard.

Lt. Randy Stein filed a complaint with the Licensing Board saying the company has upward of 100 vehicles on both the Betnr Industrial Drive and Downing Industrial Park locations while the company's auto dealer license only allow for 10 at Downing and 25 at Betnr.

"We don't know when a fire is going to happen," Stein said. "They've been lucky up until now that nothing has happened."

Stein says there is lack of access for firefighters to get to the rear of the building and vehicles are heavily stacked up against each other with a shortage of access points. Stein said one of the vehicles caught on fire, the entire building and many other vehicles could light up and there'd be nothing the Fire Department could do to stop it because of the lack of access.

Stein is calling on the company to create a new plot map which will allocate sufficient spacing between vehicles  including employee vehicles  and enough access.

"I believe there is enough area on both sites, if not they may need a small auxiliary lot," Stein said.

Leonard Light, the manager, recognized that the company is out of compliance with the license and vowed to work with Stein to address the concern. Light said the current situation is mostly driven by a large 300 vehicle contract the company is currently working on, which required an influx of vehicles at once.

"It just wasn't really looked at. We do have a lot of vehicles on the lot. We've been the victim of our own success," Light said.

Light said renewing the license had become a routine and the company hadn't reviewed the restriction on the number of vehicles in years. Another round of 25 vehicles will be shipped out this week and over the next month even more will be delivered, naturally reducing the number of vehicles stored. But, the company has grown and there are more employees, so there will still be a need to amend the plot plan to account for greater numbers than on the license now.

"We were not really aware of the existing license," attorney Vicki Donahue told the Licensing Board. "Clearly we are above and beyond what the license currently states."

Licensing Board Chairman Carmen Massimiano took exception that the claim that the company was ignorant of the rules and said more and more often he is finding companies violating restrictions placed on licenses and then saying the same thing.

"As time goes on people decided they are going to do it their way and not do it according to the plot plan they agreed to," he said. "People are just ignoring the rules, regulations, laws and ordinances of this city."

Light respectfully disagreed saying this truly was a case in which the company wasn't aware of the restrictions placed on the license years ago. Nonetheless, Light agreed to revise a plot plan and come before the board with updates at the next meeting. Stein said he hadn't written any fines or assessments because the inspections aren't meant to be punitive but rather just ensuring safety.

In other business, the saga over the Polish Community Club has shown no progress. John Kerwood has been trying to reopen the club since it closed in December 2014. In July 2014, the past president of the club and licensee holder Stella Spence died and no manager was chosen to replace her. A month later, police responded to a fight there and couldn't find a manager, which brought the issue to the Licensing Board. In December, the club shut its doors.

Kerwood's plight started with working with the banks to get access to the club's accounts and to get a loan to reopen. But that requires a new board of directors to be formed to give that authority. From there, the club is still required to hire a new manager.



John Kerwood said he was unable to hold the membership meeting he told the board last month he was going to organize. Last month, Kerwood said he was holding a club meeting for the election of a new board in August. But, that didn't happen and he is now looking to host that meeting in September.

"Because of some health issues, I didn't do what I said I would do," Kerwood said, asking for a continuation until October to hold that meeting and get a manager on duty.

Kerwood said he has chosen a new manager and has the paperwork ready and everything should fall into place after the election of officers.

But he doesn't have the support of all of the club. Richard Walsh held up a copy of the club's bylaws and said it can't be done in one meeting. He said there needs to be a membership meeting, then nomination period, then an election.

"The way it is being presented is not the manner it should be done, in my opinion, as a legitimate club," Walsh said, adding that there are as many people against Kerwood's efforts as there is supporting it.

Massimiano said the key is to just get everyone into a room together to plan out the future of the club.

"The meeting is the important thing. You've got to get them into a room and make some decisions," he said. "You've got to get them into a room."

The board may have to move to revoke the license, something board member Richard Stockwell said he'd motion to do if there isn't progress by October. The board doesn't like to do that because once the license is revoked, it can't be given to another. The city is above its cap on licenses so any revocation means the license is permanently retired.

"If that meeting has not taken place at the end of September and you appear before us saying nothing else happens, we don't want to take action but we might be forced to," said board member Dana Doyle.
The City Council tours the Cemetery Department buildings at Southview on Monday. The side of the building is buckling. Water issues have destroyed the second floor. Holes in the office show no insulation. The tour began at the newer but still problematic Parks & Recreation building. The salt shed, which stores sand and salt, has structural issues. Sanders are stacked outside because there is no place to store them. Outside the salt shed on Ashland Street. Plows are also stored outside in the weather. The mechanic garage at the City Yard can't accommodate the larger vehicles. There's no room for much of the tools and supplies. A damaged corner on the main the DPW headquarters. Brick facing is falling off. The wall collapsed and had to be repaired several years ago. The break room; anyone entering the bathroom was given fair warning. The wall holding up the I-beam in the 1884 building is deteriorating The office doubles as a paint supply room. A narrow hallway is filled with pipe supplies. Tires in a dead end room have to be rolled through the building. A mishmash in the Water Department that doubles as workshop and garage. Attempts have been made to clean out a lot of older, obsolete materials but there's still little usable space to work on big projects. The ceiling. The Wire & Alarm building dates to 1924. It, too, is tiny and supplies have to be stored elsewhere. The newest addition was built in the 1970s and is no longer suitable for larger trucks. This old picture appears to be the former highway headquarters. Right, the trusses of the 'new' highway garage goes up; left, Mayor Bianco at an Arbor Day planting in front of the completed building. PreviousNext

North Adams Public Works Buildings in Bad Shape

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Dirty, dank, deteriorating, demoralizing.



That pretty much sums up the conditions for the city's Department of Public Works employees.



"The working conditions for our public services people are not good," said Mayor Richard Alcombright. "It's dark, it's dirty, in some cases, I would almost call it unsafe ...



"We wouldn't put our teachers in that environment, we wouldn't put our City Hall workers in that environment."



The City Council toured the several facilities used by highway, cemetery and water department workers on Monday night by Mayor Richard Alcombright and Public Services Commissioner Timothy Lescarbeau.



The administration is pushing for approval to buy a former manufacturing plant on Hodges Cross Road that would accommodate all the departments and their equipment  all inside. The council, on Monday, postponed a decision on that purchase.



The oldest of the buildings dates back to the 1880s but even the newest is problematic from a situational standpoint  it's located right in the middle of what will be the spray park in the revamped Noel Field Complex.



The Parks & Recreation Building may be newer but it's being used only because Lescarbeau had the old one that was behind the Goodwill store on State Street razed as soon as he was hired.



"On my first week on the job I made everybody move out of there. I condemned it," he said, adding that the building was in such poor condition "you could walk through the wall."



Still, the Parks & Rec building has water issues and can't hold all department's equipment. That was a litany repeated throughout the tour: water and space.



The Cemetery Department is two buildings tucked away behind a hill at Southview. The main structure with the office is the oldest and in the worst condition. Lescarbeau thought it may date to the old City Infirmary, the successor to the Poor Farm, that had been demolished back in the 1960s as the cemetery expanded.



There are obvious rot and foundation issues; the office is decrepit and the second floor of the barn structure is so bad he didn't want anyone up there for safety reasons. It's difficult to imagine anyone wanting to work in the dark, leaky, smelly building.



"When it rains, the water comes in through and puddles up in here," Lescarbeau said. "It costs more to heat this building in the winter time than it does to heat the whole City Yard."



Its secluded location makes it a target for break-ins and the security system shorts out when it rains.



None of the interiors are conducive to morale.



It doesn't seem as though the situation at the City Yard has changed much in the past 50 years. A reporter with the North Adams Transcript wrote a scathing editorial back in 1962, calling the Yard "an abomination" and a "slum."



"The buildings are jammed in together around the perimeter of the Yard, which feeds directly and dangerously onto Ashland Street," Edwin Matesky wrote. "Only one of the buildings, a concrete and brick garage built close to 30 years ago [and still standing], is any good. The others are worthless and present a crazy patchwork quilt effect of spot repair over the years."



Even then, space was at a premium and Public Works had to rent out room in the old Boston & Maine roundhouse. Matesky excoriated the city for allowing the Yard "to rot these many years to its present state of decrepitude."



"If you don't believe it, go see for yourself," he said.
A screen shot from PCTV of the debate.

Democratic Senate Candidate Participate in Pittsfield Gazette Debate

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  In the second of back-to-back debates for the Democratic state Senate candidates on Monday, the three spent an hour handling questions posed by David Cachat, coordinator of PCTV's CityLink channel.

Not only was the debate, which kicked off at 8:30 p.m. the second that night for the senatorial candidates, but it was also back to back for Berkshire Community College. The three candidates had debated at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington before heading to BCC for the Pittsfield Gazette's debate. The Gazette had put on a few hours earlier a debate among the two Democrats seeking the nomination for the House seat in the 3rd Berkshire District.

In Pittsfield, the Senate candidates handled a mix of local and state issues. Cachet asked about the recently approved ban on non-domesticated animals adopted by the City Council and the proposal for the new Walmart at the William Stanley Business Park  both issues have triggered significant debate and banter among residents and officials over the past few months.

"I feel that state legislations similar to what the City Council passed is appropriate in our state," said Andrea Harrington of the ban on circus animals. "I think we have a responsibility to advocate for these animals that are part of these circuses that shouldn't be there and aren't getting the proper care."

Harrington is a Great Barrington-based attorney and is seeking the nomination against Adam Hinds, on leave as Northern Berkshire Community Coalition executive director, and Pittsfield attorney Rinaldo Del Gallo.

"I think the Pittsfield City Council did the right and proper thing," Del Gallo said.

Hinds said he's willing to take up the ban on the state level as well. As for Walmart, Hinds says he doesn't like the business model but also recognizes the city's economic bind when it comes to developing the former General Electric land. The issues has made it clear to him that the state has done a poor job in helping the city made the transition from an manufacturing center to post-closure.

"Generally and personally I am opposed to Walmarts and their impact on local economies in term of the draining local dollars out of the economy, in term of the downward pressure on benefits and wages," Hinds said.

Del Gallo agrees, saying that it was 10 years ago when he first voiced displeasure with the operations of the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority.

"They did a horrible job in managing the Stanley Industrial Park," Del Gallo said,

Harrington's frustration with the proposal is that it is only being looked at as a Pittsfield issue but "when we lose 300 jobs in Pittsfield it affects the entire county, it affects the entire district." Harrington is calling for a regional approach to economic development coupled with a long-term planning to outline what the county as a whole envisions in the future.

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier had filed a bill looking to pilot a vehicle miles traveled tax. The plan would be considered a possible replacement to the gas tax. But, after the governor vetoed it, it led to a lot of discussion about the bill with many saying that it would unfairly hurt Berkshire County. The three Senate candidates all joined in that chorus of opposition to the concept.

"That doesn't sound like a very good idea now does it?" Del Gallo said. "We need to rely less on user fees or sales taxes that are regressive."

Harrington said she recognized the need to raise more revenue for roads and bridges, but felt the miles-traveled bill takes away incentives to drive fuel-efficient cars and unfairly punishes people in the Berkshires.

"I believe that could require the government to be monitor where they are driving, how much they are driving, and I see that as an invasion of privacy," Harrington said.

Hinds said there are many examples of Berkshire County being unfairly treated including busing for schools. He said he'd be going to the State House looking to be a strong voice resisting such bills. Hinds is also calling for more money to be allocated to Berkshire County to repair the infrastructure.

"We've been watching for too long as transportation funds go to the MBTA," Hinds said. "We're not getting what we need out here."

Some of that revenue is coming from the reinstated tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which is being switched over to an all-electronic collection system.

"I am concerned when people are losing their livelihoods. I would prefer to see toll takers still working," Harrington said of the shift.

Del Gallo called it "impractical" to require every drive to have an E-Z pass transponder, but that is what the proposal calls for with those who don't being charged at a higher rate. Del Gallo said he didn't know enough about the plan to render a judgment.

What he did judge is the operations of the Department of Children and Families. He said that organization has made "terrible choices." Del Gallo wonders why the department opts to investigate some families while other families which should be are not.

"They make a lot of terrible choices ... They investigate people who should not be invested and that takes time away from the cases they should be investigating," Del Gallo said. "If you spend all your time where you shouldn't be, then you don't have the resources."

Hinds said the issues at DCF is reflective of large caseloads for social workers. On the bright side, he said he has seen an increased level of services the department offers.

"There is clearly a disconnect between the needs and the resources that they have in terms of staffing or even being able to track kinds in the system," Hinds said.

Harrington said what tends to happen is government pull funding from social program, like the DCF, and that leads to consequences down the road. Fixing systems like DCF is why she wants the seat. She said the state needs to start investing in other areas instead of the criminal justice system to prevent people from having to be in courtrooms.

"I see that on the other end when those kids grow up and end up in the criminal justice system. My motivation for running is mainly because I have become incredibly frustrated by what I see in the courts. I see so many people whoa re suffering from mental health problems, learning disabilities, people who never received the help and treatment they need. I see so many families who are struggling and trying to scrape by. I'm tired of what I am seeing," Harrington said.

On education, both Harrington and Hinds said they did not support raising the cap on the number of charter schools.

"We need to keep our schools strong right here," Hinds said citing that the city of Pittsfield alone loses some $2 million in funding because of charter schools.

Hinds said the Chapter 70 formula for the foundation budget in how the state funds schools needs to be redone. Harrington said public schools want to have more art and STEM education so instead of building new schools, the state should invest in bringing more of those programs into charter schools, she said.

"The idea that we need charter schools so we have high quality education just flies in the face of logic. Charter schools take too much money away from our public school system, there is no local accountability," Harrington said.

Del Gallo took a different angle  he said he'll support whatever voters decided. The question of raising the number of schools is going on the ballot and Del Gallo said he'd support whatever the voters do. When it comes to recreational marijuana, which is also on the ballot, Del Gallo said he is in favor of it.

"I am for legalizing marijuana," Del Gallo said. "I think this is a ridiculous waste of police resources. I don't think it should be a crime."

Hinds said he has "no objection to sensible adult use" of marijuana but his concerns are out it is regulated to keep out of the hands of youth, whose brains are still developing. Hinds said if it passed, he'd be looking for strong regulations to do that.

Harrington said she doesn't believe recreational marijuana is a good thing because so many young people who she sees in the court system started smoking it at a very young age. However, Harrington does see the benefits of medical marijuana and would like to see a dispensary in the Berkshires.

If Harrington wins, she said she'd judge her performance with how well she did on addressing population decline and expansion of the economic opportunities. Hinds said he would measure up to the platform he put out focusing on the environment and energy, education, and economic development. Del Gallo said he would be the most progressive candidate calling for a move to the Nordic model of capitalism and judge himself by how close the state came to debt-free college, the $15 minimum wage, and single-payer health insurance.

Hinds said three areas of focus of his include going above what the recently passed energy bill calls for with upping the renewable portfolio in Massachusetts and increasing the amount of off-shore wind. He also calls for a foundational budget review of the Chapter 70 funding formula for local schools.

"There is a lot. Those are the top three priorities in my mind," Hinds said.

Del Gallo says he believes he'd like to take aim at the tax code and try to usher in a more progressive system.

"I don't think we live in a progressive enough commonwealth. We don't have a progressive income tax, it is outlawed in the constitution," Del Gallo said.

Harrington said one thing that stands out for her is to push for universal preschool.

The three will meet in an array of debates this week and on Sept. 8 the preliminary election winner will determine who goes up against Republican Christine Canning-Wilson in the general election.
Williamstown's Beloved K9 Blue Dies at Age 12



Blue and Officer Ziemba at Sweet Brook in 2009.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Police Department's first K-9, the beloved Blue, died recently in her sleep at the age of 12.



Blue had retired two years ago after a decade of searches, community events and celebrity status.



She joined the force in 2005 with her longtime partner and owner, Officer Michael Ziemba. Outfitted with badge and Kevlar vest, she assisted in numerous rescues and searches and was certified with the American Police Working Dogs in tracking and trailing.



Blue was well known to citizens and criminals alike throughout Northern Berkshire. Several years ago, Ziemba recalled how she'd tracked down a man who'd fled after crashing his truck.



When she found him, he cried out, "Don't bite me Blue, don't bite me," said Ziemba. "Even the bad guys know who she is."



In 2011, a photo of her in the driver's seat of Ziemba's specialized cruiser was selected as Canine Cop of the Year for April by the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, the national Humane Society and the Washington, D.C., Humane Society. It also appeared in the U.S. Humane Society's 2012 Canine Cop calendar.



She and Ziemba also marched in the Independence Day parade in Washington.

The Williamstown Police Department announced her passing on its Facebook page on Tuesday.

"Blue retired in 2014 and thoroughly enjoyed this new assignment, although she still loved to make guest appearances at community events. Blue was an exceptional tracker and an even better friend, colleague and partner. Rest in Peace friend; it has been an honor to have you in our lives."
Employees from 33 departments contributed to the donations.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care Employees Donate 170 Backpacks to Local Students

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Employees from 33 departments at Southwestern Vermont Health Care collectively purchased 170 backpacks and filled them with school supplies for local children whose families may have financial difficulty purchasing items for the return to school.



The children attend 16 local schools, and each school will receive 10 to 11 backpacks to distribute.



"It is a pleasure for SVHC employees to help support local kids get off to a good start for the school year," said Suzanne Anair, administrator of Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, whose staff organizes the drive. "We hope that these backpacks and supplies are an indication to the students that their community supports them in their studies and that we are proud of them."
These smoky tuna pickle boats are the perfect keto friendly after school snack, or they even make a great low carb lunch on the go option  no fork required! Not a fan of pickles? You can use small cucumbers instead!

In other news, we spent a week in the Cayo region of Belize recently and it was incredibly beautiful!  ? ? ? ? Ill share some stories and photos of that after the tuna pickle boats recipe!

Speaking of the recipe, some of you might be thinking  can something as simple and easy as tuna fish in a pickle even count as a recipe? Is Mellissa off her rocker? DOES IT GET ANY LAZIER THAN THIS?

Well Ill tell you. Ive been doing some research on what people are pinning, sharing on Facebook, etc. and lately it seems that easy recipes are winning the day. ? ? ?

Life is getting busier and busier, and while a lot of people like looking at pictures of beautiful food and dream of making it someday when theyve got oodles of time on their hands, what people really need right now is easy, healthy, fast, low carb foods that they can eat on the run or feed their kids after school.

Because lets face it  Summer is ending whether we like it or not. ? ? ? So while you desperately want to be lounging by the pool with a margarita in hand and not a care in the world ??  the real life grind of getting the kids off to school and us back into the swing of having a Responsible. Adult. Schedule. (please no) is the ugly reality were all facing. ? ?? ?

And so I bring you these super easy and TASTY smoky tuna pickle boats. They have a fun factor that your kids will get a kick out of (they can also help make them,) and even adults will enjoy eating these.

Well me anyway  not sure if that counts as an adult ?

I used a combination of regular canned tuna and smoked canned tuna in this recipe  but if you cant find smoked you can just add a couple of drops of liquid smoke or omit it altogether. The smoky flavor elevates these tuna pickle boats a bit, and honestly they are so good that Id serve them as a low carb game day appetizer, and Im positive theyd get devoured.

If your family isnt a fan of tuna or someone has an allergy, you can also use canned salmon or even cooked, chopped chicken instead. The foodie in me wanted to add lemon zest, fresh dill and capers, but it went against the point of keeping these smoky tuna pickle boats easy and kid friendly  you should feel free to dress up or customize the tuna portion any way you like though!

These smoky tuna pickle boats are also Paleo and Whole 30 friendly if you use a Whole 30 friendly mayonnaise  always check your labels to be sure though!

As a side note  growing up we called it tuna fish  as in Can I have a tuna fish sandwich? Which is weird because we dont say I could really go for some salmon fish or some trout fish would be really good right now. So why tuna fish? Did you guys grow up saying tuna fish or is it just me? Inquiring minds want to know.

Smoky Tuna Pickle Boats Recipe Notes:

It doesnt really matter whether you use the tuna from a can or from a pouch, but you want to have about 2 cups of tuna for this recipe so if youre using pouches be sure to get enough of them.

Dont add salt to your tuna salad  the pickles will be plenty salty so you dont need it!

If you dont like pickles or sodium is a problem for you, try this in fresh cucumbers instead  the nutrition info will stay about the same.

clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon heart heart icon heart solid heart solid icon Smoky Tuna Pickle Boats  Low Carb & Gluten Free  5 from 4 reviews Author: Mellissa Sevigny

Yield: 12 pickle boats 1 x Print Recipe Pin Recipe Description These smoky tuna pickle boats are the perfect keto friendly after school snack, or they even make a great low carb lunch on the go option  no fork required! Not a fan of pickles? You can use small cucumbers instead! Ingredients Scale 1x 2x 3x 2 six oz cans (or pouches) albacore tuna

six oz cans (or pouches) albacore tuna 1 six oz can (or pouch) smoked tuna

six oz can (or pouch) smoked tuna 1/3 cup sugar free mayonnaise

sugar free mayonnaise 1 Tbsp dehydrated onion flakes (or 1/2 tsp onion powder)

dehydrated onion flakes (or onion powder) 1/4 tsp garlic powder

garlic powder 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

ground black pepper 6 large whole dill pickles Instructions Combine all of the ingredients except the pickles in a medium bowl and mix well. Cut the pickles in half and gently scoop out the seeds from the middle. Spoon about 3 Tbsp (give or take) of the tuna salad into each pickle half. Chill and serve. Category: Low Carb Appetizer or Snack Recipe

Cuisine: American Nutrition Serving Size: 1 pickle boat

Calories: 118

Fat: 7

Carbohydrates: 1.5g net

Protein: 11

Now, for those of you that are interested in our life in Belize, we spent some time in the Cayo region on the mainland last week and it was gorgeous!

We stayed at the Maya Mountain Lodge just outside of San Ignacio and it was rustic, but lovely, and has a cute open air restaurant right onsite (and the food is fantastic!)

Unfortunately, the first cottage we had was on the outskirts of the grounds and had a tall, thatched roof. Sounds nice, right?

It was.

At first.

We soon found that the thatched roof was home to all sorts of creepy crawlies, most disturbing being the giant spiders and scorpions!

It rained a lot that weekend and it drove even more of the bugs to find shelter  most of them in our cottage apparently. They stayed hidden during the day, and we were gone most of the time anyway, but at night they would come out and explore.

The first night, our friends in another cabin woke up to a big scorpion in their sink. I was freaked out but though it was a fluke.

The second night, I saw one heading down one of the ridge poles straight for Hungry Jr. who was in the top bunk watching a movie on his iPad. Mr. Hungry was able to rescue him and then kill it  I slept ok, naively thinking what are the chances there are more than one in here?

The third night, we were getting ready for bed and a huge one strolled out from under the nightstand right by my foot and Mr. Hungry killed it  he was a fighter though and didnt go quietly.

That unnerved me so I laid awake staring up at the thatched ceiling above us.

Wed left the bathroom light on so I could see pretty well, and suddenly there was another big one crawling out from the thatching and heading down the wall. I shook Mr. H awake and begged him to get it or Id never sleep.

Because the roof was so high, he couldnt reach it, so he was going to throw a shoe at it. I told him if you miss its going to go back into the thatch and Ill lose it. Well he missed, and goodbye scorpion. Except I could hear him moving around and every few minutes hed emerge, just out of reach but right over our bed. No way was I sleeping. Mr. Hungry however went right back to bed and fell asleep immediately. UNDER THE SCORPION. I kid you not.

I kept watch in case it got back in range and finally it was coming down the pole near the bunkbed where Hungry Jr. was sleeping in the bottom bunk. I woke up Mr. H and he climbed up top to kill it, but didnt have his contacts in and missed it  back into the thatch it went AGAIN! Meanwhile, another large scorpion emerged about six feet away and I could hear the creepy scratching sound of more of them on the other side of the room.

Oh and I forgot to mention the GIANT spider that we killed that was lurking underneath our bed while we were scorpion hunting earlier. My nerves were shot and I was SO TIRED, and Mr. Hungry had told me in no uncertain terms that he was done and not to wake him up again. At that point, I considered going to sleep out in the rental car.

But since Id have to run the gauntlet of hanging spiders and other horrible things on the long jungle path to the parking area in the dark alone, I just turned the AC up as high as it would go and got under all the covers and dozed on and off until morning. LONGEST. NIGHT. EVER.

The next day a lot of people had checked out so I asked if we could switch to a different room that didnt have a thatched roof, and the rest of our stay was comfortable and uneventful.

The hotel assured me that they hadnt had this problem before and that they spray the cabins every few months, but apparently the heavy rains had driven the scorpions inside. I believe them  but if you stay at Maya Mountain Lodge, be sure to ask for a cabin with a zinc roof, NOT a thatched one, just in case!

Some of the highlights of the trip were just the driving around  the views were so beautiful on the way to Spanish Lookout, with mountains in the background and hilly pastures full of cows in the foreground. It reminded me of Virginia, but with palm trees and banana trees everywhere!

We visited a small Mayan ruin right in San Ignacio called Cahal Pech that was pretty cool and didnt require any arduous hiking (I sprained my toe on the trip, so walking was hard)  its one of the oldest ever discovered in Belize, and has some beautiful architecture!

Another highlight was the Green Iguana Conservation Project, also in San Ignacio. They collect Green Iguana eggs, hatch them, and raise them in captivity until they are 5 years old and reach sexual maturity  then they release them into the jungle.

Apparently the locals find them delicious, so they became endangered awhile back on the mainland. Mmm.tasty.

As a side point they appear to be thriving on our island, weve got at least five big ones living behind our house and we regularly feed them bananas and pineapple now.

Anyway, the ones in the enclosure were super tame and liked to snuggle, so they would literally climb up your pants leg to your shoulder and settle in. Believe it or not it was really cute.

We all had a blast feeding them and getting up close and personal. I highly recommend it for kids and adults if youre ever out that way  its not expensive and only takes about an hour or so but its super fun.

Next time were out that way Im going to take my good camera out for the day and really take the time to get some good photos  there is so much to see and do, it really is a paradise out there.

Incredible birds, insects, flowers, and beautiful waterfalls everywhere  though I didnt get shots of those on this trip unfortunately. Next time well try cave tubing and some of the other ruins!

Now were back to regular life on the island, and like you were getting into a schedule of work and school. Sigh.

Ive got lots more recipes coming up though and some videos planned also, so stay tuned!

Cant get enough low carb recipes???? Download all five of my e-cookbooks (over 150 delicious low carb recipes) for just $19.99 for a limited time!




iciHaiti - FLASH : The Embassy of Haiti in Benin closes its doors





Monday, Ambassador of Haiti in Benin, Jean Especa, announced to its staff, that the Embassy of Haiti located in Cotonou, the only representative of Haiti on African territory, was closing after 10 years existence.



It seems that the reasons for the closure is related to the lack of interest of Benin to maintain the centuries-old ties between the two countries. In 10 years, Benin has not even opened a chancery in Port-au-Prince, contrary to the wish of the Haitian authorities.



TB/ iciHaiti






















iciHaiti - Elections : Maryse Narcisse talks with Haitian entrepreneurs





Tuesday, at the residence of former President Aristide in Tabarre, Haitian entrepreneurs came to discuss development and economic issues of Haiti at the invitation of Maryse Narcisse, the presidential candidate under the banner "Famni Lavalas" in the presence of Jean Bertrand Aristide and his wife.



In a cordial atmosphere, entrepreneurs have set as a priority for the next government, the legal and regulatory framework for investment which will allow build confidence and reforms necessary to create a business climate that can attract local investments, from diaspora and foreign capital.



Furthermore entrepreneurs wanted the construction of a permanent dialogue between the private sector and the public before the installation of a new executive February 7, 2017.



During the meeting, the primary sectors identified are energy, construction, education and access to credit.



IH/ iciHaiti


















We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector
Ukraine managed to get rid of dependence on anthracite coal supplies from the non-controlled areas in the ATO zone, Ukraine's Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Ihor Nasalyk has said.

"If six or seven months ago we could not say we can do without coal supplies from the ATO zone, then today, regardless of whether there will be shipments from the ATO zone or not, we will compensate anthracite coal supplies from other countries," he said on the air of TV Channel 112.

The minister said Ukraine could buy coal in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, North America, adding that basic supplies come from South Africa.

He noted until recently the country's energy balance foresaw the supply of more than 9 million tonnes of anthracite coal. According to him, the termination of coal deliveries from the ATO zone in May-June was not only due to hostilities and a lack of rolling stock but also the attempt to show the energy dependence of Ukraine. However the Energy Ministry by upgrading the generation system and power grids managed to avoid the collapse of the power system and rolling blackouts.

"If we do not receive coal from the ATO zone at all, we will do without it," he added.
Eurasia's largest agricultural holding Ukrlandfarming has declared the illegal seizure of the premises and equipment of Pivdenna Holding poultry farm, part of Avangard, in Crimea.

"The matter concerns the illegal transfer of the land leased by Pivdenna Holding to Crimean Trade and Industrial Company owned by the wife of former people's deputy of Ukraine Oleh Tsariov," the press service of Ukrlandfarming said.

In addition, the agricultural holding said this occurred without notifying the leadership of Avangard and Ukrlandfarming.

The security service of the agricultural holding is clarifying the details and consequences of the capture.

The agricultural holding said this is not the first attempt to illegally seize the property of Crimea's largest poultry farm Pivdenna Holding, being mothballed since late 2013. Previously there were attempts to apply the so called "law on compulsory redemption" of objects of strategic importance to the group's assets.
CDFA addressing issues impacting rural areas

Sacramento, California - The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will be addressing issues impacting rural areas at its upcoming meeting on September 6th in Sacramento. The meeting will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture  Main Auditorium, 1220 N Sacramento, CA 95814.

Rural communities are the foundation of Californias agricultural sector, said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. While Californias farm and ranch lands do not reside in statistically rural areas, a majority are rural in character, struggling with issues related to unemployment and housing. How we celebrate these communities and provide greater access to needed services will be part of our discussion.

Californias rural population ranges between 2-12 percent of the population depending on the definition of rural being used. Federal agencies from the U.S. Census Bureau to the U.S. Department of Agriculture calculate the rural definition differently, based on population density or other factors such as metro or non-metro areas. This has a direct impact on federal program eligibility (housing, community development, and telecommunication programs) for rural areas in the state, often making California communities ineligible. The board will be discussing this item along with other key issues impacting rural communities.

Invited speakers include: Lorin Kusmin USDA Economic Research Service (via teleconference); Janice Waddell, USDA Rural Development; Stanley Keasling, Rural Community Assistance Corporation; Shelby Gonzales, San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband Initiative; Eric Brown, California Telehealth Network; Rob Wiener, California Coalition for Rural Housing; Angela Avery, Sierra Nevada Conservancy; Mike Dozier, California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley; Shermain Hardesty and Penny Leff, University of California Small Farm Program.

In rural communities, a larger percentage of employment is in farming, forestry and other natural resources, said Craig McNamara, president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Better understanding the local challenges and opportunities in these communities is essential as we continue to work on statewide issues related to water, agricultural labor and the regulatory environment.

All meetings are open to the public and attendance is welcome.

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture advises the governor and the CDFA secretary on agricultural issues and consumer needs. The state board conducts forums that bring together local, state and federal government officials, agricultural representatives and citizens to discuss current issues of concern to California agriculture.
State Department Announces Inaugural Class of Fellows for the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative Exchange Program

Washington, DC - The 2016 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellows Program will bring 250 young leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States for an exchange program that will include internships and skills-building workshops. President Obama launched YLAI to build linkages between young leaders across the hemisphere and to expand opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs and civil society leaders.

The program will begin on October 5 in Dallas and culminate with a summit in Washington, D.C. in early November.

Over the five week program, the fellows will learn and share their experiences in start-ups, small businesses, non-governmental organizations, and similar entities in cities throughout the United States and in partnership with community groups and U.S. universities. The participants will further develop their business or social venture plans through an entrepreneurship curriculum and workshops, and by working with their U.S. counterparts.

The 2016 YLAI Professional Fellows selection team received nearly 4,000 applications for this Presidential program. The 250 selected business and social entrepreneurs represent 35 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and have demonstrated the energy of this generation to build stronger, more prosperous, and more secure communities throughout the hemisphere. Their areas of interest include agriculture, clean energy, consulting, e-commerce, education, entrepreneurship development and support, food and beverage, food security, health care, hospitality, LGBTI, marketing and branding, mobile applications, and women and youth empowerment.

YLAI, one of four programs within the Young Leaders Initiatives, is a part of President Obamas commitment to empower young people around the world and ensure they have the tools, skills, and networks to tackle our shared global challenges. The program is implemented with partner Meridian International Center.
United States Condemns Attacks in Paraguay

Washington, DC - The United States strongly condemns the August 27 ambush near Concepcion, Paraguay that killed eight Paraguayan military officials. We express our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and all those affected by this vicious attack.

The Government of Paraguay continues to investigate allegations that the Paraguayan Peoples Army was behind the attack. As the investigation continues, the United States stands in solidarity with the people of Paraguay as they work to ensure security and safety for all Paraguayans throughout the country.
Malaysia's Independence Day

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I would like to congratulate the people of Malaysia as you celebrate your 59th anniversary of independence on August 31.

"In the second year since our leaders announced a Comprehensive Partnership between our two countries, we have reaffirmed longstanding trade and investment ties and enhanced joint efforts to protect the well-being of our citizens. Expanded opportunities for Malaysians and Americans from all walks of life to exchange views and work together has made us ever more aware of our shared belief in the importance of diversity and innovation to the promotion of prosperity and security across the globe.

"To Malaysians around the world, Hari Raya Kemerdekaan and best wishes in the year ahead."
Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken To Travel to Germany August 31-September 2

Washington, DC - Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Potsdam, Germany to attend an informal OSCE Foreign Ministers meeting to discuss common challenges in the OSCE region, in particular the ongoing violation of Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, terrorism, and regional security and arms control.

Deputy Secretary Blinken will also meet with regional counterparts.
Meeting of the U.S.-Honduras Bilateral Human Rights Working Group

Washington, DC - The United States and Honduras held the fifth meeting of the Bilateral Human Rights Working Group.

This session of the Working Group brought together high-level U.S. and Honduran officials to collaborate in improving the human rights situation in Honduras. Meeting sessions addressed four themes: strengthening human rights institutions, combating impunity, security and justice sector reform, and migration. The two delegations acknowledged the progress made by the Government of Honduras, while recognizing the work that still needs to be done. The frank discussions centered on how the Government of Honduras could improve mechanisms to protect human rights defenders, bolster police reform, enhance protection of migrants, and address the underlying factors that drive migration.

Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan Gonzalez, and Ambassador Michael Kozak for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor led the U.S. government delegation. Coordinating Minister of Government Jorge Ramon Hernandez Alcerro and Honduran Ambassador to the United States Jorge Milla led the Honduran delegation, which also included Minister of Security Julian Pacheco.
Watch: Man's Fire Stunt Goes Horribly Wrong, Beard Up in Flames
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has promised to submit a draft of state budget for 2017 to the parliament in September, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.

"I see that today we are criticized for the fact that presumably, in September, we would not introduce the budget to the Ukrainian parliament. I believe that our commitment for today is to introduce the Ukrainian budget for 2017 to the parliament in September," he said, opening the government meeting on Wednesday.

The premier noted that the government had been submitting false budget with unrealistic incomes, which didnt exist in reality.

"We have to make an absolutely honest budget to the Ukrainian parliament (...) It will be absolutely realistic budget, not a populist one," the government head assured.
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The new Ben-Hur film, soon to be released, is described by Jack Huston, who plays Judah Ben-Hur, as an epic in every sense of the word.

For some younger audience members the term epic might mean that the film is going to be great or awesome. Others might think of the ancient mythological epic poems, such as the Odyssey or the Argonautica, the story of Jason and the Argonauts. And as classicist Kirsten Day has recently argued, to some the Western is seen as the modern incarnation of the ancient epic.

But generally the term tends to denote films set in the ancient world, true to the classical origins of epic, such as an earlier Ben-Hur (1959), starring Charlton Heston, or Stanley Kubricks Spartacus (1960). These films, with their large casts and long running time, have come to define the epic film genre.

An epic movie must satisfy certain audience expectations. There must be some distance set between the present day and the story presented on screen. There must be visual spectacle. And there must be a hero (in this case Judah Ben-Hur) whose journey both physical and spiritual is central to the film. This journey could take the form of a quest narrative  such as Jasons voyage to find the golden fleece  or a narrative based on the wish for revenge, such as Maximuss revenge for the death of his wife and child in Gladiator (2000).

It remains to be seen whether Ben-Hur hits all these notes. But whether it does or not, it will certainly not fulfil the demands of epic as it well as other, less traditional movies now can. I would argue  and this is coming from a classicist  that movies set in the ancient world can no longer adequately live up to the demands of the epic. Instead, we should look to films set in space as the true modern epic.

The epic poems of the classical period were primarily characterised by their sense of distance  they were set in a distant past and featured long journeys to the edge of the known world, where mortals could encounter gods and monsters. While films set in the ancient world replicate this sense of distance, those set in the future allow a sense of distance more appropriate to the 21st century in terms of both time and space. No longer do we consider a journey to Africa epic; one to Jupiter is certainly more impressive. The unknown realm of deep space is also a more appropriate location for the supernatural in modern times.

The epic genre also demands spectacle, and arguably films set in space also provide viewers with a more epic perspective than can be achieved in ancient-world films, particularly when viewed in IMAX 3D. We are treated to sweeping views of space, and witness such events as the destruction of planets in the Star Wars and Star Trek films.

There are also infinite possibilities for new landscapes and locations, such as the deserts of Jakku, the snowy landscape surrounding Starkiller Base and the forests of Takodana in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).

The most recent Star Wars film can be called epic (Lucasfilm 2015)

The range of perspectives offered by the camera and CGI in the 21st century also have the potential to provide a greater epic quality than that provided in ancient epic films, with their widescreen battle scenes and views of the arena from above. The visually stunning Avatar (2009), for example, used 3D cinematography to make viewers feel as if they were actually running through the ferns in the forests of Pandora.

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The other requirement of the epic  the heros journey  is an element that translates very easily into other landscapes and genres and is seen everywhere. Superhero films that focus on origin stories also follow this model. A good example would be Batman Begins (2005), where Bruce Wayne becomes Batman as a response to the death of his parents. The Wonder Woman film, to be released in 2017, also promises an origin story.

Many of the science fiction greats were directly influenced by ancient epic. When he wrote the original Star Wars film, George Lucas was influenced by the work of myth scholar Joseph Campbells work on the heros journey, based primarily on the epic of Gilgamesh. The heros journey is a staple part of the Star Wars narrative, whether of Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, or, as in the most recent film, Rey, the scavenger turned freedom fighter who shows natural ability in wielding a light sabre.

What Rey and Wonder Woman demonstrate is that in order to be modern, the epic must be able to accommodate a range of heroes  both male and female. Female heroes are absent from the ancient epic poems, where the heroes were men, helped or hindered by often ambiguous female characters such as Circe and Medea.

They are also absent in epics set in the ancient world from the 1950s and 1960s, where female characters tend to conform to the stereotypes of good woman or evil temptress. Westerns or films such as The Godfather, which some consider epic, also struggle to accommodate women. But a modern, futuristic epic, divorced from classical history, provides heroic possibilities for women as well as for men.

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

So if we are looking for 21st-century films that best embody the spirit of the ancient mythological epics such as the Odyssey, we should look to science fiction, rather than films set in the ancient world, such as Ben-Hur. The epic genre requires distance, both of time and space. The ancient world epics feature journeys that occurred deep in the past to mythical places. Today, this same sense of distance can only be provided by the future and the vast unknown that is outer space.

So although I am looking forward to seeing the new Ben-Hur film  and the 1959 film remains one of my favourite films of all time  I expect that we shall have to wait for the next Star Wars film, released next year, in order to see something truly epic.

First published on theconversation.com
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British director Ridley Scotts science fiction films have shaped how the world views the future. Between Alien, Blade Runner, Prometheus and The Martian, 78-year-old Scott has taken audiences into deepest space, exploring alien life, genetic engineering and artificial intelligence.

Therefore its little surprise that his son, Luke Scott, now makes his directorial debut with sci-fi drama Morgan, set in a future world of bio-engineered humanity.

Co-produced by his father, Morgan boasts an A-list cast that most first-time directors would kill for, including Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The result is a polished, provocative, wholly absorbing vision of a chilling near-future where its hard to tell robot from human.

But perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that such a talented new visionary has reached the grand age of 47 before making his debut.

Kate Mara stars in Morgan (Twentieth Century Fox)

Dad instilled in all of us that youve got to work hard to be able to do this, says Luke when I meet father and son in Los Angeles. He insisted that we worked as production assistants and make tea, because making tea isnt such a menial task. To make the best cup of tea is all about detail and presentation. But the most important thing is that it teaches you humility; you better make the best fucking cup of tea or else youll be in deep shit! I love a PG Tips myself although I confess Im more of a coffee drinker, he concludes with a laugh. More recently, he graduated to working as a second unit director on his fathers films Exodus: Gods and Kings and The Martian.

Ridley was definitely tough but also a very fair dad, says Luke. He and older brother Jake were born from Ridleys first marriage to Felicity Haywood, but primarily raised by his fathers second wife, advertising executive Sandy Watson. Ridley had a daughter, Jordan, with her too, and the trio of kids were very much raised on their fathers movie sets. They even wore tiny space suits in Alien, enabling Ridley to shoot space sequences which would appear larger by using his sons as doubles for adult-sized astronauts.

Ridleys non-sci-fi films, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, have all earned Oscar nominations, culminating in a 2003 knighthood for his substantial contribution to the British film industry. Reflecting on his career, Ridley says, Over the years, you learn to not compromise. I think when you begin, you tend to compromise for all kinds of reasons, usually out of insecurity, because you dont quite know what youre doing.

In my case, I learned as I was going, there was no formal training. I made mistakes and gradually learned not to compromise. But I try to be fun, dont I? he asks his son. When you get really experienced, it can [mean] dullness; when you get really, really experienced, it means you know what the fuck youre doing. And if youre going to do my job, you should know what the hell youre doing when you walk on the floor.

Filmmaking was a family business long before Morgan. Ridley, born in South Shields, formed a successful commercial production company with his younger brother Tony, after graduating from the Royal College of Art and working for the BBC. Tony went on to direct block-busters Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, Enemy of the State and Man on Fire before committing suicide, aged 68, in 2012.

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Tony made some of the great action movies of all time, says Luke. Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop II were fantastic, visceral experiences with great energy. I really admired his creation of really powerful, exciting films through romance. He was fun and didnt ever really take it too seriously.

The newly-anointed director also initially followed his father and uncle into a commercial career. I didnt fall too far from the tree, says Luke, and today he credits his uncle Tonys film The Hunger in informing how he shot the fight sequences in Morgan.

If the Scott name opens doors then it also comes with many preconceptions. If anyones got a problem with it, then Im sorry. Theres not a lot I can do about it. But Im at a point in my career and life where I know what Im doing. The Scott name is something to be respected and cherished; its been an enormous boon and help to me, says Luke.

Ridley Scott at the Oscars, 2016 (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Still, Scott Senior is a harsh critic  he doesnt give anyone an easy ride. You just have to go out and do it and dont pontificate. People say that its harder to get a film made today than ever before. Thats bullshit. Youve got so many video devices that you can go out this weekend with your friends and make a goddamn movie and stop whining about it.

Such tough love has done the next generation of Scotts no harm: Luke credits his fathers exacting standards for earning him his rightful place in the family legacy.

But its been a wild ride too: he recalls his awe in joining his father on his debut movie, The Duellists in 1977. The Duellists is my fondest memory because it was this magical Napoleonic story with all these people walking around in costumes and being a six-year-old kid, looking at this thing and going Oh my God, this is incredible.

He put me and my brother Jake in that, and then again in Alien  which was a whole new way of looking at science fiction and alien life-forms, a new kind of vision. For me, as this little kid, looking at some seven-foot guy dressed in a big rubber suit looking like a total demon, was quite remarkable, says Luke.

His sister Jordan, also a director, featured in Ridleys film, Legend too. My father divorced my mother when I was very young, but my step-mother was very capable and raised my brother and I and my sister, says Luke who has not seen his birth mother, Haywood, in many years.

Educated at Kings College in Wimbledon and Stowe in Buckinghamshire, Luke later completed an arts foundation course at Middlesex Polytechnic before moving to Los Angeles, aged 19.

After 10 years in Hollywood, he moved to New York with his dancer wife Kate. My wife and I were in New York during 9/11, living very close to the World Trade Centre. We were caught in the collapse and couldnt move back into our apartment. We were among those people you saw, covered in dust, walking out of the cloud. The day that changed history, recalls Luke whose wife was, at the time, pregnant with their son, Felix, now 14.

In total shock, they abruptly left the city, moving to a rustic cabin in the Catskills, in upstate New York where they later welcomed a daughter, Ruby, now 13.

A personal family tragedy later dictated that the couple move back to the UK, a decision which wasnt entirely unwelcome. I wanted to raise my kids, as I was raised, in Great Britain, says Luke.

In common with his father, he predicts a bleak future for mankind, as reflected in Morgan, which showcases newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy as the eponymous genetically-engineered species.

I think bio-engineered humans is a very real future. They offer the greatest challenge to humanity, simply because its like once the germ gets into the species, its Goodbye Humans Part 1 and Hello Humans Part 2. Were all going to die!

Likewise, Ridley suggests, I think were so far down the line. Far more, I think, than is published or discussed. Its a little like when you get the very smartest computer you can possibly design, the first thing youre going to do is to get that computer to design another computer which is smarter than they are. Then you get these two computers to commune and, once you do that, youre in real trouble because theyre so far ahead of you and I think theyve done it already.

Ask Luke what his fathers verdict was after presenting him with Morgan, and he smiles. Good job, son. Im very proud of you, I think is what he said, before quickly asking, now whats your next job?

Morgan is in cinemas from 2 September
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In 2004, three 13-year-olds snuck into their local cinema to see a new comedy from the creators of South Park. The film's plot followed a team of paramilitary policemen, depicted as marionettes, attempting to prevent a terrorist plot from destroying the world.

Opening with a song containing the word "f*ck" 37 times and featuring the most memorable puppet sex scene committed to celluloid, the trio found themselves rolling in the aisles in disbelief of what they were experiencing. The film? Team America: World Police.

One of those teens, now a 25-year-old journalist, recently wandered along to a screening of an entirely new film where he found himself guffawing just as hard as he had been in that cinema screen 12 years previous. If you hadn't already guessed, that person was me and the film was this decade's answer to Trey Parker and Matt Stone's politically-charged satire: it's called Sausage Party.

Now, sure, below the surface, Sausage Party is a very different film from Team America which, for all its mischievous affront, was attempting to provide social commentary on a country that had been stricken by 9/11 just over two years before. Stone and Parker who went on to devise the hugely popular musical The Book of Mormon opted to take down the creme de la creme of Hollywood in the process, with Matt Damon and Michael Moore bearing the brunt.

Instead, Sausage Party, for no real reason, manages to offend almost everyone without directly offending anyone in particular (save for, perhaps, Stephen Hawking). The story follows a group of supermarket foods, led by Seth Rogen's Frank, who are desperate to be purchased so they can fundamentally cop off with each other outside of their packaging. They are, of course, unaware that the paying customers want to consume them.

 Sausage Party Clip - I Can't Wait

Like Team America, the film begins with an expletive-addled song you'll be humming for weeks and boasts an entire cast of characters whose very appearances will yank the laughter from you every five minutes; there's Edward Norton's Jewish bagel and Danny McBride's paranoid Honey Mustard not to mention a lesbian taco voiced by Salma Hayek. From the minds of Superbad's Rogen and Evan Goldberg  the duo behind AMC series Preacher  and a co-writing credit for Jonah Hill, Sausage Party feels very much like the result of three mates shooting the breeze down the boozer after eight pints.

Don't let its existence as an animated comedy fool you; Sausage Party is strictly for adults. It's films like this and Team America that make age restrictions worthwhile, preventing children from convincing their parents to take them to see "that funny film that has the poster with the cute looking sausage on it"  trust that this one-sheet incessantly belies the film's content.

At Team America's time of release, there was similarly no telling that the film wasn't simply a tween-friendly Thunderbirds spin-off (aside from the reviews) just as much as there's no initial understanding that Sausage Party isn't just the latest family-friendly Pixar outing: they've had toys, rats and litter-picking robots  why not supermarket foods? Alarmingly, several European countries  namely Sweden  have given these films an age certificate which permits kids as young as seven to see the film assisted by an adult  a scandalous notion when considering the film's climax (no pun intended).

The best films of 2016 (so far) Show all 22 1 /22 The best films of 2016 (so far) The best films of 2016 (so far) Creed This empowering spin-off sequel to the Rocky franchise sees Sylvester Stallone return as the personal trainer to Odonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of his old rival-turned-compadre Apollo (Carl Weathers). Barry Wetcher The best films of 2016 (so far) Room A grandstanding adaptation of the Emma Donoghue novel. At Room's heart is two towering performances from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay as a mother and son who find freedom after being locked away by in a boxed building for years. The best films of 2016 (so far) The Big Short Plenty of The Big Short's charm is manifested in the way that it takes a clunky story (the 2007-8 financial crisis) and transforms it into a cinematic experience. The best films of 2016 (so far) Spotlight The facts speak for themselves in this Oscar-winning biographical film about four investigative journalists who uncover a scandal of child molestation in the Catholic church. Strong performances and a firm directorial presence in Tom McCarthy make Spotlight a worthy recipient of this year's Best Picture Oscar. The best films of 2016 (so far) Bone Tomahawk The best films of 2016 (so far) Anomalisa Paramount Pictures The best films of 2016 (so far) The Witch Take any shot from Robert Eggers' assured debut - based on a New England folktale - and your spine will tingle. A masterclass in understatedness. The best films of 2016 (so far) 10 Cloverfield Lane If you're going to unveil a secret sequel-of-sorts to 2008 hit Cloverfield, this is how you do it. Essentially a chamber piece set in the same world of Matt Reeves' original, 10 Cloverfield Lane will hold you in a vicelike grip until its closing frame. The best films of 2016 (so far) High-Rise Ben Wheatley's fifth feature as director may not be to everyone's tastes but, should you be up to it, there's a lot to take away from this adaptation of J.G. Ballard's dystopian tale. The best films of 2016 (so far) Zootropolis Despite strong competition in the form of Finding Dory and Kubo and the Two Strings, Zootropolis - named Zootopia in the US - takes the trophy of 2016's greatest animated film. The best films of 2016 (so far) Victoria The best films of 2016 (so far) Captain America: Civil War Even those who aren't invested in superhero films will have a hard time keeping their breath in several of Civil War's action sequences. The best films of 2016 (so far) Son of Saul The haunting winner of the Best Foreign Language Oscar, Son of Saul's technical mastery (courtesy of first-time director Laszlo Nemes) is backed up by a harrowingly real portrayal of life within a Nazi concentration camp. Sony Pictures Entertainment The best films of 2016 (so far) Everybody Wants Some!! Richard Linklater followed Boyhood with this charming coming-of-age story that bears similarity with 1993's Dazed and Confused. This time, our ensemble are a group of baseball-playing college freshmen. In the upper echelons of the year's best. The best films of 2016 (so far) Green Room The best films of 2016 (so far) Sing Street The best films of 2016 (so far) Love and Friendship The best films of 2016 (so far) Suburra The best films of 2016 (so far) The Neon Demon The best films of 2016 (so far) Hell or High Water The best films of 2016 (so far) Kubo and the Two Strings The best films of 2016 (so far) Hunt for the Wilderpeople

To divulge on this climax would be to spoil the film's surprise; just know there's an extended sequence that'll be on everybody's lips when the film arrives in cinemas on 2 September. It's this moment that will see the words Sausage Party permeating around secondary school playgrounds in the same way thatTeam America did when I was a schoolkid.

Every now and then, these types of films arrive to tickle the curiosity of those too young to see them; Sausage Party is such a film. The ultimate punchline of this whole shebang, however, is that my younger brother  now the same age as I was when I snuck into Team America  is probably plotting to see Sausage Party this weekend. God help him if my Mum finds out.
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Im very happy to be part of this daring project, Mark Ruffalo told Variety of new transgender drama Anything, which he is executive producing. Love is at the essence of great storytelling and transcends all discrimination and politicization.

Its a statement that screams I am trying to be progressive and to woo LGBTQ audiences, but unfortunately for him and all involved, theyve only angered people.

There was a sizeable backlash against the new drama on social media, due to Matt Bomer being cast as a transgender sex worker.

Many suggested that the part should have been given to an actual trans actress, while actress Savannah Burton (herself trans) claimed that casting men to play trans women leads to violence against trans women.

Transgender Sense8 actress Jamie Clayton also weighed in, tweeting Bomer to say: I really hope you both choose to do some actual good for the trans community one day.

Eddie Redmayne and Jared Leto came in for similar heat for their roles in The Danish Girl and Dallas Buyers Club respectively.

Anything co-stars John Carroll Lynch and is based on McNeils play of the same name. As per Variety, Lynch plays a man who is suicidal over the death of his wife and moves from Mississippi to Los Angeles, where he can be under the watchful eye of his protective sister, played by Tierney. He then begins an intense friendship with Bomers character, a transgendered sex worker. The unlikely new couple must reconcile their vastly different backgrounds as they fill the void in each others lives.

Anything has yet to be given a release date.
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Considering the lines between film and TV are blurring with every new day, it seems Taylor Kitsch is becoming less and less fussed that his big screen career has been something of a non-starter.

Following his tenure on beloved US series Friday Night Lights, all eyes were on the male actor to take Hollywood by storm - but one catatonic flop (John Carter) halted those aspirations.

Kitsch, though, is not the issue; a likeable performance in Peter Berg's misfire Battleship followed as did a lead role alongside Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn and Rachel McAdams in the unfairly-maligned True Detective season 2.

The actor is sticking with TV for his next role which looks to be his boldest yet; he'll play David Koresh, the religious sect leader responsible for the massacre of 80 of his followers.

Weinstein Television is to adapt A Place Called Waco and Sinful Messiah for the series which will also see Michael Shannon (Midnight Special) return to the small screen for the first time since Boardwalk Empire. He'll play FBI negotiator Gary Noesener.

Koresh believed he was the final prophet of the Branch Davidians religious sect; in 1993, he led a deadly standoff with federal agents in Waco, Texas which led to the death of over 80 people.

The miniseries is said to hone in on the 51-day siege upon the compound that housed Koresh's cult.
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A major survey of elephants on the African savannah has found their population fell by 30 per cent in just seven years in a deeply disturbing sign of the devastating effect of poaching on the iconic species.

The Great Elephant Census (GEC) counted more than 350,000 animals in the 18 countries surveyed.

Almost all of them  84 per cent  were in legally protected areas, but the researchers discovered large numbers of carcasses inside the reserves.

Philanthropist Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates, funded the census, which he described as an extraordinary collaboration across borders, cultures and jurisdictions.

We completed a successful survey of massive scale, and what we learned is deeply disturbing, he said.

Armed with this knowledge of dramatically declining elephant populations, we share a collective responsibility to take action and we must all work to ensure the preservation of this iconic species.

The researchers counted 352,271 elephants in total, estimated that this represented at least 93 per cent of the total.

They found that the numbers had fallen by 144,000 elephants  or 30 per cent  between 2007 and 2014.

The current rate of decline was eight per cent, which the researchers said was primarily due to poaching.

The rate of decline accelerated from 2007 to 2014, they added in a statement on the GEC website.

The census saw 286 staff fly some 463,000km in 81 airplanes and also relied on the collaboration and critical contributions of wildlife department staff in the 18 countries, scientists, charities and other experts.

Mike Chase, the surveys principal investigator and founder of Elephants Without Borders, said: If we cant save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africas wildlife?

However he added: I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come.

Heather Sohl, chief adviser on wildlife at WWF-UK, called for a renewed effect to deal with poaching.

This census has confirmed what we all feared  that elephant numbers are continuing to decline rapidly in many parts of Africa as a result of poaching and human impact on their habitat and survival of some savannah elephant populations is threatened, she said.

Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace Show all 3 1 /3 Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace 11832.bin IFAW/The News Market Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace 11766.bin Alamy Corridor allows India's threatened elephants to roam in peace 11833.bin IFAW/The News Market

The illegal ivory trade is an international problem and it urgently needs global implementation of the right solutions.

Critically, we also need global efforts towards significantly reducing the demand that drives the illegal ivory trade.

But she also said work needed to be done to help elephants and humans to live together.

There is also an urgent need to find innovative solutions to reduce habitat loss and mitigate human-wildlife conflict, including working closely with communities to ensure that they can thrive alongside elephants, Ms Sohl said.

Southern African countries have shown that it is possible to successfully conserve sizeable elephant populations through a combination of political will, effective anti-poaching efforts and cooperation with communities.

We strive for a world where people and nature thrive. These statistics are a worrying reminder of the challenges faced in achieving this and securing a positive future for one of the worlds most iconic species  the African elephant.
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Fashion in the 1980s certainly isnt remembered for its subtlety or good taste. Jackets with shoulder pads up to your ears, or parachute trousers with a saggy crotch all the way down to your knees, are just two trends that wed perhaps like to erase from our collective memory bank. However, this was also the decade that saw the birth of the French label A.P.C., and with its preference for clean lines, attention to detail and muted colour palette it was the very antithesis of what the bold-as-brass Eighties came to represent.

A.P.C. x Outdoor Voices AW16

Over the ensuing years the label has developed a cult following that is still going strong to this day, while at the same time adding to its list of devotees with clever collaborations with other like-minded designers. And its latest sartorial brainchild is with the American brand Outdoor Voices; launched in 2012, this active-wear lifestyle apparel is for folk who basically dont want their gym kit to be dominated by sportswear logos.

Unsurprisingly then, the joint collection for both men and women is nothing if not functional, consisting of the basics such as T-shirts, shorts, tailored sweatpants and simple outerwear. Its pretty much made for anyone who wants their gym wear to stay in line with what they would normally wear on the street, slotting seamlessly into the current obsession for athleisure  clothes that work both at the gym and the office.

A.P.C. x Outdoor Voices AW16

So you shouldnt make the mistake of thinking that this collection isnt stylish too. Far from it. For instance, there are none of the usual pops of neon colour that you might associate with the bigger sportier brands  instead theres lots of French navy (how chic) mixed up with subtle greys and khakis. Its clear that with this collection both A.P.C and Outdoor Voices certainly know their core customers. Theyre playing to their strengths and who can blame them for that?
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Restaurateur Russell Norman had fallen in love with new York before he even visited it. But what he found when he did first visit in 1999, was that most of the so-called American food was in fact Italian, from meatballs, to pizza and macaroni cheese.

Inspired by what he found in New York, across the pond back home, he opened a restaurant named Spuntino  Italian for snack  in Londons Soho area serving up his beloved American dishes in a similarly seedy area to New Yorks East Village.

The book is made up of 120 recipes of those snack type dishes made up of luscious meats and the vibrant salads he found and recreated in his small restaurant.

Mozzarella & Cavolo Nero Crostini

When it is in season, cavolo nero is one of my hero ingredients. Its deep, dark green colour and its long crinkled leaves are incredibly glamorous, and it is surprisingly versatile. Florence Knight, one of my favourite chefs, picks the smallest, most delicate raw leaves and tosses them in a delightful anchovy dressing with bread fried in butter. Delicious. This recipe specifies a swift blanch; you really mustnt overcook the cavolo nero, otherwise it loses much of its flavour and many of its nutrients too.

The cavolo nero only requires a quick blanch, otherwise it loses its flavour and nutrients

Makes 4

1 bunch of cavolo nero, about 200g, stems removed

3 garlic cloves

Good handful of grated Parmesan, about 20g

Flaky sea salt and black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

8 slices of ciabatta

2 x 125g balls of buffalo mozzarella, at room temperature

Recommended Read more Cabana carnival food recipes

Place a pan of salted water over a high heat. Cut the cavolo nero into 2cm strips. Once the water has come to the boil, add the cavolo nero and, when the water comes back to the boil, blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess liquid. Transfer the cavolo nero to the small bowl of a food processor. Add two of the garlic cloves, the Parmesan and some salt and pepper, and whizz to a puree. With the motor still going slowly add 100ml of the olive oil, then transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in the lemon juice.

Now place a heavy-based griddle pan over a medium heat. Lightly coat the sliced bread with a few brushes of olive oil and grill on both sides until lightly charred. Halve the remaining garlic clove and rub over the hot grilled bread. Top with broken-up pieces of mozzarella and a generous amount of the cavolo nero puree. Serve immediately.

The Tuscan sausage is a dry-cured lean pork spiced with fennel and aged for a year for a full and robust flavour

Fennel Salami, Caper & Chilli Pizzetta

Fennel salami (or finocchiona) is one of my favourite sausages and one that is much celebrated in Tuscany, from where it comes. Dry-cured lean pork shoulder and fatty pork cheek, spiced with fennel, then aged for up to a year, are the secrets to this fantastically flavoursome salami. Cooking it makes it even tastier. I find the best capers for this pizzetta are the very dainty Sicilian variety.

For one pizzetta:

1 pizzetta base

1 tablespoon basic tomato sauce or tomato passata

25g grated block mozzarella  the hard, cheap kind

4 slices of fennel salami (finocchiona)

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon capers

 teaspoon chilli flakes

Preheat your oven on its highest setting. If you are using a pizza stone (which I highly recommend), allow 15 minutes for it to get really hot. (An alternative is a good metal baking sheet.) The temperature should be at least 240-250C, which is Gas 9 or over, but get it higher if you can.

Food and drink news Show all 35 1 /35 Food and drink news Food and drink news Healthy living makes us more inclined to binge, research suggests Gluten-free breads, dairy-free milks and other plant-based products have been some of the most favoured foods in British supermarkets this year. However, while were busy filling our shopping trolleys with gluten-free goodness, were also jamming it with junk food and alcohol, new research suggests Getty/iStock Food and drink news Growing list of Vegan celebs Making the switch to veganism is a major lifestyle choice, one that many claim can improve energy levels, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and clear up any skin issues. Beyonce, Natalie Portman and Jessica Chastain are among the growing list of Hollywood stars who have eschewed animal products from their diets in recent years. Theres also been an increasing number of professional athletes who have gone vegan, such as boxing champions Mike Tyson and David Haye, thus debunking the myth that following a plant-based diet will leave you feeling weak and malnourished. AFP/Getty/NARAS/iHeartMedia Food and drink news McDonald's has announced the launch of a new vegan burger on its menu in Germany This will mark the first time the German franchise of the fast food chain has offered a vegan burger to its customers. The Big Vegan TS burger consists of a patty made from soy and wheat. It is served in a classic sesame seed bun, and contains salad, tomato, pickles and red onion. McDonald's Germany Food and drink news Drinking too many protein shakes could lead to an increased risk of obesity and a reduced lifespan, a new study has claimed Researchers from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre carried out an investigation to determine the impact excessive consumption of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) has on the body. BCAA supplements are often consumed in the form of powder, which is then added to water to make a shake. Published in journal Nature Metabolism, the study found that while BCAAs help to build muscle, they can also negatively impact an individual's temperament, cause weight gain and lead to a shortened lifespan Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Britain consumes more chocolate than any other country Most people love chocolate but it turns out no one does more than the Brits  with the average Brit found to have consumed 8.4 kg of chocolate in 2017, according to new data. Chocolate consumption around the world is on the rise, according to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), which found that in the past year alone, Easter chocolate production has risen by 23 per cent Food and drink news 'Easter eggs should be banned for children under four' Dr Becky Spelman, chief psychologist at Harley Streets Private Therapy Clinic, is calling for Easter eggs to be banned for consumption for children under the age of four, claiming that giving them the opportunity to binge on chocolate so young will give them an unhealthy relationship with food later on. "This is a nightmare situation for parents of this generation as they have no idea how to teach their children to delay their response to cravings, she said, explaining that too many young kids binge on these chocolates because their parents dont know how to stop them. "Once a child starts overeating behaviour at a young age its very hard to turn things around for them in terms of food and their eating habits moving forward, leading to obesity from at very young age," she added PA Food and drink news Pineapple overtakes avocado as the UK's fastest-selling fruit According to Tesco, pineapple has overtaken avocado as the UKs fastest-selling fruit, with sales increasing by 15 per cent in 2017. In comparison, avocado sales rose by just under 10 per cent last year. The popular supermarket says the surge in popularity comes as shoppers buying the versatile fruit are beginning to use it as a main ingredient in everything from curries and barbecues, to juices and cocktails Getty Food and drink news Marks & Spencers launches stoneless avocados Rather than the result of genetic modification, the avocados are formed by an unpollinated avocado blossom. The fruit develops without a seed which in turns stops the growth, creating a small, seedless fruit. Whats more, the skin is actually edible, unlike a regular avocado. The flesh is much like that of a normal avocado - smooth and creamy, pale in colour and rich in flavour M&S Food and drink news Office teabags contain 17 times more germs than a toilet seat, reveals study The average bacterial reading of an office teabag was 3,785, in comparison to only 220 for a toilet seat. Other pieces of kitchen equipment also stacked up highly in their findings, with the bacterial readings averaging at 2,483 on kettle handles, 1,746 on the rim of a used mug and 1,592 on a fridge door handle Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New study shows drinking more coffee leads to a longer life There is good news and a final hope for coffee addicts and lovers. You will now be able to drink coffee for longer as new study shows its can lead to a prolonged life. Scientists showed that those who drank between two and four cups of coffee a day had 18% lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers. PA Food and drink news Coke Zero is replaced with Coke Zero Sugar Coca-Cola is pulling the plug on its Coke Zero. The much loved drink will be replaced with a new improved taste. The move, backed with a 10 million campaign, is said to come from Coca-Cola supporting people to reduce their sugar intake. Coca-Cola want people make this move while not sacrificing sugary taste of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola Food and drink news Starbucks introduce new avocado spread The avocado craze has grown from hipster brunch restaurants to Starbucks. Starbucks have introduced their new avocado spread earlier this year and it has the internet in debate. Some argue that it not a spread but guacamole while others question if there is any avocado in there at all. When buying the new spread you can also buy an optional toasted bagel. It is a must try for all avocado connoisseurs. Starbucks Food and drink news New Mars chocolate bar The iconic British chocolate bar is about to get its partner in crime. The new bar, named Goodness Knows, will replace the gooey caramel goodness of the mars bar with oats. It is said to be more like a Florentine biscuit with a thin dark chocolate bottom. While being moderately healthy Mars says that is has good intentions. One pack has 154 calories and will sell for about 90p. Mars Food and drink news Wine prices could increase because of Brexit Wine lovers across the UK might soon have to shell out close to a quarter more for their favourite tipple after Brexit, as a weaker pound and sluggish economy takes its toll, a new study shows Rex Food and drink news Chocolate may be good for the heart A new study, published in the British Medical Journal: Heart, found that moderate chocolate intake can be positively associated with lessening the risk of the heart arrhythmia condition Atrial Fibrillation Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Brits throw away 1.4 million bananas each year British families are throwing away 1.4 million bananas that are perfectly good to eat every day at cost of 80m a year, new figures have shown PA/Armin Weigel Food and drink news Rosemary sales spike over exam time There has been a surge a surge in sales of the herb rosemary after a recent study found it helps improve memory. According to high street health food chain Holland & Barrett, sales of the herb have increased by 187 per cent compared to the same time last year Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Gluten-free diets 'not recommended' for people without coeliac disease Avoiding wheat, barley and rye in the belief that a gluten-free diet brings health benefits may do more harm than good, according to a team of US nutrition and medicine experts Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Starbucks launches two new coffee-based drinks Starbucks is launching two new coffee-based drinks in the UK, as it strives to tap into consumers growing appetite for healthy beverages. The Cold Brew Vanilla sweet cream and the Cappuccino Freddo, will both be available in stores throughout the UK from the start of May Twitter/@SbuxCountyHall Food and drink news Cadburys Dairy Milk Tiffin is making a permanent comeback after 80 years The Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin, first produced in 1937, is making a permanent comeback to the UK. The raisin and biscuit-filled chocolate bar is being launched after a successful trial last summer saw 3 million chocolate treats  at the cost of 1.49 for each 95g bar- purchased by nostalgic customers Cadburys Food and drink news Pizza restaurant makes worlds cheesiest 'Scottie's Pizza Parlor' in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Facebook/Scottie's Pizza Parlor Food and drink news A pizza joint in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Why not eating before a workout could be better for your health A study published in the American Journal of Physiology by researchers at the University of Bath found you might be likely to burn more fat if you have not eaten first Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New York restaurant named best in the world A New York restaurant where an average meal for two will cost $700 has been named the best in the world. Eleven Madison Park won the accolade for the first time after debuting on the list at number 50 in 2010. The restaurant was praised for a fun sense of fine-dining, blurring the line between the kitchen and the dining room Getty Images Food and drink news Why you crave bad food when youre tired Researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago recently presented their results of a study looking into the effects of sleep deprivation upon high-calorific food consumption. Researchers found that those who were sleep-deprived had specifically enhanced brain activity to the food smells compared to when they had a good nights sleep Shutterstock Food and drink news Drinking wine engages more of your brain than solving maths problems Drinking wine is the ideal workout for your brain, engaging more parts of our grey matter than any other human behaviour, according to a leading neuroscientist. Dr Gordon Shepherd, from the Yale School of Medicine, said sniffing and analysing a wine before drinking it requires exquisite control of one of the biggest muscles in the body Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news British dessert eating surges after people ditch healthy eating in February : In heartening news for anyone feeling guilty about quitting their New Year diet, it seems lots of us have given in to our sweet tooths once again. New data from nationwide food-delivery service Deliveroo reveals there was a surge in Brits ordering desserts in February compared to the first month of 2017 Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news US congress debates definition of milk alternatives A new bill has been created that seeks to ban dairy alternatives from using the term milk. Titled the DAIRY PRIDE Act, the name is a tenuous acronym for defending against imitations and replacements of yogurt, milk, and cheese to promote regular intake of dairy every day. It argues that the dairy industry is struggling as a result of all the dairy-free alternatives on the market and the public are being duped too Getty Images Food and drink news Cadburys launches two new chocolate bars UK confectionary giant Cadbury has launched two new chocolate bars, hoping to lure those with a sweet tooth and perhaps help combat some of the challenges it faces from rising commodity prices and a post-Brexit slump in the value of the pound.The companys new products will be peanut butter and mint flavoured. They will be available in most major super markets as 120g bars, priced at 1.49, according to the company Cadburys Food and drink news You can now get a job as a professional chocolate eater The company responsible for some of your favourite chocolate brands  think Cadbury, Milks, Prince and Oreo  have officially announced an opening to join their team as a professional chocolate taster. The successful candidate will help them to test, perfect and launch new products all over the world. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news MSG additive used in Chinese food is actually good for you, scientist claims For years, weve been told MSG (the sodium salt of glutamic acid) - often associated with cheap Chinese takeaways - is awful for our health and to be avoided at all costs. But one scientist argues it should be used as a supersalt and encourages adding it to food. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Lettuce prices are rising Not only are lettuces becoming an increasingly rare commodity in supermarkets, but prices for the leafy vegetables seem to be rising too. According to the weekly report from the Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a pair of Little Gem lettuces had an average market price of 0.86 in the week that ended on Friday, up from an average of 0.56 in the previous week  thats an almost 54 per cent increase. Getty Images Food and drink news Do-It-Yourself restaurant To encourage more people to cook and eat together, IKEA has launched The Dining Club in Shoreditch  a fully immersive Do-It-Yourself restaurant . Members of the public can book to host a brunch, lunch or dinner party for up to 20 friends and family. Supported by their very own sous chef and maitre de, the host and their guests will orchestrate an intimate dining experience where cooking together is celebrated and eating together is inspirational Mikael Buck / IKEA Food and drink news Ping Pong menu with a twist Gatwick Airport has teamed up with London dim sum restaurant Ping Pong to create a limited edition menu with a distinctly British twist; including a Full English Bao and Beef Wellington Puff, to celebrate the launch of the airports new route to Hong Kong Food and drink news Zizzi unveil the Maamgharita Unique pizza art has been created by Zizzi in celebration of the Queens 90th birthday. The pizza features the queen in an iconic pose illustrated with fresh and tasty Italian ingredients on a backdrop of the Union Jack Food and drink news Blue potatoes make a comeback Blue potatoes, once a staple part of British potato crops, are back on the menu thanks to a Cambridge scientist turned-organic farmer and Farmdrop, an online marketplace that lets people buy direct from local farms. Cambridge PhD graduate-turned farmer, Adrian Izzard has used traditional growing techniques at Wild Country Organics to produce the colourful spuds, packed with healthy cell-protecting anthocyanin, which had previously disappeared from UK plates when post-war farmers were pushed towards higher-yielding varieties

Onto your pizzetta base, gently spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce (or passata), then sprinkle over the grated mozzarella. Place the slices of finocchiona on top. Scatter over the grated Parmesan, capers and chilli. Cook on the pizza stone in your preheated oven for about 6-10 minutes (depending on how hot your oven can go) or until the edges start to bubble and burn.

Eggplant Chips with Fennel Yoghurt

This has been on the menu at Spuntino since day one and is a much-requested recipe. For me, its a dish about contrasts. The hot eggplant chips versus the cool yoghurt. The crunchy sesame coating versus the soft centre. The smoky flavour of the eggplant versus the aniseed tang of the fennel. You can have fun with the presentation of this dish too, by using a shot glass for the fennel yoghurt and then stacking the chips around or to the side.

Makes 6-8

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

2 eggplants (aka aubergines)

100g plain flour

1 teaspoon fine salt

 teaspoon black pepper

3-4 medium eggs

150g panko breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 litre vegetable oil, for deep frying

For the fennel yoghurt

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

125g mayonnaise

200g plain Greek-style yoghurt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Large pinch of flaky sea salt

Pinch of black pepper

First of all, toast the coriander and fennel seeds for both the aubergine and the yoghurt. Put them all  3 teaspoons of each  in a non-stick frying pan and dry fry over a medium heat for a few minutes, until you can smell their spiciness. Do keep an eye on them, as they can easily burn. Remove from the heat, then grind in a pestle and mortar.

Now make the fennel yoghurt. Take 2 teaspoons of the ground seeds and combine with the rest of the fennel yoghurt ingredients. Put it in the fridge. Cut the eggplant into thick 10cm-long chips.

Now take three bowls. Mix the flour, salt and pepper in the first. In the second bowl, beat the eggs. Mix together the breadcrumbs, the remaining ground coriander and fennel seeds and the sesame seeds in the third bowl. Dip the eggplant chips in the flour, coating well, shake off any excess and then place in the egg wash, shaking off any drips, and then coat well with the breadcrumbs. Set aside at room temperature, not in the fridge, if not cooking straightaway.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium pan to 190C (or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil turns golden brown in less than a minute). Now fry the coated eggplant chips, in batches, for 23 minutes or until golden brown. Lift out, drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little salt. Serve hot with the chilled fennel yoghurt.

Spuntino: Comfort Food (New York Style) by Russell Norman, Published by Bloomsbury, 25. Photography by Jenny Zarins
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Tonight in Berlin on the eve of the IFA technology trade show, Samsung revealed its latest wearable. The Samsung Gear S3 is a chunky smart watch with a distinctive look and clever operation using its rotating bezel. And it is likely to be one of the biggest stories at this years IFA.

Samsung started making smart watches before Apple did and its first models were released in quick succession, adding features and even a sim card so the watch wasnt slave to a nearby phone.

This latest model is big, with a 33mm circular screen. But though its thick (12.9mm from front to back) it feels very light in the hand or when youre sporting it.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

And sporting is the effect Samsung is after, so its made the Gear S3 water-resistant (it has an IP68 rating). You can sweat, shower and swim with it on, with no deleterious effect.

The Gear S3 comes in two versions, frontier and classic. The only difference is in the styling and a little extra stainless steel means the frontier weighs 62g against the 57g of the classic.

Id say the frontier looks better thanks to its darker bezel and different proportions. Samsung has worked on the design of the watch with watch designer Yvan Arpa. It has also continued its collaboration with artist and industrial designer Arik Levy to create special watch faces and straps. This is easily the classiest and most attractive wearable yet from Samsung.

Recommended Read more Samsung boss on the launch of new phone

Samsung has also addressed one of the big issues with wearable gadgets: battery life. The company says the Gear S3 can last three to four days between charges.

Thats impressive because the watch has an always-on display so its always showing the time like, you know, a real watch. Samsung has this tech on its latest mobiles, cleverly managing to show the time onscreen without significantly impacting the battery. With the always-on screen turned off it lasts even longer: three to four days!

The companys previous smart watch had this trick but only with watch faces that were very limited in what they could display. Now it can show everything in full, glorious colour.

The watch face does look glorious, with a bright, sharp 360 x 360-resolution Super AMOLED display, a technology Samsung does better than anyone else does.

The bezel around that display rotates, as it did on the Gear S2. This is a slick way to scroll through apps and notifications. Using the bezel feels as intimate and useful as it does on a premium regular watch. Its so well crafted that it feels precise and pleasingly tactile as you turn it. Apps include messaging, maps (GPS is built in) and items from BMW, CNN, Yelp, KLM and others. Samsung boasts the Gear S3 will have access to 10,000 apps from day one.

Of course, theres a touch interface as well as the bezel. You can reply to a text message on the screen, scribbling words which turn into print, letter by letter as you go. You can also call up an onscreen keyboard (small but usable, thanks mostly to predictive word suggestions) or dictate your words using the watchs microphone.

Theres plenty of tech stuffed inside. As well as wi-fi and Bluetooth 4.2, it has NFC and MST. That last one is short for Magnetic Secure Transmission and is used for Samsung Pay. It means that unlike other mobile payment systems such as Apple Pay which use NFC to talk to contactless-enabled terminals, Samsungs system works with pretty much any card reader. It works to make the terminal think its being presented by a magnetic strip card. Putting it into the Gear S3 means you can pay without your Samsung Galaxy phone to hand.

 Can Samsung beat the Apple Watch?

Its very clever stuff, though its currently only available in the US and South Korea The UK is due to see Samsung Pay later this year.

There are other intriguing features on the Gear S3 including an emergency set-up. Tap the screen three times and itll send out an SOS signal. Three taps sound like it might be a little too easy to do accidentally, but doubtless Samsung has thought of that.

The Gear S3 frontier is available in an edition with an electronic sim card built in, for 4G connectivity or without in a Bluetooth version. The classic is only available with Bluetooth.

The watch is due out in October, at which point the current models such as the S2 classic, will drop in price but remain in the range. Prices will be revealed then.

Its still not clear just how niche the wearable sector is. Samsung is offering an alternative to the Apple Watch. And it looks like it has come up with a highly accessible, strikingly attractive smart watch.
Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has declared his intention to include an increase in teacher salaries in the state budget for 2017.

"Education financing will be budgeted as one of the priorities, but we must remember about teacher salaries. We will include in the 2017 budget a salary increase for Ukrainian teachers," the prime minister said at a Cabinet meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday.

He noted that good education is the key to the successful future of the children.
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They all say "itll never happen to me". Who expects to become a drug addict? Or get caught in a spiral of debt and crime to fund that habit? It was not until Emily McMillan collapsed on the floor of a courtroom, after being convicted of fraud and theft, that she hit rock bottom. She was an addict, and she needed help.

That was six years ago, when she was working as a PA to senior executives at a top banking firm. Her face was plastered across newspapers when it was discovered she had funded a friends boob job  to repay a debt  with money stolen from the bank. McMillan has been clean since then. Now, aged 33, she hopes her life proves that anyone can be hooked on drugs, but more importantly that addicts like her can change, do change and can remain clean.

McMillans relationship with drinking and drugs is a familiar story. Growing up in Sudbury, Suffolk, she started drinking to the point of blacking out at the age of 14. Her first joint was smoked at 20, and she had her first taste of cocaine, shortly after.

I used cocaine as much as I could. If I had money I wanted cocaine, recalls McMillan. But her drug use spiralled out of control when she landed a job at top investment bank JP Morgan. In her mid-twenties, McMillan dived into all the hedonism the capital offered. At first shed commute to work from the small market town. But she was soon taking drugs to stay awake, and regularly hired hotel rooms after missing the last train home. At the height of her addiction she was snorting four grams of cocaine a day as well as taking legal highs.

I dont think I ever really managed life, money or relationships very well, admits McMillan, however working in London, paying higher prices and indulging in the party scene took its toll. I didnt sleep much in the last six months of my using, and I was extremely detached from reality. I borrowed money from everyone who loved me enough to trust me, without the means of paying it back.

As her drug use span out of control so did her debt. She spent between 200 and 700 a night despite having a 32,000 annual salary.

At the height of her addiction, McMillan would snort 4g of cocaine a day.

In her unstable state, the corporate credit cards she had access to seemed like a life-line. What she did next, McMillan believes, was a subconscious act of self-sabotage.

I took drugs before committing the fraud. I remember it vividly, like it was yesterday. I never thought I would go to such lengths to fund my drug habit. I could see no other way.

Between March and May, 2011, McMillan stole 10,633 to repay debts. The fraud started when she paid 3,000 towards her brothers mortgage. One indebted friend received cosmetic breast surgery, while another joined her on a girls holiday to Ibiza, costing 758. McMillan also stole 875 in foreign petty cash.

McMillan recently gave birth to her first child, after being sober for six years.

McMillan was crudely hit with the reality of what shed done when she returned from that trip when the firm had performed a routine audit. She was arrested, and admitted to four counts of fraud and one of theft. Owing to her clean record, her efforts to pay the money back and her desire to tackle her addiction, the judge spared her a prison sentence. Instead, she was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid community service, repay the money owed to JP Morgan, and undergo six-months of drug rehabilitation.

It was in court, with tears streaming down her face, that she experienced her lowest moment. I fell through the court door in bits and realised this was not what I wanted for my life, it was time to start again, and I did.

McMillan began her journey at Focus 12, a charity which offers residential drug and alcohol addiction treatment in Bury St Edmunds, around 20 miles from where she grew up.

World's 10 deadliest street drugs Show all 10 1 /10 World's 10 deadliest street drugs World's 10 deadliest street drugs Whoonga Whoonga is a combination of antiretroviral drugs, used to treat HIV, and various cutting agents such as detergents and poisons. The drug is widely available in South Africa due to South Africas high rate of HIV sufferers, and is believed to be popular due to how cheap it is when compared to prescribed antiretrovirals. The drug is highly addictive and can cause major health issues such as internal bleeding, stomach ulcers and ultimately death Getty World's 10 deadliest street drugs Scopolamine Scopolamine is a derivative from the nightshade plant found in the Northern Indian region of South America (Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela). It is generally found in a refined powder form, but can also be found as a tea. The drug is more often used by criminals due its high toxicity level (one gram is believed to be able to kill up to 20 people) making it a strong poison. However, it is also believed that the drug is blown into the faces of unexpecting victims, later causing them to lose all sense of self-control and becoming incapable of forming memories during the time they are under the influence of the drug. This tactic has reportedly been used by gangs in Colombia where there have been reports of people using scopolamine as way to convince victims to rob their own homes World's 10 deadliest street drugs Heroin Founded in 1874 by C. R. Alder Wright, heroin is one of the worlds oldest drugs. Originally it was prescribed as a strong painkiller used to treat chronic pain and physical trauma. However in 1971 it was made illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Since then it has become one of the most destructive substances in the world, tearing apart communities and destroying families. The side effects of heroin include inflammation of the gums, cold sweats, a weak immune system, muscular weakness and insomnia. It can also damage blood vessels which can later cause gangrene if left untreated World's 10 deadliest street drugs Crack cocaine Crack cocaine first came about in the 1980s when cocaine became a widespread commodity within the drug trafficking world. Originally cocaine would have attracted a high price tag due to its rarity and difficulty to produce, but once it became more widespread the price dropped significantly. This resulted in drug dealers forming their cocaine into rock like shapes by using baking soda as a way of distilling the powder down into rock form. People were doing this because it allowed for them to sell cocaine at a lower quantity and to a higher number of people. The side effects of crack cocaine include liver, kidney and lung damage, as well as permanent damage to blood vessels, which can often lead to heart attacks, strokes, and ultimately death World's 10 deadliest street drugs Crystal meth Not just famous because of a certain Walter H White, but also because it is one of the most destructive drugs in the world. First developed in 1887, it became widely used during the Second World War when both sides would give it to their troops to keep them awake. It is also believed that the Japanese gave it to their Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. After the war crystal meth was prescribed as a diet aid and remained legal until the 1970s. Since then it has fallen into the hands of Mexican gangs and has become a worldwide phenomenon, spreading throughout Europe and Asia. The effects of crystal meth are devastating. In the short-term users will become sleep depraved and anxious, and in the long-term it will cause their flesh to sink, as well as brain damage and damage of the blood vessels World's 10 deadliest street drugs AH-7921 AH-7921 is a synthetic opioid that was previously available to legally purchase online from vendors until it became a Class A in January 2015. The drug is believed to have 80% of the potency of morphine, and became known as the legal heroin. While there has only been one death related to AH-7921 in the UK, it is believed to be highly dangerous and capable of causing respiratory arrest and gangrene World's 10 deadliest street drugs Flakka Flakka is a stimulant with a similar chemical make-up to the amphetamine-like drug found in bath salts. While the drug was originally marketed as a legal high alternative to ecstasy, the effects are significantly different. The user will feel an elevated heart rate, enhanced emotions, and, if enough is digested, strong hallucinations. The drug can cause permanent psychological damage due to it affecting the mood regulating neurons that keep the minds serotonin and dopamine in check, as well as possibly causing heart failure World's 10 deadliest street drugs Bath salts Bath salts are a synthetic crystalline drug that is prevalent in the US. While they may sound harmless, they certainly arent the sort of salts you drop into a warm bath when having a relaxing night in, they are most similar to mephedrone, and have recently been featured throughout social media due to the zombification of its. The name comes from the fact that the drug was originally sold online, and widely disguised as bath salts. The side effects include unusual psychiatric behaviour, psychosis, panic attacks and violent behaviour, as well as the possibility of a heart attack and an elevated body temperature World's 10 deadliest street drugs Purple Drank One of the more unusual drugs around at the moment, purple drank was popularised in 90s hip hop culture, with the likes of Jay Z and Big Moe all mentioning it in their songs. It is a concoction of soda water, sweets and cold medicine, and is drunk due to cold medicines high codeine content, which gives the user a woozy feeling. However it can also cause respiratory issues and heart failure World's 10 deadliest street drugs Krokodil Krokodil is Russias secret addiction. It is believed that over one million Russians are addicted to the drug. Users of krokodil are attracted to the drug due to its low price; it is sold at 20 a gram while heroin is sold for 60. However, krokodil is considered more dangerous than heroin because it is often homemade, with ingredients including painkillers, iodine, lighter fluid and industrial cleaning agents. This chemical make-up makes the drug highly dangerous and likely to cause gangrene, and eventually rotting of the flesh

During those nine weeks, she underwent an intensive programme which involved group therapy, one-to-one-sessions, and assignments to help her understand the consequences and devastation of drug addiction. Group activities such as yoga, meanwhile, encouraged a holistic approach to recovery. Getting clean and going through rehab was the hardest thing Ive ever done, she says, adding it felt unnatural at first to not have drugs in her system.

I had to change everything about myself. Recovery means facing all of your demons. It takes persistence and recommitment daily to ensure abstinence.

It was during this period that McMillan was finally honest with herself and learned to stop blaming others. Id survived some awfully degrading situations and I was lucky to be alive.

But recovery is an on-going, never-ending process, and McMillan continues to attend mutual aid groups. One of her proudest milestones was the birth of her first child, Bow Eliza Meade, in November last year.

She now works at Focus 12, after a brief stint at a hospitality firm, Chevington Finance and Leasing, which was inspired by her journey to donate 100,000 to the charity.

By sharing her story, McMillan hopes to raise awareness  among employers and those trapped in a cycle of addiction  that people like her arent doomed. Not everyone is lucky to have the kind of support I did. It is important that we realise the lie 'once an addict always and addict is dead.
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Valerie Pecresse is aiming to take British jobs to France, by fair means or foul.

The head of the Paris region had a charm offensive ready for UK companies the day after the Brexit referendum, regardless of the result.

With the surprise decision to leave the European Union raising doubts about whether British companies will be able to retain access to European markets, Pecresse, 49, is going into overdrive.

Recommended Read more French PM suggests naked breasts represent France better than burkinis

If I need to go and grab jobs with my teeth, then Ill do it, she said in an interview on the sidelines of a conference in Aix-en-Provence, southern France, last month.

Britains decision to leave the European Union handed Pecresse an opportunity to help the almost 700,000 unemployed among the Paris regions 12 million inhabitants. Its also a chance to demonstrate her political chops after leading her party to a bruising victory in Frances biggest economic region for the first time in 17 years in December.

The regional authority forked out several million euros on an advertising campaign unleashed on 24 June, the day after the vote, promoting her region as an alternative to London.

Move on, join Paris and its opportunities, the ad went. If the referendum had gone the other way, Pecresse had a completely different message ready.

Valerie Pecresse - President of the Regional Council for Ile de France, the Paris region of 12 million people (Reuters)

Tricolore Carpet

To back up that campaign, shes set up a hotline for UK companies seeking information about potentially moving to Paris and her team, which is also reaching out to potential targets, has been in touch with about 4,000 London-based businesses.

Some are big multinationals and some others are small, she said, declining to reveal names. Were rolling out the blue-white-red carpet.

Potential restrictions on access to the single market have been a major source of concern for British firms. Yesterday, Angela Merkels foreign policy guru Juergen Hardt said Britain would not be able to benefit from the trading bloc without paying its way.

If someone wants to benefit from the European Union single-market structures, he also has to contribute to the cost of that operation, Hardt said in an interview in Berlin. In Britain, before the referendum, nobody talked about that fact.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

Financial firms, which have been crucial to UK economic growth are concerned that they will lose the so-called passporting rights which allow them to trade in all 28 member states.

JPMorgan chief executive, Jamie Dimon said he would move up to 4,000 employees to the continent after Brexit.

Other American banking giants Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group and Citigroup have also said they cold shift people abroad, while HSBC and Deutsche Bank have hinted at relocating jobs to France and Germany.

Bloomberg
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A Conservative MP has proposed a provocative Scandinavian-style shake-up of the corporate governance of UK firms to help to curb spiralling executive pay.

Chris Philp, who won Croydon South for the Tories in last years general election, proposes that the five biggest shareholders in large listed companies should be compelled to form a shareholder committee which will provide much more rigorous scrutiny of bosses pay packages.

The MP is taking his proposals to Downing Street next week, raising the possibility they could become a part of Theresa Mays government policy to reform the culture at Britains top companies.

Shareholder nomination committees are a mainstay of corporate life in Sweden and are seen as providing downward pressure on bosses pay awards there.

According to Mr Philp requiring all listed forms to establish these committees will re-empower shareholders and end the problem of the ownerless corporation.

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Philp said there was nothing anti-free market about giving shareholders more leverage and said that his proposals were informed by his positive experience dealing with engaged shareholders when he was an entrepreneur before entering Parliament.

The former City minister Lord Myners has endorsed Mr Philp's proposals, describing them as a provocative agenda to rectify the weakness at the core of modern corporate ownership.

Lord Myners added: They will not be universally welcomed by either company directors or fund managers because they challenge the existing order that has suited these two communities so well.

His proposals have also been endorsed by the high-profile investor Neil Woodford of Woodford Investment Management who said Mr Philps proposals represent important steps towards cultivating a more appropriate and valuable form of corporate governance.

Important steps towards cultivating a more appropriate and valuable form of corporate governance <p>Neil Woodford</p>

Theresa May spoke about her intention to tackle soaring executive pay upon becoming Prime Minister and said she would require workers representatives to be placed on company boards.

But Mr Philps proposals  published in a High Pay Centre pamphlet  would go considerably further in shaking up boardroom structures.

Mr Philp says he has been invited to a meeting with Downing Streets head of policy next week to discuss his ideas, although he said he did not know what kind of reception his proposal would receive.

He suggests the shareholders committee should take on responsibilities for nominating directors, ratifying pay policies before they are voted on by the wider share register and interrogating the board on its strategy.

He proposes that the Companies Act should be modified to make the committees mandatory and that if a top five shareholder declines to take part the next largest shareholder should be included instead.

The shareholder would then need to explain publicly why it had refused an opportunity to join the committee.

Most shareholders on the committees would be large asset managers who control the savings of households held in pension funds.

Research by the High Pay Centre think tank shows that the average pay for a FTSE 100 chief executive rose to 5.48m in 2015, 10 per cent up on 2014.

It also found that the pay ratio between top bosses and the average UK wage stretched to 183 in 2014, up from 160 in 2010.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

In a leadership campaign speech in Birmingham in July Ms May spoke of an irrational, unhealthy and growing gap between what these companies pay their workers and what they pay their bosses.

As well as promising to put workers on boards  common practice in German firms  Ms May said she wanted binding annual shareholder votes on executive pay and the mandatory publication of data on the pay gap between bosses and workers.

An opinion poll by YouGov last September found that 71 per cent of the public thought executive pay was too high, versus just 5 per cent who disagreed. There have also been a series of major shareholder protest votes against chief executive pay at annual general meetings this year, including at BP, WPP, Shire and Weir.

A study in 20009 found that the purchasing power of Swedish executives was the second lowest in the OECD. But Swedish companies are also highly ranked in global competitiveness surveys.
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Students from Eton College were granted a private audience with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, beating Theresa May to it.

Despite the fact Ms May will not meet the Russian head of state until an international summit next week, the teenage boys enjoyed a handshake and personal meeting with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.

Pictures of the meeting, thought to have been set up by a Russian bishop after he gave a talk at the exclusive Berkshire college in March, were posted on social media.

10 best primaries and secondary schools Show all 20 1 /20 10 best primaries and secondary schools 10 best primaries and secondary schools Bousfield Primary, London SW5 (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Fox Primary, London W8 (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools West London Free School Primary, London W6 (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools William Tyndale Primary School, London (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools St Peters Catholic Primary School, Hampshire (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools St Stephen's Church of England Primary School, Bath (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Trinity Church of England, Gloucestershire (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Meadowside Primary School, North Yorkshire (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Bourne Abbey Church of England Primary School, Lincolnshire (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools South Morningside Primary School, Edinburgh (Primary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools The Grey Coat Hospital, London SW1 (Secondary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Highbury Grove, London N5 (Secondary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Holland Park School, London (Secondary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Dame Alice Owens, Hertfordshire (Secondary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Cherwell School, Oxford 10 best primaries and secondary schools Cranbrook School, Kent 10 best primaries and secondary schools Kings School, Hampshire (Secondary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Bishop Wordsworth's School, Wiltshire (Secondary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools Sexeys School, Somerset (Secondary school) 10 best primaries and secondary schools James Gillespies High School, Edinburgh (Secondary school)

The hour-long audience was held in a room that has previously been used to greet statesman like US Secretary of State, John Kerry.

The boys were photographed sitting around a meeting table with Mr Putin while wearing translation headsets. The pictures show some of the boys wearing official Eton ties.

A source close to the students told The Sun: They didnt tell anyone they were going. I would assume it was so the school didnt find out because I dont think they would be happy.

They went last week, Im not sure on the details entirely, I dont know who paid for the flights out there.

From what I understand, they were talking to him about Eton because he had a keen interest in the college, mainly due to previous politicians in the UK who had attended.

After they got home, the boys posted the pictures to social media, which I thought was strange because it looked like they had been trying to keep it quiet previously.

I know the boys through friends, who showed me the pictures on social media.

One of the boys, Marc Woernle, posted on Facebook: We had an incredible time, and thank you very much to the people who made this trip happen, Natalya, Evgeny Markin and Evgeny Zhadkevich, Nikolai, Bishop Tikhon, our many tour guides, and drivers, and organisers, and everyone who worked behind the scenes to help us.

We are incredibly grateful to Bishop Tikhon and President Putin for inviting us, and for the hospitality going above and beyond what we expected.

An Eton College spokesperson said: This was a private visit by a small group of boys organised entirely at their own initiative and independently of the college.

Mr Putin will meet Ms May for the first time next week for a face-to-face talks at the G20 summit in China.

The Russian president has previously said he is ready to initiate constructive dialogue with the UKs new Prime Minister.

Vladimir Putin confirmed his willingness to have a constructive dialogue and to collaborate with the British prime minister about current issues concerning bilateral relations and the international agenda, the Kremlin said in a statement shortly after Ms May assumed office.
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A departures hall at Frankfurt Airport has reopened after being evacuated when a passenger caused a security breach.

A spokesperson for the German airport said a passenger - who was not immediately found - "entered the security area before the security check had been completed".

"Therefore the German federal police cleared departure hall A as a preventative measure," a statement added. "Passengers will be rechecked prior to departure."

Delays were expected as security checks continued at Terminal 1 of the airport, which is one of the busiest in Europe.

Departures boards did not immediately show disruption to scheduled flights, although an impact was expected later on Tuesday afternoon due to delayed security checks.

Footage showed large crowds of travellers held in corridors being instructed by security guards with megaphones.

Passengers said they were not told the reason for the evacuation as rumours circulated that a person tested positive for explosive material.

A police spokeperson could not confirm whether the security breach was deliberate or a mistake, or whether the person was carrying any banned items.

The main aim of the evacuation is to ensure that the terminal is secure, he added. "There is no bomb threat."

In pictures: German train axe attack Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: German train axe attack In pictures: German train axe attack Blood stains are seen on the regional train on which a man allegedly wielding an axe attacked passengers in Wuerzburg EPA In pictures: German train axe attack A patch of blood and the remains of bandaging material lie on a sidewalk near Wuerzburg EPA In pictures: German train axe attack The body of a 17-years-old attacker is carried to a hearse in Wuerzburg AP In pictures: German train axe attack Police officers search for evidence near Wuerzburg EPA In pictures: German train axe attack Police stand by the regional train on which a man wielding an axe attacked passengers in Wuerzburg EPA In pictures: German train axe attack Firefighters stand at a road block in Wuerzburg EPA In pictures: German train axe attack Rescuers gather on a road near railtracks in Wuerzburg after a man attacked train passengers with an axe AFP/Getty Images In pictures: German train axe attack German emergency services work in the area where a man with an axe attacked passengers on a train Reuters

The airport police force later said searches of gate A found "no danger" to the public and that normal service would resume around 12.30pm local time (11.30am BST).

The alert came during a high state of alert in Germany, after a spate of Isis-inspired terror attacks.

A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a music festival in Ansbach last month, while a teenage refugee declared his support for the so-called Islamic State before launching an axe attack on a train.

Several other attacks have had no confirmed links to the group, including a shooting massacre that left nine people dead in Munich.

Frankfurt Airport was asking travellers to allow plenty of time for their journey and check flight statuses here.

The evacution caused knock-on delays across Europe, including at airports in London, France and Spain.
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Mia Ayliffe-Chung is the 21-year-old British backpacker who was stabbed to death in Australia last Tuesday at the hostel she was staying in.

Mia, from Wirksworth in Derbyshire, was working on a farm in Queensland in order to fulfil requirements for her Australian visa.

In the coming week, Mias mother, Rosie Ayliffe, will write a daily blog in The Independent as she travels to Australia to collect her daughters ashes.

Here, in her own words, she talks about the impact Mia had on people throughout her life.

Mias family is raising money to create a fund for charity in her memory. Click here to donate or find out more.

Mia was no angel. Anyone who spent time with her before 11am can vouch for that. She only really became truly human as the day progressed. Her bedroom was so untidy you had to wonder whether it involved health risks. This was particularly galling after we went away on holiday and came back to discover she had kept the whole house immaculate for the duration. She told me a friend had left a used teaspoon beside the kettle and Mia had said to her, 'Are you intending to leave that there?'

Chatty, funny, the ultimate socialite, teachers gave up moving Mia because she was one of those kids who would just make a new friend wherever she sat. And she didn't have a competitive bone in her body. She'd rather lose the race than lose a friend.

Roise and Mia

But her aura was a captivating one and many of my friends commented on this. When we left London for the sticks, a friend of mine with a long list of qualifications and achievements commented that she was devastated, not because I was going but because I was taking Mia away from her. I was in no doubt that she meant it. Mia was six.

Mia wanted to move up to Derbyshire, but not without her beloved friends. In one school day she had six children lined up at the gate of Clement Dane's school with their coats on and bags packed. A couple of them were quite vulnerable children, so staff were most concerned when they realised the children had intended to slip out of the gate into the streets of Soho and hitch hike up to Derbyshire to live with Mia. One understandably cross mum questioned her daughter.

'If Mia told you to jump out of the window, would you?'

'I didnt!'

'What do you mean you didnt?

She did ask me to jump out of the window, but I didnt!'

And thus terminated a beautiful friendship. I explained years later why we had to drop it and Mia was highly amused and forgave me at last.

It was around this time that my grandmother passed away, and Mia reacted badly to the news. I've often felt Mia and I, as a single mother and daughter combo, were almost umbilically linked, and as she witnessed my face crumpling with grief I saw its mirror image in hers. 'Does that mean she's under the ground like William's grandad?' she wailed.

'No,' I said emphatically, 'she's in heaven with God.

It was at that point I decided Mia needed to go to Sunday school. I was a committed agnostic, however I reasoned that primitive minds need the consolation of faith. Mia attended Sunday school until the day she told me she intended to convert the other children to Buddhism. Then I decided enough was enough.

And now, what of this new grief? How am I holding up on this interminable flight to retrieve her body? Well, not so well.

The tears are a relief, and I don't really care that my face is swollen like a swollen thing. What's harder is that the least suggestion of pain and violence on the film I'm trying to watch brings horrific visions of Mias final moments into my head.

If you want advice about how to talk to someone in my place, avoid saying, Don't read this article. Whatever it is could easily become compulsive reading material. If I hear that a negative comment has been made, my exhausted body once again becomes awash with adrenaline, or cortisone, or some other substance that feels incredibly damaging, and I'm again suffused in a clammy sweat . Anyway, I ended up inadvertently reading a description of that attack.

In case you've managed to avoid it, I'll spare you the details, but the images are playing in my brain. I was told by the police that Mia was unconscious after the first blow, but my brain refuses to believe that, and instead it plays and replays that ugly scene for me until my whole being seems to be swelling up with grief. Post-traumatic stress probably.

I'm fearful of what the days to come have in store. I know people in Australia and at home are confused, distressed and angry about Mia's death and looking to blame someone. If I seem to deny them the right to retreat into xenophobia, will they turn on me? Will the press start to dig about or make up things to hurt me? Who knows? I don't care as long as they dont discredit my girl. The thought of that brings back the fits of sobbing.

Mia Aycliffe-Chung (Rosie Aycliffe)

And what of that consolation I knew my little girl needed? Maybe it's not just important for children after all. Maybe we all have a need for a belief system at a time like this.

And what do I choose to believe now, in this time of overwhelming need? I believe that I need to go on, first and foremost for Mia's sake and for the sake of others around me, particularly for my lovely partner Stewart who deserves so much more than this. He's already carried five coffins, bless him, and one was his own brother.

I also believe Mia is with me on this journey. She asked me to come over in our last phone call and I agreed I would, now here I am. I believe we will hold each other again one day, and that the many who are grieving for her now will be with her again one day too. We'll meet her again one day, sooner or later, in our own bright places full of love.
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A pair of eight-year-old twins were in luck after Angelina Jolie stopped to buy a giant teddy from them.

The boys were trying to sell the bear which had been nicknamed Big Bear for $50 on a street corner in Toluca Lake in California. The actor decided to double their asking price and give them $50 each, according to TMZ.

The boys, Allen and Brandon Alexander, had apparently been waiting for an hour before but found no takers until Jolie and her own daughter Shiloh made a surprise visit in a Cadillac.

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.

Their father Tim Alexander said the twins did not realise Jolie was a celebrity at the time but he informed them later with a reference to the film Kung Fu Panda in which Jolie plays the role of Master Tigress.

In a video posted on RDS YouTube, Jolie can be heard telling one of the young boys: You are so good at doing your job. You are very good at doing your job, sweetie. You guys are so cool. It's so nice to meet you.
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Former congressman and failed New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner described his son as a chick magnet to a woman he was flirting with online for over a year.

The discovery comes the same week that the New York Post revealed a picture he had sent the woman of his crotch, while his four-year-old son was sleeping at his side. His wife, top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, announced their separation after six years.

Mr Weiner sent nine pictures of his son to the woman over the last two years, prompting her to say: "Its like a puppy. Chicks love cute kids and puppies."

The politician-turned-pundit has already been publicly exposed for sending lewd messages to women online in 2011 and 2013, and the affairs were captured in a documentary called Weiner, released this summer.

Recommended Read more Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin to separate in wake of sexting scandal

One picture was of his son in a swing, and his father wrote that he was "putting him to work".

Another picture was of the child in a hooded bathrobe. Shortly afterwards, Mr Weiner asked the woman if she was "getting laid".

When she asked him if that was an "invitation", he replied: "God. In a New York minute."

He frequently boasted about his physical attributes and invited the woman to come to New York, but she reportedly declined.

In February he told her he was "cranky, horny and generally ready for change".

The 51-year-old politician also reportedly complained about the lack of affection from his wife but said the couple were "civil nowadays".

Ms Abedin stood by her husband during the previous scandals, telling reporters she loved him.

She said to Vogue in an interview this month that she was only able to work and travel so much due to her "support network" and that Mr Weiner was willing to be a "stay-at-home dad".

In a statement announcing their split, just weeks after the Vogue interview, she said: "After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband.

"Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy."

The Clinton campaign said Ms Abedin would not be taking time off work.

She was reportedly with Mr Weiner and her family in the Hamptons last weekend when the New York Post phoned them with the news.

Ms Abedin remained on Long Island with her son to attend a fundraiser for Ms Clinton, while Mr Weiner went back to their apartment in Manhattan.
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Outspoken Ryanair boss, Michael OLeary said the Irish government should tell the EU to f**k off.

OLeary labelled EU's ruling that Apple should pay Ireland 11 billion in back taxes bizarre", and said, one of the fundamental principles of the European Union is that each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions.

Frankly the Irish government should turn around - they shouldn't even appeal the decision - they should just write a letter to Europe and tell them politely to f**k off.

The idea that you have the state aid mob - who've had more court verdicts overturned than any other department in Europe in the last 20 years - come along 10 years after the fact and say, 'no we didn't like that, we think you should have done something else', is frankly bizarre.

O'Leary added: I think there's no chance of this surviving a court ruling in Europe. There's certain things that Europe has no competence in.

On Tuesday, the EU Commission hit the iPhone maker with an 11.1 billion tax bill, ten times larger than any previous bill for alleged state aid.

The Commission accused the California tech giant of paying just 1 per cent tax on its European profits in 2003, falling to 0.005% in 2014 - or 50 for every 1 million in profit it made on the continent. Apple has 69 billion stashed offshore.

Announcing the ruling, competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager said Apples sweetheart deal with the Irish government constituted illegal state aid as similar terms were not offered to all firms.

Apple boss Tim Cook vehemently denied that the company had done anything wrong and said he would challenge the decision.

OLeary defended his own company's tax affairs, claiming that Ryanair was one of the most compliant taxpayers in Ireland having paid a corporate tax rate of 11.9% on profits last year.

In July Ryanair said it would pivot growth away from UK airports as a result of the Brexit vote which he said would cause significant economic damage.

 EU orders Apple to pay up to 13 billion euros tax to Ireland

The firm said its growth rate in the UK is expected to slow from about 15 per cant to 6 per cent next year and urged Theresa Mays government to approve radical plans for new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

Ryanair calls on the new UK Government to be radical in its decision making on new runways for London instead of picking just one (Heathrow or Gatwick) and calls on Prime Minister Theresa May to approve three new runways - one each at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, which will finally resolve the runway capacity issue for the next 50 years, while ensuring competition between airports delivers efficient facilities and prevents airlines and passengers being ripped off by gold-plated monopoly runways, he said.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

The decision over new runways has been highly contentious, with the government believed to be backing a third runway at Heathrow as the solution to the nations air capacity problems.

We'll have more capacity to grow, fares will fall and in a declining fare environment, we'll win, O'Leary said
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Chris Brown was released from prison late Tuesday after posting a $250,000 bail following his 14-hour-long standoff with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Brown was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on Tuesday after police responded to his hilltop estate in the citys Tarzana neighbourhood at 3am. Police provided little details in the case and did not identify the woman involved.

Later, model Baylee Curran told several media outlets that Brown pointed a gun at her face and threatening her. She claims that a man was selling diamond watches and necklaces in Browns backyard and that she began looking at one item when Browns friend told her not to touch the jewelry.

He was calling me names and that's when Chris Brown kind of went off, pulled out his gun, and said, 'Get the f**k out, she told E! News.

After Brown posted bail, his lawyer disputed Currans claim and thanked fans for their ongoing support.

"Thanks to everyone for their support and well wishes," Mr Geragos posted on Twitter. "Chris is out and well. The allegations against him are demonstrably false."
Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has stated the need for setting up the State Road Fund with a budget of UAH 14 billion.

"People say what they actually feel, that road repairs in Ukraine are being conducted in very different way, with increased volumes, and this is only the beginning. The new Road Fund for road construction will have more than UAH 14 billion, but the most important thing is that we will attract money from international financial organizations for these projects that will give the opportunity to significantly increase funding for roads compared even with this year," the premier said at a cabinet meeting in Kyiv.

Groysman also noted road repairs are not only an important infrastructure project but also means of creating jobs.
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Donald Trump has taken a bold political gamble - flying for a private meeting with Mexicos president and insisting on his right to build a wall along the border between their two countries. Yet he admitted he did not raise the question of who would pay for it.

Mr Trump, probably looking the most presidential since launching his White House bid 15 months ago, appeared on Wednesday afternoon with Mexicos leader, where he said the two had shared their opinions, some of which differed.

We did discuss the wall. We didnt discuss payment of the wall, Mr Trump told reporters after the meeting. That will be at a later date; this was a very preliminary meeting. It was an excellent meeting.

However, Mr Pena Nieto later tweeted that he "made clear" Mexico would not pay for the wall at the start of their talk.

Mr Trump said the meeting had been 'excellent' (AP)

The 70-year-old Republican candidate appeared with President Enrique Pena Nieto less than 24 hours after he stunned political observers by announcing that he was taking up an invitation to visit Mexico City.

For most of his campaign, the New York tycoon has made comments about Mexicans that many have found offensive and racist. He was slammed for claiming that Mexico was sending its rapists and criminals north of the border on the day he announced his intention to challenge for the presidency.

All the while, he has insisted that if he is elected, he would build a wall along the 2,000-mile border the countries share. In what has become a standard piece of choreography at his rallies, when Mr Trump has asked the question of who will pay for it, his supporters routinely chant Mexico.

 Donald Trump to run for US President

On Wednesday, Mr Trump stuck to this position, saying that it was essential to recognise the sovereign right of countries to build walls to protect their border. Still, he said that in in first meeting with the Mexican leader, that he did not push the case of who would pay for it.

Overall, Mr Trumps tone and language was in marked difference to that which many people have come to expect. In what appeared to be further evidence of his steady realisation that he needs to win over substantial Hispanic support if he is to beat Hillary Clinton, he made an effort to praise Mexican-Americans and spoke in more respectful terms.

Americans of Mexican descent, he said, were beyond reproach and spectacular, hard-working people.

As you know, I love United States very much and I want to much sure the people of the United States are protected, he said, addressing Mr Pena Nieto. You expressed to me your love for the people of Mexico.

Mr Trump did express his disagreement with the Mexican leader over free trade agreements - something he claimed benefitted Mexico more than the US.

The Mexican leader had faced considerable domestic criticism for his invitation to someone who is widely disliked in Mexico and whom Mr Pena Nieto had likened to Hitler.

He pressed Mr Trump on his controversial comments and pushed back against his assertions on trade. Mexican nationals in the United States are honest people, working people, he said. Mexicans deserve everybodys respect.

Yet his comments were mild, compared to what some had anticipated. Ahead of the meeting, Mexicos former president, Vicente Fox, had engaged in a Twitter battle with the tycoon. Meanwhile, another former president, Felipe Calderon, said Mr Trump was a hypocrite and a liar.

We dont like him. We dont want him. We reject his visit, Mr Fox told CNN.

The flying visit came just hours before Mr Trump was scheduled to make a much anticipated speech in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was expected to provide further details of his views on immigration reform.
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The award-winning rapper and producer T-Pain has asked the public for help after it was revealed that his niece had been fatally stabbed in Florida.

Police said that a young woman stabbed outside a pharmacist was a 23-year-old niece of the musician.

Tallahassee police said Javona Glover was stabbed Tuesday morning by an unknown suspect outside a Walgreens. Police say Glover was bleeding heavily when medical personnel arrived, and that she died shortly afterwards, the Associated Press said.

Javona Glover was fatally stabbed in Florida (Facebook)

On his verified Twitter account, the Grammy Award-winning T-Pain, who is from Tallahassee and whose real name is Faheem Najm , tweeted a link to a news story about the killing and asked for help identifying the suspect.

Neither the artist, nor his representatives, have made any other comment.

Police say the suspect is a black male, about 5-feet, 9-inches tall and was wearing a black T-shirt and white shoes.

Walgreens confirmed Ms Glover worked at the West Tallahassee store and provided a statement expressing condolences.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of our team member. The store is temporarily closed while police conduct their investigation and we refer you to police for any additional information, it said.

The rapper, whose stage name stands for Tallahassee Pain" and who has worked with a range of artists including Kanye West, DJ Khaled and R Kelly, asked members of the public to provide any information they had about the fatal incident.

The police are still looking for that coward that just killed my niece at Walgreens in Tallahassee, he said. If you got info pls help us out!


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An antibody that can almost completely clear the visible signs of Alzheimers disease from the brain has been discovered in a breakthrough that left one scientist trying not to get too excited.

Researchers scanned the brains of people with the degenerative condition as they were given doses of the drug, which is based on an immune cell taken from the blood of elderly people aged up to 100 who showed no signs of the disease.

After a year, virtually all the toxic amyloid plaques that build up in Alzheimers patients appeared to have gone from the brains of those given the highest doses of the antibody.

The scientists, who described their results in a paper in the journal Nature, also said the patients showed signs that the rate of their cognitive decline had slowed.

The findings of the trial suggest the plaques are at least part of the cause of the disease  not simply a byproduct.

And, if the results are confirmed in larger clinical trials already under way around the world, one expert said it could be a game-changer for efforts to prevent Alzheimers.

One of the researchers, Professor Roger Nitsch, of Zurich University, described what they found when they scanned the brains of patients given either a placebo or three different doses of the antibody, called aducanumab.

One year later, the images of the placebo group are basically unchanged. In the three doses groups, a very clear reduction in amyloid plaques is shown  the higher the dose, the larger the degree of reduction, he said.

 Dementia: misconceptions in short film

In the 10mg dose group, after one year you can see no red on the image, meaning the amyloid has almost completely disappeared.

Compared to other studies published in the past, the effect size of this drug is unprecedented.

Commenting on the research in a separate Nature article, Professor Eric Reiman, of The University of Arizona, wrote: If these preliminary cognitive findings are confirmed in larger and more-definitive clinical trials, which are now under way, it would provide a shot in the arm in the fight against Alzheimers disease.

But although the authors additional cognitive findings are encouraging, they are not definitive. It would be prudent to withhold judgement about aducanumabs cognitive benefit until results from the larger trials are in.

But he added: Confirmation that an anti-amyloid plaque treatment slows cognitive decline would be a game-changer for how we understand, treat and prevent Alzheimers disease.

Now is the time to find out.

The study, led by scientists at pharmaceutical companies Biogen and Neurimmune, sparked major interest from experts in the field.

Dr Tara Spires-Jones, interim director of Edinburgh Universitys Centre for Cognitive and Neural Systems, said the research showed the antibody robustly reduced amyloid pathology in a small group of people in very early stages of the disease.

I am cautiously optimistic about this treatment, but trying not to get too excited because many drugs make it through this early stage of testing then go on to fail in larger trials, she said.

The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Show all 7 1 /7 The seven Alzheimer's risk factors The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Hypertension 8 percent of Alzheimer's cases are linked to mid-life hypertension Getty The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Smoking Smoking accounts for 11 percent of Alzheimer's cases Getty The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Obesity Midlife obesity accounts for 7 percent of Alzheimer's cases PA The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Low Educational attainment Low education or simply not using your brain enough accounts for 7 percent of Alzheimer's cases Getty The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Diabetes Problems with blood sugar control kick off the list of modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's.The study suggests that 3 percent of Alzheimer's cases are linked to diabetes The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Depression 15 percent of Alzheimer's cases may stem from depression Rex The seven Alzheimer's risk factors Too little exercise Not enough physical activity is the number one preventable factor that contributes to Alzheimer's cases Rex Features

And Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimers Society, said: These results are the most detailed and promising that weve seen for a drug that aims to modify the underlying causes of Alzheimers disease.

The study showed that the drug was first able to remove clumps of amyloid  a toxic protein associated with Alzheimers  from the brain of mice and also, excitingly, in people.

What is most compelling is that more amyloid was cleared when people took higher doses of the drug.

No existing treatments for Alzheimers directly interfere with the disease process  and so a drug that actually slows the progress of the disease by clearing amyloid would be a significant step.

He noted that the researchers had found some side-effects, such as headaches, and that the initial trial had not been designed to measure whether the drug slowed the decline in memory and thinking.

While there were hints that it might have an effect on the symptoms of the disease, we need to see the results from further, larger research trials to understand whether this is the case. These larger trials are now under way, including in the UK, and due to finish in 2020, Dr Pickett said.

 Fighting dementia with amazing car karaoke

However Gordon Wilcock, emeritus professor of geratology at Oxford University, was somewhat downbeat about the findings.

This is preliminary data about another monoclonal antibody targeting amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, but whether it will really produce meaningful clinical benefit only definitive phase three clinical trials will show, as the researchers themselves state, he said.

We have already had previous trials of various anti-amyloid strategies, especially the monoclonal antibodies, that have failed to deliver at phase three.

Nevertheless these trials are justified by the data and I hope they are successful, despite my feelings of deja vu!
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A man has died and a 12-year-old girl has been hospitalised after a scuba diving accident in Cornwall.

A 45-year-old man was pulled from the sea along with a 12-year-old girl Portholland Beach near St Austell in Cornwall by members of the public on Tuesday, after they were seen getting into difficulty.

Police, Coastguard and ambulance staff arrived at the scene after being notified of the incident at around 5:12 pm, where the man was treated but declared dead.

Recommended Read more Five die after being pulled from sea at Camber Sands beach

The girl was taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth but is not in a serious condition, a police spokesperson said.

Devon and Cornwall police said the man and girl are understood to have been on a family holiday in the area.

Superintendent Ian Drummond-Smith said: The family involved were from outside the area and are believed to have been holidaying in Cornwall.

This appears to be a tragic scuba diving accident, and our thoughts are with the mans relatives and friends at this time.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokeswoman said the body received multiple emergency calls at around 3:45pm on Tuesday reporting the man and girl had been recovered from the water after getting into difficulty at Portholland Beach.

Mevagissy Coastguard Rescue Team and the UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Newquay were sent to the scene, alongside the Devon and Cornwall Police, the South West Ambulance Service and a helimed.

Police are investigating the incident and have informed the mans next of kin.

The mans death is the latest in a string of fatal incidents in the UKs seas this summer. Last week five men died after being pulled from the sea at Camber Sands beach, and a man died near Newquay after being recovered from the water with his family on Saturday.

Additional reporting by PA
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A woman was thrown off an easyJet flight after she had an epileptic seizure - despite paramedics saying she was fit to fly.

Helen Stephens was travelling to a friends wedding in Greece on a flight on Wednesday when she suffered a seizure before the plane took off from Gatwick.

The 30-year-old said though the seizure lasted seconds, and paramedics who attended the aircraft cleared her to fly, the airline made her leave the flight.

It wasnt like Id been drunk and rowdy. I had a bit of a seizure, felt a bit silly, I just needed to sit there for a minute and go back to my seat, Ms Stephens told the Independent.

Instead, upon being asked to leave the flight, she had to walk down the aisle to retrieve her hand luggage.

After having a seizure and feeling a bit silly anyway, I had to walk up the aisle and pack my books back into my rucksack, and my passport and everything. I felt like a naughty schoolgirl dismissed from class. I felt like Id made a spectacle of myself, Ms Stephens said.

If I had to be stretchered off the plane, and taken to hospital, I could completely understand that, but a walking talking person who can get up and pack her passport away and then get off the plane  it was really embarrassing."

EasyJet offered Ms Stephens the next flight to Greece.

They instantly offered me the next flight, but it was 24-hours later, and they have given me a place to stay, so high-five to them for that, but actually Id rather have been in Greece, she said.

Helen Stephens, a model who writes about living with epilepsy, said easyJet needs to review how it treats people with the condition (Helen Stephens)

An easyJet spokesman said: EasyJet can confirm that a passenger was denied boarding flight EZY8747 from London Gatwick to Zakynthos on 31 August due to concerns over their fitness to fly.

The health and wellbeing of passengers inflight is of paramount importance and easyJet will only allow passengers to travel if the gate staff, captain and crew are satisfied that they are fit to travel.

EasyJet provided the passenger with overnight accommodation and has rebooked them to fly tomorrow.

Ms Stephens said easyJet should review how it treats people with epilepsy.

Recommended Read more Jeremy Hunt urged to act against avoidable deaths from epilepsy

There are different severities of epilepsy. It happens in myriad ways and they should listen to health professionals and to people with epilepsy. They didnt listen to me.

I think easyJet need to be aware of how their staff handle disabilities, especially ones as common as epilepsy, and listen to their customers.

Im a customer, I said I was fine, I looked fine, the paramedics said I was fine. Ill still make it in time for the wedding, but I was also looking forward to having a few days away and having a holiday.

In Britain, 600,000, or one in every 103 people, has epilepsy, and 83 people are diagnosed with the condition every day, according to the charity Epilepsy Action.

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There are over 40 different types of seizure which vary in severity, and a person may have more than one type.

Around five people in every 100 will have an epileptic seizure at some time in their life, according to the charity's figures. Out of these five people, around four will go on to develop epilepsy.

Epilepsy Action also tweeted to Ms Stephens that there is no evidence to suggest flying is harmful to people with epilepsy.

Update: easyJet contacted the Independent again to add the decision was taken in line with guidance that people suffering a seizure should not fly within 24-hours without medical clearance.

A spokesperson said: The captain was concerned about a passenger following a seizure during boarding and so we transferred her onto a flight tomorrow in line with medical guidance.

The health and wellbeing of the passenger was our primary concern. We provided her with overnight accommodation and have rebooked her to travel tomorrow.

Our in house medical team advise that internationally agreed protocol is that it is not advisable to fly within 24 hours of a convulsion without medical clearance.
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Twelve people, including three children, have been injured after a transatlantic flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Ireland due to severe turbulence.

Ten passengers and two flight crew were treated in hospital after the United Airlines flight from Houston, Texas to London Heathrow had to be diverted to Shannon Airport.

Three children are among the injured, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

The Boeing 767-300 jet, with 207 passengers and 13 crew on board, landed safely just before 6am and ambulance crews were on the runway to meet the flight.

The injured passengers and flight crew were taken to University Hospital Limerick, where they were treated for soft tissue injuries, lacerations and minor head injuries.

A spokesperson from United Airlines said: "United Airlines is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA880 which experienced severe and unexpected turbulence during a flight from Houston to London Heathrow today.

"The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland where it was met by medical personnel. Ten customers and two flight attendants were taken to a local hospital and all have since been discharged, except for one of our flight attendants."

The airline plans to fly unaffected customers from Shannon to London Heathrow later today on an alternative aircraft.

A spokeswoman from Shannon Airport said: "A United Airlines flight (UA-880) en route from Houston to Heathrow diverted to Shannon Airport with a medical situation and landed safely at 05.55am this morning.

"HSE ambulances were at the scene to meet the flight. Passengers and crew were treated at the airport and subsequently fourteen passengers and two flight crew were transferred by to University Hospital Limerick."
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More than 27,000 people suspected of illegally entering the UK have been arrested over the past three years, according to statistics gathered from police forces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The figures obtained by the BBC, showed nearly a 25 per cent rise in arrests from 2013 to 2015. Many of those arrested were found at motorway service stations and truck stops, having hidden away in lorries.

The Home Office said it wanted to develop long-term solutions to illegal migration.

Four forces - including Police Scotland - did not provide data, while some only provided partial information.

The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, shows that officers across the UK made 7,709 arrests for illegal entry in 2013.

The number increased slightly to 7,913 the following year and climbed to 9,600 in 2015, when many countries in Europe were struggling to deal with the refugee crises.

The total figure over the period from January 2013 to April of this year was 27,800. This total does not include people arrested for staying longer in the country than they are entitled to, nor those detained at ports and airports, who are dealt with by Border Force staff.

The police forces with the highest arrest rates outside of Londons Metropolitan Police were Kent, Greater Manchester and West Midlands.

Calais and Dunkirk camps Show all 16 1 /16 Calais and Dunkirk camps Calais and Dunkirk camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A portrait of an Afghan man wearing a traditional Perhan Turban in the Calais Jungle (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two Gendarmes guard the main entrance to the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One Kurdish Iraqi mans reminder to himself (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two young boys in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Iranian hunger striker stands outside the only remaining shelter in the South Side of the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A church in the South Calais camp, on of the the only structures not demolished in the South Side of the camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man gets a hair cut in the Calais camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Night falls on the Calais Jungle. Fires burn in the distance (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps The containers provided as alternative accommodation for the people in the camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A young boy in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man listens to music inside one of the shipping containers (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps The awful living conditions in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Afghan man in the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One of the Iranian hunger strikers (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A family in their wooden shelter in the new Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller)

Commons Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz called for urgent action to tackle the issue, having told the BBC that the astonishing figures basically show that our border is not secure.

The Government keeps maintaining that they have got water-tight security at our borders.

If 27,000 people have been arrested for entering the country illegally by our police forces then it shows that this problem is even worse than we had anticipated and we expect urgent action to be taken.

Dovers Conservative MP, Charlie Elphicke, has suggested further patrols in the Channel as a solution.

We need to deal with the camps at Dunkirk and elsewhere and by the Channel ports. We also need to deal with the problem of people-trafficking by small craft.

Thats why Ive been calling for a marine-led new Dover patrol to make sure that the English Channel is kept safe and secure.

The Home Office commented on the findings, having said that when someone is found to have no right to remain in the UK, it will take action to remove them.
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A woman has been been banned from voting in the Labour leadership election on the grounds that she "tweeted in support of the Green Party" over a year ago.

Sophie McKeand, a Jeremy Corbyn supporter from Wales, received a letter stating that the panel of the National Executive Committee (NEC) had decided to reject her membership application because of a tweet she posted on 8 May 2015.

The letter, signed by General Secretary of the party Iain McNicol, stated: "As part of the process to sign up as a registered supporter all applicants are asked to confirm the following statement: I support the aims and values of the Labour Party, and I am not a supporter of any organisation opposed to it.

"A panel of the NEC has considered your application, and has decided to reject it on the grounds that you tweeted in support of the Green party on 8 May 2015."

When approached for comment, a Labour Party spokesperson told The Independent: "We cannot comment on individual applications, but can confirm that if someone shows support for another party they are not eligible to become a member."

Ms McKeand, who is a socialist poet, said she was "surprised" and "dismayed" on receiving the letter.

She told The Independent: "I was surprised because I was allowed to vote in the 3 election that also came after the 'offending tweet'. I haven't looked to see what I tweeted on that day because I'm far too busy working and I would hope the Labour Party were also too busy campaigning against the Tories to bother with my social media output.

"I'm dismayed that my opinion is being so easily discarded just because I share points of view with other parties on the left. I don't see votes for The Left as mutually exclusive. We have much more in common than we have points of contention and this is what we need to focus on.

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

"Gone are the days of expecting the electorate to blindly follow a party - look what that did with Blair and the Iraq war."

The letter, which the Welsh poet posted on Twitter branding it a "total farce", has been met with anger and surprise on social media.

Twitter user Tom Stewart wrote: "That's dreadful. The Labour Party should be ashamed of this." Another commenter said he was "gobsmacked", asking: "How can this happen because of a tweet?"

It comes days after Jeremy Corbyn expressed concern that some of his supporters have been "unfairly" barred from voting after four people with a combined Labour Party membership of 163 years said they had received similar rejection.

Mr Corbyn has encouraged supporters who have been denied a vote to challenge it and advised on how best to do so, tweeting: "Have you been denied a vote? Make sure you challenge. Share details with Liz Davies, former Labour NEC & barrister."

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who is chairing Mr Corbyn's bid to be re-elected as Labour leader, has warned party officials against what appears to be a rigged purge of Jeremy Corbyn supporters.

The Labour leadership ballot, which pits Jeremy Corbyn against former Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Owen Smith, closes on 21 September and the results will be announced three days later at a Labour Party Conference.
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A devout Christian teacher who was pictured in bed with a pupil has been banned from the profession.

Isabelle Graham was found to have of engaged in "sexual activity with a 17-year-old pupil by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

An inquiry into her behaviour was launched after a photograph appeared on social media after her schools prom night in 2014.

The photo showed Ms Graham in a Travelodge hotel room bed (Deadline News)

The picture shows a blonde woman lying in hotel room bed with a figure holding a bottle in the doorway.

The 28-year-old French teacher has since resigned from her job at Whitburn Academy in West Lothian. She was absent from the GTCS proceedings.

Responding to her ban, Ms Graham maintained she was an active and practising Christian who had been waiting until marriage to have sexual intercourse.

The world's toughest school run Show all 5 1 /5 The world's toughest school run The world's toughest school run Children carry their schoolbags climb on a cliff on their way home in Zhaojue county in southwest China's Sichuan province Chinatopix/AP The world's toughest school run Children carry their schoolbags accompanied by adults climb on a cliff bu using ladder as they on their way home in Zhaojue county in southwest China's Sichuan province Chinatopix/AP The world's toughest school run A child carry her schoolbag looks as she takes a rest on a cliff as she and other children on their way back to home in Zhaojue county in southwest China's Sichuan province Chinatopix/AP The world's toughest school run A village in China's mountainous west where schoolchildren must climb an 800-meter (2,625-foot)-high bamboo ladder secured to a sheer cliff face may get a set of steel stairs to improve safety Chinatopix/AP The world's toughest school run Schoolchildren carry their schoolbags climb on a cliff on their way home in Zhaojue county in southwest China's Sichuan province Chinatopix/AP

She married in 2015. Her husband, who is training for the clergy, maintained her innocence: In all the time I have known her, she has always put her Christian faith above all other things.

I have never had any doubt that the allegations made against her were false.

The teacher is reported to have spent three hours alone with the teenage pupil in a Travelodge in Edinburgh.

GTCS investigator Fraser Thomson said other students saw Pupil A and Mrs Graham "lying on the bed, one on top of the covers and one underneath the covers".

The picture was taken by a friend sharing the room with Pupil A.

Ms Graham claimed she has no recollection of the events because she drank four glasses of wine.

She maintained it looks like my hair, but denied recognising the pupil. She suggested she must have been unconscious and the photograph was posed. At an earlier hearing, she said: "I'm the victim."

After looking at CCTV footage, Detective Sergeant Keith Miller, who investigated the incident for Police Scotland, disputed this.

Throughout the footage theres no sign Ms Graham is under the excessive influence of drugs or alcohol," he said.

The way she moved and conducted herself suggested someone who was making conscious decisions.

He added there was footage of the couple kissing.

Police Scotland did formally investigate the incident, but chose not to pursue charges due to a lack of evidence.

Carla Roth, a lawyer for GTCS, said Ms Grahams action had left pupils feeling uncomfortable and somewhat shocked.

Ms Graham previously applied to have her case held in private.

She currently lives abroad and has recently had a child with her husband.
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People starting a family should head to Hertfordshire, a new poll suggests, after the county was named the UKs best place to raise children.

The uSwitch Better Family Life Index graded 138 local authorities on 33 different measures, including GCSE results, broadband speed, pay prospects and levels of sunshine, to find the best places for families.

Hot on Hertfordshires heels were Cambridgeshire and Central Bedfordshire, named second and third best places.

The report found that people living in eastern England benefit from higher internet speeds, proximity to local amenities including good schools, and it is also the area of the country where people manage to spend the most time with their families.

Hertfordshire has the third highest employment rate in England, with 81 per cent of 16- to 64-year olds in work, and the average salary is 33,435.

The east of England is also the sunniest area of the country, with an average of four hours, 34 minutes of sunshine every day, compared to three hours, three minutes a day in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Scotland fares least well in the ranking, with East and North Ayrshire at the bottom, an area which suffers higher crime rates, lower exam results, and lower pay with an average salary of 26,962.

It is also the area where locals reportedly get the least sleep in Britain, getting just 6 hours 37 minutes on an average night.

Leicester was the second worst place to bring up a family in Britain, and the worst in England. Researchers noted it has the fourth worst employment rate in the UK as well as fewer primary schools and expensive council tax at 1,599 a year for band D.

The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 Show all 20 1 /20 The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 1. Hertfordshire (best) Creative Commons The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 2. Cambridgeshire (best) Getty The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 3. entral Bedfordshire (best) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 4. Warrington (best) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 5. York (best) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 6. Tyneside (best) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 7. Norfolk (best) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 8. Northumberland (best) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 9. West Cumbria (best) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 10 . Calderdale and Kirklees (best) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 1. East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire mainland (worst) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 2. Leicester (worst) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 3. Glasgow City (worst) AFP/Getty The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 4. Isle of Wight (worst) Getty The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 5. Clackmannanshire and Fife (worst) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 6. Nottingham (worst) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 7. Sandwell (worst) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 8. Falkirk (worst) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 9. Kingston Upon Hull (worst) The UKs 10 best and worst places to raise a family in 2016 10. North Lanarkshire (worst)

Almost half of parents in the UK, 49 per cent, would consider moving to a different area to improve their circumstances, the report said. Meanwhile 43 per cent worry they are not giving their children the best start in life.

Tashema Jackson, uSwitch.com money expert, said: The Better Family Life Index shows that life is far from equal for families across the UK.

Although there is much to celebrate in many areas, its not surprising that so many families are thinking about moving to a new region to improve their circumstances.

For many consumers, the prospect of increased uncertainty in the run-up to Brexit may be a turning point, leading us to re-evaluate both how we manage our household budgets and how we provide stability for our families in the future.

Policymakers would do well to follow suit. With the new government yet to announce its budgetary priorities it is vital that positive changes are made to help give all families fair opportunities no matter where they live  whether it is access to a good education, childcare, housing, GPs or jobs.

Loch Recawr in East Ayshire, the area named the worst to raise a family in Britain (Getty/iStockphoto) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Quality of life should not be a postcode lottery.

She added: In the meantime households can take an honest look at their budgets to see if there are any savings they can make to improve their own standard of living.

Even simple steps such as switching energy or your broadband provider could put hundreds of pounds back into the household kitty.

Top 10 areas in the uSwitch Better Family Life Index 2016

1. Hertfordshire

2. Cambridgeshire CC

3. Central Bedfordshire

4. Warrington

5. York

6. Tyneside

7. Norfolk

8. Northumberland

9. West Cumbria

10. Calderdale and Kirklees

Bottom ten areas

129. North Lanarkshire

130. Kingston Upon Hull

131. Falkirk

132. Sandwell

133. Nottingham

134. Clackmannanshire and Fife

135. Isle of Wight

136. Glasgow City

137. Leicester

138. East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire mainland
The Ukrainian government with the support of Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has approved changes to the method of evaluating objects to be privatized, proposed by the State Property Fund (SPF), which will reduce the starting price of Odesa Port-side Chemical Plant.

"I believe we should allow the SPF to put the plant up for sale at the price that will attract more bids. And then we will approve it," he said.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov demanded the postponing of making the decision as the members of the People's Front faction doubt it.

"We have a coalition government," he noted.

At the same time, Groysman insisted on making a positive decision, but instructed the State Property Fund (SPF) to hold a public debate with the factions and justify the new starting price.

As reported, the SPF announced a tender for the sale of a 99.567% stake in Odesa plant with a starting price of UAH 13.175 billion (about $527 million), taking into account the debt more than $700 million, but it failed because not one wanted to buy it. .
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Theresa May set herself on a collision course with Parliament after confirming that the UK is heading towards Brexit without Parliament being given a vote.

After a meeting at Chequers, the Cabinet agreed they should move towards triggering official Brexit talks and that there is no need for their launch to be formally approved by the Commons.

Political opponents immediately condemned the move with Labour accusing the Government of sheer high-handed arrogance.

Recommended Read more The Conservative Party remain divided on what Brexit actually means

The Cabinet also appeared to brush aside statements from EU leaders that no access to the single market would be granted if free movement of European citizens is not allowed across EU borders.

Instead, a bullish statement on behalf of Ms May and her Cabinet stated the Government would pursue a unique deal granting both immigration control and some access to the single market.

Ms May gathered her ministers at her official country residence Chequers to brainstorm the Government's approach to Brexit talks with the EU.

Speculation had been mounting over whether she would grant MPs a chance to vote on when Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which launches formal Brexit talks, is triggered.

Until now the Prime Minister's officials remained vague on the matter, simply stating that there was no legal obligation.

But clearly confirming the Government's intentions for the first time, the Prime Minister's spokesperson said after the meeting: There was a strong emphasis on pushing ahead to Article 50 to lead Britain successfully out of the European Union - with no need for a parliamentary vote.

Opponents have argued that a vote would be necessary to launch Article 50 and approve any Brexit plan, because when the referendum took place the public had no clear idea of what Brexit would look like.

Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, said: The country was dragged into this mess by a Tory Party acting as a law unto themselves, and now they want to trust us to get them out of it, acting in exactly the same way.

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

It is sheer high-handed arrogance for them to say they will take all the decisions themselves, with no consultation of Parliament or the public, with the devolved administrations consulted but not listened to, and with the governments of London and Gibraltar now not even mentioned.

She said Article 50 should not be triggered until Parliament gave approval to that plan.

Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith told The Independent that it would be absolutely scandalous if Parliament were not given a say on the matter.

It's vital that we have a proper debate about what we know the terms of the debate to be <p>Owen Smith</p>

He said that he would be prepared to table an Opposition motion in the Commons on triggering Article 50, though the result would not be binding on the Government.

He said: I would use every means possible to ensure that there was a vote in Parliament, not least because there was a majority... right across the parties that voted for remain.

I think there is still majority opinion in Parliament for Remain. It's vital that we have a proper debate about what we know the terms of the debate to be.

I don't think she [Ms May] should be triggering Article 50 until we know what Brexit looks like.

The Liberal Democrats, who have clout in the House of Lords, have also signalled that they want Parliament to have a say.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the Prime Minister was taking an increasingly unacceptable and irresponsible position.

European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel have repeatedly warned that the UK cannot pick and choose the EUs benefits in its new relationship with Europe.

At his first meeting with Ms May, French President Francois Hollande said: There cannot be freedom of movement of goods, free movement of capital, free movement of services, if there isnt a free movement of people.

But after the Chequers meeting, the Prime Minister's spokesman made clear that Cabinet members are taking a decisive view that the model we are seeking is one unique to the United Kingdom and not an off the shelf solution.

He continued: This must mean controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe, but also a positive outcome for those who wish to trade goods and services.

Ms May sought to use the meeting to present a united front on Brexit, hoping it would compare favourably to the brutal internal struggles and leadership contest being fought by Labour. Tory ministers agreed that the opening day of their conference would be dedicated to global Britain - showing that we are more outward looking than ever before.

It follows reports of a turf war and Cabinet splits over Brexit.

Chancellor Philip Hammond is thought to prefer a sector-by-sector approach to the single market, while winning some limits on free movement.

But International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Brexit Secretary David Davis are said to favour pulling out of the single market altogether to allow for more control of the UK's borders.

On Wednesday morning, ex-minister Anna Soubry said British businesses would not survive without EU free movement.
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Poland's Ambassador to the UK has visited the town where a Polish man was attacked and killed in a possible hate crime by six teenagers who, according to the local MP, literally come from the sewers.

The Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki described the killing as "a very important tragedy", and said his staff had deal with "15 or 16 such situtations" since the June referendum.

Arkadiusz Jozwik, who was 40 years old, was attacked on Saturday night and died on Monday from head injuries.

It is a very important tragedy and we have to work together on this issue," Mr Rzegocki said, before confirming he would attend planned march of silence in the town on Saturday.

Speaking alongside Rzegocki, Halfon delivered a strongly worded statement.

Halfon said: Im very proud of our Polish community in Harlow. The Polish people work incredibly hard and have opened up some lovely shops and helped regenerate parts of our town and employed more people.

What has happened is an incredible tragedy. We need to find out the truth This is not just a tragedy for the family or for Poland, it is a tragedy for Harlow and Britain as well.

6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Show all 6 1 /6 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you More expensive foreign holidays The first practical effect of a vote to Leave is that the pound will be worth less abroad, meaning foreign holidays will cost us more nito100 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you No immediate change in immigration status The Prime Minister will have to address other immediate concerns. He is likely to reassure nationals of other EU countries living in the UK that their status is unchanged. That is what the Leave campaign has said, so, even after the Brexit negotiations are complete, those who are already in the UK would be allowed to stay Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Higher inflation A lower pound means that imports would become more expensive. This is likely to mean the return of inflation  a phenomenon with which many of us are unfamiliar because prices have been stable for so long, rising at no more than about 2 per cent a year. The effect may probably not be particularly noticeable in the first few months. At first price rises would be confined to imported goods  food and clothes being the most obvious  but inflation has a tendency to spread and to gain its own momentum AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Interest rates might rise The trouble with inflation is that the Bank of England has a legal obligation to keep it as close to 2 per cent a year as possible. If a fall in the pound threatens to push prices up faster than this, the Bank will raise interest rates. This acts against inflation in three ways. First, it makes the pound more attractive, because deposits in pounds will earn higher interest. Second, it reduces demand by putting up the cost of borrowing, and especially by taking larger mortgage payments out of the economy. Third, it makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow to expand output Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Did somebody say recession? Mr Carney, the Treasury and a range of international economists have warned about this. Many Leave voters appear not to have believed them, or to think that they are exaggerating small, long-term effects. But there is no doubt that the Leave vote is a negative shock to the economy. This is because it changes expectations about the economys future performance. Even though Britain is not actually be leaving the EU for at least two years, companies and investors will start to move money out of Britain, or to scale back plans for expansion, because they are less confident about what would happen after 2018 AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you And we wouldnt even get our money back All this will be happening while the Prime Minister, whoever he or she is, is negotiating the terms of our future access to the EU single market. In the meantime, our trade with the EU would be unaffected, except that companies elsewhere in the EU may be less interested in buying from us or selling to us, expecting tariff barriers to go up in two years time. Whoever the Chancellor is, he or she may feel the need to bring in a new Budget Getty Images

The 40-year-old and another Polish man were set upon outside a row of takeaway shops in what Essex Police believe was an unprovoked attack at around 11.35pm.

With regard to the Brexit vote fuelling hate crime, Mr Halfon said: "I believe that the vast majority of people who voted to leave the EU did for noble reasons.

"I do have a view that a very small minority - and I stress that these kinds of awful things are done by a minority - it (the referendum) is being used by people who come from the sewers who want to exploit division and have their own racist agenda. They literally come from the sewers."

Mr Jozwiks brother said he was killed after he was heard speaking Polish outside a pizza shop in the town in Essex.

In a written statement, the MP said: We must do more than be horrified. We must actively stand up against racism of any kind.

We must welcome Polish and other communities just as we would welcome our best friends and we must all work together to ensure that Harlow remains a kind, decent and tolerant place to live.

We should be celebrating the hard work and positive contribution of the migrant communities that greatly benefit our society.
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Theresa May has warned her Cabinet gathered for Brexit talks at Chequers that the UK is at a significant moment, as she was told by an ex-minister that British businesses will not survive without EU free movement.

At the start of the meeting at her official country residence, the Prime Minister underlined that there would be no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door.

But as she was delivering her message, former Business Minister Anna Soubry said UK growth was dependent on the free movement of EU citizens across UK borders.

Splits have also emerged within the cabinet itself with some ministers preferring a Brexit that leaves the UK inside the single market while others want to leave completely.

It comes amid speculation that Mrs May will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, starting formal Brexit talks, without first putting it to a vote of Parliament.

Mrs May has tasked each member of her cabinet to form a plan of how their department can capitalise on Brexit.

She told them at the start of the meeting: Well be looking at the next steps that we need to take, and well also be looking at the opportunities that are now open to us as we forge a new role for the UK in the world.

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Show all 6 1 /6 The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Brexit The big one. Theresa May has spoken publicly three times since declaring her intent to stand in the Tory Leadership race, and each time she has said, Brexit means Brexit. It sounds resolute, but it is helpful to her that Brexit is a made up word with no real meaning. She has said there will be no second referendum and no re-entry in to the EU via the back door. But she, like the Leave campaign of which she was not a member, has pointedly not said with any precision what she thinks Brexit means Reuters The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address General election This is very much one to keep off the to do list. She said last week there would be no general election at this time of great instability. But there have already been calls for one from opposition parties. The Fixed Term Parliaments Act of 2010 makes it far more difficult to call a snap general election, a difficulty she will be in no rush to overcome. In the event of a victory for Leadsom, who was not popular with her own parliamentary colleagues, an election might have been required, but May has the overwhelming backing of the parliamentary party Getty The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address HS2 Macbeth has been quoted far too much in recent weeks, but it will be up to May to decide whether, with regard to the new high speed train link between London, Birmingham, the East Midlands and the north, returning were as tedious as go oer. Billions have already been spent. But the 55bn it will cost, at a bare minimum, must now be considered against the grim reality of significantly diminished public finances in the short to medium term at least. It is not scheduled to be completed until 2033, by which point it is not completely unreasonable to imagine a massive, driverless car-led transport revolution having rendered it redundant EPA The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Heathrow expansion Or indeed Gatwick expansion. Or Boris Island, though that option is seems as finished as the man himself. The decision on where to expand aviation capacity in the south east has been delayed to the point of becoming a national embarrassment. A final decision was due in autumn. Whatever is decided, there will be vast opprobrium PA The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Trident renewal David Cameron indicated two days ago that there will be a Commons vote on renewing Britains nuclear deterrent on July 18th, by which point we now know, Ms May will be Prime Minister. The Labour Party is, to put it mildly, divided on the issue. This will be an early opportunity to maximise their embarrassment, and return to Tory business as usual EPA The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address Scottish Independence Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP are in no doubt that the Brexit vote provides the opportunity for a second independence referendum, in which they can emerge victorious. The Scottish Parliament at Holyrood has the authority to call a second referendum, but Ms May and the British Parliament are by no means automatically compelled to accept the result. She could argue it was settled in 2014 AFP/Getty

We must continue to be very clear that Brexit means Brexit, that were going to make a success of it.

That means theres no second referendum, no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door, that were actually going to deliver on this.

Philip Hammond is expected to put forward plans for a sector-by-sector approach to remaining in the single market at the meeting.

There is a desire among some ministers to agree access for the financial sector and the car industry, while at the same time curbing immigration.

But other senior ministers including Brexit Secretary David Davis and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox favour totally pulling out of the single market to gain full control of UK borders.

This morning Ms Soubry told the BBC such a move would damage the UK economy. Asked if she wanted to retain free movement, she said: Yes, that is my view.

I believe in the free movement of labour form the EU. It has benefitted our country, especially business.

She went on: Go and talk to those businesses, whether its picking fruit, whether it is people relying on highly qualified engineers, other experts working in British business.

British business could not survive without access to that free movement of labour.

She urged colleagues to make a good strong positive case for immigration or risk damaging UK growth.

Mrs May is also expected to use the meeting as a show of Tory unity, comparing it to the current unrest in Labour during the partys leadership contest.

In particular, it will be an opportunity for the three ministers who have a role in Brexit, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Dr Fox and Mr Davis, to appear side by side.

 Theresa May says she has an 'open mind' over Brexit negotiations

There have been reports of a turf war between the three cabinet members, as Dr Fox and Mr Davis attempt to build their departmental workforces up from scratch.

Downing Street has said MPs will be given "a say" on the process for the UK's departure from the EU.

But a Downing Street spokesman repeatedly declined to say whether Parliament would be given a formal vote on triggering Article 50.

Number 10 has insisted there is "no legal obligation" for Mrs May to consult Parliament before invoking the Article and has said it will not take place before the end of the year.

Downing Street has also confirmed Mrs May will not hold a second referendum or an early general election to give voters the chance to sign off on any Brexit deal.
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The Government should designate an official public body as a watchdog to intervene when factually incorrect political claims are made in future referendums, it has been recommended.

A study by the Electoral Reform Society released on Thursday morning lamented the glaring democratic deficiencies during the European Union referendum caused in part by the dire standard of debate.

The researchers point to repeated reports suggesting voters felt ill-informed and starved of facts about what they were voting on. They blame a specific media focus on the opinions of big beast politicians rather than hard evidence  and misleading claims made by the campaigns.

Recommended Read more Theresa May rules out second EU referendum or vote on terms of Brexit

The Vote Leave campaign notoriously repeatedly claimed that 350m could be spent on the NHS if Britain left the European Union. The false claim was derided as misleading by UK Statistics Authority but the publicity of the initial statement outshone that of any correction.

Among a number of recommendations, the report recommends that the UK learn from New Zealand, which it says successfully intervened to quash false claims during referendum campaigns.

An official body  either the Electoral Commission or an appropriate alternative  should be empowered to intervene when overtly misleading information is disseminated by the official campaigns, they said.

Misleading claims by the official campaigns in the EU referendum were widely seen as disrupting peoples ability to make informed and deliberate choices.

Other countries including New Zealand have successfully regulated campaign claims  the UK should follow suit.

Other recommendations include increased citizenship education in schools to help people understand and criticise claims made by politicians, as well as votes at 16 to improve political engagement.

EU referendum - in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 EU referendum - in pictures EU referendum - in pictures A woman in a wheelchair with British and European Union flags shows her support for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union on the day of the EU Referendum in Gibraltar Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures A polling station being used in the EU referendum at Batley Town Hall in the constituency Labour MP Jo Cox PA EU referendum - in pictures People arrive to vote in the EU Referendum at the Library where British MP Jo Cox was shot and fatally wounded last week in Birstall EPA EU referendum - in pictures A man arrives to vote at a polling station for the Referendum on the European Union in north London REUTERS EU referendum - in pictures Voters queue to enter a polling station at Trinity Church in Golders Green in London Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron leave after voting in the EU Referendum at Central Methodist Hall, Westminster Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn cast his vote at a polling station at Pakeman Primary School in Islington Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures Chelsea pensioners arrive at a polling station near to the Royal Chelsea Hospital PA EU referendum - in pictures A woman wearing an "I'm In" t-shirt, promoting the official "Remain" campaign, leaves a polling station in London AFP/Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures People queuing outside a polling station on Amott Road in London PA EU referendum - in pictures Scotland's First Minister and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell, react as leave after casting their votes at a polling station at Broomhouse Community Hall in east Glasgow AFP/Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures A man wearing a European themed cycling jersey leaves after voting at a polling station for the Referendum on the European Union in north London REUTERS EU referendum - in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage arrives to cast his vote at Cudham Church of England Primary School in Biggin Hill, Kent PA EU referendum - in pictures Justice Secretary and prominent 'Vote Leave' campaigner Michael Gove poses with his wife Sarah Vine after voting in the European Union referendum at their local polling station in Kensington Getty EU referendum - in pictures Nuns leave a polling station after voting in the EU Referendum in London EPA EU referendum - in pictures People arrive to cast their ballots in the EU Referendum in Gibraltar. The United Kingdom and its dependant territories are going to the polls to decide whether or not the the United Kingdom will remain in the European Union Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures A man driving a van covered in stickers urging people to vote for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union drives outside a polling station on the day of the EU Referendum in Gibraltar Getty Images EU referendum - in pictures A sign on a gable wall in Belfast's, Loyalist Tigers Bay urging voters to leave the EU using scripture from Revelation 18:4, as voters head to the polls across the UK in a historic referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the European Union or leave PA

They also add that the official regulated campaign period for all future referendums be a minimum of six months, and that the Electoral Commission should publish basic important data relevant to the vote on a website to keep claims accurate.

Katie Ghose, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said referendums could be valuable democratic tool but that they had to be properly regulated.

This report shows without a shadow of a doubt just how dire the EU referendum debate really was. There were glaring democratic deficiencies in the run-up to the vote, with the public feeling totally ill-informed, she said.

Both sides were viewed as highly negative by voters, while the top-down, personality-based nature of the debate failed to address major policies and issues, leaving the public in the dark.

It offered a stark contrast to the vibrant, well-informed, grassroots conversation of the Scottish independence vote  a referendum that left a lasting legacy of on-going public participation in politics and public life.

From a campaign period that was too short to foster a decent debate, to the fact that misleading claims could be made with total impunity, there are so many lessons to be learned  and this report lays out both the facts and the way forward.

Now that the dust is starting to settle after the EU referendum, we need a complete rethink about the role of referendums in the UK. They are becoming more common, but the piecemeal nature of the how, when and why theyre done means we could simply end up jumping from referendum to referendum at the whim of politicians.

Its time for a root and branch review of referendums, learning the lessons of the EU campaign to make sure the mistakes that were made in terms of regulation, tone and conduct are never repeated. Lets make sure that future referendums guarantee the lively and well-informed discussion that voters deserve.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: The British people spoke decisively at the referendum, with one of the highest turnouts of any vote seen in a UK-wide poll in a generation. They voted to leave the European Union  and this Government will deliver on the peoples verdict.
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The British public want to ban Muslim women from wearing the Islamic veil or burqa by an overwhelming margin of more than two-to-one, a poll has found.

Research by YouGov found a huge proportion of the public had no qualms about telling women what to wear, with 57 per cent in favour of a ban and just 25 per cent against.

18-24 year olds were the only age group to oppose a ban; all others were in favour, with the oldest 65+ group backing the prohibition by a startling 78 per cent to 12. All major political parties also had a plurality of voters in favour of a ban.

Ukip leadership candidate Lisa Duffy has called for a ban on the Islamic veil; Nigel Farage issued a similar call on 2010 but the party has spoken little on the issue in recent years.

The polling comes amid controversy over the banning of burkini modest swimwear on beaches in a number of French municipalities. A video emerged last week of armed French police forcing a woman to undress after she was spotted wearing the clothing.

 Anti-women laws that still exist in 2016

A separate question asked by YouGov found that 46 per cent of people wanted to ban the burkini, while just 30 per cent opposed such a measure. The French ban has been declared illegal by the countrys courts.

A number of European countries have legislated to ban or restrict things associated with the Islamic faith. In 2009 the Swiss public voted in a referendum to ban the construction of Islamic mosques with minarets.

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

France has also banned full face coverings in 2010, on security grounds, a ban that also includes the burqa. France also separately bans headscarves that do not cover a persons face in public schools, on secularist ground. The French prime minister Manuel Valls says he wants the ban extended to universities.

Other countries such as Belgium and parts of Switzerland and Russia have also banned clothing worn by some Muslim women.
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The so-called traingate row over whether Jeremy Corbyn had to sit on the floor of a train actually made him more popular with his supporters, an opinion study has found.

The Labour leader was dragged into a bizarre row with Virgin Trains after he recorded a video complaining of overcrowding on their services. The private rail company released CCTV footage of the journey and suggested Mr Corbyn had ignored empty seats to sit on the floor.

But a new poll shows that far from tarnishing Mr Corbyns reputation, standing up to the privatised operator has won the leader plaudits with some of his supporters and solidified their votes for him.

Recommended Read more Virgin faces data protection probe over Corbyn train row CCTV

Of people planning to vote for Mr Corbyn in the Labour leadership election, 18 per cent told a YouGov/Times survey the events had given them a more positive view of the leader, compared to just 5 per cent who said it had given them a more negative view.

The positive view of Mr Corbyn's confrontation may be down to the simple unpopularity of train operating companies, including Virgin Trains.

Corbyn supporters' enthusiasm was not shared amongst all Labour members. Of all members, 11 per cent said the events had improved their opinion, while 20 per cent said it had made their view negative.

The overwhelming response to the episode from the wider membership was a yawn, however. 67 per cent said the event had no effect on their views of Mr Corbyn; the vast majority of those said their view of him were positive anyway.

 CCTV shows Jeremy Corbyn taking a seat on train after filming himself sitting on the floor

The same poll shows Mr Corbyn soundly beating his rival Owen Smith in the Labour leadership election with an increased mandate of 62 per cent to 38 per cent.

Mr Corbyn lashed out at journalists at a press conference the day after Virgin released CCTV footage of the event. He said the press conference was not about trains but rather about the NHS.

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

Accounts of the traingate incident differed but others passengers on the train later came forward to confirm that it was indeed very busy. Scattered accounts suggest Mr Corbyn was able to find a seat after bunched passengers were moved down the train by a member of staff.

Mr Corbyn has pledged to take private rail franchises into public ownership, reversing decades of privatisation in the system.

Sam Tarry, Mr Corbyn's campaign director, predicted last week that the row with Virgin Trains would in fact boost Mr Corbyn's relection chances by highlighting his popular transport policy.
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Theresa May should take urgent action against the shocking" treatment and discrimination of pregnant women in the workplace, a parliamentary report has said.

The call by the Women and Equalities Select Committee in Westminster cites statistics from 2015 showing that the number of expectant and new mothers forced to leave their job because of concerns about the safety of their child or pregnancy discrimination has doubled over the past decade to 54,000.

The committee, set up in 2015, is now urging Theresa Mays new administration to publish an ambitious and detailed plan within the next two years  or risk a further increase in the number of pregnant women being forced out of employment. It adds that UK women should have protections similar to those in Germany.

The group of MPs has also called on the Government, following uncertainty over Britains exit from the European Union, to ensure that rights and protections are not eroded in the Brexit negotiation period. Other recommendations the committee has put forward include preventing discriminatory redundancies and extending maternity-related rights for causal, agency and zero-hours workers.

Maria Miller, a former Cabinet minister who chairs the select committee, said that action is needed to stop the treatment of pregnant women and that the Governments approach has lacked urgency and bite.

Ms Miller added that thousands of expectant and new mothers have no choice but to leave work due to concerns about the safety of their child or pregnancy discrimination. Shockingly this figure has almost doubled in the last decade, now standing at 54,000, she added.

There are now record numbers of women in work in the UK. The economy will suffer unless employers modernise their workplace practices to ensure effective support and protection for expectant and new mums.

The Governments approach has lacked urgency and bite. It needs to set out a detailed plan outlining the specific actions it will take to tackle this unacceptable level of discrimination. This work must be underpinned by concrete targets and changes to laws and protections to increase compliance by employers to improve womens lives.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 9 September 2022 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace Getty UK news in pictures 8 September 2022 A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain EPA

According to research carried out by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Equality and Human Rights Commission in 2015 pregnant women and mothers now face more discrimination at work than they did a decade ago. It added that 11 per cent of women reported being either dismissed, made compulsorily redundant when others in their workplace were not, or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their job.

Ms Miller, who was the former culture, media and sport Secretary and minister for women and equalities before resigning from David Camerons administration, added: We heard concerning evidence about the experiences of pregnant casual, agency and zero hours workers. While we understand the reason they do not have the same day one rights as employees, employers should not be able to avoid affording regular, long-term workers the same basic rights as employees because they have a different contract type.

Responding to the report Angela Rayner, Labours shadow women and equalities minister, said that thousands of pregnant women are being priced of justice because of the tribunal fees brought in by this Tory Government.

Women are suffering discrimination in the workplace on an industrial scale and too many are being forced to suffer in silence, Ms Rayner added. Women on low pay, shift work and zero hours contracts should have the same access to employment tribunals as those with substantial financial means, but access to justice has become unaffordable for thousands of women on low pay. It is estimated that less than one per cent of women who experience maternity discrimination bring forward a claim.
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Britain's housing crisis is giving scammers the means to con desperate tenants out of their hard-earned cash, it has been revealed.

Tenants living in overcrowded council housing in Tower Hamlets, the capitals most deprived borough, are being approached by fraudsters claiming to be from the local council.

According to the council, the fraudsters say that if the tenants want to be put on a waiting list to be given a non-overcrowded home, they have to sign up to a new service  which they say costs 29.99.

Recommended Read more Eric Pickles calls for prosecution over Tower Hamlets electoral fraud

The notice often comes in the form of a leaflet through the door, featuring Tower Hamlets Council office address, pictures of homes in the borough, and the name Tower Hamlets Overcrowding Aid. It directs people to a website.

Tower Hamlets Council says the people selling the scheme in fact have nothing to do with the council; they say the service does not exist and the website is a scam.

The local authority urged local residents to contact the councils trading standards team and said the people involved would be prosecuted.

The council confirmed it would not request payment for a housing application and said all real council staff would carry identification. It added that the leaflets were using details of addresses for genuine council offices to confuse people into believing the website was real.

We will be working closely with the police to track down those responsible for this scam, John Biggs, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets said.

Not only are these fraudsters seeking to fleece families out of money they cannot afford, they are raising the hopes of families already living in difficult circumstances.

In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties A "cosy" flat in an upmarket area of west London is available to rent for a reasonable 520 a month, provided the tenant doesnt mind showering under the bed In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties Located on Castletown Road, the advertisement on Zoopla boasts: "A cosy, single studio located in the heart of Londons fashionable and up-market area of West Kensington, this compact mezzanine includes not only a fully furnished living area including table, chair, wardrobe and chest of draws [sic] but also a personal shower and kitchenette complete with storage" In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties The property is recommended for "students, working professionals and those looking for a thriving London life at an affordable rate" Rightmove In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties A studio flat for rent in Kember Street, north London was advertised for 737-a-month Rightmove In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties The 'well-used' kitchen of a flat in Hoxton, which was on the market for 997 per month Zoopla In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties For only 125 per week you could be the lucky owner of this single studio flat, complete with shower and kitchenette, located between Barons Court and West Kensington Zoopla

I urge residents to be vigilant and to warn others in their homes and neighbourhoods about this scam. Anyone who has received one of these scam leaflets should contact the councils trading standards team.

The council will do all it can to find those responsible and push for the strongest possible legal action to be taken against them.

Tower Hamlets is one of many areas of London to face "huge demand for affordable housing" and "severe overcrowding in social housing", according to the council's 2013 statement on the matter.

Despite the presence of luxury apartments and Europe's financial centre Canary Wharf in the borough, startling inequality has left large swathes of the area with a housing shortage and some of the most severe poverty in the country.

As of Wednesday the Tower Hamlets Overcrowding Aid website had been taken offline. It previously said in a disclaimer section that Tower Hamlets Overcrowding Aid was a trading department of a registered company called SIMPLE GAMING LTD.

Companies House lists the firm as being registered to a named 22-year-old man at an address in Tower Hamlets.
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The Airbnb boom means some landlords in Los Angeles can make more money letting their homes for two months than they can with a traditional year-long lease, according to a new report.

It is the latest example of the way in which peer-to-peer services are disrupting longstanding commercial models and comes in a city which is trying to cap the use of Airbnb for fear short-term lets are contributing to a housing crisis.

According to a data analysis by Inside Airbnb and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), a landlord can earn the equivalent of a full-years rent in an average 83 days of renting through the peer-to-peer rental site. In some parts of Los Angeles, it takes as little as 60 days.

The data comes as major cities in the US, such as New York and San Francisco, struggle with how to regulate peer-to-peer rentals companies. Many of the fines and regulations that prohibit commercial use of the platform are difficult to enforce.

Housing advocates say that the rampant commercial usage of Airbnb takes vacant rentals off the housing market, driving up the rent of available housing, and displaces lower-income residents in the process.

Currently, the Los Angeles City Council is working on legislation to cap Airbnb rentals in at 180 days per year  about six months  which critics say incentivises landlords to rent on a short-term basis instead of providing yearlong leases.

 What is Airbnb? (Indy version)

For the overwhelming majority of neighbourhoods across LA, a 90-day cap offers a weak incentive for landlords to rent out their units on Airbnb, said LAANE Research & Policy analyst Roy Samaan. However, the currently-proposed 180-day limit offers a substantial financial incentive to rent out units on Airbnb instead of long-term tenants.

Neighbourhood activists and housing advocates have pushed for stricter regulations of the platform and a shorter cap on Airbnb rentals. Allowing six-month rentals essentially legalises hotels in residential neighbourhoods, co-founder of Keep Neighbourhoods First, Judith Goldman, told the Los Angeles Times after the citys Planning Commission approved the 180-day cap proposal.

She added: This will dramatically weaken the ordinance [to regulate short-term rentals] and provide little, if no, relief to residents all over the city.

Murray Cox, founder of Inside Airbnb and co-author of the report, said that maintaining affordable housing in cities is the goal of much of the regulation in cities across the country.

Based on my incentive analysis of existing Airbnbs operating illegally in Los Angeles, its clear that landlords will be economically motivated to turn more affordable apartments and homes into short-term rentals, Mr Cox said in the report.

The world's least affordable cities for housing Show all 10 1 /10 The world's least affordable cities for housing The world's least affordable cities for housing Hong Kong The world's least affordable cities for housing Sydney The world's least affordable cities for housing Vancouver The world's least affordable cities for housing Auckland The world's least affordable cities for housing Melbourne The world's least affordable cities for housing San Jose The world's least affordable cities for housing San Francisco The world's least affordable cities for housing London The world's least affordable cities for housing San Diego The world's least affordable cities for housing Los Angeles

Its vital that the City of Los Angeles adopts short-term rental ordinances that are both enforceable and truly protect affordable housing  and that means a complete ban on entire home rentals, or a low cap with data sharing and platform accountability.

A spokesperson for Airbnb disputed the study's findings and accused Inside Airbnb and LAANE of "cherry picking" data and using "exceptionally low" rent figures and inaccurate short-term rental costs to "draw misleading conclusions" about the company.

"According to our study, a landlord would need to rent a housing unit in Los Angeles more than 177 nights a year to make it financially beneficial to convert it from a long-term rental to a short-term rental," the spokesperson said. "In fact, 80 per cent of entire home listings are rented less than 90 nights per year."

In response, Mr Cox told The Independent that the Airbnb study only uses "'market' rent figures, and completely ignores the rents being paid by renters who already have a lease, which, as you can imagine, are significantly less than apartments coming onto, or back onto, the rental market."

In July, Airbnb reached an agreement with the Los Angeles City Council to handover hotel taxes to the city collected from its hosts. The agreement stops short of fully legalising rentals for less than 30 days at a time  the city is still working on the legislation, which includes the proposed 180-day cap.

City Councilmember Mike Bonin was pleased to see that Los Angeles will earn millions of dollars for the collected taxes from Airbnb but still called for reasonable regulations.

We need to let our regulations dictate how much revenue we receive, he said, and not let potential revenue dictate what sort of regulations we craft.
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More than 300 firefighters are battling a blaze in southern California that is expanding at a rapid speed, forcing evacuations of area residents.

The fire began Tuesday afternoon in the Cherry Valley area of Riverside County, and has burned through more than 500 acres. Residents in the Banning Bench area, including those in a nearby senior centre, are under evacuation orders.

ABC7 reports that five helicopters and one DC-10 plane are dropping fire retardant on the blaze.

The Riverside County Fire Department reports that one building has been destroyed, 200 homes evacuated, and 700 residents displaced.

Residents of an area mobile home community were threatened by the brush fire that quadrupled in size since it was reported at 12.25 pm.

Authorities say the fire is currently at five per cent containment. The cause still remains unclear.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and Ambassador of Poland to Ukraine Henryk Litwin have discussed the topical issues of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Poland and the ways of their development.

According to the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers, the premier stressed the strategic importance of bilateral relations of Ukraine and the Republic of Poland. Groysman noted Poland's support for the necessary reforms, in particular those for power decentralization. He said Ukraine is ready to build friendly and constructive relations with Poland.

"There are certain challenges we must overcome, there are questions to which we must give an answer, but the questions and answers should bring us together rather than separate, because Poland and Ukraine are very close and friendly states that have the common past, the difficult past, which have the very good present and should have the common and friendly future," the prime minister said.
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An innocent young black man who was woken in the middle of the night, punched repeatedly, tasered, handcuffered and arrested by police officers has been awarded just $18 of damages by a jury.

DeShawn Franklin, who was 18 years old, was punched three times in the face in the summer of 2012 when three officers of the South Bend Police Department, Indiana, burst into his family's home. They told his mother, Vivian, to stay outside, and found Mr Franklin asleep.

His father, who is disabled, could only listen to the noise in the next room. Such was the commotion that he concluded officers had shot his son.

It's traumatising, Mr Franklin told the Washington Post. Its somewhat of a burden that you have to carry every day.

The following year he and his family filed a civil rights lawsuit, alleging excessive use of force and unlawful entry.

In August a jury found the officers - Eric Mentz, Aaron Knepper and Michael Stuk - guilty of violating the high school students constitutional rights by arresting him and entering his house without a warrant.

Four years after the incident, the jury decided each of the defendants should pay the plaintiff and his parents $1, amounting to $18.

Peter Agostino, the police officers' lawyer, told The Post that the case was not about racial injustice but a lack of evidence, which made it impossible to supply the $1 million worth of damages the Franklins asked for.

Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Show all 19 1 /19 Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors demand justice for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors lie in an intersection during a demonstration for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors lie in an intersection during a demonstration for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protestors demand justice for Philando Castile on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters march throughout New York City. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters march throughout New York City. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters are arrested by NYPD as they call for justice throughout New York City. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Protesters are arrested by NYPD as they call for justice throughout New York City. AFP/Getty Images Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Images Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police AFP/Getty Images Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Getty Protests and outrage across the US following killings by police Getty

He said the city had offered previously to settle by paying the family $15,000. Mr Franklin's lawyer said he would have settled if they had offered an "appropriate" sum. Similar cases are worth between $100,000 and $300,000, as reported by the Indiana Star.

Reverend Mario Sims, also from South Bend, told the Washington Post that the teenager, now 22, had no criminal history but had become distrustful of the police.

Officers were searching for his older brother at his parents house as they were responding to a domestic violence report.

 Why you should care about #BlackLivesMatter

The Indiana Star reported that the officers in question were given classes on Fourth Amendment - which protects the right of citizens to be secure in their homes - as well as ethics and diversity. They were disciplined for their actions, added city spokesman Kevin Lawler.

The force has also committed to hiring more officers of colour, the Tribune reported.

The same three officers were named in a 2013 lawsuit by a man called Jonathan Ferguson, a shop worker with a learning disability whose car tyre was slashed by the officers and who was challenged by them to eat a teaspoon of cinnamon for $30 and a food voucher. He was sick for hours after eating it. The parties reached a settlement, according to the Post.

One of the same officers, Mr Knepper, was also saved by his department after he was accused of assaulting 55-year-old Tom Stevens in March 2014 after the latter failed to stop for a routine traffic stop for six blocks, until he had parked outside his mother's house.

Upon exiting his car, Mr Stevens was allegedly shot with a taser stun gun and was repeatedly punched in the face and chest until his dentures fell out, according to his mother, Suzanne Stevens. Her son was hospitalised. The city's department dismissed the claims.
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The Brazilian senate has voted to remove Dilma Rousseff from office, ending 13 years in power for her left-wing Workers Party.

Michel Temer, the acting president, will serve out her term, which comes to an end on 1 January 2019.

Critics accused Ms Rousseff of fiddling finances to keep her popular social spending programmes running and ensure her re-election, while her supporters say she was the victim of a coup d'etat.

Here is our guide to where Brazil stands now.

Brazilian senators celebrate after voting to permanently remove Ms Rousseff from office (AP)

What is the Workers Party?

Brazil, like many other Latin American countries, re-embraced democracy in the mid-1980s after a long era of right-wing military dictatorship in which many thousands of social-democrats, socialists, trade unionists, Indians and others were tortured and murdered.

During that period, Brazil's largest left-of-centre party  the Workers' Party (PT) - was established.

Ms Rousseff was suspended from office in May (Agencia Publica)

After several attempts at winning a general election, the party succeeded in 2003, when its candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected president.

He was succeeded in 2011 by Dilma Rousseff, becoming Brazils first female president.

What was their record in government?

The percentage of people below the poverty line has been reduced from 15% in 2003 to 3.5% in 2012, and 2.8% in 2014. Since 2003, more than 21 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.

Higher education was opened up to millions more students, including among non-white and poorer populations. And Brazil's infrastructure also improved very significantly  8,655 km of federal highway concession and 2,007 km of more railway line were built.

Overall, supporters say it has been the largest and most rapid redistribution of wealth and reduction in poverty ever carried out by a democratic country in the history of the world.

So what went wrong?

In late 2013 the Brazilian economy started to experience severe difficulties (partly because the country's foreign trade was over-reliant on commodity exports)  and in 2014 the Federal Police started investigating political corruption. President Rousseff herself has not been implicated in corruption.

Nevertheless, by early 2015, the presidents popularity was on the wane  and by late 2015, the Brazilian right was pushing for her removal. At the same time, the Brazilian National Accounts Tribunal, the body that scrutinises the governments budget, recommended the rejection of the governments 2014 accounts on the grounds the president had used money from state-owned banks to supplement the budget. Although such budget support has been practised by previous presidents, this is the first time that the tribunal has ever used it as a reason to reject a governments annual accounts. The tribunals allegations were then used by the political opposition and elements of the media to start impeachment proceedings.

Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff Show all 10 1 /10 Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff as they protest against new Brazilian President Michel Temer at the Paulista Avenue, in Sao Paulo AFP/Getty Images Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff Supporters of ousted Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff vandalize a police vehicle during a protest in Sao Paulo EPA Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff Protesters in favor of former President Dilma Rousseff clash with police during a protest march Getty Images Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff A protester in favor of former President Dilma Rousseff throws a chair at a door during a protest march Getty Images Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff A security guard stands inside a bank that was vandalized during a protest against Brazil's President Michel Temer AP Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff Protesters in favor of former President Dilma Rousseff clash with police Getty Images Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff Demonstrators attack a police car during a protest against Brazil's new President Michel Temer after Brazil's Senate removed former President Dilma Rousseff REUTERS Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff Supporters of Dilma Rousseff demonstrate after she was stripped of the country's presidency by a Senate impeachment vote at the Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo Rex Features Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff An inflatable doll in the image of Brazil's former president Dilma Rousseff is pictured as people celebrate after Brazil's Senate removed Rousseff, along Paulista Avenue at the financial district in Sao Paulo Rex Features Riot police clash with supporters of Dilma Rousseff Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest held to show opposition to the Brazilian Senate's decision to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office over budget irregularities, in Rio de Janeiro EPA

Rousseff supporters believe some right-wing politicians and others have pushed for the president's impeachment in order to stop her government's campaign against corruption. Indeed more than half the MPs in Brazil's Chamber of Deputies who voted to impeach her are under investigation.

Indeed, one very senior politician in the country's new post-coup administration recently had to stand down because he was caught on tape allegedly suggesting how to end the country's biggest-ever corruption investigation.

When did impeachment proceedings begin?

In late March 2016, the vice presidents political party  the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), announced that it was leaving the government coalition, although the vice president would stay in post.

After the PMDB left the coalition, opposition politicians pushed ahead with plans to impeach the president. On Sunday, 17 April, the lower house (Chamber of Deputies) of Brazil's Congress (parliament) decided by 367 votes to 137 votes to try to start impeachment proceedings against the President. That decision was ratified in May by the Senate and the president was suspended from office.

So whos in charge?

 Brazil: Michel Temer takes charge as Senate suspends Dilma Rousseff

Vice President Temer (of the by-then opposition party PMDB) was first in line to take over from her  and has therefore been declared president. A complete change of government (from left-of-centre to right-wing) has therefore been engineered by rightist politicians, media moguls and big business - without any electoral process (and with total disregard for the majority of Brazil's voters who re-elected President Rousseff just 21 months ago). What has occurred is, in reality, a political coup d'etat - and seven Latin American countries are currently refusing to recognize the new 'government'.

What happens next?

There is no provision within Brazil's constitution to call a mid-term general election  unless the vice-president as well as the president were impeached or otherwise unavailable for office. That leaves Mr Temer in power.

Nobody really knows what the potential consequences of this change of government in mid-term without an election might be. There are fears that it could not only undermine democracy but also create an atmosphere of extreme political, social and economic instability, which could impact not only on Brazil, but also on other countries in Latin America. Political opinion in Brazil has polarised. Over recent months some violence has erupted. Some labour movement and progressive activists have been physically attacked  and several have lost their lives at the hands of right-wing extremists.

Since the dark days of the continents military dictatorships, South America has come a long way. Democracy has been embraced. Now many people fear that those achievements could be put in peril by the removal of Brazils elected president.
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When Donald Trump confirmed the rumours he would be travelling to Mexico ahead of his key speech on immigration, social media users and commentators were quick to note the irony.

Wait, if all 300 million or so of us get together we can build that wall in two hours while Trump is in Mexico, read one tweet.

The jokes kept coming.

Cue taco bowls - Mr Trump posed earlier this year with the dish to reach out to Hispanic voters - and prods about his refusal to release his tax returns.

Igor Volsky, the deputy director of the Centre for American Progress Action Fund, asked on Twitter: What could go wrong w/ last minute, hastily planned trip?

Mr Trump has repeatedly insisted that the Mexican government will pay for the wall. Yet the Mexican president, President Enrique Pena Nieto, rejected Mr Trumps rhetoric on the wall and immigration as recently as July.

Theres no way that Mexico can pay [for] a wall like that, he said.

Jokes aside, people also asked Donald Trump to apologise "for calling us [Mexicans] rapists and killers, [and] guarantee that you wont build the wall or deport 11 million Mexicans."

In March, Mr Pena Nieto also likened Mr Trumps strident tone to the era of Second World War dictators.

The Republican nominee came under fire for accusing Mexican immigrants of being drug-dealers and rapists, while some were decent people.

The hasty trip echoes the perceived last-minute attempts to connect with African-American voters in August.

He said that they suffered in terms of employment, crime and education, therefore: What the hell do you have to lose?

Mike Pence, Mr Trumps vice president on the ticket, said on Wednesday that people were deeply concerned about the security of the country and about illegal immigration. Mr Trump's scheduled speech was delayed from last week.
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A man whose recruits for al-Qaeda are now fighting on behalf of Isis has just been hired by the research department of an American university.

Jesse Morton, who was known as Younus Abdullah Muhammad, once denounced the US and made threats against the creators of television show South Park for depicting the Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit.

He has now been employed by George Washington University to write and research counter-terrorism, which is a first for a US university, as reported by CNN.

Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the program on extremism at the universitys centre for cyber and homeland security, said the new employee would offer a unique perspective to the department.

We haven't figured out how to reach that individual who's going down the path of radicalisation, Mr Hughes said.

Jesse has been in that world and got out of that world.

Mr Hughes said he talked about Mr Morton with the FBI, security leaders and the lawyers that prosecuted him, and he was assured that Mr Morton was fully reformed.

He was born in Pennsylvania and was a choir boy at his grandmothers Baptist church.

He came from an abusive home and searched for radical groups, and was arrested twice on drug-related charges. When he was in jail in Virginia, he met an Islamic extremist and underwent an indoctrination process.

In 2008 Mr Morton co-founded Revolution Muslim. The next year, he praised an attack at Fort Hood, Texas, which killed 13 people.

Mr Morton obtained a masters degree in international affairs from Columbia University - while he was still an extremist.

After a trip to Morocco, where he met young, secular Muslims, his ideals started to change. He was then was arrested and extradited to the US for the South Park threats. He was sentenced to 11 years behind bars but served only three. He spent his time in the library, reading literature and philosophy to reconnect with western culture.

He thanked a female FBI agent in particular for treating him as a human and who encouraged him to open up.

Since his release in February 2015, Mr Morton has worked with the FBI on high-profile cases.

I suffer from a tremendous amount of guilt, he told CNN.

I have seen things that people have done and to know that I once sympathised and supported that view - it sickens me.

Several reformed terrorists have put their past behind them to educate people, including Maajid Nawaz, a former member of a radical Islamic group who now a prominent activist and author, and a strong critic of extremist Islam in the UK.
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Despite strong opposition from locals, a town in Georgia has decided to reverse its ban on the Muslim community building a new mosque and cemetery.

The plans were halted for five weeks as residents voiced their concerns about the so-called links between Muslims and terrorism.

The turnaround, to be voted officially on 13 September, is a rare victory for an increasingly embattled Muslim community in the US, where Republican nominee Donald Trump and his allies have peddled an anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Recommended Read more New York senator nominee called out for linking mosque to crime

Newton County is rich in diversity and hospitality, and we are happy to see residents of all faiths and backgrounds live and worship together in our community," said Newton commissioner Nancy Schulz in a statement.

The Georgia chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) thanked Newton County for lifting the ban.

CAIR executive director in Georgia, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, said the Muslims in Newton will spend time building bridges with their neighbours before they proceed with their plan to build a mosque and cemetery on the 135 acres of land they purchased. The cemetery and small mosque would only take up around 16 acres of space.

Opposition in the town had mounted against the buildings amid an atmosphere of heightened racial tensions in the US and widespread confusion about Shariah law.

Two public meetings in Newton hosted around 600 residents, some of whom were angry and fearful that the new mosque would encourage the government to resettle refugees from the Middle East in the town, one commissioner told The Rockdale Citizen Newspaper.

We have already seen bombings and beheadings, said one resident in the town hall meeting. Eight years ago the US got a Muslim president who has put Muslims in power.

Theres 50 acres of the 135 acres not accounted for - how do we know its not an Isis training camp? asked another.

Mr Mitchell said the residents had displayed anti-Muslim hysteria and said if the "unconstitutional" moratorium was not dismissed, he would call on the courts to adjudicate.

"I am very optimistic [we can build bridges]," Mr Mitchell told The Independent.

"The people of Newton are warm and welcoming. Some of them just got bad information."

He is planning to host an educational seminar about Islam and Shariah law in the town over the coming weeks, allowing residents to ask questions.

Mohammed Islam, a religious leader at the Doraville mosque which proposed the project, said he will visit local Sunday church services to talk to the congregants and is also inviting people to visit him at his current mosque.

We believe that building bridges with our neighbours is far more important than immediately building a new house of worship and cemetery, Mr Islam said.

The Muslim community may have a long bridge to build before all residents are convinced.

Barry Cowan, whose parents live next door to the proposed site, told WSBTV news that he had never been in the presence of many people of the Muslim faith but that people are scared of Muslims because of the things they do.

At a press conference on 23 Auugst, Mr Mitchell responded: "If a Protestant chuch had received an approval letter to build a house of worship, we would not have been in this situation."
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A man named Vladimir Putin  who is not the Russian president  has been arrested in a Florida supermarket on trespassing charges.

The 48-year-old man, who shares the same name as the Russian leader, was arrested on charges of trespassing and resisting an officer without violence at a Publix supermarket in downtown West Palm Beach last week.

Police said Mr Putin was screaming at employees and refused to leave the supermarket. He then left and returned again to scream some more.

Mr Putin was asked to leave the property again but sat outside on its patio instead, CBS12 reports.

A police report said Mr Putin initially refused to give officers his name.

Mr Putin appeared in court on Monday morning and was released with another court date set for September.

Additional reporting by AP
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Freia David has worked the fries at McDonalds for 32 years and celebrated the end of her three-decade-long career with her colleagues on Monday.

Ms Davis, who has Down syndrome, was joined by friends and regular customers at the party.

It was nice, Im really happy, she told CBS Boston. I like all my friends here.

She began her career at McDonald's in 1984 through a programme that placed adults with cognitive disabilities in community jobs.

While two of her peers didn't complete the six-month training course, Ms David soon became a mainstay of the restaurant.

Her coworkers said that she would always greet children in the lobby and meet all of her peers with hugs.

When she sees any kids in the lobby, she started making fries and comes out and says Hi sweetie, Rony Sandoval, the restaurants manager, told CBS. Shes a lovely, lovely girl.

Ms Davis lives at the Charles River Center in Needham, a nonprofit agency that helps nearly 1,000 adults and children with developmental disabilities. McDonald's was one of the first business partners of the agency that provides housing and helps people find jobs.

Anne-Marie Bajwa, the centres operating officer, said that Ms Davis is very friendly and loves dancing.

People with disabilities can be integrated in the community and learn new skills and learn new interests so that they can give back to the community and contribute, she told the network.

Ms Davis told WBZ-TV that while shes going to miss working, shes looking forward to "relaxing and taking care of herself."
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A mother has been arrested after she discovered and allegedly shot a 31-year-old man she found kissing her teenage daughter.

Valerie Fowler, 34, was arrested on a complaint of assault and battery with a deadly weapon after she shot Brandon Vail in her 16-year-old daughters bedroom on Monday.

Police in Oklahoma received a call from Ms Fowler on Monday at around 7:20am to report she had shot a man in her house.

We arrived at one location where we found a 31-year-old male who had been shot. He was on the porch of a residence, Garvin County Sheriff Larry Rhodes told KFor.com.

Mr Vail had been shot twice by the girls mother and was airlifted to an Oklahoma City hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Mr Vail told police the teenager was his girlfriend and that he was shot after Ms Fowler found the couple kissing in the teenagers bedroom.

Police found a handgun at the scene and blood stains on the walls and bed sheets of the teenagers room, as well as on the walls and floors of Ms Fowlers house, the Washington Post reported.

According to Ms Fowlers teenage daughter, the Mr Vail visited her around three times a week after her mother had left the house to go to work.

Police have been interviewing Mr Vail while he is in hospital and are continuing with the investigation.
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A life-sized, naked Donald Trump statue is to be sold at auction with the proceeds going to an immigrant support group.

It is one of a series that recently appeared in public places around the country, and the only one that was not confiscated or destroyed.

The Emperor Has No Balls will be sold in Los Angeles on October 22 and is expected to raise between $10,000 to $20,000, Juliens Auctions announced on Wednesday.

The statues sparked a wave of amusementand a degree of disgustwhen the orange-tinted artwork appeared on the streets of Manhattan and four other cities earlier this month.

When the nude statue of the Republican nominee and real estate mogul appeared on the streets of Manhattan and four other cities this month, local authorities confiscated the orange-tinted artwork.

Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States Show all 11 1 /11 Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby kisses a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby looks at a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby takes a picture of a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: People gather around a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: People gather around a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby hugs a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle.(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby has a picture taken with a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby has a picture taken with a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: Park authorities haul away a statue of a naked GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump that appeared in Union Square Park this morning on August 18, 2016 in New York City. The illegally placed statue drew hundreds of curious onlookers, who took selfie picture with the statue, which was signed "Ginger." A published report attributed the work to the anarchist collective INDECLINE, which titled the project "The Emperor Has No B--s." (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: A molded foot is all that remains of a statue of naked GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump that appeared in Union Square Park this morning on August 18, 2016 in New York City. The illegally placed statue drew hundreds of curious onlookers, who took selfie picture with the statue, which was signed "Ginger." A published report attributed the work to the anarchist collective INDECLINE, which titled the project "The Emperor Has No B--s." (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: Park authorities haul away a statue of a naked GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump that appeared in Union Square Park this morning on August 18, 2016 in New York City. The illegally placed statue drew hundreds of curious onlookers, who took selfie picture with the statue, which was signed "Ginger." A published report attributed the work to the anarchist collective INDECLINE, which titled the project "The Emperor Has No B--s." (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images

The auction will feature the last remaining statue complete with missing genitals, a large tummy, and golden blonde pubic hair. It was created by an anonymous artist group named INDECLINE, who will donate a portion of the proceeds to the National Immigration Forum, one of the largest immigrant advocacy groups in the country.

Parks department spokesman Sam Biederman said in a statement: NYC Parks stands firmly against any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small.

He is not the only politician to be represented in the October auction of street and contemporary art. American pop artist Knowledge Bennett's "Hillary Clinton Cojones", featuring the Democratic White House hopeful wearing a tuxedo, is expected to fetch up to $15,000, Julien's said.

Mr Trump, whos been criticised by opponents for his strong stance against illegal immigration, is expected to reveal a more balanced policy proposal on Wednesday after a last-minute surprise trip to Mexico City.
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It is the Donald Trump we got used to. Sensing he was in a corner as he approached the delivery of his long-awaited immigration speech, he decided to take a big gamble.

As with most political plunges into the unknown, Mr Trumps surprise visit to Mexico City on Wednesday for talks with President Enrique Pena Nieto, this one will prove in the end to be either a remarkable act of foolishness or an inspired last minute re-arranging of the furniture.

The potential upsides for the Republican nominee, for whom this will be his first foreign visit, were spelled out by his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, in an interview with NBC News earlier in the day. It made him look like a man making a decisive presidential move.

Thats good when the media narrative for several days now has been about Mr Trump dithering over whether to hold fast to his original radical stance on immigration - create a deportation force and attempt to throw all 11 million people living illegally in the country out en masse - or take a more conciliatory approach in hopes of mending fences with the Hispanic community.

He wants to establish a conversation with a neighbouring country, a leader. And also to discuss the common problems and challenges that our country is facing, Ms Conway said during an interview with NBC's morning show.

And it creates drama, a state of affairs Mr Trump always prefers over normality. The sudden dash for Mexico echoes a trip he made, again with little warning, just over a year ago to the US-Mexican border in Laredo Texas to highlight the very policies on immigration that are now in flux. As he took off in his 757 jet, he tweeted that he was going even though it would put him in danger. Whether he really feared anything is up for debate. But, again, it was an instrument for creating drama.

Ms Conway intimated that it would be a very different Mr Trump touching down in Mexico City and visiting Los Pinos, the equivalent of the Mexican White House, deep inside one of the capitals wooded parks.

You will see a presidential Donald Trump at the meeting in Mexico, she averred. "Were just happy the president invited him. I'm sorry that Hillary Clinton is not going and has not accepted the invitation. I mean, I feel like she keeps following the leader here.

These theatrics may have another purpose: if Mr Trump is indeed meaning to unveil a toned down immigration plan when he finally addresses the issues later on Wednesday in Phoenix, he will be able to use his talks in Mexico as part of the context. In other words, he will be backtracking for grown-up reasons of international diplomacy. The US cannot run roughshod over Mexico, therefore any illegal immigrants will be sent home slowly.

Conceivably, he will even use the days events to back down from building his famous wall along the border. It goes without saying that Mr Pena Nieto will voice firm opposition to it.

The risk of back-fire remains, of course. Notably, it is unlikely that when he arrives in Mexico, the reception on the streets will be exactly warm. Sales of pinatas in the likeness of Mr Trump - the effigies stuffed with candies that kids like to smash to smithereens - have been through the roof in Mexico since he made his remarks about its citizens being rapists and criminals. Burning Trump dolls is a favourite party game these days also.

As for Mr Pena Nieto, he seems to have fallen into a trap of his own making. Last week, he invited both the candidates - Hillary Clinton also - to come to visit to discuss relations and immigration. He can hardly have expected just one of them to respond so quickly. Suddenly he finds himself playing extra in a screenplay over which Mr Trump has complete control.

The President wanted to invite Hillary (Clinton), but that meant inviting both of them, and nobody thought Trump would accept first, noted Mexico City-based security analyst Alejandro Hope, before adding: Whats in it for Mexico?

The answer is not a thing, of course. And for Mr Trump there may be a lot. Or it will turn out to be an exercise in self-puffery that will in the end not disguise his coming immigration flip-flop.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy and Marshal of the Polish Sejm Marek Kuchcinski during a Tuesday meeting discussed cooperation and security issues in the region at the parliamentary level, the press service of the Ukrainian parliament has said.

Parubiy noted that "cooperation in the Baltic and the Black Sea dimension, in the zone of geopolitical alliance ABC (Intermarium) has a great future." According to him, such cooperation "provides the mechanisms of the EU strengthening and the rapid integration of Ukraine into the European Union."

The report notes that much of the time was devoted to the geopolitical prospects of cooperation and further development vision of the European Union.

Special attention was given to the decree of the Polish parliament, which has caused considerable resonance in Ukraine, according to the tragic pages of history.

The parliamentary chairman noted that there has always been a tradition between Ukraine and Poland to give an overall assessment of our tragic history.

"When some of peoples give the one-sided assessment of the actions, it causes resonance and leads to incorrect assessments and distortion of historical facts. Such things are unacceptable. Ukraine and Poland should find mechanisms for joint assessment of those events that took place on our lands, especially that they took place solely as a result of the occupation policy of the Russian Empire, which at that time was the Bolshevist Russia," Parubiy said. According to him, the occupation of common lands by troops of totalitarian Russia has caused many tragic events.

The Verkhovna Rada chairman also said during the press conference that they discussed ways to overcome the misunderstanding that took place between our peoples.

"I think we were able to find mechanisms and ways to remove these misunderstandings and remember that now Ukraine protects not only the security of its state, but also of Poland, all the Europe and the entire free world. It is extremely essential for us to remember about our main front, which is located in the east as it was a hundred years ago," Parubiy said.
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Donald Trump is gearing up for a surprise visit to Mexico City. He announced late on Tuesday that he will travel on Wednesday to the country where he is hugely controversial because of his offensive comments about Mexicans and Hispanics.

When he arrives in the country, he plans to meet Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who extended an invitation to both the Republican nominee and his rival Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

 Trump has surprised everyone

 The Internet has gone wild about the visit

 Trump 'will not change his rhetoric'
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Donald Trump has not changed his position on an amnesty for undocumented immigrants and will not alter his rhetoric when he meets with Mexico's president, his campaign chief has said.

Speaking on NBC ahead of trip to Mexico, Kellyanne Conway, was asked if Mr Trump would change his approach in his meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto. She said, I think you'll see a very presidential Donald Trump.

Asked if the tycoon planned to stand by his campaign position of forcing out people living in the US illegally, she said, He's made very clear that he hasn't changed his position at all when it comes to enforcing the law.

Ms Conway was brought in to help Mr Trump's campaign (AP)

The comments campaign ahead of what may emerge as the political stunt of the campaign.

The already strange presidential campaign of Donald Trump reached utterly bizarre levels on Tuesday night when the New York tycoon said he was going to make a rapid dash to Mexico to visit the countrys president ahead of delivering a much-anticipated speech on immigration. There were reports he may even make his address while in Mexico.

US media had said the Republican candidate had been weighing up the prospect of a high-profile, attention-grabbing trip to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Then, Mr Trump announced on Twitter that he was indeed going.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow, he wrote.

The Mexican president confirmed on his own Twitter account that Mr Trump had accepted his invitation and that the tycoon and he would meet in private.

 10 of the scariest things Donald Trump has ever said

The Mexican leader invited both Mr Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to visit Mexico last Friday, his office said in a statement provided to the Washington Post on Tuesday night. Although the statement said no meetings had been confirmed, it said both campaigns received the invitations on good terms.

Mr Trump, sensing an opportunity, decided over the weekend to accept the invitation and push for a visit this week, the Post reported.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto confirmed that he had made the invitation (Reuters)

The prospect of the unprecedented trip comes as Mr Trump is juggling what could be the most challenging policy decision of his campaign - namely his position on immigration. The 70-year-old stormed to victory in the Republican primary contest by promising to build a wall along the Mexican border, force Mexico to pay for it, and to deport the estimated 11m undocumented migrants from Central America.

People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Show all 8 1 /8 People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Miley Cyrus 'God he thinks he is the f***ing chosen one or some shit!  Honestly f*** this sh*t I am moving if this is my president! I dont say things I dont mean!' Jemal Countess/Getty Images People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Whoopi Goldberg 'I dont think thats America. I dont want it to be America. Maybe its time for me to move you know' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Samuel L. Jackson 'If that mother**er becomes president, Im moving my black ass to South Africa' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Raven Symone 'My confession for this election is, if any Republican gets nominated, Im gonna move to Canada with my entire family. Is that bad? I already have my ticket. I literally bought my ticket, I swear' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Cher 'If he were to be elected, I'm moving to Jupiter' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Neve Campbell 'Im terrified. Its really scary. My biggest fear is that Trump will triumph. I cannot believe that he is still in the game ... [I'll] move back to Canada' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Jon Stewart 'I would consider getting in a rocket and going to another planet, because clearly this planets gone bonkers' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Randy Blythe 'He could just be a clown. If he is the president, though, I am leaving America 'till he's gone'

Yet conscious that he needs to reach out to Hispanic voters if he is to have any chance of winning the White House, Mr Trump has in recent days been reviewing his position on the issue. In what observers said was a softening of his views, Mr Trump has spoken warmly of those migrants who have travelled to the US illegally but then contributed to their families and to US society.

After one such roundtable meeting this month with Hispanic leader, his new campaign manager said Mr Trump's stance on deportations was to be determined.

On Tuesday night, Mr Trump delivered a speech in Everett, Washington, where he again vowed that he would help those in the country who were struggling.

I will fight for you, he declared. I will fight for you like no one ever has before.

Mr Trump is scheduled to speak on immigration Wednesday evening in Phoenix. Yet, some reports said Mr Trump may choose to deliver his speech from Mexico.

The Associated Press said that foreign trips by presidential candidates, even to a neighboring country such as Mexico, were an enormous logistical and security undertaking. It said it was unclear whether Mr Trump could receive clearance from Secret Service to make the trip or whether his small campaign team could organise the logistics in time for even a short visit.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a close adviser, has been among those pushing Mr Trump to make the trip, the news agency said. Mr Christie made his own successful trip to Mexico City in September 2014, and has a warm relationship with the Mexican president.

The Mexican president has strongly opposed Mr Trump's comments and denied suggestions thta Mexico would pay for a wall. On Tuesday night, there was intense speculation as to what the Mexican leader had to gain from inviting the former reality television star to meet with him. There was no immediate response from the campaign of Hillary Clinton.
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The first commercial flight to Cuba from the United States for over half a century took off from Florida on Wednesday, the latest manifestation of the thaw in relations between the countries.

Aboard JetBlue Flight 387 were the US Transportation Secretary, Anthony Foxx, as well as the CEO of the airline, Robin Hayes, and a crew of Cuban-Americans. It left Fort Lauderdale for a 72-minute journey to the Cuban city of Santa Clara a few minutes late on Wednesday morning.

Several other US carriers, including American Airlines and United Airlines, will soon join JetBlue in the rush to revive tourism links with Cuba, putting an end to a virtual freeze that dates back to the height of the Cold War. Other US cities will also boast direct flights there soon. In short order, the US is slated to offer as many as 300 direct flights a week to the Caribbean island.

The economic potential of the change both for the Cuban government, which is heavily depended on tourism for foreign currency, and for the American travel industry is significant, but it wont be realized all at once.

Passengers aboard historic JetBlue Flight 387 on Wednesday (Reuters)

The first batch of licenses issued to the US carriers offered provincial destinations in Cuba only, and not Havana. Cubas ability to absorb a new tourist tsunami is limited; already residents of Havana struggle to find beer to buy because it is all going down the gullets of foreigners.

Moreover, it is not as if any American tourist can now simply book a ticket and go. In spite of President Barack Obamas admonitions to the US Congress to lift the embargo on Cuba first imposed in 1962, it for now remains in place.

That means those buying tickets must sign an affidavit online confirming they belong to at least one of twelve categories granting them an exemption from the travel ban still implied in the embargo. That includes those on so-called people-to-people cultural and educational visits. Cuban Americans visiting family members on the island also get a waiver to fly.

Yet the symbolic significance of Wednesdays first flight was real. Seeing the American airlines landing routinely around the island will drive a sense of openness, integration and normality. That has a huge psychological impact, said Richard Feinberg, author of the new book Open for Business: Building the New Cuban Economy.

While US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said on Twitter that the JetBlue departure marked the first commercial flight to Cuba since 1961, some believe the last one in fact occurred in 1962 when the Cuban Missile Crisis caused Havana to start turning all US arrivals away.

Agreeing on direct flights to Havana has taken longer in part because of concerns that the Jose Marti International Airport about thirty minutes from the city does not have the capacity for a sudden new influx of direct flights. Its one, tatty international terminal is already tied up most days dealing with regular and charter arrivals from Europe, including London.

But an announcement on direct Havana flights could come as early as Wednesday with departures out of New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Houston. Other US cities expecting to inaugurate flights to somewhere in Cuba also include Philadelphia, Miami and Minneapolis.

While the numbers of charter flights to Cuba have exploded since Mr Obama eased travel restrictions, they typically charge high prices for seats and rarely allow travelers to book tickets online. Most of those operators are now expected to go out of business.

Even if the US embargo is eventually lifted, Cuba will struggle to absorb any major onslaught of visitors from the United States because of its still rudimentary tourism infrastructure. Not only is the airport in Havana of limited size, but the city itself still has scant hotel options, although Airbnb has taken a lead in opening up private residences to visitors.
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Elite North Korean soldiers are being armed with nuclear backpacks, a source has claimed as tensions increase over the authoritarian states attempts at military escalation.

An anonymous source told Radio Free Asia special units have been formed since March to carry the weapons and had been taking part in simulated training exercises with dummy bombs.

Outstanding soldiers were selected from each reconnaissance platoon and light infantry brigade to form the nuclear backpack unit the size of a battalion, the source from North Hamgyong province was quoted as saying.

The supposed weapons were said to weigh between 10 and 30 kilograms and be able to spray radioactive material, possibly uranium, on the enemy.

 North Korea weapon tests

It was impossible to verify the account given to Radio Free Asia, which is funded by the US government.

North Korean propaganda showed soldiers wearing rucksacks bearing a yellow and black radiation symbol during a parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the national Workers' Party in October, while similar backpacks were seen at a procession in 2013.

The report came after Kim Jong-uns administration reportedly executed a vice premier and banished two other top officials to rural areas for dreaded re-education.

South Korean officials said Yong-jin, a cabinet minister for education affairs, had been killed, possibly by a firing squad in July for unspecified anti-revolutionary and factional acts.

Reports said said Kim first faced an investigation because of the way he was seated during a meeting attended by the Supreme Leader.

North Korea's worst human rights abuses Show all 11 1 /11 North Korea's worst human rights abuses North Korea's worst human rights abuses Starvation A UN report said that policies leading to mass starvation in North Korea amounted to crimes against humanity. Deaths peaked during the 1990s North Korean famine. Al Jazeera North Korea's worst human rights abuses Executions Defence minister Hyon Yong Chol is believed to be the latest official executed after falling foul of Kim Jong-un. As well as gruesome public executions, thousands of people have been killed in state 'purges' and for alleged anti-state crimes Getty North Korea's worst human rights abuses Torture Torture is prevalent in prison camps, as well as in police and security service custody. AP North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of religion American missionary Kenneth Bae was one of the many people detained after trying to practice their religion. The DPRK Constitution claims to protect freedom of religion but not if it as alleged of being used a a pretext for 'drawing in foreign forces or for harming the state and social order'. Christianity is frequently considered a political crime North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of expression All media is tightly-state controlled and expressing facts of opinions critical of the government or Juche ideology can lead to arrest and imprisonment. As well as being under extensive surveillance, people are encouraged to 'inform' on friends and neighbours Getty North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of thought A UN report found that the 'DPRK operates an all-encompassing indoctrination machine which takes root from childhood to propagate an official personality cult and to manufacture absolute obedience to the Supreme Leader, effectively to the exclusion of any independent thought from the official ideology and state propaganda' Reuters North Korea's worst human rights abuses Forced labour Prisoners are subjected to forced labour in camps, including children as young as five. Some workers are also reportedly being sent abroad to fund the government's projects AFP North Korea's worst human rights abuses Sexual discrimination Although women are permitted to serve in the military, their role is restrained by the Juche ideology and the UN reports that 'discrimination against women remains pervasive in all aspects of society' AP North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of movement Freedom of movement is severely restricted within North Korea and very few citizens are allowed to leave the country. Immigrants found in China can be forcible repatriated and punished on their return. The right for foreigners to enter is also severely restricted. Reuters North Korea's worst human rights abuses Prison camps Many of the worst abuses reported take place at prison camps, some specifically for political crimes. The camps officially do not exist but have been photographed using satellite. Inmates are 'forcibly disappeared' and usually imprisoned until death REUTERS North Korea's worst human rights abuses Reproductive rights Forced abortions have been reported for imprisoned women, often after being raped by guards. Mothers and babies frequently die in childbirth because of a lack of adequate care, often delivering babies unaided at home. AP

Kim Yong-chol, a top ruling Workers' Party official in charge of anti-Seoul spy operations, and Choe Hwi, a senior party official dealing with propaganda affairs, had been banished to undertake revolutionary re-education programmes.

The reported purges came as North Korea continues to intensify its propaganda over joint military exercises being conducted by more than 75,000 American and South Korean troops in Ulchi Freedom Guardian.

While the North is known to have a small stockpile of nuclear warheads, experts are divided about its ability to mount them on a working missile delivery system.

In a statement earlier this month by US and South Korean forces described the exercises as non-provocative in nature and designed to enhance readiness, protect the region and maintain stability on the Korean peninsula.

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But the drills provoked a stream of threats from Pyongyang, which said it would turn Seoul and Washington into a heap of ashes with a pre-emptive strike.

An editorial published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday accused Barack Obamas administration of presiding over a reckless arms build-up that cannot but spark off a fresh nuclear arms race among regional countries.

North Korea has made considerable progress on weapons technology this year, including testing a submarine-launched missile for the first time, but it is unclear whether its nuclear material has been developed into a warhead able to be mounted on a missile.

It conducted its fourth nuclear explosion in January and followed it up with a series of missile tests, in spite of severe United Nations sanctions.

Additional reporting by AP
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A dead baby was mistakenly cremated after a hospital in Sydney confused it with different child.

The two babies were said to have been mixed up because a blanket obscured one of their ID tags.

The incident follows a number of mistakes at the Royal North Shore Hospital, and there have been calls for New South Wales (NSW) health minister Jillian Skinner to resign.

Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Show all 10 1 /10 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Great Ormond Street Hospital's history 'Treating rickets, 1920': This image of two children in protective eyewear in front of an ultraviolet screen was used in the 1930s to encourage donations to the hospital's redevelopment Great Ormond Street Hospital's history The Childrens Hospital School, which had opened with just one teacher, 1951 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Staff and patients celebrate Christmas on Dresden Ward, which opened in 1893 after a large endowment from a London businessman Great Ormond Street Hospital's history 'Lady Folkestone cot, 1880s' shows a child in a bed with the name of the viscountess who sponsored her cot. The idea of cot sponsorship had begun just over a decade earlier, in 1868 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Mrs Francis Willey, the hospitals first matron, appointed two months before GOSH opened, 1851 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history The hospitals nurses home, 1914 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history An operating theatre, circa 1930 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Patients with lung conditions or infectious disease were wheeled on to the balcony for fresh air, 1920s. 'Images such as the balcony scene would have been used to show that the buildings were becoming antiquated and in need of replacement,' says Baldwin. 'The idea was to encourage people to donate towards maintenance, which was a constant concern.' Great Ormond Street Hospital's history The RAF Cranwell cot, funded from 1920 by a base in Lincolnshire Great Ormond Street Hospital's history GOSH acquired its first X-ray machine in 1903

The incident occurred late last year after one baby was miscarried after 20 weeks' gestation and another was stillborn.

The identities of the two babies became mixed up at the mortuary after staff failed to read the correct name tag.

Although the family of one of the children requested a burial, both the babies bodies were cremated.

"A full investigation was undertaken and the families were fully informed of its outcome," the Royal North Shore Hospital said in a statement.

"A number of measures have since been put in place to avoid a similar mistake being repeated in the future."

In response, Luke Foley, leader of the ppposition party in NSWs Parliament, called for Mike Baird, the state's Premier, to sack Ms Skinner.

Mr Bairds signalled he wants to refresh his cabinet with new ideas, new energy, new talent," he said.

Why wait for the summer? Do it now.

Speaking about the baby mix-up, Ms Skinner said: Im devastated for [the families], and Im really sorry such an event occurred.

She admitted she hadnt been aware of the incident, but "if it was brought to my attention, I would seek advice from the ministry about what happened in that particular case, whether it was isolated, and what measures have been taken to address it.

The mistake was the latest in a number of medical mishaps that have emerged this week.

At the same hospital earlier this year, a woman who requested permission to take a final photo of her deceased mother discovered her body had been incorrectly labelled by mortuary staff.

Chief Health Minister Dr Kerry Chant said the mistake was a near miss of a catastrophic outcome that could have been worse if the body had been buried.

In another case, a man who died in a hospital toilet was left undiscovered for 21 hours.

These revelations follow a report which detailed how more than 130 cancer patients received the wrong chemotherapy doses at hospitals in New South Wales.

Northern Sydney Local Health District has apologised, adding: A number of measures have since been put in place to avoid a similar mistake being repeated in the future.

The health department also offered grief counselling to the affected families.

NSW hospitals are introducing a new electronic medical records system, which they hope will improve accuracy and prevent further errors.
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Germany's EU Commissioner has expressed doubts over whether the UK will actually leave the European Union, saying he would not "place any major bets on Brexit".

Gunther Oettinger told German newspaper Bild, that the longer the British government waits to invoke Article 50  the legal process of leaving the union  "the more insecure the situation will become".

Mr Oettinger accepted the Brexit referendum vote was "binding" but said: "It is possible that public opinion will tip if the economic situation in the wake of the Brexit vote worsens.

"In any case, I wouldn't place any major bets on Brexit."

When Article 50 is triggered, Britain will enter a two-year countdown to leaving the EU.

According to legal advice reportedly given to Theresa May, she is not legally be required to put the triggering of Article 50 to a vote in the Commons, but can do so herself using the powers of the Royal prerogative.

However this idea is currently being challenged in the courts by people who insist MPs must take the decision as the referendum vote was not actually legally binding.

And Professor Michael Dougan, a leading EU law professor, told the BBC it could take a lot longer than two years to leave the EU.

 European leaders hold post-Brexit crisis talks

He said: "The overwhelming consensus is that these things do not take two years to negotiate, the rough guide that we are all talking about in the field is around 10 years.

"The treaty said that you have two years within which to make your divorce settlement.

"But the divorce settlement is completely separate from the framework agreement for your future relations with the EU."
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The United Nations has condemned burkini bans for fuelling religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims in France after the countrys highest court ruled they were illegal.

Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, welcomed the State Councils finding that prohibiting beachwear worn by some women to cover the face and body was a grave and illegal breach of fundamental freedoms.

We fully understand - and share - the grief and anger generated by the terrorist attacks carried out in France in recent months, he told a briefing in Geneva.

Women join a demonstration organised by 'Stand up to Racism' outside the French Embassy in London on August 26, against the Burkini ban on French beaches (Getty)

However, these decrees do not improve the security situation but rather fuel religious intolerance and the stigmatisation of Muslims in France, especially women.

By stimulating polarisation between communities, these clothing bans have only succeeded in increasing tensions and as a result may actually undermine the effort to fight and prevent violent extremism.

Mr Colville urged all French seaside resorts to have brought in burkini bans to heed last weeks court ruling and not maintain discriminatory systems allowing fines and arrests until the end of the holiday season.

The case specifically related to rules brought in by the commune of Villeneuve-Loubet but set a nationwide precedent, incensing local mayors attempting to implement the controversial prohibitions.

International human rights law only allows limitations on manifestations of religious belief in strict circumstances, such as for public order or safety, and only then when they are demonstrably necessary and proportionate.

Despite arguments made by French officials over hygiene and a supposed risk to public order, Mr Colville said women choosing to wear a burkini cannot be blamed for the violent or hostile reactions of others, adding: Any public order concerns should be addressed by targeting those who incite hatred or react violently, and not by targeting women who simply want to walk on the beach or go for a swim wearing clothing they feel comfortable in.

Nor can it be claimed that such a ban on beachwear is necessary on grounds of hygiene or public health.

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

He also dismissed arguments made by supporters of the ban claiming it supported gender equality by combating restrictive clothing, saying humiliating and degrading law enforcement cannot enhance freedom.

A French court overturned a ban on burkinis issued in Cannes on Tuesday, finding no proven risks to outweigh the restriction.

Legal debates on the issue have been closely watched after photos of armed police surrounding a Muslim woman as she removed her top on a beach in Nice sparked outrage.

Prime Minister Manual Valls, who supported the bans saying they represented the enslavement of women, made a new reference to the controversy with a comment on Marianne, an allegorical figure of the French Republic.

During a socialist meeting in southern France he said: Marianne, the symbol of the Republic, is bare breasted because she's feeding the people, she doesn't wear a veil because she's free.

Historians attacked Mr Valls for allegedly misinterpreting the allegorical figure, who is sometimes shown wearing clothes and with her had covered.
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Scuba divers have found human bones and items used in a "Caribbean religious ritual" just off the coast of Spain.

Hoping to discover sea life, divers from the local dive centre in Calpe in eastern Spain instead found a human skeleton and religious items wrapped in a sheet.

A second package was also found containing more human bones and ritualistic tokens.

 Brexit could threaten UK expatriates in Spain

Alongside the bones they found items used in Santeria, a voodoo-like religion from Cuba that fuses Christianity and West African cult practices.

Cristian, an instructor from Les Basetes diving centre, told El Pais: "We were doing a course in the area of Roca Plana, behind the rock, and saw basically what I thought was a garbage bag.

"I went down for it and as I approached I saw as a knotted sheet. I opened [it] a little and I saw a doll. I went up, I gave [it to] the boss and continued diving."

Forensic examination of the bones found the skeleton had been buried in earth from 30 to 40 years before being dug up and thrown recently into the sea.

Among the items discovered, police identified dolls, bowls, feathers, twigs, leaves with names scratched on them.

The Guardia Civil are investigating whether the skeleton may have been recently removed from a cemetery and used in a Santeria ritual, the Local reports.

The packages were found near the Penon de Ifach, a huge rock at the end of Calpe, which is a popular site for scattering of ashes.
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A massive Nazi beach resort on a German island is to be transformed into a luxury tourist destination.

Prora, on the east German island of Rugen, was originally planned as a parallel to Butlins and was designed to provide affordable holidays for around 20,000 Nazi workers as part of the Strength Through Joy ("Kraft durch Freude") project.

Construction began in 1936 and Adolf Hitler intended it to be used for recreation and indoctrination, but building stopped with the onset of World War II in 1939.

A photo taken on 21 July, 2011 shows the building complex Block IV of the 4.5-kilometre-long so-called 'colossus of Ruegen'- complex in Prora on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, north-eastern Germany (STEFAN SAUER/AFP/GettyImages)

After the war, the complex was used as a military base by the Red Army and, later, the East German military.

The site is one of the largest Nazi relics left in Germany and was formally listed in 1994.

 Germans are Scooping up Cheap Condos in Former Nazi Seaside Resort

Eight housing blocks, a theatre and cinema remained as empty shells, while planned swimming pools and a festival hall were never built.

Now, four of the eight original six-storey blocks are to be developed. A fifth was turned into a youth hostel in 2011 and the remaining three are in ruins.

Ninety-five per cent of apartments in the Prora Solitaire complex have been sold, with prices ranging between 350,000 (297,857) for a 100-square-metre ground-floor flat and 650,000 (553,163) for a sea-view penthouse.

Because the property is considered historic, buyers subject to German income tax are afforded tax breaks.

This picture taken on 17 August, 2016 shows a construction site of luxury apartments as part of transformation of the heritage-protected Prora Complex in Prora, near Binz, north-eastern Germany (TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Katja Lucke, chief historian at a private museum on the site, said developers should acknowledge the origins of Prora.

She told The Local: "This is a place where 20,000 people were to be groomed to work and wage war."

She added that witness accounts indicate between 500 and 600 forced labourers worked on the complex.
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When a couple from County Durham took their family caravan to the 'Calais Jungle' in September last year, they were planning to stay less than a week.

A year later, Jamal Ismail and Sofinee Harun are feeding free meals to 1,500 people in the camp every day. Working from sunset to sundown all-year-round, they say we never close.

They and the kitchen volunteers allow a maximum of 10 seconds to serve each person in a queue that extends into the distance. It means no one has to wait, getting hungry, for too long.

Now, whenever Ms Harun visits the UK, she cant sleep. My mind is still back in the Jungle, she told The Independent.

We just couldn't go home. We know that so many people have arrived [in the refugee camp]. There are women and children, there are families, there are people whose kids are hungry.

They depend on you. To think that they're not going to have a meal if you don't cook is awful.

Pressure on services in the Calais camp is mounting. The number of refugees is expected to exceed 10,000 in the next few weeks, according to police, while donations are waning.

In their latest census, the Calais charity Help Refugees found that almost 900 children were staying in the Jungle. Almost 80 per cent of those children are alone.

Despite aid from restaurants in the camp like the Kid's Cafe, which was recently saved from demolition, for the first time Help Refugees says it is getting reports of people going hungry.

Pressure is mounting on services in the Calais Jungle, where the population is almost 10,000 (Kitchen in Calais)

Ms Harun and her husband, who are originally from Malaysia, were appalled by the conditions they found in the camp when they first arrived.

Almost everybody was in summer tents, she said, It was raining and flooding. And when it rained they couldnt cook because they had to cook with firewood.

The way people live [in the camp], without electricity, without proper water... to see something like that in Europe is shocking.

In Malaysia in the 1970s, when I was small there were maybe some remote villages like that.

That was some 30 years back  and that wasn't a developed country.

The kitchen and its volunteers feed 1,500 people a day (Kitchen in Calais)

After what they saw on their first visit Mr Ismail, an engineer, installed gas stoves so the refugees could have hot food.

If you go camping for a week, having a cold meal is fine, said Ms Harun, but when you stay for a long time its just depressing.

Being a foreigner in a foreign country, I know how important food is

'To think that they're not going to have a meal if you don't cook is awful' (Kitchen in Calais)

The cooking in the Kitchen in Calais has a Malaysian influence, but Ms Harun said many in the camp  who come from Eritrea, Pakistan, Syria, Iran and a number of others  find it familiar.

In Malaysia, we have a very mixed culture. We have Malay people and we have people from Indian and Chinese backgrounds, the food is always very mixed, she said.

Given, what these people have been through, having something familiar is good.

Calais and Dunkirk camps Show all 16 1 /16 Calais and Dunkirk camps Calais and Dunkirk camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A portrait of an Afghan man wearing a traditional Perhan Turban in the Calais Jungle (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two Gendarmes guard the main entrance to the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One Kurdish Iraqi mans reminder to himself (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two young boys in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Iranian hunger striker stands outside the only remaining shelter in the South Side of the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A church in the South Calais camp, on of the the only structures not demolished in the South Side of the camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man gets a hair cut in the Calais camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Night falls on the Calais Jungle. Fires burn in the distance (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps The containers provided as alternative accommodation for the people in the camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A young boy in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man listens to music inside one of the shipping containers (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps The awful living conditions in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Afghan man in the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One of the Iranian hunger strikers (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A family in their wooden shelter in the new Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller)

The presence of the makeshift settlement in Calais has become a controversial issue in French politics, with the mayor of Calais repeatedly threatening to demolish the camp.

Presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy has said the so-called Le Touquet agreement, which allows the establishment of British border controls on the French side of channel, should be revisited.

The Jungle should not be in Calais or anywhere else, because this is a republic and those with no rights to be here should return to their country, he said.
The Cabinet asks the Verkhovna Rada to consider 20 bills mainly on deregulation and decentralization issues on the first plenary week (from September 6 until September 9).

"We continue demonstrating transparency and openness to the public. Prior to each plenary week, we, as a government, have to submit to the Verkhovna Rada a list of priority bills for the plenary week," Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Oleksandr Sayenko wrote on his Facebook page.

So, the government asks the Verkhovna Rada to consider the bill No. 3132 on improving the efficiency of bankruptcy procedures (this should improve Ukraine's positions in Doing Business rating by 8 points), No. 4493 on the establishment of transparent rules of the functioning of electricity markets, No. 3081-d on strengthening the state support for Ukrainian cinema and TV production. The bills No. 4194 on the full requirements abolishment of using printing in Ukraine, No. 4571 on the fight with piracy of intellectual property, No. 2764 on deregulation of restructuring of business entities debts, No. 4971 on the budget resolution, No. 3719 on the ban of withdrawal of electronic servers while conducting separate investigation activities.

In addition, the government calls on parliament to consider five bills in the decentralization sphere, in particular, No. 4472 on simplification of procedures of creating skillful territorial communities.
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A French police officer has been stabbed by a man shouting that he was sick of France in an attack in Toulouse.

The victim was working at Rempart Saint-Etienne station on Tuesday afternoon when the assailant entered to lodge a complaint about a stolen mobile phone.

The man left after being told the theft could not be registered without the phones serial number but returned 20 minutes later armed with a kitchen knife, La Depeche Du Midi reported.

The attack was the latest in a series of stabbings in France (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

Without warning, he attacked a male police officer from behind, trying to grab his gun before stabbing him in the neck.

He was quickly restrained while shouting: Im sick of France, of this country.

Local reports identified the arrested man as Abderrahmane Amara, a 31-year-old Algerian, although his name has not been released by French authorities.

He was taken into custody as the police officer was treated in hospital for neck wounds.

Pierre-Yves Couilleau, the prosecutor for Tolouse, told a press conference the victim needed stitches but did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

He said the perpetrator had undergone several stays in a psychiatric hospital before being released in February.

 France boosts regional security after ISIL-claimed church attack

He is not on the Fiche S [terror watch list] and prosecutors have charged him with the attempted murder of a person holding public authoritythere was no claim of any nature whatsoever, Mr Couilleau added, responding to questions over possible declarations of support of Isis made by other recent attackers in France.

He confirmed the attacker declared he was sick of France but said his motives were under investigation.

The suspect was already known to police over graffiti on the walls of a police station in Toulouse calling former President Nicolas Sarkozy and the DCRI intelligence agency terrorists in 2013, and throwing Molotov cocktails towards police and a synagogue at a pro-Palestinian demonstration the following year.

Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, sent his condolences to the injured police officer, his relatives and colleagues.

The prosecutor will address the specific circumstances of the attack and the motivations of the perpetrator, a statement from the interior ministry said.

Police and gendarmes risk their lives to protect of others every day and deserve the respect and esteem of all our citizens.

Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Show all 9 1 /9 Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Policemen outside Rouen's cathedral during the funeral of Jacques Hamel, the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy on 26 July during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat while he was celebrating mass in an attack that shocked France as well as the Catholic Church Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Muslims place flowers and hold a minute of silence in front of the church if Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, western France, where French priest Jacques Hamel was killed on 26 July Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two people hold each other by the new makeshift memorial in Nice, in tribute to the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack at the Promenade des Anglais Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice on France's national holiday. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a packed crowd of people in the Riviera city celebrating Bastille Day Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police work at a site where a Syrian migrant set off an explosive device in Ansbach, southern Germany, on 25 July, killing himself and wounding a dozen others Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis A Syrian migrant set off an explosion at a bar in southern Germany that killed himself and wounded a dozen others in the third attack to hit Bavaria in a week. The 27-year-old, who had spent a stint in a psychiatric facility, had intended to target a music festival in the city of Ansbach but was turned away because he did not have a ticket Friebe/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police officers walk along train tracks in Wuerzburg southern Germany on 19 July, a day after a man attacked train passengers with an axe. German authorities said they had found a hand-painted IS flag among the belongings of the man, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who seriously injured four members of a family of tourists from Hong Kong in his rampage Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis German police killed a teenage assailant after he attacked passengers on a train in Wuerzburg, southerg Germany with an axe and a knife on 18 July, seriously wounding three people Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AFP/Getty Images

Tuesdays attack was the latest in a series of stabbings in France, including the attempted murder of a Jewish man in Strasbourg earlier this month.

Assailants have pledged allegiance to Isis in several cases, including the murder of a police officer and his wife in June.

France has been rocked by a series of terror attacks, starting with the massacres at Charlie Hebdos offices and a Kosher supermarket in January last year and followed up by Novembers Paris attacks.

An Isis supporter driving a lorry killed 86 people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice in July, and two teenage jihadists murdered a Catholic priest after storming a church in Normandy weeks later.

The assaults have increased pressure on the French security services while reigniting national debates on immigration, integration and secularism.
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Isis have been dealt a major blow by the death of senior leader Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani as it continues scrambling to defend territory across Syria and Iraq, experts have said.

The terrorist groups second-in-command was killed in an air strike in the Syrian province of Aleppo in a significant victory claimed by both the US and Russia, indicating a formidable level of intelligence on jihadists movements.

Adnani headed the so-called Islamic States feared Emni security service and its propaganda wing, becoming known for speeches calling on supporters to carry out terror attacks around the world.

His messages were directly cited by several attackers who carried out atrocities in Europe and his influence on massacres and foreign fighters drew a $5 million (4 million) bounty from the US.

Abu Muhammad al-Adnani appearing in a propaganda video uploaded on YouTube on July 2012 (AFP/Getty Images)

Adam Deen, a senior researcher at the Quilliam Foundation, told The Independent Isis would be scrambling to find a replacement.

His death is a major blow, he added. Isis is dependent on personality cults and celebratisation of key leaders.

This is something hard to replace and Adnani was something of a household name.

When Mohammed Emwazi [the British executioner known as Jihadi John] was killed, Isis never found a replacement with the same celebrity impact. They still haven't  hammering key influence figures is therefore vital.

Emwazi, who became notorious after appearing in a series of gory propaganda videos showing the deaths of foreign hostages, was killed in an American drone strike on Raqqa last year.

The US air campaign has continued targeting high-profile members of the terrorist group, recently killing Chechen commander Abu Omar al-Shishani.

In its own propaganda statement announcing Adnanis death, Isis appeared to acknowledge the impact, asking Allah to alleviate this hardship for us.

 ISIL Still Directs and Inspires Attacks - Obama

The groups eulogy said Adnani was targeted while surveying military operations in Aleppo province, where its fighters hold frontlines against opposition groups, the Syrian army and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

It ended with a threat directed at the filthy cowards from the religion of disbelief and the carriers of the cross of more attacks.

A generation has been born in the Islamic State that has been raised upon might and defiance and that will not accept humiliation, the statement said. They love death more than your love of lifethe blood of their leaders will only increase the steadfastness upon the path of jihad and increase their resolve to exact revenge against their enemies.

The statement appeared to refer to thousands of children born under Isis rule in Iraq and Syria, who are brainwashed from a young age and sent to military training camps.

Europes law enforcement agency Europol previously warned the boys could become the next generation of Isis terrorists, either continuing insurgencies in the Middle East or being deployed abroad.

Mr Deen said Adnanis death could trigger new attacks in Europe as Isis continues to operate sleeper cells and sent back trained foreign recruits, despite the weakening of its military capability by a series of significant territorial losses.

Jane Kinninmont, the deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, warned it would be wishful thinking to believe Isis will be significantly undermined.

Women and children celebrating after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August (Reuters)

Arguing the death of Osama bin Laden and the founder of Isis predecessor group Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had limited impact, she told The Independent: The death of such a senior leader is a tactical success for the U. and the anti-Isis operation, but is unlikely to significantly undermine Isis.

Individual leaders do matter and represent an important resource for the group.

If senior leaders were to recant, or to be exposed as compromising their public image, this might undermine their credibility, but dying in combat will be seen by Isis followers as martyrdom.

Ms Kinninmont said the groups ability to operate and recruit member will be more influenced by military operations seeing swathes of its territory recaptured in Syria and Iraq, where a major operation is being mounted to drive Isis out of Mosul.

Peter Cook, the Pentagon press secretary, said Adnani was killed in a coalition air strike on a car near the Isis stronghold of al-Bab, which lies between Aleppo and Manbij.

We are still assessing the results of the strike, but al-Adnani's removal from the battlefield would mark another significant blow to Isil [Isis], he said on Tuesday.

Al-Adnani has served as principal architect of Isil's external operations and as Isil's chief spokesman.

He has coordinated the movement of Isil fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military and actively recruited new Isil members.

The jihadist who murdered Jean-Baptiste Salvaing and his partner Jessica Schneider said he followed Adnani's 'call' (EPA)

The US military will continue to prioritize and relentlessly target Isil leaders and external plotters in order to defend our homeland, our allies and our partners.

Russia's defence ministry later claimed it was responsible for the deadly strike, claiming Adnani was targeted as part of its campaign supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

A spoksperson claimed he was killed alongside around 40 other Isis militants in Maaratat-Umm Khaush, Aleppo province.

American officials said Adnanis real name was Taha Subhi Falaha, identifying a Syrian man believed to be aged in his late 30s.

Born in the town of Banash in 1977, he was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council.

Adnani had been prolific in the jihadist movement for more than a decade, fighting the US invasion of Fallujah in Iraq in 2004 and becoming a prominent figure in local al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups that would later turn into Isis.

In June 2014, he formally announced the establishment of Isis self-declared caliphate under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, demanding allegiance from Muslims worldwide and calling for them to travel to the groups territories.

Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Show all 9 1 /9 Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Policemen outside Rouen's cathedral during the funeral of Jacques Hamel, the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy on 26 July during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat while he was celebrating mass in an attack that shocked France as well as the Catholic Church Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Muslims place flowers and hold a minute of silence in front of the church if Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, western France, where French priest Jacques Hamel was killed on 26 July Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two people hold each other by the new makeshift memorial in Nice, in tribute to the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack at the Promenade des Anglais Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice on France's national holiday. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a packed crowd of people in the Riviera city celebrating Bastille Day Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police work at a site where a Syrian migrant set off an explosive device in Ansbach, southern Germany, on 25 July, killing himself and wounding a dozen others Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis A Syrian migrant set off an explosion at a bar in southern Germany that killed himself and wounded a dozen others in the third attack to hit Bavaria in a week. The 27-year-old, who had spent a stint in a psychiatric facility, had intended to target a music festival in the city of Ansbach but was turned away because he did not have a ticket Friebe/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police officers walk along train tracks in Wuerzburg southern Germany on 19 July, a day after a man attacked train passengers with an axe. German authorities said they had found a hand-painted IS flag among the belongings of the man, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who seriously injured four members of a family of tourists from Hong Kong in his rampage Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis German police killed a teenage assailant after he attacked passengers on a train in Wuerzburg, southerg Germany with an axe and a knife on 18 July, seriously wounding three people Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AFP/Getty Images

Adnani later featured in audio recordings and videos calling for lone wolf attacks in the West in revenge for air strikes against Isis.

His latest announcement, released in May, called for atrocities in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and was linked to the Orlando shooting and Nice attack among others.

Larossi Abballa, a jihadist who murdered a French police officer and his wife outside Paris in June, name-checked Adnani in a Facebook post swearing allegiance to Isis.

I have responded to the call of Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, he said, referring to the Isis spokesmans speech.

But Adnanis role was not confined to radicalisation  he was also the head of Isis multi-level secret service planning attacks around the world.

Harry Sarfo, a former Isis fighter interviewed by The Independent, described him as the big man behind everything, adding: Everything goes back to him.

Adnanis death came as the terrorist group faces unprecedented military pressure, with Turkish-backed rebels joining the assault on its territory in Syria and Iraqi forces mounting a key assault on its de-facto Iraqi capital of Mosul.
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A female teacher in Israel has been fired because she obtained a driving licence, according to local reports.

The woman used her car to transport her severely disabled baby daughter.

Some Orthodox Jewish groups do not consider driving an acceptable activity for women.

Israel: From independence to intifada Show all 7 1 /7 Israel: From independence to intifada Israel: From independence to intifada 26973.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26974.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26975.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26976.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26977.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26985.bin Robert Capa/Magnum Israel: From independence to intifada 26986.bin Robert Capa/Magnum

The unnamed teacher from Beitar Illit, an Israeli settlement in the Judean Mountains, obtained permission to take a driving test from a senior rabbi after her husband had trouble passing the test.

Her child has been registered as disabled by Bitauch Leumi, the National Insurance Institute of Israel, and the family receives state funding to transport the girl.

Despite reports of the incident, the chief administrator of the only girls school in the settlement told Haaretz: This is really not true.

An unnamed source close to the head of the school, however, allegedly overheard the headteacher say: I will not tolerate a teacher with a drivers license.

Israels Ministry of Education has confirmed it is investigating the incident, according to Haaretz.

The teacher followed the Chassidim branch of Judaism. Chassidism, a branch of Orthodox Judaism, maintains its followers should distance themselves from secular culture.

Last summer, rabbis of the Belz Hasidic group in London released a statement saying pupils who were driven to school by their mothers would be expelled.

The letter was later retracted.
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Absence of solidarity with victims of an Isis-claimed suicide bomb attack on an army camp in Yemen has been criticised on Twitter.

At least 60 pro-government recruits were killed in the southern city of Aden on Monday. They were gathered at a staging area near two schools and a mosque when a pickup truck accelerated through the build's gate as a food delivery arrived and exploded among the crowd.

"Bodies and body parts are scattered all over the place," Mohammed Osman, a neighbour who rushed to the scene, told the AP. "It was a massacre."

People gather at the scene following an attack by a suicide bomber who drove a car laden with explosives into a compound run by local militias in the port city of Aden, Yemen, 29 August, 2016. (Reuters)

The death toll steadily rose through the day and by mid-afternoon, the director of Aden's Health Ministry, Khidra Lasour, said 54 had died from the explosion. Almost 70 people were wounded, including 30 seriously, and were being treated in local hospitals.

After the attack, several people took to Twitter to criticise the amount of attention it received.

Others expressed their solidarity and outrage with the hashtag #PrayForYemen.

Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, identified the bomber as Ahmed Seif and distributed a photo of him smiling and holding an assault rifle next to a flag used by Islamic extremists as well as a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognised government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shia Houthi rebels , who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and Isis to expand their reach, particularly in the south.

The recruits were signing up to join a new unit the Saudis hope will ultimately be made up of 5,000 fighters. After some training, the new force will deploy to the Saudi cities of Najran and Jizan, near the border with Yemen, the officials said.

Hundreds have already arrived in the border province of Jawf and the adjacent province of Marib. The Houthis control most of northern Yemen, including the border regions and the capital, Sanaa.

Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres reported on social media that their hospital in Aden had received 45 dead.

The Isis-run Amaq news agency said the attack was carried out "by a fighter from the Islamic State who targeted a recruitment center." Later, another statement circulated by Isis called the bomber a "knight" who had purportedly killed some 60 coalition fighters.

Ahmed al-Fatih, who had been working at the center, said security at the site was lax.

"There was no consideration of security," he said. "So it was easy for al-Qaida or Daesh to pull off such an act," he added, using an Arabic acronym to refer to Isis.

Most of the recruits are men in their early 20s, unemployed, according to the officials, and mostly from the southern provinces of Abyan, Dhale, and Lahj. Eleven bodies from the attack were taken by ambulances to the town of Koud, where they were buried collectively, officials added.

One of the recruits killed was 27-year-old Mohammed Nasser, whose mother said he hadn't been able to find a job since graduating from the Aden University four years ago.

"I didn't want him to go," she said, sobbing. "But I never expected him to return a dead body."
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Travel essentials

Why go now?

Milan is a city that strides out in style, from its fashion houses to its cultural delights. Get there before the impeccably dressed crowds arrive for Milan Fashion Week (21-27 September) and youll find the city much more manageable. On September 14, the annual Rito della Nivola will take place at the Duomo (1), a historic tradition that sees the Holy Nail retrieved from its case above the altar using a cloud-shaped lift, and put back again two weeks later (00 39 02 720 22 656; duomomilano.it).

Touch down

Milan has three airports served from the UK: Malpensa (2), 50km north-west of the city centre; Linate (3), which is just 11km east but flights arrive from London only; and Bergamo (4), which is the furthest at 60km to the north-east.

Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com) flies from Stansted, Manchester and East Midlands; Flybe (0371 700 2000; flybe.com) from Birmingham and Manchester; easyJet (0330 365 5000; easyjet.com) from Gatwick, Luton, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh; and British Airways (0870 850 9 850; ba.com) from Heathrow.

The Malpensa Express train runs every 30 minutes from outside Terminal 1 to several stops in the city centre (12), while bus 73 connects Linate to Piazza San Babila (5) every 10 minutes (1.50). From Bergamo, bus 1 (2) operates every 30 minutes, taking you to the train station in the nearby city of Bergamo, from which you can catch a 50-minute train to Milano Centrale (6) for 5.50.

Get your bearings

Milan is built in concentric rings starting from the Duomo (1), the citys Gothic cathedral and focal point. North-east of its 135 spires and gold-plated La Madonnina statue is the fashion district, close to the cobbled streets of Brera, with its cafes and restaurants.

The steel and glass skyline of the new business district, Porta Nuova, rises further north, before the Art Deco-style Milano Centrale (6). To the south lies the bohemian neighbourhood of the Navigli with its network of canals.

The main tourist information centre (7) is at Piazza Castello (00 39 02 77 40 43 43; turismo.milano.it). Open daily 9am-6pm, to 5pm on Sundays.

Milans bike-sharing scheme, BikeMi (bikemi.com), has hundreds of stations in the city; its 4.50 to register for a day, with the first 30 minutes free.

Four metro lines, as well as trams and buses, connect the whole city, and single tickets cost 1.50 for 90 minutes (atm.it).

Check in

The five-star Mandarin Oriental (8) at Via Andegari 9 (00 39 02 8731 88 88; mandarinoriental.com/milan) is luxurious without feeling stuffy. Contemporary rooms feature bespoke furnishings, velvet textiles and marble bathrooms with waterfall showers. Doubles from 725.50, including breakfast.

Terrace suites at the Mandarin Oriental

A short walk from the Duomo, the Baglioni Hotel Carlton (9) at Via Senato 5 (00 39 06 42 11 11; baglionihotels.com) is classically styled, with 87 rooms and suites decorated with antiques and fine art. Doubles from 290, including breakfast. I travelled with Kirker Holidays (020 7593 2283; kirkerholidays.com), which offers tailor-made trips to Milan, including a two-night break staying at the Baglioni Hotel Carlton from 699 per person, which includes flights, transfers, breakfast and a mornings guiding.

For those on a tighter budget, the Hilton Milan (10) at Via Luigi Galvani 12 (00 39 02 69 831; hilton.com) is a five-minute walk from Centrale train terminal (6) and has doubles from 129, excluding breakfast.

Cheaper still, Ostello Bello (11) at Via Medici 4 (00 39 02 36 58 27 20; ostellobello.com) is a good value hostel with a fun, communal vibe. Six-bed dorms from 29; private doubles from 79, including breakfast.

Day one

Take a view

The Duomo (1) at Piazza del Duomo is the best place to get city panoramas. Take the lift for 13 or climb the stairs for 9 to access the rooftop terraces where views stretch as far as the Alps. Open daily 9am-7pm; a 2 ticket includes entrance to the cathedral, Duomo Museum and nearby San Gottardo in Corte church (12) but not the terraces.

Take a hike

Start outside Milans 18th-century opera house, Teatro alla Scala (13), at Via Filodrammatici 2 (00 39 02 860775; teatroallascala.org) and cross the elegant piazza with its monument of Leonardo da Vinci (14), who lived here for 17 years. Wander through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (15), the glass-roofed shopping arcade designed by Mengoni in 1877, pausing to spin three times with your heel on the testicles of the dancing bull on the mosaic floor (said to bring good luck).

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (Turismo Milano)

Emerging on to Piazza del Duomo, turn right onto Via dei Mercanti, passing the archways of the 13th-century Palazzo della Ragione (16) on your left, and continue down the pedestrianised Via Dante. Ahead looms the Castello Sforzesco (17), once home to the Visconti family and now housing the Triennale design and art museum, among others (00 39 02 8846 3700; milanocastello.it, entry 5).

Cross the castles walls through a gate and stroll through the park until you reach the Arco della Pace (18), the Arch of Peace, built in 1807 under Napoleonic rule and mentioned in Hemingways A Moveable Feast.

Castello Sforzesco (Turismo Milano)

Lunch on the run

Rest weary feet at the Ristorante Galleria, inside Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (15). It serves traditional Milanese fare, such as ossobuco (veal shanks) with saffron risotto for 26 (00 93 02 86 46 49 12; ristorantegalleria.it). Open 8.30am-12.30am daily.

For something quick and cheap, queue for panzerotti (pizza folded into a half moon shape) at Luini (19), at Via Santa Radegonda 16, which has been a Milanese institution for three generations. Tomato and mozzarella is priced at 2.50. Open 10am-3pm Monday; to 8pm Tuesday to Saturday (00 39 02 86 46 19 17; luini.it).

Window shopping

Fashion is the citys biggest draw, and the likes of Prada, Gucci and Valentino are found in the Quadrilatero dOro, a golden rectangle of streets centred around Via Montenapoleone (20).

Fashionistas on a budget should head to 10 Corso Como Outlet (21) at Via Tazzoli 3, a slightly shabbier, cheaper version of Carla Sozzanis original store, 10 Corso Como (22) (10corsocomo.com) the name is also the address.

Once lined with craftsmens workshops, Via Torino (23) is now one of the main areas of Milanese shopping to suit all tastes and budgets.

An aperitif

Aperitivo is a sacred rite in Milan, and the Navigli area is one of the best places to get stuck in. Mingle with the after-work crowd at El Brellin (24) at Alzaia Naviglio Grande 14 (00 39 02 5810 1351; brellin.com) , where you can order an Aperol spritz for 8 and fill your plate with pasta, cheese and meat for free at the bar. Open daily 12.30pm-3pm and 6.30pm-1am.

Take your aperitivo out on the terrace (El Brellin) (El Brellin/Facebook)

Diagonally opposite, Mag Cafe (25) is edgy and cool, with tattooed bar staff serving creative cocktails from 8, which also arrive with a plate of snacks (00 39 02 3956 2875). Open 7.30am-1.30am daily.

Dine with the locals

Run by the same family since 1938, Alla Collina Pistoiese (26) at Via Amedei 1 (00 39 02 8645 1085; allacollinapistoiese.it) serves high-quality Tuscan cuisine beneath an impressive carved ceiling. Try the fresh pappardelle with mushrooms for 16 and homemade tiramisu for 8. Open Sunday to Friday 12.30pm-2.30pm and 7.30pm-10.30pm; Saturday 7.30pm-10.30pm.

Locals head to Dry (27) at Via Solferino 33 (00 39 02 63 79 34 14; drymilano.it) for its excellent pizzas and cocktails. Calzones filled with smoked provolone, olives and onion cost 12 and French 75s (a gin and champagne concoction) are 10. Open 7pm-12am daily.

Day two

Sunday morning: go to church

Hidden amid Via Torinos high-street shops is the Chiesa di Santa Maria Presso di San Satiro (28), an architectural gem (chiesadimilano.it). Inside, marvel at Donato Bramantes illusory apse, a magnificent example of trompe-loeil. Sunday mass is at 11am and 6pm.

Out to brunch

Founded in 1817, Cova (29) at Viale Monza, 91 (00 39 02 76 00 55 99; pasticceriacova.it) is one of Italys oldest coffee houses and has an ornate interior with chandeliers and gilded curtains. There are 13 types of tea (from 7 per person) and pastries from 2. Try the Coppa Cova (a custard, forest fruit and whipped cream delight) for 12. Open 7.45am-8.30pm Monday-Saturday; 9am-7pm Sunday.

A walk in the park

Parco Sempione (30) is a vast, green expanse with numerous recreational areas such as jogging tracks and a duck pond, and the Arena Civica (31), Arco della Pace, Napoleons triumphal Arch of Peace (18) and the Triennale design museum (32) (00 39 02 72 43 41; triennale.it), stand along its perimeter.

The Arch of Peace in Parco Sempione (Shutterstock)

Sempione may be Milans biggest park, but the Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli (33) is its oldest, established in 1784. It has a running track around its edge, and houses the Ulrico Hoepli Planetarium and Natural History Museum (34) (00 39 02 88 46 33 37; comune.milano.it/museostorianaturale).

Cultural afternoon

The Pinacoteca di Brera (35) at Via Brera 28 (00 39 02 722 63 264; pinacotecabrera.org) is home to an important collection of Italian paintings, including works by Bellini, Caravaggio and Mantegna. Open 8.30am-7.15pm daily but closed Monday; Thursday open until 10.15pm; entry 10.

Santa Maria della Grazie (36), located on the piazza of the same name, contains one of Italys most famous masterpieces, Leonardo Da Vincis The Last Supper. You can spend 15 minutes gazing at it  but advance booking is essential (cenacolovinciano.net). Open 8.15am-7pm Tuesday to Sunday; entry 10.

The icing on the cake

For a quirky evening, take in the sights while you eat a four-course dinner on board a vintage tram with Atmosfera Milan. Set menus cost 70 (atmosfera.atm.it), with journeys departing daily at 8pm from Piazza Castello, corner of Via Beltrami (37).

Fondazione Prada is home to a Wes Anderson-designed cafe

Designed by Wes Anderson, Bar Luce (38) (fondazioneprada.org/barluce) is a coffee shop-cocktail bar in the Fondazione Prada, an arts space owned by the fashion brand that opened at Largo Isarco 2 in 2015. Exhibition tickets cost 10, but an espresso costs just 1.50. Open 9am-9pm Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; to 10pm Friday to Sunday; closed Tuesday.
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Ryanair has cut its annual growth rate for UK flights from 15 per cent this year to 6 per cent next year because of the decision to leave the European Union. As a result, there will be around five million fewer seats to and from Britain than originally planned.

The budget airline, which is Europes largest, had campaigned prominently for a Remain vote in the EU referendum.

Michael OLeary, the airlines chief executive, said: We were planning to base up to 10 new aircraft in the UK, now there will be none based here  though some will fly in to the UK. The planes will instead be based in Germany, Poland, Italy and eastern European nations.

The most delayed UK airports in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 The most delayed UK airports in pictures The most delayed UK airports in pictures 1. Gatwick Getty Images The most delayed UK airports in pictures 2. Luton PA The most delayed UK airports in pictures 3. Manchester Getty Images The most delayed UK airports in pictures 4. Glasgow PA The most delayed UK airports in pictures 5. Heathrow PA The most delayed UK airports in pictures 6. Edinburgh The most delayed UK airports in pictures 7. Bristol Getty Images The most delayed UK airports in pictures 8. Stansted Getty Images The most delayed UK airports in pictures 9. Birmingham AFP/Getty Images The most delayed UK airports in pictures 10. Newcastle PA WIRE

Fares will fall by 10-12 per cent for the rest of the year, said Mr OLeary. In the short term thats good for customers. Much of it is being funded by lower oil prices. We will pass [lower costs] on to passengers in lower fares.

But he predicted that the longer-term effects will be harmful: Theres an awful lot of rubbish being talked over here about oh, theres no effect. As fares get cheaper more aircraft will be moved away from the UK over the next few years.

The airline has also called on the new Government to be radical with its decision on airport expansion in South East England, demanding one new runway at each of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

Mr OLeary said such a decision will finally resolve the runway capacity issue for the next 50 years, while ensuring competition between airports delivers efficient facilities and prevents airlines and passengers being ripped off by gold-plated monopoly runways.

He said: Its not in my interest to advocate a new runway at all three airports, but its what London needs. The obvious long-term solution is remove the politicians, to upset all the nimbies at the same time.

 Ryanair backs staying in EU

Despite the Leave vote, Ryanair is creating 450 jobs at Stansted with an EU training centre.

Jet2, the leading budget airline in northern England, is recruiting almost 1,000 flying staff and engineers. Starting in September, it is acquiring 30 new Boeing 737-800 over the next two-years.

The airlines chief executive, Steve Heapy, said: We have exciting plans to expand the number of destinations we fly to, as well as the number of UK bases we fly from, and this means that our team is growing all the time too.

The airline is staging roadshows at Belfast, East Midlands, Manchester and Leeds to recruit new staff.
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The apparent killing of Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, leading propagandist and senior operational leader of Isis in an airstrike, is the latest serious blow to the Jihadi movement.

Once Isis boasted of its swift victories against superior forces in Iraq and Syria in 2014 as a sign of divine assistance, but since the summer of 2015 it has suffered nothing but defeats on the ground and the deaths of senior leaders.

At the moment of Isiss greatest and most astonishing success,when it seized the northern city of Mosul two years ago, Adnani said that enemies and supporters alike are flabbergasted by its triumphs. He called on Isis fighters to press forward and not become arrogant and over-confident. Be warned and do not fall prey to your vanities and egos, he said. Do not let your egos fall prey to your recent military gains such as the Humvees, helicopters, rifles and military equipment.

Adnani would have been wise to take his own advice. For a short time Isis was a ferociously successful army that emerged from nowhere to conquer an area the size of Great Britain in western Iraq and eastern Syria. The fact that both the US and Russia claimed that they killed him on Tuesday night and that he died while overseeing Isis resistance to Turkish and Kurdish attacks underlines the number of enemies Isis managed to make during its brief period of triumph. It effectively declared war against the entire world in the name of its messianic creed and is now paying a price for its unrestrained belligerence.

It captured Ramadi in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria in May 2015, but since then it has been in retreat. It has lost both cities and these days holds few urban centres aside from Mosul and Raqqa. Where its men have stood and fought they suffered devastating losses. The obvious strategy was to revert to guerrilla warfare, but Isis has been unable hitherto to make successful counter-attacks.

Adnani himself put a brave face on these defeats, saying: Do you think, O America, that victory is by killing one leader or another? He recalled that the US success in killing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of al-Qaeda in Iraq, in 2006 and Osama bin Laden in 2011, had not ended the movements they led. Adnani down played the loss of cities and territory, asking: were we defeated when we lost the cities in Iraq and were in the desert [between about 2007 until 2012] without any city or land?

This time round the situation is worse for Isis because it is encircled by enemies who claim they are closing in for the kill. But the very number and diversity of Isiss enemies have never been entirely to the disadvantage of the self-declared Caliphate, because they hate and suspect each other as much as they do Isis. This is particularly true of Turkey and the Syrian Kurds, both of whom are committed to battling Isis, but these days reserve their bitterest venom for each other. In the last few days, the US has desperately been trying to arrange a ceasefire between the two, but Ankara says there can be no agreement with Syrian Kurdish terrorists.

The Americans had supposed that Isis would fight for Jarabulus on the Syrian-Turkish border which stands at the east end of the 60-mile stretch of territory which was Isiss last exit and entry point to the outside world. Isis fighters had suffered a thousand dead fighting for Manbij, another town on the same supply route, which the Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had besieged for weeks.

But instead Isis fighters evacuated Jarabulus without fighting to allow Turkish-backed Syrian rebels to capture it and may well have been pre-informed about what was going to happen. Probably Isis leaders thought that there was no point in suffering heavy losses in a battle that they were bound to lose. They may also have calculated that it was to the advantage of Isis to let Turks and Kurds confront each other rather than the Jihadis. It will be difficult now for the Syrian Kurds, who have built a quasi-state in north east Syria, to continue the highly successful alliance between their ground troops and US airpower directed against Isis.

Abu Muhammad al-Adnani appearing in a propaganda video uploaded on YouTube on July 2012 (AFP/Getty Images)

This US-Kurdish air-ground cooperation has been devastatingly successful in Syria since Isis lost the four-and-a-half month long battle for the Kurdish city of Kobani which ended in early 2015. This may have made the Kurds over-confident in their own military prowess and the likelihood of continued American backing. The great swathe of territory they have taken east of the Euphrates is particularly vulnerable to Turkish attack because much of its population is in cities just across the frontier. The problem for the Turks is that their present foray does not eliminate their central problem that there is now a de facto Kurdish state in Syria and only an all-out ear can eliminate it. This poses a great difficulty for the US which will have to decide if it is going to stand by its Kurdish ally in the face of a Turkish onslaught.

In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 1 /74 In pictures: The rise of Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube In pictures: The rise of Isis A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far In pictures: The rise of Isis A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Al-Qaida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work

The war in Syria and Iraq has always been like a Middle Eastern version of the War of the Roses with sworn allies eyeing each other suspiciously and everybody fearing betrayal. The chaos and the continued violence is much in the interest of Isis and al-Qaeda clones, all of whom are the product of war.

But was Adnani right in predicting that Isiss might rise again as it had done in the past? After the US surge in troop numbers in Iraq in 2006/2007 and the split in the armed resistance and the Sunni community, al-Qaeda and the movement that declared the Caliphate a few years later, was supposed to be dead and buried. The difference this time round is that in Iraq a large part of the Sunni community has lost their homes and more will do so if Mosul falls. Isis may prove to be the death knell of its own Sunni community.

In Syria, Isis is likewise on the retreat under attack from the US, Russia, Kurds, Syrian Army and, unlike Iraq, it does not have a monopoly of Sunni Arab armed resistance. It can launch spectacular attacks abroad, committing atrocities that dominate the news agenda for days at a time. But this will not prevent the Caliphate ultimately being battered into extinction even if the process takes a few years. Adnanis death may have brought the defeat of Isis a little closer, but he and other Isis leaders were already failing to find solutions to problems which were mostly the result of their own hideous cruelty and violence.
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A sweetheart tax deal between technology giant Apple and the Irish government has turned sour. The deal, declared illegal by the European Commission, has deprived the public of 11bn in tax revenue.

The European Commission found Apple gained from a special tax arrangement its competitors could not use and so broke European state aid rules. The company was able to siphon off up to two-thirds of its global profits through Irish-registered companies effectively paying as little as 1 per cent tax. By allowing Apple to pay such low corporate tax, Ireland has been complicit in tax dodging.

Apple must pay but it probably wont. Perhaps another deal will be struck with the Irish government or their appeal will be upheld. Whatever the outcome these sweetheart deals are rotten to the core.

 EU orders Apple to pay up to 13 billion euros tax to Ireland

Meanwhile, Ireland's finance minister, Michael Noonan, talks of defending the integrity of our tax system. A ludicrous claim, in my opinion, since I am convinced that the integrity of the tax system has long since been perished. Its lifeless corpse receives a kicking every time the likes of Apple and government ministers such as Noonnan shake on another sweetheart deal.

For too long, multinationals aided and abetted by EU member states have robbed ordinary people of vital public services and given credence to crushing austerity programmes and the notion that there is there is no alternative. Services like health and education are being run into the ground to prepare the scene for ever greater private sector involvement. The public continue to bear the brunt of cuts, falling wages and insecure work.

Yet until all multinational companies are forced to publicly report the profits they make and taxes they pay everywhere they operate tax dodgers will continue to want to have their cake and eat it. The European Commission needs to stay firm and go further  to stop sweetheart deals anywhere, yes, but also to put an end to the insidious tax competition between EU member states.

We need new rules to ensure all multinational companies are required to publish key information about where they are doing business, earning their profits and paying their taxes  so called country-by-country reporting.

Despite the appearance of strong action today on Apple, so far the Commission hasnt shown enough guts on its rules on reporting which should go hand in hand with tackling dodgy sweetheart deals. The European Commission recently proposed a tax reporting system that will not stop multinationals dodging their taxes. Between 85-90 per cent of the worlds multinationals will not have to report under these plans. The Commission offers no assurance that notorious tax havens such as British Virgin Islands, Switzerland, or Delaware in the US will be covered.

There is also a significant risk that Brexit will mean that the UK decides to take a beggar thy neighbour approach similar to Ireland  allowing its tax regime to make sweetheart deals right left and centre with eager corporations undermining tax justice around the world; with the public left footing the bill. Its time for tax justice  we need transparency through country-by-country reporting and co-operation to end the tax competition which leads to a race to the bottom for everyone.

Vicki Hird is Campaigns and Policy Director at War on Want
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Jeremy Corbyn looks set to achieve a second landslide victory in the Labour leadership election, according to a YouGov poll released this week. The headline figures put Corbyn at 62 per cent of the vote, with his rival Owen Smith staggering behind on 38 per cent. If such a margin were to hold for the official election, Jeremy Corbyn would be elected with an even greater mandate than the one he received less than a year ago.

Though the headline figures will capture the bulk of the press coverage, there are some important statistics that rest behind this prediction of another thumping victory.

While Jeremy Corbyns supporters have long been labelled as young idealists trapped in a London-centric bubble, the data seems to disprove this.

Though Corbyn receives the backing of 61 per cent of 18-24 year olds, the Labour leader is more popular with the 40-59 year old age bracket. Corbyn is supported by 63 per cent of voters within this category compared to Smiths 37 per cent.

And while Corbyn shores up 55 per cent of support in London, it is in the Northern heartlands that the Labour leader finds greater levels of support: 63 per cent to Smiths 37 per cent. Apparently Smiths commitment to a second referendum isnt that attractive to the North, much of which voted for Brexit. Whod have thought it?

Its also often reported that Corbyns camp is full of brocialists  but its Smith who was posted supposedly making penis jokes this week.

Given his history of joking that public spending cuts are like domestic violence (Surely, the Liberals will file for divorce as soon as the bruises start to show through the make-up? he wrote in 2010) and his apparent belief that women only get airtime because of their gender, not to mention suggesting that misogyny didnt exist in the Labour Party before Jeremy Corbyn, it is rather unsurprising that Smith only gets the support of 33 per cent of women within the Labour electorate. The Labour leader charges ahead with 67 per cent support from women within the Labour movement, along with 57 per cent of men.

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

While these headline figures were somewhat expected, the finer details make for an interesting reading of the current leadership election.

Corbyn wins every single region and every single age group. The poll shows that he would win across every section of the party electorate, whether it be full members, registered supporters or union affiliates.

This is all despite the fact that 130,000 new members were recently denied a vote in the leadership election. Though the establishment seems to enjoy berating and patronising grassroots Labour members, it seems entirely unable to beat them.

And it isnt hard to see why. Owen Smiths campaign has been utterly desperate. Its been a case of mistake after mistake. Its not just been funny gaffes that have left Smith in this position. His smashing her back on her heels comment about Theresa May and his use of the word lunatic to describe his rival point to a downright dangerous lack of forethought or insight.

 Owen Smith and Jeremy Corbyn clash at latest leadership debate

The reason that Corbynism works is because it is real; in comparison, everything Smith does looks pre-packaged and false. When it comes to Jeremy Corbyn, what you see is what you get. You may not like that  and thats your right  but its clear that across the Labour membership, Corbyn is liked and admired. Telling members they dont matter or that they are stupid isnt going to win them over.

Even on the question of electability, more Labour members, supporters and affiliates believe that Jeremy Corbyn has a better chance of winning a general election than Owen Smith. While Corbyns satisfaction ratings are paraded on a frequent basis, 67 per cent of Smiths own supporters think he would lose the next election for Labour.

Jeremy Corbyn is seen as more principled, more competent, more honest and more likely to win the next general election.

When it comes to convincing the Labour movement that he is an apocalyptic threat, Owen Smith and the Labour Party establishment have failed spectacularly. And they only have themselves to blame.
Ukrainian army positions in Donbas have come under 75 attacks in the past 24 hours, the army operation press center said on Facebook on Wednesday morning.

"A total of 24 ceasefire violations were observed in the Donetsk sector, 25 in the Mariupol sector, and 26 in the Luhansk sector during the past day," the report said.

In the Donetsk sector, the militants twice used artillery weapons against Novhorodske early on Tuesday. Positions in Verkhniotoretske and Pisky were shelled by 120mm mortars, while 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and large-caliber machineguns fired on positions in Avdiyivka, Luhanske and Zaitseve; 82mm mortars were also used in Svitlodarsk, and Mayorsk saw grenade launcher and small arms fire. Infantry combat vehicles were engaged in Luhanske and Zaitseve.

The militants also used heavy weapons in the Mariupol sector. Artillery weapons fired over 50 122mm rounds on fortifications in Krasnohorivka, and 50 152mm shells hit Shyrokyne in the evening; around 80 rounds were fired from an infantry combat vehicle in the Shyrokyne area in a later period. Vodiane, Hnutove and Lybidynske were shelled by 120mm mortars, while 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, large-caliber machineguns and small arms were used in Shyrokyne and mortars were fired in Krasnohorivka, Talakivka and Taramchuk. An infantry combat vehicle attacked Maryinka, in addition to grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. Snipers were active in Maryinka and Hnutove.

In the Luhansk sector, the militants used heavy artillery in Novozvanivka and Novooleksandrivka, where almost 50 152mm shells were fired. Over 25 122mm artillery shells were fired on fortifications in Popasna. Mortars, grenade launchers and small arms fired on Novooleksandrivka and Stanytsia Luhanska, 120mm mortars were used in the area of Shchastia and Zhovte, and grenade launchers and machineguns were fired in Novozvanivka, Krymske and Zolote. A sniper operated in Zhovte, the report said.
A major review of Operation Matador, the cross-border cattle movement shutdown because of BSE was under way this week 20 years ago.

The joint Garda, Customs, Army and Department to seal off the border from Northern cattle movement has cost 500,000 a week since the BSE crisis began last March, reported the Farming Independent.

Of real concern to the Garda authorities is the massive manpower commitment involved in policing 24-hour Border crossing - with 51 crossings in Donegal alone.

The initial weeks of Operation Matador had seen several lorries carrying cattle being impounded, but in recent weeks the only incidents had involved calves being carried in boots of cars.

Meanwhile, beef expert Dr Joe Harte bemoaned the unreal (poor) returns cattle farmers were getting for stock.

I hear some people saying farmers shouldnt panic, but those who panicked a month or so ago are at least better off than those who didnt.

A crisis usually means new planning and this one surely requires an urgent look at our cattle producing and breeding policies. Indeed the Minister (Ivan Yates) has set the ball rolling by his reference to elephants.

Certainly if one looks at the breeding stock on display at various shows around the country, one is struck by the sheer size of the animals nowadays.

A drove of donkeys assembled near Waterford Port circa 1900. The donkeys were destined for export to South Africa where they were used as pack animals by the British Army. He is the future beast of burden of South Africa, where he defies the tsetse-fly in some districts, and is everywhere proof against the climate. English and Dutch dealers have been buying thousands of them for shipment to South Africa, and 5,000 has recently been spent in this way in Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary alone, reported the London St Jamess Gazette in 1897.
Ukraine's grain harvest in 2016 is forecast to exceed previous records. This is a considerable achievement considering that seeded areas across Ukraine are down about 2.5 million acres due to conflict and occupation in the south-east of the country and Crimea.

According to the latest figures from Ukragroconsult, this year's grain harvest is expected to exceed 60m tonnes.

Oilseeds are also expected to perform well this season with an expected yield of 17m tonnes (13.5m tonnes of sunflower seed, up 15pc, soybean harvest is static at 4m tonnes, and rape seed back 34pc at 1.2m tonnes).

Breadbasket of Europe

Ukraine is now a top-three global exporter of agricultural commodities, with 34.8m tonnes exported last year. Agriculture production accounts for 16pc of Ukrainian GDP and the sector provides jobs for 3.5m people. Twenty six of the largest 100 Ukrainian companies are in the agricultural sector.

It is easy to see why Ukraine has long been known as the breadbasket of Europe. The country has over 100m acres of agriculture land, over 75m acres is classified as arable land. This arable area is close to one-third of the equivalent arable coverage within the EU.

Ukraine's legendary agricultural capability is aided by the fact that it holds one-third of the world's fertile 'chernozem' soils. This black coloured soil contains up to 15pc of humus. The thickness of this soil layer runs as deep as 1.5 metres in parts of Ukraine. Accompanying good soil is adequate precipitation, a long growing season and enough heat to grow everything from subtropical to continental crops.

Market evolution and growth potential

Despite the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the on-going turmoil in south eastern Ukraine, the agri-sector has continued to evolve and grow. Today only 10.2pc of agricultural exports go to CIS countries and Russia.

Asia is now the dominant export market, absorbing 45.1pc of Ukrainian exports last year. Ninety seven per cent of sunflower oil imported into China and 90pc of Chinese corn imports during the first half of 2015 were produced in Ukraine.

Whereas the EU accounted for only 4pc of Ukrainian agricultural exports in 2015, exports to EU countries have increased tenfold over the past 15 years. Ukraine's signing of the EU Association Agreement in 2014 provides further opportunities with export quotas allocated for 36 commodity positions.

According to published CSO figures, Ukraine accounted for over 40pc of Irish maize imports for the first five months of 2016. Overall, Irish imports of Ukrainian corn increased from 25,800 tonnes in 2011 to 277,833 tonnes in 2015.

From agricultural collapse to global agricultural powerhouse

The collapse of the USSR in 1991 resulted in a sharp decline of agriculture production in Ukraine. By 2000, Ukraine's grain harvest was half of what it was in 1990 and sugar production was only a quarter of its output during Soviet times.

Renewed interest, abolition of collective and state farms, investment and land leasing mechanisms brought a new lease of life to the sector in the 2000s.

Land use also evolved. Sugar beet acreage has reduced by 85pc since Soviet Union times to just 237,000 hectares today. Conversely though, sunflower seed acreage is up 212pc to 5.1m hectares.

Grain acreage has also evolved, with a greater emphasis on maize production. Corn exports have grown exponentially, up from 4m tonnes in 2010 to 18.5m tonnes in 2015. Grain yields in Ukraine have grown by 70pc over the past decade.

A quick glance at world agricultural rankings demonstrate that Ukraine has recaptured its status as a global agricultural player:

* #1 producer of sunflower seeds and oil;

* #2 exporter of grains;

* #3 exporter of corn and producer of barley;

* #4 exporter of barley;

* #5 producer of corn;

* #6 exporter of wheat;

* #7 exporter of flour;

* #8 producer of soy bean;

* #9 in wheat production.

Arable Land at 250 per acre!

Foreign direct investment in Ukrainian agriculture topped $1b in 2015, up from $777m in 2014, and $680m in 2010. Three new grain-handling terminals were put into operation in Ukraine last year, bringing export capacity at the ports to more than 50m tonnes.

Already this year, Cargill & Bunge have announced separate construction investments totalling $280m dollars at Ukrainian ports. Yet challenges remain. There currently exists a moratorium on land sales, making it difficult to purchase, and grow capital appreciation on land.

However, the opportunity to secure land rights on some of the world's most fertile land for 250 per acre remains a big draw. Annual rent thereafter is also low, at almost 20 per acre.

Ukraine continues to harmonise its agricultural legislation with EU laws. The regulations with regards to land leasing have also been simplified with the number of significant legal requirements reduced from 11 to three.

The minimum lease period has been increased to seven years, with longer leasing terms available.

Sector leaders predict Ukraine's harvest could reach 100m tonnes by 2020. Consequently, grain yields, exports and investor interest in Ukrainian agriculture will continue to grow for some time to come.

Tom O'Callaghan is Director of Food for Seven Arrows Capital. He is based in Kiev.
A Fitbit employee on a treadmill at last years IFA in the German capital

Health and fitness tech firm Fitbit has opened its European headquarters in Dublin and appointed a new managing director in the process.

The firm said Ireland's talent pool and reputation for innovation were important factors in deciding to set up in Dublin.

The new office will act as Fitbit's Europe, Middle East, and Africa HQ and will employ around 50 people by the end of the year. The new roles will be across the areas of senior management, sales, marketing, operations, finance, and customer supports.

Fitbit also hinted at growing further again next year, saying the new office has enough room for up to 100 people.

The firm has also appointed Des Power as managing director. Mr Power will be tasked with managing the company's expansion into Europe.

Fitbit is renowned for its fitness tracking bands and devices such as the Flex, Blaze and Surge. The company floated on the New York Stock Exchange in June of last year, raising $732m in the process.

Weve seen Dublin become a strategic hub for the technology industry as a centre for innovation and sourcing top talent in the region, and we look forward to building a strong team here to complement our offices around the world, said Fitbit CEO and co-founder, James Park.

Jobs minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor said the announcement was testament to Ireland's international reputation.

"Fitbit is one of the worlds most popular and fastest growing health and wellness companies, and I am delighted that they have selected Ireland as the location for their EMEA headquarters as it will provide exciting employment opportunities for our skilled workers. I wish Des Power and his team the utmost success in the coming years.

The company, whose new offices have been opened on Baggot St, has shipped over 48.7 million devices across the world so far.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook spoke to Taoiseach Enda Kenny ahead of the European Commission state aid ruling asssuring him of the tech giant's commitment to Ireland.

The phone call came on Sunday night, two days before the Commission's decision that Ireland must demand 13bn in back taxes fromt he tech giant.

"A phone call took place on Sunday at Mr Cook's request during which he recommited himself to operations in Ireland," a government spokeswoman said.

She added: "Equally the Taoiseach expressed support for Apple's presence in Ireland".

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Earlier this evening, Independent Alliance Ministers Shane Ross and Finian McGrath blocked Michael Noonans decision not to accept 13bn in back-tax from Apple.

A four and a half hour Cabinet meeting ended without agreement.

Ministers had a thorough discussion about the European Commissions assertion that a sweetheart deal was done with the tech giant.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan provided a memorandum proposing that Ireland lodge an appeal against the judgement  but this was rejected by the Independent Alliance.

Sources told Independent.ie that the Mr Ross, who is the Transport Minister, has asked for the Dail to be reconvened to discuss the unprecedented situation.

Its a very complex document. Its would have been wrong today with that presented to use for the first time to make a decision today, Mr Ross said.

Mr McGrath added that they were working behind the scenes to resolve the impasse.

In a statement issued after the meeting, a government spokesperson said: Ministers also had an opportunity to examine the full text of the European Commission decision, which is a lengthy and complex document.

Following the discussion, it was agreed to adjourn the meeting to allow further time to reflect on the issues and to clarify a number of legal and technical issues with the AGs Office and with officials.

The delay is a significant blow to Mr Noonans plan to counteract the negative publicity that has already been generated by the Apple decision.

He repeatedly said yesterday that Ireland did no special deal and does not want the money.

An Independent Alliance source said if more consideration was given to the judgement group possibly back Fine Gael on appealing the EU ruling.

It is important we slow down and look at this further, the source said.

On her way out of the Cabinet meeting, Independent TD Katherine Zappone said she needs to consider her position further.

She confirmed the prospect of the Dail being recalled was discussed by minister but no decision was reached on this either.

Ms Zappone intends to meet with the Attorney General before Friday and be ready to declare her approach at the Cabinet meeting.
Operating profit at building materials group Grafton Group soared by 18pc in the first half of the year as the company's Irish presence performed strongly.

Grafton posted an operating profit of 64.8m on revenues of 1.23bn, up 13pc on the same period last year.

Earnings per share at the firm increased by 10pc to 22.3p as the dividend settled on by the firm increased by 6pc to 4.75p.

Net debt at the company rose by 44.6m to 95.7m.

The increase in revenue was broadly split between both acquisitions and the company's existing business. The business also said its performance in Ireland was a key driver of the 18pc increase in its operating profit.

Grafton chief executive Gavin Slark said the company continued to make good progress in key markets.

"Both Ireland and the Netherlands continue to show strong growth with ongoing development opportunities. Grafton will continue to invest in areas of its business which combine good long term growth prospects and the opportunity to improve the Groups operating margin and return on capital employed," he said.
No Ukrainian servicemen were killed but one soldier suffered injuries in the Donbas hostilities zone in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Presidential Administration spokesman for the anti-terrorist operation issues Andriy Lysenko said.

"No Ukrainian servicemen were killed but one was injured in the hostilities over the past day. That happened during an attack in Pisky," he told a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Practically all positions of the Ukrainian army and populated localities close to the frontline came under attack in the Donetsk sector in the past 24 hours, Lysenko said. In all, 24 shelling incidents, including 14 by use of heavy weapons, were observed in the Donetsk area over the past day.

In the Mariupol sector, hostilities focused on the south (the Hnutove-Shyrokyne front), Lysenko said, adding that Shyrokyne had seen several mortar attacks and bombardments by 152mm artillery. The hostiles also used mortars against Taramchuk, Talakivka, Vodiane and Lebedynske. The conflicting sides engaged in over ten shootouts in Maryinka and Shyrokyne. In all, 25 shelling incidents, including eight by use of heavy armaments, were seen in the Mariupol sector over the past day.
The owner of a mushroom company has blamed the Brexit vote in the UK for the closure of his business which has put 70 people out of work.

Fianna Fail have called for support for the mushroom sector which has been left vulnerable by the fall in value of the pound sterling and said 3,500 jobs are at risk nationwide.

Peter McDonald of Schiele and McDonald Mushrooms in Tipperary town told his staff Wednesday morning of the decision to shut down the business which has been going for 17 years.

We werent able to cope with the devaluation of the English pound as a result of the Brexit vote, Mr McDonald said. Its a business with a very tight margin as it is.

He said margins were small in the mushroom industry in general, and most of the trade is with the UK, leaving the sector particularly vulnerable following the UKs referendum decision to leave the EU.

Its down to price. Your price is based on the strength of sterling The whole thing is further compounded by the fact that Brexit has not only devalued the pound but brought a lot of uncertainty with it. That brings a lack of confidence.

He said the referendum result had led to the business losing between 10,000 and 12,000 per week.

Schiele and McDonald Mushrooms started with 12 people in 1999 and grew to the point where, until yesterday, it employed 70 people and exported most of its growth of 1.5 million kg of mushrooms to the UK. It was one of the largest employers in the Tipperary town area, which has seen a number of industry closures in recent years.

However, McDonald said the last two or three years had been difficult. In a family business theres a lot more love in it than money at times. The mark-up has been significantly reduced over the years. Weve had increased produced costs and reduced prices in an overall sense.

Peter McDonald told the workers yesterday morning that the company was closing down, with immediate effect and said it was a very emotive morning, and very upsetting for everybody involved in the business. Were like a little big family here.

He said he wanted to help the employees secure all of their redudancy entitlements.

Fianna Fail spokesman on horticulture and food, and local TD, Jackie Cahill said that mushroom farmers throughout the country, who export about 90pc of their produce across the Irish Sea, have seen their margins shredded in recent times.

He said 3,500 jobs are at risk in 60 mushroom companies nationwide if these challenges with sterling exchange rates continue and called on the minister for agriculture and food to provide support to the sector.
RYANAIR boss Michael O'Leary has weighed into the tax dispute between Apple and the European Union, saying the government should write a letter to the EU telling them to "f*** off".

Dubbing the EU's ruling "bizarre", the outspoken Irishman said: "One of the fundamental principles of the European Union is that each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions.

"Frankly the Irish government should turn around - they shouldn't even appeal the decision - they should just write a letter to Europe and tell them politely to f**k off.

"The idea that you have the state aid mob - who've had more court verdicts overturned than any other department in Europe in the last 20 years - come along 10 years after the fact and say, 'no we didn't like that, we think you should have done something else', is frankly bizarre."

The European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's landmark ruling into the iPad and iPhone maker's tax affairs found it paid just 1pc tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005pc in 2014.

Two years ago that worked out at 50 on every million in profit, she said, ordering that 13bn be handed over to Ireland in unpaid taxes.

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Apple is set to challenge the decision, and Mr O'Leary added: "I think there's no chance of this surviving a court ruling in Europe. There's certain things that Europe has no competence in."

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Mr O'Leary went on to claim that Ryanair was "one of the most compliant taxpayers in Ireland", having paid a tax rate of about 11.9% on profits last year.

On Brexit, the chief executive, who backed the Remain campaign during the EU referendum, expects the UK to suffer "significant economic damage" as a result of its decision to quit the single-bloc. However, he added that it is too soon to revise the company's financial guidance.

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Speaking on RTE Radio, Eamonn O'Dea, head of Revenues International Division, confirmed that the final bill for the technology giant will be closer to 19bn when interest is included.

Yes indeed, in a state aid case there will be interest on top of that [13bn], Mr ODea told Morning Ireland, and he agreed the final figure could be up to 19bn.

The amount that will go into an escrow account - and will be potentially subject to appeal depending on a government decision and depending on all the claims that might emerge from the US or other EU countries at the instigation or prompting of Commissioner Vestager - could be at that figure at max, he said.

But who knows what is going to transpire over the coming years?

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Apple is set to work out a payment mechanism to Revenue for the money - and it is expected that both Apple and the Irish Government will appeal the ruling by the European Commission.

However, a former IMF deputy director has said that the Irish government should think deeply about whether an appeal is the right option.

I think they should hold the horses and reflect on this for a number of reasons," Donal O'Donovan said on the Sean O'Rourke show on RTE

"First of all, what grounds do they have for thinking that they will win the appeal?

"The Commission, on this highly controversial subject, presumably thought long and hard before it came out with its ruling, and it must be fairly confident that it can withstand this and win in a European court. Otherwise, the damage to the commission would be enormous in terms of credibility and they wouldnt want to take that risk.

It is not impossible that there could be a deal out of this, if we worked on it, that might allow us to spend some part, perhaps a good part, of the 13-19bn on infrastructure: schools, hospitals... I just wouldnt rule that out, he added.

Earlier, Mr ODea was adamant that Revenue collected the full amount of tax due from Apple in accordance with Irish tax law.

If the two Apple companies concerned had been resident in Ireland of course there would be a basis for having charged the amounts mentioned or alleged by the Commission, he said.

However, the two companies concerned were not resident companies in Ireland for tax purposes. So they were not chargeable on the worldwide profits, they were actually chargeable on their branches here in the state

He agreed that while somebody may be owed 13bn, Ireland isnt owed it.

Im not here to defend the international tax planning by multinationals, but I am here to reassure listeners that Revenue gave no deviation from the law, gave no preference to this company and collected the full tax due, he added.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has said that it was necessary to fight the verdict in the courts "to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business, and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation".

The unprecedented ruling from Brussels found officials in Dublin gave assurances to Apple in 1991 and 2007 that it was abiding by law in the manner it structured its affairs, recorded profits and made payments to its California offices.

The Commissioner said the treatment of Apple amounted to illegal state aid.

The inquiry found that Ireland's treatment of Apple allowed the global brand to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales in the entire European single market.

It said this was because Apple recorded all its sales in Ireland rather than in the countries where the products were sold.

The company has had a base in Ireland since 1980 and now employs 6,000 people.

Speaking on RTE, Mr ODea admitted concerns with the international tax system.

But he strongly denied that Ireland had done anything wrong.

We all are certainly concerned that a very large part of the profits of a very wealthy cooperation go untaxed, he said.

It happens through the interaction of the laws of two countries, there is a mismatch between the laws of two countries. What Ireland objects to, or what we should object to, is the EU Commission putting the entire blame of a mismatch to one country. It takes two to tango. You cant allocate the entire responsibility of this to Ireland.

As a general principle I think a multinational corporation should pay tax on their full profits. I do not think Ireland should be trying to tax 60pc of the global profits of this particular multinational corporation based on their branch in Cork.

We have applied the law fully in Revenue It should not be put at Irelands door or Revenues door, he added.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

US stocks were down yesterday as markets reacted to the news that US tech giant Apple will be required to pay 13bn in tax to the Irish government for a breach of EU competition law.

Both Apple and the Irish authorities have stated that they will appeal the ruling to the European Court of Justice. Shares in Apple were down by 0.76pc in late afternoon trading at $106.05.

At a press conference announcing the decision,the European Commission's Competition Commisioner, Margrethe Vestager, said: "Tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades, in breach of the EU state aid rules. Apple now has to repay the benefits."

Ms Vestager questioned how anyone might think an arrangement that allowed Apple to pay a tax rate of 0.005pc, as Apple's main Irish unit did in 2014, was fair. In response to the decision, Apple ceo Tim Cook said in a letter to customers: "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process."

In Dublin, the ISEQ overall index of Irish shares was flat at 6209, down 0.08pc.

Elsewhere in Europe, the DAX and CAC had gains of 1.1 and 0.8pc respectively.

In London, Britain's top share index was flat, supported by well-received results from Bunzl, but underperformed other European indexes as traders returned from a long weekend, with miners under particular pressure.

"Bunzl has seen little impact from the Brexit vote apart from the weakening of sterling, which will have a significant positive effect on its results for the remainder of the year if exchange rates remain at their current levels," said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Here are the main business stories from this morning's papers:

Irish Independent

* The Government has allied itself with the White House and the US multinational sector in an unprecedented showdown with the EU over tax.

The war with the EU comes after Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple was paying just 50 in tax on every 1m of profit in 2014.

* Ireland faces major challenges in attracting new investment from major international firms as a result of the unprecedented demand that Apple pay 13bn back taxes.

As the Government was last night groping for a unified response, industry experts warned of a "chilling" effect on transatlantic commerce.

* There was a strong rise in the number of home buyers approved for a mortgage in July.

Almost 3,300 people got the green light from their bank to borrow to buy a home. This is up 490 from the same month last year, the Banking and Payments Federation said.

The Irish Times

* The Government could split over the proposed appeal of the Apple tax ruling, which has ordered the tech giant to repay 13bn to the Irish State.

Some members of the Independent Alliance are unsure on opposing the ruling as Mr Noonan goes in search of formal approval.

* Apple's plans for expansion and investment into Ireland remain unchanged, despite the company being ordered to pay 13bn in back taxes to the country.

The firm's chief financial officer Luca Maestri said Apple has a great relationship with Ireland and remains very committed to it.

* The hotel industry is benefiting from booming Irish tourism as profits across the country continue to rise at a fast pace due to strong domestic demand, more tourists, near record room rates, and a lack of pay rises.

According to a report in The Irish Times, hotel profits surged by 30pc last year as they reported very high occupancy rates.

Irish Examiner

* The Government is split over whether or not to appeal against the tax punishment imposed on Californian tech firm Apple.

The European Commission has ordered Apple to repay the Irish State 13bn in back taxes with finance minister Michael Noonan ready to appeal the ruling.

* Irish shoppers are yet to properly take advantage of the low value of sterling by doing their grocery shopping in the North.

According to new figures from Kantar Worldpanel, Irish shoppers have increased their spend in the Republic following Britain's decision to leave the European Union.

* Total Produce has tipped its full-year earnings to come in at the high end of its guide of between 10.5c to 11.5c per share.

The fruit company reiterated its confidence after the publication of its interim results yesterday.
Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor has vowed to deliver the 200,000 jobs promised by the government despite the controversy over Apple's taxes.

Fears have been raised that Irelands reputation and the prospects for job creation have been damaged by the European Commissions ruling that the State should demand up to 13bn in back taxes from the tech giant.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has rejected the Commissions decision that the company's tax arrangements here amounted to illegal state aid and says he wants the State to appeal it through European Courts.

Ms Mitchell OConnor was speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting where Fine Gael will seek to persuade their Independent Alliance government colleagues to back the planned appeal.

She was asked by Independent.ie if she is concerned that the European decision threatens the governments pledge to create 200,000 jobs by 2020.

First of all I profoundly disagree with the European Commissions decision.

Were having a Cabinet meeting this morning. We will be appealing it, she said.

In relation to any threat to job creation she continued: Am I worried? Obviously we want to project ourselves in the very best way but I did speak to IDA this morning.

Theyre very confident the pipeline is very strong for jobs for this year and we look forward to creating the jobs that we have promised to do.

I should also say Ive been in Carrick-on-Shannon on Monday, Waterford on Tuesday, announcing jobs and here I am in Dublin this morning announcing jobs, she added.

Ms Mitchell OConnor was attending the announcement of up to 50 new jobs by the end of the year at the opening of Fitbits Europe, Middle East and Africa headquarters in the city centre.

The company may employ as many as 100 people here by the end of 2017.

The Minister declined to say what she would tell Independent Alliance minister in Cabinet to persuade them to back the plan to appeal the Commissions ruling.

What I have to say. Ill be saying in Cabinet, she said.

The Independent Alliance  which includes Cabinet ministers Shane Ross and Finian McGrath have said they are shocked by the European ruling, are reviewing it and are bringing in their own experts to examine it.

They have not yet said if they will back the planned appeal.

"Ireland does not and has not given favourable tax treatment to Apple. Ireland does not do special deals with taxpayers.

During her speech at Fitbit, Ms Mitchell OConnor emphasised that the European decision does not affect the 12.5pc rate of corporation tax.

"We will and we must defend the integrity of our tax system," she said.
Independent News & Media (INM) has announced a proposed change in the management of its editorial production function for Dublin.

INM is the publisher of the Irish Independent, 'Sunday Independent', 'Sunday World' and 'the Herald'.

The move will mean 14 redundancies in the production and quality control and archives (QC&A) hub, the company said. A small number of fixed-term contracts in the area also come to an end.

The plan will see outsourcing of currently Dublin-based editorial production services to PA (the Press Association), the company said.

This proposed change was being implemented to consolidate and outsource production services in line with many other newspaper titles, INM said.

"We need to adjust our organisation and structures to protect against the impact of greater economic challenges.

"Businesses need to adapt and innovate to survive and working with PA will allow us to maximise synergies and efficiencies while partnering with a world-class organisation that already provides production services to many well-known titles," said Robert Pitt, CEO, Independent News & Media.

"Our commitment is to quality and trusted journalism and we will continue to invest in good writing and content in our newspapers and online," said Stephen Rae, Group Editor-in-Chief, INM.

"However, we are constantly looking at how we can produce and print the papers in the most efficient and innovative fashion possible."

"The business has decided to move our Production Hub facilities to PA from where they will be managed by our editorial team at Talbot Street in Dublin," he added.

The outsourcing project was a continuation of the overall ongoing group re-organisation of INM, the company said.

The move includes a programme of redundancies across the production function.

"Employees have been informed and the company is engaging with its staff to discuss these redundancies," INM said.
There was a strong rise in the number of home buyers approved for a mortgage in July. Stock photo: PA

There was a strong rise in the number of home buyers approved for a mortgage in July.

Almost 3,300 people got the green light from their bank to borrow to buy a home.

This is up 490 from the same month last year, the Banking and Payments Federation said.

In percentage terms, the rise was close to 18pc when the new figure is compared with data for July last year.

It was the highest number of mortgage approvals since the banks started collecting aggregate data at the start of 2011.

Mortgage approvals do not always translate into home-loan drawdowns, as potential buyers often get outbid, or can't find a home they can afford.

Economists said the strong figures showed that the effects of the controversial mortgage lending restrictions imposed by the Central Bank were easing off.

A consultation process conducted by the Central Bank on the impact of the restrictions has a deadline of today for submissions.

The banking figures show there was strong growth in the number of first-time buyers seeking mortgage approval.

Almost 1,600 first-time buyers got approval in July, up more than 200 on the same month last year.

There was also a rise in those trading up, and these buyers now account for around a third of the mortgage market.

Switchers are still a small part of the market, representing just 7.5pc of approvals. But the numbers seeking to switch their mortgage soared by 90pc in the year to July. However, there were just 245 approvals of this type during the year.

The average monthly value of all house loans given approval came to 659m, of which 306m was accounted for by first-time buyers.

The value of mortgages approved rose by 28.5pc when compared with a year ago.

Economist with Merrion Stockbrokers, Alan McQuaid, said: "The figures point to an uptick in mortgage activity since May 2016, after a slow start."

And economists are now expecting a healthier mortgage market this year.

Economist with specialist bank Investec, Philip O'Sullivan, said he expected mortgage drawdowns of 5.5bn for this year, up by 10pc on 2015.

Dermot O'Leary of Goodbody Stockbrokers said the new mortgage approvals figures show a recovery in mortgage lending.

"The strong approvals growth in the second quarter and into the early third quarter augurs well for a pick-up in lending activity in the second half of the year, and possibly the first few months of 2017," Mr O'Leary said.

He predicted mortgage lending of 5.2bn for this year.

The higher level of mortgage approvals comes as Bank of Ireland has upped the ante by introducing a new cash-back deal for mortgage customers.

It is adding a loyalty payment to its cash lump sum offer to stop new customers moving to another lender inside five years.

This will effectively increase its original cash-back offer from 2pc to 3pc.

The loyalty payment only applies to those who have a current account with the bank, and is paid after five years.
Telecoms network maker Nokia said on Wednesday the president of its Nokia Technologies unit, Ramzi Haidamus, is leaving the company.

Haidamus was in charge of the firm's patent business and the recent licensing deal with Finnish company HMD Global, which aims to bring Nokia branded mobile devices back to the market.

Nokia said it has started a search for Haidamus' successor. Brad Rodrigues, currently head of strategy and business development in Nokia Technologies, will assume the role of acting president.
An anti-bullying film which was written by a 12-year-old is going viral after being picked up by sites around the world.

An anti-bullying film, which was written and directed by a 12-year-old, is going viral after getting 350,000 Youtube views in just over a week.

The film, entitled 'Bully', was made by Jonah Maxwell.

Incredibly, Jonah is only 12-years-old, yet his film making career seems to be already in full-flow.

Websites from around the world have been sharing his video, while his mother Jenny has told Independent.ie that schools in the USA, Ireland and Australia are showing the film.

Jonah spent the first seven years of his life in Dublin, before moving to Chicago, Illinois.

Speaking on WGN Morning News, Jonah said it was "verbal teasing" of his Irish accent which inspired him to make the film.

He added that cyber bullying now makes it very difficult for victims to escape the problem.

He said: My dad told me that when he was a kid, the bullying would stop at 3:30 every day. I told him its not like that anymore. They can get you 24/7.

The budding director urged everyone to do their bit to stop bullying, saying: If you are not a part of the solution, you can still be part of the problem.
It was an A-list affair in Dublin as Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy descended on the capital for the Irish premiere of Anthropoid.

The Fifty Shades of Grey star (34) and the 28 Days Later actor flew into Ireland earlier today for the premiere of the new movie.

Directed by Sean Ellis, the flick depicts Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich on May 21 1942.

Dozens of fans descended on Cineworld on Parnell street to catch a glimpse of the Peaky Blinders actor and the 50 Shades of Grey star who were happy to pose for pictures.

Fellow Irish actor Sam Keeley who stars as Josef Bublik in the drama said the filming experience was one to remember.

It was intense. We shot it at the height of summer, it was 46 degree weather. It was very physically demanding, he told the Herald.

The Co Offaly native enjoyed the experience of working with Dornan and Murphy who he had acted alongside previously on other projects.

Myself and Jamie had worked together in South Africa and myself and Cillian had worked together two or three years ago, he said.

Its weird to have three Irish guys that have worked together and all playing Czech guys.

Keeley will next be seen in flick The Third Wave which begins filming in Dublin later this year.

Video of the Day

Im currently working on a film called The Third Film that shoots here in Dublin, he said.

Myself and Ellen Page Its about a guy who gets out of a rehab facility and has to go live with his brothers widow.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Chaloka Beyani will visit Ukraine in the period from September 1 until September 9 for meetings with government representatives, civil society and families of displaced persons, the UN news center said on Wednesday.

Beyani said he would assess progress made in protection and assistance to internally displaced persons and would hold consultations on outstanding problems and possible solutions.

He also said he was closely monitoring the position of internally displaced persons in Ukraine who continue to experience difficulties with the use of their right to social benefits, free movement, accommodation and jobs.

Whenever it is impossible to bring internally displaced persons back home, their problems should be resolved by means of integration with local communities or resettlement to other regions, the UN rapporteur said.
Netflix has announced that Stranger Things 2 will debut next year.

Nine new episodes have been confirmed for the second season.

Writers/ creators Matt and Ross Duffer will return to work on the series, while the show will be produced by 21 Laps for Netflix.

Executive Producers Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and the Duffer Brothers will all return for the second season.
Fourteen passengers and two crew members people have been taken to hospital after a transatlantic jet encountered turbulence over the Atlantic this morning.

United Airlines flight UA-880 made an emergency landing at Shannon shortly before 6.00am.

The Boeing 767-300 jet, with 207 passengers and crew of 13 on board, was flying from Houston in the US to London Heathrow at the time.

The jet diverted and landed safely and was met at the terminal by ambulance paramedics.

A total of 14 passengers and 2 cabin crew staff have been taken to hospital with minor injuries, the airline originally stated.

The HSE later confirmed that 12 people were taken to hospital in total, and 11 have since been discharged.

It is understood one of the crew members may have fractured her wrist.

The airline also said that it is providing care and support to customers and crew.

A spokesman confirmed that the aircraft "experienced severe and unexpected turbulence."

"14 customers and two flight attendants have been taken to a local hospital. We wish these passengers and crew a quick recovery from their injuries, the spokesman added.

Passengers have been taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
Two of Ireland's tax rulings involving US tech giant Apple are in the EU dock.

The European Commission says Ireland acted illegally by giving Apple "selective" benefits that amounted to unfair competition.

It is claimed that special deals allowed Apple to avoid paying tax on almost all of the profits it earned on sales of iPhones, MacBooks and other products in the EU over the past two decades.

"It gave Apple a significant benefit compared to other companies," said EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager. "Tax rulings cannot endorse a method to allocate profit that fails to reflect economic reality."

The case centres on two rulings by the Revenue Commissioners in 1991 and 2007 that allowed Apple to squirrel away most of its profits in Irish shell companies.

This was made possible by a now-defunct loophole in Irish company law that enabled firms to incorporate here without becoming tax resident.

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The loophole spawned the infamous "double Irish" scheme.

Using the double Irish, Apple was able to build up a cash stockpile of around 187bn that went untaxed in the EU or the US, which allows its multinationals to hold off on paying taxes on foreign profits.

Apple was able to funnel profits from its European sales through non-tax resident "head offices" of its two legitimate branches in Ireland: Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe.

For example, in 2011, despite Apple Sales International recording profits of $22bn (around 16bn), only around 50m was considered taxable in Ireland. The rest was booked through its "head office", which existed only on paper.

That meant Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of around 0.05pc in 2011, which fell to 0.005pc in 2014, the Commission said.

But the Commission's is not taking Ireland to task for its tax rulings with Apple. More than 1,000 tax rulings exist in Europe. Neither is it ruling against the double Irish, which is being phased out since last year, nor questioning Ireland's 12.5pc corporate tax rate.

"It is a right in the treaty for each member state to set their own level of corporate taxation," Ms Vestager said. "But the effective tax rate of Apple is very, very, very far away from the 12.5pc.

"I would have the feeling, if my effective tax rate would be 0.05pc falling to 0.005pc, I would have felt that maybe I should have a second look at my tax bill."

The case does not rest on how Apple organised itself in Ireland or booked its European sales through the Irish branches.

But the case rests entirely on how Ireland allowed the profits to be shifted around inside Apple's two Irish branches, which was unique to the company, or "selective", the EU says.

Under an international tax rule known as the arm's length principle, large corporations have to treat profits similarly to individual companies, which Apple in Ireland did not do, the EU says. But the Commission has had its "selective benefits" argument rubbished before.

In November 2014, the European Court of Justice struck down a Commission order against a Spanish corporate tax scheme, saying the benefits were available to any company and not unique to Autogrill Espana and Banco Santander, the companies named in the original case.

But for the moment, the Commission's ruling against Apple in Ireland stands.

Apple will have to hand over around 13bn which will be held in a blocked account pending appeals by the government and the US tech giant.

The money relates to the 10 years before the Commission's first request for information in June 2013, the maximum allowed under EU rules.

It is more than 500 times the amount the EU ordered the Netherlands and Luxembourg to claw back from Starbucks and Fiat in similar cases.
A new mother suffering from a potentially fatal inflammation of her uterus was misdiagnosed by a local GP, resulting in her being rushed to hospital the following day, an inquiry heard yesterday.

Dr Saleem Sharif (57) from Ballyphehane, Cork, failed to carry out an appropriate examination of Alison Hunter Hickey, or arrange for relevant investigations when Ms Hickey visited him at the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, Dublin 18, in October 2014, where he was working as a locum GP.

Ms Hickey (47) gave birth to twin boys in October 2014 by caesarean section, a disciplinary hearing at the Medical Council in Dublin heard. Less than three weeks later, on October 28, Ms Hunter became unwell, experiencing flu-like symptoms, shivering, a high temperature, abdominal pain and odorous discharge.

Ms Hickey attended the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, where she explained her symptoms to Dr Sharif. According to the new mother, Dr Sharif conducted no physical examination, nor did he order any tests or take a complete medical history

Instead, he asked her only two questions - one regarding her discharge, and also whether she was suffering from a sore throat. "He said it was probably a urinary tract infection, and asked was I allergic to penicillin. I said no. That was it. It was a very short consultation," Ms Hickey told the inquiry.

"There were very few questions asked. There was very little interaction. When I got back in the car, my sister-in-law actually said, 'That was very quick'." But the following day, Ms Hickey's symptoms grew worse. "I woke up at 1am feeling absolutely dreadful," Ms Hickey said. "I was having spasms. I wasn't able to talk."

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An ambulance was called and she was rushed to the Rotunda Hospital. There she was diagnosed with endometritis, or an inflammation of the uterine lining. If left untreated, endometritis can lead to sepsis and organ failure. Ms Hickey made a full recovery, and was discharged from hospital on November 1 2014.

Complaint

Following the incident, Ms Hickey's husband, Karl Hickey, made a complaint to the GP Now Clinic. Unsatisfied with the response he received, Mr Hickey then complained to the Medical Council.

Yesterday Dr Sharif, through his legal counsel, admitted that he failed to take an adequate medical history, failed to carry out any appropriate examination and failed to arrange for initial relevant investigations when Ms Hickey visited him on 28 October 2014. He also admitted that he failed to arrange for a follow-up appointment.

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During her evidence, expert witness Dr Catherine Wann said, "These were serious failings because when the potential for sepsis exists, it is critical to do the relevant examinations and initiate investigations."

The inquiry continues today.
A 26-year-old man accused of stabbing a young camper in the throat at Dublin's Hell Fire Club has been further remanded in custody.

Michael Corbett is charged with assault causing harm to three teenagers, two males and a young woman, on the afternoon of June 27.

The incident took place at the Hell Fire Club, otherwise known as Montpelier Hill, a popular south Co. Dublin site for hikers surrounded by lands owned by the State forestry company Coillte.

He had been refused bail by Dublin District Court on June 29 and was held in custody. Mr Corbett, who has an address at Woodbine Close in Raheny in north Dublin, was unable to appear at his hearing before Judge Conal Gibbons at Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday.

Judge Gibbons further remanded him in custody in his absence to appear again in two weeks for directions from the DPP to be obtained.

A psychiatric assessment of him had been ordered at an earlier stage.

He made no reply to the charges.

At his bail hearing earlier, Garda Pauline Glennon said three campers, an 18-year-old woman, a male aged 18 and a 17-year-old boy, were at the Hell Fire Club, at Killakee Road. The defendant, who was not known to them beforehand, allegedly travelled there by taxi and remained with them for a couple of hours. They also went picking logs.

Gda Glennon had said it was alleged the 18-year-old youth was stabbed across his throat, in to his chest and was assaulted with a log of wood. She had added that the young woman and the second youth were also struck with the log. The three teens were rushed to Tallaght hospital and were treated for a number of hours but were not kept overnight.

During the bail hearing, the court had heard that Mr Corbett felt he was going to be attacked and there was a weird air about the place. His solicitor had told the court he had serious underlying psychiatric problems and he claimed he was restraining the victim; there was a scuffle and this was something he did not want to happen. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges.
The mother of a baby stillborn at a Northern Ireland hospital had been a good candidate for a planned caesarean section, an inquest has been told.

The revelation came as harrowing details about the circumstances of Cara Rocks' death emerged during the second day of her inquest at Belfast Coroner's Court.

Barrister Fiona Doherty QC, representing Cara's parents Barry and Michelle Rocks, of Moneymore, Co Londonderry, cross-examined middle grade obstetrics specialist Dr Joanna Krystowska.

She said: "There was a history of a previous c-section. You had determined that the baby was big and in addition the baby was presenting as breech.

"This was a good candidate for a planned c-section."

Cara was stillborn at the Causeway Hospital, in Coleraine, on June 26 2013.

Dr Joanna Krystowska, who assessed Mrs Rocks at 32 weeks pregnant, acknowledged she had been "keen" for an elective c-section.

The medic, who had more than a decade of experience at the time, conceded that while she could not have predicted the future of the pregnancy, Mrs Rocks would have been a prime candidate for the planned surgical procedure. She added that the final say on a mode of delivery should always lie with the patient.

When pressed on the issue of choice by coroner Joe McCrisken, the doctor replied: "My role is to express all pros and cons regarding both modes of delivery.

"The last decision is for the patient."

Later, Dr Krystowska claimed everyone involved in the case had been left "traumatised" by Cara's death.

She also accepted that she may have told the family that the baby had been "hanged" during complications at delivery involving the umbilical chord.

She added: "I think this couple and the people involved were traumatised by this event. Out of my sympathy I might have said something like that."

On Tuesday, the Northern Health and Social Care Trust that runs the hospital apologised for Cara's death and admitted a series of failings in the care provided to the baby's mother.

The hearing continues.
The robbery happened in Ballinhowen, near Kilmallock in Limerick at approximately 11pm last Thursday night.

Gardai have appealed to the public for information regarding a violent robbery where an elderly man was attacked in his home by three other men.

The robbery happened in Ballinhowen, near Kilmallock in Limerick at approximately 11pm last Thursday night. The men entered the coutryside house before attacking the elderly man.

They then held him captive while they stole various items, including a mobile phone, a shotgun and a small sum of money.

A Gardai spokesperson said that the men went to great lengths to keep their identity from the man.

"The three men were wearing balaclavas with head torches attached, so there is no description at present. The men surged into the elderly man's home and held him captive while they ransacked the house," the spokesperson told Independent.ie.

Gardai have set up an incident room at Bruff Garda Station and are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information. You can contact them on 061382940 or the Garda Confidential line on 1800666111.
Kevin Barry House on Coleraine Street where a 19 year old man was reportedly attacked. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins

A KNIFE has been recovered by gardai investigating the stabbing of a young member of the Hutch family.

Darrell Hutch (19) was attacked at Kevin Barry House on Coleraine Street in the north inner city. He is now in a serious condition in hospital.

He is related to Gerry The Monk Hutch, who is feuding with the Kinahan crime cartel.

Yesterdays attack is not thought to be connected with that feud, which has so far claimed 10 lives  two of them innocent men.

The drama unfolded at 9am on the top balcony of the flats complex.

It is understood a domestic disturbance in a flat escalated and Darrell Hutch was stabbed.

His attacker fled the building. An ambulance was called and Hutch was taken to the Mater Hospital.

Gardai sealed off the scene to allow for a forensic examination by the Garda Technical Bureau.

Meanwhile, a second crime scene was also preserved in Linenhall Street, which is a row of terraced houses that runs parallel to Coleraine Street.

Four gardai were seen on the street where a number of wheelie bins had been put out for collection.

A knife or a blade, believed to be the weapon used in the stabbing, was removed from a bin and placed in a sealed plastic evidence tube for analysis.

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Moments later, a man walking on Linenhall Street was approached by four gardai.

He immediately protested and failed to cooperate and started to shout loudly. He was then arrested and taken away for questioning.

Sources confirmed the man was arrested in relation to the investigation into the earlier stabbing.

Sources said that although Darrell Hutch is related to the Hutch family, the knife attack was not related to the feud with the Kinahan cartel.

Members of the wider Hutch family are in fear for their lives due to the feud, which escalated following the killing of David Byrne in the Regency Hotel in March.

That hit is believed to have been in retaliation for the shooting of Gary Hutch, a nephew of Gerry Hutch, in Spain in September last year.

Three days after the murder of Byrne, Gerry Hutchs brother Eddie snr was gunned down at his home in Poplar Row in the north inner city.

Then, later in the same month, a close friend of Gerry Hutch, Noel Kingsize Duggan, was shot dead at his home in Ratoath, Co Meath.

The bloody feud escalated with the murder on April 14 of innocent man Martin ORourke near Sheriff Street in a case of mistaken identity.

The intended target of the attack had been nearby at the time and was wearing similar clothing.

Then in May, Gareth Hutch, another nephew of Gerry, was gunned down as he left his home at Avondale House in the north inner city.

The last man killed in connection with the feud was innocent dad-of-three Trevor

ONeill, who was killed while on holiday in Spain this month.

His killers had confused him for Jonathan Hutch, another nephew of Gerry Hutch, who is not a criminal but had left Ireland because he felt his life was under threat. Mr ONeill was laid to rest yesterday.
Lord Dannatt apologised for giving troops a controversial drug which members of the Irish Defence Forces are still administered.

The former head of the British Army, Lord Richard Dannatt, has apologised to troops who were given a controversial drug which members of the Irish Defence Forces still use.

Speaking to the BBC, Lord Dannatt said the anti-malarial drug, Lariam, left his own son extremely depressed. He also apologised to soldiers who took the drug when he was the Chief of General Staff between 2006 and 2009.

Lord Dannatt's son, Bertie, took two doses in the mid 90s. He was not in the armed forces at the time, but was prescribed them by his father's army doctor.

Lord Dannatt said Bertie became severely depressed after the doses and who knows where it would have gone if he had gone untreated.

He said: "Because Bertie had that effect, whenever Ive needed anti-malarial drugs, Ive said, Ill take anything, but Im not taking Lariam,'" and added that he is "quite content to say sorry" to soldiers who took the drug.

Among the side-effects allegedly associated with use of the drug are insomnia, restlessness, vertigo, dizziness, aggressive outbursts, memory loss, severe anxiety, depression, psychosis, and suicide ideation.

Lariam has also been linked with causing permanent brain injury and suicide.

Despite this reputation, members of the Irish Defence Forces are still administered it and The Department of Defence confirmed yesterday that 50 personal injury legal actions have been lodged against the State over its use.

It was first prescribed to Irish soldiers for the mission in Eritrea in 2001 and is one of a number of anti-malarial drugs used.

Roche Pharmaceuticals removed the drug from the Irish market in Ireland on July 31, but the Defence Forces are still able to buy the drug from international wholesalers.

The Irish Defence Forces were contacted and we are currently awaiting comment.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin believes the OSCE has been facing a serious crisis in the past few years and must improve its credibility when it comes to preserving security it Europe. .

"In recent years, the OSCE has been in a deep crisis. Moscow is constantly criticizing its efficient structures - ODIHR (the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) and the HCNM (the Office of High Commissioner on National Minorities). The importance of these missions is decreasing, and budgets tend to be reduced," the foreign minister wrote in an article in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Ukrainian version of which is posted on the ministry's Facebook page.

Klimkin Russia is trying to knock out candidates from the race for the HCNM and for the post of the media freedom representative.

"Russia today does not desire an efficient OSCE. It doesn't want an efficient monitoring mission in Ukraine. It does not want a police mission (working) on its border. It doesn't want OSCE observers in Russia-occupied Crimea...", Klimkin said.

Ukraine's foreign minister said the OSCE itself needs to prove its viability in the modern world.

"We should acknowledge there are only two options. The first is that we return to the 'spirit' of the OSCE and are not simply talking about its credibility, but building the structure of credibility based on the rules of the European security and are doing this quickly The second is everyone will soon realize that security is a matter for individual countries, companies and citizens. If this happens, they will resort to any means, not always rational ones. Then we will face a war of all against all," Klimkin said.
Niall Hawe receives the most improved player award at a recent ceremony for the the East Cavan Eagles Basketball Club

Alan Hawe with his sons, left to right, Ryan (6), Liam (13) and Niall (11)

Hearses arrive at The scene at Oakdene Barcroney Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan where the bodies of a family of five were found. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin.

A Gaeltacht community in Co Meath has been "rocked to its core" by the loss of teacher Clodagh Hawe.

The mother of three died alongside her three children - all four killed by her husband Alan who later took his own life.

Each day, Clodagh drove the 30 minutes from her home outside Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan to the small rural Oristown National School, a few miles outside Kells, Co Meath.

And it was clear in the faces of staff and pupils who gathered at the school yesterday how much she was loved, many in tears as they faced up to the loss of Ms Hawe.

Past pupil Shauna Sheppard (14) spoke lovingly of a teacher who was warm and kind.

"Ms Hawe taught me in Junior Infants and then after that I had her every day to help me with English and maths so she was there for me every day," said Shauna, who also knew 13-year-old Liam, the eldest of the three boys who died. "She was so, so caring. If you had a problem, you could go to her any time. She was very motherly towards me, always wanting to help me. She was just brilliant."

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The teenager said the community was still struggling to take in what had happened but she was keen the outside world knew Ms Hawe was "a very special person and a very special teacher".

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Many past pupils who she had taught over the past decade have been left traumatised by her death.

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Publican Catherine Colwell said the community had been "rocked to its core" by the deaths in Ballyjamesduff.

"I know that the community in Cavan is in shock but it is the same here," said Catherine. "Everyone has been talking about poor Ms Hawe, whether their children went to Oristown or to the gaelscoil just up the road. It has affected everyone really badly because she touched so many lives in our community.

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"People are obviously judging her husband now but no-one knows what was going through his mind. It's just an awful, awful tragedy for Ballyjamesduff and for Oristown."

Parents paid tribute to principal Ann O'Kelly Lynch for the support she provided to pupils at the school yesterday.

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"Our school has lost the best teacher in the world," said one tearful local mother.

"No teacher's salary could compensate for the amount of dedication Miss Hawe gave the boys and girls at this school.

"It will take years to get over this."

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If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article you can contact the Samaritans in confidence on 116 123.
The Government has allied itself with the White House and the US multinational sector in an unprecedented showdown with the EU over tax.

The war with the EU comes after Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple was paying just 50 in tax on every 1m of profit in 2014.

She said the iPhone manufacturer paid 1pc tax on its European profits in 2003 and just 0.005pc in 2014.

The Commission says Ireland acted illegally by giving Apple benefits that amounted to unfair competition.

Apple has been ordered to pay 13bn in unpaid taxes to Ireland - but Finance Minster Michael Noonan rejected the "bizarre" ruling and insisted no sweetheart deals were struck.

Ministers have been called back from their summer holidays for an emergency Cabinet meeting today amid serious concerns that not all members of the Independent Alliance will back Mr Noonan's decision to appeal the judgment.

Sources say Transport Minister Shane Ross has "reservations" about an appeal, while junior minister John Halligan wants to see how events "play out".

Meanwhile, a group representing US tech companies, including Intel, Google, IBM and Apple, says the ruling is a threat to trade and investment.

And Apple chief executive Tim Cook warned: "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system."
PROTESTERS targeted Fine Gael headquarters with dozens of apples, dumping them on the steps and impaling them on the fence in opposition to the party's position on the European State aid ruling on tech giant Apple.

Sinn Fein Republican Youth claimed credit for the incident at the office on Mount Street Upper today.

A post on its Twitter page accompanied by a picture said: "How do you like them Apples, Fine Gael" and added the hashtag "#AppleTax".

A report on the Sinn Fein-linked An Phoblacht website quoted one of the protesters criticising Fine Gael for its intention to spend tax payers' money on an appeal to the European Commission on the ruling.

A Fine Gael spokeswoman dismissed the incident saying: "That's obviously their form of protest".

"We would prefer to engage in meaningful dialogue and apart from it being a waste of time it's a waste of food as well," She added.

"Fine Gael supports appealing the decision of the European Commission which we believe is in the interests of the Irish public".
A SENIOR Government Minister has brushed aside allegations that the Cabinet was "unprepared" to deal with the EU's shock decision to demand Apple pay up 13 in back taxes.

Labour leader, Brendan Howlin - who just four months ago was a senior minister himself - criticised the Government's response to the EU announcement as "badly prepared."

The Labour leader said the Government knew the decision was coming for weeks and should have been stronger and better organised in their communications.

But Foreign Affairs Minister, Charlie Flanagan, said the Government had taken all the necessary steps to give a strong response - including a special Cabinet meeting today to decide the issue.

Mr Flanagan said Fine Gael were determined to appeal the decision but he conceded that some members of the Independent Alliance may take another view of the next move.

"But I hope we will have an agreed decision and a certain consensus," the Foreign Affairs Minister said.

Mr Flanagan was speaking after a meeting with Netherlands Foreign Minister, Bert Koenders, who was visiting Dublin.

The Dutch Foreign Minister said he could not comment on the Apple case.

He acknowledged that Netherlands had a similar, but much smaller, decision on their tax treatment of multinational Starbucks.

This decision is now being appealed to the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg. But he insisted that every case was different and his country and Ireland were cooperating on a clamp down of tax avoidance.
Why is Apple being made to pay 13bn in back-taxes to Ireland by the EU?

Because the EU says Ireland didn't collect enough tax due to it from Apple over a 10-year period.

But aren't tax rates set by countries, not the EU?

Yes. The EU actually has no say in national tax rates. But in this case, the European Commission said Ireland's tax "arrangement" with Apple was really a form of state aid because the terms were so favourable to the tech giant. It said Apple got a tax rate as low as 0.005pc some years, although this is disputed by Apple. State aid to companies is usually illegal.

How did it all come to this?

Resentment about big companies avoiding tax has been brewing for some time, both in Europe and in the US. When Apple sells an iPhone in Britain or Germany, its accountants mark it down as money in its Irish accounts. But it doesn't declare profits here on most of that money. The Irish Government accepts this because the phones are designed in the US and made in China. The same goes for a lot of its other products and services sold in the EU.

So where does it pay tax on this money?

That's the problem - there's a huge chunk of money that Apple hasn't yet paid tax on. The European Commission says that's not acceptable and that it should pay tax on all that money in the EU, preferably Ireland. But Apple says that that profit may ultimately be taxed in the US, where its products are designed.

So why hasn't Apple paid that tax in the US to date? Wouldn't that have cut the EU investigation short?

The company says it is waiting for tax reform in the US before it "repatriates" its profits there. Like other multinational firms, Apple is largely able to do this due to international tax law, which has a lot of mechanisms that allow corporations to legally avoid tax for a long time.

So does Ireland now get a 13bn windfall?

We're legally required to collect the back-taxes off Apple now. But the Government says it will appeal the ruling and so won't make any plans to spend 13bn.

Why is the Government appealing the ruling?

Because the Government believes that Ireland's reputation among inward investors such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and others is more important than a single 13bn windfall. Finance Minister Michael Noonan says hundreds of thousands of jobs, as well as tens of billions in economic activity, depend on such companies. He also says the commission is wrong anyway. Mr Noonan says Apple wasn't singled out for a special tax deal by the Revenue Commissioners. So the Government thinks that the ruling will be reversed.

Will this hit Apple's investment in Cork?

Apparently not. "We are committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there, growing and serving our customers with the same level of passion and commitment," said Apple chief executive Tim Cook yesterday. Apple recently got planning permission to expand its facility in Cork in a move that could see it hire up to 1,000 more people. But Apple has warned that overall investment in the EU by big multinational investors will wane because of new uncertainty over tax planning.

How much of a financial blow is this to Apple?

Apple has around 200bn in cash reserves. Even a fine as high as 10bn won't put it in serious financial difficulty. However, it has previously warned investors of a "material" effect on its finances from the European probe.

So what happens now?

Apple will work out a payment mechanism to the Revenue Commissioners for the 13bn. The Revenue will hold the money in an escrow account that won't be touched. The Government and Apple will both appeal the Commission ruling, although that appeal could take several years.
A four-year-old Irish boy has died following a drowning incident in a pool in the Caribbean.

Finn McCarthy (4) from Blackrock, Co. Dublin died in a drowning accident at 3pm local time at a pool in the Palm Real estate, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico on Saturday, August 27.

It is understood the tragedy occurred just two weeks after his family moved to the area.

His heartbroken parents Tony and Sinead McCarthy had recently moved to the Puerto Rico area.

Puerto Rican police said they are treating the incident as a tragedy.

In a statement, they said: An unfortunate incident was reported at Palma de Coco Street in the Palm Real estate in Guaynabo.

A call to the 911 system alerted authorities to a drowned minor at this address.

Upon arrival, units from Guaynabo District found the body of Finn McCarthy Reyes, aged four, drowned in the swimming pool area.

"The alarm had been raised by Anthony McCarthy, a resident in the mentioned complex and father of the boy."

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Independent.ie they are aware of the case and are providing consular assistance.
The dining car on the train

One of the cabins on board. Photo: Tony Gavin

Managers and staff of the Grand Hibernian at Heuston Station yesterday. Photo: Tony Gavin

All aboard Ireland's most luxurious train which includes 10 carriages, 20 en-suite cabins, two dining cars and an observation car, all refurbished by specialist outfitters.

The Belmond Grand Hibernian's inaugural journey is a six-day 'Grand Tour of Ireland', with 40 passengers departing Heuston Station at 2.20pm yesterday. The experience is akin to "travelling in an Irish country house".

The Grand Hibernian was refurbished and fitted by 40 skilled craftsmen at specialist outfitters Mivan Marine Ltd in Belfast.

Predominantly aimed at the US, UK and European markets, Belmond says hundreds of bookings have already been taken.

The six-night, 'Grand Tour of Ireland' itinerary covers 2,217km, taking in Cork, Killarney, Galway, Belfast and Waterford before returning to Dublin.

Costs for the project have not been released, but prices range from 3,160pp for two nights, to 5,420pp for four and 7,722pp for a six-night excursion.
A new study has found that rewarding staff with pizza and compliments can make them more productive

According to a new study, pizza and compliments could help increase productivity levels in the workplace.

If you find yourself staring at your computer screen wondering how it's only 11am when it feels you've been sitting at your desk for 14 hours, the promise of pizza could be key to getting yourself in gear.

A compliment from your boss could also make the day go by faster and push you to tick off that to-do list and burn through those emails.

In his book, Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations, best-selling author Dan Ariely explains how he carried out an exercise in motivation with employees at an Intel factory in Israel.

Participants were sent one of three messages at the start of the week, promising them either a voucher for pizza, a cash bonus of the equivalent to 20, or compliments from the boss in the form of a text message as a reward for hitting each days targets. Some workers received no message to act as a control group for productivity levels.

On the first day of the study, the promise of pizza proved to be the biggest motivator for staff, as productivity levels increased by 6.7 percent than those in the control group, while the promise of flattery saw productivity increase by 6.6 percent and the cash bonus caused productivity to go up by 4.9 percent.

However, over the course of the week compliments proved to be the biggest overall motivator and surprisingly the cash bonus actually made workers 6.5 percent less productive than the control group.

As New York Magazine reports, Ariely believes pizza would have come first if his original plan for the treat to be delivered to the workers homes had been carried out. He says in the book: This way [] we not only would give them a gift, but we would also make them heroes in the eyes of their families.

What the study is effective in doing is examining what actually motivates people, as the results show that people aren't motivated by money alone.

While the importance of fair pay can't be underestimated, factors such as gratitude and kindness - knowing that your work is appreciated and your time in the office is respected - play a substantial role in the happiness and productivity levels of employees.
The problem is the perception that children need to be kept occupied at all times

Not long ago I was sitting on a train going from Dublin to Galway. A mother and baby came to sit across the aisle and began feeding. In a wonderful display of dexterity, she held the bottle in one hand and clutched a mobile phone in the other.

Out of the corner of my eye, I observed her with a researcher's curiosity. Ethnography is the immersive study of people and cultural phenomena, when the researcher is embedded in the social group being studied. As a cyberpsychologist, I am living in a continual ethnographic study. Hardly an hour goes by when I don't notice how people are interacting with technology.

Ten or 15 minutes passed. The mother looked exclusively at her phone while the baby fed. The baby was gazing foggily upward, as babies do, and looking adoringly at the mother's jaw, as the mother continued to gaze adoringly at her device. For half an hour, as the feeding went on, the mother did not make eye contact with the infant or once pull her attention from the screen of her phone.

I couldn't help but wonder how many millions of mums and dads around the world were no longer looking directly into the eyes of their babies while they were feeding or talking to them. What if that direct contact was in fact one-half or one-quarter as much as the days when my generation was raised? How will this seemingly small behavioural shift play out over time? Would a generation of babies be impacted? Could it change the human race?

Nobody seems to be even talking about this issue, this real risk, except those with an interest in cyberpsychology, but some day there might be writing on the screen of all mobile phones that says: 'Warning: Not Looking at Your Baby Could Cause Significant Developmental Delays'.

The fundamental problem is the modern perception that children need to be kept busy and occupied at all times. Giving a child a tablet is a convenient way for parents to grab a few minutes for themselves.

Have you heard that the esteemed body of the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages screen use, including television, for children under two? No TV for babies. No apps with funny cartoons on a parent's or babysitter's mobile phone.

And yet there's been an explosion in electronic media marketed directly at infants: a multimillion-dollar industry selling computer games for very young children - some as young as nine months.

The tablet is now ubiquitous as a "toy" for toddlers - and parents often marvel at the swiftness with which their child learns to swipe a touchscreen. Unlike a desktop or laptop, a tablet can be used by any child who is old enough to point a digit.

The fundamental problem, I believe, is the modern perception (or misconception) that children need to be kept busy and occupied at all times. Giving a child a tablet is a convenient way for parents or caregivers to grab a few minutes, or an hour, for themselves.

What's the harm? Besides, what about all those other parents giving their children these little handy screens? Millions of people can't be wrong, can they? But they are. This is a field I've researched in depth -and in 2015 published a review paper, 'Cyber Babies: The Impact of Emerging Technology on the Developing Infant'. It's hard to know where to start, as I begin unpacking all my concerns about cyber babies using devices.

Somewhere along the line, a misinterpretation of neuroscience has led parents to believe that all stimulation for a child is good stimulation. Even if these devices in themselves are not proven to be harmful, there is significant harm simply in the lack of time spent doing things in the real world that are known to be important for development.

It has been shown repeatedly that at least 60 minutes per day of unstructured play - when children entertain themselves, either alone or with another child and without adult or technological interference - is essential. This is when a child uses imagination and creativity, when he or she practises decision-making and problem-solving, develops early maths concepts, fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

In Britain, an escalation of problems associated with pervasive tablet use among pre-school-age children has been reported by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, including developmental delays in attention span, fine motor skills and dexterity, speaking, and socialisation - as well as an increase in aggressive and antisocial behaviour, obesity, and tiredness.

A growing number of young children who are beginning school without enough dexterity to pick up and play with building blocks. One gathering of teachers in Manchester called for help with "tablet addiction". A teacher in Northern Ireland described young students who were allowed to play computer games excessively before bed arriving at class the next day with what you might call a "digital hangover", and attention spans "so limited that they might as well not be there".

Jo Heywood, headmistress of a private primary school in Ascot, has been outspoken about her observation -shared by other educators - that children are starting school at five and six years old with the communication skills of two- and three-year-olds, presumably because their parents or caregivers have been "pacifying" them with iPads rather than talking to them. This is seen in children from all backgrounds - disadvantaged and advantaged.

A 2015 consumer report shows that most American children get their first mobile phone when they are six years old. This shocks me. This is before what in psychology we call the age of reason, when a child enters a new state of logic and begins to understand the surrounding world - learning the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, justice and injustice.

Now, with a phone in hand, these children are being catapulted into cyberspace before they are psychologically capable of making sense of it. We can't even make sense of it yet.

We do know, though, that technology has changed childhood in innumerable ways. Cyberspace is where they are learning to read, doing their schoolwork, dressing up avatars, watching cartoons, and meeting friends both fictional and real.

A large US study of eight- to 12-year-olds in 2014 found that a quarter reported using Facebook, even though you are meant to be 13 or older to be eligible to activate an account. The psychologists and educators behind the report concluded that the results were troubling: "Engaging in these online social interactions prior to necessary cognitive and emotional development that occurs throughout middle childhood could lead to negative encounters or poor decision-making."

"In the real world, kids are kept from buying tickets to movies with sexual and violent content. Printed pornography is kept in special areas of convenience stores. So why is it so easy to find online?"

Facebook and other social networks have always claimed that it is "almost impossible" to identify a child, and therefore they can't actively implement and police their own rules. I would argue that, when it comes to minors, there is an urgent need to develop more effective ways of verifying the age of a new user on social networks. The real-world example would be an off-licence or a pub that's not allowed to sell alcohol to underage individuals.

Would it be OK if the sales assistant or barman didn't believe it was necessary to ask for proof of legal age for drinking? Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was known to keep a tight lid on the use of screens in his own household - and Silicon Valley's most tech-advanced parents seem to be the ones who are most strict about internet access for their children.

But burdening parents with all the responsibility of cyber-regulations is asking them to raise their families in a lawless environment, a cyber frontier where they must become their own 24/7 sheriff or marshal.

Age-inappropriate content is everywhere online, and any tech-savvy child knows how to access it. In the real world, kids are kept from buying tickets to movies with sexual and violent content. Printed pornography is kept in special areas of convenience stores. So why is it so easy to find online?

Perhaps the fact that cyberspace is not a physical space with tangible dangers creates an illusion of safety. We access cyberspace from the comfort of our own homes and offices, from our cars and commuter trains - places that are all regulated carefully. But cyberspace offers countless risks. Even the basic laws that the government applies to gambling, drugs, pornography, and breast implants are not in place.

We need to do more for families - and stop expecting parents to paddle their own canoes. Children need government protection in cyberspace, just as they are protected in real life. The US military has a NIPRNet (pronounced 'nipper net'), basically a private internet. Why isn't there a NIPRNet for kids? A protected place - a shallow end of the pool - where they can go to safely explore.

Many experts argue that the positives of the internet outweigh the damage. If we accept that children are online, will be staying online for greater and greater amounts of their lives, and are by and large having useful and positive experiences there - learning to read, learning to make friends, and improving fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination - then can we accept responsibility for the damaging things, the disturbing content that could have lasting ill effects on an entire generation?

I would argue that this particular gamble is too great. We cannot gamble with the future development of children who will someday be adults who weren't cared for and raised in the best way. A generation of what I describe as "cyber-feral children".

Adapted from 'The Cyber Effect' by Dr Mary Aiken, published by John Murray (19.99)
Ukraine, France and Germany have agreed to resume the work of the 'Normandy Four', Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.

"Today, presidential administration deputy head Yeliseyev told me that this issue [the regime of quiet starting from September 1] has been agreed with our partners from France and Germany exactly in the same way as the issue of resuming the functioning of the 'Normandy Format' has been agreed," he told journalists in Mariupol, Donetsk region, on Wednesday.

The 'Normandy Four' on settlement of the situation in Donbas comprises Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia.
Premium

John Downing Opinion New British prime minister Rishi Sunaks succession proves an important milestone in British political inclusivity

There is an old saying in British politics that goes: The right looks for converts while the left seeks out traitors. It comes to mind when one reflects upon the election of Rishi Sunak as the UKs first non-white prime minister in a party traditionally seen as most opposed to mass immigration and the dilution of national identity via multiculturalism.
Urban legend has long suggested that the logo on the back of your iPhone is a tribute to Alan Turing, the cryptanalyst who laid the foundations for the modern-day computer.

He was also the man who pioneered research and techniques that unlocked German wartime codes through the Enigma machine.

Official Ireland will require a codebreaking device of its own to decipher the economic and political ramifications of yesterday's ruling by the European Commission on Ireland's taxation relationship with Apple. The technology giant was directed to pay Ireland 13bn by the end of the year for what the EU view as unpaid taxation.

In this war of attrition between Ireland, Apple, and the European Commission, the Irish State has received a winter windfall our Government doesn't really want. On the face of it, receiving an unexpected bonanza worth billions must be a good thing, right?

Wrong! As a small open economy operating on the margins of Europe, Ireland needs something special if it is to attract investment. Until now, providing attractive and competitive tax regimes, coupled with a well-educated workforce, has been our draw. However, Europe has never been happy with our unique selling point when it comes to taxation, and yesterday the Commission commenced an onslaught in earnest.

Dressed up as a competition issue, make no mistake, this row is not about taxation or even competition. It is all about national sovereignty and international power. When the Euro was established, the hope was that the common currency would create political solidarity that could further foster European democracy. This simply has not happened. For quite some time, it has been obvious that there are those at the centre of bureaucracy in Brussels whose modus vivendi is a federalised Europe.

Britain's recent vote to exit from the EU has handed them the equivalent of a political power tool in terms of advancing their cause. Imbued with a new sense of purpose, this power struggle is about continents not countries.

The federalists of Europe are on one side and the free-marketeers of the USA on the other. Ireland are stuck mid-Atlantic and about to get bounced around on some very rough seas as the issue is fought out in European Court of Justice.

The only thing absolutely guaranteed at this juncture, on foot of yesterday's ruling, is a lot more wonga for the wigs as all sides lawyer up with gusto.

Ignoring that fiscal retrospection as a fundamental 'no-go area' for the application of taxation rules has been thrown into disarray; the more pressing issue for us is that with this one simple ruling, a multiplicity of relationships have changed fundamentally for Ireland.

Most critically, our relationship with existing multinationals based in Ireland is affected. Beyond that, Ireland's reputation abroad as a place to do business is damaged. Our relationship with the European Community is changed. If all that wasn't enough, we are still dealing with the implications of Brexit. We can only watch on as our nearest trading partners, the UK, dash to reduce their corporation tax rate. Already at 16pc, their approach is - how low do we need to go to compete with Ireland?

Converging international forces have once again conspired against the Irish Government. On top of all that, our domestic political situation is fragile and complicated.

Challenging Government for the sake of it has become the low barometer benchmark against which some set their political stall. Expect a litany of lists from some political quarters in the weeks ahead detailing the very laudable ways to spend this money.

Should domestic political point-scoring engulf the Government's tactics on this issue, we are in acute danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The exchequer may well pick up 13bn to write off our national debt. But what of household debt? Tell it to the man behind the counter in the local shop who loses his job if Apple decides to shut down its operations in Cork.

Charges of 'international reputational damage' and labels like 'tax haven' will do nothing to diminish the practicalities of the implications of this ruling. The contribution of multinational companies to the Irish economy is immense. Outside of the financial services sector, there are about one thousand US companies with operations in Ireland who provide jobs to over 100,000 people directly. The 6bn this provides in wages to Irish employees is only half the story. Other taxes such as VAT, indirect expenditure on security, logistics, catering, cleaning, agency workers and peripheral businesses are harder to quantify, and may only be realised when it's too late. I would take a tax haven over an unemployed workforce every day of the week.

Thirteen; the number that has long been connected with misfortune was dealt to Ireland yesterday. By the end of the year, Apple will have to write a cheque for billions that no one wants to cash. Minister Michael Noonan will sit at today's Cabinet meeting, arms folded and livid as he attempts to convince his colleagues that the Government has to appeal this decision and fight until the death.

For now, all short-term political game playing needs to be suspended or ignored. In terms of fighting this one, we need a Government who are battle-ready, not battle-worn.

A Government who will not be distracted by domestic political posturing.

As we enter these uncharted waters, the Government might well take their tactical advice from our Olympian O'Donovan's from Skibbereen: "Close your eyes and pull like a dog."
'Regardless of what the Government does or doesnt do, Apple will appeal the commissions ruling and tie the whole thing (including the money) up in knots for years'. Photo: PA

Every silver lining has a cloud. At its most superficial level yesterday, Ireland won the nation state equivalent of Euromillions - the only problem is it'll be years, if ever, before we're able to cash in our ticket.

For any country, particularly a small one, 13bn - even as a once-off windfall - is a huge amount of money.

It's about a quarter of what the State spends every year. And it works out about 2,731 per citizen in the country.

That amount of money would reduce our national debt by 7pc and our debt-to-GNP rating by six percentage points to just 84.8pc - which in turn would free up more money for tax cuts and spending increases at budget time.

It also represents about a third of what the likely net 40bn cost of saving the banks will ultimately be - some compensation for the vast tranche of money which the State doled out to prop up the banking system.

Equally, 13bn could also build 18 National Children's Hospitals; or a comprehensive metro system for Dublin, the Dart underground project and Luas lines for Cork, Limerick and Galway with billions left over; or could cover the cost of over 62,000 new houses.

While we're in the fantasy zone, based on the average cost of Team GB's cost per medal of stg4.1m, the money could be used to propel us to the top of the Olympic table with 2,708 medals - a few hundred fewer if we decided to host the actual games while we're at it.

Ok, given that we don't have enough world-class athletes to invest that money in - and the slightly tricky point that it's about three times the total number of medals actually on offer - we're probably getting a little carried away.

But there'll be no shortage of that kind of thinking. Money does strange things to people.

Not least to people in government. This 'windfall' represents a massive challenge to the current Coalition. There's no getting away from it: a government appealing a decision to award it 13bn in back-taxes is not going to play well with many voters. Every single taxpayer will have their own idea of what that money could and should be used for.

The nuances won't matter to them. The truth is that, regardless of what the Government does or doesn't do, Apple will appeal the commission's ruling and tie the whole thing (including the money) up in knots for years. It could well win the appeal. There's also a big question mark as to whether all this money is actually due to Ireland or if other countries could stake a claim to it.

And finally, the new EU budgetary rules mean that, even if we do ultimately secure the once-off windfall, all the money would have to go on debt reduction - no big-ticket spending projects, never mind Olympic medals.

But such realities may well be drowned out by the seductive calls to 'splash the cash'.

And, after almost a decade of austerity and bailing out the banks, such calls will be far more compelling than the sober arguments about major reputational damage for Ireland or future foreign direct investment being seriously put at risk.

Fine Gael, backed up by Fianna Fail, may credibly argue it's not the Revenue Comissioners' job to police the worldwide structures of a global company, merely to collect all tax declared and due here. The families of the 187,000 employed here directly by overseas companies (and the 130,000 indirectly employed) will get these arguments. The European courts might even agree, when they inevitably get to rule on the matter.

But many people will instinctively side with Sinn Fein's unsurprisingly populist "we want our money back" call.

They will see reports of a global giant paying just 50 in tax per million in profits and see it as a sweetheart deal that assisted Apple in avoiding pay tax anywhere.

The real problem politically for the Government will come if some of those in ministerial office agree with them. The track record of the Independent Alliance to date suggests they just might. John Halligan, the minister who said he didn't know or care if a bill was unconstitutional, is clearly a gut instinct-type politician. He has already said any windfall should be used to fix the health service (oh were it that simple) and build houses.

While he is seen as the shakiest of the Alliance TDs on this issue, Shane Ross and Finian McGrath - who both sit at Cabinet - may also be uncomfortable with the notion of the Government appealing. All eyes will be on them because, if the Independent Alliance decides to formally oppose the move to appeal the ruling, it's impossible to see the Government surviving in its current form.

Either way, the current Government probably won't be in power by the time this issue is finally resolved in the courts. That doesn't make it any easier for them in the short term.

No question, 13bn is a huge amount of money. But then so is the 240bn invested in Ireland by US companies over the years and the billions paid in income tax every year by those they employ here.

Those arguing that it's time for a 'different approach' from Ireland to multi-nationals have to also consider how a hit to that revenue stream will impact on important services.
So the first half is over. Following a protracted investigation, the European Commission has ordered Ireland to recover up to 13bn in back taxes from Apple.

The Commission decided, broadly, that two rulings from the Irish Revenue allowed Apple to pay significantly less tax in Ireland than other companies - and that this facilitation breached the EU state aid rules. The Commission found that the rulings endorsed an approach to the allocation of Apple's sales profits which, in the Commission's view, did not correspond to economic reality; almost all sales profits recorded by two of Apple's Irish subsidiaries were internally attributed to 'head offices' which "existed only on paper".

This, the Commission found, had the effect of artificially and significantly lowering the tax paid by Apple in Ireland since 1991.

The decision is by some distance the largest ever State aid recovery order ever made by the Commission. It has ordered Ireland to recover all of the taxes unpaid by Apple over the period 2003-2014.

While it is for Ireland to calculate the actual amount repayable based on a methodology specified by the Commission, the Commission has estimated this amount to be anywhere up to 13bn. Compound interest will be applied from the time aid was granted until the date of its recovery.

Some implications: aside from the obvious implications of Apple potentially having to pay a large amount of money and the reputational damage to Ireland Inc, both Ireland and Apple may also be subject to claims for damages (eg loss of profit) caused by the unlawful State aid to Apple's competitors and to other third parties.

In its media release, the Commission also made a number of observations which have little to do with the state aid rules and more to do with the issue of tax management policies of multinationals.

Those observations also, rather unhelpfully, increase the uncertainty around this already contentious area of law. For example, the Commission emphasised the possibility for other countries to require Apple to pay taxes on those profits which they believe should have been recorded in their respective jurisdictions. While such action would result in a reduction in the state aid to be recovered by Ireland, this could, conceivably, result in a much larger overall cost to Apple than the 13bn estimate. This is because that 13bn estimate is calculated by reference to Ireland's corporate tax rate (which is generally lower than applicable rates in other member states).

The Commission also noted that the amounts to be repaid to Ireland could be reduced if additional amounts were paid to Apple's US parent company under their R&D cost-sharing agreement for the period in issue. Finance Minister Michael Noonan has indicated Ireland is likely to appeal, subject to Cabinet approval. Apple is also likely to appeal. Appellants have two months and 10 days from today's decision to lodge an appeal with the EU General Court in Luxembourg. Proceedings before that court typically take between 30 and 35 months. A further appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU is also likely. Given the penalty, any appeal is very likely to run the full course. Whilst an appeal does not suspend the recovery obligation, an appellant may, separately, apply to the General Court for such a suspension. Such suspensions are difficult to obtain.

The Commission has also noted that Ireland may place the recovered amount in an escrow account pending the outcome of any appeal.

In the meantime, Ireland must give effect to the Commission's decision without delay and ensure that its tax laws are in line with this decision.

Niall Collins is a Partner and Head of the Competition & Antitrust Team at Mason Hayes & Curran
The Revenue Commissioners should have had a crystal ball back in 1991 to predict how international tax rules would be changed two decades later.

That's essentially what the European Commission is saying in its ruling that the tax arrangements for Apple amounted to illegal state aid according to one view in the Finance Department.

The idea that Apple should have been told 25 years ago to pay its worldwide taxes in Ireland is rubbished in Merrion Row.

Apple would have challenged this at the time and won is one view in the Finance Department where the Commission's ruling has been met with some consternation. The complicated international rules governing how related companies transact with each other were only introduced in 2010. But the department argues the arrangements made with Apple meet those standards.

The Revenue Commissioners are said to have done objective analysis to show that this was the case and it was passed on to the European Commission, apparently to no avail.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan yesterday found a very simple way of explaining why he believes Apple does not have to pay tax on its worldwide profits outside the US here.

He told an RTE presenter: "I don't know whether you have an Apple iPhone or not near you but if you look at the small print on the back of it, it says designed in California, manufactured in China.

"That means that any profits that accrued, didn't accrue in Ireland so I can't see why the tax liability is in Ireland."

He said: "The Revenue Commissioners collected every euro of tax that's due from profits made by Apple in Cork on their Irish activities," Mr Noonan.

He added: "The decision by the Commission runs counter to a basic principle of the OECD which says tax liability should occur where the economic activity occurs and where the profits re generated."

Mr Noonan branded the Commission's ruling as "bizarre" and said as far as he's concerned there is "no economic basis for this decision". He argued that the decision was "an exercise in politics by the Competition Commission".

"They don't have responsibility for taxes and they're opening a back door through State Aid to influence tax policy in European countries when the European Treaties say that tax policy is a matter for sovereign governments, not for any aspect of the Commission," he added.

Back in the Finance Department they say the State's reaction to the ruling will emphasise that the Government disagrees profoundly with the Commission's analysis.

"Ireland did not give favourable tax treatment to Apple" and "Ireland does not do deals with taxpayers," the Finance Department said.

While Mr Noonan is today to seek Cabinet approval to appeal the European decision, the State will continue to stress that no fine or penalty has been levied against the Irish State and that there is no effect on the 12.5pc corporation tax rate.

Yesterday's announcement of the Commission ruling is not seen as a crescendo in the process but rather as a staging post decision.

The Department believes it is in for the long haul with an expectation that any legal challenge by the State will last years. Around 670,000 has been spent on legal costs during the Commissions probe and there is no estimate how much will be spent on the future court battles, though the Department says it will keep costs to a minimum.

There's a belief that Ireland has a "robust case" for appealing the EU decision but with Finance mandarins will have to get out their own crystal ball to know for sure.
When they come together to cut clips for 'Reeling in the Years 2016', the producers will face some very tough decisions.

What is the standout event in a year where the world as we know it changed utterly?

We've had a general election that led to the longest period in the history of the Irish State without a real government.

Eventually, Taoiseach Enda Kenny cobbled together a makeshift effort involving Independents who appear so uncomfortable that they probably haven't slept a night since May 6.

June brought us Brexit and the unprecedented upheaval in the European Union. It's still far from clear what the fallout will be, especially when it comes to the borders between North and South.

Across the Atlantic, Donald Trump became a real contender for leader of the free world, while Hillary Clinton finally managed to get her name on the ticket.

The Olympics became a sham event on several levels, and the Archbishop of Dublin turned up on the 'Six One' news explaining to a very confused nation what Grindr is.

And that's before you factor in the publication of the Bank Inquiry report, the deadly gangland feud in Dublin, the 1916 commemorations, international terror attacks, the Console scandal, suspension of water charges, Anglo bankers being jailed for a 7bn conspiracy, and the deaths of Terry Wogan, David Bowie and Prince.

So where does the Apple episode sit on the scale of seriousness? The answer is at the very top of the tree.

The implications of EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's decision to send "a clear message" to the world will take years to sink in.

But unlike Brexit, where there are both threats and opportunities for Ireland, the Apple case brings nothing but difficulties.

In a role reversal of recent months, Downing Street said it would "welcome" Apple to the UK if the company decided to also quit the EU.

Accepting 13bn in taxes will do little to soften the blow if Apple moves some of its 5,000 jobs out of Cork or if other companies decide not to risk setting up in Ireland for fear that the EU will go snooping in their accounts.

In the Summer Economic Statement, the Department of Finance estimated that Brexit could cost us as much as 3bn over two years.

But the Apple deal could cost us a lot more than mere money in the long-term.The impact on society, particularly in Cork, would be gigantic. Cast your mind back to when Dell cut 1,900 jobs in Limerick in January 1999. It seems like a lifetime ago but the city is still feeling the consequences.

On that occasion, the company decided it would be cheaper to "migrate" its production to Poland as part of a cost-savings plan.

The impact sent shockwaves across the south-west region with knock-on job losses in other sectors.

As Tim Cooke pointed out yesterday, "countless small and medium-size companies" in Cork depend on Apple.

Well-paid jobs fertilise a healthy local economy and ensure that we don't become even more reliant on Dublin.

There's no need to scaremonger based on Mr Cooke's assertion that the tech giant is "committed to Ireland" and will "continue investing" here.

But in the long term, questions will be asked. If the EU decides the tax relationship between Apple and a sovereign state, it sets a dangerous precedent.

Then there is the reputational damage. Having just climbed back up the economic cliff, we can't afford any slippage.

The world's media was leading with this story yesterday and while most were reporting that Ireland intends to appeal the decision, the top line was that we did a dodgy tax deal.

The language being used put us in a category with places like Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

"Will Ireland cease to be a tax haven for multinationals?" was a question posed by 'The Guardian'. The 'Wall Street Journal' said "European governments are eager to chip away at Ireland's reputation as a tax haven".

Nothing will happen quickly, though, and that's part of the problem. While the money rests in our accounts for the next three to six years, uncertainty will reign supreme.

Overcoming that will take a monumental effort from a Government that is already trying to reassure trading partners that we "love" the European Union despite our neighbour's decision to leave.

We also have to fight off any attempt from France and Germany to use this judgment as a stick to beat us with over our 12.5pc corporation tax rate.

It's only August but 2016 is a year that we will only be able to define in hindsight.
Forget the cash. Giving up 13bn is a small price to pay to retain control of our tax system - something that is supposed to be protected by EU treaties. Ireland has operated an illegal tax regime for years but has finally been caught out.

Bluntly, that's the position of Commissioner Margaret Vestager.

If the Government doesn't appeal it, the verdict will stand and will cast a dark shadow over key institutions here - most importantly the Revenue Commissioners.

Externally, it will tarnish Ireland's standing among potential investors and other nations while every multinational based here must now be desperately assessing whether it too faces a massive and unpredictable EU assessed tax bill down the line.

Yet, despite the extraordinary seriousness of the charges against Ireland, Brussels has provided no clear evidence of wrong-doing.

The 130-page ruling setting out how Irish taxpayers subsided Apple has not been published. We have to take it on trust.

A Commission press release published yesterday had plenty to say about the extremely low levels of tax paid by Apple globally - something that is not in dispute - but nothing to show the company was treated any differently than other corporations in Ireland.

If the tax treatment Apple enjoyed in Ireland was equally available to its competitors, then this country has no state aid case to answer.

That's the case Brussels must prove. So far it has presented no hard evidence.

Lets not kid ourselves, Ireland's tax regime has long been unduly accommodating of big business.

Legally, however, the EU has no authority to challenge the rules we chose for ourselves as a nation. But we know the Commission is chomping at the bit to do just that.

During the bailout, pressure was piled on to hike the 12.5pc coporation tax rate. Right now, Commission officials are pushing ahead with proposals to harmonise tax rules even though Ireland, along with other member states, is against it.

At the same time big, fast-growing US companies like Google and Amazon have felt the heat being turned up by EU competition regulators.

Without hard evidence against Ireland, the suspicion must be that yesterday's ruling marries two wider agendas to harmonise taxes and break US dominance of the digital economy.

Yesterday, Margaret Vestager gutted Ireland in front of a global audience without rebuttal.

On a stage in Brussels - with no Irish minister around to challenge the hotly contested facts of the case. She threw out lots of figures but not the near 6,000 people who work for Apple here.

Even the headline-grabbing figure of 13bn is an estimate.

The reality is that Apple, and other big American corporations were investing billions here even in the teeth of the bailout in 2010 - when our 'partners' in Europe wanted to throttle Ireland by charging 5.5pc interest on desperately needed rescue loans.

A one-off windfall of 13bn is a lot to give up, but it pales against the value of our unique ability to attract and retain foreign investment.

IDA backed companies paid out 9bn in wages in 2014. Crucially, those wages kept the country going through the dark days of the crash. They are the reason our economy is now growing quickly while the wider Euro area flounders.

Of course Ireland colludes with multinationals. For decades we've worked hand in hand to drag the economy here out of poverty and the curse of mass emigration. Multinationals have profited from the relationship, but so has Ireland.
Gladiators who have given so much for our benefit: Henry Shefflin. Photo: Sportsfile

Once again the hurling public is looking forward to another epic battle between two great hurling counties, Kilkenny and Tipperary.

It was a titanic struggle for both counties to secure a place in Croke Park on Sunday with every player drawing on all their buried reserves to secure that coveted spot.

As a "hurler on the ditch" I, like many, feel a God-given right to comment on the performance of individual players be it good or bad, but watching Michael Fennelly being carried off in that great match against Waterford, with what appeared to be a bad injury, gave me food for thought.

We watch, expect and criticise with no thought for the long-term damage some of these players may experience.

In my own county alone, we have the likes of Michael Fennelly, Henry Shefflin and Richie Power and many more before them, all of whom, through a long career in hurling, have clocked up various injuries.

Unfortunately, it's also sad to say that a few months after leaving the team their names fade from memory very quickly.

As one former great, Andy Comerford, put it: "When you're gone, you're gone."

Yes, it was their decision to play hurling and I'm sure they would not have had it any other way, but these modern-day gladiators, through their unselfish commitment, lifted a county and its supporters, and elevated our ancient sport to take its place at the top table where it's viewed by millions across the world.

It is time to put some long-term health plan in place to take care of players who have given so much.

I would like to think that when I stand there next Sunday, soak in the atmosphere and marvel at the commitment of both sides, that I'm not doing so at somebody's else's expense.

Eugene McGuinness

Bishop Birch Place, Kilkenny

Another panic in the Church

The Church's response to the alleged shenanigans at Maynooth seems to be conducted at the shallow end of intelligent reflection, tempered only by the thoughtful admission by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin that we are living in a different world from that which underpinned the Maynooth of the past.

The living out of homosexual relationships never had a comfortable home in Ireland and certainly was assumed not to exist amongst ministers of religion. The prevailing attitude was best summed up for me by a lady who stated that she had nothing against homosexuals, she just didn't like what they get up to. What they were getting up to at Maynooth seems to have caused such a stir that various forms of risible surveillance have been proposed.

No doubt this could be construed as a response to the principle that some things in life are too important to be taken seriously. Same-sex relationships amongst women seem to attract far less opprobrium than do those amongst men. My lady friend did not seem to worry about what women get up to.

The use of the word 'lesbian' to denote a sexual preference derives from the Greek island of Lesbos, home to the poet Sappho, who wrote movingly about her love for women. Male homosexual activity has a less distinguished provenance, until recently, a criminal offence in Ireland and England and identified with the sexual practices of Sodom and Gomorrah.

What is persistently evaded is the fact that all same-sex institutions, including monasteries, convents and seminaries, have provided a humane refuge for many attracted to members of their sex.

The Anglican church is blessed with a significant proportion of gay male and female priests; the only relevant topic for debate is whether or not they should be allowed to marry their partners.

Sadly, we are witnessing yet another example of the Church generating moral panic in relation to the God-given pattern of human relationship that is sex.

Philip O'Neill

Oxford, England

Newspapers harm baby too

As I sat this morning in a cafe sipping my latte while perusing the morning's Indo, I chanced upon Dr Mary Aiken's piece on the hazards of the pernicious smartphone and tablet and how detrimental they may be to the bonds between parent and child.

I had to close the paper after the third paragraph when I glanced towards my daughter, asleep in her buggy beside me with one of her socks in her mouth.

Thirty-one pages, plus supplements, of a newspaper can be totally engrossing too. It's not the fault of newspapers or the internet whether we communicate with our children or not. It's our fault as parents.

The nature of the distraction is as irrelevant as it is ever-changing, one generation to the next.

Brian Lenehan

Castleknock, Dublin 15

A look back at our lot

Coming up to my 85th birthday, I have seen Ireland's advance in greed and corruption - in high places and emulated by ordinary people.

Power and money bring privilege at the expense of justice and peace.

We search for integrity, doubting that we will find it; wondering what lies behind the bland faces on election posters.

If we have any intelligence, we view with raised eyebrows the wording of matters brought to the electorate for their votes and the bias in the preceding publicity.

(Watch it coming in the next Dail term).

Then there is the temptation to put our savings - however small - 'under the mattress' for fear of their being creamed off by banking companies we used to trust.

There are still 'saints and scholars' in our less green land but their voices are stifled by media censorship unless, of course, some downside negates the goodness, at which the media rejoice loudly and crazily.

I'm glad to have found pockets of peace and people of sound values for whom all life is sacred and who can be trusted. They are treasures in modern Ireland.

Angela McNamara

Churchtown, Dublin

Towards a more frugal future

'Where have you gone Gordon Gecko? Wall Street turns its lonely eyes to you. Ooh ooh ooh . . . '

I found myself making up words to Simon and Garfunkel's 'Mrs Robinson' as I walked to my local coffee shop looking forward to another day in paradise.

Increasingly, it seems to me, that the current financial crisis is going to be a seminal event in the culture of our nation.

The illusion of our collective wealth ended faster than you can spell Fiscal Space.

Frugality is the new cool, long hemlines are coming back and nesting is preferred to clubbing.

Staycation replaced the weekend in New York to buy a handbag.

And no more using the ATM bank machine as the drink link.

What other cultural changes are going to take place?

Anthony Woods

Ennis, Co Clare
Enniscorthy Drama Group will stage its production of A Whistle in the Dark in the National Opera House on Saturday, August 27 at 8pm.

The play by Tom Murphy first premiered in 1961 at the Theatre Royal Stratford East London having being rejected by the Abbey Theatre. It went on to become a West End hit for Murphy who was just 25 years at the time.

The three act play tells the story of the climatic confrontation between Michael Carney, the oldest of the Carney brothers, his father and his brothers, a brawling, hard-drinking, criminal gang of Irish immigrants living and working in Coventry. The play is a powerful portrayal of tribal violence and the devastation it brings in its wake.
'Oh, and that's me playing the pipes on 'Nationwide'... It's almost an afterthought at the end of a lengthy interview which covers the remarkable musical career of Gorey uilleann piper Mark Redmond who has yet to turn thirty.

The people of Gorey have followed his progress from playing in French's Pub on a Thursday night, to winning gold in the 2003 All Ireland Fleadh, right up to his performances for world leaders on an international stage.

It's as if the 28-year-old has become the go-to-guy for uilleann pipes when the nation needs him. When the fact that his musicianship is heard daily in Irish living rooms, is almost an afterthought, then the list of his achievements must be impressive.

The past year alone has seen Mark playing centre stage at several high profile events, including the 1916 State Ceremony at Arbour Hill which was broadcast live on RTE1, with the President and Taoiseach in attendance.

He was on the stage during Jack L's performance in the remarkable RTE Centenary concert at the Bord Gais theatre on Easter Monday. The show, which was broadcast on RTE1 met with huge critical acclaim.

In another 1916-related event, he played with Glen Hansard at the National Concert Hall for the Imagining Home Series which was broadcast live on RTE Radio 1.

He also played a lament at Arbour Hill for a private ceremony for family members of the 1916 participants.

In May, he went Stateside to perform at the Ireland 100 Commemoration show at the Kennedy Centre in Washington. This concert featured a new composition for solo uilleann pipes and orchestra called Olagon, or 'Wail', and for Mark it was the highlight of his year so far.

'It was about 8 to 10 minutes long and conducted by the world famous pianist, Barry Douglas,' he recalled. 'The piece represents the innocent children of 1916.' In attendance at the performance was the Irish Ambassador to the US, Ann Anderson, and a host of US diplomats.

A trip to Washington might seem like living the high life, but he only got half a day to see the sights, while the other days before the concert were spent practising and in rehearsals.

'You're practising because you're so nervous,' he admitted. 'I was there for three days solid, but it came out so well.'

This performance came about after he was contacted last September by Belfast composer Neil Martin. He was commissioned by Barry Douglas to compose a piece for solo uilleann pipes and orchestra.

'It has always been a particular favourite of mine - uilleann pipes with orchestra, and I had previously performed a work by Neil in the NCH, Dublin in 2011, so I didn't think twice about saying yes to his latest composition,' said Mark.

He said he is generally called upon to play with the RTE Concert Orchestra a few times a year when the uilleann pipes are required. 'It's not every day you slap on the tux and sit in front of a conductor,' he smiled. 'I would do it every day if I could.'

He first picked up a set of pipes in the winter of 2000, and thirteen years later, he decided to make it a full-time occupation.

He began his musical career with the tin whistle while in primary school at St Joseph's in Gorey. 'My parents listened to a lot of Irish music and there was this sound I kept hearing,' he explained.

His fifth class teacher John O'Brien brought in a small beginner set of bagpipes, and when Mark got home, he tried to explain to his parents John and Margaret what the instrument was by squeezing a water bottle under his arm and holding the leg of a stool.

'My father realised what it was and he went to look for a set for me,' said Mark. 'You can't go into a music shop and buy a set. You have to contact a pipe maker and he'll put you on a waiting list.'

He started with a beginners' set, and then a half set, and within a few years he progressed to a full set.

'It takes a few years to get to the stage where you are able to play a full set,' he said. 'There's so much going on in a full set. Everything is hand-made, and most pipe makers only do four sets a year. There are very few really good pipe makers out there.'

He began playing with John O'Brien and other trad musicians in French's on Thursday nights around fifteen years ago and continues to do so when he can. There was also an uilleann pipers club in Wexford which he attended for about a year when he started out. After that, he went around the country to different summer schools learning a lot from various teachers.

Combining an almost nomadic lifestyle with a regular job wasn't without its challenges. 'I tried a part-time job in Dublin, but I found I was turning down too much other work,' he said.

The temptation was also there to get a steady income by joining one of the groups that tour the globe with Irish themed shows, but Mark has so far resisted doing too much of this as it limits his availability to take on shows such as 'Centenary.'

'Centenary was one of the better shows,' he said. 'When I got the scores, I thought it would be interesting, but I didn't think it would be so big.'

'During the show, I was backstage in the green room, and the social media manager couldn't believe the positive reaction the show was getting from everyone,' he added.

The performance in the Concert Hall with Glen Hansard was also a memorable evening. 'We all got up on stage at the end and sang "The Auld Triangle" that night,' he said.

Not all his work is on home soil. 'I was in Nice at the time of the attack there,' he said. 'I was there for a show, but understandably, it was cancelled.'

Last October and November he played in South Korea and Australia.

'There are always a few events here and there,' he continued. 'I recently played at a 1916 event in New Ross at the O'Hanrahan Bridge. Yesterday, I recorded a CD with Tara McNeill of Celtic Woman, and I've just got an email about a trip coming up to China, an expo tour with the Minister for Education.'

'A couple of years ago, I did a few months with Riverdance around the UK, but I don't like to go on long tours because something always pops up at home,' he added. 'Summer time is always a bit off. I could be teaching at various festivals and summer schools.'

He also has to find time for the PhD he began in February at the DIT Rathmines College of Music. 'I'm up and down to Dublin a lot in winter, playing and teaching at different events,' he said. 'A lot of touring happens in the winter too, so summer is almost a break from it all. In the winter months you could end up anywhere.'

Last week saw talented young musicians from Wexford and across the country descend on Ennis, Co Clare, for the All Ireland Fleadh. Such events provide a valuable training ground for young musicians like Mark Redmond.

How many of them will bring their talents to the far-flung corners of the world? Perhaps one of them might even get to play the next time 'Nationwide' decides to revamp its them tune.
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has extended sanctions lists, adding 259 individuals and 46 companies, Ukrainian First Vice Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.

A relevant decision was taken by the Ukrainian government at its meeting in Kyiv on the same day.

"The government has decided to extend the list of individuals and legal entities subject to sanctions with new 259 persons and 46 companies," he said.

The Cabinet also decided to prolong existing sanctions against 388 individuals and 105 companies, which were introduced earlier, he said.

Kubiv says that the government's steps are aimed at maximum synchronization with the EU sanctions lists.

As reported, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko by his decree of September 16 enforced a resolution of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated September 2, 2015, on the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) which applies to a number of individuals and legal entities for 12 months.

The sanctions list had 400 persons and 90 companies from Russia and other countries.

The legal entities facing Ukraine's sanctions are Russian air defense systems manufacturer Almaz-Antey, Bank of Moscow, Gazprombank, as well as a number of air carriers including Aeroflot, 224 Letny Otryad (The 224th Flight Unit), VIM Avia, Gazprom Avia, Donavia, Kogalymavia, Orenburg Airlines, Polet, Red Wings, Rossiya, RusJet, RusLine, S7, Transaero, Ural Airlines, Yakutia, Yamal, and others.

Sanctioned are also OJSC Channel One, OJSC NTV television company and RTR-Planeta and Rossiya 24 television. The sanctions imposed on them are the restriction or termination of the provision of telecommunications services and the use of general telecommunications networks.

Ukraine's sanctions also concern Russia's biggest railway operator JSC Freight One (Moscow) and its 100% Ukrainian subsidiary LLC Freight One (Kyiv) - their transit and shipment operations in Ukraine are banned.
More than a dozen people who were arrested during a protest against Zimbabwe's regime appeared in court yesterday with injuries they say were inflicted in custody.

Jeremiah Bamu, from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said that some were in a "critical condition" and should be in hospital.

"Some of them are appearing in court this afternoon with bandages on their heads," he said.

One of those arrested, Gift Siziba, a 26-year-old student at the University of Zimbabwe, cannot use either of his hands. Bones in both hands are believed to be broken.

Most of those who were assaulted say they were grabbed from the streets of the capital, Harare, or hauled off buses and taken to the headquarters of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.

Once there, they were attacked by men in plainclothes.

Later, they were handed over to police who locked them up in Harare Central Police Station. Some were bleeding and in agony.

A large demonstration against Zimbabwe's discredited electoral system took place in the capital last Friday.

Police and soldiers responded with tear gas, water cannon and baton charges.

About 100 people were then arrested, some 60 of whom appeared before Harare Magistrates' Court either last Saturday or on Tuesday. They were then remanded and transferred to Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

"We managed to get some of them treated by private doctors who were allowed in by the prison services," said Mr Bamu.

Simba Jemwa, a freelance cameraman who covered the Friday demonstration for Al Jazeera, is among those with post-detention injuries.

He has told lawyers that he was taken by men in plainclothes to Zanu-PF headquarters, where he says he was assaulted.

Scores of people spent a third day at Harare Magistrates' Court yesterday, hoping to see their relatives or friends who were arrested last week.

A woman who asked to be identified only by her first name, Patience, said her brother, a nurse, was arrested at a bus stop in central Harare.

"He was going to get a taxi to work and when he was arrested. I don't know if he is OK," she said.

Mhiza Chamunorwa, who sells perfume in Market Square called his wife, Daisy, at 1.30pm, and said he had been arrested.

"We are vendors. All our perfumes are taken now, we have no money for food or rent. We didn't know about any demonstration," said Daisy Chamunorwa.

The High Court gave permission for the protest, which was called by a coalition of opposition parties. Another demonstration is set to be held this Friday.

Meanwhile, a leader of the mass demonstrations, 39-year-old Baptist pastor Evan Mawarire, has urged the international community to put pressure on the regime of the 92-year-old autocrat Robert Mugabe to "listen to its own citizens", and threatened further protests..
One of the oldest cockatoos in the world has died at its home in a Chicago zoo at the age of 83.

Cookie, a Major Mitchell's cockatoo, was certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest living parrot in 2014.

Cookie was the oldest resident at Brookfield Zoo and the only remaining member of the original animal collection, which dates back to 1934, when the zoo first opened.

Cookie, who lived well beyond the life expectancy for his species, arrived at Brookfield Zoo at the age of one from Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia.
Almost one in five parents would pick a different name for their child if given the chance again, a survey has suggested.

The main naming regret, chosen by a quarter of respondents, was how commonly the name was used by others, while over a fifth (21%) said the name they chose just "doesn't feel right" for their child.

Another fifth admitted they were pressured into choosing a name they had "never liked" while more than one in 10 cited frustrations with spelling and pronunciation.

One mother said her daughter's name "was taken by a terrorist group soon after she was born".

The survey was conducted by parenting website Mumsnet and comes as the annual report on baby names is released this week by the Office for National Statistics.

Almost a third (32%) of participants said the remorse kicked in within the first six weeks of their child's life, while just under a quarter (23%) said it was when they started nursery or school.

One mother said she regretted naming her daughter Elsa - the protagonist of Disney film Frozen - when the animated movie became wildly popular.

A quarter said they knew someone who had picked a first or middle name for their child and then changed it, yet just 2% had actually gone as far as to do so themselves.

The survey was carried out between June 15 and 20 with 1,362 participants, and was open to all UK Mumsnet users with at least one child. The data was not weighted.

Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts said: "In some ways baby name regret is great practice for parenting: you do a lot of hard work and research, try to please several people at once, and end up getting it wrong.

"The consolation is that most children grow into their names - and those who don't can always fall back on middle names, nicknames or (in extremis) deed polls."
Two senior North Korean officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August on the orders of Kim Jong-un.

Ri Yong Jin, a senior official in the education ministry - possibly minister - was arrested for dozing off during a meeting with Kim and charged with corruption before being killed, the paper said.

Former Agriculture Minister Hwang Min was purged over a proposed project seen as a direct challenge to Kim's leadership, it said.

If true, it would mark the first executions ordered by Kim from outside his party or the military. A spokesman at South Korea's Unification Ministry said he couldn't immediately confirm the report.

Kim has carried out a series of executions since taking power in 2011 after his father's death as he puts his mark on the leadership of the isolated nuclear-armed nation.

The most high profile was the killing three years ago of his uncle and one-time deputy Jang Song Thaek. He had about 50 officials executed in 2014 on charges ranging from corruption to watching South Korean soap operas.

Corruption

"Kim is continuing to replace the old guard of his father's regime with loyalists," said Robert Kelly, a political science professor at South Korea's Pusan National University.

"The charges are obviously trumped up, and this is how promotion or demotion often works in totalitarian states without legitimate venues for opposition."

Kim had his military chief Ri Yong Gil executed in February on charges including corruption.

In January last year he executed General Pyon In Son, head of operations in the army, for disagreeing with him; and in May of that year he purged his defence minister Hyon Yong Chol for dozing off at a rally.

Still, reports of purges of senior North Korean officials are not uncommon and at times have proven to be unreliable.

Earlier this month, Seoul announced that a senior North Korean diplomat based in the UK had defected to South Korea. The man was among seven diplomats who have defected this year.
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Everett, Washington - the tycoon is to visit Mexico (AP)

Donald Trump will make a surprise trip to Mexico to meet the country's president hours before delivering a highly-anticipated speech on immigration.

The Republican White House candidate said on Twitter that he looks "very much forward" to meeting President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The Mexican leader had invited both Mr Trump and his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton to visit Mexico.

Mr Pena Nieto and Mr Trump will meet in private on Wednesday.

Mr Trump has made illegal immigration and his call for a wall along the US-Mexico border a centrepiece of his presidential campaign.

Mr Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Mr Trump's insistence that Mexico would pay for the border wall.

In an interview in March, he said that "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would do so.

He also compared Mr Trump's language to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying it had hurt US-Mexico relations.

But he used a different tone late on Tuesday, writing on Twitter: "I believe in dialogue to promote Mexico's interests in the world and, principally, to protect Mexicans wherever they are."

In recent meetings with Hispanic supporters, Mr Trump has suggested he could be open to changing the hardline approach on immigration he outlined during the Republican primaries.

The tycoon did not mention the Mexico trip during an evening rally outside Seattle, but he did make a reference to his scheduled speech on immigration that is set for Wednesday evening in Phoenix.

"We are also going to secure our border and stop the drugs from pouring in and destroying our country," he said.

"And I'll be talking about that tomorrow night in Arizona. Big speech on immigration. We'll be talking about that in Arizona tomorrow night."

AP
A devout Christian French teacher who was pictured in bed with a pupil in an Edinburgh Travellodge

A devout Christian French teacher who was pictured in bed with a 17-year-old pupil has been found unfit to work with children, despite her husband denying the tryst took place.

Isabelle Graham, 28, was accused of repeatedly engaging in sexual activity with a pupil after being photographed with him in a Travelodge in Edinburgh after a prom night.

She denied the charge. A disciplinary hearing found yesterday that she was guilty of charges against her and has been barred from the profession by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

The investigation began after a picture appeared on social media following the prom night in June 2014.

A hearing in Edinburgh was shown the photograph which showed a blonde woman in bed with a young boy standing by the door of a hotel room holding a bottle.

It was reportedly taken by a pupil who was sharing a room with his fellow student and returned numerous times to find the teacher in bed.

The investigation initially involved police but did not lead to criminal charges. For legal reasons, the pupil cannot be named.

Mrs Graham, who was not present or represented at the hearing, denied the charges and claimed to have no recollection of events after 10.30pm, having drank four glass of wine.

She is understood to be living abroad with her husband Andrew Wilkie, who is training for the clergy.

They were married in July 2015 and she claimed in a statement that, as a Christian, she was saving herself for their wedding.

"In all the time I have known her, Mrs Graham has always put her Christian faith above all other things," Mr Wilkie said in a statement to the panel.

"I have never had any doubt that the allegations made against Mrs Graham were false."

A spokesman for West Lothian Council said: "Ms Graham is no longer employed by West Lothian Council and it would not be appropriate to comment further."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
(Xinhua) 18:42, August 31, 2016

BEIJING, Aug. 31 -- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Jin Liqun welcomed Canada's decision to apply for AIIB membership on Wednesday, according to a press release.

Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday that Canada had decided to apply for membership to the development bank.

The AIIB was officially established on Dec. 25, 2015 and started operation on Jan. 16 this year.

Finance Minister Lou Jiwei was elected the first chairman of the AIIB board of governors, and Jin Liqun its president.

Headquartered in Beijing, it has 57 founding members, with more waiting to join.

With authorized capital of 100 billion U.S. dollars, the AIIB will initially prioritize investment in energy, power generation, transportation, rural infrastructure, environmental protection and logistics in Asia.

The AIIB followed more than two years of preparations by China and other founding members since Chinese President

publicly proposed the initiative.

Following are significant events and remarks about the AIIB.

2013

October -- Xi proposes the AIIB as an institution that will finance infrastructure construction, and promote regional connections and economic integration in his speech at the Indonesian House of Representatives in Jakarta.

2014

Oct. 24 -- Twenty-one Asian countries ink a memorandum of understanding in Beijing on establishing the AIIB.

2015

March 12 -- Britain applies to join the AIIB as a prospective founding member.

March 24 -- Premier Li Keqiangstresses that the AIIB will cooperate with and be complementary to existing financial institutions. The AIIB will take an open and inclusive attitude, he underscored at a meeting with Asian Development Bank president Takehiko Nakao.

March 28 -- In his keynote speech at the Boao conference, Xi said, "We will vigorously promote a system of regional financial cooperation, explore a platform for exchanges and cooperation among Asian financial institutions, and advance complementary and coordinated development between the AIIB and multilateral financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank."

March 31 -- The deadline for founding member applications. Countries and regions are still able to join after this, but only as common members.

May 22 -- Negotiators from the 57 countries agree on a key framework for the bank, with the signing scheduled for the end of June in Beijing.

June 29 -- Delegates of the 57 countries attend the signing ceremony of the articles of agreement. Xi says that China will make its due contribution to the world by building a professional, efficient and clean multilateral bank with the founding members.

Oct. 18 -- In a written interview with Reuters in advance of a state visit to Britain, Xi says the AIIB has taken best practice from existing financial institutions and also made its own advances. The AIIB is an international financial institution whose rules of operation are decided by its members through consultation, not by China alone, he stresses.

Dec. 25 -- The AIIB is formally established in Beijing after its Articles of Agreement come into effect.

2016

Jan. 16 -- The inaugurating ceremony of the AIIB is held in Beijing.

Feb. 5 -- The AIIB appoints five vice presidents with experience of developed and emerging economies as well as multilateral institutions: Danny Alexander, Kyttack Hong, D.J. Pandian, Joachim von Amsberg, Luky Eko Wuryanto.

June 24 -- The AIIB board of directors approves its first four loans, totalling 509 million U.S. dollars, which will finance four projects including three co-financing projects with multilateral development bank partners.

The AIIB board of directors authorized a project preparation special fund. A detailed report on the implementation of the 2016 Business Plan and Budget was discussed by the directors.

June 25 -- Finance Minister Lou Jiwei signed a donation agreement with AIIB President Jin Liqun, confirming that China will donate 50 million U.S. dollars to an AIIB special fund.

Aug. 31 -- Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced in Beijing that Canada has decided to apply for membership to the AIIB.
Dramatic images have emerged of a plane's tyre blowing out just before making an emergency landing.

Dramatic images have emerged of a plane's tyre blowing out shortly before the flight's pilot was forced to make an emergency landing.

The Flybe flight, which was scheduled to travel from Amsterdam to Manchester on Monday, had to make an emergency landing in Birmingham Airport after a passenger noticed a burst tyre during take off.

One of the 76 passengers on board, Sahibzada Suhail, posted incredible photos from the incident on his Facebook page.

Emergency services were on standby at Birmingham airport, but fortunately there were no injuries.
A newly born giant panda cub lies in a cot where vets examined her, at the Madrid zoo (Zoo Aquarium de Madrid, via AP)

A new giant panda in Madrid is the first female of the endangered species to be born at the Spanish capital's zoo.

The zoo said Hua Zui Ba gave birth just before dawn on Wednesday to a cub weighing 180 grams (6.35 ounces).

The zoo says the cub is "well formed, very active and has excellent vital signs."

It is already suckling, and zoo experts say they are confident of its progress in the crucial first week of life.

The specialists at the Madrid zoo were assisted by experts from China's Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding.

They knew the birth was approaching when Hua Zui Ba became increasingly lethargic, stopped eating and began to lick her paws.

Expand Close A giant panda, holds her newly born baby after giving birth at the Madrid zoo (Madrid Zoo Aquarium via AP) / Facebook

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The Madrid zoo now has four giant pandas.
One of the five-day-old twins rescued by the MSF vessel the Dignity I off the coast of Libya on 29 August MSF

Twin babies born on the treacherous refugee route through Libya are among thousands of asylum seekers rescued in just one day on the Mediterranean Sea.

The five-day old siblings had been born prematurely during their mothers journey to Europe and were found packed on a dangerously overcrowded boat with hundreds of other migrants.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said one of the twins was desperately ill and that both infants were evacuated to shore with their mother for emergency care.

Antonia Zemp, the medical team leader on board the charitys rescue boat, said the woman had been travelling alone.

One of the boys was not well, she added. He was vomiting, had hypothermia and non-reactive.

Our medical team decided to request an evacuation due to the fact that his health was so fragile that he would not have survived the long journey to Italy in our boat.

Expand Close Tesfamamrim Merhawit, 26, from Eritrea, mother of two 5-day old babies, recovers in a hospital bed in the Sicilian city of Palermo, southern Italy (AP Photo/Maurizio Bellavia) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Tesfamamrim Merhawit, 26, from Eritrea, mother of two 5-day old babies, recovers in a hospital bed in the Sicilian city of Palermo, southern Italy (AP Photo/Maurizio Bellavia)

They were among at least 6,500 migrants rescued while attempting the deadly crossing to Italy on Monday, in a concerning spike for humanitarian groups attempting to prevent disasters at sea.

MSF assisted the rescue of 3,000 people off the Libyan coast, taking 435 men women and children on to its Dignity I vessel and distributing 700 life jackets to those drifting at sea.

Those rescued including 13 children under the age of five, 110 minors  mostly unaccompanied teenagers  and 82 women.

Aid agencies found asylum seekers suffering from hypothermia, fevers, dehydration and skin diseases after rescuing them from overloaded rubber dinghies and wooden fishing boats.

This is one of the largest numbers of people we have assisted in any single day since our search and rescue operations began over a year ago, said Nicholas Papachrysostomou, the field co-ordinator for Dignity I.

This unbelievable number speaks to the desperation people are facing in their countries that pushes them to risk their lives to seek safety and protection in Europe.the EUs response to the crisis at and within its borders has failed to address the urgent humanitarian and protection needs of refugees and migrants.

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The operation came just weeks after a rescue vessel was boarded by armed men who shot at aid workers off the coast of Libya.

MSF is joining other humanitarian groups calling for safe and legal routes to Europe to be opened following the deaths of more than 3,000 migrants in the Mediterranean so far this year.

The vast majority of asylum seekers are currently arriving on the Central Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy, since efforts to stop crossings over the Aegean Sea with the EU-Turkey deal.

But more than 460 migrants and refugees arrived on Greek islands on Tuesday alone - the highest figure in several weeks.

Most entered through the Aegean islands of Lesbos and Kos, where asylum seekers are detained until their applications are decided  being deported to Turkey if they are unsuccessful.

More than 160,000 migrants have arrived by sea in Greece so far this year, mostly Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, and 105,000 in Italy, where the majority of asylum seekers come from Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan and other African nations.

A record high of around 9,000 refugees hoping to travel to the UK are living at The Jungle camp in Calais, which has been the subject of discussions between Home Secretary Amber Rudd and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve.
French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron has resigned, clearing the way for a presidential bid that will further unsettle an already wide-open race.

The 38-year-old former investment banker, one of France's most popular politicians, did not immediately say he would run in the 2017 election but is widely expected to do so, having quit the government and created his own political party.

"Emmanuel Macron ... today handed in to the president of the Republic his resignation from the government to fully devote himself to his political party," Socialist President Francois Hollande's office said in a statement yesterday. Finance Minister Michel Sapin, a close ally of Hollande, will add the economy ministry to his portfolio. The government's pro-reform line is not expected to change.

A spokeswoman said Macron would not announce a presidential bid yesterday. His new party will first conduct a door-to-door campaign to gauge opinion and collect voters' grievances on French politics by the end of September.

"After that, we will make proposals, and after that candidacy questions will be dealt with," the spokeswoman said.

Macron's place in the government had become increasingly awkward after he repeatedly criticised left-wing totems like France's 35-hour working week and created his own party in April, casting it as leaning neither left nor right.

A source in Macron's inner circle said the rapidly evolving political situation, in which former president Nicolas Sarkozy and two former Socialist ministers had declared their intention to run for president, had forced the hand of the minister, who the source said had initially planned to resign mid-September.

If confirmed, a Macron bid for the presidency would further harm Hollande's chances of re-election, with polls already suggesting he would be very unlikely to even make it into the run-off round. Hollande also has challengers from the left, including more hardline Socialists such as former industry minister Arnaud Montebourg and ex-education minister Benoit Hamon.

A Macron bid could also hurt the chances of the man leading the polls on the centre-right, former prime minister Alain Juppe, who would also target centrist voters.

Juppe must first beat Sarkozy in what promises to be a bruising fight at the conservative Les Republicains' primaries in November.

Macron ranks in polls just behind Juppe, but analysts say that popularity may not equal votes. "He needs to transform his considerable popularity into voting intentions, but it won't be easy because he's not well liked on the left and his popularity on the right would not necessarily translate into votes," said IFOP pollsters' analyst Frederic Dabi.

Macron has won plaudits from business leaders by pushing through a law cutting red tape for retailers and the legal profession among other areas. But he is untested on security in a country where a string of Islamist attacks has made law and order and immigration key vote winners.
Seth Miller, of New York, prepares to board JetBlue flight 387 to Santa Clara, Cuba, at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Mario Martinez and his wife Nimaris Niebla sit with their children Daniela and Olivia as they wait to depart to Santa Clara, Cuba, to visit their family (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Michelle Sanchez-Boyce, left, and Erika Munro Kennerly, of New york, check in at the JetBlue counter to travel to Santa Clara, Cuba (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than a half century landed in the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War.

The flight of JetBlue 387 opens a new era of US-Cuba travel, with about 300 flights a week connecting the US with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban on US citizens engaging in tourism on the island.

"Seeing the American airlines landing routinely around the island will drive a sense of openness, integration and normality," said Richard Feinberg, author of the new book Open For Business: Building The New Cuban Economy.

"That has a huge psychological impact," he said.

The restart of commercial travel between the two countries is one of the most important steps in President Barack Obama's two-year-old policy of normalising relations with the island.

Historians disagree on the exact date of the last commercial flight but it appears to have been after Cuba banned incoming flights during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Secretary of state John Kerry said on Twitter that the last commercial flight was in 1961.

US transportation secretary Anthony Foxx, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes and a specially selected five-member crew of Cuban-Americans were slated to be on board the 150-seat Airbus A320.

"It's a positive step and a concrete contribution to the process of improving relations between the two countries," said Cuba's vice minister of transportation Eduardo Rodriguez.

Neta Rodriguez, a 62-year-old South Florida resident born in Havana, checked in on Wednesday morning with her daughter, son-in-law and three grandsons for a visit to family in Santa Clara and Havana, the Cuban capital.

She said she appreciated the 200 dollar price and the ability to book online instead of visiting a charter office more than the historic nature of the flight.

US travel to Cuba is on track to triple this year to more than 300,000 visitors in the wake of the 2014 declaration of detente.

Cuba's cash-starved centrally planned economy has been bolstered by the boom in US visitors, along with hundreds of thousands of travellers from other nations hoping to see Cuba before more Americans arrive.

Commercial flights are expected to greatly increase the number of American visitors.

Many of the air routes are currently used by expensive charter flights that are largely expected to go out of business with the advent of regularly scheduled service from the US.

Hundreds of thousands of Cuban-born Americans fly to the island each year with the chaotic, understaffed charter companies.

These require four-hour check-in waits and charge high rates for any luggage in excess of restrictive baggage allowances.

Americans without ties to Cuba have found it hard to negotiate the charters, most of which do not accept online bookings or help travellers navigate the federal affidavit still required for US travellers to Cuba.

Cuban officials insist the continuing US ban on tourism will limit the impact of commercial flights to Cuba.

But some experts believe the drastic reduction in the difficulty of flying to Cuba could turn the surge in US visitors into a tidal wave.

Americans are allowed to visit the island on "people-to-people" cultural and educational visits, among other reasons.

Americans who fit one of 12 categories will now be able to fill out a federal affidavit by clicking a box online and, in many cases, buy their Cuban tourist visa near the check-in counters of US airports.

Americans will be able to fly within weeks direct from cities including Chicago, Philadelphia and Minneapolis, Miami and Fort Lauderdale to eight Cuban cities and two beach resorts.

The final announcement of routes to Havana, which could be announced on Wednesday and start before December, is slated to include flights from Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles and Houston, among others.

AP
As the US air strikes targeted IS, Turkey sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels retake Jarablus (AP)

A Russian air strike killed the Islamic State group's spokesman and chief strategist, says Russia's defence ministry.

The ministry says its intelligence confirmed that a Russian air strike on Aleppo province killed 40 IS militants, including spokesman Abu Muhammed al-Adnani.

His death is a major blow to the extremist group, which has been retreating in Syria and Iraq.

The United States said it launched an air strike targeting al-Adnani in the Syrian city of al-Bab, which is north-east of Aleppo.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said on Tuesday the US was "still assessing the results of the strike."

Al-Adnani persistently called for attacks against the West.

AP

The IS group said its spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the group's attacks against the West, was killed overseeing operations in northern Syria.

Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo," said the IS-run Aamaq news agency

A later statement issued by the group in Aleppo province vowed to avenge his death.

Al-Adnani, whose real name is Taha Sobhi Falaha, persistently called for attacks against the West.

These resulted in 130 people killed and hundreds more injured in the November 13 coordinated attacks in Paris that hit a concert hall, a stadium and restaurants and bars.

He was a Syrian who was born in the northern province of Idlib and is believed to have been in his late 30s.

He crossed the border and joined al Qaida in Iraq, a precursor to IS, after the 2003 US-led invasion.

He formally declared the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, in late June 2014.

This stretched across parts of Syria and Iraq, under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and al-Adnani demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.

The powerful orator became the voice of IS.

He delivered fiery sermons urging followers to kill civilians in nations supporting the US-led coalition against the group in audio files released online.

He also called for massive attacks during Ramadan earlier this year

This call resulted in the bloodiest Muslim holy month in recent memory.

Followers of IS carried out attacks on several continents, including the Orlando shooting, the Nice truck attack in France and a massive suicide bombing in downtown Baghdad.

Aleppo is a current focal point of the civil war in Syria, where IS, Syrian Kurdish forces, Turkey-backed rebels and president Bashar Assad's forces are vying for control.

The province is frequently struck by both US-led coalition air strikes and Russian air raids.

IS has suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks, including in Aleppo province, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels drove the group out of the border town of Jarablus last week.

The group has lost its strongholds in Fallujah and Ramadi, in the western Anbar province of Iraq.

It still controls Mosul, but Iraqi forces are gearing up for a long-awaited operation to retake the country's second largest city.

It has also lost some of its most senior commanders and founding members over the past year.

These included its "minister of war" Omar al-Shishani, feared Iraqi militant Shaker Wuhayeb, also known as Abu Wahib, and a top finance official known by several names, including Abu Ali Al-Anbari.

AP
A man carries a girl that survived double airstrikes on the rebel held Bab al-Nairab neighborhood of Aleppo.

The little girl shivered and cried as the adults applied more cold mud to her head. Despite the child's obvious pain, the grim-faced men continued to lather on layer after layer of wet dirt.

The mud, activists in the Syrian city of Homs said, is the only available treatment for people suffering the burns inflicted by napalm bombs dropped by Bashar al-Assad's air force.

"They use mud because there is no medication and with napalm you can't use water," said Hayan, an activist who asked to be identified only by his first name.

"You make the burn even worse if you use use water so they looked around and they used the mud."

Charred

Video footage of the burned girl emerged after Syrian warplanes attacked the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Waer over the weekend using incendiary bombs.

A brother and sister were killed in the attack, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and their bodies were found badly charred.

Al-Waer has been under siege for around four months, but activists said the bombing was the first time in a year that the area had been attacked from the air.

The intensified assault has raised fears that Assad's forces are trying to force al-Waer to surrender and make its rebel leaders agree to an evacuation of civilians and fighters.

Similar tactics were used recently against the Damascus suburb of Daraya, which held out forces for four years.

Assad's troops prevented aid from reaching Daraya's civilian population and stepped up air attacks, eventually forcing the area's leaders to give up and agree to evacuate their civilians to regime-held areas.

Hayan, the activist, said his parents were among roughly 75,000 people trapped inside al-Waer and he had not been able to see them for months because of the siege.

He said regime forces had already offered a deal under which al-Waer would surrender but that the civilian population was frightened they would face bloody reprisals if they gave up their fight.

"The people are very afraid of what will happen if the regime comes in and kills people," he said.

Siege

The rest of the city of Homs is held by Assad although some of the countryside around it remains in rebel hands.

Hayan lives in an area north of Homs which is under rebel control but faces regular air strikes and a partial siege.

Homs, the third largest city in Syria, was the epicentre of the uprising against Assad that broke out in 2011, earning itself the title "capital of the Revolution".

But the regime responded with artillery and air attacks that laid waste to much of Homs.

Marie Colvin, the 'Sunday Times' journalist, was killed by a regime bombardment in the city in February 2012.

Rebel fighters eventually agreed to withdraw from Homs in 2014 in a major victory for the regime.

Al-Waer, a suburb separated from the rest of the city by green fields and farmland, is the only area still holding out.
Nineteen Irish Travellers have been charged with federal racketeering in the US state of South Carolina.

At a court hearing yesterday, the nineteen people pleaded not guilty to all charges and were released on bail on an unsecured bond of $25,000, according to local press reports.

The arrests were made following an FBI investigation that lasted more than a year.

The group are facing up to 20 years in jail if convicted following the probe into construction scams and other alleged swindle schemes.

Details of the fraud and racketeering charges against 19 Travellers emerged in a 17-page indictment filed with a court in South Carolina.

According to the indictment, the group, which the FBI has described as a criminal organisation, were involved in several scams ranging from fraudulent construction work to defrauding banks and insurance companies.

The charges carry a maximum fine of $250,000 (224,000) and up to two decades in prison.

The FBI carried out raids on the homes of the group, who are reportedly from the Murphy Village area of Aiken County in South Carolina, and seized a number of expensive cars including a Porsche, a Mercedes, three BMWs and three Lexus.

Murphy Village is one of the largest Irish travelling communities in the US  with almost 1,500 members living there. They are said to have descended from Irish immigrants to the US back in the 1850s.

All 19 defendants, who include members of the Carroll, Sherlock and Mulholland Traveller families, have been granted bail.

The FBI launched an inquiry into the group as their alleged activities occurred in several states.

According to the indictment, which has been seen by Independent.ie, the group was an organised gang engaged in:

 defrauding US Government agencies by using false information to claim food stamp benefits, healthcare benefits and tax refunds and credits they were not entitled to;

 defrauding financial institutions and other lenders, as well as insurance companies;

 fraudulently obtaining car loans then clocking the cars bought and selling them on;

 preying on vulnerable and naive victims through various crimes, including theft, swindling, and deceptive and fraudulent construction and service work;

 laundering money to conceal ownership and control of the cash, including structuring withdrawals and deposits to keep them below $10,000 (8,980) to avoid banking reporting requirements;

The indictment named the defendants as Hannah, Catherine, Anthony, Jimmy J, Mary, Renee and William Carroll, Caroline, Johnny M, Mary Rita, Leslie Ann, Susan and Tommy Sherlock, Jimmy and Leslie C Gorman, two women called Rose Mulholland and a Kim Mulholland, Mary Costello, Johnny Mack, Leonard New and Angela Askew.

The individuals are being represented by some of South Carolinas most prominent and expensive criminal defence lawyers.

The FBI is seeking the handover of 25 vehicles, most of which are luxury models and five properties in North Augusta, South Carolina.

The properties were registered in the names of female members of the alleged gang.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing on August 30, 2016. This is Trudeau 's first official visit to China, as both sides seek stronger economic ties.

During the meeting, Premier Li hailed the long tradition of China-Canada friendship.

China has become Canada's second largest trade partner, and second largest source of import as well as market of export, said Li.

"We would like to seize the opportunities to work with the new government of Canada," said Premier Li at the meeting, "and pass on the torch of China-Canada friendship."

Prime Minister Trudeau vowed that the Canadian new government will continue the friendship tradition with China.
Well-known US politician Anthony Weiner could be the subject of a child services investigation after a sexually explicit photo with his son apparently sleeping next to him has emerged.

Weiner hit headlines last week when US newspapers reported how he allegedly sent a woman a sexually explicit photo on a private Twitter message with his four-year-old son beside him.

Now, New York State Senator Ruben Diaz is calling on New York City's Administration for Children's Services to investigate the former congressman, NBC News reports.

"The photo and story worry me as a senator, a minister, a parent, and a grandfather, because I believe that the disregard for any boundaries of sexual activity with a child present is incredibly inappropriate, and could have a harmful impact on the child," Diaz said in a statement Monday.

"I urge the city of New York's Administration for Children's Services to investigate this case carefully and thoroughly."

Weiner has since deleted his Twitter account and did not respond to NBC News' request for comment.

The Administration for Children's Services said that they do not comment on specific cases or allegations, regardless of whether they are being reported on or not. Other family lawyers questioned for the NBC article argued that the incident does not warrant a "criminal investigation".

The New York Post revealed the photographs of Weiner on Monday with an apparent erection.

"Someone just climbed into my bed," Weiner allegedly wrote in the private Twitter conversation on July 31, 2015.

"You do realize you can see you[r] Weiner in that pic??" the woman responded.

This is the third alleged sexting scandal that has hit Weiner since 2011, and resulted in his wife, top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, deciding to leave her husband this week.

If neglect charges were brought to a family court, it is likely Abedin would face questions on how much she knew about the situation.
A man has confessed to the attempted murder of his toddler son, after he unbuckled the two-year-olds seatbelt and crashed his own car at approximately 75mph.

Nathan Weitzel, 29, told police he tried to kill his son, Isaiah, because he couldnt handle the responsibility of fatherhood. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder, child abuse, assault, criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance and vehicular assault.

Isaiah is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries, including a concussion and a broken leg. He had stitches on his head, a neck brace and a will have cast on his lower body for at least the next two months.

According to court records, Weitzel took his son to the park in Centennial, a Denver suburb, on the morning of Sunday 21 August. While Isaiah was playing, his father sat and considered ways to kill his son. After leaving the park, police said, he drove around looking for a good place to crash the car and eventually plowed his vehicle into a parked car outside a local home at around 11am. As firefighters freed him from the wreck, he tried to slit his own throat with a sliver of smashed glass, the Denver Post reported.

Weitzel admitted he had used cocaine on the day of the crash. He had deliberately neglected to put the child in his carseat, later telling Arapahoe County police officers that he wanted to killed his son because being a father was a big responsibility and he did not think he was man enough to raise a child.

Weitzel and Isaiahs mother, Nancy Lopez, live separately and the toddler spends weekends with his father. He was due to return to his mothers home on the afternoon after the crash occurred. Speaking to KUSA, Ms Lopez said Weitzel was in the place that he should be, adding: He needs to be in jail for a long time.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for Isaiahs treatment.
A baby gorilla has made its debut at the Philadelphia Zoo.

The public got its first glimpse of the baby western lowland gorilla on Wednesday, five days after its 21-year-old mother, Honi, gave birth.

Zookeepers gave the mother and newborn a few days to recuperate before the animals rejoined 31-year-old dad Motuba and another female gorilla, Kira.

Staff have not been able to determine the baby's gender, since Honi has been holding it so closely. Like newborn humans, the zoo notes, baby gorillas rely completely on their mothers for care.

The zoo says it will host a naming contest on its website .

Western lowland gorillas, which inhabit African forests, are listed as critically endangered species.

Philadelphia Zoo is pleased to welcomed the newest addition to our great ape family! https://t.co/94csJD2qUI pic.twitter.com/vJEPn7bD4S  Philadelphia Zoo (@phillyzoo) August 26, 2016

The zoo also has two other male western lowland gorillas: 17-year-old Louis and 14-year-old Kuchimba - who is Honi's son.
The FBI is expected to release documents soon related to its investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State.

A law enforcement official said yesterday that documents in the case would be made public as the FBI responds to Freedom of Information Act requests.

It wasn't immediately clear when the documents would be released or exactly what they would include.

The official was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mishandled

The FBI this month provided Congress portions of its file from the agency's year-long investigation into whether then-Secretary of State Clinton (right) and her top aides mishandled classified information that flowed through a private email server.

CNN reported that the released records could be made public as early as today.
North Korea has executed a vice premier and banished two other senior officials to rural areas for "re-education", according to South Korean officials.

If confirmed, they would be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals carried out since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took power in late 2011.

Jeong Joon Hee, a spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, told reporters that Kim Yong Jin, a vice premier on education affairs in North Korea's cabinet, had been executed.

He gave no further details, including why and when his ministry believes the minister was executed and how it obtained the information, b ut a South Korean source said the vice premier was executed by firing squad in July for unspecified anti-revolutionary and factional acts.

The official said the minister first faced an investigation because of the way he was seated during a June meeting attended by Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is a closed, authoritarian country with a state-controlled press that often makes it difficult for outsiders, and even North Korean citizens, to know what is happening in the government.

Rival South Korea, which runs several intelligence organisations mainly tasked with spying on North Korea, has a mixed record on reporting developments across the border. In May, a former North Korean military chief, who Seoul said had been executed, was found to be alive and holding several new senior-level posts.

Little is known about Kim Yong Jin, who was last mentioned by North Korea's state news agency on June 15, when it reported he attended an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's taekwondo federation.

Kim Jong Un, believed to be his early 30s, is revered at the centre of an intense cult of personality, with state TV occasionally showing ageing senior officials kneeling before him. Last year, South Korea's spy agency said Kim had his defence chief executed with an anti-aircraft gun for complaining about him and sleeping during a meeting he had presided over.

Mr Jeong said Kim Yong Chol, a senior ruling Workers' Party official in charge of anti-Seoul spy operations, had been ordered to undertake "revolutionary re-education", in a reference to the banishment at a rural collective farm or a coal mine. Mr Jeong said another senior party official dealing with propaganda affairs, Choe Hwi, was still on a similar programme.

Seoul officials believe Kim Yong Chol, director of the party's United Front Department, orchestrated two attacks that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010, when he headed the North Korean army's intelligence agency. He disappeared from the public eye for about 50 days before the North's state media on Sunday mentioned his name in a list of officials who attended ceremonies marking Youth Day.

Kim Yong Chol was banished to a rural farm for about one month between mid-July and mid-August because of alleged high-handed attitudes and attempts to expand his United Front Department's authority too much, according to the South Korean official who spoke about Kim Yong Jin's execution. The official said Kim Yong Chol had recently been reinstated.

AP
Africa's savanna elephants could be wiped out as ivory trades drive poaching, a study says.

Africa's savanna elephants could be wiped out, with their numbers falling rapidly, as ivory trades drive poaching across the continent, a study says.

The continent's savanna elephant population plummeted by about 30% from 2007 to 2014 and is declining at about 8% a year, said a survey funded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen.

"If we can't save the African elephant, what is the hope of conserving the rest of Africa's wildlife?" said elephant ecologist and lead researcher Mike Chase.

"I am hopeful that, with the right tools, research, conservation efforts and political will, we can help conserve elephants for decades to come."

The aerial survey covered 18 countries using dozens of planes to fly the equivalent of going to the moon and part of the way back.

The study, known as the Great Elephant Census and involving 90 scientists, estimated a population of 352,271 savanna elephants.

Researchers spotted about 12 carcasses for every 100 live elephants overall, indicating poaching at a level high enough to cause population decline.

But the rates were much higher than that in some countries.

Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania experienced greater population declines than previously known, and elephants face extinction in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Zambia, said the study.

It also says numbers of elephants in South Africa, Uganda and parts of Malawi and Kenya were stable or partly increasing.

Results of the study were announced ahead of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Honolulu.

Mr Allen, who provided seven million dollars (5.3 million) for the effort, said he launched the census after hearing three years ago that there had not been a comprehensive count of African elephants in decades.

"I took my first trip to Africa in 2006 and have been fascinated by elephants ever since," he said.

"They are intelligent, expressive and dignified but not to be underestimated.

"So, as this latest poaching crisis began escalating, I felt compelled to do something about it."

The research team used the limited existing data as a baseline for the study. But this survey is more comprehensive and will serve as a more reliable baseline for future observations, the team said.

Its methodology involves manually counting animals while maintaining a specific altitude and following calibrated strips of land below the plane.

The method is widely used for surveying animals on large plots of land and was the most accurate method of three tested on a known population in Africa, said Mr Chase.

The team also used video surveillance when counting big herds.

Elephants are threatened by ivory trading, which is banned internationally, but the domestic trade of ivory within countries is legal nearly everywhere.

A motion being considered at the Hawaii conference seeks to change that by gaining international consensus to close all domestic ivory markets.

It noted that illegal killing of elephants for their tusks threatens national security, hinders economic development and endangers those tasked with protecting the animals.

US president Barack Obama and Chinese president Xi Jinping announced their commitment last year to combating wildlife trafficking.

The leaders promised to work toward a nearly complete ban on ivory imports and exports and an end to the domestic ivory trade.

The decline in savanna elephants is tied directly to criminal poaching activities, some with links to terrorist groups, said Washington's non-profit Environmental Investigation Agency.

"Trade in ivory has been a driver of destabilization wherever it occurs in Africa," agency president Allan Thornton said.

One-time auctions of stockpiled ivory to China and Japan in 2008 resulted in a spike in illegal poaching, and the rate of decline among Africa's elephants has been accelerating since, said Mr Thornton.

In areas with a high rate of population decline, the savanna turns into an overgrown thicket devoid of grasslands that sustain other wildlife and becomes overrun by disease-carrying tsetse flies, said James Deutsch, director of Mr Allen's Vulcan Inc Wildlife Conservation.

And that land becomes useless for tourism when the elephants are removed, he said.

AP
By A&A LAW

Overtime refers to the time worked in excess of ones regular working hours which, in India, is eight to nine hours per day and forty eight to fifty hours per week, depending upon the establishment one is employed under. If a person works for longer than the regular working hours, that person is eligible to receive remuneration for that period, which will be twice the persons normal wage.

Overtime Laws in India

Several statutes regulate overtime and overtime payment, and different legal acts provide for respectively different periods of working hours. However, the working hours prescribed under the Factories Act, 1948 is taken as a standard period. Under Section 51 of the Factories Act, employees are not supposed to work for more than 48 hours in a week, and under section 59, for not more than nine hours a day. The time worked in excess of these 48 hours per week and nine hours per day will be counted as overtime under the Act, and will require the employer to pay workers twice the standard wage.

Section 14 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 states that after an employee is paid his or her minimum wage for a fixed period, they are required to be paid extra as an overtime rate.

Under section 33 of the Mines Act, 1952 if any mine worker works for more than nine hours above the ground and more than eight hours below it in a day or works for more than 48 hours in a week anywhere, whether above or below, he or she is entitled to be paid twice the ordinary wage for the extra time that was worked. Also, the act does not allow anyone to work for more than ten hours in a day, inclusive of overtime under Section 36.

Under section 17 and 18 of the Bidi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966, no one is to work for more than ten hours a day and fifty-four hours a week, including overtime. Similarly, under the Plantation Labour Act, 1951, if one works for more than the normal number of hours, he or she is to get overtime wages.

Overtime Laws for Women and Children

The Factories Act, 1948 restricts the employment of women between 7:00 pm and 6:00 am, which can be relaxed by the Chief Inspector of factories in certain cases. If such a relaxation of stipulated working hours exceeds the normal period of working hours, employees will be eligible for overtime compensation. Even then, this relaxation is still time sensitive, that is, women cannot be required to work between 10:00 pm to 05:00 am.

Under the same Act, Section 75 specifies that no child below 14 years of age can be employed in any factory. A child above fourteen who is eligible to work in a factory cannot be allowed to work for more than four and a half hours in a day and cannot work between 10:00 pm and 6:00am. In addition, a female child is not allowed to work in any factory, except between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm.

Further Observations

It is seen that in many employment agreements, there is a clause, which states that the workers must/may be required to work overtime. However, working overtime should be voluntary and not forced through an agreement. It should be the employee who should decide whether they want to do overtime or not.

Where the employer asks for overtime, it should generally be in special circumstances, such as to meet the sudden increase in demand. Even in that case, the employees should not be forced to do overtime.

Every establishment should have a register of overtime, containing the details of the worker, the extra time he or she has given to work, and the calculation of overtime amount due to be paid to the worker.

About Us A&A LAW is a full service law firm, offering comprehensive legal services in all major areas of law. The firm offers contentious and non-contentious legal services to clients. The non-contentious services include strategic planning, providing legal opinions, preparing documents, and conducting negotiations. The contentious services include arbitration, representation of clients in court hearings at all levels, and enforcement of court judgments and arbitral awards. In addition, they provide services for commercial & non-commercial litigation and corporate governance. The combined experience of the firms professionals is over sixty two (62) years, spanning across the world. A&A LAW have worked with industry leaders in the field and have delivered as per their requirements.

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2015 (Second Edition)

Doing Business in India 2015 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in India. As such, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Indian market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes. We discuss a range of pertinent issues for foreign businesses, including Indias most recent FDI caps and restrictions, the key taxes applicable to foreign companies, and how to conduct a successful audit.

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.
China and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday signed 17 cooperative agreements after the first meeting of a high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman co-chaired the meeting in Beijing.

The documents covered politics, energy, finance, investment, housing, water resources, quality inspection, science, technology and culture.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia in January, reaching a consensus on various issues with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

During that visit, the two countries announced a comprehensive strategic partnership and set up a high-level steering committee to guide and coordinate cooperation.

Noting that Saudi Arabia is an important cooperative partner of China in the West Asian and North African region, Zhang said China views bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective.

China is willing to share experiences with Saudi Arabia on state governance, he said, calling on the two sides to support each other's core interests and major concerns and cement strategic mutual trust.

China is ready to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia's Economic Vision 2030, he said.

Under the framework, Zhang suggested the two sides promote cooperation in industrial capacity, equipment manufacturing, energy, trade, investment, finance, science and technology, culture and security.

Mohammed said relations between Saudi Arabia and China are of strategic importance, noting that the two sides enjoy great potential for cooperation.

Saudi Arabia firmly supports China's stance on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and the South China Sea, he said.

Saudi Arabia hopes to join in the Belt and Road Initiative and forge a stronger partnership with China in the areas of energy, trade, investment, finance, industrialization and mining, he added.

The Saudi prince also called on the two sides to strengthen coordination, jointly fight terrorism, and promote international and regional peace and stability.

Saudi Arabia supports China in holding a successful G20 Summit, he said.

Later on Tuesday, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with Mohammed bin Salman. He said China values Saudi Arabia's support within the G20 framework, hoping the two countries will make joint efforts with other relevant parties for a successful G20 Summit.

Mohammed, also Saudi Arabia's defense minister, will attend the G20 Summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, scheduled for Sept. 4-5.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Kyrgyz counterpart, Erlan Abdyldaev, on Tuesday discussed in a phone conversation the terrorist attack against the Chinese Embassy to Kyrgyzstan and pledged closer cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Abdyldaev said the Kyrgyz side condemned the suicide attack "in the strongest terms," and that on behalf of the Kyrgyz leaders, he conveyed sympathy to the Chinese embassy and those injured in the attack.

The Kyrgyz side has taken all emergency measures after the attack, and will carry out a thorough investigation and punish those responsible, said Abdyldaev.

He said Kyrgyzstan will do its utmost to ensure the safety of the Chinese citizens and institutions in Kyrgyzstan, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Wang, for his part, also strongly condemned the attack, and asked the Kyrgyz side to immediately find out what really happened, punish those responsible and avoid a reoccurrence of such attacks.

China will deepen anti-terrorism cooperation with Kyrgyzstan to safeguard mutual security interests of the two countries, he added.

The Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan was attacked Tuesday morning by a suicide car bomber, with the lone assailant killed and five others wounded.
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A notice warning residents against telecom fraud, released by a property service center at Tsinghua University. (Photo/Official Weibo of Beijing Youth Daily)

A notice warning residents against telecom fraud, released by a property service center at Tsinghua University, has caused a stir on the Internet of late.

The notice states that fraudsters pretending to be employees of police departments, courts and a domestic cable service provider recently defrauded a Tsinghua University professor for 17.6 million yuan (about $2.64 million).

The victim reported the incident to police at 11:25 p.m. on Aug. 29. Currently, police are still investigating the case.

Several posters warning residents to "be aware of telecom fraud" were posted on the wall of the building. (Photo/The Beijing News)

The telecom fraud took place in the Lanqiying residential area of Beijing's Haidian district. A middle-aged resident of the community who identified himself as its head of public security said that the victim teaches at Tsinghua University and lives in Building 8 of the complex. Several posters around the community entreated the public to "be aware of telecom fraud." According to residents, police officers posted the notices in the morning of Aug. 30.

Residents also said that Lanqiying residential area, built in 1998, is home to many older professors from Tsinghua and Peking Universities.
I arrived at Black Market on a rainy afternoon to a cozy-cornered restaurant across from Indy Reads Books.

The interior was encased with brick walls, Hawaiian-themed decorations, dim lights and a long wall of brand-name spirits. Eight customers were there before me, a small sum, and the relaxing atmosphere propelled me to quell my thoughts in anticipation of what would come.

It took a bit of time for a worker to attend to me, but the bartenders demeanor was a welcome change from the dreary stain outside. Hi, may I help you? she said. Then I asked for the lunch menu and was handed a concise list even though I already knew what I was going to try.

Soon after, a pair sat next to me and one said, Ohh, these seats are good and squishy. I silently agreed and noted that this was the kind of place where someone can lounge, have a drink and burn an hour away.

With that in mind, Black Market is definitely a place for an older crowd, due to the 21 and over requirment. A casual date would be suitable for this space, however, a business deal or an important conversation would fit well too.

After mercilessly people watching, I decided to select what seemed like a house favorite, the Black Market Burger composed of ground beef and lamb, a goat cheese spread, red onions, green tomato pickles and fries. I asked for the fries with house mayo then ordered a drink.

What wouldve made more sense, in hindsight, wouldve been a combination with rum as the restaurants website claims to be rum-obsessed. But while thoughts of the Caribbean summer was welcome it just didnt fit the mood. Instead, I selected a gin concoction titled the Singapore Sling.

The cocktail came garnished with a slice of lemon and a scarlet hue which left me with only one impression: I was not cheated on the portions. Even for someone with a seasoned taste for liquor, I am willing to bet that a couple of these slingers may have one spilling a trade secret or two. That will be my very fair warning.

As for the meal, I tried the fries alone and with the homemade mayo and was not disappointed with either option. Each bite carried a wondrous salty taste. They were only slightly crunchy, but mostly warm and soft.

The main event, the burger, was wonderful as well  so wonderful I forgot I was supposed to be doing business. The goat cheese was like a bagels topping as it meshed with the final cook. Im usually not one for a medium-rare finish but the end result was more than satisfactory and not at all bloody.

I was also happy as the island jazz tunes floated around my ears to keep my senses in bliss. The food was graciously seasoned and there was no need to meddle.

Towards the end of my visit the bartender asked me if I was doing okay. I replied, Im doing very well, thank you, but I was simultaneously shouting expletives in my head because I foolishly finished my food too soon.

Before exiting, however, I went back to people watching and listened in as the middle-aged pair near me gossipped about divorced men, children and new flames. I interrupted their conversation at a point to ask them what they thought of the restaurant. This is my first time, actually, one of them said, adding that, next time, she wanted to try what I had.

Thats unfortunately where it ends. The three of us noted the promise of next time, then went outside in the rain.

Black Market

922 Massachusetts Ave

Indianapolis, IN 46202

(317) 8226757

https://blackmarketindy.net/
Every time the situation is tense in Jammu and Kashmir, without fail Pakistan starts ranting about UN Resolution of 1948, and how Kashmiris should be given the right to exercise self determination through plebiscite. Few know that the very UN resolution Pakistan swears by was out-right rejected by it since it never wanted a plebiscite or self determination for Kashmiris.

AFP

Ever since Kashmir became a bone of contention between India and Pakistan in 1947, when Pakistan army along with tribesmen attacked Kashmir and India was called to defend it by King Hari Singh, Pakistan had been advocating for plebiscite. But it never clarifies how it is to be achieved. Over the years, Pakistan has been pretending that India didn't abide by the UN Resolution of 1948. In reality it was Pakistan that rejected the UN resolutions 47 of April 1948.

AFP

What did UN resolution say?

India went to UN in October 1947 after Indian Army thwarted the combined forces of Pakistan army and tribesmen who attacked Kashmir to capture the valley by force.

The resolutions proposed four essential steps in sequential order.

1. According to the first step stipulated in Article 1(a) and (b), Pakistan must withdraw all its forces, including the tribesmen that had invaded the valley and then help creating a homogeneous environment for Kashmiris to express their choice through plebiscite without fear.

2. Once the first step is done, only then India would reciprocate and take steps to demilitarise the valley to certain levels. Though it allowed India to keep adequate amount of troops stationed in order to maintain law and order and to keep external threats at bay. All this is specified in articles 2(a) to (c).

AFP

3. After the completion of first two steps, India, with its machinery would then be responsible for conducting free and fair plebiscite under UN supervision in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

4. Various other steps were outlined in Articles 6 to 15 of the UNSC Resolution. Pakistan was to be given no role in this, since Maharaja Hari Singh had already acceded to India under the terms of the Independence Act.

Pakistan rejected this. But why?

Pakistan in April 1948 rejected the UN resolutions because it didn't suit the intentions of Pakistan. Though Pakistan played the Muslim card to legitimise its attempt the seize Kashmir by force, but it wasn't for the benefit of Kashmiris. If it were, Pakistan would have never rejected the UN resolutions which advocated for the free and fair plebiscite.

AFP

Many defense experts believe that Pakistan never wanted Kashmiris to exercise their right to self determination, because by seizing Kashmir by force, it only wanted to achieve territorial gains. These included free access to the waters of the Indus and its tributaries and occupying strategic heights north of Punjab.

Kashmiris were never its concern. Not then, not now.

Infact, Pakistan has violated the UN Resolutions

Pakistan swears by UN Resolutions every time tension erupts in Kashmir, but it never abides by the resolutions itself. In fact, over the period of seven decades, it has openly violated the UN resolution by augmenting the strength of its troops.

Pakistan, despite knowing that the area occupied by it (POK) belongs to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, has bartered away the portion of the territory to China and has been changing the demographics of areas like Gilgit Baltistan apart from using the territory as bases to train insurgents who carry out militant activities in the valley.
Four thieves thought they'd hit jackpot when they stole an ATM cash dispenser.

They'd instead hit rock bottom - they managed to lift a State Bank of India Passbook printing machine.

They were reportedly spotted trying to flee with the machine from the Binovanagar SBI building in Guwahati.

For those who've never used one, this machine prints your record of transactions onto your bank allotted passbook.

The four thieves, Sahab Ali and Saiful Rahman of Hajo, Mainul Haque of Nalbari and Saddam Hussain of Satgaon, Guwahati were caught trying to zip away in a Chevrolet by a routine police patrol team. According to local daily Assam Tribune, they somehow managed to use a VIP car for the crime - allotted to a B Maheswari 8 years ago.
Nothing like a dog's company to battle depression. A 26/11 police dog, Caesar, who had been battling depression after three other 26/11 police dogs died, has found a new friend. A retired canine from the Railway Protection Force in Rajkot, Labrador Amanat (11), arrived on Sunday at animal lover Fizzah Shah's farmhouse in Virar where Caesar leads his retired life. Caesar and Amanat now share a kennel.

BCCL

Caesar kept to himself on the farmhouse after the death of his buddies  Max, Sultan, and Tiger.

"Caesar had become quite lonely and he has now got a buddy at the right time," Shah told TOI. "Within minutes of seeing each other, they bonded quite well. Possibly because both have done similar jobs while they were in service."

TOI

Shah said the two took to one another instantly. "I'm confident the two will soon become inseparable." she said.

While Caesar has chronic arthritis, Amanat is in the pink of health. Caesar was hospitalised after Tiger died last month. Even after he got back to the farm two weeks later, he used to keep looking out for his buddies.

BCCL

Amanat, who joined the railways when he was just two months old, is not only a sniffer dog but also a tracker. He retired from railway service early this year after which he was a regular sight at Rajkot station where he used to amble and laze around on the platforms at his free will, said his handler.
The Gujarat government has banned slaughter of animals and birds as well as sale of meat, chicken and fish in its municipalities from August 29 to September 5 for the Jain fasting period of 'Paryushan'.

BCCL

In big cities like Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara, there is no ban of sale of poultry, meat and fish, though slaughterhouses will remain closed.

The issue has reached Gujarat high court which has sought explanation from the government.

BCCL

A 2008 Supreme Court order approved closure of abattoirs during 'Paryushan' to respect religious sentiments of the minority Jain community. With this order, apart from closure of slaughter houses in municipality limits, the director of municipalities has also banned sale of meat and fish by issuing a circular on August 22.

This matter was first heard by Justice S H Vora, who asked the state to file a reply explaining the decision. The judge asked to place this case before an appropriate bench. "The matter will be taken up for hearing on Thursday," said petitioner's advocate Jay Thakkar.

BCCL

Earlier this week the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had protested in Mumbai against a similar ban in the city ahead of the Ganesha festival and Paryushan.

Abattoirs and chicken mutton shops were ordered to be shut by the authorities ahead of the festival. The MNS said such bans had no place in a democratic set up.
Delhi was at its worst today. Even though the rain Gods decided to send some respite our way - considering the unpleasantness of Delhi weather - even they couldn't save the city from the horrors of water-logging and trafficked roads.

NDTV

Looking for a way out of the mess, the citizens could only take to social media to express their woes. And exercising their freedom of speech, they were the only ones who could bring out the sun for the rest of us.

1. This was all of us.

After 2 hours of continuous rainfall, "Wow rain! So romantic!" changes to "BC ye baarish kyun nahi ruk rahi."#DelhiRains #DelhiTraffic  ruchi kokcha (@ruchikokcha) August 31, 2016

2. True story.

The dryer you are, the better paid you are. #DelhiRains  Anand Katakam (@anandkatakam) August 31, 2016

3. Silver lining.

"Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.."

If these poor guys were in Delhi, water would've reached right in their bedroom  Aladdin (@Alllahdin) August 31, 2016

4. Issued in public interest.

Statutory warning in the offices be like; please bring your swim suit from tomorrow as you might need to swim to the office #DelhiRains  raghav.kohli (@ragstereon) August 31, 2016

5. Devolving - the word that will define 2016.

Man evolved from a creature that came out of the water, to land.

With the #DelhiRains, man is now devolving back. pic.twitter.com/vsYtXXN5Xa  Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) August 31, 2016

6. Is the government listening?

you can take a horse to water, but you can't make it cross the stream :) #DelhiRains via @ndtv pic.twitter.com/i3mEfnjYZR  Ajit Ranade (@ajit_ranade) August 31, 2016

7. The brighter side.

8. It was a 'love'ly day.

Sir @ArvindKejriwal , thank you for bringing Goa in delhi ! Love you ! #DelhiRains pic.twitter.com/j18OrVWeZF  sumit (@sumitsaurabh) August 31, 2016

And then there was this guy, blaming it on another. Again, all of us.

Main haath jodh kar Modi ji se request karta hu ki Plz stop doing #DelhiRains, u will be responsible for water logging.

Let Delhi Govt work.  Arvind Kejriwal (@dArvindKejriwal) August 31, 2016

God bless this city.
No more a stranger to being stuck in a rain-related traffic jam, US secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday jokingly asked IIT Delhi students if they had come to campus on boats.

BCCL

Kerry was scheduled for a talk with IIT Delhi's students at 9.30 am on Wednesday but was delayed as heavy rains lashed NCR. He arrived closer to 11 am, instead.

"Don't know how you all got here. You must have needed boats to get here."

Earlier, due to the heavy rains Kerry had to cancel his scheduled trip to three religious sites in the capital.

BCCL

Kerry, on his arrival in India on monday had a first hand experience of the traffic jams in the national capital when his motorcade took nearly an hour to reach the Taj Mahal hotel from IGI Airport.
The villagers of Chhedipur village still remain in morbid fear of a man-eating tiger that has made a home in the vicinity. The tiger has already claimed four humans as its prey since August 15 and is now reported to have killed a fourth.

Representational image/Reuters

A farmer called Janki Prasad was attacked and dragged away by the tiger into the cane field while he was irrigating his paddy crops, the forest department told PTI.

His cries for help attracted the attention of villagers nearby who chased the tiger. The tiger left the mutilated body of Prasad behind and disappeared into the forest cover.

While Prasad could not be saved, the man-eater is still hungry and on the loose!

Representational image/BCCL

Forest officials have been trying to capture the man-eater for the past two weeks only to be stumped by the tigers intelligence. The officials used a goat to lure in the tiger but the tiger was able to nab the goat and leave without getting caught.

Alarmingly, the forest officials have not been around, despite knowing that the man-eater is obviously going to strike again - on a human.

Representational image/Reuters

The death of Janki Prasad has sparked protests by the villagers, who halted the traffic on busy Gola-Khutar road and expressed their angst against the forest department officials.

Police and PAC men were rushed to the spot to pacify the agitated mob, says a PTI report.

Meanwhile, the forest officials are still clueless on what to do next and are claiming "to find a way" at the earliest.
After Australia was taken to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Attorney General George Brandis issued a joint declaration on Aug. 29. They denied all spying allegations and said that East Timor should respect the existing treaties to divide underseas resources.

However, just one month ago, China declared its intention to oppose and reject any claim or action based on PCA decisions, and the U.S, Japan and Australia emphatically urged China to obey the "valid arbitration" on the South China Sea. Bishop even said that China's international reputation and ambitions of becoming a leading power would be harmed if its leadership ignored the results of the arbitration.

The maritime delimitation between Australia and East Timor has existed for decades. In 1972, Australia and Indonesia delimited the maritime border in the Timor Sea. However, since East Timor was a Portuguese colony, the agreement required but failed to obtain Portugal's approval. After declaring independence in 2002, East Timor rejected the bilateral agreements made by Australia and Indonesia in 1989 and 1997.

Before East Timor declared independence, Australia issued an exclusive declaration refusing to accept settlement procedures on disputes of maritime delimitation. This refusal made reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which Australia denounced in the same year. On the day of East Timor's independence, Australia and East Timor signed the Timor Sea Treaty, establishing a joint petroleum development area. In 2006, under pressure from all sides, Australia and Timor-Leste signed a new treaty equally dividing underseas resources.

East Timor now holds that, according to the medium line principle, it can rightfully claim most parts of the oil-gas zone. The country, therefore, attempted to resolve the dispute through judicial procedure. So far, however, Australia has thwarted those attempts.
Two medicos, who had flung a mongrel off the third floor of a building in Chennai in June and filmed the act, shall pay Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the Animal Welfare Board of India, the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University has ruled.

After the video went viral, activists traced the injured animal, named it Bhadra and provided it treatment.

The dog became a celebrity of sorts with support, outrage and assistance pouring in from all across the world. Due to pressure from activists, police registered a case and launched search for two medicos identified as Gautam Sudarshan and Ashish Paul of Madha Medical College.

facebook/Antony Rubin

After the duo appeared before police and then let off on bail, Bhadra's rescuers moved the high court seeking compensation for the animal, medical care and punishment for the medicos, who should be subjected to psycho-analysis.

Also Read: After Being Arrested, The Men Who Threw A Dog Off The Roof Are Already Out On Bail!

On the orders of the high court, Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University constituted a four-member team to go into the issue and arrive at a compensation package.

The committee has decided to impose Rs 2 lakh each on the duo, said vice-chancellor Dr S Geethalakshmi.

BCCL

"As directed by the Madras high court, a committee was formed by the university to decide on the quantum of penalty amount to be paid by each student to the Animal Welfare Board. After taking into consideration the reality of offence, the committee has decided that Rs 2 lakh should be paid by each of them to the board," the committee said in its report filed in the high court.

The committee comprised Dr S V Senthilnathan, dean of students, Dr Parameswari, controller of examination, G Kannabiran, law officer and the registrar.
The stigma and reluctance to accept homosexual couples in India has claimed a young life in Mumbai.

Roshini Tandel, a resident of Suman Nagar, Chunabhatti ended her life by hanging herself. While another girl from the same neighbourhood, Rujukta Gawand who attempted suicide by drinking phenyl is now recovering in a hospital. The two girls, both aged 21 took the extreme step after being reprimanded by their respective families over their affair.

Mid-Day

The duo, who reportedly were regulars at the Marine Drive, were spotted by a relative on Friday cuddling each other.

The relative informed Rujuktas father, who then confronted her about it. Since the girls had been out of the house from 11 am to 6 pm, Rujuktas father asked her what the two girls were doing. Rujukta confessed that she was in a relationship with Roshini. He then scolded Rujukta and warned her never to meet Roshini again. Mid-day quoting a police official reported.

He also contacted Roshini's family and wanted to 'settle' the matter at the office of a local politician. While they were at the politician's office Rujukta's father received a call saying that his daughter had attempted suicide by consuming phenyl.

Roshini who was with her elder sister at the time also heard the news and after reaching home locked herself up inside her room.

The next morning, when she did not open the door, we checked through the window and saw her hanging from the ceiling, her sister Amruta told the police.

Police have arrested Rujuktas father, Kishore Gawand, in connection the incident under Sections 306 (abatement of suicide), 507 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

curvemag/ Representative Image

According to the report in Mid-Day, the two girls who began as friends but it soon developed into a relationship. Over the past year, the two would often hang out all day, until they were spotted by the relative.
Ruby Rai, the now infamous Bihar schoolgirl who was made a topper against her will before her startling stupidity was revealed, is still not cooperating with authorities.

'I Told Papa To Get Me Passed But He Made Me Topper' Says Bihar Prodigal Scientist Girl

Rai was arrested in what exploded into the Bihar merit list scam after she was found unable to identify the name of the subject (Political Science) she had scored top marks in.

BCCL

The girl, arrested as a minor and placed in a juvenile remand home is now at her parent's house in Vaishali. When a Special Investigation Team arrived to search her home, she lashed out at them, asking them to leave immediately. She reportedly hurled insults at them - they were forced call the police chief, who attempted to convince her to cooperate. Initially reluctant, she finally agreed to produce two copies for the police.

She even demanded a search warrant, which the SIT did not have.

She also abused neighbours who gathered outside her home to see the ongoing drama.

BCCL

Rai was arrested after she failed miserably in a re-examination to assess whether she had actually topped in class XII (arts) exams conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB). Based on her 'dismal performance', the BSEB announced that her results were cancelled.

This Is Bihar Prodigal Student Ruby Rai's One Line Essay On Indian Saint Tulsidas

A BSEB official revealed that Ruby simply wrote "Tulsidas-ji, pranaam" to a question on the 16th century poet saint. Ruby refused to take reporters' questions after her arrest, saying: "Nahi bolenge toh jaan maar dijiyega? (Will you guys kill me if I don't answer your queries?)"

Meanwhile, other toppers successfully cleared their re-examination, in a process involving a 14-member panel of experts who examined all toppers individually.

This Is The System That Led To Bihar's 'Prodigal Science' Topper Almost Getting Away

Meet Bihar topper in 'Political Science' who thinks that the subject is about 'cooking' #ITVideo

https://t.co/4sXTCBzAcZ

 India Today (@IndiaToday) May 31, 2016
We cant thank Bollywood enough for bringing the story of real life hero Dashrath Manjhis story to the world.

Indiatimes

After the Railway minister Suresh Prabhu got to know about the struggles of Mountain Man 'Dashrath Manjhi, he chose to announce that he would like to bring railways to his town for a better connectivity. On Tuesday, he announced how he is now researching and exploring if a railway connectivity could be worked out and it might be named after Manjhi.

1. Caught In Delhi Rain, John Kerry Asks IIT Students 'Have You Come Here In Boats'?

BCCL

No more a stranger to being stuck in a rain-related traffic jam, US secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday jokingly asked IIT Delhi students if they had come to campus on boats. Kerry was scheduled for a talk with IIT Delhi's students at 9.30 am on Wednesday but was delayed as heavy rains lashed NCR. He arrived closer to 11 am, instead.

2. Out On Bail, Bihar's 'Prodigal Scientist' Ruby Rai Abuses Police Trying To Search Her House

BCCL

Ruby Rai, the now infamous Bihar schoolgirl who was made a topper against her will before her startling stupidity was revealed, is still not cooperating with authorities. When a Special Investigation Team arrived to search her home, she lashed out at them, asking them to leave immediately. She reportedly hurled insults at them - they were forced call the police chief, who attempted to convince her to cooperate. Initially reluctant, she finally agreed to produce two copies for the police.

3. Pakistani Sisters Create History, Become The First Siblings To Co-Pilot A Boeing 777 Together!

Twitter/Danyal Gilani

Two sisters working for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have scripted history by co-flying the Boeing 777 aircraft together. They have become the first such pair to co-pilot a plane. According to PIA spokesperson Danyal Gilani, Maryam Masood and Erum Masood had been flying different planes and it was only recently that the duo got the chance to share the same cockpit.

4. 12-Year-Old Girl Raped And Strangled To Death By Two Drunk Men In An Ola Cab In Kolkata

rendezvous

A 12-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered in an Ola cab by two men in Kolkata. The report generated by police says that the girl was abducted from her place of work. The poor girl used to work as a domestic help in the immediate vicinity. Both the accused have been arrested and are now in police custody. According to the police, the accused were under the influence of alcohol when they committed the crime.

5. You'll Soon Be Able To Have Your Wedding Aboard India's Finest Luxury Trains!
On 26th August, Gayathri Farhan, a sub-inspector of Bruce Pete police station in Bellari, Karnataka, had taken to Facebook to share her grievances. In her post, Farhan shared her experience and struggle, highlighting the plight of women officers working in the Police Department.

For what its worth, its just another case of a glass ceiling - something that has been holding back women for ages. Her post effortlessly illuminated the fight she has been going through for the last 7 years.

Facebook

Gayathris post was liked by Anupama Shenoy, Deputy Superintendent of Police in Bellari who resigned from her job, claiming harassment from a minister.

She later posted a clarification, asking people not to make a big deal out of it.

More power to you, Gayathri!

(Also read: Meet The Only Women In India Who Are On Active Combat Duties - Guarding Our Borders)
The story of CRPF Jawan from the valley, Khurshid Ahmad, who despite being hit by 8 bullets is desperate to get on his feet and serve his nation, is an inspiration for many. On the other hand the resignation of two police jawans, Firdous Ahmad and Waseem Ahmad Sheikh, bowing to social pressure of them killing their own protester brothers, is a tale in contrasting realities. The ongoing unrest in Kashmir is probably the toughest time in the life for a Kashmiri cop. Being a Kashmiri, he's always seen with suspicion by Indian establishment, whereas the ongoing battle with their fellow Kashmiris who protest, has made them traitor to their cause.

AFP

A Kashmiri jawan serving in police therefore has nowhere to go. Post Burhan Wani's encounter on July 8th, the unrest in Kashmir has grown many folds and the death toll has already crossed 60. Since majority of the jawans of army, CRPF and BSF don't belong to Kashmir, they face stone-pelters once, twice or three times a day. But a cop who's one of their own has to face them 24x7, because he lives among them.

Social boycott

The battles fought daily between police and protesters have made local kashmiri cops villains in the eyes of their neighbours, relatives and loved ones. Most of them are now facing social boycott. The threats seems to have started working, as two special police officers (SPOs), Firdous Ahmad and Waseem Ahmad Sheikh publicly announced their resignations from police department in the town of Sopore in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. They also shouted pro-azadi slogans in order to restore the lost faith of their people.

AFP

Later Waseem also tendered public apology and asked for forgiveness from the people. "I came home yesterday and decided to quit my job. Now onwards I am not associated with police department. I am sorry if I have hurt anyone intentionally or unintentionally. I seek your forgiveness," Wasim was quoted in DNA.

Threats to their families

The unrest in the valley has made the cops of Kashmir villains in the eyes of the locals and the situation has become so tense that the families of these jawans are receiving threats. These threats come from both militants and the mobs who protest against the armed forces. The Kashmiri policeman is under severe pressure to either resign or die at the hands of mob or militants.

AFP

In violence-hit Kashmir, if anyone is on the retreat, it is the J&K Police. An SSP posted in south Kashmir told TOI on Monday that there are reports of attacks on policemen coming from across the disturbed valley. "But what is worse is that nobody is supporting us. The government has abandoned us," the officer said. "Everybody is legitimising the voice of separatists. In the 1990s, the police force had collapsed. There are entrenched interests that want the same situation again now."

The officer added, "Lots of money has been pumped into creating this present situation, perhaps hundreds of crores. And then you have separatists identifying brave police officers. We are sitting ducks. But the question to be asked is, who is allowing this?" Sources in the department said that houses of dozens of policemen have been burnt down and that almost every family, especially those of officers, has received threats. An officer with the CID said, "Our family is our biggest weakness. The CRPF and Army can fight without any fear here as their loved ones are safe back home. But we have ours here. And our enemies know that."



Families asking forgiveness from separatist Geelani

The situation in valley has become so vulnerable for a local cop that now the families of the cops have started asking separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani for forgiveness that their son is firing pellets at his own brothers and sisters.

AFP

Early this month a family of police officer had approached Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani seeking forgiveness against their son who was accused of firing pellets on the protesters at Chee village of South Kashmir's Bijbhera. Meanwhile posters of Sangbaz (stone pelters) Coordination Committee threatening to families of police officials were seen a locality in Srinagar.
What's better than a Harry Potter festival? Travelling aboard the Hogwarts Express to the festival!

Did you read that?

HOGWARTS EXPRESS, POTTERHEADS! IT EXISTS!

A Harry Potter festival is coming to Philadelphia, thanks to the Chestnut Hill College - the organisers of the event. Come October 21-22, fans will actually get a chance to be ferried to the event on a very real Hogwarts Express.

The festival is open to one and all. Plus, the college looks eerily similar to the fantasy-world Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Kiran/Wikimedia Commons

The college fest will bring everything a Potterhead wants in life - Butterbeer, rides on the Knight Bus, a Tri-Wizard maze, real owls, a Sorting Ceremony, a Quidditch tournament. OMG.

philly.com

The SEPTA Chestnut Hill West regional rail line will be transformed into the Hogwarts Express, which will also bring look-alikes of Harry Potter, Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore to greet Potterheads on-board.

phillymag

Tickets will go on sale on September 28 - so if you're feeling lucky, BOOK YOURS WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT!

While I'll just go find a cupboard under the stairs and cry myself to sleep.
Banning of the burkini in a few towns on the French Riviera sparked a raging fire not only in France but all over the world, saying it went against the French ideals of liberty. Many times since then, gasoline has been poured over the burning ban. Most recently, Manuel Valls, French Prime Minister, added more fuel by suggesting that bare breasts are better representatives of France than the all-covered burkini.

ALSO READ: In The Burkini Vs Bikini Battle, Mayor Of Cannes Declares Burkini As The Winner

Reuters

He invoked the image of Marianne, who is France's national symbol and an allegory of liberty and reason, and said in a government rally: "Marianne has bare breasts because she feeds the people, she does not wear a headscarf because she is free! That's the Republic!" Marianne is a very significant symbol in France and is represented on Government documents as well as on French Euro coins.

This comment comes at a sensitive time in France. Recently, a woman sunbathing on a beach in Nice wearing a type of burkini was fined by the police, who also asked her to remove a part of her swimsuit. Although the ban has since been overturned by top French authorities saying it violates fundamental liberties. Valls was supporting the burkini ban saying they countered freedom in society.

ALSO READ: Weeks After Burkini Ban, French Police Made Woman Remove Hers On A Nice Beach & Fined Her

Indiatimes

The PM, however, was mocked by historians for his comment saying he missed the artistic allegory in Marianne's image. Left-wing historian, Mathilde Larrere called him a "cretin", French for "dumbass" and said, "Marianne has naked breasts because it's an allegory." The Independent translated her tweets where she said the past depictions of Marianne with a bare breast were simply an "artistic code" and unrelated to femininity.

Marianne a le sein nu parce que c'est une allegorie cretin!#Valls  mathilde larrere (@LarrereMathilde) August 29, 2016

She then posted a trail of tweets with images of Marianne where is she covered and wearing a Phyrgian cap, which is a head covering that symbolises freedom.

11)Il y a la marianne  sage , cheveux attaches, seins couverts, pas darme, sagement assise pic.twitter.com/VM7b2WsUF5  mathilde larrere (@LarrereMathilde) August 29, 2016

The most repeated point of contention over the burkini ban has been that women should be allowed to wear what they want - from a two piece bikini to a one-piece swimsuit to a fully-covered swimsuit. The woman decides. Not politicians. Not governments.

ALSO READ: France Finally Overturns The Ban On Burkini After Facing A Worldwide Backlash
A 46-year-old in Lawrence, Kansas who was accused of attempted murder of his wife has got away without serving jail even after pleading guilty.

ljworld

Navinkumar Patel who stabbed his wife with a pocketknife because she was overweight was sentenced to serve probation, but on his family's assurance was let-off. During the hearing his lawyer told the court that sending Patel to jail could result in his family, including wife and children being ostracised as part of their Hindu culture.

His counsel also argued that Patel was suffering from bipolar disorder which is exacerbated by his alcohol addiction.

ljworld

What is even more interesting is that more than a dozen of family members, including his wife, appeared in court to support him. Pronouncing the verdict, judge Fairchild said "The cultural part of it is very significant in this case."

While is sound strange, Patel is not the first person to use 'culture' as an excuse to get away from punishment. Simardeep Singh a cab driver in Perth Australia who was accused of rape had blamed his "Indian upbringing" as the reason for him committing the crime.

Even though he was jailed for five-and-a-half years, the judge accepted Singh had a culture shock when he came to Australia in 2008 because women in his homeland dressed more conservatively and there was no sex education.
One of the groups taking on ISIS in Iraq is an all-women group of Kurdish fighters who have rifles in their brave hands, nail-paint on their dexterous fingers and lipstick on their adamant lips. ISIS sees Kurdish women as objects who should be bought, sold, enslaved and raped.

Getty

These Peshmerga women are currently training under British soldiers to defend Mosul and want to look drop-dead gorgeous while fighting in case they die. Ahd Mohemed, 36, puts on makeup every day including shaping her eyebrows, applying mascara and lipstick before heading into the battlefield with her weapons.

"I always put on lipstick before I go on the frontline. When we fight, we want to look pretty. If I die, I want to die looking pretty," she told Daily Mail.

Reuters

ALSO READ: Force Of The Sun Ladies - The Army Of Former Yazidi Sex Slaves To Fight ISIS

The peshmerga (literally translated as those who fight death) are known for their combat skills and their bravery. Commander of the 80-strong UK training unit, Lieutenant Colonel OZ Lane, said, "What the female peshmerga are really proud of is their war fighting skills. Now it is about showing them what they can bring in terms of operational capability on the battlefield, in addition to just being really good at fighting Daesh."

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said, "These brave female peshmerga fighters will help ensure that Daesh are kicked out of Iraq for good and we must keep supporting them."

Reuters

Women militias pose a threat to ISIS because they are afraid of dying at the hands of a woman as they believe it might stop them from reaching heaven. And so female Kurdish fighters use this as a weapon against them. The 2nd Battalion, a 500-strong force based in Sulaymaniyah in Kurdistan, northern Iraq, is led by Colonel Nahida Ahmad Rashid, said, "They don't like to be killed by us."

On the other hand, the women need to be extra careful while fighting them because if captured, then they face being enslaved, tortured and raped.
Due to strained economic conditions, many primary school students in Liancai Township used to go to school each day without having breakfast. This was the case, at least, until 2011, when China launched a nutrition improvement program for students in rural regions, which has since been implemented in the most impoverished and remote regions in China.

On a common school day at Yanhe Primary School in Hubei, fourth-grade students Lele and Niuniu carry a basket full of milk cartons into their classroom during recess. According to the school's principal, since the programs launch, the students at Yanhe Primary School have always received a snack of milk and eggs or milk and cakes during their class break.

Since 2011, the central government has set aside 159 billion yuan for the program. The World Bank and United Nations Food Program have both spoken highly of the program, and in the five years after its launch, the program has been implemented in 137,000 schools in 29 provinces, benefiting a total of 33.6 million students. Virtually no rural students must begin school now without first enjoying a nutritious breakfast.

According to the Chinese Center For Disease Control And Prevention, a number of tangible and positive changes have occurred since the program began. Data shows that both the average height and weight of students have increased, and the rate of anemia incidence has decreased.

By the current standard, the country gives each student a daily subsidy of about 4 yuan, which covers the cost of meals at school and reduces the burden on families. This year, China will further expand the coverage of its program, ensuring that even more students around China are able to enjoy safe, tasty food and make the most of their educations.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Information ClearingHouse endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) Privacy Statement
The newly decorated restaurants at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics surprised teachers and students alike when the new semester began. In addition to the restaurants' upscale design style, a high-tech billing system was also introduced.
As part of its existing academic exchange programme, twelve students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, have traveled to the United States of America to complete their programmes at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, in Tallahassee.

This is the fourth edition of the programme which is based on a memorandum of understanding, MoU, between FUTA and FAMU that allows the students to finish their last two sessions in US.

In his farewell message, the Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Adebiyi Daramola, enjoined the students to be of good behaviour and face their academics so as to sustain and improve the already established positive image of the University.

FUTA Vice-Chancellor, , at a departure send-off for the students, urged the students, the fourth set in a series, to sustain and improve on the already established positive image of the University during their academic sojourn in America.

He said, I am very happy to announce to you that your predecessors in the programme have made us proud.

They keep our flag flying and keep making us shine. I want you to make FUTA shine better. Since the programme started, we have received positive reports about our students. They have performed morally and academically well.

As I am talking to you, one of them who went in 2014 will be completing his Doctorate in April, 2017. This is a great feat, he is almost a Ph.D. holder, the VC said.

That is why I always say the sky is not just the limit, but the starting point for the serious type. Therefore, I urge you to utilize this rare opportunity to your full advantage.

He also assured the University community about his administrations effort in increasing collaboration with world class Universities.

Our collaboration with world class Universities keep soaring. By next year, our students will be going to Germany. This is because we want them to have opportunities their peers in other Universities in Nigeria dont have, he said.
A group of animal rights activists have staged a naked protest in Madrid, the capital of Spain, on Tuesday, August 30.

Naturalis members gathered to to denounce the torture of the live creatures, the use of animal skin and fur, as well as to express their concern ove the use of real animal fur under the guise of synthetic clothing.

One woman held up a sign reading how many lives for a coat during the protest in Madrid The protest was held as a reaction to the reports about American scientists detecting real dog and cat fur in coats allegedly made from synthetic materials.

Up to 30 female participants came to the centre of the city, stripped down to their udewear and laid on top of each other.

The women stripped down to their underwear and covered themselves in fake blood, pictured Fellow activists then poured a fake blood over their semi-naked bodies, as if they had been butchered. Others were seen carrying various graphic placards calling to stop animal cruelty.

The group hope that the protest will force the Spanish government to tak more control over the origin of exported skins and labeling to make their used for clothing production.

The animal rights group is concerned about the use of real animal fur in synthetic clothing They stress that that the majority of the global fur trade is coming from Chinese republic, where regulations are extremely lax.

Source: Naij
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has opened the partys doors to all Nigerians interested in the development of the country.

Mr. Oyegun made the declaration on Wednesday in Benin, the Edo State capital when he received some members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo, who defected to the APC.

He said the party was committed to turning things around in the country and would welcome any one genuinely aspiring to move the nation forward.

The APC national chairman said the party had made tremendous impact in Edo, adding that all those genuinely interested in the progress of the state, should ensure APCs victory in the Sept. 10 election.

Massive development has already started in the state and we welcome people who have the interest of the state and are progressive minded, to join and continue with this development, he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Adams Oshiomhole said the defection of Dennis Evbuomwan, and other PDP leaders in Oredo, marked the end of the PDP in the state.

To me, the coming of Evbuomwan and other leaders of the PDP in Oredo along with their unit leaders means they are here with a complete story.

The unit heads are the real people on the field, Oshiomhole said.

Earlier, Evbuomwan said their decision to join APC was based on the historic developmental strides going on in the state.

He described the PDP as a sinking ship, saying when the ship is sinking, you dont need to sink with it.

I believe in the cause the APC is fighting, which is for the progress of the state, and I want to be part of that fight.

Ebima Ogbeide, another leader in the area who defected to the APC, said the occasion marked a home coming for him.

It is public knowledge that I resigned from the PDP three weeks ago, I am happy to be back home, Mr. Ogbeide said.

He appealed for quick integration of those that decamped, to enable them canvass support for the APC governorship candidate, Godwin Obaseki.

On his part, the state chairman of the APC, Anselm Ojezua, said those that decamped were no strangers and promised to integrate them fully, so that they would contribute to APCs success during the governorship election.

The backbone of the PDP has been broken today. The PDP is dead in Edo, Mr. Ojezua asserted.

(NAN)


As a result of the present economic downturn in Nigerian,the ruling party APC posted a questionnaire through their twitter handle soliciting responses from Nigerians on which sector of the economy should they prioritize as they look at diversification and Nigerians took their turns.

As Nigeria diversifies from oil, which of these focus sectors would you recommend we prioritize? Vote, comment & RT  APC Nigeria (@APCNigeria) August 30, 2016

@APCNigeria Nigeria should be exporting poultry products to other nations not the opposite.  Orefuwa Abib kunle (@techdbaseengine) August 30, 2016

@APCNigeria Why not include mining?Nigeria has a lot of potentials deposited in her vast land.Kogi State alone has abt 42 mineral resources  Omogbolahan Babs-CFR (@OgbeniCzar) August 30, 2016

@APCNigeria agriculture.But the best way of doing it is to make a point of due for every nigerians to plant atleast 1 thing to revive us all  Feelthetouch (@AbejideStephen) August 30, 2016

@APCNigeria, agriculture provide raw materials for manufacturing, food sufficiency for d nation and a panacea for joblessness.  I.O. Ibrahim (@omasco95) August 30, 2016

@APCNigeria ICT is the answer when thinking about moving away from oil. ICT is the present and future.  Dominic okeke (@minospeed007) August 30, 2016
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has urged residents of the state to come out in their numbers and give a rousing welcome to President Muhammadu Buhari, who will be visiting the state tomorrow (Thursday).

In a statement issued yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, the Osun APC Chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun, said the citizenry have a duty to support the president in his effort to rid the country of corruption.

He added that corruption is the cause of the economic collapse that has brought hardship to the majority of the citizenry.

According to Famodun, Osun joined the rest of Nigerians to vote massively for change and the peoples hope that the president would effect change remain unshaken in spite of the difficult challenges that economic recession poses.

We in Osun are not in any doubt that a bright future lies ahead for the state under the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari and his team, who are working tirelessly to reverse the economic downturn that has hit Nigeria so badly, especially Osun State.

Since the APC came to power, Osun has experienced revolutionary changes in human capital development, educational renewal, commercial expansion, agricultural invigoration, massive youth employment and empowerment, including environmental sanitation like no other time in Osuns history, the chairman asserted.

He urged the president to see for himself, the progress that has been made in Osun under the visionary leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Famodun also called on President Buhari to do all in his powers to help lighten the states burden, which, he said, is among the worst hit by the countrys economic difficulties.
Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday called on the National Universities Commission, NUC, not to grant operational licence to any state government that approaches it for such.

NUC is saddled with the responsibility to approve the establishment of new universities and supervise their activities.

The union made the call at a press briefing organised by its Lagos zone comprising University of Lagos, Akoka; Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye; Lagos State University, Ojo; Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun Ijebu and the Federal University of Agriculture, FUNAAB, Abeokuta.

The briefing was held at UNILAG with all the chairmen and other officers of the chapters in attendance.

The Lagos zone coordinator of the union, Prof. Olusiji Sowande, who spoke at the briefing, said the group was strongly against the establishment of new state universities at least for now based on the fact that many of the existing ones were in serious deplorable conditions.

He said many states were not economically viable to run one university effectively let alone establish new one.

The ASUU boss, who teaches Animal Science at FUNAAB named Ondo, Edo and Bayelsa states as case studies, arguing that many state governments now relied heavily on money from the TertiaryEducation Trust Fund, TETFund, and the Needs Assessment Intervention Fund to run their universities.

According to him, apart from the deplorable conditions of its university at Akungba-Akoko and Okitipupa, Ondo State government still owed workers three month salaries and yet the state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko went ahead to establish a third university.

Also, Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State who has failed in funding Ambrose Alli University has also established another university, and likewise Governor Seriaki Dickson of Bayelsa State established another university at a time workers at the Niger Delta University had not be paid for five months.

And one common thread among these new universities is that they are all sited in the communities of governors that brought them to life.

So, there is no need to establish other universities when the ones on ground lack basic infrastructures and facilities to make them perform as 21st century universities, he said.

He re-echoed ASUUs earlier opposition to the appointment of former Vice-Chancellor of University of Ilorin, UNILORIN, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, as the new Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB. Prof. Sowande insisted that the new JAMB boss was unfit to hold the position he described as sensitive to the education sector.

He said the unions stance on the Islamic scholar was based on his antecedent, which he said was inhuman and anti-democratic.

Sowande also threatened that the union would embark on a nationwide strike to press home its demands for the implementation of its 2009 agreement with the Federal Government.

According to him, ASUU was planning to toe this path after several efforts to ensure that the government addressed the pending demands, proved abortive.

He said that the 2009 FG/ASUU agreement, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on funding of state universities, breaches of the conditions of service and renegotiation of the agreement, were still pending.

The coordinator also mentioned other demands like the exclusion of Nigerian universities from Pension Management Company and non-release of NEEDS Assessment Intervention Fund.

He said funding of state universities, earned academic allowance and renegotiation of the agreement were parts of the outstanding issues.

Sowande recalled that the union had embarked on strike in 2012 and 2013 as part of efforts to make the government implement the agreement, adding that the issues remained unresolved.

He said that the 2009 agreement provided for a periodic review after every three years, which had not been done.

The review of the agreement should have been undertaken in 2012 and 2015 but that did not happen.

The implication is that our union has shown enough patriotism and understanding on these matters in the last four years.

We are perplexed and disappointed that both the federal and state governments are not responding to our consistent appeals to bring about genuine transformation in the education sector, he said.

According to him, embarking on strike has never been a favourable choice as students and ASUU members have always suffered the pains more.

It is unfortunate that the only language government appears to respect and listens to is that of industrial action like strike, he said.

The don said national officers of the union had met with the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu on May 10 and tabled a ten-point demand.

He said the minister had promised that the issues would be resolved within two weeks but nothing had been done till now.

Sowande said that based on the MOU signed in November 2013, Nigerian universities require N1.3trn to revitalise the system, adding that the government was already in arrears of N605bn as at the third quarter of 2016.

He said the government had refused to release N128bn and N250bn respectively for the earned academic allowance of three years after the MoU was signed.

In order to forestall this avoidable crisis, we appeal to all genuinely progressive individuals and groups to prevail on both the federal and state governments to commence release of funds for the listed purposes.

This is to arrest the brewing and potentially combustible situation in the Nigerian university system before it degenerated into a serious conflagration, he said.

Source: NationalMirror
The Nigerian Air Force on Tuesday said to successfully prosecute the war against Boko Haram in the northeast, its fighter jets and other platforms, consumed an average of 1.9million litres of aviation fuel monthly.

The NAF has been a major component of the Operation LAFIYA DOLE in the Northeast, providing support to ground troops by way of aerial reconnaissance, movement of equipment, personnel and medical supplies as well as bombardments of confirmed terrorists locations.

At the current rate of N200 per litre of aviation fuel, the NAF spends a minimum of N380million each month to keep its aircrafts functional in the mission area.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the NAF Logistics Seminar tagged Repositioning NAF logistics for efficient employment of air power in response to contemporary national security imperatives, held in Lagos on Tuesday.

According to Air Marshal Abubakar, NAF has managed to continue its operations across the country despite the scarcity of aviation fuel because it was determined to ensure that no Nigerian territory was under siege.

He said: To support air operations in the northeast, the NAF must put an excellent plan that will ensure availability of aviation fuel in the operational area, whether the product is locally available or not. The service consume an average of 1.9 million litres of aviation fuel monthly.

The main fighter air plane we use, consume 2500 litres/hour and we fly at least two air planes at a time. At that consumption rate, the two consume 5,000 litres every hour and we run two missions.

Those at the seminar included the Minister of Defence, Gen. Muhammad Dan-Ali (rtd), who was represented by the Ministrys Permanent Secretary, Danjuma Sheni; the General Officer Commanding, (GOC) 81 Division, Maj.-Gen. Isidore Edet; Flag Officers Commanding, (FOCs) Western Naval and Logistics Commands, Rear Admirals Fergusson Bobai and Beegroy Ibe-Enwo respectively; Air Officers Commanding, (AOCs) Logistics and Tactical Commands, Air Vice Marshals Sani Ahmed and Muhammad Mohammed, as well as the Chairmen of Air Force Committees at the National Assembly, among others.
In its ongoing efforts to tackle unemployment, the Cross River State Government has given approval to the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB)to recruit 1,000 new teachers across the eighteen Local Government Areas.

Chairman of the Board, Stephen Odey, disclosed this to newsmen in Calabar, as he added that Governor Ben Ayade gave the directives as a result of his administrations passion to improve the quality of teaching at the basic education level.

The State Governor, Ben Ayade has given approval for the recruitment of 1,000 teachers across the eighteen Local Government Areas of the state by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

The need to employ more teachers according to the Board Chairman Stephen Odey became necessary following the Ben-Ayade led governments passion to improve the quality of teaching at the basic education level.

According to Odey, the governor is on a mission to resuscitate the states educational sector that has been riddled with teachers with fake certificates, ghost workers and the fact that, most teachers employed about 12 years ago had passed on without replacement.

He added that applicants will be made to go through vigorous aptitude test, oral interview and verification of certificates before they can be employed.

Meanwhile, the board has started screening applicants with (NCE/B.Ed) from Monday, August 29, to Monday September 12, 2016.
On Aug. 29, four tourists who lost their way in a nature reserve in Guangxi's Jinxiu Yao Autonomous Region were given fines of 2,000 yuan each.

Their rescue came after the group traveled from Nanning to Dayaoshan Nature Reserve on Aug. 27 to watch the sunrise. Once they became lost, they called the police for help. Local police, together with employees from the nature reserve, organized a team of 70 people to search for the lost tourists. They were finally found and taken back to Jinxiu County the next morning.

According to police, a few groups of tourists have become lost in the reserve this summer. The local government has dedicated a lot of money and manpower to rescuing those tourists. Thus, they have come up with a suggestion: require tourists to obtain special permission before entering the nature reserve.

At the very least, tourists should comply with all regulations and avoid overly risky itineraries, said Zhang Jianlin, a tour guide with Guangxi International Travel Agency.
(Xinhua) 20:06, August 31, 2016

SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Aug. 31 -- Three children were injured as a bomb went off in a wedding ceremony in Shiberghan. the capital of northern Jauzjan province on Tuesday, provincial police chief Rahmatullah Turkistani said.

"A bomb blast ripped through a wedding party in a local hotel in Shiberghan city at around 03:30 p.m. local time today injuring three innocent children," Tukistani told Xinhua.

"The reason for the gruesome incident is apparently enmity," the official said, adding those behind the crime have been identified and efforts are underway to arrest and bring them to justice.

Similarly, governor of Jauzjan province Lutfullah Azizi in talks with Xinhua confirmed the incident, saying it was a sticky bomb and the obvious target, the groom, has escaped unhurt.

Investigation has been initiated to determine the reason for the bomb attack in a wedding hall in the relatively peaceful Jauzjan province, the governor added.
Rains in the Plains, Dow soars Sidwell Strategies - Sat Oct 29, 8:38AM CDT 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)
Is the World Bank Group ready to think big again? Thats what many development specialists are hoping following the appointment of Paul Romer, director of the Urbanization Project at New York Universitys Stern School of Business, as the development banks new chief economist.

Romer, 60, is one of the more original and wide-ranging thinkers in economics today. He came to prominence in the 1980s as a proponent of so-called Endogenous Growth Theory, which holds that economic progress depends not just on capital and labor but on the ideas and knowledge that drive technological change. Classical growth theory had regarded such change as exogenous, a random variable outside the economic system, but Romer contends that public policy in areas like education and research can foster it and lift growth rates.

More recently, Romer has focused on the role of urban areas as fonts of innovation and economic dynamism. He has urged poor countries to consider creating new cities, along the lines of Shenzhen in China, to experiment with economic and political reforms. Given that urbanization has been a key driver of growth in developing economies, he may be pushing on an open door with many World Bank clients.

Romer hasnt hesitated to take on what he considers the failings of his own profession. Looting: The Economic Underworld of Bankruptcy for Profit, a seminal 1993 paper he co-authored with George Akerlof, a University of California, Berkeley, economist who would go on to share the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (and is married to a certain Janet Yellen), argued that lax regulation and government guarantees can give firms an incentive to go broke at societys expense. Politicians and economists who pushed for the deregulation of the U.S. savings and loan industry in the 1980s failed to see that those measures were bound to produce looting, it stated.

Intriguingly, for someone who obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, that bastion of free-market economics, Romer wrote a paper last year criticizing some of the Chicago schools leading lights  including Robert Lucas, his thesis adviser and a Nobel prize winner  of what he calls mathiness, or combining complex mathematics with loose language to defend existing theories rather than investigating data with rigor and open-mindedness. He tells Institutional Investor that he hopes to use the World Banks role as a consumer of academic research to reject pseudoscientific nonsense that survives in the academic bubble and help the economics field get back on track.

Paul is a true visionary, says Maurice Obstfeld, recently appointed chief economist at the banks sister agency and Washington neighbor, the International Monetary Fund. I think his presence on 19th Street is going to enrich the policy conversation.

Romer takes over this month from Kaushik Basu, an Indian economist who came to the bank via Cornell University. Although he often said he could never see himself working in Washington, Romer hit it off quickly with Jim Yong Kim, the World Banks president. Kim called him to the banks headquarters for a half-hour interview when he was weighing candidates, and the two men ended up talking for more than two hours.

Paul said to me that his only concern about coming to the World Bank was whether he could have impact at scale, Kim says. The minute I heard that, I decided I would do all I could to recruit him. Ive spent my whole career wanting to have impact at scale for the poor, and here was one of the greatest minds in the world on economic development theory saying he didnt want to do anything small.

Romer arrives at a bank in some turmoil. Although lending continues to grow and Kim has intensified work with key countries, including China and India, many employees never took to Kim, a physician with no formal development background, and still seethe over a restructuring by the president in 2013 and 2014 that forced out several senior executives. After the Obama administration last month nominated Kim for a second term, which would begin July 2017, the banks staff association publicly called for a lengthier and more transparent search process to end a crisis of leadership at the bank. The nomination period closes on September 14, though, and all signs suggest that Kim will easily win a second term and perpetuate U.S. control of the presidency.

He certainly has Romers vote. In a post on his website titled Why It Makes Sense for an M.D. to Lead the World Bank, Romer said that doctors, unlike economists, act quickly because they know delay can be deadly. He applauded Kim for seeking to transform the bank into the type of impatient organization that forces decisions, refuses to settle for modest success, and shuts things down without concern for the feelings of insiders.

Like his boss, Romer is not afraid of bruising egos. Life at the World Bank is about to get very interesting.
(Global Times) 10:43, August 31, 2016

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Mainstream media outlets in Australia have been fretting over Chinese political donations recently, warning that foreign donations could be "skewing" Australia's political decision-making process. In fact, it is groundless and racist accusations against Chinese-linked payments that could skew Australia's democracy.

Australia received a huge amount of political donations through diverse channels from 2013 to 2015. It is impossible to count the money based on the ethnic origins of the donors, and the authorities have never classified donations by the donors' ethnicity.

However, it is certain that donations from people of European descent remain in the majority and far exceed those from Chinese.

It is legal, reasonable and understandable that people donate to engage themselves in politics, which is a long-time practice by Australians of all ethnic origins, especially Europeans.

Some media outlets in Australia deliberately misinterpreted Chinese political donations and linked them to "skewing" democracy. Such an interpretation never occurs with other ethnic groups.

Australian media have blurred the boundaries between "China" and "Chinese." They confused Chinese-descended Australians with Chinese citizens who temporarily stay in Australia, and failed to distinguish among local Chinese firms, China-invested Australian companies and branches of Chinese domestic firms. Some media outlets have groundlessly linked all donations from Chinese to the Chinese government, and even made up conspiracy theories against China under the Cold War mentality.

Australia's parties receive their donations directly from individuals and enterprises, or indirectly from foundations.

In the meantime, Australian law imposes no ban on overseas or anonymous donations. Whether the law should be revised is open to discussion, but the Australian media's pointing fingers at Chinese donations is not only racist, but also snobbish.

Although Chinese have contributed a lot to Australia's development, they show little enthusiasm for local politics and are willing to keep silent on public affairs. Meanwhile, they are happy to donate to different Australian parties.

Political indifference is not in conflict with their enthusiasm for political donations. Chinese residents want to buy a sense of security with political donations. Different from other political donors, Chinese are friendly to politicians but indifferent to politics.

As a result, they are always regarded as cash machines by Australian politicians, who would care little about politically indifferent Chinese donors' interests after being elected.

With their expanding economic influence and education, Chinese Australians are increasingly enthusiastic about political affairs. Chinese have made more donations to Australian political parties and are paying increasing attention to general and local elections in recent years.

However, Chinese donors still need to learn from others about how to participate in politics, how to realize their political appeals by donations, and how to deploy the media to promote their political ideas.

Some media outlets in Australia are not used to Chinese being more engaged in politics, and expect Chinese donors to keep silent on Australian political affairs. All the above will challenge the persistence, capabilities and unity of the Chinese communities.

There is still a long way to go for Chinese to be fully engaged in Australia's politics. Anyhow, Chinese should be more confident and active in Australia's political affairs, which includes confidently donating to local politicians.

The author is chairman of Australia-China Relations institute at the University of Technology, Sydney. [email protected]
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.)
Henderson Brothers Inc., a Pittsburgh, Penn., based insurance broker, has hired Daniel W. Grealish as a consultant in its commercial lines division and an LPL registered representative in its retirement division.

In his new role, Grealish will work to develop strategic partnerships, analyze coverages and review contracts for the firms clients.

Grealish brings more than six years of insurance industry experience to his new role.

Source: Henderson Brothers Inc.

Topics Pennsylvania
New Jersey has joined several other U.S. states in deciding that if a subcontractors defective work damages parts of a general contractors project, the damages are covered under the general contractors standard commercial general liability (CGL) policy.

The New Jersey Supreme Court in August affirmed an intermediate courts ruling last year in Cypress Point Condominium Association Inc. v. Adria Towers LLC.The suit arose following the construction of Cypress Point, a luxury condominium complex in Hoboken, N.J.

Adria Towers LLC, Metro Homes LLC and Commerce Construction Management LLC served collectively as the projects developer and general contractor, while subcontractors carried out most of the work on the project. After construction was complete, the developer was sued by the Cypress Point Condominium Association because several residents reported issues such as water leaks in units and common areas.

According to the association, defective work by subcontractors caused damage to steel supports, exterior and interior sheathing and sheetrock, insulation and other interior areas of the building. As a result, some unit owners reported damage to the interior of their units, including wall sheathing, wall cavity insulation, insulation sheetrock, wall finishes, wood flooring and trim.

The developer sought coverage for the damages under four CGL policies from Evanston Insurance Company and three from Crum & Forster Specialty Insurance Company obtained during construction. However, the insurers denied this claim, stating that the defects could not be covered under the CGL policies because damages stemming from a general contractors own work are excluded from the policies. The developer argued that because damages were caused by the work of subcontractors who did not properly install the roof, gutters, windows, doors and other parts of the complex, the coverage exclusion shouldnt apply.

This issue previously came to light in a 1979 lawsuit, Weedo v. Stone-E-Brick Inc., under which the court found that the replacement or repair of faulty workmanship is a business expense that should be taken on by the insured, and CGL policies do not cover the cost.

In its latest decision, however, the court found that the developers CGL policies were modeled after the 1986 version of the standard form CGL policy put in place by the Insurance Services Office Inc. (ISO). The policies differ from the 1973 standard form ISO CGL policies referenced in the Weedo case. This is because the policies state that the exclusion of coverage for defective work performed by the insured does not apply if the work is carried out by a subcontractor on the insureds behalf.

The court also highlighted that if an insurer decides not to cover the work of subcontractors because it is too great a risk, it can amend its policy to exclude coverage by eliminating the subcontractor exception or adding a breach of contract exclusion.

The consequential damages caused by the subcontractors faulty workmanship constitute property damage, and the event resulting in that damage  water from rain flowing into the interior of the property due to the subcontractors faulty workmanship  is an occurrence under the plain language of the CGL policies at issue here, the court stated in a published opinion.

Topics Legislation Contractors New Jersey Construction
Dubai International Financial Centre said the number of companies based in the hub rose 16 percent during the first half even as lower oil prices and slowing economic growth forced some banks in the United Arab Emirates to cut jobs.

More than 1,500 companies, including 425 financial firms, are now based in the tax-free business park with the number of employees increasing 14 percent to 21,000, the DIFC said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday. HSBC Holdings Plc said it is moving its Middle East headquarters to the center this year from Jersey, while Bahrains Ahli United Bank BSC also set up in the DIFC, it said.

Oil prices that have slumped by more than 50 percent since 2014 have drained billions of dollars from the U.A.E.s banking system, slowed investment and forced some global and regional banks to fire workers to boost returns. Banks in the country, which also includes Abu Dhabi, may have cut as many as 1,500 jobs, according to financial recruiters and Bloomberg calculations earlier this year.

A city of about 2.6 million people, Dubai became a regional banking center after opening the DIFC in 2004 to attract international banks, asset managers and insurers with promises of zero taxes for 50 years. Firms such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup Inc. have their regional offices there, as well as local lenders such as Emirates NBD PJSC.

Regional Competition

The center is facing growing competition from cities such as Riyadh and Doha, which are also setting up their own financial hubs. The U.A.E. capital set up the Abu Dhabi Global Markets free zone in 2013 and has ambitions to develop it into a global financial business hub.

Its also growing even as the global financial services industry struggles with a rising regulatory burden and lower profitability. Half a million jobs have been eliminated across the financial industry since the 2008 crisis, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A further round of job cuts in London is likely this month if client activity doesnt pick up, according to multiple banking executives, who asked not to be named discussing personnel matters.

Saudi Arabia is developing the $10 billion King Abdullah Financial District, which so far has struggled to attract banks. KAFD, as it is known, was envisaged as a modern financial hub that would bring banks, financial-services firms, auditors and lawyers as well as the kingdoms stock exchange and capital-market authority into one area.

As of April, not a single financial institution had agreed to take space in the 73 buildings the Saudi state is constructing at the KAFD, according to Waleed Aleisa, chief executive officer and project manager of the district at developer Al Raidah. The one lender on the 1.6 million square-meter (17.2 million square-foot) site north of the city center is Samba Financial Group, which bought a plot of land and is building its own tower.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
An Iowa agency has proposed fining Adventureland park after an investigation prompted by the June death of a worker at the theme park.

Officials have said Steve Booher was fatally injured June 7 when the Raging River ride started unexpectedly as he was helping people off.

The Des Moines Register reports that the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined the Altoona park $4,500. The park has 15 days to contest the agencys findings. A park spokeswoman didnt immediately return a call from The Associated Press.

A day after the accident state inspectors reported finding found no safety defects. But after a lengthy investigation, Iowa OSHA determined that Adventureland should install devices to ensure that ride assistants are positioned safely before ride operators let the boats advance.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Iowa
Donald J. Trump and his now-defunct real-estate university lost another legal attempt to block former students from suing as a group in a California case accusing the Republican presidential candidate of fraud.

Trump University is accused of cheating students by persuading them to pay tens of thousands of dollars for real-estate seminars that turned out to be infomercials for buying more classes. The former students also claim workshops were led by instructors who hadnt been hand-picked by Trump as promised.

U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel in San Diego on Monday rejected Trumps argument that one of the lead plaintiffs in the case, Sonny Low, wasnt actually concerned with whether Trump University was an accredited institution. One of the key claims in the class-action suit is that the students had relied on their belief that the school was accredited when they paid to attend.

The former students from California, New York and Florida seek compensation under consumer-fraud and elder-abuse laws. The case has dogged Trump as he battles Democrat Hillary Clinton ahead of the Nov. 8 general election, while Curiels Mexican heritage earlier prompted Trump to say that negative rulings in the case were retribution for his pledge to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Curiel has scheduled a trial in the case for Nov. 28.

Curiel said the billionaires lawyers were relying on a selective interpretation of Lows deposition, in which the former student said that accreditation was not even a consideration for me, according to the ruling. I went there because it was Trump University, that he created.

Proper Institution

The judge pointed to other portions of the deposition that suggested the former student believed Trump University was legitimate due to its association with Trump, regardless of whether it was accredited. Besides being a multi-billionaire in real estate, he set up Trump University, which I would presume that he took all the steps necessary to set up a proper institution that he could call a university, with his name next to it, Low said in the deposition.

Trumps lawyer in the case, Daniel Petrocelli, didnt immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment on the ruling.

Trump Universitys lawyers have argued that sales pitches touting secrets and hand-picked instructors are mere puffery common to advertising, and that they cant be used to argue there was fraud. Trump also believed the students were receiving a high-quality education, the defense has said, while arguing there was no intent to defraud anyone.

Trump is also asking Curiel to undo class-action status in a second Trump University class action in San Diego in which the Republican presidential nominee is accused of racketeering.

The consumer fraud case is Low v. Trump University LLC, 10-cv-00940, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California (San Diego). The racketeering case is Cohen v. Trump, 13-cv-02519, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California (San Diego).

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits California USA Legislation Fraud Education Universities
Sompo Canopius AG is diving into the U.S. ocean marine business. The global specialty insurer and reinsurer, which is wholly-owned by Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc., calls this a significant expansion of its U.S. business that will complement its marine business written in London.

The firms current U.S. operations include facultative property reinsurance and financial and professional lines business written from its New York office.

The insurer has named John Ellis, previously with XL Catlin, as head of U.S. Ocean Marine. Ellis will be based in New York and report to Mike Southgate, global head of Marine, Energy and Engineering.

Sompo Canopius has also hired Angela Nolan, also from XL Catlin, as underwriting assistant and vice president.

Ellis will lead the development and strategy of the business, as well as a further build out of the team.

It has become increasingly clear that to be competitive in this market, we need a presence in New York, closer to the business and our clients, said Southgate said.

Ellis began his underwriting career at International Marine Underwriters (IMU). He moved to Global Special Risk, and then to RSA where he was product line manager for hull and liabilities lines. In 2003 he rejoined IMU as regional president, managing its ocean and inland marine book for the northeast U.S. for nearly 10 years. He then moved to XL Catlin in 2013 where he was regional vice president, managing its marine and inland book for the northeast U.S.

Nolan graduated from St. Johns University and began her career at XL Catlin where she underwrote all marine lines while building a book of business.

Southgate, who was previously joint active underwriter at Montpelier Syndicate 5151, joined Sompo Canopius in March as part of the companys plan to increase its marine, energy and engineering business.

Sompo Canopius has underwriting operations in the UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, Bermuda, U.S. and Singapore. It underwrites through Lloyds Syndicate 4444 (managed by Canopius Managing Agents limited); a US surplus lines insurer, Canopius US Insurance, Inc.; and a Zurich-based reinsurance company, Sompo Japan Canopius Reinsurance AG.

Related:

Topics USA New York Underwriting Reinsurance New Markets AXA XL Human Resources
Insurance and financial services firm, Higginbotham, has hired commercial property/casualty insurance broker Ryan B. Dill as associate at its Houston practice.

Dill joins Higginbothams 110 local insurance, risk management and employee benefit professionals after six years in business development with oil and gas service providers in Houston.

Dill was most recently a business developer and corporate account manager at Hunting Energy Services, a manufacturer and distributor of oil and gas products.

Higginbotham was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with 25 additional offices statewide.

Source: Higginbotham

Topics Agencies Commercial Lines
Louisiana State Police say a bus driver accused of killing two people in a five-vehicle wreck on Sunday had been ticketed Aug. 5 for driving without a license.

Trooper Melissa Matey says 37-year-old Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez of Honduras was driving a smaller vehicle when he was cited earlier this month.

On Sunday, he was driving the bus that hit a firetruck and other vehicles Sunday, killing two and injuring 36.

The firetruck was blocking traffic while police investigated an earlier crash on I-10 near LaPlace, about 30 miles west of New Orleans.

State police said Sunday that two men were in critical condition and two were seriously injured. Matey says one remains in critical condition. But hospitals report that two are in fair condition and one has been released.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana Personal Auto
File Photo

Producers of HBO's fantasy drama Game of Throneswill work on a new historical series based on the life of Wu Zetian, the only empress in the history of China, according to a report by Hollywood Reporters.

Christopher Newman, the brain behind Game, has signed a deal with Starlight Media and K. Jam Media to develop and create 13-episode drama Empress. Starlight Media will fully finance the series, estimated at $70 million, and is reported to shop the project from K. Jam Media to broadcast networks after completion.

Production is set to begin in Sichuan province in late 2017, with a premiere scheduled for 2018.

Wu Zetian, China's only empress in history, was ruler of the country during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-906). Wu was known for her wit and intelligence along with her ruthlessness and desire to achieve ultimate power regardless of means. The series will follow her rise to the top through the court of Emperor Taizong as his favorite concubine.

Newman will executively produce the series alongside Starlight Media chairman Xu Yan, CEO Peter Luo and Beely Lee, as well as K. Jam CEO Kia Jam.

"I am very happy to announce this partnership and am looking forward to working with this excellent creative team to bring the story of the Empress Wu to a global audience," Xu said in a statement.

"My partner Chris and I have already started to assemble a world-class team and are thrilled to be in business with our friends at Starlight Media. The story of the empress is a story of intrigue, history and power that provides a deep storytelling well that we hope will have numerous seasons to follow," Jam added.

Starlight Media is a US-based company founded by Xu in 2013. K. Jam Media is an independent film and TV production company based in Los Angeles. Newman, aside from his work in Game of Thrones, has worked on Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace, Notting Hilland Love Actually.

Empressis uncast at the moment.
Southwest Florida bee farmers are having a difficult summer because thieves have been stealing their hives, lots of them, to the tune of $150,000 or more. So far, none of the hundreds of stolen hives have been recovered, law enforcement agencies said.

More than 500 hives have been taken from large corporate-type bee farms to small, mom-and-pop operations since June in Lee and Charlotte counties.

Statewide, around 1,200 hives have been taken this year.

The thefts have prompted the formation of a multi-state task force and have hurt some smaller bee operations enough that some are considering quitting what had once been been viable honey and pollination operations. Worker bees pollinate plants when they go from flower to flower.

Wonderful Bees, with operations in Lee and Charlotte counties, is one of the larger bee providers in the United States. The company has reported nearly 400 hives stolen in two locations in Lee County and another with a similar number of hives in Charlotte County since the end of June.

Gene McAvoy, agricultural agent for Hendry County and a regional vegetable agent with the University of Florida, said Wonderful Bees has had 732 hives stolen in recent weeks. With hives worth roughly $215 to $250 each that would make the companys losses more than $150,000 since June.

The number of hives and their value were not included in the Charlotte County report but the charge for anyone arrested in this case was listed as felony grand theft, which is based on the theft of items totaling from $20,000 to under $100,000.

Mark T. Carmel, spokesman for Wonderful Bees, said he couldnt comment due to the police investigation. The company is offering $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those responsible.

We take any theft of our property very seriously and are working closely with local law enforcement, he said.

None of the hundreds of hives stolen have been recovered, local law enforcement officials said, and the only evidence at the theft sites were tire tracks.

Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers recently released an alert about the thefts and offered $1,000 for information leading to an arrest. Those with information can call 800-780-8477.

McAvoy said Hendry County has experienced its share of bee thefts over the years but not the scope of Wonderful Bees recent losses.

Theres a lot of thefts in agriculture in Hendry County, McAvoy said. He said the bees are an attractive target because they are a critical component in farming with the insects responsible for pollinating crops such as citrus, cucumbers and watermelons.

A lot of people dont realize there are about 2 million bees moved around this country, McAvoy said.

There are many reasons for the hive thefts, such as wanting to resell them, wanting to build an operation for pollinating almond growing operations in California, or local pollination or honey production, said Melissa Councell. She operates Councell Farms Professional Bee Removal in Cape Coral with her husband Keith. An established hive can be worth up to $300, she said.

Cape Coral beekeeper Thomas Morgan has lost a number of hives to thieves this summer and, earlier in 2016, a smaller beekeeper in Lehigh Acres had 12 hives taken.

Morgan, a beekeeper and honey producer for 37 years, might close his nearly thousand-hive Southwest Florida operation by December because of the thefts.

Thieves took most of the honey and a few of the hives from 200 of his boxes. A fence protecting the hive area had been cut.

I dont do this just for me, the Cape Coral beekeeper said. Ive supported a family, two families actually. Its like someone taking the crabs out of a crab pot. Its affecting my livelihood.

The crime is not just local. According to a report aired on NPR, California reported 1,734 hives stolen during peak almond pollination season in 2016. In one area, Butte County, the number of stolen hives jumped from 200 in 2015 to 400 this year.

These are real professional thieves, Morgan said. They arent beekeepers. You have a new breed of thieves here, they are pushy and ruthless.

He said it is not difficult for thieves to take hives because the boxes are usually placed in cow pastures or fields and can be hidden by trees and brush. All it takes is a front-end loader and a flatbed truck to load the hives.

He has taken to placing hives behind locked gates, but even that hasnt helped. What am I supposed to do, he said. It hurts. It hurts a lot and puts a lot of pressure on me.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Florida Fraud Agribusiness
Authorities in North Carolina say seven workers were treated at a hospital for minor injuries and several nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution after cleaning chemicals interacted at a meat packing plant in the community of Tar Heel south of Fayetteville.

Bladen County Emergency Services spokesman Bradley Kinlaw tells local media outlets that the workers were cleaning about 3:30 a.m. Monday when the chemicals interacted at the Smithfield Packing Plant.

Kinlaw says acid interacted with sodium hypochlorite which is used as a disinfectant.

He says the chemicals were contained inside the building and the building is being ventilated before workers are allowed back on the job.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Homeowners North Carolina Chemicals
A Denver, Colo. proposal to give marijuana tourists clubs to legally use the drug has failed to make city ballots this fall.

But a second proposal to allow some marijuana use at bars and restaurant still awaits word on whether it will go before voters.

Denver elections officials this week said that a social-use ordinance failed to get the 4,726 valid signatures required to make ballots. The question would have asked voters whether to allow 21-and-over pot clubs.

Colorado law doesnt allow nor ban public use. The result is a patchwork of local policies.

No other states with legal recreational pot have licensed clubs statewide. Alaska is working on regulations to allow consumption where the drug is sold, but the regulations arent up and running yet.

The second Denver petition is under review.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SCAN Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan serving parts of California and Arizona, is offering about 87,000 members one year of credit and identity protection services after a cyber attack.

The insurer learned on June 27 that contact sheets used for sales purposes had been accessed and possibly viewed. SCAN said that the sheets may have been accessed as early as March.

We are confident this was not an organized attack on our systems with the intent to undermine our operations or deliberately compromise individuals identity, a SCAN spokesperson tells Health Data Management. A member called into SCAN to report a sales solicitation from an individual claiming to represent the organization. We immediately launched an investigation and learned that legitimate employee credentials were used for the unauthorized purpose of client development for an outside insurance agency. We are continuing to actively investigate this incident.

To date, there is no indication that information has been used inappropriately, according to the plan. Compromised protected health information from the attack on SCAN Health included names, addresses, and phone numbers for all affected members, dates of birth and limited medical information for some others, and less than 500 Social Security numbers.

In a notification letter to affected members, SCAN Health gave detailed information on how to receive and review credit reports and the importance of getting a copy of the police report in the event of identity theft. In addition to the protection services being offered, the plan also suggested members place a fraud alert and security freeze on their files with credit bureaus.
Crashing waves, starlit skies and spectacular waterfalls are just some of the dramatic backdrops featured in a selection of the world's best destination wedding photographs.

Whether photographers captured romantic nuptials under Hawaiian palm trees or couples overlooking Norwegian valleys, Junebug Weddings has chosen the top 50 shots of this year's magical destination weddings from across the globe.

The annual contest, which launched in 2014, received 4,000 stunning submissions from professional wedding photographers and they were whittled down by the online wedding planners.

Like something out of a fantasy film the dramatic waterfall Selijalandsfoss in Iceland creates a stunning backdrop for this couple.

The last couple on earth: The epic vista at Torlltunga in Norway conveys sense of majesty in this wedding shot.

A pair of newlyweds a treated to a sky filled with colourful hot air balloons at Cappadocia in Turkey.

A bride and groom gaze into each others eyes while waves crash behind them at Bombo Quarry, New South Wales, Australia.

Breath-taking locations such as Fuji, Iceland, Taiwan, Indonesia, Seychelles and Morocco all made the cut in the final collection.

In one photo taken by Wedding Nama, the newlyweds are surrounded by rising hot air balloons in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Another highlight shows a love-struck couple gazing into a starry night sky in Yosemite, California, USA.

A love-struck couple gazing into a starry night sky in Yosemite, California, USA.

Junebug Weddings has chosen the top 50 shots of this year's magical destination weddings from across the globe. Pictured is a couple on a boat in Varanasi, India.

The annual contest, which launched in 2014, received 4,000 stunning submissions from professional wedding photographers and they were whittled down by the online wedding planners.

Runaway bride and groom: A married couple jog through fields at Queenstown, New Zealand.

Editor and chef for Junebug weddings, Carrie Schwab said: 'We ask that photographers submit photos that merge the beauty of a destination with the love between a couple.

'Other than this main rule, the contest is pretty open to interpretation, which results in a fun and creative set of images.

'Our expert judges, along with the Junebug Weddings team, look for photos that demonstrate technical skill and creativity.

Editor and chef for Junebug weddings, Carrie Schwab said: 'We ask that photographers submit photos that merge the beauty of a destination with the love between a couple. Pictured a bride and groom celebrate their marriage in Marrakech Morocco.

A sultry sunset offsets spectacular architecture and a happy couple in this shot taken in Udaipur, India.
Un ottobre da sogno per Antonio Conte: lex ct della Nazionale italiana, attualmente alla guida del Chelsea, nelle ultime quattro gare di Premier League ha collezionato solo successi, conditi da 11 reti segnate e addirittura nessuna incassata. Numeri da record che non sono certo passati inosservati alla Federazione inglese, la quale ha conferito al tecnico leccese lambito premio di Manager del mese.

Unavventura oltremanica iniziata in sordina, quella di Conte, pur a fronte di tre vittorie nelle prime tre gare di campionato. A far vacillare, anche se solo per un momento, le certezze del patron del club londinese, Roman Abramovich, i risultati conseguiti tra la 4a e la 6a giornata, coincisi con un pareggio sul campo dello Swansea City e, soprattutto, con le due pesanti sconfitte subite dal Liverpool, sul terreno casalingo di Stamford Bridge, e dallArsenal. In particolare, la debacle interna coi Reds, aveva irritato non poco il numero uno russo, poiche occorsa proprio nel giorno della sua 250esima partita da presidente della societa.

Come detto, solo un momento. Dopo lincontro dellEmirates, il tecnico salentino cambia modulo, adottando un piu equilibrato 3-4-3 e inserendo elementi di corsa come lo spagnolo Pedro. Una svolta totale perche, di li in poi, il Chelsea inanellera solo e soltanto vittorie: 2 gol allHull City e al Southampton in trasferta, 3 ai campioni dInghilterra del Leicester e 4 allo United in casa, con un meraviglioso numero zero nella casella delle reti subite. Un fantastico poker, ottenuto tra l1 e il 29 ottobre. Un cambio di marcia sbalorditivo, confermato dal 5 a 0 rifilato ai toffees dellEverton nel primo match di novembre, e una scalata che, man mano, ha portato i blues al secondo posto in classifica, a soli 2 punti dal Liverpool capolista.

E allora, non poteva mancare il riconoscimento di migliore allenatore del mese, ottenuto surclassando tecnici del calibro di Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) e Mark Hughes (Southampton). Tanta, ovviamente, la soddisfazione: E un grande onore e voglio condividerlo con i giocatori e con la societa  ha dichiarato Conte sul sito ufficiale della Premier League -. E la prima volta che lavoro in un altro Paese, con una cultura diversa, e portare la propria filosofia non e facile, ma ora sono contento di questa scelta.

A completare la festa, la premiazione del fantasista belga, Eden Hazard, come miglior giocatore di ottobre. Due risultati importanti per il club, ottimo incentivo per la rincorsa al trono dei campioni, occupato dal Leicester di Ranieri. Il prossimo appuntamento per l11 di Conte sara al Riverside Stadium, tana del Middlesborough neopromosso. Il tempo di festeggiare e gia finito.
I numeri del settore turistico del Belpaese si avvicinano a quelli del periodo pre-pandemia, ma sui margini delle imprese pesa il caro energia, secondo unindagine di Assoturismo. I dati parziali ci dicono che in tantissime realta sono stati superati i numeri del 2019, dichiara il ministro del Turismo Massimo Garavaglia alla presentazione della Sesta Conferenza mondiale dellenoturismo ad Alba, ma non ci accontentiamo e vogliamo che non sia solo un rimbalzo ma un punto di partenza per una crescita stabile perche lItalia merita di conquistare quote di mercato ulteriori.

I dati

Nel complesso, tra stranieri e italiani, le localita marine e montane hanno segnato una crescita del +11% circa rispetto al 2021, +21,9 per le imprese delle localita dei laghi, +20,5% per il turismo rurale e collinare, +18,1% per le aree termali. Pero, il recupero piu significativo e stato quello delle citta e dei centri darte, le destinazioni piu penalizzate dallemergenza sanitaria: rispetto allo scorso anno la crescita dei pernottamenti e del +31%. Archiviato il trimestre estivo, linteresse degli imprenditori e ora sul prolungamento della stagione anche nel mese di settembre. In valori assoluti, la variazione attesa per settembre 2022, rispetto allo stesso periodo dello scorso anno, e di oltre +2,7 milioni di pernottamenti, per un totale di 44,3 milioni. A segnalare maggiore ottimismo le imprese delle citta darte con un +15,9% di prenotazioni. Le bollette di luce e gas sono praticamente triplicate e questo ha ridotto di molto i margini per le imprese del turismo, dato che i pacchetti per la stagione estiva sono stati venduti prima degli aumenti. Il quasi ritorno del turismo ai livelli pre-pandemia e sicuramente una buona notizia, ma  commenta il presidente di Assoturismo Confesercenti Vittorio Messina  senza interventi concreti a sostegno delle imprese, migliaia di strutture ricettive e attivita del comparto non potranno piu sostenere la spesa per lenergia e saranno costrette a chiudere.

Garavaglia: Punto di partenza per crescita stabile

I dati parziali ci dicono che in tantissime realta sono stati superati i numeri del 2019, una cosa particolarmente rilevante visto che nei primi 4 mesi dellanno cerano ancora restrizioni e cosi anche nel periodo pasquale. Ma non ci accontentiamo e vogliamo che non sia solo un rimbalzo ma un punto di partenza per una crescita stabile perche lItalia merita di conquistare quote di mercato ulteriori, cosi Garavaglia. Il ministero del Turismo e stato istituito dal governo Draghi ed e stata unottima intuizione: si veniva da periodo difficolta e serviva una fase di sostegno. Ma ora serve anche la fase di sviluppo. Siamo quinti negli arrivi, si puo fare di piu. Alcuni risultati positivi sono arrivati con listituzione del ministero, come il recupero della competitivita del settore e la risalita nelle varie classifiche mondiali, ma possiamo migliorare. Visti i risultati e la consapevolezza, sono convinto che il ministero del Turismo restera e anzi sara ancora piu forte perche si e capito che e un settore strategico. Non a caso il Pil cresce grazie al settore dei servizi, ha aggiunto il ministro rispondendo a una domanda alla presentazione della Conferenza mondiale sullenoturismo.
Gold has long been regarded as a safe haven in times of market turmoil. Many investors have gained exposure to the precious metal by buying stocks of companies engaged in exploration and mining. Some of the major players in the gold industry include Canada-based Franco-Nevada Corp., Newmont Corp., and Australia-based Newcrest Mining Ltd.

Gold stocksas represented by an exchange-traded fund (ETF), the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX)have underperformed the broader market over the past year. GDX has provided a total return of -20.8% over the past 12 months, below the -15.2% total return of the Russell 1000 Index. These market performance numbers, and all statistics in the tables and company developments below, are as of Sept. 22, 2022.

Here are the top five gold stocks with the best value, fastest growth, and most momentum.

Value investing is a factor-based investing strategy that involves picking stocks that you believe are trading for less than what they are intrinsically worth, usually by measuring the ratio of the stocks price to one or more fundamental business metrics. A widely accepted value metric is price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. Value investors believe that if a business is cheap compared with its intrinsic valuein this case, as measured by its P/E ratiothen the stock price may rise faster than that of others as the price comes back in line with the worth of the company.

These are the stocks with the lowest 12-month trailing P/E ratio.
Top News - Investor Idea

REE Stock News - Defense Metals (TSX-V: DEFN.V) (OTCQB: DFMTF) Drills 113 metres of 2.50% Total Rare Earth Oxide at Wicheeda

Vancouver, British Columbia - October 26, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mining / Metals / Green Energy Stock News - Defense Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DEFN / OTCQB: DFMTF/ FSE:35D) is pleased to announce high-grade Rare Earth Element ("REE") assay results from one additional core hole, totalling 383 metres (m), collared within the northern area of Defense Metals' 100% owned Wicheeda REE Deposit.

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Breaking EV Stock News: Pre-orders for Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) FIVE Electric-SUV Crossover Exceed Expectations as the FIVE 'Strikingly Different' Tour Begins

BREA, Calif. - October 28, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces today that the Mullen FIVE "Strikingly Different" EV Crossover Tour which began yesterday, in Pasadena, California, is off to a great start with first day reservations exceeding expectations and overwhelmingly positive customer feedback.

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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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A friendly dog has become one of New York's latest tourist attractions, thanks to her love of hugging strangers.

Louboutina the golden retriever is fast becoming a social media star thanks to her affectionate nature, as passers-by have taken to posing for pictures when they spot her on the street.

There are scores of pictures of the pet pooch on her hind legs, with her front paws clasped around a man or woman's thighs, that are posted by fans on Instagram.

Louboutina the Golden Retriever has become one of New York's latest tourist attractions, thanks to her love of hugging strangers.

New Yorker Cesar Fernandez-Chavez (pictured) was given Louboutina as a gift by his best friend five years ago.

The images are all re-tweeted by her owner Cesar Fernandez-Chavez on Louboutina's own page, which now has thousands of followers.

New Yorker Cesar was given Louboutina as a gift by his best friend five years ago, when she was just a puppy, then two and a half years ago she started to 'hold hands' with her owner, which graduated to 'hugging'.

He told MailOnline Travel: 'Louboutina started "holding hands" in February 2014, a week before Valentine's day, I never discouraged her but learned to be patient and let her do her trick.

'Then in the spring of 2015 she started "hugging me" and since last winter she has been hugging other people more often.'

Passers-by have taken to posing for pictures with Louboutina when they spot her on the street.

There are scores of pictures on Instagram of the pet pooch on her hind legs, with her front paws clasped around a man or woman's thighs.

Louboutina's affectionate nature means she makes fans whenever they take a walk in their local neighbourhood.

According to Cesar, Louboutina's affectionate nature means she makes fans whenever they take a walk in their local neighbourhood.

He said: 'We live in downtown Manhattan and walk all over Chelsea, West Village or Gramercy Park and whenever she stops to hold hands or hug she breaks hearts, because I can always hear people saying, "aww", "adorable" and "how cute".

'She doesn't need prompting - hugging happens whenever she decides, but what I have noticed is that she likes to be seen, so when we are on a busy street she decides to stop and hug, then she looks around like as if to say, "Hey look I'm cute!"'

Cesar can usually tell when Louboutina wants to give one of her famous hugs nowadays, as she has a routine when she meets a stranger that she likes.

He said: 'I now know when she wants to hug other people as she leans on them, then sits next to them before sitting on her back legs to hug them.

'But I think she tries to bond first with that person by leaning on them.'

Cesar can usually tell when Louboutina wants to give one of her famous hugs nowadays, as she has a routine when she meets a stranger that she likes.

She is now so popular that tourists make an effort to come and find her when they are visiting the city.
It appears the controversial Church of Scientology may be widening its recruitment in Ireland to people in the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking areas) and other Irish-speakers throughout the country with attempts made by a sub-company of the church to translate their educational and information supplements into Irish.

According to Tuairisc.ie, the subcompany  Golden Era Productions  recently wrote to a number of Irish translators looking for people qualified and interested in reproducing their programs in Irish.

In addition to the many languages we already provide we will also now be making our materials available in Gaelic and thus we are looking for qualified and interested translators, the company wrote.

As well as making the Churchs material on human rights, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, and their other educational material available in Irish, it is believed the company wanted translators to also work with them on translating the training videos they make available for their followers around the world.

This is apparently not the first times member of the church have attempted to translate their material to Irish. Hubbard's drug rehabilitation program Narconon is also believed to be behind an earlier attempt to contact Irish translators via the translation service called ProZ.com in October 2015, acting under the guise of a charity organization.

Translators were told that as the charity had limited funds, the rate of reimbursement would be lower than the normal standard offered for such work.

With a stockpile of audio-visual and written material to translate, one of the translators, Amy Ni Cholgain from Donegal, wrote about the project in the popular Irish-language Facebook group Gaeilge Amhain. (Only Irish  a group for Facebook users to share interesting stories, engage in discussion, ask questions or share their own work, where only Irish is allowed.) Ni Cholgain was initially unaware that the material to be translated was the work of L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology.

Ni Cholgain became suspicious, however, once she attempted the trial translation that was attached to the call for translators.

Sentences in the translation project included: The drug scene is planetwide and swimming in blood and human misery  And children of drug-taking mothers are born as druggies.

After further research among members of Gaeilge Amhain the above sentence was found to be the work of Narconon, a company that works to publicize Hubbard's opinions regarding the use of drugs.

Read more: Strange extremist religious cult recruits heavily in Ireland

The Church of Scientology has only one location in Ireland, on Dublins Abbey Street, although members are believed to be located throughout the country. The Churchs official website mistakenly lists that location as a United Kingdom branch.

Despite its attempts to claim charitable, tax-free status in Ireland, the Church of Scientology is yet to be officially recognized in the country as a religion, though it is free to promote Scientology beliefs.

For many years the Irish branches of the Church struggled to stay out of the red, relying on their richer American counterparts to keep them afloat. After an eight-year legal battle with a former member, the Dublin branches were bailed out by a $445,000 no-interest loan from the US branches. The case was eventually settled out of court in 2002.

In March 2016, Irish auditors from Kilcoyne & Co. Accountants raised concerns that the company behind the Dublin branch may no longer be viable, despite reducing their losses last year to just $19. In the year ending April 2015, donations to the Irish branch of the Church had risen some 76% but still saw the company struggling with finances.

The directors of the Irish company, which claims its main activities are the operation of a church and the provision of religious services, are listed as the non-executive director of the Church of Scientology Mission of Dublin, Gerard Ryan and Siobhan Ryan.

The controversial church is believed to have just a few hundred members in Ireland, although exact figures are not provided.
A proposal by the de Blasio administration to convert a Holiday Inn Express in Maspeth to a homeless shelter has caused outrage among many residents of the tight-knit Queens, NY community, many of whom are Irish and profoundly worried about the impact the plan would have on their way of life.

At the start of August the administration revealed plans to house homeless families at the Holiday Inn Express on 55th Road in Maspeth, a highly visible building right off the Long Island Expressway within walking distance of residences, a park and local businesses. The facility could accommodate up to 220 homeless people in its 110 rooms, with the stipulation that no children under the age of 18 would be housed there.

The citys Department of Homeless Services had targeted an October 1 opening for the shelter, but an agreement has not yet been finalized according to Maggie Hayes, a spokesperson for New York City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley who represents the area and is a staunch opponent of the plan.

Maspeth residents and business owners, fearful that a shelter will lead to rising crime and loitering, immediately vented their fury at the Holiday Inn conversion, with thousands attending demonstrations and marching in the streets. A meeting hosted by the local Community Board 5 is scheduled for Wednesday, August 31 at 7 p.m. at the Knockdown Center at 52-19 Flushing Avenue and is expected to draw an overflow crowd. Officials from the Department of Homeless Services are scheduled to speak and answer questions about the proposal.

Irish and Polish immigrant families have called Maspeth home for years and remain a strong presence in the community, which is only five miles from Manhattan but not easily accessible by subway. Grand Avenue, the main street in the town, is dotted with many Irish-owned businesses and bars/restaurants.

Michelle Boyce, a native of Newry, Co. Down and owner of the popular Irish cafe and food store Shellys, right off Grand at 66th Street, told our sister publication the Irish Voice that shes extremely worried and concerned by how her year-old business will be impacted if the shelter becomes a reality.

It is very frustrating, said Boyce, a resident of Maspeth for the past six years who worked in the hospitality industry before deciding to branch out on her own, offering homemade hot Irish meals, groceries and more to her varied clientele.

Maspeth is full of Irish, she says, and has a real mom and pop flavor. Its a lovely community. But we are already experiencing problems with criminal behavior. Ive seen it myself.

Shellys is a short walk from the Holiday Inn Express and Boyce, like many other locals, has noticed unsavory behavior from unknowns in the nearby park.

There are already homeless people around here and it can get scary, said Boyce, who travels to her business by car because of her growing fear of walking early in the morning or late at night.

Opening Shellys was a dream come true for Boyce, who works long hours (the cafe is open from 5:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.), employs 15 locals and serves a full Irish menu of favorites such as stew, curries, sherry trifle and a traditional Irish breakfast. The cafe also sells Irish groceries.

If she could talk directly to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Boyce would tell him that he should take into consideration the effect the shelter will have on hard-working local businesses. We all have to pay the rent. We all have to make a living. Why would he want to make that harder for us?

Boyce stressed that she doesnt want to be organizing boycotts or pickets. Thats not who I am and thats not what Maspeth is.

But I have a business to run and I have to worry about paying my rent, she added.

This is just very unsettling for us. Its a family neighborhood. People want to feel comfortable walking their kids to school, and walking around their neighborhood, and now all that is changing. Its not right.

Peggy Dempseys, an Irish pub and restaurant at 64-14 Flushing Avenue, about a mile from the Holiday Inn Express, opened in March of this year, but proprietor Brian Dempsey would have thought twice about the move had he known a nearby homeless shelter was a possibility.

One of the things we calculated when we decided to open was the proximity to nearby hotels, not shelters, Dempsey told the Irish Voice.

Were just a new business in the neighborhood, added Dempsey, a native of Rockaway Beach who also owns Brian Dempseys on Bell Boulevard in Bayside, Queens.

I dont see that having the shelter in a nice neighborhood will add anything to Maspeth at all. I think it will bring the neighborhood down.

Hayes, the spokesperson for Council Member Crowley, told the Irish Voice that the Holiday Inn Express conversion from hotel to shelter is absolutely not a done deal, and that nothing has been signed.

As far as were concerned, were pursuing every legal and legislative avenue we can take to prevent it from happening, Hayes said.

On August 9, Crowley wrote a letter to de Blasio stating her opposition to the proposed shelter.

It is a shortsighted, fiscally irresponsible and completely inadequate plan for the homeless and for the Maspeth community. Hotel rooms are by no means suitable for anyone who has fallen on hard times. It puts occupants in an unstable environment, and is not the right answer when addressing our citys homelessness crisis, Crowley wrote.

There are already three shelters within blocks of the proposed Holiday Inn site, greatly impacting the Maspeth community. The administrations efforts should be devoted to working with the developers, community boards, and elected officials offices to build affordable housing in Maspeth and the surrounding area.

Crowley also made her opposition known to the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) which owns the Holiday Inn brand. She wrote a letter on August 25 to the companys CEO Elie Maalouf urging him to put the brakes on the conversion.
Britain's decision to leave the European Union could have a serious impact on the Irish hotel sector, it has been claimed.

The Annual Ireland Hotel Survey - which is being published today - shows positive findings overall, but also voices concerns that the impact of Brexit may be felt over the coming years.
Aerial view of the world's longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge over the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon at Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area in Zhangjiajie city, Central China's Hunan province, Aug 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

In Zhangjiajie in Central China's Hunan province, there stands a glass bridge. Its Israeli designer, Haim Dotan, said it symbolizes love and nature.

"It will be a new icon in China," Dotan said in an interview on Sunday, a week after the bridge opened to the public for trial operation.

Born in Jerusalem, Dotan has a connection with China that is central to whohe is. His grandparents came to China in the 1910s, and in 1919 his mother was born in Shanghai.

"The Chinese saved the lives of my grandparents and gave life to my mother. I am alive because of China," Dotan said.

He first came to China 30 years ago, and for Dotan it felt like he was returning home.

In 2010, he designed the Israeli Pavillion at the World Expo in Shanghai, where he met a client who asked if he could design a bridge in Zhangjiajie, an area famous for its scenery, particularly its otherworldly mountains that appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar.

"Nature is beautiful," Dotan said. "But how can I design a bridge that is invisible and can disappear?"

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu was an inspiration for Dotan.

"He once wrote that 'great music is unheard and good form is invisible'," Dotan said.

He decided to use glass and build the bridge in the shape of a butterfly, so that visitors feel like they are standing on air. He used white for the handrailsthe color of clouds.

The bridge is 430 meters long and 6 meters wide, with a glass-bottom walkway suspended 300 meters above the canyon.

Comprising 99 panes of three-layer transparent glass, the bridge set 10 world records for design and construction, and went through many experiments to ensure safety.

A maximum of 8,000 visitors are allowed to cross the bridge each day. A reservation must be made one day ahead. Above all, he would like to see it become "a bridge of love".

"Lovers can walk on the bridge and say, 'I love you'. Their voice will then echo through the canyon," Dotan said.
Axa Investment Managers-Real Assets, which is leading the project to build the office property at 22 Bishopsgate, will offer the other investors three alternatives, said the source.

The investors can either stick to a plan to start work on the building this year, delay the project or sell it. The last option is least likely.

Pierre Vaquier, chief executive of the unit, said shortly before the June 23 Brexit referendum that the company would wait for the outcome before deciding whether to construct the 62-storey office tower.

The UK commercial property market entered a recession in July, according to MSCI, with the value of central London offices falling 3.6%.

We remain committed to the site, we are continuing to work and we are considering all our options, Richard Sunderland, a spokesman for Axa Investment Managers-Real Assets, said.

Axas co-investors in the project include Singapores Temasek Holdings, Canadas Public Sector Pension Investment Board and British Columbia Investment Management.

The Paris-based company last year bought the site of the halted Pinnacle skyscraper, saying it would build a 278m tower with 130,000sq meters of offices, shops and restaurants.

The previous owners stopped construction on the Pinnacle in 2012.

The tower at Bishopsgate is the tallest building in the City of London to have been approved by planners. The main construction contract could be signed as soon as October if investors choose to proceed, the person said.

Meanwhile, Denmarks government suggested that Britain shouldnt be allowed to stop paying toward EU projects that were started while it was a member, as governments position themselves ahead of talks on how to extract the UK from the 28-nation bloc.

These are huge negotiations that need to take place. Its not just as if everything can continue, minus Britain, Danish finance minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said in an interview.

The notion of making Britain pay for continued relations with the EU is gaining traction in the bloc, with an ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel this week saying the UK wont be granted access to the single market unless it contributes to the EUs budget.

The UK paid about 13bn (15.2bn) to the EU budget in 2015 though it received about 4.5bn from the EU for its own projects.
New accounts show that Mr Halls Life Line Ambulance Service Ltd recorded a profit of 101,231 in the 12 months to the end of June last year.

This followed the firm recording a loss of 436,000 in the previous year.

The firm returned to profit after revenues increased from 4.1m to 4.3m.

Last month, Mr Hall stepped in as temporary chief executive of the Console charity as the organisation was ultimately wound up amid allegations of questionable spending.

According to a note attached to the new Life Line Ambulance Service Ltds accounts, the firm returned to profit after the company carried out changes after the losses recorded in 2014.

The note states that the directors believe the ongoing competitive practices, economic conditions and the reduction in the numbers taking out private health cover was having an effect on its business.

Mr Hall had stepped away from running the business on a day to day basis to concentrate on his work with the Irish Mortgage Holders Association.

However, he said yesterday: I am very confident about the year ahead as I am back managing the business with fantastic staff.

The company is expanding its ambulance fleet with Mr Hall confirming: Ive bought 10 new ambulances and ordered 10 more. We will be introducing new technology which will help. And I will be personally dealing with all clients.

Mr Hall said he had had another profitable year in the latest fiscal year to the end of June, and that profits would be higher than 2015 levels.

Last month, a circuit court judge granted Life Line whistleblowers Mick Dougan and Sean Clarke an order compelling Life Line to continue paying them until their cases for unfair dismissal are heard by the Workplace Relations Commission.

The accounts show that Mr Hall and his wife Susan Wiseman Hall shared total pay last year of 209,966  down on the 217,817 paid to the couple in 2014.

In addition, Mr Hall received 116,379 in rent from the firm last year. The firm employs 60 full-time staff and 40 part-timers.

The firms cashpile last year more than doubled to 493,659.

The accounts show that new finance facilities secured in 2016 allowed the firm to purchase the new ambulances.

Accumulated profits last year increased from 5,560 to 106,791.
These negotiations are dead and France wants an end to them, minister of foreign trade Matthias Fekl said.

There is no political support in France for these negotiations, he said.

Mr Fekls comments follow those of German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel, who said during the weekend in Berlin that talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership have de-facto broken down, even if no one wants to say so.

The sceptical tone in France and Germany reflects mounting concern across Europe and in the US over the impact of free-trade agreements.

While TTIPs advocates point to the economic benefits and the introduction of global standards, its detractors say it will erode wages and conditions.

A populist surge is meanwhile feeding protectionist sentiment that further complicates the conclusion of trade agreements such as an EU-Canada deal known as CETA.

The European Commission, which is conducting the TTIP negotiations on EU members behalf, earlier this week responded to Mr Gabriels comments by saying the talks are making progress and are entering a crucial stage.

#Quote of the day from French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl on TTIP negotiations: pic.twitter.com/be2V4nZfxS  Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) August 30, 2016

Italys economic development minister Carlo Calenda said in an interview with Corriere della Sera that talks will require many more months.

France will ask for an end to the talks in late September when EU trade ministers meet in Bratislava, according to Mr Fekl.

The talks have been carried out in obscurity and the Americans have given nothing, he said.

Speaking later in Paris, French president Francois Hollande told a meeting of the countrys ambassadors that a trade accord was impossible before the end of the year, though he stopped short of calling for an end to talks.

Mr Gabriel, addressing reporters in Berlin yesterday, said that without an agreement this year, negotiations would be wound up.

The US has balked at accepting minimum EU standards in the talks and unless that stance changes, I cant see that its possible to seal the accord, he said.

The TTIP talks have been held in several rounds since 2013. Because tariffs between the worlds two largest trading blocs are already low or non-existent, discussion has focused on hard-to-resolve issues such as European bans on common US agricultural practices such as chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-treated beef, and US laws that limit many public contracts to local companies.
New data from accountancy and business advisory firm Crowe Horwath detail an Irish hotel sector in rude health, but one in potential risk of overheating and damaging the companys overall tourism product.

According to Crowe Horwath, last year saw average room occupancy rates increase from 67.8% to 71.1% and average room rates rise by 10 to 92.15.

Occupancy levels in Dublin hotels reached nearly 81% (from 77.2% in 2014) and room rates there topped 84, up around 5 in the year.

The company expects room rates to pass their pre-recession levels, of around 120, by the end of this year.

A previously strong sterling, an increase in overseas visitors, the retention of the 9% Vat rate and more conference/event business helped last years growth.

This year is expected to see further strong growth and Crowe Horwath partner, Aiden Murphy, sees room rates  particularly in Dublin  continuing to grow for the next few years.

However, Mr. Murphy said the recent Brexit vote and the weakening of sterling are concerns, as 22% of inward tourism numbers are from the UK.

This, alone, he said could make the Governments target for ten million overseas visitors by 2025 seem ambitious.

He said a bigger promotional emphasis needs to be put on areas outside of Dublin and the regional airports, as destinations, and Dublin needs more hotel supply in order to stop room rates reaching the level where visitors start choosing other locations as cheaper alternatives.

The effect Brexit and the recent falling sterling rate will have on the Irish hotel sector in 2016 is relatively unknown.

"Travel plans are likely to be unchanged for 2016 but future visitor numbers could be affected. As sterling weakens, the UK market will start to feel the full impact of increases in Dublin rates and UK visitors may opt for other more competitive sterling destinations, he said.

He said Ireland needs to be better promoted as a holiday destination further afield than the UK.
Some believe this will pass eventually, that Mueller will only be there for five years, then theres a new boss and when the emissions crisis is over, well be doing better anyway, Mr Mueller told reporters.

Thats not the case. Regardless of the emissions crisis, this company must reform itself and align for the future, he said.

VWs management board is working on about 60 projects to overhaul the German automaker, including a cultural shift to get the companys 12 brands and numerous divisions to cooperate, as it retools for technological change and seeks to recover from the diesel-emissions cheating scandal, Mr Mueller said at a briefing in Hamburg.

The diesel-engine manipulation scandal that erupted last September pushed Volkswagen to accelerate a reorganisation it was preparing amid a broad industry shift toward electric vehicles with new digital features like automated driving.

VW invested $300m (268m) in ride-hailing app Gett this year and is establishing a business unit focusing on new mobility offerings to expand beyond traditional manufacturing and selling of cars.

Cutting costs to revive profit at VWs namesake brand, the companys largest division by volume, is crucial for Mr Muellers strategy for the next decade, along with a reset of its operations in the US.

Sales in North America tanked in the wake of the diesel-engine manipulation, which involves about 11 million cars worldwide.

VW, which plans to introduce more than 30 electric cars by 2025 as production costs drop, anticipates sales of as many as 3 million battery-powered vehicles per year.

Mr Mueller is struggling to shift a mammoth organisation with 610,000 employees  more than any other carmaker  centralised decision-making and a shareholder structure with various competing interests.

Mr Mueller, who would face opposition from the firms powerful labour leaders to job cuts, said hell reduce headcount through natural attrition.

Bernd Osterloh, works council chief and supervisory board member, told Deutsche-Presse Agentur last weekend that there will be no forced layoffs on his watch.

VW has set aside about 17.8bn so far for fixing the affected cars and related legal risks. We have the whole world at our throats, Mr Mueller said.

We hope that it will come to a good end. Well, its not a good end anyway; its super expensive.
Thirty-six years ago, long before introducing iPhone, iPod or even the Mac, Steve Jobs established Apples first operations in Europe.

At the time, the company knew that in order to serve customers in Europe, it would need a base there. So, in October 1980, Apple opened a factory in Cork, Ireland with 60 employees.

At the time, Cork was suffering from high unemployment and extremely low economic investment. But Apples leaders saw a community rich with talent, and one they believed could accommodate growth if the company was fortunate enough to succeed.

From left: Steve Jobs, Mike Markkula, Gene Fitzgerald TD, and Alex Wrafter at the unveiling of a plaque in 1980 to officially open the Apple Computer plant at Hollyhill, Cork. Apple chief executive Tim Cook says the company saw a community rich with talent that could accommodate growth. Picture: Irish Examiner archive

We have operated continuously in Cork ever since, even through periods of uncertainty about our own business, and today we employ nearly 6,000 people across Ireland. The vast majority are still in Cork  including some of the very first employees  now performing a wide variety of functions as part of Apples global footprint. Countless multinational companies followed Apple by investing in Cork, and today the local economy is stronger than ever.

The success which has propelled Apples growth in Cork comes from innovative products that delight our customers. It has helped create and sustain more than 1.5 million jobs across Europe  jobs at Apple, jobs for hundreds of thousands of creative app developers who thrive on the App Store, and jobs with manufacturers and other suppliers. Countless small and medium-sized companies depend on Apple, and we are proud to support them.

As responsible corporate citizens, we are also proud of our contributions to local economies across Europe, and to communities everywhere. As our business has grown over the years, we have become the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the largest taxpayer in the United States, and the largest taxpayer in the world.

Over the years, we received guidance from Irish tax authorities on how to comply correctly with Irish tax law  the same kind of guidance available to any company doing business there. In Ireland and in every country where we operate, Apple follows the law and we pay all the taxes we owe.

The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The opinion issued on August 30 alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law. We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we dont owe them any more than weve already paid.

The Commissions move is unprecedented and it has serious, wide-reaching implications. It is effectively proposing to replace Irish tax laws with a view of what the Commission thinks the law should have been. This would strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters, and to the principle of certainty of law in Europe. Ireland has said they plan to appeal the Commissions ruling and Apple will do the same. We are confident that the Commissions order will be reversed.

At its root, the Commissions case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes. It is about which government collects the money.

Taxes for multinational companies are complex, yet a fundamental principle is recognized around the world: A companys profits should be taxed in the country where the value is created. Apple, Ireland and the United States all agree on this principle.

In Apples case, nearly all of our research and development takes place in California, so the vast majority of our profits are taxed in the United States. European companies doing business in the U.S. are taxed according to the same principle. But the Commission is now calling to retroactively change those rules.

Beyond the obvious targeting of Apple, the most profound and harmful effect of this ruling will be on investment and job creation in Europe. Using the Commissions theory, every company in Ireland and across Europe is suddenly at risk of being subjected to taxes under laws that never existed.

Apple has long supported international tax reform with the objectives of simplicity and clarity. We believe these changes should come about through the proper legislative process, in which proposals are discussed among the leaders and citizens of the affected countries. And as with any new laws, they should be applied going forward  not retroactively.

We are committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there, growing and serving our customers with the same level of passion and commitment. We firmly believe that the facts and the established legal principles upon which the EU was founded will ultimately prevail.
Partially because of the clear differences between some cabinet colleagues whose long-held political positions mean they are destined to agree to disagree, and partially because of certain ministers need to keep playing to their support base, the Coalition has stumbled from row to crisis every few weeks.

However, the Apple controversy needs to be taken far more seriously than what has come before.

At todays emergency cabinet meeting, Fine Gael Finance Minister Michael Noonan will seek formal support for Ireland to reject the European Commissions decision that Apple owes this country 13bn in unpaid taxes over the past decade.

While the position to effectively turn down free money appears bizarre on the surface, Fine Gael believes it is based on a certain logic.

The funds would pay for the health service for an entire year, USC for three years, and are equivalent to giving every person in the country 2,732 tax free. While the cash is needed, to accept the money would mean Ireland is acknowledging we are a tax haven.

Taking the 13bn cheque would also risk the future of multinationals coming to Ireland, along with the thousands of jobs they would bring with them.

In keeping with tradition, the Independent Alliance does not share its partners view. Junior minister John Halligan warned he was not defending anything given the Apple money on offer.

In public and private statements, the alliance has made it clear that it wants to examine all options at cabinet and is more than reluctant to support Fine Gaels position.

John Halligan

Again, this is partially based on logic  13bn can be put to a lot of use  and due to the fact alliance members know they are more at risk than their Fine Gael counterparts if the Government turns down the money given the reputations of individual members for speaking out on behalf of people who stand to benefit from the money.

The issue  and separate alliance frustration over Fine Gaels decision to publicly state the Government position without any consultation  will be aired during the cabinet meeting today. It is genuinely unclear whether the alliance will be able to fall back into line.

We arent close to seeing the Government collapse yet, but like Adam and Eve, one bite of the Apple controversy could put paid to the coalitions doomed romance.
(Xinhua) 13:00, August 31, 2016

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have arrested a man suspected of stabbing a doctor to death in northern Hebei Province, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Wednesday.

Li Gang was attended by the doctor, but his leg became disabled when it was infected after being hospitalized due to a car accident in 2003.

Blaming the doctor's negligence, Li stabbed him to death in the hospital with a jackknife on July 21, according to the SPP's statement.

The doctor died from excessive blood loss.

Further investigation is underway, the SPP said.
What sort of arrangement did Apple have with Irish authorities?

The EU Commissions investigation was launched in 2014 under the suspicion that Irish authorities were purposefully miscalculating and underestimating Apples taxable profit on products like iPhones and iPads.

The corporation is said to have secured a tax advantage not available to other companies, which ultimately amounted to state aid and breached EU antitrust law.

Apple was found to only be paying 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014. Both Irish authorities and Apple have repeatedly denied breaching state aid rules.

Why does the EUs ruling on Apple matter?

The sheer size of the case is drawing attention. In October, the EU Commission ordered Starbucks and Fiat to pay 20m to 30m for benefiting from so-called sweetheart tax deals in the Netherlands and Luxembourg. That is compared with the latest ruling, which is calling on Ireland to recoup 13bn in unpaid taxes from Apple.

The case has also irked the US Treasury, which earlier this month published a paper accusing EU authorities of unfairly targeting US companies in antitrust probes.

Will Apple pay?

Apple will appeal the ruling, saying it is confident the order will be overturned. The tech giant accused the EU Commission of threatening future investment in Europe, where it currently employs 22,000 people. While the ruling would ultimately benefit government coffers, Ireland will also appeal against the EU Commissions decision.

Which companies will be targeted next?

A case this size is unlikely to come up again, but there are other US companies in the firing line.

EU authorities are currently investigating Amazon and McDonalds for similar tax deals it deems illegal. Those rulings could be doled out in the next six to 12 months.
In a landmark ruling following a three-year investigation, competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the maker of iPads and iPhones paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014.

The Brussels watchdog found the arrangements dating to the early 1990s were illegal under state aid rules and gave Apple favourable treatment over other businesses. Ms Vestager said Apple was paying 50 in tax on every 1m of profit it made in 2014.

Defending its tax planning and corporate structure, Apple warned of the ramifications for investment in the EU, where it employs 22,000 people.

The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apples history in Europe, ignore Irelands tax laws and up-end the international tax system in the process, Apple said.

The commissions case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, its about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe.

Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned.

The tax bill covers a 10-year period, the longest the commissioner could enforce, for the years 2003 to 2014 of up to 13bn, plus interest.

The inquiry found Irelands treatment of Apple allowed the global brand to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by sales of Apple products in the entire European single market. It said this was because Apple recorded all its sales in Ireland rather than in the countries where the products were sold. Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies. This is illegal under EU state aid rules, said Ms Vestager.

The case is one of the most high-profile in the fight to redraw boundaries on aggressive tax avoidance, an issue which has put the EU at odds with the US government.

Ms Vestager found two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple which she said substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by the multinational.

She said the arrangements to establish the taxable profits for two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group  Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe  did not reflect economic reality.

She said almost all sales profits recorded by the two companies were internally attributed to a head office which only existed on paper and could not have generated such profits. Her inquiry found the profits were not subject to tax anywhere.

Apple has had a base in Ireland since 1980, long before it became the global brand it is today, thanks to its iPhones, iPads, and App Store. It employs 5,500 people in the country, with its biggest operations in Cork.

The findings could hamper the Governments pursuit of foreign investment through its much-maligned corporation tax rate of 12.5% for business profits.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

Niall Cody, chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, insisted it collected the full amount of tax due from Apple under Irish law.

Under Irish tax law, non-resident companies are chargeable to Irish corporation tax only on the profits attributable to their Irish branches by reference to the facts and circumstances, he said.

The profits of non-resident companies that are not generated by their Irish branches  such as profits from technology, design, and marketing that are generated outside Ireland  cannot be charged with Irish tax under Irish tax law.

Yesterdays ruling comes a week before Apples launch of the iPhone 7 and a new version of the Apple Watch.

Ms Vestagers office has also targeted Starbucks and Fiat, which are appealing rulings ordering them to pay back taxes to the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Mr Flanagan is now due to meet with David Davis, the minister responsible for leading Britains negotiations for leaving the EU, in the next 10 days.

Yesterday at a gathering of Irelands ambassadors, consuls general and other senior diplomats, the minister outlined the dangers and wider risks posed by Brexit.

Mr Flanagan said in mitigating the risks arising from Brexit, we have to be conscious that we face one risk even greater  a diminishing of the EU project itself.

The UK referendum result is one of several major challenges to European cohesion  the challenge of economic recovery and job creation; of public questioning of the EU and its relevance to their concerns; of insecurity within our borders and neighbourhood; of developments globally and in our own neighbourhood that challenge our values and test our determination to uphold them.

Addressing these challenges is the business of every member state. We should play our role to the full,  he told a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade departmental conference in Dublin Castle.

But he also warned that focusing too much on Brexit could jeopardise our global connections: Notwithstanding the multiple challenges of managing a British departure from the EU, we should be alert also to the risk that this preoccupation might lower our gaze or reduce our horizons.

Mr Flanagan is due to meet with Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders today to discuss again the implications of the British referendum.

He said this meeting would provide him with the opportunity to communicate our concerns but also to listen attentively to our partners.

Speaking on RTEs Today with Sean ORourke, Mr Flanagan said there are a lot of issues still out of Irelands control when it comes to Brexit, and it wont be possible to engage in the detail of this issue until we know what Britains ask would be.

I expect to meet David Davis over the next 10 days, I will be asking him what the most likely position will be. We dont actually know yet what the requirement from the British government is going to be.

But he warned: If a member withdraws from a club, they cannot expect to have the same benefits.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan is to seek formal support from Government effectively decline the lucrative windfall and to appeal the decision to the European courts at an emergency cabinet meeting today.

However, amid growing public anger over the Fine Gael plan to refuse the money, the Independent Alliance has warned it wants to examine all options, including forcing Apple to pay the funds back in full.

In a landmark ruling following a three-year investigation, the European Commission yesterday said technology giant Apple owes Ireland 13bn in unpaid taxes over the past decade.

Speaking in Brussels, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager said the maker of the popular iPad and iPhone products paid just 1% on tax on its European profits in 2003 and a minuscule 0.005% in 2014 due to a complex set of sweetheart deals involving the Irish tax system.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

Ms Vestager said the situation  which has been traced back to two legal tax initiatives for Apple in 1991 and 2007  means it is paying less than 50 in tax on every 1m of profit.

As Apples headquarters outside of the US is based in Cork City, Ms Vestager said the European Commission has concluded the company owes this country 13bn in unpaid taxes which must be repaid immediately.

Despite initial Government claims to the contrary, she said Ireland is free to use this money on public services  and it is not limited to repaying the national debt  and other nations which believe they are owed funds may also benefit.

However, despite the seemingly positive news, Fine Gael yesterday denounced the decision to give this country 13bn and warned Government is, like Apple, planning an appeal which could take four years.

In a strongly worded statement after the European Commission announcement, the Department of Finance said it disagrees profoundly with the ruling and stressed Ireland did not give favourable tax treatment to Apple.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan repeated the comment yesterday, saying this isnt a moral issue and that he plans to seek Cabinet approval today to appeal the commission decision.

The Fine Gael position is based on the fact accepting the 13bn in tax would mean Ireland agrees it is a tax haven and would potentially risk the near 6,000 Apple jobs and 360,000 multinational jobs in this country.

However, despite the argument, Government partner the Independent Alliance is strongly opposed to any appeal on the money and is seeking its own independent advice before todays Cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty yesterday called for a vote on the appeal when the Dail returns and a public inquiry into whether other multinationals have benefited from tax avoidance deals.

While the Social Democrats Catherine Murphy said it would be totally intolerable to challenge the ruling, Labour, and Fianna Fail said the decision needs to be appealed to clarify the situation.
Paul Gilligan, chief executive of St Patricks University Hospital, Dublin, warned parents that their children will follow their lead in how they react to such tragedies.

You need to say to children, in particular younger children, this is inexplicable. We dont know what happened and we dont know why it happened, Mr Gilligan told RTEs News at One.

The security of starting a conversation like that gives, particularly children, a scope to be able to open up their conversation and express their fears, he said.

What youre looking at now, its an impact right across the country, is fear. Children wonder how this could happen, why would this happen, theres obviously question marks around exactly how secure the children were et cetera and who perpetrated this horrible act.

Honesty is really important, we have to build childrens security, we have to look into our own reaction. Self-awareness is really important, parents often forget that children will take the lead from them. If theyre very upset, children will be very upset, Mr Gilligan said.

Opening a door and having the conversation, realising that in fact this story is being talked about in every family in the country and we need to confront it in our own families.

The closer a child or a family are to these events, the more impact it is going to have. If youre talking about families living in the Cavan area, theyre going to need to be really, very focussed on this, he said.

Mr Gilligan said parents are going to need to build up the childs security and believe that the child will have trust in them. One of the things we forget very often is children have great resilience and they have great trust in their parents, in their carers, he said.

Now is the time to leverage that, to say look, youre safe. These things happen, they dont happen very often, we dont know why it happened, its very sad. Yes, its a very bad thing that happened, but for you, you are secure, you can ask me any questions you want and I will answer those.

If children are older we need to have a more sophisticated conversation, but they are the principles. I think at this stage it is about building trust and security and remembering that children have great resilience once we open a door, let them be honest and let them express their emotions primarily, he said. n St Patricks Hospital has a support and information service which is available Monday to Friday with a voicemail and call-back facility. The helpline number is 01 249 3333.

How to get support from Childline:

By phone: Children and young people can contact Childlines 24 hour phone service by phoning 1800 666666.

By text: Text the word: talk to 50101 (service available from 10pm to 4am)

Live online chat: Available from 10am to 4am, live chat on Childline.ie

Via the web: You will find various items of support and advice for children and parents on ispcc.ie and childline.ie
Garda sources said the contents of the envelope have not yet been seen as the envelope was immediately preserved for evidence and sent to Technical Bureau headquarters in Dublin for forensic examination.

It was found yesterday by members of the bureau during their examination of the Hawe house. It is understood the envelope was marked to be opened only by relatives.

An envelope has been found in the house that is believed to be very relevant to the case, confirmed a garda source.

For the preservation of evidence it is being sent to the bureau for analysis, which will authenticate it and its authorship.

The source said the contents are not yet known: It may assist and it may not, depending on what it contains. It may give a sense of direction. We have to wait and see.

Once opened, a working copy of the note is expected to be provided to the investigation team in Ballyjamesduff.

Garda sources said they were continuing with all aspects of a major investigation into what they consider was a planned murder-suicide.

Gardai are speaking to friends, family members, neighbours, teaching colleagues, and associates of the couple in a bid to build a picture of their lives leading up to the mass killing.

Mr Hawe, deputy principal at his local national school in Castlerahan, is believed to have used a knife to kill his wife and three sons before hanging himself in the early hours of Monday.

We have four people, three children, murdered, said a garda source. Its a murder investigation, even though the perpetrator is dead.

Gardai suspect that Mr Hawe planned the murders. He sat down and planned this: It was not blind rage, said one source.

The discovery of a note pinned to the back door  warning callers to contact gardai  followed by the envelope inside the house supported this, said the source.

If he planned to kill his wife, he planned to kill his children as well, said the source.

Gardai suspect the children were killed in their sleep.

Sources believe Mr Hawe probably killed his wife, Clodagh, first, then his eldest son (Liam, 13) who had his own bedroom, before murdering his two youngest (Niall, 11, and Ryan, 6) who shared a bedroom.

The couple and their kids were seen at various events in the locality on Sunday and appeared to be very happy, gardai had said.

The big question is why? Why and why now? said one garda source.

There must be something there, some build-up as his thinking got darker and darker, or some event triggered it, said the garda.

How to get support from Childline:

By phone: Children and young people can contact Childlines 24 hour phone service by phoning 1800 666666.

By text: Text the word: talk to 50101 (service available from 10pm to 4am)

Live online chat: Available from 10am to 4am, live chat on Childline.ie

Via the web: You will find various items of support and advice for children and parents on ispcc.ie and childline.ie
Gardai are also working on the basis that the murders of his wife Clodagh, 39, and three children Liam, 13, Niall, 11 and Ryan, 6, were planned.

An envelope has been found in the house that is believed to be very relevant to the case, a Garda source confirmed to the Irish Examiner.

The envelope, which was found yesterday, was sent immediately to the Technical Bureau headquarters in Dublin for forensic examination.

Once opened, a working copy of the note is expected to be provided to the investigation team in Ballyjamesduff. It is believed the envelope was marked to be opened only by relatives.

Clodagh Hawe, 39, was found dead at her home with her sons.

Gardai also suspect that Mr Hawe, a deputy school principal in Castlerahan National School, planned the murders, which occurred sometime around the early hours of Monday morning.

He sat down and planned this: it was not blind rage, said a source.

It is believed that Mr Hawe killed his wife first and then killed his three children, who were asleep at the time.

Ms Hawe, who was a primary school teacher in Oristown NS in Kells, was due to return to work this week, as was her husband.

The family were seen at the local GAA club on Sunday and neighbours in the community said that nothing was amiss.

Its just a bombshell. To the outside eye, [there were] absolutely no problems. The house was bought 15 years ago before boom times, probably pretty reasonably, two teacher jobs. You couldnt see anything in that line, neighbour and friend Larry McGinn told the Irish Examiner.

He described how Mr Hawe collected money at the gate of the club on Sunday and how he texted him to organise a meeting that was planned for last night.

If anything went wrong in the community Alan would be on-hand to help out. Its too sad to even imagine what went on.

The family were just salt of the earth, a beautiful family and Clodagh was a beautiful person. The kids were involved in church events, community events, and they were just lovely, Mr McGinn said.

The parents were readers at Mass and the children were all altar servers.

Two scheduled Masses were cancelled yesterday morning and the opening of Mr Hawes school was delayed even though it was open for parents, teachers and children to meet in.

Mr McGinn said he was not aware of any health issues Mr Hawe may have had.

I couldnt actually imagine asking him if he had any problems. He was always absolutely on the button, he said.

How to get support from Childline:

By phone: Children and young people can contact Childlines 24 hour phone service by phoning 1800 666666.

By text: Text the word: talk to 50101 (service available from 10pm to 4am)

Live online chat: Available from 10am to 4am, live chat on Childline.ie

Via the web: You will find various items of support and advice for children and parents on ispcc.ie and childline.ie
The disciplinary hearing at the Medical Council in Dublin found that Dr Saleem Sharif, aged 57, from Ballyphehane, Cork, failed to carry out an examination of Alison Hunter Hickey, or arrange for investigations when Ms Hickey visited him at the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, Dublin, on October 2014, where he was working as a locum GP.

Legal counsel for the Medical Council, Eoghan OSullivan, said yesterday that Dr Sharif displayed a very worrying lack of clinical judgement.

On October 6, 2014, Ms Hickey, aged 47, gave birth to twin boys by emergency caesarean. On October 28, she became unwell, experiencing flu-like symptoms, shivering, a high temperature, and abdominal pain.

Ms Hickey attended the GP Now Clinic in Sandyford, where she explained her symptoms to Dr Sharif. However, he conducted no physical examination, nor did he ordered any tests or take a complete medical history.

He said it was probably a urinary tract infection, and asked was I allergic to penicillin. I said no. That was it. It was a very short consultation, Ms Hickey told the inquiry on Monday.

There were very few questions asked. There was very little interaction. When I got back in the car, my sister-in-law actually said, That was very quick.

But the following day, Ms Hickeys symptoms worsened, and she was rushed to the Rotunda hospital.

There, she was diagnosed with endometritis, or an inflammation of the uterine lining. If left untreated, endometritis can lead to sepsis and organ failure. Endometritis is the most likely cause of infection in post-partum women, especially for those who have given birth by caesarean section.

Ms Hickey made a full recovery, and was discharged from hospital on 1 November 2014.

Legal counsel Mr OSullivan said: To jump to that conclusion [of a UTI] in the absence of a history review, the absence of an examination of investigations, displays a very worrying lack of clinical judgement. Although it was a brief consultation, Dr Sharif displayed various errors in clinical judgement at each stage.

Mr OSullivan said Dr Sharif was previously the subject of a disciplinary inquiry in April 2011. Then, he was found guilty of poor professional performance in relation to a Cork-based patient with a history of cardiac problems, who had collapsed at home in May 2009.

Legal counsel for Dr Sharif, Simon Mills, said no evidence suggests Ms Hickeys condition was worsened by anything that the GP did.

Mr Mills said the 2011 inquiry actually falls into a quite different category of conduct.

There was no question over the quality of the exam carried out in the 2011 inquiry, he said.

Dr Sharif, originally trained in Pakistan, has his own private practice in Ballyphehane, Co Cork.

On Monday, Dr Sharif, through his legal counsel, admitted he failed to take an adequate medical history, failed to carry out any appropriate examination and failed to arrange for initial relevant investigations when Ms Hickey visited him. He also admitted that he failed to arrange for a follow-up appointment with her.

Sanctions against Dr Sharif will be decided upon at a later date.
The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) issued a letter yesterday to the HR manager at Dublin Bus stating that in the absence of an improved offer on pay that the NBRU will initiate a series of work stoppages through the month of September.

Describing the action as regrettable, NBRU general secretary Dermot OLeary told Dublin Bus that it was on notice regarding the strike action, scheduled for September 8 and 9, September 15 and 16, and September 23 and 24.

The other trade union representing staff in the company, Siptu, said its members would also be taking part in the work stoppages on those dates, having endured a long period of pay stagnation which, it said, had to be addressed through a level of backpay and a 15% pay increase spread over three years.

A recent Labour Court decision recommended a cost-of-living pay increase for each employee of 2.75% per year over a three-year term, but this was comprehensively rejected by members of both trade unions. In a statement, Dublin Bus said it was extremely disappointed at the rejection of the Labour Court recommendation and the news that strike action was planned in September.

Dublin Bus management will now arrange to meet with the joint trade union group to outline the companys position, to discuss the issues in dispute and to seek a way forward to avert industrial action, it said. Any form of industrial action can only have a negative impact on our company and will inconvenience our customers. It has the potential to undo the financial stability achieved in recent years.

The company said it would do its best to try and avert any strike action, which it said would affect more than 400,000 passengers and result in an estimated daily loss of revenue of 600,000.

However, Siptu Transport, Energy, Aviation and Construction Division organiser Owen Reidy said the chronic underfunding of Dublin Bus by the state was a huge factor in any difficulties experienced by the company and that workers would no longer allow pay to stagnate to subsidise that underfunding.

He said Siptus 1,700 members in Dublin Bus had rejected the recent Labour Court recommendation as it did not go far enough to addressing their concerns, telling the Today with Sean ORourke programme on RTE: I think what you are seeing now is a pent-up frustration after eight years of pay stagnation.

They feel they have to take this action albeit it is unfortunate because it is going to cause chaos.

A spokesperson for Transport Minister Shane Ross said: The minister welcomes this mornings statement by Dublin Bus that it will now arrange to meet the joint trade union group to seek a way forward to avoid escalation of this dispute.

Fianna Fail transport spokesman Robert Troy said he feared any industrial action as outlined by Dublin Bus workers would lead to gridlock.

These strikes will cause serious hardship for the people who rely on Dublin Bus services, and will have a particular impact on commuters and older people, he said. The strike will have a knock-on effect on other transport services and will lead to gridlock in the capital. Students will also be hit hard as they are currently in the process of returning to their schools and colleges.

Mr Troy also criticised the ministers hands-off approach to the dispute and said there was still time to prevent the strike from taking place.
The unplanned meeting had been scheduled yesterday morning amid Fine Gaels continuing insistence Ireland cannot accept the 13bn tax return, and the Independent Alliance warning of the consequences of refusing the windfall.

Responding to the European Commission decision, Finance Minister Michael Noonan stressed his party believed there was no economic basis for the Apple tax ruling.

Describing the Brussels report as bizarre and an exercise in politics by the competition commission which does not have responsibility for taxes, the Fine Gael minister insisted Ireland must not accept the 13bn windfall and should appeal the findings to a European court.

Mr Noonan, whose views are based partially on the fact accepting the money would be akin to Ireland agreeing it is a tax haven and concerns it could force large employer multinationals to leave the country, denied the position was akin to leprechaun economics.

However, while he insisted he would be defending citizens by refusing to accept the money, he declined to say if he had full cabinet backing for his position.

I will be proposing we appeal the decision and then it is for ministers, whatever their political colour, to state their opinion, he said.

The position was repeated by Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, who said the Government had 10 months to appeal the European Commission ruling.

However, despite the Fine Gael view, the five-strong Independent Alliance spent yesterday meeting with independent experts in the field as the TDs remain deeply concerned over any decision to reject the 13bn fund.

On Monday, the Alliance held a joint meeting with Mr Noonan in which it expressed anger at how Fine Gael had outlined the Government position without its involvement. The Alliance wants to examine all options, including forcing Apple to pay its bill.

Alliance member and junior minister for skills John Halligan said he cant say if he will remain in office. Im not defending anything. It was extraordinary that they did owe that money, he said.
A screenshot shows website "China Judgments Online". It is now the biggest of its kind in the world.(File photo)

Are marriage and divorce records private information? Should divorce decrees be made public?

China's Supreme People's court issued new rules on the disclosure of judgments and verdicts online, stating that five kinds of decrees related to private and classified information should not be posted online, as a privacy protection measure.

These decrees include cases related to state secrets; papers about juvenile delinquency; cases that end in mediation; divorce decrees or papers containing information about child custody, and other circumstances where the courts believe it would not be appropriate for the information to be made public.

The changes come into effect on October 1st this year.

Reaction on the internet has not been universally good, with some complaining that these new regulations are a bad idea.

Some internet users complain that these new regulations are a bad idea.[Photo:Weibo]

"These decrees should have offered references to other similar cases. But now they are sealed," one internet user named "Xian'er Shyn" commented on Weibo, China's most popular micro-blogging site.

On the other side of the coin.

One internet user comments that cases considered to be private should never be made public. [Photo:Weibo]

"Privacy is privacy. Papers considered to be private should never be made public," a user named "Feng Zai Jiang Hu 805899" said.

Li Liang, Adjudication Director at a top court further explains how they will improve the protection of privacy.

"We protect private rights by concealing clients' names in special cases, such as divorces, succession disputes, and juvenile delinquency. These people include plaintiffs, defendants, witnesses, and judicial appraisers," Li said.

Besides the rule revision, the top court has also released a mobile app to provide users with easier access to the documents, as a complement to its current website-- "China Judgments Online", which started in July 2013.

The website is now the biggest of its kind in the world, with more than 20 million Chinese judgments already on it. It has so far registered 2 billion visits, a quarter of which from users overseas.
The assault occurred during an hour-long aggravated burglary at the mans house in Ballinhowen, near Kilmallock, between 11pm last Thursday and Friday morning. The 66-year-old victim is recovering from his injuries.

Gardai said the victim managed to escape through a window after the gang left. He raised the alarm at a neighbours house.

The man was punched in the stomach by one of the raiders. The gang stole cash and a shotgun from the farmers house, said gardai.

The poor fella was in shock. He got a punch in the stomach but he did not need to be hospitalised. It was a terrible incident, said a garda source.

Gardai have appealed for help in tracing the gang. Sgt Justin McCarthy, of Roxboro Road Garda Station, said: The culprits, wearing balaclavas and head torches, forced their way into the house. They assaulted the victim and held him captive while they ransacked his house. A sum of money and other items were stolen in this burglary.

Before leaving, the culprits locked the victim in his house and stole his mobile phone. This house is located in an isolated area which lies off the Kilmallock Killdorrery Rd.

Gardai have set up an incident room at Bruff Garda Station and are appealing for witnesses or anyone who may have noticed any unusual or suspicious activity to contact them on 061 382940 or the Garda confidential line on 1800 666111.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, gardai from Henry Street station responded to a burglary in progress at a house in Davitt St, Johnsgate, at 1.30am yesterday, and arrested a 23-year-old male at the scene.

The man will appear before the courts, gardai said.

Gardai in Roxboro Rd station are also investigating a burglary at Castlewell Courtbrack Ave, South Circular Rd, at approximately 8.10pm last Thursday. The culprits broke into the property by a back window and were disturbed by a third party, and fled the scene.

Three men, aged 42, 29, and 26, along with a woman, aged 26, were arrested shortly after by patrolling gardai. All four were charged with offences relating to the burglary and will be appearing before the courts, gardai said.

Meanwhile, gardai have appealed for information relating to the whereabouts of a sum of cash in foreign currency, stolen during a daytime burglary at a house in Castletroy last Friday. The currency was made up of Chinese and Hong Kong banknotes.
The incidents took place while staff at the centre were engaged in industrial action over concerns for their own safety.

Yesterday, Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone said she was awaiting a management report to see if the industrial action had an impact on emergency cover.

A number of detainees took control of a residential unit on Monday afternoon when a set of keys was taken from a staff member. The youths made their way to the roof where a fire broke out around 8pm. A Garda investigation is under way into the cause of the fire.

Asked if the concerns of staff, that Oberstown was dangerous, had been confirmed by Mondays events, Ms Zappone said it would be wrong to predict the answer to that question.

Instead she called on all sides to immediately commit to an intensified industrial relations process because without Oberstown, the alternative would lead to children in jail  that is completely unacceptable, said Ms Zappone.

Last night, Oberstown director Pat Bergin said the unit damaged by fire would probably have to be demolished. He said another two units had been damaged internally and that the OPW was due on site today to assess the damage.

Mr Bergin called on unions to re-engage in the industrial relations process. He said Mondays action meant just two staff were in a unit with five or six youths.

Mr Bergin said he has written to Impact outlining concerns about the measures put in place for last Mondays industrial action. Further action is scheduled for next Monday.

Fianna Fail childrens spokeswoman Anne Rabbitte said Oberstown is dysfunctional and called on the chair of the Oireachtas childrens committee to bring Ms Zappone and Mr Bergin before it to explain why staff concerns are being glossed over.

Both the Childrens Rights Alliance and EPIC said their key concern is the safety of young people.

Deirdre Malone, executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, said it is unacceptable that Oberstown management and the trade unions have not resolved workplace issues more than a year on.
The victim, aged 19, was stabbed in an early morning assault yesterday at a Dublin block of flats.

It was confirmed yesterday the youth was connected to the Hutch family, but sources said he is a member of the extended family.

Sources said they currently had no reason to believe the attack was carried out by people acting for the Kinahan cartel.

The attack is not thought to be feud related, said one garda source.

The attack took place at Kevin Barry House, a block of flats on Coleraine Street, in the north inner city, at around 9am.

The youth was brought the short distance to the Mater Hospital where he underwent surgery. His condition was described as serious.

Detectives are investigating the possible motives behind the attack and conducting local inquiries to gain descriptions of the attacker.

Another garda source said that although it did not appear to be linked to the feud, the attack was another indication of the collapse of the Hutch gang in its former heartland.

The Hutches had a significant stranglehold in the north inner city  thats gone now. In the past, few would attack any member of the Hutch family without fear of repercussions.

He pointed out that crime gangs generally had been forced into coming down on one side or the other of the feud and that the bulk were associating with the Kinahan cartel.

Meanwhile, gardai targeting a separate criminal gang seized cars, boats, motors and various lawnmowers in Co Meath. The gang, which specialises in major burglaries, was targeted under Operation Thor.

When gardai searched a house in Oldcastle, they confiscated a 2015 Audi A5, a 2010 Audi A4 Estate, a rigid inflatable boat and outboard motor, as well as three ride-on lawnmowers, another lawnmower and power tools.

The property is believed to have been stolen during burglaries in the Midlands, particularly in counties Meath and Westmeath, a garda spokesman said.

A man in his 30s was arrested at the scene and was detained.
Dean McCullagh, a father of two from Mount Merrion, Belfast had been taking co-codamol tablets containing both paracetamol and codeine for back pain following a road traffic accident in 2013.

He became critically unwell after returning from a stag party in Munich and died a month later on April 24 2015.

His girlfriend Lisa Fleming told an inquest into his death at Dublin Cororners Court that Mr McCullagh travelled to Munich with friends on March 19 2015. He missed his flight home but caught a later flight and she collected him from the airport on March 22 2015.

I could smell the alcohol off him. He had been drinking all weekend. He was talking about the beer tents they had visited, she said.

The following day, when she woke, she heard him in the bathroom being sick. Mr McCullagh remained ill throughout the day, sleeping, eating little and being sick often, the inquest heard.

His condition deteriorated and when his breathing became laboured they drove to the emergency department at Ulster Hospital. Mr McCullagh told medical staff he had taken co-codamol tablets.

He was probably taking them a bit more than he should have been. He told the doctors he thought hed taken too many, Miss Fleming told the court.

Mr McCullagh had a prescription for co-codamol from his local GP but his girlfriend said he may have bought additional tablets over the counter on occasion.

She was pregnant at the time and has since given birth to a baby boy, now ten months old, the inquest heard.

Mr McCullagh was deemed to ill to fly and was transferred to St Vincents Hospital in Dublin on March 26 and placed on the super-urgent transplant list.

He underwent a liver transplant on March 29 but problems arose and a second transplant was performed on April 4. His condition continued to deteriorate in the intensive care unit at St Vincents hospital. Doctors noted pancreatic necrosis  the death of pancreatic tissue with associated bleeding and he died two weeks later on April 24 2015.

The cause of death was system inflammatory response syndrome, a situation where the entire immune system is fighting to cope with illness, due to hemorrhaging necrotising pancreatitis, due to liver failure, resulting from a combination of alcohol and paracetamol ingestion.

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said the pathologist noted in his report that the pancreas was damaged due to liver failure in addition to alcohol ingestion at the outset.

The pancreas is a very important organ and it is closely connected with the liver, the coroner said.

This was a miscalculation, the coroner said, returning a verdict of death by misadventure. Dr Cullinane noted the import
Opposition parties have rounded on the Government for refusing to accept an EU ruling that the multinational, with operations in Cork, owes the State 13bn in unpaid taxes.

Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy said while SMEs, which employ seven out of every 10 people in the private sector, struggled throughout the downturn, many going to the wall, this multinational giant is paying the bare minimum in tax.

It would be totally intolerable for the Irish State to challenge this ruling by the European Commission, she said.

She said the 13bn equates to almost our entire annual health budget or the total intake from the universal social charge for three years: There was no special treatment for the Irish people and indigenous Irish enterprise when the economic bubble burst. At the same time as Minister Noonan was telling the people to brace themselves for economic turbulence Apple was benefiting from this deal.

Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty said the Governments decision to appeal this ruling should be put to a vote in the Dail and his party will be bringing forward a motion to oppose such an appeal.

He pointed out that Finance Minister Michael Noonan and his Government do not want a penny back despite the fact the amount of money that Apple owes us today as a result of this commission ruling is the equivalent of the annual health budget.

The Green Party said the Government should not appeal what it described as an incredibly thorough ruling. The Social Democrats said the ruling highlights the double standards which exist in Ireland towards multinationals and indigenous business.

Fianna Fail said it is still examining the decision.

The Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath TD said the commissions decision on Apple had the potential to create very serious issues for the country and required careful study. There are many outstanding questions, which remain unanswered. The European courts may be the only place where clarity on these issues will be found, he said.
However, the 71-year-old who has temporarily stepped aside from his role, has been warned to remain in Brazil while serious ticket touting investigations continue, a situation which could go on for a number of months and lead to him being charged in relation to the case.

Mr Hickey looked frail as he emerged from the Bangu 10 jail in Rio de Janeiro at 10.45am local time and made no comment to journalists as he was driven away in a black Honda Accord to an apartment in the city.

On Monday, a judge ordered his release, saying that his critical health condition meant he should no longer be kept at the high-security prison.

However, Brazilian police have stressed this does not mean he has been cleared of any wrongdoing and that investigations are continuing into the scandal that has overshadowed the Olympics.

I have been released from the police detention system, Mr Hickey confirmed in a statement last night. I will now stay in Rio and my lawyers will proceed to have the charges laid against me set aside as there is no substantive proof of any wrongdoing on my part.

I would like to thank the prison authorities for their kindness they have shown to me. Due to my medical condition, I will be making no further statements.

Mr Hickey was arrested on August 17 at his five-star hotel near the Olympic Park. After spending a night in hospital, he was remanded to the notorious Bangu 10 jail.

Police arrested him after discovering that many of the 823 tickets seized from a suspected Olympic touting ring originated from Irish Olympic authorities.

He is accused of facilitating touting, which carries a sentence of two to four years; forming a criminal cartel, which has a sentence of between one and three; and illicit marketing, which carries a sentence of six months to one year.

In a statement welcoming Mr Hickeys release, the Olympic Council of Ireland said it is pleased its president, who has temporarily stepped aside, is no longer being held in prison.

Mr Hickeys family are due to meet Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan in Dublin this week as they continue to push for Government help in ensuring his return to Ireland.

However, speaking on RTE yesterday, Mr Flanagan said he wants to make it clear that he cannot intervene in another countrys legal system.
Mr Hickey was told of the clear restrictions on his travel as he was formally released from the notorious Bangu 10 jail in Rio de Janeiro yesterday afternoon.

Mr Hickey was arrested on August 17 at his luxury hotel as it emerged many of the 823 tickets found in the possession of 36-year-old Dubliner and THG director Kevin James Mallon when he was arrested on August 5 came from the Olympic Council of Ireland.

After a fortnight of drama surrounding his alleged involvement in a complex ticket-touting controversy, Mr Hickey was yesterday released from prison.

However, he has been told not to leave Brazil under any circumstances while investigations continue, which is likely to take a number of months.

I do not see that his freedom will present any risk to public order, criminal investigation or, if appropriate, the future application of criminal law, said state judge Fernando Antonio de Almeida in the ruling yesterday, adding that the 71-year-old will have to surrender his passport and cannot leave Brazil but is otherwise free to live in an apartment in the city without restrictions.

Police have 30 days to conclude their investigation and then prosecutors have 15 days to decide whether to pursue charges.

The judge accepted the request of Mr Hickeys lawyers who went to an appeal court in Rio de Janeiro after initially being denied habeas corpus.

He justified Mr Hickeys release by saying none of the three offences of which he is accused  facilitating touting; forming a criminal cartel; and illicit marketing  have a term of more than four years, meaning he would not serve them in a high-security jail anyway.

It is unclear if Mr Hickey, who stood aside from all his Olympic responsibilities when he was arrested, will return to his duties while he answers the charges against him.

In a statement, the executive committee of the European Olympic Committees said: The EOC welcomes the news that Patrick Hickey has been released from preventative custody in Bangu maximum-security prison.

We believe this was the correct decision as it respects the dignity and fundamental human rights of Mr. Hickey. The EOC respectfully requests that these rights continue to be respected, including the principle of proportionality when under criminal investigation and Mr Hickeys presumption of innocence.
Disabilities Minister Finian McGrath confirmed the situation last night after being handed the report by senior counsel Conor Dignam, which has been repeatedly delayed since the start of the year.

It was commissioned last year after serious allegations were made that a mute woman with significant mental disabilities was repeatedly raped and sexually abused at a foster home in the south east for almost two decades.

The woman, given the pseudonym Grace, was one of a number of vulnerable children and teenagers placed at the home between the mid-1980s and 2009.

However, despite authorities effectively banning the family from having any more vulnerable people placed with them in 1995, Grace was left at the home for 14 more years, while the family of a second woman given the pseudonym Ann, left their relative at the same facility as they were not told what had happened.

After a whistleblower alleged a small number of HSE officials attempted to cover up what had occurred, Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the Dail in February the next government would launch a commission of investigation.

However, the Government had been legally unable to set up the inquiry until the Conor Dignam report was completed  a document only handed over to Mr McGrath on Monday night.

The report  due to be completed by April before the scale of work involved meant this deadline had to be extended to June, July, and subsequently this month  was commissioned in December after an initial review by the same senior counsel last summer. It was tasked with examining:

The procedures and processes followed by the HSE in procuring two still unpublished reports by Conal Devine and Resilience Ireland into what happened;

The appropriateness or not of these reviews and those conducting them;

Reasons why the reports have not been published;

The identification of matters which would assist the framing of the terms of reference for a commission of investigation;

Mr McGrath said last night: My overriding concern is for the safety and protection of vulnerable people in the care of the State. I want to repeat my determination that this historical issue will be comprehensively examined and addressed.
The 48-bed facility in Lusk in north Co Dublin is the States main detention facility for offenders aged under 17.

The 16-year-old boy, who appeared in court on Tuesday is charged with criminal damage to a chair on August 25 at his north inner city Dublin home where his mother resides.

On Friday, he was granted bail with strict conditions: he had to stay away from his mothers address; reside in another part of Dublin with a grandparent and obey a 9pm9am curfew.

He faced objections to bai at his second hearing on Tuesday. Garda Peter Redmond told the Dublin Childrens Court that at 1am on Saturday the teenager was found at Mountjoy Square in Dublin under the influence. The teen was in possession of a petrol can and a bike but could not explain why he had them.

The boy told gardai he was going to his grandmothers home but when that was checked the following day, gardai were told he did not arrive until early in the morning. He also broke the curfew over the next two days.

Defence solicitor Colleen Gildernew told Judge Marie Keane that there was a difficult family situation and the boy had come to court with a bag packed and was consenting to being held in custody.

Judge Keane indicated that she would remand in custody but enquiries were made and she was told there were no beds today at the Oberstown detention centre. The teenager sat silently during the hearing. His mother was also present but did not address the court.

Judge Keane released the boy on bail to appear again later this week.
A molecule linked to the brain condition can be detected in samples of spinal fluid, research has shown.

The finding may pave the way to earlier diagnosis, improving treatment prospects.

Parkinsons causes the progressive loss of neurons involved in movement, leading to uncontrollable tremors, rigid muscles, and poor balance.

The Parkinsons Association of Ireland estimates there are 9,000 Irish people living with Parkinsons. An estimated 127,000 people in Britain have the disease .

The test molecule is a protein called alpha-synuclein which forms sticky clumps known as Lewy bodies within the brain cells of people with Parkinsons and some types of dementia.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh used highly sensitive technology to differentiate between healthy and harmful forms of the protein.

In early studies, the technique accurately identified 19 out of 20 samples from Parkinsons patients, as well as three samples from people thought to be at risk.

Dr Alison Green, from the National CJD Research and Surveillance Unit at the University of Edinburgh, said: We have already used this technique to develop an accurate test for Creutzfeldt Jacob disease (CJD), another neurodegenerative condition.

We hope that with further refinement, our approach will help to improve diagnosis for Parkinsons patients. We are also interested in whether it could be used to identify people with Parkinsons and Lewy body dementia in the early stages of their illness. These people could then be given the opportunity to take part in trials of new medicines that may slow, or stop, the progression of disease.

The findings are published in the journal Annals Of Clinical And Translational Neurology.

Dr Beckie Port, from the charity Parkinsons UK, said: Parkinsons has no definitive diagnostic test  leaving an urgent need for a simple and accurate way of detecting the condition, particularly in the beginning stages. Although early days, the fact that researchers have developed a new test that is able to detect abnormal alpha-synuclein in the spinal fluid of people with Parkinsons with remarkable specificity and sensitivity, is hugely promising.

Further research is needed to test more samples to see if the results continue to hold true, but this could be a significant development towards a future early diagnostic test for Parkinsons.
File photo shows Zhang Liwei took part in an activity in the temple.(Photo from WeChat)

Getting away with murder, switching identities, getting a job as a janitor in a temple, rising through the ranks to become abbot, elected as a political advisor and becoming chairman of local Buddhist Association - you can't say that the last 16 years of Zhang Liwei's life hasn't been somewhat dramatic.

But this astonishing journey came to an abrupt halt on August 12, 2016, when police raided the temple he was in and arrested him for the murders he committed back in November 2000.

Zhang was suspected along with 4 others of killing three people in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, becoming the subject of a police manhunt.

He fled to east China's Anhui province, where he changed his name to Sun Hongtao.

In 2001, he took a job as a helper in Baisui Temple on the Jiuhua Mountain of Anhui province. Being an outgoing and easygoing person he fitted in well.

However, after a conflict with a tourist who refused to buy a ticket in 2002, he moved to Longxing Temple in Fengyang county where he settled down once more.

There he became a monk, taking advantage of the loose verification process at the time.

According to a monk there, Zhang started working there as a janitor. He was gradually promoted due to his popularity with the people there and his talent for management.

He began to take charge of the temple around 2007. About the same time he was elected as a political advisor of Fengyang county.

In 2008, he received an official household registration, or hukou, in the name of Sun Hongtao in Fuyang city, also in Anhui province, completing the process of changing his identity.

An official of the police station where Zhang apparently registered had no memory of his case.

In the same year, he was elected as the political advisor of Chuzhou city as well as vice chairman of the Buddhist Association there.

In 2011, Zhang filed the names of the principal monks of the temple in the records of the religious authority of Fengyang city.

"When we checked Sun Hongtao's information then, we didn't find anything wrong," says an officer of the religious authority.

In 2014, after a temple election, on the recommendation of the former abbot, and after sailing through the verification process of the Buddhist Association of Fengyang county, plus after filing documents with the local religious authority, Zhang took up the position as the abbot of Longxing Temple.

In March 2016, he was elected as the chairman of the Buddhist Association of Fengyang county.

Far from deliberately avoiding contact with the outside world to reduce the risk of discovery, Zhang took an active part in public life, choosing to travel using private cars.

He was discovered by the police while making an application to travel abroad, which required taking photos and fingerprints, according to one monk in the temple.

The police compared photos and confirmed that Sun Hongtao was actually Zhang Liwei, the fugitive on August 10, 2016. They arrested him two days later.

When he was arrested, he appeared composed, confessing his real identity and the crime he had committed.

According to the local religious authority, Longxing Temple has donated over 1 million yuan (around 15 million USD) in recent years.

Zhang has also been supporting two poor students in the area by giving them money every month. He is on record as saying that he would support them until they graduated from college.

During his days as abbot, he also had the temple renovated from a former state of dilapidation.

But can the good deeds he has done redeem the crime he once committed?

The abbot who has succeeded him finds that question hard to answer.

After hearing the story of Zhang, a Buddhist nun in the humble Buddhist nunnery beside Longxing temple sighed and said that "Buddha teaches us to confess our wrongdoings and Zhang should have confessed his crime, if he sincerely follows the Buddha's teachings."
A study found a typical vaping session causes similar damage to the main artery in the heart as that suffered by those who smoked cigarettes.

The findings appear to fly in the face of advice from Public Health England (PHE), which last year said vaping is 95% less harmful than tobacco and called for GPs to be able to prescribe e-cigarettes on the NHS to help people quit smoking.

Researchers said vaping could damage the aorta in a similar way to smoking as they presented their findings at the European Society for Cardiology congress in Rome, The Daily Telegraph reported, and they said they would not encourage using such devices.

They found that the effects from a 30-minute session of vaping  seen as a typical habit as e-cigarettes deliver nicotine at a slower rate than cigarettes  were similar to those from smoking a cigarette for five minutes.

Experiments were carried out on 24 adults with an average age of 30, examining only the immediate effects of e-cigarettes and smo- king.

Prof Charalambos Vlachopoulos, from the University of Athens medical school, told the conference: We measured aortic stiffness. If the aorta is stiff you multiply your risk of dying, either from heart diseases or from other causes.

He added: The aorta is like a balloon next to the heart. The more stiff the balloon is, the more difficult for the heart to pump. Its the most powerful biomarker we have for estimating cardiovascular disease.

Prof Vlachopoulos said that while the long-term risks of vaping remained unknown, he would not recommend their use.

He said: There could be long-term heart dangers. They are far more dangerous than people realise. I wouldnt recommend them now as a method to give up smoking. I think the UK has rushed into adopting this method.

Rosanna OConnor, from PHE, told the Telegraph: Vaping carries a fraction of the risk of smoking yet many smokers are still not aware, which could be keeping people smoking rather than switching to a much less harmful alternative.
The teenage boy, aged 16, appeared at the Dublin Childrens Court when he was served with a book of evidence.

He is charged with causing serious harm to budding actor Andrew Cusack, aged 21, whose face was slashed with a broken bottle in the early hours of May 2 at Dame Lane in Dublin.

Judge Marie Keane told him he was being returned for trial to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he will face his next hearing on October 7.

He was granted legal aid and warned he must notify the State if he plans to use an alibi.

The teenager, who was accompanied to court by his mother and his solicitor David Stafford, made no application for bail and was remanded in custody.

In an outline of the allegations, Dublin Childrens Court was told the 16-year-old defendant was allegedly dealing drugs prior to the attack and his temper flared up when he was asked for a refund for selling fake ecstasy tablets.

The boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, said Im very sorry for what Ive done after he was charged. The victim, Mr Cusack, is the son of Prof Stephen Cusack, an expert in emergency medicine at UCC.

Last month, the 16-year-old boy faced a preliminary hearing at the childrens court to decide if his case should be dealt with there or instead get sent forward to the circuit court which can impose lengthier sentences.

It was held that the case was too serious to be dealt with in the juvenile court.

In an outline of the allegations, Garda Keith Connors said Mr Cusack purchased what he believed to be ecstasy tablets from the boy however he discovered the drugs were not real.

About 40 minutes later, Mr Cusack and his friend ran into the teenager at Dame Lane by pure chance and looked for a refund.

There was a row and the boy picked up a glass from a window ledge and the glass was thrust directly in to Mr Cusacks face. CCTV footage showed the victim and his friend remonstrating with a youth.

In the video, he could be seen dropping to his knees with blood pouring down his face and dripping on to the ground forming a large pool. Medical reports said Mr Cusack had four scars from his lower left lip across his cheek ranging between 4cm and 6cm in length.

His lower left lip is permanently numb and may have been weakened. He will also require surgery and treatment for many years. Gda Connors had said the man wanted to be an actor but the attack may scupper his chances.

The defendant has not yet entered a plea to the charge. The court heard he dropped out of school after the Junior Cert and was diagnosed with having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Defence solicitor David Stafford had said the teen fell in with a bad crowd and was abusing drugs, including various tablets, cannabis and cocaine.

It is suspected he has psychological and psychiatric issues, and he has recently been involved in serious self-harming incidents. The teens family life had also been disrupted by him being the victim of severe bullying, the childrens court had also heard.
Fans of the era-defining ITV classic can expect to rejoin the shows original gang  Adam (James Nesbitt), Pete (John Thomson), Jenny (Fay Ripley), Karen (Hermione Norris) and David (Robert Bathurst)  bar Helen Baxendale, whose character Rachel was killed off in the last series, as they navigate the minefield of middle age.

But dont expect them to have grown wiser.

Packed with highs and lows, the eight-part series  written and conceived once again by creator Mike Bullen  follows the fivesome as they tackle friendships, relationships, parenthood and love in the 21st century, all of which is shaken by Adams homecoming to Manchester after a stint working abroad.

Here, two of the shows stars reveal why the time was right for a reunion.

JAMES NESBITT

I never thought we would do it again, 51-year-old Nesbitt confides, having steered his character through the tragic loss of Adams beloved wife Rachel in the last series.

Then I opened the script and thought, Oh my God, there they are. Enough time had gone by. Those familiar yet distant characters leapt off the page, and they still had something to say.

The Irish actor admits there was a bit of trepidation about the idea of working with the gang again, but that quickly went out the window when it transpired everyone easily gelled  including newbie Ceallach Spellman, who hes proud to have as his on-screen son Matthew, who is now 15 years old.

and Adam Williams

in Cold Feet.]ColdFeetCast2016a_large.jpg

It was amazing. We slipped right back into it and were surprised at how much we were enjoying it, Nesbitt adds. We all looked at each other in one of the very first scenes we filmed and just laughed, thinking, Here we are. Were back.

HERMIONE NORRIS

Worried a new series could undo the shows previous success, Norris, 49, admits she needed some persuading to take part.

Its that thing in life  you think, Dont go back, just move forward, and it [Cold Feet] was so of its time and so loved, I felt it was maybe best left alone, she explains, admitting the weight of expectation and responsibility to make something again that people will love was a lot of pressure.

After her divorce from David, Norris character, Karen, is wondering whats next, having made it out the other side as a successful career woman and single mum to their three kids.

In real life, however, the actress is feeling much more together in the last year of her 40s.

I really, really appreciate that, being with my generation, she enthuses. Theres a weight of experience that you just dont have as a 30-year-old, and I wouldnt trade that for anything. I love it; I find it a relief.

The new series of Cold Feet starts on UTV Ireland on Monday, September 5
THE commission assessment of unpaid taxes at 13bn plus interest, to be recovered by Ireland is much higher than most expected, especially the Government.

However, the commission also note that the amount that may be recovered by Ireland will be much lower if as a result of information revealed through the commissions investigation profits are reallocated to other jurisdictions. There is a precedent for such a reallocation, in the case of Italy.

In addition, the commission note the amount recovered by Ireland would also be reduced if larger sums were reallocated to the US parent to finance research and development.

Thus the commission envisage a considerable international reallocation of profits attributed to the Irish Apple subsidiaries. This in itself will result in investigations by various revenue authorities and possible court cases.

The Irish Government has also maintained that an adverse ruling would be appealed and this was reaffirmed after the commission decision.

Given the costs involved for the taxpayer in the Government engaging in a protracted and costly appeal process (about 700,000 has been spent and court appeals could cost several million more), and lack of clarity as to precisely why this decision is being appealed, it is important to assess the likelihood of a successful appeal.

The US Treasury recently (August 24, 2016) published a white paper on recent EU decisions in relation to competition decisions on illegal state aid. This document is highly critical of EU policies in relation to State aid.

Effectively, the US government is acting as an advocate on behalf of affected US companies and has devoted considerable resources to setting out the case against the commission in relation to three recent decisions involving illegal State aid.

The grounds set out in the white paper (though brief  25 pages) are the likely arguments which may be used by the Irish State. Hence it is useful to examine these arguments and assess whether they have any merit and justify extensive legal costs.

What is the US case?

It is important to remember that the reason the commission initiated the Apple case was because of a US Senate sub-committee inquiry into Apple Ireland which drew attention to the fact that Apple earned about 60% of its global profit in Ireland and paid virtually no tax on these profits because Apple had no tax residency in any jurisdiction  an example of double non-taxation.

There are several strands to the US case, some consist of mere assertion, others are based on interpretations of what has been agreed by the G20 and OECD as to the nature of international tax reform, some are based on interpretations of European law.

Others are purely self-interest, for example that one effect of commission decisions would be to increase corporate tax receipts in certain EU countries, giving rise to additional tax credits and hence a reduction in US corporate tax revenue.

The overall conclusion of the white paper is not, however, based on legal or economic arguments, or arguments about necessary tax reforms but rather a threat. The white paper states: The US Treasury Department continues to consider potential responses should the commission continue its present course.

It also states: Recovery of past, allegedly unpaid tax would constitute retroactive enforcement of a newly adopted approach to State aid, and as a general matter, retroactive enforcement runs counter to one of the fundamental principles of EU jurisprudence: the principle of legal certainty.

Retrospective recovery is in fact a long established principle in relation to cartel cases (and sometimes for very large amounts), taken by the directorate general for competition.

Retrospective recovery is also a long established principle of tax law where a particular tax or elements of a tax strategy has been found by the courts to be illegal. The white paper states: The commission has suggested that it may also become an arbiter of tax settlements agreed to by member states with taxpayers.

The case referred to is the agreed settlement between the UK government and Google. The commission became involved only after a complaint from the First Minister and leader of the SNP in Scotland.

The competition directorate may often inititate investigations following complaints. Indeed, US firms are sometimes the initiator of these complaints as in the complaint by Microsoft against Google in relation to the dominance of the Google search engine.

The white paper makes much of the principle of certainty (referred to 13 times). For example, the white paper states that retrospective taxation would undermine G20s efforts to improve tax certainty.

However, the main tax reforms agreed in the OECD BEPS proposals (and agreed by the US) relate to issues such as preventing double non-taxation of which the Apple case is the most notorious.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager

The effect on the US tax revenues

The white paper states: There is the possibility that any repayments ordered by the commission will be considered foreign income taxes that are creditable against US taxes owed by the companies in the United States.

If so, the companies US tax liability would be reduced dollar for dollar by these recoveries when their offshore earnings are repatriated or treated as repatriated as part of possible US tax reform.

However, this statement fails to recognise that US companies currently earn a majority of their profits overseas but pay most of their corporate taxes in the US. Irrespective of what the commission decides increasing the tax take on overseas profits will generate tax credits that can be used to reduce tax payments in the US.

There are, of course, issues relating to the interpretation of law. For example, the white paper states: First, it appears that the commission has collapsed the concepts of advantage and selectivity, which are distinct requirements under state aid law.

In the state aid cases, the commission simply examined whether the measures at stake conferred a selective advantage on the companies under investigation, rather than separately assessing the existence of an advantage and the selective character of the measure, as it had done in prior decisions.

This distinction does not appear to be central to the commission case. In particular, in the Apple case, the tax ruling was selective in that it appears very few firms obtained this benefit and it was certainly to the advantage of Apple.

What should the commission do?

Commission actions in relation to illegal state aids are one of the (unfortunately) few areas of commission policy that have the overwhelming support of EU citizens. The Competition Directorate is one of the few areas that interested citizens and their representatives can appeal over the heads of government to act in the public interest rather than narrow sectional interest (as in the Google case referred to earlier).

In contrast, the actions of the US and Irish governments in acting as an advocate for Apple to oppose commission policy are not in the public interest.

The Competition Directorate deserves the support of all EU citizens in continuing to pursue policies to eliminate illegal State aid and redress the balance between corporate power (often supported by governments) at the expense of citizens rights.

The grounds for an appeal appear very weak and may simply represent a vanity project (we have done nothing illegal) or may reflect an implicit contract that not only will the Irish State grant tax expenditures/favourable tax regime, but will incur considerable State expenditures to protect the benefits to selected firms.

In conclusion, this decision should not be appealed. These tax rulings, once made public by the US Senate investigation were not sustainable, and Irish tax law has been amended to ensure that firms cannot be stateless.

Appealing this decision gives the appearance that Ireland considers that the tax regime that Apple benefitted from was legitimate.

Prof James Stewart is associate professor in finance at Trinity College Dublin
But the minority Government, in launching its robust defence against the commission, is also taking on huge political risk at home. It faces explaining to a potentially sceptical electorate why it wants to turn its back on a huge bounty of as much as 13bn in back taxes from one of the largest and richest multinationals in the world.

Apple may in the next few years employ as many as 6,000 people in Cork. It has shown its further commitment in plans to build a huge data centre in Athenry in Co Galway.

With over $230bn (205bn) in cash, Apple is also one of the few companies in the world that will not blink in facing a tax demand from Revenue of up to 13bn in the next few months.

Proof of that came yesterday when Apple shares just about flickered. The stock fell by less than 1%, barely registering on a company valued at almost $572bn.

But the audacity of the Governments commitment to fight the commission  pledging to lock up 13bn over many years in an account at the NTMA while it appeals the decision through European courts  shows there is a lot more going on than first meets the eye.

In fact, its fight has everything to do with ring-fencing the 12.5% corporation tax rate from a new threat from an emboldened commission.

Ireland has initiated a big fight with the commission but not necessarily with the part of the Brussels machine that yesterday handed down the order to Dublin to collect the tax from Apple.

Competition supremo Margrethe Vestager over a year ago also ruled that the Netherlands with its dealings with Starbucks, and Luxembourg in its dealings with Fiat had broken state aid rules.

Both those states, which plan to appeal, offer significant tax incentives to lure incoming investments. Unlike Ireland, however, they rely a lot less on offering companies one of the lowest headline rates in Europe.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

A more substantial threat facing Ireland remains firmly with a much more dangerous part of the commission  its economics, financial affairs, tax and customs directorate, led by Pierre Moscovici.

Appointed in late 2014, Mr Moscovici was sent a mission statement, detailing what was expected of him in his new job by commission head Jean-Claude Juncker.

Included in Mr Moscovicis job spec was a direction to conclude negotiations with member states on plans for a financial transaction tax, as well as for a common consolidated corporate tax base, or CCCTB. Ireland had already turned its back on the financial tax and has long faced down the threat of the new pan-EU corporate tax regime.

EU officials have for some time worked on plans to share out the corporate tax spoils by agreeing on common ways to redistribute corporate taxes between member states, but firmly based on the where companies generate their sales or profits, and not on the location of tax residency.

Company profits would be split on the basis of the countries where the company generates most sales, or employs most staff, and not where their European head offices were located.

Many people believe 12.5% CCCTB would spell disaster for the decades-old 12.5% corporate headline tax rate here. The proposals were frozen when Europe was struck by the eurozone debt crisis. But Mr Juncker and Mr Moscovici  who now heads a more powerful job than any Brussels tax commissioner has held before him  are expected to push ahead with the plan.

In tax strategy documents released last month, the Department of Finance said the commission was expected to relaunch its CCTB plan later this year.

This proposal is expected to follow the two-step approach of seeking agreement of a common tax base before identifying how consolidation could work, the department said, but noting that unanimity is required across the EU before any such plan can be put in place.

The Government says the commission, with its state-aid ruling, is straying into new areas in its bid to grab more control over tax sovereignty of member states.

Yesterday, the Department of Finance said it was simply untrue the Revenue had struck any sort of sweetheart deal with Apple.

Officials said the Government had lots of concerns about the direction the commission was taking and that changes to Irish corporate law in 2014 should have assuaged any concerns.

But with new CCCTB corporate tax plan looming, it is likely that the Apple case will be only the start of Irelands tax battles with the commission.
THE European Commission has today adopted a decision that Apples tax benefits in Ireland are illegal.

Two tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apples tax burden for over two decades in breach of EU state aid rules. Apple now have to repay the benefits worth up to 13bn plus interest.

This decision sends a clear message that member states can not give unfair tax benefits to selected companies, no matter if they are European or foreign, large or small, part of a group or not.

This has been long confirmed by the EU courts and the commissions case practice. EU state aid rules have been in force since 1958 and apply to all companies that decide to operate in the EU single market.

State aid rules ensure that companies can compete on equal terms also as regards to taxation in each member state and these rules protect European taxpayers.

THE BACKGROUND

Todays decision concerns two companies in the Apple group, Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe. Both are incorporated in Ireland and have been set up by Apple to record profits there. Their ultimate parent is Apple Inc in the US.

The first company, Apple Sales International (ASI), accounts for almost all of the unpaid taxes Ireland now needs to recover. So how does this fit into the Apple group?

ASI holds the rights to use Apples intellectual property to sell and to manufacture Apples products outside of North and South America. In exchange for these rights, it makes payments to Apple in the US to contribute to the development of this intellectual property, often more than $2bn (1.8bn) per year.

In practice, ASI buys Apple products from their manufacturers. It sells these products throughout Europe as well as in the Middle East, in Africa and in India. No matter if you buy your iPhone in Berlin or Rome or elsewhere in these regions, contractually you buy it from ASI in Cork in Ireland. This is how Apple decided to set it up.

This means that all profits coming from all these sales are recorded in Ireland. That arrangement, however, is not a matter for state aid rules and we did not look into it as part of our investigation. Our state aid investigation focused on the allocation of profits recorded in Ireland within ASI.

THE DEAL IN PRACTICE

We looked into two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple, the first from 1991. It was replaced in 2007 by a similar second ruling. Both rulings endorsed an internal split of ASI profits for tax purposes.

They allocated the profits between each Irish branch and the companys head office, or I should say so-called head office, because this so-called head office only existed on paper. It has no employees, it has no premises and it has no real activities.

The Irish branch was subject to normal Irish corporation tax. However, the head office was subject to no tax in Ireland or elsewhere. This was possible under Irish law which until 2013 allowed for so-called stateless companies.

As a result of the allocation method in the tax rulings, only a fraction of the profits from the Apple sales internationally were attributed to the Irish branch. The remaining, the vast majority, of profits, was attributed to the so-called head office.

BENEFITS TO APPLE

This means that ASI as a whole paid very little tax on its profits. Let me illustrate. For one tax year, in 2011, ASI made a profit of 16bn. Less than 50m were allocated to the Irish branch. The rest, the huge majority, were allocated to the so-called head office where they remained untaxed.

This means that Apples effective tax rate in 2011 was 0.05%. To put that in perspective, it means that for every million euro of profits, it paid just 500 in taxes.

This effective tax rate dropped further to as little as 0.005% in 2014 which means that even less was paid in taxes. It was 50 per million in profits.

WHY IT IS A PROBLEM?

Our decision concluded that splitting the profits did not have any factual or economic justification. As mentioned, the so-called head office had no employees, no premises, no real activities. Only the Irish branch of ASI had any resources and facilities to sell Apples products.

But under the tax ruling, the so-called head office was attributed almost all of the companys profits. In fact, due to Apples set-up, it was attributed almost all of the profits made from selling products throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.

The second company, Apple Operations Europe (AOE), makes certain Apple computers in Ireland. Under the same two tax rulings the majority of its profits was also artificially attributed to a so-called head office that only existed on paper and whose profits were not taxed.

This selective tax treatment of Apple in Ireland is illegal under EU state aid rules. It gave Apple a significant benefit compared to other businesses. Tax rulings can not endorse a methodology or a method to calculate taxable profits for a business that fails to reflect economic activity, or the reality for that matter.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

So what are the consequences of this decision for Ireland and for Apple? To restore fair competition, Ireland must recover up to 13bn in unpaid taxes from Apple plus interest.

This amount covers the period 2003 until 2014. It starts 10 years before we made the first enquiries to the Irish authorities in 2013.

It is for the Irish authorities to now determine the exact amount and the modalities of payment. The recovered amount can for example be put in an escrow account in case of an appeal in front of the EU courts.

Also, Apple would no longer be allowed to benefit from this tax treatment in Ireland. The two tax rulings under investigation were in any event terminated last year by the company.

It is up to the Irish authorities to ensure that the company, under its new set-up, pays taxes in line with both Irish tax law and EU state aid rules.

INTERNATIONAL CONSEQUENCES

Finally, it may not be that all the unpaid taxes are due in Ireland. ASI is based in Ireland where it records all profits on sales of Apple products throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India.

As I have already mentioned, this recording of profits in itself is not matter for state aid rules. It results from Apples choice of structure.

But other countries in the EU or elsewhere can look into our investigation, they can use our data, our reasoning. If they conclude that Apple should have recorded its sales in those countries instead of Ireland, they could require Apple to pay more tax in that country. That would reduce the amount to be paid back to Ireland.

The amount to be paid back to Ireland would also be reduced if the two companies were required to pay larger amounts of money to their US parent company to fund research and development efforts in addition to the annual payments they already have made.

As I mentioned, these are conducted by the US parents on behalf of ASI and AOE.

TimCookInCork1_large.jpg

LOOKING AHEAD

Finally, I do hope that it is obvious that there are many good and transparent ways for EU countries to support and encourage investment, and many, many good reasons to invest in Europe. For one, we have a single market with more than 500m potential customers.

Todays decision shows that we can act when a member state gives illegal state aid to a company. It is a good thing since illegal state aid harms competition. It is unfair.

Looking ahead, the ultimate goal should of course be that all companies, big or small, pay taxes where they generate their profits.

Enforcement of EU state aid rules can not do this alone that is why we need changes both in corporate philosophies and we need changes in legislation to address loopholes and to ensure transparency.

On the international level, both G20 and the OECD have taken important steps to reach this objective.

Also in the EU, under the responsibility of my colleagues, Valdis Dombrovskis and Pierre Moscovici, significant changes have been made.

It has been new legislation proposed, decided and now under implementation, with more to come. This is real change and it is change for the better.

The commission still have two in-depth state aid investigations under way into the tax treatment of Amazon and McDonalds in Luxembourg and we are continuing our work on reviewing more than 1,000 tax rulings from all EU countries that make use of them.

So we still have some work ahead of us to ensure that companies compete on equal terms and not on the expense of EU taxpayers, whether they be other companies or citizens.
Todays political and economic news is dominated by the decision of the EU Commission that Ireland gave favourable tax treatment to Apple, amounting to 13 billion since 1991. It is rooted in decisions taken by the Revenue Commissioners and based on allegations of giving unfair competitive advantage to one company over others. It is complicated and has been on the go for years. In all probability, it has years to go before a final conclusion.

As an example of technocratic conundrums which beset politicians when national governments struggle to persuasively govern in a globalised economic order, the Apple case is a classic. The vote for Brexit, the emergence of Trump and yearning to ban the burkini example reductio ad absurdum responses, offered with increasing desperation and decreasing credibility. Because global trends cannot be effectively controlled locally, locals prefer to take hold of the lever that is nearest and pull hard. Better to do something, than nothing, if only to relieve the frustration of pitiable powerless. An act of destruction is at least action.

Powerlessness  to one degree or another  was largely the state of mind of the general populace before the First World War. Putting the matter positively, obedience was held to be a virtue. Government was mainly a matter for others. For the great majority, the furthest horizons were local.

Certainly, there were global trends albeit less powerful and not as obviously connected in the localised world, before globalisation. The context of the Apple case, is it arrives exactly at the juncture when global trends, underlined by the failures of multinational institutions to address them, is leading to further radical destabilisation within national politics globally. In other words, multinational corporations have proven more efficient than multilateral government organisations, supposedly policing them. In turn from the UN to the EU, scorn is heaped and in countries like Britain, both its internal cohesion and its external relations are threatened with a downward vortex, which over time will make its constituent parts weaker, and those angry, left-behind Brexit voters, ever more left-behind.

The prevailing anti-political mood is poison ivy. It is creeping up around trees it ultimately toxifies and fells. It is, however, the bandwagon which all want to get on board. The main headline in this newspaper on Monday was a call by a newly-elected independent TD and now minister of state responsible for the Office of Public Works, Sean Canney, for term limits on TDs. A 10-year limit is his suggestion: I dont think I have the divine right to be [a TD] for 20 or 30 years.

Well I agree. In fact, you havent a divine right to be a TD at all. You have to get elected first, then re-elected. In the last election 38% of all TDs, including Sean Canney, were new. In 2011 that figure was 45%. Those very high figures do not account for the churn of TDs returning to the Dail after an absence, almost invariably caused by them losing their seat previously. In the four elections from 1992 to 2007 new TDs on average accounted for more than 22% of those elected. In that 15 years, just more than 90% of the composition of the Dail was entirely new. And, that was before the tsunami of 2011.

We have a problem but it is not the one identified by Sean Canney.

He is, however, grappling with the underlying one. A persuasive advocate for his community in east Galway, he is now responsible for the OPW, which is technocratic and bureaucratic and which is responsible for delivering for places afflicted by flooding across the country. I purposely say responsible, because in almost no meaningful sense, is he really in charge.

Our public institutions expertise at passing responsibility upwards, is in inverse proportion to their willingness or capacity to take political direction downward. Perseverance can be a little testing when faced with the prospect of a minister in office for a full five years. Faced with the two-year tenure of Minister Canney, the clock is the best friend of the status quo.

Sean Canney

It is extraordinary and alas extraordinarily common, that a man who laboured for years for next to nothing on Galway County Council, having achieved office now, should so completely misunderstand the true nature of challenges which are odds-on, likely to defeat him. It is not the power of politicians that is overweening or their tenure that is over-long. It is their relative powerlessness in the face of the mediocrity of the permanent bureaucracy, which they lack either the skills, the will, or the time to challenge effectively. Most ministers become the manure that composts the bureaucratic undergrowth. In the modern political conversation term limits have their origin in Newt Gingrichs 1984 Contract with America, which successfully overturned 40 years of Democrat control in the House of Representatives, characterised by the influence of extraordinarily powerful committee chairmen. It is the modern basis for Trump talk.

In an Irish context it is both completely misplaced, but entirely understandable. Alienation requires a response. One clear public response has been to change political representation with increasing frequency. Another, but clearly lacking, would be to firstly challenge, then resource and finally hold to account public services, including regulatory ones, to a much higher standard. Much public cynicism and frustration comes from a lack of accountability, of which political accountability is only a top-layer and too frequently a token votive offering, in lieu of the real thing, by those who unlike Minister Canney enjoy real power and whose tenure is truly unlimited.

We are neither helpless nor hapless. The misunderstanding is that globalisation is our enemy and the local is permanently disempowered. Globalisation is Irelands friend. The Global Innovation Index ranks Ireland as the 7th most innovative country in the world. After a disastrous economic crash, rooted in political unwillingness to hold key statutory functions to effective account, as well as Government overspending over years, our economy has rebounded to more than two million jobs. The undermining disconnect is twofold. The opaqueness of our governance and the mediocrity of its operational delivery breeds alienation locally. Local alienation demands further political evisceration. It is a downward spiral.

We cant change the world. But we can be excellent at some things. Attracting multinational companies is one; encouraging confidence in our political system is another. Political accountability is one aspect. But the greater challenge, which politicians shy away from, is holding public services to effective account. The economic crash was singularly dislocating. The lingering poison ivy which toxifies public opinion is the mediocrity of the administration of public services. Curiously, one of the few political survivors over decades, Michael Noonan is now our point man on Apple. The irony is that he will now defend Ireland from without, with a political enthusiasm, he never committed to reforming it, from within.
Burma 21st Century Panglong Conference Kicks Off in Naypyidaw

Attendees of the Union Peace Conferencealso being heralded as the 21st Century Panglong Conferencepictured on the events opening day in Naypyidaw. / JPaing / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYIDAW  The 21st Century Panglong conference began on Wednesday in Burmas capital of Naypyidaw, with an emphasis on unity in building a federal union.

Over 1,000 attendees filled the conference hall at the Myanmar International Convention Centre 2.

The grand opening of the five-day conference has been discussed as the first step toward national reconciliation and political dialogue, and was joined by the stakeholders from the government, Parliament, the Burma Army, 17 ethnic armed organizations, foreign diplomats and the United Nations general secretary Ban Ki-moon.

For the remainder of the conference, 750 stakeholders will be discussing specific issues in relation to politics, security, economics, land and the environment.

Key leaders from the government present at the event included State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, parliamentary house speakers Win Myint and Mann Win Khaing Than, and Burma Army commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Key ethnic leaders included Karen National Union chairman Saw Mutu Say Poe and Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) vice chairman Gen NBan La.

National League for Democracy patron U Tin Oo and UN secretary Ban Ki-moon addressed attendees with opening speeches highlighting the importance of Burmas peace process.

In her own 15-minute speech, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi revisited her peace negotiation teams work over the past three months.

Acknowledging those displaced by conflict in Burma, the State Counselor emphasized the need to not to forget the IDPs in her speech, a statement echoed by many of those who spoke at the event, calling for an end to civil war in the country.

Now our ethnic people in unstable areas are wondering what the outcomes of the conference will be. Their hopes have been dimmed for a long time. We surely cant ignore their suffering, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said.

The KIAs NBan La said thanked the government for remembering the suffering of the displaced; over 100,000 ethnic Kachin remain internally displaced due to renewed fighting with the Burma Army in recent years.

He went on to explain his understanding of federalism as living in harmony in a democratic union without separation.

One stakeholder who did not mention federalism was army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who, in his speech remained firm on adhering to the Tatmadaws six-point principles in the peace process, which he described as having been drafted based on [past] experiences and which should be followed by both sides.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi highlighted the work of civil society organizations for their peacebuilding efforts. Specifically, she thanked Burmas youth for holding a recent campaign in support of the 21st Century Panglong conference.

The State Counselor emphasized public participation as key to achieving peace in the country.

Any peace process cant be successful without public support, she said. Peace is not something that leaders can delegate from above, and it is not born in peace conference rooms. Active participation and support from the public is required.

The stakeholders and the conference attendees shared their expectations from the five-day peace talks with The Irrawaddy.

Myo Win, vice chair of the All Burma Students Democratic Front, echoed the State Counselors sentiments on peacebuilding: We need participation from the public and to think of it as everyones responsibility.

Laphai Seng Raw, a prominent Kachin social activist who is taking part in the conference as a stakeholder, told The Irrawaddy that she hoped the 2016 Panglong would continue finding solutions for historically unresolved issues, such as equality and rights to autonomy, which were failed to be implemented after the [original] 1947 Panglong.

Other members of civil society organizations and womens groups in particular were present at the conference as observers, despite not being invited as stakeholders.
The campus anti-sex attacker map drawn by Kang Chenwei, a junior student at Beijing Normal University. [Photo: The Beijing News]

Summer is ending, and school bells are about to ring once more. It's time for many to get serious about college life.

For some students this will be their first time away from home, the first occasion perhaps that they have had to take responsibility for themselves.

Usually it's an adventure, but some realities of campus life may come as a shock - threats to physical safety being one of them.

Kang Chenwei, a junior student at Beijing Normal University, has drawn a map by hand and posted it on his WeChat account.

It's not to show the location of the library, or canteen.

This map outlines the places where female students should look out for potential attackers.

This map, in the form of a scatter diagram, was created as part of his research paper on campus sexual harassment in China today, and is based on 60 recent cases.

According to statistics collated from Beijing Normal University's billboard system, five cases concerning sexual harassment have been reported in just one week - from August 18 to 25.

But most universities usually fail to tackle sexual harassment, and seldom inform students about the best ways to protect themselves from potential attacks.

Kang Chenwei told the Beijing News that he hopes his map will raise people's awareness of the issue, and there will be greater pressure from the public to take more vigorous action against it.

The map is also proving a useful tool for the regular security job on campus, as it points out some blind spots in its coverage.

One female student at the university welcomed the map, praising it for the way it shows data based on geographical location.

She further pointed out that Kang's report could be made even more comprehensive if it were to include interviews with victims, rather than simply providing an analysis of perpetrators' activities.
Burma Armed Conflict Continues on Highway in Karen State

Border Guard Force groups monitor a section of the Asian Highway in July 2015. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy

Fresh clashes have been reported on a stretch of the Asian Highway running through southern Karen State on Tuesday, following the death of the leader of a splinter group of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA).

Maj. Na Ma Kyar, who led the splinter group named after him, was killed on Monday. He was on a Burma Army wanted list. Clashes broke out on Tuesday after a joint force of the Burma Army and an allied Karen militia, the Border Guard Force (BGF), approached the Na Ma Kyar groups base.

The Na Ma Kyar group is based in a remote part of Karen States Kawkareik Township. It has exerted control, and collected road tolls, along parts of the Asian Highway, which was built to ease trade and transit between Burma and Thailand via the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the splinter group warned that fighting would escalate if the joint Burma Army-BGF force kept chasing its troops. Another senior officer in the DKBA splinter group, Maj. Saw San Aung, is also on the Burma Army wanted list.

The DKBA, to which the Na Ma Kyar group formerly belonged, was one of eight ethnic armed groups that signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the previous government in October of last year.

Saw Alex Htoo, deputy director of the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network, told The Irrawaddy that armed conflict would continue as the Burma Army and BGF attempted to gain full control of the strategic highway.

The Burma Army and the BGF have been trying to wipe out [the Na Ma Kyar group] since 2014. There will continue to be conflict unless they make a settlement to accommodate shared interests, said Saw Alex Htoo.

According to local rights groups, more than 1,000 local villagers were forced to flee their homes in July of last year due to armed conflict in the area around the Asian Highway in Karen State. Many of the displaced villagers still cannot return home due to the risk of landmines and continued instability.

The Asian Highway, lauded by governments as part of an east-west economic corridor in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region, has been criticized by rights groups for contributing to increased militarization in an already conflict-prone region.

Besides the Burma Army, the BGF and the Na Ma Kyar group, other groups that exert control over sections of the highway, collecting taxes and toll fees, include the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, the Karen National Union and smaller breakaway Karen groups such as the KNU/KNLAPeace Council.
Burma DKBA Splinter Group Confirms Leaders Death

Soldiers of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army in 2015, prior to the faction under Maj. Na Ma Kyar splintering from the group. (Photo: / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy

Maj. Na Ma Kyar, the commander of a splinter group of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) that is named after him, has been killed, the splinter group confirmed on Tuesday.

The Na Ma Kyar group on Tuesday released the statement along with a photo of the late Maj. Na Ma Kyar with cuts to his throat, saying that the details of his death would be explained later at a press conference.

A local resident close to the Na Ma Kyar group, who did not wish to be named, said that Maj. Na Ma Kyar was killed in Karen States Kawkareik Township by one of five elephant mahouts he had kidnapped for ransom.

First, they freed one mahout and asked him to bring the ransom. But he didnt come back. Then they freed another two, who also didnt come back. So they attempted to arrest new mahouts. One mahout stabbed [Maj. Na Ma Kyar] with a knife out of fear, almost severing his neck, he told The Irrawaddy.

However, there have also been allegations that the Burma Army, together with allied Karen militia the Border Guard Force, had killed Maj. Na Ma Kyar and invented the story of him being killed by a mahout as a cover. Other rumors have asserted that three Na Ma Kyar group members lost their lives while trying to rescue Maj. Na Ma Kyar from Burma Army captivity.

The Na Ma Kyar group statement also claimed that the Burma Army and Border Guard Force troops were attacking them from two sides in Kawkareik Township, and that clashes may intensify.

The Na Ma Kyar splinter group is based in a remote part of Karen States Kawkareik Township. It has exerted controland collected road tollsalong parts of the Asian Highway, which was built to ease trade and transit between Burma and Thailand via the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border. The group was forced out of its positions on the strategic highway by a joint Burma Army-Border Guard Force attack prior to the official opening of the highway in February of this year.

Earlier this month, Border Guard Force troops clashed with the Na Ma Kyar splinter group, injuring four civilians.

On May 11, the Burma Army and the Border Guard Force launched a joint attack on the house of Maj. Na Ma Kyar in Pyabin Village of Kawkareik Township, but Maj. Na Ma Kyar escaped.

In February, clashes between the same groups displaced hundreds of civilians in the area.
Burma E-Visa Holders Permitted to Enter Burma Overland

The border crossing into Myawaddy, in Karen State, from Mae Sot, Thailand. / Kyaw Hsu Mon / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  Burmas Ministry of Immigration and Population will allow tourists from 100 countries holding electronic visas to enter Burma through three cities on the Thai border, starting on Sept. 1.

The electronic visa application was introduced in 2014 and allowed tourists holding e-visas to enter the country only via airports in Rangoon, Mandalay or Naypyidaw; the business e-visa was introduced the following year with the same restrictions.

The immigration and population ministry announced on its website on Wednesday that the application process and policies for e-visas will remain the same, but that the allowance for overland entry is applicable to both tourist and business e-visa holders.

Now all tourists and business e-visa holders from 100 countries can pass through three cities, following an agreement with Thai government and our government, Myint Kyaing, permanent secretary of Ministry of Immigration and Population told the Irrawaddy.

The three cities able to process e-visa holders entering Burma overland include Myawaddy in Karen State, which sits opposite Thailands Mae Sot; Tachileik in Shan State, across from Mae Sai in Thailand; and Kawthaung in Tenasserim Division, from Thailands Ranong.

We hope these additional enhancements will offer our valued guests even more flexibility and convenience when visiting Myanmar in the near future, the ministry said.

E-visa applicants are required to fill out an online visa form, verify that all the information entered is correct and make an online credit card payment. Applicants then receive a visa approval letter via email and are then eligible to have their passport stamped upon arrival by presenting a print-out of the electronic approval letter.

Not all tourists can pass through the e-visa system, only those eligible, Myint Kyaing said.

As Burmas tourist arrivals have been increasing, reaching nearly 4.7 million in 2015, more than 60 percent of tourists came through overland border crossings, according to the Ministry of Hotel and Tourism figures.

U Maung Maung, managing director of World Quest International, said the new moveagreed to by the Burmese and Thai governmentsis welcomed.

I hope more tourists will come here from Thailand, and international tourist arrivals will be expected to increase, he said.

I dont think there will be a negative impact as a result of this new process, he added.

Tourist arrivals initially increased when Burma transitioned from a military government to a quasi-civilian administration in 2011, when the number of tourists entering the country was only 800,000. By 2014, this rose to over 3 million, according to official statistics.
Burma NLD Struggles to Fix Administrative Branches: Shwe Mann

Shwe Mann at a Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission meeting in April. / Shwe Mann / Facebook

NAYPYIDAW  The new National League for Democracy government is struggling to fix the governments administrative branches, according to U Shwe Mann, chairman of Parliaments Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission.

At a press conference, Shwe Mann told the media that peace efforts amid ongoing conflict in northern Burma, issues in Arakan State and overhauling Burmas administrative machinery are proving more difficult than expected.

The government is working hard. It is struggling with a very difficult situation, he said.

As a consequence of the failure to allow for a proper market economy in successive eras, the new government faces difficulties in the economic sector. It has yet to achieve its goals as it has had to address political, economic and social reforms simultaneously, he added.

The government has started economic reform but it hasnt gotten very far, he said.

U Shwe Manns said he was determined to work for the well-being of the people and progress of the country in good faith as hard as I can from the position I hold.

Concerning his attitude towards the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) after having been purged from it, he said he would treat it with loving kindness, goodwill and indifference.

However, he said that a political party that fails to work in the interests of the people will not last long.

I am not thinking about party politics at the moment. However, we are ready to help and work with any government formed by any party if it works in the interests of the people and the country, he said.

In addition, he said the commission that he leads gives advice to the Union Parliament and the Union Government in the interests of the people and the country. The commission is not a decision-making body but one that helps government officials make decisions.

However, one NLD spokesperson told the Irrawaddy that U Shwe Mann could give advice to State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi directly.

He can give advice to the state counselor through a direct channel created for him, the spokesperson said.

It was reported that one of the reasons for the press conference was to refute social media accusations that the commission was working in the personal interest of one individual [Aung San Suu Kyi].

Translated from Burmese by Myint Win Thein.
Burma Peace Conference Participants Voice Expectations

The Union Peace Conference Opening ceremony on Wednesday morning at the Myanmar International Convention Center-2 in Naypyidaw. / The Irrawaddy

Zipporah Sein: vice chairperson of Karen National Union

Since it is the first conference, we have high hopes that peace and a federal Union can be built. We have yet to deepen trust with the government mainly because there are still clashes. Much needs to be done before trust can be forged.

I want the peace conference to be all-inclusive and Im sorry that three groupsthe Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Taang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Armyare not included. Everyone anticipates peace so we must continue our efforts.

Ko Ko Gyi: 88 Generation Peace and Open Society

The peace process is a national process and we cant expect the government to finish it during its term. Peace is the process of the country, not the process of a government.

The results might depend on the extent of inclusion and patience in discussions. Civil war broke out because of politics and it persists because of a lack of trust. If nationwide peace is to be built, everyone should avoid terms, usages and behaviors that could cause misunderstandings, and nurture a culture of forgiveness.

In successive periods in the past, peace was only between the government and the ethnic armed groupsthe people were not informed at all about the peace process. Only when all people can actively take part will peace be complete and sustainable.

Kwel Htoo Win: general secretary of the Karen National Union

The conference is the first step towards long-awaited political dialogue. The objective of the Union Peace Conference is to start an inclusive peace process for all. Only eight ethnic armed groups attended the first national-level peace conference, but now 17 ethnic armed groups are attending. And eight non-signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreementseven members of the UNFC and the Mongla Groupattended the framework review. There has been progress.

Our entire country wants peace. All of the groups involved in the conflict want peace. And concerned stakeholders have to find an answer. Previously, violence was used to find the answer. If a solution is sought through political dialogue now, this is a good step for the people. And we will try with absolute faith.

La Phai Seng Raw: Kachin social worker

The 1947 Panglong Conference made very encouraging pledges [to ethnic groups]. Because those pledges werent fulfilled, we had a civil war. If this conference can guarantee equality, which we could not achieve in the past, there will be greater opportunities for ethnicities to build the Union together peacefully and we wont need to send our offspring to the frontline.

Mai Nleeng Kee: central committee member of the Chin National Front

We have high expectations. We want to build a federal Union and end the civil war. Mainly, I am desirous of internal peace. Peace concerns women. Every mother wants peace. The entire nation want peace. The key to achieving peace is to end the civil war and ensure that no one is displaced by war.

Khin Ma Ma Myo: director of the Myanmar Institute of Gender Studies

Burma will have a peaceful future only when the democratic federal Union can be built. I came here because I think it is the initial and the most appropriate step towards a democratic federal Union, which the people want.

Salai Lian H. Sakhong: ethnic Chin scholar

The Panglong Agreement still cant be fully implemented. As a result, we have faced 60 years of civil war. This conference will be the first step toward ending civil war and achieving the unfulfilled goals set by Gen Aung San and ethnic leaders in 1947. I am an ethnic Chin and the Chin people were signatories to the 1947 Panglong Agreement, which formed the Union. We will never betray the Union, but always be loyal to it. We are trying to rebuild the Union with the Panglong Spirit. We want to have a peace that is built and shared among all people, otherwise it will not last long.
Burma UN Chief Addresses Rohginya Issue Ahead of Peace Talks

Un Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses Burmas Union Parliament. / Reuters

NAYPYIDAW  United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Burma to improve living conditions for its Rohingya Muslim minority on Tuesday, ahead of peace talks between leader Aung San Suu Kyi and many of the countrys ethnic armed rebel groups.

Burmas 1.1 million Rohingya will not be represented at the conference starting on Wednesday, but the fact Ban raised their plightand used the term for the group that is divisive in Burmamay add to international pressure on Suu Kyi to address the issue.

The government has assured me about its commitment to address the roots of the problem, Ban told a news conference in the capital Naypyidaw.

Like all people everywhere, they need and deserve a future, hope and dignity. This is not just a question of the Rohingya communitys right to self-identity.

Ban Ki-moon and Aung San Suu Kyi met reporters as the Nobel Peace Prize laureate launched a push to end decades of fighting between Burmas military and ethnic rebels.

Aung San Suu Kyi has made the peace process a priority for her administration, which faces sky-high expectations at home and abroad after sweeping to power in an election last November to end more than half a century of military-backed rule.

Tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in western Burma, however, are not being tackled as part of that process.

Many in the Buddhist majority country regard the largely stateless Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and they are not among the 135 ethnic groups recognized by law. Aung San Suu Kyi has asked foreign diplomats and leaders not to use the term Rohingya because in her view it is inflammatory.

Some 120,000 Rohingya remain displaced in squalid internally displaced persons (IDP) camps since fighting erupted in Rakhine state between Buddhists and Muslims in 2012. Thousands have fled persecution and poverty.

I conveyed the concern of the international community about tens of thousands of people who have been living in very poor conditions in IDP camps for over four years, said Ban Ki-moon.

He added that if they had lived in the country for generations, all people in Burma should enjoy the same legal status and citizenship as everyone else. Many Rohingya families have lived in Burma for that long.

Last week Aung San Suu Kyi picked former UN chief Kofi Annan to lead a commission to stop human rights abuses in Rakhine.

Peace Conference

Few concrete proposals are to emerge from this weeks talks, with delegates expecting to meet every six months to discuss issues ranging from security, political representation and culture to sharing

the fruits of Burmas mineral riches.

The gathering has been compared to the Panglong Conference, a meeting between Aung San Suu Kyis father, Burmas national hero General Aung San, and ethnic minorities in 1947 that led to the formation of the Union of Burma after independence from Britain.

The 21st Century Panglong conference is a promising first step, said Ban Ki-moon. I congratulate all participants for their patience, determination and spirit of compromise.

The fact that Aung San Suu Kyi has been able to bring the vast majority of the rebels to the negotiating table only five months after taking power is a sign of progress, experts say.

Powerful armed groups from regions bordering China, who refused to sign a ceasefire last October under the previous military-backed government, are now set to take part, partly owing to Chinas tacit support for the talks.

As Burmas economy opens up, China is vying for influence with the United States. President Xi Jinping pledged his country would play a constructive role in the peace process when Suu Kyi visited China this month.

Suu Kyi is travelling to Washington in September where she is likely to face questions on the treatment of the Rohingya.

Burma has been torn by fighting between the military, which seized power in the 1962 coup, and ethnic armed groups almost without a break since the end of the Second World War.

Casting a shadow over the talks is a recent flare-up in fighting in northernmost Kachin State and clashes in northeastern Shan State, which is home to several large groups operating close to borders with China and Thailand.

The still-powerful military has also strongly opposed talks with three groups that fought it in the remote Kokang area last year unless they disarm. The groups have said they cannot, citing continued pressure from the army. It was unclear whether they would be allowed to attend the summit.

Ethnic delegates have complained about what they saw as an arbitrary schedule set by the government.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who said little at Tuesdays joint appearance with Ban Ki-moon, has not consulted the groups about the date of the conference or the specific agenda, diplomats familiar with the situation said.

I will do my best to let all ethnic leaders attend tomorrows conference, said Suu Kyi. Its their own decision whether they attend or not.
Opinion One Political Prisoner is One Too Many

Student protesters grip the bars of a prison vehicle as they are transported to a court in Letpadan of Pegu Division in March 2015. / Reuters

There are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of Burma. Elections in November 2015 brought the first democratic government in decades. Last year, dozens of political prisoners were granted amnesty and released. Laws restricting core political freedoms such as speech, association and assembly have been relaxed.

However, a great deal of work remains to be done, both by the Burmese government and by the international community. It is imperative that the international community continue, by all means available, to encourage respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the new Burma. In the immediate term, the international community must continue to press for the release of all remaining political prisoners.

While the November elections were a milestone for Burma, we should not be overconfident about how much power these democratically elected officials actually have. Their control over Parliament, and the government at large, is constrained by the military-drafted 2008 Constitution.

Only 75 percent of the members of the Union Parliament, our national legislative body, are democratically elected. The other 25 percent of the members are military officials appointed by the Commander-in-Chief. Seats are also reserved for military personnel in the divisional and state legislative bodies. This constitutional requirement cannot be amended unless more than 75 percent of the members of parliament agree; for the 25 percent reservation to be eliminated, some members representing the defense services will have to vote to strip themselves of power.

The constitution also mandates that the elected President must choose high-ranking military officers to head the defense, home affairs and border affairs ministries. The Commander-in-ChiefBurmas top military officer, who stands apart from the Presidentnominates these officers. These ministries control all law enforcement mechanisms other than the judiciary; the police force falls within the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense controls the Border Guards.

Furthermore, the large cadre of government officials, required in the administration of any modern nation, is comprised of individuals who have secured their livelihoods on the basis of loyalty to the military regime. Many, if not most, of the management-level civil servants are former military officers. Some of these individuals see their positions as payment for service to the military.

Reconciling a new, democratic government with autocrat-supporting civil servants is a challenge faced by every country in transition, with varying degrees of success. There are no easy answers to this problem. For example, the summary termination of thousands of government employees during the de-Baathification of Iraq both caused widespread unemployment and left the government unable to provide basic services.

On the other hand, keeping current civil servants in power may mean that the policy decisions made by elected leaders are thwarted by the people who should be enacting them. Even assuming that these officials wish to cooperate with a civilian-led government, the management and working styles of civilian activists and ex-military personnel may not gel.

After the democratically elected government assumed power in April of this year, they announced the release of political prisoners as a top priority. My organization, the Assistance Association for Political PrisonersBurma, has confirmed that charges have been dropped for 163 activists who were awaiting trial, 115 of whom were released from pre-trial detention; and 70 convicted political prisoners have been released.

However, between those prisoners who were not released and the new arrests and convictions over the past three months, there are currently 285 political prisoners in Burma. This is simply unacceptable.

Political prisoners still exist, in part, because laws that restrict speech, assembly, and associationfreedoms vital to a free societyare still on the books in Burma. Though laws requiring associations to register with the government have been relaxed, they have not been completely repealed.

Speech remains restricted as well, with laws purporting to regulate telecommunications instead prohibiting act[s] detrimental to the security of the State or prevalence of law and order or community peace and tranquility or national solidarity or national economy or national culture. This broad, vague prohibition has been used to jail activists for expressing an opinion using electronic technology. Freedom of assembly is restricted by laws requiring protestors to receive official permission before staging a protest.

These restrictions on political activities are anathema to a free society; reform is necessary, and until such reforms are undertaken, the arrest and trial of individuals under these laws must be halted.

Everyone loves a success story, but, while it has seen great progress, Burma is not yet a success. Many challenges remain. The constitution still vests great power in the military. Laws still exist allowing security forces to detain protestors and activists. People are still jailed for their beliefs. One political prisoner in detention is one political prisoner too many; Burma has 285 too many political prisoners. It is simply too soon to ease the pressure on entrenched elements of the old government.

Most of these challenges are not immediately solvable. It will take a long time to unwind the militarys influence over the bureaucracy, and an extraordinary solution will be necessary to remove the militarys influence over Parliament. However, the ongoing situation for political prisoners can be resolved with a stroke of the pen. The international community must press for this immediate change that could improve the lives of many and promise continued progress towards a free Burma.

Bo Kyi is a former political prisoner and one of the founders of the Assistance Association for Political PrisonersBurma, which has been advocating for the release of all political prisoners in Burma since 2000.
Interview Panglong Vox Pops: Part 2

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi speaks on Wednesday at the 21st Century Panglong Conference in Naypyidaw. / The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy asks members of civil society, government, political parties and others for their thoughts on the 21st Century Panglong Conference, which began on Wednesday in Naypyidaw. Peace negotiations with ethnic armed groups proceed in an environment of high expectations, mixed with considerable skepticism in some quarters.

Nai Ngwe Thein: vice chair of the Mon National Party

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

Frankly speaking, the 21st Century Panglong Conference is just a gathering of people, where key decisions wont be made. A democratic federal union is still miles away because, according to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, every step has to be made according to the 2008 Constitution. Unless and until the constitution is changed, the problems wont be solved.

The military maintains its grip on important ministries, and at lower levels. This makes it difficult for Burma to achieve peace. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi can only preach; she cant give orders.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

Political dialogue must be held first, and efforts must be made to achieve a ceasefire. If you sign [a ceasefire] with one ethnic armed group and fight another one, you will never get peace.

John Caesar: secretary of the Karen Literature and Culture Association

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

Our Karen group is not invited to the 21st Century Panglong Conference. Why were we left out? I understand that smaller ethnic groups wont be invited because its a national level conference, but we are not a small ethnic group.

I dont have high expectations of the conference, because it is not a once-and-for-all thing. Without amending the 2008 Constitution, the conference will not be able to contribute toward a genuine federal Union. Whats more, since it does not include all groups, it wont reflect the voices and fundamental rights of all people of the nation.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

For the entire country to enjoy peace, the distribution of power is of utmost importance. As long as centralization lasts, there wont be internal peace. It is necessary that federalism be genuine. But to amend the 2008 Constitution is the main imperative.

Sai Aung Myo Oo: Shan Youth Organization

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

They [the government] said they wont make decisions but will work out a framework. We cant expect much. They will find a solution within five years. The coming conference is just the opening phase for adopting a framework. I am glad that most of the stakeholders are included and it is good that many academics are involved. But then we cant expect much since certain groups are not invited. And I am really sad that there are ongoing clashes in Kachin and Shan states.

Kai Rein: Kachin National Development Foundation

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

I have no expectations towards the conference because of ongoing clashes in our Kachin State. We heard that each ethnic armed group would be given only ten minutes [to speak], and the opening and closing [remarks] would be made by the government. It seems that the government is acting according to the 2008 Constitution.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

If a ceasefire can be agreed, there is hope for peace. I am speechless since the government organized it in a one-sided manner.

Salai Issac Khen: Chin State municipal, industry and electricity minister

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

I hope [the conference] can find solutions to political and ethnic issues for the future of Burma. Of course, the challenges are huge. We are working with belief and hope. Not everything is going smoothly. We need patience and tolerance.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

To achieve genuine peace, patience is needed. Everyone has his or her own views and it is important to learn from each other. It is also important that the definition of peace be the same between the two sides.

Haji Aye Lwin: Muslim spiritual leader and founding member of Religions for Peace

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

It is a result never seen before in Burma. Almost every stakeholder will gather, except some smaller groups, whose future participation can be achieved through negotiation. The two sides [the Burmese military and excluded groups the AA, MNDAA and TNLA] just need to reach an agreement over terminology.

I have great expectations towards it. But the problems are acute. It is childish to criticize the National League for Democracy (NLD) led government over its performance in its first 100 days, as armchair critics have done. The civil war will not stop at once. It will take time. But it is now going in the right direction.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

I expect that with more and more negotiation, the gap between different views will narrow. The most important thing is mutual trust. To have trust, there must be justice.

It is understandable that both sides will protect their own self interest, but there needs to be some give-and-take in building trust.

Cheery Zahau: ethnic Chin womens rights activist

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

As everyone knows, the conference will not result in a decision; it is just a starting point for discussion. There wont be any breakthroughs.

Some politicians argue that the NLD government initiated the process, but, in fact, it is part of the process begun in 2011 by the U Thein Sein administration. No matter what government comes into power, the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement mandates the conference. People need to be aware of this.

I have no big expectations towards the conference, since stakeholders will just exchange their views and not make a decision.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

To achieve genuine peace, it is necessary that all groups, holding a variety views, are included whether or not they have won [seats in] the election, or whether or not they are welcomed.

For example, in the first Union peace conference in January this year, only eight ethnic armed groups were involvedand now UNFC [United Nationalities Federal Council] members will attend the coming conference. So, there is greater participation.

Yet, in spite of increased participation by ethnic armed groups, the participation of political parties has decreased a lot, because of government criteria that allow only parties that have representation in parliament to join the conference. Peace is not about having representatives in parliament; it is about discussing all the different views and all the problems.

Ye Htut: former Minister of Information

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

You cant expect a lot from the conference other than bringing the NCA non-signatories to the negotiating table in the first round. The 1947 Panglong Conference only discussed whether hilly regions were willing to regain independence together with the mainland [Ministerial Burma]. The 21st Century Panglong is much wider than that. Everyone needs to understand this.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

For the country to achieve peace, [the government] needs to create a political landscape in which [ethnic armed groups] are convinced that they can claim ethnic rights through the ballot box. And ethnic armed groups should be determined to lay down arms.

In the time of the previous government, the Myanmar Peace Center was hasty in making some decisions because it wanted to show that it could achieve outcomes in a short time period. Such mistakes should be avoided this time. People and the media need to know that the coming conference will not work out a solution in three days, as with the 1947 conference.

Muay Noom Hom: spokesperson for the Shan Womens Action Network

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

Clashes are still going on. To be frank, they are holding the conference just to show the international community, because the international community thinks highly of her [Daw Aung San Suu Kyi]. But she has never spoken of the situation of the people on the ground. Unless there are equal rights, self-determination and autonomy, genuine peace will not be established.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

Peace means no war and no fear. [The government] needs to secure the fundamental rights of citizens, including to security, education, health and livelihoods.

Aye Min: chair of the Dawei Nationalities Party

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

I dont hold much expectation towards the conference because many more discussionsat least ten roundsneed to be held. Around 70 parties that did not win seats in the general election last year cannot participate in the conference. Since most of them are ethnic parties, the voices of ethnic people wont be reflected in the conference.

We have things to discuss on behalf of our ethnic people. Because the government has imposed restrictions, we cant express our concerns.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

An important issue in peace [negotiations] is the division of territory, because some groups are having territorial disputes.

Nyi Pu Lay: award-winning author and Mandalay resident

What do you expect from the Panglong conference?

Ive never seen peace in my whole life. Every ethnic region has suffered due to armed conflict. Panglong is the conference that could fulfill our wishes and bring peace to the ethnic regions. Although it will take time, I believe Panglong will be the first step toward peace, where all parties can participate.

What do you think is the most important element required for peace in the country?

To achieve peace, all-inclusiveness is vital. If theres some exclusion, the peace achieved will not be sustainable.

Restoring peace is very important for the country, especially for the ethnic people, because their regions have been left under-developed for many years due to the absence of peace and stability.
Premier Li Keqiang meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Forbidden City in Beijing, Aug 30, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Forty-three years after joining his father on a visit to the Forbidden City, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was welcomed by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday at the UNESCO World Heritage site as he started an eight-day visit to China.

The wooden chairs and tea tables in traditional Chinese style might have reminded Trudeau of his subsequent private visits to the Forbidden City. On Tuesday, he wore a red tie, a color often interpreted as a token of luck in China, to dine with Li in a rare arrangement at Jianfu Palace inside the Forbidden City.

Trudeau will also visit Shanghai and Hong Kong and attend next week's G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

This is Trudeau's first visit to China since taking office in November. In 1973, his father, Pierre Trudeau, was the first Canadian prime minister to visit Beijing, three years after diplomatic ties were established.

Since the establishment of ties, the two countries have greatly deepened political, economic, trade and people-to-people links, Li said.

Premier Li Keqiang meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Forbidden City in Beijing, Aug 30, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China is now Canada's second-largest trade partner, second-biggest source of imports and second-largest export market, and both countries have bright prospects for bilateral relations and cooperation, the premier said.

Both countries advocate diverse cultures, Li added, and China is willing to work with the Canadian government to take bilateral relations to a new stage of development and achieve mutual benefits.

Trudeau said his administration will continue its traditional friendship with China and deepen bilateral relations and all-around pragmatic cooperation to enhance their positive, stable and strong relationship.

In the first 11 months last year, bilateral trade between China and Canada reached $50.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.6 percent, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Trudeau's private visits to Beijing, including as a toddler with his father 43 years ago, might have influenced his friendly policies toward China, said Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies. "His visit is expected to restart relations with China, as the new government wants to expand economic ties and trade with us."

Premier Li Keqiang meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Forbidden City in Beijing, Aug 30, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Canadian Ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques said, "Our prime minister wants to be very supportive of China and wants to make a success of the summit."

Saint-Jacques said Canada's new government is putting a lot of effort into expanding its relations with China in all fields, including trade and the economy, since Trudeau wants to have "a robust and comprehensive relation with China".

He also said the Canadian government is considering ways to increase trade. Regarding a free trade agreement between the two countries, the ambassador said there is a lot of work being done to speed up negotiations.

Mo Jingxi contributed to this story.
Wednesday, August 31st, 2016 (8:25 am) - Score 930

The Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) in England has finally revealed their Phase 2 roll-out plan for expanding the availability of superfast broadband (24-30Mbps+) in the county, which will work with Openreach (BT) to reach up to 11,000 additional premises and achieve 95% coverage by June 2018.

The county of Buckinghamshire forms one half of the Connected Counties project, which also involves Hertfordshire. The joint scheme has already achieved its original Phase 1 coverage goal by expanding fibre broadband (FTTC/P) coverage to 90% (here).

Since then Hertfordshire has already gone on to set out its own Phase 2 roll-out plan (i.e. it aims to reach 95% in Herts by September 2017 and 98% by June 2018), while Buckinghamshire has been considerably slower to confirm their own Phase 2 intentions.. until now.

The new Phase 2 plan for Buckinghamshire is being supported by an investment of 2 million from three District Councils (Aylesbury Vale, Wycombe and Chiltern) together with the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP). Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) and BT are also backing the project.

Michael Garvey, Joint Chairman of the Broadband Project Board, said: We are delighted with the news that we are about to commence the next phase of the roll-out of broadband across Buckinghamshire as high speed fibre broadband is essential if local businesses are to remain competitive. As one of the most productive economies in the country we want to continue to provide the conditions for businesses to thrive at the beating heart of the national economy. High speed broadband is a modern life essential, not a luxury and Im delighted weve made great progress connecting residents and businesses across Buckinghamshire in areas that other providers would otherwise consider uneconomical. I recognise that theres more work to do to ensure that every resident and business has access and in the true spirit of partnership working I am delighted that our District colleagues are now joining with us to take this forward and build on the investment already provided by Buckinghamshire County Council.

The roll-out itself is due to begin during Autumn 2016 when Openreach (BT) is expected to start surveying and planning, with the first homes and businesses then being able to access the service from June 2017 and the completion of this phase by June 2018. The first roll-out areas should be confirmed in due course.

By comparison the original Phase 1 contract in Buckinghamshire alone extended FTTC/P based broadband coverage to 90% of local premises (more than 45,000 homes and businesses), which also required the installation of more than 200 new road-side street cabinets.
Wednesday, August 31st, 2016 (11:43 am) - Score 1,633

Mobile operator EE (BT) has suffered a blow after the High Court rejected their challenge against Ofcoms proposed hike to annual licence fees for the 900MHz and 1800MHz radio spectrum bands. The outcome could result in price rises and threaten the Governments 5bn deal to extend geographic mobile coverage to 90%.

Ofcom has been threatening to increase licence fees for the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands for sometime (here), which followed an earlier 4G auction of the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands that perhaps failed to raise quite as much money as the Government might have hoped (here). Suffice to say that many viewed the proposed hike as a tool for the Government to balance its books.

At the same time the Government has also nudged operators to agree a new 5bn deal that would extend geographic network coverage to 90% (here) and part of that involved asking Ofcom to look again at the fees, although the regulator had already warned this was unlikely to have a material effect on their proposal.

As can be seen below, neither EE nor Three UK have really benefited from Ofcoms revisions.



Mobile operator EE then attempted to challenge the decision by launching a Judicial Review, which was also supported by O2, Vodafone and Three UK. According to The Telegraph, EE argued that Ofcom had wrongly calculated the bills (e.g. they didnt factor network running costs) and failed to consider the potential impact on future investment in networks.

In the end the Judge, Mr Justice Cranston, ruled that Ofcoms approach gave a better reflection of market value than the cost models provided by EE and its supporters. Meanwhile EE, which could still appeal (it remains to be seen if that will happen), said that the fees were excessive at a time when significant private investment is needed to ensure the UK benefits from first class mobile infrastructure.

An Ofcom Spokesperson said: The government directed Ofcom to revise these fees to reflect the full value of this mobile spectrum. Were pleased the High Court has agreed that we lawfully implemented that direction.

The decision might raise another question mark over the Governments 5bn deal with mobile operators, although EE appears not to have changed this goal. On top of that EE recently won the Emergency Services Network (ESN) contract that supports a pledge to increase 4G landmass cover to 95% of the UK (99.8% population coverage) by 2020 (details).

Meanwhile the Government is also facing a difficult time in pushing through their new Digital Economy Bill (here), which is being opposed by private land owners because it includes ECC changes that would potentially make it easier and cheaper for telecoms operators to install new infrastructure on their land (i.e. less money for land owners). Mobile operators also called for these changes as part of the original 5bn agreement.
5 Ways Network Function Virtualization (NFV) Lowers CapEx and OpEx

What do you do when you are a company that once held a dominant position in a lucrative market like IT but the technology revolution you started has passed you by? If youre VMware, you roll with the changes.

It was basic server virtualization, after all, that led to the cloud, software-defined infrastructure, containers and the mobile, Big Data and IoT architectures they now support. But like IBM, Microsoft and countless other technology leaders before and since, the world doesnt sit still just because an old problem has been solved  the focus shifts immediately to the new problems that the new working environment presents.

Such is the case with VMware, which has been trying to pivot from a server virtualization company to a broader cloud-facing infrastructure company since the beginning of the decade. At VMworld this week, the company is pulling out all the stops, delivering not only new capabilities on its traditional server platform but incorporating storage and networking as well and tying it to hybrid cloud architectures through broad integration with leading container platforms.

In the companys biggest nod to the public cloud so far, the new Cloud Foundation is aimed at forging a set of services that make it easier to port workloads from internal VMware architectures to public clouds like AWS, Azure and Google. To be sure, says Fortune, this was always an option on vSphere and vCloud Air, but the difference now is that Cloud Foundation incorporates virtual networking to a higher degree to smooth out many of the migration and integration issues that inhibit the flow of data. At the same time, Cloud Foundation is said to incorporate a high degree of programmability across the entire virtual data stack, allowing organizations to essentially retool their data environments in the face of changing business needs without having to invest in new hardware.

This seems to fit hand-in-glove with VMwares other big announcement: the addition of a container registry and management portal to the vSphere Integrated Containers program. The move came largely at the request of users who were dissatisfied with the platforms inability to secure containers and manage them separately from virtual machines so DevOps teams can work with them without having to access the entire vSphere system. The Harbor registry system is actually based on the open source Docker Distribution project, and as such can be linked to the Docker registry that provides free Docker application images online.

VMware is also shoring up its capabilities on the client side, with additions to the Horizon virtual desktop platform aimed at placing performance on par with real desktops. Among them are new on-premises, cloud and hybrid deployment options and integration with IBMs SoftLayer managed hosting platform. Perhaps most crucial, however, is added support for Riverbed Technologys SteelHead WAN accelerator on the Blast Extreme network protocol, which should reduce bandwidth requirements six-fold and reduce the lag that Horizon users say hampers performance, particularly in graphics-heavy applications.

This broader view beyond servers and even the data center is exactly what VMware should be doing, according to SunTrust analyst John Rizzuto. The transition actually began a good two years ago, he tells Barrons, but now is largely complete and the company is finally positioned to play a key role in the enterprise transition from on-premises infrastructure provider to distributed, service-driven digital entity. With basic server virtualization coupled with NSX networking and vSAN virtual storage, the company has all the tools to create a fully software-defined data center (SDDC) that can support workloads on top of virtually any underlying hardware platform.

Not everyone is convinced that VMware will once again rule the data environment, least of all VMwares top brass, which reiterated at VMworld its desire to work with the broader IT community to craft integrated solutions, even with companies like HPE that compete directly with VMwares new parent, Dell.

But the fact remains that practically every enterprise on the planet employs VMware virtualization in some fashion, and when faced with the prospect of building on what you have versus starting over from scratch, most techies prefer the former.

Arthur Cole writes about infrastructure for IT Business Edge. Cole has been covering the high-tech media and computing industries for more than 20 years, having served as editor of TV Technology, Video Technology News, Internet News and Multimedia Weekly. His contributions have appeared in Communications Today and Enterprise Networking Planet and as web content for numerous high-tech clients like TwinStrata and Carpathia. Follow Art on Twitter @acole602.

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(Xinhua) 08:00, August 31, 2016

BEIJING, Aug. 30 -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will visit Laos and attend the 11th East Asia Summit in Vientiane next week at the invitation of his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Hua Chunying said Li will also attend the 19th China-ASEAN (10+1) leaders' meeting, a summit marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, and the 19th ASEAN-China, Japan and Republic of Korea (10+3) leaders' meeting from Sept. 6 to 9.

She said at a daily news briefing that Li's attendance at the East Asian leaders' meetings will promote China-ASEAN ties and enhance regional cooperation.

The Chinese side stands ready to work with ASEAN to hold a successful summit and take the 25th anniversary of dialogue relations as an opportunity to build a closer China-ASEAN community of common destiny, Hua said.

"We expect the East Asian cooperation meetings to focus on development, and push forward cooperation in such areas as finance, capacity, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, free trade area construction, and non-traditional security," the spokesperson said.

As China's good neighbor and an important member and the rotating chair of ASEAN, China attaches great importance to the development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, she said.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-Laos diplomatic ties, Hua said, noting that both sides have maintained frequent high-level exchanges, cemented political mutual trust and achieved fruitful results in economic and trade cooperation.

She said it will be the first visit made by Premier Li to Laos, and he will hold talks with Thongloun and exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

Li's visit will bring the China-Laos comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation to a new high and bring more benefits to both peoples, Hua added.
The first customer has signed up to use a previously flown Falcon 9 rocket of the private space agency SpaceX, the companies said on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

According to Reuters, satellite fleet operator SES will be the first customer of the commercial space agency SpaceX, with a launch scheduled later this year. The 5,000-kilogram SES-10 telecommunications satellite will be carried on the orbit by a reused SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The first commercial reuse of a Falcon 9 rocket is marked by the contract signed with the Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES. This is crucial to efforts made to reduce the cost of space launches by Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX).

The exact details on the terms of the deal were not disclosed at the moment. In recent months, Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX has been cautious in predicting how much savings might come from recovering, refurbishing and reusing first stages of the Falcon 9 rockets.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said previously that the private space agency will offer a 30 percent discount for launches aboard previously flown rockets. This would bring the launch's price down to a fraction of what competitors charge, at just around $43 million per flight.

So far SpaceX has landed six Falcon 9 rockets. After Saturday's scheduled launch in Florida of an Israeli communications satellite, the private space company will attempt to land its seventh rocket.

According to Space News, the Luxembourg-based SES has shown past support for SpaceX and its belief that reusability can lower launch costs. This first customer for a reused Falcon 9 rocket is the latest validation that the commercial market is ready to make the turn to reusability.

The SES-10 satellite has been built by Airbus Defence and Space. Following its separation from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the satellite will use conventional chemical propellant to raise its orbit immediately. The launch is expected to occur in October, as previously stated by SES.
Samsung's line of tablets have been a tough competitor to Apple's line of iPad Airs. And while the Korean tech giant's bet has arguably been trailing behind a little, the upcoming Galaxy Tab S3 which will be launched in just a few days, is expected to turn all this around. Reportedly, the new device will come with a roster of new features and will hit the market in two variants.

Galaxy Tab S3 Release Date And Variant Specs

According to HNGN, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 will be launched on September 2, during the annual IFA event in Berlin, Germany.

Though the only confirmation is that the device will be launched, speculation regarding two options are very persistent. That is, that Samsung will release a 8 inch version of the Galaxy Tab 3, as well as a much larger 9.7 inch variant.

What Improvements Have Been Made To The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3?

According to IBT AU, the upcoming device is likely to come with a faster processor than its predecessor. That is, that the new tablet will come with a more advanced processor and the highest-performing operating system available - a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

And while the specs have also not been confirmed, the 8 inch variant of the Galaxy Tab S3 is expected to come with 32 GB of internal storage and a stable 4000 mAh battery. Meanwhile, the 9.7 inch option is suspected to come with 64 GB of internal memory and a 5870 mAh battery.

Both devices should be running smoothly on 3 GB of RAM and a screen that has a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. Both will also have an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera.

What Else To Expect From Samsung?

Reportedly, Samsung will also make the original 8.4 inch and 10.5 inch Galaxy Tab S units compatible with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
For a while now, Google has listed Maserati as a car brand that is compatible with Android Auto. However, any listings from the Italian car manufacturer has has been kept in the dark until very recently. The public can now say for certain that the feature from Google is arriving with three Maserati 2017 units.

The Crowned Units

According to Android Headlines, these units are the 2017 Levante crossover, 2017 Ghibli and 2017 Quattroporte - the latter two of which are sedan units. The concept was first teased over the summer, with the help of the Quattroporte. In essence, the car was stripped down to its bare minimum during the Google I/O. The search engine giant added some 4K displays to the unit, leaving the entire car to run on Android 7.0 Nougat.

When The Units Hit The Market

No official date has been provided by either company at this point. However, according to Android Police, it is likely that Android Auto will not actually hit the units until 2018.

The Benefits Of Android Auto

Basically, Android Auto allows users to extend the features of their android device to the vehicle itself. As such, drivers can navigate with the help of Google Maps as opposed to installing a separate GPS provider. Theoretically, the screen found in the center of the unit will display the Google map.

Users will also get the option to use the steering wheel controls via Android Auto and the other applications that the feature supports. This includes music players or steemers like Spotify and Google Play Music.

Android Auto In Other Units

The feature from Google is already available in a roster of other vehicles that are in the market. Furthermore, car manufacturers are updating older vehicle models in order to make them compatible with Android Auto. Meanwhile, Audi's 2017 A5 Couple and 2017 R8 are also in part of the list, as well as Chevrolet's Cruze hatchback.
Google has officially decided to compete with Uber in San Francisco, launching its own ride-sharing service. Waze, the navigation app, is also going to be involved in this project as well.

There have been rumors that Google would be competing with Uber by rolling out a ride-sharing service of its own, and they might use their self-driving cars that they created. This only adds to the heat between Google and Uber in the carpooling service industry. It isn't just the service that Google is competing with now, the tech giant might also be vying for Uber's title as the first rideshare company to use self-driving vehicles.

In 2013, Google and Uber formed an alliance after the famous search giant invested $258 million in it. But recently, the ride-sharing service has been shutting out a Google top executive from board meetings to keep him from gaining access to Uber's plan to launch fleets of self-driving cars. LA times reported that David Drummond, senior vice president of Alphabet, has announced his resignation from Uber's board after serving for two years.

Drummond concurred with a report that Waze, a popular Google-owned traffic app, will be integrated into the upcoming ride-sharing service. By using Waze, riders would be able to find vehicles and carpool with commuters who are headed to the same area. There have also been rumors that Google's rideshare service will charge commuters a lower fee compared to industry leaders like Uber or Lyft.

In a report published by The Wall Street Journal, Uber will no longer be using Google maps and they have decided to develop their own navigation system due to a conflict of interest with the tech giant. Despite the possibility that Google may overshadow Uber in the ride-sharing service industry, Drummond says Google and Uber will still continue to partner with each other.

Uber does not seem to be fazed by Google's plans to compete with them since they have already started using self-driving vehicles created by engineers from the Advanced Technologies Center they opened in Pittsburgh.
Facebook and WhatsApp have been called out after EPIC and the Center for Digital Democracy filed formal complaints with the FTC. Both companies are coming under scrutiny for changing their privacy policies, which raised concerns among privacy advocates in the U.S. and Europe.

It wasn't too long ago when Facebook and WhatsApp arranged a merger. Jan Koum, co-founder of WhatsApp, assured its users that they had no plans to change their privacy policy, but recently, they announced that the app will start sharing user's data and various analytics with Facebook.

Rumor has it that nothing can be done about the data-sharing plan between Facebook and Whatsapp. But there is a way to stop it or opt out from it according to Business Insider. The free messaging app justifies the change, and says it will actually be beneficial for its users in locating long lost friends and other people they want to get in touch with again. Privacy advocates vehemently objects and believes that it is unfair and deceptive.

Back in 2014, the group filed a complaint against Facebook for violating its FTC Consent order by failing to obtain users' opt-in consent before changing their privacy practices. Along with that, FTC sent a letter to Whatsapp warning both companies to honor their promises of keeping and respecting their users' privacy. The Wall Street Journal reports that due to Facebook's abuse of its dominance as a social network to collect personal information from its users, privacy watchdogs in France threatened to fine the company if they continue to exploit users' private data.

It is evident that Facebook and Whatsapp devised the data sharing plan to generate more revenue and it irked users who believed that the social network broke their promise concerning the privacy of the networks' wide usre base. As of today, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is reviewing the complaint submitted by the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy. The two consumer privacy groups pointed out that Facebook and WhatsApp violated Section 5 of the FTC act where both companies used a "bait and switch" strategy on users' data.

Facebook and WhatsApp have not released any comment on the FTC complaints filed by EPIC and the CDD. Maybe both companies believe that the complaints are unlikely to gain traction. If that is the case, it is a good thing users still have 30 days left to opt out from the updated terms and conditions.
The first human head transplant will happen soon. All the components needed for the first human head transplant is complete, and everyone is just waiting for time to pass until that fateful day arrives.

We've heard of face transplants and organ transplants many times before and while those procedures are not uncommon, rarely do people line up to undergo a head transplant. Valery Spiridonov, a Russian tech aficionado from East Moscow, voluntered his head for the first human head transplant and he has given all his confidence to Doctors Xiaoping Ren and Sergio Canavero.

Spiridonov is currently afflicted with a genetic disorder that causes general muscle atrophy and the disintegration of motor neurons. He volunteered to participate in the first human head transplant because he believes it is the only way for him to live a normal life. Spiridonov's condition is called Werdnig-Hoffman disease, which renders him physically incapable of steering his wheelchair on his own. He also can't feed himself. Doctors say that it's a miracle he is still alive since his disease is usually fatal.

Lucky for him, there's a pair of highly-experienced scientists who are hopeful of the first human head transplant. Xiaoping Ren, a Chinese surgeon who performed the first successful hand transplant, and Sergio Canavero, an Italian neurosurgeon who is confident that he and Xiaoping can successfully perform the first human head transplant.

Having Spiridonov's head to another person's body won't just change his life immensely, but it will also create a mark in history. This will be the first human head transplant, and if performed successfully - it will be one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs in the field of science.

In a report done by CBS news, Canavero says the first human head transplant has a "90 percent plus" chance of success, and when it does happen - they would need assistance from at least 80 surgeons and it would probably cost around tens of millions of dollars.

While there are scientists and ethicists who have voiced their skepticism and disbelief over the project, the first human head transplant would likely take place in China in 2017.
After losing an original cast member."NCIS" Season 14 will add two new agents--and another returning cast--on the crew. The first promo teaser for the new season also revealed hints on how the story would carry on.

In place of Anthony DiNozzo, who played the character of Michael Weatherly will be agents Alexandra "Alex" Quinn to be played by Jennifer Esposito and Nicholas "Nick" Torres to be played by Wilmer Valderrama.

However Valderrama said he will not be a mere replacement for DiNozzo but will be his own character.

"[Weatherly] had a fantastic journey with the show. The truth is there's no shoes to fill, I'm definitely wearing my own. I'm excited because as a new member of NCIS I get to bring a new energy to it, a different dynamic," Valderrama said in a Comic-con last month according to Yibada.

MI6 Officer Clayton Reeves played by Duane Henr will also come back as a cast member on the "NCIS" Season 14.

In an interview with TVLine, showrunner Gary Glasberg talked about the new characters "It's interesting, because we obviously lost Michael Weatherly, and we're so happy for him... and yet after 13 years, you go, 'Wow, now we have a new injection of different energy.'"

Plot

A fatal car explosion in Washington, which was apparently linked to Torres, reported by TVLine will be investigated by Gibbs' (Mark Hammon) team. And while there's no agent yet to replace Weatherly in the team, Gibbs will ask Torres, an undercover agent who disappeared in Argentina for six months due to an assignment and Quinn, an instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to be part of the team.

Spoilers

Apparently, Torres never really joined a team before and was always working undercover.

Quinn's has a silly character, which was a little similar to DiNozzo's, as seen in the teaser.

Jackson Gibbs will be introduced and some stories on Gibb's past will be revealed

Tim Mcgee will be promoted as a senior field agent, he and Delilah Fielding are also speculated to get married before "NCIS" Season 14 ends

"NCIS" Season 14 airs on September 20, Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
The White House today said it was worried that American taxpayers would pay for the European Union's decision to force Apple to pay more than $14 billion in back taxes.

"It's also possible that the kinds of payments that are contemplated by the EU decision today, at the end of the day, are merely a transfer of revenue from U.S. taxpayers to the EU," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest in a Tuesday press briefing. "That's the crux of our concerns about this [unilateral] approach."

If Apple was required to pay billions in back taxes to Ireland, it could then deduct those payments from what it owes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), either retroactively or in future returns. Those deductions, in turn, would reduce Apple's tax bill to the U.S. government, lowering the amount collected by the IRS.

Theoretically, that would mean U.S. taxpayers would have to make up the difference, or the government would simply have to go without those monies.

"The consequences for that transfer [are] that it could be treated in the U.S. tax system as a current tax payment that would allow, essentially, Apple to deduct that EU tax payment from their U.S. taxes," Earnest added as he answered a reporter's question. "That wouldn't be fair to U.S. taxpayers."

According to European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, Ireland -- an EU member -- must recover $14.5 billion (13 billion) in back taxes for the years 2003 to 2014. Ireland, however, has indicated it will appeal the ruling.

Apple has also said it plans to appeal. In the meantime, however, it will almost certainly be required to place a large amount -- Ireland was told by the EU to determine that amount -- in an escrow account.

Although Apple CEO Tim Cook didn't voice the same concerns as did the White House, he came close. "At its root, the Commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes," Cook wrote in an open letter published on the firm's website. "It is about which government collects the money."
Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei hailed the remarkable harvests reaped in G20 fiscal and finance channels, saying that the tasks set at the beginning of this year have been accomplished and those outcomes will be submitted to the upcoming Hangzhou Summit for review.

Lou made the remarks in a recent interview with Peoples Daily ahead of the G20 Summit slated for Sept. 4-5 in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

According to Lou, since the beginning of this year, three meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors, four meetings of finance and central bank deputies and more than 20 working group meetings and study group meetings have been held to prepare the fiscal and financial policies for the summit.

Centering on the theme of the summit, the business leaders discussed global economy, "G20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth, investment and infrastructure, international finance architecture and other topics, Lou further noted, adding that a number of influential accomplishments have been generated as a result.

Lou stressed that one goal of China, the rotating presidency of the G20, is to create new mechanisms for the fiscal and finance channels. Such move aims to transform G20 from a crisis response mechanism into a long-acting governance one and shift its focus from short-term policies to structural reform.

Led by China, financial and central bank officials from G20 members have optimized the top-level design for structural reforms, identified nine prioritized areas and 48 guidelines, and formulated an index system to measure the effectiveness of the reform, Lou briefed the achievements, adding that it sets a precedent in G20 history.

These efforts aim to boost growth by addressing both symptoms and root causes, the minister explained.

According to Lou, those achievements in fiscal and finance channels are featured with not only innovation and vitality, but also interconnection and inclusiveness.

In terms of innovation, an innovation-driven growth pattern was prioritized. The policy makers worked out a G20 Blueprint on Innovative Growth, advising to drive sustained medium-term and long-term growth of the global economy through structural reform as well as new industrial revolution, digital economy and other innovative ways.

The minister added that the approaches share the same principle with Chinas efforts in promoting supply-side structural reform and improving the quality and efficiency of supply system.

In terms of vitality, in order to maintain the economic vitality by strengthening macroeconomic policy coordination, the business leaders for the first time proposed using monetary, financial and structural reform measures to boost growth and stabilize outlook.

In order to release economic vitality by improving global governance, they also agreed to push reforms of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, establish inclusive framework that can curb Base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), enhance international financial supervision, urge the developed countries to fulfill their commitment on climate fund, improve sovereign debt restructuring mechanism and global financial security network, in a bid to provide institutional guarantee for the vitality and sustainability of the world economy.

In terms of interconnection, these business officials put emphasis on G20s sense of community of shared interests. They urged the members to address challenges by reinforcing cooperation, and based on the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by China, enhance global connectivity by encouraging multilateral development banks to expand infrastructure investment, so as to build a platform of information exchange, mechanismcoordination and project cooperation.

In terms of inclusiveness, they agreed to attach great significance to inclusive growth of G20 members and help medium-sized and small-sized enterprises. Highlighting the importance of taxation, they also reached consensus to help developing nations improve their capability in boosting growth with domestic resources such as taxation.

Amid the arising risks and challenges confronted by the global economy and finance since the beginning of this year, the business officials have been making efforts to strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination among G20 members in order to bolster economic growth and stabilize the financial market, Lou said.

He added they have promised to use all policy tools-- monetary, fiscal and structural--individually and collectively to realize vibrant, sustainable and balanced development.

They also reaffirmed that they willrefrain from competitive devaluations, resist all forms of protectionism, consult closely on exchange markets, and prepare well for potential risks caused by Brexit, the refugee problem and terrorism, Lou stressed, adding that all sides will also study the suitable policies that can be adopted by each country.
The first smartphones to use Google's Daydream virtual reality platform are coming later this year, and many could have Qualcomm's latest processor, the Snapdragon 821.

On Tuesday, Qualcomm shared more details about the new flagship processor, which is the company's fastest to date. It has a 10 percent faster CPU and 5 percent faster graphics processor than the Snapdragon 820, which is in top smartphones like LG's G5 and Samsung's Galaxy S7.

Mobile chip makers often tweak processor designs to improve performance. The 10 percent CPU improvement is decent considering the Snapdragon 821 and 820 are based on the same Kryo architecture. Usually such performance improvements come with architectural upgrades in chips.

Smartphones will need a lot of horsepower for Daydream, which is Google's ambitious attempt to bring virtual reality to the masses. It's designed for Android smartphones that will snap into VR headsets, letting users roam 3D worlds, interact with friends or view streaming movies.

No Daydream products are out yet, but Google has set the requirements for smartphones and headsets to support the VR platform. Smartphones will need high-resolution screens and fast CPUs and GPUs, and the headsets will need a bevy of sensors to track motion and head movement. Daydream is based on Android 7.0.

Companies developing mobile devices for Daydream include Samsung, HTC, LG, Xiaomi, Huawei, ZTE, Asus, and Alcatel.

For developers to create mobile VR apps, Qualcomm is offering the Snapdragon VR software development kit, which will be compatible with Google Daydream.
In todays digital world, building your personal brand isnt a luxury, its a necessity. And if you dont craft your personal brand by design, itll be constructed by default.

With digital media, the 24/7/365, hyper-connected social media-enabled lifestyle nowadays, having a polished, professional personal brand is absolutely a necessity, not just for employees and job-seekers, but for C-suite executives, says Karen Tiber Leland, founder and president of Sterling Marketing Group and author of The Brand Mapping Strategy: Design, Build and Accelerate Your Brand.

Personal branding is a critical part of how todays professionals present themselves in the workplace, and it shouldnt be left to others to define that personal brand, Leland says. If you were developing and defining a business brand, youd want to focus on the mission, purpose and value that brand signifies  and the same is true for your personal brand, she says.

If youre not defining your own brand, its certain others are going to do that for you, so you need to take control of it. Something like 77 percent of people you talk to are going to Google you to find out more information, and you need to make sure your personal brand reflects who you say you are, not who others say you are, Leland says.

Leland uses a brand matrix to identify the four critical areas of personal branding you need to focus on: Reputation management; personal executive presence; content management and thought leadership. In an ideal world, youd be completely on top of all of these areas at all times; in reality, Leland says, many of her clients are continuously working to improve one or more of these areas at any given time.

[ Related story: 10 tips to master the art of the career humblebrag ]

Reputation management

The first area to address is your online reputation. Theres an incredible amount of data available to anyone with just a few clicks, so make sure the information out there is accurate and  to the extent that you can manage  flattering to you. You always should claim your name, Leland says, regardless of whether or not you plan on creating your own website, and you always should maintain an authority site specific to you. This can be a personalized web site or it can be your LinkedIn or other professional networking page.

Stay on top of search engine results, too, Leland says, so that you receive alerts every time youre mentioned or quoted.

Set a Google alert about yourself so you can keep track of whats being said about you, and of course, make sure your social media presence is showing your best, most polished and professional self, Leland says.

[ Related story: Social media gives customers power(and water) ]

Personal executive presence

This aspect of personal branding is less tangible, but just as important. Aligning your purpose, mission and values with your personal brand means first identifying what your purpose, mission and values are and how you can exemplify those in your daily life, says Mel Carson, founder of Delightful Communications and a digital strategy consultant, keynote public speaker, personal branding expert and author.

When were working with clients to build a personal brand, we ask a lot of questions around what their purpose is. What gets you out of bed in the morning? What drives you to pursue this field, this role, this industry, beyond the paycheck? Carson says. This also ties into strategic updates of your social media profiles to reflect that presence, he says.

Personal executive presence is about having a clear vision and being able to communicate that vision; inspire and motivate others toward that same vision. Its about making sure your companys a great place to work and focusing on global success, and then making all these things known to the world at large, Leland says.

[ Related story: How to build a strong employee referral culture ]

Content management

Once you have those kinds of insights, you need to share them with the public to further build on your personal brand. This is how thought leadership and credibility starts, Leland says.

This can take the form of whatever medium you decide is the best way to get your thoughts and opinions out there. You could speak at industry conferences, write a blog, be quoted in magazine articles, write a book, record a video  you decide, Leland says. But you must also manage the content you create to make sure its getting plenty of visibility to positively impact your personal brand.

You must make sure your content is searchable, accessible, discoverable and sharable across various mediums, or you wont get the same impact. We focus on strategic, SEO-based headlines and keywords that will increase exposure. And make sure to look at your competition, too, for ideas and ways to position yourself, Carson says.

Much like businesses do competitive research, so, too, must professionals, Carson says. Do regular searches on job sites, like LinkedIn and search engines to see how others with your same experience, role or aspirations are positioning themselves to see whats successful and what isnt, he says.

Thought leadership

Finally, establish yourself as a thought leader in whatever area you choose. This requires planning, strategy and execution; first to decide what space you want to own, and how best to reach others within that space, Leland says.

Be accessible as a source to the media. Make sure youre actively participating on social media in forums, Twitter chats, LinkedIn posts and that sort of thing. Be visible on your web site. Sign up for speaking engagements, go to conferences, publicly take a stand on issues that affect your industry, your company and the areas youre interested in, Leland says.

Personal branding isnt about exaggerating or showing off, Carson adds, its about making sure that your best, most polished and professional self is accurately reflected in the public sphere.

This is about making the best impression possible to the most amount of people you can, before you even meet, before you interview, before you interact at all. This is something everyone needs to do, Carson says.
Audiophiles may roll their eyes at the very idea of portable Bluetooth speakers, but high-design hi-fi firm Bang & Olufsen just unveiled two of them in Berlin.

The BeoSound 1 and 2 are certainly not pocket-sized and at 1295 (US$1495) and 1695 (US$1895) respectively they won't fit many pocketbooks either, but then that's never been the company's goal.

The smaller of the two speakers, the BeoSound 1 is 327 millimeters high and weighs 3.5 kilograms. It's a sturdy truncated cone of smooth, polished aluminium, surmounted by a disk that appears to float above it. The internal battery will power it for four to 16 hours, depending on how loud you like to listen, and it can be plugged directly into an outlet to recharge: no wall wart or power brick is necessary.

The BeoSound 2 has a fluted top, and is a little bigger at 431 mm high and 4.1 kg. It has no battery.

Both speakers have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections, allowing them to play music from Spotify, Deezer, TuneIn and QQMusic, or to stream from AirPlay, Google Cast, DLNA and Bluetooth audio devices. In a curious throw-back, the BeoSound 2 also has an audio-in jack for directly connecting a CD player.

The devices' controls are few and simple: Touch sensors housed in the floating disks can be spun around to vary the volume, and tapped or swiped to turn on, switch sources or change tracks. By default, the first tap turns the device on and selects the user's favorite Internet radio station, while a double tap changes the source to their favorite playlist. That can be changed through a web interface.

The touch sensors detect from which side they are approached, so it's the user's frame of reference, not that of the device, that determines whether a swipe is to the left to skip a track, or to the right to go back one.

But what about the sound?

Bang & Olufsen unveiled the devices during the build-up phase of the IFA tradeshow, so they had to compete with occasional hammering and drilling from the half-finished neighboring stands, making it hard to give them a fair test. That said, they sounded pretty good.

The BeoSound 1's floating disk conceals a downward-pointing 38 mm mid-range driver powered by a 40-watt amplifier. The 100 mm woofer in the base has its own 20-watt amplifier.

The BeoSound 2 has four drivers: a downward-pointing 19 mm tweeter in the top disk, back-to-back 50 mm mid-range drivers behind the fluted grill, and a 133 mm woofer in the base. The amplifiers deliver 40W, 2 x 11W and 20W, respectively.

They can be connected together to form a multiroom sound system using Band & Olufsen's BeoLink -- but they will also work with Google Cast.

"We don't want to be proprietary," said the company's head of brand, design and marketing, Marie-Kristine Schmidt.

Prospective buyers will have to wait until the end of October for the BeoSound 2, but the BeoSound 1 is already on sale.

If the BeoSound speakers are (just barely) portable then so is Bang & Olufsen's other new product, the Android-based BeoVision Horizon TV. It's no tablet, as the smallest model has a 40-inch, 4K screen, but you can wheel it around if you choose the optional stand with castors.

Those wheels give you TV "where you want it, when you want it," according to Schmidt.

Other stands include a wall-mounted arm, a table-top easel and one with a ring-shaped foot that allows you to swivel the TV with a gentle touch. The Horizon is available now in 40-inch and 48-inch versions costing 2995 (US$3995) and 4395 (US$5495) respectively including the BeoRemote One Bluetooth controller.

For that money you get a built-in 7.1 surround sound controller with connectors for up to eight powered speakers, four HDMI inputs, three USB ports and an ambient light sensor that adjusts the screen brightness to match.

The company is also showing the BeoVision 14, a 4K TV in a square metal frame that it unveiled earlier this month. The 55-inch model, with oak speaker louvers hand-fitted by craftsmen in Denmark, costs 8980 (US$9999). A cheaper model with a cloth speaker cover is also available for around 10 percent less.
The G20 was founded in 1999 and consists of 19 major economies and EU with the aim of international financial stability by promoting high-level discussion of international financial and monetary policies. Reviewing the post-World War II history of globalization, there has been a lasting demand for international coordination of economic policies as the world has become more and more interdependent. The G20 was initiated as the latest one in a series of institutions and regimes,such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization and G7/G8.

In the Age of Discovery, human started the great maritime navigation and also triggered the process of globalization. As the connectivity of the worlds economies grew very quickly, economic crisis appeared periodicallyand no country could remain isolated from the fluctuation of world economy any more. The quick and spontaneous responses of most countries usually included a series of anti-globalization policies like increasing tariff, devaluating currency, and tradedumping, which in most cases could not cure their pains but worsened the situation, even to a global disaster like the Great Depression in 1929. A concert of economic policies has become desirable.It was one of the greatest lessons we learnt from the Word War II.

At that time the United States was the only country that had the capabilityto carry out this responsibility, because all other great powers had been exhausted during the war. The United States designed a package of economic institutions and regimes for the Western world, which was named as Bretton Wood System.Within this system, globalization has been strongly promoted as most barriers for free trade and mobilization of production factors have been gradually eliminated or essentially cut down, and all kinds of international rules and coordination of economic policies werealso establishedand developed.Thanks to these institutional arrangements, the Western world has seen a long range of economic boom. The re-burgeoning economies like the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada began to share the tremendous dominating power in world economy with the USA in 1970s. Then we saw the foundation of G7 and also the following coordination of international economic policies between these 7 major economies. When Russia embraced market economy, it joined this grouppartly because of its fast growing economy in 1990s.

However, the G7 or G8 could not present the real concert of international economic polices anymore, becausemany other important economies have been excluded, especially there was not even one representative from the developing countries. Aseries of devastating economic crises appeared throughout 1990s in Russia, Mexico, and many Southeast Asian countries. One ofthe main reasons was the imbalance of world economy, which means the speed and outcome of globalization varies in different countries and even different regions within one country. Some countries enjoy huge competitive power and have seen an enlarging market expansion in the world and fast growing economy, while some others suffer continuous shrink in world trade share and lasting harsh numbers in unemployment rate.

In order to prevent risks and promote further prosperity, it is needed to make greater efforts to coordinate the policies between the major economies. So with the aim of bringing together both industrialized and significantdeveloping economies to discuss important issues in world economy, the G20 was established by including some other key members like Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, and European Union.According to theG20.org, collectively, the G20 economies account for around 85% of the gross world product, 80% of world tradeand two-thirds of the world population.It illustrates a simultaneous rise of a group of developing countries and also a great transition in global governance to democratization fromWesternimperialism or hegemony. Furthermore, a gradual but remarkable process could be concluded that the global economic center is moving from the traditionalWest Europe to the East, especially the rim of Asia-Pacific.

It is unreasonable to seek a kind of panacea for all kinds of problems, so we should not have the illusion that G20 could solve all challenges in international economy today. Admittedly, the G20 suffers lacking any formal ability or legitimacy to enforce rules, because it is only an international forum without permanent secretariat.Thus, to a certain extent, the G20 is always under fire from press or academia, especially on the efficacy of its declarations. However, the informal way also endows the G20 with great advantages like flexibility and celerity, which result in a kind of institutional self-evolution. In 2008, the G20 Summit of heads of state or government was created in responding the financial crisis and enhancing the participation of key emerging countries in the core of global economic discussion and governance, in addition to the G20 Meetings of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.By reviewing the history of humans effort for seeking concert of economic policies, we could boldly conclude that the G20 is one of the best choices in the sense of institutionalism. Although the G20s declaration is not legally binding, its prominent membership empowers it a strong input on global governance in world economy, both symbolically and substantially. Any economists, speculators or even central banks of certain countries would encounter heavy risk without regard to the declarations of G20.

The theme of 2016 G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, is Innovation, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive, precisely responding the current main problems of world economy: the lagging economic growth, the imbalance of trade and capital structure, and the enlarging gap between the rich and the poor.As Chinese president Xi Jinping has pointed out that a more sustainable growth and prosperity requires greater courage, deeper cooperation, better coordinatedpolicies and stronger actions.The G20 would definitely give a strong input to the current world economy by forging a commonly-shared idea and coordinated actions. In the past nearly 40 years, China has become the biggest economy only second to the USA in terms of GDP. China owes much of its development and prosperity over the past decades to globalization and international cooperation, so we feel duty-bound to make greater contribution to the world. The 2016 G20 summit provides a best opportunity for China to express its commitment to international development endeavors. It does not need to mean that we will see the successfulideal outcome tomorrow, but does mean the bright future depends on our choice and action today..

(The author is an Associate Professor of the Institute for International Strategic Studies, Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China)
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on last Friday praised Chinas efforts in focusing the upcoming G20 summit on promoting green growth and bolstering the presence of developing countries.

Ban made the statements in an interview with several UN-based Chinese media outlets ahead of his attendance at the G20 Summit to be held in early September. The upcoming visit will be his second tour to Hangzhou in this year and also his 11th trip to China as the UN Secretary-General.

Ban commended China for steering the G20 summit this year in such a successful way, leading the G20 towards an action agenda that will come in full support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

This is the first time in G20 history to align the Sustainable Development Goals and the climate change agreement in its action agenda, he noted, hoping both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement can be translated into tangible actions.

The theme of the G20 summit, namely "Towards an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy," reflects the very spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Ban said.

He also praised China for inviting heads of state and government from developing countries such as Thailand, chair of the G77, Chad, chair of the African Union, and Laos, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation, to join the discussion, believing it will take the G20 summit to another level of inclusiveness.

The UN chief said that as representatives of the largest and most resourceful economies in the world, the G20 members should alsoshow the resolutions to resolve global financial end economic obstacles.

He pointed out that to cope with current global economic difficulties brought by sluggish recovery, lackluster investment, fatigued demand and rising unemployment, the G20 leaders should discuss on how to address those roadblocks and other global governance issues, in which process the UN will engage in.

China, whose economy is undergoing a rebalance, has showed leadership in this aspect, Ban said, adding that he expects China to demonstrate leadership again in the Hangzhou Summit.

Ban also appreciated the leadership demonstrated by China, as the host country of the summit, in coping with climate change, a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He said as the international community is accelerating the ratification process of the Paris agreement, it is the first year that the G20 leaders are gathering to discuss the Sustainable Development Goals and climate change as well as how to implement them in parallel. At present, 22 countries have already ratified the Paris Agreement, Ban said.

Expressing his gratitude to China for promising to finalize domestic legal procedure needed for the ratification of the pact before the G20 Summit, Ban described China's action as encouraging. He hoped that the other countries, particularly G20 countries, will follow the Chinese leadership.
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The two-day G20 Summit is scheduled to kick off on September 4 in Hangzhou of East Chinas Zhejiang Province. The city is now ready to host guests from around the globe with its fantastic scenery and food.

Bai Causeway

Leifeng Pagoda in the sunset

The picturesque city is often associated with West Lake, the well-known attractions with different charm in four seasons. But the natural beauty in the city is more than West Lake.

The Qiangtang River located in the east of Hangzhou is famous for its magnificent tides, while the Xixi wetland situated in the western part of the city is notable for its rich ecological resources. Seventy percent of the wetland is consisted of ports, ponds and bogs.

The Qiandao Lake in the south of the city has the best water quality in China. The visibility in this area is up to 12 meters deep in sunny days.

Xixi wetland

Qiandao Lake

In addition to the natural scenery, the food in Hangzhou is also fantastic. An example can prove the charm of those food. Several US tourists traveling in the city lived less than 1 kilometer from the West Lake, but they didn't visit it immediately because they were indulged in the fabulous local food.

One of the famous dishes is the steamed grass carp in vinegar gravy. The fresh fish, together with the sour and sweet gravy, can make mouth watering.

Steamed grass carp in vinegar gravy

Another representative is the Dongpo pork. Made by pan-frying and then red cooking pork belly, the pork is cut thick, about 2 inches square, and consists equally of fat and lean meat. It is famous for its soft mouthfeel.

Dongpo pork

Longjing prawns, also well-known as shrimp stir-fried with Dragon Well tea, produced using the meat of live river prawns and boiling water infused with Longjing tea, tea leaves and Shaoxing wine. It also won fame because the dish was included in the menu when then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai hosted the US President Richard Nixon in 1972.

Longjing prawns

In addition to the cuisine and splendid scenery, Hangzhou, as the origin of Wu-Yue Culture, will also greet the guests with profound historic connotation and cultural relics.

Lingyin Temple

Longjing tea

Liangzhu Ruins

(The pictures are cited from the G20 official website)
The 11th G20 Summit kicking off on September 4 in Hangzhou will help revive the world economy, read a commentary published on Peoples Daily under the byline of Guo Jiping ahead of the summit.

The following is an abstract translation of the article:

Eight years have passed since the onset of the global financial crisis, but downward pressure lingers in todays world economy. As a platform to reinforce international financial cooperation and drive economic recovery, G20 has advantages in global economic governance.

But before shouldering the responsibility to revitalize the world economy, it has to cope with multiple challenges including its identity dilemma and execution bottlenecks.

The world is counting on China at this critical stage of the ongoing global economic governance transformation. "The Chinese summit could well be the rebirth of not just of the G20, but the rebirth of real cooperation," commented the former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin who is also hailed as "the father of the G20."

At last years Antalya summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the Hangzhou Summit would adopt the theme of "Towards an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."

Of the four-pronged theme, Innovation will be the engine of the global economy. In todays world, the driving forces generated from the last round of technological and industrial revolution have lost steam, and the potential of the traditional economic system and development modes is fading away. An innovation-driven growth mode is the only way out given such a backdrop. The world economy can only be revived by innovative technology, pro-development philosophy, new mechanisms and fresh business modes.

Invigoration can release development potential. Lackluster growth is the biggest roadblock facing the world economy. The G20 members should stimulate economic vitality by intensifying global cooperation and accelerating domestic structural reforms, so that they can push for a more equal-footed, reasonable and highly-efficient form of global economic governance, optimize their endogenous impetus, and thus fully release the potential of world economy.

Interconnection can better pool the efforts of every country. History proves that the world economy cannot be revitalized only by developed countries without emerging economies. Only by synergizing each countrys development with global economic growth, can resources around the world be allocated in the most optimal way.

Inclusiveness reflects a farsighted wisdom. It is the responsibility of the international community to benefit people in every corner of the world with the dividends of global economic growth. A sustainable world economy also requires a narrowed development gap. Only when the dividends of development are shared by all, can the maximum market demand will be released, and the global economy have stronger impetus as a result.

The G20 Hangzhou summit will show the world the tangible accomplishments produced from the chemical reaction between an emerging platform of global economic governance and a economically progressive developing nation.

The summit will for the first time issue a statement on climate change, for the first time highlight the importance of development to the global macro-policy framework, and for the first time make an action plan centered on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These firsts prove China's leading role as the rotating presidency of the G20.

With innovation as a priority, the Hangzhou summit will work out a G20 Blueprint on Innovative Growth and formulate action plans on innovation, the new industrial revolution and digital economy.

The summit will also decide on the prioritized areas, guidelines and index system of the structural reform, deepen international financial architecture reform and optimize the global financial security network, in order to promote the re-balancing of the world economy.

In addition, a growth strategy for global trade and a guideline for international investment policies will be drafted to cope with the growing protectionism and promote an open world economy.

Facing rising geopolitical and security challenges, the G20 Hangzhou summit will focus on international economic cooperation and lay the foundation for world stability. By inviting the most developing countries ever to attend the meeting, the meeting also aims to narrow the development gap and call for an inclusive world economy.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

Trend:

A criminal case has been initiated in connection with the death of Azerbaijani army soldier Vusal Gambarov, the press service of the countrys Defense Ministry reported Aug. 31.

Vusal Gambarov was conscripted from Azerbaijans Shamkir district. The investigation is underway.

The information that Gambarov was killed in a ceasefire violation by Armenian Armed Forces on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic doesnt correspond to reality, said the press service.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

Trend:

Armenias armed forces have nine times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Aug. 31.

The Armenian armed forces stationed in Vazashen village of the Ijevan district and on nameless heights of the Krasnoselsk district of Armenia opened fire at the Azerbaijani positions located in Bala Jafarli village of the Gazakh district and on nameless heights of the Gadabay district.

Positions of the Azerbaijani army also underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near Horadiz and Gorgan villages of Azerbaijans 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.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

Trend:

The conference to be organized by Armenia under the pretext of the 25th anniversary of independence of the separatist regime established in the occupied Azerbaijani territories has been cancelled, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend Aug. 31.

Armenia was planning to organize a conference September 2-3 in Yerevan together with the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs under the pretext of the 25th anniversary of independence of the separatist regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan for provocation purposes, Hajiyev said.

Former statesmen, MPs and civil society representatives were expected to participate at the event, he added. It was also planned to organize a trip to Azerbaijani occupied territories for the conference members.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Aug. 30 issued a statement urging persons invited to the conference to respect the rules and principles of international law, refrain from illegal visit to the occupied territories of the country and from participation in this forum, which obviously pursues provocative purposes.

Diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan abroad, particularly in France and the UK, conducted explanatory work with the persons invited to this conference and told them that holding of such an event is detrimental to the negotiation process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

Many of the invited participants, taking into account the sensitivity of the situation in the region, have refused to participate, Hajiyev said.
New Exhibit on Thomas More Opens at Shrine

A new landmark exhibit on Thomas More, the English martyr whom St. John Paul II declared the heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians, opened at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine on Sept. 16, 2016. The exhibit, Gods Servant First: The Life and Legacy of Thomas More, explores the life of the former Lord Chancellor of England who was executed during King Henry VIIIs reign for refusing to recognize the Kings self-declared supremacy over the Church in England.

Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst, over sixty historic artifacts are displayed, most from Stonyhurst College in England, which has been a repository of items preserved from destruction during the Reformation. These include St. Thomas More's personal crucifix, two of his hats, and a chasuble embroidered by Katherine of Aragon, the wife Henry VIII sought to divorce. Also present are first-class relics of St. Thomas More.

The exhibit also examines the impact that Mores saintly example had on the development of religious freedom in the United States. It includes the saddle chalice and pectoral cross that belonged to John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States and founder of Georgetown University.

Slideshow

Opening the exhibit were the Right Honorable Lord Alton of Liverpool, chairman of the Christian Heritage Centre, Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, and the Shrines Executive Director, Patrick E. Kelly.

In his introductory remarks, Supreme Knight Anderson reflected that, In an era when many people look to secular authorities for inspiration and guidance on what is right and just, Thomas Mores example underscores the necessity of living our lives according to the dictates of a well-formed conscience.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The US government played a role in the collapse of Syria. It continually placed sanctions on this little country, including the 2003 Syrian Accountability act.

By 2013 the CIA was apparently passing medium weaponry through Saudi Arabia to fundamentalist militias, the ideology of which cannot easily be distinguished from the Taliban. They hate Shiites and Druze (altogether 15% of the population, maybe more). They want to subject Christians (5%) of the population and make them second class citizens. Theyve engaged in brutal child-killing and sometimes even beheadings. One of the fundamentalist leaders, who benefits indirectly from US aid to his colleagues still has not renounced his pledge of allegiance to 9/11 mastermind Ayman al-Zawahiri. To be fair, the US seems to want to pressure Bashar al-Assad to step down as president rather than to install neo-Taliban in Damascus. But the path theyve taken could end up with that result. Also to be fair, the brutal Stalinist regime of al-Assad has killed more people and tortured more people even than the worst fundamentalists.

The US is invoking self-defense against Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) to justify aerial bombing of Syria and the insertion of some 300 US troops among a leftist Kurdish militia.

The US contribution to the destabilization of Syria, where half of the 22 million people are homeless (4 million pushed abroad) is substantial.

Another one of the causes was the US destabilization of Iraq, which spilled onto Syria.

So the US surely has helped out with the resultant massive refugee flow, right?

Wrong. Being American means never having to make restitution for ruining other peoples lives. (The US killed between 1 and 2 million Vietnamese peasants but makes Rambo films celebrating that violence; I mean to take nothing from the bravery of our vets, but most of them knew by the early 1970s that the war was sold under false pretenses; Vietnam had never done anything at all to the US).

Here are the pitiful numbers for Syrian refugees admitted to the US since the Syrian Revolution began (a revolution egged vigorously on by the US embassy in Damascus again, for all the right reasons but with deadly effect).

Fiscal 2011: 29

Fiscal 2012: 31

Fiscal 2013: 36

Fiscal 2014: 105

Fiscal 2015: 1,682

Fiscal 2016: 10,000

In contrast, Germany admitted about 500,000 Syrian refugees in 2015, and another half a million from other countries.

In 2015, Sweden took in 80,000 refugees, a third of them from Syria.*

The US not only has done almost nothing about the issue, it has been churlish about the tiny actions so far taken. State governments and legislatures have objected to letting Syrians into their states. (Immigration is a Federal matter so they dont really have anything to say about where people in the country legally may live).

As their predecessors did in the 1930s with regard to Europes Jews, the latter-day know-nothings have claimed that Syrian refugees will be terrorists or subversives. Lebanon, a country of 4 million, has 1.2 million Syrian refugees, so it is really being subverted big time by them, right? Nope.

Of 750,000 refugees admitted to the US since the mid-2000s, almost none have committed any acts of terrorism. American-born white supremacists have been far more active in that field.

So the US taking 10,000 Syrian refugees is a cause for celebration, because we are stepping up to do something rather than nothing. But we still just arent doing much, especially given our deep involvement in intensifying and prolonging the Syrian civil war.

-

Related video:

CCTV News:  US meets target of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees
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By Arlie Russell Hochschild | ( Tomdispatch.com ) |  

[This essay has been adapted from Arlie Hochschilds new book, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right (The New Press), which will be published on September 6th.]

Sometimes you have to go a long, long way to discover truths that are distinctly close to home. Over the last five years, Ive done just that  left my home in iconically liberal Berkeley, California, and traveled to the bayous of Tea Party Louisiana to find another America that, as Donald Trumps presidential bid has made all too clear, couldnt be closer to home for us all. From those travels, let me offer a kind of real-life parable about a man I came to admire who sums up many of the contradictions of our distinctly Trumpian world.

So come along with me now, as I turn right on Gumbo Street, left on Jambalaya, pass Sauce Piquant Lane, and scattering a cluster of feral cats, park on Crawfish Street, opposite a yellow wooden home by the edge of waters issuing into Bayou Corne, Louisiana. The street is deserted, lawns are high, and branches of Satsuma and grapefruit trees hang low with unpicked fruit. Walking toward me along his driveway is Mike Schaff, a tall, powerfully built, balding man in an orange-and-red striped T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Hes wearing tan-rimmed glasses and giving a friendly wave.

Sorry about the grass, he says as we head inside. I havent kept things up. On the dining room table, he has set out coffee, cream, sugar, and a jar of homegrown peaches for me to take when I leave. Around the edges of the living and dining rooms are half-filled cardboard packing boxes. The living room carpet is rolled into a corner, revealing a thin, jagged crack across the floor. Mike opens the door of the kitchen to go into his garage. My gas monitor is here, he explains. The company drilled a hole in my garage to see if I had gas under it, and I do; twenty percent higher than normal. I get up nights to check it. As we sit down to coffee at the small dining room table, Mike says, Itll be seven months this Monday and the last five have been the longest in my life.

After the disaster struck in August 2012, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal issued an emergency evacuation order to all 350 residents of Bayou Corne  a community of homes facing a canal that flows into an exquisite bayou (a river through wetlands) with white egrets, ibis, and spoonbills soaring across the water. When I visited in March 2013, Mike was still living in his ruined home.

I was just starting life with my new wife, but with the methane gas emissions all around us now, its not safe. So my wife has moved back to Alexandria, a hundred and eighteen miles north, and commutes to her job from there. I see her on weekends. The grandkids dont come either, because what if someone lit a match? The house could blow up. Im still here to guard the place against a break-in and to keep the other stayers company, he says, adding after a long pause, Actually, I dont want to leave.

I had come to visit Mike Schaff because he seemed to embody an increasingly visible paradox that had brought me to this heartland of the American right. What would happen, I wondered, if a man who saw big government as the main enemy of local community, who felt a visceral dislike of government regulations and celebrated the free market, was suddenly faced with the ruin of his community at the hands of a private company? What if, beyond any doubt, that loss could have been prevented by government regulation?

Because in August 2012, exactly that catastrophe did indeed occur to Mike and his neighbors.

Like many of his conservative white Cajun Catholic neighbors, Mike was a strong Republican and an enthusiastic supporter of the Tea Party. He wanted to strip the federal government to the bone. In his ideal world, the Departments of Interior, Education, Health and Human Services, Social Security, and much of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be gone; as for federal money to the states, much of that, too. The federal government provides 44% of Louisianas state budget  $2,400 per person per year  partly for hurricane relief, which Mike welcomes, but partly for Medicaid and, as he explained, Most recipients could work if they wanted to and honestly, theyd be better off.

Louisiana is a classic red state. In 2016, its ranked the poorest in the nation and the worst as well in education, health, and the overall welfare of its people. It also has the second highest male incidence of cancer and is one of the countrys most polluted states. But voters like Mike have twice elected Governor Bobby Jindal who, during his eight years in office, steadfastly refused Medicaid expansion, cut funding for higher education by 44%, and laid off staff in environmental protection. Since 1976, Louisiana has voted Republican in seven out of ten presidential elections and, according to a May 2016 poll, its residents favor Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton by 52% to 36%.

Mike was an intelligent, college-educated man with a sense of stewardship over the land and the waters he loved. Given the ominous crack in his floor and the gas monitor in his garage, could he, I wondered, finally welcome government as a source of help? And had the disaster he faced altered his views of the presidential candidates?

Alka Seltzer in the Rain Puddles

The first sign that something was wrong had been a tiny cluster of bubbles on the surface of Bayou Cornes waters, and then another. Had a gas pipe traversing the bottom of the bayou sprung a leak? A man from the local gas company came out to check and declared the pipes fine. At the time, Mike recalls, We smelled oil, strong.

Soon after, he and his neighbors were startled when the earth began to shake. I was walking in the house when I felt like I was either having a stroke or drunk, ten seconds, Mike recalls. My balance went all to hell.

It was then that he noticed that crack in his living room floor and heard a sound like a thunderclap. A single mother of two living in a mobile home a mile from Bayou Corne thought her washing machine was on, and then remembered it had been broken for months. Lawns started to sag and tilt. Not far from Mikes home, the earth under the bayou started to tear open, and, as if someone had pulled the plug in a bathtub, the bayou began sucking down brush, water, and pine.

Majestic century-old cypress trees crashed in slow motion and disappeared into the gaping mouth of the sinkhole then forming. Two clean-up workers had cast out booms not far from the sinkhole to contain an area of water shiny with oil. To steady their boat, they tied it to a nearby tree, which then slid into the sinkhole, as did their boat, though both men were rescued.

In the following weeks, pristine swamp forest was replaced by oily sludge as the earth began to leak natural gas. During a rain, the puddles would shine and bubble, like youd dropped Alka Seltzer tablets in them, Mike said. Gradually, gassy sludge infiltrated the aquifer, threatening the local drinking water.

What had caused the sinkhole? The culprit was Texas Brine, a lightly regulated, Houston-based drilling company. It had drilled a hole 5,600 feet beneath the floor of Bayou Corne to mine intensely concentrated salt, which it sold to companies making chlorine. The drill accidently punctured one wall of an underlying geological formation called the Napoleon Salt Dome, three miles wide and a mile deep, sheathed in a layer of oil and natural gas. (One hundred twenty-six such domes lie under Louisianas land and water and are often mined for brine, with toxic chemicals sometimes being stored in the resulting cavities.) When the drill accidentally pierced the side of a cavern inside the dome, the wall crumpled under the pressure of surrounding shale, sucking down everything above it.

The sinkhole grew. First, it was the size of one house lot, then five house lots, then the length of Crawfish Street. By 2016, it covered more than 37 acres. The pavement of the main road into and out of Bayou Corne began to sink, too. Levees along the bayou, originally built to contain rising waters in times of flood, also began to go down, threatening to extend the oily sludge over nearby grassland and forest. Meanwhile, shell-shocked evacuees doubled up with family members in spare rooms, campers, and motels, turning to each other for news of the expanding sinkhole.

Environmental Protection: Missing in Action



Mike backs his boat into the canal. I climb in. It sputters to life and putts out into the wider bayou. Around here you pull up bass, catfish, white perch, crawfish, and sac-a-lait, he says, at least we used to.

Mike was a water baby. He loved to fish and could describe the habits and shapes of a dozen kinds of local fish. He headed for the water as often as he could, although he got little time off. So environment wasnt simply a word to him; it was his passion, his comfort, his way of life.

Mike has long disliked the idea of a strong federal government because people come to depend on it instead of on each other. He grew up in a close-knit community not far from Bayou Corne on the Armelise sugarcane plantation, the fifth of seven children of a plumber and a homemaker. As a boy, he tells me, I went barefoot all summer, and used to shoot crows with my rifle, use the guts for fish bait. As an adult, he worked as an estimator, measuring and pricing materials used in constructing the gigantic platforms that house oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. As a child of the old South who grew to manhood in an era of big oil, he was for states rights and wanted even state government kept to a minimum.

This, however, was the last situation hed ever imagined being in. Were a close community here. We leave our doors unlocked. We help each other rebuild levees during floods. You got the two-beer levee job, or the four-beer one. He laughs. We love it here.

For a man who could lose himself for hours in his garage welding together parts of a two-seater Zenith 701 airplane from a kit, and who described himself as to myself, he welcomed the easy sociability of Bayou Corne. It wasnt the simple absence of government Mike wanted; it was the feeling of being inside a warm, cooperative group. Thats what he thought government replaced: community. And why pay heavy taxes to help the government rob you of what you most prize?

At a distance, we see a sign nailed to the gray trunk of a Tupelo tree: DANGER, KEEP OUT, HIGHLY FLAMMABLE GAS. Around it in the water are concentric circles of bubbles, scuttling outward like small bugs. Methane, says Mike, matter-of-factly.

By mid-2013, officials had declared Bayou Corne a sacrifice zone and most of the 350 residents had fled. A small group of stayers like Mike were now criticized by the leavers who feared their presence suggested to Texas Brine that it wasnt so bad, and so might lower the price the refugees could set for their suffering.

Everyone knew that the companys drill had caused the sinkhole, but that didnt settle the question of blame. To begin with, Texas Brine blamed Mother Nature, claiming (falsely) that earthquakes were natural in the area. Then it blamed its insurers and the company from which it rented space in the dome.

Both those who stayed and those who left were mostly angry at the government. For one thing, Governor Bobby Jindal had waited seven months before visiting the victims. And why was his first visit so delayed, he was asked, and why was it announced so abruptly on the morning of a mid-week day when most sinkhole refugees were at work?

Like so many of his neighbors, Mike Schaff had twice voted for Bobby Jindal and, as someone who had worked in oil all his life, approved the governors $1.6 billion tax incentive program to lure more of that industry to the state. For three years, it was impossible to tell whether the oil companies had paid a penny to Louisiana since, under Jindal, the job of auditing their payments had been handed over to the Office of Mineral Resources, which has close ties to the industry and between 2010 and 2013 performed no audits at all.

In Louisiana, on-the-books environmental regulations were laxly enforced by conservative state legislators many of whom were oilmen or, like Governor Jindal, took donations from Big Energy. An eye-opening 2003 report from the Inspector General of the EPA ranked Louisiana last in its region when it came to implementing federal environmental mandates. Louisianas database on hazardous waste facilities was error-ridden. The states Department of Environmental Quality (a title missing the word protection) did not know if many of the companies it was supposed to monitor were in compliance. Its agents had failed to inspect many plants and even when it did find companies not in compliance with state regulations, it neglected to levy or collect penalties.

The Inspector General was unable to fully assure the public that Louisiana was operating programs in a way that effectively protects human health and the environment. According to the states own website, 89,787 permits to deposit waste or do other things that affected the environment were requested between January 1967 and July 2015. Of these, only 60  or .07%  were denied.

The Redder the State, the More the Toxic Waste

Louisiana was, it turned out, in good company. A 2012 study by sociologist Arthur OConnor showed that residents of red states suffer higher rates of industrial pollution than those of blue states. Voters in the 22 states that went Republican in the five presidential elections between 1992 and 2008 live in more polluted environments. And what was true for Red States generally and Louisiana in particular was true for Mike himself. Looking into exposure to toxic waste, my research assistant Rebecca Elliot and I discovered that people who believe Americans worry too much about the environment, and that the U.S. already does enough to protect that environment were likely to be living in zip codes with high rates of pollution. As a Tea Party member enmeshed in the Bayou Corne sinkhole disaster, Mike was just an exaggerated version of a haunting national story.

Mike wanted to live in a nearly total free-market society. In a way Louisiana already was exactly that. Government was barely present at all. But how, I wondered, did Mike reconcile his deep love of, and desire to protect, Bayou Corne with his strong dislike of government regulation? As it happened, he did what most of us tend to do when we face a powerful conflict. He jerrybuilt a new world out of desperate beliefs, becoming what he termed a Tea Party conservationist.

Seated at his dining room table surrounded by cardboard boxes filled with his belongings, he composed letter after letter of complaint to members of the Louisiana legislature, demanding that they force companies like Texas Brine to pay victims in a timely way, that they not permit storage of hazardous waste in precarious waterways, or again permit drilling in Lake Peigneur, which had suffered a devastating drilling accident in 1980. By August of 2015, he had written 50 of them to state and federal officials. This is the closest Ive come to being a tree-hugger, he said. Ninety-nine percent of the environmentalists I meet are liberal. But Ive had to do something. This bayou will never be the same.

As we putted around the bayou, I asked, What has the federal government done for you that you feel grateful for?

He paused.

Hurricane relief, he finally responded.

He paused again. The I-10, he added, referring to a federally funded freeway.

Another long pause. Okay, unemployment insurance. (He had once briefly been on it.)

I ask about the Food and Drug Administration inspectors who check the safety of our food.

Yeah, that too.

The military in which hed enlisted?

Yeah, okay.

Do you know anyone who receives federal government benefits?

Oh sure, he answers. And I dont blame them. Most people I know use available government programs, since they paid for part of them. If the programs are there, why not use them?

And then the conversation continued about how we dont need government for this, for that, or for the other thing.

Mike and his wife had recently moved from their ruined home near the sinkhole into a large fixer-upper on a canal flowing into Lake Verret, some 15 miles south of Bayou Corne. At nights, he can hear the two-toned calls of tree frogs and toads. He had jacked up the living room floor, redone the bedroom molding, put in a new deck, and set up his airplane-building kit in the garage. A recent tornado had ripped the American flag from a pole on that garage, although it hadnt harmed the Confederate flag hanging from the porch of his neighbor.

His new home lies near the entrance to the spillway of the magnificent Atchafalaya Basin, an 800,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge  the largest bottomland hardwood swamp in the country  overseen, in part, by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. On my last visit, he took me in his flatboat to fish for perch, pointing out a bald eagle on the bare branch of a tall cypress. Ive gone from the frying pan to the fire, he explained. They are disposing of millions of gallons of fracking waste  the industry calls it produced water  right here in the Basin. It can contain methanol, chloride, sulphates, and radium. And theyre importing it from Pennsylvania and other fracking sites to go into an injection well near here. Salt can corrode the casing of those wells, and its not far from our aquifer.

A Sinkhole of Pride

Mike loves the waters of Louisiana more than anything in the world. A vote for Hillary Clinton would protect the Clean Water Act, secure the EPA, and ensure that government would continue to act as a counterbalance to the Texas Brines of the nation. But there was one thing more important to Mike than clean water: pride in his people.

He had struggled hard to climb out of the world of a poor plumbers fifth son, to make it to a salary of $70,000 a year with a company that built oil rigs, to a third and at-last-right wife, and to a home he loved that was now wrecked. At the entrance gate to the middle class, he felt hed been slapped in the face. For progressive movements from the 1960s on  in support of blacks, women, sexual minorities, immigrants, refugees  the federal government was, he believed, a giant ticket-dispensing machine in an era in which the economy was visiting on middle-class and blue-collar white men the sorts of punishment once more commonly reserved for blacks. Democrats were, he was convinced, continuing to make the government into an instrument of his own marginalization  and media liberals were now ridiculing people like him as ignorant, backward rednecks. Culturally, demographically, economically, and now environmentally, he felt ever more like a stranger in his own land.

It mattered little to him that Donald Trump would not reduce the big government he so fervently wanted cut, or that The Donald was soft on the pro-life, pro-marriage positions he valued, or that he hadnt uttered a peep about the national debt. None of it mattered because Trump, he felt, would switch off that marginalization machine and restore the honor of his kind of people, of himself. Mike knew that liberals favored care for the environment far more than Republicans, Tea Partiers, or Donald Trump. Yet, despite his lost home in a despoiled land, like others of his older white neighbors back at the Bayou and here in the Basin, Mike was foursquare for Trump; thats how deeply his pride was injured and a measure of just how much that injury galled him.

What would Trump do to prevent another calamity like Bayou Corne with its methane-drenched mud, its lost forest, its dead fish? He has been vague on many of the policies he might pursue as president, but on one thing he was clear: he would abolish the Environmental Protection Agency.

Arlie Hochschild is the author of many books, including The Second Shift and The Time Bind. Her latest book, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right (The New Press), will be published in early September. This essay is adapted for TomDispatch from that book.

Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Book, Nick Turses Next Time Theyll Come to Count the Dead, and Tom Engelhardts latest book, Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World.

Copyright 2016 Arlie Hochschild

Via Tomdispatch.com

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Related video added by Juan Cole:

AP: 

Louisiana Wildlife Hit By Devastating Floods
August 31, 2016 / TheNewswire / Vancouver, British Columbia- Nevada Energy Metals Inc. "the Company" (TSX-V: BFF; OTCQB: SSMLF; Frankfurt: A2AFBV) ) is pleased to announce encouraging results have been received from the latest sampling program at the Company's 100% owned Big Smokey Valley (North) project. The geochemical sampling program was designed to test for lithium values in surface soils and/or playa evaporates. Samples were obtained on a grid pattern consisting of eleven east/west lines spaced 400 meters apart with stations every 200 meters along the lines. The grid covered an area of approximately 3,000 acres.

Of the 170 sample points analyzed 150 reported Lithium values greater than or equal to 100 ppm with the highest value being 146 ppm Lithium (the median value being 116 ppm); 20 samples points were in the 53 ppm to 99 ppm range.



Click Image To View Full Size

Rick Wilson, President an CEO stated "Obtaining a statistically large number of anomalous Lithium values across our large 3,200 acre/1,295-hectare property is highly encouraging. We look forward to announcing the next phase of work shortly".

About the BSV Lithium Project: https://nevadaenergymetals.com/bsv-lithium-project/

The BSV Lithium Project consists of 160 placer claims, with an area of 3,200 acres/1,295 hectares, located in northern Big Smokey Valley, Nye County, Nevada, 12 miles east of the town of Austin and extends approximately 100 miles in a southwesterly direction to reach a southern terminus near Clayton Valley. The northern section, where the claims area is located contains three geothermal resources; the Darrough, the McLeod and the Spencer hot springs.

Gravity survey results indicate the depth of valley fill to be approximately 5,100 feet and that there is subsurface closure of the valley a short distance to the south of the claim block. The basin is fed by anomalous lithium bearing geothermal fluids interpreted to be meteoric waters heated by relatively deep circulation in the earth's crust.

Historical sediment sampling results for lithium in the basin were reported in the range of 130 to 155 ppm lithium for 4 samples (J.R. Davis, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Co.)

Nevada Energy Metals has acquired a 100% interest in the property, free of royalty payments.

Qualified Person: The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Alan Morris CPG, Elko, Nevada.

About Nevada Energy Metals: http://nevadaenergymetals.com/

Nevada Energy Metals Inc. is a well funded, Canadian based, exploration company who's primary listing is on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's main exploration focus is directed at lithium brine targets located in the mining friendly state of Nevada. The Company has ownership of 77 claims in Clayton Valley, only 250m from Rockwood Lithium, the only brine based lithium producer in North America (70% optioned-out to American Lithium Corp (TSX-V: Li). Nevada Energy Metals has also acquired: 100 claims (Teels Marsh West) covering 2000 acres (809 hectares) at Teels Marsh, Mineral County, Nevada, a prospective lithium exploration project, 100% owned without any royalties; the San Emidio Desert lithium project, consisting of 155 claims (approximately 3,100 acres/1255 hectares) in Washoe County, Nevada; the Alkali Lake Project in Esmeralda county, is a 60% earn in option agreement from Dajin Resources Corp (TSX-V: DJI), where near surface lithium values have been confirmed; the Dixie Valley Project consisting of 911 claims covering 73.6 square kilometers/28.4 square miles (7,363 hectares/18,194 acres) of salt marsh playa.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Rick Wilson, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the contents of this release.

Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
[JURIST] The Egyptian Parliament [official website, in Arabic] on Tuesday passed [report, in Arabic] a new law regulating church building, purportedly to support the nations Christian minority. Church building has long been contentious in Egypt, where only a tenth of the nations population of 90 million practices Christianity. Hardliners in the majority Muslim country traditionally oppose church building as a threat to what they call the countrys Islamic character. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi [Britannica backgrounder], supported by Egypts Christians, heartened his supporters when he promised to help them escape what they characterize as a second-class status. Under the new law, Christians must apply to their local provincial governor to build, and the church is to be limited to a practical size, and by an interest in the preservation of public order. This leeway gives critics pause, as it empowers the majority to decide whether the minority has the right to hold their religious practices, said Ishaq Ibrahim, researcher for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. The law ultimately passed with a two-thirds vote.

Egypt has long experienced political turmoil, partly to blame for the power-disparity between Christianity and Islam, even before el-Sisi ousted former-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Earlier this month, Egypts public prosecutor issued an order [JURIST report] for the arrest of 13 people accused of committing profiteering, forgery and embezzlement as part of a national wheat import scandal. In December Egypts former Agriculture Minister was detained [JURIST report] after an investigation headed by the countrys prosecutor revealed that the minister and others received bribes amounting to over USD $1 million. In July 2015 an Egyptian court sentenced [JURIST report] former prime minister Ahmed Nazif to five years in prison during a retrial graft charges. Nazif served during the presidency of Hosni Mubarak until the start of the Egyptian Uprising in 2011, and was convicted of using his position to make illicit gains in excess of 64 million Egyptian pounds, or approximately USD $8.2 million. In February 2015 the Cairo Criminal Court acquitted [JURIST report] Nazif and former minister of interior Habib el-Adly of all charges against them. Both defendants were charged with squandering public funds and profiteering after allegedly making an illegal deal with German Company UTSCH to sell license plates for higher than market value.
A federal judge in Kansas dismissed [opinion, PDF] a lawsuit on Tuesday by a convicted killer who accused a county jail and its administrators of violating his religious rights. Inmate Eddie Gordon Sr. stated in 2014 in his handwritten lawsuit that he wasnt fed for 28 hours during Ramadan. Gordon also stated [AP report] that on numerous occasions he was served cold and unacceptable meals close to prayer time, preventing him from eating before his fasting. Gordon was sentenced in October 2011 to 23 years in prison for intentional second-degree murder related to a November 2010 shooting in Topeka. During the time of this complaint, Gordon was being temporarily held in the Shawnee County Jail. Judge David Waxse dismissed Gordons case after Gordon missed the court-imposed deadline to submit evidence that the alleged misconduct harmed him physically or intentionally interfered with his decision. Gordon had been given 30 days in March of last year in order to explain in writing why his lawsuit shouldnt be dismissed. He ultimately did not file an amended lawsuit until this April, almost a year after the deadline. In his ruling, Chief Judge J. Thomas Marten ruled last month that even if the court excused Gordon missing the deadline, his amendments do not cure the deficiencies the court previously discussed, thereby making the amendment futile.

The treatment of prisoners and prison reform [JURIST podcast] has been a matter of ongoing concern in the US. In June a lawsuit accused [JURIST report] a Louisiana judge of running a debtors prison. In March the Department of Justice urged [JURIST report] state court systems to stop using procedural routines and hefty fines to profit off poor defendants. In February the Supreme Court of California ruled [JURIST report] that Governor Jerry Brown can put his plan to ease prison overcrowding on the ballot this November. In January the US Supreme Court ruled that a landmark decision banning mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles should apply retroactively [JURIST report]. In August the Department of Justice reached a settlement [JURIST report] with Los Angeles prisons on mentally ill inmate care. In May of last year Human Rights Watch release [JURIST report] a report stating that mentally disabled prisoners experience unnecessary, excessive, and even malicious force at the hands of prison staff across the US. A federal court in February 2015 approved [JURIST report] a settlement agreement between the Arizona Department of Corrections and the American Civil Liberties Union in a class action lawsuit over the health care system within Arizona prisons. Also last February rights group Equal Justice Under Law filed suit [JURIST report] against the cities of Ferguson and Jennings, Missouri, for their practice of jailing citizens who fail to pay debts owed to the city for minor offenses and traffic tickets.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

All the main issues of topical agenda are planned to be discussed at the informal meeting of the OSCE foreign ministers, said German Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The meeting will be held on Sept. 1 in Potsdam [Germany], RIA Novosti reported Aug. 31.

In the current crisis-ridden world, the OSCEs role is probably more important than ever with regard to crisis management in the east of Ukraine, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh and other conflicts in Europe, just as with regard to ensuring peace and security, German Foreign Ministrys press service quoted Steinmeier as saying Aug. 31.

The minister added also that the German delegation plans to discuss all these important topics, as well as issues of international terrorism and refugees in Potsdam.

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.
Three German organizations, Campact, foodwatch and Mehr Demokratie [advocacy websites] submitted a complaint against the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agrement (CETA) [materials] Wednesday to the Federal Constitutional Court [official website]. With more than 125,000 signatures, the activists claim the complaint to be the largest public suit in the nations history. CETA is designed to eliminate tariffs and foster investments. In a press release [text], foodwatch stated that the trade agreement, between the EU and Canada, violates Basic Law in four different respects. The complaint alleges that the agreement would create omnipotent committees and discriminatory investment courts, while bypassing due diligence and implementing provisional action without the consent of voters.

The trade agreement between the EU and Canada was reached [JURIST report] in 2013. At that point, CETA had been in negotiation for four years. The alliance would provide Canada with greater reach into the European market and eliminate as much as 98 percent of all tariffs. The EU has endorsed the notion that CETA will comply fully with European standards for workers and safety.
[JURIST] Iraqi militias are recruiting [HRW report] children from at least one civilian camp of displaced persons in the region of Kurdistan, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] on Tuesday. Witnesses reported that at least seven children were recruited as fighters on August 14 to combat the Islamic State (IS) forces. The Iraqi Security Forces are preparing to engage IS to drive them from the city of Mosul. HRW urged all sides of the conflict to demobilize any fighters under the age of 18 in order to comply with international law. IS has similarly recruited child soldiers. Last month HRW urged [JURIST report] Iraqi military commanders to prevent historically abusive militias from participating in the campaign to retake Mosul.

IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been accused of war crimes on a massive scale in Iraq and Syria. In June a UN-mandated human rights inquiry reported that the IS has been committing genocide [JURIST report] against the Yazidi people, in addition to a carrying out a variety of other war crimes and human rights violations. Earlier this month the UN issued [JURIST report] a report detailing the atrocities committed by IS in Iraq. Also in August UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed [JURIST report] his concern for the human rights violations faced by the Yazidi minority in Northern Iraq, stating that actions of IS may amount to genocide. In March US Secretary of State John Kerry said [JURIST report] that IS is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yazidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims. Also in March the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution [JURIST report] denouncing the actions of IS as genocide and calling for the establishment of international and domestic tribunals by UN member states.
[JURIST] US President Barack Obama [official website] on Tuesday granted clemency [press release] to 111 non-violent criminal offenders, including 35 federal offenders serving life sentences. These new grants of clemency bring Obamas total to 673, including 325 in the month of August alone. Mostly drug offenders, the commuted sentences are part of Obamas ongoing effort to reduce the size of the nations prison population. At a news conference earlier this month, Obama explained [press release] the sentence excusals: I thought it was very important for us to send a clear message that we believe in the principles behind criminal justice reform. A corollary to Obamas commutations, various measures [House Judiciary Committee backgrounder], seeking to reform the criminal justice system, are working their way through the legislature.

This is the latest effort of the Obama administration to encourage criminal justice reform efforts [WH backgrounder]. Earlier this month Obama granted clemency [JURIST report] to 214 federal inmates. In June the Obama administration announced [JURIST report] a number of programs focused on better reintroducing released prisoners into the community. In January Obama ordered [WP report] the Attorney General to review the use of solitary confinement. Conservative groups have criticized [Daily Signal report] Obamas efforts as harming law enforcements abilities to dismantle and disrupt drug trafficking organizations. Republicans have also insisted on requiring federal prosecutors to prove that white-collar defendants acted knowingly to violate the law, but the administration and Democrats maintain [The Hill report] that those provisions would make it harder for the government to prosecute corporate crimes.
Pakistans Interior Ministry said Wednesday that the country has requested that Britain take action against a former party leader who delivered a speech last week that ignited rioting in Karachi. Pakistans Interior Ministry sent a report [NYT report] on Altaf Hussain [official profile] to British authorities on Tuesday, alleging that the self-exiled party leader had incited violence and disturbed law and order. Altaf Hussain is a British national and founder of the Muttahida Quami movement (MQM), which is a secular party representing ethnic Mohajirs, who fled to Pakistan from India during the 1947 partition. Hussain delivered an anti-government message last week via telephone to his supporters. This speech resulted in rioting [BBC report] and the chanting of Down with Pakistan. More than 45 leaders and supporters have been detained and numerous offices have been demolished. The party leadership in Pakistan has disassociated itself from Hussain and promised the party will no longer be run from London, where Hussain has lived in self-imposed exile.

The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has found itself in trouble in the international community on numerous occasions. In August 2015 the party was forced to resign [BBC report] from the government position as a result of a crackdown on the party after numerous violent actions. In June 2014 UK police obtained documents [BBC report] that linked the MQM to numerous London bank account after the party was being investigated for money-laundering. In March 2014 the Pakistani High Court of Sindh Karachi sentenced [JURIST report] six men associated with the MQM for the murder of a prominent TV journalist.
A group of UN experts on Wednesdayurged authorities [press release] in Sudan to drop death penalty charges against six members of the Khartoum Center for Training and Human Development (TRACKS). The members were arrested a few months ago for criminal conspiracy, undermining the constitutional system, waging war against the state, espionage and terrorism. They have not yet faced trial, but the charges all possess the maximum penalty of death. According to the experts, the arrests and charges appear to be directly linked to TRACKS work with human rights defense, after a series of office raids, previous detainments, and questioning involving torture. The experts have raised their concerns at previous times, but point out that Sudan has signed onto international law that recognizes the freedom of expression and freedom of association. The group hopes that, at a minimum, the most stringent due process guarantees are enforced.

Capital punishment [JURIST op-ed] remains a controversial issue worldwide. Earlier this week a UN rights expert expressed outrage [JURIST report] regarding Irans execution of 12 people for drug-related charges. Last month Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he would approve reinstating the death penalty [JURIST report] so long as the measure had sufficient support in the Grand National Assembly. In May a spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned [JURIST report] Iranian authorities for the sentencing of Nargis Mohammadi, an anti-death penalty activist. Also in May UN rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein welcomed [JURIST report] the measures being taken by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to prevent the use of its drugs in state-sponsored execution by lethal injection. UN human rights experts expressed [JURIST report] grave concern earlier that month over Belarus death penalty practices after reports surfaced that a man was executed while his case was before the UN Human Rights Committee.
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [website] released a statement [text] Tuesday that women with disabilities face discrimination and are often excluded from freely participating in society. The statement, aimed at member states that have ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [materials], urged empowerment for women with disabilities, so they may enjoy their fundamental rights. The committee has issued a General Comment [materials] to guide member states in structuring health, educational and employment opportunities to better serve this population.

The promotion of rights for persons with disabilities is a critical issue around the world. Earlier this month the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against the state of Georgia alleging the unnecessary segregation of persons with disabilities in state programs, services, and activities [JURIST report]. In April the advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed France is failing to provide adequate mental health care [JURIST report] and appropriate conditions for prisoners with psychosocial disabilities. In 2015 HRW condemned the EU for refusing to take action to address Hungarys alleged problematic laws and practices regarding human rights [JURIST report] since the European Commission enacted a rule of law measure [text, PDF] in March 2014. Hungarys problematic practices include limitations on the powers of the Constitutional court; restraints on media freedom; and restrictions on the rights of women, people with disabilities, religious groups and homeless people.
A project to import and convert to RHD Fiat Chrysler's Ram large pickup trucks for sale in Australia and New Zealand is now up and running, the company confirmed to just-auto. The deal was announced last year.

American Special Vehicles (ASV) is a venture combining the resources of Australia's largest independent automotive importer and distributor, Ateco Automotive, with the Walkinshaw Automotive Group.

Ram itself is the fastest growing truck brand in the United States. Since its launch as a stand-alone division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in 2009, the brand has steadily emerged as an industry leader with US sales of more than 40,000 trucks per month.

ASV's RHD trucks are produced with full volume import approval, meaning they are fully compliant with Australian Design Rules and that ASV is the sole importer of Ram models covered by that approval.

The trucks are imported to Australia direct from the factory in left hand drive. The Walkinshaw operation then completely remanufactures the vehicles to right hand drive on a purpose-built production line in Melbourne.

The RHD versions are covered by a three year, 100,000km (60,000 miles) warranty along with full parts and service support.

The Australasian specification includes an engine developing 1,084 Nm of torque and the ability to tow nearly seven tonnes while both Ram 2500 and 3500 models are offered 'down under' through 25 dealers in Australia and a smaller network in New Zealand.

Current special offers in Australia price the 2500 from A$139,500 (US$105,300) and the 3500 from A$146,500 (US$110,550) "driveaway".

The RHD models have the 6.7 litre Cummins turbodiesel engine producing 276 kW with six-speed automatic transmission and four wheel drive.

Equipment is similar to that seen in many private LHD imports in both countries where US trucks have a small but well-heeled and enthusiast following: leather, heated and ventilated power adjusted front seats, heated, leather steering wheel with integrated controls, dual zone climate control, 20cm touchscreen display, 17cm multi-view cluster, nine speaker sound system with subwoofer, ports for mobile devices and a media hub, Bluetooth and so on.

Safety and security kit includes multi-stage front airbags, front and rear seat curtain airbags, electronic stability control, rear park assist and rear view camera, an eye level brake light with cargo camera, tyre pressure monitoring and remote keyless entry.
Moscow, Russia, August 31

By Orkhan Yolchuyev  Trend:

The scheduled consultations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be held with participation of the OSCE Minsk Group in the Russian foreign ministry on September 8, said Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministrys spokeswoman, Trends correspondent reported from Moscow Aug. 31.

"The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen from Russia, the US and France, as well as personal representative of the chairperson-in-office will participate in the meeting," she said.

Zakharova added that during the meeting, special attention will be paid to the pace of implementing the agreements reached at the summits on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement in Vienna on May 16 and in St. Petersburg on June 20.

The main purpose of the event is to coordinate the efforts on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Zakharova said.

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.
Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprungli has announced Martin Hug, the CFO of its US unit Ghirardelli, will become group chief financial officer from January.

Hug has held the CFO post at Ghirardelli since 2011. He joined Lindt & Sprungli in 2004 as senior corporate controller and was later promoted to the post of CFO at Lindt & Sprungli UK.

Alain Germiquet, the CEO of the companys French arm, will also join Lindt & Sprunglis group management team in January. Germiquet, who joined the company in 2007, will assume responsibility for several countries and international sales.

Lindt & Sprungli said Guido Steiner, the executive in charge of group operations, will also join the group management team. Steiner, who joined the company in 1992, has been at the groups headquarters since 2003 as vice-president of operations.

Uwe Sommer, the head of international marketing/sales and global retail, as well as responsible for a number of countries, will resign from group management by the end of April 2017 to take early retirement, the group said. His responsibilities will be handed to Germiquet and Rolf Fallegger, the head of Lindt & Sprunglis international marketings.

The group said yesterday (30 August) that its management team was being expanded by experienced executives from within the company. By handing over responsibility to a younger generation of managers with strong track records, the Lindt & Sprungli Group guarantees continuity playing an important role for the company.

The new appointments are the latest senior management changes announced by the chocolate group. In June, Lindt & Sprungli announced president and CEO Ernst Tanner was to be replaced by CFO Dr Dieter Weisskopf.

Tanner will hand over the CEOs reins on 1 October and will focus on the long-term strategy of the group as executive chairman, it was confirmed yesterday.

Jon Cox, an analyst covering Lindt & Sprungli for French finance house Kepler Cheuvreux, said: We have long-admired Lindts business. The company was an early frontrunner in the trend toward premiumization among FMCGs and successfully rolled out continental style chocolate to the rest of the world. However, there are clear risks with a generational changing of the guard  although the well-respected Weisskopf knows the business like the back of his hand and Tanner will remain extremely influential  after success for more than 20 years. The chocolate market is seeing challenges amid concerns about health, there is increased competition, while Lindt is expanding in retail to maintain its  best-in-class  growth goals while key returns and free cash and dividend yields are light compared to peers.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 31

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed an order on the 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements in the South Caucasus region.

In order for a decent celebration of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements in the South Caucasus region, the president instructed the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan to jointly develop and implement a special program dedicated to the actions on the 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlement in the South Caucasus, in view of their significance in promoting Azerbaijan as a place of centuries-old center of tolerance with multicultural traditions.

The Cabinet of Ministers is tasked to solve issues relating to the order.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, August 31

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will participate in the informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the OSCE participating states in Potsdam, Germany to be held on September 1, 2016, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry said Aug. 31.

According to the message, Mammadyarov will attend the informal meeting of EU member-states with the Eastern Partner countries in Bratislava, Slovakia on September 3, 2016.

Mammadyarov will deliver statements at both events and will have bilateral meetings, the message said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

Trend:

Azerbaijan will continue taking the necessary steps against the members of the FETO terrorist organization (movement of Fethullah Gulen), Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan Ramil Usubov said at the meeting in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Efkan Ala, Ihlas News Agency reported Aug. 31.

We will continue addressing this issue at the highest level, said Usubov.

Interior minister of Turkey, in turn, noted that joint fight against terrorism is one of the common topics for Azerbaijan and Turkey.

He said that Azerbaijan and Turkey successfully cooperate in the fight against terrorist organizations.

We also continue our collaboration on the complete elimination of the FETO terrorist organization in Turkey, the minister said.

He added that in the future Azerbaijan and Turkey will share a single stance in such issues in addition to the exchange of information.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31



Trend:



Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev received Georgias Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili Aug. 31.



You have quite frequently been visiting Azerbaijan. Now you are visiting as a Prime Minister. I am very glad, said the president.



Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that this visit will promote the strengthening of relations in the future.



Our relations are based on history, fraternity and close neighborhood of our people, said the president.



Ilham Aliyev also noted that currently, an active dialogue in all areas  in political and economic spheres  is being conducted.



We are linked with successfully developing projects in transport and energy fields that benefit our countries and peoples, said President Aliyev. We are very pleased with the progress of bilateral relations between our countries.



I am confident that your visit will contribute to deepening and strengthening our relations, he noted. We are bound together by ties of history, geography, coincidence of interests and, as I already noted, by transnational energy and transport projects.



Well-being of our countries and peoples, stability in our region depends on the realization and success of these projects, said the president.



The president once again welcomed the Georgian prime minister.



I am really glad to be in the brotherly country, said Giorgi Kvirikashvili. Our nations are bound together by the centuries-old friendship.



We are fully supporting further development of our relations that are indeed of strategic nature, noted the prime minister. As you already noted, we are linked with the global-scale, friendly, strategic and regional projects that is a key point for improving the well-being of our nations and strengthening friendship between our peoples.



Following the meeting, a dinner in honor of the Georgian prime minister was hosted on behalf of Azerbaijans president.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, August 31

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

Turkmenistan and Germany signed an agreement on avoidance of double taxation with respect to income and property taxes in Berlin, the Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary (TDH) state news agency reported.

According to the message, the signing ceremony took place as part of the two-day working visit of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Germany Aug. 29-30.

Turkmengas State Concern also signed the memorandums of understanding with such companies as ILF Beratende Ingenieure GmbH, CIFAL Groupe Deutschland GmbH and Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, the message said.

According to the message, a memorandum on mutual cooperation in the field of education and an agreement on cooperation in the field of agricultural machinery were signed with Umax Trade GmbH.

The Turkmenistan-Germany trade turnover volume amounted to $306 million in 2015.

Turkmenistan has registered 167 investment projects and contracts with German capital totaling $540 million and around 555 million euros.

German companies such as Siemens, Daimler, CLAAS, Rohde & Schwarz, Dresser-Rand greatly contribute to the implementation of long-term projects in Turkmenistan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 31

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

ADY Express company has started to transport cargo via the North-South route, the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC said.

"Despite there is no railway between Azerbaijan and Iran, ADY Express company has been already transporting cargo via this route, the message said. For example, compressed liquid gas (butadiene) was transported from Iran to Russia in a special container.

More than 60 of such containers were transported to the north through the territory of Azerbaijan," the message said.

These containers are transported from Iran to Azerbaijan by trucks, the message said. Then the containers are loaded onto the platforms at the Astara railway station and transported to Russia.

"Previously, these goods were transported from Iran to Russia by sea to the port of Astrakhan, the message said. However, according to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs decree, the trucks, registered abroad and transported into the country for transit purposes for further cargo transportation via Azerbaijani railways, were exempt from duties and road tax.

A decrease in the cost of cargo transportation through the territory of Azerbaijan has created favorable conditions for the transportation of goods via the countrys transport corridors," the message said.

The cargo to be supplied via the North-South route will be transported through India, and then through the Persian Gulf, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia in the direction of the Scandinavian countries and Northern Europe for 14 days.

The North-South transportation corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe to South-East Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the initial stage, the North-South corridor will transport 5 million tons of cargo per year with further expansion of transportation to over 10 million tons.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 31

Trend:

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) announced the launch of a new autumn campaign, timed to Gurban holiday.

A 20 percent discount will be applied when buying round-trip air tickets in the period from September 5 to 30, 2016 to/from Baku to the following destinations: London, Milan, Berlin, Paris, Prague and New York. Departure period: September 15 - December 10, 2016.

In addition, a 20 percent discount will be applied to tickets on Baku-Tel-Aviv-Baku route with the departure period from September 15 to 25 and from October 25 to December 10.

Air tickets can be booked on the website of the company www.azal.az and purchased at AZAL sales offices and official agencies. Points for the flight may be credited automatically in case AZAL Miles member unique number will be entered in the appropriate filed while purchasing online.

Detailed information about AZAL Miles frequent-flyer program is available at: https://www.azal.az/en/azal-miles/miles-programme

Those who are not members of the program yet, can be registered on the following link:

http://ffj2.loyaltyplus.aero/j2loyalty/register.jsf?lang=eng

To purchase tickets and for more information, please contact:

+ (99412) 598-88-80;

*8880

E-mail: [email protected]

Questions regarding AZAL Miles frequent-flyer program can be sent to [email protected] or through the contact form on the website: www.azal.az.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Azerbaijan invites Iranian entrepreneurs to actively cooperate with local businessmen, said Azerbaijans Deputy Economy Minister Sahib Mammadov.

Mammadov made the remarks Aug. 31 during the Azerbaijani-Iranian business meeting in Baku.

The meeting, organized by Azerbaijan Export and Investments Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), was attended by more than 80 local and Iranian businessmen.

Azerbaijani deputy minister said that Azerbaijan and Iran have great potential to develop the cooperation in various spheres of economy.

Mammadov noted that this meeting will contribute to the development of cooperation and the expansion of trade relations between the two countries.

Irans Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen, in turn, said that the two countries entered a new stage of development of relations and relations in the economic sphere are developing successfully, as in other spheres.

During the meeting, Chairman of the Agricultural Chamber of Commerce of Iranian North Khorasan province Mohammad Samedi spoke about the projects envisaged in the areas of agriculture, tourism, healthcare, pharmaceutics, production of motor cars and spare parts for them.

In January-July 2016, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran amounted to $105.7 million, more than $77 million of which accounted for imports from Iran, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.
FILE - This Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, file photo shows pills of the painkiller hydrocodone at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, that the agency will issue new warnings about the potentially fatal consequences of mixing prescription painkillers and popular sedatives like Valium and Xanax, including coma and death. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)
Passengers of JetBlue flight 387 arrives at the airport in Santa Clara, Cuba, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. JetBlue 387, the first commercial flight between the U.S. and Cuba in more than a half century, landed in the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
FILE- In this June 4, 2014, file photo, mother's Linda Boyle, left and Lyn Coleman hold photo of their married children, Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman, who were kidnapped by the Taliban in late 2012 in Stewartstown, Pa. The State Department is evaluating a video released by the Afghan Taliban showing Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman warning that their Afghan captors will kill them unless the Kabul government ends its executions of Taliban prisoners. State Department spokesman John Kirby said at his daily briefing Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, that the video purportedly showing the couple is Aubeing examined for its validity.Au (AP Photo/Bill Gorman, File)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 29



By Aygun Badalova - Trend:



Overhang of supply as well as the rise in the US oil production will keep the the upside potential for oil prices limited, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank believes.



Oil calmed down following a couple of dramatic weeks where the cost of a barrel of oil had fallen by more than 20 percent on short selling before rising even faster by 24 percent on an even more aggressive round of short-covering, Hansen told Trend August 29.



Daily trade inspiration has been provided by the current tug of war between challenging near-term fundamentals and OPEC members pondering how to support the market, he said.



Hansen also noted that Brent crude oil's return to $50 per barrel has triggered a pickup in hedging activity from oil producers, especially US shale oil producers.



This, combined with the continuous rise in the number of oil rigs in the US during the past three months, as well as the continued overhang of supply, will likely continue to cap the upside potential to the low 50s over the coming months, Hansen said.



Oil prices fell over one percent on Monday after the US dollar jumped, with markets pressured as Iraq's production rose and as Iran said it would only cooperate in talks to freeze output if fellow exporters recognized its right to fully regain market share, Reuters reported.



Brent crude futures LCOc1 were trading at $49.22 per barrel, down 70 cents, or 1.4 percent, from their previous close.



US WTI crude was down 75 cents, or 1.6 percent, at $46.89 a barrel.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the country would support a decision by members of OPEC to limit oil output to prop up petroleum prices, the Wall Street Journal reported.

We support freezing oil production by OPEC due to the sharp decline of oil prices, Abadi said at a news conference, saying it would help government-salaried oil-industry workers.

The informal OPEC meeting is expected in late September in Algeria. It is expected that the talks on oil production freeze will be held between OPEC and non-OPEC countries.

The meeting will be held at the fringe of the International Energy Forum in Algiers from 26-28 September. The forum will bring together ministers, CEOs, international organizations like OPEC and the IEA, experts from 73 countries.

Iraq produced 4.217 million barrels per day of oil in June compared to 4.274 million barrels per day in May, according to the latest estimates of OPEC.

In 2015, the countrys oil production stood at 3.933 million barrels per day.

Analysts of the US JP Morgan bank expect Iraqs oil production to average 4.3 million barrels per day in 2016 and 4.4 million barrels per day in 2017.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey and Russia may create an investment fund for financing of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project, said Turkeys Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci Aug. 31 in his interview with TRT Haber news channel.

Zeybekci said that other joint projects can also be financed through this fund.

The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey on cooperation in construction and operation of the Turkeys first nuclear power plant Akkuyu near the city of Mersin in southern Turkey was signed in 2010.

The project's cost nears $20 billion. The Akkuyu plant is projected to generate about 35 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

The power plants construction was frozen after the crisis in relations between Turkey and Russia. Turkish presidents visit to Russia on Aug. 9 was the first visit to Russia after the crisis in relations and also after the attempted military coup in Turkey. During the visit, Moscow and Ankara agreed on construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Tehran, Iran, August 31

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

The Iranian parliament has passed a bill on the joint construction of two power plants with the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The hydroelectric power plants will be built near the Araz River borderline in the Iranian town Marazad and Azerbaijans Ordubad, Iran Ambassador to Baku Mohsen Pak Ayeen told Trend August 31.

He said the bill was passed with 180 votes in favor, 9 votes against, and 5 abstentions.

Iran and Azerbaijan inked a MoU last December which covers cooperation in 12 various sectors including energy.

Based on the signed document the two parties will cooperate in construction of power plants at Khoda Afarin and Qiz Qalasi dams on Araz river and following the issue of agreement on the construction of "Ordubad" power plant on the Azerbaijani side and "Marazad" power plant on the Iranian side as well as implementation of joint guideline on border rivers' water management.

Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian in February said that co-op with Azerbaijan in water and electricity sectors should be boosted.

He also said that Tehran and Baku have held talks over construction of geothermal and wind power plants in Iran's Meshkin Shahr and Khaf cities respectively, and the projects were said to kick off soon.

There has also been talk of linking the electricity networks of Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Lebanon has expressed interest to import mazut and diesel from Iran, Amir Hossein Zamaninia, the Iranian deputy oil minister for International Affairs, said.

He made the remarks following a meeting of the visiting Lebanese Minister of Industries Hussein al-Hajj Hassan with Irans Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh, SHANA news agency reported.

The Lebanese official also expressed interest to cooperate with Iran in the field of education, Zamaninia said.

Zanganeh, for his part, expressed Irans willingness to cooperate with Lebanon in the fields of mutual interests.

Heading a delegation of 70 Lebanese businessmen and officials, Hassan, arrived in Tehran on Aug. 28.

Besides Zanganeh, the Lebanese minister met with senior Iranian officials including government spokesman and head of Budget and Planning Organization Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammadreza Nematzadeh, Agricultural Minister Mohammad Hojjati and Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian.

The Lebanese delegation is the latest business group to have visited Iran in 2016 following the removal of international sanctions against Tehran.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran has signed a contract with a Dutch company to redesign its airspace, Ahmadreza Bayat, an official with Iran Airports Company (IAC), said.

Airspace redesign is necessary because the current air routes are not economically justified for transit flights, Bayat said, Mehr news agency reported Aug. 31.

He further said that the new routes should be designed based on the new standards and economic standpoints of the airline companies.

Standard and economic design of the air routes will also improve the financial condition of the Iran Airports Company because it will lead to a significant increase in the number of transit flights through Irans airspace, Bayat said.

He further said that the IAC will sign a deal with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to receive technical consulting for purchase of airport equipment.

Bayat also said that the IAC plans to purchase at least two flight inspection planes.

Iran recently launched a Falcon King Air-350, which was purchased from Denmark for flight inspection.

The new flight inspection planes should be jet type aircrafts, Bayat said.

In 2014, Iran's only flight inspection plane, a Dassault Falcon 20E flight check aircraft, operated by the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization, crashed off the coast of Kish Island in Persian Gulf, claiming the lives of all four people on board.

Following that, the flight inspections at Iranian airports were carried out by Pakistani and Kazakh airplanes.
By Fatih Karimov  Trend:



Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

The secretary-general of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mohammed Barkindo, will pay an official visit to Tehran next week to convince Iran to join the oil output freeze plan.

Barkindo is scheduled to visit Tehran Sept. 5 to meet with Irans oil minister, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, an oil ministry official said on condition of anonymity, Mehr news agency reported Aug. 31.

The oil freeze plan as well as reviewing the market situation and outlook for supply and demand in the oil market are expected to be discussed during the meeting.

OPEC members will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria on Sept. 26-28.

Iran's oil minister has confirmed that he will take part in the upcoming meeting, aimed at "common action" to support the global oil prices.

It is expected that the talks on oil production freeze will be held between OPEC and non-OPEC countries.

Iran has been earlier called on by many countries, the rival Saudi Arabia in particular, to cooperate with the proposal to hold outputs at the January levels.



Tehran has rejected the idea as an imposition of a new set of sanctions on Iran after the country was freed of economic sanctions in January.
It's that time again. Housing estates and homes around the county are bedecked in black and amber in anticipation of Sunday's epic All-Ireland clash between the giants of Kilkenny and Tipperary.

Among those leading the way  as always  are the likes of Ardnore, Newpark, and the Butts. Myles Kavanagh has the house well decked out, and his neighbours on both sides of the road are well prepared.

Within the shadow of Kilkenny's home of hurling, Nowlan Park, the residents of Ossory Park are also putting their best foot forward.

Boylesports may have both counties as inseperable 9/10 shots to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup this weekend, but in Ossory Park on Monday, there was no such ambiguity.

One resident, John Kelly, reckoned the Cats will win with 13 points to spare, while Teddy the dog had a slightly more measured prediction of a six-point win. Teddy was one of the many folk who was out wearing the jersey on Monday afternoon in the estate, which is festooned in black and amber bunting, hurls, jerseys, and other paraphernalia.

Sean Baird is one of those responsible for getting the colours up, and he made clear that everyone had a role in what he described as 'a whole community effort'.

Just over the last week, we all came out and did a bit, and we're not finished yet, he said.

Little Kaydan Baird was also in his Kilkenny jersey  surely one of the Cats' youngest fans. Smiling from ear to ear, he looked quietly confident of a result, the details of which he was not prepared to divulge.

Local councillor Joe Malone was also on hand, full of praise for everyone doing their best to show support for their county.

It's great to see the community spirit  they always up their game here, he said.

Any predictions on how things will go on Sunday?

Michael Fennelly will be a huge loss, said the former Mayor of Kilkenny.

It's a hard one to call, but it's going to be very close.
We went looking for the greatest companies outside the U.S. and came up with eight proven picks. Here's one of them: Nestle (symbol NSRGY (opens in new tab)). To make the list, the businesses had to have U.S.-traded shares and be industry leaders. They also had to possess substantial financial resources to weather rough economic times. Finally, we sought companies that had significant catalysts to drive the next phase of their growth.

Read more about the case for investing in Nestle below. Prices and related figures for U.S.-traded shares are as of August 23. Earnings estimates are for calendar 2016 and 2017, unless otherwise noted. Price-earnings ratios are based on estimated 2016 earnings, unless otherwise indicated. Also, take a look at seven more great stocks from around the world.

Nestle

Headquarters: Vevey, Switzerland

Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up

Share price: $80.79

Market capitalization: $249.2 billion

Estimated earnings per share: 2016, $3.42; 2017, $3.45

Price-earnings ratio: 24

P/E ratio on 2017 estimate: 23

Dividend yield: 2.9%

The business: Over the past 150 years, Nestle has risen to become the world's largest food and drink company, with 2015 revenue of about $92.7 billion . Its best-known brands include Perrier, Gerber, Kit Kat, Purina, DiGiorno frozen pizzas, Lean Cuisine and Dreyers ice cream.

Track record: In a slow-growing world economy, Nestle's own growth has suffered in recent years. Tougher competition has bitten into some of its brands. And what had been a source of strength  the company's huge sales in developing countries (43% of Nestle's total)  has become a drag as many of those economies have weakened. In 2013, 2014, and 2015, Nestle fell short of its annual revenue growth target rate of 5% to 6% (excluding the impact of acquisitions). Until recently, that had capped the stock's progress, leaving it stuck in a narrow trading range since mid-2014.

Reasons to own it: In late June, Nestle's board of directors surprised investors by choosing an outsider as the company's next chief executive. Ulf Mark Schneider, 50, will take the helm on Jan. 1, 2017. He is currently CEO of Fresenius SE, one of Germany's biggest health care firms. Many analysts saw the move as a sign that Nestle, in an attempt to address shifting consumer preferences, wants to stress nutrition, health and wellness in developing new food products. Investors have applauded: The stock has edged up to all-time highs. Research firm S&P Capital IQ believes Schneider is "the right candidate to unlock the vast potential value held within Nestles portfolio." Success isnt guaranteed, of course, and the stock isn't cheap. But Nestles robust finances and decent dividend offer investors "a safe haven amid ongoing market volatility," S&P says.
We went looking for the greatest companies outside the U.S. and came up with eight proven picks. Here's one of them: Royal Dutch Shell (symbol RDS.A (opens in new tab)). To make the list, the businesses had to have U.S.-traded shares and be industry leaders. They also had to possess substantial financial resources to weather rough economic times. Finally, we sought companies that had significant catalysts to drive the next phase of their growth.

Read more about the case for investing in Royal Dutch Shell below. Prices and related figures for U.S.-traded shares are as of August 23. Earnings estimates are for calendar 2016 and 2017, unless otherwise noted. Price-earnings ratios are based on estimated 2016 earnings, unless otherwise indicated. Also, take a look at seven more great stocks from around the world.

Royal Dutch Shell

Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands

Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up

Share price: $50.06

Market capitalization: $179.6 billion

Estimated earnings per share: 2016, $1.70; 2017, $4.18

Price-earnings ratio: 29

P/E ratio on 2017 estimate: 12

Dividend yield: 7.5%

The business: With revenue of $272 billion in 2015, Royal Dutch is the world's second-biggest energy company not controlled by a government (ExxonMobil (XOM (opens in new tab)) is number one). Royal Dutch, which dates back to 1833, explores for, refines and sells oil and natural gas worldwide.

Track record: With the plunge in energy prices, Royal Dutchs results have been abysmal for the past two years, as they have been for the entire energy sector. Revenue in 2015 was down 45% from the 2011 peak. The company earned just $1.9 billion in 2015, down 87% from 2014. Royal Dutchs U.S.-listed shares lost half their value from the 2014 high to the low early this year, before rebounding modestly along with oil prices.

Reasons to own it: Royal Dutch is worth a look by any investor now hunting for depressed energy stocks. For starters, the U.S. shares boast an enormous 7.5% dividend yield. That's the highest of any major energy firm. An extraordinarily high yield often signals Wall Streets belief that a company may cut its dividend. But bulls on Royal Dutch are convinced that it will protect the payout. That brings us to the second part of the stock's appeal: Royal Dutch is reining in capital spending sharply and selling low-returning assets to raise cash for dividends and debt reduction. Barron's magazine was impressed enough with the company's new fiscal discipline to recently dub it "the best big oil stock." Also, if energy prices keep creeping up, Royal Dutch could resume growing in the next few years, thanks in part to its recent takeover of natural gas giant BG Group. The deal makes Royal Dutch the world's biggest gas producer, with rich, low-cost gas (and oil) fields off the Brazilian coast. The huge yield notwithstanding, this isn't a stock for widows and orphans. But if Royal Dutch pulls off its turnaround, high risk could morph into high returns.
Aug 31 (Reuters) - China's economic fundamentals remain sound and there is no basis for a long-term depreciation of the yuan CNY=CFXS , Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao told state television in an interview.

China is able to achieve its economic growth target of at least 6.5 percent between 2016 and 2020, Zhu said.

The global economy is facing increased uncertainties due to Britain's decision to leave the European Union, Zhu said.

(Reporting by China Monitoring Desk and Kevin Yao; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
ATHENS, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Greece's National Bank (NBG) turned loss-making in the second quarter after bookinghigher bad debt provisions.

National Bank, which is 40 percent owned by the country'sbank rescue fund HFSF after its recapitalisation late last year,reported a net loss of 23 million euros ($25.6 million),excluding assets held for sale and discontinued operations,versus a profit of 26 million euros in the first quarter.

Provisions for impaired credit in Greece rose inApril-to-June as a small number of corporate loans lapsed intodefault, it said.

Non-performing credit dropped to 33.3 percent of its loanbook in the second quarter from 33.6 percent at the end ofMarch.

($1 = 0.8984 euros)

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos)
The USS Independence (left) and the USS Kitty Hawk in July 2015. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN FILE

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By Ed Friedrich of the Kitsap Sun

BREMERTON  Two years ago, four inactive aircraft carriers crowded the city's southern shoreline. Soon, only one will remain.

The Navy confirmed Tuesday that it awarded a contract to International Shipbreaking to tow the USS Independence from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard's Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility to Brownsville, Texas, and dismantle it. The Indy will follow the USS Constellation, which departed in August 2014, and the USS Ranger, which left in March 2015.

The sole survivor will be the USS Kitty Hawk, which the Navy is holding in reserve status until the new USS Gerald R. Ford becomes active. The Ford is expected to be commissioned later this year and complete testing in 2017 before entering service.

The slow, 16,000-mile tow around South America takes 4  months as the aircraft carriers are too large to fit through the Panama Canal. International Shipbreaking Chief Operating Officer Robert Berry expects the Independence to embark in November. In the meantime, the company will send employees here in the next few weeks to start preparing for the trip. It will take about two months to install towing gear and an alarm system to alert the tug captain if the ship takes on water, and give the carrier a complete inspection to make sure it's safe for towing, he said.

The company has nearly completed scrapping the Constellation. It'll be wrapped up by the time the Independence arrives, around March. Workers also have taken a big bite out of the Ranger.

The scrap metal goes all over the world, though the bulk of it stays in the United States. For example, armor plating such as found on the flight deck ends up on the East Coast in a new flight deck, Berry said.

International Shipbreaking received a penny and the value of the scrap metal for the Ranger. It's getting more this time because the price for metals is down, Berry said.

The Independence was commissioned Jan. 10, 1959, and decommissioned Sept. 30, 1998, in Bremerton, the oldest active Navy ship. The 1,070-foot-long, 60,000-ton vessel was the fourth and final of the Forrestal class. It made one tour in 1965 off the coast of Vietnam, carried out airstrikes against Syrian forces during the Lebanese Civil War and operated over southern Iraq to enforce a no-fly zone during Operation Southern Watch.

"We understand the attachment that servicemen get to their ships," Berry said. "We are happy to have the contract, of course, but we do it with respect and keeping in mind the service of these ships and the people who served on them is also important."

The Independence was heavily stripped to support the active carrier fleet, limiting its potential as a museum ship.

Naval Sea Systems Command's inactive ships team in Washington couldn't be reached Tuesday for more details.
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Alice Joy Mauser, Hansville

Patients may feel bashed, too

In Christine Flowers' column Sunday, "Disgusted by anti-Catholic rhetoric," she said she was tired of Catholic bashing.

Some of this bashing may be wholly justified, with regard to Catholic Ethical and Religious Doctrine concerning health care, particularly reproductive rights, treatment of pregnant women with pregnancy complications, and end of life treatments.

In this state the Catholic Church has taken control of many hospitals and imposed it's beliefs upon all patients. These beliefs often can mean that patients can be denied what is considered best medical practices, what is permitted by law, and their own religious freedom. It is not as easy as simply going to another hospital because in many areas no other hospital is available. Something is drastically wrong with this situation that must be remedied by law so that all patients can receive the treatment they are legally entitled to.
Murray McCully announced:

Maurice Williamson will be appointed as Consul-General in Los Angeles. He has been MP for Pakuranga since 1987 and has held several Ministerial portfolios, including Science and Technology and Information Technology. Mr Williamson will be responsible for engagement with US investors and innovators to ensure New Zealand policies and exporters remain at the leading edge of change, Mr McCully says. California and other western states of America are major export markets for New Zealand and important investment partners, particularly in added-value food and beverage and technology. The United States is New Zealands largest market for intellectual property-based exports, and those exports will continue to grow strongly.

Maurice is a good fit for LA with Silicon Valley and I am sure will do well there.

Unless his resignation is delayed, I presume this means a by-election in Pakuranga.

Pakuranga is very safe with a 12,867 majority. And on the party vote Labour got just 16% so you feel a bit sorry for whomever their candidate will be.

UPDATE: I am told no byelection is planned so presume appointment will commence next year then.

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By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

Irans foreign ministry expressed concern over Turkeys ongoing military operations in Syria, IRNA news agency reported Aug. 31.

However, fighting against terrorism and the attempts to maintain stability and security in the region are the main principles in the foreign policy of peace-loving regional countries, but the principles can not justify violation of another countrys territorial integrity, Bahram Ghasemi, spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, said.

He called Turkey to halt its military operations in Syria immediately, saying that continued military presence of Turkey in the Syrian territories without the Syrian governments permission will make the situation more complicated in the region.

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 Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) terrorist group militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city.

The operation was carried out under the name Shield of the Euphrates.

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.
Hamish Rutherford at Stuff reports:

Sir Ngatata Love has been found guilty of obtaining property by deception following a fraud trial.

Justice Graham Lang read the decision in the High Court in Wellington on Thursday.

Love was charged following a serious fraud office investigation in 2013, with the trial beginning on August 3.

The charges related to a payment made by property developer Redwood to a company controlled by Loves partner, Lorraine Skiffington.

Love faced alternative charges of obtaining property by deception, or of accepting a secret commission. The charge of obtaining property by deception is the more serious of the two charges.

Love was accused of showing favour to Redwood by granting it a lease to develop land 1-15 Pipitea St, in return for the developer awarding Skiffingtons company a lucrative consultancy contract.

The money was allegedly used to pay down the mortgage on a beachfront home on Moana Rd in Plimmerton.

Lang said that in updating his fellow trustees on progress of a major property development, Love failed to inform them of a key aspect, the payments to Skiffington. While Loves lawyer, Colin Carruthers QC, claimed Love was unaware of the nature of the transactions around him.

Love created an environment in which the developers believed he was acting on behalf of, and in the knowledge of, the wider Tenths Trust.

However Lang said he was satisfied Love was aware of the dealings and had made a false statement to his trustees by recording in a deficient nature Redwoods offer.
By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) lost another high-ranking official in clashes in Syria.

General Ahmad Gholami, has been killed in fighting with the Islamic State (IS, ISIS,ISIL) terrorist group near Aleppo in northern Syria on Aug. 30, Irans ISNA news agency reported.

Gholami was one of the IRGC commanders during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988).

Over the past few years and since the crisis broke out in Syria and Iraq, several commanders of the IRGC have been reportedly killed in clashes with "terrorists".

Iranian officials have constantly denied that their servicemen have boots on ground in Syria and Iraq, saying the officers of the Islamic Republic are in Syria and Iraq as advisers at official request from both countries' governments.
Tehran, Iran, August 31

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will visit New York to attend the UN General Assembly which will commence on September 15.

Plans have been made for Zarif to meet some officials from other countries while there, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi told the state-run Radio Javan August 31.

In answer to the question if President Hassan Rouhani will also attend the assembly, the diplomat said, We are examining the grounds in order to come up with the right decision.

Rouhani has attended the three previous UN General Assembly sessions as Irans president. This years session will be the last to fall on his present presidential term.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

Sergey Mironov, an employee of Moscow office of Synesis, the company developing intelligent video surveillance and business analytics systems based on computer vision, detained in Armenia at the US request and suspected of money laundering and illegal transfer of military technologies, has returned home to Moscow.

The suspect's lawyer said that if necessary, Mironov may come back to Yerevan, where the decision regarding his possible extradition from Armenia to the US must be finally made within one month.

The behavior of the Armenian law enforcement bodies, and most importantly, the reaction of the Armenian people should leave Kremlin with an unpleasant aftertaste.

Armenian people and the countrys media outlets have unanimously declared that the detention of a Russian citizen is a proof that Armenia is a law-abiding country, which is living under laws of the Western civilization and doesnt accept Russias dictatorship.

Moreover, as a response to Moscows warning about retaliatory measures, the Armenian society called it a blackmail and interference in the countrys internal affairs.

Such a move by Armenia has questioned the allied relations between the country and Russia and demonstrated Yerevans total dependence on Moscow.

Thus, Mironovs departure doesnt mean anything and the Russian-Armenian relations were left with an unpleasant aftertaste, which will last for a long time.

Elmira Tariverdiyeva is the head of Trend Agencys Russian news service
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By News Sentinel Staff

News Sentinel to host career fair Sept. 13 in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE  The News Sentinel will host a career fair 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Holiday Inn Cedar Bluff.

Job seekers will be able to meet with more than 45 East Tennessee businesses, submit resumes, schedule interviews, and make contacts for current and future job openings.

Information about job training and college programs also will be available.

More details online as they develop and in Thursday's News Sentinel.
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MARKET PARTIES

FARM Markets in Knoxville and Oak Ridge celebrate their 40th anniversaries this week. Drop by for cake, live music, giveaways, tomato judging and more.

On Friday, Sept. 2, at the Lakeshore Farmers Market, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero will speak to market attendees at 3 p.m. Live music is provided by Liza Jane and Fiddlin' Curly. The market is open from 3 to 6 p.m. at 5908 Lyons View Pike.

On Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Oak Ridge Farmers Market on Jackson Square, Vice Mayor Ellen Smith and City Manager Mark Watson will kick off the market at 8 a.m. Jeff Nelson will provide live music. The market is open from 8 a.m. to noon.

Info: info@EastTnFarmMarkets.org or call 865-680-1037

CULINARY CLASSES

The Culinary Institute, based in the University of Tennessee's Knoxville's Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management, offers noncredit culinary courses this fall. The series provides lessons with culinary professionals to help home cooks explore the world's cuisines. The courses include:

French Macaroons, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8: Learn to make basic French buttercream to fill the pastries, how to make many flavors and create your own flavors.

Persian Cooking Made Simple, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15: Students will prepare two appetizers, a salad, saffron Basmati rice and chicken, and walnut and pomegranate stew.

Best of Indian Cuisine, 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21: Create onion pakoras with a tamarind sauce; a traditional chicken and vegetable dish served with raita and homemade pita bread; and Indian custard with fruit salad.

Gourmet Irish Dinner, 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19: Prepare INorth Atlantic Chowder; Gaelic chicken, chicken with mushrooms and shallots on a bed of classic colcannon; and apple tart with caramel sauce.

Thai Cooking with a Thai Chef, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20: Learn how to prepare papaya salad, Panang curry with steamed jasmine rice, and grilled bananas with coconut caramel sauce.

Gingerbread Houses, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays, Nov. 3 and 10: A two-session course.

Healthy Eating through the Holidays, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17: Make an appetizer, entree and dessert that will wow your guests, keep the calories low and promote heart health.

All classes are $50 and are held at the UT Visitor Center at 2712 Neyland Drive. To register, contact Marcia Lane at rhtm@utk.edu or 865-974-6645.

TASTE OF BLOUNT

The Theater in the Park in Maryville, across from the Blount County Courthouse, is the site of the 15th annual Taste of Blount.

The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, and will feature 21 vendors offering food samples. Those include Chadwick's Churn; Dead End BBQ: Apple Valley cafe; Full Service BBQ; Moe's Southwest Grill; Sullivan's Fine Food; Vienna Coffee; Artistic Bean; Roland's Bistro; Jamaica Sunrise; Lemon Grass; The Soup Kitchen and more.

Cost is $30 for the public and $15 for students 17 and under or those with a college or student ID. They are available at the Chamber of Commerce office at 201 S. Washington Street, Maryville or by calling 865-983-2241. They can also be purchased online at www.blountchamber.com. Tickets will also be available at the gate on a cash-only basis.
The Colonial Village duck pond is pictured in 2008 after being refilled by the Knoxville Utility Board. Controversy over the South Knoxville pond began in May when resident Patti Thigpen returned from a vacation to discover the water had receded about 15 feet. The neighborhood association claimed that KUB wastewater construction in the area was responsible for the drainage of the pond but utility officials say tests refuted that claim. KUB spokesman Randy O'Neal said refilling the pond is a goodwill gesture toward the community. Photo by J. Miles Cary/Knoxville News Sentinel staff

SHARE Justin Fee/Special to the News Sentinel This January 2015 shows Butterfly Lake when it was full. The lake was refilled by KUB in 2007 and 2008, but has been fine since then until this summer, says Colonial Village resident Patti Thigpen, who is raising money to have it refilled a third time. A colorful and vocal duck greets visitors to the shore of Butterfly Lake in South Knoxville on Monday. All that is left of the lake in Colonial Village is a puddle in the middle of the lake bed. This January 2015 shows a different view Butterfly Lake when it was full. The lake was refilled by KUB in 2007 and 2008, but has been fine since then until this summer, says Colonial Village resident Patti Thigpen, who is raising money to have it refilled a third time. Justin Fee/Special to the News Sentinel Lesli Bales-Sherrod/special to the news sentinel Patti Thigpen is raising money to have KUB refill Butterfly Lake in South Knoxville. It is the third time she's raised money to refill the lake, which is located just off Chapman Highway in Colonial Village.

Three baby pools. A puddle. A few ducks and geese.

These are all that remained Monday of Butterfly Lake in South Knoxville.

"It breaks my heart," says neighbor Patti Thigpen, who lives "a minute up the road" and is raising money to have KUB refill the lake. "It breaks my heart to drive by it on my way to and from work."

Located just off Chapman Highway in Colonial Village, Butterfly Lake is "the result of a series of sink holes that are along the south side of Colonial Road," according to the Colonial Village Neighborhood Association's website. "In the early days, (Butterfly Lake was) referred to as McCall's Pond, but today is frequently called the Duck Pond."

Driving into Colonial Village on Monday, it is hard to imagine a lake nestled there behind the sign welcoming folks to the neighborhood, which was established in 1940. Ducks and geese gather where the grass meets the mud.

Butterfly Lake has been going down for the last couple of months, Thigpen says from the shore Monday. Knox County is experiencing "abnormally dry" conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly map of drought conditions produced jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Thigpen started raising money to refill the lake, which is located on private property, about three weeks ago, after waiting to see if anyone else would take the lead. It is the third time she's led the effort: the first in 2007, the second in 2008.

Those pushes were complicated by needing to seek permission from the owner of the lake property, who has since passed away, Thigpen says. She also had to gain permission from five government entities, including the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which was concerned about how treated water could affect the ducks that call the lake home.

Maybe the third time's the charm.

"This year KUB is being very gracious," she says. "They said, 'Just raise the money.'"

In July 2008, it took 14,061 gallons of water to refill Butterfly Lake, according to archived stories in the News Sentinel. The cost was $3,445.29: $1,845.29 contributed by KUB, which had been doing work in the area at the time the pond started to drain, and $1,600 from donations.

As of Monday, Thigpen had raised almost $1,400, primarily through Facebook although she says Terry Caruthers of the neighborhood association also has been instrumental in spreading the word.

"Time is of the essence," she stresses, as ducks and geese flock over to greet her.

In the meantime, neighbors Randy and Carrie Thompson have put out three baby pools that they keep filled with water for the ducks and geese, Thigpen says. The fish, however, are already a casualty.

A Knoxville Public Service crew removed the dead fish over two days in mid-July, as a response to a public health issue, explains Eric Vreeland, a city spokesman.

"It's obviously not public property, so there's a balancing act in how and when to devote public resources," Vreeland adds.

Thigpen says residents considered the idea of digging a well in 2008, but the idea did not get far because the lake is on private property. "The neighborhood association takes care of the mowing, but as for maintaining the pond, I don't think it gets any," she said.

That won't stop Thigpen, an East Knoxville native who moved to Colonial Village in 2000, from doing what she can to save the lake.

"We're just desperate," she says.

Those who would like to contribute to the cause may send donations to Patti Thigpen, 312 W. Ford Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37920. Checks should be made payable to KUB and should include the Butterfly Lake account number: 6819333454.
By Megan Boehnke of the Knoxville News Sentinel

A former Knox County Schools supervisor accused of using his district-issued credit card to place online gambling bets pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony theft of more than $10,000, according to prosecutors.

Roger Underwood, 61, has agreed to a three-year sentence, but the details will be determined by Criminal Court Judge Scott Green on Sept. 29.

The state plans to object to judicial diversion, said Sean McDermott, a Knox County assistant district attorney general.

Underwood has agreed to repay the $11,989 he stole by that hearing, McDermott said.

The former accounts payable supervisor, who had an annual salary of $96,074, was fired in October after admitting to using his school credit card for personal purchases. Investigators found he placed bets ranging from $99 to $299 on the card, losing as much as $1,800 in one day gambling online.

A report from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury also questioned $731 in charges during a retirement reception at a Mississippi casino, where Underwood also ordered martinis, peach schnapps and a $200 tray of hors d'oeuvres and gave a $115 tip.

He also received reimbursements for school-related trips he never took, officials said.

"Because Underwood was responsible for reviewing school credit card charges, including his own, officials were unaware of these inappropriate charges," the comptroller's report states.

Underwood stole the funds between June and October 2014, investigators said. His school career began in 1980 as a teacher at Gibbs High School. He later moved to Powell Middle School before moving to the central office in 1984.
SHARE Bloods gang member Lajuan Harbison (Knox County Sheriff's Office)

By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel

A state appellate court has ordered a new trial for an admitted Bloods gang member involved in the shooting of an innocent Vine Middle School student in a decision that changes the way gun violence is prosecuted in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals last week overturned the convictions of Lajuan Harbison in a September 2012 shootout in the middle of an East Knoxville street. The gunbattle, which happened just as classes let out for the day, left one boy wounded and endangered dozens of others.

PDF: Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals' decision

In its decision, the court also struck down as flawed the use of a law designed to target gun violence to boost penalties for a single gunman using a single gun to commit more than one crime in a single incident.

The state Legislature in 2007 approved a law designed to target gun violence by making it a separate crime to use a gun in carrying out certain dangerous felonies. Thanks to a legal attack by attorney Gerald Gulley in Harbison's case, the appellate court is for the first time since the law passed putting the brakes on a practice  widespread in Knox County  of filing repeated charges under that law in a single criminal case.

In an opinion drafted by Appellate Judge D. Kelly Thomas Jr., the court says its rationale is simple  one gun, one conviction, no matter how many separate crimes the gunman commits or how many people are victimized at one time.

It's not only a landmark decision legally but has great practical impact on prison terms for violent offenders who choose a gun as their weapon. Each conviction under the law in question carries a mandatory six-year sentence. That term must be stacked onto any sentence already being served or the punishment levied for the underlying felony the gun was used to commit.

For instance, a defendant who uses a gun to shoot  with intent to kill  two people in a single encounter would net an extra 12 years on top of whatever penalty is imposed for the two counts of attempted murder. The mandatory penalty jumps to 10 years for each employing a gun conviction if the gunman has a prior felony conviction.

The Knox County District Attorney General's Office makes prodigious use of the gun law at issue to boost punishment for violent offenders, especially in gang-related cases.

Deputy District Attorney General Kyle Hixson said his office intends to ask the state attorney general to appeal the ruling to the Tennessee Supreme Court. He said the ruling would undermine efforts to tackle gun violence through hefty, mandatory penalties if allowed to stand.

"It will have an effect on our sentencing," Hixson said.

The appellate court ruled the law at issue is being misused as a way to pack on extra punishment far beyond what the Legislature intended.

"The double jeopardy prohibition against multiple punishments functions to prevent prosecutors from exceeding the legislatively authorized punishment," Thomas wrote. "This case is a prime example of just that."

The state Attorney General's Office, which handles appeals for local prosecutors, didn't even address the gun law argument, focusing instead on unrelated issues raised in the appeal. Thomas' opinion offered harsh criticism for that approach.

"It is a dereliction of duty by the state not to address all of the arguments validly raised by the defendant on appeal," Thomas wrote. "It is precisely this issue that the state failed to address that necessitates reversal of three of the defendant's employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony convictions."

The ruling comes in a case that arose from a shoot-out among two rival gangs in the middle of the street a block away from Austin-East Magnet High School.

Admitted Crips gang members Carlos Campbell and Laquinton Brown took umbrage at the Vine student because they believed he flashed a rival Bloods gang sign at them. Testimony showed Brown was confronting the student and a friend when admitted Bloods gang members Harbison and Arterious North drove up.

The two factions began shooting at each other. Only the Vine student was struck.

Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword ordered the four men to be tried together, even though they were rivals in the streets and in the courtroom. It was, the appellate court noted, a circuslike atmosphere fraught with danger.

There was a fight in the hallway between rival gang associates. One gang member's mother refused to testify because she was afraid of spectators in the courtroom. Brown's attorney refused to sit between his client and his client's two rivals at the defense table.

The rival gang members on trial pointed fingers of blame at each other. Two rivals testified, allowing prosecutors to bring up a history of violent clashes between the groups  which would have been legally impermissible otherwise as it would have prejudiced jurors.

The appellate court ruled that even without the gun law problem cited in the opinion, Harbison was robbed of a fair trial because of the judge's decision not to order separate trials for either each of the four defendants or for the two sets of rival gang members.

"While the trial court  stated that this was not to become a 'gang shooting' case, after reading the transcript, we believe that this is very likely what happened," Thomas wrote. "The joint trial of all four co-defendants clearly created a hostile atmosphere (and) allowed a highly prejudicial inference that these four men were in constant combat with one another and were haphazardly wielding firearms around town."

Gulley was the only appellate lawyer to attack both the use of the gun law and Sword's refusal to order separate trials. That means Harbison will get a new trial and, if convicted, a lower sentence. The others won't  at least at the current stage of their cases.
SHARE Jimmy "J.J." Jones, Knox County Sheriff'. (Knox County Sheriff's Office)

By Don Jacobs of the Knoxville News Sentinel

With the aid of an alert resident, the Knox County sheriff and a police dog, Knoxville police on Wednesday arrested a man suspected of auto theft and burglaries in three counties who was hiding under a pile of leaves.

The suspect, whose name hasn't been released, was treated at a hospital for wounds to an arm and a leg after the Knoxville Police Department tracking dog sniffed out his hiding spot about 8:18 a.m., according to KPD Lt. Nevin Long.

The dog was deployed after the suspect failed to respond to commands from officers to surrender, said Knox County Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones. The sheriff had directed officers to a likely hiding spot in the backyard of a home on Royal View Road in Cumberland Estates.

"Within 45 seconds of that, I heard the officers telling him to come out with his arms in the air," Jones said. "He had crawled under a bunch of leaves and the dog sniffed him out, and then he had to get treated for those wounds.

"You have to take directions from officers."

Jones said he was at home in the subdivision behind Cumberland Estates Shopping Center on Western Avenue when Knox County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Eddie Biggs alerted him to a foot pursuit in the area. Jones has lived in the subdivision for 50 years and had a good idea of where a fleeing suspect might hide.

He said he got into his unmarked black Charger and "slid down Royalview Road with my windows open and I saw him in about 30 seconds."

The sheriff said his plan to get in front of the fleeing man by jumping a backyard fence was thwarted by "a very large German shepherd" who had been silent until Jones arrived. That indicated the suspect hadn't gotten that far, and Jones shared that information with officers.

"KPD did a great job," Jones said. "They had a perimeter established and the K-9 out. They did it all right."

Long said the episode started about 7:33 a.m. when a woman noted a 2007 Lexus sedan parked at the shopping center. The car had been reported stolen Monday from a home in Sequoyah Hills.

"A person familiar with the family saw the car and reported it to 911," Long said.

The man with the Lexus noticed the woman taking pictures of the vehicle, Long said. When officers arrived, the man darted behind the shopping center and ran toward the subdivision.

Long directed officers to encircle the area of the man's flight and then Jones joined the search.

Long said the Lexus had new front-end damage since the theft and officers found numerous items in the car that raised suspicions.

"Evidence from the scene gives indications that this suspect may be involved in multiple crimes through three counties," Long said.

Items in the car might have been stolen in various burglaries, he said.
SHARE Students fill the pedestrian walkway over Phillip Fulmer Way on the University of Tennessee campus as fall classes began Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Megan Boehnke of the Knoxville News Sentinel

KNOXVILLE  The University of Tennessee has landed on the annual list of the 381 best colleges in the U.S. published by the Princeton Review, which produces college prep and guide books.

The school was also ranked No. 17 on a list of the least beautiful campuses, a longtime gripe of students and the community, and No. 10 on list of the least LGBTQ-friendly schools.

The lists and rankings are based on surveys of 143,000 students across the country, in which they rated such topics as financial aid and on-campus food.

In its description of the university, the publisher said students called the campus a "family-like atmosphere full of opportunity and support" with "atmosphere, affordability and school spirit."

The school was also named among the best colleges in the Southeast and made the lists of "Colleges that Pay You Back" and "Green Colleges." Earlier this year, UT was named a "best value" public university by Princeton Review.

More details online as they develop and in Thursday's News Sentinel.
By News Sentinel Staff

MARYVILLE  The body of Maryville Police Officer Kenny Moats was laid to rest Wednesday in a hillside next to the tiny Keeble's Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Walland.

Before his burial ceremony began in the quiet foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Moats, who was killed last week while answering a domestic violence call, received a sendoff from thousands of people lining the roads to watch his funeral procession, which stretched roughly two miles.

Among those who turned out were 1,600 students at Heritage High School, where Moats graduated in 2002, and another 800 from the adjoining middle school along East Lamar Alexander Parkway.

The students and teachers left class "just to be able to give him the honor that he deserves and the respect that he deserves," said Jake Jones, principal at Heritage High. "It's an opportunity to be able to teach our students just how serious the job of law enforcement is and what they do to keep us safe."

Moats, a 32-year-old father of three and nine-year veteran of the Maryville Police Department, was shot Thursday responding to the second domestic violence call of the day at a home on Alcoa Trail in what Blount County Sheriff James Berrong called an "ambush" planned by a man angry at police. A bullet struck Moats in the neck, just above his bullet-resistant vest, authorities said.

Brian Keith Stalans, 44, had been fighting with his father and blamed police for ruining his life, the sheriff said. Stalans faces charges that include criminal homicide and aggravated assault in Moat's death.

Hundreds of officers from departments across East Tennessee gathered to drive in Wednesday's procession, which began at 10:15 a.m. at Smith Mortuary in Maryville. The line of vehicles circled the Maryville Municipal Building and passed by Moats' cruiser, adorned with a wreath and parked in front of the complex.

At least a dozen trucks from Alcoa public works, electrical and public service crews lined up as the procession passed by the city's Heritage substation.

From the boom of one truck, workers hung a large U.S. flag over the highway.

"It's the least we could do," said Steve Reynolds, a senior electrical engineer. "And we hope the community can do more."

Near the start of the line of cars, Suzi Martin stood with a few friends in a convenience store parking lot. Martin's husband was a Miami fireman for years before they retired and moved to Walland five years ago. She said she just wanted to pay her respects.

"I know what it's like," Martin said. "Every time they put that uniform on, to be not sure if they're coming home."

In front of Blount Memorial Hospital stood Jeremy Keough, an occupational therapist. He joined fellow employees as the procession passed in silence.

"My dad was a police officer in Maine," Keough said. "We have a lot of friends in law enforcement. They do a tough job."

The procession ended at Keeble Chapel on Cold Springs Road. A private graveside service followed, open only to members of the family and to officers of the Maryville Police Department, the Blount County Sheriff's Office and the Alcoa Police Department.

Thousands of people, including law enforcement officers from across the country, had attended funeral services for Moats the night before at Sevier Heights Baptist Church. During the ceremony, which included a "last call" for Moats' badge number, Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp posthumously awarded Moats the Commendation of Valor, the department's highest honor.

Memorial donations for Moats' family are being accepted through the Kenny Moats Memorial Fund at CBBC Bank and can be brought to any CBBC Bank branch or to the city of Maryville Municipal Building, or mailed to CBBC Bank: Kenny Moats Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 9730, Maryville, Tenn. 37802.

Country music artist Trace Adkins and The Back Porch On The Creek also are donating $10,000 to the Moats family.

Adkins is scheduled to perform Friday night on the venue's new stage off Interstate 40's Lovell Road exit, behind Knoxville Harley Davidson.

A dollar from each ticket sold for Adkins' concert was already earmarked for the local Fraternal Order of Police, but Adkins and the Back Porch announced the donation to Moats' wife and three children earlier this week on Facebook.

Concert promoters also have announced that all members of law enforcement agencies can present their badges at the gate for free admission. General admission tickets have been reduced from $35 to $25 and are available at Knoxville Harley Davidson.

Other collections for the family have been underway at the Maryville Police Department and at Heritage High.
By Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee

NASHVILLE  The federal probe of state Rep. Jeremy Durham's campaign money might not have begun without the constant digging by the state attorney general and the Tennessean into the embattled lawmaker's sexual impropriety, in the view of Durham's new criminal defense attorney.

"It strikes me that a lot of these things start when someone is under a microscope," Peter Strianse said Monday.

He said he believed a "drumbeat" in the media causes other agencies to take notice of certain issues.

A Tennessean investigation into inappropriate text messages led to an attorney general's investigation, which culminated in a report detailing allegations of sexual misconduct involving 22 women. The probe also churned up allegations of campaign finance wrongdoing, which appear to have caught the eye of federal investigators.

Historically, prosecutors across the country have investigated lawmakers' finances for a variety of reasons, ranging from fraud and kickbacks to flagrant misspending.

Jerry Martin, who served as U.S. attorney for Middle Tennessee from 2010 to 2013, said investigations into elected officials are among the most important priorities of the Department of Justice.

"Once an investigation has commenced, the target of that investigation can expect all of his or her past and present dealings  whether related to his or her public position or not  to get thorough scrutiny," he said.

The specific allegations against Durham by federal investigators are unclear. On Monday, Strianse confirmed the federal government issued two subpoenas for records related to Durham's campaign finance issues and a possible tax violation.

That investigation has led federal prosecutors to begin discussions with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, an entity within the state Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, as well as state Attorney General Herbert Slatery.

"It is not unusual in these instances that we would have conversations with other law enforcement agencies," said Harlow Sumerford, a spokesman for Slatery. "Beyond that I do not think we can offer more, especially since there is an ongoing audit at the state level."

During the attorney general's investigation, a former Durham employee accused Durham of using his campaign funds for personal business. The Franklin Republican denied the allegations at the time, saying his former employee was disgruntled.

There have been several federal probes into state and federal lawmakers related to campaign donations in recent years.

In Tennessee, the most recent federal probe of a lawmaker's campaign funds played a part in the investigation of state Rep. Joe Armstrong, who was initially charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., tax evasion and lying to the Internal Revenue Service. The Knoxville Democrat was convicted in August of filing a false tax return.

U.S. Attorney Bill Killian's investigation of Armstrong included an examination into the lawmaker's campaign finance records dating back to 2013, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Beyond Tennessee, federal prosecutors have looked into funds controlled by elected officials including state lawmakers, mayors and even governors.

Earlier this year, Florida state Rep. Reggie Fullwood was indicted on fraud charges in relation to more than $65,000 that he funneled from his campaign contributions to a separate business account in an effort to spend it on liquor, groceries, jewelry and flowers.

In 2015, North Carolina state Sen. Fletcher Hartsell was investigated for using $109,000 in campaign funds to pay for speeding tickets and shoe repairs, among other personal expenses.

In 2014, federal authorities investigated South Carolina House Speaker Bobby Harrell for using nearly $100,000 in campaign contributions for personal use. Harrell was sentenced to six years in prison.

The investigation into Harrell came nearly a quarter-century after federal authorities indicted five South Carolina lawmakers. During a 1990 investigation, investigators looked at the campaign finance records for all 124 state House members and 46 state Senators in an effort to find out who was involved in selling their votes. The probe ended with the indictment of five members of the Legislature.

Also in 2014, federal authorities began looking at travel reimbursement records of Louisiana state Rep. Joe Harrison after he faced scrutiny in the media.

A federal investigation of former Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Mass in 2005 found he received illegal campaign contributions in exchange for legislative kickbacks. In 2009, Mass was sentenced to two years in federal prison for his involvement in a scheme to divert taxpayer money to two companies.

Other politicians nationwide, including Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, have undergone federal examinations of their donations.

While few specifics are known about federal prosecutors' probe into Durham's campaign finances, including how long the investigation might last, its formation could set off a series of events that leads to an indictment or an arrest that could happen at any moment, depending on what authorities find.

"An investigation can go on for years, and no stone will be left unturned by federal agents and prosecutors who are looking to see if something slithers out," Martin said.
SHARE Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel

WASHINGTON  Emboldened by a Supreme Court ruling that struck down abortion restrictions in Texas, a national abortion-rights group is taking the fight for reproductive rights to other deep-red states.

The group's first stop is Tennessee. Its first target is Rep. Marsha Blackburn.

NARAL Pro-Choice America has dispatched a group of activists to Tennessee to help organize a network of supporters who will push to expand access to reproductive rights and abortion services in the state. The network also could be tapped to work to defeat political candidates who oppose abortion.

The program, called Tennessee Total Access, could eventually expand to other red states, said James Owens, NARAL's states communications director.

"This is a very targeted effort to go into places like Tennessee that have not traditionally been hotbeds of pro-choice sentiment," Owens said.

The activists have been on the ground in Tennessee since June. They have been going door to door to sign up new NARAL members, buying ads and billboards to spread the abortion-rights message and attending concerts, fairs, festivals and other cultural events to reach other people who favor reproductive rights.

Though the campaign is statewide, most of its resources are focused on Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville and Murfreesboro.

The impetus for NARAL's push into conservative territory was the Supreme Court's 5-3 ruling in June that struck down Texas restrictions on clinics and doctors that created roadblocks for thousands of women seeking an abortion. The Texas law had required clinics to meet surgical-center operating standards and doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.

Owens described the court decision as probably the most significant abortion ruling since Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973.

The new ruling provided abortion-rights supporters with an opportunity to go on the offensive, he said. Instead of just defending reproductive rights, groups are working to expand them in areas that traditionally haven't been seen as friendly.

Blackburn, the Brentwood Republican targeted by NARAL in Tennessee, is one of the most outspoken abortion opponents in Congress and chairwoman of a special House panel investigating the practices of abortion providers. The 14-member panel was formed after undercover videos surfaced showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of tissues and organs from aborted fetuses. A number of state investigations have cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing.

Critics accuse Blackburn of using the panel to smear Planned Parenthood and to unfairly target researchers, medical supply companies and others involved in fetal tissue research.

NARAL is paying for anti-Blackburn digital ads and for a traveling billboard that says she doesn't share the priorities of Tennessee families. The plan is to eventually park the billboard outside her office, Owens said.

Blackburn is heavily favored to win an eighth term in November. But Owens said her anti-abortion work is not just a matter of interest to Tennessee voters.

"It's an issue of whether or not one anti-choice ideology can rightfully be imposed on the entire country," he said. "She has made a very conscientious effort somewhere along the line not only to push this agenda that's out of the mainstream, but to be the leader on it. We are holding her accountable and lifting her actions up so she can't hide them."

Blackburn branded the activists "anti-life extremists" but predicted they will find Tennesseans "some of the most welcoming, warm and friendly people on the face of the earth."

"They will soon learn that these Tennesseans are individuals who value life and work to protect life at all stages," she said.

As for NARAL's opposition to the special panel's investigation, "I would hope they will change their position and work with me to protect expectant mothers and unborn babies," she said.
The United States welcomed an apparent pause in fighting between Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on Tuesday, both of them members of the coalition fighting Islamic State, but it was far from clear that any truce would hold, Reuters reported.

"The United States welcomes the overnight calm between the Turkish military and other counter-ISIL forces in Syria," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, using an acronym for the militant group.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the period of calm had lasted 12 to 18 hours and the United States would like it to continue so that all members of the coalition could focus their efforts on fighting Islamic State militants.
If youre feeling bad about our politics today, blame your caveman ancestors. Or, more accurately, blame politicians who take advantage of traits evolved back during caveman days, even though theyre destructive now.

When human beings were hunter-gatherers living in isolated bands and tribes, which was the norm for hundreds of thousands of years (and longer if you count our proto-human ancestors) the supply of goods available at any given moment was largely fixed. Some years there was more game, or more berries to be harvested, and some years there was less, but in neither case did it have much to do with human actions. Hunters or gatherers could range a bit farther, or work a bit longer, but they couldnt increase the supply of antelopes or fruit. What the tribe had was all there was, so if one person was eating more than his share, it meant less for everyone else.

Thats not true any more. In an industrialized capitalist society, when somebody else eats more, theyre not taking food out of my mouth. In fact, theyre likely making money because theyre delivering a good or service that makes me  or at least, society as a whole  richer. (And when rich people are early adopters of technologies, they drive the price of those technologies down, actually making them affordable for the less-wealthy and eventually, as we see with smartphones, even for the poor.)

Likewise, primitive tribes had lots of ways of forging bonds within the group. In a tribal society, most other tribes were enemies or at least rivals, and the tribe that stuck together the best had a huge advantage. As Megan McArdle notes, these instincts confuse our thinking about things like health care:

About 10 years ago, economist Robin Hanson suggested something that solves a lot of the mysteries of our health care system  not just why we hate the idea of people taking profits, but many other fascinating quandaries, such as why people have such a strong preference for insurance that covers routine expenses, even though this means theyre just prepaying for their care in the form of higher premiums. We are evolved, he suggested, to provide costly forms of care to members of our community when they get sick, not just in the interests of making them better, but to demonstrate loyalty.

These evolved instincts served hunter-gatherer cavemen well (which is why theyve survived) but they dont work very well in a world where health care, instead of being something that members of a tribe provide for people theyve grown up with, is something that has to be procured from strangers who make a living providing it. And, as McArdle notes, trying to sell socialism by pretending that society is one big family doesnt actually help: Nationalizing the health care system does not fix this fundamental disconnect between our evolved instincts and the inevitable necessities of a modern economy.

And, of course, fear of others  xenophobia  was a major feature of caveman life, and with good reason. For cavemen, the others (which might just mean the tribe over the next hill) really were a threat, and constant vigilance was always necessary. Modern nations arent without enemies, of course, but politicians tend to play on xenophobic instincts not in terms of actual enemies abroad, but in the context of (largely manufactured) enmity at home, as they set different groups of citizens against one another in order to secure power.

Trying to run a 21st century civilization based on caveman instincts is a recipe for failure, but unfortunately politics in a democracy seems to be more about emotions than intellect, and those emotions are powerfully determined by caveman instincts.

Thus, politicians play on them. We hear a lot of talk about peoples fair share, as if societys wealth were a pizza weve all chipped in for (or a mammoth weve all killed together) when in fact its no such thing. We hear a lot about caring, when the action in question actually consists of politicians taking money from people who dont support them, and using it to buy votes from people who do. And we even value things, like physical strength and attractiveness in leaders, that had a lot more to do with leadership in the context of a caveman war party than in a modern nation.

We cant get rid of those caveman instincts, which were bred into us over countless generations. But it would help if voters and pundits were more aware of them, and did a better job of shaming politicians who played on them. The instincts that served our distant ancestors well are now mostly a tool for leaders to keep us under control. Socially, at least, we need to evolve beyond that.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds, a University of Tennessee law professor and the author of The New School: How the Information Age Will Save American Education from Itself, is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors.
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The Tennessee Supreme Court made an unorthodox move recently to put itself in a position to rule on an employment matter.

The justices last week agreed to hear an appeal by Knox County Circuit Court Judge Bill Ailor of an appellate court ruling that he does not qualify for judicial immunity in a lawsuit filed by former judicial assistant Judith Moore-Pennoyer.

Ailor, a Republican, defeated Democratic Circuit Court Judge Harold Wimberly in August 2014. After the election  but before he was sworn into office  Ailor fired Moore-Pennoyer, who had been Wimberly's longtime assistant. Attorney David Dunaway sued Ailor on Moore-Pennoyer's behalf.

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 just about 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 nor a state-provided attorney. Ailor appealed, but the Tennessee Court of Appeals sided with Moore-Pennoyer.

"The Constitution provides that Judge Wimberly's term was not subject to expiration until his successor was elected and qualified," the appellate court opinion states. "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.

The Supreme Court, however, does not appear to consider Ailor's status the primary issue, even though it lies at the heart of Moore-Pennoyer's lawsuit.

The justices have asked both sides to argue whether Moore-Pennoyer in particular and judicial assistants in general are "at-will employees" who can be fired at any time for any reason.

Tennessee is an at-will employment state. That means private employers can fire anyone without cause, though there are some exceptions such as discrimination. State employees like Moore-Pennoyer enjoy some civil-service protection, including an appeals process.

The high court also wants to address whether judicial assistants' jobs are dependant upon the judges who hire them and therefore would have to surrender their positions when the judges leave the bench.

Ailor clearly did not have the authority to fire Moore-Pennoyer at the time, though if he had waited a few weeks until after he was officially sworn into office, he likely would have avoided the lawsuit. The Supreme Court's desire to shift the focus of the case to the status of judicial assistants is puzzling, but the justices apparently think it is a question in search of an answer.
Former Knox County correctional officer charged with official misconduct

AUGUST 30, 2016 at 5:11 p.m.





KNOXVILLE  An investigation by Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has led to the indictment of a former Knox County Correctional Officer accused of buying steroids from an inmate.



On August 5th, at the request of 6th District Attorney General Charme Allen, TBI Special Agents with the Drug Investigation Division along with the Knox County Sheriffs Office began investigating allegations against Bradley David Frey. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that Frey purchased Dianabol pills from an individual in Knox County. The transaction was arranged by an inmate in the Knox County Jail who Frey met while working as a correctional officer.



On August 23rd, the Knox County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Frey, 27, with three counts of Official Misconduct. Today, Frey turned himself in and was booked into the Knox County Jail on a $5,000 bond. Published August 30, 2016
National Park and Cherokee leaders hold meeting

AUGUST 30, 2016 at 5:23 p.m.







Park and EBCI Leadership Team meeting. Image by Jeaneane Payne.





GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK  Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian (EBCI) leadership met to discuss the recently modified regulation governing the gathering of plants in national parks. The rule, which went into effect on August 11, now allows members of federally recognized Indian tribes to request to enter into agreement with the National Park Service to gather and remove plants or plant parts for traditional purposes.





National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash (left) and EBCI Chief Patrick Lambert. We look forward to working with the tribe to both honor Cherokee Indian traditions and also carry out our agency's mission to protect these very special resources for future generations. I truly believe that we can achieve both of these goals by working together, said Superintendent Cassius Cash.



The Park and EBCI leadership established a framework outlining next steps in developing an agreement to allow traditional gathering of plants, particularly sochan (also known as green-headed coneflower) and ramps which is a species of wild onion. The first step in developing the agreement requires the completion of an Environmental Assessment (EA) and a finding of no significant impact (FONSI). The EA is a means to ensure that a targeted plant community can support traditional gathering. Officials hope to complete the EA for sochan over the next 12 to 18 months.



The relationship we have with the park has strengthened and we are excited to share our traditional ecological knowledge on how we have harvested these plants for thousands of years in this landscape, said Principal Chief Patrick Lambert. We truly appreciate the partnership and understandings of everyone involved, and look forward to our continued support of each other down the road.



As part of the process, park managers and EBCI managers will work hand in hand to develop an agreement in alignment with the environmental assessment. Through the environmental assessment, managers can determine appropriate quantities and locations for traditional gathering that will ensure sustainability and protection of the selected species. The rule retains the existing regulation that prohibits commercial uses of gathered materials and also requires the identification of all tribal members who may conduct traditional gathering activities.

Published August 30, 2016


















Frankfurt Airport has been evacuated after a passenger escaped a security check and fled the terminal, according to the mirror.co.uk, the online edition of The Daily Mirror newspaper.

Police have cleared Terminal 1 and 2 after the person dived into the crowd and disappeared.

The airport's operator Fraport said on Aug. 31 that a security alert was sparked after the passenger ran to the other side of the security gates without fully completing the security check.

"Today at Frankfurt Airport a passenger entered the security area before the security check had been completed, the spokeswoman added. "Therefore the German federal police cleared departure hall A as a preventative measure. Passengers will be rechecked prior to departure."

She added that the security alert will cause delays at the transport hub.

Frankfurt Airport, the fourth-busiest in Europe, is operated by Fraport and serves as the main hub for Lufthansa. It covers an area of 2,000 hectares and has a capacity of some 65 million passengers per year.
Personal information of more than 10 million people were leaked from the leading online shopping mall Interpark Corp. through the so-called 'spearfishing' hacking attacks in May, officials said Wednesday.

The private information, such as resident registration numbers, phone numbers and addresses, of the mall's 10.3 million customers were leaked through malicious codes, they said.

The investigation was conducted and announced by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the country's telecommunications watchdog, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC).

The hackers impersonated a brother of one of Interpark's staff and sent emails to the employee's personal email with malicious codes to penetrate the company's network, the ministry said.

The hackers then broke into the company's server and stole customer-related information, the officials said.

"Hackers sent bogus emails by faking an email address of an employee's brother," said a KCC official, noting an investigation is still under way into how the hackers first obtained a password for the email.

Earlier, police announced that North Korea was being suspected of being behind the hacking, noting that the Internet Protocol addresses used by the hackers were identical to those used by North Korean hackers in previous cases.

Ministry and KCC officials said their investigation was focused on finding vulnerabilities in the Interpark networks, rather than on identifying the hackers. (Yonhap)
By Park Si-soo



Former Lotte Group Vice Chairman Shin Dong-joo, 62, will be summoned to the prosecution on Thursday to be questioned over corruption allegations in a sweeping investigation of the nation's fifth-largest conglomerate.



Shin, elder brother of Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and son of the group's founder, Shin Kyuk-ho, two figures at the center of the scandal, will appear at the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office at 10 a.m., according to investigators familiar with the case. The questioning will focus on what they claim is a "suspiciously high" payout to him and other corruption allegations involving his younger brother and father, they said.



His summons indicates the prosecution has resumed its inquiry into Lotte that was suspended after the suicide of the group's No. 2 man, Lee In-won, Friday morning, just hours before he was to face prosecution questions. Lee, a close aide of the group's owner family for decades, was believed to have ample knowledge of the group's activities -- good or bad -- so his suicide has put a brake on the smooth progress of the investigation.



Meanwhile, the prosecution said it had found that the chairman and the founder have received a total of 30 billion won a year from the group's affiliates. While Lotte officials claim the money is dividends and paychecks, prosecutors believe part of the money came from illicit financial transactions among affiliates.



It is also alleged that the group had some affiliates involved in other affiliates' business, especially in dealings with foreign companies, allowing them to profit. The group is also suspected of having set up paper companies when investing in China, Russia and Vietnam, and creating slush funds.



Members of the owner family are also suspected of cooking the accounting books by exaggerating profits and unfairly helping their relatives' firms win bids for business contracts.



Shin Young-ja, the founder's eldest daughter, was arrested in early July for alleged bribery and embezzlement. She allegedly took 3 billion won from companies in return for placing their counters in favorable spots at Lotte's duty free shops, and embezzled 4 billion won in company funds by registering her three daughters as board members of a company owned by her son so they would receive salaries.




By Choi Sung-jin



College students think the Samsung Group is the conglomerate that represents Korea and its industry, a survey showed Tuesday.



In the survey of 1,484 students by Job Korea, a job-seeking portal, an overwhelming share of 80.8 percent cited Samsung as the nation's representative business group.



The LG Group was the distant runner-up with 28.4 percent, followed by CJ Group (24 percent), Hyundai Group (18.5 percent) and Hyundai Motor Group (15.8 percent). Female students (82.7 percent) preferred Samsung more than males (77.7 percent).



The survey asked respondents to pick multiple replies among 52 private business groups out of the total 65 conglomerates subject to government regulations in making equity investments and debt guarantees.



As the foremost qualification of the business to represent Korea, the students cited "global competitiveness."



Asked to name criteria in selecting the representative business, the largest share of 59.6 percent cited companies that can put forward products that win high recognition in global markets, followed by annual sales (42 percent), contribution to economic growth (25.2 percent), famous CEOs (14.2 percent) and excellence of employees (13.2 percent).



As the industry that represents Korea now, 56.7 percent cited information technology, and 52.1 percent said it will remain so.



Asked to name other major industries, they pointed to electric-electronics (34.8 percent), automobile (29.4 percent), construction (23.3 percent), shipbuilding (21.1 percent) and culture (19 percent).



In the future, however, the rankings in Korea's major industrial sectors will change to culture (31.3 percent), electric-electronics (22.8 percent), food-beverage (18.3 percent) and bio-pharmaceuticals (17.9 percent), the survey said.



Those working in the Samsung Group showed varied responses to the opinion polls of students and other popular perceptions about one of the nation's "best workplaces."



Not a few "Samsung people" say they are not as happy as outsiders think. "The company may be on a roll but we are not," said an employee at Samsung Electronics, citing heavy workloads and mental burdens resulting from ceaseless changes.



Samsung Electronics, the world's largest cell phone marker, recorded operating profit of 6.6 trillion won ($5.9 billion) in the first quarter of this year, and 8.1 trillion won in the second quarter. In late June, however, its top managers sent a message to staff saying they could not be sure the company would remain after five or 10 years.



"Since I joined Samsung, there has not been a year when this company was not in crisis," a division director said, wanting to remain anonymous. "It is OK the company continues to prosper amid a constant sense of crisis, but employees feel no small stress from it."



Others talked about Samsung's too strict merit-based personnel management, which sometimes leads to sharp differences in their bonuses and overall pay.



"Employees at Samsung Electronics' wireless communication and memory chip departments frequently receive bonuses up to 50 percent of their basic pay," said a department manager also requesting anonymity. "Yet those working in the group's less-prospering subsidiaries can hardly benefit however hard they may work, which breeds a sense of disparity within the group."



Yet others complain about frequent overtime, which leaves little time to spend with their families, the ongoing business reshuffle among affiliates and intensive moral education to make "Samsung people."



Most Samsung employees are proud of the company's high reputation at home and abroad, though.



"Foreigners approach us on the street and give the thumbs-up to Samsung products' high quality," a marketing manager said. "Some new recruits say their weekend schedules are filled with proposals for blind dates, reflecting the popularity of Samsung men and women as marriage partners."




By Jhoo Dong-chan

A number of consequences are expected from Hanjin Shipping's debacle at home and abroad. The government vows to cap losses following the nation's largest shipping line coming under court receivership.

According to a Hanjin Shipping official, Tuesday, the shipping line's container ship Hanjin Roma was seized at a port in Singapore shortly after creditors announced they would stop supporting Hanjin Shipping.

German ship owner and operator Rickmers, which chartered ships to the beleaguered shipper, filed the provisional seizure on the 5,308-TEU vessel operated by Hanjin Shipping.

If a container vessel is seized at anchorage, it is banned from carrying out any kinds of shipping operations, including loading and unloading as well as docking at port.












Volkswagen Korea, the local unit of German automaker Volkswagen, said Monday that it would not take legal action against the South Korean government's decision to ban sales and revoke the certifications of its 80 vehicle models.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Environment also separately slapped the German automaker with fines of 17.8 billion won ($16 million) for 47 models that are thought to have passed the local authentication process by cheating on gas emissions tests.

The punitive measure was announced after an extensive probe into the company over the allegations that it obtained approval from the local authorities with faked reports on noise level, fuel efficiency and emissions results.

The number of vehicles subject to the decision is 83,000. The vehicles are those that the automaker sold in South Korea between 2009 and July 25 this year.

The total number of Audi and Volkswagen vehicles, whose certifications have been canceled so far, is 209,000, some 68 percent of more than 300,000 cars that the automaker has sold here from 2007 onwards.

"We reached a conclusion that we need to move toward re-certification and resolve the current situation," said an official at Volkswagen Korea.

In January, the ministry filed a complaint with the prosecution, claiming that the local unit of the German carmaker violated the Clean Air Conservation Act by cheating on gas emissions tests. (Yonhap)
By Jhoo Dong-chan

Hyundai Mobis has invented a new electronic drum-in-hat (eDIH) parking and brake system customized for large-size pickup trucks, a company official said Monday.

According to an official, the nation's leading auto parts supplier has completed the development of the eDIH system, and is preparing for its mass production for business operations.

Among two types of typical electronic parking brake systems that hold a vehicle and prevent it from rolling on tilted ground, the eDIH brake system is used for mostly for commercial vehicles, such as trucks and buses, while caliper-integrated system is featured on private vehicles like sedans and SUVs.

The auto supplier's newly developed parking and brake system, the eDIH, can produce 1.5 times higher braking forces while reducing its size by 30 percent compared to conventional parking and brake system.

The official said that Hyundai Mobis' new parking and brake system will contribute greatly to sales in the North American market, where a total of 3.8 million pickup trucks are sold every year, according to market researcher IHS. Of them, 20 percent, or some 760,000 trucks, can mount the eDIH system.

Hyundai Mobis supplies parking and brake system parts as well as various other auto parts, including chassis and lamp modules, to U.S. auto makers. It also operates two chassis production plants there.
Canadian pop punk band "Simple Plan" / Courtesy of Access ENT





Pop-punk band to hold concert in Seoul Thursday

By Park Jin-hai

French-Canadian pop-punk act Simple Plan, who graced the finale of the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival five years ago, return to Korea for their own concert, Thursday.

"The last time we came to Korea was for a big festival with a bunch other bands," said Chuck Comeau, the band's drummer, during an email interview with The Korea Times. "It is really cool to come back and do our own headlining show, play in front of our fans, and playing the full show. A lot of fans in Asia are very supportive, but Korean fans really shocked and surprised us."

Formed 17 years ago as a five-member band with Comeau on drums, vocalist Pierre Bouvier, lead guitarist Jeff Stinco, rhythm guitarist Sebastien Lefebvre and bassist David Desrosiers, the band has released five albums, including "Taking One for the Team" released in February.

Comeau says the band's new album, "Taking One for the Team," reflects the essence of being in the band.

"If you want it to work, you have to sacrifice once in a while," he said. "We put the band first before each of us. That has been our rule. This new record is about standing up for yourself and about accepting who you are and not about how other people who might say that you are not good enough. The whole point is empowering.' Making you feel confident and feel that you are good enough."

Saying that "it was a simple plan' for us, as opposed to having a regular day job, we started a band and toured the world and tried to spread our music all around the world," Comeau added that the reason the original members have stayed together for so long is because they were friends before forming the band.

"We have had the same band members for 17 years," he said. "Most bands don't last that long, what with big lineup changes and big fights and drama. We grew up in the same neighborhood, and we've been friends for 20 years, even before we started the band. If there is an issue, we sit down and solve it. The key is to accept the fact that you have to compromise for the greater good of the band. Put the band first before each one of us. We've been living by that rule since we first started the band and that is how and why we are here today."

Regarding the Seoul concert, the band says it will be more like a "greatest hits" or a "best of" album of Simple Plan's old school throwbacks from their second album to more recent ones.

"On the new album there is a song called Boom,'" Comeau said. "It's a cool one with a lot of energy. Also we have a song called Singing in the Rain,' which is a brand-new single. Those are two fun songs that fans might enjoy and they can focus on if they want to get ready for the show."

Part of the proceeds from their concerts  a dollar per ticket  goes to the Simple Plan Foundation established by the band in 2005 to help teen problems, ranging from suicide and poverty to drug addiction.

"Our philosophy has been about being honest and making music that is heartfelt and genuine," Comeau said. "Do something we love and do it for the right reason. Write songs that move you. You want to be moved by your own music."

Simple Plan's Seoul concert is part of its Southeast Asian tour and will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday at Seoul's Blue Square Samsung Card Hall next to exit 2 of Hangangjin Station on Line 6.
The "Ancient Futures Whang Chong-nye" exhibition features ceramics collection by Whang.

/ Courtesy of Korea Ceramic Foundation



By Choi Ha-young

A couple of days before her exhibition, which had been scheduled to start on Aug. 26, Whang Chong-nye, a 90-year-old potter, was still making ceramics for the event from the five kilns at her house. Her colorful ceramics greet visitors who enter her workroom in the city of Goyang, north of Seoul.

The vibrant designs of her ceramics, which come in purple, blue, orange and green, is unlike that of traditional Korean ceramics, which are neutral and simple. Whang credits her unique aesthetic to her training at Ewha Womans University , where she majored in Western painting. "Without my Western painting background, I would not have been able to create (ceramics with) such colors," she said in an interview with The Korea Times, Aug. 24.

Based on grayish-blue-powdered celadon, "buncheong" in Korean, she recreated the tradition through her own characters, using "gwi-yal," Korea's traditional paste brush. The brush, available at stationery stores, has been used to paint glue on walls to attach new wallpapers.

The rough texture of the brush gives vitality to ceramics, embodying the wind, reeds, mountains, waves, water and clouds on the ceramics' surface, reminding the viewers of oriental abstract paintings.





Whang Chong-nye paints patterns with glaze on her ceramics in her workroom.

/ Courtesy of Korea Ceramic Foundation



"I also learned oriental paintings from a professor. Through paining basics , I could learn balance, color and the dynamics of stroke," she said. She grew up in Gaesong, North Korea's industrial city. Her father, Hwang In-chun, operated a large Goryeo porcelain factory during the Japanese occupation, exporting the goods to Japanese customers. "I used to play house with my father, using porcelain pieces."

Her older brother Whang Jong-ku was Korea's first ceramics professor at Ewha Womans University, and her son Lee Young-hak now teaches pottery at Sangmyung University in Seoul. As someone from a family of ceramists, she considers her artistic career as representing modern Korean ceramics art history, hence her exhibition's title, "Ancient Futures." She hopes the exhibition would encourage the audience to learn more about modern Korean ceramic art and imagine the future of ceramics.

Combining the Western painting style she learned in college and the Oriental art foundation she gained from her family, she has produced artifacts that have been brought by prominent museums around the world, including the British Museum, the Smithsonian in the United States and the Jingdezhen University museum in China. She said the originality of her artifacts attracts foreign audiences.

"There are many golden decorated ceramics, but it's rare to paint on ceramics with a rough brush," said the master potter, who has held more than 20 private exhibitions. "Gwi-yal patterns are used only in Korea and not in China or Japan," she continued.

She also emphasized the creative and practical characters of the buncheong ceramics. Buncheong, which appeared in the transition period between the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, refers to the everyday bowls used by ordinary people, unlike porcelain and celadon pieces, which were used in the palace. Usually carved with folksy patterns like fish and birds, the buncheong reflects the simplicity of Korean folk culture.

"While porcelain during the Joseon Kingdom originated from China and celadon during the Goryeo Kingdom was inspired by the Sung Dynasty's celadon, buncheong is originally created in Korea," Whang said. "Ceramics are not artifacts but everyday items. I use my products as cups and bowls. The size and design of Korean ceramics reflect our traditional lifestyle and culture," she added.

Other than Whang's artifacts, the exhibition displays pieces from her family and patrons. The exhibition is open until Jan. 29, 2017, at Icheon World Ceramic Center in Gyeonggi Province, an area famous for its fine quality soil for make ceramics. The exhibition is open all week except Mondays. Visit www.kocef.org for more information.
"The Art of Mathematics" and it's author Hong Sung-dae / Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Han-soo

The nation's best-selling mathematics reference book, regarded as the "bible of math" among high school students, will mark its 50th on Wednesday.

The legendary "The Art of Mathematics" was first published on Aug. 31, 1966, and has sold more than 46 million copies. The book is believed to be the highest-selling book in Korea, except for The Bible.

Hong Sung-dae wrote the book aged 27, when he was studying mathematics at Seoul National University. He did the work after feeling sad that Korean students studied math with books imported from Japan. His book created a sensation on release, selling more than 35,000 copies in the first year.

The author established the Sangsan Institute, a non-profit school foundation, with his proceeds and opened Sangsan High School in 1981.

"My youth gave me the courage to put all my effort into publishing the reference book," Hong was quoted as saying in a report. "Now I want to give back the money I earned from the students to the students themselves."
Some of the interviewees, writers and other key figures of The Korea Times' Korean Medical Pioneers series smile after a roundtable discussion to wrap up the year-long project at Boryung Pharmaceutical office in downtown Seoul. They are, from left, Boryung Pharmaceutical General Manager Lee Jun-hee, Korea Times reporter Jung Min-ho, Korea University Physiology Professor Na Heung-sik, Yonsei University Professor Emeritus of Medicine Park Chang-il, Korea Foundation for Human Tissue Donation Chairman Yoo Myung-chul, Yonsei Cancer Center Director Noh Sung-hoon and Korea Times adviser Kim Eil-chul.

/ Courtesy of Darak Studio



Much has been achieved, far more remains to be done

By Jung Min-ho, Kim Eil-chul

How has Korea's healthcare industry grown into what it is today and who planted the seeds of success?

To answer these questions, The Korea Times has interviewed 50 leading industry figures over the past year. As clinical doctors, researchers and businessmen, they have given their insights into the past, present and future of the industry from different perspectives.

Last week, some of the interviewees were invited to a roundtable discussion at the Boryung Pharmaceutical office in downtown Seoul to wrap up the project. They were Korea Foundation for Human Tissue Donation Chairman Yoo Myung-chul; Yonsei University Professor Emeritus of Medicine Park Chang-il; Yonsei Cancer Center Director Noh Sung-hoon; Korea University Physiology Professor Na Heung-sik; Boryung Pharmaceutical General Manager Lee Jun-hee; and Korea Times Adviser Kim Eil-chul.





Yoo, center, stresses the importance of better communication and collaboration among doctors and businesspeople in different medical fields.



"I hope it's only the beginning," Yoo, a renowned orthopedist, said during the discussion. "Now it's all about where we go from here."

Kim: Korea's healthcare industry has an image problem to outsiders. Advertisements showing "before and after" pictures of patients are everywhere; media coverage is largely about sensational issues and fragmentary achievements of doctors and businessmen; so it is little wonder why many people, especially foreigners, have developed misconceptions about it.

We wanted to show a bigger and more objective picture of the industry. Only readers can tell whether we achieved the goal. But personally, it was a meaningful time to learn and to show the real values and potential of the nation's healthcare industry.





Park, left, and Na smile during the discussion. Park talks about achievements in the medical field done in a single generation, and Na calls for improvement in educating young doctors.



Yoo: At the beginning of the project, I was concerned about whether we can find 50 people who deserve the title as pioneers in the biomedical field. But it turned out that there are far more than 50.

I was glad to see so many people with great achievements in the field. I also felt bad after I realized that I failed to acknowledge some of meaningful accomplishments outside my own area. To move forward, we all need to better communicate and collaborate.

Park: The interviews were conducted at a time when Korea is standing at a crossroad. Now we have discovered 50 beads, which can turn into an invaluable jewel.

I'm pondering how to string the beads for a better future of Korea's healthcare industry. Done right, I'm sure they will create an enormous synergy effect. They have experienced the dramatic improvement of the nation's medical system within a single generation, having led some of the changes. For Korea and the world, it's a rare asset to be utilized.

Noh: The healthcare industry is now going through massive changes. Ideas such as personalized treatment are becoming real.

Precision medicine and biomedicine are two of the nine areas the government believes will lead the nation's future economy. Over the past few decades, we (doctors) have developed expertise the government can use for its plan. There must be many roles doctors can play.

Kim: This is why education for the next generation is important, and it was fortunate to meet Na, a great educator and physiologist at Korea University.

Na: The nation's smartest students come to medical schools, which is great for the industry's future. However, their education systems may still be stuck in the past. To help them grow as progressive innovators, the teaching methods should be redesigned accordingly.

To maximize their potential, I believe schools should give students more space to experiment, and encourage them to cooperate rather than compete. In addition, schools need to invest more resources into education for research, for which I think artificial intelligence will take more time to catch up with humans than diseases diagnosis and treatment.

To be competitive in the future, all doctors should know about research in their fields. It is no longer a choice, and Korea's education system needs to embrace the reality.

Lee: Over the past few years, Korea's pharmaceutical companies have been trying hard to make inroads into overseas markets. In the process, we realized that sales take more than quality drugs; it takes trust and the image of the seller's country.

I think the Korean Medical Pioneers laid the groundwork to promote the nation's biomedical field, which deserves and needs more promotion to the outside world. Pharmaceutical firms will also benefit from it.

Kim: New technologies, such as IBM's Watson for Oncology, are revolutionizing how patients receive medical diagnosis and treatment. How will this change affect future doctors in terms of their role?

Yoo: I do not have an answer for that question. But I'm sure that new technologies will bring new challenges, and when it occurs, robots may be able to solve the issues on a superficial level, but not fundamentally without the help of humans (doctors).

Also, medicine is much more than just treating patients. Medical practice, in my view, has religious and philosophical meanings. Why should we treat people who will die eventually? Robots can't answer such questions, and hopefully we can.

Two weeks ago, I visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where I saw the possibilities of science. What I also saw was its obvious limits. I think the same thing goes for medicine.

Park: Love for people was the very foundation of Korea's medical development. If you look at the nation's modern history, the seed was planted by medical missionaries who risked their lives to come here. Korea should carry on the spirit of love.

By the way, I want to mention that medicine is very difficult. It is true that technologies are developing fast, but we are still far from "the world without diseases." The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak showed how powerless we were in fighting diseases, despite all the best technologies and resources we had.

Kim: Will Korea be able to grow into a biomedical innovator?

Noh: Korea's growing biomedical network and advances in research and development will create more opportunities for Korea's healthcare industry. So yes, I'm optimistic about that.

Over the past few years, I have focused more on educating doctors in other Asian countries, sharing information about gastric cancer treatment via online seminars and strengthening the network among participants.

Meanwhile, in collaboration with other experts, I have been conducting genome analysis of gastric cancer patients. I don't want to be too specific here, but if everything goes well, we will be able to tell if certain drugs are effective for certain patients by understanding how their genetic makeup responds to the treatment.

For many reasons, global pharmaceutical firms are keeping their eye on the Korean market. Whether Korea will be successful in the biomedical field depends on how it, especially young people, responds to opportunities out there.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey and the Democratic Union Party (PYD, the Kurdish political party) in Syria signed a temporary ceasefire agreement, the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reported Aug. 31.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Barack Obama will discuss the details of the temporary ceasefire during the G-20 summit to be held in China on September 3, the newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, the Turkish official sources have not confirmed the information on a temporary ceasefire with the PYD.

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.

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), the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.
Boryung Pharmaceutical President Choi Tae-hong speaks during an interview at the company office in Jongno, Seoul.

/ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



By Lee Kyung-min

Boryung Pharmaceutical President Choi Tae-hong said Thursday that he is seeking to expand sales of Kanarb, the first high blood pressure drug developed in Korea, globally amid fierce competition in a market dominated by multinational drug companies.

Boryung put 12 years of research and development along an investment of 50 billion-won ($41.7 million) into developing the hypertension drug, and the effort has borne fruit, with both domestic sales and exports rising.

Kanarb is an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), a type of drug that blocks the protein angiotensin II from binding to certain areas of blood vessels, thereby preventing blood vessels from being blocked.

"I believe Kanarb will be attractive to global pharmaceutical companies that are seeking to strengthen partnerships with their Korean counterparts for meaningful investment into research and development, following our drug's success in sales, reviews, as well as its clinical values proven through numerous clinical trials," Choi said in an interview at the company building in Seoul.

Since March 2011, one year after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's approval in 2010, the drug's domestic sales have more than tripled from 10 billion won to 32.7 billion won last year, with its accumulated overseas sales in 29 countries standing at $350 million as of last year.





Kanarb is the first high blood pressure drug developed in Korea by Boryung Pharmaceutical.

Courtesy of Boryung Pharmaceutical



In October 2011, Boryung signed a $30 million license-out deal with Mexico-based Stendhal to sell Kanarb in 13 South and Central American countries including Mexico, where it drew most success.

In the first week of August last year, Kanarb was the most prescribed medication by cardiovascular specialists there, taking up 18.8 percent of the prescriptions for high blood pressure. It was  and still remains  unprecedented for original drugs developed by a Korean company to top the most-prescribed drug list overseas, according to Choi.

"Many people in Mexico are suffering from high blood pressure due to obesity as well as their high sodium intake. I am glad our drug effectively helped patients there," he said.

Boryung signed a similar license-out deal worth $43 million with Brazil-based Ache in October 2012, and another worth $15 million with Russia-based R-Pharm in January 2013.

Kanarb is awaiting final reports from Russia's drug authorities following completion of three-phase clinical trials there, with sales approval expected within the year.

The latest deal worth $129 million was signed in June last year with Hong Kong-based Zuellig Pharma to sell Kanarb in 13 Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

So far, Kanarb was approved for sales in Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, and Guatemala, with the approval in five more countries expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Kanarb was also the first Korean developed drug for which Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency granted permission to begin a clinical test in June last year.

Currently, the phase-one clinical trial of Kanarb is also ongoing in the United States following approval by the Food and Drug Administration. In the U.S., 30 million people are suffering from both high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, which refers to increased levels of fats in the blood, a condition that significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular and arterial diseases.

Talks are underway with the German drug authorities as well to obtain necessary approvals to sell Kanab there.

Such success is attributable to clinical trials conducted on 37,473 people including 14,000 Koreans, according to Choi.

"The evidence-based analysis on the effectiveness and safety of Kanarb, which we have accumulated through clinical trials, is the source of our confidence in the drug. Based on the many sample cases, I believe Kanarb would effectively help treat patients overseas," he added.

As of 2014, the size of the world's pharmaceutical market was estimated at about $1.2 trillion, with annual growth rate of 6.2 percent over the past 10 years. Of the total, the hypertension drug market ($47.5 million) was the fourth largest sector following anti-cancer drugs ($74.4 million), anti-diabetics ($63.6 million), and painkillers ($59.8 million). The Korean pharmaceutical market accounted for 1.79 percent of the global market.

Meeting of hypertension experts

Boryung will introduce Kanarb at the 26th Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension, scheduled to be held from Sept. 24 to 29 at the COEX in southern Seoul.

Jointly hosted by the International Society of Hypertension, the Asian Pacific Society of Hypertension, and the Korean Society of Hypertension, the biennial forum is dedicated to research into the causes of hypertension and the best treatments for it.

The event will be attended by some 5,000 scientists, clinicians and healthcare workers including some 3,000 foreigners from more than 100 countries.

European countries and non-European countries take turns to hold the event. Korea is the second Asian country to host the event after Japan which organized it in 2006.

Boryung will have five sessions to introduce and discuss clinical studies on Kanarb and compare it to drugs made by multinational pharmaceutical firms.

Boryung expects this year's event will be as successful as 2014's International Society of Hypertension held in Athens, Greece, where the company organized a satellite symposium to introduce Kanarb, the first Korean pharmaceutical firm to do so.

"Unlike past forums where experts from only foreign countries introduced and marketed their drugs, this year's forum will be a prime opportunity for us to introduce Kanarb and promote the competitiveness of Korea-developed drugs," Choi said.
A weeping woman shows a picture of her late son at a press conference in front of the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul, Aug. 6. She and other bereaved families called on the ministry to help restore the honor of soldiers who died from hazing while serving their mandatory military service. / Yonhap



Activists urge military to uphold human rights



By Park Ji-won, Chung Hyun-chae, Nam Hyun-woo



Koreans are outraged over the death of an Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, who suffered brutal abuse and violence at the hands of his superiors.



Yoon, who belonged to the Army's 28th Division, was brutally beaten by five senior soldiers, then put on an IV drip to recover  only to be beaten again and endure more torture before his death in April.



Ranking military officials and politicians have vowed to uphold soldiers' rights and prevent future tragedies by establishing a human rights council within the armed forces.



For some men who have already completed their mandatory military service, however, Yoon's story came as no surprise. They have experienced, witnessed, or at least heard of similar cases.



An office worker in Seoul, surnamed Lee, 32, finished his military service in 2007. His superiors subjected him to abuse too, he recalls.



"I still don't understand why I was beaten," he said.



Lee, then a private, was responsible for managing an ammunition depot. He worked with a sergeant, who was younger than him and constantly picked fights to remind Lee of his inferior rank.



"I'm younger than you," the sergeant repeatedly pointed out to Lee. "Is that a problem for you?"



The sergeant often kicked Lee in the stomach and punched him in the neck when

they were alone in the depot.



"I never said anything about his age, but he picked fights with me and repeatedly attacked me," Lee said.



Lee required medical treatment for his injuries, but the sergeant bullied him into remaining silent about how he got his bruises and why he was bleeding. The assaults continued until the sergeant was discharged.



"If I ever met him again, I would definitely have him killed," Lee said.





A soldier holds a rifle while attending a special lecture on human rights at an Army camp in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, Aug. 8. All soldiers are required to attend such lectures amid mounting criticism over hazing in the barracks following the death of an army private first class, surnamed Yoon, who suffered from brutal abuse from his colleagues. / Yonhap



"I still suffer trauma, but there is no one I can complain to about this and get redress," he added. "The government should also come up with measures to help victims like me."



Kim, 28, who was discharged from the Army two years ago, said he had witnessed hazing.



"Many say there is no violence in the military anymore, but I don't believe that," Kim said.



"Some people are slow to understand or do something. And one of my colleagues was like that. Superiors always used foul language when talking to him, and often they even cursed his parents and attacked him."



The victim was bullied for absurd reasons, Kim recalls.



"Verbal abuse and assaults happened because the victim did not follow stupid customs, which obviously had nothing to do with improving combat readiness," he said.



For example, Kim said his colleague was forced to lick shoe polish because his boots were not shiny enough. Another colleague reported the violence to a ranking officer, and the victim was transferred to another barracks. The attackers were sent to the guardhouse.



"It was a rare case, given that other units' officers tend to cover things up to evade close investigation, because officers don't want a mess," he said. "I heard from one of my friends that his colleague committed suicide because of hazing, but the death was recorded as an accident."



Kim declined to elaborate.



An office worker, surnamed Gil, 28, said one of his colleagues served time in the guardhouse for beating an underling.



"While on night duty, he ordered a private first class not to move off a small tile on the floor.



A single move outside of the tile's borders would be followed by assaults," Gil recalled.



Noh, 24, a college senior who completed his service last year, witnessed sexual violence. The victim was a private first class and the perpetrator was a corporal.



"The private first class reported the corporal's deed to the authorities, and the offender was given a military prison term and transferred to a different unit," he said.



These stories are a source of anxiety for young men who still face conscription, and for their parents.



College student Oh, 21, finished his four weeks of basic military training on Aug. 1. Now he works at a food company as part of an alternative civilian service program.



Though he braved the training without any problem, his parents were not as brave.



"Even though the training lasted only a month, I couldn't help worrying about my son," said his mother, surnamed Yoo. "Who knows if something bad will happen within that short time?



"In the photo my son sent, some of his colleagues had tattoos on their arms. After I saw that, I started to worry. What if they bully my son?" she said.



"Other parents [whose sons don't qualify for alternative programs] must have bigger worries, but I also worry about my son's safety."



According to data from the Ministry of National Defense, between 2003 and last year, 874 servicemen died either as a result of suicide or accidents. An average of 80 men died every year.



Human rights activists have long urged the government to take action on violence and bullying in the military. But the response remains tepid, consisting only of vague orders.



In 2012, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) suggested guidelines to safeguard servicemen's human rights. Those were the strongest measures the agency believed it was capable of taking, but apparently they were insufficient.



The NHRC's role is limited  it can only make suggestions, not binding regulations. However, critics say the watchdog should have been more active in carrying out its duties  at the very least, it could have disclosed problems to the public.



It was the Center for Military Human Rights that revealed the details of Yoon's case

to the media.



"We have repeatedly urged the military to open itself to the public, allowing civilian human rights experts to visit the barracks and meet with soldiers," said Lim Tae-hoon, a representative of the center. "However, the military kept saying no to civilian experts  that it would handle intra-military matters by itself."
A woman pushes a stroller away from a cafe after being asked to leave. More restaurants and cafes are refusing patrons with children for etiquette and safety reasons. / Korea Times file



Restaurants' ban on children stirs pro-and-con debate



By Baek Byung-yeul, Kwon Ji-youn

A local court recently ruled that two restaurants should pay 10 million won and 47 million won to two children, respectively, who were scalded while dining. One child ran into a restaurant employee carrying hot water and another was burned by charcoal fire.

Once the verdict was announced, some restaurant owners started to refuse customers with children as they didn't want to be held responsible for any accidents their child could cause. This issue has emerged as a hotbed for online debate ever since.

Korea isn't the first to join the movement. In two U.S. states, Texas and Pennsylvania, restaurants have banned kids, while cafes in Berlin have created child-free zones for their patrons. Some have even barred strollers, which are considered safety hazards in densely populated areas such as malls or restaurants.

Even some airlines are following suit. Malaysia Air banned children under two from flying first class, while AsiaAir created a "quiet zone" for fliers above the age of 12.

Restaurant owners blame children for reckless behaviors in a potentially dangerous environment involving fire and other cooking equipment, as well as disturbing other patrons' dining experience.

The question is this: Do parents have the right to bring their children to cafes and restaurants, where they are at risk of getting burned, where they may be bothersome to fellow patrons? Or do restaurants have the right to refuse patrons with children for safety and etiquette reasons?

Many parents with children protested, saying that this is a violation of equal rights.

Choi Jung-soon, who raised two children, aged six and eight, said this is a clear example of an equal rights violation.

"My kids have the right to enter any cafe or restaurant," the 33-year-old Seoulite said.





A sign posted on the door of a restaurant located in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, bars children who are elementary-school age or younger.

/ Korea Times



"People who say parents bringing their toddlers to restaurants do not discipline children inside and let their kids run loose, but this is completely wrong.

"I definitely do try to pay attention to my kids, making sure they don't go on a rampage inside a restaurant, but they should understand that kids aren't able to completely control themselves," she said.

Heo Eun-mi, a 32-year-old mom, hadn't heard about the movement to ban kids until recently.

"When I heard that a group of restaurants were banning kids, I thought to myself, no way,' because my kid loves to eat out" she said. "Before such a policy takes effect across the city, restaurants should designate child-friendly zones, where families with children can dine free from the glares of childless patrons and the narrow confines of a restaurant."

She stressed that this should be the first step restaurant owners take before implementing a no kids' policy.

"Then, at least they've made an effort to satisfy all customers. We're customers, too," she said. "If that still didn't work, then sure, ban kids. Also, where else will kids learn proper restaurant etiquette?"

She emphasized that with a little caution, restaurant owners and parents will definitely be able to find a way to coexist.

"I think the responsibility falls with both parties. Parents should be a little more attentive, and restaurant employees should be a little more careful," she said. "That's as simple as it gets."

Another mother, with a seven-year-old daughter, said she had to order take-out at a coffee shop because her daughter wasn't allowed in, but she didn't mind.

"When I saw the news, the first thought that came to my mind was, aren't the parents responsible for the safety of their children?'" she said on condition of anonymity. "How are restaurant owners supposed to control children while working?"

Jeong Soon-ok, a college student, does admit that her experience at a restaurant in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, wasn't all that enjoyable because of a child who walked from table to table stealing peoples' salt and pepper shakers.

"At first it was cute, but when the meals were served, we needed the salt shaker. So we took it from him and he just fell on his bottom and started screaming," she said. "The mother then came and started telling us off for forcibly taking the child's toy' away. I didn't know what to say in response."

Jeong recalled another incident in where a child slipped while running in a dining room.

"I remember the mother started yelling at the employees for wiping the floor down with a wet mop," she said. "I thought to myself, should they have used a dry mop?'"

Ryu Seung-min, who runs a Korean-style barbeque restaurant in Seoul, agrees with ban, adding that "parents sometimes just cannot control their children."

"I don't implement that kind of policy in my restaurant as my customers are mostly office workers, but I definitely agree with the food establishments that do ban kids," said the restaurant owner.

"I think parents who bring their children to restaurants and don't pay attention to them seem to not understand how dangerous this place actually is. They should know that we are dealing with hot food that could burn someone if dropped.

"In addition, parents who don't even try to control their careless kids are unaware they are disturbing those around them. They may have gotten used to their loud kids but this doesn't apply to the customers around them," he said.

Ryu also pointed out the necessity of campaigns urging parents to better observe public etiquette while in restaurants.

"I guess we need to find common ground between owners and parents. I think educating parents the virtue of paying more attention to their kids while dining is a good, first step," he said.

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRC) states that it is illegal for a business to ban children from entering restaurants, adding that it is against the rights of equality.

However, this presents a catch-22. If restaurants ban children, then these establishments are breaking the existing laws. But if a restaurant has put forth clear grounds as to why it restricts access to kids, then there is no way to impose sanctions on the offending restaurant.

To illustrate this point, NHRC dismissed a case in 2010 filed by an anonymous informant that a restaurant implements a "no kids" policy in their judgment that the restaurant had clear reason to do so.

"As long as we, restaurant owners, are responsible for any accidents involving children, it is crystal-clear that more and more restaurants and cafes will adopt the no kids' policy," Ryu added.
Typhoon Lionrock landed in northern Japan, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to Korea. / AFP - Yonhap



By Lee Jin-a

Typhoon Lionrock slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday night, killing at least 10 people and causing heavy rain and strong winds along the Korean Peninsula.

At Ulleung Island, 120 kilometers east of the Korean Peninsula, nearly 400 millimeters of rain were recorded over four days, causing landslides. One person was injured and 12 houses and 15 vehicles damaged.

Some coastal roads in Goseong County and Gangneung, Gangwon Province, were damaged by high waves while a record-setting wind gust of 25.1 meters a second hit Jeju Island.

The Korean weather bureau said it will continue to rain until Wednesday afternoon and the mercury will drop to 19 degrees Celsius in the central region. In the northern region, the rain will continue until Thursday morning.

As the typhoon moved north across Japan on Tuesday night, it developed into a low-pressure system in the East Sea, bringing strong winds and heavy rain over the peninsula. The death toll in Japan included nine people from an elderly people's home, police said. Around 3 a.m. Wednesday, the typhoon dissipated at sea, 270 kilometers east of Vladivostok, Russia.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said warm air will flow into Korea, along with a southeast wind, on Thursday and the mercury will rise again. It predicted Seoul's temperature will reach 29 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 29 on Friday and 28 on Saturday.

"From Thursday noon, the weather will be hot again," the KMA said. "However, strong winds will continue to strike the country, so citizens should take special care of their crops and facilities."
A Thai man was charged on Tuesday with six counts of arson in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. He was caught on security camera footage near the scene of one of the fires on July 17. / Yonhap



By Lee Jin-a

A Thai worker has been charged with six counts of arson at a farm in the city of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.

Namyangju Police said Tuesday the man, 24, was charged for allegedly setting fire to greenhouses six times, causing 150 million won ($130,400) damage.

In April, the man reportedly met an Indian worker while they were farming at a greenhouse in Sangpae-dong in the city. He claimed the Indian man, 53, suggested they set fire to the greenhouses because the owners insulted the Indian and did not allow him to drink alcohol.

From Apr. 29 to 31, the Thai allegedly burned greenhouses in Ilpae-dong in the city three times and set a fire in the same area once a month from May to July. Among the six cases, the Indian was allegedly involved in three. But the illegal Indian migrant was deported on July 18 after he was caught driving a motorcycle without a license.

"The Thai has admitted most of the allegations," police said. "Even though the man blames his accomplice, we think he is trying to shift the responsibility to the Indian because he knows that his accomplice is out of the country."

Police have issued a warrant for the deported man's arrest.
By Jun Ji-hye

The Japanese government transferred 1 billion yen ($9.7 million), Wednesday, to a foundation established by the Korean government to help Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery during the Japanese occupation (1910-45), according to diplomatic sources.

The Reconciliation and Healing Foundation was established late last month in Seoul under a landmark deal reached between the two countries in December to "finally and irreversibly" resolve the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery. In the agreement, Tokyo vowed to provide 1 billion yen from its national budget for the Korean victims.

The transfer came a week after the Japanese government endorsed a plan to contribute 1 billion yen to the foundation during a Cabinet meeting.

The foundation plans to offer 100 million won in cash to each of the 46 surviving victims and 20 million won to the families of 199 deceased victims.

The measure comes 25 years after the issue first came under the spotlight in 1991 when a former sex slave, the late Kim Hak-soon, first testified publicly.

During a bilateral meeting held on Aug. 24 in Tokyo, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida agreed to "faithfully" enforce the deal.












By Kim Bo-eun



Concerns are widening over a mass hepatitis C infection, as another case was confirmed in Sunchang County, North Jeolla Province, Wednesday.



This is the third case of hepatitis C this year alone, and the fourth since December.



Regional health authorities confirmed a mass infection in a town in the rural region, with the number of patients estimated at up to 200.



They suspect the patients were infected after receiving treatments from unlicensed dental and Oriental medicine practitioners. Previous mass infections had occurred at single medical institutions, mainly from the reuse of syringes.



An official of the public medical center in Sunchang said the patients received treatments from people who go from village to village in rural regions and perform acupuncture or dental procedures at low prices for elderly residents.



"So we suspect the infections have been taking place over a long time by a number of unlicensed practitioners who may have reused their equipment or poorly sterilized it," he said. "Other rural villages with large elderly populations may also be affected."



Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus, which affects the liver. The virus is spread by blood-to-blood contact and is often associated with poor hygiene of medical equipment.



The latest case is shedding light on the loophole of government measures against mass hepatitis C infections, which focus on strong monitoring of hospital hygiene and infection control but miss regulating unlicensed medical treatments. The measures came from previous cases where large numbers of patients were infected at one hospital each time.



On Aug. 22, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed that 508 people who were treated at JS Clinic in Dongjak-gu, southern Seoul, were infected with hepatitis C. In February, 435 cases at Hanyang Orthopedic Clinic in Wonju, Gangwon Province, were confirmed, following nearly 100 at Dana Hyeondae Clinic in Yangcheon-gu, southwestern Seoul, in December.




By Kang Seung-woo



Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said Wednesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is having trouble collecting funds to govern the country due to the latest international sanctions.



He also said the nation's inter-Korean policy is not shifting toward a North Korean regime change although President Park Geun-hye recently indicated the possibility.



"Although it is not easy to exactly figure out the situation, North Korea's governing funds have decreased and its leadership, including Kim, is under pressure due to the sanctions and has difficulty in ruling the country," Hong told the Yonhap News during his trip to Kazakhstan for a denuclearization conference.



In March, the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council imposed a broad array of sanctions on the repressive state for its nuclear test in January and long-range rocket test the following month  both of which violated U.N. resolutions.



Hong added that the international sanctions have contributed to reducing the North's trade with China, its economic lifeline as well as a diplomatic protector.



"According to an economic indicator, the trade volume between China and North Korea has been on the decline since April and it is mainly thanks to the international sanctions," he said.



The minister also said recent defections of high-ranking North Korea diplomats, including Thae Yong-ho, who fled to Seoul with his family in late July, are due to the international punishment. Along with Thae, a diplomat at the North Korean embassy in Russia allegedly escaped to South Korea in July with his wife and son.



"As the North Korean regime is suffering from a cash shortage due to the sanctions, it is pressing overseas workers to obtain hard currency and send the money home. Such a situation seems to have brought about recent defections," Hong said.



North Korea has dispatched more than 50,000 workers abroad, mainly in China and Russia, as it seeks to earn hard currency to avoid economic difficulties under international sanctions, according to a U.N. report. The North is suspected of using the money to bankroll its nuclear and missile programs.



Recently, President Park said the North is showing serious signs of cracks and a higher likelihood of unrest, raising speculation among observers that Park's remarks might imply her recognition of the possibility that the North Korean regime change could occur.



However, Hong said Seoul cannot set the North Korean regime change as its policy toward the North.



"The North Korean regime has taken an abnormal path, sticking to the nuclear weapons program, which will lead to deeper diplomatic isolation. In this respect, we are urging the North to abandon its nuclear program and return to the international community," he said.



He also urged the North to follow in the footsteps of Kazakhstan's denuclearization.



"After giving up its nuclear program, Kazakhstan made economic developments thanks to the international community's economic support. The North must follow suit," Hong added.




By Lee Kyung-min



The health authorities confirmed Korea's third cholera infection on Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday.



A man, surnamed Kim, 64, who had diarrhea for more than a week, tested positive for the waterborne acute diarrheal disease, following the nation's first case in 15 years on Aug. 23, and the second on Aug. 25. The three all ate seafood produced on Geoje Island.



According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), Kim's symptoms appeared on Aug. 21, two days after he and his wife purchased squid and sardines at a fish market on Geoje and ate them at home. He said he blanched the squid and roasted the sardines.



Kim first visited a clinic to be treated for diarrhea on Aug. 24, and was hospitalized the next day after his symptoms grew worse including acute kidney failure following dehydration caused by diarrhea.



Last Friday, he was transferred to an ICU at Dong-a University Hospital in Busan. After testing positive for cholera on Tuesday, he was moved to an isolation ward. But his condition improved and he was released Wednesday.



Kim's wife, 61, who also had diarrhea after eating the fish, tested negative.



Authorities collected utensils and cooking equipment from their home for inspection, checking whether the foods might not have been thoroughly cooked or the ingredients might have been contaminated during cooking. Additional tests will be conducted on people who had contact with Kim including doctors, nurses, hospital staffers and other patients.



The KCDC has yet to determine how or from where the bacteria came, as the strain of the bacteria found in the first two patients was the first of its kind reported in Korea.



It said the three patients were infected with Vibrio cholerae El Tor biotype, and DNA fingerprinting is underway to determine whether the genotype of the bacteria from the third patient matches that of the first two.



If the genotype matches, the source of the infections may be contaminated coastal water near Geoje Island, according to the KCDC.



"Considering that all the three had seafood produced on Geoje, the primary cause of infection might be from eating seafood contaminated by the already polluted water along limited parts of the coast," a KCDC official said.



Widespread contamination of the coastal water is unlikely, as no other neighboring regions have reported the same infection, she added.



In 2001, 162 people were infected with cholera in the Gyeongsang region due to contaminated coastal water as well, according to the KCDC.



The first patient this year was a 59-year-old man living in Gwangju. He ate sushi and marinated crabs during a trip to Geoje. The second patient, a 73-year-old woman living on Geoje, ate mackerel at her church.




By Choi Sung-jin



The United States, which is stepping up sanctions against North Korea, may switch to dialogue with the North before long, and South Korea should be ready for it, an expert said Tuesday.



"Inferring from a recent series of circumferential changes, we cannot rule out the possibility that Washington positively responds to Pyongyang's calls for talk and speeds up discussion for concluding a peace treaty," said Professor Chung Han-beom of the Korea National Defense University at a seminar on national security. "Seoul should be able to preemptively respond to the possibility of such a policy shift."



Professor Chung quoted the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs as saying in May: "The U.S. is focusing on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the only way to attain it is negotiation."



Chung noted that although Washington is focusing on tightening sanctions against North Korea, such a hard-line policy cannot last forever, as seen in the cases of Iran and Cuba. "Rather, such a strong-arm tactic often opens the way for dialogue," he said.



The expert recalled that the U.S. shifted from "strategic patience" to aggressive sanctions in the wake of the North's nuclear test earlier this year. "Although the U.S. government will step up sanctions in the short run, Washington is more likely to shift to tactics to denuclearize the peninsula by discussing the peace treaty instead of adopting the highly risky course of regime change in the reclusive state," he said.



The South Korean government, too, will need to prepare its position for such a development, Chung said. "There are heaps of tasks facing Seoul, including who will be the signatories of the peace treaty," he said.




Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The ceasefire between Turkey and the Democratic Union Party (PYD, the Kurdish political party) in Syria is out of question, Omer Celik, Turkish minister for EU affairs, said in an interview with Anadolu agency Aug. 31.

Celik added that Turkey's position regarding PYD is clear, it is a terrorist organization and it will be fully destroyed.

Some media outlets reported Aug. 31 that Turkey and PYD in Syria signed a temporary ceasefire agreement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Barack Obama will discuss the details of the temporary ceasefire during the G-20 summit to be held in China on September 3, media reported earlier.

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.

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), the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.
By Kim Se-jeong

An Asiatic black bear, which came to South Korea in 1999 as a gift from North Korea, died of old age on Tuesday, according to Seoul Zoo, Wednesday. The bear, named Eutteumi, was presumed to be 20 years old.

She was one of the five Asiatic black bears inhabiting the zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.

The zoo said it will perform an autopsy to identify the exact cause of her death. The life expectancy of Asiatic black bears is usually 25 years.

The bear was a symbol of inter-Korean cultural exchanges as the two Koreas exchanged wild, native animals in 1999. North Korea donated Eutteumi and a male bear to the South as a gift along with a tiger, red foxes and silver foxes.

Eutteumi, which was presumed to be three years old when she arrived, was blind when she got here.

During her time at the zoo, she had six cubs, two each in 2006, 2009 and 2011. One has been living with her at the zoo, while the other five were sent to Mt. Jiri for the National Park Service's project to recover the habitat for the bears. As the bears on the mountain have bred in the wild, there are now 44 bears currently roaming around the mountain.

Her male companion bear died in December 2012, and Eutteumi began having epileptic seizures since June, according to the zoo.
Nearly two dozen countries around the world host North Korean laborers that the communist regime is accused of forcing into harsh working conditions to earn hard currency for its nuclear and missile programs, a U.S. State Department report showed Tuesday.



The list of 23 countries, including China, Russia, Singapore and Thailand, was included in the department's recent report to Congress that details U.S. strategy to promote initiatives to enhance international awareness of and address the human rights situation in the North.



Yonhap News Agency obtained the Aug. 24-dated report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.



It was believed to be the most comprehensive list of countries hosting North Korean workers that the U.S. government has ever put together. The list could put pressure on those countries to end such practices at a time when labor export has become an increasingly important source of hard currency for Pyongyang.



The 23 countries are Angola, Burma, Cambodia, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Laos, Poland, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Senegal, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.



About 50,000-60,000 North Koreans are believed to be toiling overseas, mainly in the mining, logging, textile and construction industries. The average wage was stated as USD$120 to $150 per month, but in most cases employing firms paid salaries directly to the North's government.



The North reportedly receives more than $100 million from this system per year.



They are also reportedly forced to work usually between 12 and 16 hours, and sometimes up to 20 hours, per day, with only one or two rest days per month. Health and safety measures are often inadequate, and workers are given insufficient food.



The report is the latest in a series of measures by Washington to increase pressure on Pyongyang over its human rights record. In July, the U.S. imposed its first-ever sanctions on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for his role in the country's human rights violations.



"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is one of the world's most repressive countries," the State Department said in the latest report. "The government seeks to dominate all aspects of its citizens' lives, and it restricts the exercise of fundamental freedoms, including freedoms of expression, religion, peaceful assembly, association and movement."



The department outlined its strategy for addressing the situation in the North, largely in three categories: efforts to promote international awareness of the abuses in the North, including helping defectors to share their experiences; providing outside information to North Korean people; and promoting accountability among North Korean officials.



"Those responsible for serious human rights violations in the DPRK must be held accountable," the department said. "While full accountability is a long-term goal, we continue to seek opportunities to promote accountability and to remind DPRK officials that they will be held responsible for their actions."



July's U.S. blacklisting of North Korean leader Kim and his aides was part of such efforts, it said.



The department vowed to "continue to collect and evaluate information with the goal of identifying more individuals, at all levels, associated with human rights abuses."



In a section about countries that forcibly repatriate North Korean refugees, the report only said that there were reports this year that North Korean refugees were arrested in Vietnam and handed over to Chinese authorities, and that non-governmental organizations continue to report that repatriations took place along the China-North Korea border.



North Korea has long been labeled as one of the worst human rights violators. The communist regime does not tolerate dissent, holds hundreds of thousands of people in political prison camps and keeps tight control over outside information.



But the North has bristled at such criticism, calling it a U.S.-led attempt to topple its regime. (Yonhap)








North Korea plans to build ICBM launch pads on trains, a method similar to that used in Russia. / Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Han-soo

North Korea is building intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch pads on trains, the U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) said Wednesday.

"Technicians from the second economic committee have been building a mobile ICBM launch pad since May," a North Korean citizen living in Gangwon Province said. "The factory makes six freight trains a month and will be used as ICBM mobile launch pads."

The trains were customized to withstand missile launches, the source said.

The construction of the mobile missile launch pads comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un emphasized in March the need to diversify the country's nuclear attack capability.

"North Korea has no other way but to produce such pads as China has suspended the exports of large-scale vehicles capable of handling mobile missile pads," RFA said.

But another North Korean source questioned the effect of the mobile missile pads due to the country's outdated and unmaintained railroads.
By Yi Whan-woo



A new law aimed at protecting human rights in North Korea is embroiled in a dispute over excluding North Koreans who have defected to third countries as its beneficiaries.



Critics said Wednesday that the law, which will take effect on Monday, should be revised and the scope of beneficiaries should be broadened at the earliest date.



They cited Article 3 of the law that defined its targeted beneficiaries as "Those who live on the northern side of the Military Demarcation Line and have families, spouses, jobs and other basis for living there."



The Ministry of Unification said North Korean diplomats and workers abroad also fall in the category of beneficiaries.



Critics claimed that the law defines "North Korean people" too narrowly.



But some progressive-mined lawmakers have been against altering the definition, citing the conservative Park Geun-hye administration's possible exploitation of North Korean defectors in foreign countries for political purposes.



For instance, liberal lawmakers and activists suspected the government of "orchestrating" a mass defection in April of North Koreans working at a restaurant owned by their regime in China as part of a strategy to win in the general elections.



"I don't perfectly agree with the idea that the government will exploit defectors in third countries but the law definitely should be revised to help North Koreans effectively," said Paik Hak-soon, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute.



Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, suggested including the defectors as beneficiaries only if they have not acquired citizenship or permanent residency in foreign nations.



"It can be controversial to meddle in the human rights of North Koreans who legally have become citizens of countries other than North or South Korea," he said.



An Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies, disagreed.



"All North Koreans in third countries should be subjected to help under the law regardless of their citizenship as long as they have families and relatives in the dictatorial regime," he said. "By helping North Koreans in foreign countries, we may also have a chance to help their loved ones in the North to flee from there."



Shin Yul, a political professor at Yongin University, cited human trafficking, prostitution and other crimes against North Korean defectors in China as a reason to protect them under the law.



The Ministry of Unification said the government is not considering altering the law for the time being although it is aware of the controversy concerning the definition of "North Korean people."



Meanwhile, critics of the law claim that revising the definition will be important for the government to support NGOs and other advocates of North Koreans in foreign countries.



Under the law, a humanitarian foundation will be set up to oversee and help public and private organizations tasked with helping North Koreans.



"It would be nonsense if the human rights activists for North Koreans do not receive financial support from the government sufficiently just because they are specialized in helping North Koreans in foreign countries," an activist said on condition of anonymity.




The nation's top court on Tuesday returned to a lower court a ruling that convicted the chairman of Taekwang Group on charges of embezzlement.

Lee Ho-jin was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison at the Seoul High Court in December 2012 for a series of corruption charges, including misappropriation of some tens of billions of won through manipulating books on textile sales.

He allegedly created slush funds by selling the products without recording them in the books and underreporting the amount of products produced.

While finding Lee guilty of the charges, the Supreme Court said the appellate court should recalculate the amount misappropriated.

The chairman, meanwhile, has been released on bail since June 2012 for health problems. (Yonhap)
By Na Jeong-ju

This year alone, North Korea has conducted missile tests 15 times  all in violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

The tests, which were mainly with Rodong and Musudan mid-range ballistic missiles with ranges up to 3,000 kilometers, were carried out after its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, through which the North was believed to have acquired technology to miniaturize nuclear warheads.

In June, a Musudan missile reached space and then re-entered Earth's atmosphere before falling into targeted waters.

That meant that North Korea had overcome the two hardest obstacles in developing a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile  re-entry and warhead miniaturization technologies.

It is also making significant progress in developing technology to carry out a nuclear strike from the sea. The success of its latest submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test on Aug. 24 suggests its missile technology has taken a big leap. Missile experts say North Korea is only two years from possible deployment of the SLBM.

If North Korea successfully deploys an SLBM equipped with a miniaturized nuclear warhead, it would allow the country to conduct nuclear attacks in various ways.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was not exaggerating when he declared that his country now has the full capacity to carry out nuclear attacks following the successful SLBM test.

North Korea's nuclear threats have come closer to reality, but what is happening in South Korea looks quite surreal.

The nation is divided over the government's plan to deploy a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery next year as one of the options to counter the North's evolving threats.

Political parties have issued statements to oppose or back the planned deployment, but no statement was issued from any party to denounce North Korea's SLBM test.

Politicians are talking about unrealistic ideas. For example, some ruling party lawmakers called for the development of a nuclear-powered submarine to counter the North's SLBM missiles. The government is even being asked to consider turning the plutonium used in nuclear power plants into a workable bomb.

Last week, President Park Geun-hye ordered the military to develop effective measures to counter the North's increasing nuclear and missile capabilities. However, the problem is that the South has few options because it is not allowed to possess or develop the necessary weapons.

What about military options?

The South Korean military recently vowed to reinforce its capabilities for pre-emptive strikes on North Korea's missile and nuclear facilities. To that end, 13 kinds of weapons, including the Global Hawk unmanned aerial aircraft and the Taurus long-range air-to-ground missile, will be deployed by 2021 as part of the Kill Chain system. This is designed to carry out a preemptive strike against Pyongyang if Seoul is faced with an imminent threat.

This is just a scenario, but the North Korean nuclear threat will be a more urgent issue to the next leaders of South Korea and the United States.

For its part, the U.S. has long taken an approach known as "strategic patience" in handling North Korea's crisis-escalation tactics.

That was mainly because North Korea's missile technology was not advanced enough to directly strike the U.S. with a nuclear weapon.

But the recent tests showed that North Korea is becoming a "practical" threat and is no longer a "theoretical" threat to the U.S. Pyongyang is now seemingly testing all the key components needed for an attack more openly and more aggressively.

Surely, the next U.S. administration will see the North Korean threat as a more urgent priority because the North is poised to develop a long-range nuclear strike capability in the coming years. Such a development will generate greater pressure on the allies to consider decisive action, possibly including military options.
Heo Seong-joo, director of the Seoul National University

Dental Hospital

By Jun Ji-hye

Heo Seong-joo, director of the Seoul National University Dental Hospital, has received a presidential citation for his hospital's free clinics for multicultural families.

The hospital was recognized for contributing to helping multicultural families better settle down here.

Beginning with Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, in 2010, the hospital has been visiting all over the nation nine times a year and operating free medical centers.

The hospital has operated the free clinics a total of 57 times so far and has treated over 7,000 patients for free.

The awards ceremony took place Monday at a hotel in Daegu during a gathering of members of multicultural families nationwide.

"We began the free clinics to help multicultural families live in Korea with stability," Heo told reporters. "This award means a great deal to me and to the entire staff of the hospital who have fulfilled their responsibilities."

Heo, who became the director of the hospital on July 29, received the award on the behalf of the hospital, but Heo himself was also deeply moved because it was him who designed the project for the free treatment in 2010. At the time he was in charge of a planning and cooperation office at the hospital. He then supervised the project until 2013.

"The Seoul National University Dental Hospital has offered free treatment to the vulnerable such as the disabled and senior citizens who live alone, but there was no program for members of multicultural families," he told reporters. "So, I began the project after consultation with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family."

He added that he also asked Lina Korea, a local life insurance unit of U.S. insurer Cigna, for help.

About 20 members of the medical staff have been participating in the project. They stay in Seoul and its surrounding areas for a day, and stay for three days when they go to rural areas.

Heo said the program usually takes place over the weekends, which requires sacrifice from the staff, but they volunteer to go. He also noted that the free clinics offer most dental treatments such as extraction of a tooth and periodontal treatment.

He stressed that there is no need for those from multicultural families to be discriminated against only because they are not fluent in Korean and look different.

"All citizens should make the effort to be good neighbors to them," he said.
Models promote ASUS's new premium laptops  including ZenBook 3, Transformer 3 and

Transformer 3 Pro  at a launch event at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, Wednesday.

/ Courtesy of ASUS Korea



By Lee Min-hyung

ASUS has released its new premium laptops here, increasing its presence in the high-end electronics market.

The Taiwanese computer brand has drawn favorable customer response in Korea for its cost-effective portable computers and tablets. Asus' Transformer 2-in-1 laptop has been particularly popular because the tablet/laptop hybrid runs on Windows and Android operating systems.

The company unveiled its three premium laptops Wednesday, in a move to generate more revenue and raise its relatively weak profile in the high-end PC market. The new products include ZenBook 3, Transformer 3 and its professional version, Transformer 3 Pro.

But ASUS faces stiff competition in Korea where domestic electronics giants  Samsung and LG  take up the lion's share of the laptop and mobile devices market. In particular, Samsung Electronics held a 50.7 percent market share in PCs last year, according to data from market researcher Gartner.

But ASUS remains optimistic of its success here, leveraging the strong early adopter base coming from the nation's leading technology infrastructure.

"Our new premium laptops will be a must for many early adopters and prosumers," Jason Wu, systems business head for ASUS Korea, said at the launch in central Seoul. "We expect strong demand from young and women users who want to buy well-designed devices with high performance."

ZenBook 3 is equipped with Intel's Core i7 processor. The 0.95-kilogram laptop comes with a price tag of 1.799 million won ($1,612). The Transformer 3 hybrid features a 12.6-inch wide quad high-definition (WQHD) display and is priced at 1.249 million won.
By Lee Min-hyung



The Korean government faces mounting calls to mimic the European Commission (EC) which ordered Apple to pay record-high back taxes.



The European watchdog on Tuesday ordered the iPhone maker to pay $14.5 billion (16.17 trillion won) in back taxes, as the company is suspected of receiving preferential tax benefits from the government of Ireland for its business in Europe.



Officials here said the EC decision should come as alarm bells for its Korean counterpart, as some global IT giants _ including Apple and Google _ have been at the center of controversies over their suspected tax dodging here.



Critics say the government has taken too passive and lenient an approach toward globally renowned tech giants due to concerns over the consequences that such sanctions would have on the nation's economy.



"The nation's watchdogs have so far failed to collect taxes accordingly from such global IT giants, as they are not fully bound by Korean law in their business operations here," said an official from a major electronics company. "The government needs to be stricter on the companies just like the EC was."



Still, most industry officials are doubtful about the government shifting its stance toward the tech giants.



"To be honest, it would be almost impossible for the Korean government to shift their stance on such globally dominating firms, given their massive impact on the nation's economy," another IT company official said.



He cited the nation's heavy reliance on the mobile industry as the key reason.



"The Korean economy depends largely on mobile-related industries," he said. "In case the government imposes any hefty penalty on iOS and Android operators, the aftermath would be massive. Even if the government collects more taxes from the tech giants, it does more harm than good once the two companies shift their policies on the Korean market as a retaliatory action."



Korea is famous for its widespread telecommunication and mobile infrastructure, but the one-sided development can sometimes be poisonous as well, he said.



"In particular, Android devices take up more than 90 percent of the smartphone market in Korea, which translates into the fact that Korea is relying massively on Google," he said.



"For Apple, Korea is not that profitable a market compared to other Asian powerhouses including China and Japan. If the government imposes tough sanctions on Apple, the company may choose to withdraw its Korean business. This will put a damper on the nation's economy."




SK Telecom Device Supporting Division Executive Vice President Park Il-hwan, center, promotes the artificial intelligence (AI)-based home assistant service NUGU during a press conference at the company's headquarters in Euljiro, central Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of SK Telecom



By Yoon Sung-won



SK Telecom unveiled Wednesday the nation's first artificial intelligence (AI)-based home assistant dubbed "NUGU," which recognizes Korean language, in Korea.



Starting from the AI home assistant service, which can be compared to Amazon Echo and Google Home, the nation's largest telecom company said it will boost collaboration with third-party enterprises to expand to more diverse applications such as automobiles, wearable devices and humanoid robots.



"The voice-based user interface (UI) is much more natural than the touch UI because users do not need to learn the controls," SK Telecom Device Supporting Division Executive Vice President Park Il-hwan said during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. "Starting from the introduction of NUGU, we will incorporate our AI-based technologies and services into our devices to offer greater values to our customers."



The telecom company said it has conducted the research and development of original technologies such as AI, speech recognition and natural language processing since 2012. It has combined natural language processing, big data analysis, cloud computing, machine learning and the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to realize the AI system.



NUGU will be first applied to a cylinder-shaped device consists of speaker, microphone and processor parts. SK Telecom has tapped into the Astell & Kern sound tuning technology of its subsidiary iriver to optimize the speaker unit's sound production.



Once the device is connected to the cloud network through the wireless Internet, users can give verbal orders so as to make the device play music, control smart home devices such as electric receptacles, gas valve locks, air purifiers and dehumidifiers. The company said it will improve the device to support more diverse services such as mobile navigation T-map and Internet protocol TV Btv.



The users can also ask for information such as weather condition and personal schedules and the device answers in the voice of young female through the text-to-speech function. SK Telecom said it plan to offer more diverse voice options in the future.



However, the AI device has limitations.



Though the company promoted that the device can be used to place orders for food delivery or online shopping malls, it does not have voice identification and security functions for commerce options. Users may also experience delays in voice recognition because the device must be connected to a Wi-Fi network, which has the fundamental limit of occasional disconnection due to frequency interference.



SK Telecom said that the application is based on the machine learning framework and thus is designed to be able to improve its own performance including speech recognition accuracy as more customers start busing it.



To encourage more partners join in its AI business initiative, the telecom company said it will release NUGU's application programming interfaces (APIs) in the first half of next year.



"Our marketing strategy in the initial stage is to promote features of the AI system service to more consumers," Park said. To this end, the company said it will offer a 60 percent discount of the NUGU device for those who purchase it before the end of October. A NUGU device has been priced at 249,000 won ($223.28) and the AI assistant service is offered free of charge, the company said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 31

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Five Turkish servicemen were wounded in a shootout between the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in the countrys south-eastern Hakkari province, the Turkish TRT Haber TV channel reported Aug. 31.

According to the TV channel, two PKK militants were killed in the shootout.

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.
Indian tourism minister Mahesh Sharma has been criticized for telling female tourists not to wear short skirts, allegedly blaming them for sexual assaults rather than talking about punishing the perpetrators. / Courtesy of YouTube



By Hong Dam-young

India's tourism minister has been criticized for telling female tourists not to wear short skirts for their own safety, allegedly blaming them for sexual attacks rather than the perpetrators.

He made the comment while speaking about tourist security in the northern Indian city of Agra, site of the Taj Mahal, Sunday.

Mahesh Sharma was speaking about a welcome kit for foreign visitors to India that was issued last year and included safety guidelines for women. The kit aims to tackle falling female tourism in India because of safety fears following some high-profile sexual assaults.

"These are very small things, like they should not venture out alone at night in small places, or wear skirts, and they should click the photo of the vehicle number plate whenever they travel and send it to friends," Sharma said, according to the Independent.

Then he said: "For their own safety, women foreign tourists should not wear short dresses and skirts. Indian culture is different from the West."





India has been trying to fight violence against women by toughening sentences for rape and introducing fast-track courts for sexual assault trials. / Courtesy of YouTube



But Sharma denied that this was his intention.His remark was immediately criticized for blaming women for what they wear and where they are instead of calling on the Indian government to improve safety.

"We have not given any specific instructions regarding what they should wear or not wear," he said. "We are asking them to take precautions while going out at night. We are not trying to change anyone's preference.

"I am a father of two daughters. I would never tell women what they should wear or not."

India has been trying to fight violence against women by toughening sentences for rape and introducing fast-track courts for sexual assault trials.

But the list of assault cases is growing. In July, an Israeli woman was gang-raped in the popular northern Himalayan resort town of Manali.
Utilizing the BEAR project, Namibia took part in the World Skills Competition, the world's largest vocational skills competition, in August 2015. / Yonhap



By Hong Dam-young

Korea will support African countries with Korean-style vocational education for the next five years, the Educational Ministry said Wednesday.

"Better Education for Africa's Rise (BEAR)" is a five-year development assistance project that Seoul launched in 2011 through a request from the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), according to Yonhap news agency.

This year marks the second stage of the project, which will be implemented in five African countries  Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Madagascar.

During the first phase, from 2011 to 2015, Korea offered UNESCO $10 million for developing curriculums and related textbooks and training teachers in Botswana, Congo, Namibia, Zambia and Malawi.

It resulted in Namibia, for the first time, taking part in the World Skills Competition in Brazil, the world's largest vocational skills competition, in August 2015. The country also utilized the BEAR program to develop curriculum and help technicians obtain certifications in Zambia.

The ministry said 10 vocational education experts from the countries that employed BEAR in the first phase have been invited to Korea in August to visit the country's vocational education institutions and met Korean experts.

The ministry also will support the five countries from the project's first phase without UNESCO.

"Many other African countries have asked us for help in the BEAR project for Korean-style vocational education, as it is the latest craze among African countries," said Kim Young-gon, a senior official in charge of international cooperation at the ministry.
A Galaxy S7 user was able to survive a shipwreck in the Philippines thanks to the phone's waterproof features, said South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday.

In a letter sent to the tech firm, the user, whose identity has been withheld, was on boat heading to Sabang Beach in central Philippines for a scuba dive trip with 10 others on July 30.

The ship overturned amid a storm and the people were stranded on the foundering vessel for about an hour before being picked up by a nearby fishing boat, according to the letter.

He was only able to contact authorities with his Galaxy S7, Samsung said, noting that the battery had more than 50 percent power although in had been over 24 hours since the last charging.

According to the company, the S7 series has a IA68 rating, meaning that the gears are fit enough to withstand dust, dirt and sand, and are resistant to submersion up to a maximum depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.

The combined global sales of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are estimated to have reached 25 million worldwide as of the end of June. (Yonhap)
The U.S.-based Korean drug trafficker, 41, known by the codename "Iris," was arrested in June after a yearlong probe by Korean prosecutors and investigators from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). She is in custody and will be extradited to Seoul in September. / Courtesy of YouTube



By Hong Dam-young

A U.S.-based Korean drug trafficker who allegedly has been supplying distributors in Korea was caught in Los Angeles, police said Tuesday.

The alleged trafficker, 41, known by the codename "Iris," was arrested in June after a yearlong probe by Korean prosecutors and investigators from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

She is in custody and will be extradited to Seoul in September.

Police said she is suspected of being a kingpin in the domestic drug supply network because her codename has been mentioned several times in the testimony of drug suppliers caught here.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 31

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey is pleased with the normalization of relations with Russia, Ibrahim Kalyn, representative of the Turkish president said, the Turkish TRT Haber TV channel reported Aug. 31.

Kalyn said that the sides will discuss a number of important issues during a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as part of G-20 summit in China on September 3.

He also stressed that Turkey has open diplomatic channels with Russia.

Kalyn added that earlier, Ankara and Moscow discussed the aspects of the Shield of the Euphrates military operation, which is being held by the Turkish armed forces 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.

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), the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Orkhan Guluzade  Trend:

As a part of the operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) militants in northern Syria, Turkish Armed Forces has sent additional ammunition to the operations area, Haber7 newspaper reported Aug. 31.

Eight tanks, two armored personnel carriers, howitzers, as well as other military equipment have been redeployed in Syria, according to the newspaper.

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.

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), the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Orkhan Guluzade  Trend:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has approved a compensation payment agreement by Israel to Turkey for the Freedom Flotilla incident, Haber 7 newspaper reported Aug. 31.

This agreement was previously ratified by the Grand National Assembly (Parliament, TBMM) of Turkey, according to the newspaper.

Previously, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that Israel will pay Turkey a compensation of $20 million for the Freedom Flotilla incident. Also, Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said earlier Israel accepted all the conditions of Turkey for repairing relations. He said Israel also agreed to end the blockade of the Gaza Strip with Turkeys mediation.

Turkey signed an agreement with Israel on repairing the relations June 28.

Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated after the Freedom Flotilla incident in 2010, when a convoy of six ships, including one flying Turkey's flag, tried to approach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and activists on board. The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeli forces, with eight Turkish citizens being killed as a result.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Orkhan Guluzade  Trend:

The US Air Force didnt support Turkish Armed Forces during military operations in Syrias Jarabulus city near the border with Turkey, Anadolu Agency reported Aug. 31.

According to the report, the Free Syrian Army, which is supported by Turkish Armed Forces, was recently attacked by the Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) militants. After the attack the US Air Force, which is based at Turkeys Incirlik airbase, was requested to help. The US bombers started to attack relevant positions only after three hours.

Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier that the US didnt provide M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) for the fight against the IS terrorist organization, despite the fact that an agreement had been reached on it.

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.

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), the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31

By Orkhan Guluzade  Trend:

Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu informed his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov about military operations in Syria during a phone conversation, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a message Aug. 31.

The foreign ministers discussed recent events in Syria, said the message. The delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria, the cessation of hostilities and the beginning of the conflicts political settlement were discussed.

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.

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), the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
The Istanbul Public Prosecutors Office issued arrest warrants Tuesday for 35 people, including journalists, accused of supporting the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) through their work and on social media, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Police conducted operations in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmit based on new evidence in the investigation.

Nine of the suspects were arrested, 18 are believed to have fled Turkey and the remaining eight are being hunted. A total of 53 journalists have been arrested as a part of a coup attempt probe, according to the Istanbul-based Platform for Independent Journalism.

On Monday, police detained 136 suspects in raids on offices at three Istanbul courthouses after detention warrants were issued for 173 judicial personnel over the failed coup attempt, Xinhua reported.
Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman is set to visit China next week. (Photo : Getty Images)

Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to be in China to meet with top level government officials on Monday, according to an announcement made by foreign ministry this week.



The crown prince will be meeting Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and other officials. The talks are intended to cover topics on oil exports and power.



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The two countries are expected to sign memorandums on cooperation on the two sectors.



Mohammed is also set to discuss the plans of Saudi Aramco to go public. Five percent of its shares will be offered as part of Saudi Arabia's five-year reform plan.



The main concern for the crown prince is further opening up of the Chinese market to oil importation. China is the second largest global importer of oil.



Lin Boqiang, director of the Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, said,



"At a difficult time like this, it is natural for Saudi Arabia to turn to China, the world's second-largest oil importer. I expect a relatively good deal for both sides during the visit."



A deal would be necessary for Saudi to gain more access to the Chinese market as it faces stiff competition with Iran and Russia, according to the expert.



Reports from Bloomberg indicated that China is already importing 1.07 million barrels of oil per day from Saudi Arabia or 14 percent of China's foreign oil supply.



Wang Jun, deputy director of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges' Department of Information, said that importation from Saudi is promising as China's market is huge.



"Our strategic crude oil inventory only covers about 30 days, which is low, compared to other countries' 180-day stock. Furthermore, China's oil storage infrastructure has improved significantly and can store much more oil now, so there is a huge potential," he said.



The importation of oil is needed to augment the shortage of supply as local refineries have been severely losing sales, based on reports released by state-owned PetroChina.


Tail O' the Pup, the truck





At the top

Yuge settlement: The Los Angeles City Council agreed Tuesday to spend more than $200 million over the next decade to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that the city failed to provide enough apartments for people with disabilities in its publicly funded housing developments. LAT

The Pup is back: Six years after I asked the question, Tail O the Pup will officially reopen on September 8th as a food truck, in a parking lot on La Cienega Blvd. near the original location. The old physical hot dog stand from La Cienega, and later San Vicente Blvd., is still slated to come out of storage and go back in service on the Hope Street side of The Bloc downtown this winter. Previous posts at LA Observed, including Sigourney Weaver.

Going foreign: Former LA Times City Hall reporter Kate Linthicum tweeted Tuesday that she was "thrilled to report that starting this week I'm based in Mexico City and covering Mexico/Latin America for the @latimes!" Just in time for Donald Trump's visit today, which she calls, also via Twitter, "loco." Also: "Former Mexican President Vicente Fox calls Pena Nieto 'a traitor' for meeting with Trump."

LA politics: So Begins L.A.'s Great Development Debate of 2017. LA Weekly

Oscars so hostless: Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus were separately approached about hosting the Oscars and both said no. THR

And this: President Obama will guest-edit the November issue of Wired.





Media notes

Donald Trump's campaign will now allow reporters from some of its blacklisted news organizations -- BuzzFeed, the Huffington Post, POLITICO, and The Washington Post -- to be part of the campaign's print pool rotation... KCRW reports that "Los Angeles is a rapidly aging city in a rapidly aging county. In fact, over the next 15 years, LA Countys senior population will double, to nearly one-fifth of the total population." Special report follows Broadway to tell the story... Larry Mantle on the passing of Joe Hicks on Tuesday's AirTalk on KPCC... Vincent Bonsignore, Rams columnist for the Daily News, says he will be co-hosting a Rams show on AM 570 from 12 to 2 on Mondays with the Fred Roggin and former Ram Eric Dickerson... Chandra Levy Miniseries in the Works at TNT.





Around the Troncosphere

Monday's print Los Angeles Times had just 32 pages, which a long-time watcher of the page count (a former editor) called the all-time low. There were few ads in the entire paper... The Times is running an ambitious, serialized six-part series by reporter Christopher Goffard about an old OC crime with the tag line: "Enjoying this series? Become a Los Angeles Times subscriber today to support stories like this one. Get full access to our signature journalism for just 39 cents a week.."... The Gamble of Troncs Just Say No Defense against Gannett, by the NYT's Deal Professor... Gannett Risks Getting Tronc'ed, says a Bloomberg Gadfly columnist... Former LAT editor Ron Smith was named managing editor of news at USA Today... Tribune Media agreed to sell Chicago's Tribune Tower to LA developer CIM Group for $240 million... The Hollywood Reporter's first photo with its story on the sale of Tribune Tower showed the Oakland Tribune tower.





Books and authors

Former Los Angeles author Dylan Landis couldn't read while her parents were dying, or for a long time after. NYT

Finally, nine months after my mothers death, the ability to read slowly began to return. I found I could read for about 15 minutes at a time  a fraction of the two-hour plunges I once took. On rare occasions, I would fall into a state of grace and once again a book consumed me. Yet my subject matter seemed curiously circumscribed.... All I could relish, at that stage, were novels with young female protagonists, 14-, 15-year-olds, troubled, like the girls I write about and once identified with. My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante. Sister Golden Hair, by Darcey Steinke. The Scamp, by Jennifer Pashley.

Ive heard it said that we dont mature fully till we lose both parents. Perhaps I had to relive, in these novels, my early adolescence before I could start to find that new adulthood  and lose myself in reading again.



Also: A good review for "Hot Start," the latest mystery thriller by former LA Times reporter David Freed. Washington Post









Place

The news is bad for the Santa Monica Mountains pumas. New research used to promote a bridge across the 101 freeway says the mountain lions have about 50 years before the population dies out due to genetic in-breeding. KPCC

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion shines in this wacky but beautiful perfume ad. Curbed LA

Whats Really Inside the Castle at Disneyland? Chris Nichols answers the question at Los Angeles Magazine.





Selected tweets

Is THIS the pivot?  James Gleick (@JamesGleick) August 31, 2016





My first-born leaves tomorrow and I'm finding that to be difficult. https://t.co/Nj2baqme87  eric spillman (@ericspillman) August 30, 2016





oh my god ive become a cranky old person yelling at my television on twitter halp  XeniJardin (@xeni) August 30, 2016



Join the 23,414 who follow LA Observed on Twitter
A woman in Burkini stands side tot side with a woman in... (Photo : Frederik Sadones/Pacific Press/LightRocket/ Getty Images)

Surrounding and penalizing photographs of a headscarfed woman on a beach by French Police officers in the southern city of Nice have gone viral. Mass circulations of the images have triggered debate over the burkini ban imposed by some French towns on security grounds following recent terror attacks taking place in the country.



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Burkini is a sort of religious clothing used by the Muslim women which covers the body and head. The images snapped on Aug. 23 suggest, four police officers cordoned a woman on the beach of Promenade des anglais, infamous for 'Bastille Day Lorry Attack' that took place during last month. 12 armed police officers have permanently been deployed on the beach following killing of 86 people on July 24.



The woman has been seen to remove a blue long-sleeved tunic while noting by one of the officials. Upon contact with the mother of two, The Guardian confirms fining in nearby Cannes for wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf.



Nice's city hall claims, the woman has been fined for violating the banning on burkinis and outrights allegations for compelling to remove her clothing. However, the concurrent admission and denial by the city administration has raised suspicion over genuineness of the photographs. Christian Estrosi, Nice city mayor represents the publication as 'manipulated efforts to undermine the city's police officers'.



Though The Guardian and the Daily Mail awards the photo credit to Vantage News, but a France 24 report suggests, the images have been captured by a freelancer working on the story. The pictures are now being sold by Best Image, a Paris-bound agency.



Rejecting the allegations for manipulating photographs, a spokesperson for Best Image confirms presence of the freelancer on the very moment. The 10 minute enduring event reportedly took place in between 11 am to 11.10 am on August 23, continues the agency representative to bolster his statement quoting the photographer.



Intriguingly, the incident has taken place following commitment of a Muslim businessman bearing all fines imposed on women for wearing burkinis. He has made the announcement following a French court ruling upholding the burkini ban.



A French court has recently upheld a previous ruling on burkini ban. Following announcement of the court ruling, a Muslim businessman has declared bearing all penalties imposed on women for violating burkini ban and fueled the ongoing debate. Images of penalizing a Muslim woman on a beach by French police have instigated the debate over the religious clothing and have gone viral.






PRESS RELEASE

Bruce Fein Calls for U.S. To Leave NATO

Aug. 30, 2016 (EIRNS)Attorney Bruce Fein, who has played a leading role in the fight to release the 28 pages from the original Joint Congressional Inquiry Report on 9/11, has written a lengthy article in Huffington Post, calling for the United States to leave NATOin accord with the U.S. Constitutions commitment to self-defense without becoming involved in entangling imperial alliances.

Our NATO membership, he wrote,

contradicts the Constitutions foreign policy of billions for invincible self-defense, but not one cent for Empire or entangling alliances.

NATO was created in 1949 at the beckoning of the British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, and to provide military protection for Europe.

We joined NATO as part of a gratuitous, preoccupation with containing Soviet power no matter how irrelevant to protecting us from attack.

Fein denounced the growing ideology of world domination for its own sake, because it is

treasonous to the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The United States was an anti-imperialist creation.

He went on to quote from John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington, who all understood the dangers of imperial wars and entangling foreign alliances.

Fein concluded with a specific reference to the improvement in US-Russian relations, were the US to leave NATO:
PRESS RELEASE

Rep. Ted Lieu Leads Charge Against U.S. Arms Sales to Saudis

Aug. 30, 2016 (EIRNS)The Intercept has published an interview with Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who is a leader of the fight to block the $1.15 billion latest arms sales to the Saudis, and who has been pressing for months for the Obama Administration to abandon its blatant military backing for the Saudi crimes in Yemen. Lieu is a retired Air Force colonel who still serves in the Air Force Reserve.

I taught the law of war when I was on active duty, he told The Intercept.

You cant kill children, newlyweds, doctors and patientsthose are exempt targets under the law of war, and the coalition has been repeatedly striking civilians.

After the Saudis resumed bombing of civilian targets in Yemen in August, after peace talks broke down, Lieu charged that the Obama Administration was aiding and abetting what appears to be war crimes in Yemen. Less than 24 hours after Lieu issued that statement, the Saudi coalition bombed the Doctors Without Borders hospital in northern Yemen. It was the fourth Doctors Without Borders hospital that the Saudi coalition had bombed in Yemen in the past 12 months. Since September of last year, Lieu has written to JCS Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, calling for a full investigation into the indiscriminate nature of the coalition operations in Yemen. A Pentagon spokesman wrote back, claiming that the Saudis were "trying harder to comply with the Laws of Armed Conflict."

Lieu warned in his Intercept interview that continuing to back the Saudi war crimes in Yemen is going to backfire against US security:

By aiding a coalition that is killing civilians, the U.S. is going to create another generation of people who hate the U.S. and who are going to want to do very bad things to us... Its actually creating more terrorists by killing all these civilians.

In response to efforts by Congress and human rights groups to expose the crimes of the Saudis in Yemen, the Saudis are doubling down on their lobbying efforts in Washington, particularly since the July 15 release of the 28 pages from the Joint Inquiry into 9/11. Al Monitor reported yesterday that in the past year, the Saudis have hired five new public relations firms to defend them in the US, doubling their lobbying price tag to $9.5 million a year. In May, the Saudis hired DLA Piper, a major Washington lobbying firm, to save the Saudi reputation. The same month, the Saudis also hired former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour as another lobbyist. Their longstanding chief lobbying firm, Qorvis (now renamed MSLGROUP), has been working for the Saudis for 14 years, hired in the aftermath of 9/11. Qorvis is also the public-relations firm for the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the Saudi-backed Syrian rebel coalition, largely made up of hardcore Salafist groups.
PRESS RELEASE

TTIP Talks Sinking Fast

Aug. 30, 2016 (EIRNS)French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl tweeted that his government has demanded that negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) cease. Fekl has said the U.S. has offered little in return for concessions made by Europe. In an interview with RMC Radio, Fekl said, "There is no more political support in France for these negotiations." Fekl complained that "the Americans give nothing, or just crumbs ... that is not how negotiations are done between allies."

Fekls statement follows similar comments from German Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel (SPD), who said on Aug. 28, "The negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it.... We mustnt submit to the American proposals."

Gabriel also said that after 14 rounds of talks over a period of three years, the two sides have not agreed on a single common item out of the 27 chapters being discussed. Gabriel was seconded by Foreign Minister and fellow Social Democrat Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who said an agreement was still far off.
Actress, writer and director Lena Dunham is best known for her HBO series Girls, which she created and stars in as Hannah Horvath, an aspiring writer who briefly attended the famed University of Iowa creative writing program.

In real life, Dunham has bested her fictional counterpart in the literary department. First came the blockbuster essay collection Not That Kind of Girl, and on Tuesday she announced that shell be publishing a collection of short stories with Random House next year.

Dunham made the announcement in an Instagram post plugging a special issue of Lenny Letter, the weekly newsletter she publishes with the writer and producer Jennifer Konner.

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This issue was also an exciting lil way to let you know that Im at work on my first fiction collection, Best and Always, to be published next year by Random House, Dunham wrote. Thrilled to share a hint of it with you.

The new issue of Lenny Letter contains a short story by Dunham, The Mechanic, as well as fiction by Jackie Thomas-Kennedy, Kaitlyn Greenidge and Jessica Grose.

The Mechanic isnt Dunhams first foray into fiction. She previously published two short stories in Lenny Letter, Six Sausages and I Love You, Natalie.

Dunhams first book, Not That Kind of Girl, quickly became a bestseller after its release in 2014, and drew praise from critics like Meghan Daum and Roxane Gay.

In May, Dunham surprised her fans by announcing the release of a short chapbook composed of entries from a diary she kept when she was 19. The proceeds from that book, Is It Evil Not to Be Sure? went to the New York-based nonprofit Girls Write Now.

Best and Always is scheduled to be published in 2017 by Random House.
Companies that depend on H-1B visas for a substantial part of their workforce may soon have a tougher time hiring: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) has introduced legislation to restrict loopholes in their application process.

His proposal comes after Southern California Edison Co. laid off about 400 employees in early 2015 and brought in workers through consulting companies. Those consulting companies are heavy users of H-1B visas to obtain technology employees, reportedly at salaries that undercut those of American workers.

It was pretty easy to see that wasnt the intent of H-1B, which is to make up for shortage when you cannot find enough labor at any price, Issa said.

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Edison said at the time of the layoffs that it was not hiring H-1B workers to replace displaced employees. Any H-1B visa workers SCE does hire for its own workforce are paid a wage comparable to SCEs domestic workforce.

Companies that have a certain proportion of H-1B employees  15% or higher for companies with more than 50 employees  must submit paperwork with H-1B applications showing they advertised the job to American workers and considered their applications. Currently, employers can be exempted from that paperwork if the potential employee holds a masters degree or is paid at least $60,000 annually.

The H-1B visa program allows workers to come to the United States with a temporary, non-immigrant status. The visa lasts three years with the option to renew for another three. While in the U.S., H-1B visa holders can apply for green cards. The U.S. allocates 85,000 H-1B visas per year, assigning them through a lottery.

Issas bill would remove the exemption for workers with a masters degree and would increase the minimum salary needed for an exemption to $100,000 annually.

No hearing has been scheduled yet for Issas bill. It does have bipartisan support. Co-sponsors include four lawmakers from California, all of them from San Diego County: Democratic Reps. Scott Peters, Juan Vargas and Susan Davis and Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter.

In 2015, Los Angeles had 4,886 H-1B workers with an average salary of $79,278, according to a private website, Myvisajobs.com, which compiles employer applications to the federal government.

Almost 4,300 people were certified to work in San Diego on H-1B visas last year, according to data from the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. Qualcomm Technologies Inc. had the most such employees, 953, with an average annual salary of $102,095. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., one of the consulting groups involved in the Edison controversy, was second with 103 employees certified for H-1B visas with an average annual salary of $74,559.

A representative for Tata, Benjamin Trounson, said: We dont engage in industry speculation, so there isnt anything for us to offer on this topic at this stage.

Qualcomm did not respond to requests for comment about whether it would be affected by the changes.

Matt Rifat, president of Alcala Labs, said he hired one employee through an H-1B visa for the company last year. He said Alcala recruited for 18 months for a geneticist and, after finding no one, pursued and hired an Austrian geneticist in 2015.

For the scientific and biotech community, its really valuable, and, in my experience, its not being abused, Rifat said of the H-1B program. Had an American shown up with those qualifications, we wouldve hired them.

Times staff writer Jim Puzzanghera contributed to this report.

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com
Hanjin Shipping Co., one of the worlds largest shipping lines, filed for court receivership in South Korea on Wednesday.

The South Korean company, which has a majority stake in the Port of Long Beachs largest terminal, made the filing with the Seoul Central District Court after its banks withdrew their backing, viewing a plan to tackle Hanjins debt as insufficient, Reuters reported.

In a statement, South Koreas Financial Services Commission said that the government will promote sales of Hanjin Shippings core assets to Hyundai Merchant Marine in a bid to maintain competitiveness of the shipping industry.

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Hanjin, like other shipping giants, has struggled with overcapacity brought about in part from a massive ship-building boom.

The impact of the bankruptcy is expected to ripple around the globe.

Hanjins bankruptcy could very well spoil the holidays for anyone with goods on Hanjin vessels right now, said Jock OConnell, a trade expert at Los Angeles consulting firm Beacon Economics. Look for a financially ruinous game of musical chairs as cargo owners now hunt for space with other shipping lines.

Hanjin also owns a majority stake in Total Terminals International, the operator of Long Beachs largest terminal at Pier T. Port spokesman Michael Gold said he didnt know if Hanjin ships would continue to call at the port.

The Total Terminals website says that until further notice the terminal will discontinue delivery of all Hanjin import containers. It also said it would no longer accept Hanjin containers for export.

The South Korean court must now decide whether the company should be dissolved. That is usually a one- or two-month process, but it will probably be sped up for Hanjin, a judge told Reuters.

andrew.khouri@latimes.com

Follow me @khouriandrew on Twitter

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Hollywood business manager Steven Pines, whose clients include such notables as Oliver Stone and the Farrelly brothers, is looking to clear his home in Pacific Palisades off the books. Hes put the house in the Palisades Village area on the market for $3.225 million.

Tucked in between tall privacy hedges, the pink-hued house is fronted by a long porch. Spanish-tile steps decorated in colorful risers lead up to the front door.

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Within the 2,570 square feet of interiors is a formal living room, a country-style kitchen with a colorful tiled island, four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. French doors off a formal dining area open to a side patio filled with bougainvillea.

The master suite has a vaulted ceiling and a deck that overlooks the yard.

Around the corner, a paver patio surrounds a rectangular swimming pool. Citrus and walnut trees, lawns and mature landscaping complete the grounds.

Pines bought the house about two decades ago for $714,000.

Tami Pardee and Heidi Bright of Halton + Pardee & Partners hold the listing.

neal.leitereg@latimes.com

Twitter: @NJLeitereg

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The Bund in Shanghai is home to the most luxurious hotels in China. (Photo : Getty Images)

Boris Blobel, general manager of Wanda Reign on the Bund in Shanghai is at the helm of a booming hotel industry. The hotelier admitted that the supply isn't even enough.



"The demand is huge and the supply is limited. I do believe luxury will always have a market in China, and will continue to grow, especially when it comes to lifestyle. If there is an economy that will certainly grow, it's China's," said Blobel.



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Wanda Reign is owned by one of China's richest. This man is Wang Jianlin, the founder and chairman of Wanda Group.



Blobel manages a hotel with 193 rooms of modern-deco design and a nightly rate of 2,970 yuan per night. The hotel's restaurant serves cuisine by Micheline chef Marc Meneau.



Government's anti-luxury campaign has forced the Wanda hotel to slash their rates to 2,500 yuan a night. However, the hotel is still growing and sales are increasing.



For the general manager who started as a bellboy and worked his way up, he takes inspiration from the owner's no none sense approach in handling business. Blobel is now the manager of Wanda's 19 hotels.



Despite facing tough competition with old hotel chains such as Peninsula and Waldorf Astoria in the Bund, Blobel believes that Wanda's new blood can stand up to the challenge.



"Wanda Reign is a young but proud Chinese hotel brand, founded to show the world that Chinese people can run a luxurious hospitality brand as well," said Blobel.



"For me, Shanghai is not really China. It is as international as New York, London, and Paris. Shanghai is the most sophisticated and advanced city in China that is ready to take on the world, especially in terms of services," he added.



Wanda aims to build a total of 100 hotels globally by the end of the year.


It was 1973 and Mexican painter Rufino Tamayo was wanting to go big. Hed grown bored with flat, two-dimensional lithography prints, which traditionally ran small because the stone surfaces they were printed on were limited in size. Tamayo brainstormed with printmaker and publisher Luis Remba of Taller de Grafica Mexicana in Mexico City about busting out of the mediums parameters. In response, Remba invented a bas-relief printing process in which Tamayo could print works that were both mural-sized and three-dimensional in texture.

He challenged me, he wanted something that was palpable, Remba says. So we experimented.

That marked the birth of the so-called Mixografia process, which Remba and his wife, Lea, patented before moving their business, renamed Mixografia Workshop, to downtown Los Angeles in 1984. Since then Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari and Frank Stella, among others, have created limited-edition, handmade prints in the Rembas Adams Boulevard workshop.

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On Sept. 10, Mixografia will premiere an adjacent gallery, a 6,000-square-foot space with three large exhibition rooms and a small display nook. It will open with the solo show Paper or Plastic? featuring new Mixografia prints by L.A. artist Analia Saban.

The new gallery is an important step for Mixografia. Its works have been shown in museums around the world  more than 130 works on paper, sculptures and copper casts were on view this summer at the Georgia Museum of Art  and it has exhibited at art fairs internationally as well as at its defunct Remba Gallery in West Hollywood. But Mixografia has never had a permanent exhibition space in which to exclusively show its work and history.

Luis Remba, left, Lea Remba and Shaye Remba at the Mixografia workshop in Los Angeles. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times )

Mixografia aims not only to display curated exhibitions from its archives, but also to showcase the pioneering techniques that it has invented. The workshop has more than 12 patents from the U.S., Mexico, Japan and Europe. In addition to the three-dimensional Mixografia process, it created a precise, bas-relief sculptural technique called Mixocast. Freepoint is an alternate form of drypoint in which artists draw on a soft surface.

The new gallery is to show our current artists work and our work from over the years, says Remba, 84, during a tour of the studio he still runs with Lea and their son, Shaye. But also to educate people about different printmaking processes, because now, with the Internet, theyre forgotten by people. We want to revive the printmaking process.

Coloring is added to the pulp as paper is made in the Mixografia workshop in Los Angeles. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times )

Mixografia works are created on equipment that Luis and Shaye designed and built. The printing press roller that applies thousands of tons of pressure to the paper was made from the axle of a train locomotive, Shaye says. They make their own especially pliable paper from 100% cotton pulp. The moist, thick and spongy paper is then pressed onto copper plates made from sculptural models built by the artists. The result is a raised surface protruding as much as 2 inches.

The process isnt quick. It takes a little more than one day to make a single Mixografia print, and an edition of 30 might take more than a month. But the result is worth the effort, says Shaye, stirring the milky, pudding-like pulp mixture in a plastic barrel.

We have a different approach, and we want the artists to try new things, Shaye says. It gives the artists new possibilities of making something on paper.

Baldessari created a 2010 pangram  a sentence using all the letters of the alphabet  pairing an image with each letter. His A is for Ant, his Q is for Q-tip. Each object playfully protrudes off the paper. Ruschas 2007 framed wood planks, which speak to the passing of time, look like just that: blocks of aging wood behind glass, even up close. But the Rembas insist they are actually sculpted paper, so it must be so.

Most recently, Mixografia created a series of Jacob Hashimoto prints of colorful paper kites and tangled black string against a bamboo backdrop. The dangling string appears so real that it looks as if it might blow off the surface of the print, the prickly bamboo like it might splinter.

All that we do is make-believe, but its all paper, Luis says.

Detail of a three-dimensional Mixografia print on handmade paper by Los Angeles artist Analia Saban, whose show Paper or Plastic? opens the studios new gallery. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times )

Sabans Paper or Plastic exhibition includes eight prints of disposable plastic bags. Each has a kitschy, graphic logo  Have A Nice Day, for example  and the image swells off the surface of the paper, wrinkles and all, so that from afar it looks like a real bag is tacked to the paper. Together, the works speak to American consumerism and arts place in the economy.

Its a monument to the plastic bag, Saban says. Imagine if they were in a collection in a museum and you could show your children: Look, they used to have plastic bags!

Saban, one of Baldessaris former students in UCLAs MFA program, is having something of an art world moment. In addition to the Paper or Plastic exhibition in September, three bodies of her work will premiere at another landmark L.A. printmaking studio, Gemini G.E.L., on Oct. 22.

A print from another of Sabans Mixografia editions  an image of a torn, Egyptian cotton towel, Three Stripe Hand Towel With Hole And Unsewn Label  will show in the Paper or Plastic show, along with a print of a smaller bag, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Have A Nice Day Plastic Bag.

Im fascinated by their process at Mixografia, but I dont understand at all how they do it, Saban says. But I dont want to know, I want to keep the mystery!

To date, Mixografia has produced more than 600 editions by more than 80 artists.The Rembas have also worked with Robert Graham, Alberto Burri, Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler and the architect Richard Meier.

As for Tamayo, he went on to collaborate with Mixografia for more than 17 years, producing 80 editions including a 1983 print, Dos Personajes Atacados Por Perros (Two People Chased by Dogs). It was made on the largest transportable lithography stone in the world. The piece, a somewhat pessimistic commentary on Mexicos early 1980s economic crisis, will be on view, as will the lithography stone itself.

------------

Paper or Plastic?

Where: Mixografia, 1419 E. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles

When: Sept. 10-Nov. 12

Info: (323) 232-1158, www.mixografia.com

Follow me on Twitter: @DebVankin

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The way of painting belongs to the one who believes in having the universe in his own hands, wrote Dong Qichang four centuries ago, and that before his eyes there is nothing but life and the motivating forces for life.

Dong should know. The painter led what amounted to a lasting artistic revolution in 17th century China.

A magnificent survey of Dongs work was shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1992. The Century of Tung Chi-chang, 1555-1636 was a landmark exhibition organized by Kansas Citys Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. (The spelling difference in the artists name reflects changes in the Romanization of Chinese characters since then.) Now, fine examples of Dongs paintings start off a large, new LACMA exhibition.

Alternative Dreams: 17th Century Chinese Paintings From the Tsao Family Collection features more than 120 works  including an imposing set of 10 calligraphic hanging scrolls by Dong and another that unfolds a mountain landscape through a twisting, turning journey across time and space. The show is a stately, absorbing overview from a tumultuous, invigorating era in art.

"Alternative Dreams: 17th-Century Chinese Paintings from the Tsao Family Collection

It is a decidedly specific overview, however, limited by reliance on the surely impressive holdings of a single private collection. The show is a survey of one collectors informed tastes. Its subject is the late Bay Area art dealer Jung Ying Tsao.

Tsao was born in Tianjin, China, and trained as a lawyer in Taiwan after escaping the 1949 Chinese Communist revolution. He assembled what is considered by many to be a premier collection of traditional Chinese painting, a project started in the 1950s and accelerating after his 1963 emigration to the United States.

Following his death in 2011 at 87, a long-term loan of the collections 17th century material was arranged by prominent LACMA curator Stephen Little, whose relationship with the Tsao family spans four decades. (Littles first curatorial position was at San Franciscos Asian Art Museum in 1977.) The loaned collection has been the focus of study by visiting scholars and students from Southern California colleges, and the Tsao familys foundation has underwritten the current exhibition and publication of its massive, nearly 700-page catalog.

In an email, Little confirmed that LACMA hopes to acquire the superlative collection.

That would be a coup  a coherent, brilliantly focused body of work that would also more than double the museums holdings in Chinese painting. The snag is that the show and book should typically come after an acquisition, not before.

The show is a demonstration of institutional goodwill in the pursuit of an acquisition; that might sound like a good idea, but rarely does the hoped-for result come to pass. Absent a quid pro quo, vanity exhibitions of private collections attached to names like Simon, Hammer, Gilbert, Smooke and Broad have led to disappointment at LACMA over the years. Color me skeptical.

Tantalizingly, 17th century European painting has been a prime growth area for LACMAs permanent collection. The Tsao family collection would dramatically extend that reach to the other side of the globe.

The 17th century saw the fall of the Ming dynasty, which ruled first from Nanjing and then Beijings Forbidden City for nearly 300 years. Its corruption and decay were swept out by peasant rebellion and Manchu military power.

Dong Qichang, Landscape in the Style of Wang Meng (circa 1308-1385), circa 1620s-1630s, ink on paper (LACMA) (Test)

Dong Qichang, a scholar artist of incomparable gifts, died not long before the 1644 collapse. But his herculean artistic example was picked up by new generations of painters as an emblem of Qing dynasty Chinas new direction.

Embracing the veneration of history so prevalent in Chinese art, Dong shifted arts most esteemed terms. He split what had come before into two groups.

The Northern School included meticulous, often pedantic academic art of the established court. Nature was faithfully described.

By contrast, the Southern School  which included Dong and his circle  espoused the value of individual temperament. Expressive brushwork and skillfully structured composition took center stage.

Understanding nature was still an aesthetic goal, but not as something separate, detached and discrete. Nature is instead conceived as a projection of mind, its human dimensions traced by the artists brush.

At LACMA, an extraordinary Dong landscape scroll records a visual journey that starts at the bottom from a humble house and winds through a graceful forest, across a river and up into a rocky mountain fissured with waterfalls. The imposing, crystalline mountain is slammed up side by side against a hazy, atmospheric river valley that stretches into the far distance.

Marks of the brush, feathery and staccato, carefully muster tonalities of black ink to create space, depth, linear rhythm and implied motion. Unpainted negative space is as strong and powerful as the painted forms. Solid and void, created simultaneously, are held in vivid equilibrium. The landscape breathes.

Look closely, beyond the forest and at the foot of the mountain, and a second simple house comes into view, raised on stilts over the river. The tiny figure of a man is glimpsed through a window.

Hes doing what were doing, contemplating the scene. Slightly above and to the right, another pavilion  this one empty  stands on a promontory silently inviting a viewers eye to rest a moment and gaze out over the meandering river below. Then the climb up the mountain begins.

For me, Dong Qichang was Chinas Cezanne.  Christopher Knight

Dong was 73 when he painted this exquisite, 4-foot hanging scroll. It marshals the skill of a lifetime, which the show lays out in a variety of works, all from the second half of his life. There are hand scrolls, individual sheets and a folding fan, some painted in the style of earlier masters, as well as numerous examples of wonderful calligraphy and studies that combine writing and painting.

In a sense, Dongs paintings and artistic philosophy seem to have anticipated the larger social cataclysm that would soon engulf 17th century China. Rigid, uniform rules for all gave way. Individual consciousness is extolled.

The artists quotation above represents his insistence that having the universe in ones own hands is essential for making a work of art. And making art is an exemplar for living.

For me, Dong was Chinas Cezanne. It is easy to see why LACMA, which has no paintings by him in its modest collection of traditional Chinese painting, would be eager to acquire the Tsao family collection.

Wang Yuanqi, Landscape in the Style of Huang Gongwang, 1704, ink on paper (LACMA) (Test)

With Dongs own scholarly acumen as a guide, the collection Tsao assembled also unfolds the widespread influence the artist gained as the Qing dynasty consolidated its power. The work of more than 80 artists is on view in a handsome, minimalist installation designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners Architects.

Its a demanding show, one that defies casual perusal. But it rewards close looking.

Round a corner and a burst of crimson camellias in the center of a floral scroll by Fang Hengxian is a small, sudden explosion of color in an art elsewhere dominated by shades of black ink. Colorful paintings of flowers and birds gather auspicious symbols for attributes like happiness or longevity. The shows only women  Ma Shouzhen (an eminent courtesan) and Cai Han  were famous for painting elegant orchids and evergreen pines.

Most Westerners (including this one) are unlikely to have much acquaintance with standard fixtures in the history of Chinese art  the so-called Nine Friends of Painting, for example, a group united more by their mention in a poem than by a shared style; or, the Four Wangs (Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, Wang Yuanqi and Wang Hui), who were convinced that they alone were the true guardians of Dong Qichangs legacy.

So it would be great if the extended loan became a permanent acquisition at a public museum of LACMAs stature. Whether it will remains to be seen.

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christopher.knight@latimes.com

Twitter: @KnightLAT
The ABC television network is extending its glittery Oscar run through 2028.

The Walt Disney Co. broadcast network and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Wednesday that they had renewed their domestic TV rights deal for an additional eight years, keeping the Oscar telecast firmly on ABC for another decade. The previous pact was set to expire in 2020.

ABC has been the exclusive home of the Oscars since 1976. The new arrangement carries symbolic weight as the 2028 telecast will mark the 100th anniversary of the event.

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Financial terms were not disclosed.

However, the Beverly Hills-based academy was eager to lock in a new deal as its operating budget heavily depends on the TV rights income. In addition, the academy is in the midst of an ambitious capital program to construct an academy museum near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

The academy also has been trying to move forward after two years of the #OscarsSoWhite protest over the lack of minorities among Academy Award nominees in top categories. In June, the board invited a diverse group of 683 people to join the academy, with the goal of rectifying past slights that has tarnished the Oscar brand.

In 2028, well mark the Oscars 100th anniversary, and ABC is the perfect partner to help us celebrate the magic of movies with our fans, academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement.

On behalf of the academy, I thank Jim Gianopulos, our academy treasurer and chair of the boards finance committee, and Disney/ABCs Ben Sherwood, for leading these efforts, said Boone Isaacs, who was reelected as the groups president earlier this month.

Advertisers paid nearly $2 million, a record, for a 30-second spot on this years Academy Awards show, despite the furor over the all-white field of acting nominees. The network raked in about $120 million in ad revenue from the broadcast, its biggest haul ever.

Much of that money went to cover the TV license fee to the academy. Despite a ratings dip during the last two years, the Oscars remain one of the most popular TV events of the year, particularly among women.

The telecast in February, hosted by Chris Rock, drew nearly 35 million viewers. The TV audience topped 42 million in 2014 when Ellen DeGeneres emceed the event. However, most awards shows this year saw a ratings decline.

But the big-ticket nature of the Oscars broadcast, littered with Hollywood celebrities, ups the ante with advertisers. The show attracts top advertisers because the TV audience has a high concentration of women and high-income viewers.

We look forward to teaming with the academy to bring Oscar Sunday to even greater creative heights, as we spotlight motion picture magic and honor the achievements of the most talented members of the film industry, Sherwood said in the statement.

Another division of Walt Disney Co. has international broadcast rights to the Academy Awards. Those rights were not included in the pact announced Wednesday.

meg.james@latimes.com

@MegJamesLAT

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Blac Chyna is baring it all  both figuratively and literally  in a trio of magazine covers and interviews detailing her life with reality star Rob Kardashian.

The pregnant model, who is having a baby with the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, took a page out of Kim Kardashians playbook and posed nude on the cover of Paper magazines September issue. She also went au naturel (save for gloves and lingerie) for Elle magazine and did some domesticated posing with her man for People magazine as she and her beau gear up for the premiere of their new E! docu-series Rob & Chyna on Sept. 11. Kardashian and momager Kris Jenner gave their stamp of approval by promoting the covers on their social feeds, and even shut down haters who critiqued Chyna, who is clearly extremely comfortable showing off her baby belly.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

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The stripper-turned-businesswoman, real name Angela Renee White, has continuously been under fire as she catapulted to mega-fame when she showed up on the reclusive Kardashians Instagram feed in January. News of their coupling  soon followed by their engagement and pregnancy  solidified Chynas infiltration of the female-heavy reality TV dynasty. It also brought into question Chynas true motives, including whether she actually cared for the embattled sole male Kardashian heir or was just making a strategic business move.

Much digital ink has been spilled trying to figure that out this summer, and Chyna, 28, a self-proclaimed hustler, and Kardashian, 29, are attempting to put rumors to rest with their candid interviews.

Here are a few of the burning questions the interviews answer:

How did she turn around Rob Kardashians life, get him to eat better and return to the limelight? When I linked up with Rob, he was at a point where nobody could really help him, she told Elle. But Im the type of person that likes to motivate my friends and help them figure out how they can do better. Thats how we really started off... When Im around Rob, Im never all up in his business, asking questions. I let him be himself and relax.

What does he think her impact has been? Kardashian has endured scrutiny over his weight gain, retreat from the public, diabetes diagnosis and allegations of substance abuse, and credits his fiancee for getting him through his darkest times.

Ive been friends with Chyna for a long time, he told People. She was someone I reached out to for advice. She would cook for me and wed just talk. Shes surrounded me with a lot of positivity. From the moment we met, I knew I wanted to be more than friends.

He added that she motivates him and got him over the insecurity of being out in public.

Blac Chyna opens up about the Kardashians, Rob, & what she's definitely not naming her baby. https://t.co/oRkNlSzqmL pic.twitter.com/aFYwKwpSVz  ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) August 31, 2016

What happened when Kylie Jenner started dating Blac Chynas baby daddy Tyga? She told Elle that she and Tyga were on the outs when he started dating Robs barely legal half-sis and she had moved on. When you dont want to be in a relationship with somebody anymore, you dont give a ... what theyre doing, she said. I was just like, Thank God Im out of that situation. And honestly, it was the best thing that I couldve done, because my life has changed so much for the better.

She also told People that shes super-comfortable being around Jenner. Theres no animosity. Weve all talked. Ive met up with Kylie. I feel comfortable with Kylie being around my son King, she said. Everybody is mature. Were not holding grudges. Weve moved on.

Will they give their offspring a K name? Nope. No, The baby wont have a K name. We both agreed. She also said theyll reveal the babys sex on the premiere of Rob & Chyna.

Why did Rob skip his sister Kim Kardashian and Kanye Wests wedding and became a recluse? Despite flying out to Paris for the May 2014 nuptials, Kardashian was a no-show at Kims high-profile rehearsal at Versailles and ceremony in Florence because he was uncomfortable after his suit fittings.

I was very unhappy with the person I saw in all the pictures, he told People. Im 6'1" and at my most I probably weighed 300 lbs. Im upset I missed my sisters wedding but it was a personal decision. Ill never go to that place again. I missed Christmases and birthdays and vacations. I definitely retreated.

Why are they doing Rob & Chyna? Im excited about fans getting to know me as a person and not as a thing or a face, Chyna told Paper. Im funny and smart, and theyll see me as a mom with several businesses just keeping everything together. Im looking forward to showing my relationship with Rob, our day to day, our struggles and what were dealing with, positive and negative I hope when people think about Blac Chyna, they think of a mogul and entrepreneur, a mother and a badass bitch.

Where do things stand with the family now? They have really good relationship right now, Chyna told Elle, and everyone is talking again.

Follow me: @NardineSaad
The CBS legal drama The Defenders debuted in 1961, when TV was being described as a vast wasteland. But it would be right at home in the era of peak TV.

The series starred E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed as a father-and-son team of defense attorneys who tackled complex legal and social issues on a weekly basis. It won 13 Emmy Awards during its four-year prime-time run.

Yet most fans of the current wave of quality TV have likely only gotten a glance at the series in clips used in the 2008 season of Mad Men. Ad agency Sterling Cooper attempts to persuade a client to buy discounted commercial time on The Defenders after its regular sponsors drop out of a show that deals with abortion. The plot line is based in reality.

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The full abortion-themed episode, called The Benefactor, and the rest of the first season of The Defenders are finally seeing the light of day in a DVD box set released in July by Shout! Factory. While the series has been revived once as a Showtime movie, the original has remained on the shelf since a brief syndication run in the 1960s.

What Shout! Factory has uncovered is the last series linked to TVs first golden age in the 1950s, when freewheeling young writers generated live original plays for network anthology shows. One of those scribes, Reginald Rose, turned out The Defender as a two-part installment of Studio One in 1957, the same year he wrote the classic jury room drama 12 Angry Men.

Producer Herb Brodkin changed the name and developed the play into a series, casting stage veteran Marshall as Lawrence Preston, an august, analytical attorney. Reed played his idealistic and at times brash son Kenneth, fresh out of Harvard Law School. They often debated the moral and ethical aspects of their work and occasionally experienced defeat in the courtroom.

The Defenders first went into production in 1960, and spent months in limbo as its high-minded approach did not ascribe to the broads, bosoms and fun formula favored by then CBS president James Aubrey. But the series had a fan in the networks founder, William Paley. He added The Defenders to the 1961-62 lineup, staving off growing criticism in Congress and at the Federal Communications Commission over TVs lack of quality fare. By that time, the aspirations of TVs first golden age had largely given way to the Hollywood studios, which supplied the networks with westerns and caper shows filled with pretty-boy stars. The Defenders countered that trend. Filmed in New York, the series used Broadway players and Actors Studio members, who brought authenticity and ethnic diversity to the guest casts in most weeks. Martin Sheen and James Earl Jones landed their earliest TV roles in the first season.

Brodkin was a notoriously frugal producer who contained most of the action in The Defenders to the courtroom. The shows visual style was defined by tight close-ups of the actors because it was said to be the only way Brodkin could enjoy it through the snowy over-the-air TV reception in his Greenwich Village apartment.

But Brodkin was a formidable supporter of his producers and writers as they explored provocative issues during an era of prime-time timidity and The Benefactor cemented its legacy in that arena. In the script, written by Oscar-winner Peter Stone, the Prestons take up the case of an esteemed physician who gives up his lucrative practice to devote himself to providing women with safe and inexpensive, albeit illegal, abortions after his own daughter died from a botched procedure.

The companies that sponsored The Defenders each week wanted no part of a TV episode that offered a frank depiction of a polarizing subject. CBS executives stood firm on running the episode  even without advertiser support and the defection of 10 affiliate stations. Eventually, Speidel Corp.  maker of the Twist-O-Flex watchband -- stepped in to buy the vacated commercial time on the episode.

After CBS aired The Benefactor on April 28, 1962, Brodkin told the Los Angeles Times that viewer mail he received about the show ran 90% favorable. Fifty-four years later, abortion is legal, but its still rarely mentioned in scripted TV programs and remains a radioactive topic for advertisers.

Other shows were inspired by The Defenders to attempt bold portrayals of hot-button issues, most notably East Side/West Side, which starred George C. Scott as a social worker. It was a short-lived trend. After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, the TV audience gravitated toward more escapist shows for the rest of the decade. But over 132 episodes, The Defenders offered viewers an early glimpse of what risk-taking, quality TV could deliver.

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio
Name of restaurant: Eastern Spice. Characteristic of the Chinese restaurants in this part of town (the San Gabriel Valley), the restaurants name provides little insight as to whats on the menu. Hint: Its Northern Chinese-style food.

Where you are: A busy strip of San Gabriel Boulevard, south of Valley Boulevard and north of the 10 Freeway. Eastern Spice is housed in the site of a former Wienerschnitzel; the buildings A-frame roof is intact and painted bright orange.

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Concept: After two decades of working as a masseuse, Yu Xin Hou, also known as Wendy, is thrilled to be back behind the stove. She previously owned a restaurant that specialized in similar dishes in Shiyan, her hometown in northwestern Hubei province, China.

The small restaurant features two windows: one to order and one to pick up your food. Most diners grab and go, but some dine in at the shaded outdoor picnic area to the side of the building.

What youre eating: The jian bing ($5.99), called savory Chinese crepes on the menu. A street food staple in China, the hefty parcel is made of eggs spread over the surface of a wheat and mung bean flour crepe with cilantro, a fried cruller and as little or as much chile sauce as youd like. Add Spam or braised beef shank for an additional dollar.

Eastern Spices scallion pancake is also of note  flaky and light in all the right places with a deep green onion flavor that lingers in a good way.

What else youre eating: Stewed and surprisingly spicy duck parts (head, wing, neck, tongue, gizzard and feet) sold by the pound, as well as braised ground pork served over steamed white rice or noodles topped with a halved soy sauce egg.

What youre looking at: Located on a busy strip of San Gabriel Boulevard, in the shadow of the San Gabriel Superstore, Easter Spice doesnt offer much of a view.

What youre drinking: Canned sodas and bottled teas, unless Yu Xin Hou has warm soy milk to share.

Info: 1811 S. San Gabriel Blvd., San Gabriel, (626) 872-6199.

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Pretty, proper French macarons: Laduree, the Parisian pastry shop and tearoom known for its colorful macarons, has plans to open a store in Los Angeles at the Grove. The store will be located next to the J. Crew Mens Shop, across from the Elizabeth and James store. This will officially make the Grove, already home to a Dylans Candy Bar (located at the Original Farmers Market adjacent the Grove) and Sprinkles Cupcakes, heaven for tweens with a sweet tooth. This will be the first West Coast location for the brand. Its other U.S. stores are in New York City and Miami. 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, www.thegrovela.com.

More cocktails in DTLA: Brack Shop Tavern, a new bar by Last Word Hospitality (the team behind Same Same Thai wine bar in Silver Lake) is scheduled to open mid-September near the corner of 7th Street and Grand Avenue in downtown L.A. Brack Shop Tavern will take over the space previously occupied by Barrel Down. The bar will feature craft cocktails, beers on tap and seasonal snacks. 525 W. 7th St., Los Angeles.

Truffle sashimi in WeHo: Catch, the New York City restaurant known for truffles sashimi and lobster mac and cheese, is scheduled to open a location in West Hollywood in September. The 12,000-square-foot restaurant will feature a retractable rooftop, so you can eat your miso black cod lettuce wraps and sip cocktails under the sun. Catch is located on Melrose Avenue near San Vicente Boulevard. Other Catch locations include Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 8715 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. www.catchrestaurants.com.

Wine by the beach: Chez Tex, a wine bar and restaurant, has been open for a little more than a week on Main Street in Venice. The menu, by Ashkan Ghassemzadeh (most recently sous chef at Republique) reads much like what youd expect from a small wine bar by the beach: heirloom tomato and avocado salad, crudites, and wild grain risotto. The restaurant is named after co-owner Jesse Feldmans grandfather Tex. Chez Tex is open only for dinner and does not take reservations (but you can book a private party). 218 Main St., Venice, (310) 314-1314, www.cheztex.com.

The chicken or the egg: Thats the actual name. This Playa Vista restaurant, scheduled to open Sept. 10, is called the Chicken or the Egg. Its the brainchild of Mendocino Farm alums Hunter Pritchett (partner and head chef at the new venture) and Sean Krajewski. The idea is to create a restaurant that serves breakfast egg sandwiches, salads and fried chicken. Eggs will come from Chino Valley Ranchers, bread will come from BreadBar in El Segundo and the chicken from Marys, in the California Central Valley. 12150 Millennium Drive, Suite 101, Playa Vista.

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More Venice ice cream: Look out for a Jenis Splendid Ice Creams shop in Venice Beach toward the end of September or the beginning of October. This will be the Columbus, Ohio-based shops second Los Angeles location (the first opened in Los Feliz in 2015). The shop features ice cream by James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Jeni Britton Bauer, known for flavors such as brambleberry crisp (oat streusel with blackberry and black currant jam) and goat cheese with red cherries. 540 Rose Ave., Venice Beach, www.jenis.com.

More good eats: Bar Moruno at Grand Central Market is finally serving alcohol. That means you can order wine from managing partner David Rosoffs list, which includes four sherries, Vermina vermouth and a Basque cider on tap. Chicago-based Potbelly Sandwich Shop has plans to expand to Los Angeles, with plans to open a first shop along Westwood Boulevard.

Love a good scoop? Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Jenn_Harris_

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How long has life flourished on our planet?

A new study suggests it could go back more than 3.7 billion years.

In a study published Wednesday in Nature, a team of Australian researchers describe small conical structures that may have been built by microorganisms less than a billion years after the planet was born.

The work adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests life has flourished on Earth since its infancy.

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If these really are the figurative tombstones of our earliest ancestors, the implications are staggering, Abigail Allwood, a geologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, wrote in a commentary.

The search for the earliest signs of life on our planet has taken many different forms. Some researchers scour ancient minerals for chemical signatures that likely have a biological origin. Others have looked for physical remnants left behind by the planets earliest organisms.

In this study, the research team examined recently exposed rocks from the Isua Greenstone Belt in southwestern Greenland, which has some of the oldest rocks on the planet, dating back as much as 3.7 billion years. They were looking specifically for stromatolites  structures produced by microorganisms that trap and bind sediment.

As it turns out, they may have found some. After cracking open rocks from this area, the researchers report the discovery of stromatolites from two sites where the rocks have remained relatively undisturbed for billions of years. Further analysis revealed that the structures likely emerged in a shallow marine environment.

Seeing stromatolites in such a setting would hardly be surprising  if the rocks were half a billion years younger, Allwood wrote.

But because they are so old  formed less than a billion years after the birth of the planet  the research team lead by Allen Nutman of the University of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, will have to work hard to convince other scientists that the structures really do constitute evidence of early life.

In the absence of organic or cellular remains, the authors point to four clues that suggest the small mounds were built by ancient organisms.

These include the conical shape of the structures, a layered internal structure, and the fact that sedimentary layers between the cones appear to have formed as sediment piled up against the cones as they stuck out of the sea floor.

They also note a difference in abundance of both titanium and potassium between the stromatolites and the surrounding rock.

These four pieces of evidence are not as clear cut as youd ideally want for such an extraordinary claim, Allwood said. Nonetheless, the Isua structures are clearly not folds or dewatering structures.

She said it is certainly possible that they are biological, but said she cannot absolutely refute the possibility that they formed by localized mineral precipitation from seawater.

If we found these on Mars, would we plant a flag and declare that we had found life on Mars? I think not, but we would definitely get very excited and continue looking around for more information, she said. And I suspect thats exactly what will happen in Isua.

deborah.netburn@latimes.com

Do you love science? I do! Follow me @DeborahNetburn on Twitter and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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Federal wildlife authorities on Tuesday said that a review of genetic tests has led them to conclude that the coastal California gnatcatcher is a valid subspecies and therefore worthy of protections that have barred development on tens of thousands of acres of prime Southern California real estate for two decades.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services finding was in response to a 2014 petition filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of developers who argued that DNA analysis showed the gnatcatcher was no different from other types of gnatcatchers that are thriving from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the southern tip of Baja California.

The developers petition was based on DNA analysis by a team of scientists led by Robert Zink, a professor of biology at the University of Minnesota and George Barrowclough, associate curator of ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

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Many species like the gnatcatcher remain listed even when they are not actually threatened or endangered.  Harold Johnson, spokesman for the Pacific Legal Foundation

Their peer-reviewed conclusion, published in 2013 in the AUK, a scientific journal and official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, was that the small songbird, which often resides year-round in patches of sage and beavertail cactus with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, was not a distinct subspecies.

This finding contradicted a centurys worth of work based on evidence of physical differences between the coastal California gnatcatcher and gnatcatchers found elsewhere. The coastal gnatcatcher has less white in its tail feathers, for example. Its call notes are also distinctive: they mew like kittens.

It was Zinks second such finding about the bird. In 2010, the Pacific Legal Foundation filed a petition based on an earlier DNA analysis of gnatcatcher cells by Zink. The Fish and Wildlife Service turned down that petition but did not dispute the findings, instead suggesting that the petitioners conduct a deeper analysis probing the nucleus of gnatcatcher cells.

Zinks 2013 analysis did that, and Fish and Wildlife then launched an 18-month review that included a panel of six independent scientists to study the more complete DNA analysis and additional critiques by experts including John E. McCormack, director of the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

McCormack concluded that Zinks genetic data reflected an inadequate sampling of the gnatcatchers genome and was not sufficient to overturn research to the contrary.

Jane Hendron, a spokeswoman for Fish and Wildlife, , said the panelists also pointed to weaknesses in the Zink paper including a failure to take into account a full suite of characteristics.

Zink could not be reached for comment. But Harold Johnson, a spokesman for the Pacific Legal Foundation, said his organization and its clients were disappointed with Fish and Wildlifes determination.

The Endangered Species Act requires the best use of the best available scientific evidence and methods, which Dr. Zinks analysis is, he said.

As the result of the Fish and Wildlife Services interpretation, he said, many species like the gnatcatcher remain listed even when they are not actually threatened or endangered, diverting government and social resources from more pressing priorities.

McCormack, however, said that the agencys determination was based on new information showing the initial analysis by Zink was not appropriate.

DNA analysis has undergone revolutionary improvements over the past decade, transforming the once dusty old museum science of taxonomy and revealing so many new species that scientists give them codes until formal names can be assigned.

The advanced technology is revealing immense genetic diversity within species from bacteria to mammals and allowing scientists to understand ecologies and environments in greater detail than ever before.

But Brad Shaffer, an evolutionary biologist at UCLA, noted in an earlier interview that all those sophisticated maps of genetic composition say nothing about their use in setting ethical conservation policy.

Making those decisions, he said, is the realm of regulators and lawmakers in charge of endangered species legislation based on the best available science.

If Fish and Wildlife had agreed with Zinc, it could have eventually allowed development in about 197,000 acres in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties designated as critical habitat for the coastal California gnatcatcher, which became a divisive national symbol when it was listed in 1993.

Today, there are an estimated 2,900 coastal California gnatcatchers left in the United States, federal wildlife authorities said.

Louis.Sahagun@latimes.com

@LouisSahagun

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Engage:BDR acquisitions: In the Aug. 30 Business section, the L.A. Tech column said that Engage:BDR Inc. would use accumulated profit to fund its acquisitions. The company has not divulged the source of the funds.

The Little Prince review: In the Aug. 5 Calendar section, a review of the film The Little Prince erroneously credited the direction of the stop-motion sequences to Anthony Scott rather than director Mark Osborne. Scott was the lead animator for stop motion on the film.

The Tragically Hip: In the Aug. 28 Calendar section, the Overrated/Underrated column said the Canadian band the Tragically Hip performed its final concert in Toronto. The bands farewell performance was in its hometown of Kingston, Ontario.

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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.
Pope Francis Seeks Better Relations with China After Five Decades of Separation

Pope Francis intends to reestablish ties with China. (Photo : Getty Images)

China declared separation from the Catholic Church in the 1950s when the Communist Party deemed that the Catholic religion suppresses the revolutionary beliefs of the people.



Last Sunday, Vatican's representative and Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed excitement over the potential meeting of the two countries.



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"There is much hope and expectation that there will be new developments and a new season in relations between the Holy See and China," he said in a speech in the northern Italian city of Pordenone.



He added, "(This) will benefit not just Catholics in the land of Confucius, but the whole country, which boasts one of the greatest civilisations on the planet. Dare I say, it would also be of benefit to an ordered, peaceful and fruitful cohabitation of peoples of all nations in a world, such as ours, which is lacerated by so many tensions and so many conflicts."



The Vatican is hoping that talks between China and the Catholic Church will lead to the stopping of persecution of Catholics in China.



Parolin is hoping that the two countries try to establish diplomatic relations for the sake of world peace.



He said, "The new and hoped-for good relations with China, including diplomatic relations, God willing, are not an end in themselves."



Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesperson said, "The aim of the contacts between the Holy See and Chinese representatives is not primarily that of establishing diplomatic relations, but that of facilitating the life of the Church and contributing to making relations in ecclesial life normal and serene."



The Chinese Foreign Ministry said, "We are willing, on the basis of the relevant principles, to continue having a constructive dialogue with the Vatican side, to meet each other halfway and jointly promote the continued forward development of the process of improving bilateral ties."



The ministry added, "(We) hope the Vatican can likewise take a flexible and pragmatic attitude and create beneficial conditions for improving bilateral relations."


Wednesday marked the 30th anniversary of one of Southern Californias most devastating air disasters.

Two planes  a jetliner and small single-engine aircraft  collided over Cerritos. Heres an account of the crash and its aftermath from The Times archives:

An Aeromexico DC-9 had left Loreto, Mexico, early in the morning of Aug. 31, 1986, carrying 64 passengers. As it passed about 6,000 feet above Cerritos en route to Los Angeles International Airport, the jet was clipped by a single-engine plane flown by William Kramer of Rancho Palos Verdes.

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Kramer and his wife and daughter were killed instantly. The damaged jet lost control and crashed into a quiet neighborhood just before noon.

A Times headline the next morning described it as a sledgehammer from the sky.

In addition to the 67 people killed in the two planes, 15 Cerritos residents died amid the flaming wreckage and burning jet fuel that destroyed at least eight homes.

In Cerritos, the emotional wounds from the crash took time to heal. In 2006, a memorial next to City Hall was completed and dedicated. The sculpture bears the names of all of the victims.

Cerritos residents also formed a group that offered support for Loreto, including equipment for its hospital. Loreto officials were on hand for the memorial dedication.

They felt the same pain that we did, the founder of the Friends of Loreto Foundation said in 2006.

The crash highlighted problems with air traffic control systems. In response, the Federal Aviation Administration has tightened airspace restrictions around LAX and other major airports.

The horror of the crash was captured in a Times retrospective published 10 years after the tragedy:

The last time Jeffrey McIllwain saw his mother, she was standing on the porch in a house dress, saying that she loved him.

For goodness sake, he thought with the embarrassment of a 16-year-old, Im only going to church.

At 11:52 a.m. on Aug. 31, 1986, while McIllwain was still at Sunday school, an Aeromexico DC-9 on approach to Los Angeles International Airport from Mexico collided with a small plane and slammed into the boys neighborhood. His mother, Linda, 14 others in their houses, and 67 people aboard the two planes were killed that sunny Sunday.

It was an improbable, unthinkable tragedy: Planes plunging from blue skies into a quiet, suburban neighborhood, slaughtering people in their homes, showering body parts everywhere. Never had so many been killed on the ground as the result of an airline crash in the United States.

scott.harrison@latimes.com

Shelby Grad contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

5:22 p.m.: This story was updated with additional information about the crash.
The leader of a group of charter schools has made an admission about his connection to a Turkish imam that is bound to cause controversy but that he hopes ultimately will remove a dark cloud over his schools.

Umit Yapanel, president of the board of directors of Magnolia Public Schools, told The Times in an interview that he is a believer in the teachings of Fethullah Gulen, the popular Muslim cleric whom the Turkish government accuses of fomenting a failed coup attempt in July.

Yapanel likened Gulens moderate Islam to the teachings of Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian and Sufi mystic.

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He inspired me to serve, and those values are the same universally accepted values: womens rights, free speech, the right to education, service to others, he said.

Gulen, he said, is the Islamic scholar of his time who interpreted the religion in a way to embrace anyone. Im proud of that heritage.

The alleged connection of publicly funded charter schools to Gulen is one of the strangest side stories to emerge from the unrest in Turkey.

After the one-day coup attempt fell apart, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the rebellion on Gulen, 75, who is living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania. Erdogan demanded Gulens extradition and began a sweeping purge of alleged Gulen supporters inside and outside government.

But even before the coup attempt, an attorney hired by the Turkish government  and some other critics  were asserting that charters in numerous states, including the 10 run by Magnolia Public Schools, had improper ties to Gulen.

The most extreme allegations are that the well over 100 charter schools managed by first- or second-generation Turkish immigrants are controlled by Gulen or his close followers, who funnel U.S. taxpayer funds to the Gulen movement.

Charters are independently managed public schools that are exempt from some rules that govern traditional campuses.

This is much deeper and darker than people familiar with the charter-school debate understand, said attorney Robert Amsterdam, whose firm, according to federal filings, is being paid $50,000 a month by the Turkish government.

State and federal investigations have yet to proclaim any direct links between the schools and Gulen. Nor have they talked about taxpayer funds being secreted abroad. Past investigations, however, have turned up issues in contracting, management and hiring practices at schools with Turkish leadership.

One area of concern has been the reliance on a network of Turkish contractors to provide services to these schools, which is not illegal if the bidding for work is fair and the money is spent properly.

Magnolias use of a firm called Accord Institute for Educational Research attracted attention from L.A. Unified and the state auditor. Accord provides educational services for charters with Turkish leadership in several states.

A former Magnolia chief executive helped found Accord and later served as Accords CEO after his work at Magnolia. While he was at Magnolia, Accord secured a $700,000 contract for work with the charter, the state auditor reported in 2015.

Yapanel, Magnolias board president, acknowledged that he had a part-time job with Accord when he was board president of another charter in Colorado.

State and local auditors looking at Magnolia also unearthed a long list of poor financial practices. Citing these issues, L.A. Unified moved to shut down two Magnolia schools, which Magnolia thwarted by suing and then agreeing to improve management practices. The school cut ties with Accord.

Magnolia also turned over its chief executive position to Caprice Young, a former L.A. school board member who later headed the California Charter Schools Assn. Even some critics concede that Young has improved Magnolias business practices.

The state auditor was largely satisfied with Magnolias progress, although L.A. Unified has not yet closed its investigation and the state Education Department has opened another.

Yapanel, 39, who lives in Sunnyvale in the Bay Area, came to the United States to earn his doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder. As a student, he was part of a small team that founded Lotus School for Excellence in Aurora, Colo., and he served as its board president for five years. His interest in education, he said, was in part a reaction to the rigid Turkish schooling model.

Education can be limiting when you tell students there is one way to do things, Yapanel said.

His primary employment has been as an engineer, most recently in the cellphone industry. He became involved with Magnolia, which opened its first school in 2002, as it was starting a school in Santa Clara. In 2012, the schools leadership asked him to be board president. The current schools, which enroll 3,800 students, all are in Southern California.

The schools celebrate Turkish culture and some offer Turkish language instruction  but they do no proselytizing, officials said.

The schools have always garnered strong scores on state standardized tests.

Still, Magnolias operations  including any Gulen role  have merited scrutiny, said L.A. school board President Steve Zimmer.

The question is how did that influence the practices and potentially the pedagogy of the people running these schools and the business practices of the organization, he said.

howard.blume@latimes.com

@howardblume

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County supervisor candidate Janice Hahn may have to refund more than $280,000 in contributions from political action committees after county election officials alleged that her committee probably violated campaign finance rules.

Hahn, a congresswoman and former Los Angeles city councilwoman, is running for the seat being vacated by county Supervisor Don Knabe. She is competing in a run-off with Knabe aide and former Manhattan Beach Councilman Steve Napolitano.

Napolitanos campaign obtained a copy of a letter sent by the county registrars office to Hahn notifying her of the possible campaign finance violation and shared it with The Times.

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A spokesman for the registrar confirmed that the office had sent the letter and said Hahns campaign was given 30 days to respond, but declined to comment further.

See the most-read stories in Local News this hour 

In the Aug. 10 letter, County Registrar Dean Logan wrote that Hahn had exceeded the countys cap on the total amount a campaign committee may accept from political action committees, which is $150,000 per election. From Jan. 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, Hahns campaign received $439,619 from political action committees, the registrar said.

Napolitano asserted that Hahn had committed a serious violation of the countys ethics laws.

Janice Hahn is the poster girl of L.A. citys entitled political elite, so her campaign knew or should have known about these rules, he said in an interview. Had she won in June, she would have done it with hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions from special interests.

Hahns campaign said it had been told that campaign finance limits were lifted because Napolitano had elected to largely self-fund his own campaign.

While the county normally sets a limit of $1,500 per contributor, in some circumstances, that limit can be increased or lifted.

John Shallman, a spokesman for the Hahn campaign, pointed to an earlier letter sent by the registrar, which informed Hahn that the contribution limit for her campaign had been removed because Napolitano had announced his intention to spend an unlimited amount of his own personal funds on his campaign.

The Hahn campaign contended that the limit on total contributions she could accept from political action committees was also lifted.

When your multimillionaire opponent is trying to buy a seat on the board of supervisors and you get a letter from the county registrar telling you, in bold and underscored print, that your contribution limits have thus been removed, you take them for their word, Shallman said in a statement. We believe that the rule expressed in that first letter was correct and represents the intent of the supervisors when they passed the law and we will work with county counsel to ensure that the voice of teachers, firefighters, police officers and working families are not silenced.

Napolitano has contributed almost $1.4 million to his own campaign to date. His campaign and Hahns have each raised about $1.7 million in total to date.

Hahns nearly $440,000 from political action committees included $53,000 from Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs State PAC, $29,070 from California Assn. of Professional Employees PAC and $26,500 each from the political action committees for International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11 and the Teamsters.

The Aug. 10 letter from the registrar said the lifting of the contribution limits applied to those made by each individual or committee, not to the limit on total contributions from political action committees.

Bob Stern, an attorney who helped write campaign finance rules for the state of California and the city of Los Angeles, said after reading the county campaign finance code, It seems really clear to me that they couldnt receive more than $150,000 in PAC money.

The registrars letter told Hahn that the possible violation may be cured without penalty if the campaign returns the money within 30 days of being notified of the issue.

The countys campaign finance code outlines a potential civil penalty of up to three times the amount by which an expenditure or contribution limit has been exceeded. Intentional violation of the campaign finance rules can be charged as a misdemeanor.

Shallman said if it is ultimately determined that the initial instructions from the registrar were incorrect and, as a result, the committee accepted excess PAC contributions, the committee will return the excess contributions.

abby.sewell@latimes.com

Twitter: @sewella

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Former Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, alleging an illegal gift of public funds for providing police security at Rams home games.

The eight-page suit said the city was not reimbursed for using more than 200 police officers at the Rams two preseason games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It said on-duty officers are working security outside the stadium instead of tending to their normal duties.

I think its inappropriate to give a gift to a billion-dollar corporation when they can pay the tab for security, Zine said.

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Zine said the Rams should follow the lead of the Los Angeles Dodgers and foot the bill for security outside the stadium.

When youre paying $90 to $350 [per ticket], you expect to have security to provide protection for you, Zine said.

He estimates it will cost $2 million to fund outside security for the upcoming NFL regular season.

The allegations come less than three weeks before the Rams open up the regular season in a Sept. 18 match-up with the Seattle Seahawks, its first regular season home game in Los Angeles in decades.

Zine and co-plaintiff James Bibeau of Los Angeles called for a judge to determine whether the use of on-duty police for public safety at Rams games is consistent with an unlawful gift of public funds.

Zine and Bibeau announced the lawsuit during a news conference at the office of the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

The two are also seeking a court order to block the city and Beck from allegedly spending tax dollars on security for the Rams until the city is reimbursed.

A Rams representative declined to comment on the suit. The LAPD and city attorneys offices also declined comment.

The Rams said in a statement earlier this month that they were working with the LAPD to reach an agreement on security arrangements. The team added that it was planning meetings with the LAPD and USC, which operates Memorial Coliseum.

The City Council approved a memo on Aug. 12 asking the LAPD to determine what effect Rams games will have on officer deployment in the city. The motion also calls on the LAPD to determine the costs of supplying officers for game security and if their use might affect emergency response times.

On the same day, four councilmembers  including Council President Herb Wesson  sent a note asking Rams owner Stan Kroenke to pay for use of LAPD, Los Angeles Fire Department and other city personnel for public safety duties at Rams games.

shane.newell@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @journoshane.

UPDATES:

2:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the lawsuit and comments from former Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine.

This article was originally published at 11:05 a.m.
Warm temperatures, low humidity and withered brush fed a wildfire in the rugged Orange County hills that charred 155 acres Wednesday as crews hustled to stop the spread of the flames.

In neighboring Riverside County, firefighters continued to battle the Bogart fire, which grew to more than 2 square miles.

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The Holy fire started in the early morning just east of Trabuco Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz.

By late Wednesday, the blaze was 5% contained.

The flames were not threatening homes but burned in steep, dry hillsides around Holy Jim Canyon and raced up north-facing slopes coated in light grasses and shrubbery. The vegetation was starved for moisture, Kurtz said.

Voluntary evacuations were issued for canyon-area residents.

But once the fire reached the top of the hills  in sweltering heat that hovered in the mid-90s  the flames stalled, Kurtz said.

The wind is not acting on the fire. It slows down the fires rate of spread and gives us the chance to contain it, he added.

Four firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were airlifted to local hospitals, Kurtz said.

Hundreds of firefighters in Riverside County continued to battle the Bogart fire, which broke out Tuesday afternoon near Beaumonts Bogart Park.

Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have said the fire was caused by juvenile activity.

The blaze spread in the hills west of the Morongo Reservation and destroyed at least one building, fire officials said. Authorities said that by Wednesday evening, the fire had charred 1,470 acres and was 60% contained.

About 700 residents were initially evacuated, but authorities canceled the evacuation order by Tuesday night.

More than 400 firefighters have been assigned to combat the fire. Of those, four firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at a hospital.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

Twitter: @JosephSerna

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

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UPDATES:

9:00 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional details on the size and activity of wildfires in Riverside and Orange counties.

5:40 p.m.: This article was updated with minor editing.

3:30 p.m.: This article was updated with the latest size of both fires.

This article was originally published at 10:45 a.m.
The Obama administration announced $53 million in grants Tuesday to help states fight the opioid epidemic, while warning that the amount is a fraction of the funding needed from Congress to address the crisis.

In comments timed to International Overdose Awareness Day on Wednesday, administration officials urged lawmakers to approve $1.1 billion requested by President Obama to expand treatment options for people addicted to opioid painkillers and heroin.

Michael Botticelli, director of National Drug Control Policy, said that although the new state grants, including money to outfit first responders with the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, were worthy, simply reviving people isnt enough to turn the tide of this epidemic.

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Congress must act to provide sufficient resources to make life-saving treatment available to everyone who seeks it, Botticelli said.

The geographical sweep and scope of the opioid problem have made it a rare unifying issue for liberal and conservative politicians. The crisis began with misuse of OxyContin in the late 1990s in Maine and Appalachia, but has grown to include abuse of other painkillers and heroin in nearly every region of the country. Nearly 30,000 people died in 2014 from overdoses involving opioids. There was broad bipartisan support for legislative action, and the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 passed both houses of Congress easily this spring. The wide-ranging measure included more police access to naloxone, improved treatment for prisoners, pregnant women and others, and the authorization of task forces to fight drug trafficking and develop best practices for the prescribing of painkillers.

While the parties are in sync over the bills aims, they have remained at odds over funding. Republican lawmakers rejected a Democratic proposal for $920 million in new spending, saying money could be found elsewhere.

When Obama signed the bill in July, he said he was deeply disappointed that Republicans failed to provide any real resources for those seeking addiction treatment to get the care that they need.

If the money is approved, states will get dedicated funding for rehab programs. California, for example, could receive up to $78 million over a two-year period.

In West Virginia, a state that has grappled with pervasive opioid abuse for two decades, there are 28 beds in state detox programs and a long waiting list, according to Steve Williams, the mayor of Huntington. He said that in the last two weeks, 26 people had overdosed in his city. Thanks to naloxone, he said, only two died, but the wait for treatment for the others was six months.

He said his city needed federal dollars: This is not a Democrat issue. This is not a Republican issue. This is an issue of saving lives.

The grants announced Tuesday include $11.5 million from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention for deterrence efforts in California and 13 other states, such as upgrading prescription monitoring programs that guard against shopping around for doctors. Eleven states with the highest admission rates for opioid treatment, including Arizona, New Hampshire and Illinois, will share $11 million to expand programs that use substitution drugs, such as buprenorphine, to treat addiction.

Times staff writer Noam N. Levey contributed to this report.

harriet.ryan@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimesharriet
The Supreme Court on Wednesday turned away an emergency appeal from North Carolinas Republican leaders who were hoping to reinstate new voting rules that were struck down in July as racially biased.

The justices said they were deadlocked 4-4 and would not intervene, leaving in place the states rules for casting ballots and early voting that were used before 2013. The vote split on ideological lines.

The courts decision is a victory for civil rights advocates and Obama administration lawyers who had challenged North Carolinas rules as violating the Voting Rights Act. The outcome also may give a slight boost to Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, who will need strong support from minority voters to prevail in November.

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North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who is locked in a tight race for reelection, had appealed to the high court two weeks ago and contended his state would suffer irreparable harm if it could not enforce its new voter ID restrictions.

 The courts decision is a victory for civil rights advocates and Obama administration lawyers who had challenged North Carolinas rules as violating the Voting Rights Act.

But the Justice Department urged the court to stand back and permit the November election to go forward free from the taint of racial discrimination.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. said they would have granted the emergency appeal. All four are Republican appointees. It takes a majority of five votes to grant such an appeal, which means that the courts four Democratic appointees, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, voted to deny the appeal.

Currently, new voters in North Carolina are required to present some form of identification, such as a drivers license, Social Security or photo ID card, when they register. To cast a ballot at a polling place, they must provide a name, address and sign a form attesting to their identity. The signature is compared to the one on the registry.

The new law would have required further proof of their identity at the time of voting, a step that an appeals court ruled in July could prevent thousands of registered voters who do not drive a car from casting a ballot.

Allison Riggs, an attorney for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, said the courts decision is in the best interest of North Carolina voters, allowing elections this fall to proceed absent the cloud and concern of racially discriminatory voting laws. Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians will now be able to vote without barriers.

McCrory said in a statement that North Carolina has been denied basic voting rights already granted to more than 30 other states to protect the integrity of one person, one vote through a common-sense voter ID law. He noted that his appeal won four votes at the high court, even though it was filed without any support from our states attorney general. He referred to Atty. Gen. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, who is running against McCrory.

North Carolina imposed the new law in 2013 after a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling struck down a key part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It had barred the Southern states from changing their election laws without first winning clearance from the Justice Department in Washington.

Freed from federal oversight, a state Senate leader in Raleigh immediately announced plans to revise election rules. GOP lawmakers requested and received racial data on how different voting rules would help or hurt racial minorities. And they then adopted, on a party-line vote, five changes to the election procedures that targeted African Americans with almost surgical precision, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals found in July.

For example, they limited the acceptable IDs to those types that were disproportionately held by whites and excluded those disproportionately held by African Americans, the judges found. Registered voters who had a current drivers license, a U.S. passport, a U.S. military ID or a veterans ID card could vote, but not those who had photo IDs showing they were a government employee, a student or receiving public assistance or whose drivers license had expired.

And while lawmakers said they sought to prevent fraud, they did not identify even a single individual who has ever been charged with committing in-person voter fraud, the appeals court said. However, the bipartisan State Board of Elections saw the potential for fraud by those who mail in their ballots. The absentee ballots are used disproportionately by whites, not blacks, and armed with this information, the Legislature exempted the mail ballots from the new photo ID requirements, the court found.

The Legislature also learned that blacks had voted heavily during the first week of the 17-day early-voting period, particularly so on Sundays. So the new law dropped the first week of early voting, including one Sunday.

When a federal judge in North Carolina heard the legal challenge, he upheld the states law in a lengthy opinion. He said the lawyers for the NAACP of North Carolina, the League of Women Voters and the Justice Department failed to prove these changes would pose significant obstacles for many voters. He cited evidence that voting turnout among African Americans rose even after the new law was enacted.

But the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals based in Richmond said the judge had missed the forest for the trees. The court struck down the entire law because it had been adopted with a discriminatory intent. The Republicans who controlled the Legislature decided to entrench themselves, the appeals court said, by targeting voters who, based on race, were unlikely to vote for the majority party.

While the high court refused to allow the disputed law to be enforced this year, the states lawyers still may file an appeal seeking a review of the 4th Circuits decision.

On Twitter: DavidGSavage

UPDATES:

2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with how the Supreme Court justices voted as well as comment from the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

This article was originally published at 12:45 p.m.
Trump glosses over immigration on the eve of his meeting with Mexican president

The night before Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with the president of Mexico and deliver a long-awaited speech on immigration, he barely mentioned his signature issue at a boisterous rally in Washington state.

There were no calls to build a border wall and make Mexico pay for it, or a deportation force to deal with the millions of people who are in the country illegally. Instead, the sole reference to immigration at the Everett, Wash., rally Tuesday night focused on the drug epidemic.

We are also going to secure our border and stop the drugs from pouring in and destroying our country, Trump said. And Ill be talking about that tomorrow night in Arizona -- big speech on immigration, Arizona tomorrow night.

He went on to cite large increases in heroin overdoses in the Seattle area. Its getting worse; its getting horrific, he said.

Trump made the remarks shortly after he tweeted that he would be meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday, before he delivers his immigration speech amid questions over whether he was softening the hard-line stance he took on the issue during the Republican primary.

Trump also pushed back at Democratic nominee Hillary Clintons recent argument that he does not represent the mainstream Republican Party because of his incendiary statements about various groups and his support from racists.

Trump, who said he was proud to represent the party of Abraham Lincoln, pointed to Democrats past support of slavery and opposition to civil rights. It is the Democratic Party that is the party of slavery, the party of Jim Crow and the party of opposition, he said.

Democrats largely lost the South after they abandoned such positions.

Trumps remarks were overshadowed by news of his trip. He was to be accompanied by Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, according to Bloomberg News.
Trumps sudden trip to Mexico carries high-profile risks

Mike Pence: Trump's meeting with the Mexican president is the "beginning of a conversation" https://t.co/7bYqsS1NW0 https://t.co/zl5xOtUB7I  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 31, 2016

Donald Trumps suddenly announced trip to Mexico upended the political landscape Wednesday as the Republican presidential nominee sought to reinforce an image as a leader willing to take bold political risks.

Trump is all but certain to be met with protests ahead of his afternoon visit with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City. Trump has been highly unpopular with Mexicans after his disparaging remarks about them. In the U.S., more than 80% of Latinos view him as racist, according to polls.

With the meeting scheduled hours before Trumps highly anticipated speech on immigration Wednesday night in Phoenix, the moment also raises the stakes on an issue Trump has struggled to master since launching his campaign bashing by immigrants.

What the American people are seeing here today is the kind of decisive president Donald Trump will be, running mate Mike Pence said on CNNs New Day.

The high-level meeting is bound to be as contentious inside as it is on the streets outside. Pena Nieto has compared Trump to Adolf Hitler, and officials have scoffed at Trumps plan to have Mexico pay for his promised border wall.

At the same time, a tete-a-tete could bring gravitas to the Trump campaign as he works to build voter trust in his ability as a world leader.

The opportunity Trump has is to raise his stature, Ari Fleischer, the former White House spokesman for President George W. Bush, said on MSNBC.

If he can do anything that shows himself on a world level, a level of stature  even if the president of Mexico excoriates Donald Trump  if Trump responds in a thoughtful manner on a national stage, its a wonderful opportunity for him.

But Republican strategist Stu Stevens, who has been critical of Trumps campaign, viewed the move as a last-ditch effort to beef up the candidates foreign policy credentials.

Its almost like they woke up and realized were running against a former secretary of State, our guy used to do the Miss America pageant around the world  maybe we should heavy this up.

Both Trump and rival Hillary Clinton were invited last week by the Mexican president for a meeting, but Pence noted that Clinton was staying behind on the campaign trail in Ohio rather than taking up the offer.

The American people can see quite a contrast between Donald Trump  who gets an invitation with a world leader, drops what hes doing, even with a major speech on the schedule tonight, Pence said.

Clinton was to speak to the American Legion convention in Cincinnati, a group Trump will address on Thursday.

Clintons team quickly downplayed Trumps visit to Mexico as a sideshow to his speech in Phoenix, where he has promised to explain his shifting immigration policy.

From the first days of his campaign, Donald Trump has painted Mexicans as rapists and criminals and has promised to deport 16 million people, including children and U.S. citizens, Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri said in a statement.

What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions.
New Aeronautic Company Seen to Boost Aircraft Manufacturing Sector in China

President Xi wants further development of the aeronautics industry to further modernize the PLA. (Photo : Getty Images)

President Xi Yingping expressed excitement and called for more research on aeronautics manufacturing of engines and turbines to build a stronger aviation industry on Wednesday.



Xi also said that further innovations in the industry will lead to a stronger air force. This will be carried out by the new Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC), a newly established enterprise in Beijing.



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The AECC has a capital outlay of 50 billion yuan or $7.5 billion. Investors include the Chinese government and two state-owned firms: Aviation Industry Corp. of China, an aerospace and defense conglomerate, and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China, which produces passenger jets.



The company has 96,000 employees and Cao Jianguo, 53, former general manager of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, is the AECC chairman.



China intends to catch up in the aeronautics race as the country is far behind the innovations developed by the United States.



The most advanced aviation engines that fill up the U.S.'s Lockheed Martin F-22 and Russia's Sukhoi Su-35, internationally known as the best combat planes, are only produced by the five members of the United Nations Security Council.



The Chinese military claims that the aircraft used by the People's Liberation Army are imported from Russia. These planes are the J-10 fighter jet and Y-20 transport plane.



Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said, "The establishment of an aircraft engine firm will strengthen China's capability in the aviation field and improve efficiency in research and development."



According to Yin Zeyong, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and head of AECC's science and technology commission, China is determined to develop more research on aerospace engines, similar to the developments they've done to the WS-10 "Taihang" turbofan have been introduced and installed on some J-10 and J-11 fighter jets.


Partisan gerrymandering  the drawing of legislative districts to benefit one political party at the expense of another  is a venerable feature of American politics. Its also an insidious and anti-democratic practice.

Especially with the advent of sophisticated computer programs, districts can be designed so that a party can exercise influence in a state legislature or congressional delegation obscenely out of proportion to its overall support  while satisfying the one-person, one-vote requirement that districts be roughly the same size.

For example, under a redistricting plan approved by North Carolinas Republican-controlled legislature, that state elected nine Republicans and four Democrats to the U.S. House in 2012  even though 51% of North Carolina voters cast ballots for a Democrat.

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Another consequence of gerrymandering is a lack of competition between the parties on election day. According to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, only 56 races for the U.S. House out of 435 contests this year are considered competitive. Its easy to game the outcome of elections by creating districts that are either packed with a surplus of voters of one party or cracked so there arent enough members of that party to make a competitive election possible.

Either way  to borrow a phrase often heard in this years presidential campaign  the system of congressional districting in too many states is rigged. But the federal courts, which long have intervened in the drawing of district lines to guard against the abridgment of voting rights on the basis of race, have been skittish about tackling partisan gerrymandering.

In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that partisan gerrymandering could be challenged as unconstitutional if it involved intentional discrimination against an identifiable political group and an actual discriminatory effect on that group.

Yet in that case the court didnt actually find such a violation, and in 2004, four justices led by the late Antonin Scalia said that the court should essentially stop looking. Scalia argued that the court should overturn its 1986 decision and admit that no judicially discernible and manageable standards for adjudicating political gerrymandering claims have emerged.

Fortunately, Scalias expression of futility 12 years ago was not the last word. As partisan gerrymandering continues to marginalize voters and paralyze the political process, courts have been forced to look at the issue anew. Two cases demonstrate that this problem is not going away.

One comes from North Carolina, where Republican legislators recently tweaked the map mentioned above after a court held that it constituted a racial gerrymander. But, like the previous version, the new map provides a lopsided advantage for Republicans and has provoked claims of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. One legislator involved in the latest redistricting acknowledged that we are going to use political data  to gain a partisan advantage on the map.

Meanwhile, Republicans in Maryland allege that a congressional map adopted by that states Democratic-controlled legislature in 2011 violated their constitutional rights. The new map changed the borders of one district traditionally represented by a Republican so that it no longer included 65,000 registered Republican voters but did include 30,000 new Democratic ones. In the 2012 election, the district was won by a Democrat, reducing the number of Republicans in the states eight-member delegation from two to one. Last week, a three-judge federal court ruled that the case should go to trial.

Its too soon to say that days of partisan gerrymandering are numbered. But its significant that the Supreme Court last year unanimously rejected a claim that the Maryland suit couldnt go forward.

Also, while past arguments against partisan gerrymandering have emphasized the Constitutions guarantee of equal protection of the laws, opponents of the Maryland map are focusing on the 1st Amendments free-speech protections. (Challengers to the North Carolina plan also make a 1st Amendment argument.)

That approach echoes Justice Anthony M. Kennedys opinion in the 2004 case. Kennedy emphasized that allegations of partisan gerrymandering involve the 1st Amendment interest of not burdening or penalizing citizens because of their participation in the electoral process, their voting history, their association with a political party, or their expression of political views. When legislators move voters from one district to another because of the way they have voted in the past  and the way they are expected to vote in the future  that certainly looks like what is known as viewpoint discrimination.

If and when the high court revisits partisan gerrymandering, it will need to address an objection raised by Scalia in the 2004 case: that, unlike race, political affiliation is not an immutable characteristic, but may shift from one election to the next; and even within a given election, not all voters follow the party line.

Thats true, but if party loyalties didnt exist and persist over time in geographical areas, gerrymandering wouldnt be such a popular tactic.

Judicial intervention isnt the only way to address partisan gerrymandering. For instance, some states, including California, have taken the drawing of congressional districts out of the hands of state legislatures and entrusted them to citizens commissions, an option the Supreme Court declared constitutional last year.

But, as in other areas, the Supreme Court must be willing to step in where the other branches of government refuse to act.

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Making a wholly unexpected side trip, Donald Trumps presidential campaign circus has traveled south of the border. Even more surprising, Mexico let him in.

The Republican standard-bearer flew to Mexico City today for a private audience with President Enrique Pena Nieto, a meeting of two massively unpopular political figures. Its hard to see what either gains from it, other than trying, on the part of Trump, to look like a statesman willing to meet face to face with the leader of a country and a people he has maligned. Or maybe he is just, once again, seeking to seize hold of the news cycle through an audacious act. Regardless, its an astounding development in a political campaign of astounding developments (beginning with Trumps rise itself), and though it will keep the punditry machine in full roil for a few days, its hard to see a side trip south of the border will resonate anywhere except on a irony meter.

Is there common ground between Trump and Mexico? Trump has insulted Mexicans in the most despicable terms, and has exploited American nativism for his own political gain, in part by promising to deport 11 million people (mostly Mexicans) living in the U.S. illegally. He also says he would end the constitutional definition of a citizen as anyone born on U.S. soil, a change that would preclude children born in this country from being Americans unless one or both of their parents were already citizens. He also says hed force Mexico to pay for his silly border wall (which, if it existed now, he breached simply by flying over it), and has pledged to renegotiate NAFTA, which has helped Mexico build its economy.

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For Pena Nieto, the calculation is murkier. Last week, he extended invitations to Trump and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, and there are reports that his administration was surprised when Trump accepted. Pena Nieto is in trouble politically (approval rating of 23%), and meeting with Trump (approval rating of 2% in Mexico) isnt likely to help. It could be he wants to distract attention from a burgeoning scandal concerning whether he plagiarized the thesis for his law degree.

But as Pena Nieto noted himself, Trump is one of two candidates who stand a chance of leading the U.S., and if Trump wins, they will have to work together to continue an international relationship that has long, deep and occasionally fractious roots. Mexico is the U.S. third-largest trading partner (and the U.S. is by far Mexicos top export destination), and the social and familial connections -- particularly with Southern California -- are considerable. Although Pena Nieto earlier compared Trump to Hitler and Mussolini, he has since softened his tone toward the Republican presidential nominee.

The private meeting precedes Trumps much-anticipated speech on immigration Wednesday night in Phoenix. Will he back away from his draconian call for mass deportations, including American-born dependents of the undocumented, and to only let the good ones back in? Will he recognize the folly in his planned wall? Will he actually change anything, or double-down on his hateful rhetoric?

And the biggest question: If he does shift his stance on immigration, will he actually mean anything he says in Phoenix? Trumps loose connection with the truth -- he flat-out denies hes made statements that are easily found in online videos -- requires us to take any policy utterances with a large grain of salt. Still, well watch. So far, Trump has been a candidate of many surprises, most of them lamentable. And a trip to Mexico followed by a speech on immigration cant undo the damage hes already done to political discourse. Even a softer, gentler and perhaps more statesmanlike Trump cant change the underlying character.

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Happy 235th birthday, Los Angeles [Sept. 4  definitely a Virgo]! Instead of getting gifts, were giving them. L.A. has bestowed all kinds of new words on the world  not just movie-business terms like hot set and the red-carpet posing practice known as step and repeat, but surface street and Orange Curtain. The Los Angeles Library Foundations project Hollywood Is a Verb looked at the venerable Oxford English Dictionary through polycarbonate wraparound shades and asked Angelenos to suggest distinctly SoCal words  even beyond the 400 or so traced to California newspapers and already enshrined in the OED. USC linguist Edward Finegan talks us through how we are what we say, dude.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS INTERVIEW ON THE PATT MORRISON ASKS PODCAST 

Were there any that came up that you thought, Wow, thats a great word, thats singularly Southern California?

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Well, of course the ones that I think are most striking are the ones that really do have to do with Hollywood, with what were famous for, namely besides the Industry, which is one of the terms. But traffic is also another arena in which a lot of terms were suggested: Carmageddon, based on Armageddon. And of course the way that we refer to highways, which are numbered, where we put the definite article the before them. So we say, Did you come in on the 10 into the studio this morning? Or, Did you take the 405 up to the Valley? So those terms are peculiarly Angeleno terms.

Do people elsewhere refer to freeways without the article the?

Typically they would say, for example, Take Route 70 from Columbus to Indianapolis, rather than say, Take the 70.

There are some other non-Hollywood terms that come up, and not even freeway terms. Going avocado was a new one on me.

Yeah, it was a new one on me too. Its a great one. It captures the notion of becoming the Californian.

From this list that the Library Foundation accumulated of singularly Southern California words, do you have any favorites?

I love bummer-to-bummer, which of course is different from bumper-to-bumper. But the freeways have become so slow these days at all times of these days and nights that it really does become a bummer to get on the freeway when you need to get somewhere, and it has affected us tremendously. We choose where were going to go to eat and which friends were going to spend time with based on what day of the week it is, and what hour of the day it is, and how far away it is, and which freeways we need to take. So Im very fond of bummer-to-bummer.

You wonder whether anyone outside Southern California would understand a sentence like, Wow, I hope you dont run into a SigAlert on your way to the table read in the Valley.

Thats a good example. We have table read, we have the Valley, we have SigAlert. When I first came to California, when I started hearing the word SigAlert, I took it to mean a signal alert and the meaning of it was clear  that there has been an important or significant traffic snarl somewhere and were being signaled against it. It turns out thats the wrong etymology altogether. Its 

A mans name. Sigmon Loyd, is that right? Loyd Sigmon.

And a similar kind of thing for Cobb salad. I never stopped to think about Cobb salad  you can get it anywhere now, throughout the United States, but of course its named after a man named Cobb who invented it in a restaurant in Hollywood.

Theres no way to know whether any of these new Southern California words will ever make their way into the OED, but there is one Southern California word or compound thats already in there. What is that?

Well, there are lots of them, but one that struck me as I was thinking about this is car bomb, the word car bomb. We dont know where it was first used because what dictionaries rely on of course are published records for the most part. But the first citation to the word car bomb in the Oxford English Dictionary is to its use in the Los Angeles Times, in 1923, on the 25th of June.

It was in a headline and it said, Wealthy Scion Nabbed as Car Bomb Death Suspect. There are actually 192 first citations attributed to the Los Angeles Times in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Im so proud! Any others pop up?

Of course some of them are well known and not surprising, like motel  which is of course a word that was invented in San Luis Obispo 

Motor hotel?

Motor hotel.

Because they couldnt afford all the neon!

But there are others that originate in citations from the Los Angeles Times. That means the very first use that the OED has found for these words was in the Los Angeles Times, words like pesticide and supermarket and, perhaps not surprisingly, aerospace. Also words like Chicana and even must-see. Think tank was one which really did surprise me. So there are lots of them.

There are almost 400 words that the OED cites from California, whose first citation is in a California newspaper, papers from Fresno and Long Beach as well of course as the L.A. Times  an extraordinary number from a single state.

I also checked words which I think we think of as California words, words like gnarly, for example, and totally.

Pronounced toooootally.

Totally, totally, totally. Even in its current use, it turns out not to have, as first citations in the OED, California sources. So the word dude, much to my surprise 

The duuude pronunciation, with five Us in it 

 doesnt actually have an initial California citation. I didnt check to see whether there were any from Patt Morrison, but we can do that and see what comes up.

Oh, if only  my little claim to immortality!

A couple of words on this list that the Library Foundation accumulated are words I dont hear Angelenos using about themselves. Ive never heard an Angeleno say LaLa Land. That seems to be something tabloids and East Coast publications use. Or Cali for California. Cali to me is a drug cartel.

I, too, am not aware that Ive heard anyone from Los Angeles or even from California talk about Cali or Southern Cali. And certainly not LaLa Land, which is a derogatory; its used derogatorily, so those are terms I think are used by outsiders.

How do dictionaries, especially one with the august reputation of the Oxford English Dictionary, decide whats good enough, whats durable enough and significant enough to be put in a dictionary?

There still are paper dictionaries, of course; younger people increasingly are not relying on them. But we need to contrast those in a way with electronic dictionaries and online dictionaries and the reason I say that is that online dictionaries can take a little more risk by putting in words, which dont take up physical space. Theres simply much more room for them.

The OED, unlike other dictionaries, never takes a word out. Other dictionaries, especially those that are still being printed, are limited in size for financial reasons and so they have real limitations on space. And in order to make room for new words, old ones have to come out, or words that are not being so frequently used. The OED doesnt follow that practice.

The OED has taken on the task of recording the language from the beginning, and what that then shows in greater depth than any other dictionary can show is the tremendous vitality in English.

Los Angeles not only creates words it creates ways of speaking. Of course we all know about Valley-speak, and the upspeak and the nasal speak that we hear so often in young people, men and women, from reality shows, where they speak way up in their noses and everything ends as an interrogative rather than as a declarative sentence. Like, The sun comes up in the east? Sounds like Im not really sure? I find it annoying, but where does that come from and how do you develop these regionalisms?

Where they come from is not clear. They arise and they catch on and they catch on especially when youre talking about pronunciations they catch on from person to person.

Thats why they call it viral.

You mentioned upspeak, or uptalk, its sometimes called. Linguists call it high-rising tone. Its been associated with women. I think that it probably has begun with women, but you hear more and more young men, particularly, using it. So if it spreads now to men as well as being used by women, then it will no longer be a gender marker or a gender identity marker as it is now to a great extent.

Is there such a thing as a Los Angeles accent? Because my sense is that there are so many voices of people, not just the numbers of people but the sources of those voices, that we tend to knock off chips of regionalisms and other speech patterns to create a generally accepted, almost non-accented English. Am I wrong?

Its unclear whether or not regional accents are disappearing. Certainly on television and places where we have the broadcast media of various kinds, there seems to be a leveling out. But if you look at the local news as opposed to the national news, then you begin to hear differences.

Ive lived in California for 48 years. But people still hear something in my pronunciation which is regional. And when I go home 

Where is home?

Queens, metropolitan New York. I have a slew of brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews, and they all feel that Im talking snobbily because I say, for example, wa-ter instead of woa-tuh. My pronunciation of course has adapted itself to Los Angeles standards, to western standards, in a very natural way. Theres nothing that Ive done deliberately. But to my siblings, it sounds rather snooty to say wat-er. So just because its not what New Yorkers recognize as native, and because they know Im native, it sounds like Ive become snooty or even snotty!

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To the editor: Those of us who live, work and play in downtown L.A. welcome the investment being made by Chinese developers in our emerging urban community.

(Chinese builders think big in downtown L.A., Aug. 27)

The new development improves our streetscapes, gives us more living and shopping options and encourages additional investments by entrepreneurs in restaurants and other businesses catering to the blossoming downtown population.

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Many of the developers in L.A. are required to provide community benefit packages that include funds to rebuild our parks and streets and in some cases provide additional low-income housing.

Patricia Berman, Los Angeles

::

To the editor: That Chinese real estate giants (one curiously called Greenland) are building mega shopping and housing in downtown Los Angeles gives me the willies. Im struck that this is happening while thousands of people in L. A. are working for stagnant wages where the cost of living is getting preposterous, and the homeless population keeps growing.

I wonder what other reason to build on such a massive scale than to make fast profits from sky-high rents? I find it worrisome that after supply exceeded demand in China, the real estate giants rushed to the U.S. and other countries to continue raking in profits.

Lucienne Ryerson, Los Angeles

::

To the editor: It is inconceivable to me that the city fathers want to emulate Beijing and Shanghai with their populations in the millions.

It is bad enough that L.A. is almost 4 million with continued high density, intolerable traffic and parking problems, unaffordable housing and all while undergoing a continued drought.

How much revenue is needed at the expense of quality of human life?

Linda Roberts, Altadena

::

To the editor: The building spree in downtown L.A. will add thousands of units of much-needed housing and retail space. The article mentions the possibility of overbuilding that may result in vacancies, as has occurred in China.

For housing to be sellable and sustainably occupied, it must also be accompanied by the support facilities residents require, such as retail space, schools, hospitals and libraries, for example.

My neighborhood of single-family homes was developed in the 1960s and the developer built a school, a park and adjoining retail space. Today our local school is a major factor in families continuing to move into our neighborhood, as are the park and the convenient nearby stores.

It would be good governance to require developers in downtown L.A. to include schools, parks and similar facilities in their developments or, at a minimum, to help the public sector pay for such facilities.

Ken Murray, Thousand Oaks

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To the editor: California Department of Insurance officials attempted to reach Maria Hernandez directly, and then through her attorney, to apologize immediately after learning on July 27 of the mistaken identity and arrest. The department filed a declaration of factual innocence on Aug. 11 to clear her name and arrest record and had begun the work to reimburse her for bail prior to The Times article.

(Wrongfully arrested  because of her name, Aug. 21)

At present, the department has generated a check and offered it to Hernandezs attorney in payment for her bail expenses but was not advised of medical expenses until The Times article. The department has asked Hernandezs attorney for these and any other expenses.

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To prevent such mistakes in the future, the department is reviewing the events that led to the mistaken arrest, which began with the original suspect providing detectives a false identity. The departments prompt response was in recognition of the distress this has caused her. We deeply regret the arrest.

Byron Tucker, Los Angeles

The writer is deputy commissioner of the California Department of Insurance.

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China will offer a higher level of evaluation for foreign scholars. (Photo : Getty Images)

An education official from the government said that the screening process will enable them to choose better-qualified students. This raises the bar on student competence while studying in a Chinese university.



"After implementing the program for six years, we are seeing the government scholarship being granted to more high-quality international students," said Wang Shenggang, deputy secretary-general of the China Scholarship Council.



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The scholarship council is under the Ministry of Education.



The council established the scholarship program six years ago. This program required foreign students to take bridging lessons on Chinese language and culture for them to adjust to their next four years of learning.



After a year, the students are required to take an examination to test their language proficiency and knowledge of the majors that they intend to take. Failure to pass the exam would mean losing their scholarship.



The value of the scholarship package is from 59,200 yuan to 99,800 yuan ($9,000 to $15,000) a year, depending on their major and length of study. The scholars also receive an annual stipend of 30,000 a year.



"An overwhelming majority of the students did well on the exam because they really felt motivated to study during the one-year program," Wang said.



He added, "We believe that the program, together with the exam, is a practical way to improve the overall quality of the Chinese Government Scholarship recipients."



There are currently 10 universities who are offering the scholarship program to 1,000 students annually.



Wang explained that studying in China should not be superficial. He said, "Studying and living in China, one of the most fast-developing and dynamic nations in the world, students are not content with a superficial understanding of the country."



"Apart from cultural experience, students also want to explore more places away from their campuses and they want to discover the reasons behind China's rapid development," he added.


President Obama is flying into the swirling power of Hurricane Madeline this week to attend the World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, a rather symbolic journey considering how he has faced a constant storm of Republican opposition  on environmental issues, in particular  since the day he took office in 2009.

Obama will also be visiting Midway Atoll, which lies inside the worlds largest marine reserve  a protected area encompassing the northwestern Hawaiian islands that the president recently created with a stroke of his pen. Under the Antiquities Act of 1906, any president has unilateral power to create new national monuments to set aside federal land and sea regions to protect them from development and commercial exploitation. President Theodore Roosevelt famously used this authority to create 18 national monuments. Obama has now exceeded that record by designating as national monuments 23 areas of natural beauty and value.

These preserved areas are the glory of this country. Our national parks, in particular, have been called Americas best idea. But, though the National Park Service this year is celebrating its centennial, not everyone thinks the parks and monuments and preserves are so wonderful. From the time of Roosevelt, there have always been politicians in thrall to mining companies and other corporate interests that oppose the idea of holding federal land in trust for all the people of the United States and keeping it out of the hands of private owners.

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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)

Roosevelt enraged politicians in the Western states by setting aside 150 million acres of land as national forests. Congress tried to block him from doing more, but he found ways to work around the reactionaries in the House and Senate. Thanks to Roosevelts political skill and passion for conservation, millions more forest acres were protected, as well as places like Chaco Canyon, Devils Tower and, grandest of all, the Grand Canyon.

Roosevelt, and many wise leaders who followed him, bestowed on all generations of Americans an invaluable heritage in public lands. Scandalously, though, many politicians have not proved to be good stewards of that heritage. The national parks in recent years have been kept on a starvation budget. Between 2005 and 2014, funding dropped 8%. The parks currently struggle with a $12-billion backlog in repairs and maintenance. Just one park alone  Joshua Tree National Park in the California desert  needs $60 million in restoration but has a yearly budget of just $6 million.

A national parks funding bill currently before Congress would help address the repair needs of the parks, but the legislation has been laden with unfriendly amendments that would subvert the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Antiquities Act. Clearly, some members of Congress are more interested in protecting business interests than protecting Americas most cherished places.

Luckily, we currently have a president who is committed to upholding and advancing the legacy of Roosevelt. But who comes next? Will voters choose as our next president a person who will also be a champion of the national parks, the national forests, the national monuments and the nature preserves in the manner of Roosevelt and Obama? Or will they pick someone who will side with the exploiters who are eager to roll back a century of progress in protecting Americas natural heritage?

David.Horsey@latimes.com

Follow me at @davidhorsey on Twitter
Mexicans reacted with dismay and outrage Wednesday as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrived in their capital and met with President Enrique Pena Nieto. Their message was clear: Trump wasnt welcome, and Pena Nieto never should have invited him.

We dont like him. We dont want him, former Mexican President Vicente Fox told CNN. The former president called Pena Nieto a traitor for extending the invitation to Trump, who has repeatedly attacked Mexico over the last year and has vowed to force the nation to pay for construction of a massive border wall.

Youre coming to take your picture with the very people youve offended, Miguel Barbosa, of the leftist opposition Democratic Revolution Party, told Trump on Twitter. Get out!

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The anger crossed political lines. Members of the conservative National Action Party were as vociferous as people on the left. Margarita Zavala, a possible 2018 presidential candidate for the party, said Mexicans have dignity, and we repudiate his speech of hatred.

Mexico Citys local parliament declared Trump a persona non grata, and opposition parties attacked Pena Nieto for allowing himself to be used by Trumps base political machinations.

And after the meeting and brief comments by Trump and Pena Nieto, protesters gathered at the iconic Angel de la Independencia monument in downtown Mexico City were unmoved.

I hope Pena Nieto understand Trumps words: in your face Im telling you, Donald Trump will build the wall!, said student Tania Dorantes, 21.

The meeting, announced unexpectedly late Tuesday, was cast by Pena Nieto as an important diplomatic opportunity. I believe in dialogue to promote the interests of Mexico in the world, and to protect Mexicans wherever they are, Pena Nieto wrote Tuesday on Twitter.

But it was also a risky political calculation for the Mexican president and Trump, both of whom are lagging in public opinion polls.

It feels like an insult, said Elisenda Estrems, 41, an artist who was eating breakfast Wednesday morning at a Mexico City cafe. The whole city will be up in arms. I hope they throw him out.

Its embarrassing that the president has invited someone who hates Mexicans to our country, said Olga Ruiz, a 42-year-old professor.

Mexican shops now specialize in yellow-haired Trump pinatas, ready to be smashed to bits. And the candidate is mocked in running jokes on social media and even in song.

Tony Payan, director of the Mexico Center at Rice Universitys Baker Institute, called Wednesdays early afternoon meeting between Trump and Pena Nieto a puzzling maneuver.

These are men who are not very popular, so you wonder what they add to each others numbers, Payan said. While Trump probably views the meeting as a grand gesture that may ingratiate him with Latino voters, Payan said he doesnt know what the Mexican president hopes to gain.

Pena Nieto is gambling here with whatever hes got left to use, Payan said.

Pena Nieto, who is scheduled to give his annual address to the nation on Thursday, has been plagued by personal and political scandals in recent months, as well as rising crime rates and a lackluster economy.

This week, he fired the head of the federal police force after allegations that federal officers last year executed several members of a drug cartel on a Michoacan ranch. He is also locked in a contentious battle with Mexicos teachers unions over his controversial education reforms, with some teachers in southern Mexico refusing to show up to school.

On top of that, last week Pena Nieto was accused last week of plagiarizing much of his law school thesis, provoking widespread mockery on social media.

Public opinion polls show fewer than a third of Mexicans approve of the job he is doing. And although Pena Nieto has been critical of Trump in the past, saying there is no way Mexico will pay for a border wall, and even comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler, his decision to receive Trump at his official residence Wednesday threatens to further erode voter support.

Nevertheless, Pena Nietos motives remained a mystery; while Trumps gains are clear, there seemed to be little upside for the Mexican president. Some people suggested Pena Nieto extended the invitation to both Trump and the candidates Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, but did not expect either to accept. Its a tradition in some parts of Mexico, a kind of false hospitality that allows people to seem welcoming even when theyre not.

For Claudio Negrete, 35, Trumps visit is another strike against Pena Nieto. Its a self-serving move, Negrete said Wednesday as he prepared to start work at a taco stand in Mexico Citys leafy Condesa neighborhood.

Trumps presidential campaign is personal to Negrete, who spent more than a decade working in the U.S. illegally. He has family in Scottsdale, Ariz., and plans to return there later this year.

This is real to us, Negrete said. Were afraid if he is elected that there will be deportations and families separated.

Trump, whose pledge to shut down illegal immigration won him conservative support in the Republican primary, has been flirting with softening that stance in recent weeks in an attempt to win over general election voters, a majority of whom believe immigrants in the country illegally should be allowed to stay.

Whether or not the Mexico visit will help him with those voters remains to be seen.

If the outrage on Mexican Twitter was any indication, the visit is not playing well for Pena Nieto. The hashtag #quepenatrump was taking off on Wednesday morning  a play on the presidents last name and the Spanish word pena, translating to what a shame, Trump.

This isnt a calculated risk. Its extreme stupidity, wrote Mexican political analyst Jesus Silva Herzog, who said Pena Nieto is being used as a tool for propaganda for the countrys worst enemy.

Theres no way this can work out well, he wrote.

kate.linthicum@latimes.com

Cecilia Sanchez of the Times Mexico City Bureau and Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington, D.C. contributed reporting.

ALSO

Donald Trump still has a path to victory, but its a tough one, USC/L.A. Times poll shows

Trumps chaotic day includes a Mexico visit and an immigration speech, but it might not clarify his policy

Trump responds to Vicente Foxs criticism of Mexico visit: He invited me too

UPDATES:

2:11 p.m.: Updated with additional reaction and detail.

This article was originally published at 9:20 a.m.
Donald Trump backed off his plan to forcibly deport all 11 million people in the U.S. illegally on Wednesday. But his speech outlining his immigration policy was hardly the softening he had floated.

In a much-anticipated address, Trump delivered a raft of hard-line proposals, including new limits and entry criteria for legal immigrants, promises to crack down on welfare abusers, proposals to end the automatic renewal of visa programs and a pledge to deny legal status to anyone who remains in the country illegally.

Our message to the world will be this: You cannot obtain legal status or obtain citizenship in the United States by illegally entering our country, Trump said to cheers from thousands of supporters here. People will know that you cant just smuggle in, hunker down, and wait to be legalized. Those days are over.

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By cutting off any chance of legal status for those here illegally, Trump would force those not deported under his plan to return home on their own before applying for entry.

Trumps call to curb legal immigration to match historical norms was new for him and striking. Depending on how Trump defines those norms, they could mean a major shift in U.S. policy, sharply reducing net new immigration for years to come.

Trump also said those who would be allowed in would face new criteria based on merit, including their ability to be financially self-sufficient. Current policy awards preference to those with family already in the country.

We take anybody, just come on in, Trump said. Not anymore.

He laid heavy blame on immigrants crossing open borders for displacing American workers and threatening their security, using the kind of rhetoric that has pleased his core supporters but risks turning off more moderate Republicans and independents.

The appearance, which included emotional testimonials from people who lost loved ones in violent acts committed by immigrants, whipped the crowd into an unusually animated frenzy, even by the standards of Trumps rowdy rallies.

Trump, in appealing to his most conservative supporters, tried to move past a week of vacillating on immigration, his signature issue, by asserting that the question of what to do with 11 million people in the U.S illegally is not central to the problem.

Anyone who tells you that the core issue is the needs of those living here illegally has simply spent too much time in Washington, Trump said to cheers.

Rather, Trump said that President Obamas and Hillary Clintons policies are to blame for countless American deaths at the hands of immigrants in the country illegally. He said the main problem with the immigration system is that it serves the needs of wealthy donors, interest groups and politicians. He warned that Clinton was planning to broadly expand her powers if elected, in defiance of the Constitution, to grant increased executive amnesty.

Trump, who has gone back and forth on his prior pledge to use a special force to round up the 11 million immigrants in the country without authorization, tried to reframe the debate with a new plan that includes what he termed a deportation task force, but said it would focus on those who have committed crimes, overstayed their visas or abused government benefits. He suggested that as many as 2 million people who have committed criminal acts would be deported quickly after his inauguration.

Other parts of his plan, like adding 5,000 Border Patrol agents, echo legislation that passed the U.S. Senate in 2013 that would have added 20,000 border agents  four times as many as Trump suggests. Trump was highly critical of that proposal during the Republican primary, singling out Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for his role in drafting it. The bill eventually died in Congress.

Other plans include his long-promised border wall. He did not specify whether it would be entirely a physical structure, which would likely be impractical and prohibitively expensive in many areas marked by natural geographic features. He also reiterated his promise that Mexico would pay for the wall, something Mexican officials including President Enrique Pena Nieto have called a nonstarter. Trump did not offer alternative plans to pay for it.

Trumps speech capped a whirlwind day in which he made a last-minute stop in Mexico City to meet with Pena Nieto for an hour, intensifying attention on Trumps sharp rhetoric on immigration and Mexican trade.

Trumps immigration views rocketed him to the top of the GOP field and propelled him to the Republican nomination, but the issue has bedeviled him in the general election campaign. Only about 1 in 5 Latino voters supports him, according to a recent Fox News poll. Some strategists believe his sharp tone and unsparing policy proposals may also be dragging down his support among other groups of voters who recoil at the vision of rounding up 11 million immigrants or blanch when Trump labels those crossing the Mexican border rapists and other criminals.

Trumps speech came in Arizona, the heart of some of the nations fiercest immigration fights. Droves of supporters began lining up outside the convention center in 102-degree heat hours before Trump arrived.

Despite the focus on illegal immigration, the numbers are actually down. More Mexican immigrants and their children went back to Mexico from the U.S. between 2009 and 2014 than came to the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center.

Arizona is one of many traditionally conservative states in the West that has mainstream Republican strategists concerned about the GOPs hard-line turn on immigration  both in this election and what it portends for the future.

Voters in Arizona have supported only one Democrat for president since 1952. But the states large and growing Latino population has put the state on the map for Democrats. Polls there show a tight race between Trump and Clinton.

Bierman reported from Washington and Mehta from Phoenix. Times staff writer David Lauter contributed reporting from Washington.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman

seema.mehta@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSeema

He was a billionaire who donated to the Clinton Foundation. Last year, he was denied entry into the U.S.

What does Trump mean when he says he will deport criminal immigrants first?

Inside the Hollywood past of Stephen K. Bannon, Donald Trumps campaign chief

UPDATES:

9:40 p.m.: This story was updated with changes throughout.

8:30 p.m.: This story was updated with more details from Trumps speech.

7:30 p.m.: This story was updated with details from Trumps speech.

7:15 a.m.: This story was updated with comment from Hillary Clintons campaign.

5:10 a.m.: This story was updated with details on Trumps planned visit to Mexico.

This story was originally published at 3 a.m.
Its a big day in politics, both here in the Golden State and across the country. Donald Trump plans a long-awaited speech on the topic of immigration Wednesday night in Phoenix, an address that comes after weeks of questions on whether hell moderate his stance  and as he announced hell begin the day with a last-minute trip to Mexico.

Im Christina Bellantoni, and this is Essential Politics.

Well be covering the Trump immigration speech live. His biting statements and blunt promises on immigration have been the core of his campaign since he announced his candidacy more than a year ago. But as he prepares to deliver the speech, his once-forceful views have grown muddy, Noah Bierman writes.

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WHO WILL SHOW UP IN NOVEMBER? THE ANSWER MIGHT TELL YOU THE WINNER

How will Trumps talk be received and will he alienate his base? David Lauter explores a possible answer to that question found within the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times daily tracking poll of the presidential race.

With Trump taking a slim lead within the margin of error again this month, Lauter writes that those driving that result are people who sat out the 2012 election but say they plan to vote this year. Its not that simple, given turning nonvoters into voters is a task for which Trumps campaign may be especially ill-suited.

The nonvoters in our survey are disproportionately whites who did not graduate from college  Trumps strongest supporters.

MORE EMAILS SURFACE

Republicans welcomed news Tuesday from the State Department that about 30 emails that may be related to the 2012 attack on U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, are among the thousands of Hillary Clinton emails recovered during the FBIs recently closed investigation into her use of a private server. The discovery is thanks to one of several lawsuits filed by the conservative group Judicial Watch.

Dont expect a release until the end of September, as the State Department will be reviewing them for potentially classified information.

TODAYS THE DAY

The other major news front were tracking is the final day of Californias legislative session in Sacramento. The lawmakers also are saying their goodbyes. A number of major issues remain on the table  for example, what will become of money from the cap-and-trade system, and will Internet poker be legalized?  even as we saw a flurry of activity Tuesday.

Among the highlights:

 Lawmakers sent Gov. Jerry Brown a bill to end the statute of limitations for prosecuting rape and other felony sex crimes, a measure inspired by the Bill Cosby case. If the governor signs it, crimes including rape and child sexual abuse could be prosecuted at any time.

 Perhaps the biggest social change could come from two measures awaiting Browns decision  outlawing smoking on California college campuses and on state parks and beaches.

 California families on welfare would receive a $50 monthly diaper voucher for young children, and students at Cal State schools could get extra help graduating on time under measures sent to Brown.

 Lawmakers also passed a change to sentencing laws in California to add language about rehabilitation.

 Will California ban the use of drones in state parks without a permit?

 This measure would increase penalties for sex buyers in an aim to curb sex trafficking.

 Companies that seek big state government contracts could not be part of an international boycott of Israel under a bill that landed on Browns desk. The proposal would make those contracts subject to state civil rights laws.

 Voters who cast their ballot at home but need it delivered to an elections office could ask anyone to help out under a bill approved by the Assembly. Critics, however, pointed out language in the bill that would allow political campaigns to gather as many ballots as they want for delivery on election day.

 A fix appears on the way to Californias outdated campaign finance database, with legislation approved Tuesday that sets in motion a 2019 timeline for a new system.

 Coming up today for a vote is a compromise on a controversial measure that would make it a crime to distribute illegal recordings involving a healthcare provider. The bill, sponsored by Planned Parenthood in the wake of high-profile secret videos circulated by anti-abortion activists, raised concerns from media associations that it could infringe on the medias work. The amended bill would make clear the media would not be held liable if they were not involved in the initial recording.

 Also hitting the floor is a bill that would allow California homeowners to build new housing in their backyards known as granny flats.

 On the final day, check out where the biggest issues stand, monitor breaking news and get the end-of-session wrap-up on our Essential Politics news feed.

WHITMAN IS WITH HER

Lifelong Republican and 2010 California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman campaigned for Clinton on Tuesday. The Hewlett-Packard chief demurred when asked if she would serve in Clintons Cabinet if the Democratic nominee wins the White House in the fall.

Dont miss our Trump endorsement spectrum interactive to see where Whitman ranks among her fellow Republicans.

Get the latest from the campaign trail on Trail Guide and follow @latimespolitics. Check our daily USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times tracking poll at the top of the politics page.

SUMMER VOTING

Sen. John McCain prevailed in his Senate primary Tuesday, setting him up for what could be a tough re-election battle in Arizona this fall. Sheriff Joe Arpaio easily won but also faces his most difficult general election battle in decades.

Meanwhile, its official that Sen. Marco Rubio will face Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy on Nov. 8. The Florida Republican was a late entry to run for his own seat after his presidential bid ended. Murphy defeated liberal Rep. Alan Grayson.

Also happening in Florida Tuesday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz survived her primary challenge from the left and Democratic Rep. Corrine Brown was ousted.

TODAYS ESSENTIALS

 The union representing more than 50,000 stage actors and managers made history, endorsing a candidate for the first time: Clinton.

 U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez tweeted his support for a California bill that would expand overtime pay to thousands of farmworkers across the state.

 Trump will fundraise outside Chicago next month.

 L.A. County supervisor candidate Janice Hahn may have to refund more than $280,000 in contributions from political action committees after county elections officials alleged that her committee probably violated campaign finance rules.

 What do you think of Clinton? We want to hear from you.

 Who will win the November election? Give our Electoral College map a spin.

LOGISTICS

Miss yesterdays newsletter? Here you go. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox daily. And keep an eye on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics?

Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com.
In the wake of sexual assault accusations against comedian Bill Cosby, California may soon end the statute of limitations for prosecuting rape and other felony sex crimes.

The state Senate on Tuesday sent the governor a bill to end time limits for prosecuting crimes including rape and child sexual abuse.



For the record: This article states that the woman pressing charges of felony sexual assault against Bill Cosby filed the charges nine years after the alleged assault. She filed the charges 11 years after the alleged assault.

Under existing law, such crimes generally must be prosecuted within 10 years unless DNA evidence emerges later. Sex crimes against minors must be prosecuted before the victims 40th birthday.

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If the governor signs the bill, those crimes could be prosecuted at any time.

SB 813 would not apply retroactively to crimes in which the statute of limitations will have expired by Jan. 1, 2017.

Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) introduced the bill after news that dozens of women have alleged Cosby raped them. Most of their cases cannot be prosecuted because the statutes of limitations for those alleged crimes have expired.

Its called the Justice for Victims Act for one clear and specific reason: Victims should always have the opportunity to seek justice in a court of law after such a violent act, Leyva said Tuesday just before the California state Senate voted unanimously to send the bill to the governor.

Comparing rape and sexual assault laws by state can be difficult because definitions for those offenses can vary. But if the bill becomes law, California will join at least 16 other states that generally do not have time limits for prosecuting rape and sexual assault cases, according to data from Rainn, a sexual assault survivor advocacy organization that tracks sexual assault policies.

Three women who accused Cosby of sexual assault testified in support of the bill in April.

Lili Bernard, a Los Angeles actress, testified during a hearing in April that Cosby had drugged and raped her in the early 1990s, before New Jersey, where she alleges the crime occurred, lifted its statute of limitations on sexual assault cases. When she tried to press charges, she said she was told she missed the deadline.

War criminals, no matter how many decades have passed, cannot evade prosecution, Bernard told Senate committee members at the hearing. I am asking you to do the same thing for us, rape survivors, who survived the war upon our body.

When the bill passed the state Assembly earlier this month, Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson) called the bill long overdue and one that would ensure that criminals be placed in jail.

The American Civil Liberties Union opposed the bill, arguing that the time limits protect innocent people from wrongful conviction.

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The statute of limitations is there for a reason, said Natasha Minsker, director of the ACLU of California Center for Advocacy and Policy. When a case is prosecuted literally decades after the event, it becomes much more ... difficult to prove that you are wrongfully accused.

Cosby is being tried in Pennsylvania after he was charged with several counts of felony sexual assault. The woman who is pressing charges filed them nine years after the alleged assault. Pennsylvania has a 12-year statute of limitations for rape cases.

Cosby has said his relationships with his accusers were consensual.

SB 813 is one of several bills passed by the Legislature prompted by high-profile assault cases. When Brock Turner, a Stanford University student, was convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to six months in jail, many said he should have received a heavier punishment. In response, lawmakers sent the governor bills that would expand the definition of rape to include all forms of non-consensual sexual assault and impose new mandatory minimum punishments for rapists.

sophia.bollag@latimes.com

Follow @SophiaBollag on Twitter.

ALSO

After Cosbys accusers testify, Legislature weighs eliminating statute of limitations for sex crimes

Bill Cosby: A 50-year chronicle of accusations and accomplishments

UPDATES:

6:39 p.m.: This article was updated with a quote from the bills author, state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino).

This article was originally published at 6:20 p.m.
Women seeking medical abortions in Ohio experienced a higher rate of complications after the state implemented a law that put new restrictions on doctors who performed the procedure, according to a study published Tuesday.

The law, which took effect in 2011, requires abortion providers to adhere to specific guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when giving patients a combination of two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol. The drugs have been shown to terminate early pregnancies safely and effectively.

The FDA protocol was set in 2000, with specific dosages of mifepristone and misoprostol. Within a few years, however, doctors realized that using a lower dose of mifepristone and a higher dose of misoprostol produced better outcomes for their patients.

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The World Health Organization, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the National Abortion Federation found shortcomings with the FDAs protocol soon after it was issued, and began recommending changes as early as 2003. Healthcare providers throughout the U.S. followed their lead and prescribed the drugs according to the latest medical research rather than the dosages on the drugs label.

The practice of prescribing drugs for use off label is both legal and commonplace. By one estimate, 21% of all U.S. prescriptions are intended for off-label use.

Before Ohios law went into effect, doctors in the state were able to decide what doses of the drugs were most effective based on the latest research and best practices. Afterward, doctors lost that flexibility and were forced to follow the FDAs outdated protocol.

To see what effect that had on patients, researchers examined the medical records of 2,783 women who had medication abortions at one of four clinics in Ohio between 2010 and 2014.

The researchers found that women were nearly three times more likely to require additional intervention after the law was implemented than they were before.

Before 2011, doctors had to provide some kind of additional care in 4.9% of cases. Usually, this meant administering an additional dose of misoprostol or using suction to remove the fetus from the uterus. After the law was enforced, measures like these were required in 14.3% of cases, according to the study.

In addition, the incidence of side effects nearly doubled after the law took effect. When doctors were able to use their own judgment, 8.4% of women experienced problems like nausea or vomiting. After doctors were required to stick to the FDAs regimen, 15.6% of women had such problems.

The average price patients paid for medication abortions went up as well, from $426 in 2010 to $551 in 2014, the researchers found. In part, thats because the minimum number of required doctor visits rose from three to four.

There is no evidence that the change in law led to improved abortion outcomes, the study authors wrote in PLOS Medicine. Indeed, our findings suggest the opposite.

The FDA updated its guidelines in March, approving new labeling for Mifeprex (the brand name for mifepristone) that is more in line with current practice and makes the drug easier for women to use.

The new label extends the amount of time a pregnant woman can take the drug from seven weeks after her last menstrual period to 10 weeks. It also reduces the recommended dose from 600 milligrams to 200 milligrams, which reduces side effects and makes it less expensive.

Finally, the new labeling says women can take misoprostol (sold as Cytotec, among other brand names) at home rather than in the presence of a physician.

The FDAs action means that women in Ohio seeking medication abortions can now receive care in line with the most up-to-date research. But that could change if the agency doesnt keep up with evolving medical practices.

This law will continue to require physicians to provide care that may fall below the accepted standard of care, placing them in an ethical dilemma, they wrote.

North Dakota, Texas and Arizona have abortion laws similar to Ohios. State legislatures in Arkansas and Oklahoma passed similar laws, but those were blocked by a court order.

The study was led by Ushma Upadhyay, an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at UC San Francisco.

deborah.netburn@latimes.com

Do you love science? I do! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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Call it artificial intelligence with a human touch. This week, two California universities separately announced new centers devoted to studying the ways in which AI can help humanity.

USCs Viterbi School of Engineering and its School of Social Work said Wednesday that they had joined forces to launch the Center on Artificial Intelligence for Social Solutions. A day earlier, UC Berkeley unveiled its newly minted Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence.

Then on Thursday, a Stanford-led initiative to study the future of artificial intelligence in the next century released a report detailing the effect artificial intelligence could have on urban life by 2030.

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The authors discussed its potential effects on several aspects of life, including transportation, healthcare, education and public safety. They emphasized the importance of developing AI expertise in all levels of government, as changing technologies trigger a need for new policies. Pointing to ambiguous federal laws, the experts also called for the removal of any real or perceived roadblocks to research on AI systems.

Even as Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Elon Musk and other science and technology pundits warn of the possible overthrow of humanity by advanced artificial intelligence  a prospect that experts say is nowhere on the horizon  scientists are increasingly looking ahead to the ways in which AI might actually aid peoples lives.

If society approaches AI with a more open mind, the technologies emerging from the field could profoundly transform society for the better in the coming decades, the reports authors wrote.

The UC Berkeley-led center, directed by artificial intelligence researcher Stuart Russell, will seek to understand how human values can be built into AIs design, and create a mathematical framework that will help people build AI systems that are beneficial to individuals and society.

See the most-read stories in Science this hour 

One of the many questions theyll be wrestling with, for example, is how to get robots to understand what humans really want  because people are notoriously bad at communicating what their objectives are.

Russell called it the King Midas problem. In Greek mythology, Midas asked for everything he touched to be turned to gold. As this meant his food and drink turned to metal, he died in misery and starvation. It didnt occur to the king that he didnt really mean everything until it was too late.

Scientists might get around this communication problem by designing artificial intelligence that can watch humans and learn what their values are through their actions, though even that comes with some uncertainty, as humans dont always act in ways aligned with their values, Russell added.

My objective ... is primarily to look at these long-term questions of how you design AI systems so that you are guaranteed to be happy with the outcomes, Russell said. (And if they design some useful software or devices as they do so, even better.)

The USC center, co-directed by artificial intelligence researcher Milind Tambe and social work scientist Eric Rice, seems to operate in a mind-set perpendicular to the one at UC Berkeley: It seeks to harness AIs existing capabilities to solve problems in messy, complicated human contexts.

Tambe, who worked on the report released Thursday, has led a workshop sponsored by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on using AI for social good. He has used AI to help rangers combat the poaching of wildlife in Asia and Africa and to help LAX security officials catch more weapons, drugs and other contraband. He and Rice are currently working on a project that exemplifies the kind of work the center could do: using artificial intelligence to identify key people in social networks to help prevent the spread of HIV among Los Angeles homeless youth.

Artificial intelligence encompasses a wide range of tools, including machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing and game theory. Some of these areas have analogs to aspects of human intelligence. Tambe said he hopes that as more researchers get involved in the center, more of these computational tool sets will be put to good use.

An agreed-upon definition of AI that is acceptable to everyone is very hard to come by, Tambe said. But, essentially, all of the kinds of human reasoning that may be applied to problems, AI wants to be able to do that and more.

Rice said he saw potential for the technology to be applied to a host of thorny problems in different contexts, from the impact of global warming on impoverished communities to issues with the child welfare system, homelessness and healthcare access.

Though the centers founding directors have very different backgrounds, the pairs distinct skill sets complement and enhance each other, Rice explained.

If you bring together people from social work, who have this understanding of the complexity of the real world, with people from computer science who can model incredibly complex systems, it creates a really great way of moving forward and getting traction on these complicated problems, Rice said.

amina.khan@latimes.com

Follow @aminawrite on Twitter for more science news and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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UPDATES:

Sept. 1, 5 p.m.: This article was updated with details on the Stanford-led report on the future of artificial intelligence.

This article was originally published Aug. 31, 2016, at 1 p.m.
While many students enjoyed this past summer traveling, going to concerts or hanging out with their friends, Burbank resident Roberto Flores spent his break from school taming a wild mustang.

Flores, 19, spent about nine hours each day over the past three months in Sunland with his 12-year-old brother, Johnny, training wild mustangs for the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sept. 17.

Roberto Flores 5-year-old Mustang named Blockbuster and Johnny Flores 2-year-old Mustang named Mellow Moon both started off as wild mustangs that were caught in Nevada and transported to Redlands, where they are put up for adoption.

Theyre completely wild, and we have about 100 days to train them until we compete, Roberto Flores said. Neither of us could go up to them when we got them.

As an equestrian enthusiast, Roberto Flores said he and his brother took on the challenge to educate those looking to purchase a horse because there are thousands of wild mustangs in the country that are waiting to be trained.

These horses are cheaper than many of the other horses that people want to buy, he said. Theyre not as trained to their liking, but train a mustang for 100 days and theyll be almost perfect.

At the competition in September, Roberto Flores and his brother will get an opportunity to show the judges how hard they have worked over the summer and how well trained their horses are by completing various tasks  such as leading their horse, making their horse walk backward and getting their horse into a trailer.

Roberto Flores said that he feels empowered after being able to take a wild animal and domesticating it to the point where it understands and obeys commands. He added that being around a horse makes him feel like he can achieve his own goals.

It makes me feel like I can do anything, he said. Being with horses, I feel like I can do the best that I can. When I train a horse, Im able to accomplish the goal. Training horses makes me feel like Im really good at doing something, and I like that feeling because I never really felt like that throughout my whole life.

Roberto Flores is attending Pierce College with an emphasis in pre-veterinary studies with hopes of transferring to Texas A&M to earn his bachelors degree and later earning his veterinary degree in Texas.

Once I become a veterinarian, I want to make sure that I can stay in the [horse] training field because I want to be able to train horses and be an equine vet, he said.

--

Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District says it does not plan to implement recommendations in an Orange County grand jury report on how area school districts can improve hazardous-materials management and communication with school communities about campus construction projects.

The grand jurys report, released in June, focused on how asbestos concerns in area districts are handled. The report was prompted by an incident in the Ocean View School District in Huntington Beach in 2014-15 in which three schools were closed temporarily because of concerns about the potentially hazardous mineral fiber and millions of dollars in extra spending was dedicated to abating the material.

The jurors recommended that each district:

 Create a plan for how issues regarding hazardous materials will be communicated to parents and others;

 Maintain a computerized database listing all district buildings and their characteristics;

 Budget for asbestos inspections every three years and share inspection data with prospective construction bidders;

 Request that the Orange County Department of Education use one or more of its monthly all districts meetings to discuss the handing of hazardous materials and that representatives from each district attend.

But Newport-Mesa will not implement the recommendations, saying they are not warranted and not reasonable.

At least four other districts told Orange County Superior Court Judge Charles Margines that they wont adopt the suggestions.

In Newport-Mesas response this month, the district said its practice of making inspection reports accessible at its office and school sites, as required by the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, is sufficient and that the grand jury suggestion of a computerized database would require additional funding or the transfer of funds from educational programs.

Under AHERA regulations, schools are required to perform inspections to determine whether asbestos-containing materials are present and to maintain an asbestos management plan.

Newport-Mesa schools are inspected twice a year, according to district spokeswoman Annette Franco.

Newport-Mesa wrote that the county Department of Education frequently distributes information to districts on a wide range of subjects and that the meetings that were recommended are unnecessary.

The district also noted that the grand jurys recommendations to budget for asbestos inspections and share the data with bidders are already in place in Newport-Mesa.

The grand jury report found that all but one of Orange Countys 28 school districts have asbestos present in at least one of their schools.

While the jury noted that asbestos contained in walls or ceilings does not present an immediate hazard, any disturbance that releases the fibers into the air can pose a hazard to anyone exposed to a significant amount.

Ocean View School District staff has already presented an asbestos-management plan to the district board of trustees and made it available to the public this summer. Maintenance and custodial staff has been trained in asbestos safety, according to Supt. Carol Hansen.

Of the three Ocean View campuses that closed because of asbestos concerns, two  Hope View and Oak View elementary schools  reopened in September 2015 after construction crews removed small amounts of the material and completed upgrades in the buildings.

The other school, Lake View Elementary, will reopen Sept. 7.

alexandra.chan@latimes.com

Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
The Chinese national flag is hoisted on top the iconic Potala Palace in Tibet. (Photo : Reuters)

A new senior official to run Tibet was appointed by China's ruling Communist Party on Sunday, Aug. 28, as part of the an extensive reorganization ahead of next year's meeting, Reuters reported.



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Wu Yingjie was named as Tibet's new party secretary by the Party, together with new leaders in two other key provinces, the Xinhua News Agency report said.



Based on his official resume, Wu has worked in Tibet in his entire career and previously served as a deputy governor and propaganda chief, among other roles.



The report said that Wu belongs to Han Chinese, the country's majority ethnic group, like his predecessor Chen Quanguo, who would be taking another position.



In 1950, communist troops marched in and took over Tibet which China called as a "peaceful liberation". Following an uprising against the China which failed, Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled to India in 1959.



Tibetan exiled leaders and rights groups accused China of widespread repression but Beijing claimed that it has brought stability and prosperity in the country.



According to the report, the newly-appointed party officials will also be assigned to serve the southwestern province of Yunnan and the populous province of Hunan.



Chen Hao will replace Li Jiheng to serve Yunnan, which is located along the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, while Du Jiahao will sit as party leader in Hunan, the report said.



Their resumes showed that the two leaders have both worked for President Xi Jinping when he managed Shanghai, the country commercial capital, as the city's Communist Party chief for a year in 2007.



Xi is expected to further strengthen his power by appointing close allies next autumn, when the party is set to hold a once-every-five-year congress. He is expected to place allies into the party's ruling core, the Politburi and the Politburo standing committee. More new people will also be appointed into major provincial and government positions, sources said.


An Orange County Superior Court judge Tuesday held off on deciding whether to strike much of the language of an advisory ballot measure proposed by the Mesa Water District concerning a possible merger with the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, saying he needs more information to determine whether a challenge to it was filed in time.

After a brief hearing in Santa Ana, Judge Andrew Banks directed attorneys in the matter to return at 3 p.m. Wednesday to discuss it further.

At issue is a 10-day review period during which the public can ask that election materials be amended or deleted before going on the ballot.

Mike Scheafer, a Costa Mesa resident who is the board president of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, filed a challenge Friday to the wording of Mesa Waters nonbinding measure, which will ask voters Nov. 8 whether they support the idea of the two agencies pursuing a merger.

Patrick Munoz, an attorney for Mesa Water, contends the deadline to file a challenge had passed Aug. 22 and that its too late for the judge to rule on Scheafers objection.

According to the Orange County registrar of voters office, the 10-day review period began Aug. 13.

Its a firm statute of limitations, said Munoz, of the law firm Rutan & Tucker.

Wednesdays hearing is intended for Banks to hear arguments on whether he can weigh the merits of Scheafers challenge.

If there clearly is no discretion  [that] it is a hard and fast deadline and after the 10th day the guillotine has fallen  then it seems to me there is nothing to be done, Banks said.

In his challenge, Scheafer objected to claims in Mesa Waters ballot measure, designated as Measure TT, of cost savings that could result from a merger with the sanitary district.

Those figures  about $15.6 million in one-time savings and an additional $2.7 million annually  were identified in a preliminary study commissioned by Mesa Water and prepared by consultant Arcadis U.S. Inc.

According to the study, the savings could result in a $650 rebate for each customer and up to a 28% reduction in wastewater rates. Those numbers also are stated in the ballot measure.

Scheafer is seeking to strike all the language in the measure that refers to the potential savings identified in the study, which the sanitary district considers inaccurate and misleading.

Scheafers challenge claims the measure is inconsistent with election law and includes unnecessary words to suggest to voters how they should vote.

Mesa Water officials have said they believe the studys results are valid.
A Newport Center townhome and condominium project that would replace a car wash and gas station will again be reviewed by the Newport Beach Planning Commission on Thursday, this time with a shorter version than previously proposed.

Newport Center Anacapa Associates 150 Newport Center project has gone through a series of changes in the past several months at the commissions behest. Most recently, the developer reduced the planned height of the 45-unit building to 50 feet in five stories from 65 feet in six stories.

The developer also is considering an alternative plan that would reduce the number of units to 35, according to a city staff report.

If approved, the project would replace the Beacon Bay Auto Wash and an adjacent gas station on 1.26 acres along Newport Center Drive near Anacapa Drive.

After about two hours of public discussion Aug. 18, planning commissioners were unable to come to a consensus about various points of the project, including density and height.

The majority of commissioners said they are open to a residential project on the site, as it would advance the city general plans goal of creating a walkable community in Newport Center.

But the commission provided some parameters for 150 Newport Center, including setting the maximum number of units at 45 and a maximum building height of 50 feet, which would put it in line with other buildings in that area, commissioners said.

Newport Center Anacapa Associates originally proposed a seven-story, 49-unit building reaching 69 feet tall. However, after its initial meeting with the Planning Commission in July, the developer reduced the plan to six stories with 45 units reaching 65 feet.

For the development to move forward, the Planning Commission would have to vote to change the land-use designation for the site from regional commercial office to multi-unit residential to allow homes to be built. The City Council also would have to sign off on the proposal.

Two local groups, Stop Polluting Our Newport, an activist organization, and Line in the Sand, a political action committee, began circulating a petition last week via email and social media urging the Planning Commission to reject the development.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the groups said they expect more than 1,200 individuals to register their support.

The petition argues that 150 Newport Center is inappropriate for the location because of its height and bulk and the fact that it proposes residential use on a site not zoned for it. The zoning should remain commercial, the groups say.

They also point to noise issues that could arise from the units being close to restaurants, bars and a movie theater at Fashion Island.

Thursdays Planning Commission meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.

Museum House to be discussed during study session

Before its regular meeting, the Planning Commission will take its first comprehensive look at Museum House, a 100-unit condominium tower also proposed for Newport Center.

Related California LLCs project would replace the Orange County Museum of Art at 850 San Clemente Drive with the 295-foot tower and two levels of subterranean parking.

OCMA has called the 2-acre property home since 1977. The museum has announced plans to construct a new building in Costa Mesa near the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and Related California has entered an agreement to eventually purchase the San Clemente Drive site. The sale would help fund the museums move, officials said.

For Museum House to move forward, the Planning Commission would have to approve a general plan amendment to change the propertys land use from private institutional to multi-unit residential, with a maximum development of 100 units. The City Council also would have to approve it.

The Planning Commission is not expected to take action on the proposal Thursday but could provide feedback to the developer.

The study session will begin at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
Imagine seeing Los Angeles without driving a car. This is the premise of a new photography exhibit at Los Angeles Public Librarys Eagle Rock branch.

The display, which will debut at 5 p.m. on Thursday with an opening reception and runs through Dec. 31, features photographs by Edward E. Solis, an ex-suburban skateboarder whose life and work parallels the push against driving a car.

Solis, 41, said in an interview at the library that he plans to introduce up to 50 photos hes taken while riding on public transportation.

From geography, mileage and money spent, its a show about going car-free in a car culture, he said, referencing the projects title, Car-Free in a Car Culture. Solis said that he seeks to stress the experience of seeing L.A. through a ride on city, county and federal government-funded buses and railcars.

Describing his images as mass transit fine art photography, Solis  who used film, digital and smartphone cameras  said that he became passionate about sharing what its like to be in transit without being stuck in traffic or spending money getting gas, while being green at the same time.

While he said that he does own and drive a car, and Solis admits to various downsides of public transportation  confrontational riders and poor audio quality on loudspeaker announcements  he insists that going car-free is for me, as he puts it.

Solis traces his interest in riding mass transit to his suburban childhood, which also sparked the downtown L.A. residents other form of car-free mobility: skateboarding.

The self-taught photographer said that growing up in remote Whittier pushed him into using public buses.

Its flat there, he said. There were no freeways. I went skateboarding before there were skate parks, so we would take the bus to downtown L.A. to go street skating. We would end up in Long Beach and Lakewood and South Central L.A. That was my first experience in public transportation.

When he started working at a rap label in Los Angeles, Solis said that he was prepared to not drive a car. I didnt get depressed about having to take mass transit for two and a half hours. Id always bought used cars and, when they would break down, I thought, why spend $800 to fix it?

Eagle Rocks head librarian Sonja Hannah, who approved showing Solis exhibit, said that she, too, experienced Los Angeles as a young adult through riding a bus.

I didnt get my drivers license until I was 21, she said. I took a bus from Pacoima to Westwood when I was going for my masters degree at UCLA.

When Solis approached Hannah about a display to educate patrons about a car-free life, she said she thought of young people who dont quite cope if a car breaks down.

Our mission is to enrich peoples lives, so this correlates by encouraging people to think about the community and its possibilities, she said, adding that the Sept. 1 event will include a slide show, mix-and-mingle, tour and, of course, books related to the exhibit.

Hannah said that the library may also invite patrons to take and bring their own photos on any subject  which may be featured in a future exhibit.

Solis welcomes the idea.

This is for everybody to enjoy, he said. All were trying to do is inspire people. Youll get an idea of what its like to go from the beginning of the Gold Line at the 60 Freeway to downtown and Union Station, then get on the Red Line to Pershing Square and take the 81 [bus] up to Eagle Rock and Colorado and then walk. I did get off the bus and walk a few blocks just to get a pedestrian perspective  and got back on the bus. The trip took two hours. You can have so much fun.

The Eagle Rock Branch Library is located at 5027 Caspar Ave.

Holleran is a contributor to Times Community News.
Every few weeks, Mark Rolfes and some of his friends from Huntington Beach would gather to discuss issues facing the community.

High-density housing, the proposed Poseidon desalination plant and public safety were among the hot topics.

Something had to change, Rolfes thought. So the 19-year resident decided to run for one of three seats on the seven-member City Council.

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Rolfes, the vice president of sales at Torrance-based Pelican Products, which makes protective cases and portable lighting systems, said his expertise in negotiation, mediation and contract negotiations make him an ideal councilman.

He said he does not agree with proposals to add more high-density development, but its here, and we have to learn to deal with it.

High-density development can be a good thing, if its done properly, he said, noting that other cities like San Francisco are more equipped for such buildings. It drives revenue. But they need to be built smart. Give them the proper setbacks, allocate space for low-rent housing, plan for a proper amount of parking and attract retail to drive revenue. Study how it will affect traffic into the city.

It needs to be communicated to the public.

Regarding the Poseidon desalination plant, Rolfes, 53, said it should be located in an area with less development and not pose a significant impact on the community. He added that he doesnt approve of the citys current deal with Poseidon.

Based on what I know about Poseidon, Im against it, Rolfes said. That 50-year contract is a long time, and technology can change a lot. To sign an agreement for that long is a very risky move for the city.

He said city council members should focus more on public safety, especially how to make areas riddled with car accidents safer.

There have been several fatal accidents on Warner, for example, between Edwards and Pacific Coast Highway, Rolfes said. The public has not seen any changes to the street and no communications saying what the city is doing to address those fatalities. Theres nothing being promoted by the city saying theyre studying the issues.

He proposed lit stop and yield signs as effective, low-cost options to help keep streets safer.

The city also needs to work on attracting more businesses, Rolfes said, adding that business owners have told him Huntington Beach is too strict with rules, regulations and inspections.

There needs to be more give and take and open lines with the community, he said.

During his campaign, Rolfes, who is married with two children, has met with various community and city groups to find out what they are concerned about. He said he will continue doing that through the election.

Nobody yet has given me anything that isnt an instrumental goal, Rolfes said. Its just proper lines of communication, knowing the government channels to work on and bringing both sides to negotiate or mediate a workable solution.

brittany.woolsey@latimes.com

Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey
The Amigos de Bolsa Chica recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of a tidal inlet project for the Bolsa Chica wetlands that allowed ocean waters to flow into the area for the first time in more than 100 years.

The inlet, near Pacific Coast Highway and Seapoint Street, opened in the early hours of Aug. 24, 2006, with a Champagne toast. The moment marked an historic occasion for the Amigos, which had been working for more than 30 years to restore the area.

At the 10th anniversary event, held Aug. 24near the restored habitat, organizers remarked that since the project was completed, fish populations have increased and birds are thriving and reproducing more throughout the ecological reserve.

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Restoring the ocean water meant that now we would be able to see full restoration of the Bolsa Chica wetlands, Shirley Dettloff, secretary of Amigos de Bolsa Chica, said.

The spot was first cut off from the ocean in 1899 by members of a duck hunting club, who wanted to create ponds to make it easier to catch their prey, according to the Los Angeles Times. Decades later, the land was used for oil drilling and then became a battleground between developers and environmentalists, the latter of whom contested plans to build, first, a marina and, later, housing tracts there.

It was truly a miracle to know that the oilfield  at one time the second largest in California  would become a productive wetlands, Dettloff said.

The inlet project took three years and cost $147 million, with funding coming from state bonds and the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. It involved scooping out 2 million cubic yards of sediment and constructing jetties, bridges and public viewing areas.

A National Marine Fisheries Service biologist told The Times in 2006 that restoring Bolsa Chica was regarded as the largest and most complicated in terms of cleanup in the state.
Officials with the Pasadena Humane Society announced this week that Julie Bank, a longtime animal care and control administrator, has been named new president and chief executive of the community-funded welfare organization.

Bank replaces Steve McNall, who recently retired retired after 36 years of leadership. Bank previously worked as the superintendent of animal welfare for the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division and has held similar leadership positions at human societies and animal control departments in New York City, San Luis Obispo County and Phoenix.

She was selected by the Pasadena Humane Societys Board of Directors after a nationwide, months-long search to identify a successor to McNall.

We are honored to have someone with the pedigree and leadership acumen of Ms. Bank to lead us into the future, Carol Kirby, Pasadena Humane Societys chairman of the board of directors, said in a release. Her unwavering commitment to putting animals first, even in the midst of challenging circumstances, was what resonated most with us.

In her new role, Bank will oversee animal sheltering, field services and community programs. She will be responsible for the planning and growth of the program, as well as its day-to-day operations. The organization provides animal control services for the city of La Canada Flintridge through a contract.

Im very excited to join the team at PHS, a team dedicated to our partners and the community, Bank said in the release. I look forward to building relationships and to strengthening the bond between pets and people by making our responsible pet ownership programs more accessible.

County expected to receive Sagebrush petition

The Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization is expected to formally receive a petition next week seeking to transfer the Sagebrush territory of La Canada Flintridge out of Glendale Unifieds jurisdiction and into La Canada Unified School District.

Local Sagebrush residents leading the UniteLCF! effort submitted the petition to the Los Angeles County Office of Education in July after negotiations over transferring the territory stalled between the two districts.

On Sept. 7, the committee, comprising 11 members, two from each of the five county supervisorial districts and one at-large member, will receive the petition at the county offices headquarters in Downey.

But the committee will not discuss the petition during the meeting, according to Keith Crafton, director of business advisory services for the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Instead, upon receipt of the petition, the committee is expected to launch the process for weighing the potential transfer, which would include public hearings at a later date.
The National WWII Museum in New Orleans is hosting a tour this year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the attacks on Hawaiis Pearl Harbor. More than 2,000 Americans died in the attack by Japanese bombers that led to the U.S. entering the war.

Highlights in Honolulu include a full-day symposium at the Aloha Tower led by museum historians and faculty of Hawaii Pacific University; an excursion to Fort DeRussy, which houses the Hawaii Warfare exhibit and the Gallery of Heroes; and visits to Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield and Hickam Field.

Travelers will also take part in the official 75th anniversary commemoration at the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits above the sunken battleship and the resting place of more than 1,000 service members who died in the attack.

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The event will end with a private dinner and reception on the deck of the battleship Missouri, on which the Japanese signed surrender papers on Sept. 2, 1945.

Dates: Dec 1-8

Price: $8,995 per person, double occupancy; $10,990 for single occupancy. Includes ocean-view room at the Moana Surfrider, lunch daily, three evening events, nightly lectures, all ground transportation and entrance fees,

Info: National WWII Museum, (877) 813-3329 Ext. 257

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Only one man has ruled the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Islam Karimov was the Uzbek leader even before independence, and he has held on to power for more than a quarter of a century with all the tools at a despots disposal, his many critics say.

But Karimovs grip on his country appears to be at an end, with persistent reports in recent days that he is either dead or dying. If those prove to be true, Uzbekistan will be facing a decision that none of its citizens has really made: Who will be its new leader, and what will that mean for a long-repressive society?

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Karimov was last seen on state television on Aug. 17, and the government announced Sunday that he had been hospitalized. His daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, who is the countrys representative to UNESCO, wrote on social media that her father had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and is now receiving treatment in an intensive care unit.

Previous reports of Karimovs death have turned out to be false, but this is the first time the government has made any acknowledgment of the 78-year-olds fragile health.

People dont know what will happen yet, said Adem Cevik, president of the Uzbek Assn. and Turkistan Union, groups that advocate for Central Asian migrants in Turkey. They are not hopeful nor hopeless, but at least they hope the next leader will not be like Karimov.

At the same time, social media were abuzz with persistent reports that he was, in fact, dead. A Moscow-based Central Asian news outlet, Fergana News, cited unnamed sources in the presidents office in reporting that Karimov suffered a stroke Saturday and died Monday. But Russian-language media cited other unidentified sources in Tashkent, Uzbekistans capital, as saying the president was still alive.

Under Uzbekistans Constitution, the head of the Senate, Nigmatulla Yuldashev, would take over for three months before elections must be held.

If, as in the past, the outcome of elections is predetermined, experts say, three candidates are most likely to replace Karimov: Rustam Azimov, the deputy prime minister, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the prime minister, or Rustam Inoyatov, the head of the security services.

Some opposition figures outside the country have said Azimov has been put under house arrest, but officials in Tashkent have denied this.

Karimovs departure will leave an enormous power vacuum.

All of state institutions directly depend on Karimovs decisions, said Erica Marat, an assistant professor at the National Defense University. He was notorious for micromanaging any decision on security, economy and cultural life.

Karimovs decades-long sidelining of critics has meant day-to-day running of the state is now done by patronage networks loyal to one another.

Anyone who succeeds Karimov will need to maintain similar level of loyalty among political leaders and engage in the same level of micromanagement, Marat said.

A former KGB officer, Karimov was the head of the Communist Party in Uzbekistan on the eve of independence, which came on Sept. 1, 1991, as the Soviet Union splintered. He won the countrys first presidential election, which Human Rights Watch called seriously marred.

How The Times reported Karimovs rise in 1991 

In 1995, a referendum extended Karimovs rule, and he went on to be reelected three times, the last two elections defying a constitutional two-term limit.

The opposition has been exterminated, said Nate Schenkkan, a researcher with Freedom House, which monitors democratic governance in Central Asia. By the early 2000s, everyone was either exiled, imprisoned, or assassinated, including in countries outside of Uzbekistan.

About 10,000 political prisoners are in jail in the country, many of them, according to Steve Swerdlow, the Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, under falsified charges of belonging to Islamic extremist groups. Prisoners are routinely tortured, including at least one case of being boiled alive.

Uzbekistan has been one of the most corrupt, repressive countries in the world for some time now, said Swerdlow. The 31 million people there have endured tremendous social repression and economic poverty.

In an overwhelmingly Muslim country, praying in mosques not approved by the state is illegal, and there are severe restrictions on beards and head scarves, and the possession of religious literature. After 1991, Karimov banned the Islamist opposition Renaissance Party, members of which fled to neighboring countries, some later forming the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a militant group that continues to fight alongside Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Hundreds of members are now thought to be in Syria, some fighting with the militant group Islamic State.

Karimov, Schenkkan said, has used the threat of Islamic extremism in the past to attack political opponents.

Theres a lot of anger, discontent, because of that in Uzbekistan, but its not really organized, he said. I think its unlikely there would be violent reactions [to Karimovs death], and if we do see any, I would suspect they would be organized by parts of the state itself.

Tashkent became vital for American operations in Afghanistan after 2001, with a base in the country used to ferry troops and equipment. In 2005, government troops opened fire on civilian protesters in the city of Andijon, killing several hundred and prompting a temporary halt to cooperation with Washington. The U.S. and Europe imposed a travel ban on Karimov and other top officials.

President George W. Bush meets with Uzbek President Islam Karimov at the White House in March 2002. (Kenneth Lambert / Associated Press )

Economic stagnation has forced about 2 million Uzbeks to work in Russia. In Uzbekistan, the worlds fifth largest exporter of cotton, a million citizens are forced to leave school and other work to harvest the crop each year.

Under Karimov, Uzbek soldiers have clashed with neighboring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan off and on for several years over border disputes that date to 1991. At least 50,000 Uzbeks have settled in Istanbul, Turkey, said Cevik.

Karimovs death is great news, said Muhammad Salih, the head of the banned opposition Erk (or Freedom) Democratic Party, who has lived in exile in Istanbul for more than a decade. First of all, I have to go to Uzbekistan. Then we have to organize the people for elections, for which we need the help of the international community.

But Salih, a nationally acclaimed poet, acknowledges that free and fair elections are only a distant possibility. Without international support for free elections, he said, the opposition will suffer, there will be 20 more years of dictatorship, and Uzbekistan will still not have a [democratic] political process.

Farooq is a special correspondent.

Also:

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Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff: My impeachment threatens democracy

Why Iran is desperate for U.S. passenger planes, but cant have them
After months of bitterly contested proceedings, Brazils Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, marking a turbulent finale to 13 years of center-left government in Latin Americas largest country.

Rousseff, a onetime guerrilla turned economist and the nations first female president, was convicted on a vote of 61 to 20 of breaking fiscal responsibility law. Brazils more conservative Vice President Michel Temer will serve out the rest of her term, which expires in 2018.

The impeachment vote came as no surprise senators had signaled their intentions. Still, it rocked a nation that, after basking in the worlds attention during this months Olympics, continues to be saddled by a crippling recession, an ongoing investigation into widespread corruption and a crisis of confidence in the political system.

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Soon after the final vote, Rousseff descended to the lobby of the presidential palace in Brasilia and gave a defiant speech to supporters, transmitted live on Facebook.

The senators who voted for impeachment decided to rip up the constitution  they condemned an innocent person and carried out a parliamentary coup, said Rousseff, who was surrounded mostly by women and vowed to appeal the decision.

They think they won, but theyre wrong. I know we will all fight, she said. Rousseff then ended by quoting a poem written by Soviet-era Russian artist Vladimir Mayakovsky, and left to shouts of Out with Temer!  a chant often heard during Olympic competitions.

Its unclear if an appeal has any chance of success, but Rousseffs attorney, former justice minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo, is already considering arguments he can bring to the Supreme Court.

Over the last few days, as Rousseff emphatically protested her innocence and protesters in some cities clashed with police and fires blocked main arteries, but the demonstrations were smaller than those that called for her ouster earlier this year and led to her temporary suspension in May.

I was no fan of Rousseffs government. It made serious mistakes. But at least she was elected legitimately, said Michelle Brito, 33, who attempted to join a protest against Temers new government near her work Tuesday night in Sao Paulo, Brazils largest city, before being turned away by tear gas, explosions, and crowds running from police.

I believe the men who took over did so cynically and with the worst intentions, Brito said. They wanted to take power without having to face democracy, and I fear now for how we may suffer.

How the rest of Latin America will react is unclear, but so far, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador have said they will recall their ambassadors from Brazil.

Though polls showed a majority of Brazilians wanted Rousseff out before the impeachment process started, a majority also wanted to remove Temer. Brazilians vigorously booed him during the recent opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics.

Recent polling suggests a majority preferred new elections and only half the country believed impeachment was being carried out in full accordance with the law. The Supreme Court, however, allowed the Senate to decide if Rousseffs offenses merited impeachment, and much of the countrys political and business elite has been united around the idea of a permanent Temer government for months.

Temer, who turned on Rousseff to support impeachment, formed an alliance with parts of her coalition as well as the party that lost the 2014 election. He cannot run for president in 2018 because he has been convicted of breaking campaign finance rules and banned from running for office. The two men behind him in line for the presidency have been accused of corruption, while Rousseff has not. Technically, she was accused of shifting public funds to mask federal deficits.

Temers new administration surprised Brazilians in May when he steered the country sharply to the right and installed a new Cabinet made up of entirely white men in a country that is minority white, then three of his new ministers immediately had to resign amid corruption accusations unearthed in the countrys sprawling Car Wash corruption probe.

Temer, who has served as interim president since Rousseff was suspended in May, will now be granted full powers, but may nevertheless face an uphill battle to establish popularity and get the economy back on track.

Its going to be a difficult period for Brazils economy under Temer, and it would have been difficult under Rousseff. Even if Temer survives [until 2018] and is relatively successful, we dont expect him to be very popular, says Joao Augusto de Castro Neves, Latin America Director at the Eurasia Group in Washington.

Despite the lack of consensus as to whether this the right way to remove Rousseff, he added, few governments in the world would have survived this perfect storm of political factors. Rousseff lost political support, the country faces a severe recession, and there is an ongoing, massive corruption scandal.

Out of the last four presidents elected in Brazil, Rousseff is the second to depart office early. In 1992, President Fernando Collor resigned before facing impeachment. This may be the first time since the fall of Brazils dictatorship in the 1980s that a significant portion of the population questions the democratic legitimacy of its leader.

The final moments of the lengthy impeachment proceedings offered moments of high drama that captured the attention of the country just after the spectacle of the Rio Games.

On Monday, Rousseff took the stand for 14 hours, defending herself emphatically during questioning after reminding the country of the torture she suffered as a revolutionary under Brazils dictatorship and said conservatives elites had conspired to overthrow her election and threaten democracy.

What is at stake here is not just my presidency, Rousseff said then. What is at stake is the principle of respect for the ballot box, the sovereign will of the Brazilian people, and the constitution.

The proceedings were marked by impassioned and angry speeches and, in some cases, tears.

On Tuesday, lawyer Janaina Paschoal, who co-authored the articles of impeachment, began to weep and asked Rousseffs forgiveness for the suffering Paschoal had caused her. But she did so, she said, thinking about the nations future and Rousseffs grandchildren.

Among those voting to convict Rousseff was Collor, who now serves in the Senate. He was stripped of his political rights for eight years after he resigned the presidency, and on Wednesday he stood to ask the Senate to simultaneously ban Rousseff from holding any public office.

The Senate surprised analysts by voting on that issue separately, and chose not to temporarily strip Rousseff of her rights.

That was surreal. Because if she is actually guilty of an impeachable crime, then she should then have been stripped of her political rights, as was the case with Fernando Collor, said Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist at Rio de Janeiro State University.

Im trying to understand what led to this, if there may have been some backroom deal, Santoro said. This means that if she wants to, Rousseff could try to return as a member of Congress, which would be an even more potent possibility if Temer is seen as a failure.

In the final moments before the vote, Lindbergh Farias, from Rousseffs Workers Party, and Vanessa Grazziotin, who represents the Communist Party of Brazil in the state of Amazonas, took the stage to deliver fiery denouncements of the process.

Scoundrels, scoundrels, scoundrels! boomed Farias. History will not forget this day. You will all end up in the dustbin of history, he said.

Grazziotin then added, Its true that Rousseff momentarily lost popularity, and she admits this. The Brazilian people went into the streets. But they didnt go into the streets to ask for Temer, and they didnt go into the streets to put a stop to corruption allegations.

Secretly recorded conversations leaked after Rousseff was suspended in May suggested that some politicians voted to oust her in order to stop corruption inquiries. She had never held elected office before become president, and, despite enjoying high levels of popularity for a few years, lost support among traditional political elites as the country took a nosedive.

Rousseff had to go, I suppose. She ruined the economy, said Jose Teixeira Magalhaes, 46, who works selling snacks in a Sao Paulo subway station. But is this going to solve our problems? Not even close. All the men who are taking over for her are corrupt. The whole political class is corrupt.

Bevins is a special correspondent.

MORE:

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff: My impeachment threatens democracy

Brazils current and former presidents face trials. And the interim president is in hot water too

U.S. Congress members express deep concern over threats to democracy in Brazil

UPDATES:

2:15 p.m.: This article was updated with reaction from some of Brazils neighbors, additional details of the impeachment proceedings and comments from political scientist Mauricio Santoro and Sao Paulo snack vendor Jose Teixeira Magalhaes.

12:15 p.m.: This article was updated with Dilma Rousseff declaring she will fight her impeachment.

9:50 a.m., Aug. 31: This article was updated with Brazils Senate voting to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office.

This article was originally published at 7:15 p.m., Aug. 30
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will travel to Mexico on Wednesday for a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, a stunning move for a candidate who has repeatedly criticized Mexico and has called for mass deportations of Mexican immigrants.

Trump announced the visit late Tuesday via Twitter, saying he had accepted Pena Nietos invitation to visit Mexico and looked forward to the meeting.

Pena Nieto released a similar statement, saying he recently extended invitations for private meetings to Trump as well as Trumps rival, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. I believe in dialogue to promote the interests of Mexico in the world, and to protect Mexicans wherever they are, Pena Nieto said on Twitter.

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Pena Nietos office said Clinton has so far not accepted the invitation for a meeting.

The announcement provoked angry reactions from Mexicans, many of whom have come to revile Trump for his claims that Mexico is stealing jobs from American workers and sending drugs and criminals to the U.S.

The meeting also threatened Trumps credibility among conservative voters who like his harsh stand against illegal immigration and international trade deals, although analysts said the trip might help his appeal among the wider electorate.

The idea of a trip to Mexico seems designed to soften some of the edges of the policies he has advocated so far and to appeal to Latino voters, as well as to many other Americans who appreciate the importance of Mexico for the United States, said Andrew Selee of the Woodrow Wilson Centers Mexico Center.

Wednesdays meeting in Mexico City was set to come just hours before Trump is scheduled to give a major policy speech on immigration in Arizona. Some commentators have speculated that Trump might be planning to soften his tone on immigration in the speech in order to appeal to a broader swath of voters.

Trump won conservative support in the Republican primary with pledges to build a border wall and round up and deport the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. without permission. But such views are out of sync with general election voters, a majority of whom support a path to citizenship for immigrants who are already in the country.

At a campaign rally in Washington state on Tuesday night, Trump showed no sign of softening his stance, pledging to secure our border and stop the drugs from pouring in and destroying our country.

Trumps Mexico trip prompted criticism from immigrant advocates, who called it a stunt.

Lest we forget, immigration is a deadly serious issue for millions of families living in the United States, said Angelica Salas of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles. Donald Trump is managing to once again hijack the medias attention and turn a real human crisis into a circus.

Trumps last-minute decision to make the trip is characteristic of his campaign, which has been built around made-for-television plot twists and surprise developments. After accusing Fox news of bias against his campaign in January, Trump abruptly dropped out of a scheduled GOP debate on the network and organized his own televised fundraiser as counter-programming. On a surprise visit to the Texas-Mexico border last summer, he told reporters he was putting himself in great danger by making the trip.

Wednesdays meeting is also a risky move for Pena Nieto, who is facing historic unpopularity as his government grapples with rising crime and repeated corruption scandals. The president, who has publicly criticized Trumps proposal to build a border wall and have Mexico pay for it, is scheduled to give his annual address to the nation this week.

Widespread distaste for Trump in Mexico is evidenced by the Trump pinatas that are ubiquitous across the country.

One political scientist wrote on Twitter that Pena Nietos invitation to Trump felt like a father inviting his sons bully over to dinner.

Jesus Silva-Herzog Marquez, a newspaper columnist in Mexico City, was more succinct in his criticism on Twitter, calling Wednesdays meeting the stupidest thing in the history of the Mexican presidency.

Cecilia Sanchez in The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

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UPDATES:

10:14 p.m.: This article was updated with information about how immigrant rights advocates view Trumps plan to visit Mexico.

This article was originally published at 9:35 p.m.
Blood-related playmates: Chinas present generation of single children may soon enjoy the company of a sibling as the country ended this year its one-child policy. (Photo : Getty Images)

Though it would be great to have a large circle of friends, it still pays to have a sibling or two.



Those born in China in the late 70s and early 80s onwards may well relate to this claim.



As a matter of fact, many of them--several in their 30s now--confront the challenge of looking after the welfare of their aging parents solely on their own, reported China Daily.



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For the ones living abroad, that task--many deem it as an obligation, given how Chinese culture regards the elderly--proves to be heavy, even heartbreaking at some point.



Li Hao, a 29-year-old business development manager in Turkey, said to China Daily that he contemplates going back to China to take care of his parents. His mothers recent minor operation triggered him to give it a serious thought.



Li would normally spend almost two months vacationing in China to spend time with them. He said that he worries about his parents and considers working in China to take better care of them and have a peace of mind.



U.S.-based Su Yao, 33, shares the same dilemma. She plans to visit her parents living in Harbin, Heilongjiang, this December.



I couldnt stop worrying about them, said Su to China Daily.



Once in a while, according to her, she would entertain thoughts of what might be the scenario if she ever had a sibling.



For 29-year-old Zhang Hui, concerns towards her parents lead her to worry about matters of the heart.



Zhang, who hails from Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, and now resides and works in Shanghai, said that her mother prefers that she lives with her in their hometown.



Taking into account her mothers request plus the fact that she is an only child like Li and Su, entertaining suitors who live outside her hometown seems to be not ideal.



She said that it would be difficult to look after her parents if she does so.



The Chinese government enforced a one-child policy in 1979. It eased the policy in 2013, allowing, under certain conditions, some couples to have a second child.



Although more than 12 million couples qualified for application, some 12 per cent of them only applied, according to National Geographic.



Few years passed and the government eventually scrapped its one-child policy, ending its implementation on Jan. 1, 2016.



Many young and soon-to-be parents might have rejoiced.



As for Li, Su, Zhang and similar working single children with aging parents, that step may seem to be too late.






American actor, Gene Wilder, famously known for his role as Willy Wonka in the film and adapdation to British writer Roald Dahls Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, died at the age of 83 surrounded by family members on Monday Aug. 29, 2016 leaving behind the memories of his most iconic roles on the big screen and the most memorable Gene Wilder quotes.

Gene Wilder on Film

The late star was also known for his roles in the 1967 film The Producers, thriller parody Young Frankenstein, and the film, Blazing Saddles. He collaborated with director Mel Brooks in The Producers, a film that later became the major starting point of Brooks movie directing career.

He blessed every film we did with his magic and he blessed me with his friendship, Brooks told CNN.

Others might remember Wilder from the classic social media memes where he poses as Willy Wonka in a scene from the film, and sarcastic phrases are written to match the photo.

Comedy icon Gene Wilder's classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory lives on in memes: pic.twitter.com/0yo7gdqqgN  AJ+ (@ajplus) August 29, 2016

Gene Wilder Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Quotes and Other Movies

Invention, my dear friend, is 93 percent perspiration, 6 percent electricity, 4 percent evaporation and 2 percent butterscotch ripple.  Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

The suspense is terrible...I hope itll last.  Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory





Well, my name is Jim, but most people call me...Jim.  Jim in Blazing Saddles





What did you expect? Welcome sonny? Make yourself at home? Marry my daughter? Youve got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know...morons.  Jim in Blazing Saddles





No, its pronounced Fronkensteen.  Dr. Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein





Put the candle back!  Dr. Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein





Im not going to the toilet. Im going to the showbiz!  Leo Bloom in The Producers





I want a bigger cell! With better ventilation!  Skip Donahue in Stir Crazy

Gene Wilder Quotes

Wilder can also be remembered from his quotes he made in real like during interviews throughout his career.

Several of Wilders quotes are listed on Brainy Quote such as:

My favorite author is Anton Chekhov, not so much for the plays but for his short stories, and I think he was really my tutor.





So my idea of neurotic is spending too much time trying to correct a wrong. When I feel that I am doing that, then I snap out of it.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced Tuesday he will be making a last-second trip to Mexico City to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, hours before he is scheduled to make a major immigration speech in Phoenix.

"I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow," Trump tweeted. Nieto confirmed the visit, albeit without a specific time.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

Invite a Mexico a los candidatos a la Presidencia de EEUU, para conversar sobre la relacion bilateral. Manana recibo a Donald Trump.  Enrique Pena Nieto (@EPN) August 31, 2016

The Mexican president extended invitation to Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton last Friday, according to the Washington Post. Mexican officials reportedly warned Trump's team about how difficult the impromptu trip would be - mainly because of security concerns and anti-Trump sentiment nationals may share - but Trump was undeterred. Trump's tweet came minutes before an evening rally in Everett, Wash. While Trump never mentioned the Mexico trip, or border wall proposals that have been the cornerstone of his campaign, he did reiterate the dangers associated with open borders. "We are going to secure our border and stop the drugs from coming in and destroying our country," Trump said.

Building Up to Trump's Visit

Trump launched his campaign in June 2015 with a blanket statement saying Mexico was sending "rapists" and "criminals." He doubled-down on his anti-immigration stance by hypothesizing about a deportation task force and vowing to reinforce the U.S-Mexico wall at the Pena Nieto administration's expense. Last March, disavowed Trump's proposals, likened his rise to prominence to that of dictators Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. "There have been episodes in human history, unfortunately, where these expressions of this strident rhetoric have only led to very ominous situations in the history of humanity," Pena Nieto told Excelsior. "That's how Mussolini got in, that's how Hitler got in -- they took advantage of a situation, a problem perhaps, which humanity was going through at the time, after an economic crisis." Pena Nieto later backtracked while attending June's North American Leaders' Summit in Ottawa alongside President Obama and Canada President Justin Trudeau. In July, Pena Nieto told CNN "there is no way that Mexico can pay [for] a wall like that," saying he disagreed with Trump's characterization of Mexicans. He first hinted at meeting Trump earlier this month, if Trump won on Election Day. Trump has struggled over the last week to clarify whether he is softening or strengthening his anti-immigration stance. Fox News personality Sean Hannity hosted a Trump town hall last week in which he asked the real estate magnate if he would change any of his immigration policies. "There certainly can be a softening because we're not looking to hurt people, we want people - we have some great people in this country," Trump said. In the same interview, Trump said he would be open to meeting Pena Nieto.

Social Media Reaction

Maybe we can make a deal with Mexico, they get to keep Trump and, actually that's the whole deal.  Dave Winer (@davewiner) August 31, 2016

Mexico's Pena Nieto is extremely unpopular right now at home, faces backlash if he doesn't confront Trump = why Trump trip is risky  Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) August 31, 2016

If Enrique Pena Nieto said "The Apprentice" was his favorite show, Trump would do a total 180 and try to make Mexico the 51st state.  Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) August 31, 2016

Trump has one outcome tomorrow that's a win condition. That's Mexico's President says, "Here's a check for the wall." And that...well...  Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) August 31, 2016

Trump's meeting with the President of Mexico. Hillary's...what the hell IS she doing? Resting. Selling promises to foreign fat cats.  Linda Suhler, Ph.D. (@LindaSuhler) August 31, 2016

SECRET SERVICE uneasy about the trip and concerns remain, but Trump pushing w/ Bannon to jet to Mexico City...  Robert Costa (@costareports) August 31, 2016

No queremos a Trump en Mexico! Tenemos dignidad! Por que permitir que venga a nuestro pais despues de tanto desprecio?? #TeTengoQueDecirQue  Denysse (@D_nyz) August 31, 2016

Trump demuestra el nulo respeto por nuestro pais y el pseudopresidente lo INVITA con todos los honores... Solo en Mexico  Lu Saenz (@LuSaenzR) August 31, 2016

Recibir a Trump sin ponerlo antes en su lugar es una traicion a los mexicanos y un insulto mayor a Hillary, quien defiende + a Mexico q/EPN!  Hipolita Maldonado (@izmail_xoxlov) August 31, 2016
Waze Logo (Photo : Facebook )

Google is now operating its own ride-sharing service in San Francisco via a mobile app that competes directly with Uber. The Alphabet company's new offering that launched as a pilot program in May uses its Waze app to connect commuters for carpooling to work. This move follows Alphabet executive David Drummond recently leaving Uber's board of directors.



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The Wall Street Journal reported Google's new business going live. Its plan is reportedly to offer the program this fall to all San Francisco residents. If the project is successful it will expand to other areas.



Google's taxi service is a little different from Uber's ride-sharing service since it connects riders and drivers who are traversing public roads in the same direction.



Google's fees will also be lower than Uber. The tech company's goal is to keep the service a peer-to-peer system instead of one that includes professional drivers like Uber and Lyft.



In fact, Waze Carpool is not designed as a money-maker but instead as a ride-sharing platform to provide cheap commutes. The maximum fare is 54 cents per mile, which is the most the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recommends companies repay their workers for business travel, according to Quartz.



In the past Waze used crowdsourced navigation to report roadway news including traffic jams, accidents, and storms. Google bought Waze in 2013. The crowdsourced data was then included in the Google Maps app, according to Tech Crunch.



Google's pilot program originally included about 25,000 Bay Area employees of big tech companies, and up to two rides per day. However, the new expansion will include all riders and drivers who use the Waze app.



Google and Uber could be developing ride-sharing programs to launch robot taxis later. Recent changes to the tech titan's unit suggest it is planning to bring its autonomous vehicles (AVs) to market.



This seems to be a change from Google making big investments in the transportation company during the past. The search giant even added Uber to its Google Maps app. However, Uber now seems to be interested in becoming totally free from Google Maps.



Uber has recently spent a lot of money on mass-market services. That includes UberCommute in Chicago that has similar services and pricing as Waze Carpool.



Here's how to use the Waze app:






Mars Alien Underground Structures (Photo : NASA/Ufosightingsdaily)

There is a strange island in Argentina that floats on its own axis in the middle of a marshy, swampy land. The circular island is present on the northeastern edge of the country and is now believed to conceal a huge alien base under its surface.



The mysterious island called "The Eye" is surrounded by clear water on all its sides, according to the Daily Mail. Experts suspect that a massive alien base may be present beneath the surface of the island, something that has never been suggested before by anyone.



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To check whether the island is really a camouflage for a huge alien base, a team of filmmakers and researchers have collaboratively launched a kickstarter campaign. The campaign would provide aid in the form of funds to the team of investigators, who would try to figure out whether the mysterious island actually hides an alien base.



With the help of the campaign, the researchers plan to uncover the mystery of the island once and for all. The island, located near the Parana river in Argentina, rotates and moves on its own axis, unlike any other island.



Apart from its automatic rotation, another bizarre characteristic of the island that interests researchers is that it is perfectly circular with smooth edges and borders. In fact, the island is outlined by another perfect circular streak of water. The unique features of the island have triggered several theories surrounding extraterrestrial life, alien base and UFOs.



For the same reason, hydraulic and civil engineer from New York, Richard Petroni has collaborated with an Argentinian film producer and director, Sergio Neuspillerm. Pablo Martinez, the founder of a telecommunications company is also on the board.



It was Neuspillerm who initially discovered "The Eye." This island is available on Google Maps at the coordinates: 3415'07.8'S 5849'47.4"W. The area was first discovered by Neuspillerm and his crew when they were searching for a perfect location to shoot the film on paranormal activities and occurrences, including alien sightings and ghosts.



According to the crew, the island and the water streak are so perfectly circular that it is hard to believe that they are natural. Meanwhile, the locals believe that "a circle inside another circle represents God on Earth." On the other hand, UFO Sightings Daily reports that an alien base entrance has been found near the island.



The following video talks about "The Eye:"






Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) (Photo : Twitter / AmanteAndroid)

Samsung came up with the Galaxy A series in the year 2014. In Dec 2015, the South Korean company introduced the second generation phones for Galaxy A3, A5 and A7. This time it is all set to introduce the new versions of Galaxy A3, A5, and A7 with better specifications in 2017.



The Samsung Galaxy A3, A5 and A7 (2017) will carry the model numbers SM-A320F, SM-A520F and SM-A720F, respectively. The upcoming Galaxy A5 (2017) was recently spotted on Geekbench which has revealed some of its specifications.



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However, details of Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) are not available yet, Sam Mobile reported. It is likely that Samsung may announce the upcoming Galaxy A3, A5, and A7 2017 in December this year and make them available for purchasing by early January, Phone Arena reported.



Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) Specifications, Features

According to benchmark test, it appears that Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) will come with a 5.2-inch AMOLED display. The device will support full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.



Samsung is likely to release Galaxy A5 (2017) in two chipset variants namely, Snapdragon 615 and Exynos 78880. The Exynos variant is expected to include Mali-T830 graphics. It is speculated to to have 3 GB of RAM. Galaxy A5 is expected to come with increased inbuilt storage of 32 GB, in comparison to the previous A5 model which has native storage of 16 GB.



Galaxy A5 will be preloaded with Android OS, v6.0.1 (Marshmallow) that is skinned with TouchWiz UI.The phone is likely to have 16-megapixel rear camera and is expected to have an upgraded battery of 2900 mAh.



Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) Specifications, Features

Samsung Galaxy A3 has a 4.7-inch AMOLED display with HD resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. It has released chipset in two chipset variants, Snapdragon 410 with Adreno 306 graphic and Exynos 7578 with Mali-T720MP2 graphics. It has an inbuilt storage of 16 GB with 1.5 GB RAM.



The device is pre-installed with Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop) which is upgradeable to 6.0.1 (Marshmallow). It has a 5-megapixel front camera and a 13-megapixel rear camera and with non-removable Li-Ion 2300 mAh battery. It is available in black, white, gold, and pink color variants.



Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) Specifications, Features

Samsung Galaxy A7 has a 5-inch screen with full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. It has released chipsets in two variants, Snapdragon 615 and Exynos 7580 Octa chipset. The phone is loaded with Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop), upgradable to v6.0.1 (Marshmallow).



The Galaxy A7 has an internal storage of 16 GB and 3 GB RAM. It has 13-megapixel front facing camera and 5-megapixel rear camera. It has a fingerprint sensor and available in black, white, gold, and pink color variants.



Here is a video review of Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016):






Meditation. (Photo : Getty Images)

Your molecular networks agree having a vacation or doing deep meditation is good for them, said a new study that used a rigorous design to assess the biological impact of meditation compared to vacation.



Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the University of California, San Francisco, and Harvard Medical School examined the effect of meditation on gene expression patterns in both novice and people that regularly meditate.



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They found a resort vacation provides a strong and immediate impact on molecular networks associated with stress and immune pathways. This kind of a vacation also resulted in short- term improvements in well-being, as measured by feelings of vitality and distress.



On the other hand, a meditation retreat was associated with molecular networks characterized by antiviral activity for those that meditate regularly. The molecular signature of long-term meditators was distinct from the non-meditating vacationers.



The research team examined the changes in 20,000 genes to determine which types of genes were changing before and after the resort experience. Scientists performed an integrative "transcriptomic analysis," comparing gene expression networks across all three groups of participants and finding unique molecular profiles and pathway enrichment patterns.



Study results show that all groups -- novice meditators, experienced meditators, and vacationers -- had significant changes in molecular network patterns after the week at the resort, with a clear signature distinguishing baseline from post-vacation biology. The most notable changes in gene activity were related to stress response and immune function.



Transcriptomics is the study of the transcriptome or the complete set of RNA transcripts produced by the genome, under specific circumstances or in a specific cell. Comparison of transcriptomes allows the identification of genes that are differentially expressed in distinct cell populations, or in response to different treatments.



The study involved 94 healthy women, aged 30-60. Sixty-four women were recruited who were not regular meditators.



Participants stayed at the same resort in California for six days, and randomized so that half were simply on vacation while the other half joined a meditation training program run by the Chopra Center for Well Being. The meditation program included training in mantra meditation, yoga, and self reflection exercises. It was designed by Deepak Chopra, MD, who did not participate in data collection or analysis.



For greater insight into the long-term effects of what scientists dubbed the "meditation effect" compared to the "vacation effect," the team also studied a group of 30 experienced meditators who were already enrolled in the retreat that week.



Researchers collected blood samples, and surveys, from all participants immediately before and after their stay, as well as surveys one month and ten months later.


The USAF's 100th F-35 Lightning II lands at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. (Photo : USAF)

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has received its 100th Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. This fighter was designated AF-100 to mark this historic event.



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The fifth generation stealth fighter arrived at Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona, which currently has a fleet of over 40 F-35s, including those destined for partner nations such as Australia and Norway.



"This marks a milestone and shows the fact that the F-35 program has continued to grow, progress and support initial operational capability," said Brig. Gen. Brook Leonard, Commander, 56th Fighter Wing.



"It is also a 'scare factor' for our enemies that we are able to produce such an incredible platform at such a high production rate and that it's getting out in the field in larger and larger numbers."



The base, which received its first F-35 in March 2014 and developed the training and tactics for the F-35 program, recently activated its third F-35 unit, the 63rd Fighter Squadron.



The mission of the 56th Fighter Wing is to train F-35 and F-16 fighter pilots. As part of Air Education and Training Command, and home to 24 squadrons with both F-16 and F-35A Lightning II aircraft, the 56th is the largest fighter wing in the USAF. It graduates more than 70 F-35 pilots, 300 F-16 pilots and 300 air control professionals annually.



"Last year we began US Air Force and partner pilot training at Luke AFB in Arizona, where a blend of US and partner instructor pilots are helping to train US Air Force and other partner pilots," said Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 Joint Program executive officer.



The F-35A, a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft, is designed to perform ground attack and air defense missions.



The conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A will replace the USAF's ageing fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons and the A-10 Thunderbolt II.



Luke Air Force Base is a major training base of the Air Education and Training Command. It will house over 140 F-35A Lightning IIs and currently houses 170 F-16s.



The host command at Luke is the 56th Fighter Wing under Air Education and Training Command's 19th Air Force. The wing consists of four groups, 27 squadrons, including six training squadrons.


Laois secondary school students are being bypassed by school buses because of a bureaucratic cost-saving exercise being enforced under the Department of Education's school transport scheme.

Absolutely ridiculous is how Cyril Darcy from Vicarstown describes the situation facing himself and his wife in getting their children to school this September.

Cyril has the backing of Cllr Tom Mulhall in trying to find a solution. The chairman of Laois County Council said discrimination is built into the subsidised scheme. The scheme was cutback in recent years to save money.

Mr Darcy's daughter starts secondary school in Portlaoise this week but he has been told that she does not qualify for a so-called discretionary school bus ticket.

She does not qualify because the Department says his home is closer to Athy than Portlaoise.

However, this infuriates the Darcys. In the first place, while she could get a bus that goes to Athy, Mr Darcy says there are no secondary school places there at present even if they wanted to send their daughter there.

Mr Darcy works in Dublin while his wife works part time in Portarlington. Their three other sons go to national school in Stradbally. They only get concessionary bus passes for the boys because there is space on the bus from Vicarstown to Stradbally. They are not automatically entitled to a pass becuase they live closer to Rath NS. The family is also worried about what happens down the track. The boys could lose their passes if other children who qualify automatically along the bus route start school in Stradbally.

They also face the prospect of having to make two school runs when their sons move on to secondary school as students in the Stradbally parish are being refused places in Portlaoise CBS because of a shortage of spaces in the town schools.

In an efort to secure a bus pass for his daughter, Mr Darcy offered to drop her to Stradbally, but the Department again refused.

It's absolutely ridiculous - a joke. It is hard on everyone especially if both parents are working. How are we supposed to get to work and get the children to school, he said.

The parents now have to resort to his flexi time arranagement, but this will be a huge inconvenience.

Mr Darcy said the scheme makes life very diffcult for families living in rural areas. He also believes there are other parents and students in the same situation.

Basically, they are trying to get rid of the school bus because they don't want to pay for it, he said.

Cllr Mulhall, who is chairman of Laois County Council, said the family, like many others, have to apply in April but only find out if they will get a ticket in late August. He said other families have approached him and the problem is common around Laois.

They are hardworking people paying income tax, property tax and road tax and mortages and they can't get a bus ticket to educate their children, he said.

The councillor said the scheme was limited during the recession but it should not be altered so that students should automatically get tickets, if there is a bus serving their area.

The Fine Gael county councillor said the situation amount to discrimination against students in rural areas.

It has to be discrimination if they can't get a seat on the bus, he said.
Portarlington mother, Margaret Walsh is brimming with pride at the success of her daughter at the Rose of Tralee.

Margaret's daughter and Abu Dhabi Rose, Dearbhladh Walsh did her town and family proud last week in the kingdom.

Dearbhladh was one of the final Roses interviewed on the first night of the famous contest by host Daithi O Se and she put in a great perfmance.

The teacher, who is on a career break from Port's Presentation Convent Primary School, got a great welcome from the audience in the Dome.

Dearbhladh, aged 24, told Daithi her big support included father Billy and mother Margaret, who is well known to many in Port as the recently retired principal of the Presentation Convent .

Also there were her brothers, Ronan and Paul, lovely boyfriend Eric, granny Kathleen Quinn, aunts uncles, extended relatives and a big gang of unbelievable friends.

Even though she wore a classic blue dress on the night, Dearbhladh made her home Offaly allegiences clear early on.

I'd say about a third of Portarlington is in Offaly but that is the part I claim anyway. Thankfully the River Barrow divides us (from Laois) and I'm an Offaly woman out and out.

I live inside the border and my brothers would kill me if I ever said otherwise, she said.

Dearbhladh said she spent three years teaching in Port but always felt she wanted to travel, an urge that brought her to the Gulf.

 It was always on the back my mind (to travel). So I said to myself I've done the three years teaching, why not take a career break and step outside my comfort zone, she said.

The Rose praised the advantages of Abu Dhabi such as the weather, low tax, lifestyle and Irish community.

Daithi persuaded Dearbhladh to tell the story of an incident in college involving a dog and false teeth. Dearbhladh reckoned Kate Hyland, the Laois Rose and her good friend and teaching colleague, may have ratted her out on the story.

Dearbhladh stole the show with a sweet performance of the famous Irish song, The Parting Glass.

She also played the harp. During the performance the camera cut to a shot of her near mother Margaret who was near tears.

Dearbhladh's mum said she had a great time

It was a great family occasion too. It is very intensive and all go for the Roses. It is not easy on them.

I was very proud of her. She did very well but the Chicago Rose did deserve it. She really was a beautiful person very articulate. But Dearbhaldh was delighted with the experience and her singing was lovely.

We were immensely proud of her. She was very articulate and it is no harm to see Irish women portray themselves like that, she said.

Just retired, Margaret is off to Abu Dhabi in October.

As for Dearbhladh she was on her way back to Gulf just two days after the contest. She said there were many highlights but she really enjoyed being on stage and also got a great kick out of the parades.

She also enjoyed being the centre of everthing.

You are never going to get that type of attention from people again, she said.

She said it was very important for here to mention her home town and county.

I know I live in Abu Dhabi but I was born and reared in Offaly. I couldnt let that side down, she said.

While she will likely miss her adopted home, she intends returing to her teaching job in Portarlington.

Thanks to everybody for all the support in particular the people of Portarlington and all my family and friends, she said.
Former tradesmen, most now long retired, will gather in Naas early next month to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their arrival at the Army Apprentice School in 1966.

Members of the No 11 Platoon, to give the group its official title, trained at the AAS in Naas. They passed out in 1969 after three years of training and they were dispatched to army units all over Ireland.

AAS apprentices were also trained for roles in the Air corps and the Navy.

Piery Holden, a native of Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny, who lives at Sarto Park, Naas, is closely involved with organising the reunion which takes place on Wednesday and Thursday September 7 and 8, starting with a gathering at Lawlor's Hotel, Naas, at 4pm on Wednesday.

Mass will be celebrated at the Church of Our Lady and St David at 10am on Thursday. This will be followed by a visit to the old site of Devoy Barracks and a guided tour of the Kildare County Council offices (Aras Chill Dara) with a function that evening at Lawlors.

There were 48 apprentices in our class at the outset and its hard to say now how many will turn up but weve booked 21 hotel rooms and that should be enough because those still living locally will probably go home. Some teachers and army personnel will be there as well," said Mr Holden.

We will be getting identity badges as well because some of us havent seen each other in 50 years. One is in Canada and some went to Mayo, Sligo and Tipperary for example.
In what has been described as a massive boost to the county, local company VistaMed has confirmed that 200 new jobs will be filled by the end of 2018 with the official opening of a state-of-the-art research and development facility in Carrick-on-Shannon.

The company, which commenced production in Rooskey in 1999 now employs over 300 staff in locations in Rooskey and Carrick-on-Shannon.

Recruitment for the 200 new positions has already started with 37 jobs now in place but further recruitment will take place to fill the remaining 163 positions over the next 16 months.

VistaMed is also expanding its current manufacturing facility in Carrick-on-Shannon by 45,000 sq feet.

Managing Director of VistaMed, Patrick Mulholland, said that the entrepreneurial spirit amongst the Irish would appear to be very strong but he appealed to the government to address the less than favourable tax situation in order to encourage further growth and investment.

The jobs announcement at VistaMed's new Research and Development site in Carrick-on-Shannon has been described as a huge win not only for the town, but also an important vote of confidence for the county.

Public representatives attending the official jobs announcement in the county town on Monday included TDs, Senators and County Councillors as well as staff of Leitrim County Council and the Local Enterprise Office.

Deputy Martin Kenny welcomed the jobs announcement describing it as a very important step towards recovery for Carrick-on-Shannon and the county.

In the difficult days that have passed this would not have been possible. Hopefully this is just the start of many such job announcements for the county, he said.

His words were echoed by Fine Gael Senator Frank Feighan who described the expansion of VistaMed as a major endorsement of the pool of talent which exists in Leitrim and the surrounding region.

Todays jobs announcement has given another huge vote of confidence to the community of Carrick-on-Shannon and Rooskey where its other plant is located, he said.

His party colleague, Deputy Tony McLoughlin agreed stating: The jobs and investment are a huge boost for the area and a strong endorsement of the skilled workforce, facilities and services available.

Senator Maura Hopkins said the jobs were a welcome boost for and area which has gone through a difficult period in recent times after suffering many jobs losses.

Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District councillors also praised VistaMed, its management and staff, for their investment in the sector.

Cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Council, Cllr Mary Bohan, who was on hand to welcome the Minister to the county, told the Leitrim Observer that the announcement of 200 jobs for Carrick-on-Shannon was the equivalent of announcing 2,000 for cities like Dublin.

These jobs are a lifeline for communities and counties such as ours and I would like to thank everyone involved in bringing these jobs to Co Leitrim, she said.

However, she also appealed for the Government to find a solution to ongoing rural broadband deficiencies, stressing that in order for smaller rural towns and villages to see job growth, proper infrastructure needed to be in place.

Councillor Finola Armstrong-McGuire said the confirmation that the new Research and Development facility would ultimately create 200 news jobs by 2018 was fantastic news.

It is lovely to see something built on in this county going on to such success. It is tremendously positive news. Congratulations to all involved.

Cllr Sinead Guckian also praised VistaMed for their high professional standards and commitment to excellence and innovation.

This company has continually grown their business and now have an amazing facility that is not only at the highest level of research and development in Ireland, but in this industry, she said.

Full credit must be paid to Paddy, his wife Eileen and their staff for making this a reality.

Cllr Sean McGowan also added his praise for Mr Mulholland and his excellent staff.

I was one of the first to welcome him to Rooskey when he established the factory in 1998 and I wish him and his staff every success, Cllr McGowan said.

Although not present at the launch, Cllr Enda Stenson praised VistaMed for "ploughing a lone furrow over the years" and added there is huge office space still available in Carrick to let and more Government assistance is needed in that regard.
As the Cabinet gathers rather awkwardly at Chequers to discuss the implementation of Brexit, Tim Farron makes a keynote speech to the Institute of Public Policy Research in Manchester this morning.

It will be interesting to see if and how he tackles the question of the Open Britain organisation, much discussed on here in the last couple of days.

The advance extracts of his speech concentrate on the need to do something about the increase in hatred and open racism since the referendum and he again emphasises that the Liberal Democrats will stand up for those EU citizens already living here.

He also addresses the real concerns and disadvantages faced by many of those who voted to leave the EU.

Heres what he is going to say on these topics:

Divided

We, the political classes, have left a country bitterly divided as a result. Between parents and children, families, neighbours. Between the nations of our own union, who have worked and fought together for centuries. Between us and our continental neighbours. And now the biggest danger of them all. That because of those divisions, we are in danger of letting malevolent forces hijack the result. Plenty of my mates voted leave and I can tell you that the majority of those who did vote leave are utterly appalled that Farage, Le Pen and their ilk now seek to claim the result as a victory for their hateful brand of intolerance, racism and insularity. Britain is better than that. But Im not so blinded by those emotions that I dont see the new divisions that are opening up between us. New political boundaries which chop the old certainties of Tory and Labour into little pieces. Because theres a new battle emerging. Between the forces of tolerant liberalism and intolerant, closed-minded nationalism. And, of course, you know that, as leader of the Liberal Democrats, which side Im on.

To EU citizens

We can say to those from other countries who have committed their lives alongside us in the UK: we will stand by you, no matter what. Let me just say that again. We will stand by you. As we stood by each other across Europe in the Second World War. We will stand by you, who have chosen British communities to live in. Not only that but we need you. If the tens of thousands of people who make it possible to run our schools and health service were to worry about our commitment to them So much so that it threatens their commitment to us It would seriously undermine services that are used by some of the most vulnerable people in this country. The Conservative and Labour parties may have so forgotten themselves that theyve missed this urgent consideration. But we havent. So I make this absolute promise. To use what power we can muster, to make sure that those who have committed their lives and families to this country will be protected. That no kneejerk populism will be allowed to threaten them or uproot them. And I ask now all the many candidates for high positions in Westminster to join me in this undertaking. We will not stand by to let Nigel Farage or Marine Le Pen dictate our policy, our direction, or our morality.

Anger in the country

And though we might argue about the reasons for it, their anger is justified. We have banking institutions that have let them down, suffocating their businesses. We have an economic policy that favours the rich over everyone else, middle class, working class alike. We have a housing crisis thats consuming our children. We have a Treasury so cut off from reality that they urged people not to vote for Brexit  because it might mean property prices would rise more slowly. As if people werent struggling now to get a foot on the housing ladder. To help their children scrape enough together to rent a place of their own. We have people treated like cattle with zero-hour contracts. We have those who worked as pillars of their community all their lives Running small businesses. Managing farms Making a difference Only to see themselves gazumped by salaries ten or a hundred times as much by cash-hungry bankers in their twenties. In short, we have an underlying, aching discomfort which goes to the heart of the reasons for the immediate crisis. And we have a political class, which I dont particularly like having to accept Im a member of, which has abandoned people disastrously to their fate.

Well have more coverage later.
JUNIOR Housing Minister Damien English will be met by protestors when he visits Limerick today.

Mr English is due in the city to launch a series of nationwide roadshows on the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan which aims to tackle Irelands housing crisis by increasing the amount of social units to at least 25,000 annually by 2020.

It is expected he will address councillors and local stakeholders at a meeting in the Strand Hotel this afternoon.

But a number of demonstrators are expected to set up a picket outside the hotel in protest at what they perceive is the governments move to row back on rent controls.

In Limerick, the average rent has risen slightly to 628 monthly in Limerick city, figures disclosed by the Private Residential Tenancies Board reveal.

Anti-Austerity Alliance councillor Cian Prendiville says he does not think the government is doing enough to tackle the rise.

Here in Limerick rents have gone up more than 15% in the last year alone. Nationally rents are even higher than in the Celtic Tiger years, while incomes stagnate. The result is poverty and homelessness on the one hand, and huge profits by giant letting companies on the other hand, he said.

Cllr Prendiville says the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan has completely ruled out rent controls.

Instead they are talking about giving big landlords even more tax breaks, using the same failed logic that led to property bubbles of the past, he said.
THE REDEMPTORIST Centre of Music has commenced a new chapter in its organisation, following the relocation from Mount St Alphonsus to Kings Island this week.

The centre  founded in 2010  moved from the old St Clements College school to the former St Mary's School, which was vacant for three years. Co-director Andrew Jordan described it as a perfect location.

Since 2010, Mr Jordan and co-director Shannon Burns have seen a significant increase in its membership; from 30 in 2010 to 500 this year. And despite the high numbers, the centre is constantly looking for new members.

The two experienced musicians deliver an instrumental programme and a community music programme, both funded largely by the Redemptorists, fundraising initiatives and student fees.

The centre offers eager learners tuitions on all instruments, theory classes, and opportunities to be part of one of its 10 ensembles. The music school also works with Brothers of Charity, Focus Ireland, the Parkinson's Association, and schools, as part of its community programme.

And while annual fees vary, the centre offers up to 150 scholarships a year for those who cannot afford the fee, Mr Jordan, 30, said.

Music can be used as a tool for social change. Often, you will see some music projects working solely with people from disadvantaged backgrounds, but we work with everybody. So we have a mix of people playing in our ensembles. We are breaking down barriers, we are breaking down stereotypes, he explained.

Mr Jordan, of Dooradoyle, has a Masters degree in community music. Ms Burns, saxophonist from New York, holds a Masters in ethnomusicology at University of Limerick.
FOURTEEN passengers and two crew on a United Airlines flight have been hospitalised at University Hospital Limerick hospitalised this Wednesday after a plane was diverted to Shannon Airport following severe turbulance.

United Airlines flight (UA-880) was diverted while it was en route from Houston to Heathrow.

The Boeing 767-300 plane  which had 207 passengers, a cockpit crew of three and 10 flight attendants on board  was diverted after severe and unexpected turbulence caused a medical situation on board.

A spokesperson for the airport said the flight was diverted to Shannon Airport with a medical situation and landed safely at 5.55am.

HSE ambulances were at the scene to meet the flight. Passengers and crew were treated at the airport and subsequently fourteen passengers and two flight crew were transferred to University Hospital Limerick, added the spokesperson.

The airline confirmed that turbulence during the flight caused the medical situation.

A spokesperson for United Airlines said it was "providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA880 which experienced severe and unexpected turbulence during a flight from Houston to London Heathrow today.

"The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland where it was met by medical personnel. 14 customers and two flight attendants have been taken to a local hospital. We wish these passengers and crew a quick recovery from their injuries."

A spokesperson for University Hospital Limerick explained: "When the aircraft landed, initial assessment was carried out by the National Ambulance Service and airport first responders.

"A total of 12 people were transported to hospital, nine adults and three children. Two of the 12 were crew members.

"The casualties in the main presented with soft tissue injuries, minor head injuries and lacerations. As of 10.30am on Wednesday, one patient was still being assessed and the remaining 11 were discharged.

"Hospital staff are working with the airline to transport the passengers back to Shannon Airport to continue their onward journey to London."
A LIMERICK TD has highlighted the plight of a local woman who has been refused the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) as her income is 1.70 over the weekly threshold.

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan, who has contacted Minister Leo Vardakar directly, says the predicament being faced by the woman, who lives in Corbally, is shambolic and should not be accepted.

When I spoke to the department (of Social Protection) I was met with a blank limits are limits and they have no discretion. This is not good enough and I have personally written to the minister asking him to intervene in this particular case, said Deputy Quinlivan.

While the womans details have not been put in the public domain, the Sinn Fein TD has confirmed she is a working mother who is paying a mortgage.

To qualify, a family's total income must be below a certain amount but the strict means-tested rules do not take into account expenses such as rent or mortgage costs. Obviously there has to be some limit but also there needs to be discretion, said Deputy Quinlivan who remains hopeful he will recieve a positive response.

Every summer, families are faced with back-to-school costs which are extremely high and destroys the myth of free education. It can be extremely stressful for many families who are struggling already. Education in this state is supposed to be free, but sending children to school is becoming increasingly expensive, with many families on low and middle incomes struggling to cope  particularly those with a number of children attending school, he added.

Under the BSCFA scheme, parents are entitled to a payment of 100 per child aged between 4 and 11 or 200 per child aged between 12 and 22.
Aug 30, 2016, 11 PM

President Ramon Magsaysay of the Philippines is honored on an 8 stamp in the Champion of Liberty series.

By Michael Baadke

Ramon Magsaysay, who served as president of the Philippines from 1953 until his death in 1957, was honored on an 8 United States stamp issued Aug. 31, 1957 (Scott 1096). The stamp was the first issue in the Champions of Liberty commemorative series, which honored political figures from other countries.

Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay was born Aug. 31, 1907, in Iba, a coastal city in the Zambales province of the Philippines. During World War II, Magsaysay was a soldier in the Philippine Army, fighting Japanese forces. After the war he was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives, and as secretary of defense he was instrumental in neutralizing the threat of a government overthrow by Huk guerillas.

He was elected president in 1953 and earned a reputation as an ally of the United States and a reformer not influenced by corruption.

On March 17, 1957, the popular president died with 24 other passengers in a plane crash as he was returning to Manila following a series of public appearances. Magsaysay was 49 years old.
An eyewitness tells the story of the fatal police shooting; interior ministry says the policeman has been arrested

Service at a major microbus station in the upscale Cairo district of Maadi appears to be operating normally after drivers had held a strike earlier today over the killing of one of their colleagues by a policeman Sunday night.

The 26-year-old victim, Gamal, was shot dead by a low-ranking policeman who intervened to break up a brawl between Gamal and another driver.

Eyewitness Amr Mostafa, who was accompanying Gamal at the time, told Ahram Online that Gamal was driving on the Ring Road when he was cut off by another microbus, after which a physical fight broke out between Gamal and the other driver, who Mostafa says appeared to be on drugs.

The policeman then showed up to break up the fight, launching into a verbal assault against Mostafa and Gamal before "loading his pistol and aiming it towards us."

Mostafa said the policeman then hit him on the head with the butt of his pistol before shooting Gamal dead.

Mostafa, who bears a head injury from the incident, says he has filed a formal complaint against the policeman.

The interior ministry said in a statement on Monday that the unnamed policeman did not intend to shoot Gamal, and that he fired a warning shot as he intervened to disperse the fight, mistakenly injuring Gamal and causing his death.

The statement added that the policeman had intervened after those involved in the fight "sought help."

The ministry said that prosecutors are questioning the policeman over the incident.

Angry microbus drivers at Maadis Arab bus stop had staged a strike at dawn to protest their colleague's killing, though the strike ended five hours later after authorities forced them to get back to work and board passengers.

"Police took photographs of us and we were [indirectly] threatened in case we went on with the strike," said one of the drivers, who identified himself as Mohamed.

He added, however, that the officials promised that justice would be served as the policeman was being interrogated.

"Who is going to hold [policemen] accountable? The government does not hold its own men accountable," 30-year-old passenger Ahmed said, condemning what he perceives as a climate of impunity.

Many drivers at the bus stop have voiced anger over ill-treatment from police towards microbus drivers, with some saying that police conduct has been worsening.

Sunday's killing is the latest in a series of incidents involving police violations and abuses leading to deaths in recent month.

In April, a street vendor was killed by a lower ranking policeman in New Cairo in a street dispute.

Earlier this year, another low-ranking policeman killed a driver in the working-class Cairo district of El-Darb El-Ahmar following a dispute over a fare. A court sentenced the policeman to life in prison this month, one of the harshest sentences issued against police officials convicted of similar violent crimes. The verdict can still be appealed.

Police brutality helped ignite the 2011 revolt that ousted long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak from power. Overhauling the notorious security apparatus has been a longstanding demand among activists.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi had vowed that policemen found guilty of "committing wrongdoings" will be punished, and interior minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar has maintained that such violations represent "isolated incidents" as opposed to a systemic problem.

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Canada's Bombardier Inc and Egypt's government discussed Tuesday steps to build a 35km monorail on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt's cabinet spokesman said in a statement -- a project first announced in mid-2015.

The 35km train will connect 6 October city, a satellite city on the outskirts of Cairo, with other parts of Giza governorate, according to cabinet spokesman Hossam Qaweesh.

The rail project will support economic and housing projects being undertaken by the government as well as facilitating transportation and easing congestion, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail was quoted as saying in the statement, reported by state news agency MENA.

The sprawling metropolis of Greater Cairo, where more than 21 million people reside, has for years suffered from severe congestion and poor public transport services.

The project, described by the statement as eco-friendly, will be jointly implemented and administered by the government and the Canadian company.

Tuesdays talks, attended by the ministers of housing, transportation and investment, included looking at Bombardiers technical and financial offer regarding the cost, funding and different phases of the project.

Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly said last year the project would cost $1.5 billion and was set to be completed by mid-2018 with funding from a 14-year loan.

Bombardier provides rail vehicles, signalling and control equipment, as well as making planes.



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The Egyptian president will be in India for three days from Friday

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will fly to India on Friday for a three-day visit, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Egypt's envoy to New Delhi told the state news agency MENA on Wednesday.

According to Ambassador Hatem Tag El-Din, El-Sisi will be received officially at the Indian presidential palace on Friday morning.

The president will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee and with Modi focusing on developing bilateral cooperation especially in regards to economic cooperation and development. They will also discuss regional developments.

Tag El-Din said that the volume of trade between Egypt and India is $4 billion; imports from India include petrochemicals, meat, textiles, spices and car tyres, while Egyptian exports include gas, oil, raw materials used to manufacture fertilisers, cotton, tanned leather, marble, and a number of agricultural crops like oranges and onions.

He added that the Indian investments in Egypt worth $3 billion and the number of Indian companies working in the various sectors in Egyptian markets have increased to 52.

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Egypt's prosecutor-general, Nabil Sadek, will head to Rome on 8 and 9 September for another round of meetings with Italian investigators

Egypt's prosecutor-general, Nabil Sadek, will meet his Italian counterpart, Giuseppe Pignatone, in Rome next week as part of the latest round of meetings between investigators from the two countries who are looking into the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, Italian agency ANSA reported on Tuesday.

According to ANSA, the meetings will be held at the request of Rome's prosecution office, and will take place on 8 and 9 September.

This is the third meeting between Egyptian prosecutors and investigators looking into the case and their Italian counterparts, and they will discuss the latest developments in the probe into Regeni's death.

The Egyptian and Italian teams first met in Cairo in March and then in Rome in April.

The PhD student, who was in Cairo conducting research on independent trade unions, went missing on 25 January. His body was found, bearing signs of torture, by a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo on 3 February.

Egypt has strongly denied claims that security forces were involved in Regeni's murder.

The Italian government recalled their ambassador to Cairo in April in response to Egypt's handling of the investigation Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said.

Italian officials have publicly criticised what they described as a lack of transparency from the Egyptian side.

A new Italian ambassador to Cairo, Giampaolo Cantini was appointed in May but has not yet taken up residence in Egypt.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi repeatedly stated in various interviews that the Regeni murder would not affect Egypt-Italian relations.

In an April interview, Sisi blamed "evil" people in Egypt for "lie- and allegation-mongering" about the case and embarrasing Egypt internationally.

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The irrigation ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will meet next week to sign the contracts of two consultancy firms responsible for investigating the possible impacts of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The two French firms, Artelia and BRL, have been selected to carry out various technical studies that will determine the impact of the under-construction dam on the Blue Nile, including effects on the downstream countries of Sudan and Egypt.

The signing will be held in Khartoum on 5-6 September, Al-Ahram daily reported, citing an official source who quashed reports that the Ethiopian side has asked for the signing to be postponed.

Egyptian officials have said that they were officially invited by Ethiopia to the meeting on 5-6 September and have not received any notice of a postponement, Al-Ahram reported.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on 23 August that Egypt had received an official invitation; however, days later media reports quoted unnamed Ethiopian officials saying that no signing would occur on that date.

In the past, Egypt has expressed concerns that Ethiopias $4.2 billion dam will affect the supply of its historical share of water, or, according to Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, that the hydroelectric dam could be used for reasons other than electricity generation.

Cairo argues it is guaranteed 55.5 billion cubic metres of Nile water per year under the terms of a 1959 bilateral accord with Sudan. Other Nile Basin countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda regard the agreement, which they were not parties to, as invalid, and in 2010 signed the Entebbe agreement which promotes equitable water allocation.

In March 2015, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed a trilateral declaration of principles that guarantees that all parties will take steps to avoid the Grand Ethiopian Dam harming the interests of the others.

President El-Sisi, who spoke at the Ethiopian parliament in a visit to Addis Ababa last year, told Egyptians in December that he understood their concern about water but that the matter was under control.

However, Egypts former irrigation minister, Mohamed Nasr Allam, told Ahram Online in the same month that the declaration (of principles) was a carte blanche from Egyptians to Ethiopians to build the dam while not guaranteeing Egypts share of the Nile.

The dam is scheduled to be completed in 2017 and will be Africas largest hydroelectric power plant on completion, with a storage capacity of 74 billion cubic metres. It is currently 70 percent complete.

Addis Ababa argues that the dam project with not affect downstream countries negatively.

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While people in Egypt are living longer than they were in 1990, the 2011 uprising led to marginal drop in life expectancy

A new study reveals that overall life expectancy in Egypt has increased in the past two decades but political turmoil resulting from the 2011 uprising caused life expectancy to drop by 0.25 years.

Overall life expectancy in Egypt from 1990 to 2013 increased from 62 years to 68 years for men, and from 67 years to 74 years for women. But a slight decrease occurred following the 2011 uprising.

"Today, Egypt is at risk of sliding backwards, as instability threatens the nations health infrastructure and health professionals consider taking their talents elsewhere," explained Ali Mokdad, director for Middle Eastern Initiatives at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in a press statement.

The study also identified the top five causes of health burdens in Egypt in 2013: heart disease, lower back pain, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections (LRI).

While the health burden of LRI has decreased by 85.9 percent since 1990, the burden of lower back pain has increased 16.4 percent.

A total of 22 nations in Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa were examined in the study over the period 1990 to 2013.

The study revealed that life expectancy also decreased in other Arab countries that underwent political transition and turmoil in the past five years, including Syria, Yemen, Libya and Tunisia.

Life expectancy in Syria, where a civil war and Islamist insurgency are raging, tumbled the most, with life expectancy dropping six years compared to that prior to the war.

Syria also witnessed an increase in infant and maternal mortality, according to the study, becoming the only country in the region to see this trend.

The study, Health in Times of Uncertainty in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 19902013, is based on findings from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) coordinated with IHME at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Egypt allocated 5.7 percent of total government spending to healthcare for the fiscal year 2016/17.

Although the figure is an eight percent increase from that of the previous year, healthcare professionals have long complained that the healthcare system needs a comprehensive overhaul.

They argue that hospitals need to be updated, that some in places far from the capital lack basic equipment and machines, and doctors' salaries need to increase.

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Tall people are better than short people at gauging how far away they are from objects in the middle distance, a new study reports. The researchers say the results are evidence for the idea that people's spatial perception abilities are influenced by their height, and develop over time.

The human brain depends on a certain model to provide "the best guess of where objects could be located," said study co-author Teng Leng Ooi, a professor of optometry at The Ohio State University.

That model, or "intrinsic bias," is typically revealed when people have very little information about where an object is located, e.g., literally in the dark, and must make an educated guess. People usually underestimate the distance between themselves and an object, and as objects get farther away, the effect gets larger.

"Our previous studies have shown that the intrinsic bias is an imaginary curve that extends from one's feet and slants upward to the far distance," Ooi told Live Science in an email.

In the new study, 24 people were split into two groups of 12, based on their height. The average height (measured at the eyes) in the groups were 4 feet 11 inches (149.3 cm) and 5 feet 8 inches (173.4 cm). Over three experiments, objects were presented in different levels of light, with different amounts of information to help determine location. The people then guessed the distances to objects by a variety of means, such as pacing out the distance with their eyes closed, so the study was not dependent on the subjects' sense of units of measure.

The results showed that the people in both tall and short groups showed the bias, increasingly misjudging the distance to far-away objects. However, the taller participants were more accurate in their guesses, and the difference in performance between groups was consistent across all conditions, the researchers said.

When tall participants sat in a chair and shorter participants stood on boxes to adjust their eye levels, the tall people were still more accurate in the middle distances. Because previous experiments showed people are better judges of distance from a higher vantage point, the researchers said, the new result is evidence that taller people have accumulated experience in guessing the distance to objects, and that their height has shaped a mental model of distances.

However, other researchers said they were skeptical of the findings. "I'm a little bit dubious of the results," that show taller people are better at guessing distances, said Maryjane Wraga, a psychologist at Smith College in Massachusetts, who was not involved in the study.

Because of variations in individuals' vision, Wraga said, the study, with only 12 participants in each group, would have benefited from more participants. Any pattern that emerged based on the study groups might be consistent since all three experiments used the same participants.

Furthermore, "if it's a true effect, it's a modest effect." Wraga told Live Science. The differences in performance between the height groups at distances up to about 33 feet (10 meters) were small, Wraga said, and most people interact with those closer objects much more often in their daily lives. "It's not a uniform effect; it's mostly occurring for distances that are farther away."

"The ideas that they're presenting are very interesting," John Philbeck, a psychologist at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., told Live Science. But he was also concerned about replicating the results, and called the sample size "a little on the thin side."

"If this effect is real, there are ways to compensate for it in the real world," Wraga said, such as moving our heads and bodies to gather more information, which people probably do naturally, but was restricted in the experiments to specifically test the mental model.

How should shorter people feel about the results?

"Not worried at all," Wraga said.

The researchers said they are interested in future studies with more subjects in a range of heights, development in children and investigating whether animals have different visual biases, possibly based on their ecological niche.

The study was published today (Aug. 31) in the journal Science Advances.

Original article on Live Science.
A recently discovered pterosaur was a real pip-squeak compared to the much larger flying reptiles that flapped across the skies during the age of dinosaurs.

Found in what is now British Columbia, a handful of fossils were described in a new study as belonging to a pterosaur that lived about 77 million years ago, with a wingspan estimated to be 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length. The pterosaur is thought to have been approximately the size of a house cat, measuring 1 foot (30 centimeters) tall at the shoulder, according to the study authors. It is significantly smaller than any other pterosaur from that era, and is the first of its kind found on North America's west coast, the researchers said.

While the new pterosaur has yet to acquire an official scientific name, its fossils provide an important example of the variety in pterosaur forms  especially during the Late Cretaceous, when their diversity was waning, the scientists wrote in the study. [Photos of Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs]

Neither dinosaurs nor birds

Pterosaurs lived alongside both dinosaurs and birds, but were neither; they represent a unique reptile lineage that spanned the Late Triassic Period to the end of the Cretaceous Period (about 228 million to 66 million years ago).

The fossils described in the study date to the later part of the Cretaceous and represent only a fraction of the animal's skeleton  a few vertebrae, a wing bone and several other fragments  and were poorly preserved, the researchers reported. Nevertheless, the fossils were still recognizable as belonging to a pterosaur, which has hollow bones distinctively modified for flight, according to the study's lead author, Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone, a doctoral student in paleobiology at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.

These bones were unusually small for a Late Cretaceous pterosaur, but analysis of their internal structure revealed that the pterosaur was fully grown  or very nearly so, Martin-Silverstone told Live Science. The animal appeared to share traits with a group of toothless, short-winged pterosaurs called azhdarchids that dominated this period, but it was dramatically smaller than any known species, providing the first evidence that small pterosaurs may have lived alongside their much larger Late Cretaceous cousins, the researchers said.

Artist's impression of the small-bodied, Late Cretaceous pterosaur from British Columbia against a background populated by ancient birds, which likely lived alongside the small, flying reptiles. (Image credit: Mark Witton)

"The general idea is that the end of the Cretaceous had these giant, 10-m [33 feet] wingspan pterosaurs taking over the skies," Martin-Silverstone said. "This reminds us there were other smaller pterosaurs out there, occupying other niches."

"A strange time"

The Late Cretaceous was "a strange time for pterosaur evolution," said study co-author Mark Witton, a paleontologist at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. During this period, pterosaurs became bigger than ever before, Witton told Live Science.

"It wasn't until the end of the Cretaceous when the biggest pterosaurs emerged, with the longest necks  about 3 m [10 feet]  the biggest wingspans, and body mass [of] probably 250 kilograms [551 lbs.]. Some were as big as giraffes, with wingspans comparable to hang gliders or small planes," Witton explained.

But at the same time, overall pterosaur diversity was greatly reduced from its heyday in the Early Cretaceous, about 146 million years ago, he added.

"That was a point in time where we saw radiation in lots of different pterosaur groups  waders, filter feeders, terrestrial forms picking up food on the ground, dedicated scavengers. The end of the Cretaceous was such a contrast to that, when there were only two or three groups left," Witton said. [Photos: Ancient Pterosaur Eggs & Fossils Uncovered in China]

And as the biggest pterosaurs were evolving, the smallest forms began to disappear from the fossil record.

"It's almost like there was a shift in the average. The whole size range shifted upward, so we started to lose a lot of the smaller ones," Witton told Live Science.

Evolutionary pressures certainly may have driven smaller pterosaurs extinct, but there could be another explanation for why small pterosaurs' fossils from the Late Cretaceous are practically nonexistent, the study authors suggested.

Pterosaurs' hollow bones are known for their fragility  and are scarce as fossils in general  but this is especially true for the smallest specimens, Martin-Silverstone said. It's possible that small pterosaurs were actually more common during the Late Cretaceous than currently suspected, but external factors destroyed their delicate bones before these remains could fossilize. Juveniles of larger pterosaurs certainly existed during the Late Cretaceous, but researchers haven't found any fossils of them either, Witton added.

Ultimately, solving this riddle will require more specimens, which is where overlooked material in museum collections could play a critically important role, the researchers said in the study.

"What we have now  it's not enough to understand this weird phenomenon at the end of the Cretaceous, where there aren't any small pterosaurs," Witton said. "There are so many things in museums that people aren't looking out for. What we want to do is put these things on the radar of researchers and curators, so we can start to build up a good-quality data set of these small specimens."

The findings were published online Aug. 30 in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

Original article on Live Science.
This photo of the mushroom cloud over Nagasaki was taken by Charles Levy from one of the B-29 Superfortresses used in the attack.

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

It's literally epoch-defining news. A group of experts tasked with considering the question of whether we have officially entered the Anthropocene  the geological age characterised by humans' influence on the planet  has delivered its answer: yes.

The British-led Working Group on the Anthropocene (WGA) told a geology conference in Cape Town that, in its considered opinion, the Anthropocene epoch began in 1950  the start of the era of nuclear bomb tests, disposable plastics and the human population boom.

The Anthropocene has fast become an academic buzzword and has achieved a degree of public visibility in recent years. But the more the term is used, the more confusion reigns, at least for those not versed in the niceties of the underpinning science.

Roughly translated, the Anthropocene means the "age of humans." Geologists examine layers of rock called "strata," which tell a story of changes to the functioning of Earth's surface and near-surface processes, be these oceanic, biological, terrestrial, riverine, atmospheric, tectonic or chemical.

When geologists identify boundaries between layers that appear to be global, those boundaries become candidates for formal recognition by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). The commission produces the International Chronostratigraphic Chart, which delimits verified changes during the planet's 4.5 billion-year evolution.

Earth's history, spiralling towards the present. (Image credit: USGS/Wikimedia Commons)

The chart features a hierarchy of terms like "system" and "stage;" generally, the suffix "cene" refers to a geologically brief stretch of time and sits at the bottom of the hierarchy. We have spent the past 11,500 years or so living in the so-called Holocene epoch, the interglacial period during which Homo sapiens has flourished.

If the Holocene has now truly given way to the Anthropocene, it's because a single species  us  has significantly altered the character of the entire hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere.

The end of an era?

Making this call is not straightforward, because the Anthropocene proposition is being investigated in different areas of science, using different methods and criteria for assessing the evidence. Despite its geological ring, the term Anthropocene was coined not by a geologist, but by the Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen in 2000.

He and his colleagues in the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program have amassed considerable evidence about changes to everything from nutrient cycles to ocean acidity to levels of biodiversity across the planet.

Comparing these changes to those occurring during the Holocene, they concluded that we humans have made an indelible mark on our one and only home. We have altered the Earth system qualitatively, in ways that call into question our very survival over the coming few centuries.

Crutzen's group talks of the post-1950 period as the "Great Acceleration," when a range of factors  from human population numbers, to disposable plastics, to nitrogen fertiliser  began to increase exponentially. But their benchmark for identifying this as a significant change has nothing to do with geological stratigraphy. Instead, they ask whether the present period is qualitatively different to the situation during the Holocene.

Rocking out

Meanwhile, a small group of geologists has been investigating the stratigraphic evidence for the Anthropocene. A few years ago a subcommission of the ICS set up the Anthropocene working group, which has now suggested that human activity has left an indelible mark on the stratigraphic record.

The major problem with this approach is that any signal is not yet captured in rock. Humans have not been around long enough for any planet-wide impacts to be evident in Earths geology itself. This means that any evidence for a Holocene-Anthropocene boundary would necessarily be found in less permanent media like ice sheets, soil layers or ocean sediments.

The ICS has always considered evidence for boundaries that pertain to the past, usually the deep past. The WGA is thus working against convention by looking for present-day stratigraphic markers that might demonstrate humans planetary impact. Only in thousands of years' time might future geologists (if there are any) confirm that these markers are geologically significant.

In the meantime, the group must be content to identify specific calendar years when significant human impacts have been evident. For example, one is 1945, when the Trinity atomic device was detonated in New Mexico. This and subsequent bomb tests have left global markers of radioactivity that ought still to be evident in 10,000 years.

Alternatively, geographers Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin have suggested (opens in new tab) that 1610 might be a better candidate for a crucial human-induced step change. That was the year when atmospheric carbon dioxide dipped markedly, suggesting a human fingerprint linked to the New World colonists' impact on indigenous American agriculture, although this idea is contested.

Decision time

The fact that the WGA has picked a more recent date, 1950, suggests that it agrees with the idea of defining the Great Acceleration of the latter half of the 20th century as the moment we stepped into the Anthropocene.

It's not a decision that is taken lightly. The ICS is extremely scrupulous about amending the International Chronostratigraphic Chart. The WGA's suggestion will face a rigorous evaluation before it can be scientifically accepted by the commission. It may be many years before it is formally ratified.

Elsewhere, the term is fast becoming a widely used description of how people now relate to our planet, rather like the Iron Age or the Renaissance. These words describe real changes in history and enjoy widespread use in academia and beyond, without the need for rigorously defined "boundary markers" to delimit them from prior periods.

Does any of this really matter? Should we care that the jury is still out in geology, while other scientists feel confident that humans are altering the entire Earth system?

Writing on The Conversation, geologist James Scourse suggests not. He feels that the geological debate is "manufactured" and that humans' impact on Earth is sufficiently well recognised that we have no need of a new term to describe it.

Clearly, many scientists beg to differ. A key reason, arguably, is the failure of virtually every society on the planet to acknowledge the sheer magnitude of the human impact on Earth. Only last year did we finally negotiate a truly global treaty to confront climate change.

In this light, the Anthropocene allows scientists to assemble a set of large-scale human impacts under one graphic conceptual banner. Its scientific status therefore matters a great deal if people worldwide are at long last to wake up to the environmental effects of their collective actions.

Gaining traction

But the scientific credibility of the Anthropocene proposition is likely to be called into question the more that scientists use the term informally or otherwise. Here the recent history of climate science in the public domain is instructive.

Even more than the concept of global warming, the Anthropocene is provocative because it implies that our current way of life, especially in wealthy parts of the world, is utterly unsustainable. Large companies who make profits from environmental despoliation  oil multinationals, chemical companies, car makers and countless others  have much to lose if the concept becomes linked with political agendas devoted to things like degrowth and decarbonisation. When one considers the organised attacks on climate science in the United States and elsewhere, it seems likely that Anthropocene science will be challenged on ostensibly scientific grounds by non-scientists who dislike its implications.

Sadly, such attacks are likely to succeed. In geology, the WGA's unconventional proclamation potentially leaves any ICS definition open to challenge. If accepted, it also means that all indicators of the Holocene would now have to be referred to as things of the past, despite evidence that the transition to a human-shaped world is not quite complete in some places.

Some climate contrarians still refuse to accept that researchers can truly distinguish a human signature in the climate. Similarly, scientists who address themselves to the Anthropocene will doubtless face questions about how much these changes to the planet are really beyond the range of natural variability.

If "Anthropocene sceptics" gain the same momentum as climate deniers have enjoyed, they will sow seeds of confusion into what ought to be a mature public debate about how humans can transform their relationship with the Earth. But we can resist this confusion by recognising that we don't need the ICS's imprimatur to appreciate that we are indeed waving goodbye to Earth as we have known it throughout human civilisation.

We can also recognise that Earth system science is not as precise as nuclear physics or geometry. This lack of precision does not mean that the Anthropocene is pure scientific speculation. It means that science knows enough to sound the alarm, without knowing all the details about the unfolding emergency.

The Anthropocene deserves to become part of our lexicon  a way we understand who we are, what we're doing and what our responsibilities are as a species  so long as we remember that not all humans are equal contributors to our planetary maladies, with many being victims.

Noel Castree, Professor of Geography, University of Wollongong

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates  and become part of the discussion  on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science.
Cameras mounted on the outside of the International Space Station captured amazing views of three powerful hurricanes as they whisked across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on Aug. 30.

Hurricane Lester was the first tropical storm spied on by the space station's cameras. The Category 4 storm moved westward across the Pacific Ocean, generating powerful 125-mph (200 km/h) winds. The space station cameras captured jaw-dropping images of thick, stormy clouds swirling around the eye of the hurricane, fueling the storm.

Views of Hurricane Madeline can be seen following Hurricane Lester in NASA's time-lapse video. Hurricane Madeline was traveling west over the Pacific Ocean, with winds even stronger than those of Lester, at 130 mph (209 km/h).

Hurricane Madeline was spotted near Hawaii on Aug. 29, generating winds upward of 130 mph (210 km/h). (Image credit: NASA Goddard Rapid Response Team)

"Both storms were on a track that could threaten the big island of Hawaii in the days ahead," NASA officials said in the video description.

On Monday (Aug. 29), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Hurricane Madeline nearing Hawaii. This image showed that the storm's eye extended up to 13 nautical miles (24 kilometers) wide in diameter at the time the photo was taken. Because of this, a hurricane watch was issued for Hawaii County, Hawaii, according to a statement from NASA.

With such powerful winds, ocean swells are expected to reach the Hawaiian Islands and could cause damage along the coastline, NASA officials said in the statement.

As for the third hurricane, NASA's time-lapse video shows views of Hurricane Gaston as it traveled over the Atlantic Ocean that same day and created winds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h).

Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Kids who have a parent who has been diagnosed with certain psychiatric disorders may be at increased risk for attempting suicide or committing a violent offense, a new study of people in Denmark suggests. These kids are at even greater risk of these behaviors when both parents have the disorders, the study found.

The parents in the study had a wide spectrum of psychiatric problems, ranging from anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression to schizophrenia, substance abuse and suicide attempts.

Of all the psychiatric conditions among the parents in the study, the strongest associations were seen in mothers and fathers who had a history of abusing marijuana, antisocial personality disorder or a prior attempted suicide. Children whose parents fell into any of these three groups were at the greatest risk for suicidal behavior and violence as they got older, according to the findings, published today (Aug. 31) in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. [5 Controversial Mental Health Treatments]

During the study, 2.6 percent of the kids attempted suicide, and 3.2 percent were convicted of a first violent offense, the researchers found. This meant that the vast majority of kids whose parents had one of the psychiatric conditions evaluated in the research did not attempt suicide or commit violent offenses.

But the results also showed that when there is a history of mental illness in both parents, children have double the risk for attempting suicide and committing violent offenses, compared with kids who have only one parent affected by mental illness, said Pearl Mok, the study's lead author and a research associate in the division of psychology and mental health at The University of Manchester in England. This group could potentially benefit from early psychological interventions, the researchers said.

In the study, the researchers tracked data from about 1.75 million people born in Denmark to Danish parents between 1967 and 1997. The researchers followed the children of parents with mental disorders from when they turned 15 through the year 2012.

The researchers dug into Denmark's national health databases to gather information about parents' mental disorders and about suicide attempts in both parents and children, as well as data on violent crimes, such as robbery, homicide and assaults.

Although the data showed that suicidal and violent tendencies appear to run in families, the reasons why this occurs are unclear, the researchers said.

The most likely explanation for the link is that people's risk of mental health disorders results from a combination of both nature and nurture, Mok said. [11 Warning Signs Help Spot Mental Illness in Children]

In other words, certain factors may run in families, such as a shared genetic vulnerability to psychiatric disorders and impulsive-aggressive traits. And these may contribute to the links seen between parental psychiatric disorders and the risk for suicidal and violent behaviors in their children, she said. But in addition to heredity, an environmental component is also a likely culprit, Mok said.

Children whose parents have a history of psychiatric disease and substance use may also be exposed to other adversities at home, such as inadequate parenting practices, abuse, neglect and financial hardship, Mok told Live Science.

Protecting future generations

Although this study looked only at people living in Denmark, it's likely that similar conclusions can be drawn for people living in other European and North American countries, Mok said.

The findings could help researchers identify ways to help prevent people in the next generation from contemplating suicide or turning to violence, she said. For example, psychiatrists and other health professionals who treat adults with mental disorders and suicidal behavior could also consider evaluating the mental health and psychosocial needs of their patients' children, Mok said. These types of early interventions could benefit parents and their children as well, she explained. [5 Myths About Suicide, Debunked]

Specifically, treatments aimed at reducing the effects and incidence of parental misuse of alcohol and illegal drugs may help to reduce their children's future risks for suicide and violence, Mok said.

An editorial accompanying the research in the journal said the new research was an "elegant study" that helps to identify "common parental mental health risk factors for suicide attempts and violent offending in their children." The editorial was written by Dr. David Brent, a psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who has studied suicidal behavior in teens, and his colleagues.

Brent said that further research is needed to more precisely define the vulnerabilities that parents may be transmitting to their children that may increase some children's risk of violence and suicidal behavior, while other children in the same household experience neither of these adverse outcomes.

One finding, however, already has plenty of evidence: the benefits of prevention programs to help stem rising rates of mental disorders, violence and suicide attempts, Brent argued in his article. Instead of more research, this area deserves more investment, he said.

The number for the U.S. national suicide hotline is 800-273-8255.

Originally published on Live Science.
A new investigational drugs shows a dramatic ability to clear amyloid beta plaques, the signature abnormal protein clumps found in the brains of those with Alzheimer's Disease. Brain scans of people with the early stages of the disease (left) show amyloid tangles in bright red; after a year of treatment (right), most of these plaques were completely gone. The drug also showed increased ability to clear plaques at higher doses (top to bottom).

In people with Alzheimer's disease, a new investigational drug can dramatically reduce the amount of amyloid beta plaque, the tangled clumps of proteins that form in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, according to a new early study of the drug.

The drug works by spurring the immune system to recognize and clear the plaques.

"We believe that's a hint of efficacy," study co-author Dr. Alfred Sandrock, a neurologist and an executive vice president at Biogen, said during a news briefing. "We believe that needs to be confirmed with further studies." Biogen is the Cambridge, Massachusetts, company that funded the trial and applied to patent the drug. [10 Things You Didn't Know About the Brain]

However, the study was too small to show whether there was an effect on the patients' symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. And the drug can also cause fluid accumulations in the brain in some genetically susceptible people, the researchers reported today (Aug. 31) in the journal Nature (opens in new tab).

Cause of dementia

Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia, affecting more than 5 million people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The hallmark of the disease is aggregation of an abnormal protein called amyloid beta, which looks like clumps of tangled fibrils on brain scans. Many scientists believe the amyloid beta fibrils are toxic to brain cells and are directly responsible for the memory loss, mood changes and loss of function that occur as the disease progresses, according to the paper.

There is no cure for Alzheimer's, and the few treatments on the market have only modest, transient benefits.

Targeting amyloid beta

To find a better treatment, Sandrock and his colleagues at Biogen turned to older people who do not have dementia or Alzheimer's. They analyzed the chemicals present in healthy older people with no cognitive decline, as well as people whose cognitive decline had progressed very slowly. The team identified one immune compound, and made a drug that mimicked it, called aducanumab. In earlier animal studies, the drug seemed to target amyloid beta and spur other structures in the brain to engulf and clear the plaques, Sandrock said.

In the new study, researchers gave 165 patients with mild Alzheimers monthly infusions of either aducanumab or a placebo, and did a series of brain scans. The people taking aducanumab showed a sharp decrease in the amount of amyloid beta in their brains. The higher the dose of aducanumab they received, the greater the amyloid clearance revealed in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

"After one year, you can see no red on the image, meaning the amyloid has almost completely disappeared," said Dr. Roger Nitsch, a co-author of the study and the director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Zurich. He is also a founder of the biopharmaceutical company Neuroimmune.

However, people who took the drug, and also carried a genetic change called the APOE gene variant, which is linked with Alzheimer's disease, were also more likely to experience a potentially dangerous side effect known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, or ARIA. This side effect showed up in brain scans as small pockets of fluid in the brain.

Although most people in the study who developed ARIA were asymptomatic, a few patients reported headaches. Studies in other Alzheimer's drug candidates have shown that in rare cases, ARIA can increase the risk of stroke or cerebral hemorrhage, the researchers said. ARIA, if it does occur, usually shows up early in treatment and can be managed and cleared by lowering the drug dose, Sandrock said.

Cognitive benefits unclear

The study was not designed to show whether the drug can actually produce cognitive benefit; however, the team found hints of cognitive benefit that did not reach statistical significance.

"We're encouraged that, there appeared to be a slowing of cognitive decline at a dose-dependent manner, and also a dose-dependent slowing in functional decline," said study co-author Dr. Stephen Salloway, a neurologist at Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

Much larger follow-up studies are needed to confirm that the benefit is real, Salloway said.

Indeed, the larger question is whether clearing amyloid beta will lead to dramatic improvements in cognitive decline, Dr. Eric Reiman, a psychiatrist and researcher at Banner Alzheimer's Institute, a research and patient care center in Phoenix, wrote in an editorial accompanying the new study in the journal. Some researchers believe beta amyloid is a byproduct of the destructive brain process, and not the cause, noted Reiman, who was not involved in the new study.

If larger trials of the drug show improvement in patients' cognitive function, that will help settle the debate on whether amyloid beta causes Alzheimer's, Reiman said.

"It would be prudent to withhold judgment about aducanumab's cognitive benefit until results from the larger trials are in," Reiman wrote in the article.

What's more, by the time people begin to show symptoms, it's thought that they have been accumulating plaque for 15 years and much of the cognitive damage may have already occurred, Sandrock said.

So eventually, this drug or another one like it, could be most effective when people first show signs of plaque accumulation, but have no cognitive symptoms, he speculated.

"I still think that treating early is going to be the key," Sandrock said.

Original article on Live Science.
The lawsuit requested a ban of social media, saying Twitter, Facebook and other platforms have been used by foreign agencies to incite protests in Egypt

Cairo Administrative Court rejected Wednesday a lawsuit to ban social media websites in Egypt.

According to the lawyer who filed the suit, foreign intelligence services used social media websites like Twitter and Facebook before 25 January 2011 to incite protests and violence.

He also added that those websites were operating in Egypt without permission. spreading rumours as no censorship has been imposed on them.

In its reasoning, the administrative court rejected the lawsuit stating it was against Article 68 of the Egyptian Constitution, which stipulates that Information, data, statistics and official documents are owned by the people and that disclosure thereof from various sources is a right guaranteed by the state to all citizens.

The court also stated that the lawsuit violated the declaration on the right to development issued by the UN General Assembly in December 1986, where access of information was related directly to the right to development for citizens

"The state should not put obstacles against the flow of information or allow its monopolisation except in the limits of protecting the public order" the court reasoning read, stressing that the way to protect public order is not through blocking networks and telecommunications and spying on people, but rather targeting "perverts and enemies of public freedoms."

This is the not the first lawsuit of its kind in Egypt.

Since January 2011 and the ouster of former president Mubarak, in which social media played a role, several lawyers attempted to block social media networks in a similar way but their lawsuits were rejected.

Court adjourns VOIP lawsuit against NTRA

In a parallel case, however, the administrative court decided to adjourn to 20 November a lawsuit against the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) demanding answers about whether it has blocked VOIP services like Skype, Whatsapp, and Facebook Messenger on the 3G network.

This is the third time the lawsuit, filed by a local NGO (the Support Centre for Information Technology and the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression), has been adjourned.

The court adjourned the lawsuit demanding NTRA present a technical statement to defend itself against the NGO's accusations. It summoned also a telecommunications expert to give his technical opinion in the case.

According to the local NGO, NTRA violated Article No 57 of the current Egyptian Constitution by blocking access to the VOIP services on 3G network.

Article No 57 stipulates that postal, telegraphic and electronic correspondences, telephone calls, and other means of communication are inviolable, and their confidentiality is guaranteed.

In October, news reports spread that NTRA blocked VOIP services on 3G networks in Egypt.

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Want to read how an 18th-century newspaper covered the inauguration of George Washington? How about learning what issues divided Congress in the early 1800s?

Going back into early American history is now possible due to new digital content that has been added to Chronicling America, the open access database of historic U.S. newspapers that is part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

The newly available digital content is from 18th-century newspapers from the three early capitals of the United States: New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. At nearly 15,000 pages total, these early newspapers from the earliest days of the country are part of the database because of an expansion of the chronological scope of NDNP. The program is expanding its current time window of the years 1836-1922, to include digitized newspapers from the years 1690-1963. The expansion will further the program goal of capturing the richness and diversity of our nations history in an open access database, which anyone can use.

NEH recently awarded grants to cultural institutions in four states that will participate in NDNP for the first time: Alaska, Colorado, Maine, and New Jersey. There are now 43 states and one territory participating in NDNP, approaching the goal of having all states and territories represented.

The more we expand the reach of Chronicling America, the more possible it will be for members of communities across the nation to see themselves and their history represented, regardless of where they live, said NEH Chairman William Adams.

Following the American Revolution, newspapers contributed to the development of political parties and the national government by documenting speeches, legislation proposals and debates of the day, said Deborah Thomas, NDNP program manager at the Library of Congress. These newly available issues cover the seminal years of the partisan press in the young nation.

Two of the early newspapers were established as national political publications. The Gazette of the United States (1789-1800) advocated a strong monarchical presidency and loyalty to the federal government. In opposition, the National Gazette (1791-1793), as the voice for the Republicans or Anti-Federalists, promoted a populist form of government.

The National Intelligencer (1800-1809) was the first newspaper published in the City of Washington and the first to document the activities of Congress. It recorded in great detail the actions of the young national legislature.

NDNP is a partnership among the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Library of Congress and participating states. NEH awards grants to state libraries, historical institutions and other cultural organizations that allow them to select historic local newspapers to be preserved in digital form. The states contribute information on each newspaper title and its historical and cultural context. To date, more than 11 million pages of historic newspapers are available on Chronicling America.

Only public-domain newspapers may be selectedthat is, either those published before 1923 or those published between 1923 and 1963 and not under copyright. Henceforth, all state and territorial partners will be able to select newspapers from the expanded date scope, provided they can prove the publications are in the public domain.

National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating its 50th anniversary as an independent federal agency in 2015-16, National Endowment for the Humanities brings the best in humanities research, public programs, education, and preservation projects to the American people. To date, NEH has awarded $5 billion in grants to build the nations cultural capitalat museums, libraries, colleges and universities, archives, and historical societiesand advance our understanding.

Library of Congress: The Library of Congress is the worlds largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United Statesand extensive materials from around the worldboth on site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov, and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Wednesday the Iranian-allied Houthi movement would not be allowed to take over Yemen, as he accused Iran of seeking to sow unrest around the region.

The head of a Houthi-backed ruling council pledged readiness on Monday to resume negotiations on ending Yemen's war but reserved the right to resist attacks by a Saudi-backed exiled government seeking to unseat it.

U.N.-sponsored talks to try to end 18 months of fighting collapsed in failure this month and the Houthi movement and allied forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh resumed shelling into neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

The talks foundered after the Houthis and Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) announced the formation of the 10-member governing council on Aug 6., ignoring a warning by U.N. Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed that such a move would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions on how to solve the conflict.

Speaking to Reuters in Beijing, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the ball was in the Houthis' court as to whether peace talks resumed.

"What is certain, not questionable, certain, they will not be allowed to take over Yemen. Period. So the legitimate government will be defended," al-Jubeir said.

"The chance they have is to enter the political process, reach an agreement ... for the benefit of all Yemenis including the Houthis," he said.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies accuse the Houthis of being pawns of Iran and have launched a military intervention to restore Hadi to power.

The Houthis have held on, having made an alliance with Saleh, who enjoys the support of most of the military.

The Houthis and the GPC hold most of Yemen's northern half, while forces working for the exiled government share control of the rest of the country with tribes.

More than 6,400 people have been killed in the fighting, half of them civilians, and it has created a humanitarian crisis in one of the poorest countries in the Middle East.

Speaking earlier to students at a Beijing university, al-Jubeir lambasted Iran.

"We see Iran supporting Houthis in Yemen and trying to take over the government, supply weapons to the Houthis, smuggle explosives to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia," he said.

"We wish we could be as good neighbours like before the 1979 revolution," al-Jubeir said.

"It's up to Iran to mend its behaviour."

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Turkey's minister of European Union affairs dismisses claims that a cease-fire has been reached with Kurdish rebels in northern Syria.

In comments made to the state-run Anadolu news agency on Wednesday, EU Minister Omer Celik says, "Turkey is a sovereign state, it is a legitimate state. To suggest it is on a par with a terrorist organization and suggest there are talks between them, that a deal has been reached between them, this is unacceptable."

Turkey's incursion into Syria helped rebels take the border town of Jarablus from the Islamic State group last week, but clashes have since broken out between Turkish and Kurdish forces in the area.

The Kurdish-backed Jarablus Military Council said in a statement Tuesday it had agreed to a cease-fire following consultations with the U.S.-led coalition

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Renowned chef Gary O'Hanlon is celebrating this week after a whirlwind weekend which saw him become a Dad for a second time while also being crowned the top chef in Leinster.

The Donegal native had been busy packing more than a few culinary essentials ahead of a scheduled appearance at the Ulster county's Taste of Donegal Food Festival on Friday night.

Those preparations took an emotional turn moments later however as the Viewmount House head chef was about to set off up the N4.

I was just loading up the jeep to go when I got a hell of a fright when Annette's (wife) waters broke in the kitchen.

Instead of taking the more customary route via Sligo, the couple, knowing they faced a race against time, opted for the confines of Cavan General Hospital.

A quick pit stop in Cavan and thankfully wee Ollie was born at 4:25pm, Gary cheerfully remarked as he revealed his delight that the couple's two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Cora now had a baby brother to dote on.

Safe in the knowledge both mother and the latest addition to the O'Hanlon household were fine and well, Gary eventually arrived with five minutes to spare before his scheduled 8pm appearance.

The following day, the Granard-based cook was back in the Viewmount House kitchen doing what he does best and what has served him so well for the past 23 years.

Less than 24 hours later, Dublin's Intercontinental Hotel was the venue for the 2016 Food and Wine Magazine Awards.

So often the bridesmaid in what is arguably viewed as the premier event in Ireland's restaurant industry, Gary was named Leinster's top chef for the first time.

It's great to get it and it's great to see something like this come to Longford, said a jubilant Gary.

It's my first time to win in it in Leinster and it's brilliant after eight long, hard years.

Despite his obvious personal sense of pride, Gary said the honour would not have been possible without the input of his trusted sous chef, Daniel Skukalek.

The Slovakian chef has proven to be a trust y sidekick for the newly-crowned father-of-two ever since his arrival at Viewmount in 2008.

Eight years ago, I came across Daniel in Athlone and within five minutes I knew I wanted him to be my sous chef, admitted Gary.

He was only 20 but I can honestly say he is the best I have ever seen and I am very fortunate to have had him by my side for the last eight years.

As he continued to heap praise on his colleague and reflect on the events of last weekend, Gary said he was looking forward to some quality family time while also catching up on some well-earned sleep.

It's been an amazing weekend to say the least, he said, adding he was en route to collect mother and son from hospital.

I am really running on adrenalin at this stage, but it's all been worth it.
Health Minister Simon Harris is to visit St Joseph's Care Centre in Longford, sparking fresh rumours over a possible State-led investment package.

No date has been set as to the timing of the Ministerial visit, but Fine Gael Cllr Peggy Nolan said she remained hopeful the Wicklow TD would arrive with good news.

It won't just be a case of him coming, paying lip service and then going back again, she said.

He knows what's needed, he has been well briefed on things and we will be expecting an announcement and a significant announcement at that.

Her comments come hot on the heels of recent remarks by Mr Harris over the state of Ireland's primary care system.

Speaking at a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland event in Dublin, Mr Harris spoke of the need to ensure primary care services meet the needs of the public.

A long-term health advocate herself, Cllr Nolan welcomed those assertions, saying a greater focus was required to provide additional funding in Ireland's care sector.

There are people that rely on care centres but that doesn't mean sitting in a bed for their final days.

What it should mean is stimulation, physio and other the like for as long as possible.

Cllr Nolan said her persistent calls for better use to be made of the St Joseph's Care Centre campus and for a possible step down facility were relayed to Mr Harris at a meeting two months ago.

She said since that time, almost constant contact has been maintained, with the former Wicklow Councillor now committing to undertaking a walkabout of St Joseph's.

I know for a fact it's (St Joseph's) on his radar, she added.

He doesn't have any grandiose ideas, but I have every faith in him.

Cllr Nolan insisted she would be the first to criticise the Government should her calls be overlooked, but appealed for caution until the Health Minister is able to observe the Dublin Road campus first hand.

I know he (Mr Harris) is well briefed about what is needed there so let's just wait and see what comes of it first, she said.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 31 2016

A local from Ronkonkoma, NY, serves the Navy aboard USS Ross (DDG 71).

Ronkonkoma, NY - August 25, 2016 - Chief Machinists Mate Gene McGrath, from Ronkonkoma, New York, stands watch in the central control station aboard USS Ross (DDG 71) Aug. 25, 2016. Ross, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

"Why Being There Matters"

On our planet, more than 70 percent of which is covered by water, being there means having the ability to act from the sea. The Navy is uniquely positioned to be there; the world's oceans give the Navy the power to protect America's interests anywhere, and at any time. Your Navy protects and defends America on the world's oceans. Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and, most importantly, tens of thousands of America's finest young men and women are deployed around the world doing just that. They are there now. They will be there when we are sleeping tonight. They will be there every Saturday, Sunday and holiday this year. They are there around the clock, far from our shores, defending America at all times.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 31 2016

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks will be held on two dates and at two locations in October.

More than 1,000 local breast cancer survivors, caregivers, volunteers, and corporate and community members united this August in Woodbury and in Riverhead to kick off the Societys signature breast cancer awareness and fundraising event, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, which will be held on October 16 at Jones Beach and October 23 at Suffolk Community College Eastern Campus.

Hauppauge, NY - August 29, 2016 - Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks will be held on two dates and at two locations, starting on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at Jones Beach State Park, 1 Ocean Parkway, Wantagh, and on Sunday, October 23, 2016 at Suffolk Community College Eastern Campus, 121 Speonk Riverhead Rd, Riverhead. With an estimated 60,000 participants at Jones Beach and several thousand more on the East End, Long Island hosts the largest attended event in the country, said Patti Lestrange Mack, American Cancer Society Communications Director.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a noncompetitive, inspirational event that raises awareness and funds to end breast cancer and provide hope to ensure no one faces breast cancer alone. Individuals, companies, friends and neighbors can register to walk and fundraise by calling 631.300.3455, via email or online here or here. There is no fee to register, though contributions and donations are greatly appreciated.

Last year, an estimated 60,000 walkers from across Nassau and Suffolk county raised over $3 million dollars. Since 1993, more than 12 million supporters have raised more than $750 million in nearly 300 communities nationwide. Funds raised through Making Strides Against Breast Cancer enable the American Cancer Society to invest in groundbreaking research; provide free, comprehensive information and support to those touched by breast cancer; and help people take steps to reduce their breast cancer risk or find it early when its most treatable.

We are excited to unite all towns and communities in Nassau and Suffolk at the Making Strides walk to celebrate breast cancer survivors, pay tribute to loved ones lost, and raise funds to move us one step closer to a world free from the pain and suffering caused by breast cancer, said Katie Goepfrich, Senior Community Manager at the American Cancer Society. From research to education, prevention to diagnosis, and treatment to recovery, we provide support to everyone impacted by breast cancer.

For additional details, sponsorship opportunities, to form a team, register to walk or volunteer, please visit makingstrideswalk.org or call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.
Tech & Science, Family & Parenting, School & Education, Local News, National & World News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 31 2016

What can you can do to help ensure that your kids are safe when they are using the Internet this school year.

Chicago, IL - August 30, 2016 - Todays kids are more tech-savvy than ever before. Even toddlers know how to use Mommys iPhone to access Calliou episodes, while older kids have computer skills that astound their parents. Some schools are now even providing iPads for their students, while others require students to prepare all their homework on a laptop or PC.

Karl Volkman, tech expert and CTO of SRV Network, Inc. says, Classroom assignments today do not involve writing on the chalkboard. Instead, kids are actually blogging or submitting their homework via the web. But, that can be daunting for parents who worry about Internet safety.

So what can you can do to help ensure that your kids are safe when they are using the Internet this school year?

1) Set up your childs computer so that they are unable to download any software without a password. Some kids are now downloading Tor in order to be able to access the dark web and search the Internet without their parents being able to trace it, says Volkman. This is very dangerous as they could be exposed to some very frightening web sites and predators.

2) Talk to your kid about common scams. Kids are very gullible when an adult makes them promises, says Volkman. Scam artists might tell kids that they could be a model or a Disney starif they only send their credit card information for headshots. Others could be predators who ask to meet your child. Constantly stress to your child that they should never, ever speak to anyone online without your permission and that they should not reveal personal information.

3) Allow your kid to explore the web. Refusing Internet access to your kids wont do them any favors in todays tech-driven world. They need to have these skill sets. Plus, as outlined above, teachers nowadays want kids to perform tasks on the web. So, allow them to explore and have fun. Reward them with an hour of Minecraft if they get an A plus on a test. Or have them send email to Grandma or a pen pal online. Sending emails to a pen pal in another country could be an amazing way for them to learn about the world and improve their communication.

4) Discuss cyberbullying. Nearly 43 percent of kids say that they have been bullied online, says Volkman. Parents need to talk to their kids about this pressing issue. Tell them to come to you with any issues. Its not tattling! Its about ensuring that our children are safe from undue mental pressures which can sometimes have tragic consequences.

5) Bookmark your kids favorite sites and become computer literate. Its not safe to be computer illiterate if your kids are on the web, says Volkman. You need to be aware of what they ae up to. Take a basic computer course if necessary. And remember to bookmark all of your kids favorite sites so that they can easily access what they need on the web without having to use search engines.
Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 31 2016

The First Squad reports the arrest of a Colorado man for Endangering the Welfare of a Child in Merrick.

Luke A. Tilsey, 36, of Denver, CO, traveled to Merrick, NY endangering the welfare of a 16-year-old girl and inappropriately touched her.

Update - August 30, 2016 - Detectives report an investigation revealed Tilsley was in possession of videos on his phone of a person under the age of 16 performing a sex act. He is charged with Possession of a Sex Performance by a Child and will be arraigned on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 at First District Court in Hempstead.

The original press release is below.

Merrick, NY - June 25, 2016 - The First Squad reports the arrest of a Colorado man for Endangering the Welfare of a Child on Friday, June 24, 2016 at 4:50 p.m. in Merrick.

According to detectives, beginning in October, 2015 Luke A. Tilsley, 36, of Denver, CO, began communicating online with a female victim, 16 years of age. Tilsley, knowing the victim was 16, travelled to Merrick twice in April 2016 and touched the victim in an inappropriate manner. On June 24, 2016 the victim was observed with Tilsley and the police were notified. An investigation led to the arrest of the defendant at the Merrick Long Island Railroad station without incident.

Tilsley is charged with two counts of Forcible Touching, two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child and two counts of Sexual Abuse 3rd degree. He will be arraigned on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at First District Court in Hempstead.

Detectives ask if anyone has information about this crime or any similar crime to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244 TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
Senator Michael Venditto to Host a Beach Cleanup at Jones Beach West End 2 on Saturday, September 17

Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 31 2016

The event is part of the 31st annual New York State Beach Cleanup and is funded and coordinated by the American Littoral Society.

Senator Venditto invites all Long Island residents to take part in the protection and improvement of our beautiful beaches and help prevent pollution from harming our oceans and marine life.

Wantagh, NY - August 30, 2016 - New York State Senator Michael Venditto, in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, is hosting a

Beach Cleanup on Saturday, September 17th from 9 am to 1 pm at Jones Beach

State Park West End 2.

The event is part of the 31st annual New York State Beach Cleanup and is funded and coordinated by the American Littoral Society. Senator Venditto invites all Long Island residents to take part in the protection and improvement of our beautiful beaches and help prevent pollution from harming our oceans and marine life.



Who: New York State Senator Michael Venditto, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Preservation



When: Saturday, September 17th, from 9 am to 1 pm

What: Sponsoring the 31st Annual NYS Beach Cleanup

Where: Jones Beach State Park West End 2

Important Event Details:

Residents of all ages are welcome to participate

Rubber gloves and garbage bags will be provided

All participants are required to fill out a Volunteer Service

Agreement which can be signed at the event or obtained through

Senator Vendittos website

Volunteers will not have to pay the parking fee

Community service hours will be granted upon request

Please call Senator Vendittos office for further information at 516-882-0630.
Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com

Columnists Press Releases
An opposition monitoring group and a news agency linked with the Islamic State group say a suicide attacker has targeted Turkish-backed rebels in northern Syria.

The Islamic State group's Aamaq news agency says the "martyrdom" attack occurred in the village of Kuliyah, west of the Syrian border town of Jarablus.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Wednesday's attack was carried out by a North African IS group member. It says casualties were inflicted but did not give figures.

Turkish troops and Turkey-backed rebels have been fighting Kurdish-led forces and IS group since Turkey's incursion into Syria on Aug. 24.

The suicide attack is the first by Islamic State militant group to target Turkish-backed rebels since they entered Syria last week.

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A bomb blast killed a Syrian woman and wounded at least eight other people in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, the state-owned National News Agency reported.

The explosion hit near the mainly Christian town of Zahle, NNA said, publishing a photograph of the elderly woman with her white shawl stained with blood.

The Red Cross said one of the wounded was in serious condition.

Lebanon has been struck by several deadly bombings since the conflict in neighbouring Syria erupted in 2011.

In June, eight suicide bombers, some of them linked to the Islamic State militant group, attacked Al-Qaa village near the Syrian border, killing five civilians.

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Tunisian police killed two Islamist militants on Wednesday and seized arms and an explosive belt prepared for suicide attacks during a dawn raid in a central province following an earlier ambush on an army patrol, the interior ministry said.

Al Qaeda-linked Islamists based in the remote mountains bordering Algeria often carry out attacks on military patrols and checkpoints, using nearby towns and villages in Kasserine province for smuggling supplies and hideouts.

"A security operation carried out this morning, in Karma town, was a preventive assault against two terrorists planning attacks in the region," the ministry said in a statement. It said weapons, a suicide belt and other material was seized in the house.

A civilian was also killed in clashes between police and the two suspects during the raid, a security source said.

On Monday, three soldiers were killed and 8 wounded in an ambush by militants using landmines, rockets and gunfire on a military patrol in a remote mountain area near to Kasserine.

The al Qaeda-linked group, Okba Ibn Nafaa - based in the Mount Chaambi range near the Algerian border - has claimed recent attacks on army and police. Tunisian forces have been trying for several years with patrols and airstrikes to flush out the small brigade of militants based in the mountains.

Tunisia's armed forces are also trying to track down militants who have returned from fighting with Islamic State group in Iraq, Syria and neighbouring Libya. Officials say about 4,000 Tunisians have left to fight for militants groups overseas.

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The Islamic State announced today that Abu Muhammad al Adnani, one of the organizations most senior officials, has been killed in Aleppo. The US Department of Defense subsequently confirmed that Adnani was targeted in a precision strike near Al Bab, Syria, but added that the US is still assessing the results of the strike.

Adnanis death was first reported by Amaq News Agency, which is part of the Islamic States propaganda machine. Amaq said Adnani was martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo.

The Islamic State subsequently released a formal martyrdom statement for Adnani, describing him as the Husayni Qurashi Shaykh. In addition to Adnani, the Islamic State has claimed that Abu Bakr al Baghdadi belongs to the Prophet Mohammeds tribe. This is intended to give the group a veneer of legitimacy.

The Islamic States weekly Naba newsletter was also released online today. And Nabas cover featured an article about Adnanis martyrdom. The photo used by Naba can be seen on the right.

Adnani served as the Islamic States spokesman for years, but his role went far beyond that of a propagandist. The Pentagon described him as the principal architect of [the Islamic States] external operations, meaning the part of the organization devoted to planning attacks in the West and elsewhere abroad. Adnani coordinated the movement of fighters, directly encouraged lone-wolf attacks on civilians and members of the military, and also actively recruited new members.

He was also one of the most important figures in the rivalry between the Islamic State and al Qaeda.

One of the first foreign fighters to join the jihad in Iraq

In August 2014, the State Department added Adnani to the US governments list of designated terrorists. State said that Adnanis real name was Taha Sobhi Falaha and identified him as one of the first foreign fighters to oppose Coalition forces in Iraq.

According to a biography published online by Turki al Binali in 2014, Adnani swore allegiance to Abu Musab al Zarqawi in 2000. At the time, they were both in Syria.

Adnani allegedly served Zarqawis organization in multiple capacities. Binali said Adnani was part of a jihadist cadre that first intended to fight Bashar al Assads regime in Syria. According to Binali, Adnani was harassed and imprisoned by Assads forces, but eventually freed.

Adnani then joined Zarqawis jihad against American forces in Iraq. He steadily rose through the ranks of Zarqawis group, which became al Qaedas formal arm in Iraq in 2004. Although Binali didnt note it, the Assad regime hosted a pipeline for foreign fighters seeking to join al Qaeda in Iraqs ranks. This undoubtedly helped Zarqawis and Adnanis operation grow and set the stage for jihadist blowback in Syria.

At some point, according to Binali, Adnani was detained and imprisoned by American forces in Iraq. Binali credited Adnani with establishing a robust training program, including instruction in sharia law, for his fellow prisoners. Adnani was freed from the American detention camps and quickly returned to the jihad.

Binali has served as one of the Islamic States chief religious officials, according to the UN. But some parts of Binalis account of Adnanis life are difficult to verify.

Regardless, Adnanis senior role in the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), which was founded in 2006, is well known. He served as the ISIs spokesman for years, frequently citing al Qaeda leaders as a point of reference.

Key figure in rivalry between Islamic State and al Qaeda

After al Qaedas general command disowned the Islamic State in February 2014, Adnani became a key figure in the jihadist rivalry. His words dripped with animosity toward Ayman al Zawahiri, Abu Muhammad al Julani (the head of Al Nusrah Front), and others opposed to the Islamic States expansion into Syria.

In May 2014, for instance, Adnani released an audio message titled, Apologies, Emir of Al Qaeda. Adnani claimed that the Islamic States forerunner (the Islamic State of Iraq, or ISI) was not really an official branch of al Qaedas international organization. His argument was intended to exonerate Abu Bakr al Baghdadi from the charge that Baghdadi had broken his oath of allegiance to Zawahiri by refusing to follow the al Qaeda leaders orders.

As The Long War Journal reported at the time, however, Adnani struggled to explain how the Islamic State was not really an arm of al Qaeda prior to the infighting in Syria. [See LWJ report, ISIS spokesman blames Zawahiri for infighting in Syria.]

For example, Adnani confirmed that the ISI had sent a message to al Qaedas senior leadership in which the ISI affirmed its loyalty to the figures of the ummah as manifested in al Qaeda. According to Adnani, the ISIs message also said that al Qaeda would have the final say in leading jihad in the world, even though al Qaedas official presence had been supposedly dissolved inside Iraq. In the past, Adnani said, he and his comrades revered and glorified al Qaeda to the extent that we have not obeyed leaderships other than this leadership.

The Baghdadi loyalist even conceded that the ISI had agreed to abide by at least some of al Qaedas directives, including an order to refrain from attacking inside Iran because al Qaeda wanted to safeguard its interests and supply lines in Iran. Files recovered in Osama bin Ladens compound confirm that bin Laden did, in fact, issue such an order. In his May 2014 speech, Adnani went so far as to say: Let history record that Iran owes al Qaeda invaluably.

Adnani also said that the ISI had refrained from operating inside Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, so as to not disobey the figures and leaders of jihad in al Qaeda. This would change after the split between the Islamic State and al Qaeda. By the end of 2014, the Islamic State was aggressively marketing its expansion in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Adnani would sometimes personally recognize the formation of new provinces for the caliphate. This was another indication of his relative importance within the organization.

Al Qaeda responded to Adnanis claim that the ISI wasnt really a part of al Qaeda by pointing to past statements made by Adnani and others. Just over one week before the release of Adnanis Apologies, Emir of Al Qaeda, Zawahiri produced his own message detailing the historical ties between the two organizations. [See LWJ report, Zawahiri makes another attempt at reconciliation in Syria.]

Zawahiri said that Abu Hamza al Muhajir, who cofounded the ISI in 2006, had sent a message stating that the ISI is a branch belonging to al Qaeda and explained that it was established in secret due to some political circumstances forced on them in Iraq back then. Zawahiri argued that Abu Bakr al Baghdadi maintained the ISIs fealty to al Qaeda after he rose to the ISIs top spot in 2010. Indeed, after bin Laden was killed in May 2011, Baghdadi issued a statement saying that Zawahiri had faithful men in the ISI. In late May 2011, Zawahiri added, a liaison for the ISI sent a message to al Qaedas leaders asking if the ISI should renew its allegiance publicly or secretly as before. Al Qaeda has consistently maintained that the ISIs allegiance was stated in private.

Adnani himself publicly praised Zawahiris selection as the new emir of al Qaeda. [W]e congratulate him [Zawahiri] for his new position, and we ask Allah to help him in fulfilling the responsibility and guide him to what He likes and accepts, Adnani said in August 2011.

A year and a half later, according to Zawahiri, Adnani sent him a letter. In the correspondence, dated March 31, 2013, Adnani allegedly referred to Zawahiri as my emir and sheikh.

In April 2013, however, Baghdadi attempted to subsume Al Nusrah Front as part of a newly branded organization. Abu Muhammad al Julani refused to comply with Baghdadis orders. Zawahiri sided with Julani and the rest is history.

In the months that followed, Adnanis once adulatory language turned into invective. He helped spread new anti-al Qaeda arguments and said that all jihadists opposed to the Islamic State were members of the awakening, a reference to the tribal forces that allied with the US to turn back the ISIs initial advances in Iraq. [See LWJ Report, Islamic State spokesman calls on other factions to repent, urges sectarian war.]

Led call for attacks in the West

As the Islamic States global tentacles grew, so did Adnanis role in calling for attacks in the West. He routinely encouraged the so-called caliphates supporters to lash out against the West and kill civilians in the countries belonging to the anti-Islamic State coalition. Adnani implored his groups followers to kill citizens of the West in any manner they could.

Adnani also called on the Islamic States supporters to strike in the West if they were prevented from traveling to the lands of the caliphate.

In May, for instance, Adnani told followers that if foreign governments have shut the door of hijrah [migration] in your faces, then they should open the door of jihad in theirs, meaning in the West. Make your deed a source of their regret, Adnani continued. Truly, the smallest act you do in their lands is more beloved to us than the biggest act done here; it is more effective for us and more harmful to them.

If one of you wishes and strives to reach the lands of the Islamic State, Adnani told his audience, then each of us wishes to be in your place to make examples of the crusaders, day and night, scaring them and terrorizing them, until every neighbor fears his neighbor.

Adnani told jihadists that they should not make light of throwing a stone at a crusader in his land, nor should they underestimate any deed, as its consequences are great for the mujahidin and its effect is noxious to the disbelievers.

It appears that at least some of the terrorists who have struck inside Europe in recent months were complying with Adnanis order.

Adnani has been woven into the fabric of the Islamic States mythology. The 14th issue of the groups Dabiq magazine included a profile of Khalid al Bakrawi (a.k.a. Abu Walid al-Baljiki), who blew himself up at the Maalbeek metro station in Brussels in March. Bakrawi supposedly had a series of prophetic dreams that revealed his destiny as an Islamic State operative. In one of the dreams, which were likely apocryphal, Bakrawi blew himself up among Turkish soldiers. Adnani then inspected his severed head to see if he was smiling, which would be interpreted as a sign of martyrdom.

It is likely that Adnani was involved in the planning of the Belgium attack and other high-profile assaults in Europe. The New York Times reported earlier this month that Adnani was in overall command of the Islamic States external operations arm, which plans attacks in the West. Todays statement by the Defense Department likewise describes this as one of several roles that Adnani played.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

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At least 16 members of the extended family of a Yemeni mosque imam were killed on Wednesday in an air strike on their family home in northern Yemen by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, a Reuters witness, a medic and a resident said.

They said missiles struck a house of the imam, identified as Saleh Abu Zainah, in northern Saada province. The imam, his family, his two sons and their families all died in the attack, they said.

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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.
Culture / Events

Aug 31, 2016 | By Vimi Haridasan

PRINCESS YACHTS, GULF CRAFT, LEOPARD Catamarans, FAIRLINE, MERIDIAN, BAVARIA, JEANNEAU confirm their participation at the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS 2016, with more confirmations to come !

If you have been following the progress of the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS closely these last few weeks then you will know there is an exciting lineup we are just itching to show you. However, doing so will mean that we take away the excitement from coming down to the Raffles Marina from October 20 to 23. Instead we have decided to give you a few hints as to what is in store

From Princess Yachts to Gulf Craft who will be bringing the Gulf Craft Nomad (pictured top), Leopard Catamarans, Fairline, Meridian, Bavaria and Jeanneau we are all set to showcase some of the best yachts in Asia. Set in one of the most established marinas in Southeast Asia, the event is expected to draw in over 5,000 qualified visitors over the exciting weekend.

Apart from the lineup of luxury yachts that are set to be docked at the marina for the weekend, we are also proud to announce that the event will feature a lineup of luxury lifestyle brands, under one roof. SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS will also feature The Royal Albatross, a Hollywood star in its own right that has had a staring role in The Dark Knight.

To enjoy the fun-filled weekend, visit SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS.

This story is also available in Bahasa Indonesia. Read it here: SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS Tampilkan Serangkaian Kapal Pesiar Mewah
A potential presidential bid by centrist former minister Emmanuel Macron has added to an already complex picture in French politics, with the left and right in turmoil eight months before the election.

The 38-year-old Macron, who resigned as economy minister on Tuesday to "begin a new stage in my fight" without yet declaring whether he will stand for president, would be a fresh face in a field of over-familiar candidates.

Abrasive former president Nicolas Sarkozy will fight it out with the more moderate Alain Juppe, a one-time prime minister, for the centre-right nomination in a primary in November.

Socialist President Francois Hollande, Macron's former mentor who catapulted him into the government in 2014, is playing the waiting game before deciding whether to stand for re-election despite historically low opinion poll ratings dragged down by stubborn unemployment.

But while Macron's reformist approach makes him attractive to some voters, it would turn French politics on its head if the former investment banker manages to secure the nomination as a centre-left candidate, never mind win next May.

"I don't think he'll be a candidate because he just won't have the means to do so," Bruno Jeanbart, of the OpinionWay polling institute, told AFP.

"He wouldn't win a Socialist Party primary and if he stands as an independent he would come up against far too many difficulties in the French system."

Jeanbart said Macron's move was a sign that "a large part of the left does not believe that Hollande can be re-elected".

Other candidates are moving into the vacuum created by Hollande's weakness.

Far-left rebel Jean-Luc Melenchon scored an eye-catching 11 percent in the first round of the 2012 presidential election.

If he repeats that score next year, it would make it nigh impossible for Hollande to poll the 25 percent thought necessary to reach the second round.

"The left has two problems -- it is weak overall and it is divided," Jeanbart said.

"There will be a Socialist Party candidate and Melenchon, meaning the sums just don't add up and will make it extremely difficult for Hollande to reach the second round."

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front (FN), is likely to qualify for the second-round runoff, just as her father Jean-Marie Le Pen did in 2002, rocking French politics to its core.

The FN has performed consistently well in elections since 2012, and most polls show the anti-immigration party would score at least 25 percent.

Bernard Sananes, of the Elabe polling institute, said Hollande faces "a series of insurmountable barriers".

"He has to win the primary, qualify for the second round in 2017 and win the election. And for the moment, not a single opinion poll says he will win," he told the daily Le Figaro.

Victory therefore is for the right to grab.

While Macron is stealing the headlines, many analysts agree that the winner next year is likely to be decided in the centre-right primary.

"It is clear that the real presidential election will take place in November and not May," Jeanbart said.

"The winner of the primary will win in May."

Sarkozy launched his campaign trailing Juppe -- France's most popular politician despite a 2004 conviction for corruption -- but appears to be closing the gap fast with three months to go.

A TNS Sofres poll showed both candidates would score around 34 percent in the first round of the primary.

Sarkozy has shown he has lost nothing of his brash approach, controversially calling for a national ban on the burkini, while Juppe has urged an end to the "mania" surrounding the Islamic swimsuit that has become a hot-button issue in France.

Jean Garrigues, author of a respected book on presidential elections, said Hollande will stand a chance only if Sarkozy defeats Juppe.

"Hollande needs a hard-right candidate (against him) so that he can then get the centrist votes," Garrigues said. "He needs it to be Sarkozy."

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The great Gold Rush Music Festival returns to the township of Waihi, with the first nuggets of gold dropping for the highly anticipated return of the 2023 festival.
Distribution of 30 million SMC drugs underway in the Sahel

26 August 2016



As part of the 2016 ACCESS-SMC campaign, more than 30 million SMC treatments will be distributed to over six million children, living in seven countries[1] across the Sahel region. Distributions have now begun in almost all of the ACCESS-SMC supported countries, and will continue until November. Guinea has completed its second cycle of distribution and has achieved 99% coverage. Burkina Faso, the largest ACCESS-SMC programme with 8.2 million treatments to administer, has also completed its first cycle, with a coverage rate of 89% and is now rolling out the second cycle. Chad, Mali and Nigeria are running the first cycle distribution.

Number of children targeted by the 2015 and 2016 ACCESS-SMC distributions

Country Number of targeted children, 2015 Number of targeted children, 2016 Burkina Faso 649,694 1,869,244 Chad 275,000 516,088 Guinea 210,107 378,570 Mali 809,638 1,287,907 Niger 595,901 955,394 Nigeria 792,133 1,735,602 The Gambia 90,925 75,378

One of the key successes of the first year of the ACCESS-SMC project is the diversification of the SMC market. As a result of this success, this year 65% of children will receive the new child-friendly dispersible formulation of the SMC preventive treatment. This dispersible formula is both easier to administer and is more palatable for the children. During a recent field trip to Mali, ACCESS-SMC Project Director, Diego Moroso witnessed the distribution of the dispersible formula:

With the dispersible formulation, the children are more relaxed. They like the taste of the medicine and do not spit it out like last year. The new formulation is also much easier for the Community Health Workers to administer, as they no longer have to crush the drugs, add water and sugar before giving to the children, so it is less time consuming.

At a WARN meeting held in July, WAHO stated that SMC is a valuable intervention for malaria control in children under 5 and that no significant resistance to SMC drugs is anticipated before 5 to 10 years. As a result, governments of SMC eligible countries are encouraged to rapidly scale up SMC interventions.

Take a look at the year one SMC campaign with this photo slideshow.

[1] Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, The Gambia

Related projects
Gabon's President Ali Bongo has narrowly won a second term in office, taking 49.80 of the vote against 48.23 percent for his rival Jean Ping, Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya said Wednesday.

Bongo won by a narrow 5,594 votes of a total 627,805 registered voters. Turnout was 59.46 percent nationwide but soared to 99.93 percent in one of the country's nine provinces -- the Haut-Ogooue, heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group -- in a result hotly contested by the opposition.

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InnovFest unBound 2016 was a show of strength for start-up businesses in the media and digital healthcare industries. It is the flagship event in the weeklong Smart Nation Innovations event series that seeks to throw a spotlight on Asia's culture of innovation, highlight new technologies and provide a platform for forging new business relationships.

InnovFest unBound showcased Asia's most innovative media and healthcare technologies. Presentations from fintech companies, multi-national media and software companies and global product giants emphasised the need to protect the IP underpinning new technologies and new products.

More than 6,000 people registered for the event  double the number initially expected.

Most exhibitors were start-ups rapidly publishing their technologies, seeking investment from the Singapore government grant schemes and local investment vehicles, or gauging the interest in their products in Asian markets. There was a general feeling of optimism from those seeking investment, and keen interest from those looking to invest.

In addition to the exhibitor displays were a series of talks with senior representatives from large local companies and multinationals including Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, McDonald's, Twitter, Singtel, Nestle, Oracle, Bloomberg News, CNBC and Forbes Magazine. These talks emphasised the availability of investment in scalable media and healthcare technologies and the mechanisms, such as IP protection by which that investment is attracted.

Each presentation that covered growing the market for a technology or attracting investment resulted in a wave of enquiries and interest in IP protection. In general, exhibitors were aware of the benefits of protecting their technologies and brands, but wanted to understand how best to position themselves from an IP perspective.

Many of the start-ups were excited by questions on the direction their technologies will take in the future, and what they expected the next generation of their technologies to look like. This gave IP professionals the opportunity to advise those start-ups on how to negotiate the tension between publishing and marketing their next generation products to gain income, and protecting those next generation products from competition.

From an IP professional's perspective the event showed huge investor interest in Asian technologies, and showcased the innovative spirit that is alive in Singapore. It was also evidence of the confidence investors and innovators have in the strength and flexibility of Singapore's IP protection mechanisms and their administration through the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.

Thomas Griffiths

Spruson & Ferguson (Asia) Pte Ltd152 Beach Road#37-05/06 Gateway EastSingapore 189721Tel: +65 6333 7200Fax: +65 6333 7222mail.asia@spruson.comwww.spruson.com
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Andrews Kurth adds remaining 55 Kenyon lawyers, and other US people moves

The Mad Men of IP

PTAB 4 Years In: If you let me stay  district court and ITC trends

PTAB 4 Years In: An inconsistent CBM clampdown

ITC latest: Third 100-day decision issued, Fitbit trade secrets win

PTAB chief judge Ruschke hails impact of expert declaration rule change

Battle lines drawn in Blurred Lines appeal

A group of 212 artists has filed an amicus brief in support of Pharrell Williams and Robin Thickes appeal of last years $5.3 million Blurred Lines copyright verdict, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The artists expressed concern about the danger of to the music community, in the brief submitted by Ed McPherson, partner at McPherson Rane.

The verdict in this case threatens to punish songwriters for creating new music that is inspired by prior works, it says. All music shares inspiration from prior musical works, especially within a particular musical genre. By eliminating any meaningful standard for drawing the line between permissible inspiration and unlawful copying, the judgment is certain to stifle creativity and impede the creative process. The law should provide clearer rules so that songwriters can know when the line is crossed, or at least where the line is."

The brief came days after Williams and Thicke filed their opening brief at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that argued the trial featured a cascade of legal errors warranting this Courts reversal or vacatur for new trial.

The brief argues that lawyers for the estate of Marvin Gaye were allowed to have experts testify about the similarity of the sound recordings of Blurred Lines and Got to Give It Up, instead of only examining the melody, lyrics and chords.

At summary judgment, the district court entertained expert testimony by musicologists for the Gayes who based their opinions entirely on the sound recording, not the deposit copy, says the brief. The court correctly filtered out non-deposit-copy and generic musical features from their testimony, but then erroneously failed to compare what remained to 'Blurred Lines.' At trial, the district court made things worse. While correctly excluding the 'Got to Give It Up' sound recording itself, the court erroneously allowed the Gayes experts to testify about the sound recording anyway, including by playing their own musical excerpts based on the sound recording. The court then instructed the jury that it could consider all this testimony in its substantial-similarity analysis, failing to instruct them to consider only the protectable elements of the copyrighted work and indeed pointing them explicitly to elements omitted from the deposit copy."

Pirate Joes case sets sail again

Another case in the Ninth Circuit is the dispute between Trader Joes and Pirate Joes, an unauthorised store in Vancouver that sells Trader Joes products bought in Washington state and resold in Canada.

On August 26 the appeals court revived the case by reversing a ruling that Pirate Joes posed too little threat to justify extraterritorial enforcement, reports The Wall Street Journal. The appellate panel found the threshold required to cross the border was met, and remanded the case to district court for more proceedings.

Judge Morgan Christen wrote: According to Trader Joes, Hallatts poor quality control practices could impact American commerce if consumers who purchase Trader Joes-brand products that have been transported to Canada become ill, and news of such illness travels across the border. Trader Joes alleges this may harm its reputation, reduce the value of its trademarks, and cause lost sales. Trader Joes argues its risk of harm is particularly high because Pirate Joes displays Trader Joes trademarks, which leads consumers to believe that it is an authorized Trader Joes retailer.

She added: There is nothing implausible about the concern that Trader Joes will suffer a tarnished reputation and resultant monetary harm in the United States from contaminated goods sold in Canada.Trader Joes also alleges that Pirate Joes has inferior customer service, something Trader Joes believes reflects poorly on its brand.

Law professor Rebecca Tushnet ran a good summary of the decision.

PTAB invalidates two Teva patents

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has cancelled two Teva patents covering multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone and is due to issue a final decision on a third petition by this Thursday, reports Bloomberg. The patents were challenged by Mylan.

The pharmaceutical companys stock fell 3% the day of the news. Copaxone generates 20% of its revenue. Teva confirmed the PTAB had ruled to invalidate all claims of the 250 and 413 patents for 40 mg Copaxone, and said it plans to appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

We remain confident in the strength of our intellectual property surrounding Copaxone 40mg. We are prepared to defend the full suite of our intellectual property through the PTAB and the US courts regardless of the time required, said Erez Vigodman, president and CEO of Teva.

The PTAB declined a request for a post-grant review on an additional Copaxone 40mg patent. Teva will defend four patents (250, 413, 302 and 776), all listed in the Orange Book with expiry dates into 2030, against a number of ANDA filers in US District Court for the District of Delaware trial scheduled to begin in September 2016.

The Eastern Districts 36% win rate

Lawyer and blogger Michael Smith of Siebman Burg Phillips & Smith has revealed how plaintiffs have been getting on in the Eastern District of Texas so far this year.

I get asked a lot what the current statistics are for patent trials in the district  is this a 2013 where defendants are winning 2-1 or a 2014 where it's the other way, or a 2015 where it's even, Smith said on EDTexweblog.com. Well, yes, no and yes. So far.

He revealed 12 patent trials have taken place in the district so far this year.

[B]ut I count one (Metaswitch) twice because both sides were claiming their patents had been infringed, and the Marshall jury found none were infringed, and, hysterically (easy for me to say because I wasn't in the case) both sides' patents were invalid, said Smith. Of those 12, juries found for the plaintiff six times and the defendant six times, for a win rate at trial of 50%.

Post-verdict, one verdict was reversed as a result of a patent invalidation, one was set aside and new trials ordered, and one was upheld but with a new trial set on damages. This makes for four wins for plaintiffs, seven for defendants, and a new trial coming for one case  giving a win rate of 36%.

IV patents invalidated

Also, in the Eastern District of Texas, Judge Gilstrap on August 24 invalidated two Intellectual Ventures patents under Section 101 but let a third survive, in a case in which J Crew Group is the defendant.

The PatentDocs blog ran a thorough analysis of the decisions.

The '715 patent is directed to a method for allowing an internet user to create a web page that may simultaneously display public and private data as integrated data on one digital screen or other network device.

The '370 patent discloses a method for using a network for the recommendation of goods and services based on a potential customer's selection of goods and services and a database of previous customer purchase history.

The '324 patent, which was found valid, discloses a method for storing and retrieving transaction information via a nonpredictable barcode. Interestingly, the PTAB had noted earlier this month that this patent was more likely than not invalid, when it instituted trial on a CBM of it.

In brief

- The USPTO is considering an end to accelerated examination, as reported by IP Watchdog. Fewer than 200 of these types of petitions are filed a year.

- Erich Spangenberg has hit back at the EFFs call on universities to unilaterally disarm in patent disputes, on his Spangenblog. It all sounds very noble, unless you have some basic understanding of how the patent system works, he says.

- Internet provider Cox is appealing an order to pay BMG Rights Management $25 million in damages to the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, reports Torrent Freak. It was unsuccessful earlier this month with a motion for judgment as matter of law in a case in which it was found guilty of willful contributory copyright infringement.
24 PHOTOS click for more

Riccardo Audisio and Yago Goicoechea met at university in Milan after Goicoechea moved there from Argentina. It was super random, Goiocoechea said of the duos decision to move to Dubai in 2012 to launch Taller Marmo. We knew we were going to leave the school to do the brand, but we didnt have an idea where. It was 2012 and Europe didnt sound good to us. We visited Dubai as tourists and we then said why not? Dubai has something that not a lot of cities have, which is this insane pursuit for the new. Everything under construction everywhere. It is multicultural but not in the classic Western way. Somedays it feels like Miami with the vibe of Las Vegas. We love it.

Though theyre based in Dubai, they spend half the year back in Italy for production. We manufacture in a quiet town in Piedmont, in northern Italy, in a small laboratory where the owner and head seamstress is a 68-year old Sicilian woman [who has been sewing] since she was six years old. The designers take real pride in the craftsmen and artisans they work with; all the hardware on their garments are made in the same town by a mother-son jewelry duo called Soldani & Bianchi, and last February, the company launched a project called Slowfashionfast to highlight the stories of their partners.

Here, we highlight theirs.

Why did you launch Taller Marmo?

At that moment, we felt that everything was too much about marketing and there was not an honest interest for the craft itself from young brands. We wanted to create a brand that makes people fall in love with what they are wearing. Those kind of fabulous, quality pieces that our grandmothers had in their wardrobes. At the same time, moving and launching Taller Marmo in Dubai influenced us a lot, and since then, we wanted the brand to be this sort of cultural bridge between East and West.

What do you perceive to be an honest interest for the craft?

The desire to build something that lasts, using and preserving crafts and materials that are gradually disappearing or, at the same time, employing new techniques and working with young craftsmen.

How did you meet some of your craftsmen?

I remember the first couple of times I visited Riccardos hometown, he told me about how good the hardware craftsmen were and that his father bought something for his mother there. So for our first look book, when we were 19 years old, we wanted to style with their jewelry. We asked them and they called their best clients to lend us the best pieces. I think it is one of the best memories I have: We ended up exiting the place super scared that something could happen to us because we had our coat pockets fully loaded with uninsured dragons and huge rings made from gold and stones. A couple of seasons later, we asked them to make our hardware.

Whats the hardest part of working together?

Because we come from different backgrounds, we have completely different world of references to look at. Later we understood that was a big part of what makes our collection interesting to people. In addition to that, since 2013 we lived all the 365 days of the year together, so that was quite challenging at the beginning too.

Of being a young brand?

We are self-funded so the biggest challenge is to find the smartest way to establish ourselves and to spread the word until it becomes profitable.

Who do you aim to dress?

We design for a niche of cultured women who want to experiment with fashion without losing their femininity. Our clients simply want to feel chic and sleek and they come to us when they are looking for a statement piece that makes the outfit or a loose dress or a kaftan for an special occasion.

What are some your favorite pieces?

We love the jackets and trenches because of the work that goes into making them, it takes a lot of know-how so it is quite rewarding when we see our clients reacts positively.

Particularly, we are obsessed with the Nez jacket because it is made with the first jacquard we ever produced. It was developed from an illustration made in 1581 by Nakkas Osman who was chief miniaturist of the Ottoman Empire during the XVI century and it features two solid silver buttons made by Soldani & Bianchi. We also always say that a caftan is a good idea.

What advice do you have for a young person trying to start a brand?

There are so many brands around so probably the best advice we could give is to build a brand that carries your own fingerprint, your own method. It is the best way a brand can stand out nowadays.

Lookbook images courtesy of Taller Marmo.
Egypt's state-owned telephone company Telecom Egypt has signed a deal to buy a fourth-generation (4G) mobile licence, becoming the first mobile operator to do so in the country.

Egypt's telecom regulator is offering licences for the high-speed 4G mobile technology to the three companies currently offering mobile services -- Orange Egypt, Vodafone Egypt, and Etisalat -- as well as to Telecom Egypt (TE), which holds the landline monopoly.

The contract signing by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and Telecom Egypt was announced at a press conference aired live on TV on Wednesday and attended by Communications and Information Technology Minister Yasser Al-Qadi.

Telecom Egypt said in a statement on the stock exchange website that the 15-year licence will cost the company EGP 7.08 billion, of which EGP 5.2 billion was paid in advance, half of which in dollars.

The Egyptian government says the introduction of the new technology aims to maximise revenues for the state coffers and improve the speed of services to mobile customers.

The landline monopoly owns a 45 percent stake in Vodafone Egypt but will now be able to provide mobile phone services itself within 6 months, following the introduction of mobile technology in Egypt.

The company says it is in advanced talks with a leading bank to provide an evergreen loan to fund almost half of the first payment for the licence.

The rest of the payment is to be paid in installements over four years, half of which has to be paid in dollars.

The company can pay EGP 2 billion to renew the licence for an extra five years when it runs out (after 15 years).

The other operators have until 22 September to pay required financial obligations and sign up for the licences, state news agency MENA said Wednesday.

In July, Al-Qadi said if any of the three operator did not apply for the new licence, it (the licence) will be offered to other non-Egyptian companies through bidding. He added at the time that Kuwait's leading mobile operator Zain had expressed interest.



Also, representatives from Saudi Telecom and Lebara KSA are in Egypt this week to discuss the possibility of obtaining the mobile phone new licence, Reuters reorted on Monday.

Egypt is selling 4G licences as part of a long-awaited scheme to reform the countrys telecoms sector. The government announced the plan to introduce the mocile technology in 2014 and said at the time that TE would be allowed to offer mobile services if sold its Vodafone stake within a year of offering the services.

But TE said Wednesday it had no legal obligation to do so.

The reforms will also allow Egypt's three mobile operators to offer fixed-line telephone services for the first time.

Al-Qadi said in June the government hopes to collect a total of EGP 22.3 billion ($2.5 billion) in licence fees.

*The official exchange rate for $1 = EGP 8.78

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W&O, a distributor of pipe, valves, fittings as well as automation and engineered solutions, announced the promotion of two associates: Lori Ulrich to Director, Human Resources and Tammy Emerson to President, Propeller Club of Jacksonville, in additional to her sales responsibilities as Account Executive.

Joining W&O in 2009, Lori Ulrich is responsible for managing the Human Resources department for W&Os international branch network. Ulrich represented W&Os interests during a consolidation of health care benefits at the Pon North America level, successfully executed W&Os HR technology and payroll provider transition and played a vital role in the recent acquisition of EMI.

Taking advantage of W&Os tuition reimbursement program, Ulrich recently received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Columbia College of Missouri.

In 2012, Ulrich was recognized by the Jacksonville Business Journal as one of their 40 Under 40. She is also an active member of the national and local SHRM chapters, both highly respected organizations for Human Resource professionals.

Tammy Emerson has been with W&O since 1988, but took a seven year hiatus starting in 2001 and returned in 2008 to become an Account Executive for the Jacksonville and Tampa branches, including the Bahamas. Emerson coordinates projects for internationally known shipyards, owner/operators, as well as the U.S. military.

Having served in the military herself as an SKCS in the Navy for over 23 years, Emerson became involved in the Propeller Club of Jacksonville in 2009. Rising through the ranks and chairing several committees, Emerson was elected President of the club on June 19, 2016. Emersons presidency will last one year and her vision is to grow the club to include members from every segment of the maritime industry and retain current membership over her time in office.
Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence has announced a new project with maintenance management specialist SpecTec focused on optimizing ship maintenance. This joint accomplishment aims to reduce ship maintenance costs by enabling unnecessary maintenance to be deferred for shipboard equipment that is operating properly and identifying potential issues for action before a failure negatively impacts operations.

By means of the integrated solution, onboard sensor data that is automatically gathered and analyzed by the Cat Asset Intelligence onboard predictive analytics platform, can also be integrated into SpecTecs computerized maintenance management system, AMOS. When deemed necessary  as a result of component analytics a work order can be automatically generated requiring service either at the next convenient time, or immediately if necessary. The plan is to make this available for propulsion and other critical onboard systems for both Cat and non-Caterpillar equipment.

Any service event that is triggered by Cat Asset Intelligence component monitoring through AMOS may also be flagged to the relevant classification for inclusion in ship records. This seamless process will avoid any risk of human error and reduces administrative costs for busy seagoing engineering personnel.

It is well-known that unnecessary maintenance can be detrimental to the long-term performance of components on board a vessel and that many failures are not strictly related to the passage of time or operating hours, said Ken Krooner, Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence Technology and Operations Manager, announcing the upcoming cooperation/cooperative work with SpecTec in the week before SMM opens its doors in Hamburg. In fact, there have been several studies that have found that up to 80% of equipment failures are not-time-based by nature and that a significant percentage of these are caused by human factors including unnecessary interventions during inspections or maintenance of components that are operating perfectly well. By implementing predictive analytics on the vessel with Cat Asset Intelligence, we are able to automatically and continuously analyze for random failures, along with degraded performance, and then notify ships crew immediately when those conditions begin to manifest themselves through their performance data. Furthermore, we can now automatically notify the crew, via AMOS work orders, to take action based on actual condition and help our customers transition to a more proactive operations and maintenance strategy rather than rely strictly on a time based strategy.

These unnecessary interventions drive added maintenance cost and the failures drive more downtime. Our cooperation with SpecTec should help make the maintenance of shipboard equipment more efficient. It could help cut costs both by preventing or deferring unnecessary maintenance for equipment that is operating correctly and identifying potential issues before catastrophic failure. Its a win-win all round, Krooner added.

AMOS is shippings leading maintenance management system and is in use every day on thousands of vessels. SpecTec has more than 7,000 ships set up with AMOS maintenance software on board. Progressively upgraded and refined over the years, AMOS plays a key role in maximizing shippings uptime by enabling effective maintenance management of todays complex vessels with as little human intervention as possible. The computerized maintenance system dramatically reduces the risk of unexpected component breakdown, thereby improving safety at sea and minimizing the risk of damage to the environment.
Following markedly slow growth of just 3.5% in 2015 due to decreased rental demand, the global leased container equipment operating fleet is forecast to increase by little more than 1% in 2016, according to the latest edition of the Container Leasing Industry Annual Report 2016, published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.

By the end of 2015, leasing companies were again having to shift a sizeable factory stockpile, as well as contending with rental rates at an all-time low.

New and used container prices had also fallen to their lowest in more than a decade because of weaker demand and a recent steep drop in the cost of steel and factory running costs.

Only in the more specialised reefer and tank container sectors fleet expansion is expected to outrun that of dry freight, and the world average as a whole, with the leased reefer fleet continuing to grow at a significantly stronger rate than shipping line-owned equipment. This too has been a dominant feature of recent years.

In 2015, the lessors rate of dry freight fleet growth only just matched that of shipping lines, whereas it had previously outrun it by a significant margin for several years in succession.

The outlook has deteriorated further for 2016 and the leased fleet is again predicted to grow in line with that owned by transport companies, with each managing only a marginal increase for the coming year, commented Andrew Foxcroft, Drewrys lead analyst for container equipment. However, we expect some recovery in subsequent years and our longer term projection for 2016-19 is for annualised growth of 3.5%, which will still be some way off trend growth over the last 15 years.

Long-term operating lease (LTL) rates suffered further erosion in 2015, as new dry freight pricing fell to a 15-year low.

As rate levels and returns have fallen to a low, utilisation has also declined and the box lease industry is facing its toughest financial challenge since the earlier downturn in 2009. The lease industry has already been forced to tighten overheads and cut back on operating costs, and container assets will have to be squeezed even harder in 2016.

Several mergers concluded in 2015 and 2016 have resulted in a total of 8.5 million teu being transferred between major leasing firms, resulting in the disappearance of three long-standing names from the top 10. These large scale mergers are further expanding the scale of lease company operations, as well as reordering the ranks at the top.

By the end of 2016, the overall count of mainstream box leasing companies will have fallen to around a dozen, compared with more than 15 at the end of 2014 and an even greater number in earlier years, added Foxcroft.
India's Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships (DGLL) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) on 11thAugust, 2016 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

With the signing of this MoA, the DGLL Training Centre at Kolkata will be in position to deliver a professional training course on the management of marine aids to navigation in line with IALA model course itself.

Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships (DGLL) is primarily responsible for providing Aids to Navigation service for safety of mariners in the Indian waters.

Apart from upgrading the skills and capacity of AtoN (Aids to Navigation) personnel in the country, this Training Centre would also attract AtoN personnel from SAARC countries and North Indian Ocean Region countries for training.

Photo: Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships
British and Russian World War Two veterans gathered on Wednesday in Arkhangelsk, 75 years to the day since Britain's first Arctic convoy of military supplies steamed into the northern port.

Britain's Princess Anne has been among those attending events honouring those who sailed, and the thousands who died, protecting supply convoys dispatched to aid the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany.

On Aug. 31, 1941, two months after Hitler's surprise attack on his erstwhile ally prompted Josef Stalin to seek support from a beleaguered Britain, the first convoy, codenamed "Dervish", sailed into Arkhangelsk, or Archangel, after a 10-day crossing.

In one of the lesser known examples of British-Soviet wartime cooperation, the six British and one Dutch merchant ships which arrived under the protection of the Royal Navy carried among other supplies a force of Hurricane fighters.

These would be flown by Britain's Royal Air Force in aerial battles with the Luftwaffe and the Germans' Finnish allies before being handed over to Soviet pilots.

John "Tim" Elkington, who arrived as a 20-year-old with the RAF's 151 Wing in Russia, said his most frightening experience was crossing the Arctic Sea on a route that would claim more than 3,000 Allied lives over the next four years as U-boats, aircraft and mines sank 101 merchant and naval ships.

"The most dangerous part was being on an Arctic convoy and not knowing what was going to happen with the submarines, the aircraft and the mines," Elkington said.

"But the operation in the air, there was no real danger because we were used to fighting Messerschmitts. We were used to that. And it was quite exciting to shoot an aircraft down."

ICY WATERS

The convoys were "the worst journey in the world" in the words of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who used them to forge an uneasy anti-Nazi alliance with Stalin that would last until the victors fell out, ushering in the Cold War.

Concern in Moscow that a standoff with NATO over Ukraine is a "new Cold War" have been accompanied by increased interest from President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin in rekindling memories of World War Two cooperation with Britain and the United States.

As commemorations of Russians' wartime sacrifices reinforce national pride and loyalty to Putin at home, surviving foreign veterans have also been feted in recent years as Moscow seeks to counter what it sees as vilification in the West.

In a spirit of detente, Princess Anne said: "The scale of the loss felt by the Soviet Union during the Second World War was enormous and will not be forgotten by the United Kingdom."

Russians who worked on the wartime docks spoke of their pleasure at seeing again British sailors they had encountered.

British veterans, especially those like the RAF air and ground crews who spent months on shore working and fighting alongside the Red Army, recalled strong bonds of friendship being formed in a land where Communist society was as exotic and alien and the frozen Arctic seas and terrain they all endured.





(Writing by Alastair Macdonald; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a $13.7 million contract (with incremental funding) to perform contract design effort for the U.S. Navys amphibious warfare ship replacement, known as LX(R).

Ingalls has the finest shipbuilders and engineers in the world who make it their mission to meet the needs of the men and women of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. Pairing that with a hot production line and deep experience building San Antonio-class LPD amphibious warships, Ingalls stands ready to smoothly transition the Navy from LPD into the new technologically advanced LX(R) program.

On June 30, Ingalls was selected to perform the majority of the contract design work for LX(R). The Department of Defense made the announcement at the same time Ingalls was awarded a contract to build the next large-deck amphibious assault warship, LHA 8.

LX(R) will replace the Navys Harpers Ferry- and Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships and will use the same hull as the San Antonio (LPD 17) class. Ingalls has delivered 10 of the LPD 17 ships to the Navy, is currently building the 11th, Portland (LPD 27), and has received more than $258 million in advance procurement funding for the 12th, Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28).
A New York Waterways ferry struck a group of kayakers on the Hudson River Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Five of the 11 kayakers were transported to Bellevue Hospital and Mount Sinai Roosevelt Hospital for additional medical attention, and two were listed in critical condition.

Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector New York received a call from the master aboard the ferry Jersey City at approximately 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, reporting a collision between the ferry and the group of kayakers near Pier 79 in Manhattan.

A Coast Guard Station New York smallboat crew was launched and arrived on scene to assist New York Police Department, New York Fire Department and Jersey City Fire Department officials with rescuing the 11 kayakers from the water.

The kayakers were then transported to awaiting EMS crews for medical attention.
The German film participated in many festivals and garnered a total of 13 awards

Cinema El-Fourn at Darb 1718 will screen the German documentary Taste the Waste on Sunday 4 September as part of its German film night programme.

Directed by Valentin Thurn, the film questions why there is so much food waste and discusses how to stop it.

Produced in 2010, the film was screened in many festivals and garnered a total of 13 awards including Best Film award at the German Atlantis Environment and Nature Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the 38th International Festival of Sustainable Development Films in the Slovak Republic, and the Environmental media award of the Deutsche Umwelthilfe in Germany.

Registration is required for attendance and can be done by filling this form.

Programme:

Sunday 4 September 8pm

Darb 1718, Kasr El-Shamaa, El-Fakhareen, Old Cairo

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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Pivotal LNG announced a multi-year agreement to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Carib Energy LLC, a Crowley Maritime Corp. subsidiary. Crowley will transport and deliver LNG from the U.S. mainland to its newest client, Molinos de Puerto Rico, a subsidiary of Ardent Mills LLC, the islands leading supplier of flour as well as wheat, corn and rice-based food ingredients.



Crowleys partnership with Pivotal LNG continues to help our customers meet their energy needs with cleaner, efficient fuel sources, said Crowley Vice President Greg Buffington. With Pivotal and Crowleys logistics team working together, Molinos will be able to expand environmental sustainability efforts and better manage weather-related power challenges that can affect Puerto Rico.



Pivotal will load LNG onto international shipping organization (ISO) containers, authorized by the U.S. Department of Transportation to carry approximately 10,000 gallons of LNG. Crowleys domestic logistics team will coordinate the over-the-road transport of the 40-foot ISO containers to the companys Jacksonville, Fla., shipping terminal, where they will be loaded onto company-owned vessels. Upon arrival on the island, Crowleys Puerto Rico-based logistics team will deliver the LNG to Molinos. There, the LNG will be re-gasified and used for power consumption.



This project provides an environmentally friendly fuel to Molinos that will help reduce emissions in Puerto Rico and its dependency on other petroleum products, said Tim Delay, vice president of Pivotal LNG. Liquefied natural gas is a clean, domestically produced, alternative fuel that can be used in multiple ways. This additional long-term sale of LNG to Crowley showcases the value of LNG as an alternative energy source.



Crowleys Carib Energy was the first company to receive a small scale, 25-year, LNG export license from the U.S. Department of Energy for LNG transportation from the U.S. into Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries. Shortly thereafter, a Crowley LNG services group was formed to begin offering supply, transportation and distribution of LNG services via 10,000-gallon ISO containers, and the company was additionally granted the first small-scale license for supply, transportation and distribution of LNG into Non-Free Trade Agreement (NTFA) countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Crowley is already supplying LNG to Coca-Cola Puerto Rico Bottlers in Cayey and Club Caribe in Cidra, both wholly owned subsidiaries of CC1 Companies, and to a major pharmaceutical company on the island. The latest sales agreement continues a partnership between Carib Energy and Pivotal LNG that began in 2014 for the sale and delivery of LNG to the island.



Over the past two years, Crowley's LNG group has safely transported more than 250 LNG containers, comprising more than 2.6 million gallons, from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico.
3sun Group, specialist provider of products and services to the global energy industry, is reinforcing its ongoing commitment to the offshore wind industry with CEO Graham Hacon chairing a new special interest group.



The Offshore Wind Supply Chain Special Interest Group (SIG) has been initiated by local trade organisation EEEGR (The East of England Energy Group) with the aim of addressing industry issues head on and encouraging local companies to work together.



The group follows the successful Late Life and Decommissioning Special Interest Group, which was also initiated by EEEGR and has been running for the past three years. Similarly, the Offshore Wind Supply Chain SIG will be set up and controlled by EEEGR, with Mr Hacon as chair and approximately ten other companies specialising in the offshore wind industry completing the group.



Mr Hacon also sits on the EEEGR board of directors and was selected to chair the SIG given his significant experience in the industry.



Simon Gray, CEO of EEEGR, explains: Graham is perfectly placed to chair the group. We need someone with the experience and tenacity required to bring together a dynamic group of companies in the local supply chain, to outline the requirements and the aspirations of the offshore wind industry. Were currently accepting applications to join the group and were confident that Graham will use his expertise and direction to develop a successful group.



Whilst the oil and gas industry is still facing challenging times, there are renewed hopes for companies to operate and diversify into renewables. 3sun Group is an advocate of this with offshore wind now accounting for 95% of its business activity.



Mr Hacon added: Times are tough in the industry right now but there is a real opportunity in offshore wind, with more projects on the horizon. We have the advantage of a lower cost base in this region but local companies must collaborate in order to gain the benefits of true cost reduction. This new group will really help to encourage that.



The closing date for anyone interested in applying to join the group is 23 September.



Since its inception in 2007, 3sun Group has grown rapidly to now employ more than 260 people across six divisions, and has earned a global reputation for resolving some of the key energy engineering challenges facing the energy sector. Its success at the Offshore Achievement Awards follows a number of award wins in 2015 for its Pre-Apprentice Scheme, a Top 20 position on The Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table and a 10million investment from the Business Growth Fund in 2014.




South Koreas biggest container shipping line Hanjin Shipping Co has decided to apply for court receivership after lenders halted all support, says a report in Bloomberg.

A Reuters report also says that it would file for court receivership after losing the support of its banks, and the country's financial regulator said a rival operator will look to buy Hanjin's "good" assets.

Banks withdrew support for the world's seventh-largest container carrier on Tuesday, saying a funding plan by its parent group was inadequate to tackle the firm's 5.6 trillion won ($5 billion) in debt.

South Koreas Financial Supervisory Service said in a statement Wednesday that Hyundai Merchant may consider taking over some of Hanjin Shippings assets, including vessels, network and staff.

Hyundai Merchant Marine Co said it will work with authorities to come up with measures without elaborating.

Hanjin and its domestic rival, Hyundai Merchant Marine, handle the bulk of South Koreas exports and have been unprofitable for several years, amassing debt as global shippers grapple with excess capacity and falling prices.

Hanjin is not the only victim of the slump in the global container shipping industry, says FT.

Competitors including cross-town rival Hyundai Merchant Marine are also facing mounting losses and precarious financial conditions as sluggish global trade growth since the 2008/9 financial crisis has resulted in a glut of industry capacity.

Hanjin is among shipping lines grappling with a slump in global trade since the 2008 financial crisis and the slowest pace of economic growth in China in a quarter century.
Hanjin says asks court for its assets to be frozen; Hyundai Merchant looking to buy Hanjin's "good" assets.



South Korea's Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd filed for court receivership on Wednesday after losing the support of its banks, setting the stage for its assets to be frozen as ports from China to Spain denied access to its vessels.



Banks led by state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) withdrew backing for the world's seventh-largest container carrier on Tuesday, saying a funding plan by its parent group was inadequate to tackle debt that stood at 5.6 trillion won ($5 billion) at the end of 2015.



Hanjin Shipping, South Korea's biggest shipping firm, announced the filing for receivership and a request to the court to freeze its assets, which the Seoul Central District Court planned to grant, a judge told Reuters, declining to be named.



The court will now decide whether Hanjin Shipping should remain as a going concern or be dissolved, a process that usually takes one or two months but is expected to be accelerated in Hanjin's case, the judge said.



A bankruptcy for Hanjin Shipping would be the largest ever for a container shipper in terms of capacity, according to consultancy Alphaliner, exceeding the 1986 collapse of United States Lines.



Global shipping firms have been swamped by overcapacity and sluggish demand, with Hanjin booking a net loss of 473 billion won in the first half of the year.



South Korea's ailing shipbuilders and shipping firms, which for decades were engines of its export-driven economy, are in the midst of a wrenching restructuring. The KDB's decision to stop backing Hanjin Shipping shows the government is taking a tougher stance with troubled corporate groups.



"The government will swiftly push forth corporate restructuring following the rule that companies must figure out how to survive and find competitiveness on their own while taking responsibility," Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said.



Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd, the country's second-largest shipping line, will look to acquire its rival's healthy assets, including profit-making vessels, overseas business networks and key personnel, South Korea's Financial Services Commission said.



A Hyundai Merchant Marine spokesman told Reuters nothing had been decided about the potential acquisition of Hanjin assets and that the firm will hold talks with KDB. Hyundai Merchant Marine is also in the process of a voluntary debt restructuring.



South Korea's oceans ministry estimates a two- to three-month delay in the shipping of some Korean goods that were to be transported by Hanjin Shipping, and plans to announce in September cargo-handling measures which could include Hyundai Merchant Marine taking over some routes, a ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.



BLOCKED ACCESS

KDB's move to pull the plug was already having an impact on Hanjin's operations.



Ports including those in Shanghai and Xiamen in China, Valencia, Spain, and Savannah in the U.S. state of Georgia had blocked access to Hanjin ships on concerns they would not be able to pay fees, a company spokeswoman told Reuters.



Another vessel, the Hanjin Rome, was seized in Singapore late on Monday by a creditor, according to court information.



"Now Hanjin must do everything it can to protect its clients' cargoes and make sure they are not delayed to their destination, by filing injunctions to block seizures in all the countries where its ships are located," said Bongiee Joh, managing director of the Korea Shipowners' Association.



Shipping industry economics have deteriorated. Charter rates for medium-sized container ships have dropped from around $26,000 a day in 2010 to $13,000 per day now, according to data from shipping consultancy Clarkson.



Container rates from Shanghai to the U.S west coast have more than halved since then, from around $2,000 per 40-foot container in January 2010 to $596 per 40-foot box last week, data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange shows.



Shares in Hanjin Shipping have been suspended after plunging 24 percent on Tuesday. Korean Air Lines, Hanjin Shipping's largest shareholder, ended 1.5 percent higher on Wednesday, outperforming a 0.25 percent drop in the broader market, on investor relief that the flag carrier would not have to support the troubled shipper going forward.





By Joyce Lee and Se Young Lee
Grand Bahama Shipyard Limited (GBSL) has added three regional sales directors to its Marketing and Sales Division, with posts in the Americas, Europe and Asia/Middle East.

According to the shipyard, their prime objectives will be to increase yard exposure, as well as develop future projects with existing and new customers for their refit, refurbishment or revitalization projects.

The team is comprised of the following:

Andre Szadzinski: Regional Sales Director  America

Andre Szadzinski joined GBSL in August 2016 as Regional Sales Director for North and South America. Before joining GBSL, he worked for Remontowa Holding as the Commercial Area Director for the Americas and for three years: Asia. During his time there he managed 12 international sales agents and directed the day to day activities of the global ship repair and conversion facility with 1,500 employees and $100 million in annual revenue. Among his achievements he reached the companys sales goal for the first time in 65 years and sat on the Board of Subsidiaries: Famos, Mors, and Temat at Remontowa.

Prior to this Szadzinski managed an investment partnership with investments in four U.S. states that specialized in the hospitality and retail industry. During this time Andre sat on the board of the International Marketing Co-Op for Best Western International and was a member of the advisory committee to the board of directors. Additionally, he was appointed Governor for Northern Colorado which allowed him to serve as a marketing leader for the 51 Best Western Hotels in Colorado.

Ng Teck Wee: Regional Sales Director  Asia / Middle East

Ng joined GBSL in August 2016 as Regional Sales Director for Asia and Middle East, with primary responsibility in regional business development and sales management. Prior to this, he spent about 12 years in commercial, finance and projects capacity, representing ship owning and ship management firms in Asia. He has a wide network of ship owners, operators, managers, financiers and service providers in Asia and has worked on multi-functional transactions valued at no less than $4 billion over the course of his career, ranging from fundraising exercises for owners to consulting projects with owners of varied nationalities.

Ng holds a Masters of Science in Finance from City University of New York and a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from National University of Singapore.

Brent Richardson: Regional Sales Director  Europe

Richardson joined GBSL in August 2016 as Regional Sales Director for Europe, focusing on developing existing and new business relationships together with the regional sales agents. With over 15 years experience in the maritime industry, Richardson worked in a number of different roles in the Sales and Marketing Departments for Wilhelmsen Ships Service during his 13-year tenure, most recently as key account manager and sales director, where he was responsible for $350 million in annual revenue. Those years gave Brent extensive experience selling ship maintenance and service solutions to ship owners and operators and to ship managers, both in-house and third party managers.

Richardson has a Masters in Classics from Oxford University. He believes passionately in the value of establishing and maintaining long term partnerships with customers which generate tangible benefits for all parties.
North Korea test fired a submarine-based ballistic missile (SLBM) from its east coast on Wednesday, CNN reports quoting South Korean authorities.

The missile flew about 500 kilometres before splashing into the Sea of Japan  the first missile of its kind to reach such a distance.

The launch took place at 5:30 a.m. local time, according to a statement from the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

The South Korean government and experts said the launch showed technical progress in the North's SLBM program.

Having the ability to fire a missile from a submarine could help North Korea evade a new anti-missile system planned for South Korea and pose a threat even if nuclear-armed North Korea's land-based arsenal was destroyed, experts said.

The North's official KCNA news agency said: "A test-fire of strategic submarine-launched ballistic missile was successfully conducted under the guidance of supreme commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Kim Jong-un.

The U.S. mainland and its "operational theater in the Pacific" are now within North Korea's "striking range," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
Maersk Tankers A/S of Denmark has selected Wartsila's Electro Chlorination (EC) Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) for three new 50,000 DWT medium range (MR) tankers being built at the Samsung Heavy Industries (Ningbo) yard in China. The order was signed in the second quarter of 2016.



Ensuring compliance with the upcoming IMO Ballast water management convention is becoming a priority for ship owners, and the selection of Wartsila EC systems by Maersk Tankers ensures their future compliance with IMO requirements while USCG type approval is expected to be obtained by Q1 2017. The Wartsila Aquarius EC BWMS is compliant in all salinities. An open dialogue between the partners involved ensured that the most suitable solution was chosen, thus providing peace of mind and the lowest cost of ownership to Maersk Tankers for these important newbuild vessels.



Wartsila's market leading ATEX and hazardous area installation design was custom made to meet the vessel design requirements.



"Ratification of the IMO's ballast water treaty is very close and the major ship owners are making preparations for compliance. Wartsila has extensive experience and deep know-how in BWMS technology, and can offer reliability and long term support to ensure that customers have the optimal solution for their specific needs. We are both pleased and proud to have been selected to supply the systems for these vessels," says Dr Joe Thomas, Director, Ballast Water Management Systems, Wartsila Marine Solutions.



Wartsila will supply each of the three vessels with one 1500 m3 per hour EC BWMS solution. The equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the yard commencing in December of this year.




The Port of New York and New Jersey is the largest port on the US East Coast and third largest in the United States with 6.37 million TEU handled in 2015. In 2014, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey committed to a ten year, agency-wide capital investment campaign for transportation infrastructure. Over USD 200 billion in cargo value moves through the port that serves one of the most attractive consumer markets in the United States with a population of 20 million located within three hours of the port.



APM Terminals Port Elizabeth facility is one of the largest container terminals in the port complex, handling over 2,100 trucks a day, 4000 terminal gate transactions and more than 500 vessel calls per year. The current capacity of 1.5 million TEU will be expanded to 2.3 million TEU. APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer said We are an infrastructure leader and our investment in Port Elizabeth will ensure a state-of-the-art port that serves as a business generator between the United States and other economies. We have developed strong relationships with clients, the port community and business leaders necessary to confidently expand our presence and invest for the future.



Wim Lagaay, President of APM Terminals North America added, We applaud the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Port Department who have been instrumental in deepening the harbor, heightening the Bayonne Bridge and listening to the changing needs of terminal operators and customers. We have shared our vision to create a container terminal capable of ushering in the new era of ultra-large container vessels and to serve more sophisticated customer needs. Our investment in a new berth capable of handling 13,000 TEU vessels will help Port Elizabeth become even more competitive and represents the first in a series of modernization initiatives to ensure our end user experience is truly industry-leading.



Molly Campbell, Director of the Port Department for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said APM Terminals is an important service provider at the Port of New York and New Jersey. As one of the original container terminal operators at our Port we welcome APM Terminals continued investment in order to ensure that we remain a key gateway for the next generation of cargo ships. Modernizing our port infrastructure is critical to our regional economys continued competitiveness.



APM Terminals will issue a private tender for construction of the berth in the fall of 2016.
US-based General Dynamics subsidiary Electric Boat won a contract for more than $300 million to maintain design and engineering specifications for Virginia Class submarines, the US Department of Defense said in a press release.

"Electric Boat has secured a one-year, $300.6 million contract to provide lead yard services and support development studies and design efforts for the U.S. Navys Virginia-class submarines," says the release.

The Defense Department said that Electric Boat Corp. will help the military branch maintain and update the design and related drawings and data of each submarine under the Virginia class throughout the construction process and post-shakedown availability period.

DoD added the contract also covers engineering and associated lead yard services for direct maintenance and support of Virginia-class ship specifications.

Work will occur in Connecticut, Virginia and Rhode Island through September 2017.

The Naval Sea Systems Command will obligate $43.3 million at the time of the award from the Navys fiscal years 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 shipbuilding and conversion funds as well as fiscal years 2015 and 2016 research, development, test and engineering funds.

Virginia-class submarines will serve as the Navys next-generation attack submarines and will replace retiring Los Angeles-class submarines.
The festival is scheduled to run between 15 and 24 November

This year's Cairo International Film Festival will introduce an app for phones and tablets for the first time.

According to Al-Ahram Arabic, the application will launch prior to the festival's opening and will reach out to audiences and involve them more.

It will include the festival's schedule, information about films, screening times, and the booking system.

The app is part of CIFF's efforts to introduce and utilise technology in the festival for wider audience accessibility, and to lessen the use of paper.

Last year, CIFF started using phone messages (SMS) to inform audiences of any adjustments in its schedule.

Egyptian director Kamla Abouzekris Yom Lel Setat (A Day for Women) will open the festival.

The film, which will also participate in the festivals official competition, is produced by Egyptian actress Ilham Shahin who also stars in the film, and is scripted by Hanaa Attia and stars Nelly Karim, Mahmoud Hemeda, Farouk El-Fishawy, Ahmed El-Fishawy, Nahed El-Sebaei, Ahmed Daoud, Eyad Nasser, and Hala Sedky.

In July, Magda Wassef announced in a press release that five halls would screen the festivals films this year, three in Odeon Cinema and two in Cinema Karim.

With Cairo Opera Houses five screening halls, the total number of screening rooms will be 10, expanding the festivals audience capacity.

This decision comes four years after the festival halted screenings in Downtown Cairo for security reasons and has since been confined to screening films within the Cairo Opera House grounds.

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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Trump in Mexico, Obama Stumps for Hillary

This years presidential race represents duopoly governance at its worst, two aspirants vying for the nations highest office, both unfit to serve, voters given no choice.



The election was hacked, says Rutherford Institutes John Whitehead. The outcome is a foregone conclusion: the police state will win and we the people will lose - with no say whatever on wholl lead them or how their country will be run.

Its all over but the postmortems. A criminal cabal of scoundrels decides things, this year apparently before voters go the polls - lot of evidence suggesting things rigged for Hillary, a deplorable situation, the worst in memory.



Trump continues what appears a futile effort to win despite long odds against him in November. Hes in Mexico today, meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto.



He insists hell build a wall along Americas border with Mexico and have its government pay for it. Nieto says no way.



Hes against jobs destroying NAFTA. American and Mexican establishment interests support it. How he and Nieto interface remains to be seen, Mexicos leader earlier comparing his rhetoric to Hitlers and Mussolinis.



Trumps visit precedes his Wednesday evening address on immigration, expected to indicate hes open to softening his earlier hardline approach. His campaign manager Kellyanne Conway stopped short of specifics, saying his upcoming position was to be determined.



He and Nieto have low approval ratings - the lowest in two decades for a Mexican leader, the Wall Street Journal observed.



Meanwhile, Obama intends campaigning heavily for Hillary in key battleground states until Novembers election - one unindicted war criminal supporting another, partners in high crimes for four years while she was at State.



Hell try persuading independents and Republicans to support her, along with getting (his) coalition to the polls, according to his communications director Jen Psaki.



Joe Biden is involved, enlisting support for a candidate belonging in prison, not high office. Never before in US electoral history did two more widely reviled candidates compete to become president.



Will millions of America vote with their feet and stay home? Will they refuse to support either deplorable choice?



Will it make a difference either way? Whoever succeeds Obama, ordinary Americans lose - their interests and welfare ignored under a system serving monied interests exclusively.

By Stephen Lendman

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com

His new book as editor and contributor is titled Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

He lives in Chicago and can be reached in Chicago at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.



Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday through Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national topics. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 2016 Copyright Stephen Lendman - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




(Beijing)  Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi and Huawei are both launching their own mobile payment services, creating more local competition for Apple's and Samsung's payment platforms in the world's largest smartphone market.

Xiaomi Corp. said on its official microblog on Aug. 30 that it will roll out Mi Pay on Sept 1. Huawei Technologies Co., currently the largest smartphone maker in China, announced one day later on August 31 that it is rolling out a similar service called Huawei Pay.

Using a technology called "tokenization," which Apple's and Samsung's mobile payment services also use, both payment systems will allow users to link bank cards to the platform and pay bills by simply holding their smartphone in front of a point-of-sale terminal.

Tokenization technology is considered safer than the QR code technology used by Alibaba's Alipay and Tencent's WeChat Wallet because tokenization doesn't keep credit card data on a company's servers or mobile devices. Instead of that data, the servers and phones have a China UnionPay-issued placeholder, or "token," that banks use to access the data.

Both Xiaomi and Huawei work with China UnionPay in building their payment networks. Huawei seems to have the backing from more banks. Twenty-five banks have agreed to allow Huawei Pay to link to their cards, while Mi Pay has pledges from about 10 banks, according to Xiaomi's statement to the state-run Global Times. But Xiaomi emphasized that smartphones with its payment system can replace bus passes in a number of cities, including Shenzhen and Shanghai.

Apple Pay entered China in February in an effort to tap into the burgeoning mobile-payment market. Samsung followed a month later.

However, Dong Junfeng, a vice manager of Bank of China's Internet finance department, told Caixin earlier that only about 60 percent of POS terminals in China can process tokenization technology as of February.

The rollout of Mi Pay comes as the once-hot smartphone maker is struggling with growth. The company saw shipments in the second quarter tumble 38 percent compared to the same period of last year to 10.5 million smartphones, according to research from International Data Corp.

Contact reporter Chen Na (nachen@caixin.com); editor Gary Kirchherr (garykirchherr@caixin.com)
COLLINSVILLE  "I was a little bit afraid of it. Im still a little leery of it," Marie Rhodes said.

Rhodes referenced her new Facebook account, which she and 12 other seniors learned about at the Collinsville Library on Tuesday.

Put on by Melissa Puckett, the senior services coordinator for Henry County Parks and Recreation, the group met for discussion about the popular social media website. Collinsville Library Branch Manager Kim Martin instructed seniors on internet safety and posting techniques.

"I am here to teach you what you want to learn," Martin said.

Six out of the 13 participants did not have an account on the social media giant. Several of those who had an account said their grandchildren made it for them.

"My granddaughter set me up and I dont know how to maneuver it," Faith Braziel said.

Braziel and her husband of nearly 53 years, John Braziel, attended the class to learn together. While John did not have a Facebook, he said his wife loved using the site. She came to learn more about posting and privacy.

"Im not going to put the personal stuff. Im not going to put Im going to Walmart; come rob my house," Faith said.

Martin reiterated that participants should watch what they post and not reveal too much information online  or in public.

"Never give out your log-in information, email address or password," Martin said.

Sometimes, Martin said, an email may appear asking to verify ones account. The instructor advised participants to ignore the message, saying Facebook would never send an email asking for information. Even if an email might appear to be from Facebook, when seeking personal information, that is seldom the case.

She also warned students to not accept friend requests from people they did not know or second requests from people already on their friends list. Sometimes, hackers seeking information steal pictures of a friend and create a page posing as that person. Martin said it is best to confirm over the phone or in person the legitimacy of a friends page. Also, people should not accept every friend request they receive.

"I dont know her. I dont have to add her as a friend. Thats okay," Martin said while going through a section of Facebook dedicated to people she might know.

After narrowing down those Martin did want on her personal account, she showed seniors what her newsfeed looked like.

"The newsfeed is all of my friends. Its kind of like the newspaper. I can see stories from all of my friends," Martin said.

Seeing the newsfeed was right up Sandy Hunts alley.

"I just like to read what my friends say to me," Hunt said.

Martin also covered more communication methods, like Facebooks chat and messaging functions.

"Its very much just like instant messaging. Its like texting on the computer," Martin said.

However, if a person starts typing a post or message, others cannot see it until the person posts the piece.

"Writing a message but not posting it is like dialing a phone, not putting in the last number and hanging up before it dials," Martin said.

Martin also taught the group how to check notifications and navigate other areas of the site, which Joy Beggarly enjoyed.

"I had already set up a Facebook account and I wanted to learn the tips and shortcuts," Beggarly said.

Sandra Shumate liked "just learning everything."

After going over the basics, Martin explained that while Facebook is a fun way to keep up with friends, safety precautions come first. The instructor spoke of a popular Walmart gift card scam where a page promises participants $100 for liking and sharing a photo or answering a short survey.

"My Mama always told me if its too good to be true, it probably is," Martin said.

Even though the post appeared in a Facebook friends name, Martin knew better than to click on the link provided. She realized a hacker got into her friends account and posted the bogus claim under the friends name.

"Just because you see it on the internet does not make it true," Martin said. "Think before you click."

Over the next three weeks, Martin will teach participants more ins and outs of the popular website.

"I dont know a thing about emojis except theyre cute and I want to put them," Sandra Brooks said.

Martin will cover posting various content  including emoticons and pictures  as the weeks progress. Several students said they looked forward to the next class.

"I just enjoy learning about new things," Barbara Kobelia said.

"Its all new to me, so its just interesting," Rudy Kobelia said.

The class opened Lois Wines eyes to all the wonders of the social media site.

"I liked just finding what all is on Facebook, what all you can do with it," Wine said.

Above all, seniors came to master the page.

"I learned a bit," Howard Bondurant said.

Held at 1:30 p.m. the first three Tuesdays in September, those interested in joining the class should call the Collinsville Library at (276) 647-1112.

Amie Pickeral reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. She can be reached at amie.pickeral@martinsvillebulletin.com
COLLINSVILLE-The Henry County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the creation of a planning study that could eventually lead to the creation of a new Henry County Jail.

In a special meeting, the board authorized Moseley Architects to create and submit a jail planning study based on a total bed capacity of 400.

In January 2016, a community-based corrections plan to address needs in the jail was prepared for Henry County by Moseley Architects. The report included an evaluation of the current jail and a projection for future facility needs.

In May 2016, the board was presented with cost projections for construction and operation of a jail based on inmate counts of 250, 300, 350 and 400 people. The report also included preliminary budget and financing needs, and part of that discussion was the potential 25 percent contribution from the state of Virginia toward the total cost.

Henry County Administrator Tim Hall told the board that by granting Moseley approval to move forward with the planning study, it will give the firm time to submit the study to the Department of Corrections (DOC) by the end of December. After the DOC studies the plan, it will make a recommendation as to whether or not to build the jail. Hall said that decision likely will be rendered in summer 2017.

If the DOC recommends to the state that the jail be built, the plan will go before the General Assembly during its 2018 session, and if the General Assembly approves the jail for the 25 percent cost reimbursement, then the project will be able to move forward.

Collinsville District Supervisor Joe Bryant said that at some point, the state will no longer provide jail reimbursements, and if the county doesnt act now, it may lose the chance to have the state of Virginia kick in 25 percent of the jails cost.

I think this is the time that we need to move forward, Bryant said. Weve talked about it for the last three or four years. Trust me, I dont like to spend money  but sometimes youve got to do what youve got to do. We can either spend it now or wait for the state to come in and say weve got to (build a new jail). If we wait for the state to force it on us, we could be in a pickle.

Board Chairman Jim Adams agreed, adding that after touring the current jail  which was built in 1974 and is no longer safe or efficient for either inmates or staff, according to board documents  his eyes were opened to the reality of the need for a new jail.

Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry thanked the board members for touring the jail and addressing his offices need for a new facility.

Ben R. Williams reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at benjamin.williams@martinsvillebulletin.com.
(Beijing)  China Orient Asset Management Co. Ltd., one of the country's four large state-owned asset management companies, has changed its corporate structure in preparation for an initial public offering at an undisclosed time.

Created and controlled by China's Ministry of Finance in 1999 to sell bad assets that banks had accumulated over the years, China Orient Asset Management is being transformed into a stock corporation by the ministry and the National Council for Social Security Fund with 55.4 billion yuan (US$ 8.30 billion) in registered capital.

In addition to asset management, China Orient's businesses also include insurance, securities, futures, trust and financial leasing activities. Total assets reached 664.9 billion yuan by the end of June, an increase of 62 percent since the end of last year.

China Orient will set up a corporate governance structure that includes shareholder meetings, board of directors, a board of supervisors and a management team.

Whether the Ministry of Finance will remain a controlling shareholder after the change has not been disclosed, nor has the date of the future IPO, China Orient told Caixin.

Among the three other national asset management companies, China Cinda and China Huarong launched IPOs in Hong Kong in December 2013 and October 2015 respectively. China Great Wall Asset Management is still preparing its corporate ownership structure reform, which received approved by State Council, China's cabinet, in August 2015. Great Wall may get capital injections from the Ministry of Finance, the National Council for Social Security Fund and China Life Insurance Group.

Disposing of bad debt plays a significant role in reducing financial risks, stimulating capital circulation and supporting supply-side reform to bolster the economy, according to the ministry.

Contact reporter Dong Tongjian at tongjiandong@caixin.com; editor Ken Howe at kennethhowe@caixin.com
MARTINSVILLE - This September, area young people will have a chance to meet the local heroes who help keep their communities safe.

On Sept. 28, MHC Public Safety Day will be held between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. in Martin Plaza (the Broad Street parking lot) in uptown Martinsville. The free event will feature police and emergency vehicles that children can sit inside, police and emergency personnel they can speak to and even uniforms they can try on.

This is a great community policing event for us, said Martinsville Police Chief Sean Dunn. Dunn is one of the organizers of the event, along with Eli Salgado of the MHC DREAMers and Warren Rodgers Jr. and Julia Scales with Southside Survivor Response Center.

This is an opportunity for citizens to meet personnel from the police department, fire department, emergency medical, Sheriffs department, hospital, and health department, Dunn continued. And the list goes on. What we hope we accomplish is to promote more positive interactions with our citizens and our public safety personnel. The better that our citizens know the personnel that work in public safety and community health  the closer the relationships theyll have, the stronger the bonds will be, and the better and stronger we are as a community.

That interaction is important, Salgado said, as relations between communities and their law enforcement and safety personnel have been strained in recent years.

We want to be sure that relationships are being built and that theyre continuously being maintained, Salgado said. When I was younger, I remember meeting police officers. I thought of them as my friends. I always waved at them.

As he has gotten older, Salgado said, he has not always seen that same interaction between children and law enforcement.

I would love to see that kind of relationship being built over the years, so that young boy, now a grown man, thinks of the police in a positive light.

In addition to interacting with law enforcement and public safety personnel, kids will be able to sit inside emergency vehicles and even turn the flashing lights on. They will also be able to dress up in real uniforms.

We want to offer the kids the opportunity to put on what their heroes put on every day, Salgado said. We want them to feel like they could be that professional one day, and be able to take care of the community and give back.

Participating agencies include Martinsville Police Department, Martinsville Sheriffs Office, Martinsville Fire and EMS, Henry County Sheriffs Office, Henry County Public Safety, Boys and Girls Club, CHILL/HEY, Martinsville YMCA, Henry County-Martinsville Health Department, Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County, Coalition for Health and Wellness and Martinsville Parks and Recreation.

For more information, contact Salgado at .

Ben Williams reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at .
Editors note: Every Wednesday, we feature a column from our local SCORE organization, offering business owners and would be employers some tips about what to plan for.

For startup entrepreneurs experiencing difficultyor exasperationin trying to get financing for their businesses via traditional means, crowdfunding offers an alternative.

Crowdfunding can be an effective way to raise capitaland public awarenesswhen launching or growing a small business. Rather than approaching a single lender to make a significant loan to your business (which you will most likely need to personally guaranty), crowdfunding platforms give you a way to leverage your network of friends, family, social media connections, and the public at large to obtain significant capital in small increments.

Its a collective online effort that can expand your professional network and introduce your business to potential customers.

Crowdfunding for businesses presently comes in three primary forms:

Rewards-based crowdfunding (such as via Kickstarter and Indiegogo)

Equity crowdfunding (such as via CircleUp)

Peer-to-peer lending (such as via Lending Club)

Equity crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending are governed by a complicated web of federal and state securities laws, while rewards-based crowdfunding is generally exempt from those laws. This article focuses primarily on rewards-based crowdfunding.

According to SCORE mentor and business attorney Chris Dargie, rewards-based crowdfunding has rapidly become an accepted way to raise capital for small businesses.

Traditionally, companies raised capital by issuing debt or equity, said Dargie. Rewards-based crowdfunding introduced a completely new alternative. The model has shown that the public is willing to contribute capital to worthy projects without any expectation of future profit, which is quite revolutionary.

To help make a rewards-based crowdfunding effort successful, Dargie offers these dos and donts:

Do:

Understand the differences between rewards-based crowdfunding, equity crowdfunding, and peer-to-peer lending. With rewards-based crowdfunding, you are only promising your backers some sort of token incentive and the risks are more limited.

Whereas with equity crowdfunding, you are giving up equity and the risks can be substantial. With peer-to-peer lending, the business is taking on debt that it is legally obligated to pay back.

Pick the right platform for your rewards-based campaign. You should not automatically default to Kickstarter or Indiegogo, as there may be better options. Remember, crowdfunding is a form of marketing, and you want to be where your customers are.

Follow through on your promises. Watchdog groups and state and federal consumer protection bureaus have begun to shift their attention to deceptive crowdfunding campaigns.

There is an inherent risk of consumer fraud in these campaigns, said Dargie, and businesses should be prepared to deliver on their commitments if they want to minimize their risk of legal liability.

Dont:

Fail to manage the expectations of your campaigns backers. Delays in business are a fact of life and usually only become a problem when the company fails to keep its backers in the loop.

Launch a campaign without the liability protection of a properly formed business entity.

You dont want to be left holding the bag personally if your business has spent all the money on development and has nothing to show for it at the end, and the backers want their money back, said Dargie.

Forget about taxes. Proceeds raised from rewards-based crowdfunding campaigns are usually treated as taxable income to the business. For this reason, Dargie advises businesses to consult with their tax advisors before embarking on a crowdfunding campaign.

Before you decide to launch a crowdfunding campaign for your business, consider reaching out to the local SCORE chapter near you. SCORE mentors have expertise in all aspects of starting and running a business and can help you determine the effective ways to reach your businesss goals and objectives.
Among all the summit-babble about inclusive and sustainable growth and a myriad other agendas linked to the Group of 20 (G20) meeting, it's still far from clear what strategic value leaders would add to the world's premier economic dialogue when they gather in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou this weekend.

It's not the divisions over objectives and values that are the problem. It is that the process has been hijacked and sidetracked from the main strategic tasks that face the global economy and international community today. Printing and spending government money in various ways to pump up the global economy after the 2008 financial crisis was relatively easy compared to addressing the present malaise. Reliance on monetary policy to spur global growth is no longer a practical option.

The world economy is in serious trouble, with problems that run even deeper than the financial crisis. Though they are less immediately discernible, their destructive power will be more long-lasting if they are not addressed now.

The world is at a major turning point, with Brexit and the political mood in the United States pushing industrial countries decisively away from globalization and into retreat from trade and economic expansion. The trends are already clear, with shrinking global trade and stagnation gnawing at the heartland of the industrial world. These are harbingers of longer-term structural decline in the industrial world unless there is a collective global push to address the malaise.

Unlike the financial collapse, this new global economic sickness is more difficult to discern but no less palpable. It is a disease that is taking hold and will wreak its insidious havoc over a decade, not for all to see in the weeks or months immediately ahead like the global financial crisis. The G20 was at its most successful in responding to the financial crisis in 2009. Leaders need to recognize the global economy is staring down at a deeper abyss now, and bring a sense of urgency  if not crisis  to Hangzhou.

Europe will be pinned down by what the Little Englanders like Boris Johnson have done to it for years to come and, whether Hillary Clinton wins the U.S. presidency or not, Donald Trump has mobilized forces that could take the United States down a similar road.

Dealing with the powerful undertow of anti-globalization is the challenge that G20 leaders face in Hangzhou. If they squander the opportunity, the Hangzhou summit will be a failure. Indecisiveness at Hangzhou will complicate China's carefully choreographed entry into a lead role in running the global economy and be harshly judged by future generations.

So what does Hangzhou have to do to be both relevant and successful? To be judged successful in the long term, Hangzhou must lay the foundations for dealing with the undertow of anti-globalization.

There are three key issues: the ability to progress the G20 growth agenda (this is all about what in China is called supply-side reform); the ability to achieve something ambitious on trade and investment (this is about reforming the trade system to make it more transparent and open so that investments are more secure); and the ability to take tangible actions to fortify the global financial system against crises.

As Adam Triggs, a research scholar at the Crawford School of Public Policy at Australian National University, argues in a recent article: "Delivering a successful G20 summit in Hangzhou means tackling big global challenges through practical actions that can be understood by the public."

But the fundamental purpose of the G20 is to set the strategic direction. The worry is that the summit is drifting away from this role and becoming more like an international think tank than the steering committee for the global economy that it was set up to be. The G20's deliverables are increasingly bureaucratic, focused on commissioning reports, holding meetings, developing strategy papers, and publishing high level principles and policy documents.

The G20's fundamental comparative advantage is its ability to reform global governance and developing consensus on steering global economic decision making. Its role is to look at the big global strategic picture, not get bogged down in the bureaucratic details.

"Despite global economic difficulties," says Wang Wen, dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, "China has maintained a high growth rate and has managed to consolidate the foundation of its real economy. Its long-term economic growth potential and focus on sustainable growth suggest that China has unique experience in promoting development."

The most important asset that China and most of Asia brings to this G20 meeting is a continuing commitment to open economic growth and the priority that is attached to supply-oriented economic reform as the driver for growth. China has a key responsibility as the world's largest trader to address the vulnerabilities in the global trading system. The strength of global trade is now tied intimately to securing the openness of the global investment regime. Hangzhou, above all, needs to begin the crafting of a new agenda for the global trade and investment regime.

The global financial safety net also remains a mess. It is too small and fragmented to deal with a large crisis, and this increased fragmentation is posing a number of serious challenges. Cooperation between the IMF and regional financing arrangements is a first step. And bringing China into the currency swap and other cooperation arrangements among the majors is a crucial second.

The Chinese way is to think big strategically. Hangzhou will not be successful without this essential Chinese ingredient, putting its own commitments on the table: moving forward on open trade and investment through East Asia's Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and globally; committing to deeper financial reform and capital account opening; and undertaking to be a lead partner in a new global trade and investment agenda  carrying its partners in the G20 with it.

Peter Drysdale is a professor emeritus and head of the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research and editor-in-chief of the East Asia Forum at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. This article is part of a series for Caixin from the East Asia Forum in the Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU.
bigycooley.jpg

The newly renovated Big Y World Class Market at 300 Cooley St. in the Five Town Plaza.

(Photo Provided)

SPRINGFIELD -- Big Y Foods Inc. announced Tuesday that it has completed a $4.1 million renovation of its World Class Market at 300 Cooley St. in the Sixteen Acres neighborhood.

The Springfield-based chain, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, is planning a grand reopening for Friday.

Upgraded features are similar to those at its Wilbraham location often used by the family-run company as a showplace.

The Cooley Street location now has:

A Living Well Eating Smart section with organic, natural and gluten free products

A sushi department with an on-site sushi chef

A stir-fry station and salad bar

New decor and fixtures in all departments

A new cheese case offering more selection

New exterior signs

A farmers' market-style open-air entrance

A new flag pole outside

A new floor

An improved privacy area in the pharmacy for customers to receive their vaccines. The pharmacy will also host an interactive and informative monthly wellness events. The pharmacy will continue its six-year-old partnership with the Western New England University College of Pharmacy.

In 2015, Big Y added a new roof, parking lot lighting, upgraded HVAC units and a full store generator at the location.

Big Y opened the Cooley Street location in 2003. The store's most recent remodel was in 2008, which cost $1.7 million. The actual sales floor is 43,977 square feet and has 18 total grocery and refrigerated aisles.

Sam Chevalier will continue to manage this store. Chevalier has been with Big Y since 2002, when he started as an assistant produce manager and later a produce manager. He was promoted to store director and assigned to the Rocky Hill, Connecticut, location in August 2015 before transferring to Cooley Street in May.

Founded in 1936 by brothers Paul and Gerald D'Amour, Big Y is one of the largest family-owned supermarket chains in New England. The company has 68 stores throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts with more than 11,000 employees.

On Friday, there will be a cake cutting at 10:30 a.m. followed by free samples of sushi, hot soups, super chicken tenders, World World Classics turkey, Berkshire Breads, new cheeses, chicken salad and more, according to a news release.

Big Y also said it plans to donate to Arthur Talmadge School, Mill Pond School, Alfred Glickman School, Elias Brookings School, M. Marcus Kiley Middle School, John J. Duggan Academy, Mary Lynch School, Sabis International Charter School and St. Michael's Academy to reflect Big Y's commitment to education. Big Y said its education programs include an annual merit scholarship fund that has awarded more than $3 million since 1984, store tours for schoolchildren and support of many local educational programs.
SPRINGFIELD --

plans to use "dynamic merge technology" to smooth traffic flow through the Interstate 91 construction zone and will explain the system at a public meeting on Sept. 13.

The meeting, the latest in a series of quarterly public meetings, is set for 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m, in the third floor conference room of the MassLive Building, 1350 Main St.

Dynamic merge is a system that employs a series of sensors that detect traffic flow on the highway, ramps and exits and then feeds that information to a series of changeable digital message boards that tell drivers what to do. Examples of messages might be: "Make your lane change here" or "Stay in lane."

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the system encourages consistent merging behavior and avoids "shockwaves" -- chain reactions of braking drivers as motorists try to merge and change lanes in congested areas.

It is called "dynamic" because the merge pattern called for by the signs changes with conditions.

It is sometimes called dynamic early merge or dynamic late merge, depending on whether the system is trying to get drivers to hold their lanes longer or if the system is trying to get drivers to change lanes earlier.

The meeting announcement says MassDOT plans to use dynamic merge management in I-91 southbound lanes.

Last week, MassDOT said that the $183.3 million reconstruction of Interstate 91 through downtown Springfield is six months ahead of schedule due to incentives built in to the construction companies' contracts.

Interstate 91 is a major north-south artery for Western Massachusetts. Bridge decks on the Springfield viaduct, built in the 1960s and opened 46 years ago, deteriorated over time. This repair project began in 2015.

MassDOT expects to restore full traffic flow to the viaduct in December 2017.

MassDOT and its contractors are already monitoring traffic flow in and out of the work zone, according to the agency's website for Interstate 91.
This weekend is Labor Day, which for most means a three day weekend. Have you ever given thought as to what it commemorates?

Labor Day has its origins in the late 1800s with the growth of labor unions, but different unions were celebrating labor efforts on different dates. It was in 1882 that a unified Labor Day was proposed, either by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor or Matthew Maguire of the Central Labor Union.

Oregon was the first state to name Labor Day an official public holiday in 1887.

The federal government would follow seven years later in 1894 in response to the Pullman Strike. Congress unanimously voted to approve the holiday after 30 striking railway workers were killed in clashes with federal troops in Chicago.

Labor Day was proposed as an early May holiday, but President Grover Cleveland pushed to have the date moved. A similarly violent labor clash, the Haymarket Affair, had happened in early May 1886 and Cleveland was concerned that having Labor Day in early May would encourage violent socialist and anarchist protests in commemoration.

According to the original Labor Day proposal, the holiday was to be celebrated with "a street parade to exhibit to the public 'the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations; of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families."

Be sure to follow MassLive.com on Snapchat.
(Shanghai)  Rumors that further home-purchase restrictions will soon be imposed in Shanghai have couples flocking to marriage registration offices to file for divorce in an effort to skirt the alleged new rules.

The online rumors include one that Shanghai officials are planning home-buying restrictions on divorcees to thwart a property bubble.

Although the city government has denied it is planning any changes to the city's home-purchasing rules, that hasn't stopped the rush of couples seeking to separate. Long lines of people were seen inside the marriage registration center in the Xuhui District in downtown Shanghai shortly after the lunch break on Aug. 30.

Several people in the line interviewed by Caixin said they were filing for divorce so that they could still be eligible to buy a new home once the rumored policy is in place.

At least 108 couples filed for divorce in Jingan District on Aug. 30, compared with fewer than 10 applications per day in the past, according to a government employee who asked not to be named.

Home purchase rules in China usually apply to a family unit. By filing for a divorce, people are no longer subjected to such rules because a divorced person is considered in another family.

Shanghai already has some of the strictest restrictions on homebuyers. Under rules released by city authorities late in March, residents who are not registered with a Shanghai hukou a residence permit  have to show they have had a pension and medical insurance plan in the city for at least the past five years before they can buy a home there.

Those who already have one home in the city have to come up with a down payment equivalent to 50 percent of the price of the home they intend to buy  up from 40 percent.

Rumors started to circulate via social media platforms, including WeChat, since Aug. 27 saying that city authorities would further tighten control of the housing market. One rumor declares that those who file for divorce after Sept. 1 will have to wait one year to be eligible to purchase a new home.

The rumors have sent home sales skyrocketing. Statistics from the research unit of real estate chain Liangjian in Shanghai show that home sales nearly doubled in the week from Aug. 22-28 to 555,700 square meters in the city, close to the sales recorded in March when the earlier curbs were put in place.

Housing prices also rose by 5.6 percent to nearly 43,600 yuan (US$ 6,530) per square meter from the week earlier.

The number of units sold reached 1,700 per day, some 300 to 400 more than the daily sales before the rumor started.

The Shanghai Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Commission, which oversees the city's housing market, publicly denied the rumors on Aug. 29, saying regulators remain committed to the policy released in March. However homebuyers have simply ignored the reassurance, and 2,012 homes were sold the following day.

One Shanghai real estate agent who asked not to be named told Caixin that they have been overwhelmed with visits from homebuyers with inquiries or to wrap up contracts over the past several days.

One homebuyer said that the government's move to dismiss the rumors might just prove the oppositethat a change to the home purchase policy is actually on the way. Another Shanghai resident told Caixin that he prefers to buy a home sooner than later regardless of whether there will be a new curb because he believes housing prices will continue to climb.

Contact Li Rongde at rongdeli@caixin.com; editor Ken Howe at kennethhowe@caixin.com
Le ministre du Developpement a pris la parole lors de la seance parlementaire du 14 juillet 2020 sur le projet de loi qui inscrit dans les livres de lois les mesures annonces lors de la Presentation du Budget 2020-2021.

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Le Board of Racing Stewards du Mauritius Turf Club compose de S de Chalain (Chairman), P Kalleechurn, G Kishtoo, H Maigrot et Ms J Keevy a rendu public le rapport interimaire du la 23e journee de la saison hippique 2019



Racing Stewards' Report de la journee hippique du 24 Aout 2019



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Xavier-Luc Duval a pose sa Private Notice Question lors de la seance du parlement du 12 avril 2022 au Dr Renganaden Padayachy, a louverture des travaux.

I have to inform you that the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, Charles Gaetan Xavier-Luc Duval, GCSK, FCA, MP, has given notice of the following Private Notice Question which he proposes to put to Dr the Honourable Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, at the sitting to be held today Tuesday 12 April 2022 at 1130 a.m 

To ask Dr the Honourable Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development 

Whether, in regard to the ongoing fall in the exchange rate of the Rupee vis a vis the US dollar and the ensuing scarcity of this currency in commercial banks in Mauritius, he will state the measures, if any, Government and the Bank of Mauritius propose to take to reverse same?

Monsieur le President,Tout comme mardi dernier, je tiens a remercier le Leader de lopposition pour sa question.Cette question me donne une nouvelle fois lopportunite dapporter un eclairage sur le sens de laction du Gouvernement en faveur de la population et en premier lieu envers les plus demunies.

Pour ce faire et dans un premier temps, je donnerai rapidement quelques elements de contexte.

Monsieur le President,

En effet, il nest un secret pour personne que depuis mars 2020, et suite a lapparition de la pandemie de la Covid-19, un ralentissement notable des activites economiques a ete enregistre.

Avec deux confinements et la fermeture de nos frontieres, notre economie a ete mise a rude epreuve.

Au global, Maurice a subi deux contractions successives. La premiere de 6,9% pour lannee fiscale 2019-2020 et la seconde 5,4% pour lannee fiscale 2020-2021.

Je rajoute a cela que le declenchement du conflit russo-ukrainien a rajoute un halo supplementaire dincertitudes, entraine une poussee inflationniste mondiale et pourrait conduire notre monnaie a se deprecier davantage.

A cet egard, je mappuie sur le recent rapport de la Commission Economique Africaine des Nations Unies intitule  The impact of the Ukraine Crisis in Africa  anticipant :

Une depreciation de 10% de la roupie,

Un surplus dinflation de 2,2% en Afrique uniquement du au conflit, et

Une pression accrue sur les comptes courants de 43 pays africains importateurs denergies et de denrees alimentaires, a linstar de Maurice.

Monsieur le President,

Jen viens donc a la problematique de lentree de devises dans le contexte des deux dernieres annees que jai a linstant etaye.

Le choc a ete particulierement violent pour le secteur du tourisme, celui de lexport et celui des services financiers.

Encore une fois les chiffres parlent deux-memes.

Dune part, Maurice a ainsi du faire face a une baisse drastique des arrivees touristiques. Cest-a-dire que nous sommes passes dun flux annuel pre-Covid de 1,3 million de touristes pour lannee 2019, a 300 000 touristes en 2020 et 180 000 touristes en 2021.

Les consequences en termes dentree de devises ont ete majeures etant donne que sur la periode que je viens de citer, nous avons facilement perdu 2,3 millions de touristes.

Sachant que chaque touriste, en periode pre-pandemique, depensait en moyenne 1 200 euros par sejour hors transport, le manque a gagner cumule est considerable.

Dautre part, les exportations de biens et services, qui avaient rapporte lequivalent de 191,9 milliards de roupies en devises etrangeres en 2019, sont tombees a 128,9 milliards de roupies en 2020 et a 132,9 milliards de roupies en 2021.

Enfin, le secteur des services financiers, bien quayant demontre sa resilience, a enregistre une baisse de la valeur ajoutee brute de 51,8 milliards de roupies en 2019 a 49,3 milliards de roupies en 2020, indiquant une diminution des entrees de devises.

Au global, au cours des deux annees de la pandemie, leconomie a ainsi enregistre un deficit de quelque 122 milliards de roupies dentrees de devises etrangeres.

Monsieur le President,

Pour repondre a la question de lhonorable Leader de lopposition, permettez-moi de prime abord de preciser le mandat revenant a la Banque de Maurice et celui qui incombe au Gouvernement.

Conformement a la section 4 de la Bank of Mauritius Act, la Banque de Maurice est lentite en charge et en toute independance de conduire la politique monetaire et celle des taux de change. Elle seule en est le decisionnaire.

Je cite the Bank is entrusted, inter alia, with the responsibilities to: conduct monetary policy and manage the exchange rate of the rupee, taking into account the orderly and balanced economic development of Mauritius.

En vertu de son mandat et pour faire face au deficit dentree de devises etrangeres, jai ete informe par la Banque de Maurice que cette derniere a vendu quelques 2,9 milliards de dollars americains sur le marche depuis le debut de la pandemie, en mars 2020.

Je rappelle quen 2018 et 2019, Maurice avait recu un montant de 12,67 milliards de dollars, comparativement a 7,35 milliards de dollars en 2020 et 2021.

Soit une baisse de 5,32 milliards de dollars, equivalent a 230 milliards de roupies, representant la moitie de notre PIB.

Lapprovisionnement regulier du marche en devises etrangeres par la Banque de Maurice, qui est en charge de la conduite de la politique monetaire et de la stabilite financiere, a permis de limiter les perturbations du fonctionnement normal du marche des changes.

Et cela en conformite avec le regime de change flottant comme qualifie par le Fonds Monetaire International.

Au vu des perspectives relatives aux performances encourageantes du secteur touristique et en tenant en compte la tendance inflationniste mondiale, la Banque de Maurice a egalement porte a ma connaissance quelle est intervenue sur le marche a hauteur de 25 millions de dollars a un taux apprecie de 43,15 roupies contre 43,25 roupies lors de sa derniere intervention.

Monsieur le President,

Je vais maintenant elaborer sur la strategie deployee et les mesures implementees par le Gouvernement pour soutenir le pouvoir dachat de la population.

Premierement, la reouverture totale de nos frontieres en octobre 2021, dans le respect des protocoles sanitaires, a bien entendu ete une etape importante pour assurer la reprise franche et durable des entrees de devises.

Ce nouveau souffle, cest la bouchee doxygene dont nous avions besoin pour atteindre les objectifs que nous nous sommes fixes.

Deuxiemement, le Gouvernement, sous limpulsion de notre Premier ministre, a travaille darrache-pied pour faciliter les affaires a Maurice et maintenir lexcellente reputation de la juridiction comme un Centre Financier International.

Je pense notamment a la sortie de Maurice des listes du Gafi, de lUnion Europeenne et du Royaume-Uni. Une excellente nouvelle pour leconomie, tant en termes de croissance, demploi que dentree de devises etrangeres.

Troisiemement, et sans porter prejudice a la viabilite de notre dette, le Gouvernement a egalement contracte plusieurs prets concessionnels en devises etrangeres.

Ces prets aux conditions avantageuses et qui plus est souvent accompagnes de subventions ont permis de faire rentrer des devises etrangeres sur le marche local.

Quatriemement, notre strategie pour faciliter lentree de devises etrangeres sest orientee vers louverture de notre economie aux investisseurs et expatries, notamment les seniors.

Les Budgets 2020-2021 et 2021-2022 ont fait la part belle a la Silver economy.

Je rappelle quil est estime que chaque retraite expatrie a Maurice amene au pays une moyenne de 9 000 dollars par individu, sur la base dune residence de 6 mois par an a Maurice.

Atteindre lobjectif de 25 000 retraites a Maurice permettrait daccroitre les entrees en devises etrangeres de 250 millions de dollars.

Enfin, permettez-moi de rappeler les efforts considerables deployes par le Gouvernement pour subventionner une large gamme de produits de necessite, pour un montant total de 8,2 milliards de roupies.

Monsieur le President,

Selon la Banque de Maurice, notre monnaie sest depreciee de 7,6% en 2020 et de 9,2% en 2021.

Au regard du contexte historique, la valeur de notre roupie aurait pu etre plus largement affectee.

Ce qui me fait donc poser la question de la depreciation la roupie a lHonorable leader de lopposition quand lui et ses amis etaient au pouvoir entre 2006 et 2014.

Une periode caracterisee au niveau mondial par une expansion exceptionnelle a savoir une croissance forte de 3,6% en 2014 et surtout une inflation faible, tres faible de 2,9% en 2014, sans pande9-=0mie, sans guerre ni perturbations de la chaine dapprovisionnement.

Auraient-ils cherche deliberement a devaluer la roupie en 2012 ?

La population se souviendra qua cette epoque, le Leader de lopposition, alors Ministre des finances, avait pris la decision non-conforme dinjecter 100 millions de dollars dans le but explicite de devaluer notre roupie.

En 2012, alors que leconomie mondiale se portait bien, quil ny avait pas de confinement ni de crise de la Covid-19 et que le secteur du tourisme avec pres dun million de visiteurs apportait des devises etrangeres et que le niveau du secteur de lexport de biens et services setablissait a 188,6 milliards de roupies, la roupie a pourtant ete devaluee :

de 29,9 roupies pour le dollar en 2011 a 31,2 roupies,

la livre de 46,7 roupies a 50,3 roupies et

leuro de 39,4 roupies a 40,9 roupies.

Ainsi, entre 2005 et 2014, la roupie a ete devaluee de 11,2% par un Gouvernement qui se souciait peu du pouvoir dachat des mauriciens, en particulier de celui des plus vulnerables.

Je conclus en rappelant au Leader de lopposition que pour comprendre le present et preparer le futur, nous devons analyser le passe.

Monsieur le President,

Notre budget alloue a lEtat providence, notre Welfare State, etait de seulement 48 milliards de roupies en 2014.

Aujourdhui malgre la pandemie, malgre la crise, malgre la recession, ce Gouvernement, porte par lhumanisme du Premier ministre, a fait doubler le budget du Welfare State pour lamener a plus de 93 milliards de roupies en 2021-2022.

En y ajoutant le Wage Assistance Scheme et le Self-Employed Assistance Scheme, ce montant depasse largement la barre des 100 milliards de roupies que nous avons retournes a la population.

Ces chiffres demontrent la solidarite dont ce Gouvernement fait preuve envers sa population.

Merci.
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.
Gore is making available its new DrySeal Flex Introducer Sheath following regulatory clearance in the U.S., EU, Canada, and Australia. Its intended to be used with the firms EXCLUDER Iliac Branch Endoprosthesis for endovascular repair of iliac artery aneurysms and aortoiliac aneurysms.

The DrySeal Flex was designed to minimize blood loss as different guidewires and catheters are pushed into and out of the patient. To do this it has a so called DrySeal valve that prevents blood from exiting through the same channel that instruments are introduced through.

It is a 12 Fr x 45 cm sheath available in lengths of 22, 45, and 65 cm.

Nearly a third of patients being considered for EVAR have an aneurysm that extends to the iliac artery. The IBE is a trusted solution in such cases, but previously no introducer sheaths designed for use with this device existed, said Mr. Marcus Brooks, Consultant Vascular Surgeon, North Bristol NHS Trust, in a statement. With the GORE DrySeal Flex Introducer Sheath, I now have a sheath specifically designed for use with the IBE and flexible enough for easy access to the iliac branch vessels.

Via: Gore
by Sara Guaglione , August 30, 2016

ESPN The Magazine and The Atlantic took the top spots for highest total audience in July 2016 and most growth versus a year ago, respectively, according to the most recent Magazine Media 360 Brand Audience Report.

The report also revealed the average audience for magazine brands is up 5.1% from this time last year.

There was modest change in print and digital audiences for magazine brands, according to MPA, with a growth of 1.2%, as well as a decline in desktop Web audiences by 12.5%. However, the report tracked strong mobile Web numbers, with an increase of 19%. Video audiences grew by a whopping 43.6% compared to last year.

For July 2016, the top five participating brands that had the highest total audience  across print, Web, mobile Web and video  were ESPN The Magazine, People, Forbes, WebMD and Allrecipes.

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The brands that had the highest percentage of growth compared to July of last year were The Atlantic (48.7%), Fortune (41.9%), Forbes (40.6%), Conde Nast Traveler (35.4%) and The New Yorker (33.2%).

Eight magazine brands saw an increase across every one of the four platforms: Good Housekeeping, Harpers Bazaar, Self, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Traditional Home and Vogue.

The brand audience report also found that one-quarter (27 brands) of the magazine brands reporting mobile audience showed 50% growth versus a year ago. The highest percentage gain for mobile categories are Travel, Womens Fashion, Adventure/Outdoor, Automotive and Shelter.
by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, August 31, 2016

A historic transition is underway in Chicago, where the Chicago Tribune will eventually have to leave its namesake home, the Tribune Tower, following the skyscrapers sale to a developer.

The 35-story building neo-Gothic tower, built in 1925, was sold to Los Angeles-based CIM Group by Tribune Media Co. for $240 million, in a deal expected to close by the end of next month. The building first hit the auction block back in October 2015.

Tribune Media received the tower during the division of assets when Tribune Co. split in 2014, and had been leasing office space to the Chicago Tribune, property of its former corporate sibling Tribune Publishing (recently renamed Tronc). Tribune Media also received the broadcast TV stations formerly owned by Tribune Co.

CIM plans to redevelop the tower, so the sale means that Troncs flagship newspaper, as well as Tribune Media itself, will have to find new digs at some point. However, the Chicago Tribune has a lease that runs through 2018, so management has some room for maneuver. Its not clear whether the newspaper will stay in the Chicago downtown area or opt for the suburbs.

A number of big newspapers have given up their headquarters over the last few years. In July, The Boston Globe announced that it is selling its offices in Bostons Dorchester neighborhood after almost six decades and moving back to downtown Boston.

In 2014, Freedom Communications, the previous owner of the Orange County Register, sold the newspapers headquarters in Santa Ana, Calif., to developer Michael Harrah for $27 million. Last year, the San Diego Union-Tribune sold its 13-acre headquarters in Mission Valley, Calif., for $50 million after it was acquired by Tribune Publishing. And back in 2011, McClatchy sold the Miami Heralds headquarters for $236 million.
If the thought of going under the knife fills you with fear, be reassured. No longer is surgery the brutal and hazardous experience faced by our ancestors. Thanks to wonders such as laparoscopy, robotic solutions, and, more recently, the iKnife and the laser probe, surgical intervention is getting safer all the time. Share on Pinterest Technological advances make surgery safer and more precise all the time. Archaeologists believe that people have been carrying out surgery for up to 11,000 years. Cranial surgery, known as trephination, probably dates back to the Neolithic era. It involved drilling a hole in the skull of a living person. Speculation suggests it was done to cure disorders such as convulsions, fractures, headaches, and infections. The Ancient Egyptians used the same operation for letting out headaches and migraine. From 1812 onward, the New England Journal of Medicine offers accounts of procedures that would now be considered gruesome, such as passing a hook through a mans pupil during the removal of a cataract, and using leeches for bloodletting. Pioneers of their time, both surgeons and patients displayed remarkable courage. Leap from there to the present, and you have minimally invasive surgery where even a heart transplant is now relatively routine. From January 1988 to July 2016, 64,055 cardiac transplants have taken place in the United States, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

Advances in minimally invasive surgery In 1987 , a French gynecologist performed the first recognized laparoscopic surgery to remove a gallbladder. From there, the practice has expanded rapidly. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), over 2 million laparoscopic surgeries are carried out each year in the U.S. In laparoscopic or keyhole surgery, a small tube with a light source and a camera passes through the body until it reaches the relevant part. The areas that need operating show up on a screen, while the surgeon works the tools through small openings. Minimally invasive procedures mean smaller incisions with less scarring, a lower risk of infection, shorter hospital stays, and reduced convalescence.

Robotic surgery Next stop, robotic surgery. In 2000, a team of scientists in Germany who were researching techniques for minimally invasive surgery announced that they had developed a system with two robotic arms that are controlled by a surgeon at a control console. They called it ARTEMIS . Share on Pinterest In robotic surgery, the surgeon controls the instruments from a console. In July 2000, the da Vinci system was approved for use in the U.S. for cutting and surgery. It was the first robotic surgical system to get FDA approval, and its use has become relatively widespread. The system has three components: a vision cart with a light source and cameras, a master console where the operating surgeon sits, and a moveable cart with two instrument arms and the camera arm. The camera provides a true 3-D image that is displayed above the surgeons hands, so the tips of the instruments seem like an extension of the control grips. Foot pedals control electrocautery, camera focus, instrument and camera arm clutches, and master control grips that drive the servant robotic arms at the patients side. There have been reports of errors and malfunctions, some of them fatal, and not everyone is convinced that robotic surgery really produces better patient outcomes.

What the eye cannot see The electrosurgical knife was invented in the 1920s. Using an electrical current, it rapidly heats the body tissue, enabling the surgeon to cut through the tissue with minimal blood loss. It is commonly used in cancer surgery. Image-driven surgery, such as laparoscopy, has reduced the extent of intervention for many operations. However, when it comes to cancer, images can show where the tumor is, but neither images nor the human eye can readily distinguish between healthy and unhealthy tissues. Dr. Zoltan Takats, of Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, saw a way for the electrosurgical knife to fill the gap that images cannot. Share on Pinterest MRI-guided surgery shows where the tumor is, but the iKnife can detect its exact borders. Enter the iKnife. Based on electrosurgery, the iKnife can detect precisely which tissue needs removing, and which should stay. Until recently, the only definitive way to know whether tissue is cancerous or not has been to take a biopsy for study , usually under a microscope. The disadvantage is that during surgery, only very few samples can be taken and tested, and it can take 40 minutes to complete each test. This is not a practical way to define the edge of a tumor during surgery. 2013 saw the emergence of the first iKnife, which enables the surgeon to examine biological tissue by pairing up electrosurgery with mass spectrometry. In mass spectrometry, ionized, or charged, particles are passed through electric or magnetic fields. Mass spectrometry provides measurements of mass-to-charge ratio, and these measurements make it possible to distinguish between tissues of different composition, known as chemical profiling. By analyzing the chemical composition of different samples, it can reveal which tissues are healthy and which are not. At that time, Dr. Takats told Medical News Today that he expected the iKnife to be applicable to different kinds of surgery and that it would save costs.

How the iKnife works Cutting with an electroscalpel causes the tissue to vaporize as it is being cut. This creates a smoke that is normally sucked away by extraction systems. But by connecting the iKnife to a mass spectrometer and pumping the smoke toward it, the vapor can be captured and analyzed for chemical composition. By matching the results to a reference library, the surgeon can see which type of tissue it is within 3 seconds. In 2013, Dr. Takats and his team used the iKnife to analyze tissue samples collected from 302 patients who had undergone surgery to remove various kinds of tumor, both cancerous and noncancerous. They recorded the characteristics of thousands of tissue samples taken from tumors in the brain, lung, breast, stomach, colon, and liver. From these samples, they created a database of 1,624 cancerous and 1,309 noncancerous entries, to which future samples could be matched. The team then used the iKnife with rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS) in 81 surgical interventions. Readings were taken during surgery, and tissue was tested afterward in the conventional manner. In each case, the reading matched the postoperative histological diagnosis exactly. The iKnife was developed for electrosurgery because surgeons saw its potential for removing cancerous tumors, but its applicability to hydro and laser surgery have already been raised. In the future, it could be used to take readings to analyze mucous membranes and the respiratory, urinogenital, or gastrointestinal systems. The iKnife is already in use at Imperial College London, and it is now being trialed in breast, colon, and ovarian cancer surgery.
A new paper brings some welcome news for older adults who like a tipple; researchers say drinking moderate amounts of alcohol could reduce frailty and other age-related conditions, including cardiovascular disease.

Share on Pinterest Researchers say moderate alcohol consumption may have health benefits for seniors by reducing inflammation.

Published in the journal Age and Ageing, the report says there is increasing evidence that moderate alcohol consumption leads to such benefits by reducing inflammation, as determined by levels of C-reactive protein (CRP)  a pro-inflammatory marker.

According to co-author Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, of the National Institute on Aging  part of the National Institutes of Health  and colleagues, previous studies have suggested that levels of inflammation increase as we age, and that it is this that contributes to age-related frailty and illness.

In their paper, Dr. Ferrucci and team respond to a recent study published in the same journal that investigated how alcohol intake influences age-related inflammation.

That study  conducted by researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF)  assessed the alcohol consumption of more than 3,200 adults aged 65 and older who were part of the 2008 wave of the Health and Retirement Study.

The results revealed that adults who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol had lower levels of inflammation, as determined by CRP levels, and were less frail than those who abstained from alcohol use or were heavy drinkers.
People with blood type O often get more severely ill from cholera than people of other blood types. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may explain why.

In people with blood type O, scientists found that cholera toxin hyperactivates a key signaling molecule in intestinal cells. High levels of that signaling molecule lead to excretion of electrolytes and water - in other words, diarrhea. Cholera is marked by severe diarrhea that can lead to dehydration, shock and even death.

"We have shown that blood type influences how strongly cholera toxin activates intestinal cells, leading to diarrhea," said James Fleckenstein, MD, the study's senior author and an associate professor of medicine and molecular microbiology.

The findings are available online in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Cholera sickens 3 million to 5 million people around the world every year, leading to 100,000 to 120,000 deaths, many of them in the Indian subcontinent, where cholera has been endemic for centuries. Closer to home, a cholera epidemic has persisted in Haiti since 2010. The disease was brought by United Nations workers from Nepal. They had traveled to Haiti to help rebuild the country in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.

The disease is caused by Vibrio cholerae, a bacterium that infects cells of the small intestine. Epidemiologists first noticed four decades ago that people with blood type O were more likely to be hospitalized for cholera than people of other blood types, but the reasons for the difference had never been determined.

Although the blood group antigens - A, B, AB and O - are best known for their presence on red blood cells, they also are found on the surface of many other cell types, including the cells that line the intestine.

To find out what effect cholera toxin had on intestinal cells carrying different blood group antigens, Fleckenstein, F. Matthew Kuhlmann, MD, Matthew Ciorba, MD, and colleagues used clusters of intestinal epithelial stem cells, called enteroids, that can be grown in the lab and differentiated into mature intestinal cells.

Washington University is a leading center in building a biobank of enteroids derived from patients for investigations in personalized medicine. Since these clusters of stem cells are derived from normal intestinal cells from many individuals, they are an improvement over traditional cell lines, which are derived from cancer cells from a single individual and carry mutations that may make them behave differently than normal cells.

As part of the study, the researchers treated four groups of enteroids with cholera toxin - two derived from people with blood type A and two from people with blood type O - and measured the amount of a key signaling molecule inside the cells. Enteroids from the other two blood types - B and AB - were not available at the time the study was done.

The researchers found that levels of the signaling molecule were roughly twice as high in the cells with the type O antigen than in the cells with type A antigen, suggesting that people with type O antigen who were exposed to cholera toxin would suffer more severe diarrhea.

"It is well-established that high levels of this molecule lead to diarrhea, so we're making the assumption that higher levels lead to even more diarrhea," said Kuhlmann, an instructor in medicine and the lead author on the study. "Unfortunately, we have no way directly to link the responses to the volume of diarrhea and, therefore, the severity of disease."

The researchers confirmed their results in an intestinal cell line originally derived from a person with blood type A. The cell line was modified to produce the type O antigen instead. They found that cholera toxin induced roughly double the amount of the key signaling molecule in cells with type O antigen than in those with type A.

Fleckenstein isn't sure why cholera toxin induces different responses in cells with different blood group antigens on their surfaces.

"The cholera toxin is known to bind weakly to the ABO antigens, so they may be acting as decoys to draw the toxin away from its true target," Fleckenstein said. "It may be that the type O antigen just isn't as good of a decoy as the type A antigen."

In the Ganges River delta region of India and Bangladesh, where cholera is highly endemic, blood type O is less common than in the rest of the world. About 37 percent of Indians and 33 percent of Bangladeshis have blood type O, as opposed to 45 percent of people worldwide, according to published research. It is thought that the deadliness of the disease made having the type O antigen a liability, causing the proportion of type O people in endemic regions to drop.

The study also illustrates that enteroids, clusters of intestinal stem cells that were developed only in the last few years, can be an important tool for studying infectious diseases of the gut.

"The beautiful thing about this research is that we've taken intestinal cells from people here in Missouri and used them to understand the pathophysiology of a disease that affects people worldwide," said Ciorba, an assistant professor of medicine and one of the study's authors. "In this particular situation, we knew that the epidemiologists thought that blood type mattered, but using enteroids, we're actually able to see those differences in different people. It's a proof of principle that this system can answer questions of global impact."

Article: Blood Group O-Dependent Cellular Responses to Cholera Toxin: Parallel Clinical and Epidemiological Links to Severe Cholera, F. Matthew Kuhlmann, Srikanth Santhanam, Pardeep Kumar, Qingwei Luo, Matthew A. Ciorba and James M. Fleckenstein, The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0161, published online 9 May 2016.
We all know that we can quickly lose cardiovascular endurance if we stop exercising for a few weeks, but what impact does the cessation of exercise have on our brains? New research led by University of Maryland School of Public Health researchers examined cerebral blood flow in healthy, physically fit older adults (ages 50-80 years) before and after a 10-day period during which they stopped all exercise. Using MRI brain imaging techniques, they found a significant decrease in blood flow to several brain regions, including the hippocampus, after they stopped their exercise routines.

"We know that the hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory and is one of the first brain regions to shrink in people with Alzheimer's disease," says Dr. J. Carson Smith, associate professor of kinesiology and lead author of the study, which is published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. "In rodents, the hippocampus responds to exercise training by increasing the growth of new blood vessels and new neurons, and in older people, exercise can help protect the hippocampus from shrinking. So, it is significant that people who stopped exercising for only 10 days showed a decrease in brain blood flow in brain regions that are important for maintaining brain health."

The study participants were all "master athletes," defined as people between the ages of 50 and 80 (average age was 61) who have at least 15 years history of participating in endurance exercise and who have recently competed in an endurance event. Their exercise regimens must have entailed at least four hours of high intensity endurance training each week. On average, they were running ~36 miles (59 km) each week or the equivalent of a 10K run a day! Not surprisingly, this group had a V02 max above 90% for their age. This is a measure of the maximal rate of oxygen consumption of an individual and reflects their aerobic physical fitness.

Dr. Smith and colleagues measured the velocity of blood flow in brain with an MRI scan while they were still following their regular training routine (at peak fitness) and again after 10 days of no exercise. They found that resting cerebral blood flow significantly decreased in eight brain regions, including the areas of the left and right hippocampus and several regions known to be part of the brain's "default mode network" - a neural network known to deteriorate quickly with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. This information adds to the growing scientific understanding of the impact of physical activity on cognitive health.

"We know that if you are less physically active, you are more likely to have cognitive problems and dementia as you age," says Dr. Smith. "However, we did not find any evidence that cognitive abilities worsened after stopping exercising for just 10 days. But the take home message is simple - if you do stop exercising for 10 days, just as you will quickly lose your cardiovascular fitness, you will also experience a decrease in blood brain flow."

Dr. Smith believes that this could have important implications for brain health in older adults, and points to the need for more research to understand how fast these changes occur, what the long term effects could be, and how fast they could be reversed when exercise is resumed.

Article: Hippocampal and Cerebral Blood Flow after Exercise Cessation in Master Athletes, Alfonso J. Alfini, Lauren R. Weiss, Brooks P. Leitner, Theresa J. Smith, James M. Hagberg and J. Carson Smith, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00184/full, published 5 August 2016.
The risk of traffic accidents is increased by 50% in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) compared to age and gender matched controls, according to a Danish nationwide registry study presented at ESC Congress 2016.

"Driving after ICD implantation is an area of great debate and concern for both doctors and patients," said lead author Dr Jenny Bjerre, a physician at Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. "Our study provides contemporary data suggesting that the risk of motor vehicle accidents is in fact increased following ICD implantation when compared to controls."

ICDs are widely used to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients with an increased risk of life-threatening arrhythmias (primary prevention) and in patients who have survived a life-threatening arrhythmia, including cardiac arrest (secondary prevention). The number of ICD implantations has increased dramatically over the past decades, now reaching almost 100 000 yearly implants in ESC member countries.

Due to the risk of arrhythmias and potential loss of consciousness while driving, patients with an ICD are temporarily restricted from driving following ICD implantation and/or ICD shock. However, contemporary data to support these recommendations are lacking and the restrictions have a negative influence on patients' quality of life.

The study by Dr Bjerre and colleagues was conducted at The Cardiovascular Research Centre at Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark. Using nationwide registers, the researchers identified all Danish residents who received a first ICD for primary or secondary prevention between 2008 and mid-2012. Motor vehicle accidents were recorded from nationwide registers on accidents and deaths.

The study included 4874 ICD patients and a control group of 9748 subjects matched by age and gender. Participants were 63 years old on average.

During an average follow-up period of 2.5 years, 2.3% of ICD patients were in contact with a hospital following a motor vehicle accident, compared to only 1.7% of the control population. Over time, this translated into a 51% increased risk of motor vehicle accidents in ICD patients compared to controls. There was no detectable difference in accident risk between primary and secondary prevention ICD patients.

Although higher than in the control population, the overall rate of motor vehicle accidents in ICD patients was low (1.0 to 1.4% within the first year after implantation), and the researchers observed no deaths due to motor vehicle accidents in patients with an ICD.

Dr Bjerre said: "To date, driving recommendations for ICD patients are based on data from small studies in a few highly selected patients. The Danish nationwide registers provided a unique opportunity to investigate the subject in a 'real world' ICD population."

"Due to the retrospective nature of the study we are unable to conclude that ICDs cause traffic accidents," continued Dr Bjerre. "However, because the control population was generally healthier and took fewer medically prescribed drugs, we speculate that the observed increased risk of motor vehicle accidents in the ICD population is likely a consequence of the underlying cardiovascular disease, rather than the ICD device itself."

Abstract: Risk of motor vehicle accidents in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator - A Danish nationwide study - presented by Dr Jenny Bjerre.
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Earlier this month, the United Nations finally admitted for the first time that it had played a role in the epidemic that has killed 10,000 people in the poorest country in the Americas.UN peacekeepers from Nepal, which was suffering a cholera outbreak, introduced the disease to the impoverished Caribbean nation, the UN acknowledged, while insisting the world body is legally immune to lawsuits. But on the ground in Haiti, medical teams are worried about the lack of funding."After October, no one knows how to continue supporting a rapid response," said Jean Ludovic Metenier, deputy representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Haiti. The acute diarrheal disease can kill within hours if left untreated. Already, humanitarian organizations intervene only to prevent the spread of cholera, on a case-by-case basis.About 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of the capital, patients arriving at the hospital in Verrettes with acute diarrhea are interviewed by personnel from a French non-governmental organization, the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED), to determine how they contracted the disease.While reassuring relatives of a hospitalized youth, a team headed to their small home to cover its dirt walls with a chlorine solution one morning. "We are decontaminating the home of the patient and the toilets to kill the (cholera) bacteria to prevent the people sharing the facilities from being infected," said ACTED's Nadine Guerrier.In the tiny, rural village, the sanitation operation does not go unnoticed, and the humanitarian workers explain to the curious the hygiene guidelines for avoiding cholera. This urgent awareness campaign is currently the only action being taken to fight the epidemic.- Deplorable conditions -"People have completely stopped working on health sanitation and potable water infrastructure," said Emilie Bernard, country director for ACTED Haiti. "So we are only putting a bandage on an open fracture."Six years after the start of the epidemic, about 72 percent of Haitians have no toilets at home and 42 percent lack access to safe drinking water, according to the UN. The situation is dire, with 500 new cases of cholera reported each week and Haiti facing its worst epidemic in recent history."Since the beginning of the year, there have been 25,000 cases in the country," Metenier said. "In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with 10 times as many inhabitants, there were only 15,000 cases since January," he said.The teams battling the epidemic are dismayed that the troubling Haitian sanitary crisis has not drawn more attention from the international community. "Cholera can be eliminated if one has the means," Metenier emphasized. "Ebola, which had roughly the same number of fatalities, mobilized $1.5 billion. The cholera epidemic in Haiti since 2010 has only drawn $300 million."On the ground, the lack of money has terrible repercussions. "We receive treatments to care for 10 patients a day," said Mirlene Lorcy, supervisor at the treatment center in Carrefour.But by mid-morning one day, 12 patients were already on beds in the hangar. "We take care of all the sick who come on their own, but if they arrive by ambulance, we send them somewhere else," she said.Lorcy said she was not sure where the sick were transported. But she noted that the Carrefour facility, due to a lack of money, has cut its staff in half since July. In early August, French epidemiologist Renaud Piarroux reported more than 21,000 cholera cases and 200 deaths occurred from January to June.He predicted that with the rainy season lasting through November or even into December, cholera could "easily" kill up to 500 people this year, 200 more than died two years ago.Source: AFP
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Genes that Regulate Centromere and Kinetochores

14 genes were over expressed consistently in cancers.

The kinetochore gene expression score strongly correlated with whether the patient survived after 5 years.

The presence of a high number of these genes indicated that the patient would respond better to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

With respect to chromosome instability

Presence of low to medium level of chromosome instability could make the cancer thrive.



High level of instability makes the cancer cells more susceptible to cancer treatment.

The study's principal investigator who is a researcher with The University of Berkeley's Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and department of Biological Systems and Engineering, Dr. Gary Karpen said "The history of cancer treatment is filled with overreaction. It is part of the ethics of cancer treatment to err on the side of overtreatment, but these treatments have serious side effects associated with them. For some people, it may be causing more trouble than if the growth was left untreated."Cancer cells are essentially the body's own cells, which is why the body's immune system is unable to fight against the cancer cells. In chemotherapy, growing, active cells are targeted in a bid to kill all cancer cells. As a result, other active and growing cells of the body are also killed which include cells in the blood, mouth and hair follicles.The patients could suffer from:The extent of side effects depends on the duration of chemotherapy, the health of the individual and the drugs used for chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is the use of radiation to kill possible cancer cells at the site of cancer development. The extent and type of side effects depend on the site of cancer and the health of the individual.Dr. Anshu Jain who is an oncologist at Ashland Bellefonte Cancer Center and is the co-author of the study said that the discovery of these biomarkers was "very exciting" and that the "The biomarker score provides predictive and prognostic information separate from and independent of clinical and pathologic tumor characteristics that oncologists have available today and which often provide only limited clinical value."The team of Berkeley University researchers found a particular centromere protein was over expressed in fruit flies which led to additional attachment sites. The significance of studying these additional centromeres is given by Dr. Karpen "This essentially makes new centromeres functional at more than one place on the chromosome, and this is a huge problem because the spindle tries to connect to all the sites. If you have two or more of these sites on the chromosome, the spindles are pulling in too many directions, and you end up breaking the chromosome during cell division. So over expression of these genes may be a major contributing factor to chromosomal instability, which is a hallmark of all cancers."Though the presence of a large amount of chromosome instability in cancers is well known, the effect of centromeres in chromosome instability has never been studied. The researchers accessed information from The Broad Institute, National Center for Biotechnology Information and other institutions and analyzed data from thousands of human tumors from more than 12 types of cancers. The researchers studied 31 genes for their role in tumorigenesis.The kinetochore gene expression score (CES) will have a significant impact on doctor recommendation for chemotherapy and radiation for cancer patients. In future, after detailed studies, it could be used to determine the course of treatment. The researchers were unable to find a correlation between high chromosome instability and improvement in patient survival without any adjuvant therapy.There are a number of studies that are carried out to improve treatment options for cancer and to understand the mechanism of cancer development. The presence of a set of guidelines or a benchmark using the CES could soon save some cancer patients from unnecessary adjuvant treatment which give rise to side effects.Source: Medindia


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Commenting on what he called the "culture of hatred," Prof. Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari, former Dean of Islamic Law at Qatar University, called to interpret the Quranic texts "in a progressive, humanistic way" in order to shield the youth from ideological fanaticism and to break away from the "discriminating, fanatic, and racist aspects" of our past. Prof. Al-Ansari, speaking on Sky News Arabia on August 5, said that while terrorism is often described as a reaction to political injustices, "this is not true. It's an illusion. Terrorism is an action, not a reaction."

Following are excerpts

Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari: The roots of the culture of hatred, or the rhetoric of hatred, go way back, to the days of the kharijites, the first terrorist organization, which rebelled against the best Islamic society, the society of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad. The culture of hatred has numerous roots: erroneous religious notions, like the distorted concept of Jihad prevalent today, the concept of "loyalty and disavowal," which is, in fact, hatred of people who subscribe to other religions.

[...]

Interviewer: Aren't there prominent religious texts that... You are a professor of shari'a, and former Dean of Islamic Law at Qatar University... Don't we have a problem with some religious texts, which are hostile towards the other?

Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari: Texts can be interpreted in various ways. You can interpret texts in a progressive, humanistic way, especially the Quranic texts. The Quran is meant to instill values and morals and to prevent injustice. We all know that. But texts are always formed within a specific social reality.

Interviewer: Or they are exploited for certain political goals...

Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari: Right.

[...]

I believe that the arts, especially music, make the soul more humanistic. The arts are a means of shielding our sons against the ideology of extremism, because music makes you love life. All forms of art make you love people, love life. They make you more humane, more tolerant. If you manage to instill this within the minds of the youth, you shield them from ideological fanaticism. you shield them from ideological fanaticism. Fanaticism takes control over people who hate life, whose hearts are empty.

[...]

Our main obstacle, in my opinion, is our clinging to the past, to our heritage. The Arab individual is programmed to glorify the past. We are unable to break away from our heritage of fanaticism. I am not saying that we must break away from our past - only from its negative and inhumane aspects, its discriminating, fanatic, and racist aspects.

[...]

Any great scholar or jurisprudent who died 1,000 years ago is glorified, and people cling to his sayings, even though these sayings - his rulings, his fatwas - were solutions to problems of his days. If he banned music or the construction of churches, should I ban them too?

[...]

The problem of terrorism is a problem of diagnosis. If you do not diagnose a disease correctly, you cannot treat it properly. Most of the people who diagnosed terrorism have described it as a reaction to political injustices. For example, they talk about the torture of Muslim Brotherhood members in prison, in the days of Abdel Nasser. Or they describe terrorism as a reaction to "extreme secularism." Dr. Muhammad Ammarah says in his book that "extreme secularism" gave rise to [Islamic] extremism. He says that the secularists' provocations and their mocking of religious symbols are what gave birth to terrorism. These people talk about the tyranny of Arab regimes...

Interviewer: In your view, these are all pretexts?

[...]

Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari: It is always [a reaction]. They also talk about Western injustices, about Israel. They say: "Look at the annihilation of Muslims. America and the West are annihilating the Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the [Muslims] are wreaking vengeance on the West. [Terrorism] is a reaction." This is not true. It's an illusion. Terrorism is an action, not a reaction. The fanatic ideology has existed among us since the days of the kharijites.

[...]

Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari: Are we supposed to wait for the problem of the Middle East to be resolved, so that the terrorism will come to an end?!

[...]
Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias will participate tomorrow, Thursday, 1 September, in the Informal Meeting of Foreign Ministers of OSCE Participating States, which will take place in Potsdam, Germany. Germany holds the current chairmanship of the OSCE.



The main subjects of the Meeting are migration, European security, arms control, the situation in Ukraine, and preparation for the Hamburg Ministerial Meeting this coming December.



On Friday, 2 September, Mr. Kotzias will travel to Bratislava to participate in the two-day Informal Gymnich Meeting of EU Foreign Ministers.



The agenda for the first day of the meeting includes the situation in Ukraine, combatting of terrorism and prevention of radicalization, and implementation of the EU Global Strategy on foreign and security policy issues.



Mr. Kotzias will also participate in a working luncheon on developments in Turkey and, on Saturday, 3 September, in the Ministers meeting with Turkish European Affairs Minister Omer Celik.



Finally, together with the Foreign Ministers of the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia), the EU Foreign Ministers will discuss the prospects for deepening cooperation between the EU and the eastern partners.
Mr. Speaker,

Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen MPs,

The revision of the existing Law 4027/2011, which regulates Greek-language education abroad, was deemed necessary due to the many problems that arose during its implementation. This is what is being attempted through todays draft law that we are debating in Parliament, and the main reason is that the existing framework for Greek-language education abroad has not produced the expected results, despite the genuine efforts of the seconded educators and, in most cases, the substantial and practical interest of overseas Greeks.

Our aims and objectives are to maintain the special linguistic and cultural identity of the Greek abroad and facilitate his adaptation to another cultural environment through capitalizing on the existing educational structures of the host country, as well as to secure recognition for all forms of Greek-language education abroad while strengthening of these forms of Greek-language education correspondingly.

The form of school (bilingual or single language, Greek Language and Culture Department, integrated or not) bears in mind the particular characteristics of the country in which it is operating, the legislative framework in effect, the make-up of the student population, in order for an adapted policy to be implemented in each case. For this reason, the model of bilingual education, which is gaining ground due to the potential it gives students for continuing their studies in both Greek and foreign tertiary institutions, will be implemented gradually, following the signing of a relevant inter-state agreement that safeguards the interests of the Greek community.

The inventorying of existing agencies, which, unfortunately, and despite being provided for in the past, has not yet been completed, with the result that there is no overall picture of their characteristics. The picture that arises from the inventory will allow for correct oversight of the agencies as well as the drawing up of a targeted education policy in the long term.

Timely annual planning of postings of educators is needed, based on real demand for personnel. To this end, the education coordinator is responsible for collecting the data required (number of classes, number of students, educator positions, timetables, etc.), which will be submitted electronically to the competent Directorate of the Ministry of Education.

A Permanent Committee is being set up among the co-competent Ministries of Education, Culture and Foreign Affairs, and representatives of educational institutions, such as the Institute for Educational Policy and the Greek Language Center. The task of this committee is to programme joint actions for Greek education and culture abroad and to ensure smooth and coordinated cooperation among the competent agencies. Recognizing the contribution of the Orthodox Church to Greek-language education abroad, the Permanent Committee will also have a member appointed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Moreover, a Permanent Committee is being established to monitor and promote of the work of tertiary educational agencies abroad, as well as to assess the work of educators posted to these agencies. This move is part of the framework of a broader effort to approach  beyond the Greek community abroad  foreigners who love Greece and want to participate in Greek education.

Care is being taken to provide pedagogical guidance and training for educators, in order that they should receive substantial support in their work from the competent agencies in Greece. The use of new forms of technology allows the linking of Greek-language education with lifelong learning, without burdening the state budget.

Flexibility is being introduced into the manner in which Greek-language education is bolstered, bearing in mind special circumstances and needs in given locales. Through this prism, Greek Language and Culture Classes will small numbers of students will be able to get support from the Greek state through the provision of educational materials (digital and print) so as to maintain the ties between Greeks abroad, wherever they may be, and the Greek homeland.

And above all, the knowledge and experience of Greeks abroad is being used and their role is being strengthened through the potential provided for individuals with the necessary qualifications to be hired as educational personnel at Greek schools abroad. In this way, we are ensuring effective cooperation between seconded educators and Greeks abroad, as well as exchange of experiences, pedagogical perspectives and scientific practices.

We are bearing seriously in mind and considering, in a second phase, the proposals of the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association (WHIA), and some of its proposals are incorporated into the present legislation. In the coming time, we will be establishing World Greek Language Day.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the year the hepatitis B virus was discovered. To celebrate the event, seminars and symposiums have been held around the world. One of them was the Asia-Pacific Digestive Week held in Kobe, Japan on Oct. 16, where Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg was invited to discuss the history and future of hepatitis B treatment. Blumberg won the 1976 Nobel Prize for Medicine for discovering the virus.

At the symposium, digestive specialist Han Kwang-hyub of Yonsei University Medical School said, "The discovery of the hepatitis virus was a milestone in Korea because the country was infamous for its high rate of the virus. Since the early 1990s, newborn babies have been required to be vaccinated against hepatitis, and this has led to the rate of hepatitis B among teens and children falling to no more than 0.5 to two percent."

As of 2005, however, the rate of hepatitis B among adults over 20 was still high, from three to seven percent. The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver and the National Statistical Office estimate that some 2.20 to 3.76 million people suffer from the disease in Korea.

Liver diseases are the second largest cause of death among Koreans in their 50s, following cancer. Liver cancer is more common among those in their 40s and 50s than gastric cancer and lung cancer, the two most common cancers for Koreans.

Some 80 percent of liver cancer cases are related to the hepatitis B virus, which is transmitted from the mother at the time of birth. "The hepatitis B virus transmitted this way is activated after 20 to 30 years, and that's why liver diseases including cancer are frequently found in many middle-aged men, who are usually at the climax of their economic activity," said Konkuk University Hospital president Lee Chang-hong. "We need to take more interest in fighting the virus."
Health authorities have issued a hepatitis A alert for teenagers and those in their 20s since the most infections occur in the summer. According to statistics by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 52.4 percent of the hepatitis A infections reported in 2008 took place between May and July.

Moon Jin-soo, director of pediatrics at Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, said certain months of the year are favorable in terms of viral activity, and this time is the optimum period for hepatitis A.

Hepatitis Type A is a waterborne disease and is spreading quickly. According to the KCDC, the number of people infected with hepatitis A rose from 798 in 2005 to 7,895 in 2008. As of the middle of May, 4,231 people had been infected so far this year.

The reason a disease usually seen in Third World countries is spreading at this rate in Korea is an increase in the number of people who do not have antibodies to fight the virus. With an increase in the number of Koreans traveling to China and Southeast Asia, where hepatitis A is common, more people are getting exposed to the disease. People who have not developed antibodies since they were not exposed to the virus in childhood are returning with it from overseas.

Han Kwang-hyub, an internist at Severance Hospital, said children between the ages of 0 and five experience only mild illnesses if they are infected with hepatitis A, so there is no need for alarm, and people over 40 have usually developed antibodies. But people in their teens and 20s are at risk.

There is a big difference between the rate of antibodies among those in their teens and 20s and those between 40 to 60 years of age. Kim Jong-hyun, a pediatric physician at St. Vincent's Hospital, conducted a joint study with the KCDC in 2007 which found that almost all Koreans over 40 had antibodies for hepatitis A, but that rate was only 10 to 30 percent for Koreans between nine and 29 years of age.
Even before it made landfall, the storm had already paralyzed traffic, caused blackouts and prompted officials to urge residents to evacuate. It was packing winds up to 126 kilometers (78 miles) per hour Tuesday evening.

Typhoon Lionrock made landfall near the city of Ofunato, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of Tokyo. It's the first time a typhoon has made landfall in the northern region since 1951, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping statistics.

A typhoon slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday evening, threatening to bring floods to an area still recovering from the 2011 tsunami.

More than 170,000 people were subject to evacuation, including 38,000 in Ofunato, though only some of them actually went to shelters. More than 10,000 homes in the northern region were without electricity, with power lines damaged from the winds.

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami left more than 18,000 people dead in the wide swaths of Japan's northern coast, including 340 in Ofunato.

As of Tuesday evening, Typhoon Lionrock had brought 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rainfall to the region over the past 24 hours, and was expected to dump up to 8 centimeters (3 inches) of rain per hour in some areas, the meteorological agency said, urging residents to use caution and stay away from the coastline.

Major airlines canceled more than 100 flights to and from the northern region. Bullet train services in the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions were suspended.

At the Fukushima nuclear power plant, decimated by the 2011 disaster, some outdoor decommissioning work was suspended as a precaution.
GAGETOWN  The Gagetown Church of the Nazarene has a new spiritual leader. Ben Strait, 28, has accepted the calling to lead the church.

Being a pastor was not his first career choice.

While I was working as a gatekeeper at my church, I began to fall in love with serving the church. Over time, this passion developed into my realization that God called me into the ministry, Strait explained. Even though I was about to graduate from technical school with a focus on architecture, I consulted family members as well as my pastors and other ministers in the church for insight.

With encouragement, he pursued a local ministers license. He found that ministry was his true calling. He continued to take theological classes to stay on that path.

He graduated from Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois three months ago with a Master of Arts in Family Ministry, and graduated in May 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from the same college. He also graduated from ITT Technical Institute in March 2009 with training in computer aided drafting and design.

We are very excited to have a minister again. We havent had one for a long time. He is young and enthusiastic, said Liz Roemer, a longtime member of the Gagetown Church of the Nazarene. He is very outgoing and working to get to know his community.

Before coming to Gagetown, he was a volunteer associate pastor at St. Louis Church of the Nazarene in St. Louis, Michigan. While there he assisted the lead pastor prepare and deliver sermons, develop materials, and did pastoral care when needed. He was also an intern pastor at Sparta Church of the Nazarene in Sparta.

I like this church. There is a real sense of community here and the congregation is a family. Ive felt welcomed from the first day, Strait said. Im very happy to be part of the community.

Gagetown Church of the Nazarene has 50 members.

It might be a small church, but the last one I was at was smaller. There was a congregation of about 30, he said. They have kept the church going in Gagetown for over 100 years.

Strait has also done missionary work. He was an English camp teacher in Pyeongtaek and Seoul, South Korea. While there, he and other Olivet Nazarene University students developed curricula for elementary students, and taught elementary Korean students to read, write and speak English. He also did missionary work in Nairobi and Kenya.

In all honesty, I do not know when I gave my heart to Christ. I grew up in a home where God, church, and faith were talked about long before I was born. There was never a time when I did not know who Jesus was, he said. Although I do not know when Jesus went from being a deity I knew to my personal Lord and Savior. I can see the evidence of His Spirits work in my life which testifies to my being born again.

Strait replaces Kyle Boils who left early last year as the churchs pastor.
KINDE  The smallest drug team in the state is continuously hard at work to keep deadly substances clear from Huron County streets, and more importantly, out of schools.

Ryan Swartz had his small case of evidence at his side as he spoke to roughly 30 North Huron students and parents last week during the districts open house.

For the last four years, Swartz has been diligently working to rid the drug problem as the drug investigator for the Huron County Sheriffs Office. During his presentation, Swartz highlighted the changes in drug trends and uses over the years.

Fifteen years ago, the (substance) choices were marijuana and alcohol, he said. Now, the trend has shifted to meth and heroin.

A lot of people are getting addicted to prescription pills and it can happen to anybody, he added.

Swartz shared a story about a high school senior, who had it all, but let drugs take over his life and later ended up in prison.

This kid came from a good family, he said. It all started when doctors prescribed him vicodin after a simple surgery to help with the pain.

Abusing prescription pills is one of the top ways users get addicted to heroin  an inexpensive drug that has taken national spotlight. One-third of the heroin coming into Michigan is stepped on or mixed with fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller that the Drug Enforcement Agency says is 50 times more powerful than heroin.

Thats why so many people overdose, Swartz said. They dont know whats in their drugs.

Moving along with the presentation, Swartz went over the evolution of marijuana. The substance has changed throughout the years and the THC levels are becoming stronger and stronger, he said.

Marijuana in the 70s, 80s and 90s had THC levels of 10 to 20 percent, but in todays marijuana thats up to 80 to 90 percent, Swartz explained.

The substance has also taken different forms including: edibles, juices, lotions and wax  better known as dabs.

Although the DEA recently reviewed its position on marijuana, it will continue to be marked as a Schedule I drug.

In 2013, methamphetamine, also known as meth, knocked on the countys door. Swartz told his crowd meth is becoming easier to cook because the ingredients are somewhat easy to access. A meth lab can be as small as a Gatorade bottle, but can pack a big enough punch to blow up a car.

Breathing in the chemicals alone can kill you, he said, adding he keeps a gas mask in his car at all times in case of an emergency.

Jeannette Strubbe, of Port Hope, and her granddaughter Shyanne Crandall, a North Huron freshman, said they each took a lot away from the presentation.

Doctors are a key player in that, Strubbe said, referring to heroin and prescription pills overdoses. They are prescribing all of these pills and know the outcome it can have.

I didnt know kids were putting marijuana in their vapes, Crandall recalled a portion of the presentation.

Swartz said he contacted all of the schools in Huron County to set up similar presentations.
The United States says it still hopes to complete a massive trade pact with the European Union by the end of 2016, even after French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that negotiations had stalled.

The White House said President Barack Obama was sending his top trade official, Michael Froman, to Europe in September to renew talks aimed at creating the world's largest free-trade zone. The United States is the world's single biggest economy, but collectively, the 28-nation EU is even bigger.

"Our position on this has not changed," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "We are continuing to work toward a goal of completing those negotiations before the end of the year," just weeks before Obama leaves office in January.

Hollande said, "France prefers to look things in the face. These discussions cannot result in an agreement by the end of the year. The negotiations have bogged down, the positions have not been respected, the imbalance is obvious."
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PIGEON  They chopped, they weighed, they cooked.

Food service employees from Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Lakers and Owendale-Gagetown Area Schools recently attended a Farm-to-School training at the Huron Area Technical Center kitchen, hosted by French Chef Monique Hooker.

Chef Monique, who has about 50 years of experience in the food industry, is a chef, teacher and author. Shes been with the Farm-to-School program as an instructor for 14 years, and shes helped more than 900 schools across the country incorporate more local produce into their lunch menus.

During the four-day training, food service employees prepared various dishes using recipes that included a variety of fresh produce, and Chef Monique taught several preparation techniques for the produce. She said its important for students to have healthy choices for lunch, because then they will enjoy eating healthy food throughout their lives.

The training was part of the Farm to School grant received by Laker Schools last year. It was open to all Huron County districts.

Laker Elementary Principal Kathy Dickens, who applied for the grant, said the plan is to eventually incorporate one type of local seasonal produce into the lunch menu each month.
"We are concerned about a unilateral approach," Earnest said, adding that it "threatens to undermine progress that we have made collaboratively with the Europeans to make the international taxation system fair" for both taxpayers and companies. The U.S. Treasury called the ruling "unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said U.S. taxpayers could eventually bear the brunt of the decision, if Apple is forced to make the payment, because the company then could deduct the billions it pays Ireland from the U.S. taxes it owes.

In Washington, U.S. officials also voiced their disappointment in the decision.

Ireland, however, was placed in the odd position of rejecting a payment that is the equivalent of 5 percent of its national economic product and officials expressed concerns that the ruling against Apple could hurt the country's longtime reputation as a low-tax haven with an open door for international investment.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook immediately said the U.S.-based multi-national company would appeal the ruling, as did Ireland.

The European Union's antitrust regulator Tuesday ordered technology giant Apple to repay Ireland $14.5 billion in back taxes, saying the world's most valuable company received an unfair tax break from Dublin and managed to avoid almost all corporate taxes across the 28-nation bloc for more than a decade.

 Tax Rate of 0.005 Percent

The EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager said, "Tax rulings granted by Ireland have artificially reduced Apple's tax burden for over two decades, in breach of the EU state aid rules. Apple now has to repay the benefits." She questioned how anyone might think that Apple's 2014 Irish tax rate of 0.005 percent was fair.

Apple employs nearly 6,000 people in Ireland. Cook said he was "confident" the tax ruling would be overturned.

The technology giant, the maker of the popular iPhones, was able to legally funnel its international sales revenue through Ireland in order to lower its tax payments; however, the commission ruled that European law makes it illegal for a company to receive state tax aid, and would require Apple to pay back Ireland for the tax breaks it received.

Vestager said that Apple illegally benefited from a tax deal with Ireland that no other business received.

"Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies  this is illegal under EU state aid rules," she said in a statement. The commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years."

 Funneling All Through One Country

Apple took all of its profits from European sales and recorded them in Ireland. From there, the majority of Apple's European profits were allocated to a "head office" within the company that had no physical presence or employees in any country. Only a small fraction of Apple's profits was allocated to its "Irish branch" so only those profits were taxed by Ireland.

That allowed Apple to pay just over $11 million in corporate taxes in 2011 -- an effective tax rate of less than 1 percent. In the following years, Apples profits continued to increase, but its tax payments continued to decrease.

The European Commission ruling marks Europes largest-ever tax penalty -- though Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan immediately indicated the country will appeal the ruling.

"The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek Cabinet approval to appeal the decision before the European courts," Noonan said in a statement. "This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business, and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules."

Last month, the U.S. Treasury Department criticized the European Commission, accusing it of unfairly singling out U.S. companies for punishment under its "new approach" to dealing with legal tax breaks given to multinational corporations operating within its member states.

The commission denied that it is targeting U.S. businesses, and instead said that EU rules ban member states from offering tax breaks that are not available in other European countries.

"This is a standard feature of EU state aid rules," the commission said in a statement.
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.
CINCINNATI -- In a script flipped from previous elections, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton styled herself as the candidate defending American exceptionalism, international alliances and the military in a speech to thousands of veterans Wednesday.

Speaking here at the American Legion National Convention, Clinton highlighted her personal and professional military bona fides, describing her upbringing as the daughter of a Navy chief petty officer and invoking her role as an adviser in the May 2011 Navy SEAL raid that killed al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden.

"I was deeply honored to be part of that small group advising the president," she said. "I brought to those discussions my experience as a senator from New York on 9/11 and my commitment to do whatever I could in whatever role I had to bring bin Laden to justice."

She recalled watching the SEALs adapt and carry on with the mission as one of the Black Hawk helicopters clipped the wall of bin Laden's compound and was disabled.

"I was holding my breath for the entire operation," she said.

Although the SEALs were racing against the clock to destroy the damaged chopper and depart after taking out bin Laden, Clinton said, they took time to move women and children -- bin Laden's family members -- to safety.

"That is what honor looks like," she said. "Maybe the soldiers of other nations wouldn't have bothered. Or maybe the'd have taken revenge on those family members of terrorists. But that is not who we are. And anyone who doesn't understand that, doesn't understand what makes our nation great."

The statement was one of many pointed rebukes to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who is set to address the convention on Thursday.

Last December, Trump said on a Fox News talk show that U.S. leaders had to "take out [the] families" of terrorists to be effective against them. He later would walk the remark back.

Clinton also took Trump to task for comments disparaging Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who spoke in Clinton's support at the Democratic National Convention in July, and former prisoner of war Sen. John McCain, whose heroism Trump has questioned, saying in 2015: "I like people who weren't captured."

"I will never disrespect Gold Star families or prisoners of war," Clinton said. "To insult them is just so wrong, and it says a lot about the person doing the insulting."

Clinton struck a centrist note, acknowledging she spoke to an audience that tended to lean conservative. And she emphasized her commitment to the ideas of American exceptionalism and military strength.

She called her father, Navy veteran Hugh Rodham, a "rock-ribbed" Republican with whom she had never agreed on politics but had learned to converse with civilly.

"I believe we are still Lincoln's last best hope of Earth ... Still Reagan's shining city on a hill," she said. "Part of what makes America an exceptional nation is that we are also an indispensable nation. In fact, we are the indispensable nation. My friends, we are so lucky to be American when so many people want to be Americans too."

She promised to send troops into harm's way only as a last resort -- a statement that drew applause from the convention -- and promised to support and develop U.S. alliances, saying they were unmatched by those of competing global powers Russia and China.

"You don't build a coalition by insulting our friends and acting like a loose cannon," she said, subtly rebuking Trump, who has been critical of U.S. allies and NATO for not paying their share of defense costs. "You do it by putting in the slow, hard work of building relationships."

On veterans' issues, Clinton emphasized her support for reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs, rather than privatizing the system, and pledged to fight to end the national "epidemic" of veterans' suicide.

Clinton said she would support expanded tax credits for businesses that hire veterans and would promote policies that allow veterans to get credit for military job skills as they transition into the civilian workforce.

She also promised a crackdown on for-profit schools and organizations that prey on veterans and military families. "They should be ashamed of themselves, and we're going to hold them accountable," she said.

Clinton touted the endorsements she has received from retired military leaders and Republican national security experts, and promised to cross the aisle to work out a sustainable defense budget plan, denouncing the sequestration cuts, enacted through the bipartisan Budget Control Act, that placed arbitrary caps on defense spending.

"The last thing we need is a president who brings more name-calling and temper tantrums to Washington," she said.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
The Pentagon said Wednesday that relative "calm" prevailed in northeastern Syria, while Turkey was adamant that there was no deal with Washington to stop attacking the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish group that has been essential to the anti-ISIS campaign.

"We have continued to see calm in northern Syria, which is a good thing," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said after the Turkish General Staff reported that three more Turkish soldiers were wounded and a tank was damaged by rocket fire near the Syrian border town of Jarablus.

In the same area, a Turkish sergeant was killed and three other soldiers were wounded in a similar rocket attack that destroyed a tank over the weekend.

There were no immediate reports of clashes Wednesday between Turkish forces and the U.S.-supported Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units), the Associated Press reported, but Turkish jets carried out airstrikes near Jarablus and Turkish artillery fired on targets west of Jarablus.

However, Cook said at a Pentagon news conference that "We're not seeing the clashes we saw from this weekend" between the YPG and the Turkish forces that crossed into Syria on Aug. 24 with fighters from the Free Syrian Army, another rebel group that is also supported by the U.S.

(The YPG is the armed wing of the Kurdish PYD, or Democratic Union Party. Turkey views the YPG and the PYD as linked to the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party, which has carried on a decades-long insurgency in southeastern Turkey. The U.S. State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization. The YPG has been the main force within the rebel Syrian Democratic Forces, which has liberated much of northeastern Syria from ISIS.)

"This is a complicated situation," Cook said, underscoring the difficulty for the U.S. in trying to keep NATO ally Turkey from attacking the Kurdish force that the U.S. is counting upon to be a main force in the long-planned effort to drive the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria from its self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa, south of Jarablus.

"We're working with Turkey to address their concerns, their legitimate concerns," about the ultimate goals of the YPG within the Syrian Democratic Forces, Cook said, and "likewise we continue to work with our partners in Syria" who are trained and advised by about 300 U.S. Special Forces troops operating from areas controlled by the YPG in Syria.

Cook said the YPG had agreed to move east of the Euphrates River to meet one of Ankara's demands, but he said some elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces remained in Manbij, south of Jarablus, for clearing operations.

In a major blow to ISIS, the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by U.S. airstrikes, drove ISIS from Manbij last month following a lengthy siege.

At the Pentagon on Tuesday, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, called on Turkey and the YPG to stop fighting each other and focus on ISIL, another acronym for ISIS.

"We rely on both Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces to help us in our fight against ISIL. Both of them are critical to it," Votel said. "Turkey certainly plays an extraordinarily important role, with their access, basing, overflight, variety of things that they do. And their operations along the border against ISIL are extraordinarily important and welcome."

At the same time, "we also value the contributions of the Syrian Democratic Forces, who have been a good partner to us in helping address the ISIL threat in the area," he said. "We see the need to continue to work with both of these organizations as we move forward and address our principal threat, which is the Islamic State."

However, Turkey showed no signs of being ready to reach an accommodation with the YPG. Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Turkey would continue to attack the YPG. A cease-fire with the group was "out of the question," Kalin said.

In a commentary for Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper, analyst Yusuf Kanli sought to explain the dilemma for the U.S. in Turkey's cross-border action.

"Operation Euphrates Shield was not and cannot be expected to be limited to rooting out ISIL from Syria's areas bordering Turkey. While that was one of the targets, the bigger and more important target for Turkey was to deliver a strong message to the PYD that Turkey would not let it move toward establishing statehood and would take every possible measure to not allow a Kurdish state carved out from its territory," Kanli said.

"This might not appear something of immediate worry for the United States but is an existential issue for the Turks," Kanli said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Ukraine has scrapped a civilian exchange accord with North Korea that included visa waivers, highlighting the North's growing diplomatic isolation even among remnants of the old Soviet empire.

The move comes after news that the North Korean Embassy in the brutal banana republic of Uzbekistan, its sole diplomatic mission in Central Asia, was shut down.

The Ukrainian parliament unanimously passed a bill scrapping civilian exchanges with North Korea and informed the North in the middle of this month, according to a diplomat.

From early October, North Koreans must apply for visas again if they visit and North Koreans who live there need new permits.

Even until last year, Ukraine was North Korea's fifth-largest trading partner after China, Russia, India and Thailand.

Ukraine said it scrapped the accord because Pyongyang did not support it over Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimea two years ago. The move cements Kiev's realignment with the West as it comes amid U.S.-led sanctions against the repressive North Korean regime.


The U.S. will continue to support Kurdish Syrian militia that Turkey has pledged to wipe out in its offensive into Syria, Army Gen. Joseph Votel said Tuesday.

"They have lived up to their commitment to us" to move east of the Euphrates River to meet one of Ankara's demands, said Votel, head of U.S. Central Command and the top U.S. commander in the Mideast, referring to the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG.

The YPG is the military wing of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, which Turkey calls a terrorist organization. It's also considered to be by far the most effective rebel group operating in Syria against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Turkey appeared to dispute Votel's statement that the YPG had moved east of the Syrian border town of Jarablus, which Turkish tanks and mechanized infantry took against little resistance in its Aug. 24 offensive into Syria.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said U.S. Ambassador John Bass was summoned to the ministry to hear Turkey's demands that the YPG pull back east of the Euphrates immediately. Bilgic pointedly said it was "unacceptable" the YPG had failed to live up to U.S. assurances on the withdrawal. The U.S. earlier had said Turkey's actions after taking Jarablus were "unacceptable."

The position of NATO ally Turkey was possibly hardening as its casualties mounted in what Ankara is calling Operation Euphrates Shield. A Turkish sergeant was killed and three other soldiers were wounded Sunday in an anti-tank missile attack on a Turkish tank south of Jarablus.

Three more Turkish soldiers reportedly were wounded Tuesday.

The U.S. initially provided close-air support to the Turkish advance, but it was withdrawn after two days as elements of the Free Syrian Army, another opposition group backed by the U.S. as well as Turkey, reportedly moved south of Jarablus to take several villages.

"We did support them," Votel said of the Turkish forces crossing into Syria, but "we had to withdraw support for that" when it became clear to the U.S. that the Turkish offensive had aims beyond clearing fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria from the border.

Thus far, the Turkish offensive has posed no threat to the estimated 300 U.S. Special Forces troops in Syria training and advising rebel groups, including the YPG, Votel said.

"They know very well where we are," Votel said, but "we may remind them" occasionally.

Despite the frictions with the Turkish government, there also has been no effect as yet on flight operations in the anti-ISIS campaign out of the U.S. air base at Incirlik, he said, adding "I don't see any degradation to the support we're getting" from Turkey at Incirlik.

Votel spoke at a Pentagon news conference at which he sought to walk a fine line between backing a rebel group that has been vital to the anti-ISIS campaign in Syria and antagonizing a NATO ally still shaken by the failed July 15 coup mounted by elements of the military opposed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Late last month, Erdogan attacked Votel personally, suggesting that he may have sympathized with the coup plotters after Votel voiced concerns about military-to-military relations in the aftermath of the coup attempt in which an estimated 300 were killed and the Turkish parliament was bombed.

Erdogan went on a tirade against Votel: "Who are you? Know your place! You are taking the side of coup plotters instead of thanking this state for defeating the coup attempt."

Votel issued a statement through CentCom denying involvement: "Any reporting that I had anything to do with the recent unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey is unfortunate and completely inaccurate."

"Turkey has been an extraordinary and vital partner in the region for many years. We appreciate Turkey's continuing cooperation and look forward to our future partnership in the counter-ISIL fight," Votel said, using another acronym for ISIL.

Votel made similar statements at the news conference Tuesday. He said that the U.S. was supporting the Turkish move against Jarablus -- so long as it stayed focus on ISIS.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Samsung SDI will build a plant in Hungary to produce batteries for electric vehicles. The company said on Tuesday the plant will meet demand for the expanding EV market there.

It plans to invest some W400 billion in total to build a plant with an annual production capacity of 50,000 batteries (US$1=W1,119).

Its existing factory for display panels will be renovated to cut costs and time, and the new plant will be scheduled to open sometime in late 2018.
Veteran reliever Jonathan Papelbon will not reach a deal today with the Red Sox or any other organization, according to WEEI.coms Rob Bradford. As a result, he will not be eligible to appear on a postseason roster.

That decision makes it seem all but certain that Papelbon will not look to pitch again this season. The long-time closer is known as a fiery competitor, and it is hard to imagine hed go through the process of trying to ramp back up without the potential for suiting up in the playoffs.

Whether or not Papelbon will seek to make a comeback in the future remains to be seen. We havent heard any suggestion that he is mulling retirement, of course, but there is now at least an open question. After all, Boston and other organizations did express real interest in picking up the 35-year-old after he was cut loose by the Nationals earlier this month.
DETROIT - Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk said he plans to release details of improvements to the electric carmaker's "Autopilot" semi-autonomous driving system.

Like advanced safety features found in many newer cars, Autopilot uses cameras, radars and sensors to speed up, slow down and even steer the vehicles.

Musk said Wednesday on Twitter an updated version of the software will be improved "primarily through advanced processing of radar signals."

As has been his practice, Musk said he is penning details for the company's blog, and plans to post them later Wednesday.

(Update: As of 6 a.m. Thursday, no such details had been posted to the company's website.)

Major improvements to Autopilot coming with V8.0 and 8.1 software (std OTA update) primarily through advanced processing of radar signals  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 31, 2016

Tesla's Autopilot has been receiving more attention in recent months following a fatal accident. Joshua Brown, a 40-year-old man from Ohio, was killed when his Tesla Model S, which was in Autopilot mode, crashed into a turning tractor trailer on a Florida highway.

Tesla said that in bright sunlight, neither the Autopilot sensor, nor the driver noticed the white side of the trailer, which was perpendicular to the Model S, and neither applied the brakes.

Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into the crash.

When it released Autopilot last October, Tesla warned that the feature is still in beta and not a computer replacement for human driving, urging drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel.

Consumer Reports has called Tesla's Autopilot function "too much autonomy too soon," and also asked the company to stop referring to the system as "Autopilot," saying that such a moniker is "misleading and dangerous."

Tesla has repeatedly noted that its Autopilot system had been driven 130 million miles without a fatality. In an emailed response to the Consumer Reports piece last month, Tesla told MLive the carmaker "is constantly introducing enhancements proven over millions of miles of internal testing to ensure that drivers supported by Autopilot remain safer than those operating without assistance."

"We will continue to develop, validate, and release those enhancements as the technology grows," the company said. "While we appreciate well-meaning advice from any individual or group, we make our decisions on the basis of real-world data, not speculation by media."

Tesla looks to raise more cash

Separately, Tesla plans to raise more money this year, either through an equity or debt offering, as it prepares to launch the $35,000 Model 3 car while ramping up vehicle and battery production.

Reuters reports Tesla ended the second quarter with almost $3.25 billion in cash, but is likely to have just $400 million left after it pays back a revolving credit line, redeems convertible notes and invests in its production expansion.

At the same time, the company needs to absorb Solar City, a company that has been losing money. Tesla agreed to acquire Solar City earlier this month in an all-stock transaction worth about $2.6 billion

Tesla has been operating in the red and has had a negative cash flow since early 2014, Reuters notes.
South_Maple_Aug2016_01.jpg

Site plan drawing by Perimeter Engineering LLC for a 70-unit apartment complex proposed by Avalon Housing at 1110 S. Maple Road.

(Perimeter Engineering LLC)

ANN ARBOR, MI - Plans are in the works for a new affordable housing development on Ann Arbor's west side.

Avalon Housing, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit affordable housing provider, has submitted plans to the city for the property at 1110 S. Maple Road.

The agency proposes to develop 70 apartments in two three-story buildings with required parking and stormwater management.

The estimated cost of construction is $10 million.

The property is on the west side of Maple Road between Liberty Road and Pauline Boulevard.

The site consists of two parcels, both currently in Scio Township and each containing a single-family home.

Avalon is requesting annexation of the property into the city, along with approval of R4B multi-family residential zoning.

The properties to the north and east are multi-family housing. To the south is a single-family residence on another township island and a city park.

A full-color architectural rendering is not yet available, but this elevation drawing by Cornerstone Design is included in Avalon Housing's site plan submittal for 1110 S. Maple Road.

Plans indicate the new buildings would measure 98,281 square feet combined and contain mostly one-bedroom units, with some two-bedroom units.

They would be made affordable for people making under 50 percent of the area median income, with many of them for people at 30 percent or below.

Plans also indicate there would be 105 parking spaces for automobiles, as well as 14 bicycle parking spaces.

South Maple Apartments is the name given to the project in the site plan submitted to the city for review and approval.

City Planner Alexis DiLeo sent an email to Avalon Housing on Tuesday, Aug. 30, noting there already is at least one development by that name.

"A new name must be selected," DiLeo wrote in the email. "Please avoid Ann, Arbor, Maple, Oak, Pine, Lake, Creek, Pond, Glen, Cove, Wood, Mallet, Traver, or Allen in any combination or individually."

Wendy Carty-Saxon, Avalon's director of real estate development, said a new name hasn't been chosen yet.

Avalon still is seeking funding for the project. Following site plan approval, the agency plans to apply before an April deadline to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority for low-income housing tax credits.

If approved and built, this would be Avalon's first new affordable housing project in Ann Arbor since the 32-unit Pauline Apartments opened in 2013. The complex at 1500 Pauline Blvd. includes five buildings, counting a community center.

"We're very excited about the opportunity to bring some new units online, especially new construction units, in Ann Arbor," Carty-Saxon said.

She said there are many people in the community in need of affordable apartments with accessible features, and the new units would include features such as sufficiently wide doors and turning radiuses in bathrooms.

She said they wouldn't be age restricted, but they would be good for seniors and people with mobility impairments.

Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com.
John Dupont, a partner with Westbrook Housing Development, makes his case to the Bay City Planning Commission Tuesday, Aug. 30, for a low-income senior citizen apartment complex that his firm wants to build near downtown Bay City.

BAY CITY, MI -- A developer looking to build an affordable senior citizen apartment complex near downtown Bay City took a step forward Tuesday when it received special use and site plan approval from the Bay City Planning Commission.

Westbrook Housing Development, which is made up of partners from Saginaw-based Wolgast Corp., is proposing a 47 one- and two-bedroom senior housing development called Madison Place Senior Apartments for low- to moderate-income residents 55 years and older. The three-story building would be constructed on an unused parking lot at Fourth Street and Madison Avenue, just east of the Pere Marquette Depot and south of Maplewood Manor, another low-income senior apartment facility run by the Bay City Housing Commission.

The Planning Commission Tuesday, Aug. 30, approved site plans and a special use certificate for the project on a 5-1 count. Commissioner William Branigan was the lone no vote. Commissioner Mary Ewald Sayles was absent from Tuesday's meeting.

The developer goes before the Bay City Zoning Board of Appeals at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Bay City Hall, 301 N. Washington Ave., for one final approval before the proposed project goes to the Bay City Commission. The developer needs to secure a PILOT -- payment in lieu of taxes -- agreement in order to land $7 million to $10 million in federal tax credits from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

The Bay City Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Branigan, who voted against the project Tuesday night, cited a recently published Bay City housing study as reason for not supporting it.

The housing study says Bay City's housing supply is too high with too little demand and as a result, there is little to no equity in homes. Because of that, residents aren't putting money into their houses and the market has continued to decline. One of the key guidelines of the study is to "work above the market."

"This means that if we have any new construction, we have to work above the market," Branigan said. "This doesn't aim to push the market up."

If built, instead of paying full taxes on the project, John Dupont, a partner with the development firm, has said his team would agree to pay 4 percent, or about $15,000 per year. The property today is a parking lot owned by Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health, a nonprofit that doesn't pay tax revenue on the lot.

To sweeten the deal, the development firm has also offered the city a one time payment of $100,000 before the completion of construction.

At Tuesday's meeting, Dupont said he met again this week with Bay City Manager Rick Finn and negotiations on how much would be paid in taxes are still ongoing.

Following a recess after the vote, Planning Commission President Frank Starkweather made a motion to have his fellow commissioners support a letter addressed to the City Commission, asking that body not to support a PILOT for the project. That motion was approved 4-2. Commissioners Gerald Green and Robert Shea voted no on the motion.
BAY CITY, MI -- The owner of a Bay City head shop is facing a five-year felony due to police alleging he had illegal tobacco on hand.

On April 28, 2014, Michigan State Police Tobacco Tax Act team was checking tobacco-selling businesses when they stopped by 3 Doors Down Head Shop, 4116 Wilder Road in Bay City.

"They found (the shop) had some tobacco that didn't have the stamps on it," said MSP Special 1st Lt. David Kaiser. "They requested a worker pull the invoices, which she did. There was nothing that supported that they had paid sales tax on it."

Kaiser said the tobacco was purchased from a Wisconsin-based distributor who was not licensed in Michigan.

The state police seized the unlicensed tobacco, Kaiser said.

Investigators spent the next year trying to locate and interview the business's owner, 41-year-old Jason A. Tenjeras, Kaiser said. Tenjeras also owns tobacco shops in Traverse City and Waterford, the lieutenant added.

Police eventually found Tenjeras and interviewed him on Dec. 7, Kaiser said. Officers' reports were sent to the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

Authorities issued a warrant for Tenjeras on Aug. 22.

Tenjeras on Thursday, Aug. 25, voluntarily appeared in Bay County District Court for arraignment on one count of Tobacco Tax Act violation. The charge is a five-year felony.

Court records indicate Tenjeras lives in White Lake.

Tenjeras is to appear for a preliminary examination before District Judge Mark E. Janer at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8.
BAY CITY, MI -- For more than three decades helping people correct the courses of their lives, a retired probation officer has received an award from Bay County's judges.

Tuesday, Aug. 30, former Bay County District Judge Craig D. Alston granted his namesake award to Larry M. Tesch. Joining him were Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill, Chief District Judge Dawn A. Klida, District Magistrate Janice E. Doner and Probate Judge John C. Keuvelaar.

The county's judges come together each year to decide who will be its recipient. The Craig D. Alston Award was established in 2012 to be given annually to law enforcement and health care professionals or others associated with the county's treatment courts "for excellence in the adjudication and treatment of substance abuse-related criminal offenders."

"The theme and the objective of all of these programs is to try to treat people for their addictions, their psychological disorders, the things that interfere with their ability to lead a productive life," Judge Gill said.

Gill went on to laud Tesch for his efforts to keep treatment court participants on the straight and narrow.

"Larry Tesch, to me, is a hero," Gill said. "He had been with the (Michigan) Department of Corrections for a career that exceeded 30 years. He's seen a lot of heartache, seen people get into a lot of trouble, and seen people do awful things to people in their lives and with their lives. In spite of all that he has seen, he never lost the ability to see and look for the good in people, no matter where they came from, what they had done, or what been done to them."

He went to on say the effect Tesch had on people who passed through the treatment programs is immense. He recalled an account shared by a recovering crack addict, who was in Saginaw once and felt the temptation to buy the illicit stimulant.

The man called Tesch on his cellphone, and Tesch then talked the man out of buying crack, Gill said.

"This gentleman was reunited with his family, has a job, is doing quite well, and is a productive citizen," Gill said, saying that is but one example of Tesch's impact.

Alston added how difficult a job it is to be a probation officer.

"It's also a burnout job," the former judge said. "Instead of burning out and sloughing off, as Larry approached the end of his career, he took on more difficult situations and became more active. Even after he retired, he took on volunteer work along those lines.

"What you've done and what you've accomplished speaks loads of your character and dedication," he said to Tesch directly.

Tesch was emotional and at times choked up in his acceptance of the award.

"I kind of don't know what to say," he said. "I wish there were more people in my department who spent time and energy working more for the welfare of their clients. It can burn you out. I am just thankful that after the 34 years I worked with the department, I never became cynical. We're dealing with people -- they're people -- and you need to keep that in your mind when you're dealing with them."

He, too, remembered when the a crack addict called him. When this person graduated from treatment court, he gave Tesch a Boy Scouts of America Lifesaver merit badge.

"I had to turn it over to my supervisor as we can't accept gifts," he laughed, adding that upon his retirement, the badge was turned over to him. "That was a memorable moment."

Tesch said he was honored to receive the award.

"This is something I'm going to remember for a long time. I hope the specialty courts continue to fulfill the services out there that are so needed. I hope they continue to grow and spread throughout the state and throughout the country."

Alston served as a District Court judge for 25 years, stepping down in October 2009. He started the county's first treatment court -- an alcohol-based one -- in 2005. Klida took over that court as Alston's successor. Gill currently oversees a narcotics treatment court and Keuvelaar oversees treatment courts for juveniles and families.

Previous recipients include Bay County Prosecutor Kurt C. Asbury, Christina Bermejo, Anthony Bellhorn, and retired Bay County Probate Judge Karen A. Tighe.

Bermejo and Bellhorn successfully came through the county's treatment courts.
Non-Korean coins thrown into Seoul's Cheonggye Stream will be used to help children in water-stressed countries.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government says it donated to UNICEF coins collected from the stream from January through July. Since 2005, people have been making wishes by throwing coins into a pond located at the stream.

The city government has been donating foreign coins to international relief organizations since 2006.

Korean coins were put toward tuition fees for high school students from low-income households in Seoul.
DETROIT -- Six Polish citizens were arrested while trying to cross into the United States via Canada by boat Friday, Aug. 26.

U.S. Border Patrol agents reportedly witnessed two people board a boat in the St. Clair River, the "Sacrebleu," as it entered Canadian waters, according to a press release from the agency.

After agents notified Canadian law enforcement, Sarnia Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers witnessed around four or five more people board the "Sacrebleu."

After police returned the favor and notified the U.S. Border Patrol that the "Sacrebleu" was headed back, agents arrested six people aboard the boat at the River Street Marina in Port Huron, according to the news release.

"This was an outstanding coordinated effort between two countries," Chief Patrol Agent Douglas Harrison said in the border patrol's news release.

"Our agent's keen sense of situational awareness and our interoperability with RCMP were instrumental in coordinating this cross-border smuggling attempt."

The driver of the boat, Piotr Lisiecki, was arrested and charged with bringing in and harboring certain aliens and improper entry by alien, according to the release.

Mona Dolinska, Maria Hauf, Jan Hauf, Roman Kowalski and Wanda Kowalska were arrested and charged with improper entry by alien.

All six were identified by the agency as citizens of Poland.

"Human smuggling can have disastrous implications to our national security, international relations, public health, economic/labour market and affects the integrity of our Immigration system." RCMP Superintendent Jamie Jagoe said in the release.

"Through collaborative efforts, with our partner agencies, we are always working to protect the integrity of our shared border."

The case has been sent for potential prosecution to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Eastern Michigan.
A Detroit man who participated in an international heroin smuggling operation will be released from prison more than a decade early after a commutation issued by President Barack Obama this month.

Obi Maduka Emmanuel was convicted in 2007 on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute heroin; and conspiracy to import heroin into the U.S. from Afghanistan.

He was ordered to serve a 20-year prison sentence in 2007.

Obama awarded 325 commutations in August -- including 111 on Tuesday, Aug. 30 -- a single-month record for presidential commutations, the Washington Post reports.

The commutations have mostly involved nonviolent drug offenders serving stiff minimum sentences resulting from the nation's war on drugs that began in the 1970s.

Emmanuel is expected to be released this December with 10 years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Department of Justice website.

A commutation does not eliminate one's criminal record, but shortens the original prison sentence.

Emmanuel's attorneys and the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York disagree on how menacing Emmanuel's actions really were.

According to a press release issued by the New York U.S. attorney's office following Emmanuel's conviction in June 2007, Emmanuel masterminded the U.S. end of a heroin smuggling operation based in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Investigators said Emmanuel directed his co-defendant, Chimdi Ibiam, to import three kilograms of heroin, the government said.

The DEA also intercepted communications between Ibiam and Emmanuel on efforts to obtain the three kilograms of heroin, the government said in its statement following trial.

"Those conversations, which were introduced at trial, revealed that Emmanuel was directing Ibiam and that, when Ibiam obtained the heroin, he was supposed to deliver it to Emmanuel for distribution," prosecutors said.

DEA agents and informants in Kabul Afghanistan infiltrated the heroin operation and delivered a sample of heroin to Ibiam at a Starbuck's in Manhattan, N.Y. in 2006.

"At the time of the delivery, Ibiam and the confidential informant discussed the future delivery of larger amounts of heroin," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

"Following delivery of the heroin sample to Ibiam, members of the organization provided another 15 kilograms of heroin to the undercover in Afghanistan, three of which were intended for delivery to the United States and twelve of which were intended for delivery to London."

When Ibiam arrived to receive the shipment near Washington D.C., DEA agents delivered three kilograms of fake heroin and arrested him. Ibiam then agreed to make wire-tapped phone calls to Emmanuel, who investigators say intended to distribute the drugs in Michigan.

Ibiam was released from federal prison in June of 2015, according to Bureau of Prisons online records.

Emmanuel's attorney, Joseph A. Grob, in his sentencing memorandum painted the transaction as a form of entrapment that violated due process.

He said DEA agents in the U.S. were instructed by their own contacts in Kabul, Afghanistan to end the operation, but continued anyway.

"As such, the DEA Strike Force set up its own sting/reverse sting that was unrelated to (the Apghan co-conspirator's) efforts to smuggle narcotics into New York," Grob wrote in his sentencing memo.

"The fact that the DEA accomplished this operation by stealing the narcotics from Noor, and delivering those narcotics to Ibiam, who had no agreement with Noor, clearly establishes that this operation became a creature of the strike force's own construction.

" ... The DEA, on its own, usurped the entire operation and orchestrated its own operation targeting Ibiam, a person who could barely afford to pay for his own gasoline, let alone 3 kilograms of heroin."

Gorb called Maduka's original sentence "Draconian" and "obscene" and said he fully supports Obama's decision to commute it.
DETROIT -- After some blowback from peers, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson made an attempt to clear the air Thursday surrounding Donald Trump's planned visit to his church.

Jackson is expected interview the Republican presidential candidate at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3 at Great Faith Ministries International on Grand River Avenue in Detroit.

The interview will be broadcast live on the Impact Network's website in a segment titled "Voice of the People."

"This interview is NOT a rally or an endorsement for Mr. Trump. This is an opportunity as a community to get answers to questions that seriously impact our daily lives and future," Jackson said in a statement on the Impact Network's website.

"Our community is diverse and not all issues relate to all black people, but our goal is to address those issues which our most pressing to parts of our community in these times.

"Similar to media outlets around the country, Impact Network sent a formal letter inviting the Democratic and Republication candidate an opportunity to be interviewed."

Jackson added that he hopes Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will accept the same invitation extended to Trump.

Rev. W.J. Rideout, leader of another Detroit congregation, All God's People Church, announced he was organizing a protest Trump's Detroit visit in a Monday CNN interview.

When asked by CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin if Rideout knew if Jackson was a Trump supporter the pastor said he doesn't know what his stance is on that.

"I know that he is the owner of - and proprietor of the Impact Network," Rideout said in the interview. "And so he's doing what he does like he always does, be it a presidential candidate or a regular person or whoever."

TV evangelist Mark Burns, a Trump supporter, said in a statement that the GOP candidate will answer questions focused on African American communities, education, unemployment rates and public safety.

"Citizens around the country will see, as I've have seen, the heart and compassion Mr. Trump has for all Americans," Burns said, "which includes minority communities whose votes have been taken for granted for far too long."

The Impact Network was founded by Jackson and his wife, Beverly, and according to its website is the only African American Christian Television Network.

It claims to have a reach of 50 million homes across the nation.

Trump's Labor Day weekend visit will be his third trip to Michigan in just over a month.

During his Aug. 19 speech in Dimondale, he predicted he would get 95 percent of the African American vote.

"What do you have to lose? Trump asked the mostly white audience. "You're living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs ... what the hell do you have to lose?"

Trump faces an uphill challenge in Detroit. In the past two presidential elections, 97 and 98 percent of voters in the city cast ballots for President Barack Obama.

In the 2012 general election, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney failed to gain a single vote in more than 30 precincts in the city, according to Wayne County Clerk's records.
ROYAL OAK -- As part of PBS NewsHour's STEM Student Reporting Labs program, a group of Michigan students will get prepped in video journalism before being shipped to Isle Royale National Park.

Students from Royal Oak High School were picked among the other 21 schools across the nation selected to create "unique stories from America's canyons, craters and mountain peaks."

Isle Royale is one of the nation's most remote national parks, which is located in northern Lake Superior just south of the Canadian border.

Students selected for the program are from teacher Mark Conrad's class, are entering their junior year and have expressed interest in pursuing video journalism as a career, according to a Royal Oak High School press release.

The program inspired by the National Park Service's 100th birthday is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS reports in a news release.

"Earlier this year we traveled out into the wilderness with a busload of student reporters," Matthew Ehrichs, the program's lead producer, said in the release. "We could see the students connecting to the Earth, deepening their connection with their reporting and visual storytelling."

In addition to exploring and studying one of Michigan's marvels, the group will follow a journalism and media literacy curriculum with a STEM focus, the release reads. Each of the selected schools will also be appointed a mentor from a local PBS station to assist with professional development.

"National parks are some of the most amazing classrooms in the world," NPS Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said in the news release. "They bring to life the stories of the people, places, and events that have shaped our country.

"Programs such as this encourage exploration and inspire lifelong connections to the natural and cultural treasures found in national parks."

PBS reports it will publish each video story on its NewsHour website and will use it as an educational resource for PBS LearningMedia. There is also the chance of having the story air on the NewsHour broadcast.

See below for the full list of selected schools and corresponding national park, courtesy of PBS:

Black River Falls High School (Wisconsin) - Isle Royale National Park

Bozeman High School (Montana) - Glacier National Park

Central Hardin High School (Kentucky) - Mammoth Cave National Park

Dalton Middle School (Georgia) - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Etiwanda High School (California) - Channel Islands

Health and Science School (Oregon) - Crater Lake

Hughes STEM High School (Ohio) - Cuyahoga National Park

John F. Kennedy High School (Maryland) - Shenandoah National Park

Judge Memorial Catholic High School (Utah) - Zion National Park

Kauai High School (Hawaii) - Haleakala National Park

Legacy Charter School (South Carolina) - Congaree National Park

Maui Waena Intermediate School (Hawaii) - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Media Enterprise Alliance (California) - Yosemite National Park

Pleasure Ridge Park High School (Kentucky) - Mammoth Cave National Park

Royal Oak High School (Michigan) - Isle Royale National Park

Trumbull Career & Technical Center (Ohio) - Cuyahoga National Park

Turtle Mountain Community High School (North Dakota) - Badlands National Park

Vista PEAK Preparatory (Colorado) - Rocky Mountain National Park

Wauwatosa West High School (Wisconsin) - Isle Royale National Park

Woodrow Wilson High School (Washington, D.C.) - Shenandoah National Park
Jeffrey Lewis of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies sounded the warning on his blog, pointing out that the Russian SS-N-6 missiles, on which North Korea's SLBMs are based, have already been modified into mid-range ballistic missiles.

A U.S. military expert on Monday warned that North Korea could mount submarine-launched ballistic missiles on wheeled vehicles on land, which could make launches more difficult to detect.

Lewis said the missiles, which use solid fuel, could pose a threat if deployed on land since they would take less time to prepare for launch than liquid-fueled missiles.

North Korea used liquid fuel for attempted SLBM launches until April, when it replaced it with solid fuel. Recent tests suggest they can fly more than 500 km.

Lewis said in that case South Korea would need two of the U.S.' Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery, not just one as controversially planned at the moment.

"That is an obvious solution to at least part of the problem posed" by the SLBMs, he said.

But he added this would be a dangerous move for the region. "Deploying defenses and precision-strike capabilities will intensify the arms race rather than provide an escape from it... Our best option, unpalatable as it may be, involves finding ways to discourage North Korea from developing new capabilities. Defense is a far less effective strategy."


Strong winds are battering Korea on the edges of typhoon Lionrock.

The Korea Meteorological Administration on Tuesday issued storm warnings for some areas along the west coast.


The U.S. State Department in a strategy report Monday tightened the noose on North Korea's exports of slave labor.

The report to the Senate and House of Representatives shines a spotlight on indentured North Korean labor at building sites and logging camps abroad, listing it as a clear violation of human rights.

It was submitted under the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act that went into effect in February. It includes a list of countries where North Korean slave laborers are currently employed and countries and individuals that have signed labor contracts with the North Korean regime.

North Koreans work in often punishing conditions and under virtual arrest in about 20 countries including Cambodia, China, Kuwait, Malta, Poland, Russia, Vietnam, and the UAE.

The report also lists countries that have forcibly repatriated North Korean defectors including China and Laos, even though detention, torture and even execution awaits them back home. The North is believed to earn US$300-400 million a year from 50,000-60,000 workers abroad.

The State Department promised to keep an eye on the North's labor exports and block the flow of cash into the regime's coffers.



The report also said the regime murders, abducts, arbitrarily detains and tortures people. Gross violations of human rights occur at political prison camps that incarcerate about 80,000 to 120,000 people, including families with children under a bizarre policy resembling the Nazis' "Sippenhaft," whereby whole families are punished for the supposed crimes of one member.

The State Department is expected to submit a more detailed report on the camps to Congress soon. Washington will provide regular briefings on the regime's human rights violations, such as forced labor and human trafficking, and forcible return of defectors from abroad.

The U.S. is expected to up the pressure on China and Russia for aiding and abetting the North Korean regime's abuses.

Meanwhile, a shipyard in Poland has stopped hiring North Korean workers, press reports said. Back in August 2014, a North Korean welder lost his life while working without protective clothing at CRIST, a shipyard in the northern Polish seaport of Gdynia. After this accident, the Polish shipyard decided to stop hiring North Koreans workers.


A government official has quashed reports that the Yangon Region Supervisory Committee for Motor Vehicles will be abolished in September, although plans are still in place to absorb the committee into a new public transportation group.





The reports originated from Lieutenant Colonel Aung Ko Oo from the No 2 Yangon Traffic Police Force, who told a traffic police media briefing on August 26 that the supervisory committee would be disbanded on September 15.

This led to a series of articles in the media reporting an imminent end to the motor vehicle committee, which has responsibilities that include taxi registration and disciplining drivers and conductors on the citys chaotic bus lines.

But U Maung Aung, secretary of the recently formed Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA), said the reports were completely untrue. The Yangon Region government is planning to have YRTA take over responsibility for all aspects of public transportation, but is not ready to disband the motor vehicle committee yet, he said.

When we are ready we will make an official announcement, he said.

The YRTA was formed in July with responsibility for addressing traffic congestion, and reforming the public bus, taxi and water transportation systems. The broad remit led many people to assume that the motor vehicle committee was obsolete.

Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein said later that same month that although the motor vehicle committee would be replaced by the new transport authority, the committees members would be absorbed into the YRTA.





But that has yet to happen, and despite assumptions to the contrary the motor vehicle committee is still acting as disciplinarian for the citys bus lines.

We havent received any direction [that the committee is being abolished], said committee chair U Hla Aung on August 29. People thought that after the YRTA was formed the committee was no more, but were still carrying out our duties.

Aggrieved commuters with complaints about the public bus system should still contact the committee as before, he added. U Maung Aung echoed that the committee was still in charge of such cases, but that responsibility would eventually fall to the YRTA.

The transport authority is already working to update Yangons bus system with a plan to reduce the number of lines from around 350 to 50 and to have public-private partnership firms apply to run them. The application deadline for firms interested in running the new bus lines is today. The new body also plans to reform the taxi system, creating defined taxi stands and a new registration system, which it hopes will reduce traffic congestion.

Were going to emphasise public convenience, said U Maung Aung of the YRTAs reform plans. Buses and taxis are everywhere on Yangons roads and traffic jams are regular.

Taxi drivers also break rules of the road to pick up and find passengers, and taxi stands will help prevent this, he said. The YRTA is also planning a GPS system to monitor taxi locations, U Maung Aung added.
Every night, the streets of Myanma Gon Yi Road swell with the usual litany of red-tented stalls and vendors selling fried snacks and fresh produce. Wading through the night-time crowd in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township can sometimes be dizzying. Small children chase each other through the maze of stalls; bein mont pancakes and pork satay skewers awaken the senses; dogs idle wantonly about the sidewalks.





Yet on the corner of Myanmar Gon Yi and 90th Street, a home-style Shan joint cuts through the evening chaos and quells any rumbling stomach. Adorned with a necklace of potato crisps, the blue- and green-tented noodle stall, known colloquially as Doe Shan Lay Noodle Shop, serves up what may be the best Shan noodles and tofu in Yangon.

It may be easy to walk right past Doe Shan Lay, which looks almost identical to the other cookie-cutter stalls lining the block.

Wife and husband owners Khin Htwe and Tun Sein first opened the shop in 2007, after a cousin from Mandalay came to Yangon looking to earn her own money and break free from her parents. She invited Khin Htwe and Tun Sein, who had moved to Yangon from Shan State, to join and help her.

Khin Htwe has been cooking the same Shan delicacies since she was a child.

I learned how to cook from my grandmother and from my younger cousin. She has a good technique, says Khin Htwe, smiling and straining noodles.

Almost 10 years after opening, Doe Shan Lay packs tables each night, having garnered a loyal and ravenous following.





Their menu consists of a few key dishes, offering a simple, affordable, and truly unmatched taste of the familys hometown, Namhsan, in Shan State.

My family came to Yangon in 2000, says Bo Nyein, the 24-year old son of Khin Htwe and Tun Sein. He joined his parents in 2001 and currently works for Easia Travel Company. The noodle shop was supposed to be temporary. They came here for us, so we could get a better education.

But business soon flourished, and there was no reason to close shop. Though Tun Seins family is related to the folks over at the famed 999 Shan noodles, Doe Shan Lays noodles are quite different; they are not the standard greasy fare found populating Yangons streets. The noodles are notably less oily, cooked al dente and mixed with a light tomato sauce. The taste of fresh garlic, ground peanut, and spring onion jump out on the palate.

Doe Shan Lay makes four types of noodles and three types of tofu. Guests can choose from sticky Shan noodle, normal Shan noodle, meeshay or flat noodle all for K1200, or K1000 if vegetarian. Normal Shan  a breakfast staple in Shan State  remains the most popular dish on the menu.

Equally popular and far more labour-intensive is their soft and gelatinous yellow tofu. Made from a combination of ground chickpea flour, water and salt, the tofu takes a full day, three-step process to prepare. Once the liquid mixture has formed into a solid, the tofu is fried into a crunchy tofu kyaw, or cut into long strips for a spicy, sesame-seed-and-coriander-infused tofu salad, both for K500. A warm and creamy tofu ngwe which is poured over rice noodles and garnished with spring onion is K1200.

Khin Htwe cooks her tofu that same way she did in Shan State with a little help from her three workers. She wakes at 7:30am each morning and heads straight to Thein Phyu Market. There, she picks out the days vegetables and meats and has a bucket of chickpeas ground into a flour to make the tofu. Her three workers, three girls from Ayeyarwady Region, who are more like daughters or sisters to her than employees, help her filter the tofu mixture and stir it over a flame with a bamboo stick.

Making sure to respect the customs of her Muslim neighbours, Khin Htwe always buys meat from a halal vendor.

We want everyone to have the chance to try Shan noodles, says her son, Bo Nyein.

Though life in Yangon is far different from sleepy village life in Shan State, Doe Shan Lay is more than just a noodle shop. Their shop is a reminder of home, of speaking Palaung and bits of Chinese, of going to the marketplace before day has broken, of a certain kindness and hospitality which is rare to come by in fast-paced city living.

Doe Shan Lay, 90th and Myanma Gon Yi in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township. Make sure to get there early if you want to try their tofu, as they often run out by the evening.
Religious leaders are calling on the government to intervene in the case of two Muslim activists imprisoned for unlawful association, charges that were internationally decried as politically motivated.





Signed by 22 leaders from different faiths, the petition demands the release of Ko Zaw Zaw Latt and Ma Pyint Phyu Latt, who were arrested last year after a campaign waged by nationalist group Ma Ba Tha. The two activists, who are members of an interfaith group, were charged over a visit to the Kachin Independence Armys Laiza headquarters in 2013, and a separate visit to the Indian border in 2014.

In February, the activists were convicted under the Unlawful Associations Act and the 1947 Immigration Emergency Provisions Act. A third member of the same interfaith group, Ko Zaw Win Bo, was released after a presidential pardon on April 17.

The petition for Ko Zaw Zaw Latt and Ma Pwint Phyu Latts freedom was signed by six Buddhist monks, six Christian leaders, five Muslim leaders and five interfaith activists, and was sent to the Mandalay Region chief minister and the Union government on August 24.

The petition argues that if the two activists were freed, they would be able to continue their volunteer work for the benefit of the country.

Now, we have a new government in place and it should actively be doing things to make the situation better, said Ko Zaw Zaw Latts sister Maw Zin War Latt. I hope they are freed as soon as possible.

Translation by Zar Zar Soe
An Arakan National Party lawmaker has formally objected to the inclusion of foreigners on a recently created advisory commission for Rakhine State, submitting an urgent proposal to the Pyithu Hluttaw recommending that the body be comprised of only local experts.





The proposal of U Aung Kyaw Zan (ANP; Pauktaw) was in response to the governments August 24 announcement of the creation of the commission, which has been tasked with issuing a report detailing long-term plans to address Rakhine States troubled interreligious dynamics.

The nine-member commission is made up of six local experts and three international experts including the commission chair, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Its broad mandate includes finding preventive measures for conflicts; ensuring humanitarian assistance, rights and reconciliation; establishing basic infrastructure; and promoting development plans in Rakhine State.

It [enlisting international experts] is a kind of sparking of a new quarrel while the country is facing other challenges. It is asking for help from the international community for our own problem, U Aung Kyaw Zan said yesterday.

His suggestions could have influence on not only the UN but also other international organisations. The situation might go from bad to worse even though [the commission] is trying to make things better, he said.

The ANP parliamentarian said the findings of a report from an earlier commission for Rakhine State, formed in 2013 following interreligious violence a year earlier, should instead be implemented, describing that report as fair, supportive of regional development and favoured by the public. The previous government had delayed in implementing those recommendations and thus significant improvements to the situation in Rakhine State could not be seen, he added.

Pyithu Hlyttaw MP U Aung Thaung Shwe (ANP; Buthidaung) seconded the proposal. With no lawmakers objecting to a discussion, Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker U Win Myint (NLD; Tarmwe) moved to accept the proposal for debate. MPs wanting to deliberate the matter must register by tomorrow.

Lawmaker U Pe Than (ANP; Myebon) echoed his colleagues criticism of the advisory commission.





U Pe Than raised the possibility that Mr Annan might side with Western governments in urging Myanmar to allow self-indentifying Rohingya Muslims to refer to themselves as they prefer.

The name issue has bedevilled the National League for Democracy administration since it took office. The partys predecessor, like much of the country, refers to self-identifying Rohingya as Bengalis, implying that they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi earlier this year said both terms were emotive and to be avoided, suggesting instead that the group be referred to as the Muslim community in Rakhine State.

Presidents Office deputy director general U Zaw Htay told The Myanmar Times this week that Mr Annan and the commissions two other foreigners, Ghassan Salame and Laetitia van den Assum, were included due to growing international pressure over humanitarian concerns in Rakhine State.

The Rakhine issue is sensitive and the international community is interested in it. Thats why we are taking into account the role of the international experts, he said.

Exclusion of foreigners from the Rakhine State advisory commission has become the latest rallying cry for a Buddhist nationalist movement struggling to regain its footing after its standard-bearer, the Committee for the Protection of Race and Religion, or Ma Ba Tha, was publicly rebuked by the states leading Buddhist authority in July.

Translation by Thiri Min Htun
I think women have advantages in terms of negotiation skills and can be involved  by speaking nicely, not through hard words  in making peace.





She may seem to be playing into stereotypes about female softness, but Nang San San Aye has proven her capacity for steely determination.

The last time the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy MP for Thibaw/Hsipaw township spoke to The Myanmar Times she was part of a convoy attempting to rescue hundreds of civilians. That was in May, when residents of her northern Shan State constituency were trapped in the middle of fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Shan State Army-North.

During a temporary lull in the booming of heavy weapons fired from the surrounding hills, she walked up to soldiers blockading the road and persuaded them to phone their commanders. She then talked the military heads into allowing the convoy through.

For the rest of the day she worked helping families, nursing mothers, infants and frail elderly people into trucks before accompanying them past the Tatmadaw cordon as night fell and the heavy weapon fire started up again.

If her parents were fearful that politics was a risky field for their daughter, it is unlikely they ever imagined just how much danger she would be willing to put herself in while fighting for peoples rights.

My uncle was the head of the village and they had seen him tortured and beaten by the military so they didnt want me to go into politics, because they didnt want to see me suffer, she said of her early discussions with her parents about her career choice.





But now we have democracy, and I am young so I have to work for people, she said.

Also, I am educated. If educated people do not work for the people, who will work for them? Very few ethnic people are educated, she added.

As Panglong begins, where are the women?

Her goal, since she was young, she says, has been to become a policymaker so she can bring real change to peoples lives, adding her early inspiration was the last saopha of Hsipaw, Sao Kya Seng, whose story features in the recent movie Twilight Over Myanmar, based on the book by his wife Inge Sargent.

The saopha was never heard from again after being arrested under General Ne Win in 1962  long before Nang San San Aye was born. But stories of his dedication to his people left the young Shan woman determined to act.

He was a prince so I knew power could do good.

Among her more recent bids to do good in her role as a state MP, she approached the commander of the Tatmadaws North East Command to raise the issue of villagers being arrested by his men and accused of being soldiers from ethnic armed forces operating in the area.

I went and negotiated with him and told him about the villagers problems. Then I made ID cards for the villagers to show they were true villagers.

Nang San San Aye rejects the idea that as a woman it is difficult for her to carry out negotiations with the military.

It never disturbed me that I was a girl. Sometimes I even forget Im a woman.
The UN secretary general stuck to a positive tone at a tight-lipped press briefing yesterday following his meeting with the state counsellor in Nay Pyi Taw.





Ban Ki-moon will deliver a speech at todays 21st-century Panglong Conference, which he called a promising first step of the new administrations attempt to solve Myanmars decades-long armed conflicts.

Visiting the country for the fifth time, the UN chief said yesterday that the peace process will need further strengthening. But he congratulated the participants patience, determination and spirit of compromise.

The steps you have taken toward peace and national reconciliation will need to be further strengthened, broadened and consolidated. This is the real expectation of the international community, he said.

He added that the United Nations will continue to support the peace process, as it has done since the reign of the oppressive military regime. Mr Ban said the United Nations has consistently backed Myanmars journey toward democracy and human rights.

It has been a great honour to work with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in particular, he said, while standing alongside the state counsellor.

Today, I am very pleased and honoured to be back to witness the latest phase in your transition marked by the peaceful, dignified and enthusiastic participation in the election last November, he said.





He welcomed the new administrations emphasised initiatives to hold a dialogue to build reconciliation, including between the leaders of military establishment, civil society groups, political parties and ethnic armed groups.

Mr Ban said that former president U Thein Sein had steered Myanmar on its path toward harmonious, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and prosperous democracy.

However, under the former presidents watch inter-communal religious tension, fomented by nationalist sentiment, erupted between Muslim and Buddhism communities, including the deadly 2012 violence in Rakhine State, and subsequent episodes throughout the country.

Bringing religious communities into harmony still remains a key challenge for the National League for Democracy-led administration, which has been criticised as keeping silent about the countrys persecuted, stateless Muslim community in Rakhine State.

Mr Ban said the NLD-backed government has promised him that it will solve the root of the problem in Rakhine State  the issue of citizenship for those who self-identify as Rohingya, a term that both the previous government led by U Thein Sein and the current NLD-led administration have declined to use.

I conveyed the concerns of the international community about the tens of thousands of people who have been living in very poor conditions in IDP camps for the past four years. Like all people everywhere, they need and deserve a future, hope and dignity, he said.

This is not just the question of the Rohingya communitys rights to self-identify; the broader issue is that all of Myanmars people of every ethnicity and background should be able to live in equality and harmony, side-by-side with their neighbours.

He also welcomed the establishment of the newly founded advisory commission on Rakhine State, which will be led by his UN predecessor Kofi Annan.

Critics, however, have pressed the UN to take more urgent action as the commission submits its report within a one-year deadline.

We need long-term solutions and short-term action to start to address the Rohingya crisis, U Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, said in a statement yesterday. We hope that Ban Ki-moon is stressing the need for this approach rather than just waiting for the Annan Commission to make its report.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was not asked specific questions about Rakhine State yesterday. However, when asked what the government is doing to ease tensions over the issue of inclusivity at the Panglong Conference after some three groups were effectively barred from attending, she said, We are trying our best for their participation in the conference. It is up to them should they want to join the conference or not.
Angry protesters took to the streets demanding the removal of judges for alleged corruption after a Mandalay Region township court threatened to send a teenager to prison for a year, or invoke a K300,000 fine.





Ma Sabyal Phyu, who is under 16 years of age, had been accused under electoral laws of swearing at members of the Union Solidarity and Development Party during the November election campaign.

About 500 people led by the Upper Myanmar Rights Group of workers and farmers protested on August 29 against Nwartogyi Township Court about the case, which they contend has been handled by the court like a vendetta against a personal grudge.

The complaint emerged as the USDP candidate, former transportation minister U Nyan Tun Aung, was contesting the Pyithu Hluttaw seat in last years electoral campaign. The National League for Democracy candidate, U Naing Htoo Aung, defeated him.

A USDP member sued four NLD supporters under the electoral law, said protest leader U Aye Thein. The protest group has applied for a change of venue to the district court at Myingyan for the other three NLD supporters involved in the case.

We believe the township judges and legal officials are playing the USDPs game. Theyre treating an electoral complaint as if it were a criminal case, said U Aye Thein, a senior member of the rights group.

The four defendants  Ko Soe Min Htay, Ko Chit Ko, Ma Ohn Htay and Ma Sabyal Phyu  face three charges under sections 294, 354 and 506 of the penal code, for obscene acts, assault of a woman and intimidation respectively.

The charges were filed by Daw Aye Myint, chief campaign organiser for the USDP.





Claiming bias on the part of court officials, U Aye Thein said the NLD defence lawyer had not been allowed to examine the complaint filed or to cross-examine the witnesses.

Protesters staged the march along the main street of the township and in front of the court, with police permission.

We demand the removal of the judges and legal officials who have been misusing the laws, said U Aye Thein.

Nwartogyi township NLD secretary U Kyaw Swe said he feared corrupt local court officials would send the three accused NLD members to prison.

But local USDP secretary U Soe Naing Win said the party was not involved in the case.

This lawsuit was brought by an individual, not by the party. We have exerted no pressure and spoken to no judges or lawyers, he said.
Fresh fighting, protests against civilian casualties and a parliamentary spat over federalism have clouded the governments major peace campaign kicking off in Nay Pyi Taw today, with some warning the renewed offensives could thwart progress.





Residents of Myitkyina rolled out the picket line on August 28, protesting the continued fighting between ethnic armed groups and the Tatmadaw. Over 1000 Shan people gathered for the march, noting the civilian casualties inflicted in the course of fighting in Kachin State. The protest was organised by a Shan ethnic affairs group.

The protesters held a vigil for five recent deaths including two killed in Nyaung Thar Yar village and a mine blast that killed three in Mogaung townships Sar Hmaw village, protester Sai San Wai told The Myanmar Times.

Representatives from ethnic armed groups told AFP that the Tatmadaw had launched new attacks on rebel positions in Shan and Kachin states yesterday morning. The representatives warned that the fresh advances could stall any substantive negotiations the peace talks, which begin in Nay Pyi Taw today.

But seeming to undermine the very foundation of the talks  and the Panglong spirit so frequently quoted by the state counsellor  yesterday a military MP disputed the federal Union terminology underpinning the conference.

The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw was discussing a draft notice in support of the 21st-century Panglong Conference.

The term democratic federal union used in the draft goes against the constitution in chapter 1, sections 7 and 8, said Amyotha Hluttaw military representative Major General Than Soe.





The quoted sections refer to a disciplined, multi-party democratic system but do not include the term federal Union, a distinction pushed by the ethnic groups who have argued for greater ethnic autonomy and the promise of federalism dating back to the 1947 Panglong Agreement.

After the suggestion to remove the disputed wording, the Speaker held a vote on the support motion, which passed with a substantial 184 votes against, compared to 391 votes in favour and 5 abstentions.

The five-day Panglong Conference launches with an opening ceremony at 9:45am today, followed by speeches by State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Pyithu Hluttaw and Amyotha Hluttaw Speakers, Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, a leader of the ethnic armed groups, a leader of the invited political parties and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The first day will conclude with a state dinner.

Additional reporting by Pyae Thet Phyo, translation by Zar Zar Soe and Thiri Min Htun
The much-heralded Union Peace Conference is finally here and delegates from across Myanmar and the world are gathering in Nay Pyi Taw for an event that recalls the negotiations of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis beloved father with ethnic minority leaders almost seven decades ago.





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But while todays 21st-century Panglong Conference will be recorded on mobile phones and instantly uploaded, attitudes toward gender equality have not advanced so rapidly, and only a tiny number of those delegates involved in the negotiations are women.

Peace experts and rights campaigners have repeatedly warned of the risks of excluding women from the talks  warnings which have been ignored by the government, the Myanmar military and the ethnic armed groups.

The specific experiences, rights and needs of women affected by conflict are clearly being disregarded in the peace process. But also crucially at this time of sensitive deal-brokering, vital skills and experience are being overlooked because of gender stereotyping.

The male leaders of the Myanmar military and ethnic armed organisations have for decades failed to reach a long-lasting, nationwide peace agreement in this country, which has the tragic claim of being home to one of the worlds longest-running civil wars. Even as leaders arrived in the capital yesterday, fresh battles were reportedly taking place in Kachin and northern Shan states.

Yet once again, these armed men are claiming dominion over the path to peace, and the government has failed to champion the rights of women and other civic representatives to have a significant role in the proceedings.

The assumption that being capable of perpetrating violence somehow provides someone with the skills to negotiate an end to violence is a non sequitur. Yet such an attitude is prevalent.





Coverage of women in conflict tends to focus on them as victims  and not without good reason. But there is a danger of overlooking the more powerful roles women also play in conflict  including conducting negotiations with armed actors.

The issue of womens exclusion from the peace negotiations was recently highlighted by UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee. Writing ahead of this weeks conference, she pointed to studies showing that the involvement of women in peace processes increases the likelihood of an enduring agreement.

Myanmar in general has not performed well so far on this score, with women comprising only 16 percent of the senior delegation negotiating the NCA [the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement of October 2015, which excluded key armed groups], she wrote, highlighting the governments failure to introduce a 30pc quota.

But womens inclusion in the peace process is not just a matter of ticking a few boxes to meet internationally prescribed equality quotas, which is often how it is perceived.

A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report this month titled A Gentlemans Agreement: Womens Participation in Burmas Peace Negotiations and Political Transition, noted, Beyond women holding few, if any, senior positions in the parties involved in these negotiations, many womens rights groups report being treated with disdain or as spoilers for pressing for the inclusion of womens rights.

The absurdity in aiming for ethnic equality and national reconciliation while ignoring gender equality and womens needs and voices should be evident to all involved. But apparently it is not.

The HRW report cited male members of armed groups saying the called-for quota of 30pc of participants in all negotiations to be female should be a ceiling  that is, the maximum number of women rather than the minimum.

In reality, 30pc remains a faraway dream for equality campaigners. According to the Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process (AGIPP), just 7pc of delegates at the last Union Peace Conference, held in January, were women.

In theory, we can do it [increase womens participation in the peace talks], but in practice its difficult. So we made a gentlemans agreement to wait until later, one ethnic armed organisation representative told HRW.

Apparently they found it easier to agree to sit at a table with other men  even those who had been their deadly enemies on the frontlines  than to sit at a table with women from civil society organisations who are campaigning for peace. Such attitudes underscore the challenges women in Myanmar face in trying to make their voices heard in public forums.

Yet away from the national stage, women in ethnic minority areas not only serve as soldiers, but also, in civilian villages, have regularly taken on community leadership roles that have required them to deal with armed actors from the Myanmar military and the ethnic armed groups.

Examples reported in this paper include a group of Taang women in northern Shan State who remained to guard their village after the rest of the community fled to IDP camps amid fears that the men would be detained by the Tatmadaw. Female and male community leaders said that while the women were frightened, they also felt women would be better able to negotiate with the soldiers and avoid violence.

The groups leader, Daw O Khe, who spoke strongly of her determination to stand up to any marauding military personnel, told The Myanmar Times in April, Id like to work for peace negotiations and to present [my ideas] to the authorities. I will dare to speak out if I get the chance.

Likewise, testimonies from women in southeast Myanmar, published earlier this month by the Karen Human Rights Group, highlighted how women were often given leadership roles that required them to deal with armed leaders who came to their village looking for supplies and other support.

Women village leaders there spoke of fears and abuses, but also reported how they developed positive, respectful relationships with different armed actors.

Meanwhile, female activists and politicians such as Shan Nationalities League for Democracy state hluttaw MP Nang San San Aye (Thibaw/Hsipaw 1) have proven themselves more than capable of frontline negotiations to assist civilians affected by armed conflict.

What is holding women back from the peace process is not womens inability to negotiate with armed leaders, or their natural reserve, or their inexperience with conflict; it is their exclusion from the table by those armed power-holders who seek to ensure their own interests in any peace deal.

Any agreement which clearly prioritises the interests of those with guns over the interests of those without guns risks exacerbating conflict rather than ending it.

Womens groups have been among the most vocal advocates for a peace deal that demands an end to military impunity for crimes, particularly those of sexual violence.

Many equality campaigners are also committed community activists. While the leaders of ethnic armed organisations are aware of their reliance on support from within their own communities, many have also gained considerable wealth from resource exploitation or drug production in areas under their control.

It is easy to see why neither side is particularly keen to have a significant number of women at the table.

Zaw Khin Lay, a member of the AGIPP steering committee, said the alliance had been invited to send 10 representatives as observers, and had drawn up a brief paper they hoped to present, but would probably only be able to hand it out to key delegates from the sidelines.

In reality, todays high-profile conference opening will be more a matter of public show than gritty negotiation. Im not hopeful for any concrete or accountable solution from [this opening] event, said Zaw Khin Lay.

It is widely recognised that it is principally a symbolic occasion. The real horse-trading over peace will take place in the days, months and, likely, years to follow.

It is clear there is a desire for a genuine peace agreement from many quarters. But the lack of women delegates does not bode well for equality, for peace or for democracy.
After over 20 years of sanctions and international pariah status, Myanmar has begun to come in from the cold. It has taken the 2010 elections, a new civilian president and the by-elections of 2012 to convince the international community that the transition to democracy is real.





The subsequent flurry of diplomatic activity with Myanmar has resulted in most of the sanctions being suspended. On the surface, this re-engagement with Myanmar appears to have been initiated by the US Obama administration. But, while this is undoubtedly true, it misses the key role that Japan has played.

Japan has always taken its own approach to Myanmar, following a carrot and stick method throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The carrot here was the promise of Japanese public and private investment to encourage political and economic reforms.

For Japan, geostrategic competition with China and support for ASEAN, combined with its own economic interests, are the primary factors motivating engagement with Myanmar. Underpinning all this is the widely held perception that Japan has invested heavily in Myanmar since its independence and now its time to reap the benefits.

Japanese investment in Myanmar dates back to the reparations agreement of 1954, when Japan began supplying half of then-Burmas development aid. This continued through to the post-Cold War sanctions period, when Japan continued to provide piecemeal aid on a case-by-case basis.

Importantly, because of the incompatibility between the Burmese Way to Socialism and the Japanese foreign economic policy of keizai kyoryoku (economic cooperation)  through which private actors utilise public funds to subsidise their investments  economic relations became totally dependent on publicly financed Official Development Assistance (ODA). But due to Burmas long-term economic decline during the Cold War and the post-Cold War era sanctions, Japan has never received any return on its investment.

As early as 1999, the Japanese government promised loans to Myanmar if progress was made on democratisation. And so in 2012, when Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won a seat in parliament, the Japanese government quickly cancelled a large portion of Myanmars debt. A year later, Japan cancelled another large amount of Myanmars debt, bringing the total debt cancelation to US$3.8 billion. In 2012, Japan was also instrumental in clearing Myanmars arrears to international financial institutions, thereby also enabling re-engagement between them and the government of Myanmar.

Japanese business powerhouses such as Nihon Koei, Marubeni, Itochu Corporation, Mitsubishi and Sumitomo have been involved in ODA financing projects in Myanmar since the Cold War. The Thilawa special economic zone (SEZ), which is being jointly developed by Japan and Myanmar, is one example. The Thilawa SEZ was offered to Japan in 2011 in return for Japanese support and has now become a key destination for Japanese public and private investment. By 2013, Japan was pledging considerable public finance for the Thilawa SEZ, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting with groups of Japanese businessmen, explicitly demonstrating Japans support.





This public-private partnership goes even deeper. While the usual Japanese corporations have been awarded the contracts for infrastructure connected with the Thilawa SEZ, the Japan International Cooperation Agency  Japans public aid agency  is in fact a shareholder in the Thilawa SEZ. Along with Mitsubishi, Marubeni and Sumitomo, the Japanese own 49 percent of the Thilawa SEZ. This is the first-ever Japan-Myanmar public-private initiative.

So is Japan reverting back to its Cold War keizai kyoryoku foreign economic policy? Certainly private and public actors have cooperated to a high degree, and have been highly proactive in their attempts to open up Myanmar. It may also be that such policy never really disappeared, and is now merely operating in a more amenable environment. Or perhaps the geopolitical imperative of countering the rise of China is forcing Japan to revert to its Cold War strategies. What is certainly true is that many Japanese stakeholders feel that Japan has a perceived right to Myanmar, which stems from its long-term investment.

Regardless of the rationale, Japanese economic activity in Myanmar will surely increase dramatically in the near future. In 2015 alone, Japan agreed to new loans totalling about $1 billion and, in early 2016, it announced that the new Yangon International Airport  worth $1.5 billion  would be 49pc financed by the Japanese. Through such methods, Japan will finally begin to see a return on its investment in Myanmar.

 East Asia Forum

Patrick Strefford is an associate professor at the Department of International Relations, Kyoto Sangyo University.
[August 31, 2016] Chicago Smart City Experts Tapped to Keynote Penton's IoT Emerge Co-Located Event, SmartGig Chicago

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Penton's IoT Emerge, a new event that targets the opportunities and challenges posed by IoT devices, platforms and services, presented by the IoT Institute, today announced the Illinois state leaders keynote presenters for its co-located event SmartGig Chicago. SmartGig Chicago, which will take place in November 2-3, 2016 at McCormick Center in Chicago, has been designed to provide practical and objective information to civic leaders throughout the region on gigabit-speed connectivity, municipal fiber networks, 'smart city' infrastructure and more. Timothy Downs, Event Director said, "Governments, together with startups and corporations, are re-examining policies, processes and community engagement. To build the smart cities requires building the city from the Internet up  connecting the city street and the cloud in one digital infrastructure. By bringing these elite state representative to our event we'll hear practical insights and new ideas on the they are shaping, designing and planning the city of the future." The following Illinois state leaders will keynote the event: Hardik Bhatt is the Secretary Designate of the newly formed Department of Innovation and Technology and the Illinois State CIO in Governor Rauner's cabinet. Bhatt leads 1,700 IT employees and over $1B of technology budget, including a P&L for digital transformation of Illinois Government.

is the Secretary Designate of the newly formed Department of Innovation and Technology and the Illinois State CIO in Governor Rauner's cabinet. Bhatt leads 1,700 IT employees and over of technology budget, including a P&L for digital transformation of Illinois Government. Brenna Berman , Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) Commissioner and Chief Information Officer, City of Chicago is focused on transforming the DoIT to provide the skills and expertise to implement Mayor Emanuel's commitment to leveraging data and technology to create a more efficient, effective and innovative City government. Under her leadership the team has delivered commitment to a robust open data program, integrated advanced analytics and real-time data-driven decision making across the city, driven IoT innovation for the City through unique partnerships at UILabs and, in partnership with the University of Chicago , realized the vision of urban scale sensing with the Array of Things.

, Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) Commissioner and Chief Information Officer, is focused on transforming the DoIT to provide the skills and expertise to implement Mayor Emanuel's commitment to leveraging data and technology to create a more efficient, effective and innovative City government. Under her leadership the team has delivered commitment to a robust open data program, integrated advanced analytics and real-time data-driven decision making across the city, driven IoT innovation for the City through unique partnerships at UILabs and, in partnership with the , realized the vision of urban scale sensing with the Array of Things. Pat Quinn (D) served as the 41st Governor of Illinois . During his governorship he lead the completion of a nearly $100 million , four-year project to install more than 1,000 new miles of high-speed fiber-optic broadband infrastructure across 55 Illinois counties which connects approximately 400 ancho institutions, including community colleges, universities, libraries, health facilities, K-12 schools and public safety agencies. Today, he is leading Take Charge Chicago, a petition for referendums to term limit the Mayor of Chicago and create an elected Consumer Advocate in the city.



IoT Emerge, scheduled for November 24, 2016 at McCormick Place in Chicago, will offer real-world education and insights, hands-on experience of IoT enabled businesses through conference programs, live demos, case studies, and local tours. Mirroring the focus of the IoT Institute on Smart Cities and the Industrial IoT, the event will provide comprehensive insights and guidance on achieving success with IoT strategies and implementations in these segments. The event will feature strategic and technical sessions, workshops, hands-on training, cross-functional peer-to-peer networking, advice and lessons learned on achieving organizational readiness, leveraging data analytics, and instituting security best practices. Embracing the reality that IoT requires multiple stakeholders and departments working together, the event is targeted at private and public sector leaders; operations, IT, engineering, and facilities management; as well as system integrators and IoT developers.

For additional information on SmartGig Chicago, click here to view the agenda. SmartGig Chicago will also be held in tandem with IWCE's Critical LTE Communications Forum and co-located with IoT Emerge and Empowering Customers & Cities. To access the line up of speakers at both IoT Emerge and SmartGig Chicago register for either an IoT Emerge Conference pass or the IoT Extreme pass to maximize your conference experience. SmartGig Chicago.Click here for details. To register to attend IWCE's Critical LTE Communications Forum, click here. Media interested in obtaining media credentials to attend SmartGig Chicago, contact Bibi Jackson at [email protected]. To learn about speaker or sponsorship, visit www.smartgigchicago.com. Stay connected with Penton IoT Institute on Twitter @IoTiPenton, Facebook: IoT Institute and LinkedIn Group: The IoT Institute. To sign up for the IoT Institute weekly IoTi Informer newsletter, visit: www.ioti.com. About Penton's IoT Institute

Penton's IoT Institute is an online community and live events franchise focused on practical B2B applications in the rapidly growing world of the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT Institute provides actionable case studies, insights, research, and e-learning on the industrial and cultural phenomenon that's changing the shape of business and cities today. The IoT Institute's mission is to enable cross-industry and cross-job function learning to drive business performance. About Smart Gig Media LLC

Based in Southern California and Arizona, Smart Gig Media LLC is an information and education resource focused on next generation broadband and wireless infrastructure and applications. The company's mission is to help both public and private sectors understand a vision of the network's strategic role at the center of every region, every company's, and every industry's digital transformation. More information is available online at www.smartgigmedia.com. ABOUT PENTON

Penton is an innovative information services company that empowers nearly 20 million business decision makers in markets that drive more than 12 trillion dollars in purchases each year. Our products inform with rich industry insights and workflow tools; engage through dynamic events, education and networking; and advance business with powerful marketing services programs. Penton is the way smart businesses buy, sell and grow. Headquartered in New York, Penton is privately owned by MidOcean Partners and Wasserstein & Co., LP. For more information, visit http://www.penton.com or follow us on Twitter @PentonNow. MEDIA CONTACT

Bibi Jackson

Penton IoT

[email protected]

(510) 423-0345 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160830/402799LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151231/318607LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chicago-smart-city-experts-tapped-to-keynote-pentons-iot-emerge-co-located-event-smartgig-chicago-300320519.html SOURCE Penton

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[August 31, 2016] AT&T Transforms Learning In Pickens County School District With $5 Million In Wireless Services

PICKENS, S.C., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Students in the School District of Pickens County (SDPC) are preparing to take learning beyond the classroom walls with free mobile internet from AT&T, as part of AT&T Aspire, its signature philanthropic initiative, and with free tablets from Samsung. AT&T is providing free 4G internet to 6th and 7th grade students and teachers in the district's five middle schools: Dacusville Middle School, R.C. Edwards Middle School, R.H. Gettys Middle School, Liberty Middle School, and Pickens Middle School. These students and teachers will receive 2,500 Galaxy tablets, donated by Samsung. Valued at more than $5 million over 3 years, the contribution is part of AT&T's national commitment to the White House ConnectED initiative. "I can't wait to see how our teachers are going to use these tools to help our kids learn and achieve," said Dr. Danny Merck, SDPC Superintendent. "Giving a student a device is great, but if the student's family doesn't have internet access, that device becomes less useful when the student goes home from school. Providing both a device and access will open up so many doors for learning and put all of our 6th and 7th graders on a more level playing field when it comes to technology." "This project will help students set goals and pursue dreams which may be far beyond any they previously imagined," said U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. "It is truly an investment in our students and in South Carolina's future." In addition to the tablets and high-speed internet access, AT&T is providing SDPC with device management capabilities to ensure a highly secure environment on ConnectED devices, professional development training for teachers, and with training from its Digital You curriculum that teaches students how to use technology responsibly. The tablets are equipped with filtering software which will allow students to access only age-appropriate cntent.



"Technology is fundamentally altering education, both in terms of how it is delivered and what is needed to succeed in today's global economy and culture," said Pamela Lackey, president of AT&T South Carolina. "At AT&T, we believe there is no better investment for the future than an investment in the education of children. So not only are we building the networks which deliver advanced, high-speed service, but we are also working to drive the changes needed to help teachers teach and students learn anywhere, anytime." "Samsung and AT&T share a commitment to delivering technology solutions that help improve student outcomes," said Ted Brodheim, vice president of Vertical Business at Samsung Electronics America. "By combining our classroom-ready Galaxy tablets with the reach of AT&T's 4G internet connection, we look forward to helping Pickens County teachers and students unlock the power of technology in their classrooms."

A recent study by the Pew Institute found that people are more eager to harness the power of the internet when they understand its relevance to their lives, when they feel confident in their knowledge of using it and when their budgets can comfortably accommodate it. AT&T is working hard every day to help everyone harness the power of the internet and to ensure South Carolina is connected  from every corner and at every age. More than 150 school districts nationwide, representing nearly 450 schools, applied to participate in AT&T's ConnectEd initiative. Connected Nation, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to increasing broadband internet access to families in underserved areas, administered the school application and selection process on behalf of AT&T. Applicants were reviewed for economic need and their readiness to implement innovative teaching practices in the classroom using the devices. Connected Nation is also providing on-site support for the device rollout to students and teachers. About Philanthropy and Social Innovation at AT&T AT&T Inc. is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; or address community needs. AT&T Aspire is AT&T's signature philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring. Through Aspire, we've passed the $250 million mark on our plan to invest $350 million in education from 2008-2017. About the School District of Pickens County The School District of Pickens County is a county-wide school system, serving all of Pickens County with 14 elementary schools, five middle schools, four high schools, and a state-of-the-art Career and Technology Center. With an annual enrollment of about 16,600 students, SDPC is the 12th largest school district in South Carolina, and our students consistently rank near the top of the state in academic achievement. Our vision is to provide a quality 21st century education that prepares all students for success beyond the classroom. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120612/DA23287LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-transforms-learning-in-pickens-county-school-district-with-5-million-in-wireless-services-300320569.html SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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Global Cinemas, Ghanas first choice Cinema is set to excite movie enthusiasts with an exclusive Ghana-India collaboration, Mr. India.

The screening of Mr. India will be the Cinemas first local movie to premier in the month of September, dubbed Ghana month at Global Cinemas.

This idea falls in line with the plans of Global Cinemas to join the nation to mark the birth month of Ghanas first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Dr Nkrumah was born on September 21,1909.

The premiering of the movie Mr. India and the showing of other local movies in September is also part of the larger goal of Global Cinemas to promote Ghanaian movies.

Business Manager of Global Cinemas Mrs. Eunice Tornyi says Global Cinemas shows all types of movies that seek to satisfy the interest of customers.

Starting this year we want to dedicate September to the showing of local movies as our best way of marking the birth month of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, aside promoting the activities of the Ghanaian movie industry, she said.

I encourage movie lovers to visit Global Cinemas with their families and friends for a fun-filled moment this September, she added.

Mr. India is Ghanas first movie collaboration with India, produced and directed by Richard J. A. Boateng. This intriguing movie details the life of James Aboagye (Richard J. A. Boateng), a young Ghanaian who obtains a scholarship to do his masters degree in India. At India, he finds beautiful Sonia (Aakarshita Raghuvanshi), and they fall in love.

But seeing James is an African, it is difficult for Sonia's family to accept him. Events take a different turn when Mrs. Singh (Dharna Chavhan), Sonia's mother, finally agrees that the lovers get married as she realizes that James can speak Hindi.

James returns to Ghana to inform his family for the marriage ceremony. Back in Ghana, James encounters unexpected situation. Baaba Johnson (Happy Togah) is a childhood friend of James who has been in love with James all her life but has not mustered the courage to tell him. Hearing that James is getting marry to an Indian, she decides to use any means possible to stop the marriage. This would push James to make a sensitive decision as to who to marry; Sonia or Baaba?

The story continues at Global Cinemas on 3rd September 2016.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
Bibi Bright

31.08.2016 LISTEN

Actress Bibi Bright says she is for Nana Addo. The mother of one did not follow John Dumelo, Tracey Boakye and others to endorse president Mahama ahead of this years election.

In a snapchat and Instagram post on Tuesday evening, she openly said that she wants Ghanaians to vote the sitting president out of office.

She posted a picture of the politician who ran for President of Ghana in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections as the New Patriotic Party candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and wrote #TheBattleIsTheLords. #Npp #IAm4Change #NanaAkuffoAddo.

When a fan commented that president Mahama should be given another term to complete his works, she replied that he shouldnt worry because Nana Addo will finalize what he has started.

Bibi Bright joins Leo Mensah, Socrate Safo, Mark Okreku Mantey and other entertainers who are praying that Nana Addo and the leading opposition party, NPP wins power during the December polls.
31.08.2016 LISTEN

The Corporate Guardian is arguably one of Africa's most prestigious corporate magazines. The magazine which has been in publication for over a decade, has shared stories and tips from the corporate circles across Africa and has found a permanent place on coffee tables and shelves in most of Africa's corporate firms.

The Magazine which has covered presidents from across Africa and many other influential personalities, recently unveiled the cover for it's September 2016 edition.

Speaking with Mr. Oscar Sam 'Ugoh during the private unveiling, he announced that for September the Magazine after much vetting and consultations decided to run a cover with Ghana's incumbent President, John Dramani Mahama.

This would be the president's third feature on the magazine's cover since he came into power. The edition which also features Managing Director of Ghana Airport Company Limited, Mr. Charles Asare and GCB's MD, Mr. Ernest Agbesi, takes stock of President John Mahama's administration between 2013-2016.

The reportage looked at the administration from the perspectives of economy, infrastructure, human relations and governance. According to the magazine's head of admin Ms. Rahmatu Dakpo, this was to give corporate Ghana a decisive look at the administration.
The family of the late Kofi Middleton-Mends has officially announced the death of their beloved relative to Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, in Accra.

The visit by the children and the family together with members of the creative arts industry was also to announce the date for the burial and the final funeral rites.

The late Middleton-Mends' death occurred on Tuesday, August 16 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra at aged 77 after battling with kidney disease. He was survived by a wife and three children.

The late actor was well known for the 'Key Soap Medo Fo Pa' television commercial which was popular in the 90s, and until his death, he was also a lecturer at NAFTI and University of Ghana.

Mr Emmanuel Antwi, the leader of the delegation, thanked the minister and her deputy, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, for their immense support to the family with the passing of their father.

He announced that the family had agreed on October 1 for the burial of the late Middleton-Mends.

He also commended the minister and her deputy for their continuous contribution and support to the creative arts industry and its players.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare, on her part, disclosed that the creative arts industry has really lost a great man and an industry player.

She said the late Kofi Middleton-Mends has inspired a lot of young people in the industry who are now contributing their expertise towards the improvement of the sector.

It is a loss to the whole country not only to the bereaved family. We will support the family and children to give their beloved son a befitting burial, the minister added.

She said the ministry would also appoint people to serve on the funeral committee set up by the family.
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George Forest, a Ghanaian sound recording engineer, has died at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.

The Kumasi-based sound engineer passed on early Wednesday morning after battling an undisclosed illness, a member of the family disclosed.

George Forest came into the music industry at the age of 12 with Nana Acheampong, Akwesi Ampofo Adjei, Nana Aboagye Da Costa among others.

Forest has also recorded songs for several musicians including Philippa Baafi, Obaapa Christy, Nana Acheampong, and Osuani Afrifa.
Libreville (AFP) - Angry protesters torched Gabon's parliament Wednesday after President Ali Bongo was declared winner of what he claimed was a "peaceful and transparent" election, but which the opposition said was fraudulent.

It only took a few minutes for the announcement to sink in before several of Libreville's poorer neighbourhoods erupted in anger, with thousands of people taking to the streets to express their fury.

According to official results made public shortly after 1500 GMT, Bongo won Saturday's presidential poll by just 5,594 votes, taking 49.80 percent to 48.23 percent for his rival Jean Ping, a veteran diplomat and former top African Union official.

The results will remain "provisional" until they are approved by the constitutional court.

By nightfall, protesters vented their fury by setting fire to the parliament building, sending skyward a plume of flame and black smoke, witnesses and AFP correspondents said.

The flash of an explosion amid flames and smoke billowing from the National Assembly building in Libreville after it was set ablaze on August 31, 2016 by demonstrators protesting after Gabon's president Ali Bongo's re-election

Fires were visible in other parts of Libreville and explosions were heard as protesters faced off against heavily armed security forces.

"The whole building is catching fire," a man outside parliament who gave name as Yannick told AFP.

The parliament lies on the same road as the state TV headquarters, senate, town hall, oil ministry, several embassies and the French cultural centre.

As soon as Bongo's victory in Saturday's poll was announced Wednesday, people took to the streets of the city's slums, chanting "Ali must go."

Slim margin

As helicopters flew overhead and smoke rose above poorer neighbourhoods, soldiers, police and gendarmes stopped traffic on the main highway where protestors braved tear gas to set tyres alight.

Short profile of Ali Bongo Odimba, re-elected president of Gabon

Protestors shouted, "Jean Ping president!" and "They stole the election."

Ping, a half Chinese career diplomat has rejected the results, and before they were announced had declared it was he who won.

There was also trouble Wednesday in the economic capital Port Gentil, which saw the worst of the violence that followed Bongo's 2009 election victory.

That contested vote followed the death of Bongo's father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the oil-rich country for 41 years.

Any appeal by Ping would likely focus on disputed results in one of the country's nine provinces -- the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

A supporter of Gabonese opposition leader Jean Ping prays in front of security forces blocking a demonstration trying to reach the electoral commission in Libreville

In Saturday's vote, turnout was 59.46 percent nationwide but soared to 99.93 percent in Haut-Ogooue, where Bongo won 95.5 percent of votes.

"It's going to be difficult to get people to accept these results," one member of the electoral commission confided to AFP, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.

"We've never seen results like these, even during the father's time," he added.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission have vowed to fight for a recount.

'Let's change together'

Ping, the European Union and former colonial power France have called for voting figures from each of Gabon's polling stations to be made public to ensure the credibility of overall result.

In 2009, Bongo was declared winner of the election after his father's death. In the ensuing clashes several people were killed, buildings looted and the French consulate in the economic capital Port Gentil torched.

Gabonese soldiers take position as supporters of opposition leader Jean Ping protest in front of security forces blocking a demonstration trying to reach the electoral commission in Libreville

EU observers, who were barred from the meeting of the electoral commission on Wednesday, said the vote on Saturday was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

Joining the EU in pressuring Bongo on Wednesday, the French foreign ministry called for the electoral commission to show "transparency and impartiality".

"Only in this way can the credibility of the results be guaranteed," a spokesman for the French foreign ministry on Wednesday.

Gabon is a former French colony which has been hit by the global slump in the price of crude oil, its biggest export.

One third of Gabon's population lives in poverty, despite the country boasting one of Africa's highest per capita incomes at $8,300 (7,400 euros) thanks to pumping 200,000 barrels of oil a day.

Bongo, 57, campaigned under the slogan "Let's change together," playing up the roads and hospitals built during his first term and stressing the need to break with the bad old days of disappearing public funds and dodgy management of oil revenues.

The campaign period was marked by months of bitter exchanges between the two camps, including accusations, and strenuous denials, that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run.

Ping's own roots -- he is Sino-Gabonese -- served as ammunition for Bongo's camp, which has suggested he and his son are secretly serving Chinese interests.
Kasserine (Tunisia) (AFP) - Two suspected jihadists were killed in a nighttime raid by security forces in the Kasserine region of Tunisia that also left a civilian dead, the interior ministry said Wednesday.

It said a gun battle on Tuesday night between security forces and the suspects holed up in a house lasted several hours, and that the civilian was hit by shots fired by the jihadists.

The suspects were on a wanted list and had been preparing "terrorist actions in the region", the ministry said in a statement, while spokesman Yasser Mesbah told AFP the two were members of the Islamic State jihadist group.

He later told a news conference that a third suspect had been detained for questioning.

Guns, grenades and an explosives belt were seized after the raid, a security source said.

The operation came after three soldiers were killed and nine wounded Monday in a blast near Mount Sammama, a hideout for jihadists at war with Tunisian authorities.

An Al-Qaeda-linked group, Obka Ibn Nafaa Battalion, claimed responsibility for the blast.

Since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, jihadist attacks have cost dozens of lives among security forces as well as civilians, and 59 foreign tourists were also killed in 2015.
Former public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Dr. Emmanuel Osei Acheampong has disclosed that the immediate past Moderator of the church, Prof. Emmanuel Martey indeed took money and a vehicle from some politicians.

This however contradicts earlier claims by the respected man of God who claimed otherwise and said he almost unleashed his dogs on the said politicians who came to bribe him.

According to him, Prof Martey is throwing dust in the eyes of the public after denied receiving money from the unnamed politicians.

Speaking to Kasapa News' Akwasi Nsiah, the former PRO explained that a leading member of one of the opposition parties presented the money to him (Prof. Emmanuel Martey), indicating that claims he refused the money are false.

Prof.Martey addressing press today said he refused to accept 100,000 dollar bribe meant to shut him up from commenting about the NDC.

Dr. Acheampong said Prof, Martey's posture does not befit a man of God and wondered why a man of his calibre will tell such a lie.

He revealed that he was sacked when they drew the Prof's attention to the fact that he was overly dabbling in politics in variance with principles of the office he held.

He narrated that the Man of God gave him 50,000 dollars but he rejected it.

'Today marks a sad day for the Christian religion, the statement from Prof Martey is one of the most unfortunate that I have heard in recent times, a leader should have ethical communication which will not escalate into violence. Jesus never talked this way. Prof Martey is speaking in the opposite way, when he came into office, he presented to us a statement from one of the strongest political party, when we kicked against it, he sacked me,

In July 28, 2013, around 8:15pm, he invited me to the office of one of the leading opposition parties not the ruling government, when I got there he had received the 100,000 dollars and a V8 he is claiming to have rejected. And he gave me 50,000 dollars, I am speaking on authority that he received the money,' he alleged.

He said they were given money to influence their sermons, thereby pursuing the agendas of the party in the church.

'We were told they will present us with statements and we will read as communique to the church because of our larger number,' he claimed.

-ultimatefmonline
Akanyaru (Rwanda) (AFP) - "Before, at this time of year, we imported beans from Burundi but now they say they don't want to sell their crops to 'the enemy'," said Evariste Ndikumana, a trader on the Rwandan side of the border.

Worsening relations between Burundi and Rwanda mean the once-bustling border town of Akanyaru is suffering, hitting the economies of both countries.

Always awkward neighbours, Rwanda and Burundi have fallen out since a domestic political crisis enveloped Burundi in April last year, while spiteful policy-making in Bujumbura has made a bad situation worse.

In Akanyaru, bored traders and mobile phone scratchcard vendors kill time on a low wall beneath a shady awning.

The nearby pavement cafes are deserted and the brand new covered market is empty. The heaving lines of travellers that once crowded the immigration offices and the long queues of vehicles are a thing of the past.

Bad politics, poor trade

Politics is to blame, say the idle traders.

Trade has slowed dramatically since April 2015 when Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, a move that also triggered a diplomatic crisis with Bujumbura accusing Rwanda of backing Burundian rebels.

People stand by a sign: "Welcome to Rwanda", in Akanyaru on the Rwandan side of the border with Burundi

Rwanda denies the allegations, but UN investigators say they too have found evidence to support the claims.

"When there are political problems between countries, we, the people, are the ones who are affected," said Pierre Sibomana, another trader.

In the tit-for-tat nature of Kigali-Bujumbura relations, Rwanda has in turn accused Burundi of supporting Rwandan rebel groups in the east of their shared neighbour, the chronically troubled Democratic Republic of Congo.

For the people who rely on border trade for a living, things were bad enough even before Bujumbura issued a decree suspending food exports in late July.

The reason given was food shortages due to drought, but at the same time security officers on the Burundian side of the border began stopping bus passengers too, citing unspecified security concerns.

People queue to get a bus in Akanyaru on the Rwandan side of the border with Burundi

In theory, Rwandan exports to Burundi are still permitted, but other difficulties and dangers mean trade has slowed.

"In Burundi, if they see that you are Rwandan, the police or even ordinary Burundians insult you," said Judith, a tea seller who did not want to give her full name.

She said she prefers to speak the regional Kiswahili language, rather than Kinyarwanda, when in Burundi to disguise her nationality. In any case, she said, Burundian officials seek bribes when she brings in Rwandan tea telling her, "There's enough tea here in Burundi."

'Infiltrators'

Other Rwandan traders have fared worse, accused of being "infiltrators" and arrested.

In August, Rwanda's trade minister Francois Kanimba said the result has been a 40 percent fall in the volume of exports to Burundi in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Rwanda imports cheaper Burundian fruit and vegetables, palm oil and Lake Tanganyika whitebait.

Declining supply and illegal imports mean some commodities have doubled in price, according to traders in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

Kigali has tried to fight back, describing the Burundian decision restricting trade as "illegal" under East African common market rules. But their complaints have so far only added to the angry rhetoric and bad feeling between the two countries.
Paris (AFP) - Even without poachers, Central Africa's forest elephants would need almost a century to get their numbers back up to 2002 levels, said a study Wednesday that pried into the elusive creatures' slow-breeding ways.

The population had been decimated by illegal hunting, with an estimated 65 percent decline between 2002 and 2013, said researchers.

Roaming the tropical forests of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo, the tusker sub-species is thought to have numbered about one to two million at its peak, study co-author George Wittemyer of Colorado State University told AFP.

In 1993, the rough estimate was 500,000, and in 2013 some 100,000.

"The forest populations are reproducing now, though at a very slow rate," Wittemyer said by email.

"The problem is that poaching is removing individuals at a rate that either drives the population to decline or negates any increases due to births."

Forest elephants are smaller than savannah elephants -- the other, much better studied, African sub-species.

Their ears are more oval-shaped, while their tusks are straighter and point downward, according to environmental group WWF.

African forest elephant

Targeted by poachers for their meat and ivory-bearing tusks, the forest elephant is categorised as "vulnerable", which means "facing a high risk of extinction in the wild," the WWF website says.

Wittemyer and a team analysed data obtained from decades-long, on-sight monitoring of the births and deaths of elephants at Dzanga Bai, a park in Central African Republic.

90 years to recover

In what is claimed to be the first-ever study of forest elephant demography, they concluded the creature was a much slower breeder than its open-air cousin.

Female forest elephants only start reproducing after the age of 20, and give birth once every five to six years, the team observed.

Their cousins from the savannah, by comparison, typically start breeding at 12 and produce a calf every three to four years.

"Their reported low birth rates mean that it will take forest elephants at least 90 years to recover" from poaching losses, the researchers said in a statement.

The data suggested that what are considered sustainable levels of trade in forest elephant ivory, were calculated on the basis of overestimated population growth rates, they added.

This should be kept in mind when ivory trade limits are next debated, said the team -- crucially at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species which opens in Johannesburg on September 24.

Forest elephants are crucial for their environment, and many tree species rely on the giants to disperse their seeds. The trees, in turn, absorb climate-altering greenhouse gases.
Ms.Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, General Manager of the FAGRO secretariat

31.08.2016 LISTEN

ACCRA, Ghana, 30 August 2016 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/-Players in Agribusiness will have a rare opportunity to learn how to prepare credit-yielding and investor-attracting business plans - at special training session on the margins of this year's National Food and Agric Show - to help out their ventures on an enviable pedestal.

The training, dubbed "Agri-Business Boot Camp", will hold from September 28 to 30 at the Ghana International Trade fair Centre with facilitators drawn from International communities.

Ms.Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, General Manager of the FAGRO secretariat said;"the aim of the Agri-Business Booth Camp is to train farmers and agri-business persons on how to write very attractive business plans to bait investors and partners so as to boost their expansion plans. More than 100 participants are expected to take advantage of this rare training opportunity"

"Highlights of the training are; how to convert business ideas into plans to attract the needed investment, essentials of presenting an attractive business plan and we will crown it with a supervised preparation of individual business plans by participants. The climax of the training will be individual presentation of business plans before a judging panel with the best three earning cash prizes.

The secretariat will look for potential investors for the best three plans", she added for good measure.

Agriculture forms the backbone of most economies in the developing world. Aside guaranteeing constant food supply, it also employs a large portion of the population. Sadly, there is very little funding for small and medium scale agri-businesses by banks and private equity firms. The lack of attractive business plans to woo investors into the sector also seems to have compounded the situation.

The National Food and Agric Show - FAGRO - is a trailblazer platform that brings stakeholders in the agric industry together every year toshowcase products and innovations in the sector while forging mutually-beneficial networking opportunities.

This year's edition will hold from September 28 to 30 at the Ghana International Trade Fair Site and it's expected to attract over five hundred (500) farmers, students, entrepreneurs and other industry players from all parts of the country.

Other activities at this year's event include exhibition, B2B Meetings and a Farm tour to a Green house farm.
The purpose of this article is to reflect on the tenure of office and lifestyle of the outgoing moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey.

You might not understand Reverend Professor Martey, the outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian church of Ghana until you bereft a country called Ghana of the social amenities provided by Roman Catholic Church, Presbyterian church of Ghana, Methodist Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Baptist church and Ahamadiyya Muslim mission in Ghana. For example, as at 1927, the only secondary school built by the colonial government was Achimota School. It is regrettable to mention that Gordon Guggisberg was denied a befitting burial as a governor for providing the colonies amenities like Achimota School.

This is just to repudiate some phony charades that colonialism was meant for Africans civilization and development. The Christian missions in Ghana namely: the Basel mission (Presbyterian Church), Wesleyan mission (Methodist church), Anglican mission pioneered by the Church of Englands society for the propagation of the gospel together had built Mfantsipim school, Adisadel college, Wesley Girls high school, all in Cape Coast and Presbyterian teacher training college at Akropong Akwapim. Accra high school was equally founded by an Anglican minister, Rev. James Thomas Robert in 1923.

Even cocoa which has offered an unmitigated blessings to Ghanas economy was first brought to Ghana by the Basel mission, before Tete Quarshie, a mission trained gold-smith, brought some from Island of Fernando Po modern Equatorial Guinea. So you see, people like Rev. Professor Martey are supposed to be cerebrated. Not those who do not only assent to solipsism in the pulpit, but also deviate from an established religious orders and thereby coercing their members to sacrifice their critical thinking, liberty, and almost every aspects of their lives on unholy altars of their own egocentric convenience. No wonder, we live in a country where the sick goes to hospital with a trotro or taxi, while the dead goes to necropolis (cemetery) with an ambulance.

Those who disagree with professor Marteys verbal outburst on national issues must understand Presbyterian tradition which is older than any political party in Ghana. To play devils advocate, even if he belongs to a political party, it is his constitutional right. Presbyterian Church is historically an offshoot of Calvinism. Calvinism is a reformist protestant movement built on the philosophy of John Calvin. The philosophical underpinning of Calvinism is ecclesiastical polity even so some are Congregationalist and Episcopalian. The philosophy of Calvin challenged the Baptist creed. In pages 99-101 of Max Webers book: The Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism. The Baptist creed and the Calvinist teachings are explained as follows.

Calvinism was the faith upon which the great political and cultural struggles of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries fought in some parts of Europe. Prior to the upsurge of Calvinism, the Baptist creed asserted among other things that man, by his fall into a state of sin, had totally lost all ability of will to any spiritual good that come with salvation. This means that a natural man having utterly been devoid of good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own magnitude, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. Gods eternal decree for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestined unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to eternal condemnation. Certain individuals are predestined unto life, God before the beginning of the world was laid, in accordance with his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, had selected in Christ unto eternal glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them or any other thing in the creature as conditions or causes moving him thereunto, and all to the praise of his glorious grace.

The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to unsearchable counsel of his own will, in which he extends or withholds mercy, as he pleases, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice.

It is worthy of noting that the foregoing metaphysical nonsense enshrined in the Baptist creed was modelled on the famous efficacious grace and predestination by St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354 - AD430). Other theologians asserted that through pertinent humility efficacious is revocable. Calvinism and its attendant polemical controversies with opponent theologians rejected the assertion of efficacious grace on the grounds that it focuses on God not man and that God does not exist for men, but men for the sake of God. All creation, in the view of Calvin and that only a small proportion of men are chosen for eternal grace, can have any meaning only as means to the glory and majesty of God. Thus, to apply earthly standard of justice to Gods sovereign decree is meaningless and an insult to his majesty.

Free will philosophers assert that since human beings are regulated by natural laws nobody is free. Also we can escape the web of natural law since we have a free will. The metaphysical problem of human freedom might be seen as follows: human beings are responsible agents: but this appears to contradict with a deterministic view of human action. This is the position that every event that is involved in an act is caused by some other event. It also seems to conflict with an indeterministic view of human actions. The view that the very act, or event is essential to the act, is not caused at all. In philosophical parlance hash determinism versus libertarian determinism. To solve this problem one must focus on the self or the agent about the man who perform the act. Thus, the agents of the actions in Ghana are the politicians. It is moderators responsibility like any other citizen to correct the agents for the benefit of all and sundry.

The ideas of Max Weber as espoused in the protestant ethics and the spirit of capitalism partly contributed to the rise of industrial revolution in Europe because every believer saw his earthly work as a divine call to serve God. Those not happy with the public outburst of Professor Martey are ignorant of church history. Good and philosophical messages of the pulpit changed the fortunes of the world. I am very happy in particular if selfless religious leaders openly reprimand politicians. When the righteous rule, the people rejoice (Proverbs 29: 2).

Today, there are a lot of religious propagandist who are sending us back to the epoch of metaphysical garbage. People are encouraged to leave their jobs and focus on the church and Christ in conformity with the historical Baptist creed which failed the world. Even marriage is now contingent on individuals commitment to the ideals of the church established by the church leaders. All these teachings have been jettisoned in history because they never inured to the benefit of humanity and the kingdom of God. Professor Martey, as a product of Calvinism believes that he cannot serve God in a conflict prone and poverty-drenched country.

The world has evolved from the era of metaphysical nonsense to subjectivity through objectivity and positivism. We are praising many preachers who are not supposed to be commended because their teachings reincarnate negative historical antecedence. Critical thinking is gradually being buried albeit the greater number of people in school. The theory of evolution which has contributed to the study of genetics is being disputed in the pulpit with impunity. Professor Martey will dearly be missed in our national discourse. We need few preacher men like you to enhance the prospects of our country. Hell is empty and all the devils are here (Williams Shakespeare). Let us encourage good men of God like professor Martey. Well done sir. We will continue to serve God and speak the truth and not determine our future on the icy waters of somebodys egoistic calculation. I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing. (Socrates)

Feedbacks must be directed to [email protected]

Nana Yaw Osei (Padigo), PhD Candidate, Psychology

Arizona, USA
31.08.2016 LISTEN

Dedication - To my good friend, a devout Christian, and a studious lady; Dorcas Asare.

Yes, I am planning to die so that I would not be killed. You probably think I am simply mad for making such a fatuous assertion. Well, that bizarre expression is so profound though at a superficial level, it sounds ridiculous. Ha-ha, "I plan to die" does not necessarily mean I am contemplating suicide. God forbid! The above title is a very philosophical statement which I borrowed from the late Dr. Myles Munroe. He once taught about death and I was struck by the following paraphrased sentence, "If you don't complete your purpose in life on earth before you pass away, then you were 'killed' and didn't 'die'." Remember, it takes a critical thinking ability to understand this revelation.

Moreover, you cannot imbibe the import of this revealing message if you know very little about a man's purpose in life. For all those who gave up the ghost without completing their divinely assigned purposes were killed and did not die. "Die" in this article differs from the conventional definition which says, "To stop living or existing as a human being." Biologically, your heart stops functioning when you kick the bucket. Spiritually, your spirit departs from your body when you kick the bucket. However, for the purposes of this write-up, to die is to simply finish one's destined purpose.

Now I want to use Martin Luther King Jr.'s mind-boggling story to prove that we all have to plan to die so that we will not get killed. This civil rights advocate actually planned to die; he was never killed though he got assassinated. In fact, he had fulfilled his purpose in life on planet earth by the time he was murdered at age 39. No wonder in his popular speech 'I've Been to the Mountaintop,' he strongly declared without an iota of fear or doubt that, "... We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind... I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man..." Surprisingly, King was assassinated the next day -- April 4, 1968 -- after delivering that prophetic speech at a temple in Memphis.

Therefore, I ask you now, "Are you prepared to die or to get killed?" Think deeply about it! But before you plan to die like the late Martin Luther King Jr. or even Sir Article who is still alive, you need to discover your own purpose as an individual and commit all your soul to it in your lifetime. For me, I consciously work towards completing my purpose -- to impact a multitude of lives in the world with my gift of writing -- on a daily basis. I am living to die for my writing passion all the days of my life on earth. Besides, let Dr. King's powerful quote galvanise you into positive action; "If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."

Source: sirarticle.blogspot.com
Hillary and Trump

31.08.2016 LISTEN

Politics should not be put ahead of national interests nor ideology and hate dominate our thinking over everything. Now I am satisfied with someone being on the opposite side of the political spectrum from me, trying to keep in mind that one side in an argument rarely holds all the truth. However, when some people oppose someone or something and then hate it with virulence, that is frightening. For example, when they talk about Hillary Clinton, they will not acknowledge that she has ever done anything worthwhile ever in her life. This isnt just about her politics; it is everything about her. like a yard sign that says Hillary, living proof theres need for abortion What an expression of hate. This sort of hatred gives reasonable people no room to come to any sort of compromise on issues, which you will need in a society that has many competing interests but is run by the consensus of the majority.

Indeed, after November we will still have a country to share. We need to resist the impulse to be cynical, no matter how tempting that mindset is. Big difference between criticism and cynicism. One can be productive, the other almost never. In case you missed it. Tocquevilles comment, America is great because America is good. This means our moral credibility gives us the advantage. It is the root of American Exceptionalism. American greatness is not about a moment in time when all was hunky-dory. Rather, American greatness is about progress towards a more perfect union. So, when was America great? Its been great more often than not, but it was certainly great when it fought and sacrificed so much to end slavery and later, the Holocaust. It was great when FDR brought the New Deal. It was great when JFK inspired Americans to explore space and great when LBJ brought the Great Society. And Id argue, America does need to get back to being great. The recently concluded 2016 Olympics in Rio proved it tooWhite Americans, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans competing together and winning medals for USA.

It is not wrong that many Americans feel afraid for their future. The problem here is that Trump channels their fear in exactly the wrong way, towards nationalism and xenophobia, which would only make America lesser. Trump is the expression, not the cause, of a fractiousness and incoherence too deep for one election to resolve. Now he is up against things to which he is averse: facts. Yes, temperate Wisconsin rejected Trump, partly for the reason that one of his weakest performances so far was in the reddest state, Utah, where conservative Mormons flinched from his luridness. His act. ignorance slathered with a congealed gravy of arrogance, has become stale.

Please dont stop with fear and anger as the force behind the Trump supporter. I suppose it is true that support comes overwhelmingly from white males with no college degree, and I can accept that they are fearful and angry. But what gives the fear and anger oxygen is ignorance. Politicians have stroked and stoked the worst elements of this great nationmade the rest ignorant, angry and on the verge of financial ruin. Thus far, thats worked. They have been manipulated and willing to capitulate for whatever crumbs you offered to keep them afloat. But now they are in revolt and they love Trump, the blue collar billionaire a term that makes as much sense as dry water.

Poorly educated white males have good reason to fear for their well-being, even if their fear is often misdirected. Denying the struggles of white males helps no one; rather it fuels the anger and misunderstanding that gave rise to Trump. The only way to cure Trumpism is compassion and empathy, not anger. If they really understood all of the policies and economic forces that got them where they are, they wouldnt continue to support those who have played them for fools, and convince them to vote against their own self-interests. Do they understand that they are supporting even more tax cuts for the wealthy? No, its not just fear and anger. It is a breathtaking level of ignorance.

Elie Wiesela Holocoust survivor said: We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere and went on to say Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place mustat that momentbecome the center of the universe.

Trump supporters find his well-promoted disregard for facts, logic, diplomacy and basic human decency comforting. They are mesmerized by the wishful thinking fallacy. That they WANT to be true, MUST be true. And the more the falsehoods get repeated, the more they see it as accruing, compounding evidence of the truth. For those people who call themselves Christian and still believe in the falsehoods, they need to go and actually read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Those four books couldnt be any clearer about who Jesus expected his followers to be.

Dr. Osmond Ekwueme is a physician and public policy analyst based in Wisconsin
WASHINGTON, August 30, 2016Ghana today received support from the World Bank to strengthen its institutional capacity in domestic revenue mobilization, public investment management, debt management, and governance of State owned Enterprises (SOEs). Reforming the governance of SOEs and improving Governments oversight will also help improve public service delivery and contribute to economy-wide competitiveness.

This was made possible with an approval of a $15 million Ghana Economic Management Strengthening (GEMS) Technical Assistance Project by the World Banks Board of Executive Directors. The project which complements a series of Development Policy operations is to support reforms in debt management, public investment management, SOE governance, and capacity strengthening in domestic revenue mobilization. It will specifically support improvements in the Ministry of Finance; the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA); the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC); targeted SOEs; and select Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Our support to Ghana under the GEMS project will among others, help theMinistry of Finance build capacity to better operationalize its medium-term debt management strategy and also help improve public service delivery through reforming the governance of SOEs so Government financing needs are met at the lowest cost with prudent levels of risk, said World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Henry Kerali.

The GEMS Technical Assistance project will contribute to increased domestic revenue mobilization, reduced debt burden, help support better public investments and bring improved economic benefits to the people of Ghana. The project is consistent with and aligned to the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda II (GSGDA II) 20142017, which seeks to support growth and restore macroeconomic stability. It is also closely aligned to The World Banks Country Partnership Strategy for Ghana (20132016), which is to deepen support for Ghanas transition and involves assisting the country to sustain economic growth, reduce extreme poverty, and enhance shared prosperity for all Ghanaians to share in the benefits of that growth.

* The World Banks International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the worlds poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor peoples lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the worlds 77 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.3 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 112 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $19 billion over the last three years, with about 50 percent going to Africa.
31.08.2016 LISTEN

People have been vociferating continuously day and night about the drastic downfall of the economy of the country and the resulting impact. It wasn't like this before they exclaimed out of anger and annoyance ludicrously criticizing and attributing the whole blame on the present administration without taking into cognizance the maladministration and malpractice of the past governments.

Truly, our currency has depreciated in the eye of foreign currencies. Truly, the market price of food items is at exorbitant rate and hunger keeps militating the lives of the poor thus making them poorer. Truly, couple of neighboring countries have withdrawn their operations and services from our country due to the bad economy.

Truly, Nigeria is currently embattled by the militants who keeps frustrating the government and disrupting peaceful coexistence.

But then, even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. I am not a fan of the party in power neither am I a pro-buhari but I can say without prejudice and any atom of bias that there is a clear-cut difference between this administration and previous ones. Buhari led administration is paving way for a better economy by encouraging and accelerating factors that will ensure a buoyant economy, effectively managing resources, fighting corruption sufficiently and ensuring that the stolen funds and treasures are returned adequately among other things.

The past governments did not address the issue of corruption in this manner despite the fact that corruption is the major factor inhibiting national growth and stabilized economy. The Jonathan led administration have seriously crippled the economy by the large percentage of atrocities committed by the corrupt public officials thereby leaving the mess for the present administration to clean up. This can be evidenced in the statement of the secretary of United States who visited Nigeria recently. He said "Nigeria was left in a poor state for this present administration".

It is easy to destroy but quite uneasy to disentangle. People have forgotten this and looking down having forgotten that they will never find a rainbow while looking down. This present administration is focused and determined towards ensuring that Nigeria gets better but this is just the second year of the tenure. Why the impatience?

As patriotic citizens, we can always contribite to the growth of the economy if only we can be productive as it requires the collective effort of the citizens and government to ensure economic growth. The resounding voices of curses and attributing blames will not solve the problem but rather worsen it. Get up and do something relevant!!

I am fundamentally an optimist and I urge us all to be. Part of being optimistic is keeping ones head pointed towards the sun and one's feet moving forward. There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel!!

Ologuntere Abdul-azeem is a four hundred level student of University of Ilorin. He can be reached via [email protected]
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has challenged Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey to substantiate his US$100,000.00 bribery allegations.

The immediate past moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at a news conference on Tuesday, 30 August 2016 revealed that some politicians attempted to bribe him with US$100,000.00 to gag him.

Politicians have tried all means to muzzle me, to get me but they cant, they come with bribes, fat envelopes, $100, 000I want everybody to listen that politicians came to my house with $100, 000 and also with the promises that if you keep quiet we will give you a house at Trasaaco with swimming pool.

We will give you Four Wheel drive [vehicle] but you know what, these people were lucky that I do not have big dogs in my house else I would have released the dogs for them to bite them, he alleged.

They have tried all means to muzzle me but they couldnt and I tell you they cant, added Prof. Martey.

Even though, Prof Martey felt short of mentioning any particular politician; it is believed that he was referring to the NDC.

As a result, the partys Deputy General Secretary, George Lawson has urged the controversial preacher to authenticate his allegations by mentioning the names of the said politicians.

Mr. Lawson argued that if the allegations by Prof. Martey are really true, why did he fail to mention their names asking If you are a man of God and politicians come trapping you, cant you mention their names?

Speaking on Starr Today on Tuesday, Mr. Lawson contended that Prof Marteys wild claims are just aimed at mudslinging the NDC.

It is only to drag NDCs name into the mud, said Mr. Lawson adding that no astute politician will behave like the people Prof. Marty was talking about.

Meanwhile, the former Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Dr. Emmanuel Osei Acheampong has disclosed that Prof. Martey lied during the press conference saying the latter took the said money and vehicle from some politicians.

"Today marks a sad day for the Christian religion, the statement from Prof. Martey is one of the most unfortunate that I have heard in recent times, a leader should have ethical communication which will not escalate into violence. Jesus never talked this way.

"Prof Martey is speaking in the opposite way, when he came into office, he presented to us a statement from one of the strongest political party, when we kicked against it, he sacked me

In July 28, 2013, around 8:15pm, he invited me to the office of one of the leading opposition parties not the ruling government, when I got there he had received the 100,000 dollars and a V8 he is claiming to have rejected. And he gave me 50,000 dollars, I am speaking on authority that he received the money, alleged Dr. Osei Tuesday in an interview with Kasapa News Akwasi Nsiah.
The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo says Ghana will work again if government prevents corruption and sincerely deals with people who use their political offices to misappropriate public funds.

Ghana should not be poor, it is bad management, especially under this NDC government that has left us where we are: hardship and poverty across the country. Under an NPP government, led by Nana Akufo-Addo, corruption will not be tolerated; we will block all the loopholes and keep our public funds for the good of the public.

Addressing a mini rally at Garu in the Garu-Tempane District, Nana Addo stressed that an agricultural revolution, where government will deliberately put in place measures to promote agriculture and agro-businesses would be pursued.

He stated that an agricultural revolution would boost Ghana's food security and also create jobs for the many unemployed Ghanaians.

You have heard me talk about one district, one factory and considering the fact that many of the people in this part of the country are into agriculture, it is right to have one village, one dam for people to farm all year round.

There is money to do these things; we need to stop the corruption and divert public funds into areas where the majority of our people will benefit, Nana Addo declared.

According to him, NDC and its communicators surprisingly move from one station to another to make fun of the promises and even swear that the promises are not achievable.

NPP has the men and women who have the vision and good will to work for Ghana. The NDC will continue to kick against these promises, because they don't believe in using the public funds to the benefits of the majority of Ghanaians. One district, one factory, one village, one dam will boost agriculture and many youth will work and make money in their communities and districts. There wouldn't be the need for one to travel outside the district before one can make money, Nana Addo said.

Former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyeremanteng hinted that an NPP government will create the enabling business environment to make the various border towns across the country industrial hubs for companies to produce and export their produce to neighbouring countries.

This, according to him, would create jobs and generate more foreign exchange into the country.

There is no promise Nana Addo has made that is not achievable; once you have the vision and the commitment to prevent people in government and institutions from stealing and wasting public money, there will be enough money to do all these.

We know how to create jobs and the NPP is committed to the creation of jobs to get many Ghanaians to live decent lives, Mr. Kyeremanteng noted.

Many people patiently waited to listen to Nana Addo's message of hope in every constituency that he visited.

From: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Garu
President John Mahama's National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will soon be hit with a demonstration over the high electricity tariffs being charged poor consumers in the country, making life unbearable for majority of the citizenry.

The demonstration, which is set to attract a large number of aggrieved power users to the streets, would take place in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital. Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Wontumi, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), stated that the party would organize the demonstration against the government in the coming days, though he stopped short of a precise date.

According to him, the NDC administration had unjustifiably increased electricity tariffs in recent times, which had collapsed small-scale businesses.

Wontumi said many workers had also been laid off by their employers due to the excessive electricity tariffs being charged by the power producers, noting that it was time consumers demonstrated against the government.

Addressing a huge number of NPP faithful during the campaign launch of the Ashanti Regional NPP at Afigya Kwabre North on Sunday, Wontumi stated that the NDC government is insensitive to the plight of the people.

He said Ghanaians had continually pleaded with President Mahama and his administration to reduce the high electricity tariffs to lessen their burden but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

Speaking at a programme dubbed, 'People's Forum,' which was transmitted live on Ashh FM in Kumasi, the NPP regional chairman stated that the NDC administration only acts when the people demonstrate against its harsh decisions.



Vote Buying

He alleged that the NPP had sighted a national security document which indicates that the NDC would soon allocate a whopping US$100,000 to each constituency in the country to buy votes during the December elections.

Wontumi sternly warned the electorate not to yield to the NDC's monetary inducements to sell their conscience, noting that the government would definitely increase petroleum prices and electricity tariffs to recoup the money that would be used to buy votes, if the government was retained.



Independent Candidates

He urged NPP members to vote against people who would contest for parliamentary positions as independent candidates, stressing that the people should only vote for Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP parliamentary candidates.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
The flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, had an extremely tough time going through enthusiastic supporters of the party in the Nalerigu-Gambaga Constituency when they took the campaign message to the area.

At Sakogu and Bindi in particular, several party youth and community members blocked all access roads, imploring Nana Addo to address them for at least five minutes.

The people, who had waited for several hours wielding several placards amidst gymnastic motorbike displays, finally had their way when Nana Akufo-Addo and his running mate spent a little time to address them and also listen to their concerns.

The flag bearer of the NPP promised the electorate in the Sakogu community that should he be voted into power on December 7, he would implement the free senior high school policy.

He noted that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) which was created by the erstwhile NPP government, has collapsed under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration and that when he becomes president, he will revive the scheme.

He assured the electorate that he would stop the importation of foodstuffs from neighbouring countries and introduce irrigation systems as a means of encouraging farmers to produce enough food locally.

The Nalerigu-Gambaga Constituency treasurer of the NPP indicated that it is time for the Mampurusi area to rally behind their 'home boy' (Dr Bawumia) by voting for Nana Addo.



Defections

Meanwhile, over 200 supporters of the NDC in the Sakogu electoral area in East Mampurusi have defected from the party to the largest opposition party (NPP).

The supporters said the ruling party had neglected them after they had aided the party to come to power.

They marched through the streets of Sakogu to demonstrate their defection when the presidential candidate of the NPP passed through the area to Bunkpurugu.

They displayed placards with inscriptions like Nana Addo, our next president, We love our brother Bawumia, Sakogu also needs a dam and You must win to stop the corruption.

The defected NDC women's organizer at Sakogu, Memunatu Mahamadu, told DAILY GUIDE that in 2012 she campaigned with the NDC party which promised women in the Mampurugu area that they would be given loans to do their businesses, but the loans never came.

The NPP coordinator of Sakogu, Musah Gawsu, told DAILY GUIDE that the defectors decided to join the NPP because they claimed it is the only party that can salvage them.

FROM Eric Kombat, Nalerigu


Four people have been injured in a gas explosion in the Suhum municipality of the Eastern Region.

The victims, Constable Raymond Abaeiyei, Rebeca Nartey (his wife) and their two children, are currently receiving treatment at the Suhum Government Hospital.

The incident occurred in the neighbourhood of a police barrack at Jehovah Rapha, Tuesday morning.

The Suhum Police Commander, Supt. Yahaya Muchiraru, briefing DAILY GUIDE on the occurrence, stated that the cop was about to leave for work when his wife approached him to switch on the gas cylinder for her to cook with.

According to Supt. Muchiraru, when the constable was doing that, he forgot that the regulator was faulty and so there was an explosion at the porch, injuring the rest of the family members in the room. He added that the fire spread wide across the room and burnt some of their belongings.

A Fire Service team was called in, who succeeded in putting out the blaze, which was about to get into other rooms in the house.

FROM Daniel Bampoe, Suhum
31.08.2016 LISTEN

There are signs that the embattled National Democratic Congress (NDC) incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Klottey Korle Constituency in Accra is going to contest for the seat as an independent candidate.

There had been speculations over whether or not Nii Armah Ashitey would go solo after he lost his parliamentary bid to Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings in the party's primaries. Already, posters of the MP are all over the constituency indicating that he was going independent.

Dr. Zanetor polled 2,403 votes, representing 62.22 percent as a against the incumbent Nii Armah's 1,348 votes, representing 34.90 percent of the total votes cast.

A statement issued in Accra yesterday by the ward coordinators and branch executives in the constituency had announced the call on the MP to contest for the seat. It stated, It has been very difficult for us to reach this conclusion, a full spoon of a good drug cures wholly and we do not want to take chances in putting our support behind a candidate who simply won't be available for meetings, let alone organize and lead the party in the constituency to victory.

It said the sign of the party losing the seat is eminent, stressing that This will be a great punch in our faces since we have already seen the sign on the walls. Our party's candidate cannot endear herself to the ordinary people in the constituency, which is becoming known to the voters.

In the view of the signatories to the statement  Joseph Ayitey Yarnie for North Adabraka, Chief Alhassan Malik for Official Town, among others  the current candidate had refused to praise President Mahama for the many achievements chalked.

Nii Armah Ashitey dragged Ms Zanetor to court challenging her eligibility as the party's nominee for the constituency when she was not a registered voter.

After several months of legal battle, Nii Armah Ashitey last month instructed his lawyers to discontinue the case after the Supreme Court in a four-one majority decision, had ruled that Dr. Zanetor did not breach any law by contesting for the seat.

DAILY GUIDE learnt that the embattled MP may be offered an appointment to calm him down and allow the dust to settle in the constituency.
An Accra high court has dismissed the suit filed by former Minister of State and legal advisor to ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor, Mrs Vicky Bright, praying the court to declare the election of Mr Ahmed Arthur as parliamentary candidate for Okaikoi South as null and void.

Justice Daniel Mensah in his ruling stated that Ahmed Arthur did not commit fraud as claimed by Ms Bright in his nomination form for both the 2012 and 2016 primaries of the party.

Vicky Bright had sought to annul the outcome of the Okaikoi South primary arguing that the MPs nomination form had wrong information concerning the programme he pursued at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, a claim which she stated had been upheld by the partys National Executive Committee (NEC).

Vicky had also questioned the voter register used to organize the primary that saw the MP elected as the parliamentary candidate for Okaikoi South.

Mr Arthur had argued that following his disqualification by the NEC for supplying wrong information, he subsequently appealed against the ruling at the National Council of the party and had a ruling in his favour (that the primary be re-run).

He stated that he had wrongly stated the course of study because he didnt have access to his certificate at the time of filing his nomination form.

In his ruling, Justice Mensah said the matter should have been heard at the constituency level before being heard by the party's NEC.

Justice Mensah thus, opined that both the NEC and the National Council had erred but the crux of the matter was whether Mr Arthur had supplied wrong information with the aim of creating undue advantage.

Justice Mensah said once that wasn't the case, Mr Arthur had not committed fraud as being claimed.

The judge also pointed out that the question of Mr Arthurs educational background did not re-surface in the 2016 primary.

On the question of the voter register, Justice Mensah stated that the same register was used in the election of the flagbearer of the party and thus saw nothing wrong with it.

Speaking to Joy Fm after the ruling, the Okaikoi South MP said he felt vindicated by the ruling and called on all party members in the constituency to join his re-election bid as well as ensure that NPP flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is elected president.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is set to provoke his political opponents and followers of the twists and turns of the local economy when he makes a presentation on the theme, The State of the Ghanaian Economy: A foundation of Concrete or of Straw.

Such presentations have often triggered polemic reactions from the other side of the political divide. Koku Anyidohu, deputy general secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), is one personality who thinks Dr. Bawumia feeds Ghanaians with lies and recently threatened to drag him to the court of law, a threat he (Anyidoho) has failed to make good.

Most Ghanaians do not agree with the NDC deputy general secretary.

Dr Bawumia is, however, credited with postulating that applying propaganda in fiscal matters will be exposed with the realities in the course of time.

The NPP vice presidential candidate is scheduled to make a presentation on the state of the economy on Thursday, September 8, 2016, a post on his official Facebook and twitter accounts have announced.

Dr Bawumia, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, is well versed in the field of economics that his grasp of the local economy, vis-a-vis the international community, is not in doubt.

His experience notwithstanding, his political opponents, especially Koku, think he does not deserve the stature he has earned for himself.

The presentation is a high-notched one and would be chaired by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

The event is scheduled to come on at the Accra International Conference Centre at 4.00 pm on the said date.

He predicted in 2012 during a similar discourse that the prevailing management of the economy would trigger far-reaching negative consequences.

That was one of his best presentations, especially when his prophesy about a fall in the cedi and a huge debt burden, among others, came to pass.

The rebasing of our GDP, along with the discovery of oil and increases in cocoa and gold prices, have together relaxed the borrowing and foreign exchange constraints that have historically faced the Ghanaian economy. In this regard, policy makers, if not cognizant or prudent, can be tempted to increase government borrowing significantly without an accompanying increase in the liquidity and capacity to service such borrowing. Should this happen, as it appears to have, it will place pressures on the country's foreign exchange reserves and would likely lead to a depreciation of the currency, Dr Bawumia noted.

The foregone was part of the high points of his presentation at the time, providing a lot of stuff for scholars and the international community, especially the donor community, to ponder over.
I have just returned from the Northern Region where I visited several villages. The situation in the region is very desperate. One can see naked poverty boldly written on the faces of the people over there. People can't make ends meet and the only option left for the youth is to migrate down south where they hope to, at least get three square meals a day. It looks as if the government of Mr. John Dramani Mahama is committing crime against humanity.

What I observed when I visited the region was that the people there have seen the light. The young men and women who migrated down south to work returned home to tell their people how their region has been neglected. They listened to radio commentaries about SADA, GYEEDA, Asongtaaba and others which was used as a conduit to siphon monies for the NDC campaign efforts in 2012. One young man I spoke to told me that but for the sickness of his old mother, he would never come down to his village because in Accra where he works as a wheelbarrow pusher, his standard of living is far better than his counterparts who are trying to irk a living through subsistent farming.

If you travel to Tamale, the regional capital and think you have been to the Northern Region, I am sorry you have deceived yourself. At Tamale, you may see very fine buildings and huge hotels as well as well stocked stores and flashy cars. It is when you travel to the hinterland that you will really experience what I am talking about. If you buy something and pull out GH20 it will take the seller more than two hours to get change for you. And if you dash somebody GH5 it looks as if you have dashed him the universe. People are broke and there is no source of income.

Agriculture, which used to be the main occupation of the folks have virtually collapsed. And to add insult to injury, strong men and women who should have taken over from their aging parents as far as farming is concerned, have migrated to the south in search of menial jobs. I used to think teenage pregnancy is only prevalent in the southern part of this country. I was totally wrong. When I visited the Northern Region, the situation there had nothing good to write home about. I saw many hungry looking small girls with their children strapped at their backs. Unschooled urchins roam the villages aimlessly while others herd cattle. I saw old men and women resting under trees wondering where the next meal will come from because the young men had all traveled to find something to better their sorry situation.

In the run-up to the 2012 General election when Mr. Mahama went to campaign in the Northern Region and told them to vote for him because he is a northerner, I thought when he came to power he will turn his attention to the Northern Region because as a Northerner he knows the situation there more than anyone else. And having been a parliamentarian for twelve years, Vice President for three years and of cause president for nearly four years, nobody can tell me that Mr. Mahama is ignorant about what is prevailing in the Northern Region of Ghana. Ministers from the Northern Region continue to construct their private mansions with architectural wonder in the big cities in the southern part of Ghana and the capital town of the Northern Region but fail to assuage the suffering of their people in the rural areas in the Northern Region. They only go there when election is around the corner, give them soap, secondhand clothes, salt, cutlasses etc and ask them to vote for them. Poor folks, poverty has made them blind and they continue to fall prey to the trick. It is not their fault anyway, because the illiteracy rate is very high over there. The NDC politicians are good at using communist inferior tactics to hoodwink the people in the Northern Region. The plan is very simple. Impoverish the masses and wait until election is around the corner before you send them a few items. You then promise to give them more when you get power again.

The sages say when rain falls, it won't fall in one man's house. So it came to pass that when poverty, hardship and unbearable high tariffs did hit hard on the poor folks of the Northern Region, they had no option but to hit the streets even when their own kinsman, the president went to their region to campaign for votes. Nobody can convince me that the huge crowd at the demonstration were all NPP supporters alone. At least I saw Suleimana Imoro, one of the demonstrators who was holding a placard with the inscription, Mahama has disgraced Northerners. Suleimana, a dye in the wool supporter of the NDC had an encounter with me at the Aboabo market when I went to buy some items there during one of my visits to the capital city. When I engaged him in a conversation and realized that he was a supporter of the NDC, I wanted to know why he was still supporting the party since the party has failed Ghanaians, including himself. He told me if even the heavens rain fire, he would never abandon the NDC. I was therefore surprised to see him holding a placard and demonstrating against his own government.

So my dear readers, you now understand the caption above? The same people who are divided by politics are now united by poverty. There are no different markets where supporters of the NDC patronize and a different market patronized by supporters of the NPP. And neither do the supporters of the NDC use different meters from those used by supporters of the NPP. We are all stewing in the same frying pan. If this demonstration had been organized by people from the Ashanti Region, the NDC propagandists will have labeled the demonstrators as NPP supporters. This was organized by people from the president's own region where he has huge support base. It speaks volumes of things to come.

NANA ADDO A DANGEROUS MAN?

The Akans say if you are fed up with a fight you forget that you have teeth in your mouth which you could use to defend yourself. They also say if you are better off than your neighbor he or she hates you. Speaking at Bimbilla where he went to campaign, the President stooped so low to the extent that he referred to Nana Akufo-Addo as a dangerous man and so they should not vote for him. Eh! Has it come to this? Does the president know the track record of the man he referred to as dangerous? Mr. President, stand up for me to tell you a few things about Nana Akufo Addo which proves that he is not a dangerous man, has never been a dangerous man and will never be a dangerous man. In 1978 when the late General I.K Acheampong, the then Head of State of Ghana sort to continue his rule through a non-party, tripartite arrangement involving the military, police and handpicked civilians, Nana Addo and a few men stood to be counted.

Instead of choosing the path of violence Nana Addo, General A.A Afrifa, Mr. Gbedemah and a few others formed the Peoples Movement for Freedom and Justice to campaign against Acheampong proposed referendum. In fact, Nana Akufo Addo, a young and enterprising lawyer was the General Secretary of the PMFJ. The group risked their lives and traveled across the length and breadth of Ghana, campaigning for Ghanaians to vote NO to UNIGOV. At their peril, they confronted the military rulers without arms and Ghanaians followed them because they knew they were fighting a good cause. Even though General Acheampong openly rigged the referendum, it did not take long before a palace coup removed him from office. Where was Mr. Mahama when Nana Addo did put his nose on the grindstone to safe Ghana from a continuous military rule?

Immediately the Kufour administration took over the reins of power and Nana Addo was made the Attorney General and Minister of justice, the first thing he did was to repeal the Criminal Libel Law which was used by Rawlings and his PNDC cohorts to send people to jail. Remember when then candidate Kufour said in the run-up to the 2000 elections that he will make sure the CLL is removed from our status book, the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mr. Obed Asamoah said the law will be removed over his dead body. And you call Nana Addo a dangerous man, Mr. Mahama? Check your Thesaurus and see the meaning of a dangerous man, Mr. Desperado!

Look at the attitude of a 'dangerous man' and compare him to the man who used his power to release convicted criminals who threatened the lives of justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana, including the Chief Justice. There was an Election Petition at the Supreme Court and after the sittings, the SC gave a ruling by a split decision of 5:4 that the President, John Dramani Mahama was rightfully elected as the president of Ghana. After the ruling, which did not go down well with the NPP supporters, Nana Addo the loser of that petition hurriedly called a press conference and told the world that even though he did not agree with the decision, he had accepted the ruling for the sake of peace. When the teeming supporters of the NPP decided to gather at the Obra Square to protest, Nana Addo admonished them to stop. And you call such a person a dangerous man?

The truth is that President Mahama has come to realize that there is no way he can rig the election since the NPP supporters are now vigilant and wide awake. That is why he is junketing the length and breadth of the country, insulting, casting insinuations and aspersions. If the president knows he has done well and Ghanaians will retain him, why worry his head and kicking like a bull? Coming events cast their shadows, so said the sages.

Eric Bawah
31.08.2016 LISTEN

Defence lawyers in the case of the two persons being tried for allegedly murdering Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, are set to make an application for the release of the results of a bone test currently in the custody of the police.

In the view of Augustines Obuor, lawyer for the two suspects  Daniel Asiedu, 19, aka Sexy Don Don and Vincent Booso aka Junior Agogo  the outcome of the test conducted on Daniel was crucial to the case of the defence.

He argued that Daniel Asiedu, upon his arrest, gave his age to the police but they did not believe it and rather sent him to their own hospital (Police Hospital) for the test.

No Crime

The former state attorney believes that if the test confirms the age of his client to be 10, then it means no crime has been committed.

By this, he noted that the trial and everything related to the case would be null and void.

According to Lawyer Obuor, the prosecution had failed to release the outcome of the test because it does not favour them.

The trial magistrate, Stephen Owusu, however urged the lawyer to wait for the arrival of the substantive prosecutor, Superintendent Francis Baah, who is currently not in the country.

The court adjourned hearing until September 22, for the lawyer to make his formal application for the results.

The prosecution claims that Agogo assisted Sexy Don Don to go through the gate of the late MP and also kept watch at the gate.

Charges

Daniel Asiedu has been charged with murder while Agogo faces charges of abetment of crime contrary to an earlier charge of conspiracy to murder.

The prosecution held that Agogo at about 1am on February 9, this year, at Shaishie, East Legon in Accra, abetted Daniel to commit murder.

Daniel Asiedu, according to the prosecution, on the same day and time intentionally and unlawfully caused the death of the MP.

Agogo reportedly assisted Daniel Asiedu to enter the house of the deceased through the iron fence wall on the blind side of the security man who was said to be fast asleep.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

[email protected]
The outgoing Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rt Rev Professor Emmanuel Martey, has advised the Electoral Commission (EC) to tread cautiously on all matters relating to this year's general election.

Whiles acknowledging the efforts of government, the EC, political parties and Ghanaians in general to advance the cause of democracy through transparent, free and fair elections in the December 7 elections, he still thinks the EC must do well to clear any doubts about its activities.

As the 2016 elections draw closer, it may be helpful to remember how close the nation came to disaster after the 2012 elections and to recognize that peace has to be engineered on all fronts. We must note that since elections are fundamental building blocks of democracy, free and fair elections are central to the legitimacy of democratic governance. We therefore wish to advise the EC to perform to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, he cautioned.

He underscored, We cannot ignore the numerous hiccups that cast doubtful clouds over the ECs performance during the past several months in relation to the production of a credible voters' register. We only hope that the Commission would live up to its responsibility as a transparent, accountable and credible institution.

Partisan Politics

The outspoken Moderator also expressed concern about the unsavoury partisan nature of political discourse in the country, underscored by intemperate and abusive language, tinged with character assassination. He advised, We should not forget that we have a common destiny and need to be wary of what we say to and about one another.

We appeal to all political parties to refrain from the culture of insults, and avoid contemptuous and provocative pronouncements that tend to breed bitterness and resentment. As the nation approaches this years elections, the General Assembly appeals to all Ghanaians to allow peace, tolerance and understanding to prevail in all our discussions and actions.

The reason, he said, is because it is conceivable that the period preceding these elections would see a lot of tension.

The man of God said, If citizens see themselves as people with a common destiny, but with diverse reasoning, tolerance will prevail.



Media

Considering the fact that the media can affect the society negatively or positively, he advised the various media houses to be circumspect in the manner they handle public discourse.

General Assembly notes with concern that some sections of the media have overtime, promoted insults and ethnic sentiments. This is not what the populace desires or craves for. Hence, if media reportage highlights differences that bring disaffection and ridicule, the society would be the worse for it, since negative news affects people's optimism and well-being, he emphasised.

He thus, appealed to media owners and leaders who are expected to be gate-keepers to live up to expectation and act well to eliminate negative, insensitive and biased reportage that do not promote the positive development of society, whiles asking the umbrella associations and commissions to act promptly to protect the interest of the general public.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Too many contradictions on the political turf are pointing at which of the parties is not being sincere and inclined towards mimicking the other.

Such tendency, which is on the ascendancy, is making the serious business of governance more of a theatre activity.

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is too quick to shoot down concepts advanced by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) only to turn round and claim it's being pursued by them or even on the drawing board.

Auditing such claims shows a heavy dose of mendacity by a party which claims to be working for the people and transforming lives.

There could not have been a bigger lie and insincerity than this.

The dam construction promise for districts which Nana Akufo Addo dangled before his compatriots suffered what the Free Senior High School did when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag bearer presented the concept to Ghanaians.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) stood against the concepts, describing them as unfeasible and intended to hoodwink Ghanaians. An incredible amount of money was invested in the related PR needed to push the 'pull-it-down' project.

In the case of the free SHS their turnaround on the subject raised eyebrows about their sincerity.

The one dam per district concept is enduring the most vile propaganda yet. NDC activists, including Kwesi Pratt, claim it is not feasible making us wonder just how such personalities with little or no knowledge about such projects can simply condemn them as impossible to accomplish.

Enter a contradiction. A segment of the propaganda machinery of the party is claiming that the party is already considering the project.

This befuddles us even the more. The conclusion that can be drawn can only be that the ruling party would stand up against any concept which inures to the advantage of the NPP.

We must be sincere with the good people of this country by not constantly throwing dust into their eyes and expecting things to go well.

That brings us to the subject of manifestoes and how both parties are engaged in a game of hide-and-seek on the subject.

The NPP are suspicious that the NDC are eager to pick its concepts which they would fine-tune for inclusion in their document of intention.

While one party are waiting for the other to launch their manifesto, their opponents are holding on to theirs, a prize which should be protected from the prying eyes of the other.

The dam politics has unfortunately exposed the ruling party as the one leading the charge of contradictions. A little bit of work would have helped them somewhat.

When each of the powerbrokers in the party presents different pictures, Ghanaians only get confused and left with no choice than to regard the ruling party as insincere. We are hard-pushed not to associate ourselves with this stance.

Politics should not be a game of tricks and lies.

We should not be ruled by persons whose integrity we cannot vouch for more so when such persons do not find anything wrong with bribing clergymen to stop criticizing the government.
Accra, Aug. 30, GNA - One Fatima Seidu who was in a veil for Friday prayers at the Al-Aziz Muslim Mosque at Burma Camp, Accra have been arrested for allegedly stealing a bag containing the personal belongings of Madam Hajia Zenaibu.

Madam Zenaibu had arrived from Maryland, USA.

Fatima told the GNA, she hails from Kowokudi in Nima Accra, but people who knew him said leaves at Sabon-Zongo near Gaskia in a suburb called Ojo in the Metropolis.

According Hajia Zeinabu said she placed her bag beside her while she was offering the Friday prayers when suddenly the Fatima came to kneel behind her.

She said when she bent down her head to pray Fati stealthily picked the red bag from the upper terrace of the mosque and vanished.

The alarm was raised in the mosque and the woman was found running into a bush behind the mosque.

A soldier who was around chased Fati and she dropped the bag in the bush and he instructed her to pick it.

The soldier collected the bag and handed her over to a Military Police woman who was on guard duties.

She was later sent to the Military Police Office for interrogation.

The bag has since been handed over to the owner.

GNA
Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's economy nosedived into a recession official data revealed Wednesday with oil production hammered by militant attacks on pipelines and foreign investment at a "record" low.

Output in the three months to the end of June was -2.06 percent with the oil sector reporting a double-digit decline following a wave of attacks by rebels in the oil-producing south.

The slowdown was recorded across many sectors in a sign that Africa's largest economy is wrestling with deeper structural issues than just the low price of crude.

Foreign investors, wary of the Nigerian government's controversial currency peg, avoided putting money into the country leading to a "record" decline in capital importation, reported Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics.

The $647.1 million worth of capital imported into Nigeria in the second quarter represented a "fall of 75.73 per cent" compared to 2015.

"This provisional figure would be the lowest level of capital imported into the economy on record, and would also represent the largest year on year decrease," said the statistics agency.

"There was considerable uncertainty surrounding future exchange rate policy which may have deterred investors," added the statistics agency.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's government finally devalued the naira in June after upholding the currency peg for months, yet experts say the negative impact of the controversial monetary policy will still be felt in months to come.

"It's really, really grim," John Ashbourne, Africa economist at research firm Capital Economics, told AFP.

"I think people underestimated the degree to which the oil sector would contract," said Ashbourne, speaking from London.

"Investors want to see some direction from Buhari, there is a sense that the policies they have implemented so far aren't working," Ashbourne said.

"Nigeria is very dependant on foreign investment to improve the infrastructure and get the economy back on track, we need investor confidence," he said, "people are staying away because they don't have any faith that things are turning around."

This year Nigeria's domestic product could contract by 1.8 per cent, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Breastfeeding consistently has been associated with higher performance in intelligence tests in children and adolescents with a pooled increase of 3.4 IQ points.

Presenting a paper on the Lancet breastfeeding series within the context of Ghana at a technical meeting on breastfeeding in Accra, Dr Priscilla Wobil, Health Specialist, Maternal, Neonatal Health, UNICEF, said 72 percent of the effect of breastfeeding on income is explained by the increased in IQ.

Prolonged breastfeeding duration increases intelligence resulting in higher educational attainments and higher incomes, she said.

She mentioned that according to the Lancet series on breastfeeding, there is an 88 percent chance of survival among children who exclusively breastfeed, adding that scaling up breastfeeding universally would substantially contribute to the attainment of the newborn targets by 2018 and the SDGs by 2030.

Dr Gyikua Plange-Rhule, Paediatrician at the School of Medical Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), making a case for more investment in exclusive breastfeeding, adding that exclusive breastfeeding is a powerful intervention for health and development that benefits children and women alike.

Political institutions need to demonstrate they appreciate that exclusive breastfeeding promotion saves lives and money urging them to exercise their authority by removing structural and societal barriers that hinder women's ability to breastfeed, she said.

Dr Plange-Rhule added that a review of the practice shows that the negative societal attitudes as shown by inadequate maternity leave, lack of opportunity to breastfeed or express milk at the workplace, and restrictions on breastfeeding in public need to be changed to encourage more mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies.

She said regulatory authorities also need to regulate the breast milk substitute industry which undermines breastfeeding as the best feeding practice in early life.

Democratic governments are entrusted to protect and promote well-being in the communities that elect themthis includes breastfeeding, she stated.

Coordinator of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), Eunice Sackey, giving an overview of baby-friendly institutions in the country, pointed out that so far, 538 public and private health facilities have been designated as baby-friendly in the country.

She, however, mentioned that a review of the baby-friendly health facilities showed that standards of the facilities are not maintained due to lack of adequate funds.

She, thus, suggested a relaunch of the BFHI, reassessment of BF health facilities and the revival of mother support groups to help mothers exclusively breastfeed.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
Christopher Quaye (3rd right) joined by other staff of JISLAH to hand over the cash and items to representatives of the leprosarium

A leading non-banking financial institution in Ghana, JISLAH Financial Services Limited, has donated food items, toiletries and cash amount to the children's ward of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital and the Weija Leprosarium.

Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mimi Anaman, and Emmanuel Obeng Jnr, Senior Officer in-charge of Project & Recovery, led a team of the company's representatives to make the first stop at the children's ward of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital to present items, including diapers, bags of rice, sugar, water and cooking oil.

In a remark, Ms Anaman said the donation was part of the company's corporate social responsibility targeted at supporting the needy who are the most vulnerable in the society. As a Christian organisation, we believe in the mandate of giving back to society what God has blessed us with. We do this twice every year, on CEO's birthday and the end of year.

JISLAH, she reiterated, would continue to give care and support for the less-privileged in the society through its corporate social responsibility programmes, and urged other corporate bodies to follow suit and support the welfare of the needy.

Makafui Agbeko, Nursing Officer in-charge of the children's ward who received the items on behalf of the hospital, observed the continuous support rendered by JISLAH over the years and expressed profound gratitude to the company.

We are grateful for the wonderful donation, especially the encouragement and support you have given us over the years, she said

At the Weija Leprosarium where representatives of the company, led by Christopher Quaye, Head of Recovery, they presented bags of water, drinks, food and cash amount to inmates at the leprosarium.

The items were received on behalf of the leprosarium by Mrs Gladys Adobea, leader/prefect of the facility, who thanked the company for supporting the needy and called on other corporate organisations to emulate JISLAH's example.
The Ghana Association of Biomedical Laboratory Scientists (GAMBLS) has called off its strike following a fruitful consultation with stakeholders within the sector.

The group's strike which lasted for seven days was to press home its demand for the immediate launch of a national health laboratory policy by government before they return to work.

The national executive committee met and the strike action has been called off effective 29th August 2016, the association said.

The National Labour Commission (NLC) last week sued the association and its striking workers, describing their action as needless.

However, GAMBLS called off their strike before the scheduled hearing of the suit against them by the High Court occurred.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GAMBLS, Dennis Adu Gyasi, in an interview with local radio station explained that the strike was called off following several correspondences with government.

We think that issues that have been discussed so far have been assuring and it is better we get back to the Labour Commission, he said.

On the court issue, he said they will pray the High Court to force the Labour Commission to expedite action on their demands.

Also as part of going to court, we are praying the court that the Labour Commission will recognise and identify us to be offering essential services and for that matter expedite the action as the law stipulates. We are inching in getting the implementation of the document. In a maximum of a month, we should have a closure to this whole trouble and issue, he added.

Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
Mr Djan-Sampson and DSP Zah cut the tape to formally open the cells [Inset: The renovated cells]

Voltic Ghana Limited has rehabilitated the male holding cells at the Nsawam District Police Headquarters at a cost of GH45,000.

The company tiled and installed water closet, showers and a water storage tank.

Eugene Djan-Sampson, Plant Manager of Voltic, who was speaking at the handing over ceremony, which also coincided with the annual WASSA of the district police command, said the decision to refurbish the male cells was borne out of the company's respect for the dignity of every human being, including those that have been incarcerated for offences but are yet to be taken through the full judicial process.

When we received the appeal from the district command for assistance, we took a critical look at the poor living conditions in the cell and we decided to embark on this project. This is not to say we encourage wrong doing-not at all. We believe the police also deserve to have the best of facilities to ensure the safety and security of Ghanaians, Mr Djan- Sampson stressed.

He said, As a passionate and engaging brand, we value our consumers and we endeavour to do our best for local communities through our Sustainable Development Initiatives.

These initiatives underpin our ambition to create a thriving world for our business and also for the communities in which we trade.

Mr Djan-Sampson said the focus is on the positive transformation and uplifting of communities by supporting basic education, health and social development.

He noted that at Voltic, social investment is not an add-on to business activities, but at the heart of how it engages with the communities where its customers, employees, investors and suppliers live.

Nsawam District Police Commander, DSP Michael Zah Dandy, commended Voltic for the immense support, noting that the rehabilitation of the police cells would give relief to the inmates.

By Cephas Larbi

[email protected]
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), vice Presidential nominee, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says the Mahama-Amissah Arthur led governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) is bereft of ideas, hence their resort to personal attacks on their campaign platforms.

According to him, Ghana deserves better than the current mismanagement of the economy which has brought untold hardships on the citizens.

Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia was addressing hundreds of NPP supporters in the Bunkprugu constituency as part of the NPP Presidential nominee, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addos campaign tour of the Northern Region.

He disclosed the NPPs intention to implement a new infrastructure programme for poverty eradication.

He posited that a lump sum of one billion Dollars will be allocated as capital expenditure and that each constituency will receive one million Dollars to improve rural infrastructure.

Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia explained that the money will be internally generated to make feasible the intended infrastructure for poverty eradication programme.

Nana Addo begs electorate

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo reiterated his call on the electorate to try him and the NPP at the December 7 polls.

He attributed the nations economic difficulties to poor governance for which reason, President Mahama should be rejected on December 7.

Nana Akufo Addo promised to fix the deplorable road network in the Bunkprugu/Yunyoo district, build health facilities and better schools as requested by the paramount Chief of Bunkprugu traditional area, Nasimong Abubakari Bawa.

I have committed myself that if God favours me in December I will satisfy the Bunkprugu chiefs demands.

He said the next NPP administration under his watch will adopt the bottom-up approach to build the country to an appreciable level.

Nana Akufo Addo appealed to the electorate to give the NPP Parliamentary majority to put the nation on its proper footing.

Say bye bye to John Dramani at the December polls and put in a Nana Addo government to restore hope in Ghanaians. 

Nana Addo addressed separate rallies at Sakogu, Bindi, Nakpanduri, Yunyoo, Nalerigu and Walewale among others in Mamprugu land.

Alan John Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Otiko Afisa Djabah, Samuel Jinapor and NPP Northern Regional executives form part of Nana Akufo Addos entourage touring the Northern Region.



By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah /citifmonline.com/Ghana
Minister Ellwood said:

I strongly condemn this latest attack in Mogadishu that claimed the lives of yet more innocent civilians. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and those injured. This attack and those like it, such as the suicide bombings in Galkayo on 21 August and last weeks attack at Lido beach, only strengthen our determination to work with the Somali people in their efforts to build a secure and stable future.

The UK stands with Somali security services, the African Union Mission in Somalia and other international partners in confronting the threat of al-Shabaab. Together, we will continue to support Somalia in the fight against extremism, and as it strives towards a peaceful electoral process this year.
A 15-member contingent of Patriotic Ambassadors for Peace (PAP) under the leadership of Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang stormed Ho-West Constituency in the Volta Region on Friday, August 26, 2016 for a 3-day outreach programme. The group was met on arrival by the NPP PC for the Constituency, Mr. Isaac Kwame Adika and the Constituency Financial Secretary at Abutia- Tedeafenui.

After a short introduction, Mr. Adika gave an oral briefing on the political dynamics of Ho-West Constituency, specifically Abutia-Tedeafenui, Abutia-Amesianyakofe, Abutia-Kissiflui, Abutia-Agove (Kpolukofe) and Dededo, where our activities were to be concentrated.

Team PAP divided itself into three groups and developed a movement plan in the selected areas in order to make the political exercise effective. With flyers and posters of Nana Addo and Mr. Adika, PAPers in their specially-designed T-shirts interacted with the people, involved themselves in most of their activities and preached the message of change, peace and hope to them.

At the EP Church at Abutia-Teti, where a mini-harvest was taking place, Team PAP was warmly welcomed by the Pastor and the Congregation, especially when PAPers bought the first four items offered for sale. PAP made a special donation and the members displayed their dancing skills during the collection time to the delight of all and sundry.

At Abutia-Kissiflui, which happens to be the hometown of Mr. I.K. Adika, Team PAP supported an appeal for funds by the ARS in aid of the Church building. Special prayers were offered by the Pastors for our generosity and to make our political mission materialise.

On the way to Ho-West, Team PAP stopped at Dabala in South-Tongu Constituency and made a donation of two bicycles to the Dabala office of the NPP in aid of their Campaign. Similarly, 75 pieces of T-shirts of both Nana Addo and Mr. Adika worth GHC750 were donated to the Parliamentary Candidate for the Health Walk organised by the Volta Youth Alliance (VOYA) at the weekend.

In the last few months, PAP has embarked on a number of outreach programmes in Ahafo-Ano North Constituency in Ashanti, Ningo-Prampram in Greater Accra and Wa Central in the Upper West Regions. It has outlined series of outreaches till December, where items like computers, food, books and clothes would be donated to the Constituency Offices and constituents.

Team PAP would be doing a SWOT analysis on the outreach programme in Ho-West for the PC and the Constituency Executives with the view to improving the level of campaign in the area. However, looking at the favourable response by the constituents, it could be concluded that, Volta Region is poised for change in government this year and will lead the crusade for Nana Addo's presidency. The people are upset with the NDC government for taking them for granted. To them, enough is enough of the deceit, mediocrity, poverty, high unemployment, bad roads and water problem.

Team PAP would like to appeal to the leadership of the NPP to resource the orphan constituencies with bicycles, motor bikes and pick-ups especially in the Volta Region to lessen the burden of the Parliamentary Candidates. We are also urging the Youth to join PAP to canvass votes for Nana Addo and NPP PCs to enable our beloved party dislodge the incompetent NDC from government in December.

God bless Ghana! God bless Nana Addo!! God bless PAP!!!

Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang (National Coordinator - 0202471070)

Andy Oppong Amoako - Director of Operations - 0243662912

Gladys Ofori - PAP-Greater Accra Coordinator

Wit Duncan - PAP-Volta Regional Coordinator
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's police chief faced a whirlwind of criticism on Wednesday after he suggested officers would "naturally" suspect minorities, including Israelis of Ethiopian descent, of crimes more than others.

Members of the Ethiopian community in Israel, who account for more than 135,000 of the eight million population, called for police commissioner Roni Alsheich to be sacked after his comments on Tuesday.

"Ethiopian Jews are Israeli Jews in every way," Alsheich told a lawyers' conference in Tel Aviv where he was asked about police violence against Ethiopian-Israelis.

"But every criminology study worldwide shows that immigrants are more involved in crime than others."

He said that young people too were more often implicated in crimes and, that when the two factors were combined, police "naturally" suspected them more than others.

Alsheich also mentioned Arab Israelis, who account for more than 17 percent of the population.

He accepted, however, that there was "over-policing" of Ethiopian Israelis that must be addressed.

The subject is particularly sensitive among Ethiopian Israelis, who have protested against what they see as discrimination and abuse by police.

A spokeswoman for the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews called for Alsheich to resign, saying his comments were "intolerable."

"Not only are we not immigrants as he says, but he also only reinforces stereotypes that portray all young people from our community as delinquents and criminals," Hanna Elazar told AFP.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan defended Alsheich in a statement, saying his comments did not defend "over-policing" or racial profiling of Ethiopian-Israelis.

"He did exactly the opposite and courageously said that there is a problem that the police are addressing," Erdan said.

"We are working with members of the community and their leaders to address the errors of the past."

Police spokeswoman Meirav Lapidot however told army radio that the sensitive topic "should have been explained differently."

Of the 135,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel, some 50,000 were born in the country.

The community is the result of Israeli authorities eventually officially recognising the Ethiopian Jewish community as Jews, leading to two waves of immigration in 1984 and 1991.

They have alleged discrimination and other types of mistreatment.

A video emerged last year showing an Israeli of Ethiopian origin being beaten by police, setting off a series of demonstrations around the country, some of which turned violent.
Accra - 29th August 2016: Airtel Money, a sub brand of Airtel Ghana has announced its readiness, in conjunction with partner banks, to pay interests earned by customers on their Airtel Money wallets effective 11th September 2016. The interest payment is in line with directives from the Bank of Ghana issued earlier this year for Mobile Money Operators to pay interests on customers E-value.

Speaking to the companys readiness to comply with this directive, Edmund Barwuah, Head of Corporate Sales, Airtel Money said  we are excited that the Bank of Ghana has given the green light for us to pay interest accrued on the pooled E-money float for eligible customers effective the second week of September. Together with our partner banks, interest earned for the first half of the year will be paid to customers in two tranches with the first payments made by 11th September covering the period January to March and the second payments made by 18th September covering April to June 2016. As with normal practice, interests are computed on a daily basis and will be paid to customers per quarter or as directed by the Bank of Ghana.

He continued Airtel Money has been in the forefront of innovation in the Mobile Money space. Over the years, we have introduced breakthrough innovations such as Tap N Pay  the industrys first contactless payment system that enable customers pay conveniently for goods and services with a simple tap of their phones on NFC enabled point of sale devices.

We were the first to give customers the freedom to purchase airtime, pay utility bills among others from their Airtel Money wallets. We remain the only operator offering customers the opportunity to send and receive money on their Airtel Money wallets free of all charges. Today marks a milestone in our operations as we are the first operator to have put in place the mechanism to make interest payment on the specified dates to our cherished customers.

Explaining how the interest will be paid, he said working with our partner banks, eligible customers will receive notification detailing interests earned on their Airtel Money wallet balances and the funds will be immediately credited to their wallets. The communication and the first payments covering January to March should reach eligible customers by 11th September and subsequent payments will follow the same procedure. This is indeed an exciting time to be an Airtel Money customer.

The Bank of Ghana issued the Guidelines for E-Money Issuers (EMI) in Ghana (2015) to regulate Mobile Money operations in the country. The EMI Guidelines directs banks to pay interest on pooled E-value deposits to Telecom operators who will pay these out to eligible customers.

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.
Tripoli (AFP) - Thousands of migrants are "racing against the clock" to make the perilous crossing from Libya to Europe before summer ends, with authorities in the conflict-torn country at a loss to stem the flow.

Abdel Hamid al-Souei of Libya's Red Crescent said improved weather triggered this week's mass outflow that has seen more than 10,000 migrants rescued since Sunday from floundering boats.

The migrants are "racing against the clock because they fear the start of autumn when conditions will not be so good" out at sea, he told AFP.

Most of the migrants from the Horn of Africa and the west of the continent set out from the Libyan town of Sabratha, just 300 kilometres (180 miles) across the Mediterranean from the Italian island of Lampedusa.

People traffickers have exploited Libya's rampant insecurity to cash in, as authorities concentrate their limited resources on combating jihadists and an uphill political battle to extend their writ over the entire country.

"Our patrols have been reduced lately because the vessels are ageing and we don't have the means to control the Sabratha coast," Libya's navy chief, Colonel Ayoub Qassem, said in Tripoli.

Rescuers saved 3,000 migrants in the waters off Libya on Tuesday as they tried desperately to reach Europe, a day after a record 6,500 people were rescued in the Mediterranean.

Global migrants

And after several weeks of relative calm in the waters between Italy and Libya, more than 1,100 people were rescued on Sunday.

Dramatic images of one rescue this week distributed by the Italian coastguard showed children among the survivors crammed onto an old fishing boat.

Some of the migrants jumped off the vessel in life jackets and swam towards their rescuers.

On Tuesday morning, a woman gave birth on board one of the rescue vessels -- operated by Italy's coastguard and navy as well as NGOs -- as it made its way to the Italian coast.

She and her newborn were taken by speedboat to the island of Lampedusa, while the rest of the migrants made their way to several ports in Sicily, Sardinia and southern Italy.

The total number of arrivals in Italy this year now stands at 112,500, according to the UN refugee agency and the coastguard, slightly below the 116,000 recorded by the same point in 2015.

More than 3,100 people have died trying to reach Europe this year.

Burials far from home

The municipal council of Sabratha, 70 kilometres (45 miles) east of Tripoli and controlled by Libya's internationally-backed but nationally-contested Government of National Accord (GNA), warned early in the summer that their town had turned into a hub for people trafficking.

Migrants wait to be rescued on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea during a rescue operation by the Italian coastguard. Around 6,500 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya on August 29, in one of the busiest days of life-saving in recent years

The Tripoli-based GNA has been locked in a fierce battle since May to expel Islamic State (IS) group jihadists from their coastal stronghold of Sirte, eastern Libya, while also struggling to win the backing of a rival administration operating from near the border with Egypt.

"There are parties which are profiting from the trade while the Tripoli authorities are tied up with the fight against IS," said another Red Crescent official in Sabratha, situated half-way between Tripoli and the Tunisian border, asking not to be named.

He said the traffickers, "who are often armed, are linked to an international ring operating in Libya, neighbouring Arab countries and extending all the way to Europe".

Between June and August, more than 800 African migrants aiming to reach Europe through the Libyan gateway were arrested in neighbouring Sudan along with a group of traffickers, according to Sudanese security officials.

Over the same period, underlining the mortal risks, hundreds of bodies of migrants who drowned after being dumped in the water from unseaworthy vessels washed up on Libyan beaches.

For fear of the spread of disease, civil society groups and local residents gave them anonymous burials on Libyan soil, far from the migrants' homes.
The Presbyterian Church of Ghana has cautioned the Electoral Commission (EC) to approach this year's general elections with all sincerity to avoid any mishaps during the period.

At a press conference to present the communique of the church's general assembly meeting on Tuesday, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey stated that free and fair elections are central to the legitimacy of democratic governance hence the Church's caution.

We acknowledge the efforts of the government, the Electoral Commission, political parties, and Ghanaians in general to advance the course of democracy through transparent, free and fair elections in December. The Presbyterian church of Ghana however, urges the Electoral Commission to tread cautiously on all matters relating to this year's general elections.

As the 2016 elections draw closer, it may be helpful to remember how close the nation came to disaster after the 2012 elections and to recognize that peace has to be engineered on all fronts. We must note that since elections are for the mental building blocks of democracy, free and fair elections are central to the legitimacy of democratic governance, he added.

We're ready for 2016 general elections

The EC had served notice that it is implementing some 27 new reforms aimed at improving the transparency, inclusiveness and credibility of the December 7 elections.

The reforms according to the EC were the product of a Special Reform Committee set up by the EC after the 2012 Election Petition.



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
The Writer

31.08.2016 LISTEN

Much has been said about the role of mobile money in an economy such as Ghana's. Since its advent onto the scene some seven years ago, the overriding debate has been whether it poses an existential threat or is rather a symbiotic platform for the banking industry.

Some prominent figures in the banking industry have expressed several views on the debate. Amongst the points, previously espoused, include the following;

Telcos are trying to operate as pseudo-banks without the regulatory rights and privileges.

Telcos are attempting to receive interest from mobile money transactions; which directly distorts the status quo currently.

Telcos in mobile money operations are targeting and shrinking banks customers.

While these premises seem to have been hammered on for a long time, the truth is that they are unfounded.

How do Banks mobilise their funds?

The ethos of any financial institution, or banks for that matter, gives them the license to receive deposits, issue loans and conduct other financial services such as Wealth Management and Investment Banking. For mobile money to be considered competitive, it has to possess the capacity to significantly disrupt the banks ability to perform these primary functions.

There are several ways banks mobilise funds in their day-to-day operations. However, the two major sources are:

Corporates & businesses and;

and; High/Middle income earners

Banks access these customer deposits through the placement of branches in selected areas where their targeted customers are located. It is therefore no surprise that there are now less than 2,000 bank branches since the advent of banking in Ghana in 1896. In fact, some Banks are even reducing their branch networks, further restricting their reach to only big businesses and the elite in the society.

As it stands currently, none of the major sources of bank deposits is even remotely available to mobile money providers. Mobile money is not targeting deposits of large corporates or businesses nor does it target the deposits of high to middle income earners. In fact, mobile money focuses attention on the common man; the man who has been financially disenfranchised because of the strategic decisions of the banking industry for 120 - years.

Mobile moneys presence is to provide a reliable, secure, convenient and cost efficient means for banks to reach millions of Ghanaians who will otherwise be left out of mainstream banking.

Today, Banks in Ghana have in their possession over GHS600m of mobile money deposits (representing 30% of total deposits), 80% of which will not have made it onto their books but for the activities of mobile money operators. In just seven years, mobile money operators have racked up 100,000 agent locations through which customers transact and are directly raising deposits for the banks. Mobile money has no chance of taking deposits away from banks, rather, what it seeks to do, is to mop up other sources of funds sitting with the largely unbanked 70% population and make them available to the Banks.

A relevant question, therefore, arises: Is Mobile money trying to access or win deposits that the banks are fighting for or does mobile money add to the banking industrys deposit mobilisation efforts?

The answer is obvious.

Over 90% of the banks revenue streams are not accessible to mobile money operators. Mobile money operators cannot lend to the government, neither can they lend to corporates and high net worth individuals. Even if mobile money operators ever get to lend money, it will be to those millions of Ghanaians the banking industry has disenfranchised for over 120 - years.

Mobile money provides a platform for banks to better monetise their own investments. For example, banks are earning revenues from mobile money customers who use their ATMs and Point of Service (POS) platforms; these are revenue generating outcomes that were not previously available.

Driving the point home:

The presence of Mobile Money is an answer to mans crucial need to simplify the financial services process for his fellow man. Ghanas banking sector has been able to bank close to just 30% of the entire population since 1896. It leaves the country with a staggering 70% of Ghanaians who are still without a bank account. Mobile money came to bring these services closer to these people; some of whom are our parents, siblings, relatives and even business colleagues.

Mobile money is the guarantee that people from all walks of life will be able to transact businesses wherever they are just by the touch of a mobile phone screen. It tackles the problem from the bottom of the pyramid; giving access to many a farmer, student, informal trader at a basic level.

In Kenya, for example, the number of prudential account holders doubled in 2006 and 2013; the same period M-PESA experienced exponential growth. Mobile money exposes banks to a broader deposit base which will reduce their cost of funds and improve their resilience in times of financial stress.

Conclusion:

Disruptive innovations have enhanced banking in the past. The ATM is an example. Mobile money is simply the current disruption and like innovations in the past, it will enhance banking rather than replace it. It is another gateway to banking but one that is more democratic than any path we have ever seen. It does not matter where you live. It doesn't matter how much or how little you have. If you have a basic mobile phone, you have access to a pseudo deposit system and that is awesome.
Facts

You have been nominated by your employer to attend a business meeting in the UK. You have obtained all necessary documents to be used by you in support of your application. You have never made any application for a UK visa and do not know how to proceed. What must you do to enable you make the application for a visa?

Log-in to the Visa Application Website

You must first complete an online visa application form. Log in to www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk to access the visa application website. Click Register an Account to enter in mandatory details including your name, date of birth, gender, nationality and contact details. You would be required to enter your password which must include at least one CAP letter and both letters and numbers. Please write down your password for easy reference.

Getting to the Visa Application Form

After entering the password details, a message with a link would be sent into your email. Log into your email and click on the link to access the visa application form. On the page, you would again be made to enter some information including your passport number, telephone numbers and intended date of travel.

Select Visa Type

On the same page, you would be required to select your Visa Type. This part is very important since the selection of an incorrect Visa Type may lead to the refusal of your application or the payment of an incorrect visa fee. You would first be required to select Reason for Visit. The options are Visit, Study, Work, Settlement, Transit, Other, and Exempt. Since the reason for your travel is to attend a business meeting, Visit would be the appropriate option.

Next is to select the Visa Type. Some of the choices are Tourism, Family and Business. Based on the reasons for your visit, Business would be your appropriate option. If you were visiting a friend or family in the UK, your choice should have been Family much the same way your choice should have been Tourism if you were visiting as a tourist. The next step is to select the Visa sub Type which is usually the duration of the Visa Type which is usually 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years.

What if I am unable to complete the Form in one Step?

If you are unable to complete the Form in one step, you have the option to save it and return to it at a later date. If you wish to return to the Form, you must log in to the visa application website www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk . Click Log in to enter your email address and the password you created earlier.

How do I Book my Appointment?

After completing the Form, you would have to book an appointment to submit your application at the Visa Application Centre. Choose the available date and time most suitable for you. If you select an appointment date and time you have three hours within which to pay for your visa fee otherwise your appointment would be cancelled.

How do I pay for my Visa Fee?

The visa application website does not have the facility to accept cash payments. You can only make payment by credit or debit card. In Ghana, most ATM cards with the Visa or Master Card logo should be able to make the payment. If you do not have an appropriate card, you may contact a friend or relative to make the payment on your behalf. The current fee for a visit visa is 87. Once payment is made, a confirmation of the appointment should be available on your page for you to print and submit same with your documents at the Visa Application Centre.

Where should I submit my Application?

On the date of your appointment, submit a copy of the Application Form, the Appointment Confirmation together with the originals and copies of all your supporting documents at the Visa Application Centre. You would not be allowed entry if you fail to produce a copy of your appointment confirmation. In Ghana, the Visa Application Centre is located inside the premises of Movenpick Hotel in Accra.

Emmanuel Opoku Acheampong

Disclaimer: This article only provides general information and guidance on UK immigration law. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. The writer will not accept any liability for any claims or inconvenience as a result of the use of this information. The writer is an immigration law advisor and a practicing law attorney in Ghana. He advises on U.S., UK, and Schengen immigration law. He works for Acheampong & Associates, a law firm in Accra. He may be contacted on [email protected]
Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's head of state Ali Bongo came under pressure from his ruling party and the international community Wednesday to deliver a fair result in a tight and increasingly tense presidential election race.

Bongo, running for a second term after his father held onto power for four decades, is a mere 5,000-odd votes ahead of his rival, Jean Ping, according to a vote count disputed by the opposition.

But as Gabon awaited the results -- initially expected Tuesday -- the ruling party's number two broke ranks, calling for "fundamentally credible results" in order to maintain peace, "the most precious acquisition of the last decades."

"The PDG (Gabonese Democratic Party) supports the position of its candidate Ali Bongo while remaining focused on keeping the peace," Austin Boukoubi said.

Many in the oil-rich nation fear a repeat of violence that followed the 2009 election after Saturday's vote that both Bongo and Ping claimed to have won.

Wrapped in the Gabonese flag a supporter of the opposition candidate Jean Ping on August 31, 2016 at the party headquarters, waiting for results in the country's presidential election

Official results are expected to be announced later Wednesday after a meeting of the Cenap electoral commission.

But Ping's supporters have cried foul ahead of the results being made public, while EU observers, who were barred from Wednesday's Cenap meeting, had said the vote was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

Gabonese opposition leader Jean Ping pictured on August 28, 2016

"The European Union repeats the call made by the head of its observer mission that results should be published for each polling booth," a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Since late Tuesday, the commission has fiercely debated a disputed vote result in one of the country's nine provinces -- the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

'Ensure transparency, impartiality'

A report claimed Bongo had won 95.5 percent of votes in the province, with turnout there at 99.9 percent.

Gabonese opposition leader Jean Ping pictured on August 28, 2016

Should the report's findings be accepted as official, the incumbent would be able to claim 49.9 percent of votes nationwide, narrowly defeating Ping's 48.2 percent.

In other words, Bongo would win by a tiny margin of just 5,594 votes.

Just under 628,000 people were registered to vote in the oil-rich Central African nation, home to 1.8 million people.

"They need to ensure transparency and impartiality in publishing the results, which we are waiting for," said a spokesman for the French foreign ministry on Wednesday.

"Only in this way can the credibility of the results be guaranteed," the ministry added.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo casts his vote at a polling station in Libreville during the presidential election on August 27, 2016

Gabon is a former French colony that exports oil and tropical hardwoods.

Bongo, 57, took over on the death of his father, Omar, and went on to win the 2009 election that was marred by post-election violence and the torching of the French consulate in the oil capital, Port Gentil.

On Tuesday afternoon anti-riot police took position around the capital Libreville and later established checkpoints in various parts of the capital, blocking access to the presidential palace.

Light armoured vehicles also began to patrol along the Atlantic coast.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission vowed to fight for a recount, should the figures in the report be validated.

But Cenap chief Rene Aboghe Ella has rejected calls by the EU observers for each polling station to publish its results.
31.08.2016 LISTEN

From William Nlanjerbor Jalulah, Bawku

The presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has told the Overlord of the Bawku Traditional Area in the Upper East Region that he has no interest in the protracted Bawku chieftaincy matter.

Speaking at the palace of the chief in Bawku on Monday, as part of his campaign tour of the region, Nana Addo was categorical that he was only interested in the peace and solidarity of the area, so that the development of Ghana would go forward.

He, therefore, congratulated the Overlord of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, for his continuing efforts at restoring peace in the area, which, he said, tested the chief's statesmanship and show of diplomacy.

I want to associate myself strongly with the work that the Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee is doing to ensure that things remain normal.

It's in everybody's interest that peace continues to reign in Bawku, and for that to happen, people like me must support the process. I am not interested in becoming Bawku Naba, which is not my interest. I'm not from here; I want to be a friend of the Bawku Naba, Kusasi and Bawku people.

People say all kinds of things about me. Sometimes they think I'm about 10 feet high. Here I am, the whole me. Naba, what I am is a very small man with a very big heart for Ghana  that's me. So we have come here to extend, once again, a hand of friendship and to seek your blessings, Nana Addo said.

According to him, he was aware, as a chief, that the Bawku Naba did not wear party colours. However, he was asking for his support, recounting the two times he failed to win the mandate of Ghanaians to become president, and asked for the support of the chief and the Kusasi people, to make it possible for him to get the chance, this time round.

And, this time, Naba, I know your vote is secret, but I want you to vote for me, he pleaded. Naba Abugrago II, on his part, urged Nana Addo and all politicians seeking higher offices to ensure they and their supporters put the country first, and are mindful in the choice of their language as they go about their campaign activities.

Naba Addo proceeded to pay a similar call on the Reagent of Mamprusi, before addressing a huge crowd of NPP supporters and members at a rally.
The outgone moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey has stated that the 1992 Constitution has contributed significantly to the 'winner takes all' syndrome in the country.

Contributing to a round table discussion organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs Wednesday, Prof. Martey described the 1992 constitution as Rawlingsphobic or what was meant to fear former President Rawlings.

If you look at the 4th Republican constitution it has been so designed to suit a persona, I have said it before, the 4th republic constitution is Rawlingsphobic and unless this is addressed we will not go anywhere, Prof. Martey said.

Prof. Martey also stated that the passiveness of civil societies in public discourse has also encouraged the winner takes all politics in Ghana.

The outspoken former moderator of the Presby church made the headlines on Tuesday after he alleged that some politicians tried bribing him with US$100,000, a mansion and a V8 vehicle to prevent him making negative comments on national issues.

He has been heavily criticized by members of the National Democratic Congress to identify the politicians who attempted to bribe him.

Prof. Martey who failed to mention names is a known critic of the Mahama-led administration and has attacked them on several occasions.
The Minority in Parliament has said it will seek a consensus on the motion to impeach President Mahama over the Ford Expedition gift saga.

The current distribution of Members of Parliament (MPs) in the house, does not support the opposition's two-thirds majority requirement for the impeachment process.

The Speaker of Parliament has summoned MPs from their holidays to a sitting from tomorrow [Thursday].

Although the Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah -Bonsu, claims he is not aware of the reason for the sudden summons, he told Citi News they will argue strongly on the Ford Expedition issue.

We had submitted some proposal to the Speaker, before we adjourned sine die; we were told that Parliament will be recalled to deal with some unfinished business. Relating to the proposal from the minority in particular, it is a proposal that we've submitted to the Speaker, but it's been on the back burner for a while. This matter came up when the matter crossed the table of the Public Accounts Committee and because there were lingering issues, we decided to probe further into this.

Whilst we were at it, we heard that a journalist had taken a huge step ahead of us, so we decided to wait to see what came out of his own investigation. Lo and behold, his findings agitated the national conscience and indeed disturbed the state of the nation for a while. So we listened to the fallout, people expressed opinions; but these matters are better addressed at the place that the constitution wants us to address same. It will as much as possible won't be very consensualbut I would want us to pursue that path. I don't want at this stage to be talking about numbers; I want to believe that good conscience will prevail. We want it to be very engaging and consultative, he added.

We'll resist probe into Mahama's ford gift

Deputy Majority Leader, Alfred Agbesi had already said his side will resist any attempt by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to raise the issue on the floor of Parliament.

I will say without any reservation at all that if that issue should be raised in Parliament, we on our side we shall resist with all the forces at our disposal, he stated.



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
Following the unprecedented turn out of events on the first day of Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo's tour to the northern region, one would conclude that he is obviously, the next President of the republic of Ghana. Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo is the peoples' choice. He is a man of the people, with the people and for the people.

The man Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo represents the true hope for the people of Mamprugu and northern Ghana at large. People were seen carrying placards with inscriptions such as 'Nana Addo, 'the President for northerners', 'the president we can trust', 'Nana must come' etcetera.

Nana Addo is the man northerners can trust as many people in this part of our world now feel deceived, abused and misused by the current NDC administration led by H.E John Dramani Mahama. This accounts for the massive defections from the NDC to the NPP that is witnessed here lately.

Through out Nalerigu, Bunkpurugu and yunyoo roads, people were virtually lined up in all communities by the road sides to welcome Nana Addo in to their respective communities, thus compelling him to address them in places that were not part of the itinerary. As a result, he spent the whole day (9:00am to about 7:00pm) touring only two constituencies-Bunkpurugu and Yunyoo constituencies. He entered the 3rd constituency (Nalerigu-Gambaga) after 7:30pm.

Despite the fact that it was raining in most places, people still stood in jubilant mood waiting to listen to the message of hope that the next president of the republic, Insha Allah, brings to them.

As opposed to H.E John Dramani Mahama's accounting to the people tour in the area where school children were forced to leave classes and attend the ceremony, people came out on their own volition being overcome with joy that Nana Akuffo Addo, Alhaji Dr. Mahamud Bawumia, Allan Kyeremanteng, Dr. Kofi Konadu Appraku among notable personalities of the New Patriotic Party were in Mamprugu to address them. No political rally in the annals of our political history has received this overwhelming support and encouragement yet in our area here.

A party sympathizer who wasn't perturbed about the rain, recounted his experience in president Kufuors last campaign visit to Mamprugu ahead of the December 2000 elections. According to him, it rained on the day ex-president Kufuor came to Mamprugu and Kufuor won the general elections. Hence the rain that accompanied Nana Addo in his tour of Mamprugu heralds his victory ahead of the December 2016 elections.- A situation that was meant to mar the rally was turned into a joyous one.

As expected of a competent and responsible leader, Nana Addo did not use the occasion to vilify and demonize other leaders but rather espoused his policies and vision for the people of Mamprugu and the nation at large.

The poor road network, the collapsing national health insurance scheme, high school fees and the high unemployment et cetera will receive major attention from the next NPP administration led by Nana Akuffo Addo. With Nana Addo as president, every district in Ghana will have at least one factory. Agricultural growth will also be given an impetus as many dams will be constructed to aid in dry season farming and also lesson the adverse impact of rain failure.

The NDC can continue to live in illusion. As far as majority of Ghanaians are concerned , free SHS, free maternity care, national health insurance scheme, allowances for nursing students and teacher trainees, job creation and infrastructural development among others must be given life again. This can not be guaranteed with the continuous stay of the NDC in office.

A vote for the NDC is a vote for corruption and suffering, a vote for the NPP is a vote for progress and positive transformation. Let's rise and vote against corruption, retrogression, falling standards of living among other ills and vote massively for a competent team led by Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo and Dr. Mahamud Bawumia to move Ghana forward.

Samuel Abdul-Aziz Nambo.

Email: [email protected]
Victims of violent clashes earlier this year at Old Tafo in Kumasi are yet to receive compensation; six months after an investigative team finished its work.

One person died and several others were injured while property, including buildings and vehicles were destroyed.

A committee set up to investigate the incident was also tasked to collate and prepare inventory on damaged property to be considered for compensation.

While suspects arrested in connection with the clashes are yet to face the law, victims have been left t to their fate.

Registrar at the Old Tafo Traditional Council, Daniel Kwame Appiah said, they (victims) are bitter because the police took the trouble of listing the items that were spoilt and stores that were spoilt and even the investigation committee chairman, Mr Domaban said we should make announcement so that all those who were victims of such things should go and report to the police and indeed they went to do it and yet nothing has been received from any quarters. This person will never be so happy with the situation.

Mr Appiah believes the delay in compensating of victims has a negative impact on the peace building process.

To forestall peace, all the necessary agents who are to work on it [compensation] must be energetic and work hard on it[compensation], he stated.

The investigative committees report has been submitted to the Interior Ministry.

Ashanti Regional Minister, John Alexander Ackon, tells Nhyira News details of the report have not been made public.

He says though the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) made inputs to the document; it can act only on the orders of the Ministry.

Mr Ackon added that he is happy about progress made so far in restoring peace to Old Tafo.

In the initial situations, the land was taken over by Otumfuo and other relationships were done. We know that there are small volatilities that happen occasionally like it happened recently. And it was not necessarily a communal affair," he said.

"It was an individual affair and because of the apparent issue that happened not too long ago, it took a bit of that dimension and this is an area we should be looking at so that we dont cross the lines and take individual issues to be a communal issue and we should be very critical of that," Mr Ackon added.

Meanwhile, Mr Ackon has been meeting with Tafohene, Nana Agyen Frimpong, and his council over a Gh 26, 000 cost incurred by the chiefs spent on peace-keepers.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), John Kudalor, has made yet another reshuffle in the top hierarchy of the police service, with barely four months to the polls in December.

This is the IGP's fourth reshuffle since his appointment in November 2015.

In the latest shake-up, ninety officers with various portfolios at the national headquarters, and others serving as district commanders among others were affected.

Notable among them is ACP Nuhu Alhassan Jango, Nima Divisional Police Commander who is now heading to the Eastern Region as a 2i/c. ACP Peter Gyimah of the Community Policing Unit in the Ashanti Region, is now the Wenchi Divisional Commander.

Supt. Gladys Mpere of the Osu District Command, has been transferred to the Madina District Command. Supt. Victoria Yamoah of the Kwabenya District is now headed to the MTTD, Tarkwa Division in the Western Region to head the department.

ACP Martin Ayiih of the Adenta Division is now headed to the Hohoe Divisional Command in the Volta Region. In May 2016, 80 officers were reassigned in a similar shake-up.

Prior to this, the IGP had made 29 changes in November 2015, the very month he was appointed, and 61 in January 2016.

With the latest changes, it brings to 260 the changes made in his ten-month administration.

-Citifmonline
31.08.2016 LISTEN

By Emmanuel Akli

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has reiterated that its policy of constructing one dam in each village is doable and that the 'doubting Thomases' should wait until the party comes to power to ascertain whether the dams would be constructed or not.

During the recent tour of the Upper East Region by the presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced plans by NPP that, when voted to power, they will construct dams to boost agriculture in the three northern regions, which is the mainstay of the economy in that part of the country.

Nana Addo made reference to the Burkina Faso, which falls within the Sahelian region but has managed to engage in large scale irrigation, which has made it possible for them to produce excess food, which they export abroad, including to Ghana.

Nana contended that Ghana would not transform her agriculture, industry and the economy as a whole, if she continued in the same old path and paradigm and that bold steps must be taken to transform all sectors of the economy.

Available information indicates that total land area of farming land under cultivation under irrigation in Ghana is only 30,345 hectares out of total land area under cultivation of 7,847,300 hectares.

The area under irrigation is, therefore, less than 1% of total land under cultivation. It is, therefore, not surprising that the growth of agriculture has tumbled down from 7.4% recorded in 2008 to the current 3% growth rate per annum.

Connoisseurs believe with this level of development in terms of irrigation, it would be very difficult for the country to produce enough food to keep pace with the population growth especially with the majority of the youth who have the strength to go into farming migrating to the urban centres for the non-existing white colour jobs.

Concerns have, however, been raised about the ability of the Akufo-Addo government to raise the need funds to construct these dams in addition to the one factory for each district promise that he had already made.

But speaking in an interview with The Chronicle, the Communication Director of the NPP, Nana Akomea said the issue at stake is about commitment of leadership and placement of priority.

According to him, checks done by the party indicates that Plan Ghana, an NGO, has been constructing irrigation dams in the Sissala area, with each costing GHc 400,000.

This means that the party has a fair idea about the cost of each dam. How are you then going to finance this, The Chronicle asked.

Nana Akomea responded that prudent management of the economy and prudent savings would be done to raise enough funds for the project.

According to him, the millions of cedis that were misappropriated from the Savana Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) coffers and the GHc 4 billion looted from the national treasury between 2013 and 2015 as captured in the Auditor Generals report when saved, could be used to construct these dams.

Nana Akomea also made reference to the $35 million paid to Mr Alfred Woyome, as judgement debt, of which a court had already ordered him to refund the money back to state, as well as the $100 million judgment debt paid by the current government to Bankswitch Limited also as judgement debt.

Nana Akomea further told The Chronicle that Nana Addo as a transformational leader would prudently manage the resources of the country without paying any unnecessary debts to help raise the needed funds to honour all promises he had made.

The Director of Communication said the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has developed the penchant of always claiming ownership of ideas mooted by Nana Addo and that they (NDC) is again claiming the ownership of the one dam per village idea.

The former Member of Parliament for Okaikoi North also dismissed the claim that the NPP leader has cancer. He accused the NDC of sponsoring the story published by Africa Watch Magazine, which claimed Nana Addo has acute kidney injury, prostate cancer and damaged heart.

Every first year medical student knows that a 50 year old man, not to talk of a 72 year old man, cannot walk about, let alone engage in a grueling presidential campaign by roads.

Even 58 year old President Mahama campaigns by state helicopters. The same magazine just a few weeks ago published a story that President Rawlings has Parkinsons disease. It also turned out to be false.

Nana is not sick, is engaged in the most vigorous campaign of all the presidential candidates, will not be sick, and will be elected president. The NDC is claiming no role in this latest smear campaign, which is only part of a long list of smear campaigns against Nana Addo.

In the same way they blamed NPP elements for sponsoring the 'who killed Atta Mills' posters and it is very clear that NDC elements are behind this cancer story. Indeed, a presidential staffer Mr Sam George gave the plot away when he told Ghanaians last week on Asempa FM that the cancer story was coming this week.

The issue bothering Ghanaians and which will decide the elections are the mismanagement, incompetence, corruption, harsh and unbearable cost of living, unemployment, agric decline, industrial decline etc that has characterized President Mahamas government, he said.
31.08.2016 LISTEN

From Ernest Best Anane, Kumasi

Sheik Dalhu Abdulmumin, Sarkin Zango Tamale, has advised politicians to desist from engaging the youth in the Zongo communities to create violence and chaos before, during, and after elections.

According to him, it is wrong for politicians to use Zongo youth to cause mayhem during an election, and later turn round to brand them as violent people, describing the act as being inhumane.

Sheikh Abdulmumin has, therefore, vowed to deal with any politician or political party that provokes members of the Zongo community to cause any acts of violence.

The Zongo head was speaking at this years 4th National Conference of Hausa Zongo Chiefs, under the theme: The founding of Zongo and her contributions to the socio economic and political development of modern Ghana.

He also cautioned the media to be circumspect in its reportage, and advised that politicians should not be allowed to make comments that could jeopardise the prevailing peaceful atmosphere.

According to him, creating the atmosphere of peace and tranquility before, during, and after the December elections is the collective responsibility of every citizen, hence the need for all to embrace what would bring us together as one united nation, than creating chaos.

He noted that Ghanaians generally have a responsibility to an attitudinal change for the better from now, and advised non-Ghanaians resident in the country to do what is right or good, and eschew all negative tendencies.

Alhaji Umaru Dafailu, Sarkin Zango of Atebubu, speaking on the need for peace and tranquility before, during, and after this years elections, commended Ghanaians for the hospitality.

He underscored that Zongo chiefs have a role to play in this years elections by using any medium to preach peace and tranquility, and also call on politicians who visit them to help maintain the stability we have before, during, and after the elections.

Mr. Andy Okra, Deputy Minister for the Ashanti Region, commended the Zongo chiefs for the laudable initiative to help maintain peace during our elections, and urged them to help tolerate each other and embrace peace.

The Minister challenged the chiefs to help put proper measures in place in the various Zongo communities, by leading the campaign of environmental cleanliness to entice all to participate in the National Sanitation Day programme. He assured them of the NDC government's commitment to creating better living conditions in the Zongo communities.
31.08.2016 LISTEN

As Nana Senya, Baffour Agyei Kesseh Step Down

From Ernest Best Anane, Kumasi,

Mr. Abraham Boadi, alias Opooman, Assembly Member for Nhyiaeso Electoral Area in Kumasi has been endorsed by elected members of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) for consideration as the next Presiding Member of the House.

Nana Kofi Senyah and Baffuor Agyei Kesse have had to step down, after each of them failed to poll one third of the total votes of the house, after 10 elections.

At an emergency meeting last Friday, Nana Yaw Wiredu, Assembly Member for Atonsu, revealed that some elders of Kumasi intervened in the matter, hence the decision for the two contestants to step aside.

According to him, government appointees of the House tasked the elected members to appoint one of them and present him to the house for endorsement for consideration as Presiding Member to enable the Assembly get on with its work.

As a result, the 91 elected members of the house, at the emergency meeting, voted for Abraham Boadi, who polled 71, while James Okyere polled four votes, making Opooman the possible candidate to be endorsed for the Presiding Member position at the next General Meeting of the Assembly.
31.08.2016 LISTEN

The Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood summed it up thus: justice has been wounded. The bribery scandal in the judiciary, exposed by ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, detonated like a bomb in the country's justice system.

The judiciary is still picking up the pieces after 21 lower court judges and District Court Magistrates were shown the exit. There have been a number of expulsions too from the senior bench, with three high court judges thrown out.

At the week-end, the Ghanaian media celebrated the exploit of one of their own, when the man at the heart of the judicial storm was singled out among the thousands of Ghanaian newsmen and honoured as the Journalist of the Year 2015.

The award is a fitting recognition for the investigative skill of a journalist who has been celebrated around the world for naming and shaming wrong doers.

Anas has investigated and exposed quack doctors in Nigeria who conducted illegal abortion on desperate teenagers without the relevant skill and causing un-repairable damages to the young girls.

In Thailand, Mr. Aremeyaw went behind the huge wall of the local prison and brought the harsh regime behind bars in the Far East.

In Ghana, Anas and his Tiger Eye Company are legendary for exposing many wrong doings going on at the blind side of Ghanaians.

Anas has been recognized by officialdom around the world. When United States President, Barack Obama, visited Ghana, the world's most powerful Head of State singled out Anas for praise for his expose.

It has taken the Ghana Journalists Association quite a while to celebrate the exploits of one of their own. Last Saturday, the GJA righted the wrongs of the past by naming the proprietor of Tiger Eye as its Journalist of the Year 2015.

For his award, Anas drove home a brand new car to celebrate his new status as the leading media personality in this country. Like many things good in society, not everybody was happy with the new award conferred on this nation's leading investigative journalist.

On Monday, Mr. Justice Paul Uuter Deiry, a high court judge facing disciplinary inquiry by the Judicial Service over the Anas expose, through his lead counsel Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo, issued a statement threatening to drag the awards committee of the GJA to court for contempt.

According to the lead counsel, the honour done the investigative journalist by the GJA, the professional body which caters for the welfare of Ghanaian journalists, is contemptuous of a case his client had brought before the Supreme Court in Accra, challenging the capacity of Anas' investigative agency and which is fixed for October 27 for determination.

The law, they say, is an ass. Mr. Justice Deiry has a right to have his day in court. But how that should prevent the GJA from celebrating the exploits of their own, begs the question; especially when the Judicial Service itself has taken several disciplinary measures against some judges following Anas' expose.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Anas' expose into judicial corruption has already been adopted by the Judicial Service. As stated earlier, the democratic dispensation now in vogue in this country, gives Mr. Justice Deiry every right to go to court if he feels he has been wronged in the Anas' expose.

We would like to believe that the right institution to face the wrath of the suspended high court judge is the Judicial Service, which is responsible for his plight. It is the Judicial Service that is carrying out its internal discipline, not the GJA or its awards committee.

The Chronicle is urging the Ghana Journalists Association and media practitioners in the country generally, not to worry our heads about the threat to drag the awards committee or the GJA itself to court on the assumption that the association and its members have decided to celebrate one of their own for his outstanding contribution to the expansion of media frontiers in Ghans.

The Chronicle takes this advantage to congratulate Mr. Anas Aremeyaw Anas on his recognition as the 'Journalist of the Year' and to urge young newsmen and women to learn from the example of the proprietor of Tiger Eye.

Anas and his Tiger eye have been recognized by a number of institutions both at home and abroad for their outstanding work. We hold the view though that this recognition by his peers is what would please the ace investigative journalist the most.

That is why Anas and his crew members should let their hair down a bit and not to worry about any suit flowing out of the outstanding work on the judiciary.

Mr. Deiry can do his worse. The award to Anas is recognition for his wonderful art of investigative work. Forward with Anas and his Tiger Eye Company!
Liams Foundation in collaboration with the Frank Junior Foundation in the United States of America has organized a free health screening for the residents of Kasoa in the Ewutu Senya East of the Central Region.

Hundreds of residents including children and aged were screened for various diseases such as Hepatitis B, HIV, Malaria, Breast, Diabetes and High Blood Pressure and give medication.

Those found to have serious medical conditions were referred to nearby health centers for treatment.

The execise which was under the Foundations 'Medical Free For All' project in Ghana was conducted at the West Hills Hospital, a community health facility located at the CP Quarters, a suburb of Kasoa.

Besides the free medical screening, the residents were educated on the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles, regular exercise and regular medical check-ups.

The exercise which will be extended to other parts of the country has in stock medicines and hospital equipment valued at $8.9 million.

Speaking during the exercise, the CEO of the Foundation Queen Holali Williams said her NGO is out to help solve problems of people by providing a free medical care.

She noted it is has been her wish to provide a health care to complement governments effort to meet health care needs of Ghanaians.

She, therefore, appealed to members of the corporate community and individuals to partner the Foundation to enable them to extend the gesture to many people.

Story by David Andoh | Ghana | myjoyonline.com
A promise is a declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen.

Manifesto

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a manifesto as a written statement that describes the policies, goals and opinions of a person or group.

Differences between Promises and Manifestos*

There are not that much difference except to say whilst a manifesto is written, a promise may not be written. Also, a manifesto deals with outlines and are broader than a

simple promise.

The upcoming Ghanaian elections in December 2016 is gathering the excitement and tension seen in every election since 1992. Whilst the ruling NDC seems to be interested in attacking the personality of the opposition flagbearer; *Nana Akufo-Addo*, the NPP on the other hand has remained focus on telling the people what they can do for this country when voted into office! The NDC has in recent past been seriously occupying themselves with the following allegations;

1. Akufo Addo is a midget/dwarf

2. Akufo Addo is a drug dealer,

3. Akufo Addo is a dictator,

4. Akufo Addo is a hunchback

5. Akufo Addo will die in June

6. Akufo Addo has a cancer!

*The funny aspect of all these allegations is that whenever Nana Addo visits my region (Central Region) and we took him to the hinterlands, the rural folks sees him and say "Oh they told us he is a hunchback, or they said he is kapoipoi( midget), oh they said he is in a wheelchair*"

*One funny thing about all these silly attacks is that Akufo Addo was supposed to have died in June, and after his death, he will get a range of cancerous diseases in august that are not linked to his death*

The NPP Campaign seems focused and from the strategic speeches Nana Akufo Addo gives on his tour of the various regions, he seems to be speaking from a manifesto for 2016.

On his tour of the Central Region, he rolled out The one District, one factory promise the NDC started pouring sand into this laudable idea. It generated a lot of debate across the country. Whilst the pessimists sit in Accra and pooh pooh that pledge, the people in the hinterlands embraced this laudable idea and identified themselves with it. Within 24 hours of this wherever we took Nana Addo to on his tour of the Central Region, there were huge outpour of people in the streets to welcome Nana Addo. From Moree Junction to Moree it took us over 4 hours to make just a 3km journey into Moree. The crowd was huge and massive!

From the Chapel Square of Cape Coast to Ekon, more than 30,000 people walked on foot to follow the convoy into Ekon to listen to Nana Akufo Addo. Brong Ahafo and Ashanti tours saw a huge number of people lining up the streets to catch a glimpse of the NPP Flagbearer.

RUMOURED NDC INTERNAL POLLS

In their bid to water down the effect of the huge number of people listening to Nana Addo, the NDC resorted to varied tricks of personal attacks on his personality. All these didn't wash.

Finally, some communicators of NDC said that "John Mahama is already doing the one district one factory policy". Then came rumours of the NDC internal polls that showed John Mahama trailing Nana Akufo Addo by a 5.8 point! The poll showed the NDC will lose Central and Western Regions. Quickly, the NDC slated their National Campaign Launch in Cape Coast!

IMANI GHANA'S UNQUANTIFIABLE FLUKE

With the soaring public approval ratings of Akufo Addo and Dr. Bawumia, then came from no where IMANI Ghana's "quantification"of campaign promises by the NPP. Seriously, if IMANI had been around during the eve of independence, they would have said Nkrumah's declaration of independence cannot be quantified!

They would have said Nkrumah's "total liberation of African states" cannot be quantified!

They would have said the building of Akosombo Dam cannot be quantified!

They would have said Nkrumah's marriage to Fathia of Egypt cannot be quantified!

They would have said the 1966 coup d'etat that toppled Nkrumah's govt cannot be quantified!

They would have drawn inferences and similarities from Azabajian, Afghanistan, Tasmania, Mordovia and Antarctica to show how unquantifiable these would be!

ONE VILLAGE ONE DAM

On his tour of the 3 Northern Regions, Nana Addo pledge to build dams to help with irrigation in the Northern Regions. This one too saw the NDC on their attacking spree trying hard to pooh pooh this campaign promise. In their confused state, they gave conflicting attacks whilst a section of the NDC said it is impossible, others came to the usual conclusion, "Akufo Addo can't do it".

YES WE CAN

One Village, One Dam, Yes we can, one District One factory, yes we can, infrastructural development, yes we can!

I see the *One Village one Dam Project* like the provision of electricity to villages. It's almost the same cost per village. If we sincerely want to bridge the gap between the north and the south, then one village, one dam, is one of the flagship projects you embark upon. It has the potential to reduce rural urban migration. It has a small cure for the influx of kayaayies( porters) to the south. Our northern brothers and sisters will be willing to farm if there is even available water to farm for just 6 months out of the year than to move down south to carry people's loads and be insulted and disrespected. A dam in a village is a sure cure to rural urban migration.

One Village one dam is better than one chief one V8,

One village one Dam is better than one household one gas cylinder,

One village one Dam is better than one SADA phantom guinea fowls,

One village one dam is better than one voter, one cedi!

#Vote Akufo Addo,

#Vote NPP

#God Bless Ghana!

Kingsley Kofi Karikari-Bondzie

2nd Vice Chairman,

NPP Central Region

0244575116

[email protected]
Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's president Ali Bongo was set to be declared winner of last weekend's contested election, electoral commission members said Thursday, in a result that risks inflaming tensions in the Central African nation.

Bongo, whose father held onto power for four decades, sought relection after winning a first term in 2009 in a poll that was marred by violence.

His rival in Saturday's vote, half-Chinese ex-diplomat Jean Ping, has already claimed victory, sparking fears of violence and the deployment of anti-riot police around the capital Libreville.

The election commission met Wednesday to review the results and several members confirmed to AFP that Bongo would be declared winner. Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya is set to announce this on television shortly.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo casts his vote at a polling station in Libreville during the presidential election on August 27, 2016

Any appeal by Ping would be likely to focus on disputed results in one of the country's nine provinces -- the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

According to provisional figures, Bongo won 95.5 percent of votes in the province, with turnout there at 99.9 percent.

Should these figures be accepted as official, the incumbent would be able to claim 49.9 percent of votes nationwide, narrowly defeating Ping's 48.2 percent.

Bongo's winning margin would be a razor-thin 5,594 votes.

"It's going to be difficult to get people to accept these results," one member of the electoral commission confided to AFP, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.

"We've never seen results like these, even during the father's time," he added.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission boycotted the vote. They had vowed to fight for a recount should the provisional figures be validated.

'Credible results'

As fears rose of a contested result and violence, the electoral commission and Bongo came under pressure from fellow politicians and the international community to deliver a fair outcome.

"The European Union repeats the call made by the head of its observer mission that results should be published for each polling booth," a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo casts his vote at a polling station in Libreville during the presidential election on August 27, 2016

The ruling party's number two, Faustin Boukoubi, also broke ranks, calling for "fundamentally credible results" in order to maintain peace, "the most precious acquisition of the last decades."

On Tuesday afternoon anti-riot police took position around the capital Libreville and later established checkpoints in various parts of the capital, blocking access to the presidential palace.

Light armoured vehicles also began to patrol along the Atlantic coast.

Pressure from observers

In 2009, Bongo was declared winner of the election after his father's death. In the ensuing clashes several people were killed, buildings looted and the French consulate in the economic capital Port-Gentil torched.

Gabonese opposition leader Jean Ping pictured on August 28, 2016

EU observers, who were barred from the meeting of the electoral commission on Wednesday, said the vote on Saturday was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

Joining the EU in pressuring Bongo on Wednesday, the French foreign ministry called for "transparency and impartiality" when the results are published.

"Only in this way can the credibility of the results be guaranteed," a spokesman for the French foreign ministry on Wednesday.

Gabon is a former French colony which has been hit by the global slump in the price of crude oil, its biggest export.

One third of Gabon's population lives in poverty, despite the country boasting one of Africa's highest per capita incomes at $8,300 thanks to pumping 200,000 barrels of oil a day.

Bongo, 57, campaigned under the slogan "Let's change together," playing up the roads and hospitals built during his first term and stressing the need to break with the bad old days of disappearing public funds and dodgy management of oil revenues.

Just under 628,000 people were registered to vote in Gabon's presidential election, which is home to 1.8 million people

The campaign period was marked by months of bitter exchanges between the two camps, including accusations, and strenuous denials, that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run.

Ping's own roots -- he is Sino-Gabonese -- served as ammunition for Bongo's camp, which has suggested he and his son are secretly serving Chinese interests.

The two rivals go back a long way, having worked for years together under Bongo senior, who was responsible for getting Ping a job as chairman of the African Union Commission.
Hundreds of prospective Hajj pilgrims, who are stuck at the Hajj village in Accra, have expressed fears their trip might just fall through.

Some of them who spoke to Citi News, even accuses the organizers of sending non-Muslims and business men and women to Saudi Arabia, only to do business and not to perform the ritual.

All our monies are paid through the banks and if you know your quota, why is it that people are allowed to pay more and left stranded here? You know this years is even much worst than every other year because as at yesterday [Tuesday], about 700 people were down here, One Pilgrim told Citi News.

The Hajj Board has been largely commended for drastically reducing the chaos, frustrations and drama that usually characterize the trips to Mecca in the last few years.

The biggest improvement was when prospective pilgrims in the Northern Region, flew directly from the Tamale Airport into Saudi Arabia in a bid to reduce the congestion and confusion in Accra.

But down back in Accra, hundreds are still at the Hajj Village waiting for their turn. They say they are losing hope and promises are gradually becoming empty. According the Pilgrims, the board promised they will all be airlifted latest by 21st August, but that is yet to happen after ten days, as they grow increasingly impatient.

I want to suggest to the Hajj Board that in future they should look at those who have not performed the ritual and give them priority because it's a religious duty next to those who want to go for the second time; but what bothers me is that, we go there to worship but priority is given to those who are going to do business and that is very Un-Islamic, said a worried prospective pilgrim.

This year, pilgrims were expected to pay $3,500 or its equivalent of GHc11, 900.

Attempts to reach some members of the Hajj Board for comments on this matter, have so far proved futile. However, in an earlier interview, the deputy communications director of the Hajj Committee, Alhaji Mohammed Amin Lamptey, said a total of 11 flights have been scheduled to fly out would be pilgrims.

Another worried lady complained about her blind mother who was being accompanied by her 46 year old sister, was repatriated from Mecca on grounds that she had no male relative.

My mother is blind and when they went to Mecca, my sister was not told by the agent that she had been paired with another man because she always goes on the pilgrimage alone; She got there only to realize that some under-age girls had been dressed up as adults to join the pilgrimage; but because she was not with any man, the authorities asked her to come back to Ghana to look for a relative before being allowed back, she told Citi News.

She is however worried that there is no one in Mecca to take care of her mother who cannot see her way around.

My sisters money has also not been refunded because the authorities claim unless they return from Mecca; she has also lost about five bags on this trip.

On sanitation at the Hajj Village, Citi News noticed that, the bathrooms were inadequate. The bathroom water also run through the stones on which the pilgrims laid their mats to rest; as there were neither chairs nor benches for them to sit on.

They are however unperturbed about these conditions. They simply want to travel to Mecca.



By: Lorrencia Nkrumah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's president Ali Bongo was declared winner Thursday of contested weekend elections, extending half-a-century of rule by the Bongo family which sparked clashes in the Central African nation.

Protesters shouting "Ali must go!" tried to storm the offices of the election commission shortly after authorities announced his re-election by a narrow majority.

Security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to push several hundred protesters back.

Bongo won 49.80 of the vote against 48.23 percent for his rival Jean Ping, or a razor-thin 5,594 votes of a total 627,805 registered voters, Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya.

Bongo, whose father held onto power for four decades, sought relection after winning a first term in 2009 in a poll that was marred by violence.

His rival, half-Chinese ex-diplomat Jean Ping, had also claimed victory, sparking fears of violence and the deployment of anti-riot police around the capital Libreville.

Gabonese Interior minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya looks on as he announces the results of the presidential elections in Libreville

Any appeal by Ping would be likely to focus on disputed results in one of the country's nine provinces -- the Haut-Ogooue, the heartland of Bongo's Teke ethnic group.

In Saturday's vote, turnout was 59.46 percent nationwide but soared to 99.93 percent in Haut-Ogooue, where Bongo won 95.5 percent of votes.

"It's going to be difficult to get people to accept these results," one member of the electoral commission confided to AFP, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.

"We've never seen results like these, even during the father's time," he added.

Opposition delegates in the electoral commission boycotted a vote to approve the results on Wednesday and they have vowed to fight for a recount.

'Credible results'

As fears rose of a contested result and violence, the electoral commission and Bongo came under pressure from fellow politicians and the international community to deliver a fair outcome.

Short profile of Ali Bongo Odimba, re-elected president of Gabon

"The European Union repeats the call made by the head of its observer mission that results should be published for each polling booth," a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

The ruling party's number two, Faustin Boukoubi, also broke ranks, calling for "fundamentally credible results" in order to maintain peace, "the most precious acquisition of the last decades."

On Tuesday afternoon anti-riot police took position around the capital Libreville and later established checkpoints in various parts of the capital, blocking access to the presidential palace.

Light armoured vehicles also began to patrol along the Atlantic coast.

Pressure from observers

In 2009, Bongo was declared winner of the election after his father's death. In the ensuing clashes several people were killed, buildings looted and the French consulate in the economic capital Port-Gentil torched.

A supporter of Gabonese opposition leader Jean Ping prays in front of security forces blocking a demonstration trying to reach the electoral commission in Libreville

EU observers, who were barred from the meeting of the electoral commission on Wednesday, said the vote on Saturday was "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

Joining the EU in pressuring Bongo on Wednesday, the French foreign ministry called for the electoral commission to show "transparency and impartiality".

"Only in this way can the credibility of the results be guaranteed," a spokesman for the French foreign ministry on Wednesday.

Gabon is a former French colony which has been hit by the global slump in the price of crude oil, its biggest export.

One third of Gabon's population lives in poverty, despite the country boasting one of Africa's highest per capita incomes at $8,300 thanks to pumping 200,000 barrels of oil a day.

Bongo, 57, campaigned under the slogan "Let's change together," playing up the roads and hospitals built during his first term and stressing the need to break with the bad old days of disappearing public funds and dodgy management of oil revenues.

The campaign period was marked by months of bitter exchanges between the two camps, including accusations, and strenuous denials, that Bongo was born in Nigeria and therefore ineligible to run.

Ping's own roots -- he is Sino-Gabonese -- served as ammunition for Bongo's camp, which has suggested he and his son are secretly serving Chinese interests.

The two rivals go back a long way, having worked for years together under Bongo senior, who was responsible for getting Ping a job as chairman of the African Union Commission.
The Ministry of Health has suspended heads of three health training institutions for charging unapproved fees.

The schools, Mampong Nurses and Midwifery College in the Ashanti Region, Cape Coast Nursing and Midwifery Training College, and the School Dispensary Optics, Oyoko in the Eastern, levied students with items including cement, electronic systems, and stationary for the 2016/2017 academic year.

The Board of one of the schools, Mampong Nursing and Midwifery College, has also been dissolved.

Addressing the media in Accra today [Wednesday], the Health Minister, Alex Segbia, warned other health training institutions to desist from such illegal acts or face such punitive actions.



By: Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Some indigenous insurance companies are confident they will meet the industry regulator's directive on recapitalization.

According to them, adequate strategies are being put in place to meet the new requirement.

The regulator of the insurance industry, the National Insurance Commission (NIC), last year revised the minimum capital requirement for insurance and re-insurance companies to 15 and 40 million cedis respectively.

Per the new directive, insurance and re-insurance companies have until September 30, 2016 to adjust their minimum operating capital to meet the revised figures.

The Head of Business Development at Star Assurance, Justice Amoah Nyarko tells Citi Business News his outfit is hopeful of meeting the new requirement by the NIC.

Basically as an insurance company, I can confirm that we have quite a huge reserve already so when it comes to the issue of recapitalization, I do not think we have any problem, he remarked.

On whether some of the company's new products are means to attract new customers and eventually work to meet the revised rules, Justice Amoah Nyarko responded in the affirmative.

He also stressed on the company's readiness to deepen its position in the local insurance industry.

With the coming forth of products such as the bancassurance it goes to extend the fact that we are going to increase our premium income the more and to be able to increase our bottom line so we are in as an insurance company to solidify our stance in the industry, Justice Amoah Nyarko stated.

Meanwhile the NIC has threatened that the licenses of defaulting companies by the September 30 deadline will be revoked.

Everything we do is according to the dictates of the insurance law. The insurance law is so clear that if you are not able to meet the minimum capitalization requirement then meaning a certain regulatory actions has to be taken against you, Deputy Commissioner at the National Insurance Commission, Simon Nerro Davor said.

Citi Business News however understands 10 insurance companies and 3 re-insurance companies are yet to meet the recapitalization requirement by the NIC.

StarLife, Unibank launch bancasurrance products

Meanwhile StarAssurance has partnered with Unibank for the bank's latest bancassurance range of products.

The products, according to the bank, will offer tailor made insurance and banking services to customers with less hustle.



By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
31.08.2016 LISTEN

From Alfred Adams, Takoradi

THE Head of the Gender Department of the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection of the Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC), Ms. Josephine Yankson Amo has declined a transfer to the head office despite a letter sent to her to pack bag and luggage and leave.

Information available to this paper indicates that Ms Josephine declined the transfer because the Ministry, which offered her employment as head of the regional office, has not included her name on its payroll.

Ms. Josephine, who was employed by the Ministry in 2011, has not received any salary even though she continued to work in her capacity as the head of the Department.

The Chronicle sources at the Western Regional Gender Ministry told this reporter that though the woman had on several occasions petitioned the Sector Minister, Nana Oye Lithur and the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah over the anomaly, nothing good has come out of it.

It is as a result of the anomaly with her salary that she declined the transfer to the head office of the Ministry in Accra.

Ms. Josephine Yankson, according to information available to this reporter said when her transfer letter was routed through the Western Regional Coordinating Council Director, Mr. William Asiedu; she explained to him in a face to face meeting why she could not be transferred to the head office.

Consequently, the regional Coordinating Director wrote a letter to the sector Ministry to inform them on why Ms Josephine has declined to embark on the transfer.

In a letter under the caption; Staff Movement: Transfer of Staff of Department of Gender, the regional Coordinating Director wrote; The attached letter emanating from the Ag. Regional Director, Department of Women relating to the above and routed through this office is forwarded to you for consideration and further action.

The officer has stated reasons why her transfer from the Western region to the National Headquarters would not be conducive due to the anomaly with her salary. I hope that the reasons stated would be accessed and a favorable response given. The letter was addressed to the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection.

This paper cannot independently confirm whether or not the ministry had withdrawn the transfer letter, because the Coordinating Director had written to appraise it of the reasons the officer could not be transferred from the region to the headquarters.

But speaking in a telephone interview, Ms. Josephine Yankson Amo would not confirm or deny the withdrawal of the transfer letter. To her, what was her foremost priority was for her to be put on the Ministry's payroll, since she was employed in 2011 as regional head of the Ministry.

For me, my headache is for my salary to be restored and paid back to me since 2011. This is what I have been pushing for and I know my sector Ministry is working round it.

Meanwhile, this paper has intercepted a copy of the regional Gender head's response to the transfer letter written to her by the Ministry.

In her response, titled Staff Transfer of Department of Gender, she wrote On the 5th of February, I received a mail from my Ag National Director of Gender on the above subject matter in which it was stated that I am transferred to the National Headquarters with effect from the 2th February 2016.

She continued; Madam, I wish to humbly appeal to this decision of transferring me to the national headquarters because of the following reasons.

As you are aware, from the 1st November, 2011 when I was posted to the Department in the Western region, I have never received my salary and I know the Ministry is working hard to rectify the anomaly.

Transferring me to Accra will bring untold hardship to me and my family. In view of this , I would be grateful if this appeal would receive your kind consideration and allow me to continue to be heading the department in the Western region until the time the anomaly with my salary is corrected.
Digital communication and marketing expert, Kwabena Appianing has asked CEOs of brands that want to stay top of the mind of their consumers and clients to step up their efforts on social media.

He said it was an incontrovertible fact that emergence of social media has given brands a cost-effective way of communicating with their various targets and CEOs of organizations are not left out of the social media communication process.

This is because many consumers or clients associate their faces to their service/products.

I have had a call from my boss, the CEO, asking me for content strategies for his personal blog, Mr. Appianing said. The CEO went on to explain that he wanted to be what he called a Social CEO.

The expert, who was puzzled by his CEOs sudden request probed more to ascertain the rationale behind the request. Interestingly, he found out that, the CEO had come up with the decision to go social based on the benefits that will accrue for himself and the business, after a thorough research in the area.

The way we all communicate in our everyday life has changed, everyone is more social today and taking a social approach to your business has a number of advantages because it embraces this change in communication, Mr. Appianing added.

Citing a recent report from Weber Shandwick, he said only 47.4 % of CEOs participate on social media sites and 30% out of 500 CEOs have a presence on at least one social media network.

About 76% of executives think it is a good idea for CEOs to be active on social media. According to him, in Ghana, a high number of CEOs have no or low presence on social media.

He believes this could be hurting their various businesses and personal brands

The reluctance of many CEOs to use social media should be of optimum concern to those who manage their digital strategies. CEOs who have used social media to establish themselves as influencers in their industries, have solidified both their company and their personal brands, he said. He added that the likes of Peter Awuah of Ashesi University, Lucy Quist of Airtel may provide close case studies to Social CEOs.

He also notes that on the contrary, consumer trends are heading in exactly the opposite direction. Globally, more than two billion people are now on social media.

According to him, the average user spends nearly two hours a day on social platforms. Studies have shown that millennials watch more online videos than Traditional TV, and three out of four consumers say social media impacts their buying decisions.

There's little question that these trends will continue while more and newer social patterns emerge.

He claims Social CEOs have enormous business benefits, but find it difficult to quantify these benefits in monetary terms.

In the digital era, CEOs and senior executives are expected to have an active social and online presence however, mostly younger CEOs, are warming to social media - there's still a long way to go, he said.

He feels this trend could change if CEOs were aware of the various benefits that they could reap if they actively participated in the social media sphere, such as: demonstrating their thought leadership, sharing their professional values, providing easy access to potential clients, boosting brand awareness as well as enhancing the image of an organization.

Social leadership goes beyond the walls of an organization. A CEOs presence on social media can promote brand loyalty and trust, because consumers can associate a face to the brand as well as its services. In a nutshell, CEOs who are actively engaged on social media can help improve their companys reputation and even boost sales .

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
31.08.2016 LISTEN

DELEGATES of United Front Party (UFP) throughout the country will converge at the Centre for National, Kumasi this weekend, Saturday, September 3, 2016 to elect the various national officers of the party.

The General Secretary of the party, Prince M. Zakaria in a statement issued on Wednesday, said the congress would also be used to acclaim the founder and national chairman, Nana Dr Agyenim Boateng (Gyataba) as the flag bearer of the party.

About 2,500 delegates from the length and breadth of the country are expected to participate in the congress which is the first highest decision making body to the National Executives Committee (NEC) of the party.

The statement said invitations had been sent to all the appropriate quarters including the Electoral Commission (EC) and sister political parties.

Party flags, he added were been hoisted in places and "the UFP ubiquity in the Ashanti Regional capital is congress supportive".

Mr Zakaria said apart from the flag bearer, the congress would seek popular acclamation for all national officers.

The officers, he said, would be acclaimed in the postions of National Chairman, First National Vice Chairman, Second National Vice Chairman, Third Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary, National Treasurer, National Organiser, Youth Organiser, Women's Organiser.

The UFP General Secretary said Ghanaians were tired of the duopoly of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the largest opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), saying that the delegates would compose themselves by electing the right persons to enable the UFP win the December 2016.

He said taking a nosedive of the state of affairs in the country, the clarion call has come for the Ghanaian electorates to replace NDC with UFP.
NASA image taken May 20, 2012 shows "ring of fire" as the Moon moves into a full eclipse position. By (NASA/AFP/File)

31.08.2016 LISTEN

Paris (AFP) - Stargazers in south and central Africa will be treated to a spectacular solar eclipse Thursday when the Moon wanders into view to make the Sun appear as a "ring of fire", astronomers say.

The phenomenon, known as an annular solar eclipse, happens when there is a near-perfect alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun.

But unlike a total eclipse, when the Sun is blacked out, sometimes the Moon is too far from Earth, and its apparent diameter too small, for complete coverage.

"At the eclipse's peak, all that will be visible is a ring of light encircling the black disk that is the Moon," said astronomer Pascal Descamps of the Paris Observatory, in the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion to witness the event.

"That will be the magic moment," he told AFP.

Daylight should be slightly dimmed, as on a very cloudy day.

Only people along a very narrow, 100-kilometre (62-mile) band stretching across central Africa, Madagascar and Reunion will see the full effect of the ring, or annulus.

Anyone north, south, east or west of the band will see only a partial eclipse, or none at all.

The display will start at 0613 GMT in the south Atlantic, passing over Gabon, the two Congos, Tanzania and the northern tip of Mozambique and Madagascar.

Reunion island will get a good view before the eclipse ends around 1200 GMT over the Indian Ocean, said the Paris Observatory.

At the eclipse's peak, between 1008 and 1011 GMT, the Moon will cover about 94 percent of the Sun.

Protect your eyes

The experts warn that sunglasses offer insufficient protection for looking at the Sun, even when it is partly masked.

"Looking at the Sun without special protection, even for a few seconds, can cause irreversible damage to the retina", even blindness, said Descamps.

Special eclipse glasses can filter out the Sun's harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays.

One could also use a pinhole camera, which can be easily built at home -- basically a box with a hole on one side for light to pass through and project an inverted image on the opposite side.
Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Honourable Edward Doe Adjaho is likely to run home with the greatest award of Accra Academy  The Founders Platinum Award on Saturday, September 3, 2016.

The Founders Award aimed at rewarding Bleoobii (Old Boys of Accra Academy) not excluding persons, parents, staff, and Heads of Associates of the school who have achieved excellence in their various fields of endeavour will come off at the Banquette Hall, State House in Accra.

According to Nii Maale-Adsei (Public Relations Officer of the Old Boys Association) and a proud Bleoobii, this years Founders Awards has been categorized into Silver, Gold and Platinum with the Platinum being the highest award.

The Platinum award has been reserved for persons, parents, Bleoobii, staff, Heads of Associates of the school who has achieved stellar performance in any field that impacts on the on the Accra Academy, Nii Maale explained.

Nii Maale also shared light on the foundation stone of Accra Academy.

It took the personal sacrifice and vision of the four founding fathers KG Konuah, JA Halm Addo, GN Alema and SN Awuletey who were all below the ages of 30 years to establish a school for brilliant but needy students in the Accra enclave who could not afford what the Mfantsipims, Achimotas and Adisadels were offering he said.

He further explained that Accra Academy has lived to witness the vision upon which the school was established  devotion, dedication, discipline, and perseverance.

Many Old students of the school occupy enviable positions in and outside the country-public servants diplomats, politicians, eminent jurists, doctors, engineers, amongst other fields he noted.

He added that everything is set to ensure nothing but glitz and glamour nights on Saturday.

He, however advised all Old Boys to patronize the tickets and take the fundraising seriously.

Since thats the only way we the old students can contribute to ameliorate the inadequate but pressing needs of our Alma Mater he added.

The 2016 Founders Awards Night is the climax of the year-long 85th Anniversary celebrations of the school launched in September, 2015.

Follow Amisty on twitter @ElAmistyNobo

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Majority leader Alban Bagbin has dismissed talks of impeaching president Mahama after a sudden recall of parliament to consider a motion asking that the President be investigated for conflict of interest.

He bashed the Minority for hyping up impeachment talks after it triggered a recall of parliament in a petition presented to the Speaker.

Parliament is set for a showdown Thursday when 275 MPs would be summoned to consider a motion to investigate President Mahama after he admitted receiving a luxury vehicle as a gift from a Burkinabe businessman in 2012.

The Minority is now wading into the matter two months after Joy News investigative journalist Manasseh Azure broke the story.

After collecting at least a 100 signatures, well beyond the 41 signatures needed to summon MPs back to Parliament, the Minority NPP is set to push for a bi-partisan probe into the saga.

In a preview of a heated debate expected on the floor of parliament Thursday, Alban Bagbin at a news conference Wednesday expressed his disappointment in the Minority and the NPP.

Nowhere in their motion is there the remotest suggestion of the impeachment of the president, he said, questioning the motives of his political rivals.

He noted the call for a bi-partisan probe is a needless duplication of efforts because the President is already under investigation by a state anti-graft institution, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

Why is the Minority asking parliament to investigate a matter which is already being investigated by CHRAJ? he wondered.

According to him, the motion is nothing more than a desperate attempt to throw dirt at the president as the NDC gears up to fight a crucial general elections in December.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|Edwin Appiah|[email protected]
Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's national assembly was set ablaze Wednesday evening by angry protestors who took to the streets after an announcement that President Ali Bongo had been re-elected, witnesses said.

"The whole building is catching fire," a man at the scene who gave name as Yannick told AFP. AFP journalists further away could see a plume of smoke above the building.
The Majority in Parliament has accused the Minority Leader in the house, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, of being economical with the truth on Citi TV's Politicos, when he intimated that he was in the dark as to the reasons for the recall of members from their recess.

At a press conference today [Wednesday], the Majority revealed that the motion for the request for the recall of Parliament, which is connected to President John Mahama and the Ford gift saga, was signed by Mr. Mensah-Bonsu himself.

The Majority thus accused the minority of mischievously trying to throw dirt at President Mahama as the Majority Leader of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, confirmed that the motion was filed and signed by the Minority leader, Honourable Osei Kyie Mensah Bonsu for and on behalf of the Minority caucus.

The Minority Leader had told the host of Politicos on Citi TV, Umaru Sanda Amadu, that he had not received any formal communication about the reason for the summons and that when he heard from the grapevine that Parliament was being summoned he was taken aback.

But Alban Bagbin described as strange the fact that, the Minority Leader had earlier claimed on Accra-based Citi FM that he was not aware of the recall of Parliament when he signed the motion that formed the basis for the recall.

Alban Bagbin

It is clear even to the uninitiated that this recall of Parliament and the New Patriotic Party's strategy that has heralded it has been borne out of clear mischief and a desperate attempt to throw as much dirt at President John Dramani Mahama ahead of the December 7 elections, he added.

Minority was not officially consulted on recall

But Mr. Mensah Bonsu, who was asked to explain why he said he had no idea why the Speaker of Parliament had summoned Members of Parliament back to the House from their recess, stood by his points.

According to him, his remarks on Politicos were because he had not been formally consulted by the Speaker as is the practice.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, the Minority Leader explained that, The reason why I said so is this: if you file a motion, ordinarily, the Speaker is the person vested with that singular authority to accept the motion or reject the motion or to maybe accept with some amendments.

Before the speaker avails himself for any of these rules, they engage the person who proposed the motion. All I said was that, I was not involved and was not consulted by the speaker. Seven (7) days after the speaker receives any such motion as we submit, the constitution provides that he must summon Parliament.

Mr. Mensah Bonsu maintained that, he ought to have been consulted before the recall despite the absence of any constitutional requirement of same.

My own rationalization was that, what the Speaker ought to have done was not done; that is consulting me about the status of the motion There is no constitutional imperative; but by practice and convention, that is what is done everywhere in any jurisdiction, he added.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Deputy Minority leader of Parliament says contrary to claims, they can unilaterally initiate the impeachment process of President John Mahama over the Ford Expedition saga without the majority.

Dominic Nitiwul told Dzifa Bampoh, host of Joy FMs Top Story program Wednesday that steps to get a President impeached do not entail the involvement of majority Members of Parliament (MPs).

Explaining the process, he says all that it takes to impeach the President will be to petition the speaker who will write to the Chief Justice (CJ) with his comment attached to it. A five Member committee inclusive of the CJ would be set up quickly and the members will determine if there is a prima facie case based on the evidence before them. "This can be done without the majority," he said.

However, he said the recall of MPs on Thursday over the $100,000 Ford Expedition vehicle gifted President John Mahama by a Burkinabe contractor, Oumarou Djibril Kanazoe has nothing to do with his impeachment.

If we wanted to start impeachment process we will not recall Parliament or involve the majority. We would have done it on our own, he said with an air of confidence.

There have been contrasting opinions over the the recall of MPs who have been busy on their campaigns.

Elements within the New Patriotic Party (NPP), claimed the MPs have been summoned to consider an impeachment motion filed by the Minority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, over the Ford Expedition saga but this has been disputed by MPs of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Related Article: Burkinabe contractor offers controversial gift to Prez Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama

The issue came to public notice following findings of an investigation by Joy News investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, in which the President received the vehicle from the contractor who is his friend. Later a communication from government admitted President Mahama received the vehicle but says it was added to the fleet of cars at the disposal of the President.

Related Article: Gov't admits Ford gift to Mahama but... - Omane Boamah

Mr Kanazoe was later awarded three government contracts namely the $650,000 Ghana Embassy wall in Burkina Faso and the Dodo-Pepeso section of the Eastern Corridor Road Project. He declined to take the third contract when the details of the Ford scandal became public.

At a news conference Wednesday - a day before the extraordinary meeting- Majority leader, Alban Bagbin, says he smells mischief in the action by the NPP.

Burkinabe contractor, Djibril Oumarou Kanazoe

He was worried why the Minority leader would mislead the public by putting out conflicting information regarding the recall. According to him, in one vein, Mr Mensah-Bonsu is reported as saying the MPs have been called back to consider the impeachment of the President, but he was later quoted as saying he has no knowledge about the reason for the recall.

Related Article: Minority move to investigate Mahama mischievous, needless  Alban Bagbin

Majority leader, Alban Bagbin

Commenting on the issue, MP for North Dayi George Loh described the NPP motion as a total waste of everybodys time and a waste of state resources.

He says Parliament has no business investigating an issue when it has been taken over by a Constitutionally mandated institution such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) whose investigation in the issue is far advance.

CHRAJ was petitioned by a private individual and the youth wing of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) to establish the case of conflict of interest by the President.

North Dayi MP, George Loh

Related Article: CHRAJ begins perusal of petitions against Mahamas Ford gift

Mr Loh was confident the Majority will do everything to shoot down the motion for them to continue with their campaign ahead of December polls.

In his reaction, Mr Nitiwul says if the majority NDC MPs will remove the veil covering their faces they would appreciate the relevance of the motion filed.

He did not share in the claim that Parliament cannot carry out its own investigation alongside CHRAJ.

So far as the issue is of relevance to the country, Parliament will do its best to have every angle of the story covered, he said.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected]
Winneba (C/R), Aug.31, GNA - The parents of a Winneba-based taxi driver, who lost his car recently through an armed robbery around Kasoa, have commended the Kaneshie Police Command for arresting the culprits and recovering the vehicle.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Barimah Owusu- Kwarteng, the father of the victim, said the success chalked by the Kaneshie Police had erased the bad name and the misfortune the incident created for the entire Barimah Owusu-Kwarteng family.

This was after his son had successfully identified the three suspected robbers at an identification parade, organised by the Kaneshie Police in Accra.

Barimah Owusu-Kwarteng extended similar gratitude to the Kokrobite Police who commenced investigations into the case, as well as a Ghana Broadcasting Corporation's lawyer who transported the assaulted taxi driver to the nearest Police Check Point on the night of the incident along the Kasoa-Nyanyano-Toll Booth link road.

Barimah Owusu-Kwarteng, a retired Journalist, also praised the patriotic citizens who volunteered the information to the Kaneshie Police for the arrest of the robbers, and advised all peace-loving Ghanaians to emulate them.

He appealed to the committed men and women in the Ghana Police Service to continue to render appreciable services to enhance national development in a peaceful and safe environment.

'We became extremely happy on receiving the good news that, the stolen car has been found and the three men who willfully conceived and successfully hatched this wicked and destructive plan, have also been apprehended by the police in Accra,' he stated.

GNA
Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - A head porter on Tuesday, appeared before an Accra Circuit Court accused of defiling a 13 year old girl at Nima.

Habib Abdala, the accused is said to have slept with the victim after he offered her an apple drink and indomie noodles.

Charged with defilement, Habib Abdala 19, pleaded guilty.

The court presided over by Mrs Ruby Naa Akweley Qauison, however, after listening to the explanation entered a plea of not guilty and remanded him into Police custody to reappear on September 14.

Prosecuting Detective Inspector Kofi Atimbire said the victim is a pupil, who resides at Nima with her mother. Accused person also resides in the same vicinity.

Detective Inspector Atimbire said on August 20, the victim left the house unceremoniously after having a misunderstanding with her elder brother.

According to the prosecutor, the accused person met the victim around his house at about 8:30pm and lured her into his room to watch television.

While in the room, prosecution said, Abdala gave the victim an apple drink and the noodles to eat and she felt dizzy and slept.

Detective Inspector Atimbire said when the victim woke up the following day, she noticed she was naked while her pants and trousers lying somewhere in the room.

Accused threatened to kill the victim if she told her parents where she spent the night and gave her GHa 5 to go home.

On reaching home, the victim told her mother what the accused person had done to her.

Her mother reported the matter to the Police and a medical form was issued to her to seek medical assistance.

The Police nabbed Abdala and in his caution statement admitted having sex with the victim.

GNA
By Boakye-Baafi, GNA

Goaso (B/A), Aug 31, GNA - About 20,000 Catholic faithful from across the country would gather in Asante-Mampong for the 9th national congress of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Enthronement.

Delegates from La Cote d' Ivoire, Togo, Benin and Nigeria are also expected to attend the four-day event, which would be held from September 01 - 04.

'Committing the family to the mercy of God, through the sacred heart of Jesus' is the theme chosen for the congress.

The Reverend Father Bernard Obeng Gyamfi, Spiritual Director of the Kumasi Provincial Sacred Heart of Jesus Enthronement Centre, told journalists in Goaso that it would help to the congregation to renew and grow in their faith.

In addition, it would underline the need and motivate everybody to mirror sublime qualities of love, compassion, heart full of tenderness, forgiveness, kindness and mercy.

The congress, he said, would be opened to everybody.

GNA
By Kodjo Adams, GNA

Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - A study on the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, shows that the establishment of a national park is estimated to yield $5.8 million a year based on a comparison with other natural areas in the country.

The study revealed that from the analysed ecosystem services provided by the Atewa range, non-timber and timber products provide the largest benefits in economics terms a year, estimated at 19.3 million dollars and 40.6 million dollars.

The study was conducted by the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in May 2015 as part of efforts to enhance the protection status of the Atewa forest under the project: 'Living Water from the Mountain: Protecting Atewa Water Resources.'

The study was conducted by a consulting team headed by Professor Pieter Van Beukering.

The study was in collaboration with the IUCN The Netherlands, A Rocha Ghana, an NGO and the Forestry Commission with support from the Dutch Embassy.

The study was to demonstrate the costs and benefits in economic terms of current developments in the Atewa range and support government in deciding the most optimal and sustainable management of the reserve.

It also called for the establishment of a national park, creating a buffer zone around it and extract all the timber and mineral resources including the bauxite that is located in the forest reserve.

The study revealed that industrial sector and domestic households in the Densu, Ayensu and Birim basins of the reserve estimated a benefit of 25 million dollars per year.

It said water for agriculture provides benefits of 3.1 million dollars a year in irrigated lands and floodplains.

One million people from the Greater Accra depend on water from the Atewa reserve and the range is suitable for cocoa farming, providing additional benefits to local communities of more than 9 million dollars a year.

Results of the hydrological analysis of the Densu basin of the reserve indicate that losing the vegetation cover in the Atewa range might slightly increase the annual water availability in the Densu river.

It said deforestation would lead to a higher variability in the water discharge, which increases the probability of drought and flood events and that households and industries downstream would be negatively affected by degradation through increase in pollution and sediment in the water bodies.

Mr Seth Appiah-Kubi, National Director of A Rocha Ghana said the study was to achieve long term sustainable protection of the forest reserve as a public good for securing livelihoods and water management.

He said the study was to improve knowledge base to mainstream the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services of the reserve into decision-making at all levels.

The Atewa range is a strip of upland forest surrounded by a mixture farms, small scale gold mines and villages.

It lies about 90 km North of Accra and functions as the source of the Densu, Birim and Ayensu rivers.

The forest reserve is home to around 656 species of vascular plants, around 63 species of mammals and 227 species of birds.

GNA
By Laudia Sawer, GNA

Tema, Aug 31, GNA - The proposed 1.5 billion United States Dollar Tema Port Expansion Project is to commence on October 1, 2016.

The project, when completed in 2019, would enable the Tema Port to handle thrice its current traffic of about one million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUS).

The expansion would also see the expansion of the Tema-Accra motorway into a six-lane road with service lanes to ease traffic flow from the port.

Mr Richard Anamoo, Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), announced this on Wednesday at a press conference.

Mr Anamoo said the Meridian Port Services (MPS), has secured the required financing to execute the expansion project.

He noted that over the past four years all stakeholders have been consulted and the needed studies including environmental assessment carried out towards the expansion.

The project, he stated, would go a long way to make the Port more competitive and a gateway to Africa.

Mr Anamoo indicated that apart from the Ave Maria Resort which is to relocate, the project would not displace any resident.

He added however that his outfit was yet to agree on a compensation amount for the relocation of the Ave Maria Resort but gave the assurance that they were in talks to finalise it.

Mr Mohamed Samara, Chief Executive Officer of MPS, said a total of 120 hectares of land would be reclaimed from the sea.

Mr Samara added that a 3.85 kilometre breakwater which would be 19 meters and 250 meters deep and wide respectively, within a dredged port access channel would be also constructed.

He said his outfit has awarded the construction contract to the China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) while AECOM Professional Services (Ghana) Limited would oversee the construction.

The MPS CEO indicated that an agreement was signed between his company and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, for 667 million dollars while MPS shareholders would provide the rest of the funding as fresh equity amounting to 333 million dollars.

Mr Fiifi Kwetey, Minister of Transport, commended the GPHA and MPS for the initiative.

GNA
Chiraa (B/A), Aug. 31, GNA - Mr. Justice Samuel Adjei, the Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, has expressed concern about the upsurge of social vices and urged the public to collaborate with the security agencies to curb the menace.

Mr. Adjei was speaking at the opening of the 2016 Sunyani Diocesan four-day prayer conference of the Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF), attended by more than 400 members at Chiraa, in the Sunyani West District of Brong-Ahafo Region.

He said not a week passed by without a newspaper or radio report about vices such as cyber-crimes and armed robbery and noted that most of the perpetrators were the youth.

Mr. Adjei noted the canker could have long term adverse effects on the socio-economic development of the country.

He, therefore, appealed to leaders of diverse backgrounds and patriotic citizens to assist the security agencies in all communities to expose criminals.

The Deputy Minister commended the leadership of the fellowship for organising the conference for the benefit of the youth and implored the participants to lead exemplary lives to become transformational leaders in their communities.

Mr Ernest Osei Baffour, the Diocesan Chairman of the MYF, condemned the practice of politicians who influenced the youth with money to perpetuate electoral violence, saying 'Election is not do or die affair'.

Mr Baffour, therefore, entreated the youth to resist all attempts by any politician or group to use them to foment trouble not only in this year's electioneering but also in subsequent ones.

Mr Baffour said the youth must rather conduct themselves in a peaceful and responsible manner and shun all forms of acts that could plunge this country into chaos.

He also appealed to members of the Fellowship to uphold the Methodist heritage at all times and attach utmost importance to Bible studies and constant prayer.

The Very Reverend James Apraku, the Superintendent Minister of the Chiraa Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana, entreated Christians to be watchful and discerning in order not to be deceived by false prophets who were there to exploit people.

Special prayers were said for the nation's peaceful election on December 7, 2016.

GNA
Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has become the first training institute in West Africa to receive the United Nations Certificate of Training Recognition for its Police Pre Deployment Course (PPDT).

A statement issued by the KAIPTC and copied to the Ghana News Agency said this institutional certification was based on an assessment and subsequent endorsement of the quality and competencies of the course facilitators.

Others are the instructional materials and methods, the learning environment and facilities such as lecture halls, syndicate and break out rooms, library, and accommodation.

It said the certification ranked the KAIPTC's PPDT as one of the most organised and patronised courses available for Police troop contributing countries to African Union/UN Missions.

It said by this recognition, the KAIPTC now has the authority to directly submit the names of participating officers in its PPDT courses to the Police Division, Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) at the UN for deployment to peacekeeping missions.

It noted that the core facilitators for the course at the KAIPTC, through this recognition, have also been duly certified.

Expressing his delight over this achievement, the Commandant of the KAIPTC, Air Vice Marshal GS Evans, said 'this endorsement by the UN is proof of the world-class training courses that we deliver at the KAIPTC. We are humbled and proud at the same time, and wish to deeply thank our development partners who have sponsored this course over the years, our facilitators, participants and the entire KAIPTC staff for their hard work which has resulted in this recognition'.

The statement said since 2009, the KAIPTC had been the nerve-centre for the organisation of PPDT for Police Contributing Countries in West Africa and beyond, with its Mobile Training Team (MTT) Unit training Police Officers in Tanzania in the past, and currently conducting PPDT in Malawi, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Benin and Mali.

It said between 2009 and 2010, the Integrated Training Section (ITS) of the UN led by Mr Jean Erikson conducted the first Trainer of Trainer Course in PPDT at the KAIPTC for selected individual facilitators drawn from key West African Police Contributing Countries.

It said this pool of UN certified facilitators became the foundation team for Police Pre Deployment organised by the Centre.

The statement said the ITS' visit was in fulfillment of the DPKO's call for mandatory Pre-deployment training for all deploying police personnel.

It said the Police Pre-deployment Training Course, essentially, highlights police roles and responsibilities in Integrated Peace Support Operations, and aims at enhancing the capacity of police officers about to be deployed to ECOWAS/AU/UN missions by providing them with knowledge and skills at both operational and service delivery levels relating to operating procedures of UN Police (UNPOL) officers.

'Upon completion of the course, participants, among others, get to know and appreciate the UN, AU and the ECOWAS systems, mission codes of conduct, acquire knowledge in personal security, respect for diversity, human rights matters and HIV/AIDS and manage issues relating to humanitarian assistance, child protection and women, peace and security,' it said.

'The PPDT, which is now a prerequisite for UN deployment of police officers/gendarmeries to peace support operations, was first sponsored at the KAIPTC by the Central Police Training Development Authority in Bramshill, United Kingdom.

'The Federal Republic of Germany, Norway, Denmark and Sweden subsequently took over the sponsorship.

'Currently, the Federal Republic of Germany is the sole sponsor for the course, which has trained over 2,700 police officers since its inception in 2009,'he added.

The Ministry of Defence established the KAIPTC in 1998 and commissioned it in 2004; with the purpose to build upon and share Ghana's five decades of internationally acclaimed experience and competence in peace operations with other states in the ECOWAS region and the rest of Africa.

This was in recognition of the need for training military, police and civilian men and women to meet the changing demands of multidimensional peace operations.

The Centre is one of the three Peacekeeping Training Centres of Excellence mandated by the ECOWAS to offer training in peacekeeping and peace support operations in Africa.

The Centre delivers training courses in three thematic areas; Peace Support Operations, Conflict Management and Peace and Security Studies and also runs Masters and PhD programmes in same.

The KAIPTC has a world-class research department that undertakes research in the thematic areas in Peace and Security.

KAIPTC is an internationally-recognized institution and has till date trained and tutored over 14,000 participants and students since its inception.

GNA
By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA

Elmina (C/R) Aug. 31, GNA - Mrs Ellen Osei, Deputy Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) has expressed concern about the alleged occurrence of vote buying during elections.

She said the practice was dangerous and did not only violate one's voting rights but could also derail efficiency in the country's political system.

Mrs Osei was speaking at an elections engagement forum with traditional authorities, women and other marginalized groups organised by the NCCE in the KEEA municipality.

She called on electorates not to allow politicians to induce them with gifts for their votes saying, 'selling your votes amounts to selling your personality and future of your children'.

The forum, supported by the European Union (EU), formed part of activities lined up by the NCCE to deepen interest of electorates in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

It was aimed at creating an atmosphere of tolerance and civic responsibility and awareness of the voter on the need to adopt the culture of tolerance to promote peace before, during and after the 2016 general elections.

Mrs Osei said traditional rulers and recognised leaders in the country are key to ensuring peace, order and stability in their respective traditional areas and communities.

She said the engagement focused on women because in many traditional settings, women collaborated very effectively with the youth who are the segment of the electorates mostly used by the politicians to perpetuate violence in the society.

She asked traditional leaders to get involved in the campaign for a peaceful election by talking to their people and desist from engaging in acts that could lead to violence.

She said voting for a candidate in an election was an independent decision and it was against the law to compel an individual to vote against his or her will.

Mrs Osei advised electorates to cast their votes based on the issues and consider candidates who have the competencies and the capabilities for bringing development in their area.

The NCCE Director cautioned supporters of political parties to desist from removing posters of their opponents and campaign with a good conscience to ensure unity and national development.

Activities lined up by the NCCE in the municipality includes, an engagement with Persons With Disability and queen mothers as well as the youth and a series of parliamentary debates for aspiring parliamentary candidates in the constituency.

Nana Kodwo Konduah VI, Omanhen of Edina Traditional Area commended the NCCE and on behalf of the Traditional council and pledged to ensure that the elections were held devoid of violence in the municipality.

GNA
Awutu Bawjiase, (C/R), Aug. 31, GNA - The Bawjiase Area Rural Bank (BARB) posted a profit before tax of 1,542, 445.00 million Ghana cedis in 2015 as against 1,152,500 million Ghana cedis in previous year in spite of operational challenges encountered.

Total assets of the bank also increased from 21,237,233million Ghana cedis in 2014 to 26,959,680 million Ghana Cedis in 2015 denoting a growth of 26.9 percent.

Mr Emmanuel Osei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, said this at the 26th Annual Shareholders Meeting at Awutu Bawjiase in the Awutu- Senya West District of the Central Region.

He said the bank increased the investment portfolio in government treasurer bills and other securities by 55.2 per cent.

The Chairman of the Board said the total investments made in the year under review amounted to 11, 291, 213 million Ghana cedis in 2015 as against 7,273, 298 million Ghana cedis in the previous year.

Mr Osei said the stated of capital of Bawjiase Area Rural Bank has hit 2,045,087 million Ghana cedis far above Bank of Ghana's (BOG) required capital of one million Ghana cedis for Community and Rural Banks(CRBs) in 2017.

He said loans and advances disbursed to customers during the year amounted to 25,949,763 million Ghana cedis in the areas of microfinance, agric, commercial loans, over drafts and others.

The Chairman said the board of the bank has proposed the payment of a 0.0283 Ghana cedis dividend per share amounting to 240,000Ghana cedis to shareholders, representing 4 percent increment.

On social and corporate responsibility, Chairman of the Board said a sum of 28,342 Ghana Cedis has been earmarked to beef up the existing scholarship fund to sponsor needy but brilliant students.

In a speech delivered on behalf for the Managing Director of ARB Apex Bank Limited Mr Kwadwo Aye Kusi commended Bawjiase Area Rural Bank for the sterling performance in the 2015 fiscal year.

He said out of 140 Community and Rural Banks in the country , Bawjiase Area Rural Bank was rated strong and ranked 2nd and 2nd by the 1st and 2nd quarterly performance carried out by the Evaluation and Monitoring Unit(EMU) of Apex Bank in 2016.

The Apex Bank MD commended the Board of Directors, management and staffs of the bank for unprecedented performance put up in the previous years that had sustained the bank.

The Apex Bank Managing Director called on community and Rural Banks (CRBS) to put the necessary measures in place to prevent criminals from using their system to perpetrate crime.

GNA
Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - Apostle Dr Curtis Amarteyfio, the General Overseer of the Glory House Chapel, has called on Ghanaians to see themselves as one people and not to allow politics to divide them.

He said this after church service at Adenta in the Greater Accra Region on Sunday.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, the General Overseer said the country needs a peaceful atmosphere and this is the pre-requisite for the growth of multi-party democracy.

He called on various political parties in the country to ensure that their functionaries refrain from abusing the dignity of politicians.

The General Overseer asked self-seeking politicians in the country to halt all unpatriotic actions aimed at destabilizing the nation and exhibit kindness and support to the needy and the poor.

Apostle Dr Amarteyfio called on media practitioners to desist from presenting a negative image of the country during the 2016 general elections and applauded the role of the media in fostering democracy and national development.

Apostle Dr Amarteyfio had earlier performed an ordination ceremony of 'Apostleship' for Reverend Bernard Mensah Bonsu, 52, Founder of the New Olive Branch Ministries in Brussels, Belgium.

GNA
Dzodze (V/R), Aug. 31, GNA - Hundreds of spiritual and charismatic church delegates are attending a three-day international conference '2016' for religious ministers, from Tuesday through Thursday, at Dzodze in the Ketu North District.

The delegates arriving from Togo, Benin and Cote D'Ivoire are attending the conference on the theme: 'Knowing and Developing your Spiritual Identity'.

It would be organized by the Headquarters of Power Mission Church International (PMCI) at the Dzodze - Penyi Senior High School.

Apostle-General Emmanuel Astiko, Leader and General Overseer of PMCI, in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA), said: 'It is rewarding to always be in the presence of God', since it is in His presence that one could find direction.

He said: 'Christians should commit themselves to national development and be law abiding.

Apostle-General Astiko asked for God's guidance for the pursuit of policies that would lead to the growth and development of the country and asked the clergy and ministers of state to endeavour to be role models by living lives as enshrined in the bible and the constitution.

The Leader and General Overseer said corruption when condoned could result in low productivity, scare investors and undermine the rule of law and good governance.

He called on Ghanaians to report cases of corruption to the law enforcement agencies for appropriate action to be taken, because bribery, nepotism, embezzlement and fraud are prevalent in the society.

Bishop Andrew Kwaku Dirisu said without the truth, it would be difficult for the nation to have a decent livelihood and urged pastors not only to commit themselves to church activities, but also to national development.

He said the Power Mission Church International remains committed in partnering with the Ketu North District to ensure that the lives of the youth are improved.

GNA
By Belinda Ayamgha, GNA

Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - Ghana has launched its chapter of the African Union (AU) Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), an advisory body comprising Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), aimed at mobilising support for policies and programmes of the regional body.

Mr Emmanuel Bombande, a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said Civil Society Organisations had an integral role to play if Africa was going to move forward with the goals and objectives of its Agenda 2063.

Speaking at launch of ECOSOCC in Accra, on theme: 'Mobilising and providing technical support towards Africa's Agenda 2063: The role of National ECOSOCC Chapter', he stated that the role of civil society had to be 'integral, functional, active and very important'.

He said the launch of the Chapter provided an opportunity to brainstorm on creative and innovative strategies to disseminate information and mobilise support for AU programmes and activities.

It would also help to promote, sustain and implement continental obligations and commitments at the national level.

He noted that CSOs played an important role in consultations leading to the adoption of the priority areas in Agenda 2063, which recognised that development on the continent should be people-driven with emphasis on the potential of women and youth.

He urged them to thus own the agenda and work towards its implementation, especially as it was reflected in Ghana development plans.

He pledged the Ministry's readiness to work with the national ECOSOCC in its quest to collaborate with CSOs to continue to popularising Agenda 2063 and its first 10 years' implementation plan.

Mr Bombande urged the media, as key stakeholders, to engage fully in the process.

Madam Pavelyn Tendai Musaka, the Zimbabwean Ambassador to Ghana, who is the Head of the African Diplomatic Corps, also urged CSOs and other organisations in ECOSOCC to take up the task of achieving the goals of Agenda 2063 and not leave it to the Governments.

'The AU belongs to us, citizens, and not to Heads of State,' she said. 'It is our responsibility to achieve Agenda 2063. Don't leave it to governments, it is yours, own It and start working to achieve it.'

She said while AU Heads of State had adopted quite a number of policies, what was missing was the operationalisation of the policies.

The launch of the Chapter, therefore, means that Ghana is facilitating ECOSOCC to carry out its mandate to promote dialogue within all segments of the African societies on issues about the continent towards the sharing of best practices and expertise.

Mr. Samuel Dotse, the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Ghana Chapter of ECOSOCC and representative of HATOF Foundation, one of the two CSOs representing Ghana on the ECOSOCC at the continental level, said Ghana was joining Togo, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Algeria, Cameroon, Mauritius and others, who had established their national chapters.

The Council, he said, was established in 2004 under the provisions of Articles Five and 22 of the AU Constitutive Act, as a vehicle for building a strong partnership between governments and all segments of civil society and also to provide an advisory opinion to the Summit of African heads of State.

Twenty four organisations, including the private sector, media, civil society organisations and academia, form the national chapter.

'The distinctive character of the AU ECOSOCC is that it is an opportunity for the African Civil Society to play an active role in charting the future of the continent, and to contribute to the principles, policies and programmes of the AU,' he stated.

GNA
Small London (E/R), Aug. 31, GNA - Mr Frank Owusu, headteacher of the Presbyterian Basic School in the Birim Central Municipality, has called on parents to serve as role models and inculcate moral values in their children.

Speaking at the close of the 2015/16 academic year at Small London near Akroso, he urged school children to lead the campaign against indiscipline, in order to restore sanity and dignity into our schools.

Mr Owusu said: 'We live in an era where the value of morality has broken down and serious crimes are committed by very young people.

He said the major cause of this moral decline is as a result of the numerous acts of indiscipline that has engulfed our lives.

Mr Owusu said there is mismanagement in the education sector and all stakeholders need to be concerned.

He said there is no security and protection for teachers who walked for miles to school and many female teachers in the area are often chased by unidentified persons.

He said there is no senior high school in the area and children from Small London and Nyame Nti communities have to walk to either Akroso or Asuoso to attend SHS.

GNA
By Hafsa Obeng, GNA

Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Wednesday sentenced a 41 year-old Beninois, Dennis Dagbelou to 12 months' imprisonment in hard labour for possessing firearms.

Dennis, a farmer, had in his possession 12 single barrel guns without lawful authority.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge but was found guilty afterl trial and was convicted accordingly.

In sentencing, the court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh said it took into consideration the four months Dennis had already spent in custody, his plea for mitigation as well as show of remorse.

Dennis is also to pay a fine of 300 penalty units (GH3,600) or in default spend an additional 12 months in custody.

The court also ordered that the items be destroyed three months hereafter by the investigator in the presence of the court registrar.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stephen Adjei told the court that the complainants are Immigration Officers stationed at Aflao in the Volta Region, while the convict is a Beninois residing in Ivory Coast.

He said on January 26 this year at about 1255 hours while the complainants were on duty at the Aflao-Lome border they spotted Dennis on a motorbike crossing from Lome to Aflao carrying a sack.

The prosecution said the complainant stopped him for a search during which 12 single barrel guns were found in the sack, and arrested him for interrogation.

He told the court that Dennis was escorted to the CID Headquarters together with the exhibits for investigations.

During interrogation he admitted the offence and said he bought the guns from a blacksmith in a town called Sanveh in Benin, and that he was transporting same to Ivory Coast to be used by his colleague farmers to protect their farms as their crops are usually destroyed by animals.

GNA
By Kodjo Adams, GNA

Gomoa Gago (C/R), Aug. 31, GNA - Compassion International Ghana, an NGO in partnership with the Wesley Methodist Church in Dago in the Central Region, has inaugurated a leather work training centre for the community.

The centre is to equip the youth in the community with vocational training to reduce unemployment in the country.

The facility is part of Compassion's holistic Child Development Sponsorship Programme implemented by the Church to provide vocational training for the youth.

Mr Padmore Baffour Agyapong, Country Director of Compassion International said the organisation's cognitive outcome requires that every beneficiary of its assisted project must complete basic education and demonstrate the motivation and skills to learn and utilize at least one income generating activity.

Mr Agyapong said as part of Dago Methodist Child Development Centre contribution to achieve the cognitive outcome, the leadership of the Centre formed a creative art club in 2010 to unearth the talents of the beneficiaries.

It is also an extra curriculum activity to help the beneficiaries interact in a healthy and compassionate manner.

He said out of the creative art club, some of the members made slippers with A4 sheet and cardboard while others designed greeting cards and invitation cards.

The Country Director explained that this motivated the leaders of Dago Methodist Child Development Centre to engage a leather work trainer to train 20 interested art club members on how to make sandals and slippers with local resources in 2012.

He said the partnership started in 2009, adding that there are 353 Compassion International assisted beneficiaries in Gomoa Dago

'The partnership has helped parents to enroll their wards in school and supported with educational materials and payment of school fees.

'About 20 beneficiaries now make shoes and sandals, bags and clothes and pastries as well,' he added.

Very Reverend William Alfred Nyamekh, Resident Minister, Gomoa Dogo Wesley Methodist Church said the leadership of the Church identified that the main source of employment in the area was fishing and that persistent poor harvest of fish had resulted to low income for the past five years, making life difficult for the community.

He said caregivers and parents were not able to adequately support their children in school leading to low attendance and poor academic performance.

The Reverend Minister said the establishment of the Centre was timely since it would help address challenges faced by the youth in the community and serve as alternative source of livelihood to most of the people in the area.

'Through a goat rearing proposal funded by Compassion International Ghana 60 parents received two female goats each to rear to support the family,' he added.

He commended Compassion International for the initiative and urged other organisations to follow suit to enhance the livelihood of the vulnerable in the society.

GNA
31.08.2016 LISTEN

By GNA Reporter

Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - Airtel Money, a sub brand of Airtel Ghana, has announced its readiness, in conjunction with partner banks, to pay interests earned by customers on their Airtel Money wallets effective 11th September 2016.

The interest payment is in line with directives from the Bank of Ghana issued earlier this year for Mobile Money Operators to pay interests on customers' E-value.

This was contained in a statement issued in Accra by Mr Richard Ahiagble, Head of Corporate Communications and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

Mr Edmund Barwuah, Head of Corporate Sales, Airtel Money, said 'we are excited that the Bank of Ghana has given the green light for us to pay interest accrued on the pooled E-money float for eligible customers effective the second week of September.

Together with our partner banks, interest earned for the first half of the year would be paid to customers in two tranches with the first payments made by 11th September covering the period of January to March and the second payments made by 18th September covering April to June 2016.

As with normal practice, interests are computed on a daily basis and would be paid to customers per quarter or as directed by the Bank of Ghana'.

He said 'Airtel Money has been in the forefront of innovation in the Mobile Money space. Over the years, we have introduced breakthrough innovations such as Tap N Pay - the industry's first contactless payment system that enable customers to pay conveniently for goods and services.

We were the first to give customers the freedom to purchase airtime, pay utility bills among others from their Airtel Money wallets, he said and remain the only operator offering customers the opportunity to send and receive money on their Airtel Money wallets free of all charges.

Today marks a milestone in our operations as we are the first operator to have put in place the mechanism to make interest payment on the specified dates to our cherished customers'.

Explaining how the interest would be paid, he said 'working with our partner banks, eligible customers would receive notification detailing interests earned on their Airtel Money wallet balances and the funds would be immediately credited to their wallets.

The communication and the first payments covering January to March should reach eligible customers by 11th September and subsequent payments would follow the same procedure'.

The Bank of Ghana issued the Guidelines for E-Money Issuers (EMI) in Ghana (2015) to regulate Mobile Money operations in the country. The EMI Guidelines directs banks to pay interest on pooled E-value deposits to Telecom operators who will pay these out to eligible customers.

GNA
Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - The clergy has been advised to provide guidance and direction to the leadership of the country, in order to help them utilise resources entrusted in their care for the benefit of the society.

The Director of Church Life and Nurture of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Reverend Kwaku Bio kyeame said the church leadership has the right to lead, give direction and guide to society according to the tenets of the Bible.

Speaking at the climax of the 60th Anniversary and National Convention of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Singing Bands union in Accra, he noted that Christians are enjoined by the scriptures to affect lives and influence society irrespective of the position they occupy in the society.

Church leaders are supposed to ensure that those who have been put in the stead of God bring order into society he said.

He indicated that the clergy does not have to occupy political office before they could contribute towards the development of the country but could offer guidance through their calling as ministers of God.

''Everybody has a calling, even in the church there are various positions that God has destined so that the body of Christ may be able to move forward and function well according to the will and purpose of God, so it is with governance.

'The clergy has the right to question the leadership of the country, people who are directly in governance and managing the resources of the country by using the tenets of the bible as a guide. The clergy have a duty to point out any wrong doing in the society for correction,'' he said.

'Christians are the light and salt of the world and so they should be guided by what is right, live a life worthy of emulation for others to follow.

'If indeed Christians constitute about 70 per cent of the population then it should be easier to affect the society and to have massive transformation in our places of work,'. he added.

The National President of the singing bands Union, Nana Ofori Amanfo Diatuo I expressed the need for presidential candidates and their communicators to refrain from using abusive language during campaigns as they have the tendency to perpetuate violence.

He noted that 'political parties, presidential candidates and people who speak for the parties should be circumspect with their comments'.

He commended the Electoral Commission for working hard to maintain the trust and confidence of the electorate.

He appealed to the political parties to abide by the rules and regulations stipulated by the Commission to enable them function effectively as expected.

The President of the Ga Presbytery and the Chairman of the Projects and Investments Committee of the Singing Band Union, Mr Kweku Aidoo, said the body is still relevant as one of the medium of sharing the word of God with others.

He observed that the perception by some people that the Singing Band belongs to the older generation is untrue.

Mr Aidoo said when singing as a band the most important thing people should be aware of is that it is about the evangelisation to win souls for Christ.

Singing Band has taken a new dimension, the young, the old are all enjoying songs played by singing Bands despite other forms of songs that has gained some level of currency.

It is not about which form of music has the highest patronage of listenership but rather those that seek to encourage people to live right.

He debunked public assertion that the unattractiveness of the orthodox churches have made majority of the youth flee to the charismatic churches.

''What is charismatism? It is in the orthodox churches as well. Whatever the charismatic churches are doing the orthodox churches are equally doing it. It is the same God we are all worshiping everywhere. We are not worried about numbers, if it is about anything, it should be about leading people to Christ, 'he said.

The five day conference dubbed: ''When the Holy Spirit moves; evangelising through songs' brought together four thousand delegates from the various parts of the country

GNA
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business Trade unions stick to Sept 2 strike, reject govt's wage hike "The government's minimum wage announcement is completely inadequate. The strike stands and we demand they should enact a law to fix minimum (universal) wage," All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said.
In todays Money Morning2003, the human genome, camera phones and an illegal war in the Middle Eastleaky newsletters explain that the non-targets and cordless phones made life hard for the NSAwere going to war, even if its to justify the incredible amount of military spending

How to Justify US$596 Billion in Military Spending

2003 fells like an eternity ago. 13 years just seems to pass in the blink of an eye.

Can you remember much about 2003?

I was two years out of high school. Second year of university, trying to study in between parties and time spent at the uni bar.

I remember a few key events from 2003. Thats the year the iTunes music store went live. You could go online and buy digital music for 99 cents a song.

Cameraphones hit the market too. The first US cameraphone was the Sanyo SCP-5300. It had a whopping 0.3-megapixel camera. By the end of 2003, worldwide cameraphone sales were in excess of 80 million units.

It was also the year the Human Genome Project was completed. 13 years of mapping the genome. It was a monumental event in humanity. Since then its seen the rise of personalised medicine, and a few billion dollar companies as well.

It was also the year the US and UK decided to invade Iraq.

This was an all-out assault to topple the Saddam Hussein regime. Remember when George Bush and Tony Blair said Iraq had WMDs (weapons of mass destruction)?

This was after Hans Blix and the UN went looking for them in 2002, and found none

Im sure its flooding back to you now.

The Iraq war has undergone recent scrutiny in the UK through the Chilcot Report. The report (seven years in the making) was damning towards the UK, and inadvertently the US, about their involvement.

In his public statement, Sir John Chilcot said,

We have concluded that the UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before the peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted. Military action at the time was not a last resort. We have, however, concluded that the circumstances in which it was decided that there was a legal basis for UK military action were far from satisfactory. It is now clear that policy on Iraq was made on the basis of flawed intelligence and assessments. They were not challenged, and they should have been.

In essence the Chilcot report indicates the UK, and by association, the US and Australia, went to war in Iraq illegally.

This whole idea of an illegal war is troubling. But not surprising. The US has been waging war for decades. Even on non-targets, just ordinary folk like you and me and the information we create.

Collect it all

In 2003 the NSA were going through a tough patch. According to leaked NSA newsletters, they were struggling to intercept intelligence from HPCPs. HPCPs are high powered cordless phones.

The need to understand this technology has been compounded by the need to provide force protection in Iraq. Emphasis on metadata analysis and target development is paramount in prosecuting the targets using this technology.

So they did what any organisation would do, they held a conference to understand it better. The NSA organised a Worldwide HPCP Conference for the Five Eyes nations (US, Australia, Canada, UK and New Zealand).

There were over 500 attendees. According to the NSA it was a resounding success.

What you might have also noticed from the extract above is their use of the term metadata analysis. As far back as 2003 the NSA had the capability to intercept and analyse metadata. This is in an era of new cameraphones.

When you think about it, their capabilities were astounding.

According to the NSAs newsletters, Digital Network Exploitation (DNE) was increasingly important as the, centre of our [Signals Intelligence] business.

However the problem they were facing is obvious. As the internet was expanding, they had to deal with increasing volumes of metadata to analyse.

The newsletter explains further,

Each day, new types of protocols and application formats appear in our targets communications. Finally, our targets communications are increasingly buried by millions of non-target communications.

In other words they were collecting everything to gain a little. Then they were sharing their intelligence amongst the Five Eyes.

The Chilcot report highlights the inadequacies of the UK in all this. But it also makes you wonder just how ineffective or illegal the NSA operations might have been, too.

You have to justify the spending somehow

You also have to wonder how many other wars are because of false intelligence. How many more will there be?

Perhaps the next war will be for no particular reason.

Maybe it will be to justify US$596 billion in US military spending?

Maybe to support the 40 billion renewal of the UKs Trident nuclear defence program?

Or maybe to rationalise Australias largest ever defence contract to build our own all-new submarine fleet?

In yesterdays Money Morning, Jason Stevenson asked, Will Clinton or Trump Send the World to War? I say it doesnt matter. They both will go to war. They have to. After all, they have to justify US military spending.

Well see war in the South China sea. War in Ukraine. War in Syria. War in Turkey. Maybe even war somewhere on mainland Europe. Such are global tensions right now, war is inevitable.

When war breaks out the war machine kicks into top gear. Markets struggle, yet companies linked to modern warfare thrive. Just look at companies like Raytheon [NYSE:RTN] or Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT].

These companies exist because of war. And its war that creates fear, uncertainty and, whether you like it or not, opportunity.

I dont support war. But my job is to identify areas of market opportunity. And if war comes, the opportunities will (rightly or wrongly) be there for the taking. Even if its a war perpetuated on false information.

Regards,

Sam

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]
Theres something dark about Kendra Josie Kirkpatricks comics and illustrations. It isnt just the heaps of black ink darkening the pages

Isabella

It takes a special sort of talent to take some of historys darker moments  like the witch trials, the Moors Murders, and a fair bit of Ancient Egypt  and tell a story thats not only true to history but can elicit a few smiles, too.

Kendra Josie Kirkpatrick, who began drawing in preschool and cartooning in the second grade, was torn between pursuing a career as historian or an artist. Though she was talented in both regards, her mother expressed concern that Kirkpatrick might be pigeonholed into teaching or writing history books if she became a historian and encouraged Kirkpatrick to explore a career as a cartoonist.

How ironic, says Kirkpatrick when I get the chance to chat with her by email for a mooky Q&A. My mother wanted me to go for the art degree out of concern over job security.

Now Kirkpatrick combines her knowledge of historical events with a bold art style, working exclusively in traditional media.

Informative Ancient Egypt

Im like an old woman in the way Im so against me making digital art, says Kirkpatrick. Its pathetic and out of touch, but here I am. I generally work with ink, brushes, and pens.

Most notable in Kirkpatricks art is the copious use of black. It draws the eye to the action within each panel like a light in a dark tunnel. It also provides a fitting backdrop for the rather grim inspirations for many of the stories.

While historical events are the most obvious inspirations in Kirkpatricks work, she cites true crime narratives as another inspirational source. Recently, Ive gotten more interested in autobiographical pieces. Theres an overarching theme of an interest in all things non-fiction.

Pendle

Kirkpatricks personal favourite to date is PENDLE: the forgotten witch trials.

Its not my most popular comic Ive made but Im particularly fond of it, Kirkpatrick explains. PENDLE follows the life of Jennet Device after her accusation causes her entire family to be hanged for witchcraft. The story is dark, ironic, and a little sad, too, but perfectly showcases Kirkpatricks style.

Kirkpatricks work isnt limited to her comics; shes completed several illustration series as well, including Black Metal Girls, Crime and Punishment, and Oni Girls.

The Onis are a lot of fun to draw, Kirkpatrick explains. I actually drew those because I was going through drawings other artists have done inspired by Onis, and all the girl Onis were too pretty and voluptuous to me, so I decided to make mine creepy and emaciated. They are demons, so why not make them off-putting?

Oni Girls

The off-putting nature of her work hasnt stopped history professors from showing Informative Ancient Egypt Comics in their classrooms. Kirkpatrick explains that more than one person discovered her work as a result of a history professor presenting her comics to their students.

I made those solely out of things I found darkly funny and theyre filled with curse words, so picturing a professor saying NOW CLASS and putting them up on a projector in their classroom is really funny to me, she says.

A 2016 graduate, Kendra Josie Kirkpatrick holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cartooning from the School of Visual Art in New York. Kirkpatricks comics and illustrations are available on her Official Website and Tumblr.

You can read Isabella in its entirety on the comics website. Independently printed copies of Isabella and Informative Ancient Egyptian Comics are available from Storenvy.

Images used with permission.

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One of the top newcomers in the country music industry is ready to hit the City Stage at the Historic Morganton Festival on Sept. 9.

Chase Bryant, 23, will play that night from 8-11 p.m., capping off the first night of the event. Hell share the timeslot with fellow country artist Mo Pitney.

Bryant hails from Orange Grove, Texas, and comes from a family with a long history in music. His grandfather played keyboards for Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings and Bryants uncles formed the country band Ricochet in 1993. Bryant is signed to the Red Bow Records label.

After touring the festival circuit all summer, Bryant is ready for the 35th annual festival.

Weve been doing our share of the festival circuit all summer long, whether it be a big festival with Carrie Underwood to Tim McGraw, or whoever that may be, Bryant said. Of course, when you head out on these circuits, my agent was the first to get the call. It was a no-brainer for us to go down (to Morganton) and play that.

I love the Carolinas. Were very much looking forward to coming down there and playing for (Morganton).

Bryant has performed in the region before. He says his experiences in the area have him excited to play in Morganton. He knows hell see some avid country fans there.

Weve been out to Charlotte many, many times, Bryant said. Weve played Asheville a couple times. By now, we should be residents of that place.

I think country music fans these days are very rabid fans of the music and wild, for sure. It changes from night to night, but its always fun to get out there and play for crowds that are already amped up and ready to see the show. Thats always the best thing to us. And country music fans tend to be just that when you show up to play.

Bryants debut single, Take it On Back, spent 14 straight weeks on the CMT Hot 20 Countdown and was a top 20 most-watched video on Vevo TV Nashville. The song made him one of only two male solo artists to earn a top 10 hit with a debut single in 2015.

Bryant thanked country radios dedicated listeners and expressed his gratitude for being able to witness success early on in his career.

He is a veteran of national tours with McGraw (Shotgun Rider Tour), Brantley Gilbert (Let it Ride Tour) and, most recently, Kip Moore (Wild Ones Tour) this year. His single Little Bit of You was a No. 3 hit and spent multiple weeks as a top 10 Vevo Country video, CMT Hot 20 video and GAC Top 20 Country Countdown video.

In addition to performing vocals on his songs, which he co-produces and co-writes, Bryant has developed a reputation as a strong guitar player. He learned to play at the age of 3 and plays lead guitar on his studio recordings, including playing nearly every guitar part on his newest track, Room to Breathe.

I think it kind of gives me the whole rounded side of being an artist, said Bryant. I think I wouldnt say Im the best guitar player and I wouldnt say Im a great guitar player. Id just say Im a guitar player.

For me, its just one of those stems for me. Its like an extra stem in my body. Ive always loved playing. Its what Ive done and Ive been given a shot to go out and do that every night.

Bryant plays guitar upside down and backwards. He said it is sort of a tip of the cap to Jimi Hendrix and others who have employed similar styles.

Jimi Hendrix reversed the strings on his guitar, so it was a right-handed guitar that he strung left-handed, said Bryant. Mines a right-handed guitar strung right-handed (but played left-handed). So, it is a nod to some of those guys like Jimi who I saw play like that at first, and Doyle Bramhall Jr. and guys like that.

I was a big fan of blues rock and roll guitars, as well as country guitar, too. I just grew up listening to great guitar players and, thankfully, got to take from some of them.

Having those guitar idols to look up to, experience with stars like Underwood and McGraw and drawing inspiration from influences like Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, Tom Petty and contemporary artists like Keith Urban have shown Bryant the pathway to career-long success.

Years  you look at those guys, its years of touring and its years of making great records, he said. I think you look at what theyve done from the musicality of their careers, they all make great records and great songs. I think its really to strive to put out the best music you can put out. Listening to those records reminds me to keep up and make the best records I can.

For more information and a full schedule of events for the Historic Morganton Festival, visit morgantonfest.org.

Justin Epley can be reached at jepley@morganton.com or 828-432-8943.
U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-11) will be at the eatery in Morganton from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to meet and greet people, according to information from the incumbent congressman.

The event is being billed as Lunch with the congressman.

On his Facebook page, Meadows said the event will be one of his Day in the Life series.

I'll be working with the staff and meeting constituents at Abele's Family Restaurant in Morganton, NC at 11:30am, Meadows said on the page. Come say hello and enjoy some great food!

Meadows is running for re-election this year and will face Democrat challenger Rick Bryson in November.

Its not the first Day in the Life event Meadows has held in Burke County. In early April, Meadows was at Pats Snack Bar, where he manned the grill and chatted with customers.

And in September, Meadows donned a brown UPS uniform and helped deliver packages to businesses along South Sterling Street in downtown Morganton.

Meadows also will hold a grant workshop for emergency responders and county officials at the Foothills Higher Education Center at 9 a.m., and tour SpartaCraft Inc. Custom Woodworking in Connelly Springs at 1:15 p.m. during his visit to Burke County.

Abeles hosted also hosted a recent event for the Trump/Pence presidential campaign ticket.

Lara Trump, a daughter-in-law of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, was at Abeles on Aug. 5 for a meet-and-greet.

Its likely not the last event in Burke County to highlight candidates for federal offices. The presidential race is shaping up to make North Carolina a battleground state in the run up to Election Day on Nov. 8. The state went for Democrat Barack Obama in the presidential race of 2008 but flipped and voted for Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 race.
Significant amounts of investors cash flows to just a handful of talented people in the world of fund management.

However, once a fund manager has built that all-important track record and attracted billions of pounds, the performance that follows can sometimes prove disappointing or mediocre at best. This could be attributed to the newfound pressure on the manager or the fact that running a significantly larger portfolio has caused them to adapt or compromise their investment style.

Whatever the reason, many suggest there are benefits to backing a fund from an early stage  particularly if you have done your homework. But this is not always easy for wealth managers and discretionary investment managers because some are unable to invest in funds that have less than 100 million under management or have a track record of less than three years.

Rob Burdett, co-head of the multi-manager team at BMO Global Asset Management, suggests that these restrictions cause private investors to miss out on the stellar returns that can be generated during the early stage of a funds life or a fund managers career.

You should invest in funds as track records are created, not lived off. Often, good funds reach their capacity limit before three years. We think smaller funds are a good area to focus on because people ignore them to make life easy or because of the structure of their business, but they are potentially missing out, Burdett explained.

So, where do the best opportunities lie? Here, we highlight five funds that are less than 100 million and have the potential to perform in the future. It is worth noting that without a longer track record investors should be aware they are taking on risk  fund managers that have invested for at least three years have not tested their method through the market cycle.

Nick Watson, a multi-asset manager at Henderson Global Investors, highlights this UK equity income fund as one to watch. It was launched in January of last year and is managed by Blake Hutchins, who joined Investec Asset Management from Threadneedle for the launch of the fund. The portfolio is currently 32 million in size and has returned 20.6% over the past 12 months, which compares to 11.9% by the average fund in the Investment Associations UK Equity Income sector.

Watson likes Hutchins focus on quality businesses that generate high and sustainable levels of free cash flow.

This quality growth style of investing has performed well amid the current muted economic growth backdrop. However, it is also worth observing that the portfolio generates a competitive historic yield of 3.7%, from a portfolio with a different and complementary character to many of the large established value-orientated UK equity income competitors, Watson noted.

Baillie Gifford Japan Income & Growth

Managed by Matthew Brett, this fund was launched at the beginning of July 2016 to benefit from the changing attitudes towards dividends within corporate Japan. Gavin Haynes, managing director of wealth manager Whitechurch Securities, bought into the 52 million fund on account of Baillie Giffords established expertise in Japanese equities.

We will use the fund to provide core exposure to Japanese dividend stocks as part of a diversified global equity income strategy, he added.

This newly launched open-end fund may not yet have even one-month of track record, but Baillie Gifford run a successful five-star Baillie Gifford Japanese fund and a Gold Rated closed-end fund the Baillie Gifford Japan Trust (BGFD).

Burdett and his team bought into this fund in June of this year as part of a broader shift into emerging markets, following a period where they were underweight in comparison to the index.

Emerging market debt and equity looked optically cheap for some time. We then felt we reached a point where people were more prepared to accept the risk for the returns being offered. Babson is a company that has a real focus on this area, Burdett said.

Over the past year, the emerging market debt fund has returned 9.5% versus 8.3% by the sector average. It is currently $63 million, or 48 million, in size.

This 77 million fund is managed by Tim Russell, who carved out a successful reputation running long-short UK equity funds at Cazenove Capital Management which is now part of Schroders. Russell is able to take long positions in stocks where he sees upside, whilst also taking short positions in stocks where he identifies negative prospects.

Andrew Wilson, head of investments at wealth manager Towry, highlights Russells experience and the calibre of managers that surround him at Sanditon: namely, Chris Rice and Julie Dean.

In a low return world, market neutral strategies will prove incredibly attractive to asset allocators, and Tim Russell has the experience and track record to suggest that he will be one of the safest pairs of hands in that environment, Wilson explained.

The fund has returned 2.7% since launch in December 2014, which compares to 3.7% by the Investment Associations Targeted Absolute Return sector average.

Over the past year this fund has returned 32.6%, which compares to 29.9% by the emerging market equity peer group. Sarasin & Partners fund of funds team invested in the fund in April of this year and were drawn to the healthy dividend yield on offer.

Cullen has a strong record of income investing and this fund yields 4.5%, which is obviously very attractive in todays environment, commented Lucy Walker, head of third party funds at Sarasin.
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 Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus investigative tactics are drawing criticism from some quarters, according to a Wall Street Journal report.



Specifically, the CFPBs use of mystery shoppers is coming under fire. The tactic came under the spotlight in June when the agency took action against BancorpSouth for allegedly discriminating against African-American mortgage customers.



The agency sent two employees to the bank, both saying they were first-time homebuyers. The agency claimed that a bank loan officer steered the black customer toward a smaller and more expensive loan despite his being better qualified than the white applicant, the Journal reported.



The operation may have uncovered a problem, but its drawn criticism, the Journal reported. Regulators rarely use undercover operations because of rules imposed under the 1974 Privacy Act. Under that law, government officials have to identify themselves if theyre seeking information from individuals, according to the Journal.



But the CFPB argues the law doesnt apply to mystery shoppers, because theyre only seeking to gain information that would be available to any member of the public and not looking for individuals personal information.



In the BancCorpSouth case, the bank agreed to a $10.6 million settlement with the CFPB and the Justice Department in June, the Journal reported. But the bank disputed the CFPBs findings and criticized the agencys use of mystery shoppers.



We have concerns with the way the information was collected, and selectively released, the bank said in a statement.



And Andrew Vollmer, a former deputy general counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission, told the Journal that the CFPBs use of undercover investigators is a worrisome precedent, because  we see more and more aggressive civil-law enforcement activity by the government, so that civil law enforcement borders on, if not bleeds into, criminal law enforcement. What we do not have are the corresponding protections of the criminal law-enforcement system for the accused.



CFPB spokesman Sam Gilford insists theres no problem. According to Gilford, the Privacy Act concerns in this case are limited to personal information collected from individuals. The Bureau will continue to use all available tools, as the circumstances warrant, to further its mission of protecting consumers from discrimination, Gilford told the Journal.


Donald Trump has suffered another legal setback in the ongoing court battle over his now-defunct real estate training program.



Trump had attempted to block former students suing as a group in a California case that accused Trump University of fraud, Bloomberg reported. The program is accused of defrauding students by not persuading them to pay tens of thousands of dollars for classes that turned out to be high-pressure sales pitches for yet more classes.



One of the key claims in the Calfornia class-action suit is that students had believed that the school was accredited, Bloomberg reported. Trump had argued that one of the key plaintiffs in the case, Sonny Low, wasnt concerned with whether Trump University was an accredited program. But on Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel rejected that argument.



According to Curiel, the Republican presidential nominees lawyers were relying on a selective interpretation of Lows deposition. In the deposition, Low had said that accreditation was not even a consideration for me. I went there because it was Trump University, that he created.



But Curiel pointed to other portions of the deposition that indicated that Low believed the university was accredited because of Trumps association with it, Bloomberg reported.



Besides being a multi-billionaire in real estate, he set up Trum University, which I would presume that he took all the steps necessary to set up a proper institution that he could call a university, with his name next to it, Low said in the deposition.



Trump is also asking Curiel to put the kibosh on a second class-action suit involving the university, according to Bloomberg. In that suit, Trump is being accused of racketeering.


During the filming of "Free State of Jones," a Civil War-era movie released in June, Matthew McConaughey did double the work, both acting for the movie and shooting videos for his class at the University of Texas at Austin in between takes.

In conjunction with an instructor and the director of the movie, McConaughey is serving as the teacher for an advanced producing class, both on campus and remotely. The university announced McConaugheys new role at the end of June.

On the first day of the semester, McConaughey dropped in on his class, making a surprise visit. Despite the UT alums Oscar-winning status, there was no fanfare around the actor on campus, a spokesman said. In fact, he didnt even have to sneak into the class to avoid rabid admirers.

It was totally casual, Paul Stekler, chair of the Radio-Television-Film Department at the university, said about his experience walking the actor through campus. Nobody passed out or anything as far as I could tell.

McConaughey surprised the 35 students in the course during the last hour of the 3-hour class, Scott Rice, the instructor for the course, said in an email Tuesday. McConaughey could have been a student at the university if one did not know who he was he wore a ball cap and a T-shirt to class.

Although it was a surprise, the students in the class are serious film students, and didnt scream in shock when the actor arrived, Stekler said.

During the last hour, where no photos of the actor were allowed except for one posted to the colleges Twitter account Monday, McConaughey spoke with students about the intersection of creativity and business in the filmmaking industry.

I am so taken with what Matthew has initiated to be able to do a class that really helps students understand the reality of filmmaking, he said. Its not only a creative art but its also a business.

The actor wont be back on campus until the end of the semester, Stekler said, but that doesnt mean hell be absent from the classroom. Gary Ross, the director of "Free State of Jones," and McConaughey have pre-recorded videos ready to go for the semester and plan on video conferencing into the class.

It also looks like this wont be a one-time class eitherStekler said he fully expects McConaughey to be back for multiple semesters.

(The class was) his idea that we helped him work on, Stekler said noting the class was McConaugheys original idea.

He said students were riveted by what McConaughey had to say. The actor discussed script-writing, rewrites and the budgeting process among telling the students what he wanted them to learn during the semester.

McConaughey also chose an interesting day to visit his alma mater on the first day of class, students were protesting the campus carry law that went into effect Aug. 1 with dildos. The protest, known as #CocksNotGlocks, brought national attention to the university from the likes of The Daily Show. But, Stekler said, McConaughey wasnt close to any dildos.

We didnt get anywhere near the protest, he said. He actually parked a car and we walked over to class.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
More than 25 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea, a dangerous disorder that causes sufferers to briefly stop breathing while they sleep, sometimes many times each night. The condition, caused by throat muscles that relax and block the airway, has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes and Type 2 diabetes.

The standard treatment, the continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine, keeps the airway open by pumping a stream of air through a patient's nostrils as he or she sleeps. The biggest problem with the therapy is non-compliance; many people find the air mask and hose uncomfortable and give up on the machine.

But a large new sleep study published Sunday raises a serious new issue: For people with existing cardiovascular disease and moderate to severe sleep apnea, CPAP doesn't prevent heart attacks, strokes, hospitalizations or deaths any better than sleeping without the machine.

The finding surprised scientists from two Australian research institutes who conducted the research, because previous examinations have shown that CPAP seemed to have a positive impact on those problems.

In earlier studies, "the epidemiological data is very strong and the biomarker data is very strong," said Craig S. Anderson, a professor of stroke neurology at the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, and one of the leaders of the new study. So too is observational research on subjects who use CPAP machines, he said.

Virend Somers, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved in the research, called the new study "a very important paper" because it provides the first large, randomized, controlled look at CPAP benefits that were only previously assumed.

CPAP is far from worthless, according to the new research, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a cardiology conference in Rome Sunday. The five-year study of people in seven countries confirmed that the pump reduced the daytime sleepiness that plagues sleep apnea patients, with corresponding improvements in mood, quality of life and work productivity. It also reduced sufferers' anxiety and depression somewhat.

The study was by far the largest to look into obstructive sleep apnea, Anderson said. It involved 2,687 subjects between the ages of 45 and 75.

When the researchers divided the subjects into two roughly equal groups, they found no impact on heart attacks and strokes, as well as deaths from any cause or hospitalization for heart failure, unstable angina and other reasons.

It's not clear why that might be, Anderson said. One possibility raised in both the study and an accompanying editorial is that the CPAP group was able to wear the masks only about 3.3 hours per night, a length of time that is consistent with CPAP users in the real world. That may not be enough time to affect the frequency of these cardiovascular events. Or it may be that cardiovascular disease is too difficult to modify in this way once it develops, Anderson said.

Somers, the Alice Sheets Marriott professor of medicine and a consultant in cardiovascular disease at the Mayo Clinic, said he would like to know whether better adherence to the CPAP regimen might convey more long-term benefits. It's unknown whether the adrenaline and blood pressure surges that come with taking off the mask and returning to an apneac state in the middle of the night are as harmful as sleep apnea itself, he said.

Though the researchers didn't look at it, Anderson said it is probably safe to assume that sleep apnea sufferers who don't have pre-existing cardiovascular conditions would show similar results. But more research on that is needed, he said. Somers agreed.

However, he pointed out that patients who are most sleepy during the day were excluded from the study, because of the danger that they would be randomized to the group that wasn't receiving CPAP and could hurt themselves or others in car accidents or in other ways. While it would be a difficult study to accomplish, Somers said, it could be important to know whether CPAP protects sleepy patients from cardiovascular events.

Sleep apnea is often, but not always, associated with increasing obesity, and many cases of sleep apnea remain undiagnosed. Common symptoms are loud snoring or gasping while sleeping.
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Katelyn Vincik was born with a head of dark hair, bright eyes and a vivacious personality, but not a functioning left hand.

Between her mothers research skills, however, and the expertise and tenacity of a public library and its volunteers, 5-year-old Katelyn now has a pink-and-purple hand that opens and closes and makes all sorts of things in the life of a little girl easier.

It began with a wish. Every night before bed, Katelyn and her mother, Kimberly, would pray for a new hand. (The disability is called amniotic band syndrome and occurs, in various forms, in about 1 in 1,200 to 15,000 live births.) Katelyn is on the waiting list at Shriners Hospital in Houston for a state-of-the-art robo hand.

But the thing about waiting lists is the waiting. So Kimberly Vincik got on her computer and started searching.

I looked for everything that could be a help to me, said Vincik, who lives in Victoria with her husband, Casey, and their three children. Eventually, she found a group in England called e-NABLE that had plans for a functioning plastic hand that could be 3-D printed. (At least 2,000 hands have been made worldwide with the e-NABLE plan.)

Buying a 3-D printer was out of the question, of course.

Our next option was to find somebody who had one, she said.

Similar to a Lego

This is where the Clear Lake City-County Freeman Branch Library, and its staff members Jim Johnson and Patrick Ferrell, came in.

Ferrell manages the Maker Space at the library -- part of the Harris County Public Library system -- which is a workshop area where patrons can use laser cutters and 3-D printers and the like. Its the only such library space in Southeast Texas.

Its just another way libraries can offer new services, Ferrell said.

They see everyone from astronauts to artists to schoolchildren come in to use the equipment.

But Katelyns hand was different. Ferrell and his team of volunteers had never made anything like it.

The Vincik family drove the two-plus hours to Clear Lake to make sure the hand would be measured and scaled correctly.

We had to do a lot of analyzing, Ferrell said.

The hand is the product of old and new. Its system of pullies was invented by an Australian dentist 100 years ago, but its material is polylactic acid, a hard, slick plastic similar to but not exactly like a Lego, Ferrell said.

Katelyn asked for pink and purple.

Its not the most technically challenging thing weve ever done, but it was the most heartwarming, Ferrell said.

On July 30, Ferrell drove the hand, wrapped in red, down to the Vinciks house, where a birthday party for Lacey, 3, and Caleb, 1, was underway. I got to play Santa Claus, he said.

He handed Katelyn the package. My new hand! she said.

She has a smile that could power a small city, Ferrell said.

Katelyn immediately strapped it on her arm and began picking up things.

You get a 5-year-old to light up like that, its hard to top, he said.

Dont ever give up hope

Since then, Vincik said, Katelyn has had an easier time cutting paper and riding her bicycle.

It makes everything in the world easier, she said.

Katelyn started kindergarten, but that was overwhelming enough, so the new hand didnt make its school debut then.

Vincik advises other parents faced with similar difficulties to understand that they arent alone.

Others are going through the same thing, she said. Dont ever give up hope. Be determined.
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Want a reason that a student shouldnt drop out of school?

Heres one -- 80 percent of the prison population are dropouts.

That is what Mary Janousek, Dropout Prevention and Intervention coordinator for Midland ISD, said Tuesday when asked about the importance of graduating from high school.

Midland ISDs dropout rate for the class of 2015 was 10.6 percent, and district officials are hoping that the longitudinal dropout rate is below 10 percent this year. Longitudinal dropout rate is the percentage of students from the same class of beginning ninth-graders who drop out before completing their high school education, according to the Texas Education Agencys website.

It would be the second time in the decade (2012 was the other class) that the district reported a sub-10 percent rate.

MISD reported the dropout rate rose to 13.5 percent for the class of 2013 before falling in 2014 and 2015. The graduation rate also improved last year to 85.3 percent -- an increase from 74.1 percent posted by the class of 2008. In the fall of 2008, Midland ISD held its first recovery walk, and within three years the graduation rate rose to 83.3 percent.

The districts ninth annual Recovery Walk is Sept. 10. Participants will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Bowie Fine Arts Academy, 805 Elk Ave. Teams of volunteers will visit the homes of students who did not return to school this month. Janousek said there also will be a slight change of focus. In addition to those students who have dropped out, the volunteers will visit homes of current students most at-risk of dropping out in the future to personally encourage them to continue their education and share with them the many programs MISD offers to help them graduate.

We are changing the focus from recovery to being proactive, Janousek said.

Being proactive means engaging families and promoting a positive experience when it comes to education, Janousek said.

This year, she hopes, the community will continue its focus on education reform and improve on the 123 recovery walk participants in 2015. During the spring, the Education Midland education initiative brought the community impact model before people in the community. She said across the nation there are examples of the community coming together and making graduation a priority.

We can change mentality regardless of boom-or-bust cycles, that graduation is important and we want every kid to earn a diploma, Janousek said.

There will be an information meeting for prospective volunteers from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Midland ISD Administration Building, 615 W. Missouri Ave.

Those with questions also can contact Janousek at mary.janousek@midlandisd.net or at 240-1256.

Longitudinal dropout rate

Class of 2007: 16.1 percent

Class of 2008: 13 percent

Class of 2009: 11.9 percent

Class of 2010: 11.6 percent

Class of 2011: 10.6 percent

Class of 2012: 9.9 percent

Class of 2013: 13.5 percent

Class of 2014: 11.5 percent

Class of 2015: 10.6 percent

Graduation

Class of 2007: 74.1 percent

Class of 2008: 74.1 percent

Class of 2009: 75.8 percent

Class of 2010: 79.5 percent

Class of 2011: 83.3 percent

Class of 2012: 83.9 percent

Class of 2013: 81.2 percent

Class of 2014: 82.4 percent

Class of 2015: 85.3 percent

Graduation benefits

The economic benefits of increasing the high school graduation rate for public school students in Texas -- if the graduation rate of the class of 2013 had been 90 percent instead of 75 percent ...

Annual earnings increase: $700 million

Annual spending increase: $500 million

Annual gross state product increase: $1.2 billion

Federal tax revenue increase: $100 million

State and local tax revenue increase: $39 million

New jobs: 7,800

Homes sales increase: $1 billion

Auto sales increase: $67 million

Source: Alliance for Excellent Education
In consult with the Texas Music Office, Texas Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch urging her to reconsider The United States Department of Justices proposed changes to the Performance Rights Organization (PRO) licensing model. In 2015, the Department of Justice announced they would require PROs such as Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and the American Society of ComposersA, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) to require 100 percent licensing rather than allowing PROs to negotiate licensing deals based on their market shares. Governor Abbott objected to the Department of Justices decision, which runs counter to longstanding industry expectations, and urged Attorney General Lynch to protect the mechanisms that allow musicians to make a living and create wealth.

This drastic change in course will have severe consequences for music artists and the music industry as a whole, Governor Abbott writes in the letter. The DOJs conclusion will inhibit collaboration between music artists, upend longstanding practices within the music industry and further reduce royalty payments to music artists.

The proposed change would:

Discourage songwriters from collaborating with artists under different PROs

Force PROs to build new accounting tools, disrupting partnerships throughout the music industry

Increase administrative costs for PROs and music artists

To read Governor Abbotts letter, click here: http://gov.texas.gov//press-offi/DOJ_TMOLetter08292016.pdf.

This drastic change in course will have severe consequences for music artists and the music industry as a whole. - Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Gov. Abbott letter to US Department of Justice

The Texas Music Office (TMO) is a state-funded business promotion office and information clearinghouse for the Texas music industry. The TMO assists more than 15,000 individual clients each year, thereby meeting its legislative mandate: Sec. 485.004. Promotion; Duties. (a) The office shall promote the development of the music industry in the state by informing members of that industry and the public about the resources available in the state for music production. The TMO is the sister office to the Texas Film Commission, both of which are within the Office of the Governors Economic Development and Tourism Division.




Pre-summit G20 meetings are fruitful: China minister

From:Xinhua | 2016-08-29 14:26

Beijing, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said Sunday that several rounds of financial and monetary policy consultations this year ahead of the upcoming G20 summit have generated many results.

Financial and central bank officials from G20 members decided nine prioritized areas and 48 guiding principles for structural reforms, said Lou, calling the progress a "milestone".

The policy makers for the first time proposed using monetary, financial and structural reform measures to boost growth and stabilize outlook. They also agreed to push reforms of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

These officials vowed to encourage multilateral development banks to expand infrastructure investment to enhance global connectivity, according to Lou.

They agreed to attach great significance to inclusive growth and help medium- and small-sized enterprises, the minister said.

They also pledged to avoid competitive devaluation of currencies and oppose any form of protectionism.

Tasks set for these consultations at the beginning of the year have been basically completed and the results will be submitted to the Hangzhou summit next month, said Lou.
We won't be seeing the Dance of the Dragons for quite a while. After that epic season one finale, HBO is making sure viewers don't expect a sequel to House of the Dragon in the new year. "Don't expect it in 23, but I think sometime in
We have been cursed with leaders ...
Mammoth Lakes, CA- The US Forest Service is reviewing a proposal to acquire 920 acres of private land in four separate privately owned parcels along the Clavey River near Yosemite National Park in exchange for 30.6 acres of US Forest Service land in the Inyo National Forest for the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

If approved, after public comment and review, the proposal states the Stanislaus National Forest would manage the four newly acquired parcels to preserve the notable values or features as part of, or for eventual inclusion in, the National Wild and Scenic River System. The private land along the Clavey river described in the exchange does not need remediation, or an Environmental Site Assessment, and is defined as containing either frontage on a perennial stream or headwaters areas for a perennial stream. According to the Forest Service, acquiring the Clavey property will improve management capabilities and ensure adherence to standards and guidelines.

The Proposed Action dates back to 2011 when efforts to buy 30.6 acres of US Forest Service lands used under a Special Use Permit by Mammoth Mountain Ski Area began. In all the Mammoth Main Lodge Redevelopment LLC, a legal entity closely related to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area LLC, will give the USFS nearly of 1,320 acres of privately owned lands in or near the boundaries of the Inyo, Plumas and Stanislaus National Forests.

The USFS describes the lands offered in the exchange as priorities for acquisition through land exchanges in the 1988 Inyo National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.

The proposal also states the land transfer will remove ownership and release the Forest Service from managing sewage ponds and treatment facilities for the Mammoth Mountain Inn, Yodler, Main Lodge, McCoy Station, and the Mill located with in the 30.6 acres to be exchanged. If an exchange is approved, the Forest Service will have no jurisdiction over potential development of the Mammoth Ski Area.

The Inyo National Forest will hold a public meeting on September 8th from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm at The Mammoth Lakes Council Chamber, Suite Z, 437 Old Mammoth Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA (above the Vons) to provide an overview of the project and to answer questions from the public.
Angels Camp, CA  A Nevada resident was arrested for causing a serious injury after fights this weekend in the 100 block of Selkirk Ranch Road in Angels Camp.

Late in the evening, about 10:40PM a report of a woman slapping another woman in the face brought Angels Camp Police Officers to the area. The officers talked to both women separately, both women reported they were visiting the area and had spent the day wine tasting. The police confirmed after an argument involving callous words from both sides, one did slap the other. They both agreed to stay separated and told police there would be no further problems.

Officers were called back to the area the following day after the noon hour. This time, according to the report, Stacey Silva, a 39 year old from Sparks, Nevada pushed the other woman and she fell and hit her head. The victim was reported as unconscious and was later transported to a Modesto area hospital for treatment. Silva was arrested and booked in to Calaveras County Jail for battery causing serious bodily injury.
Sacramento, CA  A bill headed to Governor Jerry Browns desk calls for all voters to receive a ballot in the mail and transition away from traditional polling sites on Election Day.

SB 450 is sponsored by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla who oversees Californias elections. During an interview we conducted this past March, Tuolumne County Clerk and Auditor Controller Debi Bautista previewed that this was an idea being discussed in Sacramento. It has now gained approval from the legislature, and Governor Jerry Brown must now decide whether to sign it into law.

SB 450 calls for all California voters to be sent a ballot 28 days before the election. They could then mail it back to the elections office, drop it off at a designated drop-off site, or take it to a voting center.

In the 28 days before an election, there would be at least one drop-off location for every 15,000 registered voters.

In addition, starting 10 days before the election there would be one Voting Center per 50,000 voters in a county. Then starting the Saturday before the election, and continuing through Election Day, there would be one center per 10,000 voters.

Besides simply dropping off a ballot at the Voting Center, voters could receive a replacement ballot, use a voting machine and access same-day voter registration.

The Governor has not indicated whether he will sign the bill. Padilla argues that it would make voting more accessible and reduce costs. If approved, it would take effect in Tuolumne, Calaveras, Inyo, Madera, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Shasta, Sierra and Sutter counties in 2018 and in the remaining counties in 2020.
A man accused of sexually battering and impregnating an 11-year-old girl is back in the U.S. to face charges.



Suspect extradited from Guatemala

Accused of impregnating a then-11-year-old girl

Girl gave birth in May 2015

Rony Mendez, 25, was extradited from Guatemala. He had a first appearance Tuesday afternoon at the Bartow Courthouse.



Polk County Sheriff's deputies said Mendez, who was 23 years old at the time, sexually molested and impregnated a then-11-year-old girl with whom he had access.

Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said that when the girls mother found out she was pregnant in 2014 she told Mendez. Judd said Mendez immediately left work and fled to Guatemala.

An arrest warrant was obtained on November 27, 2014, charging Mendez with three counts sexual battery on a minor under 12 years old and one count of lewd molestation. The sheriffs office worked with federal and international law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to get Mendez arrested in Guatemala.

"When we say that we'll chase you to the ends of the earth in order to arrest you, please understand that's exactly what we did, said Judd during a press conference Tuesday.

MORE POLK COUNTY NEWS: Polk man survives lightning strike, spider bite and now rattlesnake bite

Once Mendez was arrested, the extradition process took several months.

"That may seem like a long time, the four months," said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Terry Rahl. "But I can tell you that in the big picture of international extraditions it is not."

Mendez arrived in Tampa Monday night, and he was booked into the Polk County Jail. During his court appearance Tuesday, the judge ruled that Mendez would be held without bond.

Sheriff Judd said the girl is doing well, and her baby is about a year old now. The baby is in good health and being raised by the girl and her family.

"Can you imagine the responsibility that child and her family have, because of this person we still call a human being? said Judd.


Jeff Ashton, the one-term state attorney for Orange and Osceola counties, has lost his re-election bid to a Democratic challenger.

Jeff Ashton loses re-election to Aramis Ayala

Ayala faces write-in candidate Bill Vose in November

Aramis Ayala beat Ashton, 57 percent to 43 percent on Tuesday night. She faces only a write-in candidate in November.

Ashton, best known as the prosecutor who tried the Casey Anthony murder trial, faced a tough re-election fight from both Ayala, a former prosecutor, and former assistant state attorney Bill Vose, an Ashton critic who is that write-in candidate.

In the final month of the campaign, Ayala got a cash infusion from the Florida Safety and Justice PAC, which paid for advertisements that attacked Ashton's record.

That PAC had ties to billionaire George Soros.

Ayala said at the time that she had never met Soros and knew nothing about the PAC.

On Tuesday night, Ayala said her focus would now be on addressing the needs of the community.

My platform is adjusting as Im hearing more of the community's concerns, because if youre going to run to be the state attorney, you have to represent the people you serve," Ayala said.

"As Im out in the community, Im hearing more... It still remains integrity and domestic violence, it still remains consistency, those things I promised when I filed for office back in March."

Ashton issued this statement Tuesday night on his loss:

"The voters decided today that the price of the State Attorney's seat is $1.4 million in lies. I'm deeply disappointed in this result but I stand by the good work of my office and the folks who work there."

Vose's decision to run as a write-in candidate closed the primary to only Democrats. However, in November, Vose's name will not show up on the ballot. In order to cast a ballot for Vose, voters will need to write in his name. It means the main body of this race, Ashton vs. Ayala, was cut off from non-Democratic voters.


AMARILLO  Randy Exavier Greene, 21, formerly of Stratford, appeared Tuesday in federal court before U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater and pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging one count of conspiracy to use an interstate commerce facility in the commission of murder-for-hire. Greenes co-conspirator, Brandi Nicole Blanco, 31, of Dalhart, pleaded guilty to the same offense last week. The pleas were announced Wednesday by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Both will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has been set for Dec. 12, 2016. Each faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Engaged to be married, Brandi Blanco and Greene lived in Texas until January 2016, when they moved to Florida.

According to documents filed in the case, from approximately February to April 2016, Blanco and Greene used a cellphone to make calls from Florida to an individual (Person A) in Texas during which they solicited Person A to murder, for a sum of cash, Blancos estranged husband, Angel Blanco.

Person A received a phone call from Greene on Feb. 22, 2016, in which Greene inquired if Person A knew Angel Blanco of Hartley. Greene told Person A that Brandi Blanco was the beneficiary of a $1 million life insurance policy on Angel Blanco. Greene also told Person A that if he/she would take care of Angel Blanco, he/she could get some money out of the policy. Person A reported the call to the Dalhart Police Department.

In subsequent telephone conversations between Greene and Person A, and Brandi Blanco and Person A, the murder-for-hire, or as Greene called it, the Hartley situation, was discussed. Green said that he would pay $100,000 to Person A to commit the murder. Greene also advised that they wanted it to happen soon after he and Brandi Blanco got caught up (arrested) so they would be in jail and have an alibi. Their plan was for Brandi Blanco to collect on the insurance policy after she got out of jail. She also planned to get custody of three of her children when she was released from jail.

In a Feb. 23, 2016, phone conversation, Brandi Blanco offered $125,000 to Person A to do the job and swore to God that she would pay Person A. Person A advised her that he/she would need information because he/she wanted to do the job right because he/she could go to the chamber for this. Brandi Blanco interrupted Person A and told Person A to do the job alone, saying that she would tell Person A all they needed to know to murder Angel Blanco.

In a phone conversation the next day, Greene told Person A that he wanted Brandi Blanco to be on camera in a Walmart when the murder happened. On Feb. 26, 2016, Person A called Brandi Blanco to discuss the deal they had been talking about, and in that conversation, she told Person A to murder Angel Blanco while he was at work. When Person A suggested that he/she make it look like an accident, Brandi Blanco agreed.

In a March 3, 2016, conversation, Person A told Brandi Blanco that he/she was going to take care of the situation the day she got on the bus from Florida to Texas. Brandi Blanco told Person A that the insurer would have to find her immediately after Angel Blancos death because she was still married to him.

Subsequently, Brandi Blanco and Greene were arrested on state charges. They were charged in a federal indictment in May 2016 with charges related to the murder-for-hire. The murder was not committed.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas Department of Public Safety -- Texas Ranger Division, and the Dalhart Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Taylor and Joshua Frausto are prosecuting.
TULIA -- USDA Rural Development Texas State Director Paco Valentin announced funding Tuesday for the County of Swisher and the City of Kress.

Rural Development is pleased to support rural Texas communities in providing essential services for the welfare of all residents, said Valentin. It is a great occasion for local leaders to be announcing the funding of two projects in the same county. I would also like to commend our rural leaders for their forward thinking vision that ultimately equates to increased economic opportunities and improved quality of life.

Swisher County was the recipient of a $2,994,000 Community Facility loan provided by USDA Rural Development in 2015.

Funding will be used to renovate the Swisher County Courthouse to make it energy efficient by replacing windows and other cosmetic renovations to the interior of the building as well as making the public restrooms ADA compliant.

The funds will also be used to replace the HVAC system for the Swisher County Jail and replace the roof with a sloped insulation for better drainage.

The Annex building is getting a new roof and upgrades to the interior finishes, including plumbing and lighting to increase durability and life expectancy to the facility, and making the restrooms ADA compliant.

The City of Kress also hosted an announcement Tuesday of $852,750 of USDA Rural Development Community Facility and Rural Utility Service Loan and Grant funds awarded in 2014, 2015 and 2016 to be used for improvements to their existing water system.

The funds will be used to construct of a new 55,000-gallon pedisphere elevated storage tank and replacement of the 2-inch water line along McGee Street to replace the inoperable and aging existing water system infrastructure.

The existing system consists of a combination of four operable water wells with a combined capacity of 710 gallons per minute, a 150,000-gallon ground storage tank, a 50,000-gallon elevated storage tank and booster station.

The funds will also be used to purchase a vehicle with a vacuum sewer jet along with a 700-gallon water tank to help maintain the citys gravity flow sewer system.
MERIDEN  A soul music concert, food trucks, speeches from city and state leaders, and a bridge-lighting ceremony are part of the lineup for the two-day grand opening of the Meriden Green Sept. 9 and 10.



The much-anticipated opening of the Meriden Green was delayed from June 30 to allow the landscaping to take hold and repair some electrical work on the bridge. City officials have planned a variety of events for the public to celebrate the $14 million completed park designed to stem chronic flooding in the citys downtown.



The Sept. 9th lineup begins at 5 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Mayor Kevin Scarpati and culminates with the lighting of the pedestrian bridge that spans the 14-acre park. The Community Day, Saturday, Sept. 10 runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.



We are so excited to welcome local residents and project supporters to participate in the opening of the Meriden Green on Sept. 9 followed by Community Day on Sept. 10, said city Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski. The park opening signifies a key milestone in Meridens downtown transformation, which includes an unprecedented amount of private, local, state and federal investment in the areas of flood control infrastructure, brownfield remediation, transportation and housing.



The public is invited to attend events on both days. Fridays event will feature refreshments and music by Shaded Soul Band at the ampitheater, while Saturdays Community Day will offer tours of the green, the Meriden Farmers Market, Arts & Crafts Booths, exhibits, local food vendors, and more live music.



Economic Development Department staff asks guests to RSVP at Meriden2020.com/meriden-green to get an estimate on how many people will attend, but an RSVP is not required for admission into the park, Burdelski said.



LaRosa Construction Co. broke ground on the park and flood control basin on Nov. 1, 2013. The parcel, formerly called the Meriden Hub, was a desolate and deteriorating parking lot, once home to the Meriden Mall, and an International Silver Co. factory. The closed culvert running under the site contributed to flooding that caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to the citys downtown.



Much of the work to create the flood control basin involved diverting three brooks into a single open channel and straightening and widening culverts that were causing the brooks to back up and flood. For the first two years of the project, piles of dirt could be seen moving from one side of the site to another, as tons of rock and dirt had to be sifted before the channel work could begin.



The opening of Meriden Green is the first project in our revitalized downtown, said Mayor Kevin Scarpati. It marks the beginning of a erathe start of the transformation of our city center. Its only going to get better from here.



mgodin@record-journal.com (203) 317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz










SOUTHINGTON  Crescent Lake visitors could see new growth along with more animals and birds in the coming years as the result of tree thinning work and the removal of invasive species.



Forest management work performed this year followed a study compiled by UConn College of Agriculture and Natural Resources on how to improve the 223-acre property on Shuttle Meadow Road. The plan focused on removing plants such as Japanese barberry and thinning trees to allow new growth such as oak. Work ended last week.



Eric Hansen, forester and co-founder of Ferucci & Walicki of Middlefield, said the Crescent Lake property was an orchard and follows the ecological pattern of much of the state. As farmland or other open areas were abandoned, trees that needed a lot of sunlight were able to spring up but eventually shaded the area under their own canopy. That keeps some species such as oak from being able to grow.



Thinning trees will allow smaller plants to grow in the understory, Hansen said, the forest area between the ground and about five feet high. Currently theres almost no small growth in areas of Crescent Lake, giving very little cover for animals and songbirds.



Invasive species such as Asiatic bittersweet also needed to be removed to allow native species a chance to grow. Several rounds of spraying occurred starting in November and ending last week.



Were starting to see native species in almost all portions of the harvest area come back, Hansen said.



He said its critical that work to halt the spread of invasive species continue.



In one area, a number of small oak plants had sprouted up. Hansen said thats encouraging but was worried that deer could eat them before they mature. While trail users enjoy seeing deer at Crescent Lake, he called them a double-edged sword since they can eat the types of plants hes trying to foster. Aspen sprouts that hes seen have been largely consumed.



The deer have been hammering those, Hansen said. They like the tender young sprouts.



Helping restore the habitat for animals may make the forest more useable for humans as well. The return of birds such as songbirds will help keep down the insect populations while also filling the air with their songs, Hansen said.



The work has meant cutting and hauling growth and the town put out an advisory last week that people could take the material after signing a waiver at the Town Attorneys office.



Mike Manware, assistant parks superintendent, said the work hasnt really affected Crescent Lake users.



From my perspective its gone very smoothly, he said.



The work is important for the long-term health of the property.



Its all beneficial for the future, Manware said.



jbuchanan@recordjournal.com 203-317-2230 Twitter: @JBuchananRJ






Jose Mendez was 13 and living in El Salvador, the child of a pro-government family during a civil war more than a quarter century ago, when he got three threatening notes at school accusing him of feeding information to the army, in which his brothers were serving. His pastor advised him to move out of his home or leave the country.

Mendez started sleeping in a different home each night, but one night guerrillas knocked on the door. He climbed through a back window and fled, but was shot in the arm by his pursuers. He managed to escape and left for the United States, arriving in July 1990 and settling in Oakland, where two of his brothers were living.

Five years later, Mendez applied for political asylum, saying he faced persecution and possibly death if he was deported. His case lingered in the system for more than 15 years before immigration courts ruled against him, finding that he had not been a victim of persecution. As the Board of Immigration Appeals put it, he had not shown he was individually targeted by the guerrillas.

On Tuesday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco reversed the boards ruling and reinstated Mendezs asylum case.

A reasonable fact-finder would have to conclude that Mendez was individually targeted, because he was individually threatened, individually chased, and individually shot by his persecutors, the three-judge panel said in a brief, unanimous ruling.

For that reason, the court said, Mendez is entitled to the presumption that his life or freedom would be threatened if he returned to El Salvador. The court returned the case to the immigration board, where Justice Department lawyers could offer evidence that Mendez would not be harmed if deported.

The ruling means Mendez, who lives with his wife and four children, born in the United States, has a good chance of winning asylum and the right to remain in the country, said his lawyer, Charles Nichol.

The evidence cited by the court showed he was indeed targeted for persecution and that the level of harm he suffered rose to the level that would be required for a grant of asylum, Nichol said. I dont know what would be a greater form of persecution than being shot.

The 12-year civil war between leftist guerrillas and El Salvadors U.S.-backed military government ended with a peace agreement in 1992. Although conditions have changed since the time Mendez fled, Nichol said, he could still face threats to his life in the Central American nation, and may also be entitled to asylum based on the politically motivated harm he suffered at a young age.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko

The ruling can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/2bDj6Jj
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SAN ANTONIO  The widow of trucking magnate Bill Hall Jr. is charged with his murder  accused of using her Cadillac Escalade to run his Harley-Davidson off the road in her anger over another woman late last year.

That allegation notwithstanding, Frances A. Hall is entitled to collect about $310,000 from an insurance policy on her deceased husband's life, a probate judge has ruled.

Bexar County Probate Judge Tom Rickhoff recently issued the order after the couple's two adult children said they wanted the money to go to their mother.

Bill Hall died in October after crashing his motorcycle on Loop 1604, not far from his offices. Police say he was chased down and run off the road. He was 50.

The death was ruled a homicide, the result of an alleged love triangle involving Hall, Frances Hall, and his girlfriend Bonnie Contreras.

A Bexar County grand jury indicted Frances Hall, 51, last month. She also is charged with using her vehicle to ram Contreras, who was driving Bill Hall's Land Rover that October evening.

Frances Hall faces five to 99 years or life in prison if convicted on either charge.

A lawyer for Frances Hall told KENS-TV in November that the crash was an accident.

The Halls founded Bill Hall Jr. Trucking in 1989.

Rickhoff ordered the proceeds from the life insurance policy to go to Frances Hall after the couple's two children, Dominique and Justin Hall, disclaimed any rights to the money. The children had asked the court to convey the money to their mother.

The children said they do not blame their mother in their father's death.

They believe it was just a tragic accident, say court documents filed on their behalf by attorney Edward M. Lavin.

Lavin, who also represents Frances Hall, didn't respond to requests for comment.

Under the Texas Insurance Code, a beneficiary forfeits any interest in a life insurance policy if the person is a principal or an accomplice in bringing about the death of the insured.

Frances Hall's criminal case has been set for trial next month, but likely will get rescheduled by the court.

Bill Hall had named his wife the primary beneficiary of the policy issued by America Fidelity Assurance Co. He also named a contingent beneficiary, but that person died in April 2013.

The court knows of no reason why the request (of) Dominique Hall and Justin Hall should not be granted, Rickhoff's order states. Even if ultimately and by law Frances A. Hall forfeited her right to these life insurance proceeds, they would in this event be paid to Dominique Hall and Justin.

San Antonio probate lawyer Chris Pettit called the matter an odd situation.

All the parties that would be affected, which would be the ... defendant, the children and the trustee, are all in agreement to do this, Pettit said. They're doing this at their own peril, meaning she could be found guilty and she could ultimately spend all this money and leave (the children) with nothing.

The court's not going to intervene when all the parties have come to an agreement, he added.

Probate lawyer Susan Simmons was puzzled by the ruling.

On the face of it, that's really not what's intended under the law or by any of the statutes, she said. There must be something that we just don't understand or know from that case, because that doesn't really make good sense to me.

Simmons previously told the San Antonio Express-News that she expected the insurance proceeds would be held in a constructive trust until it's determined whether (Frances Hall) is a murderess or not.

Bill Hall did not have a will when he died. The couple's assets are valued in the probate case at about $15.5 million, with Bill Hall Jr. Trucking listed at about $13.2 million.

Frances Hall will keep half of the estate regardless of the outcome of her criminal case, but the case could determine what happens to her late husband's half of the estate, Simmons previously said.

Separately, last week, an insurance company that issued a $40,000 accident policy in Bill Hall's name asked for court permission to deposit the proceeds into the court's registry. The insurer said it didn't know who should get the money.

Eighteen days after Bill Hall's death, Frances Hall asked the American Family Life Assurance Co. of Columbus (Aflac) to delete her name from the policy and make their children the beneficiaries  with each to receive half of the proceeds. Bill Hall had named his wife the beneficiary at the time of the policy application in 2006.

pdanner@express-news.net

Twitter: @AlamoPD
Keith Bernstein / Warner Bros. Pictures

Sully: No stranger to profiles in courage, Tom Hanks is Chesley Sully Sullenberger, a pilot from Denison who miraculously landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River when the planes engines failed after being hit by a flock of birds just after takeoff from New Yorks La Guardia Airport in 2009. All 155 passengers survived. Based on the book he co-wrote, Highest Duty, the film chronicles Sullenbergers post-crash issues, which included dealing with PTSD.

When the Bough Breaks: How badly do John and Laura Taylor (Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall) want a baby? Badly enough to hire a surrogate mom (Jaz Sinclair) who proves to be a bit unhinged.
STAMFORD  Puerto Rican activists gathered outside the UBS building in downtown Stamford Wednesday morning to oppose the companys lending practices under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act.

The Stamford protest was one of four other similar demonstrations Wednesday in Florida, Massachusetts, Illinois and New York, specifically targeting lenders UBS and Citigroup.
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DANBURY  A Sherman man who eluded prison for nearly 50 years will remain free for at least another 27 days.

Robert Stackowitz, who escaped from a Georgia prison work camp 48 years ago, was arrested in May and now faces extradition to that state. But on Tuesday, Judge Dan Shaban allowed the Stackowitz to post a $100 bond and remain free while his attorneys appeal.

Attorney Norm Pattis, who represents Stackowitz, said his client is too ill to travel the 1,000 miles to Georgia and also argued that a prison stay could kill him. He said Stackowitz has heart problems, cancer, fluid on his lungs and emphysema, and that his legs are swollen because of circulatory issues and diabetes. According to one doctor, Pattis said, his client might only live another two to four years.

In Danbury Superior Court Tuesday, Stackowitz was bound to a wheelchair with compression wraps on his legs.

Hes 71 years old and knocking on deaths door, Pattis said. Why the governments of Georgia and Connecticut are hell bent on having him complete that journey is something I dont understand.

To fight the extradition, recently agreed to by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Pattis filed a habeus corpus complaint in civil court, arguing that it is inhumane to force Stackowitz to travel.

Stackowitz has been free on $75,000 bond awaiting Malloys decision on the extradition, but was due to be sent back to prison Tuesday. Instead, Pattis sought a new bond while the habeus corpus proceedings continue.

Shaban, however, was concerned that setting a bond, usually reserved for criminal cases, in a civil filing could set a dangerous precedent.

Where would I draw the line in terms of health? Shaban asked. "There could be a never-ending list of responses."

States attorney Stephen Sedensky did not object to setting the bond, and Shaban eventually granted it, but said the court would revisit the decision following the hearing on Sept. 26.

Pattis admitted the fight against extradition was unlikely to succeed, but said he would appeal as long as possible.

Well fight this thing until either the states of Connecticut and Georgia no longer exist or Bob has gone on to a peaceful death in his own home," Pattis said. "This fight is going on as long as weve got energy and weve got plenty of energy.

After escaping the infirmary at the Carroll County Prison Work Camp in Carrolton, Ga., on Aug. 22, 1968, Stackowitz relocated to Sherman where he ran a boat repair business.

He was discovered by police after applying for Social Security earlier this year, authorities said.

Pattis said that his client was niether a threat to society nor a flight risk and implied that he was unfairly sentenced after he was convicted of robbery by force.

The underlying crime in Georgia was a burglary and residential robbery for $9 and keys to a truck and he was sentenced to 17 years," Pattis said. "(Stackowitz) is not threat to anyone. Hes lucky to able to make the walk to his refridgerator. The purpose of his incarceration in Georgia has long since been exhausted.

awolff@newstimes.com; 203-731-3333; @awolffster
STAMFORD  Nearly 1,000 city voters are members of a political party they may not know exists.

About 2 percent of registered voters  965 people, according to city registrars  are members of the Independent Party, a state-recognized third party that sometimes runs candidates for local and statewide office.

The problem? Voters in Stamford and across the state may have never intended to be in the Independent Party. They may not even know what it is.

Most of them have no idea theyre a member of a party, said Democratic registrar Ron Malloy, who estimates that at least 80 percent of independent voters in Stamford have registered in error.

The Independent Party, which says it supports nonpartisan government and cross-endorses Democrats and Republicans, has no national party, nor does it have a Stamford caucus. The party is active in Waterbury, Danbury, Milford, Watertown and East Haven.

When Connecticut residents register to vote or change their affiliations, they can choose to be a Democrat or Republican, or to write in a third party. Many who are unaffiliated  not a member of any political party  write independent, not realizing that in Connecticut this puts them in the Independent Party.

Still, with 768,000 people, unaffiliated voters make up the states largest voting bloc, topping 758,000 registered Democrats and 434,000 registered Republicans.

The trend does not hold for Stamford, where 21,000 of the citys more than 60,000 voters are unaffiliated, while 25,000 are Democrat and 13,000 are Republican.

But its the citys third-party numbers that give Ron Malloy and others pause  the Green and Liberatarian parties each have about 50 members, whereas the Independent Party has nearly 20 times that number.

This isnt the only controversial issue for the group. Two rival Independent Party camps  one based in Waterbury and one in Danbury  have clashed for years over which should be recognized as the official party group.

Its quite possible that people who are claiming to be independent dont know the difference between being an Independent Party member and being unaffiliated, said Waterburys Mike Telesca, the self-proclaimed chairman of the state Independent Party.

Its not really our fault, he said. And its also not a terrible thing. It gives voters a chance to participate in a third party; as unaffiliated, theyre left out of the system completely.

Confusion

The Independent Party has about 17,000 members statewide, according to the Office of the Secretary of the State. Runners-up in third-party membership, the Libertarian and Green parties have 1,800 and 1,400 members, respectively.

The groups Independence and Winstead Independent each have about 30 members, trailing We The People by 12 votes and the 300-member Working Families party.

But only the Independent, Libertarian, Working Families and Green parties have statewide enrollment privileges, meaning that voters from any town can enroll in those groups.

In 2013, state Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation that would have eliminated independent in party titles to lessen confusion. Republicans critized the move as a way to block cross-endorsements after the Independent Party endorsed WWE magnate Linda McMahon in her 2012 U.S. Senate bid. The bill ended up passing without that provision.

Connecticut could make it easier, Telesca said, for third parties to get on the ballot. After collecting signatures for a specific race, the state requires third-party candidates to receive 1 percent of the vote to avoid petitioning in the next election. Third parties therefore lose their ballot lines when they dont continuously run candidates.

Greater ballot access would benefit the Independent Party, which Telesca said has been a proponent of open and honest government in Connecticut for decades. Most recently, the party secured a seat on the Waterbury Board of Education.

To people confused about its message, Telesca said: The Independent Party is exactly what you think it is.

eskalka@scni.com
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

BRIDGEPORT - With gun violence spiking after a quieter summer, Gov. Dannel Malloy will visit the city Thursday to discuss what local, state and federal law enforcement officials are doing about it.

Malloy will attend a 10:30 a.m. meeting at Connecticut State Police Troop G, located downtown just off of Interstate 95, then field questions from reporters, his office said.
Gun purchases are off limits in the U.S. to anyone who uses medical marijuana or holds a state-approved medicinal marijuana card, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, accepting the governments view that illegal-drug users are prone to violence.

Although medical-marijuana use is legal in California, 24 other states and Washington, D.C., the federal government still bans all use of the drug, and in 1968 Congress prohibited illegal-drug users and addicts from buying and possessing firearms.

On Wednesday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives properly relied on that law in a September 2011 open letter to all licensed gun dealers forbidding sales to anyone who uses or is addicted to marijuana, even in states that have legalized the drug for medical purposes.

Federal law still allows some other groups of potentially dangerous people, including those on the governments no-fly list of suspected terrorists, to buy guns.

The ruling was a defeat for a Nevada woman who was turned down for a gun purchase in October 2011 because the store owner knew she had a card allowing her to use medical marijuana, which Nevada had legalized in 2000.

In its 2011 letter, the bureau said a retailer who knows a customer possesses a medical-marijuana card has reasonable cause to believe the person is an illegal-drug user who may not buy a gun.

It is beyond dispute that illegal drug users, including marijuana users, are likely as a consequence of that use to experience altered or impaired mental states that affect their judgment and that can lead to irrational or unpredictable behavior, the court said in a 3-0 ruling. It was written by Jed Rakoff, a federal judge from New York temporarily assigned to the appeals panel.

Although medical-marijuana users may be less violence-prone than other drug users, Rakoff said, the courts have endorsed the governments conclusion that illegal drug users, including marijuana users, are more likely to be involved in violent crimes.

He also noted that more than half the states have their own laws against gun possession by users of illegal drugs. California prohibits firearms possession by anyone addicted to the use of any narcotic drug.

The plaintiff, S. Rowan Wilson, said in her lawsuit that she didnt actually use the drug, but had obtained the card as a statement of political support for the medical-marijuana movement. But the appeals court, in upholding a federal judges ruling, said the governments need to prevent gun violence outweighed her Second Amendment right to bear arms in self-defense and her First Amendment right of free speech.

Wilsons lawyer, Charles Rainey, said the court had accepted the governments misleading explanation of the policy announced in the September 2011 letter by the ATF.

This is a nonsense policy that really was not aimed at restricting violent people from buying guns, but was aimed strictly at quelling a political movement, Rainey said.

Representatives of the National Rifle Association werent available for comment. On the other side of the gun debate, Hannah Shearer, an attorney at the San Francisco headquarters of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said the gun restrictions on medical-marijuana users seemed inconsistent with more permissive rules for other groups.

While convicted felons and fugitives from justice are forbidden to own firearms, for example, federal law allows gun ownership by those convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes, other than domestic violence, Shearer said. She said the law also allows mentally ill people to buy guns unless they have been committed to psychiatric institutions or have been judged to be mentally deficient in legal proceedings. And Congress recently rejected legislation supported by the Obama administration that would have outlawed gun purchases by people on the governments terror watch list.

Its heartening to see Congress seriously looking at that (watch-list) issue, Shearer said. She said the gaps in federal law have been filled by some states, including California, which bans gun possession for those convicted of most types of violent crimes and allows family members to seek a court order removing firearms from a relative who has been acting erratically.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
1 Agriculture Department threats: The Agriculture Department closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats. USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said on Tuesday that the department had received several anonymous messages that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. He said offices in Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia had been closed until further notice.

2 Circus school: No clowning around: The first full-time, professional training school for circus artists in the United States is set to open in Philadelphia next year, officials said Tuesday. Circadium will be a three-year, secondary vocational school where students can hone their skills in acrobatics, juggling and aerial acts like the silks. The founders, who now run the recreational Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, made the announcement atop the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, amid juggling routines and a trapeze performance. America is home to more than 200 recreational circus schools and studios, but unlike in Europe and Canada, there arent any higher-education schools where more experienced students can elevate their art, said Amy Cohen, executive director of the American Circus Educators Association.
A Beaumont man accused of raping a 3-month-old child is facing a minimum 25-year prison sentence after a Jefferson County grand jury indicted him on aggravated sexual assault charges.

Cedric Madison, 41, was caught earlier this month sexually assaulting a family member on Betty Lane, according to a probable cause affidavit released Wednesday by the Jefferson County district attorney's office.

The child's mother notified the Beaumont Police Department on Aug. 5, after finding Madison engaging the small child, according to the affidavit.

Texas law allows harsher penalties for sexual assault cases involving children younger than 6 years old.

Madison, if convicted, faces a penalty range of 25 years to life in prison.

BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/BrandonKScott
NORWALK  Families of students illegally attending school in Norwalk may soon hear from district officials after the Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved a new nonresident attendance policy, the first true update to the policy in more than 30 years.

The policy tightens requirements for proof of residency for incoming students and requires the hiring of a residency investigator to inspect the living situations of students suspected of living out of town without authorization to attend Norwalk schools.

This has been an issue that has been bubbling for a long time, said board member Mike Barbis. Teachers and administrators will tell you they know they have students in their schools that are coming from some distance, and they were frustrated they didnt have the tools to look into this.

With the policy approved, the next step will be hiring an investigator. Heidi Keyes, chair of the boards Policy Committee, said the district has a candidate in mind.

We have the buy in, we have support from our principals, and I think itll make a real impact for the students of Norwalk and our district, Keyes said.

The previous policy had only been minimally tweaked twice since it was written in 1985. The last update was in 2002.

Frank Costanzo, chief of school operations for the district, said key revisions include a clearer definition of a resident, clarification of who is required to register, and an outline for the process by which a district would remove a non-resident student.

Costanzo also spent several hours during the summer meeting with school principals to answer questions on the new policy, and plans to do the same with office secretaries once the school year is under way.

To reiterate, the original policy dates back to 1985, and very little has been done with it, Costanzo said. It was really disconnected from current state statute ... This really is a policy that is standard. This is what a typical policy would look like in any Connecticut district, given where the law is in 2016.

With local schools at almost 110 percent of capacity, the thought that there could be students illegally attending Norwalk public schools is of particular concern. Officials are hopeful the new policy will alleviate that worry.

Schools identified as having the highest number of suspected illegal students are those that are the most crowded: Jefferson Elementary School and Kendall Elementary School. Another hot spot, according to Barbis, is ninth grade.

Board member Shirley Mosby opposed the new policy when it was passed by the boards Policy Committee in June, citing concerns that the public did not have enough time to provide input.

This is a policy that is long overdue, Mosby said Tuesday. I just hope that with future policies, the public will have more input.

KKrasselt@scni.com; 203-354-1021; @kaitlynkrasselt
Reports from South Korea say that around 100 people were reportedly injured in the incident.
Dozens of Texas universities made it onto the Princeton Review's 2017 "Best 381 Colleges" list. And while some might be delighted to make an appearance, like Rice University who was ranked number one for happiest students, others, like University of Dallas, received less flattering accolades.

This year, the Princeton Review asked 143,000 students from universities all over the nation to rate their schools. Universities were ranked by features like best professors, best financial aid and even schools with the most "reefer madness."
Frances Hall battled rumors of her husband's infidelity more than two years ago by posting a message on her Facebook page. It still was there Friday night.

There's no black eyes or legal counsel, she wrote in February 2011. Wishful thinking on all your (expletive) hearts. Look at your own miserable life before you judge mine. There's a lot of skeletons in your closets.

But when officials deemed a traffic crash that killed her husband Thursday a homicide, an alleged love triangle among Frances and Bill Hall Jr., both 50, and a woman described by authorities as his girlfriend hit the public spotlight.

Frances Hall was charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the death of her husband of nearly 32 years by running his motorcycle off the road. Authorities also accused her of ramming her vehicle into an SUV driven by his girlfriend, who wasn't injured and whose name and age they did not release.

Hall posted bond on a combined $225,000 bail but was being fitted with an ankle monitor before release, which was scheduled for Saturday morning.

What happened in the hours or minutes before 7:20 p.m. when Frances Hall is alleged to have struck her husband's Harley Davidson still is being investigated.

Officials said she was driving south in her black Cadillac Escalade on Loop 1604 toward Macdona Lacoste Road, less than 2 miles from Bill Hall's trucking company headquarters on the far Southwest Side.

Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesman Paul Berry said in an email that Frances Hall began chasing her husband and his girlfriend, who was driving a black Range Rover owned by Bill Hall.

Frances Hall is accused of bumping the Range Rover, forcing it into another lane and then striking her husband's motorcycle, forcing him to lose control and wreck, Berry said.

She failed to stop and help, and instead continued to chase the Range Rover on Loop 1604, officials said. She and the girlfriend eventually made it back to the crash site.

Bill Hall was airlifted to University Hospital, where he died.

The couple owned and operated Bill Hall Jr. Trucking Ltd. since 1989, according to the company website and a public records search. A person who answered the phone at the firm declined to comment.

The website for the company boasts a fleet of 130 trucks and offices in Uvalde and San Marcos.

The company was hired as a subcontractor for the first phase of the river's Mission Reach project from 2008 to 2010, the San Antonio River Authority confirmed.

Berry said investigators weren't clear on the status of the Halls' marriage. Public records showed the couple got married, both at the age of 18, in March, 1982. No divorce records were on file, the district clerk's office reports.

In the two years since Frances Hall slammed down rumors of an affair, the couple appeared happy in photos, smiling together by a Christmas tree, for example.

Recently, she included a new Facebook post  an image that appeared to be a message either to or from her husband.

The message said, A pretty face gets old ... A nice body will change ... But a good woman will always be a good woman.

mmondo@express-news.net

Staff Writers David G. Palacio and Mark D. Wilson contributed to this report.
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Regular customers have been stopping by the Quick Stop in the 2800 block of Blanco Road, leaving flowers, candles, coins and prayers  paying their respects to the stores owner, Makansinh Udavat, 61, who was fatally shot in its doorway late Monday.

Police announced an arrest in the case Wednesday, charging Ralph Torres, 24, with capital murder.

Udavat had been struggling alongside his wife to keep a gunman from entering. She was shot as well, but survived. Police have said they believed their assailant had been on a rapid crime spree that began less than an hour before, in the 200 block of Viendo, where another man was shot during a robbery.

Investigators have said they think the same man next carjacked someone in the 2700 block of West Avenue, then robbed a woman at gunpoint in the 900 block of Sacramento before arriving at the convenience store on Blanco, from which he fled without entering after shooting both proprietors.

The first robbery victim and Udavats wife were taken to University Hospital.

He was a very honest and grateful person, Rick Samame, a supervisor at the Alamo Candy Company across the street, said of Udavat as he watched a steady stream of visitors to a makeshift shrine that had been assembled in front of the store. That was not meant to happen. It shouldnt have happened.

Samame said the shooting was unusual for the area  crimes there are generally nonviolent misdemeanors such as graffiti tagging.

Nestor Samame, who also works at the family-owned Alamo Candy, recalled how a child would see him stocking candy at Udavats store and Udavat would let the childs mother give him a free piece.

Visitors to the shrine said Udavat was a friendly clerk who always made time to talk to his customers. Eduardo Martinez was in tears as he looked at the store, remembering Udavat as a family friend of five years.

For Nestor Samame, Udavats death wasnt the first time someone in his life was a victim of gunfire. His son, Isaiah Samame, was 18 when he was fatally shot during a clash among a group of men in 2014 at a North Side apartment complex.

Udavats business had only been open a couple of years when that happened, and despite barely knowing Nestor Samame, he donated money to help his neighbor with funeral expenses.

Ill never forget that, Samame said. Just the fact that he did. That was all.

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA
J. MICHAEL SHORT /SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS-NEWS

Area businesses are invited to register a team to compete in the San Antonio Fire Truck Pull Challenge on Oct. 1 to benefit Special Olympics Texas - San Antonio.

The pull pits 12-person teams in a game of tug-of-war against a fire truck, awarding teams that pull the fastest and raise the most money in the 2016 Fire Truck Pull Challenge.
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SAN ANTONIO  Active-duty U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Martin Balleza, who was charged last week with aggravated sexual assault of a child, served multiple tours in war zones and received some medals during his career, according to new information obtained by mySA.com.

Balleza, 37, who is assigned to the 201st Military Intelligence Battalion at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, joined the Army in 1997 and works as a chemical operations specialist. He has been deployed three times to Afghanistan and once to Iraq, an Army spokeswoman said in a statement.

RELATED: SAPD: U.S. Army sergeant sexually assaulted at least 2 girls he babysat in San Antonio

He has received numerous medals, including:

Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.

Balleza, who is accused of sexually assaulting several girls, currently faces a first-degree felony charge of aggravate sexual assault of a child, which poses a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison. He remains in custody on a $75,000 bond as of Wednesday morning, according to the Bexar County Sheriffs Office.

An Army spokesman previously told mySA.com the Armys Criminal Investigation Command and the San Antonio Police Department are working together to investigate this case.

RELATED: NEISD elementary teacher arrested on aggravated sexual assault of a child charge

Investigators first learned of Ballezas alleged sex acts back in February, when a child made an outcry of sexual assault.

Balleza allegedly had sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl on more than one occasion, allegedly fondled two girls aged 7 and 9, and allegedly tried to sexually assault a 14-year-old girl, according to a previous report.

The military sergeant also reportedly attempted suicide back in February, and admitted to some of his alleged actions during his stint in a rehabilitation facility, a previous report said.

Balleza also allegedly made comments about making the 7- and 9-year-old girls disappear, and also said he would make it look like their father did it, before committing suicide, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: Sheriff: Brennan JROTC instructor pulled over with half-dressed teen student, charged with felony

The police documents say Balleza is being charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child for two of the victims, and may also be charged with indecency with a child for allegedly molesting the other two children.

Text "NEWS" to 72727 to sign up for breaking news from mySA

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
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SAN ANTONIO  A 24-year-old man is being charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a 61-year-old convenience store owner, just one of several crimes he allegedly performed here in a "one-man crime spree" spanning 48 hours Monday and Tuesday nights, police said.

Ralph Torres will face a possible punishment of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted in the killing of Makansinh Udavat on Monday night in the 2800 block of Blanco Road at a Quick Stop convenience store.

RELATED: Police arrest man in convenience store killing that shocked San Antonio neighborhood

Udavat's wife, Jyotiben Udavat, 57, jumped in to try and defend her husband, but was also shot by Torres, SAPD Sgt. Jesse Salame said Wednesday.

Torres is suspected of being involved in at least six robberies or shootings that spanned Monday and Tuesday nights in the San Antonio area, Salame said.

Prior to the convenience store shooting, police believe, Torres was responsible for a shooting in the 200 block of Viendo and robberies on I-10, Hildebrand and West Avenue, Salame said. Udavat's wife and the victim of the earlier shooting have since been discharged from University Hospital, a spokeswoman there said.

RELATED: Police searching for man who carried out crime spree, killing 1, shooting 2 others in San Antonio

On Tuesday, Torres is believed to have been a passenger in a Honda Civic who shot the driver, 27, in the chest when stopped at an Olmos Park shopping center called The Yard, in the 5300 block of McCullough Avenue, according to police.

The shooter then ordered a woman out of her vehicle and stole it. She was unhurt. University Hospital said the shooting victim was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.

Between Monday and Tuesday nights, it's believed Torres drove to Mexico in a stolen silver Kia, possibly crossing the Mexico border in the Laredo area, before returning to San Antonio, Salame said.

Salame said Torres will likely face additional charges in the crime spree, including aggravated robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and more.

Investigators still are in the process of questioning witnesses but believe they can connect all of the crimes together, Salame said, describing Torres as a "very, very dangerous" man who had targeted "random, innocent victims."

RELATED: Man injured in North Side shooting at strip mall parking lot

"This person wrecked a whole lot of lives within a 30-minute period (on Monday)," Salame said. "We're very, very lucky to have gotten him off the street."

Some of the suspect's clothing were taken from him as evidence for the case, Salame said.

Text "NEWS" to 72727 to sign up for breaking news from mySA

Staff writer Jacob Beltran contributed to this report.

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
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A retired Bexar County sheriff's sergeant said Bill Hall Jr. was struggling to breathe and flailing around like a fish out of water moments after his motorcycle crashed, recounting the nighttime scene Tuesday at the murder trial of Halls wife, Frances Hall.

Prosecutors said she killed her husband of 32 years in fit of jealousy by running his motorcycle off the road on Oct. 10, 2013. The death was ruled a homicide. Lawyers for Frances Hall, 53, said it was an accident.

She also is being tried on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, accused of ramming her SUV into another driven that night by her husband's girlfriend, Bonnie Contreras  who testified she saw the earlier collision in her rear-view mirror.

RELATED: Convicted widow gets lightest possible sentence for killing husband

I saw her hit Bill with the truck. I saw him fly off the motorcycle, then I see the bike fly, Contreras said through tears, describing the impact of Frances Halls Cadillac Escalade against Bill Halls Harley Davidson on a stretch of Loop 1604 a few miles from his Southwest Side business.

Contreras said she continued to drive the Range Rover, which belonged to the Halls, in excess of 70 mph, at times weaving through traffic, to get away from the Escalade, which was now pursuing her.

She didnt stop at all, Contreras said. She kept hitting me. I didnt know what to do.

Contreras said the pair lost contact and each woman made her way back to the motorcycle before an AirLife helicopter took Bill Hall, 50, to University Hospital, where he died that night.

Defense lawyers pointed out discrepancies in Contreras descriptions, including the timeline of the incident and the number of times the Escalade struck the Range Rover, in her statements to sheriffs investigators and an April deposition for a $2.5 million lawsuit she filed against Frances Hall.

When a defense attorney asked Contreras why she sued Hall, she replied, For trying to kill me.

Retired Sheriffs Sgt. Christian Burchell told the jury in a packed 186th District Court that he had been responding to another officer when he came upon a trail of debris and saw two men looking down into the grass off the shoulder of South Loop 1604.

Obviously, something was wrong, he said.

Burchell, who was in law enforcement for 32 years and was an emergency medical technician, said Halls lips were blue.

He took this huge breath and he grabbed the ground, and said, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, Burchell testified.

Authorities believe the highway mayhem stemmed from Frances Halls reaction to learning weeks earlier that her husband had been having an affair with Contreras, described at the time of the incident as 20 years his junior.

It had been going on far longer than a few weeks. Contreras said she found out Bill Hall was married three months into their relationship.

He said he was going through a divorce, she said, adding that their relationship was serious because in the three years they were together, he did not want her to work, rented a house for her, bought her two cars, furniture and other gifts and paid for breast enhancement surgery, among other things.

The Halls had owned and operated Bill Hall Jr. Trucking Ltd., since 1989. A third-generation trucker, Bill Hall built up the business to deliver road-building materials by more than 100 trucks.

An affiliated business, Bill Hall Jr. Trucking GP LLC, which owns a fleet of trucks and trailers used by Ltd., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June after creditors threatened to repossess various assets, the company's bankruptcy lawyer told the Express-News after the filing.

If convicted, Frances Hall faces five to 99 years or life in prison.
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When most people get sentenced to a small stretch of jail time for thievery they get three hot meals a day, the privilege of showering every other day, and might be out of pocket for a few years.

When you are Quebec resident Stephanie Beaudoin you get modeling contract offers and can serve your 90-day sentence on weekends. Her lawyer even told her it would be a good way to catch up on her reading.

She was sentenced this week to 90 days in prison by a Canadian judge.

In a recent article for VICE, Beaudoin talked about her fortunes since heading up a bling ring of thieves who burglarized some 39 homes in Victoriaville, Quebec with a trio of minor aged accomplices over the summer of 2014. All told its said that the crew netted up to $80,000 in loot.

RELATED: 'Cute mugshot girl' goes viral

That would be $58,000 in American dollars.

It was apparently the former nursing students Mitsubishi Lancer with custom pink rims at the crime scenes that tipped off police of her whereabouts. Thousands of dollars in cash were found in her car, when she was finally cornered.

She wanted to delete some salacious photos from her Facebook page just after she was taken into custody but the police wouldnt let her. Her photos ended up propelling her into infamy and later, magazine covers after the press began to search for her. She looks a bit like Alison Brie from Mad Men and Community to some people.

She later plead guilty in a plea deal to theft and gun charges. The deal reduced an initial 114 charges down to just 30.

Shes been called the worlds sexiest or hottest criminal by some outlets, but were assuming the people who she and her accomplices plundered from might just think shes annoying and troublesome.

Shes cleared to model but she cant play up the fact that she is a felon or glorify her crimes. Seems simple enough.

Juvenile courts are handling the accomplices' punishments. It's not been announced if they will be getting modeling deals themselves.
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Three Canadian travelers spent about $14,000 a person to cruise around the world on a luxurious ship  racking up a wanderlust-worthy Instagram feed of exotic beaches and bikini-clad shots before embarking on an excursion they didn't sign up for: into the hands of Australian authorities after allegedly attempting a 95-kilogram cocaine smuggle on Aug. 28.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection issued a news release this week on what they have called a "record for drugs seized off a cruise vessel coming to Australia" allegedly committed by three individuals from Quebec.

RELATED: Eerie photos show abandoned cruise ship years after disaster

TheStar.com, a Toronto-based news site, identified the citizens as Andre Tamine, 63, Isabelle Lagace, 28, and Melina Roberge, 22. Tamine's relationship to Lagace and Roberge is unclear, but the two women are believed to have been travelling companions. The site estimated the drugs to be worth $30.5 million Canadian dollars (about $22 million USD), the report said.

The vacationers had agencies from multiple places they visited during their world-wide cruise following their tracks.

The Australian immigration agency said in a news release that the bust on Sunday was a "joint operation between the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), in cooperation with the US Department of Homeland Security (HSI), New Zealand Custom Service (NZCS) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has resulted in the seizure of approximately 95 kilograms of cocaine [...]"

RELATED: Photos: A look inside the world's largest cruise ship with outrageous amenities

As the vessel, named the "MS Sea Princess" by The Star, docked in the Sydney Harbour, ABF officers and their detector dogs boarded the ship and searched "a number" of staterooms, finding the drugs "packed in suitcases."

"[...] these three Canadian nationals did not have much room for clean underwear or spare toothbrushes," the Australian Border Force said in a Facebook post.

Australian Border Services also shared the country's maximum penalty for drug importation charges: "life imprisonment."

RELATED: Border agents continue to find drugs in shipments of produce at the Texas-Mexico border

Should the three tourists be convicted and spend the rest of their lives staring through a prison cell, the two women's final memories of freedom have been documented on Roberge's Instagram and Facebook accounts. The sexy posts paint a luxurious affair which started in England and landed on Bermudan beaches, in the hustle and bustle of Manhattan's Times Square, and colorful Chilean streets lined with vendors.

RELATED: Rich Parents of Instagram flaunt wealth, extravagant lifestyles on social media

Roberge also got an ankle tattoo when she was in Tahiti  just a few stops before her arrest  to signify "protection of the traveler." The fresh ink didn't offer immunity from authorities.

She also went to "a place very peaceful" before her potential transition from well-appointed stateroom to jail cell, she said on Instagram.

RELATED: Owner of Hamptons mansion allegedly trashed by renters after huge party arrested on fraud charges

According to The Star, investigators are in the process of pinpointing the port where the alleged smugglers brought the drugs aboard the boat.

An itinerary similar to the one traveled by the group is listed on the Princess Cruise Line website with fares starting at nearly $11,069 per person.

Australian Government said "further arrests have not been ruled out."

Click through the gallery above to followRoberge and Lagace's illustrious travels which may land them behind bars.

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
U.S. Custom and Border Patrol agents seized 740 pounds of marijuana from an SUV teetering on the Rio Grande riverbank near Brownsville Tuesday, according to a press release.

The seizure occurred after a brief chase that ended with the SUV crashing on the riverbank, but the occupants and the driver escaped by swimming toward Mexico, the release said.
1 Somalia blast: A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalias presidential palace in the capital of Mogadishu on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people, police say. The bomb exploded during a morning traffic jam, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein. Somalias Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed the responsibility for the blast, according to the rebels Andalus radio station.

2 Yemen deaths: The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator says a minimum of 10,000 people have been killed and wounded in Yemens conflict. Jamie McGoldrick provided the updated toll to reporters in the capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday. When asked if he was referring to civilians, he said, I never address combatants. Yemens conflict pits an internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against Shiite Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was forced from power in 2012 following an Arab Spring uprising. Local affiliates of al Qaeda and the Islamic State have exploited the chaos to expand their reach.
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends most of her time in India and other parts of Asia researching a book about textile artisans. She also writes regularly about legal, political economy, and regulatory topics for various consulting clients and publications, as well as writes occasional travel pieces for The National (http://www.thenational.ae).

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has absorbed lesson one of the Obama administration: messaging trumps performance. Yesterday, it released a self-congratulatory press release on its pathetic performance under the authority provided in Dodd-Franks whistleblower provisions that is a model of the genre.

The SECs whistleblower program has proven to be a game changer for the agency in its short time of existence, providing a source of valuable information to the SEC to further its mission of protecting investors while providing whistleblowers with protections and financial rewards, said Mary Jo White, Chair of the SEC, as quoted in the press release

Lets unpack this. But first, a little history.

History of Whistleblowing

Incentives for private parties to spill the beans are a hallowed component of the US legal system, dating back to the Civil War-era False Claims Act (FCA) and extended by Congress in 1986. This statute includes qui tam provisions permitting individuals to sue on behalf of the government and to receive a bounty if they prevail. The phrase qui tam is an abbreviation for the Latin qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac parte sequitur, which means [he] who sues in this matter for the king as well as for himself.

No less than (irony alert) noted anti-business jurist Justice Antonin Scalia, writing in Vermont Agency of Natural Resources v United States ex rel Stevens, recognized that similar provisions date back to 1331 in England. Scalia also observed that numerous informer statutes were in place allowing such suits around the same time as the Constitution was adopted. These statutes authorized recovery of as much as half the fine, goods, or penalty, as appropriate, for failing to file a census return, or for illegal harbouring of runaway seamen, or unlicensed trading with Indian tribes, or for various other criminal, customs, bribery, or conflicts of interest violations (see footnotes 5 and 6 of the opinion linked to above).

So a long and venerable tradition of rewarding whistleblowers was in place before Congress authorized the SEC to create a whistleblower program in the 2010 Dodd-Frank legislation. Six years later, we can assess the success of that program which suggests, shall we say, that the SECs victory lap is somewhat premature.

Who Sues?

Some would say that the SEC program was badly designed from the start in that it left it to the SEC alone to decide whether to file a legal claim based on the whistleblowers report. I would say this was a feature not a bug but will not belabor the point. From the SECs website The Commission is authorized by Congress to provide monetary awards to eligible individuals who come forward with high-quality original information that leads to a Commission enforcement action in which over $1,000,000 in sanctions is ordered.

This means that the whistleblower cannot file a legal claim himself under this statute against the firm that has allegedly committed fraud or somehow violated securities laws. (Separately, the whistleblower might be able to file an action under other existing federal securities laws, but that discussion is beyond the scope of this piece.) Instead, the whistleblowers only recourse under the Dodd-Frank statute is to report the violation to the SEC, and the agency prosecutes the case.

Why does this matter? As one of my cronies who practices in the qui tam area observes, he often floats arguments that various federal agencies consider to be unappealing on their face and will not pursue (perhaps for political reasons, e.g. the Air Force does not like suing Lockheed). But clever lawyering that ends up before the right judge can sometimes result in the success of some of these arguments, and eventually yield substantial recoveries for both the government and the whistleblower as well as have a deterrent effect.

A very effective cadre of privateer lawyers has evolved to bring qui tam cases, and these privateer lawyers are getting very adept at doing what privateers do. Some of this work is summarised at the website of Taxpayers Against Fraud, a bar association for lawyers who specialize in such cases. And in the process, they are sometimes successful at taking on the bespoke suit brigade. They also expand the resources that can be devoted to such cases. IIRC, the Department of Justice (DoJ) in DC has 60 lawyers who take on FCA cases, as compared to several hundred members of the private bar who bring these cases (and sometimes, both DoJ and private attorneys work in tandem). Private lawyers typically get contingency fees of up to one-third of any amounts that they recover on behalf of their clients; the FCA also allows fee shifting to the whistleblower meaning that if these cases go to trial and the whistleblower wins, the losing side pays the whistleblowers legal fees.

Implementation Delay

As with so many other parts of Dodd-Frank that required subsequent SEC action before the statute could be enforced, the agency lagged in setting up its whistleblower program, which was not launched until August 2011. This almost certainly reduced potential recoveries, in that statutes of limitation might have run before the Office of the Whistleblower was up and running and able to receive, assess, and act on whistleblower complaints. The SECs track record on setting up this office was actually better than its timetable to complete rulemaking on other key elements of the statute, with some rules taking years before they were effective.

Now, five years after that launch, despite receiving over 14,000 whistleblower tips from individuals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and 95 foreign countries, the SEC has thus far only made 33 awards, the top ten of which the agency has summarized. These resulted from successful enforcement actions that resulted in recoveries of more than $504 million, including more than $346 million in disgorgement and interest for harmed investors. It is impossible for an outsider to determine how zealously the SEC followed up on whistleblower tips. But given that the financial crisis alone led to economic losses of many multiples of that amount, this level of recovery seems rather low, at least to this observer, and at minimum, doesnt seem worth crowing about.

Requirement for DoJ Co-Operation

So far, the whistleblower statute doesnt seem to have sparked any major criminal enforcement actions. To be sure, since the SEC cannot bring criminal actions against defendants it needs the cooperation of the DoJ to bring such charges the SEC was hamstrung by the Holder doctrine and the DoJs overall approach to enforcement. Recall that under the Holder doctrine the DoJ avoided bringing criminal charges against companies or their senior executives and instead favoured negotiated settlements, on the theory that to take a tough enforcement stance would cause unacceptable collateral damage. But, as many have pointed out, bringing criminal charges at minimum, would provide major leverage in the litigation process. It would also have a huge deterrent effect on the activities of high-level corporate officers and would thereby have inevitable knock-on effects in shaping corporate policies.

Part of the problem in prosecuting firms or executives is the facilitating effect played by white shoe law and other professional firms in delivering opinion letters that nuanced opaque statutes and effectively immunized financial and other firms from effective prosecution.

Despite the obstacle raised by the lack of DoJ co-operation, the SEC could have been much more aggressive itself in bringing civil actions and administrative cases. And I might point out that the burden of proof for prevailing in these types of actions is lower, compared to criminal cases, requiring only demonstrating preponderance of the evidence rather than beyond a reasonable doubt. That lower standard of proof, unfortunately, makes those immunity letters from the law firms even more valuable.

Lack of Creativity

Similarly, the SEC has failed to use whistleblower tips in bringing any cases alleging violations of the Sarbanes Oxley internal controls provisions, which require at a minimum for the CEO and CFO to certify personally the accuracy of financial statements and the adequacy of internal controls. As Yves has written, Sarbanes Oxley is designed so that the civil and criminal provisions are parallel, so that an investigation could start out as a civil case, but if the government got strong enough evidence in discovery, it could easily flip it to criminal. Some of the bubble-era activities of financial firms seemed tailor-made for invoking this statue against the relevant executives.

The failure of the SECs Office of the Whistleblower to pursue any such claims may of course be due to not receiving any relevant tips. Although the Sarbanes Oxley statute is far from perfect, the private bar has been far more successful in bringing other types of claims under its authority and this is another argument for allowing Dodd-Frank whistleblowers greater control of their claims by allowing them, if they so choose, to engage their own private lawyers.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

In my previous post on the public option, readers commented that they liked having the history of the so-called public option consolidated all in one place, so they could refer to it, and refer others to it.

Im guessing that after Labor Day, ObamaCare will become more prominent in the narrative; this years open enrollment period begins on November 1, a week before election day, and its likely that sticker shock and the general crapification of the policies will become an issue of public concern (or at least an excuse for another public relations exercise by the administration). In addition, the slow death spiral of the exchanges may lead to calls for Congress to do something, in the lame duck session; perhaps even introduce legislation for the public option. Finally, Sanders has supported Colorados single payer initiative, in open conflict with Clintons never, ever position. So ObamaCare is coming up on the charts once more.

So I thought Id take a stroll down memory lane and consolidate links to posts in Naked Capitalisms rather large corpus of ObamaCare-related material. (There are  let me check  over 100 on ObamaCare, and over 300 on health care policy, and thats too many to list, so Ill be somewhat selective.)

I put the posts into the following categories:

ObamaCare and Estate Recovery The ObamaCare Website Launch Debacle ObamaCares Narrow Networks, and Health Insurer Gaming ObamaCares Lack of Universality ObamaCares Neoliberal Foundations ObamaCare vs. Single Payer ObamaCare and the So-Called Public Option ObamaCares Death Spiral ObamaCare Enrollment (and Gaming the Numbers) ObamaCare and Public Relations ObamaCare Crapification (General) ObamaCare as a Tax on Time Miscellaneous

Each category is numbered. Each post within each category is lettered, so references to individual posts can always be crystal clear. For example, How Obamacare Raids the Assets of Low-Income Older Americans is #1a. Ive added a brief commentary  each very counter-intuitive to the official view  before the posts in each category.

I hope this listing will be helpful to you as you combat bullshit and bafflegab in the forthcoming health care policy debate.

1. ObamaCare and Estate Recovery

Readers will recall that Medicaid has a policy called Estate Recovery, whereby the costs of heatlh care for people over 55 and under 65 under Medicaid are clawed back from their estates. This means that a poor person whose sole remaining asset is their house may be unable to pass the family home on to their children. This makes ObamaCares mandate especially immoral, because it forces people into the Medicaid program based solely on income. So, if youre over 55 and poor, you face the Sophies choice of putting your health care at risk by going naked and not signing up at all, and screwing your children. As you see, we drew attention to this problem in 2014; it still exists (see Minnesota, Iowa, Massachusetts, and California, where hilariously a law that makes state clawbacks only as draconian as the Federal clawback policy mandates is presented as a tremendous victory).

I place this relatively minor matter  minor, that is, unless you are poor and over 55  first because it proves that just because you arent seeing stories in the press about one of ObamaCares many problems, you should not assume that the problem has been solved; rather, you should assume that the problem still exists, and has become a non-story. The flip side of Adam Smiths saying that There is a great deal of ruin in a nation is that People can adapt to a great deal of crapification. They get used to the insanity, feel themselves powerless to change it, and make the best of what they have. (Clintonian excrementalism is based on a cynical and corrupt but sound view of how elites can manage non-elites successfully.)

2. The ObamaCare Website Launch Debacle

The ObamaCare launch was a case study in botched project management followed by executive impunity for the debacle. Medicare, back in the days of steam-driven computing and punch cards, was rolled out in a year. ObamaCare was passed in 2010, and by May of 2013 it was clear to the discerning that the project was in deep trouble, which the White House had just compounded by changing the applications form as a public relations effort to reduce perceived complexity, requiring significant recoding by some ObamaCare exchanges.

In July, alert reader Katiebird and I began to look at ways to help future ObamaCare applicants fill out their forms, and it was evident that material we would expect an on-time project to have developed simply didnt exist (A Secretive Project Out of Control).

As ObamaCare staggered toward the finish line, it became evident that not just the front end  the website where users would apply for the policy  was in trouble, but the back-end  the systems that transmitted the users selection of a policy on the front end to the insurance companies  was also in trouble. Then came the actual rollout, where the website  not having been tested under load  crashed, and had terrible user interface/user experience characteristics if and when it worked. Ultimately, a tech team from Silicon Valley was brought in to fix what ObamaCares project management team at HHS, and its government contractors had wrought, and the front end was fixed. Problems on the back end were not fixed.

Naturally, no heads rolled, whether at HHS or in the White House. Apparently, nobody in the White House chain-of-command had the stones to bring the oncoming debacle to Obamas attention, and/or he was lying about how terrific the system was until just before launch. (If you have the stomach for it, you can read the two color-coded transcripts for a good sense of Obamas bafflegab, bullshit, and outright lying on this sordid tale.)

3. ObamaCares Narrow Networks, and Health Insurer Gaming

ObamaCare imposes various requirements on the health insurance companies, including (and a good thing, too) the requirement to cover people with pre-existing conditions. However, the health insurance companies are profit-driven, and so they very naturally have methods to make up for those lost profits in other ways, in essence by denying people care, or refusing to cover services performed. Prominent among these methods are narrow networks (and narrow pharmaceutical formularies), which can be optimized by zip code and provider to exclude sick populations who might actually file claims. Prominent also are high deductibles and lousy coverage, as Naked Capitalism readers discovered and documented when they actually applied for policies. Other prominent barriers to care include the complexity of the policies themselves, inaccurate registries, lack of primary care doctors, and the difficulties of comparing plans when policies are purchased.

4. ObamaCares Lack of Universality

ObamaCare has any number of misfeatures, most of which are functions of its basic system design: The requirement for eligibility (as opposed to single payers philosophy of everybody in, nobody out). ObamaCares complex eligibility requirements mean that coverage (and hence the actual care that you, as a consumer citizen will receive) is random with respect to jurisdiction, class, and age. In no particular order: If you are a citizen of Libby, Montana (in ObamaCare architect Max Baucuss district) you instantly got single payer. If you are unbanked, you could be out of luck. If youre a Congressional lawmaker or aide, you get better treatment than the rest of us. If Enroll America decided to market to you, you are more likely to have coverage than those who were left out of that effort (and who do you think Enroll America marketed to? The sick? Kidding, right?) If your identity data at credit reporting bureaus is messed up, you could have trouble registering. If youre in a state that didnt expand Medicaid, you might not get coverage at all. Prices and policies vary by geography. Prices and policies vary by jurisdiction, down to the county level. If youre a seasonal or contract worker, you can gain or lose your coverage based on major life events. If you work in the informal economy, you might not be able to prove your income at all. In summary:

In this series, weve been looking at how ObamaCare, through its inherent system architecture, relentlessly creates first- and second-class citizens; how it treats people who should be treated equally unequally, for whimsical or arbitrary reasons. Its all in the luck of the draw! If you live in the right place or have the right demographic, you go to Happyville. If you dont, you go to Pain City.

All very much in contrast to simple, rugged, and proven single payer. (If I were writing the Relentless Creation of Second-Class Citizens today, having read Thomas Franks Listen, Liberal, I would stress that the complex eligibility determination system is also a make-work jobs program for the credentialed and aspirational classes  the 10% who are such a big component of the Democrat base  whose job consists in sending some to HappyVille, and some to Pain City. Randomly.)

5. ObamaCares Neoliberal Foundations

Its unfair (but fun) to oversimplify neo-liberalism. However, for our purposes, all that is necessary is to be able to spot a neoliberal in conversation, or when writing an Op-Ed. This is easy to do: If they have a quasi-religious faith in market-based solutions, such that Because markets is axiomatic for them, and requires no further justification, theyre a neoliberal. Unfortunately for us all, the dominance of neoliberalism in the political class is nearly complete. TINA: There is No Alternative to the market. ObamaCare, with its insistence on a health insurance marketplace, is neoliberal to the core. Naturally, the successful defense of neoliberalism requires various doublethinking techniques, prominent among them the giving single payer advocates no seat at the table in policy discussions, and erasure of single payer programs, advocacy, and advocates from history. And even geography:

To put this another way, since the mid-70s, when Canada adopted its single payer system, weve conducted the largest controlled experiment in the history of the world. Weve had two political systems spanning the same continent, both nations of immigrants and once part of the British empire, both mainly English-speaking but multicultural, both with Federal systems, and both with a free market system backed by social insurance. And the results of the experiment? The evidence? Canadian-style single payer wins hands-down.

Another way of saying this is that the battle for single payer is a battle against neoliberalism, the ruling ideology of our elites. Single payer is an important wedge issue.

6. ObamaCare vs. Single Payer

The opportunity cost of ObamaCare is single payer; in fact, ObamaCare (once RomneyCare) was designed to head off single payer. I recall that readers liked this paragraph, so Ill call it out:

And with a special shout-out to Jonathan Gruber:

7. ObamaCare and the So-Called Public Option

The so-called public option is a tactic within the larger strategy of using a market-based, neo-liberal solution to head off single payer. Sadly, the progressive faction of the political class played a significant role in doing just that.

8. ObamaCares Death Spiral

An early call on the ObamaCare death spiral (too many sick people in the pool making claims for the revenues from well people not making claims to make up the difference and make a profit, leading to insurers further crapifying the policies to recover lost profits, leading more well people to leave the pool because of the crapification; rinse and repeat).

9. ObamaCare Enrollment (and Gaming the Numbers)

ObamaCare enrollment numbers have always been soft; remarkably, data collection has been privatized. The Obama adminstration also regards metrics as exercises in public relations, and consistently games them. Its also odd, or not, that the administration and the press use this metric at all, since measuring program success by enrollment confuses health insurance (enrollment) with health care (the actual delivery of services). There are also many issues with the enrollment process itself, with its complex eligibility requirements.

10. ObamaCare and Public Relations

The Obama administration, as Yves often says, believes that there is no problem that public relations cannot solve. ObamaCare provides many proofs of this claim.

11. ObamaCare Crapification (General)

ObamaCares system architecture, with its complex eligibility determination system and its requirement to leave private health insurance in place, creates an enormous amount of complexity for users. Sometimes, this only means a bad user experience. At other times, as with balance billing, ObamaCare can create the very medical bankruptcy problems that it claimed to have solved.

12. ObamaCare as a Tax on Time

Yves frames many useless, but rental extraction-enabling, mechanisms as a tax on time. For example, you can take a day to figure out which policy you should purchase, and you can be additional hours on the phone straightening out the policy with the insurer, and many hours straightening out any billing errors. So who do you invoice for all those hours you spent, that you would rather have spent doing some more pleasant task, like getting your teeth pulled, or cleaning your refrigerator? Nobody. Thats why its a tax on your time, levied on you by neoliberals because markets.

13. Miscellaneous

Finally, the posts I cant fit into any other category. The first makes an important point:

All in all that 31 million [projected enrollments] may well turn into 17 million [enrollments] or so before all this is done. And then we would have taken 9 years of passage, waiting, and implementation and would still have as many as 40 million people uncovered in 2017, and 40,000 annual fatalities. That is the measure of the possible failure of the ACA. Is that better than nothing? Sure

Now, in retrospect, ObamaCare did better than that. Nevertheless, ObamaCares performance fell far short of projection, millions are still not enrolled, and excess deaths are clearly the result. It couldnt be more clear that ObamaCares implementers  as good neoliberals  valued the market over human lives. As Ive asked so many times: How can they live with themselves?

Conclusion

Readers, I hope this compendium is useful. Im sure Ive missed things, and may even have missed posts, or important issues. Please correct in comments, and Ill update.
Researchers peel back another layer of chemistry with 'tender' X-rays (Nanowerk News) Scientists can now directly probe a previously hard-to-see layer of chemistry thanks to a unique X-ray toolkit developed at the Department of Energys Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The X-ray tools and techniques could be extended, researchers say, to provide new insight about battery performance and corrosion, a wide range of chemical reactions, and even biological and environmental processes that rely on similar chemistry.

In a first-of-its-kind experiment at Berkeley Labs Advanced Light Source, an X-ray source known as a synchrotron, researchers demonstrated this new, direct way to study the inner workings of an activity center in chemistry known as an electrochemical double layer that forms where liquids meets solidswhere battery fluid (the electrolyte) meets an electrode, for example (batteries have two electrodes: an anode and a cathode).

A key breakthrough enabling the latest experiment was in tailoring tender X-rayswhich have an energy range tuned in a middle ground between the typical high-energy (or hard) and low-energy (or soft) X-rays used in researchto focus on chemistry within the double layer of a sample electrochemical system. The related study was published Aug. 31 in Nature Communications.

This stylized representation shows an electrochemical double layer, the heart of solid/liquid chemical interactions such as those occurring around a batterys electrode. An experiment at Berkeley Lab used X-rays to study the properties of the double layer that formed as positively or negatively charged particles (ions, shown as plus and minus symbols) were drawn to a gold electrode (left). The experiment featured neutrally charged pyrazine molecules (dark blue) suspended in the water-based electrolyte, composed of potassium hydroxide. Researchers precisely measured changes in the charge properties of molecules caused by changes to the electric charge applied to the electrode and to the ion concentration of the electrolyte in the double-layer region. (Image: Zosia Rostomian/Berkeley Lab)

Drilling down on the double layer

In a battery, this electrochemical double layer describes the layer of charged atoms or molecules in the batterys fluid that are drawn in and cling to the surface of the electrode because of their opposite electrical chargean essential step in battery operationand a second and closely related zone of chemical activity that is affected by the chemistry at the electrodes surface. The complex molecular-scale dance of charge flow and transfer within a batterys double layer is central to its function.

The latest work shows changes in the electric potential in this double layer. This potential is a location-based measure of the effect of an electric field on an objectan increased potential would be found in an electric charge moving toward a lightbulb, and flows to a lower potential after powering on the lightbulb.

To be able to directly probe any attribute of the double layer is a significant advancement, said Ethan Crumlin, a research scientist at Berkeley Labs ALS who led the experiment. Essentially, we now have a direct map, showing how potential within the double layer change based on adjustments to the electrode charge and electrolyte concentration. Independent of a model, we can directly see thisits literally a picture of the system at that time.

He added, This will help us with guidance of theoretical models as well as materials design and development of improved electrochemical, environmental, biological and chemical systems.

New technique confronts decades-old problem

Zahid Hussain, division deputy for scientific support at the ALS, who participated in the experiment, added, The problem of understanding solid/liquid interfaces has been known for 50-plus yearseverybody has been using simulations and modeling to try to conceive of whats at work. The latest work has narrowed the list of candidate models that explain whats at work in the double layer.

Hussain more than a decade ago had helped to pioneer X-ray tools and techniques at the ALS, which dozens of other research sites have since adopted, that allow researchers to study another important class of chemical reactions: those that occur between solids and gases.

There was a clear need to create new study tools for solid/liquid reactions, too, he said. Solid/liquid interfaces are key for all kinds of research, from batteries to fuel cells to artificial photosynthesis, the latter which seeks to synthesize plants conversion of sunlight into energy.

Hubert Gasteiger, a chemistry professor at the Technical University of Munich and the universitys chair of technical electrochemistry who is familiar with the latest experiment, said, This work is already quite applicable to real problems, as it provides new insight about the potential distribution within the double layer.

No one has been able to look into this roughly 10-nanometer-thin region of the electrochemical double layer in this way before, he said. This is one of the first papers where you have a probe of the potential distribution here. Using this tool to validate double-layer models I think would give us insight into many electrochemical systems that are of industrial relevance.

Probing active chemistry in changing conditions

In the experiment, researchers from Berkeley Lab and Shanghai studied the active chemistry of a gold electrode and a water-containing electrolyte that also contained a neutrally charged molecule called pyrazine. They used a technique called ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) to measure the potential distribution for water and pyrazine molecules across the solid/liquid interface in response to changes in the electrode potential and the electrolyte concentration.

The experiment demonstrated a new, direct way to precisely measure a potential drop in the stored electrical energy within the double layers electrolyte solution. These measurements also allowed researchers to determine associated charge properties across the interface (known as the potential of zero charge or pzc).

Upgrade, new beamline will enhance studies

Importantly, the technique is well-suited to active chemistry, and there are plans to add new capabilities to make this technique more robust for studying finer details during the course of chemical reactions, and to bring in other complementary X-ray study techniques to add new details, Hussain said.

An upgrade to the X-ray beamline where the experiment was conducted is now in progress and is expected to conclude early next year. Also, a brand new beamline that will marry this and several other X-ray capabilities for energy-related research, dubbed AMBER (Advanced Materials Beamline for Energy Research) is under construction at the ALS and is scheduled to begin operating in 2018.
Funding of over 10 million has been made available to Tipperary in the new LEADER programme.

While the allocation has been welcomed, it represents a cpnsiderable reduction on previous levels and new guidelines for applying for grants now apply.

The LEADER (Rural Development Programme) was officially launched by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys.

She stated that the programme will focus on the three key themes of Economic Development, Enterprise Development and Job Creation: Social Inclusion; and Rural Environment.

The total budget nationally for LEADER 2104-2020 is 200m of which 10.1m has been allocated to Co. Tipp.

The programme will be rolled out in County Tipperary by the Tipperary Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), a sub-committee of Tipperary County Council.

The programme will be delivered at local level by South Tipperary Development Company (STDC) and North Tipperary LEADER Partnership (NTLP).

In its role as Implementing Partner, STDC will cover the geographic areas of the Borough District of Clonmel, the Municipal Districts of Tipperary/Cashel and Carrick-on-Suir. NTLP will cover the geographic area of the Municipal Districts of Thurles/Templemore and Nenagh.

Charles Stanley- Smith, Chairperson of Tipperary LCDC expressed his delight at the imminent commencement of the LEADER programme in Tipperary.

He stated that the new LEADER programme for Tipperary will bring much needed funding into the county for the development of enterprise and tourism, community and social inclusion and environmental projects with an indicative funding allocation of 10.1m.

He went on to say that under the previous LEADER programme, significant community infrastructure development had been delivered to rural Tipperary.

He said this new LEADER programme would focus on maximising the use of that infrastructure for the benefit of everyone in their rural areas.

Chairperson of South Tipperary Development Company Martin Quinn and Chairperson of North Tipperary LEADER Partnership Jim Finn,welcomed the announcement of the commencement of the new programme.

Our board and staff are really looking forward to rolling out the programme in association with Tipperary LCDC. We have received so many enquiries over the past number of months it is nice to be able to respond to these. We see challenges ahead with a much reduced budget for the county but it is incumbent on us all to make the best use of our limited resources for all of our communities., they said

Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council Siobhan Ambrose said that the new LEADER Programme will be a vital support to rural Ireland in terms of enhancing the competitiveness of the local economy and local enterprises, managing natural resources in a sustainable manner, and ensuring the balanced development of rural areas.

The budget for the programme is significantly less than the previous programme and there are some changes to the programme. For example, the programme will be delivered through a mixture of targeted calls and rolling (continuous) applications. Before making an application for funding, promoters of potential projects must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) form to either STDC or NTLP, as relevant - contact STDC (www.stdc.ie) on 052 7442652 or NTLP(www.ntlp.ie) on 067 56676
Some banks can't get out of their Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. loss-share agreements fast enough. Others, however, may have to stay partners with the FDIC for a while longer.

The banks that have been rushing to terminate their agreements want to exit before the FDIC's protection expires and they have to shoulder the full cost of nonperforming loans obtained in failed-bank deals. Exiting early can provide some financial advantages if the loans have started performing again.

"Instead of it being a two-way street, now it's a one-way street" if banks are not proactive, said Brennan Ryan, an attorney at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough who advises banks on acquisitions and capital raises.

Yet dozens of banks, including Royal Bank of Canada and community banks such as Hamilton State Bank and Ameris Bancorp, have not yet ended their loss-share deals, according to FDIC records. Their reasons are uncertain.

After the financial meltdown the FDIC typically agreed to share 80% of the losses from the assets of failed banks in order to facilitate their resolutions, although the FDIC's share varied by deal. The coverage on nonresidential loans expires after five years, and on residential mortgages after 10 years. Banks own the loans regardless of whether the FDIC is sharing in the losses, so most banks have preferred to terminate the loss-share agreements before their expiration so they do not have to continue paying loss-share-related expenses.

RBC had the largest portfolio of nonresidential covered loans at June 30 with $285 million, which it inherited through its November acquisition of City National Bank in Los Angeles. City National purchased deposits and assets of four failed banks from 2009 to 2011, including $3.2 billion of assets covered by loss-share agreements, according to FDIC press releases about the deals.

RBC, Hamilton and Ameris did not return calls seeking comment for this story.

The $9 billion-asset PlainsCapital Bank in Dallas had the second-largest nonresidential total at $142 million loans. It is nearly three years into its loss-share agreement on loans acquired in September 2013 from First National Bank of Edinburg in Texas. PlainsCapital has not yet discussed whether to seek an early termination of the agreement, Jeremy Ford, chief executive of Hilltop Holdings, PlainsCapital's holding company, said in an email.

PlainsCapital acquired both nonresidential loans, for which loss-share expires in September 2018, and residential mortgages, which lose their loss-share coverage in September 2023. As of June 30, PlainsCapital had $181 million of covered residential mortgages in addition to the $142 million of covered nonresidential loans, according to its call report.

The largest remaining loss-share loan portfolios are made up of residential mortgages. CIT Bank's $4.8 billion balance of loans and other assets is the largest, followed by U.S. Bank's $3.3 billion portfolio.

It could be that some banks still in the loss-share program may have overestimated the loans' value when they were acquired from failed institutions, Ryan said.

"There could be situations where banks have not properly valued their loss-share assets," he said. "They may not want to terminate the loss-share coverage because it would require them taking a big charge that they would have to explain to the market. It would be an embarrassment."

Other remaining banks may want the insurance that loss-share plans provide. Many bankers have been worried about the performance of home equity lines of credit, as many homeowners are getting socked with higher monthly payments as balloon rates kick in, said Randy Dennis, president of DD&F Consulting Group in Little Rock, Ark. Some home equity lines may receive longer terms of FDIC loss-share coverage, as residential loans get 10-year protection periods from the FDIC, compared with the five years for all other loan categories.

"The one that scares most people are single-family second mortgages," Dennis said. "There are still areas out there where mortgages are still underwater."

Whatever the explanation for why some banks are still in the loss-share plan, it must be a good reason, Ryan said. Though loss-share program has been very well-managed by the FDIC, most banks are itching to get out of it.

"You're paying for the FDIC audits and for the increased staffing to deal with compliance," Ryan said. "It's a pain. You just want to be done with the FDIC."

Plus, banks that are able to secure early terminations can expect a quick financial boost. Loss-share deals can reduce a bank's noninterest income, largely because of the amortization of the FDIC indemnification asset tied to the agreements. Banks also must deal with high costs associated with collecting on the loans.

This year 25 banks have reached agreements on terminations. In the one of the most recent, the $3.2 billion-asset Park Sterling in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday agreed to an early termination on $15.5 million of loss-share assets.

Still a number of banks remain in the loss-share program, even if they have small portfolios subject to the insurance. The $151 million-asset Farmers State Bank in Hillsboro, Wis., had a remaining loss-share loan portfolio of $87,000 at June 30.

Banks provide limited details on their covered loans and when the FDIC's protections expire. The $1.8 billion-asset Hamilton State Bank in Hoschton, Ga., has not detailed when coverage will expire on its $105 million loss-share portfolio. Hamilton acquired four failed banks between 2011 and 2013, and it is likely that its agreement with the FDIC varied for all four banks. Hamilton's chief executive, Bob Oliver, did not return a call seeking comment for this story.
It's the end of an era for BankUnited.

John A. Kanas will step aside as president and chief executive of BankUnited on Jan. 1, the Miami Lakes, Fla., company announced in a press release Wednesday. Rajinder Singh, BankUnited's chief operating officer, will succeed Kanas on that date. Kanas is expected to remain chairman.

For nearly three decades, Kanas ran North Fork Bancorp in Melville, N.Y., turning it into a regional powerhouse through a string of acquisitions and notorious efficiency before selling it to Capital One Financial in March 2006 for nearly $15 billion. After spending less than a year at Capital One, he left to eventually take over BankUnited when a group of private equity firms bought the failed Florida thrift in May 2009.

Kanas took the reconstituted BankUnited public in January 2011; the company now has more than $26 billion in assets. There were some bumps along the way; Capital One filed a lawsuit against Kanas in mid-2011 claiming he violated a 2007 noncompete agreement when BankUnited struck a deal to buy Herald National Bank in New York.

Kanas and a top lieutenant eventually agreed to pay $20 million to settle the litigation. Under terms of the settlement, BankUnited agreed to abstain from opening any branches in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut until Jan. 31, 2013. Once that date passed, Kanas aggressively opened branches and poached talent from other New York banks.

BankUnited now has more loans outstanding in New York than it does in Florida.

Singh, meanwhile, has longstanding ties to Kanas, serving as head of corporate strategy and development at North Fork from February 2005 until December 2006. Singh, who briefly worked at Capital One after it bought North Fork, also led the financial services practice at WL Ross & Co. when the firm participated in BankUnited's recapitalization.
It is estimated that 1,00,000 people flocked to Itaewon streets for the Halloween festivities.
On Thursday 1 September 2016, NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow will participate in a panel organized by the Center on US Politics and Power at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki.

Ambassador Vershbow will deliver a keynote speech at the event. The speech will be available on the NATO website upon delivery.

In Helsinki, Ambassador Vershbow will also have meetings with the President of the Republic of Finland, Mr. Sauli Niinisto and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence.

Photos will be available on the NATO website after the event.

Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @NATOdsg).
In a ceremony on Wednesday (31 August), France and Germany took over NATOs Baltic Air Policing mission from Portugal and the United Kingdom, which guarded the skies over the Alliances Baltic member states since May.

France will lead the mission until the end of the year, with four Mirage jets based at Siauliai airbase in Lithuania. Germany will provide four Eurofighter Typhoon which will fly out of Amari in Estonia.



The aircraft, alongside pilots and ground crews, will be on 24/7 stand-by to launch quickly in response to any unidentified aircraft approaching NATO airspace. NATO jets have guarded the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since the three countries joined the Alliance in 2004.



Todays handover of command marks the 42nd rotation for the mission, which gained extra prominence after Russias illegal annexation of Crimea and Russias increased military activity in the Baltic Sea region. NATOs Baltic Air Policing mission regularly intercepts Russian military jets flying over international waters close to the Baltic States.



The Alliance conducts several air policing missions in which Allied fighter jets patrol the airspace of member nations which do not have fighter jets of their own. NATO aircraft guard the airspace over Albania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia on a 24/7 basis, 365 days per year. Air policing usually involves having fighter aircraft on standby to respond and intercept aircraft that approach alliance airspace without permission or without following flight regulations.
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Debunking the "97 percent" lie

Al Gore and cronies continue getting richer from the global warming hoax

(NaturalNews) The highly-politicized climate change debate rages on as we approach the crucial 2016 U.S. presidential election, despite an ever-growing body of evidence revealing the fact that "catastrophic man-made global warming" is nothing more than an elaborate hoax.And the November election may prove to be a victory for the hoaxers, according to experts who happen to be among those who dare to challenge the spurious climate change narrative.One of these experts is Weather Channel founder John Coleman, who is now warning that the election could prove to be a "tipping point" in favor of people like, who continue to amass vast fortunes based on the global warming scam.In a recent interview with, Coleman said: Climate change proponents remain undeterred in their mission, ignoring numerous recent scientific findings indicating that there has been no warming trend at all for nearly two decades.Al Gore's dire predictions of the melting of polar ice on a massive scale have proved to be completely false. In fact, in 2014 - a year that was touted as being "the hottest ever" in the Earth's history - there were record amounts of ice reported in Antarctica, an increase in Arctic ice, and record snowfalls across the globe.On top of those "inconvenient truths," the White House's assertion that 97 percent of scientists agree that global warming is real has been completely debunked. Severalexaminations of the literature used to support the "97 percent" statement found that the conclusions were cherry-picked and misleading.More objective surveys have revealed that there is a far greater diversity of opinion among scientists than the global warming crowd would like for you to believe.From theOther mainstream news sources besides thehave also been courageous enough to speak out against the global warming propaganda - even thepublished an op-ed piece in 2015 challenging thebeing promulgated by global warming proponents.And, of course, there are the more than 31,000 American scientists (to date) who have signed a petition challenging the climate change narrative and 9,029 of them hold PhDs in their respective fields. But hey, Al Gore and his cronies have also ignored that inconvenient truth, as well.Many of those scientists who signed the petition were likely encouraged to speak out in favor of the truth after retired senior NASA atmospheric scientist John L. Casey revealed that solar cycles are largely responsible for warming periods on Earth - not human activity.But the global warming crowd continues to push their agenda on the public while lining their pockets in the process. If you're still inclined to believe what Al Gore has to say about global warming, please consider the fact that since he embarked on his crusade, his wealth has grown from $2 million in 2001 to $100 million in 2016 - largely due to investments in fake "green tech" companies and the effective embezzlement of numerous grants and loans.You might want to take all of this information into serious consideration before casting your vote in the November election.
Confirmation from unlikely sources

Average premium rate hikes expected to reach 24 percent in 2016

Are we on the brink of a 'medical meltdown?'

(NaturalNews) As premium costs continue to skyrocket while more state exchanges fail, the debacle known asis finally being acknowledged as an abject failure by all but its most stubborn supporters who refuse to admit that the Affordable Care Act is indeed killing off what's left of the American middle class.Even much of the liberal press has been forced to concede that the mantra of "affordable healthcare for all Americans" under Obamacare has turned out to be nothing more than an empty promise  or perhaps simply a cruel joke.Jobs are being lost, and average American families are scrambling to cover the rising cost of premiums or else pay substantial fines. As' Julie Wilson recently reported: "Americans are essentially stuck between a rock and hard place, either losing coverage entirely, or having to cough up money for a plan they can't afford."Michael Snyder ofblog wrote:"On the low end of the spectrum, tens of millions of poor Americans benefit from government programs that provide health care at little or no cost."On the other end of the spectrum, the very wealthy can afford to pay the ridiculously high health insurance premiums that we are seeing under Obamacare."So what this means is that the people that are being hurt the most by Obamacare are those that belong to the middle class."Almost no one would have predicted a few years ago thatoutlets such as NBC would be talking about "the sting of rising premiums," but at this point anyone who won't admit there is a huge problem is either lying through their teeth or has been living in a cave.A survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York revealed that 20.9 percent of the state's manufacturing firms, and 16.8 percent among the service sector, said that they are employing fewer workers due to the costs associated with ACA compliance.To date, 16 of the 23 Obamacare-approved health insurance cooperatives have already shut down  or will do so by the end of the year  leaving Americans with fewer options than ever in terms of shopping around for affordable plans.As Michael Snyder noted, the repercussions of spiraling Obamacare costs are probably one of the reasons why nearly one out of five American adults is now living back at home with their parents or grandparents.On the average,for Americans are expected to increase by an astounding 24 percent in 2016, and many are reporting rate hikes of 50 percent or more over their previous plans.Some analysts are beginning to speak about the possibility of a "catastrophic collapse" of the entire healthcare system  a scenario that could leave millions of Americans "clamoring for medical attention, medical supplies and hospital care," according to Dr. Lee Hieb, former president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.Factors leading to this possible "medical meltdown" include shortages of medical supplies (already being seen in both cities and rural communities), an aging population requiring more doctors (doctors are aging, too; more than half of emergency room surgeons are over 50), and the closing of hospitals in inner cities and poor rural regions.These problems, among others, are being directly caused by the failure of Obamacare, and are only likely to worsen.Americans should take all of this into account before entering the voting booth in November. Although Obamacare and spiraling premiums have not been a key talking point in the presidential race, the choices made in November will certainly have an effect on healthcare policies over the next four (or possibly eight) years.
The multibillion-dollar merger of Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller has cleared all international regulatory hurdles and is set to finalize on Oct. 10, 2016. The estimated US$105 billion deal will create the worlds largest beverage company with combined revenues of approximately $73.5 billion globally.

This deal comes more than one year after the $54-billion monster acquisition of Kraft Foods Group by H.J. Heinz Company formed the third-largest food and beverage company in North America and the fifth-largest in the world.

The AB Inbev-SABMiller deal also will create the worlds largest beer company with nearly 30-percent market share, approximately $66 billion in combined annual revenues and nearly $12 billion in net income. Analysts have speculated that one in three beers sold globally will now be owned by AB-InBev. Heineken, the No. 2 beer rival, has approximately 11 percent of the global market share.

Upon completion of the deal, the combined groupwhich has yet to be namedwill remain headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and its Global Functional Management office will operate out of its current New York location. To maximize growth opportunities and build on the strengths of both companies in their respective markets, the combined group will be organized into nine geographical zones.

North America (headquartered in St. Louis): United States and Canada Middle Americas (headquartered in Mexico City): Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras Latin America North (headquartered in Sao Paulo): Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Panama, St. Vincent, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Dominica and the Caribbean Latin America South (headquartered in Buenos Aires): Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia Latin America COPEC (headquartered in Bogota): Colombia, Peru and Ecuador Europe (headquartered in Leuven): UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Ukraine, Russia and Export Europe and Middle East (EEME) Asia Pacific North (headquartered in Shanghai): China, South Korea and Japan Asia Pacific South (headquartered in Melbourne): Australia, New Zealand, India, Vietnam and other South and Southeast Asian countries Africa (headquartered in Johannesburg): South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Lesotho, Uganda, Ethiopia, African Islands, Tanzania, South Sudan, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana

Once the zone headquarters are established, existing SABMiller hubs in Miami, Hong Kong and Beijing will be phased out within a few months after the merger. The future of the SABMiller Europe hub in Zug will be determined as part of the process of divestment of SABMillers Central and Eastern European businesses.

The Executive Board of Management (EBM) will be composed of 20 zone presidents and functional chiefs19 from AB InBev and one from SABMIllerwho will report to AB InBevs CEO Carlos Brito.

AB InBev is the leading global brewer and one of the worlds top five consumer products companies. The companys portfolio includes more than 200 beer brands anchored by global brands Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois.

SABMiller plc is the worlds second-largest brewing company and one of the worlds largest bottlers of Coca-Cola drinks.
Crowds gather in Moscow to protest against reforms to the way the Russian Academy of Sciences is run. Credit: ITAR-TASS/Artyom Geodakyan

Crowded streets in Moscow boast some unusual adverts. Instead of touting property or consumer goods, they offer services for improving one's h-index and other metrics that will boost the impact of published scientific papers. A thriving market of academic fraud is one ugly side of post-Soviet science. Lamenting former prowess in everything from space exploration to nuclear power is another.

Over the past 15 years, Russia has doubled its total spend on research and development (R&D). But this increase has failed to make up for the calamitous decline in Russian science during the 1990s, following the disintegration of the Soviet Union. According to the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), total R&D spending in 2013 still hovered about 40% below 1990 levels. And in 2014, the country spent 1.19% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on R&D, according to estimates by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)  only a slight improvement on the 1.05% it invested in 2000, and well below the 2.38% OECD average.

But funding issues alone cannot explain why Russia has been on the sidelines of the international research stage for years  a lack of competition, poor infrastructure and an inability to retain talent have all played their part. Now a stumbling economy threatens the modest recovery in science made in the past decades, and the chances of reform.

Rising tide, leaky boats

In 2014, Russia's R&D spending rose to a post-Soviet high of US$38.2 billion (in 2010 dollars). But Victor Kalinushkin, head of the RAS's trade union and a laser researcher at the A. M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute in Moscow, says that the current level of funding is a minimal survival level that does not allow for development, keeping up with the others or compensating the losses incurred in the 1990s.

Twenty-five years into a market economy, R&D is still a state-dominated affair: from 2000 to 2014, the government's share of funding rose by 14%, to 69%, but private funding dropped by a few per cent. By comparison, in countries such as the United States and China about 75% of R&D funding comes from non-government sources.

Regrettably, we have failed to create the stimuli needed for the private sector to at least maintain the level of investment, says Irina Dezhina, a science-policy researcher at Moscow's Institute for the Economy in Transition. And we cannot change the situation without large-scale economic reforms, she says.

Instead of setting new rules to distribute the additional government funds through competitive grants, this new money started pouring into the old system, says Mikhail Gelfand, deputy director of the Institute for Information Transmission Problems in Moscow. It was spread thin, he says. We have failed to build a new system, and the one we have is inelastic relative to investment. Funding has increased significantly over the last 15 years, and productivity, however you choose to measure it, has hardly increased at all.

Part of Nature Outlook: Science-led Economies The transition to a competitive-grant-based funding model has been slow. In 2014, just 11.1% of total R&D spending went on research foundation grants, barely up from 9.5% in 2010. Most R&D money is allocated through institution budgets.

Adding to funding woes is the fact that precious extra resources are often distributed through politicking rather than through a transparent process. An analysis of 2016 budget plans (go.nature.com/2aisci7, in Russian) by Evgeny Onishchenko, a trade-union activist and semiconductor researcher at the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, revealed that the Kurchatov Institute will receive 40% more funding this year than it did in 2015. The institute is headed by physicist Mikhail Kovalchuk, who is the brother of the businessman Yury Kovalchuk  a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Alexei Khokhlov, vice-rector at Lomonosov Moscow State University and chair of the advisory council for the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, says that the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations, which was created in a swift reform of the RAS in 2013 to manage the network of institutes, has been timid in its efforts to change the status quo of competitive funding.

Cogs in the machine

Khokhlov thinks that the amount of research funding is not the central issue. Instead, he says that the lingering Soviet idea that every scientist should have a permanent salaried position that is largely independent of job performance, known as a stavka and much like a tenured professorship, has prevented meaningful reforms. The bulk of research spending will be paying for payroll for positions set years ago, he says.

He also notes that this rigid personnel structure means that labs lack autonomy, allowing little room for scientists to work in emerging fields. This is reflected in how Russian science is represented internationally: the bulk of articles indexed by Web of Science and Scopus are related to physics, astronomy, chemistry, engineering and maths  all areas with a strong Soviet legacy. But the country is poorly represented in disciplines such as medicine or neuroscience.

In the past 20 years or so, an exodus of researchers from Russia has contributed to the scientific workforce falling by about one-third, to some 373,900 people. This follows a previous catastrophic loss between 1989 and 1994, when a similar decreased happened in just five years. Pinning down the scale of cross-border 'brain drain' is tricky: estimates range from 30,000 to 200,000 scientists having left since the early 1990s. A small proportion of the researchers have returned, encouraged by initiatives such as a mega-grant programme to establish new labs in universities and research institutes  a total of 162 projects have been supported since 2010, in areas such as metamaterials, climate change and stem-cell research.

Gelfand thinks that, apart from money, the science community's biggest problem is the lack of a set of career paths with clear rules for researchers. He says that there are too few opportunities for researchers to establish independent research groups, as well as little mobility in a system that, owing to its inflexibility and red tape, does not encourage changing research areas, labs or institutes.

RAS president Vladimir Fortov has publicly stated that a renewed outflow of younger researchers in the past couple of years is evidence of this problem, a sentiment shared by Gelfand and others. Konstantin Severinov, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, who returned to Moscow in 2004 to also work at the Skolkovo Institute of Technology, has compared working in Russia to swimming in a pool without water. He says that staying in the country precludes young and promising scientists from competing internationally.

Gaming the system

Russian postage stamp commemorating Yuri Gagarin's space flight. Credit: Detlev van Ravenswaay/SPL By 2015, Russia had planned to increase its Web of Science share to an inexplicably precise 2.44%, a target set by Putin's 2012 decree. This did not happen, but the focus on performance indicators is unlikely to go away. Dezhina says that Russia places too much importance on metrics. Most science-led economies have already passed this stage and now have a stronger appreciation for the role of experts, she says. Kalinushkin also questions whether replacing peer-review assessments with statistics and metrics is a good strategy for evaluating scientists work.

Resistance to what is seen as excessive focus on 'scientometrics' has put a spotlight on those who exploit loopholes in the system. One recent case of fraud involved two senior researchers at a biophysics institute who added irrelevant references into student conference papers that they edited to boost their own metrics. The two were exploiting a national science-citation index, which was established in 2006 as a way to measure the impact of Russian science that was largely invisible to the international audience. One analysis showed that some 90% of papers published by Russian scientists in 2014 were not indexed in Web of Science or Scopus (N.G. Kurkova et al. The Economics of Science 1, 614 (2015); in Russian).

With little reaction from governing bodies to cases of academic fraud and plagiarism, some scientists have taken it upon themselves to expose university boards that routinely rubber-stamp plagiarized or ghostwritten PhD dissertations. Gelfand, who co-manages Dissernet, a volunteer organization dedicated to exposing this fraud, says that the 'immune response' by government has been weak, and groups such as his are in an arms race with unscrupulous people who are abusing the systems designed to protect the integrity of science. Reputation as a social institution has been destroyed in Russia, he says. Nothing is shameful.

Winter is coming

During a panel discussion at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2016, historian Loren Graham, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, was asked if Russia can compete with the rest of the world in science and innovation. He reiterated the contradictory and strange fact that Russians tend to be excellent inventors, able to come up with new ideas, but very poor innovators, not able to make commercial successes of those ideas.

Russian leaders prohibit demonstrations, suppress political opponents and twist the legal system, creating a regressive authoritarian regime that does not encourage entrepreneurship, Graham told the forum audience. They want the milk without the cow. Until such policies change, he concluded, the scientific genius of the Russian people, for which I have such respect, will remain economically unfulfilled.

But things may get worse before they get better, as the Russian recession looks likely to deepen. In June, the Moscow-based Higher School of Economics said that it could see no signs of recovery in the economy. The recent turbulence has led to a 10% cut in science spending in 2016, and further cuts are expected to follow.

Limited funding will require better prioritizing. Khokhlov thinks that any attempt to do this should reflect challenges that are specific to Russia. The world in general will do just fine without us, he says. He cites a statement by the advisory council for the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, which calls for Russia to prioritize communications, transportation technologies that are appropriate for the country's size, and a transition to automation.

Gelfand, however, highlights the importance of a more results-based approach. I think there's one top priority in Russian science now, he says. And that is protecting everything that still has a heartbeat.
Singapore has made impressive progress towards putting science at the centre of its economy  but can it afford to continue on its trajectory?

Scientists at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's Bioprocessing Technology Institute. Credit: A*STAR

A little over a kilometre off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula sits a plot of land just 42 kilometres across and 23 kilometres wide. The main island of Singapore is half the size of Los Angeles, with limited natural resources  certainly not enough to cater for its 5 million inhabitants.

Faced with global competition in its traditional industries, 25 years ago Singapore began to pursue a future as an Asian research hub, putting science and technology at the centre of its economy. This was an ambitious goal for a country without an established research culture. But driven by necessity, and generous government funding, Singapore has drawn some of the world's leading scientists, science-driven corporations and research institutions to set up labs either alone or in partnership with local universities, businesses and government.

In many respects, the country is succeeding in achieving its research and development (R&D) goal. It is home to the two highest-ranked universities in Asia; it has among the strongest industryuniversity links in the developed world, as determined by the World Economic Forum; it has become a leader in water-processing technology, exporting it to the rest of the world; it is an electronics industry powerhouse, including a centre for superconductor development and manufacturing; and it is rapidly establishing itself as a hotspot for biomedical science.

Despite this, some are questioning whether the government money that has poured into science is generating sufficient bounty in terms of jobs and national income to justify the largesse. Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) hovers at around S$410 billion (US$304 billion). More than S$35 billion has been allocated by the government to foster home-grown science and technology since 2000. Earlier this year the government promised a further S$19 billion between now and 2020 with the slogan Winning the Future. Singapore is now one of the bigger spenders on research, with 2.2% of GDP going towards R&D in 2014.

But some scientists and funders fear that translation of this research may be happening too slowly and in the wrong parts of the economy to support the continued growth in funding. Although Singapore's multinationals and large local enterprises have done very well, the small- to medium-sized enterprises that employ 70% of the country's workforce, have yet to incorporate R&D into their businesses in a substantial way. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has suggested that this may be because of a national aversion to risk-taking. But science leaders now fear that public support for R&D spending and the country's aspirations to become a science-led economy may be dwindling.

We see science and technology as a very important pillar in our future economic growth, says Teck Seng Low, head of Singapore's science funding agency, the National Research Foundation (NRF). Moreover, he says, these endeavours are key to providing us with solution options to our national challenges.

National challenges

Part of Nature Outlook: Science-led Economies Water scarcity is a continual problem in Singapore. The city-state has no rivers of substantial size and is dependent on importing water from Malaysia. The NRF has invested heavily in water research, and Singapore is now one of the world leaders in the field, particularly when it comes to the development of membranes for reverse osmosis, desalination, filtering and, more recently, for an innovative approach known as forward osmosis. The country hosts 180 companies involved in water management and is home to 28 research centres focused on water.

The Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI) was established in 2008 as part of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), with the support of the NRF. NEWRI is one of the world leaders in water research and has been instrumental in the development of forward osmosis. This low-energy osmosis technique uses variations in the concentrations of liquids to draw small molecules such as water through fine membranes, leaving impurities behind. It requires much less energy than reverse osmosis and will potentially be a sustainable and cost-saving technology. As part of a project funded by a S$2.5 million NRF grant, Darco Water Technologies in Singapore and a spin-off from NTU called Aquaporin Asia is piloting the technology for commercial use in industrial wastewater treatment. We invested heavily in water-related research and today Singapore is self-sufficient and secure in water, says Low. Alongside this security we have actually built a very vibrant water industry.

Long-term government initiatives to foster science as part of the economy have been fundamental to the nation's recent successes. In its first five-year National Technology Plan in 1991, the National Science and Technology Board, as it was then known, allocated S$2 billion to R&D. The five-year cycle continues to provide the context in which science, and much of research translation, is done. Today, the NRF administers the five-year plans, determining national research priorities and funding distribution. Given that Singapore has been governed for almost 60 years by the same political party (the People's Action Party), there has been little policy upheaval to threaten the creation of a knowledge ecosystem comprised of top-ranked universities and research institutes and research-intensive industries with global reach.

Biopolis and beyond

One of the country's research priorities is to become a global player in the biomedical sciences. The drug-development pipeline is one of the longest and most treacherous for translating research into tangible economic outcomes, but Singapore has established itself as a major player. Each year the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) runs about 30 new projects with international pharmaceutical companies. And pharma giants such as Abbott, MSD, Novartis and Pfizer have all set up production facilities in Singapore. In 2015, Chugai Pharmaceutical announced it would invest an additional S$476 million in its research facilities in Singapore.

A cross-section of a forward-osmosis membrane, which researchers at NEWRI helped to develop. Credit: Singapore Membrane Technology Centre/Nanyang Environment and Water Research Inst./Nanyang Technological Univ. The centrepiece of Singapore's biomedical push is Biopolis, a research hub established in 2003. Biopolis is home to A*STAR's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. Earlier this year, researchers from the institute, in collaboration with computing giant IBM, described a giant molecule  a hyperbranched amine-based polymer  with the capacity to help immune cells defend against a broad range of viruses, including Ebola, Dengue and Marburg, by rendering the viruses unable to replicate (K. Ichiyama et al. Macromolecules 49, 26182629; 2016). Although it is early days, the development could be used to protect against these deadly diseases. But even if all goes smoothly, commercial production could be a decade away.

This lengthy wait is part of science, but it is slowing down the country's trajectory to a science-led economy. The innate weaknesses of Singapore's economy  a small domestic market, a reliance on international trade, a scarcity of natural resources and a high cost of labour and property in comparison to the rest of Southeast Asia  make science a necessity for future prosperity, says Yuen Ping Ho, associate director of research at the National University of Singapore's Entrepreneurship Centre. To remain competitive in the face of these constraints, the economy has been moving towards a more knowledge-based structure, Ho says. Science and technology is essential in this transition in two ways  doing things better, and doing new things.

But Ho's research shows that the impact of R&D on Singapore's economic growth hasn't been as great as in other members of the OECD (Y. P. Ho et al. Singapore Econ. Rev. 54, 1; 2009). Ho attributes this to the country's relatively recent embrace of science investment. Although strong links have been established between researchers and large industry corporations, there are still few partnerships with small to medium enterprises. These companies are the bulk of the country's economy and are where productivity improvements and product disruption could have greatest effect.

Clouds on the horizon

Singapore doesn't have a long academic tradition, so science and research is fairly new.

As NTU president, Bertil Andersson has seen first hand the dramatic effect that the government's science push has had on Singapore's research capacity. The most important development, he says, has been the ability to attract the best talent from around the world and to lift the education standards in schools and universities. It's what he calls the 'brain-gain game'. Singapore doesn't have a long academic tradition, so science and research is fairly new, Andersson says. The country wants a return on its investment, a goal that he acknowledges is still a challenge. I am confident that it will happen, but it may take some time.

But politicians can be impatient. Pointed questions are being asked, says Low. All of them are asking 'Now that we have invested S$40-odd billion in the last 25 years and S$20 billion in the next 5 years. What can we expect?

Recent figures are encouraging. They show that business expenditure on R&D reached a new high of S$5.2 billion in 2014, up from S$3.9 billion in 2010. The greatest increase came from small- and medium-sized companies, which spent S$800 million. Activity that suggests companies are more willing to take risks.
Scientists and entrepreneurs share lab and office space at LabCentral in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Credit: Paul Avis Photography, courtesy of LabCentral, Inc

Governments have long thought that if they could lure a multibillion dollar company to their area, smaller firms would grow up around it to provide goods and services, thereby creating jobs. A car manufacturer, for instance, would need parts and materials suppliers.

But the experience of Massachusetts and its booming life-sciences scene turns that old industrial model on its head. If you can somehow attract small companies, those small fish will attract bigger fish, says Barry Bluestone, a political economist at Northeastern University in Boston. What they want to be is proximate to all these small firms, he explains. You really don't have to support the big guys. They'll come on their own.

Those small companies do a lot of very early-stage research that large firms won't spend the money on. A hundred small companies tackling a biological pathway for cancer, for example, have better odds of coming up with a solution than a big pharmaceutical company following just a few avenues of research. And if one of those start-ups comes up with a product, being located close by means the large corporation is perfectly placed to acquire the smaller company.

Massachusetts, and more specifically the BostonCambridge region, has created a dense life-science ecosystem. Research at universities and teaching hospitals has spun out into start-ups and fast-growing mid-sized firms, and the combination has lured pharmaceutical giants to the state, creating jobs and bringing in tax revenues. The life-sciences sector has grown out of decades of federal investment in basic research and more recent state efforts to boost the science-driven economy.

Part of Nature Outlook: Science-led Economies Employment in the life sciences in Massachusetts grew by 27% between 2001 and 2011, compared with 12% for the rest of the country (B. Bluestone and A. Clayton-Matthews Life Sciences Innovation as a Catalyst for Economic Development: The Role of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center; The Boston Foundation, 2013). By the end of 2011, about 14 in every 1,000 residents were employed in the life sciences  a bigger proportion than any other US state.

The Boston area is home to a rich collection of research universities, including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Massachusetts, Boston University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that have long pulled in substantial amounts of federal research funding. It is also home to world-class hospitals; of US independent institutes, Massachusetts General Hospital was the biggest recipient of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in 2014, receiving nearly US$350 million, followed by Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital and the DanaFarber Cancer Institute, all of which are teaching hospitals for Harvard. In addition, the Kendall Square area, the epicentre of the boom, is home to independent research institutions, including the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and MIT's Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. I think one could credibly claim that we have the strongest concentration of research-based enterprises in the life-science area of any region in the world, says Richard Lester, who studies innovation strategy and management at MIT.

While federal funding built up the science, the state government began supporting the industry side of the equation. It created the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) in 2008, a quasi-public agency charged with spending up to $1 billion over 10 years, in the hope of stimulating the local economy with loans to small businesses, investments in education, and support for buildings and equipment.

Keeping it local

One company drawn by the concentration of life-science organizations is the German-based pharmaceutical company Bayer, which is opening its East Coast Innovation Center in Cambridge later this year. We want to be part of the community, where there is excellent science, says Chandra Ramanathan, head of the centre. You can be there and engage with them in a much more collegial way.

Indeed, 17 of the world's 20 largest drug companies have a presence in Massachusetts, and the sector is growing faster there than in any other state. The thriving cluster is benefiting the state economically, leading to thousands of new jobs and millions in tax revenues.

Massachusetts does well when life-science companies scale up, Lester says. These growing companies have more stability and market clout than smaller outfits, and are a bigger source of new jobs than start-ups and giant firms. When companies are acquired, often it is by other firms in the state, thus keeping the pool of talent local. Research managers can be recycled, Lester says  they leave one company to help start a new one, thereby continuing the sector's growth. Density is essential, he argues. Serendipitous interactions, the ability to walk from your lab on campus to your start-up's offices, these things really do seem to matter, Lester says.

Location is important to innovation, agrees Travis McCready, president of the MLSC. You need to be proximate to where the best R&D is happening, he says. We've learned over the years that proximity contributes to the speed of development.

Many of the interactions between researchers and businesspeople, big and small companies, and venture capitalists are informal a lot of this happens over a cup of coffee at the local Starbucks, says Bluestone. But the MLSC provides a mechanism for big pharma to find out what start-ups are doing. The MLSC offers loans of up to $750,000 to help support new companies. To qualify for a loan, a start-up must be approved by a board made up of scientists and venture capitalists. Pharma companies often find that the firms that qualify for loans are attractive research partners or future acquisitions. We have an extraordinary scientific advisory board, McCready says. The ideas that they vet are then viewed as being best in class.

The MLSC also helped fund LabCentral, a facility that provides laboratory space for up to 25 start-ups so that they can develop their research without having to invest in their own lab; pay for equipment, such as a research-grade MRI machine; and fund buildings for academic researchers, on the condition that these can be rented out to other researchers. These investments, in turn, have helped the researchers to gain NIH funding, because they could show that they had the resources for a proposed project.

The jobs created are not just jobs for an elite workforce.

Schools, particularly vocational-technical high schools, throughout the state are also benefiting. The MLSC provides funding and equipment to help educate students who will eventually apply for some of the life-science jobs. The jobs created are not just jobs for an elite workforce, says previous MLSC president Susan Windham-Bannister, now an independent consultant. Indeed, Bluestone's study found that 15% of the jobs in life-sciences firms required a high-school diploma or less, another 8% required no more than a two-year degree, and 48% were open to people with only a bachelor's degree.

Windham-Bannister says that the state played a catalysing role when it created the centre. This is government as protagonist, not antagonist, she argues. But others say that it's difficult to tell how much of the current boom is attributable to government policy and how much to the state's already existing strengths. I'm sure it had a positive impact, Lester says. Much of that impact may have been at the margins, he says, with hard-to-quantify effects such as influencing the decision about where to locate a business. Was it the defining element for the success of life sciences in our region? No. Massachusetts Biotechnology Council

Bluestone says that before he began his study, he was sceptical about the value of the state's investment. Now he thinks that MLSC has played an important part in job creation. I cannot affirmatively say that the life sciences center created X billion dollars of additional state revenues, he says. But he points out that it was after 2008 when many of the smaller companies sprung up and when the number of life-sciences jobs in Massachusetts surpassed those in other states (see 'Investment hub'). There is no proof that this wouldn't have happened otherwise, he concedes, but the timing of the employment spike, the fact that Massachusetts out-competed other areas with strong life-sciences research  California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey  and his interviews with company executives convinced him that the state's efforts had an important role in bolstering the sector. The correlation is awfully strong, he says.

Lessons from the past

Massachusetts has seen a technology-led sector come and go before. In the 1970s and 80s, Route 128, which arcs around the Boston area, was dubbed America's Technology Highway owing to the large number of workstation and minicomputer manufacturers  including once-dominant names such as Digital Equipment Corporation, Wang Laboratories, Prime Computer and Data General  that sprung up along the corridor. The minicomputer industry really drove Massachusetts's growth in the 70s and 80s, says AnnaLee Saxenian, an urban-planning researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128 (Harvard Univ. Press, 1994). But the computer companies couldn't cope with the rise of the personal computer, and eventually the 'Massachusetts miracle' collapsed, leaving the cutting-edge information technology innovation to Silicon Valley. I went to school for engineering, thinking I could work at any of the computer companies on Route 128, muses Robert Coughlin, head of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. By the time I graduated they were gone.
Technology specialists learn to use software at the East Africa Exchange in Kigali, Rwanda. Credit: Pete Muller/The New York Times/Redux/eyevine

First-time visitors to Kigali, Rwanda's capital, usually remark that they cannot believe they are in a country that a little over 20 years was in the midst of a civil war. The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi resulted in the slaughter of up to one million people  around 15% of the population. But the landlocked country is developing rapidly. Where gravel roads once dominated, paved streets are now the rule. Internet connections are fast and stable. Buildings are constructed at breakneck speed, and airy, reliably scheduled public buses and shuttles have replaced cramped, unpredictable minivans.

For Jimmy Gasore, a Rwandan physics graduate who left the country in 2011 to pursue a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, each trip home throws up new advances. For instance, the year he left, he had to spend ten hours on a bus to Uganda's capital, Kampala, to register for the standardized tests needed for his MIT application, but these exams can now be taken all over Rwanda  an indication of the central role that the government has given to science and education in the country's development strategy.

Rwanda has used investment in science, technology and innovation as a springboard to grow and diversify its economy. Between 1996 and 2015, its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) more than tripled to US$1,756  outpacing some bigger and more resource-rich African countries with fast-growing economies, such as Kenya, whose per capita GDP merely doubled over the same period. As a result, Rwanda is often held up as a model of what can be achieved if clear ambitions are backed up with strong political leadership. Although the country's economic activity remains modest  its private sector is still largely informal  the rapid modernization of its infrastructure is attracting both foreigners and Rwandan expats to the country.

Gasore is one of them. In 2017, after he attains his PhD, he is planning to return to Rwanda to keep working on the cutting-edge climate observatory that he helped to set up, which is perched 2,500 metres above sea level on Mount Mugogo. The station, the first of its kind in Africa, uses high-frequency monitoring systems to detect greenhouse gases and air pollutants all across the continent.

He says that scientists like him see opportunities in Rwanda. There are more institutions to teach in, more start-ups to join and more people to partner with. In short, it creates a sort of market in science and technology, he says.

A science-led recovery

Part of Nature Outlook: Science-led Economies Rwanda's remarkable journey started after the genocide, when stitching the war-torn nation back together seemed like an insurmountable task. The country's economy, which was small and agriculture-based to begin with, was in tatters. Farm workers had fled their homes and abandoned their fields. Worse, the social fabric of the country had unravelled: schools, health centres, and water and transport infrastructure were in ruins, and survivors had to live alongside perpetrators.

Rwanda's new leaders realized that education, including science education, would be essential to the nation's rebirth. The country needed a positive development trajectory to follow, but it had no oil or gas reserves, no diamonds or valuable minerals, and no vast forests suitable for logging to exploit. What it did have was the offer of assistance from the international community, which had failed to prevent the atrocities in the country, and a population thirsty for peace and prosperity.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who will seek re-election for his third term in 2017, has driven the science push. After becoming president in 2000, one of his first moves was to appoint Romain Murenzi as science minister. The Rwandan mathematical physicist had been working on multidimensional continuous wavelet transforms  which can be used in image compression  at Clark Atlanta University in Georgia, where he had spent most of the 1990s. When he took up the post in 2001, Murenzi started by drawing up a national policy on science, technology and innovation. The policy, adopted in 2005, focused not on doing science as an end in itself, but as a vehicle for development. It emphasized that Rwanda should not try to 'reinvent the wheel', but apply existing knowledge to solve its national challenges.

What was special about Rwanda was that their ideas were so on target, says Alfred Watkins, who led the team from the World Bank that helped to draw up Rwanda's science and technology plans. In his experience, many governments of developing countries want their national science plans to feature prestigious projects. We were not talking about studying black holes or doing wonderful scientific research. The main gist of it was to create practical solutions to mundane everyday problems: how to improve agricultural yield, how to provide clean drinking water, how to manage the country's geothermal resources intelligently, Watkins says.

One such problem was how to combat a pest that was damaging the country's coffee crops  a key source of income for more than 400,000 Rwandan farmers. Potato taste defect (PTD) leaves coffee with a mealy potato taste, and is linked to the antestia bug (Antestiopsis spp.). Until a few years ago, little was known about how the defect occurred and why. But in 2011, working with the US-based non-profit the Global Knowledge Initiative (GKI), Rwandan researchers established a global network of scientists, as well as companies such as Starbucks  which took part in taste experiments  to study the scourge. Although the network has yet to eliminate PTD, the research, including successful work on insecticides, combined with an awareness-raising programme for farmers, has led to a decline in its occurrence, says Andrew Gerard, a programme officer at the GKI.

In addition to recruiting scientists to solve Rwandan problems, Kagame and Murenzi have developed a culture of using science and innovation to inform evidence-based policymaking in government. During the mid-2000s, Murenzi would hold a meeting of government ministers every two or three months; one by one, he would ask them how they were using science, technology and innovation to carry out and improve their work. Watkins would also attend these meetings to provide World Bank support.

In the first few meetings, the ministers' answers were feeble, Watkins recalls. But it didn't take long for their responses to become competent. The agriculture minister would talk about terracing fields to prevent erosion or using tissue culture to enhance crop yields. Previously, they didn't know what to say, he recalls. Now all of a sudden, they had examples.

A team from the Global Knowledge Initiative inspects coffee cherries. Credit: Amanda Rose, The Global Knowledge Initiative Agriculture was a key focus for science and education investments. Agricultural research and development spending by the government and non-profit organizations grew by nearly 50%, from $18.6 million in 2005 to $27.2 million in 2011. Most African countries struggle with an ageing academic population, but two-thirds of Rwanda's agricultural researchers are under the age of 41 years  one of the youngest pools in Africa.

Kagame also revamped the higher-education system in an effort to produce the graduates with the science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills that the country now needed. The country's seven tertiary institutions were merged into a single University of Rwanda, which was launched in 2013. The university has 14 campuses nationwide and more than 30,000 students  one-fifth of them studying science or engineering.

Mindful of Rwanda's limited financial resources, the government looked to the rest of the world to help it pursue its development goals. And some of the partnerships it formed were groundbreaking. In 2012, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, became the first world-ranked university to establish a campus in central Africa.

CMU didn't choose Rwanda, Rwanda chose CMU, says Bruce Krogh, director of CMU-R, as the partnership is known. The foundations were laid when Rwanda's government approached CMU in 2007; the university was selected partly because of its high performance in computer science and information technology. The first crop of students graduated in 2014. In 2016, CMU-R had 480 applications from 19 African countries for its August intake. Krogh says that of these, 4050 students will be accepted.

In the future, Rwanda will have to stand more firmly on its own feet. As its scientific and technological prowess grows, so does its ambitions for scientific output and excellence. The national university is aiming high: in a draft strategic plan published this year, it aims to be among the top ten universities in Africa by 2025.

Mountaintop view

Climate science is one area in which Rwanda is busy carving out a globally competitive niche. Data from the climate observatory on Mount Mugogo will open up a new frontier in climate science  historically, Africa has been very poorly covered by climate-data surveys, says Ronald Prinn, an atmospheric scientist at MIT and one of the people behind the observatory. The observatory will be the first African station to join the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment, which has a dozen other stations spread across the world, from the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard to Tasmania in Australia. The Rwandan station can track pollution and greenhouse gases across vast ranges  from South Africa to the Middle East and even the western coast of India.

It is hoped that the higher peak Mount Karisimbi, which towers 4,500 metres over sea level, will be the final site for the observatory. But access to this mountain is tricky, especially because its slopes are home to Rwanda's endangered mountain gorillas. A proposal is under discussion for a cable car that could transport researchers to the top, as well as serve ecotourists  Rwanda is also looking to expand its tourism industry.

I have never met students so serious about giving back to their country as in Rwanda.

Despite its many advances, Rwanda still faces major problems. For one, the country remains very poor: in 2014, less than one in five Rwandans had access to electricity, and about 40% of Rwandans lived in poverty, according to the United Nations Development Programme. And the small size of the country's private sector means that employment can be hard to come by. For example, Krogh says that although most graduates from CMU-R land jobs easily, they struggle to find work in Rwanda. This is something that President Kagame has indicated needs to change. But economic growth will need to come from inside the country, and from business investments, to a greater extent than it has hitherto. There are indications that international financial aid, on which the country depends on for some 3040% of its budget, may be drying up. What the country does have, however, is loyal young people. I have never met students so serious about giving back to their country as in Rwanda, says Prinn.
A scientist at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology explores nerve tissue in a 3D immersive environment at the Saudi institution's visualization lab. Credit: KAUST

In 2008, Joel Malek, a DNA-sequencing specialist from Boston, Massachusetts, packed his bags and left one east coast for another, 6,500 miles away in Qatar. At the time, the Arab state was recruiting skilled scientists and academics to teach and conduct research in its 14-square-kilometre 'Education City', which was under construction on the outskirts of Doha. Malek was given generous funding to set up a genomics research lab for Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), the first US medical school to open a campus in the country, in 2001.

Eight months after settling on the peninsula's shores, Malek received funding and began building his research team almost from scratch. Three years later, he published a draft genome of a date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) (E. K. Al-Dous et al. Nature Biotechnol. 29, 521527; 2011). Malek's work made it possible to determine the sex of the economically important crop at the seed stage, rather than waiting until the tree was five years old  a significant discovery because only females bear fruit.

As well as Weill Cornell, there are seven other US and European universities in Qatar. Those universities came to Qatar because the country wanted to move very quickly into the future, explains Laith Abu-Raddad, a public-health specialist at WCM-Q. One way to do it was to bring the best universities in the world into Qatar and ensure that they have the same quality and standards as the home institutions, he says.

The embrace of science in the Gulf states is motivated by near- and long-term concerns. The drop in oil prices that began in June 2014 put all of the Gulf economies in a state of shock, says chemical engineer Steve Griffiths, vice-president for research at Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi. Although oil prices are on a timid upward trend, the sharp loss in revenues has steered finances towards other sources of income. And there's little question that, as oil supplies dwindle, these countries will need a new engine to drive their prosperity.

Qatari investment

Every year, the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development reportedly allocates US$320 million to run six campuses of US universities. The foundation, created in 1995 by then emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, is a non-profit organization that receives both private and government support.

Tasked with paying for research and designing the country's science policy, the foundation established the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) in 2006. The QNRF awards money for research within the four national-priority sectors: energy and the environment; computer sciences and information technologies; health and life sciences; and social sciences, arts and the humanities. In May 2012, QNRF granted $4.5 million to Malek's date-palm research as part of its National Priorities Research Program.

QNRF is still a nascent organization, according to executive director Abdul Sattar Al-Taie. In its first stage, he says, it was focused on creating and nurturing a research culture in Qatar by providing training, creating career opportunities and bolstering the workforce with experienced scientists. There will be many challenges to overcome before we can say that the country's investment in this area can absorb the government's full commitment, says Al-Taie. Its second phase, which started in 2011, focuses on mission-driven research that addresses Qatar's grand challenges  health care and water, and cyber and energy security  to ultimately create tangible knowledge assets such as intellectual property, Al-Taie says.

The QNRF has also funded research projects that led to the discovery of five exoplanets that bear the country's name (Qatar-1b to Qatar-5b), as well as a collaboration with CERN, Europe's particle-physics laboratory, to upgrade the Large Hadron Collider. On a less cosmic scale, the foundation has also funded research at the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute on novel excitonic materials to boost the energy, harvesting capacity of solar cells.

National priorities

Part of Nature Outlook: Science-led Economies Elsewhere in the Gulf region, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia are also striving to give an octane boost to their research and development (R&D) enterprises. In 2002, Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, introduced the National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (NSTIP), the government's long-term strategy for scientific advancement. As part of the first phase, which ran from 2008 to 2014, 7 billion Saudi Arabian riyal (US$1.9 billion) was allocated to R&D to help establish the kingdom as a regional science powerhouse. Those efforts are starting to pay off. In 2016, Nature Index, which tracks the quality and quantity of scientific publications in top journals by institutions all over the world, ranked Saudi Arabia as the most prolific producer of high-quality research in the Arab world, and second only to Israel in western Asia.

The NSTIP is implemented by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), which is charged with funding academic science at institutions throughout the kingdom. KACST's research budget in the National Transformation Program (NTP) for the next 5 years comes to $8.3 billion. Among the projects supported by KACST is the Saudi Human Genome Program, which seeks to identify the genes responsible for genetic diseases by sequencing the genomes of 100,000 Saudi participants. KACST also has its own research laboratories, says Anas Alfaris, a KACST faculty member who chairs the task force handling the R&D strategy in the NTP.

Another major Saudi research project is the construction of the world's first large-scale, solar-powered desalination facility. It will be located in Al Khafji, near the Kuwait border. Advanced Water Technology, an arm of KACST, and the Spanish company Abengoa agreed to jointly build the plant, which is estimated to cost $130 million and is expected to be completed by early 2017. It will supply 60,000 cubic metres of desalinated sea water a day.

We believe Saudi Arabia needs to be fairly self-reliant.

Research funding is proceeding along two tracks, says Alfaris. The first includes funding fields in which the country could become a global leader  oil and gas, solar energy, water desalination and advanced materials. The second, Alfaris says, involves funding areas in which we believe the kingdom needs to be fairly self-reliant, such as health, agriculture, food research, transportation, construction and information technology.

Given that Saudi Arabia still derives 80% of its budget revenue and 90% of its export earnings from the petroleum sector, it's not surprising that two-thirds of papers published in high-impact journals by Saudi researchers focus on chemistry. Researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), for example, are studying energy-efficient membranes for water desalination and developing metalorganic materials to offer clean-energy alternatives, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and remediate chemical and biological agents.

The UAE has the most diversified economy of the region. Dubai especially so, because it does not have bountiful natural resources like the adjacent state of Abu Dhabi. Dubai started investing in logistics, airline and port infrastructure in the 1970s. In 2012, R&D expenditure represented 0.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP). That year the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced a target of 1.5% of GDP by 2021. Science is an essential component of the economic diversification in the UAE; it will establish a robust base for R&D in crucial sectors such as aerospace, defence, energy, water, mining, space, health care, renewable energy, information technology and education, says Griffiths.

The Masdar Institute, where researchers are working on alternative energy, environmental sustainability and clean technology, is emblematic of Abu Dhabi's efforts to broaden its economy in preparation for a post-oil age. Griffiths says that the institute's satellite data are used by Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi's national airline, to predict periods of fog that impede air traffic, and its expertise in the area will be used as part of the UAE's space programme. Masdar has about 25 R&D collaborations with UAE companies and an equal number with international organizations, Griffiths says, in fields including energy, water, logistics, aerospace and defence, metals and mining, and semiconductors. Large streams of revenues have been steered towards sectors where competition is not based on oil and gas, he says.

Dwindling reserves

Christian Henderson, who is researching the political economy of Saudi Arabia at the SOAS University of London, explains that the strategies that were put in place to diversify the Gulf economies occurred at a time when oil was priced at $100 a barrel (twice as high as in 2016), and money to invest in massive R&D projects was plentiful.

The Gulf countries would like to spend money on R&D but I don't see any kind of diversification of the economy, in the sense of establishing industries that are not reliant on government funds and viable on a free-market level, Henderson says. The best gauge of diversification is the percentage of the budget derived from oil revenue, he says, which, in many of these states, is still 8090% of the budget. With the current low price of oil, countries in the region are seeking investments with a clear near-term return.

Ironically, given that the long-term goal of research for the Gulf states is to free themselves from oil dependence, the drop in the oil price has reduced the amount of money available to fund science. According to Sami Mahroum, director of the Innovation and Policy Initiative at the graduate business school INSEAD in Abu Dhabi, this tightening may be temporary.

The UAE and other Gulf countries do not expect to replace oil revenues with the commercialization of science  they are not that naive, he says. The aim is merely for knowledge-intensive products to represent a greater share of the GDP. The UAE is investing in aerospace, semiconductors, health and energy to become, according to Mahroum, an integral part of these sectors globally, without being fully independent of what is happening around the world.

Mahroum thinks that although the UAE's economic diversification is more accomplished than that of other countries in the region, innovation is mostly Internet-driven and not triggered by R&D. Few successful companies have emerged from academic research, he says. The reason for this is structural. The economy is dominated by large, state-owned companies and by conglomerates run by influential families. Unless these big organizations decide to embark on large-scale R&D, Mahroum contends, science won't be the driver of economic diversification in the UAE or across the region. Science and technology cannot be undertaken by start-ups that do not have the resources to invest in state-of-the-art labs, and cannot afford to wait for a decade for their product to be commercialized, he says.

Despite the current lack of research commercialization, Mahroum is sure that R&D will have a bigger role in the economy in the not too distant future, especially in areas such as energy, water, agriculture and health. Those areas are in strong demand and high on the policy agenda, and have already a strong presence in local universities, he explains.
Chinese researchers are benefiting as the government looks to science to lead the economic transition to become a world-leader in the production of high-value technology.

Researchers work on the development of China's first large passenger jet at Tianjin University, a partner in one of the first collaborative research centres. Credit: VCG via Getty Images

In a world of mobile devices, incremental improvements in the size, sustainability and efficiency of battery technology can have considerable economic ramifications. The global battery market is forecast to be worth US$120 billion a year by 2019, and the competition to lead the science is fierce.

Chemist Jun Chen knows this well. His group at Nankai University in Tianjin attracted attention after it successfully created a rechargeable sodiumcarbon dioxide battery in late 2015 (X. Hu et al. Angew. Chem. 55, 64826486; 2016). In principle, NaCO 2 batteries are more energy efficient than lithium-based rechargeable power packs, as well as cheaper because of the abundance of sodium and CO 2 . But the performance of previous NaCO 2 batteries had been disappointing: the electrochemical reaction caused solid deposits to form on the cathode, preventing recharge. Chen's team overcame this by creating a cathode from a 3D carbon nanotube structure. The result was a battery with an energy density more than five times that of the lithium (Li)-ion batteries, widely used in mobile devices and nickelmetal hydride batteries, and with the ability to be recharged 200 times without any reduction in storage capacity.

Chen is the chief investigator for energy conversion and storage research at the Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (CICCSE), a partnership between Nankai University and Tianjin University. The government-funded centre is designed to link science with industry for the benefit of the economy, and is one of 38 collaborative innovation centres (CICs) established across the country since 2012. CICCSE is now home to 385 researchers drawn from academia and industry, most of whom are affiliated with the 2 universities.

Collaboration hubs

In response to a weakening low-cost manufacturing market, in 2011 then-Chinese president Hu Jintao's pushed to embed science in the Chinese economy. He called for greater collaboration between the country's top research groups and between science and industry. The CICs grew out of what became known as the 2011 Plan, and focus on fields ranging from aerospace and quantum technology to medicine and advanced materials. The links formed can be domestic or international and are frequently both.

By exploiting the multidisciplinary nature of universities, the centres are intended to overcome some of the challenges to innovation that remain in China, including scattered resources and inefficient research planning. Jiannian Yao, a director of CICCSE and vice-president of China's science funding body for competitive grants, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, says that the centres foster cooperation between researchers and strengthen national innovation capacity and competitiveness. Yao compares the centres to other government-led collaborations such as the Australian Research Council's Centres of Excellence, Millennium Science Initiative in South America and Japan's World Premier International Research Center Initiative.

CICs with a focus on natural science and engineering also act as hubs for the promotion of industry partnerships. These centres receive generous funding from the government  the CICCSE receives around 50 million yuan (US$7.5 million) each year  as well as flexibility in the selection of research projects and the recruitment of scientists (unusual freedoms within government programmes in China, according to Chen).

Cong Cao, a science-policy analyst at the University of Nottingham in Ningbo, says that the new normal of the Chinese economy, referring to slowed growth, means that the government has had to look to science and technology, with programmes such as the CICs, as the way to restore dynamism.

Forming partnerships

Part of Nature Outlook: Science-led Economies In 2007, the Progress of Science and Technology Law was passed. The law, which is often referred to as the Chinese BayhDole Act  a celebrated 1980s US patent-rights law credited with accelerating US industrial innovation  enables the intellectual property generated by government-funded research to be commercialized by the research group that does the investigation. The law has made it much easier for research institutions such as Chen's to benefit from the work their researchers are doing. In the seven years after the enactment of the law, the number of domestic patents awarded to Chinese researchers increased more than five-fold.

The legislation has also made research partnerships between universities and industry more attractive for both sides.

Over the past four years in particular, Cao says, the Chinese government has introduced a range of policies to emphasize innovation and reform of China's science and technology system to make it better and quicker to respond to demand from the economy. This includes the launch of the thirteenth Five Year Plan in 2015, which put innovation in science and technology at the centre of China's development.

And following Premier Li Keqiang's annual address to the National People's Congress in March, there have been further efforts to encourage co-operation between science and industry. Speaking to the 2,943 delegates in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Li echoed what President Xi Jinping had outlined in the Five Year Plan, using the word 'innovation' more than 50 times. The speech also included promises of new national science and technology programmes and science centres. By 2020, said Li, science and technology will account for 60% of the nation's economic growth.

We will implement the strategy of innovation-driven development, see that science and technology become more deeply embedded in the economy, and improve the overall quality and competitiveness of the real economy, Li said.

The government promised tax deductions for companies undertaking research and development; and, since the speech, it has begun efforts to substantially reduce the notorious red tape associated with government funding for research and to increase the income that Chinese scientists can receive for working on government-funded projects.

Back at the CICCSE, Chen and his colleagues have secured a Chinese patent on their battery technology, one of 339 patents awarded to the centre's projects up until the end of 2015. They are now working on adjustments to scale the technology up and overcome the need for a pure CO 2 environment. Chen expects to have an improved version in production in about two years. Chen's group is also collaborating with Tianjin-based Li-ion battery developer Lishen and with electronics manufacturer Samsung, on improvements to Li-ion batteries for devices such as electric cars.

Premier Li Keqiang used 'innovation' 50 times in his address to the National People's Congress. Credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon The CICCSE, like other centres, works with industry in three ways: companies are founding members of the centres and are represented on the board, Chinese petroleum giant Sinopec and the Tianjin Bohai Chemical Industry Group both have representatives on the CICCSE board, for example; the centre's researchers do joint research with industry on major national issues; and the companies fund research projects.

Sinopec is currently funding research to improve hydrogen production for use in fuel processing and the chemical industry. The project is using nanofabrication techniques to increase the stability of nickel-based catalysts, which are used in the methane-steam reforming process to create hydrogen. The greater stability increases the efficiency so that alternative fuels such as ethanol can be used. The hydrogen can then be used to refine petroleum, particularly heavier crude oils. When complete, Sinopec will implement the new technology in a number of its fuel-processing plants.

Yao says that another project has already seen crystallization technology developed by CICCSE researchers adopted by the pharmaceutical industry and increase revenue by nearly 4 billion yuan.

Uncertain future

Despite such success stories, there is concern that science is not yet playing a part in the Chinese economy in the way that Hu Jintao had hoped. There have been lots of the incremental improvements, but not yet an innovation that changes the market. Initiatives aimed at encouraging more innovation are beginning to show signs of success. The government says that there are now at least 81 million people in China who work in science and technology. But researchers and analysts say there is no guarantee that even successful programmes will continue without substantial change.

Cong says that the nature of Chinese science policy means that change is never far away. Based on Li's statements at the 2016 National People's Congress, the 38 CICs are unlikely to be immune. The Ministry of Education may already be trying to put the premier's words into practice, says Cong. This means that there could soon be different programmes put into place, he says.

For now the CICCSE is still receiving strong support from the ministry, which is responsible for the CIC programme. But Yao agrees that there is a risk that new policies, such as those put forward at this year's National People's Congress, and President Xi Jinping's efforts to create his own policy legacy, could mean the programme is superseded or significantly altered in coming years. This may not signal an end to the support for existing centres, but it could mean the central government introduces an updated version, perhaps rebranding the CICs as national laboratories.

The assessment of CICs should focus on how well the expected objectives are achieved.

The assessment of CICs should focus on how well the expected objectives are achieved; in other words, how well the centres address the major issues in science, technology and economic development, says Yao. Yao is confident about CICCSE's future. By the end of 2015, he points out, the centres' researchers boasted not only hundreds of patents but also 295 contributions to high-quality journals.
You may look fancy flaunting your new Prada bag, but did you know that this highly coveted luxury item has a brutal past? A PETA investigation has revealed the dark secret behind South Africa's luxury bag industry, showing how juvenile ostriches are sacrificed in the process.

In a blog post from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), investigators from the animal rights group went on an undercover mission to South Africa. The result: a never-before-seen footage inside the ostrich farms that cater to high-end luxury bags for Hermes, Prada, Louis Vuitton and other European fashion companies.

West Cape in South Africa houses the biggest ostrich farms and slaughter houses in the region. From feather dusters, boas and other accessories, these companies butcher every part of an ostrich to utilize it for consumer use. Some of the animals' feathers are even plucked out while they are still alive, and are then used for costumes in Moulin Rouge or Mardi Gras.

"They would never tell you where their bags' skin come from...But we are the one who supply for the best luxury groups, yeah. LVMH, Hermes," says an anonymous interview from Klein Karoo, a slaughterhouse in the area. "They don't want us to tell but Hermes, yes for sure. For the Birkin in ostrich, it's always Klein Karoo."

The video shows dead ostriches dangling upside down covered in blood while a farm worker explains that the animal's most lucrative part is the skin on its back.

"This is where the money is made...this goes into a handbag or pair of shoes or whatever," says the worker in the video.

Meanwhile, the skin of three-year-old baby ostriches are turned into wallets, belts, etc. PETA notes that these chicks normally stay with their mother for three years. However, in production farms, they would never even get a chance to meet their parents.

"Smart, sensitive and curious young ostriches are treated like victims in a horror film simply because someone wants a bumpy Birkin bag or a pockmarked Prada purse," said PETA Managing Director Ingrid Newkirk.
The world feels the love from Coca-Cola. The company announced that they've achieved having replenished back to nature and the community the equivalent of all the water used in production. This marks the first time a Fortune 500 company has achieved a water replenishing feat of this magnitude.

According to a press release sent to Nature World News from DecPR, Australia's Coca-Cola water replenishment contribution was accomplished through Project Catalyst. The project is a partnership between the global company, 78 Queensland cane growers and other major program partners Reef Catchments, Catchment Solutions, NQ Dry Tropics, Terrain Natural Resource Management, the Australian Government and the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).

For Coca-Cola, Project Catalyst set out to balance the equivalent of 100 percent of the water used in the company's beverages in Australia, specifically "return" it to the Great Barrier Reef through the implementation of agricultural innovations, such as targeted soil analysis, digital mapping and precision farming practices in sugarcane production. An assessment validated by LimnoTech and Deloitte and conducted in association with The Nature Conservancy revealed that the Coca-Cola system gave back roughly 191.9 billion liters of water in 2015, which is about 115 percent of the total water used in Coca-Cola production in that year.

"Achieving this global milestone is a moment of pride for Coca-Cola and our partners," Roberto Mercade, Coca-Cola South Pacific President, said. "A goal that started as aspiration in 2007 is today a reality and, from a local perspective, we are thrilled that Australia can contribute so significantly. Responsible water use today and tomorrow remains a key focus for us - our water stewardship work is unfinished and through partnerships like Project Catalyst, we look forward to continuing this important work."

The ultimate goal of Project Catalyst is to test and promote more sustainable sugar cane farming practices, reduce agricultural pollution and improve the quality of more than 150 billion liters of water flowing into the Great Barrier Reef. It is now in its seventh year and have already improved runoff and drainage water quality of an estimated 150 billion liters of water.

Additional funding for the initiative has also been confirmed. Coca-Cola Foundation has committed AUD$655,000 earmarked for 2017, while the Department of the Environment and Energy is setting aside a AUD$3 million grant for the project, among others.

Meanwhile, fellow soda company Pepsi Co. is also making a mark in water sustainability. According to a report from Water World, the company was able to reduce its operational water use per unit of production by 26 percent compared to 2006.
Chicago, in partnership with researchers at the University of Chicago, Argonne National Library and other companies, has started building what looks like a fitness tracker to check the vitals of the metropolis.

According to a report from USA Today, the first two of the planned 500 modular sensor boxes were installed last week. The said device will allow the public and the city to get information about the current noise level, air quality and traffic in surrounding areas.

Apart from the above mentioned, it can also measure barometric pressure, surface and air temperature, vibration, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, etc. The beehive-looking device will be installed in light posts fitted with two cameras for data collection.

It will be viewed as a utility -- the same way view our street lights and the way we view our buses. They are there for us and they help us get through the city more easily. They are just part of our everyday life," said Chicagos chief information officer Brenna Berman.

The pioneer project called Array of Things is backed by a $3.1 million grant from the National Science Founation. Berman explains that they aim to embed this system or "fitness tracker" to Chicago residents, resulting to new services and policies in five years' time.

What it means for the city is if we know there are pockets of poor air, we can work with environmentalists and community groups to improve air quality in those areas of the city that need that focus," Berman explained.

FOX 32 notes that despite the promise of the new technology, there has been a slight public concern with regard to privacy, but majority of the locals support it.

"We're all being watched one way or another so I have no problem with it, one city resident told the outlet.

The data from the sensors could be accessed not only by scientists and other institutions but the public as well to improve the quality of life in the area. There are currently 50 sensors being installed on light poles, and completion of installation is targeted by 2018.
Next time you're trying to trick your pup, think twice. It turns out dogs can understand people better than we thought. A new study looked closer at the way canines process speech and discovered that dogs get both words and intonation, and that they're more similar to humans than initially believed.

"During speech processing, there is a well-known distribution of labor in the human brain," Attila Andics, lead author and ethologist at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, explained in a report from Motherboard. "It is mainly the left hemisphere's job to process word meaning, and the right hemisphere's job to process intonation."

She continues, "The human brain not only separately analyzes what we say and how we say it, but also integrates the two types of information, to arrive at a unified meaning. Our findings suggest that dogs can also do all that, and they use very similar brain mechanisms."

Researchers were able to determine the findings by using an fMRI brain scanner to study the brain activity and stimuli of 13 different dogs. While inside the fMRI, a trainer spoke praise and neutral words in varying intonations as the scientists looked for activity in the brain regions that could suggest the differentiation of praise and neutral words, and praise and neutral intonations.

The team found that -- like humans -- meaningful words were processed in the dogs' left hemisphere. When it comes to identifying tone and pitch, it would be the right hemisphere. The dogs reward center only gets triggered when praise words were spoken in a praising intonation, suggesting that dogs have a better grasp of speech than most people think.

"It shows that for dogs, a nice praise can very well work as a reward, but it works best if both words and intonation match," Andics said. "So dogs not only tell apart what we say and how we say it, but they can also combine the two, for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant."

The study was published in Science. It is the first ever to look at how the brains of dogs process speech, according to Time.
Tasmanian devils have been dealing with a particularly nasty form of cancer for around 20 years, but recent studies reveal there may be hope for these animals as nature takes its course.

DFTD and its Impact on Tasmanian Devil Population

According to a report from Discover Magazine, the nearly 100 percent fatal and highly contagious Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) wiped out about 80 percent of the species' numbers in just over 20 years. Distinguished by red oozing facial tumors, the cancer kills its victims within six months of transmission.

The incredibly rapid spread of DFTD among tasmanian devils are also due to the creatures' violent nature. Known for biting each other on the face during encounters, this activity created the perfect situation to transmit the infection as quickly and efficiently as possible.

In fact, the tasmanian devil populations on the eastern part of the island should have already dwindled to extinction. However, contratry to what's expected, the little devil is evolving.

Adapting to Combat Deadly Cancer

With samples from 294 tasmanian devils from three different populations, all of which were collected by biologist Menna Jones of the University of Tasmania, a team of international scientists found that two regions in the genomes of the animal are actually changing since the emergence of DFTD.

These changes suggest that the immune system may be adapting to recognize the cancer. The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.

"Our study suggests hope for the survival of the Tasmanian devil in the face of this devastating disease," Andrew Storfer from Washington State University explained in a report from EurekAlert. "Ultimately, it may also help direct future research addressing important questions about the evolution of cancer transmissibility and what causes remission and reoccurrence in cancer and other diseases."

A Separate Cancer Discovered?

Despite the devil seemingly being able to evolve to survive DFTD, researchers found in 2015 that there is a second strain of the disease detected in eight of the species from southeast Tasmania. While this may seem like a huge blow to the species' progress in evolving to fight the disease, Storfer says that this might mean the devils have already dealt with this cancer in the past.

"Maybe they are just prone to transmissible cancers like this," Storfer pointed out. "Perhaps they've been through this before, and though devastating, they will make it again."
Norwegian national park officials reported that a lightning at a national park killed more than 300 wild reindeer

According to National Geographic, a total of 323 carcasses were found in the Hardangervidda National Park where the largest number of wild reindeer resides in the 8,000 square kilometers (3,088 square miles) space. The reindeer population in the park is estimated at 10,000 to 11,000 wild reindeer.

The dead animals were found by an agency inspector working at the Norwegian Environment Agency after a storm that occurred during the weekend. It is suspected that the herd was killed by a single stroke of lightning that happened last weekend. The same inspector also saw five reindeer still alive, but they had to euthanize it.

Pictures released by the Norwegian Environment Agency show that the reindeer seem to have fallen over from the mountain plateau of Hardanggervida. It is also possible that due to the severe thunderstorm, the reindeer huddled together up in the highest part of the park called Hardanggervida, where they were stroke by lightning.

In an article on CNN, Kjartan Knutsen, agency's spokesperson, said that they have never experienced such a large number of dead reindeer before. He even said that even though there are cases of wild animals getting killed by lightning, the agency has never seen that many animals killed at once.

According to Knutsen, they usually don't remove dead wild animals from the wild, but the agency is already thinking of other options of moving them because of the amount of carcasses. The agency also has started getting samples from the dead reindeer for a health survey. Knutsen also said they know that these reindeer was killed by lightning but this testing is for science.

It is not relatively new for a group of animals to be hit by lightning and die because of it. In an article posted by National Geographic, Steve Goodman, a scientist with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Satellite Service said, "I've heard of groups of cow [getting killed] when it strikes the ground," He added, "The lightning can spread for hundreds and hundreds of meters, for sure."

Goodman added that Norway is not much prone to ruthless lightning. In fact, southern Norway witness "fewer than one lightning strike per square kilometre" based in the satellite data from NASA's Global Hydrology Research Center.
For weeks, a massive manatee was spotted hanging out in Cape waters. However, as cooler temperatures arrive in fall, wildlife experts say that Cape Cod's strange visitor might be in danger.

According to CapeCod.com, the manatee was spotted in the area since mid-August. Sightings of the animal include Oyster Pond in Chatham and Dowses Beach in Osterville, as confirmed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The said manatee is eight feet long and weighs about 1,500 pounds. Manatees or sea cows are common in southern waters such as the coast of Florida and southeastern U.S.

CS Monitor notes that spotting a manatee in the Cape Cod area is actually a rare occurrence. This is only the third manatee sighting in the area since 2008, and experts are unsure why these sea creatures are swimming farther north.

Experts warn that the manatee visitor in Cape Cod may be in danger as cooler waters come in. Manatees could not survive in temperatures colder than 68 degrees F as they have small amounts of body fat to trap heat.

Also, exposure to lower temperature than what their body could take may result to the inability of these animals to feed, resulting to death.

Were hoping, best case, that this animal starts to head south on its own and make its way back to warmer water in good time. But if it does stay in the area and water temperatures start to change there are a number of options, which of which could potentially be a capture," said Jane Hoppe, Assistant Stranding Coordinator for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

As of the moment, boaters in Cape Cod are advised to keep an eye on the manatee and steer clear of it while in the water. The US Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct a rescue operation on the animal soon.
Following two strong tremors, fear about the eruption of Iceland's biggest volcano rises. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, two earthquakes measuring 4.6 and 4.5 magnitude shook the crater of Katla on Monday.

Iceland Review notes that the tremors are the strongest to hit the crater since 1977. With 20 eruptions recorded since the year 930, Katla remains one of the country's most-feared volcanoes. Of the total number of eruptions, only 18 managed to penetrate the ice cap covering the central crater of the volcano.

The ice cap delays the lava flow in case of eruption by containing lava for up to a few minutes when eruption occurs. Experts note that the volcano, which stands at 1,500 meters, usually erupts every 50 years. Its last noted eruption occurred in 1918, causing hazardous flooding and ash fall.

Even so, volcanic activities have been observed for the past years.

"The last large eruption in Katla was in 1918, but in the meantime there have been three events that indicate volcanic activity underneath the glacier. First in 1995, then in 1999 and most recently in 2011 when a glacial flood in Mulakvisl river took out a bridge on the main road," Dr. Pall Einarsson, professor at the University of Iceland Institute of Earth Sciences told Iceland Monitor.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office and Scientists at the University of Iceland Institute of Earth Sciences have been monitoring the volcano. Although they said eruption is imminent, they cannot eliminate the idea that it may explode anytime.

"Such summertime increases in seismicity are common at Katla and the ongoing activity within the caldera is similar to summertime unrest observed in 2012 and 2014," the meteorological office confirmed to CNN. "Measurements around Katla are not detecting signs of increased ground deformation or seismic tremor, both of which could be indicators of magma movement."

Meanwhile, another volcano named Hekla is also being monitored and can also erupt anytime.
Warmer waters and overfishing are prime reasons that fish stocks will be significantly lessened in the future, putting coastal communities that depend on the oceans for food at risk.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia and published Tuesday in the journal Fish and Fisheries found that if fishing in the high seas ceased, fish in coastal waters could increase by up to 10 percent. High seas include all open water that is not owned by a country and make up about two thirds of the ocean or nearly half of the planet's surface.

"Many important fish stocks live in both the high seas and coastal waters. Effective management of high seas fisheries could benefit coastal waters in terms of productivity and help reduce climate change impacts," lead author and associate professor and director of science of the Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries William Cheung said in a release.

Using computer models, the scientists looked at three different fishing management scenarios and the predicted catch of 30 important fish in each scenario. The scenarios included no change to fishing in the high seas, international cooperation to manage the amount of fishing in the high seas and banning fishing in the high seas.

International cooperation and a fishing ban both indicated more fish available in coastal communities to sustain livelihoods and food supplies. Tropical countries especially would benefit, as many are heavily reliant on coastal fishing.

If current trends continue, countries in the South Pacific, Indo-Pacific, West African coast and west coast of central America will possibly see their supply of fish cut by up to 30 percent. Strong action is required to ensure a stable future for these vulnerable communities.

The high seas are also facing widespread pollution problems, most notably floating junk yards comprised mainly of plastic.
Saturn's ring has always been mysterious. Over the years, it continues to baffle scientists and astronomers with strange gaps, warps and glow that pulls in the interest of many enthusiasts. Recently, a bright white spot glows on top of Saturn's B ring, as captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

The mysterious glow on Saturn's B ring caught the interest of the scientific community when the Cassini spacecraft observing Saturn and its moons captured the image. The image clearly shows a glowing spot on its B ring.

A spot on Saturn's B ring appears to be sparkling or glowing in the image taken by Cassini. The mysterious "glow," or surge, is hard to disregard from the image. However, experts say that there is nothing unusual, as the glow is only an optical illusion caused by the Sun's alignment with Cassini.

Experts from NASA say that when the Sun is positioned behind Cassini, it creates an "opposition surge" that makes a part of its B ring glow. When an "opposite surge" occurs, a certain part of the ring will appear brighter than the rest.

"An opposition surge occurs when the sun is directly behind the observer looking toward the rings," a NASA official said in a press release.

The opposition causes the shadows of the ring particles to position opposite of the Sun, creating a glow that can be seen from the Cassini spacecraft. The electric and magnetic field also play a role in the formation of the "opposition surge." Both the electric and magnetic field of the scattered radiation move and fluctuate in sync rather than cancelling out, according to a report.

This creates the optical illusion captured in the photo. This is not the only optical illusion captured by Cassini. Earlier this year, Saturn's ring appeared as if it was bent due to the movement of light.

The Cassini spacecraft took the image of the glow on Saturn's ring on June 26 at a distance of about 940,000 miles away from the planet.
Germany-based researchers were able to reconstruct the deadly Justinian plague that killed off almost 15 percent of the world's population throughout the Byzantine Empire. The researchers were also able to pinpoint the bacterium responsible for the death of approximately 50 million people.

Their findings, published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, suggests that the bacterium, known as Yersinia pestis, that wreck havoc during the Justinian plague between the 6th and 8th centuries BCE is the same one that is responsible for the Black Death during the 1300s.

"Our research confirms that the Justinianic plague reached far beyond the historically documented affected region and provides new insights into the evolutionary history of Yersinia pestis, illustrating the potential of ancient genomic reconstructions to broaden our understanding of pathogen evolution and of historical events," explained research colleague Michal Feldman in a statement.

For the study, the researchers generated the first high-coverage genome of the bacterial agent responsible for the Justinian plague using the DNA of Yersinia pestis recovered from sixth century skeletons in Altenerding, an ancient southern German burial site near Munich.

Their new sequence of the Yersinia pestis bacterium revealed 30 newly identified mutations and structural rearrangement unique to the Justinian strain, in addition to correcting 19 false positive mutations. Three of those are located in nrdE, fadJ and pcp genes, which are critical to the plague's ability to make people sick.

Their study suggests that the strain of the bacterium is more genetically diverse than what is previously thought. The researchers were still baffled how and why the pathogen disappeared in the 8th century, only to re-emerge in Germany in the 1300s.

With the help of these findings, researchers could now have an important historic, high-quality reference resource that can be used to analyze the key evolutionary changes, adaptation and human impact of plague, which is considered to be a re-emerging infectious disease in certain regions.
One of the cutest animals in the U.S. is on the verge of disappearing and habitat loss due to climate change is the culprit.

Live Science reports that the American Pikas are small herbivores known as taluses and usually live in the rocky slopes across the West's mountain ranges. The pikas' numbers are now slowly dwindling, a new research reveals.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a study to understand how factors of climate change affect the habitat of this species to survive. This journal shows that the authors of the study performed surveys on American Pikas (Ochotona princeps). The researchers studied these adorable pikas from 2012 to 2015.

In the study, researchers found out that the decline of pikas' population in the area is caused by the changes in their habitats, which are now drier and hotter in summer. During a harsher winter, the species' burrows are not protected due to less snow.

"It is certainly clear that changes we have observed in pika distribution are primarily governed by climate, given that nearly all of our climate-related predictions have been borne out," study lead author Erik Beever, a research ecologist at the USGS, said in a statement.

The survey also reveals a sad reality that in Zion National Park in Utah, there are no sightings of American pikas since 2011. Meanwhile, only a quarter is left in Cedar Breaks National Park in Utah, while there are only 11 out of 29 confirmed habitats of pikas are found in northeastern California.

In an article posted in The Guardian, the research proves that climate change is indeed posing a real risk to the animal, according to Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity in Arizona. He also mentioned that the research can now help those who petitioned for the American pikas to be declared endangered. By putting them under this list, there is still a chance for the future generations to see these adorable animals in the mountains.

"It's gotta be one of the cutest animals in North America. It's like a cross between a bunny rabbit and prairie dog," Greenwald said.

Even President Barack Obama mentioned the pika's predicament during his talks in Yosemite National Park last June this year. Even though the study does not state how many American pika are in the country, the animals still thrive in some areas including Columbia River Gorge in Oregon and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Still it wasn't encouraging.

"It's not that they've just moved, they are gone all together," Beever said, The Guardian reports.
More than 100 animals were rescued by the Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CCSPCA) after being alerted of their harsh conditions in a no-kill animal shelter in Orange Cove.

After receiving a tip, officials from the CCSPCA paid a visit to Noah's Friends Animal Sanctuary. During their visit, they discovered that animals living in the shelter were severely neglected. Many of them are extremely malnourished and infested with parasite. Furthermore, many are living in small crates with no food or water.

According to the report from The Fresno Bee, a total of 132 dogs and three cats were seized on the site. All the rescued animals are being checked by veterinary staffs of CCSCPA. Additional medical treatment will be conducted to the animals that are in dire need.

CCSPCA are also planning to file a case to the Fresno County District Attorney's office against the Noah's Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Due to the large number animals coming in at once, CCSPCA is asking for financial assistance to give the rescued dogs and cats with outmost medical treatment and care. Some of the rescued animals may require weeks of treatment and would most likely to recover faster in a foster home environment.

Donations could be made through their website or through mail at 103 S. Hughes Ave., Fresno, California 93706. People who want to volunteers or wants to be foster parents could inquire at their office or visit their website.

CCSCPA is the leading non-profit, animal welfare organization in California's Central Valley. Founded in 1946, CCSPCA is contracted by the City of Fresno to perform the Animal Control and Leash Law services.

Additional services they offer include Adoptions, Rescue, Foster Care, Owner Surrenders, Outreach, Humane Education, Veterinary Services, Spay/Neuter programs, and Pet Services. Furthermore, CCSPCA offers free ambulance service and shelter to lost or stray animals within the City of Fresno.


WASHINGTON (Gray DC)  Native Alaskans have been dealing with land allotments more than forty years. Dating back to the early 1970s, Alaska natives were told they were entitled to 160 acres of land. However, the deadline to apply for the land fell during a time when many Alaskans were serving the country during the Vietnam War.

They were serving their country at a time when a lot of Americans were avoiding military service, said Republican Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan. He says nearly 3,000 natives missed the deadline, but its not their fault.

Theres no Internet-- if you werent in Alaska you almost certainly didnt know how to apply for our allotment.

Sullivan drafted legislation more than one year ago that would cover those who missed the deadline. It would allow them to apply for the land he says theyre entitled to.

Ric Davidge of the Alaska Veterans Foundation says that some people who originally applied for the land back in the 70s still havent gotten their land. Those who were serving he says, are enormously frustrated.

Davidge believes many people would use their land to build homes and cabins, and they would acquire land theyve already used.

Most of them dont go out and find something theyve never been to before.

The bill has not made it out of the Senates Energy and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by fellow Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski. Sullivan says he is considering bringing the bill to the Veterans Affairs Committte.

The Obama Administration is opposed to the bill. We reached out for comment but never heard back.
Google is preparing to expand a San Francisco carpooling program in a move that could that could set up a showdown with its one-time ally, the popular ride-hailing service Uber.

The plans will build upon a test service that Google's navigation app Waze launched three months ago in the Bay Area.

The program allows anyone using the Waze app to offer a ride to a limited pool of people trying to get to work or home.

Now, only people working at six companies, including Google, Wal-Mart Stores and Adobe Systems, can request rides. The tests have worked well enough to encourage Waze to move into the next phase and allow anyone in the Bay Area with its app to request a ride by the end of this year, spokeswoman Julie Mossler said.

Inviting more people to hitch rides could undercut Uber, which allows people to request drivers who provide a taxi service using their own cars.

Unlike Uber, Waze isn't trying to make money for itself or the drivers offering to share a ride.

Instead, Waze sets a variable fee of up to 54 cents per mile to reimburse the drivers for gasoline and maintenance on their vehicles. The riders pay that fee.

Waze also limits trips to a rider's work or home, with a maximum of two trips per day. Although riders can request a ride at any time, Waze is focusing the service on providing trips during peak commute times in the mornings and evenings. Only one rider is allowed per vehicle.

In contrast, Uber touts its around-the-clock service as a way for its drivers to make a decent living or supplement their incomes. Uber also hopes to eventually turn a profit itself to justify its financial backers' belief that the privately held company is worth more than $60 billion.

Google, now a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., was among Uber's early investors. It invested $258 million in Uber in 2013.

But the two companies now appear headed down a road more likely to make them foes than friends. Things already have become tense enough to prompt David Drummond, Alphabet's senior vice president of corporate development, to resign from Uber's board because of potential conflicts with Google's ambitions in transportation.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick confirmed Drummond's departure from the board Monday in a statement that described him as a sage adviser and great personal friend. Kalanick also said he looked forward to ``continued cooperation and partnership'' with Alphabet.

Uber declined to comment Tuesday on the planned expansion of Waze's carpooling service in one of its biggest markets.

Besides testing the Waze carpooling service, Google has been building self-driving cars for the past seven years. Uber is now designing its own robot-powered vehicles and is using some of the autonomous cars to provide rides in Pittsburgh.

Google has previously gone to battle with its former allies. In the most prominent instance, then-CEO Eric Schmidt served on Apple's board for three years, but stepped down in 2009 as Google's Android operating system for smartphones began undercut sales of Apple's iPhone. Before he died in 2011, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told his biographer that he believed Google had stolen ideas conceived for the iPhone's software to create Android.
A Marin County school district held a community meeting Tuesday night to address concerns about drugs in schools.

The meeting came in the wake of a party bus incident in Larkspur in June, where 34 kids ages 15 to 17 were on board along with drugs, alcohol and pills.

"I'm nervous for my girl, the culture that she is growing up in," said Laurie Dubin. "It's rampant; drugs and alcohol are rampant. We don't have drug-free schools, we have drug infested schools."

Tired of teen partying, Dubin started a group called Be the Influence, organizing parents who agree not to give their kids access to drugs and alcohol.

"I think parents want to be friends, not parents," Dubin said. "They want their kids to be popular. Or as long as they get straight A's, they think it's a right of passage."

It's the kind of exposure the public health department says can be a life-changing mistake.

The earlier in life someone is exposed to alcohol and opioids the more likely they will have life long dependency, public health officials say.

Teens also were at the table Tuesday night. Tyler Macdonald, 18, is looking for solutions.

"There's not a lot of fun things to do except go party and do something stupid," Macdonald said. "That's why I'm here. It's important to find other things for teens to do in the community."

Ideas and concerns generated at Tuesday night's meeting will be taken to a youth summit. Then all the information will be used to help develop a strategy aiming to prevent teen drug and alcohol use in Marin County schools.
Police officers tend to be on the receiving end of thank-yous for their efforts in deescalating criminal activity, but an unlikely Samaritan turned the tides in Orinda.

Jason Dewitt, a private investigator, was sipping on a cup of coffee at a nearby restaurant when he noticed an officer entangled in a violent struggle with a thief one afternoon nearly two weeks ago.

"I saw the suspect swing on the officer and that's when they both kind of went to the ground," Dewitt said.

Dewitt jumped into the scuffle, managed to grab the suspect's free hand and complete the handcuffing.

Prior to Dewitt's arrival, Officer Joe Ladner chased after the suspicious man, who had just left a CVS store. The store has been the target of a rash of shoplifiting recently, police said.

Ladner demanded that the 49-year-od suspect stop running.

The suspect promptly stopped, cocked his fist and punched the officer in the face. Both parties then engaged in a physical brawl and the suspect repeatedly refused the officer's arrest attempt.

Dewitt ran to see if Ladner needed help. The officer told him to help control the suspect so that he can take him into custody.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office expressed gratitude to Dewitt in the form of a personal letter.

"The actions you took were nothing less than selfless and courageous," Shawn Welch, President of the Contra County Deputy Sheriff's Association, said in the letter. "Your actions are an incredible reminder of our community's appreciation and support for our services."

In addition to helping the destressed officer, Welch also applauded Dewitt for preventing any further harm to the suspect.

NBC Bay Area's Elyce Kirchner contributed to this report.
California state lawmakers have passed a bill inspired by the Brock Turner sexual assault case, and proponents hope, if signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, it will close a loophole that allowed Turner to get a light sentence.

Turner, the former Stanford University swimmer, is set to be released from Santa Clara Countys main jail on Friday after spending just three months behind bars for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman after a fraternity party on the Stanford campus.

It's that sentence that inspired legislators to propose a new law.

After a jury convicted Turner, Judge Aaron Persky could have sent Turner to prison for 10 years. Instead, Persky sentenced him to six months in jail. Turner is being released early for good behavior, a standard reduction for all inmates.

On Monday, the state Assembly unanimously passed Assembly Bill 2888, which would make prison time mandatory for anyone convicted of sexually assaulting a person who is unconscious or too intoxicated to give consent.

Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, co-authored the bill.

"We cant go back and change the ridiculously light sentence, but we can make sure that the next Brock Turner is sent away for a much longer time," Low said.

The YWCA Silicon Valley in San Jose runs a rape crisis center to assist victims of sexual assult. Leaders there hope the proposed legislation can make a difference.

"We hope it encourages more victims to come forward," said Tanis Crosby, CEO of YWCA Silicon Valley. "Survivors need to have confidence that there will be an equitable justice system."

The American Civil Liberties Union opposes the bill, saying that mandatory minimum sentences "have increased racial disparities in sentencing with more people of color going to prison for more time."

When Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen sponsored the bill in June, he questioned why, under the law, sexual assault of an unconscious woman would be any less terrible than assaulting a consicous woman.

Brown has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bill.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson has filed termination charges for five Chicago police officers involved in the Laquan McDonald shooting following a report from the Inspector Generals office.

According to charging documents revealed Tuesday, officers Jason Van Dyke, Daphne Sebastian, Janet Mondragon, Ricardo Viramontes and Stephen Franko face administrative charges as the case moves to the Chicago Police Board.

Van Dyke, the officer who shot McDonald, has also been charged with first-degree murder by Cook County prosecutors. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is expected to commence next year.

Van Dyke shot 17-year-old McDonald 16 times in 2014. Dashcam footage of the shooting, which appears to contradict the police account of what happened, was made public late last year and sparked outrage and protests nationwide.

Five officers now face administrative charges, including making a false report. Four are accused of disobeying an order. It wasn't immediately clear if the Chicago police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, had a comment about the charges.

According to the documents, Van Dyke is accused of giving false official reports, including his allegation that McDonald raised a knife across his chest and pointed it at the officer, that McDonald attempted to kill him, and that Van Dyke was moving backwards when he fired the 16 fatal shots. Those contentions were contradicted by the dashcam video released by Chicago Police last fall, which showed McDonald apparently walking away from officers when he was fatally shot.

The remaining four officers, Janet Mondragon, Daphne Sebastian, Ricardo Viramontes, and Sgt. Stephen Franko, face charges of making false reports about what they saw on the street that night.

Among the charges:

Sebastian is accused of reporting that McDonald advanced on Officers Jason Van Dyke and Joseph Walsh while waving a knife despite orders to "drop the kinfe." The statement also said McDonald "continued to move after he fell to the ground, or words to that effect," documents show.

The charges against Mondragon say she was either lying or gave misleading statements when she said she was looking down while putting her squad car in park, and did not witness the shooting.

Viramontes allegedly said McDonald turned toward Officers Van Dyke and Walsh and after he fell to the ground McDonald attempted to get back up with the knife still in his hand.

Franko is accused of claiming McDonald's actions constituted an assault and said McDonald attempted to stab or cut Van Dyke and another officer.

Several of the officers were also charged with mishandling the Departments new recording equipment.

The charges follow a report from the Inspector General's office recommending 10 officers in the case that has made national headlines be fired.

Of that 10, three have since retired and one resigned after Tuesday's charges were filed. The department is also disputing that one of the officers should be fired.

"CPD is committed to ensuring the highest levels of integrity, accountability and professional standards for all members of the Police Department. After considerable deliberation and a methodical review of the evidence presented by the Office of inspector General, we have filed termination charges against the affected officers for giving false statements during the investigation into the Laquan McDonald incident," the department said in a statement. "This matter will be now adjudicated before the Chicago Police Board and the Department continues to cooperate with the ongoing criminal investigations into this incident."

The names of the officers who had already retired by Tuesday have not been released, but two high-ranking officers retired earlier this month. Those officers include First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante, who accepted a position as the chief of police for Northeastern Illinois University, and Deputy Chief David McNaughton.

McNaughton is the Chicago police officer who signed off on the report that initially cleared Officer Jason Van Dyke in McDonald's shooting.

As for the one officer the department decided against firing, CPD said in a statement that "there is sufficient doubt" she made statements attributed to her in official CPD reports.

"An analysis has shown that there is insufficient evidence to prove that she willfully made any false statement," the statement read. "Due to the ongoing criminal and administrative investigations, we cannot comment any further."

In addition to the Police Board matter, the Cook County States Attorneys Office is conducting a separate inquiry, and the United States Department of Justice is in the midst of a wide-ranging investigation of the entire Chicago Police Department.
Video of a child being thrown from a railroad bridge in Washington State last week has sparked outrage and a law enforcement investigation.

No arrests have been made, but the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office is recommending charges of reckless endangerment both for the boy's mother and the man who tossed the child into the Wynoochee River, west of Olympia Wednesday, about 3 p.m. PT, Sheriff Rick Scott told NBC Tuesday.

A witness captured video of the incident and posted it to Facebook, where it has more than a half-million views. It shows the boy tumbling through the air below the red trestle before splashing into the river. Scott confirmed the video showed the incident.

"As soon as he hit the water, my heart sank, I felt so bad, I didn't know what to do," Kaylub Fawley, who shot the video in Montesano, told NBC affiliate KING.

The child did not sustain any injuries, Scott said, noting that he landed on his back.

"We did call aid to go out there and confirm, and he was fine," Scott said.

Witnesses and those involved got into an altercation afterward, and deputies arrived within minutes, Scott said.

He said the mother is 22 and the man who threw the child into the water is 35. The adults are not being named pending action from the prosecutor's office, which could bring charges.

The adults claim they didn't know each other until that day, and that the 4-year-old had wanted to jump off the bridge like the other grown-ups, according to Scott.

The Grays Harbor county prosecutor wasn't immediately available for comment.
A blind man taken from his family and left to die in a home with no water or electricity has been reunited with his family in Chicago.

Erskine Adams, 57, went for a ride with a family friend 8 years ago, but that friend took Adams out of state--to Kentucky--and collected his disability payments. His family says they notified the police but got no leads. Erskine says he spent most of his time confined to a basement.

They would never let me go, they kept me there for my money, Adams told NBC5. I slept on the floor for eight years.

But three weeks ago police heard his cries for help and found him. Police took him to a homeless shelter where workers made it their mission to find his family on Facebook in Chicago.

When I got that phone call  I just said could I hear his voice  I want to know if thats him, Keisha Adams, Erskine's niece, said through tears.

Police in Kentucky say theyre still looking for the family friend who took Adams from Chicago and collected his disability payments. As for Adams, hes glad to be free again.

Im so happy to be home, he said.
After Terrance Meredith shot his fiancee in front of their 10-year-old daughter, he tried to persuade the girl that her mother was just playing, Cook County prosecutors said.

But then the victim, who had fallen onto the bed, started making gagging noises, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

So this time, 43-year-old Meredith allegedly told his daughter something else: That hed have to kill her, too, since she was a witness.

The girl convinced Meredith she was on his side and he eventually ordered her to go to bed at their Roseland home.

But once Meredith closed the door to his bedroom, the girl ran out and went to her aunts house to tell her what had happened, Assistant States Attorney Erika Gilliam-Booker said at Merediths bond hearing Tuesday.

The fight early Monday between Meredith and 35-year-old Othijah Mooney grew so tense, at one point Mooney told the 10-year-old that she was going to go somewhere and wanted the girl to know she loved her and her siblings, Gilliam-Booker said.

The daughter first heard her parents arguing about 12:30 a.m. in the living room of the the home, in the 100 block of W. 112th Street. When she went to see what the commotion was about, the girl saw Meredith holding a butcher knife, Gilliam-Booker said.

The girl fled to Mooneys room and Mooney followed, locking the door behind her.

But Meredith was able to open the door with the knife and then went to get his toolbox where he was known to keep his gun, Gilliam-Booker said.

Meredith returned with the knife in his pants and soon he started demanding that Mooney give him the car keys while pointing the weapon at her head, Gilliam-Booker said.

Mooney, also known as Otha, went to look for the keys in her daughters room. Thats when she told the girl she loved her and that she was going to go somewhere, Gilliam-Booker said.

When Mooney came back to her room, Meredith allegedly continued demanding the car keys while waving the gun around. Eventually, something  possibly the gun magazine  fell from the weapon and Meredith bent down to pick it up, Gilliam-Booker said.

Mooney then went to reach for the gun. Mooney and Meredith struggled, and Mooney was shot, Gilliam-Booker said.

After the girl fled to her aunts home, the aunt called police; the aunt told officers her niece had told her that her dad had shot her mom, Merediths arrest report indicated.

When officers arrived at the home, Meredith told them Mooney was dead inside, the report said.

It appeared to officers that Mooneys body, which was in her bedroom, had been moved, Gilliam-Booker said, adding that there was a small handgun near her hand and a spent shell casing by her feet.

Meredith said the gun was his and police found 10 .25-caliber rounds in his front jacket pocket  rounds which matched the shell casing, Gilliam-Booker said. Merediths hands also have been tested for gunshot residue.

Assistant Public Defender Julie Koehler said Meredith, a Stagg High School graduate, has been a CTA maintenance worker for 20 years.

CTA officials werent immediately available for comment.

Judge James Brown ordered Meredith held without bond.
In the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has promised to change the Independent Police Review Authority, the agency that investigates police misconduct.

Aldermen have also demanded the agency be revamped, but they say the mayor wants a vote on the changes before they understand the details.

The IPRA has investigated 400 police shootings, finding all but two justified, before the fallout from the Laquan McDonald shooting.

When it comes to who will police the police, the new agency looks to have broad investigative powers.

"We're going to listen to each other, certain things we'll agree with each other, certain things we won't," Emanuel said.

Several reports say the new agency, the Civilian Office on Police Accountability, or COPA, will replace the IPRA. It will have its own inspector general chosen by the city's inspector general, Joe Ferguson, and approved by Chicago's City Council.

COPA will not be able to hire former police officers or prosecutors as investigators, unless they're five years removed from those offices.

5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston says that's not long enough.

"If we are really going to have a body that people can respect, Im not sure five years is the key because five years, I can still have relatives there and that could taint the process," she said.

Hairston and 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin will present an alternative to the mayor's plans. Other factors in police reform include a new police contract, the current investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, and a community oversight board.

"If you're good police officer, youre doing your work then this is not going to impact you at all, in fact this is going to give you some protections," Hairston said.

The mayor has yet to say what the agency's budget will be, and aldermen in turn say that a September vote is too soon.

"I'm not going to allow two weeks to be a stumbling block because weve built up a lot of good will," Emanuel said.

Even those who usually disagree with the mayor say his plans are a decent start, but aldermen want to see what kind of money is budgeted before they give it their stamp of approval.
After jumping off a stalled boat in Lake Michigan, an Illinois dogs family is happy to be reunited with their furry friend Monday after being found by campers in Michigan, NBC affiliate WPBN reports.

The dog, Rylee, a 10-month-old Blegian Malinois, and its owners Ed and Kristin Casas, were about six miles out from Frankfort on the lake Sunday morning, vacationing in Michigan.

Ed needed Kristins help to figure out their electrical trouble over the phone with their mechanic.

In retrospect, I remember her coming out here to see where I was going, Kristin told WPBN. My poor assumption was that she would go back into the cabin with her dad.

We assumed she went overboard, Ed said, who added that he made a dog overboard call, over the radio.

Fisherman and the Coast Guard helped search for Rylee but to no avail.

One of the fishermens wife, Lynn Fiedor, runs Lost Dog Search Team, and uses social media to share information about missing and lost dogs in the area.

Fiedor said after she posted information about Rylee to Facebook, more than 20,000 people saw it, instilling her with a sense of optimism.

On Monday morning, commenters said the dog was spotted near the Platte River Campground, so the Casas headed over and found her within 15 minutes, Ed said.

Rylee possibly swam close to six miles and traveled more than 12 miles on land, WPBN reported.

The Casas say they owe the safe return of their pup to Fiedor.

"We have a happy ending," Fiedor told WPBN. "And it's the reason we do what we do."
A new grand jury indictment accuses a 53-year-old suburban Chicago man of video recording minor boys having sex acts performed on them.

A statement from the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago says Douglas A. Willis, of Naperville, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to producing child pornography and to conspiracy to produce child pornography. Each of those two counts carries a minimum 10-year and maximum 20-year prison term.

The indictment alleges that Willis and an unnamed co-conspirator recruited boys under 18 in exchange for money.

It also says the boys would be given drugs and alcohol in an attempt to reduce their inhibitions. The court filing alleges that the conduct occurred between 1993 and continued at least until August 2001.

Court filings did not include the name of an attorney for Willis.
Residents of East Chicago, Indiana, say they and their children are sick because of lead poisoning in their housing complex. Their attorneys say they are questioning when the city of East Chicago and even the EPA knew about the contamination, and what they plan to do about it.

Im terrified actually. Ive been losing sleep over it, said Shantel Allen, who lives with her husband and their five children in the West Calumet Housing Complex, which her attorneys say is the epicenter of lead contamination. Mulch has been spread over most of the ground in the complex, in an effort to cover the soil that has been contaminated with lead, and to keep residents from breathing it in.

[Im] just wondering if my children will struggle in school, you know, with attention deficit disorder and things like that, just hoping nothing like that develops, she added.

Tikia Kings windows in the complex have been closed ever since environmental remediation teams dug up her lawn.

I didn't realize how intense the situation was. Nobody explained it, she said. Now she worries that her son Andrew, who spends much of his time in a wheelchair, was somehow affected by the lead in the soil around her home.

You wake up every morning not knowing what to do, where youre gonna go, she said. Can I get a house that is wheelchair accessible? Can I keep the same doctors? Speech therapists?

Attorneys for 85 children impacted by the contamination are investigating the source, as well as exactly when authorities knew about this problem.

When East Chicago says it had no knowledge of the contamination, the documents prove otherwise, said Allens attorney Barry Rooth.

But at an open house for residents impacted by the lead on Tuesday, the city's attorney said officials didn't know the extent of the contamination until May of this year.

That's the first time he was provided data that showed that the levels in West Calumet Park exceeded what is an acceptable level for residential, whats an acceptable level for basically any place where people or children are going to be, said Carla Morgan, an attorney for the city.

Allen said her family has been offered Section 8 vouchers to move out of the area, but the amount isnt enough to find a place nearby.
Bonnie Liltz prayed she would be released from prison.

I dont think I believed it right away. Its something I had been praying for and hoping for, Liltz said in her first interview since she walked free from behind bars.

Last week the Illinois Appellate Court granted bond for the Schaumburg mother who in 2015 gave her 28-year old disabled daughter Courtney a lethal overdose and thought she had given one to herself. The botched murder-suicide came as Liltz thought she was dying and didn't trust the system to take care of Courtney.

I still have nightmares and miss Courtney like crazy, she said. She was my whole life.

Liltz was sentenced to four years in prison by Judge Joel Greenblatt for the overdose death, even though prosecutors agreed probation was the appropriate sentence.

I have an enormous amount of respect for the judge presiding over Bonnies case," said William Beattie, one of her attorneys. I respectfully disagree with his decision on this.

Liltz was not, she said, prepared for the judges decision to put her behind bars.

So when the judge ruled that, I was devastated. Scared, said the frail 56-year old.

Liltz now waits on action by the Illinois Appellate Court, which could free her or uphold her sentence and send her back to prison.

Liltz is razor thin, with devastating intestinal and bowel issues from radiation for ovarian cancer in 1979. She suffers from incessant diarrhea. Entering prison she weighed 97-to-98 pounds. Upon her release after just a few months, she now weighs just 84 pounds.

It was love at first sight when Liltz first saw 2-year old Courtney at a state facility where she volunteered.

I just fell in love with her there, she recalled.

Courtney was a child who had twice been rejected, said Liltz's attorney Thomas Glasgow.

A child that her original birth mother did not want. That a subsequent adopt-a-family did not want, he said.

But Liltz did.

When I adopted Courtney I made a promise to the judge, to Courtney and to the Lord that I was going to be the best mom that I could for her," she said.

Courtney had specific health issues. She had seizures, needed feeding tubes and was in diapers.

But with Liltz, Courtney thrived.

Asked her best, warmest memory of her daughter, Liltz said it was the first time she heard the only word Courtney could speak.

I think the first time she said mama,' really cause we said she couldnt talk, Liltz said.

Her daughter eventually learned to use a computer and to feed herself, according to Liltz.

She was a happy girl, she said.

But on May 27, 2015 Liltz thought she was dying.

I was sweating, my heart was pounding, I had really bad diarrhea, she recalled.

And feared her daughter would end up in a state facility that could not adequately care for her.

I was praying to God, please give me some answers," Liltz said.

That's when she decided to give both herself and her daughter a lethal amount of medication, thinking the pair would both die. But only Liltz survived.

She was not trying to get away with anything, said Glasgow. She was trying to end her own life and protect the person that she loved the most.

This is the most unusual case I have ever worked on in my entire career. And as I have said before this is probably one of the saddest cases that I have ever worked on in my entire career, he added. This woman has lost the one thing in life that she cared about more than anything.

Asked what she would say to someone who does not see this as a unique case of the death of a child, Liltz said, "people are going to judge people."

People are going to have their opinion, but in my heart it wasnt murder," she said. "I mainly did it out of love for her because I didnt want her to end up the rest of her life living in a state facility and wondering where I am. To me, the only safe place was in Heaven.
Portraying a vote for her as a patriotic act, Hillary Clinton made a vigorous appeal to Republican voters Wednesday, arguing that she would best uphold American values, care for the military and protect national security interests.

At the American Legion's annual convention in Cincinnati, the Democratic presidential nominee called the United States an "exceptional nation," and accused Republican rival Donald Trump of thinking that approach is "insulting to the rest of the world."

"When we say America is exceptional, it doesn't mean that people from other places don't feel deep national pride just like we do," Clinton said. "It means that we recognize America's unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity."

She said America must be a leader in the world, "because when America fails to lead, we leave a vacuum."

The speech came as Trump made a last-minute trip to Mexico hours before he was to deliver a long-expected immigration speech. Clinton questioned the move, saying it "takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours."

Clinton, who has an edge in many state and national polls, has been aggressively courting Republicans and independents who won't vote for Trump but are still discomfited by her campaign.

She stressed to the American Legion her experience on the Senate Armed Services Committee and as secretary of state and noted her role in advising President Barack Obama on the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, saying she was "deeply honored" to take part.

The speech was touted as one that would emphasize "American exceptionalism," an idea that the U.S., as an "exceptional" world citizen, has a moral obligation to advance democracy in the world rather than imposing it against another country's will. The speech largely hewed to the theme of a country with a strong military and one that cares for its veterans  red meat to the American Legion audience.

Offering insight into her foreign policy, Clinton said "we can't cozy up to dictators, we have to stand up to them. We can't contain ISIS, we must defeat them and we will."

Clinton promised to invest in the military and support veterans, pledging not to privatize the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She said the United States must modernize the military and embrace new tactics, noting that the country should "treat cyberattacks just like any other attacks" and respond through economic, diplomatic and military means.

Emphasizing her respect for service, Clinton noted her work with Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, and said she would never insult prisoners of war or families of soldiers killed in combat, as Trump has.

More than once, Clinton explicitly called on Republicans to get on board  both to support her plans and to defeat Trump.

"I hope you will join the growing number of Americans  Democrats, Republicans and independents  who are supporting our vision for the kind of future we want for our country," Clinton said. "It truly is about who has the experience and temperament to serve as president and commander in chief."

Trump has pledged to "Make America Great Again" and restore the country to a time when, in his view, the U.S. was more prosperous and full of opportunity. Responding to Clinton's remarks, Matt Miller, director of Veterans for Trump, said in a statement that Clinton "is fundamentally unequipped to further the national security interests of the United States and stand up for our veterans."

Emphasizing her GOP support, Clinton's campaign rolled out another Republican endorsement Wednesday, that of James Clad, former deputy assistant secretary of defense under President George W. Bush.
Champlain College in Vermont is looking for more ways to be inclusive of the LGBT community, and theyre starting at orientation.

This year the school is passing out gender pronoun buttons that students can wear to let people know how they prefer to be referred to, according to the schools Director of News and Public Information Stephen Mease.

Its part of ongoing work to be more inclusive, Mease said by phone Wednesday.

The initiative was the brainchild of student leaders Danelle Berube, director of residential life, and student leaders. Students can select buttons with a variety of pronouns including he, she, xe, or they, or students can opt for a button that identifies them as gender fluid.

Berube said the pins were designed and produced by students, and student leaders wore them during orientation events. The initiative is brand new and the buttons were passed out at orientations which started on Friday.

The school has a number of students who are trans or who identify in a non-binary way, and school officials want to be sensitive to that.

"We wanted to set the stage for an inclusive environment," Berube said. She added that students who saw the pins started asking for them, and the trend is continuing nearly a week into classes.

The school also opened The Women and Gender Center this year, which Mease said is designed to be an area anyone, regardless of their gender identity, can use as a safe space to study or just hang out.

Were responding  students have been asking for this kind of center, Mease said.

Berube added that there are a variety of programs already available at Champlain, such as staff training and gender neutral housing. Recently a student created a video game that tackled the subject of bystander intervention and sexual violence that the school is using with first-year students.

Champlain has a male to female ration of 60-40, which Mease said is not the norm for higher education, where those numbers are generally flipped. Mease believes this is partially due to the majors offered, such as computer and game design, which were traditionally male professions. Mease said the new programs are meant to bring the conversations about gender and inclusion up front, and that the school is working to create an environmental that is welcoming in all aspects.

Berube said it shouldn't be hard for schools to tweak every day practices to create that welcoming environment.

"We didn't change anything else about orientation - all we did was make a fun button and now students are responding," she said.
Community Colleges around Connecticut expect to receive guidance in the coming weeks when it comes to the hiring of armed guards on their campuses.

The legislature allowed the Board of Regents that oversees all of the states colleges and universities except for UConn, to move forward with the process during the legislative session.

The schools will soon be allowed to hire security guards for their individual needs that would be armed.

Some campuses, like Naugatuck Valley Community College and Manchester Community College already have certified police that patrol their campuses.

Tunxis Community College in Farmington has a private security firm patrol its campus.

Cathryn Addy, the President of Tunxis Community College says before any decisions are made when it comes to beefing up security, she would want to hear from the entire campus community.

We have not yet discussed it as a campus and I dont want to do anything unilaterally so once we have that conversation well have a better vision of how to proceed in the future she said.

While Addy admits that safety is one of her biggest concerns, especially because Tunxis features such an open campus where anyone can walk on at any time, she examines the hiring of an armed security officer through a budgetary lens. She says there are many aspects that go into such a hire that cost money.

Its the 24/7 coverage. The training of the salaries of people who are POST certified individuals which they would have to be so they can be armed on a campus.

She added, We would have to decide what are we not going to do in order to afford to implement this kind of a program so that might be a choice between hiring faculty or hiring armed security.

A committee that reports to the State Board of Regents will provide recommendations for a security policy that would later be voted on by the whole board.

Armed guards may not be hired widespread this school year, but could become the norm during the next school year.
A Marine from Hartford, Connecticut who was killed in a battle in 1943 during World War II will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery today.

Marine Pfc. Anthony Brozyna, 22, was killed Nov. 20, 1943 during a battle with Japanese forces on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands and he was unaccounted for for 72 years until a charity organization located his remains in a battlefield cemetery.

The battle of Tarawa was considered a success for the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Defense, because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands.

But there were heavy U.S. casualties. Almost 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded over several days of fighting.

U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in several battlefield cemeteries on the island and recovery operations were conducted in 1946 and 1947, but Brozynas remains were not among those found. Two years later, a military review board declared Brozynas remains non-recoverable on Feb. 10, 1949.

Another 66 years passed, but History Flight, a non-profit charity that searches for missing service members from Americas wars in the 20th century, found the missing Marine's remains.

They reached out to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in June 2015 with the news that they found a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. Scientists then discovered Brozynas remains were among them.

Brozyna, a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery today.
As dozens of children returned to school this week at Capital Preparatory Magnet School (http://capitalprep.org/) in Hartford, some parents are hoping this will be the year of upgrades, including putting in a playscape for children.

During recess, children often play tag, kick a ball, use sidewalk chalk or play in the dirt, but educators say a playscape would aid in their development.

We need to make sure that kids have access to activities and equipment that they want to participate and play in as opposed to standing and chatting with friends at recess, Lee Mascolo, a physical education teacher, said.

"Coming in from a movement break, they would be ready, they would be active, they would be engaged in learning," Maggie Rubino, a special education teacher at Capital Prep, said.

One of those students who could benefit is Maxwell Head.

His mother Erika said Maxwell is mildly autistic and has blossomed at Capital Prep, but a playscape would help advance his growth.

"It helps with his development, his cognitive development, understanding things, being able to have those relationships and building them," Head said.

Head finds it upsetting watching Capital Prep make sacrifices, like cutting eight staff positions this year, as well has having no playscape.

"How can we have a stadium next door to us, but not have a playscape for our children to play on. It does not make any sense," Head said.

Up to this point, the city of Hartford has contributed $102,465,164 to the Downtown North development including Dunkin Donuts Park.

For the 2016-2017 school year, the city contributed $7 million less, for a total of $94,762,478 to the Hartford Public School District.

They are putting all this money into this team and they are putting a lot of effort, a lot of man power, there is even less space because now parking is even more difficult in in this area. So you have a responsibility to give back, especially to the school right next door to you. I expect that we should have a great playground and maybe the city of Hartford should try to talk to them about helping to support it, Head said.

A playscape would be a dream come true for students and teachers.

"It would be incredible for our kids. The excitement, the enthusiasm we would see from the kids," Rubino said.

"We [would] get to go on swings and slides and have fun and actually not get dirty," Wynter Anderson, a third grader from New Britain, said.

According to the school districts communications spokesperson, a new playground would have to come from the districts capital improvement fund.

NBC Connecticut has reached out to Mayor Luke Bronin several times for a comment and we are awaiting a reply.

If you would like to donate to a playscape for Capital Prep, you can mail a check to:

Capital Preparatory Magnet School

1304 Main St.

Hartford, CT, 06103

Memo: Playground Project
Parking lots at Connecticut state parks reach capacity several weekends every summer, but people still flow onto the states beaches, trails and picnic areas.

In some places, specifically Squantz Pond in New Fairfield, and Rocky Neck State Park in Niantic, state officials said that leads to safety risks and they want to stop people from walking into full parks.

State officials said they dont expect such a rule to come into play more than a few times every season, specifically on busy holiday weekends like Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day.

It was driven by the safety concern that weve set a vehicle parking capacity at our parks and thats the safe number of people to have in the park, to have a tool to stop the influx of people at that number, Tom Tyler, director of Connecticut State Parks, said.

The proposal, which is open for public comment until Oct. 7, would shut off access to anyone who wants to walk-in at a state park but did not park in the lot because it was full. In the case of Rocky Neck, there is a long walk from the entrance to the beach, but that still raises a concern.

This is really about dealing with the crowds after weve reached parking capacity and vehicles looking to park in the neighborhood and parking, Tyler said.

Steve Carpenteris family has owned the Lyme Tavern for more than 40 years and he acquired the adjacent Rocky Neck Inn and Suites seven years ago. He sells up to 70 spots on his property for people to use and then walk into the park when the primary parking lot has reached capacity.

He said the proposed restriction certainly wont help business.

Well it hurts a little bit. Some of the people come in here and theyll have dinner. Some people just park and then go home, Carpenteri said.

Tyler said the facilities can only handle certain numbers of cars and people and they need to have some kind of restriction or policy reflecting that.

We have established a parking capacity for each of our parks thats based on really the carrying capacity of the parks, the size of the beach, the size of the park, those kinds of issues related to the parks so that when we hit that parking capacity for the day we really cant go above that number, Tyler said.
Branford police are still investigating the death of a man found on town property on Aug. 31 and said the medical examiner's report on his death is inconclusive.

A Branford Public Works employee found Joseph Miller, 28, of Branford, dead along the side of a gravel road in the area known as the Tabor property around 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 31.

After the inconclusive medical examiner's report, police said they are waiting on toxicology reports, which could take up to six weeks.

By all indication from our investigators thus far, we do not believe the public is at risk or the area is unsafe in any way, Chief Kevin Halloran said in a statement. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family and friend of Mr. Miller as they grieve their loss.

Connecticut state police Central District Major Crimes detectives, the New Haven States Attorney and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are all assisting with the investigation.
Police said the body of a missing 28-year-old man has been found on Lake Lewisville Tuesday evening.

According to police, the man, who has not yet been identified, was boating with his girlfriend Sunday when he jumped into the water. He was unable to reach the boat, which was pushed away by wind, authorities said.

Denton County Sheriff's deputies, Lewisville firefighters and Texas Game Wardens joined search efforts until the body was found near Oakland Park at about 7 p.m. Tuesday.

No further details have been released.
Dallas city leaders Tuesday issued promises to implement solutions to the citys loose dog crisis as they received a consultants report with new data and recommendations.

It is past time to take action on this and I am looking forward to the next steps from here, Councilman Adam McGough said.

The crisis was highlighted by the May 2016 death of homeless Army veteran Antoinette Brown. The 52-year-old woman suffered more than 100 dog bites in a vacant lot near Fair Park.

Im in support of all of the recommendations, as well. I think we need to go big on this, Councilman Casey Thomas said.

A crowd of advocates was in the room as the Dallas City Council received the report.

Dallas city leaders agreed on nearly all of the recommendations by a consulting firm on the citys loose dog problem.

Charlie Howell was the victim of a dog attack while walking his dog in north Oak Cliff.

Weve got a good comprehensive plan to address the issues, but it still has to be implemented and thats still a concern, Howell said.

The report by The Boston Consulting Group was paid for with donations arranged by Dallas Animal Shelter Advisory Commission Chairman Peter Brodsky.

The firm spent the past three months doing research and conducting interviews.

The consultants estimate 8,700 dogs are loose in Dallas each morning and the number of human dog bites is rising.

Their report recommends substantial increases in the capture of loose dogs, transfer of live captured animals to rescue groups and far more spay and neuter procedures to reduce the birth of new puppies.

The report also recommends Dallas Animal Services should be elevated to a separate city department instead of remaining a branch of Dallas Code Compliance.

That is problematic in terms of holding people accountable. Its problematic in terms of execution because the person whos running DAS is not high enough in the bureaucracy to have a front row seat at the table, Brodsky said.

Brodsky said the Animal Services Director has a very difficult job that involves much more than just caring about animals.

Theres logistics, theres data mining, theres public relations. Theres an enormous number of high level management tasks and I think with a more prominent position in the city bureaucracy, you would attract the absolute best management talent to run the organization, Brodsky said.

Current Animal Services Director Jody Jones attended the Tuesdays briefing, but made no statements and answered no questions.

Councilman Scott Griggs put City Manager A.C. Gonzalez on the spot, asking whether he supports all the recommendations, including a clear mission statement for Animal Services.

I would like to see more work done on involvement of the community and involvement of the various stakeholders, Gonzalez said.

Griggs responded that he was hoping to hear enthusiastic support from Gonzalez.

I think we need to lead, not say wait on the community. They're all here waiting for us to do something. We've got this report, said Griggs.

The Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas President James Bias said his agency is ready to take on greater responsibility.

It's a matter for us to up our game, at the SPCA of Texas, to help out Dallas Animal Services on the issues, Bias said. But its going to take the community to be part of that process, whether its funding or bringing animals in for surgery.

Councilman Philip Kingston supported the recommendations, but questioned the consultants expectations for success when similar efforts have failed in Dallas before.

I think its appropriately optimistic, but I do think its optimistic, Kingston said.

Pleasant Grove Councilman Rickey Callahan said he strongly supports the plans, but also urged pet owners to change attitudes about aggressive dogs.

Too many people believe its a low-cost security system. Put a bowl of food or water on the porch. Go away to work, Callahan said.

Dallas Animal Shelter Advisory Board Member Maeleska Fletes is also a Dallas Companion Animal Project leader. She praised the consultants recommendations.

This is something that animal activists and the commission, weve been asking for, for a long time, she said. We need to get everybody on board and I think with this study, we will.

Officials seized the dogs believed to be responsible for Browns death in May, but Fletes said she has been unable to get additional information about the investigation since then.

I'd love for somebody to tell us why nothing has come of that, Fletes said. The animals were picked up. Why hasn't there been any prosecution?

A community meeting for input Gonzalez requested on the consultant recommendations is scheduled September 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Park South Family YMCA, 2500 Romine Avenue near Metropolitan Avenue and Highway 175 S.M. Wright Freeway.
Prosecutors say a North Texas man who falsely portrayed himself as a decorated Navy SEAL in 2014 must serve more than four years behind bars.

Carlos Felipe Luna-Gonzalez of Granbury was sentenced Monday in Weatherford after pleading guilty to theft, failure to appear and bail jumping.

Luna-Gonzalez was arrested in 2014 after a tip led Texas Ranger Anthony Bradford of the Texas Department of Public Safety to doubt his claims of being a wounded Navy officer.

According to a statement released from the county Tuesday, "Luna-Gonzalez had falsely represented himself as an active-duty Navy SEAL officer on a social media outlet, displaying portraits of himself wearing a U.S. Navy dress uniform, while dining at a local coffee shop. The photographs of Gonzalez showed him wearing the uniform containing a Lieutenant Junior Grade Rank, displaying a Navy SEAL Trident, Jump Wings and other various awards which were affixed to his uniform."

"Gonzalez had even gone as far as misrepresenting himself by deceiving a group of law enforcement officers from the county where he lives, telling them he was currently but temporarily stationed at NAS Carswell, while awaiting a medical discharge for injuries he supposedly suffered while stationed in Africa during a Navy SEAL Operation," the county said.

During the investigation, officials learned Luna-Gonzalez was given an early discharge as an enlisted seaman apprentice  not a commissioned officer, a Navy SEAL or a purple heart recipient.

Bradford then concocted a ruse operation with the owner of Lone Star Guns to present Luna-Gonzalez with a LWRC assault rifle valued at $2,300 as a thank you for his service to his country.

Officials said Luna-Gonzalez arrived to accept the weapon wearing "a dress blue Navy uniform with an officer's insignia, the Navy SEAL Trident and a Purple Heart, and repeated his fraudulent story of how he was shot in combat" before accepting the gun.

When he accepted the weapon under false pretenses, he was arrested and charged with theft, tampering with a government document and for fraudulent or fictitious military record.

He bonded out after paying $18,500, but then fled to Puerto Rico. He was later extradited and additionally charged with bail jumping and failure to appear.

Gonzalez pleaded guilty to the theft charge and was sentenced to a 16-month State Jail sentence. Gonzalez also was sentenced to an additional three years at Texas Department of Corrections for the failure to appear and bail jumping charges.
The International Leadership of Texas charter school is preparing their students to become global leaders by requiring Mandarin Chinese courses.

Kindergarten students through 12th graders are in class for 45 minutes each day learning how to speak Mandarin, which has become the most-spoken language around the world. Globally, one in six people speak Mandarin.

We want our students to become global leaders, said Irene Aguilar, the principal for the k-8 Garland campus.

The curriculum supports the governments foreign language initiative. This year we are hosting 94 international teachers from China and Spain throughout all of our campuses in Garland, Keller, and Arlington, Aguilar said.

They learn about the language and the culture. We are giving them a broader perspective, said Principal Aguilar.

The charter school plans to open 13 campuses by the end of the year, two of which will be in Houston.

Admission is free, but there is a waitlist, as well as a lottery.
Police said an officer fatally shot a man who charged at authorities serving him a warrant at a Weatherford motel Tuesday night. [[391846741,C]]

Weatherford police said officers were helping a Parker County special crimes unit serve a felony warrant at the Super Value Inn in the 100 block of West Interstate 20 at about 9:20 p.m.

Investigators were looking for a 36 year-old man wanted on two felony warrants for aggravated robbery, according to Weatherford Interim Deputy Police Chief Chris Crawford.

Authorities said approached one of the motel rooms, made contact with a woman at the front door, went inside and found the man in the bathroom.

When the man saw the officers, police said he pulled out a knife. One of the officers used a stun gun on the man, who was still able to charge at the officers. One of the investigators then shot the man.

The man was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to police. His identity has not been released.

As per department policy, the four officers involved have been placed on routine administrative leave. Authorities contacted the Texas Rangers, who will conduct an independent investigation.
For the first time, Fort Worth can put a dollar amount on the estimated economic impact of its longstanding Sister Cities program.

So far in 2016, it's $14 million.

A pilot study by ValueIdeas looked at Fort Worth, Nashville and Atlanta to determine the impact of travel and tourism, foreign investments from sister cities, spending by students and adults on exchange programs, impact of volunteers, in-kind donations and more, according to an official statement.

Fort Worth Sister Cities President and CEO Mae Ferguson said it's encouraging to see the real fruits of her labor, but she thinks the $14 million figure is likely low.

I think thats a very conservative estimation on the economic impact a program like Fort Worth has on the community, she said.

Fort Worth has eight sister cities spread across four continents:

 Toluca, Mexico

 Trier, Germany

 Reggio Emilia, Italy

 Budapest, Hungary

 Mbabne, Swaziland

 Bandung, Indonesia

 Guiyang, China

 Nagaoka, Japan
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a Houston-area county that has banned guns from being brought into the county courthouse.

Paxton filed the suit Tuesday against Waller County, about a month after he sued the city of Austin over a gun ban at city hall.

The latest suit seeks a fine of $1,500 for each day the county doesn't allow licensed gun owners to carry weapons in the courthouse.

Texas law prohibits guns from being brought into courtrooms and related offices, but Paxton argues firearms can't be uniformly prohibited from an entire courthouse complex.

County officials took the unusual step last month of suing a gun rights advocate who had complained about the gun ban at the courthouse. They say they're seeking a ruling that clarifies state law.
A Texas university has fired its president after he had been placed on medical leave because of "uncharacteristic behavior and comments."

The San Antonio Express-News reports the University of the Incarnate Word's governing board on Monday announced it had voted to remove Louis Agnese Jr. as president.

The newspaper says Agnese's firing came after details of an anonymous complaint became public last week that accused Agnese of making racially insensitive comments at a student luncheon earlier this month.

Agnese had previously told the Express-News that he hasn't "made an offensive comment in my life" and insisted the remarks at the luncheon were not offensive.

The Catholic university's governing board said it would begin a national search to replace Agnese, who had been the school's president since 1985.
The U.S. government agreed Tuesday to decide over the next several years if federal protections are needed to help a small, fanged predator of the Northern Rockies, massive alligator snapping turtles in the South and seven other troubled species that in some cases have awaited action for years.

Deadlines for the decisions were detailed in a legal settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The Center for Biological Diversity had sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March, alleging agency officials repeatedly missed previous deadlines despite determining protections may be warranted.

Representatives of the Fish and Wildlife Service did not immediately comment on the settlement. It must be approved by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan before it goes into effect.

One of the first species to be decided on, by October 2017, is the Northern Rockies fisher. The cat-sized predator once ranged across at least five states. It's now limited to a much smaller area straddling the Montana-Idaho border.

Montana allows the trapping of seven fishers annually --activity banned elsewhere in the West.

The Fish and Wildlife Service rejected protections in 2011, concluding that trapping by humans did not appear to be harming the overall population, though their precise numbers are unknown. But they agreed to take another look earlier this year after wildlife advocates provided details on fishers killed by trappers seeking other species.

"Alongside habitat loss, trapping is one of the primary threats to Northern Rockies fishers," said Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. She said federal protections "are the only way to curb this ongoing threat."

Fishers remain relatively abundant in parts of the Midwest and New England.

A decision on the alligator snapping turtle is due in 2020. The hard-biting, spike-studded a turtle can grow to more than 2 feet long and top 200 pounds, making it North America's largest freshwater turtle.

Other species included in the settlement were the California spotted owl, an Alabama mussel called the Canoe Creek pigtoe and the Beaverpond marstonia, a tiny freshwater snail that advocates say is found only in one Georgia creek.

Two fish were included -- the Virgin River spinedace, a desert minnow once common in the Virgin River basin in northwestern Arizona, southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah, and the Barrens topminnow in Tennessee's Barrens Plateau.

There was one amphibian, the foothill yellow-legged frog, once found from Oregon to possibly as far south as Baja California, Mexico, and an insect, the cobblestone tiger beetle, which survives only in handful of rivers from New England to Alabama.

Alligator snapping turtle

Historic range: Mississippi River watershed, from Georgia and northwestern Florida to eastern Texas, and as far north as southeast Kansas, southeast Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Common in all but extreme north and eastern parts of its range.

Now: Likely gone from Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee, reduced by estimated 95 percent over much of its range.

Decision deadline: Sept. 30, 2020

Barrens topminnow

Historic range: Caney Fork, Duck and Elk rivers in Tennessee's Barrens Plateau; population estimated at 4,500 to 5,000 in 1983.

Now: found in four spots, with maximum total population estimated in the hundreds.

Decision deadline: Dec. 31, 2017

Beaverpond marstonia (tiny freshwater snail)

Historic range: Cedar Creek in the Flint River watershed in Crisp County, Georgia.

Now: Surveys in recent years have failed to find even one.

Decision deadline: April 1, 2017

California spotted owl

Historic range: California and Nevada.

Now: "The population dropped by as much as 22 percent in the southern Cascades in the last 18 years, and scientists estimate the population was cut in half since 1990 in the central Sierra Nevada."

Decision deadline: Sept. 30, 2019;

Canoe Creek pigtoe

Historic and current range: Big Canoe Creek, in Alabama's Mobile Basin.

"The mussel was only discovered as a distinct species in 2006, and fewer than two dozen individuals have ever been seen."

Decision deadline: Sept. 30, 2020

Cobblestone tiger beetle

Historic range: Alabama to Vermont

Now: Winooski River in Vermont, Connecticut River in New Hampshire and Vermont, Sciota River in Ohio, Delaware River in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Whitewater River in Indiana and Coosa River in Alabama.

Decision deadline: Sept. 30, 2019;

Foothill yellow-legged frog

Historic range: Oregon and California, from Marion County in northern Oregon to Los Angeles County, and from the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada to the San Gabriel Mountains -- and possibly into Baja California, Mexico.

Decision deadline: Sept. 30, 2020

Northern Rockies fisher (a housecat-sized member of the weasel family with a fox-like face)

Historic range: eastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta through northeastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, northwest Wyoming, and north-central Utah.

Now: small populations found only along the border of Montana and northern Idaho

Decision deadline: Sept. 30, 2017

Virgin River spinedace (desert minnow)
If the lilting and light-of-heart opening notes to "Pure Imagination" tug at your emotions, every single darn time, just know that you're not alone, not in the least.

For many a child, and many a grown-up, grew to adore 1971's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," a whimsical satire-frosted confection made even more magical by a certain actor's impishly epic  or epically impish, if you prefer  turn in the titular role.

That actor, of course, was Gene Wilder, a comedic superstar known for his zanily sophisticated work in a host of flicks, from "The Producers" to "Young Frankenstein."

Mr. Wilder passed away at 83 on Sunday, Aug. 28, according to a family statement. The news brought people to the internet in devoted droves, where they spoke of favorite movies and encounters with the star.

But in addition to expressing admiration for the actor on social media, fans are also looking for ways to watch Mr. Wilder's films in merry en masse, where the laughs might be shared among many.

And while people are asking for Wilder Tributes at local theaters  tributes that are sure to come in the approaching weeks  The Frida Cinema in downtown Santa Ana will offer some sweet levity on Friday, Sept. 23.

"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is up first that evening, followed by "Blazing Saddles" at 8:50 p.m. A ticket is $10, and can be purchased in advance.

Will you arrive in your best Willy-style top hat, or an Old West 10-gallon job? Great idea, but best remove them when you take your seat for the show.

And if you can't make The Frida for the Gene Wilder tribute on Sept. 23, keep an eye on your local cinema in September. Mr. Wilder was beloved by many, and has a comedy-laden catalog to watch again and again (and again). It won't be surprising to see other theaters put up their own tribute nights.

Surely you know a quote from just about every Gene Wilder flick out there? If so, plan to be in downtown Santa Ana to celebrate his life on the first Friday in autumn.
Fleet Week, that annual event when a host of ships representing the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marines, and the U.S. Coast Guard dock at a particular city, has its earliest roots planted back in the California of 1935.

So call LA Fleet Week an out-sized celebratory homecoming of sorts. True, San Diego is where the go-on-shore, see-the-sights spectacular got its start, but Los Angeles offers up a host of quintessential attractions, and deals, for those active military members ready to see a bit of Southern California.

Likewise, there are free public tours of the visiting ships in and around the Port of Los Angeles over the long Labor Day Weekend.

Ah yes, LA Fleet Week isn't technically a week, but four full days, and the packed-schedule run kicks off on Friday, Sept. 2, wrapping on Monday, Sept. 5.

Of course, some special perks are starting early, like free admission for military members at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Wednesday, Aug. 31. Coastie the Safety Boat will make a cameo, and the USCG MSST K-9 unit will also pay a visit to the Long Beach aquatic institution.

Beyond the aquarium there are other military-focused discounts to explore, from the LA Zoo (free admission for active military on Sept. 2) to a discount at Six Flags Magic Mountain & Hurricane Harbor. Eye everything here.

The public tours will take place on U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships (there are a "limited" number of tickets still available "at the event"). The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Active arrives on Sept. 1, preceded by the U.S.S. Wayne E. Meyer and the U.S.S. America.

Demos in the sky, a STEM expo, food trucks, live music, and more goings-on dot the busy calendar, so study up on the ships calling upon the Port of Los Angeles and what all is happening in their immediate vicinity.

Short answer? A whole bunch over a few days.

LA Fleet Week isn't the only Golden State tour-and-discount-tastic this fall; Fleet Week San Diego extends over most of September, while Fleet Week San Francisco spreads out from Oct. 3 through 10. Will you call upon all three?

It's a late-summer, early-fall tradition in the Golden State, one that extends back over eight decades.
A Pembroke Pines man who escaped from the Nazis celebrated a milestone birthday Tuesday.

The lovable Steve Berkowicz turned 100 years old and his biggest fans threw him a huge party.

The Goodman Jewish Family Services in Plantation hosted a bash with pizza, cake and scores of friends.

The birthday boy has a century of stories to tell but the most incredible story is one of survival.

In 1946, Berkowicz and his family were forced from their home in Poland by the Germans.

His family was taken to a concentration camp and he was moved to a labor camp.

"The German hit me in the head and shoot me in my leg. I fall on the sidewalk. Three guys were still standing and the truck started moving and he killed them and they fall on me," said Berkowicz.

He would find a friend who helped him escape and hide.

"He was driving slow and give me a chance to jump. I jumped in the forest," said Berkowicz.

The survivor walked alone for three days through the forest.

He then found a lone house with a guard dog that stopped barking as Borewicz approached.

He would survive by sharing dog food.

Berkowicz then left and hid for three years until he was finally issued a VISA to the United States through a Jewish organization in Switzerland.

He worked at a metal factory in New York until retiring to Pembroke Pines.

Berkowicz says he didn't think he would live pass 75 years old. He's not quite sure what's behind his longevity.

"My secret. I don't know. I drink 2 glasses of milk every day," said Berkowicz.

A century of living, experiences and triumph rewarded with the greatest gift -- friends quick with a kiss.

"God give me extra because I was suffering too much in the war".
The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than a half century landed in the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, re-establishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War.

Cheers broke out in the cabin of JetBlue flight 387 as the plane touched down at Abel Santamaria Airport. Passengers  mostly airline executives, U.S. government officials and journalists, with a sprinkling of Cuban-American families and U.S. travelers  were given gift bags with Cuban cookbooks, commemorative luggage tags and Cuban flags, which they were encouraged to wave.

Passengers arrived at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport as early as 6 a.m. to check-in to the historic 10 a.m flight.

"I want to get to discover the country where I was born," said 53-year-old passenger Dominic Santana. "I feel like Christopher Columbus."

Another passenger, Eric Diaz, told NBC 6 he escaped Cuba on a boat in 2008 and has not seen his mother or children in eight years. Wednesday marks his first chance to visit his hometown near the flight's destination city.

"I'm going to hug my kids, hug my mom," Diaz said.

NBC 6's Amanda Plasencia, the daughter of Cuban exiles, was on board the JetBlue flight.

"Being here on board I'm feeling excited," Plasencia said, adding that being a part of this historic first flight has left her "feeling emotional."

There was no shortage of fanfare. Outside the flight's gate a band played Cuban music and the jet made its departure after a small ceremony on the tarmac featuring the flags of both countries

"This is our first commercial flight to Cuba so can you imagine," Wanda Garcia said. "To be the first flight that you can just go into the plane and just come back and it's just overwhelming. I wish my father was alive to see this and it's emotional."

The plane arrived in Cuba just before 11 a.m.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes both addressed passengers on board the 150-seat Airbus A320, which was staffed by a specially selected five-member crew of Cuban-Americans. Airline executives changed from American business attire into loose-fitting Cuban-style guayabera shirts before landing.

"Todays actions are the result of months of work by airlines, cities, the U.S. government, and many others toward delivering on President Obamas promise to reengage with Cuba," Foxx said in a statement. "Transportation has a unique role in this historic initiative and we look forward to the benefits these new services will provide to those eligible for Cuba travel."

The arrival opens a new era of U.S.-Cuba travel with about 300 flights a week connecting the U.S. with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban on U.S. citizens engaging in tourism on the island.

"Seeing the American airlines landing routinely around the island will drive a sense of openness, integration and normality. That has a huge psychological impact," said Richard Feinberg, author of the new book "Open for Business: Building the New Cuban Economy."

The plane later returned with about 150 people on board. Some said they took both flights just to be a part of history.

"It was an indescribable feeling to be a part of this, to be welcomed, to see our flag next to the Cuban flag when we stepped off the aircraft, words can't describe," flight attendant Jennifer Vance said.

The restart of commercial travel between the two countries is one of the most important steps in President Barack Obama's two-year-old policy of normalizing relations with the island. Historians disagree on the exact date of the last commercial flight but it appears to have been after Cuba banned incoming flights during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Secretary of State John Kerry said on Twitter that the last commercial flight was in 1961.

From NBC 6 News Partners T51.com: EEUU y Cuba restablecen vuelos tras mas de 50 anos

Commercial flights are returning to the island nation after several carriers, including American, Southwest and JetBlue, received federal approval for round trip flights earlier this year.

[NATL] Photos: Beyond Cuba's Tourist Boom

But Cuban officials insist the continuing U.S. ban on tourism will limit the impact of commercial flights to Cuba, but some experts believe the drastic reduction in the difficulty of flying to Cuba could turn the surge in U.S. visitors into a tidal wave. Americans are allowed to visit the island on "people-to-people" cultural and educational visits, among other reasons.

Americans who fit one of 12 categories will now be able to fill out a federal affidavit by clicking a box on an online form and, in many cases, buy their Cuban tourist visa near the check-in counters of U.S. airports. Within weeks, Americans will be able to fly direct from cities including Chicago, Philadelphia and Minneapolis, Miami, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale to eight Cuban cities and two beach resorts.

The final announcement of routes to Havana, which could be announced Wednesday and start before December, is slated to include flights from Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles and Houston, among others.

The first flight out of Miami International Airport to Cuba is scheduled to leave next Wednesday.

Plasencia will be providing extensive coverage from the ground in Santa Clara on NBC 6 News and NBC6.com Wednesday.

For more on these historic flights and continuing coverage on U.S.-Cuba relations, visit the NBC 6 Cuba Crossroad Section.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Miami mother and son pleaded guilty Tuesday to taking part in a $16 million Medicare fraud scheme.

Niurka Fernandez, 54, and Roberto Alvarez, 29, both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Authorities say Fernandez, the owner of Calan Pharmacy & Discount Service and Best Pharmacy, both in Miami-Dade, organized the scheme which paid Medicare beneficiaries and patient recruiters for prescriptions that were medically unnecessary.

Fernandez admitted she billed Medicare for many prescription medications that they never even dispensed to the beneficiaries, authorities said.

Alvarez claimed to work at Best Pharmacy as a pharmacy technician but facilitated kickback payments to Medicare beneficiaries, and wrote checks to money launderers in order to obtain cash to pay the kickbacks to the Medicare beneficiaries, authorities said.

Medicare made more than $16 million in overpayments to Calan Pharmacy and Best Pharmacy as a result of the scheme, officials said.
For the next nine weeks voters across Florida will get their fill of Marco Rubio and Patrick Murphy.

The congressman from Jupiter sailed to a win in Tuesday night's Democratic primary. Rubio easily won the Republican contest too.

They both quickly tacked out of primary mode, looking toward November, wasting no time hammering each other during their respective victory speeches.

Rubio questioned Murphy's credentials.

"Now, he's tried to do that in the past by talking about how successful he's been in the private sector. The problem is it isn't true," Rubio said.

Murphy discussed Rubio's attendance record in the Senate.

"Marco Rubio is the worst of Washington because he puts himself first every time. He gave up on his job, he gave up on Florida," Murphy said.

Rubio heads into the fall race with a name brand known for being one of the last candidates standing against Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary, while Murphy enjoys the backing of the President And Vice President.

The race is critically important in the Democrats' strategy to win control of the United States Senate.

"I am so humbled to be standing here in front of so many people that have been with me for so long to be the Democratic nominee to be the next senator from the State of Florida," Murphy said.

"He wants to be a U.S. Senator, he's going to have to earn it by beating the son of a bartender and a maid who came to this country in search of a better life," Rubio said.
Police say a 23-year-old woman, later identified by rapper and record-producer T-Pain as his niece, was fatally stabbed outside a drug store in Tallahassee.

Tallahassee police said that Javona Glover was stabbed Tuesday morning by an unknown suspect outside a Walgreens. Police say Glover was bleeding heavily when medical personnel arrived, and that she died shortly thereafter.

On his verified Twitter account, the Grammy Award-winning T-Pain, who is from Tallahassee, tweeted a link to a news story about the killing and asked for help identifying the suspect.

 A photo posted by T-Pain (@tpain) on Aug 30, 2016 at 1:34pm PDT

Neither the artist, whose real name is Faheem Najm, nor his representatives returned requests seeking comment. Najm also requested in a tweet that the media leave his family in Tallahassee alone, adding "we are not here for your story."

Police say the suspect is a black male, about 5-feet, 9-inches tall and was wearing a black T-shirt and white shoes.
What to Know The sketch depicts a person the NYPD wants to talk to about the case

Vetrano was sexually assaulted and killed earlier this month

Her family is offering a reward of more than $250,000 for her killer

Police released a sketch of a man they'd like to talk to in connection with the death of a missing runner who was found strangled in an overgrown section of a Queens park earlier this month.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce held up a photo Wednesday of a man wearing a woven wool cap and asked anyone who recognized him to call police. The man was seen in the area around the time Karina Vetrano went missing at the Gateway National Recreation Area in Howard Beach on Aug. 2.



Her body was found in a marshy area of off a trail several hours later.

Boyce stressed that the man wasn't a suspect or a person of interest in the case. The man was seen in the area around the path where Vetrano was last seen that day and was spotted by a utility worker. Boyce said that the man could have seen Vetrano or her assailant.

"We have to speak to this person," Boyce said. "That's the only reason we're putting this out."

The man is described as being between 35 and 45 years old, standing 5 feet, 10 inches tall and has a medium build. Boyce said his wool cap stuck out on the hot summer day.

"It's a little unusual he was walking around in August with a cap on," Boyce said.

Earlier this week, Vetrano's father said he was seeking a runner who frequented the area before her death but hadn't been seen since. Police later said the man was not a suspect and had in fact been resting an injured knee.



Authorities culled DNA from three different investigative points -- Vetrano's neck, her phone and her fingernails. Police say the fingernail DNA is the strongest, and all the samples point to the same person, though the state and local databases have yet to yield a possible match.

Vetrano's family has raised more than $250,000 for a reward in the 30-year-old's death.



Eighty-five tips have poured in to police about the case, Boyce said; nine remain to be investigated. Anyone with information on the Vetrano case should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
The NYPD said eight protesters advocating for immigrants' rights have been arrested for blocking the entrance of Trump Tower.

Some of the prostesters had chained themselves to the front of the building Wednesday, according to the NYPD.

The protesters wore T-shirts marking their affiliation with an immigrant-rights group called Cosecha. The group's website says it is fighting for permanent protection, dignity and respect for immigrants in the country illegally.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lives in Trump Tower and runs his campaign there.

Trump was in Mexico on Wednesday for a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Wednesday's protest comes three weeks after 19-year-old Stephen Rogata was arrested while trying to scale Trump Tower.

Rogata was arraigned Aug. 17 on charges including criminal trespass and reckless endangerment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is almost out of money to fight the Zika virus, the agency's director said Tuesday  just hours before Florida announced three fresh homegrown cases of the infection.

Zika has now infected 46 people locally in Florida, presumably in cases spread by mosquitoes. One case is part of an outbreak in Miami Beach and health officials say they're trying to trace the origins of two others.

And the CDC, which has been helping Florida track cases and fight mosquitoes, is almost broke, NBC News reported.

"Basically, we are out of money and we need Congress to act," Frieden told reporters.

Frieden said the CDC did repurpose tens of millions of dollars. Of the $222 million allocated for Zika, $200 million is "already out the door," Frieden said. "That money is already spoken for."
A woman who was kidnapped at gunpoint by her husband while he was under home confinement on charges he beat and abducted her two months earlier was found dead inside a barn, and he was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Pennsylvania state police said Wednesday.

Police found the couple Tuesday night after searching most of the day for them. Tierne Ewing, 48, was abducted from a home in West Finley Township by Kevin Ewing at about 12:30 a.m., authorities said, and the car they'd been in was found abandoned near a wooded area eight hours after that.

By 9 p.m., police surrounded a barn several miles from where the woman was abducted. After forcing their way in, police found Tierne Ewing dead of an apparent gunshot wound and her husband with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Kevin Ewing, 47, was taken to a hospital, and no information on his condition was released. The Washington County coroner hasn't formally ruled on her death.

The case has raised questions about the way authorities handled charges pending against Kevin Ewing, who was out on bond awaiting trial on charges he abducted her and held her captive from June 26 to July 8.

Tierne Ewing told police her husband beat and pistol-whipped her, spat on her, kept her hands tied with wire and branded her legs with a piece of hot metal, according to a criminal complaint charging him with kidnapping, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, false imprisonment and other crimes.

Tierne Ewing had staples closing a cut on her head  a home remedy, not hospital-administered  that she told police was caused when her husband hit her with a wooden gun stock. She escaped when her husband sent her into a credit union to withdraw money. She told tellers she was being held captive and they called police, who arrested Kevin Ewing in a vehicle outside, armed with a rifle, handgun and knife.

When he unexpectedly posted $100,000 bond on July 11, a prosecutor asked a judge to put him back in jail given the seriousness of the offenses, Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone said.

The (Washington) Observer-Reporter said Common Pleas Judge Gary Gilman didn't raise the bond amount but did order Ewing to be confined to his home without weapons and made him wear an electronic ankle bracelet.

The newspaper reported the judge had ordered that the bracelet have GPS capabilities to track Ewing's movements, though adult probation officials have told The Associated Press the device was only programmed to alert authorities if Ewing left his home. Authorities couldn't immediately resolve that discrepancy Wednesday.

Trooper Stefani Plume has said Ewing cut off the ankle device and left it at home before abducting his wife Tuesday.

Tierne Ewing's father said Kevin Ewing had harmed his daughter numerous times.

"She was scared to death of him. He threatened her all the time, and he beat her up several times," Richard Kopko said after authorities told him his daughter was dead. "July wasn't the worst. She's been beat so bad before."

"She told me years ago, 'Dad, if you can't ever find me, I'll be buried on his dad's farm,'" Kopko said.

Police have not yet charged Ewing in his wife's death.
At 98-years-old, Emma Green admittedly doesnt leave her Mount Airy home too often these days. Yet shes already made up her mind that shell be out of the house on November 8, 2016.

Im gonna vote, she said. I havent missed voting since when I started.

Its a tradition that Green began in 1968 when she voted for Hubert Humphrey, the former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate who ultimately lost to Richard Nixon. For Green, its a practice she has never taken for granted.

Green was born in 1918, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to a family of farmers. The granddaughter of slaves, Green grew up during the Jim Crow era, a time of discrimination, racial segregation, disenfranchisement and terror for African Americans.

Back in the day we had fields to go to, Green said. I picked cotton. I cut ditch banks. I was raised on the farm and my parents were poor.

Green remembers the hardships she and other African Americans faced while living in the deep south during the first half of the 20th Century.

It was rough, she said. I saw the Ku Klux Klan. I never got to see things that I wanted to see when I was growing up. We had separate places to eat. Separate places to drink and all of that. We couldn't be with the whites. It wasn't nothing for us to walk down the street and see a black man hanging and it makes you want to cry now.

With Jim Crow laws and disenfranchisement restricting the ability of many African Americans to vote at the time, Green was more focused on trying to make ends meet as both a farmer and a maid than politics. Green says one president in particular stood out to her however due to the impact he had on poor black farmers.

The first president that I really remember was [Franklin D.] Roosevelt, she said. They used to make black people plant a lot of cotton so that they could get a lot of money for it. So when he came in he made them plow that up and paid us for it.

It was that experience that influenced Greens loyalty to the Democratic Party, which she still holds to this day. Yet it would take a move to the north and the passing of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting, for her to become politically active.

I married and met my husband, Green said. He was in the service for 23 years. When he retired we moved to Philadelphia in 1965.

Emma Green

Green and her husband moved into a home on Limekiln Pike in Philadelphias Mount Airy section that she still lives in to this day. She remembers just how different it was for her living in the north in comparison to the south.

You could sit down and eat anywhere you wanted to and you didn't have to ride in the back of the bus all the time and you could drink out of different things when we used to drink out of separate ones for black people, she said. We all were just like human beings altogether.

After moving to Philly, Green worked as a factory worker in Southampton, Pennsylvania where she made airplane parts. She also was a foster grandparent and caretaker until she retired in 2006. Through it all, she had four children and a total of 26 grandchildren and great grandchildren. No longer having to face voter disenfranchisement, she voted for the first time in 1968 and has voted during every presidential election since then. For Green, the most memorable election was in 2008 when she voted for Barack Obama.

I never thought Id live to see a black president and a woman running for president, she said. My husband died in 2006. He didnt get to see it. I never thought Id see it but I did.

Green plans to vote for Hillary Clinton in November and hopes shell help deal with a problem in her neighborhood she says has gotten progressively worse since shes lived there: gun violence.

When Obama came in the first thing he tried to do was get them and do away with these guns and get them under control, Green said. Congress wouldnt go along with it. So I hope theyll go along with Hillary if she tries to get control of them. In the street, everybody you see has a gun now and they started killing kids that are playing in their yard. And thats bad.

Green also had strong words for Donald Trump, in particular his campaign slogan, Make America great again.

I mean, a lot of these young people dont understand what Trump is for, she said. Hes talking like hes talking to everybody but I know what he means. Hes talking about making this a better country. He wants to put black people back. He thinks theyve gone too far. He wants to bring them down. And they can vote for him if they want to but theyre gonna be sorry.

Yet regardless of who they support, Green is adamant about younger people voting, especially given all she and members of her generation had to go through to gain that right.

Please go vote, she said. If you dont want to vote for yourself, vote for me. Because I had to pay to get my voice heard and youve got the opportunity to get your voice heard and dont have to pay? Just vote. If you dont vote you dont have the right to say anything."




A retired nurse is facing a second-degree murder charge after authorities in Florida say she suffocated her husband, a former New Jersey police officer, in his hospital bed when he suffered life-threatening complications and became unresponsive following surgery.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood told news outlets that Jan Sochalski, 61, of Palm Coast was arrested Monday following the May 19 death of Henry Sochalski, 64.

According to an arrest report, Jan Sochalski had been complaining about her husband's care after he went into respiratory and cardiac arrest April 9 after elective back surgery at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach.



The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports the retired Trenton, New Jersey, policeman, was unresponsive and placed in a unit that provides specialized medical care for people with serious illness.

Investigators noted in an arrest report that Jan Sochalski was so upset about her husband's treatment that on April 28, she threatened to go home and get his firearm and "shoot the people on the seventh floor" of the hospital. Police were called to the hospital that day, but a nurse calmed the woman down and she wasn't arrested.

A nurse told investigators that on one occasion, she had asked for medication to "decrease his respiratory status."

On May 19, a nurse told investigators she walked into the man's room and found his wife lying across his chest. According to the police report, the nurse said the woman had one hand around her husband's chest and the other across his mouth and nose. A second nurse in the room said it appeared she was "pinching the victim's nose."

He died about 30 minutes later.

Nurses called police, and an investigation began.

An initial autopsy was done May 20, but results weren't returned until Aug. 17.



Detective Dave Dinardi said Sochalski died of asphyxia of the mouth, nose and trachea.

On Monday, Jan Sochalski denied killing her husband, Dinardi said. She was arrested and is being held without bail at the Volusia County Jail. Jail records don't list an attorney for her.
A patient accused a Jersey Shore GYN of inappropriately touching her after an exam, and local prosecutors charged the doctor with harassment.



Police said an investigation led to the charges after a woman reported that Dr. Alfred B. Parchment inappropriately touched her after an examination at Brick Women's Physicians, Obstetrics and Gynecology. Police arrested Parchment, 53, of Toms River, for the charge on Tuesday.



The charge is a "disorderly persons" offense for harassment by offensive touching, according to a news release from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, and Parchment was released with a summons to appear in court in Brick Township at a later date. Officials said they notified the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners of the charge.
A trail of motor oil led some eagle-eyed police officers to track down an SUV authorities say struck a man on a motorcycle in Philadelphia late Tuesday night before fleeing the scene and leaving the victim to die on the street.



The deadly incident unfolded shortly before 11:30 p.m. in the city's Juniata Park neighborhood, when police say a GMC Yukon SUV crashed into a 58-year-old man riding his motorcycle near Whitaker Avenue and Loudon Street. Chief Inspector Scott Small said the Yukon hit the man -- hard enough to make him fly out of his sneakers and throw him 10 yards -- then turn off Whitaker Avenue and take off.



The man was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash and died of his injuries a short time later at Albert Einstein Medical Center, police said.



Officers who responded to the deadly crash found a cache of clues pointing to the suspect littering the street, including a GMC emblem that apparently broke off the SUV in the crash and a trail of leaked oil and antifreeze. The cops followed the oil and antifreeze trail, and it stretched about five blocks, to Rorer Street near Ruscomb. On that block, Small said, police found it: a badly damaged GMC Yukon sat parked, unattended, in a rear alley on the block.



The driver had apparently made slapstick attempt to hide the vehicle, but the evidence was clear, Small said.

Philadelphia police continued their search for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man on a motorcycle late Tuesday night at Whitaker and Loudon streets in Juniata Park.
Lawrence "Larry" Curry, who retired in 2012 after 20 years in the Pennsylvania Legislature, remembers his childhood obsession with trains.

It was an obsession nurtured when his family first moved to Jenkintown decades ago and he would visit the Jenkintown train station on Greenwood Avenue.

"I would get down here to see the trains. I loved to see the trains," said the well-respected retired official, who also previously served as a Montgomery County commissioner. "So I have a kind of tie to this place."

Now, he and the station will be connected for decades to come. State and local officials joined Curry, his wife Shirley and their extensive family for the dedication of the Greenwood Avenue Bridge in Curry's name.

The bridge was built in the last four years to allow car traffic over the busy SEPTA train tracks that feed up to three train lines daily. Its location in Montgomery County is also important: It connects Cheltenham and Jenkintown.

"The bridge has become symbolic of the link between communities, between Jenkintown and Wyncote and Cheltenham, and Abington on the other side," Curry told the crowd gathered next to the tracks on the Cheltenham side.

State Rep. Steve McCarter, who was elected as the 154th Legislative District's representative following Curry's retirement in 2012, introduced a resolution to have the bridge named in his predecessor's honor.

The 154th district is made up of Jenkintown, Springfield and Cheltenham.
Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. Tune in to NBC10 at 7 p.m. for Generation Addicted, our exclusive in-depth report on the heroin and opioid epidemic in our area and beyond.

More than $2 million in additional federal funding to combat the heroin and opioid crisis is coming to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy announced.



The announcement came Wednesday, on International Overdose Awareness Day. Pennsylvania will receive an additional $1 million to supplement Prevention for States grants it's already receiving, plus $490,000 for better tracking of opioid-involved deaths. The money is part of $53 million in additional funding the federal government is awarding to 44 states as part of the ONDCP's aim at combating the heroin and opioid epidemic in high drug-trafficking areas.



Prevention for States helps state health departments implement strategies to prevent prescription drug overdoses by improving safe prescribing practices, one of the pillars of ONDCP's strategy.



Across the river in New Jersey, an additional $727,688 in federal funding will go toward the Data-Driven Prevention Initiative to fight opioid misuse and overdose by improving data collection, developing new strategies to avoid addiction and helping communities to develop better prevention programs.



U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia M. Burwell and ONDCP Director Michael Botticelli said the money falls in line with the government's three pillars in fighting the opioid epidemic: attacking opioid misuse and dependency through the medical community, expanding assistance to medication-assisted treatment and making lifesaving overdose antidote naloxone more available.



"We can help states, communities and families push back even harder against the opioid epidemic," Botticelli said. He and Burwell also called on Congress to approve the $1.1 billion in funding that President Obama requested to go toward finding the epidemic next year.



In Pennsylvania, state officials this week also announced additional efforts to combat heroin and opioid addiction in the form of 25 Centers of Excellence offering addiction treatment slated to open throughout the state by Jan. 1. Of those, eight are in the Delaware and Lehigh valleys:



 AIDS Case Group/Sharon Hill Medical, Delaware County

 Community Health & Dental Care, Inc., Montgomery County

 Family Service Association of Buck County, Bucks County

 Pathways to Housing PA, Philadelphia County

 Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Perelman School of Medicine Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics/Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County

 Public Health Management Corporation, Philadelphia County

 Reading Hospital and Health System, Berks County

 Neighborhood Health Centers of Lehigh Valley, Lehigh, Northampton Counties
Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. Tune in to NBC10 at 7 p.m. for Generation Addicted, our Emmy-nominated, in-depth special report giving an inside look at the heroin and opioid epidemic in our area.

Casey Johnson watches lives change right in front of him on a regular basis.



And it happens in an unlikely place: a courtroom in South Jersey. For the last two years, Johnson, a drug and alcohol counselor, has served as the court advocate for Gloucester Township's Project SAVE -- Substance Abuse Visionary Effort -- initiative, a program launched in 2014 to help people battling drug addictions -- often to heroin or prescription pain medication -- get the help they need.



"This was a different feeling," Johnson said. "People would come into court broken ... really kind of at rock bottom. So they're receptive to change."
A central Pennsylvania agricultural fair has suspended its annual pig and rooster chases due to safety concerns after an animal rights' protester jumped a fence last year and entered a pig chase area.

LNP newspapers report that an Ephrata Fair attorney says similar disruptions were expected this year. Attorney Richard Young said the fair is intended to "educate attendees about the importance of agriculture while providing a safe and fun environment for the entire family.''

Fair officials say they haven't decided whether to continue the chases, which have been running for nearly four decades. Hundreds of children participate in the annual events. This year's fair is scheduled Sept. 20-24.

Kelly Lehman, who jumped the fence last year, says she will continue her efforts until the chases are banned.
A church outside Dover wants to build a village of 15 tiny houses in an effort to help Dover's homeless population.

The News Journal of Wilmington reports that the houses would be rented for $200 to $300 a month to people who have jobs but can't afford a home. The project is being led by Victory Church and a nonprofit called Port Hope of Delaware.

Some neighbors, though, don't like the idea, and many have put signs saying "No Tiny Houses" in their yards and on fences near the church's property. Neighbor Tom Ferrington says "people are terrified of what is coming."

Roughly 100 homeless people seek shelter every night in Dover. In order to build the village, organizers would have to persuade Kent County to make zoning changes. [[238427591, C]]
For the last 32 years, a Massachusetts resident with Down syndrome came in to work at a McDonald's in Needham, a remarkable tenure that's finally come to an end.

More than 100 employees, family and friends of Freia David gathered at the Chestnut Street restaurant on Monday to send her off in style.

"Her smiles, her enthusiasm, and her daily hugs made our restaurant more than just a restaurant. It made us part of Freia's family," another McDonald's employee said.

David spent her entire career at McDonald's as a jack-of-all trades  cleaning tables, refilling ketchup and doing her favorite: making fries.

"I'm so grateful she could stay at this McDonald's for so long," said Freia's mom, Annelise David, 90.

Freia David began working at the restaurant in 1984 through a program that placed adults with cognitive disabilities in community jobs. Two of her peers didn't complete the six-month training course, but David soon became a mainstay.

Her passion to work led to many customers becoming friends, some of whom say are sad to see her go.

"She used to look for me as I was coming across the driveway," said an employee named Oscar. "When she saw me she jumped up before I even got there to hold the door open. And I thought you know, that was so wonderful."

David was approaching 1 million pounds of fries served when her mother began to notice that she was forgetting things and urged her to retire.

Although David may be retired from working, she plans to return on Saturdays with her mom. Employees say her meals will be on the house.

"They love me here," David said.

She received a silver necklace with a fry-carton pendant and a proclamation from the state House of Representatives among other gifts.
My first encounter with trumpeter Camerahn Alforque occurred last October when he, as a member of the International Academy of Jazz opened the show for the San Diego Symphony-sponsored Jazz at the Jacobs series, curated by Gilbert Castellanos.

Alforque was already playing at a very high level back then, and he is improving exponentially, so when I heard that he was leading a quintet for the Young Lions Series at Panama 66 with fellow IAJ graduate Jarien Jamanilla on alto saxophone and 16-year-old drum phenomenon Johnny Steele, I knew I had to check it out. Rounding out the Alforque group were two of San Diegos most solid musicians, Antar Martin on bass and Ed Kornhauser on piano.

The group opened with Wayne Shorters ominous, Armageddon, propelled by the insistent ride cymbal pings of Steele and the rope-thick pulse of Martin, as Jamanilla soloed first, full of braying cries and wailing vibrato. Alforque followed with clear and concise ideas toggling between velocity and lethal doses of the blues. Kornhauser soloed with a nod toward McCoy Tyner using liberal amounts of fourths and Martin kept his ground as firmly as old-growth redwood.

Continuing with the Wayne Shorter fixation, Alforques men unwound on a precise distillation of Black Nile, with the leader sputtering through a series of trills as a means of rhythmic displacement, while Jamanilla went for a more patient delivery. Kornhauser and Martin locked into a serious groove, prodding young Mr. Steele into a carefully crafted, yet ultimately explosive solo.

Ballads are often the ultimate test for a young player, especially ones like Alforque and Jamanilla, who have chops galore. On You Dont Know What Love Is, both musicians hung back initially as Kornhauser guided the group through a series of delayed resolutions that landed at the feet of Martin who took the baton with a poignant, woody exposition. Alforque passed the ballad exam admirably, taking his time, squeezing in a relevant quote from Nature Boy before cueing the band into double-time, where he unleashed a string of deadly, half-valve smears.

Alforque and Jamanilla are for real, and I look forward to hearing where they take their music.

Robert Bush is a freelance jazz writer who has been exploring the San Diego improvised music scene for more than 30 years. Follow him on Twitter @robertbushjazz. Visit The World According to Rob.
San Diegos Ballast Point will celebrate its 20th anniversary this weekend in fashion fit for a brewery: a beer festival.

The Ballast Point 20th anniversary beer bash goes down Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Del Mar Race Track  after the final race, in the Seaside Concerts area.

Patrons will enjoy sips of more than 50 Ballast Point brews, plus live music from The Roots, of The Tonight Show fame, and other bands.

A $55 general admission ticket gets you 10 four-ounce tasters of beer, a specialty tasting glass and admission to the racetrack. For $15 more, you can access the beer fest an hour early, at 4 p.m. Designated Driver passes are also available for $35 a pop.

In addition to Ballast Point brews, craft beers that have won regional awards will be poured at the party, including the California creation, Weizenbock, from Doug Brown, and the Strong Bitter from Tristan McCoy and Kyle Jung, of the Pacific Northwest region.

For a peek at the tap list at the big event, check out this Facebook post from Ballast Point.

Ballast Point was founded in 1996 by Jack White, in collaboration with Pete AHearn and Yuseff Cherney. Today, the company operates six locations, including tasting rooms in Miramar, Scripps Ranch and Little Italy. The brewery is known for beers like its Sculpin India Pale Ale, the Longfin Lager and the Wahoo White, to name a few.
For Walter and Colette Sani, a trip they scheduled to Rome was more than just a vacation; Walter was planning to visit his sister and elderly mother in Italy.

Ive been half of my life here and half of my life in Rome, he said. We go a couple times a year.

But when Walter started feeling chest pains, his plans to visit family with his wife Colette were cut short.

On July 2nd he had a heart attack, they call it the widowmaker, Colette said.

Colette notified British Airways and canceled the trip.

They basically just said it was a non-refundable ticket and it would only be refunded if it was a life-threatening situation, Colette said.

After explaining to the airline that Walter had just suffered a heart attack, the airline asked for the Sanis to provide a doctors note and emergency documents. The couple sent the information and British Airways finally offered them the choice of a refund or travel voucher.

So obviously we chose the refund because we dont know when we can go back. So, the refund was only $600 taxes. They never told us that, Walter said.

Walter said British Airways never explained that by refund, the airline meant that only the taxes the Sanis paid would be refunded. After learning this, the Sanis asked for a voucher instead. The couple says British Airways refused.

After calling and emailing British Airways for months, Walter and Colette say they were about to give up.

One afternoon, Colette says she was watching TV when she saw an NBC 7 Responds report and decided to give us a call.

Within a few days, Colette received a call from British Airways. Even though the pair had purchased non-refundable tickets, the airline offered the happy couple a full travel voucher for $2,600 that is good for up to one year.

With Walters improving health, the Sanis say they are looking forward to scheduling that trip to see family.



What to Know when Booking your Airfare

Travelers often buy non-refundable over refundable airline tickets because of the cheaper price but every non-refundable ticket an airline provides comes the airlines own restrictions or rules.

Once you book a flight, think of the clock ticking down the amount of time you have to get a full refund. Under the U.S. Department of Transportations guidelines, you can cancel your reservation and not pay a cancellation fee if you cancel within the first 24 hours after you book the flight. To read more about this, click here.

For those like the Sani family, who dont have the luxury of knowing within 24 hours if they can go forward with their reserved flights, every airline has different rules and regulations when it comes to cancelling or changing a booked flight.

Airlines suggest if there is the slightest possibility that you might have to cancel or change your reservation, pay more for the refundable ticket.

Below is a current list of fees and charges for canceling or changing your flight tickets compiled from airline websites:



Alaska Airlines

Ticket change fee: $125 for changes made less than 60 days prior to scheduled departure. $0 for changes made 60 days in advance.

$125 for changes made less than 60 days prior to scheduled departure. $0 for changes made 60 days in advance. Same day change fee: Free if flying in certain markets, indicated here. Otherwise $25 fee



Allegiant Air

Ticket change fee: $75

Credit issued if you purchase "TripFlex" on reservation





American Airlines

Ticket change fee: $200

$200 Same day change fee: $75 domestic





Delta Airlines

Ticket change fee: $200 (fee can go up to $500 on some international fares)

$200 (fee can go up to $500 on some international fares) Same day change fee: $50





Frontier Airlines

Ticket change fee: $99

$99 Same day change fee: $99

No refunds for cancelling flight, unless you add on THE WORKS to ticket





JetBlue

Ticket change fee: $70 for fares up to $99, $90 for fares up to $149, $135 for fares $150 and above

$70 for fares up to $99, $90 for fares up to $149, $135 for fares $150 and above Same day change fee: $50





Hawaiian Airlines

Ticket change fee: $30-$200





Spirit Airlines

Ticket change fee: $90 if change or cancellation made online, $100 over phone

Same day change fee: $25 to standby for earlier flight.





Southwest Airlines

Ticket change fee: Free

Free Same day change fee: None but any fare difference will apply





United Airlines

Ticket change fee: $200 for domestic flights, $200-$400 for international flights

$200 for domestic flights, $200-$400 for international flights Same day change fee: $25-$50

$25-$50 No refunds for cancelling flight





Virgin America
Police are searching for a Los Angeles man who disappeared under suspicious circumstances and whose car and clothes were found in Carlsbad.

Ebrahim Pouldar, 56, vanished from west Los Angeles on July 28, LA police investigators said. He was reported missing to police on Aug. 6.

Five days later, his car was found in a cul de sac near Hosp Grove Park in Carlsbad. On Aug. 17, his pants wallet and keys were found nearby in some brush in the 2200 block of Jefferson Street near the Buena Vista Lagoon.

Investigators said Pouldar disappeared under suspicious circumstances. He did not have any known illnesses.

Police on Wednesday were bringing in tracking dogs to search the Carlsbad area and were handing out fliers.

"In this particular case, because it's been so long, it's really not necessary the items they'll be sniffing for," said San Diego County Sheriff's Sgt. Fred Duey. "It's more of human remains that they'll be sniffing for."

Pouldar has black hair and brown hair and is 5 feet 5 inches tall. He weighs 160 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call LAPDs Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800-527-3247.
A doctor was arrested at a medical office in San Diegos East County Wednesday, accused of trying to hook patients onto painkillers and prescribing the pills in exchange for sex once those patients were addicted.

United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spokesperson Amy Roderick told NBC 7 that Dr. Naga Raja Thota, M.D., was arrested at the Pain Management Center located at 2732 Navajo Rd. in El Cajon during a raid by federal authorities.

Thota was arraigned in federal court Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernie Skomal. He is being represented by San Diego-based attorney Robert Schlein, who has been his attorney for the past two years.

The judge set Thota's bail at $100,000. The doctor was also ordered to not contact any of the patients involved in the case.

Roderick said Thota, 62, allegedly prescribed opiate painkiller medication to patients with the intent of getting them addicted. Roderick told NBC 7 that once patients were addicted, Thota would ask patients to engage in sexual relations with him in exchange for more prescriptions.

The female patients involved in this case received prescriptions for the opioids without legitimate medical purpose, on numerous occasions, in exchange for sex acts, the office of United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy confirmed.

NBC 7 spoke with Tom Lenox of the DEA Wednesday who said the federal investigation on Thota dates back several years.

Lenox said it involves three patients in their early to mid-20s who were prescribed painkillers by the doctor and developed sexual relationships with him.

Lenox said the doctor would, in some cases, order a prescription under the name of a family member of a patient to avoid a "red flag" from prescribing too many medications over a short period of time for one patient.

Two of Thotas patients later became addicted to heroin due to the over-prescribing of painkillers, Lenox said.

The U.S. Attorney's office the main patient outlined in the federal complaint, referred to as "J.S.," met Thota when she was 20 years old and felt that if she did not submit to sex acts with the doctor, Thota would not provide her with additional prescriptions for opioids.

She started using heroin after "being exposed to greater dosage levels of opioids by Thota," the U.S. Attorney's office said in a document outlining the charges against Thota.

The doctor is charged with seven counts of dispensing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose. If convicted on all charges, Thota faces a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars, plus a $1 million fine and life-term of supervised release.

A federal complaint filed against Thota on Tuesday states he prescribed Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Methadone and Alprazolam to J.S. at least 33 times between March 2013 and February 2014. In one instance, Thota prescribed 300 Oxycodone pills for the woman.

The complaint shows the doctor engaged in a pattern of sending "sexually-explicit texts" with J.S., followed by writing prescriptions for the highly-addictive painkillers. He often called the patient "babe" and "love" in the text messages.

The complaint says J.S. told investigators that her romantic relationship with Thota began three days after her first consultation with him, when he called her cell phone to ask if she had a date for Valentine's Day. After that, they began communicating regularly via phone calls and text messages.

Later on in their relationship, according to the complaint, J.S. asked Thota to write a prescription for painkillers for her brother and Thota sent the woman a text message saying no because he was "scared" to lose his license to practice medicine.

However, without ever establishing a patient-doctor relationship with J.S.'s brother, Thota wound up writing prescriptions for the woman's brother three times in 2013, the complaint states.

During a six-week period between March 2013 and April 2013, Thota also allegedly prescribed painkillers in the name of J.S.'s father and one of her friends. The complaint says that during that time period 1,460 Oxycodone pills and 660 tablets of Hydrocodone were prescribed by Thota.

Federal investigators reviewed Thota's cell phone records and found set of text messages between the doctor and another patient, referred to as "D.H." between May 2014 and September 2014, the complaint says.

D.H. told investigators Thota had texted her on numerous occasions to ask her for sex, allegedly offering to pay her $100 to have sex with him.

Another patient included in the complaint, referred to as "M.R.," communicated with Thota via cell phone between February 2013 and February 2014.

During that time period, the complaint says Thota wrote 59 prescriptions for painkillers for M.R. and even met her in the parking lot of a CVS once to give her a prescription and $50 to fill it.

The woman also told investigators that Thota would sometimes drive her "from pharmacy to pharmacy to see which one we could get to do it [fill the prescription]."

M.R. told agents she also engaged in sexual acts with Thota in exchange for the prescriptions. She said Thota would also buy her expensive gifts, including diamond earrings, a smartphone, shopping sprees and a weekly $50 gift card to Starbucks. He also helped her pay off her car.

After becoming addicted to methadone, M.R. also became hooked on heroin, the documents state. The patients involved in this federal case against Thota are all still alive, Lenox confirmed.

Federal agents served the first search warrants in this investigation on Thota's medical practice on Navajo Road on May 27, 2015. The doctor was first interviewed by investigators at the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego on June 4, 2015, mainly about prescriptions he wrote for patients mentioned in the complaint. He met again with the feds on Dec. 15, 2015, while in the presence of his defense attorney, the complaint says.

Search warrants were served on Thota's medical practice on Navajo Road on March 16, 2016. During that search, federal agents discovered more text messages between Thota and one of the patients in the complaint, plus nude photos of another patient in the complaint.

Read the full complaint filed on Aug. 30 here.

Past Complaints Against Thota

According to Superior Court of California records obtained by NBC 7, Thota has been involved in two medical malpractice cases and one professional negligence case in San Diego County.

One malpractice case was filed in May 2013 by the family of an elderly patient who was treated by Thota.

According to that complaint, on Oct. 30, 2012 Thota allegedly performed a kyphoplasty procedure on that elderly patient "without obtaining proper informed consent from her son." The complaint said the patient suffered from Dementia and "lacked the capacity to understand and make decisions."

The document said Thota "recklessly" performed the procedure at an office rather than a surgical center and punctured one of the victim's veins. The family said the doctor failed to properly repair the vein.

The elderly woman was returned to her nursing home, where she experienced complications stemming from the kyphoplasty the following day. She was hospitalized and died on Nov. 5, 2012, according to the complaint.

A second malpractice complaint was filed against Thota in August 2013. The document said he worked for Sharp Healthcare at that time.

The complaint said Thota surgically removed a nonfunctioning dorsal column stimulator, internal pulse generator and leads from the lower back of plaintiff during a procedure at Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.

The doctor also allegedly left some tubing inside the patients lower back during the procedure that served no therapeutic purpose.

The complaint said that, as a result of Thotas work, that patient suffered severe shock and injury to her nervous system and person.

A professional negligence complaint against the doctor was filed in April 2016.

Those documents show Thota was working at the Pain Management Center on Navajo Road  the same place that was raided Wednesday  at the time when that case was filed.

Thota's Medical License

According to the Medical Board of California, Thota has a current "Physician and Surgeon A" license to practice that expires on Aug. 31, 2018. His license was issued on Sept. 14, 1994. It states Thota graduated from Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada in India on Jan. 1, 1979.

The Medical Board of California license information shows one "administrative disciplinary action" on Thota's record and lists his status as "probation" as a result of disciplinary action. The license also says "limitations have been placed on the physician's practice."

Thota was placed on probation effective March 2, 2016, according to the Medical Board of California. He was suspended from practicing for one month, from March 18 to April 16. Per the Board, Thota's probation term is seven years.

The probation terms state he is "prohibited from engaging in the solo practice of medicine and supervising physician assistants and shall not order, prescribe, dispense, administer, furnish of possess any controlled subtances, except for those drugs listed in schedules IV and V. Dr. Thota shall be subject to this restriction until he completes a prescribing course."

Meanwhile, the Pain Management Center on Navajo Road continued to operate following Thotas arrest on Wednesday.

NBC 7 spoke with several patients at the facility who said they like the doctor and never had any issues with Thota. Patient reviews for Thota on this website show he has a 3.5 rating out of 5.

However, a couple of former patients of Thota's not involved in this case told NBC 7 their encounters with the doctor were uncomfortable.

One woman said he made sexual advances toward her.

He said 'I'm going to help you' and he threw his arms around me and grabbed me up against him and he kissed the side of my face, Anne Lutz explainec.

Another former patient who wished not to be identified, said she followed Thota's advice and in no time, she became addicted to Oxycodone.

"My body was becoming dependent on it. I needed it. When I woke up and I didn't have it, I felt awful," she recounted.

After Wednesday's hearing, a judge determined Thota could still work at his pratice but with some restrictions. He is still able to prescribe pain medicine to female patients, but only under the supervision of another physician while this case is pending, Judge Skomal said.

That decision is leaving some former patients outraged.

The investigation is ongoing. Lenox said there may be more victims out there. Roderick said anyone who believes they are victims of Thota in this case can call federal law enforcement at (858) 616-4100.

Thota is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 13.
Parents of students attending Lincoln High School sent a message to San Diego Unified School District officials and police officers Wednesday: Well move forward.

Members of the Lincoln High School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) spoke outside the campus on Imperial Avenue. They wanted to respond to comments made by the leadership of the San Diego Schools Police Officers Association just before the first day of school.

Cindy Barros, President, Lincoln PTO, said it was unacceptable to shed a negative light on the students at the start of a new school year.

On February 26, two students got into a fight during a lunch break that ended up in a parking garage. No weapons were involved.

SDUSD Police Officer Bashir Abdi followed one of the students into the garage where an altercation occurred.

Video from a students phone showed one of the students, a 16 year old, on the ground in the parking garage after being stunned with a Taser. Five students were exposed to pepper spray.

The officer was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

An investigation was launched into the school police officers actions.

Two students faced criminal charges ranging from assault on a police officer to theft and vandalism. Prosecutor would not reveal charges filed against a third juvenile.

In March, the district announced that none of the students involved would be expelled.

Over the weekend, Jesus Montana, President of the San Diego Schools Police Officers Association, expressed frustration with how the incident was handled by the district.

The student should have been recommended for expulsion," said Montana.

Montana said there was an agreement with the district for both the student and the officer to be transferred to different schools, but only the officer will be involuntarily transferred after he recovers from his injuries.

For the officers its a sense of betrayal, mistrust and not knowing if the district will have their back in the future if politics will lead the decision," said Montana.

Barros said the union leaders statement would set back the PTOs efforts to bridge the gap between students, school police and the community.

Lets keep our eyes on the prize and not be distracted by the past, she said.

Barros said parents and school leaders should be focused on the class schedule to ensure students success.

Montana offered this response to NBC 7:

Our intent was not to disrupt Lincoln. We met with the District last week. We insist on having equity disciplinary process on all students.

He also if the Lincoln PTO wishes to meet with him, he is more than happy to speak with them.
Three members of Congress shared their thoughts about NBC 7s Listen to Our Veterans Project. The two month project allowed veterans to share their experiences about programs and services for veterans.

More than a thousand veterans responded.

Veterans told NBC 7 that the most important benefit they receive is medical care. About half said the care was good and the other half said it was not so good. More than 70 percent stated that wait times were still a problem, despite the work Congress has done to free up funding for veterans to go outside VA medical centers.

You can read the full results here.

Congressman Darrell Issa, of the 49th Congressional District served 15 years in the Army and says he would like to see the VA concentrate on combat related injuries including post-traumatic stress.

We need to put our emphasis is special skills necessary to take care of the injuries that are most unique to military service, Issa said.

He said he wants to see care outsourced to community providers for non-service related medical issues to address those long waits.

My hope is the VA will not do more in the future, it will do less, but do it better, he added.

When it comes to mental health, 52nd Congressional District representative Scott Peters has authored a bill that would allow people with operated and classified situations overseas they can't come to group therapy right because they can't talk about what they did so we have to give them special treatment as well there's a whole suite of challenges.

The Congressman has also tried to open up licensing, so that people who are licensed in California can use that license to be hired by the VA to provide more resources to the VA.

Congresswoman Susan Davis, of the 53rd Congressional District, says mental health care is a priority for her as well. She wants to be sure veterans who are struggling with suicidal thoughts be seen right away.

There has to be a very strong message to the men and women who served our country and sacrifice for us, that no more sacrifices, we're finding a place for you immediately and I think we have to respond to that," she said.

But a problem that Davis and Peters are well aware of is the lack of people working in the mental health field.

We don't have enough providers in the community itself, so getting more nurses, getting more psychologist, psychiatrist, and social workers available is a real need, Davis said.

Members of Congress, including Darrell Issa and John McCain would like to see aging veterans use programs like medi-care funded though the VA to deal with medical issues that are non-service related. Congressman Scott Peters also wants to see a variety of solutions to make the VA more responsive to veterans.

Medi-care is one way that you can diversify out of the VA which is an inherent kind of also a choice right, he said.

He also says giving the VA flexibility to provide care for mental health is also key.

I did a bill that would allow people with operated and classified situations overseas they can't come to group therapy right because they can't talk about what they did so we have to give them special treatment as well there's a whole suite of challenges," he added.

Congresswoman Susan Davis -- the daughter of a World War II veteran and a member of the House Armed Services Committee wants veterans to have a choice, but says many don't want to go outside the VA system.

They see people that they know, it's familiar and all of us want that and I think that we've done a good job especially here in San Diego with trying to create a good very supportive environment, she said.

Davis says the American people owe veterans the benefits they have earned and that means funding the VA adequately. She says some members of Congress are getting in the way of the process to fund the VA by adding legislation to the VA bill which has kept it from passing.

If we were to pass the VA bill the way we would like we would see in 9 percent increase in the money is diverted to a whole host and a range of services," she told NBC 7.

Issa says funding is not the issue, it's fixing a broken bureaucracy.

From the standpoint of the actual backlog there's no excuse Congress is given the money and the VA has the authority to outsource wherever they're veteran is for the care they need.

As for the Choice Program, the program that was put into place quickly after being funded by Congress to reduce wait times and get veterans care more quickly, a large number of veterans said in the Listen to Our Veterans Project that it isnt working.

That is no surprise to these three members of Congress who have heard from veterans at their office.

The folks we've talked to in our office have the same experience, which is, choice is a good concept but it's not implemented right,  Peters said.

We know that Congress demands checks and balances and that's appropriate, but it may be that we have not streamlined that process as well as we should, Davis said, adding that the government should cut the red tape.

Issa says this is just another example of the bureaucracy getting in the way of a program.

There's money in this program. It is a program where you can't blame the eventual doctor and you can't blame the other parts of the Veterans Administration," he said. "What you can blame if you will the unnamed bureaucrats and software people who can't seem to get it right.

The VA says they are working to build new software to improve Veterans Choice.

For the most part veterans thought that the quality of medical care at the VA is very good. And the members of Congress we spoke to agree.

One complaint that veterans have about the care however, can be fixed with any cost to the taxpayer. And it is one all of these representatives feel should be implemented right away and that is that employees that serve veterans improve their attitude.

That would be easy to change and it doesn't take an act of Congress," Peters said.

NBC 7 reached out to Representatives Darrell Issa, Susan Davis, Scott Peters, Duncan Hunter, and Juan Vargas for interviews on Listen To Our Veterans.

Representatives Darrell Issa, Susan Davis, and Scott Peters met with us for interviews.

Congressman Juan Vargas, of the 51st Congressional District sent us the following statement:

Veterans continue to be a top priority for me and my office. I believe that it is very important to listen to our veterans and be receptive to their concerns and their needs in order to ensure that they receive adequate access to the medical care and services they deserve. Its essential to shed light on the experiences our veterans are facing. We must continue to work closely with our veteran communities and organizations to alleviate the burdens our veterans face.

Congressman Duncan Hunter, 50th District ,was unable to meet with us.

The members of Congress we spoke with encouraged any veteran who needs help with veteran benefits to contact them at the links below:

Congresswoman Susan Davis, 53rd Congressional District

Congressman Scott Peters, 52nd Congressional District

Congressman Darrell Issa, 49th Congressional District
A $6.2 million replica of the ship that first brought explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo to local shores in 1542 is scheduled to make its public debut for tours Sept. 3-5 at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

The working replica of the San Salvador, completed last year by museum volunteers after five years of donor-funded construction at Spanish Landing Park, will be available for boarding at the museum for the first time, according to a statement from San Diego Tourism Authority.

The San Diego Maritime Museum moved a replica ship of Juan Cabrillos San Salvador on July 22, 2015. The ship was supposed to be moved over the weekend, but the wild weather  including storms and lightning  prevented the voyage.

The debut coincides with the downtown waterfront museums annual Festival of Sail, billed as the largest tall ship festival on the West Coast. The North Harbor Drive museum will also have onshore exhibits spotlighting the re-creation of the Spanish galleon with full-scale, historically accurate elements.

California coastal tours featuring the ship are slated to begin in mid-September, with anchor stops in Oxnard, Monterey and Morro Bay. According to the museum, the replica of the 16th century galleon stands 60 feet tall and weighs 230 tons.

Museum officials said the replica measures 92 feet long by 24 feet wide, matching Cabrillos original ship in size. Construction materials came from sites around the world.

Dubbed the Mayflower of the West, the original San Salvador is believed to have brought Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer sailing for Spain, to what later became San Diego. Cabrillo anchored the ship at what is now known as Point Loma on Sept. 28, 1542.

Additional stories from the San Diego Business Journal are available here. Sign up for their free daily email newsletter.
San Diego leaders plan to staff a new brush fire crew in San Pasqual Valley, an area thats prone to fires and in need of additional resources.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer and San Diego County officials  including San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ron Roberts and San Diego City Councilman Mark Kersey  will meet Wednesday to make the announcement.

The City-County pilot project is designed to improve emergency response times in the remote area of San Pasqual Valley during peak fire season months.

Currently, the closest fire station to San Pasqual Valley is the Rancho Bernardo Fire Station No. 33 off Bernardo Center Drive, about 10 miles away.

In peak fire season, the new brush fire crew could be a major asset in getting firefighters on the ground faster to battle blazes. The expansive, rural area is home to vast vegetation  fuel that can cause fires to spread quickly.

The City of San Diego said the new brush fire engine began serving San Pasqual Valley early last month. The new engine includes four firefighters serving the San Pasqual Valley area. The crew will be stationed at the County Fire Authoritys San Pasqual Fire Station No. 93 on San Pasqual Valley Road, east of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

The addition of the fire crew will also help alleviate the work load at the Rancho Bernardo Fire Station so those firefighters can focus on that community, and travel less out to San Pasqual. The Rancho Bernardo Fire Station has the largest territory of any station in the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD), the City said.

Often times, the City of San Diego relies on mutual-aid agreements with other fire agencies to respond to emergency calls in San Pasqual Valley, so having a permanent crew in that region will be a big help.

SDFD Chief Brian Fennessy and Cal Fire Chief Tony Mecham, of the San Diego Unit, will also meet with Faulconer and county and city leaders Wednesday to discuss the new brush fire crew.
Property crime  including car thefts and burglaries  has increased across San Diego this year, and the same goes for violent crimes, including homicides, according to a newly-released report.

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Criminal Justice Division released its 2016 mid-year report Wednesday on local crime stats. The report said property crime is up by 4 percent countywide, while violent crime has increased by 1 percent.

According to SANDAG, there were 49 homicides reported in the first half of 2016  an increase of 14 percent from this same time period last year, when there were 43 homicides.

In the category of property crime, SANDAG said the biggest jumps are from auto thefts and burglaries. The report said motor vehicle thefts have increased by 16 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to this same time period last year. A total of 5,551 vehicles have been stolen in San Diego so far this year  or an average of four more per day than last years statistic.

SANDAGs report said the rise of residential and commercial burglaries have also added to the overall increase in property crime in San Diego. In the first half of 2016, SANDAG said 5,291 burglaries were reported in the county  a 6 percent increase from mid-year 2015.

In all, 31,799 property crimes were reported from January to June 2016. Of that figure, 66 percent were larcenies, 17 percent burglaries and 17 percent motor vehicle thefts, SANDAG said. Property crimes make up 85 percent of crimes reported in the region so far this year.

The number of robberies in San Diego also increased by 4 percent  to 1,396  according to the mid-year report.

In the category of violent crime, the report said aggravated assaults have decreased by 1 percent, possibly because in 2015, California law enforcement agencies began using the FBIs broader Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) definition of rape, leading to the reclassification of some assaults as rape. SANDAG said the change means the total number of violent crimes now includes incidents that wouldve previously been categorized differently.

There were 558 rapes reported in first six months of this year under the new UCR definition, compared to 511 in the first half of 2015.

A total of 5,409 violent crimes were reported to local law enforcement between January and June of this year, or an average of 30 per day, according to the report. Thats about one more per day than reported in mid-year 2015.

SANDAG said it is not possible, at this point, to confirm exactly what is causing the uptick in crime in San Diego.

Other West Coast cities also are seeing increases in crime, and we are watching the data closely, Dr. Cynthia Burke, Director of the SANDAG Criminal Justice Research Division, said in a press release Wednesday.

The report discusses some factors that may have played a role in the spike, including Assembly Bill 109 and Proposition 47.

According to SANDAG, this crime report includes statistics from the 18 cities and unincorporated communities that make up San Diego County. To read SANDAGs full mid-year crime report, click here.
An 18-year-old Little Caesars employee was hospitalized after a stray bullet shot through restaurant window, striking her in the leg.

Police responded to the 200 block of W. Clemmens Lane in Fallbrook just before 9 p.m. on Aug. 12 over a report of shots fired in the Rite Aid parking lot. When officers arrived on scene, they found eight shell casings on the ground.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, they received another call a minute later about a woman being hit with a stray bullet about a quarter mile down the street inside a Little Caesars Pizza on Main Street.

Investigators say they believe the bullet traveled a straight line from that Rite Aid parking lot  bypassing several businesses  to Little Caesars a few blocks away.

Surveillance video from inside the restaurant captured the moment the bullet came through the window and hit the pizza worker, Jenyffer, on the side of her leg.

Jenyffer told NBC 7 that she initially thought it was a coworker playfully hitting her on her leg and believed the blood was sauce.

At first I thought that there was sauce on it. I looked again and I saw a little hole in my leggings," she said. "That's when everybody started gathering up to me and I tried to hold on to one of my coworkers and they carried me to the back and they started screaming 'they shot her, they shot her.'"

Jenyffer said she remembers going to the hospital with pain shooting up her leg as doctors tried to keep her calm.

"They were telling me you gotta calm down or you're going to pass out," she recalls. "And I didn't have my mom or dad with me the whole time. I just didn't know what to think."

When her parents were finally allowed into the hospital room, Jeniffer said she forgot about the pain in her leg as she tried to calm her worried father, telling him she's OK.

Jenyffer is still recovering at home and had to miss the first day of her senior year of high school because of the pain.

SDSO investigators told NBC 7 they've sent the bullet along with the shell casings off to a lab to confirm if they are from the same gun. Authorities believe the shots may have been gang-related. No arrests have been made.

If you have any information, you are asked to call the San Diego Sheriffs Fallbrook Substation.
School test scores in the District of Columbia show just over one-fourth of city students are on grade level for career or college -- a slight increase from the year before, and significantly better than several years ago.

Those results are from the city's standardized test, called PARCC, for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. It measures college and career readiness in math and English.

Despite the improvements, schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson said much more needs to be done.

"If you are a crow, right, you think you're flying high because you're in a barnyard full of turkeys. Right?" said Henderson, who leaves her post next month after almost six years in charge of the District's schools.

"But there are eagles soaring way above and that's where we need to get to."

Henderson's good-humored description didn't disguise the tough job in the schools for teachers and administrators in a city with most students eligbile for food and other aid.

"They are taking students and families that have been misserved and disserved and have been super far behind, and holding them to a very high standard," Henderson said.

That's a reality faced every day by Anita Berger, the principal for 13 years at Banneker High, where Henderson and Mayor Muriel Bowser held a press conference Tuesday to announce the test scores.

"I've seen a lot," Berger said, who joined Banneker as a teacher. "I've seen the city go from one end to the other end in terms of spectrum. I know where we've come from, but we still have a lot of work to do."

"Children will meet a standard, if in fact that standard is set," Berger said.

Charter schools, which account for nearly half the school age population, did better than traditional public schools.

"Well, I think overall we've seen the scores move in the right direction," said Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Bowser is beginning the search for a new chancellor. She said she's looking for someone to build on the initial progress of Henderson and the current school system.
Prince George's County Police say a 13-year-old girl who disappeared two weeks ago has been found safe.

Destiny Sidibe was last seen on Aug. 17 on Eastern Avenue in Hyattsville, Maryland.

On Thursday, police said Sidibe had been found safe. No further details were released.
Gov. Larry Hogan has announced a $5 million study to explore a potential new Chesapeake Bay crossing.

Hogan said Tuesday the Maryland Transportation Authority Board voted last week for the Tier 1 National Environmental Policy Act study.

The study will begin this fall and take up to four years to finish. It will identify the location of a crossing and possible funding options.

"I won't be the governor when this bridge is finished, but I'll be the one when it gets started," Hogan said. "You're never going to get it done unless you start. This is just the first step in the process."

Hogan said the study is needed, because there is too much traffic that will only get worse on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which is the only bridge over the nation's largest estuary that connects the state's eastern and western shores.

The Tier 1 study will pursue environmental regulatory agency concurrence and agreement from the Eastern Shore counties on one crossing location. The study will include traffic, engineering, and environmental analyses; cost-per-mile estimates; preliminary financing and procurement options; and an economic and land-use study.

"The Bay Bridge can be maintained safely through 2065 with preservation and maintenance work. However, studies show that by 2040, motorists could experience up to 14-mile delays," said Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn. "This is the first step in a long process to address the demand for additional capacity across the Chesapeake Bay."

The study is expected to take two years.

Hogan also announced a new license plate design for Maryland. The new design, which he said he had a hand in the look, features a white background with black lettering and a stylized Maryland flag along the bottom.

The new plates will be available in September. They will replace the War of 1812 design currently being issued.
President Barack Obama cut short on Tuesday the sentences of 111 federal inmates in another round of commutations for those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.

At least six of those inmates came from the D.C. and Baltimore area, including Derrick Lewis Bynum of Hyattsville, Maryland, who had been sentenced to 300 months in prison for drug and firearms charges. His sentence was whittled to 240 months.

Obama has long called for phasing out strict sentences for drug convictions, arguing they lead to excessive punishment and incarceration rates unseen in other developed countries.

White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said the commutations underscored the president's commitment to using his clemency authority to give deserving individuals a second chance. He said that Obama has granted a total of 673 commutations, more than the previous 10 presidents combined. More than a third of the recipients were serving life sentences.

"We must remember that these are individuals -- sons, daughters, parents, and in many cases, grandparents -- who have taken steps toward rehabilitation and who have earned their second chance," Eggleston said. "They are individuals who received unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes."

Eggleston noted that Obama also granted commutation to 214 federal inmates earlier in the month. With Tuesday's additions, Obama has granted the greatest number of commutations for a single month of any president.

Eggleston says he expects Obama to continue using his clemency authority through the end of his administration. He said the relief points to the need for Congress to take up criminal justice reform. Such legislation has stalled, undercut by a rash of summer shootings involving police and the pressure of election-year politics.

Two goals of the legislation are to reduce overcrowding in the nation's prisons and save taxpayer dollars. In 1980, the federal prison population was less than 25,000. Today, it is more than 200,000.

But the legislation's supporters have encountered opposition from some Republicans who argue that changes could lead to an increase in crime and pose a greater danger to law enforcement.

Eggleston said Obama considered the individual merits of each application to determine that an applicant is ready to make use of their second chance.

One of those granted relief was Tim Tyler, who at 25 was sentenced to life in federal prison for possession with intent to deliver LSD as he followed the Grateful Dead. He is now set to be released on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Families Against Mandatory Minimums, an advocacy group, said it had been working on the Tyler family's behalf.

"We applaud the president for using the clemency power to free people who fully expected to die in prison and for shining a light on the excesses of federal drug sentencing," said Julie Stewart, the group's president.

The release dates for the inmates vary. Most are set to be released December 28.

Legal groups supporting the president's actions have formed an organization called Clemency Project 2014 that has submitted some 1,600 clemency petitions to the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney. The group said a prisoner must have served at least 10 years of his or her sentence to be considered for a commutation grant and must be a non-violent offender without significant ties to gangs or cartels. The inmate also must have demonstrated good conduct in prison while serving a sentence that likely would have been substantially lower if handed out today.

"We are looking forward to many more grants during the remaining months of President Obama's term in office," said the group's project manager, Cynthia Roseberry.

Inmates from D.C. and Baltimore whose sentences were commuted:

Malik Abuhamid Ibm Wakil Abdunafi  Baltimore, MD

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, at least 50 grams of cocaine base (crack), heroin, and marijuana; distribution of cocaine and cocaine base (crack); distribution of heroin; possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, at least five grams of cocaine base (crack), heroin, and marijuana; Middle District of Pennsylvania

Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $100,000 forfeiture (August 31, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016, and obligation and payment of forfeiture remitted.

Derrick Lewis Bynum  Hyattsville, MD

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; use of a communications device to facilitate narcotics trafficking (three counts); possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (two counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; District of Maryland

Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (December 19, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment.

Elliott Gray  Baltimore, MD

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, and aiding and abetting; District of Maryland

Sentence: 188 months' imprisonment; four years' supervised release (August 24, 2007)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

Marvin K. Holloway  District Heights, MD

Offense: Unlawful possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; District of Columbia

Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (November 21, 2000)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

Rodney R. McCain  Suitland, MD

Offense: Distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; District of Maryland

Sentence: 200 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (September 14, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.

Jonathan Carnell Williams  Washington, DC

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (crack); District of Maryland

Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (May 6, 2003)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 28, 2016.
If youve ever milled around a gasoline station while your tank is filled, youve probably spotted a big red button near all the gas pumps.

In case of emergency, that button shuts off the gasoline to any and all tanks to limit damage.

We learned this week there is a button or switch like that in the bottom of the building in Southeast that houses the Districts Office of Unified Communications (known as the OUC).

Just before midnight on Saturday, according to District officials, an engineer inspecting a water leak hit the button or switch, killing the power to the entire operation of the OUC for nearly 90 minutes. Even when the power was restored, it took a while to get all the 911 and 311 equipment back up and running. It wasnt until Monday morning that the reason for the shut-off was even clear.

The cutoff valve is in a secure room, but the engineer had access to it.

When you come into the server room, theres a lot of power coming in there, said Chris Geldart, director of homeland security for the District. A lot of sensitive equipment, a lot of danger for firefighters. So the [cutoff] box is there on purpose so that the firefighters have one place to go to shut down all of that power.

Geldart, who won praise for the citys snow response this past winter, said there were warning signs and protocols that maybe werent given enough attention. He said the city already has cut down the limited number of people who have access to that room and instructions are where they need to be.

As of our deadline, there were no reports of extremely serious calls that were missed as the system moved to an off-site backup. Geldart and Karima Holmes, director of the call center itself, said other safeguards are being put into place.

This [event] caused our entire center to go down, Holmes told us. We want to make sure that button is pushed only when its needed to be pushed.

 Trump 911? Your Notebook mostly sticks to local politics in the District and occasionally Maryland and Virginia. But we are fascinated by the twists and turns of the Donald Trump presidential campaign.

As of this writing, Trump was to give a clarifying speech Wednesday in Arizona on his now-muddled immigration plans. He began his campaign by promising to deport 11 million undocumented people, saying they could come back only by applying legally.

This past weekend, Trump said hed go after criminals among the immigrants first. He was far less clear about what happens to the others.

Your Notebook is borrowing a line from Trump and reminds everyone that Trump had said he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would not desert him. Well, we say that Trump has shot his hard-line immigration stand. What will his hard-line supporters do now?

 A final word. Its a truth that news directors at television stations often come and go. Some make new policies, some just fill the slot and some are never forgotten, for good and bad reasons.

And then there was Robert (Bob) Long. He died this week at George Washington University Hospital after a prolonged illness. Long was our news director at NBC4 from 1999 until 2003. Veteran anchor Jim Vance wrote the staff a note about our former news director and friend to Vance and many others even after he left. Well let Vances note to the staff wrap things up:

One day a while ago, a guy who used to work here chose to celebrate yet another winning/dominant May [ratings book] in a note to the staff with the life cycle of the mayfly as metaphor. It was sparkling prose, ending, as did all the former and later such notes, with an invitation to Chadwicks, or Clydes or Matisse or wherever, to raise a drink to our success as our competition drowned in their own hot tears of despair.

On another occasion, he likened our victory to Hannibals crossing of the Alps in his campaign against the Romans.

Who writes stuff like that at the end of a book!? For those of us fortunate to have worked for him, the answer is, of course, Bob Long. There is no one who knew him, who doesnt have a Bob Long story to tell. For his part, Bob had a thousand of his own, which he was happy to share with anyone who would listen. And who wouldnt listen? The stories were fantastic, so much so that [former NBC4 weatherman] Bob Ryan and others are still trying to figure out which might be true.

Such pondering is now moot. After a long and valiant struggle, Bob lay down his sword [Monday]. But if theres anybody whose spirit will never die, it surely is his.

Now that was Vances note. Vance ended his tribute with a call to raise a glass to Long on Monday night at Matisse. As Vance said, Were going to raise a drink or three in celebration of a life well lived. And, in gratitude that at some point, we were blessed to share the same space, breathe the same air, laugh, cuss, and maybe even tell a lie or two (maybe not) with Bob Long.

And in case you missed it, your Notebook will add this: Long was a hell of a journalist.

Tom Sherwood, a Southwest resident, is a political reporter for News 4.
Get ready to go back to the 'Upside Down' because "Stranger Things" is returning for a second season on Netflix.

The first installment was eight episodes and starred Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, a single mom of two who goes to extreme lengths after her youngest son, Will (Noah Schnapp), goes missing. His disappearance and the appearance of a mysterious girl, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) trigger the events of the sci-fi series that has captivated audiences since its debut on Friday, July 15. Season two will be set in 1984 and consist of nine episodes with a 2017 debut.

The first season cast also included David Harbour as Jim Hopper, the police chief of Hawkins, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Natalia Dyer as Nancy, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan, Cara Buono as Karen, Matthew Modine as Dr. Brenner and Joe Kerry as Steve.

Why We're Obsessed With Netflix's Stranger Things

"Stranger Things" hails from Matt and Ross Duffer. The brothers discussed second season ideas at the 2016 TCA Summer Press Tour. "We wanted to feel like a big movie, so we wanted to solve that main tension of where Will went and what happened to him," Matt told press earlier this summer. "But then there's the bigger mythology behind what happened, so there's definitely a lot of dangling threads at the end...if people wanted it and Netflix wanted it, we could explore it and continue the storyline."

Why the delay in renewal? Netflix boss Ted Sarandos told press at this summer's TCA that they "always want to take some time to be thoughtful about the process."

"When we first come out of the gate with something, we usually have a pretty good idea of where it's going to go, but it's sensible for us to take a little bit of time and let the show breathe. And with so many really falling in love with season one, and people who haven't really seen episodes of season one just yet, let's focus on season one right now," he said.

"Stranger Things" was Ryder's first series regular role. "This is my first series actually and it was great...It was a different kind of role for me," she told E! News at the show's premiere. "I've never done this genre...As you get older as an actress you want to try different things. You don't want to keep repeating yourself. I'm 44, so it was nice to play my own age."

26 Summer TV Events You Can't Miss in 2016
The purported leader of a gang that held up several Worcester, Massachusetts, sub shops at gunpoint has been held on $35,000 bail.

Prosecutors say 27-year-old Brian Lacroix, of Holden, wielded the gun and was the "primary perpetrator" of the five robberies at four different sandwich shops in March and April.

The Telegram & Gazette reports that Lacroix's lawyer entered not guilty pleas on his client's behalf to five counts of armed robbery while masked. Prosecutors sought $100,000 bail.

Lacroix and three alleged accomplices were arrested April 16 in a vehicle that matched the description of one used in a holdup at a Subway shop.

His defense attorney said Lacroix has a drug problem and asked that he be released on personal recognizance so he can enter a drug treatment program.
Protesters with the Black Lives Matter movement demanding more affordable housing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have been arrested.

Cambridge police say four people who were allegedly blocking City Hall were arrested after several warnings and "allowing 8+ hours" of protests.

Crowds peacefully left the scene after the arrests.

Dozens of people had been chanting in front of Cambridge City Hall since early Wednesday morning, and about a dozen police officers were also present keeping the peace.

Earlier Wednesday, two Black Lives Matter protesters chained themselves to the front doors of the building, but police were able to remove them from the door handles and slide them to the side.

There are no plans for arrests unless the protesters go "over the top," a city official told necn.

Meanwhile, it was business as usual inside city hall.
An 18-year veteran of Connecticut state police has been charged with first-degree threatening and has been suspended amid an internal affairs investigation.

State police said they responded to the North Stonington home of David Greene to investigate after someone reported he threatened her.

The woman told police she and Greene had returned from an event just before midnight on August 26, when Greene made threatening statements that made her fear for her safety, according to state police. He had a firearm at the time of the incident, police said.

Greene was arrested and has been charged with first-degree threatening.

State police said he was assigned to Troop E in Montville.

Greene is due back in court on Sept. 22.

Its not clear if he has an attorney.
Authorities in Massachusetts say a police officer was justified in the shooting of a man accused of dragging another officer with his car.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan announced the findings of the investigation Tuesday.

Ryan says there was "no criminal conduct involved" in the July 16 shooting of 27-year-old Michael Clark.

Prosecutors say a Tyngsborough officer tried to stop Clark's vehicle but Clark fled. The officer followed him to Chelmsford, where a Chelmsford officer tried to stop Clark.

Prosecutors say Clark pulled over but reversed when the Chelmsford officer approached, catching him on the car door and dragging him. The Tyngsborough officer then shot Clark twice.

Clark was treated at a Boston hospital.

The Chelmsford officer was treated and released.

Clark is charged with assault and related crimes.
Police are investigating after a Warwick, Rhode Island, mother reported that someone stole about $2,000 in cash donations from the hospital room of her 15-month-old son battling leukemia.

Kelly Smith says a fundraiser held for her son on Friday raised approximately $2,700 in checks and $3,730 in cash.

Smith was left with about $3,000 in cash after her husband paid some bills. The money was put in the front pocket of Smith's pants, which she left in a bathroom attached to her son's room at Hasbro Children's Hospital when she went to sleep Sunday night.

But on Monday morning, Smith says she woke to find just $1,075 in her pants. The boy's father's wedding band was also missing.

Hospital officials say they will assist the police investigation in any way necessary.
The discovery of an invasive species in a Vermont lake has renewed pleas to boaters from state environmental conservation officials to take steps to ensure the pest is not spread to other waterways.

The Asian clam was recently discovered in Lake Bomoseen, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources announced this week. While the species was just confirmed, the state agency said the clam had likely been in a portion of Lake Bomoseen for at least a year before it was positively identified.

"Asian clams can spread very rapidly," warned Josh Mulhollem of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, who was in the Castleton River Wednesday making sure the clam had not made it farther downstream.

Mulhollem did not detect the clam in the river, and said it is a priority of his to see the Asian clam contained to the 14 acres of Lake Bomoseen where it is now known to be.

"They do pose a serious threat in certain places in Vermont where the environmental conditions are correct," Mulhollem said, noting the invader prefers a sandy environment.

The dime or nickel-sized invaders consume resources needed by native species like fish, Mulhollem said. He added that they can clog water pipes to lakeside homes, and even increase blooms of potentially toxic blue-green algae.

This is the first time the clam has been found in Vermont, but it was already identified in nearby bodies of water, including Lake George in New York.

Some have speculated the clam may have hitched a ride on a boat in tiny amounts of water or mud, and was inadvertently transferred to Bomoseen.

However, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources said it cannot be sure how or when the species was introduced to Lake Bomoseen, or exactly where the initial introduction occurred.

The agency is now pleading with boaters and anglers to clean, drain, and dry all their equipment to avoid spreading the pest to another body of water.

"I clean it off, I empty the bilge, and drain all the water," said fisherman Bob Wetzler, as he was putting his boat into Lake Bomoseen Wednesday.

Eric Splatt, the general manager of Woodard Marine on the shores of Lake Bomoseen, said he will be spreading the message about proper equipment handling to customers during the lake's busy Labor Day weekend. Splatt said he wants to see the waters preserved for great outdoor recreation in the face of this new threat from the Asian clam.

"It definitely is important that we take a look at this issue," Splatt said.

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation provides more information on aquatic invasive species on their website.

Wetzler said a tournament for the Rutland B.A.S.S. Club, for Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, is scheduled for Thursday, September 8 on Lake Bomoseen from 3 to 7 p.m. He predicted the Asian clam will be a topic of conversation as members compete in the tournament.

Wetzler also said anglers in the organization will do their part to spread the word about the need to contain the Asian clam.
Embattled Maine Gov. Paul LePage asked the people of the state for forgiveness on Tuesday, but said he has no intention of resigning despite the controversy swirling around some of his recent remarks.

LePage did say that he has apologized for leaving an obscene rant on state Rep. Drew Gattines voicemail last week.

To the Maine people, today, I am asking for forgiveness, he said in a statement. Comments I have expressed recently are unacceptable and I apologize sincerely for using such disrespectful language as your Governor. Also, I would like to express an apology to the Gattine family. I understand how hurtful statements affect a family and regret that my words have adversely upset your lives. For this I am sorry."

LePage said he met with Gattine privately on Wednesday morning in an effort to bring closure for all those involved. The governor also said he and his family will be seeking spiritual guidance as they move forward in finding closure themselves.

Gattine confirmed Wednesday that LePage apologized to him, but said the governor continued repeating the same talking points about drugs and race.

LePage also met with a select group of reporters on Wednesday morning. Necn and several other news outlets were not allowed in.

According to necn affiliate WCSH-TV, he said during that session that he is not an alcoholic and does not have drug or mental health problems. He also said that he is not a very good politician, but he will continue to fight for the underdog.
A Massachusetts ride sharing driver was arraigned Tuesday in Malden District Court on charges of assaulting a disabled woman.

Prosecutors said Wilson Brea, 21, of Revere, showed up at a passenger's Prentiss Street home in Malden on Monday evening and first asked to use the bathroom.

"After this, he came back into the room he said, 'Im sorry, Im going to have to take this,' he grabbed her purse and medications, said the prosecutor at Brea's arraignment.

When the 45-year-old victim attempted to stop Brea from taking her purse, he allegedly pushed her before getting into his car.

Prosecutors said there was $200-300 in the woman's handbag, a $252 money order, 3 credit cards and a wallet.

The victim told investigators she has used Brea before and called him directly. He usually works for Idrive in Saugus, which provides drivers for Uber.

Officials at Idrive said Brea was not online for the company Monday night, and an Uber spokesperson told necn they had nobody with that name on the platform either, so it appears he may have been working on his own.

The judge set bail at $500 and ordered Brea to stay away from the victim. He also cannot drive for hire in Massachusetts.

Brea has been charged with larceny and assaulting a disabled person. He's due back in court September 20.
"We have a killer walking the streets in the city of Manchester, he could do it again," said victim Denise Robert's brother Tom.

It's been one year since 62-year-old Union Leader sales rep Denise Robert of Bedford, New Hampshire was shot and killed while on her usual Sunday night walk in her childhood neighborhood in the North End of Manchester.

Robert's eleven brothers and sisters still hoping for closure for their eldest sibling who took care of them growing up.

Tom Robert said, "We all hoped for a quick resolution but it hasn't come."

While police say tips continue to come in on the unsolved murder almost weekly, no one has been charged.

Manchester, NH police Chief Nick Willard said, "The detectives that are investigating this case, they wear it as a weight on their shoulders everyday, it's what they think about when they wake up, it's what they think about when they're at work, it's what they think about when they get home."

The attorney general's office is still hoping to talk to the white male in his 20's or 30's driving a dark colored pick up truck seen quickly leaving the area of Ray and Carpenter Streets around the time of the murder.

But they say any tip, no matter how small, may help.

Assistant Attorney General Geoffrey Ward said, "It is a needle in a haystack, but what's important is to keep pushing and keep pressing because information can start to come in, people who were scared for whatever reason may now be comfortable providing information, you never know what will lead to someone slipping up."

Tom Robert said, "It may be a small bit of information that may make the whole puzzle fit."

A walk and candlelight vigil is scheduled for 6:30pm Thursday at the Brookside Congregational Church, where Robert last parked her car.

Manchester Crimeline is still offering a $40,000 reward for information leading to the killer's arrest.
A 17-year-old male from Groveland, Massachusetts, is expected in court Wednesday after allegedly threatening to shoot up his school.

Another teen walked into the police station and alerted officers about the Instagram post.

It showed the suspect and what looked like a firearm, as well as a reference to the first day of school.

The suspect was arrested at his home without incident, and the "gun" in question turned out to be an airsoft pistol, which is considered a firearm in these investigations.

The teen is being held without bail.

Schools will be open on schedule Wednesday.
An independent investigation into possible sexual abuse at an elite boarding school has uncovered several cases of sexual misconduct by faculty members, the school announced on Tuesday.

The review at Phillips Academy identified five cases in the 1970s and 1980s in which "former faculty members engaged in sexual misconduct involving students," Head of School John Palfrey said in a letter to the school community.

The review was conducted over several months by the Sanghavi Law Office, which says it's dedicated to issues facing schools, students and families.

Palfrey asked former students in the spring to come forward with information about sexual misconduct at the school following a series of sexual abuse scandals at some of New England's most exclusive boarding schools, including Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, and St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island.

In the letter, Palfrey identified three of the former Phillips Academy faculty members involved as Stephen Wicks, H. Schuyler Royce and Alexander Theroux.

Theroux, a former writer-in-residence, "engaged in sexual misconduct toward a student in the 1970s," and the school received "multiple concerns" related to his "behavior toward students" during the investigation, Palfrey said.

Theroux has denied the allegations but is barred from campus and from school events, the school said. He didn't immediately return a message left at a phone number listed for him.

Wicks engaged in sexual misconduct toward a student in the 1980s, Palfrey said. He also is barred from campus and from school events. He has not returned two messages seeking comment.

Royce engaged in "multiple incidents" of sexual misconduct toward a student in the 1980s, Palfrey said. The school said it became aware of "additional concerns" related to his behavior toward students during the investigation. He died in 1991.

Palfrey extended his "deepest apologies" to those affected by the abuse and said the school, which is located in Andover and has about 1,100 students in grades 9-12, has notified state officials.

At the Phillips Exeter Academy, at least three staff members this year have been accused of sexual misconduct. The school announced last month it was hiring a director of student well-being to oversee student safety, especially issues involving sexual misconduct, harassment and assault.

At St. George's School, police looked at allegations of abuse of students by seven former faculty members, one current employee and three former students and at allegations that administrators didn't report abuse to the proper authorities. But police and prosecutors determined they couldn't proceed with criminal charges for a variety of reasons, including the statute of limitations and changes in the laws since some of the abuse occurred, as far back as the 1970s. The school has apologized for how it handled abuse cases and said it "cooperated fully" with police.

Alumni have criticized the schools for failing to take abuse allegations seriously or for bungling their internal investigations. At the Phillips Exeter Academy, hundreds of alumni signed a letter to the trustees saying the administration was more focused on concealing sexual assault than addressing it.
Authorities in Shirley, Massachusetts, are warning residents to be on the alert for a suspicious man who approached a woman while she was jogging.

Police issued an alert after a man driving a large green cargo van approached the jogger around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday on Hazen Road.

The woman's husband says the family is very shaken by what happened. He doesn't know if his wife was targeted because she's a jogger, and police in Shirley say they're taking the incident very seriously.

"A car was driving towards her, and he pulled over and kind of pushed her off into poison ivy on the side of the road," said Sue Heinz, who knows the jogger.

She says what happened next was weird.

"He was just offering her water, but that's kind of odd," she said.

In a Facebook post, the jogger said,

"At this point my heart was beating pretty fast since #1 - I am completely aware that a woman was murdered in Princeton while out on a run about 10 miles from here," the jogger wrote in a Facebook post. "# 2 - in my 20 plus years of being a runner no one has ever run me off the road to stop and offer me a water."

On top of that, the jogger says there was another man sitting in the back of the van, when the passenger seat was empty.

"She sees another person, a passenger in the back. A male passenger in the back," said Heinz. "She hightailed it out of there, and was able to run and capture a few numbers on his license plate and was able to call police."

That partial license plate is a Massachusetts registration that's starts with 930. The rest is unknown.

Back in August, 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte was killed jogging by her mom's house in Princeton. That's about 20 miles away. While authorities are not saying the cases are connected, Shirley Police Chief Thomas Goulden told the Lowell Sun the murder may have been a factor in this jogger's decision to report the incident.

Marcotte's killer hasn't been caught, and neighbors in surrounding towns have been on edge -- the jogger who was approached in Shirley says she now carries mace when she runs.

"It's very concerning, obviously," said Shirley resident Bill Wood. "We think something like this can't happen in a small town, but obviously, with the situation in Princeton, we know that it can and it did."

The Worcester County District Attorney's Office tells necn its investigators are following all leads, but that they haven't heard specifically about the Shirley incident.
A small open source firm behind the erasure of Hillary Clinton's personal email server is enjoying a lot of free publicity thanks to the investigation into the server's contents. BleachBit, an open source system erasure tool, has been around for a few years and won some accolades, and now it's the center of attention on the Clinton email scandal.

It started with Trey Gowdy, the Republican congressman from South Carolina leading the investigation into the private email server. He mentioned BleachBit in an interview, saying Clinton's 33,000 deleted emails have been "deleted where even God can't read them."

Gowdy told Fox News last week, "You don't use BleachBit for yoga emails or for bridesmaids emails. When you are using BleachBit, it is something you really do not want the world to see."

Gowdy made it out to be something of a nefarious tool, but as PCWorld noted in its 2013 review of the tool, BleachBit is just a secure erase tool, one of many, and it does a good job of it.

"BleachBit feels like a solid, no-nonsense utility for users who know what they're doing. Being free, open-source, and cross-platform are great advantages, especially in an enterprise environment," the reviewer said at the time.

+ Also on Network World: State Department turned off spam filters for Hillary Clinton +

Andrew Ziem, the developer behind BleachBit, wrote in a blog post that that BleachBit's web traffic "spiked" after Gowdy's comments, and a second, larger wave came after the story went viral. His servers have handled the traffic load. Not too surprisingly, his comments section has exploded into political arguments.

Ziem is in the center of a political firestorm, but he seems to be making the most of it.

"Perhaps Clinton's team used an open-source application [like BleachBit] because, unlike proprietary applications, it can be audited, like for backdoors," he noted in his post.

"BleachBit is free of charge to use in any environment whether it is personal, commercial, educational, and government, and the cleaning process is not reversible," Ziem said.

He added that the company "has not been served a warrant or subpoena in relation to the investigation."

I'm not sure why it should be subpoenaed. It's just the tool. The question should be for the presidential candidate who felt the need to use such a tool to erase emails about yoga and bridesmaid dresses.
Twin Town Association makes first visit since EU vote

AT A time when Britains future with the EU remains uncertain, Newburys Twin Town Association is doing its best to keep up European relations.

The group has recently returned from Feltre, Newburys twin town in northern Italy, where it took part in the popular Palio festival.

This annual event, at which the four quarters of the town compete against each other in various sporting events, was enjoyed by a huge crowd of locals plus more than 70 visitors from Feltres twin towns.

The weekend included group meals, with specialties such as beer risotto served at the local brewery and an open-air buffet on the terrace outside the 17th-century La Sena theatre.

There was also time for the group to explore the Feltre area with their hosts.

The visit also provided the group the chance to upload their photos to www.lavidaphoto.eu, a website created by the Newbury Twin Town Association to capture a snapshot of life in twin towns.

Association chairman Ian Haslam said: We always enjoy visiting Feltre and were warmly welcomed by our host families. The spectacular mountain scenery around Feltre and its beautifully-restored medieval architecture provide a fitting backdrop to the Palio festivities and our twinning visits.

Newbury Twin Town Association will now welcome visitors from each of its six twin towns to an international reunion in Newbury next month.

For more information on the Newbury Twin Town Association, visit www.newburytwintown.org.uk or contact Rachel Haslam on (01635) 820379 or 07919 555043 or email rachel.haslam@ntlworld.com
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Police appeal for information from passers-by

POLICE have appealed for information after an attempted break-in during the early hours of yesterday (Tues) morning, at a well-known American style restaurant, situated just outside Kingsclere.

According to Hampshire Constabulary, the incident took place at Nelsons Diner, off the A339, sometime between 1.04am and 1.12am yesterday (Tuesday, August 30).

Three people wearing dark clothing were seen to smash a side window of the diner before attempting to force open a side door.

The three people then left in a Subaru Impreza estate vehicle. Entry to the restaurant was not gained and nothing was taken.

Investigating officer PC Stuart Bond said: Id like to hear from anyone who may have been passing or in the area at the time that may have seen a Subaru Impreza estate vehicle, or who may have captured any images of it on a dash cam.

This is a busy stretch of road throughout the night and I would encourage passing motorists or customers of the nearby petrol station to contact the police should they see any suspicious activity at the site.

Anyone with information is asked to telephone the police non emergency number, 101 quoting 44160325485.
Industrial development policy to take shape

Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Party Central Committees Economic Commission

A scheme on Vietnams industrial development policy is being completed to give a fresh boost to the industry two years after the Prime Minister signed two decisions approving the nations industrial development strategy.Speaking at a dialogue on industrial development policy in Hanoi last week, Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Party Central Committees Economic Commission, called for scientists and experts to point out the countrys current industrial conditions to help the commission improve and quickly complete the scheme for submission to the Politburo in November.Binh said many parts of decisions 879 and 880 signed in June 2014 on a master zoning plan for Vietnams industrial sector development are inappropriate to the current conditions in Vietnam and the world, so the commission was assigned to make improvements so that the Government could review and revise the nations industrial development strategy.Duong DinhGiam of the Vietnam Association of Economic Sciences, who took part in the drafting of the two decisions, admitted difficulties when doing the task, saying the selection of 19 key industrial sectors at that time was infeasible.Professor Kenichi Ohno of Japans National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, who has helped draw up almost all industrial development policies for Vietnam over the past 20 years, commented that Vietnams industrial development policy is not as good as that of some nations in Africa.He said 19 major industrial sectors are too many and proposed slashing the figure to five. He suggested the Prime Minister get involved more in the process of devising industrialization programs instead of only signing them.Le ThanhThao from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vietnam said Vietnams industrial competitiveness ranking climbed from 94th in 1990 to 40th in 2015 among 200 countries. However, all local and international policymakers agreed the level of Vietnams industrial sector stays low after over 30 years of reform and integration.Truong ThanhHoai, head of the Heavy Industry Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said Vietnam sets too many orientations and targets.The nations auto industry development has failed due to high targets, according to experts. The processing-manufacturing sector creates 90% of total industrial production value but it contributes less than 13% to Vietnams gross domestic product (GDP) while the mining sector makes up only 8% of industrial production value but accounts for 10% to GDP.Hoai said Vietnam must spend US$50 billion importing spare parts and components annually since local supporting industries are weak.One top of that, Vietnam is facing many challenges. Regarding human resources, only 21% of 54.4 million people of working age have been trained and just 18% of the trained laborers are working in the processing-manufacturing sector, Hoai said.Vietnam has also lagged behind other nations in terms of technology application. Foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises account for 90.6% of technology investment, State-owned firms 8.7% and non-State companies a mere 0.67%.Besides, the average headcount at businesses dropped from 27 in 2007 to 18 in 2014 while firms with small capital edged up from 77% in 2012 to 83% in 2014.

Dr. Vu Thanh Tu Anh from the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program said Vietnam keeps applying an old approach in building its industrial development policy though economic conditions have changed fast. He explained policymakers are mainly from State-owned enterprises, which contributes 30% of GDP but creates 20% of industrial production value.





This means private businesses, which generate most of the industrial production value and GDP, do not get involved in the policymaking process.Vietnam aims to attract investors in the hi-tech sector but just 20% of its export revenue is contributed by this sector. Anh said the country should focus more on added value as foreign businesses have made the most of it while the country supplies cheap labor, land and utilities.Coordination among ministries and agencies is poor, Anh said.Vietnams international integration has gone faster than internal reforms. Anh warned that the number of local firms would likely go down sharply in the coming years when the nation fulfills all commitments to free trade agreements due to their weak competitiveness, and more social problems would emerge when people lose jobs.Saigon Times
Cranston East no match for Portsmouth

With their 36-6 victory on Friday night, the Patriots clinched the top seed in their half of Division II.
Andrew Howie lives in Champaign and hides his pretentious music taste behind self-deprecating humor. If you seek radio hits, this is not the column you're looking for. Come here to find the acquired tastes, the obscure albums, the innovative and bizarre.
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
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).
Columnist

Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich).
Alport syndrome is a condition that develops due to mutations in three different genes  COL4A3, COL4A4 and COL4A5. The reason that the syndrome has a significant impact on the kidneys is because all of these genes provide instructions that affect the type IV collagen in a protein present in the kidneys.

This protein impacts the function of the glomeruli blood vessels in the kidneys which help with the filtering process. These capillaries remove water and waste from the blood to produce urine.

When there are mutations in these genes, the kidneys do not carry out the filtering process as well as they should. This can result in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the patient.

This same collagen is also found in the inner ear structures. Abnormalities can result in sensorineural hearing loss due to how they affect the function of the organ.

This same collagen is also present in the eyes where its role is keeping the shape of the lens. Mutations in the genes can result in a misshapen, conical eye lens and flecks of discoloration in the retina.

X-linked pattern of inheritance

In Alport syndrome, 80% of the cases are due to mutation in COL4A5, the X-linked pattern. For a male, this means that they have a mutation on their X chromosome but they do not have another X chromosome to compensate for this. The other chromosome is Y and is not affected.

Females have two X chromosomes, which means that even if they have the Alport Syndrome mutation on one chromosome, the other X chromosome can compensate. This can limit the development of symptoms for females in comparison to males.

For males, this means that they can experience chronic kidney disease leading up to kidney failure and other more dramatic symptoms of the disease. In contrast, the impact on the females will be milder. Women tend to have hematuria (blood in the urine) but kidney problems are not as marked.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

Additionally, males cannot pass on the X-chromosome to male offspring as male children receive the Y chromosome from their father. They can however pass their X chromosome to female offspring who will be a carrier for the syndrome.

If a womans mother has the mutation, she has a 1 in 2 chance of being a carrier. Tests will help to confirm whether she has the mutation or not, as symptoms can be mild. The chance of a male descendant receiving the mutation is also 50% but the symptoms will be much stronger and he is likely to develop the full syndrome.

Rare Types of Alport syndrome

The rarer forms of the syndrome make up about 20% of cases in total. About 15% of these cases will have the autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. Patients will have mutations in the COL4A3 and COL4A4 genes.

In autosomal recessive Alport syndrome, men and women are both affected in similar ways. They will have symptoms such as renal failure, eye issues and reduced hearing.

A person with the condition would have to receive two mutations in the same genes from both parents. The carriers may show signs of blood in their urine (hematuria). Offspring of both sexes have a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting the condition.

Another rare condition is autosomal dominant Alport syndrome, which also causes a mutation in the COL4A3 or COL4A4 genes. This affects about 5% of the cases of Alport syndrome. Patients with this type can develop kidney failure much later, after the age of 40. They also have hearing loss and their eyes are affected. Their children have a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation.

References

Alport Syndrome Foundation on the different types of Alport syndrome: http://alportsyndrome.org/alport-syndrome/alport-syndrome-genetics/

Kidney Research UK on Alport syndrome: https://www.kidneyresearchuk.org/health-information/alports-syndrome

US National Library of Medicine on Alport syndrome: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/alport-syndrome#synonyms

Further Reading
A new study of women 20 years after undergoing surgery for primary breast cancer shows that breastfeeding for longer than 6 months is associated with a better survival rate. Among breast cancer survivors who breastfed for >6 months, both breast cancer mortality and overall mortality risk were less after 20 years, according to the study published in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

In "Breastfeeding Associated with Reduced Mortality in Women with Breast Cancer (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/bfm.2015.0094)," Margaretha Loof-Johanson, MD, Lars Brudin, MD, PhD, and Marie Sundquist, MD, PhD, University of Linkoping, and County Hospital, Kalmar, Sweden, and Carl Edvard Rudebeck, MD, PhD, University of Tromso, Norway, examined the link between lifetime breastfeeding history and both breast cancer-specific and overall survival among women treated for breast cancer who had lived long enough for other causes of death to contribute substantially to mortality.

"This study confirms that the long-term maternal health benefits of breastfeeding are not only preventative in nature, but that it also has the capacity to reduce the severity of breast cancer," says Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine.
With this summer slated to be the hottest on record, more and more people, especially farmworkers, are at even higher risks of heatstroke. In fact, the state of California is currently investigating whether heat exposure caused three deaths in California's Central Valley this July.

A new book by University of Colorado Denver anthropologist Sarah Horton argues that heat fatalities are likely to continue among American farmworkers without reform of immigration, labor, health-care and food safety policies.

Farmworkers experience more heat fatalities than any other group of outdoor laborers. Workers in California continued to experience heat-related illnesses even after the state became the first in the nation to require employers to provide shade, water, and rest breaks during high heat.

"State laws that grant outdoor workers relief from the heat are only a first step in our efforts to reduce heat deaths," said Horton. "Policy change on multiple fronts is necessary in order to combat the epidemic of heat-related deaths among farmworkers."

Putting heat death in a broader context, Horton's book "They Leave Their Kidneys in the Fields: Illness, Injury and 'Illegality' among U.S. Farmworkers" examines the lives, work conditions, and health status of 15 immigrant workers who harvest melon and corn in California's Central Valley over the course of 10 years.

Her research shows that the exclusion of farmworkers from standard labor protections contributes to excessive and continuous work and encourages heat illness. For example, in California workers are only eligible for overtime pay once they have worked over 60 hours a week. During the harvest season, workers routinely put in 70-hour work weeks to pick the quickly ripening fruit, exposing them to high temperatures for long periods of time.

Farmworkers who are paid a set amount for each box of produce they fill are also more likely to forego state-mandated breaks in order to earn more money. This "piece rate" work increases the risk of heatstroke.

In the book, Horton also exposes the phenomenon of "identity masking," in which labor supervisors require employees to use the valid work documents of others in order to evade immigration and labor laws. The documents include green cards and Social Security Numbers. The practice makes it very unlikely that workers will inform labor supervisors when they need a break or become ill because they are vulnerable to employer retaliation and charges of identity theft.

Exclusion from health care also contributes to heat related illness in the fields. Undocumented farmworkers have long been excluded from preventive health care so many enter the fields unaware that chronic conditions like hypertension or diabetes place them at risk of dying from heat.

Finally, Horton shows that industry efforts to prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness often come at the price of worker health. Industry associations are increasingly implementing state-approved food safety certifications that prohibit workers from taking their own water supplies into the fields.

Farmworkers, Horton argues, are entitled to the same labor protections as anyone else and changing policies could prevent very serious heat illness. They should be included in standard overtime laws. And those working piece-rate should be compensated for their breaks. At the same time, states should use Medicaid funds to extend coverage to undocumented immigrants in order to fill the gaps in coverage left by the Affordable Care Act.

Policies should also be enacted that grant amnesty to workers who report workplace abuse to help counter the impact of punitive immigration laws on immigrant working conditions.

Horton says that if the state of California is serious about reducing heat fatalities among farmworkers, it should do more than provide them water, rest, and shade. "Heat fatalities are a symptom of a much bigger problem," she says. "California has historically led the nation by example in passing protections for farmworkers. By mandating standard overtime for farmworkers and including undocumented workers in state Medicaid programs, California has the opportunity to be on the vanguard of farmworker rights once again."
Dr. Bjorn Herpers THOUGHT LEADERS SERIES ...insight from the worlds leading experts

How much evidence is there that MRSA is correlated with eczema?

There is a lot of evidence that Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is involved in eczema. Eczema is now thought to be caused by a barrier dysfunction of the skin that allows external triggers to cause an overshoot of inflammation.

The inflammation is exerted by the immune system. An individuals skin is prone to triggers that ignite the immune system which leads to the inflammatory symptoms.

Over the past decade, a lot of evidence has been gathered, which shows that one of the most important external triggers for this inflammation is the S. aureus bacterium. We know that it's S. aureus itself that ignites the inflammation and that it's independent of the antibiotic resistance mechanism.

MRSA is the methicillin-resistant S. aureus, indicating its extended resistance profile against multiple antibiotics normally used. Like the antibiotic susceptible S. aureus types, MRSA also can ignite this inflammation in eczema.

It's not the antibiotic resistance or MRSA itself that is more likely to cause this inflammation, but you can imagine that when you are colonized with a multi-resistant type of S. aureus (MRSA), treatment is more difficult, especially when secondary infections occur.

An Australian research group has shown that in the last 15 years, the presence of MRSA on the skin in children with eczema has increased from 0% to a three-year average of 10%, between 1999 and 2014.

That is because S. aureus is involved in eczema and when you live in a country where a lot of S. aureus is the multi-resistant MRSA type, then of course more people wont have the susceptible variant of S. aureus, but the multi-resistant variant on their skin.

In the Netherlands, where we have low prevalence of MRSA, we do not see a lot of MRSA on eczema patients, but for example, in Australia, we see more than 10% of eczema patients with MRSA.

What did the recent systematic review from Erasmus University Medical Center involve?

It is the first time that all the academic scientific evidence that has been gathered over the last decade has been systematically reviewed and put into context. Ninety-five studies were included in the review.

All of them were checked for completeness of the description, the right patient selection and so forth, to make sure all the methodology in these studies was done correctly.

Then, you have a lot of studies that you can review, the conclusions of which can be put into one review. All this evidence pointed towards the involvement of S. aureus in eczema.

Prof. Suzanne Pasmans and Dr. Joan Totte described that eczema patients, for example, are 20 times more likely to have S. aureus on their skin lesion, than healthy controls. This is about 70-80% of all patients with eczema that are colonized with S. aureus.

Also, the review has shown that the disease severity of eczema in fact correlates with S. aureus colonization, so the more severe the eczema, the more likely that S. aureus is present. It is the first time that all that evidence has been put into context.

How do the results of this study compare to previous findings?

The study itself shows the gathered evidence of the involvement of S. aureus colonization in eczema and it fits nicely with other studies. For example, there was one study (Kong et al., Genome Research, 2012) that showed that a flare of eczema symptoms actually is preceded by a rise of S. aureus numbers on the skin. You have more S. aureus and then you get the flare.

At the same time, the biodiversity of the rest of the skin bacteria, the so called microbiome, is diminished. Right before a flare, you see an up-rise of S. aureus and you see a decrease in the others, including the beneficial skin bacteria. Then, you have the symptoms and the flare. This bacterial skin imbalance is restored after the flare has resided.

From: Kong, H. H., et al. (2012). "Temporal shifts in the skin microbiome associated with disease flares and treatment in children with atopic dermatitis." Genome Res 22(5): 850-859.

Available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License), as described at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

There was a very powerful study from the beginning of 2015 (Kobayashi, Immunity 2015) where the researchers had a mouse model of eczema. These mice have a genetic skin barrier dysfunction that resembles a known genetic factor in a subgroup of eczema patients.

These mice develop eczema symptoms as soon as they are colonized with S. aureus. There are some really interesting pictures of the skin of these mice, where you see that the skin cells do not adhere to each other.

There are some crests and openings in the skin between these cells and you see these grape-like bacteria feeding in there and that is S. aureus.

As soon as these mice become colonized with S. aureus, they develop the inflammatory skin symptoms resembling eczema. When the researchers treated these mice with antibiotics, they saw that S. aureus colonization decreased and subsequently, the symptoms of eczema decreased. This is a very powerful study. I think it shows that it is S. aureus that triggers this eczema-like inflammation.

Is there any evidence that this is a causal correlation, or is further research needed to rule this in or out?

At this time, we're not sure; it's a hypothesis. We know from other studies that S. aureus produces a lot of toxins. With these toxins, S. aureus can act directly on the skin cells, immune cells and nerve cells.

These toxins are able to produce inflammation, pain and itchiness. All the evidence points towards the role of S. aureus as a trigger.

We have this hypothesis of skin barrier dysfunction making the skin prone to triggers like S. aureus, followed by an overshoot of inflammation, of the immune system.

However, if you look at how we treat eczema right now, we try to intervene at the skin barrier level by using Vaseline-like emollients and we use corticosteroids to decrease, dampen, and inhibit the immune system. We do not intervene at the level of the trigger of eczema itself; we do not intervene at the level of S. aureus.

Sometimes we do treat severely infected eczema with antibiotics, but why don't we intervene at that point as a regular eczema therapy? That's because antibiotics, the usual treatment for bacteria, are not suitable for a long-term suppression therapy because you see resistance and side effects, which is why we don't do this.

What impact do you think this review will have?

I think it will draw focus to S. aureus as a central trigger in eczema, so it will inspire more research to focus on intervention at the trigger level, instead of intervention at the later immune level.

If you eliminate the trigger, you don't need to have corticosteroids to dampen the immune system response.

What should prospective studies focus on?

As a doctor, I say patient benefit. We now know S. aureus is involved in eczema and we have a hypothesis on how S. aureus does this. The next question, of course, is can we reduce the number of S. aureus on the skin of eczema patients and will this lead to a patient benefit in terms of less inflammation, itchiness and pain? Also, will this approach have less side effects than other treatments?

What other treatments do you have for eczema? Well, it's the corticosteroids that inhibit the immune system. There are some risks with that. It could be that intervening at the S. aureus level would prevent the use of corticosteroids. Maybe you need less corticosteroids when you intervene at the trigger level.

About Dr Bjorn Herpers

Bjorn Lars Herpers graduated summa cum laude at Gymnasium Rolduc in Kerkrade, and studied medical biology, and later medicine, at the University of Utrecht. He graduated cum laude in medical biology in 1999 and obtained his medical degree in 2001.

After one year of residency in internal medicine at Gooi-Noord Hospital under supervision of prof.dr. D.W. Erkelens and dr. P. Niermeier, he switched to a residency in medical microbiology at the University Medical Center Utrecht and the St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein under supervision of Prof.Dr. J. Verhoef and Dr. B.M. de Jongh.

During his residency, he started to work on his thesis on genetic polymorphisms in MBL and L-ficolin, two complement-activating pattern recognition receptors. In 2009 he became a medical microbiologist and joined the staff at the Regional Public Health Laboratory Kennemerland in Haarlem. Dr Herpers acts as the Chief Medical Advisor to Micreos, a Dutch biotechnology company.
Reports new study in Biological Psychiatry

Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of cardiometabolic conditions, may be a biological mechanism linking posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to structural brain abnormalities, according to a new study in Biological Psychiatry. The findings highlight the need to develop effective interventions for PTSD to treat not only the symptoms associated with the disorder, but also potential ensuing metabolic and neurodegenerative consequences, which may be suggestive of premature aging.

"The results of this study have important implications for our newest cohort of veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan," said first author Erika Wolf from the National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System in Massachusetts. "They suggest that it might be appropriate to view PTSD as a risk factor for metabolic disease and as such, to screen young veterans with PTSD for metabolic problems."

Stress has been thought to be a contributing factor to the development of metabolic syndrome, which occurs about twice as often in patients with PTSD than in the general population. Additionally, metabolic syndrome increases risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other medical conditions that often accompany PTSD, and is associated with neurodegeneration.

In the study, jointly funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, senior author Mark Miller, also from the National Center for PTSD, and colleagues examined the associations between PTSD, metabolic syndrome, and structural integrity of the brain. They assessed 346 United States military veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan who participated in the Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) for PTSD and metabolic syndrome, of which 274 also had magnetic resonance imaging measures of cortical thickness, an index of the neural integrity of the brain.

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Consistent with previously published rates, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among veterans with PTSD was nearly twice as high as those without PTSD. Structural brain images revealed an association between greater metabolic syndrome severity and reduced cortical thickness. In an analysis with multivariate statistical models, the researchers then found an indirect effect of PTSD on cortical thickness via metabolic syndrome severity.

"Our finding that PTSD-related metabolic syndrome was associated with reduced thickness in large regions of the cortex of the brain is alarming, particularly given that veterans in this study were, on average, quite young and in their early 30s," said Wolf.

The question of how PTSD and metabolic syndrome affect brain structure remains unanswered and additional research will be needed to rule out the possibility that reductions in cortical thickness are actually a risk factor, rather than consequence, of PTSD and metabolic syndrome.

Still, according to Wolf, this association raises concern about the possibility of subsequent neurocognitive decline in this population. "The effects observed in this study may be part of larger PTSD-related accelerated cellular aging process that is manifested in premature health decline," she said..

"This important study suggests a link between PTSD, metabolic syndrome, and brain health," said John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. "By implication, this study suggests that effective treatment for PTSD is needed to reduce emotional distress and to preserve overall health."
The first-ever Alzheimer's Association Sex and Gender in Alzheimer's (SAGA) research grant awards will provide $2.2 million to nine projects to advance understanding of the disproportionate effect of Alzheimer's disease on women.

Almost two-thirds of the more than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer's are women. Among Americans age 71 and older, 16 percent of women have Alzheimer's or dementia compared with 11 percent of men, according to the Alzheimer's Association 2016 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures. It is unknown why more women than men are living with this disease. There are several theories, including differences between the sexes regarding length of life, duration of disease, and when they approach their doctor for guidance/diagnosis. In addition, there may be distinct biological and genetic contributions that differ between the sexes.

"Research showed us how women experience heart disease differently from men. We need to look at Alzheimer's in a similar way. If we can better understand the disease processes and progression in men and women, we have an opportunity to tailor how we approach detection, diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches based on sex," said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief science officer. "As a core part of this discussion, we must explore fundamental differences in biological characteristics and lifestyle factors between the sexes that may play a role to the disproportionate impact on women."

Each of the SAGA grant-funded projects will receive approximately $250,000. The majority of the investigations are examining relationships between hormones, genetics and the development of Alzheimer's. Other key themes include differences in men's and women's brains that may contribute to the development or progression of the disease, and sex-specific response to Alzheimer's risk factors.

Understanding Potential Sex Differences in Alzheimer's

Emerging evidence suggests the higher frequency for Alzheimer's in women may, in part, be due to biological or genetic differences, or different life experiences, such as type and amount of education, occupational choices or rates of cardiovascular disease.

In May 2015, the Alzheimer's Association hosted a think tank of biological sex and Alzheimer's experts. The meeting identified three gaps in understanding the influence of sex on the disease:

The role genetics plays in Alzheimer's.

Hormonal factors, including changes over time that may affect differences in development and progression of Alzheimer's.

Lifestyle factors, such as why the brains and cognitive health of women may have more vulnerability to factors such as stress, sleep disorders, depression and metabolic disorders.

"The link between sex and Alzheimer's is complex and likely due to multiple factors. Discovering those factors and translating those discoveries into therapy is critical," said Roberta Brinton, Ph.D., director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona Health Sciences and a think tank co-chair. "We all can agree that as women and men, we have different experiences as we age. For example, as a SAGA-funded researcher, I am investigating the influence of estrogen loss and genetic risk for Alzheimer's on brain health, and if that combination of factors impacts the development of Alzheimer's in women."

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As a direct result of the think tank, the Alzheimer's Association announced the SAGA funding initiative. SAGA is the only active, multi-project, research funding effort focused on filling previously identified knowledge gaps related to potential sex differences in Alzheimer's.

"With SAGA, there is a potential for discovery that could open a whole new world in terms of how we treat people with dementia in the physician's office," adds Brinton. "There is also an opportunity to improve the way we test new therapies. By better understanding how the disease progresses differently in men and women, we can adjust treatment and the ways we measure effectiveness to be more precise. This could lead to potentially better, more successful clinical trials."

Making the Funding Possible

The Alzheimer's Association funding for the SAGA grant initiative is made possible by:

Alzheimer's Association Zenith Society members John and Crystal Beuerlein; The Judy Fund and Gelfand Family; and the Sigma Kappa Foundation.

Alzheimer's Association supporters Stuart and Lisa Alperin; Michelle and Lawrence Herbert; the W.C. English Foundation; Ellen Yankellow, Pharm.D.; and Bill Chapman.

Part the Cloud, an Alzheimer's Association fundraising initiative led by philanthropist Michaela "Mikey" Hoag.

Move for Minds, an initiative of Maria Shriver and A Woman's Nation.

Alzheimer's Association National Board members Jim and Carla Grossmann and Diana R. Kerwin, M.D.

Alzheimer's Association Celebrity Champion Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

"These research efforts are possible because of the generosity of these visionary donors," said Carrillo. "They understand the potential of this research for field-altering discoveries that will bring us closer to new Alzheimer's treatments for both men and women. We are grateful for their selfless and substantial commitment to this cause."

SAGA is a core component of the Alzheimer's Association Women's Initiative. The broader initiative highlights the multiple and disproportionate effects of Alzheimer's on women as caregivers, advocates and people living with this disease. It launched in June 2014 with a major goal to engage more women in the fight against Alzheimer's.

"Through the Alzheimer's Association Women's Initiative, we have ignited a global conversation about the striking impact Alzheimer's has on women and its far-reaching consequences," added Carrillo.
One Medicine: how human and veterinary medicine can benefit each other

Professor Roberto La Ragione

News-Medical speaks to Professor Roberto La Ragione, Chair of Trustees at Humanimal Trust, about the concept of One Medicine and how human and veterinary medicine can collaborate, share knowledge, and initiate research for the benefit of both humans and animals.
Deepika Padukone is a queen. She slays Bollywood with her performances. She's out to slay Hollywood as well. She isn't afraid to speak her mind. She's an ace badminton player. She's gorgeous and she's funny. Honestly, why don't we replace the word 'perfect' with 'Deepika' in our dictionaries?Deepika Padukone is so awesome, that in fact, even the Indian Air Force Entrance exam had a question about her. No, seriously. Twitter user @PradeepNUI put up a photo of the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) paper which had one question about the Goddess. The multiple-choice question was "Deepika Padukone has received Filmfare award 2016 for the best actress in the movie".Seriously, this woman is everywhere: In our hearts, in our dreams and now in our question papers.






Bengaluru: Illegal homes that encroached on water bodies are being demolished in Bengaluru leaving many homeless. But the construction is still continuing without any hindrance.



In May, the National Green Tribunal barred construction activity within 75 metres of the periphery of Bengaluru's water bodies. Based on this order, the Karnataka State Environment Impact Assessment board denied clearance to nine mega residential projects saying the builders had encroached on lakes and storm water drains.



But nothing has stopped the construction activity in the IT city.



Ankshu Ecstasy of TGR Projects India, a prominent residential project, has even constructed the entire apartment complex despite being denied environmental clearance.







State Environmental Impact Assessment Board official Ramachandra said, "We withheld their permission as we found that projects had come up on lakes. We asked for response from them. Only one replied and modified their plan. Rest nine hasn't got back to us."



The illegal construction leaves potential home buyers in Bengaluru in a fix with many reconsidering investing in property in the IT city.
The Baloch Republican Party central spokesperson Sher Mohammad Bugti has said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support to their cause has made the people of Baluchistan extremely happy. He said that the entire Baloch population was grateful to Modi and the Indian media for supporting their struggle for freedom from Pakistan.



He said "PM Modi has raised his voice for us. Indian media has also raised its voice for us. We are indebted to them".



Attacking the Pakistani army for the "genocide" in Balochistan, Bugti said  What is going to happen to Pakistani army in Balochistan will be worse than what happened to them in Bangladesh in 1971. If they leave us on their own, it would be good for them. Otherwise we will kick them out soon.



He said that Baluchistan was never a part of Pakistan and there was no question of staying with them.



He criticized Pakistani media for demonising PM Modi for backing the Baloch struggle.



Bugti said "Pakistan media talks about everything except genocide in Baluchistan. Tens of thousands of our people have been massacred by Pakistani army in Baluchistan. Our situation is so bad. But no one talks about it.



Interestingly the PM has also approved All India Radios broadcasting in Balochi language on Wednesday. According to a report in PTI the All India Radio (AIR) has plans of improving its news service in Balochi language.



This move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modis comments on 15 August where he flagged concerns about the condition of people in Balochistan in Pakistan. AIR, which already has a service in Balochi since 1974, will now augment the news bulletin component with new programs in the language in a bid to woo Baloch hearts.



"The All India Radio (AIR) already has a service in Balochi language which airs various programmes and also news. But now an enhanced news bulletin is being planned in Balochi language said a senior AIR official.


Srinagar: Congress party on Tuesday said the decision to continue use of pellet guns in controlling protests in Kashmir was very upsetting and amounted to "betrayal" with the Opposition which was given to understand that these would be stopped.



"Well, this has made us very upset. At the national level, we were all one when we raised our voice against the use of pellet guns and we were told on the floor of the House that a committee has been constituted and whatever recommendations will come we will implement and we were privately given to understand that the use of pellet guns will not be there," Congress general secretary and leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters here.



He was responding to a question on reports about the Centre deciding to continue the use of pellet guns in Kashmir even as other alternatives would also be used.



Azad said there was another delegation led by former chief minister Omar Abdullah, which met President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and everybody in Delhi.



Omar and the all-party delegation led by him to Delhi also made the leadership understand that there should not be use of any pellet guns, he said.



"But, it is very sad that the demand made by all party leaders in both houses of Parliament and the demand made by the all party leaders from J-K has been totally neglected. We are totally upset with this decision of the government. It amounts to a betrayal of sorts," he said.



Azad said sending an all-party delegation to Kashmir was not an initiative of the government but it was a demand made by the Opposition parties.



"No, I don't think this was their initiative. We had to fight it, we had to fight for this all party delegation again and again inside the Parliament and outside the Parliament," he said.
Karur (Tamil Nadu): A 20-year old engineering student was allegedly beaten to death in her classroom in a private college near Karur on Tuesday by her senior for spurning his love.



The incident comes two months after a similar brutal killing of woman techie Swathi at a railway station in Chennai for rejecting love of a man.



K Sonali, doing BE Civil Engineering, was attacked by P Udayakumar on her head with a log of wood in broad daylight even as some of her classmates present there looked in shock, police said.



She bled profusely and was rushed to a private hospital in Madurai, about 140 km from Karur, where she succumbed without responding to treatment, police said.



The assailant was one year senior to the victim in the college. A native of Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram District, had dropped out of the institution in 2015.



Udayakumar met the victim at the college canteen on Tuesday. As she did not talk anything with him, he was infuriated. He followed her, went to her classroom and hit her with a wooden log, police said.



He was arrested soon after the incident and a case of murder slapped against him.



The college management has declared holiday for three days from Tuesday.



Swathi, employed with an IT firm, was hacked to death allegedly by a man in the Nungambakkam railway station in Chennai on July 24 in full public view in the morning. After a man-hunt, police arrested Ramkumar on the charge of killing her.
Whats with visiting American politicians and officials saving the best soundbite for their last public engagement?



President Barack Obama did it with his famous Siri Fort address last year when he reminded India and Indians that religious tolerance and diversity were our greatest strengths and we should fight to preserve it. Now his top foreign policy man, Secretary of State John Kerry has spoken about the recent crackdown on NGOs like Amnesty and the slapping of sedition charges on protesting citizens.



We have to respect the rights of all our citizens irrespective of creed and allow them to protest in peace without fear that they will be jailed, Kerry said this in his interaction with students at IIT Delhi which incidentally was also his last public engagement, much like Obamas last year.



Kerry also had some tough words for Indias neighbour Pakistan on the issue of terrorism. Kerry said, it is clear that Pakistan has to do more on sanctuaries offered to groups like the Haqqani network and LeT especially in their western sector. We have been working on this. I have had multiple conversations with both Prime Minister Sharif and Army Chief General Raheel Sharif. It is a work in progress.



Interestingly, both in his press conference on Tuesday at the conclusion of the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and later on Wednesday morning at IIT, Kerry seemed to be sympathetic towards Pakistan and the enormous task it is up against in trying to cleanse that nation of terror groups.



In the press conference, with Sushma Swaraj, Indias External Affairs Minister to his right, Kerry said , "I think they have been trying especially in the last few weeks and months to deny sanctuary to various terrorist groups. And I must say they have been doing a reasonable job.



This last part of his answer went largely unreported but did surprise many of the reporters at the press conference.



Late Wednesday evening, John Kerry will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before he flies out for Washington DC. This is the last time Kerry will be in India as Secretary of State. He can go back satisfied at all that has been achieved in the last two years in the Indo-US relationship and also having held up a mirror to his hosts.


New Delhi: Secretary of State John Kerry had a clear message for India when he spoke at IIT Delhi. He said, "We have to respect rights of all our citizens irrespective of creed and allow them to protest in peace without fear that they will be jailed".



This comes in the backdrop of the sedition case that was filed against Amnesty International in Bengaluru for holding an event where Kashmiri separatists were invited.



The main allegation was that anti India slogans were raised at this event.



Amnesty's case isn't the first. Recently the government had also cancelled the foreign contribution license of US NGO Greenpeace India division.





The Narendra Modi Government also faced a lot of criticism for the sedition case filed against JNU students for raising anti india slogans at an event on campus.



Massive protests were organized by JNU students to protest against the arrest of students.



The Indian government did not seem perturbed by Kerry's statement. Foreign ministry sources say the US Secretary of State made no mention of problems being faced by Amnesty or any US based NGO in India in the bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.



One official told CNN-News18 that it was obvious for US to make its interests clear and the statement made by Kerry had been made by the US embassy on an earlier occasion as well.



He also said that India would check NGO's only if they flout rules and all decisions can be challenged before court. Therefore, the government doesn't see it as a warning or subtle message.



Even though the government may choose to play down Kerrys message, its importance cannot be missed. The secretary of state spoke about free speech in front of a large group of students and student bodies across the country have been involved in protests both in favour or against the government.



While the ABVP took on JNU students and Amnesty International over alleged pro kashmir slogans, one cannot forget the massive protest by Hyderabad university students against the central government over the suicide of Rohit Vemula.



Keeping his student audience in mind, it seems John Kerry chose his words carefully.



The US Secretary of States other important message was about polarization. He said,Polarizaton anywhere is not good. It leads to intolerance and frustration with governance. While he was speaking in the context of US elections there was a message for India as well. We have seen attempts at polarization ahead of national and assembly elections.



Kerry began his address by joking about the heavy waterlogging in Delhi. His arrival at IIT was delayed by atleast half an hour because of the rains. What's worse is that he was stuck in Delhi traffic for over an hour on Monday near the Chankayapuri area, when he was traveling to his hotel from the airport.



Kerry began his speech at IIT in a lighter vein asking students whether they arrived in boats. The audience broke into peels of laughter, but the incident does not paint a pretty picture of the national capital at all.



However, the Indian govt claims Indias ties are better than ever before. Foreign Ministry sources say, these minor incidents dont take away from the fact that he almost spent half a day for the Indo-US strategic dialogue.



A source tried to highlight the growing bond between the two countries by recalling a private conversation between the two leaders. Apparently when Sushma Swaraj joked about her height saying, "We are the tall and short of diplomacy", Kerry replied saying, "No, we are the strongest and toughest of diplomacy".
The commission's report submitted to the Haryana government on the various land deal cases between 2004 and 2014 that happened in the state during the previous Congress party rule suggested that the Hooda government had favoured Vadra in various land deals and several officials manipulated rules to favour some influential people.

Justice Dhingra inquiry commission submitted report on Vadra land deal case to Haryana Govt (earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/WLlslVz1bE  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

The report has two volumes and the third volume has the details of the documents which I received on June 30, 2016. There have been irregularities in the land allotment deals. The contents of the report will be provided when Haryana Government starts the investigation and if they want to make it public, they can do so. Irregularities in grant and the manner it has been benefited and to whom have been examined by me. I have named each and every person who is involved in the irregularities," Dhingra said.



The Commission has reportedly questioned more than 50 people and includes two dozen officials, and it is likely to recommend several cases and further inquiries.

Attacking Justice Dhingra Congress party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said "It was a sinister conspiracy of the Haryana Government and BJP, with the sole intent to defame and malign Robert Vadra.



: Justice SN Dhingra Commission has found irregularities in Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadras land deals in Haryana during the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government's ten year regime, sources told CNN News18 on Wednesday.The Commission was set up by the BJP government in Haryana and it was BJPs poll promise during the 2014 elections that the guilty will be brought to book.Addressing the media, Justice Dhingra said that based on the report's findings, action will be taken against several people including former chief minister Hooda.Speaking to media after submitting the report Dhingra said that there were irregularities in the land deal adding that he brought to light the manner in which irregularities were committed and people behind it.Asked about the reason behind not involving IAS officer Ashok Khemka to record his statement, Dhingra said, "If I wanted to call Ashok Khemka, I would have. I didn't think it was necessary."Justice Dhingra has put it on record that irregularities were found in the grant of permissions to Robert Vadra's Skylight Hospitality, and several influential people granted favours that caused land prices to increase substantially in and around Gurgaon.Reacting to the report, BJP national spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh said that his party was not surprised by the findings of the commission.BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said that Haryana government would examine the report and take appropriate action."I think the report is likely to be very very explosive in nature. Much greater than the CAG report. Windfall gains were made by Robert Vadra and his companies in land deals," Rao said."Even before the submission of report, portions were leaked to the press and aired in many media channels. This shows the malicious intent and sinister conspiracy of the government of Haryana, of BJP & even the Commission itself," Surjewala added.Reacting to the report, Former CM Bhupinder Hoods said that h hasn't seen the report, but if it has been leaked, then it proves its nothing but witchunt."No undue favours were given to anyone and we followed proper policies," Hooda added.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has decided not to grant parole to rape and murder convicts in Maharashtra. People who are convicted of serious offences like child trafficking will also be denied parole.



The Maharashtra Home Department had last week put all parole applications on hold temporarily. The department had notified that no parole would be given till revised rules are notified.



Maharashtra government has encountered a humiliating situation by having highest number of parole violations consistently that forced the government to revise parole rules.



The state government also drew flak from the Bombay High Court for extending the parole of actor Sanjay Dutt who was convicted in 1993 Bombay blasts. It was accused of showing extra diligence in the matter and discriminating between him and other convicts.
New Delhi: The United States on Wednesday said that it is clear that Pakistan has to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against "indigenous groups" operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistan's peace and stability.



US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on a three-day visit in the national capital, said that he has discussed with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of taking stronger action against groups such as the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Toiba.



Addressing a session at IIT-Delhi, he said terror groups like Daesh, al-Qaeda, LeT and JeM can't be fought by a single nation alone.



"We are working on it. I have been working on this issue very hard. I have had many engagements with Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT.



"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities. They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India-Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," Kerry said.



Kerry said Pakistan has fastened the process in the recent months.
The Prime Ministers Office (PMO) has sought a report from the Odisha Government over the news and pictures of the tribal man in Odisha who 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. He got help only after this was brought to the attention of local authorities by the locals who witnessed the man carrying his dead wife.



The 42-year-old woman died of tuberculosis at the district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna.



According to the reports, the videos and pictures of the man that were flashed across news channels disturbed the prime minister and PMO had sought a report from the Odisha Government on 27th August because this he believes is a clear reflection of the state government's failure at providing basic amenities to the people.







For those in such a situation, the Naveen Patnaik government had launched the 'Mahaparayana' scheme in February, offering free transportation of bodies from government hospitals to the residences of the deceased. As per the 'Mahaparayana' scheme, dead body carriers are supposed to be deployed at 37 government hospitals and a total of 40 vehicles were assigned for the job.



Majhi, however, had walk to his village Melghara which is about 60 km from Bhawanipatna, because got no help from the hospital authorities, despite all efforts.



On being asked about the negligence, the Kalahandi collector had earlier said that he ordered immediate action after the incident came to his notice.






New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that the acquisition of land by Tata for the Nano plant in Singur was illegal. The apex court said that no due process was followed by the previous Left government in West Bengal in acquiring the land and transferring it to Tata.



It was also observed that adequate compensation was not given to land owners during the acquisition. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state has been asked to reclaim the land in 10 days and distribute it to the original owners.



The apex court has also said that all those farmers who have taken the compensation in lieu of the acquisition will not have to return it as they have been deprived of their lands and its fruits for last 10 years.



Those farmers who had not taken the compensation may withdraw it and that land be returned to the owners within 12 weeks, the court said.







Calling it a landmark victory, Mamata said, "We waited for ten years for this judgement. It is victory of the farmers. Will work out a mechanism to return land to the farmers," she said. The state government will hold a strategy meeting on Thursday over how to implement the SC verdict.



Tatas exited Singur in 2008 after sustained protests against the acquisition by the TMC



The land was acquired in 2006 for the car project, which was vehemently protested by the TMC - currently in power in the state with Mamata Banerjee as Chief Minister. Eventually, the project was moved to Sanad in Gujarat in 2008.
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has approved a policy to grant permanent residency to foreign investors bringing in at least Rs 10 crore capital in a bid to attract more overseas funds.



Permanent residency status will allow investors to enter India multiple times without any stay stipulation, allow them to buy residential property and their spouses to take up employment in private sector or study in India without employment or student visa.



"A certain threshold if you invest in India, then there will be availability of visa, the availability of the right to purchase assets, the availability of employment for family members, there is a detailed policy that has been approved by the Cabinet today," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said after the Cabinet meeting.



The Cabinet imposed eligibility conditions after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had moved a cabinet note on permanent residency for foreign investors.



To get a permanent residency status, the investor should make a minimum investment of Rs 10 crores within 18 months or 25 crores within 36 months. The government also specified that the investor can avail of the benefits only if his investment generates employment for at least 20 resident Indians every year.



The permanent residency status will be granted initially for 10 years and can be renewed for another 10 years subsequently. The benefits of this scheme will be available to the investor, their spouses and their dependents.



Jaitley had announced in this year's budget that as part of Modi government's Make in India policy, foreign investors will be given incentives like permanent residency if they invest in the country.
New Delhi: The Election Commission has censured the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu for violating the provisions of the Model Code during the assembly polls, saying its manifesto gave no rationale to meet the financial requirement for fulfilling promises such as free distribution of washing machines.



"... The Commission...censures your party and also advises you and your party to be more circumspect and adhere to the provisions of Model Code of Conduct, particularly Para VIII of the Guidelines relating to Manifestos, in future," the EC order of August 23 addressed to party supremo J Jayalalithaa said.



Though the show cause was issued in May, the order came after three months.



In a separate order, the Commission also asked Opposition DMK to be "more circumspect" and adhere to the provisions of Model Code of Conduct, particularly those relating to manifestos.



On May 14, the poll watchdog had issued show cause notices to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and DMK president M Karunanidhi for violating model code, saying their election manifestos do not "substantially" fulfil its guidelines.



The Commission had said the two parties had not complied to its guidelines on manifestos. It had asked them to reflect the rationale for the promises made in their manifestos and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirement for the same.



EC said it went through the reply to AIADMK to the show cause notice and found it "unsatisfactory".



"... It has been observed that no rationale or/and detail on the ways and means to meet the financial requirement for fulfilling such promises has been given in the manifesto for certain promises, like, waiver of all farm loans due to co-operative banks, free distribution of washing machine, steam boiler, idli cooker for Adi-dravidar and tribal welfare hostels, gift coupons of Rs 500 for all ration card holders to purchase handloom textiles from co-optex at a cost of Rs 500 during Pongal festival...," the order said.



In its order on DMK, addressed to Karunanidhi, the poll body said that though the rationale and ways and means to meet the promises have now been given, the same should have been given while issuing the manifesto.



In its show cause notice to the two Tamil Nadu parties, the Commission had referred to the guidelines on election manifesto for political parties and candidates.



It had reminded the two parties of section 3, which says that "in the interest of transparency, level-playing field and credibility of promises, it is expected that the manifesto also reflects the rationale for the promises and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirement for it.



"Trust of voters should be sought only on those promises which are possible to be fulfilled."



Parties in Tamil Nadu are known to promise things such as colour TV, mixer grinder, ceiling fans and free rice in their election manifestos.
LG                             2/4  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 31, 2016

Kejriwal government has moved the Supreme Court against the High Court order that said that Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung is the ultimate authority and the administrative head of Delhi.The Aam Aadmi Party government needed firm legal ground to move Supreme Court against the High Court order this time. A series of Special Leave Petitions will be filed to seek an explanation on the responsibilities that have been delegated to authorities in Delhi according to the reports.This comes in just a day after the Lieutenant Governor ordered transfer of several senior officials engaged in flagship projects of the AAP government, prompting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "hell bent" to "destroy" Delhi.Najeeb Jung also appointed a three-member committee on Tuesday to examine over 400 files submitted by the Delhi Government. Reacting to this, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been slamming the L-G and his officials on twitter.The Delhi High Court in August had dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party government's petition challenging the powers of the Lieutenant Governor in the National Capital Territory. The court stated that AAP government's contention that the LG is bound to act on advice of Council of Ministers is without any substance and cannot be accepted.The High Court had also asked the state government to take the approval of LG in all policy matters which triggered an ongoing war between AAP and L-G.
Sanosara (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said after over two years in office he has learned the ropes and asserted that his long stint as the Gujarat chief minister helped him in his job in New Delhi.



Modi also assured the people of Gujarat he will not do anything which will bring a bad name to his home state.



"There have been a lot of complaints from Gujarat that once I went to Delhi (after becoming Prime Minister in May 2014), I have not been coming often to the state.



"Former chief minister Anandiben Patel, BJP workers and even the people have time and again complained to me I have not been coming here often," he said at the inauguration of Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) project in Jamnagar district.



"When I went to Delhi, everything there was new to me. There was a lot of things to learn, to observe, but now I have learned the job," Modi said.



"What I learned from Gujarat has also been very useful to me," Modi, who served as the chief minister from 2001 to mid-2014, said.



"When the people of the country have accepted a son of Gujarat as the Prime Minister, I would like to assure I will not do any work which may make people of the state feel ashamed," he said.



"The way I had worked for development of the state, in the same way I will work for development of the country," the Prime Minister asserted.



He said he is indebted to the land on which he has grown up, the land from which he learned so much.



The PM addressed his first public rally in Gujarat, which will go the polls in late-2017, after taking office in 2014.



Talking about his government, Modi said the BJP-led ruling coalition has brought a change in functioning of the administration.



"You look at newspapers of before May 2014 and look at newspapers of now, you will find the difference. This government is working in a mission mode for development of the country. The country is moving forward at a very fast pace," Modi said.
: Brazil's Senate on Wednesday voted not to bar Dilma Rousseff from holding public office in the future despite stripping her of the presidency at her impeachment trial.After the vote to impeach her, senators in a second vote fell short of the two-thirds majority required to bar her from office for eight years, with just 42 of the 81 members backing the move.Earlier, Brazil's Senate removed President Dilma Rousseff from office on Wednesday for breaking budgetary laws, in an impeachment process that has polarized the Latin American country and paralyzed its politics for nine months.Senators voted 61-20 to convict Rousseff for illegally using money from state banks to boost public spending.
Houston: A 46-year-old Indian-origin man in the US who stabbed his "overweight" wife twice in the abdomen has been spared a prison sentence because the judge agreed that his family would face "ostracism" as part of their Hindu culture.



Navinkumar Patel, from Kansas City, stabbed his wife with a pocketknife as she ate a bowl of cereal, and subsequently told police he had done it because his wife was "overweight".



The cultural considerations weighed into his sentencing decision for Patel, Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild was quoted as saying by the local newspaper LJWorld.



Patel was arrested in June 2015 after he stabbed his wife at Lawrence's Super 8 Motel, which he owns. He pleaded no contest to felony charges of attempted second-degree murder and criminal threat in March.



Patel's attorney John Kerns called the case "unusual to say the least".



Kerns, told the judge that in the Hindu culture of Patel's family, his wife and children would suffer if he were sentenced to prison. They would essentially be "ostracised," he said.



"The cultural part of it is very significant in this case," Judge Fairchild said. He sentenced Patel to probation but will not announce the terms until next month.



In court, the doctor who evaluated him, Bradley Grinage, testified that Patel suffers from bipolar disorder, an illness that was exacerbated by alcohol addiction.



If Patel stops drinking and continues to take his medication, Grinage said he is at a low risk for a repeat offence.



More than a dozen family members, including his wife, appeared in court to support him, while others wrote letters to Judge Fairchild asking for a lenient sentence.



"The cultural part of it is very significant in this case," Judge Fairchild said, adding that he did not want a prison sentence for Patel to further harm the family.



Instead, he was sentenced to serve probation, but was ordered to remain in jail until a plan is established to help prevent a repeat offence, the report said.



His family said they were willing to ensure he remains sober and follows a strict medication schedule.



Addressing the family, Judge Fairchild said, "It's going to take a community to make his sobriety stick. You cannot accept the fact that just because he's clean now he's going to stay that way."



Patel is scheduled to next appear in court on September 8.


If Pinterest was a place.

Thats the assumption Laura Watts has been operating under since she and her husband, Woody, opened The Rivermont Makery earlier this summer.

The space does, in fact, look like something straight out of a crafty Pinterest users dreams. The main room is open and airy, with hardwood floors, modern furniture and artsy touches, like the fabric banner that hangs on one wall and the vintage-looking letters that spell out MARKET in an area where she sells handmade prints, soaps, tote bags and more.

Everything you see in here has a touch of her, says Woody. Everything you see in here is her idea.

Laura, a Rustburg High School and Lynchburg College grad who now teaches art at Liberty Christian Academy, has designed The Makery to be a place where local artists can create, show and sell their work, teach classes and pass on their craft.

This maker movement, she says, is what Ive kind of taken from.

She and her instructors offer a slew of arts and craft classes on weekends and evenings  everything from calligraphy and embossing to watercolor painting to perfume and soap making  as well as regular paint nights.

The space also is open during the day for what Laura and Woody hope will become a place for homeschoolers to bring their kids for art lessons, and theyve already started holding kids crafternoons hosted by local blogger Azalea Faye.

Were not just looking to be a really beautiful art studio in that fantastic part of town, which we do get to be, says Cindy Capps, who is working with Laura on The Makerys educational initiatives. Were also looking for ways we can reach out in the community, give back to the community and just get as many people as possible into that space and exposed to what we have available. And see how we can meet their needs.

For Laura, 33, the concept is something shes thought about for years, especially after Woody opened up his own business, Watts Creative, three years ago in the same Rivermont Avenue block that is now home to The Makery.

He always said, You should do something on your own, says Laura, who has taught in both public and private schools and also worked in interior and graphic design since graduating from LC in 2004 with a studio art degree.

She started out selling her own wares  jewelry, prints featuring her calligraphy and paintings  at local festivals. Then she began teaching classes at the Academy Center of the Arts and through Lynchburg Parks and Recreation.

I really loved that experience  pulling in everything Ive done so far in my life.

So when a space downstairs from Woodys office became available, Laura took what she calls a total leap of faith. The mother of the buildings owner had long encouraged her to find a way to share her art with the community, and the time was finally right.

As soon as she met Laura, [she said], Your wife needs an art studio downstairs, Woody says.

Except that wasnt exactly what Laura had in mind.

A gallery is a great idea, but a gallery has never been my dream, she recalls thinking. I thought, What else could we do? How can we take it to the next level?

The main room is where larger classes are held and is home to art stations where artists who want to sign up for a Makery membership can work (they offer hourly, monthly and yearly rates).

Interior windows look into a smaller classroom space where more one-on-one instruction will take place, and toward the back of the building is another room where theyll hold both kids classes and pottery classes. Laura already has a kiln and says theyll eventually add potters wheels.

Well do a lot of air-dry clay polymer, [and] glass fusing, she says, adding that she wants to offer wood burning and wood carving classes as well.

Robin Massie Wheeler recently took a monogramming class there after hearing about The Makery on Facebook.

I loved that [it] was something that I would immediately take home and hang and could tweak to match my decorating needs, she says. Its currently hanging in my daughters room. We were encouraged to experiment with different colors and techniques.

I also like that the crafts and projects are different than youd find at a typical craft store, Wheeler says, adding that she and her friends immediately felt at home there: Attention to detail is present.

Laura has also teamed up with Capps, former director of youth development at the Lynchburg YMCA, to offer STEAM education  an offshoot of STEM, an acronym for programs designed to integrate science, technology, engineering and mathematics into the classroom, with the A added for arts.

Capps says she was first introduced to STEM and STEAM education while working at the Y.

The more I was exposed to it and got to be involved with it, I fell in love with it, she says, thanks to all of the different things you could create and do [and] the experiments and activities you could offer under that STEM and STEAM umbrella. It was just amazing to kind of see that learning take place and see the light in their eyes.

She says its all about the process of learning, possibly failing and then figuring out how to do it right the next time.

Inviting homeschoolers into the space is a natural extension of that.

We know a lot of homeschoolers in our area are always looking for different opportunities and different options for their students, Capps says. Weve talked with some families who are experiencing art classes in each others homes [right now]. Unfortunately, a lot of times, theres not enough space. .. Were hoping we can open up The Makery and use that beautiful space and utilize Laura, myself and some of the other instructors.

Laura and Woody also want to host rotating exhibits of local art, including work created by the instructors.

Theyve got art to show, to sell, Laura says.

The space also can be rented, and the couple is planning to hold their own events there, including a makers market outside on the sidewalk in October, a Harry Potter-themed party in early November to coincide with the release of the spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and a premiere party for the return of The Walking Dead.

Theyll transform The Makery for the latter two events, to evoke aspects of the respective properties  like a planned wand-making workshop for Fantastic Beasts.

Says Laura: You get to travel to different worlds in here.

For Capps, theyve created a place thats stoked her passions  for creating, and creating community  even in the short time its been open.

Its just such a unique group of people, such a unique environment, she says. I just love being in that space. I catch myself, even if I dont have a class going on or anything, Ill text Laura and say, Hey, do you need any help tonight? I just want to be in that space, and I just want to be available to serve folks that are coming in.
NAPA safe to occupy

Garcia told Newsday yesterday that the Ministry of Works has certified the structure as earthquake- resistant, as specified by world standards.

Gadsby-Dolly said $20 million in repair costs will be paid by both Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) (for inherent defects) and the Government (for damage due to lack of maintenance).

She could not offhand state the ratio in which the $20 million cost will be split. However she revealed that before NAPA could be up and running, some $10 million must be spent to replace equipment such as musical instruments, lighting and sound-system which had been lent out to other cultural bodies (such as Queens Hall and NAPA, San Fernando) in the interim while NAPA was under repair. They have been using the equipment, so we dont want to now deprive them. She anticipated something by December, later suggesting a grand reopening celebration hosted by UTT and NAPA.

Gadsby-Dolly said she has been assured by SCG, Udecott and the Ministry of Works as to the structural integrity of NAPA, most critically the upgrade of bolts and welds, with just routine cosmetic works left to do.

She said the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) has been asked to bring back their students to NAPA, saying, So the building, formally at this point in time, is ready for use. She said a number of non-structure issues will be picked up during routine surveillance.

There are things that need to be done but nothing that would hinder the use of the building. Garcia later told Newsday the key repairs were installation of 5,980 bolts and the upgrade of several hundred defective welds. He read to Newsday a Ministry of Works report to give full details of the repairs, that is, testing and corrective works.

This including a testing for asbestos for which none was found.

Other works were to reinforce non-structural walls, improve acoustic ceiling supports, retrofit 190 timber joists on stage, retrofit concrete columns in the foundation area, re-weld 650 defective welds under the stage and 272 defective welds in the hangers and catwalk support beams, test welds at critical places in the entire structure.
Medal for dead forestry officer

At todays ceremony, for the first time in recent memory, the Order of the Republic of TT (ORTT) , this countrys highest national award will not be presented at this years National Awards Ceremony. According to the list some 31 persons will be honoured at the ceremony which takes place Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had proposed that former prime minister Patrick Manning, who died on July 2, be awarded the ORTT posthumously. However Mannings family declined the proposal, recalling that Manning had declined the proposal made in 2014 by then prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to receive the ORTT. In response, Rowley said Government would be guided by the familys decision.

At the 2015 National Awards, then foreign affairs minister Winston Dookeran received the ORTT for his contribution in the sphere of economics.

Dookeran served as finance minister early in the tenure of the then Peoples Partnership government.

Then labour minister Errol McLeod also received the ORTT at that ceremony, for his contribution to labour.

In 2013, the ORTT was awarded to Chief Justice Ivor Archie, National Joint Action Committee (NJAC) Chief Servant Makandal Daaga and former Independent senator criminologist Professor Ramesh Deosaran. Daaga died on August 8.

Seven persons are listed to receive the countrys second highest award, the Chaconia Medal Gold.

Among them are former Tobago House of Assembly Minority Leader William McKenzie, former Civil Aviation Director Ramesh Lutchmedial and Petrotrin chairman Andrew Jupiter.

Calypsonians Timothy Baron Watkins and Irwin Scrunter Johnson are amongst the recipients of the Humming Bird Medal (Gold). Also receiving the Humming Bird Medal (Gold) is historian Angelo Bissessarsingh. Musical arranger Leston Paul is the lone recipient of the Chaconia Medal (Silver).

Journalist Angela Martin, who died earlier this month, will receive the Medal for the Development of Women (Gold) for her contribution to womens affairs.
San Fernando to get $1.5M dog pound

The announcement of a $1.5 M dog pound was made yesterday by San Fernando Mayor Kazim Hosein during the monthly statutory meeting of the San Fernando City Council (SFCC). Construction of the facility, which according to Hosein will be built to international standards, is expected to begin in a few weeks time at Lady Hailes Avenue, San Fernando, the same site where the original dog pound stood.

Last Friday, officials of the SFCCs Public Health Department and other stakeholders carried out a site visit and yesterday reported to the meeting that it was successful. Only last week Hosein took the decision to temporarily shut down the age old dog pound, a move which, he said, was prompted by a fouryear- old video that went viral on social media and which told of inhumane treatment being meted out the animals.

The video sparked a national debate and Hosein and SFCC came in for heavy tongue lashing.

He subsequently met with stakeholders on a way forward.

Hosein explained: On social media they are blaming us for what took place four years ago on the compound but it never took place under our administration.

It did not happen under us, we will never treat animals in that inhumane way. Hosein explained that the Ministry of Local Government has approved the money for the new dog pound, a place he said where persons can come to adopt their dogs.

Hosein said he is working with several animal rights activists among them veterinarian Dr Kriyaan Singh.
Airline Gets Creative in Getting

Travelers to Take Middle Seat

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
(Newser)  The "renegade" grocery store bringing Canadians a taste of Trader Joe's might be in jeopardy once again: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has revived a 2013 lawsuit the US grocery store brought against Pirate Joe'sa Vancouver, BC, store run by Michael Hallatt, who buys goods at Trader Joe's across the border, then sells them for a profit in Canada, where Trader Joe's doesn't operate, per the Guardian. A US judge initially dismissed the suit, arguing Trader Joe's couldn't prove Hallatt was affecting its business. But while a three-judge panel upheld the dismissal of certain claims from that suit on Friday, it allowed the case to continue on federal trademark claims in a unanimous decision, per Courthouse News.

Stressing that Hallatt transports products across the border without proper quality control measures, Judge Morgan Christen writes that Trader Joe's could "suffer a tarnished reputation and resultant monetary harm in the United States from contaminated goods sold in Canada," per NPR. "Trader Joe's alleges that it is aware of at least one customer who became sick after consuming food sold by Pirate Joe's," he adds. Hallatt denies selling the item in question and says the whole suit is silly. "I buy up the stuff  I own it, I get to do with it whatever I want to and I just happen to want to sell it to my friends in Canada," he says. "Honestly, I think Trader Joe's should just open a store in Canada and put me out of my misery." (Trader Joe's is accused of stealing a cookie.)
(Newser)  The FBI believes Brittanee Drexel, a 17-year-old girl vacationing in South Carolina, was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and dumped in a gator pit after disappearing from Myrtle Beach in 2009, USA Today reports. According to NBC New York, it's the first time the FBI has given its thoughts on what happened to Brittanee, whose body was never found. The FBI gave its account during a bond hearing for Timothy Taylor in connection to an unrelated armed robbery. A prison informant named Taquan Brown told authorities he saw Brittanee being "sexually abused" by a then-16-year-old Taylor in a "stash house" in McClellanville, the last place Brittanee's phone was tracked to. Brown said Brittanee was pistol-whipped and shot after attempting to escape.

Brown told the FBI he didn't see who shot Brittanee but believes it was Taylor's father, Shaun Taylor. He said Brittanee's body was wrapped up and dumped in an alligator pit. An FBI agent says her body was "eaten by the gators." No charges have been filed, and Joan Taylorwife of Shaun and mother of Timothysays it's all "craziness." Regardless, authorities are once again looking at the Taylor family in connection to two other crimes, the Post and Courier reports. Shaun Taylor was accused of trying to pull a 20-year-old woman into his van in 1997 in Myrtle Beach but had a successful alibi. His brother, Randall Taylor, was arrested on suspicion of raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in 1998, but charges were later dropped over a lack of evidence. (Read more missing woman stories.)
(Newser)  It's safe to say that 11-year-old Bella's first day of middle school in Lansing, Kan., didn't go according to plan. Just after 8am last Wednesday she texted her mother, Kimberly Jones, to say that she "got dress coded" and had to wear sweatpants over her flowered leggings because her tunic was too short (photo of outfit here). A district rep tells Fox4KC, "The nurse ... measured all the way around" and the shirt was too short "in front and in the back." Bella said she was told she couldn't call her mom and have new clothes brought to school, reports Today. The rep says school policy is to get the student back to class ASAP, rather than wait for a parent to arrive. But after learning what had happened, a shocked Jones rushed to Lansing Middle Schoolbut not before Bella had typed, "I want to move. Can we please move."

Bella's military family had recently moved to Kansas, and "she was begging to move because they embarrassed and harassed her," Jones writes in a Facebook post that had gone viral but has since been removed. "Why? Because apparently 13-year-old boys (she's 11 in 6th grade) can't control themselves around this." Jones was incredulous not only because of the rule itself"her butt is even covered!"but because it wasn't written clearly in the school's dress policy, reports Mashable. Leggings have since been specifically prohibited, but Jones wrote in her post that while she waited for the principal she saw a teacher walk by with pants so tight her underwear was visible. (This man's $245 pants were deemed "too street" for a pizza place.)
(Newser)  Before his big immigration speech on Wednesday, Donald Trump plans to visit somewhere where he is hated so much that he is regularly burnt in effigy during partiesand it's not Ted Cruz's house. Instead, Trump will make a surprise visit to Mexico to meet President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has slammed Trump's plan to make Mexico pay for a border wall and compared the candidate to the likes of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, reports the Washington Post. Trump's campaign says Pena Nieto invited both Trump and Clinton to Mexico a few days ago and Trump has decided to take him up on the offer for private talks.

Trump's Arizona speech on immigration is scheduled for 6pm local time Wednesday and the Mexico visit will probably happen around midday, after a fundraising trip to California, reports the Guardian, which notes that Trump made no mention of a border wall or a "deportation force" during a speech in Everett, Wash., on Tuesday night. Sources tell the Post that new campaign chief Steve Bannon urged Trump to make the visit, saying it would get headlines and make him seem statesmanlike. It's less clear what benefits the visit could have for Pena Nieto, whose approval level has sunk to just 23% and is unlikely to be raised by appearing with Trump. (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
(Newser)  Australia has made one of its largest drug busts ever  on a cruise ship. With help from Canadian and US authorities, police searched the Sea Princess after it docked in Sydney on Sunday and uncovered 210 pounds of cocaine, worth about $23 million, in two cabins, reports La Presse. Quebec natives Isabelle Lagace, 28, Melina Roberge, 22, and Andre Tamine, 63, could now face life in prison for drug smuggling. Authorities say Lagace and Roberge were traveling together, but it isn't clear if they know Tamine.

All three boarded the Sea Princess in Britain in July, authorities say. The ship then embarked on a 66-day world tour, making stops in Canada, the US, Caribbean, South America, and New Zealand. The Australian Border Force isn't sure when or where the drugs were brought on board but says the accused were working with a "very well organized syndicate," per the Sydney Morning Herald. A rep tells Reuters the bust is the biggest drug seizure at an airport or cruise ship in the country's history. (Read more cocaine stories.)
(Newser)  A retired nurse in Florida is accused of killing her husband while he lay in his hospital bed. Staff at Florida Hospital Memorial Center in Daytona Beach tell police they saw Jan Sochalski, 61, lying across the chest of husband Henry Sochalski, 64, and pinching his nose, reports People. He died soon after. Two other allegations in the arrest report: The button on the machine that dispensed pain medication had been pressed 264 times over eight hours, allegedly by Jan Sochalski; it's supposed to be pressed just six times an hour, and a safety mechanism kicked in to prevent excess doses. Also, nurses say Sochalski, who previously worked as a nurse for 40 years in New Jersey, requested a drug for her husband that would have dramatically slowed his breathing. It was denied.

"She was asking for medication that would hinder his breathing instead of helping his breathing," says a police spokesman, per WKMG. Henry Sochalski initially went into the hospital for elective back surgery, but he suffered respiratory and cardiac arrest afterward, and required a tracheotomy, the News-Journal reports. Jan Sochalski was so angry over what she perceived as poor care that she threatened to shoot everyone on the floor, say investigators. After her husband's death, she called the medical examiner's office to learn if her husband had been brain dead, telling a staffer "she wanted to be sure she had made the right decision," according to the newspaper. The cause of death was asphyxia, and Sochalski has been charged with second-degree murder. (This mother admitted giving her disabled daughter a fatal overdose.)
(Newser)  Police in New Jersey say a passerby who grabbed a sledgehammer and smashed a car's window saved the life of the infant inside. The drama unfolded in a Kohl's parking lot in Asbury Park on Monday when Steve Eckel, 53, and Sarah Mazzone, 30strangers to each otherheard the 4-month-old child crying and stopped to help. "It was a little baby wrapped up in a woolen blanketcrying, sweating, eyes rolling in the back of her head," recalls Eckel, per the Asbury Park Press. He went back to his own car for the sledgehammer, broke a window, then brought the baby into the air-conditioned store with Mazzone.

The infant recovered, but police say the child "appeared to be in a great deal of stress" after spending 40 minutes in the locked car on a day when the temperature was near 90, reports NJ.com. After the baby's mother returned to the car, with two children in tow, police charged her with endangering the welfare of a child. She was released pending a court appearance, and the baby was released into the custody of the father. "I recognize the civilians who took immediate action to rescue this child, for they truly saved a life," says the police chief. (Read more child left in hot car stories.)
(Newser)  Tom Hanks' next role: Sir Lachlan Hector Charles Maclean? The Scottish lord has for the last 26 years been dealing with the king of all money pits. Repairs on the 14th-century Duart Castle he inherited have thus far cost just shy of $2 million, reports the New York Times, which spoke to Sir Lachlan in his living room"probably one of the snugger parts of the castle ... though it was still mildly damp." That dampness is the issue. The castle "leaks like a sieve," per a Times of London article from July on a $420,000 grant awarded for wall repairs. Those walls are 16-feet thick, and yet apparently still unable to keep out the incessant rain: Located on the Isle of Mull off Scotland's west coast, rain falls, on average, all but 82 days of the year.

The entry fees paid by some 25,000 visitors a year (note of warning for guests, per the New York Times: the two ancient toilets don't function) help fund the repairs, but Sir Lachlan tells the paper he expects there won't be money to keep them going after 2017. This after Sir Lachlan in June 2012 informed the Maclean Clan Congress that his family couldn't afford further repairs; a public appeal was launched at the time, only to be followed in the winter of 2013 with the collapse of four ceilings due to water penetration. And "I dont think Scotland can afford to lose a building like this," the Times of London quotes him as saying. It's one of the only clan castles in private hands, and replete with tales of clashes with the rival Campbell clan, Spanish prisoners kept in its dungeon, and, as the Scotsman reported, a mysterious carving on its wall. (Read more castles stories.)
(Newser)  During his imprisonment at nine separate concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Abraham Peck expected death to come at any moment. Instead, he lived a full life that came to an end last Thursday at age 91 due to kidney failure, reports the New Jersey Record. The last Jewish survivor from the Polish town of Szadek, Peck was liberated in 1945 before marrying another Holocaust survivor and moving to New Jersey, where he eventually bought an upholstery business. But he was frustrated "that the American citizens he met did not have an inkling of the horrors which Holocaust survivors had experienced at the hands of the Nazis," author Maya Ross wrote in the recent biography Abe-vs-Adolf. "The American Jews didnt believe us ... the way they killed us, the way they treated us. They didnt want to hear a word about it. It was too terrible for them to believe so we shut up. I shut up for years.

That eventually ended, and to raise awareness, Peck began speaking at schools and community functions. He was later invited to talk at colleges across the US and Europe, according to his obituary. "He felt if he survived, he could tell people about the horrors the Nazis perpetrated," his son says. He wanted people "not to stand for any injustice in the world. That was a core piece of his legacy." And though Peck lost 83 of 89 family members in the Holocaust, per the Washington Posthe said the day he watched his father die of pneumonia was the worst of his lifehe managed to live a happy life. "I made many good friends and they tell me that I am a nice guy!" he said. (This Holocaust survivor just had a dream come true.)
(Newser)  The woman accusing Chris Brown of threatening her with a gun is one-time Miss California hopeful who shared her side of the story in a conversation with ET Online. Baylee Curran says the diamond-jewelry viewing that caused the night to spiral downward wasn't witnessed by Chris Brown. "When I came back into the house, there was a new male in the home and he was showcasing these diamond bracelets and watches and diamond necklaces. At that point, Chris' friend ... saw me looking at them and got a little wary, I guess?" She says he started yelling at her to back away. "Chris did not see me admiring the jewelry," she says, but she maintains he did subsequently pull a gun on her. Brown's attorney called her story "demonstrably false" on Twitter.

Brown himself had this to say on Instagram: "Y'all gonna stop playing with me like Im the villain out here, like Im going crazy. When you get the warrant or whatever you need to do, youre going to walk right up in here and youre going to see nothing. You idiots." A number of gossip outlets are piling on Curran, with TMZ reporting shortly after she won Miss California Regional 2016 someone sent nude photos of her to the pageant director; while she denied they were of her, she lost her title two months later. An alleged 2013 theft in New York City is also getting play thanks to this Daily News article. A previous version of this Newser story went into greater detail on Curran's previous alleged transgressions. (Read more Chris Brown stories.)
(Newser)  A United Airlines flight that left Houston bound for London made an emergency landing in Ireland on Wednesday after severe turbulence left 10 passengers and two flight attendants needing hospital treatment, officials say. All but one of the injured aboard United Airlines Flight 880 had been discharged from University Hospital Limerick after receiving treatment for minor injuries, reports the AP. One patient, a flight attendant, was still being assessed.

United said that "severe and unexpected turbulence" caused the diversion of the Boeing 767-300 plane, which was carrying 207 passengers, three cockpit crew members, and 10 flight attendants. Officials at Irelands Shannon Airport initially said 16 people needed hospital care, but later indicated only 12 had been treated after the incident. The patients were treated for soft tissue injuries, cuts, and minor head injuries, according to a hospital statement. Others received treatment for lesser injuries at the airport. (Read more United Airlines stories.)
(Newser)  With few leads in the brutal murder of a jogger earlier this month, the New York Police Department has released a sketch of a man it believes could provide a much-needed break in the case, the New York Daily News reports. According to WABC, the man in the sketch was spotted by a utility worker near Spring Creek Park in Queens around the same time Karina Vetrano was killed Aug. 2. The worker was surprised when he saw the man coming along a path from the park and initially thought he was about to be mugged, Newsday reports. Police don't believe the man in the sketch is Vetrano's killer, but he may have seen something. "He is not a subject; he is not even a POI," Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce tells the Daily News.

Vetrano went for her normal run around 5:30pm Aug. 2, entering the park a few blocks from her home. Her body was found that night in the park; she had been beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled. Police believe it was a random attack. They have the killer's DNA from Vetrano's body and phone but no matches so far. Vetrano's father recently went on the radio to discuss a "mystery jogger" who had been running in the area but hadn't been seen since Vetrano's murder. That man turned himself in to police and was cleared after it was discovered a knee injury had kept him from running. The reward for information leading to Vetrano's killer is now $300,000. (Read more murder stories.)
(Newser)  And the hits keep on coming for medical technology company Theranos. In an attempt to move on following a federal criminal investigation into its laboratories, Theranos announced it was submitting a Zika blood test for emergency-use authorization at the start of August, the Washington Post reports. Theranos claimed it successfully trialed the miniLab Zika test on blood samples from the Dominican Republic. But according to the Wall Street Journal, FDA regulators discovered that some of those trials were done without "implementing a patient-safety protocol approved by an institutional review board." Now Theranos has withdrawn its clearance request for the Zika test.

"Given the amount of scrutiny they're under, I would have expected them to be particularly careful about the regulatory issues surrounding research on human subjects," one expert tells the Post. Theranos is already facing sanctions, and founder Elizabeth Holmes (soon to be played onscreen by Jennifer Lawrence) was banned from owning or operating a laboratory for two years. The miniLab, which is meant to be used outside a laboratory, was an attempt to get around that ban, Engadget reports. Theranos plans on appealing the FDA's ruling while also redoing the trials and resubmitting for clearance. "In my mind, this was a positive interaction with the FDA," the Post quotes one Theranos executive as saying. (Read more Theranos stories.)
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Mumbai:

Nearly one lakh autorickshaws went off the roads in Mumbai during a day-long strike to press for regulation of app-based cab sevices, hitting commuters hard with many stranded in several places across the metropolis.



Protesting rickshaw owners and drivers under the Mumbai Autorickshawmens Union are demanding effective regulation on business operation of popular app-based taxi aggregators like Ola and Uber including their pricing strategy to attract customers.



The government has miserably failed to regulate the practice of transportation of passengers via cab services booked through call centres which are making a dent in our business, Union leader Shashank Rao told PTI.



And not only this, they are eating into our livelihood without following any rules. We resorted to this strike as we had no option left. The transport ministry has turned a deaf ear to our legitimate demands, said Rao.



The protesters are demanding that a badge be given to all rickshaw drivers and owners, who are in this business since three years without imposing any restrictions on them.



Currently, there are 1.05 lakh registered rickshaws plying in the city and the Rao-led union claims to have over 90 per cent of them in its fold.



Out of these 1.05 lakh registered rickshaws, almost 98,000-99,000 rickshaws are off roads today which shows our strength, Rao added.



Meanwhile, a senior Transport department official said that it is unfortunate that despite being given an assurance from the government, they went ahead with the strike.



He, however, said that the administration has taken ample measures including plying of additional civic BEST buses to ferry commuters who are feeling the pinch due to the stir.



Manoj Varade, spokesperson of BEST undertaking told PTI, Our administration has already given a free hand to all 27 bus depot managers across the city to operate additional services as per requirement.



Earlier on August 29, two auto and taxi driver unions Jai Bhagwan Taxi Rickshaw Sangathana and Nitesh Rane-led Swabhimaan Sanghatana had put on hold their decision till September 1 to go an indefinite strike in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai after the Maharashtra government promised to look into their demands seriously.



Their three key demands included to put the operations of app-based cab aggregators on hold till rules and regulations are formulated by the state government, and if allowed, they should be asked to ply outside the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and they should be under the ambit of RTO rules and regulation.

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Beirut:

The Islamic State group has said its spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed while monitoring military operations in the Syrian province of Aleppo.

The announcement came as a US defence official said an IS senior leader was targeted in a US-led coalition air strike on Tuesday in Aleppo province.

Coalition forces conducted an air strike in Al-Bab, Syria, targeting an (IS) senior leader, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

We are still assessing the results of the operation at this time.

Quoting a military source, IS news agency Amaq said:

Sheikh Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, the spokesman of the Islamic State, was martyred while surveying operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo.

It said he died after a long voyage crowned by sacrifice and vowed revenge at the hands of a new generation born unto the Islamic State.

Analysts have described Adnani as a key figure of the jihadist group.

In the collective jihadist memory Abu Mohamed al-Adnani will always be the one who announced the restoration of the caliphate in June 2014, said jihadist expert Romain Caillet.

Adnani was originally from the western Syrian province of Idlib and joined the jihadist movement in Iraq where he served now slain Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and held several positions.

Aymenn Jawad Tamimi, an expert on jihadist groups, said Adnanis death is significant symbolically and in pointing to the wider decline of the Islamic State.

If a coalition air strike hit him, it shows intelligence penetration by the coalition is very high. Otherwise it would not have been possible to take out so many high-ranking figures, he said.Another analyst, Charles Lister, tweeted that Adnanis death is a big blow to IS.

Amaq did not say how Adnani was martyred.

IS has regularly urged followers to target disbelievers. Adnani made such request in September 2014, calling on supporters to use stones, knives or even vehicles in their attacks to kill French or US citizens.







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Panaji:

The Goa government on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Google India to promote digital literacy and drive the digital transformation in the state.



Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Vice President, Google South East Asia and India Rajan Anandan signed the MoU here.



As a first step, the Goa government will launch internet safety education for students in association with Google India, Parsekar said. It will be a part of curriculum for classes 9th to 12th in the government schools.



Google has created a curriculum in consultation with experts. Google India has initiated teacher trainings and it will soon expand to cover 460 schools, teaching over 80,000 students how to stay safe online, Parsekar said.



The scope of this tie-up with Google will be expanded to launch a digital literacy drive for women and introduce programmes to help the small and medium businesses and a mobile app development skilling programme for start-ups, he said.



This step will be a turning point in the field of information technology in Goa. Its important that students understand how to use the internet responsibly and stay safe online, he said.



Anandan said Google was committed to invest in Indias digital transformation.



A senior government official told reporters later that the MoU also envisages collaboration with Google to make all the government sites mobile-friendly and introduce programmes to help the small and medium businesses stay safe online.

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New Delhi :

After a cap on cost of dengue test last month, Delhi government on Tuesday announced a similar ceiling for chikungunya, even as the city continues to grapple with rising cases of the two vector-borne diseases.

The government in a statement said, it has decided to cap the price for chikungunya serology IgM at Rs 600 and for RT PCR for chikungunya at Rs 1,500.

It also warned private hospitals and laboratories and nursing homes against overcharging. With spurt in dengue cases, Delhi government last month capped at Rs 600 the cost of test to diagnose the vector-borne disease and Rs 50 for ascertaining the platelet count in private hospitals in the national capital.

This is continuation of the previous office order... wherein ceiling price has been fixed in all private sector at Rs 600 for each NS1-Ag (ELISA based) and MAC ELISA test for antibodies and Rs 50 for platelets, the statement said.

Last year also, the AAP government had capped the dengue test charges following complaints that many private hospitals and laboratories were overcharging, sensing an opportunity to make profit. Chikungunya cases in Delhi have shot up to 432 a massive rise in the figure released by civic authorities, who had reported just 20 cases till last week.

According to a municipal report released yesterday, 432 cases had been diagnosed in the national capital till August 27. Safdarjung Hospital had reported nearly 250 cases till August 29. Meanwhile, 487 cases of dengue have so far been reported in the national capital this season, with 368 of them being recorded in August.

Till August 20, 311 cases of the vector-borne disease were reported while 176 cases came to light in last week alone, marking a rise of nearly 57 per cent. An 18-year-old boy died Sunday of dengue at Apollo Hospital in south Delhi, taking to five the number of fatalities due to the vector-borne disease.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said, We have 10,000 beds and the number of fever clinics has been increased from 55 last year to 355. People should not panic.
Washington:

Top American lawmakers have urged US President Barack Obama to prioritise cyber-attacks on financial institutions in discussions at the upcoming G-20 summit in China and help develop a global strategy to counter these threats.

We strongly urge you to work with your counterparts and prioritise this discussion at the G-20 leaders level in September, the Senators wrote. Signed by six Senators, the letter to Obama reads that the international community must work together to combat such attacks, as financial institutions are now connected globally through internet.

If we are to successfully combat sophisticated cyber-attacks, members of the international community must work collaboratively given the dispersed nature of both attackers and targets. Our financial institutions are connected in order to facilitate global commerce, the letter read. The Senators wrote that cyber criminals - whether independent or state-sponsored - imperil this international system.

The letter was signed by Senator Mark Warner,member of the Senate Finance Committee, including Gary Peters, Sherrod Brown, Kirsten Gillibrand, Martin Heinrich and Debbie Stabenow.The Senators also pointed out benefits that can come up after such discussions with the international community.

This will address cyber-security vulnerabilities in shared financial system thereby safeguarding the integrity of international financial system, they wrote.

We will also improve collaboration in and among the international law enforcement and financial regulatory communities and better enable them to pursue counter-terror financing and anti-money laundering agendas, the letter said.

Last year, in February, hackers stole USD 81 million from the Central Bank of Bangladesh using the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) international financial messaging service.

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New Delhi :

Heavy rains on Wednesday morning paralysed the national capital as severe traffic jams and waterlogging was reported in almost all areas. In the view of the weather, US Secretary of State John Kerry cancelled his visit to Old Delhis religious sites.

Kerry was scheduled to visit Sheeshganj Gurudwara, Jama Masjid and Gauri Shankar temple, situated in Chandani Chowk.

Read More: Have you come here in boats, asks John Kerry to IIT Delhi



Earlier in the morning his address at IIT Delhi was also delayed for an hour due to same reasons.

The US Secretary of State is in India to hold bilateral talks with his counterpart External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Read more: Heavy rain lashes Delhi, waterlogging causes traffic chaos



Interestingly, the US leader faced the wrath of heavy rains clubbed with traffic in Delhi on Monday when he was stuck on Satya Marg during peak hour traffic paralysed by torrential rains.

Heavy rains topple Delhi; John Kerry cancels visits to religious sites

Heavy rains on Wednesday morning paralysed the national capital as severe traffic jams and waterlogging was reported in almost all areas. In the view of the weather, US Secretary of State John Kerry cancelled his visit to Old Delhis religious sites. Kerry was scheduled to visit Sheeshganj Gurudwara, Jama Masjid and Gauri Shankar temple, situated in Chandani Chowk. The US Secretary of State is in India to hold bilateral talks with his counterpart External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Interestingly, the US leader faced the wrath of heavy rains clubbed with traffic in Delhi on Monday when he was stuck on Satya Marg during peak hour traffic paralysed by torrential rains.

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New Delhi :

Heavy rains lashed parts of the national capital on Wednesday leading to waterlogging and traffic jams in many areas. US Secretary of State John Kerry barely managed to make his appointment with IIT Delhi and wondered if the students had come to campus on boats. NCRB's latest crime report puts Delhi on top of rape list amongst UTs and MP amongst states. Here are the top5 news of the hour:

1. Heavy rain lashes Delhi, waterlogging causes traffic chaos



Heavy rains lashed parts of the national capital on Wednesday leading to waterlogging and traffic jams in many areas, even as the mercury settled at the normal level.Vehicular movement was affected across the city, including at ITO, Vikas Marg, South Extension, Khanpur, Mahipalpur, Hari Nagar, IIT crossing, Nehru Place, Yusuf Sarai Market and Munirka.

2. Have you come here in boats, John Kerry asks IIT Delhi



After facing mild rain on the day of arrival, John Kerry witnessed a powerful shower on Wednesday. After managing to reach IIT Delhi on time, he jokingly asked Delhi IIT students if they had come to campus on boats. Kerry was scheduled to meet IIT Delhi students at 9:30am in the morning but his address got delayed to 11:30am following heavy rains in the national capital.



3. NCRB crime report: Over 34,600 rape cases in India; Delhi tops among UTs



Over 34,600 cases of rape have been reported across the country last year with Madhya Pradesh and Delhi topping the infamous list of states and union territories respectively. A total of 34,651 rape cases were reported in India in 2015. Among these, in 33,098 cases the offenders were known to the victims, as per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released on Tuesday. The rape victims were among the age group of below six years to over 60 years.



4. 12yr old dies on fathers shoulder: Akhilesh Yadav suspends medical officer in Kanpur hospital



Taking serious note of the death of a 12-year-old boy due to alleged negligence of doctors, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has suspended the Chief Medical Superintendent of the Kanpur Medical College. The CM has suspended CMS of Kanpur Medical College RC Gupta with immediate effect, he said in a statement issued late on Tuesday night.

5. ISIS says senior leader Abu Mohamed al-Adnani killed in Syria's Aleppo



The Islamic State group has said its spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani was killed while monitoring military operations in the Syrian province of Aleppo. The announcement came as a US defence official said an IS senior leader was targeted in a US-led coalition air strike on Tuesday in Aleppo province.

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New Delhi :

The United States on Wednesday said that it is clear that Pakistan has to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against indigenous groups operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistans peace and stability.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on a three-day visit here, said that he has discussed with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of taking stronger action against groups such as the Haqqani network and LeT.

Addressing a session at IIT-Delhi, he said terror groups like Daesh, Al Qaeda, LeT and JeM cant be fought by a single nation alone.

Also read:

Have you come here in boats, John Kerry asks IIT Delhi

Heavy rains paralyse Delhi; John Kerry cancels visits to religious sites

We don't make distinction between good and bad terrorists, says John Kerry

We are working on it. I have been working on this issue very hard. I have had many engagements with Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT.

It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities. They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India-Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan, Kerry said.

Kerry said Pakistan has fastened the process in the recent months.

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Itanagar:

Arunachal Pradesh is all set to get an NCC battalion and academy soon. This was stated by NCC Commander of Group HQ 4 Corps Tezpur, Brig M S Jodha during a meeting with state Education Minister Honchun Ngandam on Tuesday, an official release informed on Wednesday.

The NCC Battalion would be raised shortly at Tawang while an NCC Academy is proposed at the state capital, Brig Jodha informed. He informed about necessary infrastructures such as office space, living accommodation for the new Battalion headquarters as well requirement of manpower in the new establishment.

For the NCC Academy 20 acres of land is required, he said while adding that there is shortage of manpower at 22 (I) Coy Pasighat, 26th Assam (I) Coy Digboi and 73 Assam Girls (I) Coy NCC Tezpur. The Minister assured that state government would provide the required infrastructure and manpower for the new battalion at Tawang, the release said.

For the proposed NCC Academy, the state government will provide the land in Itanagar or if not available in the state capital, will propose an alternative site,Ngandam said adding, the government would also provide the staff to meet up the shortage of manpower in various locations of NCC establishment. The Brigadier was accompanied by Commanding Officer (NCC), 1st APBN, Naharlagun Col Jaswal and Deputy Commandant Lt Col N K Bishnoi, the release added.

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the Calcutta High Court order upholding the land acquisition for Tata's Nano plant at Singur in West Bengal.

Finding fault with the land acquisition process, the apex court ordered that the acquired land be returned to the cultivators within 12 weeks.

Also Read: Singur Tata Nano controversy: Timeline

The court said that the land acquisition collector had not properly conducted the inquiry into the complaints of cultivators with regard to acquisition of plots.

Also Read: (West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee hails SC verdict on Singur land deal)



Farmers who got compensation from government will not return it because they were deprived of their livelihood for the last ten years, the court said.

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New Delhi :

Nearly two months after an international court ruled against Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea, India and the US on Wednesday called for utmost respect for global law, maintaining that there must be unimpeded lawful commerce throughout the disputed region.



The two countries, which held their annual Strategic and Commercial Dialogue on Tuesday, also said they will redouble efforts towards Indias early entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which was opposed by China. The US urged the NSG member countries to support Indias bid for their common interest.



In a joint statement issued on Wednesday summerising outcome of Tuesdays meeting, the two strategic partners condemned terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their commitment to dismantle safe havens for terrorist and criminal networks such as IS terror outfit, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company and its affiliates, and also the Haqqani Network.



The sides also called on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice. The sides will continue to review and consider other organizations that warrant terrorist designations including those that engage in cross-border terrorism, according to the joint statement.



About South China dispute, the two sides stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight, and unimpeded lawful commerce throughout the region, including in the South China Sea.



Calling for utmost respect for international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), they reiterated that States should resolve disputes through peaceful means, and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes.



China has been increasing its assertiveness in South China sea notwithstanding the verdict of an arbitration court in The Hague that China had no historical title over the South China Sea.



On Indias NSG bid, the statement said, In a further effort to strengthen global non-proliferation and export controls, the sides committed to redouble their efforts towards Indias early entry into the NSG.



The US also re-affirmed its support for Indias early membership of the other export control regimesAustralia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.



China had objected to Indias candidacy when the NSG plenary had taken up its application in Seoul in July.

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Washington:

The White House has expressed concern over the European Union asking Apple to pay USD 14.6 billion in back taxes to Ireland, saying the burden would ultimately affect the American taxpayers.



"...the kinds of payments that were contemplated by the EU decision are merely a transfer of revenue from US taxpayers to the EU. I think that is the crux of our concerns about the fairness of this kind of approach," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday.



Such a measure wouldn't be fair to US taxpayers, he said.



The EU had said Apple had avoided virtually all tax on its business in the bloc by illegal arrangements with Dublin which gave the company an unfair advantage over competitors, according to media reports.



Earnest said the US shares the goal articulated by the EU of preventing unfair erosion of the tax base.



"We don't have an interest in seeing European taxpayers or the European economy suffer from the erosion of their tax base, and we're certainly going to do everything we can to prevent that from happening here," he said.



The Press Secretary cautioned against "unilateral" measures by the EU, that "threaten to undermine" collaborative progress they have made to make the international taxation system fair.



"And when I say 'fair', I mean fair primarily to taxpayers, but also fair to companies that are trying to do business around the world. That ultimately benefits the economies in countries on both sides of the Atlantic.



"If there are concerns that the Europeans have about some of these international mechanisms, then we should continue to make progress by working through those issues jointly as opposed to a more unilateral approach, like a state aid investigation," he said.



"The issue is that the consequences for that transfer would be that it could be treated in the US tax system as a current tax payment that would allow Apple to deduct that EU tax payment from their US taxes," he said.

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New Delhi :

The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the Calcutta High Court order upholding the land acquisition for Tata's Nano plant at Singur in West Bengal. Finding fault with the land acquisition process, the apex court ordered that the acquired land be returned to the cultivators within 12 weeks.

Also Read: Singur vedict: Setback for Tata Motors as Supreme Court quashes 1000-acre land deal

December 1, 2006

The land earmarked for project was taken control of by the state administration amidst protests. Fencing the land commenced on this day.

21 January 2007

Tatas ceremonially initiated the construction of the plant on.

June 2007

In a fresh affidavit filed later, the government admitted that 30 per cent of the land was acquired from farmers without consent.

On 23 September 2008

Tatas decided to leave Singur in West Bengal. According to the reports, decision was made by Tata management and Bengal government was informed.

October 3, 2008

The Tata Group announced that they are pulling out of Singur due to political unrest and agitation led by Mamata Banerjee.

Banerjee's Save Farmland movement was supported by environmental activists like Medha Patkar, Anuradha Talwar and Arundhati Roy.

Banerjee's movement against displacement of farmers was also supported by several Kolkata based intellectuals like Aparna Sen, Kaushik Sen, Shaonli Mitra and Suvaprasanna.

October 3, 2008

It became official that TATA will leave Singur (WB) when Ratan Tata announced it in a press conference in Kolkata.

October 3, 2008, after a brief meeting with the Chief Minister, Ratan Tata declared his decision to move the Nano Project out of West Bengal.

2011

In 2011 state assembly elections, while sitting Trinamool Congress MLA, Rabindranath Bhattacharya retained the Singur seat, Becharam Manna, the convener of Krishi Jami Raksha Samiti, won the adjoining Haripal seat.

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New Delhi :

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday welcomed the SC verdict on Singur land deal. Stressing on the fact that West Bengal remains industry-friendly, Banerjee added that she can die in peace after this verdict.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed the 1000-acre land deal after finding fault with the land acquisition process, the apex court ordered that the acquired land be returned to the cultivators within 12 weeks.

Also Read: (Singur verdict: Setback for Tata Motors as Supreme Court quashes 1000-acre land deal)

Here is what West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said on the Singur verdict:

#I had dreamt of this SC verdict for so long, for the people of Singur. Now I can die in peace.

#Will call for a strategy meeting tomorrow (Thursday) at 4 PM: WB CM on SC decision on Singur land deal

#This is a landmark victory after we thought of the new name for State of WB. Very happy with the decision: WB CM

#I am remembering those people who made sacrifices fighting for this: WB CM on SC decision on Singur land deal

#We waited for ten years for this judgement. It is victory of the farmers: Mamata Banerjee.

#West Bengal is the final industrial destination, keep that in mind, says WB CM Mamata Banerjee

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New Delhi:

Five persons, including two women and as many children, sustained minor burn injuries when they were struck by lightning during rain at Hiranke village in north west Delhi. In another incident, two persons died and one person was injured due to lightning strike in Howrah district on Wednesday.

The injured, identified as Kiran (37), her two sons

Himanshu (14) and Mohit (12), Sashi (30) and Jaikishan (35) had taken shelter in a field during the rain when the lightning struck them around 10.15 AM, a senior police officer said.

Police received information about the incident about 20 minutes later and rushed to the spot from where they sent the injured to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela.

The victims, who received minor burn injuries, were stated to be in a stable condition.

The lightning struck them when the persons were engaged in drying jute fibre on the bank of a canal at Uttar Manasri Saupara area of Udainarainpur killing the two persons on the spot, the police said.

The injured was being treated at Udainarainpur hospital.

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Male:

A Maldivian criminal court has issued arrest warrants for Mohamed Nasheed, the countrys first democratically elected president who was toppled in 2012, and other exiled leaders of the Maldives United Opposition.

Nasheed, 49, was granted political asylum in the UK last May after he was authorised to travel for medical treatment while serving the sentence for a terror-related offence.

The warrant for Nasheeds arrest was sought over an investigation into the alleged misuse of state funds during his presidency, the police said in a statement yesterday.

The Maldives correctional service is seeking to have him brought back to serve the remainder of his 13-year sentence on a terror conviction, The Maldives Independent reported, citing the statement.

Nasheed was sentenced to jail in March 2015 after he was convicted on a terror-related charge, inviting widespread international condemnation.

The police were also authorised to arrest and bring back Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and Akram Kamaldeen, a senior official of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, for refusing to obey a police summons on August 4, which ordered the pair to return to the Maldives within two weeks for questioning over unspecified charges, the paper said.

Jameel, who fled the Maldives in July last year, has also been granted political refugee status by the UK government. He has since been living in self-imposed exile in the UK

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Kolkata:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed as landmark victory the Supreme Court judgement today on land acquisition by Tata Motors at Singur for its abandoned Nano car project.

The Supreme Court judgement on Singur is a landmark victory. We have waited 10 years for this judgement, she told reporters at the state secretariat here.

Banerjee, who steered political opposition against the land acquisition process of the then Left Front government in West Bengal forcing Tatas to abandon the project in 2008, said her government would shortly work out on a mechanism to return land to the farmers as directed by the court.

The division bench of justices Arun Mishra and V Gopala Gowda of the apex court ruled that the land acquisition process in Singur was faulty and not for public purpose. The court directed that land be returned to the farmers within 12 weeks.

From the beginning, we had been telling that the method of the acquisition was unethical and land was taken away forcibly from the farmers, Banerjee said. She said she had staged a hunger strike in the city which lasted for 26 days to protest against the acquisition process.

The genesis of her party Trinamool Congress slogan Maa-Maati-Manush (mother-land-people) was from the Singur movement which saw many intellectuals including late Mahasweta Devi contributing their bit for the cause, she said.

Had Mahasweta Devi been alive today, she would have been very happy... It is victory for the farmers, victory for truth and victory for Maa-Maati-Manush. This triumph of the people of Singur would be written in history, she said. Tata Motors had acquired nearly 1,000 acres for the project.

Banerjee objected to this and asked the Tatas to return 400 acres to farmers who were not willing to part with their land for the project and declined to take compensation. She would hold a strategy meeting tomorrow on how to implement the courts order.

Singur farmers celebrate SC verdict

Farmers whose land was acquired for the Tata Motors Nano car factory at Singur and their families burst out in jubilation today after the Supreme Court held the acquisition illegal.

Hundreds of people, who were waiting for the apex courts verdict since the morning, erupted in joy as soon as the news flashed on their television screens.

They stepped out of their houses to congratulate each other. Men, women and children clapped, danced and cheered together and greeted each other with green gulal and sweets. Rallies were taken out with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees posters.

Slogans like Mamata Banerjee zindabad, Mamata Banerjee tomay amra bhulchi na, bhulbo na (we will never forget you) echoed in the air.

It is because of didi that we have seen todays victory...We are very happy today. Didis perseverance and our faith in her have finally reaped this victory, they said expressing gratitude to Banerjee who had fought an unflinching battle for months at Singur and in Kolkata, including a 26-day hunger strike.

It was her anti-land acquisition movement at Singur in November, 2006 that had brought Banerjee back to prominence after her partys huge setback in the Assembly elections earlier that year.

Riding on the Singur movement and the one at Nandigram in January 2007, Banerjee turned the table on the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which began losing political ground in the state starting the 2008 panchayat and the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, culminating in their defeat in the 2011 Assembly election in the state after 34 years.

After coming to power in 2011, Banerjees first legislation was the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011 for returning land to the unwilling farmers.

The villagers of Singur, located off Durgapur Expressway, about 40 km from Kolkata, were happy with the Supreme Courts directive that compensation paid to them would not have to be paid back and those who had not taken the compensation, would now get it at the same rate.

Asked what would they do after getting their land back, the farmers said they could decide only after seeing the condition of it as construction activities were carried out there and no cultivation was done in the vacant portions for 10 years.

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Jamshedpur:

Two members of a puppet group from West Bengal were killed and four others were injuries when the vehicle carrying them hit a roadside tree near Patamda in East Singhbhum district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place when the puppeteers were returning to their village under Bara Bazar police station in Purulia district after performing a show at a village fair in Patamda last night.

Six members of the group were seriously injured in the accident and two of them succumbed during treatment at a government hospital, police said.

Other members of the group, who had decided to stay back in Patamda, took the two bodies to their village.

The police were checking if the driver of the vehicle was drunk.

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#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...
Three eye-opening revelations we uncovered from the Soros Hack

There are a few tried and true ways to foster divisive conditions that lead to extreme social unrest. Fermenting programs with the goal of dissatisfaction, disunity, disease and division  under the guise of an open, free and fair society  can be utilized as mechanisms for the overthrow of governments and nations. Regardless of what particular program or methodology is employed, two components remain essential. Power and the money that is required to buy it. On a smaller scale, consider Washington lobbyists who are funded by military, pharmaceutical and biotechnology interests. They put money into the coffers of Congress, and the laws are written on their behalf.

This pay to play scheme is not new, but digging out the details of these multi-layered networks can be difficult, especially when you consider the enormous global outreach and influence of George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist who is the force behind Open Society Foundations (OSF). Their mission, as reported by Opensocietyfoundations.org is to help build vibrant and active democracies. Keep in mind this is the same foundation and the same Mr. Soros who, according to Phil Butlers insightful report at Neo.org, committed more than $25 million to Hillary . . . and helped ram Barak Obama Americas throat. Thanks to a hacktivist group called DCLeaks Network, we have more than 2500 documents straight out of the OSF. Talknetwork.com reveals three particular eye-opening revelations that show the one world globalist goals of Mr. Soros.

Here are a few more details, starting with the 2014 OSF involvement in media manipulation, disinformation and propaganda in the Ukraine. As reported by Zerohedge.com, Soros and his minions, including U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, were very interested in creating a neo-liberal Ukraine, while bringing Russia to its knees. Soros was already operating a non -government organization (NGO) in the region called the International Renaissance Foundation (IRF). This IRF already had OSF trained advisors ready to plug into the new Ukraine government, planned to control messaging through a crisis media center and promised to provide professional PR assistance to the Ukrainian government.

The second important data point about the leaked documents was the $650,000 given to Black Lives Matter (BLM.) According to The New American, Ken Zimmerman, the director of OSF programs in the U.S., vehemently denied giving any money to BLM, until the leaked OSF documents provided the hard evidence that $650,00 was indeed supplied after the killing of Freddy Gray. The OSF believed they had a unique opportunity to accelerate the dismantling of structural inequality. . . The BLM $650,000 grant was just the beginning. OSF has given millions to a wide variety of organizations with a specific focus on black men and boys, as reported by Opensocietyfoundations.org.

The third revelation of interest is how the OSF has worked to ensure that the refugee crisis would destabilize European borders. According to Thedailycaller.com, a memo in the leaked documents dated May 12th focuses on an OSF program called the International Migration Initiative. In this memo, the OSF discusses the new opportunities of this crisis, one of which is more OSF influence in the region. The memo also states that open borders with the refugee crisis is the new normal. Breitbart.com shares a heated exchange between George Soros and Viktor Orban, the current Prime Minister of Hungary. Mr. Orban, whose country is doing what it can to maintain its Hungarian culture and national borders, accused Soros of deliberately encouraging the refugee crisis. Soros didnt hide his globalist intent when he replied, Our plan treats the protection of refugees as the objective and national borders as the obstacle.

Sources:

Science.NaturalNews.com

OpenSocietyFoundations.org

Journal-Neo.org

Soros.DCLeaks.com

TalkNetwork.com

YouTube.com

ZeroHedge.com

TheNewAmerican.com

OpenSocietyFoundations.org

DailyCaller.com

Breitbart.com

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Remember when BMW purchased a haggard old 507 that once belonged to Elvis Presley? After two years of work, the car is now fully restored and headed to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance later this month. As with any good celebrity owned classic car, Elvis's old BMW has an interesting story to tell.

This 507, chassis #70079, was actually raced by famed driver Hans Stuck for a few months before it ended up at a BMW dealership in Frankfurt. Elvis was stationed as a soldier in Germany at the time, saw the 507 at the dealer and bought it immediately. The car was originally painted white, but Elvis had it painted redafter discovering that young ladies would write their phone numbers on the car in lipstick wherever he went.
NEWTOWN - The Syrian refugee crisis has sharply divided politicians, but it is having an opposite effect for some greater Danburians, who are coming together to make new lives in America a reality for immigrants.

Residents who might not ordinarily mingle are finding they have common ground when it comes to building a support network for families fleeing the Syrian Civil War - a conflict that has produced what some observers say is the largest refugee crisis since World War II.

We look around our dinner table and ask how we would feel if we were among of those millions of refugees, says Rick Chamiec-Case of Newtown, the leader of a group that plans to provide everything a refugee family needs to start a new life in greater Danbury. It doesnt seem right to say that the problem is too big for us to fix, so we are trying to help in whatever small way we can.

In Newtown, Jews, Muslims, Christians and members of other faith communities have formed The Interfaith Partnership for Refugee Settlement. In Ridgefield a similar group is organizing to provide a refugee family with an apartment, employment, education and other essentials of the American Dream.

Every community has to play a role, said Ann OBrien, the co-chair of the Refugee Resettlement Committee of Ridgefield, which has already raised $10,000 of its $15,000 goal for the familys startup costs. New immigrants are the backbone of our society.

The two new resettlement groups in Newtown and Ridgefield are part of a growing network of small volunteer communities forming under the guidance a New Haven nonprofit called Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, which has been finding refugees new homes in Connecticut for 34 years.

The nonprofit is working with 60 groups across Connecticut that are interested in sponsoring a refugee family. Twenty-five of them have already been trained, and 20 have already relocated refugee families in Connecticut.

Those groups that have already sponsored refugees include:

 Danbury Area Refugee Assistance, which was created in 2015, and which placed a Syrian family in an area home this summer, and

 The Refugee Resettlement Ministry at the Congregational Church of Brookfield, which formed 10 years ago and has sponsored six families from Syria, Iraq, Liberia and Nigeria.

The Syrian refugee crisis has become a divisive political issue. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has suggested that Syrian refugees are a potential threat to homeland security. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton says the United States should continue to welcome refugees from Syria through the current screening process, which includes checks of criminal records and possible ties to terrorist organizations.

In Newtown, Chamiec-Case said he understands some people might be concerned about security or spending tax money on non-Americans.

IRIS has an extensive vetting process, Chamiec-Case said. And we dont want to overlook the contributions that refugees make in our communities. We see this effort as enriching our communities.

Each sponsor group sets up committees to manage connections to housing, employment, education, social services and other needs. The hope is that the refugee family will be able to live on its own after six months.

The Newtown and Ridgefield groups are each calling for community support.

The Ridgefield group, which already has 30 members, will host an information session at 10 a.m. Sept. 15 at the Ridgefield Library. For more details, send an email to RRCRidgefield@gmail.com.

For more details about the Newtown group visit http://www.iprefugeer.org.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
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WALLINGFORD  She might be a senior, but Victoria Kozar, of New Milford, felt a bit out-of-place when she moved into an assisted living home last week.

Its eerily quiet here after 7:15 p.m. she said. She wasnt used to the quiet, the early rises, the pre-sunset bed times. After 7 p.m., you only hear, faintly, the TV news.

Kozar, 21, is a senior at Quinnipiac University  not the elderly variety. Although she attends medically-focused classes, and she hopes to one day become a doctor, she thought classes werent enough. So she, and a graduate student, Joe Huberman, went full immersion. They moved into a Masonicare assisted living home in Wallingford  about 10 minutes from the Quinnipiac campus.

Their housing situation is an arrangement between the university and Masonicare. The school provides the two students, and the nonprofit provides room and board, free of charge.

Were all about intergenerational experiences, said Margaret Steeves, a spokesperson for Masonicare. She estimated that the two students, if they were seniors, would pay $4,500 a month for their meals and housing.

The catch: The two must have at least one meal at the facility a week, and they have to spend eight hours weekly with other residents, Steeves said.

Weve had more than a meal a week, Huberman, 24, said.

The eight hours a week? Theyve done way more than just eight since they moved in on Aug. 23, Kozar said.

Kozar said shes been a fixture at bingo, card games and other events, such as happy hour.

Steeves said the two have been a great addition to the facility. The students, unlike other residents who are hard of hearing, have proved to be great listeners, she said.

Residents have told Kozar amazing stories, she said. A woman told her about the time she received a cupcake from Eleanor Roosevelt, and another woman told her how she shattered the glass ceiling in local TV news.

There are so many impressive women, Kozar said.

On Tuesday, Kozar stopped on her way to her one-bedroom suite to chat with two residents. An elderly man gave her advice about traveling to New Orleans, as his wife told Kozar how a nun instructed to her to drink more beer after she had her first child.

On the way to her room, Kozar said shed have to go tanning with the older woman soon.

Its bad, but she doesnt use sunscreen ... I dont either, she chuckled. Italian skin, I guess

Kozars room may be for older folks, but it doesnt look it. She has photos of her little bunnies, and her boyfriend, on the wall; a big bag for her books, a composition notebook  college ruled  and something a retiree likely hasnt seen in decades: A planner.

The assisted living twists are there, though. Shes yet to use the bench in the shower, though it is tempting, she said. And shes built her room around the emergency pull strings that litter the room. She doesnt want to bump one and cause a false alarm.

In Hubermans room, the intergenerational experience is striking. An old floral living room chair  such as the ones in grandparents homes  is mere feet away from a massive empty vodka bottle.

Asked if the new living situation has changed their social lives, both said living in the facility has only made life better. Its the first time in their respective collegiate lives that neither of them have had to share a room, they added.

My friends are thrilled, were more like old ladies sometimes, Kozar said. Ive already printed out the bingo schedule for em.

blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton
Like many Connecticut communities, New Milford has had to face a heroin problem among its residents, including about 15 overdose deaths since 2012.

On Wednesday, that community rallied together on the Town Green for a candlelight vigil hosted by a parent and recovering addict to honor those who have died from opioid overdoses and to remove the stigma attached to those battling an opioid addiction. The event was one of several in the area and hundreds across the globe as part of the International Overdose Awareness Day, which started in 2001 in Australia.

Substance abuse is a disease, said New Milford Substance Abuse Council Co-Chair Lindsey Marr, who also works for the towns youth agency. It is an illness and it is something that needs attention. Its something we need to stop shaming people for and start helping.

She said having communities all over the world spreading awareness about opioid addiction and aiming to reduce the stigma is extremely important. When she learned of the international day a few months ago, she quickly set to work to organize Wednesdays event on the green with the New Milford Substance Abuse Council, the New Milford Youth Agency and Community Addiction and Recovery and Education Support. She said she hopes it becomes an annual event.

It makes people aware that theyre not alone, Marr said.

State Rep. John Shaban (R-Redding) teamed up with the first selectmen and police chiefs in Redding, Easton and Weston and joined Western Connecticut Council of Governments and the Mid-Fairfield Substance Abuse Coalition to host a round table Wednesday night. The discussion allowed the public and officials to share concerns, comments and questions about the opioid addiction crisis in the community and how to combat it.

Redding First Selectwoman Julia Pemberton said there have been a few Redding natives who have died from heroin overdoses in recent years. The town has begun to look at the issue closer, examining how to help those battling addiction, Pemberton said.

She said many addictions develop after someone is prescribed oxycodone following a surgery and then turn to heroin, a cheaper high, when they could no longer afford or obtain the prescription.

Like many towns, Redding is striving to prevent overdose deaths. All first responders now carry naloxone, which can reverse an overdose if administered in a certain window.

On Wednesday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that the Connecticut Department of Public Health distributed about 9,200 overdose prevention kits since 2014 through the agencys overdose prevention, education, and naloxone access campaign.

Malloy also announced the state Department of Consumer Protection has developed a new, interactive online map that will allow consumers to locate pharmacies across the state where pharmacists are certified to prescribe naloxone. Last year, a law was enacted, allowing pharmacists to prescribe naloxone and ensure pharmacists are certified to inform patients how to access drug addiction services, administer the medication and understand the side effects associated with naloxone.

Marr has led two full classes and hopes to have another next month, depending on available supplies from the AIDS Project Greater Danbury.

One of the big goals in the area is to reduce the stigma attached to drug addiction.

Marr led a forum with school officials, the police chief and prominent members of the drug treatment and medical fields in June to begin a community discussion on opioid use. She hopes to continue the conversation in the fall.

She also started several support groups to help strengthen the community, especially the youth, and encourage healthy behaviors.

If you feel good on the inside, youre less likely to abuse substances, Marr said.

Pemberton said by talking about it more and removing that stigma, it makes it easier for addicts and their families to seek help. Reddings new social services director plans to have support groups and build the social services department to better serve the community, reducing the amount of addiction.

I think we get siloed in our homes with our two-acre zoning and people think no one else has these issues, she said.

kkoerting@newstimes.com; 203-731-3345; @kkoerting
MONTREAL, Aug. 31, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - While back to school season is a source of excitement for some children, for others, it's a necessity. The fact is, every day, 1 in 5 children in Canadathat's nearly 1 millionare at risk of going to school hungry. It's hard to believe that in a country as developed as Canada, there are enough children to fill the equivalent of 20,833 school buses who start their day on an empty stomach! Factors such as lack of time, lack of appetite or simply because the fridge is empty, all come into play.

Daniel Germain, President and Founder of Breakfast Club of Canada, denounces this situation: "We live in a beautiful country, but we don't see this poverty. Probably because it's easier not to see it."

It's for this reason that the Club has fought for more than 20 years to offer these vulnerable children a full, nutritious breakfast. Given that 60% of the day's learning is done in the morning, breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day for students. Offering them a healthy meal in a safe and nurturing environment, a place where they feel respected, has been linked to improved behaviour and concentration. It goes so far as to help them have better grades, enhanced social skills, more confidence when interacting with peers and adults, increased interest in school subjects and a decrease in bullying at school.

"The right thing to do," says Mr. Germain, "is to make sure all children have an equal opportunity to succeed and dream big. Children are our present; they need our support now."

Nationally, 170,000 breakfasts are served on a daily basis. This adds up to 27 million breakfasts a year, in more than 1,455 schools from coast to coast to coast, made possible thanks to the invaluable collaboration of the Club's financial partners. However, serving this many breakfasts every day of the school year remains a significant financial challenge.

This back-to-school season, Breakfast Club of Canada is asking people to show their generosity to help reduce, if not eliminate, the number of children who still start the school day on an empty stomach. For more information about the Club or to donate online, go to www.breakfastclubcanada.org. You can also support the Club during the back-to-school campaigns.

About the Breakfast Club of Canada

For 20 years, Breakfast Club of Canada has been nourishing children's potential by making sure as many of them as possible have access to a healthy morning meal before school, in an environment that allows their self-esteem to grow and flourish. But the Club is much more than a breakfast program: we take a broader approach that promotes the core values of engagement, enrichment and empowerment, and we team up with communities and local partners to develop solutions adapted to their specific needs. Operating from coast to coast, the Breakfast Club of Canada helps feed 170,000 students every day in 1,455 schools.

SOURCE Breakfast Club of Canada

Image with caption: "Breakfast Club of Canada (CNW Group/Breakfast Club of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160831_C6699_PHOTO_EN_763259.jpg

For further information: Fanny Brosseau, Communications Advisor at Breakfast Club of Canada, Tel. +1-450-641-3230, ext. 3331, Cell. : 5124-377-6685, [email protected]
TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2016 /CNW/ - As students across Ontario get ready for university and college, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reminds them of an important item that's often overlooked: tenant insurance.

"Tenant insurance is a good investment that provides peace of mind," says Kim Donaldson, Vice-President, Ontario, IBC. "Even if you're renting on a temporary basis, it will help protect you and your belongings in the event of loss or damage."

IBC's top 10 reasons for students to buy tenant insurance:

1. It's easy.

Talk to your parents about their coverage. You may be covered under their policy.

In many cases, you can get coverage right over the phone. Call your insurance representative. All you need is a list of your belongings and an estimated value of expensive items to ensure accurate coverage. 2. It's affordable.

Tenant insurance will generally cost less per month than your daily coffee runs. 3. It protects your stuff.

From furniture to expensive laptops, insurance will protect it. 4. You own more than you think.

Many people are surprised to realize how much stuff they actually have and how expensive it would be to replace all of it at once.

When buying insurance, keep an updated record of everything you own. Taking pictures or video of your belongings also helps. 5. It covers additional expenses after a loss.

If a fire occurs in your apartment, you will need a place to stay temporarily. Insurance will cover additional expenses that are necessary and reasonable expenses while your apartment is being repaired. 6. It protects you if you damage someone else's property in your building.

Tenants are responsible for the harm they cause to any neighbour or part of their building. Tenant insurance will help cover the damage. 7. It protects you if you cause someone harm in your building.

Tenants are potentially responsible for unintentional harm they cause others who live in their building or visit their unit. Tenant insurance helps cover the costs associated with this type of claim. 8. It protects you if there is a lawsuit related to your rental unit.

A standard tenant insurance policy provides coverage, including defence costs and potential settlements, for lawsuits by a third party. 9. You can't afford not to have it.

If something did happen, it would be a financial strain to replace all of your belongings, plus cover the cost of damages to the apartment and potential lawsuit fees.

Your lease likely requires that you carry tenant insurance 10. It would make your parents proud.

Taking this responsible step as you leave home will earn you points with your parents and give them peace of mind.

About Insurance Bureau of Canada

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, auto and business insurers. Its member companies make up 90% of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market in Canada. For more than 50 years, IBC has worked with governments across the country to help make affordable home, auto and business insurance available for all Canadians. IBC supports the vision of consumers and governments trusting, valuing and supporting the private P&C insurance industry. It champions key issues and helps educate consumers on how best to protect their homes, cars, businesses and properties.

P&C insurance touches the lives of nearly every Canadian and plays a critical role in keeping businesses safe and the Canadian economy strong. It employs more than 118,000 Canadians, pays $6.7 billion in taxes and has a total premium base of $48 billion.

For media releases and more information, visit IBC's Media Centre at www.ibc.ca . Follow IBC on Twitter @InsuranceBureau and @IBC_Ontario or like us on Facebook . If you have a question about home, auto or business insurance, contact IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC.

If you require more information, IBC spokespeople are available to discuss the details in this media release.

SOURCE Insurance Bureau of Canada

For further information: To schedule an interview, please contact: Andrew McGrath,Manager, Media Relations, 416-362-2031 ext. 4312, [email protected]
WENDAKE, QC, Aug. 31, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - "The lack of knowledge of First Nations practices and protocols must put us in front of the urgency of changing the way to educate children about the realities of our Peoples" said the Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL), Ghislain Picard, reacting to many comments following the decision of the Lajoie School to distribute Indigenous headdresses to mark the beginning of the new school year.

Since 2012, the AFNQL seized every opportunity to insist on the importance, for the Government of Quebec, to develop a school calendar that includes a month dedicated to the teaching of the realities of Indigenous Peoples. In light of the 94 calls to action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, made public in December 2015, it is high time for the Government to take action. "The Government of Quebec must do more than simply acknowledge the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Commission's calls to action require a profound change in the teaching of our realities. "The back to school event at the Lajoie School is not the desired model", declared the Chief of the AFNQL.

Moreover, the AFNQL considers that the way to educate children about Indigenous Peoples can contribute to feeding intolerance rather than fight it. The Government of Quebec knows, since 2011, that it has now become inevitable for Quebec to adopt a policy to fight racism when it comes to Indigenous peoples. "It is difficult to fight racism if there is a denial it exists. It is essential that the Government opens its eyes and looks at the situation as members of our communities live it", concluded Chief Picard.

In addition, with the incident that occurred at the Lajoie School, the AFNQL wishes that Quebec School Boards review their way of doing things in order to avoid such missteps. It also offers its support to educational institutions who would like to teach their students about the realities of First Peoples.

About the AFNQL

The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador is the political organization regrouping 43 Chiefs of the First Nations in Quebec and Labrador. www.apnql-afnql.com.

SOURCE Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador

For further information: Melanie Vincent : [email protected], Cell. : 418 580-4442
HALIFAX, Aug. 31, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Jazz Aviation LP ("Jazz") is pleased to announce a further commitment to Canada's future professional pilots with a new agreement between the airline's Jazz Aviation Pathway Program ("Jazz APP") and the Centre quebecois de formation aeronautique ("CQFA"); the Cegep de Chicoutimi's School of Aviation flight program.

"Creating a strong future for Canadian professional pilots by engaging with both English and French language academic institutions are important parts of building a strong Jazz APP program," said Steve Linthwaite, Vice President of Flight Operations at Jazz. "We're very pleased to welcome Quebec's CQFA to the Jazz APP and look forward to working together and supporting their students."

First signed in 2007, the industry-leading Jazz APP program and CQFA agreement includes collaboration on training and curriculum to promote safety and professionalism, while providing up-to-date information on industry best practices. The Jazz APP is aimed at establishing a direct career path for qualifying graduates including flight simulator evaluations, student scholarships, and the opportunity for CQFA's top-performing flight program graduates to transition to first officer positions at Jazz.

The Jazz Aviation Pathway Award for Professionalism

Awarded to a full-time student in his or her final year of the CQFA flight program for outstanding contributions to safety, leadership and professionalism. The Award consists of a $3000 scholarship and an opportunity to participate in the Jazz Aviation Pathway Program selection process. The award recipient is selected by the CQFA program chair or designate in consultation with Jazz to ensure the criteria as outlined are respected. Jazz awarded the inaugural Aviation Pathway Award for Professionalism at CQFA to Raphael Paris-Fontaine from Victoriaville, QC.

"The close relationship between CQFA and Jazz since 2007 is now officially recognized through this agreement. Ongoing integration of CQFA's graduates has been successful from the onset, offering our students with a range of attractive and valuable career opportunities," said Serge Boucher, CQFA's Director. "The agreement also symbolizes the high regard in which the quality of our program, our faculty, and our graduates are held by this prestigious Canadian aviation leader."

Since 2007 Jazz has been actively involved in shaping the curriculum and training of Canada's future professional pilots through active engagement with aviation colleges and universities. In 2015, Jazz rebranded these efforts under the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program banner. To-date, Jazz has announced agreements between the Jazz APP and the following aviation colleges and universities: Algonquin College, Centre quebecois de formation aeronautique of Cegep de Chicoutimi, Confederation College, Mount Royal University, Okanagan College, Sault College, Seneca College and Western University.

About Jazz Aviation LP

Jazz Aviation LP has a strong history in Canadian aviation with its roots going back to the 1930s. Jazz is owned by Chorus Aviation Inc. As the largest regional carrier in Canada, Jazz has a proven track record of industry leadership and exceptional customer service, and has leveraged that strength to deliver value to all its stakeholders. Jazz operates more flights and flies to more Canadian destinations than any other airline, and has a workforce of approximately 4,200 professionals, highly experienced in the challenging and complex nature of regional operations.

There are two airline divisions operated by Jazz Aviation LP: Air Canada Express and Jazz.

Air Canada Express: Under a capacity purchase agreement with Air Canada, Jazz provides service to and from lower-density markets as well as higher-density markets at off-peak times throughout North America with a fleet of 111 Canadian-made Bombardier aircraft.

Jazz: Under the Jazz brand, the airline offers charters throughout North America with a dedicated fleet of three Bombardier aircraft for corporate clients, governments, special interest groups and individuals seeking more convenience. Jazz also has the ability to offer airline operators services such as ground handling, dispatching, flight load planning, training and consulting.

For more information, visit www.flyjazz.ca/pathwaysprogram.

About the CQFA

Established in 1968, CQFA is the Cegep de Chicoutimi's School of Aviation; training aviation professional pilots at its campus in St-Honore, in the beautiful Saguenay region. CQFA offers three career paths, namely turbine helicopter operations, amphibian bush flying, and multi-engine IFR operations. Its glass-cockpit fleet is composed of two Bell 206 helicopters, two Cessna 185 on amphibian floats, 13 Beechcraft BE23 single engine and two PA-31-350 Piper Navajos. CQFA also operates four flight training devices, one of which simulates a large transport jet and is installed at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport campus.

For more information, visit www.cqfa.ca.

SOURCE Jazz

For further information: Media contacts: Jazz Aviation LP: English: Teri Udle, (902) 873-5047, Halifax, NS, [email protected]; French: Manon Stuart, (902) 873-5054, Halifax, NS, [email protected]; Centre quebecois de formation aeronautique : Eric Emond, (418) 549-9520, ext. 1279, [email protected], Director of Corporate Affairs and Communication; Serge Boucher, (418) 673-3421, ext. 1801, [email protected], Director of CQFA
TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2016 /CNW/ - At 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 31, 2016, the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) will release the provincial highlights of student achievement on the 20152016 Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division (Grades 13) and Junior Division (Grades 46), and the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics. The highlights will be available on EQAO's Web site, www.eqao.com.

On September 21, EQAO will release individual reports for each elementary school and its board, as well as a full provincial report on the elementary school assessments. School and board reports will be released for the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics as well as for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. A full provincial report on the secondary school assessments will also be released on this date.

Elementary schools and their boards will have their results under embargo until 10:00 a.m. on September 21. Schools and boards will be able to speak publicly about their results at that time.

Disponible en francais

SOURCE Education Quality and Accountability Office

For further information: Angele Dufresne, Communications Officer, 416-314-4327, [email protected]
TORONTO, Aug. 31, 2016 /CNW/ - The very first students will move in to George Brown College's inaugural student residence, The George, on Saturday, Sept. 3.

As thousands of students head back-to-school, 500 George Brown students will be making history, becoming the first to live in the college's inaugural student residence. The facility, which previously housed American athletes during the 2015 Pan Am & Parapan Am Games, was transformed from a temporary athletes' village housing complex into a state-of-the-art student residence.

Students will have a unique downtown Toronto experience living in the modern facility with sweeping views of the city. Featuring fully furnished two-bedroom suites complete with a kitchenette, three-piece bathroom, floor to ceiling windows, Wi-Fi and a flat screen TV with cable service, The George promises the perfect setting to live and learn in Toronto.

Media are invited to attend move-in day, take photos, tour the residence, and interview students as well as college representatives.

What: Move-in day at George Brown College's first student residence, The George.



When/Where: Saturday Sept. 3, 2016

The George  George Brown College's student residence 80 Cooperage Street, Toronto ON M5A 0J3 Time: 9:30  11: 30 a.m.



Who: 500 George Brown students saying farewell to their families as they become the first to live at The George.

For more information visit http://www.georgebrown.ca/residence/

NOTE: High resolution photos of the residence available for download at www.georgebrown.ca/about/newseventsmedia/campusphotos/

SOURCE George Brown College

For further information: Jodi Serwatuk, Corporate Communications Manager, George Brown College, O: 416-415-5000 ext. 3767, C: 647-289-3784, [email protected]
Quantel Laser (Paris, France) has been awarded a $7-million, multi-year contract by a Tier 1 defense contractor to supply lasers to be built into a wing-mounted fighter aircraft pod, such as on the French Dassault Rafale fighter. The military aircraft lasers will provide critical telemetry as well as target designation functions. Quantel designs and manufactures high-power, solid-state lasers for scientific, industrial, military, and medical applications. This contract covers a specific production series of lasers and follows Quantels successful development of the compact, ruggedized laser source as well as delivery of several earlier production runs.

This Quantel Laser Diodes video shows a high energy QCW laser diode array operating at 120 Hz that can provide up to 150 kW peak power of infrared energy. Maximum average power is 10 kW.

There is a lot of work by the USA, China, Russia, India and others on combat lasers for planes, trucks, ships and other vehicles.

The General Atomics 150-kw Hellads (high energy laser) will be tested this summer at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico The third generation solid state laser is to be demonstrated in 2018 on the USS Paul Foster, a decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer that now serves as the U.S. Navys ship-defense test vessel at Port Hueneme in California. The Gen 3 (third generation laser) has increased electrical-to-optical efficiency, improved beam quality and further reduced size and weight. The module includes high-power-density lithium-ion batteries, liquid cooling for the laser and batteries, one or more laser unit cells and optics to clean up and stabilize the beam before it enters the platform-specific beam-director telescope, says Davis. The unit cell is a laser oscillator that produces a single 75-kw beam. Modules can be ganged together to produce a 150- or 300-kw beam. The next step is a 120-kw laser, planned for testing in the early 2020s, and for which GA-ASI plans to propose the Gen 3 system. The Air Force Research Laboratory, meanwhile, is interested in a podded laser weapon, although there is no formal program yet. Davis says the Gen 3s size enables an airborne laser module in the 150-kw range to be carried by GA-ASIs Avenger unmanned aircraft. The UAV has sufficient onboard power to recharge the modules batteries in flight.

The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) is targeting demonstrating a 100+kw combat laser on a fighter by 2022. The airforce wants to integrate combat laser systems into future fighters in the 2030+.

Initially the combat lasers will be in external pod that attach to the fighter.

The General Atomics HELLADS laser, which will soon shift from a DARPA experiment to a DARPA-Air Force Research Lab joint venture. That was a major investment on the part of DARPA, Hardy said. Its the first time anybodys shown you can make a 150-kW-class electric laser.

A typical modern fighter like the F-16 can carry at most six air-to-air missiles. Shoot six times, hit or miss, and its back to base to re-arm. By contrast, said Gunzinger, a laser-armed aircraft could just head back to the tanker. Instead of landing to reload, air refueling would reload [laser]-equipped aircraft in flight, he said. They could keep fighting until the pilot couldnt take it any more  or, if unmanned, for longer than any human could endure.

Special Operations Command wants a laser cannon on future AC-130s.

AC130J models could have lasers. The first two AC130J aircraft will not have the 105mm gun installed. Thatll have to be retrofitted later. The third AC10J AFSOC will simply pull the cannon off retiring AC130 aircraft and install them on the Js. The last seven J-models may carry a laser weapon according to Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold.

The AC-130J is a highly modified C-130J aircraft that contains many advanced features. It contains an advanced two-pilot flight station with fully integrated digital avionics. The aircraft is capable of extremely accurate navigation due to the fully integrated navigation systems with dual inertial navigation systems and global positioning system.

The AC-130J is the fourth generation gunship replacing the aging SOF fleet of 37 AC-130H/U/W gunships. AC-130 gunships have an extensive combat history dating to back to Vietnam where gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many life-saving close air support missions.

The first AC-130J aircraft is scheduled to begin developmental test and evaluation in January 2014. The first squadron will be located at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., while other locations are to be determined. Initial operational capacity is expected in fiscal 2017 and the last delivery is scheduled for fiscal 2021.

SOURCES  Breaking Defense, Air force, FBO.gov, Quantel, Laser Focus World, youtube
The US Air Force plans to arm its fleet of drones and fighter jets with high-tech laser weapons.

Air Force Research Laboratory officials have said they plan to have a program of record for air-fired laser weapons in place by 2023.

Ground testing of a laser weapon called the High Energy Laser, or HEL, was slated to take place last year at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., service officials said. The High Energy Laser test is being conducted by the Air Force Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.

The first airborne tests are expected to take place by 2021, Air Force officials have said.

The developmental efforts are focused on increasing the power, precision and guidance of existing laser weapon applications with the hope of moving from 10-kilowatts up to 100 kilowatts.

Much of the needed development involves engineering the size weight and power trades on an aircraft needed to accommodate an on-board laser weapon. Developing a mobile power-source small enough to integrate onto a fast-moving fighter jet remains a challenge for laser technology.

The Air Force plans to begin firing laser weapons from larger platforms such as C-17s and C-130s until the technological miniaturization efforts can configure the weapon to fire from fighter jets such as an F-15, F-16 or F-35.

Instead of flying with six or seven missiles on an aircraft, a directed energy weapons system could fire thousands of shots using a single gallon of jet fuel

SOURCE- Scout
1. Universe Today New Visualization Of Waves In Saturns Rings Puts You In The Keeler Gap

2. Universe Today  5 Days, 2 Spectacular Conjunctions

3. Universe Today  A History Of Violence: Iron Found in Fossils Suggests Supernova Role In Mass Dying

4. Urban Astronomer  One of modern astronomys most enduring hoaxes comes around every year in August. Every year, we get asked by friends and family if it is true that Mars will appear as big as the Moon in the sky. This article from Urban Astronomer takes a closer look at whats going on.

5. Forbes- Making Space Great Again Through Commercial Partnerships

6. Blasting News  Sen, Marco Rubio calls on Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to support NASA space

7. Blasting News  It turns out that NASAs Space Launch System is not too expensive to fly

8. Blasting News  Buzz Aldrin explains why NASA should return to the moon on the Journey to Mars

9. Blasting News  Are space settlements and exploiting extraterrestrial resources immoral

10. Blasting News  NASA announces the Space Robotics Challenge

11. Planetaria  Pale Red Dot: Astronomers discover potentially habitable exoplanet orbiting nearest star

12. Here at Links through Space we introduce a series of 7 articles on the Age of Astronomy.

This series focuses on tangible evidence such as relics, artifacts, astronomical alignments and star maps that establishes the age of Astronomy.

Follow our Ancient Astronomy Series: THE AGE OF ASTRONOMY.

Read the posts and find out the true age of astronomy. 2/7 : Relics: Abu Bakr Ibn Yusufs medieval Moroccan astrolabes. 1216AD

13. Nextbigfuture  Made in Space won the Singularity University Grand Challenge in space

Made in Space is the only organization ever in history to have the capability to manufacture off planet Earth.

The space industry has been bottlenecked for over 55 years due to the fact that everything we put in space has to launch on a rocket. By manufacturing in space, we can build objects that are far bigger than can fit into a rocket and unlock new mission opportunities. For instance, 100+ meter size antennas made in space can provide global broadband internet directly to personal devices. MIS has over $30mm in NASA, government, and commercial contracts bringing this vision to reality.

Their Mission: Industrial processing and manufacturing in space frees Earth from pollution and provides abundance as our technology needs advance.

14. Nextbigfuture  Interstellar Starshot Project Update

A few days ago Centauri Dreams Paul Glister was at the Breakthrough Starshot meetings

Starshot engineering activities are targeting a 20% of lightspeed mission to Alpha Centauri. Kevin Parkin leads the subcommittee has oversight over a systems team that will conduct system engineering, modeling and integration activities.

15. Nextbigfuture  Follow up on HD164595 signal

Here is a follow up to the report of a SETI signal detected on May 15, 2015 by a radio telescope operated by the Russian Academy of Science. It appeared to come from the star HD 164595, a sun-like star located roughly 95 light-years from Earth. The system has only one known planet: a warm Neptune, so called because it is gaseous like Neptune but orbits its star in only 40 days. But the star probably has other planets  perhaps rocky ones.

If the signal was produced by intelligent aliens with a beacon transmitting radio waves in all directions, the energy it would need to produce 10^20 watts

If instead the beacon was targeted at Earth, then the power needed drops to 10^13 watts

Before astronomers jump to any conclusion, theyre attempting to detect the signal again. Last night, the SETI Institute used the Allen Telescope Array in northern California to track the star. They saw nothing, but will observe again tonight.

Some astronomers think that it could have been a earth produced military signal given the frequency range.

16. Nextbigfuture  Moon Express to mine hydroxyl from the moon and provide it to fuel orbital and other space missions

The amount of hydroxyl on the lunar surface is considerable, roughly 10 million tonnes at any instant, and much more over the Moons history. OH/H2O inside the Moon is also huge, estimated as 40 trillion to quadrillions of tonnes; with presumably only a small fraction ever reaching the PSRs (where about one billion tonnes reside). A reasonable estimate of water ever delivered to the lunar surface by comets and asteroids is 0.16 trillion tonnes, with perhaps 10100 billion tonnes not lost to ionization on impact.

Moon Express plans to create a robotic lunar hydroxyl mining machine. It will fill a small fuel tank then it will launch into lunar orbit.

A second lunar robot lander will use the lunar orbit fuel to lower the cost.

Then there will two robotic lunar lander-miners

This will continue to four then eight lunar landers and a large lunar orbit fuel depot.

Then when the setup is large enough a lunar fuel depot will be towed to low earth orbit where it will be a low earth or other earth orbit fuel depot where it can sold to other companies and missions.
There is a book Exponential Organization

In his book Exponential Organizations, Salim Ismail has addressed the current business model of most organizations which is based upon incremental and linear growth. His thesis is that the alternative of exponential growth, as espoused by Singularity University, can be gained by organizations that use new techniques that can vastly accelerate the growth and scalability of the organization and their competitive position. Many examples of companies that have used these new techniques are used such as Netfix, Apple and Craigslist. Another example that is addressed in detail is Airbnb which does not own its assets in the room rental space, and has now realized a market capitalization of almost $14 billion  unprecedented in corporate history in the traditional hotel sector. This is more than a reflection of the past and what can be done in the future to accelerate the growth of companies  its a how-to guide that provides direction based upon the experience of these successful exponential companies.

In the past five years, the business world has seen the birth of a new breed of companythe Exponential Organizationthat has revolutionized how a company can accelerate its growth by using technology. An ExO can eliminate the incremental, linear way traditional companies get bigger, leveraging assets like community, big data, algorithms, and new technology into achieving performance benchmarks ten times better than its peers.

Three luminaries of the business worldSalim Ismail, Yuri van Geest, and Mike Malonehave researched this phenomenon and documented ten characteristics of Exponential Organizations. Here, in EXPONENTIAL ORGANIZATIONS, they walk the reader through how any company, from a startup to a multi-national, can become an ExO, streamline its performance, and grow to the next level.

The key premise is that companies that leverage exponential technologies and processes are capable of far exceeding their peers performance in the same or similar industry segments in a dramatically shorter time than ever possible historically. This is due to the change in availability and understanding that technology application brings to the table.

The first step on the way to evaluating your own company is to evaluate its position on several key factors. There are two acronyms for these factors called S.C.A.L.E. and I.D.E.A.S that relate to external and internal traits that indicate exponential company behaviors and potential.

ExOs leverage five key External Mechanisms. These are represented by the acronym S.C.A.L.E.:

Staff on Demand  Making sure your organization actively leverages resources

Community & Crowd  The power of crowd and community for leverage

Algorithms  Applying machine learning, NLP, and algorthims to analyze and predict

Leased Assets  The use of fixed assets the company does not own

Engagement  Tools like incentive prizes and gamification for driving community and crowd engagement

ExOs also leverage five key Internal Mechanisms. These are represented by the acronym I.D.E.A.S.:

Interfaces  Useful and often beautiful ways to display information so that actual humans can build wisdom from the data.

Dashboards  Key metrics, tending toward OKRs for measuring success of effort over time at every level.

Experimentation  A near-scientific curiosity to finding the best solutions to problems and problems to solve.

Autonomy  Distributed Authority and Responsibility are commonplace

Social  Use and leverage of social structures and networks to grow.

Generally, the first half of the book is the information you need and the second half is a high-level how to guide helping you get started.

EXPONENTIAL ORGANIZATIONS is the most pivotal book in its class. Salim examines the future of organizations and offers readers his insights on the concept of Exponential Organizations, because he himself embodies the strategy, structure, culture, processes, and systems of this new breed of company.John Hagel, The Center for the Edge

John Hagel says the key to transformation is to pick only one edge. In terms of scaling an edge initiative

JOHN HAGEL

Co-Chairman, Deloittes Center for the Edge

John Hagel III has nearly 35 years experience as a management consultant, author, speaker and entrepreneur. He has helped companies around the world to improve their performance by crafting creative business strategies that more effectively harness new generations of information technology and shape broader markets and industries. He also designs and implements change management strategies to help companies develop capabilities to drive more rapid performance improvement.

John is the co-chairman of the Silicon Valley-based Deloitte LLP Center for the Edge, which conducts original research on emerging business opportunities that are not yet on the CEOs management agenda but should be.

John is also a faculty member at Singularity University where he gives frequent talks on the mounting performance pressure created by digital technology and promising approaches to help traditional companies make the transition from a linear to an exponential world. John is also on the Board of Trustees at the Santa Fe Institute, an organization that conducts leading edge research on complex adaptive systems.

Before joining Deloitte, John was an independent consultant and writer. Prior to that, he held significant positions at leading consulting firms and companies. From 1984 to 2000, he was a principal at McKinsey and Co., where he was a leader of the Strategy Practice. In addition, he founded and led McKinseys Electronic Commerce Practice from 1993 to 2000. John has also served as senior vice president of strategy at Atari, Inc., and earlier in his career, worked at Boston Consulting Group. He is the founder of two Silicon Valley startups.

John is the author of The Power of Pull, published by Basic Books and summarizing recent research pursued at the Center for the Edge, making the case that we are struggling as individuals and institutions to adapt to a long-term shift in our business environment that changes the nature of competition,. He is also the author of a series of earlier best-selling business books, Net Gain, published in 1997, Net Worth, Out of the Box and The Only Sustainable Edge. He is widely published and quoted in major business publications like The Economist, Fortune, Forbes, Business Week, Financial Times and Wall Street Journal as well as general media like the New York Times, NBC and BBC. He has won two awards from Harvard Business Review for best articles in that publication and has been recognized as an industry thought leader by a variety of publications and institutions, including the World Economic Forum and Business Week.

John has his own website at www.johnhagel.com,, a joint website with John Seely Brown at www.edgeperspectives.com,, a personal blog at www.edgeperspectives.typepad.com as well as joint blogs with John Seely Brown at Harvard Business Review, Fortune and Techonomy. He is active in social media and can be followed on Twitter at @jhagel

John holds a BA from Wesleyan University, a B.Phil. from Oxford University, and a JD and MBA from Harvard University.

KALYAN KUMAR

Executive Vice President and CTO, HCL Technologies

Kalyan Kumar (KK) Leads the Global Product and Technology Organization and also the CTO for IT&O & Digital for HCL. KK also is the global leader of HCL DryICE Business Unit (unified autonomics/AI & orchestration platform business, the core foundation of HCL 21st Century Enterprise).
Here is a follow up to the report of a SETI signal detected on May 15, 2015 by a radio telescope operated by the Russian Academy of Science. It appeared to come from the star HD 164595, a sun-like star located roughly 95 light-years from Earth. The system has only one known planet: a warm Neptune, so called because it is gaseous like Neptune but orbits its star in only 40 days. But the star probably has other planets  perhaps rocky ones.

If the signal was produced by intelligent aliens with a beacon transmitting radio waves in all directions, the energy it would need to produce 10^20 watts

If instead the beacon was targeted at Earth, then the power needed drops to 10^13 watts

Before astronomers jump to any conclusion, theyre attempting to detect the signal again. Last night, the SETI Institute used the Allen Telescope Array in northern California to track the star. They saw nothing, but will observe again tonight.

Centauri Dreams Paul Gilster broke the story

Paul Gilster had seen a presentation on the matter from Italian astronomer Claudio Maccone.

Permanent monitoring of this target is needed, said the presentation.

Nick Suntzeff, a Texas A&M University astronomer told the online magazine Ars Technica that the 11 gigahertz signal was observed in part of the radio spectrum used by the military.

If this were a real astronomical source, it would be rather strange, Suntzeff was quoted as saying. Nick believes the signal was a closer regular military source.

SOURCES  New Scientist, Centauri Dreams
Josh Bersin founded Bersin and Associates (now Bersin by Deloitte) in 2004 to provide research and advisory services focused on corporate learning, leadership, talent management, and HR technology. Today he is responsible for Bersin by Deloittes long-term strategy, research direction, and market eminence. Josh is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been quoted on talent management topics in key media, including Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Financial Times, BBC Radio, CBS Radio and National Public Radio. He is a popular blogger for Forbes.com, a leading LinkedIn influencer, and has been a columnist since 2007 for Chief Learning Officer magazine. Josh spent 25 years in product development, product management, marketing and sales of e-learning and other enterprise technologies at companies including DigitalThink (now Convergys), Arista Knowledge Systems, Sybase, and IBM. Joshs education includes a B.S. in engineering from Cornell University, an M.S. in engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Work and jobs are not going away

Future of work is all about people

Josh wrote in 2014 about corporate talent mananagement being dead.

Deloitte human capital trends 2015 (Bersin one of four authors)
Singularity University Grand Challenge in space end goal is Safe and Equitable use and stweardship of space resources and technologies for the benefit of humanity and our future as a multi-planetary species

Made in Space has won the Singularity University Grand Challenge in space

Made in Space is the only organization ever in history to have the capability to manufacture off planet Earth.

The space industry has been bottlenecked for over 55 years due to the fact that everything we put in space has to launch on a rocket. By manufacturing in space, we can build objects that are far bigger than can fit into a rocket and unlock new mission opportunities. For instance, 100+ meter size antennas made in space can provide global broadband internet directly to personal devices. MIS has over $30mm in NASA, government, and commercial contracts bringing this vision to reality.

Our Mission: Industrial processing and manufacturing in space frees Earth from pollution and provides abundance as our technology needs advance.

In 2015, the International Space Stations 3-D printer manufactured the first 3-D printed object in space, paving the way to future long-term space expeditions. The object, a printhead faceplate, is engraved with names of the organizations that collaborated on this space station technology demonstration: NASA and Made In Space, Inc., the space manufacturing company that worked with NASA to design, build and test the 3-D printer.

Other Candidates

Mars City Design has the thought leadership towards human aspects of SUSTAINABLE living surpassing survivability and attaining actual human cultural living.

Mars City Design provides an innovative design platform for exponential solutions towards sustainable living on Mars. Our multidisciplinary approach envisions what life will need for future humans living as multi-planetary species.

The synergistic disciplines of STEM, art, and architecture will re-invent new life-styles by opening a new dynamic in commercialization of the space industry.

Design what you love, we will take it to Mars!

Our Mission: For life to live better on Earth while solving the grand challenge of living off planet and becoming a more responsible species to our environment.

Fiat Physica is a crowdfunding platform devoted to the advancement of physics, astronomy and space exploration.

Tomorrows technology will be based on todays research. Unfortunately, scientists dont have the time or skills required to fundraise, and the public doesnt always understand the importance of fundamental research. Crowdfunding has recently emerged as a successful means of fundraising, but which scientists have not yet taken advantage of. Fiat Physica connects physics and space enthusiasts to researchers and entrepreneurs seeking support for projects that will shape the future of humankind.

Our Mission: Campaigns on Fiat Physica bring awareness to these fields and important projects, and pave the way for future technology.

Hypercubes is developing the first teraflop computer for small satellite systems, to enable AI, Data-Mining and other capabilities never previously possible.

Hypercubes is providing actionable intelligence on the impact of climate change on the global economy. Hypercubes has demonstrated the ability to combined Hyper spectral sensors with teraflop computing on small satellite systems, making possible previously unattainable data-mining, artificial intelligence networks and other computational-intensive processes. These capabilities enable Hypercubes satellites to conduct chemical analysis of the earth on a pixel by pixel basis.

Our Mission: To ensure our continued growth as a species adapt in a Changing Climate by providing a new way to measure how the environment impacts us.
The amount of hydroxyl on the lunar surface is considerable, roughly 10 million tonnes at any instant, and much more over the Moons history. OH/H2O inside the Moon is also huge, estimated as 40 trillion to quadrillions of tonnes; with presumably only a small fraction ever reaching the PSRs (where about one billion tonnes reside). A reasonable estimate of water ever delivered to the lunar surface by comets and asteroids is 0.16 trillion tonnes, with perhaps 10100 billion tonnes not lost to ionization on impact.

Moon Express plans to create a robotic lunar hydroxyl mining machine. It will fill a small fuel tank then it will launch into lunar orbit.

A second lunar robot lander will use the lunar orbit fuel to lower the cost.

Then there will two robotic lunar lander-miners

This will continue to four then eight lunar landers and a large lunar orbit fuel depot.

Then when the setup is large enough a lunar fuel depot will be towed to low earth orbit where it will be a low earth or other earth orbit fuel depot where it can sold to other companies and missions.

The cost of space exploration would then approach the cost of launching to earth orbit.

SOURCES- Arxiv, moon express
Singularity University Grand Challenge in Learning End goal  Access to information and experiences that build knowledge and skills for all people at all stages of their lives for personal fulfillment and benefit to society

Winner of the Learning challenge is Smartstones

Smartstones makes the Prose application.

Smartstones is a Democratizing Voice for 370 million people who cant speak, who are connected to 3 billion who desire to see them thrive. These 370 million people are nonverbal, yet have private social networks of 10 or more people.

The most basic human need, communication is the single biggest barrier to accelerating literacy. 2016 Gold Edison Award winner for Social Innovation. Recognized for entrepreneurship and innovation alongside Tesla, Space X and Apple. Pilot with the largest school system in USA. We just announced Think to Speak beta  the first consumer EEG + mobile speech solution.

Our Mission: Smartstones technology makes it simpler for people with HCI challenges to speak with body language. Converting sensor data from wearable devices into speech.

Heres how :prose works:

1. Tap the Speech Bubble to open the Manage Page.

2. Tap any gesture which youd like to assign a phrase to.

3. Enter your phrase, and pick a color.

4. Tap the Speaker icon to return to the Canvas Page.

5. Perform the gesture and :prose will speak your phrase aloud, and display it on the screen.

speak :prose

The most advanced way to access literacy and core language using simple gestures. Available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

For people with physical challenges, pair a sensory remote controller like Smartstones Touch, Apple Watch, and Emotiv brainwave headsets to speak with swipes, taps, or thought and facial commands.

Other Candidates

Kepler is unique in the humanitarian sphere: our tech-focused refugee higher ed program is based on a proven model designed for development contexts.

In the face of todays global refugee crisis, higher education has potential to help refugees create development-focused, market-based solutions; yet opportunities to pursue tertiary education remain extremely limited. Keplers innovative model combines an online BA degree with in-person instruction and work experience. Using evidence from our pilot program in Kiziba refugee camp in Rwanda, Kepler is working in partnership with SNHU to increase refugees access to a world-class U.S. degree.

Our Mission: Kepler is increasing access to a world-class university degree for refugees, creating a global model to offer opportunity where almost none existed.

Iris AI is leveraging AI and the crowd, uniquely combining unsupervised, supervised and reinforcement machine learning to democratize access to science.

Iris AI is an artificial intelligence that will read all of the worlds research and help us connect the dots. Initially as a assistant helping innovators navigate the research landscape: give her any scientific text over 500 words and she maps out all related research. In 3-5 years, Iris will be able to respond to specific prompts, finding e.g. the right method. In 10 years, she is a researcher herself, doing Literature Based Discovery  and eventually she can train other AIs in science!

Our Mission: Discovering existing solutions to problems hidden in vast amounts of scientific literature; from cancer to climate change research.

Mentive delivers a live, social and hands-on learning experience assured to build your skills, innovating in a market full of video & text content.

Could you imagine having to go through your college education without asking a single question or talking to your peers? Sounds crazy?  thats exactly what students of online courses face today!

Mentive solves the engagement and applicability problem of online education by creating live, social and hands-on learning experiences. Students collaborate in project-based live classes facilitated by topic experts designed to develop on-demand skills fast, at a tiny fraction of the price.

Our Mission: The go-to destination for millions of people to share, learn and develop on-demand skills at a fraction of the price  learning meets crowdsourcing.

Focus At Will is a tech platform that helps professionals be four times more productive at work.

It delivers unique music channels, custom engineered for each users brain type. Were a world class team of doctors, technologists and music producers, with a new work tool that helps people focus better. Weve had 1m users in last 3 years, and 80% of our subscribers pay again every year. Users include engineers from Google, Apple, Tesla, SpaceX, Amazon who rely on Focus@Will every day to get their work done.

Our Mission: We increase focused attention at work. 66% of employees report time wasting at least 1 hour per day.
South Korea has renewed calls to deploy nuclear-powered submarines on the battlefront, refueling debate about using the advanced weapons against North Korean ballistic missile threats.

The communist state marked its first successful firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile last week, undermining South Koreas resolve to neutralize threats via land-based missile defense systems.

The SLBM launch is a grave threat not only to South Korea, but also to the security of Northeast Asia, said Rep. Chung Jin-suk, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party.

(The danger from the SLBM) is even more severe than that of a land-based missile launch, because it is more difficult to detect where it has been launched from.

South Koreas Defense Ministry said Monday it has no plans to introduce nuclear-powered submarines, despite calls by lawmakers to do so following a recent test of a submarine-launched missile by rival North Korea.

The ballistic missile traveled about 500 kilometers (310 miles), the greatest distance achieved by North Korea for such a weapon. Last weeks test caused jitters among many South Koreans because submarine-based missiles are harder to detect before launch than land-based ones

After North Koreas fourth nuclear test in January, some conservative lawmakers and scholars demanded that South Korea develop its own nuclear weapons, but the government dismissed the request.

A total of nine 3,000-ton KSS-III submarines are expected to be built in South Korea with indigenous technologies (i.e. not going under license as the previous KSS-I and KSS-II submarines)

South Korean shipbuilder, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME), has laid down the countrys first KSS-III submarine

DSME was contracted by South Koreas Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to construct the first two 3,000-tonne submarines for the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) in late 2012. The KSS-III platform will be the largest submarines in the RoKN inventory once the first-of-class comes into service around 2020.

According to specifications provided by the company, the KSS-III submarine features an overall length of about 83.5 m, an overall breadth of 7.7 m and a height of 14.7 m. The platform has a maximum speed of about 20 kt, a cruising range of 10,000 n miles and can accommodate a crew of 50.

The KSS-III submarines will be equipped with the Series 30 non-hull penetrating optronic search mast system from Sagem that can accommodate up to four electro-optical (EO) payloads and electronic warfare and GPS antennas.

The platform will also be fitted with six-cell vertical launching system (VLS) that can deploy the Cheon Ryong land-attack cruise missile that has a range of up to 1,500 km. The submarine will be equipped with a weapon handling and launch system from Babcock that features a programmable firing valve launch system, similar to the ones in use on the Royal Navys Astute-class boats.

DSME is scheduled to deliver the second KSS-III submarine by 2022. The RoKN is expected to operate a fleet of up to nine vessels in the class.

In April, 2016 South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has launched the Republic of Korea Navys (RoKNs) seventh KSS 2-class (Type 214) diesel-electric air-independent propulsion submarine. The 1,800-tonne Hong Beom-do was launched at HHIs Ulsan shipyard.

Saenuris Rep. Won Yoo-chul, one of the more vocal proponents of nuclear-armed defense against Pyongyang, echoed Chungs comments by saying a nuclear submarine is needed for continuous monitoring against North Korea.

Submarines powered by a nuclear reactor holds an operational edge over their conventional diesel-electric counterparts. Its air-independent and nuclear propulsion allows it to operate for months and at a high speed without having to resurface.

Last weeks SLBM launch, while assessed to be a step away from an actual deployment phase, indicated that the communist state may be closer to completing its SLBM program than South Korean ministrys initial estimate of 3-4 years.

In a report to the National Assembly on Monday, the Defense Ministry said that the Norths SLBM can be deployed for use within the next 1-3 years. It assessed that it will be a threat to not only South Korea, but also the US mainland.

North Korea reportedly only has one 2,000-ton Sinpo-class submarine from which an SLBM launch is possible. Military believes it will take some time for it to develop larger submarines.

South Koreas Navy 2015-2030 plan has centered on acquiring a qualitative edge over Pyongyang, essentially having bigger and better ships and submarines than simply having more.

The number of operational vessels is expected to fall, but the accumulative tonnage of the vessels will be raised from 45,000 to 70,000 tons.

This includes replacing the current PKM patrol boats with larger and more advanced patrol ships via PKX projects, and deploying 2,300-ton and 2,800-ton frigates to substitute the smaller 1,500-ton vessels. A comprehensive upgrade in detection and attack capacity is also slated to take place.

SOURCES- Korea Herald, Wikipedia, IHS Janes
Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, said Tuesday that he could absolutely see putting a laser on the services F-35B variant in the future. Because of the size and weight requirements for a laser, wed probably start off with a KC-130, Walsh said at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington. As soon as we could miniaturize it, wed put them on F-35s, Cobras [attack helicopters], any of those attack aircraft.

This was reported by the Washington Examiner and Popular Science.

In May, 2016 The US Air Force indicated they hada plans to arm its fleet of drones and fighter jets with high-tech laser weapons.

Air Force Research Laboratory officials have said they plan to have a program of record for air-fired laser weapons in place by 2023.

Ground testing of a laser weapon called the High Energy Laser, or HEL, was slated to take place last year at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., service officials said. The High Energy Laser test is being conducted by the Air Force Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.

The first airborne tests are expected to take place by 2021, Air Force officials have said.

The developmental efforts are focused on increasing the power, precision and guidance of existing laser weapon applications with the hope of moving from 10-kilowatts up to 100 kilowatts.

Instead of flying with six or seven missiles on an aircraft, a directed energy weapons system could fire thousands of shots using a single gallon of jet fuel

France has funded combat lasers on wing mounted pods The F35 would prefer internal combat lasers as wing pods would reduce the stealthiness of the jet.

The US airforce wants to integrate combat laser systems into future fighters in the 2030+.

Initially the combat lasers will be in external pod that attach to the fighter and larger early lasers placed into the heavy and larger C-130 gunships.

The General Atomics HELLADS laser, which will soon shift from a DARPA experiment to a DARPA-Air Force Research Lab joint venture. That was a major investment on the part of DARPA, Hardy said. Its the first time anybodys shown you can make a 150-kW-class electric laser.

The AFRLs directed energy directorate spends about a third of its roughly $150 million annual budget on laser technology. There is also combat laser research and develoment with the US Navy, DARPA, the US Army and the marines.

In 2018, the Marine Corps expects to deploy F-35Bs on the amphibious assault ship Essex. The Essex is expected to head to U.S. Central Command, which is the division of the military that oversees fighting in the Middle East.

USS Essex (LHD-2) is a United States Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship built at what is now Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and commissioned on 17 October 1992

Displacement: 40,650 tons (full combat load) Length: 844 ft (257 m) Beam: 106 ft (32 m) Draft: 28 ft (8.5 m) (full load) Propulsion: Geared steam turbines Speed: exceeds 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) Boats and landing craft carried: 3 LCACs or 2 LCUs Troops: 1,800

It can carry up to 36 airplanes

SOURCES- Marine Corps times, Breaking Defense, Washington Examiner, Popular Science, Wikipedia, US Air Force, US Air Force Research Lab, Lockheed Martin
The Federal Government on Monday said about 25.3 million Nigerian children and youths are out of school across the country. To reduce ...

The Federal Government on Monday said about 25.3 million Nigerian children and youths are out of school across the country.To reduce this figure, the government said it plans to enrol about 2. 9 million pupils annually in four years to reduce the figure of out-of-school children in Nigeria.Nigeria currently has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world with 11. 4 million out  of  school children out of the 20 million worldwide.Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said 60 per cent of the 11.4 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls.Adamu, who said this at the presentation of Education for change: a Ministerial Strategic Plan (2016-2019) to stakeholders in Abuja, said only 3.1 million or 17 per cent nomadic children of school-age had access to basic education despite decades of intervention.He therefore said government would urgently raise the national Net Enrolment Rate (NER) to ensure that are enrolled in basic education schools in the next four years.The Minister said: About 25.3 million students at all levels of education are out- of- school in the country.Nigeria has the highest number of out of school children in the world with 11. 4 million out- of-school children of the 20 million worldwide. These include the girl-child, Almajiri-child, children of nomadic pastoralists and migrant fishermen and more recently the children displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.60% of the 11.4 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls. Only a fraction (17%) of the 3.1 million nomadic children of school-age has access to basic education despite decades of intervention. Similarly, only a small proportion of the FMEs 20120 estimate of 9.5 million Almajiri children have access to any form of basic education.An increasing number of displaced children (1 million) are being forced out of school in the insurgency-stricken states. These figures suggest that the educational process has given these groups of marginalized children very little access to education.For the 11.4 million out-of-school children the most urgent concern is raising the national Net Enrolment Rate (NER) to ensure that all of them are enrolled in basic education schools in the next four years. To achieve this target, the government planes to enrol, 2, 875,000 pupils annually for the next four years.The FME will come up with more effective strategies for engaging with states in addressing the problem of escalating numbers of out-of-school children including where necessary, the use of targeted funding that deliberately addresses the factors of exclusion.Adamu said the government would renovate the schools destroyed by Boko Haram and construct additional 71, 875 classrooms annually for the next four years to accommodate the pupils.The minister also said the government would provide additional 71, 875 qualified teachers through the deployment of the 14 per cent of the new teachers to be recruited by the federal government annually to cater for the anticipated increase in pupils enrolment.The government will renovate the schools destroyed by Boko Haram and construct additional 71, 875 classrooms annually for the next four years to accommodate the anticipated increase in enrollment of out-of-school children.Provide additional 71, 875 qualified teachers through the deployment of the 14% of the new teachers to be recruited by the federal government annually to cater for the anticipated increase in pupils enrolment.Raise the current enrolment of girls in the basic education schools by 1.5 million girls annually for the next four years if the 6 million girls currently out of school are to be provided with access to basic education as required by the UBE law.Deploy 37, 500 qualified female teachers, (or 7.5% of the 500,000 new teachers to be recruited by the federal government annually), to serve as role models for female pupils/students; and determine the amount of resources in terms of the learning materials and other facilities, as specified in UBECs school norms and standards, required for training the Education For All (EFA) goals, he added.Earlier, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, said the education sector needed strengthening for Nigeria to meet goal four of the SDG.According to Anwukah, the efficient and effective implementation of the Strategic Plan when finalized by all levels of governments and stakeholders would offer Nigerians the means to optimize opportunities, create solutions and find new paths to a better future.He said: For Nigeria to meet the targets of the SDG 4, the education sector needs strengthening, our dilapidated schools must be provided with befitting infrastructure to become learner-friendly for all learners, including girls, the vulnerable and those with special needs.We must recruit and re-train existing teachers for quality delivery. Every child, girl or boy must not only enroll in school but must complete the full cycle of basic education and must be seen to learn. Our tertiary institutions must be citadels of learning that foster innovation to meet the needs of the workforce, strengthen research capacities and advance knowledge by increasing higher education opportunities for young people.It is important also to say that education for change must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet the needs of their own times.
Nigerias second largest commercial carrier, Aero Contractors Airlines has announced that it is shutting down services beginning from Thur...





Nigerias second largest commercial carrier, Aero Contractors Airlines has announced that it is shutting down services beginning from Thursday (tomorrow) September 1, 2016, over Nigeria's current economic situation.The airline management said this in a statement signed on Wednesday.Aero stated that the suspension was part of the strategic business realignment to reposition the airline and return it to profitability.It stated that this business decision, which is a result of the current economic situation in the country, had forced some other airlines to suspend operations or pull out of Nigeria.The management of the carrier said the airline had faced grave challenges in the past six months which impacted its business and by extension the scheduled services operations.These factors, according to Aero, are both internal and external environmental factors that have made it difficult for it to continue its scheduled services.As part of its resolve to ensure the airline survived unlike most other carriers that experienced short life span in the country, AMCON had appointed Mr. Adeniyi Adegbomire SAN as Receiver Manager in February 6, 2016, with the aim of turning the airline around.Since AMCONs intervention in Aero Contractors in 2011, it had provided support for the airline to meet working capital requirements and fleet expansion.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun, says the party is open to all Nigerians interested in the...





The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun, says the party is open to all Nigerians interested in the development of the country. Oyegun made the declaration on Wednesday in Benin when he received some members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo, who defected to the APC.He said that the party was committed to turning things around in the country and would welcome any one genuinely aspiring to move the nation forward. The APC national chairman noted that the party has made tremendous impact in Edo, adding that all those genuinely interested in the progress of the state, should ensure APCs victory in the Sept. 10 election.Massive development has already started in the state and we welcome people who have the interest of the state and are progressive minded, to join and continue with this development, he said. In his remarks, Gov. Adams Oshiomhole said the defection of Dennis Evbuomwan, and other PDP leaders in Oredo, marked the end of the PDP in the state.To me, the coming of Evbuomwan and other leaders of the PDP in Oredo along with their unit leaders means they are here with a complete story. The unit heads are the real people on the field, Oshiomhole said. Earlier, Evbuomwan said their decision to join APC was based on the historic developmental strides going on in the state.He described the PDP as a sinking ship, saying when the ship is sinking, you dont need to sink with it. I believe in the cause the APC is fighting, which is for the progress of the state, and I want to be part of that fight. Mr Ebima Ogbeide, another leader in the area who defected to the APC, said the occasion marked a home coming for him.It is a public knowledge that I resigned from the PDP three weeks ago, I am happy to be back home, Ogbeide said. He appealed for quick integration of those that decamped, to enable them canvass support for the APC governorship candidate, Godwin Obaseki.On his part, the state chairman of the APC, Mr Anselm Ojezua, said those that decamped were no strangers and promised to integrate them fully, so that they would contribute to APCs success during the governorship election.The backbone of the PDP has been broken today. The PDP is dead in Edo, Ojezua asserted.
Osun State All Progressives Congress Chairman Prince Gboyega Famodun has urged residents to come out enmasse to welcome President Muhamma...

Osun State All Progressives Congress Chairman Prince Gboyega Famodun has urged residents to come out enmasse to welcome President Muhammadu Buhari, who will be visiting the state tomorrow.In a statement issued yesterday in Osogbo , the party chairman said the citizenry have a duty to support the President in his effort to clean up the country of corruption.He added that corruption is the cause of the economic collapse that has brought hardship to the majority of the citizenry.According to Famodun, Osun joined the rest of Nigerians to vote massively for change and the peoples hope that the President would effect change remain unshaken in spite of the difficult challenges that economic recession poses.We in Osun are not in any doubt that a bright future lies ahead for the state under the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari and his team, who are working tirelessly to reverse the economic downturn that has hit Nigeria so badly, especially Osun State.Since the APC came to power, Osun has experienced revolutionary changes in human capital development, educational renewal, commercial expansion, agricultural invigoration, massive youth employment and empowerment, including environmental sanitation like no other time in Osuns history, the chairman asserted.He urged the President to see for himself the progress that has been made in Osun under the leadership of our visionary governor, Rauf Aregbesola.Famodun called on the President to do all he can to help lighten the states burden, which, he said, is among the worst hit by the countrys economic difficulties.
Children who escaped the terror of Boko Haram are now facing starvation in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.

Children who escaped the terror of Boko Haram are now facing starvation in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.The youngsters, some of them only infants, are being treated in a feeding centre run by Doctors Without Borders in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, according to a report by The Mail of London.Up to one in four of the youngsters in the 110-bed centre are dying, Doctors Without Borders spokeswoman Shaista Aziz was quoted by the newspaper in a report published yesterday.Most of the children were brought from the IDPs camps, she added.Parents living in the camps complain that there is not enough food, and when it does arrive, it is insubstantial.Dr Natalie Roberts, deputy emergency desk manager for the medical aid group, said the feeding programme in Maiduguri has quadrupled in size in the last weeks, but each time it expands it becomes rapidly full.In one camp, Muna Garage, 20 children under the age of five died in a single week.At Farm Centre Camp, on Maiduguris outskirts, residents said they had received no food in more than one month.They and displaced persons at other camps said that when they do get meals, it consists only of rice and beans. They get one shovelful a day  literally delivered from a shovel  whether a household has six people or 12, they said.
Hajiya Aisha Wakil, who is believed to be close to the Boko Haram leadership, says the group is ready for talks with the Federal Governm...

Hajiya Aisha Wakil, who is believed to be close to the Boko Haram leadership, says the group is ready for talks with the Federal Government on the fate of the 219 missing Chibok girls.She said yesterday that she had been on the neck of the Boko Haram leaders, who according to her offered to honour her to dialogue with the government and release the girls and other captives.The groups leadership might soon make a pronouncement on their plan for the girls, she said.Hajiya Aisha, who spoke with our correspondent on the phone, said she expected the Boko Haram leaders to come out and discuss with the government.She said: Since I came back, I have been on their neck. They have now agreed to come out and discuss with the government and bring back the girls.I am for the Chibok girls and all the captives. They are ready for peace. This is what they told me.Although Hajiya Aisha was not forthcoming on the imminent release of the girls, whose abduction has sparked a global outrage, she said: I think they might post some information on YouTube within 24 hours.The Army on August 14 declared Hajiya Aisha and two others wanted for interrogation in line with the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 (as amended).The others are a journalist, Ahmed Salkida, and Amb. Ahmed Umar Bolori.But Aisha has maintained her innocence, claiming that she is not a shady personality.In a reaction to the Armys statement, she had said: I am Aisha Alkali Wakil. I understand that the military declared me, Ahmed Silkida and Ahmed Bolori wanted for having links with Boko Haram. Its interesting; now they believe me?I know the Boko Haram boys. I have been in front fighting for peace long before Chibok girls were kidnapped. Nigerian security knows me too well. Im not shady. Why declaring me wanted?I have had meetings with Chief of Army Staff and his people. I told them the way forward, to allow me come with some commanders of Boko Haram and discuss with them, present the release of CBGs but they chose to do things their own ways only and never gave considerations to any of my suggestions.I want to inform the Nigerian people of my innocence and make them realise that I am in constant relation with the security personnel and they know where to find me but wonder why I had to be declared wanted on national news, even mentioning my husbands name alongside.This has put my immediate and extended family under a lot of pressure and I do not deserve this from the Nigerian government.Though they may not appreciate all my efforts to proffer peaceful solutions to the menace of Boko Haram, my name should not be mudslinged nor my character defamed. Thank you.President Muhammadu Buhari, in an interview with reporters on the sideline of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya last weekend, said the government was ready to dialogue with bonafide leaders of the group who know the whereabouts of the girls.A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari as saying: I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and it seems to me that much of it has been politicized.What we said is that the government which I preside over is prepared to talk to bonafide leaders of Boko Haram.If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognized Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know.If they do it through the modified leadership of Boko Haram and they talk with an internationally recognized NGO, then Nigeria will be prepared to discuss for their release.
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno said the state government had uncovered more than 10, 000 ghost workers out of the 25,000 civil servan...

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno said the state government had uncovered more than 10, 000 ghost workers out of the 25,000 civil servants in the states work force.The governor said in a radio and television broadcast in Maiduguri on Wednesday that the workers were uncovered after a verification to determine the actual size of the states work force.You may recall that in December 2015, while presenting the 2016 budget at the House of Assembly, I promised to embark on staff verification to determine the actual size of the state civil service.We set up a high powered committee chaired by the Secretary to the State Government to carry out a verification of the state civil service, he said.Shettima said that the committee verified only 19,763 workers out of the 25,000 workers on the state payroll.To finalise the exercise, a consultancy firm was hired for biometric data capture of the workers.As of today, 11, 397 workers have been dully captured as being bonafide staff of the state.Others  about 7,392  workers have yet to be captured, out of which 4,000 workers have issues with their banks.There are also about 3,000 workers who failed to comply with the guidelines on the filling the verification forms, he explained.The governor said he had directed the committee to sort out all those issues within one week to enable the state to pay those workers already captured.Shettima pointed out that entire salary of the 11, 397 workers captured stood at N1.129 billion as against the usual N2.7 billion.The entire salaries of the 11, 397 workers already captured stood at N1.129 billion; that is about N2.258 billion for the two months pending.I have directed the Ministry of Finance to pay the two months salaries to those workers.I have also urged them to ensure weekly payment to all those to be captured and updated as we move on.The two months salaries of N2,258 billion are not even up to our former N 2.7 billion wage bill for one month.Even if the wage bill goes to N1.7 billion or even N2 billion, we can still save up to N700 million monthly he said.He commended the labour leadership in the state for its understanding throughout the verification.
A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday declined to grant an order sought by Senator Buruji Kashamu to restrain the Department of State ...

A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday declined to grant an order sought by Senator Buruji Kashamu to restrain the Department of State Service (DSS) and the Police from arresting him.Kashamu, a senator representing Ogun East, had through his lawyer, Godswill Mrakpor, filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit and accompanied it with a motion ex-parte for injunction.He had sought to restrain the respondents from taking steps to arrest him pending the determination of the substantive suit.Yesterday, Justice Okon Abang declined to grant an ex-parte injunction.Instead, the judge ordered that the respondents be served with the motion and for them to attend court on the next adjourned date to show cause why Kashamus prayers, as contained in the ex-parte application, should not be granted.The senator, in a supporting affidavit, stated that the security agencies are acting based on a politically motivated petition authored by one Oladikupo Adebutu from Ogun State.Kashamu, in a statement, said: This extant suit relates to a frivolous petition written against Senator Kashamu by a member of the House of Representatives from Ogun State, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, in which he made all manner of unfounded allegations and requested the security agencies to take certain steps that could inhibit the fundamental human rights of the senator.It was in a bid to forestall an infringement on his rights to freedom of movement and association that Senator Kashamu filed the Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement suit in court.When the matter came up today (Tuesday), the court granted Senator Kashamus application to be heard during vacation and to serve the processes on one of the defendants outside jurisdiction.While the court refrained from making any preservatory order as canvassed by, the senators counsel, Mr. Godswill Mrakpor, it urged parties to observe the principle of lis pendens which enjoins parties not to take any steps in respect of a pending action in court. That could not in any way be rightly interpreted to mean refusal of an application to stop anyones extradition because there is no such application in the first place.
Detectives are probing Ebonyi State Governor David Umahis brother, Austine Umahi, and two others over DN400million slush funds linked t...

Detectives are probing Ebonyi State Governor David Umahis brother, Austine Umahi, and two others over DN400million slush funds linked to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2015 presidential campaign.The others are Chinyere Egwuche and Mabel Dikibo.Part of the cash has been traced to some companies in which the governor allegedly has interest.An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) top source, who spoke in confidence, said the suspects were interrogated on Monday and released.The source said: The suspects, who are all employees of Brass Engineering & Construction Nigeria Limited and Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort, were arrested, following their refusal to collect and honour an invitation by the EFCC for questioning in an ongoing investigation involving the companies.Austin Umahi doubles as the chairman of both companies. Chinyere Egwuche and Marbel Dikibo are signatories to the companies accounts.An EFCC source said: Investigations by the Commission revealed that N400, 000, 000 was released by the Director of Finance, PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, Senator Nenadi Usman, to PDP Ebonyi State, for the 2015 presidential election, but the said fund was moved from Fidelity Bank Abakaliki on the 27th of March 2015, where it was initially deposited to an Access Bank Abakaliki account.From Access Bank, Maxwell Umahi moved N100, 000,000 and N300, 000,000 into the accounts of Brass Engineering & Construction Nigeria Limited and Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort respectively.One of the suspects, Chinyere Egwuche, withdrew the N300 million paid into the account of Osborn La-Palm, which according to her was used to finance further construction of Osborn La-Palm Hotels in Abakaliki, Uburu and Port  Harcourt.The source, who pleaded not to be named so as not to jeopadise the investigation, confirmed that part of the funds was remitted into David Umahi Faith Foundation.The source added: The N100 million paid into the account of Brass Engineering & Construction Nigeria Limited was transferred to a certain David Umahi Faith Foundation. Though investigation is still ongoing, the companies have been traced to the Ebonyi State Governor.We are working on clues that the N400 million was diverted into personal use after it was received from the ex-Minister of Finance.Responding to a question, the source added: All the suspects have been detained pending the conclusion of preliminary investigation and administrative bail.Umahi last night denied being arrested.Mr Umahi, the National Vice Chairman, South East of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a telephone conversation with our reporter, said no time was he arrested by the Commission.He described the reports as the handiwork of detractors.I wasnt arrested, there is nothing like that. Will I be arrested and I am picking my calls and talking to you. It is trash, nothing like that happened.What did they even say I did. I am just hearing it for the first time right now from you. I will advise that people should properly investigate before writing their reports, he said.A top government official in his brothers administration who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to react officially, said Mr Austin Umahi was in his Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area country home.I saw him yesterday (Monday) in Uburu, so when did this arrest take place? the source said.
Valencia have signed France international Eliaquim Mangala on a season-long loan deal from Manchester City.The 25-year-old arrives as a timely defensive reinforcement for the Liga club following Shkodran Mustafi's departure to Arsenal on Tuesday, while Aymen Abdennour is reportedly a target for Chelsea.Mangala follows Joe Hart, Wilfried Bony and Samir Nasri in making loan exits from City on deadline day having failed to make a matchday squad since Pep Guardiola succeeded Manuel Pellegrini as manager.He moved to the Etihad Stadium in August 2014, becoming the most expensive defender in Premier League history at the time, but a succession of high-profile errors hindered Mangala's attempts to become a first-team fixture.The former Porto man was part of Didier Deschamps' France squad that finished as runners-up to Portugal on home soil at Euro 2016, though he did not make a start during the competition.Mangala was pushed down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium following the arrival of England international John Stones from Everton.A City statement read: "Everyone at City would like to wish Eliaquim the best of luck at Valencia."
A barber, Mr Nurudeen Nofiu, whose wife, Sola was delivered of triplets in June has appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Nigerians ...

A barber, Mr Nurudeen Nofiu, whose wife, Sola was delivered of triplets in June has appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Nigerians to come to his familys aid.According to Nofiu, the triplets, all males, were delivered at the Lagos Island Maternity in Lagos on June 1.But what is supposed to be a source of joy for the family is turning into a nightmare for Nofiu because of financial constraints.Nofiu, who already has a male child before the triplets is finding it difficult to cope with the upkeep of the children.Speaking with some journalists at Alausa on Monday, Nofiu said: I work as a barber and my wife is a petty trader. It is extremely difficult for us to take proper care of the triplet and their mother financially with what we earn from our businesses.We wrote a letter to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in Alausa, Ikeja on June 22, soliciting for their assistance both morally and financially, he said.Nofiu added that he got a call from the ministry towards the end of July requesting to know the occupation of his wife, saying that he told them that she works as a petty trader, and that he has not heard anything from the ministry since then.According to him, the triplet do not have access to basic things of life and his wife has been finding it difficult to care for them all alone because the family could not afford to pay extra hands to take care of the babies.He said: I would be glad if the Governor Ambode and other well meaning residents of the state could come to our aid at this time of need.My income is too meagre to sustain the family. All the efforts I have made have not paid off and we seriously need extra support so that the children would not die.The parents of the child can be reached on 08023863014 or 08038274440. While donations can be paid into account number 0038122390, Access Bank.
The Defence Headquarters on Tuesday said that the military was not targeting the militants in the ongoing operation Crocodile Smile in...

The Defence Headquarters on Tuesday said that the military was not targeting the militants in the ongoing operation Crocodile Smile in the Niger Delta.The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said that the public should not misconstrue the ongoing operation for an offensive against the region.He said that the ongoing operation was designed to give amphibious training to elements of the Army in the area.However, he said that the troops would fight in self defense if attacked.He explained that the military was not attacking the militants because of the ongoing negotiation and to give peacea chance.He said, We should not misconstrue our exercise in the Niger Delta. We are not doing the exercise against the militants.We are training our personnel on water. You know we have amphibious elements in the area. We are just doing our exercise, when they were blowing pipes, was there any attack?However, if there is any threat against the troops and equipment, we must act in self defence. The exercise is going on well, we are not targeting anybody. No military is attacking them because of the negotiation. We should give peace a chance.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook  the largest social media network  yesterday paid his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa. Nige...

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook  the largest social media network  yesterday paid his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria, his destination, has the largest mobile and internet market on the continent.The youthful American billionaire and Internet entrepreneur, who arrived in Lagos, is in the country to meet members of startup ecosystem  a large group of entrepreneurs and innovative young Nigerians. Zuckerberg announced the visit via his personal Facebook page, saying he was ready to interact with Nigerian innovators and learn about their business ideas.Zuckerberg wrote on his wall: Next stop: Lagos! This is my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. Ill be meeting with developers and entrepreneurs, and learning about the startup ecosystem in Nigeria. The energy here is amazing and Im excited to learn as much as I can.Zuckerberg yesterday visited Co-creation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB), a multi- technological ecosystem based in Yaba, Lagos Mainland. He interacted with children on summer coding camp.He wrote: Our first stop is the Co-creation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB) in Yaba. I got to talk to kids at a summer coding camp and entrepreneurs who come to CcHub to build and launch their apps. Im looking forward to meeting more people here!Zuckerbergs visit generated online buzz and excitement among technology-savvy youths, who expressed views that the billionaires visit would give the nations youth entrepreneurship market a facelift.Last night, the Facebook founder met with Ms Rosemary Njoku, initiator of Facebook Express Wi-Fi stand in Lagos.Express Wi-Fi, Zuckerberg said, empowers entrepreneurs to build a business by providing their community with access to the internet. He said Facebook designed the technology, but local Internet providers provided the connectivity.In less than 30 minutes after Zuckerberg shared the post announcing his Nigerias visit, more than 60,000 youths made comments, liked and shared the post. This was an indication of excitement among the youth to learn of the Facebook founders visit.Before his visit, Zuckerberg had made positive comments about Nigerias entrepreneurs. He particularly mentioned founders of Jobberman, an online job market classified.CNN quoted Zuckerberg to have said: Im excited to see what Nigerians build next.Facebook is in partnership with Airtel Africa to execute Internet.org, an initiative which will allow Nigerians access to news, health information and other services without having to pay for data on their mobile devices.
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili has sent a strong signal to Nigerian youths over the visit of the Facebook founder, Mark Zuck...

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili has sent a strong signal to Nigerian youths over the visit of the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg.Ezekwesili said: Mark Zuckerberg. Hopefully he left a strong message for our young friends that "the SUBSTANCE of a person's life is not defined by $$"."Mark Zuckerberg did not pay a Charity Visit to Nigeria. He can already SMELL where the NEXT BIG thing will emerge from in IT world-NIGERIA!The visit by Mark Zuckerberg is HUGE. It is a stellar achievement of Nigeria's YOUNG who have given their intellect to growing IT knowledge.While sectors that are harbingers of Nigeria's endemic corruption challenge are in DECLINE, note how the YOUNG redefine Nigeria thru IT, she tweeted.The Facebook founder visited Lagos, Nigerias commercial capital, on Tuesday, and interacted with Nigerian tech entrepreneurs at Yaba, regarded as the Silicon Valley of Nigeria.
Nigeria international Elderson Echiejile has agreed a season-long loan move to Belgian topflight outfit Standard Liege.The 28-year-old was moved on to Stade Maurice Dufrasne to gain more first-team experience owing to lack of regular playing time under manager Leonardo Jardim in France.Echiejile joined AS Monaco in 2014 from Braga but had failed to make an impact during his time with the Red and Whites.
The Ogun State Government has revealed plans to construct 100 roads in 100 rural communities in the state.

The Ogun State Government has revealed plans to construct 100 roads in 100 rural communities in the state.The government said before the end of the year, work would commence on construction of infrastructure in border communities such as Arepo, Ibafo, among others.The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Adedayo Adeneye stated yesterday.Adeneye was accompanied by some special advisers and information officers of the state government.He said, The state government plans operation 100/100. We are doing 100 rural roads, hopefully in 100 days.We also take cognisance of the cries of residents in our border towns. But the decline in oil prices has reduced government revenue. We are constrained by paucity of funds. But we want them to rest assured that they are next on our agenda. As soon as the rain subsides and we get the funds we are expecting, we will move contractors to site and the people will start seeing the effect of the operation 100/100.I, however, wish to state that most houses in the border towns dont have government approvals and it is only when they call on us (for infrastructure) that we know that they are there. It important that whenever you want to build, that you get government approvals so that there can be proper planning.He said the state government was seeking ways to increase its Internal Generated Revenue and create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.On the issue of transportation, the commissioner said the state Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, had already signed a N1.2bn Memorandum of Understanding with a Chinese company for the construction of a rail system.He added that plan was underway for the construction of an airport to enhance investments and support the more than 400 industries in the state.Adeneye thanked newsmen for its support for the Ogun State Government and its sustenance of core journalism values of fairness and balance.
President Muhammad Buhari will pay a one day working visit to Osun State on Thursday just as the government urged the people of the state ...





President Muhammad Buhari will pay a one day working visit to Osun State on Thursday just as the government urged the people of the state to demonstrate the(virtuous) ethos they have been known for.A statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon stated that the President will during the visit, commission the newly built 3,000 students capacity Osogbo Government High School, Osogbo.According to the statement, President Buharis visit to Osun will be a testimony to the landmark achievements in the almost six years of Governor Rauf Aregbesola as well as the good working relationship between Osun and the Federal Government.The statement read in part, From our own corner of this great country, we are poised to set examples on how to solve many of the national social economic and political complications confronting us. The magnificent Osogbo Government High School President Muhammadu Buhari will be commissioning on (Thursday) today is illustrative of the magnitude of our ideas and interventions in the education sector.We remain unrelenting as we continue our assault on delayed infrastructure in our education sector and all other sectors.We urge the good people of the state to maintain the peace that the state is noted for during and after the Presidents visit. We ask them to give a rousing welcome to our amiable President. We call on our people particularly the people of Osogbo and its environs, to come out in their great numbers and give our President a befitting welcome during his visit to our state.Mr. Presidents visit is historic because it marks the first official Presidential visit to the state since we assumed office as the Governor of this great state.The statement expressed. Similarly, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Osun state, Elder Peter Babalola urged the federal government to maximise opportunities the visit presents to collaborate with the state on some of the initiatives of the present administration.In a statement in Osogbo, Babalola urged the president to bring in A-list of its technocrats to establish synergy with Osun in areas where resounding successes have been recorded.Noting that era of frosty relationship between Osun and the federal government had passed, Babalola, who is the chairman of Local Government Service Commission, listed areas he would expect collaboration with federal government to include youth empowerment, O Renewal and School Feeding. Also, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state advised Governor Aregebesola to maximize the occasion of Preside Buharis visit to table before him series of woes facing the state and the citizens rather than presenting himself as a fulfilled and a performing governor.According to the Party in a statement signed by its spokesman, Prince Diran Odeyemi, the President if allowed to inspect Ido Osun Aerodrome, the International market in Dagbolu, Osogbo/ Kwara Boundary road and Osogbo/Gbongan road among other abandoned projects may wish to assist the state in resuscitating them for the benefit of the citizensWe heard it on good authority that the President will be commissioning Osogbo Grammar School but would expect governor Aregbesola to tell Nigerians the total cost of the building and the source of its finance the party declared. The state chairman of APC, Prince Gboyega Famodun called on the citizens of the state to come out in their numbers to welcome President Muhammadu Buhari.The chairman said that all Nigerians have a duty to support Mr. President in his effort to clean up the country of corruption that is primarily the cause of the economic collapse that has brought unbelievable hardship to the majority of people in this country.
Looters who plan to hide their illicit wealth in Britain will face a hostile host, with the signing yesterday of a pact by the two coun...

Looters who plan to hide their illicit wealth in Britain will face a hostile host, with the signing yesterday of a pact by the two countries.Britain will facilitate the return of stolen assets on the condition that:The Federal Government will ensure that stolen assets recovered from both within and outside the country will be put to judicious uses; and that such assets will not be re-looted.Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami (SAN) signed for Nigeria. Minister of State for Immigration Robert Goodwill signed for Britain. The ceremony was held in Abuja.The memorandum of understanding is specifically on modalities for the return of stolen assets.Malami, who praised Britain for its willingness to cooperate with Nigeria in recovery and return of stolen assets, said the Federal Government will endeavour to prevent further looting of the nations wealth.The AGF, who frowned at alleged moves by some individuals to use the process of asset recovery to create reputational damage for the government, said all measures adopted since he assumed office in November last year have been aimed at effective and efficient assets recovery.He said: Today, we are determined to change the narrative, regardless of who is involved. I want to assure the international community that all funds recovered within and outside Nigeria would be judiciously utilised for projects that will benefit the poorest segment of the Nigerian society as well as enable us support reform in the justice sector.The position of the law in Nigeria today is that all funds recovered should be paid directly into the Consolidated Revenue Account. Unfortunately, that has not always been the case under the previous administration, he said.The AGF said the Muhammadu Buhari administration was committed to enacting laws, including the Proceeds of Crime Bill, to strengthen existing anti-corruption institutions, prosecution authorities and law enforcement agencies.Leader of the UK delegation and UKs Minister of State for Immigration, Robert Goodwill said the signing of the memorandum was in furtherance of his countrys promise, at the last Anti-Corruption summit held in London in May, to improve the process of the return of looted assets.He said by this gesture, his countrys government was sending a loud message to all that the UK was no longer a safe haven for stolen assets, including looted funds.Goodwill, who was silent on the worth of Nigerias looted assets currently in his country, said the UK government was committed to return all funds looted from the Nigerian State and we are keen to do this as soon as the necessary procedures allow.He said aside the UK, 40 other jurisdictions, including British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are willing to automatically share beneficial ownership information relating to companies, trusts, foundations, shell companies and other relevant entities and legal arrangements.Goodwill, a Member of Parliament (MP), said: This MoU provides the mechanism by which monies can be returned. Our ability to recover and return stolen assets should send a clear message to all, who may seek to harbour such assets overseas, that there is no safe haven in the UK.The UK has been returning frozen Nigerian cash stashed away in their country.Money seized from former Bayelsa State Governor tehe late Diepreiye Alamieyeseigha and former Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye and former Delta State Governor James Ibori, who is serving a jail term in Britain following money laundering conviction, has been released to the federal government.A former Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke is being investigated for money laundering in the UK.Britain has returned to Nigeria 250,000 pounds  the cash seized from the senator- during his arrest, when Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria James Tansley, handed over two cheques totalling more than $250,000 (126,000, 29.3m naira).A further $2.8m of his assets have been frozen by a court order and are awaiting repatriation to Nigeria.In all, Mr Dariye faces charges of stealing some $128m from Plateau State during his tenure as governor from 1999-2007.One cheque for $2m belonging to the late Alamieyeseigha has already been returned to Nigeria.
The Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, 60, is a busy man these days in Rome, where I reached him for a phone interview.

As the superior general of the men's branch of the Missionaries of Charity and one of their first priests, he will stand next to the cardinal who heads the Congregation of the Saints at the Vatican ceremony Sunday declaring Mother Teresa a saint.

Following the brief declaration, he will concelebrate the Mass with Pope Francis, who approved Teresa's canonization.

Kolodjejchuk had known Mother Teresa since he was 20 years old, and his own sister is a Missionary of Charity. He's edited a beautiful book, "A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve," out this year.

It treats Mother Teresa's life along the corporal and spiritual works of mercy by quoting from her many writings, offering testimonies and reflections from people who worked by her side or had contact with her throughout her life.

So, I asked him, what was the secret of Mother Teresa's -- if you can use the following word -- success?

"Do small things with great love," Kolodjejchuk said. "Ordinary things bring extraordinary love."

His book captures how nothing was beneath Mother Teresa. There are many stories of small, difficult gestures that she would simply just do. For me, the most extraordinary was when she picked up a man whose back -- skin and -- flesh had adhered to the street.

The stench from the maggots in his body was nauseating, according to an eyewitness. But it did not deter her and her sisters from bringing him to a hospice, bathing him and comforting him for three hours until he died.

It appeared that Mother Teresa would often notice someone that everyone else would overlook and tend to that person's physical needs.

But more than physical needs, it was the spiritual dimension that moved her to follow Jesus and be his hands, voice and heart.

"I like to say she was a woman passionately in love with Jesus," said Kolodiejchuk. He says she also reminded her many sisters who joined her that "Calcutta is there right around you. You need that little gesture of love."

Mother Teresa, born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, believed that the greatest need is to help people feel loved and wanted. And that was the tug of conscience that moved her in 1948 to leave the sheltered comfort of the Sisters of Loreto in Calcutta to live among the poor who would stand outside the convent and beg for food.

She adopted as her habit an Indian sari with blue trim. At first, she did this alone -- until some of her former students joined her.

Today, there are 5,150 Missionaries of Charity all over the world, with more than 1,000 of them joining the order in the 10 years after Teresa died in 1997.

Their residences are bare, and they do not hoard anything; food, supplies and money are given to the poor the day they arrive. Kolodiejchuk was studying to be a Redemptorist priest in Canada and traveled to Rome in 1977 when his sister took vows. Mother Teresa placed a cross on his shirt as he was saying goodbye.

"I was so shocked," he said.

He was ordained in 1985 at St. John Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark and then began his religious formation to become a Missionary of Charity. Today among the Missionaries of Charity there are 37 priests, 15 junior professed and 30 in formation.

After Mother Teresa died, the Archbishop of Calcutta would not allow the cause for sainthood to proceed right away. Eventually Pope John Paul II waived the five-year waiting period.

Kolodiejchuk became the postulator of her cause with two sisters and compiled all the documents. Teresa was beatified in 2003. After Sunday, Kolodiejchuk will travel to Albania for a celebration and then to Mother Teresa's birthplace in Skopje, which is now in Macedonia, and then back to Rome in October and then to India.

Many countries lay claim to Mother Teresa. And millions admire her, which is admirable. But the best way to honor her is to follow her actions, which were grounded in prayer.

And that may be the reason why Pope Francis elevated her in this Year of Mercy. She represents this pope's renewal of the church by backing faith with action. One of Teresa's favorite prayers included, "Give me singleness of purpose, strength to lift up a part of the burden of my suffering fellow men (and women)."

F.Y.I.

"A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve - MOTHER TERESA." Ed. By Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., Image, Crown Books, Random House, c. 2016, Hardcover, 364, pp. $25.

Mother Teresa: A Life of Love, Elaine Murray Stone, Paulist Press, c. 1999, Paperback, 108 pp., $8.95.

Mother Teresa: Walking with Her Saints, ed. Hiroshi Katayanagi, S.J., Paulist Press, c. 2007, Hardcover, 72 pp., $12.95.

"My Dear Children: Mother Teresa's Last Message," Mother Teresa, ed. Hiroshi Katayanagi, S.J., Paulist Press, c. 2001, Hardcover, 74 pp., $12.95.

Praying With Mother Teresa, ed. Roswitha Kornprobst, Paulist Press, c. 2011, Paperback, 45 pp., $8.95.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of The Church of Our Lady of Grace & St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, 07030, fax (201)659-5833, e-mail: padrealex@yahoo.com; twitter @padrehoboken
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The men behind Sniffling Indie Kids, a North Jersey record label. Along with fellow North Jersey label Mint 400 Records, they are presenting the North Jersey Indie Rock Festival to Cathedral Hall in Jersey City on Saturday, Sept. 10.

Mint 400 and Sniffling Indie Kids, two local record labels, have joined forces to promote the first annual North Jersey Indie Rock Festival, which takes place on Saturday, Sept. 10 at the newly opened Cathedral Hall in Jersey City.

The ambitious all-day event will showcase 20 bands on two stages, along with crafts and food vendors. Representatives from the local music press (including this reporter) will help introduce the acts and share their memories of the North Jersey music scene. And all for a ticket price of only $5.

Later this month, Asbury Park will host two events, the New Alternative Music Festival sponsored by Don Giovanni Records, and the Indian Summer Music Festival, featuring the Dean Ween Group. Both predominantly showcase bands from Central and South Jersey, especially New Brunswick and Asbury Park. Feeling that North Jersey was being under-represented. Neil Sabatino, the owner of Mint 400 Records, teamed up with Sniffling Indie Kids Records' Frank DeFranco to create their own event in Jersey City.

Sabatino and DeFranco worked in conjunction with two Jersey City regulars, promoter "Dancing Tony" Susco and Fourth Street Arts' Mike McNamara, in securing the venue and booking the talent. Cathedral Hall is a former church at 380 Montgomery Street that's been converted into a concert venue; JC Fridays will hold the first event there on Friday, September 9, followed by the North Jersey Indie Rock Festival on September 10. Plans are for the space to continue hosting live music at least through the end of the year.

"Each floor could each hold 2,000 people easily, so you could definitely book major label touring bands there," said Sabatino. "We're doing something much smaller than that with our festival, of course, but we're still very excited about the space. We did a couple of tests with louder bands and as long as there's a decent sound system in place, it sounded really good. It is a little larger than most venues, because it really is cavernous, but I thought the room really smoothed out the sound and helped bands blend really well."

"Frank originally came to me when he heard about the Don Giovanni fest and suggested we put something together where North Jersey bands could be better represented, and it was just a matter of figuring out where we could do it," Sabatino said. "Our two labels had already partnered up on a couple of projects and had been working together for the last year anyway. So we're hoping to start this as a yearly tradition for the North Jersey scene."

At first, they considered having Susco stage the event at the Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery, but the possibility of a rain date made doing it outside questionable. "So then we learned that Mike (McNamara) of Fourth Street Arts had started working with Cathedral Hall, and Dancing Tony pitched it to him, and he liked the idea," Sabatino explained. "So we started working with Mike but we kept Tony in the loop because he helped get some of the vendors for us. The idea all long is to make this an event that involves North Jersey record labels.This year we're going to keep it to just the two of us, but we're hoping by next year to have more labels and even more bands involved."

Frank DeFranco of Sniffling Indie Kids Records became involved with local music several years ago with a grassroots organization called the Tiny Giants Collective. That experience morphed into starting his own label, which has released music by YJY, LKEFFECT, C.R. & The Degenerates, and Dollys, all of whom will be performing at the festival.

"New Brunswick, where I started playing, and Asbury Park have their own unique scenes that are really tied to those cities," DeFranco said. "You can go to Asbury and walk to half a dozen different venues. In New Brunswick, there's the Court Tavern and the basement show scene. Jersey City is different because there's never really been a place for live music.That's changing a little bit now with Monty Hall, but North Jersey also has the problem of being a hop, skip, and a jump from Manhattan. I think bands there have always tended to get swallowed up by New York being so close.

"So what we're trying to do is create something that's specifically for North Jersey bands," he continued. "None of the bands on my label or Neil's label have been invited to do anything like this, and I think it's a really cool way to bring people together. Not just the bands, but we're having arts and crafts vendors come in, and I'm really excited that a lot of the people who actually write about North Jersey music will be there to introduce some of the bands and take a couple of minutes to talk about their experiences in New Jersey. Because I think that's a really important piece to this whole thing. Just as the bands are an important part of this, the people who attend shows and write about local music are just as important a part of the bubble. I thought it be great to have an all-encompassing event that would bring all these different elements together, and it will be a great networking opportunity for everyone involved too. They'll get to meet other people who do this thing that all of us enjoy so much."

IF YOU GO:

The North Jersey Indie Rock Festival will take place at Cathedral Hall (380 Montgomery Street, Jersey City) on Saturday, Sept. 10, from noon to 8 p.m. The event is open to all ages and admission is $5 (children under 12 free.) Food, drink, and arts & crafts vendors will be available. For more information, visit the festival's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1063693693724395.
kearny police car

A Kearny man was robbed at gunpoint of $900 and his watch on Tuesday, June 21, 2016, police said.

(Journal file photo)

Kearny police arrested a Massachusetts man on allegations that he was pimping out three women on a road trip with stops planned in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Miami, and Las Vegas.

Leshawn Stallworth, 31, of Brockton, Massachusetts, was arrested Sunday night and charged with promoting prostitution, theft, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, Kearny Police Sgt. Michael Gonzalez said yesterday.

Police pulled Stallworth over for a motor vehicle violation on the 100 block of Schuyler Avenue at 10:30 p.m. Their investigation led to the drug charges and the discovery that Stallworth was also in possession of identification cards for several women, Gonzalez said.

Keeping women's identification is sometimes done as a means of controlling prostitutes, Gonzalez added.

Stallworth was taken to the station and the ongoing investigation led police to believe he and three women had left from Rhode Island. On their way to New Jersey, the women engaged in prostitution in Connecticut and they were planning to continue their road trip to Florida and Nevada, Gonzalez said.

Police believe Stallworth would meet homeless women or women in need of money who worked in strip clubs. He would provide them with food, clothing and shelter in exchange for the money they made going on up to 10 "call outs" per day and earning up to $200 each time, Gonzalez said.

Officers allege the group would set up in hotels and get calls from johns who would get their contact information online. Stallworth would then drive the women to meet the johns and pick them up afterward, police allege.

A 19-year-old woman was with Stallworth when he was arrested. No other women were located.

Stallworth was also issued motor vehicle tickets.

Stallworth made his first court appearance on the criminal charges in Central Judicial Processing Monday in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail. A judge who hears special victims cases set bail at $10,000 with a 10 percent cash option, which Stallworth posted Monday, according to jail records.
WEST WINDSOR -- The report of a man who said he had a grenade and wore a bandolier - a sling commonly used to hold shotgun shells - caused some tense moments in the parking lot of WalMart Wednesday afternoon.

Township officers detained the man at gunpoint at 12:45 p.m. in the Nassau Park shopping center off Route 1 and soon found there was no real threat.

The man did not have a grenade, and the bandolier was filled with small bottles of perfume he was peddling.

West Windsor police Lt. Robert Fow said the man, a Trenton resident he did not identify, was eventually sent on his way with a ticket for violating a local ordinance for the peddling.

And he was told his appearance and grenade comment were not the best decisions, Fow said.

Fow said the peddler with with two associates, and during the exchange with the woman he was propositioning for a perfume sale, a remark about his bandolier led him to say he "also had a grenade."

To a person unfamiliar with firearms, such a remark by someone wearing a sling usually worn by hunters, "could be a scary situation," Fow said.

The woman did the right thing by calling police. "And we handled it by the book," Fow said of the department's response.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PRINCETON -- Police arrested a Pennsylvania man for unlawfully possessing a handgun after pulling him over for not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle.

Jeffrey Yoder, 42, of, Pennsburg, Pa. was arrested at about 1 p.m. on Nassau Street Sunday, Princeton police said.

Police did not elaborate on the firearm, only saying it was a handgun.

Yoder was charged with unlawfully possessing a weapon, and possession of a prohibited weapon.

He was released from police custody after posting $25,000 bail.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PRINCETON - Students attending Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton have begun to move into Seabrook Hall.

University officials said 84 freshmen moved in Wednesday and 47 graduate students arrived the previous day.

The combined classes come from 24 states with the most distant being Washington.

The university is welcoming students from five foreign countries this year -- Canada, China, Korea, Great Britain and the Dominican Republic.

The school also touted these facts about the incoming class: the most popular name for women is Sarah, the most popular name for men is Alexander, the major with the highest enrollment for freshmen is music education and the highest enrollment for for graduate students is voice performance and pedagogy.

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON - A Trenton woman was asleep at home last week when two young children in her care were found trying to walk from Trenton to Princeton, according to Mercer County prosecutors.

Cynthia Dubuque, 37, was charged with child endangerment after a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old child were found on Pennington Road and Olden Avenue - a busy intersection in Ewing, authorities said.

A driver called after seeing the children around 8 a.m. on Aug. 22, prosecutors said. The kids told the officers they were trying to walk to Princeton, almost 11 miles away, prosecutors said.

Officers returned the children to their Trenton home - about three blocks from the intersection - and found their caretaker, Dubuque, asleep inside, prosecutors said.

Dubuque told police that the children had said they were going to play outside and she thought they were going to a neighbor's house.

Dubuque was held on a $50,000 bail until a judge ordered her released on her own recognizance Monday. The children are not staying with her, prosecutors said.

Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman.
David Robertson

Chicago White Sox closer David Robertson throws against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016. The White Sox won 4-2.

(Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo)

NEW YORK -- Even during a good night, there's reason to be concerned about the Mets bullpen depth.



When New York took a 7-2 lead on Miami in the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday night, it felt like the type of game in which Terry Collins could win without using closer Jeurys Familia or set-up man Addison Reed. But when Jim Henderson faltered in the top of the ninth, Familia was needed to close out what became a 7-4 victory.



The Mets, winners of 9 of 12, are on a roll. But that doesn't mean general manager Sandy Alderson won't add bullpen depth before the end of Wednesday's waiver trade deadline.



A name to watch? Current White Sox and ex-Yankees closer David Robertson, per the New York Daily News:



Two industry sources told the Daily News Monday that White Sox closer David Robertson had cleared waivers. One source said that the White Sox are interested in listening to offers for Robertson and would not require a blue-chip prospect in return. They may even be willing to pay some of the steep salary owed him over the next two seasons.



The Mets have never been a team to go looking to add salary. They made a cursory call to the White Sox about Robertson earlier last month, but nothing ever developed, a team source said. Robertson may be out of their price range, but if the Mets are serious about making a playoff push, they need to make an investment in their bullpen.



Robertson, 31, is in the second year of a four-year, $46 million contract and is owed $25 million over the next two years.

Heading into play on August 30, Robertson owned a 3.67 ERA--well above his career mark of 2.98. While still effective, Robertson's SO/9 rate of 12.0 during his Yankees career has dipped since joining the White Sox prior to last season.

Collins talks Met issues



There are more effective and productive relievers in the sport, but considering Robertson's track record, peripheral stats as recently as last year (2.52 FIP) and comfort with the New York market, the idea of a Robertson-Addison Reed-Familia three-headed bullpen combination would change the end of games for Collins.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- A jury heard opening arguments and witness testimony on Tuesday in the trial of former Perth Amboy police chief, Benjamin Ruiz, who authorities say used a police department mechanic to repair personal vehicles and then engaged in witness tampering.

Ruiz, wearing a light blue suit and a red and white tie, appeared before Superior Court Judge Diane Pincus at the Middlesex County Courthouse.

Ruiz's charges -- which include two counts of official misconduct and counts of theft of services and witness tampering -- stem from three separate incidents between Dec. 8, 2013, and July 29, 2014, in which Ruiz allegedly instructed city mechanics to work on his motorcycle, his 1964 Mustang, and his friend's car when the workers were supposed to be working on city vehicles.

Miguel Garcia, a mechanic for the city police department who said he was among those who had worked on Ruiz's motorcycle, was called as a state witness Tuesday afternoon.

At some point between Dec. 8, 2013, and July 29, 2014, Garcia said he began to take cellphone video footage of the work being performed on Ruiz's Mustang at the garage of the city police department.

Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christine Marie D'Elia, who is representing the state in the matter, said, "this is about abuse of power, and that is exactly what official misconduct is."

During Garcia's testimony, D'Elia asked him: "Why did you start filming?"

"I did it for my protection," Garcia said. "I didn't want to get caught up in anything."

Garcia said he eventually handed the video footage over to Sgt. Michael Daniewicz of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office who was called as a state witness just before Garcia on Tuesday.

During cross-examination of Daniewicz, Perry Primavera, Ruiz's other attorney present at the trial, asked Daniewicz if he had been concerned about acquiring the video footage evidence from someone who was not a law enforcement official.

"Did you have any concern about the chain of custody; where this evidence had come from?" Primavera asked.

"I did," Daniewicz responded.

The 14-member jury looked at photographs on a projection screen of a motorcycle that Daniewicz said belonged to Ruiz.

Primavera, gesturing to the photographs, highlighted that the bike had been a Perth Amboy police motorcycle that still displayed police decals and other law enforcement markings, making it appear similar to a bike still being used by the police department.

During a break in the afternoon, Ruiz's attorney, Brian J. Neary, of Hackensack, described the case as "a petty situation that was turned into serious crimes."

"Petty politics," said Neary in the hallway just outside the courtroom, "by the Perth Amboy Police Department and the city. It is a petty prosecution, investing resources into a local dispute."

The trial will continue on Wednesday, at which video footage will be presented of the work that had been conducted on Ruiz's Mustang at the Perth Amboy Police Department's garage.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: Woman who died in police custody remembered as loving mother, free spirit

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP - A 21-year-old North Carolina woman died while in police custody after being arrested on a pair of charges earlier this month.

Katie Lee Thomas of Blacksmith Road in Efland, North Carolina, was arrested in Neptune Township on Aug. 17 and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and a disorderly persons offense, authorities said.

Thomas was in custody at the Neptune Township Police Department when she was found unresponsive and not breathing, Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Charles Webster said Tuesday.

Authorities performed CPR on Thomas and she was subsequently transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, Webster said.

The prosecutor's office is investigating the incident, Webster said.

No other details about Thomas's death or the specifics of her arrest were released as of Tuesday evening.

Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Update: New details emerge in arrest of Katie Lee Thomas

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP - The 21-year-old North Carolina woman who died in the custody of Neptune Township police on Aug. 17 was a loving mother and aspiring model.

Katie Lee Thomas, of Efland, North Carolina, was arrested in Neptune Township on Aug. 17 and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and a disorderly persons offense, authorities said.

While Thomas was in custody at the Neptune Township Police Department, she was found unresponsive and not breathing, Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Charles Webster said Tuesday.

Authorities performed CPR on Thomas before she was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, Webster said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the prosecutor's office - which said it is investigating the death - had yet to release any other details about Thomas's death or the specifics of her arrest, or if any force was used on Thomas prior to her death.

Her mother, Angie Thomas, also of Efland, told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday afternoon that authorities had not provided any details of her daughter's death.

Katie Lee Thomas grew up as a middle child in eastern North Carolina and had a love for the ocean, photography and modeling, and hoped to make a career out of the latter, her mother said.

She had been "back and forth with friends in New Jersey for a couple months" prior to her death, Angie Thomas said.

Katie Thomas leaves behind a 3-year-old son, Landen.

"She loved her son and came to visit often," Angie Thomas said. "She had a heart bigger than the sky. But had always been deeply troubled with mental health issues. Everyone she met fell in love with her."

Her obituary said she had "a gypsy soul and danced through life to the beat of her own song."

A GoFundMe account to help Thomas's family pay for her funeral expenses and the cost to transport her body back to North Carolina had raised more than $4,400 as of Wednesday afternoon.

--NJ Advance Media's Rob Spahr contributed to this report.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is planning to close up shop at 60 of its United States locations by early next year.

The upscale casual retailer has been losing millions of dollars recently, and reported a second-straight quarter of declining sales Tuesday. The soon-to-be-closed stores will represent about 8 percent of the stores in the U.S.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. signage is displayed at the store on 5th Avenue in New York, U.S., on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016.

"Flagship and tourist locations continued to account for the vast majority of the comparable sales decline as traffic remained a significant headwind," the company said in its second quarter earning disclosure, which noted a 7 percent drop in sales.

The company's stocks dropped more than 20 percent since the announcement.

Despite its brick-and-mortar decline, the company noted strong growth its online sales, which accounts for close to a quarter of the company's net sales.

Abercrombie currently has 744 stores in the U.S., 13 of which are located in New Jersey. The list of stores that will shutter has not been made public yet.

In addition to the closures, the clothing store said it plans to open six outlets and five new stores in America.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- A New Jersey woman who served as the getaway driver after a drug dealer robbed and killed a customer was sentenced to three years in prison last week.

Andre Beatty, 29, of New Brunswick will also be subject to five years of supervised release after competing her prison term, according to court papers.

Beatty drove Anthony Grecco and an unnamed third man to an apartment in Ossining, N.Y. on Aug. 26, 2014.

Carrying a backpack full of linens to make it appear as if it contained drugs, Grecco entered the apartment, slashed the 25-year-old resident's throat and stole $8,900 while Beatty waited outside.

When they returned to a rooming house in New Brunswick, Grecco handed Beatty the money, showered and asked Beatty where he could dispose of his blood-stained clothing, according to documents.

Beatty previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, aiding and abetting robbery, aiding and abetting murder and conspiracy to distribute narcotics. Her sentencing took place Thursday in White Plains, N.Y.

Grecco, 35, of Manville, was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
cockpit.jpg

A string of recent incidents charging airline pilots with intoxication has raised questions, but federal data shows few violations of strict alcohol consumption regulations in random screenings nationwide. (Pixabay | File photo)

NEWARK -- Earlier this month, the co-pilot of a Talon Air charter flight in northern Michigan was arrested just before takeoff after a colleague suspected he was drunk.

An American Airlines co-pilot -- arrested in Detroit last March after he allegedly tried to fly a Philadelphia-bound flight after witnesses claimed he had smelled of liquor and was unsteady walking to his gate -- pleaded no contest last week to operating an aircraft under the influence.

And just this past weekend, two United Airlines pilots suspected of drinking before a flight were arrested in Scotland as they prepared to take 141 passengers from Glasgow to Newark Liberty International Airport.

For some, the spate of recent reports involving pilots and alcohol might be an unnerving echo of the 2012 Denzel Washington film "Flight," about an airline captain whose substance abuse problem only comes to light after a harrowing crash. But mandated screenings and random drug and alcohol testing indicate such incidents are exceedingly rare, experts say.

Last year under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Program, there were 10 reports of pilot alcohol violations (confirmed breath alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater), down from 13 violations the year before within the U.S. With more than 154,000 airline transport pilots certified in the U.S, that represents 1 violation per every 15,400 pilots.

Over the past decade, the data shows more than 120 incidents of pilots unfit for duty because of alcohol violations.

"The reality is that as a group, pilots are the least likely to have what amount to a DWI," said well-known aviation attorney Arthur Wolk of Philadelphia, who holds an air transport pilot certificate. "Not only do you want to be at your best when flying, but nobody wants to lose their job over a stupid drink. Nobody."

Wolk said in more than four decades of aviation-focused litigation, he has never had a case involving a pilot who was intoxicated.

"I have a lot of airline pilot friends and if they are flying the next day, there is no drinking," he said.

The Air Line Pilots Association, the nation's largest pilot union, did not respond to requests for comment.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, random drug and alcohol testing of "safety-sensitive aviation employees" is required by law.

Officials said FAA regulations prohibit pilots from flying within eight hours of consuming alcohol, or if they have a blood alcohol level of 0.04 or above. For most airlines, the rule is even stricter--no alcohol within 12 hours of getting into the cockpit. Pilots in violation can lose not only their jobs, but their FAA certificate, grounding them permanently.

At the same time, there is a built-in reluctance to seek counseling and treatment for those whose livelihoods could be destroyed by the admission that they have a drinking problem, said Marsha Bates, acting director of the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University.

Bates said alcoholism and abuse are chronic diseases, but remain stigmatized disorders, not just for pilots, but surgeons, dentists, teachers and others.

"There's a feeling of moral and personal failure," she remarked. "People would be more likely to get help if they didn't have to risk their jobs."

United Airlines officials have had little to say about the incident on Saturday, involving Flight 162, when two pilots, Paul Brady Grebnec, 35, from Columbus, Miss., and Carlos Licona, 45, of Humble, Tx., were arrested at Glasgow Airport as they attempted to check in for a morning flight to Newark.

"The two pilots have been removed from service and their flying duties. We are cooperating with the authorities and will conduct our own investigation as well. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority," the airline said in a statement.

The United 757 remained grounded for 10 hours and its 141 passengers were given meal vouchers and in some cases hotel accommodations, said a spokeswoman.

"We got them to Newark with a new crew," said Erin Benson.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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.
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 - a few could contain very heavy rain, especially this afternoon. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High around 80F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 62F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 74F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Weather Alert

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 558 IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND LAKE MAUREPAS MISSISSIPPI SOUND LAKE BORGNE CHANDELEUR SOUND BRETON SOUND COASTAL WATERS FROM THE SOUTHWEST PASS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO PORT FOURCHON LOUISIANA OUT 20 NM COASTAL WATERS FROM BOOTHVILLE LA TO SOUTHWEST PASS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER OUT 20 NM COASTAL WATERS FROM PASCAGOULA MISSISSIPPI TO STAKE ISLAND OUT 20 NM

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 558 IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN LOUISIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 11 PARISHES IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA JEFFERSON LIVINGSTON ORLEANS PLAQUEMINES ST. BERNARD ST. CHARLES ST. HELENA ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST ST. TAMMANY TANGIPAHOA WASHINGTON IN MISSISSIPPI THIS WATCH INCLUDES 7 COUNTIES IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AMITE HANCOCK HARRISON JACKSON PEARL RIVER PIKE WALTHALL THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF AMITE, BAY ST. LOUIS, BELLE CHASSE, BOGALUSA, BURAS, CHALMETTE, COVINGTON, CROSSROADS, DARLINGTON, DENHAM SPRINGS, DESTREHAN, DEXTER, DIAMONDHEAD, EASLEYVILLE, EAST NEW ORLEANS, ENON, FRANKLINTON, GAUTIER, GILLSBURG, GLOSTER, GREENSBURG, GULFPORT, HAMMOND, KENNER, LACOMBE, LAPLACE, LIBERTY, MANDEVILLE, MCCOMB, MCNEIL, METAIRIE, MONTPELIER, MOSS POINT, NEW ORLEANS, NORCO, OCEAN SPRINGS, PASCAGOULA, PICAYUNE, POINTE A LA HACHE, PONCHATOULA, PORT SULPHUR, RESERVE, ROBERT, SALEM, SLIDELL, SMITHDALE, ST. MARTIN, TYLERTOWN, VIOLET, WALKER, WATSON, AND WAVELAND.
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EU observers have urged Gabons electoral commission to make sure that the votes in the last weekends presidential elections are counted with transparency and speed while the incumbent President Ali Bongo is aspiring for a second term. Ali Bongo is the son of the former President, Omar Bongo, who had ruled the country for 41 years until he passed away in 2009.

However, Ali Bongo has a credible challenger, Jean Ping, who had been supported by a prominent part of the opposition, which may jeopardize Mr Bongos chance for a straightforward re-election for another seven years in the office. The vote is decided by a simple majority after a single round. There are increasing concerns in the international community that the election could spark unrest in the country as was the case following Mr Bongos 2009 victory against Andre Mba Obame. The 2009 unrest saw several people killed and buildings looted. Earlier in August, the United Nations, the EU, and the US appealed for a peaceful, free and fair vote.

Its essential that political figures favor dialogue and negotiation and refrain from all incitement to violence, to hatred or the stigmatization of certain communities, the embassies of four major EU members and the United States said in a joint statement. It is also essential that national and international norms in fundamental freedoms and human rights be respected, notably in the maintenance of law and order, they added. The statement was also signed by the representatives of the EU delegation, the UN Secretary General for Central Africa and the International Organization of La Francophonie.
Turkmenistan and the European Union are in talks regarding the diversification of Turkmenistans gas exports to EU countries, the countrys President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said on Monday (29 August) at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Central Asian country, which has one of the largest natural reserves in the world, has been in negotiations to sell some of them to China, India and Afghanistan.

The country is also hoping to sell gas to Europe and it has been engaged in talks to deal with technical and legal issues regarding the sales to Europe. We in Turkmenistan are interested in delivering our energy resources to the West, Turkmenistans President Berdymukhamedov said, adding that his cabinet had presented the European Commission proposals for what to do next. The countrys deliveries to the Old Continent would come via the Caspian Sea but will, however, require approval by Russia and Turkey.

Interestingly, the improving relations between Russia and Turkey have revived the TurkStream gas pipeline that could compete with gas deliveries from Turkmenistan. TurkStream is supposed to directly connect the large gas reserves in Russia to the Turkish gas transportation network, creating a reliable source of energy for Turkey and southeastern Europe. The pipeline was announced by Russian president Vladimir Putin in December 2014 during his state visit to Turkey and the proposal is supposed to replace the earlier cancelled South Stream project.

Russia plans to sell this gas to Turkey, but also in the EU, via the Greek border. The project has, however, been through rocky times  it was suspended by Russia after the Turkish shoot-down of a Russian Su-24 aircraft, formally abandoned by Turkey in December 2015 and put back on table in July 2016 following a reconciliation meeting between both sides in Moscow.
Major insurers ponder road ahead after HK boom Updated: 2016-08-31 07:33 By CAI XIAO(China Daily)

A customer seeks information at China Life Insurance Co Ltd's branch in Lin'an, Zhejiang province. HU JIANHUAN / FOR CHINA DAILY

Zhang Shuo, a Beijing-based agent of China Life Insurance Co Ltd, is concerned that customers are flocking to Hong Kong to buy insurance products.

"My business has been negatively affected as many of my high-end clients favor insurance products of Hong Kong," said Zhang. "They want to allocate their funds globally. They find insurance products of Hong Kong are more diversified and appealing."

Zhang said one of his clients just bought a medical insurance policy in Hong Kong that entails $50,000 in premium every year for five years. It is different from products available in the mainland, and covers imported drugs and overseas hospitals.

"When my clients ask for Hong Kong insurance, what I do is to warn them about the risks," said Zhang.

He is not the only mainland insurance agent getting hot under the collar. Many of his ilk are aware that mainland visitors bought insurance premiums worth HK$31.6 billion ($4.1 billion) in 2015, accounting for 24.2 percent of new premiums in Hong Kong last year.

Those tell-tale figures from the Hong Kong Office of the Commissioner of Insurance have a footnote: Mainlanders had spent only HK$4.4 billion on insurance in 2010, suggesting a sudden spike in recent years.

"Besides the desire to have global asset allocations, what attracts mainland buyers to Hong Kong insurance are factors like product design advantages and the local regulator's transparent information disclosure norms," said Hao Yansu, director of the School of Insurance at the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing.

Hao said mainland insurance companies should improve business capabilities and go global, set up overseas branches and cooperate with hospitals outside China.

High-end customers usually travel around the world and many of them have children studying abroad, so medical insurance abroad can be very necessary for them, he said.

It is also important to recruit professional talent and pay them well so customers are better served, said Hao.

According to Hao, mainland insurers should be made to disclose information on overseas hospitals with whom they may have cooperation agreements. That would help customers to choose suitable products, which could boost insurers' business as well.

"But mainland insurance companies don't need to worry much as the mainland business that's going to Hong Kong is still a small part of the domestic business," said Hao.

In the first half of the year, insurers' revenue from premiums grew to 1.9 trillion yuan ($285 billion), up 37 percent year-on-year, according to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission.
Sharks centre Jack Bird admits he was surprised to learn that his side would have to travel to Canberra for the first week of the Telstra Premiership finals should the Raiders leapfrog them into second spot on the ladder.

Draw Widget - Round 26 - Storm vs Sharks

It's a scenario that would only play out if Cronulla were beaten by the Storm this weekend and the Green Machine defeated the Wests Tigers, with Canberra also needing to make up six points on for and against.

The Sharks have won their past three matches in the nation's capital, but their last loss just happened to be in Week One of the 2012 finals series.

GIO Stadium has been a fortress this season, with the Raiders winning 10 of their 12 matches at the venue, although one of those losses was a 40-16 hiding at the hands of the Sharks.

While Canberra would earn the right to host a semi-final at their spiritual home, the Sharks would have to play their matches at Allianz Stadium instead of Southern Cross Group Stadium where they have lost just once in 2016.

"To be honest, I didn't even know they were allowed to have a home semi down there because we're not allowed to have a home semi here. I thought they had to come to Sydney but we have to go down there if we lose and they win," Bird said.

"I understand that they're the only club down in Canberra and obviously that's their home territory, whereas here in Sydney we've got a lot of clubs. But a home semi is a major key in the semi-finals where a lot of fans come to watch.

"I think if we had a home semi here at Shark Park then there'd be people on the roof probably. Down there I can just picture the same thing.

"They're going to get a full stadium full of their fans. You know what it's like going to a different territory with the majority of fans there; it's hard to win and hard to get the outcome."

Should the Sharks earn a top-two finish, they will play the Raiders at Allianz Stadium; a venue where they have enjoyed success in the post-season with wins over the Cowboys and Rabbitohs in recent years.

Back-rower Wade Graham said that while the Sharks have received strong support at the ground, it simply doesn't compare to the atmosphere generated in the Shire.

2016 Sharks - Graham Wade



"It's certainly important to play a home semi-final. For us, it's not a home semi regardless [of where we finish] because it's at Allianz," he said.

"We've had success at Allianz in the past. It certainly makes it easier for the Cronulla community to get there so it'd be a massive boost for the community and the supporter base.

"It was a great atmosphere there [against Souths]. The last two years when we've played semi-finals there, we've got a lot of supporters there.

"It's not that far  I think it's half-an-hour  and it's a really strong supporter group here and they love getting out to watch us play."
It's the final week of the NRL Fantasy season (don't worry, Fantasy Finals arrives next week) with the overall title and a lot of head-to-head leagues going on the line. Here's the big team news for each club going into Round 26.

Make your NRL Fantasy trades now

Broncos v Roosters

Broncos: No changes for Brisbane this week. Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford both produced scores in the 40s last week but could go big in Brisbane's last warm-up game ahead of the finals.

Roosters: With Boyd Cordner and Sio Siua Taukeiaho out through with knee injuries Ryan Matterson and Isaac Liu have been named in the back row, with Mitchell Frei and debutant Nat Butcher added to the bench. Jake Friend made a stunning 69 tackles last week.

Bulldogs v Rabbitohs

Bulldogs: No changes this week. James Graham has been arguably the most consistent scorer in Fantasy this year but isn't quite a captaincy option.

Rabbitohs: Souths are unchanged as well. Greg Inglis has sparked to life with a couple of strong performances in the last fortnight and could be worth a gamble at the back, although the Bulldogs' defence is significantly stronger than the one Inglis faced in Newcastle last week.

Dragons v Knights

Dragons: It'll be a farewell game for Ben Creagh and Benji Marshall who both return to the Dragons' starting side this week, with Joel Thompson moving to the bench and Drew Hutchison dropping out after playing his first game of 2016 last week. Tariq Sims is out with an ankle injury with Will Matthews replacing him on the bench, while Taane Milne returns to the side in the centres and Tim Lafai drops back to an extended bench. Tyson Frizell is in doubt with knee and ankle injuries picked up last week.

Knights: Nathan Ross is back to replace Cory Denniss on the wing while Korbin Sims and Jaelen Feeney have been added to an extended bench.

Cowboys v Titans

Cowboys: Ben Hannant returns from a knee injury on the bench with Matt Scott sidelined with a broken finger and Scott Bolton starting up front. Ethan Lowe is in good try-scoring touch with a double last week on the way to 73 Fantasy points.

Titans: No changes for the Titans who are playing to secure eighth spot before the finals. Ryan James should get through a lot of defence this week but against the reigning premiers on their home turf might not make the impact in attack needed for one of his monster scores.

Storm v Sharks

Storm: Nelson Asofa-Solomona has copped a one-match suspension with Christian Welch joining the side on the bench. Cameron Smith has scored tries in back-to-back games and is the obvious captaincy choice unless you're the underdog in a head-to-head grand final and need to take a gamble.

Sharks: No changes for the Sharks. Paul Gallen returned with an impressive 75 last week and should work his heart out again against the league leaders with the minor premiership on the line.

Wests Tigers v Raiders

Wests Tigers: Chris Lawrence and Kyle Lovett return to the side, with Curtis Sironen dropping out. Mitch Moses has averaged 59 points across his past five games but could struggle to go big against Canberra  unless the Raiders aren't at full strength.

Raiders: The Raiders are unchanged at this stage but Ricky Stuart has suggested he could rest a few stars in the final weekend before the finals. That may depend on the result of Saturday night's Storm-Sharks clash  if the Sharks lose, the Raiders can still clinch a top-two finish and a home final with a win here. If Canberra do rest some players then backline stars Joey Leilua, Jordan Rapana and Jarrod Croker could all be late withdrawals.

Warriors v Eels

Warriors: With Solomone Kata suspended and Manu Vatuvei out with a sternum injury, Ken Maumalo, Jonathan Wright and Bunty Afoa return to the side with Nathaniel Roache named 18th man. Tuimoala Lolohea returns to the fullback role. Shaun Johnson has struggled of late with a quad injury and with the Warriors now out of the finals race there's every chance of another poor score this weekend.

Eels: No changes to Parramatta's 17 this week, with David Gower added as 18th man. Bevan French and Semi Radradra were impressive last weekend against a Dragons side whose finals chances had been ended a week earlier, and they could do the same against this Warriors side.

Panthers v Sea Eagles

Panthers: Reagan Campbell-Gillard is out with a back injury, replaced in the Penrith side by Jeremy Latimore. If you need to gamble in the outside backs Josh Mansour is always a chance of a bumper score.

Sea Eagles: Blake Leary and Dylan Walker return for Manly in place of Brad Parker and Frank Winterstein. Like Mansour, Tom Trbojevic can go big on any given week  as he did with a hat-trick last round.

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The BP Whiting Refinery has secured company approval to build another hydrotreater, a massive project likely to boost the Regions economy.

BP Whiting Refinery plant manager Don Porter told the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday at Dynasty Banquets in Hammond the oil company is now doing the engineering for a project that would result in hundreds of construction jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. Construction would begin next year and continue for a few years.

The new hydrotreater would help the BP Whiting Refinery meet a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandate to ensure that gasoline has less than 10 parts per million of sulfur, instead of the current standard of 30 parts per million.

BP in December 2013 finished work on a multiyear, $4.2 billion modernization project at the refinery that was widely credited with propping up Northwest Indianas economy during the Great Recession.

Virtually every industrial market in the Midwest was struggling, Construction Advancement Foundation Executive Director Dewey Pearman said. This was the one market that got through that period.

As many as 14,000 union tradesmen worked on the project, filling local hotel rooms.

It really helped hotels, said Chris Cash, general manager of the Ramada by the Indiana Toll Road in Hammond. All our employees are local and most live in Hammond. Wed appreciate it if you (BP) did more.

The modernization project, which already included a new hydrotreater, also meant a windfall of property tax revenue for Whiting, Hammond and East Chicago. E.C. Mayor Anthony Copeland estimates it increased the citys assessed valuation by $500 million.

Its going to mean millions of dollars in ensuring years, he said. Its coming down at a moment its needed.

BP has invested $90 billion in the United States over the last decade, and generated $135 billion in economic activity in the U.S. in 2014. That included $21 billion paid to 7,500 vendors. BP converted the Whiting Refinery, its biggest and the largest inland refinery in the United States, to refine more heavy crude oil because its about $15 a barrel cheaper to purchase, making the refinery more profitable.

The number of refineries in the United States has shrunk from around 350 to about 130 nationally, so the remaining ones are bigger and more competitive, Porter said.

The new hydrotreater is one of several projects underway at the former Standard Oil Refinery on the shore of Lake Michigan. BP for instance is building a new fire suppression building in Hammond and recently installed a new dissolved nitrogen flotation unit in its wastewater treatment plant to remove dissolved organics in the wastewater.

The new equipment initially malfunctioned, discharging five times the permitted limit of total suspended solids of industrial waste into Lake Michigan.

We had difficulty starting that up, and I want to apologize, Porter said. Thats not what we strive to do, but we got that straightened out. Now it operates very well, more efficiently than before.
The United Steelworkers union says U.S. Steels layoffs of about 75 employees at Gary Works and demotions of an additional 200 to work gangs raise serious safety concerns.

USW officials say the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker, acting on the advice of Chicago-based consultant McKinsey & Co., is seeking to replace full-time maintenance workers with independent contractors at Gary Works. The result is that hundreds of work orders are going unfilled, and no preventative maintenance is getting done at the sprawling plant on Lake Michigan, said USW District 7 Director Mike Millsap.

Every workplace has work hazards that the employers and employees must be aware of, Milsap said. At any given time a workplace accident can happen that can result in very serious injuries and sometimes fatalities. It is the obligation and responsibility of the company to minimize these hazards at much as possible to make the workplace safe. In this steel plant, those risks are much greater. The risk is greater for the employees.

U.S. Steel has declined to comment on the layoffs, which the union has filed a grievance against. The company lost $1.5 billion last year, and has lost money in five out of the last six years.

The steelmaker is following McKinseys advice on how to cut costs, but it will result in unsafe working conditions, Millsap said.

Unfortunately, McKinsey has no experience with what it takes to run a work plant, a steel company and what it takes to protect the employees from harm, he said.

Maintenance employees do much more than just day-to-day maintenance, Millsap said. They work on projects and make repairs that are often safety-related.

This union is prepared to bargain over the layoffs McKinsey says need to happen, he said. How will the maintenance work get done? Thats our question. Specifically the safety work.

USW Local 1066 President Billy McCall said the union would not allow U.S. Steel to jeopardize safety so a few executives could get richer. U.S. Steel could have asked for the cuts when negotiating a new contract last year.

The same thing that happened this summer we all know they were trying to get over on the backs of our members, and the same thing is happening now, he said.
A second man has been arrested in connection with a triple homicide in Sumava Resorts, police said.

Thomas Cardosi, 24, of Sumava Resorts, was taken into custody Tuesday at his home on suspicion of assisting a criminal and conspiracy to commit murder, according to the Newton County Sheriff's Office.

Sebastian Wedding, 24, of Cedar Lake, was arrested Monday on a preliminary murder charge, police said.

The Newton County Sheriff's Department and EMS were dispatched about 7:30 p.m. Sunday to the 11400 block of North County Road 250 West for a report of a man bleeding, Newton County Coroner Scott McCord said.

The bodies of Justin L. Babbs, 20, Richard R. Thomas, 23, and Kimberly A. Spears, 39, were found in a home at Sumava Resorts, an unincorporated community along the Kankakee River near Lake Village, Indiana.

All three had multiple stab wounds and their deaths are being investigated as a triple homicide, McCord said.

An elderly woman who apparently was allowing the three victims to live at her home called 911 about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, reporting a bleeding man was inside her home, he said. Officers arrived to find that man dead and the bodies of the two others dead in another room.

Thomas was the primary resident of the home, but authorities believe all three were living there, according to McCord's office.
Starbucks launches Teavana brand in China Updated: 2016-08-31 14:10 By Wang Zhuoqiong(chinadaily.com.cn)

Pedestrians walk past a cafe of Starbucks Coffee in Shanghai on Dec 8, 2015. [Photo/IC]

Global leader in coffee chain stores Starbucks Coffee Company on Tuesday launched its Teavana brand in China for the first time to strengthen its tea offerings in the nation with strong tea-drinking culture.

For its debut, Starbucks Teavana will bring two new iced shaken tea beverages that are created specifically with the Chinese customer.

But there is no plan to expand the exclusive Teavana stores. Starbucks operates about 300 of them in the United States and Canada.

Belinda Wong, president, Starbucks China, said: "As we continue to deepen the reach of the Starbucks brand in China, our customers are increasingly asking us for new and different ways to experience tea. Just as we've done for coffee, this (Teavana) is tea reimagined at Starbucks."

The two new Teavana iced shaken teas join the existing popular core tea beverages, and the current whole-leaf tea sachets, which have been in Starbucks' stores for many years, will become part of the Starbucks Teavana portfolio across all its more than 2200 stores in China.
HAMMOND  As federal officials prepared to sentence former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist on corruption charges, they said they discovered he had set up a system of recording and listening to telephone calls at City Hall.

Soderquist had recorded approximately 425,000 calls between Oct. 12, 2011, and Aug. 13, 2015, and continued the activity even after being released on bond as his federal corruption cases were pending, according to a sentencing agreement filed Wednesday in federal court.

Computer records show Soderquist listened to 14 calls involving potential government witnesses working at City Hall and at least one call placed from the private chambers of the Lake Station City Court judge, according to the court document.

Soderquist, who admitted to violating the federal wiretapping statute and doing so while on bond, now faces an enhanced term of 42 months when sentenced Sept. 28, according to the filing by the U.S. attorneys office. The government, in return, will not file a new criminal case against him.

The system was not installed for eavesdropping, Soderquists defense attorney Scott King told The Times on Wednesday.

The phone system was installed a few years ago as part of the construction of new city offices, he said. The idea was to improve customer service while protecting city employees against false accusations.

Where Soderquist ran afoul of the law is that not all city employees were notified the calls were being recorded, and there was no message notifying those on the other end of the line, King said.

The sentencing agreement says Soderquist authorized the installation of the system and that it recorded all calls except those in the mayors office. In addition to recording calls that were accessible to Soderquist by computer, it allowed him to surreptitiously eavesdrop on any City Hall call while the call was in progress.

King said he has seen no evidence to back up government claims that Soderquist continued listening to calls after being released on bond April 17, 2014, in his corruption cases.

Soderquist and his wife, Deborah, were already scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 28 for improperly taking money from his re-election campaign fund and the citys food pantry account to gamble at casinos.

U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano had postponed the sentencing from July after a joint motion was filed by the Soderquists attorneys and the U.S. attorneys office seeking the delay because additional investigative matters had come to light.

Keith Soderquist had been facing up to 30 months behind bars, but the recommendation to the judge now will be 42 months as a result of the violation involving the phone system, according to the sentencing agreement.

The proposed agreement also calls on Soderquist to pay $3,520 to the city of Lake Station and $22,571 to the Internal Revenue Service.

The government agrees not to bring any charges against Deborah Soderquist stemming from the phone system.
Some parents in the River Forest Community School Corp. are complaining there is no central air conditioning in schools, and students are hot.

Bruce Chambers said he has two children at Evans Elementary School in Lake Station. He said there is an air conditioning unit in his fifth-grade daughter's classroom but not one in his second-grade son's room. He said his second-grader has a disability and health issues.

"The heat is making my son's allergies act up," he said.

"I see kids walking out of the building at the end of the day and their faces are red and they are dripping with sweat. It was like 92 degrees Monday. One of the teachers had a digital readout in his classroom, and it read 103 degrees."

Chambers believes the district should have released the students on Monday, and needs to pay close attention to the weather each day.

"I talked to the superintendent (Steve Disney), and he told me there was no heat advisory that day. It was too hot for the kids to be in school. I think something should have been done," Chambers said.

Chambers said there have been parents who have offered to buy window air conditioning units, but he said they have been told wiring in the school could not support it.

Unfortunately, two elementary schools do not have full central air conditioning systems, Disney said Wednesday.

Neither Evans Elementary School, built in 1947 in Lake Station, nor Meister Elementary, constructed around 1959 in Hobart, have central air conditioning.

"We have enough units in place based on what our electrical system will support," he said.

"We have some classrooms that have air conditioning as well as the media center in both buildings. The cafeteria at Evans has air but the cafeteria at Meister does not."

Disney said they do monitor the weather forecast and there was no heat advisory Monday, and students were not released. He said there is a plan in place to move students regularly to cooler areas of each of those buildings.

"Last year, we did release the elementary students early a couple of days because of the heat," Disney said.

"We're a high poverty district and we don't have lots of money in our capital projects fund. We've been reaching out to the state to review our school finances. We have a capital projects fund of $500,000 and we have to take care of all of our schools with that."

River Forest has nearly 1,500 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. It has a free and reduced-cost lunch rate of 83 percent.
GRIFFITH  Lake County election officials will review Griffith's plans for a special election Dec. 20 to unburden town residents from supporting Calumet Township's large, poverty-stricken population.

George Jerome, the town's outgoing clerk-treasurer, and John Volkmann, who takes office Thursday as the new clerk, presented the Lake Elections and Voter Registration Board staff Wednesday with a petition bearing more than 1,200 signatures of town residents requesting the exit referendum be put before town voters.

Michelle Fajman, county elections director, said her staff will investigate the 2013 state law that permits Griffith to hold the exit referendum to determine what role the county plays.

She said such a referendum is unprecedented in her experience.

Griffith town officials want to leave Calumet Township to reduce the $1 million Griffith taxpayers must provide annually to help house, feed and provide health care for about 17,000 who primarily reside in Gary, where many live below the poverty line.

The Indiana General Assembly passed a 2013 law giving Griffith permission to hold a referendum among Griffith voters to leave Calumet Township if the tax rate the township charges for poor relief is more than 12 times the average rate of the 1,000-plus townships in the state.

Griffith officials said Calumet's tax rate is over the threshold, permitting the referendum.

Calumet Township Trustee Kimberly K. Robinson said her tax rate is below the limit, and she will fight the referendum. "We will challenge everything they turned in. I believe this call for a referendum is not what the people of Griffith are saying."

The law permitting the referendum is untested in the courts. Previous Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin filed suit in 2014 to declare it unconstitutional, but dropped it before leaving office that year.

Fajman said if the law requires the town to limit voting to registered voters, then Griffith will need county poll books, containing the current list of registered voters. She said the town also will have to determine if it wants to use electronic voting machines or paper ballots.

She said she won't know the cost of the special election, which must be borne by Griffith residents, until all these details are worked out.

She said they also will determine whether the Dec. 20 date for the referendum is proper.

The law required Griffith to collect at least 920 signatures on the referendum petition, Jerome said. His office certified the names are of registered voters. Fajman said she will ask elections lawyers to determine whether the county needs to do a second examination of names on the petition.

The referendum question would read, "Shall the territory of The Town of Griffith be transferred from Calumet Township to an adjacent township?"

Rick Ryfa, town council president, said that if at least two-thirds of Griffith voters vote "yes" on the public question, the Town Council may within one year after the special election, submit a request to St. John, North or Ross townships to accept the transfer of Griffith within their township boundaries.

St. John, North or Ross townships then have one year to accept or reject Griffith by passing a resolution specifying the date the transfer is effective.

If the referendum fails to win a two-thirds majority, or if none of the other townships accept Griffith within the year, Griffith must remain within Calumet Township and no new special election may be held, unless the law is changed again.
Earlier this month, Fehertys Troops First Foundation, an organization that assists veterans injured in service, hosted its second annual Battle Buddy Games at Jessiffany Canine Services, LLC in Iron Ridge, Wisconsin.

These games challenge veterans and their service dogs to participate in a variety of events that display the human animal bond between veteran and handler.

Indianas K-9 Assisted Crisis Response Team, including team leader Dr. Jean Marie Thompson, of Osceola; Dr. Angie Valente, of Valparaiso; Bert Woolson of Winamac; Carol Lybrook of Peru, and Celia Cole and Dave Fraenkel from Hoboken, New Jersey, representing CERT provided psychological first aid to the veterans during the event.

Dr. Lisa Booth, a Michigan City veterinarian, provided a special K-9 First Aid course for the veterans and their service dogs. The veterans received K-9 First Aid kits funded through Kits for K-9s, a nonprofit organization devoted to providing K-9 First Aid classes and K-9 First Aid kits to police officers and their service dogs nationwide.
EAST CHICAGO  The City Council is not sold on a plan that would turn a portion of Grand Boulevard into a one-way street.

City Engineer William Allen attended a recent City Council meeting and detailed a proposed project.

I intend to have decorative lighting going down Grand Boulevard and to address the limited parking, Im proposing that Grand Boulevard be changed from a two-way street to a one-way street from 142nd to 144th Street, Allen said.

He said that would allow angled parking and room for walkways on both sides of Grand Boulevard.

The plan also involves resurfacing the street and reconstructing damaged manhole castings.

The overall goal is to improve the area and make it friendly to pedestrians and residents, Allen said.

Several council members expressed concern that the intent of creating the one-way stretch might be to benefit employees of St. Catherine Hospital.

Allen said he has had meetings with hospital officials and people there favored the one-way stretch, but he said the plan was not created to specifically address the hospitals parking needs.

Councilwoman Gilda Orange, D-6th, asked how residents would be informed if a one-way stretch is created and suggested the change could result in accidents.

I just think that if youre going to do a one-way street, it has to be the whole Grand Boulevard, Orange said.

Allen told the council he would go back to the drawing board with plans.

The City Council also heard from John Martinez, director of operations for the sanitary district, regarding plans to no longer offer free rodding services for residents.

Weve done that rodding for many years, but it came to be a liability as far as city workers going into peoples houses, Martinez said.

Martinez said he thought Oct. 1 will be the last day the city will provide the service and that after that homeowners would have to call local plumbers.

Councilman Kenneth Monroe, D-at-large, said he doesnt believe discontinuing the service is fair to senior citizens on fixed incomes.

You know, our sewers do mess up quite a lot here, Monroe said.

Councilman Richard Medina, D-at-large, made a motion to have a letter sent to the sanitary district to ask that the board reconsider eliminating the rodding service for city residents.

The council unanimously approved Medinas motion.
EAST CHICAGO  The U.S. Department of Urban Housing and Development is leaving no stone unturned in search of more dollars to move residents out of the lead-contaminated West Calumet Housing Complex.

James Cunningham, deputy regional administrator for HUD, said the federal agency is working closely with the East Chicago Housing Authority to relocate more than 1,000 residents, including nearly 700 children, and has identified the need for an additional $1.2 million, pulling from federal, state and local resources, including the ECHAs capital fund.

HUD already released $1.9 million to ECHA to permanently relocate residents. The additional funds would help pay for security deposits, application fees, moving transportation and packing materials, Cunningham said in an interview Tuesday during an open house at Carrie Gosch Elementary School.

His comments came the day after the Chicago-based Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law filed a housing discrimination complaint, alleging the ECHAs plan for relocating residents violates federal civil rights laws. The complaint calls the ECHAs relocation process chaotic and troubling.

This is unprecedented, Cunningham said. I dont think any housing authority of any size could handle issuing [346] vouchers in three weeks and do it well. So, going into this process, we knew that the ECHA would need assistance.

At Tuesdays open house, Cunningham and other representatives from federal, state and local agencies were available to answer questions about lead-soil contamination, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys dust sampling and cleaning of homes, soiling sampling and housing assistance, health and nutrition.

West Calumet resident Barbara Anderson sought answers Tuesday about moving assistance. She said she didnt get a straight answer from HUDs counselors on site, but they told her officials were working on supplying her with movers and other assistance.

I was curious about movers, like the actual movers to help me move my things, Anderson said. Its stressful, not knowing what help were going to get.

Last week, HUD officials arrived in East Chicago to provide technical assistance, including housing counseling.

Carmen Gill, a West Calumet resident since March 2011, said she scheduled a deep cleaning of her home with the EPA during Tuesdays open house. Gill said she is worried about bringing potentially lead-contaminated furniture to a new place.

A humanitarian crisis

Three law firms representing families, including 85 children, that either live or once lived within the West Housing complex held a news conference Tuesday at Homewood Suites in Munster to discuss the investigation into the source of the contamination and the responsibility of state, local and federal agencies to notify residents sooner.

Rooth, with the Merrillville-based Theodoros and Rooth P.C., said generations of families have been exposed to a centurys worth of contamination.

There is, without exaggeration, a humanitarian crisis in our midst, he said.

Shantel Allen, who spoke at the news conference, said her youngest of five children tested at 33 micrograms per deciliter  or more than six times the CDCs threshold for action  in February 2015.

She said she wasnt made aware of the results until she received a letter from the Indiana Department of Health in July  the same month she and other residents received a letter from the mayor recommending they relocate due to the high lead and arsenic levels.

She said she panicked.

Everything made sense to us now, as to why our children have been sick, why they vomit, they have poor appetite. It just all makes sense now because we all know theyve been exposed to lead, Allen said.

Local, state and federal agencies knew for years of the dangerous lead levels, and potential for harm to children and families, Rooth said.

EPA test results from July show Allens top layer of soil tested at the highest lead concentrations of 4,510 parts per million, much higher than the EPAs 400 ppm threshold for residential use.

We were the last ones to find out about the lead and arsenic, and were the ones who live there, she said.
GARY  Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said various police chiefs and administrators from around the Region are looking at ways to make community-oriented policing a way of life rather than just a program.

Freeman-Wilson and several other government and community leaders from around Northwest Indiana gathered Tuesday at the Genesis Convention Center to talk about ways to improve community and police relations. The town hall meeting hosted by the city officials in conjunction with the Urban League of Northwest Indiana and Lakeshore Public Media will be aired at 7 p.m. today on Lakeshore Public Television.

The event drew a large crowd out to ask questions and express opinions to Freeman-Wilson, Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor, Portage Police Chief Troy Williams, Lorrell Kilpatrick of Black Lives Matter and others.

Moderator Garrard McClendon, host of Counterpoint with Garrard McClendonon Lakeshore Public Television, cited one statistic that stated 60 percent of whites have confidence in police officers protecting citizens, but only 40 percent of non-whites have that same confidence. One of the audience members asked why panel members thought there was that difference.

Panelist Raymond Dix II, pastor with the Gary campus of the Bethel Church, believed the reason had historical roots and said there was a time in the African-American and minority communities when police were not used to serve and protect as much as they were to occupy and control.

So we have had this generational idea that police dont necessarily mean the best for persons of color, he said. That comes out of the sad and terrible racial history of our country and the fact that we are unreconciled over that history creates this ongoing feeling that we dont trust the police and I think that is something that we have to address is to begin to rebuild that trust.

Freeman-Wilson said that she thinks that everyone needs to recognize that such inequality exists in various aspects of peoples lives based on race, gender, religion and other factors. She said it is important then to engage in intentional action as a community to do something about it to level the playing field.

Snedecor said reconciliation is an important component in trying to improve relations. He spoke of the importance of reaching out to young people and pointed to his police forces afterschool program, which he said is attended by a large number of people from different minority groups.

The youths attending the program learn to develop a positive experience with police rather than interacting with then on the street where they may have a negative experience. He said it is a job of administrators and police chiefs to create that positive environment before they have contact on the street with our law enforcement.

In speaking of how to make community policing a way of life, Freeman-Wilson pointed to Indianapolis where new police recruits start off in community services. She said this is a way to see if the new officers are really interested in the community.

So I think it is really important to get people to look at community-oriented policing, to get police officers to look at it, as a way of doing business, Freeman-Wilson said.
As the nation prepares to observe the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a 2012 Chesterton High School graduate and Chesterton native is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard a ship built using steel from the World Trade Center.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jake Sieckman is a fire controlman aboard USS New York, responsible for maintaining and repairing electronic equipment to include radar, missile systems and ships' self-defense network.

USS New York, one of the Navys newest and most advanced amphibious ships, is designed to deliver Marines and their equipment where they are needed to support a variety of missions ranging from amphibious assaults to humanitarian relief efforts.

I really enjoy that my job involves fixing the radar equipment, said Sieckman. "It's really hands-on and really interesting, which makes it fun for me."

Serving in the Navy, Sieckman said he is constantly learning how to be the best leader, sailor and person possible by handling numerous responsibilities, meeting deadlines and forging lasting professional relationships.

The diversity and the history of the ship are my favorite part of serving here," said Sieckman.

According to the Navy, New Yorks bow, forged from steel salvaged from the wreckage of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, embodies the strength and determination of the people of the United States: to recover, rally, and take the fight to the enemy and honor the memory of those who were affected by the attacks. USS New York forges an enduring alliance between the people of New York, the ship and her crew.

The sailors who serve aboard USS New York are exceptional in so many ways, said Capt. Kenneth M. Coleman, the ships commanding officer. They represent some of the hardest working and most dedicated Americans I have served with in 25 years of naval service. They exhibit an impressive level of pride for serving onboard a ship that means so much to so many Americans. I am honored to lead this crew and be a part of the special bond that this ship and her crew shares with her namesake.

As a member of one of the U.S. Navys high-tech amphibious assault ships Sieckman said he and other New York sailors are proud to part of a war fighting team that embodies the spirit, strength and resilience of the American people.

Having the ship made with steel from the World Trade Center gives you a bigger sense of purpose," said Sieckman. "When we are deployed, we aren't just floating around we are a present deterrence to terrorism."
VALPARAISO  A rare 200-year-old crystal flute will take center stage Thursday afternoon at the Porter County Museum.

Debra Silvert, of Valparaiso, will present a lecture-demonstration titled, An 1816 Flute  Crystal Clear at 5:30 p.m.

The flute, a four-keyed instrument, was built in 1816 in Paris by Claude Laurent. Slightly more than 100 of his instruments are known to still exist, and only 24 are privately owned, according to Porter County Museum officials.

Silvert will talk about the history of flutemaking and how the 1816 instrument differs from the modern flute.

Megan Telligman, Porter County Museum communications coordinator, said the age of the instrument coincides with the states bicentennial.

The history of the origin of the flute will give patrons an example of what was happening around the world when Indiana became a state.

Silvert, is a professional flutist who has performed around the world with Duo Sequenza, along with classical guitarist Paul Bowman.

Silvert said she became acquainted with crystal flutes after visiting an exhibit at the Library of Congress more than 30 years ago. Soon afterward, her husband purchased the 1816 Laurent flute for her.

She said she treasured the flute, but did not play it much until she was encouraged to learn to play it at the 2014 National Flute Convention.

She said the flute had only minor flaws. A pad was replaced in 2015, and one spring recently had to be repaired.

Silvert said the flute is quite different from modern flutes, with fewer keys among the differences. Because its made of crystal, she said its heavier than modern flutes.

Silvert said she had to teach herself how to play the instrument, and has reached out to experts on antique instruments to learn more about the flute.

The fact that its a completely intact flute that actually plays is pretty rare, she said.
A kayaker was taken to the hospital Tuesday in critical condition after being hit by a ferry on the Hudson River.

It happened just before 6 p.m. Tuesday near Pier 79 at 39th Street. Police say emergency crews pulled ten people from the river after a New York Waterway water taxi collided with their kayaks.

.@NYPDSpecialops is at Pier 79. They have pulled numerous kayakers from the water after getting hit by a ferry pic.twitter.com/GrtDdgCY7v  J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) August 30, 2016

They say five out of the ten were injured, including one employee of the Manhattan Kayak Company. Investigators say he suffered a severe arm injury.

"His bone was exposed," said NYPD Inspector David Driscoll. "He had lost a lot of blood and he was lapsing in and out of consciousness. He was rescued by Harbor Unit police officer Tommy Le who is an EMT. Tommy Le was able to apply a tourniquet."

"He was lying on top of the kayak and there was this pool of blood and we knew that we had to go over there and assisted him priority," the EMT said. No one else was seriously hurt and the investigation is ongoing.
ICBC posts 0.8% rise in net profit for first half Updated: 2016-08-31 14:24 (Xinhua)

Pedestrians walk past a branch of ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) in Shanghai, China, Dec 4, 2014. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the country's largest lender, reported 0.8 percent growth in net profit for the first half on Tuesday.

ICBC's outstanding non-performing loans (NPL) declined by 8.4 billion yuan (about $1.3 billion) in the second quarter and its NPL ratio dropped from 1.66 percent in March to 1.55 percent in June.

"This was the first dual decrease in 13 quarters," said ICBC chairman Yi Huiman, who attributed the improvement to the bank's efforts to address the problem.

On the same day, the Bank of China (BOC), another State-owned big lender, reported a 2.52-percent increase in its net profit.

BOC's NPL ratio rose slightly from 1.43 percent in March to 1.47 percent in June.

BOC's chief risk officer Pan Yuehan saw the ratio as "basically stable", but he warned of "relatively big" pressure in the second half of the year.

Yi expressed similar concerns, saying that economic restructuring in some sectors could add credit risks.
The NYPD says it's developed a DNA profile for the person responsible in the death of a Queens jogger earlier this month.



Karina Vetrano, 30, went missing after going for a run in Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach August 2.



Her father says he found her body hours later in a marshy area.

Police say Vetrano was sexually assaulted and strangled.



"We were able to identify a DNA profile. We put that into our database," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. "There was no nationwide hit on it, or any state hit on it."



Around $300,000 in reward money is being offered for information leading up to an arrest and conviction in the case.




Mayor Bill de Blasio and police officials on Wednesday detailed a number of stepped-up security measures for next Mondays Jouvert festival, an annual procession that takes place in the early morning leading up to the West Indian Day parade. NY1's Bobby Cuza filed the following report.

Its a rolling street party that begins before dawn and continues through the morning the day of the West Indian Day Parade. But violence has threatened the Jouvert festivals very existence, particularly after the shooting death last year of Carey Gabay, a Cuomo administration staff member.



"Were taking extraordinary measures," said Mayor Bill de Blasio.



On Wednesday, city officials said the expected 250,000 participants Monday morning will see the most extensive security ever, with the NYPD doubling the number of uniformed officers and putting 200 light towers in and around the route. Thats on top of added security cameras and new gunshot-detecting technology in the area.

"We are not going to let a few bad apples destroy something thats so important to hundreds of thousands of good New Yorkers," de Blasio said. "Were going to make sure that Jouvert and the parade are safer than ever."



The city has also issued Jovert organizers a formal parade permit for the first time, and clergy working with the NYPD are checking in on parolees and known gang members.



"Before the event, theyll be receiving visits. And if there are active warrants, etc., parole violations, well be seeking to enforce those," said Police Commissioner William Bratton.



The mayor and police officials stressed the increased security was discussed in close consultation with the community, a planning process they said has been going on for several months, and included members of Carey Gabays family, some of whom were on hand for Wednesdays news conference.



"My brother loved Jouvert. Though its Jouvert, ultimately, that took my brothers life, he loved the event," said Aaron McNaughton, Gabay's brother. "Because to him, he looked about what the essence of Jouvert is, which is jubilation, celebration. Its not violence."

Meanwhile, two pedestrian islands installed last December along Eastern Parkway have been torn out because city officials realized they'd pose an obstacle to floats on the main parade route.

"That could create safety issues for the people around. So theyre being taken out for the parade," de Blasio said. "We have to figure out a long-term solution. We dont have that yet, but we will get to a long-term solution.


Seventy years later, the Holocaust continues to pose a challenge for filmmakers. Dramas like Son of Saul emerge with fresh formal experiments, while older works like Shoah endure as authoritative historical records.

Sergei Loznitsas disquieting new documentary Austerlitz, which premieres at the Venice International Film Festival, aims to show how the Nazi concentration camps are experienced today  not by survivors or historians, but the tourists who visit them.

The people who came to these places 40 years ago came with a different purpose than people now, Mr. Loznitsa said in a Skype conversation from Latvia, where he is shooting his next film. Now, people dont remember, and sometimes I think they dont even understand where they are and what the places are about.

The cameras in Austerlitz observe crowds of visitors at the concentration camps of Dachau, north of Munich, Germany, and Sachsenhausen, just outside Berlin. Dressed in T-shirts with logos like Cool Story, Bro or Jurassic Park, they mill about the grounds and buildings, sometimes listening to guides describe how the mass killings took place. The images are filmed in black and white, the camera still and the general mood unnervingly indifferent, or distracted.
After more than a decade of filmmaking that won critical plaudits but little broad recognition, the French film director Stephane Brize shot into the public eye last year with La loi du marche (The Measure of a Man), which won the best actor award for Vincent Lindon at the 2015 Cannes International Film Festival, and big audiences in France.

Just a year later, Mr. Brize, 49, has a new movie for entry in the Venice International Film Festivals main competition. Une Vie, (A Womans Life) based on the 1883 Guy de Maupassant novel of the same name, is on first appearances, a very different kind of film.

La loi du marche is set in the present, with its central figure a badly paid security guard trying to make ends meet. Une Vie begins in rural Normandy of 1819, with an innocent young girl, Jeanne, who has just returned from a convent education to live with her sweet, gentle parents. She soon marries a local nobleman, Julien de Lamare, and the film, like the novel, charts a slow and painful process of disillusionment over three decades. Jeanne learns that her husband is both miserly and chronically unfaithful, and her only son proves to be a spendthrift wastrel who depletes the family fortune, leaving her in near-poverty toward the end.

In a telephone conversation from his home in Paris, Mr. Brize said that he had planned to make a film of Une Vie well before shooting La loi du marche.
The Venice Film Festival has something of a split personality. Each year, some of the most anticipated films of the fall season from high-profile directors are rolled out alongside small, often obscure debuts that await discover.

This edition, the 73rd, is no exception. In competition for the main prize, the Golden Lion, Denis Villeneuves science fiction story of extraterrestrial contact, Arrival, starring Amy Adams, goes head-to-head with the feature debut of the Chilean filmmaker Christopher Murray, El Cristo Ciego. Terrence Malicks nonfiction cosmic exploration Voyage of Time has its counterpart in the similarly themed low-budget Italian film Spira Mirabilis.

While the Filipino director Lav Diaz may be well-established as a standard-bearer of long-haul historical cinema, it can still raise an eyebrow to see his 226-minute opus Ang Babeng Humavo rubbing shoulders with Ana Lily Amirpours Texan cannibal love story The Bad Batch, starring Jason Momoa and Keanu Reeves.

The main characteristic of Venice is that we have a really wide range of things in the same lineup, Alberto Barbera, the director of the festival, said in a telephone interview, still a bit winded from the race to the finish in putting the program together. Its a tradition for Venice to have big Hollywood films, but at the same time, Venice built its prestige on the discovery of new talents and new films and emerging countries.
You can pay tribute to Gene Wilder, who died on Monday, by streaming classics like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Blazing Saddles. Meanwhile, Four Weddings and a Funeral arrives on the new Starz app. And the addled soul mates at the heart of Youre the Worst return for a third season.

Whats Streaming

WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971) on Amazon and iTunes. For many of us, Wonka  the delightfully demented candy maker spun from the Roald Dahl childrens novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  was our introduction to the scrumptious talents of Gene Wilder, who died on Monday. The director Mel Stuarts sugar rush also stars Peter Ostrum as Charlie, one of five children who discover golden tickets hidden in Wonka Bars and are treated to a tour of Wonkas fantasyland factory, with its Everlasting Gobstoppers, Fizzy Lifting Drinks and assembly line of Oompa-Loompas. But whoever breaks the rules  and there are many  forfeits the grand prize. Want more of Mr. Wilder? Check him out in the Mel Brooks classics Blazing Saddles (1974) and The Producers (1968); alongside Richard Pryor in Silver Streak (1976); and in his 1967 movie debut in Arthur Penns Bonnie and Clyde. (All are available on Amazon and iTunes.)
6. A Times review of WikiLeaks activities during the four years its founder, Julian Assange, has been holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London shows that the groups document releases have often benefited Russia, frequently at the expense of the West.

In an interview, Mr. Assange called Russia a bit player on the world stage and said that scrutinizing superpowers like the United States was more relevant.

_____

Image

7. Being famous for being famous, a la the Kardashians, appears to be a thing of the past.

Instagram, YouTube and gossip sites and podcasts, and now legacy media companies, are feeding on a new celebrity underclass, people who hover on the edges of fame.

Its easy to hate us, actually, because we are not doing something, were not really doing anything, said the girl above, the de facto leader of the Gucci Gang, four stylish 14-to-16-year-old Parisians making their name on Instagram.
Its just a drop in the bucket for Apple, with its cash pile of more than $230 billion. But the company nonetheless described the ruling by Europe that Ireland should recoup 10 years worth of back taxes, or about $14.5 billion, as a devastating blow to the rule of law.

Timothy D. Cook, Apples chief executive, defiantly scolded the competition commission of the European Union and contended that Apple was a good corporate tax citizen in Ireland. But do his arguments hold any water? We consulted the tax experts and Mr. Cook seems to have been technically truthful.

But he missed the point of the European Commissions case, which was whether Apple took advantage of loopholes in Irish tax law.

Mr. Cook argues that Apple is the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the United States and the world. It is likely that is because of the companys size, but it is hard to prove as its corporate tax information in the United States is private. And, as Steven M. Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, points out, the ruling is not about how much the company has paid, but how much it should pay. Tax systems are not a pay-what-you-want system, he said.
WASHINGTON  The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Tuesday that federal funds to fight the Zika virus were nearly exhausted, and that if Congress did not replenish them soon, there would be no money to fight a new outbreak.

As of Friday, the C.D.C. had spent $194 million of the $222 million it was allocated to fight the virus, said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the director of the agency. Congress left for its summer recess without approving additional funding. Now that the virus is actively circulating in Florida, Dr. Frieden is pressing his case for funding with new urgency.

On Tuesday, Florida officials announced three new Zika cases in Miami-Dade County. One was in Miami Beach, where the virus is already circulating. The state is trying to determine where the other two infections occurred.

The agency has sent about $35 million to Florida, much of which has already been spent, largely on killing mosquitoes. But if Florida has another cluster of Zika cases, or if one surfaced in another state, the agency would not be able to send emergency funds, Dr. Frieden said.
He Is Us

He could be my 6-year-old son, my only child. His sudden aloneness in this big world (and that big chair) is just too hard to face and accept.

When things are familiar, like the back of an ambulance, it brings the event right up to our nose. When we focus on a detail, we can process it. This photo isolates a moment. One moment that we are shocked by because of its stillness. He is not looking at anything. He is in shock. It is almost worse that he does not appear seriously injured. What it says is that he was pulled out of hell and that others were not. He experienced something that did this to him. Not tears or screams but shock. No response. It is personal. There is no cultural barrier, no space between this boy and us. At the same time, he is a symbol. We know he is not unique, that there are terrible things happening all over.

I can relate to this boy. When I was his age my home and all my neighborhood were bombed and burned to the ground. A few years later, for two months, bombs and artillery shells were falling within yards of where we used to live. After a while your brain starts isolating you from reality. And that is what we have witnessed in the Omran image: just a little boy asking, Where is my mother? We have done nothing to elevate the suffering of the young innocent. That is a sign that we are all dead and pretending to be a alive.

The meaning and the value of this image is clear: He is us.

Phantom Others

The original photo showed a woman sitting near him, to his left. The image was cropped. That makes him look even more alone.

Seconds after he was placed in that ambulance seat, a traumatized little girl was seated to his front/left. An interesting comparison of the famous seen and unseen. 

A Work of Art

The picture resonates because it presents a wide-open canvas for the viewer to interpret. Its not so gruesome that you cant look at it. And unlike the famous cover photo in National Geographic of the Afghan woman, the little boy isnt staring directly at the camera, which I think would be so unsettling to many viewers that they couldnt have the same emotive response. No, his looking away allows us (me) to feel for him and to guess at what he must be thinking.

The picture looks like a painting  a work of art. As a work of art, it has the capacity to enlarge the scope of human compassion.
Germany's Mannheim city considers express rail connection with China's Qingdao Updated: 2016-08-31 17:01 By Song Jingli(chinadaily.com.cn)

Herr Dr. Peter Kurz (left), mayor of the city of Mannheim, Germany, introduces his city at the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Beijing on August 30, 2016, with Chen Xiaofei, head of Department for China Affairs Mannheim as his translator. [Photo by Song Jingli/chinadaily.com.cn]

Herr Dr. Peter Kurz, mayor of Mannheim, a city in southern Germany revealed in Beijing on Tuesday that he is considering connecting the city with its Chinese partner city, Qingdao in East China's Shandong province via express railway lines to facilitate bilateral commercial activities, responding to China's Belt and Road Initiatives.

Kurz expressed this hope at the city promotion conference held by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and explained that he came up with this idea during his delegation's negotiations with multiple Chinese companies on this visit to China and realized that there are many opportunities in the country.

The mayor told media attending the conference that this is not to say he wants to build a new railway line, but to connect current ones to make an express line. He admitted that he is not sure what needs to be done to make this plan come true but will find out later when he is back in Germany.

If the plan is realized, even Switzerland and France to the south of Germany can be connected to China, he said.

Kurz said at the conference that Mannheim, which was the birthplace of the world's first bicycle, the first automobile and the first elevator, wants to stand out as a city that welcomes innovation and entrepreneurship.

Herr Dr. Peter Kurz (center), mayor of the city of Mannheim, Germany and his delegation pose for a photo with potential Chinese partners at the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Beijing on August 30, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"We cannot rely on our big companies such as SAP and Roche only; we want to focus on small businesses and want to help them cooperate with big ones and help them go global."

The mayor said Mannheim city, which has more incubators than Berlin, will launch a "China Center" in September to welcome Chinese enterprises.

The city will provide a remodeled cluster, one-stop services, executive policy supports to Chinese companies that run business in Mannheim, in addition to organizing mutual visits between Chinese and German enterprises.

Chen Xiaofei, head of Department for China Affairs Mannheim told chinadaily.com.cn that some members of the delegation met incubators in Haidian district, Beijing during this visit but she did not reveal details on the results of these business talks.

Kurz said that he will lead another delegation, made up of mainly business people, to China in October and that this visit has helped many delegates, who came to China for the first time, to learn about China beyond what the media has told them.

Mannheim is the only German city that boasts two Chinese partner cities, Qingdao and Zhenjiang in East China's Jiangsu province.
Ten kayakers were rescued after five of them were injured in a collision with a ferry on the Hudson River near West 39th Street on Tuesday, the authorities said.

The kayakers, nine clients of Manhattan Kayak Company and one of the companys employees, were headed south on the river when the collision occurred, Inspector David Driscoll, the commander of the New York Police Departments Harbor Unit, said at a news conference on Tuesday night. At least two of the kayaks were struck by a NY Waterway ferry, the police said.

The employee, whose name was not released, sustained the most serious injuries, with one arm appearing to be partially severed, Inspector Driscoll said. The inspector said the employee had lost a lot of blood and was lapsing in and out of consciousness. Officer Tommy Le of the Harbor Unit said he had applied a tourniquet to the mans arm.

Two men and two women sustained minor injuries in the collision, including cuts to the head and injuries to their backs and shoulders, the authorities said.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee is investigating the beleaguered Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center and will hold a field hearing on Long Island next month, a committee staff member said on Tuesday.

The scope of the investigation includes, but is not limited to, the closing of the hospitals operating rooms for months after sand-size black particles began falling from air ducts, the staff member said, and has been continuing for more than a month. The closing of the operating rooms was reported by The New York Times in May.

In a July 29 letter to the veterans affairs secretary, Robert A. McDonald, Representative Jeff Miller, Republican of Florida and the committees chairman, questioned the management of the hospital. In the letter, Mr. Miller noted a prevalence of sole source and ostensibly competitive, one-bid facilities contracts, with a substantial amount of money going out the door for maintenance, but seemingly poor results.

The most troubling aspect of the whole situation, the letter added, was that the management at the Northport center reportedly became aware of the problem in mid-February yet took no effort to notify the public or Congress until after the numerous media reports emerged.
Initially, deferral was a convenience for multinationals, as they sought investment opportunities abroad. Today, it is the taproot of global tax avoidance. Financial engineering has let American companies shift profits into foreign accounts, while they lobby Congress for tax-rate cuts in exchange for repatriating the money. Currently, there is some $2 trillion in corporate profits in offshore tax-deferred accounts; besides Apple, Microsoft, Google, Cisco and Oracle also have large stashes. Apple is one of nearly two dozen major corporations pushing Congress for a tax holiday, which would let companies bring back foreign-held money over the course of a year at a discounted tax rate, rather than the current rate, 35 percent.

Before the European ruling on Tuesday, the debate over a tax holiday had pitted Republicans, who have generally favored the idea, against Democrats, who have viewed it as an unjustified reward for tax avoidance. The Democrats have history on their side. A tax holiday in 2005 lowered the corporate rate to 5.25 percent, enticing corporations to repatriate some $300 billion. It was billed as a way to create jobs and increase investment, but the money was used mostly for dividend payments, share buybacks (which tend to raise executive pay) and severance for laid-off employees. Worse, the tax holiday inspired multinationals to stash as much money abroad as they possibly could in anticipation of another holiday.

The European ruling, however, could sharply alter the terms of the congressional debate. Republicans and Democrats alike have always assumed that foreign-held profits would one day be repatriated. The big question was the rate at which they would ultimately be taxed. Similarly, the Treasury assumes that deferred foreign profits will one day be taxed when it projects future revenues  an important measure of the nations fiscal health.

But the money wont be repatriated and taxed under American law if Europeans, in the course of enforcing their own laws against tax havens, get their hands on it first. And that, in a nutshell, is why members of Congress and Treasury officials are so upset about the Apple ruling. They understand, correctly, that tax-law enforcement in Europe could reduce the sums they expect to collect taxes on someday. What they dont understand, or arent saying, is that they brought the problem on themselves.

The way forward is not to declare a tax war with Europe. It is for Congress to agree on a way to tax foreign-held corporate profits. President Obama put forth a reasonable approach in 2015, when he proposed a mandatory 14 percent tax on multinationals current offshore profits  whether they are repatriated or not  and, thereafter, a new minimum tax rate of 19 percent on profits moved offshore. An even better approach would be to simply end indefinite corporate tax deferral, imposing American taxes on profits when they are made.
A cautious confession about Gene Wilder, whose death on Monday made for a truly melancholy start to the week, but also led to many moments of grateful YouTube reminiscing: While I loved his work, the roles and scenes for which he may be most fondly remembered  as the screaming nebbish, the collapsing neurotic, the raging madman  never did it for me.

That is, I always found that a little bit of the wildest Wilder in, say, The Producers or Young Frankenstein went a very long way. Yes, he could be hysterical, and wet, and hysterical and wet, and in pain, and also funny. But I was always more dazzled  and more likely to be hysterical myself  when Mr. Wilder turned the freakout dial down to zero and ruled the screen with quietude, as the great comic actors do.

Think of the scene in Woody Allens Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex when, as a Manhattan doctor, Mr. Wilder first meets Daisy, soon to be the tragic love of his life. The fatal attraction of man to sheep becomes quickly evident in the way he, as Dr. Ross, caresses her fluffy cheeks, his fingers moving slowly, his gaze distracted, his voice hushed and shy in the presence of such sheeply beauty.
Nine Latin American governments this week called on the United States to end its preferential immigration policy for Cubans, calling it discriminatory and a boon to human smuggling networks in the region.

In a rare public letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, the foreign ministers of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru requested a high-level meeting to discuss a policy that they said is fueling the disorderly, irregular and unsafe migration of Cubans through their countries.

Under the policy known as wet foot, dry foot, Cubans who reach American soil are generally allowed to become permanent residents within one year and to apply for citizenship after six. Those apprehended at sea are turned back.
James W. Cronin, a physicist who shared a Nobel Prize for repudiating a fundamental principle of physics and explaining why the universe survived the Big Bang with anything in it, died on Thursday in St. Paul. He was 84.

His death was confirmed by the University of Chicago, where he was a professor emeritus. No cause was given.

In 1964, Dr. Cronin and Val Fitch of Princeton University were conducting experiments at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island involving matter and antimatter: particles that have the same mass but hold opposite (though equal) charges, either positive or negative, compelling them to destroy each other on contact.

The researchers found that for all their similarities, the particles obeyed slightly different laws of physics: that there was, as Dr. Cronin put it, a fundamental asymmetry between matter and antimatter.
In late 2006, Mary Boone phoned the artist Jacob Hashimoto several months ahead of his first show at her venerable gallery to ask about his progress. She said, I heard that you havent finished any of the work, and she explained that when she does a show of six or seven pieces, she hopes to choose from 15, he remembers. I told her that my studio is like a sourdough bread bakery  you have the mother, which is the dough that youre growing, and you feed it flour and water, and the mother gets bigger and keeps leavening. And, eventually, you take off chunks and make your biscuits, but most of the time, youre feeding the mother.

Its a good analogy for Hashimoto Studio. He and his team are steadily creating the small contraptions made of paper, bamboo and string that he calls kites, which combine to form his painting-cum-sculpture compositions. They start pulling from their stockpile once an exhibition nears.

Hashimoto makes a million different references, some more obscure (the sourdough bread-making process, for one) and others mainstream, both in conversation and in his oeuvre. His kite work doubles as a diary of what was on his mind about half a year prior, the time it takes to turn his sketches into the fully constructed kites that he goes on to arrange into his pieces. So, when Ron Warren, a director at Mary Boone Gallery, called Hashimoto earlier in the year, the artist had been thinking about mankinds systems of organizing the world, from Ptolemys planetary model to 3D computer renderings. The First Known Map of the Moon, opening Sept. 8, brings together about half a dozen of Hashimotos meditations on that theme  each made from layers of overlapping, circular and intricate kites. He gets into the nitty-gritty in the annotated images below.
Ask Peter Lindbergh which year of his career hed most like to relive, and he has plenty of good options. 1988 comes to mind: Its the year he shot the iconic white shirt photo of Linda Evangelista, Karen Alexander, Christy Turlington, Estelle Lefebure, Tatjana Patitz and Rachel Williams at the beach  an image that would launch the careers of the then-unknown models, and of Lindbergh himself. It is regarded as the first artifact of the supermodel era. Or maybe 1994, the year he shot Madonna in a tribute to Martha Graham (never-before-seen photos from that session are in the slide show here, along with previously unpublished shots of Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen and Lara Stone). Or 2002, the year he shot his second Pirelli calendar and became the first photographer to be exhibited at Moscows Pushkin Museum.

But Lindbergh has a different answer: I would live the last 12 months again, as they have been extremely crazy: an unbelievable amount of projects, challenges, experimentation, freedom; extremely creative adventures, and a lot of satisfaction, too, he told T in an email. Its true: Its been a big year for Lindbergh. Hes spent the last few months prepping a huge solo show at the Kunsthal Rotterdam opening Sept. 10, A Different Vision on Fashion Photography, which shares its title with a weighty upcoming Taschen monograph of the same name. Hes also recently wrapped the 2017 Pirelli calendar  hes the only photographer whos ever shot three  featuring Nicole Kidman, Robin Wright, Julianne Moore and others of their milieu. Not to forget that my seventh grandchild is about to be born in the Villa Medici in Rome, he adds.

Throughout the books 500-plus pages, the affection Lindbergh has always had for his subjects is constantly apparent. His photos, almost all in black and white, have always favored personality over polish; and his ultimate concern is how his models and actresses themselves wish to be portrayed. He mentions a 2013 interview of Kate Moss in which she told Nick Knight that the photos Lindbergh did with Linda Evangelista had inspired her to become a model. She complained, laughing, in this interview that I had never worked with her in the same serious way, he says. I called her and said: When we work in two weeks for David Yurman, stay two more days and well work on a 30-page story about you for Italian Vogue. She was, right in this moment, changing into a new, interesting Kate. More woman, more raw, grown up and deeper. This very important change in Kate  thats what I was interested in capturing.
The European Union wants to crack down on the ways that companies minimize their tax bills in Europe, especially in Ireland. In the 1980s, Ireland began modeling itself after Bermuda, a well-known corporate tax haven, said Khadija Sharife, a forensic financial researcher and an editor at the African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting. Irelands corporate tax rate is 12.5 percent, compared with 35 percent in the United States.

While Ireland is phasing out some corporation-friendly rules, companies will continue to come up with ways to pay less taxes in other countries until all countries across the world can agree on corporate tax rules, said Lisa De Simone, assistant professor of accounting at Stanford University.

__________

MR. COOKS LETTER The opinion issued on August 30th alleges that Ireland gave Apple a special deal on our taxes. This claim has no basis in fact or in law. We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals.

FACT CHECK The European Commission makes clear, and tax experts agree, that Ireland let Apple determine how much of the income that it generated in the country would be recognized and taxed there.

The rest of Apples income that was not recognized and taxed in Ireland could be put in other corporate structures that were effectively stateless. That meant the money in those structures was not taxable anywhere  not even in Ireland  and thus not subject to Irelands 12.5 percent tax rate.

While other companies have also had the right to negotiate with Ireland, the commission considers these sorts of loopholes a no-no.

In the U.S., states can fall all over themselves to offer subsidies and loopholes, but that is exactly what is illegal in Europe, said Edward D. Kleinbard, professor at the Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California and a former chief of staff to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.
With Donald J. Trump behind in the polls, one apparent sign of hope for Republicans is the dwindling Democratic advantage in voter registration, particularly in battleground states like Florida and Pennsylvania.

But a closer look, using data from state officials and from L2, a nonpartisan voter file vendor, and Catalist, a Democratic data firm, shows far more favorable trends for the Democratic Party.

Democrats are actually registering more new voters than Republicans. In addition, more new voters are registering as independents. These voters are far younger and more diverse than the electorate as a whole, and they appear to lean Democratic. And although the total number of registered Democrats is falling, many of the voters switching parties probably have not voted Democratic in a presidential election in a long time  their party registration is finally catching up with how they actually vote.

These trends in voter registration arent being driven just by Mr. Trump. The changing tallies are a lagging indicator of what we already know: Many voters who used to consider themselves Democrats now vote Republican.
France's outgoing minister vows to 'transform' France Updated: 2016-08-31 02:10 (Xinhua)

Outgoing French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron attends a news conference after his resignation, at Bercy Finance Ministry in Paris, France, August 30, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS -- French outgoing Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that he would make proposals to "transform" France after announcing resignation from the government.

"I'm determined to do everything so our values, ideas and actions can transform France from the next year", Macron said in a speech to ministry staff.

He said the he had resigned to "start a new stage" of his political fight and draw up a "diagnosis" of the country's problems.

The 38-year-old former banker handed his resignation to President Francois Hollande "to devote himself to political movement," the presidency office announced on Tuesday.

In a communique, the Elysee added Finance Minister Michel Sapin, a close ally of Hollande, will handle the economic portfolio, which means that the government will maintain the same non-business policy to meet pledges of robust economy and cut jobless.

Macron's resignation is widely seen as the first step for the former investment banker to pave the way for a closer launch of the presidential election bid.

He disclosed his political ambition after creating his own political movement "En Marche" (On the Move) in April, vowing to lead the movement "to 2017 and to victory".

He joined the Socialist cabinet in August 2014 to replace ousted Arnaud Montebourg.

Macron, former Hollande's economic advisor, was one of main figures that forged the "Law on Growth and Activity" and "responsibility pact", flagship pieces of the government's roadmap to revive sluggish growth and lower unemployment in one of Europe's main powerhouses.
Servers continue to take diners their entrees accompanied with an ever-changing daily question. They have asked, What is your gift to give? and, What brings you joy?

Bullet Train to Nowhere : Construction of the California high-speed rail system, Americas most ambitious infrastructure project, Construction of the California high-speed rail system, Americas most ambitious infrastructure project, has become a multi-billion-dollar nightmare

A Piece of Black History Destroyed: Lincoln Heights  a historically Black community in a predominantly white, rural county in Northern California  endured for decades. Lincoln Heights  a historically Black community in a predominantly white, rural county in Northern California  endured for decades. Then came the Mill fire

Warehouse Moratorium: As warehouse construction balloons nationwide, residents in communities both rural and urban have pushed back. In Californias Inland Empire, As warehouse construction balloons nationwide, residents in communities both rural and urban have pushed back. In Californias Inland Empire, the anger has turned to widespread action

The implication is that the restaurant is a sliver of nirvana. There are messages of joy etched on the water pitchers, and the womens bathroom mirror announces, I adore myself and everyone else. (Do I really? I could not help but wonder when I stopped in for lunch, unable to decide whether I should love the place for its good food or despise it for its too-precious attempt at happiness.)

What is most remarkable about Cafe Gratitude is its unabashed attempt to create a kind of animal-free utopia. There are no spaces free from its brand of positive thinking. The menu  from entree to dessert  reads like a catalog of affirmations. A diner doesnt order peach juice, but a glass of Cheerful. Entrees with names like Humble (an Indian curry bowl), Warm Hearted (grilled polenta) and Transformed (mole tempeh tacos) are followed by desserts of hempseed chocolates and raw cream pie that go by Delighted and Rapture on the menu.

Each plate comes with the message in black paint: What are you grateful for?

Written on the windows are positive declarations: I am awakening, grace, jolly, precious, eternal, luscious, bliss, divine, calm, delighted or adoring.

If the messages on the plates and menu are not enough to offer some kind of precious inner peace, the community bulletin board is filled with offerings for meditation challenges, courses in new science and consciousness, bhakti yoga festivals, the I am Renewed juice-cleansing program and tantra immersion retreats. Its enough to make even the most blissed-out, vegan Angeleno cringe.
Five former faculty members at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., including a well-known writer, engaged in sexual misconduct with students in the 1970s and 80s, the head of the school reported on Tuesday. It is the latest in a string of such revelations involving elite prep schools.

Three of the faculty members were identified through an investigation this year, after the school asked former students who had been abused to step forward, the head of school, John Palfrey, wrote in a message to alumni, staff, students and parents. In addition, Mr. Palfrey disclosed that there were a small number of cases, each dating from the 1980s, in which Phillips Andover previously learned of sexual misconduct or boundary violations by faculty members.

In each of these cases, we have notified the relevant state officials, he wrote, but the cases appear unlikely to result in prosecution. At least one of the former teachers is dead, and Massachusetts law states that for most crimes, a person cannot be charged more than 27 years after the encounter, or until after the victim turns 16.

Accusations have come to light in recent years of sexual abuse of children by adults at Horace Mann School in the Bronx, Fessenden School in Massachusetts, St. Georges School in Rhode Island and Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, among others. Some of the accusations have been followed by startling admissions by educators of acts they committed, often decades earlier.
MIAMI  Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and John McCain of Arizona brushed off primary challenges on Tuesday from Republican contenders.

Mr. Rubio will face a general-election race against Representative Patrick Murphy, a two-term Democrat, in a crucial contest for control of the Senate. Mr. McCain, seeking a sixth term, could also face a serious challenge, from Representative Ann Kirkpatrick, who has made it a point of her campaign to court Latinos and American Indians in an increasingly diverse and competitive state.

The contest between Mr. Rubio and Mr. Murphy is likely to be among the most expensive Senate contests in the country. With his onetime rival Donald J. Trump at the top of the Republican presidential ticket, Mr. Rubio, 45, will seek to fend off Mr. Murphy, 33, who has faced recent accusations of resume padding.
Politicians in Mexico have largely remained silent on Mr. Trump, though there have been outbursts, including from Mr. Pena Nieto himself. In March, he compared Mr. Trump to Hitler and Mussolini for what he called Mr. Trumps strident remarks and populism, though he later tried to soften his words without quite taking them back.

The trip will take place hours before Mr. Trump is to give a speech in Phoenix that is expected to clarify his stance on immigration, which has plagued his campaign over the past few weeks as he has wavered on key elements of his platform. His campaign has given conflicting signals over whether he will stick to the hard-line positions he took during the Republican primaries, particularly on deportations, and he suggested recently that he was open to softening some of his proposals. But his calls to have Mexico pay for the wall have continued.

From the first days of his campaign, Donald Trump has painted Mexicans as rapists and criminals and has promised to deport 16 million people, including children and U.S. citizens, Jennifer Palmieri, the Clinton campaigns communications director, said in a statement. What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions.

The trip is the latest gamble for Mr. Trump and his struggling campaign. But for all the risk it poses, it offers an image Mr. Trump relishes: of a wily negotiator willing to do the unexpected  meeting with a perceived enemy  to advance his agenda.

It will also be his first official meeting with a head of state as the Republican presidential nominee.

Despite Mr. Trumps routine scolding of Mexico and its leadership, several of his closest allies have warm ties with the country and its president. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, a top Trump adviser and confidant, traveled to Mexico in 2014 to meet with Mr. Pena Nieto, arguing that it was imperative for the United States to put Mexico at the center of its foreign relations.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  When a federal appeals court overturned much of North Carolinas sweeping 2013 election law last month, saying it had been deliberately intended to discourage African-Americans from voting, something else was tossed out as well: the ground rules for this years elections in a critical swing state. In each of the states 100 counties, local elections boards scheduled new hearings and last week filed the last of their new election rules with the state.

Now, critics are accusing some of the boards, all of which are controlled by Republicans, of staging an end run around a court ruling they are supposed to carry out. Like the law that was struck down, say voting rights advocacy groups and some Democrats who are contesting the rewritten election plans, many election plans have been intentionally written to suppress the black vote.

It is equal to voter suppression in its worst way, said Courtney Patterson, the sole Democrat on the Lenoir County elections board.

He was referring to a proposal by the boards two Republicans to allow 106.5 hours of early voting before the Nov. 8 election  less than a quarter of the time allowed in the 2012 presidential election  and to limit early balloting to a single polling place in the county seat of a largely rural eastern North Carolina county that sprawls over 403 square miles.
WASHINGTON  One of President Obamas top priorities during his last months in office is to help make sure that Hillary Clinton succeeds him. To do so, the president will make at least a dozen campaign appearances in battleground states from now to Election Day on Nov. 8.

Mr. Obamas task is not to try to persuade independents or Republicans that they should choose Mrs. Clinton over Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, according to White House officials and the Clinton campaign. Instead, he will urge his most enthusiastic supporters  young voters and African-Americans  to register or to be sure to turn out to vote for Mrs. Clinton.

The presidents focus is on getting the Obama coalition to the polls, said Jen Psaki, the White House communications director.

Most of his appearances will be timed to coincide with voter registration deadlines and the start of early voting, White House officials said. On Sept. 13, for example, Mr. Obama will appear at a rally in Philadelphia, four weeks before the last day that Pennsylvanians can register to vote.
India has intensely debated how it responds to and prevents sexual assault since a woman was gang-raped and brutalized on a New Delhi bus in 2012 and died from her injuries. Though the country now imposes stricter penalties, it has continued to reckon with high-profile cases of attacks on tourists. Five men were sentenced in June to life in prison for a 2014 gang rape of a Danish woman who was abducted at knife point in New Delhi, and in July the police accused two men of raping an Israeli woman in Manali.

India reported 36,375 rapes against women in 2014, the most recent year statistics were available from the government. Delhi had an average of six rapes and 15 molestations per day in 2015, the highest rate in 15 years, according to The Indian Express.

Mr. Sharmas comments do not veer too far from advice from the United States State Department, which cautions that women should not travel alone in India and says that visitors, especially women, are advised to respect local dress and customs. With the exception of some resorts and neighborhoods in New Delhi and Mumbai, women in India tend to dress with clothing that covers their legs and shoulders, the guidelines say.

Although most victims have been local residents, recent sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas across India underline the fact that foreign women are at risk and should exercise vigilance, say the guidelines, last updated in 2015.

Sachi Maclachlan, 27, a filmmaker from Brooklyn, has been to India four times and said she always recommended to her American friends that they dress traditionally as a way of survival. But she struggles with how that suggestion conflicts with her feminist philosophies, she said, including the idea that victimization is not the womans fault.

On several occasions, she has been harassed and touched in the streets while wearing traditional Indian clothing, she said. It suggests to her that the problems run deeper than the clothes women wear.
TOKYO  The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is requesting another increase in spending on Japans armed forces, with a plan to expand missile defenses that would test the nations commitment to pacifism and escalate a regional arms race with China and North Korea.

With rising threats from North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile program and repeated incursions by Chinese ships into waters surrounding a string of islands claimed by Japan, the request would let the Defense Ministry develop new antiballistic missiles and place troops on southern islands closer to the chain in dispute with China.

If approved, the budget proposal for 5.17 trillion yen, or $50.2 billion, formally submitted on Wednesday, would be the nations fifth-straight annual increase in military spending. It is a 2.3 percent rise over last year.

The request includes proposals to develop and potentially purchase new antiballistic missiles that can be launched from ships or land, and to upgrade and extend the range of the countrys current land-based missile defense systems, a significant expansion of Japans missile defense capabilities.
WASHINGTON  It seems obvious: Killing terrorist leaders should weaken their organizations, depriving those groups of strategic direction and ideological appeal. The death of someone like Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, a senior Islamic State figure reported killed on Tuesday in Syria, should seem like a significant setback for the group.

But scholars have struggled to find evidence that killing leaders is an effective way to dismantle terrorist organizations, instead finding ample evidence that it makes little difference. That research seems to apply especially to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, whose attributes make it resilient to losing even a top figure like Mr. Adnani.

Two features make a terrorist group able to withstand a senior officers death, according to research by Jenna Jordan, a Georgia Tech professor and a leading expert on the subject.

The first is popular support. Groups need a steady stream of recruits and a pool of potential new leaders. Support among civilians in areas in which the groups primarily operate also makes them more stable, by broadening support networks and helping them to safely retrench when needed. Leaders are usually killed in or near communities that support them, resulting in those communities rallying behind the terrorist group and against whoever did the killing.
It used to be that the only way a non-recognizable person could land in the pages of the glossy celebrity magazines was to lose 100 pounds, serve as some heartwarming testimony to good-old-fashioned American values, or be murdered. But in the early aughts, the magazines started diversifying their coverage of Hollywoods leading Jens and Bens with stories on the romantic dupes and plastic surgery nightmares of reality television. Now, as the rise of social media demolishes the leverage that celebrity tabloids once had over their most famous subjects, the gossip industry keeps defining celebrity downward. (After all, no magazine can match the reach of Taylor Swifts more than 90 million Instagram fans or Kim Kardashian Wests 47 million Twitter followers.)

When Ms. Kardashian West first rose to prominence, commentators sneered that she was famous for nothing. The accusation seems quaint now: Tabloids have moved on from covering reality television stars like Ms. Kardashian West to following reality TV supporting characters, former reality TV stars, friends and exes of former reality TV stars  even people who post their own family dramas straight to YouTube. These days, gossip sites are also fueled by figures largely famous for doing nothing much. Jeremy Meeks, whose image went viral when Twitter swooned for his hot mug shot, has popped up on the websites of Us Weekly and People since his release from prison earlier this year. Instagram models like Ms. Richie, Sahara Ray and Bronte Blampied can milk months of coverage out of a couple of shots of themselves posing with Mr. Bieber.
China condemns car bomb attack that hurt 3 at embassy in Kyrgyzstan Updated: 2016-08-31 07:05 By Wang Qingyun(China Daily)

Police officers gather near the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, after a car bomb attack on Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

China said it strongly condemns the "severe terrorist attack" on its embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which injured three people and killed the attacker, and it reiterated its determination to crack down on terrorism.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remarks on Tuesday after confirming that the embassy was hit by a car bomb on Tuesday morning, slightly injuring three embassy staff members.

Calling terrorism "the common enemy to the international community and the most severe threat that countries of this region face", Hua said China will strengthen counterterrorism cooperation with countries in the region including Kyrgyzstan, both on the bilateral level and within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Through such cooperation, China will firmly crack down on all forms of terrorism, protect Chinese in other countries and maintain regional security and stability, Hua said.

"China has asked Kyrgyzstan to adopt whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety of China's organizations and Chinese people in Kyrgyzstan, have a rapid and thorough investigation of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice," the spokeswoman told a daily news conference.

The attacker was killed by the explosion, which caused damage to the embassy door, and local police were trying to identify the assailant using DNA, Xinhua reported.

Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the attack will encourage China and Kyrgyzstan to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation, as well as lead Kyrgyzstan to strengthen efforts to maintain its security.

International cooperation is "one of the most effective ways to crack down on and contain terrorism", he said.

"The international community should join efforts to fight terrorism, no matter where it takes place or whom it targets," Li said.
The second season picks up where the first left off and will track the roughly 16 months between his escape and death, which came in 1993 when he had just turned 44.

In a recent phone interview, Mr. Moura, who learned Spanish and gained 40 pounds to play Escobar, discussed why he was relieved to be done with the role. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Aside from Escobars end, what is Season 2 about?

The first season was epic. The second season concentrates on the drama of the characters. The powerful Pablo of the first season, the one we all kind of know from the books and documentaries, is not the one that were going to see. Hes going to lose his money, his power, his allies. Hes about to lose his family, as well, a very important thing for him. At the same time, the D.E.A. guys Murphy and Pena go into a very complex moral conflict. In order to catch Pablo, they start to become something really similar. All the characters go into different moral and emotional conflicts in a way you dont see in the first season.

This time the lines between the good guys and bad guys seem blurrier.

Of course Pablo Escobar was a bad guy. But Narcos is not about good American cops that go to a South American country to save poor people from a bad guy. We wanted to be as accurate and respectful as we could about Colombias history, and the D.E.A. guys are not exactly the heroes of this story. The heroes of Narcos are the Colombian people who fought and decided to do something about the horrible narco-terrorism that took place in their country back in the 80s.
When Abbott Laboratories $5.8 billion acquisition of Alere was announced on Feb. 1, the two companies lauded the transaction. Miles D. White, the chairman and chief executive of Abbott, said the combination would create the worlds premier point of care testing business. Namal Nawana, president and chief executive of Alere, said Abbotts broad portfolio would achieve its goal of improving patient care.

These days, the mutual praise seems like a distant memory.

In a lawsuit filed last week in Delaware Chancery Court, Alere portrayed Abbott as suffering from buyers remorse, saying its executives had vowed to make life difficult unless Abbott was allowed to walk away from the deal. Alere contends Abbott stalled on obtaining crucial regulatory approvals to close the transaction. A redacted copy of Aleres complaint was released Wednesday, the same day Abbott filed its legal response, calling the complaint nothing but a publicity stunt.

Here is a summary of Aleres complaint, as it seeks a judges help in forcing the deal to close, as well as Abbotts response.

Image Miles D. White, chief executive of Abbott Laboratories. Credit... Frank Polich/Bloomberg News

WHAT CHANGED

Abbott signed a deal in April to acquire St. Jude Medical, which makes cardiovascular devices, for $25 billion. Completing that transaction, coupled with Aleres, would put a tremendous amount of stress on Abbotts balance sheet, tripling its debt and increasing the likelihood of a credit-rating downgrade. Abbott would also need to issue billions of dollars worth of equity to pay for both deals.
The White House said it had chosen seven experts in finance and the law to supervise Puerto Ricos fiscal affairs in the coming months under a law enacted this summer intended to help the island restructure its $72 billion debt.

Four of the supervisory board members are Republicans and three are Democrats, chosen from lists provided to the White House by the party leaders of both houses of Congress. And four of the members are Puerto Ricans, which is three more than required under the new debt-restructuring law.

The Republicans named to the board are:

 Andrew G. Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

 Jose B. Carrion III, president of Hub International, an insurance brokerage in Puerto Rico.
BEIJING  Canada said on Wednesday that it had applied to join Chinas version of the World Bank, breaking with previous leaders who had shared United States officials skepticism of the new Beijing-led lender.

The move came during a five-day trip to China by the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, who is seeking to burnish trade, business and political ties with Beijing. Chinas relationship with the previous Canadian government had been lukewarm.

The membership would provide a lift for the lender, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a Chinese-led organization that counts 57 countries as members and that is looking to expand by about an additional 30. The bank  founded last year to fund roads, power lines and other needed infrastructure projects in Asia  is widely seen as an extension of Chinas growing economic and political heft and as a counterweight to the World Bank and other institutions dominated by Western countries.

The previous Canadian government, led by Stephen Harper, hesitated in joining the bank, saying that it wanted to ensure that the institutions financial and environmental standards were sound. The Obama administration expressed similar reservations, and during the genesis of the bank, it advised several allies, including Australia and South Korea, not to join.
WASHINGTON  American lawmakers have for years been assailing companies for dodging taxes with overseas maneuvers. But now that the European Union has done something about it by trying to wrest billions of dollars from Apple, those officials have offered a response viewed by many as rife with hypocrisy: collective outrage.

Tax avoidance has become a lightning rod as the presidential campaign has taken on a strong populist cast, and leading Republicans and Democrats in Congress have demanded that companies be forced to pay their fair share. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump have vowed to crack down on deals that allow companies to relocate their headquarters overseas to lower their tax bills, and the Treasury Department has made limiting international loopholes a priority.

Despite all that, Apple  a company long accused of being overly creative at avoiding taxes  now has the federal government standing up for it after the European Unions executive commission ordered Ireland on Tuesday to collect $14.5 billion in taxes from the company.

And for at least some American politicians, the anger stems from a simple calculation: The tax money that the European Union extracts from Apple should be going to the United States Treasury, not that they have figured out how to make that happen.
A federal appeals court in New York has thrown out a $655.5 million verdict rendered last year that had held the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization liable for their roles in supporting terrorist attacks in Israel that claimed American lives.

In reversing the verdict on Wednesday in the case, which drew the attention of the Obama administration, the appeals court did not minimize the impact of the six terrorist attacks, which occurred from 2002 to 2004, but it held that the Federal District Court in Manhattan had lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case.

The terror machine-gun attacks and suicide bombings that triggered this suit and victimized these plaintiffs were unquestionably horrific, said a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in Manhattan.

But the federal courts cannot exercise jurisdiction in a civil case beyond the limits prescribed by the due process clause of the Constitution, the court added, no matter how horrendous the underlying attacks or morally compelling the plaintiffs claims.
Because the E.P.A. does not regulate the testing of water in schools, its guidance on pre-stagnation flushing does not apply directly to New Yorks procedures. But the agencys voluntary guidelines for schools do not recommend such flushing and generally direct schools to mimic normal consumption patterns when taking samples.

The results should be thrown into the garbage, and the city should start over, said Marc Edwards, a civil engineering professor at Virginia Tech who helped uncover dangerously high lead levels in the water in Flint, Mich., touching off scrutiny of drinking water across the country.

Yanna Lambrinidou, an anthropologist who has worked with Dr. Edwards to expose lead contamination in water in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, and an affiliate faculty member at Virginia Techs Department of Science and Technology in Society, said in an email that New York Citys schools may have just broken the national record for flawed testing.

Flushing is inappropriate any time you want to assess lead concentrations coming out of individual taps, Dr. Lambrinidou wrote in the email. She said that water in schools is often stagnant for long periods of time  after school hours and on weekends, holidays and other breaks  and that the idea is to test it under conditions similar to those in effect when children might drink it. Unless N.Y.C. schools flush every drinking water tap every evening for 2 hours routinely, their sampling technique is both unreliable and scientifically and morally indefensible, she wrote.

Dan Kass, a deputy commissioner in the citys Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, defended the process used to test the water. In an interview last week, he said the most important thing when sampling for lead was to have a period of stagnation, and that whether the water was flushed before that period began, and for how long, would not affect the results.
Four weeks after a woman was strangled while on an evening jog through a stretch of wetlands near her home in Queens, the police released a sketch on Wednesday of a man who had been seen in the area and might be a witness with information about the killing.

Police officials said the man was not considered a suspect, or even a person of interest, in the Aug. 2 killing of the jogger, Karina Vetrano, 30. Investigators said they were hoping to question him in the hopes that he could help them find the killer.

We want to speak with this person because we feel he was there, Robert K. Boyce, the New York Police Departments chief of detectives, told reporters. Id never want to tell you hes wanted for this crime, because hes not. We have no evidence to say that.
Since it opened its doors in 2006 as one of Afghanistans first private, nonprofit universities  supported then and now by the United States Agency for International Development  A.U.A.F.s high standards of teaching, and its M.B.A. and undergraduate degree programs, have made it a beacon of hope for thousands of young Afghans. It is a way to build a better life for themselves and their families, and for many, the first step in a career path as a future leader.

About 75 percent of Afghanistans population is under 35. The students who attend A.U.A.F. are part of that generation. They grew up with war; as displaced, stateless people; as orphans; as children who had to support their families from a young age. As a result, they feel passionately that their own children should have a better life than they did. They are modern, culturally astute and technologically savvy, and they are defining what Afghanistan will look like 10 years from now.

The university holds special meaning for me and my husband, Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistans ambassador to the United States. We both had the privilege of working for the university, so we know very well how hard the staff and faculty have labored to create a safe environment for students in the middle of conflict, and how hard it is in those challenging conditions to maintain a curriculum that is the equal of better-known universities across the world.

In early August, two A.U.A.F. professors, an American and an Australian, were kidnapped while on their way to work by armed men. They have not been heard from since. Every morning, students, staff and faculty wake up and head to campus, knowing theres the chance they might not come home that evening. But if the attackers goal was to scare students and faculty away, they have failed.

A poor shopkeeper whose daughter attends A.U.A.F. on a scholarship and was wounded in the attack told The Washington Post that he would send his daughter back to school once the university reopened. My country needs educated people because there is so much illiteracy, he said. I worry every day when my children leave home, but my daughter is a talented student and she wants to help her country.

The university is a microcosm of the Afghanistan the next generation wants to live in  a place where people debate their differences instead of fight over them, where diversity is respected, and tolerance and understanding are freely expressed. These are the values of a healthy, secure society, which Afghanistan is working so hard to become.
The Jesuit cemetery in St. Inigoes, Md., used to be surrounded by tobacco fields. Over the course of roughly 150 years, those fields were worked by hundreds of slaves owned by the Jesuits. In June, I sat in that cemetery, as a priest and a history professor at Georgetown University, with 16 Jesuit seminarians. We discussed what had happened there in 1838, when several hundred men, women and children were rounded up by the churchmen and their hired agents and transported first by wagon, then by ship to plantations in Louisiana.

I tell this history to seminarians every year. Both as historian and as priest, I am convinced that the past matters in the present. That is one reason I did not hesitate to lead the working group on slavery, memory and reconciliation that has as its goals the recovery of a neglected history and the pursuit of present-day reconciliation at Georgetown. The groups recommendations for how best to acknowledge and recognize the schools historical relationship with slavery will be released on Thursday.

The 1838 sale is the most harrowing story I tell the seminarians. But it is hardly the only such story. The visit to the plantations is a chance to teach them that the Jesuits in colonial North America and the early United States owned more than 1,000 slaves on Maryland plantations, as well as in the Midwest and Deep South. Few of the slaves were emancipated until the law required it.

This slave labor generated revenue for Catholic pastoral and educational foundations. Revenue from the sale of these men, women and children regularly supported a growing network of missions, parishes and schools. In 1838 such revenue saved Georgetown from serious debt and settled a dispute with the archbishop of Baltimore, who had wanted the plantations for himself. But even in the 1780s as church officials were planning to open Georgetown, revenues from the sale of supernumerary slaves were already targeted for the schools operations.
Brazil's Senate removes President Dilma Rousseff from office Updated: 2016-09-01 00:51 (Agencies)

Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff attends the final session of debate and voting on Rousseff's impeachment trial in Brasilia, Brazil, August 29, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

BRASILIA - Brazil's Senate removed President Dilma Rousseff from office on Wednesday for breaking budgetary laws, ending an impeachment process that has polarized the scandal-plagued country and paralyzed its politics for nine months.

Senators voted 61-20 to convict Rousseff for illegally using money from state banks to boost public spending, putting an end to 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule in Latin America's largest economy.

Conservative Michel Temer, the former vice president who has run Brazil since Rousseff's suspension in May, will be sworn in on Wednesday to serve out the remainder of the presidential term through 2018.

A separate Senate vote will be held on whether Rousseff will be barred from public office for eight years.

Brazil's first female president has denied any wrongdoing and said the impeachment process was aimed at protecting the interests of the country's economic elite and rolling back social programs that lifted millions of Brazilians from poverty during the last decade.

Her opponents, however, have hailed the chance to turn the page on a drawn-out political crisis, the country's worst recession in generations and a sweeping corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras.

Motorists honked car horns in the Brazilian capital in a blaring tribute to the removal of a president whose popularity had dwindled to single figures since winning re-election in 2014.

In Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, fireworks exploded in celebration after the vote.

Temer has vowed to boost an economy that has shrunk for six consecutive quarters and implement austerity measures to plug a record budget deficit, which cost Brazil its investment-grade credit rating last year.

However, he is likely to face bitter political opposition from the Workers Party, which has vowed to take to the streets in protest.
Amid the craggy landscape near the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii, six researchers lived for a year as if they were on Mars. Confined to a 1,000-square-foot habitat inside and spacesuits outside, the researchers spent their time extracting water from dry rock, growing plants and crawling through gigantic lava tubes.

But when members of the group were released from their habitat on Sunday, they emphasized one key takeaway: They had spent a lot of time trying not to drive themselves or each other crazy.

Two significant obstacles for the researchers were the physical and the emotional isolation. They began living at the habitat in August 2015 as part of the NASA-funded Hi-Seas project. They were the fourth group to take up residence there, and stayed longer than any previous group.

Experts say that travel to Mars may be possible by the 2030s, so if youre among the many who hope to one day complete the approximately 33-million-mile journey to the red planet  or if you want to try your hand at a year living in Hi-Seas isolation  here are a few tips on how to get along with your colleagues at one of the most extreme workplaces in the solar system.
A ring of sunshine will blaze above parts of Africa on Thursday as the moon glides between the sun and Earth. The solar spectacle is called an annular eclipse, and sometimes referred to as a ring of fire eclipse.

Unlike its better-known relative the total solar eclipse, an annular eclipse occurs when the moon does not completely blot out the sun. For viewers on the ground, instead of witnessing a white halo they will see red slivers of sunlight shining around the moons dark silhouette.

If they look up with protective eyewear they are going to see this strange ring in the sky, more spectacularly they will see these circular shadows, said C. Alex Young, a solar astrophysicist from NASA. Its a cool event, the shadows are kind of eerie.
On Tuesday, reports surfaced that Google was inching closer to becoming an Uber competitor. For some time, Google has been testing a ride-sharing service near its headquarters, in Mountain View, Calif. Soon that program is expected to expand to San Francisco.

Image

There may have been a time when Google and Uber were friends. GV, the current name of Alphabets investment arm, invested in Uber, after all. Uber certainly benefited from working with Googles mobile operating system, and it has long used Googles maps (though it is working on its own now).

But somewhere along the way, the two started to drift apart. Google has been working on a self-driving-car project for years and has been testing the vehicles on the streets of Silicon Valley. Last year, Uber hired some of the best minds in the autonomous-vehicle world from Carnegie Mellon University and created its own self-driving-car research center.

And last week, Uber acquired a self-driving-truck start-up founded and heavily populated by  you guessed it  former Google employees. To top it off, Uber plans to start testing self-driving Uber cars in Pittsburgh next month.

Google has a history of executives who serve on the boards of companies that could soon be competitors, of course. Eric E. Schmidt, Alphabets executive chairman, was a member of Apples board when his company was developing Android, a direct competitor to the Apple iPhone. Steve Jobs, legend has it, was not very happy about it.
Days before the scheduled release of a former Stanford University student from jail on Friday after serving three months for sexual assault, California lawmakers voted to close what they called a sentencing loophole by mandating harsher penalties for similar assaults.

Victims advocates and others are planning a protest outside the San Jose Hall of Justice at 10 a.m. on Friday to greet the release of the former student, Brock Turner. And amid an effort to impeach the judge, Aaron Persky  who was denounced for what many called an egregiously lenient sentence of six months  the judge has spoken out on a website, Retain Judge Persky.

Without addressing any specific case, Judge Persky defends his record, saying hes a fair-minded judge and a prosecutor of hate crimes: I have a reputation for being fair to both sides.

The California bill, inspired by the Stanford case, cleared its last hurdle in the California Assembly on Monday. It is now before Gov. Jerry Brown. A spokesman for the governor declined on Tuesday to comment on his plans for the bill, adding that Mr. Brown has until the end of September to sign or veto it.
WASHINGTON  American intelligence agencies believe that the Russian government was behind the theft of emails and documents from the Democratic National Committee, but many questions remain about how the documents made their way to WikiLeaks, which released them.

Before the WikiLeaks release, a large sampling was published by several news organizations and a hacker called Guccifer 2.0, who investigators now believe was an agent of the G.R.U., Russias military intelligence service.

American intelligence agencies say the earlier leaks from Guccifer and the WikiLeaks material have the same bits of code and telltale metadata traced to previous intrusions attributed to the G.R.U. or the F.S.B., another Russian spy agency. However, Julian Assange, the editor of WikiLeaks, makes a distinction between the Democratic National Committee material he released and the earlier releases by Guccifer and others, saying there is no proof that the Russians gave him the documents.
President Obama leaves on Wednesday for his final trip in office to the other side of the world, heading to China and Laos after a brief stop on a spit of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

As president, Mr. Obama has promised to reframe American foreign policy toward Asia as part of a pivot intended to focus more on the emerging trading partners in that region. The presidents weeklong trip is his last big effort to make that policy a reality.

But on the way, the president will spend two days highlighting his commitment to combating climate change. On Wednesday, Air Force One will travel to Hawaii, with a stop at Lake Tahoe, Nev., where Mr. Obama will speak at a climate change summit meeting organized by Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader.

On Thursday, the president will fly to Midway Atoll, a tiny island in the Pacific and the site of a critical victory by United States naval forces over the Japanese during World War II. It is now a national wildlife refuge. On the island, Mr. Obama will announce a vast expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument to highlight the importance of protecting lands and waters from the perils of climate change.
Donald J. Trump is heading to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, but one of the Mexican leaders predecessors had a different message for the Republican presidential nominee: You are not welcome here.

Vicente Fox, Mexicos president from 2000 to 2006, said on Wednesday that the invitation from Mr. Pena Nieto was a mistake and that Mr. Trump should never be trusted in the country because of the way he has demonized its people.

He is not welcome to Mexico, Mr. Fox told CNN. We dont want him. We reject his visit.

Mr. Fox has been critical of Mr. Trumps plan to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico and on Wednesday he shrugged off recent signs of Mr. Trump softening his plans to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants.

You cannot trust a guy like this, Mr. Fox said. How can we grant confidence and support to ideas that change everyday? He cynically continues to disregard his own people and disregard Mexicans.
DAKAR, Senegal  President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon has been narrowly re-elected, according to results released by election officials on Wednesday.

Mr. Bongo won last weekends election, receiving 49.8 percent of the vote and edging out his opponent, Jean Ping, by less than two percentage points, according to the results released by the Interior Ministry. A constitutional court must certify the vote for it to become official.

Supporters of Mr. Ping, a former chairman of the African Union, who received 48.2 percent of the vote, declared the results fraudulent and demanded a recount. Gabons capital, Libreville, was bracing for violence as election observers pleaded for peace.
BRASILIA  The Senate on Wednesday impeached Dilma Rousseff, Brazils first female president, and removed her from office for the rest of her term, the capstone of a power struggle that has consumed the nation for months and toppled one of the hemispheres most powerful political parties.

The Senate voted 61 to 20 to convict Ms. Rousseff on charges of manipulating the federal budget in an effort to conceal the nations mounting economic problems.

But the final removal of Ms. Rousseff, who was suspended in May to face trial, was much more than a judgment of guilt on any charge. It was a verdict on her leadership and the slipping fortunes of Latin Americas largest country.

The impeachment puts a definitive end to 13 years of governing by the leftist Workers Party, an era during which Brazils economy boomed, lifting millions into the middle class and raising the countrys profile on the global stage.
This is a novelty for me, to be able to fly direct without having to travel to a third country, said Orestes Garcia Vasquez, 68, who was traveling from Villa Clara to South Florida.

This allows me to save time and money.

Cuba and the United States agreed to allow up to 90 daily round-trip flights between the two nations, the Department of Transportation said. Six airlines have been approved for flights to nine Cuban cities other than Havana, but not all of them have announced their schedules.

Mr. Foxx said far more airlines had expressed interest in flying to Havana, the capital, than could be accommodated.

I havent seen anything like it, he said.

On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation announced that Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines would operate the coveted Havana flights. The airlines will fly from Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Fort Lauderdale; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; Newark; New York; Orlando, Fla.; and Tampa, Fla.

Calling it good pressure, Mr. Foxx acknowledged that Cuba would have to improve its airport infrastructure to be able to handle the increased flow of airlines. The country is notorious for poor airport facilities, and passengers often endure hourslong waits because baggage carousels or staircases needed to disembark are tied up.

Jose Ramon Cabanas Rodriguez, Cubas ambassador to the United States, said the countrys 10 international airports were safe and secure and had fielded nearly 5,000 charter flights from the United States last year. He added that the flight on Wednesday was yet another first for the two countries announced in the past few months.

We hope that in the near future, all remaining obstacles that limit further exchange between the two countries will be removed, he said, referring to the American trade embargo, which remains in place.
MEXICO CITY  If President Enrique Pena Nieto invited Donald J. Trump to visit Mexico for a dialogue in the interest of democracy, the message has fallen on deaf ears.

Instead, the predominant feeling here in the Mexican capital is one of betrayal.

Its a historic error, said Enrique Krauze, a well-known historian. You confront tyrants. You dont appease them.

On Mexicos most popular morning television show on Wednesday, a livid Mr. Krauze likened the presidents meeting with Mr. Trump to the decision by Neville Chamberlain, then the British prime minister, to sit down with Hitler in Munich in 1938.

It isnt brave to meet in private with somebody who has insulted and denigrated Mexicans, Mr. Krauze said. It isnt dignified to simply have a dialogue.
BEIJING  The prestigious school in eastern China that became the focus of national outrage last spring after nearly 500 students fell ill has been tested and classified as environmentally safe, the city government of Changzhou has said.

But parents and many others are voicing doubts, and anger, about the findings.

The illnesses at Changzhou Foreign Languages School caused an uproar across China after a report in the state news media said that more than 20 percent of students at the school had gotten sick  a few cases as severe as leukemia and lymphoma  possibly because a nearby field was polluted.

In a brief announcement late last week, the Changzhou city government said that investigators had concluded that the air, soil and water at the school were safe after conducting tests from April 19 to May 20.

Some people called on the government to offer more details.

Cheng Qian, a campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia, said the report was an attempt to dissociate the childrens illnesses with the nearby field, the site of several former pesticide plants.
KATHMANDU, Nepal  Mountaineers were dubious in June, when Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod announced that they had achieved a lifelong goal, becoming the first Indian couple to climb to the summit of Mount Everest.

Those doubts were confirmed this week when the Nepalese authorities said that the Rathods, both police officers in the Indian state of Maharashtra, had doctored photographs submitted to the government in applying for a certificate of a successful climb. The couple were barred from climbing Nepals mountains for 10 years.

They provided fake, cropped pictures to prove that they summited Everest, Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal, the director general of the Nepalese Department of Tourism, said in a telephone interview on Monday.
But getting to the market is incredibly costly: Renting a small truck to take the goods there on the bumpy, narrow road out of Shibar costs about $20  a large sum, considering how little the farmers currently make.

The Afghan government, which often uses nongovernmental organizations as implementing partners, prioritizes the extremely poor for many of its agricultural projects. So even a small grant like giving a family a sheep or a cow, as well as teaching them ways to grow and sell their products, makes a big difference.

When we go back two years later, for example, each of them have expanded that to at least three or four sheep, or sold some of the sheep to buy a cow, said Dr. Mariam Habib, who ran one of these small-grant programs in Bamian.

With their increased economic activity and their handle of the cash flow, women say they also notice a change in their standing in the community.

Everyone invites me to parties, and they even consult me on matters now, one gaptoothed older woman, waving her hands, told a visiting delegation of officials recently. She could not be reached for identification afterward.

But in Shibar, as they increase production and earn more, some of the female union leaders bemoan a compromise that is forced on them: The new potatoes taste different.

The new potatoes are now white in the middle and have a great market, but they dont taste the same, said Asma, the deputy chief of one union. For her own cooking, she grows the old seeds.
Some said the gathering was not inclusive enough, noting that Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi had set the date for the conference without consulting important participants. And there were worries she was stretched too thin, with preparations for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit meeting in Laos next week and an expected trip to the United States in September.

Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi told us that Myanmars peace process is coming too late, and it is better to jump into it as fast as possible, said Salai Yaw Aung, a leading member of the All Burma Student Democratic Front, an armed group that has signed the cease-fire deal. That could be a reason the conference was rushed, even though armed groups wanted to delay it until October.

We dont have any expectations for 21st Century Panglong, said Maj. Gen. Say Htin, the leader of Shan State Army-North, a group fighting the Myanmar Army in the northeast. We had to negotiate hard just about who would give speeches. We want peace. But whether that will be successful or not depends on the governments process.

The government of former President Thein Sein, which ushered in democratic changes in 2011, pushed to secure a peace deal before the November elections, which Ms. Aung San Suu Kyis party, the National League for Democracy, won in a landslide.

In the end, only eight ethnic armed groups signed the deal. Others were turned off by the armys insistence that they commit to the cease-fire as a condition for participating later in a broader political dialogue about equal rights and power-sharing.

The armed groups that did not sign the deal represented more than four-fifths of all ethnic combatants in the country, according to Bertil Lintner, the author of several books about Myanmar.

But the peace conference includes groups that were excluded from the cease-fire agreement, representing, in effect, the symbolic beginning of a long-awaited political dialogue about federalism and constitutional changes.
SEOUL, South Korea  The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has executed his deputy premier for education and purged two other senior officials, sending them to re-education camps, the South Korean government said on Wednesday.

Jeong Joon-hee, a spokesman for the Souths Unification Ministry, said at a news briefing that the South Korean government had used various means to confirm the execution of Kim Yong-jin, the deputy premier, and the purge of Kim Yong-chol, the head of the United Front Department of the ruling Workers Party, which handles relations with, as well as spying operations against, South Korea. Choe Hui, a deputy chief of the partys Propaganda and Agitation Department, was also banished for re-education, Mr. Jeong said.

Mr. Jeong provided no further details, including when the reported punishments were believed to have taken place or how South Korea had learned of them. But in a later briefing, a senior Unification Ministry official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said that Kim Jong-un had found fault with the 63-year-old deputy premiers disrespectful posture during a meeting that Mr. Kim oversaw in late June.
LONDON  Since Britains vote in June to quit the European Union, its government has promised repeatedly to make a success of withdrawal, known as Brexit.

More than two months later, however, it still cannot say how.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May called cabinet ministers to a brainstorming session about the withdrawal, pledging to examine the next steps for Britain and to identify opportunities that are now open to us as we forge a new role in the world.

However, in ministerial offices, where turf wars have rapidly broken out, advocates of the withdrawal have discovered that four decades of European integration have left Britain so deeply embedded in the 28-nation bloc that there is no easy escape route.

British officials currently have neither the expertise nor the staff for the tortuous exit negotiations, which are likely to last at least three years and possibly much longer. Some analysts have even said they might take a decade.
Born on June 24, 1923, in St.-Genis-Laval, near Lyon, he was the fifth and, by his account, the most shy of seven children from a bourgeois family that expected him to take up a respectable vocation. It was his father, an enthusiastic traveler and amateur photographer, who led him astray by giving him a vest-pocket Kodak when Marc was a teenager.

His first photographs were of the Paris Exposition in 1937. After World War II, in which he fought around Vercors as a member of the Resistance, Mr. Riboud studied mechanical engineering at the Ecole Centrale in Lyon. He took a factory job in the nearby town of Villeurbanne after graduating in 1948.

Not until he found himself taking pictures of a cultural festival in Lyon during a weeklong vacation in 1951 did he at last decide to commit to the unstable life of a freelance photojournalist. He moved to Paris in 1952.

There he met Cartier-Bresson, who became his mentor. Already a celebrity in his field, this salutary tyrant, as Mr. Riboud called him, dictated which books to read, what political ideas I should have, which museums and galleries to visit.

He taught me about life and about the art of photography, Mr. Riboud said.

Among the lessons imparted was that good photography is dependent on good geometry. The Eiffel Tower photograph from 1953, the first that Mr. Riboud published, proves how well the pupil absorbed the lesson. In a radio interview more than 50 years later, he still recalled the English-language caption given to the image by the Life copy writers: Blithe-ful on the Eiffel.

In 1953, Cartier-Bresson nominated his protege to join Magnum, the photo collective he had helped found. Until 1979, when he left to go out on his own, Mr. Riboud traveled and photographed for the agency constantly.
Mariano Rajoy, Spains caretaker prime minister, failed on Wednesday to gain Parliaments endorsement to form a new government, raising the likelihood that a third national election would be needed to try to break the countrys political deadlock.

Mr. Rajoys proposed government was voted down by lawmakers, 180 to 170. Mr. Rajoy will have another chance to win Parliaments backing on Friday, but the chances of that vote producing a different outcome appear minimal, particularly after a debate on Wednesday that highlighted how fragmented Spanish politics has become.

Spain has been without an elected government since December, after two inconclusive elections.

Addressing Parliament before Wednesdays vote, Mr. Rajoy accused opposition lawmakers of sabotaging his government program as a way to oust him. What this is about is to send Mr. Rajoy on holidays, he said.
Julian Assange was in classic didactic form, holding forth on the topic that consumes him  the perfidy of big government and especially of the United States.

Mr. Assange, the editor of WikiLeaks, rose to global fame in 2010 for releasing huge caches of highly classified American government communications that exposed the underbelly of its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and its sometimes cynical diplomatic maneuvering around the world. But in a televised interview last September, it was clear that he still had plenty to say about The World According to US Empire, the subtitle of his latest book, The WikiLeaks Files.

From the cramped confines of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he was granted asylum four years ago amid a legal imbroglio, Mr. Assange proffered a vision of America as superbully: a nation that has achieved imperial power by proclaiming allegiance to principles of human rights while deploying its military-intelligence apparatus in pincer formation to push countries into doing its bidding, and punishing people like him who dare to speak the truth.

Notably absent from Mr. Assanges analysis, however, was criticism of another world power, Russia, or its president, Vladimir V. Putin, who has hardly lived up to WikiLeaks ideal of transparency. Mr. Putins government has cracked down hard on dissent  spying on, jailing, and, critics charge, sometimes assassinating opponents while consolidating control over the news media and internet. If Mr. Assange appreciated the irony of the moment  denouncing censorship in an interview on Russia Today, the Kremlin-controlled English-language propaganda channel  it was not readily apparent.
MOSCOW  The Russian military said on Wednesday that its warplanes had carried out a strike in Syria that killed up to 40 Islamic State militants, including Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the groups senior strategist and spokesman who was heavily involved in planning attacks overseas.

The Russian announcement appeared to be a direct challenge to an American claim made a day earlier that one of its drone strikes had killed the same senior figure. Pentagon officials dismissed Russias claim.

Russia has faced widespread criticism from the West that its nearly year-old military intervention in Syria was undertaken more to prop up President Bashar al-Assad of Syria than to fulfill the Kremlins stated goal of fighting terrorism. This is the first public announcement that it had killed a specific senior figure from the militant group.

Russias Defense Ministry said in a statement that Mr. Adnani, 39, had been killed on Tuesday after a Russian Su-34 bombed an area near the Syrian city of Aleppo, and that his death had been confirmed through several intelligence channels.
Amid the modern skyscrapers of Shanghai, the parties to a time-honored treaty are at war.

At stake are the spoils of a multibillion-dollar industry and a minority groups ability to retain its customs in a fast-changing China.

Also, noodles.

When Xian Gulin opened a halal restaurant in Shanghai last month that serves hand-pulled beef noodles, he hoped patrons would line up at his door. What he got instead was an entrance blocked for weeks by protesters.

The protesters, like Mr. Xian, were Hui, a Muslim ethnic minority, originally from Chinas northwest. They accused the restaurateur of violating the Shaanxi-Ningxia-Gansu Treaty, a social pact that prohibits the Hui from opening halal noodle shops within 400 meters of each other  roughly 1,300 feet.

To appease the protesters, Mr. Xian eventually agreed to take down the halal insignia from his storefront.
The author of The Mirror Test is recognizably that figure. Weston chose to spend three years in the Mad Max inferno of Falluja, much of it in a tiny post where he was the only civilian embedded with two dozen Marines. He had a front-row seat for the slaughter that ensued when American forces were ordered, in 2004, to retake the city from insurgents, obliterating much of it in the process. Weston essentially assigned himself the job of finding local partners willing to work with Americans to rebuild Falluja in exchange for endless stacks of American money, and, even more urgently, to function as the citys informal government.

That, as Weston knew, is how counterinsurgency wars are won  not by killing bad guys but by defeating their cause in the minds of ordinary citizens. Counterinsurgency is a battle for political legitimacy  and the insurgents fought back remorselessly. Virtually every Iraqi courageous or crazy enough to join Westons cause was murdered. But Weston also describes Americas unwitting connivance with its enemies. In the fall of 2005, United States special forces troops in their ubiquitous Black Hawk helicopters swooped in to kidnap a young Falluja woman, Sara al-Jumaili, thought to be the girlfriend of an insurgent kingpin. They had not, of course, asked anyone about the political consequences of doing so. All Falluja assumed Sara had been seized in order to be raped at an American base. The city was up in arms. In a desperate act that he describes as insubordination, Weston wrote to George Casey, the commanding officer in Iraq: It is 1651 [4:51 p.m.] on Thursday. If Sara al-Jumaili is not released before Friday prayers, Marines and civilians will die.

Sara was released, but too late to prevent a disaster. Sheikh Hamza, Fallujas revered grand mufti and Westons most prized recruit to local governance, had refused to publicly denounce the Americans, knowing that doing so would unleash a spasm of violence. One month later, Sheikh Hamza was gunned down outside his mosque. All of Westons efforts had been for naught. He was enraged  at political leaders in Washington, diplomats in Baghdad, special forces commanders in Tampa. Although counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq  the surge  is widely considered a success, Weston shows us, in miniature, how the military imperative of killing terrorists consistently trumped the political one of empowering local actors. Today, of course, Iraq has a dysfunctional Shia-dominated government threatened by the Sunni terrorists of ISIS.

The Mirror Test is a memoir, not a policy paper. Weston writes of the consuming guilt he felt after he authorized a mission that led to the death of 31 Marines in a helicopter crash. Large portions of the book are devoted to his travels back home, visiting the grave sites in a search for expiation, or working with wounded vets. Here Weston seems to be fulfilling an obligation to himself rather than to the reader. The emotional core of The Mirror Test is Westons profound love for the Marines, whose stoic warrior culture and bottomless commitment to one another he embraces. This reverence, however, blurs the books intellectual outlines, since Westons buddies dont share either his horror of the wars or his commitment to putting politics and diplomacy first.
On the lower left-hand corner of my desk sits a wooden box, roughly the size and shape of a smallish jewelry case and featureless save for a small metal switch on its uppermost surface. From time to time over the course of my workday, I reach out to flick this switch, and a hatch opens at the top of the box, and a small fingerlike projection, driven by a whirring motor within, emerges and pushes the switch back into its original position. Having been switched on, this machine has now fulfilled its sole function of switching itself off again.

This device  which is known as the Useless Machine, and more rarely as the Leave Me Alone Box  was conceived at Bell Laboratories in the early 1950s by the computer scientist Marvin Minsky, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence, who was at that point a grad student working a summer job. The first working model was constructed by his mentor, Claude Shannon, who later became known as the father of information theory. This context, the fact that the creators of this aggressively pointless gadget are emblematic figures in the ascendancy of machines over our contemporary world, lends a frisson of historical oddity to what is essentially an executive toy.

I developed an affection for this machine  for the idea of it, and then, having bought one on eBay, the reality  while writing a book about transhumanism, a movement that, among other things, advocates the merger of our bodies with our technologies. Part of the experience of writing the book, of spending time with transhumanists and engaging with their mechanistic ideas about human nature, was an uneasy grappling with the notion that we humans were already biological machines, and that we were destined to be superseded by technologies more sophisticated than ourselves. I was haunted by Minskys own infamous claim that the human brain is just a computer that happens to be made out of meat  an idea as hard to refute as it was unpleasant to think about  and by his insistence that our creations would one day be smarter than we are. Despite being a product of Minskys strange and fertile imagination, the Useless Machine seemed to me to run counter to this narrative of absolute automation; it seemed to react to the idea by switching itself off.
The United States admitted its 10,000th Syrian refugee this week in a resettlement program announced by President Obama last fall, according to The White House.

Under pressure from Europe and other countries confronting the global migration crisis last fall, Mr. Obama had raised the number of Syrian refugees who would be offered legal status to at least 10,000 in the 2016 fiscal year.

Where Refugees Were Placed

600 300 Number of refugees placed, 2012-16 Seattle 100 Spokane 10 Beaverton Richland Portland Portland Fargo Concord Syracuse Albany Boise Minneapolis Rochester Oshkosh Boston Grand Rapids Buffalo Providence Rochester Sheboygan New Haven Dearborn Madison Erie Allentown New York Rockford Des Moines Cleveland Elizabeth Sacramento Philadelphia Pittsburgh Chicago Salt Lake City Fair Oaks Omaha Oakland Baltimore Columbus Indianapolis San Jose Denver Cincinnati Charlottesville Kansas City Turlock Salinas Colorado Springs Newport News Louisville Lexington St. Louis Raleigh Wichita Las Vegas Durham Winston-Salem Nashville Victorville Charlotte Los Angeles Springdale Tulsa Glendale Santa Ana Irvine Memphis Columbia Albuquerque Phoenix Atlanta San Diego Savannah Dallas Fort Worth Tucson Tallahassee Midland Jacksonville Baton Rouge Pensacola Orlando Austin Houston New Orleans Kissimmee Clearwater San Antonio Palm Beach Tampa Delray Beach Miami 600 Number of refugees placed, 2012-16 300 100 Seattle 10 Spokane Portland Portland Fargo Concord Syracuse Boise Minneapolis Boston Oshkosh Buffalo Rochester Dearborn New York Cleveland Des Moines Sacramento Chicago Pittsburgh Philadelphia Salt Lake City Omaha Oakland Columbus Baltimore Indianapolis San Jose Cincinnati Denver Charlottesville Turlock Lexington Kansas City Newport News St. Louis Louisville Raleigh Las Vegas Wichita Nashville Winston-Salem Charlotte Los Angeles Glendale Tulsa Santa Ana Memphis Albuquerque Columbia Phoenix San Diego Atlanta Dallas Savannah Fort Worth Tucson Tallahassee Jacksonville Austin Orlando New Orleans Houston San Antonio Tampa Delray Beach Miami Seattle Spokane Portland Portland Syracuse Boise Boston Buffalo Providence Dearborn Sacramento Philadelphia Chicago Omaha Baltimore Salt Lake City Denver St. Louis Kansas City Louisville Winston-Salem Charlotte Nashville Memphis Phoenix Atlanta San Diego Savannah Dallas Tucson Jacksonville Austin 600 Number placed 2012-16 Houston Tampa Delray Beach 100 Miami 600 Number placed, 2012-16 100 Seattle Dearborn Boise New York Chicago Sacramento St. Louis Charlotte Phoenix Atlanta San Diego Dallas Tucson Houston Tampa Miami

The refugees who have arrived from Syria since 2012 have been placed in 231 towns and cities.

Some of them have reached large cities like Chicago and Houston, but most have been sent to more affordable, medium-size cities. Boise, Idaho, has accepted more refugees than New York and Los Angeles combined; Worcester, Mass., has taken in more than Boston.

Refugees placed each year

2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016

With the 10,000 admitted this fiscal year, the United States has now accepted nearly 12,000 Syrian refugees since the civil war began five years ago.

Before the recent surge in admissions, Syrians were just a small percentage of all refugees allowed into the United States. In the 2015 fiscal year, just 2 percent of the 70,000 refugees admitted were from Syria. The majority were from Myanmar, Iraq and Somalia.

In the past, the United States has admitted far larger numbers of refugees. In 1979, it provided sanctuary to 111,000 Vietnamese refugees, and in 1980, it added another 207,000. Around the same time, the country took in more than 120,000 Cuban refugees during the Mariel boatlift, including around 80,000 in one month alone.

To ease integration, Syrian refugees have been placed in communities where there are other Syrian immigrants.

More than 150,000 Syrians already live in the United States, according to census figures, and refugees who have relatives in the country are likely to be resettled with or near them.

Those who do not have family in the United States are placed where jobs are more plentiful and the cost of housing is low.

People with Syrian ancestry, per 100,000 residents

10 50 100 200 Town or city with at least one Syrian refugee placed since 2012 10 50 100 200 Town or city with at least one Syrian refugee placed since 2012 10 50 100 200 Town or city with at least one Syrian refugee placed since 2012 Areas of detail below 10 50 100 200 Town or city with at least one Syrian refugee placed since 2012

Refugees receive help finding work and housing, but they are expected to become self-sufficient within a year.

Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh, a former construction worker from Syria, is among the latest group of refugees to be accepted, according to The Associated Press. Mr. Jouriyeh, his wife and four children are headed to San Diego, which has accepted more Syrian refugees since 2012 than any other city.

Mr. Jouriyeh, 49, and his children. Raad Adayleh, The Associated Press

Most of the refugees have been admitted in the past three months.

While Mr. Obamas resettlement program got off to a slow start, the administration reached its 10,000-refugee goal a month ahead of schedule. Eight months into the program, the United States had accepted only a quarter of the target.

One challenge was that the Syrian refugees were subjected to an additional layer of background checks, which extended a lengthy vetting process.
Every few years, an industry for self-serving reasons tries to exploit Californias loose rules for putting propositions on its ballot. This doesnt usually work, even though industries that have tried this tactic when all else political had failed them generally outspent opponents by factors of at least 50-1.

It was about 20 years ago, when the tobacco industry fielded an initiative aiming to remove all local smoking restrictions and substitute a much looser statewide standard allowing tobacco use almost anywhere. That effort lost badly and remains a classic in the annals of misleading names for campaign committees. Big Tobaccos campaign moniker: Californians for Statewide Smoking Restrictions.

So it is again this fall with Propositions 65 and 67, as the plastic bag industry tries to reverse an almost total ban of its products from California grocery stores that passed the Legislature in 2014 and was quickly signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The bag makers committee name isnt quite as misleading as Big Tobaccos, but the tag still obscures its purpose: American Progressive Bag Alliance. Whats a progressive bag?

Even with many local bans in place and applying to most of the states biggest cities and almost half its population, Californians still dump a reported 11 billion plastic bags into landfills yearly. Countless others still decorate highways. These do not disintegrate or decay in water, like paper products, so they could be around for centuries.

Altogether the bag makers raised well over $4 million before the fall campaign, compared with barely a quarter-million for supporters of the bag ban. Most cash backing the ban has come from grocery chains like Albertsons Safeway (including Vons), Ralphs and Raleys.

That caused a bag industry attempt to penalize grocers  who originally opposed banning plastic bags  for switching sides and helping cost the bag makers hundreds of millions of dollars yearly. Bag makers lashed out by placing Proposition 65 on the ballot in an attempt to deprive grocers of even breaking even on the paper bags they sell for 10 cents each under the states 146 local bans on plastic bags.

Claiming the grocers only switched sides because they discovered the small bag fees add up to a big new source of revenue, the bag alliance wrote an initiative earmarking all money spent on bags for environmental projects supervised by the state Wildlife Conservation Board.

Trouble is, many supermarkets say they actually lose money on paper bags. One board member of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op reports Our paper bags cost us 14 to 15 cents each. Its inaccurate to suggest its a revenue stream when it is still a major expense.

Meanwhile, large grocery chains say theyve converted to the anti-plastic side in large part because thats what their customers want. Early polling is that consumers are adapting to no plastic bags, Ronald Fong, head of the California Grocers Association (contributor of about $210,000 to the pro-ban side), told a reporter. Its really unfortunate that out-of-staters are sinking millions of dollars into telling us were wrong here in California.

But the bag association predicts it will win and overturn the statewide bag ban. We believe voters  will make their voices heard at the ballot box, the groups president, Lee Califf, said in a statement. The statewide ban, he added, threatens thousands of jobs and will have no meaningful effect on the environment.

If jobs are threatened, of course, not many are in California. Big plastic bag makers dont manufacture much here.

Any jobs threatened by a statewide ban are shaky anyhow. Thats because the existing local bans covering Los Angeles, San Francisco and 144 other locales would not change if the No-on-67 side wins and overturns the statewide ban.

No matter how obviously self-serving their two propositions may be, this is still likely a lose-lose proposition for the bag makers. The bottom line for them is that they stand no chance of restoring California to its former status as their largest market.
Medical-device molder Balda C Brewer will lay off 130 people in Anaheim, effective Oct. 28, according to documents filed with the state.

German-based Balda Groups operating units were bought by Italy-based Stevanato Group for roughly $105 million earlier this year.

This acquisition is a further step towards our strategy goal to broaden our product portfolio providing integrated systems for pharmaceutical use, shifting to the higher part of the value chain, said Franco Stevanato, CEO of Stevanato Group, in a statement at the time.

The company also laid off 193 people in Irvine in February, according to documents with the Employment Development Department.

The company closed its Irvine plant at the time, according to the San Diego Business Journal. The company also planned on moving operations to the Inland Empire and San Diego County from Anaheim.

Balda AG came to California in 2012 when it bought C. Brewer Co. for $43.7 million.

Company representatives did not immediately return requests for comment.

Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
QAYARA AIR BASE, Iraq  The air base that Iraqi forces hope to use as a staging area to take Mosul back from Islamic State was almost completely destroyed by the retreating militants, raising new doubts over whether the long-awaited operation will begin this year.

Iraqi forces seized the Qayara air base south of Mosul in July, in what U.S. and Iraqi officials said was a major step toward the eventual liberation of the countrys second largest city, which fell to Islamic State in 2014. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called on Mosul residents to get ready for the liberation of their areas.

But Iraqi army commanders stationed at the base say it will take months of reconstruction before it is ready to receive cargo planes and house the tens of thousands of troops needed for the march on Mosul. Their assessments call into question whether Iraq will be able to launch the operation this year, as the prime minister has repeatedly pledged.

Daesh began destroying this base from the moment they took it over, Col. Karim Rodan Salim said, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. No less than 95 percent of the base has been destroyed.

Islamic State militants stripped buildings of wiring, toppled blast walls, leveled airplane hangars with explosives and mined runways.

Salim and his men are living in trailers on a patch of tarmac in the shadow of one of the partially collapsed hangers. At a nearby runway dozens of piles of dirt and rocks mark suspected explosives left by Islamic State, Salim said. He estimates it will take at least six months of rebuilding before the base is ready for the 50,000 troops he says will be needed to retake Mosul.

Originally built in 1979, the facility was renamed Saddam Base after it was rehabilitated by the former Iraqi dictator. Islamic State captured the base in the summer of 2014, when it swept across much of northern and western Iraq and drove panicking Iraqi troops out of Mosul. The base is more than 4 miles long and has runways large enough to accommodate cargo planes.

The coalition hopes to transform the base into a logistics center ahead of the Mosul operation. The Pentagon announced earlier this month that about 400 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division will deploy to Iraq as part of that effort. They are among 560 additional troops President Barack Obama approved for the Iraq mission in July.

On Monday, a convoy of dozens of armored coalition vehicles carrying heavy equipment and supplies could be seen along the road leading to the base.

The U.S.-led coalition has stepped up a campaign of airstrikes around Mosul in recent weeks and fast-tracked training programs for Iraqi forces in an effort to meet the prime ministers deadline of launching the operation by years end.

The seizure of this base is important because it demonstrates the Iraqi security forces ability to maintain momentum as Daesh gets weaker and continues to lose territory, said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, commander of coalition land forces in Iraq.

Islamic State has retreated from areas around Mosul in recent days, including the nearby town of Qayara, where it set oil wells on fire before the advancing troops. The extremist group has come under mounting pressure on a number of fronts in Syria and Iraq in recent months, losing a string of towns and cities in both countries.

But it has sabotaged infrastructure on its way out, leaving behind a swath of destruction that that in the short-term is hindering further advances by Iraqi forces and in the long-term will require a daunting reconstruction effort.

Across northern and western Iraq, engineering teams are busy rebuilding downed bridges and carefully removing thousands of roadside bombs and other booby-traps. Iraqi forces recaptured Ramadi, the provincial capital of the western Anbar province, six months ago, but the city is still too dangerous for most residents to return.

What we see here was an organized destruction, Salim said. But we were expecting it. Daesh never leaves anything behind.
LAGUNA BEACH  A woman visiting from New York found a brand new dress with store tags still attached in a sea cave at the end of Thousand Steps Beach.

Seven-year-olds Owen and Charles Fouhy, of Laguna Beach, found an American flag. Alexander Sarkis, 9, also from Laguna, found a portable barbecue and some boogie boards. And volunteers uncovered a plastic sheet covered in human waste, remnants of a former homeless camp.

These were among about 500 pounds of trash collected Saturday at Thousand Steps Beach. The cleanup was organized by Chris Tebbutt, a real estate agent in South Laguna in partnership with James Pribram of the ECO-Warrior Foundation.

Pribram, a professional surfer who grew up in Laguna Beach, created ECO-Warrior in 2006. The foundation was born out of his passion for the ocean. With a boots on the ground approach, the ECO-Warrior Foundation is dedicated to working directly with individual communities, both locally and internationally, who want to make a difference and create a positive and lasting change in the environment.

The city provided Beach Patrols officers and OC Parks, which oversees South Laguna beaches, provided hand-grabbers used for picking up trash. Coyote Grill provided breakfast burritos for all volunteers.

Tebbutt said 73 people volunteered and worked the beach for three hours. Most came from Laguna Beach, but some came from surrounding communities and others were visiting from out-of-state.

Tebbutt decided to organize the event after attending a recent community meeting with city and county officials where South Laguna residents complained about negative impacts from an ever-increasing number of beachgoers at beaches like Thousand Steps. Tebbutt and Pribram have more beach cleanup events planned at Table Rock and West beaches.

Tebbut asked Pribram to join the cause because of his foundations passion and its global reach. The group provided gloves and bags to all volunteers.

ECO-Warrior Foundation is all about creating awareness, getting people inspired and getting them to show up, Tebbutt said.

Pribram pointed to Tebbutt as an example of why he started the ECO-Warrior Foundation.

I was doing a lot of work around the world and people asked me about the beaches in my own backyard, Pribram said. What Chris did is a perfect example of why I started this. I have a lot of people complaining. Most just want to rant, but Chris was unbelievable, he really got it.

Recent years of record heat and social media, South Laguna residents say, have kicked the number of beach visitors into high gear and has made the South Laguna village an ever-growing, increasingly rowdy party.

Residents say public drunkenness is common, as is public urination, parking is difficult and jaywalking is routine. And traffic? Dont get started about the traffic.

But along with the rise in bad behavior, neighbors and police say theres a rise in something less easy to measure  bad feelings.

The number of tourists has gone up, as has the number of days they go to the beach. And, increasingly, the behavior has shifted from the kind of stuff that once drew a frown or a cranky comment into the kind that prompts a call to the cops.

Last year, police in Laguna took 1,712 calls for service in the South Laguna neighborhoods where residents complain of trash, parking issues, noise and public urination. Thats already more than the 1,645 calls taken in the same area in all of 2010.

OC Parks is struggling to maintain them due to not enough staffing, Tebbutt said. The trash has been piling up. As a South Laguna resident, I decided to reach out to Eco-Warrior Foundation. I wanted to do more than just another clean-up. I wanted to create an event that would strengthen our community and create an opportunity for our neighbors to get out and and get to know each other.

Pribram agreed. The beach has a lot of trash cans but somehow, they just arent being used and or emptied.

Its hard to get down there, even for the beach cleanup, taking all the supplies down, he said. Its a beach thats lawless, kind of like the Wild West. People are just lazy now, they dont throw their trash away. When I was a kid on the beach, if you left trash or were disrespectful, theres be an older guy that would put you in your place. People are disrespectful now.

Chris Richter, a local artist who lives just up from the beach and runs its stairs regularly, was there to pick up trash.

You wouldnt believe the amount of litter, he said. I wish the visiting beach goers would kindly pick up their trash after enjoying the beach. The most common trash items he f fell in three categories: Intimate apparel, condoms and picnic goods. Other surprising items were surf boards, boogie boards and a picnic table.

Saturday was Liz Blacks birthday and the beach cleanup was exactly how she wanted to start her day. Thousand Steps Beach is extra special to Black. Its where she had her first date with her now husband, Peter. They got engaged there. Now, they live in a house nearby.

I heard about this a few months ago and when I thought about what I really wanted to do for my birthday as a family, it was this, she said.

For daughter, Ella, 6, the clean-up gave her a chance to use her new trash grabbers. She, too, regularly goes to the beach to surf with her father. Saturday, she sound found bottle caps, cigarettes and plastic.

My dad found some of it and pointed it out, she said. Its not good to leave trash there. People can step on it and its gross.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini
Anyone who has despaired over home improvement should spare a thought for Sir Lachlan Hector Charles Maclean of Duart and Morven.

The Scottish lord has been repairing his home since he inherited it from his father in 1990, with no end in sight.

His is no ordinary house. Rather, it is a crumbling, 14th-century castle  with a dungeon  that has collapsed ceilings and rainwater seeping through its 16-foot-thick walls pretty much all of the time  even during summer, which can be exceedingly wet and blustery in Scotland.

The cost of repairs? So far, 1.5 million pounds ($1.94 million) and counting.

Located on the Isle of Mull, off the western coast of Scotland, his home, Duart Castle, is the ancestral seat of the Macleans, one of the oldest clans in the Scottish Highlands. The 74-year-old chatelains ancestors have been involved in centuries of battles pitting Catholics against Protestants and the Scottish against the English in rivalries that still resonate.

What does one do with a property like this? Maclean, the 28th chief of the clan, asked rhetorically one recent afternoon as he sipped tea in his living room, probably one of the snugger parts of the castle where he and his wife, Rosie, have retreated though it was still mildly damp with a whiff of stale curry.

Strong rains lashed against the windows, and the constant buzz of drilling forced him to speak up. The Macleans private living room was cluttered with modern bric-a-brac while, just below, tourists tramped about in the stately banquet hall looking at clan paraphernalia and trying to locate a public toilet. There are, in fact, two toilets, but they are both unusable  one put in nearly a century ago, and another 600 years ago.

A lot of people wouldnt want to live here, Lachlan Maclean said, before proceeding to list, like an overly candid real estate agent, the propertys shortcomings. Its cold; its never really warm. Its very windy, and its very wet  and thats not a very good combination. Some people must be thinking, What a silly old fool, living there.

Perched on a craggy cliff on an island slightly bigger than New York City, the castle has, at various stages in its history, been invaded, attacked and demolished by rival clans loyal to Scottish kings or by troops fighting on behalf of Oliver Cromwell, the anti-monarchist revolutionary.

At one point, the castles dungeon held Spanish prisoners after a failed attempt to invade England in the 16th century. The clan had lands on the Isles of Mull, Coll, Tiree and Jura  all also along the west coast of Scotland.

In modern times, however, Duart Castle has been under assault primarily by Scotlands relentlessly bad weather.

Befitting a modern-day clan chief, whose complete title is Sir Lachlan Hector Charles Maclean of Duart and Morven, 12th Baronet, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Deputy Lieutenant and Eighth Lord Maclean (he goes by Sir Lachlan), his primary job is to defend the castle from decay and, more important, from oblivion.

There are 283 days of rainfall on average per year on the Isle of Mull. When winds are particularly strong, he said, the only way to leave the castle, which is bounded on three sides by water, is by crawling on his hands and knees down the steps of the main entrance.

Duart, which means black point in Gaelic, a nod to the black volcanic rock where the castle stands, is one of the last surviving clan castles still privately owned.

Maintaining it is a moral responsibility, Maclean said. It is a sort of focal point for the clan, he added, as he carefully descended a narrow staircase that was designed in 1360 to be just wide enough to allow one man wielding a sword. (A sign nonetheless read: We apologize for any congestion on the stairs.)

The castle receives about 25,000 visitors a year, some of them part of the Maclean diaspora living in the United States, Canada and Australia. The name Maclean can be spelled in at least 15 ways.

People are increasingly searching for their heritage and their identity, Lachlan Maclean said, leading some to visit Duart Castle.

In a globalized world, people are becoming less sure about themselves, he said. And they want to find home.

He recalled meeting one visitor, a Maclean from Australia, who had promised his family back home that he would visit Duart Castle. As the visitor was leaving, he turned to Lachlan and said, Thank you for looking out for us. A young woman in Florida, another Maclean, sends monthly donations from her supermarket wages.

But Lachlan Maclean is worried that he will be unable to finance repairs to the castle after 2017.

In 2013, four ceilings crumbled when water came through the chimneys. Water has also washed away some of the mortar between the stones of the castles walls.

A year earlier, Maclean had convened a clan congress, announcing then that the family was no longer able to afford the repairs undertaken at the castle over the past century.

Repairs are paid in part by Historic Scotland, a government agency that looks after important monuments. There is the revenue from tourists entrance fees, a small cafe and a shop on the castle grounds. But work done in the 1990s by builders advised by the Scottish government turned out to be shoddy, Maclean said, forcing a new round of repairs. The builders went bankrupt soon after.

Now, work on the castle is increasingly dependent on donations from the public. I really would like to redo the whole thing, he said. But is one able to raise that amount of money?

The castle was founded in the 14th century and was well maintained until the 1600s, when the Macleans aligned themselves with the House of Stuart, a losing cause, leaving them poor and eventually landless.

Duart was seized and sacked by the rival Campbell clan in 1688 and was garrisoned by government troops until 1751.

The Macleans were monarchists who summoned clan members from France to participate in the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745 on the side of the Stuart family against government forces. That culminated in the 1746 Battle of Culloden near Inverness in the Highlands, when the Jacobites were defeated and the Stuart pretender to the throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie, escaped into exile.

Duart was restored in 1911 when Lachlan Macleans great-grandfather, Sir Fitzroy Maclean, bought back the castle, which had been left in ruins for 150 years.

The clan animosity with the Campbells is deeply ingrained, possibly the fruit of family disputes, including the failed attempt by the 11th chief of the Macleans, Lachlan Cattanach, to murder his wife, Elizabeth, a Campbell, because she had failed to produce an heir.

According to the castles history, she was marooned on a rock in seas off Duart Castle and left to drown when the tides rose. She was rescued by fishermen and returned to her family, but not before her husband, thinking she had died, offered his condolences to her father, the Earl of Argyll.

In a twist worthy of a telenovela, the earl invited his son-in-law to dinner at the Campbell castle, where, to the Maclean chiefs astonishment, his wife was found sitting at the table. He later married twice more, but was eventually murdered by a Campbell around 1523.

That rivalry is long gone now, though Lachlan Maclean has vowed never to wear a kilt with the Campbell pattern.

There is a greater, more urgent matter at hand. Scotland cannot let this building fall into disrepair because its too important for history, he said.

Another uncertainty is whether Macleans eldest son, Malcolm, 43, will move into the castle when he inherits it.

I was brought up here. I love living here, Lachlan Maclean said thoughtfully. Its an old building that Im very fond of.
Every July, World War II Navy flying ace Fred Dungan celebrates two birthdays  the July 27, 1921 date of his birth and the 4th of July.

My second birthday is his nickname for Independence Day, the nations birthday. It was on that date in 1944 when his combat flying career ended. It also was the day he said he had a talk with his maker, who let him live to celebrate many more birthdays.

The former Navy Hellcat pilot known as Buck to his squadron mates recalled that unforgettable day in an interview after attending an Aug. 17 meeting of San Clementes Retired Senior Volunteer Program, a group of uniformed residents who assist the Sheriffs Department providing police services in San Clemente. Dungan is the oldest RSVP.

It was the RSVPs first meeting since Dungan turned 95 on July 27. More than 30 members saluted him with a cake, an oversized birthday card and a monogrammed jacket and hat. He blew out the candles on the first try.

This is the first time in 30 years weve had somebody 95 that is still out there (performing duties), volunteer Ray Kunkle told the group. That gives every one of us something to shoot for.

Dungan, while thanking the group, did not recount his World War II exploits at the meeting. His fellow RSVPs already know of them, as Dungan has been honored multiple times in the community, at veterans functions and by President Obama at the White House.

I remember July 1944 very well, he said while sitting down with a reporter. This was my last combat hop, when I shot down four enemies and my wingman and I, at night, sunk a destroyer escort. We both were shot up, but we got back to the carrier.

Dungan said his shoulder was all blown apart but he survived an hour and a half flight back to the carrier.

I started to get woozy, he said. Then I got mad at myself for getting shot, for not watching my six (looking behind him). By the time I landed, I was in a real nasty attitude. They said wait here and well get a stretcher, and I walked down to sick bay and knocked on the door and said, you sons of (expletive) take walk-ins? The chief surgeon was so mad at me for not waiting at my airplane. He said Buck, come in here, sit down, hang on and shut up!

Dungan said he asked when he would fly again and was told five months. It turned out to be five months to the day, but never in combat again. He retired a lieutenant commander with the Navy Cross, a Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross and in later years, induction into the Golden Eagles, an elite group of naval pioneers of aviation.

He and four other pioneer night fighter pilots in his unit were credited with shooting down 27 Japanese aircraft in battles over Japanese-held Pacific islands during 1944. Dungan was credited with seven, qualifying him as an ace. He said he actually had 10 but couldnt count three of them.

His fighter squadron earned the Presidential Unit Citation.

After the war, Dungan said he flew quite a bit, running a flight school for a few years before settling into a 35-year career with 3M Company.

He has volunteered with the RSVPs for 20 years. While he no longer does routine RSVP patrol, he helps with duties like visiting shut-ins to check on them, a program known as You Are Not Alone.

He personally is not alone. His wife Lorayne died in 2010, but he soon united with Joan Hanson, widow of a former Navy lieutenant commander. Fred and Lorayne had regularly played bridge with Lew and Joan Hanson as a foursome until Lews death in 2009.

Dungan said he and Joan discovered after being widowed that they had been born less than two weeks apart. They bonded, and in 2011 a large gathering celebrated the couples 180th birthday.

I miss all my old friends, Dungan said. Theyre all gone. Im the last of my squadron, the last of everything. But Ive made a lot of new friends. Ive known these people (RSVPs) 20 years. Thats pretty nice.

Dungan said he is in good health as best he can tell, and he still attends reunions although the numbers of World War II veterans continue to dwindle. In October Ill be going to Seattle for an aces reunion and in November Ill be going to Denver for another aces reunion, he said. They are paying for our transportation, for both of us. Its wonderful, all the benefits Im getting now. If you live long enough, thatll happen to you!

Contact the writer: fswegles@ocregister.com or 949-492-5127
The fire burning in the Cherry Valley area was slightly bigger and further contained Wednesday morning, but firefighters remain concerned that winds and dry fuel could cause the blaze to explode.

With any hot spots, that wind change is always a concern, said Cal Fire Capt. Liz Brown adding that 20-mph wind gusts are expected throughout the day.

Most of the vegetation burning is a combination of chaparral and short grasses, and its those tinder-dry grasses that are worrisome for fire officials.

The Bogart fire, named for the park it started in, covered 1,300 acres and was about 45 percent contained by 3 p.m., officials said.

Evacuations southeast and northwest of Bogart Park took effect shortly after the fire ignited at 12:25 p.m. Tuesday. They were lifted about 9 p.m.

Thats one thing we are very thankful for  the cooperation of residents to evacuate, said Brown, alluding to some of the difficulties firefighters faced during the Blue Cut fire, where only half of the residents under mandatory evacuation orders heeded those advisements.

No homes were threatened as of Wednesday morning, as the fire was burning mostly in nearby vegetation. However, that was not the case Tuesday.

The fire moved so quickly that authorities had to call in all available air support immediately because the blaze was lapping up against homes, leading to a no-divert order.

The order, explained Brown, would not allow any air support crafts to be pulled from the incident if another fire broke out in Southern California because authorities hadnt had the opportunity to evacuate anyone from their threatened homes.

Our priority is to protect life and property, she said.

Four of the more than 400 firefighters working to combat the flames suffered minor injuries Tuesday, said Cal Fire Operations Chief Silvio Lanzas.

Yesterday was a good firefight, he said during a morning briefing. The guys and gals did a bang-up job.

The firefighters are being assisted by five helicopters and nine air tankers.

Firefighters planned to work Wednesday to keep the flames between Brookside Avenue and International Truck Trail and between Avenida Miravella and Bluff Street.

Some of their effort will be concentrated on a handful of hot spots.

The fire was moving northwest on Tuesday, but it hadnt reached the Banning Water Canyon east of Banning Bench. The canyon houses a water flume that supplies water to the city of Banning and the Banning Bench.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended their smoke advisory until Thursday suggesting anyone who lives or works in portions of the Banning Pass and Coachella Valley areas to remain indoors and limit outdoor activities.

The fire is the Inland Empires third largest this month, after the Blue Cut and Pilot fires blackened more than 45,000 acres combined in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Fire officials say the Bogart fire is acting similarly to the Blue Cut fire, which was unique in its rapid growth early on and its erratic behavior.

As firefighters were continuing their battle with the Bogart Fire, another blaze ignited in Southern California.

The 55-acre brush Holy fire was first reported shortly before 5 a.m. in the Bell Ridge area of the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County.

Heavy smoke from the that fire could be seen into both Riverside and San Bernardino counties prompting several concerned residents to call their local fire departments worried a possible fourth fire may have been burning in the Inland Empire.

Cal Fire Riverside posted a tweet letting people know the smoke they were seeing was coming from the Orange County blaze.

Bell Ridge is near Holy Jim Canyon, up a dirt road from the heart of Trabuco Canyon  at least several miles east of Rancho Santa Margarita. Aircraft began making water or retardant drops at dawn. Four planes and three helicopters were working the fire by late morning.

Cal Fire investigators say there was evidence found near the fires starting point that leads authorities to believe the blaze was human-caused, and they say kids in the area Tuesday afternoon could be the culprits. Anyone with information about juvenile activity along the north end of Winesap Avenue near the parks entrance is asked to call the arson hotline at 800-633-2836.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.
LAGUNA BEACH  A plan to bury utility lines to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire in this town might be getting some help from Sacramento.

Laguna Beach officials on Monday announced that legislation initiated by the city is on its way to Gov. Jerry Browns desk.

Senate Bill 1463, authored by state Sen. John Moorlach on behalf of Laguna Beach, provides direction to the California Public Utilities Commission to develop enhanced fire mitigation measures to prevent fires caused by overhead electrical lines.

The bill also directs the CPUC to prioritize areas at high risk of fires from overhead utility lines and to describe how the concerns expressed by local governments have been addressed through the process, City Manager John Pietig said in a statement.

Brown has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the legislation.

I am extremely pleased that our months of hard work on this legislation has paid off for Laguna Beach and other cities like ours that face extreme fire risk from above-ground utilities, said Councilman Bob Whalen, who has traveled to Sacramento a few times in recent months to testify before committees and to consult with legislative staffs.

On Monday he thanked Moorlach for his efforts to push the bill in Sacramento.

It was an uphill battle with the electric utilities, the cable TV operators and their lobbyists watching our every move, he said. We didnt get everything we wanted in this bill, but it is an important first step and will strengthen our hand as we do battle at the CPUC to make sure that Laguna Beach is recognized as an area for enhanced measures to prevent fires caused by overhead utilities.

City officials called for citywide undergrounding of utilities following a 15-acre wildfire in July 2015 that started when trees fell into utility wires, causing a power surge that sparked flames. Whalen said the city dodged a bullet with that fire thanks to favorable winds and firefighters efforts. He said he immediately contacted Southern California Edison and urged the utility company to partner with the city to reduce imminent threat of fire.

Whalen and other city officials met with SCE several times. But Pietig said the city chose the legislative route once it became obvious that city officials were not getting meaningful assistance from SCE to bury the power lines.

We can no longer risk the public safety of Laguna Beach by allowing above-ground utilities, Whalen said then. A major fire disaster caused by power lines is only a matter of time.

At that time, Laguna Beach Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse said the fire could have been devastating. More than 200 firefighters from other agencies, including the Orange County Fire Authority, assisted the Laguna Beach Fire Department in battling the blaze.

In the past 10 years, there have been at least four fires in Laguna Beach ignited by downed power lines, including one that blocked Laguna Canyon Road for an entire Labor Day weekend. A week ago, the canyon road was closed again for at least eight hours after a car spun and hit a utility pole, knocking down wires. Laguna Canyon Road has been shut down 13 times in the past five years.

You decrease the hazard, you decrease the risk, LaTendresse said. Undergrounding removes sources of ignition, and that lessens the risk of fire. It will also reduce closures of Laguna Canyon Road and improve response times by allowing emergency vehicles access.

Whalen said he and the city will focus on gaining Browns support for the Senate bill. He also plans to contact other cities and counties with similar fire risks, to develop more legislation in January when the Legislature reconvenes.

At Tuesdays City Council meeting, Whalen asked residents to go onto the citys website to download a sample letter, fill it out and send it to Brown.

Were going to have to push to get this signed, he said.

Councilman Robert Zur Schmiede and Pietig praised Whalen for his efforts.

This bill would not have made it out of the Legislature, if not for you, Zur Schmiede said.

In 1993, a massive firestorm, attributed to arson, engulfed this seaside community, setting the surrounding hills ablaze and consuming more than 400 homes. That blaze remains the most destructive fire in Orange County history.

Laguna Beach is surrounded by wildlands and hilly topography, with only two roadways in and out. Since the 1993 fire, the city has put preventative measures in place. Homes with shake shingle roofs are forbidden, firefighters are better trained and equipped to fight brush fires, the water district has two more reservoirs and backup generators, and City Hall has tighter regulations and prepares with disaster simulations.

About 40 percent of the citys utility lines have already been placed underground  almost all of it paid by residents through assessment districts.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini
As part of a plan to go private, Indiana-based Emmis Communications Corp. plans to sell Newport Beach-based Orange Coast Magazine, Los Angeles magazine and three other regional publications.

Jeff Smulyan, Emmis chief executive and controlling shareholder, has previously proposed the company go private and sell some assets in the process.

In order to address the companys debt issues, we need to look at selling assets, Smulyan said in a letter to employees. I would never consider such action unless absolutely necessary. Nothing pains me more than making decisions like this. After considerable discussion, we plan to explore the sale of Terre Haute radio, WLIB-AM in New York, and our Publishing Division (excluding Indianapolis Monthly magazine).

Smulyans E. Acquisition Corp. wants to buy Emmis for $4.10 a share in cash for a total value of roughly $50 million.

Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
Smells from all around the world will waft throughout the plaza in Old Towne Orange over Labor Day weekend as several hundred thousand people converge for the 44th annual Orange International Street Fair.

Part food festival, part hometown reunion, the Street Fair started in 1973 and has grown into one of Orange Countys biggest events.

This year, Lebanon, with its Mediterranean cuisine, will join old favorites such as Italy, Japan and Mexico among the 15 countries and cultures represented in streets hosting several food booths each. Yearly favorites include funnel cakes, bratwursts, gyros, quesadillas and sushi.

Street Fair organizers rearranged the countries a few years ago to give a little more elbow room to the crowds. Banners hung across the street mark the regions.

Its a great idea, celebrating so many cultures, said Michael Leicher, 18, who lives in Orange and has attended the fair every year with his family. Its a time people can cut loose into different cultures and eat authentic food.

For the local nonprofit groups that host the food and drink booths each year, the Street Fair is a huge fundraising opportunity. Along with reaping the profits from the sale of food, nonprofits are also chosen by the city via lottery to manage the public parking lots  theyre allowed to charge up to $10 for parking.

Alcohol is also sold on-site by nonprofits  wristbands cost $3.

As visitors fill their bellies with food and drink, they can listen to live music from nine stages peppered throughout the plaza.

Kathy Schulte of Yorba Linda, who works in Old Towne, said shell head to a performance stage or two after work.

Its all great fun, said the fan of the Italy Street food booths.

Leicher said hes seen an increase in attendees over his years attending the Street Fair. Nights, he said, get especially crowded.

This whole area, Old Towne, its great for a street fair, Leicher said. Earlier in the day, its relaxing just to walk around and take everything in.

The 1973 event was inspired by the Orange Street Fair of 1910. The city brought it back to mark a centennial but kept it going after the fair turned out to be a surprise smash hit.

Today, the Street Fair is run by a third party, Orange International Street Fair Inc., with cooperation from the city.

A lot of Orange High people come down, same with Villa Park and El Modena, Mike Winger, the events president, said of the reunion atmosphere. Its like a big party that everyone goes to.

PARKING TIPS

Realistically, anyone looking to attend should be prepared to hoof it at least a few blocks.

The city will not enforce permit parking during the event, so you can try to snag a space on a nearby residential street.

If youre willing to drop a little cash, the citys normally free parking lots are each manned by a local nonprofit, charging as much as $10 for parking. Keep in mind that youll still want to show up early for these spots.

One final tip: Organizers say extra handicap parking is typically available at the Orange Senior Center, not too far from the action.

STUFFED WITH CHOICES

With 15 countries, regions and cultures represented this year, there will be all kinds of smells wafting through the air. Those feeling a little overwhelmed might want to try some of these favorites:

1. Aebleskivers, pancake treats from Denmark

2. Bratwursts from Germany

3. Gyros from Greece

4. Funnel cakes from the USA

5. Quesadillas from Mexico

Contact the writer: jwinslow@ocregister.com
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump plans to visit Mexico on Wednesday, the same day that he is expected to deliver a speech in Phoenix on immigration.

Last Friday, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto sent invitations to both the Trump and Hillary Clinton campaigns for the candidates to meet with him, Pena Nietos office said in an emailed response to questions. Trump tweeted Tuesday night that he had accepted the invitation.

The trip is a go unless the Secret Service nixes it for safety reasons, a campaign aide said, though Trump has often changed plans without warning.

Trump is expected to deliver a speech Wednesday in which he will lay out his proposals on immigration after weeks of conflicting reports about whether he is moderating on the issue. His campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said on Bloomberg TVs With All Due Respect that Trumps proposals would include building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, ending sanctuary cities and offering no amnesty for immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

Conway portrayed Democratic presidential nominee Clintons proposals on immigration as scary as heck, and as a radical plan.

Trump, who is still trailing Clinton by approximately 6 percentage points in national polls, is looking to win over conservative Hispanics as well as independent voters who traditionally favor a path to citizenship for undocumented workers already in the country.

The campaign has highlighted the families of individuals who have been murdered by undocumented immigrants, appearing with them on stage at rallies.

Another staple of Trumps stump speech is his assurance that Mexico will pay for a border wall with the U.S., and his website spells out his plan for blocking remittances if it does not.

Its an easy decision for Mexico: make a one-time payment of $5-10 billion to ensure that $24 billion continues to flow into their country year after year, the candidate says on his website.

Pena Nieto visited President Barack Obama in Washington in July the day after Trump spoke at the Republican Convention in Cleveland. That same month, he told CNN that Mexico will not put up the cash.

There is no way that Mexico can pay (for) a wall like that, Pena Nieto said.

In an interview earlier this year with the Mexican newspaper El Universal, Pena Nieto compared Trumps rhetoric to that of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Trump, however, argues that he still has the leverage needed to broker a deal with Mexico.

The United States has borne the extraordinary daily cost of this criminal activity, including the cost of trials and incarcerations. Not to mention the even greater human cost. We have the moral high ground here, and all the leverage, Trump said.

Trump was in Washington state Tuesday night and is booked for fundraisers in California on Wednesday morning and his immigration speech in Arizona on Wednesday night.
MEXICO CITY  Donald Trump, who has made maligning illegal immigrants from Mexico a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, met with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday  striking a remarkably subdued and cooperative tone as he faced a world leader forcefully opposed to his signature proposals.

Yet just hours later in a speech on immigration in Phoenix, Trump had returned to the aggressive tone that has defined much of his campaign. Repeatedly raising his voice to a yell, Trump said that anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation, and he vowed to crack down especially hard on illegal immigrants who have committed other crimes.

Trump told his thousands of supporters that you cannot obtain legal status by entering the country illegally.

His immigration plan will not offer a path to legal status or citizenship: There will be no amnesty.

With less than 10 weeks until the election, Trump increasingly tried to adjust his pitch to appeal more to moderate voters, as polls show he has fallen solidly behind Democratic rival Hillary Clinton nationally and in battleground states. However, the visit to Mexico and the speech in Phoenix, viewed together, could provide a jarring contrast for voters and send a confusing message about the kind of president he would be.

Trump said at the joint news conference in Mexico that he and Pena Nieto didnt discuss who would pay for his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, despite his longstanding vow to compel Mexico to foot the bill.

He and Pena Nieto avoided direct confrontation in front of the cameras, airing their differences on immigration, border security and trade in cordial tones.

But later, Pena Nieto tweeted: At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall. The Trump campaign did not immediately comment on the apparently conflicting accounts.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller issued an opaque statement Wednesday evening saying the meeting was not a negotiation.  It is unsurprising that they hold two different views on this issue, and we look forward to continuing the conversation.

Pena Nieto spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said that Pena Nieto told Trump, Mexico wont pay for the wall, but that his comments did not spur a discussion.

The address in Phoenix was considered a chance for Trump to clarify whether he still wants to forcibly deport all of the nations estimated 11 million illegal immigrants after sending mixed signals recently. He left that question unanswered  dismissing it as irrelevant  while also strongly suggesting he would push to deport as many people as possible.

The truth is the central issue is not the needs of the 11 million illegal immigrants, said Trump, arguing that only the out-of-touch media elites think the biggest problems facing American society today is that there are 11 million illegal immigrants who dont have legal status.

He said that undocumented immigrants seeking legal status would first have to leave and try to return lawfully  a process that can take many years under current procedures. Trump said that he would have zero tolerance for illegal immigrants who have committed crimes beyond their immigration violations.

We will issue detainers for illegal immigrants arrested for any crime whatsoever, he said, going further than other Republicans who have called for felons to be deported. Later, he said he would create a new deportation task force to deal with the most dangerous criminal illegal immigrants who have evaded justice.

He also proposed an ideological certification test to ensure that immigrants share Americans values and promised to suspend issuing visas to people coming from parts of the world where adequate screening cannot occur.

The hastily arranged meeting in Mexico City was aimed at easing concerns among U.S. voters about his preparedness for the presidency, according to campaign aides.

Pena Nieto noted that he also had invited Clinton to visit, and he pledged to respect the electoral process of the United States.

Trump outlined five goals he has for the region: ending illegal immigration, creating a secure border, dismantling drug cartels, improving pay for workers and keeping jobs in the hemisphere.

The Republican nominee hit familiar notes about the loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States. But he didnt blame Mexico as directly as in the past, suggesting that keeping jobs in the hemisphere is the goal.

We must take action to stem this tremendous outflow of jobs from our country, he said. Its happening every day, its getting worse and worse and worse, and we have to stop it.

During Pena Nietos remarks, Trump stood with his hands clasped, and with a slight frown, while an interpreter spoke into his ear.

When it was his turn to speak, Trump said it was a great, great, honor to be invited to Mexico, a country that he has disparaged as corrupt and dangerous during his campaign.

He said he had tremendous feelings for Mexican Americans, not only his friends, but his employees. I am proud to say how many people I employ, he said. They are tremendous people.

When Trump began his campaign last summer, he cast illegal immigrants from Mexico as rapists and criminals and suggested the Mexican government was sending them. Clinton sought to remind voters Wednesday about his controversial language and warned that he cannot simply paint over it with a quick stopover.
Whos a good dog?

Well, that depends on whom you are asking, of course. But new research suggests that the next time you look at your pup, whether Maltese or mastiff, you might want to choose your words carefully.

Both what we say and how we say it matters to dogs, said Attila Andics, a research fellow at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest.

Andics, who studies language and behavior in dogs and humans, along with Adam Miklosi and several other colleagues, reported in a paper to be published in this weeks issue of the journal Science that different parts of dogs brains respond to the meaning of a word, and to how the word is said, much as human brains do.

As with peoples brains, parts of dogs left hemisphere react to meaning and parts of the right hemisphere to intonation  the emotional content of a sound. And, perhaps most interesting to dog owners, only a word of praise said in a positive tone really made the reward system of a dogs brain light up.

The experiment itself was something of an achievement. Andics and his colleagues trained dogs to enter a magnetic resonance imaging machine and lie in a harness while the machine recorded their brain activity.

A trainer spoke words in Hungarian  common words of praise used by dog owners like good boy, super and well done. The trainer also tried neutral words like however and nevertheless. Both the praise words and neutral words were offered in positive and neutral tones.

The positive words spoken in a positive tone prompted strong activity in the brains reward centers. All the other conditions resulted in significantly less action, and all at the same level.

In other words, good boy said in a neutral tone and however said in a positive or neutral tone all got the same response.

What does it all mean? For dog owners, Andics said, the findings mean that the dogs are paying attention to meaning, and that you should, too.

That does not mean a dog wont wag its tail and look happy when you say, You stinky mess in a happy voice. But the dog is looking at your body language and your eyes, and perhaps starting to infer that stinky mess is a word of praise.

In terms of evolution of language, the results suggest that the capacity to process meaning and emotion in different parts of the brain and tie them together is not uniquely human. This ability had already evolved in nonprimates long before humans began to talk.
Woralop, a 44-year-old homeless man from Thailand, only had nine baht (25) to his name when he found a Hermes leather wallet with 20,000 baht ($579USD) and several credit cards. It was more than enough to buy him food and even a place to stay for weeks, maybe months, but he chose to return it. The kind gesture would soon prove to be life-changing.

Youve probably been asked what you would do if you found a wallet full of cash, at least once in your life. Would you keep, it, turn it in to the police, ask for a reward? This question always tests a persons moral values, but for someone who has hit rock bottom, the answer seems pretty clear. And yet Woralop claims he didnt even think about keeping the wallet, and even ran after the owner to return it, after seeing him dropping it by mistake. He couldnt catch up with the man, but he went straight to the nearest police station to hand it over.

Photo: SWNS

The owner, 30-year-old Niity Pongkriangyos, hadnt even noticed he had lost the expensive designer wallet when the police called to tell him they had it. When he learned that a homeless man had turned it in and saw that all the money and credit cards were still inside, he was more than just a little bit impressed. I was totally surprised when the police told me they had my wallet as I didnt even know Id lost it. My first reaction was wow, if it was me in that position with no money I probably would have kept it, the young entrepreneur later told reporters. 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.

Photo: SWNS

Although he initially offered Woralop a 2,000 baht ($57) reward, Pongkriangyos later decided to also offer the homeless man a job at his factory in Bangkok, which he was more than happy to accept. It comes with a 11,000baht ($314) salary and decent accommodation. 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 said. I want to thank Nitty and Tarika (his new boss girlfriend) for the kindness they have both shown to me.

Photo: SWNS

Tarika has already started posting photos of Woralop at his new job on social media and told Thai media that Woralop is such a good example that being kind really does pay off. When youre kind to another, another is kind to you.

Photo: SWNS

Photo: SWNS

via Metro.co.uk
A teenage girl from Moate recently got her hair cut in her bid to raise money for medical research in Crumlin Hospital.

A teenage girl from Moate recently got her hair cut in her bid to raise money for medical research in Crumlin Hospital.

Sixteen-year-old Hannah McCormack spent some of her time as a child in and out of Crumlin Hospital and has always wanted to give something back as a gesture of her gratefulness for the expert care she received.

Hannah decided to do this by raising money for the hospital by cutting her hair. This involved receiving sponsorship from friends and family, whilst letting her grow long.

Hannahs hair has gone to Rapunzel. The Rapunzel Foundation is a charitable organisation that works to improve the lives of those living with hair loss through fund raising as well as through hair raising. Hair is raised through the Rapunzel Foundations Ponytail campaign, where people commit to growing their hair with the view to their hair being sent to help make much needed wigs to improve the lives of those living with the hair loss.

The money Hannah raised will go to Medical Research Centre in Crumlin Hospital. Research is essential to advance medical and scientific knowledge. It is the basis for all new therapies and for the understanding of all disease processes. Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin promotes research on all areas of interest to paediatric medicine, so that the diagnosis, treatment, and care of sick children will be the best possible.

Hannahs 16 inch pony tail has gone to Rapunzel. Nicola Nulty, a hair stylist in Moate who is also listed with the Rapunzel Charity cut Hannahs hair through a special procedure necessary to preserve the hair. Nicola very kindly gave her time and expertise free of charge to support this worthy cause.

Hannah has raised 1,800 to date and would like to double this figure for the worthy cause.

Hannah McCormacks charity ID number for Crumlin is 113519 and donations can be made directly to http://www.cmrf.org/user_main/fundraiser/37432/
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A Look Under the Hood at the Possible Impact of State Question 777, if Approved By Oklahoma in November

As the general election set for November 8th draws closer, Oklahoma State University Associate Professor Dr. Shannon Ferrell, has been closely studying the language of the proposed constitutional amendment, State Question 777, or Right to Farm, to attempt to predict what sort of impact it may have legally in Oklahoma, if passed. During a recent interview this past weekend, he shared some of his thoughts with Farm Director Ron Hays.





Ferrell pointed out up front, that Oklahoma currently has on the books a Right to Farm statute, not to be confused with SQ777. He says the statute, which has been on the books in Oklahoma for a few years now, protects farmers and ranchers from nuisance claims (i.e., odors, sounds, etc.). State Question 777 however, will go beyond nuisance claims. If passed, it will in effect add language to the Oklahoma State Constitution. RON has posted an earlier story and interview with Dr. Ferrell on the Right to Farm Law- click here to jump to that story.





In regards to State Question 777, "we're adding language to the Oklahoma State Constitution that would basically prohibit the legislature from enacting any sort of statute," Ferrell said, "that would abridge the right of farmers and ranchers to make use of livestock practices and agricultural technologies."





Unlike similar amendments that have been passed in North Dakota and Missouri, SQ777 includes a phrase that allows interference on the rights it guarantees, only if a "compelling state interest" can be made. Ferrell regards a "compelling state interest" as a reason that basically outweighs the amendment for the greater good such as matters of public safety for instance. He says though that to do this, the legislature would have to ultimately prove that the interference would fix whatever the issue may be, and that it was being done in the least intrusive way to that constitutional right.





Beyond this, Dr. Ferrell says there is not enough background on legislation like this, so prediction of its impact is difficult to determine at this point. He says the proposed question would not apply to issues such as eminent domain, condemnation and other matters where controversies in agriculture often stem from. Ferrell also implies there is speculation as to how it may apply to the implementation of federal level rulings, which translates into the potential for unforeseen consequences that will have to be worked out as they arise.





Ferrell says, for example, that there are certain regulations that Oklahoma agencies provide oversight for through an arrangement with the Federal Government called delegation "Let's say that the federal government enacts some rules that would be more restrictive on agriculture than our current state rules. So then the question becomes would our state agencies be able to maintain delegation because they wouldn't be able to enact more restrictive state rules, would that effect their delegation status," Ferrell said. "There are lots of ways that could play out."





He points out that while North Dakota and Missouri have both passed similar amendments to their State Constitutions- there have been no challenges to either of them to date to offer any insights about what legal impact on agriculture in those states. He believes one reason is that both have been enacted not that many years ago- and it takes time for litigation to work its way through the courts.





Listen to Dr. Shannon Ferrell and Farm Director Ron Hays discuss the potential impact State Question 777 - Right to Farm will have on Oklahoma if passed, by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.





If you want to learn more about this State Question, we have several resources that you can go and investigate. To begin with, we would suggest you go and read the actual State Question from the official State of Oklahoma website- click here for the ballot language for 777.



There is one PAC that is registered with the State of Oklahoma that is raising money with the intent of supporting the State Question- Oklahoma Farmers Care. Click here for their website. There are two PACs registered with the State of Oklahoma opposed to the State Question, Click on their names to jump to their respective websites- the Oklahoma Stewardship Council and Oklahomans for Food, Farm and Families.

















Ron Hays talks with Shannon Ferrell of OSU on the potential impact of State Question 777

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Two correctional officers at the state prison in Clarinda, Iowa, were assaulted by an inmate Friday evening, a statement from the officers union said.

A spokesman for the Iowa Department of Corrections declined to comment, saying in an e-mail he would provide a statement in the next couple of days. He did say an incident was under review.

The officers were bit, kicked, and swung at by an inmate with a history of behavioral issues wielding an altered razor, the statement from Danny Homan, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, Iowa Council 61.

Both officers were taken to a local hospital for treatment, then sent home. The facility, the Clarinda Correctional Institute, was placed on lockdown for three hours, the statement said.

This followed an incident Thursday morning, where more than a dozen inmates battled in a gang-related fight in the prison gym, the release said. The release said the gym was staffed only by one recreation specialist. The facility was placed on restricted movement for six hours, and 17 inmates were administratively segregated.

Ultimately, Clarinda Correctional Facility, just like all of our correctional facilities in (Iowa), is dangerously understaffed and officers lives are being put at risk. These recent events are further proof of that, the release said.

The Clarinda Correctional Facility is a medium security institution with 872 inmates as of Tuesday, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections website. Its capacity is 750. The prison is on the north side of Clarinda, a city of 5,572 in Page County, about 80 miles southeast of Omaha.

On Aug. 21, two correctional officers were assaulted and injured by an inmate in a special needs unit, the union said. One of the officers, who suffered knee and head injuries, had to be taken to the hospital, leaving three staff members to respond to incidents at the facility.

Nebraska has had a rash of assaults on correctional officers at its facilities lately, blamed by the officers union and state lawmakers on overcrowding, lack of activities for inmates and changes in procedures.

World-Herald staff writer Paul Hammel contributed to this report.
After Omaha Northwest High School notified parents early Wednesday that a student may have threatened to bring a weapon to school, officials learned that the threat was aimed at a Northwest High School in Cincinnati.

The threat was made late Tuesday night on social media, according to the email sent by Omaha Northwest Principal Thomas Lee.

Increased security was in place Wednesday morning at Northwest, said Monique Farmer, a spokeswoman for the Omaha Public Schools.

Omaha police later contacted the school district to say that they investigated the threat and learned that it had been made to the Cincinnati school. Farmer said police told OPS officials that a student at that school was arrested.

Farmer said OPS officials didnt have any way to tell that the threat wasnt directed at the Omaha school. We have to take every one of those threats seriously, she said.

Adding to the confusion, Farmer said, was an altercation between two Northwest students on Tuesday. When Lee was informed about the social media threat, Farmer said, he linked the altercation and the online threat. That, she said, is why the email to parents included a line that read, in part, The students parents have been contacted and we are working with the family ... to ensure the safety of our school environment.
KEARNEY, Neb.  Ralph Hanson likes to go.

Ive always wanted to go, from the time I was a first-grader and took the city bus in Denmarks second-largest city to visit my dad at his office for lunch without telling anyone what I was doing, Hanson wrote in a July blog post.

When he was 14, he rode on the second-annual Ragbrai bicycle ride across Iowa without supervision.

In college, he hitchhiked from Iowa State University in Ames to his sisters home in Minneapolis.

A few years ago, he traveled to China for 10 days. This summer, Hanson, 56, along with friend, Howard Koontz, took a motorcycle trip to the Yukon, southern Alaska and the Canadian Rockies.

Its the motorcycle trips on the open road across the country that Hanson, former chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, enjoys most.

Since 1990, he has put 50,000 to 60,000 miles on several motorcycles. He tries to complete two major trips a year.

Ive done 750, 760 miles in a day on several occasions and thats about the edge of my comfort zone, he said.

Hanson first became interested in motorcycles in college when he drove a moped. He eventually upgraded to a small Honda, which he rode through college. After marrying his wife, Pam, Hanson sold his bike, but kept his license current.

In his mid-30s, shortly after buying his first minivan, Hanson decided to buy another bike.

I said I would have a motorcycle in the garage before I would have a minivan, he joked. The minivan actually happened a month or two ahead, simply because of logistics.

In the 1990s, after reading about the Iron Butt Association, a motorcycle riders organization, Hanson discovered a love for long-distance riding. As a membership requirement, riders must complete a certified ride, and Hanson chose the national parks tour.

He is collecting at least 50 national park stamps from at least 25 states. Hes also collected about a dozen pictures of Whispering Giant statues last year from across the U.S. There are 74, with at least one in each state.

Wearing full protective gear and having a heated jacket and heated grips on his handle bars allow Hanson to ride almost year-round.

If I cant ride full gear, then I dont ride. Im a big believer in all the gear, all the time, he said.

Since December 2014, Hanson has put 16,000 miles on his bike on road trips through the eastern and southern United States, to the Great Lakes and, most recently, to Glacier National Park and southern Alaska. For the first time, on the Alaska trip, he rode about 100 miles on dirt roads.

That was kind of new to me. But I liked it, he said grinning.

Hanson hopes to go on more dirt-road-oriented trips on a variety of routes through Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Idaho. Time is a big factor for how far and how often Hanson gets to ride.

He is on sabbatical this fall from UNK to work on a research project, although he plans to ride to Cape Girardeau, Mo., before snow falls.

I have had so many trips of a lifetime, and always hope theres another great trip in my future ... and another great chance to come home, he wrote in a recent blog.

To read Hansons blog about several of his adventures log on to ralphehanson.com.
Omahas fire department has added a valuable member to its arson investigation unit. This one will work for a few pats on the head and some dog treats.

Alley, a 2-year-old female yellow Labrador retriever, was introduced Wednesday during a ceremony at the Omaha Fire Department headquarters near 15th and Jackson Streets. She became the departments first arson dog thanks to a $25,000 grant from State Farm Insurance.

She works for her food, said Alleys handler, Fire Investigator Dave Sobotka. Alley is fed as she works throughout the day. Even at the office, I plant (training items) and reward her for finding them.

The grant from the State Farm Arson Dog program paid for Alley and Sobotkas training at Maine Specialty Dogs in Gray, Maine. The First Responders Foundation is raising funds to cover the ongoing costs of training and training aides, veterinary care, food and certifications.

Alley lives to work, Paul Gallagher, the owner and head trainer of Maine Specialty Dogs, said by telephone. She is a tool that will make it easier for Omaha to determine if arson is involved by sniffing out traces of any accelerant used to start fires.

Alley is trained to detect tiny traces of gasoline, lighter fluid and other fire starters. She and Sobotka completed 200 hours of training in Maine, working every day for four weeks.

Arson dogs work faster than humans, Gallagher said, sometimes covering an entire scene in less than 30 minutes. It can take humans days to do what a dog does in minutes, he said.

Sobotka said dogs have 220 million olfactory receptors in their noses compared to about 5 million for humans. Obviously, they are much better at detecting smells, he said.

Dogs also are more accurate than humans because people can make only educated guesses about the possible use of accelerants and need to collect 15 to 20 samples for testing. Dogs noses narrow the guesswork to three samples, Sobotka said.

It costs money for each of those samples to be tested, Gallagher said. Arson dogs save fire departments money for testing.

The dogs also are trained to move through crowds at fire scenes, sniffing for accelerants on clothes or bodies.

Arsonists are known to watch their work, and dogs can alert their handlers if they smell something suspicious, Gallagher said. They are also good working with kids during fire prevention at community events. Kids will usually (approach) dogs a lot more easily than adults.

Dave Sobotkas wife, Michelle Sobotka, and their two children attended the Wednesday ceremony, as did Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert. Each dog lives with its handler, and Alley has been a member of the Sobotka household for about two weeks.

I met Alley a few days ago, and shes a sweet dog, Stothert said. Shes friendly, gentle and, of course, well-trained.

Kenna, the Sobotkas 10-year-old daughter, smiled proudly as she watched Alley demonstrate her skills for officials. The dog moved quickly past several towels strewn on the ground, sitting down when she found one that had been dabbed with accelerants.

Shes great, Kenna said proudly. I love her.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com
Editor's note: This piece originally was published on Feb. 27, 2011, as part of David Harding's "Everyday History" column in The World-Herald.

Every family has its whispered history, which is kept quiet for good reason. But then there are the legendary family rumors repeated at holiday gatherings for everybodys enjoyment.

Jack Kawa had heard passing remarks about his fathers involvement in the liquor trade during Prohibition in the 1920s. It was a fun family fact, but he never gave it a second thought. After all, lots of people cooked up their own private reserve of bathtub gin back then, and any decent citizen would want to share it with his buddies, perhaps accepting payment to help defray the costs.

More remarkable was the coincidence that Kawas parents both hailed from Tarnow. He was from Tarnow, Poland. She was from Tarnov (changed from the Polish spelling), Nebraska.

Esther Kawa grew up on a farm near the tiny community southeast of Norfolk, Neb.

Frank Kawa came to America at age 15 in 1911, leaving his familys farm outside of Tarnow, Poland. He spoke no English, and he traveled with an aunt to Omaha.

Jack Kawa doesnt know where his father lived after he arrived here, or with whom. He does know that Frank started a sandwich shop on South 27th Street in 1922. Prohibition was the law of the land, and the family has always been pretty sure that a certain amount of bootleg beer and liquor crossed the counter.

One way or another, Frank Kawa did well enough to move to a larger building across the street. The new location had a pretty decent sign on it, and Frank Kawa couldnt really afford to replace it, so the relocated sandwich shop became known as Johnnys.

The rest is restaurant history as Johnnys Cafe became a landmark steakhouse next to South Omahas teeming stockyards. After Frank Kawas death in 1961, Jack and his brother Tom took over the enterprise. Now Jacks two daughters are the proprietors, carrying on the familys ownership of Omahas original steakhouse,  as they call it, into its third generation.

Last year, Jack and his wife, Mary, decided it was time to visit the old country. Other family members had been back to Poland, where they had searched in vain for relatives. Mary Kawa decided to do some research before their departure. She asked Gary Rosenberg at the Douglas County Historical Society if he could find anything on Frank Kawa.

Rosenberg came up with a small pile of newspaper articles from the late 1920s. They told the story of Frank Kawas arrest in a raid by federal agents for selling booze out of his cafe. As it turned out, Frank Kawa was no small-time moonshiner. Agents called him the beer baron of Omaha,  who had a lock on the local underground beer market. A dozen trucks made his deliveries to private clubs, homes and offices. At Johnnys, a wink and a nod got you a glass of beer for 25 cents.

The feds determined that Frank Kawa had been making as much as $40,000 a month operating this underground distribution business. Apparently, the illegal brewery producing the beer was never discovered, but Frank Kawas cafe was raided at least two more times. He eventually served a nine-month sentence for possession of liquor and running a nuisance establishment.

Frank Kawa cleaned up his act, and Prohibition ended. Before long, he met a quiet and very proper young lady at a bowling alley. She had moved to Omaha to work as a maid. Frank Kawa was 42; she was 24. They soon married and started the family that has kept the restaurant going strong.

By the way, Jack and Mary Kawa took their trip to Poland and found long-lost relatives who still had a photo of Jack Kawas family. They swapped a few stories, but I suspect they saved the one about the beer baron of Omaha for another time.

Want more of this? Check out Omaha.com/history for more stories from our city's fascinating past.
A 27-year-old Omaha man was killed just after his birthday ended, and a 23-year-old Omaha woman was critically injured when the motorcycle they were on collided with an SUV early Wednesday at 78th and Dodge Streets.

Police said the crash occurred around 12:20 a.m. when the motorcycle went through a red light.

The motorcyclist, Jed Workman, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Workmans passenger, Rachel Macchietto, was taken in extremely critical condition to the Nebraska Medical Center, police said. Macchietto was treated for head and neck injuries that were considered life-threatening, police said. Later Wednesday, her condition was upgraded to fair, the med center said.

Workman and Macchietto were wearing helmets, police said.

The driver of the SUV, Anei Mathet Anei, 33, of Omaha, also was taken to the med center, police said. He was treated for neck and head pain and was released, police said.

Workman was driving a 1984 Yamaha XV1000 motorcycle east on Dodge, and Anei was driving a 2009 Ford Escape north on 78th Street, and the two collided at the intersection.

Dodge Street traffic was detoured onto side streets until the east-west thoroughfare was reopened around 3:45 a.m.
LINCOLN  All three petitions aimed at letting Nebraskans decide whether to legalize casino gambling at the states thoroughbred horse racing tracks have struck out.

Secretary of State John Gale announced Tuesday that the two petitions proposing laws to implement the casino plan would not make the November ballot.

He said each failed to get enough valid signatures to go before voters.

Earlier this month, Gale reported that the third petition, which proposed a constitutional amendment authorizing expanded gambling, also had fallen short.

All three suffered from a higher-than-normal error rate in collecting signatures, including duplicate signatures and signatures from people who werent registered voters or who signed petitions for a county in which they were not registered.

The two petitions proposing laws fell short of the required signature threshold even before the invalid signatures were tossed out, Gale said.

Each needed 80,032 valid signatures, or 7 percent of the number of registered voters as of July 7, the petition deadline.

Keep the Money in Nebraska, the pro-gambling group that sponsored the petitions, reported that it had collected about 90,000 on each of those petitions.

But Gale said the petition to regulate casinos at racetracks actually had 73,617 signatures. Of those, 51,993 signatures turned out to be valid.

He said the petition spelling out how casino tax revenues would be divided had 78,157 signatures. Of those, 54,854 signatures were valid.

The petition for a constitutional amendment showed similar results.

While Keep the Money in Nebraska said it turned in about 130,000 signatures, Gale said the petition actually had 119,666 total signatures. County election officials tossed out more than 41,000 signatures as invalid.

Scott Lautenbaugh, a spokesman for the pro-gambling group, said he couldnt account for the discrepancy between the number of signatures that the group reported filing and the number that Gales office counted.

He acknowledged that the group estimated the number of signatures when filing paperwork with the Secretary of States Office because of the rush to get the last signatures collected and turned in by the deadline.

But Lautenbaugh said the differences were greater than the group had anticipated. He said he did not fault the company hired to collect the petition signatures.

He also noted that the group had asked Gale to stop checking signatures on the two petitions for laws once it was clear that the proposed constitutional amendment had failed.

Without a constitutional change, the proposed laws could not have been implemented, even if they had made the ballot and won voter approval.

Lautenbaugh said the effort was hampered by having three separate petitions, which increased the complexity and time required for collecting signatures.

The Nebraska Constitution limits initiative petitions to a single subject, and constitutional amendments must be separate from proposed laws.

Doing a petition for a constitutional amendment alone might have simplified signature-gathering but could have created other difficulties, he said.

The last time that Nebraskans voted on expanded gambling was in 2006, when voters rejected a proposal to allow video keno devices.

In 2004 voters defeated two measures that would have legalized casinos in the state, one proposed by the Legislature and one put on the ballot by petition.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com
BRADSHAW, Neb. (AP)  Authorities have released the name of a man who died after a tractor accident about 2 1/2 miles from Bradshaw.

The York News-Times reported that York County Sheriff Dale Radcliff identified the man Tuesday as 85-year-old David Quiring, who lived in Henderson.

Radcliff said Quiring was mowing the edge of a county road when a tractor wheel went over the edge onto a steep bank, causing the tractor and its attached mower to roll over.

Quiring was found dead at the scene, trapped under the tractor, the Sheriffs Office said.

.

Copyright 2016, the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LINCOLN  The head of the states troubled prison system acknowledged Wednesday what state lawmakers have been saying for months: The departments staffing problems wont improve until corrections officers are paid better.

I dont think well see significant improvement until we address the pay scale, Corrections Director Scott Frakes said during a hearing before a special legislative oversight committee.

Frakes spent six hours detailing the departments problems with high turnover of security staff and large numbers of job vacancies, which translates into requirements that corrections officers work an average of 16 hours of overtime a week. That, in turn, translates into fatigued staff and morale problems.

A vicious cycle is how it was described by former State Sen. Steve Lathrop, who led the questioning of Frakes on Wednesday as the lawyer for the Legislatures special committee probing problems within the Corrections Department.

Frakes, who was hired 18 months ago to turn the department around, said hes confident that new labor negotiations, to begin today, will provide meaningful salary increases that will lead to reductions in turnover.

The Department of Corrections will submit a proposal to the union that represents prison workers today, a month earlier than normal, he said.

I cannot discuss details until after negotiations are complete. I am confident that this sincere offer will go a long way toward addressing our retention issues, Frakes said.

But statistics, including some revealed Wednesday, indicate that a lot of work needs to be done:

 Turnover of protection staff, who work directly supervising inmates, stood at about 31 percent departmentwide last year, which Frakes said is about double the rate that raises concerns.

 About 200 protective services staff posts are vacant, which means that other officers must work overtime to cover shifts. Overtime costs for those jobs have more than doubled in recent years, from $3.3 million in fiscal year 2010-11 to $7.6 million in 2014-15.

Because of staff shortages, some social and recreational activities for inmates must be curtailed. That, Frakes said, has contributed to recent assaults on staff members because when there is nothing productive to do, then people tend to get into trouble. He said increased civil disobedience in society as a whole, and gang activity, were also contributors.

 The starting wage for state corrections officers is $15.86 an hour, less than what is paid at the Douglas County Corrections Center ($17.35 an hour) and the Lancaster County Corrections Center ($17.85). And one longtime complaint from corrections officers has been a lack of salary increases for longevity, meaning experienced officers get the same pay as a newcomer.

Frakes said his department can hire people but cant keep them. Last year, 400 new protective services staff joined the department, but 387 left.

Were basically treading water, he said.

In an attempt to try something different, the department announced Tuesday that one-time bonuses of $500 will be paid on Sept. 14 to about 1,000 staff members in high turnover/high vacancy positions.

The bonuses are for workers hired before Jan. 1 and include such posts as corrections officers and registered nurses.

State senators, though, questioned why the Corrections Department had rejected the bonus idea earlier this year. State Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus also asked if a bonus that amounted to only about $7.69 a week would convince someone to stay.

We know we have a big problem (in the department). So far, we havent done a good job of addressing it, Schumacher said.

Frakes also was asked why a draft report on staffing needs done by the department was amended to say only 138 additional corrections officers were needed when an initial draft had recommended adding 254 full-time-equivalent officers.

Frakes said he made changes because many of the new positions were not needed, such as officers at front entrances in the middle of the night.

Several lawmakers, however, questioned whether Frakes had reduced the request because of pressure from the Governors Office. Frakes denied that.

Lathrop asked why the draft report carried a cost for the additional staff at each facility  $12 million total  but the final report didnt.

Frakes denied that it was because of any outside influence or input. Theres no conspiracy here, he said.

Frakes final recommendation on adding staff is due by Sept. 15.

A spokesman for Gov. Pete Ricketts, who hired the prison director, pointed out after the hearing that the governor and Legislature had authorized 59 additional corrections staff in 2015.

Concerns about high turnover and staff vacancies have risen in recent weeks after disturbances at state prisons sent a number of corrections staff members to hospitals with injuries.

Attending Wednesdays hearing was a leader of a new group, Change for Nebraska Corrections Officers, that held a demonstration Saturday calling for better wages and working conditions for prison workers.

Sharon Waters of Lincoln said time will tell if the department follows through with assurances that it will increase salaries. She said her groups main concern was the safety of prison staff.

Frakes said reducing staff turnover will help improve safety, but a full staff alone doesnt prevent assaults. For instance, a disturbance last week at the Lincoln Correctional Center that sent nine staff to the hospital was sparked by a single inmate who decided to lash out, he said.

Two key state senators from Omaha, Bob Krist and Heath Mello, both said they will be very interested to see the budget request from the Corrections Department for the next two fiscal years, which is due by Sept. 15.

Krist said department officials need to be clear about the true cost of fixing their problems in light of a looming state budget crunch.

The special legislative committee decided Wednesday to meet again in about three weeks to discuss overcrowding at state prisons, and to hold hearings later this year on programming and mental health treatment needs in the department.

In a related development, an annual report issued Wednesday on the progress of a prison reform law passed in 2015 to reduce prison overcrowding said it was a couple of months too early to tell whether Legislative Bill 605 was working. The law was projected to reduce state prison populations by 1,000 inmates by the year 2020.

Chambers wants probe of how blade made it to Jenkins

LINCOLN  State Sen. Ernie Chambers said Wednesday that hell ask for a federal investigation into how mentally troubled inmate Nikko Jenkins was able to obtain a razor blade recently and slash his throat.

According to prison records sent to The World-Herald by Jenkins, the convicted murderer required 42 stitches in his neck on Aug. 1 to close the wound. A prison nurses note said Jenkins told staff, I wanted to die.

Chambers said he will be asking the U.S. Attorneys Office to investigate.

The state senator, a frequent critic of the Department of Corrections, said he is not confident that the department or other state officials will take action and is convinced that a corrections officer who was monitoring Jenkins solitary-confinement cell gave the inmate the razor blade.

Nebraska Corrections Director Scott Frakes told Chambers at a legislative hearing on Wednesday that he was aware of the incident. Frakes said Jenkins had accused the guard of supplying the blade, but it was still undetermined how he got it.

The corrections officer resigned from his job before Jenkins made the allegation, Frakes said.

During a similar legislative hearing in April, Chambers questioned the prison director about how Jenkins, who is monitored around the clock, could get sharp objects to cut and mutilate himself.

Frakes, at that hearing, assured Chambers that he was doing everything he could to prevent that and that he did not want Jenkins to hurt or kill himself.

Chambers, on Wednesday, said the prison director had failed: I think you are allowing things to happen so he can kill himself.

Frakes responded that he would let his previous comments speak for themselves.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com
A 47-year-old Scottsbluff, Nebraska, man was killed Tuesday night in a single-vehicle rollover crash in Scotts Bluff County.

The Scotts Bluff County Sheriffs Office said the crash that killed Timothy Garner occurred around 7:35 p.m. at the intersection of two Scotts Bluff County roads.

The Sheriffs Office said its investigation into the crash found that a southbound vehicle driven by Garner veered off the roadway and entered a cornfield. The Sheriffs Office said the vehicle rolled several times, ejecting Garner, who was declared dead at the scene.

Garner was not wearing a seat belt, the Sheriffs Office said, and excessive speed may have been a contributing factor in the crash.
WASHINGTON  Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says he would not block his Senate colleagues if they decide to move forward on Merrick Garlands nomination to the Supreme Court during a lame duck session.

At a recent town hall with constituents, Grassley reiterated his position that filling the Supreme Court vacancy should be left to the next president.

But if we have the election and there was a majority of the Senate that changed their mind about doing it in the lame duck as opposed to Jan. 20, I dont feel that I could stand in the way of that, Grassley said. But I dont think I can promote that idea.

Video of Grassleys comments was posted online Tuesday by American Bridge 21st Century, which describes itself as a progressive research and communications organization committed to holding Republicans accountable.

The group described Grassleys comments as his attempt to have it both ways on the issue of whether to allow Garlands nomination to move forward. Garland was nominated by President Barack Obama in March to replace Antonin Scalia, who died in February.

Democrats have tried to portray Republican opposition to Garland as unfair obstructionism and an attempt to hold the seat for a Donald Trump nominee.

Meanwhile, some Republicans, such as Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, have specifically said the Senate should confirm Garland in the lame duck session in the event Hillary Clinton wins because Garland would be more moderate than anyone Clinton would appoint.

Assuming all Senate Democrats continued to support Garland in a lame duck session, it would require only a handful of Republicans to join them to reach majority support.

Even a filibuster-proof 60 votes could be garnered with less than a majority of Senate Republicans.

As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley wields a great deal of power over whether Garland even receives a hearing.

Grassley spokeswoman Beth Levine on Tuesday said there was nothing new in the senators town hall comments. She pointed to similar statements he made earlier this year and said that he hasnt changed his position.

Senator Grassley reiterated his stance that was presented in the letter signed by all Republican members of the Judiciary Committee on Feb. 23 that a Supreme Court nominee wouldnt be considered until after the next president is sworn in so the American people have an opportunity to weigh in on this important issue, Levine said. Giving the people a voice is the position of 52 of 54 Republican senators, and he doesnt foresee any shift in that position.
Back in 2001, Chancellor Harvey Perlman began assembling a leadership team to lift the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to a higher level of ambition and excellence.

To carry out wide-ranging plans to bolster UNLs research efforts, Perlman chose Prem Paul, a scientist-administrator with a background in veterinary medicine and research management.

Before long, UNLs research culture began an impressive ascent thats still continuing. The progress wasnt due to Paul alone, but he has been a major figure in the advancements.

Among the key steps: strengthening departments and setting priority investments. Changing the culture so more faculty members see value in pursuing top-flight research and its commercialization. Promoting interdisciplinary collaboration vital in modern scientific research. Overseeing the creation of new research centers. Deepening the relationships with funding institutions such as the National Science Foundation.

The universitys annual research funding topped $100 million for the first time in 2006, and in 2015 it stood at $146.9 million. UNLs major advances in scientific research include fields such as agriculture, environmental science, nanotechnology and early childhood studies.

Pauls position, vice chancellor for research, was changed in 2008 to make it research and economic development. That signaled NUs growing focus on the commercialization of research on all the universitys campuses.

This week, Paul stepped down for health reasons. UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green wrote: Prems vision, coupled with his relentless energy and enthusiasm to think big, has been nothing short of remarkable in how it has transformed us as a research-intensive university.

Its a fitting tribute to a leader who has impressively carried out his mission to UNL, setting it on the path to even greater advances ahead.
So the seller of the EpiPen is now going to offer a generic alternative costing 50 percent less. The Mylan drug company has been drowning in public outrage for jacking up the list price of an EpiPen two-pack from about $100 to as high as $600 over nine years. The EpiPen is a lifesaving injection device for people suffering a severe allergy.

Story not over, as much as Mylan would like it to be. Story not over by a long shot.

Why did the Mylan execs raise the price of an old treatment sixfold? Because they could get away with it.

Why could they get away with it? Because Congress let them. The United States is the only advanced country that doesnt routinely negotiate drug prices with the makers. (The Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicaid are exceptions.)

Mylan surely didnt want this scandal leading to serious efforts in Washington to start regulating what drug companies may charge the American people. Better to stage this semi-retreat and change the subject.

Note that this is not an ordinary take-it-or-leave-it consumer product. For people severely allergic to spider bites, bee stings, nuts, eggs or shellfish, its take it or possibly die.

Our elected representatives have tied the American consumer down, belly up, to accept corporate abuse that other countries would not tolerate. Mylan showed its thanks by incorporating in the Netherlands to avoid U.S. taxes.

When the EpiPen price backlash hit full force in the U.S., the Canadian government simply reassured its citizens: Dont worry. An EpiPen still costs only about $100 in Canada.

Mylans initial response to public anger was a program offering to help some patients with out-of-pocket costs. These patient-assistance deals are basically P.R. stunts.

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch tried to distinguish herself from the soulless drug industry vampires who infamously bled desperate patients, taxpayers and buyers of insurance. That would be Martin Shkreli, who hiked the price of a 62-year-old HIV drug by 5,455 percent, and J. Michael Pearson, whose Valeant Pharmaceuticals raised the price of a lifesaving heart drug 525 percent in one day. Bresch is not different, only smoother.

In an interview on CNBC about the EpiPen price hike, Bresch said, Look, no ones more frustrated than me.

But youre the one raising the price, the interviewer gasped. Perhaps Bresch isnt smoother.

Defenders of the status quo argue that competition, not a more assertive government, is the ticket to lower drug prices. They blame the federal Food and Drug Administration bureaucracy for hindering would-be rivals. Some criticize the excessive monopoly rights the U.S. government grants drug companies.

They are not entirely wrong. More competition would help. But the fact remains that an EpiPen two-pack costs only about $85 in France, a fraction of the new $300 wholesale list price deal Mylan is now offering Americans  and its not because drugmakers are tripping over one another to offer competing products.

The real villain of the piece is a Congress that lets these companies prey on Americans. Congress actually forbade the government to negotiate drug prices on behalf of Medicare patients. (For the record, Bresch is the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin.)

The injuries to American drug consumers continue piling up. Over the past 15 years, the average price of new cancer drugs in the United States has risen five- to tenfold. Cancer drugs now cost about twice as much in this country as they do in Canada.

Americans should be asking candidates for Congress whether they support government intervention against obscene drug prices. Until that happens, this disgraceful story will not be over.
The author, of Omaha, is an attorney, author and former history professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

The World-Herald carried the story Aug. 24 of Marine Pvt. Dale Robert Geddes being buried in Grand Island, Nebraska, more than 72 years after he was killed on the Japanese-controlled Island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands.

A horse-drawn carriage carrying his casket brought Grand Island citizens to the sidewalk to watch the cortege.

The article by Harold Reutter brought tears to my eyes.

The North Platte Canteen, 144 miles to the west, greeted World War II troops with hospitality at the railroad station. Not all warriors return.

Dale Geddes died Nov. 20, 1943, on the first day of the battle. He was 21 years old. A life cut short, an empty grave alongside his mother and father has now been filled. While apparently few relatives remain to mourn in 2016, a grateful country displayed respect.

I was born in England 10 days before the private was killed. My memories of this period rely on my mother and father, who endured the Blitz and other hardships of total war against military and civilian life. I recall bombed-out neighborhoods, big holes in the ground and food rationing.

My wife, Karen, was born in Canada seven days after Geddes gave his life. We are grateful to our parents for bringing us to our new home in America in 1952 and 1948.

We honor the fallen men and women, the disabled, the PTSD sufferers and the hale and healthy who served in the Armed Forces. These thoughts are usually reserved for Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day. An occasional Thank you for your service is an acknowledgment that volunteers and the drafted gave substantial time out of their and their families lives.

My grandfather, a surgeon, fought in the German army in the First World War, lost the use of one arm and survived concentration camp.

My father, born in 1903, fled Austria, went to Czechoslovakia, France and Palestine and ended up wearing the uniform of Englands Czech Brigade during the Second World War.

My mother fled Nazi Germany. I served in the U.S. Navy during the mid-1960s.

We all carried memories and wounds from these experiences. Being a refugee and an immigrant makes us prize our freedoms and responsibilities all the more.

War has a long tail. As a historian I tracked the descendants of the last Union and Confederate widows, cohorts of the Spanish-American War and survivors of the First World War as they dwindled and disappeared. World War II, Korean War and Vietnam veterans age and their numbers decline.

If Geddes had survived, he would be 93 years old. A new veterans cemetery in Nebraska was recently dedicated to provide appropriate final resting places.

We all knew comrades who did not return or who returned impaired. We are attached to the martial philosophy articulated by the Greeks: No body left behind. We repatriate remains. Black Missing in Action banners still fly.

The new final home for Geddes is a singular tribute to honoring honest, ordinary citizens whose last act immortalized them as heroes.

It is well and good to be reminded of these sacrifices during the year as well as on national holidays when somehow, the poignancy is diluted during the playful long weekends in May, July and November.
BROKEN BOW, Neb.  A Custer County District Court jury on Wednesday unanimously found Brittney Pryce guilty of abusing her 20-month old nephew and causing his death.

Pryce, 26, was charged with child abuse resulting in death, a Class 1B felony, after her nephew Noah Pryce died in November 2013. Wednesday was the eighth day of Pryces trial.

The jury was given the case for deliberation at 12:08 p.m., and it was announced shortly after 1:30 that the jury had reached its verdict.

Authorities have said that Noah Pryce sustained a suspicious head injury while in the care of Pryce and her mother, Diane Hill. The infant later died at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Hill and Brittney Pryce were initially charged with second-degree murder, but the case against Hill was dismissed in July 2014. The murder charge against Pryce was also dropped, but the child abuse charge stood.

Authorities said Pryce and her husband, Richard Pryce, were Noah's guardians.

Judge Karin Noakes revoked Pryces bail after the verdict Wednesday, and Pryce was in tears as she was taken into custody by the Custer County Sheriffs Office.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 10. She faces 20 years to life in prison.

* * *

This article includes material from the Associated Press.

This story has been updated to fix an error by the Associated Press. Noah Pryce sustained a head injury while in the care of Brittney Pryce and her mother, Diane Hill. An earlier version said the injury occurred "in the car."
Bank holidays in November 2022: Here is the full list of non-working days

BSNL installs 2,199 mobile towers in naxal-hit areas

Business

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 31: State-run telecom firm BSNL has completed installation of 2,199 mobile towers in naxal- affected regions across 10 states, as part of efforts to strengthen security mechanism to combat insurgency in those areas.

"We had time till December 2016 to complete the project but all the 2,199 solar powered mobile towers have been installed and they are operational. This project sets an example for excellent coordination between government and private agencies," BSNL Chairman and MD Anupam Shrivastava told PTI.

The project was conceived by the Home Ministry along with Department of Telecom (DOT) to combat insurgency in the most-affected regions by the left wing extremists across ten states. It was first approved by the Cabinet in June 2013 after a maoist attack at Bastar, Chattisgarh in which 27 people, including senior Congress leaders, were killed.

It was again sent for the Cabinet approval due to change in cost structure and was cleared in August 2014. The project was executed by BSNL with the help of domestic vendors Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL) and HFCL.

"We have touched life of people in these area. Our channel partners have done tremendous job by taking up this challenging project," Shrivastava said.

There are 106 districts across 10 states which have been identified by the government as the naxal affected districts across states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

In the tender floated by BSNL for this project, bids were received by these two companies while big players operating in the segment stayed away from it.

"We take pride in accomplishing the daunting task of world's largest solar telecom tower installation in the most hostile terrain of the country, with practically no roads, power or security. Against such imposing challenges, 1,315 telecom network towers have been setup in a record time," VNL Chairman Rajiv Mehrotra said.

He said VNL, on its part, has accomplished connectivity in ten states, 90 districts, 12,700 villages with 39 lakh mobile connections. The total project cost was Rs 3,567.58 crore, which was funded by the DoT arm USOF.

PTI
Disaster management plan should have been drafted into Act: HC

Chennai

oi-PTI

Chennai, Aug 31: The Madras High Court today observed that a disaster management plan should have been drafted into the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 a long time ago and had that been done, possibly the situation which arose in December last in Chennai could have been avoided.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan, was hearing a batch of petitions finding fault with the state government with regard to the release of excess water from Chemberubakkam reservoir during the rains in December first week last year.

When the pleas came up, an affidavit was filed by the Revenue Department. The bench said the affidavit only states that "as per the mandate of Section 23(1) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the draft State Disaster Management Plan was prepared during 2010 which was shared with the National Disaster Management Authority and thereafter, updated by the National Disaster Management of Anna Institute of Management as per the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines".

"The fact remains that after six years, the plan is still at the draft stage. The Disaster Management Plan should have been drafted into the provisions of the said Act a long time ago and had that been done, possibly the situation which arose last year in December could have been avoided," it said. On an affidavit filed by PWD, the bench said there were contradictory statements and observed that there was reluctance to take action against encroachments on Adyar and Cooum rivers and Buckingham canal.

It said the affidavits filed by the authorities concerned were unacceptable to it.

"We are thus of the view that keeping in mind all the aforesaid aspects, a better affidavit needs to be filed on behalf of the authorities concerned. The affidavit should be filed within a week," it said.

The bench directed the high court registry to post all the matters relating to "water areas" before it and posted the matter for further hearing to September 7.

PTI

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 10:06 [IST]
Swathi murder case: HC reserves order on plea of mother of accused

Chennai

oi-PTI

Chennai, Aug 31: The Madras High Court today reserved its order on a petition filed by the mother of Ramkumar, prime accused in the murder of a woman IT employee, seeking a CBI probe in the case.

Alleging tainted investigation by the police into the June 24 murder at a railway station here, petitioner Pushpam had moved the court seeking transfer of the probe to CBI. The counsel for Pushpam alleged that the police had foisted a false case and were trying to shield someone involved in the murder.

The counsel for government, however, denied the allegations and said the police had based their case on the basis of a detailed and thorough investigation. The police were ready to submit all material before the court and leave the decision to it, the counsel said.

After hearing both the sides, Justice P N Prakash reserved his order without mentioning any date. Swathi was murdered on a platform of Nungambakkam suburban railway station on June 24. Ramkumar was arrested from his residence in Meenakshipuram in Tirunelveli district on July 1 on the charge of murdering her.

PTI
TRS, BJP are two sides of same coin: Rahul Gandhi in Telangana

Telangana dept of School Education, Bharti Foundation sign MoU

Hyderabad

oi-PTI

Hyderabad, Aug 31: Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the department of School Education, Telangana government to support 15 government schools under its 'Satya Bharti Quality Support Programme'.

With this, Bharti Foundation has spread the programme outreach to over 140 government school partnerships, located in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir and Telangana, a company statement said.

As part of the MoU, Bharti Foundation would partner with the Education department to strengthen initiatives in holistic improvement of school quality, it was stated.

"Through joint discussions with the school leaders and education department officials, key areas of improvement will be identified and action plans developed along with them as per their vision for the schools", the statement added.

PTI

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 12:45 [IST]
Andhra: Naidu reinforces drought mitigation measures

India

oi-PTI

Vijayawada, Aug 31: Hours after he declared a "war on drought", Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said he was the "happiest" man as the skies opened up in the parched Rayalaseema districts of the state, giving fresh hope of saving the standing crop. "My resolve has become fruitful.

It rained in Kurnool, Anantapuramu and Kadapa districts though there is little rain in Chittoor. Today, I am the happiest man," Chandrababu told a press conference here as he explained various "drought mitigation" measures the government has put in place.

Predominantly, groundnut crop in 15 lakh acres in Anantapuramu district, 4.5 lakh in Kurnool and two lakh in Chittoor faced the threat of drying up because rains played truant since July 23. "I am creating a model. It is a new experiment altogether. Traditional approach is no longer relevant," the Chief Minister observed, adding rain guns and sprinkler systems were being used in a big way to wet the crops and prevent them from withering.

He said 6,777 rains guns and 6434 sprinklers have been deployed in Anantapuramu district, while in Kurnool the numbers are 2285 rain guns and 2686 sprinklers. 3915 rain guns and 3855 sprinklers in Chittoor and 356 each in Kadapa districts.

"Our aim is to save every acre of the crop and we are confident that we will succeed at least 90 per cent. Thankfully, rain has helped since last night and we will complete wetting of 1.25 lakh acre using rain guns and sprinklers by tomorrow evening," Chandrababu added. The AP government was getting more number of rain guns from Maharashtra to tackle the situation.

"This is the first time in history that we have undertaken such a massive drought mitigation exercise. Hitherto, farmers never had hope in such situations and that resulted in suicides. "Now, there is new confidence among farmers. This is a revolutionary change," Chandrababu remarked.

Heavy rains cause severe traffic congestion in parts of Hyderabad, streets flooded with water pic.twitter.com/VbeKp3lIaD  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

Replying to a question, the Chief Minister said they were sending reports to the Centre on the prevailing situation, particularly in Rayalaseema region.

"Why can't the Centre join with me in this (drought mitigation) exercise? Why can't the bankers and insurance companies too join? They can share the expenses with the state government," the Chief Minister said.

Traffic movement disrupted in parts of Hyderabad due to heavy rainfall, streets flooded with water. pic.twitter.com/gU1YeC0uVr  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

As this was a new experiment being carried out by the state government, engineering, polytechnic and ITI students were being involved to help the farmers. Voluntary groups were also being formed in each village while ministers have been deployed in each Assembly constituency to oversee the operations. As many as 21 IAS and 80 state civil service officers have also been put on duty in the affected districts, the Chief Minister added.

PTI

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 12:21 [IST]
Second time lucky? AAP conducts Punjab-like 'Who should be CM' survey in Gujarat

Clash erupts between AAP volunteers in Amritsar

India

oi-PTI

Amritsar, Aug 30: A clash today erupted during a meeting of AAP volunteers at the residence of the party's zonal in charge Gurinder Singh Bajwa after he accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of selling tickets for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections here.

According to a senior AAP official, Bajwa condemned Kejriwal for removing Sucha Singh Chottepur as the party's Punjab Convenor. The situation took an ugly turn when Bajwa accused Kejriwal of selling tickets for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.

He especially referred to three seats Amritsar South, Ajnala and Attari. Volunteers led by circle incharge Anil Mahajan stood up from their chairs and strongly objected to Bajwa speaking against Kejriwal and restrained him from using "foul" language.

They also critised Bajwa for "creating indiscipline" in the party. Many volunteers supported Bajwa and engaged in a scuffle with the people led by Mahajan.

In the melee, the volunteers also threw chairs at each other, resulting in bruises to some. Mahajan too received minor injuries on his face when his spectacles broke during the scuffle.

PTI
Mamata's victory: SC orders Singur land returned to farmers in 12 weeks

India

oi-Vicky

Kolkata, Aug. 31: In a major political victory and vindication for Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that the 1,000 acres of farm land in Singur be returned to farmers.

This was the land that the previous CPI(M) government of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had in 2006 allotted to Tata Motors to set up a plant to manufacture its Nano cars and the controversy over which propelled Mamata to the chief minister's office, toppling the Left in its bastion after more than 30 years, and brought the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi onto the national stage as the 'development' messiah.

The court termed the agreement with Tata Motors "bad in law" and ordered that the land be returned to farmers within 12 weeks.

The land was acquired in 2006 by the CPI(M) government. But following massive protests, which were led by Mamata and her Trinamool Congress, Tata Motors was forced to abandon the Singur project and move the Nano factory out of Bengal to Gujarat.

The Supreme Court observed that land cannot be acquired at the instance of a private company. In what amounts to extreme embarrassment for the Left parties, especially the CPI(M), the court said that the exercise of government power at the instance of a private company is a "colourable exercise and amounts to fraud".

Due procedures were not followed with the farmers and the land was acquired in an illegal manner, the court observed and went on to call the entire exercise a farce and a shocking eyewash.

The court also observed that the Left government appeared to be determined that the Tata project must come up in the state at any cost, and it was the company which seemed to have chosen the precise location for the project.

This issue had come up before the Calcutta High Court and the acquisition had been approved. However, a rights group moved the Supreme Court against the order of the high court.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 15:54 [IST]
Minimum wage: CITU accuses Centre of 'misleading' workers

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 31: Accusing the government of "misleading" workers, unions today said the central advisory board did not discuss any proposal of hiking minimum wage to Rs 350 per day as announced by the government yesterday and the meeting on Monday was inconclusive.

Bharat Bandh on Sept 2: What will be closed; what will be open?

"There was no proposal to hike minimum wage to Rs 350 per day. The meeting of the Central Advisory Board held on Monday remained inconclusive," All India Trade Union Congress Secretary D L Sachdev told PTI.

"During the meeting, the employees' unions had demanded a minimum monthly wage of Rs 18,000 and asked the government to amend the Minimum Wage Act to make a provision for universal wage."

At present, the minimum wage fixed by the Centre is not universally applicable as labour is on the concurrent list of the Constitution.

Thus, states can fix either higher or lower rate of minimum wage fixed by the Centre. The Board is an advisory body with representative of employees and other stakeholders, which recommends the rate of minimum wage and matters related to it to the government.

Yesterday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who heads an informal ministerial group on labour issues, made several announcements, including a hike in minimum wage for non-farm workers by 42 per cent to Rs 350 for unskilled non-farm workers of the central government.

In a letter addressed to Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya today, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) General Secretary Tapen Sen said, "You have stated that based on deliberations in the meeting of the Minimum Wage Advisory Board held on August 29, 2016, the government has decided to fix minimum wages for the central sphere at Rs 350 per day."

"... in the press conference addressed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on August 30, 2016, where you were also present, Jaitley stated on camera that the government has accepted the recommendation of the Minimum Wage Advisory Board regarding minimum wage.

I would like to state that both the statements are not factually correct." The letter stated that the fact is the meeting of the advisory board held on August 29, 2016... remained inconclusive and all the workers' representatives said in one voice that their proposal on minimum (monthly) wage of Rs 18,000 is based on modalities of fixing minimum wage decided by the Indian Labour Conference.

PTI
Musharraf's formula for Kashmir: Not feasible then, impossible now

India

oi-Vicky

Congress leader Saifuddin Soz on Tuesday had advocated the four point formula suggested by former Pakistan president, Pervez Musharraf as a solution to the Kashmir issue.

He suggested that it could be fine tuned to the present needs of the stakeholders. The statement comes in the wake of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh deciding to lead an all party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir on September 4.

The experts are of the view that this is not the time to speak about the four point formula. Instead everyone should focus on the restoration of peace in the Valley. The four point formula was never considered seriously when it was proposed and in today's context it is impossible to even implement it says C D Sahay, former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing.

The four points proposed by Musharaff were

Borders to remain as it is (on Maps) and people on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) to be allowed to move freely.

Self-Governance or autonomous status (not independence) to Jammu and Kashmir along with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir for internal management in all areas like trade, tourism, waters etc to maximize socio-economic development of the region through cooperation.

Troops to be withdrawn from the region in a phased manner.

A joint supervising mechanism to supervise the implementation of such a road-map for Kashmir. This comprises of Indian, Pakistani and Kashmiri representatives.

Not feasible then, not possible now

Sahay tells OneIndia that whether it was feasible or not was never seriously examined for various considerations.

In the present scenario, I do not think one can be thinking of the ultimate resolution to the Kashmir conflict. At this point the focus should be on restoring normalcy in Kashmir.

Addressing the problems which the Kashmiris are going through should be the priority now. The all party delegation and Soz should focus on these issues. The ultimate solution to the Kashmir problem is very far away, says Sahay.

Pakistan, on the other hand, must realise that if they continue to walk down the path to stir up problems in Kashmir and force India into a dialogue it is not going to work. They should realise that this government is not going to yield to such pressure tactics. "I am very sure that the bilateral will resume the day Pakistan turns off the terror tap," Sahay said.

"Coming back to the Musharaff formula, one must realise that he is a bad name in Pakistan politics today. Anything with a Musharaff brand will not find any takers in Pakistan as well. The stakeholders have changed. Moreover it is not the same India that used to be during 2002 and 2003," says Sahay.

If at all anyone wants to even think of this formula it would need to be re-worked and re-branded and presented as a different package. I recollect that when the Musharaff formula was announced there were many in Kashmir and PoK who were willing to look at it seriously. But that is of no relevance, Sahay adds.

"The Musharaff formula will not work at all. Any concept of a joint mechanism with Pakistan will not work. If at all his suggestion of withdrawing troops is being considered then Pakistan will have to terminate its terrorists.

At the most what can be done is maintaining a sovereign border. The amount of deployment that there is along the International Border and the Line of Control is well in excess on both sides," Sahay added.

OneIndia News
Home Minister Shah to address Chintan Shivir of Home Ministers with focus on internal security

Amit Shah to chair two-day 'Chintan Shivir of Home Ministers'; Mamata to skip the meet

In India terror down by 34%, civilian deaths by 90% since Art 370 scrapped: Shah

Nadda, Pradhan appointed as BJP incharge for Uttarakhand polls

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 31: BJP President Amit Shah today appointed Union ministers J P Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan as party incharge for the Assembly polls in Uttarakhand where it is striving to return to power by defeating ruling Congress.

He also appointed Union minister Prakash Javadekar as election incharge for the Manipur Assembly election.

The polls in Uttarakhand due next year, have assumed an added significance after the saffron party's determined bid to topple the Harish Rawat government failed.

While BJP's ranks have been strengthened after a number of rebel Congress MLAs joined it, Chief Minister Harish Rawat believes that he will have sympathy of voters after he manged to keep BJP at bay.

BJP is carrying out a mass campaign there, accusing the Rawat government of corruption. In Manipur, which also goes to polls early next year, Congress has been in power for the last 15 years and BJP is working towards putting up a strong fight.

PTI
Pak off the FATF grey list doesn't mean it's not under scrutiny anymore: MEA secretary

Pakistan needs to push harder in dealing with terror: Kerry

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Aug 31: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said Pakistan needs to push harder to fight against terrorism and to deal with groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

In response to a question at the IIT Delhi about terror emanating from Pakistan, Kerry said: "I have been working on this issue very hard."

"I have had many conversations with the Pakistan President, Prime Minister, particularly Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif), about how to focus on sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal with the Haqqani network, deal with Lashkar-e-Taiba," Kerry said.

"It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist terrorist activities...

"And it must work with us to help clear sanctuaries that are affecting relationship between Pakistan and India and also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," said Kerry.

"In fairness, Pakistanis have suffered greatly due to terrorism in their own country. Fifty thousand people have been killed," he said.

"All of us need to understand how difficult it is to take it on step by step. We all need to work hard to help each other in order to get rid of non-state actor disruptors who are greatest challenge to security of all of us in world today," he added.

IANS


New India in making, infrastructure to be no less than US, Europe in 5 years: Nitin Gadkari

Party will stay away from proceedings: PDP writes to Delimitation Commission

PDP MP's house set ablaze in Kashmir

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Srinagar, Aug 31: The house of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Rajya Sabha member was set ablaze by a mob on Wednesday, witnesses and police said.

Nobody was present in the house when arsonists torched the residence of Nazir Laway in Chawalgam village of Kulgam district in south Kashmir, some 60 km from here.

Police said the incident took place hours after security forces fired pellets at protesters shouting anti-government and pro-freedom slogans in a nearby Katrusoo village. Dozens of protesters were injured in the clash.

Violent protests returned on Wednesday after two days of relative peace in the Kashmir Valley that has been on the boil since the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

At least 72 persons, including two policemen, have been killed in an unending cycle of violent clashes between protesters and security forces since then.

IANS
Prez plays 'headmaster' to PM Modi: 'Do not bypass Cabinet again'

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

"Do not bypass the Cabinet". This was President Pranab Mukherjee's 'admonition' to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a note that he sent along with his signature on an ordinance.

The ordinance -- 'The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Fourth Ordinance, 2016' , renewed for the fourth time as the related Bill is pending in the Rajya Sabha, was sent to the President on Sunday, when it was due to expire.

The President was upset that it was sent to him without being cleared by the Union Cabinet first.

According to an NDTV report, the President made it clear that he had signed the ordinance in the interest of the public, but warned that the Cabinet must not be bypassed again.

Incidentally, this is the first time since Independence that an ordinance has been sent to the President without the Union Cabinet clearing it first.

Sources told OneIndia that the government was in a hurry as the ordinance would have lapsed on Sunday. The government wanted the same cleared as it was unable to bring it in Parliament during the monsoon session. The government will now get a post facto approval of the cabinet.

The ordinance sent under Rule 12 of businesses and transactions was to amend the Enemy Property Act which guards against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan or China after wars.

The bill had been passed in the Lok Sabha, but stalled in the Rajya Sabha as the opposition wanted it reviewed.

When the ordinance was sent to the President in May, there had been objections then too as an executive order was being issued despite Parliament having been in session in the interim.

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 13:35 [IST]
Singur all decked up for Mamata's triumphant date with farmers on Wednesday

Decision on timeline for giving possession to Singur farmers on Monday

Singur verdict: It's like the invocation for Durga Puja, says Mamata

India

oi-Pallavi Sengupta

The Supreme Court verdict on Wednesday ordering the return of Singur land to farmers came as both political victory and moral vindication for Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. But it was the immense sense of relief that she seemed to feel that was most visible at the press conference she held just after the court verdict.

"Ektu Cha pawa jabe?" (Can I have some tea?) was her first reaction. When the journalists gathered around her noted the mood and demanded a treat, Didi's reaction was: "You should give me a treat, not the other way around.

On a serious note, though, Mamata recalled the sacrifices of the farmers and their families, she recalled Tapasi Manik, the 16-year-old who was brutally raped and murdered, and 14 others who died during the Singur protests. She also recalled the late writer and activist Mahasweta Devi, who visited Singur during the protest and encouraged the farmers to protect their only means of livelihood.

"I am remembering the people who sacrificed for this. I expect everyone to celebrate this Singur victory, it's like an invocation for Durga Puja," Mamata said as she grew increasingly emotional.

"This is a landmark victory for the state, coming close on the heels of the change of its name. I'm very happy with the SC decision. I have dreamt of this verdict for so long, for the people of Singur. Now, I can die in peace."

However, Didi's parting shot caught everyone by surprise. "Bengal is the final industrial destination. Keep that in mind!" she said, even as she announced a meeting on Thursday to discuss how to implement the SC order to return the lands to the farmers.

Timeline: As the Singur story unfolded...

May 18, 2006: The Buddhadeb Bhattacharya-led CPM government announced that Tata Motors would locate its Nano car project in Singur, for which 997 acres of land was to be acquired by a state industry promotion agency.

July 18, 2006: Mamata sows paddy near Singur as a mark of protest against the "land grab".

January 21, 2007: Tata Motors starts construction of the plant.



December 3, 2007: Mamata starts indefinite hunger strike on Singur issue

January 10, 2008: Amid protests led by Mamata Bannerjee and her party cadre, Tata Motors unveils the Nano car at the Delhi auto show.

December 28, 2007: Mamata ends fast

January 18, 2008: Calcutta High Court declares the land acquisition "legal", allowing project to proceed.

February 15, 2008: Tata Motors announces that the first Nano will roll out of Singur plant by October.

May 21, 2008: TMC wins panchayat elections.

August 24, 2008: Mamata begins iIndefinite dharna at Singur

September 2, 2008: Tata Motors forced to stop work on Nano plant

September 5, 2008: Negotiations start between Bengal government and Trinamool Congress to resolve the deadlock.



October 3, 2008: Tata Motors moves out of Singur

October 7, 2008: Tata Motors announces new Nano Plant in Sanand, Gujarat

September 1, 2009: Compensation issue raised by Ratan Tata with the Bengal government

May 20, 2011: Mamata, sworn in as the new CM of West Bengal, promises to return 400 acres of Singur land to farmers

June 9, 2011: An ordinance is passed, taking over 997 acres of land, citing non-performance by Tata Motors.



June 14, 2011: Bengal Assembly passes the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill, 2011.

June 22, 2011: Tata Motors challenges the Bill in Calcutta High Court



June 29, 2011: SC directs WB government not to distribute lands at Singur till further orders from Calcutta High Court.

September 28, 2011: Justice I.P. Mukerji of Calcutta High Court upholds the Singur law.

October 29, 2011: Tata Motors challenges the order of the Calcutta High Court

June 22, 2012: The Divison Bench of the Calcutta High Court strikes down the Bill

August 6, 2012: The West Bengal government moves the Supreme Court against the striking down of the Bill.



August 24, 2012: Supreme Court seeks response of Tata Motors on the WB government's petition.

July 10, 2013: SC asks Tata Motors to consider returning the land as the company had already moved its car plant out of Singur

Nov 12, 2013: Tata Motors tells SC, it wants to retain land in Singur for the Nano project

May 5, 2016: SC observes that the previous Left Front-led Bengal govt had rushed through the land acquisition process

Aug 31, 2016: SC terms the Singur land deal with Tata Motors illegal, directs government to return the land to the farmers within 12 weeks.

OneIndia News
In a first, two inmates of Institute of Mental Health tie the knot

Woman teacher killed in church in Tamil Nadu

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Chennai, Aug 31: In the second case in two days in Tamil Nadu of a woman being murdered by a spurned suitor, an infatuated youth on Wednesday killed a 24-year-old teacher in a church in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin since she was getting married to someone else, police said adding that the assailant later committed suicide.

Francina, a teacher in a local school, was praying at a church in Tuticorin, around 600 km from here, when she was attacked with a sickle by Segan, who professed love for her.

As Francina was getting married to another person soon, Seegan followed her to the church and attacked her grievously before fleeing.

Hearing her cries, others came to the church and took Francina to a government hospital where she soon breathed her last.

Meanwhile, police identified the killer but when they reached his place, he was found hanging.

Investigation revealed that Seegan used to follow Francina to her school daily and even proposed to her which was rejected. He also came to know that she had got engaged to another person and decided to eliminate her.

On Tuesday, third year engineering college student Sonali was killed in Karur, also in Tamil Nadu, by a fellow student in her class room as she had started avoiding him.

IANS


As the countdown clock struck zero, rocket of Aakash BYJUS took off from Bandra Bandstand

Zakir Naik's NGO has one financial anomaly

India

oi-Vicky

Mumbai, Aug 31: There has been just one anomaly found in the FCRA registered accounts of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), an NGO run by the controversial Dr Zakir Naik. After scanning all the accounts it was found that just one donation of Rs 93 lakh from Dubai was not accounted for.

Several donations made to the IRF were scanned by the officials in the Ministry for Home Affairs. The IRF has filed all the FCRA returns in the prescribed format. Officials say that all but one contribution has been accounted for. However, the one donation from Dubai is still being probed as it has not been accounted for, the official also noted.

NDA govt may face dilemma over prosecuting Zakir Naik: Analysts

The IRF has received foreign funds up to Rs 10 crore in the past 10 years. Most of the donation have come from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. There have been donations made to the NGO by individuals as well from Singapore, US, UK, Kuwait and Qatar as well.

Home Ministry to take a call

Home Ministry officials tell OneIndia that they are examining the case relating to Naik. His name had cropped up after one of the Dhaka Cafe attackers had said on his Facebook page that it was Naik's speeches that had inspired him.

The National Investigation Agency was tasked with probing all his speeches and a report to this effect was submitted to the home ministry.

The Home Ministry is studying this report and is yet to take a call on whether to book Naik from the provisions of an anti-terror law. A decision to ban the IRF under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act or the UAPA is also under consideration.

Home Ministry officials say that they do not want to jump the gun on this issue and will seek legal opinion before taking a considered decision.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 9:21 [IST]
China has nothing to worry about India-US ties: Obama Administration

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Aug 31: China has nothing to fear from stronger ties between India and the US after the two countries inked a logistics defence pact, the Obama administration has said.

"Broadly speaking, a deepening, stronger, more cooperative bilateral relationship with India is not something that anybody should fear or worry about," State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday (Aug 30).

Kirby was responding to a question on China's reaction the defence pact between India and the US that will enable their militaries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

"We both are democracies, we both have incredible opportunities and influence on the global stage, and a better relationship between the United States and India is not just good for our two countries, not just good for the region, it's good for the world," he said.

"There's already a tremendous partnership between the United States and India which cuts across quite a few sectors and it's not just security and defence related. It's economic, trade and information and technology sharing," he said in response to a question.

"It is a pretty full and complete, comprehensive relationship and it's one that we are committed to deepening and strengthening and I think that's why the secretary of defence's counterpart is here. It's why the secretary (of State) and the secretary of commerce, (Penny) Pritzker, are there in New Delhi," he said.

PTI

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 12:53 [IST]
Rushdie attack a reminder of how big a threat Iran is to the US, others

RSS chief on nationalism: Says it is not a threat to others

PFI ban and after: Why the threat still looms large?

'Greatest threat to Israel potential of a civil war'

International

oi-PTI

Jerusalem, Aug 31: Israel was inching towards the possibility of a civil war, a former head of the country's spy agency Mossad has said warning that the "existential threat" to the Jewish state is growing internal division rather than external aggression.

"There is no outside existential threat to Israel, the only real existential threat is internal division," former Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo said at a press conference ahead of an event commemorating fallen Druze soldiers.

"If a divided society crosses a certain threshold, you can reach phenomena such as civil war, in extreme cases," he said adding that the distance between the present-day situation in Israel and a civil war is growing smaller.

"I'm afraid we're in that direction," Pardo said in response to a question from a reporter in his first public appearance after leaving office earlier this year.

Touching upon the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the former top spy said that "we will never be able to achieve normalisation with our Arab neighbours" without a diplomatic solution to the vexed problem.

The comments came amid repeated claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's diplomatic relations with moderate Arab countries in the region were improving.

Responding to a comparison drawn by Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman between the nuclear accord with Iran reached by the six world powers (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) and the 1938 Munich Pact that allowed Nazi Germany to annex portions of Czechoslovakia, Pardo said it was like comparing "zucchinis and pears".

"What happened at the end of the 1930's is different from what is happening today. History does not repeat itself [in such a way that justifies] such an analogy," he said.

Asked about Lebanese Shi'ite group Hizbullah, he said that the Lebanese faction was never an existential threat to Israel, "but it can pester us and cause pain, and spur our internal divide - but there is no threat."

Pardo however said that he remained optimistic about Israel's future "for the sake of our children and grandchildren," adding that Israel has failed to create equal opportunities for all of its residents and citizens.

PTI

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 17:27 [IST]
At UNSC, US calls on world to tell Russia to stop its nuclear threats

India's presence in Asia-Pacific region important: US

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Washington, Aug 31: With New Delhi signing a historic defence logistics agreement with Washington, the US has described India's presence in the Asia-Pacific region as "important" in the backdrop of China's disputes in the South China Sea region.

"Discussing tensions in the Asia Pacific region is something that's not uncommon when we're meeting our Indian counterparts, and there's certainly a lot there because India is -- India does have a purpose and a presence in the Pacific that's important," US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in his daily press briefing here on Tuesday.

Kirby's remarks followed the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry in New Delhi.

India and the US signed an agreement on sharing military logistics, in a major step forward in closer bilateral defence cooperation.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (Lemoa) was inked here by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during his latest visit to the US, and his US counterpart Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.

The agreement, viewed as part of the Obama administration's pivot to Asia strategy, was criticised by a leading Chinese state-run English daily, warning that New Delhi might irritate Beijing if it "joins the US alliance system".

"If India hastily joins the US alliance system, it may irritate China, Pakistan or even Russia," the Global Times said in an editorial.

"It may not make India feel safer, but will bring strategic troubles to itself and make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia," it added.

Asked about China's reaction to the new US-India defence agreement, Kirby said that ties between Washington and New Delhi were not only good for the two countries but for the world as well.

"Broadly speaking, a deepening, stronger, more cooperative bilateral relationship with India is nothing that anybody should fear or worry about," he said.

"We both are democracies; we both have incredible opportunities and influence on the global stage, and a better relationship between the US and India is not just good for our two countries, not just good for the region, it's good for the world."

Last month, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) under the UN Convention for the Law of the Seas (Unclos) in The Hague ruled in favour of the Philippines in its dispute against China over the South China Sea.

India recognised the authority of the PCA and asked all parties to abide by its ruling.

An international arbitration tribunal in the PCA ruled on July 12 that China violated the Philippines' rights in the South China Sea, one of the busiest commercial shipping routes in the world.

The court accused China of interfering with the Philippines' fishing and petroleum exploration, building artificial islands in the waters and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone.

The tribunal held that fishermen from the Philippines had traditional fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and that China had interfered with these rights by restricting their access.

The court held that Chinese law enforcement vessels unlawfully created a serious risk of collision when they physically obstructed Philippine vessels in the region.

China is locked in disputes over the Spratly and Paracel groups of islands in the South China Sea with other countries of the region.

The US stand on India's role in the Asia-Pacific region comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to Vietnam, another country Beijing has disputes with, on his way to China for the G20 Summit early September.

Vietnam has appreciated India's position on the PCA ruling.

After Tuesday's bilateral Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in New Delhi, Sushma Swaraj said India and the US have decided to strengthen their cooperation in the area of maritime security.

IANS
Pakistan elections: US worried over people affiliated to LeT

Denmark: 2 held for attempting procurement of drones for IS

Days before Trump announced Syria withdrawal, a sinister report came out on IS in Iraq

New Zealand man who had joined IS to return

Key IS leader killed in apparent US strike in Syria: Report

International

oi-PTI

Beirut/Washington, Aug 31: The Islamic State (IS) on Tuesday (Aug 30) said one of its longest-serving leader fell in what is believed to be an American air strike in war-torn Syria, Reuters reported.

An American defence official told Reuters that the US targeted Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a strike on a moving vehicle in al-Bab in Syria's Aleppo governorate. The official, however, did not confirm the IS leader's death.

Adnani was one of the most prominent leaders of the IS, BBC cited the Ahmaq News Agency as saying.

Adnani was known for his moves for lone-wolf attacks at various corners of the West.

He was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo", Amaq said, according to one IANS report.

Sources in the Pentagon also said that Adnani's "removal from the battlefienld" would be a significant blow to the terror outfit.

Clashes have intensified in Aleppo in recent weeks with rebels breaking a siege by the Bashar al-Assad regime and Russian forces attacking rebel-held areas from the air.

Oneindia News

[With agency imputs]
Have you come in boats: John Kerry asks IIT students after rain in Delhi

New Delhi

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, Aug 31: While the citizens of Delhi and Gurugram braced themselves from the heavy rainfall that caused massive traffic jams and water-logging in the two cities, US Secretary of State John Kerry tried to humour the students at IIT-Delhi on Wednesday.

Kerry, whose visit to three religious sites in the capital were cancelled following the heavy downpour, arrived at IIT-Delhi and asked the students: "Have you (students) come here in boats?". Kerry's event was delayed due to the water-logging that was reported from several parts of the city.

Follow updates on Delhi, Gurugram rains

Have you (students)come here in boats,? asked US Secy of State John Kerry on his arrival at IIT-Delhi #DelhiRains pic.twitter.com/O9MW17Nvg5  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

Kerry was scheduled to visit the Gauri Shankar temple, the Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib and the Jama Masjid in the old Delhi area around 11 am on Wednesday. He was scheduled to visit these places on Tuesday but the visit was postponed to Wednesday.

Kerry, who arrived on Monday night, got a taste of the Delhi traffic after his convoy was struck in Lutyens Delhi for an hour.

OneIndia News
Anupam Kher to act in Udaan- a street play to combat Left, critics

New Delhi

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Aug 31: A new platform called Udaan is set to be launched which would stage street plays to counter those who have accused the BJP of intolerance. Udaan will be an initiative to counter the Left and its thinking through street plays. The likes of Anupam Kher and Manoj Joshi will be part of this intiative.

Street plays or nukkad nataks will be staged in universities. The dramas will focus on spreading the spirit of nationalism. Further dramas would also be enacted counter the Left thinking.

The BJP government at the centre has been criticised in the form of award wapsi and plays would be staged to counter this as well.

There would be an element of sarcasm in the plays which will be staged. Several persons have accused the government of intolerance among other issues. Several stages would be staged to counter that narrative and criticise those who have been criticising the government.

While this initiative would begin at the Delhi University, plans are afloat to stage such plays in other parts of the country. Most of the dramas would be staged at the universities.

The initiative apart from sending a message will also scout for talent. Those selected would get a chance to act in films as well and those part of the initiative are in touch with several directors of the Hindi film industry.

OneIndia News
'Red Light On, Gaadi Off': AAP stages protest against Delhi LG

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Monsoon mayhem: Delhi, Gurgaon come to standstill as rains play havoc

New Delhi

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, Aug 31: Heavy rainfall caused massive traffic jams and water-logging in several areas of Delhi and Gurugram on Wednesday. Traffic jams were reported from areas like Rajiv Chowk, Sarojini Nagar, Loha Mandi and others.

The heavy rainfall even caused the cancellation of US Secretary John Kerry's visit to religious places. Here is a video :

4:18 pm: Heavy rainfall warning continues for today for areas of Delhi/NCR. Situation will improve tommorrow: BP Yadav, IMD Director.

2.20 pm: Delhi rians: Traffic diverted in many areas in Delhi.

1:32 pm: Obstruction in traffic in the carriageway from IIT towards Adhchini due to breakdown of a car at Kalu Sarai bus stand: Delhi Traffic Police.

1.00 pm:

Continuous rains turns Delhi NCR's roads into streams @DelhiConnect pic.twitter.com/f1qKvS3lKt  Sidhartha Roy (@Sidhartha80) August 31, 2016

12.50 pm: US Secretary of State John Kerry's motorcade gingerly proceeds through water logged Delhi

US Secretary of State John Kerry's motorcade gingerly proceeds through water logged Delhi #DelhiRains pic.twitter.com/vVVNKxa4pt  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

12.30 pm: Gurugram: Traffic crawls as heavy rains causes severe water logging in several parts (Visuals from Hero Honda Chowk)

Gurugram: Traffic crawls as heavy rains causes severe water logging in several parts (Visuals from Hero Honda Chowk) pic.twitter.com/OQdYAB1NTU  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

12.15 pm: Visuals from AIIMS flyover where heavy rainfall has caused severe water logging, vehicular movement disrupted.

Delhi: Visuals from AIIMS flyover where heavy rainfall has caused severe water logging, vehicular movement disrupted pic.twitter.com/rhcG9o9y7M  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

11.55 am: Qatar Airline Flight QR 570 (Doha-Delhi) diverted from IGI Airport to Jaipur due to bad weather.

11.25 am:

#AIUpdate:Pax flying from @Delhi_Airport & @RGIAHyd are advised to check flight status before leaving.Flts may be delayed due to heavy rain.  Air India (@airindiain) August 31, 2016

11.20 am: Have you (students) come here in boats,? asked US Secy of State John Kerry on his arrival at IIT-Delhi.

Have you (students)come here in boats,? asked US Secy of State John Kerry on his arrival at IIT-Delhi #DelhiRains pic.twitter.com/O9MW17Nvg5  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

11.17 am: Delhi Traffic Police alerted on Twitter saying: "Water logging on Shantivan Chowk, Under Hanuman Setu, Subhash Marg, Chandni Chowk, Brar Square to Mayapuri, South Avenue."

11.07 am: While the heavy rainfall caused massive traffic jams, efforts were being made to rescue people who were stuck.

4 buses stuck in water below Zakhira flyover in #Delhi, 40 to 50 passengers are in the buses, rescue efforts underway.  Sumit Kumar Singh (@invincibleidea) August 31, 2016

10.57 am: Indigo airlines tweet warns passengers about rainfall in Delhi, says expect delay in flights.

Due to bad weather in Delhi to & fro flights are affected. As a result, consequential delays are expected.Kindly check your flight>>  IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) August 31, 2016

10.45 am: Thunderstorm with light to moderate rain would occur over many places of North, East and Southeast NCR and Delhi in next two hours.

Several office goers tweeted about being stuck in the traffic jam for hours

It's 9 AM in the morning in Delhi. #DelhiRains pic.twitter.com/kNayGJynvk  Gaurav Varmani (@gauravvarmani) August 31, 2016

10.30 am:

Heavy rainfall throws traffic out of gear in several parts of Delhi,pictures of water logging in Sarojini Nagar area pic.twitter.com/wgbV8QnlE6  ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

Several regions in Gurugram too were water-logged. Police officials urged people to be patient and navigate through the roads with discipline.

Heavy rains in Gurgaon, please be advised. Be patient and maintain lane discipline, we are on the job to facilitate your movements m  Gurgaon Police (@gurgaonpolice) August 31, 2016

OneIndia News
Accession Day: Valley lights up on this day when J&K became part of India

You always had a place in our hearts: Hizbul to Kashmiri Pandits

Srinagar

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Srinagar, Aug 31: "You always have had a place in our hearts. Return to Jammu and Kashmir, we are your guardians, not your enemies." This was the message put out by Riyaz Naik, a commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Following the outbreak of militancy in 1990, several Kashmiri Pandits had fled their homes in J&K.

In the 11 minute video, Naik says that it was not the militants who drove the Pandits out of the state. In fact it was a conspiracy by the then Governor, Jagmohan Malhotra. He says that Malhotra wanted to kill all Kashmiri Muslims and then bring the Pandits to the state.

"You come back and prove whether it was the Muhjahids (fighters) who drove you out of the state," the Hizbul Mujahideen commander also tells the Kashmiri Pandits.

"You always have a warm place in all of our hearts. You are part of our nation and not out enemies. We are your guardians," Naik also says in the video.

It may be recalled that the slain, Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani too had sent out a similar message a month before his death. He too had said that the Kashmiri pandits must return and had assured them of all protection.

He had, however, spoken out against the colonies that were being proposed for the Kashmiri Pandits.

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Hardline Duterte Concedes Philippines Regulation Revamp

Published August 30, 2016 by Lee R

Regulating body PAGCOR is preparing a new approach to licensing.

A surprising policy concession has been issued from hardline Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte.

Resumption Granted

Despite having already taken strong measures to eradicate gambling since taking office, the new President now says he's willing to allow a resumption of online gambling on certain conditions.

Hit List

This is a rather stunning reversal, after Duterte added online gambling to his infamous hit list of vices and blocked further renewals of gambling licenses for Philippine gaming cafes.

Conditions

Now Duterte has backpedalled to the position that he is willing to restore online gambling provided taxes are correctly collected and they are situated or placed in districts where gambling is allowed, which means to say, not within the church distance or schools."

Philweb Dissolved

Earlier this same month, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp refused to renew the exclusive license of Philweb Corp, an operator offering e-bingo and e-games across 800 terminals distributed across 300 bars and cafes across the country.

Revenue Losses

Last year the companys operations contributed around $12.2 million in taxes to the government. Overall, the country stands to lose about 10 billion pesos ($215 million) in annual revenues from the shut-down of licensing of e-bingo and e-games outlets.

Duterte Explanation

Duterte explained the softening of his stance as a passing agitation: "I was mad because even the youth are gambling and there was no way of collecting the proper taxes."

New System

This new stance clears the way for new online gambling revenue streams in the form of a revamped system that the Philippines government gambling operator-regulator PAGCOR is preparing to offer. PAGCOR has announced preparations to license online gambling firms that targeted non-locals and that it was in the process of readying application forms.

Saving Face

Of the machinations, the politician who has publicly supported death squads to eradicate crime now says: "Pay the correct taxes...Gamble until you die. I do not really care."

Clearly, Duterte has shifted his stance, if not his message.
Online Casino Reports Goes Live in Romania after Receiving ONJN Class 2 License

Published August 31, 2016 by Ivan P

Online Casino Reports is available in Romania after receiving the ONJN Romanian Class 2 license.

Online Casino Reports has gone live in Romania after receiving the Class 2 license from the Oficiul National pentru Jocuri de Noroc (ONJN) - decision number 1440, onlinecasinoreports.ro. The Romanian regulatory body is in charge of issuing Class 1 and Class 2 licenses to online casino operators and casino affiliate sites after the new law was passed in 2015.

Online Casino Reports Romania

Online Casino Reports Romania will be a go-to site for Romanian players and punters in the renewing Romanian iGaming market. The site will provide Romanian players with detailed and honest casino and bonus reviews and carefully crafted reports about various promotions from the industry. Reviews and info texts will focus only on ONJN regulated operators that have been confirmed as safe, reliable, and compliant with the country laws.

App Coming Really Soon

Aside for the website which is fully accessible for Romanian residents, Online Casino Reports will also release a new iOS app soon which will allow Romanians to find recommended and regulated online casinos on mobile.

About the ONJN License

The new legislation finally put an end to the online gambling stalemate in Romania, opening the country to new possibilities. Prior to 2015, only a few casinos in the country allowed for players to register and play while playing on an unregulated provider carried with it a risk of substantial fines.

ONJN is in charge of accepting and reviewing applications for gambling licenses. While operators need to apply for the Class 1 license, everyone else involved with the online casino business must receive the Class 2 license.
Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: Kentucky may be joining a growing group of public pension funds that are exiting their hedge fund investments. The pushback on Kentucky's hedge fund investments is coming from a group of Democratic lawmakers who came to a briefing at the statehouse this week, even though the legislature is not in session. The lawmakers say that hedge fund investments are overly complex and too expensive for the already struggling state pension system. According to an account in the Lexington Herald Leader, a local newspaper, lawmakers showed that the $14.9 billion Kentucky Retirement Systems has more than 10 percent of its assets invested in hedge funds and for that investment, they have seen a negative 5.5 percent return over the last year and a measly 1.8 percent positive return over the past five years. Other pension systems in the state including the $16.8 billion Kentucky Teachers Retirement System and the $436 million Kentucky Judicial Form Retirement System both stay away from hedge funds. Because the legislature is out of session, it is unlikely a new bill will emerge from the briefing that would limit how the pension can invest in certain asset classes. However, prior bills to change the way the pension invests have failed in previous sessions. ...................... To view our full article Click here
Opalesque Industry Update - Custom House Global Fund Services, a leading independent hedge fund administration specialist, has expanded its presence in China with the official opening of a Shanghai office. In addition, the firm has hired Sunny Huang as a Relationship Manager who will be responsible for new business development and the collaboration between clients and the firm. Our continued growth in China supports investors desire to gain immediate access to a financial services centre perfectly suited to meet the demands of those who are looking to venture into the global financial markets, said Mark Hedderman, CEO, Custom House Global Fund Services. With a considerable amount of wealth generated in China over the recent years, investors are looking to diversifying into global investment opportunities, amid concerns of future lower domestic growth and threat of potential currency devaluation. We are excited about the opening of our new office and having Mrs. Huang on board to strengthen our partnership with our valued clients and provide a local presence for quality fund administration solutions to clients in the Shanghai region managing offshore funds, said Tony Kan, Managing Director of Custom House Fund Services Hong Kong Ltd. Harvest Wealth Management has been working with Custom House since May 2015. In the past year, Custom House helped set up our overseas investment platform in the Cayman Islands and acted as the fund administrator for five funds launched on the platform. The efficiency, resourcefulness and client focused professionalism they have demonstrated are truly superb and beyond our expectations. Custom House has become one of our go-to partners when conducting our business overseas, said Thomas Huang, Deputy CEO of Harvest Wealth Management. Harvest Wealth Management Limited is the subsidiary of Harvest Fund Management Limited. Both companies are regulated by China Securities Regulatory Commission. Before joining Custom House, Mrs. Huang was a client advisor assistant at UBS AG in Hong Kong where she was responsible for the day-to-day administration of onboarding clients and providing updates on their portfolios. Mrs. Huang holds a Master of Finance (Investment Management) from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, PolyU and a Bachelor of Economics from East China Normal University in Shanghai. She will report to Allen Li, Director of the Hong Kong office.
Reprinted from Alon Ben-Meir Website



Five-year-old Omran Daqneesh sits in the back of an ambulance after a military strike in the rebel-held neighborhood of Qaterji in Aleppo.

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The ongoing horror in Aleppo should awaken every global leader with an ounce of courage to step up and do whatever it takes to end the slaughter and inhuman suffering of the Syrian people. The fact that the siege of Aleppo continues unabated only exposes the ineptitude and moral decadence of the international community, who have failed to save innocent Syrians from Assad's killing machine. The US should now take a firmer position on ending the butchery in Aleppo.

By focusing primarily on defeating ISIS, the US is de facto helping Assad to continue his merciless campaign that has killed nearly 500,000 Syrians, displaced 11 million, and rained down destruction unseen since World War II. The slaughter of countless innocent Syrians, especially children, must first stop -- only then can negotiations for a long-term cessation of hostilities begin.

Given the complexity of the civil war in Syria, as things stand today there is no solution in sight. There are multiple players -- including the Assad regime, the rebels, ISIS, Iran, Russia, the US, Turkey, the Syrian Kurds, an assortment of various extremists groups, and others like Saudi Arabia who are waging a proxy war both in Syria and Iraq -- who all have serious stakes in the outcome of the civil war.

Each has different alliances and objectives, and there is absolutely no way for all of them to reach a consensus because none are truly concerned about the plight of the Syrian people, instead using the conflict only to serve their strategic long-term interests.

President Bush's reckless invasion of Iraq in 2003, which has and continues to violently shake the entire Middle East, caused President Obama to shy away from getting deeply involved militarily in Syria. He was and still is (perhaps for good reason) seeking to prevent further escalation for the worse, because he too sees no prospect of ending the conflict any time soon, even with massive American involvement.

As a result, Obama has essentially relinquished Syria and its people to the whims of Russia and Iran in particular, and is allowing Putin to use any military means as he sees fit to protect Assad as long as he serves as a tool to secure Russian interests.

US efforts to arrange for another ceasefire, even if achieved, will not succeed any more than the previous one, and at best would provide a limited, tenuous cessation of hostilities. The reason behind this tragic war is that such an intractable conflict with so many players and divergent interests cannot be settled as long as one of the following four conditions of solving a conflict remains absent.

As a rule, violent and seemingly irreconcilable conflicts cannot be resolved unless a) the conflicting parties involved reach a point of complete exhaustion; b) the main players conclude that they can no longer improve their position and prevail; c) there is no longer an inherent interest in prolonging and simply managing the conflict by one or more of the main players to serve a long-term strategic objective; or d) a catastrophic event has occurred which would make the return of the status quo impossible, forcing the conflicting parties to scramble for a permanent solution.

Given that none of the four prerequisites are present and are unlikely to occur any time soon, we can expect Syria's civil war to continue for five to 10 more years, which is not unprecedented. Among many others, the civil war in neighboring Lebanon lasted for nearly 15 years (1975-1990), and the civil war in Algeria lasted 10 years (1992-2002).

Being that the civil war in Syria will drag on for several more years, the question is: how much longer can the US afford to watch from the sideline and allow the unforgiven slaughter of innocent men, women, and children to continue unabated?

Notwithstanding the presidential election, the United States cannot afford to relinquish its moral leadership role. At a minimum, the Obama administration must send a clear and unambiguous message to Assad by undertaking a surgical bombing of Syria's air fields, some of its air force installations, and specific well-known military structures.

This undoubtedly will resonate with the Russians as well as Assad, because the last thing either wants is an increased American military role against the regime. This explains why Assad was more than willing to give up Syria's chemical weapon stockpile, precisely because he wanted to avoid US attacks. Unfortunately, Assad's surrender of his chemical weapons would have been a far more effective deal had it not frozen Obama from taking any subsequent military action.

Short of that, Assad was not deterred from using barrel bombs that indiscriminately kill, maim, and destroy entire neighborhoods, leaving nothing but the shadows of hell lurking behind. US military strikes, however limited in scope and duration, will put Assad and his Russian culprits on notice that the US will not allow them any longer to commit monstrosities with impunity.

If nothing else, the US will restore some of its credibility and relevance, but more important, it will prevent further butchery and accelerate the process of reaching a more durable ceasefire, at least between the main players.

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The media campaign attacking Russia is in high gear these days. Russia is accused of cyberwarfare, leaking poor Hillary's emails, and now, of a slick disinformation campaign to undermine poor NATO, our bastion of peace.



RT

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NATO kiss of death

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NATO kiss of death

NATO (excuse me, the plant) grows by leaps and bounds. I won't spoil the ending, but I suggest you hurry to see the off-off Broadway musical before it reaches us in real life. It is a cult classic.



Who interfered in Ukraine affairs?



New York Times journalist Neil MacFarquhar's "A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories" features an ominous picture of "unidentified soldiers" in Crimea in March 2014, the implication being that Russia had boldly invaded Crimea following the coup in Ukraine.



Crimea is a complex place, part of the Russian empire from the 18th century (taken from the Ottomans). It was never really part of the sorry looking Ukraine of today, which was never really a state until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and has lurched from one crisis to another.



Ukraine is the least functional of the dysfunctional pseudo-states created in 1991 by a tiny cabal of now ex-Soviet functionaries. They used the latest 'time of troubles'* to snatch personal power and become fabulously wealthy, with full support of the US. Until a coup by NATO-lovers and neofascists**--blessed by Obama--seized power in February 2014.



Nobel Peacenik Obama later admitted he tried to broker a deal during the coup, calling on the Ukrainian army to "stand down" to allow the formation of a "transitional government". Outrageous, but who cares if you violate international law in the interests of empire? Of course, no mention of this is made in MacFarquhar's piece, or anywhere else in western media.



Crimea from 1991 on has called for reunification with Russia. It was always an autonomous republic, and when the coup happened in February 2014, Crimeans jumped at the chance to make use of it. In March, 78 of the 100 Crimean parliamentarians voted to join Russia, and in a referendum 97% voted 'yes'.



What was poor Russia to do? Refuse to take the beleaguered Crimean Russians*** back into the fold? Cede its key military base--where its ships were still docked--to NATO?





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This is a reprint from NewsBred.



Georoge Soros, Amnesty and Ramya

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In recent days, two things have drawn readers' attention: (i) US State Department has come out in support of Amnesty International, (ii) Actress Ramya of Congress has spoken against the "sedition" law (she has syndicated her columns to Indian mainstream media today--what PR!).

Dear Readers, not for a second doubt that all this is related to the recent Bengaluru event of Amnesty International where "azaadi" slogans were raised and a case of sedition filed against Amnesty International. (That astonishingly no arrest has so far been made is another matter.)

Before we fall into the polarization of Congress-left-media nexus vs. Indian right-wing forces, let us first analyze Amnesty International and the US imperial designs. We would then be in a better position to know exactly their agents in India who want a bleak future for us and our children.

Some plain facts.

Amnesty International is funded by George Soros, one of the richest persons in the world.

Soros, for the uninitiated, is a Hungarian e'migre' "philanthropist." Investigative journalist Neil Clark says: "Soros' way is to use a few billion dollars, some NGOs and a 'nod and wink from the US State Department,' to bring down foreign governments that are 'bad for business' to seize a nation's assets, and even get thanked for your 'benevolence.'"

Clark states further: "Soros may not, as sometimes is suggested, be a fully paid-up CIA agent. But that his corporations and NGOs are closely wrapped up in US expansionism cannot seriously be doubted."

The method has worked for Soros and his enterprises, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. You could read all about the "Soros" role in the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and its links with US imperialism agents here.

To know about all the monstrous deeds of Amnesty International, NewsBred offers you not one but 100s of links.

Now lets' look at US imperial agenda.

It would astonish you readers that US itself prohibits foreign-funded NGOs to operate on its land!!!

Yet, many U.S.-Central Intelligence Agency(CIA)-National Endowment for Democracy(NED)- International Republican Institute (IRI) and George Soros funded ones are used for insurgency in other countries, like USAID, with the excuse to help and offer charity.

The real intention though is interference in local economy and political affairs, bribe media, police, government officials and destabilize a country. It funds propaganda like Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, profit multinationals and install puppets like the did with Shah of Iran in the 1970s.

Other instances about--Yugoslavia (OTPOR movement), Russia (GOLOS), Venezuela (coup to have Chavez assassinated), Ukraine or arm/pay/train mercenary, terrorist death squads (with the NATO/Saudi/Qatar coalition) like in Turkey, Jordan, Kosovo camps, like sending them to Libya, Iraq Syria to form actual ISIS, then claim fighting. NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International who are Soros-funded will destabilize any country which is not a friend of US-UK coalition.

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Bavarian Inn Restaurant presents Johnny Cash tribute show

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Johnny Cash, that country music legend with the haunting, storytelling voice known around the world, will be honored at the Bavarian Inn Restaurant when it presents "The Ultimate Johnny Cash Tribute Show" on Wednesday, Sept. 21 as part of the restaurants 2016 series of matinee dinner shows. Two performances are scheduled  11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.Terry Lee Goffee, a longtime country music artist who regularly performs year-round across the country, totally immerses himself in the Johnny Cash character, in appearance and musical style, from the moment he walks onstage, all the way to the final song. His 30-plus tribute repertoire includes hits such as "I Walk the Line" and "Ring of Fire."The show price of $40 includes a hearty Frankenmuth Chicken plate meal with all the fixings and a non-alcoholic beverage. Tax and gratuity are also included. Reservations and prepayment are required, and may be made by calling 1-800-BAVARIA or (989) 652-9941.Also coming up in the Bavarian Inns matinee dinner show series is A Neil Diamond Tribute starring Jay White on November 29 and 30. All shows feature the Bavarian Inns own songstress and musician, Linda Lee. For more information, please visitAbout Bavarian Inn RestaurantCelebrating 125 years of service in 2013, the Bavarian Inn Restaurant has become a Michigan landmark. Generations of diners, lodgers and tourists from around the globe have discovered true Bavarian hospitality thanks to Dorothy and her late husband William "Tiny" Zehnder. Guests experience the old-world European charm of the Bavarian Inn  whether its the famous chicken dinners, fresh baked goods or Michigans greatest selection of German beer. Bavarian Inn also prides itself on being one of the top consumers of Pure Michigan agricultural products. Nestled within a backdrop of authentic German architecture, a variety of shops and other fun activities, a trip to Frankenmuth would not be complete without a visit to the Bavarian Inn Restaurant. Learn more atBavarian Inn online press room:713 S. Main StreetFrankenmuth, MI
Sales of Skincare Devices Poised to Rise Globally With Increasing Incidence of Skin Cancer and Other Skin Disorders

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The presence of a large number of players has made the vendor landscape in the global skincare devices market highly fragmented. Despite the presence of prominent brands in substantial number, the majority market share is held by local and small-scale players specializing in large-scale production of popular skincare devices such as biopsy punches and dermatoscope. Many of these local vendors also specialize in the production of high value devices such as liposuction devices and laser systems.Nevertheless, as per Transparency Market Research (TMR), key players in the market including Lumenis Ltd., Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Cynosure, ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc., and Syneron Medical Ltd. hold a combined share of 25% in the global skincare devices market. Since a majority of companies in the market focus on product differentiation, competition is further elevated in the market.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical industry insights:Increasing Incidence of Skin Cancer Boosts Sales of Skincare DevicesAs per TMR, the increasing incidence of skin disorders such as skin cancer is expected to fuel demand for skincare devices market. The rising demand for diagnosis in the form of biopsies and dermatoscopy, and treatment techniques such as light therapy and lasabrasion, the sale of skincare devices is likely to increase the uptake of skincare devices, said a lead TMR analyst. The market is also expected to significantly gain from the increasing demand for non-invasive cosmetic procedures, he added.Besides this, for simple skin related issues such as wrinkles, appearance of aging lines, and unwanted hair patients are looking for faster solutions with minimal pain, which will also allow them to resume their daily chores at the earliest. This led to the introduction of handheld and smart skincare devices to increase the convenience of treatment providers. These trends are proving conducive to the growth of the skincare devices market.Rising Healthcare Expenditure to Reflect Positively on Sales Prospects for Skincare DevicesTMR forecasts the healthcare expenditure to significantly rise during the forecast period between 2015 and 2023. With the growth of healthcare expenditure outpacing the rate of population, TMR expects the prospects for skincare devices market to be extremely lucrative during the forecast period. The rising geriatric population is also expected to boost sales of skincare devices globally.Most importantly, the rising trend of medical tourism and med spas, especially in the emerging economies of Asia Pacific, will provide ample growth opportunities for leading vendors.However, the presence of a large number of local and established players has rendered the skincare devices market highly competitive. This compels a majority of manufacturers to offer their products at lower price. While such competitive pricing strategies limit the growth of skincare devices market to an extent, lack of transparency in their pricing strategies by suppliers can also go against the market.Rising Popularity of Substitutes of Skincare Procedures to Negatively Impact Skincare Devices SalesWith substitutes of skincare procedures such as liposuction and light therapy gaining popularity at a rapid pace, the sales of skincare devices are likely to reduce in the near future. The rising usage of cosmeceuticals such as dermal fillers and Botox will also create bottlenecks for the market.Nevertheless, as per TMR leading vendors can gain from capitalizing on the untapped opportunities in Asia Pacific. Regionally, while North America holds the largest share in the global skincare devices market, Asia Pacific is expected to demonstrate growth at the highest pace during the forecast period.By application, demand for skincare devices is poised to rise for cellulite reduction and diagnosis of various skin diseases such as psoriasis, skin cancer, warts, fungal infections, and others.TMR pegs the global skincare devices market to reach US$17,299.4 mn in 2023, from US$7,255.8 in 2014. The market as per TMR analysis, is expected to surge at a CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast period.The review is based on a report published by Transparency Market Research, titled Skincare Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015  2023.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.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Smart Irrigation System Industry 2016 Explicit Features, Market Analysis, Recent Developments, Dynamic Investments & Application

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The research report analyzes the global Smart Irrigation System market in a detailed manner by elucidating the key aspects of the market that are expected to have a quantifiable influence on its developmental prospects over the forecast period. The major growth drivers, challenges, and trends influencing the global Smart Irrigation System market are examined at length. The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data pertaining to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects.The vast amount of market data that is available about any market in general makes it a tough task to narrow it down to the most crucial details and statistics relevant with the business issues at hand. Many companies could lack the much needed dedicated resources and the specific skills necessary for compiling a comprehensive market research. Focused market research methodologies help organizations in clearly gauging the most crucial stakes in the market that need to the considered for effective decision making.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @With the all-inclusive market data concerning the crucial elements and segment of the global Smart Irrigation System market that can influence the growth prospects of the market, the report makes for a highly informative document. The report can effectively help companies and decision makers in addressing these challenges strategically to gain the maximum benefits in the highly competitive Smart Irrigation System market.The report includes vast data pertaining to the recent product and technological developments observed in the market, complete with an analysis of the impact of these advancements on the markets future development.The report also presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the global Smart Irrigation System market, thus helping organizations understand the major threat and opportunities that vendors in the market are dealt with. It also includes detailed business profiles of some of the major vendors in the market.Browse Complete Report with TOC @QYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.QYResearchReports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Glidden Limousine Announces Expanded Network for Professional Limousine Services

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Glidden Limousine, a Minneapolis limousine company, is expanding its network to offer professional limousine service and black car transportation in major markets across the United States.Minneapolis, MN, USA -- Glidden Limousine (), a Twin Cities limousine company, has announced the expansion of its executive transportation and limousine services to various markets throughout the United States. The expansion primarily focuses on providing airport limousine services to individuals traveling in major cities across the country. The expansion includes the limo company's black car service for business travelers as well as professional limo transportation for those traveling for pleasure.This expansion marks an important landmark for Glidden Limousine. Based in Minneapolis, the company had primarily focused on providing limousine transportation in the Twin Cities and the surrounding areas. Now, Glidden has expanded its reach to service other large markets including: New York City Miami Los Angeles Chicago Dallas Seattle And More!"We are so excited to be able to provide this convenience to our clients," said Keith Glidden, Owner of Glidden Limousine. "Instead of dealing with multiple transportation companies during their travels, we can coordinate limo services to cover their entire trip."The expansion is mainly focused on those traveling for business that are in need of black car and airport transportation. These services include executive limo transportation to and from the Minneapolis airport as well as to cover all transportation needs once at the destination. This convenience gives Glidden clients the assurance that they will arrive at their business meetings and the airport on time.To schedule limo transportation for an upcoming trip, Glidden Limousine requests an itinerary that lists the specific dates, times, and locations that limousine services will be needed. Those interested in learning more about Glidden's expanded limousine transportation and black car service network should contact the company at (612) 296-1947.About Glidden LimousineGlidden Limousine is a luxury limousine service offering transportation in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities area. Based in Burnsville, MN the company specializes in airport transportation, luxury limo tours, and premium limo rentals.Media Contact:Keith Glidden, OwnerGlidden Limousine901 Ladybird LaneBurnsville, MN 55337(612) 296-1947info@limomn.com
Asia Pacific Commercial Refrigerators Market to reach US$38.83 bn by 2024

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As per TMR, the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market stood at over US$16.99 bn in 2015. Exhibiting a CAGR of 9.8%, the market is expected to reach US$38.83 bn by the end of 2024. Volume-wise TMR forecasts the market to reach 60,253 thousand units by 2024 from 28,896 thousand units in 2015. China emerged as the leading contributor in the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market accounting for a share of 33.5% in 2015The presence of a large number of domestic and international manufacturers has rendered the landscape in the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market highly competitive. As per Transparency Market Research (TMR), Midea Group and Haier Electronics Group Co. Ltd. led the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market in 2015. These companies have been increasingly focusing on product innovation and improving customer experience in order to gain a competitive advantage in the market.For instance, Liebherr entered into a partnership agreement with Redmond based Microsoft Corporation in April 2016 for the development of smart refrigerators based on the premise of the Internet of Things (IoT). More such developments are expected to be reported from the market.A substantial number of enterprises in the market are looking to expand their product portfolio in order to achieve sustainable growth. Apart from investing in product innovations, the key players are also focusing on competitive pricing to keep pace with the prevailing competition. However, according to TMR, improvements in retail channels hold the key for long-term growth for players operating in the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market.Download free exclusive Sample of this report:Booming Food and Retail Industry in Asia Pacific Holds Promise for Commercial Refrigerators SalesThe booming food and retail industry in Asia Pacific is fuelling demand for refrigerators with innovative design. Unlike the refrigerators used in domestic applications, the ones used for commercial purposes have a high storage capacity and an expansive operating temperature suitable for a plethora of product types.The growth witnessed in the Asia Pacific retail industry is also attributed to the increasing consumption of packaged food and beverages. Due to the hectic lifestyle of consumers and their increasing willingness to pay for convenience food, the demand for packaged food and beverages is expected to surge exponentially in the near future, said a TMR analyst. This is a primary factor driving the market for commercial refrigerators in Asia Pacific. Furthermore, the increasing number of supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants will substantially bolster sales of commercial refrigerators in Asia Pacific, he added.Besides this, the importance of energy efficiency in commercial and consumer appliances has considerably increased in the last few years. The rising awareness about green appliances has paved the way for the advent of eco-friendly commercial refrigerators.View exclusive Global strategic Business report:High Prices Discourage Deployment of Commercial Refrigerators across Small Retail OutletsContrary to this, the high cost procurement and maintenance costs of commercial refrigerators are hindering the growth of the market to an extent. Due to their high price, small retailers tend to look for more affordable alternatives. This limits the sales of commercial refrigerators to smaller establishments such as cafes and local retailers. In addition, the availability of alternate packaging solutions such as temperature-control packaging is hindering the sales of commercial refrigerators in Asia Pacific.Advent of Smart and Solar Commercial Refrigerators Presents a Fresh OpportunityDramatic changes have been witnessed in commercial appliances over the last few years. The high energy consumption of these appliances has led to the introduction of smart and solar powered commercial refrigerators. With leading name brands venturing into the development and manufacturing of solar-based commercial refrigerators, the market witnesses lucrative prospects to gain from in the near future.This review is based on information published by TMR in a report, titled Commercial Refrigerators Market - Asia Pacific Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024,The commercial refrigerators market is segmented as follows.Glass Door Refrigerators, by Capacity0.5 Cu. Ft. to 3.0 Cu. Ft.3.1 Cu. Ft. to 6.0 Cu. Ft.6.1 Cu. Ft. to 9.0 Cu. Ft.OthersBeverage Refrigerators, by TypeBeverage RefrigeratorsWine RefrigeratorsRefrigerated Display Cases, by TypePlug-inRemoteFreezers, by TypeChest FreezersVertical FreezersIce-cream FreezersFridge Freezers, by TypeSingle-doorMulti-doorCommercial Refrigerators, by Retail ChannelHypermarketsSupermarketsConvenience StoresRestaurantsOthers (Pharmaceutical Shops and Retail Stores)Commercial Refrigerators Market, by CountryChinaJapanIndiaAustralia and New ZealandSouth KoreaTransparency 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. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Biochips Market is projected to expand at a favorable pace of 16.9% by 2023

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http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/biochips-market.html

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The global biochips market is projected to expand at a steady 16.9% CAGR over the course of the forecast period, with the value of this market rising from US$5.7 bn in 2104 to US$22.2 bn by 2023. DNA chips form the largest segment by type in terms of revenue, with a 39.7% share in 2014. Microfluidic devices, on the other hand, are anticipated to expand at the highest CAGR of 17.4% from 2015 to 2023. Among applications, drug discovery and development is projected to witness the maximum growth through the forecast period. However, TMR predicts a slight dip in this segments market share. Despite this, drug discovery and development will continue to dominate the overall biochips market in terms of application.The vendor landscape of the global biochips market is extremely fragmented, speckled with a number of small, medium, and large enterprises. Considering that it is not a monopolistic scenario, the entry of new players is not restricted, giving vendors immense scope. In view of this, Transparency Market Research finds that despite being the leading players in the biochips market, Affymetrix Inc., Agilent Technologies Inc., and Illumina Inc. together accounted for only 40% of the global market in 2014, leaving room for a large group of contributors to collectively enjoy a 51% share in the biochips market that year.Download free exclusive Sample of this report:Strategic partnerships with major industry players, the development of new and innovative products, technological advancements, and diversifying product offerings are the key strategies companies have been resorting to further their sales of biochips, penetrate into newer market areas, and gain a stronger hold over the market, the author of the TMR study states.Several companies have also increased focus on research and development in order to produce advanced products that align with ongoing technological shifts. Agilent Technologies is one such company. The US-based firm acquired Seahorse Bioscience, a manufacturer of tools for measuring cell metabolism, in November 2015. The acquisition has helped Agilent gain unique technological expertise that complements its mass spectrometry and separations solutions, especially in the research of metabolomics and disease. Affymetrix has also been investing large amounts of funds in the research, design, and development of new assays, arrays, and reagent products.View exclusive Global strategic Business report:The rising applications of biochips in a wide range of diagnostic areas, especially in drug discovery and research and veterinary diagnostics, is a key factor boosting the global market. While the availability of molecular information and growing investments in the field will continue driving the use of biochips, TMR believes that the automation of several complex processes through the use of biochips is a major advantage that players can capitalize on.In terms of geography, while North America emerged as the leading regional market for biochips valuing US$1.7 bn in 2014, the Rest of the World segment is forecast to expand at the fastest pace of 17.3% between 2015 and 2023. The biochips market in RoW is presently at a nascent stage, but the growing need for diagnostics in the healthcare sectors of the various regions under this segment promises to provide players with lucrative opportunities in the near future, the TMR analyst assures.This review is based on the findings of a TMR report titled Biochips Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015-2023.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.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Laser Diode Market to Reach US$10.26 bn by 2020 as Laser Diodes Prove to be Advantageous Over Traditional Material Processing Technologies

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Transparency Market Research has recently published a research report that includes a thorough study of the global laser diode market. The research report, titled Laser Diode Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2020, estimates the factors influencing the global laser diode market with the help of a SWOT analysis and Porters five forces analysis. The former helps in assessing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, while the latter gives a fair understanding on the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitute products or services, the bargaining power of customers, the bargaining power of suppliers, and the intensity of competitive rivalry.According to the research report, the global laser diode market was valued at US$4.6 bn in 2013 and is expected to reach US$10.26 bn by 2020, expanding at an impressive CAGR of 12.60% from 2014 to 2020. The prime growth driver for the global laser diode market is the advantages laser diodes offer in comparison to other material processing technologies. These diodes are more efficient and precise as compared to traditional material processing technologies.Download free exclusive Sample of this report:The laser diode market is segmented on the basis of doping material, application, technology, wavelength property, and geography. The doping materials used in this market are InGaN, GaN, AIGaInP, GaInAsSb, GaAIAs, GaAs, and others. The applications of laser diodes are seen in the industrial sector, the healthcare industry, the automotive industry, the defense industry, and others. The technologies deployed in the laser diode market are double hetero structure laser diodes, quantum cascade laser diodes, quantum well laser diodes, distributed feedback laser diodes, separate confinement hetero structure (SCH) laser diodes, VCSEL diodes, and VECSEL diodes. Depending on the wavelength, the global laser diode market is categorized into red laser diodes, infrared laser diodes, blue violet laser diodes, blue laser diodes, green laser diodes, and ultraviolet laser diodes. Geographically, this market has been segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World.The AlGaInP segment dominated the global laser diode market in 2013 with a share of 30% in the overall market. This remarkable share was attributable to the increasing adoption of this type of laser diodes in laser pointers and optical disks. On the other hand, the consumer electronics segment continues to hold a leading position amongst the applications of laser diodes. According to the report, the automotive industry will also provide a lucrative growth opportunity for the laser diode market, as laser diodes are extensively used for marking and engraving automotive plastics.View exclusive Global strategic Business report:The research report profiles some of the top players in the global laser diode market in order to offer the readers a clear view of the competitive landscape. Furthermore, the research report also states the financial overview of the companies, their business and marketing strategies, research and development activities, and their investment outlook in the global laser diode market in the coming few years.The global laser diode market is segmented as follows:Laser Diode Market: By geographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRoWLaser Diode Market: By doping materialsInGaNGaNAIGaInPGaAIAsGaInAsSbGaAsOthersLaser Diode Market: By applicationsIndustrialConsumer ElectronicsHealthcareAutomotiveDefenseOthersLaser Diode Market: By technologyDouble Hetero structure Laser DiodesQuantum Well Laser DiodesQuantum Cascade Laser DiodesDistributed Feedback Laser DiodesSeparate Confinement Hetero structure (SCH) Laser DiodesVCSEL DiodesVECSEL DiodesLaser Diode Market: By property (wavelength)Infrared Laser DiodeRed Laser DiodeBlue Laser DiodeBlue Violet Laser DiodeGreen Laser DiodeUltraviolet Laser DiodeTransparency 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:
LoginRadius Named a Top Customer Identity and Access Management (cIAM) Vendor by Gartner and Forrester

LoginRadius Inc. announced today that it has been named among the top vendors in the customer Identity and Access Management (cIAM) space by leading technology and market research firms Gartner Inc. and Forrester Research. Leading technology watchdog Computer Weekly has also labeled LoginRadius as one of the top vendors in the external consumer Identity and Access Management space.LoginRadius was interviewed by Gartner for its research publication entitled Consumer Identity and Access Management: the Digital Relationship Imperative and was named as one of the leading marketing focussed cIAM platforms in the world. Gartner identified LoginRadius as an exclusively consumer facing identity management provider, unlike other vendors who are a hybrid of employee and consumer facing IAM solutions.In the report entitled Top 11 Trends S&R Pros Should Watch, Forrester pointed out that companies are constantly looking for a cIAM platform which is highly scalable and is able to create a unified privacy and identity model across multiple channels. Forrester named LoginRadius as one of the top vendors to watch out for in the context of these prerequisites.In the report entitled How to Manage IT for External Users, Computer Weekly analyzed the transition from traditional enterprise IAM to external consumer facing IAM systems and the emergence of companies working in this sector. The magazine also named LoginRadius as a leader in the cIAM space.This is an exciting milestone in the company history after running our cIAM solution on over 150,000 web and mobile applications with monthly reach of over 400 million users worldwide, said Rakesh Soni, CEO/Co-founder of LoginRadius. cIAM should be at the core of any customer focused business digital ecosystem and LoginRadius is poised to innovate and solve the challenges of a Connected Customer Experience.LoginRadius continues be leader in cIAM:Todays digital landscape is changing at a rapid pace and in ways that can be unexpected. LoginRadius is uniquely positioned to respond and adapt to these changes thanks to their flexible platform that is built with the most modern cloud technologies and has always been focused solely on customer identity and access management. Innovation in the platform is driven by the needs of their customers and trends in the market - this way they are able to maintain their competitive edge in the space.Our focus is always on understanding challenges faced by companies around customer identity, customer experiences and unification of customer profiles, said Deepak Gupta, CTO/Co-founder of LoginRadius. This deep understanding allows us to continually innovate and deliver the most advanced cIAM solution in the market.About LoginRadius:LoginRadius is a provider of cloud-based Customer Identity and Access Management solution for mid to large sized companies. LoginRadius solution is serving over 150,000 web and mobile applications with monthly reach of over 400 million users worldwide.Loginradius platform helps companies deliver a connected customer experience, build integrated marketing ecosystem, centralize customer data to define a unified profile and better manage their customer identities. Some of the key products include customer registration service, social login, profile management, integration with third party applications, user management, and customer insights.The company headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, with offices in the USA and India.LoginRadius offers a best-in-class customer identity and access management (cIAM) platform that helps large and enterprise companies centralize their customer data. With our platform, companies can create unified customer profiles and integrate them with their sales, marketing, and business solutions to fuel their growth.200-1281 W Georgia St,Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Higher Cardiac Arrhythmias Incidence to Drive Electrophysiology Devices Market to USD 5.2 Billion by 2020

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Electrophysiology Devices Market 2013-2020 report estimates the electrophysiology devices market to reach nearly USD 5.2 Billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 8.9% from 2016 to 2020 - iHealthcareAnalyst, Inc.Visit the Electrophysiology Devices Market 2013-2020 reportThe global electrophysiology devices market report provides market size (Revenue USD Million 2013 to 2020), market share and forecasts growth trends (CAGR%, 2016 to 2020).Electrophysiology studies the electrical properties of biological cells and tissues. It involves measurements of voltage change or electric current on a wide variety of scales from single ion channel proteins to whole organs like the heart. Electrophysiology devices are used for electrodiagnosis and monitoring. For example, in neuroscience, it includes measurements of the electrical activity of neurons, and particularly action potential activity.The global electrophysiology devices market segmentation is based on product types (electrophysiology monitoring devices, electrocardiograph, electroencephalograph, electrocorticograph, electromyograph, electroretinograph, electrooculograph, holter monitoring devices, x-ray systems, imaging and 3d mapping systems, diagnostic electrophysiology catheters, electrophysiology treatment devices, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, pacemakers, catheters, radiofrequency electrophysiology ablation catheters, cryoablation electrophysiology catheters, laser ablation catheters, microwave ablation catheters). The global electrophysiology devices market report also provides the detailed market landscape (market drivers, restraints, opportunities), market attractiveness analysis and profiles of major competitors in the global market including company overview, financial snapshot, key products, technologies and services offered, and recent developments. The global electrophysiology devices market research report is divided by geography (regional and country based) into North America (U.S., Canada), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Rest of LA), Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Rest of EU), Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Rest of APAC), and Rest of the World.1. Device/ Product Type1.1. Electrophysiology Monitoring Devices1.1.1. Diagnostic Electrophysiology Catheters1.1.2. Electrocardiograph (ECG)1.1.3. Electrocorticograph (ECOG)1.1.4. Electroencephalograph (EEG)1.1.5. Electromyograph (EMG)1.1.6. Electrooculograph (EOG)1.1.7. Electroretinograph (ERG)1.1.8. Holter Monitoring Devices1.1.9. Imaging and 3D Mapping Systems1.1.10. X-Ray Systems1.2. Electrophysiology Treatment Devices1.3. Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs)1.4. Pacemakers1.5. Catheters1.5.1. Cryoablation Electrophysiology Catheters1.5.2. Laser Ablation Catheters1.5.3. Microwave Ablation Catheters1.5.4. Radiofrequency Electrophysiology Ablation Catheters2. Geography (Region, Country)2.1. North America (U.S., Canada)2.2. Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Rest of LA)2.3. Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Rest of EU)2.4. Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Rest of APAC)2.5. Rest of the World3. Company Profiles3.1. Abbott Laboratories3.2. Biotronik SE & Co. KG3.3. Boston Scientific3.4. GE Healthcare3.5. Johnson & Johnson3.6. Medtronic Inc.3.7. Microport3.8. Nihon Kohden Corporation3.9. Philips Healthcare3.10. Siemens Healthcare3.11. St. Jude Medical, Inc.iHealthcareAnalyst, Inc. is a global health care market research and consulting company providing market analysis, and competitive intelligence services to global clients. The Company publishes syndicate, custom and consulting grade healthcare reports covering animal healthcare, biotechnology, clinical diagnostics, healthcare informatics, healthcare services, medical devices, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals.iHealthcareAnalyst, Inc. provides industry participants and stakeholders with strategically analyzed, unbiased view of market dynamics and business opportunities within its coverage areas.Ana AitawaiHealthcareAnalyst, Inc.2109, Mckelvey Hill Drive,Maryland Heights, MO 63043United StatesPhone: (314) 736-9294.Email: sales@ihealthcareanalyst.com
Significant Demand and FDA Approvals to Boost Endoscopy Devices Market to USD 35 Billion by 2020

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The global endoscopy devices market is estimated to reach USD 35 Billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 3.1% from 2016 to 2020, according to a new market research report Endoscopy Devices Market 2013-2020, published by iHealthcareAnalyst, Inc.Visit the Endoscopy Devices Market 2013-2020 report atThe global endoscopy devices market report provides market size (Revenue USD Million 2013 to 2020), market share and forecasts growth trends (CAGR%, 2016 to 2020).There are many different types of endoscopy devices, and depending on the site in the body and the type of procedure, endoscopy may be performed by a doctor or a surgeon, and the patient may be fully conscious or anaesthetized. Most often the term endoscopy is used to refer to an examination of the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, known as an esophagogastroduodenoscopy.The global endoscopy devices market segmentation is based on product types (endoscope devices - rigid endoscope, flexible endoscope, capsule endoscopy, robot assisted endoscopy, endoscopic operative devices - energy systems, suction/irrigation systems, access devices, operative hand instruments, visualization systems - endoscopic ultrasound devices, standard definition visualization system, SD 2D visualization systems, SD 3D visualization systems, high definition visualization systems, HD 2D visualization systems, HD 3D visualization systems). The global endoscopy devices market report also provides the detailed market landscape (market drivers, restraints, opportunities), market attractiveness analysis and profiles of major competitors in the global market including company overview, financial snapshot, key products, technologies and services offered, and recent developments. The global endoscopy devices market research report is divided by geography (regional and country based) into North America (U.S., Canada), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Rest of LA), Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Rest of EU), Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Rest of APAC), and Rest of the World.1. Device Type1.1. Endoscope Devices1.1.1. Rigid Endoscope1.1.2. Flexible Endoscope1.1.3. Capsule Endoscopy1.1.4. Robot Assisted Endoscopy1.2. Endoscopic Operative Devices1.2.1. Energy Systems1.2.2. Suction/Irrigation systems1.2.3. Access Devices1.2.4. Operative Hand Instruments1.2.5. Other Endoscopic Operative Devices1.3. Visualization Systems1.3.1. Endoscopic Ultrasound Devices1.3.2. Standard Definition (SD) Visualization System1.3.2.1. SD 2D Visualization Systems1.3.2.2. SD 3D Visualization Systems1.3.3. High Definition Visualization Systems1.3.3.1. HD 2D Visualization Systems1.3.3.2. HD 3D Visualization Systems2. Application2.1. Arthroscopy Surgeries2.2. Cardiovascular Surgeries2.3. ENT Surgeries2.4. Gastrointestinal Surgeries2.5. Laparoscopy Surgeries2.6. Neuro/Spinal Surgeries2.7. Urology/Gynecology Surgeries3. Geography (Region, Country)3.1. North America (U.S., Canada)3.2. Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Rest of LA)3.3. Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Rest of EU)3.4. Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Rest of APAC)3.5. Rest of the World4. Company Profiles4.1. Arthrex, Inc.4.2. B. Braun Melsungen AG4.3. Boston Scientific Corporation4.4. Cook Mediacal, Inc.4.5. Covidien PLC4.6. Ethicon Endo-Surgery4.7. FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation4.8. HOYA Corporation4.9. Intuitive Surgical, Inc.4.10. KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG4.11. Olympus Corporation4.12. Richard Wolf GmbH4.13. Smith & Nephew PLC4.14. Stryker CorporationiHealthcareAnalyst, Inc. is a global health care market research and consulting company providing market analysis, and competitive intelligence services to global clients. The Company publishes syndicate, custom and consulting grade healthcare reports covering animal healthcare, biotechnology, clinical diagnostics, healthcare informatics, healthcare services, medical devices, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals.iHealthcareAnalyst, Inc. provides industry participants and stakeholders with strategically analyzed, unbiased view of market dynamics and business opportunities within its coverage areas.Ana AitawaiHealthcareAnalyst, Inc.2109, Mckelvey Hill Drive,Maryland Heights, MO 63043United StatesPhone: (314) 736-9294.Email: sales@ihealthcareanalyst.com
Put Your Business on the Ladder of Great Success with the Help of Business Process Outsourcing Company

http://www.josoftech.com

Josoft Technologies (Josoftech), IndiaThe economy of India is increasing at a very high rate as the business opportunities are increasing in this developing country. With the increasing business in India, the need of business process outsourcing company is also increasing as the growing and big businesses require a number of supports to run the business and to put it on the path of great success. These supports can be considered as manpower services, customer support services, sales services etc. Every large business needs a faithful partner in the form of business process outsourcing company to support it by giving the best support services. The main aim of these services to minimize the cost of the production and to maximize the profit without compromising with the quality of the services. To maintain the goodwill of a company or business, it is essential to reply the queries of the customer and if needed provide them the necessary technical support. Meeting this demand, the business process outsourcing company plays a vital role. These companies also help the large companies in keeping their data maintained with confidentiality. These companies also done their work by assigning home based data entry work.Home based data entry work is in full swing nowadays. Everyone wants some extra earnings by doing some extra work. A professional, a student, and a house wife even a retired person can earn a very handsome amount by doing data entry work at home. The biggest plus point of this work is the worker is the boss itself. He can choose the working hours in accordance with his convenience. All you need is to have the basic knowledge of computer and a computer with internet connection. The more good your typing speed, the more money you can earn in less time. Home based data entry work is available as online data entry work as well as offline data entry work.Josoft is a trusted business process outsourcing company and works as a sincere partner to your business. It provides all kinds of outsourcing services to a business. It also provides assistance in maintaining data records. Home based data entry work is also done at Josoft. You can choose this work in accordance to your interest as content writing or form filling work. Utilize your leisure time by doing this home based data entry work by molding the working hours according to your convenience either part-time or full-time.Contact:E-mail us at: info@josoftech.comCall or reach us at: +91-9026209005Website:Every business achieves success only if it provides customer satisfaction. Good customer service maintains the goodwill of the company. Great customer service can be done by hiring the business process outsourcing company.1-B Nanak Arcade 85-A Hind NagarL.D.A Colony, Opposite Shivalik School,Lucknow - 226012
Automotive Wiring Harness Market worth US$ 91.53 Bn during, 2015-2025

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Future Market Insights (FMI) recently announced the release of its report titled Automotive Wiring Harness Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015-2025. According to the report, the global automotive wiring harness market was valued at US$ 36.82 Bn in 2014 and is anticipated to reach US$ 91.53 Bn by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 8.7% throughout the forecast period.Automotive Wiring Harness Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global automobile industry registered an annual growth rate of over 5.5% from 2010 to 2015, and is estimated to be valued at US$ 5.1 trillion by end of 2015. Consistent growth in the parent industry is expected to fuel demand for automotive wiring harness in the near future.Currently, increasing fuel costs and stringent government regulations regarding CO2 emissions are boosting demand for electric vehicles in regions such as North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific.Governments across various geographies have mandated use of certain electronic safety features such as Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and other features in both passenger and commercial vehicles. Furthermore, rise in demand for high-end electronics and safety features in vehicles, particularly passenger cars, along with cost reduction and enhanced reliability is leading to increase in global demand for automotive wiring harnesses.Request Free Report Sample@Automotive Wiring Harness Market TrendsUse of automotive Ethernet by automotive OEMs represents a new trend in the external as well as internal electronics devices connectivity in an automobile. These automotive Ethernets minimise the use of complex wiring harness structures to a great extent and, thereby, may act as a restraint for growth of the global automotive wiring harness market in the coming years.Rise in technological developments is expected to create favourable growth opportunities in the market in the near future. Growing demand for connectivity and car digitisation, which not only helps establish connectivity within the integral parts of a vehicle but also enables communication with other vehicles through improved and intelligent roadway infrastructure, is an emerging trend in the market.Automotive Wiring Harness Market SegmentationRegion-wise, APEJ (Asia Pacific Excluding Japan) dominated the global automotive wiring harness market in 2014, accounting for 38.3% value share of the overall market. Furthermore, APEJ is foreseen to expand at a relatively high CAGR of 10.4% during the forecast period and is expected to maintain its revenue share dominance till 2025 end. Rise in automotive production and sustained economic growth are some of the factors driving the APEJ automotive wiring harness market currently.North America and Western Europe are expected to register high Y-o-Y growth during the forecast period, owing to increasing demand for e-vehicles and e-bikes in these regions. Growth of the connected car market has resulted in rise in demand for multiple electronic devices in vehicles in North America and Western Europe.Japan is currently witnessing moderate growth in demand for e-bikes, and the trend is expected to continue during the forecast period as well. The Japan automotive wiring harness market is expected to register a sluggish CAGR of 4.0% during the forecast period, due to the matured automotive industry in the country.Request For TOC@On the basis of vehicle type, the passenger vehicles segment dominated the global automotive wiring harness market in 2014 in terms of revenue, and is foreseen to expand at a CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period. In terms of revenue, the hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles segments are expected to register significant CAGR between 2015 and 2025, in view of the stringent government regulations and growing fuel prices globally.On the basis of application type, the chassis & safety segment dominated the global automotive wiring harness market in 2014 in terms of revenue, accounting for 40.8% share of the overall market. This segment is expected to lose its market share to the HVAC segment, which is projected to expand at a significant CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast period. Furthermore, HVAC manufacturers are designing new eco-friendly devices in order to follow the environment standards along with introducing new innovating designs.Automotive Wiring Harness Market: Key CompaniesKey market players covered in the report include YAZAKI Corporation, Aisin Seiki Co., Samvardhana Motherson Group (SMG), Delphi Automotive PLC, Fujikura Ltd., Sumitomo electric Industries, Ltd., Lear Corporation, LEONI AG, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. and PKC Group PLC.Most players in the market are engaged in various activities, such as mergers and acquisitions, increasing investments in technological and product developments, geographical expansion and brand building via strong marketing strategies, in order to sustain their position in the competitive market.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:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Hospital Capacity Management Solutions Market is Projected to be Valued at US$ 800.0 Mn by 2015

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Future Market Insights (FMI), in its latest report titled, Hospital Capacity Management Solutions Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2015-2025, has projected the global hospital capacity management solutions market revenue to expand at a CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period (2015-2025).Hospital capacity management solutions (HCMS) enable better and timely care of patients and consequently reduces length of patient stay in hospital. Hospital capacity management solutions track clinical data of patients, alerts doctor, nurse or caregiver nearest to patient in need, in order to ensure timely care so that patients can be discharged earlier. Hospital capacity management solutions analyze and predict bed occupancy at the emergency department (ED) of hospitals, thereby reduce wait time by 35-50%.Global hospital capacity management solutions market has been estimated to account for US$ 800.0 Mn by 2015 end, mainly owing to rising patient pool resulting in rising demand for hospital capacity management solutions.The report offers global hospital capacity management solutions market analysis in terms of market value (US$ Mn) by application, product type, region and delivery mode, and provides information regarding market trends, regulatory affairs, competitive landscape, market estimations and forecast. Usage of hospital capacity management solutions among big hospitals has increased significantly due to technological advancements and benefits these solutions offer in managing large patient pool. Real-time locating system is widely preferred by big hospitals. Increasing patient pool globally is a major factor expected to boost overall demand for hospital capacity management solutions over the forecast period.Request Free Report Sample@North America market has been estimated to contribute maximum revenue to the global hospital capacity management solutions market by 2015, and this is expected to increase by 1.6x over the forecast period. In addition, hospital capacity management solutions providers are expected to launch various new and innovative solutions as per demand of hospitals over the forecast period. Western Europe is the next most promising market for hospital capacity management solutions providers. The market value in this region is expected to register a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period. High cost of some HCMS, along with late delivery of results and variability in bed demand are factors expected to restrain market growth in the future.On the basis of product type, the market is segmented into workflow management solution, asset management solution, bed management solution, quality patient care solution, real time locating system and event driven solution. Among product types, real-time locating system segment is expected to contribute maximum value to the global hospital capacity management solutions market, followed by workflow management solution and bed management solution segments. Increasing incidence of accidents, disease and surgeries is expected to generate more number of patients, which in turn is expected to boost overall demand for hospital capacity management solutions.On the basis of application, hospital capacity management solutions market is segmented into standalone solutions and integrated solutions. Integrated solutions segment has been estimated to dominate the overall hospital capacity management solutions market by 2015 end, and is expected to register a healthy growth rate over the forecast period. Increasing adoption of hospital capacity management solutions among hospitals for multimodule purpose is fuelling growth of the integrated solutions segment.Request For TOC@On the basis of delivery mode, global hospital capacity management solutions market has been segmented into on-premise solutions and cloud-based solutions. Cloud-based segment is expected to register fastest CAGR in terms of revenue over the forecast period. Cloud-based segment currently accounts for maximum revenue share of the global hospital capacity management solutions market.Key market participants included in the report are Awarepoint Corporation, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Care Logistics, LLC, McKesson Corporation, Central Logic, STANLEY Healthcare, Sonitor Technologies, Inc., TeleTracking Technologies, Inc., Cerner Corporation and Epic Systems Corporation.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:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Wireless Chipsets Market Competitive landscape By 2015  2021

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/7057

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A wireless chipsets are a part of internal hardware made to enable a device to communicate and connect to another wireless device. A wireless adapter or chipset internet card is an inner hardware design, which is used in wireless communication systems or computer to connect with other devices. The market is expected to grow with a double digit CAGR. The consumers shift towards portable devices coupled with the increase usage of wireless devices increases the use of wireless chipsetsThe growth of the market is fueled by increased demand of the wireless devices and increased application areas of wireless chipsets. In addition, the shift from wired to wireless technology acts as a driving force for the wireless chipsets market. Some other drivers for this market are fast growth in the tablets and PC market and technology advancement related to the communications protocol and introduction of frequency bands in some emerging countries. However, complex inserted systems increases the cost of production and swiftly changing technological requirements acts as a restraint for the market.Thinking about report: Please observe the beneath the hyperlinks to satisfy your necessities; Request for the Report sample :The total market can be segmented on the basis of type, application and technology. The segmentation by type includes mobile ZigBee chipsets, WiMAX chipsets, wireless/Wi-Fi chipsets, LTE chipsets and wireless display/video chipsets. The application segment includes Computers, laptops, mobile phone, global positioning system (GPS), routers and other wireless devices. The technology segment includes such as HD Display and Video, Low-power WLAN, Dual-protocol ZigBee and Multi-mode LTE. The market can be segmented by geography into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and RoW.The key players of the wireless chipsets market are Greenpeak Technologies Ltd., Atmel Corporation, Altair Semiconductor, Inc., Amimon Ltd., Gainspan Corporation, Broadcom Corporation, Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Intel Corporation and GCT Semiconductor Inc., among others.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Key geographies evaluated in this report are:North AmericaU.SCanadaEuropeFrance, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UKEastern EuropeCISAPACChinaIndiaJapanAustraliaOthersLatin AmericaArgentinaBrazilOthersKey features of this reportDrivers, restraints, and challenges shaping the Wireless Chipsets market dynamicsLatest innovations and key events in the industryAnalysis of business strategies of the top playersWireless Chipsets market estimates and forecasts(2015 -2021)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
Schizophrenia Treatment Market Growth, Forecast and Value Chain 2016-2026

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1329

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1329

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Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder, characterized by poor emotional responses, breakdown of thinking and lack of social and physical motivation. The prominent causes of the disease include genetic malignancies, neuro-trauma, shocking incidence in life, drug and alcohol abuse and many others. Schizophrenia is a serious disorder which affects how a person thinks, feels and acts. Successful treatment for schizophrenia aims to relieve current symptoms, prevent future psychotic episodes and restore ones ability to function and enjoy a meaningful life. The signs of schizophrenia are different for everyone. Symptoms may develop slowly over months or years, or may appear very abruptly. The disease may come and go in relapse and remission.Hence, recovery from schizophrenia is a lifelong process.SchizophreniaTreatment Market:Drivers and RestraintsThe schizophrenia treatment market is primarily driven by increased prevalence of schizophrenic disorders due to change in lifestyle, extensive R&D, increase in incidence of various addictions such as alcohol, narcotics and others. Demand of sophisticated therapy by physicians and patients is also driving the schizophrenic treatment market to a great extent. On the contrary, huge cost of R&D and therapy, lack of medical infrastructure, and lack of awareness in certain regions of the world are some of the hurdles that are expected to restrict the growth of this market.Request Free Report Sample@SchizophreniaTreatment Market:SegmentationSchizophrenia treatment market is segmented on the basis of product type, distribution channel and geography.Based on product type, schizophrenia treatment market is segmented as follows:MedicationsConventional or typical antipsychotic drugsAtypical antipsychotic drugsTherapiesBased on distribution channel, schizophrenia treatment market is segmented as follows:Hospitals including hospital pharmaciesClinicsRetail pharmaciesRehabilitation CentersSchizophreniaTreatment Market:OverviewAccording to WHO, there are around 24 million people suffering from either schizophrenia or similar symptoms. Moreover, due to strong R&D activities, newer drugs and treatments are being introduced in the market, such as ziprasidone hydrochloride. Medications are the cornerstone for the treatment of schizophrenia. However, medications may lead to side effects. Hence, medication with supportive services and therapies is a perfect combination to treat schizophrenia. Relationship problems, risk of attempting suicide, alcohol and drug abuse and consequently, disruption to normal daily activities has led to the growth of schizophrenia treatment market.Request For TOC@SchizophreniaTreatment Market:Region-wise OutlookThe schizophrenia treatment market is also segmented on the basis of geography, such as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. The North American region is considered as the largest market, followed by Europe. However, Asia-Pacific region is considered as the most promising market in the upcoming future.SchizophreniaTreatment Market: Key PlayersSome of the top key players in schizophrenia treatment market include Novartis AG, AbbVie, Inc., PsychoGenics, Inc., Pfizer, Inc., Eli-Lilly and Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, AstraZeneca Plc., Avineuro Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH.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:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Deep Brain Stimulator Market Value Share, Analysis and Segments 2016-2026

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1338

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1338

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Deep Brain Stimulation (DMS) is a neosurgical procedure which helps to treat a variety of disabling neurological symptoms. It involves the implantation of a battery-operated medical device called neurostimulator which sends electrical signals to specific parts of brain that control movement and affective disorders like pain, mood, weight and awakening. This procedure also helps in treating essential tremor, a common neurological movement disorder. DMS system consists of three components: a thin, insulated wire, called a lead or electrode that is placed into the brain, the neurostimulator which puts out the electric current and is generally placed under the skin near the collarbone and another thin, insulated wire, called an extension which connects the lead to the neurostimulator. The neurostimulator device is also referred to as brain pacemaker. FDA approved DMS as a treatment for essential tremor in 1997, for Parkinsons disease in 2002. Before this procedure, a neurosurgeon uses either MRI or CT scanning to detect the exact target area within the brain where the electric signals will generate the Parkinsons disease symptoms.Deep Brain Stimulator Market: Drivers and RestraintsIncreasing incidence of Parkinsons disease is the main driving force for the fast growth of deep brain stimulation device market. Deep brain stimulation does not involve destruction of any part of the brain and thus, has fewer complications than thalamotomy and pallidotomy.Moreover this electrical injection is adjustable and can be changed as the persons disease change or his or her response to medication change. No further surgery is needed to make the adjustments. All these has led to the growth of deep brain stimulation device market. However, with any surgical procedure there involves risk. The implantation of any foreign object in the body leads to increased risk of infection. If the battery fails then the device would stop working properly (the battery normally lasts 3 to 5 years).DMS placement may even lead to allergic reaction to the DMS parts. These may obstruct the deep brain stimulation device market to grow.Request Free Report Sample@Deep Brain Stimulator Market: SegmentationDeep Brain Stimulator Marketis segmented based on product type, application, end user and geography.Based on product type, deep brain stimulatormarket is segmented into the following:Single Channel Deep Brain StimulatorDual Channel Deep Brain StimulatorBased on application, deep brain stimulatormarket is segmented into the following:Parkinsons diseaseEssential TremorChronic PainDystoniaTourette syndromeBased on end user, deep brain stimulatormarket is segmented into the following:HospitalsAmbulatory Surgical centersNeurological clinicsDeep Brain Stimulator Market: OverviewGlobally deep brain stimulation devices market are the main causes of mortality. Parkinsons disease is the most common neurological movement disorder after Alzheimers. Deep brain stimulation devices market is expected to grow at a healthy rate during the forecasted period 2013-2019. Rise in the number of neurological movement diseases like Parkinsons disease, essential tremor, Alzheimers disease has led to the huge growth of deep brain stimulation devices market. Parkinsons disease includes symptoms like tremors, stiffness, rigidity and walking problems.Deep Brain Stimulator Market: Region-wise OutlookRegion wise, the global deep brain stimulator marketis classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America region has a sizeable market share in the global deep brain stimulation market. Countries like US, Canada, Europe, Germany, UK, France and Spain has led North American and European market of deep brain stimulation device to grow at a faster rate. Increasing awareness regarding the application of deep brain stimulation device contributes its larger share in this region. However, emerging economies like India and China with their growing disposable income and advanced technological awareness enabling them to enter into this market and contribute towards its growth.Request For TOC@Deep Brain Stimulator Market: Key PlayersKey players pertaining to Deep Brain Stimulator market includes Medtronic Inc., St. Jude Medical, Boston scientific. These companies hold huge amount of share in global deep brain stimulation devices market. Functional Neuromodulation, a startup backed by Medtronic and the National Institutes of Health, will advance its deep brain stimulation implant into a Phase III trial to treat Alzheimers disease patients. St. Jude Medical has received a CE mark for its latest neuromodulation technology-the Infinity Deep Brain Stimulation System to treat movement disorders. Key players across all locations use deep brain stimulation device market to treat Parkinsons disease, essential tremor thus, leading to the growth of this particular market.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:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Soy Lecithin Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth through 2026

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Soy Lecithin is typically the brownish yellow complex mixture of glycolipids, phospholipids, neutral lipids and sugars. The use of Soy to produce the lecithin is the highest as compare to the other sources of lecithin. The wide functional, nutritional and therapeutic properties of soy lecithin are used in variety of application. Soy Lecithin is mostly used as emulsifier in various industrial application such as food, feed, paints, cosmetics, plastics, pharmaceutical and others. The wide and constantly increasing product category for Lecithin applications is a healthy sign for the budding demand of soy lecithin market.Soy Lecithin Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe abundant availability and low pricing in international markets makes Soy the major driver for the growth of the Soy Lecithin Market. The increasing areas of application in food as well as non-food segments of Soy lecithin is also estimated to benefit the global demand of soy lecithin market. The changing food habits and increased per capita income is driving the growth of the packaged and processed food industry which is furthermore estimated to benefit the soy lecithin market. The growing concerns towards healthy lifestyle are propelling the demand for the nutrient rich foods, beverages and supplements ultimately expected to push companies to use nutrient rich and cost effective products like soy lecithin. The wide physical and chemical properties of Soy lecithin make it a lucrative product in paints and cosmetic industry. The maturing use of lecithin in pharmaceutical is forecasted to accelerate the demand of soy lecithin market.Request Free Report Sample@On the other hand the use of genetically modified soy might be the restrain factors due to the increasing awareness and inclination towards the use of organic food products.Soy Lecithin Market: SegmentationOn the basis of type, the global Soy Lecithin market is segmented into:Food GradeFeed GradePharmaceutical GradeIndustry GradeOtherOn the Basis of Function, the global Soy Lecithin Market is segmented into:EmulsifiersNutritional supplementsDispersantsWetting agentsViscosity modifiersRelease aidsSurfactantsNutritional supplementsOn the basis of Application, the global Soy Lecithin market is segmented into:Food & BeveragesPaint IndustryPharmaceuticalOthers (Plastic and other industries)Global Soy lecithin: Regional AnalysisThe global Soy lecithin is expected to be driven by strong demand in Asia pacific region especially in regions like China and India. Asia pacific is forecasted to be the largest producer as well as consumer for the global soy lecithin market by volume as well as by value. Another major market for the Soy Lecithin market is Latin America, primarily driven by growth in food and beverages industry. Europe is also forecasted to be the significant contributor for the demand of Soy Lecithin followed by Latin America. Africa is forecasted to grow at a steady rate but the fast growing economies are considered to be a major driving factor in the demand of Soy lecithin in proximate future.Request For TOC@Soy Lecithin Market: Key PlayersSome of the market participants in the global are E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cargill, Lipoid GmbH, American Lecithin Company, LASENOR EMUL, Lecico Gmbh, Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd, Ceresking Ecology & Technology Co. Ltd., Bunge Limited and 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:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Dextra UK Launched the World's Largest Commercial Glycan Array

http://www.mobitec.com/cms/products/bio/08_glycobio/glycan-array-kit.html

Dextra's Glycan Array Kit is a valuable tool for use in determining the glycan binding profile of proteins, eukaryotic cells, viruses, spores, bacteria, and parasites. It features 104 unique glycans carefully selected from cutting-edge libraries.Dextra and the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University have partnered to launch the world's largest commercial glycan array and bioanalytical offering. The array features over 100 unique glycans, selected from a highly diverse library of glycan structures printed onto an epoxy coated slide.This array enables rapid, high-throughput detection of the glycan interactions across a wide range of samples from proteins to whole cells, making it an extremely powerful tool in the study of the molecular biology of disease. The product manual provides more detailed information regarding the usage of the Glycan Array (Product Code: GAK001).Product description:1. Amine-functionalized glycans are printed onto epoxy-coated microarray slides through the use of a microarray printer.2. Samples which can be used on the glycan array slide range from proteins to whole cells. Samples are fluorescently labeled for detection, either by fluorescent conjugate antibodies, or by directly labeling the sample with a fluorescent dye.3. Slide images are acquired using a microarray scanner with appropriate settings for the fluorophore used. Analysis of images is performed using microarray analysis software and supplied gal. file for alignment.Glycan Array includes:1 x Dextra Glycan Array slide with barcode3 x Blue Gene Frames with coverslips (volume of 65 L).Each slide contains three identical subarrays, with six spot replicates printed per arrayGlycan strucures used for Glycan Array: Sialylated oligosaccharides Oligomannose core structures Lactose based O-glycans Gal1-3Gal series Cell adhesion molecules Blood group and Lewis antigens N-Acetyllactosamine and Analogues Complex type N-glycans Sialylated oligosaccharides Heparin and chondriotin derived oligosaccharides N-Acetylgalactosamine core structures Maltooligosaccharides Neutral and sulfated Galacto-oligosaccharidesFor further details and ordering information please see:About MoBiTec GmbHMoBiTec GmbH (Goettingen, Germany) is a privately held company, founded in 1987, that offers research tools for molecular and cell biology. Products include DNA vectors for cloning and expression, cell transfection reagents and cell culture tools, immobilized and soluble enzymes, products for genomics and proteomics research, numerous antibodies and recombinant proteins, superior fluorescence reagents and kits, affinity chromatography products, as well as general laboratory equipment.In parallel to its own product lines, MoBiTec distributes products from international companies in Germany. MoBiTec products are distributed worldwide, in Germany from their home office, in other countries by distributors.MoBiTec GmbHArne SchulzLotzestr. 22a37083 Goettingen, Germany
Force Sensors Market Forecast By End-use Industry 2016-2026

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-272

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Force sensors are also known as force transducers that converts an input mechanical force into an electrical output signal. It act as a force sensing resistor in an electric circuit. It has various benefits such as flexibility and ultra-thin sensor construction which leads to minimal interference in normal action of device and precise response. Depending upon the working and sensing method, variety of force sensors are available in the market.Force Sensor Market: Drivers and RestraintThe global force sensor market is expected to witness substantial growth over the period of forecast. Technological advancement, low manufacturing cost, increasing product demand, rise in the demand of industrial robots, advancement of medical devices with force sensing technology, innovations and development in the manufacturing are the few factors encouraging the growth of global force sensor market.On the other hand, factors which are restraining the global force sensor market are instability in the demand across various end-user industry and underdeveloped aftermarket sales channels.Request Free Report Sample@Force Sensor Market: SegmentationThe global force sensor market can be segmented into type, application and region. On the basis of type, the global force sensor market can be segmented into, optical force sensor, piezoresistive force sensor, capacitive force sensor, magnetic force sensor, ultrasonic force sensor, strain gauges, and electrochemical force sensorsSensors has become an essential part of any measurement and automation applications. Overall global sensor market is witnessing a trend of increasing sensor accuracy, reliability, response time, efficiency, communication capability and robustness encourages the demand for sensors across various applications. On the basis of application, the global force sensor market can be segmented into, medical & pharmaceutical sector, automotive, printing & packaging, consumer electronics, industrial (robotic & manufacturing), and aerospace & defence. Key developments in the prominent industries such as medical & pharmaceuticals, robotics, aerospace & defence, manufacturing and others is expected to encourage the growth of global force sensor market by 2025. Force sensors are used in manufacturing tools, transportation equipment, microelectronic packaging, transportation equipment etc. Force sensors can also be used in wireless inventory management system to improve order scheduling which helps in avoiding inventory stock-out issue.Force Sensor Market: Region wise outlookOn the basis of region, the global force sensor market can be seven regions which include  North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan and Middle East & Africa. North America is dominating the global force sensor market due to high technological advancement and increasing adoption among various end-user applications. However, revenue contribution from Asia Pacific excluding Japan is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period.Request For TOC@Force Sensor Market: Key PlayersKey players in the global force sensor market are FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology, Inc., OMRON Corporation, Texas Instruments Incorporated are the top players are global force sensor market. Apart from them, various other players are existing in market such as TE Connectivity Ltd., Tekscan, Inc., ATI Industrial Automation, and Sensata Technologies, Inc. Key players are focusing on development of new technologies and new product launch. Merger and acquisition is another activity observed in the market by the market participants to increase their product portfolio and to grow the business. The growth in global force sensor market is also due to growing awareness about the potential use of force sensors in different electronic devices by the original equipment manufacturers. For example, in August 2015, Apple, Inc. posted a patent report, An Advanced Force Touch Patent for the iPad Surfaces in Europe to develop techniques to integrate the force sensors into the iPhone and iPad.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:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Tianma NLT TFT Displays now at Distec

Distec now offers Tianma NLT TFT displays in sizes 5.7 to 19 inches (C) Tianma NLT

www.datadisplay-group.com

http://www.distec.de

www.distec.de

High-quality, industrial TFT displays with wide viewing angle, high brightness, and excellent image qualityDistec - leading German specialist for TFT flat screens and system solutions for industrial and multimedia applications - now offers Tianma NLT TFT displays in sizes 5.7 to 19 inches. "This addition to our product range is due to the acquisition of Distec by Fortec AG," explained Leonhard Spiegl, Product Manager Components at Distec GmbH. "These high quality industrial TFT displays feature an excellent product quality and a long-term availability." Very wide, symmetrical viewing angle, high brightness, long life LED backlights, or integrated LED converter are just a few of their outstanding features. Therefore, they are suitable for a multitude of applications e.g. industrial, automotive, or medical fields.New Tianma NL192108AC18-02D in wide format and full HDFor a start, Distec presents the new NL192108AC18-02D. The 15.6" TFT display features a wide format and provides full HD resolution with 1920x1080 pixels 15.6" (39.6cm) diagonal. A brightness of 400cd/m and an excellent image quality thanks to SFT technology, symmetrical wide viewing angles from all directions, and a good contrast ratio without color tilting support an attractive device design. The NL192108AC18-02D is very compact: with a width of 363.80 mm and a height of 215.90 mm, the display has a depth of only 6.3 mm. The backlight is specified with a long lifetime of nearly six years of continuous operation. The LED converter for driving the backlight is integrated into the panel. Its low power consumption of 13.9 watts enables 24/7 operation of the TFT display in closed, self-sufficient systems, which is important for systems depending on quality and reliability, for example in medical diagnostics. The display is connected to all current systems via a 2ch LVDS interface. A version with eDP interface will be launched at the same time. Samples of the NL192108AC18-02D are available with short notice.Distec GmbH also offers the display with their proven Prisma TFT controllers as a plug & play kit solution. Various controller options are available to choose from. In addition, Distec can provide custom cover glasses and/or a variety of touch panels for the display. As an option, Distec uses VacuBond - the most advanced optical bonding method - for assembly. VacuBond reduces light refraction and increases the contrast. No moisture can penetrate between the glass panes, preventing condensation and fogging. Apart from considerably improved sunlight readability, a bonded display is more robust, features an improved resilience against mechanical shock and better heat dissipation. This expands the fields of application significantly.About DistecDistec is a company of the Data Display Group (), the worldwide operating specialist for TFT flat screen and system solutions for industrial, multimedia and digital signage applications. Located in Germering near Munich in Germany, the company designs, produces and sells innovative solutions and a full range components, displays and services. Data Display Group supplies innovative Green IT solutions based on their hardware platforms and their own software to control the TFTs of partners Samsung, Innolux, Kyocera, and Mitsubishi as well as selected panels from other manufacturers. These system solutions - from assemblies and kits up to finished OEM products - are developed in their own R&D centers in Germering (Germany) and Ronkonkoma (NY/USA). The range of services includes customized developments and adaptations, product finishing and assembly of monitoring systems as well as the production of finished products and a complete after-sales service with RMA, repair and technical support. Since 01/01/2016, Distec is a member of the Fortec Group with access to products, services, and expertise of a large high-tech company network, which makes a perfect complement to the product portfolio. More information can be found on the homepage:Products from Data Display Group are available at:Europe: Distec GmbH, GermeringUK and Benelux: Display Technology, RochesterTurkey and Middle East: DATA DISPLAY BILISIM TEKNOLOJILERI LTD STi., IstanbulNorth America: Apollo Display Technologies, Ronkonkoma NYMedia Contact:Mandy AhlendorfT +49 8151 9739098E ma@ahlendorf-communication.comDistec GmbHAugsburger Strae 2b82110 GermeringGermanyT +49 89 89 43 63 0F +49 89 89 43 63 131E distribution|at|distec.de
Healthcare Cleanroom Consumables Sales Gain Momentum from Escalating Demand for Drugs and Medical Devices

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http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/healthcare-cleanroom-consumables-market.html

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The demand for healthcare cleanroom consumables has increased rapidly in the recent past. As cleanroom consumables assist in keeping levels of pollutants such as chemical vapors, dust, and microorganisms low in production facilities of drugs and medical devices, they are witnessing widespread application in various verticals of the healthcare industry.Analysts at TMR expect this demand remain increasing over the next few years. According to TMR, the opportunity in healthcare cleanroom consumables will expand at a CAGR of 4.76% during the period from 2015 to 2023, rising from an approximate value of US$2 bn in 2014 to US$3 bn by 2023.Download Free exclusive Sample of this report:Increasing Commercialization of Biotechnology-based Products to Boost Demand for Cleanroom Consumables in BiotechnologyCleanroom consumables find widespread application in the medical and healthcare industry, specifically, in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other areas such as hospitals and academia. Biotechnology surfaced as the key application area of these consumables in 2014, holding a share of 33% in the overall consumption.The increase in research and development as well as commercialization of biotechnology-based products for the treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer and various other neurological disorders is boosting the demand for cleanroom consumables in the field of biotechnology. The segment is likely to remain the foremost application area of these consumables in the coming years.Analysts estimate the opportunity for cleanroom consumables in biotechnology to increase at a CAGR of 4.91% during the period from 2015 to 2023 and increase from US$0.6 bn in 2014 to US$1.01 bn by the end of 2023.Demand for Healthcare Cleanroom Consumables to Remain High in North America and EuropeThe global healthcare cleanroom consumables market is spread across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. In 2014, North America emerged as the leading consumer of these consumables, accounting for a share of 34%. Europe followed closely with a share of 30%. Being home to the leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, both the regions are expected to maintain their shares as well as positions in this market by the end of 2023.In North America, the opportunity in healthcare cleanroom consumables is projected to increase from US$0.7 bn in 2014 to US$10.3 bn by 2023, whereas in Europe, it will rise from a US$0.6 bn in 2014 to US$0.9 bn by 2023. Apart from these, Asia Pacific is also anticipated to witness strong growth in the demand for these consumables over the next few years. The markets opportunity in this region is likely to expand at the fastest CAGR of 5.35% between 2015 and 2023.Research Report:The competitive landscape of the global cleanroom consumables market exhibits a highly fragmented structure on account of the presence of a large number of participants. The top three players, namely, Texwipe, Kimberly-Clark Corp., and Nitritex Ltd., collectively accounted for a share of only 36% in the overall market. Valutek, Contec Inc., DuPont, KM Corp., Micronova Manufacturing Inc., and Micronclean Ltd. are some of the other prominent healthcare cleanroom consumable manufacturers across the world.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. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Innovation to the Max: Philips Monitors present UltraColor, Curves and Pop-up Security at IFA 2016

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At the IFA Philips stand in Hall 22, a series of significant innovations is making its debut, including the largest 4K curved display on the market, the world's thinnest monitor, displays with brilliant UltraColor technology, and a pop-up webcam for enhanced in-office securityAmsterdam, 31 August 2016  MMD, the leading technology company and brand license partner for Philips Monitors, is introducing a series of innovations for business professionals and home users alike at IFA 2016 from 2 to 7 September in Berlin. With UltraColor technology and its wider gamut support, integrated e.g. in the slimmest monitor on the market, the latest 4K 40-inch curved display, displays with webcams that pop up only when needed, as well as the chance to preview forthcoming innovations, the Philips stand in Hall 22 is a deserved part of any tour of the show.Curved displays  and the largest 4K curved display on the marketVisitors to the Philips stand can experience fantastic focus with the 40-inch Brilliance Curved display, the largest 4K curved display on the market. This 40-inch screen which will be available to purchase in Q4, wraps around the line of vision to create more personal space and better concentration. Since viewers sit close to a desktop display, a curved screen creates a truly immersive working session. Viewing distances from the edges and centre of the screen are equal  so users need to turn their head less to see content at the edges, and can enjoy the best picture quality. The edge-to-edge glass and ultra-narrow border enhance this seamless appearance. Stefan Sommer, Director Marketing & Business Management at MMD, says The new 40-inch curved display model testifies to our ongoing commitment to bringing advanced display experiences to users desks and living spaces. With 4K resolution, this new model offers fantastic clarity and space for multitasking.The 40-inch 4K model isnt the only curved display on show: IFA visitors can also preview the forthcoming X7 Frameless 21:9 Curved display in 34-inch size. This height-adjustable ultra-slim display, with dazzling Quad HD resolution and integrated sound, is due for release later this year.UltraColor for true-to-life imageBringing more accurate colour to home apps, where users have often been forced to compromise, the latest UltraColor displays take colour reproduction to new heights. Supporting a wider gamut  85-95% of the NTSC gamut, depending on the specific model, as opposed to the typical 72%  UltraColor expands on the range of perceptible colours on the screen, creating true-to-life images with richer and more natural greens, reds and blues. With their accurate colour reproduction, UltraColor displays take the guesswork out of online shopping: people can see the true colour of the product before they click buy. UltraColor displays also give aspiring video makers, designers and photographers the certainty that their on-screen colours come close to real life. Stefan Sommer explains the background: Unlike enhancements that work by tweaking software settings in order to adjust colour balance, UltraColor involves changing the actual chemistry in the panel and innovative adjustments to the composition of the colour chips.This innovative technology is featured in a number of the displays on show at IFA, including the new E-Line Displays, released this summer, as well as the slimmest monitors on the market  the C7 series, due out in Q4 2016. At IFA, the 24-inch model of the Ultra Slim FHD monitors will be shown. Despite its depth of only 5.2 mm, this model displays 90% of the NTSC gamut, features Flicker-free technology, a wide viewing angle and a frameless bezel design.Pop-up webcam makes life tough for camera hackersVisitors wanting to beef up security in the office should look out for the first Philips display with a pop-up webcam. Thanks to the webcam that only pops up when it is needed, and is otherwise hidden in the display frame, the newly introduced 27-inch display blocks off a potential spyhole for hackers. The display is immediately available in the market.To check out these and other display innovations, you can find MMD at the Philips stand, Hall 22.About MMDMMD is a wholly owned company of TPV established in 2009 through a brand license agreement with Philips. MMD exclusively markets and sells Philips branded LCD displays worldwide. By combining the Philips brand promise with TPVs manufacturing expertise in displays, MMD uses a fast and focused approach to bringing innovative products to market. MMD serves the Western European markets from its headquarters in Amsterdam. The Eastern European and CIS markets are served by a local office in Prague. Through its network of local sales teams MMD works with all major IT distributors and resellers. The companys design and development centre is located in Taiwan.Press contact:united communications GmbHElena StrzelczykTel.: +49 30 7890760Philips.Displays@united.deorCompany contact EMEA:MMDIvilina BonevaTel.: +31 20 5046945Ivilina.Boneva@tpv-tech.com
Laparoscopic Instruments Market worth 11.68 Billion USD by 2021

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The report "Laparoscopic Instruments Market by Product (Laparoscope, Insufflator, Energy Device), Application (Bariatric Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, General Surgery), End User (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers) - Analysis & Global Forecast to 2021", analyzes and studies the major market drivers, restraints/challenges, and opportunities.Browse 124 market data Tables and 37 Figures spread through 191 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Laparoscopic Instruments Market"Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.This report studies the global laparoscopic instruments market during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021. The market is expected to reach USD 11.68 Billion by 2021 from USD 7.61 Billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 8.9% during the forecast period.The global laparoscopic instruments market is segmented on the basis of products, applications, end users, and regions. Based on products, the market is segmented into laparoscopes, access devices, suction/irrigation systems, insufflators, energy devices, hand instruments, closure devices, and accessories. In 2016, the energy devices segment is estimated to account for the major share of the laparoscopic instruments market owing to the technological advancements introduced in these products by market players.Ask For PDF Brochure:Based on applications, the market is segmented into bariatric surgery, gynecological surgery, general surgery, urological surgery, colorectal surgery, and pediatric surgery. In 2016, the gynecological surgery instruments segment is estimated to account for the major share of the laparoscopic instruments market. This is owing to laparoscopy being widely used in obstetrics and gynecology, especially in procedures such as hysterectomy, hysteroscopy, amnioscopy, myomectomy, fetoscopy, and ovarian cyst removal, among others.Based on end users, the market is segmented into hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. In 2016, the hospitals segment is estimated to account for the major share of the laparoscopic instruments market. Hospitals prefer laparoscopic procedures to open surgical procedures as it offers advantages such as lesser costs, decreased average length of stay (ALOS) of patients, and increased patient satisfaction. Thus, hospitals are currently the largest end-user segment of the laparoscopic instruments market.Get Sample Copy@On the basis of region, the market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). In 2016, North America is expected to account for the largest share of the laparoscopic instruments market. However, the Asia-Pacific market is slated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period and serve as a revenue pocket for companies offering laparoscopic instruments. This is owing to the impetus provided by the entry of key market players into this market and growing infrastructure support for laparoscopic procedures in India, South Korea, and Singapore.The major players in the laparoscopic instruments market include Karl Storz GmbH & Co.KG (Germany), Olympus Corporation (Japan), Medtronic plc (Ireland), B. Braun Aesculap (Germany), Stryker Corporation (U.S.), Richard Wolf GMBH (Germany), Ethicon, Inc. (U.S.), Smith & Nephew PLC (U.K.), Cook Medical Incorporated (U.S.), and ConMed Corporation (U.S.).About MarketsandMarketsMarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.M&Ms flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.Contact:Mr. RohanUnit No. 802, 8th Floor,Tower - 7, Magarpatta City SEZ,Hadapsar, Pune  411013,Maharashtra, India.Tel: +1-888-6006-441.
Joint Press Release announcing SweeterSync

https://store.suitecrm.com/addons/sweetersync

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https://suitecrm.com

https://store.suitecrm.com/addons/sweetersync

Diligent launches SweeterSync, an Exchange-Server software for SuiteCRM.Diligent Technology & Business Consulting is an international software consultancy firm with headquarters in Frankfurt and Budapest. They have taken their combined 80 years experience and created a server side synchronisation between SuiteCRM and Microsoft Exchange-Server called SweeterSync. It has been designed with simplicity in mind and so it requires the minimum of effort to operate and doesnt need any installation on the client side. SweeterSync also comes with a 30 day free trial giving you an opportunity to see how invaluable it is before you have to pay anythingSascha Krause, Managing Director of Diligent said SweeterSync is an invaluable tool for anyone who uses SuiteCRM and Exchange-Server. Its really simple to manage with no client side plug-ins necessary. It supports all Microsoft Exchange Server versions from 2007, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Outlook email applications and also mobile devices. No matter the size of your business or your requirements, SweeterSync makes data synchronisation on your Exchange Server simple. Its also a much cheaper alternative to competitor products such as Rivas Exchange integration.SuiteCRM is an award-winning enterprise class, powerful, customisable, free and open source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application maintained by SalesAgility. Greg Soper, CEO of SalesAgility commented the Diligent team are a long-time and highly respected SuiteCRM partner who have produced some really amazing add-ons and customisations of SuiteCRM. I think this product has so many benefits for thousands of our users and will be an invaluable resource for our clients looking to synchronise with their exchange email client. We are so pleased they decided to invest the time and effort into developing such a great add-on for our usersSweeterSync is now available in the SuiteCRM store:-----------------------ENDSFor more information contact:Kevin Sharpe  kevin.sharpe@salesagility.com - 01786 585 499NOTES to EDITORDiligent:SuiteCRM:SalesAgility:Product SweeterSync Available:SalesAgility are an innovative global CRM consultancy and entrusted maintainers of SuiteCRM, the worlds most popular open source CRM software.SuiteCRM is an award winning Customer Relationship Management application used by thousands of businesses across the globe and some of the largest organisations in the world. SuiteCRM is a viable alternative to Salesforce, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics and Oracle without the ongoing monthly user licence fees.SalesAgility help companies deploy SuiteCRM into their organisation and fully integrate with their own business practises.SuiteCRM - It's all we live and breathe, that's why we're experts!The Steeple65 King StStirlingScotlandFK8 1DT01786 585 499kevin.sharpe@salesagility.com
Oil Storage Market : Rapid Growth due to Increasing Oil prices and Rise in Demand from South East Asia Market to 2013 - 2019

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Oil Storage Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019 Size and Share Published in 2024-10-07 Available for US$ 5795 at Researchmoz.usDescriptionFull Market outlook of the @Global oil storage market is composed of many small independent owners and will experience growth in the coming future. This can be attributed to the demand for oil storage which is rising at the major global supply hubs because of increased trade between countries and is expected to continue with the leading terminals worldwide as the major beneficiaries.The global market for oil storage has seen a rapid growth due to increasing oil prices over the last few years. The rise in demand for oil in some of the countries in South East Asia is likely to propel the oil storage market in the region. Countries such as China have lack of robust storage infrastructure which is propelling the need for storage system which is driving the market for oil storage systems. Some other factors such as to secure future oil needs for the country is driving oil storage market in many regions. The tank cleaning process generates oil sludge as residue which requires cleaning under certain regulations such as Solid Waste Disposal Act before releasing into environment. Also the storage tanks have potential of soil contamination in the plant and storage sections of refinery such as underground storage tanks and pipelines.Some of the major oil storage choke points and terminals in the world are Singapore, Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) and Rotterdam (The Netherlands). Rotterdam has a strong position in oil storage market as a trading place due to the blending capacity and specialized storage. Singapore is one of Asias major petrochemical and refining hubs due to its strategic location between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Fujairah port is also expected to rise with the growing demand in the Middle East countries. On the basis of geography global oil storage market is segmented as:North AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificRest of WorldGet a Free Sample Copy of the Report:Other storage terminals include Amsterdam, Hamburg, Houston, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Shandong, Dalian and Jiangyin. The storage systems can be used to store the bi-products from the refinery; it can store both refined and un-refined products. On the basis of product type stored in the storage systems the global oil storage market is segmented as:Crude oilGas oilGasolineAviation fuelNaphthaDieselKeroseneLiquefied Natural GasLiquefied Petroleum GasCrude oil is transported by two basic means:TankersPipelinesOnce the oil has been separated from natural gas it is transported through pipelines to the refinery. The petroleum products travel through tankers to the end user such as different countries or their coasts. Tankers like ships and barges are used to supply vast volume of liquid cargoes.Some of the key players in the oil storage market are Vopak, Oiltanking, Kinder Morgan, Nustar, Magellan Midstream, Buckeye, Vitol (VTTI), CLH, IMTT, Sunoco, CIM, Horizon, Odfjell, SUMED and Dalian Port. Vopak is one of the worlds largest independent tank storage service provider it operates nearly 84 terminals. The company specializes in storage and handling of gases, chemicals and oil products. Oiltanking is headquartered in Germany and it owns around 73 terminals in about 22 countries within Middle East, Europe, North and South America. There are two major acquisitions recently in the global oil storage market, in 2012, Oiltanking has acquired Helios Terminal Corporation for USD 285 million and in 2010 Buckeye acquired Bahamas Oil Refining Company for USD 1.7 billion.This research report analyzes this market depending on its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. This 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.Reasons for Buying this ReportThis report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsIt provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segmentsResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ bit.ly/1TBmnVG
Commitment to Customer Service Results in 31% Growth in Operating Profit: The Access Bank UK Limited

The Access Bank UK, the largest trade finance Nigerian Bank in the United Kingdom, recently released the Annual Report and Accounts for 2015 entitled Where Relationships Matter. The report which focuses on building strong relationships with customers, revealed a 31 percent year-on-year increase in operating income to AED 95.4 million (19.7m), a 71 percent rise in pre-tax profit to AED 41.6 million (8.6m) and a 13.2 percent return-on-equity, up from 8.5 percent in 2014. The total assets on the balance sheet increased by 32 percent year-on-year to AED 2.9 billion (615m) with customer deposits increasing to AED828.5 million (171.1m) as the Bank continued to broaden and strengthen its liabilities.Commenting on the results, Jamie Simmonds, CEO at The Access Bank UK said, Financially, we have had a very successful year with our trade finance and commercial banking businesses surpassing expectations and generating revenues of AED 66 million (13.63m) and AED 20.3 million (4.19m), respectively. As a mark of our commitment to the region, we opened an office in Dubai last year to encourage trade and investment activities between the UAE and Sub-Saharan Africa. We will continue to serve our customers well, refuse to chase yield and will not compromise on our moderate appetite for risk. We have invested in future-proofing our technology systems and remain committed to supporting and developing our employees.In terms of asset management and private banking business, The Access Bank UKs revenues grew to AED 5.6 million ( 1.16m), representing a year-on-year increase of 167 percent and resulting in a profit of AED 1.13 million (235k). This is the first year that the business has recorded a profit since its inception.Our commitment to our customers, supporting organizations and employees as well as a mindset to identify and invest in opportunities with moderate risk is what fuels the prosperity of The Access Bank UK, Simmonds concluded.Furthermore, in an effort to broaden the range of investor options, the private Bank developed and launched its execution-only portfolio services and grew its buy-to-let property book to AED 77.4 million (16m), representing a year-on-year increase of 75 percent.Speaking on behalf of the Group, Herbert Wigwe, Chairman and Non-Executive Director of The Access Bank UK said, The Access Bank UK has become the business we always envisaged it would. Founded on a model of excellent service, strong customer relationships and a moderate risk appetite, it has grown income, increased profit and delivered a healthy return on equity. Importantly, it is adding value to Access Bank Group as a whole and enhancing the Groups stature on the international stage.The continued interest from countries like the UAE to invest in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa combined with strong customer relationships and a diversified base of income streams positions The Access Bank UK as a prime contender in offering superior service in trade finance, commercial banking, asset management and much more.Financial performance summaryo Increase in operating income to AED 95.4 million, up 31 percento Increase in pre-tax profit to AED 41.6 million, up 71 percento Increase in post-tax profit to AED 32.9 million, up 74 percento 13.2 percent return-on-equity, up from 8.5 percent in 2014o Increase in total assets to AED 2.9 billion, up by 32 percent year-on-yearThe Access Bank UK Limited is regulated by DFSA as a Representative OfficeAbout Access Bank plcAccess Bank Plc is a full service commercial Bank operating through a network of 366 branches and service outlets located in major centres across Nigeria, Sub Saharan Africa and the United Kingdom. Listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 1998, the Bank serves its various markets through 4 business segments: Personal, Business, Commercial and Corporate & Investment banking.The Bank has over 830,000 shareholders including several Nigerian and International Institutional Investors and has enjoyed what is arguably Africas most successful banking growth trajectory in the last ten years ranking amongst Africas top 20 banks by total assets and capital in 2011.As part of its continued growth strategy, Access Bank is focused on mainstreaming sustainable business practices into its operations. The Bank strives to deliver sustainable economic growth that is profitable, environmentally responsible and socially relevantAbout The Access Bank UK LtdThe Access Bank UK Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Access Bank Plc, a Nigerian Stock Exchange listed company. The Access Bank UK Limited was established to provide customers in the UK and in Africa with a broad range of business and personal banking services. These include trade finance, treasury services, business and personal banking together with private banking and wealth management.Our objective is to grow the international business of the Access Bank Group through excellence in customer service and innovative solutions in trade finance, commercial banking and asset management. We are authorized and regulated by the UKs Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority (PRA and FCA) and are therefore in a strong position to support opportunities in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) markets for Access Bank Group customers. At the same time, our position as Access Bank Groups OECD operational hub supports the flow of investment into markets in Nigeria, Sub-Saharan and West Africa.We have a strong base in the UK and abroad which allows us to stay in touch with our customers wherever they are in the world. Our Head Office is located in the heart of the City of London and overlooks the Bank of England and our Operations division is near Manchester. We also have an office in Lagos, Nigeria and in the iconic Gate Building of Dubais International Financial Centre.The Access Bank UK has been voted as the Best Africa Trade Finance Bank in 2016 by Capital Finance International.Joshua MathiasGolin MENA+97143323308jmathias@golin.aeCapricorn Tower, Floor 17,Dubai, UAE
Global Long Term Care Market to be Driven by Increasing Prevalence of Chronic Diseases

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Long term care (LTC) service contains a variety of services provided by nursing homes, day care centres, home health agencies and from family or friends. Long term care service comprises a broad range of personal care, healthcare and supportive care services. It is required for geriatrics people and adult who are unable to take self care due to injury, cognitive or mental disability and chronic illness. Long term care service provides support to people in regain quality of life and in improving an optimal level of physical functioning of life.Brochure Download:In the United States social work services are provided by nursing homes and home health agencies. In addition, Medicare certification is required for providing social work services in the United States. Whereas, mental health and counseling services are provided by nursing homes and residential care communities while very few adult care centers are offered this kind of services. Likewise, therapeutics services are offered by mostly all home health agencies and nursing homes in the U.S. Majority of the adult day service centers in the U.S. are offered only therapeutic services. Pharmacy and pharmacist services are offered by nursing home and residential care communities in the U.S. while fewer adult care centers provided this kind of service. Moreover, hospice services are offered mostly by residential care communities while a small percentage (5.6%, CDC 2013) of home health agencies offered hospice services.The global market for long term care is witnessing a significant growth due to rapid increase of geriatric population worldwide. Moreover, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases also supported the market growth of global long term care. As an instance, people with 85 years of age or above are expected to reach 17.9 million by 2050 in the U.S. stated by U.S. Census Bureau in the year 2012. Moreover, extensive government support is the major factor for the market growth of long term cares in developed nations such the U.S. and U.K. For instance, Medicare and Medicaid is a national social insurance programme governed by the U.S. federal government which pays the major portion of long term care cost of an individual (CDC report 2013). Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also published that the long term care service cost of the U.S. in the year 2013 was around USD 210.9 billion.15 million people in the U.S. used long term care service in 2000 and it is expected to increase and reach 27 million by 2050 stated by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. This is due to growth in older adult population, because long term care services increases with increase in age. Two third of the individual who has crossed 65 years of age need long term care for the rest of life in the U.S. stated by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in 2013.Browse Research Report:North America and Europe are observed to be the largest long term care market due to growing geriatric population and extensive government support for long term care. Moreover, Asia - Pacific is considered as an emerging market due to strong economic growth forecasted in some Asian countries such as India, China, Japan and Malaysia.Some of the major market players contributing in the global market share of long term care includes AARP Long Term Care, American General Life (AIG), Lincoln Financial Group, New York Life Insurance Company, State Farm Insurance, Thrivent For Lutherans and others.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:
Ascorbic Acid Market: Growing at a CAGR of 4.8% between 2016 and 2021

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Zion Research has published a new report titled Ascorbic Acid Market for Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverages, Personal Care and Other End-user Industries: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2015 - 2021. According to the report, the global ascorbic acid market was around 150.2 kilo tons in 2015. The global ascorbic acid market revenue accounted for USD 820.4 million in 2015 and is expected to reach USD 1083.8 million by 2021, growing at a CAGR of around 4.8% between 2016 and 2021.Request Sample Report:The global Ascorbic Acid market is expected to witness moderate growth over the forecast period on account of increasing demand from pharmaceutical industry. Majority of ascorbic acid manufactured is used as an antioxidant. The major end-user industries of ascorbic acid are pharmaceuticals, food & beverages, personal care and others. Pharmaceutical industry is largest consumer of ascorbic acid. Vitamin C helps to recycle vitamin E. About one-third of total production of ascorbic acid is used for vitamin preparations in the pharmaceutical industry. The rest is mainly applied as an additive to food and feed to enhance product quality and stability. Ascorbic acid added to foodstuffs during processing or before packing protects color, aroma, and nutrient content. The usage of ascorbic acid in food & beverages industry is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period.Ascorbic acid production is hugely dependent on availability of raw material. Thus, any fluctuation in availability and prices of raw material can severely affect ascorbic acid market. This is expected to curb the growth of ascorbic acid market over the years. However, investments in research and development by major industry players coupled along with exponential technological advancements in pharmaceutical industry is expected to act as a major opportunity for ascorbic acid market.Do Inquiry before buying:In terms of geography, Asia-Pacific was largest consumer of ascorbic acid in 2015. The consumption in Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a rapid pace mainly due to availability of low cost manufacturing facilities in China. China is the largest consumer and producer of ascorbic acid. Moreover, the ever increasing demand for food and health supplements primarily in Asia Pacific is expected to boost the demand for ascorbic acid in this region. Europe and North America also consume ascorbic acid on large scale. The demand for ascorbic acid in this region is also expected to grow in coming years as a result of increasing demand from personal care and food & beverages end-user industry. Ascorbic Acid demand is increasing in emerging nations such as Brazil, India and China.Browse the full report atSome of the key players of the market include, DSM, DuPont, BASF SE, Northeast Pharmaceutical Group, Shandong Luwei Pharmaceutical, Bactolac Pharmaceutical Inc, CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, Hebei Welcome Pharmaceutical Co, North China Pharmaceutical Group, Dishman Group, Aland Nutraceuticals Group, NBTY Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc. and others.This report segments the global ascorbic acid market as follows:Global Ascorbic Acid Market: End-user Segment AnalysisPharmaceuticalFood & beveragesPersonal CareOthersRead Press Release at:Global Ascorbic Acid Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeGermanyUKFranceAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaZion Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Zion Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWebsite:
Newgate Watches launch new Blip watch collection for AW16

The Blip watch from Newgate Watches AW16 collection. A contemporary design with a retro twist, for men and women.

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Newgate Watches have just launched the Blip watch, the latest design in their fifty strong timepiece collection.A contemporary unisex watch with retro styling, the Blip collection features slim vintage stainless steel or brass cases paired with ten different strap combinations. Blue and green canvas, caramel suede, chestnut brown or black leather, or Manchester stainless steel mesh straps are styled with refined marker or numeral dials and finished with crystal glass lenses. Available from September 2016, the full collection can be seen atwith free international shipping.About NewgateFounded by husband and wife team Jim and Chloe Read, British brand Newgate are renowned for their innovative, design-led timepieces. A destination brand, their iconic clocks have been gracing trendsetting interiors across the globe for several decades.The launch of an avant-garde watch collection sees Newgate translate their most iconic clock designs into a contemporary wrist wear collection for women and men.In signature Newgate style each watch has been carefully crafted to become a statement piece on the wrist. Bold and unique, these are watches to form the centrepiece of your look; watches to build your outfit around. Already proving itself to be highly collectable, the comprehensive collection celebrates the very best of British design.See the full collection atNewgate WatchesUnit 3Glovers MeadowOswestryShropshireSY10 8NHUKpress@newgatewatches.com
Patient Warming Systems expected to account for a share of 71% of the Patient Temperature Management Market.

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The Patient Warming System is expected grow at a CAGR of 7.99% till 2021- Says a recent report published by Beige Market Intelligence. The report Patient Temperature Management Market- Strategic Assessment and Forecast Till 2021 gives a detailed analysis of the growth aspect of the market.The patient temperature management systems are the medical devices used to regulate patient temperature i.e. to maintain normothermia. Normothermia is defined as a bodys core temperature of 36C - 38C.The patient temperature management systems are used for both raising and lowering the temperature of the body to bring it to an optimum temperature which results into enhanced health outcomes. These systems offer several benefits such as lesser surgical site infections (SSIs), less stress and pain, reduced hospitalization, and reduced loss of blood. The large number of surgical procedures globally is the major factor propelling the growth of the market.Patient Warming SystemThese systems are used to increase the body temperature to an optimal stage. There are two types of patient warming system Convective Warming Systems - These systems warm the filtered air passing through the hose of the warming system, which is circulated and distributed evenly through various delivery channels Intravascular Warming Systems - Infusion of the heat through the fluid or blood that flows through sterile, disposable, latex-free, and non-pyrogenic cassettes that are loaded on the device. Surface Warming Systems - Circulating water mattresses, gel pads, heating pads, table pads, and heated water bottles are used to induce heat.The patient warming systems account for the large share of the market and are expected to grow at a highest CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period -says the analyst at Beige Market Intelligence.Factors such as growing demand of warming systems owing to the benefits as compared to patient cooling systems is driving its growth. Rising demand for surgical procedures and guidelines set by the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) for adoption of patient warming systems in several indications is driving the market growth for patient temperature management solutions in perioperative care. The treatment of brain and CNS tumour involves surgical procedures or chemotherapy depending on the nature of tumour. These surgeries employ patient warming devices to provide warmth to the patient during surgeries. Patient warming therapy reduces the risk of complications in surgeries hence giving a major propel to the use of Patient Warming System.Patient Cooling SystemPatient cooling systems are the systems used to bring down the temperature of a persons body during emergencies to offer a better chance of survival. There are two types of patient cooling systems -invasive cooling systems - Inducing hypothermia and regulating it using femoral venous catheter or peripheral cannulanon-invasive cooling systems- Method of bring down temperature circulating cold water and cold forced air through blankets and cooling padsThe selection of these systems takes place depending on the health conditions of the patient.The patient cooling systems account for the 29% share of the market according to the report by Beige Market Intelligence.The treatment of chemotherapy used to treat cancer patients employs patient cooling systems to protect hair follicles and prevent hair loss. Thus, with the rise in number of cancer cases, the market for patient cooling systems is likely to propel.The various factors attributing to the growth of patient cooling and warming systems market are developing healthcare infrastructure, government initiatives increasing the affordability of patients for healthcare services.For More Information on the Report.To Purchase the Report with Discount, Click HereAbout 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.Beige Market Intelligencechinnapannahalli, Doddanekundi Road-Bangalore -560037Mail: contactus@beigemarketintelligence.comUS: +1 347 903 9949UK: +44 20 323 99499APAC: +91 99 012 75473
Growing Awareness of Organ Transplants through Mobile Applications to Benefit Demand for Organ Preservation Solutions

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The mounting cases of organ failures indicate that the world is on the brink of global emergency for the demand for organ transplants. Increasing organ transplant procedures call for organ preservation that aids in maintaining organs viability through the duration of donation and transplant, thereby propelling the growth of the global organ preservation solutions market.Download Free exclusive Sample of this report :As per a research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global organ preservation solutions market is poised to reach a value of US$0.20 billion by 2019, expanding at a CAGR of 16.50% from 2013 to 2019. TMR analysts estimate that the market is likely to flourish due to the rising global geriatric population. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, in 2014, 61.6% of the total people who received transplants were above the age of 50.Why is technological advancement a vital factor in the growth of the global organ preservation solutions market?The growth of the global organ preservation solutions market is positively influenced by the growing awareness regarding organ transplants through mobile applications and social media. For instance, in July 2016, Tinder, in partnership with Organize, has announced an organ donor registration drive slated to be effective from September 2016. Organize, which is a nonprofit group, is also partnering with Facebook to launch social media campaigns to bolster registrations for organ donations. Other than this, there are apps that make the registration for organ donation easier. All these are technological milestones in the development of the organ transplant sector.Another factor driving the growth of the market is the rising per capita healthcare expenditure that increases the affordability of organ transplant procedures. The greater adoption of organ transplant surgeries will lead to higher uptake of organ preservation solutions.What are the challenges faced by the vendors in the global organ preservation solutions market?The high cost of organ transplantation procedures tends to decrease the number of enrollments for these procedures. This trend has negatively affected the players in the global organ preservation solutions market. Moreover, a shortage of organ donors has posed a threat to the growth of the global organ preservation solutions market. According to the National Kidney Foundation, there are currently 121,678 patients in the U.S. waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. This has shifted the preferences of surgeons towards artificial organs.To access full report, please visit:Why is the demand for organ preservation solutions higher in developed countries?The awareness regarding organ transplant is on a rise in developed countries. Moreover, the rate of increase in geriatric population is higher in developed regions than in developing regions. These factors have made developed countries more lucrative markets for organ transplant solutions. Geographically, Europe is the leading regional market for the organ preservation solutions. Countries such as Spain have a policy where a person will be considered organ donor after death if he has not opted for denial of organ donation while alive. This will boost the number of organ donors in the region, thereby fuelling the growth of the regional organ preservation solutions market.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.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
SPOOKY, SCARY SPOOKY, SCARY  Neighborhoods in Orchard Park are more than ready for Halloween. In the top photo, at a house at the corner of Orchard Hill Drive and Briar Hill...

Bremer finds seven residential lots storing items on town property Thanks to a new property-line shot by the Engineering Department, Building Inspector Steve Bremer was able to identify seven residential lots near Highmark Stadium that were placing all sorts of...

Highway Department receiving number of calls on dying ash trees Highway Superintendent Andrew Slotman warned in the spring that the ash tree population in Orchard Park would soon dwindle to zero due to the presence of the emerald ash borer....
Wednesday 31 August 2016 3:18pm



Professor Phil Bishop

Dunedin and the University of Otago have won the rights to host the prestigious 9th World Congress of Herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) to be held in 2020.

Professor Phil Bishop, from the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago and internationally renowned amphibian advocate, delivered Dunedins bid to the recent World Congress delegation in Hangzhou, China.

Dunedin was successful as host ahead of other bids from countries including Kenya, Hungary, Morocco and Australia.

This is a fantastic win, not just for New Zealand, but specifically for Dunedin and the University of Otago, he says.

We will have the opportunity to showcase our university and city to hundreds of international biologists, as the wildlife and scientific capital of New Zealand. The conference delegates in China were particularly excited about our unique fauna. While our Australian counterparts have hundreds of species of reptiles and amphibians, we have a much smaller number in New Zealand - but what we lack in quantity we make up for in quality, says Professor Bishop.

The 9th World Congress of Herpetology will be hosted by the University of Otagos Department of Zoology.

Professor Bishop says: Working with Enterprise Dunedin and Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) has been a pleasure and they produce excellent materials for both the hard copy bid documents and the presentation. The Conference Assistance Programme was extremely helpful in todays economic climate where funds for conference participation are limited.

The six-day international conference will attract up to 1000 delegates to the city, translating to up to 6000 room nights and will bring in an estimated $2.1 million to the local economy.

The win is a successful collaboration between the University of Otago, Enterprise Dunedin and Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) using their Conference Assistance Programme (CAP).

This continued success in attracting international conferences has shown that there is an appetite for the unique offerings Dunedin has as a conference destination, says Enterprise Dunedins Business Events Tourism Advisor Bree Jones.

This international conference will showcase Dunedins strengths in scientific research out of the University of Otago, and highlight our world renowned natural environment, ecotourism experiences and unparalleled wildlife to the influential delegates who will be attending.

Other recent conferences won through the CAPs programme are:

Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections & Taxonomic Databases Working Group Joint Conference in 2018  350 delegates, estimated economic value $630,000

The 54th World Congress of the International Sociology of Sport Association, to be held in autumn 2019  300 delegates, estimated economic value $525,000

For further information, contact:

Bree Jones

Business Events Tourism Advisor

Enterprise Dunedin

Mob: 64 21 865 111
A joint venture of The Dow Chemical Co. has started its mixed feed cracker in Saudi Arabia, and company officials say the milestone is a pivotal next step for the facility.

A Dow press release said Sadara Chemical Co. has started its mixed feed cracker, producing ethylene and propylene that will be used in a variety of plastics and specialty chemical products. It will support Dows strategy in regions like the Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, India and Eastern and Central Europe. Sadara is located in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia, and is anticipated to produce more than three million tons of products every year.

Sadara was one of Dows 2015 success stories discussed at the annual shareholders meeting in May. Andrew Liveris, Dow chairman and chief executive officer, has called it the latest milestone in a new era of transformative growth. It is a joint venture between Dow and Saudi Aramco, worth an estimated $20 billion in investments according to its website.

Sadara is a fundamental cornerstone in Dows strategic actions to deliver consistent, long-term earnings growth for our shareholders and enhanced value and market access for our customers, Liveris said in the press release. The startup of the mixed feed cracker is a pivotal next step in realizing the full value creation of this world-scale integrated complex, which builds upon the unique strengths of its parent companies to deliver a portfolio of differentiated, high-value plastics and specialty chemical products throughout emerging economies.

The facility remains on schedule in terms of production, with ethylene and propylene followed by ethylene oxide and propylene oxide and derivatives.

The more than three million metric tons of performance-focused products will add new value chains to the Kingdoms vast petroleum reserves, resulting in the diversification of the economy and region, the press release said.

Earlier this year, Dow was recognized as the first company to receive a trading license from the government of Saudi Arabia, a move that allows 100 percent ownership in the countrys trading sector and expands Dows long history of partnership and investment in Saudi Arabia.

Officials have provided regular updates on Sadara. During a quarterly earnings conference call, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Jim Fitterling said the facility positions both Dow and Saudi Aramco to capture growth where growth exists.

We are happy with the results to date, Fitterling said, as construction schedules call for completion by the end of 2016.
Churches partner to provide backpacks full of food for children in need to take home each weekend during the school year.

An elementary school principal and member of Redwood Falls United Methodist Church wondered, The students eat lunch here at school, but what happens over the weekend if theres no food in their house?

He spoke to a teacher who attends First Presbyterian Church, also in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, and she agreed that the churches should do something to help.

And the Backpacks for Kids program was born. The two churches partnered with their local school to provide backpacks full of food for children in need to take home each weekend during the school year.

Related: South Carolina church provides handmade beds for needy children 

Gail Bielen, who coordinates the program at Redwood Falls, says, The backpacks include enough food to feed the child for the weekend. There are canned fruits and vegetables, soup, ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, a box of cereal and some snacks.

The contents of the backpacks vary from week to week, based on donations, and the church asks regular attendees to sponsor a week of food. We have gotten food donations from other churches, as well as companies and organizations in the community, she says.

When the program started five years ago, the churches filled six or seven backpacks. Now they fill 50 bags each week. The churches dont know which students receive the backpacks; they bring the bags to the school and a social worker distributes them to the students lockers.

Most weeks, we try to include a note in the bags saying that the food comes from local churches, Beilen says. I have sometimes included information about our church, such as the Sunday morning service times.

People at our church and the Presbyterian church saw a need and they wanted to reach out to the children in the community and fill that need, she says.

Find more ways to serve your community 

Find more childrens outreach ideas 
French PM Says Naked Breasts Represent France Better Than Headscarf: Secularism, Sexism, and Racism in The French State

By Petr Knava | Politics | August 31, 2016 |

I dont know if youve noticed, but the French state has been having a bit of a time of it lately. Specifically as it relates to a few trivial issues like the definition of liberty, womens rights, and thinking anything through for just, like, one fucking minute.

You see, the nation of France has had this thing embedded into its structure for some time called laicite. Laicite is, fundamentally, secularism enshrined within the apparatus of the state. Originally used from the latter half of the 19th century to refer to the freedom of public institutions from the influence of the Catholic Church, it has, in todays world, expanded to cover all faiths. Laicite guarantees the separation of church and state. It forbids the government from taking any positions on religious matters, outside of the practical effects that they may have on citizenss lives. Doesnt sound too bad, right?

The policy also, however, influences the lives of those citizens, as it essentially dictates that as a French citizen you are, above all, a French citizen, equal in rights to all other citizens, and devoid of religious or ethnic distinctions. That means that, while you are free to personally believe in and practice whatever you want (within the confines of the law), officially, in the public sphere, you abide by the enlightened values of the Republic. Still sounds kinds reasonable so far right?! I mean, who wouldnt want to abide by the enlightened values of an Algeria-pillaging, slave-trading, war-waging, workers rights-destroying Republic??

In fact, that should be our slogan:

White People: We Can Just Say That Were Enlightened, And Thats Good Enough.

(Accurate) flippancy aside, secularism, as a theoretical concept is, in this authors view, a wonderful idea.

As usual, however, it is in the execution of an idea that we find a maelstrom of nuance.

(Tee-hee, execution)

In the interests of brevity, let us focus here in on one religious minority within France, as a case study.

It could be any one. Doesnt matter.

Maybe, lets say, ohhhh, I dunno. Islam! Thatll do.

And lets take a relatively recent incident as a jumping-off point: the banning of the burkini (a full-body-covering swimsuit for Muslim women) in Cannes, the overturning of that ban by a French high court, and the subsequent comments of the French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, who just the other day said, in reference to Marianne, the national symbol of France:

Marianne has a naked breast because she is feeding the people! She is not veiled, because she is free! That is the republic!



Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix (1830)

The not-so-subtle message, of course, being that the covering of part of ones body  if done for religious reasons  is entirely against the spirit of the French Republic. Optional nudity, on the other hand, symbolises FREEDOM. For you see, the French Republic, in its valuing of personal liberty above all else, applauds women for being free to uncover their breasts if they want to; and, like, they can totally cover up if they want to, too! France is chill like that! But dont be doing it for any other reasons than personal, you silly female scamps! None of that religious stuff, now! France can always tell the difference between the religious and the personal  because there totally is a difference, what with the indoctrination one might face due to being brought up in a certain faith being absolutely and empirically distinct from the ABSOLUTE FREEDOM OF ACTION AND THOUGHT that modern, capitalist societies practice.

Our societal pressure to conform  whether to arbitrary masculine ideals, subservient feminine roles, strictly defined sexual identities, or indeed whichever ephemeral consumerist doctrine is currently the norm (iPhone x)  couldnt be further from religious indoctrination. It is important we repeat this to ourselves daily. Failure to do so might rob us of our vital and necessary feeling of superiority. This high horse, however, comes at a heavy cost to humanity. The constant othering of Muslims; the fear mongering and the insidious conflation of race, religion, and terrorism  this is how you keep people in line, how you rob them of their empathy and their outrage. This is how you make it okay to drop bombs on peoples children from a drone thousands of feet up in the air. This is how you can call officially sanctioned murder, security. Their children die; our humanity withers away.

Manuel Valls statement was immediately torn down from several angles. One historian of the French revolution and French citizenship, Mathilde Larrere, tweeted at Valls: Marianne has a naked breast because its an allegory, you cretin! She proceeded to go on an epic Twitter rampage against him, decrying his ignorance and providing the historical context for the painting that Valls was referencing. That painting, incidentally, is only one of many depictions of Marianne. Her breasts, appearing both covered and uncovered in them, have sweet fuckall to do with the substance of the matter.

Valls gibberish outburst, on its own so absolutely tone deaf and stupid, is, however, emblematic of something bigger, and more dangerous. The French state, with its all-too-recent history of colonialism, neo-imperial violence, and structural racism and Islamophobia, has shown an unfathomably poor degree of self-awareness. Struggling with a recent spate of horrific terrorist attacks, its reaction has been chest-beating and talk of ever-increasing, never-ending war abroad, and a crackdown on its Muslim population at home. Rather than choosing to engage with its Muslim citizens, it has decided to tighten its oppressive grip on them, failing to understand a lesson that even a five-year-old instinctively does: If you bully and hound, eventually something will snap. This is of course, an extremely sensitive and nuanced issue, but time and time again studies and analysts have shown that terrorism does not arise in a vacuum. The cycle of violence that breeds it is a self-perpetuating beast that needs willpower to tame. France is, at the moment, depressingly bereft of willpower.

Smaller manifestations of this, such as the (thankfully for now overturned) burkini ban, should not be seen as trivial.

In short, if you are unsure as to whether someone is being forced to do something and you want to make sure that theyre not being forced to do it, dont force them to do something!

Anyway heres Lowkey:







Petr Knava lives in London and plays music

Petr is a staff contributor. You can follow him on Twitter.

 Tom Lenk Answers: Must We Go To Burning Man? | 52 Films By Women: Sophie Barthes's Undersung Dark Comedy 'Cold Souls' 
CHICAGO  A federal judge set a Sept. 28 plea hearing for former McLean County Board Chairman Matt Sorensen on charges that he defrauded State Farm of more than $400,000.

At a status hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Sorensen's lawyer indicated that the former McLean County official will plead guilty to unspecified charges.

The terms of the plea agreement were not disclosed.

Sorensen, who previously worked as a consultant for the Bloomington-based insurance company, and Navdeep Arora, a former consultant with a Chicago firm, were charged in indictments filed in January with defrauding State Farm.

The pair allegedly billed clients, including State Farm, through two companies, Gabriel Solutions and Andy's BCB, for consulting work that they never performed.

Arora's attorney told Judge Ronald Guzman on Tuesday that he likely will request a trial date, but a hearing date has not been set on that request.

A federal grand jury returned the indictments in August 2015, but they were sealed until January when Arora was arrested as he returned to the U.S. from London where he had been living.

Sorensen, who resigned from the County Board shortly after the indictments were announced, was not available for comment on Tuesday.
SPRINGFIELD  Former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is offering a leaner and cleaner proposal to take lawmakers out of the once-a-decade process of redrawing legislative districts after the Illinois Supreme Court blocked a redistricting referendum from the November ballot.

In a 4-3 decision, the states high court last week ruled that a proposal to amend the Illinois Constitution to create an independent redistricting commission went beyond whats allowed for a petition initiative.

The proposal from the group Independent Maps, which gathered more than half a million signatures in support of its effort, would have given the state auditor general a new role in the process, but petition-driven referendums are limited to making structural and procedural changes to the General Assembly.

Quinn said Tuesday that his proposal was tailored to the ruling.

Im somebody who has been passing petitions in Illinois for the past 40 years, said Quinn, who led the 1980 referendum effort that reduced the size of the Legislature, the only time the Illinois Constitution has been amended through a petition drive. I believe that voters in our state should have a chance to vote not only for candidates  but also have a chance to vote on issues.

Under Quinns plan, the Supreme Court, which already has a role in the redistricting process, would appoint an 11-member commission to draw a new map every 10 years after the U.S. census. No more than six members could belong to the same political party, and seven members would have to sign off for a new map to take effect.

Quinn said he plans to reach out to Independent Maps with his idea in hopes of putting the question to voters in the 2018 election.

Independent Maps has scheduled a Wednesday morning news conference to announce its plans following the Supreme Court defeat.

Quinn said it's "better to sort of study what the court said, see what the rules are, and then draft something that fits in those rules.

But Scott Szala, an adjunct professor who teaches a course on the state constitution at the University of Illinois Law School, said more time is needed to determine exactly what those rules are.

He said one potential pitfall of Quinns idea is that having the Supreme Court appoint the commissions members and rule on any legal challenges to the map they draw could create conflicts of interest.

Theres also the question of whether assigning a new task to the court would pass constitutional muster, Szala said.

Meanwhile, Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Republican party are making redistricting reform a major campaign issue in the lead-up to the Nov. 8 election even though the question wont be on the ballot.

They accuse House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also heads the state Democratic Party, of orchestrating the effort to block the Independent Maps amendment in order protect his partys supermajorities in the General Assembly. The lawyer who challenged the proposal is an election attorney for many prominent Democrats, including Madigan.

And, the GOP also was quick to dismiss Quinn's proposal, noting the he signed off on the current Democratic-drawn map in 2011.

Instead of standing up for reform when he was in charge of the state, Quinn worked with Mike Madigan to rig the political system in their favor, state GOP spokesman Steven Yaffe said in a written statement. We dont need Pat Quinn to fix Pat Quinns map.
LADD  The Illinois State Police continue to look for an area woman last seen Aug. 22 in Spring Valley.

Police say Deborah K. Dewey, 62, is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, 150 pounds, with glasses and gray hair. On Aug. 29, her unlocked vehicle, a gray 2007 Buick LaCrosse, was located at the TA Truck stop in Morris on Illinois 47, just north of Interstate 80.

Dewey lives in Ladd near LaSalle-Peru and works at Riverfront Machine in Spring Valley.

Several law enforcement agencies are assisting the Illinois State Police with the search, including the Bureau County Sheriffs Department, Kane County Sheriffs Department and Ladd Police Department.

A cash award for information leading to her whereabouts is being offered by family members. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police at 800-843-5763.
DECATUR  A Decatur police officer was justified in his shooting of an armed 40-year-old man in July, according to the Macon County State's Attorney office.

State's Attorney Jay Scott said Tuesday the use of deadly force against Lonnie D. Mitchell, who was armed with a knife strapped to his wrist and a BB gun that looked like a semiautomatic handgun, broke no law.

Officer Andrew Wittmer, who has served with the police department for five years, is cleared to return to work, having been on leave while the shooting was investigated by the Illinois State Police, which is usual procedure.

Mitchell was shot in the early hours of July 11 in the 100 block of South Hilton Street. He continues to recover.

Scott, speaking at a news conference at the Macon County Office Building, replayed a video of the incident captured on a squad car camera. It showed Wittmer ordering a shirtless Mitchell to stop as he walked across the street with a knife attached to his arm by a studded leather cuff and the gun tucked into the waistband of his camouflage shorts.

Mitchell, who walks out of the picture while Wittmer can still be seen, is heard telling the officer he has a knife and what he refers to repeatedly as a pistol. Wittmer tells him to put his hands on his head and repeatedly orders him to lie down in the street, warning him not to reach for any of the weapons.

Don't go for that or you'll get shot, man, Wittmer said at one point.

But Mitchell doesn't appear to take notice and at one point tells Wittmer to come grab it, referring to his weapons. I'm not going to grab it, I want you to lay down, Wittmer replies. A woman in the crowd watching the encounter calls out to Mitchell Lay down, baby, do what he tell you to do. Lay down, but Mitchell remains standing.

He then unbuckles the knife which falls to the road and moments later both Wittmer and officer Jason Danner say they saw Mitchell move his right hand directly toward the BB pistol they believed was a firearm.

That is when Wittmer shot him.

Mitchell collapses off camera, and Scott said the officers immediately called for an ambulance and began rendering first aid. Decatur Ambulance personnel arrived within seven minutes, and Mitchell was rushed to HSHS St. Mary's Hospital and then air-lifted to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.

Later, as he recovered from surgery, he refused to talk to state police investigators.

Pursuant to Illinois state statute, a law enforcement officer is justified in the use of force likely to result in death or great bodily harm when he reasonably believes such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or another, said Scott, who was flanked by Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe, Police Chief Jim and Jeanelle Norman, president of the Decatur branch of the NAACP.

After a careful review of reports and materials generated by the Illinois State Police investigation, it is the conclusion of the Macon County State's Attorney's Office that officer Wittmer reasonably believed that the force he used was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or another when he discharged his service weapon at Lonnie Mitchell.

Scott went on to say that any reasonable person would have believed that the use of deadly force was necessary under these circumstances.

He added that after consultation with Getz, criminal charges will not be pursued against Mitchell.

Mr. Mitchell's conduct that night, in refusing to obey the lawful commands of officer Wittmer, constitutes the criminal offense of resisting or obstructing a peace officer, Scott said.

But, After consulting with Decatur Police Chief , we are in agreement that, given the circumstances involved, no criminal prosecution of Mr. Mitchell will be initiated, Scott said.

Later, Scott added that Mitchell " did end up being shot and was laid up in hospital for a while, and we decided, came to a group consensus, that it was best to put this behind us and move on.

Getz and Norman said the city's residents, many of whom staged prayer and community meetings following the shooting that involved a white officer and a black suspect, behaved with commendable calm and patience.

I believe the city of Decatur is a community that has shown other communities how to respond during rough times, Getz said. I believe we can continue to be a model for other communities as we move forward.

Norman, who also spoke on behalf of Area Leaders, Educators Response Team, or ALERT, a group of community activists who work to spread correct information and counter false rumors in the wake of traumatic events, said Getz had acted throughout with transparency and provided full access to concerned citizens.

We thank God that no loss of life happened, she said, accepting the findings of Scott's review of the case. And because of what has transpired ... we are building better relationships between the African-American community and the city, and especially the police department. I can truly say today that I am a proud citizen of Decatur, Ill.
As educational institutions gear up for the upcoming back-to-school season, some schools across the United States have been operating all year round. As a matter of fact, the National Center for Education Statistics has revealed that almost four percent of schools (or about 3,700 K-12 public schools) across America are in class session on a year-round calendar.

It is a given fact that people are more knowledgeable with the so-called traditional school calendars where students have an opportunity to enjoy summer breaks. But with the year-round calendar system aka the balanced calendar method, educational institutions restructure the 180 school days by reducing the number of days allotted for summer break. According to CNBC News, those days are divided into several shorter breaks throughout the year and are known as intercessions, which can also be utilized by schools to be a time for students' remediation and enrichment programs.

So, is year-round education better than traditional calendar education? As explained by National Association for Year-Round Education executive director David Hornak, the year-round education system can help enhance the educational achievements of students as it prevents summer learning loss, which is usually experienced by children when they took a break for an extended period.

West Virginia's American Federation of Teachers president Christine Campbell, on the other hand, said that extended summer vacations are not only the contributing factor in learning loss or gaps. Campbell also stressed that altering the education calendar of schools may not be the perfect solution to bridge learning gaps as educational expenditures for year-round classes is also a major factor to ponder.

Speaking of improving students' achievement and college success, U.S. Department of Education's official blog Homeroom has recently outlined how America can increase students' college access and success. USED Deputy Under Secretary Kim Hunter wrote that education must occur in diverse environments such as in Sing Sing prison.

Despite being in a highly secured penal institution, Hunter said that some incarcerated students are passionate about the value of education. Hence, the government is looking for strategic partners that can extend support for prison education projects.

Prison education, however, also faced its fair share of criticisms but correction officials that good education programs encourage incarcerated individuals to do positive acts. Good education has a positive and strong impact when it comes to security.

So, as the government works to expand the access and opportunity for college completion and success, the USED urges more higher education institutions to support the Take the Fair Chance Pledge campaign. This education drive aims to support reforms and eradicate college education barriers.

Meanwhile, the education sector in the United States has been plagued with the incessant increase of higher education cost. As a matter of fact, Daily Progress revealed that state funding fell while tuition fees continued to rise.

What are your thoughts on year-round and traditional education? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
In the United States, Zika virus has already caused two outbreaks Florida, 42 local mosquito infections and infected more than 580 pregnant women across the country. However, the nation's Zika response funding remains beyond reach as the U.S. Congress refused to approve President Barack Obama's $1.9 billion Zika response proposal, which was passed in February.

Due to Congress' disapproval, the Zika virus funding has been delayed. Thus, Obama recently prompted the lawmakers to prioritize the proposal when they return from a seven-week summer break as the continued delay has been putting the Americans at a great risk for a Zika outbreak.

In his weekly radio address, Obama said that nation's weaker mosquito control efforts have real-life consequences. The President also added that the emergency funding he requested aims to boost the efforts on mosquito control, as well as track the spread of the virus, NBC News noted.

As Zika virus continues to spread, the Congress took a summer vacation, forcing federal agencies to use other resources such as those needed to address Ebola, cancer and other diseases. Unfortunately, looking for other resources for the Zika virus response was never a viable solution.

President Obama also stressed that Congress should treat Zika virus like the global public health threat that it is. According to Jamaica Observer, the U.S. Head of State added that full funding is needed to fight the increasing spread of the Zika virus, noting that a fraction of the funding won't solve the pressing issues.

Even though Zika virus is not dangerous for most people, the virus is harmful to pregnant women as it has been associated with microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects such as eye defects, hearing loss and impaired growth. But in spite of public health implications, the Congress chose to disregard the Zika funding response proposal.

Since the financial support from the national government has long been insufficient, comprehensive community engagement has been advocated. In fact, Salon revealed that the general public has been encouraged to get rid of the stagnant water in their backyard and used tires, as well as eradicate the possible breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Friday that all donated blood in the country will be screened for the Zika virus. The recommendations to all existing blood banks across the nation came after the acknowledgment that Zika virus can be sexually transmitted and can spread in areas where Zika-carrying mosquitoes are absent, New York Times reported.

Why do you think the U.S. Congress refused to approve the Zika virus response funding? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
Even when battling a debilitating disease, Gene Wilder's family still thought of the children who knew of his famous character in "Willy Wonka." The actor, who died on Aug. 29 at the age of 83, didn't reveal to the public that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. This fact was only made known after news of his passing surfaced.

Gene Wilder's family said in a statement that the decision to keep his condition was so that children will not associate "Willy Wonka" with Alzheimer's disease. He didn't want to sadden the children, nor have them feel "worry, disappointment or confusion," per Variety.

Gene Wilder played Willy Wonka in the 70s and the movie has become a beloved children's classics. According to NPR, decades after the film's release, countless of children continue to watch the movie and learn of Gene Wilder.

The kids who starred in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory pay tribute to the "mad" and "talented" Gene Wilder https://t.co/kUklgRnmFa  BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 30, 2016

The actor's nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, told the media outlet that Gene Wilder would still be recognized at restaurants by kids and parents even up until two years ago. "They always had that smile, that look of wonder," Walker-Pearlman said. "And he would never want to take that look of wonder away from them."

Gene Wilder's long and illustrious career earned him two Oscar nominations for "The Producers" and "Young Frankenstein," as well as a Golden Globe nomination for "Willy Wonka." He won an Emmy award for his work in the TV series "Will & Grace" and have also graced the stage on Broadway.

Gene Wilder is also famous for his tandem with actress Gilda Radner, whom he married in the 80s. Radner died of ovarian cancer in 1989, which left the actor utterly devastated. He is survived by fourth wife Karen Boyer Webb, whom he married in 1991. He had an adopted daughter, Katherine, from his second marriage to Mary Joan Schutz.
A 5-year-old boy, who has done the most selfless gesture, left the Winslow Police Department in awe. William Evertz Jr. didn't spend his allowance for seven months so that he could use this to buy the police force lunch. He originally wanted to use the money to buy a toy police car.

The Philly reports that 5-year-old William visited the police department with the food, with the help of his family, who brought along balloons. Dressed as a police himself, the young boy supposedly told the cops that he wanted to be just like them when he grows up, and then thanked them for their service.

Per Fox 8, William wanted to do a "random act of kindness" and decided he will provide lunch for the cops who keep his town safe. His mom then sent an email to the police station to tell them of William's plans. The young boy brought them food from Subway because he wants the cops to eat healthy.

5-yr old buys lunch to thank Winslow Police Dept (William Evertz Jr saved his allowance hoping to eventually have... https://t.co/VdpKRLEAqN  USFRA.org (@usfraorg) August 25, 2016

Apparently, the allowance he saved up wasn't enough so he did extra work to earn more money. He did chores like washing the car, sweeping the yard and feeding the chickens, much to the appreciation of his family.

Seeing what the young boy has done, the cops could not help by tear up. The Winslow Police Department decided to make William an honorary police and was then gifted with a badge. He also got to get on a ride-along in the police car, complete with lights and sirens turned on.

George Smith, the department chief, expressed gladness for what William showed. "I can't wait until you're old enough so we can hire you," he told the 5-year old, Philly reported. Even the town's mayor Barry Wright, who used to be a police officer, also lauded William and told the boy he's proud of him.

According to The Blaze, the 5-year-old also plans to donate some toys and school items at a local shelter for victims of domestic violence. William also wants to visit an animal shelter and perhaps a daycare center. Learn more about William Evertz Jr.'s story in the video below.
If new reports are true, it looks like Kate Middleton and Prince William's public image is at huge risk. The Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly causing a huge decline in her husband's popularity and acceptance ratings.

According to Celeb Dirty Laundry, Kate's snobby attitude has caused some of the Royal family's supporters to slowly lose interest in them. Both Prince William and Kate are regarded as the laziest Royals in Britain's history, with critics saying that they put minimal effort in their civic duties to focus on lavish vacations instead.

The site also pointed out that Kate Middleton has been very fond of the media attention she has been getting. Instead of being a true Royal, the Duchess is consumed by the fact that she became an instant celebrity after marrying the second-in-line.

In a similar report from HNGN, it was also noted that Kate Middleton and Prince William are trying to convince everyone that they are just regular people having normal problems. As the site mentioned, constantly mentioning their lovely children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, in interviews is one of the Royal couple's ways to get public sympathy.

Not to mention the endless rumors suggesting another Royal baby on the way. Kate was previously rumored to be preggers, explaining their absence from the Rio Olympics. According to previous rumors, the Royal couple thought it would be best to skip the event to avoid the risk of getting Zika virus.

Stay tuned for more Kate Middleton and Prince William news here!
A medical abortion law implemented in Ohio in 2011 has endangered the lives of many women instead of keeping them healthy. A new study found that numerous women in the state experienced side effects and complications such as nausea and vomiting and had to have follow-up visits to physicians.

The 2011 Ohio law requires medical abortion providers to prescribe mifepristone or RU-486 (a medication that terminates pregnancies), adhering to a protocol set by the federal Food and Drug Administration. The problem with that is the FDA guidelines' last update was in 2000, which means that abortion providers are legally giving medication based on protocols issued more than a decade ago.

Abortion providers said that the FDA protocol is already outdated and safer, easier, and more effective regimens for mifepristone have been studied in clinical trials already, NBC News reported. Those regimens involve a lower and inexpensive dose of the drug, as well as a longer window of use.

The new study, which was published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine and conducted by a research team from the University of San Francisco's Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, found that there was a dramatic surge of side effects experienced by women between 2011 and 2016 than before the law was passed. Ushma Upadhyay, the study's lead author, said Ohio's law "really compromised" women's health, NBC News further reported.

Upon talking to abortion clinics in Ohio, researchers found that the likelihood of follow-ups or at least one additional treatment after medical abortions increased three times from 14 percent after the law was implemented. Ohio's abortion law also paved the way for ineffective abortions, requiring plenty of women to resort to a different technique to terminate their pregnancy.

Before the law's passing, only eight percent of women in Ohio experienced side effects from medical abortion. That rate rose to about 16 percent post-law. Those side effects are due to the drug's higher dose, Time reported.

Four percent of women had to have follow-up visits to a physician prior to the law's enactment in Ohio. After the law, the rate increased to six percent.

Ohio's law also resulted in fewer medical abortions, which is alarming because the procedure is deemed as cheaper and are less invasive than surgical abortions. Medical abortions are done during the first seven to nine weeks of pregnancy.

Before the state's law was enacted in 2011, 22 percent of abortions in Ohio are drug-induced. In 2014, that rate plummeted to only five percent.
The 2016 race for presidency has so far been one of the most intense election campaigns in American history. Trying to win over voters before the big voting day comes, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are exhausting all efforts for their wide-scale campaigns, even including raising funds through asking money from the average citizen.

According to The Guardian, millions of Americans receive e-mails from Clinton and Trump asking for monetary donations to their presidential campaigns. This is in addition to the sponsorships and donations the two top Presidential nominees already receive from their rich connections.

Columnist Batten writes that it has become a morning routine for Americans to put in the Spam/Junk folder the day's e-mail asking for donations while they drink their cup of coffee. The style of the fundraising e-mail doesn't also help because it is formatted so similarly to scam messages, according to the author.

But as per Wired, no matter how annoying these campaign e-mails asking for donations are, they actually work. Teddy Goff and Marie Ewald tested the effectivity of fundraising e-mails by sending out 400 ones for their donation page every hour of the day. They found out that the more e-mails they sent, the more money they made. There were less people withdrewing subscription than money coming in.

Following Obama's style, the Clinton team has also used this fundraising strategy early in her campaign. According to NPR, the Democrat nominee would sent out fundraising e-mails using fifty different subject lines, testing which ones work to move people to donate and which ones don't that make people unsubscribe.

On Trump's case, he was found this year to even reach out to foreign nationalities for donations. BBC reports that the GOP nominee has asked money from Britain Parliament, Iceland, Australia and Canada residents to which the e-mail recipients immediately said no to. If in any case Trump successfully finds an overseas sponsor, the money won't be accepted legally anyway because American law prohibits soliciting money from foreign nationals.

As per Campaigns and Elections, the morning is really not the best time to send out a fundraising email. If the presidential nominees want to assure donations for their campaigns, they should send more during early afternoon to rush hour which is from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

What do you think of presidential e-mail campaigns? Sound off your thoughts in the Comments section and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
Recent updates with regards to the upcoming US election made the headlines as security breaches have been announced. As of the latest update, it was announced that there are foreign cyber threats that's making an impact on the upcoming elections.

Alarming announcements have been made as it was reported by various websites that election boards are being targeted by hackers. Sydney Morning Herald noted that several evidences pointing out that Russian hackers are targeting US votes.

US Senate minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada wrote to FBI director, James B. Comey Jr, the US Senate minority leader noted that the US election is under threat of the Russian interface. Part of what was written in the letter cited that the hack can possibly trigger an intent to "falsify election results."

Russia's President Vladimir Putin is also being dragged into the controversial hack. Reid stated that the Russian president could be the brains behind the tampering of the the upcoming US elections.

"Officials and cyber security experts say recent breaches at the Democratic National Committee and elsewhere in the Democratic Party were likely carried out by people within the Russian government. Kremlin officials have denied that."

Up to the present, it is still unclear as to what the motive of the hacking is. It can either be a gesture to sabotage the upcoming elections, or to gather the voter's personal information. Though accessing the voter's personal information through the data base may be a different case, it is still a malicious conduct.

The hackers may be able to gathers the voter's address, phone numbers and personal details, which could lead to identity theft. The real motives regarding the hack is yet to be known, but Washington Post highlighted that being hacked is almost a threat to security, thus it should not be taken lightly.

"I'm less concerned about the attackers getting access to and downloading the information. I'm more concerned about the information being altered, modified or deleted. That's where the real potential is for any sort of meddling in the election," Brian Kalkin, vice president of operations for the Center for Internet Security told the news website.
The historical Netflix series, "Narcos" Season 2, is scheduled to be released this week. Trailer videos have teased an action-packed season as the show follows Pablo Escobar's downfall. But is everything in the show actually happened in real life?

Wagner Moura, who plays as the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, talked about the authenticity of "Narcos." Moura told CBC News that the real footages that the show use generate interest from viewers, and even his friends go to Google after seeing an episode to check whether the events really happened. The show tried to be as accurate to the real-life events as possible, depicting the bombings, countless horrendous murders, government blunders, and unbelievable escapes.

"[It's] all shot in Colombia, which I think is already great," Moura told the publication. "The whole show is shot in the very same place where everything really happened." That includes where the Columbian drug lord spent his last moments until he was shot dead in December 1993.

As Parent Herald earlier learned, the showrunner dished that they have recreated Pablo Escobar's death scene in details, as close as possible to what really transpired. According to executive producer Eric Newman, the based the death scenes on the incredible photos that DEA agent Steve Murphy took when Pablo died.

With Pablo Escobar meeting his end in the second season of "Narcos," many may wonder if this will also be the last season. No has been confirmed yet, but the producers have said that the drug cartel does not end with Escobar. There were also new characters to be introduced in Season 2, and the succeeding seasons could explore their stories.

So there goes the possibility of "Narcos" getting renewed. The show was renewed for a sophomore season shortly after the first season was released on Netflix. It is possible for the announcement to be made after "Narcos" Season 2 premieres on Sept. 2.
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The logo of French telecom operator Orange is seen in Paris March 6, 2014. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - French telecoms operator Orange is in negotiations with Mobile Telecommunication Company of Iran (MCI), the country's largest mobile operator, "regarding a number of areas of potential cooperation and business topics," a spokesman said.

"We anticipate that these discussions will be concluded within a few months," the spokesman said in a statement sent to Reuters. The statement did not elaborate on what those areas of cooperation could be.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Wednesday that Orange had entered preliminary talks to buy a stake in MCI, as well as on a commercial and technical agreement.

The company did not specifically confirm or deny this but said: "Like many other international operators, Orange has been considering opportunities in the Iranian market subsequent to the implementation of the JCPOA." The JCPOA is a nuclear deal struck between Iran and six world powers.

Following that deal, most United Nations sanctions on Iran were lifted in January when the U.N. nuclear watchdog confirmed that Tehran fulfilled commitments under its nuclear deal.

Major international companies have been rushing to try and establish a position in Iran as the Islamic Republic re-opened for business after the lifting of international sanctions. Iran is still subject to a U.N. arms embargo and other restrictions.

"We are conducting feasibility studies to understand and assess what is possible in this complex environment, particularly with regards to certain economic sanctions that continue to apply to Iran," Orange said in its statement.

The French government controls 23 percent of the shares of Orange.

(Reporting by Juliette Rouillon; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by James Dalgleish and Jonathan Oatis)
Many in America have felt considerable sympathy for the anti-immigration Dutch politician Geert Wilders. I understand this.

However, with his new proposals to close mosques in the Netherlands and altogether to ban the Quran, he makes the name of his Freedom Party a bad joke.

The Freedom Party is leading in the polls for next years elections.

Some of the worlds most distinguished scholars of Islam  e.g., Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje, Hans Jansen, M. J. de Goeje, J. H. Kramers  have been Dutch. Seeger Bonebakker, my own beloved professor in graduate school, was also Dutch. He earned his doctorate at the University of Leiden, the illustrious center of Arab/Islamic studies where the monumental and on-going Encyclopaedia of Islam was launched in 1913.

In the future, will such scholars need to buy their copies of the Quran on the black market? Could they be criminally prosecuted for possessing the book? Will students of comparative religion be obliged to travel abroad in order to read it?

I routinely teach classes on the Quran. If I were in the Netherlands, would I go to jail for such an act? Or, if I promise to teach the course without actually using the Quran, would that be permitted?

And, while Im at it, a mosque need only be a flat area for prayer, preferably with a marker of the qibla or direction to Mecca. Will undercover agents monitor Dutch houses and apartments to ensure that no prayers are being said in them? Will SWAT units need to break down doors in order to prevent Muslim devotions from occurring?

If Mr. Wilders is elected and is able to put his program into effect, the Netherlands will be a place that lovers of liberty should avoid. How ironic, that the land of open legalized prostitution, government-sanctioned euthanasia, and free trafficking in drugs now seems inclined to ban prayers and to proscribe a religious text.
Iranian General Killed During Battle In Aleppo, Syria

08/31/16

Source: RFE/RL

Iranian state media reports say a retired Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) general has been killed while battling against Islamic militants in northern Syria. The Fars news agency, which is closely affiliated with the IRGC, reported on August 31 that General Ahmad Gholami was killed on August 30 while fighting against Sunni militants in Aleppo.



General Ahmad Gholami



The report did not specify whether Gholami was killed by Islamic State militants or U.S.-backed Sunni rebels who are fighting against forces of Iranian-backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The report described Gholami as a "volunteer" who was serving in Syria as a "military adviser" to Syrian government forces.

Tehran denies that any of its professional soldiers are active in Syria, insisting its commanders and generals there act purely as volunteer military advisers.

Iranian media has previously reported that "hundreds" of "military advisers" and "volunteers" from Iran have been killed in Syria in recent years.

Based on reporting by AFP and Fars

Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
The best 2-in-1 laptop 2022: our picks of the best convertible laptops

These are the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now
Datadog, starting at $5.00 per function per month when billed annually, offers a simple Software as a Service (SaaS) model for delivering effective network monitoring and infrastructure management. While primarily geared toward monitoring service applications in the cloud, it is feature rich enough to monitor nearly any application layer out there, which should satisfy development oriented shops and service providers. Currently, there are more than 350 integrations with a wide variety of APIs and services, as well as support for some key network protocols, such as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), and SSH (Secure Shell), among others. There's a free 14 day trial for those who want to evaluate risk-free. Datadog is definitely worth checking out, especially for shops interested as much in application management as in network monitoring. However, those focused on network monitoring will likely do better with one of our Editors' Choices, Progress WhatsUp Gold and Paessler PRTG.

Installation and Pricing

You can get Datadog in several different pricing tiers, though there are three that'll likely be the most popular for general-purpose IT. The aforementioned $5 per function per month is called the Network Performance tier, and it's likely the one that most small to midsized business (SMB) IT pros will employ for network and systems monitoring. The Infrastructure tier, which runs $15 per host per month, is meant for those who want to use the software as a centralized monitoring service for systems and services. Finally, there's an APM tier, which will cost you $31 per host per month, designed for larger outfits looking to fix service and device-layer problems.

Other tiers are more specialized. There's a Serverless tier, also $5 per host per month, aimed at those looking to monitor network and application issues, such as bottlenecks and errors. There's a $1.27 per million log events per month tier, appropriately called the Log Management tier, meant for companies with large amounts of log data to parse for context and retention. And there are also different tiers for security monitoring, synthetic monitoring, and real user monitoring, each with pricing appropriate to the core task. All prices above is as billed annually, which makes Datadog one of the most price-customizable management apps we've encountered.

All in, initial installation will seem easier than figuring out how to pay. After logging into Datadog for the first time, youll be prompted to install some agents that will live on and monitor the host system that they are installed on. While most will use this for Windows or Linux environments, there are some nifty options for monitoring Docker, Heroku, and other development platforms that arent available in the other tools that we tested. Since the product model is cloud hosted, there isnt much in the way of installation, and the agents installed in a just couple of minutes. The one exception to this are some of the agents that require a console-based process. You'll need to be familiar with a terminal if you want ESXi or NetFlow to work. That said, there are excellent step by step instructions for each agent available.

Good-Looking Interface

Datadog does well from a visual perspective. Its got a clean and modern design, however, youll quickly figure out that you have a lot of setup work to do from the outset. Each integration you install will have a default dashboard with which users can start, but while these look good youll soon find yourself wanting to rearrange and add controls. Fortunately, there are plenty of useful widgets to add, so many that its easy to get lost on what you need if you're new to network monitoring. The design team seems to have anticipated this since there is a very prominent getting started pulldown at the top of the screen that lets you check off each step of the process. There is even a quick link to a nice looking Quick Start Guide, which we were able to use to great effect.

Once set up, there are two primary ways of visualizing your data. The first is a grid based series of indicators called "screen boards," which include things like tables, host maps, top lists, and similar views. For things like uptime charts, youll turn to a different form of dashboard called "time boards." While you can add many of the same indicators here, you also get a time series that can plot any metric being captured from your hosts, such as CPU usage, uptime, or memory usage. Its also worth mentioning that there is a mobile application available. For those needing real time alerts and access from a portable device, this is worth checking out.

Datadog can capture any metric that its fed from an agent or integration. Agents are service applications that run on a target operating system, such as Windows, or a microservice architecture, like Heroku. These report back to Datadog on their current status based on some predefined metrics. For specific application stacks, there are more granular integrations that report back appropriate data for those particular services.

The Downside of an Agent-Based System

Adding devices is synonymous with installing agents. Because there is no agentless mode, there is nothing much to figure out. Simply pick the platform or service that you want to monitor, download the agent specific to that device or service, and enter in your API key. The key is tied to your account and it's used for both the standard Datadog agents. However, it can also be used by any custom agents developed by a third party or your own internal team.

No agentless mode also means that there isnt an auto-discovery feature, so you're stuck deploying an agent for all your devices individually. If you are working in a virtualized environment, there are integrations for vSphere, but they arent straightforward to set up. Solutions like ManageEngine OpManager do this better by autodetecting virtual machines (VMs) and allowing individual configuration of each VM.

Flexible Alerting

Alerts in Datadog are called Monitors. These can be based on nearly any metric that Datadog can capture, and this goes far beyond simple up/down capabilities. You can set thresholds and ranges on common values like CPU usage that will let you know instantly whether or not something is working via email. While email seems to be the primary method by which this works, what you can alert on far exceeds what the other products we reviewed delivered. The best feature is the ability to alert based on anomalies. Because Datadog applies a bit of machine learning (ML) here, it can tell you whether or not a system or service is behaving atypically. Since its not always obvious what to look for when you're first starting out on a bug hunt, this is an excellent value-add.

While it's good as a network monitoring application, where Datadog really shines is in its ability to monitor cloud-based services. Even if the network itself is not in house, you are able to collect and monitor performance metrics that can help you narrow down what might be causing the slowdown. So, if you are using services like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS), youll gain an edge even over excellent products, such as Progress WhatsUp Gold or Nagios XI, which lives in an on-premises environment.

Reporting and APIs

In Datadog, the term "reports" is somewhat of a misnomer. Rather than having fixed reports as most IT professionals expect from a monitoring tool, Datadog aims to make metrics easily searchable and it does so well. While there may be some that would miss a nicely generated PDF report, not everybody needs them. Event logs can be filtered based on time frame, where the events came from, what the priority was, and what the event itself was. If you need more than that, products such as Editors' Choice winner Progress WhatsUp Gold might be more your cup of tea.

On the API front, Datadog comes equipped with an easy to use web API that can be used with just about any language. While not a true plugin framework, it does give you plenty of ability to collect and track telemetry from your own custom devices assuming you have the programming ability. This significantly extends the range of what Datadog can track if you have the programming know how.

Overall, Datadog requires legwork to get it set up the way you want it, probably more so than most of the other network monitoring tools we reviewed. But once youve done that, its remarkably easy to use. It has a wide range of plugins available, and the web API assures that you can extend the service as needed. It is also delivered entirely as a SaaS model, which makes it ideal for folks that dont like keeping up with a resource intensive monitoring solution on premises. That said, the agent-based model will probably be annoying for larger networks since every agent will need to be individually deployed unless you use a solution like Active Directory to do the job and that'll require yet more configuration up front. But for smaller networks that dont have a dedicated IT staff or service-oriented companies that need to watch a couple of application stacks at a granular level, Datadog is a great way to go.

Datadog 3.5 (Opens in a new window) See It Visit Site at Datadog (Opens in a new window) MSRP $15.00 Pros Simplified cloud hosted model

Supports just about any service stack

Delivers depth that service providers will appreciate

Customizable views tailored to each application View More Cons Not primarily targeted toward monitoring routers and network hardware

No automatic detection of devices

Significant initial setup process due to agent-based architecture

No standard reporting View More The Bottom Line Datadog is a very good network and service monitoring service for midsized IT shops. If you can get past the initial setup and the agent-based architecture, it's got a lot to offer, including loads of integrations, dashboards, and flexible alerts.
When Microsoft announced that it would shut down Sunrise Calendar after acquiring the app last year, the company assured users that they wouldnt miss much.

Originally, Microsoft promised that all Sunrise features would become part of the Outlook mail and calendar app on iOS and Android. Only after the two apps achieved feature parity would Microsoft stop supporting Sunrise for existing users. (We will leave Sunrise in market until its features are fully integrated into Outlook, the exact timing of which we will communicate in advance, Microsoft said in an October 2015 blog post.)

On August 31, it seems Microsoft will break that promise. As of this writing, Outlook is missing several of Sunrises most important features, along with some clever touches that made Sunrise more enjoyable to use. While a best-in-breed calendar was the sole focus of Sunrise, the calendar in Outlook still seems like a second-class citizen.

Short of a massive feature update for Outlook, or a stay of execution for Sunrise, heres what users stand to lose as Sunrise shuts down:

(Update: Microsoft says Sunrise Calendar will not shut down on August 31 after all. [W]e have chosen to wait a little longer in order to deliver a few more Sunrise-inspired features in Outlook, the company told PCWorld. Once those features are released, the Sunrise app will officially be shut down.)

App integrations

One of Sunrises best features was its integration with third-party services. From within your main calendar view, you could see travel plans from TripIt, due dates from Trello, tasks from Todoist, concerts from Songkick, and more. In total, Sunrise hooks into 16 different servicesa number that may have grown further had its developers continued working on the app.

Microsoft Outlook, meanwhile, integrates with just three: Facebook, Evernote, and Wunderlist. The app integrations page has promised more apps coming soon for months now, but its unclear whether Outlook will ever match what Sunrise had built.

Sure, you can hook up some of those services directly with your calendar provider. TripIt and Trello, for instance, both let you sync events with Google Calendar, iCloud, and others. The advantage with Sunrise is that it offered one convenient place to manage these tie-ins. Setting them all up separately is much more complicated.

Interesting calendars

In addition to your own calendars, Sunrise could display a variety of interesting calendars, including sporting events, TV schedules, religious holidays, and moon phases. Although Microsoft specifically called out interesting calendars as a feature it would add to Outlook before pulling the plug on Sunrise, that hasnt happened yet.

In the meantime, Google Calendar does support some interesting calendars on its own, so if you add them, they should sync with whatever calendar app youre using. Still, Googles selection isnt as extensive as Sunrises (it doesnt include TV schedules, for instance), and it doesnt help people who use iCloud, Outlook.com, or other calendar sources.

Recurring events and multiple reminders

Flashy features aside, Sunrise was simply better than Outlook as a bread-and-butter calendar app. It let you set up recurring events on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis, with intervals and stop dates. It also supported adding more than one reminder for a single event.

These should be table-stakes features for any calendar app. Its baffling that Outlook isnt supporting them yet, and only underscores the notion that the calendar side of Outlook is an afterthought compared to email.

Desktop support

Although Sunrise was obviously designed with mobile devices in mind, it also offered a website and apps for Chrome and Mac, so you could access the same calendars and integrations on a laptop or desktop computer.

Meanwhile, the modern Outlook appbased on the Acompli email app that Microsoft acquired in 2014is a no-show on the desktop. Instead, theres a desktop version of Outlook for Office users, a stripped-down Outlook calendar website, and a completely separate Calendar app in the Windows Store. So even if Microsoft added more Sunrise features to Outlook for mobile devices, its unclear whether those features would become available on Windows PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks.

Navigation and usability

Beyond all the big-ticket features that Sunrise offered, the app had a few little flourishes that helped you understand your schedule. For instance, each appointment displayed thumbnail images of the people youre scheduled to meet with, and the calendar view included two days of weather forecasts.

Sunrise also automatically assigned different icons to each event based on the name and location within. A birthday party event might show you a balloon icon, while a meeting at a coffee shop showed an icon with a coffee mug. These arent make-or-break features, but they speak to the broader attention to detail found throughout the Sunrise app.

In theory, shutting down Sunrise to focus on a unified email and calendar app makes sense. Resources are finite, so funneling them all into Outlook could prevent duplication of efforts, and allow Microsoft to deliver more features to a consolidated audience.

But that approach only works if the combined effort is equal to or better than its disparate parts. Thats not the case with Outlook and Sunrise. After giving itself 10 months to pull together the two apps, Microsofts not even close.
In the battle to sell more stuff to consumers, Acer has a new target: your pets.

The company will soon begin selling a high-tech pet monitor that can serve live video of a dog or cat to its owner via a smartphone or tablet app. Later, the camera will be supplemented with additional gadgets including a treat dispenser and cat teaser.

The products are Acers first step into the petware market. Its interest was sparked by two recent interns at the Taiwan company, who suggested looking at the burgeoning market for pet products, Acer CEO Jason Chen said on Wednesday at the IFA trade show in Berlin.

That market was worth $79 billion in 2009 and will climb to $104 billion this year, he said. By 2019, global spending on pets is expected to reach $128 billion.

To kick-start its efforts, Acer has acquired Pawbo, a Taiwanese company formed in 2014 by an executive from the IP camera industry. He wanted to do more than just watch his pets through a video stream.

So Pawbo was born. The device contains a camera, treat dispenser, laser, and networking hub for the envisaged family of devices. The camera can be used to watch pets, the remote controlled laser will entertain cats, and the treats can be dispensed remotely, too.

Martyn Williams The Pawbo pet monitor on show at IFA in Berlin on August 31, 2016.

The device goes on pre-order on Sept. 1 and will be available to consumers in the U.S., U.K., Italy, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. It will cost $169.

The Pawbo base unit will act as a hub for up to eight other cameras, enabling an entire pet surveillance system for a house.

Planned products will include Pawbo Flash, an infrared light for the base unit that will let users see their pets in the dark; Pawbo Munch, a dedicated treat dispenser for larger treats than the base unit; Pawbo Catch, a cat teaser that shakes around a fluffy toy on a stick; and Pawbo Punch, a whack-a-mole type game for cats.
Dropboxs move last week to ask users who had signed up before mid-2012 to change their account passwords followed the discovery of a large dump of email addresses and passwords related to these accounts.

The online storage company confirmed late Tuesday reports that 68 million user email addresses and hashed and salted passwords from an incident in 2012 had been compromised.

Dropbox said that the password reset the company completed last week covered all of the affected users so that the Dropbox accounts are protected.

Last week, the company asked users who signed up before mid-2012 to change their passwords if they havent done so since then, describing it as a preventive measure and not because there was any indication that their accounts were improperly accessed.

Hackers stole over 60 million account details from the online storage platform in the previously disclosed breach, Motherboard reported earlier on Tuesday. Not just a little bit hackedbut proper hacked to the tune of 68 million records, wrote Troy Hunt, creator of the Have I been pwned? (HIBP) website set up for users to check if they have been hit by known data breaches.

The company did not comment on how the account information had been breached.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the data breach contains legitimate Dropbox passwords, you simply cant fabricate this sort of thing, Hunt said. He added that there were now over 68.6 million Dropbox accounts that could be searched on the HIPB website, with some 144,136 email alerts sent to subscribers of its free notification service.

In July 2012, Dropbox said its investigation found that usernames and passwords recently stolen from other websites were used to sign in to a small number of Dropbox accounts. It said it had contacted the users affected to help them protect their accounts. A stolen password was also used to access an employee Dropbox account containing a project document with user email addresses, leading to spam attacks, the company said at the time.

Weve confirmed that the proactive password reset we completed last week covered all potentially impacted users, said Patrick Heim, Dropboxs head of trust and security, in an emailed statement on Tuesday. We initiated this reset as a precautionary measure, so that the old passwords from prior to mid-2012 cant be used to improperly access Dropbox accounts.

Heim encouraged users to reset passwords on other services if they suspect they may have reused their Dropbox password.
The first smartphones to use Googles Daydream virtual reality platform are coming later this year, and many could have Qualcomms latest processor, the Snapdragon 821.

On Tuesday, Qualcomm shared more details about the new flagship processor, which is the companys fastest to date. It has a 10 percent faster CPU and 5 percent faster graphics processor than the Snapdragon 820, which is in top smartphones like LGs G5 and Samsungs Galaxy S7.

Mobile chip makers often tweak processor designs to improve performance. The 10 percent CPU improvement is decent considering the Snapdragon 821 and 820 are based on the same Kryo architecture. Usually such performance improvements come with architectural upgrades in chips.

Smartphones will need a lot of horsepower for Daydream, which is Googles ambitious attempt to bring virtual reality to the masses. Its designed for Android smartphones that will snap into VR headsets, letting users roam 3D worlds, interact with friends or view streaming movies.

No Daydream products are out yet, but Google has set the requirements for smartphones and headsets to support the VR platform. Smartphones will need high-resolution screens and fast CPUs and GPUs, and the headsets will need a bevy of sensors to track motion and head movement. Daydream is based on Android 7.0.

Companies developing mobile devices for Daydream include Samsung, HTC, LG, Xiaomi, Huawei, ZTE, Asus, and Alcatel.

For developers to create mobile VR apps, Qualcomm is offering the Snapdragon VR software development kit, which will be compatible with Google Daydream.
Lenovos new Yoga Book will be a sleek folding laptop with stunning secrets inside.

Opening up the device reveals a big surprise: It has no hard keyboard. The keyboard area instead has a versatile touch panel that turns into a smartphone-like virtual keyboard, a draw pad, or a digital notepad.

The new touch input panel, which has a back-lit virtual keyboard, is a big deal for Lenovo. It will be featured in a new line of 2-and-1s and laptops and is Lenovos ambitious attempt to break a decades-old habit of using one-dimensional hard keyboards.

The Yoga Book will be the companys first product with a touch panel replacing a hard keyboard to type, draw, or take notes. Its price will start at US$499, and come with Windows or Android. Lenovo hasnt provided a shipment date for the device.

More devices under the Yoga Book brand will follow, and the touch input panel will also go into an upcoming Chromebook, Jeff Meredith, Lenovos vice president and general manager of the Android and Chrome Computing Business Group, said in an interview.

Youll probably see products in both the Android and Windows systems. Most likely youll see a product in the Chrome ecosystem, Meredith said.

The Yoga Book has a full HD 10.1-inch touchscreen and can be used as a laptop or tablet. The input panel  which replaces the keyboard  wont hurt Yoga Books estimated 13 hours of battery life, Meredith said.

Regular paper can be placed on the input panel to take notes, which will be entered into the device. Lenovo will include an ink pen that also serves as a stylus.

It wasnt an easy decision to remove the hard keyboard, which has has been battle-tested in computers for decades. The new input panel took two years to develop and test and will appeal to a young, mobile-first crowd used to virtual keyboards on mobile devices, Meredith said.

The virtual keyboard panel could also be popular in Chromebooks, which now support Android apps and are popular in educational environments.

Students love to draw and write with a pen, and the input panel will provide that capability, Meredith said. That versatility is not available with hard keyboards, which can restrict a childs creativity.

The virtual keyboard panel in Yoga Book has to be turned off to draw or take notes with a stylus. Lenovo, in its two-year study, found that stylus usage on a regular display wanes after a few months, but a separate touch panel to take notes would be appealing to users.

Lenovo has included some mobile typing features in Yoga Book. It will include autocorrect and predictive text, which speeds up typing with suggestions. Algorithms will help the device pick up user typing trends over time.

Meredith acknowledged there may be some apprehension about the new keyboard, and it may take time for users to get used to typing on a touch panel. The change may be similar to the time needed for BlackBerry owners to get used to virtual keyboards on smartphones.

Hard keyboards will still be needed, especially for heavy typists.

If youre banging out spreadsheets, most likely this isnt the right product, Meredith said.

The Yoga Book wont immediately have optical character recognition technology for notes taken via stylus on the touch panel. The feature is planned for the future, Meredith said.

The Yoga Book will have 4GB memory, 64GB storage, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front camera, and a microSD slot for expandable storage. It runs on an Intel Atom processor code-named Cherry Trail.

Dual-panel laptops and tablets introduced in the past havent survived long. Toshiba Libretto W100 and Kno, which shipped in 2010 with full-blown color screens, didnt stick around.

But Lenovo has done a significant amount of research and testing and believes the time is right to launch the Yoga Book.

We wanted to make sure the experience hit the mark, Meredith said. For those in the 20s and teens, theres not much reluctance to a touch-based keyboard.
Updates with increase in acreage

Firefighters from multiple agencies are battling a 155-acre brush fire first reported shortly before 5 a.m. in the Bell Ridge area of the Cleveland National Forest, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz said.

Bell Ridge is near Holy Jim Canyon, east of Trabuco Canyon Road  several miles east of Rancho Santa Margarita.

The smoke is easily visible from Riverside County. The Cleveland National Forest runs south from Corona to San Diego.

Four airplanes are dropping water on the flames and retardant ahead of the flames.

Weve got light winds that arent affecting the fire too much, but we are seeing it make runs up the sides of the hills, Kurtz said.

The Cleveland National Forest said in a Twitter message that the fire has a potential to grow to 500 acres.

RELATED Bogart Fire reaches 1,250 acres, 20 percent containment

One firefighter was airlifted from the area after he sustained injuries while fighting the fire before 8 a.m. The terrain is steep, Kurts said. It just made more sense to airlift him out.

Initially, there were approximetly 50 firefighters working, what began as, a 7-acre pre-dawn fire. That number swelled to 150 by sunrise.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, and no structures are threatened at this time, Kurtz said. There are no home evacuations pending, but we may evacuate the canyon down the line if this fire gets a whole lot bigger, Kurtz said.

More to come.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or jsudock@ocregister.com
As part of its outreach to the Latino community, the Riverside Art Museum has just opened an exhibition of Chicano art that will run through Jan. 15.

Curator Carolyn Schutten said the show is a combination of new and older prints from an iconic community art center in East Los Angeles, Self Help Graphics, that has been influential in encouraging civil activism, the Chicano civil rights movement and ethnic pride.

Franciscan nun Sister Karen Boccalero formed Self Help in 1970, joining a wave of other Chicano printmakers in Chicago, San Francisco and Sacramento. Boccaleros roots in activist art can be traced to her education at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, where she studied under Sister Corita Kent, an influential printmaker and social justice advocate of the 1960s and 1970s.

The exhibition is named after the artistic hub that has played a pivotal role in Chicano art production for more than four decades: Self Help Graphics: Aztlan, the Permanent Collection, and Beyond.

During the 1990s, Self Help Graphics, seeking a wider audience, organized the traveling exhibition Chicano Expressions and donated numerous artworks to archives and museums, including Riversides.

About half the prints shown at RAMs current show, Schutten said, are from the permanent collection of 42 prints that it acquired under then-Director Bobbie Powell 20 years ago from Self Help Graphics.

Those 1980s and 1990s pieces are from master printmakers, including Diane Gamboa, Gronk, Leo Limon, Roberto Gutierrez, Jose Alpuche, Patssi Valdez and others.

On loan from the East L.A. art center are works by Margaret Quica Alarcon, Poli Marichal, Dewey Tafoya, Miyo Stevens-Gandara, Dalila Paola Mendez, Yamylis Brito Jorge, Carlos del Toro, Dairen Fernandez, Aliosky Garcia, Octavio Irving Hernandez, Pavel Acevedo and others.

Schutten said the Chicano self-empowerment movement fueled the vision of Self Help Graphics. During the 1970s, the center introduced the traditions of El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, to Los Angeles, teaching the cultural practice of making altars and holding printmaking workshops.

Self Help Graphics launched Barrio Mobile Art Studio in 1974. The art supply-equipped vehicle is still active, traveling into Latino communities to increase awareness and appreciation of Chicano culture and nurture individual talents.

The Barrio Mobile Art Studio recently came to Riversides Eastside and the Riverside Community Health Foundation, courtesy of the museum. An exhibition of prints by Eastside residents through the mobile studio will be presented in the museums Taylor Family Gallery, Schutten said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9559 or llucas@scng.com
Inland Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown has received a warning letter from the states campaign finance watchdog for an infraction stemming from her financial interest disclosure form.

Brown, D-San Bernardino, continued to report her publishing company as an economic interest in 2013 even though she transferred ownership to an adult child a year earlier, the Fair Political Practices Commission concluded in its letter.

The (Political Reform) Act requires that public officials are required to report, among other things, investments in business entities and if the official partially or wholly disposes of that interest it must be reported, the letter read.

Your actions violated the Act because you continued to report an interest in Brown Publishing on a subsequent annual statement. Since you have now amended your (disclosure forms), we are closing this matter.

Browns representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

Cheryl Brown FPPC Letter by The Press-Enterprise / pressenterprise.com on Scribd

A spokesman for Eloise Reyes, Browns Democratic opponent in the Nov. 8 election, said the FPPC letter seems to create more questions than it answers for the Brown campaign.

Its never good to be reprimanded for ethics lapses but Im sure Chevron will keep spending millions to try and  save their reliable vote for Big Oil in the Assembly, Ben Escobedo wrote in an email. Why did she report an asset she no longer owned? Why didnt she report any income from the sale of the Brown Publishing? How much money has Brown Publishing made off of advertisements placed by Browns campaigns? Does Chevron advertise with Brown Publishing now?

Browns opponents launched a media campaign calling Brown Chevron Cheryl after the oil company gave $1 million to an pro-Brown independent expenditure committee. Brown has said she supported tough anti-fracking laws and that Reyes resorts to name-calling to make up for her lack of a record.

Brown and Reyes are in an unusual race for the 47th Assembly District, which includes part of the city of San Bernardino as well Rialto, Grand Terrace, Colton and Fontana. While theyre both Democrats, Brown and Reyes finished first and second, respectively, in the June primary, which sends the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, to the November general election.

The fight for the 47th is a battle in a larger conflict between moderate and liberal interests in Sacramento. Brown has been targeted by labor unions and environmentalists for votes condemned by her critics as contrary to her constituents interests.

The assemblywomans foes are particularly incensed that Brown opposed language in a climate change bill calling for reductions in petroleum use by motor vehicles. The language was eventually dropped from the final bill, which Brown voted for.

Brown has said the new fuel standards would have hurt residents in her district who drive long distances to work. Browns supporters include Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and business interests who also back a block of moderate Assembly Democrats.
The Obama administration unveiled initiatives to help restore the Salton Sea and improve the regions climate resilience, economy and public health as part of President Barack Obamas visit to Lake Tahoe Wednesday.

Obama talked about the need to combat climate change as part of conservation efforts during his keynote speech at the sold-out 2016 Lake Tahoe Summit.

Before Obama arrived on the West Coast, the White House press office announced a package to aid the Salton Sea and plans to boost conservation at Lake Tahoe.

Were going to reverse the deterioration of the Salton Sea before its too late, and thats going to help a lot of folks all across the West, Obama told about 9,000 people at Harveys Outdoor Arena in Stateline, Nev., just across from South Lake Tahoe, Ca.

SALTON SEA: Is Inland lake on road to revival?

As part of that effort, Deputy U.S. Interior Secretary Michael Connor and California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird signed an agreement Wednesday to form a federal-state partnership to speed up conservation of the Salton Sea, Californias largest lake, with up to 25,000 acres of resource mitigation.

The Obama administration also committed to geothermal and renewable energy development in the region. Two projects in Nevada and Utah will get up to $29 million for geothermal energy research that could help the Salton Sea area.

The U.S. agriculture department pledged $17 million for air, water and wildlife habitat conservation planning at the Salton Sea and the Sierra Valley, where partners committed another $60 million.

Also Wednesday, the philanthropic Water Funder Initiative announced a goal to provide $10 million over five years to help implement a plan to improve the Salton Seas drought resilience, promote its restoration and renewable energy, and protect public health.

Gov. Jerry Brown previously earmarked $80.5 million in his 2016-2017 budget to restore habitat and suppress dust at the lake.

Salton Sea expert Mike Cohen of the Pacific Institute said he hopes the federal government will get projects launched because the states commitment hasnt translated into actual projects on the ground yet.

Its a huge step forward that the federal government is committing to working with the state to support habitat and dust control projects at the Salton Sea, Cohen said. Theres been a lot of talk; theres been a lot of goals. What we really need now is to see action.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Ca., said shes pleased the state and interior department formed a partnership to restore the lake.

The only way we will save the Salton Sea is with a broad coalition that includes every level of government and the private sector as well, she said in a statement.

The 350-square-mile Salton Sea was created in 1905 by Colorado River flooding. Since then, the lake has been replenished by agricultural and municipal runoff and Colorado River water sent by the Imperial Irrigation District.

Agricultural crop changes, water recycling and drought since the late 1990s have shrunk the lake, exposed miles of shoreline and left uncovered sediment to blow across the Coachella and Imperial valleys.

The lakes salinity has spiked, killing fish that had fed hundreds of thousands of resident and migratory birds.

Problems are expected to increase after 2017. The 1.1 million acre feet of water flowing into the lake this year, nearly all from crop runoff, will drop to about 900,000 acre feet when the Imperial Irrigation District sends supplemental river water to San Diego County instead.

Audubon Society President and CEO David Yarnold said the group hopes to see work begin on building bird habitat and protecting Southern Californians from unhealthy dust storms.

We have a brief window to build on the momentum of this agreement, so now the hard work really starts, he said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@scng.com
The Palm Springs Police Department on Monday, Aug. 29, arrested two people believed to have dined and dashed  in front of police detectives.

Shawn James Deans, 27, and Shona Alexandra Morrison, 35, both of Palm Springs were both arrested on suspicion of defrauding an innkeeper and burglary, according to a Palm Springs Police Department news release. It says each was also arrested on suspicion of violating probation.

Police say that a group of Palm Springs police detectives went to Elmers Restaurant at 1030 E. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs to grab a bite to eat when they noticed a couple acting a little suspicious.

They say the detectives went to contact the restaurant staff when they were told that the couple had just dined and dashed in front of them.

The detectives went outside the restaurant, where a witness pointed to the couple somewhere outside. They say the duo split up, hiding behind hotels across the street from the restaurant.

Deans and Morrison were then both taken into custody.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9693, agroves@scng.com or @AlexDGroves on Twitter.
Every good teacher leaves a legacy: the students she inspired to do better; the ones whose grasp of a subject clicked because of the way he presented it; maybe even the ones she saved from a drab future by getting them excited about a subject that would become their lifes work.

But few, even among the very best teachers, can match the legacy of Pam Clute, who died last week at age 66.

Ms. Clute, who retired from UC Riverside as assistant vice chancellor emerita last year, made a national name for herself by encouraging young students, and particularly girls and young women, to pursue science, technology, engineering and math.

She taught math for four decades at the middle school, high school and university level. At UCR she founded the ALPHA Center, whose mission was to put secondary students on a college path, especially in math and science. And she founded the Girls Excelling in Math and Science program for middle school students.

She received the National Science Foundations Presidential Award of Excellence in Science from President George W. Bush in 2004, was named Riverside County First District Woman of the Year in 2011 and a California Leading Woman in STEM Education in 2012.

Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey and UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox will eulogize Ms. Clute at a memorial Sept. 6. Former Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge recalled her as a dynamic presence and a pioneer in showing girls they could pursue the typically male-dominated STEM fields.

Just as impressive as her professional accolades was the outpouring upon her death from her former students on social media.

We need more like her.

Lets hope that some of those she inspired will take the baton from Ms. Clute and build their own legacies of inspiring young people to pursue math and science careers.
California elections officials are confident that the states voter data and election technology is secure enough to withstand cyber attacks such as those Russian hackers recently carried out against Arizona and Illinois.

We are agile and always evaluating and adapting our security posture to protect the confidentiality of voter data and to protect the integrity of our elections, said Sam Mahood, a spokesman for California Secretary of State Alex Padilla

Mahood declined to provide specifics, but said there is no evidence of a successful hack of the states systems.

In California, voting systems  the equipment that youll see at polling places  cannot be connected to the Internet at any time, Mahood said in an emailed statement. All electronic voting systems must have a paper trail that can be audited.

Mahood added that California has one of the most strenuous voting system testing and certification programs in the country.

Counties must follow specific procedures for programming, deployment, and use of voting equipment, he said.

In addition, California elections officials are required to conduct a manual tally of 1 percent of the precincts as part of the official canvass of election results as a safeguard to ensure votes were accurately read and tallied.

Earlier this month, the FBI issued a national alert after cyber intrusions into elections offices were uncovered in two states, believed to be Arizona and Illinois, according to multiple media reports.

Hackers downloaded personal data for as many as 200,000 Illinois voters but were unable to access Arizona voter data. The two attacks were linked to eight IP addresses  digital fingerprints for computers  and the FBI alert asked states to check for breaches.

States are responsible for maintaining voter databases, and the information, which can contain dates of birth and home addresses, is attractive to identity thieves.

The FBI alert exacerbates already heightened fears about foreign interference, especially by Russia, in this years presidential elections.

Just before the Democratic National Convention in July, Democratic National Committee emails were leaked online showing committee staff favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders. Clintons campaign suggested the leak was the work of Russian hackers.

Many voters already are suspicious of Clinton, nicknamed Crooked Hillary by Donald Trump. The Republican presidential nominee has said that Clinton stands to benefit from a rigged system on Nov. 8 and that the only way he could lose the swing state of Pennsylvania is through fraud, despite multiple polls of Pennsylvania voters that show him trailing Clinton.

Even if hackers arent able to alter election results, questions about voting system security could fuel voter doubts about the elections legitimacy, said Sinan Eren, vice president of Avast Software, an international company that develops anti-spyware and anti-virus software.

While theres no danger is using technology to count votes, theres more of a danger for voting systems that allow votes to be cast electronically, said Alfredo Ortega, of Avast.

QUESTIONS RAISED

California counties rely on a statewide voter registration database, said San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Michael Scarpello.

I think that its always wise to be vigilant with your security protocols, but Im confident that the Secretary of States office has done so, he said.

Questions about the security of voters personal information surfaced in July, when Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said his office found evidence of voters party affiliations being switched online without their knowledge or consent.

The culprit or culprits had access to voters private information, Hestrin said, adding the digital trail went cold. Its not clear how many voters party affiliations were changed.

At the time, Mahood said his office had not received any substantiated claims from district attorneys and county registrars of unauthorized political party affiliation changes.

Riverside County Registrar of Voters Rebecca Spencer said there is no evidence of unauthorized access into her offices system.

We have two different election databases. One is the voter registration database and the other is the vote counting database, she said. The vote counting database is a standalone network that is not connected to the internet, that is not connected to the (county) network, and is completely self-contained in a secure facility.

California was on the road to electronic voting machines. But then-Secretary of State Debra Bowen pulled the plug on them in 2007, citing security concerns.

CHECK SYSTEMS

Voter information is not strictly private and can be requested by the public, said Cris Thomas, a strategist at Tenable Network Security, whose clients include the city of San Diego.

The recommendations outlined in the (FBI) bulletin will significantly raise the bar for any attacker and should be taken seriously by all defenders, regardless of whether their threat model includes nation-state attackers or not, Thomas said.

However, if their threat model does include nation-state attackers, these recommendations will most likely not keep them out.

The Arizona and Illinois incidents underscore the need to check computer systems for vulnerabilities, said Bill Berutti, an executive at BMC, an information technology firm with offices in Irvine.

The average vulnerability is open for 193 days, Berutti said. As the elections close in, other state systems may want to consider what is already active or vulnerable within their systems.

California also needs to reassure nervous voters, said Michael Rubin, a senior vice president at LEVICK, a public relations firm specializing in crisis communications with offices in Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago.

Voter databases are also not the systems used to vote or tabulate votes, so California can reassure its citizens that while the state is working to protect all state databases, Rubin said. The purpose of hacking these particular databases is to incite fear and cast doubts, not to steal information or change votes.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@scng.com
Members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), an umbrella body of retailers in the country, have called on the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to take urgent steps to restrict the activities of foreigners in the retail business, in accordance with the laws of the land at the various Central Business Districts (CBDs) of Accra.



The association said, concerns had been raised several years ago and petitions upon petitions have been sent to government for a review of the GIPC Act 478 as well as strict monitoring and enforcement of the law to save the economy from collapse.



They explained that the foreigners are edging the Ghanaians out of business and making Ghanaians store boys and girls instead of being business owners.



Stalls now in Okaishie, are going for 150,000 Ghana Cedis for only goodwill of five years and questioned how Ghanaians can afford this.



George Ofori, President of GUTA, said as a results of governments unfair policies, coupled with the inability of state institutions to effectively monitor and enforce compliance of the law governing doing retail business in the country (in particular reference to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre law) that bar foreigners from engaging in petty trading.



According to him, members have called for the attention of government to all these concerns through the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MMDAs) but to no avail.



He made this call when members of the association thronged the Central Business Districts of Accra namely Tudu, Okaishie, Makola, Tudu among others together with media personnel to provide evidence of the illicit activities of the Chinese nationals in the retail business.



He noted that the Chinese nationals are treating the laws that bar foreigners from being in the retail business with impunity.



The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr.EkowSpio-Gabbrah, has directed leadership of the association to provide evidences of the illicit activities of the Chinese nationals in the retail business in the country, hence the need to provide him with the raw evidence.



It will interest you to know that nothing concrete has been done to review the unfavourable policies to save our businesses from total collapse as well as ameliorate the severe economic conditions Ghanaians are suffering in doing business, he said.



He argued that the foreigners have taken the commanding heights of the economy by virtue of the fact they have not met some demands of the GPIC, this has led to many Ghanaians losing their livelihood because they cannot afford $100,000 capital requirement.



Prior to the fact finding mission by members, a lot of important observations were made, which points to some underhand dealings between some government officials and the representatives of the foreigners in the petty trading business.



He warned all state officials and all those who may hide behind operations of the state against any attitudes or behaviours that infringes on the rights of members.



Members of GUTA, will ensure that democracy works without fear, harassment or intimidation from all quarters.



Highlighting some of their concerns, he said the depreciation of the Cedi; particularly the exports ofhard foreign currency out of the country by these foreigners have been the bane of the rapid Cedi depreciation.



The influx of foreigners in the retail trade is fast pushing Ghanaians out of the retail business he mentioned.



He commended the Ministry of Trade and Industry for setting up the Inter Agency Taskforce to monitor and enforce compliance of the GIPC law even though the activities of the taskforce have been dormant in recent times.





Source: The Herald









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 Former public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Dr. Emmanuel Osei Acheampong has disclosed that the immediate past Moderator of the church, Prof. Emmanuel Martey indeed took money and a vehicle from some politicians.



This however contradicts earlier claims by the respected man of God who claimed otherwise and said he almost unleashed his dogs on the said politicians who came to bribe him.



According to him, Prof Martey is throwing dust in the eyes of the public after denied receiving money from the unnamed politicians.



Speaking to Kasapa News Akwasi Nsiah, the former PRO explained that a leading member of one of the opposition parties presented the money to him (Prof. Emmanuel Martey), indicating that claims he refused the money are false.



Prof.Martey addressing press today said he refused to accept 100,000 dollar bribe meant to shut him up from commenting about the NDC. Dr. Acheampong said Prof, Marteys posture does not befit a man of God and wondered why a man of his calibre will tell such a lie.



He revealed that he was sacked when they drew the Profs attention to the fact that he was overly dabbling in politics in variance with principles of the office he held. He narrated that the Man of God gave him 50,000 dollars but he rejected it.



Today marks a sad day for the Christian religion, the statement from Prof Martey is one of the most unfortunate that I have heard in recent times, a leader should have ethical communication which will not escalate into violence. Jesus never talked this way. Prof Martey is speaking in the opposite way, when he came into office, he presented to us a statement from one of the strongest political party, when we kicked against it, he sacked me,



In July 28, 2013, around 8:15pm, he invited me to the office of one of the leading opposition parties not the ruling government, when I got there he had received the 100,000 dollars and a V8 he is claiming to have rejected. And he gave me 50,000 dollars, I am speaking on authority that he received the money, he alleged.



He said they were given money to influence their sermons, thereby pursuing the agendas of the party in the church.



We were told they will present us with statements and we will read as communique to the church because of our larger number, he claimed.

Source: ultimatefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Martey, has warned the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it is alienating Ghanaians by pampering the babies with sharp teeth, who are in the habit of hurling insults and attacks on people who criticize the government.



The term babies with sharp teeth was coined by the NDC founder, Jerry John Rawlings in 2012,, as he urged President John Mahama to rid his government of the insolent persons who hurl insults at the public and even colleague government appointees.



Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Prof Martey revealed that, some politicians have made several attempts to bribe him to stop criticizing the NDC government as he was known for his strong opinions in assessing the government.



But he defiantly stated that, he would not be perturbed by the criticisms and insults coming from some of these babies with sharp teeth. For me Osofo Martey, I will not keep quiet! These babies with sharp teeth. Yesterday [Monday], three numbers called to insult me NDC.



He further warned the NDC hierarchy that, what they are allowing their people to do, they are alienating their party from the good people of Ghana and it will not augur well for them.



I rejected politicians Trasacco house; $100k bribe



Professor Martey, at the same presser, also revealed he had rejected several gifts and monies thrown at him by politicians with the sole purpose of silencing him. Politicians had tried all means to muzzle me, to get me but they cant, they come with bribes, fat envelopes, $100,000, he stated.



He added that some of these politicians also come with the promises that if you keep quiet we will give you a house at Trasacco with swimming pool.





Source: citifmonline.com









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The outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Martey has named the name of the politician who attempted to bribe him with a $100,000, a V8 and a house at Trasacco to the leadership of the church.



Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the church, George Larbi revealed on Adom FMs Morning Show, Dwaso Nsem Wednesday that the outspoken moderator after being approached by the politician came to the office and narrated the whole issue to persons in his office.



The Moderator told us in the office and even named the politician who brought the V8 and other gifts to him, the person is a known politician in Ghana, he revealed.



The Presbyterian Moderator who is exiting office at the end of November 2016 is in the news for claiming at a press conference that some politicians tried gagging him with an amount of $100,000, a V8 and a house at Trasacco.



They wanted to bribe me with $100,000 with promises that if you keep quiet, we will give you a house at Trasacco with swimming pool. Four wheel drive [but] these people were lucky I did not have big dogs in my house else I would have released the dogs to bite them, he said at the press conference.



The claim of the Moderator has been disputed by a former PRO of the church, Dr. Emmanuel Osei Acheampong who insists Prof Martey took the money and the vehicle offered by the politician.



In July 28, 2013, around 8:15pm, he (Prof Martey) invited me to the office of one of the leading opposition parties not the ruling government, when I got there he had received the 100,000 dollars and a V8 he is claiming to have rejected. And he gave me 50,000 dollars, I am speaking on authority that he received the money, he said on Kasapa FM.



However, the current PRO insisted that, the former PRO who was sacked was only attempting to throw dust into the eyes of the public on the personality of Prof Martey.



I have worked with him for two years and I can boldly hit my chest to say that he is not someone who is corrupt and will fall for corrupt actshis problem is that he is just not happy with some of the things that happen in the Ghanaian society, he said.



He therefore pleaded with my brother who he said was still a member of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana to desist from misleading the public.



Asked if he can name the politician who approached Prof Martey with the gifts, George Larbi said he has not been mandated to come public with the name but was sure the Moderator would in due course name that notable politician who attempting gagging the man of God with the expensive gifts.



He has not mandated me to come out with the name, if at certain times he wants to come public with the name, he would come out himself and publicly name the person, he said.



On the leadership style of Prof Martey, George Larbi said the Man of God has never had problems with persons or political parties, but only concerned about how the country is governed.



The desire to see the best for the country, he said is what forces Prof Martey to openly come out and criticize the government.



Professor Martey as a person doesnt have problem with opposition parties and government in powerhe simply has a problem with governance, he added.



Prof Martey, he added, does not only criticize the government in power but opposition parties as well when they go wrong.



When Jake bought his bungalow, he condemned it, during NPP internal wrangling, he criticized that as well and when Mahama Adams died through an acid attack, he again lambasted the NPP, so why are not talking about that too?, he quizzed.

Source: adomonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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One Fatima Seidu who was in a veil for Friday prayers at the Al-Aziz Muslim Mosque at Burma Camp, Accra have been arrested for allegedly stealing a bag containing the personal belongings of Madam Hajia Zenaibu.



Madam Zenaibu had arrived from Maryland, USA.



Fatima told the GNA, she hails from Kowokudi in Nima Accra, but people who knew her said she leaves at Sabon-Zongo near Gaskia a suburb called Ojo.



According to Hajia Zeinabu, she placed her bag beside her while she was offering the Friday prayers when suddenly Fatima came to kneel behind her.



She said when she bent down her head to pray, Fati picked the red bag from the upper terrace of the mosque and vanished.



The alarm was raised in the mosque and the woman was found running into a bush behind the mosque.



A soldier who was around chased Fati and she dropped the bag in the bush and he instructed her to pick it.



The soldier collected the bag and handed her over to a Military Police woman who was on guard duties.



She was later sent to the Military Police Office for interrogation.



The bag has since been handed over to the owner.

Source: GNA









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Prudential Life Insurance Ghana has launched innovative lessons to equip senior high school pupils with the skills and knowledge to manage their money now and in the future.



Prudentials employees volunteered to teach lessons on budgeting, banking, saving and insurance to 140 young women and men. The lessons, called My Money and facilitated by the childrens charity Plan International Ghana, were held during a three-day residential summer camp in Winneba.



The lessons are part of the Prudential Scholarship Programme which over five years is enabling 555 young people to complete their education in senior high school. Scholarships have been awarded to 240 young women and 160 young men so far from Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Tema, Koforidua, Sunyani, Ho, Winneba and Dodowa.



Prudential also operates the Prudential Actuarial Support System in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the University of Cape Coast and the University of Development Studies. The system provides bursary awards to help high achieving actuarial science students build careers in insurance.



Emmanuel Mokobi Aryee, Chief Executive of Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, said: We are committed to investing in education in Ghana.



These lessons are providing vital financial knowledge and skills to young women and men throughout Ghana and will help them to become financially aware and employable adults. We are delighted that the lessons have been so successful and have included so many young women, who sometimes do not receive a high school education.



Fadimata Alainchar, Director of Plan International Ghana, said: We are delighted that Prudential has been able to fund these scholarships, which complement our other activities throughout Ghana. The scholarships will really help to equip young people in Ghana with vital skills for today and the future.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Volta Youth for Development (VYD) has consistently pushed the claim that President Mahama and his NDC led government have continuously considered Voltarians in and out of the Volta region and the region itself less important and as a result starve them of what they and the region rightly deserve.



The most annoying part is the President's gift of cars and House to Akua Donkor over the demand of Voltarians.



Note our research has revealed that Madam Akua Donkor has consistently made it clear on most media platforms that due to how charitable, kind and caring President Mahama is, he has given her one Mitsubishi Pajero, one Mitsubishi L200 Pick Up and a four bedroom apartment at Sakumono Estates aside the many goodies he has given her in the past for her continues support of him.



Our further checks revealed that the total value of the 2 cars and the house is 786,000 Gh Cedis



Breakdown of the cost of the gifts



1 USD=4Gh Cedis



Four Bedroom apartment at Sakumono Estates =478,000 Gh Cedis



Mitsubishi Pajero =$55,000

=220,000Gh Cedis



Mitsubishi L200 Pickup =$22,000

= 88,000Gh Cedis



Total = 786,000 Gh Cedis



Moreover our research in the Volta region has also revealed that majority of towns in the region are very much in need of basic stuffs such as CHPS compound and potable drinking water.



As a result majority of Voltarians have to travel long distances for medical assistance and also for clean water or depend on rain water or water from polluted rivers for their drinking, cooking and bathing.



The break down and total value of the demands of some of the areas we researched at are as follows;



Cost of one borehole =12,000Gh Cedis



Cost of one CHPS compound 180,000 Gh Cedis



Adaklu District current source of water is Tordze river (polluted)



Number of boreholes needed 10, 10x12,000=120,000



Drovukope in Akatsi South



Current source of water is rain water or water Agbedrafor which is 30 kilometers away



Number of boreholes needed is 12, 12x12,000=144,000



Amedzofe town



Number of boreholes needed is 10



10x12=120,000



Asukawkaw town in the Biakoye constituency



current source of water is Asukawkaw river(polluted)



Number of boreholes needed is 8



8x12,000=96,000



Nyitawuta village in Anlo constituency

source of medical assistance, cross river Anyanui to either South Tongu constituency or Anlo constituency



Solution: one CHPS compound in the village,



Cost of a CHPS compound is 180,000Gh Cedis



The total value of all the projects needed by these five areas is equal to 660,000 Gh Cedis



ANALYSIS



A comparison of total value of item given to Akua Donkor about (786,000) and that of the total cost of the project needed by this five towns (660,000) to help better the lives of thousand Voltarians and non Voltarians living there shows that Akua Donkor gift alone is far expensive that the cost of all the projects needed in this towns.



Conclusion



The above shows that the NDC and President Mahama have being very wicked and ungrateful to Voltarians especially considering their continues loud cry for such basic needs despite their loyalty.



Thank you.







In God We Trust







........SPOKESPERSONS.......







Innocent Supremo Tetteh (Converner)



+233243266937







Nana Kwadwo Akwaa (Writer)



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+233244217711







Prosper Fofo Ndekor



+233547993433







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+233201673315

Source: Volta Youth for Development









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Nana Akufo-Addo has asked the people of Bunkpurugu in the Northern Region to help him make it to Jubilee House in the 7 December polls.



The three-time flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is currently in the region campaigning.



He said: Ive tried once to open the door of Ghana; it didnt happen; Ive tried the second time to open the door of Ghana; it didnt open; Im making a third effort to open the door of Ghana; this time I want your support to be able to do so. I want your support so we can go into Jubilee House and begin to rebuild our country and bring prosperity to all parts of Ghana.



Mr Akufo-Addo, who has promised to build a factory in each of the 216 districts in the country as well as put up an irrigation dam in every farming village in the northern part of Ghana, told the crowd: Ghana is not a poor country; were not a poor people. It is poor governance that has brought us to where we are.



We are looking to come to office to put in place top policies that will bring about the revival of our nation and for that we need your support so that in December this year, all of us, together, will say: John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic, bye bye.

Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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National Organizer of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Kofi Adams who doubles as the campaign coordinator of his party has in a response to Prof. Martey's latest comments said that the foolish talks foolishly while the wise talks wisely.



Prof. Martey alleged that the leadership of the NDC is condoning the use of abusive language and attacks on him and in his view, the act would not augur well for the party since they are eliminating the good people of Ghana from their party.



Kofi Adams speaking in an interview on Rainbow Radio said Rev. Prof. Martey has already insulted himself with his own utterances and comments and so it would not be the NDC that would insult or instigate it members against him.



The Moderator he posited is an embarrassment and has degenerate and dragged himself in the mud, so ''why would members of the NDC throw mud at a muddy person?''



He said the NDC is not ready to descend into the gutters like the Moderator since the party is responsible, and disciplined. The attitude and posture of the Moderator Kofi Adams said has exposed his bias and is now seen as the lowest link in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.



He also lambasted the Moderator for complaining about the state of the Kotoka International Airport describing it as a village Airport but failed to commend government's efforts after the facility was refurbished.



Kofi Adams made reference to the periodic chart by the Media Foundation for West Africa on the use of abusive language and the party that usually tops. Rev. Martey he noted has failed to be objective and fair but rather focusing on the NDC with his unfortunate attacks. He said, the Moderator has blinded himself from truth and honesty despite being a man of God. Kofi Adams maintained that the christian leader is doing the bidding of his political party, NPP.



He restated the comments by the former PRO of the Presby Church, Dr. Emmanuel Acheampong that Prof. Martey is corrupt and a liar after accepting a bribe of 10, 000 dollars from a presidential candidate of a leading political party in Ghana.



''As a man of God, you should speak the truth at all times. But what can we do about it? The bible has already warned Christians against wolf in sheep's clothing and that is what we are seeing today.''

Source: rainbowradioonline.com









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Ghanaian gospel musician Philipa Baafi has described sound engineer George Forest as an extraordinary human being who never joked with his work.



The multiple award-winning Ghanaian sound engineer known for producing most of the biggest Gospel songs in Ghana reportedly died Wednesday morning.



He took ill and admitted at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi on August 30, 2016 but died in the wee hours of August 31, 2016.



Speaking exclusively to 3news.com an emotional Philipa Baafi described the late George Forest as a sound engineer with a difference.



George was an extraordinary human, a sound engineer with a difference.



He is a very serious man with his work and very private and he called his studio Forest because when it was time to work, it was just you and him and nobody else.



According to Philipa, George always wanted the local African element in his music so he gave every song he worked on the highlife rhythm because he never preferred the foreign rhythm in songs he produced.



He was very particular about the beats to his song that he produced, so what he usually does was to listen to song and tuned to suit the highlife rhythm which I found very fascinating.



George would always make sure you prayed over every production you bring to him because he believed prayer was a very key element in how far your music can make an impact.



I will surely miss him and will never forget the man George Forest.



The popular Kumasi-based sound engineer owns a band called the Adepa Band. He also worked on songs by seasoned musicians such as Nana Acheampong, Obaapa Christy, Philipa Baafi, Gifty Osei, Doris Gyamo among other renowned musicians.



George Forest aside his contribution to Gospel music is also credited with a number of hits including Nana Acheampong`s Anka Ebeye Den Na Aye Wo Ya. He has also produced several hits for Gospel musician Cecilia Marfo.

Source: 3news.com









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21-year-old final year University of Witwatersrand Industrial Psychology student, Michelle Danso, was crowned winner of the inaugural Miss Ghana South Africa pageant on Saturday, August 27.



The event which was organized in association with the Ghana High Commission took place with a glitzy black-tie gala at the Bryanston Country Club in Johannesburg, SouthAfrica.



The sold out event was hosted by prominent radio Programs Manager, Tony Soglo, and Communication Specialist, Nonye Omotola. The event was attended by dignitaries such as His Excellency, Kwesi Ahwoi, and members of his esteemed Ghana High Commissionteam. Former SABC Chairperson, Ellen Tshabalala and reigning Miss South Africa 2015 1st Princess, Refilwe Mthimunye, formed part of the judging panel alongside businessmen Anthony Afordofe of Akweni Construction and Project Management, Mckevin Ayaba Founding Partner of Africa Business Radio and accomplished registered pharmacist, Dr Ralph Tetty-Amlalo.



Reigning Mrs Tshwane 2015 and Mrs Africa International 2016, Refilwe Fosu-Amoah, played a key role alongside the organisers as Pageant Coordinator, taking the finalists under her wing and managing their activities.



We couldnt be more pleased with the successful launch of the inaugural Miss Ghana South Africa pageant. Its been a concept 6 years in the making and we believe we have laid a strong foundation for the longevity of this pageant in South Africa and we look forward to journeying with Michelle Danso over the next year. Congratulations to all the finalists. Every one of them would have made a fitting winner. We would also like to extend a big thank you to His Excellency and the Ghana High Commission for partnering with us and to all the sponsors and team members who came on board. expresses Mavis Anim and Sheila Afari, co-founders and organisers of Miss Ghana South Africa.

Source: ameyawdebrah.com









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The California State Assembly unanimously passed a bill 66-0 to close the loophole that allowed convicted Stanford rapist Brock Turner to receive only a 6 month sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in January 2015.

Judge Aaron Persky came under fire in June after handing down the ridiculously lenient sentence to Turner on the basis that time in prison could have a damaging impact on him and jeopardise his future.

As it stands, California law carries a minimum prison sentence without probation for those convicted of rape, but only if it involves penile penetration. AB 2888 would apply the same punishment to those convicted of rape, sodomy, penetration with a foreign object and oral sex if the victim was unconscious or incapable of giving consent due to intoxication.

Democrat Bill Dod, who co-authored the bill, says that its about working to change the culture of acceptance:

This bill is about more than sentencing, its about supporting victims and changing the culture on our college campuses to help prevent future crimes.

Telling the floor during the debate:

If we let a rapist off with probation and little jail time, we re-victimize the victim, we dissuade other victims from coming forward and we send a message that sexual assault of an incapacitated victim is just no big deal.

Having passed the State Assembly, the bill is now sitting with Californias governor, Jerry Brown.

Turner is due to be released on September 2nd, after having served only half of his sentence. For fucks sake.

Source: Jezebel.

Photo: Queerty.
The High Court of Queensland has ruled that Gerard Baden-Clay murdered his wife, Allison Baden-Clay.

The court reinstated the murder conviction, originally handed to Baden-Clay in the initial trial, that was commuted down to a charge of manslaughter last December by the Court of Appeal in a ruling that sparked mass public outrage and calls for the Department of Public Prosecutions to challenge.

The High Court unanimously allowed the appeal, reinstating the conviction of murder, and in the process ruling that the Court of Appeals had erred in allowing Baden-Clays initial appeal to be upheld on the grounds that prosecution had failed to exclude the hypothesis that the respondent unintentionally killed his wife.

The case is extremely rare for the High Court. Prior to this mornings ruling, Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts stated that only around 3 times in the past ten years has the Queensland High Court been asked to overrule a judgment from the Court of Appeals, and that overall as little as 5% of cases that request leave to appear before the High Court have those requests actually granted.

After the ruling was handed down, Potts described verdict as a red letter day for justice in Queensland.

What this simply means, is the justice system works.

Allisons close friend Kerry-Anne Walker read an impassioned statement to media outside the courthouse, praising the High Court for upholding and honouring the original verdict.

Her statement, in full, reads as follows:

Todays decision in the High Court comes with both relief and elation. Despite many Queenslanders being labelled as ignorant when they protested the downgrade to manslaughter, the common sense of the original jury has prevailed and justice for Allison has finally been realised. The ignorance lay elsewhere. The law has acknowledged what we, who were closest to her, knew from that very morning Allison went missing  that is  that she was murdered. Gerard Baden-Clay murdered his amazing wife Allison. The evidence in the original trial displayed his intent as well as his character. Todays decision brings an end to Gerards attempts to smear Allisons name. If some were in doubt as to his true nature, his behaviour after Allison disappeared and during the trial must have removed that doubt. Four and a half years ago, three beautiful girls went to bed with a mother, and next morning awoke without one. He let them and the whole community worry and anguish about what had happened. In a fair and open trial, a jury found that there was enough evidence to convict Gerard Baden-Clay of murder. They felt there was motive and certainly intent. Thankfully today Australias High Court judges agree with this decision and have reinstated a conviction of Murder. Allison loved being a wife and a mother and worked incredibly hard to do both to the best of her ability. Even though it has been said many times before  she was indeed an amazing woman. Her legacy will be her beautiful three girls who, surrounded now by their memories of Allison and the love and support of Allisons devoted family, are thriving in their busy lives. All who know them are confident they will go on to achieve great things. I am in awe every day of how well Allisons parents Geoff and Pricilla and her sister Vanessa deal with their day to day busy lives. The girls are certainly a tribute to them. I would like to thank and acknowledge again the Department of Public Prosecution, the Queensland Police Service and all those that helped with the case  your tireless work and passion for the truth will never be forgotten and you should be also very pleased with todays decision. To all of Allisons friends and family, the media, special guest speakers and members of the public  who supported the Do it for Allison campaign last year after the initial downgrading of the charge to manslaughter we would like to say a huge thank you  In particular I would personally like to thank Bevan Slattery and Nicole Morrison who initiated the rally in response to the public outcry. Lastly  To all of Allisons friends and family that have during this process been there every step of the way (you know who you are), I thank you and dont have to tell you she would be so very proud.

Gerard Baden-Clay will now serve his life sentence, which carries a non-parole period of 15 years.

Source: Brisbane Times.

Photo: Twitter.
At times it almost feels like the fight for marriage equality in Australia is a hellish carousel that well never be able to get off of; constantly going around in circles without it ever getting anywhere.

As the new Parliament officially sat for the first time yesterday, Bill Shorten, Tanya Plibersek and the Labor party announced they would be introducing a private members bill into Parliament aiming to push same sex marriage into law, despite the fact that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull would have to be about fifty shades of dead before he let an Opposition Leaders social progression legislation through the lower house.

Hardcore punk icon Henry Rollins, a man who comes from a country where same sex marriage has been legalised, appeared on The Project last night ahead of an extensive speaking tour of the country scheduled to run throughout September, including a stop at Sydneys Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Among the many topics covered in the chat with hosts Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly, Rollins was prompted about the issue of same sex marriage, and in particular the on-going debate in Australia.

He did not pull any punches in responding.

The former Black Flag frontman asserted that the whole hullabaloo is beneath Australia, a country he has a visible fondness for, and that we should be legalise it and move on as quickly as humanly possible for the good of us all.

The good gear begins at about 1:50 in.

I love your country very much, you have a beautiful patch of land and the Australians Ive met are just amazing. This marriage inequality flap youre having is below your country, it is below your conversation. You should just get rid of it, let two men get married. Youll wake up tomorrow morning, everything will be fine. You keep on going. This is really below the intellectual quotient of the conversation that Australia should be having, now and forever. It really is below you. It makes you look bad. In my country, those people who hate two men getting married makes my country look bad. You should squash it and move on, as fast as you can.

Rollins also touched on a raft of different hot-button issues like gun control, Donald Trump, and just how in the hell a man so full of fire manages to unwind. Its a shitload of ground covered in a mere 5-minute interview, and Rollins is, as he always is, intelligent, thoughtful, and exceptionally engaging to listen to.

If you feel like getting a bigger dose of the big man himself, all his upcoming tour dates can be found here.

Source: The Project/Facebook.
Former models for Donald Trumps model management company have unloaded on the New York City model house in which they lived, with one saying that the apartment was little more than a sweatshop, and that working for the agency was like modern-day slavery.

In an expose by Australian journalist James West for the American political publication Mother Jones, three former models for Trump Model Management revealed how they worked illegally in the United States in shocking conditions.

One of the models Kate* said she deadset woke up one morning in the East Village apartment to find a homeless man pissing on her face.

West writes:

Living in the apartment during a sweltering New York summer, Kate picked a top bunk near a street-level window in the hopes of getting a little fresh air. She awoke one morning to something splashing her face. Oh, maybe its raining today, she recalled thinking. But when she peered out the window, I saw the one-eyed monster pissing on me, she said. There was a bum pissing on my window, splashing me in my Trump Model bed.'

To add insult to injury, the models were charged extortionist rates to live in the house. Like, were talking USD $1200  $1600 (AUD $1860  $2126) a month to share two basement bedrooms stuffed with bunkbeds that could be occupied by 11 people or more at any one time. (A Trump agency representative, who acted as a chaperone, lived in the third bedroom on the ground floor by herself.)

In comparison, Mother Jones points out that an entire studio apartment nearby was advertised for USD $1375 ($1827)a month.

Another former model for Trump Model Management, Kate*, says that at age 18 she was one of the oldest in the house, and that girls were recruited as young as 14, leading most to feel like they couldnt complain about their living conditions.

Youre young, and you know that if you ask too many questions, youre not going to get the work, said the Canadian-born Rachel Blais, who worked for Trump for three years and made a profit of just $8,000. (Shes now an advocate for models.)

Models were told to lie to immigration upon arrival in the USA, then would work illegally until theyd earned enough for Trump Model Management to be willing to sponsor them.

It was very much the case of you earn your visa, said Anna*, another former Trump model. Essentially, if you got enough work and they liked you enough, theyd pay for a visa, but you werent about to see a dime before you could prove your worth.

Trump has yet to comment on the piece.

*Names have been changed.

Source: Mother Jones.

Photo: NBC.
washing machine whirlpool

Whirlpool found a simple solution to kids chronically missing class: Give schools washing machines.

As part of its Care Counts program, the home-appliance company donated a washer and dryer to 17 schools in two districts in St. Louis, Missouri and Fairfield, California. When Whirlpool compared attendance rates to how often schools did laundry, the data revealed startling progress.

During the 2015-2016 school year, teachers and other staff members told students to bring in whatever laundry they could fit in a single bag as often they needed. Parents or teachers from the school would handle the cleaning that day, at no cost to families.

By the end of the year, the schools had done a total of 2,000 loads of laundry.

Over 90% of kids in the 17 schools came to school more often than they did before the program began, with an average increase of 6.1 extra days per year. Teachers reported that over 89% of kids participated more in class, 95% interacted with their peers more, and nearly all of them were reported as being more motivated.

todays attendance

University of California, Irvine, sociologist Richard Arum says the program likely saw such stellar results for two reasons.

"The direct effects would be that the students are not embarrassed to come to school because they have clean clothes," Arum, dean of UCI's School of Education, tells Business Insider. "The indirect mechanism would be that the program suggests to them that the larger society cares about their schooling."

Chaketa Riddle, former principal of Central Middle School in St. Louis and the district's current assistant superintendent, agrees.

Riddle tells Business Insider that her experiences have taught her that before a school can raise attendance figures, let alone test scores, it needs to create a culture of safety and support. (She admits she was late to our phone call because she was helping a mother who was seven months pregnant navigate the social security enrollment process.)

Story continues

"They feel that they belong in our school community," Riddle says of her students. "They feel that we're a family. They feel that we definitely support their needs and want to make a fun and positive and exciting school experience for them."

woman doing laundry

Chronic absenteeism is one of the biggest problems facing America's low-income schools. Some six million kids miss at least 15 days a year for numerous reasons: sickness, lack of interest, family responsibilities, drugs.

But a less talked-about reason kids might not show up is that they don't have clean clothes, and feel too embarrassed to come to school dirty. As a result, they might skip days on end, setting them back academically and burdening the system overall.

The Care Counts program won't necessarily bring all attendance rates to 100%. Some kids are bound to skip school for reasons that have nothing to do with cleanliness. But Whirlpool brand manager Chelsey Lindstrom says the data was so compelling that Whirlpool wants to expand the program across the US.

Starting this September, the company will provide washers and dryers to an additional four or five districts, bringing the total number of participating schools to just under 50.

"I think you'll just continue to see that number grow year over year as we end up launching it nationally," Lindstrom says. In the long run, as evidenced by Arum and the kids from Fairfield and St. Louis, the small leg up that comes from clean clothes could lead to much higher achievement.

According to Riddle, the tight-knit group of parents and counselors she's assembled to help with the laundry program means her district is just getting started.

"You have the visible leadership teams within the schools who want to make sure that we're eliminating any barriers that our students may have, so that they can focus on what's most important. And that's coming to school to receive an education."

NOW WATCH: These high-tech classes are the coolest thing happening in schools today





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Imported strawberries from Egypt are to blame for a hepatitis A outbreak linked to smoothies sold at Tropical Smoothie Cafes in six states.

The number of cases on Wednesday grew to 66, with the highest cluster of cases reported in Virginia, according to The Virginian-Pilot. The Virginia Department of Health said a total of 55 residents have tested positive for hepatitis A.

Other states where residents reported cases include North Carolina, Maryland, West Virginia, Oregon and Wisconsin, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hepatitis A is a viral liver infection that is highly contagious and can cause fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-colored stools and yellowing of the skin or the eyes. It is not chronic.

The Pilot reported those people impacted in Virginia ranged in age from 14 to 68 and nearly half sought hospital care.

In the meantime, Tropical Smoothie has said it has removed the imported frozen strawberries from its restaurants.

Tropical Smoothie operates cafes in the Harrisburg region at the High Pointe Commons in Swatara Twp., Strawberry Square in Harrisburg and 3601 Market St. in Hampden Twp.
Fouche-726x484.jpg

Dr. Jaunine Fouche has been named one of the recipients of the 2016 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) by President Obama.

(Provided photo)

A teacher at the Milton Hershey School is among those honored by an award from the office of President Obama.

Dr. Jaunine Fouche, the school's science curriculum supervisor, was named as a recipient of the 2016 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

The award is given to teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade from across the United States, in recognition of their efforts to develop and implement educational programs. It is granted by the National Science Foundation on behalf of The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy,

Fouche was one of 213 recipients nationwide to earn the award, which is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a math or science teacher in the nation.

"We are proud of Dr. Fouche and her work which inspired her selection as a Presidential Award recipient," said Pete Gurt, the president of Milton Hershey School, in a press release. "She has remained focused and dedicated in her efforts to develop exceptional science instruction that meets the individual needs of our students and prepares them for postsecondary success. Dr. Fouche demonstrates a clear commitment to excellence in her field and at our school."

Dr. Fouche, for her part, chalked up her success to her students and the mission of Milton Hershey School.

"I believe in empowering students and providing a top-notch education that, when paired with STEAM and innovation opportunities, harnesses their restless curiosity to solve local and global challenges," she said in the press release. "Through this award, I hope to further the growing innovation dialog and inspire our students."

Fouche will join the other award recipients in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 8 for a series of recognition events as well as professional development opportunities.
Mold at Cedar Cliff high school

Mold was found on pipes in the West Shore Academy section of Cedar Cliff High School and in the school's main office late Tuesday afternoon. Sean Simmers, PennLive.com August 31, 2016

(SEAN SIMMERS)

Another Cumberland County school will be closed Wednesday due to the discovery of mold.

Mold was found on pipes in the West Shore Academy section of Cedar Cliff High School and in the school's main office late Tuesday afternoon.

The high school will be closed Wednesday due to the the issue. All other schools will be open and operate on a normal schedule. All after-school activities are still scheduled as planned, the district announced on its website.

Buses will be at the high school to take students to Cumberland Perry AVTS. However, vo-tech students must provide their own transportation to the high school, the district said.

Compliance Management International confirmed the presence of mold in the building following inspection, the district said. Additional inspections and clean-up efforts will take place Wednesday.

Other schools in the district will be tested as a precaution.

The district said it will continue to provide updates on the situation.

East Pennsboro School District had to close all of its schools last week after mold was discovered in several buildings.

The high school will remain closed for several weeks, forcing high school and middle school students to share a building as cleanup efforts continue.

Beginning Wednesday, East Pennsboro Area High School students will attend classes in the morning at the middle school. Middle school students will have classed in the afternoon.
Totti the drug dog

Drug dog Totti died after being left in a hot car in July.

( Pennsylvania Department of Corrections)

Update: Department makes changes after dog's death

A Pennsylvania Department of Corrections officer has been charged after a drug dog under his care died after being left in a hot vehicle for more than two hours last month.

Sgt. Chad Holland, 40, of Lock Haven, is facing one summary count of animal neglect following the July 7 incident, state police said Tuesday night.

The dog, a 2-year-old male Labrador retriever named Totti, was left in a hot vehicle without food, water or cool shelter, according to police. The dog died due to extreme heat that caused his creatine levels and heart rate to spike, said Amy Worden, spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections.

Totti was left in the vehicle during a training exercise at the state prison at Rockview, near Bellefonte, Worden told PennLive shortly after the dog's death. Totti was a member of the state Department of Corrections Drug Interdictions Unit.

Worden said Holland had stored training items in a vehicle at the end of a training exercise at 12:15 p.m and didn't realize until 2:44 p.m. that the dog was locked in the car. When Totti was removed from the vehicle, the dog handlers and other Drug Interdiction Unit staff tried to cool Totti with a water hose and ice.

The dog died that evening at a veterinary clinic.

An investigation was launched just after the dog died.

An online petition asking the Department of Corrections to fire Holland was launched in the wake of Totti's death. The petition, started by Kelsey Bourgeois of Urbana, Ill., has garnered more than 161,000 signatures, with a goal of 170,000.
totti.jpg

The death of K-9 Totti has prompted the state Corrections Department to make several changes to safeguard its dogs.

(Pa. Department of Corrections)

The death of a drug dog that was left in a hot car has prompted an administrative shake-up and other changes designed to safeguard the health of canines used by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.



The changes were announced Wednesday, less than a day after state police filed an animal neglect charge against Sgt. Chad Holland, 40, of Lock Haven, over the July 7 death of Totti, the 2-year-old Labrador Retriever in his care.



Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said in a statement that changes instituted because of the dog's death include the reassignment of Holland and the captain who supervised him to posts at the state prison at Rockview. "A senior DOC officer with military K9 experience has been assigned to lead the Drug interdiction Unit," Wetzel said.



He said a new written policy has been implemented regarding the care and handling of dogs that are in vehicles. That directive bars handlers from leaving dogs alone in vehicles "for any reason," and requires them to stay in "pet friendly" hotels while on overnight assignments. Signs will be placed in all K9 vehicles reminding handlers not to leave their animals unattended.



His department has bought portable kennels for every prison where the dogs will be housed during down time, Wetzel said. Each handler has been issued a portable kennel as well.



K9 vehicles will be fitted with window tint and rain guards to help keep them cooler in hot weather, Wentzel said, and consideration is being given to equipping the vehicles with extreme weather alarm equipment.



"These K9s are valued members of the DOC law enforcement team and we are committed to keeping them safe in our care," Wetzel said.






Lower Windsor Township police

Lower Windsor Township police are investigating a 16-year-old student after a threat report prompted a lock down at Eastern York High School on Aug. 31, 2016.

Police are considering whether to file criminal charges against a 16-year-old student after they responded to a threat report that triggered a lockdown at Eastern York High School on Wednesday morning.



Lower Windsor Township Police Chief Timothy Caldwell said the school went on lock down around 7:30 a.m. after a female student told a teacher about a conversation she had with a male student Tuesday evening that the girl interpreted as containing a threat of gun violence.



District officials summoned police, but no firearms were found, Caldwell said. He said the student who made the suspected threat was removed from school and the investigation is continuing.



"Everybody's safe, which is what we like," Caldwell said. "Everybody is resuming the school day."
BOGOTA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - - U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs has expressed interest in financing a project to make Colombia's Magdalena River more navigable, the government said on Tuesday.

Cormagdalena, the government agency supervising work on the project, said it received a letter from Goldman Sachs "expressing interest in executing the financing for the project."

No additional details were provided by Cormagdalena. Officials for the Colombian government and Goldman were not immediately available for further comment.

Work on deepening the river is run by the Navelena consortium, which includes Colombia's Valorcon and Brazil's Odebrecht. The project hit a snag in May when Odebrecht, Latin America's largest engineering conglomerate, said it would relinquish 50 to 75 percent of its participation in the group.

Odebrecht pulled out in a bid to preserve the credibility of the project as it faces corruption allegations in Brazil, Cormagdalena said at the time.

It has yet to find someone to take over the stake.

The project contract allows Odebrecht to pass the majority of its 87 percent stake in Navelena to another firm, in extraordinary circumstances.

The Magdalena project, valued at 2.5 trillion Colombian pesos, is set to increase cargo transport on the river to some 10 million tonnes by 2029, in a bid to reduce freight costs and aid exports by commodities producers and agricultural companies.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta, writing by Helen Murphy; Editing by Andrew Hay)
hoover maldonado

Tiffany Hoover, 29, of Lebanon, and Phillip Maldonado, 42, of Lancaster, are charged with drug delivery resulting in death in connection with 53-year-old Julio Rivera's death last May.

(Lebanon County Prison)

A man sentenced for selling heroin that resulted in a fatal overdose told a Lebanon County judge he was dealing to raise money to hire a lawyer for another drug charge.

The statement by Phillip Maldonado, 44, prompted a rebuke from Judge John Tylwalk Wednesday.

"I've heard a lot of excuses, but today's was a new one," Tylwalk said. "You sold drugs to raise money to hire an attorney to represent you in another pending drug case."

Maldonado is accused of selling heroin to Julio Rivera, 53, of Lebanon, who died in the Travel Inn May 16, 2014. Charges were filed against Maldonado and Tiffany Hoover, 29, of Lebanon, who was using drugs with Rivera, in February 2015.

Maldonado was found guilty by a jury Aug. 1 on charges of drug delivery resulting in death, conspiracy and selling drugs.

Tylwalk sentenced him Wednesday to 9-18 years in state prison on the drug delivery resulting in death charge; 7-15 years on a conspiracy charge; and 2-10 years on the drug charge. He was also fined $1,400. The sentence will be concurrent, and follow a sentence on other drug charges.

Since 1990, Tylwalk said Maldonado was charged with 12 counts, seven of them for drugs, and was in state prison six times. He was out on state bail when he was charged with selling drugs that killed Rivera, said the judge.

"This case is being tragically played out all over Pennsylvania," Tylwalk said, citing the fact that 20 people in Lebanon County died of overdoses last year, with 55 percent resulting from heroin.

"You contributed to it by your actions in this case," Tywalk told Maldonado.

Last year 3,383 people died in Pennsylvania of drug overdoses - an increase of 23 percent, he said. And in 2014, he said Pennsylvania was eighth in the U.S. in overdose deaths.

Hoover is scheduled for trial Oct. 31 on charges of drug delivery resulting in death, conspiracy, theft and a drug charge in connection with Rivera's death.

While Rivera nodded off and later overdosed, police said Hoover left and traded Rivera's cell phone to Maldonado for more heroin.

At sentencing, Maldonado also asked for a new attorney, and said he will be filing an appeal.
Kidnapped-PA-wife-found-dead-tierne-ewing-kevin-ewing.jpg

It was a sad end for an abused wife who was again allegedly abducted by her western Pennsylvania husband who was already facing charges for kidnapping, assault and holding her against her will for two weeks in a previous case just months before. This time, the wife, Tierne Ewing, 48, lost her life, after allegedly being kidnapped at gunpoint Tuesday by her husband, Kevin Ewing, 47.

(screen shot)

It was a sad end for an abused wife who was again allegedly abducted by her western Pennsylvania husband who was already facing charges for kidnapping, assault and holding her against her will for two weeks in a previous case just months before.

READ MORE: Kidnapped Pa. wife shot dead had feared husband would kill her

This time, the wife, Tierne Ewing, 48, lost her life after allegedly being kidnapped at gunpoint Tuesday by her husband, Kevin Ewing, 47.

The Associated Press reports that Tierne Ewing's body was found with an apparent gunshot wound in a barn late Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police said in a press release today. This, after an all-out police search for the kidnapped wife and her husband throughout the day.

Kevin Ewing also was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. UPDATE: He was pronounced brain dead on Wednesday; an autopsy is planned.

The pair were discovered by state police in a barn in West Finley, Washington County, Pa., several miles from where the woman was abducted at gunpoint earlier Tuesday.

According to AP, the police press release Wednesday offered few details but said Tierne Ewing "died as a result of an apparent gunshot wound."

Kevin Ewing was taken to an unspecified hospital, and no information on his condition was released. The Washington County coroner hasn't formally ruled on her death, AP reports.

The husband was already awaiting trial on charges he kidnapped, beat and held his wife captive for nearly two weeks earlier this summer. However, he posted $100,000 bond in that case on July 11, and state police say Ewing cut off the ankle device and left it at home before again abducting his wife early Tuesday, AP writes.

Tierne Ewing told police her husband beat and pistol-whipped her, spat on her, kept her hands tied with wire and branded her legs with a piece of hot metal while holding her captive from June 26 to July 8, according to AP.

Kevin Ewing faced charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, false imprisonment and other crimes in the original kidnapping case.
Pa-firefighters-capture-allegator-in-backyard.jpg

This wasn't your usual emergency call, at least not in western Pennsylvania: An alligator was on the loose in someone's backyard in Allegheny County. The Penn Hills Volunteer Fire Company responded, eventually capturing the creature and taping shut its jaws.

(Penn Hills Volunteer Fire Company )

This wasn't your usual emergency call, at least not in western Pennsylvania: An alligator was on the loose in someone's backyard in Allegheny County.

According to KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, the 4-foot gator was reported by a panicked woman Monday night. The Penn Hills Volunteer Fire Company responded, eventually capturing the creature and taping shut its jaws.

Now, officials are trying to place the reptile in a zoo.

In the end, no firefighters were bitten by the toothy gator. But several were stung by bees, which proved more of a menace than the out-of-place reptile, according to KDKA.

Still, the risk was there:

"That could have been a little kid, that could have been anybody that got bit by that thing," Penn Hills Chief Shawn Snyder told KDKA. "I don't necessarily know that he would have hurt anybody severely, but still, it's an alligator with a mouth full of teeth."

Background from KDKA:

Officials believe the animal either escaped or its owner wasn't able to care for it.

It is legal in Pennsylvania though to keep a pet alligator, though it's banned in some other states.
Pa-woman-charged-in-overdosing-friends-strangulation-death.PNG

Amanda Wayda, 20, is one of three young people in Lackawanna County who have been arrested and charged in connection with an overdosing friend's strangulation death.

(screen shot)

Under Pennsylvania's Good Samaritan law, you can't be prosecuted for seeking help for someone who is overdosing. Yet, three young people in Lackawanna County have been arrested and charged in connection with an overdosing friend's strangulation death.

The Times Leader newspaper reports that the body of the victim, 21-year-old Joshua Rose, was found Monday dumped in a wooded area of Susquehanna County. He was allegedly strangled with jumper cables and suffocated with a plastic bag after apparently overdosing in the company of several other young people.

Amanda Wayda, 20, was the latest to be charged in connection with the death after her arrest early Tuesday. The newspaper reports Wayda contacted the Jermyn Police Department Sunday, telling officers she had witnessed a "murder" on Interstate 81 on Thursday.

According to the newspaper, Wayda told police she was at her boyfriend's home in Scranton when she found that a napping Rose had possibly overdosed on an unspecified drug.

But instead of taking Rose to the hospital, Wayda, who was in the vehicle, tells police that another friend, Tyler Mirabelli, 22, drove onto Interstate 81 while a third person, Preston Layfield, 19, allegedly grabbed a pair of jumper cables and used them to fatally strangle Rose, the Times Leader writes.

At one point during the strangulation, Mirabelli allegedly told Layfield to "pull harder," the Times Leader notes, citing the police affidavit in the case.

Layfield and Mirabelli currently face charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy in the case, with the likelihood of homicide charges being added, Lackawanna County Deputy District Attorney Mariclare Hayes tells the Times Leader.

Meanwhile, Wayda has been charged with aggravated assault and conspiracy in the case.

Each were being held on $700,000 bail.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to correct that fact that suspect Tyler Mirabelli, 22, allegedly drove while Preston Layfield, 19, allegedly grabbed a pair of jumper cables and used them to fatally strangle the victim. A previous version was incorrect.


BELLEFONTE -- A popular Penn State professor died slowly after being pushed from a rock quarry ledge, possibly remaining alive and immobile for days, according to testimony heard Wednesday in Centre County Court.

That testimony from a state police investigator also revealed more details about what police say was an attempt on the life of Penn State associate professor Ronald Bettig that occurred a few days before he fell from the quarry ledge. It also hinted at a romantic relationship between his two alleged killers -- 32-year-old Danelle Geier and 39-year-old George Ishler Jr. -- whom police say are related as niece and uncle.

Grier on Wednesday waived her preliminary hearing on the charges against her. The testimony came during a preliminary hearing for Ishler. When it ended, counts of murder and related offenses were bound over for trial in county court.

The lead investigator in the case, state Trooper Brian Wakefield, said Geier and Ishler killed Bettig because they thought they stood to inherit money from him. They had tried and failed to drown him on a trip the trio took to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware on Aug. 10.

"When they were in Delaware, [Ishler] stated that he did dunk Bettig while in the ocean, but that he felt he couldn't do it [hold him under] and didn't continue," Wakefield said.

Wakefield added: "[Ishler] stated he was to dunk Bettig and Danelle was to wrap her legs around him to hold Bettig down under water."

According to the trooper, the trio returned to the State College area on Aug. 12, and went directly to the Blackhawk Quarry in Potter Township, luring Bettig with the promise of a marijuana harvest. It was there that Wakefield said Bettig was pushed from an 80-foot ledge. Police believe Ishler pushed him, while Geier waited in the car with her toddler son.

It took five days for Bettig's body to be discovered. But Wakefield said a pathologist believes he may have remained alive for up to two days, immobile and possibly unconscious. A medical examiner has ruled the cause of death "blunt force trauma due to a fall."

Wakefield said Bettig was likely still alive then when Geier and Ishler returned to the scene eight hours later to plant Bettig's belongings and vehicle there. They had hoped to make it look as though Bettig had been there on his own and accidentally fallen, Wakefield added.

Police say investigators first found the professor's car at the quarry days after he and the vehicle were first reported missing. His body was found soon after, with buzzards hovering above it.

Police say it was Geier and Ishler who filed the missing persons report days after their return from Delaware.

According to Wakefield, they went from concerned friends to prime suspects after someone reported seeing a woman matching Geier's description at the quarry on that date.

Geier and Ishler were arrested and charged. Police say they confessed in conversations with law enforcement.

In an informal conversation with a trooper after his arrest, Ishler claimed that while he had carried out the murder, Geier was the driving force, Wakefield said. Wakefield said Ishler told the female trooper that Geier's sway over him derived from the "power of [a female private part]."

Bettig had befriended Geier and Ishler months before his death, and she had moved into his home in Lemont with her child at the beginning of the year. Since then, there have been conflicting reports of Bettig's romantic involvement with Geier, and Ishler's romantic involvement with her.

More consistent are the reports of an increasingly fraught relationship among the three of them in the days and weeks leading up to his death.

On Wednesday, Wakefield said Geier told him that she and Ishler had grown to resent the professor's sharp tongue and criticisms of them and Geier's child-rearing habits.

"She said she was upset because Bettig criticized the way she raised her child and was belittling Ishler, saying there were many things she had had enough of."

But while it may have been personal for Geier, police say Ishler told them that he sought to claim an inheritance from the media studies professor. He said Bettig had recently updated his will to include them.

Wakefield said officials found such a handwritten document in Ishler's home. But the trooper said it's not clear if Bettig's signature on the item is valid, while the rest of the note was admittedly penned by Ishler.

Ishler's defense questioned the proof behind such claims in Wednesday's hearing, saying the investigation of this case is far from finished.

They also argued that some law enforcement claims against their client, or about the things he's alleged to have said while in their presence, lack documentation.
Coleman2

Taliban hostages Caitlan Coleman of Stewartson, York County, and her husband Joshua Boyle, appeared in a new video posted online Tuesday, according to an ABC27 report. This photo - a screen grab from a video - was released in 2014 by The Associated Press. (AP Photo) (The Associated Press)

(The Associated Press)

A York County native who has been held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan for four years appeared in a new video posted online Tuesday, according to an ABC27 report.

Caitlin Coleman 30, of Stewartstown, appeared in the two-and-a-half minute video next to her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle, 33, the report said. It's the first footage of the couple released since 2014, when Coleman's parents shared two short video clips of them. The couple was captured while on a trip through Afghanistan in 2012.

In the latest released video, the report said Coleman, dressed in a black dress and head covering said the following in a slow, halting voice, as she looks down at the floor:

"We have been told that the Afghan government has executed some of their prisoners of these men that are holding us, and that our captors are frightened of the idea of further executions and further death, and that because of their fear they are willing to kill us, willing to kill women, to kill children, to kill whomever in order to get these policies reversed or to take revenge."

Coleman was pregnant when she was captured, and gave birth while in captivity.

Her child would now be somewhere between three and four years old.
tesla model s supercharger station 2

Tesla got some extra time to get its ducks in a row for a federal investigation into the first known fatality while a Tesla was driving in Autopilot.

A Tesla Model S was involved in the first known fatal crash while Autopilot was activated May 7, prompting two separate government investigations  a preliminary evaluation of Tesla's Autopilot system by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a homicide investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

On July 8, NHTSA submitted an information request to Matthew Schwall, Tesla's director of field performance engineering, requesting data from Tesla as part of the NHTSA investigation into Autopilot that was due August 26.

The document requests that Tesla state how many alleged defects the company is aware of that relate to Forward Collision Warning or Automatic Emergency Braking. It also asks for any tests Tesla has done or plans to do of those two Autopilot systems as well as any changes Tesla may have made that could result in the alleged defect.

Tesla did not complete the information request on time, asking NHTSA for a one-week extension. A NHTSA spokesperson told Businesss Insider that Tesla was granted the extension and that Tesla must submit the requested data by Friday.

A Tesla spokesperson said the automaker responded to the first part of the information request and asked for an extension when NHTSA modified its request to Tesla, which Tesla will complete by September 2.

tesla autopilot accident

NHTSA declined to give any estimate as to when the investigation will close, stating that "the agency never puts a deadline on open investigations because it takes however long it takes to do a thorough job."

A spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol told Business Insider earlier in August that the homicide investigation into the fatal Autopilot crash was slated for completion by the end of August. Steven Montiero, a community safety officer for the Florida Highway Patrol, said no new information is expected for another one to two weeks.

Story continues

As such, both federal investigations into the Tesla fatal accident have suffered delays.

Joshua Brown, a 40-year-old Canton, Ohio, resident, was the victim of the Tesla crash. The accident occurred when Frank Baressi, a 62-year-old resident of Tampa, made a left turn in his semi-truck in front of Brown's Tesla Model S.

Tesla wrote in a blog post at the time that the Autopilot system did not notice "the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied." The Tesla then drove under the trailer, cutting off its roof, and crashed into two fences and a pole before stopping.

This story was updated with a Tesla spokesperson's comment Wednesday.

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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.
ONS 2016: Petrobras and Statoil signed a MOU to strengthening alliance in Brazil

Statoil/Ole Jrgen Bratland



The MOU was signed by Statoil CEO, Eldar Stre (left), and Petrobras CEO, Pedro Parente.

STAVANGER, NORWAY

Petroleumworld.com 08 31 2016

Petrobras and Statoil took a step forward in strengthening their cooperation in Brazil by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The intention of the MOU is to evaluate joint participation in future tenders for exploration areas and to increase upstream collaboration in producing fields in the Santos and Campos offshore basins.

The agreement also sets out a potential framework for cooperation on value creating opportunities in the gas value chain.

The agreement was signed by Petrobras' president and CEO Pedro Parente and Statoil's CEO Eldar Stre during the ONS 2016 conference in Stavanger.

It follows the agreement in July 2016 whereby Statoil acquired Petrobras' 66% operated interest of the BM-S-8 offshore license in the Santos basin, subject to government approval.

"This MOU reflects our long-term commitment to Brazil and is a result of our strong and long-standing relationship with Petrobras. Collaboration with partners like Petrobras, a company well-known for its technical expertise and profound knowledge about one of our core strategic areas, represents an excellent opportunity for us. We hope that this will result in significant value creation potential for both parties, says Statoil CEO, Eldar Stre.

Petrobras and Statoil through this agreement will continue their exploration strategic alliance, with the intent to define opportunities in the pre-salt polygon of the Santos and Campos basin.

The companies aim to capture value through application of technology and simplification of operational activities. Currently, Petrobras and Statoil are partners in 13 blocks in either exploration or production; 10 in Brazil and three abroad.

"We are moving into a strategic partnership that will be beneficial for both companies. Statoil has very high levels of oil recovery in their producing fields, for example, and we will have access to this experience and know-how through a partner, with obvious benefits for both sides", says Petrobras CEO, Pedro Parente.

The agreement has a horizon of two years, and the joint activities undertaken will depend on negotiations following the signing of the document.

Source: Statoil PR








ONS 2016: Rebalancing to extend into 2017, ConocoPhillips CEO says



The volatility is here to stay, ConocoPhillips Chief Executive Officer Ryan Lance said on the sidelines of the ONS Conference



STAVANGER, NORWAY

Petroleumworld.com 08 31 2016

Crude markets will continue to be plagued by volatility in the short and medium term after suffering the biggest downturn in a generation over the past two years, according to oil-company executives gathering for one of the industry's biggest conferences in Norway.

The volatility is here to stay, ConocoPhillips Chief Executive Officer Ryan Lance said on the sidelines of the ONS Conference in Stavanger on Monday. Market rebalancing will extend into 2017. The inventory levels are still quite high."

The industry remains on guard as oil entered a bull market Aug. 18, less than three weeks after tumbling into a bear market. Prices have gained 18 percent in the past four weeks on speculation OPEC nations and other producers could agree to cap output at a meeting in Algeria next month. While markets are expected to rebalance as they gradually absorb a glut of crude stocks, analysts differ over the timing.

Basically, volatility is the word, said Martin Bachmann, head of exploration and production in Europe and the Middle East at Wintershall AG. There will be a rebalancing. Over what timeframe is the big question.

It may take time for markets to strengthen and there will be great uncertainty in the meantime, Statoil ASA CEO Eldar Saetre said in an interview in Stavanger.

Market Balance

Some industry observers are more optimistic. Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of consulting firm IHS Markit, said oil supply and demand will balance this year, adding that spending on onshore oil and gas will increase in 2017.

Oil companies will need to invest about $1 trillion a year to continue to meet demand, according to Royal Dutch Shell Plc CEO Ben Van Beurden. Demand will increase by 1 million to 1.5 million barrels a day, he said on a panel discussion in Stavanger, adding that about 5 percent of supply will be lost to natural declines every year.

The rebalancing in the oil market is already happening, according to Norway's Petroleum and Energy Minister Tord Lien. Still, parts of the supplier industry will continue to have demanding months ahead.

Tough Times

Oil declined on Monday amid doubts producers will agree on a deal to stabilize the market when suppliers meet next month for informal talks. Iran's plan to continue boosting crude output until it regains its pre-sanctions OPEC market share is dimming prospects of collective action, according to Patrick Allman-Ward, CEO of Dana Gas PJSC. A deal to freeze output was proposed in February, but a meeting in April ended with no final accord .

The oil market should achieve stability soon, United Arab Emirates Oil Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said in a Twitter post. Any decision to stabilize the market will require the full participation of all OPEC members and major suppliers from outside the group, Al Mazrouei said.

That doesn't mean a turnaround in fortunes is imminent, said Scott Sheffield, CEO of Irving, Texas-based Pioneer Natural Resources Co.

The downturn's behind us, but the question is how long do we stay in a $45 to $50 oil-price scenario? he said in Stavanger. I think 2017 could be another tough year. I'm a firm believer that in 2018 it could turn around.










New Name, New Material



Devinci announced the release of a new bike today. That's the obvious lead, but it's not the whole story. So, lets rephrase it. Here goes: Today, Devinci unveiled the carbon Marshall. And if the frame looks familiar, thats because they released the aluminum version last year, as the "Hendrix". After a legal kerfluffle over the name on its top tube, the latest edition became known as the Marshall (Jimi Hendrixs middle name). Okay, got all that?



Heres what you need to know: There are both carbon and aluminum Marshall models, and each one will happily accept both 27.5+ wheels or 29er hoops. Devinci is selling the Marshall with both wheel sizes in 2017.



Oh, and we rode the carbon Marshall both wayssemi-fat and wagon wheeled.



Marshall Carbon Details



 Intended use: trail riding

 Rear wheel travel: 110mm

 Fork travel: 120mm

 Wheelsize(s): 27.5+ or 29-inch

 Carbon front and rear triangles

 Clearance for up to 27.5 x 3.25'' tires

 Internal dropper post routing

 Boost (12x148mm) hub spacing

 Sizes: S / M / L / XL

 Aluminum 27.5+ MSRP: $3,359- $4,419 USD/ $3,799- $4,999 CAD/ 3,569- 4,699 EUR

 Aluminum 29er MSRP: $3,099- $3,539 USD/ $3,499- $3,999 CAD/ 3,289- 3,759 EUR



 Carbon 27.5+ MSRP: $4,069- $5,129 USD/ $4,599- $5,799 CAD/ 4,319- 5,449 EUR

 Carbon 29er MSRP: $3,809- $6,819 USD/ $4,299- $7,699 CAD/ 4,039- 7,239 EUR

 www.devinci.com  Intended use: trail riding Rear wheel travel: 110mm Fork travel: 120mm Wheelsize(s): 27.5+ or 29-inch Carbon front and rear triangles Clearance for up to 27.5 x 3.25'' tires Internal dropper post routing Boost (12x148mm) hub spacing Sizes: S / M / L / XL$3,359- $4,419 USD/ $3,799- $4,999 CAD/ 3,569- 4,699 EUR$3,099- $3,539 USD/ $3,499- $3,999 CAD/ 3,289- 3,759 EUR$4,069- $5,129 USD/ $4,599- $5,799 CAD/ 4,319- 5,449 EUR$3,809- $6,819 USD/ $4,299- $7,699 CAD/ 4,039- 7,239 EUR

One Frame, Two Wheel size Options

Devinci got heaps of crap in previous years for their relatively short top tubes and have been growing the front centers on their bikes, as is evident on the Marshall. The top tube on a Large is 625 millimeters (24.6 inches) and the reach is 464 millimeters (18.2 inches). There are longer bikes out there, sure, but the Marshall is far from stubby.



The Marshall is also fairly aggressive for a bike sporting just 120 millimeters of front suspension and 110 millimeters of rear squish. In Plus trim, you are looking at a head angle of either 67.7 or 67.3 (depending on which way you flip the frame's geometry-adjusting "flip chip").



As a 29er, the front end lifts and the bike gets slacker still--66.7 to 67.2 degrees. That puts the 29er version of the Marshall in a similar league (geometry wise) as the Evil Following, Ibis Ripley LS and Yeti SB4.5c.



While Plus Size bikes are often painted with the old "It must be a clumsy nag of a bike" brush, the wheelbase on the Marshall is reasonable; the 435-millimeter (17.1-inch) chainstays keep the bike from becoming a handful on tight trails.



When the aluminum "Hendrix" version was released last year, it had a RockShox Reba up front. Devinci realized, however, that the bike's slack geo was urging riders to ride aggressively. They needed more fork. This year, all 27.5+ Marshalls get RockShox Pikes. The 29er build kits are spearheaded by Fox 34s. The plus-size thing is still far from sorting itself out when it comes to deciding on the "right" tire size. The 27.5+ Marshalls are shod with Maxxis Chronicle 3.0 tires, but can accommodate tires up to 3.25-inches. Personally speaking, I think 2.8 makes the most sense (less uncontrollable tire bounce), but the Chronicles worked well.

Devinci equips the Marshall plus models with a RockShox Monarch RT3 Debonair rear shock. So, no, it's not Metric. As with other Devinci models, the Marshall is configured around Dave Weagle's Split Pivot suspension design.

First Impressions

We rode the top-shelf plus bike, the carbon Marshall Carbon SLX/XT shown here, and simply swapped between stock plus wheels and 29er hoops.

As you might have noticed, theres a wide price range on the Marshall models. Thats because theres also a wide range of ways to build this thing up. In 27.5+ trim, you are looking at four models: two in aluminum and two in carbon. Devinci, however, also offers the Marshall frame with the samebuild kits as their new 29er Django model and the parts kit on the 29ers goes from blue collar to Wall Street wanton.Or to put it in plainer terms, the top-of-the-line 29er Marshall gets SRAM Eagle, whereas top-of-the-line 27.5+ Marshall gets an SLX/XT component mix.Only interested in the frame?The aluminum Marshall frame sells for $1,769 (USD)/$1,999 (CAD)/1,879.The carbon frame sells for $2,479 (USD)/$2,799 (CAD)/2,629.All of Devinci's aluminum Marshall frames are handbuilt in Canada, at the company's factory in Chicoutimi, which makes the bike a bit of a rarity in a sea of overseas imports. Whether that matters to you or not is a purely a personal call, but it's worth pointing out. Devinci doesn't fabricate its own carbon frames--they're imported like 99 percent of the competition. Devinci, however, flouts convention again by offering an actual lifetime warranty on their carbon frames. And by lifetime warranty, I don't mean the "Five-year lifetime warranty" that's become common in the bike industry. Five years could only be called a lifetime if you were a pet hamster. Given the price of carbon frames, it'd be nice to see the rest of the bike industry follow Devinci's lead on that one.What's the actual weight difference between the aluminum and carbon Marshall frames? Just a hair more than a pound. The aluminum frame tips the scales as 3.66 kilograms (8.07 pounds). The carbon frame weighs in at 3.16 kilos (6.97 pounds).Devinci showed up on my doorstep in early August with a Django and a Marshall. The objective was simple: Spend a few solid days riding the new bikes on our own turf, (Galbraith Mountain, in Bellingham, Washington). If you missed the First Ride report on the Django,. In the case of the Marshall, I was curious: How would the bike fare as both a 27.5+ machine and as a 29er? The only way to answer that was to ride the same trails on the same day, back to back. One lap on the plus-size setup. Another lap on 29er hoops. Our route included a mix of singletrack and fire road climbs to the top of the mountain, followed by a singletrack descents that included both tight, natural terrain and flowier jump trails. If you're familiar with Galbraith, the route down included Scorpion, Unemployment Line, Atomic Dog and a detour back up to finish with Irish Death.I opted to start with the 29er set up (Maxxis High Roller II 2.3s). In that guise, the Marshall climbed readily enough--it wasn't the rocket that the Eagle-equipped Django proved to be, but it's also not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison there given the Django's top-tier build. If you are a fan of the razor-sharp steering of a steep cross-country racing rig, then the Marshall might stymie you initially. This ain't that bike, even if the 110 millimeters of rear suspension suggests long days in Lycra to you. Personally, I'm used to climbing on bikes with relatively slack angles, so I'm probably not the best judge of whether a bike's head tube is "too slack" to navigate switchback climbs. I had no problems cleaning tight uphill sections. Moreover, I could let the bike go on the descents, which is really what the Marshall is about. It's a bike that leans towards the rowdy end of the spectrum, feeling confident at speed, with just the right amount of maneuverability. You won't mistake the 110 millimeters of suspension as anything more than it is. Even with close to 30 percent sag, it's a firm and progressive 110 millimeters aimed at riders who are going to ride hard and fast. It's not a tooth-rattling affair, but it's no Barca lounger either.After a couple hours of wagon wheeling, it was time for the plus-size switch. Climbing traction was awesome on the plus-size Maxxis Chronicles, but I also noticed the extra weight. The Maxxis Chronicle 3.0 is no boat anchor of a tire. In fact, it should only weigh 70 grams per tire more the High Roller 29x2.3s, but I found myself feeling the extra rotational weight all the same. Could some of that sensation be chalked up to "second lap-itis"? Maybe. You're never quite as full of the piss and vinegar on your second climb up the mountain, so perhaps that played a bit into the sensation. I'd need more time on the two wheel set ups to say definitively.On descents, the Chronicle allowed for generous leeway when lofting the bike off small drops or plowing into rocky and rooty sections of trail. I know, not a stunning revelation, but there it is. That's what plus-size tires are supposed to do for you, after all. In Plus-size mode, the Marshall proved just as easy to wend through the corners. It's no ropey nag of a handler. There is a distinct difference in cornering traits, though. While you can lean the High Roller 29ers into the corner and feel the authoritative bite of the shoulder knobs, the 3.0 Chronicles have a vaguer feel in the corners. They don't give up traction--initially, I thought they would--but they just don't feel as solidly committed to the turn.Frankly, I prefer the 29er Marshall set up, but if I'm going to be honest with myself, I might only dig that taller, skinnier configuration since I already spend a ton of time running 29x2.4 tires and am well accustomed to how they feel. In other words, my personal bias might be shining through and, to be fair, I might wind up appreciating plus-size tires more after spending more time on them. The jury inside my skull is still out on that one.The cool thing about the Marshall (and this is true of several newer "convertible bikes", such as the Santa Cruz High Tower or Pivot Switchblade), is that you're not locked into a single wheel size. You can choose what works for your style and trail conditions. The plus-size tires, for instance, would probably be awesome in my neck of the woods in winter when the root-sections get dicier and lower tire pressures become essential, whereas the 29er wheels might be better in summer conditions up here. Either way, you can run what best suits you. Having that option is a good thing.
Tracey Bueno (left) recently moved from Southern California to Morgan Hill to be the Territory Manager for the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies. Having held various customer service, sales, and purchasing roles, Tracey brings over six years of bicycle industry experience to Kali. Im super stoked to be working with the most innovative, forward-thinking protection company in the bicycle world, says Tracey. Brad Waldron and the whole Kali team are doing big things, and Im looking forward to being a part of it all.Matt Buzenes (right) is not new to Kali, having joined the company in 2013 as a warehouse assistant. Three years on, Matt is now making the transition to sales as the Territory Manager for the Midwest states. Although he hasnt been part of the bicycle industry for long, Matt has quickly developed a love for it. Having started in the warehouse, Ive had a chance to see how Kali works from the inside, says Matt. Now, Im excited to take on a sales position and prove that I can do more.Tracey and Matt can be reached at the following email addresses:- Tracey Bueno tracey@kaliprotectives.com- Matt Buzenes matt@kaliprotectives.com
Photo: Facebook

Police Sgt. Marci Graham didn't sugarcoat it for the 56 women who gathered one Saturday this month in Northeast Austin to learn about joining the Austin (TX) Police Department. It can be tough, she said.

Graham knows. In her 17 years on the force, she has raised three children while working for a department where women make up only about 10 percent of the rank and file.

Outreach efforts toward prospective female applicants, like her information session with the women, are part of a series of responses by Austin police to address a recruiting problem that a consulting group's recently released report said is the biggest challenge facing the Austin Police Department, reports the Austin American-Statesman.

Lagging recruitment in recent years has contributed to staffing shortfalls. The lack of new officers for patrol shifts has forced commanders to bring in most detectives and other nonpatrol officers into the shift rotation.

Efforts like the women's information session are also an attempt to diversify the ranks and seek prospects from outside of the traditional pipelines for new officers, such as the military and criminal justice students.

The recruiting effort now also has a larger staff to speed up the process, and police are reaching out to possible applicants through social media.

In recent months, the efforts appeared to have paid off. In November, the police academy will begin training its largest class in recent memory, putting 110 men and women on track to hit the streets next year.
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Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz staved off a challenge from Sanders-backed political outsider Tim Canova on Tuesday, holding on to her seat in Floridas 23rd congressional district, according to major news outlets.

With nearly all the votes counted, Wasserman Schultz leads Canova by double digits, 57 to 43 percent.

Even though the Florida congresswoman handily defeated Canova, there was some thought that the race could be an upset, particularly since Bernie Sanders threw his support behind her opponent, at one point this year even sending out fundraising emails for him.

As a result, Canova managed to raise a formidable amount of money  over $3 million dollars  for his campaign, though it wasnt enough to defeat the congresswoman in a district Clinton easily won in the states Democratic primary.

Wasserman Schultz spent much of the year embroiled in controversy surrounding her role as the now-former chair of the DNC. A large chunk of passionate Sanders supporters claimed she put her thumb on the scale to help Hillary Clinton become the nominee, even though Clinton captured a clear majority of Democratic primary votes over Sanders.

Still, after the release of private DNC emails prior to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Wasserman Schultz was forced to step down in hopes that it would have a unifying effect on the party going into the general election.

After putting away her primary challenger, Wasserman Schultz will go on to serve her seventh term in Congress.
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There are less than 70 days left until voters officially weigh in on who they think should be President of the United States  even fewer if you factor in early voting.

As we approach the home stretch of the campaign, the list of swing states pretty much consists of the usual suspects  Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Iowa, and Nevada  and even some typically red states like South Carolina, Arizona, and Georgia, which Hillary Clinton has impressively been able to put in play.

But, once again, as the clock continues to tick and there is just a shade over two months left until Election Day, Donald Trump is taking his campaign on Tuesday to a state he will most certainly lose: Washington.

Yes, the Washington that President Obama won by 15 points in 2012. The Washington that has gone for the Democratic nominee in each of the past seven presidential elections. The Washingon that is getting more blue, not less.

That Washington.

Despite Trumps puzzling trip to the Evergreen State  perhaps we should start calling it the Everblue State  this is another place that will not be contested this year outside of Trumps delusional mind. Clinton will win it easily.

In fact, the most recent poll taken in the state shows her doing even better than Obama did four years ago and beating Trump by 19 points. FiveThirtyEights forecast shows that Clinton has a 96 percent chance of winning Washington this fall  a real nail-biter.

This isnt Trumps only odd campaign stop, though.

In recent weeks, the Republican nominee has wasted time traveling to Connecticut (not in play), Texas (not in play), and Mississippi (not in play). He also planned a trip to Oregon (not in play) earlier this month, before eventually canceling it.

Its as if Trump, in deciding which states to travel to, blindfolds himself and throws a dart at a map of the United States.

According to a New York Times report earlier this month, Karl Rove has said that Trumps campaign scheduling shows that he is confused and scared as the election approaches.

Cant argue with you on that one, Karl.

The only thing that Trumps trip to Washington will do is make Democrats smile as the GOP nominee wastes more precious time pointlessly campaigning in states that arent up for grabs in November.
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The Trump campaign has hatched a scheme for a surprise last minute trip to Mexico in the hope that a foreign visit will save his struggling presidential campaign.

The Washington Post reported on the Trump campaigns reasoning for the trip:



Bannon, who previously headed the conservative website Breitbart News, made the case to the gathered group that Trump must underscore his populist immigration views in the final weeks of the general-election campaign, perhaps with an audacious gesture.

Pena Nietos invitation was brought up and Bannon said it offered Trump an opening to make headlines and showcase himself as a statesman who could deal directly with Mexico.

The fact that the Trump campaign views Mexico as a nation that needs to be dealt with encapsulates everything that is wrong with Donald Trump in a single sentence.

Going to Mexico does not make Trump a statesman. It makes him a tourist.

Secondly, the idea that Trump is going to show voters that he can get tough with Mexico is the exact reason why he is being crushed in the polls by Latino voters.

Mexicans are not the enemy. If Trump said that he was going to Canada in order to appear more like a statesman, he would be laughed out of the country. The idea that Trump can go to Mexico and look like a president is preposterous.

There is nothing that Donald Trump to do that will make him look presidential, but if he wants to go to Mexico and hang out, thats Mexicos problem.
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Since the Republican National Convention in July, a major theme of Donald Trumps campaign is that the United States is a hellscape of crime and lawlessness  something he alone will fix as president.

In recent weeks, Trump has tweaked this argument in a way that he thinks will appeal to African-American voters  even though it most certainly will not.

Inner-city crime is reaching record levels. African-Americans will vote for Trump because they know I will stop the slaughter going on!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2016

The fact that this is Trumps way of reaching out to African-American voters is laughable  but its also based entirely on a lie.

Its such a lie that independent fact-checking organization PolitiFact rates the claim made by Trump on Monday as Pants On Fire!

Video:

According to the fact checker, inner-city crime is not even close to record levels.

The frequency of violent crime has declined since the early-to-mid 1990s, PolitiFact notes. The homicide rate and the violent crime rate has fallen to such an extent over the past quarter century  both in big cities and in the country at large  that it would take many years of significant increases to return to the record levels of the early 1990s.

To illustrate just how big Trumps crime lie is, they put together this chart using data from the FBI:

Inner-cities are not consumed by record levels of violent crime. Trump and his supporters will likely continue to repeat it as fact from now until November, but it still wont be true.

What is true is that Trump needs voters to be scared, to think that the United States is a third-world country filled with crime and violence, in order to have a chance. But its not  no matter how often the Republican nominee repeats it.
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Republicans have been making up facts for years, and there have been some real whoppers told. What is amusing is watching Republicans get frustrated when their fake news isnt believed. Glenn Beck used to always ask, Why arent people talking about this? and Why does no one care? when this existed only in his head.

Now Rush Limbaugh, who is one of those responsible for pushing the fake unemployment figures being used by Donald Trump wants to know why more people arent upset that unemployment is so high.

The answer, of course, is that unemployment is low, and that he invented those numbers, numbers used not only by Limbaugh but by Donald Trump. Limbaugh, speaking Monday on his show, positively seethed with frustration, claiming, based on all those fake numbers, By all rights, Obama and Hillary should be in the 30 percent range here, and Hillary ought not have a prayer.

Listen to Limbaugh rant about the polling data:

Most of my life, and Im sure most of yours, presidential elections have been largely determined by the state of the U.S. economy or the perceived state of the U.S. economy. And in 2008  Im sorry, 2012  well, 2008 it did matter. Thats right, in 2008, [Sen. John] McCain [(R-AZ)] was leading until the financial collapse, the reported financial collapse, happened, and then it was over. And in 2012, [George W.] Bush was still being blamed for the economy. Here we are in 2016, the last eight years have seen dramatic economic decline all across the board in this country. In addition, the last eight years have seen the heated debate over Obamacare, Obama signing it into law after having lied to the American people about fundamental aspects of it. You like your doctor? No problem, keep your doctor. You like your policy? No sweat, keep your policy. Not only that, your premiums are going to be coming down an average of $2,500 a year. None of that was true.



The unemployment rate is more like 23 percent. When you get into African American and minority unemployment, its at 25 percent or 50 percent with teenagers. We have 94 million Americans not working. By all thats holy in American politics, the Democrats ought to be finished. They ought not even have a chance, using old traditional metrics. In the old days, when the economy was bad, the sitting president got blamed for it. His party was blamed for it, no matter what they did. It was almost insurmountable. By all rights, Obama and Hillary should be in the 30 percent range here, and Hillary ought not have a prayer.

Last year, Limbaugh was claiming 42.9 percent. For the record, PolitiFact rated the claim that 90 million Americans arent working mostly false when they looked at the claim (made by Limbaugh and others) in 2013, objecting that it included high schoolers, college students and retirement-age Americans.

That didnt stop Rick Perry from repeating the lie, or Rush Limbaugh making the same claim again in 2015, and, of course, yesterday.

Limbaugh talks about dramatic economic decline but the thing is, the state of the U.S. economy is much improved since President Bush left office. Gallup reports economic confidence has remained steady this summer. As for employment figures, this chart of the unemployment rate for those 16 years and over from the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the lie to Limbaughs claim:

The problem for Limbaugh and Trump and other Republicans, is that the GOP is campaigning against the state of the economy in 2009, when Obama took office, all the while erasing not only the context (Bushs destruction of the economy partly through two unpaid-for wars theyd rather blame Obama for) but the before and after economic figures surrounding Obamas presidency.

The change is startling. And the state of the U.S. economy is largely determining the 2016 elections. If you insist on campaigning against a set of circumstances that no longer exist, as Trump is doing, you are going to have a disconnect with your audience.

Misattributed blame by Red State Republicans during a primary  Red State governance (hello Kansas) and not Obama is to blame for their circumstances  is not going to sell to a wider audience of both parties and independents in a general election, who know the facts.

It is no surprise his PolitiFact scorecard is 83% mostly false or worse (almost as bad as Trumps). Now he is angry, and Trump is frustrated, that people arent outraged by a bunch of stuff that is demonstrably untrue, that the lies theyre both pushing arent trumping the facts on the ground.
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Republicans are clinging to headlines this Wednesday morning claiming Hillary Clintons unpopular rating is on par with Donald Trumps, according to a new ABC poll. But the entire poll actually says something different.

ABCs headline started this:

Heres the poll:

Clinton's image with registered voters is basically as bad as Trump's now https://t.co/4ir1h3zk6m pic.twitter.com/WlxsRVzztz  Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) August 31, 2016

This is more an indictment of the press failure to explain things and put things in context than it is Hillary Clinton, but thats irrelevant when it comes to the impact this has on the public, so lets unpack it.

Heres where the headlines come from, via ABC:

Among all adults, 56 percent now view Clinton unfavorably, up 6 percentage points in three weeks, compared to 63 percent who say the same about Trump.

Among registered voters, the two candidates have near-identical unfavorable ratings: 59 percent for Clinton vs. 60 percent for Trump.

ABC used the one piece of data in their poll that fit the story that they wanted to push. The media is conveniently ignoring the rest of the poll:

Hillary Clinton is actually six points higher in favorability, and seven points lower in unfavorability for a net (+13) over Trump. However, the press is pushing the false equivalency that Trump and Clinton are equally unpopular because they cant ignore the reality that Trump is losing in every poll.

One of the consistencies of the 2016 campaign has been a close relationship between Clintons approval ratings and the tone of the media coverage that she is getting. When Hillary Clinton gets a spate of bad media coverage her favorables drop. When she gets good coverage, they rise.

Guess what kind of coverage she got after some in the mainstream press embraced the Republican idea that the Clinton Foundation was a scandal?

So, the media can thank itself for putting Hillary Clinton anywhere near Donald Trump in popularity. Well done, because obviously these issues are totally on par with Donald Trumps massive abuse of power as a businessman and consistent problems with ethics as evidenced by the never-ending stream of lawsuits he is entangled in, including the deposition stemming from one lawsuit that revealed Trumps constant stream of lies.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are equally unpopular by one measurement but two other measurements in the same poll explain why the Democrat is winning.

The press is trying to build a horse race out of nothing, and in order accomplish this journalistic sleight of hand they constructing a house built out of straw that is easily blown down by data and facts.
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As Election Day approaches, it is important that every American know some basic facts about Donald Trump, to try to understand what his campaign means to us all. Sadly, you wont get a lot of that from the mainstream media, which doesnt want to kill the golden ratings horse.

Im not talking about Trumps upbringing and his education, or even his marriages, but about the claims he has made. There are all kinds of things said about talk  that talk is cheap for example, or that the less said the better. Shakespeare said, in Henry V, Men of few words are the best men.

I would quibble by arguing that what is said is far more important than how much.

Here then are my thoughts about not only Trumps words and deeds, but their context, the essentials that define the man:

1. Think about this: If Donald Trump had a lie detector with an alarm on him that went off every time he lied, hed never get through a speech; possibly not even a sentence, without being interrupted. At this point, sadly, that is precisely what is needed in order to highlight the rapidity with which Trump tells untruths. Like his lies about inner city crime, or immigrants, or Muslims. You pick the topic.

2. An alarm is needed, unfortunately, because conservatives seem to mistake the lack of a filter with honesty. You see this comment all the time coming from Trump apologists. They think because Trump will apparently say anything, no matter how offensive, he must be telling the truth. And consider this over your objections that it would be a pointless exercise: it would be funny.

3. This much is obvious: For conservatives, what they want to be the truth has become far more important than what the truth actually is. The racist undertones of wanting to take back an America that never existed, has morphed into an openly racist Make America Great Again (for white people) through lies, hypocrisy, scapegoating and blame-shifting.

4. This sort of thinking is especially evident in the Benghazi hoax, and now the Clinton email hoax, which, like Trumps inner city crime statistics  or his claims about the economy and unemployment  are all about things Republicans want to be true.

5. And of course, Trumps own missing emails go largely unnoticed and unremarked, not only by Hillarys hypocritical Republican enemies but by the mainstream media, which, despite all Trumps whining, is still taking it easy on him.

6. An especially egregious attack is Trumps remarks about Anthony Wiener and Huma Abedin, and by extension, Hillary Clinton. Trumps affections (the politically correct term for what is, in fact, naked lust) for his own daughter must be taken into account when he says of Wiener, hes a pervert and just a very sick guy.

7. If you have seen photos of Trump with Invanka, which are creepy enough, or read the unsettling things he has said about her, about what a nice figure and great body she has, how if she werent hid daughter hed be dating her, his words about Wiener sound just a tad hypocritical.

8. Worse: In a 2015 Rolling Stone article he mused, If I werent happily married, and ya know, her father But Wiener is the pervert.

9. Similarly, Trump now characterizes the Clinton Foundation as a vast criminal enterprise even though in the past, he has made donations to the foundation, including $100,000 in 2009. The mainstream media and fact checkers will point out that this donation came from Trumps foundation  the Donald J. Trump Foundation  and not out of Trumps own wallet, as though that excuses it and frees him of the charge of hypocrisy.

10. However, Trump himself is quick to take claim for money donated by his foundation when he pushes the claim he gives lavishly to charity. In August 2015 he said, I give to hundreds of charities and people in need of help, but the Associated Press pointed out the truth: that this money does not come from Trump, but from others by way of his foundation, because Trump hasnt given any money to his own nonprofit since 2008.

11. The Washington Post investigated by looking at 93 pages of contributions  4,844 of them  and not a single one was made with Donald Trumps own money, which gives the lie to I give The APs conclusion? Trump is nowhere among the ranks of the countrys most generous citizens.

12. Of course, as the 2016 presidential campaign has demonstrated, and fellow rich guy Mark Cuban has pointed out, Trump does not have a lot of that  his own cash, that is.

13. This has become ever more evident: Sleight of hand is the key to Donald Trumps public image. With a lot of bluster, nonstop lies and no small amount of hypocrisy, he presents himself to America as the person he wants them to see, even if hes presenting himself now as so many people we cant figure out which one is really him.

14. There is a biblical adage (Matthew 7:16) that ought to be well known to Trumps supporters, that in the NRSV goes like this: You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? Donald Trump has proven the truth of the answer, that no, they are not.

15. Donald Trump is a thistle. There is nothing nurturing or procreative in anything he says or does that does not somehow benefit Trump. He wants to create by destroying, lift some up by pushing others down, as oxymoronic a claim as any he has made.

Take this though with you then as you go about your day: Donald Trumps words and deeds are his testament; it is by them he wishes to be known. He is certainly free with them. They have entered the world and become real, and this is whether he pretends he never said them or not.